I binge-watched the TV show Community recently. One of the episodes featured fan-favorite character Abed, an aspiring director, attempting to film a scene where his volunteers 'partied like there was no tomorrow.' The joke in this B-plot was that Abed took the phrase too literally. He became more and more frustrated that his actors weren't really dancing like there was a tomorrow, only merely partying like there was a tomorrow, a distinction only Abed seemed to understand.
As I watched this sitcom, I thought about that common phrase and how I'd never considered it in the literal sense. I'm sure I've invited someone to 'party like there's no tomorrow' before, but what if there really wasn't a tomorrow?
Would you party? Or would you spend quality time with your family and friends? Would you try to knock a few things off your bucket list, or would you stay home? Would you write a letter to anyone, or everyone? If everything ended when the clock struck twelve, what would you wish to accomplish with the few hours you have left?
Be sure to comment via the comments section or social media, and you may be featured when I answer my own question(s) next Saturday!
In my personal experience, I've found that the modern usage of the word heartbreaker has a negative connotation. Modern heartbreakers are people who try to get with as many different partners as they can. You're are of the appropriate synonyms.
However, the original usage of heartbreaker actually had positive connotations. A heartbreaker was considered to be quite the catch. When the heartbreaker finally chose a significant other, many individuals would be 'heartbroken,' not because the heartbreaker did anything to them, but because there wasn't enough of the heartbreaker to go around.
Yes, I'm aware many girls think all guys are tools. Many guys find girls nothing but promiscuous. But I do believe modern heartbreakers exist in this world. Those people cannot go through life without hurting people, albeit unintentionally.
"Ok, fine," you say. "So heartbreakers can't go through life without hurting people, but I can guarantee I'm not a heartbreaker. Nobody likes me."
You know, random reader, sometimes I feel the same way. But take a peek at this.
I once read a sentiment written by some wise individual that was posted to Facebook following its beginnings on tumblr. I'll paraphrase as best as I can.
"You know all those times when you admire someone from afar, and they never knew? How many times have you been that person for someone else?"
You may think you know the effect you have on people, but you really don't. Odds are, there is someone out there who finds you an attractive and interesting person, but are just too shy to do anything about it.
Congratulations, you're a heartbreaker.
Even beyond dating, sometimes you just can't help but hurt people's feelings in other ways. I have met people who own the mentality that they "just want to do the right thing." That is so admirable, let me tell you, but always doing the right thing doesn't mean people won't still be hurt.
I honestly believe every single one of our current presidential candidates believes they are doing the right thing. All of them have offended or angered scores of Americans across the nation. You, yourself, have beliefs and principles and morals that may offend the sensibilities of those around you. I am not a smoker, and I have no desire to ever smoke, but I don't judge people who do smoke. It's just a thing people do. However, when I gained the trust of my coworkers while I worked at Sonic, a few grew upset when I refused to participate in their breakly ritual. "Just a puff," they said. "If you don't do it, then you're dissing my lifestyle."
I'm sure many of you have found yourselves in similar situations.
If you have religious, personal, political, or even moral standards, then you'll likely offend someone. Some people are even looking to be offended by people with different sensibilities than them.
"Ok, cool," you say. "You've convinced me. But what's the point?"
I've met some people who hate to hurt people's feelings. I'll admit, I'm one of those people. The thing is, this type of person often hold themselves back. They are so worried that their opinion or action might hurt someone else, they never do anything for themselves. They leap through life's hoops seeking only to please or ease someone else and their own burdens. They date people they don't really want to. They hide their opinions and beliefs in the face of scrutiny. They do things because someone else told them to, not because they wanted to do those things for themselves.
I think I've made my point. So here's my challenge for you today.
If you are worried about hurting people's feelings, don't be. Obviously, this world needs more kindness and tact, but there comes a point where you need to stand for yourself. Be that person. And while some people may turn away from you, the people who will prove the most important in your life will gather around you.
You know, every time I write a post about BYU's poetry slams (like this one,and this one), I always throw a whole bunch of commentary in about my thoughts on the event, how glad I was to go, what I liked the most about it, yadda yadda yadda.
Well, guess what. There are some fantastic slam poets down below, just waiting for you to give them your ear. I'm not going to let my windbag writing style keep you from the fruit!
