Upon finishing my Poli Sci paper, I feel somewhat less frustrated with the American political system, probably because I've just been venting my frustration with the corrupt election system for the past couple of hours (I just wrote 4 pages really quickly and hopefully efficiently!). However, I know that nothing really can be done to save our political system, with a democracy no longer possible in such a large country that created a Constitution that eliminated accountability before it really became an issue in politics. I mean, why worry about blaming politicians when you have leaders like George Washington and Adams and Jefferson, who are not the Founding Fathers for no reason. Is that why America is an essentially misogynistic nation? Does it really date back to Jefferson having sex with slaves?
And on that note, I saw Breaking Dawn: Part 1 as my destressor earlier tonight, and I am saddened by how much I liked the book compared to the movie (the book wasn't all that great). One of the oddest things about the movies is the non-believable "chemistry" between Bella and Edward, especially when Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are dating in real life. There are 2 possible and equally viable explanations: Robert Pattinson's self-explained one in which he plays an awkward, lurking stalker; and the more realistic one that their real-life relationship is a sham meant to last until the movies are over and people no longer think it's adorable for them to be together because they're in a series together (the Zac Efron/Vanessa Hudgens syndrome). It's happened countless times in Hollywood, with costars falling madly in love because their characters are love interests (Miley Cyrus/Liams Hemsworth), and then splitting almost as soon as the movie wraps up. It calls to mind Blue Lagoon, in which the director instructed Brooke Shields to keep a poster of Christopher Atkins on her ceiling so she would develop a crush on her costar while filming and the chemistry in the movie would be "real". I have so many ideas and theories about how Hollywood works, but I can't stand the business I so direly want to investigate more. Everytime I see an actor/actress, I am so tempted to ask: are you real? do you have any personality outside of your characters you are most known for? actors are known for losing themselves in their roles, so do they become so lost in playing fantasy that they no longer have a reality (like Heath Ledger in playing the Joker)?
Also, although I am an avid lover of James Lipton's Inside the Actor's Studio, I don't believe in all that BS about method. You can hem and haw all you want, but acting ultimately comes down to how shallow you are, and how easily you can lose yourself in a role. The worst actors are the ones who play who they are in real life (take January Jones in Mad Men) and the best ones can play versatile roles that compel audiences to follow the character development throughout the film and actually feel as if the character is alive and walking all around us (Meryl Strep is a fine example).
So many movies are such crap these days that the Oscars raising the Best Picture nominees to 10 was a waste because there aren't 10 Best Picture-worthy films this year. What happened to dressing like Cary Grant and dancing like Fred Astaire? Or being loved for personality and not sexuality (although that's never been the case in film). Movies used to have dialogue and character development, and titles without "Returns," "The Sequel," "Man on a Ledge." How has Hollywood run out of fresh ideas when thousands of screenwriters submit original scripts every year?
Well I am nowhere close to finishing my endless tangent on the demise of films, but it's time for Greek and bed. Onward and upwards!
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