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Meryl Streep: More than just an actress

I absolutely love Meryl Streep. She is by far my favorite actress. Last semester I wrote this as an opinion article for my writing class in honor of her, so I thought I'd put it up.

Meryl Streep: More than just an actress

Her real name is Mary Louise Gummer and she is far from a typical every day person. Her impact and legacy on the film industry is remarkable, and she is arguably the best actress the world has seen in the past few decades. Very few people know her as Mary though. The cinematic world refers to her as Meryl Streep.

With 16 Oscar and 23 Golden Globe nominations, Streep holds the record for most nominations for both awards as well as the utmost respect from her colleagues and fans.

Meryl Streep sprang back into popularity in the past few years as a result of her impressive portrayal of her character in “Devil Wears Prada,” but she further displayed her wide range of acting skills in subsequent movies. Her characters in the years following have engrossed her fans and drawn them in as soon as she steps into the frame.

I have been enthralled by her performances from the very beginning and in the movies I have seen, she has nailed her performances and the mannerisms of her characters. She makes acting look easy, which tells me it’s not at all.

In the movie “Music of the Heart,” she had to become a master violinist. Some actors might try to fake it to some degree, but Streep did the opposite. She not only learned how to play the violin, she practiced six hours a day for eight weeks straight. That equals 336 hours for merely one aspect of the film, which doesn’t include preparing for the character itself. Streep approaches each role she plays in a similar fashion, which is what makes her so good and regarded so highly as an actress.

From donating her wardrobes to hosting dinners to performing poetry, Streep’s impact reaches far beyond the world of the screen. She has helped serve 15 separate organizations in her free time to help those less fortunate than her. Aside from charity work, Streep also has a strong family, which has withstood her fame and fortune for over three decades. Her husband, Don Gummer, and four children remain a very strong influence on her, which is more than I can say for most Hollywood couples nowadays.

She has had numerous high rankings of magazines’ lists of honoring the best actors and actresses, has been nominated for 90 awards (winning the majority), but her most humbling moment occurred just this week*. Streep was nominated and won a highly coveted and extremely elite spot in the 250-member American Academy of Arts and Letters. By obtaining this spot, she becomes the first actor or actress to do so in the history of the organization. And by the way, it’s been around since before the 1900’s.

They bypassed Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Humphery Bogart, Cary Grant, James Stewart and ever other legendary actor ever to be on screen. This spot in this Academy is honor beyond words. Streep cried when she read who else had been on the committee. Names like Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, T.S. Elliot, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ansel Adams, H.G. Wells and countless additional icons in history. Talk about name-dropping.

In the 31 years since being nominated for her first Oscar, she has only won twice, but has accomplished impressively more than Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn. Davis had two wins out of 10 nominations over 28 years and Hepburn had four wins out of 12 nominations in 48 years. Even though Streep’s percentage of winning is not as high as Davis’ or Hepburn’s, she has been recognized to be among the best significantly more and as she gains stature and improves her acting ability, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences cannot deny her extreme and versatile capabilities as an actress much longer. She’s already accomplished more than any other actor or actress since the inception of film.

The more I find out about Streep, the more I respect and admire her poise, emotionally compelling character portrayal and dedication to acting. My award for her? The best American actress in the past four decades. At the very least. And apparently the 250-member board of literature, music and art experts deemed her the best actress to be awarded this elite honor.

*"just this week" is in reference to the week of April 12, 2010

Ten Movies I Want to See

I made a list of some movies coming out in the next few months I want to see. I hope to see all of them at some point.

10. The American
9. Morning Glory
8. Secretariat
7. Kings of Pastry
6. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
5. The Tillman Story
4. Conviction
3. Megamind
2. Waiting for Superman
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

And here's why...

The American
Most George Clooney movies are going to be relatively safe bets. And even though George Clooney's character is stepping out of the shadows to be with the person he loves. That part has been done over and over again, but it seems like an interesting story aside from that.
Release Date: 1 September 2010

Morning Glory
I have always been interested in movies about tv shows so it's not surprising that I am interested in this one. I also have liked Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton in some of their previous movies. It sounds like an interesting plot and hopefully the movie will be good.
Release Date: 12 November 2010

Secretariat
Yes this movie will probably be cheesy, but that's ok. I still want to see it. It's about a woman who, with the help of a trainer, raises a horse who becomes a Triple Crown winner, which is not an easy task to do. I look forward to seeing the movie and hopefully the director filmed the races which still creates plausible suspense even though we already know the horse wins.
Release Date: 8 October 2010

Kings of Pastry
I am mostly looking forward to this movie because I have recently been enthralled with cooking shows such as Cake Boss, Iron Chef America, Cupcake Wars, 24-Hour Restaurant Battle as well as experimenting with a little cooking. I have also recently enjoyed watching food related movies such as Ratatouille and especially Julie & Julia. So as you can see, I am already interested. The movie is a documentary about 15 of France's leading pastry chefs as they compete to be declared Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France). Needless to say, it is an intense 3-day competition and I look forward to seeing it!
Release Date: 15 September 2010

