Another black and white classic. The beginning of this movie goes so fast! I was trying to understand what Xanadu was and what Kubla Kahn had to do with this. Thankfully, as the movie progresses, everything is explained and I began to understand. I thought it was really interesting how all the major actors/actresses were new to the movie screen except Orson Welles. And as I understand it was the first time he directed a movie. I couldn't tell any of them were beginners. And, after watching the commentary at the end of the movie, I learned that it was based upon someone's real life and if I hadn't already deleted it from my DVR, I would tell you who. Apparently, the man thought his 2nd wife was portrayed wrongly. It seems like you either really appreciate this movie or don't like it at all. It came out a time when the US was about to enter into war and America couldn't really appreciate this kind of movie. Americans at that time wanted an inspirational, uplifting movie. I wouldn't say I liked it, but I didn't hate it either.
Anyway, another thing I wanted to note about this movie was how often people interrupted others, how often people ignored each other and how often they used a person's full title when addressing them. For example, "Mr. Carter, is this where your office is, Mr. Carter?" The whole movie was like that and once, I heard Leland informally address Mr. Kane and it caught me off guard. Maybe I missed this part, but at the beginning it tells how his first wife and son died in a car accident, but I didn't see that part explained. You see, at the beginning you see a movie-like summary of his life and then throughout the movie they explain each part. They are all looking for an explanation of Mr. Kane's final words: rosebud. It's kind of like a puzzle they have to figure out. So, they interview everyone he was close to and they reflect on his life. They end up deciding that 'rosebud' is just another piece to the puzzle of his life. It was actually the name on his sled. When he was taken from his mother and father, he had to leave behind his sled. I guessed that the reason he was taken away from his parents was because his father would have been abusive? I'm not 100% sure. Mr. Thatcher, the man that raised him got him another one. I'm still trying to figure out why those were his last words. Maybe because they represented a time in his life that was happy? If you have ideas, let me know!
So, Citizen Kane was a man from humble beginnings who grew up to be very rich and unhappy. He had two wives that both left him. He ran for office and ran a newspaper office (The Inquirer) that often ran scandalous stories. Anyone else have thoughts?
And that's the way the story reads....
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
A VOICE IN THE WIND
First of all, I realize this book is not on my classic American literature list, but it is a Christian classic for sure. If anyone has read it, they will agree with me wholeheartedly. Anyway, I had already started reading it when my adventure began. Now, onto the book!
Francine Rivers is a tremendously wonderful Christian fiction writer. Redeemingly Love was an awesome book. It told the story of Hosea and his harlot wife Gomer. It is a story of love that parallels the love Jesus has for us. The Mark of the Lion series (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness and As Sure as the Dawn) affects the way I make everyday decisions. Reading about a character who is so truly devoted to her relationship with Jesus is very encouraging.
CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT! SYNOPSIS BELOW!
A Voice in the Wind introduces you to a large cast of characters- Decimus and Phoebe Valerian (the parents), Marcus and Julia (the children), Hadassah (a slave) and Atretes (a German captive). We first begin reading about the destruction of Jerusalem and how each member of Hadassah's family is either murdered or dies from starvation. Through God's graces, she is spared and Rivers gives tiny glimpses into the hearts of those who spare her. They have no idea why they do so, but they feel compelled. She is marched into Rome, where she is eventually sold to the Valerian household. Although she is beyond skinny and has had her head shaved, Phoebe has a feeling about her and gives her to her daughter, 16-year-old Julia who is spoiled beyond belief and is truly a daughter of Rome. She and her brother both only want what pleases them and throughout the book Decimus and Phoebe question if their children even have consciences. We also learn about Atretes, the son of a Chatti chieftain, who gains the position after his father is killed. He is from Germania and is a very powerful warrior. He had previously lost his wife and child during the child's birth and worships the god Tiwaz. During a battle with Roman legionnaires, he is taken captive (not easily, I might add) and sold a couple of times and begins training to fight in the arena. All we know about Marcus at this point is that he has or has had several lovers and at 22 years of age. His current lover or longest relationship is with a girl named Arria, who Julia, of course, envies because of her freedom.
Throughout the book, we watch as both Hadassah and Marcus fight strange feelings for each other. Marcus is ashamed that he has feelings for an ugly slave girl. Hadassah prays that God changes these feelings. She is ever faithful to Julia, even when facing the most horrendous circumstances. Julia has a best friend, Octavia, who does as she pleases and with whomever she pleases. Of course, Julia is jealous of this and when her parents see the rebellion begin, they arrange that she marry Claudius Flaccus, a widow in his 60's. The marriage is short lived, as Claudius dies on his way to retrieve Julia from the ludus, where she enjoys watching the gladiators train. Julia often dismisses Claudius and sends Hadassah to him instead, where he is interested in learning about her religion. Everyone thinks she is a Jew- she hides the fact that she is a Christian because of the certain death that admission would bring. After Claudius dies, Julia returns back home. Her friend Octavia introduces her to a woman named a Calabah- a woman after Satan's own heart. She uses Julia as a pawn and corrupts her to the fullest degree.
