Cartoons & Controversies

In our last class, we had discussed a little bit about controversies within cartoons, like Spongebob Squarepants, and the Teletubbies. I went onto Google and researched what other controversies there were out there within the cartoon industry, and surprisingly, I had found a lot, but I wrote down 5 in this blog, some may or may not surprise you.

1. Bugs Bunny.
Bugs Bunny is said to be one of the most influential cartoon characters in the history of cartoons, but some have said that underneath his funny sense of humor, Bugs Bunny was apparently a "racist."
 
2. Tom and Jerry.
Even though these two are both comedic with their hatred towards each other, they too are said to have multiple episodes in which they include racism.

3. Popeye.
Even though he is known for his courageous, one of his targets was supposedly subliminally the Japs during World War II, along with that he is blamed for stereotyping.

4. Donald Duck.
He was one of the very first Disney characters that was criticized for racism. He also was banned in Finland due to the fact that he never wore pants.

 5.The Simpsons.
 I had actually learned about the Simpsons and how they were made with a meaning for politics. The whole show is based on political references and each person represents someone in politics, which is actually, in my opinion, quite clever and interesting.

While reading this, I personally think that it's ridiculous. It's true that kids watch this cartoons and learn from them, but they have no idea as to watch references they have, if they have any. They aren't going to point out things like "he is making a sexual reference, he is racist, he is making a political statement, but you can't tell because it's subliminal, etc." Kids just don't say that, because they don't really have any knowledge about any of them. When people critique these classic cartoons, it makes me a big annoyed, because there is no need to overlook these things. People are only making it worse for their kids because telling them why the cartoons are bad are putting those ideas into their heads themselves, not the innocence of (most) cartoons.

Masters of Art Helping Movie-Makers 2

 

      I am continuing with my blog posts showcasing what I will call "master" artists (those who don't work in the movie business normally) who have lent their talents to movies. It is worth noting that these artists almost always only work for a short time (usually about a single movie) in the movie-making business, before going back to their art. But their contributions are oftentimes some of the most unique movies that grace the screen. Last time I wrote about Eyvind Earle and the unique look of Sleeping Beauty. This post will concern itself with another animated feature, called The Secret of Kells.

 

 

     I will admit that I  am taking a bit of a liberality when it comes to the definition of "artist" in this blog. The Secret of Kells is inspired by The Book of Kells, the most famous illuminated manuscript in history. When I say "illuminated", that is simply another way of saying illustrated. But illuminated manuscripts are often done in a very Celtic style, with many details and curvatures. They were  written/illuminated by many monks who lived in monasteries. Therefore illumnated manuscripts do not have a single author. If you get the chance to look up pages from illuminated manuscripts, try to find pictures that magnify the pages. You will see that the amount of detail is nothing short of astounding.

 





 

      The movie follows a fictional account of how The Book of Kells was created. The story may be fictional, but it keeps many accurate historical facts, such as monks working on illuminating manuscripts, and the vikings raiding villages. However, what truly sets the movie apart is the style of animation. The creators wanted to keep the idea of illuminating manuscripts in the design of the movie, so they proceeded to animate in a style that is very similar to ancient illuminated manuscripts, and they achieved the same extraordinary effect. Simply put, the movie looks beyond stunning. They also chose to go the route of hand drawn animation, which only heightens the effect. I highly recommend that anyone looking for something different than traditional animation style, watch

The Secret of Kells. I think you will be amazed.

 

 

 





Children's Media

Children's media does need some restrictions, and I would like to agree that introducing controversy is an excellent way to spark discussion, but the problem is that the necessary discussion doesn't happen. I can think of hardly any parents (or any adults for that matter) that ever watch TV with their children in order to facilitate a discussion about the controversy. Without that discussion, this somewhat questionable material is doing more harm than good.

It's a very difficult situation because everyone has different ideas about what is appropriate for children. Christians with a limited and somewhat selfish position don't help the ultimate goal of refining TV  standards. Instead of fighting against TV and parents trying to shut it out, they need to actively be involved with explaining why certain behaviors shown in the media are wrong according to their personal standards.

Kids are copy-cats. They search for people to admire, and they try to be like them. Last week I saw a young girl "watching" a TV show with her dad. Even though she had no clue what was happening in the scenes, she would laugh along with the laugh track. It was similar in my family—my parents would complain that they didn't like a certain TV show because it influenced our actions, but when they sat down with us and allowed us to count how many times we saw the characters break one of 10 commandments, we were able to talk about it.

