Cooking and its importance to society

Fire draws us together in many ways and that is when cooking is originated from. I never knew that cooking could be such an art. After completing the first episode of Cooked a Netflix Original, I was astonished at how much food impacted me without even knowing it. The act of eating is something that we nonchalantly go through each day. Do you ever think about what your eating? What about where the process of cooking originated from? The act of cooking is based off of the basic 4 elements of life: fire, water, air, and earth. In each episode, Cooked shows us the importance of each of the basic elements and how it has impacted the way we eat and cook today.

Fire is a very powerful thing. In a way it is a sign that you are going to eat. The disappearance of fire from our lives has had a huge impact on the way we as a society view cooking as a whole. Civilization really began around the cook fire. Cooked takes us through the journey of Michael Pollan a foodie/ author, and the life of some aboriginal hunters. These hunters live in very nice villages with modern homes, but on the weekends they take a trip to their homeland to continue spreading the awareness to their younger generations about the importance of fire. Humans evolved from cooking food over fire and the aboriginal hunters would like those traditions to stand on.

There are elements of traditional ways of eating that we have lost and/or given up on. Hunting serves as a perfect example for this. Hunting is a safe haven for people in general, but especially those who have certain illnesses that a treated through medications. Some of the citizens that have to take daily medicines will go out to the country and be able to throw away that days dosage. There is something about being out in the wilderness that gives these people a sane feeling. It is a therapy for them. Hunting stays of important to these families because when one hunts their own food, their going to treat their food with more respect, than just having it served on a platter to you and not being a part of the process before consumption.

Humans are unlike any other animal in the aspect of food. We are biologically adapted to eating our food cooked. In other words, cooking is basically baked into our biology (no pun intended). Cooking relieves us from the work of chewing, and any other animal species spends about half their lifetime chewing up their food to get nutrients. We are drawn to certain foods through coevolution and we are hardwired to like specific foods such as fruits. This is because of the sweet natural flavors it gives off.

The last yet most important aspect of cooking is to cook your food after the hunting is completed. Barbecuing is the most popular way for the hunters to cook their food, and they turn it into a ritual. The definition of barbecuing is to smoke the meat over a fire for a long period of time and the flavor comes from the wood. It is thrilling to hear that three- four thousand new compounds are created when you cook meat over a fire. The pleasure around food is something to live for, and how one can make beautiful meals from one simple thing being fire is astonishing.

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

Netflix fails at directing, and producing its relatively new release of the show Atypical. Atypical is centered around the life of Sam. When looking at Sam he may just look like your average high school nerd, but what people fail to realize is that Sam falls somewhere along the autism spectrum. Like any other eighteen year old boy, Sam wants to find love. There is only one issue. Sam doesn’t exactly comprehend the social cues that “neurotypicals” or I would understand. This makes it hard for him to make friends and keep lasting relationships. In attempt to bring awareness of those who fall on the autistic spectrum, Netflix plays its cards perfectly to fit into the stereotypes that every other director who attempts this unsuccessfully makes.

Personally I loved this show, that was until I started looking at the reviews people were saying about it online. I have read a few books that have protagonists who are autistic, and my family has a friend who is also autistic, but prior to watching Atypical I had only known a miniscule amount of information about those who fall on the autism spectrum. Because I knew so little to begin with I thought the management did a wonderful job on the direction and the casting and for that matter the production of the show. While viewing Atypical you are not only entertained but also informed on what people on the spectrum suffer through. Maybe this was a little too much though. Maybe the directors exaggerated a mile past the accepted perception of the autism norms.

As I try to recall back to watching the show I can remember laughing a whole bunch. The dark comedy that Atypical portrays is not acceptable to laugh at though. Many times the directors would inadvertently use Sam’s disability as the punchline to a joke. An example of this can be found in the very first episode when Sam has a date that ended in him pushing his date off the bed after she takes off her shirt. I guess this isn’t funny, but there were many different ways for the crew to go around the “failed first date” scene. The only thing that failed was Netflix’s production of it.

In the midst of scanning reviews and reading countless articles online about the show Atypical, I discovered the answer to one of my questions that I had had since completing the season. I had wondered what sources Netflix used in trying to create an accurate portrayal of a protagonist that falls on the spectrum. It was verified by many sources that Netflix has not confirmed if the producers made a conscience effort in including writers/ directors who have autism to make the show more realistic and not so over dramatised. This is the problem with movies/ tv shows nowadays; there is so much information out there about autism, and all this research is being done, but no one is trying to comprehend the information by speaking with someone who is actually autistic. Netflix will inevitably keep misrepresenting subjects of this sort until they stop beating around the bush and actually speak to someone directly on the autism spectrum. Until then enjoy the show, but don’t take anything full heartedly.

Royal friendship

My Dearest Elizabeth,
First, I want to offer my humblest of apologies for your loss. As a close family friend, it was incredibly heartbreaking. I just can’t believe he is gone. How come your coronation has yet to be announced? I was appalled at the cabinet for not letting your family stay in your own house. I know how much it burdened your husband and I was very happy to hear that he is doing better since he started flying. There is really nothing quite like it in the world. Will he get his license soon? I was also very happy to see the news that Churchill finally decided to stop burying his head in sand. However, it is very unfortunate that the death of one of his favorite secretaries was what it took. Maybe, we will see more of the Churchill we know from now on and maybe he’ll think twice of concerning himself with your husband’s happiness in the future as well. You may think it naive but I am still hopeful. All the news aside, How are you, darling? I cannot even begin to imagine the storm and the stress that must weigh your mind. I’ll be sure to visit you soon. It will probably be refreshing to talk to someone other than family that you can be yourself around. I’ve always greatly cherished our ability to simply be in the presence of each other and I’ve missed it so. You becoming Queen doesn’t change our history so I will continue to treat you as I always have unless you say otherwise. How are the children adjusting to life in the palace? I know Philip has done a great deal of caring for them since your father’s passing. How old are they now? How is your mother, darling? I apologize for my enthusiasm it is simply that we haven’t spoken in a long while. Andres and I are doing well here in Ireland and we are expecting soon. I cannot even begin to explain to you how excited I am, My Dear Elizabeth. I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of being so happy, it really is magnificent. I simply cannot wait to see you hopefully we can spend some time together. I’m sure you are extremely busy perhaps you can send me a date I could come for your convenience. I wouldn’t want to burden you when you simply don’t have the time to entertain guests. Andres and I were hoping you would be the godmother to our child but if you cannot it is alright we completely understand. I cannot even imagine the pressure you must be under every day. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to ease your workload. I am unsure of how much assistance I can be to you but if there is ever anything you know you can call on me.
Yours Forevermore,

 Princess Elaine of Ireland

The Crown

Brenda,

 In the 18 years that I’ve been alive, I cannot remember a time when you were not a part of my life. You were there for me in my most awkward phases and happiest times. Even now that we live an entire state apart, you are constantly there for me. It will never cease to amaze me how willing you are to give of yourself and your time to friends and strangers alike. I am so thankful for all of the memories that we’ve created for ourselves, but one of my favorite memories is the time we spent watching Downton Abbey in my early highschool years. That show was so powerful to me, and it was all the more special because I got to watch it with one of my favorite people ever (you)!

