Month: October 2019

Superbad (2007)

After last week watching Scott Pilgrim vs the World, I thought it would be appropriate to continue with another Michael Cera movie.  Up until a week ago, I had never watched Superbad (I know gasp).  I felt like I was really missing out on something because I always hear about it.  My junior year crush loved this movie and often made references so I felt the pressure to watch but I never did.  Even though it has been less than a week Superbad has already proved to be a good watch, just this weekend the movie came up in conversation and instead of silently nodding while pretending to know what’s going on, I actually knew what was going on and was able to contribute. 

If you haven’t seen it, the story follows high school seniors, Seth, and Evan trying to make the most of high school before they leave for college.  Both not satisfied with their success with girls, Seth and Evan try to get alcohol in an attempt to impress their crushes, Jules and Becca. They run into many struggles and the storyline takes place over the course of one day where they go on an adventure to get alcohol to the girls.

I had pretty high expectations because of all the hype around the movie. I have heard so many people praise it beforehand that I was scared it would not meet my expectations but I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Superbad and I would definitely watch again.  It was really funny and put me in a good mood.  I would highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it already. Not only was it good but because of its popularity, it is worth a watch for the references alone. 

If I had to compare Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Superbad, I would definitely rate Superbad higher, giving the film a solid 8/10. I gave White Bird in a Blizzard the same score and I think the difference comes in for what kind of movie you are interested in watching.  Superbad is very very funny and could be fun to watch with friends, while White Bird in a Blizzard is serious and dark.  

If you are interested in watching the movie, I watched it on Netflix!

 

Images Used: (order of appearence)

http://barkerhost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/05/7RZWtDkf0mgrxvJNFj43YW2Ugi8-0.jpg 

http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/97f8/superbad.jpg 

https://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/55/2019/10/cmp-920×584.jpg

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)

 

Scott Pilgrim vs the World has been on my list for a while now and if I’m being honest I had no idea anything about this movie but I had just heard the title used before and decided to add it.

When first watching I recognized man familiar faces, including Aubrey Plaza who stars in my favorite tv show, Parks and Recreation. Plaza plays the role of April Ludgate, my favorite character. I was pretty impressed that Plaza and others were included.  Even the annoying girl from 13 Reasons Why was in it. It was nice to see her in a different role

Anyway, about the actual movie, I thought that the storyline was pretty cute and entertaining to watch.  The plot was sweet and funny. Scott Pilgrim was played by Michael Cera and his character was really funny but the supporting roles also did a really good job.  

I thought that the editing of the movie was kind of cool.  Parts, particularly the fight scenes, reminded me of Kill Bill’s fight scenes. While it did remind me of it, it was also very different editing so it was still unique and fresh.  I didn’t realize until I looked up the movie that Scott Pilgrim is a comic book series. After hearing that, I was much more impressed.  I think sometimes adaptations can get messy but I liked how they kept comic book aspects into the film. Again, the fight scenes were very over the top but they were also really fun. After hearing about the comic books it makes sense the creative choices that they made.

Overall I enjoyed watching this movie.  I don’t think it was the best movie I’ve seen but there were some really funny parts that made me laugh. I would give a 7/10 for this one.  I feel like I don’t really have much to talk about with this movie. I enjoyed it but it didn’t stand out to me a lot. But also there wasn’t anything that I disliked about the movie either.  I would definitely recommend this movie if you’re looking for something fairly light to watch and if you’re looking for a giggle. As of right now, this movie is on Netflix (that’s where I watched it) if you are interested!

 

6 ways mushrooms can save the world | Paul Stamets

I was recommended this ted talk, done by Paul Stamets, a mycologist, on what he is doing and discovering to fix our planet’s issues.  He came up with solutions to problems that we have, all involving mushrooms. I feel like most people don’t really know that much about mushrooms, it might be a topping on a pizza but that is about it. Even in school, mushrooms are really never talked about and if I am being honest, it isn’t something that I would seek out information about.  I wasn’t expecting this to be super interesting but at the end of the video I loved it and I am much more interested than I would ever think I would be. 

