Binge-Watching vs. The World (of Media)

We all know someone who has shut themselves indoors for an entire day to marathon through an entire series of a television show or movie series and this someone might just be you. This is the wonderful art known as binge-watching. It doesn’t only relate to television and movies, people also like to read through a book trilogy as fast they can, especially if it’s a series that has a movie coming out soon. I know I’m definitely guilty of binge-watching. I only just recently took a dive into 10 Studio Ghibli movies in preparation for the new movie that’s coming out. But forget about me for a moment; let’s get to the topic at hand.

How exactly is binge-watching affecting the media as a whole? Well let’s look at this from another point of view. Television shows and radio have a specific broadcasting set-up in which the show you are watching transitions into advertising. These advertisements are helping the companies who produce our shows make money and it also keeps them on the air. Television companies like NBC and ABC keep a close eye on television ratings and how many viewers there are. If the series is having consistent low ratings, it’s most likely the company will pull the show from the Network. But wait, what does this have to do with binge-watching?

Nobody is watching these shows as it airs.

Ever since companies like Netflix and Hulu came along, people had access to an entire season’s episodes the day it’s released. While this isn’t much of a problem for Netflix Originals like Orange is the New Black, which is now entering its third season, it happens to be a problem for the shows that are running on network television. If the television show isn’t getting any viewers then it isn’t making money, and if the show isn’t getting viewers, then the network is losing out on money and ratings as well.

So is binge-watching beneficial to every genre of media? Not for television. The year Netflix came out it gained a huge 2.3 million fan base, this led to a downfall in television since people didn’t really want to wait week by week to watch their shows. Television happens to be doing very good again since 2008, but it’s not the top media outlet it used to be. “Appointment television” is something taken from Brian Dunphy’s lecture “The Experience of Binge-Watching.” He states that television broadcasts basically demand us the viewers to watch the shows that air exactly when it airs or else you risk spoilers from your friends, and the king of all spoilers and trolls, the internet. This is absolutely terrifying for most people because we hate to be spoiled, especially from shows like Walking Dead and Game of Thrones which constantly kill their developed characters. Not everyone has the time to wait till Sunday nights to catch a show at 10 o’clock at night. Good luck avoiding spoilers because The Walking Dead official Facebook page spoils their own show the day the episode comes out. This is a punishment for those who don’t follow their show religiously.

Unfortunately, this goes for film as well. To binge-watch an entire movie series because a new sequel is coming out might ruin the whole feeling of it. A good example of this comes directly from my mass media class. My professor watched Before Sunrise when it first came out in 1995; I was only two years old at the time. Before Sunrise ended on such a good cliffhanger on whether or not these two love birds will ever meet again, while I only had to wait a few days to watch the next movie, my professor had to wait about ten years! He then had to wait an extra eight years for the conclusion of the trilogy to come out. What I watched and enjoyed is nothing compared to an almost twenty year-long wait for this trilogy to end.

However, when it comes to other media outlets, binge-watching might not be that big of a problem at all. For example, there’s no real loss for those who sell books and magazines. They’re earning money and also developing a fan base. But for the reader, it might be a different case. For example, one who reads the Harry Potter series started this series in 1997; you probably found the book in your elementary school’s scholastic book fair. The final book in the series came out in 2007. That’s 10 years’ worth of a huge fan base getting larger and larger, discussing what happens next, developing a connection with the huge cast of characters, and overall developing a connection with the author who created it. But a person who decides to pick these books up and read it in a span of a week won’t get to experience this at all; do they really get to develop a connection? They never get to experience the suspense of what happens next.

 “People take pride in just the fact that they have watched or read something, that should take years, in only a few days or weeks.”

