Waiting For Guffman

This film is different from other mockumentaries since the majority of the movie was ad-libbed and genuine which makes it even funnier! Hence the title, it seems to mock small-scale theater and perhaps the small-town culture as well. It starts with the small town of Blain putting together a stage production celebrating their history. Corky, an amateur former director is hired by the mayor of Blain to write and select wannabe actors for the production. The cast members are hilarious in their own quirky ways and consist of two travel agents, a dentist and more colorful characters. They all truly believe that they are all "the next big thing" with undiscovered talent. I noticed that the characters have lots of confidence and faith in both themselves and each other and create a strong support system. Overall, I enjoyed the film, especially the audition scene and the ending scene. Here is the audition scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWcxJdk7iVw And here is a scene about Corky explaining his personalized towels that wasn't included in the film but it's funny! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgZbuarvvbg

 

 

How to Die in Oregon

How to Die in Oregon is SUCH a powerful documentary. I found this film difficult to watch mostly because death and dying is so scrutinized. We are introduced to a few individuals who wish to undergo physician assisted suicide. I am currently taking an anthropology course and we've been discussing the "ethics" of physician assisted suicide. Some students argued that everyone is entitled to treat their body how they want, others argued that the individual who wishes to end their life must first see the joy of living before euthanasia, and finally students argued that if a person is in pain they have a right to end their life. Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are still extremely difficult to deal in society. Yes there are cases in which physician assisted suicide is appropriate, but legalizing it turns it into a "business". It's scary because anyone could ask for assistance. If physician assisted suicide does turn into a sort of enterprise, would people in good health who wish to die get rejected? Back to the film though, I found it very interesting. The viewers are introduced to many pleasant individuals whose last option is physician assisted suicide. I found them to be very brave and courageous people. We instantly form a connection with them and as we learn more about their story, we feel emotional and compassionate. Cody Curtis, a liver cancer patient strongly encouraged PAS and fought for it. Further on into the film, one man tells us that his health insurance would rather pay him to end his life than pay him to fight for it. The stories we are told throughout the film are really powerful yet saddening. For example, the opening scene is quite difficult to watch. Since most of the film was pro-PAS, I wanted to see what the stance of doctors against PAS would be so I attached an article I found. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/12/13/doctors-speak-out-against-assisted-suicide-protect-patients/
Overall, I feel this documantary does a wonderful job shedding light into physician assited suicide, the process, what the patients go through, and how their loved ones handle their decision. Even though it was emotionally draining, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

King Corn

I enjoyed the genuine and straight-forwardness of this documentary. After checking out the King Corn website, I discovered that in the last 15 years, taxpayers paid corn farmers more than 77 billion dollars! I also learned that while the prices of vegetables and fruits increased by 30%, the prices of sodas went down by 34%. In the film, we are presented with lots of information about American farming, some of which I didn't know of prior to viewing. For example, 10% of farmers collect more than 75% of subsidies. Corn subsidies have made our food cheaper, but the quality has decreased significantly as well. In the documentary, we are introduced to two friends who plan to grow a corn crop. We are taken through the process of corn from it's origin to how it ends up in almost every food in the middle section of the grocery store (the good stuff). Throughout, they talk with other farmers in Iowa, hear interesting stories, and compare their findings. One farmer they interview gives his cows antibiotics so they can process all the corn sooner, which is done because it is apparently cheaper than feeding the cows grass. The film was consistent and exposed how detrimental the genetically modified industrialized corn that is used for high fructose corn syrup and cattle feed. Prior to watching, I had no idea that this corn actually kills off other strains of corn! Corn isn't being used the same way and it's really taking a toll not only on our health, but the animals as well. The government has turned growing products into a business. The subsidies were supposed to assist farmers in growing food to benefit us, but it's doing the opposite!

