Carol is a 2015 film directed by Todd Haynes, with a screenplay written by Phyllis Nagy. It is based on the 1952 romance novel, The Price of Salt, by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Strangers on a Train). Carol tells the story of two women in early 1950s-New York who begin a secret sexual and romantic affair with each other, and the consequences that follow. Meek and soft-spoken Therese (Rooney Mara) is working retail at a department store when she meets the older and more glamorous Carol (Cate Blanchett), who is looking to buy a Christmas present for her young daughter. The two strike up a friendship, causing Carol’s soon-to-be-ex-husband to become suspicious of the nature of their relationship, as Carol had had an affair with another female friend in the past. Carol takes Therese on a road trip, where they kiss and have sex together. After discovering that a private investigator had been hired to collect evidence towards the sexual nature of their relationship, Carol abandons Therese to return home to New York and the relationship between the two becomes strained. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards and nine British Academy Film Awards.

The Price of Salt caused quite a stir when it was first published. Highsmith published it under a pseudonym, Claire Morgan, as she knew that reception likely wouldn’t be entirely positive, and because she didn’t want to be labeled as “a lesbian-book writer”. However, the novel was received quite well in the lesbian community, most notably because of the happy ending that most queer novels did not have at the time. Neither of the women dies, neither retreat back to an unhappy relationship with a man, neither end up sad and alone. This was rare for queer characters, lesbians especially. Even today the media has a problem with the “bury your gays” trope. GLAAD’s “Where We are On TV” report for the ’16-’17 season found that of 895 regular characters on broadcast networks, 43 identified as LGBTQ. 28 of which were queer women. Of those 28, 12 were killed by the end of the season. This makes 2016 a very deadly year for queer women on broadcast television.

The happy ending, although somewhat ambiguous, was one of the many reasons I enjoyed Carol. I thought the costumes were beautiful, and the use of Super 16mm film gave it a wonderful vintage haze. Cate Blanchett’s performance as Carol had me far more emotionally invested than I expected to be, going in; although at times it felt to me that Rooney Mara wasn’t doing much beyond reciting her lines. However, this could be due to the quiet nature of Therese — who spends most of the film allowing things to happen to her, without pursuing her own goals at all. Which makes the ending, (spoilers!) when Therese seeks out Carol all on her own after initially rejecting her, all the more meaningful. Still, I would have liked to see more emotion from Mara.

In 2016, the British Film Institute named Carol the best LGBT film of all time. This I can’t agree with. The film was good, yes, but to be named the best LGBT film of all time, I’d expect to see more about the society they are living in and what kinds of bigotry they are dealing with. As it is, the people around them seemed somewhat… indifferent to the existence of LGBT people. Carol’s husband knows that she had a previous relationship with a woman, but doesn’t seem bothered beyond the usual jealousy. Therese’s boyfriend can’t imagine two boys falling in love with each other, but his thoughts about it aren’t strong at all. He isn’t all that concerned when Therese exhibits deep, romantic feelings for Carol except, again, for the expected jealousy. This doesn’t feel right for a time period that produced Boys Beware and called queer folks “criminals” and “sick in the mind”. Is it because Therese and Carol are women? I’m not intensely familiar with the homophobia of the 1950s, but from what I understand, much of it was directed toward gay men, and lesbians were often able to dodge it through the guise of close friendship. Not to mention that the definition of “sex” was something that required a penis — so how could two women even have sex? All things considered, I still think the film could have explored further into what the two women were really up against.

“50 Years of Theater of the Ridiculous” Martin E. Segal Theater Center, 2017.

Baur, Gabrielle, director. Venus Boyz. Clockwise Productions, 2002.

“THE HOMOSEXUALS.” CBS, 1967.

Jo Krals, Bobbi, director. Rebels on Pointe. Icarus Films, 2017.

Kaye, Helen. “Theater Review: ‘Milk Milk Lemonade’.” The Jerusalem Post, 26 Aug. 2014.

