"Science Fiction and Parody Satire", week 14, 4/18/19

Week 14
4/18/19
"Science Fiction and Parody Satire"


This week i am taking a break from the books and watching the movie "Spaceballs".  So far the introduction was so long.  So far i'm already laughing so hard at the dramatic dark helmet character and the so called storm troopers outfits. I also noticed the dramatic viewings of the spacecrafts that they are in. I immediately noticed that this movie is a star wars parody and so far i am loving it.  I find the sound track to this movie to be very interesting as well, between rock, old pop music, i was definitely not ready for that.  I like how they also added a character named Colonel Sanders and named him Col. Sandurz, and referenced the chicken with him. They then showed a Disney reference when the Dink Dink guys came out and saved them like the 7 dwarfs.  Then it shows a reference to the Wizard of Ox. I had no idea this movie combined so many popular movies of the time.  In this scene we were also introduced to A guy named Yogurt, which i'm guessing which is supposed to be Yoda from Star Wars.  I thought it was hilarious when they took combing the desert literally.  At some point they bring u the spaceship changing into a transformer, which then turns into a giant maid which sucks out the air. I am loving this movie even more and more by the minute.  Overall this movie was fully jam packed with parodies, and i'd definitely recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good laugh.

"Literary Speculation" week 13, April 12, 2018

"Literary Speculation"
Week 13
April 12, 2018
                                                    

          This week we focused on literary speculation, and began to read the book 'Oryx and Cake" written by Margaret Atwood. To start, ive been working on 4 days of no sleep, so here we go!
           In chapter one, there is this guy named Snowman who is in a tree with only one mango left to eat.  But Margaret used a kind of language that was very descriptive but fun one might say.... For example, when she wrote the sentence "wave after wave sloshing over the various barricades, wish-wash wish-wash, the rythm of a heartbeat."  I was interested in reading on.  Then this "group of children" walk across the beach toward Snowman and begin to chant his name.  The problem is that Snowman cant step into the sun because it will burn him too badly while these kids can go into the UV light. There is a guy named Crake, who didnt allow any magical or fantastical names. , after he named himself after the Abominable Snowman.The children want to hear stories of the past but he lies to them to get them to go away.  He was left alone but heard this voice in his head, one being a woman, who he thinks is not Oryx who is a prositiute that he once purchased.  He begins to be worried about his health.  Like he yells at Crake even though he is not there.  I noticed that Snowmans loneliness is really brought up a good amount making sure that the audience knows. 
          In chapter two, we find out that Snowman used to be called Jimmy. There was a big bonfire of dead cows, pigs and sheep that he seemed to like the smell of when it came to the animals burning hair because it reminded him when he burned his hair when he was younger. Which i thought was weird.  We dig into knowing a little about Jimmys background, particilarly his father not being so great to his wife.  Jimmy was concerned for the animals wellbeing, with them being sick and diseased but Jimmy doesnt understand.  The book beings to bring up what his father did for a living, which was working on an Organic farm which can grow human organ tissue. Corporations are selling meat from animals with human organs in it to make a profit, but they tell people that they dont.  Jimmy's dad  thinks that all of Jimmy's problems could be solved with a pill.  We also find out that Jimmy lives in the Organic "compound", which is a tightly sealed community that was built for the company.  he has never been to the outside world.  When his mother had time to/ when she felt like it, she acted like a real mother to Jimmy. As he gets older, he beings to act out to get his mothers attention, and she tries to be a real mother to him.
            Noon is apparently bad for Snowman because the sun is so hot and intense.  Years later, Snowman recalls telling Oryx about the knife, that if you dont give someone money for it that bad luck will make it cut you.  Which i thought was kind of funny.  Well, before i get any further into this, ive noticed that he is in his head a lot.  Hearing voices and thinking about past times and people that are in his life.  And i like how in certain parts of the chapters have works that they begin with words that describe the first sentence or that start the first sentence.  These little things that happen all make him think back to this girl Oryx and about his family and all these memories that he has with them which could be good or bad.   It is a very interesting book so far and you told me to keep reading it so im gonna keep going on it because apparently it gets better.  It waas  a bit slow at first and i am still curious to why she makes certain words so big at scentences. But I'll find out!

"Bloodchild" week 12

Week 12


1.  what is your reaction to the text you just read?

