Movie Review: "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Although my taste in books and movies tends to be all over the place, I'm a fairly straightforward person. While I appreciate some symbolism, and don't need everything literally spelled out for me by a skywriter, I am not a fan of allegory. I do not like to watch a movie and wonder (without any obvious conclusion) whether what I am seeing is actually happening, if it's a dream, or if it symbolizes something completely different.

This, of course, spells out the issue I had with Beasts of the Southern Wild, a beautifully acted, visually arresting movie that confused the heck out of me.

Six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis, an absolute marvel) lives with her father, Wink, in a rundown Delta community called The Bathtub. (Her mother abandoned them when she was an infant.) The Bathtub is a somewhat magical place, where although extremely poor, the residents "celebrate more holidays than anywhere else in the world," often with fireworks and a great deal of alcohol. Wink practices a lot of tough love with Hushpuppy, as he tries to encourage her independence but isn't enamored of her sass. Hushpuppy has learned that the world around her is changing—temperatures are rising, the ice caps are melting, and in her mind, prehistoric creatures called aurochs (which look like larger wildebeests) are being unleashed once again. But as Wink grows sicker and sicker (from an undefined illness), he wants to be sure she can take care of herself.

When a storm of Katrina-esque proportions leaves The Bathtub submerged underwater and destroys their ramshackle home, the remaining residents celebrate their survival in their usual way—drunken revelry, eating as much as possible, and reminiscing. But after several weeks underwater, they take dramatic action to rid their area of all of the water.

And it was at this point that I felt the film started to lose its way. The government evacuates The Bathtub, Wink gets sicker, and Hushpuppy somehow goes on a search to find her mother, and I'm not sure whether she actually does. But along the way, she realizes how much courage she has, and how much she is loved and loves her community. (That's a simple description so as not to spoil what happens, plus there are a lot of visuals of the aurochs thundering over the delta.)

Wallis gave a sensational performance that didn't feel forced, overacted, or fake in any way. (Some have already put her on the short list for an Oscar nomination.) Other than film newcomer Dwight Henry, who played Wink, many of the characters were fairly one-dimensional, and didn't stand out much. (Quite often I couldn't understand what they were saying either.)

This is a movie with a lot of heart that made me think. But sadly, it also made me wonder quite a bit just what was real and what wasn't. So if you see the movie, let me know so we can discuss it!

Watch the trailer.

Book Review: "Girl Unmoored" by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Darn you, Jennifer Gooch Hummer, for making me cry while marveling at your storytelling ability!!

Apron Bramhall is having a tough time of things. It's 1985, and things aren't going as well as she'd hoped—her best friend decided she'd rather be friends with a more popular girl, her mother died not too long ago, and her evil stepmother is pregnant. But luckily, Jesus saves her—or at least Mike, the actor who plays the lead in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar and bears more than a passing resemblance to the real thing. And as she starts spending time with Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, she begins to realize that she's not the only one with problems—and some have more serious ones than she does.

As Apron gets to know Mike and Chad better, and they offer her a summer job in their flower shop, Scent Appeal, she confronts the prejudices of those in her town, and learns more about what love means and how much it can cost. And as things begin to disintegrate at home, she learns more about people and their true feelings than she ever thought she would.

Once again, I am tremendously impressed by the state of so-called "young adult" fiction these days. I found this book to be beautifully written, poignant, and thought provoking, even as it was breaking my heart, and I felt like all of the characters are fairly well drawn. The transformation Apron undergoes is a realistic one, and you can actually see her eyes opening to the world around her, so she can stop feeling sorry for herself and start feeling for others. Jennifer Gooch Hummer is an amazing writer with so much promise, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. And I'd love to see what's next for Apron and the other characters in the book. Bravo!

If you like 'em then you shouldn't put a lid on 'em...

Courtesy of George Takei. All the Pringle ladies, all the Pringle ladies...

A little 80s and 90s pop culture time warp...

As a true child of the 80s and someone so obsessed with pop culture that the 90s were still kinda fun, I've seen a few things lately that have taken me back down memory lane.

First of all, ready to feel old? Soleil Moon Frye (aka Punky Brewster) turned 36 the other day. (Interestingly enough, I didn't realize that the differential between our ages was only seven years, as when she was on television she seemed much, much younger than me.) To celebrate her birthday, she threw herself an "80s prom" bash, with her guests decked out in their finest 80s wear.

Soleil herself sported a vintage 80s prom gown. (Ok, friends, I'm looking through all my prom pictures because I know someone wore the same dress to one of our proms...)

She had the "most epic cake ever" (her words), decorated with pictures from her favorite 80s movies, and Rubik's Cube cupcakes.