Kupcinet, Irv. JUDY GARLAND: A GAY ICON DEFENDS HER GAY AUDIENCE, A RARE INTERVIEW. 1967.

Roberts, John. “MilkMilkLemonade – Ovalhouse, London.” The Reviews Hub, 12 Oct. 2014.

Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. W.W. Norton and Company, 2016.

The Virgin Suicides. Directed by Sophia Coppola. American Zoetrope, Paramount Classics, 1999.

Animation company Laika has produced four stop-motion animated feature films in the eleven years since its founding. Their most recent film is Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), telling the story of Kubo, a young boy living in feudal Japan with his mother, and his magic-filled quest to defeat his corrupted family. He is joined by Monkey, a charm brought to life, and Beetle, a samurai and friend of Kubo’s late father who has been cursed to live as an insect. Together, they must collect three pieces of legendary and magical armor: The Sword Unbreakable, The Breastplate Impenetrable, and the Helmet Invulnerable.

One particularly memorable scene in the film, and arguably the turning point in the plot, is when Kubo and his two guardians-slash-teammates, Monkey and Beetle, discover the location of The Breastplate Impenetrable. The scene begins on a ship made of fallen leaves and is backdropped by a setting sun; Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle are bonding over freshly caught fish and intimate conversation — it is entirely a warm and peaceful scene. Like a hug from a loved one.

Despite the earlier warmth, the setting sun reminds us that night is soon to arrive; with it, the powerful sisters that are determined to put a stop to Kubo’s quest — and steal his remaining eye. From the beginning, the audience knows that the moon surely brings trouble, as Kubo’s mother warns him outright that the Moon King, Kubo’s grandfather, is dangerous and Kubo must be inside by the time night falls. The film’s plot is even set into motion when Kubo inevitably does stay out past sundown and encounters his two vicious (and, frankly, unsettling) aunts. Every following scene with the two sisters occurs at night, leading the audience to understand that nightfall and the full moon bring danger. So while the lighthearted scene above is going on, the audience is thinking “this is nice and all, but maybe you should go find cover somewhere?”, creating suspense.

Finally the sun does set and a sister, of course, arrives to start trouble — just as the audience had feared. Kubo and Beetle have both disappeared underwater, in search of the breastplate, leaving Monkey all alone to fight the sister. In total contrast to the scene minutes before, the audience is now worrying about the safety of all three of our heroes. Will Kubo fall prey to the Garden of Eyes? Where did Beetle go? Can a person even hold their breath for this long? Is Monkey, a mortal, capable of fending off some sort of demi-god? In the end, the audiences worries are completely justified as the fight concludes with Monkey gravely wounded and many secrets revealed. And although this battle and the warm hug from earlier occur in the exact same setting – Kubo’s ship in the middle of the Long Lake – the emotions the two scenes give off are complete opposites. This is exemplified both in the content of the scene (as is to be expected) and in the color palettes of each.

I went ahead and color-picked a palette for each scene, focusing mainly on the colors of the ship. On the left is the daytime scene, full of warm hues and muted tones. The nighttime scene, on the right, gives us cold and dark colors, in direct opposition of the left. And yes, nightfall does cause bright colors to darken, but it was no accident that the reds and oranges of the leaf ship become dark blues and purples as the mood shifts.

Even without knowing the plot, without seeing the visuals or hearing the dialogue, a person can tell that there is a drastic shift simply from looking at the color palettes. Take this “movie barcode” for example:

It’s every frame from a film condensed into one image. Can you tell what movie it is? I’d bet not. But, I’d bet that you can tell when a scene shifts, when the mood changes, and when the climax occurs. Color plays a major role in how movies are viewed nowadays, it provides another layer or element that black and white movies just don’t have. This specific barcode is for The Lion King, for those wondering.

This warm/cool color dichotomy is present through Kubo. The protagonists, Kubo, his mother, Monkey, and Beetle, all have warm colors as a part of their character design. All the antagonists, the Moon King and the two sisters, are made up almost entirely of cool colors. This serves to further the day/night, good/evil motifs and gives the audience certain expectations for when those colors appear later.

