Dorm Film Post

"America the Beautiful" was a perfect wake up call for me. The whole film opens up with Elizabeth Arden talking about waist lines. She looks absolutely gorgeous. Then we move on to seeing several men and hear their opinions on what they think the 'perfect woman' is. I was offended from the beginning of the film. The director then opens up and talks about how he had a woman who was great but they didn't get married because he thought that he would find someone better than her. Then the next thing we see? A tall, thin, super model. If I hadn't have previously heard about her, I would have never guessed that she was only twelve. Gerren Taylor got scouted because her mom thought it would be ‘great idea.’ Gerren and her mom would’ve never thought that Gerren would be turned down by the fashion world. I read an article related to the film and share similar feelings with the writer. There is no way one can watch this documentary and not feel pure rage, especially as a woman. It represents my perspective on the film perfectly. The whole fashion industry has become simply out of control. But not only is the fashion industry, our society in general slowly deteriorating.

The film prompted me to change the simple things like looking at women in the media and longing to be that skinny or that ‘beautiful.’ One change that I am making is not wearing makeup everyday but only wearing it on special occasions. I feel confident in the way God made me and I want to show it.

Ebert, Roger, “America the Beautiful,” rogerebert.com (May 9, 2008), http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080508/REVIEWS/277581949/1023 (accessed January 17, 2012) 

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Once upon a time, there was an electric car, but now there is not. So what happened? Wheres the story? Who Killed the Electric Car? This film is a documentary discussing the rise and fall of the electric car and who/what factors are to blame. Nick Schager of Slant Magazine gives a review that I found myself siding with ( http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/who-killed-the-electric-car/2204). He comments that the film "attempts to humanize the vehicle, including a silly mock funeral staged by vocal supporters and a former GM employee's sad visit to a car museum to visit on of her 'babies.'" The film attempted to give life to car that I actually hardly remember being on the road. I found it very hard to connect to the film because of the fact that I was not old enough to remember the actual debates of the car. However, the film did make excellent points towards the forces that often contribute to these decisions. It brought up several "culprits" of who is responsible for the elimination of the vehicle: from oil companies to the government to a competing Hydrogen Fuel Cell studies. Each group had aspects in which they were responsible. As in the situation of the electric car, we can see these same groups dominating our culture today, from the government to the consumers. They have such power over so many areas. In the film, we saw protests try and act against the decisions to eliminate the electric car, and they were very unsuccessful. After watching the film, however, I felt a bit frustrated. My group discussed how much more aware we became after watching this film. I realized how much power some groups have, but how everyone has a hand in the process. The government, oil companies, competing alternatives, and consumers all have some power in today's capitalism. It is our job to become aware and stand up for what we believe. As Schager says, "Such drippy sentimentality, however, can't overshadow the inescapable impression left by Pain'es timely doc that, when it comes to pointing fingers over our highways' glut of inefficient SUVs and Hummers, everyone's partially to blame."

Dorm Film Post - America the Beautiful

In the documentary, America the Beautiful, the narrator Darryl Roberts films the life of a preteen model with commentaries from a varying set of individuals. A review I found about the film was in a website called Blog Critics and was written by an author, Jennifer Williams, who held the same views as I did regarding the movie. Williams expresses thankfulness to Roberts for bringing together clips from the reality of the fashion industry and the reality of how it is detrimental to the way people view themselves, especially young girls. The author then proceeded to interview her readers and received a similar response as the readers expressed a low self-esteem in matters of beauty. I believe that both the work of Roberts and Williams unfortunately presents the mindset of a rapidly growing portion of America. Many of the people interviewed and the statistics gathered show how society takes something so integral to humans as the concept of beauty and twists it in a self demeaning and unhealthy way. Industries like the fashion and advertising industry, have a major part in shaping this concept. The many who look at magazines, models, ads, movies, and television shows are bombarded with a sense of what is beautiful that only a small percentage can achieve.  The industries do so for profit, saying that it is cheaper to make smaller clothes and that beautiful women sell products better, neglecting what their choice does to so many people, especially women. Viewing this film would help people question whether or not their concept of what is beautiful is truly theirs. It will make them conscience of how their off-hand comments may affect the other. And it will cause people to see the beauty in someone because they themselves perceive beauty in them, hopefully while boosting a couple of egos along the way.