She introduces Julia to a man named Caius, who is very handsome and charming and soon the two are wed. After less than 6 months of marriage, Caius' true character is revealed. Not only is he having affairs, but he is physically and emotionally abusive to Julia. When she becomes pregnant with his child, he becomes angry with her and refuses to touch her. Julia is so upset at this that she seeks Calabah's help and she tells her abortion is the only way. She goes through with the abortion and Hadassah is sent to bury the tiny child. Later, when Caius becomes outraged that Julia cancels his debt by sleeping with the man he owes the money to, he is intent on killing Julia when Hadassah takes the punishment instead and is almost killed. Julia, again, seeks Calabah's advice and she tells her that the only way out is to kill Caius, so she provides her with the poison and within weeks, he is dead.
The book changes back and forth between characters' stories, so all the while this is happening, we are learning about Atretes and his ever-increasing number of kills in the arena. He has 100 published kills, with at least 50 more before he was captive. He sees Julia once and thinks her the most beautiful woman and also remembers his mother's prophecy. In his future, she saw a woman with dark hair and dark eyes that would change his life. Also, we read about Decimus (Julia and Marcus's father) and his failing health. They try several different means of healing but none works. A few times, Hadassah is sent back to Phoebe and Decimus to serve for short periods of time. The only thing that makes Decimus feel better is when Hadassah sings to them or recites Bible stories for them. This is also one of the reasons Julia likes Hadassah so much- she entertains her. Hadassah has also found a group of Christians to meet with in Rome.
At this point in the story (about 1/4 of the book left), Decimus and Phoebe decide to move back to Ephesus, where Decimus is originally from. He thinks this could possibly heal him and if not, he prefers to die in his home country. Because Julia is again a widow, she returns to her parents and they go to Ephesus. At the same time, Atretes is also sold and is sent to fight in Ephesus. He will fight in an elimination match, with the winner earning his freedom. When Julia learns that Atretes is there and sees him at the Artemis (the temple worshipping Artemis), she disguises herself as a temple prostitute so she can be with him. After their "meeting" they arrange to see each other more. Their affair continues as Decimus becomes deathly ill and eventually dies, but not before Hadassah is able to witness to them openly, without fear, and Decimus accepts Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. Marcus is aware of Hadassah's Christian religion and warns her to keep quiet about it. Their mutual feelings for each other are growing with each passing day. Once, Marcus is so overcome by lust that he nearly rapes Hadassah, only to apologize and think himself a fool.
When Julia learns that Atretes could earn his freedom, Calabah tells her that if he does, he will marry her and she will once again be captive to a man. She tells her that he will certainly abuse her and that she must be in control. Calabah's plan? To have Julia marry her friend Primus, who is a homosexual. This would allow Julia to continue her affair with Atretes, but not have to answer to him as a husband. And as for Primus, he gets a part in Julia's fortune which she gained from her first marriage. It's a marriage of convenience and as soon as Atretes earns his freedom at the elimination match, he calls on Julia, only to find out she's been recently married. When they confront each other, Julia tells him that she is pregnant with his child and thinks this will make him stay. He returns to the villa he had bought, trashes it and leaves it to live in a cave because he is so distraught.
When the child is born, Julia doesn't even look at it and orders Hadassah to leave it on the rocks. She disobeys, however and takes the child to where she has recently begun meeting with John the Baptist. He is meeting and praying with a woman named Rizpah, who just lost her husband and son to the plague. She takes the child to be her own. After the child is born, Marcus comes to visit his sister. He expresses interest in taking Hadassah to be his wife. Julia asks for a couple more weeks with her and when Marcus returns and expresses his love for her, she has to reject him. She loves him so much and is very upset, but she knows she cannot yoke herself to an unbeliever. She constantly prays for all the Valerians, but especially for Marcus because of her immense love for him. She prays that either her feelings be removed or that he become a believer. He storms out, very upset and when Julia hears Hadassah's rejection, she begins to plot. She blames Hadassah for Atretes not returning and is very upset with her that she would reject Marcus. She attends a party that night for a man known to hate Jews (Vitellius). She dresses Hadassah so that it is clear she is a Jew and when Vitellius asks that Hadassah prove she will worship other gods, she refuses and is therefore sentenced to die in the arena.
The last part of the book is the most powerful. Atretes has been having strange dreams and believe the only person who can help him interpret the dreams was the last person he saw before he started dreaming- Hadassah. When he calls for her, Julia sends word that she is dead and he learns that she will be sent to the arena to fight lions. She witnesses to him there and tells him that his son is alive and tells him where to find him. He tries to convince her to let him free her, but she refuses. The next day, they are taken out into the arena. Hadassah sings, while walking with arms outstretched into the center of the arena. She is the first one attacked.
