Inconvenient Truths

My movie-watching has been diminished. Diminished to a state of random rarity. I have not been to a movie since July. I saw Ted, a surprisingly funny and very dirty comedy by Seth McFarlane (creator of Family Guy). That, of course, was just before school started. People say, "Teachers have it easy." True. We get summer off. In fact, all together, we get four months of the year off, paid. However, when we work we really work. I work far outside of the constraints of an 8-hour work day. I plan and grade on my own time. I use my plan period and morning and afternoon and some class time to perform my duties as Athletic Director (my first year in this job). I will be coaching golf in the spring. Then, I'll have a couple months off. The point: I don't have time to watch movies during the school year. It breaks my heart. Since summer, I have only watched four movies. None of them in theaters. They are:

1. Kicking and Screaming (Baumbach, 1995) - Re-Watch

In which a group of recent college grads stay on campus, drink, start short-lived book clubs, date younger girls, don't get jobs or go to grad school, drink, play movie trivia, and pine after the ones that got away.




2. Flowers for Algernon - TV (Bleckner, 2000)

In which a mentally retarded man has a procedure that triples his IQ and learns that it may be best to just be who you are, AND my 8th graders get two class days of movie-watching while Mr. Powers grades papers. *Note Kids this age love the Daniel Keyes novel. We read it every year, and every year at least two girls weep.






3. Moneyball (Miller, 2011) - Re-Watch

In which Brad Patt and Jonah Hill got Oscar nominations for playing front office baseball men working for the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000s. It is brilliant, especially if you follow Major League Baseball.






4. Amadeus (Forman, 1984) - Re-Watch

In which Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is both jealous and envious of Mozart (the great, goofy, giggling Tom Hulce) in late 18th Century Vienna, AND in which Amanda fights sleep to get through another of my "list movies." (More to come on that.)


Don't feel bad for me. So I've only watched four movies in the past 10 weeks or so. It's Fall Break now. I've got this week to do something about it. My goal: At least see one new movie this week. Argo? The Master? Looper? Which do I choose? 

For Me, It's Going to Rushmore

When I was in high school, I rented a little movie with Bill Murray on the cover called Rushmore. It changed my life. I felt, for the first time, that there were movies out there meant for my generation. This movie also brought big attention to second-time writer/director Wes Anderson. Since Rushmore, Anderson has made five feature films and one short (in order, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Hotel Chevalier (short), The Darjeeling Limited, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom). They are all great in their own right. None, for me, are more memorable than another. Having recently watched what I think are the three best, I have developed a theory about Wes Anderson's career. That being that with his latest film, Moonrise Kingdom, he has finally made his perfect movie. I'll start with a list. And you have to imagine this list as title cards perfectly framed in the middle of a camera shot colored in reds and yellows with a Rolling Stones or Kinks song playing in the background.

For the reasons stated above, this is and will always be my favorite Wes Anderson film. Amanda and I re-watched it on a Tuesday in the middle of the day. If you haven't seen it, I feel sorry for you. Here is a brief plot summary: a fifteen-year-old prep school student named Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman) is involved with every aspect of his true first love, Rushmore Academy. He is president, founder, and/or member of almost every club you can imagine. His grades suck. At a school assembly, he befriends a local millionaire named Blume (Bill Murray) and later befriends (and gets a huge crush on) a new elementary teacher, Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams). What ensues is a Wes Anderson dream-world, oddball love triangle with a kick-ass soundtrack of rare '60s tunes. It is funny and whimsical and often very touching. It has brilliant, quotable lines of dialogue (from Anderson and writing partner, Owen Wilson) like this little exchange:

Max: That's a nice nurse's uniform there, guy.

Peter (Luke Wilson): Oh, these are O.R. scrubs.

Max: (with a coy smile) Oh, are they!

Blume nearly chokes on his drink.

Rushmore also truly marks the first we see of Anderson's distinct visual style. His color palette, beautiful, but not yet fully realized as you see in his later work. Shot's perfectly framed. Small details filling every bit of the screen.

When Alec Baldwin's voice-over narration begins, you are hooked. This time into a world completely of Wes Anderson's and Owen Wilson's collective imaginations. We re-watched it minutes after ejecting the Rushmore DVD. The Tenenbaums are a wealthy family, who reside in a beautiful, multi-leveled house in an unusual New York City.

The father, Royal (Gene Hackman), finds himself involved, after a 20+ year separation, back in his home with his wife, Etheline (Anjelica Huston), and his three grown child prodigies: the financial guru, Chas (Ben Stiller); the washed-up tennis pro, Richie (Luke Wilson); and the adopted playwright, Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow). There is also Etheline's accountant and love interest, Henry Sherman (Danny Glover); Richie's best friend and Western novelist, Eli Cash (Owen Wilson); and Margot's neurologist husband, Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray). Where Rushmore has a more compelling story, The Royal Tenenbaums shows just how much Anderson can do as a director.

The movie is beautiful, the colors bright and vivid, the world of his imagination fully realized. It is, to me, at times very slow, though, and the dialogue is just not as memorable. It is also, however, incredibly funny and great to look at, and the cast of characters (and actors) alone makes it one of the greatest ensembles ever on film.

