Star Wars: What I Thought of the Sequels

Incoming long post! Here it is, the dreaded debate on one of the most controversial topics – the Star Wars sequels. Please bare in mind that everyone has a right to their own opinion, this is just my take on the whole thing. Also, there are spoilers if you haven’t seen any of sequels.

For me, Star Wars was a big part of my life. The original trilogy already marked its place in the world, and the prequels were being released as I was growing up. It was THE best thing for 4 year old Vicky, and nothing was wrong.

However, as I got older, I started to realise that maybe things were a bit off with the prequels, but that didn’t change my opinion, I still loved them. When it was announced that the Star Wars sequels were being made, I was excited, mainly because I would actually be old enough to understand what’s going on this time round, and also it was cool to see the Star Wars franchise carry on after 10 odd years since The Revenge of the Sith.

The sequels consist of The Force Awakens (J.J Abrams), The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson), and The Rise of Skywalker (By Abrams again), with its own set of main characters: Rey, Finn, and Poe. Alongside old and beloved characters such as Han, Leia, and C3-PO, their mission is to locate Luke Skywalker, whilst fighting the First Order led by Kylo Ren and Snoke.

When The Force Awakens was released in 2015, I was pleasantly surprised. The film itself, gave off A New Hope vibes, in which someone who lives in the desert, tries to get by in life, finds out they have the force, and tries to stop a planet destroying machine which is disguised as another planet. However, unique story-lines such as Finn’s, (an ex-Stormtrooper who flees the First Order when he is exposed to the violence and torture of innocent people on his first mission), and Kylo Ren being the son of Han and Leia, thus making him a Skywalker himself, made the film its own. Having that balance of old and new, showed something promising for the rest of the sequels. Yet, the character of Kylo Ren left me rather disappointed. Whilst trying to avenge his grandfather- Darth Vader, his ability to lash out when anything went wrong, and then killing his own father (Yes, I’m still mad at this) proved to be somewhat uncomfortable to watch.

Next, The Last Jedi, which to me, went downhill. The premise of the film showed the rebel alliance dwindle in size due to the First Order’s constant attacks, whilst Rey began training with the newly found Luke, who isolated himself in shame, due to what happened with Kylo/Ben. In short, Luke thought that Ben, a padawan, was being manipulated by Snoke, so Luke thought it would be in his best interest to kill Ben, to stop the impending doom that was brewing within him. Although he never acted upon this. Which, from a fan perspective seemed off. Luke, being this do-gooder for over 30 years contemplating killing his nephew was very out of character. Throughout the film, Rey becomes conflicted on whether to believe Kylo’s version of events that Luke is in fact not all what he seems, or Luke being a classic utilitarian- killing one person for the greater good.

Another weird occurrence during the film was the death of Snoke. Now, we don’t really know much of Snoke. In the first film of the sequels, he became this big mysterious character, who overlooked Kylo into his journey to the dark side. However, during one of the battle scenes, Snoke is killed by Kylo, which leads to the big question, what was the point of Snoke in general? Whilst having a brief role in the first film, he isn’t really seen much throughout. We don’t know who he is, or what his motifs are. Killing a potentially significant character, left many in question.

Despite the confusion the fans felt, we were left with this banger of line.

Lastly, The Rise of Skywalker. Whilst I felt some sort of disappointment with the sequels so far, I was intrigued to see what would happen. With it being the last ever Star Wars film, I knew they had to tie all their loose ends together.

The story shows Emperor Palpatine who comes back to life, to push the final stages of the First Order, with a large fleet of Star Destroyers. Whilst doing this, Rey and Kylo separately look for the Sith finder to locate where Palaptine is. Once found, it is revealed that Rey is in fact the granddaughter of the emperor, and that she will be the next in line to lead the empire.

The film seems to be that of fan service. Everything that happened from beloved character deaths such as Chewbacca or C3-PO, were quickly resolved and they were brought back, to further provide a happy ending. The ending showed the resistance diminishing and on its last legs, then all of a sudden, thousands of alliances and helpers appear in the sky to help. Rey who is just about to get killed by the emperor, gathers all the courage from past Jedi knights and deflects the lightning sent at her to the star destroyers above, thus defeating the First Order.

