The Pop Culture Scuplture

Where is My Mind?

2007-09-26T22:07:00.001-07:00

I have taken it upon myself to start writing small comics. Some of you might recognize the title Where is My Mind?, and some of you might not. It was at one time the title of my blog, however not it is the title of my new comic strip. I think it works with both. So here it is, the first installment of Where is My Mind?

(wait for brief applause)

A Night at the Movies: The Simpson's Movie

2007-09-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you must be thinking, "Another post about The Simpson's?" He only posts every few weeks, and it's just another one about The Simpson's." Yes it is true, however if the movie I saw this weekend was Halloween or The Bourne Supremacy, I would be talking about it. I just happened to watch The Simpson's Movie.

First off, I'm going to straight out say that I thought this was a great piece of work. I didn't know what to expect going in, and honestly I didn't even know what I wanted it to be. I just knew that it better be good. And it was.

There were plenty of moments I totally didn't see coming, such as...well I really don't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to see it. If you want, you can highlight the next section and a few spoilers will pop up :

Marge saying "God damn".
Homer giving everyone the finger.
Dr. Nick's death.
Seeing Bart's wiener.
Otto taking a bong hit.

Honestly, they aren't anything to do with the story, but they were very surprising and gave me more than a good laugh.

I think I enjoyed The Simpson's Movie much more than The South Park movie, simply because the South Park movie was going out of it's way to offend or shock you. It's like a person who is using big words that don't mean much to try make you think that they're smart. Whereas The Simpson's Movie was just an hour and a half episode of solid, funny material that felt so natural, like in the early days of the show.

I am highly, HIGHLY recommending it to any fan of The Simpson's, and telling anyone who isn't a fan to quit being stuck up and go watch the damn thing.

A post about nothing

2007-09-01T08:46:00.001-07:00

Every year, television shows come and go. Some leave after only three episodes, and some finish long runs that have lasted the better part of a decade. At the end of the 1998 season, Seinfeld was one of those long running shows that said good-bye to its fans. For nine seasons it was known as the show about nothing. However, what exactly does this title really means? What is it referring to? Is this just a clever tagline to give the show a distinctive identity, or is nothing really happening on screen?

In it’s most literal sense, it means nothing is not going on on-screen. However, obviously something is happening on-screen. People are walking, talking, and in Kramer’s case, falling down. How often do people refer to the question “What’s up?” with “nothing”? That response is not entirely accurate. Things have happened to that person that day, only they were not very significant or important. In that case, this nothingness refers to the unimportance of everyday events that take place on Seinfeld. There is nothing particularly special about them, but they are the normal things that take up the day. Are these events important in the grand scheme of the universe, the world, or even North American society? What will it matter to future generations that four people got lost in a parking garage? Seinfeld is not like All in the Family, which made comments on racism and prejudice, and it does not serve as a time capsule like shows such as The Simpsons. So what is its purpose? Why is so much nothing so important?

One reason it is important is because it offers its viewers a reflection of themselves in the characters. Granted, not many people find themselves running a bus tour based on their lives, or stealing a manikin that looks identical to themselves. However, they can see in the characters their own personality traits, such as George’s self doubt, or perhaps Jerry’s humour. The show is grounded in reality, unlike other shows such as The Simpsons (albeit, it is a cartoon). While crazy adventures take place, the situation are not too far fetched. People do get lost in parking lots, and sometimes have to move back in with their parents, however it is not often that a child will foil a murder’s plot (Bart and Lisa on The Simpsons). For example, it would be more common for someone watching can a show and say “Hey, do you remember the time we got lost in the parking lot too”, than for someone to say “Do you remember that time I stopped that criminal from killing our Aunt?” It is that accessibility to the show, which is part of its appeal. The nothing that is spoken of, as mentioned earlier, is everyday nothingness. So rather than calling it a show about nothing, perhaps it should be more aptly titled “A show about nothing special”.

