Crossroads of Imagination

Finding the right poems....

2011-07-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

As an English Literature major, I am sure many of you would assume that I have an affinity with poetry. I should be cuddling up with thick volumes of Shakespeare and Byron shouldn't I? For me, the response is not really, but I'm working slowly on it. Despite my inclination to read fairly complex prose, poetry often baffles me and I'm not happy about that. Thus I am always delighted when I read or hear poetry that I can follow and which affects me on an emotional level. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I like Dr. Seuss with his deceptivlely simple creations. Producing "children's" works has not prevented him from creating compelling works which touche on issues which affect us all. Thanks to studying poetry in school, I have found myself liking Wiliam Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Colerige with their Romantic age works as well as John Keats.

Often I have found myself most enjoying poetry with simple structure but compelling meanings. Not all of the poets I've enjoyed follow this criteria, but anything like this definitely grabs my attention. If you're like me and you tend to struggle to appreciate poetry, I think the poem below by Tanya Davis should help, and I suggest that this piece would be ideal to start reluctant poetry students into seeing poetry in a different, eye opening way. I love Davis' steady flow of words and ideas here, and I'm reminded of how much hearing poetry recited can help invoke meaning. Ms.Davis is a poet/musician and I plan to look more into her inspiring work as part of my poetical education. Her website should help you learn more:

Which poems/poets make you embrace poetry? Post andd let me know. Inspire me to get to know a new poet.

Inspiring Creativity with Creativity

2011-07-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this video for a number of reasons. It reminds me of the many tips in the past which I have read, and though there are someone I won't be doing (Drink coffee?!) I feel inspired to try some of them once more. The whole format of the video is the most inspirational aspect of it though. Everything: the use of graphics, music, the simple phrases and the concrete and abstract images which awake all kinds of ideas in my mind helps gently invoke a creative atmosphere. You feel like you can really get out there and take this advice. Excellent!

It's Your Move Summer Movie Season

2011-06-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

I must say that the big movie season has started off very promisingly with two excellent super hero movies. Thor started off the summer season strongly with an engaging story with some light hearted, fun plus some genuinely funny scenes. It also involved an interesting exploration of the structure of the relationship between Thor and Loki, not quite the characters of the myths, but still fascinating.

Interestingly enough X-men: First Class also captivated me with another strong male/male relationship. It's impossible to not be fascinated by the friendship between Charles Xavier and Erik Kensherr AKA the future Professor X and Magneto. I also was introduced first hand to the riveting screen presence of Michael Fassbender, so as you can see when it's time for my recap of the summer movie season, I will have a lot to expound on in detail.

I hope as well to have more to reflect upon as the weeks go by. Next up is "Super 8" and in soon, there will be "Cowboys and Aliens" (which sounds like a children's game, but isn't). I hope that by the end of August, I'll be happily raving about these movies. It would also be nice to throw a comedy into the mix, so I am looking cautiously at "Bridesmaids" to add that flavor or possibly "Horrible Bosses". Comedies are such a difficult element to pin down though, don't you think? It seems to be easier to come to a consensus on whether an action film is exciting or a comedic one is funny. You are more likely to come up with differing opinions. We'll see what happens in this case.

I am on the proverbial fence about "Captain America". Surprising! I see another superhero movie,and I should gravitate toward it, but Chris Evans' sad, bland face makes me hesitate. He seems to be suggesting I find something else to divert my mind for two hours. Some people think critics are useless when deciding what movies to watch. When I am uncertain, I find their input invaluable, so let's see what they say about "Captain America" before I decide.

They've already warned me away from "Green Lantern" which I have been uncertain about for some time. I am sure Ryan Reynolds' body got an A+, but what about the rest of it? It doesn't seem to have excited that much enjoyment in many people. Should I venture to see if I fall into the minority? Don't think so. Money and time my dears is precious.

Critics have also detoured me away from "Cars 2" which saddens my heart. My faith in Pixar has not faltered make no mistake. It cannot after years of an excellent track record, but I suspect they may have wandered off a little. I will most likely see "Cars 2" on my television, and perhaps I will enjoy it more than I suspect, but I've already been warned and saddened. The first movie was not my favourite, and I've often wondered why the creative gods at Pixar loved it enough to go back, but I am not truly worried. A little misstep in an otherwise breathtaking dance will not make me cast them off forever.

I do not need critics, or anyone really,to warn me away from "Transformers 3". I have taken cues from the other installments, and a lot of what I have read, and I am taking another path and circumventing Michael Bay's next big, unpleasant, monstrosity.

So what movies are you looking forward to seeing so? Which are you on the uncertain about? Which ones have you enjoyed? Do you disagree with my casual dismissal of certain movies without digging into my pockets and paying to formulate an opinion for mysel? Post below and share your whims. If you're at a loss on what movies are coming up, the link below should be of assistance.

http://www.ew.com/ew/package/0,,20483133,00.html

Many Worlds Have Come Crashing Down.

2011-03-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

I feel as if I've lost something significant. One of my favourite authors, Diana Wynne Jones, British author recently passed away. Anything you read will tell you that she was a creative, fun woman who was adored by many. She fought a long hard battle against cancer, and lost, and it's heartbreaking that we've lost another person to this disease. In addition to that tragedy, it is heartbreaking to remember that Diana Wynne Jones was a very prolific author, and she wrote imaginative, fascinating books, and she is no longer around to write them. Not only has a wonderful human being left this earth, but I feel as if many, many worlds have come crashing down.

My father gave me my first Diana Wynne Jones book Charmed Life many years ago, and I was swept into a world of the unforgettable enchanter Chestomanci, creative magic, unexpected plot twists, and one girl who I still think of as one of the most insidious villains I've ever read about. Chrestomanci was the standout character for me, and I think Ms. Jones liked him too. He figured in several more books over the years: a debonair, dry witted enchanter who knew how to dress, and could pull off a vague, absent minded persona to disarm his enemies. Many of Ms. Jones' books featured Chrestomanci as a primary or secondary character. Besides him, what I treasured most were the elements in the books which brought to light the inner life of this character. It's something akin to being a fan of a celebrity or historical figure and eagerly tallying up all the fascinating details of their lives because they interest you so much. Great authors create characters like that. Part of my sadness stems from the fact that we won't be learning more about Chrestomanci, his family and his friends any more. Sure other authors may write and speculate, but Ms. Jones' vision is the true one for me, and it's gone with her. Forever.

The only small comfort fans may draw from this is that Ms. Jones' passing may introduce her books to people who've never read her before. That's one of the joys of reading and discussing with fellow readers isn't it? Will other people new to Jones think she's just as good or better than J.K. Rowling. (I think she's better, more engaging and mind boggling with her creativity.) Will others be looking out for the cats in her stories? (It's almost inevitable that a cat will figure in Jones' stories, often as an important part of the plot. Even if you don't like cats, you can end up being fascinated like me at how well she captures "catty" personalities.) Will others fall in love with Howl's Moving Castle? (One of her most popular novels from what I see. It was made into a well received film by acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, a fact which delights me when I think of how imagination and creativity can reach out and link people across cultures.)

One thing I am sure of is that new readers and fans will be disappointed that Jones is no longer around to build her worlds and develop them. This fact will always sadden me, but I will try to keep in mind that like all authors she left her works behind her, and this means that they will never disappear forever nor can they be destroyed. She was able to achieve what all writers long for: immortality through her work. I hope that this can bring some small comfort to her family and friends. I know none of my small, shallow feelings about her passing can even come close to their sensations at her loss. We will all miss you terribly Ms. Diana Wynne Jones, each in our own way.

Check out her bibliography if you want to get to know her too.

http://www.dianawynnejones.com/dwjflash.htm

World's Greatest Author Turns 75!

2011-03-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

She was going to be kissed. On one side of a kiss ws childhood, sunshine, innocence, toys and, on the other, people embracing, darkness, passion and the admittance of a person who, no matter how loved, must always have the quality of otherness, not only to her confidence but somehow inside her sealing skin. ~ The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance - Margaret Mahy

I was eleven years old when I found my favourite book. Not everyone is as lucky to find this at such an early age, but when you do it is the most amazing experience: the type that makes you realize you've been changed forever. Margaret Mahy is a celebrated writer from New Zealand who is not well enough known in other countries which is a fact that saddens my heart. She wrote my favourite book and of course became my favourite author in the process.

I don't know what made me grasp a copy of The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance at the old library with no air conditioning all those years ago, but I think of this moment as one of the high points of my reading life. Do not let the pleasant looking woman in the photograph above spark off misconceptions in your minds. Mahy writes charged, dark, beautiful, erotic prose. I remember reading her descriptions of complex emotions and thinking, "That's exactly how I feel? How does she know that?" Her turns of phrase fill me with admiration and hopeless envy. I've read books and thought I could do better. It's humbling, aweinspiring and...sad to read a book and think that there's no way you could achieve this level of skill and talent.

The Changeover delivered everything its title promised, and it's my favourite book. It features my favourite hero, a troubled, sexy yet vulnerable young man who happens to be a witch. The heroine is sharp, very, very real and difficult to dislike and she holds her own in a terrifying situation with courage. The adventure they encounter together is chilling. No typical horror movie set up can be found here. The story literally goes deeply into the psyche and into fairy tales with vivid, unusual images which are hard to skim over. Yet it's all firmly grounded in reality so things like tomato sandwiches, telephones and oil drums in a construction site can remind us that we are in a real world where extraordinary things are happening. Mahy does an excellent and realistic portrayal of family life in this book as well, and if you go on to read her other ones, you'll see that that's one of her hallmarks. She's often praised for it with good reason.

I have such a strong, all abiding love for The Changeover that it is not surprising that I don't love her other books as much. By this of course, I do not mean that they are not excellent. It's just that I expect every book to be like this one, and this is unfair, and my problem not hers. Her other books boast of the same jealousy-inducing prose. Family relationships are explored and presented in ways that astonish you because it feels so familar (particularly in The Tricksters). Supernatural occurences are unique, surprising and astonishing, and her romance is delicious and engrossing (like in her Catalogue of the Universe).

I've never read Mahy's children's books, but I should probably take a look at them next shouldn't I? They've been described as delightful, and they must be quirky with names like "The Chewing Gum Rescue" and the "Man Who's Mother Was A Pirate". No wonder she was given the Hans Christian Anderson award in recognition for her "lasting contribution to children's literature".

Mahy herself seems to be a kindred spirit. Years ago, I decided I must write to her, and I sent a letter to her publisher with the vague hope that she would receive it though not respecting a response. What an amazing and wonderful experience to get a reply! It was truly one of the greatest letters I've ever received, filled with Mahy's charm and originality. I treasure it. Her interviews seem to reflect that. She's said of her readers, "I hope they have the same sort of relationship [with her books] that I had with the ones I read as a child." I don't think that she needs to fear that in my case. She seems to reflect my own feelings about her books as well. She's stated, "I still read them, and they sort of become part of your life." See? A kindred spirit indeed.

No wonder I can't wait to see what she's writing next. Apparently she's "edging" her way to the end of another book. Since I'm "edging" in my own writing, I can understand this, and after years of so much excellent work I won't press her. She's been doing this for 75 years, and I think she's proved her method is flawless.

What's your favourite book/author? What book do you just want to share with the world? Have you ever written to someone you admire and received an answer? Tell me.

How Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel Made Me A Movie Snob and Why I Love Them For It

2011-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

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I love movie reviews. I can't remember how long I've been reading them, but to this day as soon as a movie is out, I start scrolling for reviews. Once I've seen a movie, I'm sure to seek out more reviews whether professional ones or everyday people spouting out their opinions. It's kind of a sadistic tendency because I feel almost hurt if someone trashes a movie that has left me in ectasies, but I also get the pleasure of nodding smugly in agreement when someone expresses the same views I had. Yes, I am a movie snob, and I make no apologies about it.

So it's not surprising to me that I started watching At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. I'm not sure when I first caught it or how I managed to keep watching it. It aired early in the morning. I had to remember to get up in time to see it, so I often slept through it. Sometimes it did not air at all. Sometimes they changed the time completely. I hated missing it. How would I know what movies were coming out and what were the best ones to watch?

I have this theory that when you're little you watch anything. As long as it's on television, you're happy to view it, and there's no discernment between good and bad. It's television: it's all good. As you grow older, there's a point when you get a revelation. One day, you look at the show you've watched religiously every Thursday and realize it's awful, that it's boring, that it's generally unpleasant, and (gasp!) you just don't have to waste your time watching this profound dreck. This is what happened to me anyway, and I suspect it's happened to a lot of us.

Memories are hazy, but I believe I discovered Ebert and Siskel at about the time when my taste in movies and television began to become more refined. The show's format had them both giving their reviews of a movie, and debating over their opinions. They were a joy to watch, an example of intelligent spirited debate on a topic I keep close to my heart. Whether they agreed or disagreed, it was always fascinating to ponder what they said. And they left me with a lot to think about. I'm not sure if I would have considered watching foreign language films if it wasn't for them. (Imagine I might never have seen Amelie.) I remember listening in fascination while they discussed how choppy and fast paced certain films were and how filmmakers increasingly don't depend on long, lingering shots anymore. (I agree with the former. Not sure if I'm mature enough to appreciate the latter.) Most importantly, they made me more aware of the "smaller" movies out there. The ones that often did not get much attention but could give the most payoff when it came to plot, acting and after impressions.

This is why I tend to consider myself a movie snob. It's me accepting the perception I sense from some people when I am critical of a movie, and I get the eye rolling or the heated admonishment that I shouldn't overthink films. I admit that the overanalyzing can take away from a movie experience. Maybe I am too quick to pick up on faults or inconsistencies or to point out that something just wasn't funny. But I comfort myself that I'll never be so clever that I am above liking silliness. I enjoy many a work of nonsense, and I am sure Siskel and Ebert appreciated those as well. And since I am discerning about what I watch now, I feel that I have often avoided much agony by recognizing that a certain movie might be an assault on my tiny brain before I watch it. Fortunately when I am wrong, there are reviews out there to tell me different. When I am right, I get the pleasure of....being right, and once more I thank Gene and Robert for that.

When Gene Siskel died some years ago, I was very sorry. A very intelligent human being was gone, and I miss his reviews. It's good to know that Roger Ebert, despite numerous health issues, is still around writing his reviews though he no longer expresses them on television. He remains extremely prolific on his website, his blog, his twitter, you name it. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/

He is still one of my favourite reviewers. He's not as grandiose as the writers in Entertainment Weekly for instance. They're another of my favourite sources for reviews, but their comments often go over my head, and I feel that I am reading the comments of film students, and far greater film snobs than I, and I'll never be up to those standards. Ebert's reviews are very intelligent, but they are clear and well thought out and understandable to amateurs like me. I'm never in doubt of what he feels about a particular film, and I like his way of expressing himself even when I don't agree with him. I'm glad he's still around because who else will guide me in my movie watching journey? I'll always appreciate him and Gene Siskel cause they expanded my view of movies and taught me to value them in ways I might never have considered. I'm eternally grateful.

Here's a sample of Siskel and Ebert on their show.

