Musician Josh Ritter of Moscow, Idaho published his second novel almost fifteen weeks ago, on September 7th. The coming-of-age novel of a young boy’s experience during the last days of the lumberjacks looks back on a legacy left by a deceased father and the men, women, lifestyle and woods that offered Weldon Applegate the life he would share as part of the novel titled The Great Glorious Goddamn of it All.
(Josh Ritter wrote The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All, a novel released on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021).
Weldon Applegate narrates his own story as a ninety-nine years-of-age, looking back to a time following the loss of his father in a lumberjacking accident in what I take to be northern Idaho. Applegate was young, without the presence of a mother, as an approximately thirteen-year-old with a team of lumberjacks working a harsh plot of land for logging. The adventures of his ancestors, back multiple generations preceding his father, were fresh in Weldon’s mind when confronting the need to age into manhood on the spot.
(The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All by Josh Ritter was first released fifteen weeks ago tomorrow).
The going was rugged, the lumberjacks with their saloon life was disappearing, and the ability or desire for something else was just not in the story for Weldon. The story Weldon did have included some degree of aid intermixed with a large helping of rivals that, while difficult in the moment, formed the man we heard from more than 80-years later when he was looking back on life. The idea of rivalry, and the depths of where the rivalry took Weldon Applegate, shine through the pages with engaging detail.
(To date, Josh Ritter has published two novels. The first novel, Bright’s Passage, was released on June 28th, 2011).
The detail of description of relationships in helping to form the man that Weldon Applegate was becoming, and had become in old age, demonstrated a tough son of a gun with a bit of a hard-earned ornery streak. I found the exposition of the storytelling engaging. The people inhabiting Weldon’s past and present were salt-of-the-earth types that feel relatable, which helps The Great Glorious Goddamn of it All work. The lyrical nature of the novel’s language works for me. I grant The Great Glorious Goddamn of it All by Josh Ritter 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
The interesting and gentle play of language introduces itself with today’s look into another movie for the Christmas season. The jolly and benevolent secular belief in good cheer and companionship in the United States, offers the image of Santa Claus. In offering a unique means to explore the patron of Christmas sometimes called Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Père Noël and others, The Santa Clause (1994) introduces a clever contractual twist for a divorced father again believing in the spirit of Christmas by becoming Santa Claus.
(From left, Eric Lloyd as Charlie Calvin and Tim Allen as Scott Calvin / Santa Claus in the John Pasquin movie The Santa Clause).
John Pasquin directed The Santa Clause, which stars Tim Allen as divorced father and businessman Scott Calvin. We meet Calvin as having led a toy company in what presumably had been another successful year, yet trouble is afoot in his relationship with his son, Charlie Calvin, and Charlie’s other parents. Eric Lloyd portrayed Charlie Calvin. Wendy Crewson portrayed Laura Miller, Charlie’s biological mother. Laura is married to Dr. Neal Miller, portrayed by Judge Reinhold.
(From left, Judge Reinhold as Dr. Neal Miller and Wendy Crewson as Laura Miller in the John Pasquin movie The Santa Clause).
A large degree of cuteness ensues from these fundamental relationships, including an accident that has provides the path that introduces the Santa clause. As this wrinkle is not enough, the clause coincides with Charlie’s enhanced belief in the spirit of Christmas as well as the magnanimous nature of his father, Scott Calvin. The belief in the spirit of the holiday, as well as each other, asks many questions geared at affirming beliefs in the people and other aspects of healthy belief.
(From left, David Krumholtz as Bernard the Head Elf and Paige Tamada as Judy the Elf in the John Pasquin movie The Santa Clause).
The sense of adventure through The Santa Clause strikes a pleasant feeling of cuteness. The path to believing in the notion of Scott Calvin having been and continuing to be Santa Claus is supported by Bernard the Head Elf, Judy the Elf and Comet the reindeer. David Krumholtz and Paige Tamada portrayed Bernard the Head Elf and Judy the Elf, respectively. Frank Welker and Kerrigan Mahan voiced the reindeer.
(From left, Peter Boyle as Mr. Whittle and Larry Brandenburg as Detective Nunzio in the John Pasquin movie The Santa Clause).
