I was really looking forward to seeing this film (see previous blog post: “Miss Representation”). I;m going to be really honest. I did not really like the director’s way of storytelling. The film was mostly interview-based, but it frequently had cuts to montage scenes of near or mild pornographic images. For a film so adamantly against such things, why did I see more of those images in one film than I have accidentally run across on the internet in the last 5 years? I know, they may have been going for the ‘shock factor’, but after the opening scene, I felt there was no need for it. They were saying it was so bad, yet showing their viewers those same images! Not cool. Overall, nothing was confusing, however, I think it may have helped to have interviews with real women who had struggled with issues, rather than to just interview every famous woman.
I care about this subject, and the director did present many important points. However, I do not feel I was made to care more as the film went on--the amount I cared about the subject was a result of my own opinions, and not hers. I think that, in an attempt to make people care more, the director used the inappropriate images because if the audience was against such things, then they would surely have to realize that they were of her same mindset, too. I feel that she did not need to to so hard to get people to believe that what she said was important, it just is--fact. Alternatively, I think that some of the most effective scene, for me, were ones where they showed video featuring real women in the public eye (like Katie Couric), and the appropriate, yet not overly stiff, way they present themselves. It was a nice way to really see what they were saying we should strive to be.
I felt as if the director was trying to manipulate a bit. For example, they focused a LOT on the small number of women in power-position jobs. They kept saying who and it was that women didn’t have more of those rolls. I agree that any discriminate is wrong, however, I feel they COMPLETELY ignored a VERY important point. A lot of women have families on the side, and do not want to have such a huge job, OR they quite the workforce to be mothers. If both those kinds of women are removed from the mix, then yes, there are less even wanting power positions--but that messes with her statistics. She completely ignored that some women just want a small job, or just want to be a full-time mother. This is also interesting for her to leave out as she said she was making this film for her own young daughter.
I think the film brought up some very important and fair points, however, as the movie progressed, I did feel as if the director did not present every aspect of what she was talking about, and instead provided a some-what narrow view.
Some important points worth talking about were realized in this film, but I unfortunately must admit that I feel they missed out on talking about all women (with varying desires for jobs), and further rejecting the images (which they presented all too often) that they said they were so horrified at.
Mar 9, 2013
"Queen of Versailles" Review
So, a few days ago, I watched the documentary “Queen of Versailles”. As a super short summary, it’s about a wealthy time-share owning family where there is 30 years between the husband and wife, tackiness in taste abounds, and their lives go downhill as the market crashes.
I think that the director did a good job of telling a story that took place over several years. This was especially effective in his interviews with a couple of the children. As they aged, they became more aware of how imperfect their ‘perfect ‘lives were. Also, there was some nice exposition, allowing me to understand how life and had been, and was, for them at the start of the film. That was contrasted nicely with later interviews while they were struggling, and talking about how difficult this change was.
I did not find anything particularly confusing or ineffective as far as the storytelling went--although their lifestyle definitely made me wonder how anyone could become like that, at times.
Interestingly enough, at the start of the film, I found the wife unbearably tacky. However, after getting her backstory, one that had some less-than positive moments that were outside of her control, I had a change of mind. Although she still made me wonder how she could have fallen into being so tasteless, I felt like I understood her initial choices (such as marrying her husband) a lot more, and I felt sympathy for her. It helped that they showed pictures of her from when she was normal, before she had her life turned all around--it showed that she really was just a typical, maybe even pretty level-headed, person once upon a time.
While watching, I never felt manipulated. Although I think the filmmaker had no desire to make their subjects look bad, they seemed to just show things as they were (which at times did not make them look great). This made the film feel like a pretty unbiased look into the wealthiest’s lives. I think they tried to be fair when representing their subjects, and did not try to skew the events that happened.
I think that the director did a good job of telling a story that took place over several years. This was especially effective in his interviews with a couple of the children. As they aged, they became more aware of how imperfect their ‘perfect ‘lives were. Also, there was some nice exposition, allowing me to understand how life and had been, and was, for them at the start of the film. That was contrasted nicely with later interviews while they were struggling, and talking about how difficult this change was.
