Intro Post

     My name is Riley Aamold and I am a sophomore at NCC with a major in Environmental Science. I plan on pursuing a career in Wildlife Biology or Environmental Conservation back in Oregon and Washington, where I am originally from. I am on the women’s wrestling team at NCC and we are looking to earn our first all-division national title this March. Besides wrestling, I have a lot of different hobbies but I mostly love doing things outdoors like hiking, camping, kayaking, rock climbing, surfing, and skateboarding. When I’m not busy wrestling I spend a lot of my time traveling and exploring with my friends. I am just getting into both digital and film photography and I am excited to learn more about cinematography as well! 

    As far as favorite movies go, I have to say coming-of-age movies like Stand By Me (1986) are my favorite because of the nostalgia. When I was younger my friends and I probably watched Stand By Me over 10 times because we connected with the characters and felt like their friendship was similar to our own. But for more recent movies I am a big fan of Wes Anderson films like Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and movies directed by Taika Waititi like Jojo Rabbit (2019). The style of these two directors is really unique and got me into adventure/comedy movies. What I like most about these films is that they can have a really playful/funny tone but a serious underlying message at the same time. The way these movies are paced also makes them feel almost like a play which is another reason why they’re so interesting to me. The newest movie that my brother and I became obsessed with was Nope (2022) by Jordan Peele. A lot of people said that they didn't understand it but my brother and I went back to watch it in theaters three times because we wanted to find all the hidden meanings. It was also the first horror movie that I actually found disturbing since I normally watch horror movies in a group for the humor of it.

    I am really looking forward to watching more movies this semester and I think it will be interesting to see other people’s perspectives on film. Even though we will not be watching it in class, a movie I am really looking forward to watching is The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). This movie came out a while ago but I just haven’t gotten the chance to sit down and watch it. As I said before, I am a big fan of Wes Anderson’s films and this movie has been claimed to be one of his defining movies. I have heard a lot of great things about it such as the comedy style, set and wardrobe design, and of course, the fact that the movie was shot on 35 mm film. A couple movies I can’t wait to watch in class are Fight Club (1999) which I have never seen but have heard a lot about, and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) which I have seen and am excited for the rewatch!