The storyline includes several redeeming messages intermingled among challenges. The Santa Clause feels family friendly and cute, in addition to including an original premise that sustains the storyline cutely. I grant The Santa Clause as directed by John Pasquin 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
A pair of radio stations where I live have been playing Christmas music through the month of December. The station that tends to play more contemporary music has included music from The Christmas Album (1993) by David Foster among its more commonly featured songs. As it is the season for such songs, let us look more closely into the dozen songs that comprise this album.
(The Christmas Album by David Foster with friends was released in 1993).
Carol of the Bells opens the 12-songs of The Christmas Album with an uplifting and melodious rendition of this traditional song. Mixing horns, piano and an orchestral mix meaningful to many, the joy that comes in less than three-minutes of playing time is beloved by many. This song, incidentally, receives the heaviest play of any song from this album with my local station.
(The Christmas Album featuring David Foster and friends was released in 1993).
Blue Christmas features Wynonna Judd singing to the instrumentation offered by David Foster. A rendition of this song also accompanied David Foster’s Christmas Album television special, which accounts for the following image. The rendition of the song selected here comes from the album rather than the television special.
(Wynonna Judd accompanies David Foster by singing Blue Christmas from David Foster’s Christmas Album television special).
Bebe Winans and Cece Winans are featured accompanying David Foster with The First Noel. The contemporary sound with support from a chorus and a broad accompaniment of other musicians offer a warm, welcoming and full sound commensurate with the underlying lyrics and music offered. The song offered is from the album, whereas the image is from the television special.
(From left, David Foster, Bebe Winans and Cece Winans performing The First Noel).
Johnny Mathis joins David Foster in performing It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. The enthusiastic time offers an uplifting spirit to a traditional composition known to many through more commonly played alternative renditions of this song.
(Johnny Mathis accompanies David Foster by singing The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. This image is from David Foster’s Christmas Album television special while the rendition linked above is from The Christmas Album).
Natalie Cole joins David Foster in offering Grown-Up Christmas List. Compositional credit for the song belongs with David Foster and Linda Thompson-Jenner. The fresh perspective in offering a new sentiment for the holidays with quality musicianship is heartwarming with a sense of calm.
(Natalie Cole accompanies David Foster by singing Grown-Up Christmas List from The Christmas Album. This image is from David Foster’s Christmas Album television special).
(Vanessa Williams accompanies David Foster by singing Go Tell It on the Mountain / Mary Had a Baby. The version linked below is taken from an album published by Williams).
Vanessa Williams sings a powerful medley of Go Tell It on the Mountain / Mary Had a Baby with a choir and David Foster, as featured on The Christmas Album, in David Foster’s Christmas Album television special, and in albums published separately by Williams. In staking out something truly their own in a musical arrangement offering many things, call me intrigued and moved.
(From left, Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack performing I’ll Be Home for Christmas. The image shown is from David Foster’s Christmas Album television special).
I’ll Be Home for Christmas features Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack with musical assistance from David Foster. The mellow feeling of the presentation, taken from The Christmas Album as linked above, offers compositional direction changes at various points in the presentation that offer interesting and warm feelings to my hearing.
(Tom Jones performing Mary’s Boy Child from David Foster’s Christmas Album television special).
Tom Jones sang to Mary’s Boy Child. The linked soundtrack to a ballad with choir harmonies bordering on the up-tempo style of many of the standards of Tom Jones, with a distinct timing difference to the song that comes next on The Christmas Album.
(From left, Céline Dion and David Foster perform The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)).
Céline Dion sings The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) to David Foster‘s piano, set in a distinctly higher key to much of the catalogue offered by The Christmas Album before this song. The juxtaposition of the Peebo Bryson and Roberta Flack duet followed in sequence by Tom Jones and Céline Dion also feels wisely selected to me.
Tammy Wynette sings and speaks Away in a Manger. The orchestration and production value of the song strikes me as more endearing.
The song White Christmas as captured on the album is credited in performance to David Foster, Natalie Cole, Michael Crawford, Wynonna Judd, Johnny Mathis, Bebe Wians and Cece Wians. I distinctly heard Vanessa Williams, Peebo Bryson, Roberta Flack, Tom Jones, Céline Dion and David Foster singing as well.
(From left, James Stewart as Alfred Kralik and Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak in the Ernst Lubitsch movie The Shop Around the Corner).
