Narrative Review of "Ghost in the Shell"

Now that I have watched Ghost in the Shell, I might have some understanding to the message, or at least what I understood from the movie. In my perspective, the theme of the movie was gender identity. It shows how the division of gender is greatly thinned when it comes to the “cyborg” in the movie.

The cyborg, Motoko Kusanagi, has the body and features of a female but due to her body being completely cybernetic, she is capable of martial feats and great agility that surpasses what her two male partners are capable of. This shows a gender reversal, meaning a “female” having a superior degree of power than the males. The “qualities” of the usually female, such as being neater, being more emotional or domestic, does not seem to relate to Kusanagi. It is not really known if the stereotypical characteristics of a female do not apply to her because she is a cyborg with only a virtual construct of memories, being just a program or that is just not her personality.

Perhaps it is how others treat Kusanagi that makes her human. For example, when she takes off her diving suit on the boat, her partner looks away, avoiding eye contact with her body, even though it is merely a “shell”.  Does gender really makes a difference to what makes one human?

Fox REALLY like shows by Seth McFarlene

I always look froward to watch the trio of McFarlene's animated shows (Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleavland Show) on Fox every Sunday. My personal favorite is Family Guy due to its fair amount of unpredictable humor. However, it is quite surprising that these takes up most of Fox's Sunday Primetime line-up.

I don't really see how Fox is paying so much attention to these shows. The shows are good but it is hardly worth dedicating an hour and a half for them alone. Even The Simpsons aren't treated as much ever since Family Guy was uncanceled. Even the new show Bob's Burgers seems to be getting little marketing.

My guess is that Family Guy or any of Seth McFarlene's shows, became too valuable for Fox to belittle after their return that they made sure to not let any other show upstage it. So they purposely try to lessen any publicity of any new animated show that comes up in Fox until they eventually be canceled due to poor ratings....but that would be just be dumb conspiracy talk.

Thoughts on Netflix

When I have heard of Netflix, I was really skeptical of its service. Before, I never did any mail in service, fearing they might be prone to scams. But out of curiosity, I tried it out on a free trial basis, to see if it was as good as people are saying it is. I could never have been more happy for Netflix.
Not only does Netflix gives you your requested movies in a quick manner, but you can also watch movies and shows on your computer or other electronic devices. It was really enjoyable to watch my favorite show in my laptop and continue where I left off on my PS3.
I usually put a hold on the membership when I am short on money and continue when I do so it doesn't have to be a commitment. The only downsides is that these mail in services like Netflix (and another similar one called Gamefly, but for video games) are the cause of old fashioned rental services like Blockbuster to slowly close down, even the one that is right in my neighborhood. I feel a bit guilty that I am abandoning "my old friend" to a more convenient way to rent movies.....
Well I just make myself sad now :( ....