Lisa Schwarzbaum

Google Images

Lisa Schwarzbaum is a famous American movie critic who wrote criticisms for Entertainment Weekly for about 20 years before her retirement in 2013. She grew up in Queens, New York and started her career in Boston by writing classical music criticism. Magazines she wrote for include Vogue, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times Magazine.

Over the years, she has written numerous criticisms on movies that can still be found online today. Almost 2,000 of her reviews can be found on MetaCritic as well as RottenTomatoes and IMDB. Not to mention that her publications in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Times are still available for the public.

Google Images

The reason why I like Lisa Schwarzbaum as a movie critic is because while she is versatile, we share similar movie tastes. Fantasy movies are typically some of her favorites as they are mine, so we generally agree on if a movie is bad or not. Because of our similarities, I rely on her criticisms to determine whether or not I will see a movie in theaters or wait until it comes out on Netflix.

Lisa Schwarzbaum's writing style is also very admirable and keeps readers interested in what she has to say. Her phrasing and explanations are clear and concise, which I prefer when reading criticisms on anything. All in all, Schwarzbaum is one of my go-to critics because of our similarities and her concise writing style.

They All Float

It seems as though Hollywood loves making remakes of old horror classics. It was only a matter of time before they decided to remake the famous movie It based on Stephen King's novel. The above video is a side-by-side comparison of the 1990 trailer and the 2017 trailer for the movie. 

Right from the beginning, you can see that the remake will try to make the movie much more sinister and nightmarish than the original. This is evident through the colors, music, and modern horror movie feel we get from the trailer. Even the reactions we get from the two Georgies differ and give the impression of a scarier clown in the 2017 remake.

Google Images

From the trailer, it seems as though the directors are tweaking Pennywise's personality as well as his appearance. In addition to an overall creepier appearance, the new Pennywise seems to be based more on a monster that looks like a clown rather than a clown that is a monster.

Google Images

After watching the original It and doing research on the remake, I've become more excited to see how closely the directors decide to stick to the original movie and plot. I hope that this remake will not try to incorporate too many modern horror movie cliches and focuses more on making the original more realistic. 

Black Mirror and a Bleak Future

Black Mirror is a TV show that portrays a post-modern, dystopian future in which modern technology is our demise. One of the episodes called "Nosedive" focuses on a topic that is seemingly brought up at every social gathering, in every classroom, in every conversation: our addiction to social media.

Google Images

"Nosedive" portrays a world where everyone is given ratings on a 1-5 scale by people around them. If you like someone, you give them a good rating and their overall average increases. If you don't like someone, you give them a poor rating and their average decreases. However, the average that is portrayed is not the true average of all the readings the person received. The ratings of people who are a 4 or 5 count more towards the average than someone's rating with a low ranking. That means that you want to try to impress and befriend people with higher rankings.

Google Images

Above everyone's head is their name and their ranking seen through a special contact lens. The purpose of the lens is to determine who to talk to in order to increase your own numbers. The lens also serves as a tool for social and societal discrimination. A high ranking means more friends, higher quality cars and devices, higher prioritization for plane tickets, and access to any luxury they desire. The life of someone who has a low rank is the exact opposite. Essentially, how well off you are in life depends solely on what other people think about you.

Google Images

What makes "Nosedive" so disturbing to some people is that they can see this happening to us in the future. Considering how addicted we are to social media and having people like us, it's not a far stretch of our imaginations. "Nosedive" does a great job of playing off of one of our biggest fears regarding modern technology.

Hush

Hush is a home-invasion horror movie with one twist: the main character is deaf. Imagine yourself trapped in your house without the ability to hear what goes bump in the night. You know the killer is outside, but how do you know where the killer is? If the power goes out, which it will, your sight is impaired as well. This is what Maddie (Kate Siegel) experiences in Hush.

Google Images

The fact that the main character of this movie is deaf makes Hush much more innovative and engaging for the audience than typical horror movies. During climaxes in the story, the sound is cut out to immerse the viewers in the fear that Maddie is feeling.