Klara Novak and Alfred Kralik are introduced to us as a new and a tenured employee of a store owned by Hugo Matuschek named Matuschek and Company. Klara and Alfred have clearly different sensibilities for how best to help Hugo choose merchandise and operate his store, which spills over to their relationship over time at the store. Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan star as Klara Novak, Alfred Kralik and Hugo Matuschek, respectively.
(Frank Morgan as Hugo Matuschek in the Ernst Lubitsch movie The Shop Around the Corner).
A series of supporting salespeople, delivery staff and others support the operation. The staff includes Pirovitch, a family man portrayed by Felix Bressart, womanizer Ferencz Vadas, as portrayed by Joseph Schildkraut, saleswoman Ilona Novotny as portrayed by Inez Courtney, clerk Flora Kaczek as portrayed by Sara Haden and the precocious yet ambitious delivery boy Pepi Katona, as portrayed by William Tracy.
(From left, Felix Bressart as Pirovitch and William Tracy as Pepi Katona in the Ernst Lubitsch movie The Shop Around the Corner).
The groundwork for the film begins with the established protocols of the store along with a difference of opinion over the selling of cigarette boxes, which is the occasion of Klara Novak and Alfred Kralik unwittingly coming into conflict. That Alfred and Klara secretly are falling for one another as anonymous love interests through the mail leads to a significant segment of the romantic comedy of the film. That the cigarette boxes cause turmoil between Kralik and Hugo Matuschek calls a secure working arrangement for Kralik into doubt.
(From left, Joseph Schildkraut as Ferencz Vadas and James Stewart as Alfred Kralik in the Ernst Lubitsch movie The Shop Around the Corner).
A serious complication within the operation of the store takes the disagreement between Kralik and Matuschek down a path that rearranges the dramatic turns of the movie into a more uplifting turn for Alfred Kralik. Kralik satisfyingly gets to decide the fate of a distasteful member of the staff while also getting to exert additional influence over the fate of the store as well as his budding romance. Pepi Katona earns the right to shine for a moment in the growing optimism of shifting fortune.
(From left, Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak and James Stewart as Alfred Kralik in the Ernst Lubitsch movie The Shop Around the Corner).
An uplifting romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Christmas simply must come to resolution on the night before Christmas. The store sees a positive under the guidance of Alfred Kralik. Klara Novak and Alfred Kralik take the moment to see through some firmly difficult interpersonal views to speak the truth to one another. Happiness comes through the other side of a story that sees fit to invite doubts and obstacles to keep what feels right from fruition.
(From left, actress Margaret Sullavan, director Ernst Lubitsch and actor James Stewart on the set of the Ernst Lubitsch movie The Shop Around the Corner).
The movie You’ve Got Mail (1998) borrows from The Shop Around the Corner by using the notion of anonymous correspondence between two people leading to their falling in love being an important plot point. The notion worked in 1940 and largely worked in 1998. The highly satisfying story coupled with highly satisfying performances within The Shop Around the Corner as directed by Ernst Lubitsch leads me to grant the movie 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
(David Zucchino wrote the 2021 Pulitzer Prize winning book Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy).
The Wilmington Coup and Massacre of 1898 occurred in a fashion wherein the “the multiracial … city government of Wilmington, North Carolina, was violently overthrown on November 10, 1898, and as many as 60 Black Americans were killed in a premeditated murder spree that was the culmination of an organized months-long statewide campaign by white supremacists to eliminate African American participation in government and permanently disenfranchise Black citizens of North Carolina” (Encyclopedia Britannica).
(This historical marker in remembrance of the Wilmington Coup and Massacre of 1898 was installed in Wilmington, North Carolina to remember the violence and government overthrow committed in the name of skin color).
In the months leading up to the election of November 1898 in North Carolina, virulent hatred was stirred between predominantly white and black populations. The gains of African Americans in the south with Reconstruction following the American Civil War was not met well with those that lost political, economic and social control following the war. Social stereotypes were used to instigate angry or bitter disagreement spurred in part through “virulent racist propaganda” (Encyclopedia Britannica) perpetuated in large measure by newspapers in Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington. The notion was “to eliminate forever, by ballot or bullet, voting and office-holding by Blacks” (Encyclopedia Britannica) in North Carolina. The means of this were spelled out in Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy.
(Editor Alex Manley‘s Daily Record office was burned in the Wilmington Coup and Massacre of 1898).
