MAD MEN discussion

Here is the place to discuss Mad Men; any thoughts on the production values, the historical material, the design, etc?

GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

Here is the place to offer opinions and comments and start a discussion about this film we viewed in class.

Scholarly Sources for TWIN PEAKS criticism assignment

Here are some links to help you find academic sources for this assignment, which is due next week.

As we demonstrated in class, the library website has an online database that is very effective for finding scholarly source material. If you look under letter 'C' for 'Communication and Mass Media Complete' and then do a search on Twin Peaks you will a great many articles.

This website from UC Berkeley has some very helpful tips for finding scholarly sources of film and television reviews, plus many useful links.

This page from the University of Connecticut links to some good databases; you should be able to access them as an enrolled student.

Finally, this article from FlowTV is a very insightful and effective explanation of how television criticism works and what its implications are. I think all of you should read it to better understand the context of criticism as it relates to this course.

Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section here.

Critical views of Twin Peaks...

There are a variety of critical approaches seen in the vast body of criticism and analysis of TWIN PEAKS. Some are from major newspapers such as The New York Times or The Guardian. Many articles online were written when the DVD set was finally released, twenty years after the series premiered, and so reflect the passage of time and the evolution of television storytelling over two decades. Many genre-based websites and blogs also feature reviews: the quality of writing and aptitude of the criticism may cover a wide continuum from inept to mediocre to brilliant. Some specialized horror genre blogs like Bloody Disgusting might showcase some interesting approaches to talking about the show. Do some searching around for a wide variety of sources for your assignment; consider factors such as popularity of a given source, or the appeal of one particular writing style over another, in choosing the best examples of criticism.

Today's class discussion

Television has developed over the years. The televisions themselves are now large, flat rectangles with remotes rather than large blocks with knobs. The shows have also changed in style as well. Besides obvious changes such as from black-and-white to color, the style of shows have also changed. Today's fictional television shows are more like movies. The popular "Reality" TV shows do not seem film-like to me. It's more like if a bunch of friends taped their summer vacation shenanigans on a rather expensive video camera. I am well aware about the lighting and other factors that go into filming Reality TV shows, but a lot of the footage appears that way while mixed in with scenes more akin to an interview. Either way, the shows of today are a lot different from shows like "I Love Lucy" and both are very different from "All in the Family". To add to that, people no longer have to sit down and watch shows while they are on anymore. Many people watch shows through other means that frequently involve the Internet. I personally watch Japanese animation, also known as Anime, and I lack channels on my TV that regularly show it. This leads me to often watch episodes on my laptop instead. What methods do you use to watch your favorite shows? If a survey was done that asked people that question, which method would have the most votes?

Welcome! Let's Begin...

the discussion on TWIN PEAKS!