Untitled

[catfacekey-blog]

[jt4p34]

I watched The Royal Tenenbaums and recalled how I had no clue what was happening in the entire film. In retrospect, I understand smart films as an attempt to go against the mainstream  and to distinguish itself from the middlebrow. They do not follow conventional structures, attitudes, and content that it is in itself a sensibility or tone not unlike camp. Smart films, considered as 'art', is incredibly subjective which is why those who are not conditioned by the mainstream will understand "smart" films. The condition of irony places smart films above popular films. 

The characters in this film are disengaged and simply do not give a shit. They lack emotion and resemble zombies more than anything. The blank style comes from the undermining of emotional outbursts (for example, when Royal tells his wife he is going to die), contributing to the sense of blankness. The acting style is in part 'blank', and this disengagement is also shown in the camera work by taking a step back. 

Smart cinema is all about fate, chance, and synchronicity that immediately reminds me of the movie Crash. The film is premised entirely on the interconnectedness of peoples' lives that is all dependent on fate and chance encounters. We get a sense of dark, implacable fates and destinies of these characters, events, and actions.

[lilcowgirl]

[jt4p34]

TRASH ENTERTAINMENT

It is interesting that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is considered "trashy" due to its attempt to appeal to the masses. Joss Whedon himself did not like the film but what about the television show? Is this trash as well due to its format?  (it is accessible to a large population). If people enjoy it, then it is exactly what Kael is saying - it is largely about fun. Perhaps this is why the television show became so popular and discussed so widely. Popularity of a show makes it "fun" because people want to know what is going on in popular culture. Everyone is talking about it in the media and among peers that makes everyone else want to know about it too. In a way, they tell us what to like and what to watch. 

This quote was interesting to me - "movies we enjoy are not works of art This can be applied to all forms of popular culture. Film, Television shows, and Music that is sentimental and "enjoyable" are considered kitsch, trash, dirt, etc. Why are there such negative connotations for popular entertainment. Sappiness is devalued and yet so many people enjoy it. 

[hannahvanderpoel]

[jt4p34]

We mirror these expressions on our faces when we see the "before" bodies in makeover shows. it is interesting how issues of class are made so clear on shows like What Not To Wear. The main question Stacy and Clinton ask is, why are you dressing like that if you can afford to dress professionally and appropriately? They are asserting the expectations of the neoliberal taste by making everyone on their show embody this particular style. Media reflexivity however does not protect audiences from the ideas of upward mobility through self transformation by consuming certain products. It only makes us aware that there are products being sold here. We do not fully contemplate why it is we want to buy these products or what makes these products so appealing. What is it about makeover shows that make us want to improve ourselves, to elevate our own tastes and perhaps class, and to  learn about the "right" tastes?

[thedistinctionoftaste-blog]

There is no doubt that her habit is disgusting… but why can’t I change the channel? I don’t know why. Once you get a few minutes into the episode, you always want to watch more… I supposed they play off the fact that we as an audience generally want to see some sort of resolution before we change the channel. 

I found a list of “Healthy Reasons” to watch Reality TV shows….(heres a few)

They take us out of our comfort zone (Fear Factor)

We observe advice that is often from a professional (What Not to Wear, Hoarders)

They teach us lessons in socialization (Big Brother)

Get inspired to work out (The Biggest Loser)

Are these actually legit reasons? Care to add any others?

[alex4p34-blog]

A lot of these “reasons” come from a desire to reinforce a hegemonic ideology in the viewers. We can’t have people dressing however they want, so we have to tell them how to dress to be acceptable. We can’t have people being addicted to mothballs, so we must trot them out on a global stage to be analysed and criticized. I find most of these “trash” TV shows (which, by the way, I love) are in many ways akin to circus-sideshow freak-gawking entertainment made convenient and private in one’s own home. Whether someone watches Honey Boo Boo because they are horrified by the family or because they relate to them is irrelevant (in this discussion) because either way, they serve the sole purpose of being a spectacle in a voyeuristic society.

[jt4p34]

More importantly, it reiterates the idea of freaks in our society. These are the sideshow freaks in contemporary media. It is interesting that the lower classes in circus sideshows were put on display at one point as a means of entertainment. We are essentially doing the same thing in a mediated form. Those with deformities are put on display and investigated, those who cannot dress are reformed to be a well-dressed participating citizen that will do their job more effectively now that they dress the part. Those who do not fit the ideals of beauty are put on display as disgusting for the audience to compare themselves to. After all these decades, has our tastes really changed? 

