Posts

The Dark Side of the "Star Wars" Fandom

Image
  Fandom is a community of people with a shared appreciation of a particular area in popular culture, usually deriving from a book series, film or television series, and/or video games. There are varying degrees of fandom, from the ‘casual’ fan who has a mild or passing appreciation of a work or collection of works, to what might be called a ‘diehard’ fan, whose fierce appreciation can be considered as being near-obsessive. There are also varying degrees to positivity within fandoms to members of its own fandom and to those outwith, the more extreme and negative of these fans often condemning the fandom as a whole with a ‘toxic’ label. But while fandom is often considered to be a one-sided affair, with members of the public showing a deep appreciation of a piece of popular culture made by creatives and the creatives existing to create, it is far more accurate to say that fandom is the driving force behind creative expression that results in more popular cultural works that in turn ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Scotland and "Scottishness" in Film

Image
  The mid 1990s saw rise to two films that would dominate the public perception of what Scotland is like; the Mel Gibson acting and directorial vehicle Braveheart (1995), which depicted the story of 13th century Scottish soldier Sir William Wallace and his war against English invaders; and the 1996 Danny Boyle directed Trainspotting , which follows the ex-addict Renton looking to choose life over another hit of heroin. While both would be critical and commercial successes both internationally and within Scotland herself, the two films present two extreme opposites of Scotland and its people, which is somewhat indicative of how Scotland is depicted on film; the films made from outwith Scotland conform to the ideas of tartanry, depicting the Highlands as the land of the noble, but savage, kilted warrior, usually pre-20th century; whereas films made within Scotland conform more to the concepts of Clydesideism, portraying an industrialised, modern Scotland, primarily with the cities o...
Post a Comment
Location: University of Stirling
Read more

Feminism, Generations and "The Simpsons"

Image
  Throughout its 31 season run, The Simpsons (20th Century Fox Television; 1989-present) has evolved and changed from a subversive satire of the American sitcom to an institutional classic of animated television. During this run, the characters have changed as well, for example Homer Simpson, the patriarch of the titular family, shifted from a bumbling and sincere Average Joe who is very concerned about how his family is perceived by society, to an increasingly temperamental and impulsive exaggeration of a human being, having been described as “…a boorish, self-aggrandising oaf…” (Bonné, 2000). Two of the other characters that have also changed in significant, but not necessarily immediately obvious, ways in a feminist viewpoint; the characters of Marge and Lisa Simpson, who have both held feminist stances throughout the series, though the prominence of this viewpoint has varied from episode to episode, season to season. Marjorie Jacqueline “Marge” Simpson (née Bouvier) is the stay...
Post a Comment
Location: University of Stirling
Read more

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Adaptation

Image
  ‘In the beginning the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very   angry and has widely been considered as a bad move.’ (Adams, 1985: 90) In the decades preceding the initial recording and broadcast of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4 in 1977, the franchise has come in many varied and contradicting forms; from the book series, to the 1981 television series; and the 2005 film, which will be the subject of this review. Produced by Touchstone Pictures and co-scripted by Karey Kirkpatrick and Douglas Adams prior to his death in 2001, the film is a loose adaptation of the first four episodes (or ‘Fits’ as they are referred to) of the radio show, with some film exclusive materials and elements. While it was received favourably upon its release, the film has been criticised by fans of the original radio, book, and/or television series for the new additions and the ‘Hollywood-isation’ or ‘Americanisation’ of the very British text...
Post a Comment
Location: University of Stirling
Read more