*Siskel and Ebert talking with fellow reviewers Telly Monster and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. Oscar cleverly and hilariously goaded them into an argument as to whether a movie could deserve a "Thumbs Sideways" rating. Wonderful.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T12:21:00.001-08:00

March 2 is the birthday of the great Theodore Geisel who you all have heard of. Or at least, you know him if you've ever read or heard of "The Cat in the Hat", or wondered if you like "Green Eggs and Ham" or if you've called someone a Grinch. Mr. Geisel, or as you know him Dr. Seuss, truly left a lasting impression on the world. I consider him the king of writing amazing children's books and even more astonishingly of children's books that adults enjoy. If you don't agree, just try reading "Green Eggs and Ham" or "The Butter Battle Book" out loud without having fun. I dare you. I can't believe Dr. Seuss has been gone for twenty years now. I'm grateful for his creativity, for his cleverness and for his unlimited imagination.

Take a look at the tribute I wrote to the great Doctor a few years ago in honor of his birthday.

http://crossroadsofimagination.blogspot.com/search/label/Dr.%20Seuss

Here's an extra bonus: Rachel Ray reading the full text of "Green Eggs and Ham" complete with Dr. Seuss' incomparable and quirky illustrations. Ray reads with enthusiasm and joy though I don't think she's perfect. However, it's almost impossible not to enjoy the adventures of Sam-I-Am and his finicky friend. Try it, try it, you will see.

http://www.examiner.com/literature-in-national/rachel-ray-reads-green-eggs-and-ham-video

Jim Parsons: Talent Beyond My Ken

2011-01-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

My first post of the year! Belated Happy New Year everyone! I don't usually make serious, set in stone resolutions, but what I am trying to do as always is write more. I hope to do more posts on people who inspire me with their creative genius, so here's hopefully to happy writing in 2011.

During a recent episode of The Big Bang Theory, I was supposed to be paying attention to an argument between two characters: Raj and Leonard, but I was almost completely distracted looking at another character who had no part in the conversation. Jim Parsons's Sheldon Cooper was watching the actions of the others with his trademarked intensity and unnerving concentration. As usual in his posture, in his mannerisms, his everything Parsons was truly being his character.

I'm no expert I admit, but I think if an actor is so wholly capturing my attention and fascinating me(even in the background), they're doing their job and doing it splendidly. To top it off, my opinions are fortified by quite a few acting accolades: Emmys, Golden Globes, you name it. Others have noticed that Jim Parsons has inhabited a character with originality and creativity. He puts his own unique, fascinating and humourous twist on his lines and scenes, elevating them from the commonplace to charming and delightful.He makes a character who could be insufferable, sympathetic and quirky and fascinating. It is not easy to depict a personality who frustrates the other characters without annoying the audience, and Jim Parsons holds his own in his portrayal almost everytime.

His many memorable scenes are vast. This one is a favourite of mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8pl9z2SscY

Parsons' wardrobe is perfect, but he has no control over that. His look is invaluable to his character, but the credit for that must mostly go to his parents. His lines are hilarious, but the writers can be lauded for that. Parsons brings his own astonishing talent to this scene. We know exactly what is being said to him over the phone. We get clear indications of the relationship between him and his mother, and a very good idea of how they've probably dealt with each other for many years. His body language is mesmerizing and my personal favourite is his expression of confusion and small boy petulance after he hangs up the phone.

There's no doubt at all in my mind that Jim Parsons is a creative genius, and I hope that his current accolades are just the beginning of the recognition of his abilities. Even though I am not an actor myself, creative genius can be inspiring. It is wonderful to see and fills me with admiration and awe to see such amazing expertise(and dedication no doubt) in one person. Jim Parsons is definitely one of my creative inspirations.

Any other Big Bang Theory fans out there? What do you think of Jim Parsons' acting talents? Does he deserve all the recognition?

The Game's Afoot

2010-11-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Recently I watched Benedict Cumberbatch,the newest incarnation of Sherlock Holmes, in the BBC series "Sherlock", prancing around ecstatically as he made a revelation during his case. He'd just discovered that a serial killer was lose in the city.

"We've got ourselves a serial killer," he says gleefully. "Love those-there's always something to look forward to." This is such a "sherlockian" thing to say. Anyone who nows Holmes knows that he is entirely invested in the impression that he is the smartest head in any group, that everyone is invariably the wrong to his right. He is so obsessed with the game and how he pits his genius to solve his cases, the emotional side of the situation does not faze him. Surely such behaviour usually turns the majority of us off? Generally we hate people who are so sure of their superiority and flaunt it in our faces. Yet many people adore Sherlock Holmes, and we've been doing it for over a hundred and twenty years.

I think my own situation is a testament to the allure of Sherlock Holmes. I read pretty copiously but I generally avoid mysteries and suspense thrillers. I can get a bit lost watching anything but the simplest Scooby Doo mysteries, but I am fascinated by Sherlock Holmes and go through phases of keen interest. Case in point the fact that I've had the complete short stories for years. I read quite a few of them over time, but have not touched the book for a very long period. Now I'm systematically reading them all again, and even though I detect a hint of sameness in the structure of some of these stories, yet I am continuing to drive through them, held by the sensational storyline and , the warmth of Watson and the attraction of Holmes himself.

There is no doubt that Sherlock attracts us. One of the reasons for our acceptance of him is that - to pickpocket a Jane Austen phrase - "he has the right to be proud". We have a fascination in watching genius at work. For me, that's why I like to watch a good lecturer doing his job or a conductor or musician coaxing brilliance out of their creations. As we read, we see Watson marvelling at Holmes' work, and we understand his hero worship because generally, we're right there beside him, gazing in awe. Holmes may be vain and sure of himself, but it helps that he's generally right in his impressions. He knows for a fact that he's smarter than everyone else in the room.

I also take great pleasure in learning about Holmes' eccentricities. At the moment, I am in a midway state: between those who are Sherlock experts, and those who know next to nothing of the character. I am still learning about him, still learning to picture him, and it's a fascinating image. Through Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could draw fascinating pictures with precise, detailed description. We see it in every story in the way he describes Holmes' clients. He describes Holmes in terms which builds a perfect image of him in our minds. It is always exhilirating to see specific "Holmesian" traits manifesting themselves whether in a younger or a mouse version of Holmes. But we are like Watson and we are always hungry for more. Holmes is reticent about his background, so we get little of his past life or his family except in certain stories, so even as we know him he still seems a bit mysterious.

In the Sherlock mini series, he describes himself as a functioning sociopath which puzzled me. Ironically, that may be one area where I think the character is incorrect. A sociopath is cold and calculating, and Holmes is often that, but I have noted several times when the stories suggested that Holmes was sympathetic, where he seemed roused to righteous indignation by wrong doing. Of course, he didn't run around becoming deeply and emotionally invested in every case that came his way but, cool Holmes may be and manic and calculating, but I think he has more feeling than a sociopath. His relationship with Watson particularly puts me off the idea.

The Watson/Holmes relationship is another big part of the attraction for this character. I don't think we could tolerate Holmes without Watson to relate to and to like for himself. The doctor proves to be a brave, loyal, intelligent, loving friend (who I recently discovered was instrumental in helping Holmes rise up out of us drug addiction). No wonder Holmes appreciates and values Watson. I think he loves the Doctor with the fondness one has for a great friend, and in Holmes' case, an only friend. This is a big part of the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movie which built up their relationship into a bromance which I enjoyed to the fullest.

If Sherlock's feelings for anyone else is fleeting, his affection for Watson is unerring. He tolerates his presence in a life where he otherwise seems fine with being alone. He takes him on many cases, making it clear that he finds his friend, keen, brave, resourceful even intelligent (though of course not as intelligent as himself). It's always clear that he's there for his usefulness and that Holmes values his contribution more than anyone else.

Their situation makes it almost impossible for them not to bond. Besides being roommates, they are partners in numerous harrowing and often dangerous adventures. They're inseparable comrades in arms while they keep watch for suspects and nameless horrors in the dead of night, and sometimes in real physical confrontations. They are perfect examples of the male partners that frequent so many movies.

Another thing I love about Watson is that he is also useful to the reader. Again, we would probably not like Holmes as much as we do, if there wasn't a Watson with whom we could empathize. He gives us a this amazingly detailed picture of Holmes (proving that he is a keen observer like his friend, just not with similar deductive powers) and brings him alive to us with fascination, appreciation and introspection. Besides liking the man for himself, for he is everything Holmes says he is, we can appreciate the role he plays in the narrative.That's why so many people, me included, feels either unhappy or uncomfortable when he is depicted as a silly bumbler or mere comic relief. Even when it's funny like in "The Great Mouse Detective" or "Young Sherlock Holmes"

I don't think Holmes has ever gone out of style, so I don't foresee a big revival of him because of the success of the BBC series, but as usually happens, many people who knew next to nothing about him will start to show stirrings of interest and a new wave of fans will emerge. No doubt we'll continue to see new versions of home cropping up here and there, and I look forward to every new interpretation.

Reflections from the Bowels of Movie Hell!! (Send Help!!!)

2010-07-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially in Movie Hell. Yup. I've looked around, squinting at my surroundings, hoping against hope that my premonitions are not correct, but I'm sure of it now and I've come to accept it. I'm in Movie Hell. And if you don't know by now, let me break it to you gently, you're here with me!!!

Cause you see according to Glenn Whip of MSN, we have officially reached the END OF SUMMER, the traditional darkness after the sunshine of the summer movie season, and blah, blah, blah, I know we don't have summer in Trinidad, but we're subject to the change in movie seasons just like the rest of the world.

So here we are fellow sufferers, but no need to fear for long. This wasteland has an end. Fall movies are on the way. In the meantime, one thing you can do in this dreary landscape is reflect on past pleasures...

[SPOILERS HERE ON IN!!!!]

Robin Hood

I don't think a lot of people saw Robin Hood this year. I ended up seeing it in the deadly row of horror at the movie theatre ie the front row where the only way to see the movie in any comfort is to crane your neck upwards and push your seat backward as far as it can go, and that is not very far at all. Despite the discomfort, I really enjoyed this movie and that attested to its quality.

Everyone knows the traditional Robin Hood story, but so little is known about the actual person, that filmmakers can toy with the details to their heart's content. Ridley Scott increased the scope of the story considerably. I'm not the person to ask if it was historically accurate, but I felt that I was watching an authentic tale. So we see a lot of the Crusades; of the living arrangements of the lords of England at the time; the troubled interactions of the royal family (is it ever anything but troubled?) This is the sort of thing I like, but have to trust to filmmakers that they are being as accurate as possible.

The characters made the rest of the movie for me. Cate Blanchett was sharp, and warm and sweet and earthy, playing a Maid Marion who spent her time labouring and working in the fields with everyone else. There is no time for luxury and soft pillows in her world. Cate Blanchett is lovely as usual. It may seem tired to be gushing over a spirited heroine yet again, but Blanchett fires her character with steel and courage, and she's a true daughter of the soil and makes us feel her weariness and determination.

Russel Crowe plays a Robin Hood reminiscent of Maximus Decimus Meridius' gentleness and gentlemanliness. He is disarmingly polite in the face of Maid Marion's disdain, and is clearly the Robin Hood who sympathized with the poor and fought because he has to and not cause he wanted to. I have a weakness for that type character. There's an element of Luke Skywalker, Aragorn of Arathorn and Frodo Baggins in that type of hero, and I can't get enough of it.

I like that the characters were supposed to be a little older than what is usually expected. When Robin of Loxley calls her a girl Marian observes, "Girl? Either you've grown blind or come looking for charity". They are both world weary and are happy for simple things, and I really enjoyed seeing them together.

Since the movie seems to be a prequel to the more well known legends of Robin Hood, we see many of the key characters developing like Friar Tuck, Prince John and the Merry Men which this sober Robin Hood needs to watch his back. I really appreciated the comic relief provided by the Merry Men especially Kevin Durand who I've really liked in Lost and who seems to enjoy his work and throws himself thoroughly into everything I've seen him in so far.

The critics didn't seem to enjoy this movie as much as I did, and I usually respect their opinions, but I really liked this and found it good fun.

Toy Story 3

I believe this should be on many people's movie of the year list. Pixar I do not know what magic elixir you use on your creative team, but I hope it never dries up.

I teared up during two scenes in Toy Story. The first would be the moment in the incinerator when they joined hands. We've seen characters in movies get ready to face their inevitable demise together, so I didn't think I would be affected as I realized what was happening, but it did. Pixar played this scene perfectly.

The other moment was of course when Andy went to give his toys away. It speaks a lot for my maturity that though I am older than Andy, I did not want him to do it. Yes, I knew it made sense. I knew it was the best thing to do for all involved, but the scene spoke to the side of me who used to keep my dolls boxed away all the time. I hardly played with them, but I liked to think of them stored away waiting for me. I used to take them out every now and then to make sure their hair was combed and their clothes neat. Yes, Andy's the better man.

But fear not, I'm not that selfish. I was far happier that Buzz and the gang were safe and content. I shared the sense of comfort that others probably felt. I was glad that the toys were in a safe new home with a child who would play with them and love them for a long time, and where there would be other toys to round out their family.

I don't know about anyone else, but it was good to see that Andy had grown up to be a good kid. He never failed his little friends. He took care of them and saw that they would be well taken care of. I thought it was just nice seeing that he was would grow into a good man. That single Mom of him raised him right. Good for her!

The people at Pixar have said that they like to drop in on these characters now and then because they are like real people to them. I think they succeeded in creating the same feelings in me.

The theme of loss was very strong in this movie. It's an inevitable part of being a toy and of course of our own lives like the Velveteen Rabbit, like Winnie the Pooh, like every toy ever. This the darkest movie in the lot I think, and I attribute most of this darkness to the innocuous looking Lotso, an old, soft, pink, strawberry smelling bear who's heart has died. The moment when he looks into the window and sees his little girl with another bear, something snaps in him and we can feel it. The way he pulled the baby doll away as well and its pained cry was at once heart wrenching and horrifying. Lotso chose to do the evil he did afterward, but I could not shake the pity I felt for him cause he was broken inside. That's hard to overcome.

However, despite all this depth, this movie was still joyous and fun and heartwarming with moments for characters to shine. The only criticism I've seen for Toy Story movies was the lack of female characters in it. This movie blew this trouble away by having the girls step up here. Barbie herself has a big part to play. Jessie and Mrs. Potato Head are key elements in the overall plot and have their moments of heroism, and the toys end up in the home of a wildly imaginative little girl with lovely toys led by a doll and with other female toys rounding out the group. Its not just a boy's club here anymore. (Thought it was a fantastic boys club to begin with I cannot lie.)

The story has marvellous humour, thrilling moments, and everything else a high calibre movie needs. Well done Pixar. Once more you've stepped forward without putting a foot wrong. Can't wait to see what's next.

Iron Man 2

Years ago I wrote about how much I loved Iron Man, and I knew I would love Iron Man 2, and I was right. Months later I can look back to my first official film of the summer with fondness. Why? Because Robert Downey Jr is captivating to watch, and no one else in the movie rivals him which is a testament to his charm. The fact that he could be rascally and difficult and still have the audience (read: me) on his side is also proof of his skill. His conversations with Gwyneth Paltrow are sometimes lightning quick, but they feel so very natural. Gwyneth fills the slot for my second favourite character. I really liked the direction they took with her, making her more than a secretary and making her the leading player in their business, outranking Tony Stark himself.

As usual, I was moved by the beauty of the "scenery", and I've put Tony Stark's home on my list of One-Day-I-Must-Haves. The hints of a greater comic book universe is such a nice little present for those of us who have some knowledge of that type of thing. So I smiled when I saw Captain America's shield; I grinned secretly at the references to SHIELD and I felt a great glad joy when SHIELD found Thor. (I am looking forward to Thor by the way. I have high hopes for it because I am anticipating it to have a strong mythological back ground and because it is being directed by Kenneth Brannagh, who I will one day blog about to showcase his greatness.)