One of my biggest pet peeves with ted talks, is sometimes an interesting topic that covers up what the speaker is trying to convey.  I find that I am engaged with what the speaker is saying and I am entertained and it feels like they are building for something that never happens.  I will be listening waiting for the argument that they are trying to make but then their story ends and my opinion on the topic they just presented has no change and there is little impact on me. 

I find that a lot of Ted talks discuss an interesting topic, but there is little point of what they are trying to say, it’s just a lot of research and life experiences and stories and that is what is entertaining about them.  Sometimes the humor of a situation overpowers what they are trying to say. However, mushrooms aren’t a topic I would necessarily find interesting but the way Stamets explained everything made it interesting. His passion shone through his speech and he was presenting real solutions to real problems. 

I would definitely give this video a watch.  I think the topics he presents are literally revolutionary in 6 different ways (!!)  The video is a little bit longer and I do think it is a bit slow in the beginning but when he breaks down what he is doing with mushrooms to solve problems, it is really interesting and incredible to watch.

ted talk brainstorm

  • The American education system and culture that is associated with career/ education/ success
    • Secondary education is pushed on most students even if it is not a path that fits them.  
      • In high school the goal that is kept being told to students is college college college! 
    • Other options like trade school are often looked down upon or are not encouraged even if it might be an ideal situation for a student. 
    • Even in college, there are many majors that are looked down upon 
      • I am in the college of liberal arts studying international politics and I am also on a pre-med track.  When I just tell people my major, I often get comments like “what are you going to do with that” “oh” “how do you plan to make money” HOWEVER when I tell people that I am premed, people are often impressed.
  • The education system is a one size fits all system that restrains many students, making them feel incapable and dumb when they are in fact just not in an environment that allows them to thrive. 
    • Blue-collar jobs are not considered to be ideal jobs that one would strive towards.
      • However, there are a lot of people who it should be ideal for but instead, those students are being directed to pursue other career paths. 
    • There is less of an emphasis on what type of job works for you and more emphasis on money and prestige 
      • For example, what are the most pushed jobs? Doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Why? Because of the amount of money.  These aren’t necessarily the hardest jobs or smartest jobs to have. There are many other jobs that are harder and take more smarts but they don’t make as much money, therefore it is not something that is seen as a goal.

500 Days of Summer (2009)

My current favorite YouTuber, Ashley AKA bestdressed, was a film student and over the summer she made a video about her favorite films.  Second on the list was 500 Days of Summer, which I immediately recognized stars, Zooey Deschanel.  One of my favorite TV shows is New Girl, where she is the lead, so I decided that 500 Days of Summer would be the first movie off of Ashley’s list that I would watch for myself.  

 

500 Days of Summer is a coming of age film revolving around Tom, a hopeless romantic, and Summer, a girl who lost hope in love and believes it is nonexistent.  It follows their relationship from where they first meet and the progression of their relationship. 

 

Besides Deshchanel’s portrayal of Jessica Day from New Girl, I haven’t seen any of her actings. In 500 Days of Summer, her character, Summer is completely different from Jess in so many ways but the most obvious is their outlook on life and specifically love.  Summer makes it clear she is not searching for any type of relationship and is not really tied to the concept even when it is within arm’s reach.  Despite her unwillingness to love, she is fairly flirting and even somewhat promiscuous, often teasing Tom and sending mixed signals. In contrast, Jess is much more similar to Tom’s character, the hopeless romantic, and is on a quest to find love. To me, the difference in Deshchanel’s characters showed me her acting and her ability.  I expected Summer to be similar to Jess when starting the movie but I was pleasantly surprised that they were very different. I think she did a really good job of playing Summer and this was one of the many reasons I enjoyed this movie.  

I do think that coming of age films are my favorite.  I like the slowness to it and the casual conversations.  I find them the most fun to dissect and analyze later. Also, they are the most relatable movies to watch too. Even if I’ve never been in the same situation as the characters, it is much easier to put myself in their shoes than say Iole’s shoes from Hercules Unchained. 

I found the visuals in this film to be really pleasing.  The film isn’t in chronological order and I found it cool how it skipped to different points in Tom and Summer’s relationship and was able to show the arc of everything involved.

My favorite part of the movie is the way that changed each other and their outlook on love and life.  From the beginning, Tom is a sucker for love and clings onto relationships that aren’t meant to be where Summer isn’t looking for anything and wants to keep her love life casual.  As the movie goes on, the characters realize that they might need a little bit of both ideas to balance out and grow to be successful.

