Carrying the Banner

Is there anything better than a bunch of good-looking guys dancing and singing through the streets of New York City? Hang on, let me ask my Magic 8 Ball. Yep, just as I suspected: "Concentrate and ask again."

Wait, what? Oh yeah, my Magic 8 Ball actually dehydrated and I had to throw it out. Sad day. So, let me answer for it. Is there anything better? My sources say no.

Newsies came out in 1992. I remember this vividly, as I was a twelve year old girl, and things like cute singing and dancing boys stick with you when you're twelve. My sister and I must have seen this movie at least a dozen times in the theater (hooray for the dollar movie!), and to this day we still quote it at appropriate times. (Which is more often than you might think.)

The film is purportedly based on a true story, set during the Hearst/Pulitzer era around the turn of the (last) century, and dealing with issues of child labor. I'm not sure how much of it is really true. My guess is most of it, because everybody knows that's what they do in New York: spontaneously dance and sing in perfect harmony all over the city.

But whatever factual issues there may be (and really, I have no idea what they are, I have never researched it), this movie is fun. Great songs, cute boys, and Christian Bale waaay before he was Batman. And cute boys. Did I mention the cute boys? There are cute boys. (Yes, I'm still twelve years old.) Check it out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And plus, it's a winner! It says so, right on the cover!

(P.S. Make sure you watch the credits all the way through until the backdrop unfreezes. You can thank me later.)

Trifectas

Things in life seem to come in threes. Like, if one bad thing happens in your life, look out, because numbers two and three are probably on the horizon. And I heard on the radio once that celebrities seem to die in triplicate. Then there's math: peanut butter + jelly + bread = three awesome ingredients. And that one Len Barry song. And how could you get to 12 without first starting with "1, 2, 3?" You couldn't, that's how.

And then there's movie trilogies. You've got your Star Wars, your Indiana Jones (because let's be honest here, the fourth one doesn't count), and your Lord of the Rings. All classic, epic adventures.

But don't forget one more classic adventure trilogy: Toy Story.


Go ahead. Make the alien "oooooh!" noise. You know you want to.

The Toy Story series is one of the best film series of all time. And even though 15 years (half my life!---er, I mean, was I even born when the first movie came out?) lapsed between the first and the third installments, the first doesn't feel dated, and the third still feels fresh.

In the first movie, you fall in love with Woody and Buzz and the whole gang. And you really hope that burn mark will come off of Woody's forehead. And you think it's hilarious that Sid wants to ride the pony. And you add a whole bunch of quotable lines to your repertoire. And after watching it, you secretly set up cameras in your room in hopes of catching your toys, you know, at it.

In the second movie, you marvel at the even crisper animation even as you think how disgusting that cheese dust looks on the villain's fingers. You want a Bullseye of your very own, because he's adorable. You stay to the very, very end and learn why they call him Stinky Pete. And you figure that these toys have had a good run from 1995-1999, and you say goodbye, satisfied.

And then, to everyone's surprise and elation, along comes the third movie, eleven years later. And you laugh---you laugh a lot---at Ken, at Mr. Pita Head, at Spanish Buzz, at "Mr. Pricklepants"...and that jellybean stuck to his head. You are terrified by Big Baby on the swing set. (Seriously! Creepiest. Toy. Ever.) You cry a little watching Andy and Bonnie. And if you're anything like me, you're genuinely worried for the welfare of these characters that you have come to know and love.

If I sound a little...over-the-top seriously nostalgically in love with these movies, it's just because I am. They are wonderful in every possible way. I think the middle one is the weakest of the three, and even it is fantastic. There is simply nothing not to love. See these movies, now. And then watch them again and again and again.

And then please don't ever leave your toys in the sandbox. Seems like a rough place, what with all half-melted soldiers and, uh, Lincoln Logs.

Something borrowed, something blue...

In honor of this first post of the New Year, I shall review something...old.

Le Nozze Di Figaro is my favorite opera. Granted, I don't know a whole lot of opera. I blame this on the fact that my very first experience with opera was a terrible production of La Boheme when I was about 13 years old. It was long, it was dull, it was poorly sung, and it had no supertitles, so I was confused, bored, and lost. I determined then and there that opera was not for me, and it was not until many years later when I started pursuing music seriously as a discipline that I discovered that opera is, in fact, kind of awesome. And very fun to sing.

