The 1973 film "Jesus Christ Superstar" presents Jesus as a bit of an arrogant and rude figure who constantly accuses followers of not loving him enough and disregards the tribulations of the sick and poor. Judas, on the other hand, is the one who worries about the poor and frets over Jesus' hubris. Arguably, Judas is the most sympathetic character in the movie. His solo opening number, "Heaven on Their Minds," sets the tone for the rest of the film. Is Judas the main character of the movie? Compared to the Bible, how do these characterizations impact our perception of the crucifixion?
The author might also consider the previous criticisms the movie has faced concerning antisemitism. Does a negative reading of Jesus make any difference to our understanding of the actions of Jewish people in the movie?
For a long time, the general public has been fascinated by the dark side of high-powered entertainers and the industries that keep them employed. The Hollywood movie business, in particular, has had many exposes about its more problematic aspects, from attempts to control the bodies and public images of starlets to the abuse leveled at lower-level production staff by executives. Some of the stories about corruption in entertainment have become so widespread they've even been used as the subject of feature films. These controversies–and the fictional portrayals they've spawned–also provide a fertile ground for conspiracy theories, which may or may not have any basis in reality. For instance, one conspiratorial story that turned out to be true is that the Digital Entertainment Network, which came out in the early days of the internet, was at least in part a child trafficking ring.
What are some of the most famous conspiracy theories in the entertainment world, and what, if any, evidence of their truth is there? Conversely, what are some lesser-known or underappreciated conspiracies that are nevertheless plausible based on the evidence? Were there any conspiracies that were especially surprising when they came to light?
Travis in "Taxi Driver" basically lives out Holden's fantasy of killing Maurice in "The Catcher in the Rye." Further, Travis' interest in Iris and saving her from prostitution mirrors Holden's interaction with Sunny.
Analyze how Travis channels Holden Caulfield throughout the movie. How are they alike, and how are they different? Why are the differences important?
I edited this but I don't know where it went. In "The Catcher in the Rye," Holden wanders around Manhattan struggling with loneliness and alienation. He almost has sex with a prostitute, but gets too sad when she is only fourteen years old. He is then beaten by her pimp when he refuses to pay more than the originally agreed upon amount, and he fantasizes about an elaborate violent scenario where he shoots Maurice (the pimp). Travis is similarly lonely and alienated, but he ends up manifesting into a much more unhinged and violent character than Holden. Why is that? – Amelia3 days ago
The character of Merlin as he appears in ancient myths and modern stories is somewhat difficult to parse. In the old tales, Merlin is a mysterious, wise figure—a prophet, guide, and shapeshifter with a deep connection to magic and nature though not without his flaws such as his lineage and obsessions with his students. In recent decades, relatively speaking he has become even more fractured as a character. He’s shown in many disparate ways between today’s books, movies, and shows, where he might be a playful teacher (like in The Sword in the Stone) or a darker, more complicated character (like in BBC’s Merlin). How do these versions of Merlin reflect how we see wisdom, power, and right and wrong today?
Love this topic! I personally grew up with BBC's adaptation of Merlin stories and T. A. Barron's Merlin Saga. Both works strike me as particularly oriented toward the teen audience as they focus on the themes of coming-of-age and forging powerful bonds. – Horselover Rat3 months ago
Merlin also has a very dark but interesting characterization in Lev Grossman's book The Bright Sword, which was released in 2024. – Sean Gadus4 weeks ago
The Story of an Hour illustrates the dual themes of confinement and freedom. Mrs. Mallard's story reveals the restricted roles of women in 19th-century society and the profound yearning for selfhood that lay beneath those constraints. The brief and intense exploration of freedom in Louise's mind highlights both the allure and the cost of autonomy in a world that does not yet recognize a woman's right to it.
The writer could focus on how Mrs. Mallard explored freedom in a time when women were not free to exercise their rights – Laurika Nxumalo5 months ago
The writer could also examine whether Mrs. Mallard’s fleeting taste of freedom reflects a deeper critique of marriage as an institution in the 19th century, questioning if her sense of liberation stems from personal desire or societal oppression. – Beatrix Kondo4 months ago
Outlander and Inuyasha both feature a female protagonist who magically goes back in time and gets a huge culture shock but ultimately falls in love amidst serious violence and turmoil. It would be interesting to do a formal analysis of how these texts overlap and differ, and why this style of narrative seems to be so popular. What is the point of these stories? Do they have basically the same message, or not? Do they romanticize or demonize the past?
