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Articles tagged with: Joseph Campbell

Cinema and Television, Nov/Dec 2009 »

[12 Nov 2009 | No Comment | 4,256 Views]
Journey Through <i>Kill Bill</i>: Part 1 & 2

Steve P’s Journey Through Kill Bill was originally written for and published on Genrebusters. Part 1 and 2 are reposted on Playtime by permission of the author.
Part 1 – Opening and Chapter 1

I am not a Quentin Tarantino fan. Unlike some of my friends, I haven’t watched much of his work. Oh sure, I’ve seen enough of “Reservoir Dogs” to get the reference from an episode of the BBC comedy “Coupling”. And I’ve seen parts of “Pulp Fiction,” though I prefer Kevin Rubio’s parody of the …

Cinema and Television, Cultural Comment, June 2009, Literature »

[18 Jun 2009 | No Comment | 9,411 Views]
The 7 Most Essential Genre Conventions

If you’re a frustrated genre novelist, aspiring fantasy screenwriter, or fanfic writer in the making — and really, who isn’t? — you’ve probably found yourself standing at a bewildering crossroads of dramatic options. Should you rip off Star Wars, or Batman?  What does it truly mean to be human in an age where technology itself blurs the definitions of humanity? What are the limits of love in the face of our own cosmic mortality? Would The Matrix have been cooler with lasers? Fear not. The guideposts to your literary journey …

Cinema and Television, June 2009 »

Faith-based Fanboys
[18 Jun 2009 | One Comment | 1,225 Views]
Faith-based <i>Fanboys</i>

We’ve all heard stories of the die-hards who list “Jedi” as their official religion during the census. Theatrical premieres of the Star Wars films were accompanied by moviegoers decked out in the garb of their favorite characters, often engaging in spontaneous rehearsals of memorable scenes or battles in ritualistic fashion, not unlike Christmas pageants or passion plays. If fanboys can’t be said to have truly modeled their lives after or around the Star Wars franchise, Fanboys definitely illustrates the extent to which love of the Saga to End All Sagas has touched every aspect of their lives, from the clothes they wear to the parlance they employ in conversation. It’s safe to say that a person who has never seen a Star Wars film would not be able to follow a single dialogue exchange in this entire movie.

Cinema and Television, Oct/Nov 2008 »

[30 Oct 2008 | 4 Comments | 5,958 Views]
Machine in the Shell: “Dark City” Revisited

On the surface, the narrative reads like a Joseph Campbell-meets-Carl Rogers arc of mythopoeic self-actualization. But the film’s humanism is so dedicated to thrashing out the question of free will’s relation to human nature that it unintentionally embraces the logical conclusion of biological determinism.