I have a soft spot in my heart for La Nozze, partly because I am familiar with and really like the French play (and its prequel, The Barber of Seville) from my days as a Theatre Studies major, and partly because I saw a fantastic production of it at Utah Opera, but mostly because the first aria I ever sang, "Deh vieni, non tardar," is from this opera. And also, one of my favorite duets that I have ever performed, "Sull'aria," is also from this opera. So, yeah, I like the Mozart.

My dad picked me up a recording of Le Nozze at a library book sale for a dollar. What a shame that nobody was checking this out (and it doesn't look as if anyone ever has, based on the wear and tear---or lack of it---on the booklet and CDs themselves), and what a shame that it was being practically given away...but what a great find for me! Featuring Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as the count, Gundula Janowitz as the countess, Edith Mathis as Susanna, and Hermann Prey as Figaro, this recording, made in 1968, sounds just as great today as I'm sure it did then. Everyone's voices are clear and bright, and the music is flawlessly performed by singers and musicians alike.

One of my favorite things about this recording is how everyone performs their chunks of recitative. Sometimes I'm not wild about the way certain arias are performed; I do think "Deh vieni" is a little lacking in energy and "Sull'aria" drags a bit for my taste, and at times, Ms. Janowitz' vibrato sounds a little constricted to me. But every single recitative is incredibly fun to listen to. Everyone sings their lines with such conversational ease. I don't speak Italian. I'm don't have the libretto memorized. Frankly, it's been a while since I've seen or read it, and I can't remember all the finer points of the plot and dialogue (and it's kind of confusing!). But I feel like I can understand what's going on just by the inflection these wonderful performers give their lines. Recitative can make or break an opera, in my opinion. If the singers don't really know what they're saying or aren't really comfortable with the language, it just becomes laborious and dry. But it's clear that every single one of these performers knows exactly what they're saying and how to say it. It's a joy to listen to.

If you think you don't like opera, give this one a chance. I think you might change your mind. And then see what else your library is selling for a dollar...and give me a call so I can clean them out.

Major nerd alert!

Long ago, I wrote a post about one of the best television shows ever, Firefly. You may or may not have gone out and bought it (you should have). And then you may or may not have seen the feature film, Serenity (you should have). And then, to curb your desire for more, you may or may not have read the comic series, hoping for more answers to some of the questions that never got answered (you should have if you're as nerdy as me, but otherwise I'll let this one slide).

But after doing all these things, you were still left with questions, right? Questions like what the heck is in that syringe of Inara's, anyway? What was on the Shepherd's identity card? How many flavors of protein can there really be? What are the rules to that crazy space basketball game? And were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?

Well, Dark Horse Comics' newest installment, Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, won't answer all of those questions, but---actually, it won't answer any of those questions. But it will give you the background of one of the series' most intriguing and mysterious characters, Shepherd Book.

You can read the whole thing in about ten minutes, and once you do, I suggest you read it again, backwards, because it's written in little chunks that take you backward in time bit by bit, until you find yourself face to face with little pre-pubescent Book. (Aww, isn't he cute?) Some of the story is familiar. Some of it is weird. Some of it is sad. And some of it might make you go, "Wait, what??" But in the end, you'll know more about Shepherd Book than you did before. That's a guarantee.

Whether you'll be satisfied with what you learn or not is not for me to say. When I received this little gem on Christmas day, I read it, then my sister, then my mom, and then my dad. We all had different reactions to it, some of us liking it, some of us not so much. But now we know...at least some of it!

So if you're curious (and what nerd isn't?), I recommend you pick this up for your own nerdy collection. Now let's hope they make one about Inara, because I really do want to know about that syringe! After I learn about protein, of course.

Aaaand we're back.

So it's been 21 months. So sue me.

(Please don't sue me.)

Without further ado, let's hop right on in.

Today, I finally saw Inception. I know, it's about time, right? Pretty sure I'm the last person in the whole entire universe to see this movie. So all of you who have fallen victim to my endlessly annoying shrieks of "Don't talk about that! Don't say anything! I haven't seen it yet!!!" can rest easy. You can talk about it now. You can say things. I've seen it.

