The Help

The Help is a magnificent story about women in the 1960’s finding their place in society by trying to tackle racism through the publication of a book. In the movie, Skeeter (Emma Stone) writes a book based on the experiences of Aibileen (Viola Davis), Minny (Octavia Spencer), and many other women who serve as nannies for white families.

The film tackles two main issues during the 1960’s including black rights and women’s’ rights. It also confronts more theatrical issues within a family and between mother and daughter. I feel the director’s use of family conflict helps the audience relate more the characters’ struggles since most women do not have to deal with the same issues on a daily basis in present times. The actresses are flawless in performance and are very convincing as outstanding women in society. They are likable and that is always a plus for connecting to the audience and giving a great performance. I felt the sorrow that the characters expressed and the joy they experienced. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. Minny was my favorite character because of her addition of comedy into the film.

The setting of the film is also very relaxing. It is mainly shown in suburbs and in the fields. Something about a house out in the pastures is very relaxing to me. It opens the viewer up to inner emotions and releases tension. This feature has the same feeling as The Color Purple which is a film based in the south that centers on Celi (Whoopi Goldberg). She is basically in the same situation as Minny with an abusive husband. It also centers on hard times African American women faced in the past legally and at home. The same colors are also used for the DVD covers creating a visual connection between the movies. Since The Color Purple was a critically acclaimed movie, I am sure the instance was not on accident.

While conducting ethnography research, I closely notated the actions of others while watching The Help. All of those I came in contact with about the movie fully enjoyed it except for one of my roommates. The movie is mostly geared towards women and sensitive men. There are some slow points in the movie which caused the test subjects to flee to Facebook and other electronic devices. This could also just be the effect of society evolving to use technology all the time.

All groups of people should relate to the film because of racial discrimination that they may face still today. It shows how ignorant people are wrong when they act inappropriately according to social bias and fear of strange or different things. Also women should relate to the film because it is indeed about women.

I am quite pleased with the film and praise the cast and directors for their work and dedication to such a great story. Everyone has my full recommendation to see it. I would rate The Help five stars for bringing back the nostalgia of a classic type of movie. You do not see such films anymore and as an avid film viewer, it is great to see recent feel-good movie on the shelves. The Help is sure to be a classic!

WC:538

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Week 7

Yayyy its Spring Break! Too bad I’m not going anywhere tropical and warm. Instead I will be relaxing and practicing piano. I have a bunch of mew music to work on and am excited to start memorizing it all. Sleeping in, watching late movies, and eating tons of ice cream are just what I need to unwind. I will also try to stay productive over break by reading some books about music and doing some research also about music.  Now that my schedule will be free, I can catch up on my Words With Friends games that I have been ignoring. I now go days at a time without responding to others. I will be seeing the dentist as well. Oh joy. I love the dentist. In addition to clean teeth, I will hopefully be getting a job. I applied at the Park District for work in the spring and must go to an informational meeting during break. I think it is also a type of interview. While thinking of jobs I realize that I do not have a résumé to use for more sophisticated jobs. I should really try and compile a list of my strengths and accomplishments to land a job somewhere nice.  The idea of a résumé creeps me out. I do not want to be judged by one sheet of paper. I think personal interviews are much more informative about a person. My cousin’s first birthday is this weekend and I cannot wait to go. It is nice to see all of my family. I am mostly excited for the cake and desserts though.  I hope that it will be warm over break so I can enjoy outdoor activities such as riding my bike and exploring the river. I really like exploring nature and experiencing the outdoors. I hope my break is as enjoyable as lemonade on a hot summer day in Hawaii. 

WC:317

Week 6

This week we are supposed to go see a movie at The Normal Theatre or rent one from the Movie Fan but I went home this week to attend a wake and funeral. SO, I watched a movie here instead. The movie I watched was Kick Ass. I told myself I would never watch this movie because it looked so dumb but I was talked into it. I came to the conclusion that it was still pretty dumb but somehow I liked it. It is shocking how much you can make a little girl do in movies now. She was swearing like a sailor and cutting drug dealers limbs off, not to mention shooting people in the face. This definitely was not intended for children. Some parts were pretty funny and pretty epic like the whole bazooka shooting the main bad guy out of a tower in New York but most of it was just overbearing. I can only imagine how many angry parents left the theatre with their kids learning some vulgar language and sexual concepts. That should not really be an issue because of all the stuff kids find online and on television anyway. One of the most unsettling concepts was the end when the bad guy is beating up the little super hero girl. He was choking and punching her in the face. It was so graphic. I am only squeamish when it comes to little kids and old people getting abused or killed like in the movie The Stepfather. That was a very unsettling movie. I suppose the directors did their job though since they conveyed some sort of emotion to the audience. Moral of the story, don’t beat up old ladies or little kids and don’t try to be a superhero because you will only get shot or shanked in the stomach. You will end up being blown out of a window by a short range missile or in an ambulance wearing a scuba suit.

