The Dude and a Thesis

The Dude, via this class, has taught me how difficult it is to write a thesis when writing about complex issues in life. Doing so is definitely a process, you brainstorm about something to write about and when you finally decide on a direction for you paper new thoughts or evidence arises that basically proves your thesis worthless. Unlike The Dude and his attempt to solve the case of bunny's kidnapping, I don't immediately go forward when finding out new information, I first have to go back and correct what is wrong. I appreciate the lesson but boy was it a pain to learn. Writing and strengthening a thesis is something that I will have to employ to do well as a student. All in all I think it's pretty cool to have learned a lesson about writing from a cult classic movie character.

Grand Finale

Without paying much attention, it is almost the end of the semester. Still remember the first day having class, I thought: “Wow that guy is my teacher? He’s so young; doesn’t look like an English teacher”. Later it proved to be that young teacher does teach in a different, young way- from the topic chosen to the teaching style. The movie we were focusing on during the semester was The Big Lebowski, a cult classic movie. I do watch quite much cult movies, not in English, but in Chinese. I was frightened at the first two classes watching the film that I didn’t totally understand what they were talking about, and base on that, I thought how I could write papers about the thing I didn’t know. But yes, things just happened like that. I have written 4 papers about The Big Lebowski, about 22 pages in total. This is amazing! I think, the conferences were the ones that really helped a lot. Unlike giving lectures, they are more individualized and focused. Dr. Borman were really helpful in making my theme more solid and logical. The comments he turned back really got the point. They helped me look back at my paper in a more professional way and know what to improve for my future writing. For a wrap up, I wanna say thank you to Dr. Borman, you really make mission impossible to be possible.

The Lebowski Studies

When I first learned that my English 106 course was based on "The Big Lebowski" I thought that this would be so boring and i was sure that i probably wouldn't pass this class. Well my thoughts were half true. The movie was funny but reading about the studies was boring maybe because I really did not understand what the writers of the "The Year of the Lebowski Studies" were writing about. They talked the most uninteresting parts of the movie. But my Professor being the smart intelligent man that he is, interpreted and discussed the essays to make it clear for me to understand. I was able to write papers about the big Lebowski and make pretty good grades. I couldn't believe that i was able to write a paper that made sense, because the movie didn't make sense to me at all. I am not saying that the movie was not funny because I did laugh at parts of it. I just had a hard time writing papers on it. Mr. Borman I think you've done an excellent job teaching this course and I have learned to not just watch a movie but pay close attention to everything that's going on and try to make sense of why producers added certain parts that really didn't fit in the movie. I enjoyed your class and the way you organized your lesson plan throughout the semester. I must say I learned alot and actually read more in this English class than my English class last semester. I actually liked having you as a professor and I will miss this class.

Channeka,

no ordinary Thanksgiving

As China to be too far to go back, my friends and I figured out Bahamas could be our destination for Thanksgiving. After got our visas at Bahamas Consulate General in downtown Miami, we packed our stuff and were ready to go. Although it was only few days ago, I cannot recall very clearly what we did for the first day, for the second day and so on, but just a general impression that we went to comedy shows, magician shows, and poolside parties and got off boat to Coco Kay and Nassau. There are so many places that I’ve been to but cannot remember exactly what the name of the mountain was, what date I went there etc. What is left in my mind is who I went with. So my travelling experience has been tightly connected with different people. I may not even remember where I have been as time passing by but the memory of being with my travel companions will never fade away. Alike with the buddy picture in The Big Lebowski, my friends and I were like a sisterhood picture. I have the feeling that whatever we did together, we had fun. Thinking of the buddy picture in The Big Lebowski, maybe bowling is not exactly what they like, but an occasion for Walter, the Dude and Donny to get together and hang out. It is the experience of being together get them to go bowling. Back to the cruise, there were way too many things to do than just simply a vacation. It was so much fun to be with my friends and whatever we did I enjoyed it.

A Final Reflection

I was pretty nervous when I had to sign up for an English class having no idea what the topic of the class was, or not knowing anything about the professor, since ratemyprofessor.com had nothing to say. Then, when I got the email in July telling me it was based on the film The Big Lebowski, I was more at ease but still hesitant. I am a huge movie buff. I love spending Sundays by the TV, and Netflix has officially changed my life. So, I was excited to have a class based on a film. However, I never saw the movie and did not know much about it, other than that it was on IMDb's Top 250. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was really comical and smart. The Coen brothers are movie geniuses and they lived up to their name with this film. I loved how on top of just being a really enjoyable movie, there was so much to analyze and discuss. Often in English, a lot of teachers overanalyze works so much that I begin to resent something I once loved. I was nervous this would happen with this class, however, I never reached that point. Everything we read about the movie was fun, light and interesting. And then our assignments were allowed so much freedom that I felt I was able to discuss what I wanted to, not what the teacher told me to. I am sad that this is the last fun English class I will take, considering English Lit is in sight for me for next semester :( I wish you the best of luck with the class, David. I would certainly recommend this class to anyone. It made English fun and I haven't felt that way for a while. Thanks.

Thanksgiving 2010

My Thanksgiving holiday this year was a blast. My day started early getting up around eight in the morning getting the kids up and dressed to start our day. The first stop of the day was a visit to my fathers house. There we meet up with my brothers, sisters, nephews and niece's had breakfast and drink mimosa's, the children really enjoyed being around each other because we they don't get to see each other often. After spending time with my father it was time to meet at grandma's house where the children performed a talent show and they also did karaoke. It was
very funny, i laughed so hard that my jaw muscles started to hurt. They danced, singed, even performed skits from their favorite movies and they coordinated everything themselves. After the show we had this huge tasteful dinner my mom prepared for us. We had fried turkey, stuffing ham just to name a few and five different cakes, fruit pies, sweet potato pie, and banana pudding. And of course after dinner the adults had a glass of wine, i don't know how we were able to get it down after that huge meal we had but after all i can say this year Thanksgiving was very special and the time spent with your family is precious. Hope next year would be as joyful as this year.

Okay last one for real this time...

So I guess we're supposed to write 5 blogs. Woops. Hah. Anyway, on with my REAL last blog...