This movie was of course imperfect. I miss Terrence Howard, and that is the only reason I don't like Don Cheadle as I should as he is very good here. I didn't think Scarlett Johanssen was very necessary. The villains were not fantastic, and adequate, but nothing was poor enough to detract from my enjoyment of this film. Wonderful job as usual Jon Favreau. (Favreau's role as Tony's chauffeur is great as well. A real pleasure to see.)

Inception

Some of you may recall that I was raving about Star Trek this time last year, and riding on a constant high because of it. I did not think such an event would be repeated again until 2012 when J. J. Abrams will repeat and surpass the brilliance of the first movie (prays). But miracles can happen, here I am riding the Inception wave with millions of other people and having a blast.

I saw this movie twice, each time with my brow furled in concentration, so I did not lose the thread of the narrative, and I understood it! (Just like that scene in the Rats of NIMH remember? Well perhaps, you haven't seen the Rats of NIMH, but you should.) I have often watched complicated movies and felt the plot points slipping through my brain like water through a sieve. This one held me, and even when I did not understand a detail, it did not prevent me from following this movie, and curling inwardly with suspense over this movie and gaping with my mouth open at this movie.

Inception has brilliant pacing. The story could have been so cold, but no it had me worrying about the characters and fearing for their fates. It has excellent acting as well. Believe it or not, this is my first Leonardo DiCaprio movie, and he is excellent in this, hitting so many emotions, and displaying so many complex feelings and drawing us into his misery. It was lovely to see Ellen Page who I adore, and who manages very well with a role which could have been uninteresting. My favourites here though are Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who I have shamefully ignored for years) and Tom Hardy who I saw in RocknRolla and did not recognize here. My reasons for liking them are simple. They are both the one man armies, the cool heroes, the sharply dressed James Bonds. In short, the kind of character I can dislike or love, and both manage to make me love them. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is smooth, steelly and impassive without being cold and block like, and he has the amazing physical scene in the revolving hallway which I cannot forget. Tom Hardy is calmly professional, but snarky and mischievous and clever as well. Their scenes together are a joy to watch, and that added to the fact that the whole cast plays their parts well is delicious.

Christopher Nolan has a reputation for making intelligent movies, and I like that the intelligence is a trait in his characters as well. I remember a critic saying that when he heard Bruce Wayne use the word "sycophants" in Batman Begins, he knew he was watching something special. I love that these characters are skilled at working with their minds - quite literally too! Together they come up with a scheme which reeks of careful thought, an understanding of the human psyche and audacious cleverness, and we get to see them discussing it. Ariadne creates complex structures in the real world and in dreamscapes. And the experienced members of the team, do their jobs, adapt to problems and overcome them all in their own heads. Amazing huh! I felt like I was watching intellectuals at work, and that's what they really are.

I've appreciated Chris Nolan's work in the past a great deal, but I was astonished at his ability to make a big budget action movie and a thinking one as well. I should have realized that was his strength when I watched the two last Batman movies, but I had to be reminded again here. I would ask you to take notes Michael Bay, but I don't think you'd read them.

So yeah, for once my Summer movie season started off high and ended on a high as well, and for that I am very grateful. Please feel free to comment and tell me how ridiculous I am or how brilliant; what movies I clearly did a disservice to; which ones I missed or all of the above if you wish.

A Hypothetical Letter to Octavia Butler

2010-06-18T20:03:00.001-07:00

Once while I was struggling through the obstacle course required of those hapless mortals compelled to write a Master's thesis in English Literature, one of my professors asked me about the author I had chosen for my topic, Octavia Butler. I explained that she was a groundbreaking science fiction writer, a pioneer for black women in the field where they are almost non-existent. When I explained that she lived somewhere on the East coast of the United States, he suggested I write to her as I was living in Miami at the time. He thought she would be glad to hear from someone interested in her work. I thought it was a good idea though I wasn't sure how I would get the letter to her. Eventually the task shrivelled away, overwhelmed by the presence of other, more looming, tasks, though I hung on to the concept. Someday I would do it.

In my head, I planned what I would say. Ms. Butler's books are among the most disturbing I have ever read. Sometimes I've had to put them aside to give myself some relief from the images they’ve created in my mind. They are not at all typical horrors or science fiction with clear cut figures of good and evil, but curiously vivid situations where flawed human beings had to make terrible choices which could leave them changed and broken whatever the choice. Nothing is ever simple.

For example, in her Xenogenesis saga, Butler's main character Lilith must work with the aliens who have basically taken over the future of human beings. They wish to bond with mankind to help it survive, but this means changing the way humans live, breed and exist. Lilith is seen as a traitor by many humans, but how can she openly resist them without destroying them all? In Kindred a young woman is mysteriously transported to an antebellum plantation in the old South and discovers that to ensure her family's survival she has to condone the possible rape of one of her ancestors.
Butler was interested in looking at the difficult options humanity has to face. There's no doubt that her works suggested a boundless imagination. As a writer myself, I was intrigued by her original ideas nurtured by her interests in medicine, cloning and what makes us human. While she sometimes horrified me, she compelled me with her juggling of possibilities and with her amazing ideas.

I was fascinted by her herself, reportedly shy, quiet and introspective, she found the creativity and courage to write and succeed in a field populated by white males. At the age of ten, she started writing her own science fiction, unfazed and unconscious of the trail she was breaking. She never stopped writing after that. I have to remember that.

The content of that hypothetical letter to her dwelled in my mind even as I procrastinated. I believe I would have thanked Ms. Butler for her single minded determination to do what she wanted to do. I would have thanked her for opening the eyes of people of many ethnicities to the fact that science fiction and fantasy wasn't just for Them. Somehow I would have tried to express my gratitude for the way she has terrified, inspired and challenged me ever since I got to know her. I would have also thanked her for exposing me to the worlds in her stories, and to the whole experience of immersing myself in that world as I trudged through my thesis.

I would have enjoyed writing that letter. Octavia Butler died far too early at the age of fifty-eight. That was four years ago. The solitary woman was alone when she died. As her birthday approaches (June 22), I think of her and again I am glad that her astonishing work was acknowledged and admired during her lifetime. She won every major award in science fiction, and she generated a large fanbase which spans age, race and ethnicity. Hopefully, she knew that her worth was recognized. Perhaps my one simple letter would have not had much impact upon her. Or perhaps she would have been pleased to hear from yet another person she had inspired. Mentioning as much to my sister, she observed, "At least she knowns now." Perhaps she does

Octavia Butler - Bibliography
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/octavia-e-butler/

Sci Fi Heroines Who Are Way Better Than Megan Fox

2010-06-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

While watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen some months ago, I was moved by various emotions. Not strong ones mind you – I did not feel any strong pathos or excitement or delight while watching this movie. In fact at one point I actually zoned out for a while. Sorry Transformers fans!

What I did feel was a mild annoyance with Megan Fox. Understand me I don’t know Megan Fox. She could be a very nice person. I have never seen her in anything else but Transformers movies, so she may be Academy award calibre in all her other roles (thought I doubt it). I also feel sorry for her because she’s one of the people some of the media don’t like, and when the media don’t like you whoa ho ho! However I don’t have any fond memories of Megan Fox in the first movie, and I wasn’t too pleased with Miss Fox in the second one. Again I didn’t have any strong feelings for her – it just wasn’t that kind of movie – but Megan was so obviously supposed to be eye candy and nothing else it got tiresome. She worked in a garage dressed in skimpy clothes which no self respecting mechanic would wear for fear of severe burns, cuts and other damage. Her makeup and body language was terribly obvious and pinup style, prompting one reviewer to comment that she never seemed to close her mouth. The heroes dragged her around by her hand or arm whenever they were dashing from place to place. In short, she seemed to have been designed to mildly annoy me.

I’m glad that in general the critics seemed to feel the same as I do. I would be worried that people would try to hold her up as a candidate for the Sci Fi Woman Hall of Fame. That would have brought on some strong emotion from me! Despite the fact that science fiction can be a bit of a boy’s club, there are some great female science fiction characters out there, and thankfully no one is making any concerted efforts to try to elevate Megan Fox up there with the sci fi female greats who have gone before her.

However, I am afraid for the rabid fans who think Megan Fox scored in that movie because she was just so hot and – ugh – kick ass. To this I would reply, huh?! Surely those who think this have forgotten (or never knew) that there have been female characters in the past who have been strong, well acted, admirable, feminine and have made you feel for them and actually care what happened to them. At the same time, they didn’t need their attractiveness to be hyped up to obnoxious proportions, their characters shone through and enlivened their appearance or at least that’s not all you remembered about them. Just in case some of these excitable people have forgotten the true stars of the female sci fi universe, I have put inordinate amounts of time into compiling a list of the ladies I have admired in sci fi movie and television over the years. Just in case you weren’t paying attention.

Don’t forget, despite my aspirations to geekdom, I’m not versed in every sci fi show out there, so of course I won’t mention every great female out there. That’s what my comment section is for. As usual my blog is slanted to my preferences. These are the ladies that inspired me, and I’ll try to make you see why as best I can. Feel free to disagree.

Nyota Uhura

If you read my blog posts, you may have noticed that I am a leetle obsessed with the new Star Trek movie. (No you haven’t noticed? Really?) My love for the newest movie rekindled my interest in the character, but I’ve always liked Uhura. Culturally, the character is a role model for many. At the time of the Star Trek original series, it was unusual seeing a black woman playing a character like this.

Ironically (though not suprisinginly) Uhura did not get a lot of chances to shine, but in retrospect the character has many admirable qualities which have been explored in books and later movies. Uhura is intelligent! There is no question. She has an unmatched mastery of many complicated languages. In one of my Star Trek books, she takes some time off to serve on another ship because they need someone with her level of expertise. She is one of the few female officers serving on the bridge. In the new movie, her determination and ambition is made very clear.

There is no doubt that Uhura has evolved over the years. She even moves up through the ranks in the series timeline, going from Lieutenant to Commander! Whether she is Nichelle Nichols or Zoe Saldana, we now know her as a formidable member of the Enterprise bridge crew and the character has bypassed any notion of her being a mere prop...unlike some people we know....

Leia Organa
Much is made of how in Star Wars: A New Hope Princess Leia basically took over her own rescue, and I too applaud her resourcefulness. The importance of her role in the movies was vital I think. Her courage was amazing. I liked how she was so clearly a member of the specialized squad which comprised of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian. Particularly in the final movie, she goes into Jabba’s Palace alone. Later she is part of the plan to infiltrate the Empire on Endor. They cannot do without Leia.

Luke cannot do without her. One of the strongest draws of the series to me is the bond that grows and exists between the twins. She quickly becomes a steadying core in the hearts of those she is closest too. I imagine if Han Solo had any conscious thoughts while trapped for all that time in carbonite, it was thoughts of Leia that kept him from going mad. When Luke was at his lowest moment, he thought of Leia and knew she would save him. She steadied him when he was conflicted later about what he should do about the threat of their father. Not surprisingly when he thought he would lose her later, it was what made him snap.

I cannot imagine Megan Fox playing such a regal, resilient, powerful person. Not at all.

Queen Amidala/Padme Naberrie

No wonder Anakin Skywalker is fascinated and entranced by the Queen of Naboo. Padme Naberrie is the youngest elected official on her planet and we can see why. She is poised. She is regal. She is determined. She is smart. She works tirelessly to save her people. You can see where the Skywalker twins have inherited resilience and honour and nobility.

I have to say that I feel George Lucas did Amidala a disservice in the final episode when her leadership and strength is diluted and overshadowed by Anakin’s story and her own pregnancy! However, I feel even during these problematic plot twists, her nobility shines through, and her potential doesn’t waver in my mind. Lucas had created such a strong character she could not be extinguished in my mind. There are books to be written about this character if need be to explore all of her intricacies. I’d like to see Ms Fox manage to breath any life into such a character.

Ellen Ripley

I’ve only watched one “Alien” movie and that was Aliens. That was all I needed to know that Ellen Ripley is a great sci fi warrior. Sigourney Weaver is a leading player in the sci fi genre, and this movie showcases it well. For me, it’s because as Ripley, she can be fierce and determined, but at the same time vulnerable in her manner that hurts your heart a little. You know she may be wounded. You know she feels strong emotions and can be afraid. By this, she surpasses a lot of heroines I see these days who are so steelly, they’re unbelieveable. Some of the suspense is lost at once. They’re practically invulnerable right? So who cares?

In Aliens, you can fear for Ripley, but you have faith in her because she has the strength at her core that can help her get the job done. And of course she rewards our trust in her, and shows that she cannot be brought down. All the elements I love come to the fore in the classic scene when she faces the Mother Alien. That one moment is unforgettable kind of like the time when Megan Fox said.....hm....

See what I mean in the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtcqN8g65qU

Eowyn, Shield Maiden of Rohan

No matter what incarnation you find her in, you have to be fascinated by J.R.R. Tolkien’s shieldmaiden of Rohan. While Arwen Evenstar is a princess in an ivory tower, Eowyn is a princess of the trenches. When her people are called to war, she sets to work. When she finds she cannot bear to be left behind, she goes into battle.

I don’t mean that you can’t feel for Arwen, but I feel that many people feel more connected to Eowyn. Her feelings of pain when it comes to unrequited love are something we have all experienced. Her hopelessness is real. Her troubles are real. And we see her desperately take her fate into her own hands to try to do something.

In Peter Jackson's superior movie Mirando Otto does a wonderful job as Eowyn, and like many of the other ladies I have mentioned, her scenes are memorable. Just take a look at one of her greatest scenes here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSNPeJAgBzo&feature=related

So as I have mentioned, I do not want to deprive Megan Fox of a paycheck. (I admit I could not help smiling rather evilly when I heard she was dropped from Transformers 3 recently, but she's in Jonah Hex soon, so you see... don't worry about her.)I just want to be sure that anyone who thinks she may be a superior science fiction heroine thinks carefully before they make that distinction. The standards in this category are very high, and I really don't think Ms. Fox will ever attain them. Though I could be wrong! Feel free to agree or disagree in my comments and let me know who I've missed from my list!

The Movie Tide is rushing in!

2010-05-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just realized that my yearly "Summer Movie Madness"* blog post is imminent. Summer movie insanity has begun in the states, and as usual I am swept up in the tide. I have no predictions about the upcoming season at all. Usually by now I have a solid list of movies I want/need to see. However, at this late stage I only know I am interested in seeing "Prince of Persia" and the new Robin Hood. No inward trembling and anticipation. No figurative salivating. The first movie fills me with concern as Jerry Bruckheimer is involved, and the trailers make me fear that there will be a goofiness involved which will devalue the story for me. I hope and expect the second one to be a good film but not an earthshaking,amazing one.

I really need to get a good preview of the summer movies and really give them a close analysis. I am surprised though that the usual strong anticipatory buzzing has not reached me as it usually does. Is it that my "movie senses" are not as sharp as they once were or is this year's buzz less energizing than usual? We will have to see.

Anyway whatever the season brings, I must admit that it has had a promising start. I saw Iron Man 2 yesterday (it came here before the states. Imagine that.), and I was most happily mesmerized once more by Robert Downey Jr. Surprise, surprise..

(Observe the joy of my recap during the glorious year of the first movie: http://crossroadsofimagination.blogspot.com/2008/08/demi-gods-of-summer.html)

After seeing Iron Man 2, I feel as if the big blast for the summer has come and gone, but I hope I will be proven wrong. I won't go into great detail about my viewing experience just yet. In the meantime, in the true summer movie tradition, I will post a teaser to get you panting with anticipation.

