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Category: Thoughts On

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“The only winning move is not to play.”

PenrefeHelp & Advice, Thoughts On Software

[I’m guessing you’ve already seen WarGames–the 1983 film with Matthew Broderick and a computer called Joshua. If you haven’t, this post will spoil the ending for you. If you don’t want that, you shouldn’t read this. Sorry.]

In an ideal world, this post wouldn’t be necessary. But hey, this is reality, so let’s get to it.

So there’s a battle going on in the comment sections of nearly every web site that has a comment section.

It’s a battle between three armies:

  1. Regular Commenters
  2. Social Justice Warriors
  3. Trolls

It can be difficult to tell them apart, at times, and there is often overflow from one army to another. Regular Commenters might actually be Social Justice Warriors; they just don’t realise it until something triggers them. You could read a post and assume it’s a troll, when in reality it’s a Social Justice Warrior with stronger-than-expected levels of aggression. (We’re going to ignore the unmentioned fourth category, the genuinely naive commenters. Genuinely naive people can often be reasoned with, be taught, and actually, it’s quite rewarding when you can have a positive impact on them.)

I’m going to assume that you’re category one. (If I’m wrong in my assumptions, you’re probably not going to enjoy the rest of this post. Just saying.)

You don’t have an agenda behind your comment, when you leave it. You just want to have a healthy debate about an article/video. But then you leave your innocent little comment, and a someone from category two or three replies to it with either aggressive vitriol or provocation, and you find yourself–normally a considerate, rational human being–overflowing with rage.

Some people thrive on conflict. They want to argue. They have their (possibly unpopular) opinion, and damn it, you’re going to read about it. You can’t stop them from putting their opinions online, whether on their own Tumblrs or blogs or whatevers, or in comment sections of any and every article they can find. You don’t have to follow them online, but you do have to read their comments, if they’re on an article you’re interested in reading.

And there’s nothing you can do about it.

“The only winning move is not to play.”

At the end of WarGames, Broderick’s character–along with the guy who designed the computer’s AI–tries to stop Joshua from launching nuclear missiles (he thinks it’s a retaliation, there’s a whole story behind it, don’t worry about that now). Through a game of noughts & crosses (or tic-tac-toe), Joshua learns about an un-winnable game (and “Mutually Assured Destruction”), and relinquishes control of the missiles.

[after playing out all possible outcomes for Global Thermonuclear War]
Joshua: Greetings, Professor Falken.
Stephen Falken: Hello, Joshua.
Joshua: A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

I realise that comparing online commenting to nuclear war is probably a bit of a stretch, but the lesson is the same.

Difference between WarGames’ lesson and the lesson here is, the game is winnable, but it’s never won by you.

XKCD: Duty CallsYou try to convince a Social Justice Warrior that their opinion is wrong/flawed. They will ignore you.You get frustrated/angry. You lose.

You reply to someone, arguing your case. They (and anyone else who latches onto the fact that you’re affected by the things that are being said) either laugh at you or ignore you. You get frustrated/angry. You lose.

You call a troll out on being a troll. They ask you if you’re mad (bro). You get frustrated/angry. You lose.

Someone jumps to your defense. Whoever’s attention was on you is now on both of you (and they probably bring some anonymous friends to the party). Now there’s two of you entangled in the web. You both lose.

The only way you can win an argument online is not to get involved in one.

And the best way not to get involved in an argument? Don’t be aware of it.

So I was driving to work this morning, when it hit me: someone should really build a browser extension that stops a site visitor from viewing any comment sections.

Of course, within around thirty seconds of Googling, I’d already trialed 3 different extensions that did that very thing.

Late to the party, as usual.

The Software

The extension I settled on is a neat little thing called, quite aptly, “Shut Up“.

I haven’t tested it thoroughly yet, but so far I can confirm the following:

  1. It works with BBC News.
  2. It works with the Daily Mail.
  3. It works with YouTube(!)
  4. It works with any site that has a Disqus installation.
  5. It works with some (not all) site-embedded Facebook comments, but it doesn’t work with comments on Facebook’s own site.
  6. It also works with Reddit, which is a site based entirely on comments, so that’s kind of counter-intuitive…but anyway.

