In honor of Thanksgiving, I've been wracking my brain all week to try and come up with three Thanksgiving pics. It has been very trying! Thanksgiving is not that popular when it comes to film, literature, and television. But I have come up with three I hope you all will appreciate. This is it for two weeks so I want to wish you all a delightful turkey coma come Thursday!
Film: Babette's Feast
Yes, I know there are movies with actual Thanksgiving scenes. Yes, I know this film has absolutely nothing to do with Thanksgiving. Heck, it's not even an American film. Get over it. I chose Babette's Feast for one reason: the food. Babette's Feast is actually a Danish film from 1987. Two old spinsters live on a remote island with several other families, most of whom practice a very strict religion of abstention, which the spinsters' father preached while still alive. Babette is found and taken in by the sisters; she becomes their cook/maid/every-woman. For their father's 100th birthday celebration, the two sisters allow Babette to cook a special meal. Having been a famous chef in Paris (not that anyone knows this), Babette's meal is decadent and indecent by the village's standpoint. However, they all love the meal. Although Chocolate follows much the same storyline, Babette's Feast came first and focuses more on the food than the villagers' lives. To prep you for the dinner table, watch Babette's Feast as it will make your mouth water.
Television: Friends
More than any other show, Friends did a great Thanksgiving episode. My personal favorites are "The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks" from Season 5, "The One Where Ross Got High" from Season 6, and "The One With the Rumor" from Season 8. Since this is Monica's favorite holiday, it makes sense that these three episodes have a place on my list this week.
Honorable Mention: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Need I say more????
Literature: Of Plymouth Plantation
Sorry folks, I couldn't help it! If you want to know about the first Thanksgiving, go back to the man who experienced it: William Bradford. Bradford's diary is one of the few "real" tellings of the fateful day when the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag met in harmony to eat turkey. Um, wait. That wasn't what actually happened! The Pilgrims wanted to celebrate their tenuous survival with a feast. The Wampanoag leader, Massasoit, showed up to celebrate with 90 of his men. As was the Wampanoag custom, the Pilgrims had to serve all of the Natives. Luckily, there were three days of food, fun, and contests, several of which were hunting contests. Oh, and the women didn't really participate; they just cooked and served. Typical.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Can You Believe Thanksgiving is in Less Than Two Weeks?
Yeah, where has this semester gone? I told my T/R students that we only see each other seven more times before the end of the semester. Needless to say, I think all of us were happy about the prospect. :-)
Film: Alien and Aliens
I am working on my manuscript's chick chapter and so have been rewatching a lot of "feminist" horror and sci-fi lately. (And I put "feminist" in quotation marks because there is lots of debate as to whether the stuff I'm watching is actually feminist.) It has been years since I'd seen Alien and I don't think I've ever sat through all of Aliens. What was I thinking? Both are compelling sci-fi/horror films with an awesome leading lady! Sigourney Weaver is amazing in these films. Not to mention there is a young(er) Tom Skerritt, Ian Holms, Harry Dean Stanton, Lance Henrikson, Paul Reiser, and Bill Paxton. And the story is very timely: listen to the experts and be careful what you play with as it may rise up and literally bite you in the ass. (Hm, does anyone else a correlation to our current Middle East problems?) I have included both films because even though seven years passed between making the films and they have two different directors - Ridley Scott for the first and James Cameron for the second - they should be viewed as one complete film. As you watch, or rewatch, pay special attention to the effects which are out of this galaxy for the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, Tom Woodruff did the special effects for Aliens so they should be awesome; he did, after all, graduate from Lycoming College. Go Lyco!
Television Show: The Amazing Race
Now, we all know that I like my reality tv to show on infotainment channels like HGTV, TLC, and History. However, this is the one show that I like from the networks. If you haven't ever watched, you should. I like a reality show where brains will beat brawn every time. If you can't read a map, negotiate an airport, or communicate effectively with locals around the world, you will lose. Sorry, that's all there is to it. Plus since every team is in a race, there are few, if any, back-biting alliances. This is the show, after all, where a couple of hippies can take down the stereotypical jock and his model girlfriend. This show is about as close to reality as it gets. Sadly, that's not saying much. But seriously, check out this show - the second ep airs tonight at 8pm on CBS - and see if the goth team wins. (They already have my support and I hope they continue to beat the beautiful, vain, and abusive teams.)
