Heather Pierson and friends play at The Little White Church April 2

“I've been playing music forever,” Heather Pierson, who will be playing a concert at The Little White Church in Eaton, N.H. on Saturday, April 2, at 7 p.m. said. “Both my parents were musical too, my father especially, so I think it is just in my cells, I don't know, it has always been a part of who I am.”

Pierson will be playing songs from her latest album “Make It Mine” at the concert as well as new songs not yet heard by her fans and interpretations of a few choice cover songs. She will be joined by Jeremy Dean on guitar and vocals, Nate Towne on guitar and vocals and Audio Kickstand's Carl Iacozili on drums and Shawn Nadeau on bass.

Pierson debuted “Make It Mine” at a sold out CD release show at Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine last October.

“It is a fantastic venue,” Pierson said. “The acoustics are great…Carol [Noonan] was great. I am running out of superlatives. It was really awesome. The green room is completely epic. They've really done nice job putting that venue together.”

The album is a collection of 16 songs exploring the universal themes of love, loss, hope and perseverance.

“I would say it sounds like the love child of Joni Mitchell and Ben Folds that was babysat by George Winston,” Pierson said. “Lyrically there are lots of stories. I wouldn't say it is folk, but I wouldn't say it is pop either, so I don't quite know what it is.”

Pierson cites songwriters such as Mitchell and Paula Cole as her influences, but she is also influenced by the “independent minded sensibility” of artists that don't even resemble her music.

“I like to write music that I like to listen to and whether or not that falls into some other category,” Pierson said. “I'm very happy with this [album] and I like all the songs on here and I just hope other people do too.”

The album was recorded over several months in 2010 at Baked Beans Recording Studio in Harrison, Maine. It was a slow process, but one that Pierson enjoyed.

“It really is hard work,” Pierson said. “It really is like a job, but it is a job that I love to do.”

Pierson wrote all the songs and plays all the instruments herself on the album.

“It was really important for me to be able to say 'I played everything on this CD,'” Pierson said. “Future CDs probably won't be like that because recently I've been working with some really great musicians performing this stuff live.”

Although she has released previous CDs, she says this one is different.

“This one kind of feels like my first one because I am the most proud of it and I put the most effort and work and all that into it,” she said. “It is the first one that's gotten this kind of substantial response and what not.”

The album has been selling well on itunes and amazon and has been getting local radio play on WMWV.

“I hear from a lot of people, people that I know, that they've been hearing it on the radio and people really enjoy it,” Pierson said.

'Paul' is a comic love letter to Spielberg

When reviewing “Paul,” the new alien comedy from British comic actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, it is perhaps easiest to talk about who this film is not for.

If you are easily offended by profane language, this movie is not for you. If you are an overly sensitive Christian, this movie is not for you. If you've never seen “ET” or “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” this move is probably not for you. And, most importantly, if you've never proudly called yourself a geek, freak, dork or nerd, this movie is not for you.

“Paul” is about a couple of English comic book nerds (Pegg and Frost, who also wrote the film) who are visiting the United States to go to Comic-Con and visit locations of alien sightings. Along the way they encounter a foul-mouthed, but good-natured alien nicknamed Paul (voice of Seth Rogen).

The success of a film with an alien at the center depends on the believability of the alien. Whether the alien is a puppet like Yoda or ET or a computer-generated creation like Paul, if the alien looks fake the rest of the movie is cheapened. Paul, which was made using motion capture, the same technique used to create Gollum in “Lord of the Rings,” looks fantastic. He is seamlessly integrated into scenes and after a while you stop seeing him as a special effect.

Paul has been on Earth for 60 years and has very much assimilated our culture, specifically the slacker culture portrayed in such films as “Knocked Up” and “Superbad.” Realizing he is finally going to be killed and dissected by his captors, Paul makes a break for it. It is up to Pegg and Frost to help him catch a ride home.

The oddball trio picks up an Evangelical Christian RV rest stop attendant (Kristen Wiig). Paul helps to open her closed mind. In a funny running gag she embraces swearing, although she doesn't quite have the knack for it. Wiig, a reliably strong comic actor, gives a very funny performance that enlivens the film just as it was losing steam.

Pegg, Frost, Rogen and Wiig make a great comedy team and they play off each other nicely. There's an easy-going, silly charm to their scenes together. Even with a lot of crass humor, there's a sweetness throughout the film, especially in a plot development involving a character played by Blythe Danner.

