Paper Proposals

I have two ideas for my paper.  One is how Star Wars has become a cultural phenomenon in terms of how much merchandise it has and how there are conventions for it.  I like this idea because it is something that I have a lot of first-hand experience with.  In my last blog, I talked about how my mother collects a lot of the merchandise so I, in turn, got quite a few items myself.  I even got a Darth Vader balloon shape made, it was awesome.  But what I really want to address in this topic is how much more Star Wars is than just a film.  Most movies just come out with posters of the main characters face that no one really cares about or a book adaptation of the movie but Star Wars gives people something tangible to have that represents the movie to them.  For instance, there are literally thousands of action figures that you could buy and then recreate different scenes from the movie or come up with a whole new sequence of events, like maybe Anakin didn’t become Darth Vader.  So much merchandise and memorabilia allows people to create their own little Star Wars world.  My second idea was more general about the film industry and its impact on life.  It is also a little far-fetched in terms of making it into an 8-10 page paper but I wanted to possibly focus on the use of dialogue and how some lines become so iconic, like “Luke, I am your father.” That particular one is quite amusing because it’s not even the actual line but anyways, I would not only focus on Star Wars but also on movies like Scarface and the quote “say hello to my little friend” and so forth.  Research for the first topic was relatively easy because there’s quite a bit about how Star Wars has affected lives, one guy creates a one-man-show about the original trilogy but I need to find more about how the products themselves affect people.  If I were to choose the second topic, I might have more difficulty with research because I wouldn’t even know where to begin so most likely I will choose the first topic.

Word Count: 371

Star Wars Review

The story of Star Wars is well known by all, even those who have not even seen it.  It follows the basic plot of good guy turned evil who tries to take over the galaxy but is defeated by who else but his own son.  The story does have a typical ending in which the good guys win.  Whether that is a happy ending depends on if you are an Empire or Alliance fan.  Of course, the story involves more plot details and twists and, in my opinion, is still unlike any movie or series out now.  The sci-fi genre is very popular and it seems to develop more and more stunning graphics and story lines. Look at Avatar, for example.  Say what you want about it, but while the graphics are clearly amazing, the story line leaves a lot to be desired, like cutting out an hour of it to make it bearable to sit through.  Star Wars excels in both visual (for the time) and plot aspects.  The first trilogy released starts off in the middle of the story, which can cause some confusion, but creates an interesting way of telling a story that has not been done before.  Star Wars also set off the prominent use of computer generated graphics. The whole series is set in this alternate galaxy full of exotic planets and spaceships.  That alone means that the movies must be on their A-game in terms of graphics. Since the first trilogy came out between ’77 and ’83, I never had any interactions with those films but the second trilogy, which came out between ’99 and ’05, I saw each movie in theaters more times than I would care to admit.  My mother is a huge Star Wars fan and so that means, as a child, I was forced to become one too.  There are pictures of me when I was younger of having Darth Vader shoes and a balloon of Darth Vader.  The second movie, Attack of the Clones, I saw eight times in theaters because there were free tickets on the back of cereal boxes and all had different designs so mother had to retrieve all of them.  Even to this day, I can still quote many parts of the first three movies.  Even during watching the movie for the ethnography portion, I was quoting parts of the movie and probably annoyed my roommate.  Not only does Star Wars advertisement reach to cereal boxes, but they also have conventions, comic books, action figures, birthday party themed stuff, you name it.  Even now, 7 years after the last movie was released, there are still new collectible items coming out.  Star Wars also released an animated TV series about the Clone Wars, which branches off from the main story line.  The Star Wars franchise still produces new books also, which appeals to all the age groups, like those who grew up with the original Star Wars movies or those who grew up with the newer movies.  After seeing all the films multiple times, I feel that each one still is timeless and you cannot really tell that three of them were made 35 years ago because the graphics are still believable and the plot line is still unique.

Word Count: 543

Spring Break!

Once again, I am going to have a very boring spring break.  I think the last time I went anywhere for break was in 2^nd grade when I went on a cruise to the Bahamas with my parents.  As for this spring break, I am going back home to St. Louis and am going to be working basically every day.  My train gets in at 3 on Friday and then I have to go into work at 4 and work til 9.  I’m actually really excited because like I said in a previous blog, I really like my job.  Plus we got the Thai Chicken pizza back which is my absolute favorite so I will probably bring one of those home and eat that.  The only other thing I have planned is driving school.  Over Thanksgiving break I was really stupid and was speeding so I got a ticket and I had to go to court and everything over winter break.  So to not get any points on my license or insurance to go up, I can take driving school.  I thought it would be something quick, maybe like 5 hours or something but when I called to schedule my appointment, she said it would be from like 8-430. I am not looking forward to that at all.  Other than that, my break should be pretty fun. I have about 35 hours scheduled at work so that will be a nice paycheck and I will be able to see all my work friends plus my other friends who are coming home for break too.  My one friend who is still in high school, gets her child development baby this weekend so I am going to hang out with her and the baby a lot.  I also wanted to take that class in high school but I never wanted the kid so hanging out with her and the baby will probably reinforce my decision not to take the class.  Other than that, my break will be very boring.

Word Count: 337

The Movie Fan

Instead of going to the Normal Theater, I went to the Movie Fan to rent some movies.  I have been there before but barely remember it because it was close to the beginning of the semester.  I really enjoy that place because of the wide range of movies that they have.  Yeah, Blockbuster has a lot of movies to choose from also but the Movie Fan has literally floor to ceiling shelves filled with movies which is pretty cool.  Also the inside of the store is much better than Blockbuster.  The Movie Fan has movie posters all over the place and it reminds you of movies that you have either seen or want to see.  Also there are more genres to choose from so you can literally find anything you want.  They also have some TV seasons which is something really cool so you don’t have to waste your time trying to find shows online.  The man who was working there was super helpful.  I asked to find a Star Wars movie and literally without even looking around the store he told me exactly where to find it.  I feel like if I had asked anywhere else, the employee would have walked around trying to find it but the Movie Fan man was super-efficient.   The checkout process was much less of a hassle than Blockbuster.  All I had to do was give the membership card, tell them how many days I wanted it, pay, sign a receipt and then leave.  The Blockbuster people normally take forever and are somewhat rude about being at their job.  The set up inside, other than the posters, was more enjoyable than Blockbuster because there was a sitting area set up with a TV there which was awesome because you can just sit down and enjoy a nice movie.  Also they had candy there which is delicious. I really liked the store and will definitely go back. Plus it was cheap. And rent one get one free. Awesomeness.

Word Count: 333