Black Mirror

The Netflix original Black Mirror features a futuristic world, in which technology rules with an iron fist. It is involved in every single persons livelihood. In the episode "Hang the Dj", single people are paired together with other single people in a simulation. This simulation tests hundreds of scenarios to see if the two would be a good couple or not. The big twist in this episode is the people that we are following are not actually themselves, rather they are two computer simulations of the actual people. This is perfect for a Black Mirror episode because every episode has some big twist at the end. The big technology in this episode is a device that coaches the people through the dating simulation. This device also tells them how long the relationship lasts.

The episode starts off with the two main characters on a date. They are in a mildly lit restaurant, which gives off a romantic vibe. Throughout most of the episode the lighting is dim, which is a characteristic of a romantic film. This episode is meant to be romantic and the background settings throughout the episode show that. In the restaurant classical music is played low and slow, it is a piano being played. Music is used in other points in the episode to give a romantic vibe. When the woman is in the bedroom with her next date, jazz is being played in the background.

Just like any other romance film, the two people who want to be together are kept apart. They both want to be together but they are following the rules of the dating game. The two are reunited at a big dating event, in which they both have different dates. They joke and laugh with each other, and you can tell that they truly want to be together. At one point, when they are leaving, the girl can see the guy at a distance and she is just staring at him. The music in this scene is low, loud, and has a lot of bass to it. You can really feel it in your chest. There are other qualities of romantic films found in this episode. The homes that people are staying in are log cabins that have lakes in front of them.

The two main characters are brought back together at the end of the episode to go on another date. They choose to not look at the expiration date on the relationship, to stay together as long as possible. You can see that they are happy together and that they are enjoying their time together. Eventually the guy goes behind the girls back and looks at the expiration date on their relationship. But, because he looks at it behind her back, the date of their relationship drops from five years down to  20 hours. Their relationship ends and the guy is heartbroken and the woman is mad.

Skipping rocks at the lake becomes a common scene in the show. While skipping rocks, the woman asks the guy if he has ever seen more or less than four skips. This is how she learns that it is a simulation. She meets back up with the guy on purpose and explains her theory to him. They get up to leave and are confronted by a guard. The guard is unable to harm them and everyone pauses. The two then jump the wall. This is where we see that it was a simulation, they two characters then meet in real life.

For my Future Wife

This blog post is to my future wife. Do you remember when we would watch Stranger Things? We watch all of the first season together in one day and then we counted down the days until the next season. We freaked out to all of the jump scares and went through all of ups and downs of the show. We should re-watch it together. We could go back through the glory days when we were just starting out lives together. It would be a trip down memory lane for the two of us. We could watch that terrible Nicolas Cage movie that we got angry at the ending, all of our favorite stand ups, The 100, and if we feel like a good cry, 13 Reasons Why.

As I type this you are 15 house away and I miss you dearly. I really wish that we could be together and watch all of our favorites over again. All of this time away from you has made me realize how much I care about you and that I miss you. We will finally be back together in two weeks and that is currently my only plan. We can just lay around together and be lazy, with no worries about school.

For Dad

This blog post is for my dad. There is a new Original on Netflix called Fastest Car that I really think that you would enjoy. It is kind of like the show that you watch on the Discovery Channel, Street Outlaws. The show follows three competitors as they tune up “sleeper cars” and race supercars. All of the cars are old, beat up, junckers that just blow the supercars out of the water. The show goes in the lives of the drivers the week of the race and shows their preparation. During that time, they give the background story of all of the drivers and how they became grease heads. In the first episode they race a 2006 Ford GT, an old ford pickup, a really old ford pick up, and a 2011 Odyssey minivan. It will surprise you with who wins and I do not want to spoil the show for you.



All of the sleeper cars are fully hand made with leftover parts and all of the supercars are stock. All of the drivers are always confident in their own car until they see the supercar roll up, then they start second guessing a little bit. I cannot emphasize enough how much you would enjoy this show. You love cars and you love different cars that go fast. You and Uncle Tommy would watch one episode of this show and finish the series in the same day because you could both relate to it in a very similar way in that you both have a love for the automotive trade. Both of you are huge grease monkeys and would be inspired to do this with your own sleeper car. I am sure that Stew would want in on it too, which would mean that the Buick would be in contention as the car. With using the Buick, I would definitely be able to drive it in the end of the project because as all of you know, I am the superior driver.

For the Haters

This blog is to anyone who does not think that Big Mouth is not the best Netflix Original. It is one of best representation of life in the form of a cartoon ever. There are so many ways to relate to the show and relate it to your life. The everydays struggles that all of the characters go through are things that everyone go through. Weather it be finding yourself sexually, boys trying to figure out how girls think, (and failing) or dealing with a difficult family situation. The show sometimes touches of some situations purely for comedy, but still somehow makes it relatable. The constant is the challenge of puberty. Obviously, puberty is a challenge for everyone, and we all can see the struggles of the characters and see that everyone is different in their struggles.

