tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64407725366115150142024-03-19T08:51:09.872-07:00The Insatiable CriticAudiobook Reviews The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-86525611413541278522021-04-08T21:37:00.004-07:002021-04-09T00:48:31.050-07:00Audiobook Spotlight: The Gravity of Us is a stellar love story <p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw7P4Hx-sshGu_uy7IjdixBzrxres694KPcKf1xf4x_JhBUlfDNPiw16zXBUG_QF9AWuiXGfmN9iSHgX9BYaJoBvPdSKPA5YpDYO-abFe9EJTE5GZPP8YjJ6z0VA-jyrq5MJK2cUlqGk/s500/51MTcgQLQfL._SL500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw7P4Hx-sshGu_uy7IjdixBzrxres694KPcKf1xf4x_JhBUlfDNPiw16zXBUG_QF9AWuiXGfmN9iSHgX9BYaJoBvPdSKPA5YpDYO-abFe9EJTE5GZPP8YjJ6z0VA-jyrq5MJK2cUlqGk/s320/51MTcgQLQfL._SL500_.jpg" /></a></div></blockquote><p>At only 17, Cal Lewis has it made in NYC as a social media reporter, with half a million followers and an internship at Buzzfeed awaiting him. Narrator Michael Crouch gives Cal an edgy tenor that quickly descends into anxiety with sharp breaths and sped-up pacing when Cal’s father is chosen to work on a NASA mission to Mars and must relocate to Houston, TX - immediately. Unprepared for the intrusive media frenzy awaiting them thanks to the oppressive StarWatch TV channel, all seems lost until Cal meets enigmatic Leon; the reserved son of Cal's new neighbors and fellow astronaut family. Crouch embodies Leon with warm, deep tones, and he and Cal quickly fall for each other - even as Cal begins to fight fire with fire on his own media channel. Listeners are treated to “live episodes” of StarWatch's popular reality show<i> Shooting Stars</i> – narrated by a full cast – that enliven the storyline for listeners and emphasizes the unsettling grip that the media has on the lives of all the astronauts and their families. A wonderful story; truly lifted to new heights in the audio format. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdcLSVhdQsPBsVD9Re-0okIlLJ4T671xdcgaFumYWltTna7NrKG7Lh5C9tMrt5zhX0NjlliBz2wEG10s8-VPUKNwgoRqNuEWIzTKrp8XSkj_Zmp8QxMywc6LsKZRgYnuZiMXZnSfjldU/s3167/Batsyrating2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="3167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdcLSVhdQsPBsVD9Re-0okIlLJ4T671xdcgaFumYWltTna7NrKG7Lh5C9tMrt5zhX0NjlliBz2wEG10s8-VPUKNwgoRqNuEWIzTKrp8XSkj_Zmp8QxMywc6LsKZRgYnuZiMXZnSfjldU/s320/Batsyrating2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p><br /></p>The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-87017869569696464092018-07-25T00:55:00.004-07:002018-07-25T03:43:50.886-07:00Current Reels: Bao and The Incredibles 2 a testament to the power of supportive family dynamics <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGvWWGd2o6z1z47-JyPVHw6Tf6E3hYxtIL9xstfEcV_pRMuP_jkZW3uJIxaSXL4RxzW9qu5C2bNyo0Bg-cjMJZdNmUKkUew8u_KRikLmMmT86dWconN9de5TZowgz96JunA9XoZ4JcuI/s1600/Incredibles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGvWWGd2o6z1z47-JyPVHw6Tf6E3hYxtIL9xstfEcV_pRMuP_jkZW3uJIxaSXL4RxzW9qu5C2bNyo0Bg-cjMJZdNmUKkUew8u_KRikLmMmT86dWconN9de5TZowgz96JunA9XoZ4JcuI/s400/Incredibles2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in action: the Super Parr family assembles again </td></tr>
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When I realized the long-awaited sequel to <i>The Incredibles</i> was finally going to happen, I felt a huge sense of anticipation - and dread. Anticipation because it is one of my top five favorite movies of all time; dread because of the knowledge that sequels are typically never as good as the original - especially if they are made over a decade later. (I'm looking at you, <i>Zoolander 2.</i>)<br />
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Also, the box office in general has had sequel fever lately, and while there is a certain charm to seeing the same beloved characters reappearing again and again, I am definitely experiencing sequel/superhero fatigue on a large scale. So to say I was nervous about <i>The Incredibles 2</i> is an understatement. But I figured with director Brad Bird at the helm once more, it couldn't be all bad.<br />
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What I wasn't expecting was a true delight, starting with the ambitious short, <i>Bao</i><br />
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that sets the familial theme for the feature film<i>. </i>I find it perplexing the negative reaction by so many to this lovely piece of art, the first short to be directed by a woman, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7626019/">Domee Shi</a>. The story tells of a Chinese family in Canada, whose mother is experiencing some serious empty-nest vibes. She is delighted when, quirkily enough, once of her dumplings - a "bao" in Chinese - comes alive as a small, angsty baby. We see her raise the dumpling as her own over the course of a few short minutes, an exquisitely carved miniature of the journey of motherhood in all its stress and glory. When the twist comes - enough of one to render a gasp from the audience around me - the resolution is swift and heartfelt. Perhaps it is my background from living in Hong Kong the last year and a half or so, but everything about the piece and the inner workings of the family made perfect sense to me. The reception of the short by the audience I was sitting with in Hong Kong was generally favorable rather than bewildering, which may show that it spoke more directly to cultural familiarity than it would to American audiences. Regardless, it is a brave piece that gently reminds families the importance of letting go and accepting of new members (e.g. spouses) that may have a vastly different cultural background from them; for they often have special things to give and teach as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7K0i5hgDDlTBRjyO-Bn7fVo_JUwocrIy3KHoezKJrLhld0WrHRPMf667mcnxMXIP9wMoDMUuOIuj7NoJCVKoskutA-WlWkK697LDP-wZH27I0osSr76MO14t6DJTS54pz53TItfEyeU/s1600/landscape-1531779116-bao-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="980" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7K0i5hgDDlTBRjyO-Bn7fVo_JUwocrIy3KHoezKJrLhld0WrHRPMf667mcnxMXIP9wMoDMUuOIuj7NoJCVKoskutA-WlWkK697LDP-wZH27I0osSr76MO14t6DJTS54pz53TItfEyeU/s320/landscape-1531779116-bao-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bao" creates a unique cultural experience - in 7 minutes!</td></tr>
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Onto the main attraction. First, visuals - I was gratified to see that the quality of the animation was not vastly different from the original. It has been 14 years since <i>The Incredibles</i> appeared in theatres, and I worried the extensive advances in digital animation would render it too slick and smooth; creating a further wedge between the two films. But Bird clearly kept this in mind. While the bold colors and textures are much richer, the characters essentially have the same look and feel to them. The same kind of minimalist Frank Lloyd Wright-style of architecture and vibe that Bird so often favors in his films is heavily present once again, and it reflects the tightly woven, fast-paced plot. Expert cuts balance screen time evenly between Bob Parr's stint as a stay-at-home Dad and Helen Parr (aka: Elastigirl's) return to the spotlight as part of a campaign to bring back the "Supers". Further continuity is solidified in Giacchino's bouncy, brass-heavy score, reminiscent of the 1960s theme music that so much of the film's aesthetic takes inspiration from.<br />
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While the film comments, it doesn't criticize. In the world of cinema where the preference is often to tell instead of show, to judge instead of ask, Bird creates a story that allows the audience to come to their own conclusions. The cleverly named "Screenslaver" villain could be a comment on how we as a society are too dependent on our various electronic devices, but people being hypnotized by items they already own succeeds in being less of a statement and more of an interesting device to move the plot along in a suspenseful way.<br />
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The themes of female empowerment are effective without being anti-men. Bob Parr (aka: Mr. Incredible) is understandably hurt when his Super persona is set aside in favor of his wife's in the campaign to make the Supers legal again. And let's be fair - the first movie was mostly about Mr. Incredible, so it is good to see Helen in the spotlight this go-round. The banter between Helen and Bob as he agrees to take over childcare and domestic chores on the home front feels authentic; genuine. The genius of Brad Bird is that he treats his characters as flesh and blood, relatable humans, even though they are made of pixels. Audiences even get to see a little more of the human side Edna Mode - the snooty fashion designer for the Supers voiced by Bird himself - when in a desperate stab at a chance for sleep, Bob drops off Jack-Jack at her deluxe mansion for baby-sitting - and against all odds, baby and fashion guru instantly fall in love with each other in a bemusing turn of events.<br />
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And there's plenty of relatability for the younger audience members - Jack-Jack's super-fight with an invading racoon is broad, slap-stick humor that will appeal to teenies, Violet has her share of angsty teenage drama all the while managing her newly found self-esteem, and Dash is his usual, feisty energetic self. Some adult members of the audience could be heard sighing sympathetically with Bob has he finally breaks down to call his old buddy Lucius (AKA: Frozone) for some help with juggling the three kids in Helen's extended absence. Buoying the energy are cuts to Helen on her new mission, and getting the opportunity to see her "stretch" her wings in multiple creative ways and reaffirm her badassery is definitely worth the price of admission. The only true tedium is the seemingly endless array of powers Jack-Jack displays; which just when one thinks they are beginning to have a pattern of manageability, something new shows up that the beleaguered family has to contend with. I imagine this was a comment on Bird's part to the unpredictability of babies, but from my point of view, it seemed an unusually haphazard decision amidst such a tightly organized storyboard.<br />
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For the diehard fans of the original, there are callbacks aplenty. At one point while helping Dash with his homework, I spied an "Insuracare" mug on the desk next to Bob. Helen's piloting skills once again play a key role in the plot. The villain reveal was a bit too obvious for me, and the motives for the "Screenslaver" weren't entirely made clear other than the blanket reason of "Supers are no good." But still, the film has a satisfying conclusion, leaving us back in a similar spot as the first, with an evolving family learning and growing together to manage their revolving doors of the mundane and the remarkable.<br />
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Stripped down to its essence, The Incredibles a heartfelt testament to the importance of parents working together as a team on behalf of their family, setting egos and stereotypes aside to allow for more possibilities and (pun intended) flexibility.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Critic Kitty Batman sez: A fun and ultimately relatable flick, Incredibles 2 delivers a worthy second installment with a well-balanced plot that will delight a wide range of ages. It pays homage to the glory of the original rather than trying to overshadow it. </span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-57126797066480009672018-06-30T09:18:00.000-07:002018-06-30T09:30:41.379-07:00Audiobook Industry Spotlight - Sunny Basham Carito, Proofer and Editor <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RS8w6HhxeyPqQXhkIbvFyarx6A5nWX3aJVjnmDycTwD2zVxSpKH2GGBYwUmGFu8xXYhyF1lMkMIMZoDRTJjFsdOfhKjdtKIqZJkdNlqvrvB_rsuUODHQaXUPUs1i4l98SlEU3qaTbkE/s1600/ProofingwithCat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RS8w6HhxeyPqQXhkIbvFyarx6A5nWX3aJVjnmDycTwD2zVxSpKH2GGBYwUmGFu8xXYhyF1lMkMIMZoDRTJjFsdOfhKjdtKIqZJkdNlqvrvB_rsuUODHQaXUPUs1i4l98SlEU3qaTbkE/s320/ProofingwithCat.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My proofing buddy Batman </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For June is Audiobook Month, I decided to turn my attention to focusing on the internal workings of how an audiobook actually gets made - there's much that goes into a project before it gets to the seamless point, click and download stage. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many people don't know what an audiobook proofer/editor actually does. When asked by an acquaintance once what went into it, the memorable reaction was "Huh! I thought they had machines to do all that now." Not quite...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I work mainly on a freelance basis audio proofing and editing now for <a href="http://www.common-mode.com/">Common Mode</a>, it was my livelihood for four years during my time at <a href="https://tantor.com/">Tantor Audio</a>. Basically, we take the raw audio from the narrator and we run it through a sound editing program - I currently use SoundForge Audio Studio 10 - and we listen through the whole book, reading along with PDF file and highlighting where in the book an error occurs, as well as marking it on an issues sheet with the time, page number, paragraph and line. Oftentimes, we can fix issues along the way, but some issues result in portions of the book - usually only a sentence or two - having to be re-recorded by the narrator (what we call "pickups") and then reintegrated seamlessly back into the audio file. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I invited my friend<b> Sunny Basham Carito</b>, an old colleague of mine from our Tantor days and a veteran audiobook proofer and editor, to share her experiences being in the industry, how she came to love what she does, and <b><span style="color: cyan;">why editors are such an essential part of getting the product to the point where we can kick back and have an incredible listening experience. </span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhwwLlmgCr_9N0axumbuc1SmfvJ2uxvVf4Xh6KsCH4fCtSyI6pj9jxHANuaYavnSGbnoyKtRbxC6Xqtr459AhzWqwdKNl4VKxtkdLRrhlktx_096X5iCzI987FxgqSiq3zVfNh_n7SR4/s1600/SunnyProofin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhwwLlmgCr_9N0axumbuc1SmfvJ2uxvVf4Xh6KsCH4fCtSyI6pj9jxHANuaYavnSGbnoyKtRbxC6Xqtr459AhzWqwdKNl4VKxtkdLRrhlktx_096X5iCzI987FxgqSiq3zVfNh_n7SR4/s320/SunnyProofin.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunny with her daughter Viola </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: cyan; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: black;">Where it all started </b></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">My love
of audiobooks began while listening to <i>A Series of Unfortunate Events</i> on
cassette while driving the 5, the long, horribly dull interstate between LA and
San Francisco in California. I was in college but had been reading the series
steadily since high school, enjoying the more adult barbs and allusions that
would escape the younger set it was marketed towards. While I loved the writing
and the tightly composed illustrations, Tim Curry reading the series
punctuated by The Gothic Archies songs was sheer genius. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">
Fast forward a couple of years when I was doing post-production sound
internships in NYC, trying to find my way after school. I was feeling a bit
down about the post-production game, knowing I’d spend 14-16 hour days slogging
through commercials and reality TV and other sound work that I couldn’t really
put my heart into, being extremely lucky to maybe spend 5% of my time on
lovingly creating sonic universes for animation, my big dream. In my
internships I worked on two audiobooks in a roundabout way. Amy Goodman was
making the audiobook of </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white;">The Exception to the Rulers </i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">from
donated studio time and editing; it just needed a bit more polish and work. I
was interning in the archiving department at Democracy Now! so they decided to
have me go through and pull anything that was a quote from an interview that
had been on the show and insert the actual archival audio. It made for a really
interesting mix of news clips and searing, high-stakes personal journalism, and
I was able to move into working on it for a wage rather than just part of my
</span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">internship - my first real NYC audio professional paycheck.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: cyan;">Turning Point: NLS Talking Books </span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trying to find absolutely anything to float me longer in the city, I got
another job offer for a strange position I’d applied to on Craigslist at
the NLS Talking Books looking for people to record and edit audiobooks for the
blind. I didn’t realize this was a full-time gig a person could do; but it was
and it was amazing. They liked my theatre background and my ProTools
certification; creative plus tech credentials that were less common. It didn’t
have the same creative outlet I had been looking for in film, but I was being
paid to be read to and I enjoyed the technical aspects. It was also a very regular
9 to 5 kind of a job giving me lots of time to ply my sound design skills for
indie stuff on the side.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /><br /><span style="color: white;">
I worked in the studio, engineering recordings with narrators who had been
reading for the NLS Talking Books contract longer than I’d been alive. </span><b><span style="color: cyan;">They
were consummate actors who put in a couple of hours every day, month after
month, working through dozens of titles each year and working in TV, film, and
theater the rest of the day.</span></b><span style="color: white;"> One of them I’d seen on Law and Order at least
five different times, all in different random small speaking roles. In the
studio I made sure the recording was rolling, stopped it when they stopped,
followed along in the text to make sure they didn’t miss anything, and then
carefully cue up the recording so when we started again it would sound
seamless. I would also work on proofing and editing, proofing being the act of
following along with the text while listening to the finished recording to
ensure the read is accurate as well as checking pronunciation. The National
Library Service reviewed all of our work and they were extremely strict, even
typos had to be faithfully recorded. My personal belief is that a “this” in
place of a “that” occasionally or a missing “the” may not really make a huge
difference, but we’re not text editors, we’re there to bring the book to life
audibly and faithfully so we have a duty to the author to not change their
text. </span></span><span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: cyan;">New Chapters: Tantor and Grad School for Library and Information Sciences</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
Unfortunately the studio I worked for was part of the American Foundation for
the Blind and they decided to close the studio department for fiscal reasons.
This department had created the Talking Books program with the Library of
Congress and Helen Keller in the 1930s, they’d invented the 33 1/3rd long
playing record ten years before it was adopted by the music industry. Talking Books
listeners had grown old listening to the same narrators for decades, but the
nature of an unreliable government contract was too hard for AFB to continue
and we shut down. Most of my coworkers went across the river to Newark and
started working for Audible. I left the city for Connecticut and freelanced for
Audible, proofing, cleaning up noises and pacing, and then inserting the fixes
after they were recorded. I started grad school for Library and Information
Sciences, taking online classes while working more or less full-time. It was
actually working on that Talking Books contract that inspired me. I felt good
making books available to people who wouldn’t otherwise have them. Such a small
section of books published become commercial audiobooks, and an even smaller
section are bought by regular libraries. Everyone should have access to steamy
beach reads, so even the borderline erotica had a higher purpose. I knew making
information available to people would be my next adventure. I continued to work
in audio and go to school, eventually finding myself in a small production firm
in Connecticut called Tantor Audio, later to be bought by Recorded Books. After
a few years full-time proofing and editing there I moved on to working in
libraries, still editing on the side for them and other companies. There were a
couple of years when I was very busy at a library when I stopped working on
audio, but I’m back now with my preferred lifestyle of part-time children’s
librarian and part-time proofer/editor. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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While mostly I smooth over hiccups in the recording process, mouth noise from microphones
not quite aimed correctly, and watch for misreads, I have had the great fortune
to work on a few more interesting projects. While I was at Tantor they made two
larger bids for high-profile books, a beautiful reading of<a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/Timeless-Tales-of-Beatrix-Potter-Audiobook/B00IZMHQSE?qid=1530375198&sr=sr_1_1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=GJP17SMZY2X9B1VB0AHZ&"> <i>Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter</i></a> by the esteemed late Katherine Kellgren and an intense Richard
Pryor biography <i><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Furious-Cool-Audiobook/B00G6V0Q3I?qid=1530375095&sr=sr_1_1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=80FBNQ96V404F8RFE5CD&">Furious Cool </a></i>read by the exquisite Dion Graham. Tantor had the unusual
practice of having narrators record themselves using a proprietary software
program, but for these recordings they used ProTools and traditional
engineering, allowing the “tape” to run as the performers re-did takes,
practiced, and stopped for breaths. This wasn’t simply listening for text
deviations, it was taking hours of raw materials and pulling out the shining
pieces that would form a finished work. I was very proud when Dion went on to
win the Audie for<i> Furious Cool.</i> It was well-deserved and I was honored to have
put my skill and time into putting the best possible version of his performance
on the final work. Katy’s work was nominated as well, and while it didn’t win I
highly recommend giving it a listen, she put an extraordinary amount of effort
and research into coming up with vintage melodies to weave into the songs
interspersing her lively characterizations. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<h3>
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: cyan;">Current Projects and Passions </span></span></h3>
<br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: white;">Lately I’ve found myself on a number of author records from non-performers.
