The Laboratory

Trek Manifesto

saraoverlandfrost — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:26:49 -0400

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

This is the the quintessential Trek manifesto. It has narrated many of the Star Trek incarnations. It speaks about unexplored barriers, breaking through norms, and adventuring into the unknown. The new. The unexpected. And being unafraid of those things. Tackling them with devotion and acceptance. Star Trek, at it’s core, is about trying new things.

Star Trek Into Darkness did none of these things.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the 2009 Star Trek and I really enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness. It was a fun film with a wonderful cast. It was, technically, a well crafted action film. But it traded the essence of Star Trek for a helpless homage, perhaps a marketing ploy to get the older generations back into the series. To be honest, it backfired.

Devoted Trekkies are familiar with the original Trek films. The most prominent being The Wrath of Khan. The film is essentially a followup to the series episode “Space Seed”. In “Space Seed”, Khan is similarly revived (having been frozen after wreaking havoc in the 1990s in a eugenics war) and tries to take over the Enterprise. In The Wrath of Khan, after Kirk exiled Khan and his people, Khan takes revenge for the deaths of his family. In the process, while Khan is killed, Spock dies in the engine room from radiation poisoning.

Any of this sound familiar? Haven’t seen The Wrath of Khan? Hmmm. I wonder how that could be.

Perhaps the writers of Star Trek Into Darkness wanted to pay tribute to the beloved films of the past. Perhaps they wanted to preserve the Trek story line and repurpose it for a younger generation. Perhaps they just wanted to play with the same story in a new way. All valid ideas in their own way, I suppose. But is this not lazy? Is this not disappointing to those who had hoped to see a younger more relevant Star Trek?

The thing that made the original series so incredible, specifically during it’s time period, was that the show itself held up the Enterprise manifesto. Some of the earliest most controversial moments in television (such as the first interracial kiss) happened on Star Trek. Star Trek wasn’t afraid to break the societal norms. Yes, it was campy, but it was also incredibly thought provoking and well written. The people on and off camera were actively trying to change the way stories were told through this unconventional show. Star Trek undoubtedly boldly went where no man had gone before. Perhaps not in the universe, but in societal convention. Told through metaphor and symbolism, barriers were broken through the TV screen.

Star Trek Into Darkness tragically did none of this. Let’s forget for a moment that they cast Khan, an originally an Indian character (where they kept most every other character in the series in tact), into a British white man. Not that it isn’t important, but for now I’m just focusing on the story. Star Trek Into Darkness recycled the same story line from Star Trek II and repackaged it. Yes, the character development for Spock and Kirk was nice. But let’s examine the premise of the FIRST Star Trek reboot. The 2009 incarnation created an entirely new universe for the characters we know and love to exist in. None of the same rules apply to this Spock and this Kirk and this Uhura and this Bones as the ones in the original series. Their adventures can be completely new and so can their villains. But instead of taking this concept and running with it and making the new universes’ villains as relevant to this generation as the original series’ villains were, the writers decided to make a generic remake.

This goes against the entire Trek manifesto that Kirk speaks at the end of the film. I remember sitting in the theater and thinking to myself how shameful it sounded. I enjoyed the film, yes, but I was also incontrovertibly disappointed. As a general Trek fan, I wanted to see them do something NEW. Something relevant. And they just didn’t. Perhaps it was easier that way. But Star Trek Into Darkness was nothing of what I wanted from the reboot sequel. If I’d wanted to watch The Wrath of Khan again, I would have pulled it off my DVD shelf.

I can only hope if the franchise gets another film they do better with the next one.

