History Rocks!

Okay folks, I'll be out of town next weekend so this posting will have to hold you for two whole weeks. I'm sure you'll manage just fine.

Film: John Adams
This mini-series should probably be in the television category, but it felt more like a film than a mini-series to me. If you haven't already seen HBO's homage to Adams, go out and rent it. First, Adams is now my favorite founding father. Without him, Washington and Jefferson would have been minor footnotes in history. I have long admired the relationship between John and Abigail and this film just enhanced that admiration. This film is a poignant, mostly honest, and loving story of a man who refused to give in and lived life doing what he thought was right for a country he loved. Do these actions make him a great man? Yes and no. He gave up a lot of family time for his country and that caused some deep divides with his children. But the film makes me glad that our young country had such a good man at its helm. This film would not be what it is without the casting of Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as John and Abigail. These two character actors always shine and never so much as the second presidential couple. Giamatti shows every emotion Adams went through in his 90 years. Linney excels at portraying the love and frustration Abigail must have felt for her husband. The rest of the cast is also excellent. I was especially impressed with Stephen Dillane (who is new to me although not to the profession) as Thomas Jefferson and David Morse (another awesome character actor) as General Washington. And yes, that is Sarah Stanley from Avonlea all growed up as Abigail "Nabby" Adams. And can I just say that I am most happy that I live in the age of anesthesia.

Television Recap: Pushing Daisies
This quirky, witty show ended up being my favorite from last season. I anxiously awaited its return. I am happy to say that the quirkiness and wittiness of the show remain. It's fast-paced and fun to watch. The narrator is still a lovely story-telling element without being overbearing. The look of the show is just lovely. The color and mix between the style of the 1950s and today works to the show's advantage. Kristen Chenoweth is perhaps my favorite of the ensemble cast, but that is not to say that the remainder of the cast isn't excellent. In fact, I think it is the ensemble element that gives this show my thumbs up.

Book: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Lisa See's book about two friends in 18th-century China may be one of the most moving stories I've read in awhile. The book begins right before Snow Flower and Lily become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. (Meaning they are best, best, best friends forever.) It follows the girls through their foot binding, engagements, marriages, children, tragedies, and sitting still times. Readers know right from the first pages that something will happen between Snow Flower and Lily, but they cannot imagine what. When the break-up comes, it is sad and unexpected despite the earlier warnings. Nothing may be so sad about this book as the effects of foot binding. From Lily's toes as they break to her three-day-long trek through the mountains, readers will feel every pain in her foot as she does. The only thing that is sadder is the place of women in Chinese society in that era. The desperation Lily and Snow Flower feel when they cannot get pregnant and the worries that they have waiting for the birth of a son will make you glad we live in an era where a woman's worth is not measured by the size of her feet or the fertility of her womb. If you want to read a historically-correct tale of what it was like to be a young girl in China, this is the story to read.