Genre Books

TBA

Zombieland

2009
Director: Ruben Fleischer
IMDB

Zombies were seriously in Vogue from 2000ish to 2010, movies such Shaun of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and Zombieland. As well as appearing in several video games. Zombieland was most likely the last sort of successful zombie movie that appears to be coming out, the market has been supersaturated and people seem to be moving on to other genres (sparkly vampires unfortunately). Zombie Land was heavily influenced by earlier zombie films like Shaun of the Dead as well as Dawn of the Dead. A lot of these movies (Zombieland included) missed on the 3D craze (although according to some sources the next Zombieland will be in 3D), personally I was glad for the lack of 3D as very few movies have a reason for it.

Lolita

Love, passion, lust, these emotions run unrestrained throughout humanity's psyche. While we may revel in their pleasures, pine at their losses, and scorn the lack of control, these feelings and desires are as much a part of the human experience as breath and food. Vladimir Nabokov's character Humbert Humbert, being human and thus in possession of these uncontrollable desires, brings the reader a rather vivid and culturally taboo desire. Which in his description of Annabel and Monique and his meeting with Lolita, we see that his desires are not subject to him, more so the other way around.

From the beginning Humbert is lost to his desires, Annabel is his first described encounter with this beast. While he is a child him being sort of swept away is rather understandable. Having never felt emotions as he did he quickly becomes submerged in his relationship with Annabel, he says "these incomplete contacts drove our healthy and inexperienced young bodies to such a state of exasperation that not even the cold blue water (...) could bring relief"(9). Her early death and the sudden loss of that part of his life could possibly explain his interest in prepubescent or near pubescent girls. He even thinks so himself "I am convinced, however, that in a certain magic and fateful way Lolita began with Annabel."(10)

Before he describes his relationship with the Parisian Monique he goes into detail about how he feels about his compulsion for the underaged. "While my body knew what it craved for, my mind rejected my body's every plea." (14) this is an almost outright declaration of his division, he then goes on to say "One moment I was ashamed and frightened, another recklessly optimistic."(14) Then as the rest of the story unfolds its clear that his desires have won out.

Oz

To me this book seems to personify the idea that if you have good intentions, you will prevail. Dorthy seems to be wandering through Oz just wanting to go home and everywhere she seems to receive help from anyone whom she asks, or through some deus ex machina. Good prevails over evil no matter what, such the idea of spilling water on the witch kills her and Dorthy could go about her merry way.
It also embodies the idea that you have to power to do what you want to do inside of you. Dorthy had the power to go home with her all along she just had to use it.

Hunger Games

First off I really enjoyed this book, a good quick read that left me wanting more. As far as a cultural assumptions go the biggest that this book deals with would have to be the inviolability of children. In our culture at least children are sacred, in war you do not shoot children, getting off of a sinking boat it's women and children first. But this book has society pick two random children by lottery from each district and sends them to parade about in the main city and then murder each other. Scenes of children tearing each other apart and especially the one of the 12 year old getting speared hit very strongly. Also death games, not so much acceptable in our society, we consider ourselves above such barbarities.
I suppose that this book really goes for the idea that people are animals at heart, we love to kill each other and we love to watch people kill each other.