http://blogcritics.org/video/article/movie-review-america-the-beautiful/

Don't see it

I did not like this film one bit. I think Michael Moore is a complete idiot. I know I may be harsh but I believe that is the truth. In fact I have found an article that shares the same beliefs that I do. Paul Shultz, A business Professor at the university at Notre Dame, says “He is wrong to claim that capitalism has failed. For most of us, the financial crisis of 2008 has meant disruption in our plans. For those who lost jobs and homes, the hardship has been stiffer and more enduring. But even so, the crisis hardly has amounted to a wholesale collapse in our way of living.” (Shultz) So right here we see a flaw in Michael Moore’s statements. Professor Shultz then goes on to say “although this will be a matter for study and debate for years - much of the responsibility for the financial crisis also lies with government. Artificially low interest rates, government pressure to lend to borrowers who were not credit-worthy, and the actions of government-sponsored enterprises were among the causes of the crisis.” (Shultz)

In the movie Moore also calls Capitalism evil. This is simply not true. I can believe that some business practices may not be ethical, but Moore does not have the right to call the whole system evil. Further in the article Shultz debates, “Moore’s statement that “capitalism is an evil” makes no sense. Evil is a characteristic of people and their actions, not an economic system. People who work in business - that is, capitalists - are not inherently less moral than those who work in government or nonprofit organizations. In Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s words, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”(Shultz) This film did not want me to change any of my beliefs. In fact the film made me stronger about defending capitalism, and stoping socialism that so many corrupt politics believe so much.

1.Shultz, Paul. "Why Michael Moore is wrong about capitalism." Mendoza College of Business. N.p., 5 Nov. 2009. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.

http://business.nd.edu/ask_more/commentary.aspx?id=4649

Filmpost - Who Killed the Electric Car?

Last Wednesday, some classmates and I watched the film Who Killed the Electric Car?, the film about the development, production, commercialization, conflicts and, destruction of the electric car EV 1 in California. Before watching the film, I had no idea about that kind of car even existed before, but as we were watching, I got to know about the background of the production of EV1's and finally destruction. In 1990, the California Air Resources Board passed the Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate, car companies were required to make electric cars to continue with their gas-powered car production. But, because of continuous pressure from oil companies, suits by car companies and, CARB's reversal of the mandate forced the production of EV 1 to stop. There were many good reasons in development, and also many complicated pressure in destruction as well. After watching the film, my classmates and I had a brief discussion about it, and our common opinion/thought were that we need to become better stewards of God's world and that this world is not ours, but a borrowed one from our next generations. I also think that car companies should pursue on production of electric cars because, we are now facing scarcity of our natural resources and as time goes on, it will only get worse. But in the other hand, I think we first need to find an alternative way that will allow us to replace the position of oil that controls a big part of global economy. Without the back up plan, commercializing electric cars will only bring confusion and chaos. I hope to see the day when we can find out the way to solve this complicated problems well.

Attachments:

http://www.web2carz.com/blog/everything-else/opinion-who-killed-the-electric-car

http://washingtonexaminer.com/node/450531

P.S. - Thanks Cole for hosting the film and cheez-its.

Maxed Out

Last week Wednesday some classmates and I watch the documentary Maxed Out, which addresses the entrapment of credit card debt. Going into this film, I had little knowledge of credit cards. After watching this film, I realized there is even more I did not know. This video was originally created by James Scurlock to find humor in the crazy spending habits of people with credit card debt, but the realities of this issue really showed through in these people’s lives, and caused the producer to turn the film more emotional and serious and less humorous as he focused on the stress and turmoil these people were in.

