I first encountered this movie-going experience at a summer camp.  As I sat with other fellow campers watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, a faint smell of cocoa started to surround the room.  The faint smell turned into a cloud of chocolatey powder, intoxicating the audience's nostrils.  At this moment, I realized the potential in "Smell-O-Vision".

Imagine the fresh smell of cuban food as you watch Chef or the sweet smell of raisinets melting in popcorn as you watch Whiplash.  This would add a whole new sense to the theater experience.  "Smell-O-Vision" could open new doors for audiences who have trouble staying awake in films.  It would be hard to sleep through the smell of maple syrup that would often arise during a screening of Elf.  However, there are certain times when "Smell-O-Vision" might take us too deep into the film.

While "Smell-O-Vision" would work for food-based films, it might not fit in with other genres so well.  For example, I would probably have to walk out of a "Smell-O-Vision" screening of Swiss Army Man.  As much as I love that film, I would prefer to watch it without the constant smell of Daniel Radcliffe passing gas.  Other problems might occur during a screening of Zootopia or Babe.  Animals might be fun to watch on screen, but they probably wouldn't be quite as fun to watch with their natural smell.  

To sum up, "Smell-O-Vision" could open new roads for cinema.  But there might be roads that are better less traveled in this case!  

Image credit: ​​By Marcus Quigmire from Florida, USA - Wonka, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23356021

"Pop-pop-pop pop-pop-pop pop-pop-pop pop-pop-pop"  (If you get that 2016 movie soundtrack reference, let me know in the comments below)

So, what's the deal with popcorn?  This scrumptious snack has been around in movie theaters for ages.  But if you think about it, popcorn is a truly unusual cinematic snack that should have never been introduced into the theater.  Don't get me wrong, I love popcorn.  But who the heck thought that it was a good snack for moviegoers.

First off, it is loud.  Most people going to the movies expect complete silence from other moviegoers.  Whoever brought popcorn into the movie theater must have failed to realize the crunchiness of the treat.  If anyone near me eats popcorn, I cannot help but notice the constant crunching sound as their teeth sink into each kernel.

Secondly, it makes a mess.  As if it wasn't hard enough to clean a movie theater, the consumption of popcorn creates microscopic remnants strewed about the whole theater.  Think about how much easier it would be to clean a theater without the existence of popcorn.

Third, it smells funny.  You might wonder at times if that strange odor is the person sitting next to you.  It probably is, but only because of the fact that they have popcorn all over their lap.

While my argument against popcorn may seem valid, it is a guilty pleasure for me.  I cannot help but get a popcorn nearly every time I see a film.  Watching a film in a theater without popcorn is like watching a sports game in a bar without any drinks.  Sure you can get candy instead but you wouldn't order a water at a bar without feeling some sort of remorse.  

The only logical conclusion is that I love the taste of popcorn, but hate the idea of it.

Image credit: ​By Taken byfir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.auCanon 20D + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 - Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=343654

Yesterday, it was announced that Amazon, DeepMind, Google, Facebook, IBM, and Microsoft created a partnership revolving around artificial intelligence.  So, let's start by looking at what artificial intelligence is exactly.  According to wikipedia, AI is "intelligence exhibited by machines."  That is mildly creepy, but also could be practically useful for future technological advancements.  For example, Uber has recently completed work on self-driving cars that would reduce the amount of human-caused car accidents.  I'm still unsure of how I feel about the idea of cars driving themselves, but if accidents are less likely with this innovation then it is a practical development in AI.  Based on the Partnership on AI website, the mission of the partnership is to benefit people and society through research and discussions.  AI has been something that people have feared since the release of I, Robot.  Okay maybe some people feared it before then, but people definitely feared it after they saw the stark images of intelligent robots trying to take over the world. 

Alright, this might be a confusing blog post at this point.  You might be pondering why you should care about this.  Well if you haven't noticed that the cinema world is exploring AI more and more, then you are a bit behind with the times.  If you look at the list of films I have reviewed, there are at least a handful of films that I have discussed involving AI.  These films include Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.  I predict that films about AI are going to become more prevalent as technological innovations advance.  Upcoming films with AI include Blade Runner 2, Assassin's Creed, Star Wars: Episode VIII, and many more.  It will be very interesting to see how these technological advances leak into the cinematic universe, where there seems to be a call for better CGI and special effects.

Now I will leave you with a broad question: Should we fear the creation of artificial intelligence?

​Let me know what you think in the comments or on Facebook.

PS: I totally used to have one of these Tekno Puppys, and it was awesome!

Image credit: By Toyloverz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19687619

Lady Gaga has captured the world's eye once again with her new song, "Perfect Illusion."  I'm not going to lie, this is one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard.  It's repetitive and perfect for Lady Gaga's voice.  There is a key change towards the end of the song, which is fantastically hit by Lady Gaga's vocal chords.  There are reports out now that she will be releasing a new album in October.  If the whole album is as fun as this song, I am totally down to hear it!  The new music video for the song was released yesterday as well and it is a whole lot of craziness.  I really like the super-weird driving scenes where Lady Gaga moves around like a maniac.  Basically every scene is just ridiculously unfocused and spastic, which works well with the song.  I anticipate a great album to come with this single on it, so I will be awaiting its arrival impatiently.  Get ready for Lady Gaga to be invading the radio once again with her new music once the full album comes out.  One might say that all we'll hear is "Radio Gaga," but let's not go there.

Check out the music video for "Perfect Illusion":         Buy/download the single on Amazon:

This new blog section will feature a look at something strange each week.  It might be odd, culty, or any other sort of weirdness.  We're going to start off with a look at a famous singer named Marvin Lee Aday AKA Meat Loaf...

Meat Loaf hit it big when he and Jim Steinman teamed up to create Bat Out of Hell.  Following the success of their first album, the team regrouped to come up with Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell.  Both of the albums gained a following, making Meat Loaf a hot commodity in the music market.  Meat Loaf's appearance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show also gained some notoriety for the character as an actor.  According to Aday, Meat Loaf is a character and his music is not based on any life experiences from his past.  Not many artists are capable of creating such odd characters to introduce new music to an audience.  This Friday, Meat Loaf is teaming up with Jim Steinman once again to release a new album.  I like this idea, but I am also a bit worried because Aday's voice has drastically changed since his early Meat Loaf days.  Hopefully, Steinman's writing will help to create a fantastic album even if Meat Loaf's voice is shot.  We will just have to wait until tomorrow when Braver Than We Are is finally released in the US!

Image credit: ​By Mr.Mushnik at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1537525