Julia takes Marcus to the games that day and tells him that she misses the days when they were younger. She tells him that she has gotten rid of everything that got in their way. Not knowing what she's talking about, he looks out into the arena, where Julia suddenly gets very excited that the Christians are coming out. Marcus sees Hadassah and his heart stops and he realizes there is nothing he can do. Julia cheers that the lions attack and kill and Marcus screams that Hadassah retreat. From the book: "No!" Marcus cried out again, his face convulsing as the lion hit her. He turned his face away as she went down- and something inside of him died. "There," Julia said triumphantly. "It's finished." The sounds of ecstatic pleasure rose as spectators cheered wildly. More lions roared. Screams of fear and pain rang out, and someone laughed near Marcus. "Look at them scatter now!" Another hooted. "Look at those lions fighting over the carcass of that first girl!" And in that instant, God answered Hadassah's prayer.
Marcus vows he never had a sister and refuses to ever see her again. He leaves the arena, his eyes clouded by tears. He doesn't know where to go and at the very end of the book he falls to his knees, covers his head and cries.
And that's precisely the way the story reads....
Francine Rivers is a tremendously wonderful Christian fiction writer. Redeemingly Love was an awesome book. It told the story of Hosea and his harlot wife Gomer. It is a story of love that parallels the love Jesus has for us. The Mark of the Lion series (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness and As Sure as the Dawn) affects the way I make everyday decisions. Reading about a character who is so truly devoted to her relationship with Jesus is very encouraging.
CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT! SYNOPSIS BELOW!
A Voice in the Wind introduces you to a large cast of characters- Decimus and Phoebe Valerian (the parents), Marcus and Julia (the children), Hadassah (a slave) and Atretes (a German captive). We first begin reading about the destruction of Jerusalem and how each member of Hadassah's family is either murdered or dies from starvation. Through God's graces, she is spared and Rivers gives tiny glimpses into the hearts of those who spare her. They have no idea why they do so, but they feel compelled. She is marched into Rome, where she is eventually sold to the Valerian household. Although she is beyond skinny and has had her head shaved, Phoebe has a feeling about her and gives her to her daughter, 16-year-old Julia who is spoiled beyond belief and is truly a daughter of Rome. She and her brother both only want what pleases them and throughout the book Decimus and Phoebe question if their children even have consciences. We also learn about Atretes, the son of a Chatti chieftain, who gains the position after his father is killed. He is from Germania and is a very powerful warrior. He had previously lost his wife and child during the child's birth and worships the god Tiwaz. During a battle with Roman legionnaires, he is taken captive (not easily, I might add) and sold a couple of times and begins training to fight in the arena. All we know about Marcus at this point is that he has or has had several lovers and at 22 years of age. His current lover or longest relationship is with a girl named Arria, who Julia, of course, envies because of her freedom.
Throughout the book, we watch as both Hadassah and Marcus fight strange feelings for each other. Marcus is ashamed that he has feelings for an ugly slave girl. Hadassah prays that God changes these feelings. She is ever faithful to Julia, even when facing the most horrendous circumstances. Julia has a best friend, Octavia, who does as she pleases and with whomever she pleases. Of course, Julia is jealous of this and when her parents see the rebellion begin, they arrange that she marry Claudius Flaccus, a widow in his 60's. The marriage is short lived, as Claudius dies on his way to retrieve Julia from the ludus, where she enjoys watching the gladiators train. Julia often dismisses Claudius and sends Hadassah to him instead, where he is interested in learning about her religion. Everyone thinks she is a Jew- she hides the fact that she is a Christian because of the certain death that admission would bring. After Claudius dies, Julia returns back home. Her friend Octavia introduces her to a woman named a Calabah- a woman after Satan's own heart. She uses Julia as a pawn and corrupts her to the fullest degree.
She introduces Julia to a man named Caius, who is very handsome and charming and soon the two are wed. After less than 6 months of marriage, Caius' true character is revealed. Not only is he having affairs, but he is physically and emotionally abusive to Julia. When she becomes pregnant with his child, he becomes angry with her and refuses to touch her. Julia is so upset at this that she seeks Calabah's help and she tells her abortion is the only way. She goes through with the abortion and Hadassah is sent to bury the tiny child. Later, when Caius becomes outraged that Julia cancels his debt by sleeping with the man he owes the money to, he is intent on killing Julia when Hadassah takes the punishment instead and is almost killed. Julia, again, seeks Calabah's advice and she tells her that the only way out is to kill Caius, so she provides her with the poison and within weeks, he is dead.
The book changes back and forth between characters' stories, so all the while this is happening, we are learning about Atretes and his ever-increasing number of kills in the arena. He has 100 published kills, with at least 50 more before he was captive. He sees Julia once and thinks her the most beautiful woman and also remembers his mother's prophecy. In his future, she saw a woman with dark hair and dark eyes that would change his life. Also, we read about Decimus (Julia and Marcus's father) and his failing health. They try several different means of healing but none works. A few times, Hadassah is sent back to Phoebe and Decimus to serve for short periods of time. The only thing that makes Decimus feel better is when Hadassah sings to them or recites Bible stories for them. This is also one of the reasons Julia likes Hadassah so much- she entertains her. Hadassah has also found a group of Christians to meet with in Rome.
