10 Most Significant

so it's that time again where film applications are due. i went back and was looking at mine, and i like some of what i said for the 10 most influential list requirement. it includes films so it's applicable to the blog, but yeah... here's some of my thoughts regarding my favorite media...

10 Most Significant List
1. Meet your Meat Online video by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Steak had always been one of my favorite foods, but when I saw this in 8th grade I knew I had to give it up. Clips of cows that are still alive, dangling from ceilings with blood dripping get to me. I think they would get to anyone, if they’d watch it, but ignorance is bliss. Yes, it’s propaganda, and yes, I fell for it, but even if it’s just showing the most extreme cases, it proves that this kind of thing does occur. What it comes down to is that I love animals more than I love my taste buds.
2. Decatur, or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! Song by Sufjan Stevens.
I never thought I could like folky music, but I love Sufjan Stevens. His voice is beautiful and his lyrics mean something, at least to me. I don’t have any stepparents, but I didn’t always appreciate my own parents, and this song kind of tells that story for me. It begins with “our stepmom, we did everything to hate her,” but ends with the powerful repetition of “stand up and thank her” fading out on cheers and clapping. My parents have been so supportive in everything, and I try and show my appreciation for them more now.
3. Paris, Je T’aime Film by Various Directors.
This was my “gateway drug” to foreign film, and it opened my eyes to how much can be told in such a short period of time. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride, two of my favorites being a testament of this. The first, Gurinder Chadha’s Quais de Seine, makes me feel compassion with its theme of sincerely reaching out to others to expand one’s own understanding. The other, Place des fêtes by Oliver Shmitz, is depressing, but it has a certain beauty in its message of keeping a positive attitude and not letting a moment pass you by. It’s all about people, different types of love, and an assortment of responses in a variety of relationships; I love it.
4. i carry your heart with me Poem by e.e. cummings.
My best friend, Charlotte, and I used to read poetry late at night when we slept over at each other’s houses, and this was a favorite of ours. We grew distant during our first year of college, but for Christmas that year she artfully crafted this poem on a sheet of paper and then blogged about it—“ I made this for my best friend since seventh grade, Sammi. I’m hoping that this is not just a nice present, but a sentiment that will make up for distance and differences. I’m not sure if just wanting to stay friends is enough, but we’re sure as hell trying.” Not only does this have sentimental value, but I also love the imagery and the theme of attachment. I am often more invested in relationships with my friends than they are, and although this poem is more romantic, I feel like it represents my loyalty and love.
5. After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away Book by Joyce Carol Oates.
Her novels were the first pieces of depressing fiction I enjoyed. Before I had to have happy endings, but she makes sad endings bearable, and I’ve since come to love movies that don’t end the way I want them to. The author also helped me appreciate my mom more through her narratives. Many of her novels, including this one, relate to mother-daughter relationships, and it made me feel closer to my mom.
6. Newsweek Magazine.
Newsweek opened the door to my interest in politics. It put politics into an intellectually digestible format that I could read and discuss. With this understanding I was able to talk about the world with my dad, and it was a sort of father-daughter bonding experience.
7. postsecret.blogspot.com Website by Frank Warren.
I’m really interested in people—which is why I’m considering minoring in sociology (psychology is too much science)—and Post Secret has given me a glimpse into people’s lives unlike my own. A lot of people use it as a way to relate, but I often read it to learn about those who are not similar to me. Post Secret offers me a means to find out about people and why they do the things they do. The secrets are funny, depressing, and shocking, and they shed light on human connections, giving me comfort because we’ve all got secrets.
8. Freaks and Geeks Television show by Paul Feig.
I feel like a lot can be learned from this show about friends, families, and fitting in. Not only did the show entertain me, but it also provided characters I could relate to. I love how wholesome the show is, too. It represents the good that can be done through mass media.
9. Waitress Film by Adrienne Shelly.
This is also significant because of what’s portrayed within relationships of different people, and what I learned from it. I find it empowering that the woman overcomes her abusive husband and makes it on her own, and the way she does it is through the love of her newborn child. Not only that, but she also overcomes the moral ambiguity of her character, and in the end it makes for a perfect kind of closure of both happiness and some regret. This movie shows that there’s good to be found in the most unexpected places.
10. Promises Film by Carlos Bolado, B.Z. Goldberg, and Justine Shapiro.
After watching this film in 102, I want to make a documentary that will touch people’s hearts as much as this touched mine. I have no particular tie to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict other than the fact that they’re my fellow human beings, but this movie made me care, and left with me a desire to change attitudes through the medium of film. Children are so impressionable, and they must be taught to love one another or a cycle of hate will be perpetuated. I need to do everything in my power to make the world a better place, because if everyone’s pulling his or her weight, we might get somewhere.