If you want to read comments on a particular site, you can click the icon in the browser, and all the comments come flooding back.

You also have the option (the only option) for the extension to remember which sites you’ve allowed comments on.

first!
Shut Up’s Option (Singular)

“Shut Up” is a browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox (using the “Stylish” plugin), and Safari, and can be added manually added to any browser.

Details and download links for the extensions and files can be found here.

The extension isn’t without flaws, and it doesn’t catch 100% of comment areas on web sites. If you want to take it a step further, you can add the Stylebot extension and add extra CSS to hide more comment areas as you find them.

The Conclusion

“Shut Up” obviously doesn’t stop people from posting hurtful, sexist, racist, or just generally hate-filled comments on web sites that haven’t deleted their comment sections entirely.

What it does is stop you–the visitor–from ever seeing those comments, so you can’t be affected by them.

Yes, it means the trolls are winning, for now, but bear with me here.

They can say whatever they want on any platform that allows them access, but you don’t have to inadvertently read their comments. You don’t see the comments, therefore you’re not automatically annoyed by them.

If everyone took this route, all the decent human beings will eventually be ignoring comment systems entirely and interacting on a more personal level, meanwhile the trolls will be left to argue with themselves.

Bonus

Here’s Fingathing’s Criminal Robots (great song; great band), which contains audio clips from WarGames. Please to enjoy.

Get Some SelfControl

PenrefeThoughts On Software

So, for me, it goes like this.

  1. I decide to do some writing.
  2. I set myself some time to work on a project.
  3. I sit down.
  4. I open my word processing software of choice.
  5. ?
  6. Four hours laster, I’m reblogging gifsets on Tumblr or watching YouTube videos.

And the writing doesn’t get done, because the Internet is a temptress, and I am weak.

I used to use a piece of software called Freedom to stop the distractions, but it broke and instead of trying to troubleshoot it, I just uninstalled it and went back to my distraction-filled days.

Now I think I’ve found something better, and this one’s free!

What is SelfControl?

SelfControl is, in a nutshell, an app that blocks Internet access for a set amount of time.

SelfControl Timer

A question I can immediately hear is, “Why don’t you just turn off your WiFi?”

Basically, if I just turned off my WiFi, five minutes later, I’d just turn it right back on, because that’s the sort of person I am.

SelfControl stops that from happening, because once you’ve started it, you can’t stop it. Quitting the program won’t stop it. Uninstalling the program won’t stop it. Restarting the machine won’t stop it.

So I’m encouraged to just keep going, because I have nothing else to do.

A Small Caveat

SelfControl is only as useful as you want it to be. In the world of smart phones and tablets and microwaves that probably have WiFi connection, you are never more than two feet away from the Internet.

You still have to be motivated to get your work done.

But for me, most of my casual straying is done via my computer (the Chrome button is RIGHT THERE!). I usually open up a browser without even realising I’m doing it. SelfControl is good for me, because when it’s on, and I’m greeted with the “You’re not connected to the Internet” message, it reminds me that I actually have work to do.

That’s probably why it’s called SelfControl. You still have to stop yourself from straying.

If you’re planning to stay off the Internet, stay off the Internet.

Tips

1. Since you can’t turn SelfControl off once it’s started, keep the timer low, I’d say no more than an hour–not because you can start browsing again more easily, but because after the hour is up, you can catch up with anything you’ve missed before turning it on for another session.

2. Use the “Whitelist” option instead of the “Blacklist” option. If you just use a blacklist and strike off the obvious sites, chances are there’ll be something you’ve forgotten about blocking, and then you’ll be back to square one. The whitelist lets you specify which sites you can still go on while SelfControl is active, which I’d recommend you keep to the basics, like Wikipedia or Google for research.
SelfControl Whitelist

3. If you’re practically surgically attached to your mobile phone, make it a point to put it into Aeroplane Mode for the duration of your writing session. You can turn it back on when the SelfControl timer ends. If you don’t own a phone that has Aeroplane Mode,put it on silent and turn it over.

