Putting my Foot in my Mouth

This week I went home to see my 14 year old sister perform in her Jr. High's production of Beauty and the Beast. Now, as we all know, the quality of those performances are usually not spectacular (I mean,  a 14 year old boy with  a changing voice trying to belt out Gaston's songs isn't exactly pleasant). But, puberty sucks, so I can't give them too much flack about it.

I mentioned Gaston in particular for a reason. The kid could. not. sing. At all. None. Nada. No sense of pitch. But dang - the kid could act. He filled the role so well, and had really impressive stage presence.

So, during intermission, I turned to my brother when I thought all possibility of possible relatives overhearing me was gone, and mentioned how, even though he couldn't  sing, the kid could really act well, and how impressed I was.

I should have learned my lesson long ago to just wait to critique until I am in the safety of my car or my house. But no, I just couldn't wait.

Lo and behold, his mother was sitting in front of us. She turned around and said that Gaston was her son. I wanted to go bury myself in a hole. I just said her son couldn't sing (granted, I said more nice things than bad things - but still - that was the first thing I said).

So, what do I do? I play it off and say how impressed I am with his stage presence and we talk about how much he loves acting and wants to go on broadway and act. Nice conversation. But still. Ugh. Why me?

Moral of the story: Do not say bad things about actors when their family is potentially within hearing range.

Leap Day

After watching the video about the representation of women in the media today in class, I came home to find my roommates watching the movie Leap Year, in honor of Leap Day. Since I was in a "more power to women" type of mood (which documentaries like that often put me in) I watched the movie with them through a different lens than normal.

As I watched Amy Adams take initiative and go to Ireland to surprise her boyfriend and propose to him, I was excited to see a woman take initiative and do something that traditionally is done by men. The man she meets to take her to Dublin, who (spoilers) ends up being her love interest, mocks her about her plan. Then throughout the movie the typical "they fall in love thing" happens and it's great and nice and I quite like it (even with a lot of the stuff in it that puts Amy Adams' character down as a woman) I'm a sucker, I admit it. The part that struck me as different this time watching it, however, was the ending.

Amy Adams decides to go to Ireland and get the guy. Again. Only this time, it's a different guy. I never realized before, but I love that her character is consistent and still goes after what she wants. She realizes she is unhappy, and that she loves the Irish man and not her fiance, and she flies to Ireland to get the guy, just like she did at the beginning.

And I really like that.

Sock Puppet Murder Mystery

My ward decided to do a big FHE activity. The assignment was to make a video about something from the Book of Mormon. Those were the only instructions. So, my FHE group and I got to work thinking of something fun and entertaining we could do for our video. It is a male dominated group, so many ideas were thrown out.

My favorite idea was to do a sock puppet murder mystery. We were going to turn the story of the chief judge getting killed (I think Nephi was the prophet at the time) into a classic whodunnit.

Alas, the men thought sock puppets were silly. The idea was scrapped.

Instead, we decided upon a series of short "And I'm a Mormon" clips. One was Abish, the track star. Another was Nephi building a boat. Samuel the Lamanite. Alma the Younger talking about his thug days. The guys got pretty excited, and it turned out really well.

Every group in the ward made a video, and we had a big FHE activity together to watch all of the videos. They were all clever and creative, and surprisingly well-made. Which got me thinking.

We made these videos just for fun, for our ward to watch. And it brought us all together to make the videos a success. Which is pretty powerful. A group of 9 opinionated guys (plus a couple of us girls) managed to come together and get really excited about something, and they/we made it happen.

Imagine if that were applied to something bigger. More important. The impact it could have is amazing. I think that is why the church puts out so many different forms of media now. It brings people together in lots of different ways for a powerful and wonderful purpose. Think of the impact we could have if we took advantage of media like that.

Late Night Talks with my Brother

A few years ago, I walked past my brother's room and saw him watching an anime. I lingered in his doorway to watch for a couple of minutes before walking away. The show was a little strange in my opinion, but I figured he liked it, so whatever.

 I noticed him watching it a lot, and came upon an idea. I had been trying to have a better relationship with him, and I needed a way to get closer to him. 

Epiphany: Watch the weird anime with him. 

I showed interest, and he started the show over to watch with me. We started watching a couple of episodes together every night, and then we would talk about it for a while after. We finished that show, started another. Surprisingly, I started to really enjoy the shows we would watch.

Our conversations started moving toward other things, and then we would spend several hours talking after our show. When I went to college, every time I would come home to visit, we would talk in his room and watch a few episodes of a show. We have one manga (book version of an anime) that we read every week, and then text or call each other to talk about it. We still do it, even though our late night TV watching sessions are over because of our diverging lives. 

I was able to use something my brother loved to become closer to him. At first, it was just the show that made us spend time together. Then it became something wonderful, and I have a very good relationship with my brother that stemmed from it. 

If used correctly, media can be a wonderful tool to build relationships. It can give you something in common, a shared interest, as way to spend time together. 

