Spiderman 4

The reason I chose to do this blogpost is because not only did I like the move. I also wanted to compare the roles Andrew Garfield played in both the Social Network and Spiderman 4.

In the Social Network Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, a rich, smart Harvard student. He funded Facebook in the beginning of its life only to be edged out at the end by Mark Zuckerberg, this in turn changing him from a nice kid willing to give money out to start the business to a vengeful enemy of Mark Zuckerberg, who sues him and wins an undisclosed sum of money.

While in Spiderman 4, he plays a shy kid who gets bullied and ridiculed to a super hero. Illuminating with confidence at the end of the film as opposed to his lack of confidence at the beginning.

These two roles are completely different in every way. In the Social Network, a more serious film, he had to be more composed and put together as a character, while in Spiderman it allowed for some more leniency in the role and it was more his interpretation of the part.         

Big Sean

I went to the basketball ball pep rally about a month ago, where the men’s and woman’s team both came out. Their respective coaches introduced the teams, while the students cheered them on, followed by the rapper Big Sean. I originally went to the pep rally just to see the players and support the team, but when Big Sean came on it changed my opinion and I decided to stay.

No I’m not saying that Big Sean is some life-changing artist that I was enlightened when I saw him perform, but he was entertaining and it was a fun concert to go to.

Yes, this is was I’m doing my blogpost on because, although I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t done too many art related activities, and I know that Big Sean isn’t the epitome of art, but rapping is in a way a version of poetry, and I definitely consider poetry art. The messages that Big Sean talks about aren’t quite what you’d first think of when you think about poetry, but its poetry nonetheless.       

My Self Evaluation

1.   Taking English 15s really improved my writing in many different ways. Each and every different type of prose that we were assigned to write provided me with a different perspective and a different attitude on how to write it. This diversification in styles made me a more well rounded writer and made me realize that writing isn’t just about length or the amount of words on your paper, but the most important thing is the thoughts you put on the paper.

This class definitely helped me connect to the school in a completely unexpected way. Because of the fact that this class only had some 20 students in it, it made Penn State seem a lot smaller and made the transition from home to State College much easier. Although I don’t see my classmates outside of class, nor do I really talk to them during class, save when we were working on the group project, I did start to see them as individuals and not just as the unit of Penn State where everyone in State College has some affiliation to the school.

At first, I sort of looked down on the fact that nothing in a ten-mile radius has any individuality, and that the university provides everything with business and any service it can offer, that Penn State is everything to them. But during my time as a student here, I’ve come to realize there’s a reason this is the case. And as I’ve realized why Penn State is so highly regarded by so many, I’ve also realized that despite the undying loyalty to Penn State by the some 70,000 that live here, and the millions of alumni, they are all their own people, and that’s what makes it special, we aren’t type casted.

Sorry, that tangent is over, back to what this blog post is actually supposed to be about. I thought at first this class would be some weird talk about our feelings about leaving home, and starting anew in a place where we don’t know many people, but it wasn’t. Even though I would’ve liked not getting to work right away, and relaxing for a week or two, in retrospect, the fact that we were in the heat of the semester two weeks into school got my mind off home and who I had left behind to writing long papers and commenting on blog posts.

This course helped me adjust into my new life here in University Park, and in a way I’m kind of sad to see it end, I’m kind of sad to see the first semester end. It was our first semester of the next four years of my life, and looking back at all four years of high school, that felt like a lifetime ago. I say this now, but keep in mind that I have yet to start studying for finals, ask me in two weeks to write this post and it will just say finally its over. 

