A, B or C?

Teen culture has changed a lot over time in many respects, but one aspect has always been important, though it has been presented in different ways throughout history. Beauty and the definitions surrounding it have always been central to teenage life. Everyone wants to look good, to be attractive and desirable. Because in the world of teenagers, desirability equals power and at a time when a person feels so powerless any shred of power is coveted.

Here are three different takes on this topic:

 

A. In teen movies the pressure to be attractive is especially true for female characters. There are some exceptions, but for “nerdy” male characters, they usually believe they will impress their crushes by doing something, while similar female characters are encouraged to change their looks to impress their guy. Movies tend to focus on this transformation of a female character. Movies like Grease, She’s All That, The Princess Diaries and more recently The D.U.F.F., all feature female leads who win the affections of a guys after undergoing some sort of makeover. Whether its poodle skirts to leather pants , as in Sandy’s case, or getting contacts and straightening her hair, like Mia, these characters’ beauty are directly connected to their success.

 

B. In television, the issues of beauty often surround competition between girls. As a TV show has to be long running it is not enough for a character to simply get a makeover. Writers create tension by pitting girls against each other to win the affections of a guy. Often the question is not much more complicated than, “Who is prettier?” In Gossip Girl, for instance, tension arises between Serena and Blair over the affections of Nate who cheated on Blair with Serena. On Dawson’s Creek, girl-next-door Joey and exotic (from N.Y.) new girl Jen, compete for Dawson’s attraction.

 

Actual 16 year old James Van Der Beek vs. 21 year old James playing 15 year old Dawson

C. TV impacts real teen body image because nearly all of the time, actors playing teenagers are much older than that of their characters. This gives teenagers, already insecure about their bodies, more anxieties. These characters who are supposed to be their age look so much older and more attractive. This is not just for female characters. James Van Der Beek played 15 year old Dawson when he was 21 years old. This can cause a lot of insecurity because teen bodies are not done changing. Teenagers are often called vain for obsessing over clothes and makeup, but is it really that strange when they are constantly inundated with images of what they are supposed to look like?

Chino? Eww!

  

 The pilot episode of The O.C. begins with a glimpse into the rough life of Ryan, who is arrested for stealing a car and thrown out of his house by his mother. Soon, however, the show changes pace completely and the viewer becomes engrossed in the lives of the elite of Orange County. Ryan is welcomed (is that too strong a word?) into the home of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen who live in a neighborhood full of affluent teens who spend their time partying. Alcohol features prominently on the show and I have to agree with the "Ten Years Later" article, that drinking is at least somewhat glamorized on the show. When Ryan and Seth arrive at the beach house party the audience is immediately accosted with images of gorgeous "teens" (who definitely are portrayed by older actors and actresses) drinking and doing other drugs, having a great time. Admittedly, the show does portray some negative effects. Seth and Ryan get into a fight after drinking, but it appears to be the fault of the bullies, not a consequence of alcohol consumption. Slightly more serious effects appear when Marissa Cooper arrives at home, carried by her friends, completely passed out. Unable to find her house keys, they leave her unconscious on the sidewalk. Luckily, Ryan comes to the rescue, carrying her into the Cohens' pool house. So, getting passed-out drunk can increase your romantic options. Good! Drinking seemed to be portrayed as normal on the show. While I do not think anyone watching the show would think ending up in Marissa's situation is a good idea, the show did not really warn against it either.
   That being said, I do not think television shows with partying teenagers has a huge effect on the way real teenagers act. I do think that there can be some negative effects if the person watching the show really has no established morality for themselves, but I like to believe that people watching The O.C. do so for a fun escape. I'd be interested to see what the actual statistics about whether teens who watch shows that portray teen drinking are more likely to engage in the behavior themselves. The "Ten Years Later" article brought up some interesting points about how the characters' behavior was perceived by viewers but never really discussed how that transfers to real life. I guess the problem with shows like this is that it normalizes the behavior on subconscious level. While I hope no one watching purposely sets out to be the next Marissa Cooper, teens who internalize the actions of these glamorized characters begin to see drinking as "no big deal".

This was harder than I thought it would be...

