Bridge to Terabithia

The kids that I baby sit on occasion once told me about Bridge to Terabithia. They mentioned that they considered it a “bad movie, Hannah, bad movie.” They also gave away the ending.

So, naturally, when I got home, I asked Mom to put it on Netflix. It came yesterday and we watched it today.

I shall attempt to outline the basic plot without giving anything away: Jess Aarons is a poor, lonely farming boy. At home he has to work hard and is neglected while his four sisters receive what attention his parents can spare from their financial problems. At school he is the favorite target of the school bullies. Jess’ only escape is through his drawings…until he is befriended by Leslie Burke, the new girl at his school. Vibrant, imaginative and different, Leslie is also a target for the bullies.

Together, Leslie and Jess create the magical land of Terabithia—a simple forest to those who choose not to use their imaginations. Through their imaginings, the pair learn to deal with the problems in their life.

It is a really good movie; I highly recommend it. However, as I got in trouble for not warning my parents, I’ll warn you now: keep a tissue nearby. Or a whole stack of them.

 

Neverwas

One thing I have often noticed in my life is that I am drawn to two different kinds of basically anything that can be defined as a noun: person, place, thing or idea. One is BIG, important sounding, having an air of authority (real or presumed) and possessing great charisma. I like these people, places, things and ideas. I talk about them a lot.

The other, which I ultimately respect more, is quiet and understated. These people, places, things and ideas do not have much–if any–advertising: they speak for themselves and their eloquence is not less powerful for not being repeated elsewhere. These are the stories, ideas, objects and art that I really love; the people I truly want to be like.

One movie that rather defines the second category is Neverwas, my favorite movie of all time.

Neverwas is also the movie that you simply can’t review. The power of this film is being experienced, being lived with no idea what comes next. Further viewings deepen your respect for it, draws your attention to the subtle details (at least, it did for me); but it really needs that first viewing.

If you are going to watch it, my advice is don’t look it up online. Don’t read the reviews or the ratings. Just watch it. It is probably too intense for young children, but there are no scenes you will need to fast-forward on account of skin or violence.

What I will say is that this is a movie that will break your heart and put it back together somewhat wiser than it was before.

 

A Lot of Smallville This Way Comes

Warning: I am “current” on the TV show Smallville and there are probably a few spoilers below that reflect that.

Of my own free will I do solemnly admit that I am a Smallville fanatic. There are many shows that I enjoy: The Pretender, all Star Treks, Alias, Lois and Clark, Cold Case, Numb3rs; but only Smallvillecan get me so excited that I need to write such a lengthy post.

It started back in 2001. As a family we had watched the show about young Superman for a season and a half when it first aired before the run of especially freaky freak of the week’s began to dull our interest. So, we stopped watching after the season 2 episode “Visage”. A few years passed, without anything to bring Smallville back to our attention. And then, in 2006, we were flipping through channels and caught the first two episodes of season 6 (“Zod” and “Sneeze”) on reruns. I immediately fell in love with the new Kryptonian elements and the character of Lois Lane (who, by the way, I mistakenly thought was Clark’s girlfriend even before I heard her name mentioned). I wanted to start watching again right away, but Dad said we should wait until we could re-watch the entire series on Netflix; after we finished our Star Trek marathon. Summer of  ‘08, Smallville started coming in the mail. We got the shock of our lives when the very next episode right after we stopped watching proved to be the start of a spectacular story arc, one that had the whole family engrossed. Talk about irony.

We continued to watch Smallville via Netflix until the season 4 finale; at which point we looked at each other, looked at the “To Be Continued” and of one accord went off to town to buy seasons 1-6 on DVD. Much to my extreme annoyance, season 7 wasn’t released on DVD until the week before season 8 premiered. I did my best, truly I did, but even so by the time we had finished 7, 8 was already about 1/3 of the way through. I had to wait. I even managed to wait somewhat patiently.

On August 25, 2009, season 8 of Smallville was released to DVD and this year, I wasn’t taking any chances whatsoever. We finished watching all 22 episodes on Monday, with 2 and 1/2 weeks to spare before season 9 airs on TV; and what’s more, we are watching it–poor reception and uncertain audio not withstanding. If the ratings aren’t high enough to do season 10, it will not be my fault!

So, what is it about Smallville that I love so much?