I would have never thought to connect those two texts/shows, but your topic illustrate a clear connective thread between the two! – Sean Gadus1 month ago
The intent of the author is usually considered somewhat unknowable, however, every now and then, a problematic controversy surrounds the author that makes a more critical look at their works necessary. For example, H.P. Lovecraft's racism features heavily in his work. However, some works are slightly harder to catch as being problematic until the author is caught in a controversy, like JK Rowling's stance on trans people or the current accusations against Neil Gaiman. Suddenly, some of the problematic themes in the works come to light, such as the description of Rita Skeeter or the treatment of the house elves in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, for example.
While the controversy itself obviously does not create the problems found within the works, it is important to consider the author's intent at the time of the work's creation as well as the cultural influences that may have led to the problematic writing being present. For instance, JK Rowling being openly against trans people in the present day does not change the problematic writing she engaged in at the time of her writing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000 with the descriptions of house elves or potentially racist naming conventions. That said, examining the British culture around the perception of such inclusions during 2000 could present a deeper understanding of how cultural acceptance of this kind of problematic writing shifted to what it is in the present day.
The topic taker should do their best to answer the questions "How much does the intent of the author change after a problematic controversy, and how much of their intent may be partially based in problematic beliefs about society?" and "Does the controversy in the present day perhaps recontextualize and potentially change the meaning of what the author originally intended at the time of creation?" The examples above provide a bit of a starting point for authors that can be examined for the topic, if they wish to use them, though, given the very graphic not safe for work nature of the accusations levelled against Neil Gaiman, it may be best to use discretion if his work is examined, bearing in mind that the accusations are alleged at this point.
Neil Gainman’s case alone could be more than enough to write an article about this issue, given that the accusations against him shed a different light on his work. – T. Palomino1 month ago
As soon as I read about the Neil Gaiman controversy, I thought about David Foster Wallace. It might be interesting to use elements of DFW reception in an analysis of someone like Gaiman. – Amelia3 days ago
Writing is a cognitive process that is influenced by the language a writer uses. For example, a writer taking part in the writing process through English may experience a different kind of writing process when writing in Japanese. The word choice or precision may vary, and the writer may have to figure out different strategies to engage with their writing process.
For this topic, the topic taker should consider some of these similarities and differences in writing processes through a cross-cultural lens. What cultural aspects of a language could influence the way that a person approaches their tone or how they convey their writing process? Is there a middle ground among cultures when it comes to partaking in the cognitive task of the writing process? For example, would Western authors have similar writing processes to each other more so than non-Western writers, or would Western and non-Western writers have more in common with their creative writing process? How might word choice influence the writer's process, particularly if the language is more limited in how descriptive it is? Finally, how would different cultural mythologies or other stories influence a writer in their process?
Links to get started:
Effective Strategies for writing in an L1 and an L2: (link) main aim of this,across languages and text types.
How words shape thoughts and emotions: (link) and other fields of,favour one decision or another.
How Culture Shapes Creativity: (link) is believed to indirectly,same creative process across cultures.
My favorite authors who wrote and published in their second language: Vladimir Nabokov & Milan Kundera. – T. Palomino2 months ago
I tried to remove the links and update the post, and this strange formatting happened, sorry! – Siothrún2 months ago
Great topic! It’s especially interesting to explore how a writer navigates describing an experience that cannot be fully expressed in their language due to the absence of a specific word for it, making it difficult to capture its full meaning. – Mattea1 month ago
Non-human antagonists enrich storytelling by pushing the boundaries of imagination and challenging both characters and audiences to confront fears and truths beyond the human realm.
Interpret how earthquakes have been used as non-human antagonists in the movie 'San Andreas'
The writer has been guided, the non-human antagonist to focus on for this post is the earthquake – Laurika Nxumalo4 months ago
Tragedy in cinema is a large genre (Forrest Gump, Marriage Story, Steel Magnolias, etc.) but why are we drawn to movies that make us cry? Is there a similarity to listening to sad music? Maybe a big, cathartic cry is just what's needed to make it through a tough week. But does tragedy in cinema help us to express our emotions or make us feel worse?
Discuss how tragedy relates to the ideas of romanticism, and why these themes are still prevalent in today's blockbusters.