I did not find anything particularly confusing or ineffective as far as the storytelling went--although their lifestyle definitely made me wonder how anyone could become like that, at times.
Interestingly enough, at the start of the film, I found the wife unbearably tacky. However, after getting her backstory, one that had some less-than positive moments that were outside of her control, I had a change of mind. Although she still made me wonder how she could have fallen into being so tasteless, I felt like I understood her initial choices (such as marrying her husband) a lot more, and I felt sympathy for her. It helped that they showed pictures of her from when she was normal, before she had her life turned all around--it showed that she really was just a typical, maybe even pretty level-headed, person once upon a time.
While watching, I never felt manipulated. Although I think the filmmaker had no desire to make their subjects look bad, they seemed to just show things as they were (which at times did not make them look great). This made the film feel like a pretty unbiased look into the wealthiest’s lives. I think they tried to be fair when representing their subjects, and did not try to skew the events that happened.
May 21, 2012
The Avengers Premiere
Alright, so a group of kids from my ward decided to go and see The Avengers the night it came out (I know, I bet you never would have guessed that based on the title, yeah?) There had been talk about how funny it'd be if we all dressed up as Harry Potter characters--especially with the type of fans that would be at the midnight showing. Well, I figured it was mostly just conversation, however, about an hour before we were meant to leave, I came out of my room (which was solely mine at the time. That only lasted about 2 weeks, by the way. However, it's alright, Heidi is my new roommate now, as opposed to flatmate, so it's all good.) and my flatmates were all dressing up. I had nothing better to do, so I thought I might as well, too. I have never dressed up for any movie before--and I was purposefully dressing for the wrong film. That's the way to do it, I tell ya. With Lucy's help, I was able to create a pretty neat Bellatrix Lestrange costume and hairdo.
As it turns out, no one else had the guts to dress up with us. Goobers--the lot of 'em! At the theater, it was brilliant--so many people talked about us and watched us as we walked (or, in my case, strutted, past). Unfortunately, despite our early arrival, our group had to sit on the front row. On the plus side, it gave people a better view of us, and I was able to strut darkly (haha, yeah...) for my audience. It was great--I held my expression nearly the whole time even though people were definitely looking right at me! It made me miss theatre, that's for sure. Check out the pics--Lucy is Tonks, Heidi is Hermione, Morgan is Professor Trelawney, and I, of course, am Bellatrix.
As it turns out, no one else had the guts to dress up with us. Goobers--the lot of 'em! At the theater, it was brilliant--so many people talked about us and watched us as we walked (or, in my case, strutted, past). Unfortunately, despite our early arrival, our group had to sit on the front row. On the plus side, it gave people a better view of us, and I was able to strut darkly (haha, yeah...) for my audience. It was great--I held my expression nearly the whole time even though people were definitely looking right at me! It made me miss theatre, that's for sure. Check out the pics--Lucy is Tonks, Heidi is Hermione, Morgan is Professor Trelawney, and I, of course, am Bellatrix.
In character:
And posing at the front of the theater:
Oh, and the movie was really good, too!
May 2, 2012
Miss Representation
As a Tracy Anderson Method consumer, I get emails from TA every once in a while. Today, the email came with several links for women, as Mother's Day is approaching. At the bottom, Tracy recommended watching the doc "Miss Representation". I read the little blurb about it and figured that this movie was about how oppressed women were and how much life sucks sometimes because we are so victimized (or something like that). However, I clicked the link that took me to the site, and immediately realized that I was wrong. I watched the trailer and was shocked. This film talks about how objectified women are in society. My favourite quote is: "You can't be what you can't see". Now, I am not suggesting that every point is being represented perfectly, however, I am very interested in this and feel very passionately about it.