Many of them have done some kind of public speaking, panels and lectures, but
reading their personal memoirs in a booth for hours on end is pretty different.
The engineers are often newer to the audiobook world and the way the audio
jumps back in after a mistake can be jarring for the performer and would
be jarring to the listener without proper proofing and editing. For these
author recordings more than others, I find myself pulling back the new takes
and finding the original pacing of the next phrase, sometimes even stitching a
few syllables of the original take to the subsequent one for a smoother
sentence. I’m giving them back their personality, their natural manner of
speech, that was ruined by the recording process</span><b><span style="color: white;">.</span><span style="color: cyan;"> I’m essential in a way that a
software checking for waveform patterns and text could never be.</span></b><span style="color: white;"> Yes, some
people think proofers and editors are unnecessary, some even think they should
just leave mistakes in recordings. </span></span><span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: cyan;">I love audiobooks and I think performers
can take books to another level.</span></b><span style="color: white;"> I chafe at the idea it’s cheating or not
as worthwhile as reading, which has been disproven by neuroscience, but is also
contrary to why I like books. I like the information they impart to me, the
experiences, not the paper they’re printed on or the format that gets that
information to me, just the information. So I read ebooks and listen to
audiobooks and still read regular paper books too. Because it’s for the story.
I have spent many stretches in my life working an eight-hour day in the audiobook
mines only to pop one into my car stereo or on my iPod on the subway for my
commute. I love them that much - and when you get to choose what you listen to
it is very different. When people ask what it’s like working on audiobook
production I say it’s great, I am basically getting paid to be read to, what’s
not to like about that? Sometimes the narrator or the book isn’t my cup of tea,
but it’s rare for a project to last more than a week or two, so even if I think
it’s awful it will pass by soon. But listening at work has opened me up to
genres and authors I would have never tried on my own, so the unknown is
exciting. I estimate I’ve listened to well over 10,000 hours of audiobooks in
my career going on 14 years now. I look forward to the next 10,000 hours ahead
of me.</span></span><span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-1762420864886904042018-03-25T07:58:00.003-07:002018-03-29T20:35:25.245-07:00Stranger in a Strange Land No More: One Outlander's Survival Guide to Living in Hong Kong <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtPbEf1twMyIyGMdhpW65yBq73oKIn69m0RxnLEg32Ll68Y7rw3sGJ1P5bkfdp5wF7OiWuoVuvDee4xnrNGws5sqmRirIUJOyPyAeyoyWYBiCUzknlXQUoXlvFK6na7pehxfjw4MpI2w/s1600/HongKong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtPbEf1twMyIyGMdhpW65yBq73oKIn69m0RxnLEg32Ll68Y7rw3sGJ1P5bkfdp5wF7OiWuoVuvDee4xnrNGws5sqmRirIUJOyPyAeyoyWYBiCUzknlXQUoXlvFK6na7pehxfjw4MpI2w/s400/HongKong.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from the HK harbor lightshow cruise by yours truly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Hong Kong has many wonderful qualities, but it is not a user-friendly place to outsiders. It's crowded, bustling, and ever-changing. That yummy dim sum restaurant you adored might be gone and replaced with a fried chicken joint in a matter of months. That mural you admired on your daily commute has suddenly been painted over and replaced with new artwork. It's hard to keep up! And there's a lot of things one learns through trial and error because it isn't made apparent if you're new to the big city.<br />
<br />
Hong Kong doesn't have the time to teach a newcomer how to swim in a sea of 7 million people, all crammed together on what my friend Lucas calls "the least relaxed tropical island in the world." For an American like me raised in the mountains of Pennsylvania, the first few months living here was incredibly overwhelming just in terms of figuring out how life works here.<br />
<br />
Having lived in HK for over a year now, I've realized it is a very small world despite encountering people from all walks of life on a regular basis. You learn the areas where you live, people at businesses you frequent begin to recognize you, and you slowly forge together your own close-knit little community. To quote the song "Twilight World" by Swing Out Sister, "Forget lonely crowds, unfriendly faces, they'll soon become familiar places, before too long..."<br />
<br />
For those of you looking to visit or live in Hong Kong, I've compiled this list of helpful how-tos that can make your stay, long or short, more convenient and fun in a shorter period of time.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Long-term residents: get your Hong Kong ID Card. </span></h3>
<div>
<br />
If you plan on living here for any amount of time, this is an absolute must. You'll need this to open a bank account, set up utilities, get a local cellphone plan, and pretty much anything else major that you can think of. You also will need it to go in and out of Hong Kong when you travel since it also works as your customs card. It is quite handy because rather than filling out a form and standing in line, you just run the card through the security gate, place your thumbprint on the pad when prompted, and you are good to go. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The ID card is free of charge and the immigration office will issue you a temporary one that is effective immediately - the real one can either be mailed to you at a small fee or you can opt to pick it up - it usually takes about two weeks to process. You can find out all the details on where to get one <a href="https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/hkid/general_info.html">here. </a></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Hong Kong is a hiker's dream. </span></h3>
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<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkLp3SjOEzQvOZMGva_R5D2iZnP4_N4itrCbULy4giG3cgWmWKxDgirQqxMD8ogrrrwIGukIotdDC-gUM_Q_C1yiHnwOo3VXKSc1-ILNFfwg-B5BH2SOcskfNPa4CDNsjv89ZLooRQaw/s1600/Highupinthehills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkLp3SjOEzQvOZMGva_R5D2iZnP4_N4itrCbULy4giG3cgWmWKxDgirQqxMD8ogrrrwIGukIotdDC-gUM_Q_C1yiHnwOo3VXKSc1-ILNFfwg-B5BH2SOcskfNPa4CDNsjv89ZLooRQaw/s320/Highupinthehills.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your favorite Critic at the top of Victoria Peak trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I first thought of this area, the existence of incredible, scenic hiking trails did not immediately spring to mind. But they are there! Hong Kong's geography is wonderfully varied - you get the best of the mountains along with the best of the ocean. When the humidity isn't 200 percent, there are many great trails to be explored and a deep, abiding love for nature lies at the heart of HK culture, despite the bustling metropolis side of it all. Check out Sassy Hong Kong's Guide to the best hikes <a href="https://www.sassyhongkong.com/wellness-hikes-trails-adventure-bucket-list/">here. </a></div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Cash is King. </span></h3>
<br />
This one of the biggest learning curves for me coming to Hong Kong. In the US, cash has slowly been replaced with credit/debit card options in almost every situation, from fast food joints to self-checkout kiosks in Wal-Mart.<br />
<br />
Not so with Hong Kong. In fact, very few restaurants and shops, particularly local ones not affiliated with big chains such as Marks & Spencer, will take a traditional American credit card. One learns quickly to carry cash around. Another alternative is to have an Octopus card, which can be obtained for HK$150 - the US equivalent of $20 - at any local MTR (Americans, read subway) station customer service counter. The Octopus works as a debit card at convenience stores and shops, and you can just tap it at the turnstiles to get into the MTR for wherever you need to go. Although my husband and I both think Hong Kong missed a golden wordplay opportunity not calling it the OctoPASS, but I digress. And while we are on the subject...<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Octopus cards can be refilled at convenience stores as well as MTR stations. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
I didn't learn this until about three months into living in Hong Kong. You can go to your neighborhood 7-Eleven or Circle K, hand them your cash, tap the Octopus sign near the checkout and hey presto - its been refilled. This is so much better than having to walk back to the MTR every single time, and it's definitely a perk not well advertised.<br />
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<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Prepare yourself for expensive, tiny apartments. </span></h3>
<h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4c79clVakutQVjGMK3D2H9NAuSa10xGakDxFzUyxP4GHZcvC_Yuka9XMB0igXoLH8akF8S6OgieqhEIT_nO-q8TaPNAb4OyLOL8xZ2TcQvdvmugL0VCqnIXzMk55meZHa1qb7AL_txg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4c79clVakutQVjGMK3D2H9NAuSa10xGakDxFzUyxP4GHZcvC_Yuka9XMB0igXoLH8akF8S6OgieqhEIT_nO-q8TaPNAb4OyLOL8xZ2TcQvdvmugL0VCqnIXzMk55meZHa1qb7AL_txg/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
</span></h3>
<div>
The "tiny house" trend in the US got nothing on apartments in Honkers. Prepare to spend at least US$2,000 a month on a place that will probably be around 500 to 600 square feet total. As Americans, we tend to like our space, so this definitely came as a bit of a shock to me. The good news is, Hong Kong is a very transient place, so there's always plenty of choices in terms of places to live. </div>
<div>
<br />
Do your research and find a good local realtor that will take the time to show you around, preferably someone that can be vouched for by a friend or trusted source. Many employers offer tax breaks and housing allowances to employees since the ridiculousness of the housing market is well-known, so if you are employed by a local company, talk to your HR representative. Again, you probably have to ask since perks like this don't tend to be well-advertised. This will come in handy since often you have to pay upfront at least two or three months' worth of rent to the landlord prior to signing the lease.<br />
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Getting a personal bank account here as an American is a pain. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Local banks are not here to help you. In fact, they actively do not want your business. Cashing US checks here? Forget about it. However, especially if you have a job in Hong Kong, you need to have an account since most employers do not want to issue live checks (and good luck cashing them without an active account here). You get paid by direct deposit, once a month, in one lump sum - then it's up to you not to blow it all before your next paycheck the following month. Believe me, direct deposit is the way to go anyway since the bank is usually incredibly crowded and you want to avoid going there in person as much as possible. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My husband and I went with Hang Seng Bank, which is a cousin to HSBC Bank based in the US. This means we can take money out from HSBC as well as Hang Seng Bank ATMs all over Hong Kong with no fee involved. They are also more open to connecting overseas US accounts, which I have to maintain to pay off my US credit cards since connecting a Hong Kong bank account up to a universal payment service such as PayPal is a no-go. Standard Chartered Bank, for instance, one of the oldest banks in Hong Kong, will not issue accounts to American expats, full stop. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things that you will need for sure to open a bank account here: your Hong Kong ID Card, a hard copy letter from your employer - signed and stamped - that verifies your employment and monthly salary, your passport and working visa, and two pieces of actual mail from a utility company or a bank that verifies your address here in Hong Kong. Those are the basics, but be sure to ask a bank representative exactly what else they may need - it never hurts to be overprepared here. Again, it may take up to two weeks for everything to get sorted out; so make sure you have plenty of cash on your Octopus or in your wallet to fall back on in the meantime! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Utility bills can be paid at the ATM. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Talk about handy! Websites for bills such as electricity and water can be pretty incomprehensible and don't always have English translations - and online payment really isn't a thing here for most services. The good news is, once you get the bill in your mailbox you can pay via the ATM - it is right there on the menu options. Just be sure to have the bill with you in order to type in the account number and the bill payment amount. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">You can also do direct cash payments via the ATM. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Need to pay someone in advance for an event or party they are organizing? No need to wait until you see them - another perk of the ATMs here is as long as you have the person's account number and the bank they use, you can deposit cash right into their account. For instance, if there's a party going on and the organizer needs HK$200 ahead of time to reserve the table at the restaurant, if they tell me they have an account with the Bank of China, I can head over to that ATM, choose the cash deposit option, plug in the account number they give me, insert the cash, grab the receipt - all done!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Movie theatres require reserved seating ahead of time. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Yup, you read that right. You want a seat in the movie, you have to book it ahead of time, preferably on the movie theatre website. The upside is that you know you'll get the view that you want - the downside is that people use it as an excuse to get to a movie late since they know their seat is guaranteed. Oh well, at least we can all still eat popcorn during the show! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">US Passport Holders who have been to mainland China previously are eligible for a 10-year multipass visa.</span></h3>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
The proximity to the number of amazing places from Hong Kong is pretty extraordinary; the closest being mainland China - however, as an American while you don't need a visa to travel to Japan or Taiwan, you DO need a visa to go to "the mainland" as Hong Kongers call it. The good news is for around US$250, you get unlimited visits to anywhere in the mainland for 10 years. If your passport expires at any point during that decade, the visa can be transferred over to the new passport. This is an incentive that is only available at this point to US passport holders who have previously traveled to China and had a temporary visa once before.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Get packages delivered to your workplace. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Package delivery can be a tricky thing here in Hong Kong; especially if both you and your spouse work out of the home. Most delivery people are on a tight schedule, so if you're not there - back to the post office it goes, and it's up to you to go retrieve it. Ain't no second chances for you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What is infinitely less stressful is to have packages delivered straight to your workplace (if your boss allows it) where someone in reception will be sure to receive it during business hours. So you get the package you want and you don't have to worry about figuring out which post office it landed in.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Pick up some basic conversational Cantonese. </span></h3>
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<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
I was happy to find that the language barrier is pretty minimal here - most everyone speaks some basic level of English. But knowing a few phrases in Cantonese can be very helpful from time to time. For instance, many cab drivers do not speak English, as well as people that install your utilities or fix issues within your apartment. You're still gonna be a gweilo (meaning foreigner) no matter what, but knowing some basics can up your street cred a little more and smooth the way for better transactions in the future. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Cabs are not very helpful and quite expensive - use the bus or the MTR. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Cabs in Hong Kong can be the worst. They are very expensive, CASH ONLY, and often they will use any excuse not to take you where you want to go - especially if you are clearly not local. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On the plus side, Hong Kong has one of the easiest, cleanest, cheapest and most efficient transportation systems in the world with the <a href="http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/services/system_map.html">MTR</a>, which accepts Octopus cards as payment - tap and go, zip zip. I strongly suggest giving the train map, trolleys and bus routes a look before trying to hail a cab. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And speaking of public transit...<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Eating or drinking on MTR buses, trains, and trolleys is not allowed. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
For my fellow NYCers reading this, you're probably gasping at the prospect of not being able to carry your morning coffee on your commute. I have found that if I am carrying water and not making a huge deal of it, I can sneak by with that - I call it the "gweilo pass". But food is an absolute no-go and it will be taken away from you (I've seen it happen). On the upside, the trains and the stations are some of the cleanest I have ever seen, so I think it is worth the sacrifice not to snack!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Join online expat groups. </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
When I first moved here, I had no job or family to rely on and only knew a total of two people that lived here (aside from my husband). Before I got my full-time job here I had my freelance audiobook editing work to tide me over, but working from home can be a very isolating experience. I knew I had to go out and meet people. I went on Google and found out about a group called <a href="https://www.internations.org/">InterNations</a> - a kind of Facebook for expats. The Albatross membership, which only costs about $10.95 per month to join, allows you to make friends, join social groups and activities as well as official InterNations social and networking events at a fraction of the cost it would normally be to attend fancy dinners, clubs and events (have I mentioned Hong Kong is expensive??!) Many of my close friends that I have made here were made through InterNations, and they have opened many doors for me. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Other groups I can recommend are the HK chapter of <a href="https://www.meetup.com/cities/hk/hong_kong/?_cookie-check=YRXcG5LWrcQnLPJI">Meetup.com </a>as well as the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/expathongkong/">Expat Hong Kong</a> Facebook group that not only features ads for apartments and needful things but offers an open forum to ask pretty much any question and about Hong Kong and share information with other fellow expats. </div>
</div>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">A few last-minute odds and ends: </span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;">1. Watch out for highly aggressive train and elevator doors. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: cyan;">2. Always hand cash to people with both hands. </span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">3. Most apartments do not have heat. Invest in space heaters because it does get cold from time to time! </span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">4. Things like dryers, dishwashers, conventional ovens and sometimes even fridges don't always come standard in apartments. </span></div>
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Do you have any helpful tips for living, working and traveling in Hong Kong? If so, add your comments below! </span></h3>
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The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-85065697142970731392018-02-11T04:55:00.000-08:002018-02-11T04:55:40.408-08:00Introducing the new Critic Kitteh: Batman! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6Dx-d_wB-VpRwzH2jC65r1Hc43wDp52nW8Bch-g3ryRMRFed9IaTeUe9wUYGP6zQXw7vjatdFU0UTHYUAepIhmdHCh4H2WsqeRAG6_K8tn-_eGHjL9FZy4PR6QuVytX-MPM9OJRs2QA/s1600/Batmanmainshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1540" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6Dx-d_wB-VpRwzH2jC65r1Hc43wDp52nW8Bch-g3ryRMRFed9IaTeUe9wUYGP6zQXw7vjatdFU0UTHYUAepIhmdHCh4H2WsqeRAG6_K8tn-_eGHjL9FZy4PR6QuVytX-MPM9OJRs2QA/s320/Batmanmainshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batman is judging you - right now. </td></tr>
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He's brooding, sneaky, has lots of opinions, and most importantly - loves watching movies. Introducing the new Critic Kitteh - Batman!<br />
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After almost two years of being feline deprived after our dearly departed<a href="http://theinsatiablecritic.blogspot.hk/2016/02/sir-toby-is-dead-long-live-sir-toby.html"> Sir Toby</a> passed away, my husband Casey and I decided to do something about it. Now safely ensconced in a pleasant, pet-friendly apartment, we went in search of adopting a rescue kitty.<br />
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I have found in my life that you don't pick the cat; the cat picks you. The story of Batman's adoption is no different.<br />