Google Images

Even though the directors of Hush twisted the conventional protagonist of a home invasion movie, they still left the majority of horror movie stereotypes untouched. One example of this would be that Maddie lives in an isolated area deep in the woods where no one visits her except her neighbor on occasion: the perfect setting for a serial killer. Loud noises meant to make the audience jump are heard throughout the movie, but used more effectively than usual.

Google Images

Not all the scares in this movie are meant to make you jump. In the beginning of the movie, the killer decides to announce his presence by stealing Maddie's phone and sending pictures to her computer of her sitting in her living room. What makes it even creepier is that the pictures keep sending as she's investigating.

Google Images

Overall, I found Maddie to be the most engaging part of the story. Because she's a writer, she imagines different scenarios in her head which we get to see along with her before she makes a decision. Her ability to stay quick on her feet, outsmart the killer, and become a formidable foe enhances Hush even more. 

The Development of Women's Roles in Media

In honor of International Women's Month that just passed, I wanted to write about how the image of women has progressed in our media. Our society has substantially progressed in the sense that women are more liberated in their roles in movies and TV shows.

Google Images

The 1950s and 1960s woman's duties were to take care of the children and do chores around the house while her husband was off at work; a nuclear family was typical of this time period. One actress, Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy, made efforts to improve the image of women in media. She was the first woman to run a production company, emphasized strong female friendship, was one of the first shows to feature a pregnant woman, promoted the first biracial couple on television, and didn't always portray Lucy as a proper lady. Read more about her feats here.

Google Images

The 1970s and 1980s are known as Second-wave Feminism because women started to advocate for sexual liberation, abortion rights, and for women to become more independent regarding their career and family life. The Mary Tyler Moore Show on CBS focused on an independent, unmarried woman who had completed medical school and was determined to be independent in Minneapolis. She served as an example of how feminists wanted to change societal standards for women.

Google Images

In the 1990s, the show Daria featured a teenage girl who was the opposite of the other happy girls on television who seemed to smile almost all the time. Daria, the protagonist, was blunt, independent, intelligent, and did not change herself in order for others to like her. This show offered a new character in which girls like Daria could relate to and not feel left out of society.

Google Images

In the 2000s, women in movies and television, especially young girls, started to become stronger, intelligent, and more independent. Hermione from the Harry Potter series is a perfect example of how the image of a woman was changing. She was tough, loyal, caring, opinionated, questioned authority, served as the voice of reason, and saved Harry and Ron multiple times throughout the series. Hermione taught young women that they should not limit their abilities because of their gender. Hermione always aimed for and achieved the best because of her hard work and her ability to not let others define her. 

Google Images

Nowadays, there are a variety of strong female role models in our movies and television such as Katniss from The Hunger Games and Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. Women being able to express themselves and live up to their full potential is an increasingly common theme in today's media.

Found on the Women's Media Center Website

However, there is still a long way to go. Women are not yet seen as equals to men. There are very few women producers, directors, evening broadcasters, and more. This is called the Media Gender Gap because of how there are many more men than women in these fields. You can learn more about the Media Gender Gap here.

Beauty and the Beast

It hasn't been long since Disney's live action version of the animated classic Beauty and the Beast came out in theaters. After seeing (and loving) the movie, I wanted to compare Emma Watson's portrayal of Belle to the animated classic.

Found on Google Images

First and foremost, Belle is now an inventor. In the original movie, her father Maurice is the inventor of the family. One of my favorite scenes is when she invents a washing machine with a barrel and a donkey so that she may read to a child and also wash her clothes. Not only does she receive criticism from the townspeople for teaching a girl to read, but also is looked down upon for being clever enough to come up with something to make life simpler. Despite the negative feedback, Belle continues on with her life with her head held high. 

Image of Belle and Maurice (Kevin Kline). Found on Google Images

Secondly, Belle makes attempts to escape from the castle by tying together sheets and clothes so that she may climb down the castle wall and see her father again. This makes the newer Belle seem more independent, strong-willed, and resourceful than the previous Belle. 

