Girl Detective

Does anyone else wish for extra categories? Here are ones I’d like:

Mild Acquaintace
I Hardly Knew Ye
Former Enemy, Now on Probation

I didn’t manage to see Across the Universe in the theater, though I wanted to. It would have been quite something on the big screen. But I enjoyed the 2-disc DVD a lot, in spite of the very mixed reviews when it came out.

Across the Universe is a musical about young lovers in NYC during the Vietnam era with songs of the Beatles as references and dialogue for the movie. The director, Julie Taymor, has a background in puppetry and theater; she created the stage version of The Lion King. I watched and was wowed by her films Titus and Frida, which convinced me along with The Lion King that I’d see anything she did. It might not be great, but even if it were a mess, it would be a spectacular, brilliant, mesmerizing one.

I found Across the Universe kind of messy in parts. Taymor’s vision was sometimes too out there and the movie slowed in the middle. But the talent of the mostly unknown cast, along with the sheer spectacle of the movie combined with oh-so-familiar music that was produced in ways that brought new aspects to it–all of these made me love Across the Universe. I was strongly reminded of the films of Baz Luhrmann. I watched each of the making-of extras, and they gave me an increased appreciation for this flawed but wonderful film. As the choreographer noted, it’s a film that’s surreal yet playful, as well as powerful and poignant.

Other reviews: New York Times
Roger Ebert
Entertainment Weekly
Village Voice
Chicago Tribune

Edited to add: I’m hugely excited about Taymor’s current project, especially because of her creative casting of the lead role.

I hate parenting books. The last thing I want to do after an exhausting day parenting my energetic, needy boys is read about parenting. I want a break! Television, movies and reading for pleasure suit that need much better.

Yet I am far from a perfect parent to 5yo Drake and 2yo Guppy, so I feel guilty about not reading the books. I know I’ve got much to learn, but I rebel against the books, whose advice I find hard to follow and not always applicable. At a recent playdate, a friend noticed my boys’ oppositional behavior, and suggested Supernanny. Why not, I thought, worn down by the boys and their frequent fighting, both with me and with each other. I got the book from the library. Three weeks went by. I renewed it. Another three weeks went by. I renewed it again. Finally I read it.

It’s easy to read, with pictures, big type size and a truly useful set of sections on typical problem areas like eating, playing with others, and bedtime. It is basic, and perhaps more focused on parent guidance than on child nurturing. But I am taking away a few pieces of advice, so it was time well spent.

On the futility of reasoning with toddlers:

Reasoning, pleading, bargaining, threatening–none of these work with [toddlers]. For these strategies to work, your child would need mental powers she just does not yet have. (p.32)

It’s okay to offer a toddler a choice between two acceptable alternatives. But offering a toddler lots of choices tells him that you don’t know what you’re doing–otherwise, why are you asking?–and that therefore he’s the boss. (p. 50)

Small children will always win [in these situations] because they don’t really understand what a bargain or a promise is all about. What you’re dangling in front of them in the form of a treat is just too tempting, and they will try their utmost to get it right now. And what you see as a trade-off, she sees as a rule that keeps changing–which, as everyone knows, is a rule that isn’t really a rule at all and doesn’t have to be followed. (p. 71)

On involving kids with daily tasks:

Small children need attention. When they don’t get it, they act up. The trouble is that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for you to give your toddler the attention he wants and deal with everything else as well. When you have two or more kids, short of cloning yourself, you have to think of ways around the problem. (p. 77)

And some helpful advice I’m going to try, like earlier mealtimes for the kids, who tend to be hungry at 10:30 and 4:30, not noon and 6:30. And staggered bedtimes, so each boy can have a little one on one time before bed–kids aren’t the only ones who can use “divide and conquer” to their advantage. Heh, heh.

I went to the bookstore yesterday for a title my psychologist recommended. I knew the author and the area the book would be in. I checked the shelves, but didn’t find it. I continued checking in related areas, but didn’t find it. Then I asked for help. A kind bookseller led me directly to the book. It was in the area I’d been looking, sitting face out, prominently on the shelf in its own special section.

