Hallmark Movies

Everyone knows it: Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and it wouldn't be Christmas without the occasional (or nonstop) Hallmark movie playing. I understand that every single Hallmark movie has the same plot: the girl goes back to her hometown, accidentally runs into a guy she just met or reconnecting with an old friend, ends up falling in love, tries to deny that she's in love, and then they end up together in the end. Very predictable, but I still can never get enough of them. Most Hallmark movies know how to use mise-en-scene to their advantage: the setting is so pretty, the lighting is usually warm to show a cheerful mood, the outfits are always put together nicely, and the Christmas decorations are the prettiest I've ever seen

Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who gets into the Christmas mood before Thanksgiving. I save all my Hallmark movies for the 4 weeks between the two holidays. And sometimes for a little bit after Christmas, oops. It's great because over break, I usually have basketball practice for a few hours in the morning, and then I come home and watch the Hallmark channel the rest of the afternoon. 

I honestly don't know how they keep releasing new Hallmark movies since they're all so similar, but I'm glad they do. I feel like you could make a Christmas movie that had a slightly different plot than every other one, but I enjoy that they all end with a "happily ever after". And the acting is subpar at best, but it's all to help get into the Christmas spirit. 

In Theater vs At Home

I feel like nobody goes to movie theaters anymore; it's so easy to turn on Netflix or Hulu and just watch it from the comfort of your own home. It's much more convenient and a lot cheaper. I love being able to watch practically any movie I want at home, but watching a movie at the theater will always be my favorite. When I was younger, my dad would let me skip school and he would take me to the movies. We'd go watch whatever movie was playing that day, get some lunch afterwards, and then just spend time together until the rest of my family got home. And then it was funny because my mom would ask me how school was and I'd lie and pretend like I went to school (even though I'm pretty sure she knew I didn't go haha). 

With that being said, I do still enjoy having movie nights at home. My aunt and uncle have a movie theater setup in their basement that we all watch movies in. It's usually 8 of us down in their basement watching the newest movie (always something that my dad or uncle wants to watch), and I think it's so much fun. If my little cousins join, then it has to be a Disney movie so that makes me happier lol. The good part about this is that watching movies at home is still a shared experience, which is my favorite part about movies: I enjoy being able to talk about it at the end. It's definitely not the same experience as going to the theaters, but it's a close second (can anything really be better than movie theater popcorn??)

Social Dilemma's insights on Social Media

When Social Dilemma got released, everyone was talking about it. It was released on Netflix in September of 2020, so it was still during the time when not much else was going on (makes people more excited for new documentaries!). Honestly, I think the reason that people were most intrigued was because it talked about the dangerous impact of social networking, and how tech companies used it to their advantage to manipulate and influence us as users. This documentary talks about how social media companies manipulate the users by using techniques that help encourage addiction to their platforms. Personally, the scarier part for me is that social media companies have been collecting personal data (it's been pretty much unregulated), and use it to create very specific ads.

During COVID, I started using my phone a LOT more (what else is there to do??), but I didn't think much of it. Of course I had to watch this documentary, and it opened my eyes so much. It made me realize how addicted I actually was to scrolling through social media, how I started doing it mindlessly, and how excessive usage of social media would make me so down on myself. Even sometimes if I was in the middle of a conversation with someone, I would randomly check my phone or my watch if I got a notification. I hated it!! I knew social media was addictive, but I never thought that these companies would do it on purpose, and that's what bothered me. They would send notifications to help release dopamine, which caused users to go into the app a lot more and keep scrolling so they would continuously feel the hit of dopamine rush through them. 

After watching it, I put time limits on all my social media apps to try and help myself get better. Side note: I keep getting distracted writing this because I'm getting snapchat notifications and it made me go on snapchat and instagram...addictive!! Anyways, I also sometimes change my phone to black and white because social media uses pretty colors to attract the user to keep using it. Honestly, it usually works pretty well (watching instagram reels without any color is kind of boring). 

It was a great documentary and I would recommend it to others. Social media is great for helping us stay connected with anyone around the world at any given time, but at what cost?

Animated Bloopers

Whenever I want to watch a movie but don't know exactly what, I usually go to Disney+ and watch a Disney or Pixar movie. I feel like you can never go wrong with it in my opinion. They have always put in so much extra work to make sure that every single detail is perfect in the movies. Growing up, I loved watching Toy Story...and may have hoped that my toys came to life when I wasn't there (I was young okay, and it would've been so cool if they did come to life). 