I didn't record these two, but seeing as how they were my favorite, I promoted them to this post's visual representation in social media. Now, onto the slams!
And if you'd like to see the text of Josie and I's poem, here it is. We wrote our own lines, so BAM.
Take your favorite movie, TV show, book, anything fictional, it doesn't matter. Now ask these questions.
1.) Does your favorite work of fiction have two women in it,
2.) who talk to each other,
3.) about something other than men?
'Men' could mean husbands, brothers, sons, other family members, co-workers, love interests.
Did you answer 'yes' to all the above questions? If you couldn't, then your favorite work of fiction fails the Bechdel test.
The author of this comic admits she was actually referring to the Bechdel test.
The Bechdel test was originally conceived back in 1985 by Alison Bechdel and Liz Wallace. The point of the test was to assist entertainment-seekers in determining if the women in their chosen media are strong characters in their own right.
Everyone knows I'm not much of a cinephile, but I've watched six movies that were released sometime in the past year. Here are the results on each of these. (NO SPOILERS AHEAD)
Avengers: Age of Ultron - Barely passed. The only time two women spoke and didn't talk about a man was when Black Widow and Hawkeye's wife talked about the latter's unborn baby. Tomorrowland - Passed. Casey and Athena have multiple conversations about Tomorrowland and Athena's status.
Inside Out - Passed. Joy and Sadness talk about Riley more than anything else.
Jurassic World - Failed. Claire talks to the boys' mother about the boys, and she talks to her assistant about the boys. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 - Passed. Katniss speaks with several female characters about the war and about her feelings regarding the future.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Barely passed. Rey and Maz talk about Rey's future, and Rey and Leia have a short, similar conversation as well.
To be honest, I actually expected more of these films to fail. However, the Bechdel test doesn't just serve to demonstrate the strength of female characters, it also raises the question about how women are portrayed in film in general.
Inside Out and Tomorrowland are the two strongest examples of female characters acting independently from their relationships with male characters. Mockingjay comes in at a close third. But then we have Star Wars, which some people contend didn't pass the test, and then Avengers, which barely squeaked by at all.
For me, the most important thing about the Bechdel test is that it reveals issues with our modern society. For all our talk about equality, why is it so hard to find films that not only pass the Bechdel test, but also encompass it?
I hope you were enlightened by this nifty little trick. I first learned about the Bechdel Test from TVTropes.org (my favorite website), though you can find more information on Wikipedia.
I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.
For those of you looking to understand more about this issue, here are some videos and articles that offer some insights. I know most of my audience members are opposed to vulgar language in their entertainment, and so I have included several cleaned-up options as well. I can't guarantee the levels of censorship utilized in the clean versions. Why Are People Suddenly Afraid of Beyonce's Black Pride?
I took a look at the Wikipedia article listing American superhero movies. Here's the link if you want to investigate yourself. From this article, I created a list of superhero movies with women in the lead or titular role. A movie was disqualified if ...
... it was animated.
... the female superhero was part of an ensemble cast.
... the female superhero had a secondary or minor role.
Of the roughly 194 live-action superhero movies listed, these were all that I could find that matched my criteria.
Supergirl - 1984
Tank Girl - 1995
Black Scorpion - 1995
Barb Wire - 1996
Black Scorpion II: Aftershock - 1997
Catwoman - 2004
Elektra - 2005
My Super Ex-Girlfriend - 2006
Wonder Woman - 2017
Captain Marvel - 2019
Since 1930, only 8 female superhero movies have been made, and none in the last decade. What gives?
Well, I have an answer. Let's take a look at some of the poster art for the above movies.
Black Scorpion II: Aftershock
Barb Wire
Elektra
I'll give you a hint. These are not movies marketed toward women. Look at how provocative our titular characters are dressed. These are movies marketed toward men.
Want further proof? Let's take a look at a promotion featuring the current most prominent woman superhero, Black Widow, as played by Scarlett Johansson.
Notice how her butt is prominently turned toward the camera. The marketers don't care about Black Widow being a strong, independent woman. "Hey, guys!" the marketers say. "Come watch this movie! Not only is it a testosterone-filled romp, it also has this hot woman in it! Here's her butt for proof!"