The black-owned newspaper The Daily Record in Wilmington was a specific target of the coup and massacre in the build-up and conduct of the rioting that occurred as part of the coup. Alex Manly editorialized for The Daily Record. “In an editorial published August 18, 1898, Manly challenged interracial sexual stereotypes, condemning white men for taking advantage of black women. His assertion that it was no worse for a white woman to be sexually involved with a black man than a black woman to be sexually involved with a white man infuriated conservative local Democrats, who were able to capitalize on white fears of interracial intimacy at the ballot box” (Blackpast.org). This debate fanned negative sentiment against the multi-culturalism across North Carolina and the American south, in addition to putting Manly‘s life at risk.
(The Daily Record newspaper was burned in the Wilmington Coup and Massacre of 1898. This image is used on the cover of David Zucchino‘s 2020 book Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy).
The book itself tells the story of the above with an engaging degree of detail, intrigue, and depth. The information shared goes well beyond the notion of dates and names into identifying motivations, methods and precisely who had something to gain, to lose, and circumstances of both. I was stricken by the use of the media to fan popular opinion against reason, fairness and self-interest with such intensity. The power of group thinking overrode interpersonal motivation and the tendency towards stewardship for many. This is a clear story that David Zucchino captures with Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy.
(David Zucchino wrote Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, which was released in January 2020).
There are many books on the relationships among groups in the United States that you can aim to learn from. It is my feeling that you can do worse than Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino; I grant the book 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
(From left, Henry Fonda as Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero and Vera Miles as Rose Balestrero in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man).
Henry Fonda portrayed Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero, the New York City musician who seeks to borrow money from a life insurance policy for his wife, Rose. Rose Balestrero, who needs dental work in the sum of $300, is portrayed by Vera Miles. It is in the attempt to meet this need that Manny Balestrero is accused of robbery.
(From left, Harold J. Stone as Detective Lieutenant Bowers and Charles Cooper as Detective Matthews in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man).
Detective Lieutenant Bowers and Detective Matthews, as portrayed by Harold J. Stone and Charles Cooper, respectively, are the law enforcement officer of a mind to prove Manny Balestrero guilty. Their heavy-handed procedures offer tension to Balestrero’s case, as we in the audience know him to be clearly innocent of the deeds the detectives have a mind to pin on him.
(From left, Henry Fonda as Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero and Anthony Quayle as attorney Frank O’Connor in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man).
Anthony Quayle portrayed Frank O’Connor, the attorney seeking to aid Manny Balestrero in his defense. With today’s eyes, I struggle with the notion of Balestrero cooperating with many of the activities that police detectives Bowers and Matthews put Manny through in the course of making their case. That these activities were those of a man aiming to cooperate with police make sense, though the notion of presumed guilty until enough baited hooks are fished proved difficult.
(From left, Esther Minciotti as Mama Balestrero and Vera Miles as Rose Balestrero in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man).
While the case against Manny Balestrero was being made and further put to a jury, the emotional well-being of Rose Balestrero deteriorated. The stress of the proceedings coupled with a sense of guilt for needing the dental work that cast suspicion upon her husband initially lands Rose in the hospital. The storytelling of this demise is told rather factually and dispassionately. I would have liked to see more development of the onset of Rose’s depression in this movie, though I can appreciate the understated presence of it nonetheless.
(From left, Henry Fonda as Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero and director Alfred Hitchcock in cameo in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man).
The mistaken identity at the center of The Wrong Man is based in fact. The larger underlying story points for Manny Balestrero, concerning his being investigated as well as taken to trial, also are based in reality. The understated qualities of the film noir storytelling, with the subtext of a string of robberies rather than the murder, make for an interesting combination for this film. While the end result isn’t among my favorite efforts by Alfred Hitchcock, the sum total did work. I grant The Wrong Man as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
It’s not every day that an action and thriller movie is set against the backdrop of a holiday. It has become more common to see moves themed as romances or romantic comedies set against Christmas. The John McTiernan directed Die Hard (1988) managed to mix the action thriller against a Christmas gathering. Today, we look into the happenings at the fictional Nakatomi Plaza.
(Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York City police detective in the John McTiernan movie Die Hard).
