Short Term 12

Don’t read this if you want to watch the movie yourself, it’s full of spoilers. Short Term 12 is a film filled with all kinds of emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, depression, hurt, loneliness, love, pain, but mostly togetherness. Throughout the film, all of the kids have their own problems as well as the people in charge of them, they’ve all had their fair share of rough patches in life. Mason was adopted by some of the best foster parents in the world. Grace lost her mom at a young age and her father was abusive. She really connected with this girl, Jayden, who was currently going through the same thing. Grace’s father was being released from prison soon and she couldn’t talk about it until after she had helped Jayden. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Grace was pregnant with Mason’s baby and he proposed to her? This kid Marcus had a rough life before he came to their facility and after he let things started to get brighter for him and his life was starting to turn around, he was seeing the bright side of things. This film allowed for the viewer to feel the emotions that the characters were feeling. In the end of the movie, Mason got his girl, Grace talked about her feelings, Jayden was turning her dad in, and Marcus found his girl, had a job, and was applying to college. This movie showed the reality of the world and I think there needs to be more movies like this.

Frozen- What's the big uproar?

When Frozen was released, there was a huge uproar all across the globe. But why? Simply because it was amazing. It was a great children’s film. It had the depression/sadness, the romance, the action, the moral lessons. Disney captured all of it in one film. The beginning of the movie made millions cry. Elsa and Anna’s parents were killed in a sea storm. Elsa locked herself in her room to try and avoid hurting anyone else and while she tried to figure out how her life was going to work, she was going to be crowned the next queen. Well, Elsa ran away. What’s a sister to do? Chase after her of course… and fall in love along the way. When you love someone, you’re not really supposed to let them go, not like that. Elsa was going to isolate herself to stop herself from harming others. She really just needed to learn how to control her power. Anyway, Anna saved Elsa and their kingdom from her ex-lover who didn’t really love her, he just wanted her kingdom. Moral of the story, learn to forgive and always put family first. Family is important, they will always be there for you. And, keep watching Frozen. There was an uproar for a reason!

Monsters University

The sequel that was really a prequel: Monsters University. Another great film! I honestly love when they remake or make new movies that go along with the movies from my childhood. It gives me something to look forward to but something to look back on at the same time. As a kid, Monsters Inc. was always one of my favorite movies. But, it didn’t have any background. It didn’t tell you how Mike and Sully met, it didn’t explain how Monsters Inc. and their jobs came into play, but Monsters University does just that. It tells you how, when, and where Mike and Sully met… Wait for it, they met at Monsters University! Throughout their college experience they had many competitions about which group of monsters was the best. Mike and Sully’s team won. They got kicked out of college, but they saw a newspaper article where Monsters Inc. was hiring. And boom, there you go. Just a movie too late. Regardless, it was a cute movie and I enjoyed it a lot. Disney is a fantastic company with some pretty amazing movies. I can’t imagine what my childhood would have bene like had they not existed, with millions of other kids right beside me!

The Parent Trap

The Parent Trap. A classic movie. An absolutely fantastic movie, a brilliant idea. As a kid, when I watched the movie, I often wondered if it was based off of a true story. How cool would it be to live a “double life”? But, not in the Hannah Montana type of way, don’t get me wrong, that would still be fun, but that’s a little different than The Parent Trap. Could you imagine living out all of your childhood and not knowing that you had a twin? Let alone, a twin with a British accent. How would you react when you found out? Would you run away from the problem? Would you get mad at your parents? Or would you set them up to meet up and find out that you and your twin know about each other, like they did in the movie? Whoever thought of this was pure genius. The Parent Trap is something that had to of taken a lot of time to make and produce. I’ve seen both versions, but the Lindsey Lohan version has stuck with me the most. They didn’t even use twins to make the movie, she played both parts. That takes talent! I love The Parent Trap, and if you haven’t seen it, then I highly recommend it.

Can Films Save the World?