Nice eh? Impressed? Me too!

Anyway feel free to post and let me know what movies you are looking forward to seeing in the next few months. I am also open to recommendations of what you think I should see.

And check out last year's recap as well: http://crossroadsofimagination.blogspot.com/2009/08/progression-of-my-summer-movie-madness.html

*Yes I am still using the word "summer" to describe the movies that premiere between May and August. I know I don't live in a place which has a summer time, but I have no problem using the term. For one, it's the handiest word to describe these movies which are almost a genre in themselves. Besides that this "season" is inherently an American one. I see no problem with using the American way of describing it.

Out of desolation: Inspiration

2010-01-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

Today they pulled a seventeen year old girl out of the massive rubble left over after the earthquake in Haiti.

I think about how many hours she spent alone in the dark, thinking she would die, and I fear that she will find herself back in that darkness everytime she closes her eyes. She made it out though, and she lives.

It seems petty to say that this disaster serves as a source of inspiration to us. It seems a little self centred to wonder how I can benefit from such horror when I should be thinking about the Haitian people, but I can’t help how I feel.

I see people going doggedly on with their lives despite everything. People talk about the Haitian people being resilient. Unlike the situation in many Caribbean islands, their slaves rose up and took their independence from the colonists. I don’t like making sweeping generalizations about any group of people, but I hope that many Haitian people have this hardy streak to get them through the next few days – well months and years actually.

I look at news reporters who are on the scene looking haggard and tired and losing their patience because they feel too much. I’m seeing Haitian people sent away to live a better life coming home to help. I see rescuers, trying and trying for hours. I honor the dogs, who with their simple wills, just keep searching and searching because that’s what they love to do.

Who cares right now about language barriers? Rescuers and relief aid workers are there from all over the world. So many little Haitian children will be adopted by families who may not look like them, but will love them anyway.

Yes I’m inspired a bit. I cannot help it, but I don’t want to belittle the horror with my small desires right now. The best I can do is to hold this feeling to me and try to help however I can. If I don’t forget the pity, horror and motivation I feel, I can use this to drive me to reach out and help as I have so often planned to do. Just feeling bad or moved is not enough. It would be unfair to them, and they’ve already had enough wrongness.

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

2009-11-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

Sesame Street is 40 years old this week. Goggle is celebrating in its usual inspired manner.

I am celebrating by re-posting a blog I wrote awhile back expounding on my love of the place where there's friendly neighbours and the air is sweet! Enjoy!

http://crossroadsofimagination.blogspot.com/2009/04/these-were-people-in-my-neighbourhood.html

(Oh and have no fear I will be posting a fresh and tangy new blog entry soon.)

The Progression of my Summer Movie Madness

2009-08-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

I hate Math, but it has its usefulness. For instance, I can most accurately chart my feelings about this "summer's" movies with a line graph which starts on high then dips suddenly. I'm not drawing anything for you, so use your imagination.

Anyway I started off looking at this season's movies with barely concealed delight, then midway down I became less excited and elated. I know the reason why though. I know the reason, and I'll explain in a moment. However, this season had some good stuff out there I can't deny it, so let's get down to my annual (?) recap.

Star Trek
Okay you know what spoiled me for the rest of the summer: Star Trek. Curse you Star Trek, I would blame you if I didn't love you so much. Too much coolness and vulcans and pathos and excitement, and, and this......

I know, I've raved enough. If you want, check out my blog on this movie, and we'll never speak of it again! Never!(Except on days that end with the letter "y".)

http://crossroadsofimagination.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-need-to-go-down-black-hole-to-past-so.html

I Love You Man
(This movie came out early in the year in the US, but only came to T&T fairly recently I think.)

This movie reminds me why I like a good bromance. In the tradition of "guys who love each other, but are straight", this movie had a hilarious take on a poor guy who realizes he has no guy friends and starts to go on "man-dates" to find a good buddy.

Watched this one with my BFFF on a "girl-date" (hmmmm that doesn't sound as good). It had lots of laughs - perhaps the most I had with any comedy for a long time. I also got to watch Paul Rudd who played such a sweet, sensitive guy that he became one of the heroes of the season for me. He didn't need to go up against killer robots, terminators or ninjas to win my affection. In some ways his situation was more real than a lot of the other hyped up movies in the past months. I am always fascinated by the intricacies of male relationships. If I was a sociologist, I would definitely be hiding behind a lamppost observing the male species in their natural habit. Fascinating! But I digress.

I have to give props to the ladies in this movie. I don't know Rashida Jones from anything else, but as Paul Rudd's fiancee, she was understanding, sweet and adorable which was wonderful considering that the movie could have gone the old route and made her horrible and controlling. I am glad I did not have to wonder why Paul Rudd's character loved her.

Up

Yes, Pixar, you did it again! I knew you could! People wondered about Up and said no one would be interested in it etc. etc. Yet I saw Up, and was delighted. During one scene, a tear ran down my cheek, and that is my equivalent to bawling like a child. That hasn't happened to me in a movie for a while.

As usual, the characters made the movie. Poor Mr. Frederickson! - Another wonderful and unlikely hero just like last years little-robot-that-could Wall-E. Russell - wilderness scout, who never gave up, ever! The dogs have to get a special mention too. I really loved how despite their super intelligence, they were still very dog-like. They are distracted by squirrels and easily upset when their humans are upset with them. They just want to be loved! They also really hate "the cone of shame". At one point, Dug, the hero dog of our tale tells a horrible joke, and for some reason, I can imagine my own dog telling that joke - if dogs could tell jokes that is.

I love that a movie about an "old guy" and a "fat kid" became Disney's second highest grossing film domestically. Pixar once more struck the right keys in this movie. They played real love (more real than a lot of movies you see these days), pathos, humour and adventure, and made a symphony that thrilled my heart.

Pixar can do no wrong.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Every time another Harry Potter movie comes out I think I'm all "harry pottered" out, and go to see it just "because". However I usually end up getting caught up in the story anyway, and enjoying it more than I thought.

I attribute this mainly to the actors. Daniel Radcliffe and the others are doing very, very good jobs. There is a scene where Hermione is crying and Harry is comforting her, and it is very effective.

The characters continue to have just the right "look" as well - the twins, Mrs. Weasley, Dumbldore..... I am not a fan of the first film, but you have to admit, the casting people got it right the first time. They're even growing the right way. Rupert Grint is taller than the other two, just as Ron should be. Neville Longbottom has gone from a small chubby kid to a very tall one with an entirely different look, which I think will totally fit his role in the upcoming movies. I thought Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy looked drawn and squirrelly, but then I realized that his looks fit his tortured role in this movie well.

The kids who played Tom Riddle were very creepy. They were well chosen. And the adults did well too. I like this Dumbledore. Don't care what anybody says. Alan Rickman gets points as well for Snape. The movie does well for setting up the final confrontations.

I don't know about you, but I don't read the books before the movie. I don't have time for one thing. For another, I don't want to spend most of the movie, figuring out what was left out. It's a pointless task in my opinion, and I can't really fault the filmmakers. The same people who complain about things missing would complain profusely if the movie was six hours long, which it would have to be if they put everything in. Sorry folks. You can always use audiobooks.

One of the reasons I am putting Harry Potter on my list is because there were lots of highlights to this movie. For instance, the commericials make you forget that there are a lot of laughs to be had in Harry Potter, and the fun was really fun in this one. Lots of good humour.

The growing attachment between Ron and Hermione is well done here as well. The romantic element was actually well done over all. For example, the movie actually improved on Harry's kissing scene with Ginny. I really didn't like the one in the book. None of the romance seemed forced or annoying. It was just nice.

It was also great to see a nice, death defying Quidditch match, and to see Ron doing his thing as a goalie.

I am also still tickled by how much the costuming has changed and improved in my opinion. I was never a fan of those pointy hats from the first movie. I love how the kids now wear regular clothes out of school, and their "wizardly robes" look like private school uniforms in different variations. I can't say why. I just love it.

I must say how surprised I am that I could not pinpoint more movies worthy of mention in my recap. This time last year there were quite a few more. http://crossroadsofimagination.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html
But I do not despair, the good among the not-so-good was very high up there in the quality factor I must say, so I can't look back on the past few months without any great regret.

MY GENERATION’S ANSWER TO “THE KING OF ROCK”......

2009-07-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a very special blog post today. Put your hands together for my very first guest blogger. Marissa Gomez has been my best friend and partner in crime since secondary school, so I figure she was the ideal person to make history with my first guest blog. I asked her to write about someone creative who inspired her, and she sure did, so enjoy. Be sure to check out her own blog at Marissa's Space http://marissaamandagomez.spaces.live.com/

MY GENERATION’S ANSWER TO “THE KING OF ROCK”,
MY TRIBUTE TO THE “KING OF POP”
Marissa A. Gomez

As I sat and watched the memorial service today of Michael Jackson the “King of Pop” I was still incredulous. Surely this was a gimmick for his upcoming concert. Surely he’d rise out of the casket, jump out and proceed to moonwalk to a huge standing ovation and a sigh of relief. I mean, it would be just the exact kind of showmanship that I’d expect from a man who epitomized the word. He popularised the “moonwalk” for Pete’s sake (and I bet Neil Armstrong is still wishing he had done that when he landed on the moon in July ’69). Michael created the Video Movie as it were; before “Thriller” videos were kept short and had a run time fit to be aired on TV. This man created HISTORY! Surely he can’t be dead!

But alas, the tears shed by his family members, his kids, and his friends were all too real. Truly an icon has passed away and we, the fans have to cope with this reality and cling to our memories.

I remember fondly that “Thriller” was my introduction to a vinyl record. I was 4 years-old when it was released in November 1982 and I could not get enough of the infectious songs, the beat and the lyrics. I learnt every song Side A to Side B (yes harken back to the days when LP’s had “sides”, so when one was done you had to go to the turntable and flip it over. The CD ruined that bit of fun surely!). Then in 1983 when he released the almost 14 minute video for the song, I along with the rest of the world and whatever aliens were out there in the galaxy picking up the MTV feed, well we all went wild. That was off the hook and at the time just about the most innovative thing we had ever seen! There was no turning back after that. His popularity escalated along with my love for him. I used to grab my dad’s motorcycle riding glove and jacket and put on the album and go dancing round the house to his music (I think we all did it as kids). Then just when I thought the man had done all he could do to impress me in my tender years he pulled the “moonwalk” out during a performance of “Billy Jean” at a Motown Television Special in March 1983. I remember thinking that that was the coolest and craziest thing I had ever seen. I wanted to marry the man then and there. I couldn’t get enough of him.

I followed his career as his music and fame grew and as I grew with him. Truly he provided the soundtrack to my formative years. He reinvented himself and his music and unlike some other artistes who started their career in the 70’s, he was able to keep up and adapt to the changing music scene. He seemed to know what we wanted even before we ourselves knew. As I heard someone express during an interview the other day – there are brands and then there was Michael Jackson. MJ was a brand and was as recognizable as the shape of the coca-cola bottles are throughout the universe.

I admit I also felt a little sad for the guy. I don’t know who among us would have grown up ‘normal’ if they had grown up under a microscope as he did. He was unable to go anywhere without being mobbed. His quest for stardom had come at a cost.

Sure, things got a little awry for him later on – the crazy plastic surgery, the crazy pets, the crazy marriages and couplings, the crazy antics (dangling his kid over a balcony for one), those crazy child molestation charges and the bankruptcy rumours that arose out of them. But I can’t remember him for any of that. I remember him as an artiste – a stellar one at that. I remember him as a philanthropist who supported dozens of charities and causes, AIDS, children, ending world hunger and world conservation being at the top of the list. I put all the ‘weirdness’ and ‘crazy’ antics aside and continued to love the man who co-wrote, “We Are the World”, and wrote “Heal The World”, and “The Earth Song”. I continued to admire the man who sang with such emotion, feeling and poignancy at age 5 and continued to do so throughout his life. I was constantly awed by his concerts and performances and wondered what he would possibly do next to eclipse the last.

So when on June 25th 2009 I heard that he had passed away I cried. I felt I had lost a friend who had been with me since I was born – and truly he had been. On my way home from the office that night I pulled out the 25th Special Anniversary edition CD of “Thriller” – ironically the ONLY ORIGINAL CD I had in the car that afternoon which I had put there some weeks before to play for my 5 year-old niece who had become a huge fan, like me, when she saw the “Thriller” video a year ago (again just re-emphasizing the fact that the man’s appeal spanned generations). I blasted it at full volume, singing along and got all teary-eyed again when “Human Nature” started to play.

And so today on 7th July, 2009, I still sit disbelieving that this icon is dead. This must have been how my mother felt when she heard that her childhood mega hero Elvis was dead. I cried again, and shamelessly so when I viewed the memorial service. I’ll probably continue to be a little sad when I hear “Gone too Soon” played or “Man In the Mirror”. But I will also smile when I think back on me as a kid, twirling round the room, with a glove and my dad’s jacket on trying to do the moonwalk to Billy Jean. I’ll smile as I remember his legacy, his music, his talent, his dance moves, his style (who else but Michael could popularize sequined socks and the wearing of one glove?), his videos, and his charitable works.

But somewhere, deep down inside, I still say that my icon is not dead. He’s off on the island that Elvis, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Aaliyah and Princess Di are on, sipping on some juice, doing the moonwalk and having a good laugh. But wherever he is, I hope that he’s finally found the peace and quiet that evaded him for most of his life. R.I.P. Michael.

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

Can I call you J.J.?

2009-05-20T18:57:00.001-07:00

Had to make mention of this article I found on a website I've never heard of. It's basically a listing of the 100 most creative people in the business, and my new kindred spirit J.J. Abrams is #14. Look at him. He looks like the kind of person who is really invested in his creative work, and reminds me of Jim Henson and George Lucas who always projected this deep commitment to reproducing their ideas. I love these geeky beautiful minds. Props to you J.J.

Since my blog is supposed to celebrate creativity and such, I couldn't pass this up. Check out the list at this link.

http://www.fastcompany.com/100/2009/jj-abrams

I confess I still need to peruse it in full, but I give them advance props for listing writer Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is a very good and very imaginative writer, a fact I can appreciate even if I do not absolutely love something he has done. I am so pleased at this I will even forgive them for including Tya Banks on that list. I may even blog about Neil sometime in the future. For now this is J.J.'s moment.

"My take on the Star Trek movie"; or "I need to go down a black hole to the past so I can watch this again!"

2009-05-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

You know when you're watching something, and you have a pretty good sense that you're enjoying it, but then you have to analyze it later, and you find out that you really do like it, and you wish you could see it again? No? Well I guess that's just me.....

But anyway, I didn't just like the Star Trek movie, I LOVED it. Hurray!!! Thinking back on it now, I feel the warm fuzzies and the usual sad sensation that I won't be able to watch it for the first time again. However that does not prevent me from thinking back on favourite scenes with a smile.

(By the way, actually getting to see this movie was a crazy exercise involving exchanging tickets, getting in late to work and bad lighting in the Trinidad parliament. Crazy, but I won't go into the sordid details, suffice to say I got in.)

Instead of doing a controlled review, I am just going to dive in and go all out, flailing happily over what I liked about the movie, so sadly, if you have not yet seen it, I recommend you stay clear. I'm warning you, there will be major, major spoilers throughout!!!