Man On Wire

I really liked this documentary! I was automatically drwan in. The film starts out with Philippe Petit who did the unthinkable-- a wire act between the twin towers. I loved watching Petit because of his fun, wild, and refreshing personality. Though he is reckless, his story is fascinating. I enjoyed the interviews with his friends and "team" who helped him achieve his act. Each come from different backgrounds are very interesting to watch. It was really cool to see the old footage of Petit working on his acts and it really shows just how much drive and determination he has. It really felt like I was watching a suspense movie. The director James Marsh creates such uncertainty with the scenes that it feels like a real suspense movie! The scenes were genuine and inspiring and really capture Petit's passion. I found this interview in which he speaks and it is relatively new. It's about his philosophy on life and it's really inspiring to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqk4-00RRMs

Blog Update

I have updated my blogs! But they aren't in order now :-(

Inconvenient Truth

I learned a lot more about global warming after watching this documentary. For example, it intensifies the strength of natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes, and if it continues, the coastlines will be flooded.

I felt that Al Gore did a good job presenting the shocking proof, and he made his point without bringing politics into it. Instead of focusing on how we have contributed to the rise of CO2, he focuses on what we can do NOW to make a change. Not only did Al Gore propose valid evidence, but he presented it in a way that makes us actually care why global warming is occuring. Near the end of the documentary, I felt overwhelmed but was relieved to learn the different ways we can reverse the damage whether it be big or small

Koyaanisqatsi

Wow. After viewing this breathtaking documentary, I literally felt as if I'd been travelling for an hour! At first, the film concentrates on nature, and as it progresses, it focuses on the effects man has on the world. Everyone experiences and takes something different from this documantary, so it's difficult to try and explain it to others. I definitely think it's a film that you have to experience firsthand rather than hearing about it or reading reviews from others. Despite the wonderful reviews I read, I was still bit skeptical at first considering the documentary has no words, but the score by Philip Glass combined with the footage by Godfrey Reggio is genius. The fact that there's no commentary only adds to the full effect and makes it even more exhilarating!

Inside Job

Honestly, as soon as I started watching this documentary, I just couldn't get myself to pay attention. I felt bombarded with information! About fifteen minutes into it, I started it back up again and tried to focus. I began listening to a few minutes and then pausing to understand what I had just viewed. I found this documentary to be very informative with a vast amount of evidence and interviews to back up each point. Before watching Inside Job, I never really paid attention to why our system collapsed, but I now have a clearer understanding. Since the markets were so unregulated and corrupt, enormous amounts of money were being borrowed without the ability to pay it back. This went on and on until finally the entire system crashed in 2008 which was the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. I liked how the interviewers put the interviewees on the spot and did not settle with lies. Inside Job portrays the economic downfall for what it is through bar graphs, actual data, and makes it easier for viewers to truly understand what happened and why. It presents viewers with scientific data and emphasizes the demolition/effects of the financial crisis.

And here I posted an interview from the intelligent and well-spoken Charles Ferguson, the director of Isnide Job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RzzJ-BKM6cU

Paragraph Revision

Here I have the original paragraph for my essay and the edited version. The sentence fluency chart really helped. I used forms of "to be" SO MANY TIMES.

(Original)

The specific selecting of scenes that portray Treadwell as somewhat unstable invokes viewers to question and attempt to understand the complex man he really is. Immediately, viewers are drawn in to the documentary and want to understand the enthusiast. The legacy of Treadwell is without a doubt captivating, and the documentary only adds to the evidence of Timothy's passion. In the documentary, Herzog included audio from Treadwell's parents. They claimed that their son had always been fond of animals and seemed to be an ordinary child until leaving for college. However, Treadwell appears to be quite childlike in his later years when interacting with the animals. It seemed as if he thought the bears could do no wrong and that they would not hurt him. This resulted in a lack of sympathy from some of the interviewees that Herzog chose to put in his film. For example, Sam Egli who was featured in the documentary stated: "My opinion, I think Treadwell thought these bears were big, scary looking, harmless creatures that he could go up and pet and sing to, and they would bond as children of the universe or some odd. I think he lost sight of what was really going on"

(Edited)

