Content Ratings Part 2

So after my last post which had a fairly positive view of looking at movies solely on content instead of rating I wanted to talk about some negative repercussions of this. I'm going to start by issulstraiting my point with a story.

So last fall on my study abroad I had this deep craving for a vanallia bean frappachino from Starbucks. This delicious plain and simple decadent heavenly caffient free beverage is kind of my Achilles heal, and when I saw that Starbucks in my little notting hill neighborhood I just had to go buy it. With me I brought my dear friend Emily who remarked as we went inside "I've never actually been in a Starbucks before" I gasped of course, how could she be missing out on such lovely and delisious overpriced indulgences? When asked about it she quite simply said "I had a seminary teacher once who talked about the avoiding the appearance of evil." that gave me some pause in thought. And as I sucked on my lucious creamy ambrosia I realized that she made a good point. Was I doing anything wrong? No. Temple recommend could still be obtained, no coffee in my cup. But let's say someone on the street figured out I was mormon and then saw what appeared to be a coffee style Starbucks cup in my hand... What would that say to them? I don't know. I know that since that day I've avoided Starbucks.

 So why did I bring this up? I think movies should follow a similar thought. After my last experiment with content ratings which was, in my mind, successful it still doesn't change the fact that movies have ratings. And that ratings have meanings, associations, and even stigmas attached to them. One of my very first posts on my media blog was a rather heavy and harsh statement against rated R movies. In this post I talked about a friend who constantly tried to get me to watch rated R movies. I saw him and his family over the thanksgiving break, and in a way they had built this sort of standard for me. For example, his dad suggested we go see a movie  and added "not rated r of course". He said it kind of in jest, but also it had a ring of respect to it. If I subject myself to more movies of a rated R nature then I loose that association that I have worked my life trying to maintain. Instead I'm just the girl who chooses movies carefully, which is good, but it's not as finite or concrete or clean. And maybe that's how we should define what we consume, being careful consumers... But can we also balance that with avoiding the appearance of evil?

 I think often of some of my guy friends who own rated R movies... Is it wrong to say I think worse of them. I try not to, I try to be accepting, plus things aren't always as they appear, but those movies, in my mind, take away from a pure aspect of those boys that could otherwise be there. Though I consider my content viewing experiment a success I think that rated R movies should generally be avoided regardless. It's just a movie after all, is it worth it this trouble, these excuses, this analysis, the critiques? Perhaps instead we can use content analysis to better sift through pg 13 movies and be a more careful consumer there. I think unless we can revamp the rating system as is, we still need to take it into consideration the ratings distributed if just to avoid negative associations, because after all we should always try to be an example. So that's where I stand, what do you think?

Wisdom Teeth Out = More Media Consumption

You know how when you have those days when you’re sick you have this inborn desire to just sit around and do so nothing but watch tv... well that’s what happened to me. Except I wasn't really sick per se, I was mostly just tired, drugged, and I guess there was some throwing up involved... but only every two hours. I got my wisdom teeth out on monday and of course that was an overly pleasant experince. Before hand I watched the new episode of once upon a time, during I watched a part of Brave decided I didn't really like it and then switched to Zoolander, and after I watched half a season of big bang theory. The next day, after I dropped my phone in a glass of water, I was subjected to internet use for all my communication needs so I was pretty much on facebook all day. I also started and finished a book, and watched more big bang theory. Needless to say by wednesday I was pretty much done with media and in need of some actual productive activities.

Content Ratings

After our last lecture I decided to put content focus to the test. In a previous post I talked about my distaste for rated R movies, but that I had one I kind of really wanted to see: the movie Once. So I looked it up and tried to see what Common Sense Media thought of it. For being a rated R movie it got surprisingly a lower age recommendation than most pg 13 movies. So I broke down and I watched it. And in reality it seriously felt more like a pg movie than anything. It was a pretty positive film about chasing dreams, building friendships, and trying to make hard relationships work. It was about doing what's right despite what you might want. The only thing that made this movie rated R was that these Irish characters dropped the f bomb a few more times than than the rating system likes. But even that seemed pretty mild... maybe it was the main actor's beautiful Irish accent, but it just didn't feel as harsh to me. The swearing seemed more casual than deliberate. I seriously believe if you took that away though what you would have is a pg movie. So in this case content wins. However on my next blog post I want to talk negative repercussions of this content method, so stay tuned.

Becoming Part

Recently I had a friend who had to put together a short film as a kind of project. Somehow I got roped into being one of the actresses for this short film. So one cold rainy friday I ended up painted blue, with no shoes on my feet, and a gold robe zip tied to my wrists up in rock canyon.

It was amazing to be on the other side of the camera for once. The process of film is so unreal. Participating adds a whole new layer to movie magic. To see the effort, the hours and hours that goes into making a second rate 5 minute film, changes my perspective on movies. To see how each movement and frame is calculated to be a certain way to elicit a particular response brings all new appreciation to me for film.