My aunt runs a theater production company in New York!...

saraoverlandfrost — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:59:51 -0400

My aunt runs a theater production company in New York! It’d be awesome if you could donate a dollar or so. Bella’s Dream looks to be an interesting story!

vaeltaa: W A T C H #HANNIBAL: ↳ ON NBC | ↳ ON ITUNES | ↳ ON...

saraoverlandfrost — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:41:15 -0400

vaeltaa:

W A T C H #HANNIBAL:

↳ ON NBC | ↳ ON ITUNES | ↳ ON HULU | ↳ ON AMAZON

F O L L O W #HANNIBAL:

↳ ON TUMBLR | ↳ ON FACEBOOK | ↳ ON TWITTER | ↳ ON YOUTUBE

Cannibal Captivation

saraoverlandfrost — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:16:03 -0400

Okay, yeah, you caught me. Not my best alliteration, but it will have to make due.

Today we’re talking about Hannibal.

So, either you’ve heard a lot of buzz about this show or you have no idea what I’m talking about. Hopefully you have at least some idea of Hannibal Lecter from his previous incarnations, whether in novel or film. Hannibal Lecter, in case you don’t know, is a fictional psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer from Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon. Harris later wrote the sequel, The Silence of the Lambs(and subsequent sequels and prequels Hannibal and Hannibal Rising). The 1991 film adaptation starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster received slow but still widespread success. It also received 5 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Needless to say, it’s kind of a big deal. Other adaptations of the series also include Ridley Scott’s Hannibal, and Peter Webber’s Hannibal Rising.

But I digress. I’m not here to talk about how amazing The Silence of the Lambs is, though I could go on for days. We’re here to discuss NBC’s Hannibal, and why you should be watching it.

I should preface this by saying that if you’re squeamish, this show is not for you. But if you’re into amazing cinematography, top notch acting, and writing that will make your mouth water, then Hannibal is undoubtedly your cup of tea.

The show takes a unique portion of the untouched Hannibal Lecter storyline. We know and understand that Dr. Lecter was once a psychiatrist and that he fooled the unsuspecting Will Graham for quite some time before discovering that Dr. Lecter was, in fact, murdering people and harvesting their organs so that he might consume them later. But much of Hannibal Lecter, as we’ve seen him in novel and film, has been the caged version of Dr. Lecter. He is not at ease, not free, not happy with how his hard work has turned out. The show’s Hannibal Lecter is free and he knows he’s smarter than everyone around him.

Now, this would be all well and good, sure, yeah, we’re seeing the softer side of Hannibal the Cannibal. But it’s not what makes this show so amazing. Yes, it’s visually stunning (yes, even the gruesome murders). Yes it’s well acted (Laurence Fishburne, Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen I mean come on). But these things are not what makes Hannibal so unbelievably good.

The reason this show is so incredible is… Wait for it.

The psychology.

Okay, suspend your laughter at the dramatic irony (it’s hard, I know; this show abuses it a lot) for a moment and let me level with you. Not only does Dr. Hannibal Lecter laugh at the other ignorant characters on the show, but the very writing itself is laughing at us.

One of the most interesting things about the show is the weakness of it’s protagonist, Will Graham. He is an incredibly talented and intelligent FBI agent who understands, very intimately, the motivations of serial killers. It is both a professional blessing and a personal curse because he is too often torn between these innate sociopathic desires. In this, Will is incredibly vulnerable to Hannibal Lecter’s influence. Their interactions are entirely based in this disturbing sort of seduction. Hannibal is effectively trying to instill his own darkness into Will, to prove, perhaps to himself, that his path is understandable, that it is just.

And Will falls for it.

And so, ironically, do we.

That is the pure brilliance of this show. Not only is Hannibal Lecter utterly captivating, the very tone of the show (the visuals, the music, the conversation, everything) sucks you in. It is the same ethereal seduction Hannibal uses on Will. And while Hannibal is a brilliant character in and of himself, without this fine detail of craft, this show would not be nearly as incredible as it is. The writers and producers of Hannibal are seducing their viewers in the same way that Dr. Lecter seeks to find solace in Will Graham. The brilliant psychiatrist wants to know that his deeds are valid, that he is not alone. The show itself does the same. We are drawn with sick fascination to these elaborate, beautiful, compelling, and utterly fantastical deaths. They are, as Dr. Lecter sees them, an art. The character of Hannibal, though he doesn’t know it, has gotten what he wants: he is not alone. We are right there with him. We are enthralled. Lecter’s psychology is flawless; regardless of whether we watch with revulsion or fascination, we’re watching.