If you’re confused as to why I’m writing about all of this, I hope to make that clear shortly. Recently, I was able to sit down and watch the Netflix Original series The Crown. It has a lot of similar qualities to Downton Abbey, which is why I think you might enjoy it. Without giving too much away, the plot of the show focuses on the marriage and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Downton Abbey actually occurs about 35 years prior to the start of The Crown, meaning that Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, would have been in power during the plot of Downton Abbey.

 Although these shows have some obvious similarities, such as setting and time period, they are actually quite different. As you’re well aware, Downton Abbey is a show filled with drama and tragedy. Although there are certainly dramatic moments in The Crown, the show’s main focus is far more political. There are moments of romantic drama and heartbreaking tragedy, but as a whole series, I find The Crown to be a far more mentally engaging show. Don’t get me wrong, I will always be an avid fan of Downton Abbey and the entire Crawley family, but something about the dialogue and content in The Crown provides a much fuller entertainment experience.

Overall, I hope you will consider watching The Crown with me when I am home in just a few short days. Speaking from experience, it is a show that you will not easily walk away from. In my opinion, it is wonderful and captivating, and I think you would get a lot out of it. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!

Tales by Light

Dearest Mr. Bradley,

 Do you remember when we sat for an entire lunch break and talked about travel photography? I always thought that was funny, considering neither of us is a particularly skilled photographer. But we both love travel so much that we are curious about all fields related to it, hence our lengthy discussion on photography.

 Something that you said during that discussion was very similar to a sentiment I heard in the Netflix Original show Tales by Light. The photographer in the episode was talking about his boyhood desire to dive the wreckage of the a Mitsubishi bi-plane that crashed into Rabaul harbor during World War II. He said, “I just knew that I wanted to dive it for some reason, you get these things in your mind from time to time and you envisage the image you want to create.”

 When I first heard this, it triggered a memory in me, but it took me a while to put the pieces together. I remember that as you and I were wrapping up our conversation, you asked me if I had ever made a bucket list. I told you that I had, and you asked me to show you. After giving it a quick scan and acknowledging the fact that most of my dreams included travel, you asked me how I planned to accomplish those goals. I’m sure I gave you a basic answer about hard work and determination, but you said something that has stuck with me to this day. “Don’t worry so much about accomplishing everything. Just start with one thing - but you have to visualize yourself there, in that place or moment. Then you can work backwards and see what steps you need to take to get there.”

 This idea of visualizing a goal and then working through small steps to accomplish it was very prevalent in Tales by Light. In the first episode, the photographer travels to multiple locations to shoot marine photos, including some action shots of whales. This seems like such a large, unattainable thing, but really it boils down to nothing more than a series of small steps. The photographer researched a location, contacted the people who owned the area where he would like to shoot, and then made necessary travel arrangements to go there. He gathered a team and equipment, and then used his diving skills to reach the underwater location where he could begin shooting.

This idea of achieving big goals by completing small tasks is one that I think more people could benefit from. Starting a new job, making new friends, or checking items off of your bucket list are all intimidating things, but not when we realize that they can be easily accomplished. Tales by Light showed the finished product of the photographer’s hard work, but it also showed some of the less glamorous parts of photography. I appreciated this, because it reminded me that just because you vision yourself achieving something doesn’t mean you’ve achieved it. You have to put in plenty of work, but for things you really want it life, it is worth it. 

Master of None: Season 2

I have already written a blog post about the Netflix Original series Master of None, but when I was considering which show could help teach a lesson, I couldn’t think of a better one than an episode from the second season of the show. There was a specific episode that I felt would fit seamlessly in a classroom setting. This episode, titled “New York, I Love You”, features a long segment about what life is like for members of the deaf community.

 The episode pieces together the lives of three separate lower-class New Yorkers. It explores the day to day lives of a doorman, a bodega cashier, and a taxi driver. As a whole, the episode does an incredible job of showing how hard life in New York can be, and it also shows the immense variety that is all contained by this one city. I recommend this show to nearly everyone that I encounter, but if you only want to watch one episode, I ask that you watch “New York, I Love You”.

 As mentioned, the part of the episode that I felt would be a useful teaching instrument was the scenes involving the deaf bodega cashier. In the scenes involving her, the show is absolutely silent. No background conversation or music, just a very noticeable silence. Watching the show with headphones on made the experience even more interesting for me, because all noise was completely absent.

 The reason I think that this would be a great lesson, especially for elementary school teachers, is because of the perspective it gave me. I experienced total and complete silence for just a few minutes, but by the end of it, I was infinitely more thankful for my ability to hear. It made me more sensitive to the boy who lives on my floor, who has impaired hearing and often needs a little extra time to process things. For the first time, I noticed a mother and daughter using ASL at Walmart while shopping for groceries. I even reconsidered the impact of my sorority’s philanthropy, which provides hearing aids to those who cannot afford them on their own. My eyes have been opened to the vast differences between my life and the life of someone with hearing loss.

 According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 1 in every 8 people in America has hearing loss in both ears. This means that everyday, I interact with many people that have hearing loss, at least to some extent. Obviously, not all of these people are completely deaf, but they are living with an invisible disability. Through Master of None, I’ve become much more aware of the people around me who are going through things I can’t even see.

I believe that this lesson about the struggles of life with hearing loss is crucially important for school-aged children to learn. Allowing them to realize early on that this is an issue that we have to be cognisant of is the only way to improve the quality of life for those with hearing loss.

Tales By Light

Tales by Light is a two season docuseries centered around photography, pictures, and as shown by the name, light. This series follows many photographer and how they use photography to shape the way their intended audience sees the subject of their photos. Photography is all about impact to the viewer. That is what sets the visual arts apart from others. Film and photography have many things in common that draw people in and influence how people view the artist’s creation. There are some major tips and tricks that both photographers and videographer use when creating art: the rule of thirds, spacing, patterns, and the most obvious given the title of the docuseries, light.
 The rules of thirds is a “rule” that is one of the first things taught in a photography class. This is what the rule of thirds looks like:

This “rule” suggests that the artist use an imaginary grid on their image and put the subject of their image on one of the lines, or even better, one of the corners of that grid. This is somewhere the eye is naturally drawn to first and after being drawn to that area you can lead your audience through the rest of the picture. That first glance. The first part of the image that catches the audience’s attention is the most memorable. Audience’s continue to remember and come back to that one area of the image that captivated them. If there is a use of spacing in a distinct way the photo becomes more interesting and recognizable to the audience.
Space. Negative and positive space can reflect on what the audience views. Negative space is shown in this photo by Krystal Wright:

Negative space photographs are specifically done to bring the subject of the photo into the main focus. The subject of the photo is the only important part of this photo. That negative space makes a large impact on the viewer. How a photographer sets up a shot changes how the audience feels about a photo. Positive space looks a little different. All space is used to help tell the story through your photo but negative space leads the audience to their own conclusions, whereas positive  space is more focused on only showing the subject of the photo. Positive space fills the frame only giving you what the photographer wants the audience to see.