In the trailer, there is a montage of clips of women as portrayed in the media. It was shocking and sickening. Though I've always tried my best to avoid such things in the world, I have also been fairly sure that I at least know enough about what is going on. Especially in Church, I hear about how this is the most wicked time and the most wicked world, and, quite honestly, I end up boggled a lot of the time after hearing this. I understand that there is an exceeding mount of wickedness going on, yet I cannot imagine a world where things are that much better (what do they do there--just skip through the flowers all day?). Watching that trailer was a huge eye opener--seeing a collection of what is popular and considered good entertainment. It really helped me to see how horribly objectified women are. It's so wrong. Hollywood tells us that we must be beautiful to be successful, and watching just one thing that sort of supports such a message may not seem too bad, however, when you realize that that is the message that nearly everything is selling women, it is revolting.
Now, there is really only one major thing that I disagree with from the trailer. They say that when boys are girls are young, about an even number of them want to be president when they grow up, but when you ask them when they are 15, girls are far less likely to want that still. There probably are some who just don't think they could, but, at least for me, I think that it isn't as tragic as they make it out to be. As girls get older, I think that many of them probably decide that they would rather be mothers or have less stressful jobs (so they can balance a family, or whatever). Political life isn't that huge a draw for a lot of people, I feel. Either way, check out the site, here's the link. Also, here is the link to the longer video. I highly recommend it. This is a pretty excellent cause, I feel.
In the trailer, there is a montage of clips of women as portrayed in the media. It was shocking and sickening. Though I've always tried my best to avoid such things in the world, I have also been fairly sure that I at least know enough about what is going on. Especially in Church, I hear about how this is the most wicked time and the most wicked world, and, quite honestly, I end up boggled a lot of the time after hearing this. I understand that there is an exceeding mount of wickedness going on, yet I cannot imagine a world where things are that much better (what do they do there--just skip through the flowers all day?). Watching that trailer was a huge eye opener--seeing a collection of what is popular and considered good entertainment. It really helped me to see how horribly objectified women are. It's so wrong. Hollywood tells us that we must be beautiful to be successful, and watching just one thing that sort of supports such a message may not seem too bad, however, when you realize that that is the message that nearly everything is selling women, it is revolting.
Now, there is really only one major thing that I disagree with from the trailer. They say that when boys are girls are young, about an even number of them want to be president when they grow up, but when you ask them when they are 15, girls are far less likely to want that still. There probably are some who just don't think they could, but, at least for me, I think that it isn't as tragic as they make it out to be. As girls get older, I think that many of them probably decide that they would rather be mothers or have less stressful jobs (so they can balance a family, or whatever). Political life isn't that huge a draw for a lot of people, I feel. Either way, check out the site, here's the link. Also, here is the link to the longer video. I highly recommend it. This is a pretty excellent cause, I feel.
Back to Tracy Anderson. I just found out that she is having a second child this month. I have to say, I really admire her. One of her original DVDs was a post-pregnancy workout, and she talks--fairly often--about how women can be mothers and have a body that makes them feel beautiful. I remember a while back when Jillian Michaels said she would never have children because she did not want to lose her body. In response, Tracy sent out an email saying that was a horrible mindset--that women are naturally nurturing and many of us want to have families. She also said that you can look great afterwords (you can see the results with her and her clients). However, when Tracy last had a child, she wasn't the super-trainer that she is today. I was really pleased to see that the trainer I have aligned with puts a high value on family and motherhood, even though she had the perfect body.
On a final note, I would just like to bring up that there is a difference between 'sexy' and 'sexism'. I find nothing wrong with innocently (for lack of a better term) wanting to feel sexy--it's the devaluation of women that I have a problem with.
Oh, and that guy--(in the trailer) that replied, "You mean besides the pms and the mood swings?"--can go to hell.
Oh, and that guy--(in the trailer) that replied, "You mean besides the pms and the mood swings?"--can go to hell.
May 1, 2012
Zumba--it's a dance party!
I've been meaning to blog about this for several months now. Brilliant. Anyway...
So, my freshman year of college, I bought a bracelet that allowed me to attend Zumba classes (and others, but I mostly did Zumba) in the evening. For about a month, I was really good and went a couple of times a week, however, after that, I stopped going. Since the bracelet only gave me access for 1 semester, I went Zumba-less for nearly a year. Fall semester of my sophomore year, I enrolled in a Zumba class (for credit). There, I was bitten with the Zumba bug. Some days, I really hated that I had to exercise (the grades were solely based upon attendance. However, I actually memorized the choreography to several songs we did and would do them in me flat on days when I didn't have the class. Over Christmas break, I went Zumba crazy. It was pretty much the only productive thing I did. I would dance for a couple of hours--it was great! This past Winter semester, I bought another bracelet, went once, but then ended up Zumba-ing on my own. There are so many routines online, so you can choose which songs you feel like doing.
