Prior to watching this movie, I knew of the significance the skating subculture had in the black community and really enjoyed learning more about the subculture and sense of community that was found within the pastime. The film showcased a history and culture often ignored, and how black-owned roller rinks are being bulldozed and rezoned, and how these communal centers are in danger. Documentaries like this are really vital in highlighting histories that are sadly often not shared.
Author Archives: lsf55
The Current Effects of Climate Change
Climate change is often perceived as a “distant” or “unreal” problem, but this movie did a great job of illustrating the fact that many communities are already experiencing the devastating effects of climate change today. The film really highlighted a necessary message of how climate change is a persistent problem, that is hurting not only the environment but people as well. I feel like many documentaries centered on climate change focus more on the effects on the ecosystem while this focuses on “the human element” which is necessary for some people to see in order to realize just how much of a problem climate change is. From the families whose children have severe asthma from extreme pollution to the fishing community struggling to make money with rising sea levels, showcasing the human side of climate change effects was a very interesting and new concept this movie delivered well.
Art as a means of expressing change
This seminar was very interesting, and I really enjoyed listening to the artists featured and what their art means to them and to their communities. Art is a powerful tool for expressing emotion, communicating with others, and for advocating for change. It was very inspiring to hear from artists who use their art as a means to advocate for such change. The artists used murals, street art, and gallery art to spark dialogue at protests, online, and in their communities to bring attention to topics they were passionate about. I really enjoyed viewing the beautiful art pieces the artists shared in this webinar and learning about their creative processes when it comes to making thought-provoking pieces designed to spark change.
Gains and Losses – The Queen’s Gambit Ep4
This episode really caught me off guard with how the plot developed. After her loss in Las Vegas, the story skips forward in time to show Beth’s growing frustration with her life and her chess skills. Paired with this frustration and struggle with her current skill level we see Beth rely more on substances, going to parties to drink and smoke and distract herself from her problems. With her ever-growing focus on being the best possible chess player she can, Beth takes up learning Russian to have the upper hand on future tournaments against Russian players. This episode really highlighted the cracks in Beth’s seemingly perfect prodigy image, as her stress and turbulent emotions get the better of her in her chess matches this episode. While in previous matches she would silently be poised and demolish her opponents, in this episode she paces around, doubts herself, and gets very visibly frustrated. It was a good visual cue into how her character and skills are stagnating at this point in the series. However, the real stand-out point in this episode was Beth’s mother’s death towards the end. I’m curious to see how this large change in her life, and the loss of one of the only people she’s really connected with, will affect her character going forward.
Growing from Failure- The Queen’s Gambit Ep3
This episode, like the last two, did a really great job of highlighting Beth’s growth as a character. We continue to see Beth grow in terms of her chess skill, while simultaneously distance herself more from her peers. The scene where the “Apple Pi Club” girls who initially bullied her invite her to a mini party highlights this growing disconnect from “normal teen activities”. They invite her due to her rising fame but don’t actually want to talk to her about chess, only appearing to care about her interests to capitalize off her newfound fame. Beth however quickly realizes how little in common she has with these girls and sneaks out while stealing a bottle of gin from the house. This continued the theme of how Beths evergrowing focus on chess is coupled with reliance on substances. The time continuity in this episode was a little confusing, as I was unsure if Beth was still a highschooler when she went to her Las Vegas match. The main focus of this episode however that really led to new developments in Beth’s character was her losing her match with Benny Watts. Beth had previously been portrayed as very confident in her abilities and reliant on the same habits in order to improve, and having that security in her confidence shaken by a loss is an interesting path for her character to take.
A New Home – The Queen’s Gambit Ep2
I really enjoyed this episode, and Beth’s character development is something that really makes this series shine. After being adopted as a teenager, Beth starts going to high school, yet retains her aloof reserved outlook. One can see that her reliance on chess has evolved to a point where it has become her primary interest in life, as she forgoes bonding with peers or focusing on school to pursue professional chess tournaments. And as her focus on chess continues through this episode, we see that she falls back on her reliance on pills as well to allow her to further focus on this interest. It was also very interesting to see how after Allston, her adoptive father, leaves the family, Beth’s dynamic with her mother changes. Her adoptive mother at first almost seemed to have some disdain for Beth and thought of her as strange, but after hearing how much money chess tournaments could earn, begins to support and bond with her daughter, regardless of her intentions being focused on money.
A New Opening – The Queen’s Gambit Ep1
I had heard a lot of good things about this show, but prior to seeing it through Rose Scholars, I hadn’t got the chance to give it a try. My only prior knowledge of the show’s premise was a female chess prodigy main character, and the first episode alone really piqued my interest and surpassed my expectations. This episode was a great opener to Beth’s character, showcasing her childhood hardships and leading up to how she sought to escape from these troubles through chess. It was interesting to see how her growing dependency on the pills given to her at her orphanage combined with her growing fascination with chess both hindered and helped her leave the orphanage. She became caught in a cycle of wanting to improve at chess, using the pills to help her visualize the chessboard, and then gaining a reliance on both as a means of escapism. The cinematography of the episode as well was very interesting, and the climax of the episode with her collapsing from taking too many pills helped signify to the audience just how unsustainable this coping mechanism was and revealed a hidden impulsive nature to her seemingly serious character.
“We can fly with our spirit” – Kiki’s Delivery Service
I’ve been a fan of Studio Ghibli films for a while and was very excited that one of the Friday films would be showcasing one. Kiki’s Delivery Service has gorgeous animation and the same whimsical spirit that makes Ghibli films so timeless. I had watched this movie before several years ago, and when watching again for this event, Kiki’s overzealous enthusiasm to begin her new independent life as a witch really reminded me of the college experience, and the feeling of burnout when it comes to pushing yourself too hard in your work in search of that independence. Throughout the movie, Kiki is desperate to prove herself and not be a failure when it comes to helping others with her magic. She takes on continuously hard jobs in order to prove her worth, thus over-extending herself in the process, and finding herself getting sick, losing interest in her hobbies, and even beginning to lose her magic itself. Her magic, in my eyes, represents her drive and spirit – which is what allows her to fly and reach her ambitions. But refusing to rest and set reasonable goals to reach those ambitions leads to her losing that spirit. This reminded me of a common experience when it comes to college and work itself, where outside pressures lead to people over-exerting themselves in pursuit of their goals and losing the drive that got them there, to begin with. Kiki’s Delivery Service reminded me that not pushing yourself too hard and taking the time to get the necessary rest, will allow one’s spirit to truly soar.
Man’s True Best Friend
Before watching this movie, I didn’t know much about how the process of training and matching people with service dogs worked, except that it probably took a long time to teach dogs all of the skills they use. Watching this documentary was eye-opening. I enjoyed watching the group of guide-puppies and their journey through training to be paired with the people they would assist. It’s so impressive how much dogs are capable of learning and how many people are passionate about training them for such a good cause. I didn’t realize how rigorous the program was to train guide dogs was and how only a very select few would make the cut to be matched with a person. The dogs knew how to navigate through traffic, recognize several dangerous situations and help their owners go to a safe place, and even notice how far along to stand on a train platform. The time and effort put into training dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind were very inspiring. It was also very heartwarming to see how these dogs have impacted their people’s lives and how excited the trainers, foster families, and everyone involved in the process were to see the dogs succeed in assisting others.