Photography and film are very similar in the ways the artist can form an audience’s opinion simply from the way they set up a shot. The overlapping between the two artforms is significant if you breakdown the techniques that are used. Learning these techniques can take some time, but everyone gets there eventually, leading to pictures or movies that stop people in their tracks and make them think. The ability to set up a shot and capture exactly what you want isn’t always available for a photographer or a film artist, but how can they work to make it easier or make it worth the wait? By using patience and their knowledge of their artform makes it increasingly easier. So, what do you think, will you start implementing the same things professionals do into their art forms into your family portraits or vacation photos?

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is a show on netflix that is pure nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the 80s.  The simpler time when people were exploring video games, bright colors, new kinds of movies, and exploring all things unknown. For some this was one of the best times in their life. Those are the memories they cherish to this day. That idea alone is what makes Stranger Things such an amazing idea. People reminisce those days to their children and to each other, and Stranger Things connects those stories in a way that the intended listener can see what those stories could have looked like.
 Stranger Things is a show set in the 80s that brings all of those elements that people love about the 80s together. The main characters are always at the arcade, when things are normal, playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, Dig Dug, and Dragon’s Lair. All of these games were big in the 80s along with the classic others: Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. You see all of theses teens and pre-teens pooling their money together to be able to play all of the arcade games, including Dragon’s Lair, which was slightly more expensive in the 80s. By keeping true to the arcade games that you entice an audience you didn’t have before: an audience that has been there and knows exactly what the main characters are doing.
 Another connections to the older audience is the tributes made to other famous movies and directors from the 80s in Stranger Things. The main female character can be connected to Carrie in the sense that they both tend to be sweet and gentle characters until they are goaded. Carrie has been famous since the 80s and being one of the teenagers who went to see that movie in theaters or reading the book after seeing the movie makes that connections more special to the viewer. A more obvious connection would be to Star Wars. In the universe that Stranger Things takes place in and the year that Stranger Things takes place in the Star Wars movies were being produced and were very popular with people of all ages. So when Mike makes multiple comments to Yoda and Star Wars in general it is another memory that is generally a happy memory for the people who grew up in that time period.
 While most people wouldn’t care about those connections knowing you and your curiosity for history and how things intertwine to create something new, I knew you would be interested in how Stranger Things connects to those other memories that you and others have of a great time period in your life. Stranger Things connects two very different generations through things that bring one generation nestalgia while still keeping the younger generation engaged and excited to watch this show. Without the engagement and connection to the younger generation through the use of CGI and a more sci-fi geared plot the show could have flopped but by combining parents and children you create this wider genre for viewers and creates a more bonding atmosphere. I know for a  fact that you would watch Stranger Things with your children and have to explain some things, which just makes you closer and give you the opportunity to bond with your children.

The Ranch to teach socially underdeveloped individuals?

There are many series on Netflix that would be excellent teaching tools but my pick would be The Ranch as a teaching tool for socially disabled individuals. Not all individuals understand the intricate types of language used in everyday speech, especially when it comes to sarcasm. This is where show like The Ranch comes in. The Ranch is sarcastic in ways that shows like Friends and Scrubs don’t touch upon.
Almost every other sentence in The Ranch is in some way a sarcastic comment referring to someone or something. The sitcom is centered around a family that seems to only communicate in insults and sarcasm.Now, I understand that The Ranch is not appropriate for people of all ages, but for some depending on how they are parented, or were raised, The Ranch might be extremely helpful. The Ranch is a sitcom that is embedded with sexual innuendos, sarcasm and quite a bit of insults. Now any sane person would be asking: How are those things supposed to help a socially underdeveloped person?
 Socially underdeveloped individuals tend, in my experience, to be very literal which inhibits them from being able to fully understand all of the social cues and discrete forms of communicating. The Ranch is primarily sarcasm and while in day-to-day activities sarcasm can be very subtle, in sitcoms and especially in The Ranch, the sarcasm is overly dramatic making it easily identifiable. How do they understand what is meant to be understood as sarcasm and what is normal speech? Having the episodes of The Ranch always be available allows the episodes to be watched multiple times. The continuous watching allows the viewer to pick up on different gestures, changes in vocal octaves, and other social cues. The repetition added with an integration of said social cues will make those specific cues easier to identify and create an appropriate response.
 Appropriate responses can be hard to form for socially developed individuals so the stress and difficulty of trying to form those responses, especially in a public setting can upset many individuals. This teaching method is not one that would be able to be used in a classroom but in the comfort of your own home. This enables the individuals to try it on their own terms before attempting to take that leap in an unforgiving environment like the public. The public can be harsh so easing these individuals into recognizing and understanding the social cues that the Ranch can teach is essential.
 Another reason The Ranch would be a great teaching tool is because one of the main characters, Colt, can be seen becoming oblivious to what people mean and how to respond in some cases. This shows the individuals using this show to learn social cues that they are not alone when it comes to struggling to understand social cues and communication. That connection can make them more open to learning those needed communicable skills. Connecting to what your learning helps those individual want to learn and excited to learn. What show do you think you could use as a teaching tool?

Big Mouth

For my last post, I'll be writing to my old friend, you know who you are. The show I picked to write to you with is only fitting, as we were only 6th and 7th graders upon meeting one another. Things have changed since those days, and I can only hope that as we grow older, we may at least stay in touch and talk every so often. We've both changed a lot, and this show takes me back to the days before we grew up. I hope you enjoy my dedication to you, as I talk about one of the weirder shows I've seen. So, for this week, I watched a seemingly cute cartoon that everyone has been telling me I have to watch. That show is one of Netflix's newest originals, Big Mouth. The show centers around two middle school kids, Nick and Andrew. They're best friends that have just entered their years of starting puberty. The same as you and I when we had met. Man, what an awful time that was for us both. Nick and Andrew, just from the pilot episode, are already dealing with their emotions, hormones, and relationships. The first episode involved a middle school dance, and we all remember how those went--awfully. This might just be me, but I thought that part of the episode was incredibly unrealistic. How did one middle school kid simply approach another and ask them to dance? I would've been so awkward, face gone red, and would never be able to face them again. Also the fact that two friends just kissed each other and played it off cool? Wow. There’s no way I could’ve. Before the dance though, the two friends got in a fight, all based off their changing emotions and not having much control of how they feel. It reminded me of all those dumb fights we had, being insecure teenangers. There are occasional times I miss the simpler life, stressing out over the dumbest projects, a time when our grades didn’t really matter for much. Now we’re here, completely different people, figuring out where we stand in the world. In any case, I’m proud of where both of us stand. I’m also happy with the fact we never accidentally saw each other naked, prompting a week's worth of awkward confrontation with each other. I’m proud of the person you’ve discovered yourself to be, by the way. You seem to be figuring things out better than I am, even though I’m the older one. I guess that’s just a part of growing up. If you decide to check out the show, for sure let me know! I bet we’ll be able to laugh at the same scenes together and relate all their adventures back to our own lives. Let me know wherever you end up, don’t you forget about me little duck!