And, really, that’s all the validation Dr. Hannibal Lecter really needs.

The show perfectly blends ironic dialogue and the lilting harmony of an unheard lullaby. Too much of the show is spent in a dreamlike state, as if nothing is truly real and these horrendous acts are nothing but bad dreams. But they are fascinating and they comment eloquently on the vicious dichotomy of the human condition. Hannibal is neither right nor wrong in his observations of the world, he is only human. Murder is not an act, it is an art. Humans are at one with animals, animals no less or more than humans. They are innately beautiful, innately the same, and must not be wasted.

Now, I’m not saying you should go out and roast your neighbor on a spit to show you’re appreciation for this truly well-crafted show. Hannibal is enchanting, but you won’t see me mounting my roommate on a set of antlers. You will, however, see me sitting on my couch tonight at 10/9c tuned to NBC.

Hannibal offers a unique insight into the darkness of our own human condition. And Will Graham reminds us that beyond darkness is an unrelenting need to remain good. While Hannibal Lecter seduces us, Will Graham reminds us who we truly are.

Goodnight, good luck, and I’ll see you at dinner. I hear Dr. Lecter made pork.

An Open Letter to My Mom

saraoverlandfrost — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:10:17 -0400

Mother’s Day approaches and every year I ask myself what could I possibly do when I’m 600 miles away from the woman who gave birth to me. I go through a list of routine gifts you can order or send in care packages and it never seems right or enough. Not to mention I don’t often have much money to spare on gifts, but I try very hard to think of things I can send to her that will make her feel appreciated. It never seems right. It never seems like proper recompense for the twenty one years of love and devotion she’s given me. And how, really, can you repay such a selfless gift? You can’t. You can only be brave and good enough to bestow the same gift on the children you will one day have. To live in the image that your own mother has set for you.

So I thought a lot, long and hard, about what I wanted to get my mother for Mother’s Day this year. My friends are ordering flowers, sending homemade packages, so on and so forth. And, while I do intend on making something for my mother, I wanted to make something only I can make with the skills that she has unwittingly given me. I don’t think she realizes what she has truly done for me. Beyond gifts and attention and food and shelter, my mother has given me perhaps the most important gift I will ever get in my life: my soul.

I’m not talking about the biblical soul that we’re all born with. Such souls as those are fresh and raw and malleable, a reflection of our biology more than our psychology.

My parents divorced when I was very young and so my entire life my only immediate family was my mother. No father, no brothers, no sisters, only her. And so, I think, we came to rely greatly on each other. As immovable rocks in a sea of ebbing people. She was and remains my tether to this earth, keeping me level on unruly winds.

We were both struck, I think, though her more so than me, with the loneliness of an nontraditional family. In my childhood I used to fear that it was because I was not enough, for this was the only family I’d ever known or understood. But I later understood this was not true. She has told me, in many different ways, that I am her most beloved thing in this world. And she is mine, though I fear I do not tell her that enough.

While my mother and I had our very rare fights, I acknowledge that my mother isn’t perfect. She works too hard for her own good and our political views do not always coincide, nor our views on tattoos or our taste in colors. She eats healthier than I do and mocks my incessant fear of being attacked by insects in the night. But my mother, whether she knows it or not, is beautiful, strong, intelligent, incredibly unrelentingly talented, kind, patient, and unapologetically funny. She looks ten years younger than she is. Men quake at the sight of her because she is smarter and funnier than many of them could ever hope to be. As a college professor, she excels in her field, constantly receives good reviews from both students and coworkers, and devotes her free time to teaching karate to kids three times a week for virtually nothing in return.