All it took was a little effort on my part to notice what he liked, and show a little interest. It's amazing how much people open up when you show a little interest in what they like.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Last night, I saw Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, at the behest of my roommates. I'm not really into the zombie genre, but I humored them. And I was pleasantly surprised.

The movie was cheesy, and hey, full of zombies. However, the proposal scene at the end was actually quite touching. It made the whole movie worth it to me, just for that one scene.

That got me thinking - isn't it often the same with any movie or TV show? We don't keep watching just for those cool fight scenes. We watch for those small moments that really make you connect with the story being told. I began to think about other instances in which this was the case, for me.

This was the best part of the whole movie in my opinion. You see the kind of man Steve is, and why he gets chosen. You see his integrity, his bravery, and his selflessness. You see that it doesn't matter what you look like. Muscles and stature don't give you power. Who you are is much more powerful So good.

Avatar the Last Airbender has so many good moments. Two in particular stand out. Katara saw her mother killed trying to protect her when she was a young girl. Later on, she seeks revenge against the man who killed her. She finds him, and fights him. Just as she is about to kill him, she stops. She decides that revenge is not what she needs, and moves past her consuming hatred.  The second one I thought of was the finale when Aang stands up for his beliefs and what he was taught as an Airbender- peace, forgiveness, kindness. He refuses to kill Ozai (the villian), instead taking away the source of his power. It is a poignant message, and a wonderful moment.

The Hobbit - there were many things wrong with these movies. However, one beautiful part of the story are those few moments between Thorin and Bilbo. The moment when Bilbo says he'll help take back Thorin's home. The moment when Bilbo shows Thorin the acorn, and Thorin softens from his consuming paranoia. And finally, Thorin's death, when he reconciles with Bilbo. Those were short, small moments. And they were my favorite parts of this trilogy. 

One Piece. The world's most popular manga and anime series. Luffy (pictured above) is mostly carefree and easygoing. Often ridiculous. However, when people hurt his friends, he gets very angry. One of the most satisfying moments of the whole series (700+ episodes and counting) is when a powerful character shoots and injures Luffy's friend. The friend begs him not to do anything, because of this man's status and power. However, Luffy goes against his wishes, and, just as the villian is gloating, Luffy breaks all of the status barriers and punches this guy in the face. It made the whole 25+ episode build up, and 20+ fall-out episodes so worth it. 

Marley and Me. This is a wonderfully made movie. It focuses on how much dogs can ruin your life (and possessions). Throughout the movie, scene after scene shows you how much Marley misbehaves and destroys things. However, the moment in the veterinarian's office at the end, when Marley is dying, changes the whole tone of the movie. Owen Wilson strokes Marley and tells him how much they love him, and that he is the world's best dog. And then, when they bury him, Jennifer Aniston reminisces about a necklace that Marley ate, and buries it with him. These two moments show the power of being able to turn bad moments into good memories, and just how much pets can be a part of your family (forgive me, I am a major dog person. If you are not, too bad - it's not your blog)

These are just a few examples. There are so many others. What are some moments that stood out to you in your favorite movies/TV shows? What parts of them really stand out and make you go "wow, this is really good"?

Alice in Wonderland

This Friday, my roommate and I had the opportunity to attend the ballet, Alice in Wonderland, put on at BYU. We were very excited to see it, because we both love ballets.

The house opened 30 minutes before the show, and we arrived 15 minutes early so we could enjoy the atmosphere and peruse the program before the show started. (Useful, because after reading the scene-by-scene descriptions, I was merely mildly confused by the dizzying strangeness that is Alice in Wonderland)

The lights dimmed, introductions were made, and the show began. I was swept off into a fantastical world full of imagination and vivid colors. I was no longer in Provo, Utah. I was in Wonderland, off on an adventure.

Just as I began to truly feel for Alice, crying and despairing at her situation, my illusion was shattered. I was unwittingly dragged back to reality by a harsh, gaping hole of light that appeared at my peripheral vision. One of the auditorium doors had been opened, admitting a large group of latecomers into the show.

They stood in the doorway, oozing light into the auditorium, while they attempted to find their seats. They climbed over a dozen people before they found their seats in the middle of their row. Try as I might, I was unable to focus on the dancers again until they were settled. I, and many others, missed almost an entire scene of the ballet because of this, and several other, intrusions.

These people might have had a very good reason for being late. Or, they may have simply not given themselves enough time to get there. Whatever the case, one thing they, and the ushers, failed to take into account, was everyone else already in the theater. Not just the audience members, like myself, but the performers.

Live entertainment media is very prone to distraction. It is so enjoyable, and very engaging to be a part of something as it is being created. The dancers on that stage put hours and hours of practice into this final production. The stage crew practiced until they got all of the scene changes fluid and barely noticeable. The hair, makeup, and costume designers put so much effort into making believable characters that would pull the audience in. The choreographers spent countless hours agonizing over what steps would best convey the story. Dozens of people invested themselves in creating this beautiful illusion. And it worked.

Until all of their hard work was negated by a group of 5 or 6 people who showed up 20 minutes late, shattering that illusion for all of the other audience members, for whom the illusion was created.