The book? Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey. The section? ADD.

*Sigh* I do not think my difficulty finding the book and its topic are unrelated.

In David J. Schwartz’s Superpowers, five college juniors in Madison, WI throw a party, drink beer and pass out. When they wake up, they don’t have hangovers, they have the superpowers of the book’s title: super strength, speed, invisibility, telepathy and flight. The book wonders what would happen to real kids in the real world if suddenly blessed–or is it cursed?–with superpowers.

Superheros is an older teen novel, featuring college protagonists struggling with real-life issues, in addition to their new problems. It’s also an introduction to superhero culture, perhaps best for fans of shows like Heroes or Smallville who haven’t yet become comic-book readers. I don’t think I’m the target reader; I’m too familiar with comic books dealing with similar themes, from early Spider Man and X-Men to Alan Moore’s Watchmen, to more recent comics like Powers and Runaways. For less geeky readers than me, though, this is an enjoyable young adult what-if tale.

Can it really be 25 years since I saw Risky Business in the theater? My friend J drove; she had a car. Also, she pretended to be my older sister, since I was only 15 and not technically allowed to see the movie. Tom Cruise was my first adolescent movie-star crush–he had me from the opening chords of “Old Time Rock n Roll.”

Watching it again, 25 years later, I felt the movie aged surprisingly well. It was definitely of its time, the go-go early eighties. But its theme of financial success at the cost of one’s soul is timeless. It’s a teen movie:

So, your folks are going out of town…

but it goes beyond the typical. The director and producers were trying to do more than a teen-sex movie, and I think they succeeded. Cruise looks impossibly young as the scared, sheltered, suburban teen Joel. Rebecca de Mornay projects a mix of tough vulnerability, kindness and calculation as a hooker with no heart of gold. They’re at the center of what I see now as a very dark, ironic morality tale.

The extras on the 25th anniversary disc are worth watching. They include screen tests of de Mornay and Cruise, whose chemistry and charisma were apparent early on. There’s commentary from other directors, like Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe, as well as interviews from the makers and actors from the film. Joe Pantoliano, who played Guido the Killer Pimp, notes that this is the film that “made” him. Also included is the director’s preferred ending, which is much darker than the one the studio insisted on. As such, it better fits the film, I think.

Elizabeth Bennet and Caroline Bingley are attending the event Take a Turn about the Room.

At Austenbook, a Pride and Prejudice homage to the Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition)

Link from Kate; thanks!

“Smoke up, Johnny!”

As an antidote to yesterday’s lovely article on gift giving to children, the Onion AV Club has “Fifteen Terrible Presents in TV and film”

My worst gift was from my well-meaning dad. I was sixteen and he got me an emergency CB radio for the car if I broke down. He was trying to keep me safe; I wanted a red-striped shirt from the Limited. Ah, youth.

Link from ALoTT5MA

My library has just increased the number of hold requests allowed to thirty, from twenty. Yay! Even more nerdish obsessing in the electronic card catalog for me. Thank you, librarians. You’re the best.

Though, ahem, I wouldn’t need to request so many holds at once if the movies and CDs circulated at a faster clip. Just sayin’.

Everyone knows the phrase “terrible twos.” As with much of parenting, though, it didn’t become clear what it meant until I was in the midst of it.

Two is when kids start to push back. Previously biddable kids suddenly take to “No!” like it’s the only word in the world. I find it’s the concrete examples, though, that really show the terribleness:

It’s time to change Guppy’s diaper. I pull one from the stack. He says no, he doesn’t want the green dog. I show him purple cat, magenta dog, blue dog with pencil and blue dog with wrenches ; we’re out of blue dog painting, since he’s been demanding those. Irony is that he can’t even see the diaper design once it’s on. He throws a fit, and is big and fast enough to run away, twist away, kick at me and take the green dog diaper off. I’ve zigged, he’s zagged, finally I have to zog. What if we put on the diaper after a book? Suddenly, he’s reasonable again. “I yuv you, mom,” he says, hugging me.

