CAUTION: CRIME SCENE

A glance at the world of crime through my eyes

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Can you find it?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tXyCCrLOWyHelpZj2Dvy652CS81VBqP_/view?usp=sharing

Link to my poster for The Subliminal Criminal...

Comment if you find the subliminal message!

[haidaspicciare]

Christian Bale, “American Psycho” (Mary Harron, 2000).

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“Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don’t know why. My nightly blood lust has over flown into my days. I feel lethal on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.”  - Patrick Bateman

To me, this scene represents Bateman removing his “mask of sanity” to reveal his true identity of the monstrous serial killer.

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The Subliminal Criminal - Coming January 2019...

The Subliminal Criminal is the story of billionaire technology mogul Marcus LaPoint. When it comes to business acumen he’s revered worldwide as the shrewdest of the shrewd. His brilliance and resulting success are fueled by just the right amount of psychopathic tendencies. LaPoint’s charm, persuasiveness, lack of remorse, and ruthlessness allow him to reap the benefits of business in the tech industry. However, his growing frustration with mounting governmental regulations pushes him to the edge and he crosses the line. Marcus devises a plan to overthrow the government by turning their own people against them. Unbeknownst to even his closest associates, LaPoint incorporates subliminal messaging into all his company’s technology platforms that encourages people to rise up against the establishment. When the government begins to experience overwhelming resistance from its people, others start to question if foul play is involved. This thrilling mix of psychopathy, cunning conspiracies, and crime will leave you on the edge of your seat to find out what happens next. You will be left wondering: who isn’t a psychopath?

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Challenge Post 13: Spoofing is the Highest Form of Flattery?

In Season 16 of The Simpsons, the episode “All is Fair in Oven War” depicts a spoof of The Godfather. This still captures the show’s allusion to the scene in The Godfather when Sonny is shot dead in his car at the toll booth. I find it funny how obvious this spoof is compared to some of the other more subtle spoofs of the show.

[docgold13]

no spoilers, but Agent Dex in Daredevil season three is one of the better, properly nuanced portrayals of psychopathy I’ve yet seen in the genre.  Super well researched, excellently written and a great performance by Wilson Bethel.  It’s quite refreshing to see the sociopathic condition explored in a smart, raw yet still compassionate manner.   

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Presentation Day Post

Mack’s project on the management styles in different crime films was very interesting. As a business major, I found the relationship between management and crime to be especially intriguing. I thought the three movies that he chose to explore (Double Indemnity, The Godfather, and Baby Driver) were perfect for this project. Each film exhibits different management styles that each convey different levels of effectiveness. According to Mack, “The Don’s” expert and referent power in The Godfather is the most effective management style; however, I think there is also something to be said about the effectiveness of the fear factor behind the coercive power that is seen in Baby Driver.

Matt’s interactive project on vigilantism in crime films possesses a unique viewpoint. By honing in on The Dark Knight and Deadpool series, he argues that these films actually deter vigilantism rather than glorify it. The absurdity and outcome of the vigilantes’ actions allude to why these movies might be trying to discourage vigilantism rather than present it as admirable. I thought the incorporation of the circuit and different interactive paths was very creative and well planned. My only suggestion is to make sure the project stays centered on the analysis of vigilantism in The Dark Knight and Deadpool throughout the interactive experience.

I also thought Nadine’s exploration of the identity of the “Lifer” was interesting to learn about. When criminals are given a life sentence, those around them in prison and the public label them a “Lifer”, causing them to assume that identity. However, when “Lifers” are released on parole, as some are, they have difficulty assimilating back into society because that have no sense of who they once were. The public’s view of criminals as a whole contributes to this issue, as they tend to see them as a criminal or a “Lifer” instead of a human being like everyone else. This highlights the importance of prison systems to focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment so that past criminals can function in the real world. Nadine’s idea of the “Lifer” identity and the issues surrounding it makes for a compelling final paper with numerous real world applications.

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Challenge Post 16: Gendering the Serial Killer Label

Juana Barraza was a Mexican professional wrestler born in 1957. She was known as “The Old Lady Killer”, as she murdered between 42 and 48 elderly woman and was later sentenced to 759 years in prison. Barraza would beat or strangle her victims and steal their possessions. After being caught in 2006, Barraza was found guilty of 16 counts of murder and aggravated burglary in 2008.

