Possibility of Impossibilty

      The film “Trip to the Moon“ (1902) was a silent film. At first, it’s hard to figure out what’s happening in the story or what was it all about. But later on in the movie, I am starting to get the gist of the story. The most memorable moment I witnessed in the film was when they met a kingdom of creatures living there in the moon. And the shocking thing was they somehow resemble the way humans look and behave. But since I am living in the 21^st century and at this point in time, many discoveries and studies were made about the moon. Thus, having the idea of creatures living there like us was like a ridiculous thing to me although studies about the outer space weren’t able to disprove the possibility of the “creatures” existing there.

      But assuming I am living during the early 90’s and I’d watched this film, I would probably believe it at first because it looked a little scientific when the characters were having a tour on how the rocket was made. But starting from the part where they hit the moon, and the moon’s face frowned, I would hesitate then if it’s really true because I wasn’t able to see a face when I look at the moon. Also, the succeeding events seem so funny because they looked like they’re in a sitcom. Even with them meeting the creatures of the moon looked very humorous. But maybe after the film, I would come home wondering “Is there really life in moon?” or “Is it really possible to go there?” because you know that in this world, nothing is impossible.

      Although the film sounded so ridiculous at this time, maybe back then it made the people think that all that happened in the film may be true. And who knows that it might’ve awaken the curiosity of some individuals back then that are now making history (or made history) in the study of the outer space? No one knows, but as you know, nothing is impossible in this world.

Jaylyn L. Paterno

2013-15633

Reaction Paper

A Trip to the Moon

                If I would be myself today and I was thrown back at that time, for the most part I would not enjoy it. I am not fond of films with no dialogues to relate with. The film was trying to be funny and it did not win me. But if I live on that period and it's like one of the first technically innovated movies I could watch, then I would be pleased to see it for sure. It was delivered in a fast-phased manner, even without conversations going on you could make conclusions of what was happening, the actors were convincing enough, and the whole story has always been a dream to mankind. These elements that the movie carried are the reasons why I must have liked it.

Jaylyn L. Paterno

2013-15633

Reaction Paper

The Twilight Zone episode “Time Enough At Last”

                This episode of The Twilight Zone had intrigued people when it was shown in television. Then after, there had been numerous parodies and spoofs of the show that made it more famous among other episodes. Now if I were to make an adaptation of the story, I'd rather not put Henry Bemis on that very tragic moment. After all, he just wanted to read and that's not a bad thing. His wife and his employer should be the one to realize that they were not being fair to him. These two reflects the attitude of some people towards reading that were to oblivious to know that it is books which make wise and productive men. I'd rather emphasize this idea and make the whole story focus on it. Aside from that, I'll lighten the turn of events that seemed too heavy to take. Maybe in that way the public may not have confused minds about what the episode was trying to convey and it won't put them in shock of the misery he suffered.

            Records of events in the year 1959---NASA introduces America's first astronauts to the world, the US Grammy Music Awards Started, Xerox launches the first commercial copier, US Launches first Weather Station in Space, Bonanza premieres on NBC which was the first weekly television series broadcast completely in color, the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in New York City is completed, the unemployment problems eased to 5.5%---proved that it was a period where the world was eager to discover and was fast progressing. People like Henry should be admired for his desire to read and be knowledgeable.

Jaylyn L. Paterno

2013-15633

“Futurama” pilot episode Reaction Paper

            As the film Futurama takes its flight, I hold on my seat tight.

            Futurama is a science fiction film created by Matt Groening. Depicting science and future, this short pilot episode marked a big bang in my attention. It took the use of time machine and the unintentional time travel of a boy named Fry.

            Future and science was obviously taken by this episode. This short film showed the adventure of Fry who accidentally enter a time machine. He traveled at about a millennium year in the future. He encountered aliens and robots. The machine has dropped him in the time where almost everything is in the hands of technology. The suicide booth was an example of this very advance way of living.

            Time travelling is the idea of moving from one point to another especially through the use of advance technology. This concept was tackled in the whole story of the film. A time machine was used to emphasize the travel of a boy in the future which was a millennium year advance. The character, especially the aliens and robots, added to the thought that the boy was really in the future. The presence of the advanced transportation vehicles also helped in the setting of this time travel story.

