11.2 ~ Documentary of the Week

"America the Beautiful" (2007)



From Netflix: "Director Darryl Roberts' provocative documentary examines America's fixation with outward appearance and the unrealistic standards of beauty dictated to the public by the media, pop culture and the fashion industry. Featuring interviews with fashion experts, media personalities and celebrities such as Mena Suvari and Aisha Tyler, the film looks at everything from plastic surgery's growing popularity to widespread concerns about eating disorders."

Insane. Incredible. Eye-opening.

IMPORTANT.

You must watch this. I'm not even joking. It has it's share of things that just make you go "WOW", or make you wonder how such things are allowed for the sake of the beauty industry, but what is REALLY important is for people to see all the complications and consequences of plastic surgery and how much more PREVALENT these consequences are than people would think. So many people my age, and people I personally know, think happiness is as easy as saving up a couple grand and getting yourself "fixed", and it's remarkable how many life-long problems they're allowing themselves to succumb to, and that's IF they make it through the surgery unscathed.

Not preachy whatsoever, definitely something to watch from an educational standpoint. Very happy I watched it, and I hope others will, too.

10.3 ~ Documentary of the Week

"A Wink and a Smile: The Art of Burlesque" (2008)

From Netflix: "In this titillating documentary, filmmaker Deirdre Allen Timmons takes her camera inside Seattle's Academy of Burlesque to shadow 10 ordinary women -- among them, a taxidermist, a housewife and a doctor -- who are learning the art of the striptease. Under the tutelage of the academy's sultry schoolmarm, Miss Indigo Blue, these budding burlesque dancers are shedding their inhibitions, along with their clothing, one tassel at a time."

Yay, burlesque!

I'm all about it. The sensuality without explicit sexuality, the refined sophistication while still maintaining some level of fun and bawd, the glamour, and of course the wardrobe...I'm all for it. I can't think of any reason why a woman would NOT want to learn about burlesque, considering how much it is tied in to OWNING your sexuality and really being in power and control of yourself...

This film follows a professional burlesque performer, who teaches a workshop to help regular everyday women find their inner diva. The many performances by herself and other popular professional performers are punctuated by interviews with 10 different women of all different ages and walks of life, whose uniting thread is that they are all taking this class together to learn about burlesque.

Definitely not safe for work (LOL) but a very interesting look at a culture that is all but lost...

11.1 ~ #19

"Clue" (1985)

From Netflix: "Director Jonathan Lynn's board game-inspired campfest finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy's chatty butler (Tim Curry) must suss out the culprit before the body count rises. Lesley Ann Warren also stars in this hilarious whodunit (filmed with three different endings)."

This movie is SO a classic!

I've loved this movie FOREVER and I used to play it OUT on VHS, when I recorded it off of HBO as a youngin' LOL

Fantastic cast, fun story, laugh out loud jokes that STILL make me laugh after hearing them at least 50 times in my life...just all out awesome! it might be that it's one of those movies that's so bad, it's good, but I'm biased. I grew up loving this film!

The movie as I remember it always had three endings, the first being "what ifs" and the last one being the "actual" ending...but I found after watching the DVD that apparently when it was originally released, you'd see a different ending (of the three) depending on which theater you went to. I appreciate how that's kinda cool...the board game always had a different ending, so why not the movie? But at the same time, imagine going to see the flick, then discussing it with a friend that saw it at a different theater, and being entirely confused when you guys can't agree on the whodunit? Fail.

Still, great movie, awesome cult classic, a real taste of my childhood...and it bothers me immensely that they're remaking it for next year. Boo. So much for cult status, every douchebag on earth will think themselves a "fan" just cuz it's the cool thing to do.

I hate when things I love are raped by the masses. LOL

If you haven't seen this, GO WATCH IT! You won't regret it!

10.2 ~ #18

"Clerks" (1994)

From Netflix: "Made on a shoestring budget by director Kevin Smith, this classic indie comedy won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Convenience and video store clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed … and bored out of their minds. Between serving nonstop shoppers, the overworked counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their offbeat love lives."

I love all things Kevin Smith.

EVERYTHING he's ever written, directed, starred in...is GOLD.

Except Jersey Girl, but I love him enough to forgive him for that.

