Films 119-120 ("The Pianist") and some reflections on teaching
I know it's been a few days since I've been on here. Truth be told, it's been absolutely gorgeous outside, which makes it hard to stay by a computer and write. I have been watching films, but life has kind of been in a whirlwind. So much going on. I'm finishing up my Master's Degree, trying to wrap up a final paper/project that's due next weekend, then I'll be graduating on the 11th.
I've been throwing my hat into the whole dating mix again, too. Talking to a couple of girls, to see if anything will materialize. Spending time outside, mostly. I've been waiting all winter for this great weather, and I'll be damned if I'll be stuck inside. In fact, when I am inside and the weather is great, I feel guilty being inside.
Now, teaching. It's exhausting. I'm so tired at the end of the day, but I can't imagine doing anything else, even though I threaten to leave the profession behind if I lose my job, again, at the end of this year (budget cuts, definitely not performance-based). I've always considered myself naturally talented at building and making connections with students. Just today, a funny thing happened, when I was outside at recess. A little Kindergarten girl with long curly hair was sitting down and looked sad, so I sat down next to her and asked her what was wrong. She said, "My foot hurts. I was chasing the boys and then my foot started to hurt." So, I asked her where and loosened her shoe. She rubbed her foot. I rubbed her foot to help her feel better. I talked to her to take her mind off her foot, then helped her with her shoe again. Then, I went over to another teacher on duty (whom I worked with last year in Kindergarten) and said, "You know, I kind of want to have kids someday, I think. I bet it would be fun." And she said, "I was just going to come and say, 'You'll be a great dad someday' after I saw you with that little girl."
Sure having a child would be great, but the thought of it still sort of terrifies me. I mean, being responsible for someone else!? Holy shit! I mean, right now, I'm professionally responsibly for 14 kids and some days I cannot believe I get paid to have fun. I love what I do. I think it helps that I know I'm good at it (and I've been told that as well), so all evidence suggests that I'd be a good parent, but there's still some hesitation when I think about it. And hey, I guess it also doesn't help that I haven't exactly found a candidate of the opposite sex to share in the joy and responsible of the task, too. I'll be turning 32 this summer and these are the kinds of things I think about nowadays.
Oh yeah, and also, I think I was recently hit on by the mother of one of the boys I tutor. I'm not too privy to recognizing all the signals, but alas here's the interaction.
Last month, when I'd shaved off my winter-beard, she said, "Well, don't you clean up nicely." Sign #1
Then, this week, she stopped me in the parking lot. She was in her car, with her son, and I was walking to my car.
"Where do you get your tattoos done?"
I told her. "Altered Image, Lewiston and Brunswick."
"Are you from there?"
"I grew up in Lewiston. I've pretty grown up at Altered Image."
"No way! How old are you?"
"32."
"I know ....... (the guy who runs Altered Image. I grew up in Lewiston, too."
"Really?! Did you go to Lewiston High School?"
"No, I went to St. Dom's."
"No way! Me too. You probably had my mother for a teacher."
"What's her name?"
"Mrs. Moore."
"Whoa! Small world."
Then, she started talking about life after high school and her son's school and teacher; why she's gotten him into Sylvan (where I tutor) and that she's had to take out a loan so that he could go. She talked about the house she bought and all the money she's been spending. During this time, I think she dropped the whole "it's tough being a single mom" bit at least 3 times.
Meanwhile, her son's in the back seat, talking.
"He just had his first sleepover the other night and now that's all he talks about."
"Fun."
"The other day he asked if you could come over for one!"
Laughter.
Interaction over! Crazy. She's actually pretty cute, too.
..................................................................................................
"My Summer of Love"
Starring: Emily Blunt and Natalie Press
This is an indie British film starring Emily Blunt that came out in 2004, way before she was "hitting it big(ger)" with roles in films like "the Adjustment Bureau" with Matt Damon and alongside Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in "the Devil Wears Prada" as well as beside Amy Adams in "Sunshine Cleaning" (one of my favorites with her in it).