I'd like to make this blog about my experience in this class and what it has done for me. David was joking today about how we wouldn't really need any of the knowledge we've attained from this glass (in terms of the film itself) but I think the film and our thorough examination of it has been extremely helpful and will continue to prove helpful. I've always thought that one is perceived as intelligent according to, not only how much knowledge you possess on academic topics but also how informed you are as far as pop culture goes. I think The Big Lebowski is a movie that most certainly defined a generation of men and women. The movie continues to inspire and spur a good atmosphere among friends with its comedic qualities as well as the fact that its a buddy film where friends can gather around, watch the film and quote away. Because of this class, the film has become a favorite and I make it a point to show all of my friends who have not had the pleasure of seeing it or taking this class. I think the movie is hilarious and I think everyone should see it. It's not what I expected and this course is certainly not what I expected it to be. I'm very happy with my performance in the class and have enjoyed writing papers on The Dude as a Rug, Failed masculinity in the film and Sarsaparilla. All of these topics are things I could have never explored if I had not seen the film or taken this class and I think I am more intellectual because of it all.

That rant ^ was extremely incoherent and probably hard to read but I really do stand by everything I've written on this blog and in this particular entry. I've had a great time being a part of this class and look forward to bragging to my friends about how I had an english class in college entitled: The Dude Abides.

Final Blog

Yeesh, who knew it would be time for the final blog? I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the theme for this semester's class I was a little worried. I had seen the Big Lebowski once before, when I was significantly younger, and did not understand ANY of it. But, after watching it again, I found it to be extremely comical and I knew that this class would be an enjoyable one. Analyzing movies is so interesting to me because everyone has different opinions and sees things from a different perspective. I always find it astonishing that someone could pick up on a detail as little as the Dude's jelly shoes, when I completely looked passed it and didn't even think twice about them. I wish there were more classes like this one at UM that I was required to take. Not only because of our awesome professor :) but because it helps all of us open our minds and view things a little differently than we normally do. Classes such as this one gets our creative juices flowing, and allows us to thirst for a better understanding of everyday life.

Dorm Thanksgiving

Last year I ended up spending Thanksgiving in the dorms and I think that it might have been one of the single most sad events I’ve ever tried. You see everyone carry their bags out of the dorms to go to the airport. Campus is EMPTY, there is literally no one left – not even the dining hall is open. Knowing that everyone is going to see their family on one of the most cozy holidays doesn’t make it any better when your own family is too far to visit for such a short period of time.
A girl from my high school was in Miami to look at UM and went on a campus tour. Not only was it a rainy day but it was also during thanksgiving when there were NO life on campus. She hated it. I tried to tell her that it really wasn’t ever like that (I personally feel like I am on a spa resort when I walk around campus on a sunny day) but yeah… and of course she didn’t come here – they should not have campus tours during thanksgiving break.. that’s just bad business for UM. Just to not end this post as a depressed one, I DID end up going to a very nice thanksgiving dinner at my friends house and got to feel some family quality time so it ended up being all good. :) Anyways, happy thanksgiving everyone!!!!!

http://lebowskifest.com/entity/tabid/80/c-8-stickers.aspx?pagenum=2

If you were to put any of these stickers on your car, I wonder how many people would actually understand the meaning/know that it’s from The Big Lebowski… (That is, if the little “lebowskifest.com” wasn’t in the corner). Personally I’m not sure I’d get it at first – but I guess that’s also partly because having a quote from this movie is the last thing I’d think people would put on their car.
Out of all animals, I still wonder why they included a marmot in the movie. The more I think about it the funnier I think it is. Therefore, if I HAD to put one of these stickers on my car, I think I would probably put the “Nice Marmot.” one. Haha! Just because that would be the most random think to have written on your car and no one would understand it. Which one would you put??

Class at starbucks.......

I am honestly out of ideas of what to write, so our dear teacher gave the idea to write about the benefits of having class at Starbucks, or in general, having class outside.
So now I’m sitting here thinking about possible benefits. To be quite honest… From a student point of view, I can only think of one reason that students would request having class outside. That reason would be that it wouldn’t feel like having real class. To me, having class outside kind of just reminds me of elementary school. In elementary school, a lot of my classes ended up taking place outside, especially science and art classes. According to Wikipedia, a person’s attention span is twenty minutes, and after that a person can choose to refocus on the same task if they wish to do so. And I can imagine elementary school children’s attention span might just be a bit shorter than that so I assume this might be a good reason as to why teachers decide to take breaks and/or have class outside. If I were ever to become a teacher, I think I’d definitely give students a five minute break after 30 min of teaching, and force them to go outside to get some fresh air and then continue the teaching after that.

The Coen Brothers

Somehow the end of the semester is already here, and it is time for the final blog. I have no idea where the time went. For this blog I would like to discuss how this class made me realize how great the Coen brothers truly are. For the last couple of weeks I have been trying to watch all of the Coen brother’s movies. So far I have seen Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading, and of course The Big Lebowski. Together the Coen brothers have made a total of 18 titles, so I still have plenty of films to watch. I do not know if any of you have done this before, but when watching many movies from the same director in quick succession, many distinct signatures of the director can easily be seen. What separates the Coen brothers apart is their attention to detail. They care just as much about the atmosphere of the film as its story. This is true for all of the films I have seen so far and I expect it to hold true in the rest of the films. This attention to detail gives the films more of an artsy feel. It makes the film more like a piece of art then just another story.

The Cruelty of Human Nature

In the first paper I wrote for the class, I discussed the relationship that is present between trust and deception in the film, and how the characters’ desire for money was the fuel for this relationship. In the revision process, I plan to take this discussion of trust and deception further by incorporating how it is in human nature to deceive. By acknowledging that it is part of human nature to take advantage of one another’s trust – in the pursuit of one’s own self interest – a new perspective can be seen in the Coen Brother’s film, The Big Lebowski. When the role that human nature is playing in the characters’ actions throughout the film is kept in mind, the movie appears to be an even bigger representation of the cruel society we live in today. We live in a world where people are quick to take advantage of the mishaps of those around them and sometimes it feels almost as though the harder we try to succeed, the more everything seems to fall apart. Most of the characters in the film displayed moments of deceit, where the sole purpose of their actions was to take advantage of another character; Mr. Lebowski and the Dude, the nihilists and Mr. Lebowski, Walter and Mr. Lebowski. In all these cases the former attempted to deceive the latter. What is ironic though, is that the Dude on his own, never really tried to deceive anybody; it was never his idea to steal the entire million. All the Dude ever wanted was his fucking rug back.

The Intricate Lebowski

In the end there is always something to be uncovered, something left to be analyzed. Just like this The Big Lebowski, what many would say was a stupid stoner movie had a lot of interesting changes that there is a lot of meaning behind certain things. Take the rug, and bowling, all of these are symbols of other things just as anal sex, and drugs. Once researched more this film becomes actually quite intriguing. This film acts like a puzzle where one piece leaves off there is always something else to fit right into place. If I can say one thing I definitely learned to appreciate the Coen Brother's style and masterpiece. It left a lot to discover and a lot to think about after the movie.

