Can this Film Stop the Bullying Problem?

12 Apr

It happened when I was in fifth grade.

Our class had a substitute teacher one day, and we spent the last hour outside.

Many of us played kickball. But when the game started to get stale, the “cool kids” took the ball and started doing their own thing.

I wanted to play with them, so I tried to get in their game.

However, instead of welcoming me, they started calling me names and throwing the ball at me, hitting me with it multiple times in the head, chest, and back.

I tolerated it for a while, but then decided I’d had enough. Upset and near tears, I went inside without telling anyone. The substitute was so oblivious she didn’t even see me go.

I got to our classroom, picked up my bag and jacket, and before I headed out for the bus, I wrote a very simple note on the blackboard:

“I suck. Signed Marty”

Somehow, I held it together on the bus, and when I finally got home, I made a bee-line up to my bedroom, where I broke down and cried.

For most of my childhood, I’d been on the receiving end of bullying. From incessant name-calling to being pushed around and excluded from activities, I was pretty much your stereotypical suburban bullying victim.

And like most bullying victims, I’d gotten used to it, as if that was my lot in life and there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it. My parents didn’t know much about how I was being treated (I generally kept it to myself), and the teachers at school were doing very little to stop it. In fact, their coddling of me probably made it worse since I was seen as a teacher’s pet.

So that day in fifth grade was a real breaking point for me.

I told my parents what had happened, and they asked a lot of questions. Why? How? Didn’t anyone do anything? What were you doing? I didn’t really want to answer these questions, so they didn’t exactly make it easier for me, or make me want to tell my parents again.

I don’t recall any specific action being taken after that day, but I have to believe something did happen because I don’t have any memories of things being quite so bad ever again. In fact, by the end of middle school (around the time of my 13th birthday, to be specific), I’d found some confidence and strength, and things got much better for me.

But I never would forget those earlier days of being bullied, and how awful it felt. And even now, that one day in particular still stands out.

So you can probably imagine the visceral reaction I had while watching the new documentary Bully. Continue reading →

The Song Remains the Same for “Once”

11 Apr

Like the movie it’s based on, Once the stage musical (which I saw last week) begins in unassuming fashion.

The stage has been “converted” to a pub, where audience members can go for a drink before the show (and during intermission). The ensemble is right there on stage performing Irish and Czech folk songs, in a seemingly impromptu jam session, and patrons are treated as if it’s just another night in the pub.

Gradually, all the audience members are led back to their seats, and without any fanfare, there’s someone “new” on stage, who the ensemble parts ways to let sing.

And does he ever.

With broken-hearted passion, this Guy belts out “Leave,” a slow-burn song about his girlfriend, who has left Dublin — and him.

Slowly the lights go down and the show has begun.

Continue reading →

My Perfect Day of Eating

6 Apr

My friend Dan has a great podcast called The Sporkful, which he hosts with his buddy, Mark.

The tagline for the show is “It’s not for foodies, it’s for eaters.” That just about describes me perfectly.

I don’t like fancy-schmancy food, but I sure do like what I like. And I take it rather seriously.

How much? Well, if you’re a regular reader of this blog, or if we’re connected on Facebook or Twitter, then you have a pretty good idea.

So I thought I’d devote a blog post to my perfect day of eating. And yes, perfect includes not having to worry about calories or ever getting full.

Where would I go, and what would I eat? Continue reading →

13 Years Later, and Jim’s Still Not Getting Any

5 Apr

Are you nostalgic for the first American Pie movie?

Is anyone?

Anyone other than the original cast, that is.

If you are, then American Reunion is a movie for you.

It plays like a cinematic version of a K-Tel Records “Who Loves the ’90s?” album, complete with the same basic story of a bunch of horny guys in East Great Falls, Mich., who just want to get laid.

Of course, we’re talking Reunion here, so the action all takes place 13 years after that first film. And if a 13-year reunion seems random to you, well … you’re right.

But who cares? After all, if you’ve been to a reunion, then you know what to expect: Initial feelings of anticipation, stress, awkwardness, and/or regret, that eventually lead to good vibes for everyone. That describes the characters’ reunion and the movie itself.