Stranger Things

     Ah yes, Stranger Things. October 2016 as well as October this year seemed to have a backdrop of Stranger Things aesthetic. Around the release dates, most conversations that the average person has drift to the popular show for at least a few fleeting seconds. The hype surrounding this show is insane. Musicians have merchandise that incorporate scenes and memorable lines into their own lyrics and logos. Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media sites are permeated with reactionary GIF sets of scenes from Stranger Things. When I went and saw 1990’s pop-punk trio blink-182 earlier this year, the Stranger Things intro song played as the middle-aged musicians took their places on stage. Considering all of these things, it’s hard not to see the impact that this Netflix show has had on modern American culture.

    One of the many things to love about this sci-fi is the nostalgia. This factor gives the show an edge that appeals to a more broad span of viewers. For those who are over the age of 30, this provides an opportunity to remember that time with the different pop culture references to things like Ghostbusters, arcades, and the 1984 presidential election. For viewers under the age of 30, it provides insight into a time so different from what we’re used to, and (for me at least), the sheer fascination factors into our viewership.

    Continuing on the topic of age, another cause of mass interest in the show stems from the main actors. In times like these, it’s hard to remember that there are pure and wholesome people and things happening. The kids in the show serve as an example for many viewers. They represent a time in all of our lives where things were more simple, when we had energy to go on adventures and an imagination that hasn’t yet been muddied by the harsh realities of the world. In this way, Stranger Things offers a second form of nostalgia that everyone can relate to.

    Reaching back to an article that appeared on one of our weekly reading lists about how television is dead and so is national bonding, Stranger Things is a perfect example of how that’s somewhat far from the truth. The type of union that this show, as well as other Netflix originals, such as Ozark have brought about are very noteworthy. These shows give us all something to bond over, whether or not someone has seen the show in question and whether or not they even liked it. In a time as divided and war-like as 2017, it’s nice to have something neutral and lighthearted to discuss and engage in.

    These are the reasons why I like this show. While I personally don’t believe that it’s the greatest show ever or the best show that I’ve ever seen or even the best show that I’ve seen this month, I think that it does a spectacular job in not only storytelling, but also in uniting people.

Stick To Your Guns: Godless

The Wild West. Long cuts of orange landscapes. A disillusioned law man who has seen too much hurt. A morally ambiguous lone outlaw. Wise elderly native americans, and a powerful gang that holds sway in town. Does this sound familiar? It oughta! These are the familiar archetypes of the western. All of these tropes and more can be found in Godless. Boy, I feel a bad wind blowing through this here blog post.

Frank Griffin is the leader of a ruthless gang what lynched the entirety of the town over. The brutal nature of this attack isn’t played down in the slightest; a small boy is shown swinging in the dry breeze, hanged by his thin child’s neck. This view is seen by our sheriff who looks hauntedly up at the boy, alone in a now ghost town. Roy Goode is the lone outlaw what double crossed Griffin and holed up in La Belle, the town our show takes place in.

A major plot point of the show is that this town is populated nearly entirely by women, as the men all died in a mining accident. This fact is advertised in Netflix’s description of the show. Despite this, the first episode’s narrative manages to be driven by exclusively the happenings of the few men. I appreciate that the “woman-town” gimmick isn’t played up to the extreme, but I am surprised at how man centric the plot is. Being that it is 2017, I expected that a show about a town of women would feature more important strong female roles. So far, the multitude of women have been support characters to the men.

Griffin storms the town church and tells all of its patrons that, for the love of god, they had better not be hiding Roy Goode. Lest the town be razed to the ground. Goode is taken in by a woman and her child, to whom he is very gentle and kind. She doesn’t know who he is. However, we find out that he has killed at least a dozen men. I love this. There is so much appeal in a character who is more complex than right and wrong.

From the first episode, conflict is coming to a tee. A shoot out approaches. Goode admits who he is to the law, despite this meaning his inevitable hanging, for protection from Griffin. The sheriff tracks down available gunmen to side with the law, as Griffin is out for revenge. And blood.

Suffice it to say Godless isn’t doing anything new with it’s narrative. Its derivative, and it certainly colors in the lines it sets out for itself. It knows what genre it is going for. It paints an entertaining adventure despite the fact that it’s paint by numbers. In fact, the surety that the show has in its direction allows it to execute these well-worn tropes very effectively. In a time when every show is attempting to brandish a flashy new gimmick on otherwise used up plots, an honest return to form is comforting and welcome. Godless, like its gritty lead characters, sticks to its guns.

On Longmire

This weeks blog post is going to be focusing of Netflix's original (originally from A&E Network) series Longmire. This series focuses on a small time sheriff for Absaroka County, Wyoming. The show takes an interesting spin on a small law-enforcement style show. Though not originally a Netflix series the show does have many makings of Netflix series.

Letter to my grandmother

Cháu chào bà ạ,
Bà vẫn khỏe chứ ạ? Cháu ở bên này vẫn khỏe bà ạ. Cháu làm quen được nhiều bạn mới và đã dần quen với cách học tập ở bên này rồi nên bà đừng lo bà nhé. Về ăn uống, thức ăn bên dù hơi khó ăn mấy hôm đầu nhưng cháu cx bắt đầu cảm thấy là mình có thể ăn được nó trong vòng 4 năm tới rồi ạ (thực ra cháu thèm đồ Việt Nam lắm rồi bà ạ). Bà ơi, cháu biết là hơi đường đột, vì so với ở nhà mình, bên này có nhiều cái mới lắm ạ, nhưng hôm nay cháu sẽ viết cho bà một bài blog về một bộ phim trên một trang web tên là Netflix bà nhé. Vì hồi xưa cháu rất thích xem phim hoạt hình với bà nên hôm nay cháu sẽ viết về một bộ phim hoạt hình để so sánh sự khác biệt giữa phim của mình và phim của Mỹ bà nhé.

