them feels

I dunno, I feel like every time I don't post about something video related I'm going to get a 4/5. Tennis is interesting too you know. It's a lot more than just hitting a ball with a racket. I'm awfully fatigued at the moment, having just finished Freeman's hell of an essay. So excuse me if I'm a bit incoherent. I can't believe I'm expected to go to school tomorrow. BUT anyway, lets talk about the video at hand. It's by this cool guy named Dominic Faer or Fera. Not sure what prompted him to name his channel DomFear. But if you get the chance to watch this it's really neat for a plethora of reasons. It's got a really compelling story to start off. This main character in the film can see the future relationships between him and people he's never met. Not a very exciting power to have. I certainly wouldn't want it. He even quotes it as "spoiling the ending to a twist in a movie" at some point. And quite honestly who wants that. Second reason, it's a simple story with well done cinematographic elements that really draw you in. Excellent music selection, nicely set up shots, etc. It's a winning combination folks. So definitely check it out when you get the chance.

Doc Review

After finishing Super Size Me, a 2004 documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock, some may never want to eat fast food again. The film takes a stab at the fast food industry, and with the use of clever animations and an interesting story, it aims to expose the industry for what it has become.
In an attempt to raise awareness about the dangers of overindulgence in fast foods such as those offered at the restaurant McDonald’s, director Morgan Spurlock embarks on an experiment in 2004, eating food off of the McDonald’s menu for 30 straight days. All throughout the process, he is meticulously monitored by doctors and fitness experts to track the damage done to his body. For the experiment, Spurlock maintains a set of rules in an attempt to further realize the effects the food has on his body. The rules are as follows:

• He must fully eat three McDonald's meals per day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• He must consume every item on the McDonald's Menu at least once over the course of the 30 days (he managed this in nine days).
• He must only ingest items that are offered on the McDonald's menu, including bottle water. All outside consumption of food is prohibited
• He must Super Size the meal when offered, but only when offered (i.e., he is not able to Super Size items himself).
• He will attempt to walk about as much as a typical U.S. citizen, based on a suggested figure of 5,000 standardized distance steps per day, but he did not closely adhere to this, as he walked more while in New York than Houston.

So, Spurlock completes the experiment, eating nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days straight. Spurlock’s various troubles with completing the experiment are all documented, from vomiting one day, to struggling up stairs the next. The film also utilizes this time to give the viewer background on the fast food industry, providing insight into the corruption that has occurred within the industry for financial gain not only in America, but all over the world as well. Legal documents are examined, interviews are conducted, and the general atmosphere of the fast food industry are introduced to the viewer through clever pictures and animations. At the conclusion of the experiment, Spurlock has gained nearly 25 pounds, suffers from mood swings and sexual dysfunction, and has a loss of muscle mass, clearly illustrating the dangers of eating the food this often, which he indicates that a good number of people do.
From a cinematographic standpoint, the film is nothing to marvel at. It’s basic shots provide the visuals needed to understand the depth of the experiment Spurlock subjects himself to. Nothing more. However, with the addition of the film’s many animations to further display the points on fast food Spurlock attempts to convey, the film manages to grasp the attention of those who may not necessarily be interested in the financial or scientific aspects of the fast food industry.
The literary aspects of the film help to accentuate the messages portrayed throughout the course of the film. The mood, which reflects a sort of cynicism towards the nature of the fast food industry, furthers the impact of Spurlock’s experiment. For example, in the part of the film that examines how much money fast food companies spend on advertising, Spurlock speaks with an obvious bias towards the companies, which stresses the negative impact they are having on American society.
The characters are another literary aspect that have a large effect on the film as a whole. The main characters in the film, Spurlock, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, a general practitioner, and a nutritionist, each play a distinct role in communicating the messages of the film. For example, at the end of the film, when the results of Spurlock’s experiment are being displayed, each one of these characters help to emphasize how drastic the effect the food had on Spurlock actually was by comparing his start physique to his finish. The characters also help to add a sense of professionalism to the film, making the effects of fast food seem tangible and real.
The theme of the film is another literary aspect that enhances the understanding of its principal messages. The theme of the film is that the evolution of food to be produced more quickly and cheaply has only hindered our well-being and health as consuming Americans, evidenced through the experiment Spurlock undertook. So, this literary aspect ultimately lets the viewer understand the complexities of Spurlock’s arguments, and how vital nutrition really can be.
It is easy for me to recommend this film to anyone, as it may open many eyes to the dangers of a diet consisting of mostly “fast foods.” The film maintains its credibility by consulting with 4 professional doctors to track the progress of the experiment. Though the quality of filming may not be the best, it really does not need to be, as the message illustrated by the film is still abundantly clear: fast food is bad. The interviews conducted by Spurlock are meaningful in that they offer a perspective on the fast food industry that is unknown to many. Spurlock presents the viewer with enough evidence through the use of statistics, on site investigation of some of the McDonald’s restaurants, and the actual results of the experiment itself. In terms of a social impact, the film was successful in raising awareness of the dangers of consuming too many processed foods, though the fast food industry remains a large cause of obesity around the world. After the release of the film, McDonald’s even got rid of their “super size” option, though the company stated it had nothing to do with the release of the film. Super Size Me is a film that suits all, raising awareness of the dangers of fast food with a more radical twist.



Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" 100 min IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

And We Dance

You know I've got to say it really hasn't that been an eventful week. In any event, I'll head over to the Tube to find a video so I can provide some insight flavored with some flamboyant language from yours truly. Off we go.

And here we are:


Ah, the perplexities of time travel. It really is a difficult concept. So many paradoxes that in fact ever harnessing time travel may seem impossible. You've got to think. If time travel were ever invented and the inventors decided to travel back in time, wouldn't they be living among us? It's just so darn confusing to think about. I was watching some Morgan Freeman documentary awhile back about how one could technically time travel into the future by travelling at an extremely fast rate through space and this apparently makes time travel slower for those who were travelling in space and by the time they got back 100 years would have passed on Earth and only 10 for them. I don't know. Weird stuff. That's it for today. Night folks.

Don't have a title for this one. Not very creative at night.

Look at me and my tennis videos! Gawd, I'm such a nerd. Anyway, time to move past that. Reasons I have chosen this video. To be honest, I don't know. It's not to different from any other tennis videos out on the tube. Although I've got to say, the angle whoever shot this uses is really quite lovely. Big tennis matches are always broadcast from this nasty bird's eye view that makes the court look too long, and subsequently shots look off somehow. I'm really quite picky you know. I try not to be. My mommy says it's why nobody likes me. After watching this a few times, I start to realize why I can't hit the ball like Roger Federer. That's pretty obvious I guess. I'm not Roger Federer. I guess what I meant to say was that I realize why I can't hit the ball in the manner that he does. Firstly, I have a stroke that's largely reminiscent of Nadal's. You know that sort of buggie whip type over the head thing that gets a lot of spin. Without all the grunting and butt picking of course. I've got to say it's pretty funny to watch your opponent line up for a big shot just to have the ball whizz past their head. Ah, the feeling. Federer's stroke is a lot flatter you see. He still gets a hella lot of wrist into his shots mind you, but the way he does it is a lot more graceful. Just the way he's hitting in the video is probably enough to win a match against me. It's been said over and over again during match commentary that he makes the game look so easy. Because that's the truth! He comes up with these amazing shots without breaking a sweat. It really doesn't look like he puts much effort into anything. Then you have players like Nadal and Djokovic who probably aren't going to have very long runs due to repeated injuries and such. I mean Federer's 31 and he's still winning grand slams. That's pretty damn impressive. There are players like Andy Roddick who've retired at the same age as him and haven't won a fraction of the tournaments he has. So yeah, he's a pretty impressive guy. Gee, look at the time. Thanks for tuning in. Next time I talk about garage sales.

Capture the Fall Doe

Here's that fall video. In all honesty, I woke up today and remembered I had to film this. So I rode around Olney on my bike and got all these nifty shots. Used my trusty Kodak of course. Got some of my lame friends to run around with me. Took a few swings on a tire swing. So this is essentially what fall is for me in my neck of the woods.

Sugar Bear

So my sister made me watch an episode of Honey Boo Boo today. And as I was watching, I thought to myself, is this really we as humans value as a viable source of entertainment? I guess what I mean to say is that we're getting stupider. Sorry to say it so harshly. Rather opinionated too. But with the emergence of stay-at-home jobs where you never have to leave the couch, what are we moving towards? It's ironic isn't it? That though we are supposed to be moving forward, we are still, in some ways, hindering ourselves. Think back to the Italian Renaissance, where innovation in philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature were prominent. It seems that we are moving further and further away from this period of heightened enlightenment and into a generation of people who remain ill-informed and ignorant of the world around them. Just the other day, I read in the NSL textbook for Freeman's class that a significant portion of American people cannot find their nation on a world map. And so watching Honey Boo Boo got me questioning what our future holds for us if this is the path we choose to take. Though it may seem melodramatic that a TV show about a pageant girl got me calling everybody stupid, this is a serious concern that I am sure troubles more than just me. This isn't exactly "solvable" through any conventional means either. From what I gather, a good amount of students believe school to be a waste of time, and focus primarily on other things like video games for instance. It's worrying really. But I'm just your friendly neighborhood cynic, here to complain to you about the world. Thanks for reading. Next time, I will talk about why Macs are for hipsters.

Weekly Post #1 Because I Have To Do It For A Grade

I'll assume I don't have to write this formally, so I'll adhere to a sarcastic style of writing for now. Alright, now before anyone criticizes me for being a preppy, catholic school guy for posting a tennis video, take a moment to understand and enjoy the artistry involved in playing the sport. You know, as an added bonus, mute everything else on your computer and add a nice Chopin sonata in the background for a real crispy tip. Tennis is a beautiful sport. I guess it takes a sufficient knowledge and experience with the game to really enjoy it. I can understand that it's not very popular in the U.S., as its not as clumsy or as liberal as American-oriented sports such as football. I've played the sport a while and I've observed with a very close eye all of its twists and turns, challenges and pleasantries. It takes an impressive mental resolve to remain composed throughout a match. Keep in mind I am not writing this to persuade you of why tennis is so great of a sport, I am merely trying to voice why I love it so durn much. I think you've got the picture though. I've touched on enough.