And then let's talk about Black Widow's status as a strong independent woman. The filmmakers seem determined to chip away that persona. Black Widow's personal character arc in Avengers involved ...
... acting vulnerable and insecure to get what she wants.
... worrying about her friend Hawkeye.
... quailing before the Hulk and feeling obviously shaken by it.
None of the male Avengers ever felt a need to act vulnerable. None of the male Avengers spent screen time bemoaning the loss of a comrade. None of the male Avengers were given a scene running in abject terror from the Hulk.
"But blogger!" you may say to me. "Black Widow's vulnerability was all a tactical ploy! She was the only one connected to Hawkeye! Anyone would run from the Hulk!"
Those are fair statements. Maybe anyone would have run away from the Hulk, but they chose to put Black Widow into that situation. They chose to portray her as vulnerable. They could have easily scripted the scene to have Captain America run from Hulk, but they chose the woman. None of the male Avengers seemed particularly shaken up about the death of Coulson, except they recognized his death as a wake-up call. And let's imagine, in an alternate universe, the character of Black Widow was male. The writers would have come up with a more creative way for the character to obtain valuable information. Let's see them stick Thor in the below situation.
Yeah, she may have gotten the information she needed from these goons and then kicked their butts, but why did the movie have to show her in this position in the first place?
The movie undermined Black Widow's strong, independent nature.
The second Avengers movie did little to help. They turned Black Widow into a flirt. Of all the characters to be captured by Ultron, Black Widow drew the short straw. She found herself in a classic 'rescue the princess' situation, and nobody batted an eye. Why? Because that's the role women play in these sorts of movies.
"Ok, fine," you say to me. "I understand where you're coming from, but you still haven't explained why there aren't more movies with female superheroes."
Well, after that build-up, I'll tell you. I call it the Chris Evans effect.
When I watch a superhero movie with someone like Chris Evans in it, I am able to project myself onto Captain America. I am able to imagine doing the things he does. When the movie is over, I feel empowered, liberated.
Despite this, I suspect more women have seen the Captain American movies than have men. I have female friends who own Captain America action figures, have Captain America posters, react excitedly whenever they hear mention of Cap or Chris. When I mentioned that Chris Evans was coming to the latest Salt Lake Comic Con, many of my female friends looked up the price of tickets. Based on this sort of reaction to Chris Evans, I have a theory.
When a woman watches a superhero movie with someone like Chris Evans in it, they are able to imagine themselves being with Chris. They latch onto his positive traits and qualities. When the movie is over, they feel safe and protected.
The men appreciate the Captain America movies because they want to be him. The women appreciate the Captain America movies because they want to be with him.
Now, let's imagine what happens with superhero movies starring women. Shoot, let's say we live in an alternate universe where Black Widow actually starred in a movie.
When a woman watches a Scarlett Johansson superhero movie, they are able to project themselves onto Black Widow. They imagine doing the things she does. When the movie is over, the women in the audience feel empowered, liberated.
If men want to be Chris Evans, the women want to be Black Widow. The gender roles are reversed in this scenario. ScarJo is a very beautiful woman. The men should want to bewith Black Widow, right?
Let's say I watch this hypothetical Black Widow movie and watch her beat up a bunch of mooks, outsmart the main villain, and save the day. I see she is stronger, quicker, smarter, and more competent than me.
I'm a man. Of course I don't want to be with Black Widow.
Men are used to being the protectors, the leaders, the breadwinners. Men don't want to seriously imagine being with a woman like Black Widow because they would feel inferior. They would feel like they're not doing their job, fulfilling their role in the relationship.
So when a superhero movie with a male lead is produced, everyone watches it. But when a superhero movie with a female lead is produced, only the women want to watch it. The producers know this. That's why Black Widow is consistently shown as the weakest Avenger. That's why she's put into compromising situations. If she was portrayed as more competent than one of the male characters, they would alienate their male audiences.
The Chris Evans effect in a nutshell.
Remember my list of female superhero movies? Marvel and DC have one planned each. If men don't want to watch these movies, the studios will lose half of the audience. I bet Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel will be among the lowest grossing superhero movies of the 21st century. If I'm correct, I'm blaming the Chris Evans effect.