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The process of acquiring a cat in Hong Kong is harder than one would initially think. The first adoption centre all but slammed the door in our faces when we showed up to look at cats during business hours without an appointment, and promptly told us we would not be let in unless we registered on their website. Thinking it would be better to try another avenue, we found out there was actually a shortage of adoptable cats at the local SPCA! A coworker then suggested we look into a local shelter called <a href="http://hongkongcats.org/">Hong Kong Cats</a> where (like everything else in this city) you would still have to fill out a form on the website, but they were less strict about letting potential adopters meet the cats.<br />
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We submitted the form and waited. Sure enough, within a couple of days the director contacted us via email and said that there was a cat that needed a foster home urgently and would we consider being foster parents with the potential to adopt? She referred me to their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hongkongcats/">Facebook page</a> where his photo was posted and we saw a sleek, diminutive-looking pocket panther with jade green eyes. While we had both hoped to have the opportunity to visit with a few kitties and see which one we clicked with, after some discussion we decided it wouldn't hurt to help the little feller out. If it didn't work out, we could always give him back to the shelter, and in the meantime buy some time for them to make other arrangements for him if need be. So I emailed back the director and said sure, we would be willing to foster him, could we come by over the weekend to meet him and arrange transportation? The response back was almost immediate - great, but he needs a home by TONIGHT. Be careful what you wish for!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMFBvp8BTQ1mChJUlhFSAP_wGpytfpy5swv31hNirBbef8Ky-DAvvhNm55BPLA5-F8cB7k7WQH6_haQFwBWJq7jp-5J9iDcnZj-LO9g4Y8lEcMr_OKYQxo3A3ZcnhOhn11pYRRVeFEKo/s1600/CriticandBatman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMFBvp8BTQ1mChJUlhFSAP_wGpytfpy5swv31hNirBbef8Ky-DAvvhNm55BPLA5-F8cB7k7WQH6_haQFwBWJq7jp-5J9iDcnZj-LO9g4Y8lEcMr_OKYQxo3A3ZcnhOhn11pYRRVeFEKo/s320/CriticandBatman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batman and the Critic ready for their album cover </td></tr>
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After scrambling around for needful items (such as a litter box) and finding to our great relief there is an excellent pet store right across the street from us, a much larger than anticipated 12-pound Batman (not his original name), crash-landed into our lives. The first four or five days were dubious - he mostly hid in the corner and barely ate. Casey thought he had magically escaped the apartment the second day we had him because he couldn't find him anywhere (and trust me Hong Kong apartments aren't that big); it turned out he had just camouflaged himself behind our equally black TV. We kicked around various names for him - Houdini (inspired by my dear friend and audio queen <a href="http://taviagilbert.com/">Tavia Gilbert's </a>black kitty), Ninja, Mister Mistoffelees...but nothing seemed to quite fit.<br />
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Along about the sixth day, something miraculous happened - he had been hiding under the bed as per usual most of the day when we decided to sit down and watch some <i>Batman the Animated Series. </i>The minute the famed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAG_7Ky4FY4">Batman theme</a> by Danny Elfman came on, he came rushing out like a black streak and joined us on a chair, from a safe distance, to watch with us. Casey and I looked at each other and we knew. Of course, we also realize that makes us his joint team of Alfreds, but we figured that just came with the territory.<br />
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As the days went by, Bats decided he liked our modest high-rise home on the 29th floor, and we formally adopted him as of Sunday, February 4 - just a few short days before the second anniversary of Toby's passing on February 12. Now he joins us on the couch for film watching; usually on one or both of our laps, has become my new alarm clock, and fills that spot in my heart that was once again ready for a purring bundle of awesomeness.<br />
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Other favorite pastimes include sneaking up on us, wild rumpuses at around 10pm (catnip gratefully appreciated), sleeping under the covers, looking down upon the city of Kong Hong through our (closed!) windows with a watchful eye, sharing his opinions with a wide variety of mews and purrs, and sitting in front of the laptop to make sure I'm writing only good things about him. <br />
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Many thanks to Jackaroo, my dear friend Debbie Blinder's Russian Blue who has served well as interim Critic Kitteh; a colorful character in his own right. And of course to our dear Toby, though gone from this plane of existence lives on in the hearts and memories of his many friends, fans, and admirers. Batman has some big paws to fill, but we are confident that he will enjoy being a part of our lives and this blog for many years to come.<br />
<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-48898637534224077742017-12-26T19:44:00.000-08:002017-12-27T06:33:47.623-08:00Current Reels: Murder on the Orient Express has Poirot at his Most Vulnerable <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaz_2G-bFTXmdV1CwDHHttY_KYnob_M1Bg2a-fcRYrYC2eUgt8Gd1f69uoJcQRmlRVdFlpHWsga4zpjBod94pIlHIg8PF-BWRRokpjkTK5MMb-bnElqCS45fpUWBw78ZJQPogVNOkCfY/s1600/MOTOE.Train-FTR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1240" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaz_2G-bFTXmdV1CwDHHttY_KYnob_M1Bg2a-fcRYrYC2eUgt8Gd1f69uoJcQRmlRVdFlpHWsga4zpjBod94pIlHIg8PF-BWRRokpjkTK5MMb-bnElqCS45fpUWBw78ZJQPogVNOkCfY/s320/MOTOE.Train-FTR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang's all here: Branagh keeps this remake solidly on the rails</td></tr>
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Every year, I like to take the opportunity to review what I like to call an "alternative holiday film" - something that evokes elements of the season while being far from the traditional tropes. In this case (pun intended), being snowed in while traveling on holiday on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/mediaindex?page=3&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm"><i>The Orient Express. </i></a><br />
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Poirot has long been a favorite of mine, and while David Suchet's fussy turn as the great Belgian detective remains impressive beyond words, Kenneth Branagh's interpretation is less closed off and more emotionally vulnerable. It's a tack that won't appeal to everyone, but I thought it was a remarkably fresh take on the classic character - particularly since this case proves to be one of Poirot's most ethically challenging. There's a gravitas to the entire piece, from the imaginative cinematography to the pitch-perfect screenplay adaptation by Michael Green, that seems wholly appropriate to breathing life back into one of Agatha Christie's most famous and compelling mystery novels of all time.<br />
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The film opens with Poirot in Jerusalem in 1934, solving a case with his usual air of <span data-dobid="hdw">savoir faire; but with less zeal than is due one of the greatest sleuthing minds of all time. It's an important moment as it shows our man of the hour as exacting in his standards but nonetheless rundown. As many of us do in such times in our lives, Poirot decides to give himself a break by heading to Istanbul; but quickly finds to his disappointment that yet another case demands his attention in London. He runs into a good friend who offers to book him on the plush Orient Express, which will take him through the Alps and onto France, where from there he can make his way to his next appointment. </span><br />
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<span data-dobid="hdw">Unfortunately, it is trouble from the start as at first the train is completely booked, but Poirot agrees to share a compartment in order to make it on and takes comfort that perhaps he and his glorious moustaches (truly, never were there such voluminous multiple whiskers before) can simply catch a break as well as the train. His marked frustration is more apparent than the perpetually unperturbed Poirot that Suchet projects, and it adds a tone of relatable humanism to the famously large ego of the "little Belgian." </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Y9uYTv2b-Zb9-jH-HL4dHXdeNrs-kVownoL1bYuyj6hDvo-xZg4fTJNJW2Wb4yMc0nY2GuoHrCICzkG90jLKjsUbXOzzH5tf2NFQZCJoc598RO9V_Gu2pCRsI_PaOY7kuewUB5mKnFo/s1600/Depp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Y9uYTv2b-Zb9-jH-HL4dHXdeNrs-kVownoL1bYuyj6hDvo-xZg4fTJNJW2Wb4yMc0nY2GuoHrCICzkG90jLKjsUbXOzzH5tf2NFQZCJoc598RO9V_Gu2pCRsI_PaOY7kuewUB5mKnFo/s320/Depp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depp brings his acting A-Game as well as distinctive outerwear </td></tr>
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For the first time in a long while, I was impressed with Johnny Depp. His turn as the malevolent Edward Ratchett, with a gravelly Brooklyn accent was the right balance between fearful and pugnacious, as befitting his character (without giving the plot away). Most of the sets and costumes were faithfully in keeping with the time period; but I noticed the distressed leather jacket that he wore when he first stepped out stood out a little too much from the rest. I could only imagine that was a bargaining chip between him and Branagh; I can almost imagine him saying, "Okay, I'll play it straight just this once, but you gotta let me wear a weird jacket, man." Under Branagh's careful eye, I couldn't help but sense that everyone in the
star-studded cast was polished, turned out, and bringing their very
best acting chops to the table. I especially liked that each actor tried to sidestep their typecast roles that they tend to be known for (Willem Dafoe as a professor rather than the tough guy; <span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Penélope Cruz as a maid rather than a femme fatale, etc.) and see them all bring something new and interesting to the characters. </span>
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Most impressive was the cinematography; which certainly employed every inch of the big screen. It was an appropriate and effective use of CGI to show the lightning bolt striking the Alps and sending down the avalanche of snow in front of the train, which broke up the slower dialogue up to that point with an effective piece of thrilling action. Cameras pan through watery cut glass, making concerned faces of the suspects appear blurred and distorted; perhaps shielding the audience from their true intents until the appropriate moment of reveal. Indeed, the train itself is an important cast member; with its elegant frosted glass wall sconces and polished wood panels. To be given the task of filming most major scenes in
long, narrow compartments is a challenge that Branagh was clearly up
for. In one critical moment in which the body is found in one of the compartments, the entire scene is shot in one unbroken, elegant cut looking down from above; as the characters gather and enter into the room and then back out again. This serves to simultaneously include more characters within the shot as well as seamlessly move from one critical scene into another while side-stepping the messiness of multiple cuts back and forth from one end of the narrow compartment to the other. Characters are tracked through the windows of the compartments; interrogations take place indoors and outdoors, and the audience witnesses the crew of the train industriously shoveling away at the snow to get everyone moving again; a
detail that is often lost in and amongst the sleuthing action of previous versions. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgordH4rRImvMcVFDvDL5iSQoqi1Fm03uZQR7ur-aj5PbPEgkFp8V60hwPUV8O2b7KoOZL2pSf_1kZDuoQ41EFLgTIOFjeW8l_0C4lYX0xZR4Ze9IhLT8TELm8MvNQGk4v9VbCcfRSK9mQ/s1600/Poirot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1152" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgordH4rRImvMcVFDvDL5iSQoqi1Fm03uZQR7ur-aj5PbPEgkFp8V60hwPUV8O2b7KoOZL2pSf_1kZDuoQ41EFLgTIOFjeW8l_0C4lYX0xZR4Ze9IhLT8TELm8MvNQGk4v9VbCcfRSK9mQ/s320/Poirot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poirot, where's your jacket bro? </td></tr>
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However, the film is not without its flaws. As a detail person, Poirot running around outside and sometimes on top of the train without so much as
an overcoat did not strike me as being consistent with the character. Godiva chocolate boxes casually placed within view of the camera for product placement purposes seemed out of place. Most frustrating was a moment later in the film involving a tense confrontation between the doctor and Poirot that seemed not only unnecessary; but frankly, silly. It is almost as if we couldn't be trusted as moviegoers to not fall asleep in the middle of the intrigue if the plot wasn't sufficiently peppered with action sequences.<br />
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Still, through the crisp white snow and crackling firelight of torches burning outside, the great reveal is made and the train - and life - goes on for Monsieur Poirot and the passengers. Overall, it is a satisfying execution of a classic story that was obviously rendered with a great deal of love and attention that is fun to watch regardless of whether you know the twist or not. Few recent mainstream films go to such great lengths to create a meditative environment on which to ponder the complicated and intricate patterns of human emotions.<br />
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<b><span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: It's a beauty of a film to watch and while some action sequences seem out of place in the moment, overall the innovative acting and care taken to render this thoughtful take on a memorable "whodunnit" makes it worthwhile.</span></b> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUCoii6trn6nCHpEhyphenhyphenGt22-wMwgRqjeM7bHmRh4jEg0Rg15I_cl9CftcfKeAET2USm8KU7cWEFfzM1UEOz9ChYVWTkirPNFd2fDHLRr6Gz2-z1Z5Ks6sybtuV2QI0-ZFRkQkHECb5Z_A/s1600/Jackaroorating.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="99" data-original-width="481" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUCoii6trn6nCHpEhyphenhyphenGt22-wMwgRqjeM7bHmRh4jEg0Rg15I_cl9CftcfKeAET2USm8KU7cWEFfzM1UEOz9ChYVWTkirPNFd2fDHLRr6Gz2-z1Z5Ks6sybtuV2QI0-ZFRkQkHECb5Z_A/s320/Jackaroorating.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-69494806037219043362017-10-08T18:50:00.000-07:002017-10-09T07:57:08.735-07:00Autumn Audiobook Spotlight: The Throwback Special focuses on Rituals and the Healing Power of Moving On<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaiK24Tc__WyG73tYJNBg8nFkNZ4bfSW7wy3Clx_oQpxMdLDiQaDr-Rmcda0h9nhWjmj2osCKe3dS4GTq3C-brmSLtaIN7jQoxWD7JhtB70DeXCTNMEY6DcHbmfucz4ZjO_4naBpHeCI/s1600/51%252BaKhGOlzL._SL300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaiK24Tc__WyG73tYJNBg8nFkNZ4bfSW7wy3Clx_oQpxMdLDiQaDr-Rmcda0h9nhWjmj2osCKe3dS4GTq3C-brmSLtaIN7jQoxWD7JhtB70DeXCTNMEY6DcHbmfucz4ZjO_4naBpHeCI/s1600/51%252BaKhGOlzL._SL300_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As football season kicks into high gear, Chris Bachelder, author of the National Book Award nominee <i><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Throwback-Special-Audiobook/B01C67EMY4/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1507012363&sr=1-1">The Throwback Special</a></i>, took time out to share some of his inspiration for his novel about rituals, male bonding, and mid-life crisis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this tongue-in-cheek novel, 22 guys gather in a low-budget hotel on an annual basis to reenact a gruesome moment in sports history - the November 1985 play when Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg violently broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants. As characters are introduced, the story becomes less about the central event - often referred to as "The Throwback Special" - and more about the hilarious - and sometimes heartbreaking - realities of reaching middle age. Bachelder, who has taught writing classes at the <a href="http://letters.sewanee.edu/">Sewanee School of Letters at the University of the South in Tennessee</a> for several summers, says novel writing is a journey of discovery and that he hadn't initially understood "this was a book about nostalgia, belonging, and rituals." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;"><b>"You can kill a book if you know too much about it,"</b></span> says Bachelder. "I tried to find drama from the movement of the mind since there's not much movement of the plot, honestly...those moments of thought that bend back against themselves and again, arrive in paradox and bewilderment and, hopefully, comedy." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch the interview below as Chris and I talk about the novel, why hotels are weird, how Kurt Vonnegut inspires him, and how an excess of characters can be just enough, rather than too much, of a good thing. </span><br />
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<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Getting that "Special" Voice </h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYIZfGF9FNGDt3RRXrphEPxvlRr0s-iX5sPa9TaxfMRb3plmmMBJdOcpt6HveYTIBcS1JYm15T_zx-R5NxND-utrjPBaCBClbXcaSoiUeu_xyvrOShNJzm9qfVqX-p75d4C9lsrlicc/s1600/RCBray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYIZfGF9FNGDt3RRXrphEPxvlRr0s-iX5sPa9TaxfMRb3plmmMBJdOcpt6HveYTIBcS1JYm15T_zx-R5NxND-utrjPBaCBClbXcaSoiUeu_xyvrOShNJzm9qfVqX-p75d4C9lsrlicc/s320/RCBray.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R.C. Bray, doing what he does best - talking! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also caught up with <a href="https://www.rcbray.com/">R.C. Bray</a>, the award-winning voice actor who narrated the audiobook and a guy I am lucky enough to call friend. There was a lot Bray found he could relate to, being both a sports fan and "around" the age of the men in the novel. </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: cyan; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You had to voice a lot of characters in this book. How did you keep them all straight? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with any book I keep mp3 files of each character. I don’t pre-record them. I wait until I’ve done a few of their lines or a nice big paragraph, then use that for future reference. About halfway through the book I rarely need to reference them anymore. But minor characters will pop back up from time to time, so I record <i><u>every</u></i>one.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What was your prep process for narrating this book and was it easier or harder than you anticipated? </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the things I do to prep from time to time - which I did with <i>Throwback</i> - is skim through the pages looking for capitalized words; minus those at the start of sentences of course. Doing so not only helps locate place names, ancient battles, etc. that may have difficult pronunciations; but more importantly doing so gives me a good idea as to character count AND an idea as to who’s got the bulk of the story by how many times they’re mentioned. In <i>Throwback</i>, many of the character's names were each mentioned quite often.That can sometimes mean “thin” or even underdeveloped, characters. Not the case with this book AT all. From a narrator’s point of view, Chris provided so much with minimal effort on each of the guys that I got such a clear visual.There’s nothing like it when an author does that; it helps aid so much in what kind of voice I’ll give a particular character. </span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book talks a lot about rituals - and the weirdness of them. Do you have any weird rituals with your friends or family? If so, why are they important to you? </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s this bridge somewhere around Queens when we head to New York City. My wife and her brother used to waggle their fingers in the air and make goofy sounds for the duration underneath. As soon as you’re out from under it, all silliness stops and you're back to normal. My wife introduced me to it when we were dating. We’ve since gotten our kids to do it. We really don’t have to plan for it either; we all know where the bridge is and we all just jump into action once we’re under. I do it even if I’m in the car by myself! Why? I’m not really sure. But it never fails to crack me up. Part of why I love it is it’s so completely random. Think about it. How many other people do you think do something that unique?</span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You seemed to have a lot of fun narrating this book. What - if anything - personally resonated with you? </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Throwback</i> is set around a bunch of guys my own age who are going through what I am or will go through at some point: the fact that life doesn’t always turn out as planned, I’m not invincible, and at some point I’ll have to shed my eternal boyhood cloak to face “adult” problems head on.There are people I knew in elementary school, high school, college, work, etc. who have died, gotten divorced, gone to war and not come back, become insanely successful, and lost a child to illness. They also discovered they are transgender, “came out”, won a Super Bowl ring, played pro baseball/basketball, worked with famous actors, were important catalysts to bring back to some form of normalcy and hope in young peoples lives; on and on and on. I’ve had my shares of ups and downs, too. But, like most people I’m sure, I prefer the ups. Even when, like in <i>Throwback</i>, once upon a time good things do eventually come to an end and it’s time to move on/forward. <span style="color: cyan;"><b>There is a lot of power in letting go and moving on.</b></span> As Bobby Plant once said:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> "Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay. But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way.”</span></i><br />