2.   http://jspellman94.blogspot.com/2012/12/25-days-of-christmas.html#comment-form

http://itsblogtimeeverybody.blogspot.com/2012/10/kickin-it-old-school.html#comment-form

http://articulatingtheartsatpennstate.blogspot.com/2012/11/artsculture-response-jack-johnson.html#comment-form

http://contemplationsoacck.blogspot.com/2012/11/like-wind-acbp5.html?showComment=1355102731983#c372066082165585456

http://artsandman.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review-social-network4.html#comment-form

http://haileyhere.blogspot.com/2012/09/do-i-walk-by-h.html?showComment=1355102972263#c9098382323072208596

http://theartofanargument.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post-7-greek-sing.html?showComment=1355103164489#c3518044586393634072

http://morgannsays.blogspot.com/2012/10/good-will-hunting-movie-review.html?showComment=1355103400942#c4746841070722885468

http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/11/catch-22-marathon-reading.html?showComment=1355103562653#c5666160384628050868

http://cheddarbread.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html?showComment=1355103751644#c4193038433120042856

3. I did the SRTE.

In the Red and Brown Water

The main characters of the play are Oya, Mama Mojo, Shango and Ogun. Oya is a beautiful track star who receives a scholarship offer from state. Mama Mojo tells her to turn it down as her days are running out and she wants Oya to stay in her last hours and Oya obeys. Mama Mojo also tells Oya that Shango is the wrong man for her so she chases him off for as long as she can. Mama Mojo dies and the two get back together, but just temporarily until Shango leaves for war. While Shango is off at war, Ogun offers her his love and a family, and Oya accepts. After some time in their relationship, Shango comes back on leave surprised Oya is not yet pregnant and he takes it in his own hands to make it so, but it doesn’t appear to have worked. Shango’s leave ends and he goes back to war. Oya feeling disheartened visits The Woman Who Reminds You looking for answers about her fertility, but is unsuccessful, so she tells Ogun to find someone better. The next time Shango is home, the partner of Oya’s neighbor tells Oya she is pregnant with Shango’s baby. As a gift Oya cuts her ear off and gives it to him.

The thing that surprised me the most about the play was Oya passing up the scholarship opportunity. This was her only chance for higher education and because of her poverty, which is evident in that she lives in the projects, her one shot to make a better living. These things were all at stake and they were all lost, because she was never given another chance to have that scholarship.

The actress that most compelled me was Oya, the emotion she brought to the stage in the final scene was moving. And the fact that she was able to do this part such justice even though its so far from her actual life truly amazed me.

I only have one critique of the play and that is to establish the setting more clearly at the beginning of the show, because I was at a loss for a good majority of the show not knowing which continent we were in.

This was not my first time seeing a performance, and the few performances I have seen were performed by professional actors some of whom are famous for roles in movies and other larger scale plays, but the acting in this play was fantastic, and to think that these are our fellow students is incredible.     

The Social Network

There are more people on Facebook today than there were people in 1804, so it’s only fitting that a movie be made about this giant network. The “Social Network” is about how Facebook became what it is today, with the addition of some extra drama to make it into an Oscar winning picture. The Picture won 3 Oscars, and was nominated for 84.

The movie was directed by David Fincher, and written by Aaron Sorkin. Some of the stars include Justin Timberlake, Jesse Eisenberg, and Andrew Garfield. Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard student, who will eventually found Facebook later in the movie. Although he uses means to create the network that certain other characters don’t think is fair, leading to the lawsuit. The Winklevoss twins, played by Armie Hammer, feel as if “the Zuck” stole their idea. But they’re not the only enemy Zuckerberg makes, he will eventually edge out his best friend, Eduardo Saverin out of the business completely despite the fact that it was his money that started the website. Saverin also takes part in the lawsuit.

The movie is very suspenseful at the end, when you’re awaiting the results of the lawsuit. You found yourself rooting for a certain side to get what they deserve, but I won’t say which in an effort to not ruin anything for you as the reader. One weakness I thought was that it got a little slow at certain points, with the cluttering of the plot with irrelevant events.

All in all, I would one hundred percent recommend this movie to anyone, any age maybe above 13 due to a few sex scenes and vulgar language, not to mention it could confuse anyone younger.