Continue reading →

23 Things I’m Definitely Right About

4 Apr

My friend Todd has long threatened to start a blog called “Why Marty Is Wrong,” which he will use to refute everything I write about on my own blog.

One thing I know for sure is that Todd will never do this.

Why?

Because there’s a lot more that I’m right about than I’m wrong about. And that includes the fact that Todd has much better things to do than debate me in a point-counterpoint blog post back-and-forth.

In short, he’s all talk.

So because I have free reign to say what I want, knowing that Todd won’t ever create that blog, here’s a list of 23 things that he can’t dispute. Continue reading →

7 Things Not to Do When You Work Out

1 Apr

True to my word, I woke up early this morning (before 8 a.m. — on a Sunday!) and headed next door to the gym to begin my workout routine.

For anyone else out there who is thinking about getting their lazy ass off the couch and hitting the gym, I thought I’d share a list of things not to do.

Things that will ensure your workout is successful.

Consider it learnings from my experience. Continue reading →

Change Is Good

30 Mar

Long-time readers of this blog know that I often write about needing change in my life.

Well, today I’m announcing some big changes. Three of them.

The first is the obvious one: I’ve moved my blog to a brand-new home.

After six and a half years at Blogger.com, Martin’s Musings has taken up residence at WordPress, and yes, here at martinlieberman.com.

It’s the same blog you’ve come to know and love, but better.

For example, I’ve done away with the white-text-on-black-background look that screamed “Amateur!” and I’ve chosen what I think is a cleaner look for this new iteration.

In addition, now you can subscribe to the blog, so you won’t miss anything. Just type your email address in the field at the top-right-hand corner of this blog post.

And you now can share the blog posts you like, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and yes, on Google+ too. (All those options are at the bottom of this and every blog post.)

I’m even going to be writing more often than I have been, on some different topics than movies, so that’s something to look forward to as well.

Why is that? Well, that brings us to the second big change … Continue reading →

He Took Care of His Own

27 Mar

Hard times … Baby, well, they come to us all.

Few people understand that statement as well as Bruce Springsteen does. And that theme permeated a good chunk of Springsteen’s show last night at the TD Garden here in Boston.

With a new album out, Wrecking Ball, that addresses the tough, unfair economic climate, and a set list that drew heavily from that album, it was clear that Springsteen came to town hoping to give voice to the frustrated and angry.

And he did, beginning the show with sound and fury: “We Take Care of Our Own,” “Wrecking Ball,” “Badlands,” and the Celtic-flavored “Death to My Hometown,” one after another. That’s what he called putting “a whoop-ass session on the recession.”

Later on, he performed “American Skin (41 Shots)” as a not-so-subtle reference to Trayvon Martin.

But it didn’t take long to pick up on the fact that Springsteen had more on his mind than current events. Continue reading →

He Needs to Talk About Kevin

25 Mar

In the new movie Jeff, Who Lives at Home, the title character is looking for a sign.

About halfway through, so was I.

A sign that would tell me when the movie was going to kick into gear.

Jeff (Jason Segel) spends most days on the couch, in the basement of his mother’s house, getting stoned and looking for signs from the universe about what he should do with his life.

Yes, he’s one of those loveable but directionless losers who appear on screen all the time, who we’re asked to root for, even though they don’t really inspire much affection (blame the casting department that we do root for them anyway).

One day, Jeff’s mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon, randomly cast), asks him to go to the store and get some wood glue. And it’s on the way to fulfill that mission that he meets up with his estranged and more successful brother, Pat (Ed Helms), who isn’t getting along with his wife, Linda (Judy Greer).

Meanwhile, mom works away at her cubicle job, where she’s being flirted with over instant message by a mysterious secret admirer.

It’s just another day in indie film world. Continue reading →

This Blog Post Will Help You Write Better [Infographic]

24 Mar

People who can’t write well are what we in the editorial world call “job security.”

And given that more and more businesses and organizations are getting hip to the value that content can have in telling a brand’s story — and thus, attracting more customers, donations, fans, and other desired endgames — let’s just say there’s plenty of reason to feel secure in my choice of a career these days. Continue reading →

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