Atlanta: 2012

As always, Atlanta is a seductive mistress.  I have never gone to visit my sister and not had a passing thought about moving to the city.  It could be the fluffy white dog that refuses to wake up to an alarm clock and snuggles harder into the crook of your arm.  It could be the slightly warmer weather, no matter what time of year I visit, and being able to walk to most destinations.  It could be the social network of friends that my sister has and how they are always so welcoming when I visit.  It could be the Flying Biscuit.

But really, I think it's being able to stay up late talking to my sister about whatever thought enters our heads at midnight.  Receiving a gift that only has meaning for us.  Having the not so quiet time in the car when we're singing to our favorite old and new pop songs.  Or baking a cake that turns out a little less than perfect.  It's missing out on these moments together, from the mundane activities like washing dishes to the more exciting stuff like hiking Stone Mountain, that make the idea of moving to Atlanta so appealing.

I always have a hard time after a visit.  Whether it's her visiting Maryland, me visiting Atlanta, or going on Family Vacation in North Carolina.  The day before we're ready to leave and return to our normal lives is always the worst and I have about three or four days after where I just feel lost.  There is this very important part of my life that isn't where I want it to be.  My life is full, I have wonderful things going on for myself, but it just isn't complete.  This is the only way I can think to describe it.  I don't know for certain that being in the same city with my sister would be the answer to a lot of the issues I've been having lately.  But I know that things make a lot more sense when we're together. 

Home can be a lot of things.  For me, that feeling is where ever the two of us are together.

In Case You Didn't Believe Me....



Mom and Dad 1977




Annette and Frankie


They could be body doubles....

Happy Birthday Annette!

In honor of her 69th birthday, Annette Funicello has launched annetteconnection.

I was very excited to see this on my Facebook feed today as Annette was always one of my role models growing up.  How could she possibly be one of my role models you say? Seeing as she was famous in the 60's & 70's and I was born in 1981 I can understand how you would be confused.  But you fail to take into account that my sister and I grew up watching the Beach Party and Disney movies of the 60's and 70's.  We used to think that mom was like DeeDee and dad was like Frankie.  Then they divorced and no matter how many times you hear Annette sing the Parent Trap, it just isn't going to work out.  Of course, seeing as my father and my mom are still friends to this day, I guess my parents really did turn out like Frankie and Annette, IRL.

What made me even more excited than the launch of her website was the discovery of this gem in the news section:

Annette's new Fan Mail Address:

 

Annette Funicello

c/o Postmaster

Shafter, CA 93263

OMFG!!  I can write to Annette and tell her how much I adored her in the Beach Party movies.  (And when I adore someone, they stay adored.)  I can tell her about the life lessons I learned from watching her other films and how I strive to live my life in a manner that she would find pleasing.  Because that's not creepy at all.  Seriously though if I could go back in time and be best friends with any celebrity, it would be her.

Captain America

image source http://www.comics.org/issue/1313/cover/4/

I went to see the Captain America: First Avenger movie this weekend and I have to say that it was kind of amazing.  I was impressed by the use of special effects and the visual of Chris Evans going from Super-Skinny Steve Rogers to Beefcake Captain America.  I wondered if it was a body double and they put Chris' face on someone else's body.  But after reading this article on Film Journal International I learned that each scene with pre-serum Steve was shot 4 times.  Once with all the actors, once with just Chris Evans, once with all the other actors, and once with a body double just in case.  Then through computer and movie magic they were able to shrink Chris Evans digitally and reinsert him into the scene.  According to the article, there were some scenes where a body double was used and Chris' face was grafted onto it later.

It was actually a really fun movie and I definitely recommend it.  I didn't feel it was overly nationalistic, even though the original comic was born from the WWII era Patriotism.  Clearly, this is a time period when we do need to get back to feeling good about our country, as hard as that may be.  This film not solving national budget problems, or arguing over the debt ceiling, or doing anything that will actually make our lives better.  But I think it will, on some subconsious level, make people feel good about things and isn't that the point of the movies? 

Harry Potter - the Anti-Geek?

