Jason052714

Jason052714

Contributing writer for The Artifice.

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    Latest Articles

    Latest Topics

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    Pending

    Die Antwoord's Destruction of Western Pop Music

    The video for Die Antwoord's "Fatty Boom Boom" features a depiction of Lady Gaga adorning her infamous meat outfit while she's seated in a car that's cruising through a de-militarized zone in South Africa. There is a definitive theme that points a middle finger toward supposedly irreverent artists in the U.S. music scene that sell what they claim is originality as trending spots on social media versus imprinting a subversive mark on modern art.

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    The Redundant Dream of Ridley Scott's Alien Prequels

    Ridley Scott has reanimated the deceased Alien series with the announcement that he is starting production on the prequels to the 1979 classic. But he is completely ditching the original concept of Prometheus (2012). Instead, he has opted to tell the story of yet another ship with yet another crew encountering yet another Xenomorph called Alien: Covenant. At the end of Prometheus, Rapace (Shaw) and Fassbender (David) depart LV-223 aboard a hijacked ship with the promise of real mystery and possibility in a future installment. However, the presence of a giant face hugger and subsequent baby alien bursting from the chest of the Engineer arguably doomed any hope that Scott would once again inspire the dark sci fi noir.

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      Superman is Dead and Hollywood Killed Him.

      Over the last century the man of steel has soared through the American collective consciousness. Since his first appearance in Action Comics, Superman symbolized freedom, justice, faith, perseverance and triumph over evil. But in 1978 the hero's story received a script treatment and director Richard Donner turned it into a Hollywood blockbuster. However, subsequent sequels suggested that it was a property with diminishing box office returns. Though television shows such as "Smallville" and "Lois Clark" had many successful seasons, the efforts to bring Superman back to the big screen in a meaningful way have failed horribly. The Kevin Smith and Tim Burton proposal disaster, the hugely unpopular Superman Returns and now the Zack Snyder version(s), may have mortally wounded the son of Jor-El. Is this a nuanced observation? No. However, what is significant is that people have stopped caring about Superman. Why does this matter? Children won't be adorning red capes to jump off their beds and try to save the world. Thus not as many people will think twice before saying something hurtful. Others might not hold a door for the next guy or extend that hand to a struggling neighbor. It is not just about another bomb at the multiplex, it's really society's rejection of a loving steward of the human race that protected us from dark forces and brought us a joyful uplift to our spirit. And this will prove deadlier than all the kryptonite in the galaxy.

      • I never liked Superman. I am a Spiderman, Captain American and Black Panther fan, in that order. I have been watching Superman from the 1950s show with George Reeves. I think the reason is that the character of Lois has to be more appealing. The love interest always makes the movie. Take MJ in Spiderman or Gwen Stacy. Instead of focusing so much on Superman, we need a really great Lois Lane too. Think of when Superman turned back time to save Lois, a truly romantic scene. – Munjeera 9 years ago
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      • Yea I think even shifting the perspective from Superman to Lois's would be very interesting. – Jason052714 9 years ago
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      • You can also argue whether if the Superman franchise would've been much better, more popular, and more symbolic of righteousness if they stuck to the routine comics. Or are you suggesting they should've abandoned the story to keep it a memorable experience? Or are you simply suggesting that the movies could've been better? You have to be clear about what you're up against. – Abhimanyu Shekhar 9 years ago
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      MRW I See OC and TL;DR:Landing on Imgur's Front Page

      My Reaction When (MRW), Original Content (OC) and Too Long; Didn't Read (TL;DR) are just a few acronyms and abbreviations that "Imgurians" use to categorize their gallery submissions. The Reddit inspired site has allowed users with profiles the ability to create unique GIFs and MEMEs to share with a community of cynical counterparts and cohorts. The quest for upvotes, "fake internet points" and notoriety motivate people to compete against one another for the most authentic posts. Imgur's meme template enriches participatory media while simultaneously developing a homogenous form of originality. Thus does the platform's production of cookie cutter memes contribute to this trend?