Here, she's playing a 16 year old, free-spirited, rebellious teenager named Tamsin, who's a rich girl home for summer break from boarding school (probably, don't all rich kids go). I mean, she's riding her own horse when we first meet her. She appears to have an absent mother, and a present-but-not-all-the-time father (you know, the kind that spends money to make up for his absence). Tamsin has a dead sister, her story.
Mona is a red-haired and freckled girl played by Natalie Press. Mona's a teenage girl, as well, who lives with her brother above the pub that they inherited from their dead parents. Mona's brother is kind of crazy. He seems to have been an alcoholic, but he's in recovery. He pours booze down the sink in the pub. And he runs a worship center for Jesus freaks (like himself).
The rich, country girl and the rebellious, on-her-own city girl meet and "fall for each other." Of course. To say that it's love would be a misnomer, but for teenagers, I guess they would say so. Well, at least Mona would. I viewed it more as a faux-lesbian relationship. I think Tamsin was choosing to be rebellious with the first city girl she found vulnerable enough to fall for her. Her summer of love was simply just a passing phase. Not to mention the fact that she's kind of a rich liar! (Wait for the ending bombshell.) Mona and Tamsin do a lot of relationship-related things together including, swimming, kissing, fooling around, riding mopeds, etc. Their relationship is sweet and languid, just like the tone of the film, thanks to the director.
Emily Blunt is a convincingly great actress, even at this youthful age when she had to play a teenage girl. It wasn't like those TV shows about high schoolers and you can clearly tell the actors are in their mid-20s. Emily Blunt is a convincing teenager, with her wit and charm and biting truthfulness.
Overall, I thought this film was decent and if you are curious to see Emily Blunt's evolution to the mainstream, definitely check it out.
..................................................................
"The Pianist"
Starring Adrian Brody
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Here is perhaps the definitive look World War 2 as it affected one single man. It is based on the autobiography of a Polish-Jewish musician (pianist, aha, hence the title) named Wladyslaw Szpilman, who survived the Holocaust through bouts of stoicism and good old-fashioned "luck." I say luck because, well, it's the Holocaust.
I say it's a definitive look at the Holocaust and WW2 because it is Szpilman's account of what happened to him and what he saw.
It's starts off with Adrian Brody, playing Szpilman so wonderfully, playing Chopin on the Warsaw radio live in the studio when the first bombs hit. And the story builds from there as the Nazi regime's noose around an entire people gets tighter and tighter, so does Szpilman's resilience (and good luck and fortune). Szpilman's immediate reaction to the entire situation is "I'm not going anywhere" which sort of resonates with his family (a group of strong-willed people).
This is a story about survival, but not so much a story of heroism or even fighting, like Spielberg's "Schindler's List." Szpilman is a great pianist and ultimately his ability to play so well gave him the assuredness he needed so that he would survive. He see him transplanted from his home, walking the streets with his family and all their belongings as non-Jews look on, almost like a parade, as the Jews are sent to the ghettos. We witness the senseless executions of Jews, through Szpilman's eyes. We catch his good luck encounters with some Jew-sympathizers, who agree to house him (until one bad day he drops a can and is found out by the neighbors, so he has to flee). He takes up residence in an abandoned house as the war ends and a Nazi soldier finds him, but does not kill him. What luck, to have survived the entire ordeal of the Holocaust, to have the war declared "over" and be found by a Nazi, who then doesn't kill him but instead helps him.
This entire film is an unbelievable feat. It is said to be Polanski's own reflection on his ability to survive the Holocaust after watching his mother get dragged to a gas chamber, where he was killed. Polanski is a resilient man himself. He is a master of direction and there were some great scenes throughout where it's as if he almost pauses in order to let the viewer soak in exactly what's happening. The silences throughout the film really help underline the sense of urgency and aloofness of Szpilman's character. It's crazy to think this is an actual story of one man's survival and in watching it, it certainly made me want to hear other survivor's stories, unfortunately we are coming upon a time in our present where there are very few survivors still alive, as old age has begun to take many of them.
