Follow Your Arrow

I figured, because it's the lat post of the semester, I'd change things up a bit. Looking at the music industry, the first names that seem to come to mind when people think of progressive, inspirational female writers are those of Beyonce, Meghan Trainor, etc.

If you're not a country music fan, then it would make some sense that you haven't heard of her, but a newcomer to the music scene that I feel deserves some credit is Kasey Musgraves. Her music ranges from being about love, life, and the usual, but a lot of her music is about bettering yourself and making the most of your life. 

By and far, my favorite song of her's thus far is "Follow Your Arrow". The song talks about how any given choice will evoke criticism from others, therefore one's best course is to remain true to oneself. Billboard listed "Follow Your Arrow" at number 2 on their list of 20 Best Songs of 2013, saying that "you didn't have to be a hardcore country fan to boogie along to Kacey Musgraves' lighthearted call to "make lots of noise and kiss lots of boys -- or lots of girls, if that's something you're into". "Follow Your Arrow" received mixed reviews due to some of the song's controversial lyrics. Some called the country tune "An attack on Christians", while some called it "signs of shifts in country music" due to the song's positive reference to homosexuality. Regardless, she is definitely an artist that is worth checking out and giving her music a listen. I'll make it easy... Here's "Follow Your Arrow". Enjoy!

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a 2011 American biographical drama film directed by Sean McNamara. It is a film adaptation of the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton about her life as a surfer after a horrific shark attack and her recovery. The film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Lorraine Nicholson with Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Sonya Balmores, Branscombe Richmond, and Craig T. Nelson.

Filming of this prestigious life story took place in Hawaii in early 2010 with Robb wearing a green sleeve on her arm so visual effects could be added in post-production to create the appearance of a stump. More additional filming took place in Tahiti in August 2010. Soul Surfer was released in theaters on April 8, 2011 in the United States and Canada by a partnership between FilmDistrict and TriStar Pictures.

Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb), a natural talent in the sport of surfing, loses an arm in a freak shark attack. Helped along by the love of her parents (Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid), brothers, and friend Alana Blanchard, she refused to give up.  With big plans to return to competition, questions about her future continued to trouble her. Upon seeing the devastation in Thailand caused by the 2004 tsunami on a trip with her local youth group, Bethany discovers a greater purpose: to make a difference in the lives of others.  She realizes she cannot give up.  She needs to be an inspiration for other people with traumatic experiences and disabilities.  She wants to make a difference and prove that you can do anything you put your heart to.

I believe that this film did not get enough credit.  There was a large amount of work that went into this film.  Not only does filming surfing create challenges, but a realistic shark attack, and a green screen arm that looked completely real as a stump.  This film had phenomenal technical work.  I believe that the film also had beautiful acting.  The actors captured the emotions perfectly, and as a viewer, I really felt what they were going through.  I think that this movie is one to be watched, it is very inspirational and truly a great film on a brave, courageous person.  It really earns its name, Soul Surfer. 

My Kevin Costner Obsession

My dad doesn't always watch movies... But when he does, he watches Kevin Costner movies.

As a kid growing up, I didn't have the attention span to make it through a single one. I have recently made it my mission to watch all the movies he has ever produced, directed, and/or starred in, though. This may take me a while, as his movies all seem to be approximately 4 hours long. 

If you looked at ratings by Rotten Tomatoes, Kevin Costner has definitely had some big hits, and some even bigger misses. However, I find that some of the movies with the lowest ratings seem to be some of my favorites. For example, The Postman. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a whopping 9%, but I prefer to call it a masterpiece. Costner both directs and stars in this movie, where a makeshift postman reunites a post-apocalyptic America by delivering mail. Maybe an odd concept to wrap one's head around, but I dont want to spoil the movie for those who may actually read this post and have the intrest of watching it. 

Kevin Costner's typical style defies Hollywood norms. He makes movies as long as they need to be, rather than editing them down to a more appealing length for the general public. In some cases, his movies turn out twice the length of a typical feature film. Another rule he seems to break is to choose factual details rather than bending the truth to make more drama and/or action, shown best in his movie entitled "Wyatt Earp" that shows the life of the horse thief turned lawman of the Wild West. This is a risky style to follow, but I like how different he is and I havent come across a Costner movie that I wholeheartedly disliked. His differing style that leads to spectacular movies (in my opinion) is my inspiration for breaking the rules, and finding something outside of normal that is still appealing to at least a small portion of viewers. 

I encourage you all to IMDb Kevin Costner and watch at least one of his films. 

-Scott Walle