Guppy wants yogurt for breakfast. I take out the yogurt, a bowl and a spoon, and start to put the yogurt in the bowl. Guppy screams; he wanted to do it. I offer it to him. He refuses and continues to tantrum. It’s already begun; I’ve ruined it. I rinse out the bowl. He cries that the bowl is wet. I dry it. He spoons up the yogurt, then cries because the spoon is dirty. I rinse it off. He cries because it’s wet. I dry it off, and he finally begins to eat, about ten minutes after this all started.

Terrible? Insane is more like it. And as everyone knows, three is worse. Can’t wait.

From the archives, on gift giving for kids:
Star Tribune 12/24/89 - Pat Gardner “Tender Years”

The weeks of hectic preparation are coming to a close. Within days, the magic will begin to unfold for our children and, vicariously through them, for us. Just as we remember those wonderful Christmas Eves and mornings long ago, our children will one day look back on these days. How will they remember them? What are you giving your children this year?

I know one family of modest means that makes a great effort to celebrate Christmas in the best way possible. Their children always find five gifts under the tree. And more than that, the gifts are always accompanied by a parent. Here’s how they do it.

The children always receive a gift to hug and love. Sometimes it’s a doll or maybe a stuffed animal. Every Christmas each child has something to care for, to carry along and finally at night to share a bed, secrets and dreams.

The wise parents know that the children will themselves learn to care for others by practicing on dolls and stuffed animals. Mom and Dad demonstrate rocking the stuffed bear and wiping the doll’s face. They talk about being gentle and giving care.

More important, they treat their children tenderly. They make a special effort at this busy time of year for a little more lap time, more frequent hugs and all the physical care and attention their young children need.

The children in this family always receive something to read. The parents know that to give them books is to give them wings. The little ones get books, and the big ones get books. Books aren’t foreign to any member of this family. Books are treasures. And more than that, they become a daily connection between parent and child.

The wise parents know that the best way to raise a reader is to read to a child….They share curiosity. They take the time to listen patiently to their beginning reader. They share discoveries. Through books, these parents explore worlds within their home and beyond their front door with all of their children.

The children receive toys and games. These parents are concerned about each child’s skills and find fun ways to enhance their present capabilities and encourage further development. For a grasping baby, a crib gym; for a beginning walker, a push toy; for a pre-schooler, a shape and color sorter; for a beginning reader, a game of sequence and strategy.

The parents know that play is the work of childhood. They understand that to meet a child at her level of accomplishment is to encourage success in play. Success stimulates motivation and interest in a challenge. So the parents judge their toy and game choices carefully. Not too easy, but not too hard.

They they do the most important thing. They play with their children. The children see that learning is a toy, that it’s fun to challenge oneself, that play can be a very social activity, that it’s OK to win and also to lose and that Mom and Dad wholeheartedly approve of play.

The children in this family always receive a gift of activity. From a simple ball or jump rope to a basketball hoop or a pair of ice skates, they always have one gift that encourages action.

The parents know that those children who, by nature, are very active may need to be channeled into acceptable and appropriate activities. And they know that those children who, by nature, are very passive may need to be encouraged to move with purpose. But their message to their children is that physical activity is important and good.

These parents make their message clear by joining their children in physical play. They skate and play catch. They’re on the floor with their crawlers and walk hand in hand with their toddlers. They get bumped and bruised and laugh and shout. They sled and they bowl. And many times in the next few weeks when resting on the couch sounds much more inviting, these parents will give their kids one more gift. They’ll get up and play with them.

The children always receive a gift of artistic expression. They might find crayons, paints or markers in their stockings. It might be a gift of clay this year or rubber stamps or scissors and glue. The materials change, but the object remains the same: create with joy.

These wise parents aren’t terribly concerned about the mess of finger paints. They’re more concerned about the exposure to unique sensations. They want their children to use their imaginations. They want their children to approach life in a hands-on fashion. And they want them to express themselves through their artistic activities in ways that exceed their vocabularies.

