The Problem of Obesity in America is Growing Faster Than Those Who Suffer From It

On a serious note though, there is a different end to the spectrum than just obesity. Kids look at magazines covers, read newspaper titles, and look at models all the time who are supposed to resemble the "perfect" body. It is nearly impossible to avoid this type of media when the government is starting programs encouraging kids to loose weight. With this overwhelming flow of pop culture, it is hard for kids to not feel insecure. I for one am unfazed by this "craze to be skinny" because I could afford to pack on a phew more pounds.
In our group discussions we discussed the different types of pressing health issues. Many topics were brought to the table including religion, underage drinking, and various diseases, but I found this one to be very interesting and am glad Margo took it. In the article that she picked they discussed the various culprits for the vast amount of eating disorders among youth, the first being a small boy of 6 who is already worrying about his weight. This is a very dangerous thought, because 6 is a very impressionable and vulnerable age, who knows maybe this kid could grow up with serious psychological damage because of deep rooted insecurities as a child. The second order of business is the government enforcing schools to promote kids to live a healthy lifestyle with their food choices. I thought this sounded like a great idea until I heard about the downsides. Although some kids are yet to receive the message about healthy eating others are taking to far. insecurities among our youth and eating disorders or on the rise. The article explains that while in countries like England the obesity rate is growing, we must also look at the tools they are using to calculate obesity. The BMI scale should only be used for adults who are fully grown. But they are using it on kids to calculate the obesity rates. The article claims that we need to "keep fat in proportion" by not over estimating the amount of actual overweight children in the world.
The last section of the article discusses food in our school systems. They explain that foods like chocolate are not "bad" foods and are actually necessary for a balanced and proportion based diet. They stress that balance is the most important thing for a kids diet.
What I took away from this article is that, yes there are kids who are overweight, but by demonizing these children we are creating an entirely new problem.

Social injustices must be documented

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" (MLK Jr.) Of course injustice is a threat to justice but those who are inflicting the injustice usually do everything they can to keep it out of the world's eye. It is our duty as people to exploit social and political injustices for the world to see. Recently a video went viral on the internet involving a man named a Joseph Kony who is the poster child for treating people unjustly. A short documentary was made showing the world what he had done and people reacted. The video nearly got 100 million views in one month. Although sometimes it is hard to tell, people really do care about others in our world, and when they are being treated unfairly or unjustly people rise up. But if there is no way to know or see the unjust behavior, people continue to live their lives, and nothing is done. I will say once again that weither you are a film maker or not it is our duty to exploit and prevent injustices from happening on our planet. It just so happens that film is one of the most effective ways to portray these events to get people involved. A fantastic example that is right in front of our face is the violence in the south side of our city. The film The Interrupters remarkably not only portrays the violence but shows the interruption process, giving its viewers an even even better reason to take action.
In order to prevent injustice you must exploit injustices.

I have such doubts

Donald miller is a boy with much to loose. His relationship with father Flinn has been speculated to be inappropriate but Donald has no say. He is confined by his mother, his church and his environment. Some kids at his school control Donald with their own racist perceptions of him. If father Flynn did touch Donald inappropriately Donald cannot speak out against him because father Flynn is the only man who truly cares about Donald. He can't speak out because all he wants is to please his mother and father and finish his studies. Donald is confined by all these things and thus is in his own jail. In this shot the staircase signifies Donald's jail. He is not free and is confined by his environment. 

The title of the film is very important in this shot. When we look at Donald's face we just don't know what to think, we have our own doubts. I must applaud this actor for leaving a pit in the audiences stomach because they don't know what to think. As I looked at this shot I saw a kid who is confined by his surroundings and is unable to speak up about his situations. But then I look at it again and I see a kid who is a true friend of Father Flynn and unconditionally cares for him and doesn't want anything bad to happen to him. Donald Miller  and this shot exemplifies the moral dilemma in this film which is the conflict of interpreting situations a certain way without being certain.

Judah is confined and jailed in a similar way to Donald. Both characters are conflicted because they view the church/temple as a symbol everything that is morally correct. Judah doesn't understand how he could betray something so sacred and Donald doesn't understand how someone of such power in the church could have a relationship with him. In this shot we see the symmetry of this temple signifying that the Church is always right and is the moral path to follow. We see two rabbi's with two lights, a symmetrical menorah, and basically everything that can be seen on the left is nearly reflected onto the right side. Donald feels that there are higher powers at work that he can't control, as does Judah. In this picture we see moses holding the ten commandments signifying religious morality and how Judah had defied it. Overall both pictures show how morally ambiguous both movies are and how influenced both characters are by things they can't control.

political Bias

Bias can influence not only the petty things in life but our overall outlook on the world. What I find the most interesting form of bias is in the roots of our political views. I believe that it does not matter how intelligent or educated a person can be they fall prey to their environment. Our environment whether it be our parents, priests, teachers, and peers shape the way we view the world. In the specific case of politics there is not any words in the world that can change our political bias because of how strong the roots of our environment are. Unless of course our environment has an extreme changes then our political views can change. I find this very interesting because of how heavily this political bias influences our government and country. When the majority of people believe so strongly in their political viewpoints they latch on to their political ideals and want the country to move in the direction of their party. Because of the way our congress works this is impossible. That is why barely anything has been accomplished because people refuse to compromise to their political bias. This just shows how much bias not only influences our lives and world but also how heavily it effects our government and country.

