The Aesthetics: 5

1. The circus scene.  Big Fish (2003) was directed by Tim Burton and written by John August. The story is based on the book by Daniel Wallace and it follows a son trying to uncover the truth about his dying father by reliving the stories and myths he told about his life. The father's elaborate stories include witches, giants, mysterious towns, epic adventures and much more. When he talks about how he met his wife, he recalls a trip to the circus where he caught sight of her, fell in love instantly and time stopped so he could greet her. The first picture is the young father, our main character, walking across a busy crowd to the woman in the second picture. I chose this particular scene because I think Burton did an excellent drop of poetically conveying the idea of love at first sight by freezing time for everyone but the main character, who walks to his love interest and moves frozen things, such as the hula hoop, out of his way in the process. He also puts this bright white light on the main character's destination which makes her seem even more beautiful and glorious. I believe the audience watches this scene and shares the zealousness of the main character to reach his true love.

2. 2012 Music Video, "I Was Here" by Beyonce. It was filmed in front of a live audience at the UN General Assembly for World Humanitarian Day in General Assembly Hall, United Nations, NY and was co-directed by Kenzo Digital and Sophie Muller. The song describes a desire to be remembered once an individual has passed away. Beyonce uses the song to encourage society to help others around the world. The second verse of the song describes her goal perfectly:

"...And know that I meant something in somebody's life
The hearts I have touched, 
Will be the proof that I leave
That I made a difference
And this world will see..."

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/beyonce/#share

 I chose this shot from the video because the graphics behind her show a beautiful display of the cosmos. Throughout the video, there are other images of scenes from the world but this one caught my attention because I am very fascinated with our galaxy and I believe, ultimately, we were created for some unclear spectacular reason that contributes to the well-being of all that we see around us. The world is mysterious and space is even more mind bottling and humans only know so much. Therefore, I agree with Beyonce's efforts because like I ended up existing in this perfect and wondrous Milky Way of life, so has another human being and the time I'm allotted on this earth is my opportunity to help my fellow man. It would be even better if my life was a legacy to this perspective. 

3. Screenshot of the clearly stated YouTube video "Cities at Night, an Orbital Tour Around the World." The video by Don Pettiti is a part of his Saturday Morning Science program and comes from the Expedition 6 to the International Space Station. He mentions that the display of lights at night illuminates the human presence all around the globe. The lights also help identify what part of the world it comes from by different colors, the location of the lights and what forms the lights make. For instance, Japan shows a bluish greenish color, the road to Meca in Saudia Arabia is traced by rivers of lights and in most US cities, gridlines show westernization. I chose to take a screenshot of Las Vegas which is the brightest place on earth at night. I think anyone would find this as interesting as I did because going through our hectic lives on earth, we seldom take the moment to look up at the amazing sky over us. And with little attention being given to such thing, we rarely consider what we look like from beyond the hemisphere. This visionary, I believe, is revolutionary because it challenges us to consider ourselves in a different light. Literally!    

4. Hot Candle Wax from the movie Powder Blue (2009). Directed and Written by Timonth Linh Bui, the movie follows the lives of a mortician, an ex-con, a suicidal widower ex-priest and a stripper, Rose-Johny, pictured above. Rose-Johny is addicted to cocaine, poor, lonely and has a son in a coma. Her father passed away years before the movie takes place but she often finds time to communicate with him in her mind. She tries desperately to find a companion but has trouble getting men to like her. She is struggling to pay her son's doctor's bill and is constantly pressured by the strip club owner to prostitute for more money. In this scene, she performs an extremely erotic dance in a steamy red lightening and concludes by pouring hot candle wax down her naked back. I chose this because I believe this scene illustrates the pain that she experiences through most of the movie. Nakedness reminds me of vulnerability, the red brings cautionary emotions, and the wax is self-inflicted pain. Besides her son's condition and the death of her father, most of  the misfortune she is subject to is of her own doing. She makes herself vulnerable, she doesn't take heed to the mistakes she makes that can serve as warnings, and she endures the pain of both of these components for a living--stripping.

5. Tara the Vamp. HBO's True Blood, created and produced by Alan Ball, follows the lives of the supernatural world and the people that live in it. It is based of the books The Southern Vampire Mysterious series and centers around a seductive, hothead fairly named Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie's best friend, Tara Thornton, who has had many issues that made her an unforgiving, cranky and quick tempered person, is forced to become a vampire in season 5. At first she is tortured by her new identity and even tries to kill herself by using solar power to burn to death (Vampires roast in the sunlight) but eventually, she adapts to the life of a vampire and channels all that meanness she once own in her fangs. I chose this clip from the show because it shows Tara kind of emerging out of the dark and the attention is drawn to her pearly white fangs. Her character prior to becoming the blood-sucking, nightcrawler seems to be embodied in the transformation she experiences.