This documentary definitely made me more aware of the debt crisis in America. This film was produced in 2004, so I am sure the situation has only worsened since then. The lenders giving out the money target the lower working class. I believe that they are partially responsible for the debt crisis because they make it very easy for these people, who may already be in debt, to get multiple credit cards, knowing that they will have trouble pay it back; and that is where they make the profit.

Although this film had many informative pros, there were also some flaws. A review on this film addresses many of the same concerns our group discussed after watching the film. One is the lack of a narrator. I think a narration throughout the film would have helped to tie everything together and connect the dots, because at times I was a bit lost. The movie seemed to focus on the emotional side of debt crisis, and tug at the heartstrings a bit. While it was terrible to hear stories of families in turmoil, people going missing, and teens committing suicide because of credit debt, the movie seemed to lack focus on the subject of personal responsibility. Everyone interviewed, were shown as victims of the lenders.While it is true that the credit industry does target the poor, we need to realize many people are in debt because of poor decisions. I believe as Christians, we are called to live and spend responsibly. I also realize that we must be informed and knowledgeable on this topic, and therefore able to discern if a credit card is a wise choice.

Maxed Out

The documentary my group watched was called "Maxed Out", and was directed by James D. Scurlock. The film is an in depth exploration on credit card debt. It tells stories from different including those tragically trapped in debt and the collectors that hound after them. Scurlock uses some extreme, depressing instances to get the viewers emotional, but for a good reason. At its worst, credit card debt can drive people to hysteria and suicide. Banks like to push credit cards into the hands of those who are unlikely to pay back their debts. This is because people who can only make minimum payments or who get fines provide great profits for banks. Once you are deep in debt, it is painfully difficult to get out. Sometimes the only option is bankruptcy. It is important to be aware of the dangers of credit card debt. The movie also reveals shady tactics within the credit industry. Like loaners pushing people to sign documents, credit card companies targeting college campuses, and collectors gaining personal information through computer databases. The film also raises awareness about the obscenely high U.S National Debt.

I read a review by Stephen Holden from The New York Times that has some good points. Holden, and our film group, noticed that the lack of a narrator makes the film disjointed and disorientating. The movie throws a bunch of facts at us and expects us to understand complex financial terms. The movie also offers us little hope or practical ways we can change the system. But, at least "Maxed Out" shows that there is a huge problem and an overwhelming amount of greed in the credit card industry. It will definitely make me careful if I ever get a credit card, and also careful not to sign any financial documents that I don't understand.

Dorm film post: America the Beautiful

Our group watched the film “America the Beautiful” which was directed by Darryl Roberts. The narrator of the film in the earlier part confesses about a shallow decision he made a couple of years ago. Which was to break up with her and his shallow reason was because he thought he would find someone more gorgeous and perfect than she was. His decision to find someone better ended him with nothing but regret. As he found out that she eventually found someone other than him. And he started to wonder why he made that mistake and what was his shallow reason and noticed he wasn’t the only one who was shallow. And later as he investigates the people around him he notices that America has a big obsession with the unrealistic standard of beauty because of the media and advertisements that display images of perfect people. Did you know that some people start a diet starting from the age of 5? And did you know that more than 90 percent of America’s college students are on diets? This was an eye opener.

In the film they also bring up a problem which I personally never thought of. Did you notice how we see advertisements EVERYWHERE? And the bigger issue is that we don’t have a choice to not see them unless you’re locked up behind plain walls. I was so sad when I realized that because of this I have no way to protect my child from getting exposed to these things which might lead to her unconscious buildup of insecurities.

The film also focuses on a couple of people but the most shocking life story was that of a 12 year old fashion model who walked like a fully grown adult. Although she had nothing but bones and a little muscle was said to be too fat to model for a brand in Europe. And because of that incident she starts to have less confidence about her appearance as well. She called herself ugly at the end of the film when the narrator asked her how she felt. This film was truly a wakeup call to me. Because I knew I had these insecurities as well which I always try to overcome but end up feeling more insecure about myself as I watch the pictures and videos around me.