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The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-36700184622666586732017-07-30T08:28:00.000-07:002017-07-30T09:48:11.305-07:00The Power of Storytelling - Q&A with Audie-Winning Narrator Nicol Zanzarella <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely, "chatty Italian" herself! </td></tr>
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Every year, the <a href="https://www.audiopub.org/">Audiobook Publisher's Association (APA)</a> of America hosts The Audies, which recognizes audiobooks of distinction and the voices that bring the words to life. <br />
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I recently caught up with actress and audiobook narrator <a href="http://www.nicolzanzarella.com/">Nicol Zanzarella</a>, who in June won her first Audie for her work on the supernatural romance/thriller <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Ghost-Gifts-Audiobook/B01B57LLDQ/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1501418873&sr=1-1"><i>Ghost Gifts </i></a>by Laura Spinella and produced by <a href="https://www.brillianceaudio.com/">Brilliance Audio</a>. This self-professed "chatty Italian girl from New York" currently residing in Los Angeles shared her thoughts on her craft, what it means to be a storyteller, and how audiobooks just may save the world. Listen to more of my interview with Nicol at the bottom of this blog post! <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Ghost Gifts seemed like such a perfect fit for you. It's New York, it's Italian...did you choose to work on this project? </span></h3>
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I have to give it up to fate and David Andrews at Brilliance Audio who put this book in my lap. I have found that there are a couple of really special people in this business that seem to take great care in matching projects and voices...and I give all appreciation to David on that. The author Laura and I like to say that the ghosts are kinda watching over us because this has been an extraordinary experience from the get-go. I recorded that book at night and I am a scaredy-cat! I would leave the studio looking over my shoulder with my flashlight on.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">What first inspired you to become an audiobook narrator? </span> </h3>
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It's a funny story actually - I had a friend living in New York about 12 years ago who became a pioneer in audiobook narration. She would send us snippets of some of her more outlandish books she got to record to a select few people over the holidays as sort of a joke Christmas gift, like, "Hey, listen to this thing I got to say!" That is how I found out audiobooks were even a thing. I will allow her to remain nameless, but all these years later I love getting to share that story and how she made me realize I would love to do just that. <span style="color: cyan;"><b>(Listen to more of Nicol's thoughts on breaking into the audiobook industry in the audio interview below!)</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">What are you listening to these days? Do you have any fellow narrators that inspire you? </span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicol and David Andrews at The Audies in June</td></tr>
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I gotta admit - I still have a love for the actual book in my hands - and, I'm a dogear. I like to wear in my books and take notes, so in truth I have a lot more listening I have to do. Someone who inspires me is <a href="http://taviagilbert.com/">Tavia Gilbert.</a> One of my favorite audiobooks is one I just recently listened to called <i><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Ill-Be-Seeing-You-Audiobook/B014RIC98Q/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1501415344&sr=1-2">I'll Be Seeing You</a> </i>(narrated by Gilbert and <a href="http://www.katerudd.com/">Kate Rudd</a>).<i> </i>I highly recommend it. At one point I stood by my kitchen counter bawling listening to that book. When a narrator does what they do so well, it's not some grand, costume performance - it's so quietly simple and exquisite and that's what they (Gilbert and Rudd) did with this book, and what I strive for. I love Tavia's work and what she brings to it - it leaves me speechless. (Critic's note: Ms. Gilbert won an Audie for Best Female Narrator of the year, also in June). <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">You identify yourself as a storyteller. Why do you think stories are so important? </span></h3>
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First and foremost my family has instilled in me a love of tradition - everything from the Italian side of my family with Sunday dinners and traditional holidays to my mother who studies Native American tradition and storytelling. It's our history, it's our roots; it's the way we ever first started to share information. You can tell stories so many ways - but I chose this way because it encompassed the things that have become important to me in my life. And maybe also because I like to talk a lot, which Martin, my better half, will attest to (laughs). There's the tradition and there's the roots aspect of humanity in storytelling, and I also think it is where we can go to find out that we are not alone...in that we can read or listen to the story of someone we could never in a million years identify with and find something that strikes home.<b> <span style="color: cyan;">I truly think that through sharing stories and really trying to listen to each other we could possibly save the world. </span></b>Artists often face the question, "Is what we do important?" In the grand scheme of all the things going on in the world at any given time, particularly now, whatever you can do and whatever way you might touch something in someone even if it is in the back row of a poorly attended performance, it is still something. It awakened something in you for having done it or one other person somewhere along the way that might have that lightning bolt go off in them. That is what we're all doing here, I hope.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/335500858&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-81674349956458511832017-06-13T07:17:00.002-07:002017-06-26T11:04:59.728-07:00Minimalism - My Journey of Letting Go <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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2016 was undoubtedly the hardest year of my life. I have been struggling to find a context in which to write about my year and how it has shaped me into the person I am today. When I watched the documentary <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3810760/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things</a>,</i> I found the frame in which I could fit my own personal snapshot of coming to grips with simplification. I'd like to preface this by saying what follows is not meant to chastise anyone who wants a house of their own with their own furniture - more that it is my journey to realize that material possessions are not a marker of adulthood, and the freeing power of doing more with less.<br />
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The <i>Minimalism </i>documentary, directed by Matt D'Avella, focuses on several people who have decided
to take the leap and drastically cut their material possessions for the
betterment of their lives. Two fellas that I particularly admire are
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, childhood friends who call
themselves "<a href="http://www.theminimalists.com/">The Minimalists</a>" who after significant personal losses turned their backs on the lucrative
salaries and fancy possessions of the high-powered corporate sales world
to a stripped-down existence of living intentionally. Another woman,
Courtney Carver, was inspired to start <a href="https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/">Project 333</a> - a way of paring down your wardrobe to the essentials - after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Many of these people are using the idea of minimalism to take back control after devastating blows to their mental and physical health. As part of JIAM (June is Audiobook Month), check out my <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y9lsjrsr">AudioFile Magazine review</a> of The Minimalists' memoir, <i>Everything That Remains</i>. I should also mention audiobooks are a great step towards minimalism, since they literally take up no space at all. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Minimalists: Nicodemus (left) & Millburn (right) </td></tr>
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I am no stranger to downsizing. As a child growing up, my mom encouraged me to routinely weed out my toys and clothes to make room for new, more relevant
possessions. From the time I graduated college to the time I hit 30, I moved SEVEN times. I had an oasis of about four years in a 425 square-foot apartment, but other than that, it seemed my gypsy existence was inescapable. I was ready to put roots down, and by the American standard, that meant getting more space and stuff.<br />
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My husband Casey (then boyfriend) and I finally got our opportunity when we moved from the Northeast, where I had grown up all my life, to rural Tennessee in 2014. I had no idea what to expect, but I was fed up with cramped apartments. We found a house to rent that was way too much space for just the two of us, but our options at the time were limited and it was affordable with a big back yard. Casey, my cat Toby, and I filled the place with light and love. I found a fulfilling full-time job with a short commute. Life was great. <br />
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The concept of minimalism was thrust upon me when Casey had to pursue other professional opportunities elsewhere, and the glass in this picture-perfect frame of existence started to crack. I had taken for granted this little world we had created for ourselves, filled with furniture, belongings, and wall art was a finite existence - that we had arrived at the perfect notion of "adulting." Nothing could be farther from the truth. When our beloved cat <a href="http://theinsatiablecritic.blogspot.hk/2016/02/sir-toby-is-dead-long-live-sir-toby.html">Toby</a>, who many of you came to know and love through this blog, passed away suddenly and peacefully, the house felt insanely huge with just the two of us. Then the hammer truly came down - Casey did find another lucrative position - in Hong Kong. <br />
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As I processed these gaping hole punches in my current reality over the next weeks and months, I gazed around the house and thought, "Oh gods. What are we going to do with all this stuff?" The task of deconstructing a 3-bedroom house, although we had only lived there for two years, seemed insanely daunting. We had a dining room set, a living room set, rugs, lamps, etc. - you name it. And most of it had been given to us by family members. Then there was the emotional component - <i>how could I possibly sell that leather couch? That was the leather couch Toby and I watched movies on all the time...</i> - hitting my psyche HARD. It seemed such a Herculean task that for a moment all I could do was lie on said couch, paralyzed.<br />
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Through many months of effort, negotiation, local email classifieds, one massive yard sale, and no small amount of effort on the part of our family and friends, we got rid of the majority of our stuff. We rented a storage space for the rest, and moved out of said house last August. Did I mention we also got married somewhere in the midst of all this? We wanted to be rid of the storage rental space before moving to Hong Kong since it would be too much to handle from afar, so we made arrangements with wonderfully kind family members to hold the items from the unit with them for the time being. A friend of ours had agreed to take the bigger items down in his pickup truck - free of charge, as a wedding present - to a family member's home out of state. <br />
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The final kicker - quite suddenly, this person could no longer make the trip for us. It is December, my time in Tennessee and the US is growing short, and I've still got a whole storage unit full of - I can call it this now - crap. The leather couch I couldn't bare to part with a few months prior was a massive eyesore. In fact, in the cold December light, it all looked sad and worn. In a moment fueled by months of disappointments, losses, and setbacks, I said, "I'm getting rid of this shit." And somehow, I did. I made one trip to the out-of-state relatives' home with only what I could fit in my Honda Accord, and then the rest of my possessions had to be made to fit - and just barely did, into one more car trip to my parents' home. A decade of independent living, reduced to two carloads. And to be totally honest? Those two carloads STILL felt like a ton of stuff. All of that had to be further reduced to two checked suitcases, one backpack, and one purse to take to Hong Kong. Talk about minimalist baptism by fire.<br />
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Now, almost six months later in my pre-furnished apartment a world away, I sit in front of a desk that isn't mine and is a far cry from my fancy and heavy-as-sin glass top monstrosity I used to have, and I don't even mind. I have acquired very little in the time I have been here and even some of that I am putting together in bags to pass on to better homes. My goal when I go back to my parents' house this summer is to get rid 50 percent of what I have stored there.<br />
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I realize that a mark of adulthood is not the house you buy, how much furniture you have, or how big your TV is. It's about how you handle life when it hits you hard. It is about accepting that everything is temporal, and rather than using that truth to fuel my insecurity, that knowledge is helping me to live life more intentionally. To make time for the small things that end up being big things. To support that friend or family member going through a rough time. No one is going to remember us for the kind of couch we own, or how many electronic gadgets we have. No one says at someone's funeral, "Wow, remember grandpa's iPhone? That was slick." We are remembered for the actions that we take and for the love we share. That's what minimalism is about. Less is truly more. The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-9362752023942603862017-05-22T03:22:00.000-07:002017-05-22T21:50:16.004-07:00Current Reels: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Fights an Ego-Centric Future<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwZ8xnNPbWVR6jwLAEesxlixoAyOGApLgkzHJXq6hZyFcdBIEcJGwBJHFPx020hLcM76pmBsRnq4729VIMICSO52ntzTd-AbEI4csweZutlbLtb-a4SPzUqpQmAcVg5sP-u5hcaFJcG0/s1600/EgoandChris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwZ8xnNPbWVR6jwLAEesxlixoAyOGApLgkzHJXq6hZyFcdBIEcJGwBJHFPx020hLcM76pmBsRnq4729VIMICSO52ntzTd-AbEI4csweZutlbLtb-a4SPzUqpQmAcVg5sP-u5hcaFJcG0/s320/EgoandChris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quill gets introduced to his father's "perfect" world </td></tr>
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Marvel's fast-talking, sarcastic group of space weirdos are back to take on the greatest threat to the galaxy yet - narcissism. <br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0348181/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">James Gunn</a> returns to the director's chair to bring together the intergalactic hellraisers once more in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3896198/?ref_=nv_sr_5">Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2</a></i>. In this roundup, viewers begin to get a sense of what makes all these characters tick.<br />
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Set to the tunes of Peter Quill's "Awesome Mix Volume 2" given to him by his mother, viewers are tossed into the action from the get-go. This time around, the Guardians are on the run from a haughty and vengeful race of aliens known as "The Sovereigns" that are hellbent on creating a perfect human being. When all seems lost, our favorite antiheroes are unexpectedly delivered from their fate by a deity named Ego, who reveals to Quill that he is his long-lost father. Thus begins a battle of the flawed versus the supposedly flawless, and the disastrous effects of focusing too heavily on the "selfie". <br />
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What makes the Guardians so compelling is they are all works in progress; each one of them on the mend from some past trauma. These are no mere caricatures, but full-fledged beings that have their own cultures, planets, and stories to tell, which make them interesting and relatable - even if they are assholes sometimes.The double-edged
sword of a sequel from a writer's standpoint is on one hand, there's no "gear up" needed since the viewers are already familiar with the characters and the
universe. On the other, it is trickier to grab the audience's attention from the start without a built-in plot springboard. James Gunn and Dan Abnett (who is also the writer for the Marvel comic) elaborate on the diverse cast's hopes and fears and their relationships with one another, while leaving plenty of time for snappy comebacks and good old fashioned space shoot 'em ups. <br />
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The continued theme running through both Vol. 1 & 2 (which you can read more in my review of the first movie <a href="http://theinsatiablecritic.blogspot.hk/2014/08/a-marvel-ous-summer-finale-guardians-of.html">here</a>) is family is what you make of it. I
was gratified to see the stories of Nebula, Gamora, and most notably, Yondu (my personal favorite) expanded upon. We learn more about Yondu's past with the Ravagers, his relationship with Quill, and his own personal demons. He goes through hell, but on the plus side, gets a serious upgrade to the most deadly of mohawks! We even get treated to a cameo of the greatest underdog of all - Sylvester Stallone, playing Stakar Ogord (basically space Rocky) who banishes Yondu for misunderstood misdeeds. A weaker script would've taken the easy route with Nebula (played by the impeccable Karen Gillan, best known as companion Amy Pond in Dr. Who) and reduced her complexities hinted at in Vol. 1 into a cold-blooded villainess. Instead, the story explores further her relationship with her sister, the inscrutable Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and we learn of the atrocities she suffered at the hands of her father, Thanos. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG4WPnmngtwlFQvEirnJpJD_I2Rng5qwnEtFLOyrGu-IPdrvrRb6d4WP7-GqxpwIX5rjKmI5AnCMl76Etdq7lAAmUcAtUtKCixNbvSBlq0A58vgvcFb4ULzwogdNblv3v16CqWYjcvcg/s1600/Yondu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG4WPnmngtwlFQvEirnJpJD_I2Rng5qwnEtFLOyrGu-IPdrvrRb6d4WP7-GqxpwIX5rjKmI5AnCMl76Etdq7lAAmUcAtUtKCixNbvSBlq0A58vgvcFb4ULzwogdNblv3v16CqWYjcvcg/s320/Yondu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yondu, Rocket and Groot get in some dude bonding time</td></tr>
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What makes this second serving all the more enjoyable is it never takes itself too seriously. Ego waxes philosophical on the 70s classic "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by the one-hit wonder band Looking Glass (fun fact: this tune fueled the writing of this review). Poop and dick jokes abound. The only true weakness with this feature is certain gags that worked in Vol. 1 are stretched to the breaking point in Vol. 2, reducing what could have been big laughs to mere chuckles - for instance, the sequence of Baby Groot continuing to bring back the wrong item to Rocket and Yondu would've been just as funny with three fewer items. Drax calling the newcomer Mantis "ugly" when he really means "beautiful" got old pretty fast. And as adorable as he was, I could've done with less gratuitous use of Baby Groot.<br />
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The sets, effects, action, and makeup are all of the top-notch quality we have come to expect from Marvel blockbusters. What sets <i>Guardians </i>ahead of the pack is the solid storytelling around themes that we can all relate to -family, belonging, and the quest for self-love, which make for a satisfying - if on occasion, emotional - big-screen experience. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: Despite the need for thoughtful pruning of tiresome gags, Vol. 2 succeeds in reminding us, in the words of another 70s classic, "We all need somebody to lean on." </span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsb8MkCScYwbVYc0trm4cgLH2RI3bsDQN7xhmAD2kU4p034KPPA9bB8t_3Qi8jTJLQWPw5cY5Rch_Qq1pXQzk56pr_tfbHbRGF4mH_alsZI5UlRyycvBl5zzIdPeclLpLdMkz1SoTAss/s1600/Jackaroorating.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsb8MkCScYwbVYc0trm4cgLH2RI3bsDQN7xhmAD2kU4p034KPPA9bB8t_3Qi8jTJLQWPw5cY5Rch_Qq1pXQzk56pr_tfbHbRGF4mH_alsZI5UlRyycvBl5zzIdPeclLpLdMkz1SoTAss/s320/Jackaroorating.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-65008616627146920312017-05-07T05:36:00.000-07:002017-05-07T08:17:17.928-07:00 Hong Kong International Film Festival Spotlight: "Beast Cops" Reflects on the Human Condition <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2PdUOpcQW3Yr0vq-NXZkd-xLOSN_q08GFb_oIdUH63NpYWLF_qY5exyk9V7sN9WdUtfWX2Q3-5RJKNyCqcXbgHrz7IyFSuIV5XZXz8SSrY6b6kXtDCzTrlQyotaxX1UZuzRauwxHFnU/s1600/GordonChan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2PdUOpcQW3Yr0vq-NXZkd-xLOSN_q08GFb_oIdUH63NpYWLF_qY5exyk9V7sN9WdUtfWX2Q3-5RJKNyCqcXbgHrz7IyFSuIV5XZXz8SSrY6b6kXtDCzTrlQyotaxX1UZuzRauwxHFnU/s320/GordonChan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon Chan, right, director of Beast Cops at HKIFF </td></tr>