Belle trying to escape. Found on Google Images

While the animated Belle sent messages that empowered young girls, I think that all of these changes to Belle's character improved how young girls now see Disney princesses and themselves. Emma Watson's Belle shows that girls can be inventors (or engineers), they should overcome obstacles in the way of their goal, and never let criticism based on gender change the way they think of themselves. Overall, the live action Belle is more resourceful, strong-willed, and a better role model for young girls today. 

Nurses: Useless and Ignorant?

Because of the many years of intensive higher education that physicians must endure in order to have a job, nurses may seem inexperienced and ignorant by comparison. Nurses could be seen by the public as assistants to the physicians, unimportant, or not as effective as physicians. Unfortunately, these stereotypes have found their way into our media through television.

Google Images

In the popular show Grey's Anatomy, nurses are seen as stupid, unimportant, useless, and only there to assist the surgeons if they are present in the episode at all. Doctors constantly talk down to them and, while they are not common throughout the series, they are rarely if ever are portrayed in a positive light. In one episode, Miranda Bailey,  a surgeon, was mistaken for being a nurse because she was performing the menial task of delivering blood. This was a blow to her self-esteem as a surgeon. Here you can find more examples on how nurses are negatively portrayed throughout the series.

Google Images

The Mindy Project is another TV show that portrays nurses as simply assistants to the physicians. There are three nurses, Morgan, Tamra, and Beverly, that appear in most episodes for comic relief instead of driving the plot like the physicians do. They are portrayed as having little to no medical knowledge and being completely oblivious. Morgan and Beverly lack common sense and act mostly as assistants to the physicians of the show. Tamra has little grasp on reality and is often oblivious to her surroundings. Mindy, the main character, also became offended when someone assumed that she was a nurse. Here is another blog post about the Mindy Project's portrayal of nurses.

 

Google Images

The main misconception in TV shows that focus on physicians is that doctors perform all of the important duties to improve a patient's health. Nurses are not only assistants to the physician, they are competent guardians and caregivers. Another common misconception is that nurses are ignorant and do not know what they are doing. This statement is simply incorrect due to the rigor of nursing school that is required to become an RN. Shows such as Grey's Anatomy and The Mindy Project diminish the importance of nurses in the medical field.

Fighting the Fake News Epidemic

Nowadays when "fake news" seems to be a key political talking point, it is important to do research on which news sources are reliable and how we can tell if specific news stories are true.

Business Insider's Pamela Engel wrote an article summarizing Pew Research Center's study on how liberal or conservative each news source's audience is. Overall, the majority of news sources studied had audiences that were more liberal on the ideological placement scale. The breakdown of each news source's audience ideology can be found in the article and the summary of the study can be found in the image below.

Summary of Pew Research Center's study found here

Next, we need to learn how to determine whether or not an article is mostly unbiased, reliable, and trustworthy. Tom Rosenstiel of the American Press Institute devised a 6-step regimen that we should practice when figuring out who to trust. There are more detail explanations with examples in the article, but here are summaries for each step.

The first step is to determine the type of content that is in the article you are reading such as an opinion piece, news story, or blog article. If it's a news story, analyze the piece for any political slant and research the organization that owns the website or is sponsoring the article. By researching the organization, you are able to determine where their funding is coming from and if they display favor towards that source in published articles.

The second step is to focus on the sources the author used to support their claims in the article. It is necessary to determine if the cited sources are trustworthy in order to know if the article is reliable. If there are no sources, research the author to determine if they are a professional in, primary source of, or eye-witness to what they are writing about. Another reason an article may not have any citations is because the content refers to a public event such as a televised speech.

Image found on Google Images

The third step is similar to the second step in that it involves looking for evidence within the article. Evidence used in an article should refer to specifics and avoid vague phrases such as "scientists agree" to show credibility of the source. The method as to how the author validated the evidence should also be clear within the article.