1.       A Visit from the Goon Squad

 

2.       Gone Girl

 

3.       The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

4.       The Road

 

5.       The Hunger Games

 

6.       Orphan Train

 

7.       The Art of Racing in the Rain

 

In Which I Complain About Tiny Details

Good:
Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress and I love her. Katniss really comes to life on screen and still retains her main character traits while being more likable which is needed since we are not inside her head.
That leads me to another good thing, no voiceovers. It would have been so annoying if they had Katniss narrate the whole thing just because the book is in first person. If they had done that there would have been no point in adapting it to the screen in the first place.
Also because we are not in Katniss' head it is nice to get to see what is happening outside the arena in the games. We get to see the Gamemakers at work, President Snow, the beginnings of rebellion in District 11, and both Capitol and District 12 viewers of the Games.
Stanley Tucci is such a great actor and he really makes the small role of Caesar Flickerman unforgettable. I could not stop smiling when he was on screen.
I really liked the whole atmosphere of District 12 and the Capitol.  I like that District 12 seems to be set in the past with the styles of clothing. It almost looked like people living in the Great Depression. This contrasted so much with the crazy futuristic fashions of the Capitol.

Okay:
As sad as Rue's death was in the movie, I thought it was so much sadder in the book. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I think the pacing had something to do with it.
Overall the pacing of the movie was just all right. As much as I love the scenes in District 12 and the Capitol, in fact those are my favorite parts, I think more time was needed in the Games. There just wasn't enough urgency like there is in the books during the Games. It annoyed me that Katniss just kind of stands there for a good five minutes when the bloodbath at the Cornucopia is going on. She should be making split second decisions at that point. Also she finds water way too quickly. In the book she nearly dies of dehydration.
Josh Hutcherson is also kind of annoying as Peeta and though I think he is good in the Capitol scenes he emphasizes all of Peeta's weaknesses once the actual Games start.

Bad:
One thing I really did not like in the movie was the way the Careers were portrayed. I think I understand the interpretation they were going for which was a very teenagery mean cool kid type thing but I just did  not find them intimidating at all. I hate that part where they're laughing and clomping through the woods after killing the girl who set the fire. I get that the director is trying to show what little regard for human life the society has but I just found it annoying and not effective. Glimmer saying something like "Did you see her face? She was like, 'Oh please don't kill me!'" seemed so forced and kind of badly ad libbed.
Wow that was a really nitpicky criticism but its the one thing in this movie that has annoyed me so much every time I have watched it.

Apparently they're not happy about my opinion.

Overall the movie's a really good adaptation. Most of what is important from the book is in the movie but I kind of feel like some of the spirit of the book got lost along the way. Luckily, Catching Fire is even better and stands alone as a really good movie while still being a really good adaptation.

A Journey Through the Games

Status Quo- Katniss lives in District 12 where life is horrible but she has learned to cope and take care of her mother and sister. She accepts her place in the world and is not moved by her best friend Gale's wish for rebellion.

1. Call to Adventure- At the reaping for the 75th Hunger Games, her young sister Prim is chosen. Rather than let her sister face certain death, Katniss sacrifices herself, volunteering in Prim's place.

 

2. Assistance- Katniss has to learn what her best strategy for surviving the Games is from her mentor Haymitch, but she learns even more about how best to present herself in order to win sponsors from Cinna, her stylist, who also helps her appeal to the Capitol citizens with the magnificent flaming costume he creates for her.

3. Departure- There are two departures in Katniss' journey: one to the Capitol and one into the Games themselves. I personally think the journey lines up better if this departure is into the Games. Though arriving in the Capitol is a big moment for her and she is separated from her family, Katniss is truly reliant on herself once she enters the arena. While on the train and in the Capitol, she receives help but once she and the other tributes are set loose in the arena she has to figure out on her own what the best strategies for survival and for appealing to the sponsors are.

4. Trials- Katniss proves that she is a force to be reckoned with when she faces the Careers in the tree. She cuts down the tracker jacker nest and escapes from them despite their superior physical strength. After this, she also becomes allied with Rue.

 

Here's where the story gets kind of tricky. There are two sets of approach, crisis, treasure in The Hunger Games:

A.   5. Approach- Katniss plans with Rue to take out the careers food supply and succeeds in blowing up the stash, leveling the playing field for all the tributes.

       6. Crisis- However, as a result of the explosion Katniss loses her hearing in one ear. Even more injuring, Rue is killed by one of the career tributes. Katniss is in emotional ruins. She has lost her one ally in the arena who also reminded her of her sister.