Hey, I'm exhausted... How about you?

So here I am, once again, near the end of the semester after another difficult assignment-wave-crunch (I'm still not done but I presume that the worst is over now after my archaeology paper). My condition is "just satisfied" as I am typing this in over my archaeology professor's lecture. I guess you can call what I'm feeling right now as sort of an existential moment then, eh... Maybe this is sort of how the Dude feels on a regular basis. Actually, this is how I feel quite often as well. It's more than just tired, it's like worn out and really, really, reflective, but too tired to make anything but sly remarks to an asshole police chief. I just feel glad deep inside because I survived once again off of stress that I keep trying to shave off - the same way the Dude totally "duded" his situation. Well whatever, I guess I just need some sleep, but I do feel quite healthy too - at least, that's what I say now. I honestly feel like such a Dude right now; I don't care. Give me a Caucasian, a pair of sunglasses, a rug, and let me at that nap... ZZZZZ... Bloggjammin', I'm OUT! ;-)

Thanksgiving Blog

hi! I am running out the door to catch my plane and as I was glancing at my to-do list I noticed "BLOG." Then I realized I have absolutely no idea what to talk about, except for the fact that in my way too small carry on I was somehow able to fit my English notebook (dead serious), to work on my paper this weekend! I also thought about The Dude going to an airport and how it would just seem so out of the ordinary for him to do such a normal thing. With the lovely new search procedures that airport security has put in place for Thanksgiving weekend, I can only imagine what The Dude would do. This being said... I think it is time to go. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Big Lebowski and Peripheral Production

When we search about The Big Lebowski, the Dude, we can always find all kinds of exaggerated comics and dolls. Every time I see these online, I'm impressed by their vividness. Books about The Big Lebowski rarely use the Dude's photo as the cover. Instead, they always use the corresponding comics. You may often see a cartoon version Dude holding a cup of white Russian. Besides the Dude, other main characters like Walter and Donny also have their own dolls and comics. The peripheral products usually features the most obvious characteristics. The protagonists in The Big Lebowski are great for doing peripheral comics and other products cause they have apparent features. Their personalities are simple, easy to be reflected by several gestures and habits. Look at the picture on the upper right corner. The iconic sunglasses, beard and white Russian in hands, even the bathrub. These elements compose a basic image of the Dude. Readers can tell at the first glance that this is the Dude. The image in the front is dolls of the Dude and Walter. The bowling ball, Walter's body shape, and their hairstyle, all these clearly identify they two as the Dude and Walter. So, doing peripheral of these characters are interesting cause it can refine the personality of protagonists in relaxed ways. Thus, the characters can be very impressive to the viewers.

The Perfect Match

As I was trying to figure out what to write about in this blog post I just googled the Big Lebowski and began clicking on the random websites that came up. I landed on a trailer of the movie which happened to catch my attention. This trailer is unlike any one that I have ever seen. There are no actual quotes from the movie in it. The song Just Dropped In by Kenny Rogers is the only audio throughout the entire one minute and ten second preview. There are eight cubes on the outside of the trailer and one in the middle. On every surrounding cube a different scene is playing. In the middle one it gives the main information of the movie (produced by Gramercy Pictures, it's out this winter, directed by the Coen Brothers, etc...). Then it gives the actors names and a few scenes they are in. There is nothing that suggests the plot, or anything about what the movie is about. And in the end we see Jesus and his partner, shining their bowling balls, (for comedic effect). It's probably the most perfect trailer I could ever imagine for this movie. The "not trying to explain the plot" aspect makes sense because the Big Lebowski is pretty much a movie that doesn't even have one. And even if they tried to explain it, it would never make any sense and it would probably shoo away anyone from going to see it. All of the random scenes shown in one shot is symbolic the chaotic-ness of the film. And the last part where Jesus is shining his ball just shows how randomly funny the movie is going to be. Also, I think the mystery aspect of the trailer would intrigue people to go out and see it. And, the fact that the Coen Brothers directed it definitely drew audiences. They knew they would get something unique. Nevertheless the movie and its trailer are a perfect match.

Box Office Flops = Cult Film Classics

I was thinking the other day about how a film can fail at the box office, yet go on to become what is known as a "cult film." The Big Lebowski is categorized as one of these movies, but why? What about the Big Lebowski made it initially unappealing, but later a movie so loved that they have a festival to celebrate it? I believe that this movie was initially unsuccessful because it was not made for all. This movie is so obviously made for the male gender, but it goes deeper than that. Younger boys and girls would miss the subtlety of its humor and find it stupid, along with many older audience members. The syntax, characters, seemingly insignificant plot sequences, and amount of joints smoked make this movie directed mainly towards one crowd: the young adults. Also, this movie is definitely one that increases in its appeal the more times you watch it. The Coen Brother's genius allows you to enjoy something new about the movie every time you see it. Seeing it once, one may wonder "What was the point?" But, if watched again, things that seemed insignificant the first time, might jump out at you the second. This is obviously seen in how many times people analyze this film, and according to so many different aspects as well. This film is too witty for the box office, people often miss the message. Also, I feel that this film works better as a cult film. The entire movie focuses on characters that are not a part of mainstream society, so why should the movie based on them be? It is a movie for the stoners and the outcasts to enjoy with their buddies. All I know is that I am glad the movie was eventually appreciated and made popular.

Let's Talk Dress Up

In light of our most recent holiday, Halloween :), I began thinking about the concept of dressing up in costume. Why do we look so forward to a day where we get to pretend to be something we are not? This led me to Lebowskifest. Not only do these people congregate to share their love for The Big Lebowski film, but they dress up as one of the characters. I find it interesting that people look forward to dressing as a character that, for the most part, is not someone people would typically aspire to be. Walter, for example, is a common costume choice. But, why? Walter is an angry, lonely war veteran that does not do well with social interaction. He is way too opinionated and often gets in heated dilemmas with people around him. He always seems to act without thinking and it leads him and his friends to a lot of problems. And then there's the Dude. He is an unemployed, sloppy hippie in a robe who drinks a whole bunch of White Russians. But I guess that's the whole point. It is fun to dress up as something that you wouldn't be able to be in real life but you wish you could. To us in this busy, go-getter society, it must be nice to think about sitting in a robe all day drinking and thinking about bowling. And so maybe, these people love dressing in costume so much because they feel closer to these characters. They have one day where it IS okay to behave in the way of their character and no one will be disapproving. Or, they see qualities in the characters that they notice in themselves as well and like to express those on this one day of fun. I guess dressing up is a way to escape into the realm of fantasy and also escape the stresses of adulthood and revert back to a more child-like mentality of pretending.

