What do you think? View the presentation, leave a comment. Comment on someone else's comment.
Last week, I read this column by Ruben Navarrette, a columnist who appears in the Contra Costa Times (you've read some of his work before). It brought to mind the recent essay assignment in class where you had to write on why it's important to have a free and independent media. For years, journalists around the world have faced danger because of their reporting, but frequently that reporting brings about public awareness and great change.
In a thoughtful comment, discuss the pros and cons of reporting in dangerous situations. Is it imperative that journalists continue to report on issues vital to public health and safety even if they put their own lives at risk? Why or why not?
In a thoughtful comment, discuss the pros and cons of reporting in dangerous situations. Is it imperative that journalists continue to report on issues vital to public health and safety even if they put their own lives at risk? Why or why not?
You may have read about the teacher in Brentwood arrested for allegedly soliciting a student for sex. This is one of those situations that a student journalist (or any other journalist) wants to report on or likes to report. However, given the circumstances, it is newsworthy.
Read the article from the Contra Costa Times, linked above. Suppose you have a student journalist friend at Heritage High School. Your friend calls you for advice. You see, she is the one who has been tasked with writing a brief story about this incident and it must be done today to get in the paper being distributed on Monday. She's not sure how to cover the story. What is your advice, as a responsible journalist, to your friend?
Leave a comment here with your advice to your friend.
Read the article from the Contra Costa Times, linked above. Suppose you have a student journalist friend at Heritage High School. Your friend calls you for advice. You see, she is the one who has been tasked with writing a brief story about this incident and it must be done today to get in the paper being distributed on Monday. She's not sure how to cover the story. What is your advice, as a responsible journalist, to your friend?
Leave a comment here with your advice to your friend.
No, you're not. Yes, we are! NO, you're number 26. No, we're NUMBER 1!
So what does it mean to be number one? We've been hearing that "Avatar" is set to be the #1 movie ever, but what makes that so? Yesterday, BBC reported that "Avatar" was the top-grossing film EVER. Is it really? The Hollywood Reporter begs to differ.
Do you need to love "Avatar" or even love movies to find this interesting? No, this is more about the information you are being fed every day. I'm sure you could think of countless ways to measure the success of a movie. Should there be a standard that removes the hype (i.e. LOTS of money being taken at the box office)? Should media consumers have immediate access to a variety of comparative stats on a movie (or sporting event, or other newsworthy event)? How do we break through the cacophony of voices to find out what is true?
So what does it mean to be number one? We've been hearing that "Avatar" is set to be the #1 movie ever, but what makes that so? Yesterday, BBC reported that "Avatar" was the top-grossing film EVER. Is it really? The Hollywood Reporter begs to differ.
Do you need to love "Avatar" or even love movies to find this interesting? No, this is more about the information you are being fed every day. I'm sure you could think of countless ways to measure the success of a movie. Should there be a standard that removes the hype (i.e. LOTS of money being taken at the box office)? Should media consumers have immediate access to a variety of comparative stats on a movie (or sporting event, or other newsworthy event)? How do we break through the cacophony of voices to find out what is true?
As journalists, part of our job is to question everything that is around us. Why is it this way? Why do things that way? What does this mean when...? How do I know this to be true? You get the idea.
Another part of the job is to present all sides of a story, not just the side that everyone agrees to be Truth. We listen to the dissenting voices and present the evidence to our audience.
This Opinion piece from the NY Times, filmed here in the Bay Area, flies in the face of what we "know to be true" here at HHS. Watch it. Think about it. Leave a comment telling us your thoughts on the Advanced Placement culture. Is it worth it? Do the dissenting voices have a point? If so, what is it? What is your biggest take-away (the think you'll think about) from this story? Read the comments of your classmates as well. They will have something to say.
The video is about five minutes long. Watch it, ponder it, leave a comment on this blog post. This assignment is due no later than end of lunch on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.