I love the results I've seen. Dancing definitely increases full-body coordination, and I have shaped up quite a bit!
To anyone curious about Zumba--try it. It's loads of fun. If you don't know too much about it, then check out this video. This is currently my favourite routine to do, so I thought I'd film it for those who want to know what Zumba is all about.
So, my freshman year of college, I bought a bracelet that allowed me to attend Zumba classes (and others, but I mostly did Zumba) in the evening. For about a month, I was really good and went a couple of times a week, however, after that, I stopped going. Since the bracelet only gave me access for 1 semester, I went Zumba-less for nearly a year. Fall semester of my sophomore year, I enrolled in a Zumba class (for credit). There, I was bitten with the Zumba bug. Some days, I really hated that I had to exercise (the grades were solely based upon attendance. However, I actually memorized the choreography to several songs we did and would do them in me flat on days when I didn't have the class. Over Christmas break, I went Zumba crazy. It was pretty much the only productive thing I did. I would dance for a couple of hours--it was great! This past Winter semester, I bought another bracelet, went once, but then ended up Zumba-ing on my own. There are so many routines online, so you can choose which songs you feel like doing.
I love the results I've seen. Dancing definitely increases full-body coordination, and I have shaped up quite a bit!
Pre-Zumba:
Post Zumba:
To anyone curious about Zumba--try it. It's loads of fun. If you don't know too much about it, then check out this video. This is currently my favourite routine to do, so I thought I'd film it for those who want to know what Zumba is all about.
Feb 17, 2012
Fort of Awesome
On Pinterest a few weeks back, I came across a list of indoor activities to do with young children. As I read the list, I was became increasingly excited because so many of the things on the list were activities that I thought would be fun. Now. Even if children weren't involved. So, I wrote down a list of my favourites from that list. Since that time, I have been anxious to actually do things off that list. Last night, I was finally able to do one.
What do a handful of college students do at 10 p.m. when they are bored? Build a fort out of furniture and blankets, of course! That's right, we made an awesome-spice fort. Then, we sat inside talking excitedly about how cool our fort was, how fun it was to have made a fort, and how great it was to be sitting inside our fort (because we're just that cool). We actually managed to stuff 7 people inside at one point. Impressive, n'est-ce pas? Once we were all happily squished inside, like a bunch of sardines, Dave read us a story--in total darkness, aside from a single flashlight--for half and hour. It was great. Near midnight, several people stopped by and they all seemed to appreciate our handiwork/the fact that we spent our time building a fort (because everybody enjoys forts). It was ridiculously brilliant.
To make things even better, I actually got pictures of it (if you're interested in seeing a few more poorly taken pictures of us in our fort, they're on Facebook). Check it out.
Exterior view:
Inside the fort:
What do a handful of college students do at 10 p.m. when they are bored? Build a fort out of furniture and blankets, of course! That's right, we made an awesome-spice fort. Then, we sat inside talking excitedly about how cool our fort was, how fun it was to have made a fort, and how great it was to be sitting inside our fort (because we're just that cool). We actually managed to stuff 7 people inside at one point. Impressive, n'est-ce pas? Once we were all happily squished inside, like a bunch of sardines, Dave read us a story--in total darkness, aside from a single flashlight--for half and hour. It was great. Near midnight, several people stopped by and they all seemed to appreciate our handiwork/the fact that we spent our time building a fort (because everybody enjoys forts). It was ridiculously brilliant.
To make things even better, I actually got pictures of it (if you're interested in seeing a few more poorly taken pictures of us in our fort, they're on Facebook). Check it out.
Exterior view:
Feb 2, 2012
Another Video About Being a Film Student
Alright, so this is gold. Couldn't not share it:
"Jack's Films". Teehee!
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