Their are problems with media, but the reality is that children aren't going to escape from it (that might even make it worse), and they likely not get the message they really need without parental involvement. The media is putting a hard task on parents, but the parents shouldn't try to cut it all off because media influences social lives of kids—I often felt left out of a group because my family didn't allow video games until I was in 8th grade when we got Wii Sports. Basically, I'm trying to say that it's not the media's fault. Children need to be taught on a more personal level.

The Story of Wolf and Red

A friend of mine sent me this video on Facebook and when i watched it, it was amazing to me. I had never seen the story of Little Red twisted that way. When I had finished the film, it made me realize that a lot of stories can be retold but in a better or worse way. Love can happen in many cases, but this one was adorable.

The symbol of the unicorn-rabitt is for the wolf to prove itself to Red. At first, you would think that it was just an ordinary story of the wolf and Little Red and it's not.

I really don't like writing blogs. It's really hard to think while you are typing, especially when it's about a film or a topic the you just finished talking about in class, like Fairytales. You can't really explain things in perfect detail. Sometimes you can (when you are really enthusiastic about it), but most of the time the other person(s) don't even know what you are talking about and will have to watch it for themselves. But in Leeper's class, it's rather nice to write blogs. I mean, it's better than having to take quizzes every day like in my psychology class (but that teacher is pretty cool too, so i can't really complain).

Well, I hope that you like this film like i did when i saw it. Let me know what you think.

Thoughts

Hm. It's been quite awhile since I posted a blog, it feels like.
There honestly isn't a whole lot on my mind, at the moment. xD Mostly I just wonder why people say college is so much like real life when in fact it really is not. College is much more stressful, and I have to write a lot more papers.
Eh. Dunno.
I appreciated the discussion of Children's Media today in class. It was interesting. I'm happy to see that there is so much children's media out there, in the states as well as other countries. It's interesting to see what is culturally acceptable for children in different countries. I really appreciated the amount of good media that Leeper has to show in class each day, on that note.
So, yeah. Short little blog post, as there is little on my mind.

Sabastian's Voodoo

I thought the video of the upset little girl, throwing the temper tantrum was very interesting today. It was interesting to be able to see how things were perceived in her mind, when she was angry. And then, how in the end she felt better from venting, and gave her mom a hug. I thought it was good to be reminded of how children feel and see things differently from adults often times. The little girl saw a bunch of adults pointing their finger at her, and making her feel small. In actuality, that is probably not the case, but as a child that is what she felt. But in the end, she realizes that those people are still there for her, and love her, even when she is upset with them. I think the video just had a good concept to it.

I really enjoyed the films we watched today in class, that were made by the Canadian National Film Board. So, I looked up some more films from them today, and I came across this video called Sebastian's Voodoo. I know, it sounds a little odd, right? Well, I watched it and it is a beautiful film. I'm not sure I grasp the whole understanding of what is going on it, but what I think is going on, is this man is torturing these voodoo dolls, and one of them ends up sacrificing himself to save one of his fellow voodoo doll friends. He has to kill himself, in order for the other ones to be saved. Watch it!!

A Little Late to the Presidential Debate

 Obama; then and now. Being President really wears on a person.

I’m afraid that I didn’t get to see all of the first presidential debate last night, so I can only speak about the last half hour or so of the debate.

I was surprised to see how much Obama was struggling to keep up with Romney. He was really struggling to keep his cool while Romney was keeping himself engaged in the conversation (sometimes too enthusiastically, even). Romney knew what he was talking about, or at least how appear that he knew what he was talking about. Obama seemed to be pulling insults and facts out of the air, only to have his opponent shoot them down. Neither candidate seemed to have much concern for the mediator, either; the poor man was talked over at least three times in the last half hour of the debate.

As for the issues the candidates covered, I’m leaning more towards Obama. While Romney certainly had the upper hand in terms of mannerisms and didn’t try to deviate away from questions or facts, Obama is heavily in favor of government-controlled financial aid for students. This is, of course, one of the biggest issues for college students, but I also agree with his idea that we need more healthcare reforms and that the military needs some spending cuts. I disagree with Romney’s idea of keeping our current military budget or even increasing it; we have been at war in a region that does not want us there anymore (and hasn’t wanted us there for the past several years) and spent trillions on operations that are not getting us anywhere. Thousands of soldiers have died in a conflict that has gone on for too long and needs to end now, and all of the funds we are funneling into the war can be better spent on domestic programs that are in dire need of money.

