Maya Lin

This was a very interesting documentary to watch, and, like I'd stated before, I have to be really interested and heard many good reviews before I watch a documentary. I'd heard about the Vietnam Memorial before, but I never knew the history behind it, and it was interesting hearing about the thought process, as well as the struggle that went into this memorial. It really touched me Maya's thought process that supported her design for the memorial, which was to help people come to terms and accept the death of those who were lost during the Vietnam war. By being able to see and touch their names, as well as see the chronological order in which they died rather than being grouped in a sea of the same last names, it made the memorial more personal to those affected during the war. It was saddening to see how critical some of the veterans were of Maya's design, and it hurt me to see how hurt she was when some would put her down so harshly. This documentary reminds me of a video I watched in my studio arts class over the summer, which was about the architect I.M. Pei, and Maya Lin reminds me a lot of I.M. Pei because they are both architechts, but also artists because their designs are both aesthetically pleasing and mean a great deal to those who see their work. I liked this documentary, and I wouldn't mind watching it for a second time, as well as recommending it to others to watch.

Billy Elliot

I thought that Billy Elliot was a really good movie. I enjoyed the actor who played Billy because he has so much passion for dancing and it was entertaining watching him dance with such enthusiasm, especially when he was jumping on the bed during the opening credits of the movie, when he was dancing after Mrs. Wilkinson had come by his house and he was mad at his brother Tony, and when he was dancing in the gym on Christmas when he father walked in on him and Michael dancing. This movie was a bit of a culture shock in the beginning because it was very difficult to understand their English accents, so much so that I had to watch the movie with the subtitles on. It was also a bit of a shock how much each of the characters in the movie cursed and dropped the f-bomb. I didn't understand the background of the movie involving the strike and the miners, so the scenes where the mob was calling people "scabs" and attacking the buses really confused me. I thought it was funny that Mrs. Wilkinson told Billy to join her dancing lesson rather than give her the keys to the gym and stand there waiting, and I think it's great that Mrs. Wilkinson believed there to be such great potential in Billy to be a dancer that she was willing to do everything to could in order to making him the best and getting him into the best dancing school. I'm really glad Billy was able to get into the school because it would have been HORRIBLE if he didn't get in because he punched the other boy in the face. I wish they could have shown Billy dancing in Swan Lake when he was older more rather than just ending right as he is about to dance on stage. It would have been great to see his father and Tony's reactions, as well as Michael's to Billy being a professional dancer and not seeing him for so many years. Overall, I thought this was a very touching film, and I even recommended my family watch it.

Event 2

On Saturday, October 10th, 2010 at the Hollywood Palladium off of Sunset Blvd., I attended Kaskade's second day of his Dynasty Tour. This was mine and my boyfriend's first time at the Palladium, and I will say that this has been one of the best venues I have ever been to, and we will definitely be back for more events! The tickets were well priced, security was helpful, the atmosphere was excellent, the drinks were decently priced, and the acoustics were amazing!! There were two DJs known as Justin Michael and Kamal, who were spinning together from 9pm until 1230am, which is when Kaskade was on. My boyfriend and I spent most of the night either uptop on the balcony, outside getting some air (since it was a little warm inside the venue), or in the back of the dance floor. Considering that both nights were sold out, there was still plenty of room to dance and move around throughout the night - we easily made our way up to the front of the stage against the blockade which separated the stage from the crowd, and there was still plenty of room behind us. Throughout the night, there were these two women on stilts dressed up in white costumes with LED umbrellas who would walk around the entire venue or dance in front of the stage during Kaskade's set, who I danced with, and even got a picture with! I even got to hold hands and take pictures with an older woman whom I'm guessing to be Kaskade's mother! I'd first seen Kaskade at Coachella 2010, and I would have to say that this set he'd played in Hollywood was equally, if not better, than when I'd seen him in April. I had not danced this hard since my boyfriend's birthday event at HARD Summer Festival, and I was SO happy, I even cried when he played my favorite song of his, "I Remember"! I cannot wait to come back to the Palladium or see Kaskade perform again, hopefully in the very near future! :]

[Sorry the videos don't have the best quality: they were recorded on my phone]

P.S. I am currently waiting for Maya Lin in the mail - I'd mailed it on Saturday and my queue says that there's a short wait for the DVD, so I may not get it for the next few days. Hopefully I'll get either Maya Lin or Billy Elliot in the mail soon.

Buena Vista Social Club

I was not a fan of this movie. Not that I'm saying it wasn't a good movie, but if it were up to me, I would never watch this movie again. Even then, I fell asleep part of the way through the movie, and I am not very interested in watching what I had missed. Documentaries aren't my choice for movies, and when I do watch a documentary, it has to be about something I'm really interested in and heard good reviews for. I have never heard of the Buena Vista Social Club before - at first, I thought it had something to do with Disney because I remember their older cartoons saying "Buena Vista" as part of their opening/closing credits, as well as possibly Knott's because Knott's Berry Farm is located in Buena Vista, CA. To my disappointment, it was about a musical group I had never heard of, let alone the fact that they're from Cuba. Not that I have anything against Cuba, but I have also never had an interest in Cuba, mainly because it's not near California and I have not heard of anything good coming out of Cuba. It was interesting (not in a good way) seeing the poverty-stricken streets of Havana though, as well as the stray dogs everywhere, some having no shame and just pooping in the middle of the street. Their music had a nice, relaxing feel to it, which is part of the reason why I fell asleep during the movie, but it's not like I would go out and buy their music. I do not speak Spanish, so their music does not relate to me, especially when it's talking about getting aroused at the beach. I like going to the beach with my significant other just as much as the next person, but I don't think I'd ever get turned on after watching my boyfriend's booty shake [haha!] in the sand because, unfortunately, sand is one of the main reasons I don't go to the beach because I don't like the feel of it and how it gets stuck everywhere you didn't think was possible. Anyways, enough ranting. Overall, I would say that this movie was mediocre.