Novel: The Big Over Easy
Okay, I read this novel over Spring Break this past spring. But I haven't read anything recently to put on the list because, again, I've been focusing on the Chapter 4 rewrite. The novel is by Jasper Fforde - writer of the brilliant Thursday Next series which will be on the blog before too long - and was released in 2005. The novel opens with the untimely death of Humpty Dumpty who, it is believed, did not accidently fall off the wall. It is up to Detectives Jack Spratt and Mary Mary, both of Reading's Nursery Crime Division, to clear up the mess. Mary Mary is quite contrary about her assignment in the Nursery Crime Division and Jack just can't figure out why he wants to climb the beanstalk in his mother's backyard. Despite these distractions, both find themselves in the midst of a serious crime that will shake the very foundations of their society. Well, not really. But it's a great read! And if you like it, a sequel with the three bears just hit the shelves this past year. It's on my Amazon Wish List, hint hint.
Film: Alien and Aliens
I am working on my manuscript's chick chapter and so have been rewatching a lot of "feminist" horror and sci-fi lately. (And I put "feminist" in quotation marks because there is lots of debate as to whether the stuff I'm watching is actually feminist.) It has been years since I'd seen Alien and I don't think I've ever sat through all of Aliens. What was I thinking? Both are compelling sci-fi/horror films with an awesome leading lady! Sigourney Weaver is amazing in these films. Not to mention there is a young(er) Tom Skerritt, Ian Holms, Harry Dean Stanton, Lance Henrikson, Paul Reiser, and Bill Paxton. And the story is very timely: listen to the experts and be careful what you play with as it may rise up and literally bite you in the ass. (Hm, does anyone else a correlation to our current Middle East problems?) I have included both films because even though seven years passed between making the films and they have two different directors - Ridley Scott for the first and James Cameron for the second - they should be viewed as one complete film. As you watch, or rewatch, pay special attention to the effects which are out of this galaxy for the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, Tom Woodruff did the special effects for Aliens so they should be awesome; he did, after all, graduate from Lycoming College. Go Lyco!
Television Show: The Amazing Race
Now, we all know that I like my reality tv to show on infotainment channels like HGTV, TLC, and History. However, this is the one show that I like from the networks. If you haven't ever watched, you should. I like a reality show where brains will beat brawn every time. If you can't read a map, negotiate an airport, or communicate effectively with locals around the world, you will lose. Sorry, that's all there is to it. Plus since every team is in a race, there are few, if any, back-biting alliances. This is the show, after all, where a couple of hippies can take down the stereotypical jock and his model girlfriend. This show is about as close to reality as it gets. Sadly, that's not saying much. But seriously, check out this show - the second ep airs tonight at 8pm on CBS - and see if the goth team wins. (They already have my support and I hope they continue to beat the beautiful, vain, and abusive teams.)
Novel: The Big Over Easy
Okay, I read this novel over Spring Break this past spring. But I haven't read anything recently to put on the list because, again, I've been focusing on the Chapter 4 rewrite. The novel is by Jasper Fforde - writer of the brilliant Thursday Next series which will be on the blog before too long - and was released in 2005. The novel opens with the untimely death of Humpty Dumpty who, it is believed, did not accidently fall off the wall. It is up to Detectives Jack Spratt and Mary Mary, both of Reading's Nursery Crime Division, to clear up the mess. Mary Mary is quite contrary about her assignment in the Nursery Crime Division and Jack just can't figure out why he wants to climb the beanstalk in his mother's backyard. Despite these distractions, both find themselves in the midst of a serious crime that will shake the very foundations of their society. Well, not really. But it's a great read! And if you like it, a sequel with the three bears just hit the shelves this past year. It's on my Amazon Wish List, hint hint.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Back To Normal
This week I am back to "anything goes," but I'm glad my Halloween picks garnered such discussion. What fun!
