Author Archives: Izzy

Cinematography or Storyline?

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I know that ‘2001: A Spacey Odyssey’ is a reputable film, but quite frankly, I can’t figure out why. I had the most difficult time following the plot. Even after watching the movie to conclusion — twice, I might add — I cannot figure out what the floating, magnetic/radioactive panel was supposed to add to the film. It seemed to me that this panel, or whatever else you may call it, was supposed to be one of principle components of the plot of the film, yet I found it very unclear what its role was.

I also cannot figure out what purpose the monkeys were serving at the beginning of the film. The first 25 minutes of the film (and yes, I timed it) were just various landscape scenes, most of them including monkeys and anteaters. I still do not understand what the monkeys were doing or how they added to the film. If the intention was to set ambiance for the plot of the film, this was severely overdone and ineffective. Out of a 2 hours and 44 minute film, an entire 15% of the film was solely devoted to screening monkeys and landscapes. I would have expected for the purpose of that to be clear by the end of the film. However, the end of the film just added more points of confusions for me.

Even if I were to overlook the lengthy scene of colors and paths that formed the transition between this astronaut’s time in space and his demise, there was simply no explanation for what happened. Did he end up in a different planet where this other “intelligent life” was found? Was he back on Earth hallucinating or having mental health problems? I really cannot tell you.

I’ve seen plenty of older films, but their plots were definitely easier to follow. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why this film was such a hit in its time, but I certainly gave it a chance. Any film that takes more than two re-runs to dissect is simply not a film I consider to have been “well done.”

Delivering a Message

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To be quite frank, this blog has taken me over a week to write because there was so much to process from this show. I have re-watched it three times and discussed it with my friends on various occasions, yet I cannot seem to find the words to express all of the emotions that watching this comedy act evoked in me. Each and every time, I could feel myself emotionally drained at the end of the show. That being said, I would like to focus this blog on the structure and delivery of the show, overall, as it will allow me to detach emotionally from some of the more “controversial” subjects from the show.

Like most stand-up shows I’ve watched,  Nanette felt very sporadic in its transitions from one topic to another. I originally felt as though there were a lot of incomplete thoughts or ideas, in order to tie up one punchline with another. I’m a very structured person, and thus get slightly peeved when things seem to me to be critically out of order. Such were my original feelings about the periodic transitioning back the subject of quitting comedy, while postponing divulging her rationale. I have, indeed, considered that this was likely intentional in order to create the tension she so often spoke of, that was needed for comedic relief. Instead of veering from jokes and comedy at the beginning of the show, as I had very much expected, when she first announced her thoughts on quitting comedy, she was able to provide relief each and every time she delivered a punchline.

Yet, as sporadic as the transitions seemed to be at the beginning, it was very evident towards the very end of the show that each and every one of her jokes was strategically and deliberately placed. The entire show was a masterpiece in both content and delivery. Each and every topic that seemed originally disconnected had a specific point in conveying her life story, from her everything she experienced growing up, to her expertise at delivering jokes, tied in to her story at the very end. Without the strategically placed jokes, the story itself would not have been half as impactful or effective in its delivery. Her story would be lost in sentiments of anger and resentment, instead of compassion and sympathy.

Deterrence from the Arts

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I found this event really and truly inspiring, because I have always loved the arts in all the ways that it can manifest itself. I played musical instruments for most of my childhood, which was not only a therapeutic experience but also a means and cause for some of my best memories. I loved painting, and sculpting with different types of clays. For me, it brings back fond memories of happier times, because somewhere along the way, I veered off the artistic path and onto a more “scholastic” path.

You all know what I’m talking about. Even from early on in middle school, when your parents are trying to motivate you to take your studies seriously, they start making comments about how unlikely you are to make a living off of certain hobbies– amongst those, many of the artistic outlets we made for ourselves up to that point in our lives. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about (because your parents never gave you that spiel), consider yourselves lucky. However, I think it’s safe to say that most of you have. As a testament to this presumption, I would like to point out that most of the people who attended this event seem to be pursing careers in STEM (including myself).

It was a very pleasant experience to be surrounded by so much color and creativity for the duration of this event. I felt inspired to take out my colored pencils again. I felt as though I needed to create something, and that is a feeling I haven’t had for a long time. We’re surrounded by white walls and blackboard most of the time. There’s a limit to how creative you can get with formulas and equations, (and yes, that was a joke). I left that room with a brighter outlook for my day from merely seeing slides of different artworks. I have great admiration for each and every one of the individuals who stood there presenting, and sharing their art with us.

