Some Thoughts On The Matter

     I'm not gonna lie.. it's been a slow week. So, since there will be more exciting blog posts coming up soon, I figured I'd just post an excerpt I wrote for one of my film classes about Severance , since I felt happy with this part. It's short and there's a weird change in formatting, I know, but the whole thing was too long and a little boring by the end of it. So here you go!       In the Apple TV+ thriller series Severance , the directors aim to create a representation of the typical American office space to critique the poor conditions that regular workers live with under corporate design. From this representation, Severance draws deeper questions about what the average worker does to separate themselves from the cruel realities of their work, with the show literally manifesting workers’ desire for a work-life balance into a surgical procedure that psychologically distinguishes the worker and the person. These themes of separation, along with t...

      Once again, I am faced with a genre I tend to avoid: horror. Like it or not, the film classes I have been taking this semester have forced me to widen my horizons when it comes to the media I consume, and no better example comes to mind than my attitude towards horror now. I won't reiterate the same monologue I made about horror movies in my Nope blog post, but I will say that after watching that film, I was much more accepting of horror movies as long as they fit into more of a thriller/suspense genre than the gory sudden jumpscares I associate with the genre.     So, when my film class told me I'd be watching the infamous Get Out , I initially felt some nerves, but they were quickly cast aside when I recognized the director's name: Jordan Peele. Hey, that's the same guy who directed Nope ! I trust this guy to deliver a solid scary movie that plays more on fear and suspense than blood and guts and jumpscares, so I plopped myself in bed, turned down the li...

      Being a student at FSU has its perks, but by far one of the most particular (and cool) is the Student Cinema's occasional early viewing of anticipated movies that won't be released for a few weeks. These previews not only allow movie fans to engage with exciting content exclusively, but it also encourages other students, who may not be huge movie nerds, to stimulate their interest in the arts by attending exclusive showings of new, pioneering films. While I wouldn't label myself as either movie nerd or apathetic to film, I do occasionally enjoy attending these previews with friends just for the chance at seeing an anticipated movie release early (and for free!), like when I went to an early showing of Kung Fu Panda 4 last year!     So, when the Student Cinema Instagram account had announced that there would be an early viewing of Mickey 17 , my first reaction was: what the hell is Mickey 17??  After asking my buddy Wade, resident film bro, I discovere...

     Everyone has guilty pleasures. After all, not everyone can curate the perfect, cool, mysterious persona they want to have if they keep engaging with media and activities that don't fit in with the kind of person they want  to be perceived as. For many, this manifests in some nerdy activity, like Dungeons & Dragons, or watching anime, or working on a niche hobby. Personally, my guilty pleasure has always been watching certain movies that I normally would never watch- typically romantic comedies.     I don't have a massive problem with romantic comedies in general- I just think that they tend to follow a predictable formula that leads to the same movies playing out in different settings and with different actors, over and over. Plenty of people like these movies, but I typically get bored or feel like I'm "better" for acting like I'm above watching some generic romance movie. However, this can change occasionally when I'm alone.     Sometim...

      Welcome back to my OFF review! If you haven't already, I encourage you to read my other OFF blog post first, as it contains most of my thoughts surrounding OFF's design and game aspects, whereas this post will focus on the story and messaging of the game. Assuming you already did that, let's dive right back into it!     Before analyzing the different readings of the text (OFF), I'm going to take a moment to do a recap of the general flow of events that take place throughout the game. After this summary of the game's story, I will break down the three main interpretations of the story, and end with my personal reading of OFF, which has been molded by all three different interpretations.     Like I mentioned in the last blog post, OFF revolves around the sacred quest that the Batter states in the introduction of the game: to purify the world.  In the first area, Zone 0, you are introduced to the mechanics of the fighting system and puzzles by ...

      So, ever since I've decided to take an indefinite break from playing League of Legends, I've had a lot of spare time freed up in my days. Fortunately, this has allowed me to spend more time being productive, more time writing/doodling, and more time outside with my friends. However, I am still a college-aged guy who's admittedly sort of a nerd... so there is still an itch to play some videogames. However, since I don't want to fall into the same negative feedback loop that happened with League, where I'd repeatedly cycle feeling good and bad about games, I wanted to shake things up a little bit.     I had recently had a lengthy conversation with my buddy Blake about videogames in general, and how we can categorize them into a few different groups. Amidst a few other categories, the two groups we discussed most were "round-based" games against "art" games. Round-based games are more competitive, high-action, and revolve around playing "...

     After a long, long  time playing League of Legends throughout my days whenever I have a little free time or to unwind at the end of a busy day, I've finally snapped. Even though I do enjoy the occasional game, lately I've realized that more often than not, I have more negative feelings when playing the game than I do positive ones. For a game that's supposed to be fun, I have been recording how my mood spikes during the game sessions and how I'm left after playing, and I've come to the conclusion that I need a break. But instead of leaving it there, I wanted to do some digging on why  and how  League affects me this way now, when it didn't always do this...     Originally, one of the core appeals of League was that it was a team-based game, meaning it forced cooperation with my friends and the occasional kind stranger I'd meet playing the game. It was a nice way to bond with my longer distance friends from other colleges consistently every ni...

     Frankly (get it?) it's been a long, long time coming that I watch Young Frankenstein , as not only was it made by one of my favorite spoof movie directors, Mel Brooks, but it also happens to be my dad's favorite movie of all time. Since I'm already a fan of Brooks' work, I was sure I would enjoy the film, but with the knowledge that this movie inspired a lot of my dad's sense of humor, I was excited to watch it fully for the first time, finally ready to understand all of the references my dad would make constantly at home.     If I'm being honest, I actually attempted watching this movie once earlier this year, while I was visiting my friends in Gainesville. However, since our days were busy and our nights were even busier, when we tried to watch it together we all were falling asleep in the first ten minutes. Normally I wouldn't mind if I slept through the first bit of a movie, especially if I'm watching with friends, but since this movie is import...

     After MONTHS of being pressured and pushed by my family to watch Severance , I finally got around to it. And you know what? It might just be one of my new favorite shows I've seen!     To start with a brief introduction (spoiler free!) to Severance : the show follows Mark S., Helly R, and other office workers who work for a megacorporation called Lumon, as they uncover the secrets of the company and begin to rebel against their corporate bosses. However, the twist is that all of the workers on the floor have undergone a medical procedure (Severance) that splits their consciousness in two: the work self, and the outside self (or as the show says, Innie and Outie). The memories between the two selves cannot be shared, so while the Innies have no memory of their real lives, only existing within the office space, the Outies have no recollection of what they do at work, blacking out the moment they clock into work and waking up at the end of the day.   ...