Another motif present throughout the film is the use of eye imagery. The opening line of the film is “If you must blink, do it now.” Kubo is missing an eye, the Moon King wants to steal his other eye, the Moon King is completely blind, and both of Kubo’s aunts wear masks that cover the entirety of their faces. Heck, there’s even an entire Garden of Eyes at the bottom of the lake that attempts to hypnotize our hero! The imagery is everywhere.

Eyes have always been considered the “windows to the soul”, and it is revealed that the reason Kubo’s grandfather wants his other eye is to prevent Kubo from seeing the good in the world and the people around him. Kubo’s mother has been punished by her family for seeing the good in humanity, in the form of Kubo’s father, and Kubo is the physical manifestation of her betrayal. This isn’t the first time Laika has shown their love for eyes — their first feature, Coraline, also used the idea that the loss of eyes leads to the loss of humanity when Coraline’s other-mother asks her to replace her eyes with buttons. Although, Coraline doesn’t have the same sheer amount of eye imagery as Kubo does.

Kubo and the Two Strings is a beautiful work of art and, in my opinion, Laika‘s best film to date. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, and I highly recommend that you go watch it immediately.

Sources Referenced:

Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. W.W. Norton and Company, 2016.

Kubo and the Two Strings. Directed by Travis Knight. Laika, Focus Features, 2016.

Moviebarcode. The Lion King (1994). Tumblr. 2011,

moviebarcode.tumblr.com/post/4388598352/the-lion-king-1994-prints.

Animation company Laika has produced four animated feature films in the eleven years since its founding. Their most recent film is Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), telling the story of Kubo, a young boy living in feudal Japan with his mother, and his magic-filled quest to defeat his corrupted family. He is joined by Monkey, a charm brought to life, and Beetle, a samurai and friend of Kubo’s late father who has been cursed to live as an insect. Together, they must collect three pieces of legendary and magical armor: The Sword Unbreakable, The Breastplate Impenetrable, and the Helmet Invulnerable.

One particularly memorable scene in the film, and arguably the turning point in the plot, is when Kubo and his two guardians-slash-teammates, Monkey and Beetle, discover the location of The Breastplate Impenetrable. The scene begins on a ship made of fallen leaves and is backdropped by a setting sun; Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle are bonding over freshly caught fish and intimate conversation — it is entirely a warm and peaceful scene. Like a hug from a loved one.

But the setting sun reminds us that night is soon to arrive. And with it, the powerful sisters that are determined to put a stop to Kubo’s quest — and steal his remaining eye. From the beginning, the audience knows that the moon surely brings trouble, as Kubo’s mother warns him outright that the Moon King, Kubo’s grandfather, is dangerous and Kubo must be inside by the time night falls. The film’s plot is even set into motion when Kubo inevitably does stay out past sundown and encounters his two vicious (and, frankly, unsettling) aunts. Every following scene with the two sisters occurs at night, leading the audience to understand that nightfall and the full moon bring danger. So while the lighthearted scene above is going on, the audience is thinking “this is nice and all, but maybe you should go find cover somewhere?”, creating suspense.

Finally, the sun does set and a sister, of course, arrives to start trouble, just as the audience had feared. Kubo and Beetle have both disappeared underwater, in search of the breastplate, leaving Monkey all alone to fight the sister. In total contrast to the scene minutes before, the audience is now worrying about the safety of all three of our heroes. Rightfully so, as the fight ends with Monkey gravely wounded and secrets revealed. And although this battle and the warm hug from earlier occur in the exact same setting, Kubo’s ship in the middle of the Long Lake, the emotions the two scenes give off are complete opposites. This is exemplified both in the content of the scene (as is to be expected) and in the color palettes of each.

I went ahead and color-picked a palette for each scene, focusing mainly on the colors of the ship. On the left is the daytime scene, full of warm hues and muted tones. The nighttime scene, on the right, gives us cold and dark colors, in direct opposition of the left. And yes, nightfall does cause bright colors to darken, but it was no accident that the reds and oranges of the leaf ship become dark blues and purples as the mood shifts.