Sadly, a strong supporting cast of talented comic actors is largely wasted. Jason Bateman and Bill Hader appear as G-Men and aren't really given much to do, although Bateman has a hilarious string of profanities that is almost poetic. Jane Lynch (“Glee”) has a cameo as a diner waitress and Sigourney Weaver is amusing as a government official, but it is basically stunt casting.

Fans of Pegg and Frost's previous collaborations, “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” may be disappointed, as this is a less sophisticated comic riff on a genre than those films. The humor in those film was more layered and the characters more complete. It was less parody and more homage.

“Paul” is meant as a love letter to Steven Spielberg. Pegg and Frost are content to merely reference other films in ways that are often genuinely funny, but the film doesn't go deeper than that first level kind of humor.

Pegg wrote the previous two films with Edgar Wright, who also directed them. His influence probably helped focus those other films. “Paul” director Greg Mottola (“Superbad,” “Adventureland”) has a looser style. The style fits the material well, which is goofier and more scatological than “Shaun of the Dead” or “Hot Fuzz.”

In many respects “Paul,” with its geek culture references, is closer in spirit to “Spaced,” the TV series that Pegg, Frost and Wright did together. This is a good, funny movie that could've been great, but the target demographic is going to enjoy it regardless because of an amicable cast and real affection for the genre.

Student Artist Profile: Jessica Pappalardo — More than just an act

Jessica Pappalardo, a junior at Kennett High School, has appeared in several community theater productions since her freshman year. She has worked with both Arts in Motion and M&D Production and has appeared in “Grease,” “Bare,” “Rent” and “Ordinary People.” Pappalardo is also in the Kennett High Glee Club and was in the top five placing video that was entered into FOX 23's Glee For All competition. She can currently be seen in “The Wizard of Oz.”

When did you get interested in singing and acting?

It all started in elementary school. Acting was kind of a big thing at my elementary school. We didn't have really big productions, but I started getting into that more because my home room advisor was actually the drama teacher and she saw that I had a big interest in it. The community theater really started my freshman year. I tried out for “Grease” with Arts in Motion and that's kind of where it all started from there.

Do you want to pursue that as a career?

I think pursuing it as a career would be really tough. Of course I would love to. It would be like a dream, but I don't know if that is really my place.

Do you think you will continue to perform throughout your life?

Definitely. I definitely love to. I've just started, so I hope this is just the beginning and I'll do a lot more in my life.

What was your first experience like doing community theater?

It wasn't that tough. Arts in Motion helped a lot because it was a school play, so you had a lot of your friends there. Diving right into it, especially since “Grease” was a very big production, it was kind of intimidating at first, but once you get more into it it gets easier along the way. That first experience is really scary, but I got used to it.

Do you have a preference for musical theater or straight drama?

I've actually done all musicals up until “Ordinary People,” which was in the fall. That was my first drama. I like musicals I think more because I enjoy singing more. A drama was definitely a little more harder, but I enjoyed it just as much.

“Ordinary People” is obviously a very heavy show and you obviously played a very dark character, so how did you approach that?

A lot of it was personal experience. Not saying I want to kill myself, I've never wanted to do anything that heavy. With all acting you take it from yourself, your personal life, your background and I haven't had such a perfect life, not that anyone has. I took a lot from my own life and I put it out on stage.

What has this last show, “The Wizard of Oz,” been like?

“The Wizard of Oz?” Oh gosh. I love doing M&D plays. This was really fun. It is a lot different, well, not entirely different, but it is different for an M&D production because it is a very popular play. I'm Glinda and I've never really played a happy role. My past characters haven't been the most peppiest and jovial, but this one was a lot of fun because I could just smile all the time and have fun with it instead of crying or anything.

It must be freeing to do something like “Wizard of Oz” where you can go as big as you want and it is OK.

Yeah, there is no over-the-top. Over-the-top is good. Always just have a bunch of facial expressions. You don't have to hold back, and I love that.

How would you compare Arts in Motion and M&D? I imagine it is a different experience with both.

I think it is more like the directors are different. Arts in Motion works more with students and it is kind of more of a starting point. I started with Arts in Motion, which is good because they've helped me and they've always been helping me. I enjoy doing plays with them. M&D is more where you have to start branching out and you have to kind of do more with yourself. I don't know how to describe it, but it goes Arts in Motion and then M&D is where you really start opening up as an actor.

What do you hope to do when you get out of school?

