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What Makes Horror Movies Scary? “We do,” Says Baylor Film Expert
The best scary movies adapt to society’s current fears and turn current cultural, social and political preoccupations into elements of horror, says a Baylor University film historian and an expert on the horror film genre. “We are the monster,” said James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor of film and digital media in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. Kendrick has authored three books: Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg; Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in the 1980s American Cinema; and Film Violence: History, Ideology, Genre. The themes of horror films have changed and developed over the years to capture the zeitgeist and adapt to societal fears, Kendrick said. However, as elements of fear transform with society, the elements of horror films remain. “Character and story, atmosphere and the monster,” Kendrick said. “That’s all you really need. Interesting, engaging characters in an effective setting pitted against some kind of monstrosity. That is the core of the genre, and anything and everything else grows from and functions to support those three elements.” The audience must be able to relate to characters and feel a sense of empathy for them, he said. The atmosphere must engage the audience and provide an effective platform for fear. Source:
Baylor Horror Film Expert Lists 10 Movies 'Everyone Should See'
October brings pumpkin spice, changing leaves, cooler temperatures and Halloween. And Halloween, of course, brings horror films. James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor of film and digital media in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, is a Hollywood film historian and an expert on cult and horror films. While horror is not everyone’s favorite genre, Kendrick says, horror films are known to have a universal appeal. “We all know what it means to be frightened, to feel dread, to want to look away,” Kendrick said. “On some level we all fear death and are aware of our human mortality, and the best horror films engage that fear in complex and challenging ways.” In honor of Halloween, Kendrick has developed a list of 10 horror classics he says “everyone should see.” 1. Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922) 2. The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935) 3. Cat People (Jacques Tourneur, 1942) 4. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) 5. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) 6. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973) 7. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) 9. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980) 10. The Babadook (Jennifer Kent, 2014) James Kendrick, Ph.D., serves as associate professor of film and digital media in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences. Kendrick’s primary research interests are post-Classical Hollywood film history, violence in the media, cult and horror films, media censorship and regulation and cinema and new technologies. He has authored three books: Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg, Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in the 1980s American Cinema and Film Violence: History, Ideology, Genre. In addition to this, he is also the film and video critic for the website Qnetwork.com. Kendrick is a member of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the University Film and Video Association and the Online Film Critics Society. Source:
These days, it doesn’t take much to turn a civil conversation into a full-blown catastrophe. Just mention the words “climate change” and feathers can start to ruffle. But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Dan Peppe, Ph.D., climate change expert and associate professor of geosciences at Baylor University. His research focuses on understanding how plant and animal communities have responded to changes in climate throughout Earth’s history. “Climate change is a fundamentally important issue to our society and is vital for us to have open and honest discussions about it and its potential impacts,” Peppe said. He said the best place to start such a dialogue is with scientific observation. Have a discussion about increases in temperature, he said. Understand what scientists are saying about those temperature changes and their effects. The trick to keeping this cordial? Keep politics out. “All of this conversation is a scientific one based on observation, and as such, shouldn't be a political one,” he said. “Once that baseline is established, we can then begin a conversation of the many possible ways to address those risks.” Peppe said there is often more than one solution to issues of climate change, but people need to listen to each other. “Hopefully there can be a respectful and civil conversation around those potential solutions,” he said. As part of Earth Science Week, Peppe is taking part in the Earth Science Symposium at The Mayborn Museum in Waco, Texas, where he will moderate a panel discussion on climate change. Panelists will discuss the science of climate change, the risks associated with it, and some of the potential solutions. “We hope that this will be a really productive discussion, and one in which the audience can participate,” Peppe said. Source:
Will Sept. 25 be Kurdish Independence Day?