Now let’s get to my opinion about this whole subject of binge-watching. As I’m currently writing this blog, I’m also currently behind on 20 episodes of anime. Hold on, let me rephrase that;

I’m currently watching TWENTY different anime shows that air once a week, each series spanning from 13 – 50 episodes. It’s definitely insane to constantly keep track of all these episodes; I usually save them for Wednesdays since I’m off from school. However just like Dunphy states in his lecture again, there is something known as appointment television. These series get released on all different days of the week, so I’m constantly risking all types of spoilers from all different sources of media. However, I’ve learned to be okay with that because I’m still developing connections with all these characters and the amazing plot most of these shows have. I enjoy talking with my friends about anime, discussing characters true intentions and who is going to get killed next. (Because unfortunately, the Japanese love killing their main protagonists by episode three) By watching these shows as it airs, I get to be a part of something bigger, a fan base that waits week after week, all of us with deep connections, examining every little detail the creators leave for us. Watching these shows as it airs, is the most beautiful experience one can have.

Not to say I’m not guilty of binge watching, I occasionally blast through 13 episode series as I wait for my currently airing shows to be released. This isn’t very difficult to do considering each episode is about twenty minutes long; I’ll finish a thirteen episode series in at least one day. I don’t find anything wrong with that. In fact, I take pride in it. I suffer from the “Seven Deadly Sins of Binge-watching” as quoted from Dunphy’s lecture.  I get so greedy because the internet is filled with millions of anime series that I’m constantly finding something new. I get angry when a series doesn’t air an episode. I’m envious of those who get the show earlier in other countries.

I’m kind of like Scott Pilgrim, except I’m not fighting seven evil ex-boyfriends. I’m just fighting these sins for my one true love of Netflix.

Anyways, while I do take pride in how many series I have under my belt, I’m not proud of binge-watching. In fact I regret the whole experience because it’s pretty dull. I still get very emotional with characters, but I lose out on the whole developmental process.

So in a perfect world without spoilers, watching a show as it airs is the best experience one can have. You get everything the show has to offer, you develop connections with every character and everyone watching it as well. You also feel like you’re part of the world that the creators developed for you the viewers. It’s the true experience.

It all depends on the person and what they’re satisfied with. Most people watch shows for themselves, for their sole experience only. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing god once in a while. But having so much power comes with so much responsibility.

“The Parallel Reality” – Saturday Night Live

“In comedy and other forms of entertainment, a person is devised as a way to comprehend the people, and to understand the side of the public.” This is stated by the character in Satire’s Brew as he begins his lecture on the satirical representation of the American presidency.

The class was presented with two Saturday Night Live clips both dealing with Obama the president and those who are in control around him. I immediately begin to realize what this quote is relating to during these two clips. We have Jay Pharaoh, who is known for hilarious Obama impersonations on Saturday Night Live, showing us a different Obama persona as he describes the truth behind an executive order. “I pretty much just happen” says Bobby in his executive order suit. This is where I see the relation between the character’s example of Henry and his persona in which he “allowed for a new and unseen truth to be revealed about the world…” Aren’t these two personas, Obama and the Executive Order, showing us an unseen truth about the Government? Saturday Night Live is known for their clever personas in which they parody the government and most pop-culture.

Most of these sketches and music videos very well have an unseen truth to all of them. While most people just sit and laugh, isn’t Saturday Night Live using satire to educate their audience just like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park? These three shows have very talented writers where not only do make us laugh but they shed light on very serious topics. “Effective satire holds up the mirror to society and makes us laugh at what we are as a culture and society” and “They use satire to make people see the flawed politician’s perceived reality.” These two quotes from Satire’s brew can be placed right next to any of these three shows and it will summarize them immediately. Jon Stewart, South Park and Saturday Night Live (known for opening up with a political sketch) uses satire to educate us the people.

The second clip has Keenan Thompson, Leslie Jones, Chris Rock, Sasheer Zamata and Jay Pharaoh who are talking with one another whether or not they would have voted for Obama if different circumstances would have appeared. This is basically a “what if” sketch while still being a “parallel reality” in which if Obama were to be any different than who he is, the African-American population would have still voted for Obama no matter the case. We see this when Keenan brings up Mitt Romney’s name and everyone in the circle laughs at thought of Romney being president. While this may not exactly be educating us, it’s definitely poking fun and showing society why most of us actually voted for Obama.

