SIFF~Actresses AND The Freebie

This movie was very intriguing not only for getting used to the subtitles that had to be carefully read, but the overall plot for how all these actresses connected. This movie had a lot to do with female empowerment by basing it on the actual experiences that these famous actresses had to go through. They all start out like typical women--stressed about getting to work on time and preparing for the responsibilities they will have that day. As the photoshoot continues, of course comes some drama between the actresses--talking crap behind the other's back and trying to piss the other one off. But towards the end, they all come together during a long dinner scene and discuss their feelings of the struggles they deal with. All of them share a deep understanding of one another and end up all laughing over all the worries they've had and soon get along the best since they all met.



This movie was one, if not, of my favorites of the SIFF. It had such a great humor to it, as the audience can easily connect with their relationship--whether in good or bad situations. As the movie starts off with their quirky and cute connections, they realize the intimacy that's missing. Seeing how this may be a problem, they both decide to give eachother a "freebie", letting both of them have even a one night stand with someone else, to see just exactly how serious their own relationship is. What I love about this movie is that without having to give the answer of whether or not they slept with someone else, they realize how much they love eachother and want things to stay as they were.


Picture link for Actresses: http://www.hancinema.net/voir_une_photo.php?table=films&id_objet=1093&id=102249©right=

Picture link for The Freebie: http://www.google.com/imglanding?q=the%20freebie&imgurl=http://thescorecardreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/thefreebie.jpg&imgrefurl=http://thescorecardreview.com/review/film-reviews/2010/03/31/the-freebie/9357&usg=__hFJbDQzYktQZ9ker-42TSRte24E=&h=677&w=460&sz=104&hl=en&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=01AwI7zqVTcLrM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=94&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bfreebie%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&start=7#tbnid=01AwI7zqVTcLrM&start=11

SIFF~Dear Lemon Lima

Dear Lemon Lima turned out to be better then I expected-not saying that I didn't think it would be good, seeing as I picked out this movie in particular from the other options, but it was a great and heartfelt storyline with even a few shocking twists. From watching the preview of this movie in class, I thought it was going to be the typical chick flick/all around family film for most girls/pre-teens. Well, the main audience does in fact go towards more of that age group, but can connect with even some guys at certain parts of the movie.

One of the major topics this movie goes over and that we've discussed in class is masculinity. You have the typical "jock" character of Philip Georgey, who at the beginning of the movie broke up with the main character who's madly in love with him (Vanessa Lemor). Throughout the whole film, Philip feels as though winning is the most important thing and decides to be really cocky while competing in the Snowstorm Survivor competition. Also, another important character in the story, Hercules Howard, is the "nerd" who gets treated horribly from his family; the only people he can really turn to are his group of friends that he met in the weight room during gym. Being Vanessa's next door neighbor, Vanessa witnesses these events such as Hercules's parents freeing his pet rabbit because it's not "manly". His father later on makes him go hunting for deer in the forest, when obviously he doesn't enjoy it.

As for the femininity aspect of the film, Vanessa has a huge role for that because she's trying to win back Philip's heart by not being herself. When she sees that Philip has now moved on with another girl named Megan Kennedy, Vanessa tries to be like her by dying her hair blonde just like Megan's. She claims that her hair looks like dirt and thinks that it'll possitively grab the attention of Philip. After getting rejected even more with this new look, she then dyes her hair bright pink to make a statement that she doesn't care what Philip thinks anymore and is now focused on just her team.

There were some surprising events that happened towards the end, that I won't get into for those that might watch, but my take on the movie overall was that it very heart felt, had a good message of how infatuation can take over the really important things in life, and just moving on.


*Used wikipedia.com for back up info (remembering character's names, etc.)