*************HERE THERE BE SPOILERS***********************

Well before I go far, I need to talk about J.J. (Do you mind me calling you J.J., Mr. Abrams? Because I feel like we're friends now. Really! Let's do lunch sometime.) Anyway since he's the director, I lay all the greatness at J.J.'s feet because he's the beautiful mind who led the charge of rebooting Trek. I liked the story for this movie. It didn't drag. It didn't feel bogged down. The action sequences were grounded in the plot, and left me pressed to the back of my chair like I was going through G-Force (or Space jumping! Surely I would feel as if I left my stomach behind if I ever went crazy enough to do such a thing!)

I also thought this movie was great fun. Watching Kirk scramble all over the Enterprise while suffering from a crazy allergic reaction with Bones in hot pursuit was lovely self-hugging fun.

When I saw time travel was involved I just thought of Lost and smiled. Clearly J.J. likes his time travel stuff. I must also thank him profusely for not going all Lost on me and getting too caught up in the time travelling details and leaving my head spinning. I was able to keep my brain fairly well wrapped around what was going on, and what I missed I figure I can get on a second viewing.

The drama was definitely high drama with Eric Bana playing a Romulan. (He looked nothing like the Eric Bana I know by the way). Bana plays a Romulan called Nero with a fierce personal vendetta against Spock, and as my bFFF pointed out, apparently many Star Trek movies are fuelled by this sort of protagonist – remember Khan? Fascinating.

Finally the fact that J.J. makes this Star Trek story completely his own and shakes canon to create this whole new "alterna-verse" so he can do whatever he well pleases with this creation just boggled my mind. I need to start thinking more like J.J. Well played sir!

So as I said, in my previous post, we got a good story which goes with the best of Star Trek, but as usual for me, the characters made it all.

What did I like most about this movie? Um that would be Spock, and then there's Spock, and oh yeah! Spock! I knew way beforehand that Zachary Quinto would nail the Vulcan persona. I mean just look at him!

Yes, besides his obvious – ahem- physical mastery of this role, I've seen Quinto in Heroes, and I knew he could do it and what do ya know he DID!!! Of course we all know that Spock has emotions and all, but any actor who plays him has to show them under a deceptively cool exterior. Just being wooden and unemotional would not do and is most.....un-Vulcan. Witness when our Spock hears his mother subtly insulted by the Vulcan counsel. Spock doesn't lose it here, but he firmly declines his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy and thanks them for the honour. His final words are a traditional Vulcan expression. They are coolly and respectfully spoken, but we all know he's thinking "Live long and prosper a**holes." (Spock would never curse by the way. At least not out loud. We are so much alike.) Zachary (can I call you Zachary?) plays this scene really well as he does many others.

The way Spock's story was told was also killer. I loved that we got to see many key scenes in his life, and any show featuring little Vulcans is awesome with me.

We also get scenes of a Spock that loses control a bit more than normal. In my mind, it's because he's still a young Vulcan (and all those annoying human genes can wreak havoc with your psyche). Seeing Spock lose it is thrilling. For instance, his temper sparks his beatdown of Kirk which we've all been waiting for. (Well at least I was.) Seeing him maintain control is also awesome. I really have to commend Quinto's acting in these situations. He can play cool and aloof, and he can do passion simmering just below the surface oh so well.

He also looks the part. I try not to let my blogs descend into gushing (though you're free to do so in my comments), but what the hey, Quinto looks the part. He channelled Leonard Nimoy, but he was himself. He looked good even without his signature eyebrows. He got new ones and worked them. If you missed when he arched one of them, I sorry for you! Like I said, trying not to gush, but the eyes, the nose, the lips.......okay where was I?

This of course ties into the much touted relationship with Spock and Uhura. Actually what I like is that I actually haven't heard any hype about this, so this was all a surprise for me. I've never thought of those two as a couple, so when I realized that Uhura was not only attracted to Spock, but that the feeling was mutual, I was properly flummoxed. Ask anyone in the theatre near me. (Um I apologize everybody.) (Pause here to once again replay Spock and Uhura's goodbye in the transporter room. Sigh.)

Anyway the fact that this played against the typical motif of Kirk getting the girl was exhilirating. That aspect of Kirk has exasperated me at times. The fact that Spock ends up with the woman Kirk initially lusted after, and the fact that their connection is firmly established when golden boy realizes it just leaves me tickled. Zoe Saldana is excellent as Uhura, and I love her cause she helps make the couple something I love and not something I tolerate as I do with many movie couples. I hate her because I think I would make a better Uhura. What I can't wear short skirts and boots?

Of course, this movie gets extra points from me for having two Spocks for the price of one. Leonard Nimoy of course is the foundation for the icon which is my favourite Vulcan, and I was again pleasantly surprised when he proved to have a large and very significant part to play. The scene where the two Spocks meet is well done – understated and witty as it ought to be.

I must also give considerable praise to Chris Pine for playing Captain Kirk so well. Captain Kirk is a confusing character for me. William Shatner's portrayal can be corny and the aforementioned skirt chasing could be annoying, but I still liked the guy. Didn't love, but liked. Chris Pine does a lovely job making a sometimes overly confident hot shot charming without being annoying! That's a great acting feat in my opinion and bravo to him. I also enjoyed the numerous beatings this Kirk took, and no I am not sadistic, but my fellow Trek fan and BFFF pointed it out while we were watching. Kirk took a lot of blows and he took them with style. You got to respect him for that. Oh and you got to respect that Chris Pine has some of the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen. I remember them well from Smoking Aces. (If you know any better contenders please post them. I am interested.)

Very well done James Tiberius Kirk.

I'll be at this all day if I go into great detail about all the other characters, but I got to say something for Karl Urban as Bones. In short, the man IS Bones. Maybe he and DeForest Kelley are related somehow. They should check that out, do some DNA testing.

I predicted that Simon Pegg would make a wonderful Scotty, and I was right! But I will not take credit for that prediction as Simon Pegg is delightful in everything. That is a no brainer. This Scotty is kinda crazy which I like. (Observe his Shaun of the Dead crazy look.)

Even later when he's with the rest of the straitlaced crew in full uniform, he's clearly the oddball with his brain somewhere off in Centaur IV. I really liked how he handled his part.

A small mention needs to go to Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Frankly I never thought anything much about Chekov when I watched the series. When I saw the eager little, curly haired intern in the movie, I still didn't think much about Chekov, but in a few little short scenes he managed to charm me a lot. Nice. I was quite surprised.

Of course being me, I have to mention that this is not a perfect movie. (I am not sure what movie deserves that honour. In my mind it fluctuates.) I have to watch this movie again to verify this (oh poor me!), but at one point Spock loses it and beats the snot out of Kirk. (Poor Kirk). He loses control, and you can see he's not happy about it, but I do not know if he ever addresses that. Did he ever apologize? I may have forgotten, so correct me or argue with me if you like, I'm willing to listen. In fact, this movie at times seemed to suggest that giving in to his emotions is the way to go with Spock. I do not advocate the total lack of emotion Vulcans favour, but I don't care for the idea that the human way is the best way to go – at least not all the time. Yes, I'm saying that we shouldn't be prejudiced against the views of a fictional alien race, but Star Trek is about keeping your mind open to different points of view. To be fair, I think that type of human preference has been evident in the series before. I'm never a big fan of it when it comes up.

But I digress and am getting nitpicky. I'm glad my expectations of this movie were fulfilled and surpassed. J.J. really decided to "boldly go" and then he went . I'm already hearing sequel talk which pleases me and also fills me with fear because sometimes sequels aren't good and somehow degrade the first installment (in my mind), but this is being really nitpicky, I mean this isn't just a sequel, but it's the eleventh sequel (though I do like the term reboot better; after all, it worked for Batman).

What I will do is regard these reboots with optimism and hope for a bright future of Star Trek movies featuring many breathtaking scenes; Kirk beatdowns; Uhura and Spock together forever, Zachary Quinto's whispery voice and intense looks and all sorts of other awesome stuff. Now I can't wait. Warp speed ahead.

Yay! Star Trek is sexy again!

2009-05-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

One happy thought (with a little pixie dust) which perks me up when my daily existence seems kind of drab is that every day that passes brings me closer to the premiere of Star Trek. Yes, some of you are now groaning and clutching your stomachs. Others are giving me the Vulcan sign, but I have to admit it, Star Trek at the moment is giving me love tingles – giant love tingles.

So ring the bells and bang the drums, but before I go too far, I have a confession to make -shields up- I'm actually a Star Wars chick. Yes register your shock now. I mean I like Star Trek, and as you read on you'll see why. Star Wars inspires stronger devotion in me because it's based on mythology, on archetypes and redemption and the sins of the father and other wonderful things. It's harder for me to accept the faults of the movies (and yes I know they are there), and they connect with me in a deeper way. With that said, Star Trek is still cool!!!!!!* And the new movie, yeah, let's get back to that....

Sensible people will be pointing out to me that the movie has not yet become available to most critics or the general viewing public. They will forecast doom on my happy thoughts by suggesting that this movie could just plain suck, and I would agree that this could happen, but the giant love tingles refuse to diffuse.

One early review perhaps covers the reason for my happiness. According to The Australian "Star Trek is sexy again" http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25310150-15803,00.html, and for that I am willing to bow down and praise the movie gods. One in particular.....would be J.J. Abrams, a person who I do not know well, but who I would like to get to know over smoothies and cinnamon rolls because I like the cut of his jib. Who the heck is he you ask? Well maybe you've heard of "Felicity", "Alias" and "Lost". If you've never watched any of these shows, do not feel too badly because I only watch "Lost". However from all that I have seen and heard J.J. is a potential kindred spirit. While I didn't watch his earlier shows, I heard lots of good things about them. He's creative, and goes about his projects differently (a huge plus for me). He's clearly intelligent and loving of his craft, and of course he created Lost – a deep, complicated, aggravating, fascinating odyssey of a show which has been holding me riveted over the past few years. So of course, J.J. Abrams was perfect for making Star Trek cool again. Duh!

But you've got to give props to the original material. J.J. couldn't do his work without strong base material to start with. I cannot remember the time or the place where I first became acquainted with Star Trek. But I have the distinct impression that I was not impressed with it – not like the time I saw my first Star Wars movie: Return of the Jedi which left me thrilled. I think I really got into Star Trek the way everyone gets into illicit things: everyone else was doing it.

Within the walls of my convent school where so much of my character and opinions were formed, I was exposed to several adolescents and budding superwomen like myself who were all reading Star Trek books, and I mean devouring them, so of course, I had to read them too. I was one of the gang wasn't I? And guess what the novels were fabulous, and it was an easy step from there to start watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and arguing hotly over who was cuter Kirk or Spock. (The answer to this is obvious of course. Read on.) Afterward I began to fully appreciate the greatness of The Original Series; the novels helped; my imagination did the rest.

Even without the influence of convent peer pressure, I find that I still have a place in my heart for Trek, and for me it's not just nostalgia. I don't need it as I still have those awesome characters. Lots of good people here and some absolutely brilliant ones.

Don't have the time or the space to go very far in depth, but my heart is with the stellar guys above. Of course, my very favourite – Spock – goes first. This half Vulcan, half human defies the usual hero dynamic by being logical and by keeping his head, even when he was pushed to the edge. Spock used intelligence to get by; he knew no other way to do it, but yet he was still passionate (though not overtly so), so, so brave and loyal. (Remember "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Search for Spock"). He made me love the whole entire Vulcan race –arguably the best alien species in the whole Trek universe. Their way of dealing with life in a purely logical manner is in Spock's words "fascinating", even if it is not ideal. I like the idea that different life philosophies are explored in the series. Spock very often proves that his way of thinking aint too shabby. Our everyday humanness usually wins out in the show's viewpoint, but consideration is given to others' as well. Besides of course, Spock's devotion to his values leads to many wonderful, fierce and delicious debates with McCoy (one of my honourable mentions for awesome character by the way).

Data was just a sweetie and dang funny too. He wasn't as worldly as Spock – truly an android trying to be a "real boy". He was another character that provided great story potential – some of the best books were about him. Who didn't like Data a little or a lot, seriously?

Captain Jean Luc Picard is the greatest Starship character in the history of Trek in-my-not-so-humble opinion. Forget Kirk. (Well no don't forget him, he's cool and all too.) But Picard was classic. He was assured. (After all, he was himself and always himself in the most dramatic/stressful/ridiculous situations.) He was professional. He was a real gentleman, and he could say "Make it so" in a voice that made you want to jump to it and get things done! It helped a lot that Patrick Stewart is an exceptional actor, and it's no surprise to me that he became a sex symbol among Trek fans.

Besides the wonderful characterizations, Star Trek excels at presenting plotlines which make you think, and raise all sorts of ethical questions. I like it that there were sometimes no easy answers to things (though you knew that the Entreprise crew could always figure it out under pressure). Their encounters with various alien races were a great setting for this, especially when it came to the Klingons, the Vulcans and the creepy, unassailable Borg. Without a doubt, Star Trek could make you tense and excited, and I like tense and excited. But you were tense and excited while your mind was thinking furiously (hey kinda like Lost) which brings me to the new movie again.

I admit that for some time, my love for Star Trek has remained dormant; this is because that nothing was really around to shake up the old fun, but this movie gave me a nice little jolt. I mean look at it.....

This Trek has characters we've met before, but in new incarnations which I love like Zachary Quinto AKA Sylar as Spock.

Cutie and crazy man Simon Pegg as Scotty (special mention to Keith Urban (remember Eomer from Lord of the Rings?) as McCoy)

A Captain Kirk who looks devilish and knowing and fun

And a cast that just looks cool. What can I say!

Finally the trailers all leave you with an impression of dazzling special effects and action which is anything but run of the mill. (That's my main issue with some action sequences these days. You feel as if you could have seen the same thing happening in dozens of other movies. There's nothing about them which grounds what happens in the particular movie you are watching, but I digress.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScHxUopDlKc

(I like Kirk and all, but does anyone else want to see Spock pound on him? You know he was tempted sometimes in the original series.)

If despite all this, you are not interested I understand, and you must forgive me for getting so excited and antsy about a mere movie, but have no fear I'm not a marketing assistant in secret, just a sometimes geek shivering with anticipation.

*Warning. For me Star Trek is the Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and most of the related movies. I never got into the other shows. No offence meant to fans of these series.

These were the people in my neighbourhood

2009-04-02T18:52:00.001-07:00

Recently while scouring YouTube, I was inspired to look up an old classic television show called Electric Company. If you've never seen this show I pity you. Electric Company was an educational children's programme from the 70s which was well known for its fun, funky and inspired children's programme. They won Emmys, broke records and overall overshadowed the world of children's programming. For me, one of the main indications of its quality is that it was created by the good people of Sesame Workshop (formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW). Never heard of them you say? I guarantee you though that most of you are familiar with their work, and perhaps like me, you feel that you owe them a debt for shaping your childhood...at least if you don't, you should.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Television_Workshop

A glance at this Wikipedia article should enlighten you on the work of CTW. They created the masterpiece of children's programming known as Sesame Street. Folks from Trinidad may also have seen their 3-2-1 Contact and Square One. As far as I recall, Electric Company was never shown here which was very unfortunate. It was one of the most fun educational shows I've ever seen. At an educational level above Sesame Street, it taught more about the fundamentals of reading like adverbs, punctuation and tenses. Who would notice though while mesmerized by the songs, the cartoons, the witty sketches... Like Sesame Street, the show drew an impressive roster of multi-ethnic talent like Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, and a pre-superstar Morgan Freeman as a funky bibliophile aptly called "The Easy Reader". He had several of the same traits of Electric Company : cool, innovative, fun though not particularly well known.

