My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

This is a tv show that, seeing the title on your guide, you might assume to be one of the currently popular wedding shows featuring spoiled brides, money drama, the perfect dress, and the rest of it. However, this show is actually a fascinating glimpse into the gypsy, or traveler, culture of the U.K.

Each episode of course features at least one wedding and some of the preparation that goes into that, but it is a show more about the life of an average traveler girl. Weddings just happen to be the most important day in their lives, and the most frequent, or only, time they will make contact with a person who is not a member of the traveling community, the dress maker. The weddings are events of ridiculously impractical extravagance. Thousands upon thousands of dollars are spent on dresses and transportation and venues, but that's just one part of the show.

A more significant aspect of the program is allowing the audience into their very fascinating world. They have episodes dealing with how boys live and interact with each other, the lesser but still extremely ostentatious event of the first communion, that marriage is expected of each and every young girl, and what every day life is like. They show these strange juxtapositions, like how the girls dress very scandalously and scantly, but are in fact very pious and will not even spend time alone with a boy if there is no one else around, and how they spend most of their day cleaning and doing chores. The whole community seems to be fixated on appearance, and what other people will think of them, that they should be impressed. That also plays a role in the extravagance of their celebrations.

If you're looking for another wedding dress show, this one may not be for you (as their dresses are completely ridiculous) but as a study of a people that we don't really hear or know a lot about, this is a really interesting show.

Also, they made an American version of this show, and I recommend that you not watch it, it's a rip off of the original, and not a very good rip off. The people in the show almost seem like they're just average Americans who say gypsy a lot. I didn't commit to watching the American version of the show, but the episodes I did watch seemed to place more importance on the drama and the dresses. The original is more about the people and their culture and less about their tempers and greed. And it's better.

Future Diary

I stumbled across this anime and was intrigued by the plot. A very brief description of it would be that it's a combination of Danganronpa and Death Note, with some time travel tossed in.

The main character is named Yuki, a very solitary boy who keeps an observational journal on his phone. He has no friends, by choice, and is in every way an observer of his own life, not actually taking part emotionally. His only 'friends' are imaginary beings, a god named Deus, and a little sprite my creature. One night while talking with his imaginary friends, Deus tells him that things are going to change, and the next day, he finds that his diary posts on his phone have already been written for the day, telling him what will happen. He happily takes advantage of his soothsaying device, until on day, a girl in his class approaches him, and reveals that her phone is also special, also able to predict the future. This freaks him out obviously, but it isn't until that night when he meets Deus, as well as several other faceless strangers, that he finds out what's going on. He, as well as several other people, have been granted devices that tell them the future, and they must use these devices to find and kill each other. When a person has been targeted by another diary user, their own diary will tell them that they have a 'dead end', and they must try to change their fate if they can.
The last person standing becomes god. And all diaries are different, and reflect the personality of the user. Yuki is an observer, so his diary predicts events that will happen around him, but there are other types of diaries too. Yuki then is faced with a battle royale to inherit the seat of god.

I had some annoyances while watching this. Yuki is a very timid boy, which is fine, but he doesn't show any significant growth until very late in the show. He's always whining and crying, and the other characters comment on this as well throughout the story. What was refreshing is that this personality is usually given to females in anime, but all of the females showed various levels of considerable strength, which was nice. Yuno's character, the girl who is apparently obsessed with Yuki, was also troubling at times, but her character became more of a mystery as the show went on, so I was more curious about what her story was than annoyed by her rabbid obsession.

This is definitely not a pg show. There is physical, sexual, and emotional violence, as well as some nudity. It is a pretty good show however. The plot becomes increasingly complex and surprising, and will leave you guessing to the very end, after the credits. It's only 26 episodes long, and that goes by pretty quickly. It's one of those shows that you'll want to marathon. And while you might be annoyed by some of the characters at various points, you won't be bored.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

This is just a fun movie. If you like car chases, the besting of jerk cops, car crashes, and the tom foolery of brotherhood, this movie is for you.

The film starts off with two big shot money grubbers who are challenging anyone who can to smuggle a truck load of beer into their truck festival, and they're promising a huge amount of money to anyone who can do it. The problem is that this is almost impossible because it's illegal, and if they get caught by the police, the shows over. Now we are introduced to the Bandit (a young Burt Reynolds), a famous trucker who has never met a job he hasn't been able to complete. He currently is hired to sit around at a truck show as an exhibit, until he is challenged to complete this seemingly impossible task. Drawn by the exorbant amount of cash, he and his trucker buddy Snowman take on the task. Snowman drives the tractor trailer to be filled with beer, and the Bandit drives a sporty Pontiac Trans Am to screw around with the cops. They pick up their load with ease and head back. All seems to be going their way until Bandit picks up a young Sally Fields, who is running away from an unwanted wedding, and subsequently, a big jerk of a cop who just so happens to be her would be father in law. This sherif then takes on a personal vendetta to chase and capture the Bandit and the woman who left his son at the alter. With the dogmatic sherif on their tail, and in a race against the clock, will Bandit and Snowman be able to deliver their load on time to collect the cash? Or will the police catch up with them first?!