Another part of the job is to present all sides of a story, not just the side that everyone agrees to be Truth. We listen to the dissenting voices and present the evidence to our audience.
This Opinion piece from the NY Times, filmed here in the Bay Area, flies in the face of what we "know to be true" here at HHS. Watch it. Think about it. Leave a comment telling us your thoughts on the Advanced Placement culture. Is it worth it? Do the dissenting voices have a point? If so, what is it? What is your biggest take-away (the think you'll think about) from this story? Read the comments of your classmates as well. They will have something to say.
The video is about five minutes long. Watch it, ponder it, leave a comment on this blog post. This assignment is due no later than end of lunch on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.
It has been hard to miss the "news" about the ongoing scheduling conflicts between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. While pundits have endlessly commented on the outcome of this titanic battle, few have talked about integrity or the apparent sense of entitlement in this dust-up. Yesterday's Contra Costa Times included this thought-provoking commentary from Ruben Navarette. Read the commentary and do any additional review necessary to bring yourself up to speed on the battle between NBC, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. After you've had a bit of time to think about the issues involved, leave a comment on your thoughts about the integrity of the people and corporations involved. Be sure to include your real name in your comment and check to see that it's there. Your first name is all that is necessary unless you have the same first name as someone else.
As you might have heard, there was a 6.5 magnitude earthquake on the northcoast of CA Saturday afternoon (1.9.10). Of course, since my mom lives in the area, I was concerned when I found out about it and called to find out if she was safe and to find out what other news she had about the event. While on the phone, I booted up the computer and checked local news outlets. There were cursory stories about the fact that the earthquake had happened, but, other than an animated graphic of where the earthquake was centered, there wasn't much. Frustrated, I turned to...Twitter.
Now, I know you're thinking that Twitter isn't a news outlet. Clearly it is not. However, what I did find is that if I did a search using the hashtag #earthquake hundreds of tweets popped up. For the next four or five hours I watched what was happening. Initially, most of the posts were pretty serious where individuals and organizations seemed to want to just get the news out there. The "Ferndale Enterprise," a weekly print paper, came through as the go-to news outlet through their Twitter account, @Frndenterprise. By the way, local TV stations were off the air for hours following the quake.
Later, posts became less serious and eventually tapered off. The one video that claimed to be of the earthquake might, in fact, have been from an earlier earthquake in another part of the state. (FYI: you will not be able to click through on the link above at school. The article is at Mashable which monitors social media. Social media outlets are blocked by the school district).
So, here's what you need to think about: How is the way we get our news changing and what does that mean for journalists? We are a print driven publication. Do we need to seriously start thinking about how or whether we need to get involved with social media? Why (or why not) do we need to get online in a more directed fashion? How will this impact us as a staff? Do we need to have staff members whose sole job it is to explore the possibilities of social media? Leave a thoughtful comment here. Please make sure you put an identifiable name with your comment so you get credit. Check the comments to make sure that yours is there!Your comment is due by noon on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.
Now, I know you're thinking that Twitter isn't a news outlet. Clearly it is not. However, what I did find is that if I did a search using the hashtag #earthquake hundreds of tweets popped up. For the next four or five hours I watched what was happening. Initially, most of the posts were pretty serious where individuals and organizations seemed to want to just get the news out there. The "Ferndale Enterprise," a weekly print paper, came through as the go-to news outlet through their Twitter account, @Frndenterprise. By the way, local TV stations were off the air for hours following the quake.
So, here's what you need to think about: How is the way we get our news changing and what does that mean for journalists? We are a print driven publication. Do we need to seriously start thinking about how or whether we need to get involved with social media? Why (or why not) do we need to get online in a more directed fashion? How will this impact us as a staff? Do we need to have staff members whose sole job it is to explore the possibilities of social media? Leave a thoughtful comment here. Please make sure you put an identifiable name with your comment so you get credit. Check the comments to make sure that yours is there!Your comment is due by noon on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.