It dawned on me as I left this event that there’s a cultural influence in American that deters young minds from pursuing the arts. Before this event I hadn’t even considered that there exist artistic careers from which you can earn a dependable salary, such as working at a greeting card company. It didn’t occur to me that those jobs do exist, even if supply for that kind of work far exceeds demand. For my entire life, everyone has been influencing me to pursue a career in science and I never stopped to think about the jobs that exist outside of that bubble of reality. Even in elementary schools, funding for the arts is constantly being cut because there is a culture that undermines the importance of the arts and the fulfilling experiences that come with it.

Defining What You Value

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I left this table talk feeling a pit in my stomach, and it wasn’t for a lack of food. I was really uncomfortable by some of the anecdotes shared about personal ethical dilemmas that people had experienced as well as some that had previously appeared in courts. Talking about ethics is generally an uncomfortable topic for me, because I feel as though some people really see things in black and white where there is a lot of gray. Thankfully, I found this not to be true of the people at this event.

My biggest take-away from this talk was that ethical dilemmas are things we should consider when we are not immediately facing having to make a decision. It had never occurred to me, but it made a lot of sense that at the times when we are faced with circumstances that challenge our predefined values, we generally don’t take the time to think twice about it, whether by choice or by design. Having a predefined notion of what you value most and where your ethical standards are can be useful when faced with these situations. While I acknowledge that these ethical standards dynamic, it seems a good idea to know when or why you have changed your point of view to help justify your actions. This can help us make more conscientious decisions in the future.

I have spent the remainder of the week really considering what I value most of myself and other people. I really feel our generation is being faced with a set of new ethical challenges when it comes to industry (especially as someone who deals with and studies data). It would serve me well to know ahead of time where my personal boundaries are.

Privilege and Advocacy

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Watching “I, Daniel Blake” was a tear-jerking experience for me because it hit a lot of points very personal to me; very similar to some of my experiences; very real things I have witnessed; and things that are a reality for a lot of the people near and dear to me. This is why I don’t want to focus my recount of this event on the film, but rather on a comment that followed the film.

One of my peers posed the question, “Are we even allowed to be angry [at the systemic flaws and disrespectful experiences depicted in the film], since we come from a place of privilege?” While I understand that this question was posed with genuinely innocent intentions, it really brought to my attention the idea that some people at Cornell are unaware that not all of their peers here come from the same privileged backgrounds. I agree that all of us attending this institution have the privilege of being here, and that in itself is supposed to go a long way in helping our socioeconomic status post-graduation. Yet, I want to bring to attention that many students, even at Cornell, face very different realities during their time away.

I know multiple people who have had to delay their studies due to financial insecurity. I know people who face food insecurity when having to return home over winter and summer breaks. I know people who are here on full scholarships and work 20+ hours a week, on top of having a full course load, in order to finance purchasing their books, materials to study, and food to eat. While it is a privilege that they still have the opportunity to study, I felt this question undermined the struggles they face every day in order to be able to do that.

For me, one of the bigger take-aways from the film was that every person should be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their situation; that if you are in a position to help and serve others, you should be doing just that: helping and serving. Changing this reality takes each and every one of us making an effort in our daily interactions; because despite the setting of the film, these things still happen in today’s society and even in the United States. These things happen to the people we interact with every day (yes, even at Cornell), and we never know which seemingly insignificant but disrespectful action of ours might be contributing to those less-than-ideal circumstances others are facing.

Black Panther: Not Just A Movie

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I should probably preface this with the fact that this was about my fifth time watching the movie “Black Panther.” I think that alone speaks volumes about how much I enjoy the movie. It was very well done and there are layers of depth to the numerous themes it touches upon, as well as to how it relates to the current political climate. That being said, each time I watch it I notice something different, and I want to delve a bit into what I found myself thinking this time around.

I know that during the after film discussion the topic of foreign aid was brought up, but we didn’t really touch upon immigration policy, which was, in my opinion, one of the more controversial themes brought up. While there was more clear resolution about what the film makers (and I believe the general public, as well) think about helping out other people and other countries, very few conclusions were drawn about immigration policy. There was one line in the movie about how immigrants “bring their culture and problems with them.” This was something I found curious. There was no resolution to that specific ‘problem’ expressed towards the beginning of the film. However, I think the script writers and directors did a fabulous job of depicting the problem, and showing the complications of these types of policies, through the topic of identity.

One of the more relatable things in the film for me, as an immigrant to the United States, is the theme of identity, which I have constantly struggled with. In the movie we see a boy that was abandoned in the only country he had ever known, with nobody left to look after him, and the only people who knew of his existence decided not to take him back to their country. He then grows up feeling out of place, the cause of which I was inclined to conclude was the oppressive environment he grew up in. He sought out the country from whence his father emigrated for a sense of identity and belonging, and found only that he was not wanted there, just as he was not cared for in America. What happens to children with these types of backgrounds in our current immigration policies? This isn’t a farfetched scenario. This is a very similar story to that of other, real children.

