Hasan Arbakesh...

Overall, I thought that Hasan Arbakesh was a very enjoyable film. First of all, it had some interesting visual elements, which is one of the main features of any film that I usually gravitate towards (I'm sure I have said that many times before, but its true). However, one of the best things about this film was the story itself. Throughout the film, Hasan seems so intent on building a relationship with the girl of his dreams, yet everytime he gets a chance to be with her, he backs away. She wants to study and make something of herself, while he is uneducated and makes a living driving his Arba, causing him to feel that he is not worthy of her and leaving him completely unaware of the fact that she doesn't care about their differences. The story just seemed like something that many people would be able to relate to on some level, which made it really interesting to see on screen.

Goodbye Kyrgyzstan, Hello Uzbekistan...

After I finished my last post, I started thinking about the fact that both articles mentioned were from February and that at this point, the U.S. has probably already settled on an agreement with Uzbekistan, so in the interest of keeping up with the blog posts, I did some additional searching and found an article that addressed the issue. This article was from February 25th, and it confirmed that a deal had in fact been reached between Uzbekistan and Nato. With this agreement, the U.S. (and any other country associated with Nato for that matter) is able to transport non-military supplies through Uzbekistan as the last leg of a journey through Russia and Kazakhstan, on the way to Afghanistan.

The article also mentioned that there was a possibility of Russia allowing the U.S. to transport weapons across their territory at some point in the future, which I thought was surprising because the other articles had suggested that Russia was not happy with the U.S. presence so close to them at the base in Kyrgyzstan, so it seems strange that they would be considering giving the U.S. permission to use their land to move any supplies at all. Anyway, I just wanted to post some updated information because after I thought more about it, I realized that my last post didn't cover as much as it should have.

This is the link for the article on the Nato-Uzbekistan agreement:
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=385&sid=1610049

Loss of U.S. Base in Kyrgyzstan...

The BBC article that served as the supplemental reading for week six was one that I found to be really interesting. I am probably not as up to date on foreign affairs as I should be, so I was not aware of what was going on with the Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan until I read about it for this class. In reading the article, it seems as though the decision made by Kyrgyzstan to end its ties with the U.S. and Nato is putting the United States at a disadvantage at a time when the base would be very beneficial to them. As the article mentions, the Obama administration is planning to increase troops in Afghanistan, and since this base did serve as a key stop for troops on their way to Afghanistan, they are now faced with the challenge of coming up with alternative means of transporting not only soldiers, but supplies as well.

This article mentioned an upcoming vote on the matter that would finalize the decision, so I did some searching and found an article posted thirteen days later on an Asian news site that confirmed the passing of the bill by the Krygyzstan parliament (the final vote was 78-1 against the US!). It was said that the closure did not have anything to do with Russia's offer of $2 billion to Kyrgyzstan, but the update article suggested that the U.S. was not providing sufficient rent, so is it really believable that Russia's offer didn't play any role at all in the decision? Anyway, both the BBC article and the article from the Asian news source made a point of mentioning that the United States was attempting to work out an agreement with Uzbekistan, so I guess now we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Here is the link for the update article:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/19/content_10849960.htm

Writing About Film...

I have taken other film related courses in the past, and I have had to write about films on many occasions, but I have to say that the Corrigan text is really making me take a more critical approach to watching films.

I have always paid attention to the visual aspect of films in terms of composition and camera movements, but I had never really considered how much of a role editing played in the quality of a film. Recently, I have found myself paying attention to things like continuity and transitions between scenes, which are things that I had not given much thought to in the past.

Another concept from the text that caught my attention was the idea that sound in film has a big part in conveying a certain emotion or idea in a scene. I never really considered the importance of sound, or lack of sound in some cases, and how the sound in a film is capable of bringing deeper meaning to a scene or linking a number of scenes together in some way. With the few films I have seen since reading this section of the text, I have been more aware of the significance of the music, sound effects, etc., in relation to what is taking place in the movies, which is something that I rarely paid attention to before.

So far, I have found the text as a whole to be interesting, but I just thought I would mention editing and sound because those are the two elements that really stuck out to me.

Media Fasting...

In my Media Literacy class, one of our assignments is to conduct a Media Fasting experiment and reflect on what we find. We are supposed to keep a record for the first two days of every type of media we use throughout the day, then on the third day, avoid all types of media and record what we do as an alternative for the day. I’m on day two right now, and I have to say that this assignment is making me realize just how much I actually rely on different types of media on a daily basis. I mean, between reading a newspaper or textbook, listening to the radio when I’m driving, using the computer to get school work done (like I am right now to write this blog entry), and watching television or a movie at night, a large percentage of my day seems to involve some type of media. I know this shouldn’t be that shocking since it is obvious that technology is becoming such an integral part of our society, I just never really paid attention to how often I personally use different media outlets throughout the day, so I thought it was interesting to actually see how much I rely on media as part of simple, everyday tasks.