The fourth step is to analyze the conclusion and whether or not it is well-supported by the evidence presented. All the evidence incorporated into the article should logically support the conclusion; be sure that the author is not drawing ridiculous or far-fetched conclusions from the evidence presented. Authors of trustworthy articles also incorporate opposing viewpoints, what is still unknown, and updates the article when new information becomes available. Exercise skepticism if these elements are not present in the article.

The fifth step focuses on the article's degree of completeness and what is missing. An article should compel you to ask questions and research the answers, but first you should revisit the content to see if you have questions due to poor writing or the information is simply missing. If the answer to your question is unclear or missing, be skeptical of the article and conduct further research. On the other hand, if the article did answer the question later on or why something is missing, consider the article reliable and research more to answer remaining questions.

The sixth and final step is to ask yourself if you are familiar with news that is important to you, interests you, or is a key story in multiple news sources. Knowing what sources to rely on when consuming news can not only save time, but allow you to develop logical, well-supported opinions.

Image found on Google Images

The vast majority of news sources are biased because they are written by people who have or develop an opinion on the subject after researching it. Despite a journalist's best efforts, it is likely that the story will still have a slight biased, but this is okay. It's beneficial and a sign of maturity to listen to or read conflicting perspectives in order to expand your own.

My recommendation on how we should read and watch the news is to follow two sources with opposing opinions and one source that has an audience that is generally mixed in their political ideology. These sources cannot be all mixed, conservative, or liberal or else we run the risk of becoming close-minded. Diversity is essential. Additionally, we need to begin researching an author's sources and what organizations sponsor the article to determine if the article is politically slanted. Open-mindedness and diligent research are the keys to avoid becoming a victim of the fake news epidemic.

Are You Addicted to Smartphones?

Do you feel reluctant to be without your smartphone, even for a short time? Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your phone many times a day even when you know there is likely nothing new or important to see? Do you sleep with your smartphone on or under your pillow or next to your bed regularly? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you may be addicted.

Even though there are countless articles, studies, and lectures from friends and family that imply almost everyone nowadays seems to be addicted to their phone, you may not necessarily be addicted. Here are the signs of cell phone addiction:

1. You feel the need to use your phone more often to alleviate any anxiety.
2. You attempted to use your phone less often, but failed more than once.
3. You turn to your phone when you feel anxious, depressed, or nervous.
4. You're on your phone so much that you lose track of time.
5. Your excessive cell phone usage has put a relationship or job at risk.
6. You always need the newest phone and applications.
7. You feel angry, tense, depressed, irritable, anxious, or restless when you do not have your phone.

Did you find that you could relate to four or more of these statements? If so, then you are addicted. As with all addiction, there a physical and psychological effects.

Image found here

I'll start with the physical effects. Eye strain, which includes burning and itching, blurred vision, eye fatigue, and headaches, is very common for addicts. Neck pain from looking at your phone too long is known as "text neck." Some studies have determined that cell phone radiation causes male infertility and an increase in illnesses due to germs on phones. One example of bacteria that is found on some phones is e. coli, which can cause fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Those who text and drive are much more prone to car accidents. Research has shown that texting and driving has the potential to be just as dangerous as drinking and driving.

Psychological effects include depression and OCD. Phone usage before bed increase insomnia and sleep disturbances because the bright light can decrease sleep quality, active the brain, and increase the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. If a phone addict is on his or her phone too often in front of their significant other or friends, it could create strain in the relationship. Research has shown that addicts who use their phones more often feel more anxious when they do not have them or have an opportunity to have downtime.

It is true that more people are becoming addicted to cell phones especially during a time in which having a cell phone is seen as a necessity. How do we change this? If we teach young children how to use technology in moderation in the future, we may decrease the rate of addiction to cell phones. Time should be set aside at home and at school for children to play outside or without any technology with or on them.

Image found here

If you would like to learn more about addiction, there is an additional questionnaire at the bottom of this page.