Author Archives: amr352

Arrival

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I am in general wary of watching science fiction movies about an alien invasion or a close encounter for fear of it being cliché, poorly produced, or unoriginal. Yet Arrival proved to be a fresh take on the first-contact alien movies by pitting intelligent communication front and center.

Most directors or writers would likely opt to depict the fallout or consequences of aliens landing on Earth, yet this movie had none of that nonsense. By focusing on communicating with these creatures, the movie elevated the genre to an almost academic level; teaching the audience about the fundamentals of communication and language and exploring the consequences of trying to interact with an intelligent species with an entirely different mode of conveying language. The careful dissection of each branch and turn of the aliens’ circular writing system was not something you’re likely to find in a Transformers movie.

Of course, the rest of the movie added to the substance; the acting was quite good (Amy Adams rarely fails to disappoint), the cinematography and special effects were seamless, and end was satisfying.

It was quite a good movie. I would recommend it.

Adjudication

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12 Angry Men was indeed a great film: both thought provoking and entertaining, it was not merely the mindless, explosion-packed thriller so common in Hollywood today.

That the whole movie took place virtually in a single room, without a change in setting, did not detract from the film, but further let me appreciate the skill of the acting and story, since the whole of the movie rested on that. The story arc did not focus inconsequential matters, but on the fairness and morality of the jury system, a fascinating topic to say the least.

As a member of the University Hearing and Review Boards here at Cornell, it was rather interesting to examine a movie such as this that deals almost directly with my duties on the Board. We are tasked with deliberating each case with an objective and fair eye, taking into account not just the whole picture but all the details and circumstances when reaching a decision. This movie reflected that very well: the arc of change from merely following the collective through groupthink to critically examining the evidence and arguments presented provided for some excellent materials to digest, and even influence my own rationale when reviewing cases.

This is an excellent movie. I would recommend it.

More Reason to Despise Mondays

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Truly an off experience to say the least… I’m still reeling days later. Gratuitous violence and clichés took away from an otherwise interesting plot. I always like a good dystopian movie and perhaps that is why the movie was at least tolerable to me. Yet, that is without saying how needlessly violent it was, through impromptu finger amputations (a prosthetic for Tuesday could have easily been manufactures instead) to ridiculously gory fight scenes, I came shaking out of the dining hall.

I was, however, rather interested in the discussion Magdala tried to foster after the film and to keep in mind the motifs of control and surveillance when watching the film. As Magdala put it, she wanted to “disrupt our conception of reality.” To be fair, it was certainly through provoking, and I appreciated the design and story methods the filmmakers used to convey authoritarian control over the population. And I must say, Glenn Close’s was marvelous at her role (like she is at portraying most of her characters).

It would be interesting to further explore this subject with another discussion, perhaps at a Monday Table Talk, as I’m certain people would come up with interesting ideas of governance and modern culture, especially with recent technological and political developments.

Opera for the Masses

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La Bohème proved to be a simply excellent way to spend a Saturday afternoon! I always love going to performances of worthwhile operas on the weekends and this matinee performance was no exception. I have never, however, seen a telecast opera like the one this past Saturday. I must admit, not being in the opera hall in person took away from the experience slightly; being with the crowds and the ambiance they bring, not to mention how you are only shown what the camera is focused on, seeding control to the producers of the telecast.

Nevertheless, both the production and story of La Bohème at the Met was very well made, my compliments to Gelb and Puccini. I had been looking forward to Magdala’s opera event all semester (and last), so it was rather nice to go with her and others who appreciated as much as I did. To my surprise, the movie theater where the opera was shown was full! I would of course expect for the actual performance theater to be full, but I didn’t think that a televised production of the opera would be so popular. It was nice to watch the opera with a bit of life and verve.

I’ll of course be looking forward to the next one!

A Splendid Friday Film

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I had first seen Forrest Gump years ago and not again till last Friday, so I had forgotten precisely how good a movie it was! Truth be told, I only meant to accompany a friend for the first few minutes of the movie and then go Magdala’s opera event the next day, but I simply couldn’t leave!

Firstly, the visual effects were simply splendid, managing to insert Tom Hanks into historical footage of presidential encounters throughout history to conjuring immense throngs of antiwar protesters on the Washington Mall. Reading the Wikipedia page for the movie, I learned that the Oscar-winning visual effects team used a primitive (well I suppose it was advanced in the early 90’s) video editing software to edit historical footage, magnify explosions, and duplicate a crowd of extras across the Washington Mall.

Of course, the visuals only served to communicate the inspirational story line and enhance the marvelous acting. I know this review is rather gushy, but I rather liked the movie. I would recommend it to anyone really.

Service and West

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I’m always interested to learn how things are run, how the process behind processes we take for granted. So learning how our homes on West Campus are maintained was a splendid event.

Andrew McCabe, the head of building care on West, gave an especially insightful chat; talking about the core principles guiding the staff as they care for the needs of the students on West. I was surprised to hear that one of the core principles was thinking of the students as customers, considering there isn’t much competition to maintain the facilities! Nevertheless, it was interesting hearing how McCabe described responding to students’, and other residents’, needs maintaining efficiency and the satisfaction of the residents.

Another part of the conversation centered on privacy. Because McCabe’s staff have access to the private quarters of West’s residents, respecting their personal space is of upmost importance. McCabe described it as entering someone’s home, which to be fair it is. I was rather reassured that the maintenance staff takes privacy so seriously since being comfortable in my own home is something I hold rather closely.

I always love hearing from Cornell’s staff, and this was no exception.

Bitcoin and Blockchain

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Our table talk with Ty — and a larger group of people than I was expecting — was filled with interesting discussion on the state and future of this interesting new monetary concept: the virtual currency.

Starting with the basics, it was a nice refresher to learn about the underlying technology behind Bitcoin (a type of cryptocurrency), blockchain: a digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly. Discussion was centered around Bitcoin’s recent increase in value and whether the hype is to last. Thankfully, most didn’t have much confidence in the cryptocurrency to serve as a reliable and stable investment or way to hold savings. Some, however, did put some money into Bitcoin as a sort of fun experiment to see where ti would go. For now, it seems to be paying off! In my view, I don’t believe the rise and excitement will last.

This is not without dozens of other cryptocurrencies popping up, such as Litecoin or Etherium to Bananacoin which is backed in value by bananas (1). Interesting to say the least. I was rather pleased with the discussion. An excellent way to spend the evening.

 

(1) (http://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1868202-eat-bananacoin-latest-crazy-cryptocurrency-youve-never-heard-about-20180125-story.html)