Download

You can get SelfControl here:

For more specific questions on the app, check out the FAQ.

Happy writing!

Thoughts on ‘Kick-Ass 2’

PenrefeThoughts On, Thoughts On Film

Warning: Contain some spoilers for the 2013 movie Kick-Ass 2. If reading through my web site, spoilers should be marked, but if reading through an RSS reader, you may still see them. You have been warned. Also contains spoilers for Kick-Ass, because we’re beyond that now.

So I went to see Kick-Ass 2 on Wednesday. The cinema was packed: haven’t seen it so busy since The Hunger Games.

Here are my thoughts on Kick-Ass 2.

Kick-Ass 2 continues the story of Kick-Ass (surprised?!) after the events in the first movie: he’s bored being a normal kid again, and Mindy/Hit Girl is still fighting crime.

They briefly team up, before Mindy decides not to don the mask again (her guardian doesn’t want her to–it’s not that interesting or compelling, mainly because she’s good at what she does and really shouldn’t be being taken out of the loop. But anyway.).

Kick-Ass joins with a group of vigilantes while Mindy takes part in a remake of Mean Girls.

Meanwhile, Chris D’Amico/Red Mist is stewing after Kick-Ass killed his dad in the first movie, and after accidentally killing his own mother on a sunbed, he decides to become the first super villian, known as “The Motherfucker”.

What follows is 90ish minutes of bright colours, blood, foul language, ridiculous villain names, and a wicked–if slightly repetitive–score.

So yeah, this movie won’t be winning any awards for subtlety or tact, but I loved it, with a few exceptions.

In the first movie, Hit Girl was my favourite character, and she’s retained that title this time, though I felt a definite void without Big Daddy. I got teary when Big Daddy died in the first film, I did. Particularly where he’s dying but still shouting instructions to his daughter. When a similar thing happens this time, I didn’t really connect in the same way.

I liked the idea of the vigilantes banding together, creating an actual team to fight crime. Stars & Stripes was a great–slightly masochistic–leader, and it was fun to watch the team taking down some bad guys.

A few of the jokes really missed the mark for me.

I liked watching D’Amico become the first super-villain, The Motherfucker, and in particular, his scene with Ser Jorah Uncle Ralph: watching Chris’s face change in that scene was chilling.

I loved Mother Russia. The rest of the super-villains didn’t really leave much of an impact on me.

On the heroes side, I enjoyed Carey’s performance as Stars & Stripes, and Dave’s school friends were both charming. Turk Dr. Gravity was a laugh, and I liked Night Bitch’s hair, but again, the large cast meant that the others were a little lost.

And a few things I saw coming a little too soon–like how Mindy’s first date would end, and the constant lingering shots on Big Daddy’s costume, and how Dave’s other friend would respond to feeling rejected by the group.

Didn’t see the shark coming, though. Which was good.

There were only two parts I had any real issue with:

  1. The attempted rape scene. It made for uncomfortable watching. Unnecessary, in my opinion.
  2. The cafeteria scene. I mean, I get it. Those girls were absolute jizz stains, but I didn’t need to see them suffer like that. I mean, really. Poop jokes are never funny.

But yeah, overall I thought it was great. Fun, funny for the most part, action-packed, gritty when it needed to be, heartfelt other times…I enjoyed it.

And of course, as soon as I got home, I bought the soundtrack and the score from iTunes.

Provided you liked the first one, you will like this movie.

Thoughts on ‘The Hunger Games’

PenrefeThoughts On Film

This post covers my opinions on both the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the film adaptation of the same name. It is not intended as a review and does not cover much of the stories themselves.

Note: While due care and attention goes into these ramblings, and I’ve tried my best not to, there may still be some spoilers for the Hunger Games books and film in this post. You have been warned.