Die Hard is set in Los Angeles, where police officer John McClane hopes to reconcile with his wife during a holiday party hosted by the employer of his estranged wife, Holly Gennero-McClane. Bruce Willis portrayed John McClane opposite Bonnie Bedelia‘s portrayal of Holly Gennero-McClane. The employer is Nakatomi Corporation, which is due to be robbed during the very event where John hopes to reconcile with Holly.
(From left, Dennis Hayden as Eddie, Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, the leader of the terrorists and Bonnie Bedelia as Holly Gennero-McClane, a Nakatomi executive and John’s estranged wife in the John McTiernan movie Die Hard).
The movie quickly turns from a from a romantic comedy staged against a Christmas backdrop when the robbers with a violent streak, led by Hans Gruber, present the Nakatomi Plaza with a terrorist plot to rob the Nakatomi Corporation at their plaza, triggering the action thriller that we come to see. Alan Rickman portrayed Hans Gruber. Dennis Hayden portrayed one of Gruber’s henchmen, Eddie.
(From left, Alexander Godunov as Karl, Gruber’s second-in-command and Clarence Gilyard Jr. as Theo, Gruber’s tech specialist in the John McTiernan movie Die Hard).
Clarence Gilyard Jr. and Alexander Godunov serve as a pair of Gruber’s henchmen, portrayed from early in the story of Die Hard in setting the thievery and underlying action in motion. The Los Angeles Police Department joins the response to the plot in motion, supported first by sergeant Al Powell and later by deputy chief Dwayne T. Robinson. Paul Gleason portrayed Robinson as Reginald VelJohnson portrayed Powell.
(From left, Reginald VelJohnson as Al Powell, an LAPD sergeant and Paul Gleason as Dwayne T. Robinson, the LAPD Deputy Chief in the John McTiernan movie Die Hard).
John McClane had arrived at Nakatomi Plaza in a limousine driven by a man named Argyle. Argyle, portrayed by De’voreaux White, agreed to wait for John as he went to reconcile with his wife Holly. He waits on scene as the events of the movie progress, offering humor through miscommunication with McClane accompanied by other opportunities to support the story.
(De’voreaux White as Argyle, John’s limousine driver in John McTiernan‘s Die Hard).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) plays a part in seeking to respond to the terrorist robbery plot of the movie, offering a jurisdictional power play with the Los Angeles Police Department that was the first formally requested responding agency on scene. FBI actions geared at ending the plot actually advance the plot, with the actions of Argyle, Al Powell and John McClane each championing a decisive under current that is championed throughout Die Hard. Grand L. Bush portrayed FBI Special Agent Little Johnson as Robert Davi portrayed FBI Special Agent Big Johnson in the movie.
(From left, actor Grand L. Bush, Director John McTiernan and actor Robert Davi on the set of the John McTiernan movie Die Hard).
The central appeal for the movie Die Hard is first and foremost the action, intrigue and thriller qualities of the story. The compelling undercurrent of humor juxtaposed against incompetence as roadblocks to the central robbery succeeding or failing, both externally to stopping the robbery and internally to the stealing, add substantially to what works well. I grant Die Hard as directed by John McTiernan 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
The season of holidays that mark the end of fall and the beginning of winter have begun for those of us living north of the equator. The adventure and comedy movie that marks a notion of Christmas in an endearing and animated sense is our focus in bringing you this touchpoint for the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express (2004).
(From left, Hero Boy as portrayed by Tom Hanks, Josh Hutcherson and Daryl Sabara, Hero Girl as portrayed by Nona Gaye, Chantel Valdivieso, Meagan Moore and Tinashe, and Billy the Lonely Boy as portrayed by Peter Scolari, Hayden McFarland, Jimmy Bennett and Matt Hall in the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express).
The adventure of The Polar Express centers around the experience of finding joy in the notion of Christmas, as told primarily from the perspective of children, with three children earning the primary focus. The role of Hero Boy is filled primarily by Tom Hanks, with Josh Hutcherson and Daryl Sabara also supporting voicing and animation efforts. Hero Boy becomes a close friend with Hero Girl, portrayed by Nona Gaye, Chantel Valdivieso, Meagan Moore and Tinashe. Hero Boy and Hero Girl take special care of Billy the Lonely Boy throughout the movie, as portrayed by Peter Scolari, Hayden McFarland, Jimmy Bennett and Matt Hall.
(Know-It-All as portrayed by Eddie Deezen and Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak in the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express).
