Ready Player One shows the audience what are life could be like in the future as technology continues to grow and become more important in our life. The video game OASIS, invented by James Halliday, is more important than the real world in people’s lives. 

The heroes in the film are Wade Watts (Parzival), Samantha, Cook (Art3mis), H aka Helen, Daito, and Shoto. They are all true fans and lovers of the game. The OASIS is an escape from reality and lets them live the lives they wish they could. The villains are Nolan Sorrento, who is an employee of IOI. IOI is a corporation that invests in the game. When Halliday passed away he left behind a competition that rewards the winner control of the game and 3 trillion dollars. In order to win they need to find all the keys. Everyone wants to win the competition; however, everyone has different reasons and motives to win. In my opinion, the insiders are praised for being honest, smart, clever and they are all supportive great friends. IOI and Nolan Sorrento do not care about the game or Halliday while the insiders are genuine and show great compassion for the game. 

The main tension of the film is between the heroes, who want to win the competition because they appreciate Hallidays and love the OASIS, and the villains who only want to gain power, money, and control over everything. 

The OASIS is a community where people can come together and themselves. James Halliday, as said in the movie, was quirky and weird and created a community not only in the game where people can be themselves and relate to him. 

A rhetorical vision portrayed by the heroes was righteousness and integrity because the heroes are trying to win the competition for the whole OASIS community’s wellbeing rather than just winning for themselves. I think the main moral of the movie is that they are sticking to what they believe and not giving up. All the heroes are relentless because they continue to try to figure out the impossible. 

Pamela Hutchinson’s analysis is similar to mine and supports my perspective. She talks about how the OASIS is a place for outcasts, “geeks” as Pamela put it, to be themselves, and feel that they have a place to feel unjudged. I also agree with Anthony Sacramone’s perspective about how the movie did feel fast-paced and that the audience was just waiting until the big fight because they knew it was coming. However, Justin Nordstrom exclaims that the movie portrays people who are obsessed with video games. In my opinion, they are not obsessed but in the OASIS a lot because it feels like an escape from the real world and their problems. If their real-life kept them content, I don’t think they would be using video games all the time. 

Ready Player One is a story that is set in a dystopian future in 2045 where the protagonist is searching for the easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, which led him to inherit the game creator’s fortune. The movie shows that when an opportunity crosses your path that you need to be prepared. As well as treasuring the people that one can meet on the way to success and success is not often achieve alone. In conclusion, I think that this film was successful in getting the story and point across.  It was easy to follow the long storyline without losing focus on the main aspects of the story. I really enjoyed how the movie kept a consistent sci-fi theme. 

Ready Player One

Gossip girl portrays the lives of privileged teens that all attend an elite private high school in the upper east side. Most of the children come from wealthy families. The show normalizes the character’s lavish lives. Two of the main characters, Dan and Jenny are not from the upper east side. They are from Brooklyn and are considered lower class because they are not wealthy. Even though they still attend the same private school they don’t have the same status that the other characters do. They are often treated as outsiders and try very hard to fit in. For instance, since Jenny can’t afford expensive clothes she makes her own and jumps through hoops to fit in with her rich peers. Dan and Jenny are the anti-models. Then the wealthier characters such as Serena and Blair are seen as the models.

The show promotes the idea that possessions will make us happy. However, over time we see how unhappy the characters really are, even though they live a glamorous life. All the fantasy cars, apartments, designer clothes, and private jets clearly can’t buy happiness. For instance, Dan and Jenny have a strong family bond and illustrate different morals. They have family dinners as often as they can. While one of the models, Blair, never eats with her family and often feels alone and neglected by her mother. This illustrates that money isn’t everything. The show opposes hegemony regarding materialistic possessions and wealth because the characters show how family and friends are what’s important. Rather than having a lot of money, it is better to have support and love.