Saturday Night Live and Jon Stewart have a very similar way going about things throughout their show. The persona’s they have are much exaggerated and definitely obvious when they’re poking fun at someone or something and they also don’t have much of an opinion on things either. Both shows have multiple angles from different perspectives even if one of them may be wrong. After all, it’s still a late night comedy show. Nobody wants to hear someone’s opinions get shoved down their throat for two hours. We can relate and conclude this blog to my earlier blog posts about Nast and Fox News, and Greenwald v. Keller. These people, these shows all have their own opinions and ways on how to get their point across. “They say and share things we wish to say” is the last sentence in my Fox News and Nast blog. From hundreds of years ago to present day we continue to be educated through the power of satire. When War of the Worlds proved how powerful a radio broadcast can be, to cardboard cutouts of kids who continue to teach the adults the way of life, and to Saturday Night Live and Jon Stewart who continue to use exaggerated humor to bring the truth of the country to us the citizens. Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and South Park will continue to educate us for a very long time.

Mistaken for Strangers

When being introduced to new music you usually dive in head first with a little bit of skepticism. Everyone believes they know what they like, and don’t know like without even trying and making a solid decision. In this case, a couple of weeks ago I was introduced to the band The National. Originally I thought that it would be a waste time because I have a good sense of what genre of music I enjoy most. But since the National happens to be what I assume is Indie Rock, I decided to give it a go. In summary, I happened to enjoy A LOT of their songs from their most recent album High Violet.

But how exactly do we get closer to a band? How does one truly enjoy and love the artists that create the music that we enjoy today. For starters, most bands let their fans get an “behind the scenes” look at what goes down in the studio and what the nonsense and fun they have that goes on when the band is on tour. We as a fan base enjoy these types of things because we feel so much more connected to the people who create the songs that we already feel so connected too. We get to see the struggle, the arguments, the fun, the good and bad times of what goes on through a bands life.

This brings me to the topic of when we were shown “Mistaken for Strangers” by Tom Berninger, who happens to be the brother of Matt Berninger the lead singer of The Nationals. Tom showed us the fans of what it’s like to be on tour with a band, but not only that, he showed us the struggle of a brother who is watching his brother get famous from the sidelines. Now this film is a perfect example of something known as Public Relations which is defined as the “practice managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public.” PR is basically a form of advertisement to get people to believe something or do something. In this case however, I believe Tom Berninger is not only using this film to get more people to enjoy The National, but for people to discover Tom the director. Throughout this documentary we hardly see a serious question directed towards the band members, but rather questions about Matt the lead singer. This film is showing us the relationship that Tom believes he has with his brother. But this film is doing so much more than show us who The National is.

The film is showing us who Tom Berninger is.

We find out throughout this film that Tom Berninger who I like to believe is an artist and an entertainer. He has an incredible talent of comedy and enjoys making films. What better way to get noticed by having your first well-known film be about a band that’s on the rise to being well-known. Not only do fans of The National get to see the hardships and struggle of the band, we get an inside look on someone who is struggling to get in the spotlight as well.

I truly enjoy the National and I’ve grown to adore all of the bands members. I got to see a side of them that I honestly think I would never care about, but I got to know more about who they all are, and we all discovered something new in the process.

South Park and the Fifth Estate

“Matt and Trey are acting as the new type of teachers in today’s media world, using their satiric program to educate, inform, and entertain…”

This is one of the first quotes I see that you need to keep in mind while watching South Park. The character in Satire’s Brew proves that South Park is not just some comedy show that drops the f-bomb every few minutes but it’s something much more, something we know as the fifth estate. South Park is a prime example of using satirical means to educate its viewers about the reality of the world. Just like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, they used their show as not only a form of entertainment but a form of education.

“Matt and Trey’s primary goal is to understand humanity and the people they represent. Once they do that, they can establish a connection with their audience.”