I've only seen Clerks a handful of times...it's a little more grown-up than a lot of the movies Kevin Smith did later on in his career, mostly because it's so verbose. The whole thing takes place inside a convenience store, and is completely dialogue-driven. It's also completely in black-and-white, a trait that they play homage to in the opening of Clerks 2...which I own and have PLAYED OUT. And of course, you can always count on Silent Bob and his one line that seems to wrap up the whole movie in a nice, neat, philosophical package...

Great movie, but maybe I'm biased because I watched movies like Dogma & Mallrats before I watched this one for the first time, so I was already used to the style, plus I already liked a few of the characters. I don't know how I'd feel about this film if I had watched them all in the order in which they were made. This is the first film featuring recurring characters from the View Askewniverse, a badass world that our friend Kevin Smith created.

Great film, though I'd love to discuss it's merits with someone who sees it with new eyes, before being exposed to other works of Kevin Smith...

9.3 ~ #15

"Citizen Kane" (1941)

From Netflix: "Orson Welles reinvented movies at the age of 26 with this audacious biography of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane, which, in essence, was a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Welles's complex and technically stunning film chronicles Kane's rise from poverty to become one of America's most influential men -- and it's considered one of the best movies ever made."

Great movie.

It probably would have been better if I hadn't already know what Rosebud was before I watched it, or maybe it would have been a huge letdown if I found out when I was supposed to. Yes, I think so.

The movie had a wonderful cast, no one I had ever seen or heard of before, but wonderful because all movies of this time were driven on plotlines and delivery rather than pyrotechnics and CGI. I particularly liked the actor that played the title character, though he must not be any big name because he doesn't even appear on Netflix's description of the movie. (Scratch that. Apparently he doesn't appear as the star because he appears as the director...the film was directed by and starred Orson Welles. I'm going to have to find out more about this dude...)

Very good film, definitely one to watch at least once. Teaches a lot about perception...




Next up: "Apocalypse Now" (finally lol)



(EDIT: how COOL! Orson Welles died THE DAY BEFORE I was born. Maybe I was put on this earth to replace him LOL)

9.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Maxed Out" (2006)

From Netflix: "With sobering facts and black humor, this thought-provoking documentary unveils the consequences of our collective addiction to debt -- including its contribution to the vanishing act of a once-robust American middle class. Investigating both Americans' personal debt and the government's growing national debt, the film explores the staggering financial burden we live with every day and sheds light on the contemporary financial industry."

The review of this movie will be short and sweet: the film itself is rather slow, but I URGE everyone to watch this movie and PAY ATTENTION. There is very important information in this movie that every American should know, especially in this time of economic hardship.

Nothing else to say, really. The movie speaks for itself.

8.3 ~ #13

"Casablanca" (1942)

From Netflix: "In this Oscar-winning classic, American expat Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) plays host to gamblers, thieves and refugees at his Moroccan nightclub during World War II … but he never expected Isla (Ingrid Bergman) -- the woman who broke his heart -- to walk through that door. Isla hopes that with Rick's help, she and her fugitive husband (Paul Henreid) can escape to America. But the spark that brought the lovers together still burns brightly."

Can you believe I've never seen this before? Cuz most people do not believe it.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this movie. It's romantic, dramatic, witty...it has action, intrigue, superb acting...You really feel connected to each character. And there are so many phrases from this movie that people use all the time! I didn't realize how many well-known phrases could come from one film!

I didn't cry, however. It's supposed to be this tremendously sad movie, and I didn't even get teary. This is a remarkably odd thing, considering that even commercials make me sob...

ok, maybe I got teary at the end. It's tragic stuff...

This movie totally lives up to its hype. People say it's a classic not just for show, but because it is a CLASSIC. What an amazing movie, perfection even. Everyone should see this movie, though chances are, you already have.

:)

7.3 ~ #11

"Back to the Future" (1985)

From Netflix: "In this classic sci-fi adventure from director Robert Zemeckis, eccentric inventor Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) turns a DeLorean into a time machine that inadvertently sends his young friend, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), 30 years into the past. While stuck in the 1950s, Marty disrupts his parents' destiny and risks throwing the time-space continuum completely out of whack. The only way back to 1985 now is to get mom and dad to pucker up."

so, I'm finally back! I was met with apprehension when I told my family I'd be doing this project, everyone told me I wouldn't have time..."it's just three movies a week!" said I. "Who doesn't have time to watch three movies in a week?!"

Well, apparently I don't.

Between birthdays, funerals, a full time job, a husband, a room remodel, and running my own business...three movies a week is hard work! Especially considering that most of them are over 2 hours long, or even double-disc sets!