This is just a fun movie. The Bandit and Snowman are devil may care, happy go lucky truckers, And they're just looking to have a good time. We also get to see the really close network and bond truckers have with each other, and get to hear a lot of lingo. What I liked about this movie that I usually don't like about these car chase, run from the cops stories, is Taft these guys are just having fun. There's no life or death situation, they don't have any 'I'm so badass and cool cause I'm such a rebel' frowns on their faces, they're just laughing the whole time. There's no pretense to badassery. There's also no overdone slapstick stupidity just for the sake of cheap laughs. It's just what they do, and how they have fun. It's the reckless impetuousness of youth with a love of cars and trucks, and challenges. The movie almost has the feel of a western. It's just a couple of guys on their trusty 'steeds' trying to best incompetent lawmen. It's lighthearted, funny adventure.

American Horror Story

This is a really good series. So far three seasons have come out, but a fourth is in the works. It is a horror series, and each season deals with a different theme often dealt with in the horror genre.

The first season was about a family that moved into a haunted house. At first, everything appears to be normal, but they are repeatedly warned that the house is bad news and that there have been many killings there. Strange things start to happen, and with each episode, we learn about a new ghost that is cursed to forever live in the house. We travel back and forth in time and discover what happened in the house in years past and why the friendly or angry spirits reside in the house. How they died. What will happen to the family currently living there I wonder?

The second season takes place in a 19th century insane asylum. A reporter goes into an asylum to report on a new resident there supposedly guilty of murder, and who is supposedly a sick serial killer who skins his victims, but she is then not allowed to leave. We see some of what life was like in those institutions at that time, complete with human experimentation, evil nuns, exorcisms, shock therapy, and more. Will this reporter ever be free? And will she encounter this brutal serial killer?

The third and most current season was about a coven of witches. Young girls with special abilities attend a school of magic to learn how to properly use their skills. At the same time, they must learn who the next supreme, or ruler, will be. We have the classic magical school genre here, but we also get to see some voodoo. This wasn't as scary as the other seasons, but was still worth the watch.

The upcoming season is called circus and will take place at... A circus.

The stories are all very well written and interesting, but what really stands out for me in this series is how the actors are recycled. The same actors reappear in every season, and the fascinating thing is that they play the same character. For example, in each season, Jessica Lang plays a woman was once powerful, but now that power is fading, and she has or does use sexuality to gain or wield that power. Sarah Paulson always plays a woman with a 'sight' and with latent potential not fully realized. She seems to be able to see things that others can't. Evan Peters is always on the search for a seemingly unattainable love, and ends up being some woman's tool. Lily Rabe always plays the innocent who is later corrupted, used, and destroyed by evil that she did not initially seek out. And so on.

It's a fascinatingly complex story that is well written, and has very interesting characters. Worth the watch.

Polyanna (1960)

Polyanna is an iconic children's film about an orphan girl who always looks on the bright side, and shows an entire town how to do the same. Through her eternal optimism, she slowly worms her way into the hearts of the town members. It's a feel good movie.

After the death of her parents, Polyanna moves in with her wealthy aunt who lives in a small town where she holds a lot of influence. Everyone Polyanna meets seems to be either miserable in one way or another, or if they are not miserable themselves, are repressed by miserable people. As she interacts with these people however, she slowly begins to change their perspective by showing them how to be optimistic. She plays what she calls 'the glad game', where the objective is to find something to be glad about in a bad situation. As more people are influenced by her, the town becomes happier overall and more closely knit.

This isn't my favourite movie. It has a sacchrinely sweet plot and character who is almost portrayed as an airhead most of the time. Polyanna is a nice girl, and had a nice message to give, but half the time she's staring off into space or in her own world. It seems like they were trying too hard to capture that carefree innocence of youth, and end up with a dazed looking girl who seems like she's hearing voices. As for her happy game, there is actually a term for it, The Polyanna Effect. It describes someone who refuses to acknowledge any negative aspect in their lives, which of course can be harmful to someone's overall well-being. This isn't exactly the whole message of the film, but it's pretty much the main idea.