Right after I saw My Name is Will reviewed in Entertainment Weekly (link not online), Winfield was scheduled to appear at Rain Taxi’s annual Twin Cities Book Fest. I’ve been on something of a Shakespeare binge this year, so I decided to attend. Late, I hurried through the building toward the room I thought, but wasn’t sure, the reading would be in. A man I passed assured me, “You’re headed in the right direction. Don’t worry. You’re not going to miss it.” How Jess Winfield knew I was going to HIS reading I don’t know, but I laughed, slowed down, and we arrived at the room together. I was fortunate enough to chat for a few minutes before the session with both Winfield and actor Stacia Rice, who introduced Winfield before hustling out to prepare for opening night of The Scottish Play, in which she was Lady Macbeth.

Winfield read a few passages from My Name is Will. The chapters alternate between William “Willie” Shakespeare Greenberg, an 80’s era UCSC grad student, and the William “Will” Shakespeare of 1582 Stratford-upon-Avon. Both are beset by troubles. Willie is avoiding both his master’s thesis and his father with an impressive array of illicit drugs and a few willing women.

He couldn’t go back to Robin’s as he was: no cash, no direction, no thesis, and no fucking clue of who or what William Shakespeare Greenberg was, let alone William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon.

He looked at his watch again. He would do it all. Right now. Today. Figure out his thesis before the library closed; deliver the mushroom tonight, or tomorrow morning at the latest; be back tomorrow.

Right.

Will is persecuted for his family’s Catholicism, while also pursuing women, being strong armed into making an honest woman of Ann Hathaway, and embarking on a career of writing and playacting. Both Willie and Will are endearing wastrels, and their entwined stories are brought to a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion.

Winfield was a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, and spent years writing and producing stories for Disney. He knows how to tell a ripping yarn; this is a thumping good read. The historical details for Will are mostly accurate. Like Shakespeare’s histories, this is an entertainment, not a factual tract. It also doesn’t flinch from explicit scenes of drug use and sex. The subtitle for the book isn’t a come on, it’s truth in advertising. This book is not for the easily offended. It _is_ for fans of Shakespeare and comedy, though, and very accessible to those with only a passing knowledge of the Bard. Indeed, it might even encourage those students who see Shakespeare as a chore to do a little experimenting on their own.

Laid low with a serious head cold, I probably was not in the best state to watch Helvetica, a documentary about the influential typeface that traces its history and current status. It has a dry humor and quiet presentation that I might otherwise have appreciated, as it interviews a variety of type experts and artists, some of the them pro-Helvetica, some anti-, and some taking an interesting postmodern rapprochement to the modernist typeface. Unfortunately, I found it a little slow, and so low key about its intentions that it left me bemused. With a clearer head, I might have liked it more. Even so, it’s made me more aware, both of my feelings for Helvetica (OK for signs, but not for text–I don’t like the square punctuation) and of its omnipresence (Guess what typeface you’re reading, now?) I’m all the more appreciative of alternatives.

An inky dark dramedy, In Bruges‘ hitmen, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell, are sent to the title city (in Belgium) to cool their heels after a hit went wrong. Farrell is both hilarious and touching as the simple-minded newbie, while Gleeson brings depth and sadness to a character that could have easily been a caricature. Ralph Fiennes is so over the top he almost is a caricature, though his feelings on loyalty and consequences lend an intriguing edge. This is a very violent, funny, sad film that doesn’t always pull off a balance–not for when you’re feeling fragile. But for whip-smart dialogue, some great acting, and some moments so funny we had to stop the DVD because we were laughing so hard, In Bruges is worth watching.

I’ve been reading Fables since its inception, over five years ago. Even so, I was surprised that Fables: War and Pieces, written by Bill Willingham and illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, and Andrew Pepoy, was The End of the overarching story begun back in issue one. I’ve been reading this complex, funny, violent, tragic, comic for so long, and its story feels so eternal–I’d simply forgotten it must end.

