I’ve always thought that DC’s cinematic universe should pull from it's rich cartoon history as they have always performed better in that medium then they have in their comics. Both in animated television and movies they’ve already provided themselves with rich source material to adapt into live action, yet that seems to not have crossed any DC executives mind. However Harley Quinn doesn’t have much in the ways of independence in the cartoon universe, nearly all of her appearances are tied to another major character in the Batman universe, that said she does have plenty of her own story lines in the comics. Today we will be discussing the origins of Harley Quinn and what solo story lines would have been a better jumping off point for the character then Birds of Prey, a team she was never apart of and had very few interactions with...

It’s a familiar sight. You enter the local comic book shop (if you even have a comic book shop) and see the shelves packed full of bland, stupid looking funko pop dolls and done to death recycled trite. Books that sell based on nothing more than name recognition and an endless series of gimmicks. What if Thor was a woman? What if Spiderman was black? What if ice man was gay? Forget telling a compelling story, simply changing the characters demographic data to the trending minority of the week should be more than enough to draw new readers. Right?

Earlier this year, a widespread scandal of lies and false assumptions was whirling around the media/internet with a frenzy, this was the notion that the upcoming film by director Todd Philps "JOKER" depicting the clown prince of crime was a dangerous film and might inspire mass shootings or violence/impersonators of the character depicted in the film.

As of writing this, my last review was of Baby's First Christmas, a 2012 film offering courtesy of the Hallmark Channel. But having submitted it to Vocal late at night, it was not posted until the next morning--when I had completely forgotten about it. By the time I did remember the review, however, something had erupted on Twitter that had me questioning whether I should publicly advertise the review's publication.

Filmmakers—Rights and Responsibility

Over the past 20 years, the direction of the Hollywood movie landscape has changed drastically, with different views on if it has changed for the better or the worse. There have been many different changes but one thing for certain is that the budget for most movies seems to just keep getting higher and higher, more specifically the budget for big blockbusters. But why is this? Is it due to inflation? Is the economy just not as good as it used to be? While those are definitely a factor they are not the main culprit so let's take an in-depth look into the inner workings of what makes up the budget of a movie.

TRIGGERED!!!

Every year I love watching the Academy Awards. The films showcased are some of the best ever made, and it is great to honor the individuals that put so much into these unbelievable motion pictures. But this past year something was missing, something that needs to be there. It's the kind of thing when you realize it's absent from the Academy’s agenda; you can’t believe the event thought it could get away without having it. And I am not talking about a host. No, this missing necessity has been MIA since the start of it all, and it is such a crucial part of moviemaking. Many of the films that have walked away with Oscars would not be what they are if it was not for these brave men and women. These courageous, death-defying artists I am referring to are those that risk their lives to pull off the stunts in movies. And knowing this, one must ask why the Oscars do not have a category for Best Stunt Coordination.

Today’s television landscape is so vast and grand that widdling down hundreds of shows to produce six to eight nominees must be a pretty thankless task, and one that will surely not please everyone. Yet this year promised a lot of difference, with several pop culture phenomenons absent from this year’s race, a power move to avoid competition with the final season of Game of Thrones, with the reaction to that television event lacklustre at best. Still, the members of the television academy are creatures of habit and the same patterns have come about again, and SNL and Game of Thrones are dominating the field in favour of fresher talent. Many new shows and older underrepresented favourites have had their breakthrough, however as forty-three actors have yielded their first-ever nominations in a highly competitive field. I’m going to try to dissect the vibrant, albeit slightly repetitive, field of nominees with all the delights and disappointments in between.

Hollywood may be dubbed "Tinsel Town," but it isn’t a town at all. It is a neighborhood, a community, an area, a state of mind, a lifestyle, and an industry. It represents dreams, glamour, celebrities, palm trees, and the famed Hollywood sign is an image found on billions (probably) of tsotchkes, t-shirts, and artwork around the world. Hollywood symbolizes the epitome of success, money, and fame.

Technology is all around us and is increasingly becoming more and more of a staple in our culture. We use it everyday, so it's no surprise that businesses are now thriving by utilizing these new technologies and techniques that keep them relevant in today's world. One company in particular that has really stepped up their game when it comes to technology use is the one and only Walt Disney World. Disney has managed to take technology and use it as an advantage for them and have been thriving ever since. Five ways that Disney has utilized technology to help with business and network performance is through the convenient all in one magic bands, mobile ordering systems, online fast passes, reservations, new innovative ride designs, and their ability to know every guest by name and view previous history.