The first few times watching the Toy Story movies (along with other Disney Pixar movies), I enjoyed the ending with the bloopers but never really thought anything of it. As I got older, I realized that the producers had to make entirely new scenes of the animations messing up to make it seem like the animations were real. I think this is such an awesome addition to the movies, and honestly shows Disney Pixar cares about the smallest details. Other live action movies would sometimes include bloopers, and it's always fun watching the actors mess up and goof around with each other. The animated bloopers are adorable and would always make me laugh. 

Like how can you not laugh at these bloopers! It's so cool that they put in extra time and effort to create new animations and new lines for the characters just to give the audience something to laugh about at the end, and help the audience feel more connected with the characters (since they seem like actual people during the bloopers). This is one of my favorite parts of Disney Pixar movies, even though they don't include these in all of them.

I Saw Redemption in Shawshank Redemption

If I'm picking out a movie to watch, it's either a comedy or a Disney movie; I usually don't like dramas or horror, and I like sticking to my comfort films. I decided to try something different for once, and I watched 1994's The Shawshank Redemption. 

Directed by Frank Darabont and based on the Stephen King's "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption", the movie is set in Shawshank State Penitentiary. You had your usual fights, sexual assaults, and, of course, attempts at prison breaks. While I wasn't really expecting to like it all that much because I knew that the prison would be violent, it turned out to be a great movie. 

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is wrongfully serving two consecutive life sentences for two murders that he didn't commit. You would think that the movie would go along and show how Andy was able to finally prove his innocence, but in reality we were able to see what redemption looks like: the challenges, growth, possible outcomes, success and failures, and seeing the concept of freedom through the eyes of different prisoners. 

This movie allowed me to understand how these prisoners felt, being trapped in a set routine and not knowing how they would ever be able to function in the real world again. Andy showed a different kind of outlook, demonstrating that true freedom is fueled by pursuing what's meaningful and to enjoy the things that bring us happiness. In a way, everyone becomes prisoners in their own lives, getting stuck into the same mundane routine every day and slowly losing purpose and forgetting the meaning of life and freedom. People let work and school overtake them until they are left with nothing. 

Andy connects with the audience to help show that even in the worst possible situation (like wrongfully serving two consecutive life sentences in the harshest prison) you should still focus on the things that are meaningful to you and bring you true happiness.

Unexpected Relationships: What The Upside is trying to tell its audience

Most people know of Bryan Cranston from a more suspenseful background like Breaking Bad, but he's also been involved in some lighthearted comedies, like Malcom in the Middle and The Upside. Directed by Neil Burger, The Upside was released in 2019, Based on a true story, it tells the story of a quadriplegic who needs a caregiver to help him with his day-to-day routine. 

Phillip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston) was involved in an incident while paragliding, which leaves him paralyzed. Unable to do his daily tasks without someone helping him, so he starts to look for someone to help take care of him. Over time, he doesn't find any enjoyment in living anymore. On a cruel note, he decided to pick the worst caregiver available. He hires Dell (Kevin Hart), a struggling parolee; who is trying, but failing, to reconnect with with his ex and young son. 

While watching the movie, I figured that Dell and Phillip would never get along; I was very wrong. These guys were complete opposites, and neither of them wanted to bond with the other. It's evident throughout the beginning that Dell hated his job, and Phillip didn't want him there. They had one thing in common: they hated how their lives were going at that current moment. 

As the movie goes on, Dell starts to get through to Phillip, and you start to see some spark from both of them. It suddenly turns from Phillip hating his life, to laughing and joking around whenever Dell is around. They started encouraging the other to try new things, and while doing this they both found joy in living again. The movie ends on a high note of both guys learning that life is supposed to be fun, and they try to find joy in every moment. 

I feel like this movie is a great example of how unexpected relationships can end up changing your life for the better. Both of them thought their life was over, but able to show that there are things worth living for, and you have time to make a change for the better. Certain people get put into our own lives, and we assume that there's no reason behind it and that nothing will come of it. 

I think it's the people that are different from you who actually challenge you to become a better version of yourself, and realize things about yourself that you hadn't seen before. If you're always surrounded by people who are the exact same as you, there's no room for growth. This movie taught me that I have to put myself into an uncomfortable situation if I want grow and find happiness in the little things.