Last night I made the terrible mistake of watching a documentary on Netflix instant viewing. Why was this a mistake? Because I have a highly addictive personality and now cannot stop watching documentaries. I've always been fascinated by people; I love people watching, am captivated by portraits, and love anything involving history, psychology, or the human condition in general. With this in mind, it actually surprises me that I haven't become hooked on non-fiction cinema before this point; I love reading non-fiction books and watching non-fiction television afterall. So now I have over 50 documentaries in my instant viewing que, which I'm probably going to finish up before the end of the week. I needed a more productive way of wasting my time anyway, right?

So, how about I had an entire paragraph typed up for this, hit a wrong key, and lost the entire thing. I am not pleased. Anyhow. This was not the most touching or awe inspiring documentary I've ever watched, but I personally found it fascinating. It's funny sometimes how much I question what I should be doing with my life, when I know that this is it. I've wanted to be a SFX make-up artist for the past four years, and for some reason I keep trying to talk myself out of it. I tell myself I should get my masters in production design at NYU rather than go to Tom Savini's SFX make-up school, because it will look better and will probably help me get a better job. This is what I love though. I adore fucking around with make-up, and I love learning about it and wondering about it. I love completely changing someone's appearance with a little bit of liquid latex and some colored cream. I mean, I'm from Pittsburgh for fuck's sake. Overall, I thought this was a great look into the industry, and it features advice and personal stories from Quentin Tarantino, Greg Nicotero, Tom Savini, George Romero, Wes Craven, and the late, great Dick Smith.

I'm going to preface this by saying that this documentary is not for those with weak stomachs. It features lots of plastic surgery, someone performing a penis bi-section, someone inserting penis bead implants, and lots of suspensions. Personally the only thing that freaked me out was the plastic surgery (all surgery footage makes me want to vomit for whatever reason), but a lot of people are more squeamish than I am and didn't spend years looking up disturbing shit on BMEzine. This documentary covers the entire spectrum of body modification, however, taking the stance that everything from dying your hair to cutting off your arm IS body modification (which I agree with and wrote a paper on in 11th grade, haha). They talk to drag queens, piercers, tattoo artists, plastic surgeons, and extreme body mods who engage in suspension rituals and things along those lines. The documentary did a really great job of showing extreme body modification in a positive light, while getting across the point that we ALL change our bodies...just in different ways. It's a subject that I find very interesting personally and had known a decent amount about beforehand, but I think this could be very eye opening for someone who is unfamiliar with more extreme body modification.

I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS TO COME OUT!!!! We Are Wizards is a documentary about how absolutely epic the Harry Potter fandom is, touching on everything from Brad Neely's "Wizard People, Dear Reader" to Wizard Rock to "Potter War", in which thousands of fans rose up against Warner Brothers. As an avid member of the Harry Potter fandom (I joined the club when I was 11), this documentary had me grinning from ear to ear. Brad Neely was probably my favorite part of the entire thing; he's always made me laugh, but I was cracking up at almost everything he said in this film. He's a total cutie too. Mmm. It was bizarre seeing Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, the Hungarian Horntails, and the Whomping Willow in the documentary. These Wizard Rock bands are all ones that I've seen live, chatted with, and hung around with. It was really funny to me. Even the legal battle against WB was something I could relate to; when I was part of an online Harry Potter RPG (which I was a member of for 7 years) WB tried to steal our original characters. I loathe them. They're greedy, terrible bastards. Anyhow. Harry Potter has both changed and saved my life numerous times. I've made so many friends due to Harry Potter, including one of my best friends in the entire world, Courtney.

Even people that don't have such an emotional attachment to Harry Potter would probably find this documentary interesting. It's crazy how a book series can bring about such feelings of unity and togetherness in people; there truly is and was a Harry Potter MOVEMENT. I think that's why I get so frustrated when people compare Harry Potter to Twilight. When people look back at this moment in literary history, they will think of Harry Potter as a book series that changed the world. Twilight is nothing but shitty pulp romance for angsty teenagers and horny 40 year old women with the mentality of angsty teenagers, and I can't wait until it falls by the wayside (even if it is good for LOLZ). Anyhow, I'm ranting. Bottom line: this documentary was awesome and so is Harry Potter.

This documentary got to me. I mean, it really got to me. I cannot wrap my mind around homophobic people; they give me nightmares at night and make me want to throw up during the day. The film focuses on gay bars in the deep South, and how much they mean to the very isolated and persecuted gay community in those areas. To them, the bar isn't just a place where they can kick back and have a beer. It's the one place where they can truly be themselves; where they can dance with their partner, hold their hand, kiss their cheek. Intimate, miniscule things that heterosexual people take for granted...that people living in these areas fear doing, as they would be risking their jobs, their lives, EVERYTHING if anyone found out that they were gay.

While was touched by the homosexuals in the film, by their courage and strength and will to live their lives as they deserve to, I was scared shitless by the homophobes. Living in the city, I have tons of gay friends. I myself identify as bisexual. It isn't a big deal and it's more of an oddity to be a homophobe than anything else. It was a slap to my face the way some of these people think and feel; the hate and conviction in their eyes is paralyzing. They talked to the head pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church (who, in my opinion, is the most evil man alive), and I wanted to cry. I don't understand how people can be full of so much hate and anger. It doesn't make sense to me and it makes me so afraid for the future. I know things are slowly improving, but these crazy fuckers are just as capable of having kids and passing on their radical beliefs; that's what worries me.

So that was my day. Right now I'm watching Taxi Cab Confessions on Bravo!, which is my new favorite TV show. It'll be over at 3:00am, and I'm ACTUALLY GOING TO BED EARLY. I promise. Really.