"A bad experience with the White Russian"

"The White Russian" an alcoholic drink I could never drink again in my life its made up of 2 ounces Vodka 1 ounce Coffee Liqueur 3 ounces Light Cream, and it taste bad. There are other recipes to making this drink but they way this one tasted i don't care to have it again. this drink not only taste bad but it makes you fell intoxicated really fast with just a couple of sips. I had this drink at a local bar around my neighborhood and before I ordered I asked the bartender about this drink and how does it taste. He replied "I make the best Russian you will ever drink", so I took his word and tried it. My first sip was awful and the vodka was really strong, but the first impression sometimes is not always right so I decided to take another sip and that was even worst than the first, but i continued to drink it because i had paid for it. It took me a while to finish because i sipped really slow because i didn't like the taste. When the time came for me to leave i could barely walk straight and every time I closed my eyes I would get really dizzy. I drink every now and then and i never felt like this after drinking it was scary and I made a promise to myself that I would never drink another white Russian even if the bartender claim that their the best at mixing it.

sports & dating

Did you ever find the dating skill of male protagonists in traditional romantic movies? They teach their girls to perform sports. Usually the sports is not too strenuous so that they can be close to each other and whispering the points of the sports. The picture on the left is from Princess Diaries 2, you can judge what kind of movie it is by the title. The princess and her boyfriend are performing archery. Both of them hold a relatively serious facial expression, which means they really focus on the sports. But actually subtle changes occur just at this serious moment. They fall in love very soon. Guys always like to teach girls sports cause they can show how brisk and strong they are. So actually the male protagonists in movies do those free sports tutoring jobs intentionally, they plan to attract girls in this way. The same goes to some other older works where guys teaches girls to ride on horses. All plots like this try to generate a romantic background and thus move the viewers. Similar plot appears in Big Lebowski, as the picture on the right shows, the Dude is helping Maude bowling. But this is in the illusion of the Dude. Their behaviors are in fact different from ordinary protagonists in those traditional romantic movies. Usually in this situation, guys should be calm and perform the sports elegantly. And girls should enjoy watching his performance and enjoy his help. But the Dude appears to be anxious here, whereas Maude shows over-independence. This gender inversion is emphasized throughout the movie to show the Dude's unique personality.

A Eulogy for Donny

Donny never had it fair. I did not get to know him well, but this injustice could clearly be seen by anyone who bothered to look. Unfortunately the luck he never had ran out, and Donny randomly died at the end of the movie. Because his death was so unexpected, it only seemed right that Donny got some reflection for the final blog. Donny was not a huge part of the movie, but I would like to take this time to paint a picture of some of my fondest memories of Donny. Donny, “Phone’s ringing, Dude.”, the Dude replies, “Thank you Donny”. Donny would always help a friend in need. Donny was also never afraid to ask a question. The Dude, “Fuck sympathy! I don’t need your fuckin’ sympathy, man, I need my fucking Johnson!”, and Donny answers, “What do you need that for, Dude?” Donny was always kind to his friends, but they, aka Walter, were not so nice in return. Donny, “He peed on the Dude’s rug.”, and Walter yelled in reply, ”Donny you’re out of your element!”. This is not how friends should treat each other and Walter’s treatment towards Donny only gets worse. I’m sure most of you remember this repeated line, “Shut the fuck up, Donny.” So what did Donny do to deserve this less then fair treatment? Unfortunately, I did not know him well enough to know. However, I know Donny was a good man, and on the other side is having a much better quality of life.

The History of the Dude

What kind of student was the Dude? He must have gone to high school or at least elementary school. It is quite possible that he remained in the 6-8th grade range until he was 16, and therefore, able to drop out of school. Was the Dude a high school drop out? What about his last say 20 years, how did he get to where he is now?

Would the Dude be as relatable to slackers in his younger years? What made the Dude the unenthused, unmotivated male? Was he the boy who put himself out there, who took a risk and failed miserably? Or was he always just the Dude.

Thats another thing, when did he start being called the Dude? and who gave him that name?

All of these questions would be interesting to investigate there is only one problem. . . the Dude has no past, the Coen brother's never created it.

I guess I'll just keep on wondering...

The Deranged and Disturbed Walter

Throughout the film, Walter makes numerous references to his time spent in Vietnam during the war, and it appears that Walter can’t really seem to let go of his past. It’s as though the war never left Walter, it’s still there, lingering in the shadows of his mind and making its presence known in Walter’s out of place and obscene remarks: “I did not watch my buddies die face down in the mud so this fucking strumpet…” or “This is not ‘Nam, this is bowling. There are rules... Smokey, my friend, you’re entering a world of pain…” are just a few of the scenes in the movie that display this. One could go to the extent and argue that Walter is a bit deranged from the war, pulling a gun out in a bowling alley and threatening someone’s life over one broken rule. While it would have been okay to pull a gun on someone in Vietnam, back in the world of everyday society, it is not, and Walter doesn’t seem able to recognize this difference. While it may be that Walter in just an ignorant idiot, I think there’s a part of him that can’t let go of his past experiences in Vietnam, and he likes it better that way. He lets that be an excuse for his present behavior and perhaps, for Walter, Life’s just more entertaining that way.

What condition are you in?

I figured posting videos were just a cooler thing to do, even though it's just one picture with the song being played. Though I guess that's still counts as a video, and Youtube is full of those type of song videos. It's easier and faster to find a song and play it on Youtube anyways (and free) instead of downloading a software. Anyways, why did I post this and what does this have to do with the Dude? Well, to put it simply, this song (this version sung by Kenny Rogers) was just really stuck in my head, much like the theme song of my previous post on "True Grit." It's a really clever concept though that has everything to do with the drug culture that the Big L represents. I mean, not only that, but it's logic represents the overall disorder of the film period. "I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in" Heck, Judith Roof (or whoever) could write another dozen pages or so on that line alone. I could too if I wanted to I guess, but this is just a blog. Anyways, enjoy the song and peace out to Blogjammin'.

Huh?