Despite the story that lacks in certain places, the graphics and CGI were not to be messed around with. Everything that you have ever seen or wanted in a Star Wars film, was provided and much more. The fight scenes were spectacular, new species were created, and the locations were unique and separated itself from the originals whilst having connections to give fans nostalgia, such as Endor. However, the fact I had to wait 3 films for a force jump was tiresome but so so so worth it.

Considering the sequels had a lot to live up to, especially when the prequels didn’t do so well in terms of audience ratings, it did okay. Also, as there are millions of Star Wars fans around the world, you weren’t going to please everyone. Could it have been done better? Absolutely. However, it provided nostalgia for older fans, but also created new plot-lines that the newer fans could delve into. I believe the sequels equate to marmite, you either love them or hate them.

Pixar’s SparkShorts: Has Disney+ Limited its Audience?

As you may or may not know, I recently graduated from a Film and Media course, with my dissertation surrounding Pixar theatrical shorts and whether or not the Disney acquisition of Pixar in 2006, affected the production and/or distribution of said Short Films. I won’t bore you with the ins and outs of an 11,000 word essay, but I thought it would be interesting to focus on SparkShorts – Pixar’s short term program to help staff members to create their own stories.

If you don’t know what SparkShorts is, by president, Jim Morris’ words, it is “designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows.” In other words, all Pixar staff are welcome to design, and create their own Pixar short. However, they are given a limited budget, and also a limited time frame. Usually Theatrical shorts take years to produce, whereas for SparkShorts, creators are only given 6 months to create. In this time, creators are allowed to create whatever they want, in any art style they envision.

Growing up with the likes of Knick Knack, Geri’s Game, and For the Birds, I was excited to learn about SparkShorts, and if they could pull of incredible shorts within a short space of time. The program launched in 2019, and the finished productions were uploaded onto the SparkShorts Youtube channel, making accessible to all, for free.

The first short that was released was Purl by Kristen Lester. Purl is a ball of yarn, who is starting her first day at the office, with human co-workers. However, Purl is singled out by all the male workers, as she doesn’t get the “man” stuff. So she changes her appearance in order to fit in, however, it is not her true self. The short was instantly a hit as it featured issues of discrimination in the workplace and even included the odd explicit joke. The themes of the short are drastically different to the usual shorts that are premiered with feature films, it could be due to them only being shown on Youtube, and therefore, the creators are really allowed to add whatever they want.

In terms of artistic style, Kitbull by Rosana Sullivan tells the story of an abused pitbull and a stray kitten as they form an unlikely friendship, with themes to show awareness of animal cruelty. The short however, consisted of 2D animation and minimal drawings to create the full image. Along with the story, it showed the audience that Pixar can do different styles and are not just limited to to its usual 3D computer graphic system, such as RenderMan. It ended up being nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film.

However, with only 3 films uploaded onto the Youtube channel, Disney announced that all future SparkShorts films would be released on their streaming service, Disney+, and would only be accessible on there. As a fan of the shorts, I was worried as to whether the shorts would get their full recognition as they would on a free platform. Whilst the shorts would get promotion on Disney and Pixar social medias about their releases, people could only get far because if they were not subscribed to Disney+, they could not watch it.

There is no doubt that the creativity that comes with SparkShorts has not diminished in anyway. Releases like Loop, which features Pixar’s first non-verbal character, and Float, which shows a father dealing with a child who is different from other children as he is the only one that can float. The representations that feature within SparkShort films are ones that simply cannot be ignored, as themes run with current times and they show audiences that anything can be done with a short time frame.

Although, it can be said that the barrier Disney+ has forcibly put up with its £5.99 a month payment plan, does in fact limit the SparkShort audience. Maybe people can’t afford another yet another streaming service, or they are simply not interested in Disney, but it is a shame that SparkShorts may not get the views that it so rightly deserves.

If you have Disney+, you can catch all of the shorts under the SparkShorts category, and if you don’t, you can watch Purl, Kitbull and Smash and Grab on Youtube.

The Golden Girls: Why Watching an 80’s American Sitcom About 50+ Year Old’s Makes Great Television

As a 22 year old living in the UK, I have always heard about The Golden Girls, but had never watched it. Since the show premiered in 1985, and ended in 1992, it was way before my time. However, in recent years, the show has gained some popularity with a younger generation.