However, I blame you all for my general underwhelmed-ness. This is not to say I didn't like it (all of you who think I didn't like The Sixth Sense because I figured it out right away, I'm looking at you). I did like it. But it was over-hyped for me. The way you all talk about it, it's like this movie is completely revolutionary. It will do for entertainment what sliced bread did for sandwiches, what microwaves did for popcorn, what an inflatable David Hasselhoff did for my video collection (don't ask). And yeah, it was pretty good. But it wasn't that good.

It's not like the ideas being explored here are new. Anyone seen What Dreams May Come or The Cell? Both creepy. Both not about what Inception is about. But both exploring similar themes and ideas. This isn't new territory for Hollywood.

Inception is well made, and for the first time in, well, ever, I can say that I didn't hate Leonardo DiCaprio. (See that? I even wrote his name correctly! For those of you who know me well, that alone is proof!) And it is interesting, and it does raise some interesting questions. But it didn't blow my mind. I don't feel the need to see it again and again for endless analysis. Frankly, I don't think there's that much to analyze. It was a fun popcorn movie for an afternoon. And anyone who's seen my video collection knows that I love my popcorn movies. I'm just sayin', y'all oversold it. So knock it off, in case there's someone else out there who still hasn't seen it. They'll like it more without knowing what you think.

Woe, Woe Unto the Blog

Yes, I have been neglecting this blog. Neglecting it like it's a red-headed stepchild. Neglecting it like the limp, greyish-green broccoli on the side of my plate. Neglecting it like my homework.

And I gotta be honest, I'm probably not going to un-neglect it any time soon. I'm very sorry.

But here's the good news (?): I'm not going to delete it. I thought about it---thought about it long and hard (and then realized that thinking about it constituted a breach of my neglectful behavior and promptly stopped)---but I've decided to let it hang out cyberspace for a bit longer. Hopefully, one day I'll get back to it. In fact, I promise to do so one day. Just not one day soon. I'd say that some time after June 7 is a good bet.

So, you know, keep checking. Because eventually I'll resume my snarkastic reviewing ways and tell you what you should like and dislike. Until then, I must stop neglecting those other things. Except the broccoli. That's just nasty.

Meh.

I like young adult fiction in general. It tends to be lightweight and easy to read, and it's usually pretty entertaining to boot.

Scott Westerfeld's Ugliesmeets two of those criteria: it's lightweight and easy to read. But it's not so much with the entertaining.

Oh, it starts off well enough. Tally, the main character, lives in a post-apocalyptic future where everything is just peachy. People learned from the mistakes of the "Rusties," the generations of the past that cut down too many trees and used too much raw material to build cities and basically robbed the land blind. So we've got the Environmental Message coming through loud and clear.

Then there's also the fact that in this society, your life is divided into neat little stages: you are born and grow up with your parents as a "Littlie" in the suburbs until age 12, at which point you become an "Ugly" and are shipped off to Uglyville. When you turn 16, you receive an operation that turns you into a "Pretty," and you get to party all day every day in New Pretty Town. As you age, you'll have another operation when you are a "Middle Pretty" and choose a career, and eventually, when you're really old, you'll become a "Crumbly" and move to Crumblyville. It's just the way it's done, and everyone's happy with it.

Almost everyone, of course. There has to be some drama, right? The central question is, then, why do we have to look/act/think/be like everyone else? What about our individual faces/thoughts/bodies/actions? So then we've got the Everyone Is Beautiful In Their Own Way Message (also known as the I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, And Doggone It, People Like Me Message).

Both of these messages are fine, really. But my goodness, could they be any more obvious? I think not. Even for the teen set, for whom this book is intended, I think it's a bit overly didactic.

I could forgive that, though, if it reached any kind of conclusion. It doesn't. It's the cheapest way ever to get people to read your sequels: don't end. At all. No kidding---by the time this book "ends"--and I use that term very loosely--not one single complication that has been brought up throughout the story has been resolved. Not. One. This made me feel like all 425 pages had been The Longest Setup Ever for the next book, and I think that's a cheap trick.

In the end, I just didn't care enough about anyone to make me want to continue--and I'd had enough Very Important Messages. Maybe you'll feel differently.