Adolescent girls want to be like Serena and Blair because of all the fantasy parties they attend and all the designer clothes they have. In the show, being rich definitely has its perks and gives them massive advantages in life,  that most people need to work for. However, over time the viewers don’t want to be like the wealthier teens because they see how unhappy they are and how many problems they have to deal with. Money controls their lives so when they deal with fraud or bankruptcy they don’t know how to keep going. Also, most of them are handed everything, while within the series, Dan struggles with the injustice that comes with having less money. He is fighting for the same ivory league schools as the others.  For example, Serena wants to go to Brown and because she is a “Vanderwoodsen” she does not need to work for it. Then, there is Dan who studies all the time, does interviews, and still does not have as good of chance even after all the work he has done.

Gossip Girl normalizes a lifestyle that not many can live. The characters are motivated by money, power, and status. It promotes a world of luxury without teaching the audience the negative effects money can have on people. Through a neo-Marxist lens, I think a gossip girl motivates the audience that money and power should not be more important than friends and family.

Gossip Girl Trailer

New Girl Season 3 Episode 3- “Double Date”

         Background of the episode: Schmidt is currently in a love triangle with Cece and Elizabeth. In the crazy episode involving the trio, I started to see the comedic potential in having Schmidt try to juggle the two women. Schmidt throughout the episode lies to keep both women happy and in his life. Until Cece’s best friend Jess found out and told him he must tell Cece the truth or she will. The episode results in Schmidt admitting to Cece he has been cheating on her, ultimately straining his relationship with her and everyone else.

The Pentad 

Act– Schmidt was dating two women at the same time and ended up hurting them both. He explained that he found himself in a predicament because he really did not want to hurt anyone, especially Cece. Schmidt was making up lame excuses about how he used to be super fat and never had girls like him, so he did not know how to handle the situation.

Agents- Schmidt, Cece, and Elizabeth

Agency-  Schmidt kept this whole charade going for weeks by constantly lying to everyone. He felt immense guilt for hurting Cece and Elizabeth. But overall, was just selfish because he could have continued his deceit if Jess never found out. Schmidt did what he did because he wanted to.

Scene- New Girl takes place in Los Angeles. Cece and Schmidt plan on going on a double date with Nick and Jess until everything blows up when they arrive at the restaurant.

Purpose – Schmidt could not bring himself to hurt Cece or Elizabeth, thus instead of breaking up with either of them, he decided to secretly date them both at the same time. While this does make Schmidt look really bad,the audience is made to believe that Schmidt was coming from a decent place in his heart. He feared being alone and his compassion for both women motivated his erratic decision. Schmidt’s decision could be justified through victimage. He blames everyone else for what happened. For instance, hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do and since “he just became skinny” he never knows how to handle relationships with women. This ultimately shows that he is not taking responsibility for his actions he instead is offering an explanation as to why he did what he did out of guilt. 

        Overall, there is a small part of you that feels sorry for him. The writing is so genius because you want to hate what he does but you feel for him so much Sure what he did was awful but he ultimately is a good person who felt he was in an impossible citation. Perhaps, he really didn’t know how to handle the situation but there is no excuse for what he did. This episode shows the audience that cheating and lying is never the answer. This is because sooner or later the truth comes out and even if your goal is to not hurt anyone, you end up doing even more damage than you wanted. 

New Girl

      Black Mirror Nosedive episode depicts a society where being perfect and happy is based on someone’s ranking. The first thing that caught my eye was the setting of the story. All the clothes and buildings were light pastel colors showing how in this society nothing is unique. In this episode, your social rating affects your life: the job you get, where you live, and who you are friends with. If someone has a low score they are ostracized by society. Another important setting is her place of work. For instance, all their desks look the same, all white and glass. This society doesn’t value individualism.

      Lacie Pound, the main character, is constantly working on raising her numbers so she can be among those with the highest ranks, conforming to everyone else’s standards and ways of living. During the episode, she spends her time in the mirror making happy faces, picking out the best pictures to post, and giving everyone all 5-star ratings desperately waiting for them to give her a good rating back. She follows everyone else in order to make everyone happy. Also, he never stops being positive unless she is in front of her brother Ryan, where she can be herself.  Ryan and another character named Susan didn’t believe that points were worth changing who you are. These two characters help the audience really see how fake and obsessed with fitting in everyone else is.  The relationship that dominates the story is driven by disregarding the societal norms. The main event that causes the downward spiral is when Lacie and her brother get into a fight about her obsession with wanting a perfect fake life. 