Know-It-All offers a belief in the notion of Santa Claus and Christmas through the film, yet offers a delightfully ornery take on friendship and knowledge sharing that offers a comic relief through the film. Eddie Deezen and Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak portrayed Know-It-All throughout The Polar Express. The adults offering the message of belief throughout, with this character present to foil the mood, was a welcome touch.
(Conductor was one of six characters portrayed by Tom Hanks in the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express).
The character Conductor keeps much of the larger experience of The Polar Express together. He pulls in with the train bearing the name of the movie to the towns in Michigan, headed to the North Pole for a visit to see Santa Claus. The introduction of Hero Boy and Billy the Lonely Boy offer a charm that begins much of the enchantment that is to come.
(Hobo was another of six characters portrayed by Tom Hanks in the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express).
The festive set of refreshments, ticket taking and admonitions to safety, wonder and enjoying the journey to the Santa Claus, Hobo presents himself to Hero Boy during his moments of doubt throughout the movie’s metaphorical belief journey. In declaring himself king of the North Pole, Hobo offers the Hero Boy and Hero Girl get a chance to drive the train. We meet Steamer and his assistant Smokey, to the delight and worry of all passengers of the train. Michael Jeter and André Sogliuzzo combined to portray Steamer and Smokey.
(Santa Claus was another of six characters portrayed by Tom Hanks in the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express).
Passing into the arctic circle was a significant event for the journey to see Santa Claus, which was accompanied by further storytelling in the North Pole. Hero Boy, Hero Girl and Billy the Lonely Boy take a journey separate from many of the other travelers aboard the Polar Express. The coveted seeing of Santa, and the opportunity to open the first present of Christmas, are promised to our four main kids. How would this be earned? Would Santa Claus be seen by all the kids? Will the kids believe? All questions of redemption the spirit of staying connected to the innocence just a little bit longer. These questions are answered, and more, come Christmas morning where Hero Boy and we reconnect with Sister Sarah and Hero Boy’s parents. Leslie Zemeckis portrayed Sister Sarah with Isabella Peregrina and Ashly Holloway.
(From left, Sister Sarah as portrayed by Leslie Zemeckis, Isabella Peregrina and Ashly Holloway and Hero Boy as portrayed by Tom Hanks, Josh Hutcherson and Daryl Sabara in the Robert Zemeckis movie The Polar Express).
The charming interplay between character, place, and the corresponding questions of artistic vision made the computer-based animation underlying this film a respectable choice. Maintaining the artistic qualities from the 1985 Chris Van Allsburg book titled The Polar Express, and doing a computer animated approach, is a choice that I personally support. I grant The Polar Express as directed by Robert Zemeckis 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
We turn to writer and director John Hughes with his directorial debut movie. The coming-of-age comedy looks into the experiences of a handful of high school kids, themed around a girl whose family has forgotten to celebrate a girl on her sixteenth birthday. Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall and Michael Shoeffling star in the movie Sixteen Candles (1984).
(From left, Molly Ringwald as Samantha ‘Sam’ Baker and Liane Curtis as Randy in the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles).
Molly Ringwald stars as Samantha ‘Sam’ Baker, whose sixteenth birthday opens with a telephone conversation with her good friend Randy. Liane Curtis portrays Randy, who offers encouragement through the events of a weekend where embarrassing event after embarrassing event greet Sam. The events escalate from forgotten birthday wishes before school to an embarrassing admission, passed during study hall, that falls into the hands of Sam’s secret crush.
(From left, Haviland Morris as Caroline Mulford and Michael Schoeffling as Jake Ryan in the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles).
Michael Shoeffling portrays Jake Ryan, Sam’s older secret crush who has been seeing Caroline Mulford, as portrayed by Haviland Morris. The age difference plays a role in Sam’s reluctance to approach Jake, let alone her unawareness of Jake having read the note and considering a response that would make Sam happy. It is while riding the school bus home that we learn ‘Farmer Ted’, also known as Ted Farmer, is also interested in Sam.
(From left, Anthony Michael Hall as Ted Farmer, John Cusack as Bryce and Darren Harris as Cliff, also known as ‘Wease,’ in the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles).