Ok, so the Coen brothers are true geniuses. Their range can go for miles in their films. From "Fargo" to "No Country for Old Men," their darker story lines have a unique Coen feel. So does their more feel good cult status ones, such as ours, "The Big Lebowski." I was just surprised that their work with Jeff Bridges specifically also has range. Jeff Bridges is indeed a talented actor when I think about it. He recently finally won himself an Oscar quite recently for a movie that I don't know much of but wasn't he the villain in "Iron Man"? He's also the protagonist anti-hero in this conventional Western remake that seems pretty worth seeing. Some of these roles may be forgettable I guess, but not the Dude. How does this relate to his royal Dudeness you might ask? That's the point, I'm not sure! I was just really shocked to see the Dude being a bad ass gun-slinging cowboy in a Coen work nonetheless. The theme song is also pretty cool. This just means, I guess, how much of a true cult classic the Big L really is. I can imagine "True Grit" making a smash in the box office and then that'll be that in the years to come, but the Dude, for better of for worse, has a destiny to stay in our hearts ever so subtly for a long time.

the kid in the tshirt

Before Thursday's class as I was sitting on my bench outside of our lovely room in Dooley, a guy walked by me with a Big Lebowski T-shirt on. It read "Little Lebowski's Urban Achiever." At first I was shocked because until this English class I had never even heard of the movie, but then when I began to do research I realized how much paraphernalia you can purchase related to The Big Lebowski. You can buy t-shirts, sweatshirts, bowling uniforms, sunglasses, action figures and bobblehead dolls just to name a few. They have really accurate Halloween Costumes too... maybe I should've posted this yesterday.. It was crazy to me how many different products they make and continue to sell to customers even though the movie is from the 1990's. It started to remind me of the Napoleon Dynamite phase where everyone and their brother had a "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt or something of the sort. The only difference is that 12 years later people are still purchasing/ wearing The Big Lebowski garb.. There are so many websites dedicated solely to The Big Lebowski as well. You can download wallpaper, screensavers and icons all relating to TBL. Now you can all imagine what the inside of my computer looks like. It may sound sad, however this made my respect for the movie increase by just a smidgen. It started to validate in my mind that this movie is actually well-known and there is a huge following behind it.

One for the Road: Would the Dude support the Legalization of pot?

I would be remiss if I didn't interject politics into my last blog. Today is officially mid-term election day around the country and California has a proposition on the ballot to legalize marijuana. The fictional Dude lives in LA, this vote would have an immediate effect on his life. So the question I should be asking is would the Dude take a break from staring at his ceiling and go vote in support of the proposition to legalize pot? I probably wasted time asking such a slam dunk question because the dude seems to enjoy his weed. But that's not the only reason why the dude would involve himself in these efforts. The Dude might seem to allow convention to pass him by but he does not seem to ignore a call to action. He claimed to have taken up some type of role in or in consortium with ROTC during Vietnam. And throughout the film, no matter how effective or ineffective he was, the dude pursued the active role in the movie, accepting tasks and solving problems when he could have chosen not to further involve himself.

But what sucks for The Dude is that just like in the case of the "kidnapped" bunny, involving himself would make no difference. There aren't enough young people who smoke the stuff who will come out to vote to counter all the old people who will vote against it because they understands how lazy the shit makes you. So all The Dude's out there who simply abides, will have to continue abiding to everything except the law. So keep puffing, keep on illicitly puffing.

I unexpectedly ran upon this picture while surfing the website I visit the most. The article did not mention anything about, or relevant to the film The Big Lebowski. But I was surprised to see such a blatant image of The Dude posted as the cover for a web article - because that would imply that whoever put his picture there expected the character to be easily recognized for its connection to supermarkets. My surprise probably came from the fact that 'Source for popular reference' isn't a category that I had put The Big Lebowski into. But for the sake of the reference I guess it doesn't hurt that The Dude, whether a reader may know him or not, is clearly standing in a dairy aisle of what could very well be a supermarket. But nonetheless, it's The Dude, from a cult classic movie that, from what I understand, had no popular fanfare. It would almost seem unfair to people who aren't aware of Jeff Bridges' role as The Dude in that they won't be able to enjoy the picture's significance. But I'm willing to bet that the people who didn't catch the significance behind the picture, which is probably the majority of people who came across the article, ignored it and continued to read the article with no trouble.

The fourth and final post

That sounds daunting, doesn't it? It makes me think that the semester is almost over, but do not fear because we have two more papers due! Not that bad though. I've been writing about Sarsaparilla and it's relevance to Sam Elliot as the Stranger in the movie. In the Special Features of the 10th Anniversary Edition of the movie, the Coen brothers even say that they have no idea what Sam Elliot is doing in the movie. They claim that they like how low the register of his voice goes. I think that this definitely contributes to the sense of masculinity that they wanted to convey in the Stranger's character. I think it's hysterical that the directors of the film can't even say why Sam Elliot is in the movie. They also mention that the fact that Sam Elliot has a huge mustache helps in the movie because they can kind of alter his lines since you can't really see his mouth very defined.

The Russians are back

I have a theory that the existence of our class has caused the world to love and drink White Russians again. Okay, no, but seriously, they're making a come back. One of the first few weekends of school my friends and I got together to watch the movie The Big Lebowski because they're all huge movie buffs and love the film. We watched the movies and drank White Russians. That was my first time having the drink and honestly I don't know why anyone would voluntarily drink it on a normal basis. I don't drink coffee and have never been a huge fan of milk so that probably has a lot to do with it, being that the three components of the drink are vodka, Kahlua and milk or cream (or half and half if you're the Dude). Anyway, since this class of ours began, I've seen White Russians everywhere! My office staff at the Wellness Center went on a trip to Halloween Horror Nights two weekends ago and the drink of the trip was White Russians which I thought was a total 80s/90s thing. I mean, when I told my dad I was drinking White Russians he told me that he had a bad night with them back in the 80s. Anyway, I encountered White Russians again this past Thursday night! I went to Chili's with my office and everyone was ordering White Russians. Okay, so maybe my office staff just loves White Russians, but I'll choose to believe that our class is bringing them back.