Now, you make think I’m being biased. You may think I’m exaggerating. How could such an incredible woman exist? I assure you I’m not. It’s not an opinion. It is cold hard fact that these are things she is and does and I could not have been prouder to have her as my mother.

I don’t know if she knows it, but she taught me so much. She gave me, as I have said, my soul. First she gave me the gift of art and of beauty. When I was in elementary school she started writing a book and it was then that I became a writer. I didn’t know I WAS a writer until much later. Until my strength of conviction could grow and blossom. But it was her. She gave me an iron will (that I did not realize I had until very late in life). She gave me determination and work ethic. She gave me kindness and thoughtfulness and unrelenting loyalty.

But, most of all, I think she gave me courage. I was never a very courageous child. I was shy and fearful and weak to everything. But this changed as I got older. I had my trials, as everyone does. But it was her strength that got me through the worst of it. And sometimes I worry she forgets her own courage. Time strips away threads of strength, I think, and I constantly feel like I must remind her of her bravery, the bravery I looked up to my entire life. Whether it is small acts of bravery or big ones, it makes no difference.

She is the bravest and most incredible woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

When I walked the line of candidates, choosing who might give birth to me and raise me to be the best person I could be, raise me in her image, someone who I could emulate and look up to and who would allow me to become the best version of myself possible, I could not have picked someone better. She raised me in her image, as my grandmother raised her.

And what an incredible group of women we are. I say that not in self interest, but in fact. We are incredible. Mom, you are incredible. And you are never allowed to forget that.

To my mother and my grandmother, the most amazing women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, I love you. Happy Mother’s Day.

selinaparra: The Much Ado About Nothing Twitter account is...

saraoverlandfrost — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:49:54 -0400

selinaparra:

The Much Ado About Nothing Twitter account is quietly killin’ it with its dope bios

This is my kind of social networking campaign.

"[W]hen we launch in a territory the Bittorrent traffic drops as the Netflix traffic grows. So I..."

saraoverlandfrost — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:13:43 -0400

“[W]hen we launch in a territory the Bittorrent traffic drops as the Netflix traffic grows. So I think people do want a great experience and they want access – people are mostly honest. The best way to combat piracy isn’t legislatively or criminally but by giving good options. One of the side effects of growth of content is an expectation to have access to it. You can’t use the internet as a marketing vehicle and then not as a delivery vehicle.”

- Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix (via laliberty)

Look, someone who gets it.

(via knitmeapony)

firelordsara: This is real. This is me.

saraoverlandfrost — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:08:22 -0400

firelordsara:

This is real. This is me.

"Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke."

saraoverlandfrost — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:45:31 -0400

“Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”

- Joss Whedon (via brambleberrycottage)

Story Perception Survey

saraoverlandfrost — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:09:54 -0400

Story Perception Survey:

I’m doing a project for one of my classes regarding story and image perception. If you could fill this out with a sentence (or more) for each question I’d be super grateful and idk I’ll give you a cookie.

It's Not Easy Being Green

saraoverlandfrost — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:12:02 -0400

As a creative individual, I often find myself comparing my personal work to the work of others. It has been a blessing and a curse my entire life.

I remember from a very young age being incredibly jealous of the talent of people around me. I would try and try and barely scratch the surface of the quality of work they were producing. Whether it was in art, writing, or acting, it didn’t really matter. What mattered to me was I didn’t measure up.

And in some cases this became a driving force for me. My middle school years, after constantly being reminded that I wasn’t good enough for one reason or the other, being told writing wasn’t my forte made me want to prove people wrong. This has always been a common theme in my life. The more you tell me I can’t do something the more I’ll want to do it. It’s classic teenage rebellion except that I do it all the time. I suppose it’s a matter of pride. I won’t let anyone make me feel like I can’t do whatever I want and do it well.

But that’s the thing. I do let people make me feel this way. All the time. The difference is, the ones who make me feel small and inadequate, the ones who make me feel like giving up, they aren’t trying to make me feel this way. They’re not trying to dissuade me from a path they think I’m not prepared for.