This is a couple this first off... My mind was all over the place with this one.  Well one of my big reactions was when they said that they are about to open him and lick the blood to get the blood to stop flowing.  I was definitely not expecting this at all when they said that the grubs are starting to eat Lomas from the inside out.  He was sick and the grubs took out what was making him sick but they had to take them out of him before they ate him alive and killed him.  Ive noticed that the person that is talking is pretty grossed out by what is going on but i can tell that they also like it a bit.  Im a little drawn back because this seems kind of gross and im personally grossed out b bugs and freaked out by them. Then they bring up the fact that they are alien.  This person is trying to get them to help them feed from what i think im understanding. There is parasite/ symbiotic aliens inside these people and i am totally grossed out. It cud also be about brainwashing and oppression, where usually the alien is seemed as the oppressor, but in this one, the roles are reversed. Consent was also something that was a part of this.


2.  what connections did you make with the story that you read?  Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

I can only connect it to the movie Aliens, and to a woman being pregnant and the baby is basically eating and feeding off of the mother.  Its just freaking me out more to be honest.  For a morning read im just  a little out of it and reading this makes me actually think about all the things that are going on in the female body when they are growing a child inside them.  Its like they were pets but now they are not pets, and they live on this reserve where they get along as if they are paying rent.  There are problems with consent kind of where there is a little bit of force to try to find a scapegoat.


3.  What changes would you make to adopt this story into another medium? What medium would you use?  What changes wold you make?

I would turn this into a movie for sure because i would love to see how they can take this story and change it and tweak it so that they can make it all happen n the big screen. it can be the new twisted science fiction/horror movie.  If they can get proper effects for the scenes they could make this into a successful movie of growing up being an adult and dealing with these things. Aomething along the effects of the Saw movies .

"Cyber Punk" 3-27-19, week 11

"CyberPunk and SteamPunk"
Week 11
3-27-17

This week I chose to read "the Anubis Gates" written by Tim Powers is a science fiction steampunk novel.  Going into this book, I did not know what to expect.  Upon reading the prologue and the first chapter it describes Amenophis Fikee arriving to the gypsy camp in the year 1802, who tells the men to move this very old looking crate to a character named Doctor Romany.  The two prepare for a spell the magical creation of this ware wolf that was accidental which eventually leads to the opening of the Anubis Gates. Following in chapters 2 and 3, Doyle begins a journey to attend a Coleridge's lecture and notices a gypsy caravan that is following them in their horse-drawn carriages, when arriving, realizing that they messed up what week Colderide is speaking which is a week from then.  Doyle eventually convinces Colderide to speak after the banquet, but meanwhile while Doyle tries to get the carriages for them, but on his way he got kidnapped, as he sees a bald headed gypsy that Benner told him about.  Romany carries his body to the carriage and they begin to leave.  A dwarf named Dungy is introduced while they see this large, subterranean grotto with the lords hanging in large swings that hang high above the ground. Dungy was ordered to sing, Romany arrives and informs that the reward for Dog Face Joe , which is a werewolf, is going to be a large reward for someone with Doyles description.  Eventually, Doyle finds himself as a beggar like Dumb Tom. But he was attacked on the street by a group, while one tries to stab him, Horrabin's men saves him and brings him to Horrabin, but he escapes with one of them secretly following him while Doyle flee's but is very wounded and ill.

I believe in chapter 7 when Doyle wakes up and realizes he has to visit with Romany if he wants to get back home was the turning point of his character, showing that he has been through enough in my opinion, and just wants to return home to the normal world.  He cleverly came up with an idea to put a pistol that he puts around his neck so if Romany decides to try to torture him, he can commit suicide.  He stupidly gets his own ear shot off in a chain of events that happened and waits it out until he hears a whistle two days later, but examines the bullet and realizes that it is a 20th century bullet, and he finds out that the thing that was whistling is Steerforth Benner.

Romany talks about when Fikee became Dog Face Joe and when he lost his mind and even his magic.  He realizes the men of Darrow came through a hole in time and saw the changes of using this tool in the future.  Doyle, now being in the body of Brenner to ask questions that break the spell of his brainwashing.  Romany calculated the coordinates that they needed to ump back in time while Doyle continues to hunt for him. They end up setting themselves back to the year 1648 where the guys both crash into nice banquet tables.

I personally love the time travel aspect of the book and how theres always something going on in this book.  With all that is going on with senior thesis and my senior at show this is as far as i got in this book until I have the time to pick it up again.