In any case, I am armed with a list of ten movies I need to watch ASAP in order to get back on schedule, and here I go, aiming to watch at least one a day till I'm on track again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back to the Future is a classic. I don't think I know ANYONE that hasn't seen the original at least once. Even the now defunct ride at Universal Studios kicked ass! We own it on VHS, I remember buying it at Burger King when I was a kid, some sort of promotion I guess...

This is movie is all sorts of funny, the soundtrack kicks ass (I love Huey Lewis and the News, and I LOVE that Huey has a cameo early in the film), and the movie really makes you think about and appreciate all the things that had to fall into place just so that your life would be at the place it is now...

Christopher Lloyd is always brilliant, but I think this might have been his best role yet, and Micheal J. Fox could pretty much do no wrong in my eyes (up until Spin City) so he, of course, is awesome in this as well.

Definitely one of those movies that you can watch over and over again, to the point of being able to recite the movie word-for-word (like I and a lot of people I know can) and still be totally cool with watching it again!

NOTE: Tomorrow would be the 54th anniversary of the date Doc Brown discovered the secret of time-travel, the flux-capacitor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So, here's the list of movies I have to watch in order to get up to speed...

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
Braveheart
Casablanca
Maxed Out
Chocolat
Citizen Kane
Indie Sex
Clerks
Clockwork Orange

PLUS I'm still waiting on Netflix to send me Apocalypse Now, which has been available for a couple of weeks, yet for some reason they keep skipping it in my queue and sending me the rest of the movies on my list...

Thanks for being patient with me, and I'll be back VERY soon!

7.2 ~ #10

"The Batman Superman Movie" (1998)

From Netflix: "In this animated superstory, The Joker solicits the help of Lex Luthor in a new fiendish scheme, and only the combined superpowers of Batman and Superman can save Metropolis. Will the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader be able to foil the plot of this diabolical duo? Not if the superheroes' alter egos clash as they vie for the attention of the self-reliant Lois!"

I don't know.

I dig comic books. I dig Batman (hell, I've got the Batman logo tattooed on my leg as part of a bigger piece). I LOVE the Joker and especially Harley Quinn (probably the hottest cartoon character that's ever existed. There, I said it.)

Now, why this movie made the list of 101 movies I MUST see before I die, I'm not sure.

I mean, yeah, it kicked ass. Why wouldn't it? Awesome villain, kick ass hero, a Lois Lane-Batman-Superman love triangle...but, I MUST see this? Really? ok...

It was good. I liked it. Hell, I'd even watch it again. Just don't expect it to change your life and shake you to your core. More like, it'll entertain you and remind you of when cartoons rocked (unlike the crap that's around nowadays)

:)

7.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Stripped" (2001)

From Netflix: "A strip club is a world unlike any other. Go behind the scenes in that world with some of the most controversial employees around: strippers. Director Jill Morley became a stripper, and, as only an insider can, obtained full access. She set out to capture this life on film by profiling other dancers and revealing the inner workings of exotic dance, getting unexpected results and, unfortunately, documented the tragic fate of some of the girls"

This movie was interesting. It wasn't GRIPPING or anything, but it was pretty cool.

I've always been fascinated by strippers. I have a romanticized notion of them, I guess...I always wonder what strange twist their lives took to lead them to this point, this place, this job. (Mind you, I have NEVER been to a strip club. I just read a lot about strippers. Go figure.) This movie was almost like the film version of Jenna Jameson's autobiography "How to Make Love Like a Pornstar", which I thought was fantastic and have read twice. I don't know if I would have liked this film as much if I HADN'T read that book, or if the movie would have made me want to read it, but I feel they almost go hand in hand. They both talk about how most strippers aren't sluts, and most of them aren't stupid either. They're actually very shrewd business women that I would consider pretty fascinating to talk to...they've all got their story, and to end up doing something like that for a living, it's GOT to be interesting. ;)

This film does make you see strippers in a different light than you might be used to. It shows them struggling to disconnect their personal lives from what they do for a living, dealing with their children and lovers, and even fending off stalkers. A couple of the girls lead to tragic ends because of their jobs, but watching this, you almost feel like their stories couldn't have ended any other way.

I'd reccomend this movie, for sure.