I have to agree with the character’s opinion on South Park now that I’ve read through Satire’s Brew and have a better understanding of what the creator’s intent is. I always thought South Park used to be a silly show just poking fun and very controversial topics and I just didn’t like it all. One of the very first episodes I ever watched growing up was this episode of a bunch of cancer patients on a hockey team getting beat up a big league team. This immediately turned me away from the show since I was too young to understand and I didn’t like the idea of poking fun at something so serious. While I still don’t like the show because I don’t like its sense of humor, I do understand what the character in Satire’s Brew is trying to say.

The first episode I was able to watch is “Night of the Living Homeless” from Season 11. South Park was becoming overrun by hundreds of homeless people asking for change. Throughout the entire episode we see the citizens of South Park not liking the homeless very much because all they ask for is “Change.” In fact throughout the entire show “Change” is being drilled into our minds. The four boys end up attacking the problem head on by visiting the committee of homeless. As expected, we find out that humans don’t consider the homeless as one of them. The boys end up in another town and find out that town sent the homeless to South Park in a means to get rid of them.

“That’s not solving the issue, you’re just moving the issue!” is a line we hear from Kyle. This is where we see the creators tackle an issue head on. Many places have an issue of homeless looking for change; they can’t afford to support themselves. But this problem can’t be solved on its own and it can’t be moved either. This episode wasn’t offensive at all, but its bringing light to an issue every part of the world can understand.

This is where I found the creators were using satirical comedy to show how we treat the homeless and that there is a better way to solve the issue than just by moving it somewhere else. This is how the creators represent the way society acts when it comes to certain issues. But this may not be the case in all of their episodes. After all, South Park is show filled with curses, dark humor, perverted jokes and stereotype jokes. Maybe not every episode has a deep underlying meaning that the creators want the audience to understand.

The second episode I came across is “Cock Magic.” The boys end up in an underground, illegal cock-fighting arena. The only difference with this cock-fight, is that the roosters are playing “MAGIC the Gathering” than actually fighting. I didn’t know what I was watching at all, and I couldn’t really think of anything that they were trying to express or reveal to the audience throughout this episode. Not only did we have roosters playing a card game, but we have Randy who is performing magic with his penis. Now I really don’t know what I’m watching.

The only relative theme I can find within this episode is that people prefer supporting something illegal rather than supporting their own school’s volleyball team. Is that it? Is Matt and Trey trying to point out our priorities in America? I’m not too sure, maybe this South Park episode isn’t just trying to educate the audience but maybe it’s actually just the creators having fun and taking a break from all that.

While I’m still not fan of South Park, I will definitely agree with the character of Satire’s Brew that the creators are trying to educate the world in their own sick and twisted way. South Park is a prime example of the fifth estate, a trustworthy and credible source that people can rely to shed some light on current controversies in the world. In fact because of that, I will end my blog the same way South Park ends their episodes;

“You know, I learned something today.”

Before Midnight – Film Review

     

        Today is the day where I have finally been able to watch the conclusion of the “Before” trilogy, “Before Midnight.” The final movie takes place in Greece nine years after the events of “Before Sunset.” Jessie and Celine got married and have twin girls. Like the second movie, I was able to go into this movie open-minded because I wasn’t sure what to expect. The movie opened up with Jessie and his son Hank, who is leaving Greece to go back home in Chicago. You can tell quite some time has passed since Jesse looks older, and his son seems to be around the age of fourteen. What I like most about this movie is that we get to see the foreshadowing of events to come right from the start. Jesse is upset that he has to send his son back home to Chicago in which there is no father figure. Celine is also struggling with her own issues where she stands at a crossroad between a new job with the government.

Right off the bat we have the two main issues in Jesse and Celine’s lives. The two things that they want are conflicting because they can’t both have what they want without separating from one another. For the most part the movie continues to spoon feed philosophical discussions about life and love.As the couples around the table talk you can see from the facial expressions that Jesse and Celine make that they’re afraid of whats to come in the future.