Electric Company did not have the enduring popularity of Street which celebrated its 39^th anniversary recently. In Trinidad especially, it seems to have transcended limits in its fan group. EVERYONE likes Sesame Street. Sing a few songs, mention a sketch or two (Remember the time Ernie couldn't sleep and started singing about it with his sheep backup dancers) and you'll get joyous responses which would probably devolve into a long, endless reminiscing session. I repeat EVERYONE loves Sesame Street. What's not to like? The songs were wonderfully done, and some of the older ones were just beautiful. The characters were vivid, adorable and sometimes unexpected. I love Grover's advanced vocabulary in his silliness (I once heard him say "cornucopia"). Ernie's is cute, but he's also a fun conman that you just have to love, since there's no malice in him and he has an infectious laugh. Bert's coolness is apparent in his commitment to just being himself. He doesn't really care what anyone thinks and enjoys his oatmeal, his boring stories, the number 6 and Mr. Rogers. In its early days the show was sometimes scary which was excellent. I firmly believe that some of the greatest work done for children needs to have some scariness in it. I think I miss that most of all: the days when The Count was almost vampiric, when martians could come right through the walls and pigs could crash your birthday party. (You're a true fan if you can get all these references.) It could be poignant too. Sometimes something was sad, and you just didn't know why, just that something pulled at you deep inside. A few times it was more evident. Many people remember the episode when Mr. Hooper passed away. Big Bird's grief was very real, and his trouble touched the hearts of all of us. It helped to see that he was surrounded by the familiar, mixed family we've come to expect on the Street. Who wouldn't want to live in a place where everyone was a friend, everyone was family. You could turn to anyone and be safe.

Goodbye Mr. Hooper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZTvDZHRFrU

Creepy Count

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JcCFC23NpU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te70C_4getQ

I haven't watched a new episode of SS for years. Old fans are fond of talking about how the show isn't the way it used to, that it's just full of Elmo and other nonsense. I don't know how much of this is objective critique and how much is nostalgia. Elmo's no Cookie Monster, but if he is the new favourite of the present generation, they have to come first. For me, I'm just glad to know that SS still on the map, hopefully still cleverly educating dozens of little ones and hopefully still appealing to their parents at some level. The thought gives me great comfort. It's just nice to know that no matter how far away from home we go, we can still find our way back to Sesame Street.

More examples of the genius of Sesame Street

It taught you about being proud of yourself. It could also be poignant and beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ5T4fH6lC4

It was often very funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCwEAnNWZHk

The music was just so darn catchy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCF9jT1v2ec

Oh the Places He Took Us!

2009-03-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to being my post in honour of Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2) with some witty remarks in verse, but I found that nothing sufficiently droll and “Seuss-ian” came to mind. This of course reminded me, how the great Theodore Geisel AKA Dr. Seuss would have probably been able to produce something fun, clever and delightful in no time flat (or maybe longer, after all these things can take time even for genii).

After all, the good doctor produced some of the best children’s books ever. Books which can appeal to adults too (even to some of you lifelong adults if you stop looking down your noses at anything which is ostensibly targeted to people over twenty). Like all good children’s books, Dr. Seuss’ works transcend the boundaries of the genre, and like most true classics, they are engrained in our psyches.

Even if you haven’t heard of Dr. Seuss, surely the phrase “the Cat in the Hat” sounds familiar to you. And even if you’ve never seen green eggs and ham, you know they exist somewhere. And if someone says you’re a Grinch at Christmas, you might give them the stink eye because you know that’s not a nice thing to be. This is because Seuss’ over sixty children’s books, which feature these and many other unforgettable images, are all a permanent part of the literary landscape.

For me, his work captured my interest from an early age because it was just crazy fun. I liked reading The Cat in the Hat to my sister because it was the story of a six foot cat causing mayhem in two children’s lives. I like his Green Eggs and Ham because it features determined little salesman Sam-I-Am who is striving to get his finicky friend to eat his oddly coloured breakfast food.

Seuss’ use of words is lovely and fun too. I liked reading the books because they were fun to say out loud. A fun but creepy character called the Glunk was “greenish, not too cleanish and he sort of had bad breath”. At one point in the How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch “got an idea! An awful idea! The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!” So fun.

Of course, Seuss would not be Seuss without the doctor’s trademark illustrations. The scratchy drawings, the lopsided trees and buildings; the interesting but sometimes faintly menacing villains; the really weird names and objects (e.g. Whos; The Lorax and some place called Solla Sollew.) Dr. Seuss' narrative is nothing without his drawings.

The really amazing thing is that even while getting carried away with Seuss’ stories, the lessons to be learned from them were apparent and invariably cleverly done. There were simple lessons like trying something before you decide you don’t like it (Green Eggs and Ham) and bigger lessons like the importance of life “no matter how small” (Horton Hears A Who) and the meaning of Christmas (how else did the Grinch’s heart grow three sizes that day?) With stories so deceptively simple and so simply told, it is amazing how affecting they can be. I am yet to read The Butter Battle Book

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butter_Battle_Book

but the TV adaptation (a faithful one, according to Dr. Seuss) depicts two warring nations of creatures each bent on defeating the other side by creating bigger and bigger weapons. In the end, there is a stalemate as each group debates whether to drop their identical bombs and wipe out everyone. Anti- war propaganda some said; the basic ingredients of war I say: what it all comes down to in the end - all in a book supposedly for kids.

Not every Dr. Seuss adaptation is as well done (shudder with me as I point toward the movies for The Grinch and the Cat in the Hat), but I’ve heard good things about last year’s Horton Hears a Who which I will eventually see. Special mention must be made of animated short of How the Grinch Stole Christmas – the ultimate Christmas classic. Directed and produced by uber genius Chuck Jones, this is quality stuff, and definitely complements and enhances the book with narration and voices by Boris Karloff and the famous “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch” song. I can’t be the only one who has to watch this at least once during the Christmas season, and the animation when the Grinch gets his awful idea is pure wicked delight. Again Dr. Seuss has woven a golden thread into my childhood quilt of memories. Thank you sir!

The good doctor was eighty-seven when he died in 1991, and I think he went way too soon. Like any good poet, he wove pictures with words and produced an unforgettable weird, crazy mix which charmed and delighted and was never overly cutesy. I think his contribution to literacy is invaluable. I think his themes were timeless. I think his "wordsmithery" was genius, and he deserves his place in the hall of great poets in my opinion whether it be Keats, Wordsworth, Milton and the like.

Find out more about some of the books I mentioned

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas

The Cat in the Hat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_in_the_Hat

The Butter Battle Book
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butter_Battle_Book

Green Eggs and Ham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham

Horton Hears A Who
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!

A Sister with Soul

2009-01-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

If you have not heard of Annie Lennox, well that’s...just....sad. I think most people have seen her or heard of her from her days in Eurythmics and I bet you all the money you have in your pocket that you’ve listened enchanted to her voice and wondered who was singing. Perhaps this song might jog your memory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhG8zC4npsE&feature=channel

If you’re intrigued and want to know more, read on.....In brief, Annie Lennox is a Scottish-born singer, who went from lead singer of the Eurythmics to successful, Grammy winner singer/songwriter cum diva. If you want to know more about her bio this Wikipedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Le#Discography

My opinions on Lennox can be summed up quite simply that music-wise, she’s like a musical goddess on earth. (Now I think about it, she could easily play a goddess in a movie. She has the regal, other wordly look down). Anyway for one thing, she can sing. Describing her strong, smoke and honey voice is beyond me, Rolling Stones named her as one of the greatest singers of all time, and I think Rob Thomas (another genius) describes her best:

“Anybody my age turning on MTV and seeing Annie Lennox sing 'Sweet Dreams' —
that was enough right there," says Rob Thomas. "There was something so soulful
in the way she sang songs like 'Walking on Broken Glass.' " Lennox combines a
childhood love of Motown with an operatically powerful voice — crystalline in
tone, yet sultry. She introduced R&B to New Wave with Eurythmics, and in her
solo career, she invented a sort of New Age soul, based around shimmering
synths, horn blasts and, most important, layer upon layer of that voice. "Annie
is amazingly versatile," says Thomas. "She can sound like a beautiful angel — or
she can make it sound like she's gargling glass. A great singer is somebody who
makes you believe what they're saying, and you always believe Annie."

When I listen to Annie Lennox sing, her voice takes you places. When she sings the first line of “Why”, you fly with the notes. She delivers her lines in ways which make the hair on my head stand on end. One thing that disturbs me about some of the popular singers of today is that they don’t sing very well. Again I’m not the best judge, but I know what I like, and some of the “singers” around right now are uninspired, uninteresting and occasionally just plain irritating. (Yes Rhianna, I’m talking to you) Truth to tell, some of them are okay performers (though I don’t think that justifies their popularity), but Annie portrays emotion amazingly. It is mesmerizing to watch her. I defy anyone to watch her video for “Love Song to a Vampire” (high on my list of my favourite songs ever) and not get the appropriate chills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhG8zC4npsE&feature=channel

People talk about Madonna being able to give a good performance. I think Annie’s up there with her.

Her music, her style, her expressions invoke deep emotion, shadowy corners, painful beauty, the supernatural and mystery. Just listen to her Diva album and you'll see what I mean.

On top of all that, reading her article on Wikipedia taught me something new, as I only just

discovered that’s she’s written a lot of songs. I’m just a big fan of chicks who write and perform their own stuff, (yes, I adore you too Sarah McLachlan). It suggests versatility, intelligence and that when she sings, she knows what she's singing about.

If there’s any songstress out there who deserves all the accolades she’s received and who deserves quite a few more, it’s Annie Lennox. She embodies musical genius, class and depth in all of her work. I ask only that she keeps singing from her soul.

Happy Holidays everyone!

2008-12-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

Charles Schultz = pure genius. A Charlie Brown Christmas is such a simple story yet its captivating, intelligent and poignant. Another truly great mind which is gone forever. Who doesn't love Linus' description of what Christmas is all about? Charlie Brown is great, but such a sad (sometimes depressing) character, Linus is optimistic, secure in his beliefs and a true philosopher - the perfect friend for poor Charlie Brown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Just want to take a moment to wish happy and peaceful holidays to everyone. Hope the new year brings great things for each of us and eventually the world.....

Jane Austen Greetings

2008-12-17T22:01:00.000-08:00

My dear Ms. Austen,

Please permit me to wish you a most happy belated birthday. You may be surprised to receive such a message from me - a person who you never saw in your life, but if you had even an inkling of the number of people who have been inspired, delighted, altered by the your work, you might understand a bit more.

Allow me to express how ardently I admire your work Ms. Austen. From the moment I apprehensively picked up your Pride and Prejudice and realized that the first chapter was amusing, clear and devoid of heavy, incomprehensible description, I was devoted to your compositions. From the moment, I sat down to watch the television series based upon your novel and realized how beautifully your words could be brought to the screen, I was committed. (You would have found television interesting I think. There is as much to amuse as to annoy on it. I think you would have found a great deal to marvel and laugh at.) I must thank you Ms. Austen for enriching my life with your novels.

Thank you for your heroines - for delightful people like Elizabeth Bennet, Catherine Morland and even opinionated Emma Woodhouse. Young women who I wish to emulate. They are flawed yet principled. Intelligent, but with a lot to learn. Some of them are witty. All are wonderful in their own ways. I can hope that someday I can learn to be more like them.

Thank you for your heroes – true they have spoiled me for having real life relationships with the boring men of the world, but ah well - I would not pass up making the acquaintance of your Mr. Darcy and Mr. Tilney and many of your other gents for the world. Your gentlemen are kind and wonderful. They show us what true nobility is. Mr. Tilney particularly is witty and adorable in every sense of the world. I envy your creation of him as I envy so many other aspects of your work.

Your ability to construct concise, loaded, truly hilarious sentences strikes me every time. If ever I can learn to express myself as you do, I would believe that I had reached the epitome of writing ability. You may think I exaggerate to flatter, but I do not. I speak the absolute truth.
I do not wish to weary you with a lengthy Mr. Collins-style epistle (you characterized him and your many other bores excellently by the way. I fear that you suffered the company of many such types in your short life). I will conclude directly. I cannot end though without saying that I love your villains. They are real. John Thorpe is so vivid in my imagination. Also many of the movies your novels have inspired are fantastic, and I have spent considerable hours enjoying them. It is because of you that I have been introduced to the amazing skills of the likes of Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, J.J. Feilds and many others. Perhaps you have a suspicion now of the pleasures you introduced into my existence. I can honestly say my life is better because you lived on this earth for forty-two short years.

Perhaps, you a white, British woman did not realized that one day your “bits of ivory” would touch the heart and mind of a young, black West Indian woman, but that is the beauty of writing isn’t it? We reach through the pages we write to touch other human beings; we cannot know how far the vibrations will go. Yours go very far indeed, and I hope you are aware of this in some way.

Happy 233rd birthday.

Yours respectfully etc.

Read more about this remarkable woman here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_austen

Can Pushing Daisies be revived?

2008-12-14T21:19:00.001-08:00

While browsing on my favourite discussion boards, I discovered that the ABC's Pushing Daisies has been cancelled. Can we say "tragic"! The show is in its second season, and is a whimsical concoction which I find hard to describe. It is a comedy, but it's also a mystery. It's an hour long and definitely has drama, but it's a fantasy too with magic.

Read more about this wonderful show here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushing_daisies

Whatever it is, I love all the elements of this show, and no cancellation has hurt this much since Cupid.*

Since it still hurts a lot, I can't talk too much about this. Besides I don't think I can say anything much about this show which has not been said already.

Briefly for those of you not in the know: Pushing Daisies is a show about a sad eyed young man named Ned who has trouble expressing his feelings, and finds some happiness in owning and running a pie shop called the Pie Hole (yup! Don't ya love it!)Ned is lonely and sweet and adorable, and he also has the strange power of bringing people to life by touching them. (Stay with me.) Ned can only bring the person to life for one minute; he has to touch them again and let them die or someone living in the vicinity will drop dead. This brings numerous complications to Ned's life. One of which is the love of his life the lovely and sweet Chuck who Ned resuscitated but whom he cannot bring himself to let die. So, (get this) he can't touch her! Ever! Or Chuck will die. (How can anyone not like this show?)

Despite the angst that his "ability" brings to his life, Ned has also found a way to profit by it. When not working at the Pie Hole, he helps a detective named Emerson Cod to solve murders by simply bringing the deformed (really weirdly) corpses to life and asking them about how they died. Many episodes revolve around Ned, Emerson, Chuck and fun Pie Hole staff member Olive solving murder mysteries. Usually I don't like shows like this, so this demonstrates how well Pushing Daisies captured my heart, because I even love the mysteries. They are just tres bizarre e.g. the bigamist who realized the cup of coffee one of his wives gave him is poisoned, but then dies anyway by slipping on the spilled coffee and stabbing himself to death on a strategically placed letter opener.

As you can tell, this show captured my sense of whimsy. In a TV universe of doctor/lawyer/cop/reality shows, Pushing Daisies was a breath of fresh air. One look at any scene just makes me smile. The sets, the clothes and the scenery are resplendent with vibrant colour. Magic works in this type of environment. Any place that looks like that must have magic seeping in at the seams. The costumes fit the fanciful atmosphere. The dialogue is rapid and quotable. (Like the time Ned, Chuck and Emerson are trying to find their way through a sewer and Chuck suggests that they "follow the yellow thick hose".) The romance between Chuck and Ned is lovely. They adore each other. Just look at them kissing through saran wrap. (They can't touch remember) Awwwww.