Anthony Michael Hall portrays Ted Farmer. Farmer Ted either is Sam’s age, or slightly younger. In approaching Sam Baker in multiple awkward and embarrassing ways of his own, he uses trust within his own social group while using self-assurance to connect at separate points with Sam, Jake Ryan and Caroline Mulford. Much of the film’s humor and sweetness gets expressed through situations Farmer bridges. Parallel humor surrounds the character of Long Duk Dong, who bridges separate points in the familial and high school stories expressed within Sixteen Candles.
(From left, Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong and Debbie Pollack as Marlene, also known as ‘Lumberjack’ in the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles).
Gedde Watanabe portrays Long Duk Dong, a foreign exchange student living with one set of Sam Baker’s grandparents. Dong connects with Marlene, as portrayed by Debbie Pollack, at a school dance. Dong’s introduction was intended for a series of promiscuity-based jokes that overlapped with the appearance of Sam Baker’s sister and extended family for what would be the marriage of Ginny Baker, Sam’s sister, the day after Sam’s sixteenth birthday. Blanche Baker portrayed Ginny Baker.
(From left, Blanche Baker as Ginny Baker, Carlin Glynn as Mrs. Brenda Baker and Zelda Rubinstein as Organist in the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles).
The events surrounding Ginny Baker’s wedding, including the family introductions, the ceremony itself and the immediate aftermath offer embarrassments of lighthearted humor for the family, friends and celebrants in attendance. The bringing together of this event as well as the larger movie offer a nice tying together of the movie, if not the knot of marriage itself.
(From left, actress Molly Ringwald, writer/director John Hughes and actor Michael Schoeffling on set of the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles).
The movie Sixteen Candles offered lighthearted comedy in the spirit of coming-of-age comedy. Not all jokes have aged well, yet nothing significantly over-the-top from a gender or culturally mean-spirited perspective, at least to my listening, is a legacy here. The perspective is largely an awkward, teenage one. In this sandbox, the movie is appropriate and appealing. I offer Sixteen Candles as written and directed by John Hughes 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Published in September 2021, Anthony Doerr‘s Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel offers an interesting look into time, place and theme with a single book holding the threads of interpersonal understanding together. The term cloud cuckoo land itself critiques someone as living too much in their own narrow point of view, which helps those considering the parallel narratives bound together in the novel we view today.
(The book Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel pictured next to its author, Anthony Doerr).
The central characters of Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel aim to understand the world around them. First, characters Anna and Omeir appear on opposite sides of the formidable city walls during the 1453 Fall of Constantinople; Constantinople is modern day Istanbul, Turkey. Second, we meet teenage idealist Seymour in an attack on a public library in present day Idaho. Third, we meet Konstance, decades into the future, aboard an interstellar ship bound for an exoplanet. Anna, Omeir, Seymour, and Konstance are dreamers who find hope in the face of danger through their own initiative.
(An alternate cover to Anthony Doerr‘s most recent book, Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel).
A fictional story within Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel inspires the four central characters of the novel. A comedy titled The Birds by Greek dramatist Aristophanes inspires the fictional tale of Aethon, a shepherd longing to be turned into a bird. As a bird, Aethon wishes to fly to a magical land in the clouds without pain and suffering. Within Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel, Doerr attributes the fictional tale is attributed to GreekromanticAntonius Diogenes, a historical figure who would have written the piece roughly 500 to 600 years after the piece that actually inspired Anthony Doerr.
(Anthony Doerr‘s book Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel was released in September, 2021).
Many additional works of classical fiction are incorporated into the larger experiences of the central characters of this novel. The stories of Anna and Omeir overlap in real time, whereas the binding of the characters of rests with the love of Seymour and Konstance find their feet through the literature referenced within Doerr‘s narrative. I found charm in the journeys of the four central characters, each of whom experiences tragedy, grief and loss the almost begs for the escape one might find in a metaphorical cloud cuckoo land; the internally fictional Cloud Cuckoo Land attributed to Antonius Diogenes by Doerr, along with other classical pieces of literature that I will not name here, bring joy to the librarian or literature major alike.
(Anthony Doerr pictured next to his book, Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel).
The payoff for Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel rests in no small extent to the precocious quality of the central characters in coping with their realities. The charm of weaving classical references to other literature in time, both hypothetical and legitimate, adds charm for those well read in classics to pick up allusions made by the author. I grant Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel as written by Anthony Doerr 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.
Matt Lynn Digital 