shannondoty87

As someone who has worked in the autism field for nearly a decade, I can vouch for "Po" as a film that captures the everyday challenges of thousands of families across the globe. Director John Asher's emphasis on the rawness of autism is met with magical cinematography that transports the audience to places beyond fantasy. Asher is the father of a son, Evan, who is on the autism spectrum, and insights from his personal experience are evident in the film.

Expertly written, the storyline grabs the viewer and takes them on a ride across the fine line of imagination and reality. Christopher Gorham and Julian Feder are an on-screen "dream team" - connected, convincing, and compelling.

"Po" is a brilliant film worth seeing again and again.

"Super Size Me" is an earnest attempt on the part of Morgan Spurlock to increase awareness and educate the public on the harmful implications of eating fast food at frequent intervals. One of the more admirable qualities of his strategy was the fact that this challenge was undertaken at his own personal expense. While this appears to be an honest endeavor when taken at face value, I also found certain design elements of his 30-day experiment to be unrealistic and exaggerated at best.

I will give Spurlock credit in regards to his approach in determining his health baseline. He did not seek to be evaluated from just one, but three doctors, a nutritionist, and a personal trainer. The confirmation from these multiple specialists positively impacted the reliability of the tests that detailed his initial health. His evaluation was also comprehensive and pointed to the notion that his health was, indeed, excellent overall. Spurlock's presumably "perfect" health had deteriorated exponentially over the course of his 30-day experiment. He gained over 20 lbs., experienced sexual dysfunction, and his triglyceride levels were elevated. The burning question that arose in me while considering his initial health paired with the outcome of his experiment is "Would most Americans experience similar outcomes?"

Spurlock was a cultural anomaly to begin with, eating a clean diet and exercising often. Is it possible that the "typical" American would have responded in a less extreme manner to the experimental conditions than Spurlock? Similar to an alcoholic, for instance, humans have the ability to build a tolerance to substances that are bad for us. If Spurlock lived an exceptionally healthy lifestyle before, barely delving into fast food meals, it is possible that he shocked his system into reacting in such profoundly negative ways. It would have been excellent if the filmmaker had engaged in this experiment counter to a "typical" American who does not normally eat healthy or exercise. I also think that the radical nature of the experimental conditions- 3 McDonalds meals per day, always super sizing when asked, eating each item on the menu at least once- were as such that very few Americans could relate to the outcomes that Spurlock experienced. The experiment seemed to be designed in an effort to polarize his baseline health with the experimental outcome, and, in turn, sensationalize the impact of eating McDonalds. I found this aspect of the film to be quite manipulative. Most Americans eat fast food on a moderate basis, and this is okay, as long as individuals are able to otherwise maintain control over their diets.

Overall, Spurlock did a decent job shocking the public into thinking more critically about their fast food consumption. This was perhaps the point. I did think that the film could have been more realistic and applicable to everyday Americans, but, then again, it might not have garnered so much attention from the public had he taken this approach. The primary lesson that one can take from this film is that ingesting any harmful substance, including food, in abnormally excessive amounts over a period of time will negatively affect one's health.