Dan's Webpage: Because everyone loves a farce: Half-decent proposal

Just finished a project proposal for "Theories of Media." We're all striving for a certain level of mediocrity so that we don't have to present our ideas at the end of the month, but luckily none of my "this is a medium" ideas were very flashy.

I chose tagging online, folksonomy. I would have liked to do something more blog-related, but I felt that I'd done enough cross-pollinating from my master's thesis last term and it was time to learn something new again.

And then there's the worry that I'd get sidetracked in a discussion relating to my thesis and become dangerously overenthusiastic.

Finally watched Videodrome earlier today. It was laugh-out-loud awful, especially toward the end: it's never been easier to evade the police. Still, it's the kind of movie I'm tempted to reference. Who wouldn't want to say "I am the video word made flesh," given an appropriate situation?

I'm exhausted and I need to get up early tomorrow, but part of me still thinks I should watch Poltergeist tonight.

For pleasure. I saw the first half of the movie (up to when they introduce the tiny woman) years ago and loved it, but only recently remembered that I'd never gotten around to watching the rest.

Doubtless the Netflix subscription I got for Xmas also plays a role. I've got five more weeks of free rentals and I hope to make the most of them.

Whenever I get back from Japan, Netflix will have a happy customer convinced he missed key movie-going and television experiences.

I thought there might be more to your Videodrome/Poltergeist combination given their preoccupation with television. I only assume Videodrome follows that line of reasoning, since I've never seen it and only have references from stuff I've read on Cronenberg's body/flesh hang-up.

Poltergeist is Tobe Hooper toned down for a mainstream audience, but I've always loved it too, particularly the little things the paranormal investigators see before it all gets kicked up a notch. The spirits get melodramatic after the tiny woman is introduced, but I think it's a good, consistent horror film.