At this point in the story (about 1/4 of the book left), Decimus and Phoebe decide to move back to Ephesus, where Decimus is originally from. He thinks this could possibly heal him and if not, he prefers to die in his home country. Because Julia is again a widow, she returns to her parents and they go to Ephesus. At the same time, Atretes is also sold and is sent to fight in Ephesus. He will fight in an elimination match, with the winner earning his freedom. When Julia learns that Atretes is there and sees him at the Artemis (the temple worshipping Artemis), she disguises herself as a temple prostitute so she can be with him. After their "meeting" they arrange to see each other more. Their affair continues as Decimus becomes deathly ill and eventually dies, but not before Hadassah is able to witness to them openly, without fear, and Decimus accepts Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. Marcus is aware of Hadassah's Christian religion and warns her to keep quiet about it. Their mutual feelings for each other are growing with each passing day. Once, Marcus is so overcome by lust that he nearly rapes Hadassah, only to apologize and think himself a fool.
When Julia learns that Atretes could earn his freedom, Calabah tells her that if he does, he will marry her and she will once again be captive to a man. She tells her that he will certainly abuse her and that she must be in control. Calabah's plan? To have Julia marry her friend Primus, who is a homosexual. This would allow Julia to continue her affair with Atretes, but not have to answer to him as a husband. And as for Primus, he gets a part in Julia's fortune which she gained from her first marriage. It's a marriage of convenience and as soon as Atretes earns his freedom at the elimination match, he calls on Julia, only to find out she's been recently married. When they confront each other, Julia tells him that she is pregnant with his child and thinks this will make him stay. He returns to the villa he had bought, trashes it and leaves it to live in a cave because he is so distraught.
When the child is born, Julia doesn't even look at it and orders Hadassah to leave it on the rocks. She disobeys, however and takes the child to where she has recently begun meeting with John the Baptist. He is meeting and praying with a woman named Rizpah, who just lost her husband and son to the plague. She takes the child to be her own. After the child is born, Marcus comes to visit his sister. He expresses interest in taking Hadassah to be his wife. Julia asks for a couple more weeks with her and when Marcus returns and expresses his love for her, she has to reject him. She loves him so much and is very upset, but she knows she cannot yoke herself to an unbeliever. She constantly prays for all the Valerians, but especially for Marcus because of her immense love for him. She prays that either her feelings be removed or that he become a believer. He storms out, very upset and when Julia hears Hadassah's rejection, she begins to plot. She blames Hadassah for Atretes not returning and is very upset with her that she would reject Marcus. She attends a party that night for a man known to hate Jews (Vitellius). She dresses Hadassah so that it is clear she is a Jew and when Vitellius asks that Hadassah prove she will worship other gods, she refuses and is therefore sentenced to die in the arena.
The last part of the book is the most powerful. Atretes has been having strange dreams and believe the only person who can help him interpret the dreams was the last person he saw before he started dreaming- Hadassah. When he calls for her, Julia sends word that she is dead and he learns that she will be sent to the arena to fight lions. She witnesses to him there and tells him that his son is alive and tells him where to find him. He tries to convince her to let him free her, but she refuses. The next day, they are taken out into the arena. Hadassah sings, while walking with arms outstretched into the center of the arena. She is the first one attacked.
Julia takes Marcus to the games that day and tells him that she misses the days when they were younger. She tells him that she has gotten rid of everything that got in their way. Not knowing what she's talking about, he looks out into the arena, where Julia suddenly gets very excited that the Christians are coming out. Marcus sees Hadassah and his heart stops and he realizes there is nothing he can do. Julia cheers that the lions attack and kill and Marcus screams that Hadassah retreat. From the book: "No!" Marcus cried out again, his face convulsing as the lion hit her. He turned his face away as she went down- and something inside of him died. "There," Julia said triumphantly. "It's finished." The sounds of ecstatic pleasure rose as spectators cheered wildly. More lions roared. Screams of fear and pain rang out, and someone laughed near Marcus. "Look at them scatter now!" Another hooted. "Look at those lions fighting over the carcass of that first girl!" And in that instant, God answered Hadassah's prayer.
Marcus vows he never had a sister and refuses to ever see her again. He leaves the arena, his eyes clouded by tears. He doesn't know where to go and at the very end of the book he falls to his knees, covers his head and cries.
And that's precisely the way the story reads....
Sunday, October 3, 2010
THE COLOR PURPLE
I want to begin this blog by saying that I have no idea if this movie is considered a classic, but I watched it and I want to write a review on it anyway. It should be a classic- not only because of its length, but also because of the cast of characters. With a leading cast of Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Denzel Washington, this movie was really good. I hated it at the beginning. I just can't imagine having to go through all that. And the worst part was that it didn't just happen to this one girl- it seemed to be the theme throughout the movie. How disgusting. Anyway, after the first couple of depressing hours, it started getting better. I couldn't really fathom the relationships they had, though. How could you be friendly with the woman your husband spent every waking minute dreaming and fantasizing about and then being with her. I mean, obviously this wasn't a loving relationship, but still, isn't that kind of weird? I was so thankful that Shug did become a part of her life though. And to find out that her sister and children were happy all those years! And the ending couldn't have been better. The two sisters playing their hand games with him walking right past....how awesome! When Whoopi had her major part, I was so excited for her, but scared at the same time. She had some guts to stand up to him like that. I think I remember reading this book or maybe a friend of mine reading this book in high school. Who chooses those books, seriously? Heather Conley-do you know? Anyway, I watched it and appreciated it. The 3 hours and 30 minutes goes by rather quickly without commercials. I would consider this movie better than GWTW- just because I liked the main character better.
