"Catfish" Movie Review Final

        She said that she had cancer; this statement hit my heart hard. Catfish is the movie about an online relationship that became something more. This is about a man named Nev who fostered a relationship with an eight year old girl, Abby and her family. Will Nev find the love of his life or meet a serial killer? None of the crew or Nev knew what they would find. Will Nev have the courage to get to the bottom of what’s going on, or will he choose to live in a fantasy that he believes in? To find out, be sure to watch “Catfish”, the search for a Facebook lover in real life. Join us for the adventure of your lives when they travel from New York to Michigan in search of answers.

         Critics gave it a seven point two out of ten. The directors are Henry Joost, and Ariel Schulman. The main actors were Melody C. Roscher, Ariel Schulman and Yaniv Schulman. The movie was made in the year 2010. What you should know about the movie is that it is a true documentary, and it was not fabricated. It documented Nev’s real experience with dating online through Facebook, and then meeting them at their home in Michigan. This movie is not for young children as it contains suggestive content in language and pictures.

This all started when Nev took a picture of a ballerina performance, and Abby painted a picture of his picture and sent it to him. Later on, her nineteen year old half-sister became Nev’s girlfriend online, communicating through Facebook. Their relationship became more and more personal. He kept sending more and more pictures to her online in order to be painted and sent to him. Then, one day things are in question when some things just don’t add up. Nev was going to use a song, apparently written by her. He searched and found the exact same song tied to another name on YouTube. This is one thing that made him suspicious. Another is that Megan is never around when he calls. Abby doesn’t talk to Nev until much later, when she had friends over, and therefore didn’t have much time to talk. After they became suspicious, they decided to go to Michigan themselves to figure out why some things aren’t adding up. Since they had no idea what to expect, they had a wireless mike, and had a camera filming from a distance. They visited the farm where Megan lived, and where the rest of the family lived. They also checked in on the gallery she said she had bought. They found out that the mom has two twin boy stepsons, who are mentally handicapped, and are totally dependent on their parents for everything. One of the things Angela confessed is that she had cancer and is going to do a chemotherapy treatment, and will therefore lose their hair. Nev met Abby and talked to her about several things including Megan.

I really liked the soundtracks in the movie. This is because it enhanced the documentary, and made it more interesting than it would be without music at certain parts. I could feel the suspense when they went different places, wondering what they would find. The idea I found interesting was the title “Catfish”. This is because it shows how some people keep others lively to be happy and not necessarily truly being people’s friends. This is because in the story Nev was kept guessing many times, and the mom was the catfish. Also, Nev was also a catfish because he kept the mom much happier, so that she would not get bored in her mundane life.

I recommend the movie because it gives you an insight into what can happen if you date someone online through Facebook, especially those that you don’t know personally outside of Facebook. I recommend this to anyone doing online dating because it reminds you of the dangers, and what many times is the future outcome of your relationship.  Also, I recommend this movie to teenagers. I liked the movie because it had an eerie sense about it without any real horror to it. I also like it because it had a very personal aspect to it when Nev met Abby, her family and her friend. In addition, I liked the movie because it opened my eyes to see that there are many people in the world that like the mom in the film, give up their dreams for their kids, and are very unhappy feeling the need to meet someone online, have an affair, just to feel good enough in their sacrificing life. In addition, I liked this movie because it revealed an artist that may not have otherwise been purchased from, providing the necessary funds for her family.

catfish day3

I think it's very sad that she created all these facebook profiles. I think it's sad that the mom gave up her dream of becoming a professional dancer. I think neev should have been more careful about becoming involved in a facebook relationship, and let it go way too far. I think peoples identities should be confirmed before their facebook page is put up. I think it's sad that all of the artwork wasn't done by abbey, but by her mom. It seems to me that she developed multiple personalities, by doing this.

movie day2

This movie to me really exposes the ability of people to lie and live a life full of fantasies. I had already guessed thatsomeone in the family had some time of sickness. I feel it's very sad that people would make up things about their life.

“Catfish” Movie Review

I'm wondering what will happen with Neev and his online relationships with Abbey and their family. I'm wondering if we'll find out why they are lying to him. I'm wondering how meeting them in person will be like for him. I wonder whether or not Abbey's half sister will get engaged or not, and will marry in the future. This seems a little odd, and puzzles me. I myself know someone who has had online relationships which have never worked out so I know that online dating doesn't work out.

Photoshop Writing Assignment

MixedInk

I am going to use MixedInk for writing. This allows you to put your voice on topics that interest you, collaborating on solutions to problems. One thing that you can do is write endorsement for people running for elections, getting you to hear much about candidates and their lives.

How Social Media has changed American Culture

I believe that the increase in social media has changed the way Americans spend their time, and our way of life. (http://derekshowerman.com/2010/11/17/5-ways-social-media-has-changed-american-culture/).  One thing facebook has done is become a much used replacement for sending birthday cards in the mail (Derek Showerman, 2010). This increases the value of cards sent in the mail. For example, on my last birthday, many people I know, but don’t really know that well sent me happy birthday wishes on facebook. Although this made me feel more connected, it made me feel less valued, feeling like people will only take the time to talk to me online, and not outside of that. The increasing busyness of our lives, lead to facebook, the only way sometimes to keep track of what’s happening.

                In addition, I think that Facebook has increased the danger of being taken advantage of by people who you don’t know, or don’t know deeply. This stalking has caused much danger and distress. For example, “They had a quick conversation about Kings of Leon, who was being sold at the cashier counter in Starbucks” “The conversation ended with the guy saying, and I quote; “hey what is your last name, I would love to stalk you on Facebook and Twitter!” “Without batting an eye the girl gave out her name and seemed excited to be “stalked” by this stranger!” (Derek Showerman, 2010).

            Facebook has also changed courtesies. This includes, not texting while driving, not talking on the cell phone when listening to someone, and at the dinner table. For example, “While I was waiting for her to arrive, I looked around the rest and saw people texting, no doubt checking into Foursquare and taking pictures of their food” (Derek Showerman, 2010). This affects relationships for many people, as people are starting to spend less time with each other, and more time checking facebook. This has also led to an increase of distractions for those that are doing homework, and doing jobs requiring their full attention. “Today, it is about giving tips while you eat your 3 courses at a restaurant you really may or may not care about!” (Derek Showerman, 2010).
            Adding on, Facebook has changed relationships, and how they are conveyed, bringing a bigger audience to any relationship change, something that causes much gossip (Derek Showerman, 2010). For example, people use Facebook to show when they get engaged, married, have kids, and if they get divorced, by changing it from married to single (Derek Showerman, 2010). Also, people use it to remember important dates including birthdays.
            Facebook has changed News to be Political, and politics to be religious (Derek Showerman, 2010). “Today everyone is part of the news, and because of that there are many times news items are delivered with a political or religious spin” “The end result is a melted separation of church and state” (Derek Showerman, 2010). Trying to have a Christmas party ends up becoming a religious and political debate. People end up turning news into a political debate sometimes.
Social media has also caused literacy among young people to increase. For example, “Simply put, social media has helped children become more literate” “Indeed, Eurostat recently published a report drawing a correlation between education and online activity, which found that online activity increased with the level of formal activity…”(http://mashable.com/2010/01/07/social-media-changed-us/). In conclusion, social media has changed our way of life greatly to be more on social media sites, than talking to a friend in person.

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