I wish I could be more insightful into this issue, but I am not the most politically aware individual. Again, I only caught the last half hour of the debate, so my opinions may be a little bit different than others.

*Insert Ingenious Blog Title Here*

...drawing evil looking people is fun >:3

So I've really been enjoying all of the films we've been watching in class this week, mostly because for the most part they have been animations. Not only animations, but from what I can tell most of them have been even hand drawn. That takes real skill. The ones I enjoyed the most was Circuit Marine and Colorforms.
Colorforms was cute and sweet...but at the same time it crawled under my skin because I hate being messy. I'm okay with stuff on my face, like the dust for the Pagwa festival...but the paint everywhere and the toothpaste made me squirm. At least it wasn't mud. In the end, though, I know it was more than just the messiness...it was the girl's creativity that was being repressed. It reminded me of the other film we watched today, Une Artiste. Both of them were girls who were being creative, one through music and one through being...messy.
Circuit Marine was like, completely full of different feels. It was funny and then it was completely heartbreaking and shocking. My favorite part was the pirate captain when everyone was eating his parrot...he looked down at his parrot leg, took a bite, and then couldn't do it anymore. It was so sad!! Am I the only person who gets sad over stuff like that?

American Beauty

For Sunday's Signs and Wonders we watched one of my favorite films of the 90s, American Beauty. I think Sam Mendes is a great director and crafts his films well. I'm really looking to the next Bond movie, which he directs.

The writing is excellent in this film. I think it captures what we all want to say perfectly. Realistically  we don't always get our points across like these characters do, but I think there is someone that anyone can relate to in this film. It speaks so much to us about our life, especially suburban culture that took over the 20th century. This is not exclusive to the US, but it obviously spun towards it.

For the first third of the film no one really feels like themselves. This is something that can strike a chord in any of us. We have all felt stuck. Going through the motions. Wondering what's the point. I like how this film stops to think "Why? What is going on here? Why do we value the things we do? What has become of life?" Even better, I don't think the film answers all of those questions, but it does make us think about them, which is very important. I love the freedom you feel along with Les when he tells off his boss, quits his job, and applies for a job with no responsibility. In real life these are all bad ideas, but maybe it will help us think to go after what we enjoy doing. We live vicariously through Les. When he says "It's just a couch!" I hope we all realized what he was saying. I hope we can learn not to put such emphasis on materials.

I think this film is all about perspective and values. It doesn't really draw a clear line. It shows us what each character values and thinks. And that's the real beauty of the film. Ricky finds everything beautiful. I think he's insane, but he's onto something. He's the one person getting enjoyment out of life, and he has a pretty crappy life. Luckily he has an affect on Jane, and she becomes comfortable with herself. This film makes us question our lives. I hope it has helped some people go after what they really want. This is a powerful film that luckily got a widespread audience, a rarity these days.



"This isn't life, it's just stuff. And it's become more important to you than living. Well, honey, that's just nuts."
-Les

The Song of Sparrows

        I loved this movie, which you may not believe since it took me so long to blog about it.
       The characters' actions often rang so true in this story. The way the boys were racing around and having a great time delivering flowers reminded me of my brothers and me bringing in groceries, and how the kids ran to their mom when they were in trouble is so true. I especially liked how the dad was always calling his oldest "my girl" and "my beautiful girl". That's my dad.
      In fact, the characters in this movie were so familiar that it left me wondering if this movie was actually made for Iranians or Westerners. But I suppose Majidi made it for whoever would watch it.
      Now, I say the characters' actions ring true, but not the characters, because really, I didn't find the characters believable half the time. I guess that was mainly due to acting. But I love those actions that are so like what we see in real life. The hearing aide getting dropped in the gunky water. The mother crying when her husband does something she doesn't approve of, and then the husband trying to cheer her up because she's making him miserable. Anytime a movie uses those true actions in the story, I think it makes the movie a million times better.
    

The House Built On.....Solid Sand?