6.3 ~ #9

"Babe" (1995)

From Netflix: "Director Chris Noonan's tale of precocious piglet Babe's (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) struggle to fit in and become a champion sheepherder won the hearts of audiences and critics. Nominated for seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture), Babe won the Visual Effects Oscar, and everything from farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) to the multitude of farm animals to the humble, edgy script is remarkably appealing for kids and adults alike."

I actually own this movie in VHS, and from this you can deduce that I've seen it a zillion times, but could probably stand watching it once more. :)

I learned while researching this movie that apparently it was made in Australia (I :heart: all things Australian, BTW) but it was dubbed in "American" accents before it's US release to make it more consumer friendly. Ridiculous, that we Americans need everything spoon-fed to us, but then again, who knows if the movie would have done poorly if it hadn't been dubbed? This movie was only an hour and half, just the second movie on the list of ten that have gone by that is under 2 hours long.

Random fact: Babe is voiced by the same lady that voiced Chuckie on Rugrats.

This movie totally makes me want to be a vegetarian again. I guess that's what happens when you anthropomorphize animals. It's so sad though, to imagine from an animal's perspective what it must be like to be raised with the sole purpose of being someone else's food. While in that respect, I don't think this movie should be labeled family friendly (I'd find that traumatizing!), I do think this movie has a couple of great messages, besides just being fun to watch: the first is that just because things have always been a certain way doesn't mean that there's not a better way. The other moral I found to this story is that aggression is not the answer, and you can get a lot more accomplished when you work together with other people instead of being a bully.

So yeah. In less than 24 hours I'll be 24 years old, and I still love "Babe".

:)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For next week, I'll be watching:
#10: "Back to the Future"
#11: "The Batman Superman Movie"
DOTW: "Stripped"

I hope you'll watch along and comment! :)

6.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"High: The True Tale of American Marijuana" (2008)

From Netflix: "Filmmaker John Holowach directs this fascinating documentary about the causes and effects of the war on drugs. It also delves into the little-known politics and economics behind the battle and exposes the broken lives and casualties left behind. Holowach examines the infamous drug rehab program Straight, Inc., the fight against pain medicine misuse, the history of the marijuana legalization movement and more."

Boring.

Badly made, the narrator talks over the people she's interviewing, and the film manages to take something interesting and important and find a way to make it boring...there are way better movies about this subject matter out there...

FAIL.

That's all I can say.

That's all I WILL say. Watch only if you wish to pass out.

5.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Modify" (2005)

From Netflix: "Introducing viewers to people who've explored branding, piercing, tattooing, tongue splitting and every body modification imaginable, this striking documentary plumbs the thoughts of artists and their human canvases to reveal how and why they've gone to such extremes to express themselves. The groundbreaking film also features an original soundtrack from more than 20 new musical artists."

The first thing I have to mention is that the quality of the movie on the Netflix streaming function is BEYOND crap. That is of course, no fault of the movie itself, but it did affect my experience of watching it.

Another note: this movie is NOT for the squeamish. It deals with several different forms of body modification, including a graphic and in-depth look at plastic surgery. If you don't like blood and guts, prepare to look away in some parts! it was gross enough that I let the movie run and just listened to it without watching it for about 4 minutes because I couldn't handle all the insides I was seeing...

And...there's LOTS of UP CLOSE GENITALS getting pierced. You have been warned.

That being said, I am way too squeamish for this movie. Watching this is a challenge...

I am all for freedom of expression, and I myself at my peak had three tattoos (well, I still have those) and had 12 piercings (I've only got 8 now), but I just can't handle WATCHING someone getting these things done. The tattooing is the least of it, that I'm fine with watching. Even the piercings for the most part aren't so difficult to watch. But when they start getting into the surgeries, the suspensions, and the skin implants, it becomes a but much for me. I don't know if it's because I imagine the pain of that act, or if it's just my natural "that's-not-natural" urge, but I can't help but shield my eyes or look away for most of this film.

In any case, it's remarkable to hear the stories of the people featured in the movie and to find out why they have done the things they have, and the motivation behind their modifications...I always like to hear stories behind people's tattoos, and everyone of mine has a story behind it. Piercings I usually have done just because I think they look good, but I also kinda like the attention. Everyone has their reasons, some spiritual, some for shock value, but always something unique because each of these people are unique. It also shows how damn near everyone in our society has had a body modification at some point, and yet they still are prejudiced against people that have had modifications that are perhaps a bit different than theirs.