And that's the way the story reads...
And that's the way the story reads...
Saturday, September 25, 2010
FORREST GUMP
The first point I want to mention is that Forrest Gump came out 2 years after my beloved Golden Girls went off the air. Try not to be disappointed, fair blog followers, there will be other blogs with GG stories!
This is one of those movies that you see bits and pieces of, but unless you are intentionally trying to watch it, you probably won't sit there long enough to see it in its entirety, much like Gone With the Wind. I was expecting to see a couple of new parts, but, as it turns out, I had seen all of it. I know you (my followers) probably have a different opinion about this movie, but it just didn't do anything for me. I already hear you gasping, Ellie Rink. The movie didn't make me cry, but it did make me mad at the beginning. I hate it when people get teased. Seriously, I wish bullying was a more serious crime. If I could have three wishes, I think one of them would be that every time you said something mean to another person, you'd grow a hairy wart on the tip of your nose. Then, you'd think twice (at least twice!) before calling someone a "lint licker" or something else equally offensive.
But anyway, I digress (like Sophia Petrillo). I like how the movie included real clips of historical events. Very educational! It's always intriguing to me to see footage like that. It's not like they show it everyday. On another note, about halfway through the movie, I wanted to tell Robert Zemeckis, "Enough drugs already!" It's bad enough when you watch a movie and you can inference that someone has been doing drugs, but to see them actually do all those drugs-ugh! Sorry future children of mine, you will NOT watch this movie until you're at least 18.
In these kinds of fictional movies where the characters do impossible feats, I can't really enjoy them that much because I'm thinking, "That couldn't really happen!" or "That's ridiculous." I think that it's hard for me to mix real characters and fictional acts. For example, if this movie had cartoon characters instead of real people, it wouldn't bother me that the main character ran for two years. Does that make sense?
Anyway, sorry if my review wasn't to your liking. I wish I could have said BEST CLASSIC MOVIE OF ALL TIME, but I can't. When I told my Granny that I was watching it, she burst into tears and said, "That movie always makes me cry- that poor boy!" I'm beginning to wonder if I have a heart...... :S
And that's the way the story reads...
This is one of those movies that you see bits and pieces of, but unless you are intentionally trying to watch it, you probably won't sit there long enough to see it in its entirety, much like Gone With the Wind. I was expecting to see a couple of new parts, but, as it turns out, I had seen all of it. I know you (my followers) probably have a different opinion about this movie, but it just didn't do anything for me. I already hear you gasping, Ellie Rink. The movie didn't make me cry, but it did make me mad at the beginning. I hate it when people get teased. Seriously, I wish bullying was a more serious crime. If I could have three wishes, I think one of them would be that every time you said something mean to another person, you'd grow a hairy wart on the tip of your nose. Then, you'd think twice (at least twice!) before calling someone a "lint licker" or something else equally offensive.
But anyway, I digress (like Sophia Petrillo). I like how the movie included real clips of historical events. Very educational! It's always intriguing to me to see footage like that. It's not like they show it everyday. On another note, about halfway through the movie, I wanted to tell Robert Zemeckis, "Enough drugs already!" It's bad enough when you watch a movie and you can inference that someone has been doing drugs, but to see them actually do all those drugs-ugh! Sorry future children of mine, you will NOT watch this movie until you're at least 18.
In these kinds of fictional movies where the characters do impossible feats, I can't really enjoy them that much because I'm thinking, "That couldn't really happen!" or "That's ridiculous." I think that it's hard for me to mix real characters and fictional acts. For example, if this movie had cartoon characters instead of real people, it wouldn't bother me that the main character ran for two years. Does that make sense?
Anyway, sorry if my review wasn't to your liking. I wish I could have said BEST CLASSIC MOVIE OF ALL TIME, but I can't. When I told my Granny that I was watching it, she burst into tears and said, "That movie always makes me cry- that poor boy!" I'm beginning to wonder if I have a heart...... :S
And that's the way the story reads...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
GONE WITH THE WIND
*sigh* Gone With the Wind. What is there to say about GWTW? This is a classic American movie for so many reasons. The thing that had the most impact on me was the complexity of Scarlett O'Hara's character. My exact thoughts were, "Scarlett is as complex a character as Elizabeth Bennett in 'Pride and Prejudice.'" You might disagree with me and you can speak your peace. But, women are all the same. Torn by emotions, dictated by feelings and distracted by matters of the heart. I enjoy movies like these where you can really relate to the characters. Now, I'm not saying I can relate to being married to multiple men that I don't love or selfish beyond reason, but I understand the thoughts she has (well, most of them, anyway).