The day before our Wes Anderson mini-marathon. Amanda and I went to see this strange, unexpected gem of a comedy. I say unexpected because I was just a bit unsure as to how great it would be. What it does is offer the most true look at Wes Anderson as a filmmaker.

Where Rushmore lacks in a fully-realized vision and where The Royal Tenenbaums lacks in story, Moonrise Kingdom sort of fills in the gaps. It is the third great movie Wes Anderson has made. It tells the story of 12-year-olds in love on a small New England island town called New Penzance. Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) and Suzy Bishop (Kara Heyward) had met the year previous during a town school pageant. He, an orphaned Khaki scout, and she, an avid reader playing a raven in the play. We see this in flashback as they correspond and plan to meet and run away together. When they finally do, it is the most fresh and magical romance I've seen on screen in a long while.

It is incredibly ridiculous and funny as well. The cast of characters rivals The Royal Tenenbaums. Bruce Willis as Police Captain Sharp, tasked with leading the search party for the missing; Bill Murray and Frances McDormand as Mr. And Mrs. Bishop, Suzy's absent-in-plain-sight, attorney parents; Ed Norton as Scout Master Ward, the man guilted and motivated by his loss of a scout; Jason Schwartzman (in a brilliant cameo) as Cousin Ben, a Scout Master from a neighboring troop, who also officiates weddings; and Bob Balaban as the coolest movie Narrator of all-time. Anderson is able to use all his tricks and fill all the frames with his idiosyncratic details while, this time, maintaining a sweet, honest coming-of-age love story. It contains the truest young love scene since last years Terri. I couldn't believe I was seeing it. Amanda and I left the theater with wide smiles on our faces. She suggested we watch The Royal Tenenbaums. I suggested we watch Rushmore as well, so I could write this for you.

To sum it all up, ALL of Wes Anderson's films should be seen. The ones not mentioned as the greatest three are still great. They just miss out becuase, well, I just don't like them as much as these three. You very well may. They are all funny and interesting and great to look at.

Old Men

THAT is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

- William Butler Yeats (Sailing to Byzantium)

There is a scene in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby where the Eastwood character a grumbling, aging boxing trainer reads out-loud in Gaelic. Scrap (Morgan Freeman) begins to talk over him, asks what he's reading, and Jackie tells him, "It's Yeats." The first stanza (above) of this particular Yeats poem describes a place that accepts only the young, the youthful. Old Men can't live there anymore. In the mid 2000s, this became a running theme for Eastwood as an actor/director. In 2008's Gran Torino, Eastwood plays an aging, intolerant retired auto worker named Walt Kowalski, who sees nothing but wrong in the world. The younger have taken over making old men more diminished than ever before. Respect for the older generation swiftly jumping out the window. 

Cormac McCarthy used the first line of this Yeat's poem as the title for his violent novel about violence, No Country for Old Men. Joel and Ethan Coen, in 2007, released a film based on this novel. It stars Tommy Lee Jones as weary, nearly broken-down West Texas Sheriff Ed Tom Bell embroiled in a drug deal gone way wrong in which eventually all he can do is sit back and let the younger generation take over...violently. Having recently watched this film back-to-back with Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, it was hard not to take notice of the striking similarities. Not in tone, or plot, but theme. That an old man eventually loses his way in the changing world. The most basic of themes done brilliantly by and for and about men who are aging. 

Violence is present in both of these films. In fact, it is the single driving force. In Gran Torino, Walt looks out from his front porch and sees the "Gooks" that live next door. He hates them. Then he sees that the young Hmong teenager, Thao, is being roughed-up by his gang-banger cousins. He hates this even more. The rage within himself becomes such as to eventually lead him into the unwanted role of guider and guardian of this boy. Teaching him about life, communication among men, hard work, violence. The fact that so many urban teenage boys get caught up in a life of crime and violence once neglected by Walt soon becomes his greatest, final ambition. He begins to try and stop it in his own way. Similarly, in No Country for Old Men, Ed Tom (Jones) sees this as well. The Coen Brothers (channeling McCarthy) open the film with a monologue, delivered by the Sheriff, in which he recounts a story about a teenager he sent to the electric chair. He had killed a teenage girl, which had been initially described as a crime of passion, "but he tolt me there weren't nothin' passionate about it. Said he'd been fixin' to kill someone for as long as he could remember. Said if I let him out of there, he'd kill somebody again. Said he was goin' to hell. Reckon he'd be there in about 15 minutes." When Chigurh (Javier Bardem) begins his murderous rampage, Ed Tom is already so far gone from the violence, he realizes it's out of his hands. This is not easy for him. Unlike Walt, Ed Tom has no hope of saving at least just one. 