So I’m back from watching the Hunger Games. The cinema was packed, which I was not expecting. I tend to forget that even in this age of the Internet being everything you should ever need, people do still like to leave the house occasionally.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited to watch something at the cinema. In fact, I don’t recall any film I’ve waited for with such eager anticipation. Except maybe Tangled, and I didn’t even watch that at the cinema, in the end.

But unlike the disastrous disappointment that was Blade 2 (which is honestly the last thing I can remember being excited at seeing on release), The Hunger Games lived up to the high expectations I set upon its shoulders.

My History With the Games

I first caught wind of the Hunger Games when the final book in the trilogy was released in 2010. I think Alex Day might have been talking about it. Somebody was talking about it, anyway. All I remember at the time was this person saying how the third book, Mockingjay, was a disappointment, not because it was bad, per se, rather that nothing but a stream of terrible things happened in it, whereas with the previous books there remained a sense of hope.

And I remember thinking, “surely it can’t be that bad?”, before deciding to add the series to my “to-read” list, and promptly forgetting all about it.

I heard sprigs and snippets from others singing the series’ praises here and there, and I kept considering it, but being the lazy bones that I am, I never got around to it.

I didn’t actually decide to read them until I heard the announcement for the film, and having long since realsing that you should always read the book before you a the film based upon it (I like the opportunity to make the characters in my own head before I’m told what the media tells me they will look like), I finally pulled my finger out and bought myself a copy. I have maintained this until this point, and I refuse to read any reviews until I’ve shared my own personal opinion. I have a tab open with Lindsay Ellis’ vlog ready to play after I post this.

And with the exception of one major spoiler in the third book I happened upon watching a fan-made video (curse you, random YouTube commenter!), I succeeded and went into all three books completely blind.

I devoured the first book in about three days (and that’s good, for me. I’m a lazy reader. I’m a lazy everything.), and I adored everything about it. It has a great opening that grabs you by the throat, screaming: “THIS WORLD SUCKS, BUT THEY’RE MAKING IT WORK, AND NOW LOOK AT HOW EVERYTHING IS GOING TO GO TO SHIT”. Which, let’s face it, is everything you want in an opening.

The others I read within a month. With the second one, I found it a little difficult to get into, because it started quite slow, but at the same time, it did a good job of really opening up the world of Panem and making you realise, “Holy shit, this is a big deal.” And I generally agree with the thoughts shared by the random person whose identity I can’t remember about the third book.

In all, I found the series to be wholly fulfilling and the first book now sits pride of place in my top 10 books of all time (a list I will write…one day).

The Hunger Games vs Battle Royale

Now, many people have likened the Hunger Games to Japanese cult movie Battle Royale (which one of my favourite films of all time), and haters go so far as to call it a blatant rip-off.

I’m just going to need a minute to rant about this.

Yes, the premise is similar, but then ideas are like that. Never heard the term “Great Minds Think Alike”? I’m not going to go on about it. I’m simply acknowledging the fact that people have raised the similarities between the two already, repeatedly, and – while a similar idea – the two are used in different ways, too much for one to be a rip-off of the other.

To those who maintain that The Hunger Games is a stolen premise, I’ll just leave you with this:

Anyway. Moving On!

The Film

I was generally impressed with the transition of the story from page to screen. The world of Panem was almost exactly as I imagined it, particularly the Capitol. I think the biggest detraction for me was that I imagined the Hob to be somewhat bigger, but that’s it!

The story as a whole remained in tact, with but a few tweaks. The origin of the Mockingjay pin was changed, the reason for which I’m not 100% clear on, though I suspect it might’ve been to both remove the character of Madge in order to simplify the chain of events and also to bring more attention to Prim before the Reaping. That’s my theory, at least. But other than that, and a few slight character modifications (Katniss seemed less aggressive and more pensive), it remained true to the books.

All the actors played their roles spot-on. Effie’s and Haymitch’s were my personal favourites, though Woody Harrelson was the last person I imagined to play the role of the old drunk. For some reason, I imagined Haymitch to be fat. Still, they did the characters justice. In fact, everyone did. I didn’t find myself frowning at any of the casting choices.