"The Fiction of Ideas" week 10- March 21, 2018

"The Fiction of Ideas"
Week 10
March 21, 2018



I read a few chapters into the book, "The Left Hand of Darkness", by Ursula K. Le Guin.  Upon reading i started to realize what kind of book this was, which is a feminism science fiction book, where the main character is a person named Genly Ai, a guy sent to Gethen to get the Gethenians to join the Ekumen.  On the land of Gethen, the people there are androgynous beings which means that they are neither male or female, which made this book a bit different from the typical things that I read. 

Upon reading the first chapter, it opens with a parade in Karhide, talking about colors, instruments, marching, and all of these beautiful things, but Genly Ai was not on the planet Gethen to take in the Macy's Day Works. King Agraven is not there at the parade just for show, but he is the one who puts the keystone in with his bare hands.  Estravem, the King's prime minister.  For Eukmans, a universe wide-nation government, shows their power subtly, while on this planet, it is a very show off kind of power that boasts about the power.

Understanding and navigating the Gethen social mores and politics are rather difficult for Ai to understand.  Ai later journeys on to Fastness of Karhide and meets a person named Faxe the fortune teller, when Ai asks if both Ekumen and Gethen will join together in the future and the guy with his magic 8 ball says yes, so now Ai feels like he has to redo his mission all over again to try to get a different result.
A character named Estraven has been paying attention to Ai because he has so many friends that are higher up in the government, because there is a war between Karhide and Orgoreyn.  Towards the end, Estraven was betrayed by a friend while escaping back into Ogoreyn and learns the truth about his friends sacrifice. 

I personally thought this book was interesting. Just a little too different for me. Meaning these species would change body heat which would change their sexual orientation, which means they are gender neutral, and they can mix things, like a utopian idea. I found it hard to stay a little focused on this book, i kind of just read it to read. it was not a, oh i want to finish this now, kind of book. I got lost quite a few times, but that may be because i wasnt so into it.  More of a if I have time, we will see kind of book.  Its one I can forget about.

"Space Opera"
March 14, 2018


When I first saw the title of space opera, I thought to myself, people singing in space.  Little did I know that it meant movies like Star Wars.  I was very off... But I am one of the few who has never seen a Star wars movie so I thought id give it a try since I did not have much time this week being in the hospital for a whole day.


I watched the first Star Wars movie for the first time ever and I actually really liked it. First off the bat, I started cracking up with some of the languages and accents the characters talk in made it very funny.  I loved all of the effects and the story line. I found it all very fascinating.  It felt opera esc when they played the dramatic orchestra music in the background that gave it a special vibe and feel.  I even got so into the movies that I watched chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5!

"Mythic Fiction Contemporary Urban Fantasy", Week 8

"Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy"
Week 8
February 28, 2018

This week, the topic is mythic fiction and contemporary urban fantasy and since I have not had much time this week, I watched the new 2017 Jumanji movie.  The question that we are asked today is, how was myth reinvented within the context of the movie?  And in what ways were the myth made relevant to the contemporary world? 

To start, Jumani is about a group of students whose lives dramatically change one day when they are all in detention together.  They start to play a video game that they found and one by one they get sucked into the game.  When arriving into the game, they realize they are not themselves.  They are in the bodies of the characters that they chose to play in the game.  Ruby Roundhouse, Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Professor Shelley Oberon, and Moose Finbar are the characters in the game that they take the roles of as well as the skills of.  They have to be careful and work together and try not to loose their lives and once they run out of lives, its game over for that person.  Their goal is to win the game and to return to the real world by lifting the curse by returning the jewel to the top of the jaguar statue.

To answer the first question, the myth is reinvented in the film by the characters being sucked into the game to save everyone in order to return home, as well as return the jewel to the jaguars eye.  In order to win the game, they need to return the jewel and lift the curse, return the jewel and call out Jumanji's name in order to return back to normal life.

To answer the second question, the myths that were made relevant to the contemporary world  would be through the video game that they play that ends up sucking them through the television into the world of Jumanji.

Overall, I personally really enjoyed the film. Compared to the old movie with Robin Williams,  id say they did  a pretty good job at creating the film and the illusions in which they are trying to show. 

"The Novel of Spiritual Education"
Week 7
February 22, 2018

This week, I read the fantasy novel "Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, published in 2011.  Before even reading it. I took a look at the cover itself, and found myself very interested in the image on the front cover.  It is of a hand and its in black and white and red, which are my favorite colors so I was interested in getting into this book.

