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Why Your Untitled Relationships Matter
People have intensely intimate relationships without labeling them all the time. Sometimes, people don’t feel the need to call their connection by any names. Other times, individuals avoid labeling a relationship because they think that it obliterates any responsibility that they will have to take once they call it such. But what happens when a "defining the relationship" talk never happened? What if you both did discuss it and you both settled on vague terms like "seeing each other," "friends with benefits," or nothing at all? While attitude emerges in people of all ages, I see far too many of my millennial peers falling for the idea that a relationship needs a label in order to be considered significant.
News flash: Every connection you have with another person is a relationship. Love is about quality; things like intimacy, emotion, and reciprocity gauge your relationship's quality. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
David Bowie in His Labyrinth
For me, David Bowie wasn’t an ageless celebrity to rival the likes of Madonna or Bob Dylan, but a strange, god-like figure. The type of celestial being whose career spans generations of eccentricity and experimentation, existing on the fringes of mythology, never quite a part of the mainstream pantheon, but always there, nevertheless, as an extravagant showman with several nom-de-plumes to his credit and an androgynous wardrobe. The kind of god who keeps popping in and out of the stories we tell our children, sometimes reversing the roles, sometimes disappearing for pages on end, and occasionally reinventing the stories themselves. Like the man on the subway you encounter almost every day without ever noticing him, so that in your mind he’s not really a man at all, but part of the subway itself, a permanent fixture in an impermanent world.
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"Sweeter than Heaven, Hotter than Hell"
Quail Bell film critic Alex Carrigan takes on a popula. You can read his reviews of Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel, and look forward to his predictions for the ceremony.
Every year, the Academy Awards nominate multiple films for Best Picture, each with its own degree of public awareness and rating. There’s usually a few movies that the viewers will know about and anticipate receiving the nomination. But for every American Sniper and Selma, where the public is likely to know about it due to its cast and through word-of-mouth, there’s always a movie or two that the public will look at and ask “What’s that movie?” This year, that film is Whiplash, a film directed by Damien Chazelle. It’s a shame that so few people have seen or heard of Whiplash at this point, because it’s honestly one of the best films in this year’s crop. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Dipped in Gold
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
I want to believe I've grown over the last ten days. I want to know that writing about eight different movies and the awards ceremony around them would make me realize something new about myself or about the Academy Awards. I feel this way because I want to know that there was some impact from doing something like this series. Aside from getting me to publish regular content with personal deadlines, I want to believe this experience has made me a better critic and a better film goer.
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When Sex Trafficking Victims Go To Prison
"I was so brainwashed. I didn't have a voice. I didn't even know who I was anymore," she said. "Even though this was not the life that I wanted in any way, shape, or form, this was the life I was living.”
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Mad Max: Fury Road: Racing to the End
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
When I started this series, I said that Mad Max: Fury Road was going to be the barometer for how I measured the other films. It was the only film I had seen of the eight nominated films before this last week, it was the one that was freshest in my mind thanks to popular culture, and it was the one which was going to be singled out as the oddest of the nominees. For a film like Fury Road to get one of eight Best Picture nominations is quite strange. After all, how could a big-budget action movie, and one that's the fourth in a series of films from the 1980s, compete with a followup by last year's winning director, a Spielberg period drama, and several "Based on a True Story" films?
The answer: surprisingly well, all things considered. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Room: This Room is Not a Home
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
Well, this was an interesting film to end the series on.
Room tells the tale of a boy named Jack (Jacob Tremblay) and his Ma (Brie Larson). Ma and Jack live in Room, a small space with only a skylight for light and a man named Old Nick who comes by to bring in food and other supplies. For the first part of the film, the viewer doesn't understand exactly what's going on. But then it becomes clear: Old Nick abducted Ma, has been holding her captive in Room for years, and impregnated her during this time. What follows is a tale of how Ma and Jack escape Room and reintegrate into society. For Jack, this is also about him learning to experience everything in the world for the first time. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Big Short: Build Your House on a Rock, Not on Wall Street
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
I found today to be an incredibly exhausting day. This is not just because I spent nearly three hours digging my car out of the snow, but because I watched The Big Short. As my aching body began to relax inside my warm apartment, I decided to put on The Big Short and let that be the cap to my day. Two hours later, and not only did I feel mentally taxed, but emotionally devastated. The Big Short is a very complex film, with a lot of technical terms, a lot of characters and stories to follow, and a fairly upsetting message at the end.