With all of the relatability it makes the comedy that much better. I personally was able to say that I have done some of the same things that the characters do in the show and it honestly makes it so much better. The acting in the show is as a big part of its success. Nick Kroll voices himself in the show and makes it even better because you can hear how sincere and honest he is about his feelings on the situation back when they actually occurred. Big Mouth also is funny at all of the right times and never takes itself to serious. It tends to go in the more modest direction, makes light of a real problem or situation, and then makes fun at itself for even bringing it up in the first place.



The real gem of Big Mouth though is the relationship to past experiences of the creators. Each of them give their own life experiences and give their emotions about it in the form of the Hormone Monster. The male and female version of them are in tune with each other but not always the kids that they are trying to help get through life. At some times their input is welcomed and helpful but most of the other times it is outrageous and uncalled for, but they are very easy to distinguish.

For Sharon

In this blog post I am writing to my grandma. I know that you really enjoy HGTV and all of the really amazing houses. I found a show on Netflix called The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. It follows an architect and a housing designer as they travel the world to see the world's coolest houses. They give their opinions on how it was made and then talk to the owners about the process and the struggles of the construction of the home. Seeing the house in this show I think that it is inspiring me to do the most that I can do with my life so that I can create and build my dream house. Architecture has definitely gone through my mind as a career. I know that it is something that my dad had tried out and did not get to see to the end, so it would be pretty cool if I could do it. It would definitely be a challenge, but the reward would be awesome.

Along with this inspiration I am getting a better appreciation on what it takes to be a high class architect. This show has shown me that it is not all about walls and a roof, it is all about how you feel in the space, and how the house is constructed in the landscape that it is built in. I have found a new respect for architecture as an art form and not at just a building. The only oddity about this show is that the British hosts and making me want to use words like “majestic” and “fantastic.”



I hope that after reading this blog that you will see that I really have big aspirations for my future and that I want to make everyone home proud. It would be really big for me to be the first one in the family with a college degree. Maybe even start my own business and provide for my family late into my life, and, if I am lucky, leave a good chunk of money when I am gone. I hope this finds its way to you and that you are proud.

Queer Eye: the old new take on the reality show

     Sup Mom,
   
      So I watch an episode of the show Queer Eye in class. which is a show that surprised me very much. I'm not going to lie that I was very reluctant to watch it at first, because of my personality, but the show ended up being very fun and exciting to watch. The best part is that, yes, all of the hosts are gay, but that is really second to the main point of the show.

     The show is about five professionals in different fields going into a person's life who has kind of entered a slump, and helps them get back on track. The men are experts in cooking, architecture, culture, clothing, and hair styling. They give their clients extreme makeovers, which affects them drastically. In the episode we watched, their client went from a shy hermit to having tons of people over at his house and being the life of the party.

     This show does raise some concerns, however. Will the people be able to pay for their new things? will they stay with the lifestyle that they created? Yes, as they give the guys a budget and have had updates months later where they are still trying to live in their new lifestyle. So this show is all about the good-feelings, without any catches.

   I highly recommend giving this show a chance, I think that you will really like it!


from,

Noah

Brian Regan

The netflix original Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is a great show on netflix. It is about a very respected comedian named Jerry Seinfeld who takes famous actors and comedians out for coffee. Every episode he takes a different exotic car to pick up the guest he is getting coffee with. In all of his episodes he starts the episode off with the history of the car. He gives the audience very interesting facts and describes each car very elegantly. This is very appealing to me because it makes the car even cooler than what it already appears to be. I really enjoy this show because you get to see famous comedians being themselves and not acting. It is something that is very new and original that you do not see happen a lot. There are four seasons of this show, which is great for someone who has not seen it yet because they will have lots of material to watch.

The episode that I will be talking about today is episode:13 season: 3. This episode is called “Brian Regan: A Monkey and a Lava Lamp.” Jerry Seinfeld picks up Brian Regan in a blue 1970 Challenger TA. This car is very loud and demanding. I love hearing about the car part of the show because it adds another great element to it. When Jerry picks up Brian to get coffee, they starts to talk about Brian’s first car. Brian remenises on how old and rusted it was. He talked about how every time he would shut the doors rust would fall from under the car. He talked about how him and his brother had an ongoing joke that he was driving a box of corn flakes. I thought that this story was really cool because of how relatable that is for me. My first car was really rusted and I would see rust rust falling off of it all the time and here is Brian Regan, a very popular comedian, and he went through the same thing I did. Another reason I like this show so much is because when Brian and Jerry are getting coffee, they have these really funny conversations that only last around a minute long. It is really cool to see comedians click with each other so well.



I really enjoy this Netflix Original Series. This is one of my favorite episodes because of my love for Brian Regan. When I was younger I use to listen to his stand all the time. I would watch it multiple times in a week. That is one of the many reasons why I like this show so much. There are so many famous comedians that have a great time on this show. People who love comedies and and stand up comedians would really love this show. Jerry Seinfeld does a great job with connected to his guest on the show. I like how we get to see the comedians be themselves and have a great time.