Well, a lot of it has to do with the way Tom Welling plays Clark (the perpetual Lana-angst aside) and how the writers and producers have set up the character’s Kryptonian heritage. Stories about orphans discovering their heritage and lineage have always struck a chord with me. (I don’t know why, seeing as how I’m not an orphan and have a very clear idea of where I have come from.) It just made more sense to me that Clark would visibly struggle, first with the mystery and then with the truth, about his alien lineage than for it just to be part of the background, like it was in Lois and Clark. His “superhero” status is of course a main part of “Superman” but really it’s that lineage story that fascinates me—and that is what a large focus of Smallville is about. 

I know a lot of the fans are upset that even after 8 seasons, Clark hasn’t become “Superman”. But I have always thought that the “Superman” that Smallville is leading up to is more than blue spandex, red undies on the outside and a cape–it is more representative of a balance between his destiny and daily life; a balance that Smallville Clark has yet to achieve. Truth is: he’s already a “super hero” through his “Red/Blue Blur” role. What he has yet to learn is how to balance out both sides of his life. Clark has made great progress towards that balance from his “human side” in season 8 and the reason I’m so excited about season 9 is because it sounds like he is going to come closer to that balance from the other side of the coin this year.

And then, of course, there is Lois Lane who is so…Lois. The interaction between Smallville Lois and Clark reminds me very much of my favorite literary romances: Elizabeth and Darcy of Pride and Prejudice, Sir Gareth and Lady Linnet of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, and Shasta/Cor and Aravis of The Horse And His Boy. Needless to say, whenever Lois an Clark are in a scene together, I’m hooked.

So, now after saying all that good stuff about Smallville, for the sake of objectivity I shall now admit the bad: there are parts of the show that I don’t like. For one thing, the morals have gone down a bit now that the Smallville High days are over.

Another is the character of Lana Lang for the simple reason that she was very reactionary. She hardly ever made decisions for herself; she waited until she was backed into a corner, and even then she usually took the easy way out. Also the Lana-Clark rollercoaster/train wreck of a relationship got old pretty quickly, but it just kept coming back.

 So, what’s a Smallville-obsessed girl to do for 2 weeks while waiting for season 9? Re-watch seasons 1 through 8 “The Best Of” style? Haunt the Smallville wikiadespite a stated intention to go spoiler free? I believe I am driving my family slightly loony with my impatience, and the Smallville message boards aren’t exactly of the highest quality: people there can get really vicious on there really quickly. Then, Friday, a wonderful thing happened. NarniaWeb opened a Smallville Special Feature. If it follows the normal pattern of special features, it should run for two weeks–ending right as season 9 starts. I am in bliss.

 

A Great Find

Apparently I’ve been bitten by the reviewing bug. Odd, considering I just named a category “The Rare Review”! I assure you, they usually are. Rare, that is.

I’m actually a pretty big Star Wars fan. More precisely, I’m a big Original Trilogy fan. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Prequel Trilogy; I even love parts of it. But for me, Star Wars is and will always be the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia. The simple good vs. evil fairy tale-esque story is so refreshing to be swept away in.

Any rate, as a self-confessed Star Wars fan, I like to visit this Star Wars site. There  are a lot of intelligent, well-articulated people on there whose thoughts and observations often leave me doing some hard thinking.

Today I found a really good entry, discussing the subtle difference between kids wanting to be Luke Skywalker and kids wanting to be Anakin Skywalker. Here’s the link. It reminds of something Mom said back in ‘99 after The Phantom Menace came out.

You’ll have to forgive me if I myself am not so well articulated today. I have spent the day helping Dad put in my floor and the only thing that is preventing me from face-planting on my keyboard is the elbow I have propped between the two.

 

Fairy Tale Novels by Regina Doman

I first became aware of Regina Doman and her Fairy Tale Novels through fellow blogger Elenatintil, whom I found on NarniaWeb.

Authored by Catholic home-schooling mother Regina Doman, the Fairy Tale Novels are a series of books that take classic fairy tales and retell them in a modern setting. Currently there are 4: The Shadow of the Bear (Snow White and Rose Red), Black As Night (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Waking Rose (Sleeping Beauty) and The Midnight Dancers (the Twelve Dancing Princesses). The latter has yet to make it to my bookshelf, by the way. 