Something else that really just exhausted me was the amount of trauma poor Scarlett had to go through. I wonder how many years pass in the movie. Since the war was only 4 years, it can't be much more than that. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Since Scarlett was 16 when the movie began, she couldn't have been more than early 20's when it ended. Think of all the tragedy she went through by that age (the age most of us are!) Her mother and father died, her first two husbands died, her only child died, she had to shoot someone up close, she couldn't have the only man she really loved (Ashley), she had to deliver Ashley and Melanie's child, she got divorced, she got attacked by carpetbaggers, her beloved Tara was raided and Melanie died (the only woman that stuck up for her). Good thing she did have a fiery personality! I wouldn't have been able to live through all that.
Speaking of her fiery personality, wow! What a beast of a woman! We would not have been friends. I couldn't believe how selfish she was! Ugh, she made me mad. On another note, I could not believe those outfits they wore! They were so huge and I cannot believe people actually wore those. My friend Mindy (hi!) lives in Alabama and says that it has been so incredibly hot this summer and I can only imagine that it wasn't so different back in Scarlett's time. With highs in the hundreds every day, I can't imagine wearing that big frock! It made me appreciate my shorts and t-shirt I wore today. Mindy, I think you should comment about Fred Crane. When I was watching the movie, I was trying to figure out which one was him!
So, believe it or not, I have another Golden Girls reference. If you doubted my love of the Girls, you won't anymore. I was watching an episode tonight, one that I've seen a hundred times and I recognized a GWTW reference. Blanche received an offer on the house and while they were sitting at the table talking about it, Blanche decides she's going to have to go to bed and just think about it tomorrow. She says, "After all, tomorrow is another day," and Dorothy says, "Calm down, Scarlett, there's no need to be so dramatic." I LOVE THE GIRLS! If this project accomplishes anything, it will be that it helps me understand the Golden Girls jokes and references. Now, can anyone tell me what a Mrs. Kirkegaard reference would be about?
Please comment on my posts. I love hearing your feedback. I intended this experience to be something that was shared between my friends/family and I. Would you like me to let you know what I will be posting about next so that you'll have time to watch it before I post about it? Just gimme some feedback and I'd be happy to give a heads up. Thanks friends, you're all amazing :) If you can't comment on here because you don't know how or don't want to get a gmail account, just facebook me a response if you want or call me!
And that's how the story reads.....
Something else that really just exhausted me was the amount of trauma poor Scarlett had to go through. I wonder how many years pass in the movie. Since the war was only 4 years, it can't be much more than that. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Since Scarlett was 16 when the movie began, she couldn't have been more than early 20's when it ended. Think of all the tragedy she went through by that age (the age most of us are!) Her mother and father died, her first two husbands died, her only child died, she had to shoot someone up close, she couldn't have the only man she really loved (Ashley), she had to deliver Ashley and Melanie's child, she got divorced, she got attacked by carpetbaggers, her beloved Tara was raided and Melanie died (the only woman that stuck up for her). Good thing she did have a fiery personality! I wouldn't have been able to live through all that.
Speaking of her fiery personality, wow! What a beast of a woman! We would not have been friends. I couldn't believe how selfish she was! Ugh, she made me mad. On another note, I could not believe those outfits they wore! They were so huge and I cannot believe people actually wore those. My friend Mindy (hi!) lives in Alabama and says that it has been so incredibly hot this summer and I can only imagine that it wasn't so different back in Scarlett's time. With highs in the hundreds every day, I can't imagine wearing that big frock! It made me appreciate my shorts and t-shirt I wore today. Mindy, I think you should comment about Fred Crane. When I was watching the movie, I was trying to figure out which one was him!
So, believe it or not, I have another Golden Girls reference. If you doubted my love of the Girls, you won't anymore. I was watching an episode tonight, one that I've seen a hundred times and I recognized a GWTW reference. Blanche received an offer on the house and while they were sitting at the table talking about it, Blanche decides she's going to have to go to bed and just think about it tomorrow. She says, "After all, tomorrow is another day," and Dorothy says, "Calm down, Scarlett, there's no need to be so dramatic." I LOVE THE GIRLS! If this project accomplishes anything, it will be that it helps me understand the Golden Girls jokes and references. Now, can anyone tell me what a Mrs. Kirkegaard reference would be about?
Please comment on my posts. I love hearing your feedback. I intended this experience to be something that was shared between my friends/family and I. Would you like me to let you know what I will be posting about next so that you'll have time to watch it before I post about it? Just gimme some feedback and I'd be happy to give a heads up. Thanks friends, you're all amazing :) If you can't comment on here because you don't know how or don't want to get a gmail account, just facebook me a response if you want or call me!
And that's how the story reads.....
Thursday, September 16, 2010
CASABLANCA
Hola, followers! Glad you're here!