Anyway as this post is painful as well as doting I must end it. Instead of giving a show which epitomizes imagination and creativity the arena it deserves, ABC chose to scrap it because of its ratings. I do not care how poorly they imagined this show was doing. It will be a wonderful world if networks ever start putting their support behind good shows and giving them the extra attention they need instead of going for the money all the time. Yes, I know money makes the world go round (blah! blah! blah!) but I am confident this show could have continued to build an audience (and believe me there are many, many other dedicated fans out there), if it was given the opportunity.

For those of you who did not have the chance to get to know this show I am sorry. There are still some episodes left and Season One has been released on DVDs, so I recommend you give it a try. For those who are fans and are pained about this as I am, do not forget to let this network know how you feel. http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html?lid=ABCCOMGlobalFooter&lpos=CONTACT
Do it, even if it's too late. This show deserves as much.

*Very few people know this 1998 show, but it was also excellent and unusual and cancelled. I still mourn for it. Ironically this show was also on ABC. Great job guys.....Read about Cupid here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupid_(1998_TV_series)

Twilight Reflections

2008-11-24T13:51:00.001-08:00

[WARNING: This review of Stephanie Myer's Twilight contains SPOILERS. I personally don't think that these spoilers can spoil your enjoyment of the book or movie, but if you're averse to all SPOILERS of any kind. BEWARE]

I've only read Stephanie Myer's Twilight in the past week, but I've been hearing about the book for a long time. And if you haven't heard, the movie will be coming out soon. People on my message boards have been waiting in eager anticipation. I have friends who are fans or have become reluctant fans. Entertainment Weekly did a cover story on it. Stephanie Myers is the hot author of the moment. Can you blame me for being a little wary of all this hype? I rarely touch the novels on the bestsellers lists, partly because they are usual suspense thrillers and mysteries which are not my cup of tea, but also because I find that I am not always in sync with the rest of the world when it comes to my reading material. However I can't resist this type of book. A supernatural young adult novel? Count me in. So I started reading Twilight in the bookstore then, getting impatient, I bought the book which everyone is talking about. My verdict is: it's not bad.

(Read more about the Twilight Series on Wikipedia – Watch out for spoilers! Won't hold myself responsible for anything you find on other websites.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_(series)

Sorry. No, I have not joined the ranks of the Twilight obsessed. However, I also cannot have the snobby satisfaction of disliking the book which is adored by the rank and file. Twilight has good things going for it, but it just hasn't touched me at that uber level so many have experienced.

Most people may know by now that the story revolves around seventeen year old Bella who reluctantly moves to live with her father. She is not at all happy with the move to the cold, snowy, gloomy town of Forks in Washington. But almost at once she notices and is drawn to a stunningly handsome fellow student, Edward Cullen and finds that she is drawn to him. Some dramatic events are entwined in the plot as they get to know each other, but these events are not the main focus of the story. This works to an extent for this book: it is after all a romance. The characters need time to see each other and experience the various feelings associated with love. The author also needs to take the time to develop the vampires in this universe she has created. The suspenseful turn the story takes later on is interesting, but is resolved fairly quickly. The very dramatic point in the plot is not even shown directly – an interesting move which I am not convinced works that well.

So the main draw of Twilight is its characters specifically Bella and Edward. Bella is typical, or she describes herself as typical. In her words, she is average looking, but evidence speaks otherwise as several boys from her school fall for her almost immediately. Bella speculates that this is because she is the new kid in school, but this theory doesn't quite gel with me. As far as personality goes, Bella doesn't exactly dazzle. She's definitely not a butt kicking, super fierce heroine. (Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with these types of heroines per se, but they are getting cliched and overdone.) She is timid, klutzy (this is a bit overdone) and aloof from her classmates. While, I am glad she does not belong in the super heroine mould, she did not generate strong feeling in me. She seems to care little about anyone else around her except Edward, and somehow I could not care about her as much as I would have liked.

This brings us to Edward: the object of fan girl obsessions; the imaginary boyfriend of thousands; the vampire du jour. There's no doubt about Edward's looks. He is gorgeous. Bella is deeply attracted to him, so much so it becomes a little tedious as almost every mention of him has to include a mention of angelic, Adonis-like looks. He also has an attractive voice; he plays and writes his own music. He's strong as an ox, and astonishingly fast. He doesn't need to sleep, and he can appear and disappear silently. Even his breath smells like heaven. As one character notes, these vampires have a "glut of weapons" in their physical arsenal "much, much more than really necessary."

Myers is to be commended though because despite all this, Edward is not insufferable. I can see why some readers have fallen in love with him. He is sensual. When he falls in love, he is devoted; he is passionate. He is fascinated. His whole attention is riveted. I love that aspect of his personality, but I am not blown away by him. I don't blame Mrs. Myers. She did the best she could. My problem is I've been spoiled: I've known better heroes. I'm familiar with the likes of Edward Rochester*, Sorensen Carlisle**, the evil Wizard Howl***. Edward is definitely a 10 in the book, but in my mind he's a 6. Not bad at all. As I said, I can see why so many love him, and I cannot safely say that he doesn't deserve the devotion.

Overall I'm glad I read it. Myers is quite a good writer. Her narrative flows and is not grating or annoying. As usual I am a little saddened that some writers who are better do not receive as much recognition, but I am always glad when so many people are interested in a series of books. It's a little like Harry Potter fever: you have a much better chance of finding someone who has read the same books and who are willing to discuss them, and I love book discussions. So in that sense, I am glad to be a part of another book phenomenon.

*Hero of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Wonderful, deeply emotional book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Eyre

**Hero of Margaret Mahy's The Changeover: A supernatural romance. My favourite book by my favourite author with my favourite hero. Watch out for my future Margaret Mahy write-up.

http://www.amazon.com/Changeover-Supernatural-Romance-Margaret-Mahy/dp/0140365990/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1227563086&sr=8-1

***Hero of Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle. This character just suddenly popped into my head. He's not usually on my list of favourite heroes, but he's a very good one and fits the mould I'm describing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl

(Make sure and leave a comment about my review, this book or the movie, even if you don't agree with me. As I said, I love civilized discussions.)

The Demi Gods of Summer

2008-08-07T19:01:00.001-07:00

Once the credits roll at the end of Clone Wars in a few weeks, my "summer" movie fest will have ended, and I will undoubtedly experience a moment of emptiness before I turn my face eagerly toward the fall movies. Daniel Craig's eyes in Quantum of Solace will definitely be a light after a short period of movie darkness.

However, before I turn away from the summer of 2008 forever I must do homage to the Demi gods of Summer. What are they you ask? Didn't you read my debut blog post? These are just the kind of people I've been raving about from the get go. My Demi gods of Summer are the people who produced, designed, wrote, directed etc any elements of the movies in the past few months that made me sigh in contentment, gasp in delight or even made my eyes go wet (I'm talking to you Wall-E!!!)

Don't know much about box office or diminishing theatre goer statistics or rising cinema prices, as usual I know what I like, so bring 'em on!

Robert Downey Jr. /The makers of Iron Man

Kudos to RDJ for coming back from a devastating period of drug addiction and jumping straight into the hearts of the viewing public. Everyone's glad he's doing so well, and they want him to keep it up. How does he do it? With acting ability I guess. He wowed everyone with Iron Man earlier this year and accomplished an even more amazing feat by making me fall for him - not head over heels, but through a gradual process which makes me think it's for keeps. He was funny; he was endearing. He was compelling. He also had great arms! Tell me you didn't notice in the iron pounding scene? He also worked well with the other characters including Gwyneth Paltrow as his secretary, the excellent Pepper Potts. His other co-stars were also excellent down to the robots – special props go to "robot with fire extinguisher" – excellent performance.

The whole of the movie was a treat because of RDJ and because of the story. It had heart, and it was mad fun as well.

Special mention must also go to the people who designed Tony Stark's home. Wow! I will gladly add it to my list of "Stuff From Movies I Want". (This list also includes a lightsaber, Arwen's necklace from Lord of the rings, various outfits from Jane Austen movies..... but more on that another time.)

The People at Pixar (Call me! I want to work for you!!!)

To all those who thought that Pixar could not do it again, I send a long, loud, sustained I TOLD YOU SO!!! I mean their track record is excellent. Take a look at Monster's Inc, Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles and get back to me. If you did not think these movies were poignant, ground breaking, breathtaking and all out fun, I wash my hands of you, I give up, there's no hope.

Anyway you must know by now I'm talking about Wall-E. (His name by the way stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class.) Only Pixar could take a little robot with a body like one of those rusty, metal lunchboxes we used to have and a head like a pair of binoculars, and make a hero – "a little robot that could" so to speak. Just the type I like. I mean macho posturing is okay in its place, but characters that humbly but determinedly keep trying and trying and getting up whenever they're knocked down touch my heart, and Wall-E does that in spades.

His lack of speech makes him all the more endearing. He doesn't need to say more than the couple of words he knows and squeak his prerequisite sound effects; the work done on his body language was exemplary.

Again design is a big plus in this movie. I mean a robot that looks like Wall-E could conceivably exist in real life to clean up the streets (I know Port-of-Spain could use a few). The design of his counterpart EVE is beautiful; the sort of manmade design that leaves you in awe. Sleek, flawless, coldly deadly, she is the opposite of Wall-E. The perfect woman I say! But she has a "human" side too, and she reveals her heart and warmth as the story progresses. I loved her.

Some people have suggested that Wall-E, with its post-apocalyptic setting, is one of the darker Pixar movies, but the strength and hope are key elements in the story. The moment when several of the characters work together to help Wall-E made my eyes water (strong reaction for me). Wall-E himself doesn't give up – perhaps partly because he's a robot with a single minded purpose, but mostly because he is pure of heart, undaunted and determined – a true little hero on treads.

Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight Crew

Everyone's seen The Dark Knight by now right? You've heard everything there is to know about it – it's dark; it's surprising; it has great acting, great story.

I attribute all that to the movie's director Christopher Nolan. Of course, we've seen credits at the end of a movie, a colossal amount of people are usually involved in steering the behemoth that is a feature film into harbour, but I usually like to give credit to the director.

So altogether: "All Hail Christopher Nolan!"

The guy did good work, and I appreciate a filmmaker who does good work fairly consistently. Nolan hasn't done much, but what he's done is quality stuff. It shows in his Batman movies which have good stories and good characterization.

The Dark Knight is an excellent example of this. Everyone is talking about Heath Ledger's work here, and he is very good. For one thing, if I did not know it was Heath Ledger, I probably would not recognize him under the crazy, wet clown makeup and with the slightly nasal voice and odd mannerisms. Christian Bale is a treat as usual. (I liked him in Little Women, Henry V and Newsies – ya gotta love Newsies). And I enjoyed the supporting characters like Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

I like how ordinary characters get to be heroes in this movie as well; Batman doesn't do all the work. (This element was also pretty apparent in Spiderman II) In addition, there's Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, everyone's prince (or white knight), a sweet, brave, guy who you know you might really support and who you would grieve to lose. Alfred and Lucius are key players too; Batman couldn't do without them. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon is one of my favourites; he looks like a worn, hard working police officer, an ordinary man, and he performs his acts of heroism with ease, a sense of duty and a straightforward manner, no flair. He does what he has to do.

It's good to keep these characters in mind when so many others are criminals or are infected by the corruption which depressed me a little in this film (some of it struck a little too close to home). I attribute all this dark, enthralling goodness to Christopher Nolan. Very good job sir, I salute you.

I must make a quick mention of the entire staff who produced this movie's soundtrack. According to IMDB, that job goes to Hans Zimmer, so I congratulate him and his entire staff for making the decisions (I assume) of having large chunks of the movie without sound. At other times, an eerie whistle/alarm/siren sound accentuates the tension. It definitely amped my anxiety up a notch. I'm sure other movies have done this similiarly, but this is the first time it resonated with me so strongly.

Special mention again to whoever designed the bat bike. Add that to the list please: It actually looked like something you could ride on. I would add Bruce Wayne's gorgeous apartment as well, but all I saw was the bedroom with the massive bed, the cool, sleek interior design with the screens as accents and the lovely massive windows with the vista of Gotham city for real life wallpaper. We didn't see much else of the apartment though, no kitchen, no bathrooms, but wait there was his awesome balcony and a place to have a really lush and elegant party... oh and a secret tunnel – almost forgot that....heck it's going on the list.

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg

Indiana Jones was back with a vengeance this year, and I felt about him the way I felt about George and Steven: it's always good to see that they're still out there. I admit I wasn't always a Spielberg fan. For years I had a mental block against him. His movies were imaginative but always had elements I couldn't stomach, but eventually my block was dislodged by Spielberg's diversity. His movies cover a very wide spectrum of ideas and subjects- dinosaurs, the Holocaust, slavery, Peter Pan - and I don't know any other director off-hand who can do the same. It seems to me that he does whatever grabs him at a given moment; perhaps he's one of the few film makers who have that luxury, but you still have to give him props for doing it. He's still not my favourite director, but I no longer feel inclined to view his work with a jaundiced eye.

One of the reasons I started liking him better is because he works with George Lucas. I mean he's smart enough to see that Lucas is a complete genius. You might as well know that George Lucas can do very little wrong in my eyes. Yes, I know he makes mistakes, and his latter day Star Wars movies have inconsistencies and problems. I know he directed Howard the Duck, and all that, but I still look at him and think, "I can't stay mad at you!" One reason for this is that he is so deeply invested in the fantasy he has created. Like any good author, his story has background and depth to fortify what narrative is being presented to the audience. Another reason is that his ideas resonate with me more than Spielberg's. I get the impression that in some ways we think alike, that we can be awed or moved by the same things. This is the type of kindred spirit connection I've talked about before. You can read a good story or watch a good movie and think it's really good, but on a personal level it can connect with you and make it something more. The Star Wars trilogy did that for me, and it's the reason I am still invested in the mythology of it even though some elements of it have disappointed me.

Anyway the fact that George and Steven produced another riveting and exciting Indiana Jones movie made me feel happy and pleased to know they're still both out there dreaming their crazy dreams. This was not my favourite Indiana Jones movie, but it was a very good one. Some elements of it seemed to be more unbelievable than usual, and I am conflicted about that. Is it that when I was younger, I was more likely to accept the impossible things I saw in the previous films or was this truly the most unbelievable Indiana Jones films ever? I suppose taking a look at the older ones again will solve my dilemma, but it won't affect how I feel about the movie much. I mean the unbelieveable things were still cool. Only Indiana Jones could use a fridge to the effect that he did in that movie. No more details here though. Go see it yourself.

Honourable Mentions

I've already said my piece about The Hulk (see below), so I'll only say a word about the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I thought while I was re-reading Caspian that the plot was very spare, and I suspect that the director would have a lot of room to play with the story. That's basically what happened. Don't think the choices were always perfect or totally original, but I enjoyed them regardless. It was great seeing the children again. I think they all did wonderful jobs. As High King Peter, William Moseley still shines for me. He's going to be a real heartthrob when he grows up, and he has a kingly look. I enjoyed the way the duel he fought at the end played out, and I like the way he and Caspian kept clashing with each other, even though it was not what happened in the book. I liked Prince Caspian's character despite the odd accent. I also enjoyed the battle scenes which were very well done. Some fans have had issues with the castle attack scene, but I think it had a definite purpose to the story and the way Peter's character was developed in this narrative arc. And of course, it gave some great opportunities for some wonderful stunts. All the children performed their fight scenes wonderfully. And... oh yes, I want a talking mouse exactly like Reepicheep. No I'll take the little bad boy himself if he'll let me.