You might be wondering what’s so special about the accessibility, and everydayness of Seinfeld. Plenty of everyday things happened on shows like Friends. However, in the case of Seinfeld, the characters were not all, beautiful, well to do people. As opposed to the characters on Friends, they had imperfections. George was just like any everyday guy you could run into on the street (short, balding, etc.). Kramer may have stood out, but he was by far not a handsome actor like Joey on Friends. They are characters that are relatable to everyday life. This doesn’t only include the four main characters either. There are George and Jerry’s parents (reflections of ones own crazy parents), Kenny Banya (an acquaintance that people pretend to like), and Bob Saccamano (a friend of a friend that is never met). The significance of its everydayness is also in it’s ability to make people reflect on their day-to-day lives. The show itself was created to mimic day-to-day life. However, in comedy, as George Carlin claims “every joke needs one exaggeration. Every joke needs one thing to be way out of proportion”. That holds true to the comedy in Seinfeld. It may mimic everyday life, and make people reflect on their own lives not only to learn from them, but also to see the absurdity in them. In fact, many of the episodes are based on the writers own real life stories. Take the episode “The Chinese Restaurant” for example. It would be safe to say that most people have had to wait for a table in a restaurant. However, waiting for 30 minutes while other parties who came after you did are being seated, only to leave and have your name called is a large exaggeration.

So, what exactly is nothing? Is it a blank television screen with nothing on it? No, it is not. Is it referring to what everyday life is? Perhaps that is true. By saying that Seinfeld is a show about everyday life, then logically one can conclude: yes, everyday life is nothing. Nothing, except what one makes of it. In the grand scheme of the universe, the world, or even just North America, these every day events may seem unimportant and trivial; in other words nothing. However, sometimes one must look at these nothings for wisdom, and to reflect upon ones self and forget that the rest of the world exists. That is where Seinfeld comes in. It allows people to look into a mirror and reflect upon ones self, to laugh or possibly change things about themselves. So, with that said, shows like Seinfeld sound to be quite important to people, yadda, yadda, yadda, and apparently “nothing” is not just a clever tagline for the show.

A post about vocabulary

2007-08-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

I take issue with quite a lot of, what I see as, miss used vocabulary. My major nemesis in this area is the misuse of the words 'film' and 'movie'. Let's call it a pet peeve of mine, or as George Carlin would call it, "a major psychotic fucking hatred".

There are those who would assert that referring to a motion picture as a film implies that it contains more artistic merit than a motion picture which is referred to as a movie. Where this notion comes from, I don't know. What I do know is that the lips from which it was birthed were probably attached to some pretentious art snob.

Let's examine each word individually:

Film: What does it mean? Some claim what I have stated above; that it is associated with artistic motion pictures. It is also a word used in reference to a strip of celluloid which contains a succession of still images. If these images are projected at certain speeds they create the illusion of movement. (still photos, taken for the purpose of still photography, are not included in this simple definition, for those of you who want to be picky)

Movie: I'll do this simply by comparing another word associated with the motion picture: talkie; otherwise know as the talking picture show. Now, compare the root of both words; move and talk. If talkie is a talking picture show, then movie must be a moving picture show.

Next, compare my quick definitions. A similarity you will find is that they both talk about moving pictures. Do you find anything in there about artistic merit? No. I'm not saying that there is no artistic merit to the motion picture, or that it's not possible for some to contain more than others. I'm just saying that it is a horribly annoying misuse of language. Films and movies are the same. It's not like we're talking apples and oranges here people. It's apples and apples.

(note: for my dedicated readers of the past, you may recognize this post, as I did one very similar on another blog. Same subject, different execution)

A post about the Simpsons

2007-07-16T18:44:00.001-07:00

There is an old saying that says television rots your brain. Parents tell it to their kids all the time to make them go out side, read a book, or to go play a game; anything to get them away from the so called “idiot box”. And full of idiots it is. Idiots like Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, and Mayor “Diamond” Joe Quimby; all mainstays of the television classic, The Simpsons. By the 15^th season premiere of The Simpsons’ it was reported that they have made of 1,000 pop culture references throughout the 313 episodes. However, do all these pop culture references exist solely to make the writers look clever, or is there more to it? Perhaps all these references serve as a time capsule of sorts, not just for the current generation, but for past ones as well.