Where does this violence come from? How does a young man commit such crimes? For an old man like Walt or Ed Tom, there was the war. Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran has seen it. We can assume that Ed Tom had his hand in WWII or even Korea as well. An old man, as we all know, has seen violence first hand...has lived it. The experience of war becomes such a large player in both of these films that we can begin to see why these particular old men have such trouble with the young and the violent. It also clearly illustrates the differences in these two films. Throughout No Country for Old Men, the Vietnam war comes into play. Set in 1980, the violent younger men of this film claim Vietnam as their loss of innocence. Chigurh, the psychotic maniac killer; Wells (Woody Harrelson), the hardened, sarcastic bounty hunter; and Moss (Josh Brolin), the man running from both of these men, all experienced "'Nam." That is a war that even the most hardened old man could not imagine. Not those in Walt's and Ed Tom's generation. The major difference between the two old men is that Walt can use his experience in war to teach lessons, to save a family that he once hated. Ed Tom, in the more bleak of the two films, is granted no such opportunity. He has just to accept it all as God's Will...that there is violence out there that he can't stop. And he knows it. The younger, violent men in Gran Torino can claim no war. That is a sad truth about life. 

The world becomes a sad place when a young man cannot sit and listen to an old man. The boy Ed Tom sent to the electric chair before the action of No Country for Old Men even begins could not be helped. Thao, the young man in Gran Torino, could be. Yeats, in Sailing to Byzantium, tells us of a place that no longer respects, but "neglects" old men, these "Monuments of unageing intellect." Clint Eastwood and his screenwriter understand this in Gran Torino, and, in similar, yet vastly different, ways the Coen Brothers through Cormac McCarthy understand this as well. Watching these two great films in one day, it is difficult to overlook the ways that violence takes over our lives whether we like it or not. It can help to listen to an old man some time. They truly know the way. We just have to be like Thao, and listen. 

The KP Top 25: Part 1

I made a statement a couple months ago that I would be writing everyday come Summer. Well, my Summer started almost a month ago, and I have yet to write a word. But, really, I meant actual Summer, which only started seven days ago, so I'm good. Just a small lie. And now we play catch-up.

Here are 25 pieces of media (mostly movies, some songs, some TV shows) that have meant something to me over the past several months:

25. Take Me Home Tonight (Directed by Michael Dowse; Starring Topher Grace and Anna Faris)

A surprisingly funny movie that was actually made a couple years ago but just released to little avail last year. It's actually pretty sweet and quite inventive for a movie that's already been made countless times. The late 80s setting and music are perfect.

24. I Melt With You (Directed by Mark Pellington; Starring Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, and Jeremy Piven)

What an incredibly dark, drug-fueled roller coaster this movie is. I was terribly impressed by some fine acting from some great actors, but I'm not sure I could make it through this one again and remain a positive person. It without a doubt had a profound effect on me as I told everyone I knew about it for a week after watching. The soundtrack kicks ass! With everything from Pixies to Grandmaster Flash.

23. Twilight and New Moon (Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and Chris Weitz; Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner)

So, really, they aren't as bad as someone like me (a grown man) would think. Well, New Moon, is often pretty bad, but I get it. The relationships sometimes seem fake to me. I never really feel Kristen Stewart's emotions. And I have to say that if I was the Dad character, I whip her little ass and tell her to get over it and go to school. Still, they are both fairly entertaining, and I'm glad I was finally able to return the favor to Amanda, who sits through my crap all the time. I love you, baby!

22. Never Let Me Go (Directed by Mark Romanek; Starring Keira Knightly, Cary Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield)

I won't spoil anything of this story like the movie does right off the bat. I'll just say that it takes place in sort of an alternate universe that looks much like ours and employs some very subtle science fiction in what is really a story about coming-of-age and human nature. Read Kazuo Ishiguro's Time Top 100 novel before seeing the movie.

21. Cedar Rapids (Directed by Miguel Arteta; Starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, and Anne Heche)

Ed Helms is great here and only slightly topped by a John C. Reilly A-Game. This is a really off-beat and funny indie-ish comedy. I was still smiling when the credits rolled.


20. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber; Starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and Justin Long)

Always good for a random mid-lazy-day repeat viewing. I mean Ben Stiller's character is a fitness guru named White Goodman. That's worth it if nothing else!

19. Game Change (Directed by Jay Roach; Starring Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Ed Harris)

Sarah Palin's true story. It is really actually a sympathetic look at a pathetic politician who succeeded in fooling half the nation with her swagger while disgusting the other half with her craziness. The acting is top-notch. This is definitely worth a watch if for nothing more than to see the inner-workings of a real-life Presidential campaign.

18. Kicking and Screaming (1995) (Directed by Noah Baumbach; Starring Josh Hamilton, Chris Eigeman, and Eric Stoltz)

If you want to see what my first year after college graduation looked like, then watch this movie. It is one of the most true and poignant experiences of my movie-going life. Check out the Criterion Collection DVD.

17. Punch-Drunk Love (Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson; Starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson)

A true and beautifully imagined love story and proper use of Adam Sandler's talents. It is also one of best-paced movies I have ever seen. It is so easy to watch.


16. "Untouchable" - Dick's Sporting Goods Commercial

Quite simply, this is one of the best commercials I've seen in years. It gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye everytime. When it comes on, I have to shush! the room so as to watch it's minute-and-a-half unimpeded. The use of the score from the movie Rudy only enhances its power. Watch it by clicking here.