And honestly? I think it's one of the best movies of the group. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Should You Wear Yoga Pants?: The Definitive Checklist
There are a lot of women out there right now who think yoga pants are great everyday wear, even when they’re not working out. There are probably also just as many people who think that women wear yoga pants entirely too much, and that they're inappropriate.
Because of this confusion, we’ve created a handy checklist you can use in order to determine if wearing yoga pants is appropriate. After all, with the way society reacts to women in yoga pants it’s clear this has become a very big deal. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Bridge of Spies: Cold Bore
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
Something interesting happened once I finished Bridge of Spies. I left my room once it ended to go into my kitchen and make some tea. In the living room, my roommate was watching Song of the Sea, an Irish animated film from 2014 that was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the last Academy Awards. I came in for the last ten minutes of that film, and although I only vaguely knew what the story was about from reading about the movie last year, I was able to go along with the story. It was very visually impressive, with a great blend of hand drawn animation, music, atmosphere, and emotional resonance. I even found myself tearing up during this.
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Brooklyn: The Prequel to Girls
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
It sure was nice for nature to let me have the day off from work so I could watch and review Brooklyn. Sure, I can't actually go anywhere and have to worry about how long it will take for cabin fever to set in, but at least I can make cinnamon rolls and tea and try to be as posh as possible as I critique. It's times like this that I'm glad I have the chance to be more in control of my environment. I can watch a movie in my bedroom, then go downstairs and make salmon for dinner. That personal freedom that has come with my newly found independence is quite nice.
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Spotlight: News Leads us Not Into Temptation
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
As if things weren't cold enough around my home, Spotlight managed to make me feel a sudden chill. The film depicts the Spotlight team at The Boston Globe. The team is investigating widespread sexual abuse cases in the Boston Catholic diocese. What they realize is that the initial numbers are greater than they first realized, and the film follows the team (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, and Brian d'Arcy James) as they try to get the story published.
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The Martian: A Solitary Life on Mars
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
That random number generator I used to determine the viewing order sure made things serendipitous. Yesterday, I was feeling slightly underwhelmed by The Revenant, finding the film slightly repetitive and also somewhat unoriginal. I've seen plenty of movies of people surviving in the wilderness, so watching someone eating raw fish or huddling for warmth around a small campfire seemed something that wasn't as impressive, even with a great direction and performance behind it. In a way, it's like I was set up to watch The Martian after that film. It's like the universe wanted to say "Oh, you don't find wilderness survival stories impressive? Well, Mr. Carrigan. How about we amplify it to even more horrifying extremes, setting the tale in the harshest possible environment? What will you have to say about that for your little series?"
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Alex Carrigan's 88th Annual Academy Awards Challenge
Since it's cold outside and there's not much to do, this is the best time of the year to stay inside, watch movies, and then try to discuss the merits of them. For the film industry, this means it's the best time to start giving awards out and patting themselves on the back. We've already heard from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the People, and the Critics. All that's left is the golden juggernaut that goes by the name of Oscar.
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The Revenant: Starting a Long Trek
By Alex Carrigan
@carriganak QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This article is part of a series written by Alex Carrigan about this year's Academy Award nominated films. To see the rules for this challenge and to find other articles related to it, go to this page.
In a way, I find it interesting that The Revenant was the first film I had to watch in this series. Aside from there being a 1:7 chance of being the first film rolled, this was probably the film I was most unsure about watching. Typically, the film that wins Best Drama at the Golden Globes, as well as receiving the most Oscar nominations of the year, is one of the top choices for the yearly Oscar pool. The film's pedigree is impressive enough that any betting man would start to think this is the one to win. Because of that, I went into the film telling myself "okay, this is the one that is probably going to win. Be prepared to judge it harshly for that."
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Blast From The Past: Childhood Journal Edition
By Gretchen Gales
@GGalesQuailBell QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This piece is one in a small series that will examine childhood diaries and journals. See Archita Mittra's piece on her old entries here.
Oh boy. Welcome to Gretchen’s Blast from the Past: Journal Edition. I’ll be reading, sharing, and reflecting on old entries from primarily elementary and middle school. I was in many ways a different person in my youth (hair was longer, my physical appearance reflected my dorky interior, take your pick), but it’s cool to see how I can still recognize who I was and am. Vague description, yes, but I can’t spoil the content.