Barraza’s mugshot.

Mexican newspaper article following Barraza’s capture in 2006.

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Challenge Post 14: Documenting the “crime of the century”

One of the first scenes in The People vs. OJ Simpson is the discovery of the bodies of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. The show tells this part of the story a little differently than how it actually happened. In the show, there was a man who was walking his dog and encountered a barking dog whose paws were covered in blood. This dog then led the man to the bodies; however, the actual discovery of the bodies was a bit more convoluted than that. In reality, the man who discovered the dog was not the man who eventually found the bodies. After he encountered the dog, he took note of its bloody paws and headed back toward his house. The dog followed him back to his house where his neighbors agreed to take it in for the night. Not long after, they took the dog for a walk and realized that it kept pulling them towards Nicole Brown’s house where they found the bodies at the foot of the steps leading up to the front door.

While this deviates from the true story line, it does not distort the series much. The producers likely did this for simplicity rather than intentional distortion. The inaccuracy of this scene has little to no effect on the portrayal of the series; however, there are other inaccuracies that may have a different effect. This link provides additional examples of distortions from the series: 

https://slate.com/culture/2016/02/fact-vs-fiction-in-the-people-v-o-j-simpson-american-crime-story.html

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If you enjoy TED Talks, this one by Jon Ronson is especially interesting on the topic of diagnosing psychopaths. He addresses the issues with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and tells a fascinating story that proves society’s tendency to over diagnose and mislabel people as psychopaths.

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Challenge Post 17: Normalizing Sociopathology

The character Amy Dunne from Gone Girl (2014) fits the description of a psychopath/sociopath. In the film, she portrays an incredibly realistic character that is devious, manipulative, and revengeful. Amy Dunne is a textbook example of a character that possesses the characteristics of a psychopath, such as: lack of remorse, dishonesty, impersonal sexuality, and striking charm.

More information on the psychopathy of Amy Dunne:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-matters-most/201410/the-strengths-the-gone-girl-psychopath

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Psychopaths in Business

Good article discussing the link between psychopathy and leadership that we explored in class when talking about The Wolf Of Wall Street...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/04/25/the-disturbing-link-between-psychopathy-and-leadership/#4713debc4104

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Our discussions in class about labeling people “crazy” made me think of the scene from Se7en when Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) are driving serial killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey) out to where the final climactic scene takes place. In this scene, Mills asks Doe if he ever thinks about how insane he is. Doe responds by saying, “It’s more comfortable for you to label me insane.” I think this conversation between Mills and Doe fits perfectly with what we discussed in class. ‘Normal’ people such as Mills find it easy and almost necessary to label people like John Doe insane or crazy because it provides an easy explanation for their heinous crimes or actions. It seems as though labeling serial killers and other criminals “insane” allows people to cope with their seemingly unexplainable behavior.

[cinemasource]

I Need to know who he is. I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it’s him. 

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Found this SNL skit about OJ’s first date after getting out of prison...it’s hilarious!

[baseballcardvandals]

I mean, let’s be honest.

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Thought this was funny...but I happen to agree.

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Challenge Post 9: Big Brother: Security and Surveillance

When I think of examples of Foucault’s Panopticon in films that I have seen, this immediately comes to mind. This clip is from Fast and Furious 6, where Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew utilize a device called “God’s Eye” to track and locate the antagonist of the film, Shaw (Jason Statham). God’s Eye gives the user access to ANY device that can be used to find someone or something, including video cameras, cell phones, ATM machines, etc. -- anything digital that has audio or video capabilities. This device can access anything, anywhere, anytime. With these capabilities, anyone can be watched, recorded, or tracked at any given moment, which means no one can escape from God’s Eye (hence the name of the device). While it is a film purely for entertainment purposes, Fast and Furious 6 portrays a perfect example of Foucault’s Panopticon at work with God’s Eye.

[yahooentertainment]

Yahoo TV ranks the Top 10 Netflix Theme Songs

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The opening of “Orange is The New Black” made me think of Lombroso’s marks of the “born criminal” that we discussed in previous classes. Could the focused snapshots of each face highlight the characteristics of the “born criminal” that Lombroso established?