Get Me Dirty Politics

Dear Grandma,

Recently I watched a Netflix original documentary titled, Get Me Roger Stone, which explores the life and career of a notorious Republican dirty trickster who was the driving force behind many political campaigns, including Donald Trump’s. The documentary follows Roger Stone, tracking him from event-to-event, and he is interviewed throughout about his role in many elections over the past 40 years. While it focuses on Stone’s career as a whole, it mostly centered on how he persuaded Donald Trump to get involved in politics. Even Donald Trump himself is interviewed and he explains how Stone likes to get behind people who have a “good chance of winning”. Stone takes credit for many of the shifts in the have occurred in most recent elections, such as the birth of PACs and superPACs, the influence of lobbyists, and the power of fear and anger in the media. Get Me Roger Stone explores a side of politics that I do not think most of the general public is aware of.

This documentary really opened my eyes to what goes on behind closed doors in politics and also how manipulative certain people involved in them can be. It solidified my belief that politics are extremely ugly and dirty, and there seems to never be complete honesty within them. The only goal that most every politician has is winning, and they will go to extremes to achieve this goal. At this point, most aspects of politics are so corrupt, that completely fixing them is practically impossible. The fact that Trump’s recent campaign was the product of Roger Stone makes it clear to see why Trump is so extreme and why he acts the way he does. He was groomed by Roger Stone over the last 30 years to produce the figure he embodies today. Also, it says a lot about this country if a man who everyone knows is especially manipulative and disingenuous is still accepted by society as having a current role in politics. Even though he was recently expelled from the Republican party and Trump’s inner circle, he is still playing a role in Trump’s presidency, which seems unfathomable, but proves just how influential he has been and can be.

I think you should watch this documentary because it provides information that I believe everyone in America should know about, and it makes the viewer understand the behind-the-scenes influences and individuals that went into creating many well-known political figures. I learned a lot about the history of politics in the United States as well as knowledge about the most recent election that I was not aware of. Hopefully after watching this, you will have a different perspective on Trump’s election and campaign and understand why so many people do not support what and who he represents.

Queer Eye

Dr. Weisstein,

In the Netflix Original series, Queer Eye, five gay men help other men who are struggling in many different aspects of their life. In the episode called “Saving Sasquatch”, a man needs help improving his look and his home before hosting a launch party for the app he created. He is also very distant when it comes to sharing his personal life with his friends and family. Each member of the Fab 5 has a different speciality, and they provide the client with the tools and tips they need for success. In this episode, the chef helps him prepare a simple yet elegant meal for the party he is hosting. The home decorator redesigns his house to give it a new energy and make it more welcoming for guests. The hair stylist gives him a new look, while still making him have a unique look. The clothing stylist gives him a new wardrobe to look more professional when he gives presentations. The culturalist attempts to understand why he does not open up to his family and friends and teaches him that being vulnerable can help him to become more confident. Overall, this show tackles issues in life that many people face and it is a different kind of reality TV show that does not focus on negativity, but rather improving the lives of others.

By watching this show, people are influenced because they can relate to the individual being helped in some way and they can probably take the advice of the Fab 5 and apply it to their own life. They also can learn many life lessons from this show. In this specific episode, one of the lessons is that even if someone is not confident and is having problems in personal aspects of their life, they possibly can turn their situation around and make changes that will better themselves. The person must be open to making these changes, though. Another lesson that can be learned from this episode is that being vulnerable is good sometimes and it can show a person’s strength, by being able to display their weaknesses. The problems that the person in each episode face are relevant to many people and they should watch this show because they can see the entire process, from the beginning to when they are explaining what the person is struggling with, then through the changes that are made, and finally the end when the person is transformed. They also give good advice that everyone can take into consideration, such as clothing and personal hygiene tips.

I think you would enjoy this show because it has a very positive attitude and aims to make audiences feel better about themselves, which reminds me of your aim for your students. Also, the jokes that the Fab 5 make throughout the show are similar to ones you make in class. This show is both informative and fun, just like you! If you find time in your busy schedule, I would highly recommend watching Queer Eye.

Not Your Regular HGTV Show

Grandma,

I know you do not always like watching Netflix, but I think you would really enjoy watching The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. There are only four episodes that are an hour long, so this is a show that you could watch over time or if you are feeling saucy you could watch it all in a day. I know how much you love watching your HGTV shows, and this is one you should add to your list.

Not just because it is HGTV-esque, but this show will instantly put you in a better mood. The show is very calming and you will not will feel overstimulated like some other shows make you feel, but I promise you will be entertained the entire time. The show is hosted by Piers Taylor who is an architect and a property enthusiast Caroline Quentin. I think you’d really like them because they remind me a lot of Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Lynn as they get easily excited by what they encounter while house hunting.

Now I know after watching this you are going to want to go out and build your own house, and hey, if that’s what you really want to do please invite me to help!! Another aspect of the show I think you would like is the fact that there is almost no snobbery going on. Whenever we watch the shows I know you always talk about how poor it makes you feel and how they are all snobby.

I really really think you’d like the show, though. Maybe next time I visit we can watch the rest of the show together and go house hunting. Until then -- lots of love.