Yesterday, a commentary by Thomas Peele took to task Supreme Court Justice Kennedy for requesting prior review of an article that would have been published in the student newspaper at the Dalton School in New York. Peele says that despite Kennedy's support for First Amendment rights for all members of the press, he has violated those rights by requesting a review of student work prior to publication. Peele also questions the integrity and motives of the student reporters who failed to put up an adequate fight on the issue.
One possible reason for this alleged lack of 'fight' might be that a recent study found that most students, indeed most Americans, believe that First Amendment rights as they have been traditionally held, could harm the country.
Read Peele's commentary here, then leave a comment on your thoughts on First Amendment rights. Though your comment does not have to be long, I want to see evidence of thoughtful contemplation on First Amendment rights and student journalists.
One possible reason for this alleged lack of 'fight' might be that a recent study found that most students, indeed most Americans, believe that First Amendment rights as they have been traditionally held, could harm the country.
Read Peele's commentary here, then leave a comment on your thoughts on First Amendment rights. Though your comment does not have to be long, I want to see evidence of thoughtful contemplation on First Amendment rights and student journalists.
- Read the commentary linked above. Please feel free to do additional reading on the First Amendment.
- Write a thoughtful comment and post it here. If you have your own blog or Tumblr, you may post there, then leave a comment here with a link to your blog post. Please feel free to read the comments of others and respond to the words of your classmates.
- Please use the following naming convention to make sure that you are correctly identified. Joe Schmoe in A period would leave his name as JoeS A.
- Please check back to make sure that your comment is there.
- You will have until the end of lunch on Tuesday, December 1 to leave your comment.
What are your thoughts on Balloon Boy? No, seriously. Now that the family has been exposed as having lied about Falcon being in the balloon in order to gain fame, what are your thoughts on our seeming insatiable desire for celebrity?
Read the stories below to give yourself some background on the story. There are also links to what other people are saying about the incident over Colorado. After you've digested the issue, please leave a comment. What can we take from the Balloon Boy incident? What does it say about our love affair with the media?
Balloon Boy reminder that TV is full of shams
Bay Area's Balloon Boy (this is a different perpective)
6-year-old boy found alive in attic...
Balloon Boy charges...
Commentary: Balloon Boy...
Commentary from NPR (includes video from CNN)
Read the stories below to give yourself some background on the story. There are also links to what other people are saying about the incident over Colorado. After you've digested the issue, please leave a comment. What can we take from the Balloon Boy incident? What does it say about our love affair with the media?
Balloon Boy reminder that TV is full of shams
Bay Area's Balloon Boy (this is a different perpective)
6-year-old boy found alive in attic...
Balloon Boy charges...
Commentary: Balloon Boy...
Commentary from NPR (includes video from CNN)
When my great-grandfather came to the United States in the early 1900s, his last name was altered (at least one letter was dropped) either because the immigration agent couldn't spell the name correctly or thought it was too "ethnic." Later, my great-grandfather considered changing his last name all together to something more "American" so that his machine-shop business would be more successful (the family story goes that he was told Wojinski was just too "ethnic" to be placed on a business and then expect that business to be successful).
When I was a senior in high school one of my teachers had difficulty pronouncing my last name, so she shortened it to Wojo and the name has been with me ever since. Even my first name was unusual as I never encountered another Natalie in 12 years of public education. I went to school with Kate, Kim, Jenny, Brenda, Renee, Patricia, Janice, Cindy and the like. Oh, how I wished for such an elegant name. For a few years I lived down the street from Maj and Kaj (sister and brother, prounounced 'my' and 'kye'). Their mother was of Norwegian descent and she wanted to celebrate her family heritage. Those were the most unusual names I came across before adulthood.
