B is for Big and Bridget Jones’s Diary

While I’m sure many people will put The Big Lebowski on this list, I’ve narrowed the B category to two important films:

Big: I was honestly shocked to find out that my college freshman students didn’t know the movie Big – especially since it’s on cable in Florida all the time. I would think most people would love the tale of a boy who wants to grow up too soon and ends up just being what most of his new-found peers find as an eccentric genius. The heartbreak his family and friends go through in losing this boy to the adult world makes the audience think of the rest of the teens out there who end up being used to gain corporate numbers in toy making (and the like.) Isn’t the giant piano scene enough to make someone want to watch this movie?

Billy: So you got a job, where you play with all these toys.
Josh: Yup!
Billy: And they're gonna pay you for that?
Josh: Yup!
Billy: SUCKERS!

Bridget Jones’s Diary: I was much more excited about this film last month when I found out that I was a Jane Austen fan girl just waiting to be unleashed. Based loosely on Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones isn’t perfect but she doesn’t realize that this is what makes us and Mark Darcy (no I didn’t realize the name was Mr. Darcy or that Colin Firth played them both – I’m slow!) love her. What she is, is funny, and she documents her battle to lose weight, stop smoking, deal with her crazy parents and catch the object of her desire, Daniel Cleaver. After watching this so many times, I understood the battle between Wickham and Darcy in Pride & Prejudice a bit more (while it’s not an exact retelling, the confusion in Lizzy regarding who was telling the truth was a bit more understandable.) The basic story of a girl who can’t see what’s right in front of her is one that most females really like. It’s a modern day English romance (starring an American who may or may not have nailed the accent.)

Mark Darcy: I like you, very much.
Bridget: Ah, apart from the smoking and the drinking, the vulgar mother and... ah, the verbal diarrhea.
Mark Darcy: No, I like you very much. Just as you are.

Technorati Tags: Bridget Jones,Big,Tom Hanks,Renée Zellweger,film,movie,atozchallenge,a-z,books,Austen

A is for Aliens and American Beauty

For my first A-Z of Culture Month, I chose the best movies in the A category that I think every student should be aware of:

Aliens: While the first Alien movie was monumental and awesomely original (as well as classic haunted house story-telling), I hold a special love for Aliens. I’ve seen this movie a ton of times and I never get tired of it. Ripley isn’t thrown into a situation and made to deal with it as in the first movie, this time she faces her fears and sets out to save people’s lives. It’s visually stunning and the military operation based around the “bug hunt” of exterminating the thousands of eggs that could potential wipe out the human race is something the audience can root for. Also, Ripley’s hatred for the company using her and the crew in order to bring back an alien is another aspect that audiences can totally back her up on.

Burke: Ripley...! You know, I... I expected more from you. I thought you'd be smarter than this.
Ripley: I'm happy to disappoint you.

American Beauty: Most people think of Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects but I first saw him in American Beauty and absolutely loved it. Here was a guy who tells you from the start that he will die soon, so his telling of what happened in the last days of his life. Between his hatred for his job, his distance with his wife, and his disconnect from his daughter, Lester finally decides to change his life in an Office Space sense. However, the themes are a deeper in this film and you understand the feelings of every single member of the family. While Lester is our hero, of sorts, the escaping from a life of “just things” into a life where you think, feel, love and experience something other than what society expects you to, is why I think students should at least see this and get an idea of how cinematography can work to create good story-telling without CGI nonsense – plus, it’s pretty funny in parts. My literary criticism professor used this film as an example of symbolism in the rose petals and I’ve always kept that in mind in my own classes.

Carolyn Burnham: How dare you speak to me that way in front of her. And I marvel that you can be so contemptuous of me, on the same day that you LOSE your job.
Lester Burnham: Lose it? I didn't lose it. It's not like, "Whoops! Where'd my job go?" I QUIT. Someone pass the asparagus, please.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2012

Technorati Tags: movie,film,American Beauty,Kevin Spacey,Aliens,Alien,Ellen Ripley,sci-fi,comedy,drama,symbolism,heroine,atozchallenge

Another A to Z list

It's Thursday, and as I said last week, Thursday will be my blogging days - until I find a better day or more reasons to blog more often.

I've decided to go on with April's A to Z challenge again this year. My first set of entries were on local sights but this year I think I'll do something a bit "easier."

When I taught school, there were always references to movies that my students, aged 12-infinity, who would be oblivious to what I was talking about. As an English teacher it was easier for me to compare our literature to visual media but without the students' prior knowledge, the attempt to clarify a concept just didn't work.

I use to tell my students that "One day, we'll have Culture Day," where I would show them all the movies that they should see when they're on cable. (Most of the movies I will put on the list are played on Brighthouse every weekend but they still hadn’t seen them.)

These aren't going to be the best movies or even the best for the alphabet category. They are just the movies I think deserve to be on the list for Culture Day. Well, Culture Month.

In other news, the weather has been super warm and nice out lately. Yesterday I opted to walk to the library early, sat in the cafe by the open door and read for hours. Afterwards, I didn't want to go home so I lingered in the park with my book for a while there too. It's an awesome change of pace from the typical chilly North-East weather. Hooray for Spring!

