The Consumer aka The Ruiner

Although I have not always been one of those people who reads the book before watching the movie, I do understand the frustration that can come from having something you treasure because of its anonymity, get exposed and blown out of proportion overnight because someone caught wind of it and saw dollar signs in their eyes. Now Harry Potter was already hugely popular before even having been made into a movie, but the obviously mentionable Twilight was relatively under the radar before it was snatched up and turned into an explosion of boy mania, screaming girls and franchise central. People are both the biggest allies and worst enemies of just about anything. While they may help boost the popularity and gain the piece mad money due to all the profiting tricks, the true integrity of the project risks being jeopardized because of all the madness that comes to surround it, because of fans.
Some artists prefer that their work not hit the the mainstream because they would much prefer that their work (whether movies, paintings, photography, etc) is left to be truly appreciated for what has went into it instead of having it blown to epic proportions so that they can make more of a profit.
Now I am not saying that the creators of these series or books or anything like that have gotten a lot of fame are in the wrong. I guess I just want to make sure that the person whose work is out there really knows how they want to be remembered and that they keep their vision in mind always. Also, again I now I am in fact gulity of this myself in many instances, but I just want to encourage people who all of sudden become obsessed with the new big thing to hit the world, to try and delve into the roots of that particular thing. This can be done by either reading the book(s) before watching the movie or looking at the inspiration behind a newly popular piece of art.
The point is, don't let yourself be a person that takes away the true charm behind someone's creation and just let it be what it needs to be. Be an appreciator and not a ruiner.
-Courtney

500 Days of Summer

I don't know what it is about this movie, but for some reason I found it to be so entertaining and look so foward to watching it again. You now what I think it is? It's the fact that it looks at relationships in such an incredibly real, I mean real way, that it's hard not to just be like wow, this is crazy true! I think that for anyone who has ever been in a relationship or is currently, that they can find something about the movie that just really hits home.
The movie follows this guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is an amazingly attractive, great actor who did really well in this part) who falls for a girl named Summer (Zooey Deschanel, also incredible as the kooky leading lady, but of course she remains charming as ever). It follows the ups and downs of their somewhat bizarre realtionship in such a funny, yet sad way that you can't help but feel for Levitt's character, Tom, throughout the whole film. The reason they experience such a rollercoaster of a relationship is that they have different views on there really being that one true love for everyone in the world. And this huge difference between the two of them results in humorous, true-to-life instances that just make for a perfectly, off-beat type of movie that will pluck at your heartstrings.
Now I don't exactly know if I would recommend it as a first date kind of movie (it might look at realtionships a little too in depth for that budding relationship), but I do recommend that at some point everyone, even guys, watch this movie. It has a lot to say and point out about the forever confusing relationship between a boy and a girl, and it ends on the perfect note.
With my high recommendation, please go and watch 500 Days of Summer.
-Courtney

Reality TV is Taking Over the World!!!!!

So not that I didn't already notice, but I just came to a great realization that there is just an incredibly large amount of shows out there nowadays that are supposedly about "real life" anymore. This is just ridiculous. I mean the number of reality shows on TV has almost reached the level of vampire craze (in the sense that it is consuming our screens and becoming an unhealthy obsession). I for one am not the biggest fan of this because so many of them are just outright stupid and pointless that I find myself jumping for the remote so I don't have to endure watching it. I will admit however that I do have my reality show guilty pleasures, some of which I feel are worthwhile (So You Think You Can Dance, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) while others, maybe not so much (Parental Control).
I find it important that actual shows are more supported than a lot of this new garbage because at least they're not trying to be something they are not. They are shows that are meant to have scripts and are well aware that they are fictional, as do we as the audience. We've had to come to realize that so much of the "reality TV" is also in fact scripted, so when it tries to come off as though it isn't, it's just kind of annoying.
Anyway, the point is that I would like to see less of so many of these ridiculous shows on my television screen so I can enjoy some old-fashioned, scripted TV shows about some real fictional characters. Is that too much to ask?:)
-Courtney