It didn’t, in my opinion, capture Katniss’ character quite as well as the books, but then that’s to be expected when we’re not actually inside her head. Speaking of which, I did like how we got to see others’ reactions to the events taking place in the arena, and the announcers (I forget their names: I’m a bad monkey) who served as exposition for the most part (but not obvious enough to distract from the story). I liked the extra layer it added to the world, having the ability to do so when not locked into a first-person narrative.

I remember when I read the book wondering about how the film would tackle this aspect, and it came across well. In particular, seeing the reaction from District 11 to Katniss’ salute had me almost in tears.

A few scenes could’ve been handled better, and many moving moments would’ve benefited from an accompanying score of some kind, which was largely lacking in most parts (I appreciate that might have been the film makers trying to show desolation with silence, but I don’t know if it worked for me). I want my orchestral swells, damn it.

I went to see it with a friend who hasn’t read the books, and there were a number of times I wanted to lean over an elaborate on what was shown. The outfits, for example, and the build-up to their reveal felt a little sandwiched in, as did Katniss’ time with Cinna and his team. Finally, I didn’t feel it quite conveyed the on-screen/off-screen relationship with Peeta, and the scene to explain why he joined the Careers wasn’t covered at all, leaving a bit of a hole that – had I not read the books – I might not have realised his intentions.

I’m sure there’s more I could say, but it’s late, and the clocks have just gone forward, so now it’s 2AM instead of 1AM, and I still have that review to watch.

Overall, I found The Hunger Games to be a very worthy adaptation, and that the creators did the best they could with the time they had.

[rating:4.5]

Thoughts on ‘Freedom’

PenrefeThoughts On Software

I’m not talking about the concept of freedom, just by the by. I’m talking about time management software called ‘Freedom’. Glad we’ve cleared that up. Don’t want to be starting a revolution over here.

Freedom is a very small but very handy piece of software available for both Windows and OSX. The software has a single purpose, and that is to turn off your Internet for a specified period of time, thus freeing you up to do more important things. It’s FREEDOM, get it?!

To give you an indication of why I personally needed this software, here’s how my time management goes at present:

09:00 – So let’s turn on the computer. I’m going to do SO FREAKING MUCH writing today.

09:02 – I’ll just check Twitter really quick, see if anyone @replied to any of my witty banter from last night. No replies. But a retweet. And a favourite! Must thank them. Ohh, look, a new post from my favourite writer friend! I’ll just go read that. Ohh, look! Google Reader has new posts from more writer types. I’ll just check those out. Won’t take a minute. Oh hey, a new video from my favourite TGWTG contributor is up! Ohh, what’s that post about the state of publishing in the advent of eReaders? I’d better read that. Could be important. Oh, what a charming picture of a dog wearing a party hat on Facebook. Must share that! Wait, is that a new trailer for that film I really want to see?! I must watch this right now. It can’t wait. Hey, look, new videos from my favourite YouTubers. Go on then, I’ll just watch a couple. Oh look, something that I’ve already seen a million times is now available on NetFlix! I’m really in the mood for a specific brand of comedic adventures right now. Mustn’t forget to check my e-mails: might have some beta reader responses. No responses, but look! New listed items on eBay! Oh hey, Tumblr! Look at that animated gif! That’s the most clever and witty animated gif I’ve ever seen in my entire online life. I must reblog it.

15:00 – Shit.

You could turn around and say:

Hey, here’s an idea. Why don’t you just unplug your Ethernet cable for an hour instead?

To which I’d say:

Hey, here’s a retort. You try crawling around under a desk that’s got a weeks’ worth of post under it, plus a pair of fingerless gloves you bought yourself on impulse before realising how ridiculous they are.

I could always unplug it from the top, cut it off at the source, you may be thinking. Well…

That's it, behind the AMALGAMATION OF SHIT.

Besides, if you’re living in a household where the Internet is shared, unplugging anything could plunge the whole house into darkness, and that, well that would just be chaos, and nobody wants that.

