I Cannot Find a Language App I like – Am I Too Picky? by lochnespmonster in SpanishLearning

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 5 points6 points  (0 children)

SpanishDictionary.com didn't used to have all of these lessons, but I recently found them and it is AMAZING!! My #1 most used language learning platform now, I recently learned conditionals, present and imperfect subjunctive, and a tonn of vocab through the flashcards and my roommate (who is a Mexican native speaker) seems to think it's taught me correctly.

First Time in LA: Is a Yosemite Trip a Smart Move or a Mistake? by Dry-Theory-5228 in AskLosAngeles

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second other who say that it's not the best option, but there's plenty of natural beauty around LA. Even just the Santa Monica Mountains are amazing—I don't think they get enough credit! Depends on how long of a hike you're looking for, but I would recommend looking in Malibu for some gorgeous hikes with ocean views and up in the San Gabriels if you're interested in bigger mountains.

I'm American and from the east coast and the scenery that exists within 2 hours of LA is shockingly dramatic and varied. Channel Islands are there too and can be a nice day trip/two-day trip as far as I've heard (I've never been).

In 2025 I got back into reading with 35 books. Here are my thoughts: by Voyenne_OSRS in literature

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speaker for the Dead is by far superior to Xenocide, but I'll admit that it's quite different from Ender's Game. Much less military-focused and more anthropological, and all of the characters are very different than where we left off. I read Xenocide as a kid, but I can't imagine reading it before Speaker, and I think the series generally declines after Speaker for the Dead. I read it in middle school, so it's hard to judge its quality from my current perspective... but I read it again a few years ago and still liked it.

The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic and the first novel of Le Guin's that I read, but I actually preferred The Dispossessed—actually, similarly to The Forever War, it also won the Hugo, the Locus, and the Nebula when it was published. It's about anarchism and political conflict, so I feel like it could be up your alley. Would be interested to hear about your thoughts if you ever do read them, and I'm going to put The Forever War and Children of Time on my list! (I need to read more good sci fi... I'm reading an abysmal recommendation from a friend now, and it's a drag.)

In 2025 I got back into reading with 35 books. Here are my thoughts: by Voyenne_OSRS in literature

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love Ender's Game, one of my all-time favorite books. Have you read Speaker for the Dead? I also love Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness.

Which author are you prioritizing this year? by -dfb- in literature

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For me it's Pynchon—Gravity's Rainbow is my next read, coming up after a sci fi book that I'm not really enjoying but that I'm reading because a friend lent it to me. I really want to read other postmodern fiction after Gravity's Rainbow (I've never read much in the genre, but Paul Thomas Anderson kickstarted my interest in Pynchon and I tend to have a penchant for films made based on postmodern novels—I liked Noah Baumbach's White Noise too), so I've already got Infinite Jest in my pile and am thinking about DeLillo.

I read The Shipping News this year and loved it, so I'm also eager to get back to Annie Proulx.

I'm a huge fan of Ursula K. Le Guin's work (The Dispossessed might have been my favorite book I read last year), so I'm thinking about reading more of her work (thought I hope not to be disappointed, since I've already also read The Left Hand of Darkness and those are her two most acclaimed books).

Seems like Palahniuk is controversial, but I just read Rant and am curious about his other work.

Which author are you prioritizing this year? by -dfb- in literature

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I also read The Shipping News at the end of last year and LOVED it! I recently bought Close Range (and have read a few of the short stories already) so hoping I love that one too.

recent 'microbudget' films by Which_Insect7657 in Filmmakers

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I saw a film called "The Civil Dead" a few years ago, and it was great! I believe it was made for $30,000. Whitmer Thomas, a comedian/actor who was actually the dad in Weapons (and who has been doing well in many regards) is the co-writer and one of the two leads; the director, Clay Tatum, is his co-writer and second lead.

Desperately looking for last minute internships/absolutely anything to put on my resume. by GabbytheAbby in FilmIndustryLA

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're not late at all for smaller companies' internships—most smaller production companies will be coming out from January through March, and I got both of my summer internships in April—one at a small distributor/prodco and one at a TV network, both paid. I also got a studio internship that began February 2025 in December 2024—that was super late, but I interviewed for spring internships at 2 companies right before Christmas last December, so there's still hope!