Even without knowing the plot, without seeing the visuals or hearing the dialogue, a person can tell that there is a drastic shift simply from looking at the color palettes. Take this “movie barcode” for example:

It’s every frame from a film condensed into one image. Can you tell what movie it is? I’d bet not. But, I’d bet that you can tell when a scene shifts, when the mood changes, and when the climax occurs. Color plays a major role in how movies are viewed nowadays, it provides another layer or element that black and white movies just don’t have. This specific barcode is for The Lion King, for those wondering.

This color dichotomy is present through Kubo. The protagonists, Kubo, his mother, Monkey, and Beetle, all have warm colors as a part of their character design. All the antagonists, the Moon King and the two sisters, are made up almost entirely of cool colors. This serves to further the day/night, good/evil motifs and gives the audience certain expectations for when those colors appear later.

Another motif present throughout the film is the use of eye imagery. The opening line of the film is “If you must blink, do it now.” Kubo is missing an eye, the Moon King wants to steal his other eye, Kubo’s mother and Monkey both have a scar over one of their eyes, the Moon King is completely blind, and both of Kubo’s aunts wear masks that cover the entirety of their faces. Heck, there’s even an entire Garden of Eyes at the bottom of the lake that attempts to hypnotize our hero! The imagery is everywhere.

Eyes have always been considered the “windows to the soul”, and it is revealed that the reason Kubo’s grandfather wants his other eye is to prevent Kubo from seeing the good in the world and the people around him. Kubo’s mother has been punished by her family for seeing the good in humanity, in the form of Kubo’s father, and Kubo is the physical manifestation of her betrayal. This isn’t the first time Laika has shown their love for eyes — their first feature, Coraline, also used the idea that the loss of eyes leads to the loss of humanity when Coraline’s other-mother asks her to replace her eyes with buttons. Although, Coraline doesn’t have the same sheer amount of eye imagery as Kubo does.

Kubo and the Two Strings is a beautiful work of art and, in my opinion, Laika‘s best film to date. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, and I highly recommend that you go watch it immediately.

Sources Referenced:

Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. W.W. Norton and Company, 2016.

Kubo and the Two Strings. Directed by Travis Knight. Laika, Focus Features, 2016.

Moviebarcode. The Lion King (1994). Tumblr. 2011,

moviebarcode.tumblr.com/post/4388598352/the-lion-king-1994-prints.

Animation company Laika has produced four animated feature films in the eleven years since its founding. Their most recent film is Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), telling the story of Kubo, a young boy living in feudal Japan with his mother, and his magic-filled quest to defeat his corrupted family.

One particularly memorable scene in the film, and arguably the turning point in the plot, is when Kubo and his two guardians-slash-teammates, Monkey and Beetle, discover the location of The Breastplate Impenetrable (one of three magical armor pieces they must collect). The scene begins on a ship made of fallen leaves and is backdropped by a setting sun; Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle are bonding over freshly caught fish and intimate conversation — it is entirely a warm and peaceful scene. Like a hug from a loved one.

But the setting sun reminds us that night is soon to arrive. And with it, the powerful sisters that are determined to put a stop to Kubo’s quest — and steal his remaining eye. From the beginning, the audience knows that the moon surely brings trouble, as Kubo’s mother warns him outright that the Moon King, Kubo’s grandfather, is dangerous and Kubo must be inside when night falls. The film’s plot is even set into motion when Kubo inevitably does stay out past sundown and allows his evil aunts to track him down. Every following scene with these beings occurs at night, leading the audience to infer that perhaps they only exist at night or when the moon is full (and it should be noted that even though the film’s plot takes place over several days, the moon stays full for the entirety of it).

Back on the boat, the sun has set and a sister has arrived, as the audience had feared. A battle scene ensues between the sister and Monkey, ultimately leaving Monkey injured and secrets revealed. And although this battle and the warm hug from earlier occur in the exact same setting, Kubo’s ship in the middle of the Long Lake, the emotions the two scenes give off are complete opposites. This is exemplified both in the content of the scene (as is to be expected) and in the color palettes of each.

