It's odd to me that the 4th of July is pretty much already here. It doesn't feel like it- I guess that's a part of growing up; things you used to look forward to lose their magic over time. I also didn't have camping and a lobster bake to look forward to like I have most summers of my life, so that definitely makes this upcoming 4th look like it'll be an unimpressive one. We don't even have plans! I think I might spend the weekend attempting to do some papers I need to do for my program, that way by the time I'm in new classes in the fall, I have a leg up on the portfolio.
Anyways. My sure-to-be-boring 4th and classwork was not my intended subject of this post. Far from it. I was going to use this post to babble about movies that I've seen the last few weeks, thanks to Alie's new Blockbuster card. It's made not having cable bearable.
This summer has been the summer of John Cusack in my apartment. Happy day for me, as the man is my number one favorite actor. We've since watched all the movies I own with him in it, and this week we rented both "Martian Child" and "Grace is Gone".
I'm pretty sure my family thinks I'm ridiculous with my love for John, but honestly- the man is phenomenal actor. It's interesting to see him in these newer films, too because he's completely evolved as a character since his "Better Off Dead" days. Instead of being the guy chasing after love, he's turned into the guy who's losing love and trying to adequately deal, or even fill that void. In "Martian Child" his wife passes away, and he wants to fulfill the hopes him and his wife had once had about having children. So he goes through the process of adopting Dennis, a child who's been abandoned by so many people has the learned coping mechanism of thinking he's a Martian from outer space only visiting Earth for a mission. Such a great movie, the Dennis kid reminds me a lot of my little brother. AND the kid is obsessed with polaroids, so clearly- he's a child after my own heart.
In "Grace is Gone" I got to see John in a completely (completely) different role that I'm used to. After making the film, he spoke with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio and was complimented that this film was his best ever. John expressed that the role was powerful for him, and emotional. It's interesting to watch this when knowing his very outspoken stance against the war in Iraq, as well as our presidency. In this film, he plays the sort of proto-typical Republican father of two little girls from middle America, whose wife dies in battle in the Middle East. Heart wrenching, yet still so so amazing. Watch it.
Moving on to...an equally depressing, yet in a different way, movie, "Half Nelson" features the attractive ex-mousekateer, Ryan Gosling, as a coke-headed middle-school history teacher. Ridiculous premise, right? It works. It ends oddly, but poignantly. It's not what I expected at all, but goodness. It was amazing to see the juxtaposition between his addiction and his focus on his students.
Lastly, we rented this movie because we'd seen previews for it on a bunch of other recent rentals. Plus, anything with both Phillip Seymore Hoffman as well as Laura Linney seems like a great idea to me. In a story about siblings, an aging father and intersecting life lines, "The Savages" was great yet dismal.
The ending saved me from not liking the film. I really loved Laura Linney's character, she seemed so real and reminiscent of so many people I know- or feel like I will know by the time I'm in my late 30's. Ha.
On a completely unrelated note, I just found out I'll be going to a conference up in Ann Arbor, Michigan the 2nd to last week of July. It's for the National Institute of Intergroup Dialog which will help me as a "student affairs professional" to work with students and to understand the intergroup dynamics that exist in and outside of the classroom. Sounds exciting, right? I think this will be great to supplement my experiences in CMSS and my upcoming year over in the Treehouses (talk about intergroup diversity, freshman at one end of the row, and sorority sisters at the other).
All of this writing has made me realize I should get back to work.
This time next week, I'll be at home!
Peace,
-Leigh
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