Topics

How is Eminem's star image and musical identity translated, conveyed, continued and affirmed in the semi-biographic film 8 Mile. How is his position as a white rapper in a black musical form negotiated to give him authenticity and credibility more generally?

Night of the Living Dead sparked a whole range of films that are trying to be 'so good that they are bad'. It would make a really interesting article to have a detailed backstory of how the film, and more importantly the culture behind the film, came to be.

Modern console's use of the internet in gaming has allowed some games to only be allowed to be played online. One example, is the incredibly popular For Honor, a hack and slash phenomenom. As popular as this game is, what is to stop Ubisoft from shutting off the servers if a sequel is announced, to force gamers to purchase the sequel? Many classic games suffer from eventual server closing, EA's underrated Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an example. Are gaming developers giving themselves too much power over consumers by forcing games to be mandatorily online?

Some say that being able to speak another language allows you to process your native language better and increases memory. Others say that the existence of translators already, and the rise of artificial translators are making this knowledge redundant. Some that learning another language is a trivial hobby unless you intend to live in the country of the language they speak. Is it worth the time and brainpower? Should some languages be prioritized over others? What is the worth of a second language?

The 1998 anime classic Cowboy Bebop is a mishmash of various genres, media references, cultures and ethnicities – but one of its more prominent influences is Lupin III. Director Shinichiro Watanabe is an outspoken Lupin III fan, and it's apparent how his fandom seeped into his directorial debut not least in terms of its ensemble cast. This article would look at how Lupin III influenced Cowboy Bebop (similarities/dissimilarities), as well as how these influences were repurposed for Cowboy Bebop's own narrative.

Barack Obama recently selected Kehinde Wiley to paint his official portrait. Consider how Wiley's works compare with those of other presidential portrait artists. In what ways can we consider Wiley's work to be in a continuum with other presidential portrait artists? How can we anticipate his work will diverge from the traditions of presidential portraiture?

Analyse the usage of absurdist elements in Adrienne Kennedy's "Funnyhouse of a Negro" and how they functioned in the course of the play.

In literature, stereotypes of alternative subcultures are rampant. Analyse the possible bases for such stereotypical depictions.

In Joanne Greensberg's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden", the protagonist, who is based on Greensberg, is diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, in a 1981 New York Times article, two psychiatrists challenge this diagnosis using the diagnosis criteria in the DSM-3. Using the DSM-5's diagnosis criteria, can it be argued that the protagonist suffers from schizophrenia?

How important do you think historical accuracies are in a historical drama/novel? Should you sacrifice accuracy for drama? To what extent should the writer be held accountable for spreading inaccurate info, especially if the subjects of the drama are still alive?

In Anime such as Full Metal Alchemist, anime can be seen pulling story and other aspects from different historical time periods. This can affect they way the production is portrayed. Discuss the different historical time periods that Anime pulls from and how they affect the plot. story line, costumes, and characters. As well as how the original history compares to the Anime

Despite the popularity and artistic greatness of "Breaking Bad," the one critique I continue to apply to one of my favorite series is the relative weakness and low amount of characterization of its female characters in relation to the multi-faceted, finely constructed male characters. This article could take the form of diving more deeply into each woman's psychology (to prove me wrong, perhaps) or (if you agree with me) supporting the lack of balance between the men and women of the series in terms of characterization. The primary women under question could include Skyler White, Marie Schrader, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, Jane Margolis, Andrea Cantillo, and even Saul's secretary Francesca and the school principal Carmen Molina. Maybe even Gretchen Schwartz? Let me know what you think!

An examination of how color, light, and dark have been used in Tim Burton's films to reflect the view points of his characters and the observance of the mundane vs the outrageous. Specifically looking at how Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children differs from many of of Tim Burton's other films by providing more "grey" spaces that are neither colorful "dream worlds" nor colorless "realities". It would also be interesting to include an analysis of the film Edward Scissorhands and how the "normal"/suburban world is portrayed as the "dream world" through color reflecting Edwards viewpoint.