            It is a job well done for the producers to depict such artistic time travel film called Futurama.

2013-53216

Reaction Paper on pilot episode of Futurama

After watching the pilot episode of Futurama, what I think the creators of the show think time travel and the future is, is possible. The way of time travel I think is just like how other movies or tv shows portray it. There's a time travel machine or capsule where the person would use to get to the future or past. I think that's how people now see time travel happening. 

The future seemed, as of now, impossible to me. It seemed impossible to me because of the alien invasion and the alien girl. Although, I do believe that it’s possible that there are could be aliens out there in the universe, I also don't believe that there are aliens there. That's because there is no proof of any aliens but I also can't just say they don't exist because there could be planets of other things in the universe that we haven't discovered or checked for aliens.

The science in the show, in my opinion, seemed close to what we have today and what we think will have in the future. There were still things that could already be seen in the past that were still there in the future and I think it’s true, some things can’t be replaced. The new things were also cool and seemed possible because they are what we need now and people will surely find ways to make them because they are what will be in demand.

Everything in the episode, in my opinion, is reasonable and possible. If people need something, there is no stopping us from creating or inventing something that will fill that need. People will always find ways and that’s how we are where we are today.

SURVIVOR COUNT: 1...?

["Time Enough At Last" Episode- Twilight Zone Series reaction paper]
Danielle Elisha F. Ching
2013-68141

Upon watching the episode, there’s this one question that keeps bugging me: In the story, why does everyone discourage reading as if it would bring any reader into harm? Particularly with Mrs. Helen Bemis’ behavior towards Mr. Henry Bemis, she told him that oppressing his hunger for reading would also be for his own good. She even called her husband, a man who reads, a fool. Why is that so? Well, the answer to my question lies in the understanding of the story’s setting.

The episode was set in the 1950’s, just after World War II—a post-apocalyptic era wherein people are in fear of global annihilation caused by nuclear weapons. There’s also the issue of anti-intellectualism, which is the hostility towards any kind of intellectual pursuit. The government considered intellectuals as threats to society.

If ever I’m going to tweak the story to make an updated version of the episode, I’ll exchange Mr. Bemis’ addiction to books with addiction to naked and porn pictures of other women. The reason is that anti-intellectualism is no longer an issue today; instead, a husband’s infidelity is a major issue to a wife. Instead of reading literary and classic works inside the vault, Mr. Bemis will be browsing porn magazines. He can’t go over them in the restroom since there’s always a bee line at the office, and his wife’s always tailing him at home. After the nuclear blast, instead of finding a library of classic books, he’ll find a library full of porn magazines. But soon enough, his life won’t last long since the aftereffects of a nuclear blast will severely damage his health. He’ll die. The End.

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FROZEN TO FUTURE

["Futurama" reaction paper]
Danielle Elisha F. Ching

2013-68141

Freezing over Fry for a millennium, the creators of Futurama definitely let him travel in time unconventionally in order to show what they think of the future world. As expected with any sci-fi, the future is usually depicted as a society run by robots, machines, and advanced technology. The world Fry discovered after getting off the freezing capsule was a dystopian one. It’s a world wherein technology overcomes humanity.

Bounded by rules and limitations set by the society, the” world of tomorrow” has citizens which are unhappy and uncontented, living off their lives like robots, their whole life dictated by a single computer chip. Just like other dystopian societies (e.g. Panem in Hunger Games), eventually there will be revolutions. I believe that in the succeeding episodes of the series, the people’s revolutionary spirits will be more highlighted, especially with Fry’s coming.

Unlike any time travelling fiction stories, the time travelling in Futurama, as I’ve mentioned earlier, was unconventional. Fry did not leap through time using a time machine, and neither was it his own intention. Also, this time travelling is a one-way trip to the future; there are no buttons or meters which could turn back time, and instead only fast-forward one’s life. And, the price Fry had to pay for it, even though he was only a victim, was living in an unfamiliar world with everyone else he knew already a part of history.

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