Blog Response: Switched at birth

The radio Podcast I decided to listen to was an American Podcast about two children who were switched at birth by accident. The interesting thing about it however was the difference between the two families whose babies were switched at birth. How the story plays out redefines at least personally to me, how genetics vs parents influence effects what a person is like in life.

Growing up, I have always thought a parents influence and the experiences someone goes through in life is what shapes and molds a kid into what they’re like in life. For example, people like the columbine shooters who were driven angry enough to shoot up the whole school did that because of the experiences they went through in life. Whether it was the parents not being there for them, or kids bullying them in school. I thought it was the same with the Virginia Tech shooter. He was driven to do that because of his experiences in life.

One of the families that the babies were switched with was an extremely religious, strict, sort of awkward family, where as the other family was a totally social family, completely opposite as the other one.

The difference with this particular case however is that the child growing up into the religious, very strict, stoic, family, turned out to be an extremely social person who was into cheerleading, even with the parents not at all being that way. The other child grew up turning out to be completely awkward and quiet; the way his family was. To me, it completely changes this idea of Behaviorism that I have always followed growing up.

   

Blog Response: The Bronx Bull

“You never got me down Ray! You never got me down!” says Jake Lamotta, subject of Martin Scorsese’s 1980 classic,

Raging Bull; a film I watched for the second time last weekend. Although the film is based around adult life of legendary boxer Jake Lamotta, it is much less about struggles inside the ring as it is about the the struggles outside of the ring.

One of my favorites parts of Raging Bull is Martin Scorsese’s brilliant opening scene to the film. It has Jake Lamotta, played by Robert De Niro, in the corner of the ring, while he punching the air and the credits are playing over. Could this perhaps be a metaphor? Perhaps Jake Lamotta in the corner of the ring fighting symbolizes his cornered self in real life, as he attempts to punch away the demons he is facing.

A thing I look up to a tremendous amount in Raging Bull is the editing. Thelma Schoonmaker won an academy award for her editing in Raging Bull, and for good reason as well. The way she paces, particularly the fight scenes, to make you feel every punch that is thrown, is quite remarkable. The sound editing in the film is also very advanced, it ties the entire film together perfectly, once again, it is the fight scenes in particular where it’s best used

One thing that must be discussed when talking about Raging Bull is the unbelievable performance that is given by Robert De Niro. In my opinion, one of the best performances ever witnessed on screen, right behind Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now/The Godfather and Daniel Day Lewis in There will be Blood. Besides his brilliant acting, De Niro had to go through a huge weight transformation to play the part for the final act of the film.

Another thing that is worth noting is that the film pulls off being in black and white in 1980. After watching Raging Bull, it is hard to imagine it in anything but black and white.

It is worth noting that all the traits of the film mentioned are a direct product of Martin Scorsese’s Directing. It is his creation, and in Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull, he proves himself to be one the greatest directors of all time.

REWIND from harry nineberg on Vimeo.

The Mouse from harry nineberg on Vimeo.

Blog Response: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Located underground in a subway of Tokyo, Japan, there is a small restaurant called Subayashi Jiro. In Subayashi, there is a man named Jiro Ono; brilliant, mysterious, and renowned as the greatest sushi chef in all of Japan. To try his Michelin 3 star sushi, you must make reservations months in advance. The cost to eat at Subayashi is expensive, and if you can afford it, it is said to be worth every Yen spent. But to Jiro, it isn’t about the money, it’s about something else.

I recently had the pleasure of watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi on netflix upon recommendation, and can say it is well worthy of this blog response. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary about master sushi chef Jiro Ono and his quest to seek perfection. The documentary succeeds very well in capturing the brilliance of Jiro. His legacy, influence, perfection is comparable to that of a great dojo master. His training is hard, and if you can last the 10 years as an apprentice to Jiro, you have succeeded in becoming a chef at his restaurant.

One trait that defines Jiro is his longing to always seek perfection, while knowing fully well he will never reach it. This is a trait reminiscent of many great artists, some that come to mind are MC Escher and Stanley Kubrick. Two artists known for never being truly satisfied in their work.

One major conflict in Jiro Dreams of Sushi is Jiro’s son Yoshikazu. Yoshikazu is already 50 years old, and still is yet to take over Jiro’s position as head of the restaurant. It is likely that Jiro will be the head of Subayashi until he dies, and as influential as he is, even though Yoshikazu’s sushi is almost identical in quality and taste to Jiro’s, he will never reach the level of greatness Jiro has achieved. Another conflict the film deals with is the shortage on seafood compared to when Jiro was young due to overfishing. This is something that has only gotten worse as years have gone by, which raises the question; will sushi as good as sushi cooked up in the kitchen of Subayashi always be around?

Jiro Dreams of Sushi redefines, at least on a personal level, what it means to be an artist. Jiro proves that art does not just come from a paintbrush or a camera lens. It can be boiled, baked, diced up and served on a platter as well.