Traditionally, the intention of tragedy has always been to cause catharsis (pleasure through pain) to the audience. But it has been discussed that many other genres or artistic forms can also produce or invoke catharsis. In the end, it is all a matter of personal or cultural preference. If it is true that some people are attracted to tragic stories, it is also true that many people actively avoid any form of tearjerker, too. – T. Palomino2 years ago
I think this could be examined through a lens of either upward or downward comparison: does seeing depictions of suffering more significant than ours elevate ourselves and make us feel better about our own relatively insignificant problems, or does viewing suffering as adjacent to our own validate our emotions and allow us justification to be upset? – lavenderhatchet2 years ago
Psychologically, negative events affect our brains more than positive ones. Tragic events have the potency to describes the higher amount of psychological arousal that a person experiences and is exposed to a negative or traumatic event compared with a positive event – Kammil2 years ago
Tragedy and comedy are two sides of the same coin- large, visceral emotions that often evoke a physical response in us; the same can be said of romanticism, though in a more subtle state. I think it would be interesting to compare the historical trends of popularity of tragedy in popular media and correlate that with what was happening in wider society at the time. – lbarling2 years ago
I believe such movies help us to deal with the our subconscious pain. The writer could look at ways tragic movies or tv series' help us mourn – Laurika Nxumalo2 months ago
How about also looking at, who between men and women are drawn to such movies - the emotional appeal of these kind of movies – Llory James2 months ago
This article could explore how Arcane expanded the League of Legends universe, focusing on how the series enriches the game’s storytelling. It might analyze how the show balances accessibility for non-gamers with deep nods to League fans, and what this approach means for the evolution of narrative-driven gaming.
The lore of league of legends has been established for a quite a while, but is currently being perfected and organized in a way in which even people who aren't players of LOL can understand it easily & in an entertaining manner. – Kajol1014 months ago
I think it would be interesting to explore how/if champions/characters changed from the game to the show. I know that Victor is quite different between the game and the end of the show. – Sean Gadus2 months ago
One of the more troubling outgrowths of the propagation of the Internet is the rise of the “lolcow” culture, which is mocking and dissecting Internet figures for entertainment. Figures like DSPGaming, Wings of Redemption, or LowTierGod have become recurring targets, with YouTube documentaries and commentary channels exploiting their struggles for views. Many alleged documentaries blur the line between journalism and pure harassment, turning personal hardships into spectacle. Sensationalized narratives encourage dogpiling, making real people into endless sources of ridicule. As audiences reward negativity, the question remains: should platforms and creators be held accountable for the harm they perpetuate?
This is an extremely important topic to talk about right now especially, given Ash Trevino’s and other terrible parent’s rise to fame by neglecting their children. They need help not a platform, great topic overall! – SalemsWitchTrial2 months ago
Since 2016, stand-up comedy has become a recurring battleground in the never-ending jobs program that is online culture war discourse. Comedians who once sought laughter now chase applause, pandering to their audience’s sensibilities and falling into the hackiest, laziest tropes.
In 2020, Tim Heidecker released an hour-long YouTube special that took the idea of bombing and stretched it into an art form. By delivering a performance filled with forced crowd work, hack premises, and faux-political grandstanding, he exposed the formulaic nature of modern stand-up. What does this say about the state of comedy, and why did an intentionally bad special feel more honest than most real ones?
Originally considered a throwaway creepypasta, Sonic.exe has grown in a way many couldn't have conceptualized upon its first upload. What began as another cheesy story of a cursed game cartridge has become a notable part of the Sonic legacy. How did Sonic.exe escape it's roots as a somewhat obscure internet myth to into a staple in gaming culture, and why does it continue to captivate and evolve within the public imagination?
On Cinema is a review series that first started in 2011 as a podcast and then pivoted into video before ending up on Adult Swim.com In its 15 years of running the show has maintained a startling consistency with regards to the characterization of it's two leads. While mainstream critics debate objectivity and audience reviewers chase engagement, On Cinema sidesteps the entire conversation by embracing cluelessness. Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s arbitrary ratings, personal vendettas, and refusal to engage with films meaningfully feel like an exaggerated version of real-world criticism.
From YouTubers like Nostalgia Critic, who's reviews serve almost as lackluster replacements for Hollywood films, to Chris Stuckmann and Jeremy Jahns, who prioritize likability over depth, and even to culture war-fueled channels like The Critical Drinker, On Cinema unintentionally mirrors how film discussion online is often more about branding and personality than actual analysis. How does the show’s absurd approach expose the flaws in modern criticism?
Rugrats (1991), Ren and Stimpy (1991), Pinky and the Brain (1995), Hey Arnold (1996), and Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999) all have moments or episodes with disturbing themes in them, such as Hey Arnold's train ride to the underworld, Archie needing surgery on his sinuses in the Rugrats, or Fred the hairdresser in Courage the Cowardly Dog, for examples. The topic taker should take the time to analyze some of these episodic themes and detail how, despite their disturbing nature, they might help viewer cope with their own complicated feelings around things like having a surgery, encountering an abandoned train, or getting a bad hair cut, though Fred seems to also serve as a message about boundaries and consent as well. Following that, the topic taker could also examine whether these disturbing themes had the opposite effect on viewers. In addition to this, the topic taker is free to also consider the psychological impact disturbing scenes like these might have on younger viewers, to better determine whether these themes are helpful, harmful, or somewhere in between when it comes to children's developing understanding of the world.