Now, I am not necessarily blaming this group of people. Nor am I blaming the ushers who let them in (although, maybe I am a bit on that one - that is poor etiquette on the part of the ushers. They should know better)

I am, however, despairing at the lack of consideration toward the performers. This group of people put no thought into anyone else in that auditorium when they stepped in. They did not consider everyone else who made the effort (like my roommate and myself) to be early so they would not risk missing any of the performance. They did not consider the family member of one of the performers who had been anxiously waiting to see their daughter perform for months. They did not consider the dancer on stage who could see that light just as well as I could in the audience. They didn't consider any of these things.

As we live in a world where the majority of media is able to be consumed at any time and in any place, I hope that we can appreciate the types of media that cannot be viewed at any time or in any place. I hope that we can give greater consideration to those performers who are creating something just for us to enjoy, and make an effort to respect them and their art, as much as they respect us as an audience.

Black Sheep of the Family

 Growing up, Harry Potter was a fact of life for my older brothers and me. We went to the midnight book releases, midnight movie releases, and talked about it all the time. It was a family thing, and we liked it that way.

Then my sister came along.

She is a lot younger than us, and wasn't a part of many of those experiences. By the time she was old enough to appreciate the Harry Potter story, the books were finished, and the movies were dominating the Harry Potter world. She grew up more familiar with the movies than the books, and she liked it that way.

One night, we were all in the kitchen, and Madison stated that she didn't see the need to ever read the books, since she had seen the movies. My brothers and I were shocked and dismayed by this. We even went so far as to disown her (only mostly joking). We suddenly understood what it felt like to have black sheep in the family.

Fast forward a year.

It was a beautiful and satisfying moment when my mom called and told me that Madison had been caught reading the books in secret. She read the first one out of desperation (school related), and was hooked. She was finishing the third one by the time we found out.

This was our basic reaction when we confronted her about her closet enjoyment of the books:

Basic, unadulterated gloating. It was one of the highlights of my adult life.We have now un-disowned her, and she is a fully fledged member of the family once more. 

As I despaired over my sister's honest thoughts about books vs movies, I thought about what would make my sister think so differently than the rest of my family. I came to the conclusion that much of it has to to with familiarity, exposure, and the blurring line of media. Madison was more exposed to the movies, and they were more familiar to her. And not just Harry Potter, but all movies. Movies and TV shows are coming to dominate the entertainment media world these days. Books are always being made into movies, and one form of media is converted into another. By the time a book is known well enough, its movie already has previews airing. And, instead of reading the book, my sister's generation goes to see the movie. The two forms of media are becoming intertwined to the point that they aren't seen as separate. Once you have seen the movie, the book is unnecessary. 

Has anyone else noticed this?

What-ifs and And-thens

According to legend, the ruler of Vietnam died because of a tree. As was common, the right for the throne was much envied and many people were jealous of its occupant. A plot to murder the king was hatched - he was to die by poison. Now, the king was not stupid. He knew poisoning was a possibility, and so he took precautions. He and his sons always dined using chopsticks made from the wood of the tree that is now planted at his shrine. The wood from the tree is said to have the ability to change color when it comes into contact with poison. Thus, the king would know the food was poisoned before taking a bite. However, one day he forgot to use the chopsticks, and he, along with his two sons, died. The tree is planted as a reminder to those who visit his shrine about the dangers of not being cautious.

This legend tries to make me believe that chopsticks can change color. That is most likely a ridiculous falsehood, but I like to think about the "what if" all the same. What if it were true? Or, what if Camelot really existed? What if there really are wizards who walk among us or magical creatures that can breathe fire and fly?

These what-ifs are the core of all stories. They draw us in and make us lose ourselves in a possibility. They make us explore that possibility. Maybe the wood of that tree really DOES change color when it comes into contact with poison. Perhaps warp speed is actually possible. Maybe the Jedi exist.

We all like to think about what-ifs. I know I think about them all the time. I imagine scenarios. Good. Bad. Possible. Impossible. What if get in a terrible car accident tomorrow, or what if the guy I like asks me on a date? Or, what if the zombie apocalypse really happened - would I be a zombie, or would I fight them off and try not to die? (I would be a zombie - let's get real)

Media is simply stories. Movies and books are started by people thinking "What if _______ were to happen?" Phone apps are created by people thinking "What if phones could tell me what song I just heard on the radio?" Video games: "What if a boy from the woods went on a quest to save the kingdom (and the princess) from evil - and what if you could play him?" The list goes on.

I hate what-ifs. I want them resolved - I don't like to sit with them. Media lets me explore those what-ifs and turn them into "and thens". Instead of wondering, "What if a genius and his best friend decided to solve crime for fun" I can read a series of books, short stories, watch dozens of  movies, and a BBC show about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I can find out about how they solve crime after crime, and then how Sherlock fakes his own death. Basically, I take part in media because it fulfills this uncomfortable space within me that doesn't like to have anything unresolved, and it allows me to go back to that original what-if and explore it as much as I want until I am satisfied.