…On a lighter note, I recently watched a comedy skit by Trevor Noah in which he was jesting about the accents in this movie. As an African himself, he found them to be a bit unrealistic. I hadn’t really noticed how embellished certain words or accents were until I rewatched it tonight, having heard that perspective. What I didn’t know, that came up in the discussion after the movie, was that the dialect spoken in the movie is a real African dialect. I guess you could say I might consider researching the movies I watch just a little more.

Engineering and Exercise: Not What I Expected

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What I found most interesting about this event is that a lot of what was said in discussion seemed to be of opposing sentiment to what I have personally experienced or concluded on my own. In particular, I was intrigued by Chantelle Farmer’s comment about being in school to “learn how to learn.” It wasn’t a new concept or idea that I was hearing, however my experience when searching for internships or jobs has been that there is an expected degree of knowledge within engineering fields and jobs. Sometimes you don’t make it to the behavioral interview if you cannot first supersede standards set for the technical interviews. To me, this isn’t the equivalent of an expectation that you know how to learn. It is an expectation that you have the working knowledge necessary for the intended position. Therefore, hearing that comment from someone who completed their degree in the same field that I am interested in was a bit surprising. I do recognize that our differing experiences may be attributed to being employed versus opening a small business on  your own.

Another comment that really called my attention was that of the group psychology of exercise classes. Personally, I find myself more motivated to try new exercises when I am on my own. Being a room with other people who are partaking in the same directed exercises is a new, and fairly uncomfortable, concept to me. I figured that attending the spinning class and stepping out of my comfort zone might give me insight as to why this particular mode of exercising has gained so much popularity.

More Than Just Cancer

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As one of my peers mentioned after the end of the movie, part of what made this film so great was the casual undertone with which the movie was directed. I think we often associate cancer with feelings of consequence and sensitivity, that we overlook the fact that it’s a condition affecting another human-being (with a personality and emotions) whose life consists of more than just the condition. Adam was a character with the misfortune of a bad diagnosis, whose every interaction seemed to revolve around his condition; trying to comfort those around him; and a series of awkward interactions as he underwent treatments and his daily life activities. This isn’t the only medium through which similar themes of unnecessary alienation are portrayed through humorous encounters. (I compared this a lot with my experience reading “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green.) Quite frankly, it is, indeed, very humorous that we tend to overlook a lot about people and what makes them unique, based on their medical conditions. It happens in real life. In fact, it has happened to me for years. I think that while this was an extreme (though not uncommon) anecdote of what someone with a medical condition experiences from the outside world, we encounter these situations every day, whether we are on the giving or receiving end of this treatment — maybe even both. It could be a person in a wheelchair. It could be any kind of disability. It could be someone who looks different than you. This movie serves as a reminder that while these things can be traumatic or simply outside the scope of what we have previously encountered, how we react to them and the people undergoing those experiences can also be extremely impactful.

Ryan Bingham’s Other Journey

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I think what struck me most about this movie was the in-depth, character development that the director and scriptwriters gave Ryan Bingham, the main character in “Up in the Air.” At the beginning of the movie, I was inclined toward disliking him. He seemed like a very superficial character who did not seem to care for anything other than the fancy things in life and had a blatant disregard for other people’s feelings. Not to mention, he didn’t even have a close enough relationship with his sister to meet her fiancé prior to the wedding, while most people find family to be one of their priorities.

Things change for Ryan when he finds out that he may no longer be able to live his life primarily going from airport to airport and hotel room to hotel room. This seemingly drastic change in Ryan’s life gave us a window into a different dimension of his character. In his quest to prove that his job could not be done through digital means, we also start seeing the human aspect of him as it applies to his job and his feelings towards other people. I expected a character with such superficial life goals to be disrespectful when faced with conflicting ideas and emotions. Yet, in my opinion, his interactions with Natalie — the new hire for his company that is behind his impending change in lifestyle — are nothing but supportive and compassionate, even if not in the kindest of ways.

Even as the movie came to a close, and he realized that earning flight miles would not fill the void he was now finding in his life, we see that Ryan is a character with a code. He is confronted with a situation where he could interject in a marriage and do less mature things than walking away respectfully. We even see growth as he concedes, through means of a recommendation letter, that Natalie’s statements about human emotion are entirely valid. He learned that he could be wrong about the outcomes of various situations, such as people threatening suicides or his disregard for emotional affection. Better yet, we see that he accepts this all very gracefully.

Despite it being a sad movie, some aspects of it were pretty wholesome.