The Shadow of the Bear, Black As Night and Waking Rose follow the lives of two sisters, Blanche and Rose Brier. The first book splits the focus pretty evenly between the two sisters; however Black As Night is solely Blanche’s story as Waking Rose is Rose’s.

Pros

I enjoyed these books. While not absolutely astounding pieces of literature, they were enjoyable, good reads; definitely worth the money spent on them. Doman has a good grasp of character and a talent for making situations feel real. In particular, I loved Fish/Benedict Denniston. Now there is a character after my own heart: a slightly sarcastic fellow with a quick-fire wit and a tongue to express it.

One of the greatest things about these books is the wholesome worldview they present. The characters and author insist upon the beauty of living your life for God. Morality isn’t stifling and holiness isn’t drab.

Cons

While I enjoyed these books, I did find a few areas where I thought they were lacking.

1. Important parts of the fairy tales skipped over
2. “Catholic”, not “Christian”

1. The fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red”, has many themes. One is compatibility in companionship: a theme that is very well expressed in The Shadow of the Bear. But there are other themes, themes that got left behind. In the fairy tale, the girls live in the forest where they know every creature, every flower. They are comfortable in their environment; they wander where they please, taking no thought for their safety, because they know nothing will harm them. Even Snow White, the shy and quiet sister has no fear of the forest or the inhabitants.

In The Shadow of the Bear, the girls are new arrivals to the city. They have few or no friends, and Blanche is anything but comfortable with her environment.

There are, of course, many lessons to be learned from those who are adjusting to their environment. But they are not the lessons of this fairy tale.

Also, the encounters with the “dwarf” (a major part of the original fairy tale) felt like it was squeezed in.

I had the same trouble with Waking Rose. It just didn’t feel like Sleeping Beauty.

One of the reasons Black As Night was my favorite out of the three was that it truly was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs retold in the modern world. All the major points of the fairy tale were represented, and several quiet nods to the source material peppered the background.

2. The biggest trouble I had with the fairy tale novels is that the characters and worldview are defined as “Catholic”. Not once in the first three books is the word “Christian” used. It’s always “Catholic”. Is the wholesome outlook Doman presents Catholic, or is it Christian?

Oh, I call myself Presbyterian, and I am, fiercely and completely. But Presbyterian comes after and only after Christian. The “Christian” part defines my life, and is my worldview. “Presbyterian” is for those little details, which sometimes give more trouble than the big, important ones. To me, acknowledging our unity in the redeeming blood of Christ seems like it ought to come first, before we proclaim our allegiance to a particular branch of the visible church. 

 I am planning on getting The Midnight Dancers when I get a spare $25, and Alex O’Donnell and the 40 Hackers when it comes out. And I would love to see Doman write something in a different genre, outside of her comfort zone.

 

The Latest Star Trek

Something I wrote a month ago but forgot to publish.

I am a Trekkie by association. The rest of my family is big on Star Trek, and so I am as well. Mom loves Voyager, Dad likes Q and the battles (he got into big trouble for watching Star Trek the night that MA was born instead of attending to his wife) and MA goes for the science, ship designs and the science. I like the way the Star Trek franchise  addresses social issues and character interaction are pretty great too.

I am also a J.J. Abrams fan by association. (Mom can get really defensive over her Alias.) I like how character-driven Abrams’ stories are.

So, when the news came out that J.J. Abrams was going to direct the next Star Trek, I was thrilled.  

Now, on to the movie: I liked it. I really liked it. I liked well enough to see it two times in three days and still want to see it again. Yes, it was different than the other Star Treks and more action-driven, but it was fresh, good in and of itself and still retained that Star Trek flavor.

I have to admit, the Original Series is probably my least favorite…and it isn’t because I don’t like the characters, or that I can’t see past the 60’s special effects. It’s just that I’m not too fond of William Shatner’s Kirk (no offense to Mr. Shatner, the writers or people who do like him). He always struck me as a melodramatic womanizer.

Chris Pine did a fantastic job as the new Kirk. He’s still somewhat of a womanizer, very much of a rascal…but it’s rather hard to be melodramatic when everybody is lining up to beat your face in.

If you haven’t gone to see it yet, it’s worth the money. I’m still want to go see it again…before it comes out on DVD.

I also can’t wait for the sequel!