On Sept. 25, a lot of the world’s important eyes will be watching the results of a referendum few have heard about. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is finally holding a referendum on its independence. It’s a referendum many object to – including those in Baghdad and in the United States. There are concerns that this path to independence will not be a smooth one and could further destabilize this already tumultuous region. Efforts and negotiations are ongoing in hopes that this historic vote can be delayed or even postponed. The stakes in this are high. In this region, relationships between the Kurds and Turkey are not good. Separating from Iraq could also see consequences. The threat of violence is very real and who will be there to support an independent KRI is also in question. There are many pieces at play. This involves a century of history, territory and tribalism all in an area that cannot afford another conflict. So, will the referendum take place even though Iraq's Supreme Court on Monday ordered the suspension of the referendum? If it does, what will be the outcome? Can America not support a group of people using democracy to determine its own fate? Are the costs of preventing this referendum worth it in the long run? How will the referendum affect politics in the Middle East and globally? Missouri State University’s Dr. David Romano, an expert in Middle Eastern politics, particularly the Kurdish region, is available to provide his insights on this complex and developing issue. He has been contributing to international discussion on this topic in his weekly column on Rudaw. Romano spent six months last year in Iraqi Kurdistan, behind the lines near Mosul. He believes the time is right for Kurdish independence. It’s also relevant to American interests due to the oil market and the international political landscape. Click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:
Baylor Gospel Expert: MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Inspired Response from Black Gospel Artists
Fifty-four years ago this week. On Aug. 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered “I Have a Dream” – one of the most iconic speeches in American history and a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement. For black gospel artists recording in the years after 1963, King’s speech was fertile ground for creative expression, said Robert Darden, professor of journalism and founder and director of Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Restoration Project (BGMRP). “These artists responded by creating songs that sampled portions of Dr. King’s recorded audio, drew inspiration from his words or supported the Civil Rights Movement in the wake of its delivery,” Darden said. Darden founded Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Restoration Project more than a decade ago in an effort to identify, acquire, preserve, digitize and catalog recordings from the black gospel music tradition. This music, from the Golden Age of Gospel from 1945 to 1975, was quickly vanishing as albums made the transition to CDs. Through the work of the Baylor Libraries’ Digital Projects Group, recordings from the BGMRP are available online in the Baylor Libraries Digital Collection, and in some cases includes other materials, such as taped interviews, photographs, press packets, tour books and programs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and sheet music. Music from the BGMRP also has been included in a permanent exhibit featuring African-American musical history at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Source:
Another Big Short or Better Off? 10 Years Later – Is there Another Financial Crisis Looming?
It was 10 years ago Wednesday that the world changed for just about everyone. It was on that afternoon when BNP Paribas announced it was ceasing activity in three hedge funds that specialized in U.S. mortgage debt. BNP Paribas was the first major bank to acknowledge the risk of exposure to the sub-prime mortgage market, and many look back at those days as the start of the worst financial crisis in American history since the stock market crashed in 1929. For a decade, America has been in a state of recovery. It took trillions of dollars in stimulus and bail outs. The real estate market almost collapsed on itself and millions were left unemployed. Some are still incapable of finding work and income that matched what they made back then. On the outside, America seems to be in complete recovery. Housing prices have bounced back, the DOW is soaring and unemployment rests at just 5.1 percent. However, some are skeptical. Americans are borrowing again at record rates. Credit is once again being offered abundantly and as people spend again – risk is climbing. Add in China’s shaky economy and there’s also talk of a double-bubble bursting. Understanding finance and economics is no easy task. It takes global understanding, a keen eye on micro and macroeconomics and sometimes a crystal ball. But on Wednesday, many people will remember exactly what they were doing when America’s economy tanked. So where are we now? Have we learned our lesson or are we doomed to repeat ourselves? Have the reforms on Wall Street worked or can the actions of a few big banks still derail one of the strongest financial engines in the world? None of these are easy questions to answer or explain. But experts from Missouri State University can help. Dr. David Mitchell is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Bureau of Economic Research at Missouri State. He is also an expert at economic forecasting and understanding market trends and direction. Dr. Mitchell can speak to the anniversary of the financial crisis and what may lie ahead for America’s economy. Click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:
James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor in Baylor's Film and Digital Media department, is a nationally known expert on horror films. He is available to speak to media about the contributions and legacy of legendary director George A. Romero, who died on Sunday. Kendrick said: "Although he will forever be remembered as the chief architect the modern zombie film with his groundbreaking, low-budget black-and-white thriller 'Night of the Living Dead,' George A. Romero’s impact on both the horror genre and filmmaking in general reached much farther than the lumbering undead. He was an artist with a genuine social conscience, dark sense of humor, and clear understanding of how the current zeitgeist can make horror both more unsettling and socially relevant, which was key to the genre’s reinvention in the late 1960s and early ’70s. He was also a pioneer of American independent cinema, creating some of his most important films—including 'Night of the Living Dead,' the offbeat vampire film 'Martin,' and the shopping-mall-set 'Dawn of the Dead' — largely on his own terms outside the Hollywood studio system." Kendrick teaches classes on film theory/aesthetics, the history of motion pictures, media and society, the films of Steven Spielberg, violence in the media, and horror film. His primary research interests are post-Classical Hollywood film history, violence in the media, cult and horror films, media censorship and regulation, the films of Steven Spielberg, action films, and cinema and new technologies. Source:
Baylor Expert on Founding Fathers Discusses Ben Franklin's Faith in New Book
What the Founding Fathers believed about God and religion has long been a subject of debate and fascination, and Benjamin Franklin’s beliefs in particular may have the widest variety of interpretations among his peers. As multi-faceted as Franklin’s life was — he was a printer, diplomat, scientist and more — his religious beliefs were perhaps even more complex. From his Puritan upbringing to deism, skepticism and more, Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University and Associate Director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, explores the influences and evolution of faith throughout Franklin’s life in the new book: "Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father." In a column for The Wall Street Journal, Kidd wrote of Franklin: "In today’s polarized political and religious environment, some pundits seek to remake the Founding Fathers in their own image. Benjamin Franklin’s example reveals that the historical truth is often more complicated." Source:
Baylor Presidential Rhetoric Expert Featured in USA TODAY re: Scalise, GOP shooting
Martin Medhurst, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication, is featured in this USA TODAY story regarding the role of rhetoric in the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and four others. Medhurst, a renowned expert on presidential rhetoric and political communication, helped put into historic context the role of violent and divisive rhetoric in American history. "You can go back to the election of 1800 between Jefferson and Adams and find a whole lot of quite outrageous statements made on both sides," he told USA TODAY. "The same is true throughout American political history. We had one guy, [Charles] Sumner, who was caned on the floor of the Senate and almost killed. We have a long history of violence in this country, both rhetorical and otherwise." "I think what has changed in the 21st century is the nature of the different media of communication and especially the rise of social media, where people apparently believe that they can pretty much say anything," he said. Source:
On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would abandon the Paris climate accord. During his speech, Trump cited disputed numbers showing that the accord would result in a minimal change in temperature over time. Daniel Peppe, Ph.D., associate professor of geosciences in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences, studies ancient terrestrial ecosystems and how they have been influenced by environmental perturbations, such as long- and short-term climate change events. He works to recreate those ecosystems. Peppe argues that one goal of the Paris accord -- developing a strategy to keep the average increase in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- is integral to warding off future disaster. He said: "The Paris Agreement represents a really significant moment in history in which the countries of the world agreed that reducing greenhouse gas emissions was fundamentally important to help reduce the most significant effects of climate change around the world. The agreement developed a strategy to keep the average increase in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Crossing that threshold of temperature increase is likely the point where warming will push the Earth to a climate state that last existed millions of years ago -- one that is fundamentally different from today. Reconstructions of climate, the Earth, and its biota from the last time Earth was in a similar climate state indicate that sea level was dramatically higher, which would mean that many major cities around the world would be flooded; and many places on Earth were hotter and drier and the distributions of plants and animals on the landscape were very significantly different, which would have catastrophic effects on modern agriculture, water use and society." Source: