See you next year, October

Happy Halloween, blog-lovers! Here's hoping you all got some decent candy haul this year or at least got to hit up a party or two. I did neither, but no matter--at least I got to show off my costume on my new college campus all day today:

(Photo courtesy of Oakland University)

Yes, I went as Stuttgart!Loki. (Only because there was no way in hell I was going to be able to make his armor in time--that scarf was hard enough!) And no, I don't know what the hell I was trying to accomplish with that pose. Looking cool, I guess. Anyway, I got to interact with some fun characters including but not limited to Deadpool, Slenderman, Freddy Krueger, Raven from Teen Titans, a belly dancer, a couple of zombies, the Hulk, and the Woman in Black. Whew! But that's not all--I also got some peanut butter candy and some Skittles (yum!) and had the privilege of watching Blackfish while waiting for my scriptwriting workshop to start. Fun stuff, right? Nothing says Halloween like the marine mammal captivity debate!

But enough about Halloween. (Though I will say one more thing: I hope everyone was safe. Really. The amount of people doing stupid stuff on holidays seems to get higher every year.) On to what happened before Halloween this month that seriously made my life: my mom's birthday and my first time doing production stills in FOREVER!

For my mom's birthday the weekend before Halloween, we went to an apple orchard, a longstanding family bonding activity for us, and had a mini-party, just the three of us. Because a lot of our birthday celebrations in this family usually take place in early morning (think Christmas morning, but without the snow...usually), there were too many pajama-pictures for me to include many pictures of us...but you can get the idea of our celebrations anyway:

Another big milestone last week? My first set since last October wherein I had an actual job. I took production stills for the OU Filmmakers Guild's Production Thursday shoot. Basically with Production Thursdays, we all get together and shoot a film in a couple of hours or less. Since I'm usually in class on Thursday evenings I haven't gotten to do much of this yet...but this time I decided it was time to take on some responsibility. And so I whipped out my baby (yes, my CAMERA, get your brains out of fantasyland) and took some shots. And let me tell you, it felt damn good to have a job (okay, a self-insert job, but still) on a set again.

Yeah...when I think about it, October was a pretty good month. :)

Now if I can just make it to my 21st birthday without major catastrophe...that would be great...

Zombies are sooo not underground

Heh. Heh. See what I did there? :P

I love Halloween movies - but let's be real, as timeless as Hocus Pocus might be, there are other movies out there that capture the Halloween spirit with a more subtle touch, and I'm telling you, there are some real classics out there that people are passing up in favor of Halloween, Casper, The Exorcist, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Disney's Halloweentown series...why not mix it up a bit? Especially if you're not really into the horror scene - never fear, there's definitely a way to get into a spooky mood without totally scaring the pants off of yourself. Here's a few of my faves:

Labyrinth (1986, dir. Jim Henson)

Love, love, love this movie. The puppet goblins are cute (yes, cute, they are literally muppets) and David Bowie is as creepy as he is hilarious. Yes, it's a musical, and yes, it's cheesy, but it's fun. The Goblin King is underdeveloped, to be sure, but the other characters, particularly Sarah and Hoggle, are as interesting and well-rounded as it gets in an 80's kids' movie. It's fun, it's Halloweeny, and it won't keep you up at night. Good combination? I think so.

Young Frankenstein (1974, dir. Mel Brooks)

Your life will not be complete until you see this film, and I'm not exaggerating. This film manages to take the tropes of B-movie horror and turn them on their heads--and stay truer to the original Frankenstein than any other film I've seen. Gene Wilder is hilarious as ever, and Peter Boyle turns the Creature into a slapstick hero worthy of Charlie Haplin. This one doesn't rate high on the spook-o-meter, to be sure...but you can't get much more Halloween-friendly than Frankenstein. And besides...it's a classic. Seriously, if you haven't seen it you're missing out. Go watch it. Now. And for the bonus round, tack on High Anxiety for a dose of Hitchcock satire approved by the big man himself.

And speaking of which...

Psycho (1960, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Admit it, you knew at least one Hitchcock film would have to be on this list. Nothing screams Halloween like a black-and-white horror film, and this one is the granddaddy of them all. If Psycho doesn't at least make you jump, then you've got nerves of steel. Hailed as the start of the "slasher" genre, this is one of Hitchcock's finest. Just remember that if you haven't seen it before, you have to see it from the start. Preferably on the biggest possible screen. At night. Alone (or with one other person) in a dark room. And be sure to have popcorn, so you can have something to spill on yourself when you jump ten feet.

Frankenweenie (1984, dir. Tim Burton)

No, not the stop-motion feature--the original black-and-white live-action short, starring the unbeatable Shelley Duvall. True, it is a short--just a half-hour--but it's quirky, vibrant, and yes, definitely suspenseful enough to satisfy. Back before the days of an over-casted Johnny Depp and enough cheese and too-saturated color to sicken the most die-hard Tim Burton fan, this is a short, sweet little movie that puts another lovely spin on the classic Frankenstein.

Pushing Daisies (2007-2009, created by Bryan Fuller)

In the vein of Sleepy Hollow, this is a lovely little series that so deserved a longer run than it had. Ned has the power to bring the dead back--but with a myriad of caveats. What makes this one so delightfully Halloweeny isn't Ned's creepy power alone, but the colorful sets, even more colorful characters, spooky situations, high-stakes chases, and deeply probing ethical conundrums. If that's not enough to hook you into watching, how about the fact that it's Lee Pace playing Ned, accompanied by the beautiful Anna Friel as his quirky sweetheart Chuck, and the ever-hilarious Kristen Chenoweth as his pie-shop partner Olive Snook?

Rear Window (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
In the mood to feel stalked? This film will certainly do the trick. Pair the overall creepy murder mystery with a knockout Grace Kelly and Hitchcock's killer mise-en-scene, and you've got something much, much spookier than The Birds. Take my word for it, this might not be one of Hitchcock's "famous horror" films, but it's more suspenseful than anything Wes Craven could cook up. The tension is high, the stakes are higher, and the overall effect equates to a vicarious adrenaline rush.

A Clockwork Orange (1971, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Okay, okay. I know you're all thinking "Oh jeez, now she's just pushing her favorite movies on us..." Hear me out. This isn't Kubricks most famous "Halloween" film (that honor would have to go to The Shining), but it's intense and has a wide appeal. Huge cinema geek? The production elements, direction, and acting are fantastic. Love the violence of slasher films? This film's got violence to satisfy all but the most hardcore Saw fans. Romance? Well, okay, it doesn't really have that. But there's suspense, and murder, and drama, and a good dose of sci-fi creepiness...and what more could you ask for on a cool, windy fall night?

Ghost (1996, dir. Stan Winston)
Okay, who loves Thriller? Everyone? (Okay, almost everyone?) To everyone else who was totally wowed by their first viewing of Michael Jackson's classic creep-fest, trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet--Ghost is a 40-minute epic that makes Thriller look like a sneak preview. Co-written by the King of Horror himself (Stephen King, for anyone who doesn't know), this haunting music video starring Michael as the Maestro features tons of jump scares, plenty of special effects, and enough dance breaks to satisfy the most die-hard MJ fan. And if that's not enough to convince my fellow film nerds, how about the set itself, which looks like a Tim Burton film gone classy? (Yes, it exists, I promise.) If nothing else, look at it for Halloween costume inspiration, because the costumes of his backup dancers in this one? They make the costumes in Thriller look garish and amateurish by comparison. Seriously. Go see for yourself.

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959, dir. Ed Wood)
Remember the epic little montage at the end of Ed Wood, when Ed's premiering his film and says, "This is it, this is the one I'll be remembered for?" Yep, this is that film. And congrats, Mr. Wood, you get your wish. 'Cause when I hear someone say "Ed Wood," I don't think Tim Burton--I think Plan 9. It's the ultimate B-movie, the B-movie to which all other B-movies aspire. This film literally makes my student-directed shorts look like masterpieces. And that is why people love it so much. The effects. The acting--oh dear God, the acting. The repeat clips of Bela Lugosi doing nothing but floofing out his cape. No really. It's amazing. For all the wrong reasons. And if this doesn't get you in the (fun, not scary) Halloween mood I don't know what will.

Beetle Juice (1988, dir. Tim Burton)
Yes, another Burton one...and let's be real, this one's a bona fide classic. It's cheesy as all get out, ridiculous to the extreme, and filled with plenty of ghosty goodness...and the deadpan ball of cute that is Winona Ryder doesn't hurt. The special effects seem dated out of context, but they're still hilarious and, yes, there are some "jump" moments, and a few semi-cute scares. Also the bonus gift of seeing Alec Baldwin get the crap kicked out of him, metaphorically speaking. (Of course if you are an Alec Baldwin fan, there's the added bonus of seeing him play a loving husband...?)


And then there's the classics you just can't skip no matter how many times you've seen them: It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!, Corpse Bride, Twitches, Ghostbusters, The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, Harry Potter, and of course, the perennial classic, Hocus Pocus. Movies must be accompanied by popcorn, preferably of the cheesy variety, and pounds and pounds of candy (for bonus points, throw in candy corn). Happy Halloween! :)

The Eye of the Beholder

I am changing.

My clothes sit looser on my body. Already I have filled multiple bags with all of the clothes I no longer wear. At least ten pairs of pants are too big, slipping down my hips without a belt to hold them up. My breasts no longer fill out my dresses. My shirtsleeves slip too comfortably up and down my thinner arms. Clothes bought in August, size 18/20, are rapidly becoming too big. Soon, I will no longer have to make sure a store carries "plus" sizes before I go to shop there. Even now I am no longer afraid to enter a dressing room.

When I Skype my friends, I no longer have to prop the computer on three books (if I'm at a desk) or pillows (if I'm on my bed) to ensure that my double chin doesn't show. I no longer fear the lower half of my face. Looking down is no longer a carefully-planned maneuver. I can smile in photos without worrying that my chin will take over my face. I can have photos of myself now. I don't insist on deleting or untagging every candid photo of myself. And when the camera comes out I smile. A lot. I don't fear that my smile or laugh makes my entire face look ugly.

I put my hair up now. I put it up and leave it up all day. I twist it up into a knot and tie it with an elastic and let bits of hair escape without worrying about frizz. If my hair doesn't look right (which happens frequently), a hair elastic or hat is my new best friend. I don't leave it down to detract attention from my face.

Makeup is a fashion statement now. I wear it as an experiment. Will anyone notice that I've started wearing eyeliner? What does my lipstick say about my mood today? Does my eyeshadow match my shirt? Should it? I do character-inspired makeup. Black liner and green eyeshadow for Loki; gold and tan shadow and brown eyeliner for C-3PO. (Yes, I'm aware, and proud, of my status as an Epic Nerd.) Putting on concealer and powder is the boring part now. Now makeup is a way of expression, not a means of hiding my face.

When I exercise I don't wear makeup at all. I put up my hair (still not quite long enough for just a ponytail, but I do what I can), put on my stretchiest pants and go for it. I feel empowered, not tortured, jogging on a treadmill. My endurance is improving, soon I will be able to jog two full minutes without stopping. I can do a high kick, a sit-up, a reverse sit-up, half push-ups, downward dog, fifteen jumping-jacks without stopping. I can dance for a full three-minute song without stopping to get my breath back. Each minor accomplishment is a victory in itself. The words "Dad, did you see that?" escape my mouth at least three or four times a session. I feel stronger, less vulnerable, less useless, after every workout.

I pray every night, asking for God's help in overcoming any resistance that comes my way. I will stomp it down, crash through the walls, dive into the problems headfirst and confront the monsters that try to bully me into submission. I have the power of "ten million flaming suns and believe in a Strength that can raise the dead." There is no reason why I can't overcome anything and anyone that tries to stop me or hurt me.

I am changing. I am beginning to feel beautiful again. I am not invincible. I am human. And I am, for once, truly happy to be who I am.

Don't just "think" pink

Anyone who knows me knows that I can get pretty excited over causes that I care about, especially things like my favorite October-based cause, Red Ribbon Week. And though I haven't been as overzealous about it as I was my senior year of high school, when I wore a red hair ribbon every day for a month (yes, I really did), it's still important to me, and I definitely plan to support it this year. Well, here it is, and it's October, but...RRW is not until the end of the month. And right now I've got a different-color ribbon to talk about.

Anybody see those breast cancer "awareness" statuses yet this year? So far I haven't, but it's only day one, I'll give it time. Every October I see it--those little statuses about shoe size, going out of town for X number of months, what's in your purse...and I have to admit I get progressively more frustrated. Because here's the thing: yes, it's fun to have an inside joke with your girls, but what does it really do? How does a cute inside joke raise awareness about breast cancer?

I know people who have survived breast cancer. I have been lucky enough not to lose anyone to it, but I do have plenty of friends who have lost a family member or close friend. And I want to raise awareness for it just as much as the next person...I just don't see the benefit of posting a cryptic message that only your participating female friends would understand. Sure it's funny to "confuse the boys," but doesn't everyone need to know that this is a thing? What about the fathers, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, and colleagues of the at-risk women...don't you want them to be in-the-know too? To say nothing of the women who are outside or don't happen to participate in or understand the statuses, isn't there a better way to reach out to them too?

My solution: donate money, buy a pin or other product if the proceeds go towards the cause, and if you really really want to get Facebook involved, post a status about the facts or a link to the official websites. It's more effective; it can get a better dialogue going than a bunch of ":)" or "huh?" on a joke status. But don't stop there--if you really want to get people's attention (and this is going to make a lot of people roll their eyes, I apologize in advance) make something. A short film. A photo shoot. A drawing, painting, or graphic design. Write a poem, a short story, a song, a script. You see where I'm going with this, right?

At Interlochen, if we wanted to get someone's attention, art was how we reached out, whether it was through visual or performance (I would just love to stop here and tell you about the Art Moved banner...but that's a topic for another post), and most of the time, we got a pretty big reaction out of people because of it. So yes, I do care about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I do want to help. But I want to get creative with it, and I would love, really love, if other people got creative too.

Just remember you'll never stand out if your chief goal is to be one of the crowd. (I can't remember where I read/heard that. But I like it.)