15. Veep (HBO TV Series: Created by Armando Iannucci; Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, and Tony Hale)


What a great use of Julia Louis-Dreyfus's talents. She is hilarious as the fictional Vice President Selina Meyer. It also provides some interesting insight into the inner-workings of Washington, D.C. complete with a foul-mouthed edge. I laugh out loud multiple times per episode. Keep an eye out for Season 2.

14. A Few Good Men (Directed by Rob Reiner; Starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson)


I finally got Amanda to watch one of my favorite movies. Aaron Sorkin's writing is so great! Since we watched not too long ago, I have finally worked on and mastered the famous "You can't handle the truth!" speech, one of the greatest monologues of Jack Nicholson's career.


13. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Directed by Lasse Hallstrom; Starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, and Leonardo DiCaprio)


I forgot the greatness and power of this little early 90s gem. Leo got his first Oscar nod playing the mentally-retarted brother to Depp's Gilbert. And, man, did he deserve it. It is a fine performance in a movie filled with great supporting work from the likes of John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, and Mary Steenburgen. Give is re-watch sometime.

12. Jackie Brown (Directed by Quentin Tarantino; Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, and Robert Forster)

The thing that makes this movie so great is the unbelievable chemistry between Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, the stewardess caught up with a gun-runner, and Robert Forster as Max Cherry, the lonely bail-bondsman with a heart of gold. How Tarantino made this match speaks to his incredible talents as a filmmaker. This is my favorite Tarantino movie, and it looks and sounds great on my new Blu-Ray.

11. The Hunger Games (Directed by Gary Ross; Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson)

The book comes alive! Read it, then see it. Jennifer Lawrence is a sight to behold and force to be reckoned with.

The KP Top 25: Part II

10. True Blood, Season Five (HBO TV Series: Created by Alan Ball; Starring Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, and Ryan Kwanten)

The premier episode was terrific in what I believe to be the best phase of this bloody, sexy, funny drama series. I can't wait to see what lies ahead as Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) joins the cast this season.

9. "Sands of Iwo Jima" (song) by Drive-By Truckers

Patterson Hood's opus to his great uncle and his childhood memories from the album The Dirty South (2004) is nothing more than song-writing 101. Tell me a story with a guitar, a voice, some light drums, and a harmonica. "I never saw John Wayne on the Sands of Iwo Jima."

8. Game of Thrones (HBO TV Series: Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss; Starring Peter Dinklage)

High-medieval fantasy is what this is called. And, man, does it have that and more. Brutal violence, sex and nudity galore, political intrigue, love, incest, "my lord," "your grace." I literally cannot wait for Season 3. Amanda and I rifled through the first two seasons (currently on HBO On Demand) in a week. It is brilliant, and you'll never get the theme music out of your head (a good thing!).

7. Winter's Bone (Directed by Debra Granik; Starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes)

Besides the young, beautiful Jennifer Lawrence's mind-blowing, Oscar-nominated performance, all I could think about was how close this movie hits to home. Here in East Tennessee, I teach poor young kids, who come from the life revealed in this terrific drama about a teen girl trying to keep her home and family together after her father goes missing in a meth deal gone way wrong.

6. Million Dollar Baby (Directed by Clint Eastwood; Starring Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hillary Swank)

That such a simply made, simple story became such a huge success speaks to the brilliance of Clint Eastwood as a actor/director/icon. This movie transcends its subject of boxing by teaching us about life through boxing and pain and heartache and rising above.

5. Gran Torino (Directed by Clint Eastwood; Starring Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, and a 1972 Ford Gran Torino)

See first sentence from #6. I loved this movie and regret that I waited so long to finally see it. It is an incredibly touching story brought to life by great acting and directing. I will be discussing its themes in greater detail in a comparison with my next on the list soon.

4. No Country for Old Men (Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen; Starring Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones)

Cormac McCarthy's ode to violence brought to life and given an extra zing with that always-brilliant Coen Brothers' dialogue.

3. Wanderlust (Directed by David Wain; Starring Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, and Justin Theroux)

I really love the humor of David Wain, Michael Showalter and company. Wet Hot American Summer is one of the best comedies ever made, and this one continues his streak after Role Models. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play a married couple who find themselves out of New York and into a North Georgia hippie commune. I almost peed my pants a couple times.

2. "Montezuma" (song) by Fleet Foxes 

From their 2011 album, Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes continue to be incredible song-crafters with beautiful, simple melodies. This is the first track, I play it constantly on my iPod, can't get it out of my head, and it ties in nicely with #1 as the closing track on one of its episodes. "So, now, I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter. Now, what does that say about me."

1. Girls (HBO TV Series: Created by Lena Dunham; Starring Dunham, Allison Williams, Adam Driver, Jemima Kirke, and Zosia Mamet)

Lena Dunham is the voice of this generation. Right here, right now, only on HBO. It is worth the subscription price for this show alone. I have never seen a TV show that is so raw and real and full of true emotion. And it's incredibly weird and quirky and funny. It's mastermind (Dunham) is like a female hipster Woody Allen crossed with Judd Apatow (the show's executive procucer), and her talent is unmatched in TV right now. See it!