Seek out a grandparent or any elderly person and sit and listen to them tell you stories of the past. It's the best history lesson you could ever receive. Since I don't come from a Jewish family, I watched Polanski's "The Pianist" with a keen eye, and I left feeling like I got one man's story of the Holocaust.
I've been throwing my hat into the whole dating mix again, too. Talking to a couple of girls, to see if anything will materialize. Spending time outside, mostly. I've been waiting all winter for this great weather, and I'll be damned if I'll be stuck inside. In fact, when I am inside and the weather is great, I feel guilty being inside.
Now, teaching. It's exhausting. I'm so tired at the end of the day, but I can't imagine doing anything else, even though I threaten to leave the profession behind if I lose my job, again, at the end of this year (budget cuts, definitely not performance-based). I've always considered myself naturally talented at building and making connections with students. Just today, a funny thing happened, when I was outside at recess. A little Kindergarten girl with long curly hair was sitting down and looked sad, so I sat down next to her and asked her what was wrong. She said, "My foot hurts. I was chasing the boys and then my foot started to hurt." So, I asked her where and loosened her shoe. She rubbed her foot. I rubbed her foot to help her feel better. I talked to her to take her mind off her foot, then helped her with her shoe again. Then, I went over to another teacher on duty (whom I worked with last year in Kindergarten) and said, "You know, I kind of want to have kids someday, I think. I bet it would be fun." And she said, "I was just going to come and say, 'You'll be a great dad someday' after I saw you with that little girl."
Sure having a child would be great, but the thought of it still sort of terrifies me. I mean, being responsible for someone else!? Holy shit! I mean, right now, I'm professionally responsibly for 14 kids and some days I cannot believe I get paid to have fun. I love what I do. I think it helps that I know I'm good at it (and I've been told that as well), so all evidence suggests that I'd be a good parent, but there's still some hesitation when I think about it. And hey, I guess it also doesn't help that I haven't exactly found a candidate of the opposite sex to share in the joy and responsible of the task, too. I'll be turning 32 this summer and these are the kinds of things I think about nowadays.
Oh yeah, and also, I think I was recently hit on by the mother of one of the boys I tutor. I'm not too privy to recognizing all the signals, but alas here's the interaction.
Last month, when I'd shaved off my winter-beard, she said, "Well, don't you clean up nicely." Sign #1
Then, this week, she stopped me in the parking lot. She was in her car, with her son, and I was walking to my car.
"Where do you get your tattoos done?"
I told her. "Altered Image, Lewiston and Brunswick."
"Are you from there?"
"I grew up in Lewiston. I've pretty grown up at Altered Image."
"No way! How old are you?"
"32."
"I know ....... (the guy who runs Altered Image. I grew up in Lewiston, too."
"Really?! Did you go to Lewiston High School?"
"No, I went to St. Dom's."
"No way! Me too. You probably had my mother for a teacher."
"What's her name?"
"Mrs. Moore."
"Whoa! Small world."
Then, she started talking about life after high school and her son's school and teacher; why she's gotten him into Sylvan (where I tutor) and that she's had to take out a loan so that he could go. She talked about the house she bought and all the money she's been spending. During this time, I think she dropped the whole "it's tough being a single mom" bit at least 3 times.
Meanwhile, her son's in the back seat, talking.
"He just had his first sleepover the other night and now that's all he talks about."
"Fun."
"The other day he asked if you could come over for one!"
Laughter.
Interaction over! Crazy. She's actually pretty cute, too.
..................................................................................................
"My Summer of Love"
Starring: Emily Blunt and Natalie Press
This is an indie British film starring Emily Blunt that came out in 2004, way before she was "hitting it big(ger)" with roles in films like "the Adjustment Bureau" with Matt Damon and alongside Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in "the Devil Wears Prada" as well as beside Amy Adams in "Sunshine Cleaning" (one of my favorites with her in it).
Here, she's playing a 16 year old, free-spirited, rebellious teenager named Tamsin, who's a rich girl home for summer break from boarding school (probably, don't all rich kids go). I mean, she's riding her own horse when we first meet her. She appears to have an absent mother, and a present-but-not-all-the-time father (you know, the kind that spends money to make up for his absence). Tamsin has a dead sister, her story.