I'm not quite sure yet. I've looked into, recently, music management and merchandising and I think that's where I am going to try and start. I'm actually going to visit colleges in New York over April vacation and hoping that I'll find something that I like there.

Are there any schools you are particularly looking into?

Nazareth, Syracuse, I don't know yet. University of New Haven in Connecticut. There are so many choices.

Are there any other acting jobs on the horizon? Have you auditioned for anything?

I am in the KHS Glee Club. That's fun. I think that's all. I was thinking of joining chorus. I might do a dance for a gym credit next year. But other than a career, I think community theater is all I have so far.

How's the Glee Club been? Were you in the video?

I was in the video. We went to Good Day Maine and it was an awesome experience. You'd think you'd be close to students, but once your in team and you compete together, we'd go out to dinner, and we'd have the greatest time. It is starting up next month and we are going to get new people in it and I'm really excited.

You do think, where ever you are, you will try to do community theater?

I think so. I get out all my emotions. I've met so many people. I'm friends with a lot of actor. I've met a lot of talented people. I'd really like to. I'm really glad I got into this and I just want to continue with it.

'Bureau' a thriller full of wit and ideas

The sci-fi romance thriller “The Adjustment Bureau” is a reminder of the power of movies to affect us in unexpected ways and bring things to the fore that otherwise would have stayed dormant. After seeing “The Adjustment Bureau” I had the sort of meaningful father-son conversation you only see in, well, the movies. Any film that can do that must be doing something right.

“The Adjustment Bureau” is based on a story by Philip K. Dick, whose writing has been the inspiration for such great sci-fi films as “Blade Runner,” “Total Recall” and “Minority Report.” The scale of this latest adaptation is much smaller than those fillns and plays almost like a feature-length episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

The high-concept premise has David Norris, a politician (Matt Damon), meeting Elise, a dancer (Emily Blunt, “The Devil Wears Prada”), and having an instant connection, but the men of the titular bureau serve a higher power that must keep things to a specific plan. David and Elise being together is not part of the plan.

David accidentally gets a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of the bureau and is told to forget Elise. The problem is chance, something the bureau can't control, keeps bringing them together. This forces adjuster John Slattery (“Mad Men”) and his fellow members of the bureau go to greater lengths to keep them apart.

The film uses the plot as a mechanism for a discussion of free will versus predestination that, while not profound, is handled respectfully and intelligently.

Writer George Nolfi, directing his first film, finds the right touch for the material. It doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to figure out what the adjustment bureau is a metaphor for, but the film never gets heavy handed or preachy with its premise.

There's a sense of fun throughout the film. The way Slattery's Richardson contrives to keep David and Elise apart and how David keeps out-thinking him is genuinely clever. It is a solid cat-and-mouse game that is often ingenious and very entertaining.

What makes the film special is its two leads. Damon and Blunt are a perfect couple from the first second they appear together on screen. Right from their first scene, the audience is hooked. We want them to be together.

Every one of their scenes together has a romantic spark that hasn't been seen in movies for some time. Their chemistry is palpable and they trade barbs with the same precision you'd see in classic screwball comedies. Nolfi's script gives Damon and Blunt dialogue with real wit that they couldn't have delivered any better.

It is on the strength of their performance that the film works even when things like magic hats that allow the wearer to open a door and travel anywhere in the city are introduced. As silly as that may sound, there is actually a thrilling climatic chase in which Damon and Blunt jump around New York City using one of these hats.

While Damon and Blunt are the heart of film, the brain of the film is Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker”) as a sympathetic adjuster, who has seen David's life manipulated one too many times. Damon and Mackie have several philosophical conversations that give the film weight.

Damon and Blunt are well supported. Slattery along with Terrance Stamp, who makes an appearance in the film as an employee higher up in the bureau, have tricky roles. They are preventing the protagonists from being apart, but they aren't traditional villains. When confronting Damon, the dynamic is almost like a principal scolding a delinquent student. Slattery and Stamp are stern, forceful and effective in their roles.

In an era of increasingly more bombastic action films, it is a pleasure and relief to see a thriller about ideas, people and love rather than explosions.

Take the time to tango with 'Rango'

I tried describing “Rango” to a friend who knew nothing about it. It didn't go well. “It's an animated western with animals featuring the voice of Johnny Depp.” The friend replied it sounded like a disaster. It isn't, though, far from it actually, because that simple description fails to grasp the supreme weirdness of the film.