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        The "It's Complicated" Relationship of Deadpool and Spiderman

        There are always characters stories intersecting within the Marvel universe in print and on screen. This volatile dynamic is created when two or more superhero egos are positioned against one another. The result might be a tension that forms a bond or such irrevocable differences stage a violent confrontation. Occasionally, the latter changes when each character encounters a situation where the enemy of my enemy is my friend applies and they invariably join forces. The relationship between Deadpool and Spiderman is one example when a dialectal bond forms but not necessarily for the traditional reasons of completing a shared objective. Although this juxtaposition of good vs. evil or forming unlikely alliances is a commonplace plot convention, what makes the merger of Deadpool and Spiderman narrative so compelling?

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          Queen of the Fanboys: Comicbookgirl19's Reign as Pop Critic Champ

          YouTube celebrities have worked hard to gain followers, fans and lurkers by creating original programming. Talk shows that cover uncensored topics like politics, pop culture or in the case of Comicbookgirl19, comics, have become quite popular in recent years. This recipe has wet the palate of millions of subscribers. However, maintaining that level of notoriety is challenging. Due to the fact that the novelty of their shtick eventually wears off, and the groundswell of crowdsourcing funds plateau, keeping viewers requires increasing the lure of merchandising, re-orienting the show's focus or set designs, which may have diluted the purity of Comicbookgirl19's appeal.

          • This may due for expansion, actually, give examples of people who lost popularity on YouTube for this reason. Otherwise a good topic. – SpectreWriter 9 years ago
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          • to Rachel Efassy Bitoun: funding plateau means that funds raised by donations haven't increased, rather it is steady? I'm not sure why you would interpret that as a "French word"? A plateau like a mountain top or hill? And as for the question? This style of abstract is very commonly used in rhetorical analyses, there is no concrete answer as to why her show has become less popular. It is primarily speculative. Unless, the author wants to do an exhaustive political economic paper. Sorry you are not familiar with this type of research. Emily Deibler: I changed the second sentence, thanks for the constructive copy edit! – Jason052714 9 years ago
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          Latest Comments

          Jason052714

          In your concluding statement: “These “anti-capitalist” films are products of capitalism, they are the thing they say they go against” seems to inadequately capture the essence of your argument. What you are witnessing is that due to the concentration of media ownership we are seeing products synergized through vertically integrated subsidiaries. The novelty of the Hunger Games originates with his huge young adult fan base derived from the book series. This age group is one of, if not, the most sought after target markets. And finding away to repurpose the paperbacks as a quadrangle of sequels is an ideal situation. As for the incongruent values that are exposed in terms of acknowledged as to what themes are in the text versus what happens when the text is positioned within the media culture, is the way it is. Although I detest capitalism with its deficiencies, it will always be the most efficient system mainstreaming of content by making production, promotion and distribution possible.

          The Hypocrisy of The Hunger Games
          Jason052714

          Yikes! I can’t believe someone tried to make this argument. I am not at all coming from an objective point of view. And nor do I mind. These films essentially validate Theodor Adorno’s sentiment about art’s failure as a commodity. These films (all of them) represent how damaging to originality that the concentrated ownership and inordinate control over promotion, distribution and production of the media industry can be. What makes them worse, is that they were created by a man that started his career resenting that very system. They are, like all art, valid and can assume some space within our popular culture. But simultaneously they represent how economic constraints force independent voices, ideas and stories to the fringes and well funded CGI driven (and will eventually look painfully dated) trash dominates the discourse concerning mainstream film.

          In Defense of the Star Wars Prequels
          Jason052714

          Good piece. What I found fascinating with this film was not only the dismal yet intriguing cityscapes of Bruges, but the characters’ uncomfortable relationship. Gleeson and Farrell appear to be awkwardly intimate; lacking the meager conviviality of Estragon and Vladimir. The poor decisions of their pasts foment frequently comedic bickering between one another while they establish some level of adhesiveness through their exasperated frustration. But being miserable criminals isn’t enough to make convincing cinematic chemistry. There is a sense that even when Gleeson is asked to kill his partner (Farrell), refusing to fulfill the request was even more pointless than reconciling his own personal mid-life crisis during the climax of the film. Though well acted, his toxic chivalry toward Farrell was an inevitable and predictable outcome in the script. It’s just I don’t think the sympathy of Farrell or his pathetic situation was powerful enough to inspire such a drastic change of heart. It could be simply reduced to yet another story of how an evil and aged criminal deserves a shot at redemption. But I guess I am totally exhausted from it (like vampires and zombies) because now I am feeling forced to forgive murderers, thieves, and cons. We are once again asked see how we can identify with this awful person who is purportedly ‘just like us’ and we could perhaps see making similar choices faced with such perverse conundrums, but we can’t–and I don’t want to.