I promise that updates won't come this often in the future! It's just that this whole journey is kind of exciting and I'm still really motivated! Josh and I watched Casablanca the other night. Once again, I had no real desire to watch a black and white movie, but after reading the description, I thought it sounded like my kind of movie. I must say that I am not quite sure why Humphrey Bogart was such a "hottie." He smoked like a freight train! That's pretty much a turn off for me, what about my lady followers? Do you agree?
Anyway, besides that, I love how Bogart reflected on the time in Paris so soon into the movie. I hate movies where they don't reveal key information until the end, like Sherlock Holmes. I personally didn't like the fact that Ingrid Bergman cheated on her husband in the present time. In Paris, at least she thought he was dead. But, I won't hold it against her forever. I now understand the significance of "We'll always have Paris" and "Here's lookin' at you, kid."
Something else it reminded me of was the movie "Sleepless in Seattle." The song that Sam plays for Ilsa and Rick is "As Time Goes By." This is the same song played at the beginning (and end, I think) of "Sleepless in Seattle."
So tonight, I'm watching Golden Girls (as usual) and Dorothy and Sophia were spending quality time together at a resort or hotel in Disney World. Sophia wants a little time alone, so she goes down to the bar where she gets a drink, then proceeds over to the piano player where she says, "Hey, Sam, what's that you're playing?" And he says, "Oh, just a little something." She replies, "Stop it, you know what I want to hear." --"No, I don't."-- "You played it for her, you can play it for me." -- "But I don't think that I should..." Sophia interrupts and says, "If she can stand it, so can I. Now play it." He says, "OK, you're the boss." He proceeds to play a nice, soft slow version of "It's a Small World After All." When he finishes, she says, "Of all the saloons and gin joints in the world, she had to walk into mine."
If you've never seen Casablanca, you would have no idea what the above dialogue was about. I just think it's really ironic that after I watch the movie, the Golden Girls has a reference to one of the most famous scenes.
Anyone else have thoughts? Anyone think they are going to go rent it now? It's not a bad movie. I have to admit, I was dozing, so we paused it until I was more awake. It wasn't because it was boring, though. Well, not entirely because it was boring. It is actually a political movie as well, I'm just not that into that part. I like the love story part! (Until, of course, I found out she was unfaithful!) Josh really enjoyed the war time patriotism. He'll comment.
And that's the way the story reads....
I promise that updates won't come this often in the future! It's just that this whole journey is kind of exciting and I'm still really motivated! Josh and I watched Casablanca the other night. Once again, I had no real desire to watch a black and white movie, but after reading the description, I thought it sounded like my kind of movie. I must say that I am not quite sure why Humphrey Bogart was such a "hottie." He smoked like a freight train! That's pretty much a turn off for me, what about my lady followers? Do you agree?
Anyway, besides that, I love how Bogart reflected on the time in Paris so soon into the movie. I hate movies where they don't reveal key information until the end, like Sherlock Holmes. I personally didn't like the fact that Ingrid Bergman cheated on her husband in the present time. In Paris, at least she thought he was dead. But, I won't hold it against her forever. I now understand the significance of "We'll always have Paris" and "Here's lookin' at you, kid."
Something else it reminded me of was the movie "Sleepless in Seattle." The song that Sam plays for Ilsa and Rick is "As Time Goes By." This is the same song played at the beginning (and end, I think) of "Sleepless in Seattle."
So tonight, I'm watching Golden Girls (as usual) and Dorothy and Sophia were spending quality time together at a resort or hotel in Disney World. Sophia wants a little time alone, so she goes down to the bar where she gets a drink, then proceeds over to the piano player where she says, "Hey, Sam, what's that you're playing?" And he says, "Oh, just a little something." She replies, "Stop it, you know what I want to hear." --"No, I don't."-- "You played it for her, you can play it for me." -- "But I don't think that I should..." Sophia interrupts and says, "If she can stand it, so can I. Now play it." He says, "OK, you're the boss." He proceeds to play a nice, soft slow version of "It's a Small World After All." When he finishes, she says, "Of all the saloons and gin joints in the world, she had to walk into mine."
If you've never seen Casablanca, you would have no idea what the above dialogue was about. I just think it's really ironic that after I watch the movie, the Golden Girls has a reference to one of the most famous scenes.
Anyone else have thoughts? Anyone think they are going to go rent it now? It's not a bad movie. I have to admit, I was dozing, so we paused it until I was more awake. It wasn't because it was boring, though. Well, not entirely because it was boring. It is actually a political movie as well, I'm just not that into that part. I like the love story part! (Until, of course, I found out she was unfaithful!) Josh really enjoyed the war time patriotism. He'll comment.
And that's the way the story reads....
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
DIE HARD- CLASSIC MOVIE NUMBER ONE
OK, so Genna, Ellie and I decided to kick of the American Classics Tour by watching Die Hard with Bruce Willis. They tried to get me to watch Harry Potter, the little scuzzes, which isn't even American! Agh! I guess the one thing I want to say before I get into my critique of Die Hard is that although this is a project that I chose to do on my own, there are still some movies that I don't want to watch and books that I don't want to read (or reread). Why, you ask? I've been asking myself this same question and I've decided that there could be several reasons. I'll list them below.