Spring Break 2012: A Creative Writing Exercise

What follows is an assignment I gave to my 1st and 6th period students (8th and 7th grades, respectively).

Prompt: Write a piece of personal expression (ie. journal, diary, blog) that follows an interesting narrative format and is imaginative* in any way you see fit (not totally fictionalized but not boring). I give you carte blanche. Do whatever you want. You are done when you feel done. You have 15 minutes of class time and tonight to finish. It MUST BE an account of what happened over your Spring Break. That's it. 

*Words in bold type are taken from the actual Tennessee State Standards - Check for Understanding 3.1.

Here is mine: (Yes, I write when my students write. It's only fair.) 

Monday

Cinnamon Toast Crunch! So good! It's been years. I drove Ms. Rhea downtown to a doctor's appointment. It took forever. Not the doctor. The waiting room. Isn't it funny how the waiting room takes longer than the doctor? It's like you're paying a doctor to see a room with bad magazines and a TV in the corner of the ceiling playing bad TV filled with people who may or may not get you sick. 

Tuesday

Fruity Pebbles! So amazing! They crackle from the bowl, getting soggier and soggier, reminding me of the 8th grade. When Travis used to stay over. The yard work almost killed me. The mulch over-floweth from the small bed of my SUV. Put my new wheelbarrow to use. I'm pretty sure I dug up rocks for six hours. Bend. Push. Lift. Flip. Clank! (5 seconds). Bend. Push. Lift. Flip. Clank! (5 seconds)... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Carry. (20 seconds) Dump. (5 seconds)... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Now back-breakingly beautiful! Grass really will look better there. 

Wednesday

Banana! Meh! Ms. Rhea went to help her sis figure out some college stuff. She wants to be a social worker. I went to workout with Ryan at The Rush. A tough hour. After my workout, I couldn't seem to stay away from Wal-Mart...at least for the next few hours. I went twice intending on buying Scot's LawnSoil and recycled golf balls. Trip 1: Thought I had plenty enough bags of soil. Wrong! Only had a bit more than half's worth. Trip 2: 3 or 4 bags? 4? No, 3. No, 4. I'll go with 4. Man, I'm spending too much money...4! Have some for filling in patches later. DANG! I forgot golf balls. Re-lived my first date with Ms. Rhea. The movies at Regal Riviera! Popcorn! Should have added butter. This time we saw The Hunger Games. Intense! Different? Good. It led to great conversation on the ride to Applebee's afterwards. "The book did the whole moral issues/government control stuff better.""Yeah. You really got Katniss' thoughts more." "It kind of brought that in throughout the movie in different ways." "Solid move!" "I love Jennifer Lawrence!" "I really don't like how they didn't play up the whole food thing like in the book." "Yeah." Maple Butter Blondie! Wow!

Thursday

Honey Comb! Texturally delightful! Good fuel for a 9:15 round of golf. Dan beat me there. As did C-Tip and Chambers. Tracey got there right after me. Chandler couldn't make it. We all met up at the range to hit a pre-round bucket while making fun of Kristen Stewart's lack of acting talent but evident attractiveness in the trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On The Road. Yes. A sign of things to come. The golf round was sub-par, and I finally watched (with full attention) both Twilight and New Moon. Ms. Rhea has been begging me forever. They really aren't that bad. Baseball practice was pretty cool. I got to fill in at first (my favorite position) as the boys rotated at the plate. 

Friday

Hardee's Loaded Omelet Biscuit! Now that's what I'm talking about! Definitely not healthy though. Eating a biscuit on a road trip (no matter how long) is always a necessity. The road to North Carolina was pretty smooth. I-40 always puts the pressure on you through the mountains, but they are so beautiful. And it's cool to get to see the are where they filmed The Hunger Games. I love that that book is set in my backyard. It was exciting and good to see my Dad. I don't get to see him but a few times a year. He's doing pretty well considering the scare we had last Fall. Yesterday was his 57th birthday. I was happy to give him his presents (a Clinton Hawks official baseball cap and a souvenir standing standings board with rearrangeable MLB helmets on it, so he can keep up with the season). Less than a week till Opening Day! Had two roast beef and turkey sandwiches, bread and butter pickles, potato salad, Coca-Cola on ice. Delicious! It's funny how both sides of my family insist on having conversations in which we all talk at the same time. We repeat ourselves often, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It rained all through the mountains on the way back. Even slower than the way over. Came home and decided not to cook. Egg drop soup, Hunan-style beef, cashew chicken, rice, fried cream cheese wontons, iced tea with lemon! Very nice!



Student Entry #1

Ars Poetica: Spring Break Edition
by Isaiah V.

I went to Dollywood all Spring Break.
I didn't swim or go to Norris Lake.
I went a total of 5 days.
Of those 5 days I never bathed.
Tuesday I saw Joseph B. and Ryan.
I coulda went to the zoo and saw a lion
But I didn't because I love Dollywood
Much more than Hollywood.
Over the weekend I stayed in a hotel.
It was very high up unlike a motel.
I shopped at many stores.
I knew the area well, I didn't need tours.
On the way home I saw two dogs.
They were playing in the fog.
Once I got to the house I went to the cages.
I don't play baseball for the wages.