Picture link:
http://www.google.com/imglanding?q=dear%20lemon%20lima&imgurl=http://inside.nike.com/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/39659/LemonLima_lrg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/sportswear/es_ES/view_post%3F%26post%3Den_US/2009/07/24/cinema-tuesdays-dear-lemon-lima-at-the-montalb-n&usg=__ZEnBKPqeysF6AVHpZYQksMJUzRM=&h=510&w=908&sz=128&hl=en&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=3z1mR7MlE70Y4M:&tbnh=83&tbnw=147&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddear%2Blemon%2Blima%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=3z1mR7MlE70Y4M&start=3

Views of sexuality in "But I'm a Cheerleader"

The movie "But I'm A Cheerleader", being as comedic as it turned out, also had a very powerful point of view on sexual orientaion. Actor Natasha Lyonne does an incredible job playing the role of Megan Bloomfield, a cheerleader who claims to be heterosexual because of her "normal" lifestyle; has a boyfriend, is involved in a school activity, etc. Her family and friends eventually schedule an intervention, telling her that they think she's a homosexual from what they've noticed going on in her life that seemed out of the ordinary--having pictures of girls in her locker, not enjoying kissing her boyfriend, being vegetarian, and much more.

Some aspects that stood out to me in the film, connecting really well with one of the readings we had in class was "Naming All The Parts" by Kate Bornstein. All of the main points she gets to, that triggers how we tend to judge people in society today, are Gender Identity, Gender Attribution, Gender Roles, Gender Assignment, Kinds of Sex, Basic Mix-Up, Sex Without Gender, and Desire. With these put into mind, here are those connections of the movie (mainly discussing the main character, Megan) and these topics:

Gender Identity: She definitely feels feminine and comfortable being a girl.

Gender Attribution: Looks like a girl at first glance.

Gender Roles: She believes that it's very feminine and normal to have the typical "preppy girl" lifestyle as a cheerleader with a botfriend.

Gender Assignment: Has been treated like a girl growing up.

Kinds of Sex: Feels feminine.

Basic Mix-Up: Parents want her to be heterosexual; thinks being a lesbian is not "normal".

Sex Without Gender: This one is a major point to consider because she slowly realizes her homosexuality and accepts it.

Desire: When Megan falls in love with another girl in the film named Graham Eaton.



~ picture link: http://www.google.com/imglanding?q=but%20im%20a%20cheerleader&imgurl=http://ilarry.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/but-im-a-cheerleader.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ilarry.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/the-best-movie-in-the-history-of-movies/&usg=__5iM3COKVheeN_FE7pGPq7i9H9jo=&h=500&w=333&sz=44&hl=en&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=zCSbw6wMzlg0sM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbut%2Bim%2Ba%2Bcheerleader%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=zCSbw6wMzlg0sM&start=0

~ also used the source "wikipedia.com"

The power of disability

One of the most common stereotypes for people with disabilities is that they are not able to take care of themselves; thus, thought of as "childlike", "helpless", etc. Not only is this by far a false assumption, but it is very offensive to the disability community. Film has made many movies that greatly bring out the power that many people with disabilities can have. Whether it's a story that is fiction and more towards the entertainment aspect, movies have brought out good messages towards disabilities and has made people without them have a better idea of what they go through on a day to day basis.



One great movie that discusses the hardships of disabilities is "Forrest Gump". As the title states itself, Forrest is the main character of this story. Throughout his childhood, he's had to deal with many bullies that made fun of him because of his leg deformity, having to wear leg braces. Ironically enough, though he has trouble getting around with his leg braces, while he's running from a group of bullies one day, he brakes loose from the braces and amazes those around him that notice just how fast he can run. Later on, his great ability to run really fast, even though it still takes time to get used to controlling his speed and knowing when to stop, has him get accepted to college on a football scholarship. Throughout the movie, it shows these outstanding experiences that Forrest has had, that one without a disability would most likely not even begin to think a person with one could do. A couple more examples are him joining the army and rescuing many of the soldiers, his long run across the country for about 4 years which made him famous, and much more.

Many other movies have brought attention to the life of people with disabilities, which has been very beneficial since we get more of a sympathetic view for them, such as "Daredevil", "Xmen",and many more. Even though movies such as "Children Of A Lesser God" haven't greatly brought out the "silent world" of deaf people, (since the sign language throughout the movie was not translated in subtitles and only through one of the main characters without the disability) it still possitively brings out the message of the difficulties that deaf people have through communication. It is important that we understand the hardships that people with disabilities have to go through, so that as a nation, we can all communicate and better understand eachothers views and lifestyles, and accept them for who they are.

site for picture: http://students.cup.edu/Gil8867/aboutme.htm
site used for more backup info on "Forrest Gump": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_gump
site used for the opinions of the movie "Children Of A Lesser God": http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19861003/REVIEWS/610030301/1023

Is there a class?