God has put Himself into film. Be it christian, atheist, or buddhist, God is there. He speaks to us, or rather shows us Himself in everything we see, hear, touch, taste, feel, and think about. Paul makes this clear in Romans 1:20. 

So what do we do with this? How do we tell what is of God and what is of the devil? I mean, of course the Bible gives us clues about what comes from God, but there are a lot of details that the Bible does not really dive into....at least not specifically. Like how are we to see and take in the beauty of sex in movies without falling into lust? How does discernment play out in the media-saturated culture we live in.....how do we engage in the ongoing conversation without losing ourselves in the fray? How can we be in the world, but not of it?

We're talking a lot about the good parts of media...making sure that we know just how Christians have screwed up in their approach to art. And for the most part this is very important to bring up. But what if the world has something to offer us, and we take it, and then find out the beauty in it, and then in the process of being molded into someone else we end up forgetting what we stand for? What if the solid rock that we thought our house was built on has suddenly given way and we no longer know what our faith is made of? How can we give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that we have is all we have is a shrug of the shoulders and a blank stare?

What I'm talking about is not necessarily happening to me, but I can see it's roots developing......I can't really tell you why I'm a Christian. I just am and I know I'm never going back. This is frustrating though....because I want to be able to tell someone, "Hey, this is why I'm a Christian," but I can't. There are either way too many factors or I've never really been able to point my faith in any direction but at the mysterious.

Leeper seems to be suggesting that this uncertainty and confusion is good. But I must bring up a point, and that is this: What ground are we standing on? In such confusion, does it really "shine like a light" to an unbeliever that we are standing on solid ground? When they ask me what I believe in and why, I can tell them the first part, but that's honestly as far as I can go without just saying, "It's not something you can explain." And who knows, that might be the answer people need to hear, but something tells me that Peter was talking about something more substantial in 1 Peter 3:15.

Maybe this isn't the problem.....I don't know. I'm just trying to figure out what's right. I think Leeper is bringing up some very valuable points, and I am challenged to think through my faith. But I don't want to end up not knowing what to believe, and for now I guess that's ok.....I just hope God reveals something more to me as this conversation progresses.

Colorform or Conform

Colorms did a good speak about conforming to norms or even being proper.  The film begins with a girl playing with paint and making hand prints and even to the point where she paints her dog and even paints while on a bed and her upper-parents get very upset when they come home.  She then has a harpsichord lesson but she tries to enjoy the instrument, but the instructor won’t allow it.  He is trying to make her conform.  At dinner the parents act very civilized but then suddenly spaghetti flies at them and the camera reveals that the girl is very messy and eating like a barbarian.  So they call the grandpa to watch her teach her some manners.  They are trying to teach her to conform.  At dinner the next day she throws her napkin on her table she and her grandpa do a face off while the parents go off.  She starts making faces at the grandpa who ends up making faces back.  He then tells her to get her coat because they are going to attend a strict religious celebration.  They are celebrating the Indian holiday Pagwa.  They don’t conform to cleanliness.  People are coming up to the two and throwing colored powder in their faces.  Soon the two throw it in each other’s faces.  When they go back home, they get back into the positions that they were in and the parents left. Through that the parents believed that the girl learned something. 

The problems that arise are being yourself and not conforming.  She tries to be artistic and have fun while her parents won’t allow it. They use a punk song at the end which makes you remember to be yourself and you don’t always have to be proper.  That is because o\punk music is a symbol of rebellion.

Jesus in Korean flesh and culture

In the class, we talked about the images of Jesus, and how they are portrayed. Some artists depicted him as a Scandinavian white man with blue eyes or even as a black man. I don't really think the ethnicity matters, because when I pray in Korean, He answers me in Korea; when I pray in English, He answers me in English. He is transcendent.

Today I would like to introduce you some drawings that you have never seen before: "Korean version of Jesus" Sounds wild, right? However, when you see the drawings, you will be amazed how Jesus has perfectly assimilated to Korea.

Yes, I guess from the western perspective, this could be called as an "oriental Christmas". As you can see, every person in the drawing is wearing a traditional Korean costume. Also, since it was not allowed for men to be with women in the same room except the husband, the artist chose to put women surrounding the baby, rather than wise men and shepherds.

Intriguing?

The artist of this kind of drawing is Kim Gi Chang:

Kim Gi Chang was a Catholic, and actually he died only 10 years ago at the age of 87. He attempted to make Jesus indigenous Korean so that He could be more approachable and understandable for commoners who were uneducated.

Here are more of his drawings of Jesus and the Gospels:

Jesus praying in Gethemane while disciples and sleeping.

Jesus being tortured by in a old Korean way.

Cruxificion.

Ascension.

Not only the costumes help us to understand that this is taking place in Korea, but the artist also managed to portray mountainous Korean geography; especially, in the last two drawings.

The artist was criticized for Jesus wearing a costume that only noble people wore. Considering that Jesus was born in Nazareth and lived a life of a wanderer, some people believe that it could have been more believable if Jesus was more like a commoner.

Definitely, halos around "Mary" and "Jesus" does show Catholic influence.

I guess this could be very unexpected interpretation of Jesus, and yet very venerable. I think his interpretations are spectacular.

You have encountered Korean "Yesu". 

Here are some more Jesus from cultures that you are more familiar with:

Chinese version of Mary and baby Jesus

Chinese Jesus

Japanese

My fav. Indian Jesus.

Yes, Arab

Native Indian...

What's you favorite?

Confusion

While being in this class I've been rethinking film.  I must admit, I'm not one for the storytelling aspect of film, but I can attest to the power of emotion in film and camerawork. I will admit I am struggling with this class, I'm not familiar with the artists or writers that Professor Leeper mentions in class.

One thing that has stood out to me is that it's ok to be confused, I need to be open to learning the unknown. I need to be open to learning about emotion flowing through films, how to interpret them, and how to create films that have the power to impact, puzzle, and capture people. And even though I’m still learning to interpret film’s art, I can’t allow the films to stay in the left side of my brain because all too often I over-analyze them.

The films that we have been looking at in class have an art and beauty to them that isn’t utilized anymore. As a future filmmaker I need to learn how to speak this truth in a way that people receive it. In the meantime I need to acknowledge while I’m still learning and my eye for film is being honed, that it’s ok to be confused, it’s a good place to be for a while.

Song of Sparrows thoughts

Even though this movie is entirely in a different language and I couldn't understand a lick of what they were trying to say, I could completely understand everything that was going on. I even found myself at times drifting away from the subtitles and just focusing on the screen. Majid Majidi does an outstanding job moving the movie along and making it clear what is happening without understanding the dialogue. At several points throughout the movie he emphasizes several emotions, comedy, and tragedy that are clear without dialogue. The comedy was obvious with things like Karim pushing the boy into the dirty water when someone yelled snake, or when he has all the different people on the back of his bike. Then there are moments when you can really see how Karim is feeling. For example when he was told he had lost his job you notice that he just looks empty and he is broken. Then when the fish fall all over the street its as if the young boys' dream were snatched away in an instance. Then moments that we see change in Karim is when he puts that rich man's new shirt on and looks in the mirror, it appears that at that moment he believes he wants that kind of life. Or when he watched his kids make very grown up decisions and Karim releases the bird, it shows that he realizes he has what he needs and it isn't material things. All of these things are presented and easily understood without even having to use dialogue throughout the entire movie.

The Fridge

I think the movie the fridge was one of the most saddening movies we have watched in the class. It showed us how busy people are and everybody is involved in their own lives, and do not care what is going own right outside their houses. When the boy got locked in the case and the homeless people were trying to help, the people just closed their blinds and pretended nothing was going on. Even when the fire fighters arrived they acted like they were just doing the job they were paid to do. This film shows how the people that had a lot, were not willing to help while the others that had nothing, were willing to sacrifice their time and do what’s right. They were the only ones that actually helped the boy. This story is very similar to the Good Samaritan story. It shows that to do the right thing and make a difference you do not need a lot. 

Speak Like a Child

Wow. Super lazy all around...I tried a new shading style but I don't think I like it...I was trying to make it more 'manga-ish' but I think I picked the wrong tone. Oh well. I'll try agian next time ^__^ The little girl in the last panel is a character of mine named Bree. Isn't she a cutie?
Anyways...
Today's class brought up an interesting point, especially since I had a conversation with someone about it just two days ago: What are we allowed to teach kids? And by that, I mean, in regards to mature topics like death, sexuality, and evil in general. The girl I was talking to (I'll spare names) basically said that she was going to keep her children as 'innocent' as she could, for as long as she could, and not bring up serious matters until they had to be dealt with.
To be honest, that didn't strike me as 'innocent'. It struck me as naive.
Keeping our children so tightly sheltered will only hurt them in the long run. Wouldn't it be a lot better to explain what death is to a child instead of having a death suddenly come and rock their world completely off of its foundations, unable to comprehend and unable to cope with the new sensation of loss? Of course, you aren't going to take your three-year-old aside and show them pictures from a brutal murder and explain it to them: you have to do it tastefully and gentley. They are going to realize that they were born into a world of suffering eventually...you might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later.