My last word is on Hellboy II: the Golden Army. Not a perfect movie, but an interesting one. For some reason I'm not a fan of Hellboy himself – too much of the big dumb smart mouth, but interestingly I cannot dislike him. I find I tend to prefer the other characters around him. It was the characters and the design which captured me in this movie. Forget the storyline, what about the amazing animated telling of a legend at the beginning of the story? What about the motley crew of creatures going about their business in a place intriguingly named "The Troll Market"? (I wanna go there.) What about the villainous fairy tale/nightmare creatures that popped up regularly throughout the story? The whole movie was living proof of the endless imagination in the mind of director Guillermo del Toro. While watching, I felt a spasm of delight as I remembered that the upcoming Hobbit movie will be in his hands. Hopefully he will take the story and make it his own and not a copy of the vision of Peter Jackson.

Anyway that's my parade of the demi gods of Summer. They've all done such a wonderful job. I hope that this is a definite trend for summers to come. Feel free to comment or disagree folks or invoke the names of the gods you think I missed. Talk amongst yourselves.

My Date With The Not-So-Jolly Green Giant

2008-07-14T17:31:00.001-07:00

How can you not love eyes like this?

This summer*has truly been the Summer of Superheroes in my mind. We started off with Iron Man. Now Hellboy and Batman are on their way. I might even consider arguing putting Indiana Jones in that category – no ordinary human being could do such amazing things. I am pretty much excited about them all. Even though I am not a fan of Hellboy, the visuals in the trailer are starting to convince me. However I'll talk about my latest super hero experience this season: The Incredible Hulk.

Before I go any further I have to warn you that when it comes to the Hulk I'm prejudiced. He is definitely an awesome superhero though sometimes I question that term because he's not really the kind who's out to save the world. He's just a big, unstoppable force who's basically always on the wrong side of the U.S. military. Perhaps it's this unusual slant that makes him interesting. Or maybe it's poor mild mannered Bruce Banner who's plagued by this monster inside of him that could break out at anytime. In that, he's not too different from the rest of us. We all have to keep a check on our emotions, and a lot of us have to fight to keep our tempers down before we get out of control. In poor Bruce's case, the results just happen to be more far reaching, with bigger explosions, holes in walls etc. In short, the Hulk is a manifestation of the conflicting personalities in all of us, and I think I can relate to that. Maybe that's why I like him.

However I must say what kicks Hulk up a notch on my coolness meter is the transformations. I think the old tv series started it off well. Remember when some witless thugs would push Banner aside, and he would conveniently fall behind a counter or something. While the thugs go about their business, Banner's eyes would take on that eerie green glow, and then you start singing (or at least I do), "Now you're gonna get iiiiiiiiiiit." That's what a Hulk movie has to have: a "Now you're gonna get it" moment.

The old tv series did a good job building up the tension in these scenes, and I remember waiting eagerly for this moment in every episode. When the first movie came out I was ready to see the Hulk in another incarnation, to see another type of transformation. I mean Lou Ferigno and Bill Bixby did their jobs well, but if there is any hero who needs a little special effects work, it would be the Hulk. While Lou Ferigno is an intimidating looking guy, I wanted to see what a man mountain of a hulk looked like. It's impossible for an ordinary man –no matter how buff- to become this big green Frankenstein. (On a side note, what exactly happens when Banner changes? How can his body create that much muscle mass out of nothing so quickly? Perhaps it's some sort of quickly dividing cells? That might hurt. And where do they go when he changes back? Hmmmmm.)

I've heard a lot about what people thought about Ang Lee's Hulk movie a few years back. I've heard the complaints and the fuss, that it was too thoughtful (how is that possible?), that it took too long for the Hulk to appear, (uh, they were trying to build the story), that it was confusing (a little but not that much) and that it was boring (nope) – in short, I don't agree. It wasn't the greatest movie ever, but there was some good work put in there. I respect Ang Lee as a director – his body of work alone is so varied, you've got to be a leetle awed by that. I love how he tried a different format, tried to make a story which was about the man as much as the monster. Besides that, I cannot believe any movie that features sweet faced Eric Bana and one of my favourite actresses Jennifer Connelly could be all bad. This movie also generated one of the best trailers I have ever seen. No lie, I actually watched it over and over in fascination. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcEugeaHQ80

Anyway, what did I think of the new movie? Didn't I already say I was prejudiced? It would be hard for me not to enjoy a Hulk movie, but this one had a lot to like. Instead of Eric Bana, this one has Edward Norton who does a good job here as he does in every movie. You ask Edward Norton to play a mild mannered man struggling to come to terms with a terrible curse, and he does it right. Of course, no matter how bad you feel for Banner, you're still waiting for him to bring down hell on himself again, so the Hulk can make an appearance. The requisite slugfests which follow are great, and at one point, I witnessed one of the most intense hand to hand fights I've ever seen in a movie. Besides that, this movie doesn't forge any new frontiers, but I had lots of fun, and that will do for now. To summarize, I'll post the review I posted on Facebook i.e.

Hulk run round. Hulk smash up stuff. Good fun.

So there you have it, so far my Summer of Superheroes is going fantastically. What with discovering Robert Downey Jr for the first time (yup never really knew anything about him before. Iron Man made me a convert) and seeing Indiana Jones in action again, things are going well. Next stop The Dark Knight and the most unkempt Joker I have ever seen

* Yes I use the term "summer" even though I live in the West Indies. These are North American movies so I feel justified

Adventures in Lit Class

2008-07-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

Let me know if this is weird to anyone out there, but quite often when my friends and I from St. Joseph's Convent Port-of-Spain meet up, our reminiscing about our adventures in school often meander around to the books we read then. I wonder if anyone else does this? I can explain why we do it. It's probably because we spent so much time poring over these books, discussing them, sometimes hating them (and man did we hate some of them) that they are forever interwoven into our memories of crazy teachers, mind numbing tests, the lame (or adorable) boys across the street and that time a pervert took up a vantage point across the street (remember that guys).

During my own reflections I have found that I am overall rather pleased with the books that came my way during my seven years of exposure to school literature. The selections were supposed to expose us to a variety of classical books which touched on different cultures, and they didn't do too badly. Now a days I can smugly say I've actually read Chinua Achebe and Derek Walcott and Tennessee Williams. Even though, the aftermath of some of our literature lectures resembled a battlefield with fallen convent girls sprawled on their desks (not dead but sleeping the sleep of the dead), I still vividly remember some of the insights expressed by our teachers, and the ideas which dawned on me. I loved good class discussions on good books – when everyone had something to say and the reflections and ideas zipped back and forth. Those were joyous times for me.

And we read some good books, especially as we came to the last years of school. I was introduced to Jane Austen in SJC. Saw my first Shakespeare film then too and it's still one of my all time favourites. Perhaps I might never have picked up these books if they had not been introduced to me. Even the books some of us disliked gave me new perspectives and opportunities. I don't like Hardy's "Tess of the Durbervilles" but I love his "Far From the Madding Crowd". I am not a huge fan of Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" but I still was inspired by her "flow of consciousness" narrative. I do not think it's possible to read what is considered good literature without getting something out of it. I learned how to define true love as we examined Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities". I got a better appreciation of poetry from Wordsworth's lyrical ballads and I learned to love many works which are still a part of me today. I was surprised to find that my university education didn't have the same effect on me. I suppose my SJC exposure will remain as one of my greatest inspirations.

So in appreciation for these great influences I'm going to do my own tribute to my literary education – the best of times and the worst of times, and I'll start with.....

THE DEPRESSING

I don't remember who among my classmates noted that the books we read tended to be depressing. Whoever made that observation was right. There seemed to be a conspiracy among our literature teachers to expose us to the most gloomy texts among the recommended reading lists. In Form One, we read Patrick O'Brien's "Island of the Blue Dolphins", not a terribly sad book, but it had a tasty selection of unhappy situations. In later forms, it just got worse. Second year featured John Steinbeck's "The Pearl", a story of how the discovery of a spectacular pearl brought tragedy and destruction to a guiltless fisherman and his wife. You certainly didn't put down this book with a sunnier, more hopeful view of the human race.

Later on, we tended to study authors as well as the books they wrote, and it became quickly apparent why some of these people wrote the unfortunate tomes which dotted our literary landscape – they were a pretty messed up bunch themselves. Poor Virginia Woolf, besides living through years of sexual abuse from her half brother and the throes of bipolar disorder, apparently sometimes heard birds singing to her in Greek. I personally thought that I would not recognize what languages birds were singing in, but I assumed this was a confirmation of her brilliance mixed with her mental problems. Anyway the poor lady eventually drowned herself. However Tennessee Williams could quite easily compare notes with her. After all he spent a troubled life dealing with his mentally ill mother and abusive father before presumably killing himself by swallowing a bottle cap. (My question here is: Why?!) The fact that evidence has surfaced lately that Williams' may have been murdered doesn't stack up to a whole lot in the scheme of things – not to Tennessee anyway.

Please be assured, I am not of the school of thought that every book should have a gloriously, happy ending. Authors have a right to miserable lives just like everyone else. (They do seem to tend to have miserable lives more than the average person which does not bode well for me, but I digress.) However, we did seem to have a dirge of downers at SJC. This became more apparent to me when I made a comparison with my brother's reading material at his all boys school. He read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in Form One and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in Form Two! Some sort of prejudice was apparent there; I'm sure of it. Are girls more likely to enjoy the tragic and disheartening? Is it necessary to ensure that boys be exposed to the fun, the magical, the uplifting? Someone needs to look into this, but once again....I digress.

Don't get me wrong, depressing books don't equal to mediocre ones. I could wish to be as brilliant as Woolf, Williams, Steinbeck et al for a hundred years and not come close to their brilliance, but their stories didn't touch me and some of my classmates. But the great thing about books is that we are free to change our feelings and opinions about them. I often wonder if I would still feel a bit impatient with Tess Derbyfield of "Tess of the Durbervilles" or feel a little world weary of Blanche DuBois' fragile instability if I took a look back at these stories years later. Who knows? It's definitely worth a try, but I have a particular affection for the books which I felt a connection with almost at once – the stories done by my fellow kindred spirits.....

THE INSPIRATIONAL

Once people hear you like to read, they are inclined to pick up any book that comes to hand to give as presents assuming the notorious book lover would be delighted to get anything with words printed on a page. I have no doubt that there are people who would gladly devour anything that is handed to them, but unfortunately this does not work with me.

Since I am incapable of throwing a book away, some of these untimely gifts remain on my bookshelf untouched. Such was the case when my aunt gave me a copy of Jane Austen's "Emma". Out affection for my dear aunt, I made an effort now and then. I glanced at long complex introduction or looked hopelessly at the first lines of the actual story, but of course I had no real interest in diving in. Then some clear sighted, far thinking genius among the St. Joseph Convent POS English literature teachers chose Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" as a book to study for A Level Literature. Oh happy day though I did not know it yet.

Instead, foolish me, I approached the novel apprehensively and read the first, surprisingly brief chapter, then I paused in disbelief. It was interesting; it was fun; it did not lose me with heavy, lugubrious prose. Could it keep up the momentum? Could it? It did. Though many years have passed, I will always recall my first experience reading of the romantic trials of Elizabeth Bennet as one of the most astonishing relationship with a book I've ever had. P&P was everything the critics always say and that you don't dare to believe – it was sparkling, witty, unforgettable etc. etc.

And so Miss Austen and I became lifelong friends, and I was flung with delight into the flood of adaptations, internet fan groups, fan fiction etc which went with it. The 1995 version of the book came out around that time and drew other fans into the fold. (If you haven't seen this movie, you must! I shall expound at a later date.) Miss Austen is now delightfully interwoven into my literary landscape and she and her following are always more than welcome wherever I hang my hat. Since then of course I've read Emma which is - like all of Miss Austen's work - so brilliant, I would be jealous of her if I didn't love her so much, so you see, never throw away those weird books your family, friends and co workers foist off on you. You really never know...

The Bard himself also came into my life more fully during my school career. I had gone through "Midsummer Night's Dream" by the time I'd reached Form Three and thought it was okay. I was mostly smugly proud of having completed at least one work by the intimidating playwright no one understood. But I had not yet learned the true joy of Shakespeare. And once more in my life a movie helped to bring that impression home. If you haven't seen Kenneth Brannagh's version of Henry V, you need to right away as it is one of the most thrilling movies ever. It's dramatic and wonderfully acted. Brannagh delivers the speeches of the Henry V in a gripping way which makes you want to jump into the breach on the next battle charge (even if you've never held a weapon in your life and probably would be crying for your mommy before the fight was half over). Our teachers had taken the entire class to see the movie, and I confess we understood very little of the intricacies of what was going on, but that didn't matter! We had escaped the confines of school for several hours and we were in a cinema. We were watching a show with lots of action and some stirring looking scenes and it ended with a lovely romantic interlude (one of my favourites up to this day). I for one had a wonderful time, and the fact that Shakespeare was to be said out loud, acted out loud and just scene came home to me from that moment. Thanks Kenneth. Thanks Will.

Of course there were other books and authors that worked their way into my universe in my formative years. I won't discuss them at length here. I am really glad that I had a chance to read "A Man for All Seasons" and "Ti Jean and his Brothers". As I say, the books got better as we got older, or maybe we were changing and getting better as we changed. Some stories were still sad like Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" but as I said that doesn't equate to not liking the story. The simplicity and power of Achebe's novel was a joy and though the tale was tragic it wasn't too heavy to bear. Isn't literature wonderful? Without my lit class I would not have experienced the bawdiness of Geoffrey Chaucer for example or the simpler poems of William Wordsworth. I definitely have another reason to appreciate my time in SJC during my best of times and worst of times.

Feel free to share your own literary adventures. Come on! Post already!

Our First Meeting

2008-07-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

I've been planning to do this blogging thing for a while now, and as usual I've been thinking about it a lot and not actually getting around to it. Though I think I am justified in over thinking this a bit. After all it's a blog – a blog which can potentially touch the hearts and minds of millions if done in just the right way. That's an intimidating possibility. Can I write something that can touch the hearts of millions? I would be happy if I just caught the attention of a small, loyal band of followers – at –Duh, Dah, Dah, Duh - the Crossroads of Imagination!

What kind of weird, new age kind of title is that you may ask? Well, what I hope is that I can use this blog to reflect on creativity and creative thinking, but don't worry this is not as didactic as it sounds at first. Think of how creativity and imagination figure in the world around us. Creative people like Jim Henson, George Lucas, Diana Wynne Jones, Coldplay and Jane Austen inspire and delight us every day, and I love talking about them and discussing them and talking about them some more. So if you don't recognize some of these names you will. I'll probably spend a lot of time talking about the books, movies and television shows that inspire and fascinate me as well.

And of course, I'll be discussing my own travels in one of my favourite countries i.e. my own imagination which is truly an astonishing place as it is for each of us. This will mostly involve my discussing my efforts to make writing and editing a career. I hope that likeminded people, especially writers or at least people interested in literature, will come and share their thoughts as well.

And of course what better place could this great meeting of minds occur but at a crossroads of the imagination - a place where all these various creative thought processes can converge. What more can you ask for? I can't wait.

Welcome to the Crossroads

2008-06-24T19:34:00.000-07:00