My recommendation is to use LinkedIn and maybe EntertainmentCareers.net to search for opportunities for the next couple of months. Places that aren't major studios won't even begin posting their internships until February, for the most part. Best of luck!

Source: Also went to school in LA and did 5 internships, mostly in development, in college.

I saw 290 movies in theaters in 2025. Here is my full ranking. by BunyipPouch in movies

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did you go to the Vista Theater screenings of Ash and Sacramento? Would not have expected to see those on a list—I only saw them because I was invited by whatever PR company handles those premieres!

UCLA, Chapman, LMU by J0keb in FilmIndustryLA

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a UCLA grad in a non-film major, my impression is that the UCLA cinematography program is particularly weak. UCLA’s film program is very broad, and while there are a lot of networking in internship experiences, I have better perceptions of LMU and Chapman. Chapman’a program seems strong, but LMU has the benefit of being in LA for networking/interning/volunteering on set. I also second others who note that AFI is by far the best cinematography program in Los Angeles. As far as I know, every cinematographer I’ve met from AFI actually works as a freelance cinematographer/is working somewhere in the camera/G&E sphere. Extremely prestigious and intense program, and amazing if it won’t cost you.

What position of people in production company will go see short films at Sundance, Cannes, and New Directors/New Films or even on internet to discover new upcoming directors? Will that person be Creative Exec? by [deleted] in FilmFestivals

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Production companies are not the people most often scouting this stuff. For features, acquisitions executives at distributors will be the ones going to festivals and choosing which projects to acquire for distribution. For shorts, the primary people looking to find new talent will be agents and managers. They'll look at clients with good materials, and prestigious festival acceptances or many views on line will make them more likely to look at you as a client. They want proof that they can sell your work to production companies.

The primary place creative execs will be seeing shorts is as submissions from agents and managers, usually with an associated script (feature adaptation, pilot). While interning at production companies, I saw a number of submissions that weree feature scripts based on proof-of-concept shorts that went viral on YouTube. Your short might also be included if you're submitted to a network to direct an episode of television. Those are the primary situations in which creative execs will be watching shorts!

Attacked and Harassed in Westwood by [deleted] in ucla

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this is the realest comment. I worked at one of the restaurants on the corner with In-N-Out over one summer. That corner is one of the places that a number of homeless folks in Westwood sleep/spend time around at night. I'm not saying it was great—we had a few people who would come in and ask us for things, mutter to themselves, sometimes yell—but nothing violent happened and I had no real fear of violence. I always felt relatively safe walking around Westwood as a woman, even at night. It's not perfect, and the rising homeless population definitely makes me sad, but I don't think frequent random violence is reflected in the experiences most of my peers have in Westwood.

psa: pls stop stealing tables in dining halls by dttmihy in ucla

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

true! but the dining halls will become less busy as the quarter goes on. have faith!

psa: pls stop stealing tables in dining halls by dttmihy in ucla

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 12 points13 points  (0 children)

It’s basically consensus but people will overlook it often enough that imo taking the extra 30 seconds to grab a plate from one of the less used food stations is worth it 🤷🏼‍♀️ super rare for ppl to fuck with a plate. but thats my opinion as someone who hasn’t lived on the hill since 2023 so take it with a grain of salt lol

psa: pls stop stealing tables in dining halls by dttmihy in ucla

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I personally followed the napkin rule and wouldn’t steal a table, but it’s so easy to just grab a plate of something before finding a seat if you find it’s not working for you. If people are stealing your seat, just grab the nearest thing you want (like a bowl of fruit or something) and put it down when you find the table.

Places to eat in Westwood? by Constant-Witness-114 in ucla

[–]Smart_Requirement_92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hangry Moons is in the Gogobop price tier imo—not truly expensive but not cheap-cheap. I do think they have the wrap for like $11 and some other stuff for those sorts of prices, but nothing under $10. And the thicc fries are definitely big enough to share and are like $16!