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During the <a href="http://www.hkiff.org.hk/">41st annual Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)</a> held his past April, several films were shown as part of a series called "Paradigm Shift: Post-97 Hong Kong Cinema." The late 90s were an important crossroads for filmmakers post-handover, when Britain officially transferred power of Hong Kong over to the People's Republic of China and ushered in a new era of cinema focusing on local culture and history. I was lucky enough to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157366/?ref_=nv_sr_2"><i>Beast Cops</i></a> on the big screen and speak briefly to one of its directors, Gordon Chan, who also wrote and directed <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110200/?ref_=nm_knf_t2"><i>Fist of Legend</i></a> with Jet Li, another of my personal favorites. A thoughtful dramedy about the human condition cleverly packaged as a cop thriller took home Best Picture and Best Director (Gordon Chan and Dante Lam) in the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1999. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4pE7fIiWZSLPIpIG2G7VcAi7cExI7jaFxaIG1g8z9X_3_UrWTYBQX7yid-ou8W3mWhKg-uqJv53eSfOmtTACa3miN4veAfs8mXPPUHMJ33W45pOPJi0ILQKg79umSTVumliPzqNaYOk/s1600/bc-450_beb3692e3769f1568c235765e709d4dd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4pE7fIiWZSLPIpIG2G7VcAi7cExI7jaFxaIG1g8z9X_3_UrWTYBQX7yid-ou8W3mWhKg-uqJv53eSfOmtTACa3miN4veAfs8mXPPUHMJ33W45pOPJi0ILQKg79umSTVumliPzqNaYOk/s320/bc-450_beb3692e3769f1568c235765e709d4dd.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The disheveled trio of ordinary heroes </td></tr>
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For someone living in Hong Kong, it was an unexpected delight to recognize many of the scenes that were filmed in my neighborhood of Tsim Sha Tsui (pronounced Jim-Sa-Joy) on Kowloon island. What elevates this film from a boilerplate cop drama into a thoughtful commentary about human existence is a script that combines light-hearted humor with philosophical musings about life and love, and how even the most flawed of characters can be a true hero. <br />
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"I wanted this film to be, ultimately, hopeful," said Chan after the screening, who was kind enough to answer a few burning questions of mine. "The studios wanted a comedy, but I wanted it to be more than that - a reflection on the human experience." <br />
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The story centers around Tung (Anthony Wong), a disheveled, out of shape street cop with dubious morals. He mostly cares about reeling in a paycheck and staying on the good side of gang leader Fai, known as "Big Brother." However, circumstances change when Big Brother goes on the run after a hit on a business rival goes wrong, and puts his trust in Tung to keep his territory on the up and up. To make matters worse, Tung finds himself having to show his new boss, fresh-faced Michael Cheung (Michael Wong) the ropes of the neighborhood without implicating himself. Worlds begin to collide as Cheung falls hard for Big Brother's abandoned girlfriend Yoyo (Kathy Chow), a hard-as-nails madame, and their relationship quickly becomes exclusive. Meanwhile, Pushy Pin (Patrick Tam), one of Big Brother's underlings, attempts to move up in the ranks, taking advantage of his old boss's absence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Chan's autograph! </td></tr>
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While the high-octane action sequences are visceral and well-timed, much of the film centers around Tung and Cheung facing the challenges of daily urban life - finding an affordable place to live (no easy task in this city), and dealing with the comings and goings of unscrupulous roommates, particularly Skinny Sam (Sam Lee), Tung's sex-addicted colleague; the travails of relationships. The cuts from one scene to the next are sudden at times, lending itself to uneven pacing, but not to such a high degree as to take away from the overall enjoyment of the storyline. <br />
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It is in the quiet moments where the story holds its true power. The desperation on the face of Tung when the married woman he has been having an affair with tells him she is going back to her old life without him, stating she doesn't love him. "But I love you," he mutters softly as she slinks back into the night, and the shadows of the evening fall around him like a curtain addressing the end of a final act.The profound sadness on Skinny Sam's face when his presumed date shows up with her husband, and he motors away with the bouquet of flowers still attached to the backseat. <br />
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The climactic, bloody brawl finale between Tung and Pushy Pin is satisfying on a raw, primal level as well as from a cinematography standpoint. Instead of the buff, young Cheung taking down the crime boss, Chan chooses to have the every-man do it because it has been his responsibility from the beginning. Tung is not superhuman - far from it - and the audience feels empathy as he psyches himself up for the confrontation in his car with the aid of alcohol and some dubious-looking pills. The fight is shot from a variety of standpoints; through broken fluorescent lights, down dingy alleyways, through the blurred vision of our unlikely hero. Knives are brandished, blood flows, and inwardly I found myself cheering for Tung as this washed up cop finds the true grit inside to put an end to this cycle of crime once and for all. <br />
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SPOILER ALERT: Chan shared with me that Tung was originally supposed to die, but he felt that would've changed the tenor of the movie completely, which I agree with. "I wanted to send a message of hope," he said. Perhaps hope not only for the characters in his story, but for the city of Hong Kong. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: At its essence, <i>Beast Cops </i>is a story of highly flawed characters that ultimately see the best potential in themselves and in one another. While the pacing is uneven at times, the film's payoff in the final scene more than makes up for any of its minor inadequacies. </span></h3>
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The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-32909794224538636012017-03-17T00:28:00.001-07:002017-03-17T02:20:06.345-07:00Back From the Past: Samurai Jack Season Five Premiere Skirts the Edge of Reason <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmVIR5pRdnlY2-y9D6cNiYMQQeFs0lAP39J3ryrQ2v4IC6c_hU5Y4-qsGyKdPplgpoPw87PEn5Owq5FHHXwfxkvTzMe0fZVyDJBWhZO_BBEr5UuuDZpen_1xtBJnvhY3ncmDgcZVWzwY/s1600/worthy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmVIR5pRdnlY2-y9D6cNiYMQQeFs0lAP39J3ryrQ2v4IC6c_hU5Y4-qsGyKdPplgpoPw87PEn5Owq5FHHXwfxkvTzMe0fZVyDJBWhZO_BBEr5UuuDZpen_1xtBJnvhY3ncmDgcZVWzwY/s320/worthy.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even a beboppin' robot doesn't dull the dark edge of the new season</td></tr>
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It has been 13 years in our time since <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278238/">Samurai Jack </a></i>was on the air, but 50 years have passed in Jack's world. <br />
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It seems appropriate then, that our valiant time traveler should pop back to finish in detail what he began - the destruction of the (all together now) "Shapeshifting Master of Darkness" Aku. The long-touted 10-episode return of this sci-fi animated series occurred last Saturday, March 11, on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. In episode 1 of Season 5, Jack roars back onto the screen, but isn't one bit triumphant. Gone is the simple
white gi and magical sword. Gone is the smoothed back bun. Here, we
have a wild man on a motorbike looking like he freshly drove off the set
of <i>Mad Max: Fury Road.</i> With a full beard and long black hair left to blow
untethered in the wind, we get the sense our classically unruffled hero has finally HAD it with Aku and hacking around in the future. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482851/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Phil LaMarr</a> returns as Jack's stoical voice, and the episode opens with him saying in a strangled, breathless tone, "Gotta get back...back to the past." What was once a witty phrase for a fun theme song now sounds like a desperate mantra to maintain sanity. Even Aku as a bodily presence has vanished, and his loyal cult followers are in a veritable fervor for his great return. For now, he is merely a voice on the phone ( by<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2055652/?ref_=nv_sr_1"> Greg Baldwin</a>, a successful recast from the original Japanese actor, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0538683/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Mako</a>, who passed away in 2006). Even the wise-cracking, beboppin' robot Scaramouche, (show veteran <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444786/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Tom Kenny</a>) wielding a sword that doubles as a tuning fork (!) can't dull the dark edge of this new season.<br />
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Even the comforting familiarity of "the bad old days" are gone. All is NOT as it should be. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA813pqt9pggaNekrmWAml-cRhUAXymxuf4vGVsydM7z5qNkNsGY2AWLSzEaas5TGahifL9kpkSfmpAQYbsA_JrM8RdWKiqlfnEM907rjcW_z17Jyv7DvXqt7EphpXSxAJGyioCzD3RM/s1600/Jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA813pqt9pggaNekrmWAml-cRhUAXymxuf4vGVsydM7z5qNkNsGY2AWLSzEaas5TGahifL9kpkSfmpAQYbsA_JrM8RdWKiqlfnEM907rjcW_z17Jyv7DvXqt7EphpXSxAJGyioCzD3RM/s1600/Jack.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack...you okay man? </td></tr>
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Let's "back to the past" for a moment. I have loved this show ever since its debut during my college days in the early 2000s. Director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0850733/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Genndy Tartakovsky's</a> influence is immediately recognizable - bright colors, sharp lines, and minimalist style. Who better to create an animated tale of a lone samurai? While I enjoyed Tartakovsky's other ventures, such as <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i> and <i>Dexter's Laboratory</i>, those shows I could take or leave. Nothing about them ever stuck with me. But <i>Samurai Jack </i>is different. An animated tapestry; it didn't look like anything else on TV and still doesn't. But aside from its visual appeal, what always set this series apart was it's reserved and effective ability to SHOW rather than tell a story. With elegant animation and well-conceived plots that balanced heavy themes such as gender issues and self-worth with humor and whimsy, it succeeds in both style and substance. I began to realize this was no ordinary show when I watched episode 6 of Season 1, "Jack and the Warrior Woman," where (MINOR SPOILERS
AHEAD) Aku transforms himself as a woman named Ikra who offers to "help"
Jack steal a jewel for a higher, positive purpose. Jack is still new at this "saving the future" thing at this point, and he knows there's something off about Ikra,
but he's wooed by her shapely body and her incredible battle skills. Plus, let's face it - Jack's a pretty lonely guy. As such, when Ikra reveals herself to be Aku at the end
of the episode, you can tell he is rattled pretty bad - I mean, how easy can it be to handle having romantic/sexual feelings for your greatest enemy? (Side note: this episode also is a great example of the show's incredible creative ability to come up with an endless array of background characters - that dude with scorpions on his face in the opening montage is particularly badass.) <br />
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Although the show ran for four seasons, it vanished as suddenly as it arrived. The show's wrap-up felt peremptory. Tartakovsky mentioned in a recent interview for <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/03/08/519031110/jack-is-back-after-a-13-year-hiatus-samurai-jack-returns-for-a-final-season?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170308">NPR </a>that he was "burned out" by the studio's creative differences at the time and other projects competing for his attention, so instead of struggling onward, decided to end the show in the most graceful way he could. But it was pretty clear there was still more to tell - and the show's fan base has agreed. <br />
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While the show has classically tested Jack's psyche, it is clear from this first episode that this encore final season is going to show us exactly what Jack has been put through mentally as a result of Aku and - hopefully - how he will intend to rise above it. Being on Adult Swim - which was just a fledgling concept in the series' heyday - has allowed the show to go into darker territory, which by doing so realizes its full potential rather than veering onto a radically different path. Despite our time-worn hero, <i>Samurai Jack</i> hasn't skipped a beat - it's just finally been allowed to become the grown-up show we always knew it could be. <br />
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For a limited time, you can stream the season as it airs<a href="http://www.adultswim.com/videos/samurai-jack/"> here. </a><br />
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-5516429386378885812017-03-01T22:25:00.001-08:002017-03-01T23:59:41.831-08:00Current Reels: Everything is Awesome about The LEGO Batman Movie <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJp-gpEQyI-reU73nQvxKX4jTeUYRDvZhVGPZnWyBzyIu4IJ0ifrTgpdf1Fhy4FunDWBK4SsSqoO3rTxIe_tLkt8cfJkqw2QjLB6xeq02RNJck56ym5NrWbuMg9GR-vHtoD2JogVa-sA/s1600/LegoBatman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJp-gpEQyI-reU73nQvxKX4jTeUYRDvZhVGPZnWyBzyIu4IJ0ifrTgpdf1Fhy4FunDWBK4SsSqoO3rTxIe_tLkt8cfJkqw2QjLB6xeq02RNJck56ym5NrWbuMg9GR-vHtoD2JogVa-sA/s320/LegoBatman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The classic superteam buckle up for one wild ride! </td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Dictionary.com defines the word "earnest" as "serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous."<i> </i>No doubt<i> </i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4116284/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><i>The LEGO Batman Movie </i></a>endeavors to be earnest in almost every aspect of geek culture. </div>
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Emmy-winner Chris
McKay, who directed 2014's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/?ref_=nv_sr_2"><i>The LEGO Movie</i></a>, is back in the
driver's seat for this feature, bringing his wonderful knack for features that are
both delightful for kids and kids at heart. In a little less than two hours, this film simultaneously succeeds in being a great Batman AND Lego movie as well as a parody of both. It is essentially a toast rather than a roast to the franchise. Much like the <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i> series reboot,<i> </i>it is the magical result of a bunch of creative adults who grew up in the 80s and 90s given plenty of resources and time to play with.<br />
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The amount of detail thrown into this film is astounding. Limelighting a huge swath of genres from Harry Potter to Dr. Who to Lord of the Rings, no geeky stone is left unturned. Easter Egg
surprises for diehard comic fans abound for those with an eagle
eye. Lighthearted digs at the Marvel Universe abound- for example, the password for
the Bat Cave is "Iron Man sucks" - a character often paralleled with
Batman since they are both billionaire self-made superheroes. McKay and his creative team find any number of ways to pay homage to the Batman franchise through the ages,
with throwbacks aplenty to the campiness of the 60s Adam West series,
which I grew up watching as a kid on Nick at Nite. Even fans of rom-coms don't escape unscathed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obscure Batman villains such as "The Eraser" get time to shine </td></tr>
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One would think so much detail would lend itself to a muddled mess, but the thoughtful pacing makes all the difference. While plenty of color and light gets thrown at the viewer, it succeeds in not being a
complete barrage on the senses. Taking a queue from this film's
predecessor, McKay allows the action to wind down
at critical points for thoughtful reflection on important themes such as
the dangerous
effects of self-inflicted solitude. While the quest for and importance of
family (there's
even a moment in the credits where the phrase 'Friends are the Family
You Choose' pops up briefly) are well-worn tropes, this film's sincerity freshens it up. The animation by Animal Logic, an Australian company
based in Sydney and Los Angeles, is a glorious marriage of computer
animation and live LEGO sets. Even the flames shooting out from the city
and the Bat Jet have the look and feel of plastic accessory molds. </div>
<br />
Will Arnett returns to lend his gritty, sarcasm-laden vocal talents to the famed DC superhero, making him possibly the best character voice yet since Kevin Conroy, well-known for his work on the 90s <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103359/?ref_=nv_sr_3">Batman: The Animated Series</a>.</i> <span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Zach Galifianakis</span>'s
take on The Joker makes him a sensitive psychopath, and under McKay's
watchful eye we finally have a plot that meaningfully acknowledges the
long-term twisted "bromance" between The Joker and Batman. Without
giving away too much, The Joker ends up being the lynchpin that ultimately
forces Batman/Bruce Wayne to address his deeper emotional issues rather
than continuing to shut them down. In essence, all The Joker really
wants is Batman to FEEL. The welcome presence of Harley Quinn as a
badass supportive buddy (let's face it, this particular Joker is
about as gay as one can get with a PG rating) encouraging "Mr. J" on his
quest is a welcome change from the darker, often abusive relationship between the two. In truth, ALL the characters are genuinely
likeable. Robin, as voiced by Michael Cera, succeeds in being the bouyant rather than boorish boy
wonder; the subtle adult jokes about his given name "Dick" blissfully
zooming over his head. A delightfully eclectic group featuring everyone from iPhone's "Siri" to Conan O'Brien, Eddie Izzard, and even Mariah Carey rounds out the talent admirably. <br />
<br />
There is also a surprising amount of excellent music throughout the course of the film, from Batman beat-boxing to 80s hits such as the late great Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" as well as the surprisingly complex, soaring orchestral music Scottish composer Lorne Balfe (read more about his involvement <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/the-lego-batman-movie/262196/the-lego-batman-movie-composer-lorne-balfe-keeps-score">here.</a>)<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: </span><span style="color: cyan;">The warmth and heart of the clever story runs concurrent with the humor
and action, rather than underneath or above it. In poking fun at itself,
it may succeed in being the best Batman movie yet. Only major flaw - needs more Catwoman! </span></h3>
<h3>
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<span class="def-number"></span>The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-91095606072242376362017-01-31T03:31:00.000-08:002017-10-26T08:10:34.259-07:00New Year, New Adventures, and Hunting for the Wilderpeople <div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Neill roughs it in New Zealand with Julian Dennison</td></tr>
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"The art of survival is a story that never ends." - Christian Bale, <i>American Hustle </i><br />
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It's been awhile, friends. Many things have happened since my last update - getting married, my father having unexpected major surgery and recovery over the Christmas holidays, and the most dramatic - moving to Hong Kong. My now-husband accepted a teaching position at HK Polytechnic University in the Kowloon section of the city, and now I'm writing and editing from the other side of the world. It's amazing how the sea of life tugs you into the undertow, and things that are important - like my writing, like this blog - get lost in the quest for survival. <br />
<br />
But now we are officially into the <a href="http://foreverconscious.com/chinese-astrology-year-yin-fire-rooster-2017">Year of the Yin Fire Rooster</a> here in Asia, which calls upon us to take "intuitive action" - precisely what writing is. My New Year resolutions are to spend more time loving and doing activities that I love, such as writing for you, my dear readers. As the lit-up Samsung sign in Hong Kong Harbor told me my second day here, "Be Fearless." Fresh starts my loves! Without further ado, enjoy my review of <a href="http://www.wilderpeople.com/"><i>Hunt for the Wilderpeople</i></a> - an indie feature by Majestical Pictures Limited I was lucky enough to watch on the plane ride over to Hong Kong (make the most of the journey!) that speaks to the personal themes in my life lately - survival, family, and learning what's truly important. <br />
<br />
