Super Size Me

Super Size Me is a documentary about filmmaker Morgan Spurlock who embarked on a one-month McDonald’s binge.  He signed up three medical professionals to monitor his health while in this extreme experiment – a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner.  He also worked with a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist. 

For 30 days, he was to eat only foods from McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and supper.  He could also drink coffee and water provided they were bought at Mickee Dees. 

He started out very healthy.  As a matter of fact, his exercise physiologist said that he had above average fitness for his age group.  He stood 6’2” and weighed 185 ½ lbs.  His cholesterol was 168 and his body fat was 11%.  He was sexually active.  He was a previous smoker but had quit many years ago. 

So Day 1 came, he started his McDonald’s binge and he was fine.  On Day 2 he experienced a stomachache and even vomited while having his meal.  On Day 7, he was experiencing chest pressure.  By Day 18, he was feeling fatigue and he had less sexual drive. 

These are the final stats by Day 30: 

·         He gained 24.5 lbs. 

·         His cholesterol shot up to 65 points. 

·         He had 18% body fat. 

·         His liver had turned into fat. 

·         He had twice the risk for a heart attack. 

·         His sexual life was worthless.

·         He had terrible mood swings. 

·         He was depressed and exhausted. 

·         He had massive cravings. 

·         He craved these foods the more he ate them and he got massive headaches if he didn’t. 

For 30 days of eating only McDonald’s food, he consumed 30 lbs. of sugar and 30 lbs. of fat. That’s pretty scary.  No wonder his body broke down by Day 30. 

It took him five months to lose 20 lbs and another nine to lose the last 4 ½ lbs. 

It’s quite alarming to know these statistics.  And I thought that I was eating healthy by ordering the Chicken Ranch Salad until I learned from this film that it actually contains more fat than a Big Mac.  Whoa! 

I can count in the fingers of my left hand the average number of times my family eats at McDonald’s or A&W in a year.  But I noticed that when I was working out of the home during my office training a couple of months ago, we went to McDonald’s two times in that three-week period.  I was tired after work, especially at the end of the week, and I didn’t feel like cooking supper.  It was convenient to just go out and eat.  And looking back now, when my kids were still a lot younger, when my youngest one was still a baby, we often ordered from Kentucky Fried Chicken on Fridays.  And I think that’s the biggest lure of these fastfood restaurants.  The convenience it brings to our very busy lives. 

There was another interesting experiment that Morgan did at the end of the film.  He bought different sandwiches and French Fries from McDonald’s and an unknown burger joint.  He sealed each one in different clear jars and he monitored what happened to the sandwiches as the days went by.  The sandwiches soon developed molds in them, even the French Fries from that unknown burger joint.  But the French Fries from McDonald’s surprisingly looked the same after two months as it did the first day it was placed in the jar.  You wonder why?  These French Fries were cooked in trans fat.  I’ve learned from another show that food manufacturers use trans fat in their products to lengthen the shelf life of let’s say cookies.  Trans fat remains solid at room temperature whereas oil remains liquid at room temperature.  When we take trans fat, it doesn’t dissolve in our body and could clog our arteries.  Frightening, isn’t it? 

Morgan made this film to prove that fastfood chains like McDonald’s can be the cause of high obesity rates in the U.S.A.  But is it really?  Yes, it might have something to do with it.  But I think that it’s up to each individual if they want to eat out or be lured by the larger or super size portions that these companies are selling.  What do you think?

Everything Is Illuminated

Everything is Illuminated is about Jonathan Safran Foer (Elijah Wood), a Jewish American who sets out to the Ukraine to search for “dead family,” Augustine, the person who his grandfather said saved him during World War II.  Jonathan is not your usual kind of guy.  He wears these big thick glasses and he collects things, family things.  “I collect them because sometimes I think I’ll forget,” he explains to Alex. 

Alexander Perchov  (Eugene Hutz) is the grandson of Jonathan’s tour guide in Ukraine and is his translator, whose butchered English made this movie very funny.  He keeps referring to Jonathan as Jonfen.  Alex was named after his father who was named after his grandfather.  They brought with them their dog, Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. on this “very rigid search.” 