The animals in “Rango” are not cute and fuzzy. They are reptiles, birds, mice and other small mammals that are designed in a way that is both realistic and exaggerated at the same time. The characters often look odd, but never to the point of being scary with the exception of a villainous snake.

“Rango” comes from Nickelodeon Pictures, and this marks a huge step forward for the company in terms of quality and content. Parents expecting “Spongebob Squarepants” or “Jimmy Neutron” should take the PG rating seriously and provide parental guidance.

There is some strong language, the pace is more slack than your average animated feature and the content a bit more sophisticated. The film actually plays better for adults than kids. That being said there's still plenty of colorful animation and exciting action to please younger viewers.

The title character, voiced by Depp, is a pet chameleon who in the opening of the film gets separated from his owners and left wandering the desert. He stumbles upon the town of Dirt. Rango fancies himself an actor and reinvents himself as a tough hombre. When he accidentally kills the hawk that regularly attacks the town, he is proclaimed a hero and named the new sheriff.

His first duty as sheriff is to sort out the town's water crisis, which turns out to involve a conspiracy not dissimilar to the one in 1974's “Chinatown.” The villain of the piece is a crooked mayor voiced by Ned Beatty, who following his similar role in “Toy Story 3,” is becoming the go to guy for this sort of voice work.

“Rango” is director Gore Verbinski's first animated feature and he brings a very cinematic quality. It very much looks and moves like a live action film especially in the action sequences. The animation by Industrial, Lights and Magic is extraordinary. There are close ups of Rango's skin that look remarkably like real lizard skin. The desert landscapes are beautifully rendered. This is a great film to simply look at.

Verbinski is best known for the first three films of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, which also starred Depp, so they clearly understand each other. Both “Rango” and the “Pirates” films share imaginative, quirky action sequences and a subversive edge, but that's where the similarities end.

The Verbinski film that “Rango” is more closely akin to is the little seen and highly underrated “The Mexican,” a romantic comedy, of sorts, starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts centered around getting hold of a mysterious antique gun.

Both “Rango” and “The Mexican” play with western mythology and iconography in interesting and unexpected ways. In the case of “Rango,” this includes a mariachi band of owls that act as a Greek chorus for the film and get a laugh every time they appear on screen.

Verbinski took an interesting approach with the voice actors for this film. Typically, voice actors are recorded individually in separate booths. The actors for “Rango” were record together. This isn't the first film to try this method, but Verbinski took it one step forward and had the actors perform in full costume, almost as if performing a play.

The approach paid off and the film has vivid voice work from a cast that includes Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Harry Dean Stanton, Alfred Molina, Ray Winstone, Stephen Root, Bill Nighy and Timothy Olyphant doing his best Clint Eastwood. And then there's Depp whose wild card energy permeates throughout the whole film.

The film does sag a bit in the middle when it gets too bogged down in its plot, but it recovers nicely for a rousing finish. Even in its slower patches, “Rango” remains an interesting film and one worth exploring.

Big show, little theater

M&D Productions has transformed its stage from a trailer park to a mental institution and just about everything in between. Now M&D is whisking people off to Oz in director Christy Hikel’s version of “The Wizard of Oz,” a well cast and great looking production that is undermined by certain limitations.

“The Wizard of Oz” is a show that needs little introduction. Kansas girl Dorothy (Courtney Phelps) is transported to the land of Oz by a twister and must seek the help of the wizard of Oz (Ezra Alves) to go home. She's plagued by the Wicked Witch of the West (Shelly Morin), but picks up friends to help her: Scarecrow (Eric Jordan), Tin Man (Ged Owen) and the Cowardly Lion (Heather Lizzie).

This is a big show. M&D's Your Theatre in North Conway, N.H. is a small theater. While, in the past, M&D has done remarkable things with its stage, this time around it can't quite overcome the lack of space. This is not to slight the multiple and imaginatively designed sets by Deborah Jasien.

The issue is in the more elaborate, cast-heavy set pieces, such as Munchkinland or the Emerald City. The small stage feels cluttered and often requires characters walking around in circles. One way around the limited space was to personify the yellow brick road with Ellen Hill wearing a yellow shirt that says brick road on the front and follow me on the back. It is a funny gag that gets a laugh every time.

The other hurdle the cast must overcome is having to sing-a-long to a CD rather than live music. Everyone in the cast does their best to work through this restriction, but sometimes lose their way. The pre-recorded music inevitably straight-jackets any spontaneity or organic moments.