   Throughout the episode, she is constantly checking her rating, when she wants to buy her expensive dream home the realtor tells her that she can get a 20% off discount on her rent if she can get her rating above a 4.5. Lacie makes it clear she will do anything she can to get her score up. Then suddenly, an old friend, Naomi, asks Lacie to be her maid of honor at her wedding. Naomi is considered to be perfect: beautiful, in shape, put together, and has a husband. Naomi has a facade with no zero flaws, making Lacie feel more and more self-conscious about herself. In Lacie’s mind, she will get a ton of people who can boost her ranking. However, the more her score dropped the less she cared about her appearance, what people thought about her, and whether or not she was “perfect”. The audience later realizes how jealous Lacie is of her because she is so unsatisfied with her life. Lacie drivers herself insane trying to be Naomi. 

   The protagonist wants to live in a community where she will have a simulated life, illustrating she wants to live in a superficial world not reality. In the end, she breaks down and shows the dangers of taking social media too seriously, and how it can literally drive people crazy. When she got her ocular implant removed, she was able to see the world was what it was and see how broken she really was. It was because of the characters that Lacie was able to slowly realize that having a lot of points doesn’t mean happiness. The society was meant to encourage people to be kind and friendly but also promotes unrealistic expectations for people to follow. For instance, not everyone has perfect social media accounts or fits into the confined beauty stands like Lacie’s friend. The characters and setting all worked together to convey the moral of the story, that people will do anything to be accepted and fit in. The moral of the story is justifiable because it depicts what life would be like if social media run your life and if all that matters to people is how superficial people view you. Also, even if things seem set and perfect, there can still be imperfections and flaws. We should all be okay with being honest and who we really are. 

The intended audience is for people who care way too much about social media and can’t get away from their technology. The whole point of the episode is to show the world that social media will soon take over our lives and trying to show people the dangers that exist with technology.

Nosedive trailer

The political campaign ad “Joe Biden for President: Donna Campaign 2020” paints a picture of the horrific job Trump is doing as commander in chief. By showing how terribly Trump is doing, especially with dealing with COVID 19, the ad is able to state that Biden could do a much better job in power by doing more for many families like Donna’s, making them able to see their grandchildren in person rather than through zoom. Unlike Trump who is doing nothing to help the situation, Biden would actually be able to combat the virus. 

The setting in this ad is the pandemic, which is the perfect chaotic situation to show the negative aspects of his opponent. Many citizens of the United States feel more isolated than ever and don’t see any change happening to help improve their lifestyle during the time of corona. This ad shows a family that is being torn apart because COVID is still so prevalent in the United States. Donna explains that no one has gotten any control over the virus because Trump is handling the pandemic so terribly. life is being perceived as a jail with no escape under Trump’s control during Corona. Donna and her husband aren’t able to see their grandchildren because the coronavirus is not improving and are only able to see their family through zoom. 

The archetypal plot in this ad is Cinderella. They are saying that better is yet to come if you vote for Biden. It is a rags to riches plot. If you vote for Biden, you might be able to see your grandchildren again. If you vote for Biden, the isolation might be able to end. If you vote for Biden, some solutions might be put into effect. 

This ad brings Biden’s opponent down but does not say anything about why Biden would actually be a good candidate. It is enticing and evokes emotions such as frustration and a yearning for change, which is the exact purpose of the ad. I would have liked to learn something about Biden other than the fact that he is anti-Trump, but the ad does hook people in and it is compelling to his audience. 

Joe Biden Ad

Pink’s VMA Speech

     Singer Pink delivered a very powerful and moving acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, at The Forum for the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2017. This speech was to embrace individuality, to not conform to traditional beauty standards, and to let everyone know that they are beautiful. Throughout her entire career, Pink has received constant backlash because of her appearance and wanted to make sure her daughter doesn’t feel that pain. 

    Unrealistic beauty standards are making young boys and girls hyper-focused on appearance and are shaping people’s mindsets, leading to insecurities. For example, her six-year-old daughter was feeling ugly, specifically “like a boy with long hair.” Right off the bat, Pink’s usage of her daughter’s story immediately shows her passion and evokes emotion from the audience. It also makes them want to hear more of what Pink has to say.