It's interesting to consider the thought that there really isn't an upper or lower class in our society. In the article "Class in America-2009" by Gregory Mantsios, he brings up 4 Myths based on the idea of the United States being thought of as a "middle class" nation overall. These were listed as--Myth 1: We are a classless society, Myth 2: We are a middle-class nation, Myth 3: We are getting richer, and Myth 4: Everyone has an equal chance to succeed.



Although I can see the point of view on this topic, these myths really do just stay as myths. It's pretty obvious when America has been having severe economic struggles and also considering the fact that were in a time period where our stock market is the worst since the Great Depression. There are also many facts stated of just how low our economy has gotten--"The wealthiest 1 percent of the American population holds 34 percent of the total national wealth." With that said, also--"The richest 20 percent of Americans hold nearly 85 percent of the total household wealth in the country." This is a huge gap between the rich/poor people around the country, given the fact that as a whole, America is not that wealthy. But we should not be considered a middle-class nation because there are many people that still carry a big wallet.

Another section that I found interesting and pretty true about America's lifestyles, was a statement that said, "Clothing disguises much of the poverty in the United States, and this may explain, in part, its middle-class image." Even through all the money issues we have and still deal with, we continue to spend money on unimportant items just because it makes us look good--cars, clothes, houses, etc. There are so many advertisements shown in the media that have people buying their products, showing just what kind of lifestyle we want/try and have. It's also sad, but true that to conclude this subject, lifestyles really do depend on the people we know (close friends/family) and how we were brought up. Many people are already born into wealthy families that are able to get high paid jobs that are family owned, or just grew into a poor family, struggling a lot more to take care of themselves.

Blackface/whiteface--offensive or humorous?

Nowadays it seems like there's so much racial humor that it doesn't seem to phase people anymore, but does it still create a lot of hype in the media? Many movies have used this method of entertainment such as White Chicks, The Jazz Singer, Tropic Thunder, and even shows like Saturday Night Live that have made this type of comedy so popular.

It's intersting to think that using whiteface/blackface throughout entertainment would've been more offensive around the 1930's-1950's because of all the segregation, but now, even though some people still take it offensively, society has come a long ways of taking such a certain matter like this that personally. Movies like The Jazz Singer (1927), where the main character Jack uses blackface to sing jazz for the broadway plays he was in, seemed very normal around that time period since blackface was such a common form of entertainment. Of course with all the discrimination back then, not having any form of racial humor against whites, many African-Americans were angry and offended for what they had to deal with. Now, there's so much racial humor with any type of race that as a whole, most people find it a positive sense of humor that's rare not to find in most comedies today.

One movie where blackface was used in a very humorous, but exaggerated way, was Tropic Thunder. Talented actor Robert Downey Jr. played the role of Kirk Lazarus, an Austrailian actor that had a pigmentation alteration to play an African-American character called Sergeant Lincoln Osiris for the movie they're shooting. Personally, I think he did an amazing job for playing such an exaggerated role of how a typical black person would act. What's also impressive is that not only does he have to be in character for an African-American, but he had to pull off originally being Australian, which ended up really successful. What was so funny about his role was that even off screen of filming, his character still played the portrayal of a black person. He had sayings like, "yeeah, hah!", "yo!", but even funnier is that at one point, he brings up that most of what he says has to end up in the exclamation "hah!".

For a whiteface example, Eddie Murphy had a hilarious role of playing a white guy in the show Saturday Night Live. The whole clip before he was actually "transformed" into this white guy, was about him studying how white males act in public. He talked about things such as keeping his butt and posture firm while walking and how white people read many Hallmark cards. After his transformation and going out to see how whites treat other whites, he notices that it's a very different perspective than he thought; white people giving eachother free things at the cashier, having a little party on the bus after a black guy walks off. Many exaggerated acts of humor may have seemed a little offensive, but looking around my classroom after watching these scenes, everyone continued cracking up over every racial joke.

