Media Dissection: Zombies

In fiction, Zombies are considered to be animated corpses that plague humanity with the intent to feast on human brains. Today, Zombies are one of the most over used, repetitive forms of undead creatures seen in movies, becoming all too predictable and boring. In nearly all forms of media they appear  in, zombies haven't done anything significant to differentiate themselves from previous installments in the genre. Because of this revelation, I never could understand how something like this phenomenon would grow to the heights it was able to reach, when most of the movies about them were pretty much mediocre with a seriously weak, basic plot; survive the mindless flesh eating creature. Despite this, many still love these creatures and revere them as a horror movie staple, along with Vampires and Werewolves. To be fair, they have earned that right.

In recent years, zombies have been receiving new films as well as a TV series; further  proving Zombie lore is still relevant and interesting to the mass majority of it's viewers. I myself have never been particularly intrigued by the concept of a walking corpse who tries to devour your flesh, carrying with it the potential to infect others to become just like them after I reached a certain age, so much of it held no true importance to me, but for many that was not the case. Once you break it down, as repetitive and one dimensional as the concept has become, Zombie lore is clever for one reason; the survival aspect. Due to the nature of their films, zombies play off our natural fears when it comes to our own preservation of survival. As a result, the concept also personifies viruses; which can elevate to the same magnitude of a plague, often presenting  themselves as the embodiment of what a plague means.

For many fans of the genre, blood and gore had always been a consistent factor, however, this is only a fraction of what the atmosphere presents to it's viewers. As a result, audiences across the globe are given an opportunity to observe a unique phenomenon; experiencing, a plethora of harsh, relentless, and disturbing, survival methods. Due to the atmosphere of their films, zombie lore allows one to ponder, "What if they are real?", "How would I survive"? Resulting in some who go to great lengths to create their own methods for each situation, both mentally and physically; whether it's for the purpose of excitement or based on superstitious fear, while others regard their existence in the media as a metaphor for humanity's growing dependence on technology.

In closing, Zombie films as well as their TV series have become predictable, repetitive, and highly overrated. However, these creatures deserve praise for what the concept was able to achieve, exploiting our primal instincts, challenging us mentally, and personifying human fears, which provides us with more insight in the form of a psychological experience presented in one of the best metaphorical exhibitions found in this genre. Despite their flaws, surviving zombies as a theme in any form of media, captures our natural curiosity, and fuels our need to survive.

Random: Is the movie "IT" really scary?

Welcome to Random, a brand new section that will take a look at a variety of topics to analyze. Unlike Theoretical Inquiry, this section may be shorter (depending on the topic) and will be more of an open exploration. In many ways, it could be considered a quicker, easier to write version of Theoretical Inquiry with no structural restrictions.



Stephen King's IT, was a two part miniseries/movie based on the classic 1990 novel of the same name. In recent years, the film is regarded by many fans as something scary or creepy, but loved all the same in comparison to horror flicks of today, but is it really? I would have to say yes and no. When it comes down to it, the movie has it's fair share of creepy moments, however nothing about it is realistically what anyone can truly classify as scary. At best, it gives off vibes of being disturbing much more than anything else. Much to my surprise, I have heard people were terrified by the movie, even today rather than simply enjoy it for the sake of nostalgic value. The central reason for this is none other than; Coulrophobia.  Coulrophobia is fear of clowns. Some have speculated the fear most likely developed during the 80's when clowns had become more prominent in a wide assortment of mediums; One of which was horror. Some might ask how the hell does an adult develop this kind of fear? Well, to put it simply; their childhood. As I stated above clowns were in some horror movies during the 80's prior to, It, and the majority of kids who have seen it when they were young had become terrified by their appearance, actions, and overall attitude. For the most part, depending on a kids age as well as their level of maturity, something as simple as a clown can appear menacing given proper setting or actions with a semi-horrific atmosphere. Much of this can be said for why many find it to be scary despite it only being mildly creepy or downright annoying or just plain crazy.

Some of the very same reasons people like clowns are also why people are scared of them. Generally they are depicted as dopey, fun-loving individuals with either a corny sense of humor or a great sense of humor (some times....) , and yet they also present a visual image of an odd, unfathomable, disfigured, diseased looking human/creature hybrid. The confusion as to what it is, causes the kid to be uneasy. Making matters worst, everything about a clown is unpredictable. So, in a sense, clowns creepy look can be enough to scare a child, but if you remove the fear of clowns out of the equation, IT, is only mildly creepy with dark elements built within it. Other than that, the other things added such as balloons for eerie mystique, fail to present a menacing visual. Although it works well with the character, it doesn't do anything except ruin the eerie mystique.

In conclusion, the movie might be scary only to a certain age demographic who had been previously exposed to clowns and developed a fear of them, without these hanging in the balance, we can see that "IT" isn't the least bit scary. Creepy, a bit dark, bizarre as hell, annoying as fuck (in the second half... wanted to shoot his ass in that one scene... you know the one), but not scary.

Aaron Loves Angela: a movie reflection

In the early 1970's, Blaxploitation films reigned supreme. During this era, the genre had been known for producing great movies like Shaft, Foxy Brown, and Coffee just to name a few. The genre was notable for casting black people in leading roles as well as centering mostly around a majority of black people in general. Among most films in this era, one continues to capture my admiration, filling me with laughter as well as warming my heart; that movie is, Aaron Loves Angela. What set this flick apart from the others had more to do with it's main focus: Aaron's romance with Angela. What truly adds a great amount depth to the movie is how their story is portrayed as a cross between Romeo & Juliet and a West side story. The story itself is about a black man, (Aaron) played by Kevin Hooks, who falls in love with a Puerto Rican girl (Angela).



Highlights: Moses Gunn does an amazing job playing as Aaron's father who is now a former athlete, owning his own bar. His role also helps to add a balancing touch of real life issues he's been going through which relates to the absence of Aaron's mother having to raise his son himself as well as reflecting on failures in his past career.


The chemistry between Aaron and Angela is instantaneous as well as genuine, eventually it develops into a strong passion on both ends. Even though there are some bumps along the road, they manage to pull through in the end. Another aspect it focused on was the prejudice tension between blacks and Puerto Ricans during this particular time period.

Willie (played by Leon Pinkney) is Aaron's hilarious best friend. Some of the best moments in the film center on his interactions with Aaron and others. By far, he is without a doubt, the most funniest character there.

The subplot centered on Beau, the local drug dealer/pimp (played by Robert Hooks) beautifully ties in with the main plot of the film adding more depth to the overall story. The whole story itself was nicely constructed, giving an equal amount of romance, action, and comedy with a great dose of drama. The main characters (excluding the villains) are all likable. Also worth mentioning was the acting; there were many good performances throughout the movie. I must also mention how incredible their script was, with amazing sense of quality as well as it's firm hold on realism leaving a great amount of structure.



Fails: honestly there really aren't any real issues with this movie that I could classify as bad. At times some of the lines projected come off as a bit forced, certain aspects of the emotional scenes also give off this vibe, some parts seem a bit awkward or off, like the sex scene, but I mostly contribute these problems with the era, so I don't take too much from it  into account.




                                                                

                                                                        Final thoughts:
                                                                      
                                                             
Overall, I can truthfully say; Aaron Loves Angela is an amazingly well written romance/drama worthy of praise. The few shortcomings of the film are outweighed tremendously by the large amount of time, effort, and passion each cast member had devoted to this project. In many ways, Aaron Loves Angela actually captures the essence of how two young adults can fall deeply in love with each other, defying all odds, conquering all obstacles that stand before them. This movie is a classic, I highly recommend for anyone into romance.