A journal entry "Monster"

He hated the label, "monster," but he could understand why they called him that. He saw the papers; he knew the routine. They refused to meet with him, discuss what he figured out was the most important--deciding on an agenda that worked only for them.
Yet he was the monster.
He exercised as they did. He ate at thei same restaurants. And he practiced his ability to love just like everyone else. They let the fucking homos do what they want--even gave them their own television shows.
But not him.
There was a time, when he was younger, he would sit on the stoop in front of his house and have a cricket or a cicada taped to teh pavement. They never cried out as used his mother's twizzers pull it's legs in opposite directions. It did not weep. Instead it merely appeared annoyed at the procedure and tried to pull away.
And he wondered, why don't humans do the same?
He practiced with his subjects. He told them what we was going to do, but they protested. They were the lonely ones--wassn't this what they wanted? Attention until they died?
The latest report in the newspaper labled him Marlowe Monster for his use of hookers on Marlowe street. But these women had already given up on their lives. He was just helping them die faster then their lifestyle would allow.
Yet he was the monster.

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ah, what be said about Harry Potter that hasn't been said already. I love the kid, frankly, seeing how he gets kids gett so riled over his printed page. I wish my students could do the same. My kids can't read their own names a majority of the time.
But even they know Harry. The books and movies go beyond a tremendous success. They connect with audiences on a different levels. Here, we remember that time in our own lives--starting with such promise as we are young and starting out to when we leave to the adult world, when reality has moved in and shoved ideals to the back.
Such is the journey of Mr. Potter; such is our jouney with him. The time of this movie is when we realize the wonderment of the world around us becomes oh-so-much smaller. Harry's friend has died in the last movie; but the world he livees in refused to believe him when he says that Voldemort, the nememis of this tale, did it.
It's like when adults refuse to believe their children's dreams or visions for the future. We die just a little; Harry's is emphasized by the size of the picture.
It is a hard picture to watch. It is complicated for those of us not familiar with the book. The pages appear to be up there as much as possible.
But it works. Surely, the magic is gone, but if a person has followed the story in some manner, it is truly complete. And a bit frightening. Even sad.
The movie also hit me on a chord it did not intend. The plight of American public schools under the tyranny of this current administration. In this realm, schools are judged from outsiders and of course, negatively--giving polictics a reason to shut them down and use them for their own devices.
Harry is accused by the ruling class of his world, the Ministry of Magic. He is believed to be lying and that the school is up to something--so they'll send their own emissary a terrifically evil acted Imelda Staunton's Dolores Umbridge--to deem the school worthy of closure. Then they won't have any more doubters born from the location.
So she arrives and then has shake the tree. She tells them everything is wrong (it isn't) and that they just ahve to take and pass their exams to the elimination of everything else (sorta like state testing--to the exclusion of everything else...). I do not know if author JK Rowling had intended to make that message, showing the stupidit of No Child Left Behind, but it was there for this teacher.
Making me appreciate Mr. Potter's storylines just a bit more.
Is it a good movie? Not for those outside. Inside? I think you'll be more that satisfied.

Movie Review: Hairspray

A time existed, not that very long ago, when musicals did more then bring tourists to New York City. The pop standards, still found on the occasion internet radio, were brought the public in these small wonders. Songs covered almost every allowable topic--but mostly the important stuff, you know, love. And people would pay to hear the songs they could hear for free on the radio (or the internet) and maybe sing along.
That was the power of the musical.
It never really went away, either. The sixties brought Hair, and ability for the audience to understand what the boomers were going through; the sevenites brough A Chorus Line and the audience could understand teh angst of very show before them. The message, of course, was neatly tucked away behind a delicious hummable tune of happily rhyming words or powerful, emotional ballads. All approachable by the wiling ear.
That, too, was teh power of the musical.
Broadway is an interesting place--using audience's knowledge to drag them back to teh Great White Way and justify their ticket purchase by using a topic they are already familiar with--movies. I can't say this is a bad thing. It means, finally, the tourists are returning. And sometimes, jsut sometimes, the musical improves on the source movie.
Look at The Lion King. Decent Disney flick, not classic. But the playwrights took it to a new level and made it a celebration of the stage using cultural references and puppest that the audience had never experienced before. Children were aware of the Disney label going into the house; they left with the potential that musical theatre carries.
Which brings us to this review--Hairspray. The origianl movie I saw in my teen years. A tale from my personal fave, Jon Waters, it mocked the world in which I lived in.
And what teenager can say no to being against the establishment?
In this case, a daily, early 60's television dance program had fully white dancers bopping to fully white music. But the times hadn't changed. African Americans were marching for equal representation. A young, portly young lady, named Tracy Turnblatt decides she wants to buck the scene. She is not the standard of television beauty; and her friends are black. She was going to get on that show and shake everything down.
It was Waters at his best. It used the medium of film to carry a heavy message in a wave of comedic commentary.
The movie could have been iimrpoved on.
But some dancers and musicains saw tehree was a chance to improve. They made it into a musical in NYC in 2002. It was a hit. THe message was sstill there and still strong, but it was easier to digest. Now it was mixed in with the same ditty tunes that helped carry the message as the audience exited humming.
it was only a matter of time before a movie was made.
And it's a good one. For the same reasons as mentioned.
It is, quite possibly, the best movie of the summer. It is very hard to contain this movie. The smiles are broad on the actors as much as on the audience--ironic, considering the messsage--one about intergration and racisim. But I do believe, we, as a people laugh together better than fight.
And here is a bit of a movie to do it. No violence, no sex (however, a TON of inneundo) make for a movie that truly a whole family can attend.
It works, not only for the reasons above, but because the cast really are having a good time. You have John Travolta, in drag no less, practically screaming "watch this!"; you have terrific newcomer Nikki Blonscky celebrating her role with all the energy of a cheerleader on a pot of coffee. She's happy she got the role in the movie--dammit, we should be to.
And we are. I think of it of a friend who loves computers. The dude lives, breathes and eats PCs. He can talk about them forwards and backwards, perhaps even upside down. And he's so excited when he talks about them--you can help but be caught up--even if you don't know what the heck he's talking about.
Such is the strength of her performance. Such is the strength of the entire cast.
I loved it. It will become a guilty pleasure, that's for sure.