Not that Chris does anything wrong; he's just good at being himself and being awesome at it.
Today is your last chance to get limited edition Ama's Watch swag!
Want a signed copy of the book? Well, by selecting the Bonus reward for the House of Snake Tier, you can get one for $30! Who knows when I'll be willing to sign any more?
Yes, I've changed the cover design again. I'll fiddle with this until the day it's published, I swear.
Anyway! For those of you who don't know, I am self-publishing a book. In order to procure the funds it takes to print such a project, I'm running a kickstarter. You can click on the link directly below to view it.
You already have more money than your goal. Why do I need to help out?
My $700 goal was the bare minimum amount of money that I needed to print an author's run of the book. Every little bit over $700 helps me continue to expand my business, including through web hosting and advertising. In addition, for every bit you contribute, the more loot everyone receives altogether. Once we reach our quinary goal of $1250, every backer receiving a physical copy of the book will also receive limited edition Ama's Watch bumper stickers.
I want a signed copy of your book, but it's too expensive.
Once upon a time, you needed to pledge $40 dollars to get a signed book. Now, you can pledge $30 to get a signed book. Look for the BONUS House of Snake Tier at the above link.
What if I just buy the book after it comes out?
That's fine, but you'll miss out on a lot of different rewards. Your name won't appear in the book's acknowledgements. You won't receive any of the limited edition Ama's Watch bookmarks. You won't have a chance to receive a signed copy. And you'll miss out on the other rewards, too, like samples of a few of my upcoming writing projects.
What if I buy an unsigned copy of the book, and then get you to sign it?
Absolutely not. That wouldn't be fair to the people who've supported the project.
I hope that encourages some of you to help out. The crowdfund ends on February 1! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Don't forget to vote on the right-hand side! I need your help improving this blog!
The family and I following the movie. WE WAS EXCITED.
After re-watching every Star Wars movie and avoiding spoilers for a week, my family and I finally had the chance to go watch The Force Awakens. Here is my review, and this time, I'm not holding back about any spoilers. You have been warned.
Was it good? In summary ...
The Force Awakens was a cohesive, action-packed movie that kept many of the well-liked elements and dropped the heavily criticized qualities of the original six movies. The movie balanced the action and the drama cohesively, and we immediately began rooting for characters both new and old. The movie suffered from some overused Star Wars tropes, like contrived coincidences, and required some knowledge of the fictional historical accounts recently published in anticipation of the movie. However, all in all, it was a highly enjoyable experience that proved a crisp and cohesive narrative, and will likely send viewers heading back to the theaters long after its release date.
*MILD SPOILERS BEGIN HERE*
In long ...
I felt like this was the most cohesive Star Wars movie in existence, for starters. Even compared to other science fiction/fantasy films, it did a good job glossing over the 'boring' stuff, like heavy political discussions and lots of expository 'telling.' These sorts of things were criticized in the prequel trilogies especially, where we'd see ten-minute conversations between Anakin and Palpatine as they just sat there.
No, people go to watch Star Wars and similar movies for the action, and boy, the movie didn't spare any action. From the opening scene to the best lightsaber fight in the series at the end, the movie kept the action scenes coming while exercising brevity during the quiet drama scenes.
Of course, Star Wars is notorious for having unbalanced fights, where every good guy is a sharp-shooting savant, while every person in white armor is half-blind and incompetent. There were definitely shades of this in The Force Awakens, but stormtroopers were presented as a much more effective and deadly force than ever before.
And speaking of plot armor protecting the good guys, this movie still had a series of contrived coincidences that kept things rolling. BB-8 finding Rey, Han picking up the Millenium Falcon after having lost it for years, the good guys finding Rey in the Death Star substitute, Han and Kylo Ren walking near the same bridge ... it didn't pull me out of the movie, but man, explicitly named characters in this universe always seem to find who or what they're looking for.
Beyond that, I think the most important thing is character development, and dang, did the movie do a good job of that.
We were introduced to a cast of new characters, and within minutes, I was rooting for them. Their individual stories were compelling, they each had something for which to fight, and I wanted them to succeed. I was devastated when Poe was declared dead at the scene, and he'd only been in the movie for a small fraction at that point. I even found myself rooting for the highly conflicted and emotionally unstable Kylo Ren, and even after he did some very dastardly things, I found myself longing for his redemption.
