pop culture
Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.
Black Widow: The Long, Complicated Road To Natasha Romanoff's First Solo Film
After a long wait, made even longer by the COVID-19 pandemic, the MCU's favourite super-spy, Natasha Romanoff, is finally about to hit the big screen in her first solo film, Black Widow. The film, mostly set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, also takes us into Natasha's past, introducing the only family she had ever known before the Avengers. Natasha must reunite said family, including Yelena Belova, Melina Vostakoff, and Alexei Shostakov, aka the Red Guardian, to finally take down the Red Room, where she, Yelena, and Melina were trained as Black Widows.
By Kristy Anderson5 years ago in Geeks
Luca - A Movie Review
Everything good is above the surface. Let’s have an adventure on a Vespa. Luca is Pixar’s latest animated film, released to Disney+ in 2021. Dreaming of what the world is like out of the ocean, Luca meets Alberto. Discovering that he can turn from a fish into a human on land, the boys go on an adventure, exploring the world.
By Marielle Sabbag5 years ago in Geeks
An unknown legend: Michael Schur. The best sitcom writer ever.
Growing up Jewish in Ann Arbor Michigan and Hartford Connecticut, Michael Schur graduated high school and Harvard with an english degree and the comedy writing experience from being the president of the Harvard Lampoon. He started his career working on Saturday Night Live first as a writer and then going on to be a host of the Weekend updates segment. He worked for SNL from 2001 to 2004 winning an Emmy as part of the cast in 2001 and notably tackling the tough task of hosting a comedy show a few weeks after 9/11. After leaving SNL in 2004 he went on to start working on american version of The Office, which released in 2005 and started casting and writing in 2004. The first season was adapted and the first episode was almost shot for shot of the UK version, leaving little to no room for Schur’s own writing to change the bulk of the episode. While many episodes of the Office are credited with different people writing, Schur was the last step of the process for almost every episode. At the time the first season of The Office received mixed reviews from both critics and general audiences. Fans of the original UK office couldn’t get behind this version, including the cast. John Krasinski, unknowingly told Schur that he didn’t think the writers could replicate the UK office after his audition at a bar not knowing Schur was the showrunner. Several changes were made to the show that all seemed to turn out for the better, Phyllis and Toby were both crew members that made it in as characters when Schur liked their personalities on screen. Schur realized that the UK office worked for the Audience in the UK but needed to be adapted to american screens and the actors' strengths. Simply looking at Michael in season one and season two would show the change of the whole show. Michael goes from being a bad, douchey boss to a carefree, fun, boss that can get some work done if needed. His hair isn’t slicked back and the color grading on the show overall is more vibrant. The second season brought more success to the show, and more critical acclaim after not knowing how long they could continue with the poor viewership of the first season and episodes of the UK office quickly running out he knew that he had to change it up. For the next six seasons the office went on to be a very funny popular show that millions of people watched and talked about.
By Jared Laws5 years ago in Geeks
On Rereading
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." -C.S. Lewis What a strange year it has been! It has been a year most of us have physically spent entirely at home, though, while I have been mostly in one place, I have found the time to travel very far indeed in the pages of some dearly loved and long-neglected childhood favorite books.
By Caitlin Aston5 years ago in Geeks
Planet of the Cats
I wait in the darkness, my black rain poncho hiding me from sight and the stink of the sewers masking my scent. These sewers have not been in use for several decades, however the stale aroma of ancient excrement and dried out rat skeletons still lingers in the air. The smell, and the fact that the rats have been all but hunted to extinction, is usually enough to keep the enemy at bay.
By Danh Chantachak5 years ago in Geeks
Why Design is Becoming More and More Similar to Art
The challenge of design is to make visual symbols and coding, or technical solutions, easy to understand. It seems that this is all synonymous with consumerism and drab. But as we can see in the examples of the best works, this is not the case.
By Bonnie Charron5 years ago in Geeks
How to Be a West Wing Fan
Listen to your friends. Listen to your friends when they tell you there is this programme you should watch because it’s about politics and you would like it. Listen to them even though you don’t give a monkey about American politics.
By Claire Amy Handscombe5 years ago in Geeks
Brutally Cute: Kawaii as a Form of Rebellion
If you've spent any substantial time on the internet, you've likely run into the kawaii aesthetic. On the surface, it's all big sparkly eyes and blushed cheeks. For the unfamiliar, the word kawaii means "cute" in Japanese. But it goes so far beyond just being cute. Kawaii is a subculture; one that has roots dating back to the early 70s. Walk into any store in Japan and you're sure to find something that will capture your heart with cuteness! Kawaii culture has expanded outside of Japan as well, with Hello Kitty being one of the most prominent examples of this fact. People dedicate their lives to this aesthetic, dressing in cute clothes or becoming collectors of rare character merchandise. But where did kawaii come from?
By Abigail Stevenson5 years ago in Geeks