I read an interesting article by Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon.  It was called "Harry Potter: The Anti-Geek" and it really got me thinking about the books and certain things about them I take for granted.  Marcotte argues that the reason these books are so popular is because the characters don't fit into the traditional "band of misfits" trope.  Yes, Hermione is Muggle-born and, yes, Ron is from a poor wizarding family but the only characters that hold this against them are Slytherin.  (I don't recall any problems with the Gryffindor crowd, at any rate.)  There are times when Harry faces problems with his fellow house members but these are related to outside propaganda and political smear campaigns more than anything else.

Which brings me to another one of Marcotte's points: Harry is a jock.  She points out that not only is he the star athlete of the Quidditch team, akin to our Quarterback, but also a legit celebrity in the wizarding world.  Hence the drama with the propaganda.  This is not what you would expect from a "geek" or "nerd."  As Marcotte points out, the closest we get to a "nerd," with our Gryffindors, is Hermione with her intense studying and penchant for rules.  But even Hermione, as Marcotte says, dated a famous athlete (Krum, anyone?).

It's really Snape, Marcotte argues, that fits the mold of "geek," and I have to agree with her.  He is tormented by James when he is younger and continues this animosity with Harry.  More concerned with perfecting his potions and not getting the girl, is it any wonder that I was pulling for Snape in the whole is-he-or-isn't-he-a-bad-guy drama before the final book came out.  I do tend to love the underdog in stories. 

Which is what interested me about Marcotte's article, Harry Potter is not the underdog.  He is, in fact, from a prominent wizarding family even though he has to overcome his own personal struggles.  But there isn't one point in the novels where Harry isn't the hero.  Yes, he's the whiny teenager or the inexperienced wizard, but this is what makes the stories more realistic.  What we love about Harry is that, while clearly a superstar, he is still fairly humble and kind of heart.

Gone With The Wind/X-Men Mash-up Dream

I had the most amazing dream last night!  Obviously, it's a combination of my reading Gone With The Wind and discussing the most recent X-Men Movie.  Still incredibly cool.  It was like I was watching the movie and then things started varying slightly. 

Basically, when Melanie and Scarlett think that Ashley is dead he's really turning into Aquaman.  Then when Scarlett and Rhett are fleeing Atlanta they have to run up a lighthouse and Scarlett starts to slip through the floor like ShadowCat.  She then believes that she and Ashley really are meant to be since they are both now mutants.  Then there was a musical number featuring the song, "Total Eclipse of the Heart."  In my dream, I asked my dad if what was happening was accurate since I didn't remember the 1930's being so forward thinking.  The entire Civil War was being fought between mutants because of the Charles Xavier/Magneto argument.

Best Nerd Dream Ever!

Gone With The Wind

I decided to watch this classic film since I hadn't seen it as an adult and I was pleasantly surprised.  I know it is not one of my dad's favorite movies and I can see why.  What did surprise me was that this wasn't the romance film I expected it to be.  Everyone talks about this great romance between Rhett and Scarlett and I have to say that it didn't conform to my idea of a romance at all.  Instead, I felt that this movie was more centered on Scarlett's fight for survival and the friendship/rivalry with Melanie Wilkes.

First of all,  the actual relationship between Rhett and Scarlett is a very dysfunctional one.  His initial pursuit of her has nothing to do with marriage as he often states to her he's not the "marrying kind."  She calls on him when she is in serious financial or immediate trouble and little else.  When they do actually marry, it's because he realizes she is financially independent and he won't have any power over her anymore.  Even then, it's a relationship where they attempt to destroy one another.  His extreme jealousy over her infatuation with Ashley Wilkes drives him to a certain level of violence towards his wife. 

The scene after he sends her to Ashley's birthday party, in that famous red dress, is a very disturbing one.  He actually tells her that he feels the only way to get Ashley out of her head is to crush it like a walnut and proceeds to squeeze her head between his hands.  When Rhett returns from England, and Scarlett is ready to forgive and move on, they have a fight that results in her falling down a flight of stairs.  Accident though it may have been, this level of physical violence between them is not uncommon.  After Bonnie's death, Mammy recounts the fights between them to Miss Melly, "It makes my blood run cold, the things they say to one another," and one has to wonder what else she has witnessed in her time there.

