Little Miss Sunshine Discussion

These are quotes from our discussion on January 13th:

"Motivation must come from within."

"If I you want to send a message, go to Western Union."

"One message I pulled from it was do what you love."

"This whole concept of being a winner or loser I hate."

"Get to know who you are inside and where you fit in life."

"The dance at the end doesn't seem as inappropriate set against the backdrop of the finding joy and meaning."

"I thought the movie starts with very individually strong characters with their own goals. Through the trip, they get to know each other more and depend on each other. The end dance says we are together and stronger as one."

"I am sick of hearing about the American dream. I think there are other ways to talk about success. And the word Legacy. I don't like that either. And icon.'
'So you have this short little list of words you don't like?'
'Oh I could give you quite a long list.'"

"I think that for the first time in our recent history, Americans are looking at decisions we've made as a country and asking if it's for the best. We are looking at things in different ways. We see a movie with peoples dreams dismantled and we relate it to politics and our own country's dreams."

"Beauty pageants can bring a fake sense of self confidence."

"Beauty contests can objectify women."

"Suffering is when you're really feeling something, when you're really getting in touch with yourself. You shouldn't try not to suffer. It builds your character. Ernest Hemingway once said that 'you can't be a good writer unless you've had an unhappy childhood'. I think you grow when you suffer."

"I kind of, um, this is weird. But I kind of felt like the little girl."


Please feel free to continue this discussion by adding comments.

One Minute Video

Brief look at a typical evening:

Values, Mission, History and General Info

This is the new online resource for the movie discussion group Javaflix.
It will serve mainly as an archive of movies and discussions we have had. It will also give an opportunity for an ongoing discussion of the films we watch.

Now for some info on what Javaflix is:

Tagline: Watching movies worth discussing over coffee.

What happens:
We get together once a month on a Saturday evening at 4523 Springfield ave., in Philadelphia. We meet at a cultural center, watch the movie and then talk about it.

Mission: Bringing people together from different backgrounds to share in the common bond of movies.

Values:

STORYTELLING
We believe in the power of storytelling. On a simple level, movies are the stories and myths—the parables—of our times. These stories and myths touch upon the deepest hopes of our generation.

COMMUNITY
By meeting on a regular basis and talking about things that really matter, it provides an opportunity for us to get to know each other. We share our thoughts which are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny, but always interesting.

GROWTH
We strive to be the opposite of the famous Henry David Thoreau quote - "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." We believe movies can bring personal change and inspire people to not settle for mediocrity. Whether it's speaking out against the injustices of genocide in "Hotel Rwanda", or reflecting on your personal sense of worth after watching "The Weather Man", movies can serve to propel us for a more grace-filled life.

HONESTY
Honest movies don't always have happy endings and neither do our lives. Through this group, we can share our sorrows and our struggles and not pretend like everything is ok if it's not.

RESPECT
In our discussions, many different opinions are expressed without being judged. We can learn from each other by offering different thoughts and realizing that no one's particular way of thinking is any better than the person sitting next to them.

DIVERSITY
Because of the universal nature of movies, people from all different cultures can participate. We define culture in broad terms, not just applying to race but also diversity in age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and more. Everyone is welcome and valued for who they are.


History of Javaflix

Javaflix started in November of 2002. Although at the time we usually met in a home, our first ever Javaflix was in the theatre to see Solaris. Afterwards, we went to Denny's and talked about it. This was an ideal movie because it offered interesting themes but not everyone liked it. After I saw the movie, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. After talking about it and hearing everyones thoughts, it became one of my favorites.

For the first two years, we met every other week. Attendance fluctuated anywhere from 4 to 15 people, usually averaging around 10.

In March of 2005, attendance became very low. In fact, we had a couple meetings where no one showed up at all. I decided to take a break for the summer and figure out if I wanted to keep it going. I was encouraged by friends to bring it back and I did. The one change I made was making it a once a month meeting instead of every other week.

Since then, attendance has improved. We were averaging about 12-15 people towards the end of 2006. Two recent meetings we actually had about 25 people.



Stay tuned for the next post which will be a list of movies we have watched.

The next one after that will be a summary of the discussion of our most recent javaflix - Little Miss Sunshine.