Los Pollos Hermanos

Upon first glance Gus Fring is nothing more than the manager of many fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos. He hides out in the open and appears to be an ally of the drug enforcement administration. But behind the chicken restaurant, behind his business friendships, and behind his dead eyes lies the the largest methamphetamine dealer in North America. Gus Fring is a monster.
      I was first introduced to the television show breaking bad by a friend and had finished all 4 seasons within a week. Gus is played by the exceptional Giancarlo Esposito. Within every monster there is a strange and twisted brilliance.
Gus has been peddling meth in new Mexico for twenty years without even a suspicion of his involvement with drug trafficking. He hides in a common suburban neighborhood as a socially conscience philanthropist. Through an underground war with the Mexican drug cartel Gus doesn't fear death. In the show Gus employs Bryan Cranston's character (Walt) as a meth cooker. He later manipulates Walt and threatens him and his family with death. Gus once murdered a man by slitting his throat and letting him bleed on Walt and his assistant Jessie.

      While many monsters prance around with their masks, Gus's masks are his chicken restaurant and his seemingly average life. Gus Fring is a monster because he is morally empty and his business ruins the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. One characteristic that all monsters contain is the their fear factor, When Gus's face turns cold and dead, fear comes from what we know he is capable and his lack of emotion.

mise-en-scene

"The windows were closed and the sunshine coming in through the venetian blinds showed up the dust in the air."

The recurring Venetian blinds lighting technique is a well crafted use of mise-en-scene in Double Indemnity. This classic film noir tactic is used multiple times. The best use of this tactic is the scene where Walter and Phyllis are both planning to kill each other. Only Walter's shadow is projected on the wall, while Phyllis waits on the chair sitting on top of her gun. The Venetian blinds separate the two characters before Mrs, Detriechson's demise. 

The next use of mise-en-scene I analyzed was the differences and similarities between the first time we meet the two femme fatales'. In both shots there is build up and a revealing of the two characters but it is done in two different ways. In Double Indemnity Mrs. Dietrichson is shown with a high-angle shot where she is wearing next to nothing. The significance of this technique is that Walter is left vulnerable at the bottom of the staircase. In L.A. Confidential, as Bud White walks across the liquor store the shot pans over Lynn wearing her black robe. When Lynn's face is revealed Bud White is caught off guard by her looks and is also left very vulnerable. The last difference between the two shots is that Lynn is wearing an excess amount of clothes while Mrs. Dietrichson is wearing a revealing towel. Although the two shots achieve the same result, they are portrayed very differently.

The last cinematography nod I give to double indemnity is the use of contrast between light and darkness. The silhouette of these two characters gives the audience a feeling of mystery and the unknown. In this specific picture the lighting technique is called chiaroscuro lighting. The use of shadows is also very prevalent in the film which achieves the same effect of mystery and the unknown.

The Dark Side

There are many images in this passage that portray foregrounding and back grounding but the one that exemplifies it the best is the frame where Harvey is sitting behind his dad, while his dad is asleep. In the foreground of the shot we see Harvey's father holding a Jewish scripture in his lap very much asleep. In the background of the shot, Harvey sits with his hands crossed, with a disappointed look on his face. The placement of these two characters in the frame portrays the way Harvey feels. He feels in the dark and pushed to the back. The lighting in this shot also helps deliver this point. Harvey's background is only darkness showing him "in the dark".

The next shot I found exemplified both foregrounding, back grounding and excellent lighting, is the shot where Harvey is preparing for battle royal with his classmates. There are three divisions of this frame. The first is closest to us and it shows a kid with a 2 by 4 in his left hand clenching it ready to strike Harvey. The second and middle division of this frame is a full shot of Harvey from his knee's up. He has an angry look on his face and both of his fists are clenched. His face is the only one shown out of seven people in this frame. The third division of the shot is in the background where 5 African American boys are waiting to pound Harvey. There faces are not shown to put more emphasis on Harvey's face. Lighting is also key in this shot because the boys in the background are completely black while Harvey is very clear and in the light. This lighting technique is very effective because it shifts the audiences’ focus toward Harvey.

The final frame I reviewed was the close-up of Harvey's mother looking down on Harvey. I liked this frame because with the position of Harvey's mother's face above Harvey, it is easier for the audience to see how much authority Harvey's mom has over him. I also liked this frame because it immediately follows a long frame of basically the same situation. When the close-up occurs it draws more attention to the situation.