Film.vs.Life - what do we expect?

Everybody thinks they know that Films and life are separate entities but do they really know this? I question this because we all expect our lives to turn out as we see characters in the movies lives turn out. Whether that is with a happy ending or not. We take inspiration from what we see in films, whether that is good or bad. Should we really be doing this, as this surely leads our expectations to the level that cannot compete with the lives that we lead. The people behind the characters don't lead perfect lives, how can they? If anything they are worse than us because everyone wants to know every detail of their personal life, down to what diet they're on or what underwear they're wearing.
Life isn't a film, it won't always end happily ever after the way that Hollywood seems to be telling us. Maybe we should all watch more documentary style films or independent films that deal with gritty subject matter and completely go against the trends of Hollywood.
But we, as a group, don't want this. The reason that Hollywood is the 'world famous Hollywood' is because we use film to escape our lives and Hollywood releases some of the films that are the farthest way out of our reality. The only thing is that somewhere along the way we have realised that life is not a film yet we expect it to be one.
Maybe Indie films aren't the answer, maybe it's animated films. They aren't real, I mean the characters barely even change their clothes but even they seem to be getting to look more realistic. My example of this is the Pixar Short 'The Blue Umbrella', that short is the most realistic animation I have ever seen. Well, up to the point in which the Umbrella's eyes open, it kind of loses the reality of the picture (the actual image on screen, not the fact that Umbrella's don't have eyes).

 As much as you guys reading this may think I'm ranting, I'm not (or at least trying not to). I'm just questioning where the films end and reality begins, because those lines have been blurred somewhere along the way. My confession to all this, is that as much as I try not to, I still expect my life to turn out like a Disney movie.

Top 10 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' episodes

Introducing my top 10 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' episodes(and the crowd goes wild). It is never too late to start watching Buffy, as long as you can stop and look past the 90's of it all (it's mainly in the costume).

1. Once more with feeling - Season 6, episode 7. This is a musical episode that I like to think of as the build up to my favorite Joss Whedon creation 'Dr Horrible's sing along blog'. It is written and directed by Whedon and has the entire main cast singing and dancing to some seriously catchy songs (my favorite is either 'Rest in Peace' sung by James Marsters or 'I'll never tell' sung by Nicholas Brendan and Emma Caulfield)

2. Doppelgangland - Season 3, episode 16. The return of alternate Universe Vampire Willow. Again this episode was written and directed by Whedon so that Allyson Hannigan could dress up all vampy again and add a little bit of foreshadowing for future events in the series. Hannigan has also said that this is one of her favorite episodes.

3. Innocence - Season 2, episode 14. Buffy once again has to face one of the many 'big bads' of the series - the judge, brought to Sunnydale by Drusilla and spike. This is possibly the third most heartbreaking episode on this list, especially if you get invested in characters like I do (which is very much so)

4. Becoming (part 2) - Season 2, episode 21. This episode is dangerous, especially when watching it in the morning before having to go to class because you will cry (like number 3, it depends on how invested you are in the characters). This episode just shows the acting ability of both Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz as they both create such strong emotion. I'll stop here as this is one that I do not want to spoil for anyone who doesn't know anything about the buffyverse - Angel wise. (this is probably joint first most heartbreaking with the another episode in this list)

5. Hush - Season 4, episode 10. This is the most terrifying episode of the series, the gentleman are the creepiest monsters in the buffyverse and their sidekicks are probably the creepiest sidekicks of the buffyverse. This episode is a mini silent film, the characters are all silenced by the gentlemen. Which means this episode has a soundtrack that just creates moods on the click of the play button. (small warning, if prone to nightmares do not watch before bed. You can ask any Buffy fan, they will tell you the same thing)

6. The Body - Season 5, episode 16. The most distinctive and my favorite part of the episode is when Buffy finds the body as their is a sequence shot with no soundtrack (and no cuts for those that do not know what a sequence shot is). This small aspect of the episode makes a huge emotional impact, as it amplifies the vulnerability of Buffy. This episode is a real display of the support and love the Scoobies give Buffy.

7. Who Are You? - Season 4, episode 16. One of the funniest episodes on this list. Faith takes over Buffy's body. The best thing about it is Sarah Michelle Gellar getting to play the part of Faith - the bad slayer, and I mean seriously bad. In addition to this Eliza Dushku gets to be Buffy, which always reminds me of her characters in dollhouse as they are all so, the opposite of Faith.

8. When She Was Bad - Season 2, episode 1. Buffy returns to Sunnydale after going to LA for the Summer. She returns as a much meaner, distant Buffy because of her *SPOILER* dying in the finale of season 1 at the hands of the master. This is such a new perspective on Buffy, it allows the audience to see her darker side because everyone has one including the Slayer (maybe that should be especially the Slayer, you decide).

9. Gone - Season 6, episode 11. This episode unlike the rest on the list was directed and written by David Fury. None the less, this episode is hilarious, especially when the make Xander walk in on Spike being, lets say, busy with the invisible Buffy. This is just a very funny episode, another good bit is the reveal of the trio's identities to Buffy.

10. Family - Season 5, episode 6. This is the only episode which concentrates on Amber Benson's character Tara. The episode concentrates on Tara's place in the scooby gang, which at the beginning of the episode doesn't seem to exist, but by the end of the episode the audience as well as Tara is shown that she does have a place in the gang, as part of their family.

Also, special shout out to the episodes that I wish could be in my top ten (stupid list limitations):

- Tabula Rasa - Season 6, episode 8

- Helpless - Season 3, episode 12

- Smashed - Season 6, episode 9

- Nightmares - Season 1, episode 10

- Chosen - Season 7, episode 22

- Bargaining (part 2) - Season 6, episode 2