But if you ask me, the highlight of the party was the entertainment: Debbie Gibson, who performed several of her hit songs for the guests. You know you know 'em all, including Shake Your Love, Lost in Your Eyes, and Only in My Dreams. How awesome would that be?

Take note: my next birthday is 12/12/12, and I'd love Debbie Gibson to sing for me!

Moving on to the 90s, have you seen the latest Old Navy commercial, featuring some of your favorites from Beverly Hills 90210 (the original, not the remake)? No, Shannen Doherty isn't there.

Once again, Kelly has to choose: Dylan or Brandon? Such a tough decision. Peach Pit, anyone? (Donna Martin graduates!!)

Book Review: "This is Not Your City" by Caitlin Horrocks

What a breathtaking short story collection Caitlin Horrocks has created. The 11 stories in This is Not Your City all have female protagonists, and each is facing some type of struggle, whether it's dealing with an unhappy relationship (romantic or familial), confronting your fears, hating your job (and those you deal with), or even having your cruise ship hijacked by pirates. But these stories aren't all heavy, depressing ones—Horrocks brings the right balance of emotion, humor, and seriousness (when appropriate) to each.

I really enjoyed every story in this collection, although one was marred by missing pages in the Kindle version. But several stood out above the others—Zolaria, a woman's reflections on a childhood friend and confronting the fears that have plagued her since then; Zero Conditional, which followed a young woman who finds herself teaching but literally loathes her job and her students; World Champion Cow of the Insane, a tale of young marriage and questioning whether to trust your heart or someone else's assertions about your mate; Embodied, which follows a woman who believes she is on her 127th life, and is confronting a soul that did her wrong in a previous life—but in an unusual way; and In the Gulf of Aden, Past the Cape of Guardafui, about a couple escaping the sadness of their daily lives on a cruise, only to have the ship hijacked by pirates.

What I love about good short stories is that you come to care deeply about the characters and are sad when the stories end. I felt that way with almost every story in this collection, and honestly believe Horrocks could take nearly every one and turn it into a book of its own. If you enjoy short stories, definitely pick up This is Not Your City, and you'll marvel at both the author's writing ability and her skill at creating so many different characters and situations, nearly all of which feel authentic in their own way.

What hatred and ignorance looks like...

You may have seen this make the rounds on the web this week, but this is a letter that someone posted on Reddit.

User RedBarc said, "In August of 2007, I finally built up the courage to tell my father I was gay. The moment I said it, the phone got quiet and he got off the phone after a few 'Okays'. I decided to give him time to process the news. About a week later, and not long before my birthday, I received the following letter:

'James: This is a difficult but necessary letter to write. I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past. Don’t expect any further conversations With me. No communications at all. I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house. You’ve made your choice though Wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle. If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand. Have a good birthday and good life. No present exchanges will be accepted. Goodbye, Dad.'"

How can a parent turn their back on their child because of who they are, because of whom they choose to love? All too often I feel like as a society we take one step forward and two giant steps back in terms of acceptance of homosexuality, because it's so much easier to simply believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are inferior, are evil, are weak, and not deserving of equal rights. Some even believe that GLBT people aren't deserving of life at all, judging by the alarming rise in the level of anti-gay violence we've been seeing.

Why is it if we don't understand or agree with something, it's immediately wrong?

How much longer can we find intolerance, hatred, and bigotry acceptable? What about acceptance?

Everyone deserves better.

Book Review: "Blue Nights" by Joan Didion

In her magnificent 2005 memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion recounted the double blow of losing her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, and then 20 months later, losing their adopted daughter, Quintana Roo, to an unexplained illness. The pain, anger, and sadness Didion felt radiated through every page of that book.

Blue Nights, Didion's follow-up, touches on many of the same themes of anger and loss, while focusing more on Quintana's life and untimely death. The book examines Quintana's adoption, her trying to act like an adult at far too early an age, and the fragility of both her mental and physical state, and Didion tries to determine whether the way she and Dunne raised Quintana had a negative impact on her short life. Beyond simply a memoir of loss, this book also touches on Didion's loneliness as well as her own fears of aging, frailty, and death, as she approaches her 80th birthday.

Didion is a magnificent writer and her use of language is truly poetic. I didn't feel this book packed as much of an emotional wallop as The Year of Magical Thinking did, perhaps because it dealt with her own struggles as well as Quintana's. It is tremendously sad that all of the losses she has experienced have led to such a magnificent exploration of her psyche. Didion's introspection didn't connect with me as much as her reflections and reminiscences, but her story did evoke strong feelings. And while I don't normally mind when books don't follow a coherent time thread, I found it a little confusing here, and had to backtrack a few times to see if I missed something. In the end, you certainly empathize, if not truly understand, the pain, fear, and regret that Didion feels.