I might not want to watch a movie because....
1. I've never heard of the actors.
2. The time period seems boring or I anticipate the cinematography to be lacking.
3. My dad likes it; therefore, there's no way I will.
4. Josh likes it; therefore, there's no way I will.
5. I might not understand the language and I hate feeling stupid.
6. I think the characters look stupid (Star Trek) or are simply too weird (LOTR).
I'm sure there's more reasons, but those are the main ones. Anyway, another thing I wanted to go over before my review are my rules. I reserve the right to alter, add to or take away from the rules whenever and however I please :)
Rule #1 Although I am being advised, primarily by Chris Peters (thanks!), I choose the movies/books that I watch/read.
Rule #2 Going along with Rule #1, I will not watch "Classic" movies that I find offensive. Sorry, Silence of the Lambs.
Rule #3 There will be no timeline as to when my project will be completed. I will do my best to keep my blog updated often, so that my readers (you guys!) won't lose interest. On that note, please, live vicariously through me and my blog!
Rule #4 I will do my best to finish all books/movies that I start. However, you might find a blog that simply states "Blah."
Now on to my review. As I stated earlier, I began this "crusade" by watching Die Hard. It was available and my friends and I considered it to be "classic." The words I would use to sum up my thoughts about Die Hard would be...f***, impossible stunts, awesome "American" accents, muscles, exhausted.
Let me explain all of the above. First of all, I chose the "f" word because it was used A LOT. Seriously, I want to know how many times that word was used. I asked, probably halfway through the movie, what the rating was. I don't know why I even asked. It was obvious. Impossible stunts and muscles are self-explanitory (how did the hanging dude get down?). The awesome American accents came from the Germans. How do you fake an American Accent? I can't even fake a New York accent or a New Orleans accent. When you fake an American accent, which dialect do you fake? Kentucky? Wisconsin? (Seriously, I want an answer to that.) And the last word, exhausted. How long was this ordeal in Die Hard? He had to have been exhausted. Seven and a half hours at school does me in and I barely exert energy! Much less get shot and have physical altercations every half hour.
So, there ya have it. Critique numero uno. Up next? Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. We watched it last night, I just have other things to do now. This blog is ridiculously long.
KUDOS: Goes to Genna and Ellie for starting this adventure with me on Sunday! And also to my hubby, Josh. Poor thing, it's not even on his bucket list to do this! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.....this whole thing is all because of my (potential) bucket list. More about that later.....
And that's the way the story reads....
(My signoff!)
I might not want to watch a movie because....
1. I've never heard of the actors.
2. The time period seems boring or I anticipate the cinematography to be lacking.
3. My dad likes it; therefore, there's no way I will.
4. Josh likes it; therefore, there's no way I will.
5. I might not understand the language and I hate feeling stupid.
6. I think the characters look stupid (Star Trek) or are simply too weird (LOTR).
I'm sure there's more reasons, but those are the main ones. Anyway, another thing I wanted to go over before my review are my rules. I reserve the right to alter, add to or take away from the rules whenever and however I please :)
Rule #1 Although I am being advised, primarily by Chris Peters (thanks!), I choose the movies/books that I watch/read.
Rule #2 Going along with Rule #1, I will not watch "Classic" movies that I find offensive. Sorry, Silence of the Lambs.
Rule #3 There will be no timeline as to when my project will be completed. I will do my best to keep my blog updated often, so that my readers (you guys!) won't lose interest. On that note, please, live vicariously through me and my blog!
Rule #4 I will do my best to finish all books/movies that I start. However, you might find a blog that simply states "Blah."
Now on to my review. As I stated earlier, I began this "crusade" by watching Die Hard. It was available and my friends and I considered it to be "classic." The words I would use to sum up my thoughts about Die Hard would be...f***, impossible stunts, awesome "American" accents, muscles, exhausted.
Let me explain all of the above. First of all, I chose the "f" word because it was used A LOT. Seriously, I want to know how many times that word was used. I asked, probably halfway through the movie, what the rating was. I don't know why I even asked. It was obvious. Impossible stunts and muscles are self-explanitory (how did the hanging dude get down?). The awesome American accents came from the Germans. How do you fake an American Accent? I can't even fake a New York accent or a New Orleans accent. When you fake an American accent, which dialect do you fake? Kentucky? Wisconsin? (Seriously, I want an answer to that.) And the last word, exhausted. How long was this ordeal in Die Hard? He had to have been exhausted. Seven and a half hours at school does me in and I barely exert energy! Much less get shot and have physical altercations every half hour.
So, there ya have it. Critique numero uno. Up next? Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. We watched it last night, I just have other things to do now. This blog is ridiculously long.
KUDOS: Goes to Genna and Ellie for starting this adventure with me on Sunday! And also to my hubby, Josh. Poor thing, it's not even on his bucket list to do this! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.....this whole thing is all because of my (potential) bucket list. More about that later.....
And that's the way the story reads....
(My signoff!)
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