GOD AND MEDIA

Basically, to sum up today, it was one of my favorite classes so far. This is because of the fact that we are not here to just further our career to become rich and famous. Our discussion on this today on this was fascinating, and I agree with everything we went over. We are not here to just learn some stuff and strive to become instant "Hollywood". This is an example of our own pleasures for ourselves and not satisfying others. We are here to use the gifts that God has given us. Also I was reading through the blogs and there's a major point I like about what Becca said....quote... "But, it is so easy to get caught up in what is popular, and what the audience wants to see, rather than what they need to see. I mean think about it, do you think God gave you this artistic ability to make you famous and glorify yourself, or to to glorify Him and make His name known?"... I couldn't agree more. We don't need to be in a mess of pleasing yourself and using what is popular to become "Hollywood". We need to use the talents and gifts that God has given us to again GLORIFY HIM! There is nothing else better than that. What better way to spread God's love than through media. This was the intention I had when I wanted to pursue in a media career and come to Huntington, knowing that I want to do it for God. 

Another thing I want to touch on for today was the idea around "Having children in the room creates a different aspect on presenting media and can make a story it's best" This I totally agree on as well. If you were to present media to a group of children, what would you present? You wouldn't use super violence, cursing, basically sinful nature. No way, no way. You wouldn't present any of that. Ignoring this presents just a good chunk of media. Not particularly pointing to Disney on some aspects, but they present a good chunk of media in ways. This is just something to think about.

Reflection on Song of Sparrows

Despite a lack of special effects and minimum background music i felt this film gripped my attention quite well for the hour and half. This goes to show that huge budgets and star power acting is not what makes a great film. The simplicity of the story exhibited in a completely different culture was fascinating to me. The level of moral content the director was able to put in this film without being overt because of legal cultural restrictions took major talent. The father in this film becomes consumed with material possessions and makes it his  main focus to the point where his world comes crashing down around him (literally). After he falls of the pile of junk that has accrued in his yard, it is then that he realizes what a mess he has made of his life. Hmmm... interesting resemblance can be drawn to Christianity; we must see the emptiness the world holds for us and turn to the things that really matter. Also, a major parody to Salvation is the kids cleaning out the well. The father says in the film that theres no way a fish could live in all that junk and muck. So the kids get the idea to clean out the filth and fill it with clean water so fish can live there. That is powerful symbolism to anyone who is open to receive it. These subtle moral messages encoded in Majid Majidi's films makes him an outstanding director. Simple story, great film, well done.                                      

Fame and Fortune

I agreed with Professor Leeper today, when he said that if you were worried more about money and becoming famous, then you are only serving yourself and not God. I think that in the beginning alot of us have this great intention of using our talent to worship God, and to show other's His love. But, it is so easy to get caught up in what is popular, and what the audience wants to see, rather than what they need to see. I mean think about it, do you think God gave you this artistic ability to make you famous and glorify yourself, or to to glorify Him and make His name known?

Media is a powerful tool, and we should be using it to show other's God's love. It doesn't matter if you don't make alot of money, and if you don't become famous from your film. Even if only a handful of people see your film, and it changes their life in some significant way, where they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, I think that is much more important than all the money in the world, because in the end God will provide for us anyway. What we need, He will provide.

Colorforms

I think that for me Colorforms spoke to me in a way because growing up my parents where strict,made allot of rules,and generally didn't give me to much of a fun childhood. They allmost forced politeness and everything  else upon me,but i don't know how I would be if I had my own way probably really bad but I think all kids need that release that one day where you can be free,be yourself, make a mess and no one would say anything but that's my take on it i would love to hear another opinion thanks!

