Capture of Culture- Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film

Some kids will grow up never having that box of loose pictures  in the back of their closet.


Since the 1940s, Polaroid has been producing instant film which develops the image right in front of the photographer providing an instant picture. The chemicals and process for making the instant film became too expensive so the Polaroid factories developed for making such a product were shut down. Working with reserves, the Polaroid company was able to produce enough photo frames before they officially closed to meet a five year forecast. However, after the company had shut down their factories, their forecast became too low of an estimation when it came to selling frames. This caused the company to release a statement in which they declare they will never make instant footage again in 2008. From the woodwork appeared artists and photographers who began to protest against the lack of footage. In response, the Impossible Project was demised in order to fill the need for instant film for that niche market of Polaroid lovers.


As far as the validity of using Polaroid as an artistic medium, there are several schools of thought. There are those who love the colors it makes, who enjoy the process, and who demand a replacement. There are consumers who claim that digital is easier or that analog is the clear front runner. The transition from analog to digital for pictures is much like the lead from film to digital in the film industry. Everything is constantly shifting forward making it difficult for film makers like Christopher Nolan to make projects or for the average Joe snapping pictures on an old Polaroid. The market for Polaroid instants continues to grow as many refuse to let their generation be the first to not have photos laying in a box in the back of their closets. When there is a need for the people, it is met which is what made Polaroid a great company in the beginning and now makes them memorable.

Stream of the Week- National Treasure

"Why does that never happen to me?"


After listening to his grandfather tell the legend of his family's legacy, Ben Gates decides to hunt down the lost Knights Templar Treasure, hidden by the Free Masons. The only clue he has leads him to a boat completely encased in ice in the artic. On the ship, an old trading ship, Ben finds a pipe inscribed with the next clue. The clue is in reference to the Declaration of Independence, but before they can decide how to actually get the Declaration, the financial backer for the expedition decides he doesn't need Gates anymore, so he takes the clue and leaves Gates and his computer analyst, Riley on the boat, stranded without any way out. Gates's backer, Howe, decides in order to get the clue from the Declaration he has to steal the document. Riley and Gates go to the authorities in order to warn them, but none of them take their tips seriously. Having the document stolen is not an option. This leads Riley and Gates to steal the document to protect it from being destroyed by Howe and team. Along the way, however, they encounter a member of the national archives preservation team, Abigail, who gets dragged along in order to ensure that their position isn't given away. On the back of the Declaration, Gates, Riley, and Abigail (with a little help from Ben's dad Patrick) find a cypher which they use to decode a series of historical letters written by Benjamin Franklin. Their deeds start to catch up with them as the FBI tracks them down in the hunt for the Declaration. Howe is also on their tail. With only a few clues left to go, Howe traps the team and steals the artifacts. Gates also gets arrested by the FBI for his crimes, but they make a deal in order for the Declaration to be retrieved from Howe and returned. All three groups must work together in order to both find the treasure and return the artifacts to their rightful homes.


I have always loved adventure/archeology films. Indiana Jones was the sort of hero I was raised on. There's something about finding lost treasure that brings out the adventurer in us all. Do you really care to have a history lesson on the Free Masons? Probably not, but throw in a gold idol and guns and the whole world is in. This genre is defined by films such as this one, Indiana Jones, the Mummy series, and all those movies with yellowed color pallets and scores riddled with major chord outlines in fast rhythmic patterns. They are all alike, but different in their subtleties which truly makes each one an interesting watch.

Capture of Culture- Food, Inc.

If you like chicken nuggets, turn back now.


The food industry has become a world of mechanics and processes eliminating homegrown products and small time farmers who are unwilling or unable to keep up with the changes in standards and the industry itself. With a small number of large companies running the market, farmers are forced to reorganize their farms so that they can produce larger quantities of products in a shorter time for a lower cost. New processes have been introduced so that the chickens you buy at the market are raised entirely in the dark and spend their short lives getting more bulk than their bodies can withstand making it impossible for them to move. Corn producers are encouraged to over produce corn so that feed buyers can buy the product for less than it costs to grow. The consumers is flooded with options in the supermarket, but all these options come from very select corporations all vying for the attention and money of the nation. These companies encourages productivity that leads to an overflow of work in slaughter houses, making too many cows go through the system adding to the possibilities of food born illnesses. Genetically engineered crops have also flooded the market and have become industry standard. Companies that engineer these crops have strict policies which they employ investigators to enforce. This leaves many farmers to be sued by companies for simply not buying GMO based seeds. The government and food industry have a very close alliance which, in turn, leaves farmers, workers, and consumers all at risk for being overruled in the race for weight, rights, and freedom.