“Can Films Save the World?” is an interesting article by Carl Kozlowski. He talks about a couple companies who produce documentaries based on real world problems and difficulties such as the Haiti earthquakes and the child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These two organizations, Discover the Journey, led by Olinger and Branham, and Deidox, led by Gudgel, not only wanted to make the world aware of what was happening in these other countries, but they wanted to get people involved to solve the problem. It is not going to be fixed overnight, it will take time. But, if people are aware of the problems and are shown ways to try and help solve the problem, there is a better chance that something will happen and the lives of the people that are affected will be changed for the better. I admire them for doing what they do. I’m not going to lie, I’m a fan of buying t-shirts to help try and fix a cause because I sold them and I know that the money can be beneficial, also, I just really like t-shirts. At the same time, I know that just buying a t-shirt isn’t going to be enough. Helping people and becoming a part of the solution is the only way to better this world.

Apparently I'm a White Supremist

Apparently, I’m a white supremist. The discussion you had in class last Thursday about the election really pissed me off. You basically accused anyone that voted for Trump as being a white supremist. That is NOT the case. Just because you voted for Trump does NOT mean that you voted for him because he is racist against blacks, Muslims, women, and people of the LGBT+ community. Some people take it too far and that is why they voted for him, but that’s not the case for most people. Both candidates were awful. But maybe, did you ever think, that maybe, people voted for Trump because they liked his policies. Maybe they wanted to get rid of Obamacare which is one of the worst things that Obama has done. Hillary just wanted to change it. Maybe people wanted the illegals deported so Americans could get jobs back. Building a wall might be a little excessive, but he has a good idea. If people want to live here, they should go about it the legal way. Trump may not support people of the LGBT+ community, but they cannot have their marriage rights taken away because that was something passed by the Supreme Court. The President does not work by himself. Just because Trump wants something does not mean that it will happen. He has to have his things approved through both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Quit talking about how bad of a president Trump is going to be, and give him a chance. He’s not even in office yet. They were both bad candidates. They both had good and bad ideas. It was about picking the lesser of the two evils. Some people picked Trump for his policies and not for his racist views!!!!! So, thank you for your opinion, but I am NOT a white supremist.

Geri's Game

Geri's Game was one of my favorite Pixar shorts that we watched in class. It was probably the funniest one that we watched. I’m not entirely sure why it was so entertaining, it was just an old man with an unproportionable sized nose playing chess by himself in the park. He got really into it and went back and forth around the table instead of just turning the board. He had the most intense game of chess that I have ever seen. That may have been why the film was significant to me. Geri was really into what he was doing. That reminds me of the Pixar reading that we had to complete. Pixar isn’t all business. Pixar is a fun place to work. It is enjoyable for all of the employees because they go there to make movies that they would want to watch, they bounce ideas off of each other without judgement, they make each other’s ideas better. They help each other to do better by having fun. They talk. They look for what’s beneficial. They look at things with fresh eyes. They want to make it the best they can. Pixar films are fun to watch and fun to make.

Dodge Ball

I just watched Dodge Ball for the first time this weekend on the way to our bowling tournament in Georgia. “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” A famous quote by Patches, the seven time dodgeball champion. If you haven’t watched Dodge Ball, you need to. It’s an incredibly funny movie. Dwight Goodman tries to out buy Peter LaFuer’s gym because he doesn’t want any “competition” and he just wants to own it all. Dwight is rich and thinks he can do anything he wants. Dwight used to be a very very big man, now he is lean and fit. If Peter didn’t get $50,000 buy the end of the month, he was losing his gym. But one of the kids from his gym convinced him to fight because that gym was a part of everyone there. The only way he could win the $50,000 was to win a dodgeball tournament at nationals. When Dwight found out what he was going to do, he joined the competition. Patches trained Peter’s team in dodgeball. Once they made it to nationals, Patches died by an electric sign dropping on him (also, he was in a wheel chair). The team started to fall apart and separate. After everyone decided to do it for patches, it came down to a sudden death match where Peter won the $50,000 but there was a bunch of complications between him and Dwight and Peter ended up owning Dwight’s business as well as his own and being very rich. You could say that things worked out for him in the end.