Technorati Tags: blogging,a-z,film,culture,teaching,80s,classics,90s

Spring is in the air - kind of

It's sunny but chilly today so I have no idea when Spring will really start. But luckily it's not cold enough to not be going outside so I can still go to the gym (even though I so need to get back on the treadmill.)

Anyway, so there was an article today about not using social media for two weeks. I really don't know how this wouldn't be good for someone to do this from time to time. For me, social networking has become less and less appealing. I absolutely love being able to keep up with my family and friends but many of them aren't using Facebook as much anymore. They have lives that don't require their smartphones. When I want to talk with them we have email or FB messenger (which a lot of people don’t use either.)

As far as Twitter goes, I have met some really cool, smart, nice and interesting people. I've also run into people who want to sell books, argue, go on anti-religion rants or be all around non-social. That's what gets me fed up a lot of times with Twitter so I started a massive overhaul of my timeline. I unfollowed the chronic reTweeters or those who are not online to just connect with new people to share ideas.

So I've been trying to be online a little less. I know people cry at the idea but for me it feels better to limit my time with the phone. Sadly I have even used the PC for days so I need to make Thursday be my blogging day when I use the computer in a constructive way. (But I do still write my posts on ye-old iPhone 3G or my HTC Sensation.)

Aside from the on-again-off-again issue with the phone, I've still not done book reviews. I don't really know if they're worth doing (Lord knows book reviews are a dime a dozen.) I have five YA books to review so I may just finish up the mini reviews and get them out of the way. I'm on a classic novel now per my New Year's resolution (no, I haven't forgotten about that) when I wanted to read the popular YA, old books I enjoyed as a teen and classic books I still haven't gotten to yet. This means I'm finally taking time with Austen.

I should also mention the debacle last week with the Citizens Advice Bureau who had an “Immigration Clinic” to help people with paperwork for their work permits, visas and leave to remain status (like me for next year.) Of course I was never told that I needed an appointment so I was escorted into an interview room to a volunteer who didn’t know as much about the process, the Immigration Clinic or the rules for the paperwork than I did. Eventually she got an answer (just one, mind you) from two advisors who, of course, were too busy with appointments or walk-ins (as I was told that my situation wasn’t as important as the other people who came in) to speak to me face-to-face. I felt bad for being snappy at the volunteer but seriously, I needed a qualified immigrations advisor for that visit. But I’m sure they aren’t going to bend over backward for an immigrant anyway even though I can’t find work or take any benefits from anyone to begin with. But I digress…

We haven't gone on any little adventures other than around town lately so I have had any photo sets to add to Flickr. But we will be headed somewhere nearby over the Easter break. The Queen gives us Easter Friday through Easter Monday off!

This weekend, of course, is for The Hunger Games!

Technorati Tags: immigration,England,Twitter,Facebook,social networking

Dear PayPal, we’re through

I’ve talked about my issues with Ebay before and how PayPal has gotten considerably worse to deal with over the recent year. I’ve finally decided to cancel my PayPal account but, surprise, I can’t because their Close Account webpage form goes through the whole process, then tells me it has a “connection error.” This has been the same for the last three days.

So since all the customer service people tell me is to call their local US number, which I obviously can’t do right now, I have to resort to showing everyone else my letter that will go with my account closure statement because PayPal surely won’t listen.

I have had an incident with an Ebay seller who was sending me harassing messages over a product and I was given no support or refund on the matter. I should have closed my account then but now after I had a seller give me incorrect PayPal account info, I cancelled the payment for the unclaimed money and sent it to the seller's correct PayPal account. I was then given a negative balance in my PayPal account so, essentially, I paid for this item twice. I was given no support regarding this matter either. I also had to fight through PayPal's security procedure to get access to my own account and my own money when I changed my email address and password. To then be ripped off after that means I am cancelling my account and not coming back. PayPal needs to be more cooperative and helpful with their customers. There are way too many complaints regarding PayPal these days for this company to risk losing any more patrons. Thank you.

These are my reasons to finally close the account all together.  If they want to go through a whole process to verify who I am after changing my email address and password, just to let me use my own money, then turn around and charge me twice for something, then it’s not even worth risking the loss of $1 anymore.  It’s sad too because I use to use Ebay a lot in the US but since I’ve been here I’ve had way too many problems.  What gets me is that when you purchase something here and it gives you a “pay by card” option, you still have to agree to opening a PayPal account with that debit or credit card information. If you have an account already open, then you have to use whatever email or credit card is already listed to an account.

Sorry, no. I just can’t fight with them anymore on this.  So I’ve emailed PayPal a few times and told them their website is broken and I want my account closed. At least I was able to delete my card information off my account. That was after I paid PayPal $8 to use my own money, that is. I wasn’t even allowed to access my account until after that negative balance was taken off that was of their wrong doing to begin with.

Anyway, for those who are still buying and selling on Ebay without issue, I’m so glad you haven’t had to go through this kind of stupid stuff like I have.  For all those people who cancelled their accounts long ago and who have written complaint after complaint about PayPal’s poor service; I join your cause!

 

Technorati Tags: PayPal,Ebay,money,buying,selling,fees