Food documentaries have become more and more revealing about what goes on in the different industries, mostly regarding how the government regulates such products. The overwhelming consensus is that the path the world is on now will lead to a lower supply of stored food which could lead to massive famine in a disaster or that government will leave so many of the companies producing these products untouched that consumers will lose all choices when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. In all cases, the consumer loses.

Stream of the Week- Phantom of the Opera

Keep your hand at the level of your eye.


Deformed and left to be mocked for the rest of his life, a young boy was saved from a carnival by a young ballerina and left to live in the basement beneath the opera house. He grew to be a great musician, architect and artist, but his deformity left him completely isolated from the world. He found some hope, however, when a young girl came to live at the opera house to study ballet after her father's death. In secret, he taught her to sing and created a beautiful voice within the girl. She was left to be chorus girl by the opera company while they instead highlighted the talents of Carlotta, the lead soprano. When the opera house is switching hands, the Phantom decides it is his chance to give his pupil, Christine, the chance to shine. He drops a batten on Carlotta making her too upset to perform in the show that night. Christine is offered up by her ballet instructor, Madame Giry, to fill the part. Madame Giry knows the Phantom has been teaching Christine and knows this is his desire. After playing the part, a young man, Raoul, in the audience recognizes her as his childhood sweetheart and returns after the show to her dressing room to rekindle their innocent relationship. That night, however, Christine is visited by the Phantom of the Opera whom she believes is the ghost of her father, a once famous musician. The Phantom takes her deep under the city to his lair and shows his great obsession with Christine and his voice. He wants to make her his own. The next day Christine is returned to the opera and a new show is decided upon. The new managers of the opera house beg Carlotta to return and give her the lead in their next production leaving Christine to play the silent role. This aggravates the Opera Ghost, and he makes his frustrations known by hanging a man in the middle of the production. But Christine is safe and protected by Raoul as they enter a secret engagement. At the beginning of the new year, the managers throw a ball and the Phantom is in attendance. Here, he decrees that they will perform the opera that he has written and give Christine the lead role. Raoul sees this opera as a chance to get rid of the Opera Ghost once and for all. They set a trap at the performance which the Phantom cleverly avoids as he kidnaps Christine in the middle of the performance. Raoul follows, and the two battle for the life of Christine.


I have seen this film many times, but I never seem to tire of its decadence and beauty. The film is set in a theater which seems to be completely unlimited in its amount of spaces to be explored. From the roof to the sewers beneath each space is carefully crafted and used to it's best advantage to help progress the story. Christine, played by Emmy Rossum, is perfectly innocent and sweet. Her blind obedience to the Opera Ghost is understandable once you see that she believes him to be her father's ghost. But once she sees that he is a man, she still has pity for him because he has lived such a terrible life with her music as his only consolation. It's truly a beautiful rendition of such a dark story of innocence, good vs evil, and most of all music.

Capture of Culture- Miss Representation

Women make up 51% of America's population and hold 86% of the purchasing power in America.


For decades and centuries, women have had to fight for gender equality. They earn less than a man and are forced into stereotypes based on the media representation that they have to model their own lives after. Actress and advocate, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, gathered women and men to talk about the media bias and misrepresentation of women in the mainstream media channels of our culture. Reality TV shows present women to be "hot" and "catty" towards one another, always causing drama and gaining more viewers based on these blowouts between women. Most movies present women as one dimensional and in need of a man in order to fulfill their character.  The objectification of women leads to less women in politics and leadership positions. This is a gross distortion of what the actual makeup is of our country. Women find it hard to put their head up and push for what they think is right because they are instantly criticized based on appearance and harsh gender stereotypes enforced by media presentation. Anna Wintour is cold hearted and Hilary Clinton is only given popularity because of her husband's infidelity. These are the stereotypes and views we present to young boys and girls as they are growing up on television, magazines, and radio stations. There is so much that can be done for women as a force if they were just able to band together and use their purchasing power and majority vote to help change the course of America's treatment of women.


I am often guilty of championing a cause for a week. I watch a documentary on the negative aspects of sugar, and I stop eating it for a week before I go back to being normal. However, something like gender discrimination is something that will follow me wherever I go. If I want a job in my field, I will have to work twice as hard to get half the credit a man would. This is the constant struggle that women face only because they are misrepresented by all the media outlets. But we can't just blame the media. As a culture, women have to find ways to reinvent themselves so that the standards pushed on us by media outlets are no longer relevant. Girl Power.

Stream of the Week- The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

"After all both 'the' and 'antidisestablishmentarianism' are one word, but which one packs the bigger punch..."


