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!