The amount of screen time the two actually share is less than that of Scarlett and Miss Melly.  Set up as rivals for Ashley Wilkes' affection, they are constantly thrown together throughout the film and eventually become friends.  First, Scarlett decides to stay with Melanie in Atlanta as a means to stay close to Ashley and then she is charged with taking care of her by Ashley.  They share a Thelma and Louise moment when Scarlett shoots the Yankee deserter in the face and Melanie helps cover it up.  Then, Melanie offers emotional support during Rhett and Scarlett's tumultuous marriage.

from SeeingSepia blog

Scarlett starts out as the stronger of the two, and indeed she is physically stronger, but Melanie proves that she is just strong.  They are both women with fierce loyalties and ones who will do anything for the people they love.  Scarlett marries a man she does not love so she can support her family and the Wilkeses by keeping Tara.  Melanie stands by her friend, and husband, in the face of gossip and social ruin.  Scarlett can accomplish anything she sets her mind to and does, in fact, create an independent existence for herself in a time period where women should have been ornamentation.  But Melanie has enough influence in society that even when it is suspected her husband and best friend are having an affair, it only takes her word to quell those rumors and bring Scarlett back from the edge of social obscurity.

They are both women of power and influence in a time when it was uncharacteristic for women to be so.  Even if you consider that the novel was written in the 30's, it's still amazing to have these strong female characters. (Though I have yet to read the novel.  I may feel differently about this later.)  However, they are also very different women.  Scarlett maintains control and power through harsh words and actions; wrestling her independence from the hands of men and carpetbaggers.  Melanie is given power and control through her kind words and open heart.  Belle Watling covers up Ashley's part in the attack on the yankees in the forest, where Scarlett was attacked, because of the way Melanie treated her during the war.  Belle even makes a point to say that if it had been Scarlett alone in that kind of trouble she wouldn't have helped at all.  If Scarlett could have gotten over her Ashley choosing Melanie for his wife sooner, the things they could have accomplished together would have been ridiculous. 

from augustani al cinema

Religion and Nick Cage

Tonight I went to see Season of the Witch with friends.  It was the chosen movie simply because we knew it would be terrible.  Medieval Nicholas Cage and witches, how could it not be?  WE were not disappointed in the slightest and spent much of the walk back to our cars discussing the finer points of the plot.  For example, why couldn't a powerful witch pick one rusty lock, or why go to that lever of subterfuge to obtain the one book that could destroy you if you actually leave the literate people alive for the entire journey.

In act one, we have Nicholas Cage and his heterosexual life mate, Snarky Ron Perlman, lose faith in their Crusade.  Raid after raid we see the pair getting more and more disenchanted with the Church.  It is only when they are directed to attack women and children that the duo peace out.  On their way back home, they are roped into escorting a supposed witch to a monastery where a religious ritual can be performed to rid the countryside of her spells.  Cage is having none of this business, even going so far as to say he "serves the church no longer."  He changes his mind when he sees the witch they are supposed to transport, but not in a romantic interest kind of way.  He is seeking redemption for his actions in the crusades as the movie makes sure to point out at very critical plot points.  So they embark on this treacherous journey with an old guy, a priest, a thief, and an idealistic kid with a bad mustache.  The priests honestly believe that this girl is a witch and, as such, is the cause of the Black Plague.  There is some speculation about whether or not this is true or just more of the same religious fervor seen during the crusades; always looking for a scape-goat.  ***SPOILER ALERT***However as the movie goes on, the audience realizes that, scoff as he may, Nicholas Cage is very wrong about this so-called innocent.  Hell breaks loose, there are zombie priests, and almost everyone dies in the end.***SPOILER ALERT***

On the way home, there was an article on NPR about religion in the Middle East and I started to wonder what the real message of this movie could possibly be. We see the obvious corruption of the Church in its repeated attacks on "non-believers" even going so far as to insist its knights attack defenseless women and children for their beliefs.  But then Nicholas Cage comes back to the Church when faced with  true evil.  It's like the movie is acknowledging the ability of man to abuse the system but then tells you not to lose sight of what's important.  Sure things may get out of hand now and again, but remember that you are finite and cannot possibly understand all the complexities of this world.  So even if it looks like the church is being corrupt one shouldn't question it because some demon could have crafted a complicated plan to seize control of this plane of existence.