Bob Dylan is the man

After watching the Big Lebowski I couldn't help but think about why Bob Dylan's song, "The Man in Me," was used multiple times. However, after discussing and analyzing the movie, it became extremely obvious. The discussion about masculinity and the role of the female characters in the film brought about the realization that this movie was practically based on the song. The lyrics scream out, "THE BIG LEBOWSKI!" Take the first verse, "The man in me would do nearly any task, and as for compensation, theres little he will ask, take a woman like you, to get through to the man in me." The Dude did mostly every task he was asked to, even if he failed at it. And in return, all he really wanted was his rug back, which was not a big "compensation." And the last line, is obviously talking about Maude. Maude got through to the man in Dude. The Dude was outsmarted by a female, which shook him to his core. "The man" in the Dude is his ability to have a child, and by using his masculinity to conceive a child, Maude got through to the man in him. Timeless songs like those written Bob Dylan will always be prevalent in our lives. I love Bob Dylan. The picture that I put in this post, I have as a poster that is hanging in my room. His songs speak to me and I can listen to them 100 times over and never get sick of them. He is a master lyricist and artist, and his songs will relate to something happening in the present, even in they were written 50 years in the past.

Generations of Beliefs

As a child we observe our surroundings, whether; people, atmospheres, temperatures or whatever else, we learn some of our basic knowledge from that time period before we can converse with our peers. Our ideas and images are formed with in us before we have the ability to realize this. As time continues our understandings of these things become more and more extensive. Then there are your parents, they give you generation after generation of pre-constructed notions whats good, whats bad, and whats morally correct.

I believe this can be related to The Found Document article in The Lebowski Studies. Today's generation uses preconceived notions of who people are and what type of character they want to be. We use what has already been learned by past ancestors to sculpt how we see the world today. This is how our ideas continue throughout our history changing only merely as time continues.

Maude Lebowski and Susan Vance

Maude proves throughout the movie to be in control of almost every situation she puts herself in. She always has a plan in the back of her mind, and seems to be plotting and scheming at all times. She is a very smart woman who knows what she wants and sets out to get it. After discussing and a watching a segment of "Bringing Up Baby," it made me want to watch more. Katherine Hepburn's character, Susan Vance, had many similar qualities as Maude. She may have seemed a lot more innocent and naive, however, she manipulated men to get her way. When the tiger was in her bedroom, she initially did not have a plan to get Cary Grant over to her apartment. As their conversation unfolded we watch her fall and pretend to be attacked by the tiger. Moments later he rushes to her rescue only to find that she has not even broken a nail let alone been attacked. Both women are feminists, however Maude's feminism makes her seem strange to the audience. It is very predominant in the movie through her art and the way she speaks. Susan, on the other hand, is less obvious about being a feminist, but could be viewed as equally weird. These women are both intelligent and at some points deceiving of their fellow characters in their respective movies. I think it would be interesting to watch all of "Bringing Up Baby" in order to further compare them.

Little Larry

In all our discussions about the role of men in The Big Lebowski, I don't think we ever really focused on Little Larry. What is Larry's purpose in the film? We discussed in class that every man in the film seems to represent a particular decade of our immediate past: Walter is the 70s, Lenny the 50s, Brent the 80s, and the Dude is the 60s in the 90s. But what decade does Little Larry represent? Perhaps, Larry represents the future decades to come, much the same way I think the Stranger, with his cowboy boots and all, is a symbol for the Past, before there was a place called Los Angeles in the Wild West.

Taking this further, some may venture to say that Larry represents an up-and-coming generation, who is blamed for the mistakes of older generations. This idea is reinforced by the scene where Walter and the Dude go to Larry's house to question him about the money. Walter yells and screams at Little Larry, demanding the money back which he assumes is in Larry's possession (based on one piece of circumstantial evidence). However, Larry just sits quietly in his place, even when Walter threatens him with "This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass, Larry". Walter would rather assign blame to a likely innocent boy, than be a man and accept responsibility for his own actions and faults.

Who is the Stranger?

After reading Byer’s essay, which focused around the Stranger, it got me thinking, who is he? The Stranger has been described as a representation of the Marlboro Man. I knew the Marlboro Man was an American cowboy used in advertising campaigns for Marlboro cigarettes, but not much more. In order to get a better understanding of how the Marlboro Man is viewed, and therefore the Stranger, I did some research. The Marlboro Man campaign had a 45 year run extending from 1954 to 1999. The campaign showed a rugged cowboy with only a cigarette in nature. The campaign was a huge success, and successfully managed to turn the new “feminine filters” into a more manly image in just three months. From this research, it is clear why the Coen brothers put a character like the stranger into their movie. The Marlboro Man and the Stranger both represent traditional American cowboys, who are very popular with American males, the target audience of the movie.

Maude Lebowski and Huang

Having been focus on Dude for so long, I start to turn to the only important female character in Big Lebowski: Maude Lebowski. Byers mentioned that she's like Katharine Hepburn. As weird as they might me, I believe many girls admire them for that they can be themselves at any moment, regardless of others' comments on them. And this outstanding personality quickly reminds me of a Chinese celebrity: Huang Hong. Her parents are famous diplomatists in China. So she was arranged to participate in an exchange program to study in the U.S. That was really hard to imagine for China in 1980's. As the above pictures show, Maude and Huang both like to wear weird apparel. Though Huang's white dress may seems really normal to us now, no one would dress like that in China in 1980's, that would be considered a shower towel... Their way of dressing is just a very small part in their similarities. They both come from wealthy family, both are reluctant to copy parents' life style. And they have the interest and hobbies of their own , which compose the most part of their lives. Maude is doing something with regard to art which is far away from the foundations of her mom's. Huang was supposed to be a diplomat after taking the 10-year program in the U.S., but she didn't want to follow the route that was designed by her mom and she's not interested in. So she became a fashion magazine editor as most of her buddies became diplomats. Maude wants a baby of her own without marrige and thus chose Dude. Huang married a movie director when he was nameless but get divorced when her husband became an internationally prestigious director. But still, Maude and Huang aren't exactly the same. Maude is kind of immersed in her own world while Huang is always closely related with her friends, family and public. She's just that free. If Dude represents a special type of masculinity, then women like Maude and Huang stand for an alternative femininity that is free of constraints, and do as they pleased.

Fake it

Mr. Lebowski, the old man pretending to be a successful millionaire who turns out to be a looser reminds me so much of an old TV show called Fake it. The show is about inviting a person who’s totally irreverent with the identity he or she’s going to pretend, for example a guy who works in a laboratory to be a painter. He gets trained from professionals in the industry for two weeks and then attends an artistic event with other three painters and some dealers. Finally they let the dealers identify who’s the fake painter. I’ve seen episodes about faking a hairstylist, cloth designer and painter. Some participants fail and some partially succeed. All of them are grateful of the special experience and some even thinking about other career options. Thinking of Mr. Lebowski, He never needs to work hard to earn a living and nor the participants who just get stress out of the intense training. He sees so much glamour of being rich just like the participants in the TV show getting a sense of the different identity they pretends. So I’m thinking maybe Mr. Lebowski’s greedy is partially because he’s been taken good care of by Maude and his ex-wife and never gets exposed to the payoffs of being rich.