       7. Treasure- After Rue dies, Katniss honors her by gathering flowers around her and singing to her. In gratitude, District 11 sends her the gift of bread. Katniss realizes what a great sacrifice this is and begins to understand the importance of the districts uniting and the evil the Capitol really is.

 

B.   5. Approach- Once the rules have been changed and she has reunited with Peeta, she plans to go get the medicine he needs at the feast even though he thinks she should stay.

       6. Crisis- Katniss is badly injured at the feast and only escapes because Thresh spares her life because she protected Rue. But when she recovers, she and Peeta are ready to work together as a team.

       7. Treasure- After threatening suicide with the berries, Katniss and Peeta are crowned victors together.

8. Result- Katniss learns that she has angered the Capitol and that they are now watching her closely, fearing she has incited rebellion. However, Katniss is relieved that she has saved Peeta.

9. Return-  Katniss and Peeta are taken out of the arena and, using Capitol medicine, are healed of their injuries, though Peeta loses his leg. Katniss is ready to return to District 12, this time as a victor.

10. New Life – Katniss faces a new life where she will always have to play the role of star crossed lover to Peeta, who now knows her feelings were not as sincere as she claimed in the arena. She is unsure of her true feelings and also of her place in District 12 now that she has won the games.

11. Resolution- Katniss experiences no real resolution, only uncertainty for what is to come.

 

Status Quo (again)- Katniss arrives back in her home of District 12 but she has changed due to the Games and knows that the Capitol is watching her every move.

Three Things I Learned From Rereading The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games. By now just about every teenager (and quite a few adults too) has read the books or at least seen the movies. But how does it feel to revisit the first book after reading the books years ago and then seeing the movies?
There are quite a few things that are different about reading the Hunger Games this time around.

1. I know how everything turns out.
This isn't a bad thing. I don't need to be surprised in order to enjoy reading but it did make me dread what was coming at some points, especially in the case of Rue's death.

2. Katniss is way more sassy than I remember.
With lines like "Thank you for your consideration" when interacting with the Gamemakers Katniss is both more passive aggressive and more drama queen than I remembered. It makes reading it more enjoyable and fun but also less serious at some points.

3. Book Katniss is different than movie Katniss
I liked getting to rediscover book Katniss after getting used to seeing Jennifer Lawrence  in the role. She plays it wonderfully but the character definitely has some differences. For one thing, in the movies she is more mature and is also played more likably. Because you are in her head in the books you really get inundated with Katniss' sarcasm and anger. I actually like this better because she seems very real because of her flaws.

I always like rereading books because there's always something new to find. The Hunger Games is no  exception.

Are You Carrying the Fire?

When we finished reading the novel, I was very excited to start watching the movie. I was really looking forward to seeing the action-packed aspects of the book come to life on screen. But I had forgotten that for the most part, the book is not full of action. It’s very bleak, emotional, and continuous, especially in its structure. And the movie definitely captures that. The bleak landscape is captured wonderfully on screen and has a very immersing quality. I saw the dead, gray, ashy world almost identical to that from my imagination which was incredible. The movie would have been totally off if the tone had been wrong. The contrast between the bleakness of the post-apocalyptic landscape and the man's dreams of his wife also added a lot to the movie.


But...as always the book was better. For me, books are allowed to be kind of boring as long as the writing is interesting. Movie's don't get that kind of luxury. The action scenes were great, as were many of the emotional ones. However, at some times I wanted things to move a little faster, especially towards the end. Even the conversation between the boy and the man he finds after his father dies seemed too slow for me. And my favorite scenes fromt he book were all better in the novel, including the Coca Cola scene. But it was great that so much of the movie's dialogue came directly from the book. I loved every time they talked about "carrying the fire".

The movie really was effective, especially in the creepy, disturbing scenes. (Does that make me sound weird?) I felt the same disgust and fear that overcame me while reading the book. I appreciate the choice to keep the movie very close to the novel  where other directors may have decided a few more fights with the cannibals were necessary to keep the story moving. I think the movie helped clarify what was a confusing book at some points. Seeing those scenes on screen helped me gain a greater understanding of them. I think this is the best movie that could be made from a book as unique as The Road. Yes, the plot dragged at some points, but the novel is rather plotless anyway. I think the movie did what it needed to do. It exhibited the tale of survival, fear, and even hope that is The Road.