Hôm nay, cháu sẽ chọn viết về bộ phim “How to train your dragon” bà nhé. Điều khác biệt thứ nhất giữa bộ phim này với hầu hết tất cả các bộ phim hoạt hình ở Việt Nam đó là hiệu ứng hình ảnh bà ạ. Cháu phải nói là dù là phim hoạt hình nhưng cái cách mà các nhà làm phim tạo hình các nhân vật thì không khác gì người thật bà ạ. So với phim Việt Nam, vẫn còn gượng gạo ở những nét vẽ góc cạnh và không lột tả hết được cảm xúc của khuôn mặt, thì đúng là phim Mỹ đã tiến bộ vượt bậc bà ạ. Thêm nữa, cháu phải công nhận là họ rất giỏi trong việc dùng máy tính để tạo nên các cử động của các nhân vật bà ạ. Các nhân vật cử động không khác gì người thật luôn ạ: động tác uyển chuyển, nét mặt thể hiện rõ từng cảm xúc. Trong khi hoạt hình hồi xưa cháu với bà hay xem thì cử động của các nhân vật rất thô cứng, cứ như là các nhà làm phim vẽ từng hành động ra những tờ giấy rồi lật từng trang với một tốc độ rất nhanh. Ngoài ra cảm xúc của các nhân vật hoạt hình hồi xưa cháu xem nhiều cháu chả biết là họ vui hay họ buồn nữa ạ. Cháu chỉ có thể nhận ra khi những cảm xúc ấy kết hợp cùng với âm thanh như là buồn sẽ có tiếng khóc hoặc là vui sẽ có tiếng cười ý ạ.

Cái thứ hai đó chính là hiệu ứng âm thanh bà ạ. Nhớ cái thời mà hồi xưa hai bà cháu ngồi xem phim hoạt hình với nhau, điều cháu thấy đặc biệt, ngoài hiệu ứng hình ảnh như cháu nói ở trên, ở tất cả các phim hoạt hình hồi đó đều chỉ có một bài nhạc xuyên suốt cả bộ phim. Ngoài một bản nhạc ấy ra, thì phim hoạt hình thời ấy còn có cả những hiệu ứng âm thanh hỗ trợ cho hành động của các nhân vật, nhưng những âm thanh ấy bây giờ cháu xem lại thì quá thật nó hơi đơn giản và không thể hấp dẫn được người xem. Trong phim “How to train your dragon”, cháu chỉ có thể nói một điều là tuyệt vời. Bộ phim ấy không chỉ dùng một bài nhạc mà nó có rất nhiều bài hát dùng trong các hoàn cảnh khác nhau. Ví dụ như trong những cảnh huyền ảo và ma mị, một bài nhạc mang tính chất rùng rợn, sợ hãi sẽ đc nổi lên khiến cho người xem cảm thấy hơi rợn tóc gáy. Hơn thế nữa, xuyên suốt trong cảnh đánh nhau, một bản nhạc hùng tráng, dồn dập, và sôi động sẽ đi kèm để tăng thêm tính kịch tính cho các pha hành động trong phim. Nếu mà cháu được xem những bộ phim kiểu như thế khi cháu còn bé thì chắc chắn là cháu sẽ rất háo hức khi xem những đoạn có hành động bà ạ.

Bà ơi, cháu sẽ kết bài ở đây thôi ạ. Cuối cùng thì, phim hoạt hình ở nước mình có lẽ phải học tập rất nhiều ở phim hoạt hình của Mỹ ạ. Chỉ có như vậy thì hoạt hình ở nước mình mới có thể phát triển và thu hút được nhiều người xem bà ạ. Bà đừng lo cho cháu bà nhé vì ở bên này cháu đang sống rất tốt bà ạ. Cháu chúc bà luôn mạnh khỏe và luôn sống vui vẻ bà nhé. Đến hè năm sau cháu sẽ lại về chơi với bà ạ. Cháu chào bà.

Dark and Sound

Throughout Netflix's TV drama, Dark, the creators intentionally utilized sounds and music to convey emotion and foreboding events.  There are several examples where the music indicated that events were connected in one way or another or that the on-screen shot contained something important for the plot or for the viewer.  Dark makes extensive use of sliding orchestral and string music to indicate different aspects of the show or of a particular shot.  In some shots, the music was used to introduce a new unknown character, which increased tension.  When new details were uncovered or something was revealed to a main character, the music used was also indicative of that moment.   Lastly, it should be noted that the absence of music and the use of ambient noises were also used during specific moments in the first episode.  What can be heard by the viewers allows the show to experience more than just the visual aspect of media.

Looking at Movies thoroughly describes sound and how it is used in film. First, sound is described in three different qualities, those being pitch, quality, and loudness.  The texts describes pitch in that it “...can be high (like the screech of tires on pavement), low (like the rumble of a boulder barreling downhill), or somewhere between these extremes” (Barsam 394).  In Dark, high pitch sounds during eerie moments are common, as well as low bass indicating an ominous presence.  As for loudness the text continues with “...filmmakers sometimes use the extreme (near silence or shocking loudness) to signal something important or to complement the overall mood and tone of a scene” (394).  Apart from music, Dark uses the loudness of certain sounds to indicate an unknown force that has yet to be discovered.  In one particular shot, the opening to a cave in the forest is shown and for a quick moment, an extremely loud sound is heard, as if it came from an unknown creature inside the cave.  Both pitch and quality are used in Dark during specific moments in the show.

Regarding several moments when music is used to convey information, Dark extensively uses it to convey that ominous forces are at work and to build tension.  Early in the first episode, when the main character arrived at school, he was seen receiving stares from his peers.  As this happened, the music that was played conveyed that the main character’s past is known to others and that they do not think the best of him.  Later, while explaining the disappearance of another character in the show, sliding music begins to play.  The sliding string orchestra could indicate that something terrible happened to the missing character.  Continuing, there are two separate shots that present the same unknown character, an older man repeating, “It’s going to happen again”.  Clearly, this person knows of some horrible event in the past and that it will probably occur again.  In addition, this foreboding event most likely has something to do with the disappearance of one of the characters. During this point in the show, the same sliding string music plays, further consolidating the feeling that something awful is going to happen.  Although some music repeats, it allows for the viewer to continue to associate separate shots with one another, connecting them.  

Barsam, Richard and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies. 4th ed. W.W. Norton & Company. 2012.