Given these setbacks, there is still much to praise. The show has fantastic costumes by Marion Owen, Peg Sutherland and Kathleen Mulkern that is complimented and equalled by Owen's makeup work. Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in particular look terrific, and that alone goes a long way to helping the show work.

After a clunky start in Kansas, things smooth out in Oz. The production entertains thanks to actors who ideally fit their characters. Jordan continues to prove himself to be a truly gifted comic actor with seemingly boundless energy. He manages to bring his own spin to this iconic character and steals nearly every scene he is in.

Lizzie, who makes her stage debut in this show, does a damn fine impression of Bert Lahr from the beloved 1939 film. This is the right choice since so many of the Lion's lines don't sound right any other way. Like Jordan she brings tremendous energy to the role.

Owen has the least flashy role of Dorothy's compatriots and is often overshadowed by the larger-than-life performances of Jordan and Lizzie. He also seems to have a come-and-go English accent. Even so, he does bring a real sense of warmth to the Tin Man.

Phelps gets the innocence of Dorothy just about perfect and handles the show's most famous song, “Over the Rainbow” nicely. She has good chemistry with Jordan, Lizzie and Owen, and their scenes together are when the show works best.

Morin, who by day is the executive director of the Mount Washington Valley Children's Museum, clearly relishes getting to be the Wicked Witch. She's the best kind of hammy and has a fantastic evil cackle. Her death scene is priceless.

In smaller roles, Jessica Pappalardo makes a lasting impression as the impossibly sweet Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Her performance of “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are” is a highlight. The casting of Amy-Nicole Smullen as the Mayor of Munchkinland, and dressing her to look like the Queen of England is a clever twist on the original that Smullen delivers well.

Overall, it is an uneven production, but one that carries the day thanks to a game, lively cast paired with great sets, costumes and make up.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students (Kennett High School, Kennett Middle School or Fryeburg Academy) and a family four pack for $30. Call the box office at 662-7591.

'Just Go With It' is a no go

Adam Sandler has always been an acquired taste. His moronic brand of humor has a take it or leave quality to it dating back to his first hit, “Billy Madison,” all the way up to his current one, “Just Go With It.”

Sandler has a troupe of actor and director friends that he regularly works with. This is director Dennis Dugan's sixth time working with Sandler. While the Sandler factory has made entertaining movies, it also creates a safety bubble that often prevents the actor from truly growing. It is only when he steps outside of that bubble, as with Judd Apatow's “Funny People” or Paul Thomas Anderson's “Punch Drunk Love,” that you begin to see that Sandler has untapped dimensions.

“Just Go With It,” a remake of the 1969 Walter Matthau movie “Cactus Flower,” falls well within in the bubble, which is a shame because there are hints that this could've been something more.

Sandler stars as a plastic surgeon who wears a fake wedding ring to woo younger women to bed with sob stories about his terrible marriage. He falls hard for a girl (model Brooklyn Decker) the one day he is not wearing the ring. When she finds it he explains he is getting a divorce. The lie balloons when Sandler ropes his assistant (Aniston) to play the part of his soon-to-be ex. Her kids also get pulled in the web of deceit. Guess who Sandler discovers he really loves?

The predictable formula isn't the problem. It is the execution. The film clocks in at under two hours, but drags so badly that it feels well over two hours. The final half of the film sends Sandler, Decker, Aniston, the kids and Nick Swardson, as Sandler's cousin who poses as Aniston's new German lover, to Hawaii.

Swardon is terribly unfunny with a cartoonishly over-the-top German accent. His scenes bring any of the film's energy to a halt. The character is superfluous and the film would've been greatly enhanced if he'd just been left on the cutting room floor.

It isn't that the film doesn't have laughs, it does, but most of the time the film goes for the easy laugh rather than the better laugh. Even Nicole Kidman is wasted as Aniston's former rival, who just happens to also be in Hawaii. Kidman does have some good nasty moments, but the film doesn't push far enough and stays firmly in low-brow territory.

Unfortunately, even in his 40s, Sandler can't repress his urges for juvenile jokes. So, yes, that means there is not one, but two hit-to-the-crotch jokes. Admittedly, one is funny, although it is the punchline that gets the laugh not the actual blow to Sandler's manhood.

The biggest problem is that Sandler's character is inconsistent. In one moment he's a sweet, nice guy, the next moment he's a jerk. Sometimes he seems to genuinely like Aniston's kids, other times he seems to loath them. When late in the film he proclaims his love for them it doesn't feel entirely earned.