The World Has Been Bitten

So I hate to say it, but I have to comment on the the world's latest obsession with the pale-skinned, blood-sucking sexiness that is vampires. It started with True Blood on HBO and then blew out of comsic proportion with a little phenomenon called Twilight. The latter will continue to draw immense attention and fanfare with its new installments: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. So that's like three more years at the least with all the craziness surrounding the popular Stephanie Meyers series and the two introverted stars leading the cast. The latest new sensation is the show The Vampire Diaries on CW, which is basically a semi-soap opera drama about, none other than a girl who meets a vampire boy and falls for him. Wow, they really went for a far stretch from Twilight's initial plot. Anyway, the fact is that there must be something that just really sucks people in (excuse the pun) to wanting to continually see more of these devilishly enchanting tales of the interaction between humans and vampires. Plus, sex sells and for whatever reason the theme of vampires seems to always bring about plenty of sex appeal, with all the neck nibbling and drawing the victim in closely to drain them of the elixir pulsating throughout their veins. It's just an intoxicatingly easy plot to reuse and elaborate on. Plus, it gives a variety of acclaimed handsome leading men (Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise of the 90s vampire flick, An Interview with A Vampire, and new guy Robert Pattinson) the chance to explore their dark side and as usual, make women melt all around the world. Vampire movies are ultimately an example of Hollywood taking advantage of the a very predictable and easily satisfied audience. They've done pretty well and seem to have a bright future in the delightfully, dark subject.
-Courtney

80s Movies: A Genre All It's Own

So desite my not being around when this incredible era of movies were made, I have come to develop much admiration and delight in these classic, feel-good awesome movies that more than exemplify and offer an honest, ultimately touching look in to the teenagers' life. Movies like Pretty in Pink, Say Anything, The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Sixteen Candles are packed with teen angst, relation issues and popularity. They are still somehow so relatable and real-to-life, even twenty years later. What is crazy is that this decade is pretty much the only one to be considered its own genre. It also is the source of some of the most memorable movie moments, including the dancing in the library in The Breakfast Club and when John Cusack's character holds the stereo above his head to serenade his love interest in Say Anything. These movies have so much to offer, from a look at real-life situations and the overly dramatic life of American teenagers to outstanding soundtracks with tunes you can't help but sing with.
I seem like such an 80s lover, but I have just recently come to realize how much this genre all of its own is actually very wonderful, amusing and truly classic.
-Courtney

The Bizarre, Blunt and Bold: 2009 VMAs

So, the VMA's...hmm. It definately had its highlights (Pink's amazing and dynamic acrobatic performance , the touching and extremely personal tribute to Michael Jackson given by Madonna)...but I have to without a doubt say that this show was probably filled with more moments that made me think to myself, "What the hell?"
Like the part where Taylor Swift goes up to accept her Best Female Video Award and the irritating and arrogant Kanye West decides to go up and tremendosly humiliate the young starlet, who was accepting her very first VMA. The fact that he had the nerve to go up and steal her moment by basically saying that Beyonce deserved the award more than her was appalling and yet not entirely unexpected from the outright rude rapper.
Or how about the still confusing, disturbing and utterly weird, weird performance that Lady Gaga obviously conjured up in her absolutely twisted mind and decided to present to the whole wide world. I just sat there with my jaw dropped and found myself trying to make sense of something so unsensible, it was just such a strange little piece of time in my life. hmm...
You know what the crazy thing is? That's not where Lady Gaga's outlandishness stops, oh no, throughout the night she opts to maintain the overly crazy approach with FOUR of the most ridiculous outfits that bring awkward and somewhat creepy to a completely new level.
Ok, I digress.
Basically the awards night brought a whole slew of awesome and bewildering, fantastic and questionable, heartfelt and heartless moments. Overall, I was entertained, as I should have been, which is all I was asking for:)
-Courtney

Music In Movies

It is something that has been used since the beginning of movie making. It has helped set the tone, stir excitement and tension in the audience, create a sense of sadness or tremendous joy and give the moviegoers a piece of the movie that they will be able to take with them and hold onto forever. Music in film has had an endless number of incredible effects on how epic or just average a movie can be. Typically, it results in the former and helps us as the audience connect with the movie even more due to a wonderfully thought out and pitch perfect soundtrack that makes the movie's emotions come alive as though they are our own. For me personally, when I am experiencing a film, I feel as though the music the film is set to begins to surround me and dance around my head, engulfing my entire being into being there, in that very moment in the film, with those people. I'm sure that my passion for acting helps me to be overly sensitive to this kind of reaction to all these different, amazing forms of art overtaking me at once, but I still feel that no matter what your passions in life are, that a good set of tunes to go along with a movie will impact anyone. Something else that a great movie accompanied by great music does, is that it in some way you will always retain a connection between the two. For example, whenever I hear the song "Don't You" by Simple Minds, I automatically think of the '80s classic, The Breakfast Club, as I'm sure most people would. Other pieces of music that leave an imprint in your mind forever can even be something like the chilling and villainous two-note Jaws theme. The list goes on and on, but the fact will always remain that the music in a film has much more to do with the entire experience than, I believe, more people realize. Just think about it the next time you start humming a tune and see if it does not happen to show up in one of Hollywood's numerous hits or iconic classics.
- Courtney
(b.t.w. to check out a clip from Breakfast Club featuring the memorable music of Simple Minds ,just go to www.youtube.com and enter "The Breakfast Club- Ending Scene" in the search box. Enjoy!)