Everything That's Meant to Happen Does (Media Blog Post #3)

Kevin Spacey in American Beauty

If there is one movie that absolutely lights up my life, it is American Beauty. From the amazing acting to the wonderful music, watching this movie is definitely one of my all-time favorite media experiences. The movie revolves around the image of the perfect suburban family. However, at the heart of every family is a mess of unresolved issues and complete dysfunction, and this film exemplifies this perfectly. The film begins with the narrative of the father, telling the viewer that he will be dead in exactly one year from when the story starts. From there, the viewer meets the crazy, career-driven mother and the sad, sixteen-year-old daughter who finds love in the new neighbor. The movie may seem dull and ordinary just from the synopsis, but the film in itself definitely has taught me to look at life from a completely new perspective.

First of all, anything with Kevin Spacey is bound to be a awesome from the start. His narration from start to finish is wonderful; his voice really fits his character. He plays the perfect image of the average suburban father who is having a mid-life crisis. Throughout the film, he lusts after his daughter's best friend. Though this may seem slightly creepy for the viewer, it is actually very comical the way he dreams of her in his sleep and even during the day. The entire cast is spot-on; the mother and the daughter play the average, happy family on the surface, but later, it is clear that even the happiest-looking family has its issues.

In terms of life lessons, this film really makes me look at every single day of my life in a slightly different light. My favorite scene in the movie involves a video recording of a plastic bag floating around in the wind. Ricky Fitz, the neighbor of the suburban family, talks of how this plastic bag was simply floating through the air, and how such a small gesture represented how beautiful even the simplest events can be. I personally believe that there is beauty all around us, and people often forget to take a second and look around them. Simplicity itself can even be beautiful, and with the fast-paced world we live in, people often forget to simplify their lives.

The infamous plastic bag scene in American Beauty

This media-experience is just plain incredible- from the hypnotic music that stimulates the limbic brain, to the funny moments and thought-provoking narrative that make my neocortex ache (in a good way), everyone should see this movie at least once. As for me, I could watch it all the time!

A Higher Ground Extravaganza! (Media Blog Post #2)

Broken Social Scene at Higher Ground

Let's face it- I like a lot of obscure music. When people ask me about my favorite bands, I tend to get a lot of face-cringing or blank stares as I list rolls off my tongue. So, when I saw that one of my favorite bands, Broken Social Scene, was to perform on September 22nd at Higher Ground, a music venue only a few miles from my dorm, I was completely ecstatic! Finally, a haven for indie-hipsters such as myself to find refuge in the music that no one else on this planet has ever listened to. It was a dream come true.

I dragged my friend Rob to the concert with me, and as we entered, we immediately ran to the front of the stage. It did not look as if there were many concert-goers ready to get their groove on, so it was easy to find the perfect spot to stand. The opening band, The Sea & Cake, performed their music while more people were filing in. I did not even want to hear the opening band at that point; I simply wanted to hear Broken Social Scene. I waited in anticipation while watching more and more people enter the venue. After a matter of thirty minutes, the entire venue was filled! I secured my spot by grasping onto the metal bar in front of me, but I was still being jostled by the overflowing crowd. My reptilian brain was ready to tell me to leave immediately, for I hate crowded spaces. However, I overpowered that portion of my brain with the reasoning that I was about to witness a fantastic concert!

About an hour later, Broken Social Scene entered the stage, and everyone in the crowd went wild! With about eight members of their band at the concert to play, they sounded absolutely amazing. Total, they had about four guitars, two banjos, four keyboards/synthesizers, two sets of drums, and a few other instruments that I have never actually seen before. Everyone in the group was amazing at singing as well, and their music ranged from ambient and hypnotic to loud and out-of-control.

My favorite part of the concert was definitely when the lead singer, Kevin Drew, decided to jump into the crowd and crowd-surf. Because I was so close to the stage, he ended up jumping right over me! It was exciting, slightly scary, and the most fun I've had all year. At the end of the night, Rob thanked me profusely for taking him to "the greatest concert he has been to in years."

I've been to many concerts, especially in the last three years or so, but this concert completely blew my mind. My brother, who lives in Philadelphia, saw Broken Social Scene at a local concert venue in that city too, so it was cool to be able to talk about the concert together even though we actually went to different shows. When this band comes back to Burlington, you know I'll be back in line!

Castaways and Cutouts, Fill it Up- Come Join the Youth and Beauty Brigade! (Media Blog Post #1)

Greetings. My name is Lauren Weiler and I am from Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

My favorite media experience of the summer was definitely attending an awesome concert featuring Silversun Pickups and Metric. I attended the concert right on the waterfront in Philadelphia, and I was able to nearly touch all of the performers. I wish I could have known ahead of time that I was going to get knocked to the ground while in a giant mosh pit, but hey- it was nonetheless a great experience.

Here is a photo I took of Emily Haines from Metric.

Technology is an interesting phenomenon; it definitely has it's ups and downs. I really like that I can easily keep in touch with friends and family that are physically distant from me. While at college, I can easily see my mom via skype, or I can talk to my friends with facebook chat. However, I really dislike how social networks are beginning to cheapen the value of face-to-face relationships. No one even feels like they need to talk in person anymore because it is so easy to contact others through other means. I also believe that penmanship is becoming a lost art; everyone would rather text or email rather than write actual letters. As a future writer, this deeply saddens me.

In my future, I really hope to write a book of short stories or write a screenplay and have it filmed. I would love to collaborate with film directors and producers at some point, so I really have high hopes that I can achieve this.

Anyways, in the interest of media, here is a video of the band Peter, Bjorn, and John at the Xponential Music Festival a year ago. I was right in the front row of this concert when I attended, and in the middle of the concert, Peter asks a girl to whistle the lyrics. That girl was my brother's girlfriend, and I was right next to her! I thought it was neat.




Next weekend I will be attending the Burlington Book Festival, so that will definitely be a fun event to attend.