Student Entry #2

Faceless Monsters
by Molly E.

I spent a majority of Spring Break in a sleep-deprived dream land. I was tired but I wouldn't sleep because it's a waste of time, and when I did I was haunted by the characters of the horror movies I'd watched. The Grudge, The House, and the faceless monsters in amnesia all stalked me in my sleep. It was a good break but boring and generally uneventful. Other than sleep I didn't do much other than write and play music on my piano and guitar, and write crappy poetry. Sunday evening I went to the lake and walked a few miles, just listening to nothing and taking pictures of the scenery. It was a pretty, peaceful, and quiet week; one of my favorite kinds.


Student Entry #3

Untitled
by Alex S.

This year's Spring Break was little rainy and cool. I spent it hanging out with my friends...

Saturday - My friends and I go see the Hunger Games. My Mom just drops us off and leaves us. I would have been nervous, but my friends were there. First thing we saw was bright lights coming from the arcade. We felt like little kids running around the arcade. I checked the time and we had ten minutes till the movie started. We head to the snack bar and get 1 pack of twizzlers, 1 pack of sour patch kids, 1 pack of skittles, 1 large popcorn, and four drinks. Me, Cole, and Tyler got large drinks. Brady with a smirk on his face orders a "Liter of Water." He didn't realize they had a big bottle of water, and it was eight dollars. After we finished ordering I spent 30 dollars just on snacks. We dash to the ticket man so he can take our tickets and we can see the movie. We go in the Theater and find a seat. Halfway through the movie Brady gets up to go to the restroom. He comes back and goes in the row behind us. The theater was dead silent, and a loud voice goes, "Hey Cole, I'm in the wrong row!" We made some people mad that day.


Student Entry #4

from A Week in the Life
by Logan A.

March 26th


Ugh. Monday. At least I was on break, although that did not make up for the emptiness of the fridge. I was able to salvage some ValuBrand Cheerios for breakfast. But as we all know, knock-off cereals lack one crucial ingredient: sugar. Plus, Mom used the last of what we had to make tea that she didn't even drink, so I had to eat my "Tasteeos" without sugar. "But all is not lost, fair hero!" I told myself. "A marvelous day of monster-raising and zombie-slaying fun awaits at Sir Austin's abode!" I bellowed in my fanciest voice. So I called him. His grandma picked up. "He's at his mom's house, dear. He will be late tonight. Sorry, Logan. Maybe later." I hung up reluctantly. Ugh. Monday.


Student Entry #5

from Unfortunately
by Reece S.

Unfortunately, my Spring Break didn't turn out exactly the way I thought it would. Besides going to Austin's house, I had a pretty dramatic week. On Monday, I stayed at home most of the day. At about 5:00, I realized an important fact. IT'S SPRING BREAK! I shouldn't be sitting at home playing video games and watching Jersey Shore. I should be at Austin's house, chilling. After a series of phone calls and text messages, I went' to Austin's house. In a surprising turn of events, Austin decided to take us to his Mamaw's. I was ultimately terrified because of my childhood phobia of old persons. Through all the phobia and Call of Duty, Monday went well.

Tuesday: More old people. Woke up at 10:00 AM to muffins...


Student Entry #6

from Spring Break
by Shane H.

Wednesday - Got up at 10:00 and went upstairs to eat. Since my mom went to get food I had Eggs, Bacon, and Toast...My mom made it. (HA! I can't make food!) Then we had to go run to like seven different places. First, we left Faragut and headed to Clinton to go look at our soon to be house. Then, we went to some outdoors/plant store. Then we went to eat at Firehouse Subs. I had a Turkey Bacon & Ranch sub. It was good. Then we went to lowes...for like TWO hours! Ridiculous. After that, we headed back home to get ready for my Aunt's peer class graduation... I only went because we were supposed to be going out to eat afterwards... but we didn't. So we went home and I had the rest of my Turkey Bacon Ranch sub.

P.s. NEVER. Microwave lettuce.

The Mad Ones

It's been weeks now, and I still can't get the trailer for Walter Salles's forthcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road off my mind. So without further ado, the top-three things I love about this trailer:

3. The way it looks, I'm not sure I can describe it. I'll try. It is America in another time painted with the softer tones of the post-War heartland. Dark clubs, rooms, wooden floors, sweat, old cars, cigarette smoke. It just oozes that feeling of a time that was real once. One that guys like me, with pasts like me, with a love of literature like me really want to see. It makes me want to BE THERE with the mad ones.

2. It actually makes Kristen Stewart look beautiful. I knew there was something missing from that girl, and it would appear that Jack Kerouac a la director Walter Salles discovered...her smile and her eyes. Yes. I'm sorry Twilight fans but, as my quest to never stop finding things wrong with that movie (much to Amanda's chagrin, I might add) continues, this one could offer hope. That the girl who became Bella Swan is actually a Bella Swan.