The show, created by Susan Harris, follows the lives of four older women who end up living together. Widower Blanche Devereaux puts up an ad in a local supermarket, asking for roommates in her Miami home. Fellow widower Rose Nylund joins her, along with Dorothy Zbornak, and her elderly mother Sophia Petrillo. Although they go about their daily lives, it’s the character’s personality and interactions with an ensemble cast, that really make the show.

The main characters have their own individualistic personality traits which any audience can relate to. Dorothy’s intelligent, sarcastic humour goes hand in hand with Rose’s confused, kind of dimwitted, innocent state, which creates great chemistry onscreen. Dorothy’s mother Sophia, lives life to the fullest by being blunt and speaking her own mind, she could have her own TV show. Finally, Blanche, who is the youngest out of all the girls, is practically man-obsessed, and cares very much about her appearance and how she’s perceived. However, she is very open about her love life with the girls, and doesn’t believe that her age hinders it. Which is a really good way to look at life when you think about it.

The issues that the show address were very progressive of its time. Issues such as immigration, gay rights, mental health, and gaslighting were all tackled with great sophistication, especially during the time where Ronald Reagan was president, and with the women being that of an older generation. Where there was uncertainty, the girls came were there to offer support to those in need, and when issues affected them personally, they fought their corner. If the girls ever argued, they would converse until they were both educated on the topic, and at the end, they would go into the kitchen and eat cheesecake, which is a big mood.

Despite the hard-hitting topics, the girls always know how to lighten the situation with their humour. Their quirky one-liners make them very relatable, especially to millennial’s and gen z. The sarcastic banter and the way the girls cope with the comedic plots, are something that any audience will find hilarious. My personal favourite scene is when Rose plans Dorothy’s surprise birthday party, only for it to be held at a kids fun house. Seeing Dorothy, a sophisticated, mature woman, being the centre of attention, along with all the other children, is incredibly funny and you can feel the second-hand embarrassment radiate from the screen.

Overall, the show itself is such an easy watch with progressive topics and great though-out characters, you’ll be sure to find your favourite. (Mine is Rose). With each episode consisting of 20 minutes, and seven seasons, you’ll get through them in no time. And yes, I can confirm it’s not problematic at all. You’re good.

DC FanDome: Do Virtual Conventions Really Work?

On 22nd August, DC Comics launched their free virtual convention for fans all over the world, called the DC FanDome. With the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic, being able to hold a physical convention is merely impossible. For DC, this was a chance to interact with fans, by giving them a chance to see exclusive trailers, celebrity panels, and gaming news, right in the comfort of their own homes. However, it really begs the question: is it possible for conventions to be virtual in the future?

Before the event, DC released a map on what the convention would hold. The vast range of events went from hall of heroes, kids section, an area where fans could show of their creations, an area to watch videos from the day, and even an interactive section where you could even ride a virtual rollercoaster.

However, prior to the event, it was announced that the 22nd August would only be the hall of heroes and everything else would take place later in September. There went my dreams of going on that rollercoaster.

Therefore, on the 22nd August, DC FanDome created a continuous livestream, with it’s own scheduling starting at 6PM to 2AM (for us Brits). The show had a variety of international hosts, based on an interactive platform to really set the scene. Jim Lee, who created the set design, said in one of the DC segments, that his inspiration came from the Justice League Watchtower.

The stream kicked off with the Wonder Woman 1984 panel. The panel consisted of an interview with the cast and director, fan questions and then an exclusive trailer, which revealed Cheetah in all of her CGI-ness. Which in fact, was really cool to see for the first time.

The set up for most of the panels within the convention were based on video call (duh). So getting to see all the cast interact with each other, made it so much more enjoyable, than if I were to see it in person. Considering we were all in our own rooms, it felt personal, that we were there face to face. Some of the panels made it feel more like you were in a friendly group chat. My personal favourites were The Suicide Squad panel, purely for the amount of chaos it caused, and the Shazam! panel, which was renamed Shazoom.

Throughout the evening, fans were bombarded with new information. Concept art for the upcoming The Flash film were released, Zack Snyder popped in to release the teaser trailer for his Justice League, and Matt Reeves gave everyone the trailer for the much anticipated The Batman. Even the Rock had his own panel to promote the Black Adam film, to which he announced what characters would be appearing alongside him. (Very hyped for Dr. Fate).

