Food, Inc. Review

The documentary Food Inc. was one of the best made and effective documentaries I’ve ever seen. I felt the way that they set up their points with clear categories and titles helped viewers to better understand the direction in which they were about to be taken. I felt that the directors and producers touched upon all topics that they could’ve… even some which I didn’t even expect (that corn is in practically everything).

I was shocked to learn that the food industry has so much control over what we eat. As they said in the documentary, I felt that by walking into the supermarket, I had lots of choices and variety in the food that I was buying. Surprisingly that is not the case. I had no clue that only a small handful of major companies play a role in the food business, and that they’re mainly parent companies to the others. By watching the film I felt almost stupid, and duped by the government into having us think that we’re getting high quality food at the stereotypical farms that we see in pictures.

I love food. When I saw Supersize Me I immediately craved chicken Mc Nuggets. But this film had me appalled. There were certain scenes where I felt like I had to put the film on pause, immediately stop watching, or fast forward to happier parts. We’ve all seen the film clips of workers treating animals badly at slaughterhouses and farms. But the news stations censor and cut off the parts which they deem too violent for the masses. Not Food Inc. I had no clue that chickens were stuffed into large coops and never see the sun. I didn’t know that farmers have formulated chickens to be twice as large and to be killed half as fast. I didn’t like seeing cows being kicked around and pushed as if they were soccer balls. I found it absolutely inhumane for them to be standing knee-high in their own feces. I mean, these are animals that we eat. It made me want to almost become a vegetarian… so that I wouldn’t be supporting these farms.

After watching the film, I feel like we the consumers actually do have more power over these companies than we think. If we sit here and think about it, if we started buying local and organic… then these companies would need to switch up their business motto and adjust. After all, companies who adjust, survive. Without the consumers, these companies would not have a job. The only problem is, getting the word out there so that we force these companies to make changes to their logic.

I don’t think that this documentary can scare people into immediately changing their eating habits. But I think that this documentary helps us to make little changes in the things that we buy at the supermarket. Maybe the next time I want to eat chicken, I won’t reach out and grab something from Tyson… I’ll elect to go to Wholefoods and buy from there. With the economy being as down as it is, it’ll be even harder for people to dig deeper into their pockets and pull out more money for organic and local goods.

One thing that resonates in my mind (beside the brutal treatment of the animals) was when the documentary focused on the eating habits of one family. They said that it was cheaper to go out and buy a hamburger than a head of broccoli. I’ve never put things into perspective in that way… and it’s true. It’s sad that we can buy more for unhealthy calories which are essentially salt and sugar than we can for the good ones- fruits and vegetables.

I would recommend this film to everyone I know. As people… and consumers of food, we’re all affected by these major corporations. It is truly sad that our own government is deliberately hiding these issues from us. I guess we’re considered to be the land of the free… only up to a certain point.

HIFF movie reviews

This April marks Hawaii International Festival's 2010 Spring Showcase. HIFF has 2 showcases annually, one in the fall (which is the larger one) and one in spring.

For this showcase, HIFF did an excellent job of bringing down a wide range of films down from countries such as Iran to Australia. This year I was lucky enough to go to 2 films- "Cafe Seoul" and "A Good Rain Knows".

"Cafe Seoul" is a Korean-Japanese film directed by Masaharu Take and features actors Kim Jung Hoon, Saito Takumi, Choi Sung Min, and Kim Dong Wook. Its about a Japanese journalist who travels to Korea in search of a restaurant to write an article for a publication. Upon traveling to Korea he becomes attached to the story of 3 brothers who are involved with their family sweets shop.

"A Good Rain Knows" is a Chinese-Korean film directed by Hur Jin Ho and features actors Jung Woo Sung and Gao Yuanyuan. Its a story which revolves around the relationship between the 2 lead characters once they're reunited after not seeing one another for years.

Of the 2 films, I enjoyed "Cafe Seoul" over "A Good Rain Knows". Though both were good films and opposites in terms of storyline wise... "A Good Rain Knows" was a little too slow moving for me. Though the storyline speeds up in the middle to ending part of the film, it wasn't as heartwarming as I had thought it would be.

"Cafe Seoul" was a lighthearted film with its fair share of drama. Just when the film gets too depressing, the mood gets lighter with witty one liners from the cast. It featured glimpses of several characters pasts, which made them seem more human and likeable.

Going to these 2 films was a good way to break up the monotony of our Hollywood blockbuster films. Since the Spring Showcase is the smaller o the 2 festivals, I can't wait to see what HIFF has in store for us in several months.

TXTiNG in the Car

There's one law which no one pays much attention to. No, not the jaywalking one. The ban of cell phones while driving. That one.

Though the intentions of the state implementing the law is admirable... it's just a bit ridiculous already. Unfortunately the actions of few dictate the actions of the whole. Because of the amount of accidents that take place while someone is driving, the state felt that they needed to put this law in place in order to make Hawai'i's roads safer.

But the real question is... does anyone even care?

According to honoluluadvertiser.com archives, 38 Honolulu drivers were ticked on the first day of the cell phone ban.