And we found the old characters not as we expected. With Luke and R2-D2 in exile and Han, Leia, and Chewbacca reverting back to their old ways, I almost worried the writers had damaged the characters. But no, as life came into the characters' eyes, and we saw them fight to survive like old times, I realized the writers and actors did a wonderful job keeping true to the spirit of the original trilogy. I rooted for their victories, and I mourned their losses.
The only other thing I wish they'd done was develop the Solo family line a little more. I know a lot of that backstory is included in supplementary materials, but I didn't read any of that stuff. I didn't know I was supposed to bone up on a fictional historical account before watching a movie.
*SPOILERS PAUSE HERE*
I made my brother a shirt for our viewing. It was hilarious.
Was it clean?
On a scale of Dog in a Swamp While its Raining to Newborn Baby Sitting in a Bubble Bath, I give this movie a Dinner Table right before the Host and Guests are about to Eat.
For starters, the characters threw out some mild expletives several times throughout the film, far more than was prevalent in the other movies. We heard some damns and hells and possible a few others, but it didn't really bother me. If that stuff bothers you, however, be warned!
Beyond that, besides the normal levels of violence in a Star Wars film, including many explosions and laser bolts blasting through what looks like cheap plastic armor, there wasn't too much to blink an eye at. There was one scene in a shady bar-like atmosphere that featured some mildly promiscuous clientele, but I felt like the scene served to show how morally questionable the place was.
However, I'm not going to say it didn't present some conflicting moral messages ...
*HUGE SPOILERS HERE*
The entire scene where Kylo Ren kills his father is pretty disturbing. Any kids watching this movie will probably reel in shock over the high levels of conflicting emotion in this scene, and I could easily imagine several kids leaving theaters somewhat scarred, especially if they have good relations with their own fathers. The scene itself wasn't that gory or brutal, but I felt like the emotional conflicts would have been enough to confuse anyone not fully exposed to the very real evil in this movie, and in life.
I IS SO EXCITED.
*MILD SPOILERS HERE* Was it uplifting?
The primary message of the film was to show that you never have to run away. Fighting for something is better than fleeing.
We see Finn, constantly trying to run from the First Order. We see Rey, trying to run back home when there's nothing left for her. We see Han and Leia, trying to run from their broken past. We barely see Luke, who's locked himself away in exile. The futility of running is shown time and time again, and our main squeezes especially, Finn and Rey and definitely Han, both overcome their fears and head toward the things that scare them the most.
That's definitely an inspiring message. The problem was, I didn't really feel like I saw too many of the consequences that come from running away. Sure, you could argue that Luke and Finn's determination to run from things hurt their loved ones in the short run, but I felt like that's hard to determine based on what we've seen so far.
Either way, I have several loved ones in my life who love to run away from their problems. In that, I think this movie did a fine job showing them that confronting problems oftentimes turns out for the best. However, The Force Awakens is definitely the first of three parts, and so the message of the trilogy likely has yet to be fully revealed.
*END SPOILERS*
And that's my review! Let me know if you agreed with or disagreed with anything I said. I'll see you tomorrow for Christmas!
Here's a close-up of that shirt. You can decide what's going on with that lightsaber, cuz I didn't know.
This past weekend, my family and I went out to go see a concert put on by the one and only Alex Boye, if you didn't already read the title. Here's a quick photo summary of what that was like!
YAY SO MUCH CONCERT
I don't know if you followed Alex when he went on America's Got Talent (I don't watch the show myself), but, about midway through the concert, he told the audience how, right before he got disqualified in the second round, he told the judges his dream to run a live show.
After Alex got disqualified, he posted a single hashtag on his social medias: #notdoneyet
Then, he made an announcement. I was under the impression that this was the first time any member of the public had heard about this, but there it was, out in the open.
Shortly following his departure from America's Got Talent, some big time hotshot fellow called him and offered him his own live show, every Friday night, in Vegas. The point of the story was, what some called this performer's greatest failure led to his greatest success.
I doubt this failure of mine will lead to my greatest success, at least right now. However, I, too, can say I'm not done yet. I have a whole life and a whole career in front of me. I'm not going to give up yet.