 This enchanting book was also very intriguing, atmospheric and dark.  It is about a circus that is only open at night that pops up in these random towns.  These people wake up one day to see the black and white tents outside their windows, showing up unannounced.  I personally enjoy the circus and what it has to offer. I am particularly a big fan of Cirq De Solel.  I have seen two of the performances and it is kind of similar to the experience of the book.

When the people enter the circus, they realize that it is a magical circus in another world, but there are several different tents which are all different worlds of their own.  One tent is the ice garden which was my personal favorite and there was the illusionist tent, where all of them are very vivid in their descriptions which makes you want to go there and fall in love.

The circus is also not just the circus, it is also a competition between these two magicians who are thrown into the competition without guidelines or any rules.  All they know is that they are there, and that they have to be a part of it and display their magical abilities and perform them to the audience to the best of their abilities.  I didnt get horribly far in it, but from what i got to, i was really enjoying the book. It was a good read that i would recommend. 

"A Rich Fantasy Life": Week 6, Feb 21,2018

"A Rich Fantasy Life"
Week 6
February 21, 2018

This week I read the novel "Warbreaker" by Brandon Sanderson which is a fantasy novel made June 9, 2009.  I personally kind of got into the novel in the first few chapters but the middle was laggy to me, but the end was not too horrible. Im more of a horror book, short stores and "Lord of the Rings" kind of person.  In this story, there are two sisters who are princesses while one has to marry someone called the God King and the other lesser God has a job that he does not like as well as an immortal that made a mistake years ago that he is now trying to solve and fix from what i can remember.  The people who die in glory return as gods to live with a pantheon in a place called Hallandren's Capital city.  In the middle of the book i became a little confused with what was going on but I can say that there are challenges that are resolved in the end.  One theme i noticed was "identity" issue.   Lightsong the God, Vivenna and Siri does not believe in their own deification. I can sense that the book lags in some parts through the middle  and took a while to get to the point and get things moving along.  Overall, i'd say that it is a good read if you want something to read when you are bored and have time.

"Witches" February 11, 2018

"Witches"

Week 5
February 11, 2018

This week i watched the movie "Bewitched" with Will Ferrel and Nicole Kidman, where a guy named Jack Wyatt goes through some difficulties and struggles in his life.  There is a popular 1960s sitcom "Bewitched" where he tries to make his comeback.  Jack meets Isabel and when shooting, he learns that she was actually a witch.  Isabel impresses the shows producers and writers and jack convinces Isabel to join the show, but she finds out about how they were going to make her go on without having any lines to say.  She decided either to "quit, get mad, or live with it."  Instead, Isabel cast a spell on Jack which makes him fall in love with her.  Jack chases after her and his affection for Isabel grows and grow and asks her on a date which makes Isabel completely forget about the hex.  But they end up fighting once again and Jack decides to throw a party to celebrate his divorce at his house which Nigel attends.  Jack makes a toast at the party stating that the truth will be revealed and he officially believes her when she begins to levitate off the ground and Isabel begins to fly off and away from everyone.  This witch is different in a couple of ways when I think of the stereotypical witch, i think of green skin, wart on the nose, black hair, black clothes, witches hat, a broom stick.  When they came out with "Bewitched" I think they wanted to do a twist on the modern day witch making her attractive compared to the one from the movie "The Wizard Of OZ".  Overall i was a fan of the movie because i enjoy Will Ferell and the way that they changed the way that we see witches.  

"The Old and the New" February 10,2018

"The Old and the New"

Week 4

February 10, 2018

This week i watched a rather strange film called John Dies At The End.  This film/ book is about this new drug called the "soy sauce" and it moves and changes and puts people into an out-of-body experience that leaves you coming bak completely changed and different.  I watched this thinking some guy named John is going to die at the end of this, but the twist is that he does not at the end... but something else saves him and the world from an otherworldly invasion.  

The two main characters, John and Dave are good friends.  John, while being questioned he i when he is under the "soy sauce", telepathically contacts Dave, and helps him to escape from the police station where he ended up. He helps him escape the ghost that appears as a cop, and brings him to a guy named Marley's house which is the guy who got him the "soy sauce" and the place catches on fire. All of these events are completely random but somehow all seem to go together. I believe this is what the idea of "the new and weird".  Because towards the end, all the events that have lead up to when the enter the new world, is beyond crazy. I noticed that paying attention to this movie is very important because if you miss something, it can become very confusing very quickly.  

At the end, John and Dave get saved by their dog who destroyed the evil Korrok who was going to take over their world. This part I have to say, threw me off. Not realizing it was the dogs destiny to do all of these things and bring these people together to defeat Korrok and the corrupt world that they live in.