WC: 330

Week 5

Today I practiced for 8 hours. I am increasingly becoming interested in my music and learning to perfect my technique.  This entry will most likely bore you all but I feel this is a topic I can ramble on about endlessly. I have bought and checked out many books on the art of piano technique and am aimlessly hoping to find that one bit of information or clue as to how to play correctly. Anyone can play piano, but only a few people can learn to play it well. I’m starting to see that there is not one factor to exceptional playing, but multiple. In fact there are hundreds of things that factor in such as moods, relations, practice, physical factors, environmental factors, past experience, expectations, technical ability, and the kind of instrument you are playing on. With that in mind, I feel I have to read and communicate as much as I can to compile a true definition and technique to reach near perfection. So far I am working on relaxation and finger strength in order to play freely but still have even and steady tone.  The types of pieces being played also matter. Different periods of music require different touches. It is confusing because I have come across many books that conflict on what type of expression and phrasing to use such as in a work by Bach.  One book tells me to play certain notes smoothly while another says to play separate and detached.  I feel baroque music is the most difficult to analyze because there are no true dynamic markings or phrasings left by the composers. All current ones are thought up by analysts and musicologists based on historical context. It is strange thinking about how no one piece might be played exactly how to composer intended. Perhaps it was done on purpose to leave the performer their interpretation of the music. I will continue my search for prime piano technique. I’m so excited. No joke. 

WC: 330

Week 4

This week I decided to write about my sheet music Rhapsody in Blue. The piece of music has a cover picture of an unnamed city. The picture itself looks like it was painted with pastels and has a very muddy appearance like Van Goh's Starry Night. When one things of the city, all sorts of information and situations start to unfold. The hustle and bustle of the city can relate to the fast passages in the piece. Also the jazzy feel to the music corresponds with its birthplace, the city. The rhythmic aspects of the music can also be compared to the thousands of people moving around down the busy sidewalks. Car horns are represented through use of big brass sections and cadenzas. I feel that music can be represented through pictures just as well as a story. Music is a story and its all up to perception. The best fit for this would definitely be the city. The slow section could represent night time or a peaceful picnic in the city park. Emotions are also felt through  the text. The image uses cool colors such as blues and greens to create a sense of security. If it were a sinister piece the colors would be more hot such as reds and yellows. Another aspect of the picture is how it views the city from a birds view at a distance. It gives the feeling of magnificence and grace. The main theme of the piece is very majestic and is seemingly represents the immense grandeur of the big cement blocks and steel beams of a city. The view of a city at night is even more powerful in how it lights up the sky from miles away. Once picture can change the interpretation of music and how the text is read.

WC. 301

Week 3

 I'm pretty sure this week we were told to write about whatever we want instead of the scheduled blog subject. So today I plan on talking about posters. Oh how I love posters. They represent so much and are so important to the advertisement of things. Imagine a world without posters. I have about 1000 posters in my room. There are most likely 20000 of them spread out across the university. They help advertise upcoming events and causes. Posters range from jokes, plays, all types of music, comedy shows, causes, movements, company ads, and much more. We even have to make posters for our first project in this class! Imagine that. I feel society would lack if posters were gone. We would need some new type of communication like chalked sidewalks or digital marquis everywhere. The tree population in Brazil would prosper though. This brings me to my next point: recycling. I always throw out so much paper. The bins in the dorm hallways are not enough. I need one in my room because it gets mixed in with all of my other nasty garbage and I’m not digging through all of that. Looking at my garbage bin, I can see tons of paper stacked up ready to be pitched down the rubbish chute. What a shame. My next point: the word rubbish. I have never in my life heard an American utter the word rubbish to describe trash. I see no purpose in adopting sophisticated English terms for something as meaningless as garbage. Why not adopt words that actually mean something important like loo. I find loo more fun to say than restroom anyway. From experience, I know no resting is done in that smelly place.  My next point: constipation. I learned on the show Manswers that it can be fatal. Imagine that.


WC: 304

 

Week 2

I decided to watch Chelsea Lately on the E! network. I can tell the commercials are geared towards women because most were highly feminine products or services. The JC Penney discount sale was advertised along with Justfab.com online clothes shopping. Match.com was advertised as well as Jenny Craig and the Systrex probiotic system. Neutrogena and ACT restoring mouth were shown soon after. The next commercial break revealed pistachios and a Geico commercial.  It was interesting to see how so many of the commercials could link together. They first advertise clothing so overweight people decide they cant fit into them and follow up with a weight loss program to provide an answer to those who won’t buy clothes. The same goes for online dating and self esteem. TGI Fridays is then showed to induce hunger on the poor unsuspecting chubs. The ACT mouthwash commercial finished off the night to clean up those who purged to lose weight. The second thing I watched was That 70's Show on MTV. They target all teens and young adults. The commercials ranged from candy to body care. It also alternated between male and female products such as Gillette shaving cream for men and Olay mascara for women. Proactive was advertised multiple times to cater to the millions of teens with blemishes on their oily skin.  I always enjoy the Geico commercials due to their dry sense of humor and the little animated gecko or caveman. This commercial went along with other car commercials such as Ford to supply insurance to those who already have cars. The typical NOW cd was advertised 3 times as well to appeal to the teen audience. I feel that was the only music related commercial in the whole hour of watching MTV.  I truly dislike commercials and find them overbearing and quite annoying. When I’m older, I will definitely stick with Netflix. 


W.C. 312