Delving into the history of the time and what may have influenced the developers of the show to create such imagery and disturbing elements into their shows could also inform the intent behind certain episodes' existences. Taking a brief historical view could also bring some of the potential global current events of the time into focus and allow parallels to be drawn between those events and the show as well, which could provide an interesting lens into what American media was trying to say about the event. Also, having a holistic view of the cartoons mentioned could also shed light on what, exactly, the show was aiming to convey and why those disturbing episodes are important to the plot.
Of course, the topic taker is free to examine shows outside of the ones mentioned, so long as they are an American production and were created in the 90s. However, it is advised that the topic taker consider how the breadth of additions could detract from the depth of the piece and the focus of the article.
Wikipedia to Ren and Stimpy: (link) YouTube analysis on Rugrats: (link) Wikipedia to Hey Arnold!: (link) Courage the Cowardly Dog Fandom Wiki: (link)
This is so in depth but most of these shows, I just watched carefree, cause I was a child obviously but it nice to look back at thoughtful analysis – Karena2 months ago
This is really important for us millennials longing for a bit of nostalgia. Cartoons felt a bit daring but we don't always know how to explain it. Scary things do exist and cartoons can give us a safe way to think about it before we encounter it in life. Also the parental guidance specifications have changed over time, so what is considered safe will evolve throughout the years – Martinx2 months ago
Generally speaking, swimming pools are modern status symbols. They represent wealth, freedom and control. In movies and TV shows, this symbolism is often exploited for various purposes. In coming-of-age movies, for example, swimming pools can help portray youth and fun. However, sometimes a swimming pool can also symbolize decadence and abandonment (if it’s dirty or contaminated, or even if it’s empty). In “Breaking Bad”, for instance, people piss, vomit or bleed out in pools. Walter spends a lot of time cleaning his pool, but nobody actually swims or has fun in it. What movies or TV shows use swimming pools to represent deterioration, corruption or even sin? This topic should focus on the ominous side of swimming pool representation.
Swimming pools often serve as powerful visual metaphors in film and TV. In The Great Gatsby, the pool symbolizes Gatsby’s wealth and ultimate downfall, as it becomes the site of his tragic death. Similarly, Sunset Boulevard uses a pool to reflect faded glory and despair. Your mention of Breaking Bad is spot on—Walter’s pool is a constant reminder of his moral decay. Any other chilling pool scenes come to mind? – danielledunham3 months ago
In Dexter: Original Sin, Harry's first son drowns in a pool, and then when Harry sends Dexter's mother Laura to deal with the cartel, she meets with Hector Estrada in a pool. Here, swimming pools seem to represent being in over one's head, literally drowning. – Amelia1 week ago
Sleep and dreams are central motifs in Shakespeare's Macbeth, symbolizing guilt, psychological turmoil, and the disruption of natural order. Throughout the play, sleep represents peace and innocence, but as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become consumed by ambition and crime, their ability to sleep is gradually undermined, reflecting their deteriorating mental states.
Explore the significance and role of sleep and dreams in Shakespeare’s Macbeth
How does *Moby-Dick* explore queer themes? Look closely at the closeness between Ishmael and Queequeg, the tension in Ahab’s relationship with Starbuck, and the way the all-male crew interacts. What does the story say about breaking norms, hidden desires, and finding yourself in a world that forces everyone into the same mold?
The topic taker should examine both the DCU Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, the topic taker should consider the ways in which the handling of adapting comics to film or broader mediums brings attention to the superhero genre. For example, Spider-Man (2002) is considered to be a major success for a superhero movie, following the success of X-Men (2000). Does the attention that a cinematic universe creates gain new audiences for certain characters, regardless of the franchise, or is a divide created between the film adaptation and the comics? Are there aspects of the DCEU and the MCU that keep the superhero movie franchise fresh, or is the genre stagnating? Specifically, consider how Marvel's multiple phases might actually be daunting for a newcomer to the superhero franchise. The topic taker should dig into these questions, reviews of major movie entries, and should also consider what could be done to improve how superhero stories are told.
While a theory about the newly announced Superman movie, this seems to bring up some interesting points on the direction DCU may be taking, and hints at some thoughts surrounding the superhero movie genre: (link)
While potentially biased, this Wikipedia page has a discussion board on the reception of the MCU, and may prove to be a decent starting point into understanding how the MCU performs: (link) article: List&text=The films within the franchise,14 Hugo Awards, winning two.
Just to note, the DCU and DCEU are two distinct cinematic universes with different continuity. DCU is a soft reboot of the DCEU. – Sunni Rashad3 months ago