Most people don't take the law seriously. Maybe the majority of people who take it seriously are our typical mom & pops... but certainly not the younger generation, where we're used to having our phone on us at all times.

While driving, you can still see many drivers talking, texting, and fiddling on their phones while in the drivers seat. Though the law certainly may have scared some into abiding by the law, many seem to not care.

The law is enforced once an officer sees an electronic device in the possession of the driver. If it is the driver's first offense, they are issued $67 ticket.

According to an interview done for starbulletin.com, the ban on electronic devices includes- "cell phones, text-messaging devices, pagers, personal digital assistants, MP3 players, laptops, video games and digital photographic devices. Hands-free devices are allowed. Navigation devices such as GPS are allowed."

No phone calls of texting are allowed while the car engine is on. The only exceptions to the law are calls being made to 911.

Many feel that the government is creating too many laws which restrict them from their freedom. Now the government is starting to control the tiny decisions which we think nothing of, every single day.

Other people feel that the law is rediculous because it only pertains to the island of Oahu. The law could have more legitimacy if it held true to all the islands of Oahu. But sadly (or happily) it does not.

But let's wait and see if the law has served its initial purpose- less accidents on the road & saving lives. Then maybe we'll see who's laughing then.

Sit-in's to End School Furloughs

Lately there have been lots of press regarding the school furloughs that have taken place since October 2009. For the past six days, protesters have taken seat either in Gov. Linda Lingle's office or protest outside of Washington Place in order to bring awareness to finalizing a solution.

But there is none.

The furloughs have been a controversial topic amongst Hawai'i residents. Though some individuals may support the govenor's decision in putting the furloughs in place, an overwhelmingly majority of the population do not agree.

The honoluluadvertiser.com has a countdown which keeps track of the amount of days since the very first furlough. As of today, the countdown is at 171 days.

The last I checked, out of all the states in the U.S. Hawai'i had the greatest number of furlough days... leaving our students to be in schools the least.

The instillment of furlough days will certainly hurt Hawai'i's high schoolers in the future- when they apply to colleges. Having our high school students not be in school is not the answer. But if it isn't... then what is?

I understand the reasoning behind the furloughs (though I may not agree with it, I understand the reasoning). I think that our economic state is in such a comprimise that however way we decide to cut costs, it'll come at the expense at a lot of individuals. Schools, just so happened to be at the losing end of the battle.

I understand that the schools don't have enough money to operate like they did before... or else we wouldn't be in this mess. I get that teachers can't take anymore pay cuts because they need to make a living too. I get it, that's great. People now want to tap into the state's Hurricane Fund for money... but remember that saying about saving money for a rainy day? When that day comes, then what?

In times like these, we can't be picky. Some people need... while some need to give. And with the public unhappy with the students "giving" up their school days... there needs to be a different solution. So who's going to "give" now? The answer: no one. No one wants to give up their jobs, their money, etc in these tough economic times. But someone does. If we want the students back in school, someone's got to give up something.

I may not be educated enough to come up with my own solution to end furloughs, but I do believe that we need to make the students a priority. THEY are the future generation... and if the future generation isn't getting the education they need... then we as a state will fail.

Video Project HIFF synopsis

My video project is going to be focused on audience expectations and reactions to the movie that they're seeing. I'm going to interview the audience asking them what their expectations are and then do a follow up with them asking them their reactions and whether or not the film met their expectations.

The 2 films that I'm going to see are called "Cafe Seoul" and "A Good Rain Knows" both star big name actors in Korea. Because of the big names that are attached to these movies, it'll be interesting to know if these films end up meeting people's expectations.

GD, Flo Rida Collaboration

From late 2009 to early 2010, there’s been controversy in Korea regarding whether or not popular recording artist G-Dragon has plagiarized one of Flo Rida’s songs. Fans and anti-fans alike have noted similarities between GD’s Heartbreaker and Flo Rida’s Right Round.

There have been many talks and fingers pointing between both artists’ recording companies and much public speculation on whether or not the plagiarism actually took place. GD is signed under the Korean entertainment label: YG Entertainment while Flo Rida is signed under two entertainment labels: Atlantic and Poe Boy.

Most Korean fans have noticed similarities between GD’s Heartbreaker and Flo Rida’s Right Round but have come to the Korean artist’s defense. Their opinions only added fuel to the fire and ignited talks to lawsuits filed by both companies.

For weeks and weeks the pubic waited to see how the events would unfold. Many people figured that YGE would end up having to go to court and pay large sums of legal fees. The word that the public got was that Flo Rida’s record label was reviewing the case and would deem fit what the outcome would be.

Around March 2010, Flo Rida’s record label deemed everything to be false… relieving GD and YGE of any wrongdoings. Not too long after word got out, rumors circulated that the two artists in question would be collaborating.

In late March, YGE released the official collaboration- a remix of Heartbreaker on GD’s live concert album. The song contains new lyrics from the original and an introduction and English rap by Flo Rida.

The collaboration ended up being a surprisingly happy twist that no one saw coming.


Flo Rida's Right Round: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCw1ggftuQ
GD's Heartbreaker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOXEVd-Z7NE
GD & Flo Rida's Heartbreaker collaboration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-j_U9KBObg