samcel

samcel

Studied English Literature and Film at the University of Central Florida. Love talking about movies with fellow movie lovers :)

Contributor I

  • Plebian Penman
  • Lurker
  • Pssst
  • Sharp-Eyed Citizen
  • Town Watch
  • Actor
  • ?
  • Articles
    3
  • Featured
    0
  • Comments
    53
  • Ext. Comments
    21
  • Processed
    13
  • Revisions
    11
  • Topics
    6
  • Topics Taken
    1
  • Notes
    8
  • Topics Proc.
    0
  • Topics Rev.
    0
  • Points
    502
  • Rank
    200
  • Score
    325

Latest Articles

Film
54

How Bridesmaids Set the New Standard for Women in Comedy

Bridesmaids is not your typical rom-com. It does have a girl who doesn’t know what to do with her life,...

samcel

Film
30

Life is ‘Irreversible’: Editing, Camera Techniques, and Chronology in Noe’s Film

Irreversible is a film directed by Gaspar Noe about two men, Marcus and Pierre, who team up to find the...

samcel

Film
28

Gender and Sexual Identity in Blue is the Warmest Color

When I first watched Blue is the Warmest Color (French), I was astounded by this unique love story and the...

samcel

Latest Topics

0
Published
literature
Write this topic

Classic British Literature

What are some classic British novels that Americans should read? I'm currently reading The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie and Blandings Castle by P. G. Wodehouse. Blandings Castle is one that I think my fellow Americans should read because of its particularly hilarious, sarcastic, British humor. If there are any Brits out there who can come up with a list like this, do it!

  • Agatha Christie is definitely worth reading, especially In terms of classics you have Dickens, Austen, Shakespeare and all that jazz :) In terms of fantasy, Tolkien is always a must-read. If you are looking for a different kind of British literature, have a look at post-colonial/immigration novels like The Buddha of Suburbia, The Lonely Londoners or Reef. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun 10 years ago
    1
  • That is a big topic! It would be useful to limit it, maybe if you want quintisential British lit you could say 'the best' from England, from Wales, from Scotland and from Northern Ireland. Off the top of my head, I would go: T.H.White Dylan Thomas Walter Scott Seamus Heaney Scotland in particular has a lot of very influential authors, J.M.Barrie for example – Francesca Turauskis 10 years ago
    0
  • I agree with Francesca Turaukis about splitting it by country. Not only does it make it more managable but it's an interesting way to present it. I'd say Brideshead Revisited and A Handful of Dust, both by Evelyn Waugh. Great if you want to read about class, the notion of 'Englishness', and in the former, the legendary Anthony Blanche. – AidaA 9 years ago
    1
  • Dorothy L Sayers' Peter Wimsey stories are brilliant and a terrific read for those interested in classic British detective literature. I agree it could be narrowed down, perhaps by topic or genre, because British Literature is so broad, both in terms of time and subject. – PrincessYeti 9 years ago
    0
Add Note
3
writing
Write this topic

Changing language

I recently read an article about how the English language is drastically changing thanks to the internet. For example, we all know the "that moment when…" trend and how it's missing the independent clause. That being said, the article I read made the point that when we start our statement off with "that moment when" the people reading feel more a part of the story because "we've all been there." I thought it a really interesting topic! Because of the internet, the English language is changing rapidly and constantly. And not just written, it affects how we speak too. How do you feel about this? Personally, I think the changes give us more freedom to be creative with language than we ever have. Does anyone feel the same/have a different argument?

  • Adding the link to the article would be great. The more inlets of information, the more comprehensive the article can be. As for the actual topic itself, I think it'd be wise to consider slang vs. language. Your example with the "that moment when" phrase isn't necessarily representative of a changing language. The core of English is still the same; we still recognize that "that moment when" is grammatically insufficient. – Austin 10 years ago
    2
  • Building off what Austin said, I think you could almost look at how the internet is changing slang... because in many ways, it's very much slang and not the English language at large. I wouldn't use things like "all the feels" in a paper or an article or a formal meeting, but I certainly have and continue to do so in casual settings. It's an important distinction to consider. – Helen Parshall 10 years ago
    0
  • I think it depends on the audience. It's necessary to break the rules sometimes. I'd love to write a story using my local accent and dialect including some of the strange idiomatic language and slang we use in the North East of England. mickymoo15 – mickymoo15 9 years ago
    0
Add Note
0
tv
Write this topic

What shows should be rebooted

Since Full House is getting Fuller House, are there any other shows you think should get spin offs or that should just have their story continued? There's also "Girl Meets World," which isn't quite as good because Cory isn't the main character, but at least he's in it!

You could also go in another direction with this by arguing why these spin offs aren't a good idea. I, for one, would like to see what happened to Lizzie McGuire!