Castlevania: A Surprisingly Good Video Game Adaptation

When discussing adapting video games into either movies or television, it is unavoidable to bring up the past and how most adaptations of these are either bad or downright awful. This is mainly a trend when it comes to films as there really haven't been many tv shows based on video games. Because of that, when I heard that Netflix was producing an animated Castlevania show, I can't say that I had overly high expectations. For anyone who has never played a Castlevania game (no judging), it is a games series that was at its highest in popularity from the late 80s to the mid 90s that follows a member of the Belmont family, renown for their vampire hunting, as they attempt to kill the Prince of Darkness himself, Dracula. It's a great idea for a fantasy movie or show that I had always hoped would be adapted at some point. Recently, however, it became clear that in this state of cinema, Castlevania wouldn't succeed. Last year saw the failure of four highly anticipated video game adaptations in Warcraft, Assassin's Creed, The Angry Birds Movie, and Ratchet & Clank. Honestly, it was starting to look like we would never see a quality video game adaptation on the big screen. 2016 was supposed to be the year that finally broke the video game curse, but instead just added fuel to the ever-growing fire. While Castlevania might not be the big screen smash hit to break this curse, it is a small screen wonder that gives a little hope for the future of these adaptations.
So what is it that makes this show so good? I could drone on and on about good editing and solid storytelling, but instead I'm going to focus on the the big strength of the show that I haven't seen from a single video game adaptation yet: solid, well-rounded characters. It is undeniable how great the writers and voice actors did at crafting these beloved characters, making them three dimensional and quite likable. Trevor Belmont, our main hero, is a character that can be done very wrong very fast by making him pompous, melodramatic, or moody. Thankfully, he is a strong central lead to the series that the audience wants to see succeed. The real scene stealer, however, is Dracula himself. Unlike Belmont, we already know that Dracula can be done well, and that is where his problem begins. Dracula has had many iconic performances in film, especially from the likes of Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Gary Oldman. How then can this Dracula stand out in an already crowded room? To make matters more complicated, he's animated, severely limiting any sort of body performance an actor could do. Additionally, we have also seen this character done horribly wrong. Look no further than Blade Trinity or Van Helsing to name a few. What makes this Dracula so good, though, is how sympathetic he is. His reasons for becoming the absolute evil he will become make sense given his predicaments. In fact, I would almost argue that I wanted to see him succeed to at least a certain point in his quest for revenge and justice. I've always had a soft spot for the character of Dracula, but I can't say I've ever actually seen his point of view and agreed with what he was trying to do. Hence, this show has actually given me a strength of Dracula I can't say I've ever seen before.
The heart and soul that was put into this show is quite obvious, which is great. Most adaptations feel like a shameless cash grab to capitalize off of an already existing audience. In fact, it isn't uncommon for a video game movie to have very little to do with the actual game that it is adapting. While these things may not be obvious to those watching with no experience playing the games, I do feel that the emptiness beneath the material is noticeable to anyone watching one of these adaptations. With this show, Castlevania was able to find two valuable traits in its producers and writers that are hard to come by: fandom and talent. It's easy to find fans that have no filmmaking talent or talented filmmakers who have no fandom, so that makes finding that perfect hybrid rare but extremely valuable. It is clear that Netflix has found this hybrid to put together this show that will hopefully begin to reverse the curse that has existed since the early 1990s.

A Shot In The Dark

You know I had a difficult time looking up a show for this week. I considered watching Punisher, but I couldn't bear to drag myself into the Marvel TVU again. Besides, those were probably my worst written pieces, save for the Daredevil one. I then considered House of Cards, but I knew I couldn't resist the slightly outdated, but very touching Kevin Spacey jokes. I knew I had to find something new and interesting. Something I haven't covered yet, I had to go off the script to ultimately watch A Shot In the Dark.

It was hard for me to start the show, seeing as this post is season finale of these posts. I was glad I did try this show out. It is actually the most unique thing I have seen on the Netflix Originals roster. The show is a semi reality TV and documentary of stringers. Stringers is the term used to describe freelance cinematographers who actively hunt down news stories in hopes of selling the footage to news stations. Doesn't sound too interesting, except that the show covers three of these stringers in the city of Los Angeles. Which means that there is definitely a lot for them to film.

The show understands that you have about five minutes to capture someone's attention. So from the start they tell you that it is a lucrative business. While they don't give exact figures, they give a general idea of how much they can make, and how competitive it is. They'll tell you that on a good night they can make enough to pay a mortgage. While I don't know how true this is, it does make the show far more interesting. It gives it the slight edge of a competitive game show like the older seasons of Survivor. They try to get hits, or purchases of film. To get more hits they have to film an event well, and it has to be an interesting event worth reporting on.

I do have a concern about how long this show can continue. There is only so much that can happen in this world. By the second or third episode you seem to have scene just about all of the good stuff. Which is a shame, because this is the first truly unique show on Netflix. It's not scripted, well heavily scripted, and it does have a good mixing of genres.

Well this is it, the season finale of Timpleton Blogs. I think it's been a rather good experience for me to vent my initial thoughts of a show that I will probably never finish. Did this get tiring? yes, Marvel is what did me in. So I think it's good to take a break from this. If I come back to this it won't be a school project. That means I can expand beyond just Netflix and TV. Makes me happy, because I've really wanted to talk about video games, Bioshock Fallout New Vegas specifically. Thank you all who read these drabbles, and until next time.  

The OA: Clothing Tells More Than We Think

To continue analyzing The OA on a mis-en-scene level, I decided to look at the costume design for episode two. I think you can tell a lot about a person based on how they dress, truthfully. I know that we should never judge a book by its cover, and that's not what I'm really going for, but clothing and appearance in general is a way to gauge who a person is even before they speak a single word. This episode proved to be particularly important for analyzing costume design because the main character actually went full detail into her first encounter with the person that changed her life forever. Because this was the first time that the audience saw what she saw, the first impression had to be spot on and therefore the costumes had to convey the right kind of message.

Analyzing Prarie/the OA/Nina is a pretty daunting task. What we know about her identity and history is extremely limited, so any kind of hint or detail becomes important in piecing her together as she tells the tale of her life. As she explains her childhood, at least in the beginning, she wears bright, crisp white and her hair is neatly pulled back and well maintained. Once things started to go south with her aunt she wears dingy clothing and has actual caked in dirt on her small forehead. Without even paying attention to the content of the show, this shift in clothing tells the audience that she is not the same girl that she was and is definitely going through a rocky patch in her life. As the story progresses and she gets older, she is constantly shown in draped, flower print clothing, almost like a young girl dressing up like a grandmother. To me, this is an early sign that she is/will be wise. When there is a flash of her currently in time telling the story, she wears draped clothes again, but with some sort of crochet wrap. At first I thought that this was just a way of making her look homely or perhaps more welcoming since the town is a little intimidated by her, but I noticed that her mother wears similar clothing, so I'm pretty sure that's just the designers way of saying that she wears whatever's left at her house and maybe sometimes her mom's clothes.