One thing I like about the series as a whole, is that this trilogy is showing us the three stages of life. In Before Sunrise we see two strangers falling in love and having no arguments whatsoever. In Before Sunset, we have Celine who goes absolutely berserk on the events that took place nine years after Before Sunrise. Finally we reach the third movie, we see two imperfect humans fighting each other, reaching the point where they’re both just sick of one another. However in the end, they both realize and know they still love each other. Part of loving someone is having to love their flaws and who they are and that nobody is perfect.

Richard Linklater has once again picked a beautiful location to film on. Before Midnight is located in the beautiful Greek Peloponnese peninsula, a truly wonderful setting and by far my favorite setting from the trilogy. I just love the way the streets look and how everything looks like it’s located in ancient ruins. Of course the dialogue in the movie continues to be flawless. It’s like I’m actually watching humans live their lives. No scripts at all, everything just seems so real. The actors as well continue to do an excellent performance in showcasing what it’s like to be in a committed relationship with someone. They show us the struggles and hurt of what it’s like to be in love. As previously stated, this adds to how real everything is. One thing that I didn’t like about the first movie is the lack of interaction with the people around them. Looking back, I now realize that it’s perfectly okay for this kind of movie. Two strangers are falling in love, they wouldn’t want to deal with anybody around them but what’s happening in the now. So looking at Before Midnight, we have two couples and another writer. This movie adds a heavy amount of human interaction and how they influence on the thoughts of others. We see during the dinner scene different takes on love and life and how it affects our two main characters. Is this not the truth of what happens when you’re married? You get insight on the way other couples look at things and it gives you a different perception on things.

The Before trilogy was something I originally didn’t care for, but now I wish I can go back and change the way I felt about the first movie. I feel as though I have obtained a new grasp on what this trilogy’s story is trying to share with its viewers. I have a new-found respect for this genre of movie and I hope to experience other thought-provoking movies like this one. The Before trilogy is a wonderful experience for everyone and it really makes you think about life and it truly makes you very appreciative to those around you.

Radio Broadcasts – Then and Now

War of the Worlds is a radio drama directed and acted by Orson Welles in 1937. This radio drama is known for causing a panic among listeners for its realism suggesting earth was being attacked by aliens from Mars. I can definitely understand why this would cause a panic since it’s being played over the radio. The broadcast has very limited amount of commercials for it usually cuts to musical pieces. I could only imagine what people were thinking while listening to the broadcast in their homes and cars without any proof of evidence that this actually going on. It seems back then in the 1930’s this was a huge form of entertainment except you can actually convince people that certain things are going on in the world. This broadcast actually made headlining news, its understandable why it would cause such a widespread panic. It’s amazing how much of an impact the media has even 100 years ago. Now let’s get this straight, this broadcast was made almost 100 years ago and it caused a widespread panic through story telling. This story is not real, and Orson Welles does an amazing job making the viewers believe that this was actually happening to our planet earth. What I find truly hilarious about this scenario is that during the beginning of the broadcast the narrator stated that they would be using make-believe news flashes. Unfortunately, most of the viewers tuned in late to find out earth was being attacked by aliens. This shows how much power the radio truly has and led the American public to lose its trust in the broadcast media.

Now fast forward 100 years later and we have the podcast “Serial.” This podcast explores a nonfiction story over twelve episodes, this first episode is introducing the investigation of 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee. This podcast is quite different compared to War of the Worlds. While this podcast happens to be an investigation into nonfiction, it just doesn’t feel quite real. The narration is constantly overlapping each other, from the narrator’s voice to pedestrians voices. The narrator tries to set up an image for the listeners but it seems so clustered. It doesn’t feel like an investigation but more like some kind of sketch. Comparing Serial to War of the Worlds, I would have to say the broadcast from 1937 is way better (and easier) to listen to compared to present day Serial.