The Aral Sea...

One of the supplemental readings for this class that really caught my attention was the 2001 BBC article about the devastation surrounding the once prosperous Aral Sea. The article mentioned how the Aral Sea, bordered by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, once provided the people of this region with a profitable fishing industry, but has been steadily declining since the 1960's due to the addition of irrigation canals branching off of the river that served as the main water supply for the sea. Reading the article was absolutely heart-wrenching because it basically explained that because of the drastic changes occuring in terms of climate, many people have moved to different locations and those that have chosen to remain in the region have been suffering severely. Not only did the shrinking size of the sea essentially eliminate their fishing industry, but the people living in the area have been sickened by their environment as well in the form of poisoning from polluted air, high rates of anemia, etc.

I was curious about what advancements there had been in recent years, so I did a little more searching and came across an article from the New York Times in 2006 that discussed the plans for improvement of the Aral Sea. According to that article, there is a plan in motion that is already raising the sea level with the use of a dam that was finished in 2005. In addition, the Aral Sea repair plan includes future renovations on an existing dam that is in need of some work and a canal that would link the small and large portions of the sea. Eventually, millions of fish are expected to be let loose in not only the Aral Sea, but other lakes in the area as well, in an attempt to revitalize the floundering fishing industry.

While there is a long way to go for this region, the steps being taken so far seem to be a move in the right direction. Hopefully the plan proves to be successful, because the people in this area are in desperate need of some positive changes in the future.

Here's the link to the New York Times article if anyone is interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/world/asia/06aral.html?_r=1

You are Not an Orphan...

Well, where do I begin? I would have to say that You are Not an Orphan was definitely one of my favorite films thus far. The film as a whole was so incredibly moving and there was so much emotion involved, that it is next to impossible for the viewer to not connect to it in one way or another.

When the film first began, I got the impression that the movie was going to be another one of those typical war-type films that was riddled with violence and devastation, but when I figured out what the actual story behind the film was, I was pleasantly surprised (which seems to be a common theme for me with the films this semester, but was especially true for this film in particular). Seeing the struggles that the family had to endure and the difficulties facing the children in terms of dealing with their personal hardships and figuring out where they fit in as a part of a somewhat unconventional family dynamic really brings out a sense of compassion for the characters and all that they are going through.

Aside from the story itself, the visual aspect of this film was very well done, in my opinion. I tend to pay attention to the framing and camera movements, so I found this film to be really interesting in that way. There were some very creative framing choices, whether it be canted angles, close ups on characters faces, etc., that made the film even more intriguing to watch than it already was. I thought some of the most powerful shots in the film were those that consisted of close up shots on the childrens' faces. There were many cases where the facial expressions said more than any dialogue possibly could have, so the close up shots were especially meaningful.

There really wasn't anything about this film that I didn't like. The film was definitely emotional, but had a hopeful ending. Finding out that it was based on actual events caused it to make even more of an impact, as well. It is without a doubt, one of my favorites so far.

White Mountains...

Well, I have to admit that I am more than a little bit behind schedule with my blog posts at this point in the semester, so I am going to try to catch up now. I never got around to commenting on White Mountains, so that seems like the best place to start. While this was not my absolute favorite film so far this semester, I did find it enjoyable. One of the things that I liked most about the film, and the topic I chose for that week's response paper, was the way certain values were conveyed through particular characters.

One of the main characters, Mukash, was really interesting to watch because he represented determination and the drive to go after the things that one wants out of life. The character, even after being given the opportunity to settle into a routine existence and be in a stable environment, stays focused on what he really wants and comes to the realization that he is willing to do whatever it takes to reach his goals. Even though the film brought Mukash's journey to a depressing end, the message that his character sends is kind of inspirational.

The other thing about this movie that was so touching was the kindness of the community in welcoming Mukash and doing whatever they could to help him. Unfortunately, people sometimes forget how important it is to show compassion for others and to do what you can to help them out when they need it most, so it was really refreshing to see such generosity among these people in the film.

Basically, what I enjoyed most in this film was the portrayal of some very important, yet commonly overlooked, human characteristics. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the ending, but overall the film was interesting and it definitely leaves the viewer with a deeper understanding of the importance of kindness and the will to succeed.