What could a wise-cracking city teenager and a cantankerous old man have in common? A penchant for trouble, of course! Hip-hop loving orphan Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) doesn’t expect much when he gets sent to his latest foster home in the wilds of New Zealand (filmed entirely on location) that includes warm-hearted Bella, (Rima Te Wiata) and her husband Hec (Sam Neill), a disgruntled backwoodsman who'd much rather spend time with his beloved dog Zag than this chubby city slicker kid. However just as Ricky becomes accustomed to his quirky new family, tragedy prompts the authorities to send him packing. Ultimately, Hec and Ricky decide to make a run for it along with their dogs, prompting a nationwide manhunt, misunderstandings, and general hilarity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ricky gets down to business. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Making a movie that succeeds in being thoughtful and funny is no easy task, and yet "Wilderpeople" does it effortlessly under the thoughtful direction of Taika Waititi. The overarching theme is that family is what you make of it.The lush cinematography of the New Zealand countryside are worth the watch alone, but the brilliant chemistry between Hec and Ricky is what makes "Wilderpeople" a standout. Neill has long been a favorite of mine, ever since his turn as Merlin in the 1998 miniseries, with a penetrating gaze that always looks untamed. His deadly serious demeanor coupled with Ricky's happy-go-lucky attitude makes for humor that is both biting and self-deprecating. At one point when Ricky and Hec are hiding under some brush to escape officials scouting the woods, Ricky likens the moment to when Frodo, Sam, and the other Hobbits are hiding from the Ring Wraiths in the <i>Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring</i> movie - also filmed in New Zealand - a reference which of course goes straight over Hec's head.<br />
<br />
The supporting characters hold their own - Rachel House is wonderful as Paula, the stone-cold
director of the child welfare service determined to get Ricky back by
any means necessary - whether with trail mix or a SWAT team. As the weeks turn into months, the strange duo find themselves increasingly relying on the kindness of strangers, many of whom are a more than a little strange themselves - such as Psycho Sam, played with brilliant abandon by Rys Darby.<br />
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(HERE THERE BE MINOR SPOILERS MATEY): Bella's death is paradoxically
both perfunctory and profound. How and why she died is left to the imagination of the viewer, because what is truly important to the story is
the different ways Ricky and Hec react and grieve her passing, and it is the results of those reactions that give her too brief role in the story great meaning. (HERE ENDS THE SPOILER). <br />
<br />
Underneath the ridiculousness runs strong themes of family ties and how
those bonds of love can be tested and ultimately, triumph in the face of
life's challenges. Ricky learns how to rough it in nature, gaining Hec's respect, and Hec learns how to love again. Currently available on DVD and streaming.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: While lesser films would try to tack on a tidy wrap-up moral lesson for
the viewers to take home, "Wilderpeople" is an organic adventure about
the messiness of life, how we survive, and the people along the way that
help us do so.</span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-129060211359948502016-10-30T21:38:00.001-07:002016-10-30T21:44:12.095-07:00Halloween Retro Reel Review: Meet Joe Black is "A Whisper of a Thrill" <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something wicked this way comes - Brad Pitt takes a turn playing Death </td></tr>
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<i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119643/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt">Meet Joe Black</a></i>, by every conventional critic wisdom, should not be a good movie. Nothing short of a sweeping epic should be three hours long, it is glacially paced, and truth be told, not a whole lot happens. It centers around the lives of people that have more money than I will ever have, and has cornball written all over it. And yet, it is hypnotic; mesmerizing - and two hours in, I found myself unable to look away. Why?<br />
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Loosely based on the 1934 (and far more light-hearted) film<i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025037/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2"> Death Takes a Holiday</a></i>, an impossibly young Brad Pitt plays Death, who has come for William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), a communications tycoon who is just about to turn 65. Death makes a deal with William, saying that he will let him live until his birthday if he acts as Death's guide into the world of humans. Parrish, not having much of a choice, agrees to the deal. When Death insists upon meeting his family and business associates, William is forced to come up with a code name - Joe Black. Joe slowly infiltrates himself into every area of William's life - including his daughter Susan (Claire Forlani).<br />
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What comes next is a great deal of meaningful glances, gorgeous cinematography, and some seriously awkward moments. Pitt does an admirable job acting like someone who is not used to being in a human body. He stares too long with those uncanny blue eyes, has stilted movements, and - as is only appropriate for Death - makes people uncomfortable with his presence. There's a solemnity Pitt brings to the role that belies his young age at the time of this movie. Watching Hopkins and Pitt in a scene together is like watching two great lions trying to outdo each other in the ring - they both have such a powerful presence in and of themselves that the lush scenery they are surrounded with almost feels like overkill (no pun intended). It is directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000976/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Martin Brest</a>, who is also known for <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105323/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Scent of a Woman</a></i>, one of my top 10 favorite films of all time. If there's one thing Brest loves more than anything it is human interaction. How do people relate to one another, and why? Brest is a genius at bringing out the best in his actors, and combined with a thoughtful screenplay, what they don't say to one another is as equally important as what they do say. Brest teams up once again with Thomas Newman (who adores clarinet solos, mandolins, and minor keys) to compose one helluva score for <i>Meet Joe Black </i>that should be counted in the cast list due to his haunting themes doing most of the talking during the several scenes of extended silences. FUN FACT: Thomas Newman also composed the music for <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0257044/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Road to Perdition</a></i> - also on my top 10 list. His work is always haunting, sweeping, and unforgettable.<br />
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It is no mistake the three central characters - Parrish, Susan, and Joe - are never in the same frame for very long. The characters are quite literally having their own personal experiences with Death; and those experiences cannot easily be shared in the same physical space. (MINOR SPOILER) I could write a whole separate blog post about the sex scene between Susan and Joe, and all the allegories that could be made to the idea of "the little death" as a euphemism for an orgasm, and the irony surrounding Death experiencing an act, at its basest function, being used to create life. While some may find the whole scene off-putting, for me it seemed to grow organically from the emotional intensity of the writing - and let's face it, Pitt is easy on the eyes!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Hopkins and Forlani share a father/daughter dance</td></tr>
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The film is marketed to be a romance, but it is actually a cleverly disguised serious commentary about the relationship between fathers and daughters, and coping with the hard truth we all must face - our parents will die someday. I am very close to my father and he is about the age of William Parrish in this film. I found a catch in my throat during the scenes with Susan and William, talking about living life to the fullest, and never settling for less. There's also a touching moment when William comes to terms with his overbearing eldest daughter Allison (Marcia Gay Harden), who knows on some level Susan has always been the apple of his eye. In a great piece of script, she says, "I've felt loved, and that's all that matters. So, never mind favorites. You're allowed to have one. The point is, you've been mine."<br />
<i><br /></i>
Not that <i>Joe Black</i> is without its flaws. There's a somewhat glossed over company scandal kerfuffle headed by Susan's boring ex that seems pasted in. A schlocky meet-cute scene in a coffee shop. Despite two hours of quotes about making the most of life, William Parrish spends a great deal of time in his office, Gatsby-esque, before joining the swinging birthday party thrown just for him. The film tries to end itself about five times, and eventually resolves in the best bittersweet conclusion that even allows Death to have one of the most human of experiences - coping with loss, and thus, coping with his very existence.<br />
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This is not a film for everyone. It takes a great deal of patience and a viewer as interested as Joe in its exquisite scrutiny of the human experience and all its ups and downs. But it does help us to pause and think about our finite existence and remind us that sometimes the meaningful moments in our lives don't always arrive in big bangs, but often in soft whispers and quiet embraces.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: More than a remake, it takes an idea and creates something wholly original. Despite its slow pacing and lengthy run time, it is a thoughtful, meditative scrutiny on what it means to be human. </span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-68955666352921185272016-08-27T07:09:00.001-07:002016-08-27T10:25:36.957-07:00Fantasy Audiobook Spotlight: Kings or Pawns expertly blends intrigue, humor, and heart <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDRKkwxfpBMMc1-1XDL_swXO04iSmWiiDuM_YNTer3n8nNphDF-FWoSlysgAFvOgsKYRfQYHgdF1rck1tP8wPe64mNk7JdnBnqkaJqH21RBgczaAkA8_h4IBqg15TQCY8pembZD7B5UE/s1600/KingsorPawns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDRKkwxfpBMMc1-1XDL_swXO04iSmWiiDuM_YNTer3n8nNphDF-FWoSlysgAFvOgsKYRfQYHgdF1rck1tP8wPe64mNk7JdnBnqkaJqH21RBgczaAkA8_h4IBqg15TQCY8pembZD7B5UE/s1600/KingsorPawns.jpg" /></a></div>
When it comes to high fantasy, author <a href="http://www.stepsofpower.com/">J.J. Sherwood</a> wastes no time in bringing her audience right into the heart of the action in <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Kings-or-Pawns-Audiobook/B017MO1W76/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1472301779&sr=1-1"><i>Kings or Pawns: Steps of Power:The Kings, Book 1,</i> </a>ushering in a new saga whose threads of intrigue would challenge even the elaborateness of <i>Game of Thrones. </i><br />
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The story takes place Elvorium, the capital of Sevrigel, which, as the name suggests, is inhabited by elves that has been corrupted by terrible leadership for decades. These elves are a far cry from the ethereal, felicitous creatures of Tolkien's world however; these are hard-fighting, hard-partying souls. Indeed, despite having a large cast of characters, Sherwood (who looks a bit elvish herself) takes the time to flesh them out fully and meticulously. Jikun Taemrin for example is one of my favorites with his frosty exterior, his long white hair and "azure eyes" marking him from the north, and yet inwardly he's a big softie. In one of the lighter moments towards the beginning of the novel his friend Navon finds Jikun's journal of terrible poetry which he begins to delightedly recite aloud, much to Jikun's dismay. Navon is a good foil for Jikun's stuffy nature, always encouraging his brother-in-arms to try to live a little...and maybe dabble in the occasional necromancy, which is illegal in Sevrigel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jRRoEUmGTaPPFopANxUJsrC1uRsxHejFz56xIMZj7M0k6T5cqNhT4FYJ766X8FA_954ZJX9MFzHBPyGTawfEK-fkQMQGV2u_7Qts__goqskXQdfISkj1m2TC_QLp_qttvPUq8or_rQw/s1600/JJSherwood.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jRRoEUmGTaPPFopANxUJsrC1uRsxHejFz56xIMZj7M0k6T5cqNhT4FYJ766X8FA_954ZJX9MFzHBPyGTawfEK-fkQMQGV2u_7Qts__goqskXQdfISkj1m2TC_QLp_qttvPUq8or_rQw/s320/JJSherwood.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author J.J. Sherwood </td></tr>
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The other major plotline running through the book is that of Hairem, the idealistic and naive elvish king of Sevrigel who finds turning the tide of deep-rooted corruption in his kingdom will not be so easy. Add in a fierce warlord hellbent on laying waste to their world and it becomes downright impossible. Of course, no great fantasy epic would be complete without some supernatural darker forces whispering their way towards wreaking havoc...<br />
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I found the audiobook much easier to dive into than the printed version mainly because of the good-humored way <a href="http://www.matthewlloyddavies.com/">Matthew Lloyd Davies</a> voices the characters in his polished British accent, fostering empathy
and successfully interpreting the quick wit that Sherwood imbues within
her solid writing. Some narrators have to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear as the old saying goes, but Sherwood is so confident in the tale she has to tell and her sentence structure so spot-on that reading this aloud must have been a true joy. Sherwood also credits her editor, the unsung heroes of the publishing world, on her website for making <i>Kings or Pawns</i> as polished as it is. <br />
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Davies also has great pacing, speeding up during moments of high tension but generally keeping a measured tone throughout. His crisp enunciation and consistency bouncing between so many different characters also helped me as a listener to keep track of who's who and what exactly is happening. I particularly enjoyed the self-depracating tone he gives Jikun (I had flashbacks to Stephen Fry's vocal interpretation of Marvin, the depressed robot, in his narration of<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Hitchhikers-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-Audiobook/B002VA9SWS/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1472302225&sr=1-1"><i> Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i></a>) , which is in direct contrast to Navon's more light-hearted inflections, further highlighting their "odd couple"friendship. Hairem's timbre is posh but uncertain, which is perfectly suited to his situation.<br />
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This is a mostly male-driven novel and I would've preferred a few more warrioresses sprinkled throughout, but Alvena, the mute handmaiden to Hairem that he has a particular affection for, proves to be an unlikely but essential plot device as the tale begins to weave its intricate tapestry.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: Audiobook was easier to delve into, but plot picked up quickly. Would've preferred more cats involved, but overall, a solid debut of a new series with excellent writing! </span></h3>
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<span style="color: cyan;"></span>Like the sound of this? Enter to win your own signed hardcover copy of the book and other fantasy swag <a href="https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2dc334f02/">here! </a></h3>
<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-61615503126759403582016-06-28T15:28:00.001-07:002016-07-12T15:23:36.972-07:00Audiobooks: My Accidental Life-Long Friend <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha49n3yhbHsqigCW20ARN3_OA4xXtDqXsLZS0YIXyi-qRQIPN4vFE-y3UI5Rulr9x_vyfC1a4dQjsNYcbUruF7uq5dJwvzrS3oXmyW2iQvFjxnAA6On4A9A2T05pPSyph7SUJ3hdVG-Uk/s1600/Audiobookmonth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha49n3yhbHsqigCW20ARN3_OA4xXtDqXsLZS0YIXyi-qRQIPN4vFE-y3UI5Rulr9x_vyfC1a4dQjsNYcbUruF7uq5dJwvzrS3oXmyW2iQvFjxnAA6On4A9A2T05pPSyph7SUJ3hdVG-Uk/s320/Audiobookmonth.jpg" width="320" /></a>Au<span id="goog_1280079551"></span><span id="goog_1280079552"></span>diobooks have always been a cross between a happy accident and something that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. To close out this year's Audiobook Month, I decided to oblige the <a href="https://www.audiopub.org/">Audio Publishers Association</a> by writing about what makes them so special - and have others weigh in.<br />
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My father, a semi-retired folklore professor, used to read to me as a little girl novels such as Tolkien's <i>The Hobbit </i>and Roald Dahl's<i> The Witches</i> with rising and falling inflections, inhabiting the characters and bringing the books to life for me. As a folklorist, much of what he teaches in his classes is histories of oral traditions in various cultures and the art of storytelling. I remember long car rides down to my grandmother's from Pennsylvania to Virginia, long before smartphones and IPads, armed with the latest collection of Calvin and Hobbes and trusty cassette player, headphones, and recorded stories told by such greats as<a href="http://www.laurasimms.com/"> Laura Simms. </a>My mom is a brilliant writer and storyteller as well; we always say the three of us are a bunch of frustrated actors and our family holidays together are never boring.<br />
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Perhaps it is not so strange that in 2010 I literally stumbled into a job as an audiobook proofreader/editor. I hadn't thought about audiobooks very much up until that point - they had only recently recaptured my interest, listening to Steve Martin's <i><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Pleasure-of-My-Company-Audiobook/B002UZL5P2/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1467154100&sr=1-1">The Pleasure of My Company </a></i>in my car to and from work at my old position as a journalist for the prestigious nationwide publication, Soundings. To listen to audiobooks and fix them up for a living was a career I had never imagined for myself - but one that has forever shaped me as a person and as a writer.<br />
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Around this time, I was struggling for a way to keep my fledgling blog sustainable and relevant. I'd review a few movies here and there, and friends and family would dutifully read it, but I needed a spark - a drive. Since I was listening to audiobooks all the time, it dawned on me I could review a few that were particularly interesting in addition to my movie reviews! I had plenty of material to choose from. Soon, I began to learn more about the people that belonged to the voices I kept hearing in my head all day long and some of the greats like Xe Sands and Tavia Gilbert, whom you'll hear from below, became dear friends. I quickly learned that sometimes the right narrator can elevate even the most mediocre material into something quite fun. When my manager at the time suggested I apply for a chance to be a reviewer for <a href="http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/">AudioFile Magazine</a> - the premiere publication in the audiobook world - I jumped at it. Three years later and I am still writing away!<br />
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Though life has since moved me onto other professional opportunities, audiobooks remain a huge part of my life, love, and livelihood and I will always be grateful for the vibrant and incredible community of professionals they have drawn me into.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Why Audiobooks? Industry Professionals Weigh In </span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrK2S1HUG6wcxBiyiG_N-vXbOWS-BcYW_zCueflweXS8EI0ce_3Rtir2WdX9Fv7QsT29hts4LPinMZNLNgw717hzxB7vzW1_VlJqcKG5X05ZrXx8ylc3gHHzuIwAkUeP8zwJzd56Lmt4/s1600/DebFleet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrK2S1HUG6wcxBiyiG_N-vXbOWS-BcYW_zCueflweXS8EI0ce_3Rtir2WdX9Fv7QsT29hts4LPinMZNLNgw717hzxB7vzW1_VlJqcKG5X05ZrXx8ylc3gHHzuIwAkUeP8zwJzd56Lmt4/s200/DebFleet.jpg" width="200" /></a> <span style="color: cyan; font-size: large;">Although</span> I absolutely love books, picture books through adult novels and non-fiction, I fell in love with listening to <span class="il">audiobooks</span>
while working in libraries. My very first listening experience was Jim
Dale in <i><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/Harry-Potter-and-the-Sorcerers-Stone-Book-1-Audiobook/B017V4IM1G/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1467154072&sr=1-1">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</a></i>, and I was hooked. I can't
go anywhere without listening to a book, because it ignites my wild
imagination and paints word pictures across my brain and explodes. Now I
work daily listening to <span class="il">audiobooks</span> in quality control and proofreading. I love the stories listening invokes. - <i>Deborah D Fleet MLIS, professional <span class="il">audiobook</span> proofreader </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6YYXS_1wZG8AywrulZx24D4zonx6Jhsm6S6NE1zxFRUjHU8iFBxNRP06cZgeUpS6Bq_URMXJluScGrYEKlwc3NJxg9b-qTNAeZfxlWU7u_eSNRfMw_nsU1EnhBVOVhTWa_YDXljKyr0/s1600/1239441_608640482531987_1891030186_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6YYXS_1wZG8AywrulZx24D4zonx6Jhsm6S6NE1zxFRUjHU8iFBxNRP06cZgeUpS6Bq_URMXJluScGrYEKlwc3NJxg9b-qTNAeZfxlWU7u_eSNRfMw_nsU1EnhBVOVhTWa_YDXljKyr0/s1600/1239441_608640482531987_1891030186_n.jpg" /></a> <span class="il" style="color: cyan; font-size: large;">Audiobooks</span> have been a lifeline in times of
loneliness and despair; partnership throughout hours while caring for my
home and body; entertainment during healing from illness and injury;
companionship during solitary commutes; a rich shared experience while
traveling with loved ones. The best performances elevate and uplift my
mind and spirit and connect me all of humanity via the most powerful
tool a human has to make sense of the world around them — through story.