     She then uses the list of names of people like “Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Prince, Janis Joplin, George Michael, Elton John, and Freddie Mercury,” to illustrate that she has a plethora of knowledge on people who are celebrated for their differences. By doing this, she builds credibility. Also, when Pink tells her daughter that people have criticized her for the same thing, Pink states, “‘Do you see me growing my hair?’ She said, ‘No, mama.’ I said, ‘Do you see me changing my body?’ ‘No, mama.’ ‘Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world?’ ‘No, mama.’ ‘Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world?’ ‘Yes, Mama.” Pink also exhibits credibility by explaining that these are words she lives by. She is not changing for anyone else and she is proud of all of her accomplishments. 

     After Pink convinced the audience that she is a credible source, she declared that “We don’t change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.” Pink uses a metaphor to inspire others to be more open-minded and accepting. Pink’s use of an idiomatic and motivational style demonstrated her passion for beauty doesn’t have to be confined. While she was talking to everyone in her audience, her message was specifically directed towards her daughter, making her word choice and style very natural and personal, which is what impacted me so much. It made the audience and me feel as if she was talking directly to us. 

    After hearing that her six-year-old daughter is growing up in a world where it is normal to feel ugly at such a young age, I felt hooked. Pink conveyed confidence and a strong will in order to show that this feeling can be overcome. She made the audience realize that it is important to stay true to ourselves and embrace who we are. Pink never changed herself to be more like other female popstars. Instead, she embraced her own beauty and found her confidence. Overall, I believe Pink definitely moved people; however, unrealistic beauty standards are so ingrained in our society that one speech can’t change everything. I do believe that the idea of beauty is more inclusive and broad than it’s ever been.

Work Cited 

Zorthian, Julia. “Read Pink’s 2017 VMA Speech About Her Daughter: Transcript.”           Time, Time, 28 Aug. 2017, time.com/4918579/pink-vma-speech-daughter-                    transcript/.   

My favorites

Movie- A Walk to Remember is a story of redemption. Jamie brings something out of Landon that makes him take responsibility for his actions and turn his life around. It is also the first movie that I ever cried when watching and holds a special place in my heart. 

A Walk to Remember Trailer

TV show- Friends is one of my favorite TV shows because it encompasses a close group of friends that have unconditional love for each other and the characters are very relatable.

Friends

Song- Bad Habit is written by one of my favorite artists, Ben Platt. His writing is very honest and raw. Also, this song doesn’t use any electronics and instead solely uses his voice and musical instruments to accompany him.

Bad Habit Music Video

Cartoon-  Family Guy is a cartoon I occasionally watch with my brothers because it is a funny feel-good show.   Family Guy Theme Song

Comic strip- Batman is a comic that I like because it is an example of a man who worked hard to be in the position he was in and his goal was to help others.

Advertisement – Progressive commercials I think because all the characters are consistent and they are corny.

Progressive Commercial

Friends favorites I don’t like

Movie- Harry Potter because it contains anti-semitism. In the scenes with the banks, the people who control them are perceived as very greedy, short, have very large noses, and pointy ears.

Tv Show-  Vampire Diaries is frustrating because it romanticizes unhealthy and toxic relationships. As well as romanticizing traumatic situations. It makes near-death situations look like a “cool” position to be in. Vampire Diaries Trailer

Song- New Rules: this is a song that should be empowering for women but instead lacks depth and is superficial. I also find the beat annoying. New Rules Music Video

Cartoon- Spongebob was a show I was never allowed to watch as a kid. Whenever I watch it I feel irritated. Random Spongebob Scene

Comic Strip- Superman is a character that was given god-like characteristics. I don’t like this because I believe absolute power corrupts absolutely. Because he was just given his strength, he did not have to work for it and it makes corruption more likely.

Advertisement- Mr. Clean commercials always solely had women using the product to clean around their house.  Mr. Clean Ad

        These are my favorites because I value human connection. My favorite song, movie, tv-show, etc, all capture special bonds between people. My relationships with friends and family are the most important thing in my life and I am very protective of my people. I enjoy these aspects of entertainment because the characters have the same attachment to their friends and family that I have.