Capra!

OK, so yesterday was Christmas at my house and my mom has a rule about only watching feel good movies during the Holidays. We have watched Elf a hundred times and White Christmas during the snow storm and Christmas Vacation, of course, as we opened our presents in the morning. But when night time rolled around i could not find anything to watch, until i stumbled upon Field of Dreams starring a young, handsome Kevin Costner. Just curious, i clicked the info button and the first word was "Capra-esque".
This got me thinking about how well this film fit Capra, and how i had never noticed it before. For those of you who haven't seen this film you must put it on your to-do list.
The movie is not logical and every little thing is not explained, but you don't even think about that because you fall in love with the characters and the miracles constantly in motion on screen. The plot revolves around a sport that during the time was an all American sport, Baseball. Capra was all for America, small towns, and miracles.
The story begins when Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears a voice in his corn field tell him, "If you build it, he will come." He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series.
It will make you laugh, cry, and clap with joy all in the same two minutes.

It is truly Capra-esque.

SNL

OK, i know this is not a movie but since it has become an empire in the industry i want to talk about it. Oh yes, Saturday Night Live. I have watched it religiously even before i could understand any of the jokes. It has showcased hundreds of actors and actresses over the time and some of them multiple times. There are so many things that i love about this show that i cant even begin to describe. But every week when i hear about who will be hosting,i cant help but get excited and nervous all at once. Especially if its someone i like because if they aren't funny i'm immediately like, "Damn, they aren't funny" And being funny or having a good sense of humor is really important in my mind. Even in film, comedy is the one thing that everyone loves because who doesn't love to laugh?! besides scrooge, but even he lightened up. =] SO, anyway i was rifling around on youtube for something and came across one of Andy Sambergs digital shorts. And i thought i would share my favorite one with you guys! He is the sickest/silliest person on the planet. Enjoy. =]

Click hereee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBd2KoQmZG0

It's high time you kids learn about exposure

So take a peek at my handy web-based tutorial

I know its a little early to be writing something like this for all you seniors to read, but my time where im able to even get online is running out. See, my senior year i got lazy. I didnt attempt to get any scholorships, i was no longer eligable for the stars program due to corzines need to change it, and i didnt apply for financial aid. I kept telling myself oh i have time i have time, but before i knew it, i ran out of time. And like most families, we couldnt afford college. So where did i go? I joined the Military. Im now scheduled to ship to basic training on january 5th. Im not ashamed to admit that, in the beginning, i signed solely because they would pay for my education. However, as i talked to others in the army, navy, and marines, military life began to sing to me. When i put deep thought into it, i realize that this is probably my calling. However, that does not change the fact that, ironically, i joined at first due to my lazyness.So basically, what i am trying to tell you is start now. And Trust Me, i know all of oakcrest has probably already said this to you a thousand times, but they couldnt be more right. By starting now you can be sure to get the money you need to finance your college career, that more then anything, will help you to get a good job in this economy- im not trying to parent you - far from it. You guys are nearing adulthood, its time for you to make your own decisions. Just dont mess yourselves up because you didnt take college seriously. All of you have great potential, now its nearing the time for you to live up to your grand statements and to make your dreams a reality. So, in the end, Good Luck! When i come home in june or july of next year, i hope to see all of you graduates happy and enjoy your future!

How Many Santa's Does It Take?

As Christmas gets closer, & closer it seems like all they play on televison is christmas movies. Everyshow has a christmas special, & all the commercials seems like they are twenty minutes longer. It seems as if Santa Clause appears on almost every, show, & movie like every thirty minutes. This obnoxious amount of exposure to Kris Kringle got me thinking. How many people exactly have played Kris Kringle in films?!
After several minutes of searching I found a list of famous actors that have played hi m over the years. While I'm sure there are like a bajillion other people who have played him this is the best I could find...

Edmund Gwenn, Richard Attenborough, Ed Asner, David Huddleston, Tim Allen, Billy Bob Thornton( Idk, if I would reall count him as "Santa", but might as well) , Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, & John Call

So right now The Bitter Tea of General Yen, another Capra film I think we talked about briefly in class, is on TCM. I don't know what channel TCM is on every network, but if you have Comcast it should be 75. I suggest turning it on at some point this month (perhaps if you're bored over break?) because they're showing a pretty nice lineup of classics. Some of which you should definitely see if you haven't already.

If you've got time to kill tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 15th), you might start with Gone With The Wind (1939) which is playing at 7:00 PM. They're following it up with a documentary on the film, all about the making of it and whatnot. And if any of you are finding sleep at 2:45 AM rather boring, you can turn on one of my favorite Hitchcock films- Rebecca (1940).

Wednesday, Dec 16th is apparently Humphrey Bogart Day (is it his birthday?). Every film they show is going to star Bogart, so if you're the sort to get tired of seeing the same actor all afternoon, try to tune in at 7:00 PM for The Maltese Falcon (1941) and at the VERY least at 9:00 PM for Casablanca (1942). Try, try, try to see this if you haven't already! After that they're shifting gears from WWII to the Wild Wild West, playing The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) at 11:00 PM. I'll be up watching that. :) And for all of you nocturnal creatures, at 1:15 AM is The African Queen (1951), with Bogart and Katharine Hepburn but...well, I like my sleep. XD

If you turn on the TV right when you get home from school on Thursday, Dec. 17, you may be able to catch The Magnificent Seven (1960) at 3:00 PM.

I'll give you Friday off if you promise to tune in at some point on Saturday, Dec. 19th. If you're up at 11:00 AM you can catch Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) starring Judy Garland...you know, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz? But if you're one of those sleep-until-3PM people, try and drag yourself out of bed for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) which starts right at 3:00 PM. It's a musical, though, and if musicals aren't your thing then I'll give you one more chance at 7:00 PM with The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942). This is a verrrry funny film with a very nice cast. Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, and Monty Woolley...and penguins. Yes, penguins. So if you won't do it for the fantastic cast, do it for the penguins~

Sunday, Dec. 20th is starting off with Sunday morning western: How the West Was Won (1962) at 8:30 AM. Sunday's schedule is being filled with 2 back-to-back 3-and-a-half-hour-long epics. Doctor Zhivago (1965) at 11:30 AM about love during the Russian Revolution, and Ben-Hur (1959) at 3:00 PM. Ben-Hur stars Charlton Heston and is literally 222 minutes long, but it's awesome. However, I understand that high school students have enough trouble paying attention long enough for a 45-minute class period, let alone for an epic about an Israelite prince who crosses paths with Jesus. So if you skip Sunday, that's okay. Though I do encourage you to try and catch the famous horse race scene in Ben-Hur. It will play at some point during the second half of the film, after intermission. Not sure what time that would be, but it's a pretty famous and awesome scene, so try and catch it. If you do, you'll get to see a guy get completely trashed and trampled by horses. Yeah. :D

Well, that's it for this week. The rest of the month is also going to be pretty awesome, but I don't want to hit you all with a wall of text, though it looks like I may have already. Whoops. Hah. Maybe Sunday night if I remember I'll give a rundown of what'll be playing over the holidays. You know, just in case you get bored with whatever you get for Christmas. ;)

ZUZU'S PETALS!

It's a Wonderful Life is on TV. Guess I'm going to have tears in my eyes in thirty minutes or so. That ending just gets me every time.

(Sorry it's finals week I'm not going to write a heart felt review just yet)

Best of Adventure: Adventurers of the Year - Dean Potter - Video - National Geographic Adventure Magazine

Best of Adventure: Adventurers of the Year - Dean Potter - Video - National Geographic Adventure Magazine

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