The film was inspiring, but did it actually help the dolphins?
The answer is: YES!
The slaughter is decreasing, but there is no reason to stop now. Since the release of the documentary The Cove in 2009 Japan has been feeling pressure to stop the illegal activity of killing dolphins and selling their meat. The secret is out and Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the situation in Taji, Japan. They are demanding a stop to the killing of innocent dolphins and the pressure seems to be working. No doubt, there is much more that needs to be done, but progress has been made.
If you are interested in keeping up with the advancements of the situation in Japan, the website for the documentary posts blogs every couple of weeks with updates. These posts come with good and bad news, but no doubt there is reason to keep fighting. The film has made a difference and will continue to make a difference as long as people like you and I make a big deal out of it. We need to continually make people aware of the situation and spread the news. If we do our part, Japan will be forced to do theirs.
"Don't stop until you see the change you have fought so long for."
This is Spinal Tap was a hilarious film. For a long period after beginning the film I firmly believed that this was a real band and a real documentary! To my surprise, this band does not exist and was actually made up for the movie that was mocking rock bands. After coming to the realization that this band had way to many hilarious mishaps to be real, the "documentary" became even more hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and I would without a doubt watch it again and again.
I was intrigued to find out the history behind the filming of this movie and I came upon this fabulous and oh so humorous youtube video where the director and also character in the film, Rob Reiner comments on the inspiration of the film and other funny tidbits:
I loved hearing Reiner's perspective on the film, it makes it just that much better!
I also researched people's reviews of the film because I was interested if anyone was opposed to the mocking. I literally could not find a bad review of the film. Some of the best reviews that I came across if you are fascinated for your own personal research are: Roger Ebert's review and IMBd's collection of viewer's reviews.
All of these reviews offer much applause to the outrageously comical film. It was a very successful "documentary" and one that I will personally enjoy watching years from now!
I posted just a couple pictures of the band from the film for further enjoyment! How can you not laugh at these crazy characters?! :)
Restrepo- The grieving process and the consequences
The documentary Restrepo caused me to start to see the differences between the normal grieving process and the grieving process that the soldiers fighting in Afghanistan experienced. I have personally experienced grief in a very close manner and I know that the process of grieving can take a very good amount of time in order to fully get over the loss of a loved one. In the film, the soldiers lose friends day after day, minute by minute. They go through death at a much more rapid and dramatic rate than is normal for any human being.
In one specific scene in the documentary, the men are being told that another squad of the Army just experienced a tremendous blow and 10 U.S. men were killed in the process. The commander that is revealing the news to the men continues on, saying that they must grieve the loss of there comrades, and then get back out and fight to avenge their deaths and kill those who killed their friends.
The way in which the grieving process was approached seemed informal and inadequate. It is not enough to grieve for literally 5 minutes and then get over it and just move on and continue fighting. That is not how it works in real life. You must deal with the situation and go through stages of grieving in order to overcome the loss. The soldiers were deprived of this critical grieving process and have suffered numerous consequences as a result.
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among soldiers who return to the states after their deportation. What is it you ask? Below is a video that explains this disorder and goes into detail about the possible treatment for those who suffer with it.
I feel as though Restrepo did a very accurate job displaying the emotions that these soldiers go through after losing a friend and fellow fighter. After the death of one of the fighters of the squad that was highlighted in the film, the irony can be clearly seen as the next scene includes a fairly upbeat tune that seems to make light the severity of the loss that just occurred. The parallel between the feeling that I experienced after that scene and the feelings that the soldiers are forced to feel became clear. It was genius. The director was forcing the audience to grieve quickly and move on and get back to the next battle just as the soldiers do day after day.
It is very sad to think that those who bravely leave the comfort of their homes to fight for our freedom have to suffer such horrible circumstances while they are serving their country. The positive side: the grief that those brave men don't experience when they are fighting can be worked through when they return back home, it just unfortunately involves a longer and tougher process.