I went ahead and color-picked a palette for each scene, focusing mainly on the colors of the ship. On the left is the daytime scene, full of warm hues and muted tones. The nighttime scene, on the right, gives us cold and dark colors, in direct opposition of the left. And yes, nightfall does cause bright colors to darken, but it was no accident that the reds and oranges of the leaf ship become dark blues and purples as the mood shifts.

Even without knowing the plot, without seeing the visuals or hearing the dialogue, a person can tell that there is a drastic shift simply from looking at the color palettes. Take this “movie barcode” for example:

It’s every frame from a film condensed into one image. Can you tell which movie it is? I’d bet not. But, I’d bet that you can tell when a scene shifts, when the mood changes, and when the climax occurs. Color plays a major role in how movies are viewed nowadays, it provides another layer or element that black and white movies just don’t have. This specific barcode is for The Lion King, for those wondering.

This color dichotomy is present through Kubo. The protagonists, Kubo, his mother, Monkey, and Beetle, all have warm colors as a part of their character design. All the antagonists, The Moon King and the two sisters, are made up almost entirely of cool colors. This serves to further the day/night, good/evil motifs and gives the audience certain expectations for when those colors appear later.

Sources Referenced:

Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. W.W. Norton and Company, 2016.

Kubo and the Two Strings. Directed by Travis Knight. Laika, Focus Features, 2016.

Moviebarcode. The Lion King (1994). Tumblr. 2011,

moviebarcode.tumblr.com/post/4388598352/the-lion-king-1994-prints.

“As we draw to the close of the college admissions process, thousands of students are waiting with drawn breath for Friday, when Stanford University will release their decisions. I was one of these students, until I stumbled upon revelations that have shaken me to the core and caused me to realize the true nature of Stanford. I share this as a warning, with the hope that one day the terrible truth will come to light: Stanford isn’t real.

First, we should make some observations. Stanford, or “Stanford” as I will refer to it occasionally, has one of the most expensive application fees in the country. This will be important later. Second, Stanford is considered one of the most prestigious colleges in the country and has an exceptionally low acceptance rate. It has alumni with a wide range of accomplishments and talents, and is generally listed as one of the world’s best places to study.

Now despite all this, let me ask, have you ever really seen anyone from “Stanford”? Have you ever met someone who recently attended the college? Sure people say they get in and go, but then what? Nothing, never to be seen again. Take a look at their website: the campus looks good right? But where are all the people?

Now, here’s the explanation. Stanford does not exist. The campus, although obviously real, is a mere prop akin to a movie setting. They can accomplish this by rejecting every applicant, and pocketing their application fee in order to keep the “campus” looking good. When you apply to “Stanford”, you are not applying to a school but rather paying a shadowy shell company close to a hundred dollars. The interviewers? All paid actors. The pictures? All fake. There is no “Stanford”, but rather a fake campus and a network of lies.

Obviously, you probably think this is complete nonsense. “What about my friend?” you ask. “He’s a freshman at Stanford right now!” But tell me, when was the last time you saw him? “Oh he got an internship over the summer!” You sure? Perhaps he was paid off with some excess funds to “attend” so-called “Stanford”.

Finally, the “alumni”. Let me ask you a hypothetical question. Imagine you, through hard work and some luck, rose to the top of the corporate ladder and became a CEO. All your peers attended Ivies and similar institutions, while you didn’t attend college. It’d make you feel pretty small, right? But what if you were approached by someone from “Stanford” saying they could register you as an official alumni for a simple one-time payment? I don’t know about you, but I’d take the deal. And so would many others, leading to a self-fulfilling cycle where people become “alumni” in order to increase their social status, therefore making Stanford seem more prestigious and attractive.

What we see as one of the most competitive and selective schools in the world is merely one giant illusion to keep the world’s greatest minds at bay, one $90 application fee at a time. Stay woke my friends, and stay safe.”