I think it is easy to blame Summer and portray her as the “bad guy” of the movie when in fact, it may have been Tom himself that was holding him back and creating his perception of what he believes their story to be.  He has a certain expectation of what Summer should be and while he believes in their love, he only focuses on the good and not where there were cracks in their relationship. 

I would give a 9/10.  I found it very entertaining and there was a lot of content to think about after watching. 9/10

(I really apologize for this one, I tried my best to not spoil so at some parts I feel like this may have been difficult to read. I hope it was okay 🙂

Hercules Unchained (1959)

I had to watch this movie for my mythology class and we just went over the classic Hercules myth so I was excited to watch a movie based on the famous hero.  

I think it is really interesting to see the mix of myths being involved in the film.  While the character of the movie is Hercules, he embodies other greek heroes and characters from other myths.  It is cool to see what specifically is added or changed to the story of Hercules and trying to understand why. Hercules Unchained doesn’t stick to the classic twelve labors myth but instead focuses on after and a journey to Thebes, attempting to save the city and allow brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, to peacefully rule the city together.  Why does Thebes, Eteocles and Polynices sound familiar? Eteocles and Polynices are Oedipus’s sons. Oedipus himself even makes an appearance. With that example of a mix of myths, there is also Iole’s character. Iole in the original myth, is a love interest of Hercules, however they never end up actually together, rather he just tries to “woo” her.  With that, she is indirectly the cause of his “death” (he is reborn and becomes immortal) because his wife, Deianira, was jealous of the attention Hercules was giving Iole and poisons him. Hercules had many wives and love interests to it does make sense that Iole was picked for the film, as he never really “settled down” and figuring that the plot of the story stears far away from the classic myth, there is no timeline showing what girl he had at the time. 

Like many adaptations, it was created for a 20th century audience and even though Hercules’ character is considered to be a hero in classic mythology, he often has qualities that are very unhero like. For example, his anger issues which caused him to kill his first wife and children. In Hercules Unchained he actually acts as a hero, saving Iole multiple times and trying to restore peace within the city of Thebes. 

 Hercules Unchained is the sequel to the 1958 film, Hercules, however the movie stands on its own.  Also it is said that the sequel has a better plot and script. 

All in all, while I like to see the differences between the film and the classic myth, I felt a lot of scenes were just pieced together and there was a lack of fluidity within the movie.  In addition, I found the acting to not be amazing. I would give a 4/10.  I feel like I was a little harsh in the rating but I probably will not watch this movie again.

Civic Artifact Speech Outline

Introduction:

  • Introduce concept:
    • Feminism has been a hot topic lately and many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of empowering women but are they actually? The standard of female beauty mixed with feminist ideals are complex, and often hypocritical. Many companies are playing into the feminist movement to sell their goods and promoting the idea that they are empowering the women they are selling to.  The iconic Barbie Doll has been under controversy for displaying an unrealistic portrayal of female beauty and can be seen as a negative role model for young girls. In a new Barbie advertisement, #unapologetic, the famous Barbie is shown in a number of different careers telling girls that they can dream big and accomplish what they want. While this campaign illustrates that you can do anything, it is restricted by the negative body standards that Barbie continues to reinforce. While Barbie takes advantage of the kairotic moment of feminism, they are still promoting and reinforcing female stereotypes that can go against female empowerment. 

Body #1:

  • Context / Audience
    • Barbie’s odd choice of Sports Illustrated 
    • Unlike normal audience of young girls 

Body #2: 

  • What about the ad is attempting to be empowering?
    • Barbie: 
      • #unapologetic
        • Barbie can look good AND achieve what she wants. 
          • Look good IN ORDER to achieve 

Body #3:

  • What about this advertisement is reinforced negative female beauty standards?
    • Barbie
      • Often under criticism for the achievable and unrealistic body image that it promotes 
        • Skinny waist, unachievable curves, 
      • Where the advertisement was placed : Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition
        • Hypersexualized
        • Objectification of women
          • Sports Illustrated criticized for objectification of women -> using actual plastic to represent female beauty, 
        • Audience is confusing because typically Barbie is promoted for young girls 

Conclusion:

  • In conclusion, Barbie tells customers that they can take control of their lives AND look good but the product that Barbie is contradicts this and implies that in order to take control of your future, you need to look good to get there.  Barbie is telling her audience that she is unapologetic for who she is but given that both Barbie and Sports Illustrated has been accused of degrading women, it seems Barbie is unapologetic for being objectified and promoting a negative body standard. 