Her mother actually follows sort of the same costume path as she does. In the beginning of the story she tells her mom has neat hair pulled back and bright eyes to match a bright smile, however in the present time her hair is more unkept and her face is definitely losing its shine. Like previously stated, she wears lots of crochet vests and wraps over plain clothing, so as to highlight her natural features that she loses as she ages.

As far as the man that changes the main character's life, he is an easy one to explain. Before even visually following him, she explains that she "cast a beautiful net, but didn't catch beautiful fish," so the audience already knows he's not going to be good. As she plays the violin in the subway station, the man hears her and physically runs to find her. The camera never shows his face a the while, only glimpses of his black leather shoes moving swiftly up the stairs coupled with shots of his back clothes in a dark suit and coat. Once the camera finally pans around to allow look at his face, he appears almost gentle and kind due to the small wrinkles on his face and nice-casual look to his suit. At this point I'm thinking he's not the bad guy and maybe just introduces her to the bad guy, but I was very wrong. The costume designers did a great job disguising him as a caring, curious, intelligent, perhaps wealthy, and kind individual, and that's exactly how he should've been dressed to later show how good he is at concealing his motives.

I think it's interesting that different clothing changes how the audience views a character in a show, and how sometimes that can distract from their true selves. It's almost like you can tell a lot from what people wear, yet you can also be totally and completely wrong going off of what they wear. I think paying attention to the costume design, however, is a great supporting detail for who and what the characters are especially upon first meeting them because the audience will either not pay attention to the clothes because they support their idea of who the character is, or the details of the clothes will later force the viewer to go back and realize that it was just a well-administered facade.

American Ham

Nick Offerman is most well known for his role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. From watching this special, we find out that this character and Nick himself are not too far off from one another. The opening scene focuses on Nick’s woodworking shop, which is something we would expect to see in a feature on Ron Swanson. This comedy special has a lack of discussion of his famous show, however that’s easy to understand, as he clearly has many more lessons and stories that relate to everyone, not just those who viewed the show.

I was definitely surprised when Nick came onto the stage without a shirt. The costuming section in our class textbook suggests that the attire of characters is thoughtfully planned out by the creators. This is obvious, but the reasoning is not as obvious. It is planned out so thoughtfully because of the way that viewers form an opinion about the character. Nick walks out at the beginning of his show in jeans and boots, carrying his button down American flag shirt in his hand. He was wearing no undershirt or t-shirt. Simply just a beer gut, mustache and bright eyes. Dissecting this choice in parallel with our textbook, this gave everyone a basis to judge him on. They all formed an opinion of him for who is is, not for what he chooses to portray himself as. It also served as a bit of a shock factor, similar to how the rest of the show had some shock factor moments. Nick used a fair amount of swearing, but was more vulgar in content at some parts. I think society likes this content, but I feel that the better, more genuine parts of his show were those that were not as vulgar.

The scenes for each life lesson that he spends some time discussing are incredibly trendy looking. The few seconds that are on the screen are full of dramatic music and overall have a stark contrast to the presentation of his performance. A few feature Nick’s wife, Megan Mullally, and these look like they are having an fun time, and it is intriguing as a fan to get a glimpse of their relationship. The lighting in these life lesson shots is bright, yet all look like they have a filter over them, reinforcing the trendy factor. Going along with this, the camera angles in this show were notable to the overall vibe of the special. I expected the shots to be mainly focused on Nick and occasionally going to closeups of his face, or an audience member. While this definitely was the majority of shots, there were also a fair amount of shots from behind him, that showed the lights and a bit of the audience. It took the focus off of him, and made you listen more to what he was saying. Additionally some of the angles that were from the side were very shaky. However this was reminiscent of being at a show and making your own video of something that you are so excited about seeing that you move the camera around so much out of excitement.

Overall I liked this special, and am surprised that it took me so long to find it on Netflix. If you’re reading this and interested at all, you only have 9 more days until it comes off of Netflix, so drop all important things and binge it!

The Seven Deadly Sins

    Finally, my very last blog post, the moment I've been waiting for. The last show I chose to watch was The Seven Deadly Sins. This is a show I've been wanting to watch for some time now but never got around to it. It's very different from what

I expected it to be but still somewhat enjoyable.

My expectations for this anime were extremely high, just by the given name. I thought it was going to be serious, painful, and heart touching, however, it wasn't.

    The first few minutes of the episode gave me the impression that it was comedic and childish. I don't really enjoy comedic anime because those types of anime rarely follow a serious storyline. I would  rather watch drama and action because it's interesting and it always catches my attention. Or animes that requires thoughtfulness and attentiveness. I would only watch a comedic anime if a friend recommended it to me and even then I probably wouldn't finish it. Another thing that comes to mind about this anime is pervy. The main character Meliodas meets the princess but she's asleep in the attic of the owner’s restaurant. Meliodas wakes her by squeezing her breast and at that moment, I knew that it was going to be cheesy.

    The third princess of the Kingdom of Liones, Elizabeth meets Meliodas and the owner of the Boar Hat bar and is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. However her identity is known and she's pursued by Twigo whom Meliodas defeats quickly. While the storyline begins to pick up, the only thing I was able to focus on was the tone of the princess’s voice. Elizabeth's voice is really squeaky and high-pitched and it was hard for me to focus on what was going on. It was similar to a child’s voice but more emphasis were put on how young she was but she isn't.

    The Seven Deadly Sins isn't what I expected it to be. It's more so of the typical animes with a weak storyline. I'm sure other people may have different opinions but it's only something I'd watch to kill time. If you want to watch something worth your time, watch Naruto. 

Okja

Okja is an action-adventure film co-produced by Netflix and Plan B Entertainment. It was the first time for me to watch a foreign movie without a subscript, however it is very easy to understand what is going. This movie is about a group of self-defined environmentalists who created super pigs by a series of technique like gene mutation, hybridization. These super pigs were sent to different countries and grown by the local farmers. Mija is a young girl who lives with her grandpa in a mountain area of South Korea raising their super pig Koja.  Koja is Mija’s only friend who saved her life. Koja was sent to New York and focused to breed a new pig, and suffered from cruel treatment. Mija started her trip of rescuing her friend Koja.   

There was a lot chaos between Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the company which created transgenosis super pig. Okja was focused to breed a new pig and suffered a lot cruel treatment. The ALF posted the company’s inhuman behavior on the super pig in the company’s event of announcing the winner of super pig, which of course caused a much bigger chaos. At the end of the movie, Mija brought Okja from the company with her gold pig from her grandpa. When Okja and Mija left the slaughter, a couple of super pigs pushed their offspring out from the fence. Okja hid this small super big in her mouth, and took the small pig back to South Korea. Animal liberation is a very controversial topic, however, this movie did not promote either of the stands.