TFIOS

The Fault in Our Stars. A fantastic movie and an even better book. It is probably my all time favorite book and movie. The first time I read it, I didn’t know that it was a real book. My friend sent me a link to Wattpad and told me to read it, so I did. She didn’t tell me that it was sad. I was sitting at my dad’s tattoo shop in the lobby reading it, I got to the sad part, and I had tears streaming down my face. Two girls walked in. I looked at them, stood up, said hi, and walked into the other room and told my dad that we needed to leave. Well, I’ve read the book 5 times since them and I’ve cried every time. I went and saw the movie on opening night. My friend and I did not go prepared. We forgot to bring tissues. There were a couple nice girls in front of us that gave us some. Throughout the entire movie everyone was crying, we all knew what was going to happen. There were tissues everywhere. When we left the theater there was a mountain of tissues as high as the seats in one of the isles. The Fault in Our Stars is too relatable. Cancer has been a very popular illness with in the last few years. It resonates with millions of people. The realness of the movie is what makes it so good. By far my favorite book and movie.

High School Musical

Almost everyone has seen the High School Musical series, whether it was 10 years ago, when it was released or recently, like this weekend, on the bus trip home from our bowling tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. For those of you haven’t seen it, High School Musical is an epic Disney movie with some pretty amazing songs that are great for karaoke. Professor Leeper, this is for you, if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to. We watched High School Musical 2 on the bus ride home, but all three of the movies are good, the third one isn’t as good, but still good. Regardless, you need to watch it, learn the songs, and love it. It has good lessons in it, meant for kids, but good for everyone. Sharpay is the queen bee, but no one really likes her. She’s just mean and rich, therefore she’s popular. Regardless, she’s obsessed with Troy, but Troy is obsessed with Gabriella and Gabriella is obsessed with Troy and they make a perfect couple. So, Sharpay needs to butt out. But in the movie she kind of gets pushed out and everything backfires on her and it just makes the movie so much better. High School Musical is amazing. Learn to love it.

OK Go Rube Goldberg

OK Go Rube Goldberg was my favorite music video that we watched in class. I enjoy watching the videos that show the long planned out reactions. My sister had to create one for one of her high school classes last year. It took a lot of time, work, and effort for her and her friend to set theirs up. I cannot imagine how long it took for them to set up this one for the video. Not to mention how many times they probably had to shoot it until it worked out perfectly. That took a lot of work. I have a lot of respect for the people that make these videos. I can only imagine how many times the band got sprayed with paint either. It also seems like a lot of fun to make these videos. I am sure that they felt like it was a job well done and a huge success after they completed it, and they should have. These videos amaze me. I wouldn’t have the patience to set up and follow through with one of these. With my luck, everything would happen backwards, or it just wouldn’t work out at all. Mad respect for the creators of this video.

"Un Jour” by Marie Paccou

The film "Un Jour" by Marie Paccou had a much deeper meaning than I thought it did the first time I saw it. The first time I was really confused as to why the woman had a man in her stomach. I was also confused as to why one woman's man was mean and hers was nice, as well as why the man just left one day and it left the woman with a hole in her stomach. The second time I watched it looking for the deeper meaning and knowing a little bit of background from watching other videos in class, I learned that it was about relationships. The lady with a mean man was stuck in an abusive relationship that she couldn’t get out of. He dragged her down, made her feel like she couldn’t leave. The main character was in a healthy relationship. She liked her man. He made her feel whole, she loved him. But, eventually, the man left her and he left her with a giant whole in her stomach. The man left her feeling empty. She didn’t just have a whole in her stomach, but in her life. The animator was trying to portray that she feels like this is how real life works.