Individuals aren't given names for no reason at all. Perhaps you're named after an ancestor or someone famous (i.e. I'm Natalie in part because my mother really liked the actress Natalie Wood in the movie West Side Story). Perhaps your parents argued over what your name should be, couldn't decide and ended up combining two names into what you have today (i.e. the daughter of David and Victoria is Dava). Maybe you're named after a parent's best friend from kindergarten or the nurse in the hospital where you were born. Maybe your parent knew for years that their first child, first son, first daughter would have a certain name. Perhaps your name celebrates your family's heritage.
Sometimes we hear names that are unfamiliar to us and we laugh. One video I have shown in my history classes has frequently generated giggles from students because the names of the people are unfamiliar. I am frequently asked how they could get such weird names (think Temujin, Zheng He, Mansa Musa, Ibn Battuta, Lothair, Hildegard). My response is usually something along the lines that those historical figures would probably find OUR names very strange and worth several laughs. But really, what does it mean when we laugh at someone's name? Are we being disrespectful to that person as well as their families? Do we form opinions about people based on their names and whether or not WE find them to be 'normal'? What if we or someone we meet has a name that is usually associated with the opposite gender? Think about these names: Stacy, Leslie, Tracy, Brett, Morgan. Are those girl's names or boy's?
As journalists we must think about our own assumptions and biases when it comes to names. Would you take a source named Temujin less seriously than an Alex or Matthew or Katherine?
What do you think? Leave a comment here describing the story of how you got your name or, if you have an uncommon name, how you feel about having a name no one else has. You could also leave a comment about our responses to names. Is it fair to laugh at someone's name because it's different from our own? Or look up what your name means and let us know. You can try the Concise Dictionary of First Names or Behind the Name to get started.
This post was originally published at mygeographynews.wordpress.com
Where should photographers, reporters, editors and publishers draw the line in altering content? We generally think it's okay to crop photos to better frame our subject, but what if you crop a photo in such a way that makes a reader form a particular opinion about a subject? Is that fair?
Read one photographer's thoughts about his photo of former vice-president Dick Cheney and the cropping job that went wrong (in his opinion). What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.
Read one photographer's thoughts about his photo of former vice-president Dick Cheney and the cropping job that went wrong (in his opinion). What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.
I've changed the comment settings on this blog. From now on you will not be able to leave anonymous comments and will be required to fill in one of those annoying random-word verifications before submitting your comment. Should it become necessary, I will also set comments to be moderated so that inappropriate comments are not posted for public view.
The change was prompted by an anonymous user posting the text of the email that all Journ II, Journ I and Yearbook students received on Friday night. In short, the text was rude and disrespectful to all of us AND the journalism programs at our school.
This brings me to the point of this post: create a positive digital footprint.
Let's break this down.
First, once something is posted on the internet it never completely goes away. Even if your blog post, MySpace photo or tumblr is removed it's still out there somewhere. Recent polls of employers show that 45% (up from 22% in 2008) are now asking for social networking account information to check you out online. If your digital footprint is not in line with the company's goals and values, you won't be hired. Worse yet, if an employer gets wind of something inappropriate online, you can be fired. Free speech can only get you so far. It doesn't give you the right to be rude or inappropriate without possible consequences.
Second, in 2008 the WCCUSD School Board adopted a policy that holds students accountable for what they say and do online. Practically speaking, that means that if you are threatening or harassing someone there can be consequences (i.e. suspension, expulsion, notification of the police, etc). The policy clearly covers student activity outside of school.
Back in the day, if you wanted to harm someone's reputation you started a rumor that passed from mouth to mouth. A rumor took awhile to get around and often fizzled out before it did any real damage. Today you send a bulk text message or email or write a blog post and within minutes hundreds of people have access to what you're saying. Harm is done within seconds and you can't unring the bell. Deliberate harm to someone's reputation is NOT protected speech. Ever. So, in the moment of anger or disappointment that you feel, you can do harm to someone else AND yourself.