The Dude

I really don't have some better ideas for this blog because there are full of exam materials in my brain. However, when i was thinking of the topic, my dog walked in my room, an idea came up with me, I said," here it is."

His name is Cocoa who is a breed Dachshund. He has chococate hair and big big eyes(smaller than aliens'). As we know, a breed of hunting dog used for hunting such animals as badgers, foxes, and raccoon dogs in their burrows. Dachshunds have long bodies, very short legs, tapering heads, and drooping ears; the tail is swordlike. Cocoa is a very naughty boy, he almost jumps up to everyone he notices, even they are totally passer-by. His short legs are my favorite part. Since it is so cute while he tries to jump up a coach or chair. Even through, he never did it because the short legs but it is the cutest thing for me. He is 5 months now, but he does not look like a five months mini Dachshund. he is eight pounds, a fat boy for true.That is from his edacious. In my memory, he seems never feel full, he is together with me when i finish classes every day, and his eighty percente of the purpose is to get food from me. So i have to prepare food for him many times

I love Cocoa, his cute and naughty. He is the dude i want to treasure forever.

Quoting Movies

After reading the essay Logjammin' and Gutterballs I found myself relating to the men who attend Lebowski Fest. As odd as that seems. Every single day find myself quoting movies like Superbad or Forgetting Sarah Marshall out loud and my roommates and anyone around usually looks at me weirdly and, as usual, I say, "Quoting a movie, sorry." But on a rare occassion, after saying a line from a film, a person will be there, look at me, smile, give a simple nod or even and say the next line of the script. And right off the bat I know that me and this person will get along. We both have a mutual appreciation of the film and quite possibly the same perspective of the world. It also breaks the ice and adds a bit of humor to a conversation. I don't know what it is about quoting movies that makes people feel connected, but it does. It's so weird. I could have a whole conversation with someone and just be quoting a movie but it will make perfect sense to me.

Which Dude is the best Dude?

The Big Lebowski is a film made for men. Not a surprise, the cast is also composed of primarily men. There is the Big Lebowski, who appears to be successful throughout most of the movie, but then turns out to be a big phony. Walter is the movie’s manly man, but when the Dude’s car is being destroyed he does not even put up a fight. Treehorn is the man who seems to have all of the power, but at closer look turns out to be a loser. And then there is Donny, who is just your average guy and a typical wimp. And of course, there is the Dude himself. He has figured out the secret of living a carefree life, but fails in the eyes of society as he appears to be wasting his life. So even though I would personally choose Walter as the “best dude”, because I think he is hilarious, there is no clear “best dude” in the film. They all have their pros and cons, except for Donny, who does not really have much going for him. The movie has such success as a buddy film that men love because it reflects the truth that no man is perfect.

You think you're cooler than me?

You walk around campus, and all you see are faces of people that you may or may not know. It's impossible to tell, you know why? Because their faces are hiding behind the biggest pair of sunglasses you've ever seen. Oh yeah, they're in South Florida, they're in the sun, and they think that they're so cool, eh... I think I've only had one pair of sunglasses in my life, and I'm glad I've lost them. I've looked at some people and I could never tell if they were originally looking at me, or looking back. I bet they must feel the same way when they see how confused I am, but it's just not fair. I'm telling you, it's worse than sticking your face all day on a cell phone screen or numbing your eyes with an iPod - well, to me it is at least. How does this tie in with the Dude? Well, isn't he holding up a facade just like all the other cool wannabes? To put things into perspective, above is a picture of a guy that I like. Tony Sporano, head coach of my beloved Miami Dolphins. Last night I read a story about him. You know why he's ALWAYS wearing sunglasses? Because of a freak fryer accident that permanently made his eyes too sensitive to light! Screw those Raybands that my roommate has been talking about! Sunglasses have a true purpose!

Stunt. Hard.

Life changing events just don't happen as often as they used to. The most important and meaningful person in my life was faced with a challenge that I could not help with no matter how hard I tried recently. My Grandfather had his third heart-attack while I was at a concert oblivious to the outside world.

Four hours after I had gotten the initial text from my mother that sent the night into a downward spiral, (Go home. Get jacob. Meet us in hospital. Abuelo.) he was in surgery getting a pacemaker put into his chest and I was stuck sitting with my head in my hands in a hospital waiting room. The last time this had happened I was eight years old and couldn't comprehend just how serious it was. I was just a kid. This time I knew exactly what was happening and I was numb and confused at the same time. Why did this happen now? How did this happen again? The unthinkable crossed my mind and I quickly gulped and shoved the thought into the deep abyss of my mind.

I have never been one to sit. I always need to do something active or move around. I was paralyzed in fear holding my grandmothers hand and refusing to let go as if I was a baby. I had been sitting in a waiting room for borderline fifteen hours, my phone was dead and all I wanted and needed was my grandfather to come out and make a perverted joke or to ask me how school or work was going and then threaten to throw my ass into a raft and send me back so Fidel could deal with me if I wasn't doing well.

After a day and a half in the hospital my grandfather was in recovery but still not concious. I went home to sleep and dreamt of a lot of things. This was unusual as I don't usually dream. I dreamt of my grandfather and Sukkot* (the Jewish holiday that started last Wednesday). He came into the Sukkah (A hut built to remind the Jewish people of the 40 years spent wandering in the desert where all meals are eaten during an eight day period) and told me everything was going to be all right. I woke up in a sweat and called my mom. She reassured me my grandfather was doing better and to come back if I wanted to. I drove back to the hospital and I walked into the recovery room. He was out of it but still managed to give me a wink and a smile and said "Papo I need one of these nurses to give me a good doming (a word that I taught him) or something, I feel like shit." I almost cried hearing this because to me it meant he was ok. Even my grandmother laughed when he said this (I don't think she knew what it meant).

My grandfather has the same mentality as the Dude. He lives every single day like he wants to. He answers to nobody and runs things in his life. He just enjoys himself to the fullest because he understands everything can be gone in a second. The Dude abides, the Dude Survives. So does Julio Grosfeld.