Most of the journals in my younger years had dogs and cats on them because I had (and still have) an obsession for animals. I wanted to be a vet for a while, but that’s another pitiful story for later. Transcriptions will be edited for correct spelling and because my handwriting was (and admittedly still is) atrocious. Enjoy! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Secret Life of Diaries
By Archita Mittra
QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This piece is one in a small series that will examine childhood diaries and journals. Enjoy! i. Wonderland of Deep Space and Beyond At the age of nine, I was a swashbuckling space pirate. My imaginary friend and I would embark on intergalactic, death-defying adventures, uncover plots of world domination, battle courageously with aliens and save Planet Earth from extra-terrestrial invasion and be back home just in time for supper. My diary entries can testify to this. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Making a Murderer: Women and the Time it Takes
"We don't think the truth emerged here with respect to the Halbach case... It doesn't mean we're convinced of Steven Avery's innocence," Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi told Radiolab's Pat Walters in a recent update to its 2013 "Reasonable Doubt" segment (which examined the Avery case from a distinctly different perspective). They firmly deny that their intention in making the documentary was clearing Avery's name.
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The Man, Mourned, Who Sold the World He Loved
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried “I’m a Blackstar! I’m a Blackstar!”- David Bowie, “Blackstar” The death I have entered is a death in which I cannot lie down… How beautiful are the young, wailing!- Robert Penn Warren, “Saul at Gilboa” The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Real Tragedy of 'The Big Short'
What I did not expect about The Big Short was how funny it was, and how tragic that use of comedy would eventually be. The director, Adam McKay, thought it best not to dumb down the information, but to put in a way that would capture our attentions and imaginations through the form of comedy. The film is a tale of the economic disaster that took place in 2008, a disaster we are still trying to recover from.
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The Top 4 Questions I’m Asked When I Say I’m Asexual
Increasingly, there’s a lot of information on the Internet about asexuality. And while it’s getting more attention, it’s still an often misunderstood sexual identity. I am asexual, but, just like someone who’s a music lover, the way my asexuality looks to me may be very different than the way it looks to someone else. And that’s OK! What’s not OK is the misconception that people who identify as asexual are broken, lying, or don’t know any better.
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A Feminist Book Club for Everyone
Actress and activist Emma Watson announced some news today, and you're not going to like it...
...you're going to LOVE it! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Communicating the Truth to the World
Rap music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up listening to Lauryn Hill, Three 6 Mafia, Outkast, and countless others who greatly influenced my musical tastes. It was not until more recently, however, that I noticed the revolutionary tone woven through rap lyrics, speaking about the fight for racial equality, religious liberation, and cultural recognition. Also in the past few years, I’ve become increasingly interested in parts of the world where the very negative effects of imperialism, cultural exploitation, and poverty resulting from this are still felt – “third world” countries. So when an article on a young Afghan feminist rapper came across my Facebook news feed, I began to wonder if any connections existed between rap music, activism, and feminism in third world countries.
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Documentaries About Women in Art: Hopefully Incomplete…
By Le Femmes Folles
QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: This piece was first published on Les Femmes Folles August 6th, 2015
Gallery Tally project originator/organizer, and artist Micol Hebron is up to a lot. Along with her own artwork, residencies, educating and curating, she’s recently been a bit known for her being banned from Facebook a few times for superimposing male nipples onto images of female bodies (See her website for various news clips and interviews about that). Most prominently perhaps, to me, she is founder of the Gallery Tally project, of more than 600 (if not way more) volunteers from around the world, recording gender break-down of representing galleries worldwide, and making posters out of them, and presenting shows of the posters to boot. The project has garnered international attention and is ongoing (see gallerytally.tumblr.com and her website micolhebron.com for more). At any rate, very recently there was an article posted listing the “Top Ten Documentaries Every Art Lover Should Watch” where only two of the listed docs featured women (three if you count the husband/wife duo Charles and Ray Eames listed; and to note, #1 was Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, the only documentary about an artist of color listed along with Pablo Picasso, of Spanish decent) (Of course, if you’re in the arts, you know there is no shortage of articles/lists/collections/galleries that under and/or mis-represent artists who are women and/or minorities, see Maura Reilly’s article in ArtNews for one recent reference). Anyway, in a quick response to this latest slanted supposedly these are the best ten article, Micol pooled her resources—her hundreds of Gallery Tally volunteers—to query about documentaries about artists who are women, and posted this list in the group and on her Facebook page. With her permission, I’m posting this list (in no particular order), with a few sidenotes of my own… if you know of more, and/or if you’d like to write a note/review about one, send it to sallydeskins@yahoo.com .
Documentaries about women artists: The Saars: http://landsvideo.com/vf-saars.shtml The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Imprisoned For Sex Trafficking: A Letter From The Inside
As part of an ongoing series, incarcerated sex worker Amber Batts will be sharing her stories of life and prison from inside Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, in Eagle River, Alaska.
I was not a monster. I was not causing women harm. |
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