However, it wasn’t just films that were being released at the FanDome. Video games such as Gotham Knights, which follows the Bat-Family, and The Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, were announced for all the gaming fans. There were even panels to celebrate the diversity within DC comics such as the Females of Colour panel, and the surprise comic panel which featured Static.

The convention itself, proved successful. It allowed fans to be within the moment all at the same time, and it allowed them to interact with their favourite actors with fan questions. Having the likes of Gal Gadot, Robert Pattison and Matt Reeves look directly at you as they’re talking, makes the connection so personal and more like a one-to-one conversation. Something you couldn’t get anywhere else. However, one disadvantage was that the website did keep crashing because there were so many people online, but considering it was DC’s first try, you can’t really blame them. Also, staring at a screen for 8 hours straight really does drain you. Towards the end of the night, I was feeling it.

The succession of DC FanDome proves that conventions can be done online. The simplicity of just turning on your computer, sitting back and relaxing in the comfort of your own home, really is appealing. Especially when physical conventions are limited to certain countries, it gives fans the opportunity to get in on the action as well. With a few tweaks here and there, I wouldn’t be surprised if they become more common in the future.

Fahrenheit 451: How the Media is Taking Over

During the ongoing lockdown, I became stuck in an endless cycle of watching TV, playing Animal Crossing, watching TV, playing Animal Crossing etc. So, I decided to buy a tonne of books to get me back into reading, which is something my teenage self used to love.

However, when the books arrived, they sat on a shelf for nearly 3 months. That was the case until yesterday and chose to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Its safe to say that I became that hooked, that I finished it this morning. The themes of the book were so surreal to modern day life, it was instantly an eye-opener.

Fahrenheit 451, first published in 1953, is set in a dystopian world, where books are ultimately banned, and firemen are the ones that cause the fires, not stop them. If you are caught with books in your possession, the firemen would come and burn your house down, with the books inside them. Thus, destroying all knowledge that was ever written down on paper.

Montag, the protagonist of the story, is a fireman, living somewhat normally with his wife, Mildred. Whilst books are banned, television has taken over the world where even your living room walls are screens (called parlour walls in the book), and this is where Mildred spends her days and nights, succumbed to media.

Whilst on a job, Montag’s perspective on society shifts, and he beings to question why books were ever banned in the first place. To some, it is based on historical context, where “English-influenced books in the Colonies” were to be burned. To others, including the character Faber, it is due to society and them preferring television and film. The more they watched, the less interested they were in books, and even if books were not banned, they are simply too ignorant to read for themselves. The parlour walls keep people engrossed, and incidentally become a part of “the family”.

Whilst the book was written in the 1950’s, where television was becoming more prominent in the household, it still has a significant impact in today’s society, where the internet has practically taken over. Whilst we do not have walls that act as television screens, the foreshadowing within the book is certainly something to think about in regards on how people spend their time.

Research conducted by the National Literacy Trust suggested that in 2019, 53% of children under the age of 18 actually enjoyed reading, which was the lowest its ever been since 2013.

Whilst it’s a bit hypocritical of me to be writing a blog post on the internet about how we should be reading more, Fahrenheit 451 definitely gives us an insight on how the media is slowly taking over and how predictable it’s becoming. Our attention spans have decreased rapidly during the technology age, that it is merely impossible for us to sit down for a certain period of time, and in retrospect, it is quite worrying.

To quote Faber in the novel, books are so important “because they have quality”, and maybe that’s what scare people, because books have the ability to reflect life, and to create a whole new world that is unknown to us.

Why Pixar’s Short Film ‘Out’ is a Step Forward

Since the start of lockdown, I have found myself to be stuck, watching the same thing over and over again.

However, during pride month, Pixar announced that they have released a new short film Out. As someone who identifies as a member of the LGBT community, seeing an LGBT short film released on Disney+ seemed confusing to say the least. It’s relatively well known that Disney do like to push out the pride merchandise, but keep quiet when allowing LGBT characters into their films. A notable example of this is allowing their subsidiary company, Pixar to have their first openly gay LGBT character… who only appeared in two scenes.

So Pixar – Yay!. Disney – Boo

Anyway, the news of the new short film intrigued me, so I decided that, with all the spare time I had, I’d give it a watch halfheartedly, ready for disappointment. Boy, I was wrong.