Enough of your life story. Nobody cares. What does Freedom actually DO?

 

In a nutshell, you tell Freedom how long you would like to work distraction-free, put in your minutes (up to 8 hours), click OK, and you’re done.

Your PC/Mac loses all its networking facilities for the amount of time you specified.

There is no way to undo this decision, short of restarting your machine.

The intention is that you will take the opportunity of “freedom” from the big, bad, alluring Internet to work.

Why not just do it manually?

Granted, it is a relatively simple task to manually turn off your Internet (particularly on the Mac – you click, Turn AirPort Off, and BOOM, gone), turning it back on when you’re done with your creative genius. The problem with this is that you are still the one in control of your Internet access. There’s no point turning off your Internet with the very best of intentions, only to turn around 3 minutes later and turn it back on “just to check for one e-mail”, thus starting the cycle all over again.

Freedom takes away the chance to relapse.

You tell it what you want to. It stops you from deviating from it.

Any downsides?

This isn’t so much a downside, more of a warning: The software is only useful if you are aware of its purpose.

An example of what I mean by that:

I have a PC, a Mac, an iPhone and an iPad. I have purchased a Freedom licence for both PC and Mac, meaning that – should I feel it necessary – I could run it on both computers simultaneously, thus taking out any chance of turning to the Internet on those. However, it wouldn’t take that much effort to lean over and pick up my phone, and then I’ll be off on the Information Superhighway faster than you can blink.

You need to remind yourself that there’s a reason you can’t get onto the Internet right now. The software is only as strong as your self control.

Also, I have a personal issue with this program, considering I can’t even think about the word “Freedom” without getting this is my head:

...or something to that effect.

Yeah. But that aside, Freedom is a great, simple little app that does exactly what it says on the tin.

There really isn’t much else to say other than it works.

I mean, it’s nothing spectacular, but then it doesn’t have to be. It has a purpose to serve, and it serves it perfectly.

[rating=4]

You can buy Freedom from the developer’s web site, including free trial versions for both PC and Mac versions, enable 5 free uses before deciding whether to hand over your heard earned dolla.

(I’ve written this post as a means of procrastination so as not to have to work on my current WIP. The irony is not lost on me. Freedom is going on as soon as I’ve posted. Promise!)

Scrivener [for Windows] is Here!

PenrefeThoughts On Software

After what feels like a lifetime of wating, the immensely popular writing software Scrivener has finally been released on Windows systems.

There isn’t much else I can say except if you like Scrivener for Mac, and you have a PC, you will want this software.

And if you only have a PC, or for whatever inexplicable reason, you’ve never used Scrivener on your Mac before, you will still want to get this software. With a 30 day non-consecutive trial, what do you have to lose?

Scrivener for Windows | Scrivener for Mac

Thoughts on ‘Reign in Darkness’

PenrefeThoughts On Film

First, go watch the trailer if you haven’t seen the film, get an idea about what you’re about to read (reload the page if the video doesn’t show):

As a commenter of YouTube pointed out: “When a trailer has no dialogue, you know you’re in for a treat.”

When you’re done crying into your Rice Krispies, let’s get started…

What Are We Watching?

Title: Reign in Darkness

Written By: David W. Allen, Kelly Dolen

Directed By: David W. Allen, Kelly Dolen

Starring: David W. Allen, Kelly Dolen, David No

Synopsis [IMDB]: Molecular biologist Michael Dorn is accidentally infected with a new virus he is developing, turning him and its other victims into a new breed of vampire.

SPOILER ALERT

There be spoilers in this post. Question is: after watching that trailer, do you really think you’d watch this film, and therefore, will spoilers matter?

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Thoughts on ‘Repo! A Genetic Opera’

PenrefeThoughts On Film

Go watch the trailer first, if you haven’t seen the film.

It should give you an idea of what you’re about to read (if the video doesn’t appear, reload the page):

What Are We Watching?

Title: Repo! The Genetic Opera

Written By: Darren Smith, Terrance Zdunich

Directed By: Darren Lynn Bousman

Starring: Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head and Alexa Vega

Synopsis [IMDB]: A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however.