Women in Animation: Women Working Together

Leeds Animation provided a way for women to realize what was going on in the world and to empower themselves through learning about issues such as health and safety in the workplace, local government, unionization, and sexual harassment. Gillian Lacey reflects on the fact that when her animation workshop started, the women believed in some ideas very passionately, including opportunities for women, flat rate wage, no individual credits on the films, and a collective work process. But, she also learned a lot of things, while working there, that she did not want to know. They were quite negative, including that collectives can reduce everything to the lowest common denominator, unacknowledged hierarchies may emerge, equality is difficult to achieve, and commonly held political beliefs do not necessarily make for good working partnerships. She now works in less rigid structures with a variety of people and thinks that maybe the future of film lies within her students. One of her films, The Stain, was inspired by a news report of octogenarian twins who shot themselves after a violent family feud over a tiny gravy stain on a tablecloth. Who does that?! First of all, who has a violent feud over a gravy stain and second of all, who shoots themselves over it? That’s just crazy!

Finding Dory

Finding Dory was an epic sequel to Finding Nemo. I went and saw the movie the day before opening day. The theater was packed, there was quite a few little kids, but there were more adults and teenagers, it made me feel a little better about going. At the same time, it was my generation that grew up with the movie. I was so excited to go. Baby Dory is the cutest animated fish I’ve ever seen. She had short term memory loss as a child and her parents used shells to help her find her way home. One day, she swam to close to a current and got washed away. Dory lost her parents. This was all long before Nemo. Well, after Dory had been with Nemo and Marlin for a while, she started having flashbacks and remembering things from her past. She remembered her parents, she remembered that she had family. Dory was set on finding them. One day, after Nemo and Marlin woke up, Dory was gone. She had decided to go and find her parents, and in the process, Nemo and Marlin lost her, hence the name Finding Dory. Also, Dory’s parents never gave up on looking for her, they were also “Finding Dory”. After a long adventure through the aquarium, Dory found some seashells that were all lined up in a path. Her parents had set them out so that if she ever saw them, she could find her way home. She followed the path and found her parents. Nemo and Marlin also found her with her parents. Everything worked out for Dory, and the movie was absolutely amazing!

Women in Animation: Caroline Lee

Caroline Lee started out in an animation class. When she was assigned a project to find something to put on a lightbox to present to the class, she showed up with a bag of sand. A guy named Norman McLaren visited her class and was amazed by her use of sand. He was like a child in a sand box. Caroline thought that she was the first to animate with sand but she met a man by the name of Ernest Ansorge who lived in Switzerland. He had been animating with sand for years, she thought that he used ink because it looked different than hers and it was done in black and white. After she made “Sand or Peter and the Wolf” she moved to Rome and began to learn Italian and started drawing. She went back to Harvard and made another film called “Orfeo”. Caroline continued to make many other films. She made an Eskimo film on water base tempera colors on milk glass. She wanted to do something with color and people. She also wanted to be able to use something that would be easy to wipe off with a cloth. She went on to make several other great animated films. Caroline Lee is a very talented person. Her sand animations are really cool.

Art in Motion: The Aesthetics of Animation

I attended Leeper’s lecture last night. The point I gathered from his speech is that animation has a deeper meaning in the world today. We have to look past the first view, the face, the cover of it and we have to search for the deeper meaning. In “Tchou, Tchou” by Co Hoedeman, which was one of Leeper’s mentors, the town was made of blocks. The people were made of blocks as well as the trees. There was a girl and a boy that were walking around and suddenly all of the people and animals started hiding. There was a dragon that was running around terrorizing the play land. The land was meant to represent the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and the serpent. There was another video called “Amnesty International 50^th Anniversary” by Carlos Lascono. This video probably touched me the most, it showed different events that have happened in the past 50 years in the most troubled places in the world. It showed things such as the KKK and the Holocaust as well as other events. This video was beautiful. One of the first things that Leeper said was “Beauty is more than pretty things.” He wasn’t kidding, nothing about this video was pretty, but it was beautiful. There is more to animation than what you see on the surface.