The premise of the short tells the story of Greg who is moving house, with the help of his boyfriend. Whilst packing, his boyfriend suggests that Greg should come out to his parents, then as if by coincidence, Greg’s parents turn up to his house to help him with the move. Hiding photos of him and his boyfriend, Greg wishes he was a dog, to escape the madness, and then magically, he then swaps bodies with his dog Jim.

Just so we’re clear here, Greg mind is in his dog’s body, and his dog’s mind is in Greg’s body. Okay, cool, cleared that up.

Whilst Jim, in his human form, causes a riot for Greg’s dad, Greg, as a dog, tries to stop his mother from finding photos of him and his boyfriend, worried that she wouldn’t support him. However, Greg destroys his own property to stop his mother from finding out, which leads to him then biting his mother and she then yelling at Greg.

Upset, his mother sits outside, telling the dog, not knowing it’s Greg, but pretending he is Greg, that she’s sad that he is moving and that she wishes he would find happiness. The kicker in all of this, is that she then says “that he makes you happy”, indicating that she already knows about Greg and his boyfriend. Furthermore, letting Greg know that she is accepting and supportive. After Jim runs into Greg, the magic reverses and Greg is able to be more open around his family, and invites his boyfriend, for a small gathering.

The ability to create such an impact in the space of 8 minutes, is something that Pixar know how to do really well. The short comes out of the SparkShorts programme, where Pixar Staff, no matter what their job is, are allowed to create their own project, with a limited time frame, and limited budget. This allows for the creative freedom, without the big boss Disney coming down on them with their own set of rules and regulations.

The story itself is promising to a younger LGBT audience, to know that a) your mother probably knows, (which was quite fitting for my own experience) and b) that hiding your true self, can sometimes be worse than what you think. Being open allows for a development of communication and the ability to be free. If there is an audience where that isn’t possible, it provides hope, that the world outside is a much more accepting place.

As a Disney fan, it’s a huge shock to the system to have such a positive piece of media through a company that isn’t really keen to promote. Whilst this is only available on the Disney+ service, it still a (small) step forward for the company, to allow diversity and to be inclusive.

You can catch Out on Disney+ now!

Orange is the New Black Season 6: A Review *Spoilers*

*Major spoilers if you haven’t watched the season already*

Orange is the New black season 6 was released on Netflix 27th July. I finished the whole season within 2 day and I can no longer feel any sort of emotion.

If you can remember the series of events from season 5, you will know that we were all a witness to the riots that occurred at Litchfield Penitentiary. Daya shot CO Humphrey, Maria stole Gloria’s chance to see her son by releasing the hostages, Alex and Piper became engaged, and with Red hellbent on revenge, she (and friends) captured CO Piscatella. However, he finally had his comeuppance as he was accidentally shot by riot guards, when he was let go by Red herself. We left the inmates of Litchfield as they were then moved to maximum security prison. And that’s what you missed on Glee.

This then leads to Season 6 showing the aftermath of the riots and what happens to them. For some, the transition to max is a smooth ride and they deal with some normality, but for others, they really face the consequences and the injustices.

Being moved to max also means meeting new faces. We meet Piper’s new roomie, Madison or “Badison”, who has to be one of the most annoying characters of all time. Her goal is to cause trouble by pulling pranks and threatening Piper. While it’s all fun an games at the beginning, for the rest of the season, it just gets tiring and unnecessary. There’s not really a story line that goes with Badison’s antics, although it is shown that she does need to feel a part of the group. To be accepted. But either way, I can’t stand her.

Then we have the Denning sisters, Carol and Barb. The sisters are the driving force behind the main story line for this season, and they cause a divide in the prison and become the boss of their own blocks due to the hatred of each other. C-Block belongs to Carol and D-Block belongs to Barb, and the rivalry between each block is extreme, to the point where they plan to jump a game of kickball with secret weapons. The sisters ended up in max due to killing their little sister, in which it has to be one of the most darkest backstories OITNB has ever told. However, their hatred grew towards each other because Carol supposedly stole a story that had happened to Bard, and the sisters have hated each other ever since. That is it. No other reason. And then it turns out that the story neither happened to Carol or Barb. During the final episode, they have an argument as to who the story belonged to and later end up killing each other over it.