The people that make me feel like this are just being artists and writers and actors. And they are these things incredibly, effortlessly, beautifully. Unapologetically. They are completely ignorant to that niggling frustration in my mind, the one that says “you’re not good enough, how could you ever live up to someone like her, someone like him, how could you ever live up to any of them…”

And while I sit back and smile and bask in their incredible work, there’s always a small part of me that is holding up my work next to theirs, going through a macabre check list of what I’ve done wrong and what they’ve done right. It’s a disgusting habit that my body has developed in a stubborn act of self destruction. And even as I feel myself unconsciously going through this checklist of flaws, I hate myself for it. I hate myself for feeling dependent on the need to compete with or impress others.

And yet I feel solace when my instructors are impressed with my writing. I feel solace when my friends are awed by my drawings. I feel solace when my family tells me how funny I was in that play. And for very brief moments I feel unafraid, I feel that perhaps I am good enough.

And I am.

But too often I think we get trapped in little compliments. And those compliments blind us to our flaws so that we don’t continue to work to fix them, to make ourselves better. So when our flaws are presented to us in bright flashing letters over a film marquee, it’s like getting hit by a bus. We forget that we’re human and that we’re allowed to make mistakes. We forget that we’re allowed to be flawed. We forget that the whole epic journey of life is adapting and growing in LITERALLY every aspect of our existence. So we tear ourselves apart because WHY couldn’t we have been good enough; we are a falsehood, a fraud of the art.

So these vicious feelings, green and dripping the a monster’s envy, overtake us. And making good art (as the illustrious Neil Gaiman says) becomes impossible because we are so bogged down in our insecurities.

And more and more I have to frequently remind myself that yes, I’m not at the skill level of some writers, artists, actors. But I do have talent. It’s there. Sometimes it curls up and takes a nap under my bed, waiting for me to lure it out with a little food for thought. But it’s always there. Talent is a lot like riding a bike. You never forget. So no matter what obstacles get in your way, you don’t lose things and they don’t lose you. It’s like swimming your way back to shore as the tide fights against you. It’s slogging. It’s hard work.

Harnessing and cultivating talent should not be something we fear or that we revere like a ritualistic idol. It should be a method of living life, ordinary and peaceful and constant. It should be like a day out with your best friend.

We can and should look up to artists better than us. We can and should aid artists who are still working to reach us. Seeing good art should compel us to make good art and we should not try to get bogged down in the why-can’t-i’s and why-haven’t-i’s and why-aren’t-i’s.

We should be able to stop worrying and stop stressing and just DO. But hey, even I’m still working on that.

kyliesparks27: stopwhitewashing: cynique: popculturebrain: Le...

saraoverlandfrost — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:01:30 -0400

kyliesparks27:

stopwhitewashing:

cynique:

popculturebrain:

Leading Men Age, Leading Women Don’t | Vulture

There are more charts if you click through.

I’m so glad this info graphic is going around, because so many people don’t realize how ageism and misogyny play hand in hand and how the sexualization of young girls play into this.

Santoine: This is an important graph I felt you all should see and understand

important.

shaburdies: Wingman by Emily “Emmy” Choi, Sheridan College...

saraoverlandfrost — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:47:56 -0400

shaburdies:

Wingman by Emily “Emmy” Choi, Sheridan College Bachelor of Animation

Here’s my thesis film! I hope you enjoy! This was a huge learning experience and I thank everyone who helped along the way. :) Cheers!

A lovely film by a lovely animator!

"You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will."

saraoverlandfrost — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:34:17 -0400

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”

- Stephen King (via brettlange)

I came across this video while I was writing a research paper. I...

saraoverlandfrost — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:58:48 -0400

I came across this video while I was writing a research paper. I thought I’d share it.