Definitely worth watching, super interesting film...even if you end up looking away half the time like I did :)

4.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Chain Camera" (2001)

From Netflix: "Award-winning director Kirby Dick gave video cameras to 10 students to record their lives at Los Angeles's John Marshall High School (the same high school used in the filming of Grease and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) -- with no limitations on what they could shoot. After one week, the cameras were given to 10 new students, and so on, forming a virtual chain letter and a portrait of young America at the turn of the 21st century."

This documentary takes place in LA during the 99-00 school year...Just as the description above says, several students were asked to document their lives for a week, then pass the video cameras on, making a chain letter of sorts. Of the hundreds of students that participated, 16 of their stories made it to the film. The videos are completely uncensored, so it's an eye-opening view of modern teenage life that very few people get to truly experience unless they've lived it...I started high school the year this was filmed, so I relate to the stories in here, and though I haven't lived these particular stories, there are elements I feel I have lived myself, or that maybe someone I know has been through.

The first girl is a very pretty Asian girl...she seems relatively normal at first glance, but she soon lets us know that she was bulimic at some point, that she runs away from home and frequently finds herself homeless, begging her friends for money and underwear, and that she aspires to be a stripper. Another featured student is an Ethiopian girl who is underwhelmed and disillusioned at the American experience because the propaganda in her country led her to believe she'd have many more rights and freedoms here. Considering that the city I live in is predominantly comprised of immigrants, and many of the kids I went to school with were born in other countries, this is something I can personally relate to. And then there's Cinnamon, the "boring" girl that is so smart and opiniated, that people automatically are intimidated by her and write her off. That I COMPLETELY identify with. I was THE smart girl in class since I can remember, and I always felt invisible because of it. In high school, I decided to take advantage of my intelligence and turn my smarts into a weapon, so I became "the girl you don't want to mess with", which I MUCH preferred but meant much drama in order to keep people in check. Ahh, the wisdom of age, when you realize you don't have to be any ONE thing to be happy and self-actualized...

I found watching this kind of surreal, because I see a seventeen year old as a kid (My little brother is 17 now) and yet I remember being seventeen, and making very adult decisions that I was sure I could handle then. These kids are months away from being adults, and yet they are KIDS. It's such a crazy time in one's life...What made it even more surreal is that I used to have a video diary when I was 17 that I recently ran into, and it AMAZED me at how candid I was about sex, relationships, therapy, EVERYTHING. I was so much more AWARE than I give 17 year olds credit for, even though I'm only 23 now. On the one hand, it seems that maybe my 17 was more mature and had more of a spark than today's 17 (and most of the time, that's EXACTLY what I think), but on the other hand maybe my parents thought the same way about me. Crazy.

Incredibly interesting film about racism, eating disorders, peer pressure and other important issues straight from the people that LIVE them. Definite must-watch. Unless you're in high school and you want something to watch with your parents...easiest way to get preemptively grounded! :)

3.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Live Nude Girls Unite" (2000)

From Netflix: "This critically acclaimed documentary follows a group of San Francisco exotic dancers who decide to unionize to gain better wages and sick pay and to protect themselves against secret customer videotapes. Julia Query, a dancer at the Lusty Lounge, leads the unionization effort as the workers sort out their demands and go through the difficulties of bargaining with the union-busting law firm their managers hire."

Important note: this movie is SO not safe for work!

So, apparently I'm more familiar with the Lusty Lounge than even I was aware...I once saw a piece about it in Real Sex or some such program with my husband, and it seemed so novel to us we decided then and there that we would open a similar establishment in Miami! Then again, most businesses spark this entrepreneurial spirit in us, but that's not to say it wouldn't be cool. I think I could TOTALLY run a peep show. That seems like it would be just my bag...a career that is fun, sexy, and in control...LOVE IT!

It's crazy though how these girls were being treated before they formed their union! They were scheduled based on their race, they were being videotaped by customers with no protection for their privacy, ridiculous! They risked losing their jobs if they called in sick, because they were only allowed to call in sick in the first place if they could find someone with lighter skin than them AND larger breasts than them to replace them on their shift. Otherwise, their options were work sick, or lose your job.