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Now I haven't seen the first one, but I hear it is good and will be adding it to my 'To Watch' list. The previews for this movie look good and you can't go wrong with Michael Douglas. He always brings a lot of talent to the screen. The plot looks interesting. Now we'll just have to see if it delivers.
Release Date: 24 September 2010

The Tillman Story
The Tillman Story was at Sundance this year about the NFL star football player who chose to leave his multi-million dollar contract to enlist in the Army and was subsequently killed by friendly fire while fighting in the line of duty. The movie explores the Army's attempt at the cover up. I heard good things about the movie while at January and really wanted to watch it there, but unfortunately time did not allow. I hope it lives up to my expectations.
Release Date: 20 August 2010

Conviction
The only word that I think of when I read the summary is dedication. Well that and love so I guess two words. Hillary Swank's character, a single mother, spends almost two decades of law school in order to come to the aide her wrongly accused and imprisoned brother. I'm really looking forward to seeing this because I enjoy seeing a character go after something bigger than themselves. Hillary Swank is a good choice for this role. The only bad thing is I have to wait in 6 months.
Release Date: 24 February 2011

Megamind
I have to say, the previews look really funny and I don't necessarily need to specifically what the movie is about to know I want to see it. It looks fresh and funny. My one concern is whether or not it can carry itself for 90 minutes rather than just the trailer.
Release Date: 5 November 2010

Waiting for Superman
This movie was also at Sundance and we heard great things about it and our group wanted to see, but we didn't have a chance. Ever since then, I have been looking forward to its release. It is a documentary about the United States public school system and it definitely provokes discussion. The filmmaker, Davis Guggenheim, conducted lengthy and in-depth research of schools in America and brings his knowledge to the film. He also follows a handful of kids as a part of his research. I am very excited to see this documentary and see his conclusions.
Release Date: 24 September 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
I hate to be predictable or unoriginal, but I do have to say that this is the movie I am most looking forward to in the next few months. As sad as I am to see the series close out, I am so excited to see the beginning of the end because it is completely epic. And yes, I am partially annoyed that it is split into two movies, but then again, not really because that is the only way to do the book any amount of justice.
Release Date: 19 November 2010

I do hope more movies in the next few months are of higher quality than the ones in the first half of this year. One can only hope.

Notes are Beneficial

Have you ever heard a quote in a movie and absolutely loved it? This happens to me quite frequently and the only times I've captured and remembered them was at Sundance. I filled a regular sized notebook about 2/3 full with notes while watching films in Park City. While they were messy and sometimes going off the page due to lack of light, it really helped me identify what parts of the movie I connected with the most. Not that I didn't connect with more than what I wrote, but it had to be something important for me to write down. For one movie, I took 6 full pages of notes. This is partly because it was just a ridiculous movie and there were so many moments I wanted to remember. There was one moment in the film when a friend and I had an incredibly difficult time keeping our laughter to a minimum. Naturally I took notes on it.

I have found notes help me register what is happening and forces me to step back from the movie for a second to write down what I saw. I once read an article about reviewing movies and the author said something to the effect of 'let yourself get wrapped up in the movie.' I have tried to apply this principle to the movies I watch. At the same time, it's helpful for me to get a partial sense of reality instead of being completely immersed in the world of cinema. I have heard some people say this happens when they watch Harry Potter and after they finish the movie or reading the books, they remember magic doesn't really exist and neither does Harry Potter. This has never happened to me, of course. Ever. I have never forgotten that Harry Potter is a fictional character concocted by the famous J.K. Rowling. (This may or may not be sarcasm).

I watched the movie The September Issue tonight and I took 3 pages of notes. It felt natural for me to do and made me think I was back at Sundance, but then I realized I was still at my desk and very far away from Park City. It was so interesting seeing the process Vogue goes through for their annual issue. The year they filmed, the magazine contained 840 pages of fashion! How do they even have enough information and material to cover that much? Apparently they found some things to include. I discovered this movie was actually at Sundance last year, which of course makes me happy. (I have quite an attachment to anything that was ever at Sundance nowadays). There were a couple good quotes throughout the film and you could really get a sense of what the environment is like while working there. It's stressful, filled with pressure, but also fun to see the outcome.

The editor, Anna Wintour, is quite similar to the character Meryl Streep plays in Devil Wears Prada. Wintour is not quite so harsh or strict, but she has that feeling of she knows she's good and her opinion matters. One major difference between her and Miranda Priestly is that Wintour gives compliments where they are deserved, which is something I appreciated about her. Overall, very good movie and never boring. It was a movie I found extremely captivating and interesting.

What a Movie Should Do

A movie should be more than a 90+ minute experience. Its affect should last beyond the credits. Most movies today are made for just the box office and DVD sales and they don't do much outside of being shown. I would argue most documentaries don't go as far as they could to get their point across and to continue their impact. I have only seen one movie that I would say does more than just has screenings. The Dry Land. A Sundance favorite and was one of the best one I saw. I would say 'liked,' but it's really hard to say I liked this movie because in reality, I really didn't. It was hard to watch, emotions were sucked out of me, and it was not a fun topic to see laid out. There were also a couple explicit scenes the audience didn't need to see (just to get that warning out there). However, this was also one of the movies that has stayed with me since seeing it.