An explanation of the way time travel works in Donnie Darko, why Donnie was the chosen time traveller, the role of Frank the bunny, and whether or not the events that took place were as a result of time travel or took place within an alternate universe/reality.

For all the DD fans who just can't quite wrap their head around all the theories.

I read another note entitled, 'The effects of Iconic roles on an Actor and his/her career' and I was excited that it might be a topic on something I've long contemplated on, but the description specified a different interest. So I decided to submit my own topic. I'm interested in hearing about the ways in which taking on certain roles have impacted an actor's personal life. By acting as someone else, do they find themselves becoming that character at times in their personal lives? Having had practiced traits that were perhaps new to them before their role, does it change them? Does it help or hinder them? Have they learned about new things because of a specific role, i.e. an actor acting as an astronaut – have they learned about space? This might perhaps be interesting to research into child actors as well. Since they're in a bubble surrounded by adults, is it daunting? Etc. Mainly though how specific roles have impacted their personal lives is my interest.

Let me start with the situation that brought this topic to my mind. In the interview in 2016(Jump Ryu, vol.1), Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, commented that the show's hero Son Goku does not feel any friendship towards other characters, including Krillin. This caused some controversy among the fans who saw this interview, because many thought that Goku and Krillin were the best friends; after all, Goku's anger exploded on Krillin's first death, and it was Krillin's death that triggered Goku's transformation to Super Saiyan. Does that mean the death of someone, whom he had no strong feelings for, made him angry enough to transform? Did he vow revenge for those he felt no friendship? The some fans were outraged, and some found Toriyama's comments ridiculous, because that was far from what they read in the text, and this new information did not clear any questions they had.

Toriyama's comments caused few controversies in the past, due to how contradictory it sounded to the readers, and also the fact that he was often forgetful of his own creations. Some even questioned the validity of his comments on Dragon Ball.

But there are other creators whose comments outside the completed text that sometimes clarifies few points. Take Tolkien's defense of Frodo. When a fan wrote to him that Frodo does not deserve to be a hero because he had succumbed to the Ring's seduction in the end, Tolkien explained that though Frodo could not bring himself to destroy the One Ring, his sufferings and humility up to that point deserve highest honor. In this case, the author's comments clarified his intentions to the readers.

So this got me thinking: how should the readers treat the creator's comments when reading the text? How critical should the readers be when considering the comments made by the creators? What analysis should be made when it seems to contradict the readings?

When mother! was released earlier this year, it created an inescapable schism between those who saw an ever-shifting always-engaging artistic study of human nature and creationism, and those who saw an over-bloated pretentious meaningless mess of a film with nothing to say. What can the praisers and detractors agree on?

Walter White wasn't the only character breaking bad during the series. One could argue that each character had their own character flaw that led to Walter's path of self-destruction. Could it be the Schwartz's greed? Gustavo's manipulation of White's ego? Jesse's lack of assertiveness against Walt? Or maybe his emasculation at the hands of Skylar and Hank?

Discuss common philosophical, social, and psychological themes in David Fincher's films (Alien 3, Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl).

Most actors play a plethora of roles in film and on television shows. Some actors though, are best remembered for one or two iconic roles, even after the film has been out for years or the show gets cancelled. Examples include Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, best known for their portrayal of Michelle Tanner, Jaleel White (Steve Urkel), and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). More examples: Juliette Binoche (Vianne Rochet, Chocolat), Julie Andrews (Maria Rainer, Mary Poppins), and Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson).

Does being associated with an iconic role help or hurt an actor's career? Does it make a difference whether the actor was a child or adult at the time of the role (s) in question? Do viewers prefer that actors stay in iconic role "molds," or would they rather actors create new characters/avoid typecasting? Explore these and other questions, as well as any examples you might choose, to determine the positive and negative aspects of associating actors with very specific roles.