Black Mirror

     Black Mirror is terrifying. Not in a slasher movie or even Psycho kind of way, but in a very hyper reality sort of way. The show has brought on comparisons from fans and critics alike to the Twilight Zone. The reasoning is justified, Black Mirror, is a sci-fi anthology series, much like Twilight Zone, in which each episode has a different conflict, different characters and actors, different worlds, and a different tone. 

     Created by Charlie Booker, a British satirist and broadcaster, the show aired on Britain's Channel 4. The cast includes many popular British actors. Popularity in the US increased when the series was placed on Netflix. The shows main theme is how technology is shaping the not so distant future. While the technology is different in every episode its still the driving force behind the characters and their motivations. The third episode, "Be Right Back" was picked up by Robert Downey Jr. to produce.           

                                                                            There are currently six episodes, three each for two seasons, and a third season in production. The plots include: a man who rides a bike for points and spends those points on an avatar, a society in which the chips in people's brains record everything they see and allow for playback, a comedian who uses an electronic bear to run for political office.                                                                                                         

                                                  

    The production quality is phenomenal. The worlds, which are so unique and distant, feel familiar and tangible. The lighting, in "Fifteen Million Merits" puts the viewer inside the glass rooms which the characters live. The walls are all LED displays and the lighting work that goes into this affect is astonishing. "Fifteen Million Merits" is the most dystopic setting and yet still strikes a visual nerve that is believable.

     Why the show is so terrifying, so gut wrenchingly horrible, is that each episode plays with our expectations and rooting interests. They establish the world, get the viewer comfortable as the characters are, and the shake the world violently. Often we are rooting for immoral actions but they are the best possible result in this strange dystopic future we've found ourselves. 

    It's believable. That's the scary part. It's so real. Each episode could happen; you can see it. The moral implications and the themes leave you silent at the end. Plot twists aside it's scary what humans can do to each other. It's even more horrifying when we look at the technology that the worlds use are not that far off. The camera angles tell the story, the colors tell the story, the extras are perfectly in sync.

        We are going crazy with the characters because of the production and the writing and the acting. It's a show that has accomplished and exceeded all it set out to achieve. It's truly a modern anthology.

                    

Ellen Degeneres' response to online critic, Larry Tomczak

Ellen Degeneres, who has her own popular talk show, responded to a pastor, Larry Tomczak, on accusing her of promoting a gay agenda along with the rest of the media.

Larry stated, "Ellen DeGeneres celebrates her lesbianism and "marriage" in between appearances of guests like Taylor Swift to attract young girls."

As a longtime outspoken leader in the conservative community, Tomczak encouraged parents to fight the "indoctrination and propaganda coming from those advocating a gay lifestyle," offering advice for keeping children out of the influence of stars like DeGeneres, Jillian Michaels, Anderson Cooper, and Michael Sam.

Ellen usually does not answer to online critic's, but as she said on her show, she decided to make an exception to being on this list, and responded perfectly on her talk show.

Christian writer Larry Tomczak, who regularly writes for the Christian Post, is outraged at the gay agenda in Hollywood.  He recently addressed the "tsunami" of gay acceptance, claiming it is an "abomination."  Ellen responds in a witty and respectful way.  Ellen states that she is married, not quote on quote "married".  She then goes on to say that she does not even know what "celebrating her lesbianism" means, and continues to make fun of the ignorant fact.  Ellen accuses Larry of watching a lot of gay TV!  As he criticized many other TV shows that feature gay couples.

To conclude, she said: "The only way I’m trying to influence people is to be more kind and compassionate with one another.  That is the message I’m sending out. I don’t have an agenda. I’m not here to brainwash anyone." 

Then an assistant handed her a black and white hypnosis wheel which she began twirling at the camera, and spoke her closing statement.
"Attention youth of the world: I want you to live your lives being exactly who you are. Be true to yourself — the most important thing is to be true to yourself.
The second most important thing is that you wear Ellen underwear and only Ellen underwear."

I applaud Ellen for being so cool, calm, and collected about her response.  The fact that she can turn anything into a humorous joke makes her the beloved talk show host that everyone loves.  I do believe Larry was out of line to attack TV shows and celebrities, and I believe that Ellen handled it very maturely.  

Larry Tomczak's article:  http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/heres-the-deal/47834-avalanche-of-immoral-propaganda-targets-our-youth

Ellen's response:  http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/heres-the-deal/47834-avalanche-of-immoral-propaganda-targets-our-youth

Looper

I went to the movies the other night with a friend. My friend was like "Hey, lets go see Looper!" and I responded with "I've never heard of that before, is it any good?" to which he responded "I hope so."

Don't worry, folks. It was a really good movie. In the beginning not only do they acknowledge and make fun of "blockbuster" movies with a comment about how there's no original stories anymore, they also comment on modern society. I strongly suggest you all go see it, because it was really good.

What I really want to talk about is how media, like movies and television, can criticize our current state and they won't necessarily be punished for it. Most people probably wont even know that they are criticizing our society. I have a few opinions formed on why this is so, but I'm curious- why do you all think that film and television can comment on society and 'get away with it'?