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Movie Review: Teenage Paparazzo

Adrian+Grenier+Austin+Visschedyk

Photo Source: Zimbio

After Entourage star Adrian Grenier met Austin Visschedyk, he convinced the teenage paparazzo to film a documentary with him about celebrity culture. Watching Teenage Paparazzo (2010) allows you to explore the parasocial relationships between celebrities and fans, which refers to fans’ disillusion that they know celebrities like they know their friends when really there is a one-way relationship. Without it, there would be less demand for celebrity gossip and photos.

The movie comprehensively captures the dynamic between celebrities and fans, as well as between celebrities and the paparazzi. To achieve this, Adrian interviewed academics and authors as well as well-established paparazzi and celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Eva Longoria. But most of the movie focuses on Austin, a self-assured teenager who invests in the best camera equipment to capture celebrities.

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Behind The Books: Kelsey Miller

Kelsey Miller

Name: Kelsey Miller

Best Known For: Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting And Got A Life (2016)

Education: Film & Television, Boston University

Employment: Senior Features Writer, Refinery29

Professional role models: David Sedaris & Tina Fey

How did spending years in therapy help you write a memoir?

The work I did (and still do) in therapy enabled me to grow up and live my life, without which there would be no memoir. I also never would have been able to write about my problems and difficulties without first sorting through them and working my ass off so that they weren’t the controlling force of my life. It’s a lot more complicated than this, but the short version is that I went into therapy feeling like one big problem — I was composed of trauma and disorder and dysfunctional experiences. Therapy doesn’t erase those things but it helped me realize that I’m not simply the sum total of my [problems]. Those things are in me and a part of me, but I don’t have to sit around and wait to be fixed and perfect in order to move forward with my life. I always thought you had to be All Better with a capital B in order to write a reflective memoir. Nope. You just get on with your life and your goals, issues or not.

Do you think your theatre training has helped you become a better storyteller?

Man, I sure hope so. I’d like to think my parents’ investment in a decade’s worth of theatre training paid off somehow. I’d always enjoyed storytelling and have huge admiration for good storytellers. (My mom and dad are both incredibly funny and I used to wish I could crack up a dinner table the way they could.) I haven’t done theatre in ages, but there are certain lessons that will always be with me: finding your intention in a scene, showing and not telling, etc. Those are all good instincts for writers as well.

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Movie Review: The Danish Girl

the -danish-girl-mtv

The Danish Girl is a grownup, British and Americanized version of Ma Vie En Rose, which is a modern story about a young transgender boy in France; however, this biopic is based on real events. It’s a compelling story about an artistic Danish couple whose romance is turned upside down after Gerda (Alicia Vikander) asks her husband Einar (Eddie Redmayne) to dress up as a woman, Lili, for a portrait and Einar enjoys it more than Gerda ever expected.

The movie’s attention to detail is excellent. For example, when Einar fixes Gerda’s lipstick with his finger, it’s clear that he is in touch with his feminine side because that’s rare to see. Likewise, the way Einar always whispers while pretending to be Lili reflects women’s submissive behaviour.

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Play Review: Kinky Boots

Kinky Boots - Toronto Cast

Photo Source: 680 News

I promise I didn’t see Kinky Boots just because it’s about red boots. In fact, I didn’t even wear my red shoes to the theatre. I saw Kinky Boots because it’s an award-winning show with music by Cyndi Lauper and its story about fashion and friendship is intriguing.

The story about Charlie (Graham Scott Fleming), a young professional in Northampton, England, rebuilding his late father’s shoe factory is interesting in the first act, but it loses steam in the second act, which is less eventful. The fate of Charlie’s relationship with his fiancé is as predictable as the future of his shoe business.

Charlie desperately needs inspiration to turn his shoe business around and when his loyal employee Lauren (AJ Bridel), who harbours a crush on him, inspires him to chase a niche market, Charlie promotes her and establishes a business partnership with Lola, a local drag queen.

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Movie Review: The Peanuts Movie

Peanuts Movie

Photo Source: USA Today

I’ve had to say no to eating peanuts for as long as I can remember, but when I heard the Peanuts franchise had a new release coming out, it was hard to resist.

The Peanuts Movie is the cutest romantic comedy I’ve seen in ages and it doesn’t make a difference whatsoever that it is an animated movie intended for children. The pre-pubescent characters are still in elementary school, but they have just as many hormones as ‘grownups’.

When we’re first reunited with the beloved characters, it’s winter. While the kids are enjoying a snow day, they see a moving truck unloading boxes at the house across the street from Charlie Brown’s house and mystery ensues.

Charlie relishes the opportunity to make a new friend who doesn’t know anything about his awkward mistakes and when he meets her in school, he immediately gushes over the Little Red-Haired Girl. What’s more, Charlie starts planning a future for them when they are assigned to work together on an assignment. “You’re the only person I know who could turn a book report into a lifelong commitment,” Linus tells his best friend.

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