[melancholic-wallflower]

[jt4p34]

When discussing the issue of taste when watching dirt on television it seems as if the notion of dirt is a category of taste. By putting reality television in the category of dirt, it makes the viewer dirt by association. Viewers of bad reality television are considered low brow - am I considered low brow because I enjoy shows like Bad Girls Club? The issue of gender here is also prevalent as the show is about self proclaimed "bad" girls (what is the meaning of bad here?) living in a house with nothing to do but antagonize each other. Does this suggest that I have bad taste? Or is it an attempt to reassert my taste by ridiculing the show while watching? 

[irockirockirock]

[jt4p34]

Dirty Jobs works well with this week's topic in terms of shows about dirt (in the literal sense). This meme also associates the idea of dirt and class. On makeover format shows about dirt, it is about cleaning the dirt with a focus on the victim as working class. However, Dirty Jobs highlights the working class identity in that they have to do dirty things to earn money but should be respected for the extent that they go to to make a living. Instead of trying to train the working class, they are highlighting the conditions of the working class. 

[veganrecipecollection]

[jt4p34]

I particularly liked the point made in class of the revolution of punk veganism - beginning with a political notion that has developed into a health conscious mindset and now towards a trendy foodie culture. It is interesting to see the notion of incorporation occurring here also. All subversive subcultures are in fact inevitably incorporated back into the mainstream as it becomes popular amongst the masses. These vegan choices are indeed validated on social media to show others and receive reassurance that they are 'better' than them. 

[amyfishy]

Celine Dion

I think that a lot of Wilson’s arguments about Celine Dion and taste are interesting, but at the same time I find him very critical and a little biased. I am presenting on the second half of the book on Friday so I took a close look at his work and opinions. The book addresses a lot in only a few pages, but one of the things I absolutely agree with wilson about is Celine’s over the top kitchyness. In the above picture from Celine’s wedding day we can see how absurd she likes to dress and how over the top tacky she can be. If one watched youtube videos of her shows in Las Vegas they will see the over the top light productions, jumbo-tron screens and over the top special effects, which one could argue take away from her credibility of having an amazing voice. But on the other hand, people are paying good money to go see Celine Dion in Vegas, and not just Celine, but any artist in concert. We like a good song that will focus on just the singers voice however part of the reason we pay so much to go see these artists is to see a spectacular show- something that Celine undoubtedly gives her audiences. While this may make some resent her, and place her in the context of low taste, it also is what makes others love her. Does it necessarily mean she should be one of the most hates singers, as Wilson suggests in his book?

[jt4p34]

Despite not knowing any of Celine's songs besides My Heart Will Go On, the point about her technical vocal ability is undeniable. The sentiment that she has in her kitschy songs evokes an emotion that deems it kitsch. A point Wilson makes is that although her performances are over the top, her ability to sing has made her into the celebrity that she is. Watching the Oscar performance in class confirmed that I will never listen to her songs but also confirmed that the way she sounds on a recorded track and the way she sounds live is almost identical. This is rare in the age of mechanical reproduction, songs are based almost entirely on technological manipulations now. 

[mormoo]

[jt4p34]

The release of her songs in multiple other languages including French, Spanish, Japanese and even Chinese shows the adaptability of her persona as a singer. She is  essentially a blank slate that can be translated in so many different ways because she is the product of what producers make her. Despite the kitschy sentiment that her music represents, ultimately, fellow artists can still recognize her technical vocal virtuosity and ability that has contributed to her success in the worldwide market.

[folkpunkmusic]

Food Not Bombs

[jt4p34]

The epitome of punk veganism. Makes me question consumerist culture and their relation to waste. Why do people guard their garbage when they have already disposed of it and deemed it as waste? Punk veganism is about rawness and organic food. The process of being "uncommodified" by stripping it from its "value" per say, and taking it from the trash is the anarchism in punk

[leiidib]

[jt4p34]

The commodification of punk style 

[edmundorivas-blog-deactivated20]

[jt4p34]

This is what the punk subculture was all about before its apropriation

[extraterrestrialpunks]

[jt4p34]

The punk subculture has a very distinct aura of style that is discerned in these graphic photos, similar to the ones we saw in the book passed around class. This style represents the subversion of mainstream culture and a defiance against consumerism, capitalism and commodities. However, the punk movement has since been adapted by the mainstream as a particular 'style' adopted by youth and almost deemed 'acceptable' - the concept of incorporation. Thus, the rebellious notion has diminished. 

[jt4p34]

Style Is Taste by Simone S. Oliver

This blog says it all, high fashion, simplicity, inconspicuous but demands attention (much like Brummell)

[sometimes-girl-deactivated20170]

[jt4p34]

H M ribbed tank, $6.64 / Barbour jacket, $585 / Helmut by Helmut Lang black pants / Tory Burch leather tote, $755 / Michael Kors watch, $430 / Gold earrings / Subtle Luxury infinity scarf / Michael Kors beauty product

Subtle signs of distinction

[vintageelegance]