WATCH OUT FOR SPOILERS!

This post may divulge information integral to the characters and plot of ‘Repo! a Genetic Opera’. While attempts have been made to clearly mark out spoilers, if you haven’t seen this film — and don’t want to risk any key elements being revealed  — I’d suggest you stop reading. Like… now.

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Thoughts on ‘The A Word’

PenrefeThoughts On Film

Student filmmaker Lindsay Ellis’ USC project, The “A” Word, is a documentary focusing on the highly controversial subject of abortion, and the effect it has on the people who go through it.

I watched the project’s progress on Lindsay’s blog as she shared her project’s various stages.  From the first moment I learned that she would be openly discussing a subject that the mere mention of the word flares emotions and opinions, I knew I’d want to see the finished product. Add to the fact that the reason she has elected for this subject matter for her documentary because she has been through this herself, well…wow.  That takes balls. Big, fat, hairy balls. So I had to get myself a copy of it.

It arrived just the other day, taking less than a week to cross the great pond. I’ve since watched it twice in order to gather my thoughts and opinions on the whole thing, and now I’m going to share.

So sit down, be quiet, and let me tell you all about it.

The documentary follows Lindsay as she seeks out other people who have been through the same experience as her.

What starts as a potentially blase introduction to the subject of abortion quickly submerges into something much deeper.

It also shows the effects that her own experience had on her, the would-be father, and her parents.  While it does focus on a number of people who have been affected by abortion in various ways, it is largely a personal experience showing Lindsay coming to terms with her own decision.

I have no shame in admitting that I spent a good portion of the 30 minutes run time either in tears or on the verge of them, and I’m not talking pissy little “Oh no, Mufasa’s dead” kind of tears, I’m talking really vicious and sympathetic tears. Because the problem with doing a documentary on something that touches so very close to home is that it is still difficult to maintain any kind of distance from the subject matter.  It shows constantly during Lindsay’s screen time; she spends a lot of it looking almost lost, or just confused.  It’s clear that she does not know whether the decision she made was the right thing to do.

When life throws you lemons, turn to Jesus.

The documentary also highlights the fact that there is little support for women after they have decided to terminate a pregnancy, other than in the solace of God, which assumes that people will regret their decisions.  This leads to some of the most moving and also the harshest content in the film: while at an anti-abortion rally and after hearing others speak up about their experiences, Lindsay decides to speak herself.  The emotion behind her eyes and in her voice are nigh on impossible to put into words.

The whole film is very raw, very upfront, and it doesn’t hold back for the sake of the sensitive matters being discussed.

Is it perfect? No, of course not.  I had some sound level issues throughout, and I would’ve appreciated subtitles in these parts.  There were also some scenes, particularly the transitionary ones, that I felt were added purely for effect.  Some worked well, others did not.

But overall, the documentary covered the spectrum of reasons behind abortion, allowed open and frank discussion of both sides of the matter, and granted time for everyone to say their piece.  It managed to do so without coming across as preachy on either side, and the vast majority of the scenes had genuine emotion that practically emanated through the screen.

The film closes on the valid point that abortion isn’t really about political points and pro-lifer protests. Its implications rest solely on the shoulders of the women who go through it, the people they involve, and their lives as a result.

“The ‘A’ Word” is well worth a watch.  It is interesting, insightful, and most of all, it’s very honest.

[rating:4]

The ‘A’ Word is something you should really see in order to fully understand. If you would like to grab yourself a copy, while simultaneously helping Lindsay and the production team in their efforts to get “The ‘A’ Word” onto the film festival circuit, please check out her blog here.

(I’m well aware that Lindsay is probably best known online as The Nostalgia Chick of TGWTG.com (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out my Procrastination Station on TGWTG.). I’m sure Lindsay appreciates how this persona has brought much additional attention for her unrelated projects, but this was separate to her work for Channel Awesome, which is why I made no mention of it. Until now. Oops.)

© 2019 Penrefe

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