…Yeah

Although the story line for the sisters ended up not so well for them., the characters were written very well. Showing respect between other characters, like Carol and Red’s mutual hatred for Freida, and Nicky helping Barb through her drug withdrawal, we saw sides of them that they really do care for others, if they are treated right back. However, it shouldn’t go unnoticed that they shouldn’t be messed with because they could really do some damage, and the hatred they have for each other makes for a really fun, dramatic watch.

Moving on from the new faces of max, we have our inmates from Litchfield. Some characters I loved even more, and then there were some that I started to despise. Daya took a turn for the worse as she took a plea deal for shooting CO Humphrey and knowing that her staying in max for life was inevitable, started to hang with the wrong crowd, getting involved with drugs. Barely recognisable as herself, and making the wrong decisions, she definitely wasn’t made to be the character we all knew and loved. Maybe we were not meant to like her, because I for sure don’t.

Blanca, surprised me the most as she ended up being my favourite character for the entirety of the season. Fitted with funny remarks and the hilarious story line to try and get pregnant inside of prison with the help of Nicky, she became one of the characters that didn’t have a side to hate. She was even released early. YAY.

However, the excitement for Blanca was soon dissolved, as we found out that good ol’ Linda Ferguson A.K.A Amelia Von Barlow from season 5, revamped MCC and Litchfield Penitentiary, and changed it to PolyCon and replaced the former Litchfield with an Immigration centre. As Blanca was being lead out of max with Piper (as she was let out on early release due to Badison’s failure to give her extra time), The two were split into different queues. Piper being lead out of the prison’s doors, and Blanca being lead out the back door facing an immigration and customs transport bus. This alerting the big issue in America, immigration and being separated from families by force.

This also coincides with Taystee being framed for the death of Piscatella. Involvement from the ACLU and #BlackLivesMatter to help with Taystee’s case really hit home for viewers due to it being a huge injustice in America. By portraying such subjects on a show, it is more likely to bring up a conversation and show how important of an issue it really is.

Because of the events that happened in the finale, we will most be getting a 7th season due to all of the unanswered questions. What will happen to Blanca? The aftermath of Taystee’s trial? Will Alex and Piper’s relationship survive 4 more years whilst Alex is still serving time? Is Lorna and the baby okay? Will C-Block and D-Block find peace?

Being a fan of Orange is the New Black since the beginning, and it being one of my favourite shows, I was pleased with the season, but at the same time, not satisfied. Some of the story lines for some characters were unnecessary and what about the other prisoners who were located to different max facilities? Maybe this is all something we will find out in the next season and the story was held for then? Who knows.

Either way, it’s still a show that I adore and I can’t help but mention some of the moments that made me happy. For example, Alex and Piper’s ‘prison’ wedding, Flaca and Cindy’s radio show, and the new guards, Alverez and Ginger. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

P.S. Just gotta show some appreciation for young Carol Denning, like, come on.                                                 

Reflection

For the final part of this course, a reflection is required to show how far we’ve come with blog writing and being in groups.

At the start of the course, I was certainly interested as I do read blogs in my spare time. I never knew what to write about if I ever created one, so this unit was the perfect way to see if I was capable to do so.

The blog writing aspect has helped me with my writing skills, being able to write in my own terms, sharing my own opinions, and being able to write about what interests me, but still being able to write with a sense of sophistication. Another thing that the blog has helped me with is keeping up with current affairs. As the unit is live, we react to whatever has happened within that week. Before this unit, I was not bothered at all by news and my only news source were Twitter and Facebook. However, through discussions during seminars, weekly cinema screenings, and posts added to the Unit X Facebook group, it allowed me to see that even though I am not particular interested in certain news topics, it is still interesting to learn about them and other people’s opinions.

My blog posts consisted that of music, games, films and TV shows reviews of things that I have seen or been listening to at the time of writing the posts. Writing what I liked/disliked about something gave me a chance to voice my opinions on a platform where I felt most comfortable. However, I do wish that I built up the courage to talk about specific topic in relation to a show/film etc. (Which I did start to do on my Brooklyn Nine-Nine blog post).

Blogs were social media years before the term was coined, and, in many ways, blogs still form the backbone of social media. Far more people are on Facebook or another social media platform than there are bloggers, but much of what we do in social media is at root a form of blogging.