*Sukkot emphasizes the tenuousness of our lives, the fragility of our existence and the temporariness of our sojourn

The Reversal of Societal Gender Roles

While women in the film were the ones with all the power and control, the men were portrayed as failures, a blatant contrast to society’s stereotypes for these two genders at that time period-although women weren’t exactly thought of as failures then, just somewhat inferior to men. If we look at the two main female characters in the film, Maude and Bunny, we see that the film essentially grows and develops through Bunny’s actions (control), and while the men in the film deceive and fight one another to gain their own perception of power and control, Maude is above them all, with the knowledge of everything that’s going on throughout the film. Knowledge is power, and while Bunny has control-although some would say unconscious control-Maude has the power in the film. If Bunny hadn’t run off, a kidnapping would never of occurred, which was the driving force behind the plot of the movie. Similarly, Maude had so much power that she used The Dude, the epitome of a male failure, for his seed so she could bear a child and willingly raise it on her own. Besides the effect she had on the male race, more evidence of Maude’s power is seen in her genuine wealth and fortune, especially when compared to Mr. Lebowski, who faked his own fame and fortune. Ultimately, an effect of the Coen Brothers’ film was an interesting, and at times humorous, interpretation of what society would be like if societal roles were reversed, and women became the ones with all the power and control. However, luckily for the male race, we still have a little ways to go in the evolution of society before that becomes a realistic possibility.

The Dude

He is the newest member of our family. He's only 5 days old, weighing approximately 7lb 1oz and yet he controls everyone. Unlike Jeff Lebowski we are not able to call him a slacker or a bum but we can say he is an controller. he has mind control over all the adults around him. When he cries everyone runs around trying to figure out just what it is that he may need. Whether it is a diaper change, feeding him, or sometime he just wants to be held and cuddled next to your heart and the sound of your heart beat calms him down and soothes him back to sleep. It's hilarious how we all run to him every time he makes a peek sound. Since the first day the little Dude was welcomed home, everyone everyday routine has changed to accommodate him and his needs. Although he is little this Dude can really have you exhausted with taking care of all his needs, but at the end of the day and you have accomplished the mission he has unkowingly put you on, and you stare into his handsome little face and think, I will do it all again just for him.

Reality!?

While trying to figure out what I should write about in this second blog post, I decided to look up some information about the movie. I’m still undecided about what the point of this movie actually was, and therefore, of course, the first thing I looked at was Wikipedia.com. I went straight to read about the development of the movie, since I am very curious to know how the heck the Coen brothers came up with this plot and why. Looking at this, I didn’t get an answer to my curiosity, but I did find something else that I found interesting. From watching the movie, you’d think that the characters are “made up” and straight from imagination. Turns out that a couple of them (Maude, The Dude, Walter) are actually based on people that the Coen brothers knew, AND that some of the scenes are true stories that these people experienced. For example, the person they knew who represented the Dude lived in a dump just like him and had a rug that “tied the room together”. Another scene from the movie that has happened in real life is the one where they find the high school boy who stole the car because of a paper they found inside of the car. Who would have thought? To me some things in this movie are so out of the ordinary. But hey… I guess there are some that live this kind of life.

"Big" Lebowski and The American Economy

In the movie the "Big" Lebowski seemed to have all the makings of a very rich man, but it all turned out to be a fraud, the appearance of his wealth turned out to be a facade. His huge home and expensive rugs indicated nothing close to the tune of poverty. For the last forty years America has been "Big" Lebowski. Our perceived wealth has been credit driven and the collapse of that system bought the 2008-2009 recession to our doorsteps.
Who was to blame for Big Lebowski's financial problems? Himself of course. How did he get there? I will not speculate on the reasons for a fictional character's financial demise. However, I will theorize how America has gotten to this point.
We are all not as rich as we behave. Yes our GDP rises every year but more and more of that wealth has been going to a small percentage of people. I am not arguing on whether this proceeding is ethical or not, but that's just the way things are. The problem comes when we live beyond our means, knowingly and unknowingly, and drown ourselves in debt. This rings true for both financial institutions, who were caught with their pants down leveraging their assets beyond reasonable limits, and families who mortgaged homes that were a hundred or two hundred thousand dollars more than what they could afford. But just as in the case of Big Lebowski the truth is always exposed. For us the shit hit the fan, everyone was affected, and hopefully we have learned our lesson. But we know as much about our future behavior as we do of Big Lebowski's future when the movie wrapped. So for us in real life, I guess we have to wait and see.

Reading vs. Watching movies

I found it much more exciting when informed to watch a movie than asked to read a novel. To be honest, reading actually provides readers with imaginative experience and seems academic while watching movies sounds like an entertainment. When we watch Big Lebowski in class, we were just passively receiving the information the movie conveys. The characteristics of the protagonists, the way they speak and behave, every plot and even every second is designed by the director of the film. The story has already been "recreated" by the director, and everything reflects his taste. The director help us complete the task of imagining. We enjoy the movie because we marvel at the director's technique of framing varieties of scenes. As audience, we like the feeling of being caught by surprise from time to time, we would rather be passive. However, reading is a process which require much more efforts than watching films. If we don't take time thinking about it, the novels will appear to be boring and pointless, especially for the ones like Big Lebowski which contain some underlying values. But if we readers can try to read in an active and imaginative way, every reader might have a particular Dude in his/her mind which is totally different from that in others' minds. To read and think actively is actually more beneficial for us, though the easy and relaxing ways are popular.

Lebowski Women

The movie really only has two women in the plot line. Two significant women that contribute to the plot anyway. Bunny and Maude Lebowski represent two extremely different women. Maude is the super feminist in the film that seems to hold all the power (money) from her father, while Bunny relies on an allowance given to her by her husband, The Big Lebowski, who receives an allowance from his own daughter. Basically, Bunny is a whore and Maude isn't. Maude has a wealth of power, knowledge and money. Her way of thinking seems somewhat transcendent throughout the film because of her extremist views on feminism and the role of men for women and women for men. Bunny is clearly the woman in the film representing the opposite side of the spectrum where she is relying on men for money and owing men for men because of her involvement in pornographic films she has made. I can't even find a picture where the two are together in the film because they're never even in the same scene in the movie. I mean, how further apart can the two be? Yet they have the same last name. Maude's father (at some point) must've really cared about Bunny in order to live with and marry her. It's interesting to think about the fact that these two ended up being so heavily associated with The Big Lebowski. Maude is the result of his first marriage and Bunny is his second marriage. The fact that these two extremes of women are present in the film make it almost impossible for women to fully identify with any single female character in the film. I, for one, don't heavily associate myself with Maude's extremist feminist ways or Bunny's encounters and repercussions of being a porn star. I think this may contribute to the fact that the film appeals so much to men. It's not merely the fact that there are so many men present in the film, but it's also the fact that it's so difficult to relate to the only two women.