Thoughts on Self Expression

saraoverlandfrost — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:37:13 -0400

I once had this boyfriend. We’re not together anymore and there was a lot about that relationship that was toxic on a lot of levels. Not to say that he wasn’t a great guy in many ways, but there were some aspects that were too much for me and I’m not someone who likes to waste time in a relationship that isn’t working.

But, despite the fact that the relationship didn’t end as well as I would’ve liked, I got a lot out of that relationship. I became a different person as a result of having him in my life, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.

My entire life I’ve really struggled with expressing myself. When I was very young, I was incredibly shy. I struggled with making friends. I was that child who hid behind her mother’s legs when I was meeting new people. It didn’t make much sense since my mother was very extroverted around other people, but it has always been something ingrained in my skin and I’ve been fighting to get out of that rut for as long as I can remember.

Throughout high school I wrestled with telling people how I felt about a matter of subjects: if I was angry, if I was ‘in love’, if I was sad. It was always easier and better to keep things to myself. I veiled my feelings in sarcasm and passive aggressive Facebook statuses that I now wish I’d never made. Sometimes I still do make passive aggressive messages, but I often feel they’re a little safer here where I’m allowed to express myself when I need to. It’s not necessarily that I’m trying to victimize someone, but rather that I’m venting feelings. The difference is how public things are, and I think that’s an important distinction.

But I digress. Something that my relationship with this particular guy taught me was the ability to express myself a bit more freely. I’m very good at burying my anger and my happiness and a variety of emotions that society deems to strong for public consumption. Which has always been absurd to me. That we’re not allowed to express how we feel. That we can’t have the courage to say things to another person’s face. Speaking face to face is so important to me. It’s those confessions of love, those furious arguments, those beautiful long awaited embraces that people write songs about, that the movies and books glorify.

And I can attest that they are so much more powerful than being desensitized to our own emotions. They feel wonderful. Even the negative moments. They’re the most cathartic thing in the world.

So I bucked up and I told him how I felt time and time again. I yelled at him and cried and I got properly angry and let myself feel really happy and really scared. I let a lot in and a lot out. And perhaps he didn’t go through these revelations but that’s okay. Not every experience changes us. But I did. In many ways, I was able to realize a portion of myself that had been hiding for a very long time.

I often feel like modern communication hinders us in our ability to be brave. I love the internet. I love social networking. But I also strive every day to be a little more connected with what we like to term “the real world.” No one writes stories about meeting their love through a dating website or terrifying 4chan battles. Because, when it comes down to it, none of us wants to really live our life through a computer screen. It just makes things easier on us. But life isn’t supposed to be easy. Life is about conquering challenges. That’s what all the stories are about.

I feel like I’m a little more well equipped to deal with those challenges. I’m not afraid to express how I feel anymore. And neither should you be.

truffle-shuffle: NEW STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS TRAILER!!!! Less...

saraoverlandfrost — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:38:00 -0400

truffle-shuffle:

NEW STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS TRAILER!!!! Less than a month, you guys!!

I’m very excited for a number of films premiering this summer. Star Trek Into Darkness being one of them.

popculturebrain: Trailer: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ - Oct 25...

saraoverlandfrost — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:58:20 -0400

popculturebrain:

Trailer: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ - Oct 25 (UK)

Directed by Carlo Carlei, adapted by Julian Fellowes, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth, Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Stellan Skarsgard, Ed Westwick and Kodi Smit McPhee.

(via /Film)

kafers: fireandshellamari: OMG THIS IS AMAZING. TUMBLR HOW...

saraoverlandfrost — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:33:19 -0400

kafers:

fireandshellamari:

OMG THIS IS AMAZING. TUMBLR HOW HAVEN’T YOU PICKED THIS UP.

its made by

Carolyn Chrisman

http://www.youtube.com/user/fiddlegrifffilms?feature=watch

thats her youtube

This is incredible.

attractiveprincess: IM 2% HUMAN and 98% pop culture references

saraoverlandfrost — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:33:44 -0400

attractiveprincess:

IM 2% HUMAN and 98% pop culture references