I'm sure some of you are thinking something along the lines of "so I can only write about rainbows and ponies? I can't write about the stuff that bugs me?" Of course you can write about stuff that bugs you. However, you want to do it out in the open using your name, not a handle you hide behind. You also want to provide reasoned arguments about why you are not happy and never stoop to petty attacks against individuals. Your reputation AND theirs will be harmed.
Use this checklist to make sure that your posts move conversation forward, rather than harm others and yourself:
The change was prompted by an anonymous user posting the text of the email that all Journ II, Journ I and Yearbook students received on Friday night. In short, the text was rude and disrespectful to all of us AND the journalism programs at our school.
This brings me to the point of this post: create a positive digital footprint.
Let's break this down.
First, once something is posted on the internet it never completely goes away. Even if your blog post, MySpace photo or tumblr is removed it's still out there somewhere. Recent polls of employers show that 45% (up from 22% in 2008) are now asking for social networking account information to check you out online. If your digital footprint is not in line with the company's goals and values, you won't be hired. Worse yet, if an employer gets wind of something inappropriate online, you can be fired. Free speech can only get you so far. It doesn't give you the right to be rude or inappropriate without possible consequences.
Second, in 2008 the WCCUSD School Board adopted a policy that holds students accountable for what they say and do online. Practically speaking, that means that if you are threatening or harassing someone there can be consequences (i.e. suspension, expulsion, notification of the police, etc). The policy clearly covers student activity outside of school.
Back in the day, if you wanted to harm someone's reputation you started a rumor that passed from mouth to mouth. A rumor took awhile to get around and often fizzled out before it did any real damage. Today you send a bulk text message or email or write a blog post and within minutes hundreds of people have access to what you're saying. Harm is done within seconds and you can't unring the bell. Deliberate harm to someone's reputation is NOT protected speech. Ever. So, in the moment of anger or disappointment that you feel, you can do harm to someone else AND yourself.
I'm sure some of you are thinking something along the lines of "so I can only write about rainbows and ponies? I can't write about the stuff that bugs me?" Of course you can write about stuff that bugs you. However, you want to do it out in the open using your name, not a handle you hide behind. You also want to provide reasoned arguments about why you are not happy and never stoop to petty attacks against individuals. Your reputation AND theirs will be harmed.
Use this checklist to make sure that your posts move conversation forward, rather than harm others and yourself:
- Do my comments harm someone's reputation? In other words, am I unfairly disparaging a person's work or taking potshots at their person? Or, do my comments discuss my dissatisfaction with a policy and offer solutions to the problem?
- Am I using curse words? If so, do they indicate that I am not thinking rationally about the topic? Better yet are these words appropriate or do they diminish my argument because they are just there for effect?
- Do my words make me look bad? Could these words be used against me later? Or, do my words clearly show that I am not happy BUT explain why and propose ways to make things better?
- Will my words and actions (sending an email, writing a blog post, etc.) create a hostile working environment? Or, while my words might make some people uncomfortable, do they open up the possibility of discussion?
The mystical forces of nature have aligned and Beatles Rock Band has been released into the wild. Speaking of alignment...after some research, Athena has come up with an excellent name for the online paper:
Arke or Arce (ahr-see)
During the Titan Wars, the goddess Arke, was the messenger for the Titans, while her twin sister was the messenger for the Olympian Gods. "News Arke" or "Arke News" would be a fitting name for the online newspaper because that's exactly what we'll be doing delivering news to the Titans.
Other suggestions have included Titan Voice, Titan Tabloid, Titan Template Online.
During the Titan Wars, the goddess Arke, was the messenger for the Titans, while her twin sister was the messenger for the Olympian Gods. "News Arke" or "Arke News" would be a fitting name for the online newspaper because that's exactly what we'll be doing delivering news to the Titans.
