Addicted to Documentaries

This year's Oscar-winner

So, I’ve been kind of addicted to documentaries lately. And I thought it would be interesting to put together a list of those I’ve seen in the last month or so. Each of them might end up inspiring a post of their own, but for now I’ll just list them with a brief description.

Exit Through the Gift Shop – Oscar-nominated film by famous street artist Banksy. Tells the story of an eccentric man who wanted to document street art and ends up being an accidental sensation.

Waiting For Superman – Award-winning film about the sorry state of the education system and the obstacles to reform. Very thought-provoking.

Capitalism: A Love Story – Michael Moore documentary about the ills of capitalism. Although some good points are raised, the treatment was a little too biased for my liking.

Restrepo – Oscar-nominated film that follows one platoon’s year-long deployment in Afghanistan and the brotherhood and sadness that comes with it.

The Cove – Oscar-winning film that documents a group of activists who infiltrate a secretive, dolphin-slaughtering operation in Japan.

National Geographic: Inside North Korea – An American reporter accompanies a humanitarian eye-doctor to North Korea and documents, as much as possible, the North Korean way of life. Very fascinating, and disturbing.

Which Way Home - Oscar-nominated film about Latin American children who attempt the long and dangerous journey to the United States in order to be with family members they haven’t seen in years. This one was really heart-breaking for me.

March of the Penguins – Oscar-winning film about the life of penguins. Great film. So crazy that they live where they do.

Waste Land - Oscar-nominated film about a Brazilian artist who creates art from junk and tries to better the lives of the people who work at the largest landfill in the world.

Inside Job – Oscar-winning film about the 2008 financial crisis. Made me mad. Good film, though.

Maxed Out - Pre-2008-economic-crisis film about Americans’ unhealthy reliance on credit. Made me want to get rid of all my credit cards. But not really.

Arizona Bound!

As the title of this post suggests, I have accepted the University of Arizona’s admission offer. I am very excited to have this decision made, although the decision kind of made itself. Since my last update on grad school, I have received rejections from all but two schools from both of which I have yet to hear anything. Regardless, I do, of course, feel very lucky to have the chance to go to the University of Arizona. I’m currently trying to wrap my head around moving there in the middle of summer and just generally preparing for school in the fall. Maren and I are trying to figure out where to live. I may even get the chance to go to Washington State this summer to collect data from one of the Native tribes that my advisor works with.

Anyway, for any of you who still read my blog, I hope you find this as exciting as I do. Hooray!