1. Within seconds of viewing the trailer, I was at my bookshelves dusting off my old copy of On the Road. It is going to get another read. There is nothing better than being inspired to read something. It adds purpose to this upcoming summer and long nights of beauty and conversation under the burn, burn, burn of the roman candle streaked stars.

Catching-Up, Round Four: Movies I've Watched this Holiday Season

I have devoured quite a few movies over the past six weeks or so, yet I've had so little time to write about them. Here are my thoughts on 13 movies I've seen recently: 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher, 2011)

I finally got to see this flick, my most-anticipated of the year, last weekend. As soon as I saw the first masterful teaser trailer back over the summer, I was hooked. I jumped on the bandwagon, bought Steig Larrsson's book, read it, actually loved it, saw the original Swedish movie version (which I didn't like at all), and became even more excited to see what Fincher could do with the material. David Fincher is right now at the top of his game as a filmmaker. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which follows on the coattails of his great The Social Network, is a much better adaptation than the Swedish version and seals Fincher's legacy (Seven, The Game, Zodiac) as a great crime-film director. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig both give great performances and have really great chemistry on-screen. Mara should get an Oscar nomination--she literally disappears into the Lisbeth Salander chracter. 

Hugo (Scorsese, 2011)

New Year's Day. I go to see a "family" movie. Perhaps one of the best "family" movies yet made. It is Martin Scorsese's ode to imagination and film history entitled, Hugo. Based on the brilliant "picture novel" by Brian Selznick, it tells the story of the orphan Hugo Cabret, who runs the clocks at and lives within the walls of a 1930s Paris train station. It is a story filled with wild adventures, dazzling visuals, and plenty of imaginative connections to dreams and the history of movie-making. It's no wonder Scorsese wanted to make this timeless and ageless movie. It is a lot of fun, and although I hate wearing 3D glasses in a movie theater, the 3D looks crisp and bright. 

Melinda and Melinda (Allen, 2004)

Woody Allen's fairly recent and great literal comedy/tragedy stars Radha Mitchell as the title character of two simultaneous stories, one a light romantic comedy, the other a dark tragedy. Will Ferrell does a great neurotic Allen-esque character in the comedy portion, spouting great one-liners. The darker half features solid performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chloe Sevigny. It is one of Woody Allen's best later movies alongside Match Point and 2011's best (on my list), Midnight in Paris.

Temple Grandin (Jackson, 2010)

The story of real-life Colorado State professor, livestock expert, and autism advocate Temple Grandin. It features an incredible performance by Claire Danes as the title character and great supporting work from David Strathairn, Catherine O'Hara, and Julia Ormond. For my full review, click here.

Horrible Bosses (Gordon, 2011)

Dirty, raunchy comedy at its best. The lead comedic performances by Jason Batemen, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis are brilliantly matched by unexpected villainous performances by Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and the most dirty-mouthed Jennifer Aniston there has ever been, no doubt. For my full review, click here.

Get Him to the Greek (Stoller, 2010)

Russell Brand is back from 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall as rock-icon, party boy Aldous Snow. The chemistry between Brand as Snow and Jonah Hill as record-company stooge Aaron Green is remarkable and very fun to watch. The movie quickly glides through a few days of drug and alcohol-feuled binges as Aaron must get Aldous to the Greek Theater for a revival performance as sober as possible. 

Magnolia (Anderson, 1999)

Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, an ode to television and a study of how the past sins of parents have a long-lasting effect on their children, still holds up well and is still the smoothest running three-hour movie I've seen. The cast is riddled with early-Anderson regulars. John C. Reilly as the lonely L.A. cop, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the care-giver to a dying TV mogul played by the great Jason Robards, Julianne Moore as Robards' trophy wife struggling with her own sins, and William H. Macy as former Quiz Kid Donnie Smith battling with his own adult failures and sexuality. Magnolia also features Tom Cruise's best performance as a sleazy motivational speaker named Frank T.J. Mackey, who wrote the book on how to get guys laid. The film begins with a genius opening sequence of coincidences and chance narrated by Ricky Jay and closes with one of the most original and mind-boggling weather disasters ever captured on film. 

Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992)

Tarantino's first feature film is one of those with so many iconic movie moments it's hard to keep count. The dialogue he is now so famous for starts here, and the amount of blood and violence is only out-done by Tarantino's later Kill Bill. With performances from a great ensemble cast, including Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, and the evil Michael Madsen, it is essential viewing. So get ready for 90 minutes of severed ears, gun-shot wounds, f-bombs, and K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies and enjoy!

We Bought a Zoo (Crowe, 2011)

Cameron Crowe's first feature since the flopping disaster called Elizabethtown. We Bought a Zoo is based on the true story of Benjamin Mee (played here by Matt Damon), a widower with a middle school aged son and younger daughter who takes a gamble and re-opens a struggling zoo in Southern California. Scarlett Johannson plays the obvious love interest as one of the zookeepers. It is a bit formulaic and apparent, but it's nice to see Matt Damon is role like this. In fact, the acting is solid all around, and this is good movie "family" movie as well with a great soundtrack, which one would expect from a Cameron Crowe film. 