Mija was not depicted as an animal liberation supporter, and she saved only Okja and only because Okja is her only friend and Okja has saved her life. In the scene of buying Okja, the producer conveyed the idea that no matter what you believe and what you have experienced, you should respect other people’s legal property. The composition of the is very interesting in the end of the movie. Mija and her grandpa were having their meal within the square door frame, while Okja was looking at them from the square window frame behind them. People’s activities are limited within these squares which is also true in our real world.

The topic of animal liberation is also a topic of my other class which is more focused on the animal testing. There are many animal liberation extremists who burn the laboratory and threat the researcher’s own life or their family safety. It is hard to believe that a person who doesn’t care the human life would care about the other animal’s life. Due to the extremist, there only very few people stand out to talk about the benefit of the animal testing. People have their right to believe what is right for them, but they have no right to control other people’s believe and they should also respect each other’s believe. In this film, Mija respected the rule of the market. If she wants the pig, she has to buy it.

To be honest, I skipped some of this movie, but I still like this movie. The producers know animal liberation is a very controversial topic, so they just avoided to talk about this topic directly but promote the friendship between animal and human, which I enjoy most in this movie.

The OA: An Overwhelming Amount (Get it, OA-- Overwhelming... Amount??) of Feelings

So I'm pretty sure I've discussed light more than twice in these posts, but for this show it's super important. The OA is chalked full of really smartly put additions of light and also parts that lack light and each of those instances gives of a totally different vibe to the episode. Because the central character is blind (well, not really anymore... idk) the darkness is just as telling as the light, which is really cool.

In general, I've seen lots of dark moments in other films that represent a change of scene or a perspective change (like showing the blinking of the eyes), however in The OA it really symbolizes a period of the character's life and the horrors she went through. What exactly are those horrors? I don't know because the episode left on a cliffhanger and she hasn't exactly been the most talkative character.

Anyway, the show starts and end with dramatic dark scenes, which is particularly important because it leads me to believe that without even watching the show for the content one would be able to tell that the show didn't come to any sort of conclusion. There was no real "light at the end of the tunnel" moment, if you will.

More specifically on the opening scene, the dramatic lack of light in the hospital room introduces a serious question of where the heck this girl is because it looked more like the hospital room that Harvey Dent was stuck in in Dark Knight (see below).
As the episode goes on, there is a gradual increase in lighting, especially around the two parents and as Prarie/the OA returns home. While watching that I figured this would be a relief for her, due to the lighting looking brighter, however she continued to struggle and often she was introduced into a new scene under her blankets or draped in clothing, signifying that she's more comfortable in the dark.

Hoping I don't give too much of the plot away, I'll skip to the end and discuss the lighting in the end of the episode. So she ends up in this strange space between life and death and it appears like a universe of starts and small lights in a sea of never-ending black. In this space she must decide whether she wants to return to life or stay in this dark space. To my surprise, since I thought I had it figured out that she's more comfortable in the dark, she chose to return to her life. The trick was that she must be blind to do so, and thus she returns to life in a scary, dark world that she must find some sort of comfort in.

I don't know much more about her life, but my guess, based on the lighting cues, is that she was hesitant to accept the darkness, but she now thrives in it probably due to her time as a blind person. Although this episode came to no real conclusion, it gave me some really good details to look for in the next few episodes and light is one of them. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what the light in this show truly reveals about the setting, mood, plot, and characters.

Godless

Dear Dad,

                At your request I reluctantly decided to watch the show Godless and was quite surprised to find out I kind of liked it. Godless is about the criminal Frank Griffin and his gang of outlaws are out to get revenge on Roy Goode , a son-like figure to Frank who betrayed the brotherhood. While on the run, Roy seeks refuge with widow Alice Fletcher, her son and the boy’s grandmother, an outcast herself on their farm outside of an isolated town. When word reaches the town that Frank is headed their way, the town bands together to defend against the murderous gang in the lawless west.

                I know that you have always had a love for westerns, especially the old ones so that was why I was unsure if I would like this show or not. I feel like the older westerns seem to miss some of the newer shows posses, you normally know exactly what’s going to happen so that is why I kind of get bored with them. Because of this I have not really watched a lot of new westerns, so I was a little surprised my liking it so much. I do not think that it is a show I would normally sit down and watch but it is definitely one that I would not mind watching with you while we are home. I definitely think it is better than the older shows and am intrigued by it and Kind of curious what will happen in the next show because this one was left on a cliffhanger. I also think I was more entertained by this show because of the visuals, instead of hearing about the massacre in the beginning it shows you where it happened and what all took place. It gets you more involved and invested into the show right off the bat and makes you want to know why someone would do that.

                I also think that instead of sneaking away to your buddy’s house to watch it using his Netflix that you and mom should get Netflix. I think that this is a show she may enjoy as well and you two could watch it together. I think that even though there wasn’t the romance aspect she normally likes that it will eventually come around it the show and she will enjoy it. Overall I think it was a pretty good show that anyone that enjoys westerns would really enjoy to watch. Maybe we can watch some more over Christmas break and see what happens.

One Day at A Time: Old People Are Very Cool

In the episode Pride & Prejudice, Penelope’s daughter Elena came out to her when they were having a sex talk. Penelope tried to accept it and be open-minded, but she still felt weird about Elena’s coming out. Elena also came out to her religious gramma Lydia, who was thought to be the most stubborn person. However, Lydia figured it out after ten seconds that she is going to against the Pope and God on the issue of being gay because Elena is her granddaughter. She loves Elena and she wants her to be happy. In the last episode, Elena’s father, Victor knew about this, he did not have a father-daughter dance with Elena in Elena’s Quinces leaving Elena in sadness and embarrassment. Something the old people are cooler than us and they are more open-minded.  

Their reaction to the issue of being gay reminds me my own family, though nobody comes out in my family. But the similarity between Penelope’s family and my family is that old people are more opened-mind.

When I  graduated from high school, I planned to apply a school which is very far away from our province because the major that I wanted to study only offered in few school. My grandpa supported me to purchase my dream and do something that I really like, while my father kept calling me everyday to make sure I only apply the school in our province. He even said that if I study in other provinces, he would stop support me economically. It turned out that I did not get support from my father, neither did I go to the local University.

When I was noticed that I got a four-year full scholarship in Truman, I was told by my family that the scholarship is not real. My grandpa supported me as usual, and my father still kept calling me and telling me to stop. We had a  bitter quarrel on the phone. This time, he said he would not be my father if I go to the U.S. Blood is Blood anyway, he is still my father at least biologically.

Another example of how cool my grandpa is was that he started to use a smartphone in his 80s and I tried to teach him everything I can. One thing very inspired me was that he trusted the mobile pay, while my father would never trust the internet. Nobody going to steal your money. There are many things happening  in China at the same time, even I need some time to be comfortable with the innovation. It took me a few weeks to get used to the mobile pay. I am so proud of my grandpa that he tried to catch up.