Some of you (mostly my readers from the south) might be wondering what exactly a time capsule is, and what it does? Well, according to Wikipedia “a time capsule is a historic cache of goods and/or information, usually intended as a method of communication with people in the future”. How do The Simpsons accomplish this task? One way is by making references to things from the present day. The references usually will focus on a current event or controversy; something political. It creates an image that generations of the future can look back on. While it may not be entirely accurate, because it is a cartoon, it can be linked to what kids read in their history books. Perhaps that will make people of the future take more interest in their history, or make them want to take a look into history, or old movies and books, just as it does to people. Some examples include the epic poem The Raven that was parodied in a “Tree House of Horror” segment; Andy Warhol was referenced when Homer became an artist; and when Flaming Moes opened, part of the episode parodied Cheers. So the writers try to get a little bit of everything into their episodes.

According to the Trivia for The Simpsons page, on the Interenet Movie Database, “The creators jokingly insist that they have parodied Citizen Kane (1941) so much that one could re-create the entire film solely from Simpsons clips.” While that may be a slight exaggeration, The Simpsons do reference Citizen Kane quite a bit. So much that the episode, ‘Rosebud’, in which Mr. Burns is trying to find his lost teddy bear Bobo, the whole episode is set up just as Citizen Kane is. From the snow globe breaking, to the press trying to figure out what Bobo is, and to the scene when he leaves his family as a child, ‘Rosebud’ re-creates the beginning of the film almost perfectly. They do this in several episodes. From looking at the series as a whole, one could say that the Mr. Burns is actually a parody of Charles Foster Kane. Also, Citizen Kane is not the only film they treat this way. They also do so with The Godfather movies, several Stanley Kubrick films, and the 1960s Batman TV show; the list can go on. So why do they continue to make these references.

One explanation could be, as mentioned earlier, that the writers are attempting to spark interest in people who have never seen any of these old movies, books, and other TV shows that are being referenced. Theoretically the fact that the writers use them so often indicates that they must see some sort of cultural merit in them. They are classics. They want people to see more of these works, and by parodying films like 2001: A Space Odyssey or A Nightmare on Elm Street, they reach a wide audience who, after seeing these parodies may go out to the video store and rent them. These references could also be the writers paying homage to what inspired them to be writers. All writers have someone or something who inspired them, and perhaps these writers for The Simpsons are admirers of Stanly Kubrick and Orson Wells. They could be trying to carry on these great works to another generation. These ideas fit into the time capsule theory.

Another explanation for the use of these references may be simply that these films and TV shoes are easily accessible, even though some people, as mentioned above may, not have seen them. They make it easy for a new viewer to start watching the show. However, if that is the case, then one can ask question why they make obscure references as well. Take for example, a reference such as, Mr. Burns’ telephone greeting, “a hoi hoi”. At first the viewer can see this as being funny for the simple reason that those words sound funny coming out of Mr. Burns’ mouth. Secondly, if one looks into what “a hoi hoi” actually means they can find the ridiculousness of its origin funny. It is the greeting that Alexander Graham Bell wanted people to use when they answered the telephone. It was replaced by Thomas Edison’s suggestion of using the word ‘hello’. Thirdly, one can combine the first two and see the humour in Mr. Burns’ age. He is so old that he remembers, and still uses the original telephone greeting. In conclusion, it is a multi-layered joke all from one reference to history. Not only can one laugh from this but they also can learn some history.

So perhaps it may be the “idiot box” but it does not mean that people cannot learn from a fool. From The Simpsons comes a cultural significance that, quite possibly, can go unmatched in its broad area of people it reaches; the cultural details that it will pass on to future generations; and past cultural details that it is passing onto the current generation. The “idiot box” is not as idiotic as the name implies it is, and the fools it contains can be learned from just as any other of life’s experiences can be.

2007-06-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hey there good readers

There are a couple of reasons I've started this blog. One of the reasons I've started this blog is to attempt to convey the impact popular culture has on our society. The other, is to blast movies that deserve said blasting.

Everyday more and more elements of popular culture become fused with into our day to day lives. Whether it is by calling someone the weakest link, referring to a Delorian as a 'Back to the Future' car, or doing the "dance of the rolls" from the film "The Gold Rush"(1924), so many people refer to popular culture in there day-to-day life without even thinking about it. This blog will be both a reflection and study on that thought, as well as a place where you can find my thoughts on various movies, TV shows, literature, and various other topics.

So, come on by whenever you have the chance to check out what I have to say, or maybe to check out any updated lists that I have posted in the sidebar.

Enjoy folks