Maxed Out

Last week I watched Maxed Out, a documentary about credit card debt and the hold it has on so many people. Although the film took a very emotional tone, pulling at the heartstrings of viewers, director James Scurlock originally meant to make a funny movie about Americans' crazy spending habits. After researching the issue and interviewing borrowers, though, he changed his focus. This film told multiple stories of people caught up in debt. One of them was about two college students who fell into the trap of credit card companies and committed suicide because they couldn't handle the debt. The film also zoomed in on two men who were collectors who took advantage of the people who are overwhelmed with debt. This film points out that the U.S National Debt Clock has increased to over 15 trillion dollars of debt, but the lending industry is doing nothing about it. In fact, they prey on college students and people that have already been in debt or have been bankrupt. Why is this? When asked why they would not get rid of the customers who would not be able to pay, they said, "Why would we cut out those people? They're our most profitable."

This film does prove the point that we should not get ourselves into the situation of excessive debt. The review I read points out that this film has "maximum emotional impact, it detracts from the film's intellectual credibility." While the film did provide proof that debt is a huge problem in this country, I agree that it was too emotional. It spent more time talking about suicides caused by debt than it did about what we can do about the problem of debt and the power of the lending industry. I felt like the content of the film just wasn't enough. I think that narration could have added to the impact and understanding of the issue of debt.

http://www.reelz.com/article/255/maxed-out-review/

Good Hair

The documentary that I took part in watching was Good Hair, a hilarious yet informative documentary by Chris Rock that focuses on African American women and how they feel about their hair. I never realized everything African American women truly go through just because of their hair. Through this documentary I learned that they have issues with feeling as though their hair isn't good enough by societies definitions. Because of feeling as though they do not fit up to societies standards, they go through crazy extremes. To avoid this feeling, these women spend thousands and thousands of dollars monthly on their hair to get it looking the way they want. One way women get their hair the way they like is by relaxing it. This is done chemically which is expensive and very unhealthy. They prefer to avoid the "bigness" of their hair because they think society prefers straight and sleek hair as oppose to curls.

After watching this documentary I looked through some reviews to get a better idea of the intent of this work. In our class we talked about how documentaries can sometimes only exemplify one side. I believe this documentary did only look at one side of things. The review I read discussed how Chris Rock was great with mixing information and humor. I totally agree with this statement. The documentary was a joy to watch because of his humor. Nonetheless there was a point I did not agree with. This review says that the documentary shows a side that makes us feel bad for these women who go through so much to get "perfected" hair. I personally do not agree with this argument. I don't feel bad for these women particularly, I feel bad for all women. African American women make the choice to spend the money and time on their hair. Many Caucasian women do the same to feel better about themselves and I think the film could have expressed more about women in society in a general sense. Feeling bad about your hair or any other part of your body because of society is not just limited to African American women, it fits for all women. Therefore, as much as this documentary was hilarious and informative, it did not make me feel particularly bad for these women making their own choices with their own hair to feel better about themselves.

http://documentaries.about.com/od/revie2/fr/GoodHair.htm

Dorm movie: Good Hair

The movie Good Hair is a movie about black women's hair and what most of them do to try and achieve good hair. They go to some extremes to try and achieve the hair of their dreams. They spend thousands of dollars monthly to achieve the status of having "good hair." A review written on Oregonlive.com makes the movie sound like a joke. It says that Chris Rock makes the black women the butt of the joke of bad hair. They criticize Rock for almost being racist to black women, even though he is black himself. The review also criticizes Rock for not mentioning his wife in the film, who many wonder if she has a weave because of her long hair. Then the article criticizes Rock for "missing the opportunity to show how societal views of natural black hair might explain why black women spend so much time and money to tame it into something closer to the mainstream ideal. He skirts past the key issue behind the very title of his film -- that hair is the most politicized thing on a black woman's body" although that is not the purpose of the film, the purpose is to show what black women have to do to their hair to achieve their "dream hair."

Link to the review

http://blog.oregonlive.com/race/2009/10/my_good_hair_movie_review_bad.html