  • Might be worth talking about the success or not-so-much-success of spin-offs that came straight after the original show, eg. Friends and Joey or the upcoming How I Met Your Dad – Hannah Spencer 10 years ago
    0
  • I would definitely echo Hannah's idea of talking about the merits/failings of the ones that already there, and then looking ahead to things that should/should not be rebooted and why. I think Girl Meets World is really important because it connects our generation with the generation growing up, and I like that Cory isn't as much the focus. He's grown up too. – Helen Parshall 10 years ago
    0
Add Note
0
film
Write this topic

Top Soundtracks

This is, of course, subjective and broad. But the music in movies plays a HUGE role. What we hear while we watch a good movie affects our reaction. List what you think the best movie soundtracks are and back up your choices!

  • Kill Bill, Indians Jones, Drive, Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman (1989), Pirates of the Caribbean, and Pulp Fiction are a couple I could think of the top of my head. – Aaron Hatch 10 years ago
    1
  • Could also talk about how genre influences the soundtrack. For example, Halloween and The Exorcist have quite similar yet distinctive songs attached to them to create a feeling of dread, whereas Kill Bill & Pulp Fiction use songs that are relevant and sometimes a twist on those of the era they depict. – Hannah Spencer 10 years ago
    3
  • Lord of the Rings soundtracks - and subsequently the Hobbit ones - could be interesting to talk about. Especially because dominant themes and echoes of the first trilogy's soundtracks can be found in the second's soundtracks. They're almost their own stories. – Helen Parshall 10 years ago
    0
Add Note
0
film
Write this topic

Eastern Asian Horror Films

Many American horror films are based off Japanese or other Eastern Asian horror films. What makes Eastern Asian horror movies so good? Perhaps a list of some of the best examples can be made. A personal favorite of mine is I Saw the Devil (South Korea).

  • A Tale of Two Sisters might be another one to consider. It is also South Korean. – Cagney 10 years ago
    1
Add Note
1
literature
Write this topic

Comparing 50 Shades of Grey with other erotic novels

Compare 50 Shades to another erotic novel. For example, Taming the Beast I thought was an excellent book about a girl who has [what I think is considered] too much sex. It had intriguing characters and an interesting plot. I've never read 50 Shades but everyone has told me it was terrible. Why is it so bad? Is it just this erotic novel that is poorly written or is the whole genre just terrible?

  • Have not read, but I have heard much about The Story of O and The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice (writing as A. N. Roquelaure) as novels that reintroduced erotic literature to the world. You also should look at the Marquis de Sade's works. – Liz Watkins 10 years ago
    1
  • Awesome topic! Another series worth mentioning is The Original Sinners series by Tiffany Reisz. Like 50 Shades its features explicit BDSM but its not treated as fantasy but rather as a life style. – Cagney 10 years ago
    1
Add Note

Sorry, no tides are available. Please update the filter.

Latest Comments

samcel
Apr 26, 2015
samcel

This was a good topic to write about because Autism awareness is important today. You could have written a whole article about Sheldon himself! Nice work 🙂

 Autism In Modern Media
samcel
Apr 26, 2015
samcel

Good article! French movies always get to me. I’ll have to check these ones out! 🙂

 Four Films about Paris that are NOT Amélie
samcel
Apr 14, 2015
samcel

Good article! this movie has been written about quite a bit recently in The Artifice, but yours has particularly well written and objective. Nice work!

 Cinderella (2015): An Old-Fashioned Heroine in Modern Times
samcel
Mar 5, 2015
samcel

I see your point about HIMYM, but I think it’s purposefully exaggerated to be funny. Of course no man has the time or energy to sleep with as may women as Barney does! That would be gross! It is exaggerated to show Barney’s character. WHY does he feel the need to sleep with that many women? WHY does he have a whole “play book” or even a bro-code? Of course it’s not realistic, but the reasons why Barney does those things are.

 How I Met Your Mother: Are We All Living A Boring Life?
samcel
Mar 5, 2015
samcel

Cool article 🙂 The zombie genre is always a favorite! And my two personal favorites happen to be Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead!

 Zombies: The Undying Genre
samcel
Feb 12, 2015
samcel

I think it sets a standard because after this movie, why the heck would we want to go back to watching romantic comedies like “Bride Wars?” or “Failure to Launch”? Those movies are not funny in the slightest and gives a stereotype about girly romcoms. For me, now that I’ve seen a romantic comedy like Bridesmaids, I want every women-filled comedy to be just as witty and clever.

 How Bridesmaids Set the New Standard for Women in Comedy
samcel
Jan 29, 2015
samcel

No your totally right! I wasn’t precisely aiming to say this is the only film to prove women can be funny as funny as men, I just thought it was a great example of the fact. I was not necessarily trying to make a huge sexism argument, because I wouldn’t waste my time with people who ACTUALLY think women can’t do things that men can, it was really just meant to be a fun article to read. Anyway, I also respect your opinion, too! And you do make a good point. I appreciate your response!

 How Bridesmaids Set the New Standard for Women in Comedy
samcel
Jan 23, 2015
samcel

Great analysis. R&J is over-talked about, but I was really interested in what you had to say. Good job!

 Eroticism and Love in Romeo and Juliet
Load More Comments