With this in mind on how blackface, whiteface, and even other "faces" of racial jokes that come up in entertainment so casually nowadays, this use of humor seems like more of a use of comedy that most people like to watch, as long as people don't go over the top to offend anyone. This simply is just another form, of the many racial jokes out there, that seem to positively entertain people of all ethnic backgrounds.











satire

African-Americans make it big in entertainment

Throughout the entertainment industry, there has been much discrimination for African-Americans to play strong roles in well known movies. As soon as "Hollywood's Golden Era" (1930's-1940's) came around, television shows started having "mammies" (nickname for black maids for mostly white families). Not too long after, movies with most of the cast being African-American began airing. In one of the articles called "The Studios Have It All Wrong" by Film Director Spike Lee, he stated, "...I rarely see anybody that looks like me. That's the case throughout the industry...". He said this refering to many of the office meetings that the movie producers had.

Another quote that stood out to me from Lee was "There are some black men who can push a project onto the screen: Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Wesley Snipes and Samuel Jackson all have varying degrees of power." All of these actors are talented but my favorite one that he stated was Will Smith. I have always been a huge fan of Will Smith and not just because he's just a good actor, but he can pull off any type of role extremely well, whether it's comedy from "Hitch" or a serious drama like "Pursuit of Happiness". He's probably one of the most recognized black actors, or just any actors in general, in today's entertainment industry.



Will became very well known when the comedy series "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" started in 1990 and continued through until 1996. After his huge popularity with Fresh Prince, he made many blockbuster films even to this day. A fascinating and amazing fact is that Will is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films to gross over $100 million in the domestic box office. Lee also mentioned in his article that many black films haven't been recognized enough at award shows and that they seem to show the same black celebrities that host/perform at them. Well we really have come a long way since discrimination issues began and actors as talented as Will Smith prove that. It's definetely not a walk in the park to be standing where Will is, but looking back at everything that he's accomplised, we as a society have changed majorly when it comes to great success among diversity.

Patriarchy still continues

Discussing this topic in class has made me realize that not only were there stereotypes based on sex that were very common around the 1920’s, but even to this day there are many films that revolve around the masculinity around men. To compare, let’s start with cinema in the 1930’s/1940’s. During this period, the wives in movies were expected to be stay at home mothers who would have dinner ready before their husband got home. No arguments were meant to happen between the spouses and the husband was always working to bring home the money. Currently there are still films and even videogames, though not as drastic as back in the day, that intentionally make men the main character or just overpowering other supporting characters. For example, with films, most action movies star men as the main role. Of course it makes sense when the movies are based on actual comic books, having to keep the main character the same, but movies like The Day After Tomorrow or Disturbia are just a couple of the many films that decide male actors better suit that genre. Also, with videogames, most of the characters that people get to choose from are male; only one to a few are female, even though many girls are playing videogames now. So overall, it’s just very interesting and kind of shocking that these stereotypes still live on through movies today just because of how we as a society are used to this continuation of how men/women are viewed.

Sick of being sick

I rarely ever get sick. So last week as my roomate starts to come down with a pretty bad cough, I begin to worry about even catching a little bit of it. As it turns out, I do. About a week ago is when the cough started, wasn't too bad, but I worried considering that the last time I had this bad of a cough was a year ago and now I'm falling into the same trap. Not only does it start off with this vicious cough that only starts to get worse, but now my nose is constantly running by the end of the week :/. So ok, all I can think to myself is, "This is a small cold. You barely get sick. Sure, it's getting a little worse, but by the end of this week it should be gone, right?". Wrong. Easter weekend is coming up and I'm visiting family I haven't seen in a month. Great. As I continue to get worse, now I'm gonna have to energize myself up to spending time with the family and also visiting a close friend; not a good time to be this sick when it's supposed to be a cheery weekend, right? So by the time I come back to Seattle early Monday morning, I realize that I will not be able to funtion properly to get up for school on only 2 hours (if I'm lucky) of sleep. Ugh, even sleeping in a little I still feel horrible. To get to my point...it's Wednesday, still sick, getting a little better, same symptoms, cloudy day, blah mood...I.Want.This.Cold.To.End. But on the other hand...I must say that I'm looking forward to, what so far, seems to be a sunny weekend! That always brightens up my mood :)