How can a fictional drama be more convincing than an actual story that happened? It’s all about how these two broadcasts are set up. There’s something about Serial which makes it feel a lot more staged and fake compared to a drama that actually is staged and fake. Serial is trying to be entertaining but fails to succeed. Also, I’m going to be very nit-picky and say the narrator’s voice is just so monotone, and couldn’t bring myself to watching another episode. While on the opposite hand, War of the Worlds cast just felt so fluid and real, which is probably why it caused such a widespread panic. “It demonstrated the way in which radio takes advantage of human imagination” is a quote from the Mass Media In A Changing World. While War of the Worlds clearly does this, Serial does not.

One of the major differences however between the two radio broadcasts is the lack of women in the back in the way on the radio broadcasts. In War of the Worlds we hear mostly male narrators, yet in Serial we have a woman dominating the narration. One of the many reasons its like this today is because of Format Radio which led to opportunities for women and ethnic minorities. In fact, in 1955 there was an all woman radio station. But back in the 1930’s, men believed women didn’t sound credible on the air, it almost makes you wonder how different War of the Worlds would if the cast was dominated by women. Would it have caused such wide-spread panic? Would radio broadcasts have more viewers if War of the Worlds never happened?

In conclusion, I really enjoyed War of the Worlds mainly due to the fact of how it seems so real even though it’s not. With the musical transitions, to the monologues by the newscaster, it felt so fluid as if this scenario was happening right here and now. Serial on the other hand does quite the opposite. With clustered narration and jokes, it feels too scripted and staged for a non-fiction investigation. It’s quite amazing how different broadcasts are from the past and present day, one causes a wide-spread panic and the other can barely keep me awake.

Before Sunset – Film Review

Before Sunset is the sequel to the popular, award-winning romantic drama Before Sunrise. I was originally thinking about starting off this review as the same as my first blog, which I would state “This movie is just what you think it is, two people falling in love and they only have until Sunset before they depart from one another, again.”

But that’s not what this sequel is at all. I went into this movie very close minded at first thinking that it was going to be exactly as the first, something predictable. The two lovers were going to meet up at Vienna after six months and continue to fall in love. However, Before Sunset surprised me with a turn of events. You immediately find out that Jesse has become an author who wrote about his night with Celine. After having been found in a book store, the two immediately reconnect and we find out that it has been at least nine years since they last seen each other. I couldn’t believe it! My prediction was wrong and I had to pause the movie. I took a deep breath and realized I needed to be open-minded in order to get through this movie.

That’s just what I did. Before Sunset was absolutely amazing even though I actually didn’t really care for the first one at all. They set you up with a time limit and they begin to talk to one another again, and you hope they fall back in love. Except we find out Jesse is married and has a child. My expectations for this movie go right out the window, all I could do was sit and watch and see what happens.

But what happens is some amazing character development. Jesse and Celine are in the car going to drop off Celine at her house when suddenly she begins to break down, she begins to rant all of her problems that she has been going through and wishes that she hasn’t bumped into Jesse because all of her past boyfriends get married after dating her. I’m trying to avoid summarizing the movie, but this is a key moment in this movie because it was something different, and so real. These two humans spent nine years away from one another, of course things have changed. The actors portray all these emotions so fluidly, and its even more spectacular how long these takes actually are. Most movies have all these cuts where it gives actors a chance to review their lines, but Before Sunset is the complete opposite. They have this conversation, this sort of argument, in which all humans will probably soon have once in their life.

It’s almost funny how contradictory this blog is compared to my first review on Before Sunrise. The similarities between the two reviews are that I’m complimenting the actors, the dialogue, and the beautiful scenery. But the major difference is that I have found a spot for this movie in my heart, it took me by surprise. We find ourselves in the last scene of the movie which is located in Celine’s house where the two characters are listening to music. Celine states “You’re going to miss your flight” as to which Jessie replies “I know.” That’s it. The movie ends right here on this high note where they both are enjoying their time with one another. It’s a wonderful choice that director wanted to end the movie right here because he is showing us that there is definitely a high chance that these two will be together again once more. Except that also leaves us with a major cliffhanger. Before Sunset is set nine years after the events of the first movie where both characters have gone through so much since then. The plot for the third movie is totally up in the air at this point and I’m intrigued and highly interested as to whats to come in these characters lives.