I'm not really sure, but here is the text of President Obama's speech to students in Arlington. This speech will be given a 9 AM PDT. Read about the controversy at USA Today, at the New York Times and in an article from the Associated Press. YOUR ASSIGNMENT is to write a news brief about this topic. Include an interesting lede (alternate spelling for lead, or the first sentence in a story), information about the speech and information about the controversy surrounding the president's desire to directly address America's schoolchildren. Your news brief should be no longer than 200 words (shorter is better). Once you've finished your newsbrief (say, in a GoogleDocs), copy and paste it as a comment to Ms. Wojinski's Blog. When leaving your comment use this format for your name period_first name_last initial. This is due no later than Thursday, September 10 at 5 pm.
The controversy continues as font-fanatics the world over slam furniture-giant IKEA over its decision to change fonts. Fonts of all things. We first started discussing this in class last week and, I have to admit, the students and I find the whole thing amusing. Nonetheless, here is a collection of articles on the topic:
The New York Times has printed several articles over the past week on the topic. The September 5th print edition had a nice graphic showing the modified Futura and Verdana side-by-side. This is the online version of the same article.
Canada's NOW also filed a report on September 4th.
The Daily Finance goes into a little background on the fonts themselves and cites the 'unsavoriness' of Verdana's origins at Microsoft as one of the reasons for the furor.
USA Today reported on the controversy back on August 30. I wonder if it's significant that an advertisement for cat litter is the banner ad?
Even TIME magazine posted a story on August 28.
Finally, for now, the Guardian infuses its story with a bit of humor.
A quick Google News search turns up at least 345 articles and blog posts about the topic. So, what do YOU make of all this hubub? Should designers be in an uproar or is it much ado about nothing? I leave you with College Humor's take on fonts at Font Conference:
The New York Times has printed several articles over the past week on the topic. The September 5th print edition had a nice graphic showing the modified Futura and Verdana side-by-side. This is the online version of the same article.
Canada's NOW also filed a report on September 4th.
The Daily Finance goes into a little background on the fonts themselves and cites the 'unsavoriness' of Verdana's origins at Microsoft as one of the reasons for the furor.
USA Today reported on the controversy back on August 30. I wonder if it's significant that an advertisement for cat litter is the banner ad?
Even TIME magazine posted a story on August 28.
Finally, for now, the Guardian infuses its story with a bit of humor.
A quick Google News search turns up at least 345 articles and blog posts about the topic. So, what do YOU make of all this hubub? Should designers be in an uproar or is it much ado about nothing? I leave you with College Humor's take on fonts at Font Conference:
I first started this blog in 2005. I had no focus and no purpose. Let's face it, I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing. I posted periodically about random topics (including photos of my cat) and changed the name of the blog at least twice. I've decided to leave those entries here for some sort of comparison to what I do now.
So, where am I now? I'm getting ready to start a new school year with new responsibilities as the school's newspaper adviser. Students will also start an online newspaper and possibly a news magazine. I will also continue advising the yearbook staff and teaching geography to the freshmen (I'll blog for them at MyGeographyNews).
Because I'm now advising the newspaper staff, this blog will focus primarily on the art of blogging, the practice and business of journalism and current news.
This blog has a new look for the new year. I chose Evidens White from btemplates.com. I've found myself in a pickle in that I seem to have a preference for popular Wordpress themes, but I am mostly loyal to blogger. Fortunately for me, intrepid designers have decided to port Wordpress themes over to blogger. I like Evidens because it's clean and sports a three-column layout.
So, where am I now? I'm getting ready to start a new school year with new responsibilities as the school's newspaper adviser. Students will also start an online newspaper and possibly a news magazine. I will also continue advising the yearbook staff and teaching geography to the freshmen (I'll blog for them at MyGeographyNews).
Because I'm now advising the newspaper staff, this blog will focus primarily on the art of blogging, the practice and business of journalism and current news.
This blog has a new look for the new year. I chose Evidens White from btemplates.com. I've found myself in a pickle in that I seem to have a preference for popular Wordpress themes, but I am mostly loyal to blogger. Fortunately for me, intrepid designers have decided to port Wordpress themes over to blogger. I like Evidens because it's clean and sports a three-column layout.
