James Ellman

Jan 22, 2025 | theappalachianonline.com | Leah Boone |James Ellman

Shame is a powerful tool used by many to manipulate and control the masses. Whether it be a politician, or your next door neighbor, we as humans exist in societies and structures that use shame to intimidate and corral people. Shame has been a pervasive sickness in human nature that has been seen since the dawn of time. Public humiliation has even been used as a method to distribute punishment in nationalized states like Russia, China, and Western countries since the Middle Ages.

Dec 29, 2024 | theappalachianonline.com | James Ellman

Not enough people are taking advantage of the magic of reading. There is something unique about reading that cannot be found anywhere else. You can watch a movie or listen to music or look at a painting and be transported through their own respective ways, but it’s not the same. The written language holds a special power that cannot ever be replicated. Therefore, everyone should read at least one book a year, as it provides an experience unlike any other.

Nov 24, 2024 | theappalachianonline.com | Leah Boone |James Ellman

In a genre with reality in the name, recent reality television has been feeling artificial and formulaic. With every dating show seeing the same tropes and competition shows consisting of the same played-out narratives, reality TV is just not what it was created to be — a look into the real lives of real people. Reality TV started with a show called “Candid Camera,” a program from 1960 where people were filmed with a hidden camera as they experienced pranks and funny situations.

Nov 17, 2024 | theappalachianonline.com | Leah Boone |James Ellman

Have you ever noticed a horror movie taking a tad too long to get to anything scary? Or a jumpscare seemingly out of nowhere? A trend in horror movies is to have an hour to an hour and 15 minutes of buildup with a jumpscare sprinkled in to keep the audience’s attention, all for just 30 minutes of craziness paired with a rushed ending.

Oct 21, 2024 | theappalachianonline.com | Leah Boone |James Ellman

When most people think of the big movies of recent years, they immediately go to Marvel and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU is dominant in the film industry in a way that has never truly been seen before. This dominance has produced a film industry that no longer rewards artistry, but instead pushes repetition. With sequel after sequel and cameo after cameo, the MCU has created a pillar of the same faces telling the same stories.