The specific selecting of scenes portray Treadwell as somewhat unstable. They invoke viewers to question and percieve the complex man for who he really is. Immediately, viewers are drawn in to the documentary and want to understand the enthusiast. The legacy of Treadwell is without a doubt captivating, and the documentary only adds to the evidence of Timothy's passion. Around (Specific Time), Herzog includes audio from Treadwell's parents. They claimed their son had always been fond of animals and recalled him to be an ordinary child until his departure for college. Treadwell is noticeably childlike during his interaction with wildlife. His constant shift of mood between shooting and interacting indicates an underlying issue. He assumed the bears could do no wrong and emulated them to ensure his safety. This resulted in a lack of sympathy from some of the interviewees that Herzog intentionally questioned for his film. For example, Sam Egli who was featured at (Time) stated: "My opinion, I think Treadwell thought these bears were big, scary looking, harmless creatures that he could go up and pet and sing to, and they would bond as children of the universe or some odd. I think he lost sight of what was really going on"

Devil's Playground

I learned a lot about Amish people from watching The Devil's Playground that I never knew before. When I thought of Amish, I assumed that they didn't use technology since they considered it "evil" but it appears that they don't use technology in an effort to keep the family close, which is interesting. The kids wear traditional Amish clothing, attend church, and help their parents and neighbors. I was shocked to find out that once they turn 16 they are allowed to run free and do whatever they want including smoking, driving, drinking, partying, and drugs. I think that their view on the "English" world is that everyone just does whatever they want whenever they want which is not the case.

One boy, Faron who is the son of a minister gets involved with crystal meth and becomes addicted to it. I was thinking to myself, "Where are his parents? Why aren't they doing anything about his behavior?" It's because during the "Rumspringa" the parents cannot do anything; all the pressure is on the individual teen. I personally think they are given too much freedom during this period, but I liked the fact that the kids were honest about what they have done during Rumspringa. Like other teens, Amish adolescents must decide which path they want to take except they must make a decision to become a member of the church or not. Once they join the church and decide to leave, they become shunned like Velda. While watching I related to Velda the most and was happy that she chose to take control of her own life and enroll in college. It is sad that her family and friends don't talk to her anymore, but she claims that it's just their way of showing they still love her. Both parents and children go through a lot and deal with the similar problems that non-Amish do. After hearing some of the teens on the documentary say that they can't imagine living an Amish life forever, I was surprised to find out about 80 to 90 percent of teens return back to the Church after their period of Rumspringa to settle down. You can read more here>>> http://www.theocentric.com/personal/reading/rumspringa.html

Posted 29th January by Zeinia Khan

Jesus Camp

After watching Jesus Camp, I felt conflicted and somewhat apprehensive. It is apparent that Becky, the minister, is brainwashing the kids. She claims that they are the warriors of God and need to start training just as the Muslim kids do. The scene where the kids were dancing in army paint was scary enough but the fact that the adults were watching and supporting added to the chill factor. I felt that the camp did more harm than good for the kids. They were persuaded to repent for all their sins as Becky drove fear into them. In scenes where the kids spoke by themselves, they state that they must fight for God and separate themselves from everyone else. Becky tried to hide the fact that they were being manipulated through her speeches about sin and the deathly consequences. I was relieved to hear the rational arguement against her religious war from the radio show host who was Christian himself. This documentary was very thought provoking, so I attached a video of Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady briefly discussing their documentary.

Grizzly Man

After watching this documentary, I have mixed feelings about Timothy Treadwell. His love for the foxes but most of all the bears is so extreme that it lead to his demise. He did not accept the fact that humans and bears are two different species. Though humans and animals are alike in many ways they are also very different in many ways. One of the scientists on the film explained that his people lived in peace with the bears but both understood that they needed to keep their distance. Unfortunately, Treadwell felt as if he WAS a bear. I also recall another man featured on the documentary that Treadwell deserved his fate. In a way, I agree that he was asking for it by filming so close to the bears and engaging in activity. It appeared to me that he disregarded the fact that the bears were not domesticated animals. Ultimately it appears that he had unresolved problems which led to an outward display of anger and resentment which he directed towards visitors and the national park and also blamed them.He wanted to cross the boundary between man and bear which led to his unfortunate fate. I do not know if his motivation for his work was the fact that he had underlying problems and was trying to satsify his own needs or if he truly loved his work. I believe that he really did love the bears and also gained inner satisfaction while working. I am curious to know what my classmates think too! I also have to say that this documentary gave me CHILLS especially the scene with the audio tape and the coroner!!