A great <span class="il">audiobook</span> is a magical and transcendent experience. - <i><a href="http://taviagilbert.com/">Tavia Gilbert</a>, award-winning audiobook narrator, writer, and producer </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUpUSsUcaQ0Mi-JzGvOeyLHa5Z35AQw8mFL8xix7R_3md4HHfw_P7sJIuVsesiGFBEez5Zt6O7LW4X9JAKYi__pexkCmAAOcBdELenTF0ZVap4xtPEKWruPt8qcvsQ9LaPbo8iT8ds9E/s1600/Xe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUpUSsUcaQ0Mi-JzGvOeyLHa5Z35AQw8mFL8xix7R_3md4HHfw_P7sJIuVsesiGFBEez5Zt6O7LW4X9JAKYi__pexkCmAAOcBdELenTF0ZVap4xtPEKWruPt8qcvsQ9LaPbo8iT8ds9E/s1600/Xe.jpg" /></a><span style="color: cyan; font-size: large;">Audiobooks are...</span><br />
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That precious time and magical distraction with my daughter when she was young, speeding to places we didn't want to go.<br />
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That voice in my ear, telling me stories I might otherwise never have read, about Nabakov's house and finding Bernadette, about sentient zombie children and John (who <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/John-Dies-at-the-End-Audiobook/B004Q7FZPS/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1467155647&sr=1-1">Dies At the End</a>), about female pilots and fierce wartime friendships, about how video games save the future and how a marriage might be saved by a ruse...and so very many other exceptional stories I might have passed right over in print.<br />
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The unbelievable combination of luck and audacity that allows me to do something I could only dream of back in that car, during that precious time with my daughter, wishing so hard I could be that voice in some other mother's car, distracting and inspiring and bringing bits of laughter and joy.<br />
-<i> <a href="http://www.xesands.com/">Xe Sands</a>, award-winning audiobook narrator and poetry aficionado </i><br />
<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-3086648897236266682016-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:002016-06-07T21:47:12.722-07:00DVD/Streaming Spotlight: Zootopia is a Modern-Day Aesop Fable <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf2pofjMURyRamAQpHM3ETniY84UwWsR7EKad9EXty1rW1xpxx16qJHct0oCJCPxJW4IB3jw2nsl064N09yz3Dp-a5FEVGFj-jf8-oWskarsfpeX-XXXZ-hz3EQO4ns2fJo__BnYnmGo/s1600/zootopia_newphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf2pofjMURyRamAQpHM3ETniY84UwWsR7EKad9EXty1rW1xpxx16qJHct0oCJCPxJW4IB3jw2nsl064N09yz3Dp-a5FEVGFj-jf8-oWskarsfpeX-XXXZ-hz3EQO4ns2fJo__BnYnmGo/s320/zootopia_newphoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Pops Hopps with Judy. Image courtesy of Disney</td></tr>
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Every once in awhile I see a film that is so thoughtful and complex that gives me so much food for thought that my brain keeps turning it over and over until I am forced to write down my thoughts because it is just THAT GOOD. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356/?ref_=nv_sr_1"> <i>Zootopia</i></a> is one such example. Its brilliance lies in that "It is an adult movie with a kid-friendly veneer," as my fiance put it. <br />
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The premise of <i>Zootopia</i> is that in an alternative universe not that different from our own, anthropomorphic animals have evolved to live in relative harmony with one another, predator and prey alike. Directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore commented that they live off of bugs, vegetables, and fish, which are deemed to be non-sentient beings. Of course, it doesn't mean that everything is zippity-do-dah all day every day. Judy Hopps is an enterprising rabbit from the country town of Bunnyburrow with big city dreams of becoming the first rabbit cop on the Zootopia. Mr. and Mrs. Hopps - who get the award for best parents of the year for being genuinely concerned about her future while concurrently caring for her other 275 siblings - are simultaneously wary and supportive of her life choices. When her dreams come true and is assigned to <i>Zootopia</i>, it is only the beginning of a series of sobering realizations - living in a crappy apartment with terrible neighbors, a boss that underestimates her capabilities, and a world that is much bigger and more complex than one could ever imagine.<br />
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This is not so different to what happened after I graduated from college, and I'm sure many can relate to having the real world fall very short of the great expectations often formed by higher education and our own delusions of self-grandeur. And this is only the start of the film. What follows is a film noir detective story tracking down missing residents of <i>Zootopia</i>, all of whom happen to be predators. Hopps is forced to align herself with a fox named Nick Wilde, a fast-talking hustler whose cynicism over life in the big city and initial disdain for Hopps' wide-eyed newcomer enthusiasm is embodied in the voice of Jason Bateman (whose praises I just recently sung in my review of <a href="http://theinsatiablecritic.blogspot.com/2016/05/in-projection-booth-with-kevin-wilson.html">The Family Fang</a>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6lSQlqsKs2fIhTWBlYu7SfKm-_F3_w_3vwa5NojomrEaDd-vMUv2FuEpfJ7QunN2RkN_5CMbgdx1Pkzt6LQwTQlW-LGlPY28RF6h7O3aSk8FZiWDKAnvBuqQAbnGJhae4ZJ55Z4EBf4/s1600/Zootopia1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6lSQlqsKs2fIhTWBlYu7SfKm-_F3_w_3vwa5NojomrEaDd-vMUv2FuEpfJ7QunN2RkN_5CMbgdx1Pkzt6LQwTQlW-LGlPY28RF6h7O3aSk8FZiWDKAnvBuqQAbnGJhae4ZJ55Z4EBf4/s320/Zootopia1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Do we HAVE to take a selfie?" Nick Wilde with Judy Hopps</td></tr>
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What I find particularly intriguing is the intricate relationship between Hopps and Wilde. By the end of the movie, there is a suggestion that there is far more than just a friendship built on mutual respect for each other's capabilities. Evidence of this being in the creator's mindsets is shown in a<a href="http://video.ew.com/v/115441812/zootopia-deleted-scene-see-nick-and-judy-s-romantic-mix-up.htm"> deleted scene</a> where Judy brings Nick home to meet her parents, and her father (for the purposes of the test scene voiced by director Rich Moore) exclaims "Sweet cheese and crackers he's your BOYFRIEND?!"<br />
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Much of the dynamic of the film focuses on predator and prey relationships, and of course, there is the undeniable reality that historically, foxes have eaten bunnies for breakfast. Her parents even give her what is akin to a can of pepper spray called "Fox Away" before she starts her new urban life. And all of this got me thinking that while there is the undeniable commentary on minority groups and tolerance, there is also very much a strong message being made to adults regarding predators of the sexual nature.<br />
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I don't want to get all Freudian on everyone here - but as I was walking home this evening with my take-out Chinese what has been intriguing me for days about Zootopia is that many of the main characters in the "prey" species are female, including the overworked and underappreciated Bellwether, a sheep an assistant to the Mayor of Zootopia who is - what else? - a lion magnificently voiced by J.K. Simmons. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">HERE THERE BE MINOR SPOILERS, MATEY. </span><br />
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There is a scene towards the end of the film where Nick reverts back to his predatory nature and turns on Judy. It is a tense, uncomfortable scene, and it dawned on me days later that from an adult audience viewpoint, there were undeniable notes of sexual aggression in that moment. In my days as a full-time audiobook proofreader, I read more romantic fiction than I'd care to admit. Terms like "predator" and "mating" were standard vernacular - I would venture to say that the filmmakers were pushing the envelope here to put in some thoughtful commentary on gender relationships and the importance of those relationships - particularly close, personal ones - being built on mutual love, respect, and honesty.<br />
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There are pop culture references aplenty to lighten the mood and the animation is by nature stunning. It is incredible how far CGI animation has come in creating believable textures, and supporting character Clawhauser, an overstuffed, donut-loving cheetah, is so fluffy one could almost reach out and stroke his fat bespeckled head. And let's face it, going all the way back to Disney's reimagining of Robin Hood with woodland creatures (1973), they have always cornered the market on creating wonderful foxes.<br />
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It is in every way a fable addressing serious issues of our current world in an enjoyable and accessible way. With well-rounded starring and supporting characters, an ingenious plot and a solid screenplay to weld it together, <i>Zootopia </i>proves once again that animated movies can be adult-friendly, too. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo sez: Another modern classic to add to Disney's impressive collection, Zootopia is smart and funny in equal measures, purrfectly straddling the line between accessible joy for young ones and thoughtful, accessible commentary on modern society for older children and adults. </span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-25990441011100267542016-05-06T07:31:00.000-07:002016-05-06T13:36:14.872-07:00In the Projection Booth with Kevin Wilson, Author of The Family Fang<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilson at the Sewanee Union Theatre</td></tr>
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We don’t get to choose who are parents are - but we love them anyway...right? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2097331/">The Family Fang</a> is a bittersweet film based on the best-selling novel of the same name by <a href="http://www.wilsonkevin.com/">Kevin Wilson</a>, professor of English at <a href="http://www.sewanee.edu/">The University of the South</a> based in Sewanee, TN. <br />
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Wilson was kind enough grant me an interview in the projection booth of the Sewanee Union Theatre, where the film premiered (outside of New York) on Monday, May 2. It is now playing nationwide! We discuss the unusual journey of<i> Fang's</i> adaptation from page to screen, family issues, and the joy and challenges of being a successful writer.<br />
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Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman star as Annie and Baxter Fang, two adults who are dogged by the dubious fame of being part of their eccentric actor parents’ bizarre art displays and impromptu public stunts when they were young children. When Baxter gets badly injured by a potato gun – don’t ask, just watch – the whole family is brought together and old wounds reopened, causing the elder Fangs to stalk off. Annie and Baxter figure they’ll cool down, but when the police come knocking at their door, the question remains – is it another elaborate hoax, or is it the real thing?<span style="font-family: "times" , serif;"><br /></span>
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Both the book and the film bring up important questions about family dynamics and the challenges of parents to see their children as their own independent entities, rather than as carbon copies of themselves. Christopher Walken plays Caleb Fang, the eccentric and tyrannical actor father who finds that his artistic endeavors don't have the same appeal after his children grow up and are no longer involved. In the novel, Caleb sees his children as only a means to an end, being downright ferocious at times, but Walken makes him more accessible by bearing a little less "fang," while still staying true to the spirit of the character. Maryann Plunket plays the long-suffering Camille Fang, whose wide, deer-in-the-headlights eyes give the impression of someone whose gotten herself on a lifetime roller coaster that she cannot ever get off of - the perfect submissive counterpart to Caleb.</div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo, the guest Critic Kitteh sezs: What gives "Fang" its true bite in both written and screen form is that it does not shy away from the darker aspects of family life, but rather depicts them through a lens of compassion. </span></h3>
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The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-58073425927727394122016-04-30T22:19:00.000-07:002016-04-30T22:52:37.138-07:00 The Big Rewind: Where Nostalgia Unfurls the Mystery with Heart and Snark <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover image courtesy of HarperCollins </td></tr>
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Mixtapes are a thing of great beauty. Music has often been called food for the soul, and when someone takes the time to compile a customized album, just for you, it is nothing less than magical. They are mailing their heart to you on polycarbonate.<br />
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I have made several mixtapes (in the form of CDs) for people over the years, but the only person who ever returned the favor to me was my dear friend and college cohort <a href="https://libbycudmore.com/">Libby Cudmore</a>, who recently published her first novel,<i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Rewind-Novel-Libby-Cudmore/dp/0062403532/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462059611&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Rewind"><i>The Big Rewind</i>,</a> through HarperCollins. (She occasionally contributes her talent to this blog as well - check out her snarktastic review of <a href="http://theinsatiablecritic.blogspot.com/2014/06/guest-review-musings-on-upcoming-sin.html">Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.</a>) And naturally, the plot revolves around solving a murder through the only major clue - a mixtape. <br />
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<i>The Big Rewind</i> is a gumshoe detective novel told from the perspective of a struggling young professional writer rather than a hardened private eye - Jett Bennett, along with a slew of snarky hipster friends ("lumbersexuals"- brilliant). Cudmore expertly captures the hustling, mercurial lifestyle that is the Big Apple. You can go from zero to hero and back again in the blink of an eye.Whether the reader is intimately familiar with good old New York, NY or
has just seen the city lights from afar, Cudmore puts you right in the eye
of the storm: <br />
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"In the fashion show that was the L train, I was wearing my
laundry-day T-shirt from the 'Save our Bluths' - themed run last fall
for Habitat for Humanity, meaning that I was completely invisible in a
surging tide of seafoam Tom and ModCloth skirts."<br />
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The book also realistically depicts the challenges of city
living, as Jett tries to keep her nose above the water working for a
freelance agency - which includes some dubious "favors" for her boss - and counts her pennies in the process of sleuthing out the killer of her friend and neighbor, the charmingly bohemian and retro KitKat. This ain't no Sex and City fantasy island, where a weekly columnist can afford her own apartment and Manolo Blahnik heels twice a month. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailor Mars is so right. </td></tr>
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We humans often turn to nostalgia to remind us of less stressful moments of our lives. For Jett, that nostalgia comes in the form of a "Boyfriend Box" that hold mementos from her past relationships - "The box had traveled, unopened, with me every time I moved. As long as it was there, I didn't have to think about it - like it was the Dorian Gray picture of my heart." Interspersed with the sleuthing is a great deal of resolving the past, which at times distracts from the main narrative, but Jett becomes less of a caricature and more multidimensional as facing her past makes her whole again. Her best friend and current major crush Sid smooths off Jett's rough edges with his Southern gentleman charm while simultaneously rankling her with his typical male obliviousness to her affections. This theme of the past clarifying the present plays into the personal
development of Jett as a character and the development of the overall
plot. <br />
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This review would be remiss if I didn't discuss the other major character in the book besides Jett - the music. What is wonderful about reading this book is if you keep your smartphone or laptop handy, there are so many great references to songs both implicit and explicit that you can look up after reading a chapter and enjoy. In fact, you could make your own "Big Rewind" mix tape and it would be the raddest thing ever. The chapter titles are snippets of song lyrics or song titles, and I was super excited to discover one was "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn9E5i7l-Eg">What Have I Done to Deserve This?</a>" which references a classic Pet Shop Boys song, my favorite band and a group we discovered together back in college. I would never would've discovered <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6myNbk15sMs">this obscure jem of a song</a> by a band called the Lightning Seeds without this good read. <br />
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As the narrative began to resolve itself, I got the same sad sensation of leaving something dear behind - a good journey coming to its inevitable conclusion, but one I would never regret having made. <br />
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<b><span style="color: cyan;">Guest Critic Kitteh reviewer Jackaroo sez: </span></b>Just like a mixtape, <i>The Big Rewind</i> can be a bit too nostalgic for its own good at times, but overall a solid debut. </h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-33029046604478434002016-02-28T10:48:00.001-08:002016-02-28T11:16:49.110-08:00Sir Toby is Dead, Long Live Sir Toby <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toby on our front porch in Tennessee, June 2015 </td></tr>
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"One helluva cat you got there Liz. One helluva cat." - my landlord Allen Buck<br />
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It is with a heavy heart that I write this modest obituary on the life of an extraordinary feline, Sir Toby, who has been the mascot of this blog for the last six years. He was diagosed with kidney failure, and passed away peacefully on February 12, surrounded by people that love him.<br />
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It feels weird to have it be the night of the Oscars and my fluffy fellow couch potato and critic, gone to that great catnip ranch in the sky. He got so much joy out of curling up next to me, watching movies. Many people have asked, "Did he really watch them with you?" He sure did, and you can bet that first night my fiance Casey and I settled on the couch to watch some Star Trek without that familiar warm fluffball, I was inconsolable.<br />
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Toby came into my life in the spring of 2005 when he was living with my friend Chris in an apartment in New Haven, CT at the time, right down the block from my aunt and uncle's house. I had just graduated from Binghamton University of New York and was starting out my career as a journalist for a local community paper in the area. Chris traveled a lot for his work, and Toby (he came with the name) was his ex-girlfriend's cat. She had moved out and was going to "come get Toby later" when she found a new place. I started catsitting him while Chris was away and in the meantime we fell in love with each other's company. I'll never know how old he was really - he was a rescue that had already lived with at least one other family, but we estimated him to be around 3 at that time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking up the sun. </td></tr>
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Six months later Chris's ex told him that she couldn't successfully find an apartment she could afford that would allow her to have a pet, so he was on his own with Toby. He didn't feel it was right to keep him considering all the traveling he was doing but didn't want to throw him in a shelter. At the time, I was not in a financial or practical position to take on a cat, but he had basically become mine anyway, so I found a more pet-friendly situation and made it work.<br />
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I'll never forget when I came to pick him up for good. He was very nervous in his little carrier and he mewed and mewed and mewed. That is, until I threw on a Billy Joel album. I was just getting into Billy at the time and apparently Toby agreed with my taste in music because he quieted right down and was visibly more at ease. Later, when we decided to forego the carrier for a harness (significantly less stressful of the two options), I'd always make sure to have a Billy Joel or Sting album handy if we had to travel. It never failed to chill him out.<br />
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I would soon discover that Toby was a great lover of people, and he could win over the most devoted cat hater with his rough tongue kisses and dashing good looks. Put him in a bowtie and he was irresistibly dapper. He loved parties and being the center of attention and was a total ladies man. He was an incredibly empathetic creature, right by my side whenever I was lonely or afraid and purring and sporting half-closed eyes kitty smile of his when he was "picking up the good vibes" as my Dad would say. He was also amazingly tolerant of new situations. We moved eight times together over the course of 10 years. It never really bothered him - as long as he had me and I had him, anything was possible. We lived together for four years, just the two of us, in a 425-square-foot studio apartment in East Haven, and he was a huge amount of company, especially during major life transitions (i.e., breaking up with ex of seven years, losing my job).<br />