The part that bothers me most about this whole situation I suppose is that it seems that these girls were treated like this for so long because maybe the owners looked at them as less than first-class citizens BECAUSE they're exotic dancers. I doubt a bunch of secretaries would have stood for the "lighter skin/bigger boobed replacement or you're DONE" rule, an office manager wouldn't even DREAM of enforcing such a requirement. But because we're talking about "sex workers", maybe they felt it was an occupational hazard of sorts, and therefore it was OK to make them work sick under this rule. Maybe they felt they could get away with more because who is going to defend a bunch of strippers?

No one.

They're going to defend THEMSELVES.

The girls got together, hired lawyers, and went through a months long process of back and forth with their managers that were looking after their own interests and hiring lawyers of their own to make it not only legal but TO BE EXPECTED that if you worked in that establishment, you would be held to standards that were discriminatory, and that you might even have to deal with unsafe situations and dangerous clientele.

An eye-opening look at an industry that most of us never really think about, this film is worth watching if only for the opportunity to see the legal process at work and to learn about unions and what they mean to businesses and employees. And, uh, there's a lot of boobies and nether regions to pause on if you're not so interested in all that. ;)

2.2 ~ #1

"12 Angry Men "(1957)

From Netflix: "A guilty verdict means death -- but the jury's not about to let that spoil their day. Twelve men must decide the fate of an 18-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his father. Only one (Henry Fonda) wants to take the time to coolly deliberate the case. Sidney Lumet (Network) made his directorial debut in this fiery drama that illuminates all the petty impediments on the path to justice."



I actually saw this movie in high school English, so anywhere from 6-10 years ago, I'm not sure what year I saw it...I thought it was a great movie then, though it couldn't have left much of an impression considering I had forgetten I'd seen it till I popped in the DVD and saw the opening scene.

It's in black and white, which I love, though I have very little experience with films this old. Movies back in the day were so much more dramatic, and I think much better acted, considering that because the effects and flash were lacking, a movie could only be carried by great acting. People don't appreciate good acting anymore...

It's incredible how jaded people can be that because they're so wrapped up in their own situations, they don't realize that throughout the movie, they are talking about a person's life, how something as BIG as whether a person lives or dies is in their hands, and based on their prejudgments, they are willing to let a person die without a second thought. The message of this film rings just as true now as it did in the fifties...people need to stop and think before they make decisions...just because something seems easy or simple doesn't mean it is. Choices require thought, especially considering that whether you realize it or not, your choices affect everyone around you.

It's not just about choices, either. Every day people hear about celebrities, friends, people in general...and based on a few things we pick up about them, we imagine an entire persona on people that we may not know very well, if at all. People we have never even met, we imagine we know better than we know ourselves based on a few tokens of information. And what is human nature to do when we think we know someone? We judge them. We can't help it, our ancestors did it for survival. "There's that guy again. I see him everyday and he hasn't attacked me yet. He must be ok." Nowadays, we can't help it anymore than they did, we even (and especially) do it to people that mean us no harm. How often to we read gossip rags or watch E! news and take something a celebrity has done or said personally? We've all done it...but why? We don't know these people, we don't know why they do or don't do the things they do or don't...but that doesn't stop us from judging them. Maybe the most important message of this film is that we should GENUINELY try to live and let live, make an effort to not stake entire ideas of people on an activity or photo or whathaveyou. Focus on yourself and don't run around thinking you have any right to form ideas about people you don't really know.

In short, great film. Really makes you think. Made me think, anyway. If you're the type that must have loud noises and explosions to keep entertained, this isn't for you. But if you're down for a great story, try this one on for size.

2.1 ~ Documentary of the Week

"American Swing" (2008)

From Netflix: "Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart direct this documentary that chronicles the rise, heyday and decline of New York City's Plato's Retreat, the legendary sex club that catered to adventurous heterosexual couples in the 1970s and beyond. Featuring frank interviews with former members and graphic footage of the club's activities, the film explores how a once-thriving center of free love imploded amid drugs, tangled relationships and the rise of AIDS."

First off, I've gotta say that as a very sexual person, I can totally see the appeal of swing clubs and swinging in general, but as a wife that has always been a little more jealous than the average person, I'm fairly certain that I would castrate my husband if he ever even brought this up as a topic of conversation.

So, that being said...

If I was single, this would totally be my scene LOL

This film is pretty interesting because while it might seem that introducing outside sexual partners might be a bad idea to the average marriage, and maybe in a lot of cases it was, the couples interviewed here are couples that have been married for decades and only feel that their partnership was enhanced because of the swinging. This I can also understand, because I have done a fair share of studying into relationship therapy and the 2 biggest topics of arguments among couples are money and sex, not in that order.