In the end, Before Sunset is not your predictable love story about two human beings reconnecting after nine years. The movie continues to have a simplistic story but it’s not something you were expecting after watching the first movie. The dialogue continues to have this huge impact on my thought process and its relatable. I now want to see these characters fall in love once more because of their problems and they simply need one another. Usually sequels aren’t known to be better than the first movie, but in this case we have something different. I’m looking forward to whats to come in the last movie.

Radiohead – The Daily Mail – Reaction

Giving this a first listen, The Daily Mail sounds like a beginning to a swan song, a final performance. It starts off with a piano playing with a  very simple melody. After a few seconds, the vocalist kicks in with a very mellow voice preparing you for a very deep song that’s about to lay down the truth to whatever this song may be about. Out of nowhere, the piano transitions into this rock and roll anthem and it becomes even heavier than how it originally started. You begin to hear the symbols being crashed as the vocalist reaches the lines “Where’s the truth, what’s the use?” and the song becomes real. It almost feels like this is where the song is actually beginning, except there’s only about thirty seconds left of the song.

What happened to the rest of the song? I was waiting for a guitar solo after the vocalist says the word command, but it just never came. So I replayed the song again, and again. Where is the rest of this song!? How can you just end such a powerful song on such a high note, it’s like a cliffhanger leaving us to figure out what happens next.

But in order to find out what happens next, what exactly is The Daily Mail about? Without even listening to the song you can tell by the title that it’s going to deal with the news, probably not from the United States because I don’t think such a newspaper exists in the states. The song opens with the lines “”We’re here to keep your prices down. We’ll feed you to the hounds. To the daily mail, to get up, together” which almost sounds like this song is tackling the media or maybe even the government itself. ““Where’s the truth, what’s the use?” seems to be tackling news that isn’t justified by the truth. Is the “Daily Mail” a media outlet that’s known for selling lies?

The Daily Mail’s interpretation is left up to whoever is listening to this song. My reaction to this song is stated above, I’m sitting with my headphones on waiting for the song to continue, and I’m waiting for the conclusion of this story. But if this story is about the media selling lies and hiding the truth, the story may never end.

The Nationals – High Violet Review

           Ever listen to that one song that brings you to tears, or the one that just makes you think about everything? We all have our share of songs that we have a deep connection to. However, The Nationals album “High Violet” brings this emotion to a whole new level. Each song tells a brilliant story, and you can interpret it however you want, but just get ready to shed a tear or two. Here are some of my favorite songs off the album.

           The first song I listened to was “Sorrow.” I knew I was in for a treat once I heard the rattling of the drum sticks. To me this song is about heartbreak. “I don’t wanna get over you” We all been in a position in our life where someone in our life had such a meaningful impact that when they leave us, we just can’t accept that their gone. “Sorrow’s a girl inside my cake.” this is one of my favorite lines in this song. I interpret it as all those happy moments that we used to enjoy are now filled with sorrow.

        The second song I listened to was “Afraid of Everyone.” This song happens to have a very short story, and continues to repeat the lyrics “I’m afraid of Everyone.” To me the song represents paranoia and being overtaken by your negative thoughts. In fact I feel as though the bass and drums in this song justify this greatly because I feel as though the narrator’s mind is going berserk. “I don’t have the drugs to sort it out.. little voices swallowing my soul.” These two lines makes it sound like the singer is giving in to the negative voices in his head. Finally, he says the words “Not to hurt anybody I like.” I would like to interpret this again as paranoia and over-thinking, for sometimes when we over-think and dig deep into our thoughts, we end up hurting others.