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The last big move was from Rhode Island to Tennessee in the summer of 2014, and even then, he just rolled with it. He LOVED our house in Tennessee, and I'm so happy his last few years on this plain of existence were spent there instead of a cramped apartment, with a big front porch to roll around on during supervised outings (he was mainly an indoor cat). I made him a promise, that no matter how bad the situation was, I would never, ever leave him. And I never did. Not even at the very end, when he mustered up one final headbutt as I stroked his forehead and I felt his soul slip through my fingers into the great beyond.<br />
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Nothing can prepare you for the huge cement truck of grief that comes along and dumps it all on your doorstep when you come home and that friend is no longer there to greet you (which this article my friend Marian sent me that you can read <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11684332/My-cat-died-and-it-affected-me-as-much-as-losing-my-dad.html">here </a>describes with laser-point accuracy). What is even more extraordinary is the lack of understanding many give to the loss of a non-human companion. Like somehow it is less of a loss. In many ways, I would argue it is more in the case of dear Toby. What other being has been the first to greet me the morning after an endless night of hopelessness to bat me on the head lightly and say in his own way, "Hey, life sucks, but that food bowl ain't gonna fill itself, sugar."<br />
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Toby gave me a purpose, and was a huge inspiration for this blog. On my best days he gave me someone to hug and kiss and on my worst days, slept next to my head, licking me gently, giving me the will to go on. Many people have been asking if I am planning to get a new cat, and what I will do with the blog now that Sir Toby has passed on. There will be a new Critic Kitteh, eventually, but not for a little while as we process the grief that Toby's passing has left us with. In the meantime, I've decided to leave the blog and the rating system as-is for a little while in tribute to him. I thank all my family, friends, fans, and followers for sharing in my sadness and offering me hope and encouragement during his sad time. Now and always, you help me to "keep on keepin' on," as the great Bob Dylan once said. I hope you enjoy this memorial video that showcases the best moments over the last 11 years of my funny friend and me.<br />
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-74766637863294073622016-01-29T18:17:00.000-08:002016-01-29T18:22:13.641-08:00Guest Review! The Call of the Wild: The Revenant shows the human heart in all its aching rawness <div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs a tense moment with Tom Hardy & Leo</span></td></tr>
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Every once in awhile, I like to encourage other voices to contribute to this blog because it is always fascinating to get a fresh perspective on what other cinephiles take away from the magic that is a well-crafted motion picture, especially one so majestic as <a href="http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant">The Revenant</a>. My friend Debbie Blinder, owner of <a href="http://www.fullcirclecandles.com/">Full Circle Candles</a> and self-professed "movie freak" spoke so passionately to me about seeing this film (currently nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture), that I encouraged her to write about it. She even agreed to have her Russian Blue, Jackaroo, give Toby a break and rate the picture at the bottom. Without further ado, here is her review!<br />
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What does "revenant" even mean? many people have asked. It matches the story perfectly.<br />
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<i><span style="color: cyan;">rev·e·nant: a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.</span></i><br />
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Walking into the theatre after being warned that I might not be able to take the gruesome parts of the <br />
movie, I found myself hesitant. However, being a longtime fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and knowing what he went through in this role, I still decided to brave the film as the intrigue and support outweighed the concern.<br />
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This movie was no doubt raw, but no part of it ran me off. It is a simple story of family love, survival and ultimate revenge mixed into the incredibly rough wilderness. What captured me right from the beginning was the way it was artistically filmed. Camera angles, natural lighting mixed with incredible acting, were in my opinion, the heroes from the start. It is a work of art.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbie with her daughter Autumn </td></tr>
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The scenery is impeccable. Beautiful and harsh all at the same time. I noticed scenes in which there were no footprints, not a hint of any human presence in these deep, snowy areas. Just the actors taking the first steps in uncharted territory. I knew going into the film that the choice was made to film not using artificial lighting. Genius! Evening scenes, lit from fire, stars, or the Aurora Borealis, illuminated the actors and landscapes beautifully. From morning till dusk the suns angles permeated the forest trees taking the audience on an eye-catching adventure. The senses were indeed awakened.<br />
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With all this said, the parts I was warned about were indeed intense. There is no going around that, but it is so well directed, filmed and acted that through the story I found myself intrigued by what would happen next and an understanding that the basic techniques for survival is a necessity. There are some slower moments, but they allow you, the viewer, to soak in the beauty before your eyes. Also, the Native American energy intertwined in this story made the intensity all the more sacred. I have great admiration for what the actors had to endure. (The Insatiable Critic's note: The Revenant was filmed in Canada, Argentina, Mexico, and Arizona. According to Entertainment Weekly, some of the crew complained about having to travel 12 hours to film 90 minutes of the movie, as well as being limited to the time constraints of natural lighting). Braving the environment seemed to be impossible and yet it was realistic. The Revenant is very much worth seeing and again, especially (if you still can) on the big screen to get the full experience of the rustic environment.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Jackaroo's Oscar predictions: Cinematography should be one for sure in addition to Best Actor for Leonardo's amazing performance.</span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-89038168023763878192016-01-05T19:09:00.000-08:002016-01-05T19:20:23.517-08:00On the Twelfth Day of Christmas The Critic Gave to Me...A Beautiful Blue Death Audiobook Spotlight <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tT5O6v63hTtDvLWaGJzUjM_ZOduJK7funTT-2jPjBgbLLweYottxEbbc4blCSfLLQl5T_oFGC46TLfe1uwkAfyeMGRi1P7HtBpMe38FF165N3cH1LTXEZNzoiHhl0QpI9fahQbaYxOg/s1600/BlueDeath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tT5O6v63hTtDvLWaGJzUjM_ZOduJK7funTT-2jPjBgbLLweYottxEbbc4blCSfLLQl5T_oFGC46TLfe1uwkAfyeMGRi1P7HtBpMe38FF165N3cH1LTXEZNzoiHhl0QpI9fahQbaYxOg/s1600/BlueDeath.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of Tantor.com </td></tr>
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The last day of Christmas is often a "blue" one, because we know that the party is truly over at this point and winter gets underway in earnest. Christmas, particularly in 19th century England, is also traditionally a time to tell stories of intrigue, often with notes of the<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705363363/Telling-ghost-stories-is-a-lost-tradition-on-Christmas-Eve.html?pg=all"> supernatural. </a><br />
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Enter a cure for the winter doldrums and an inspiration for the ear and mind. <i><a href="https://tantor.com/a-beautiful-blue-death-harles-finch.html">A Beautiful Blue Death</a>, </i>Book 1 in the Charles Lenox Mysteries series written by <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/author/charlesfinch">Charles Finch </a>and read by <a href="https://tantor.com/narrator/james-langton.html">James Langton</a>, is set in Victorian London and has all the markings of a frightfully buttoned up bore. It soon proves to be exactly the opposite - murder by poisoning of a maid (tidy enough for even the most delicate sensibilities) is uncovered despite a hasty conclusion of suicide. Langton's crisp British tenor buoys the plot along with an impressive array of regional accents and tones.<br />
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Mysteries are not easy things to write, particularly good ones.
It takes patience and willingness to intricately weave a plot that is
intriguing enough to tease the reader or listener into seeing it through
to the end, but not giving away too much as to cause the audience to
solve the crime too early (or, in many cases, at all). Our man Lenox is an aristocrat without being obnoxious, and fully admits to his status of being an "amateur detective." The numerous historical tidbits referring to trends of the time, from food to the way wood is stacked, shows the mark of exhaustive research on the part of the author to fully immerse the audience within the time period. The slow burn attraction between Lenox and our heroine Lady Jane is charming, enhanced by the appropriate emotional depth of Langton's narration. The juxaposition of these two characters as next-door neighbors and old friends makes the ongoing daily interaction of the opposite sexes, minus a chaperone in such strict social times, plausible - also the fact that they are both so terribly proper (until they aren't, that is).<br />
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Perhaps my only complaint about the plot is the copious amount of plodding through conversations (lots and LOTS of tea and sandwiches) in order to get to the bottom of things, which may try the patience of someone more accustomed to fast-paced thrillers. But Langton does masterful work in building the suspense while maintaining a very firm "stiff upper lip" that Lenox as a character cultivates within himself despite the most desperate of situations. Langton also pays strict attention to vocal consistency of multiple recurring characters and slips easily from the rarified polish of the upper class to the coarser notes of servants, footmen, and street thugs.It is a story that I believe Dickens himself might have enjoyed by the fire with a strong cup of tea on a cold winter's eve. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Toby sez: An excellent start to a series with a solid narration that wraps up loose ends but leaves the listener hungry for more. </span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-49627676635648504312015-12-25T17:33:00.000-08:002015-12-25T18:04:20.898-08:00Audiobook Holiday Spotlight: Finding God in a Bag of Groceries: Sharing Food, Discovering Grace <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Finding God in a Bag of Groceries Audiobook" class="adbl-prod-image" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51y1CaG4h6L._SL300_.jpg" height="320" id="productImage" itemprop="image" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Finding God in a Bag of Groceries Audiobook" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura's inspirational book recently released on audio</td></tr>
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During this time of light and giving in our cosy homes with
holiday decorations that some of our dear kitties are lazily batting off
various surfaces, we often overlook those less fortunate that may live only
mere miles from our houses and apartments. <br />
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But Laura Willis doesn’t forget. In <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Religion-Spirituality/Finding-God-in-a-Bag-of-Groceries-Audiobook/B013KQ5D48/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1451089330&sr=1-1">Finding God in a Bag of Groceries</a>, she tells stories about working within the
community of Sewanee, a community that I have become a part of, helping the
poorest of the poor, the desperate, and those who have been victims of the
socioeconomic crisis. I was happy to see that her work was picked up by Audible Studios
and turned into an audiobook this year, capably and compassionately read by
Lesa Wilson. You can hear a sample<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Religion-Spirituality/Finding-God-in-a-Bag-of-Groceries-Audiobook/B013KQ5D48/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1451089330&sr=1-1"> here.</a> </div>
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A little background: Laura was one of the first friends that
I made when I moved to the Sewanee community in August 2014. Having quit my
dead-end full-time job in Connecticut, I had taken a leap of faith moving six
states away when my fiancé got a job opportunity teaching at the University of
the South in Sewanee, TN. The first thing I looked for was writing opportunities
because, though I wear many hats professionally, I consider the core of myself
to be a writer. I found out about the local paper <a href="http://www.sewaneemessenger.com/">The Sewanee Mountain Messenger</a>, and I contacted the editor, who happens to be Laura. I shared a link
to this blog and she contacted me right away, suggesting we meet at Waffle
House – the bastion of hope and center of all southern goodness, 24/7 – to
discuss writing opportunities. As I sat there nursing my cup of delicious
coffee, a well-dressed middle-aged woman with attractively cut white hair and a
smile a mile wide walked through the door. Her energy was infectious and her
green eyes danced as she talked excitedly about how she had written the column
reviewing the local movies showing at the local Sewanee Union Theatre for years
and felt her writing was getting stale, and how my movie blog would be just the
thing to breathe some new life into the column. She couldn’t pay me a whole
lot, but it would give me an introduction to the community and give me an
opportunity to write creatively. I jumped on it immediately. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmUBA-8s0GFax-BDZ87cYoDS9zaw8tEvKuqzXiY8lePhHIp_mzEg6hT8P3frG3IMeMHRpxL_MQVjNYJ0zW4-yag5O7oobBYOYOaU4fBkUA_FNYJYFPcrOTBp1gOhms0zHHOP6Vpym3Js/s1600/Laura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmUBA-8s0GFax-BDZ87cYoDS9zaw8tEvKuqzXiY8lePhHIp_mzEg6hT8P3frG3IMeMHRpxL_MQVjNYJ0zW4-yag5O7oobBYOYOaU4fBkUA_FNYJYFPcrOTBp1gOhms0zHHOP6Vpym3Js/s200/Laura.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Laura Willis </td></tr>
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Since then, Laura has become an ally to me both personally
and professionally, and Toby has become the most famous cat on the mountain. I
regularly have people stop me in the grocery, at the gym, wherever, and ask me
about my take on the latest film and what will I be writing about next? Having
read Finding God in a Bag of Groceries in its hardcover format, I was excited
to see what it would be like hearing the work of someone I know so well being
read by someone else. It was strange at first to hear Ms. Wilson narrate the
first words without an accent – I’ve become so familiar with Laura’s
comforting, smooth southern drawl accented with tidbits of her Texas roots. But
as I eased into the listen, the warmth coming from Wilson’s overall tenor
proved to me that not only did she understand the vital message of this book,
but the compassion and heart of the person who had written it, despite never
having met Laura personally. Her pronunciations are spot-on and her enunciation
is clear without being edgy. Her younger voice belies the maturity of the
writing, but makes it accessible for a range of listeners. While there is a
focus on Laura’s Christian faith, the book is more about how we can be heroes
to the people right down the street from us. And for those of us that celebrate
Christmas –isn’t that what this holiday is all about? Giving to those we love,
but also to those most in need? Even a bag of groceries can mean life or death
to someone. Wilson, echoing Laura’s wonderful words, reminds us all in just a
little under four hours that no matter what our faith journeys are, it doesn’t
take changing the world at large to change the world for one person or family
in need. <br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"> Toby sez</span>: A quick listen with an uplifting message about
hope and joy – and how each of us has the capacity to be our own hometown
heroes, no matter where we live. </h3>
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The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6440772536611515014.post-86813758424089401992015-11-26T12:28:00.002-08:002015-11-26T12:31:20.352-08:00Giving Thanks for Indie Film Pieces of April <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwYIxj4cCGXHN8gSZcD9uvCrrkWrsNabBLbcwt2VfB4P4o2uogjrBouXRPDxecwepvcCBDv_0Hefv80apYxPn4fnxRbDD9ADSov2SgQ6MMUZ9LvqN5FZBsUwnpQYtYkQkunCbCMI2yG8/s1600/PiecesofApril.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwYIxj4cCGXHN8gSZcD9uvCrrkWrsNabBLbcwt2VfB4P4o2uogjrBouXRPDxecwepvcCBDv_0Hefv80apYxPn4fnxRbDD9ADSov2SgQ6MMUZ9LvqN5FZBsUwnpQYtYkQkunCbCMI2yG8/s320/PiecesofApril.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One (eventually) happy family; image courtesy of MGM. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanksgiving isn't given much of a spotlight
nowadays. Somewhere along the way, the popular media has come to view it as a
pre-party to Christmas. However, I still think there is something to be said
for having an autumnal holiday that give us pause to reflect on one's
blessings. Over the five-plus years that I have maintained this blog, it has paved the way for so much good in my life - a column in my local paper </span><a href="http://www.sewaneemessenger.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Sewanee Mountain Messenger</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and a regular gig writing reviews for </span><a href="http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AudioFile Magazine</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, a prestigious publication based in Portland, Maine that is the definitive go-to for everything in the audiobook world. This has all happened because of you, dear reader, taking the time to stop in and enjoy this blog, and for that, I am deeply thankful. As a thank you, I'm sharing a review of one of my favorite non-mainstream Thanksgiving films that has become a tradition to watch because it so touches my heart every time. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Drink, be merry, and happy viewing! </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311648/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Pieces of April</a></span></span></b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April attempting to impress relatives (aka: Mission Impossible)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">2003, Rated PG-13, 80 minutes</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">There's one in every family - the black sheep, the
renegade, the one who won't settle down and do what's expected- and that is
exactly what April is. Masterfully played by Katie Holmes, April is a
20-something New Yorker who has invited her conservative family and bitter
mother who's recently been diagnosed with cancer to her tiny apartment for
Thanksgiving. As she is attempting to create a full-scale dinner to impress her
incredibly judgmental family, everything goes wrong - from dropping the turkey
to a burned out oven. As the film intersperses shots of her family in the car
making snarky remarks about how awful it is all going to be to April
desperately trying to piece it all together, something beautiful happens: the
other tenants in the apartment complex begin to pitch in and help bring the
meal together.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What impresses me most about this film is its unflinching realism of family drama juxtaposed with the optimistic joy of reunions. April's mother is played by Patricia Clarkson, who was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actress. Clarkson is surprisingly vicious when it comes to her views toward April, and this kind of no-holds-barred honesty is equally refreshing and uncomfortable. There are so many holiday films that either make light of or gloss over family issues, an inevitable part of the picture. But what director and writer Peter Hedges manages to do is to walk a fine line between optimism and cynicism, and show that when it all comes together - its just about BEING together. With a plethora of zoomed in shots of people's faces and their reactions to surrounding people and situations, the film is an intensely personal experience; a dedication of sorts to Hedges' mother, who died of cancer. It</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"> available for streaming
starting at $2.99 on Amazon.com and available for DVD rental through Netflix.
Rated PG-13 for language, sensuality, and drug content, this one is best viewed
by older children and adults after the pumpkin pie has been passed around and
the teenies are tucked in bed.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: cyan;">Toby sez: A uniquely told tale that incorporates the ideals of thankfulness- and that you don't have to be related by blood to be family. A sure winner for those who need a break from football. </span></span></h3>
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<br />The Insatiable Critic http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925983225532628379noreply@blogger.com0