“Fables” are the personifications of fairy tales who escaped long ago from the tyrannical Adversary and his warring Empire. They took refuge in the real, or “mundy,” world. Even there, though, they were not free from attacks and spies. In this book, the long term plans and stories of the characters come together in a final, huge battle. Prince Charming partners with Sinbad to captain a skyship, Cinderella is a killer spy on a dangerous mission, Bigby Wolf leads the last stand, and Boy Blue narrates, since he’s all over the place. There’s a satisfyingly big ending, and a short epilogue that balances things nicely. Page 172 shows a celebration in which I suspect a few of the “characters” depicted are actually the writers, illustrators, their loved ones, and DC Comics staff. I’m betting Willingham is the one holding the green bottle, and I’m curious why Rorschach would make an appearance. He’s not much of a party guy.

This story, of the Fables against the Adversary, is over, but the series will continue. There are still many stories to tell. I, for one, want more about Frau Totenkinder, one of the creepiest characters of them all.

From Book Design Review, a list of favorite book covers for 2008. I own only one, Michael Chabon’s Maps and Legends.

A two dimensional picture doesn’t do the layered cover justice. Boing Boing shows details of the impressive, three-part cover.

I think my favorite, though, is The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. There’s a ballot at the end of the entry. Link from Blog of a Bookslut.

Jeff from Season 5 of Bravo’s Top Chef
and Jesse Spencer, who plays Robert Chase on House, MD:

We live in Minnesota. I have one son in preschool, and one in daycare. Virus season lasts from September to April. We’ve already gone a few rounds, but the current virus is the worst yet. After some online research, I set off to the grocery cooperative to stock up on remedies.

This article, “10 Ways to Boost Immune Health” recommended vitamin C. I got lemons, satsumas and kiwis. It warned against caffeine and sugar, but encouraged sleep, protein, and moderate outdoor exercise.

This article, “How to Treat the Common Cold with Traditional Chinese Medicine” distinguished between colds caused by “wind cold” and “wind heat”. For heat-related symptoms, it recommends Yin Qiao. It also warns against caffeine, and sugar, plus ginseng.

From “10 Best Cold and Flu Fighters“, recommendations for echinacea and andrographis, which I bought in liquid, Yin Chiao, astragalus and elderberry, which I got in pill form, plus my usuals of garlic and ginger, which I put in chicken broth and then pureed.

I took a round of all these that night, then chewed a clove of raw garlic, which caused me to vomit it all back up, then was more ill the next day. After much rest, I’m doing better, but 2yo Guppy is still having trouble, so we’re off to the pediatrician to rule out pneumonia.

We ordered the graphic novel Daredevil: Cruel and Unusual by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark, from Big Brain Comics, by accident. After I read the last Daredevil collection, I decided I was finished reading the series. But when it showed up in our box, we bought it, and once we’d bought it I figured I might as well read it.

I’m glad I did. I enjoyed this Daredevil collection more than any in recent memory. Matt Murdock continues to be mopey and self-involved, but friends jar him out of his stupor and get him involved in a case. I thought the mystery and the supporting cast were done well, and it was great to see Daredevil back to form. He’s spent far too much time mooning schmoopily over the dreadful character Milla. Was her absence what made this book so much better than its predecessors? I think so. My husband G. Grod thinks that it’s a matter of contrast: the last few Daredevil collections have been so terrible that the new one seems great even if it’s only OK.

Bottom line, though? I’ll pick up the next one. And if they’d kill off Milla and remove her from Matt’s memory? Heaven.

I was 30 when Can’t Hardly Wait came out, so beyond the high school and college final-party demographic. But when EW reviewed this new DVD and said it had 9 Buffy alums, I decided to give it a try. It’s a solid B movie. Some funny stuff in a movie filled with party cliches. The leads are mopey and schmoopy, but the supporting characters are fun, especially Seth Green trying hard to be “urban”.

I only caught 4 Buffy alums, though: Green, Eric Balfour, Clea Duvall and Amber Benson, plus three Six Feet Under future stars: Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez and Balfour, again. And Jason Segal, looking like he actually belongs at a high school party.

Out on the web, though, I dug up the full list of the Buffy alums, and the comment thread at this MySpace page includes other movies and shows for Buffy fans:

Amber Benson
Seth Green
Paige Moss
Clea DuVall
Eric Balfour
John Patrick White
Nicole Bilderback
Channon Roe
Christopher Wiehl