So, doesn't it make sense then that as long as both parties are sexually satisfied, even if it's not with each other, and trust is maintained in the relationship, that that might be the most healthy relationship in existence? Well, of course. But then there's the whole jealousy thing, like I mentioned before. I am not the type to differentiate love and sex. Or rather, I am, but I can't be sure that my partner is that type as well, and that would be my main problem with the idea of swinging.

If people had better communication, and they could just drop their inhibitions with each other and ask for what they want in bed, rather than giving up on satisfying each other and deciding to get satisfaction from other people, maybe swinging wouldn't be something that people felt they'd need to do. I imagine if it's just a fun thing for both parties, why not partake in any case? But I assume that it's like the experiences I've heard about from friends that have had threesomes with a partner that had been monogamous with them...someone ends up hurt because they weren't really as ready for it as they thought they were. The chances of both parties in a couple being as open REALLY to the idea of swinging as they think they are, especially AFTER the first experience, is probably slim.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you ARE in a partnership that could use some extra excitement in your love lives, and you can be absolutely certain that both you and your partner can leave the emotions at the door and just have a good time...then by all means! Perhaps in another time or with a partner that I didn't care as much about (LOL) I could totally be there with you. But I can say for damn near absolute sure that this isn't the lifestyle for me :)

Cool film, lots of old footage, though a little NSFW, both for the footage and the dialogue...if you're not into raunchiness, this is one you oughta stay away from. Fun movie otherwise! Lots of interesting people giving interesting interviews, cool look into where swinging came from and how it gained momentum...great 70s soundtrack too!

BTW, if you are in any way grossed out or otherwise creeped out by OLD people talking VERY openly about sexual acts, IN DETAIL...maybe you should skip this one ;)

1.5 ~ Documentary of the Week

"Gender Rebel" (2006)

From Netflix: "Director Elaine Epstein's captivating documentary explores the lives of three biological females who reject the conventional concepts of gender and see themselves not as female or male, but something in between. The camera follows these individuals as they encounter challenges at every turn -- from the strain on their relationships to confrontations from communities intolerant of their way of life -- and find a way to cope with social alienation."

It's only 45 minutes long, so that's kinda cool. The cinematography is very "MTV True Life"...which is fine, I guess. I suppose they did that to give it as much of a "documentary" type feel as they could.

This movie features 3 people, all of which consider themselves "genderqueer", meaning that they feel both male and female, and sometimes they feel like neither. These people are anatomically female, though they do not identify as such. The way I explained it to my sister is that while a hermaphrodite has both male and female parts to an extent, they might identify as a man that happens to also have a vagina, or a female that also has a penis. This is the same, but opposite. Physically, they are one sex, but they are "mentally hemaphroditic" (<-- not a word, I know)...they feel they are both genders.

Another question my sister brought up while watching this with me is that the subjects of the film should have surgery to become male if they do not feel female. One of the subjects made it pretty clear that because she feels neither male nor female, she would feel just as trapped in an all male body as she feels in an all female body, so why chance an operation for no reason? Another subject actually goes and gets surgery, so obviously the choice of whether or not to physically alter their bodies to fit their mentalities is a matter of personal choice and not necessarily priority for everyone.

The first story involves a person that is struggling with telling her mother about the fact that she is genderqueer and that she is binding her breasts to make herself look more male. The second story revolves around a couple that to the naked eye is comprised of 2 lesbian females, though because they are both genderqueer, neither considers themselves females or lesbians. The last story is about a biological woman that has her breasts surgically removed to "make her outside look like she feels inside."

I thought the last story was the most interesting. Kim, who later changes her name to Ryan after having her breasts removed and starting testosterone treatments, starts to have problems in his relationship. These problems stem from the fact that before the surgery, they were in a lesbian relationship, but now that Kim is Ryan, his girlfriend Michelle feels like she's losing her identity within the lesbian community because she is now effectively dating a male. I thought this was interesting because these people's experiences show the gravity of choices made and how doing something that fulfills you can adversely affect someone else. Obviously situations like this happen all the time, where making yourself happy somehow ruins or otherwise changes someone else's situation, but seeing it in such an extreme was intense.

I've always been very interested in sex and gender psychology, and this documentary is Kinsey's scale in full effect. Great documentary, short enough to never drag, and if LGBT issues or psychology are topics of interest for you, you should check this one out.