Civic Artifact Rough Draft

Feminism has been a hot topic lately and many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of empowering women but are they actually? The standard of female beauty mixed with feminist ideals are complex, and often hypocritical. Many companies are playing into the feminist movement to sell their goods and promoting the idea that they are empowering the women they are selling to.  The iconic Barbie Doll has been under controversy for displaying an unrealistic portrayal of female beauty and can be seen as a negative role model for young girls. In a new Barbie advertisement, #unapologetic, the famous Barbie is shown in a number of different careers telling girls that they can dream big and accomplish what they want. While this campaign illustrates that you can do anything, it is restricted by the negative body standards that Barbie continues to reinforce. There is also the Maybelline foundation advertisement.  The regular “Maybe it’s her, maybe it’s Maybelline” was replaced with “make it happen” This new slogan implies that you can take control of your future but what are they actually saying to take control of? While both companies take advantage of the kairotic moment of feminism, they are still promoting and reinforcing female stereotypes that can go against female empowerment. 

While Barbie is known for being a children’s toy, she is now making her way to Sports Illustrated, where she is going to be shown in a four page spread covering Mattel’s latest  “#unapologetic” campaign. With Barbie’s usual audience being young girls, it is odd that her campaign is being launched in Sports Illustrated. Supposedly Barbie is to be portrayed as an example of a woman in control of her life and not compromising anything for being who she is. With that, the audience in which this statement is being made is not the primary audience that the message could best come across. 

Another advertisement attempting to promote female empowerment is a foundation advertisement from Maybelline, advertising their new “dream velvet” foundation.  The iconic “Maybe it’s her, maybe it’s Maybelline,” has been replaced with a new slogan to follow, “Make it happen,” with the “it” in a different font to emphasize achieving goals or whatever “it” is to the audience.  With the majority of Maybelline’s consumers being under the age of twenty four, Maybelline and makeup brands alike show consumers what beauty, giving the example of what girls are to strive for and use their product as a way to get there. 

Barbie has been criticized in the past for being a negative role model for young girls when it comes to body issues.  She sets an unrealistic standard of beauty which promotes a negative look on how young girls view themselves and what they believe to be beautiful.  Her waist has been called too small, her curves too extreme and her weight too low. Not to mention that there has been commentary about her sexualization.   While Barbie has been about every career, there is still always a focus on her looks. The campaign supports that Barbie can achieve and look good while doing it but it can also say that you can only achieve those goals if you look good. This mentality can hurt young girls and make them doubt their capabilities if they do not look a certain way. It has been debated whether or not she is a good role model for young girls and while she may be a fun toy to play with, Barbie sends mixed signals for being a good example for girls to follow. Sports Illustrated has already been under controversy for objectifying women but now they are quite literally using an object to represent female beauty.  

Not specifically Maybelline, but the beauty industry as a whole makes money on women’s imperfections and insecurities.  Many products pointing out problems with women that they didn’t know that they had. Makeup may have the power to empower while women have it on, but often it works as a coverup, only temporarily empowering women and making them insecure without their shield.  In addition, there is a push for the concept of perfection. Several times within the advertisement this fantasy is being promoted while also implying that perfection in beauty can only be achieved through artificially with the use of products and not naturally. 

Both of these advertisements follow a trend of telling their customers to face the rough patches and conquer problems, but the product in which they are selling contradicts the campaign.  Barbie is telling her audience that she is unapologetic for who is but given that both Barbie and Sports Illustrated has been accused of degrading women, it seems that Barbie is unapologetic for being objectified and giving off a negative body standard.  To compare, there is Maybelline, a company that points out a problem and then saves the day by giving the perfect product to cover it up and seize the day. Barbie and Maybelline may differ in the product they are promoting, but they have similar tactics of using female empowerment along with female insecurity to sell.