Television: Reaper
This is my favorite of the new tv shows. (I have a couple more good ones I'll be discussing in coming weeks.) This show makes me laugh out loud every episode and that rarely happens. In case you haven't watched, Sam's (Bret Harrison) parents sold his sold to the Devil (Ray Wise). On his 21st birthday, the Devil comes to collect and makes Sam his own personal soul bounty hunter. Aided by his friends, Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez), Sam goes after a baddie a week. The repetition of this plot is inconsequential as it is the witty repartee between Sam and his friends that makes the show worth watching. Kevin Smith - genius of all things pop culturey - is a consultant on this show, which is what makes the show so watchable. Tune in Tuesday nights at 9 (on the CW) if you haven't already. Don't worry, you haven't missed any major plot points, just some very funny stuff. (Sock and the dog in the first ep was priceless. I am smiling just thinking about it.)
Film: Apocalypto
This film has kept me thinking for weeks now, so I figured I should put it on the list. If nothing else, it will, I'm sure, garner plenty of discussion. Truth be told, the story is weak and predictable. Why is it here? As usual, Mel Gibson proves that behind the camera he has an eye for framing. There are shots here that still boggle my mind. The most impressive one has Mayan slaves digging in sand/dust. One slave in particular is covered in the dust and then proceeds to vomit blood. The imagery of dark skin, white dust, and blood is really amazing. And it's scenes like this one that kept me watching even after the story began boring me. (Which was about 10 minutes into the film.) I'm no longer such a big fan of Gibson - as a human being he's rather low on my totem pole - but, like Leni Reifenstahl - who is surely spending eternity in the 10th circle of Hell - he knows his craft. What can I do?
Book: My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student
Published in 2005, Rebekah Nathan's undercover look at college life certainly opened a few eyes. Only being a decade from my own undergrad years, nothing she said was overly surprising. However, as a professor I am a bit appaled by what she found in terms of college life. Like Pledged, this book is a realistic view of today's college students. I think all professors and future professors in the audience should read this, as should anyone with children planning on college. Very interesting!
Television: Reaper
This is my favorite of the new tv shows. (I have a couple more good ones I'll be discussing in coming weeks.) This show makes me laugh out loud every episode and that rarely happens. In case you haven't watched, Sam's (Bret Harrison) parents sold his sold to the Devil (Ray Wise). On his 21st birthday, the Devil comes to collect and makes Sam his own personal soul bounty hunter. Aided by his friends, Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez), Sam goes after a baddie a week. The repetition of this plot is inconsequential as it is the witty repartee between Sam and his friends that makes the show worth watching. Kevin Smith - genius of all things pop culturey - is a consultant on this show, which is what makes the show so watchable. Tune in Tuesday nights at 9 (on the CW) if you haven't already. Don't worry, you haven't missed any major plot points, just some very funny stuff. (Sock and the dog in the first ep was priceless. I am smiling just thinking about it.)
Film: Apocalypto
This film has kept me thinking for weeks now, so I figured I should put it on the list. If nothing else, it will, I'm sure, garner plenty of discussion. Truth be told, the story is weak and predictable. Why is it here? As usual, Mel Gibson proves that behind the camera he has an eye for framing. There are shots here that still boggle my mind. The most impressive one has Mayan slaves digging in sand/dust. One slave in particular is covered in the dust and then proceeds to vomit blood. The imagery of dark skin, white dust, and blood is really amazing. And it's scenes like this one that kept me watching even after the story began boring me. (Which was about 10 minutes into the film.) I'm no longer such a big fan of Gibson - as a human being he's rather low on my totem pole - but, like Leni Reifenstahl - who is surely spending eternity in the 10th circle of Hell - he knows his craft. What can I do?
Book: My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student
Published in 2005, Rebekah Nathan's undercover look at college life certainly opened a few eyes. Only being a decade from my own undergrad years, nothing she said was overly surprising. However, as a professor I am a bit appaled by what she found in terms of college life. Like Pledged, this book is a realistic view of today's college students. I think all professors and future professors in the audience should read this, as should anyone with children planning on college. Very interesting!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