Little Dog Turpe

i thought the film "Little Dog Turpe" was very interesting.It looked like to me Tim Burton style short. In the way the characters looked and everything the fount of the houses, Its interesting all most befuddles me how this is a kids film but mite seemed all most childish whereas you had the happy ending and no part where to gruesome or to "grown-upish" if you will, It reminds me of fairy tales iv heard before i don't know something about it just fascinated me i cant explain it, if you have an opinion please tell me I'd like to hear it thanks!

Different Perspective on Leeper's Class

It seems like a lot of posts are about how Leeper's class is leaving people in a state of questioning. Why pursue film? Is everything I ever thought wrong? Am I just a sell out? The films being shown are making everyone question their choices, and their favorite films. Just today, I could feel the tension in the air rise as Leeper discussed how comic book movies are nothing more than just that: comic book movies. People walk away from that class questioning all they thought they understood.

And I just haven't felt that questioning from his class. In fact, I question myself more when I'm talking to other DMA majors around my age then when I'm sitting there listening to Leeper talk. For the last few weeks I've, for some reason, felt ashamed of my desire for the "art house" style of film. For enjoying the films being shown class and thinking they were the hidden gems of our culture. I've felt like maybe I was trying to hard, or maybe I wasn't meant for film if I don't even have the desire to make big Blockbuster features or to rub elbows with the A list of the industry.

But Leeper's class leaves me not depressed or upset or in a state of confusion; rather it leaves me rejuvenated and feeling confident. It makes me feel confident in my passion for the art. It's like yes, I want to do that. I want to think like that. After every class I feel better about my choices and my goals for my self in relation to film.

Today's class really made me smile, because everything Leeper said was something I've been struggling with. I'm not strange if I don't want to be the next Spielberg. I'm not strange for wanting to make a film that lives on in 10 people rather than be forgotten quickly out of millions. And if this class has taught me anything, it's that there's a thousand and one things left to learn but for right now I'm doing just fine.

Does anyone else find Leeper's class to be a much needed affirmation?

The Lunch Date

The lunch date is about a woman who is probably a wealthy Jew living in New York based on her posture and wardrobe.  She goes to a train station and unfortunately she accidently runs into a homeless man who knocks a bunch of her grooming items out of her purse.  After she picks them up she ends up missing her train.  When she buys a salad to while waiting for the next train she sees a black man with a hat that looks stolen eating what she presumes is to be her salad.  She eats some and he eats some.  Then he gets them coffee.  She leaves for her train but forgot her bags.  Then she comes back and realizes that the man did no steal her salad and instead she just sat at the wrong table.

 

What I like about the film is that you think that it’s a period piece until you see the black man in the diner.  The tag on his hat looks contemporary so you do not know when this takes place.  At that moment you feel disoriented.  Also when the woman returns to the table you might notice that each of the shots are framed to not reveal the whole table so you don’t realize that she sat down in the wrong place.  It’s good because it keeps you thinking that he really did steal her salad until the end.  Clever!

The Song of Sparrows

This film showed a lot of family relations to what we have here in the United States. The scene with the young group of boys crying as they save the fish by pushing them in the gutter shows the dreams of the boys were shattered as the push their dreams "into the gutter"; the same thing happens here. this movie really shows similarities between families that are an entire world apart.

During this film, it was hard to concentrate on the main point in it. I was really surprised at the last scene when the ostrich is doing this weird dance. I know that as a filmmaker, I am suppose to find the main points in a film, but in this film i couldn't find the main point right away. Maybe this shows that i still have a lot to learn about films. Professor Leeper can find the main point in a painting that i have seen millions of times but never understood it. Am i to immature? Does my brain wrap too tightly around one topic? I don't know. I'm just another face in the crowd of confusion.

Fridge

Looking back now, I can distinctly remember the feelings that I had when watching “Fridge”. To be honest I had slightly forgotten about this film, and seeing the others in the class comment on it reminded me of this. As we watched this on the same day as “World of Glory”, a film that I will not ever forget, it sort of got passed over as the only film I thought about for awhile was “World of Glory”.  It almost was as if “Fridge” was a warm-up piece to the final, horrific film.