Here are just some of my favourite quotes from the movie: 

Forgive my speaking of English, Jonfen, for it is not premium. 

Many girls want to be carnal with me because I am a very premium person. 

Why would he not eat meat?  Because he is deranged. 

I’m worried, Jonfen.  My grandfather seems to be dreaming even if he is not in repose. 

I have a phobia with dogs.  I am distressed by dogs. 

I am beginning to like road trip movies such as this one, where the main character sets out to search for one thing and ends up finding out more than he expected.  Let me borrow Alex’s words, “Everything is illuminated in the light of the past.”

An Officer and a Gentleman

I’ve seen parts of An Officer and a Gentleman on TV before but this was the first time I’ve seen the entire film.  I didn’t know that there were scenes that were shot in the Philippines.   

Zack Mayo’s (Richard Gere) dad was a Naval Officer in Subic Bay.  When Zack’s mother died, he went to live with his dad in the Philippines.  When Zack grew up, he joined the Navy back in the United States.  While in training, he hooked up with Paula (Debra Winger).  Both had the intention of just having fun until he graduated.  But they fell in love. 

Zack had the attitude of “I don’t need anybody.”  But he matured as he dealt with the people that he met.  I love that scene when he helped Officer Seeger (a girl classmate) and walked her through that wall in the obstacle course.   And when he told Sgt. Foley, “I wouldn’t have made this if it weren’t for you.”  And who wouldn’t love that final scene when he went to the factory where Paula worked.  He looked so handsome in his white uniform.  He surprised Paula with a kiss and scooped her up in his arms while the song Up Where We Belong played in the background.  

Debra Winger reminds me a lot of the Filipino actress Dina Bonnevie.  There is definitely quite a resemblance.  I wonder whatever happened to Debra Winger.  She’s such a good actress.

Can men and women be just friends?

The first time Harry met Sally, he said to her, “Men and women can’t be friends because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive.  He always wants to have sex with her.”  (Please guys, tell me this isn’t true.)  Sally disagreed and found him to be obnoxious.  He, on the other hand, found her to be very high-maintenance.  So they didn’t hook up on that first meeting. 

The second time they met, they were both committed to other people.  Harry still stood by what he said to her the first time.  She still found him obnoxious. 

Read the rest of this entry.

I love movies!

Aside from reading books, I also love watching movies.  No, I don’t go to the theatres that often.  On average, I only go once or twice a year.  That is a far cry from my movie-going days when I was still single in the Philippines.  I think I went at least once a month to watch my favourite Pinoy movie stars – Christopher de Leon, Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta, just to name a few.  It’s probably because I didn’t have a TV back then.  Besides going to the movies back home was very affordable.  Not like here in Canada.  Tickets are $8.50 each, plus we have to buy the overpriced popcorn and drinks.  Otherwise, my kids don’t see the point of going to the movies without these refreshments.  So every year, we wait for a movie that is worth watching on the big screen.  Movies with spectacular special effects such as Star Wars, Spiderman, The Matrix, The Harry Potter series, and lately, Superman Returns.  As for the other movies, we usually just wait for them to come out on tape or DVD, or sometimes to be shown on TV. 

Now that VHS tapes are slowly being replaced by DVDs, stores are selling VHS tapes at very low prices.  Sometimes at prices that are even lower than the rental charge at video stores.  I’m such a sucker on sales like these.  You’d find me rummaging through the sale bins at Superstore or Zellers and I’d always come home with at least one VHS movie tape.  My kids and my husband don’t get me.  To them, VHS tapes are not worth buying anymore.  As for me, I don’t really care if images on VHS tapes are not as sharp as the ones on DVDs.  I don’t see the difference.  It could be just my failing eyesight.  As long as I find a favourite movie on a VHS tape that is on sale, I’d take it and I’d have a great time curling up on the couch that night (or whenever I get the time) watching that movie and I’d be happy to be transported to La La Land.