I'm an optimistic person myself, but some of the interactions she has with other characters as she tries to brighten their day and change their perspective on life are unrealistic and oversimplifying. For a better film series I would recommend Anne of Green Gables, or even better the TV show Road to Avonlea. These stories have a bit more depth and feeling, and are more realistic. The characters are also very strong and spunky.

The film overall is a decent watch, and I recommend watching it, but look into the other films recommended.

Rumpelstiltskin (1987)

Usually these 80's version fairy tale films can be pretty cheesy, but this one was actually an okay live-action version of the story. It was still cheesy, but watchable.
The story is the standard fairy tale. A miller brags to a friend that his daughter can make gold from straw, and the story is passed from person to person until the king hears of it. The king then orders that the girl be brought to the castle and spin rooms of straw into gold, or she will face the death sentence. She is of course unable to do this, but then a magic man comes to her aid and offers to spin the straw into gold for her, in exchange for her necklace. The king is pleased upon discovering that she had passed the test and orders her to do it again. Once more the man comes to her and makes the gold, in exchange for her mother's ring. A final time the king orders her to spin straw into gold, and if she succeeds, she will marry the prince, and will of course die if she fails. Once again the little man comes to help her, but she has no more trinkets to give him, so the man strikes a bargain with her. He will do it, if she gives him her first-born child, and she agrees. The straw is turned to gold, the girl marries the prince, and a year later she's pregnant with the child. The little man comes back to collect his payment, but now the girl feels that she can't give up her child, so the man strikes a bargain with her. She will have three days to guess his name, and if she fails, he gets to take the baby. And then we all know what happens... and if we don't, go read the fairy tale, it's a classic.
The film was decent. There were cheesy songs and a little bit of overacting, but overall it was pretty bearable. The one thing that kind of bothered me in this film (and this is going to sound perverted but it really isn't), was the fact that the miller's daughter either has a very small chest, or that the clothes they gave her were too baggy. It was kind of uncomfortable to watch because half the time it seemed like she was going to fall out of her dress... but there was nothing there to fall out. Maybe they thought the low-cut dress would be alluring or whimsical or attractive, but seeing as how she doesn't have the upper body to fill the dress out, it's just awkward. Other than that, the costumes were actually not bad. It's not going to be on your 'best movies of all time' list, but it's a watchable flick.

Stories We Tell (2012)

This is a genealogical documentary by Sarah Polley. A good portion of the film is spent listening to different people speak about Polley's deceased mother, Diane, and events surrounding her own birth. Polley interviews her father, her siblings, step-siblings, potential lovers of her mother, and her mother's friends. Through all of this we get an idea of the vibrant, energetic woman who was Diane Polley, the impact she had on others, and the impact they had on her.

While the family history is all fine and well, it is not exactly a thrilling film. It's essentially a slow-paced sleuthing process recounting memories strangers have of a mutual connection. Interesting, but not exactly thrilling. Then, in the latter half of the film, close to the end, Polley does something pretty interesting and reflects on the possibility of being able to capture a true memory of her mother. If it is indeed possible to really know her mother, or understand these past events. She poses the question to a couple of her interviewees and receives some interesting ideas about the nature of memory and whether or not a memory can be truly universally shared. There is an interesting statement put forward that, no matter how 'organic' a memory is, it still undergoes an editing process of sorts when it's shared. It is polished and touched up and segments may be removed or modified to suit the situation, and Polley does a remarkable job of echoing this sentiment throughout the entirety of the film. Before, during, and after the shooting of the documentary, we see establishing shots. People getting ready to be interviewed, cameras or lighting equipment, and even shots or Polley herself as she is directing the picture. On more than one occasion, the idea of the 'fourth wall' is broken down and the audience is acutely aware of the fact that this film is being manufactured, but that it is still an essential truth. She also reflects on her own motivations for pursuing this project, once we learn the some key details of the story, and we are let into a very personal and private portion of this person's life. Polley is really opening herself up to the world with this film, at least in terms of the details surrounding her early childhood and birth.

A side note on Sarah Polley and my bias toward her. I really like Sarah Polley. I was first introduced to her through the Road to Avonlea series (phenomenal), and have seen her in various other productions since then. RTA was taken on by Disney after the first or second season, and ended up letting Polley go because of her political activism and refusal to give into the corporation when they told her to stop. When most of the Disney child stars I can think of off the top of my head end up getting into some of the less than ideal situations, I can only think extremely highly of a person who possessed too much moral integrity for Disney to stand. I also just think that she's a very talented and genuine actor and director, and am usually inclined to think that whatever she's affiliated with is bound to be interesting. And it usually is. But that's just me.

Anyway, the story is not only interesting, but she takes it to another level. Ultimately worth the watch.