Overall, I thought the movie was a success and it leaves me very intrigued to read the novel to see how that all plays out compared to the movie.

Asian Horror: Vengeful Spirits

"Asian Horror:Vengeful Spirits"
Week 3:
Febuary 6,  2018


This week, we focused on Asian Horror.  I read A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, and found it pretty interesting.  It is a combination of mystery, fantasy, comedy and drama through a journey of self identity for one man who eventually realizes that everyone is not as they appear as well as there are things that are beyond his control.  I was intrigued by the books creativity on keeping the main character unnamed throughout the novel, which puts an interesting spin on the book.  In the end, he realizes his own selfish view of live is the reason for his everything that has happened to him.

I started reading this with expectations from reading one of his other books, and i appreciate that the styles of the writing vary.  Every now and then I got a little puzzled and confused with what was going on, which was frustrating. As if every line has a deeper meaning to it, meaning that you have to pay attention otherwise you would get lost in whats going on.

Im not quite sure i would classify this as a horror novel per say, its more melancholy.  It was sad and sorrowful while questioning things about life.  The author did not set in stone the personalities of the characters, so it leaves the self-identity of these characters up in the air. 

Overall, I thought the novel was alright. Not horror, but it was a good read. 

"Vampires"
Week 2:
January 25, 2018


In Anne Rice's, Interview With a Vampire,  turned out to be one of my favorites.  There is this vampire who hates himself in the beginning and sees himself as nothing but a monster.  Such as how Edward (Twilight), sees himself as a monster and tries to not be with the one that he desires. 

With this excitement over vampires,  I watched this film called 30 Days of Night. But in this film, the role of the vampires plays a different role. In this film, they play the roles as the monsters who come out in Alaska when there is 30 days of night, where they feast amongst the townspeople while the people strive to survive the 30 day catastrophe.

Unlike this film, I also watched another film named What We Do In The Shadows. This is a horror comedy with a group of vampires living as if they are on a reality Tv show amongst the living.  This is one of my favorite movies to watch. With its comical actors and a creative idea that has not been done before, they made a very successful movie. The vampires go trough their daily lives but don't as much try to be the scary horror vampires you are used to.  They go out at night and go to clubs, go drinking, have dinners and do almost everything normal people can do, just not during the day. They wake up at 7 and sleep in coffins and drink blood  and go on dates, (which they bring back to eventually drink) just like the stereotypical vampires we know today. 

"

Frankenstein"

Week 1:

January 16, 2018

            Well im not sure how many people who have seen the different adaptations of Frankenstein, but im one of the few who have not.  I have only gotten myself into one of the books because we had to in class when I was in high school.  With this, I feel like my take on reading this book was different. 

            After saying that, I have forgotten most of what I have read from reading the book back then, giving me a new take on it now.  I genuinely enjoyed the book and what it had to offer to me.  I guess having my memory issues since I was little and my dyslexia doesn’t help me much. I noticed that Mary Shelley focuses on the moral dilemma that he created for himself, as well as how the movie shows the thunder and the lightning and the traditional “scary gothic vibe”.

            Before reading this, I had no idea on what a big part Victor’s family plays in the story, as well as what I pictured him to be. As some would not feel bad for Victor, I on the other hand did. I have OCD so I can relate with him on fixating myself on a task and not being able to do anything else until something is done the way that I need it to be or want it.  I share Victors pain.  With the mental picture I originally had for Victor, I planned on him being some old guy locked up in a castle, not expecting him to be a younger guy.  Mary Shelley wrote Victor not to be the typical crazy scientist we all think of and imagine when we think of “mad scientist”.  This separates him from the norm of crazy scientists, even though he is building a “monster”.   

            When I read this, I did have some trouble with some of the language, being dyslexic and all, but I did find it to be very interesting to read again.  One part I particularly liked was, Chapter 10, page 83, “All men hate the wretched; how then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, they creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.”  I thought that the language in this specific part was very intriguing. It took me a while to understand fully what was going on in the text, but it shows a gentler side of the creature.

            The typical name of a “monster” is to be scary, big and mean. Marry Shelley paints a good picture when creating Frankenstein. The creature is put into isolation and it represents the negative behaviors that we expect that monsters have because he is locked away and wasn’t taught better. 

            One of my favorite quotes is from chapter 24, page 200, “Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries.” 

Escerpts from: Mary Shelly “Frankenstein