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Food (Five Second Helpings)
After scouring snopes.com in an attempt to waste valuable time, I found that the five second rule isn't real. Okay, I don't use it anymore, but when I was a starving student, it saved my lunch more than once. I wonder if there are more germs when your food falls on a heavily travelled floor? If so, then I must be harboring some awful parasite after all these years.
After scouring snopes.com in an attempt to waste valuable time, I found that the five second rule isn't real. Okay, I don't use it anymore, but when I was a starving student, it saved my lunch more than once. I wonder if there are more germs when your food falls on a heavily travelled floor? If so, then I must be harboring some awful parasite after all these years.
"We have an alien-possessed mammoth on the lose and if we don't stop it the government is going to kill all of us."
Okay, I don't normally think in terms of movie reviews, but this one is too good to pass up. SciFi Channel is currently running one of their original movies "Mammoth." Every once in awhile, everyone needs a good dose of tackiness in their movies.
Basically, "meteor" crashes to earth and inhabits the body of a mammoth that has been frozen in a block of ice for thousands of years. Said mammoth has been under study at local museum (naturally inhabited by absent-minded professor with teen daughter and crotchety alien-loving father) and subsequently goes on a rampage while being pursued by the professor, a government agent, and a plethora of locals. Turns out a previous "meteor" had crash-landed 30 years earlier and inhabited the severed hand of the local coroner (okay the meteor's tendril-like arms severed the hand) and attempted to choke the life out of the coroner.
Anyway, this movie is cliche upon cliche, but it all works together. Teens partying in the woods are traumatized and/or trampled by invading mammoth, mammoth squishes in the most gruesome way anyone who gets in the way. Oh, he also blasts, with a trumpet of his trunk, an old couple getting frisky in the back of a Lincoln Continental. The secret agents (one dies pretty quickly, so don't get too attached) are relunctant to share the real plan until they see the wisdom of telling the mammoth professor about the alien invasion. Oh, and the best part? If the mammoth isn't killed or contained in 9 hours the entire town will be blown off the face of the planet!
There are a few relatively clever moments, as in the debate over which classic scifi/horror movie is most like the situation the characters are currently experiencing. It was between "The Blob" and "Body Snatchers."
Ah, yes, tackiness is wonderful. Enjoy
Okay, I don't normally think in terms of movie reviews, but this one is too good to pass up. SciFi Channel is currently running one of their original movies "Mammoth." Every once in awhile, everyone needs a good dose of tackiness in their movies.
Basically, "meteor" crashes to earth and inhabits the body of a mammoth that has been frozen in a block of ice for thousands of years. Said mammoth has been under study at local museum (naturally inhabited by absent-minded professor with teen daughter and crotchety alien-loving father) and subsequently goes on a rampage while being pursued by the professor, a government agent, and a plethora of locals. Turns out a previous "meteor" had crash-landed 30 years earlier and inhabited the severed hand of the local coroner (okay the meteor's tendril-like arms severed the hand) and attempted to choke the life out of the coroner.
Anyway, this movie is cliche upon cliche, but it all works together. Teens partying in the woods are traumatized and/or trampled by invading mammoth, mammoth squishes in the most gruesome way anyone who gets in the way. Oh, he also blasts, with a trumpet of his trunk, an old couple getting frisky in the back of a Lincoln Continental. The secret agents (one dies pretty quickly, so don't get too attached) are relunctant to share the real plan until they see the wisdom of telling the mammoth professor about the alien invasion. Oh, and the best part? If the mammoth isn't killed or contained in 9 hours the entire town will be blown off the face of the planet!
There are a few relatively clever moments, as in the debate over which classic scifi/horror movie is most like the situation the characters are currently experiencing. It was between "The Blob" and "Body Snatchers."
Ah, yes, tackiness is wonderful. Enjoy
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