First of all, the issue in the movie: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1981284,00.html

Even though the military has been making steps to help lower the number and save men and women from committing suicide, it's not working how they want it to. Knowing this, filmmaker Ryan Pier Williams decided to make a movie about one man and give an accurate picture of what dealing with PTSD is like.

Williams made this movie for a specific purpose. He wanted it to be seen so people can act on it, which in all fairness other documentarians and filmmakers like this want to do as well. This movie is different though. Yes it got into Sundance, but that wasn't necessarily his goal. His ultimate objective was to travel around military bases showing his movie so soldiers can talk about it. If they can see an example of what it looks like and the steps they can take to help themselves, they will be in much better hands. I've never heard of a movie that went beyond the screen like this one does. For Williams, it's more than just a movie. It's an opportunity to show soldiers, their family and friends a picture of one man with PTSD and to spur on conversation.

After the screening at Sundance, Williams said he ideally wanted to release the movies to theaters mid to late summer because that was when a lot of soldiers would come back from fighting the war. The limited release date is July 30 of this year.

This is a real topic that needs to be out to the public and out in the open so people can begin realizing the effects and ramifications it can have on a soldier and his or her family. It's a movie made to provoke real change aside from the 92 minutes you spend watching it.

A Debate of Movies

I watched Front of the Class yesterday afternoon. It was about a recent college graduate whose lifelong dream was to become a teacher, but because of his tourettes syndrome his options were limited because potential employers couldn't look past it. He finally got a job and he excelled in it, but not without his own trials. It was a heartwarming story about overcoming great personal struggles in order to pursue a dream.

The movie immediately following that movie, was Riding the Bus with My Sister. This movie was about a mentally challenged woman who had struggles her whole life, but somehow still had the ability to enjoy it. Within the first few minutes, I felt uncomfortable. I didn't want to watch a movie about this woman. But then I started thinking about how I had just finished watching a movie about a person with personal struggles, so why was this so different? It's the same basic plot: A person struggles through life, but somehow still finds joy and does what they love. The specific circumstances change from film to film, but it's basically the same. So why is it that certain movies, such as this one for me, make us uncomfortable? Is it because the specifics of a movie strike a cord in us that we don't want to think about or explore? I continued watching the movie because I didn't want to be shallow by not watching it simply because I wasn't completely comfortable. But doesn't living in comfort limit your knowledge and ability to learn? People learn most when their level of knowledge is drastically different than the situation they're in. So why don't we put ourselves in situations where we don't know much? Are we afraid of failure or is it something else?

Movies are made to ask questions, sometimes answer a couple, show a situation audiences would never have experienced otherwise, provide an escape from life, and yes, they also offer a level of entertainment. But movies are much more than that. They ask questions which we can't ask ourselves. Too many times we watch a movie purely for entertainment, which is something I am guilty of myself, but if we aren't asking questions afterwards, then we aren't getting everything we can out of the movie and then we have wasted our time and money. Why not take the time to reflect on what we spent an hour and a half to two hours (or in Lord of the Rings case 3-4 hours) watching? Granted, there are some movies where the only question you can ask is, 'why did I waste my time with it?' But more often than not, you can always ask a question applicable to life.

A Collection of Pictures

Now that it's been almost two weeks after we've been back at Taylor, I thought I would post more pictures.

This is a heater post. They were all around town for people to stand by and warm up. We all really appreciated it.

A picture of the mountains/some of the ski runs. The mountains in Utah are different than Colorado, but both are beautiful!

This was really cool. It is the same concept as looking at a map on an iPhone where you can move the map with your fingers and zoom in and out with two fingers. This alters that technology slightly by enabling people to move the map with their feet. I didn't get to do it, but we watched a couple people play with it.

This was also really cool. There are five screens in one room. Two guys are playing the same song in different locations with different instruments and they are played together for one song. It was like complete surround sound if you stood in the middle of the room.

This is Rikki (in front) and this is Rikki if she were a boy. Brad pointed that out to us so naturally I covertly took a picture.

This is at the after party. There were a lot of people there and some weird dancing. I took a short video of a lady dancing. I wish I had her whole dance, but I just stood and watched her for a few seconds and then we had to move on.

Another picture of the stage. The music was really loud, but good.

Here's a banner for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Naturally I had to take a picture of it. A lot of the skiing and snowboarding venues for the Olympics were actually held in Park City. I saw the Superpipe from a distance and there were various other Olympic banners around town.

This is at the high school where they filmed all 3 High School Musical movies. Jonathan absolutely loves those movies so we stopped by the school on our way to the airport in Salt Lake City. It took us a few times to get a good picture, but we were all happy with how this one turned out. Plus, I'm pretty sure it was the highlight of Jonathan's week. Not even joking.

I decided to keep a track of what movies I see this year. So far I've seen 36. I feel pretty good about that number even though that's kind of a lot. Oh well.