History

The carhop made its debut in the 1920s alongside the advent of the early automobiles. It would been forgotten were it not for having a part in the 1973 film, American Graffiti. The concept quickly evolved from customers who preferred to dine inside their car, to initially male carhops that were later replaced with female carhops in order to increase profits. The Sonic Drive-In restaurant is a return to this novelty of yesteryear. More to the point, cinema has catered to the inclination of many people over time. The earliest attempts involved storefronts that were converted to impromptu movie houses. A motion picture was projected onto a wall for viewers who were charged a pithy entrance fee; hence, the name Nickelodeon. This popular diversion led to larger movie palaces (doubling the entrance fee) due to the demand for more comfortable viewing accommodations when longer shows became the attraction. A pattern that has elevated from the mime street artist, to the flea sideshow that was part of the traveling circus, to the theater. Indeed, the theater itself has undergone a plethora of embellishments in order to dominate its market and to stave the onset of competing technology. It has experimented with silent actors, 3D renditions, Dolby sound, CGI animation, IMAX, to name some of the more popular effects. One cinematic event did create a noteworthy following, for all the hurdles it endured. The drive-in theater required mere open land, a wall, and window-mounted speakers to attract moviegoers. This setting appealed to families, teenagers, and film enthusiasts alike. Relive the nostalgia as well as the monumental challenges (nationally or internationally) that drive-in promoters tolerated in order to deliver the show: inclement weather, night cover restriction, and overall outdoor nuisance in order to mount the ultimate movie experience of that era. Was it a sign of the times, a shift from convention, or an industry in flux?

Analyze the use of alternate history in video games. Why is this a common trope? What are the effects on the player? What are the implications of doing this? Great examples would be Bioshock Infinite with it’s alternate dimensions ending, as well as Fallout 3’s alternate history which separates from ours in around the 1940’s. Thoughts?

Sengoku era, or Warring State Period of Japan, was the period of chaos before the foundation of Edo Bakufu. The constant chaos led to the lack of official historical record(ones produced by government), occasional brutality, poor lives of peasants, and many tales of heroism at the same time. In fact, some of the historical figures from this period appear in Japanese pop culture occasionally, especially Oda Nobunaga, who was voted as the most popular historical figure by Japanese. Considering this massive influence on pop culture, it would be interesting to observe the major figures in this period of Japanese history and see how their influences still manifest.

To be exact, what kind of historical figure attract writers and audiences’ attention? There are plenty of historical figures out there with interesting life stories, but only portion make into history books, some into novels, and few into movies. What would be the standard? For example, has there been a movie about Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of telephone? If there was, how many were there and how recent were they? Compare that to the life of Napoleon, or Elizabeth I. It may seem apparent that war heroes make into movies more than others, but even then there seem to be striking differences in the attention they receive. This could lead to the study of what type of individual people consider to be "hero", and examine the psyche of the society.