GUEST ESSAY: "Cidade de Dues:" A Manipulated Reality of Favelas

By Omar Cardoza

In 2002, Cidade de Deus, otherwise known as City of God, was released in Brazil. It did not take too long before the film became internationally acclaimed, in fact this film was nominated for multiple Oscars although it did not win. The film’s narrative, filming techniques, and setting provide for a compelling argument that the whole story is in fact a true depiction of the favelas Brazil. Films and cinema can be a means to generate discourse between a reality presented to us through the screen and the actual reality of the world. This can cause changes not only to the individual but through enough exposure to a broader audience can cause changes at the societal level and “is extremely important and carries tremendous responsibility since believing that films can shape the collective imagination can (re)affirm or deny a preconception or even reinforce…”

GUEST ESSAY: Who I Am, Where Do I Come From: The Ontology Behind "Westworld" and the Life of Choice

By Shanle Lin

By the 17th century, when Galilei noticed that the earth goes around the sun instead of the opposite around. Many people were in shock. They couldn’t have believed that human wasn’t at the center of the universe. Generally, it is not the various great ideas that subvert the way of people thinking, but our ignorance of yesterday. People are afraid to accept the impact a brought by the solidified-mind revolution, although this is born with human nature. In the movie Westworld (1973), John Michael Crichton bravely used “technophobia” to express what may happen if robots made for hedonism or recreation purpose generate their own mind.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, Home Media, GUEST EDITORIALDon ShanahanDecember 13, 2019Washington State UniversityComment

GUEST ESSAY: Time-Transcending Architecture in "The Lake House"

By Tessa Cleary

“Home is where the heart is” is an expression used to portray the feeling that someone acquires in a building but is realistically used to describe the way they interact with the space around them. The house that was constructed in Alejandro Agresti’s The Lake House, is a prime example of how a building can be considered successful architecture but lacks the interconnectivity that a home needs with the dweller. Years ago, people would stay in their home almost the entirety of their life usually due to things like lack financial stability, inability to move or neighboring family ties. Now it seems as though it is very common to move from place to place throughout the span of one’s life. When someone moves around frequently, it makes the house they dwell in less special because of the lack of time spent in that place to create memories and connect with the space and the people who live in it.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, Home Media, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 12, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: Architecture and Animation with "Howl's Moving Castle"

By Terrance Steenman

To be honest, I never thought too heavily about architecture growing up. I imagine most people feel this way their entire lives. Sure, when we were children there were LEGOs or Lincoln Logs (if you were so fortunate as to have those toys), and with those toys one could build a space of imagination, but rarely do people make the connection that the lessons learned can be applied to the masonry, wood, steel or concrete that shape our daily lives. Constantly in the field of architecture, we are told to think back to a time when we did not have architectural eyes, and to instead view architecture from the lens of the ordinary person

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, Foreign Film, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 12, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: Architecture as Character: “The Hateful Eight” Becomes Nine

By Jake Monroe

Architecture and cinema have formed a relationship through film progression thought the 20th and 21st centuries. This relationship has its roots theater extending beyond the silver screen. Often this relationship acts to create setting, to ground the characters and give them an environment to react to and use to their advantage. It is often used strategically by the filmmakers as a tool for conveying what they set out to tell. At times, however, in the film the architecture transcends the role of place and becomes an active participant in the story at hand. It acts and reacts to alter and progress the story. The Hateful Eight, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is a beautiful example of this kind of architecture in film. I will discuss how the cabin in the film transcends set to become an active character and ultimately have a sense of self.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 10, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: California Dreaming in Concrete Forests of Hong Kong in "The Chungking Express"

by Ruohao Yan

Chungking Express, a 1994 movie about romantic and urban life in Hong Kong, depicts the glamour of the metropolitan life and social issues in Hong Kong. The film director, Wong Kar-Wai, describes two love stories between ordinary citizens. In the first romantic story, a police officer, went by the number “223” broke up with his girlfriend on April fool's day, but he was trying to salvage his relationship with her. A month later, he found that his girlfriend had a new love, so chose to give up and went to a bar to forget. He met a female drug dealer in the bar who was betrayed by her boyfriend. The two spent the night together. However, their relationship did not work out. In the second story, a police officer, went by the number “663”, had been in a depression for a long time due to his breakup with his girlfriend. The film not only highlights the beauty of Hong Kong, but also touches upon the dark side of society

Editorial, Essay, Column, 2019, Foreign Film, Independent Film, GUEST EDITORIAL, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 10, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: The Beginning of ("Her")

By Patrick Marcel Donte Winston

An in-depth analysis of Spike Jonze's 2013 film Her, and its relation to progressing artificial intelligence and architecture. Specifically, I question the need of tech in our society and whether it is a benefit or danger to our societal norms. We see technology quickly becoming more advanced in the past 10 years, but will it become God-like? We see advanced technology as our main source of communication, transportation, living, and more. While being so connected to this tech-driven lifestyle, what if we lost control of technology and can't communicate with it?

Editorial, Essay, Column, Independent Film, Home Media, GUEST EDITORIAL, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 10, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: The Architecture of Hope and Desolation in "Children of Men"

By Jessica Ishizaka

Children of Men poses a future where infertility threatens the human race with extinction. With the death of the youngest person in the world, many extreme groups have risen in order to gain control and take matters into their own hands. Laws are put in place to detain and deport immigrants and to control the citizens of London. The director of the film, Alfonso Cuarón, creates a political atmosphere that is particularly ruthless as he paints the world in a shade of dread and grime. The world and everything in it have been worn down and abused for 20 years, and no one has the ambition to replace or renovate anything since the extinction of the human race is near.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 7, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: The impact of modern society and the urban environment on anxiety

by Sheng Chen

In the industrial society of the late 20th century, there was consumerism, nihilism, and end-of-life sentiment in the capital world. By analyzing David Fincher's Fight Club, this article will explore the impact of modern society and the urban environment on people's anxiety.

Column, Editorial, Essay, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 6, 2019 Comments

GUEST EDITORIAL: Hidden secrets in your favorite movies

There are many details in our favorite films that you can only notice when you watch them carefully. For example, in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf wears together the 2 most significant items in his life - the staff and the pipe. In this article you will find 15 more of the same interesting facts about cult films. The fine folks at King Billy simply love movies and share this love with you.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIALDon ShanahanDecember 5, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: This is How Movies Can Act As an Effective Educational Tool

It seems as if just a few decades ago, students could only dream about using technology in the classroom. Now, dreams have become a reality. By drifting away from the orthodox and traditional teaching methods, educators are actually to improve the learning experience for the students. One of the best and easily accessible ways of implementing technology in education is by using movies. As time goes on, more and more professionals actually start to support the idea of educating by using movies. Of course, there are some benefits and disadvantages to using technology in a learning process, but let’s go over the basics for now. How is it possible for movies to be educational?

2019, Column, Editorial, SPECIAL, Social Media, GUEST EDITORIALDon ShanahanDecember 5, 2019Comment

COLUMN: 7 DIY Steps in Setting Up a Perfect Home Theater System In Your Condo

Living in condo units has notable limitations such as smaller space and sharing walls with your neighbors. However, it does not necessarily keep you from building your very own home theater. Everybody wants to have the best movie or TV shows binging experience. With having to know the right things to do, you can set up a perfect home theater system in small living spaces. You can transform your condo living room to be the home theater that you always dreamed of.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 5, 2019Comment