              The third song, which also happens to be my favorite, next to “Lemonworld.” is “Conversation 16.” Unfortunately, I’m not too sure what to interpret these lyrics too. The reason I chose Conversation 16 as my favorite is because I feel as though this song really highlights all the band members talents, especially the vocalist. After listening to it a couple of times you can hear a choir and even a faint horn, it’s a nice touch and it really brings out the vocalists voice even more. I’m not sure how to interpret this song, but it actually put me in a good mood. Even though you constantly hear “I was afraid I’d eat your brains, cause I’m evil.” Though this song also has two very fantastic lines that stuck with me the most which was “I’m a confident liar” and “I want to believe in everything you believe.”

            This album really speaks too me on so many levels, no matter where I listen to the songs above I begin to feel these emotions stirring inside and I just start thinking about everything in relation to the words. The guitars, the drums, and the vocalist all contribute to this dark, melancholic album about what seems to be the struggles of life. At first I was bit skeptical when I heard the vocalists voice, but his low voice really contributes to the somber mood of the entire album. The Nationals “High Violet” is definitely a hidden gem that I’m happy to have been introduced too.

Before Sunrise – Film Review

Before Sunrise is a romantic drama featuring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Unfortunately, I should be sleeping before sunrise which these two characters do not. At all. There’s not a lot to expect from a romance film, the movie is predictable. They’re obviously going to end up falling in love and they only have till sunrise to spend their time together. So what is it about Before Sunrise that makes it such a good movie? It’s kind of hard to explain, the movie is literally an hour and half of two strangers talking to each other and falling in love. That’s all there is too it. In the first five minutes of the movie you know exactly what the plot is going to be and how the movie is going to end. The in-between however is just these two strangers talking about really deep stuff and revealing their inner secrets and beliefs. It’s not a movie for me, but this doesn’t make the movie bad. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are both incredible actors who really showcase the emotions of two random strangers having this awkward encounter on the train, too making it seem like these two individuals knew each other for a lot longer than a day. The location of the movie is located in Vienna, which happens to be a very beautiful setting to tell this tale of two strangers not wanting to go to sleep. The screenwriter did a very good job with the dialogue as well, mainly because it’s all something a man and female would definitely talk about with one another. Everyone can easily relate to what the two individuals are talking about, from how scary to flying on planes is to even something as deep as how we are all living with souls from past lives. That’s probably what made this movie amazing, it’s a bunch of well written dialogue of deep and meaningful things that make you sit back and remember the last time you had a deep conversation with your fellow loved one.

That being said, this movie is not for me. I will admit that there was some hilarious moments but it doesn’t make up the fact that I was watching two human beings live throughout a day. It’s even more hilarious that the movie actually poked fun at itself in the very beginning of the movie where Ethan Hawke’s character talks about an “ingenious” idea for a TV show where you just sit and watch people live their lives for 24 hours. Of course I immediately thought to myself “Wow, that sounds..”

“Boring.”

Julie Delpy’s character spits out the thought that I was just thinking! She’s foreshadowing that this movie is basically going to be the next 24 hours of two strangers living their lives. She was right! The entire movie was slow and boring. I only enjoy deep conversations when I’m the one having them not when two strangers are talking about it for an hour and a half. How can two strangers just talk to each other for an entire day without it getting awkward? I can’t even ask the person sitting next to me if I can borrow a pencil, never mind spitting out my entire life story. This whole movie was totally realistic but at the same time it wasn’t. I’m not one who believes in true love at first sight, so when Delpy’s character got off the train in Vienna with some random guy she just met, my jaw dropped. I was hoping for the train doors to close and watch Hawke live out his day in Vienna, but just like Delpy said; The idea of watching one person live out their day sounds boring, so of course she had to get off the train, it wouldn’t be a very good movie if she didn’t.

In the end, Before Sunrise is your predictable romantic drama about two strangers who immediately fall in love and only have till sunrise before they leave each other. Of course the movie is simplistic and beautiful but at the same time it’s boring and uneventful. I wasn’t rooting for them to get together in the end, in fact I got sick of these two characters. Show me more interaction of these two strangers with the citizens of Vienna who barely speak English. In fact, I was hoping to see the play with the two guys from Vienna where one of them played as a cow who smokes cigarettes, that would have made this trip to sunrise more bearable.