Terri (Jacobs, 2011)

Director Azazel Jacobs came out of nowhere with this odd, little slice-of-life about an obese teenager and his struggles with growing-up, dealing with a hard home-life and his first big crush. For my full review, click here. 

Crimes and Misdemeanors (Allen, 1989)

Maybe Woody Allen's best movie and the direct pre-cursor to the previously discussed Melinda and Melinda and Match Point, Crimes and Misdemeanors follows an ensemble of inter-connected characters through an ingenious plot that deals with crimes and guilt and romantic comedy and life decisions. Martin Landau plays a successful opthamologist, who is forced to "deal" with a love affair gone wrong, while Allen himself plays a down-on-his-luck documentary filmmaker charged with making a puff-piece for PBS about his smooth-talking, arrogant, filthy-rich TV producer brother-in-law played by the great Alan Alda, who both end up vying for the same woman, another TV producer played by Mia Farrow. Crimes and Misdemeanors is funny, tragic, and leaves you with plenty to think about. 

The Descendants (Payne, 2011)

This is another one of my favorite movies from 2011. Alexander Payne's first feature since the great 2004 film Sideways, The Descendants follows George Clooney as Matt King, an heir to one of the first white, Hawaiian land-owning families. He must simultaneously manage the selling of a plot of untouched Hawaiian land and his two teenaged daughters as they endure two family crises. Payne has a knack for creating realistic characters, grounded in a real-world of uncomfortable, yet comical situations and harsh truths about the human experience. 

Woody Allen: A Documentary (Weide, 2011)

Robert B. Weide's PBS documentary on the life and work of Woody Allen is a must-see for any Allen fan. Through it's nearly 4-hour run time, we see the childhood, coming-of-age, and whole career of Woody Allen. It goes into detail about his transformation from a joke and gag writer for stand-ups and TV acts to stand-up comic himself to slapstick filmmaker to true auteur. It also examines Allen's writing process and directing style with interviews from producers, writers, actors, directors ranging from Diane Keaton to Josh Brolin to Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson to Martin Scorsese. The scandal with Mia Farrow and Allen's struggle with the spotlight are also on display and not at all glossed-over. 

Different but Not Less

I'm beginning this as the credits are still rolling on the movie I just watched. It is one of the most effective, and affecting, movies I've seen in a long time. People should see this movie. It is fascinating, strange, stylish, heartbreaking, and uplifting. To quote Roger Ebert, I want to "hug myself" with the joy and the knowledge of how great life can be. The fact that hugs factor into this movie so well is a bonus. The movie I'm talking about is Temple Grandin from HBO Films.

Claire Danes gives one of the finest screen performances in recent years. I think others would agree. She won the Emmy for Best Actress last year. She plays real-life Colorado State professor, animal science expert, and advocate for autism, Temple Grandin, who was born with autism, defied all odds and became one of the most successful people in her field. Danes plays her perfectly, brilliantly side-stepping what may have been an opportunity to overact. She is loud, she talks too much, she has all the quirks one might expect from someone with autism. She is also mannered and understanding. The real-life Grandin has devised humane ways to treat cattle as they are prepared for slaughter in the form of revolutionary corrals and slaughterhouses that are currently used, the film states in a note at the end, in half of the cattle farms in North America.

While Danes is great as Grandin, this movie also succeeds in its story-telling techniques. The director, Mick Johnson, uses smooth stylistic devices to show how Grandin's brain works. She has a photographic memory. In fact, she learns by remembering and connecting images. Futhermore, the plot, especially in the first half of the film, wisely flashes back and forth between her experience in boarding school as a teen and her first semester as a college student. Because of this construction, we are able to see how Grandin was shaped by those who cared for her.

Temple's mother (Julia Ormond) struggles with the harsh truth that children with autism "don't want" human contact. She can't hug her daughter but obviously loves her, wants to comfort and protect her. Before beginning college, Temple spends the summer with her aunt (Catherine O'Hara). While on her aunt and uncle's ranch, she strengthens her bond with cows and realizes that she can experience the human need for hugging by getting into the "squeeze machine" used to calm cattle as they are inoculated. She, upon entering college, designs and builds a machine that replicates this and uses it to calm herself when she panics. Where most people would seek out human contact, a person with autism has to find other outlets to experience a hug's calming effect. Her science teacher at boarding school, Dr. Carlock (the brilliant David Strathairn), helps her to reach her potential as a budding scientist and pushes her through the "door" to college and beyond.

The second half of the film focuses on her work as a grad student and later a writer for agriculture magazines as she navigates through the male-dominated world of cattle farming. Her care for the humane treatment of animals becomes evident, her driving force, and it is a joy to watch how she figures out ways to overcome her awkwardness, nervousness, and anxieties to achieve her goals.

Temple Grandin is not a movie I would usually seek out. Films like this, for me, tend to be overly sentimental and heavy-handed. This is not either of those and is all the more rewarding to me for that. I laughed, I cried, and I left the room at the fade to black in order to share the joy of watching a surprisingly great movie. I hope, for your sake, that you seek it out. There's nothing like a good hug for the soul.