Sandler is good in the film when he dials back his worst impulses. Even dating back to his earliest films — behind the silly voices and angry outbursts — there was an underlining sweetness. Paired with Drew Barrymore in 1998's “The Wedding Singer,” Sander proved that he could be a charming, albeit goofy, romantic lead. He shows that quality again here, but it is under utilized.

Aniston hasn't been this good on screen in a long time. Even in scenes that aren't working, she exudes an ease and confidence. She's bright, charming and funny throughout. There's also genuine chemistry between Aniston and Sandler when the film allows them to simply play off each other. That doesn't happen often enough.

“Just Go With It” is a wasted opportunity.

Student Artist Profile: Brianna Mann documents her world

Brianna Mann, a senior at Fryeburg Academy, recently made a short documentary about her aunt, who provides home care for the disabled. Mann, along with her mother, lives with and helps her aunt and so she is passionate about the subject matter and brings a more personal perspective to her film.

So, tell me a bit about what we just watched.

I made that documentary to kind of raise awareness about people who are disabled because people don't seem to care about them much anymore. Some people do. It depends on if you spend time with them. I live with them, so I know how they feel. Sometimes you can't. They can't verbalize how the feel. They can't tell you that they want something to eat or they're sick or don't feel good, so people thinking, “Oh, they just deserve to be killed” or people just think they shouldn't be around. I've had people tell me that people who are disable don't deserve to be in public and stuff like that. And I just think it is awful. I hope that it [the film] kind of works.

Have you shown it to many people?

My film class has seen it many times. I showed it to a couple of the individuals' parents and they loved it. They cried, so that must mean it was effective. It'll be shown at the student film festival at the end of the year. Kind of nervous of the outcome.

Do you have any favorite documentaries?

The one that inspired this [film] was, I don't remember what it was called, but it was about a home that cared for disabled people, but they were kind of abused, so I wanted to make sure that people know they are not abused in other homes.

Do you have interest in working in film?

Definitely. I have learned a lot from being in film class. I have three or four film classes here. I've gotten a lot better since I started off. I hope to make documentaries that kind of inspire people to give it a shot.

So, you prefer documentary filmmaking to narrative filmmaking?

Yes. It is also fun to make short movies. I don't really make long ones like real movies. But [I make] documentaries and music videos and just PDA announcement sort of things.

When did you first become interested in filmmaking?

The end of last year I took photo class, but Mr. Dana also gave me the opportunity to fool around with the computers and I got some fun little things that I made.

Do you have any favorite filmmakers or films you are really into? Not necessarily documentary, just in general.

I don't know, it is kind of funny, I really like horror movies, but I don't want to make them. I'm kind of inspired by them, but I don't want to do that.

What other projects are you working on?

Right now I am making a documentary about Sherman Farm just around the corner. My boyfriend works there and several friends, so I had the opportunity to interview them and take pictures around the farm. Hopefully it comes out well.

What kind of perspective are you going to have on it?

I have a friend that works inside working at the cash register and stacking vegetables and stuff like that, but my boyfriend works with the cows and barns and tractors outside, so I kind of get the inside scoop and the outside scoop.

Right, because a lot of people obviously see the people at the register, but don't necessarily see everything that goes into it.

Exactly, trying to get people to know both sides of the story.

What are you hoping to do after high school?

I want to go to college for human resources to help the disabled really in any way and I also want to go to school for film, but I'm kind of torn between the two. I'd rather go to school for film, but human resources seems like what I should do first.

Are there any movies you are looking forward to seeing?

Not really. I've seen most of the ones that I want to see. There's a documentary coming out about a school that took care of disabled people and that they used to do really do rancid things to them. I'm interested to see how they put it into a documentary.

Do you feel like you are developing any kind of voice as a filmmaker in your documentaries? Because obviously there's this idea that documentary is 100 percent fact, but it is not because everyone has their own perspective.

It is definitely all about perspective because if our film teacher Mr. Dana assigned the same assignment for everyone to have the same topic they'd all be so different. Everyone has their own opinion, so basically it is around opinions, so it depends. You can make a fake opinion and make the documentary on something true or not. It is kind of both ways.

I guess that's really it, unless you have any thoughts on filmmaking and what your hopes are.

My hopes are to get a lot better at it. People keep telling me I'm really good, but I hope to get better and be all that I can. It is definitely not as easy as it looks.