With a large family to feed and a husband to practically babysit, Evelyn Ryan has her hands full. In order to supplement her husband's measly salary, mostly spent on booze anyway, Evelyn enters advertising contests in which jingles or rhymes are given out to the public for completion. Evelyn is able to provide appliances and grocery sprees for her family with her winnings. They always come in just at the right time, ensuring that they never go under. But, Evelyn's life as a wonderful mother is growing more and more complicated as her alcoholic husband, Kelly, grows jealous of her success and ability to be the breadwinner of the family. He goes through fits which scare the children and cause Evelyn to lose what affection she had for him to begin with. No matter what, however, Evelyn is able to keep a clear head and finds the silver lining in every gray cloud. The worst of it comes, of course, as the competitions are beginning to die out. There are only a few big ones left to enter. The second mortgage on the house is forcing the Ryan family to have to find other ways to continue on and all seems lost except for the glimmer of hope left in Evelyn's last contest entrance.


Family stories are often well done, and some of the best movies come straight from real life, as someone probably wise once said "Truth is stranger than fiction". The story of the Ryan family rings true to the tales of the 50s and 60s way of life, and, of course, Evelyn looks like a saint for putting up with it all. But what seems to be the most long lasting impression of this movie is that no matter what came her way, she was not flighty. She had a level head always and always found a way to fix the family's problems. There is a scene where the kids are on the couch watching a televised Miss America contest, or something of the sort, and the young woman on screen is asked if she would ever vote for a woman if she ran for office. The young lady answers "No, because women are too emotionally unstable." Ironically, the only sane and stable person in that Ryan household was the woman of the house herself.

Capture of Culture- Greenwich Village: Music that Defined a Generation

There is a whole culture that gets lost in the political rushes if we're not careful- the artists.


Greenwich Village has served, for many years, as a haven for musicians, poets, writers, and artist. They go there to live, to work, and to share. Within the community, dozens of influential musicians flocked to the Village in the 1960s with a revitalization of folk music. For a while, that's all they sang, but when Bob Dylan came to town, everyone felt that they could write too leading to an influx of singer/songwriter music that has lasted the test of charts and time. Greenwich Villagers like Woody Guthrie and the Mamas and the Papas all lived in a time of both Civil Unrest in the community and in a time of great artistic growth for the various genres they all belonged to. As a group, these signer/songwriters all supported each other and jammed in the park on Sundays. They ate together and went to bars together. They lived in a way which promoted the best kind of artist growth there could be. When their village was threatened, they joined together to march and sing in a display of artistic freedom. When they were blacklisted as communists, they wrote songs and came to the aid of their fellow musicians. And even now, they support each other fondly and promote the legacy of Harry Chapin by giving benefit concerts and finding ways to use their music for good. Greenwich village is where the song Jenny sings in Forrest Gump comes from. Greenwich Village is where Rear Window takes place. Greenwich village is where Audrey Hepburn's little bookshop from Funny Face is located. Greenwich Village holds the world's artistic grassroots.


My mother is a music teacher, and even I didn't realize the significance of the little area of New York known as Greenwich Village. It holds such importance as a place of inspiration for artists. It is a community unlike any other. I never would've known.

Stream of the Week- Legally Blonde (1 & 2)

Every girl knows that all a lawyer needs is a manicure and a massage to do the job justice.




Legally Blonde


Elle Woods had it all. She had the talented, beautiful boyfriend, the perfect Chihuahua, Bruiser,  and was well regarded by her peers as the chapter president of her sorority. She had the know how and a knock out look which made her successful within her classes and pathway of fashion studies. But, when the love of her life Warner dumps her because she's not "serious" enough, Elle is forced to go into a drastic life change to prove her worth. Warner is accepted into Harvard Law school, so naturally Elle must follow in order to win him back. Her natural charm makes her an easy candidate for the admissions board to approve, but her "Barbie" Cali ways do not help her fit in with the serious student body at Harvard. Classes are tougher than she expected and no one seems to believe in her. The final blow comes when Warner announces that he is engaged to a more "serious" law student in their class whom his family approves of. Undaunted by the challenge, Elle throws herself into the task at hand- earning a coveted internship at her professors prestigious law firm. Through study and determination, Elle slowly but surely establishes herself as a powerful source of information and is drafted, along with Warner and his fiancé, to help defend the case of Brooke Windham, an exercise guru whose husband was murdered. The case proves trying as Brooke refuses to give an alibi, with good reason, but Elle is determined to prove her worth. Because of her personality, no one believes in her ability to help with the case except for of course a young attorney named Emmett who helps Elle gain the confidence to stand up for herself in the courtroom. With her knowledge of beauty maintenance, Elle is able to show a crack in the story of the key witness in the case helping her free Brooke and establish herself as a major player in the law world.