That and I got to fulfill a quasi childhood dream of becoming an actress. I took theatre in highs school and loved it, but all of our major school productions were fairly sketch and I didn't want to take part. Caberet, and Jesus Christ superstar aren't exactly great musicals for a mormon to be associated with. So for once outside of a theatre class I got to be someone other than me. And that was kind of marvelous.

Anyways it turned out well and if/when I get a copy of the movie perhaps I'll post it up on the blog for y'all to see.

Dare to Share

I have a really good friend that up till this May I hadn't really talk to in over 3 years. We just kind of went our separate ways. But I posted a video of a song I wrote up in May and she saw it. And for the first time in years she got in contact with me and told me how that song had touched her, and how she regretted our friendship not being what it once was. I was talking with her again, even if it was momentarily, it was something. It got me thinking about the impact we can make through the things that we put out in the world. If we dare to share who can we reach? Who can we help? Who could we inspire? I guess it works both ways. Sharing that which produces a negative effect will in turn be detrimental to those around us. I guess the main message is to share the good, regardless of how you feel it may be perceived, and to eliminate the bad so that it may not have the ability to hurt, cripple, or destroy. 

With that message I thought I would share the video that my friend saw and reached out to me about... though I will warn you it's a little unrelated.

Social Networking and the Boyfriends it Got Me

The other day in class we were shown a chart of the more intimate ways to communicate through media. Through social networking was noted as the least intimate, however that hasn't been the case for me. Maybe my experiences aren't quite the norm but I do want to put them out there. 

In my life I have been in only two serious relationships, lots of dates, but only two serious relationships. Though they haven't worked out in the long run they were both very positive relationships and they both wouldn't have happened had it not been for facebook. Yes facebook. 

The first experience opened up the opportunity to stay in touch, develop close bonds, and maintain a good friendship which enabled us eventually to enter into a romantic engagement. I knew him for a total of 2 years, and for a little over one of those years he was consistently dating someone else. Even though for the first year I understood he was off limits I knew very quickly that he is someone that I would really like to be with. So we kept in touch, and I wrote him every once and while through facebook. When he was having a tough time finding a job I was there to support him and help him... through facebook. Fast forward about a year, he is now single, and through facebook I invite him to a dance. We really hit it off and the next week we were dating, and the week after that he tells me he loves me. It didn't all pan out on my side of things but it's an interesting example of how social networks can have a role in your dating life.

The second experience is even a little more facebook dependent. One winter semester I had met this guy in the Clyde building while I was waiting for my english class to begin, and then after that we met every tuesday and thursday before both our respective classes. However when winter semester wound to a close he wasn't there to be able to gather any form of contact information. All I knew was his first name, his major, and that he grew up in a remote area of Utah. So I was fairly sure I would never see him again, which was unfortunate seeing as I really enjoyed his company. Skip to the middle of May and I get a facebook request from this guy that I thought I would never see again, and a message telling me that I was pretty hard to find. And from there we talked on facebook almost everyday for 4 months and then every other day for 4 more months while I studied abroad in London. Sometimes we talked for hours online, and we developed a really close and strong relationship. Now don't get me wrong we also used other forms of communication such as calling one another and using Skype, but for the most part a lot of our communication was primarily through facebook and it's messaging system. Then when I got back we dated for about 3 months, were quite serious, but things didn't work out on his end.

I just thought I would provide a few personal examples from my life to show that the media has an effect to the extent in which you use it. Social networking tools can be a way to get to know people and they can lead to further relationships depending on the way you use them. At least such has been my experience. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Review

Last night I watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I have to say that I haven't been that impressed with a movie in a long time. Sometimes I choose movies that are upbeat or fast-paced. Sometimes I choose movies to make me laugh or smile. But for me, most of the time, I choose movies to make me feel. When I watch a movie I often rate the quality of it by the connection I feel with the characters in it. When I feel  a strong emotional connection with them, their sorrows, and their pains that's when I deem it a good movie. 

This movie was well made and well executed. Though I found some of the stereotypes a little tired and one demential, the main story and characters were quite profound. It was shocking, and moving in ways that I didn't expect going into it. It was original and different. I wouldn't recommend it for a younger audience and I would be a little hesitant to recommend it to my parents and even some of my friends. Why would I say this after giving it such praise?Well, some of the subject matter is a little intense and perhaps at times uncomfortable. That being said, I didn't necessarily feel like it was entirely unwarranted or that it had a dark tone about it. Often movies that contain intense plots or subjects can often come with negative repercussions as far as feelings go, but I didn't get the same impression here. What I did feel was speechless. And I don't know how to explain why I was speechless, other than this movie was something unexpected, powerful, and yet simple. It's a movie about overcoming trials, about friendship and belonging, and it's a movie about good and bad relationships. If you enjoy well made movies, good acting, powerful stories, and feel like you can handle some of the more sketchy  content then I would recommend this movie. Made my top 10 quite easily.