Mona is a red-haired and freckled girl played by Natalie Press. Mona's a teenage girl, as well, who lives with her brother above the pub that they inherited from their dead parents. Mona's brother is kind of crazy. He seems to have been an alcoholic, but he's in recovery. He pours booze down the sink in the pub. And he runs a worship center for Jesus freaks (like himself).
The rich, country girl and the rebellious, on-her-own city girl meet and "fall for each other." Of course. To say that it's love would be a misnomer, but for teenagers, I guess they would say so. Well, at least Mona would. I viewed it more as a faux-lesbian relationship. I think Tamsin was choosing to be rebellious with the first city girl she found vulnerable enough to fall for her. Her summer of love was simply just a passing phase. Not to mention the fact that she's kind of a rich liar! (Wait for the ending bombshell.) Mona and Tamsin do a lot of relationship-related things together including, swimming, kissing, fooling around, riding mopeds, etc. Their relationship is sweet and languid, just like the tone of the film, thanks to the director.
Emily Blunt is a convincingly great actress, even at this youthful age when she had to play a teenage girl. It wasn't like those TV shows about high schoolers and you can clearly tell the actors are in their mid-20s. Emily Blunt is a convincing teenager, with her wit and charm and biting truthfulness.
Overall, I thought this film was decent and if you are curious to see Emily Blunt's evolution to the mainstream, definitely check it out.
..................................................................
"The Pianist"
Starring Adrian Brody
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Here is perhaps the definitive look World War 2 as it affected one single man. It is based on the autobiography of a Polish-Jewish musician (pianist, aha, hence the title) named Wladyslaw Szpilman, who survived the Holocaust through bouts of stoicism and good old-fashioned "luck." I say luck because, well, it's the Holocaust.
I say it's a definitive look at the Holocaust and WW2 because it is Szpilman's account of what happened to him and what he saw.
It's starts off with Adrian Brody, playing Szpilman so wonderfully, playing Chopin on the Warsaw radio live in the studio when the first bombs hit. And the story builds from there as the Nazi regime's noose around an entire people gets tighter and tighter, so does Szpilman's resilience (and good luck and fortune). Szpilman's immediate reaction to the entire situation is "I'm not going anywhere" which sort of resonates with his family (a group of strong-willed people).
This is a story about survival, but not so much a story of heroism or even fighting, like Spielberg's "Schindler's List." Szpilman is a great pianist and ultimately his ability to play so well gave him the assuredness he needed so that he would survive. He see him transplanted from his home, walking the streets with his family and all their belongings as non-Jews look on, almost like a parade, as the Jews are sent to the ghettos. We witness the senseless executions of Jews, through Szpilman's eyes. We catch his good luck encounters with some Jew-sympathizers, who agree to house him (until one bad day he drops a can and is found out by the neighbors, so he has to flee). He takes up residence in an abandoned house as the war ends and a Nazi soldier finds him, but does not kill him. What luck, to have survived the entire ordeal of the Holocaust, to have the war declared "over" and be found by a Nazi, who then doesn't kill him but instead helps him.
This entire film is an unbelievable feat. It is said to be Polanski's own reflection on his ability to survive the Holocaust after watching his mother get dragged to a gas chamber, where he was killed. Polanski is a resilient man himself. He is a master of direction and there were some great scenes throughout where it's as if he almost pauses in order to let the viewer soak in exactly what's happening. The silences throughout the film really help underline the sense of urgency and aloofness of Szpilman's character. It's crazy to think this is an actual story of one man's survival and in watching it, it certainly made me want to hear other survivor's stories, unfortunately we are coming upon a time in our present where there are very few survivors still alive, as old age has begun to take many of them.
Seek out a grandparent or any elderly person and sit and listen to them tell you stories of the past. It's the best history lesson you could ever receive. Since I don't come from a Jewish family, I watched Polanski's "The Pianist" with a keen eye, and I left feeling like I got one man's story of the Holocaust.
Comments
Post a Comment