Middletown

Middletown is a play about a small town where people have their place in the community but they’re still trying to find themselves. John Dodge, played by Sam Jones, was one of the main characters. He performed lots of odds and ends around town, including fixing drains, that’s how he met Mary. Mary was played by Kaeley Osterman. Mary had just moved to Middletown with her husband, Bob. Mary was also pregnant throughout this play. Bob often traveled for business. I was very disappointed that Bob never ever showed up, not even once. But, anyway, John liked Mary, a lot. She had to tell him on several occasions that she was married. Well, John was also a depressed man that hadn’t really accomplished anything with his life and he wanted more. John had attempted suicide and was in the hospital at the same time as Mary before her delivery. John had cut his wrist with a dirty knife. Spoilers, John dies, probably from some severe infection that they never figured out what it was. Mary had her baby, her husband and brother both couldn’t make it because of flight issues. So she was alone during delivery and she never found out that her friend John died, whom she named her son after. I thought that the play was very interesting and well portrayed, I was a little upset with some of the story line, like John and Mary never getting together and Bob never showing up. Over all, it was a great show and I would 10 out of 10 recommend that you go see it!

Little Rural Riding Hood

I’m not exactly sure what the point of the video was, but Little Rural Riding Hood was one of my favorite films that we have watched in class, even though we only watched part of it. In what we saw the wolf isn’t a bad guy, he’s good. He just wants to catch riding hood and show her love. He specifically said that he wanted to hug her and kiss her. Once he eventually caught her, after running through magically appearing doors that weren’t there before, he received mail. The letter he got said that there was a better riding hood for him, a prettier and nicer one. He let go of rural red riding hood.

I believe that this is an accurate depiction of how the world works now. People want what they think is the best. Everyone wanted the iPhone 6s when they thought it was the best phone out. Now that the 7 is out, people are trying to get that. I took this as a way of saying that what we have is never good enough. We always want the next best thing. Sometimes people believe that material things are better than the unseeable things. Your faith along with your family and friends will always be better than the material things you can have.

What I Learned in the Nursery

G.K. Chesterton tells us that fairy tales teach us lessons. I completely agree with him. They also entertain us. We may not always take lessons away from them when we first read or watch them, but they are still there. Fairy tales are something that will last forever and be passed from generation to generation. If picked up, these lessons can be lifelong. You may watch all of the Disney princess movies as a kid. If you take away the lesson that you were meant to take away, it will always be with you. As teenagers, young adults, and even older adults, people still reference the fairy tales that they watched and or read as a child. It’s something that will always stick with you.

He also says that babies like realistic tales. I never thought about it that way, but he has a point. Babies are fascinated with anything you tell them, and they’re still learning. If you tell a baby that an apple is golden, they’re likely to believe you, until they see that an apple is red or green. They’ll be fascinated then too. But if you just tell them that an apple is red or that an apple is green, they will still be fascinated. Babies are easy to please.

Christians in a Changing World

This paper states that the Christian calling in the world is to stand for freedom and to also stand for humanity. Meaning that we must we must defend the freedom of even the people that we don’t like, not just the ones with the same beliefs as us. This also means that we must stand for people who are being forced to do as others do, to be normal. It’s okay to stand out and to be yourself, you don’t have to conform. We also have to be critical of our times. We must fight for what is right; justice, love, beauty, and truth. We have to show that we aren’t afraid to be Christians. Don’t be afraid to stand up and talk about your beliefs with someone else. Don’t be afraid to talk about God with someone else. Be who you are and do what you want to do. Don’t conform because others want you to. Stand out. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. People will love you for you, and if they don’t, that’s their problem not yours. Be free, this might sound cheesy, but spread your wings and fly. Be the Christian you want to be, don’t be who others want you to be. It’s your life, live it the way that you want to live it.