Now, when I think about “Fridge” separately, I realized that that film took as much of toll on my feelings and my outlook on the human nature as “World of Glory”, just in different ways I guess. As the boy was locked in that fridge, all I could think about was how he could potentially be helped. The “worthless” bums are there to help, but their resources and strengths are limited. When I saw the people looking out the windows, I kept thinking, “Oh, there is the hero. That old lady…. Or oh… maybe that man… guess not him…. Or maybe that mother who has a child of her own….” Nope… No one was there to help the homeless couple save this innocent child from suffocating. Everyone just watched and continued on with their lives.  The human nature: self-centered, cold, uncompassionate. We are just great, aren’t we. I mean in reality we all do this same thing as the people in this movie. I did the same thing immediately after.  I watched the problem and then moved onto the next thing in my life, forgetting everything that I saw.

The Song of Sparrows

         

There tends to be some sort of stigma (possibly an understatement) between us and Islam. That is clear. It's been made clear from our past together, and it's proven to still be clear judging by the current events over the past month. Majid Majidi was one of the lead directors that branched Islamic Cinema into mainstream media. Watching his film, "The Song of Sparrows" allowed us to look into the life of a typical Islam, with his typical family, and his typical jobs. They live just like we do. We can easily relate to them and their values. I personally did not have to force myself to sit there and put up with this man and his beliefs, but instead I merely saw the similarities between our lives and values.

This is something that art can do. It can impact. It can change. It can inspire. It can relate. Mujidi knew this. In a 1999 interview he said "No matter what country or culture you're from, you always believe in friendship, you always believe in human values, and you always believe in peace. These are the basic values that everybody believes in, and we can demonstrate those values and have them permeate through cultural and artistic manifestations (http://www.avclub.com/articles/majid-majidi,13578/)."

Maybe the developed stigma will never fully go away, but it has definitely diminished. Perhaps the power of art, making its way into the outside world, revealed to the world that what is is perceived as different isn't  something to be feared or to judged. But it reality the worlds that we all believe to be different are much like our own.

Destination: Mosque

For my communications class, we were asked to attend a service in which we would feel like an “outcast.” My group chose to go to the Mosque located in Fort Wayne. There were three girls and one guy. We had no idea what to expect.

After asking out professor and researching a bit, we dressed up in long dresses, wrapped scarves around our heads, and heading off to the service.

            To be honest, we were all nervous. We started to almost get paranoid about what we were wearing and if it was O.K. for them, or if we would offend them by wearing out earrings, clothes, etc. When we arrived, we were greeted by a nice man, who told us that the men an women will be separated. After heading downstairs to the women’s room, I was surprised to see that the room they use was very small, and there were only about 12 women there. The main woman greeted us with a smile on her face, figuring that we were only there for a class project, but was more than willing to help us to know he Muslim religion, and answer any questions she could if we had any. After talking with us for a few minutes, my friends and I just watched. We sat down and observed what these women were going to do. They prayed quietly to themselves then listened to the lecture. Once the lecture was done, they prayed to Allah once more, and to our surprise, the service was then over. It took all of but a half hour.

            The Mosque was a very neat cross-cultural experience. I had never seen people in this element, and it was very interesting to hear how they believed. Some quotes that I remember from the woman giving us a background of the Muslim religions, were that she told us “We believe in one God, just like you guys,” “We believe that Jesus is the son of Mary, only the son of Mary,” “We believe we are slaves to Allah, and we will do what we can to please him,” but the quote that stuck with me the most was: “If you respect us, we will respect you.”

            While sitting in the service, I realized the reality of the situation. I realized how this religion was what they truly believed in, and it was very eye opening to know that people across the globe really do have these beliefs, and it’s not just in the movies. While listening to what the man lecturing had to say, you could hear the passion, not to mention anger in his voice when he was talking about serving Allah, and making sure you do things to serve Allah that will make him proud. It honestly scared me a little bit, to know that some of these points of beliefs are what lead to dangerous situations between different groups, and how serious they can become, yet they say that their religion is still peaceful, I don't understand why there are so many issues.

            Ending on a better note, I thought the Mosque was an amazing experience. What surprised me most was that they were very friendly and welcoming of us. We were even asked if we wanted anything to drink when we first got there, and were greeted with smiles and hugs. Also, we were told that each of the women was a normal person, and it interested me how she said that, as if they know they may or may not have a reputation of some sort. I learned that even though we don’t agree with some of the beliefs of the Muslim religion, as Christians, we don’t have to believe it, but if we are trying to learn or understand as to why people believe what they do, we have to be respectful about it.