This quote by Jill Walker Rettberg tells us how important social media is to blogging, even though blogging has become quite unpopular compared to other types of social media. One thing I did notice that is important with blogging, is social media presence. To get blog posts seen, I shared them through all social medias I owned. This included Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr. Yet, if I did not share a post through enough networks, I did notice that it did not get many hits, and for me, it showed that consistency is key. To get posts seen, I needed to upload posts regularly, therefore, I aimed to upload once a week, however, there were times where I became stuck on what to write. This shows me that this is a common thing with all bloggers, and it shows me that it is not an easy task.

For our group work, we were asked to create 4 infographics in groups of 3. Once we were in our groups, we made a Facebook Messenger chat. With this, we could talk about ideas, plan days where we would meet up, or aid any one in need of help. At the beginning of the unit, we knew that 3 of the infographics could be on any topic we choose, so we created these as individuals. Mine being on ‘Women in Film’, and the other group members did theirs on music and gaming. However, there was a bit of trouble with the group itself when it came to the 4th infographic. Nearing the end of the unit, I asked if we should meet up to finally talk about any ideas that we have. Yet, the rest of the group decided that there was no need to meet up and if someone came up with an idea for it, then that is the idea that we would use. Getting closer to the deadline, no idea was mentioned, and because no idea was mentioned, I decided that because my infographic topic about women in film was a relative issue in today’s society, that it should be the group’s infographic and I would and did create another infographic, on a Korean group, BTS, on top of it, finalizing the 4 infographics in total. This made me feel a bit let down, because I had to use my own work, rather than something that we all worked on together, and then I had to create a new infographic with hardly any time at all. I did wish that I said something to the group, rather than letting it go.

Through this unit, I have learned to pay more attention to things going on in the world, even if they are not in my interests. Learning about why people have different opinions than me, has taught me to open up and to be more confident in putting out my opinion into the world. My writing skills are getting better, the more I write, I am able to write in a way that I feel the audience can connect with. Using informal language can be a great positive when writing to an audience who is the same age as me (20). In terms of group work, my goal is to speak up when something is not right and to be more assertive. Unit X has given me the courage to possibly carry on blogging as it has been one of the most enjoyable units this year.

References

Walker Rettberg, Jill. Blogging.2013. Polity Press. 

Moulin Rouge!: An Underrated Popular Film

In 2001, Baz Lurhmann created a musical romantic comedy, the second film as part of his Red Curtain Trilogy, set in the Monmartre Quarter in Paris, France, 1900, Moulin Rouge! It tells the story of an English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, Satine, however, Christian’s positive attitude and beliefs about love are soon destroyed, as he learns that loving the right person in the wrong setting and wrong time, will end in disaster.

One thing that will always baffle me as to why no one hears knows of Moulin Rouge!, is the fact that it had one of the best cast films I’ve seen in a long time. To name a few, Ewan McGregor plays young Christian, and yes, he does sing, and yes, he is absolutely amazing at it. He has certainly left me asking why doesn’t he sing anymore? And who thought we needed a singing Obi Wan Kenobi? Nicole Kidman plays the sensuous Satine, and Jim Broadbent plays Harold Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge. (But seriously who doesn’t like Jim?).

One of the many reasons why Moulin Rouge! is such a beautiful film, is for the pure aesthetics of the setting. Of course being set in the Monmartre Quarter and in the Moulin Rouge itself, we are going to get stunning visuals from lighting to the architecture, in a true Baz Lurhmann style as he is well known for his use of bright colours.

Also, it’s good to mention that Satine’s chambers were set in an elephant’s head and it was pretty damn cool.

With Moulin Rouge! being a musical, you guessed it, there are songs. However, the songs are all covers of popular songs at that time. The cast do their own renditions of Your Song by Elton John, Like a Virgin by Madonna (This sung by Jim Broadbent. if you don’t watch the film, I highly recommend that you just watch that clip because it is hilarious beyond words.), The Sound of Music and even Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. With such a range of songs, they fit the film perfectly. The song, Lady Marmalade by Pink, Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim and Mya, is in fact from this film too.

Overall, Moulin Rouge! is one of them films that once you watch it, you’ll want to watch it over and over again. Being nominated for 8 Oscars at the 74th Academy Awards, and winning 2, you can understand why it’s so popular but it’s a film that needs more attention. With a notable cast, an enjoyable, but bittersweet, plot, and some good music, you can’t help but fall in love with Moulin Rouge!

And now I leave you with a “whoops it’s a spoiler but the film is from 2001, so get over it” picture that for me, is very relatable.