          In Bruges: Exploring Chivalry
          Jason052714

          *more secure with

          The Nintendo Collectathon: A Genre of the Past
          Jason052714

          Really great assessment of the ecology of the collectathon, rich analysis, and a solid walkthrough on the changes according to brands of console! The preoccupation of “collecting things” within video game objectives seems to point to broader socio-economic values associated with consumerism. And The redundant procedural aspects of this animated genre seem to suggest that the player may simply have a loyalty to a franchise or feels more secure from familiar platform styles.

          The Nintendo Collectathon: A Genre of the Past
          Jason052714

          I enjoyed reading the essay. There were some well cited points made about the traditional distinctiveness of a formal “text” in comparison to its digitized versions. However, I don’t think its a stretch to say that the argument is a bit oversimplified.

          Whether it is functioning in some capacity as either a noun or a verb is relevant for a fact based chronology of technological advancements or reductionist literary logic, but isn’t really useful in a psychoanalytic conversation as to how the text is functioning to produce meaning. This is especially true when we think of the multimodal delivery systems that media infrastructure uses and the content primarily envisaged as a bricolage of competing presentational formats.

          A “text” is the result. It is (re)created by its authorship (auteur)and/or readings by the subject (sujet); interpellation. Its fixity or agency in a static or electronic sense, respectively are mere forms that are activated within cultural or a collective (un)consciousness. The “deep” meaning the author is referring to has really nothing to do with the interface, the texture of the papyrus or the feel of warmly tattered book pages. Those media make the text perform better or worse, efficiently or not, within some scope of human perception, morality or ethic. Regardless, it always constructs unrestricted meaning; that is what the text does, is and was.

          Indeed, the printing press had a perfunctory role in physically situating the text. But how the text then positions dyads, social groups or individuals is not entirely the result of ‘deeply’ engaging with a tangible artifact. In fact, as the limited effects model used in propaganda research points to the way opinion leaders or sharing in discourse upon encountering a media text are far more influential than that text itself (Lazarsfeld & Berelson, 1940). Evidence that the erratic semiotic domain of video games suggests that interactivity from simulation(s)involve cognitive activity so rapid, and immersive that innumerable firsthand life experiences that the players have had in their lives are instantaneously drawn from to complete game objectives, improve skill levels, comprehend game theme(s), subplot(s) or narrative(s) while adjusting their physical orientation. These activities can only be achieved through quick thinking abilities; a reactionary and highly developed system of recall.

          This interaction with the game is also largely based on cues. Moreover, research within the communication and cognition literature suggests that frequently peripheral cues (PRP) are more effective at information processing than that of central route processing (CRP). Generally, CRP is only applicable with individuals that find content appealing.
          Perhaps, texting or electronic means of communicating is way we have adapted to combine or reconcile the two disparate processes of(para)sympathetic arousal and appeal.

          Thus if we are ‘texting’ this might account for the fact that we might actually be thinking more intently about the relationship though we might only use shorthand texts. Using a truncated form of symbolic codes, we are able to infer on a level that is perhaps more rapport based as opposed to report. Or perhaps Texting might find a faster route to the heart through a telemetric, albeit less sophisticated method than traditional modes, but not inferior. Rather than focusing on the mitigating potential of technology to assist us with connecting in new ways, the author relegates this to a literacy debate from the paranoiac style.
          (Morley, 1996; Lacan, 1970; Barthes, 1975; DeLeuze & Guittari,1987; Reyes & Adams, 2010; Reyes & Smith, 2014;Gee, 2003)

          The indictment of texting or recanting a “ho-hum” Neil Postman argument that “we are amusing ourselves to death” really translates to an opinion that ‘people are just becoming dumber.’ In fact, Postman’s book sharing the name of the aforementioned quote actually says “reading is hard” on its first page. Frankly, this piece comes across as quite elitist. It says that the only way to authentically read a text is to do it the old fashioned way by working hard and earning it simultaneously making you better than everyone else.

          Incidentally, this line, “bringing us away from the highly developed…” is unclear. Either you “take something away” or “bring it to you”

          From Noun to Verb: The Consequences of our New Idea of “Text”