The film our group chose was the recently released Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. To be honest, the reason we were drawn to this movie was the timeliness of its release, the celebration it has received among critics, and the promise of an exhilarating original premise attached to a notable director in a time of reboots and adaptations. What we found in the film was a story of a city with a glorious exterior with promises of glitz and stardom, and a dark interior full of scandal, isolation, and anxiety. We meet the protagonist and aging actor Rick Dalton, who is trying to maintain a name for himself and coming to terms with the ever-changing business of Hollywood. The audience gets to see a glimpse into the life of a character, once the most recognizable face in show business, who creates an image of confidence in public only to later retreat to drinking alone in his pool, reliving his past and finding happiness in old shows in the quiet comfort of his mansion. Dalton is insecure and overly conscious of how he appears to the outside world, and throws tantrums when he messes up lines or panics when he feels he’s embarrassed himself by not being perfect actor he wants to be. He aspires to gain human connection in a business of playing characters, and finds comfort in simplicity such nights spent with his stuntman laughing at bad movies they once filmed together. Tarantino highlights Dalton’s need for companionship in a simple medium shot two-character scene where he is introduced to the child star he is sharing an episode of his Western show with. Dalton tries to spark up a conversation and teach the girl something valuable, but is amazed by her professionalism and readiness to face the world of Hollywood. He eventually breaks down crying after she reassures him of his acting skills, saying “That was the best acting I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” As Tarantino tones down the action and suspense of his film to focus on quick, realistic dialogue and character study, he explores the insecure lives most Hollywood actors lead, as they struggle to maintain character and fame while having nobody to confide in to confront reality with. He depicts show business as one that focuses on profit made from trending character arcs and journeys, ignoring the reality actors face when the business begins to move on and they struggle to keep pretending.

Before coming to Chapman, I lived an hour’s plane ride north in Palo Alto, California. I have always thought of LA as the place to be, envisioning a sun soaked Santa Monica boardwalk glistening by a golden beach, and the glamorous walk of fame that lines Hollywood Boulevard and pays homage to all the stars that made it big and gave the city the reputation that it has. I thought of it as the sparkling heart of show business, where celebrities live luxurious lives and thrive producing and creating the movies we love. I imagine movie studios circling the blocks, housing their own unique environments, shooting films with giant dinosaurs or fantastic space aliens to be idolized by the public. I also think of LA to be a centerpiece of entertainment, with locations like Disneyland, Universal and Six Flags giving you endless opportunities of things to do. A few movies I saw recently that added to my perspective of the city were Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Training Day. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really gave me a look inside an actor’s journey and what it means to be looked up to in a city that always moves on. I always had this picture in my mind of a drunk, washed-up actor wandering across the stars in the middle of fame;s cycle when I thought of Los Angeles, and this movie really brought the whole story to life of what goes on in a performer’s head when they realize their peak might not last as they’d hoped. Training Day offered a lot of different new perspectives of the area to film, as it was the first time the Los Angeles ghettos were actually used as a set in a feature production. It gave a look into the lives we don’t often see on film- the ones that don’t glorify the city- and made me care more about the communities we don’t often hear about. It’s a really good movie and you should watch it sometime, and Los Angeles is wonderful. 

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.