Legally Blonde 2


Elle Woods now works at an established law firm and seems to have a bright future ahead as she plans the wedding of her dreams to Emmett. Elle realizes, in her plans, that she has left out a very important guest on her wedding list- Bruiser's mother. Elle is able to track down the Chihuahua's mother, but discovers that she is owned by a testing company which tests cosmetic products on animals. Elle presents a plan of action to her firm which gets her fired. Overcome with a sense of disgust for the cosmetic process, Elle decides to free Bruiser's mother and all animals tested on by companies with a bill that she plans to present to Congress. With a quick road trip montage, Elle finds herself in D.C. working under her representative from Boston drafting a bill that will free Bruiser's mother. But with pressure from financial backers, Elle's role model Congresswoman is forced to remove her support, leaving Elle stranded with no way of getting the bill approved. With the help of her new friends in D.C., Elle is able to find a loophole which will help her get the bill onto the floor with 218 signatures from Congress. Elle pulls out all the stops by calling up congress men, setting up protests and befriending every person on the hill. Elle is about to come up against some of the toughest opposition there is- politicians.




I am a strong believer in the idea that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible. Elle Woods may be an exaggerated character who struggles to be taken seriously, but she is a great representation of what everyone can be. It is possible to beat the stereotypes and to be taken seriously if you are willing to work for it. Snaps for Elle.

Capture of Culture- Where the Trail Ends

What's the best way to promote your energy drink? Put its name on the helmets of extreme bikers.




A group of extreme mountain bikers get together in an attempt to find the best untouched locations in the world. They schedule a trip which takes them to the extreme edges of the globe in hopes of finding the best terrain to perform their flips, tricks, and dives. Each new area poses a new challenge. The dirt is untouched and driving on it takes patience, skill, and practice. However, injury takes its turn as well as each of the boys go through at least one injury or another resulting in hospital visits made by the group. They split their time in these places over the span of two years, exploring each location as they go. They compare these slopes to the ones back home in Utah. Places like China, Nepal, and Argentina get ranked next to their favorite US spot, and the birthplace of extreme mountain biking. They conclude that of all the slopes they've traveled, maybe it's the underdog that really shines through.




This film had great footage of the gang riding their bikes through the terrain of these mountains. They use high frame rates in order to slow down the footage enough to get strong, clear images as the bikers pass their preset locations. Every grain of sand displaced by the tires, or each sudden movement of the rider's hand is recorded and spliced together to give a complete image of the skill of extreme mountain bike riding.




 They emphasis the action of riding rather than the process in the documentary. This helps promote selling products with placement shots and it helps add to the brand name. "Red Bull drinker can ride bikes" and such. Get good names and interesting people to speak up for your brand and the rest, as they like to say, is history.

Stream of the Week- Hot Fuzz

Be wary of happy neighbors with walkie talkies.




Lots of violence. Lots of guns. Lots of language. This film is definitely not like my normal suggestions, but it is absolutely worth the shot. Due to his excellence in the field, Officer Nicholas Angel is transferred to the country because his work is just making all the other officers look bad. Once transferred to the country, Officer Angel has trouble adjusting to a slower paced life where the rules appear more relaxed. Suddenly violent accidents start popping up on his radar. People are dying and there seem to be no logical explanations. No one believes his suspicions so they continue to stick him with Officer Danny, the chief's son and often incompetent side-kick. Nicholas attempts to explain the importance of their position as officers to Danny while slowly turning him into a better officer. Meanwhile, a local reporter uncovers a scandal which explains the order of the events that have been taking over the little town. But, just before he is able to relay his message to Officer Angel, he is killed, leaving Nicholas absolutely positive that there is a conspiracy going down in his little town. After careful research and a stakeout, Nicholas uncovers a secret which leads to a major shootout in the small downtown area of a quiet English village.




I have never seen a film like this. Granted, I knew British based films were different, one of my favorite movies, Attack the Block, is British. These types of films have a very different flavor. I know that swearing goes hand in hand with the territory, but what I found most entertaining was the use of farce, exaggeration, and irony used by the plot to create a sense of hyperbolic humor which really sets the film apart. Nothing is like watching something and not being sure whether you should laugh or be appalled. That being said this film does have quite a bit of violence and blood, all of course used humorously through ironic situations, but this should be cautioned just in case you're not into that sort of film.