GUEST ESSAY: Determinism verses Free Will: The Mythic and Secular Architecture of "Minority Report"

By Truman Hood

Minority Report is a dystopian warning of a police-state, big brother-esque surveillance society that has experienced a complete destruction of free will. This central idea of the film is told not only through exposition throughout the film, but also by the built environment where the storytelling architecture assists in creating a narrative of a self-fulfilling prophesy. The built environment of Minority Report conveys how humans have abandoned the belief that their fates are determined by greater powers than themselves, such as gods or karma. Instead of mystic powers responsible for the repercussions of those actions, the contemporary worldview shifted.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, Home Media, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 16, 2019Washington State UniversityComment

GUEST ESSAY: Authority in Architecture: An In-Depth Look at "The Adjustment Bureau"

By Hannah Thayer

The concept of only being able to move a predetermined number of ways within buildings, and within life, is challenged in The Adjustment Bureau. The people in the adjustment bureau are able to defy what architecture is and how it rules us by traveling through space using only doors; they open a door and choose where it leads to. Architecture has no authority over them as they get to use buildings how they see fit and use them to their space-traveling advantage. The built environment can be very demanding and incredibly intimidating. This movie addresses the idea of what is out of our control and how far are we willing to go to get it, while using the built environment to emphasize just how small we really are in the grand scheme of things.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 16, 2019Washington State UniversityComment

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: 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: A Fantastic City of Chocolate

By Asucena Alvarado

In the world, people are producing many films that make our lives more enjoyable, and with each film, we can learn, dream, see the impossible, and believe that anything is possible in life. Even though we know there are some things that are just fantasy, but movies help us to think that everything could happen. A good example of a fantasy story is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where we can see that be humble and kind can give you a reward, but in the real world, we know this is not always true. Here, I want to make a deep research about the film and how the capitalization, the utopian vs dystopian and the past vs present are reflected in this movie, and how it is related to architecture.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 7, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: Is Architecture Evolving?

By Hojun Wiitanen

What is architecture? The conceptual misinterpretation of architecture is an “object”. Architecture is not an object and not only a building because buildings are mainly stuff. In my opinion, Architecture is an active connection and a system that initiates a relationship between material spaces and people. Also, it structures that relationship, and it structures what we call the relation between space and organized society. The architecture cannot evolve when people use spaces for the sole use of shelter rather than connecting material spaces and people; therefore, to evolve the architectural value of connecting material space and people, basic human needs should be satisfied. 

2019, Column, Essay, Editorial, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 6, 2019 Comment

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

GUEST EDITORIAL: 5 Great Family Movies for the Holidays

Holiday movies are an integral part of the holiday experience for many families. Consider adding these five holiday movies to your holiday tradition. There are many holiday movies to choose from. These five classics entertain and reinforce the holiday spirit in ways that are sure to make them part of your holiday tradition.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 4, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: 5 Best Movies to Motivate You to Write More

It has always been a true mystery what books professional writers read. I mean, how they choose the bedside book for the evening, if they fall in love with characters, whether or not they get inspired for own plots... Perhaps, that’ll remain a mystery. What movies they watch for inspiration is no longer a secret. You might be surprised, but most of the preferable movies aren’t about writers. They are about complicated characters whose nature is exposed by means of words and actions. After a good movie, one can write a few decent pages or maybe a whole chapter!

2019, Column, Editorial, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 4, 2019 Comment