Catfish is So Bad, It's Good

Since I have done nothing but work and sit around my house this summer, obsessively watching episodes of a television show back to back has become one of my favorite pastimes. The most recent show I’ve been serially watching is Catfish.

Catfish is a reality show on MTV (already sounds promising, right?) that reveals the truths and lies of online relationships. Nev Shulman and his filmmaker friend, Max Joseph, host the show and help people in online relationships figure out of the person they are in love with is truly who they are, or using a fake photo and name online. The term catfish refers to someone who poses as someone else online, hence the name of the show. Nev was catfished himself in the 2010 documentary of the same name when he discovered the woman he was romancing online was not who she said she was. I’ve only seen a handful of episodes so far, but I kind of love it.

The show is really bad, but I can’t stop watching. Part of the appeal is the Nev and Max dynamic. They are both really dorky and kind of awkward and their interactions with each other make me chuckle. I also don’t really understand why Max walks around with cameras the whole episode when the pair has a camera crew following them around as well, but it's part of the appeal for me. No episode is complete without Nev lovingly touching the catfish victim on the shoulder whilst consoling them, or without Max blatantly calling shenanigans on the person they are supposedly in love with, crushing everyone’s hopes and dreams. So classic.

The "Classic Nev"

The people involved in these relationships are so blatantly blinded by their “love” that you can’t help but watch to see what happens. In almost all of the episodes I’ve seen, the person on the other end of the relationship is lying about who they truly are. Before that is confirmed, however, it is so obvious that they are hiding something that you wonder why the person being duped hasn’t realized it yet. It’s also super exciting to watch Nev and Max when they investigate the person online and find crazy stuff about them. The best part obviously is when Nev and the crew confront the online liars in person.

As I watch the show, I know it’s bad and kind of stupid, but I’m still in love. My younger brother Ben and I have been watching it together and high five and shout “Classic Nev and Max!” whenever the pair does something uncomfortable, so that has made the show all the more enjoyable. I know I’m like super late to the party on this one since the show is fairly popular and is now in its second season, but better late than never for hopping on the crappy reality tv bandwagon, am I right?!

Have a great end to the week and thanks for reading :)

A Trip to Indiana

Happy Saturday to all! Sorry I have not been posting too much on here. I have a lot of stuff I want to talk about, so I will most certainly get back to posting several times a week.

Earlier this week, I went to Westfield, Indiana to visit my (former) roommate, Ashni, as well as my good friends Katie and Brandon. It was so, so great to see the three of them because I missed them quite a bit. On the second day of my visit, Ashni, Katie, and I went out to lunch with my (former) RA, Kelly.

Katie, Ashni, and me

Ashni and I became great friends with Kelly this past year, and since Katie was always in our room, she did too. After we went out to lunch, we went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I went and saw the Ai Wei Wei exhibit, and it was glorious! I am going to blog about that next week, so keep an eye out for that!

After the museum, we took Kelly back to Butler where she is taking summer classes and being an RA for the other summer class takers on campus. Being back at school, even for a short amount of time, was really refreshing. I am quite enjoying being home, but I deeply missed my friends from school.

Kelly, me, and Ashni

Highlights from the trip: 1. When at lunch with Kelly, I had an allergic reaction of sorts to what I was eating. My throat and lips were really tingly and tickly. It was strange.
2. When driving home on Thursday night, I was caught in a treacherous rainstorm!! There was no rain for a very long time, then I drove under a little bridge underpass, and when I emerged, the downpour began! It was intense.

Have a righteous weekend, and thanks for reading :)

The Great Gatsby

Happy Wednesday everyone! A few nights ago, I saw The Great Gatsby with my brother. I was very anxious to see the film because it is always tricky when movies are based on books. Despite my hesitation, I was pleasantly surprised.

For anyone who does not know, the movie is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby. The book is wildly popular and is considered to be one of the greatest American novels of all time. Because the book is so well known, and I read it for a second time earlier this year, I was afraid the movie was going to ruin the book.

Yes, Leo. Yes.

The movie was pretty good overall, proving to be better than I anticipated, but not as good as I hoped. The costumes and set were spectacular, and the first party scene at Gatsby's house was an intense explosion of color and excitement. The film's soundtrack included modern songs and covers by Jay Z, Beyoncé, and Florence Welch. There were parts in the movie where the modern soundtrack went really well, but there were moments where the up-to-date music contrasted the 1920s feel a bit too much. The movie was also incredibly long, and sometimes focused too much on the set and atmosphere, rather than the story.

Leonardo DiCaprio was a perfect Gatsby, and Joel Edgerton was the Tom Buchanan I pictured when reading the book. Carey Mulligan did a good job as Daisy as well, and after seeing the film, I fully came to realize how much of a B Daisy Buchanan really is. Another plus of the film is that it followed the book very well and used many direct quotes, which I was really excited to recognize. But most importantly, Leonardo DiCaprio wears a pink suit and looks crazy good doing it.

 I would definitely recommend seeing The Great Gatsby, especially if you've read the book. It had a slight modern twist, but still maintained the 1920s feel, and followed the novel very well.

Have a great rest of the week, and thanks for reading :)

Music Monday: Alabama Shakes

Happy Music Monday to all! For any new readers, my name is Bekah. I blog for Butler University, but decided to start a different blog for the summer. You can check out my Butler blog here. Every Monday, I blog about music that I recommend to my readers, dubbing it Music Monday. This Music Monday is dedicated to the Alabama Shakes.

The Alabama Shakes are an American rock band from Alabama. They formed in 2009 and have released one album, Boys and Girls. The group was nominated for three Grammy's this year for Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance, and Best Recording Package. Their debut song was "Hold On," but some of their songs have gained notoriety as well. Their song "Always Alright" was featured in the film Silver Linings Playbook. Righteous.

The Alabama Shakes are incredibly soulful and just make me feel good when I hear them. I have not heard a huge amount of their music, but what I have heard is really good. A few of my favorites by them are down below. Check em out!

Thanks for reading and have a great week :)

Hold On

Always Alright

Boys and Girls