Selma Movie Review

(www.impawards.com)

 

       Hello! So just recently I saw one of the newest movies released; Selma, and I thought I would give a movie review of what I thought of it since of course the Civil Rights Movements was in the in the 20th century;).

      First of all, I think the movie was well casted. David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta King made the movie very believable. Being a young adult in the generation after those who lived to see the Civil Rights Movement in action, I was taken back at how chaotic these times were. I of course had some knowledge of what happened, however; having a visual of what happened is even more powerful.

     The movie started off with a very traumatic scene that set the mood for the movie. The first scene was of the four girls killed in the Birmingham Church Bombing. I of course was already crying at this point. Martin Luther King Jr. at this time was trying to make sure that all African American men and women could have the right to vote. Of course there was a law that said they had this right, but down in the South, laws became twisted because of their segregated views. There was a scene starring Oprah Winfrey showing an example of this unfairness, which I have to say, Oprah did a great job in.

     There is more to the story in the movie, however; I don't want to give it all away. One of the scenes that has engraved itself in my brain was the scenes of the peaceful protests. Let's just say, they weren't all that peaceful. The African Americans would walk across a bridge in order to show protest but would not do a thing. Just simply walk in large groups to make a point to those standing on the other side of the bridge, a group of racist men and police officers. It was the officers that created the violence. I cannot explain what those scenes showed, but they will always be in my head until the day I die. The scary thing is, in real life, the events were probably even more horrendous than what was shown.

    The movie had moments of happiness, laughter, sorrow and of pain. I don't want to scare you off and make you not want to see this movie because I really do think it is important for us all to see it. With what is happening in the news, especially Ferguson, it makes me wonder if a lot has changed. Of course there are many important changes made since the Civil Rights Movement, but after seeing that film it made me think. I saw it with my dad and we both had very different reactions. My dad thought the movie was outstanding and well done and I thought so too, but I guess younger people have different reactions to these types of films because we haven't been exposed to that much compared to those older than us. I was much more quiet and sad after the film than my dad.

   I've always wished I lived during the 60s because I believe it was an important decade in America's history and so much was happening at once. And I still wish I was alive to see it before my eyes, not as entertainment of course, but as an observer to the changes. But I have to tell you, this movie gave me a pretty good understanding of what it was like.

  I hope you see this movie sometime because I think the movie captured the mood of this time period very well. So take a break from frilly movies and watch a movie that makes you think a little:).

That's all for today, I hope you enjoyed my thoughts!

Ten Things to Love About Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball is one of my favorite women of the 20th century and I felt like sharing some of the things she did and what makes her so awesome!
1. She is hilarious.
2. Lucille made it into the Women's Hall of Fame.
3. She rocked that red lipstick!
4. She was one of the few female comedians of her time.
5. For being a woman of her time, she was one of the few woman who had a largely broadcasted TV show.
6. Was the first pregnant woman to appear on television as a pregnant character.
7. She suggested the inequality of women during her time.
8. Lucille was also one of the few examples of inter-racial marriages.
9. She had great style sense
10. Most importantly, she was one of the few role models of an independent woman during her time.

Taylor Swift

(blog.rdio.com)

        Hello everyone! So today I thought I would write something a little different. I know for sure that Taylor Swift's music does not apply to the 20th century but I wanted to talk about her and her music a little for today's post.
       As we all know, her new album, 1989, just came out and won 2014's greatest album. I have been a fan of Taylor Swift since I was 11. I think one of the reasons I have been a fan of Taylor for so long is that her music is always changing. Her first album, Taylor Swift, had her deep country music with a little bit of innocence considering she was only a teenager when that album came out. Her second album was the one that got her the most famous, Fearless. Many think she was still country on this album however even here her music was slowly migrating to a country pop style. Her third album, Speak Now, was an album that she really proved herself. The music on this album was more mature and more creative and the amazing thing is that she wrote this entire album herself. We should at least give her some credit for doing that considering other people in the music industry at her age then. Her fourth album is the one that took big jump in her music, Red. Now many give her a lot of crap about this album saying that she was sounding too different or too much like other artists. The thing is, it was inevitable for her music starting to change to more pop and farther away from her country style. She was growing up. She wasn't that same sixteen year old we once saw.
        I'm going to share a personal story actually with this album. I was in eighth grade when this album first came out. I was nervous about high school, applications, I was having rough friendships and a really low self esteem of myself. I was very frustrated with schoolwork, extra-curricular activities my friendships and how I viewed myself. So when I first heard about the Red album, I was not too sure if I liked it. However, this album kept me going and pushed me through that rough year. People said her music was too "pop" on that album. But honestly, there were only three songs that had that true pop beat to it. She was only playing around and trying new styles in each of her songs. She would try an alternative sound in one song, then a raw acoustic sound in another to a happy ukulele song. I personally needed her music on that album after a long day of school. And once I saw her Red Tour in concert I knew this was my favorite Taylor Swift album. I understand if you disagree but only I can know what I felt at that time and what I needed. And that was the Red album.
       Ok now that my short story is over I think we should go to her most current album, 1989. This album is a major hit for her. More and more people like Taylor Swift's new sound now. I do really like this album however I do grow tired of it easily. I like that she's trying to change and if you read her note in her album book she says that she would never written a complete pop sounding album years ago until now. Taylor expressed how she is just changing and life is opening her to see new things. I thought her idea behind this album was thoughtful and different because she knows that it's new music and it's new for her, personally, too. However, I don't feel the same connection as I did like her previous albums. I admire this album and cannot wait to see her perform it on tour but it's not my favorite album.
        It doesn't really matter what I think in the end because it's her music and her life. But I feel like people should not hate on her and realize that she's come very far in her music. Yes she may date a dozen boys in two months and will write about them in her music non stop but that's what her music is for her. That's the way she copes. And even though many do not want to here it, they should at least give her some respect for how successful she's been. I don't want you to feel like you should feel forced to like her but YouTube a song and give it a chance.
       Well that's all from me today. And I'm sorry this post didn't match up to my blog theme but I felt an urge to write about one of my favorite artists.