Cleveland Film Fest

Yesterday, I attended the Cleveland International Film Festival. I was immediately surprised at how crowded the cinema was. I initially thought not that many people would be interested in coming to see movies at a film festival, but I was wrong! There were people everywhere! People were buying tickets, waiting outside of their theater, or walking around the cinema. After finally milling through the busy crowds, I purchased my ticket for Prom Night in Mississippi. Once I entered the theater, I had a difficult time finding a spot to sit. It appeared that everyone had come to see this movie. Before the film began, there were a number of speakers. Three of the speakers briefly talked about organizations that they were with. The final two speakers were the director and producer of the film I was about to watch. It was interesting to hear them briefly discuss the documentary that I was about to see. Also, they said that the showing of Prom Night on Sunday was standing room only! That really got me excited about the film!

The documentary proved to be amazing. It dealt with high school students in Mississippi that were finally having an integrated prom for the first time (this movie took place in 2008!). I was shocked that the high school had always had a "white prom" and a "black prom." It was fascinating to hear the students' views on having an integrated prom. It appeared that all the students were in favor of it, but their parents were the ones that were against it. The film was really shocking. It is sad to see that such blatant racism still exists today.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the film festival. I got to see an amazing documentary, that I highly recommend, and I got to hear the film's director and producer speak about their documentary.

New Music Coming this Spring!

I am really excited. Three of my favorite bands are releasing new Cd's within the next three months. All three of these bands have not released any full-length Cd's since I was in high school!

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- It's Blitz! Their new CD comes out March 31st. I am so pumped to hear their new CD. I have already heard their single, "Zero," which is so different than anything that they have ever put out. At first I didn't like the new song, but it has really grown on me. I was reading on their website that this CD will sound different than previous albums, but will "still sound like Yeah Yeah Yeahs." I am hoping that this will be a good thing! I am little worried that they are changing their sound, but I think it might be interesting to see a different side of the band. I plan to buy the album the day it comes out. I hope that I am not disappointed. So far, I have enjoyed everything that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released. I hope this won't be the exception! I am providing a link to their new single "Zero." Let me know what you think of the song.

2. Sonic Youth- The Eternal. Sonic Youth's new CD premiers on June 9th. I am really looking forward to this CD. Sonic Youth is by far my favorite band. I own all their Cd's and have seen them in concert multiple times. Sonic Youth has recently parted ways with their old record label Geffen Records. They were not happy with the way that Geffen had been managing them, so they have signed with a lesser known label Matador Records. I am hoping that by signing with this label the band will have more freedom to do what they want. Their last few albums were really good, but not the same band that I have grown to really enjoy. They have not released their first single yet, so I do not know what this album will be like yet. Sonic Youth is known for producing experimental music. I hope that they bring this into their album. I am also going to provide a link to their official website. Their site is amazing. It contains news from the band, their music videos, and links to different fan groups. If you have never heard Sonic Youth, I highly recommend you give listen to them, especially if you are into rock or alternative music.

3. Silversun Pickups- Swoon. The Silversun Pickups new album comes out April 14th. I have recently become a huge fan of the Silversun Pickups. They are one of the best alternative rock bands that I have heard in a long time. Silversun Pickups became famous for their songs "Well Thought Out Twinkles" and "Lazy Eye." These songs are great examples of modern rock, but the band also manages to provide an almost dream-like feel to their music. I have recently heard their new single "Panic Switch" and was completely blown away. It is one of the best song I have heard in a long time! I constantly find myself listening to it, and I can't get it out of my head! I am so happy that the band stuck with the same sound for their new CD! I am providing a link to their single here. I strongly urge you to check it out! Like I said before, this is by far one of the best songs I have heard in a long time! Check it out and let me know what you all think!

Film

Lately, in Multi-Modal Literature, we have been discussing film. I have found the chapters we have been required to read to be quite interesting. Whenever I watch a film or even a television show I simply watch it for pleasure. I have never sat down and analyzed the camera angles used and techniques used. Now, I find myself analyzing movies and TV that I watch. I think that the chapters have really made me notice and pay more attention to the work that goes into creating film. Creating a movie or TV show is not an easy feat. It involves so much more. Everything about a scene has to be just right. The camera angle, the sound, the believability of the dialogue, and even the set have to be just right in order to portray the scene properly. Overall, I am really enjoying our unit on film and I am looking forward to the upcoming film festival!

Also, in class we never got the chance to share our links, so I will share mine here. The film website I chose was afi.com. AFI stands for the American Film Institute. The website contains tons of interesting things all pertaining to film. They have a variety of information about different films, actors, and awards they have won. They even have photo galleries that show film over the years. Something on this site that I have found interesting is a link to Lights, Camera, Education. This site is created by AFI and contains a wealth of resources for teaching film. There are video clips, play lists, and book choices from educators all over America. One such book that this site recommends is The 21st Century Educator's Handbook. It provides tips and ideas about teaching film in the classroom. This website is very fascinating, and well worth the time to check out!

Class Presentations

It was so awesome to see everyone's presentations the past two weeks. It was fascinating to see that we all have so much in common! It definitely seemed that we all loved watching old Nickelodeon shows when we were younger. I also enjoyed seeing why everyone decided to become teachers and what particularly influenced their decision. I really liked seeing similarities that I had with others in the class. There were a few individuals that enjoyed the same movies and books that I do. That was really cool to see, and that helped to show me that I have more in common with people in class than I thought.

On another note, I have finished reading In Cold Blood! It was such a good book and I highly recommend it to everyone. What I enjoyed most about the book was the subject matter. The book is based on true events so Truman Capote wrote about interviews he conducted with people who knew the family and witnesses to the crime. The book was also made into a movie. I have yet to see the movie, but I have heard that it is really good. I read on IMDB that the movie recieved four Oscar nominations, so I am assuming it is a good movie! Hopefully over spring break I will get the chance to watch it!