A Brave Critique

My husband and I took our babies to go see Disney/Pixar’s new movie “Brave” this evening. Ok, truth be told, I whined and nagged until they took me to go see it, but who cares.  Visually and even musically it was stunning.  I love any movie where the characters have accents, and if it’s a Scottish burr, than all the better!   The scenes were beautiful, the music was beguiling, and the artistry was incredible.  

Here’s my complaint: the story, as it were, was not merely pockmarked and flimsy, it was also inconsistent.  

Here’s the reason for my complaint: THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR CRAPPY STORYTELLING IN DISNEY!

There’s actually no excuse for crappy storytelling in any forum, but that’s another rant.   There is such a wealth of legend, lore, and myth in the Celtic culture that to try to cobble together a new story in a land steeped in folklore is just lazy.  Water-horses, forest sprites, Arthurian legends, the Loch Ness monster, for crying out loud!!  None were to be found in the vast, sweeping views of “Brave”.    The misty bits of magic that did make an appearance were so ambiguous, that they seemed more (to me) to be space-fillers than central to the story.  Of course, there is a purveyor of magic, and a giant battle of man vs. beast as well the internal man vs. self struggles¸ all of which are crucial elements of any Disney flick.   But there seemed to be two separate story lines (that of the Bear, and the struggle between the heroine, Merida and her mom) and rather than offer mutual support to the other, they acted as two ropes of a rickety mountain bridge with naught but scraps binding them together. 

In an effort to avoid spoiling the movie, I realize that I’m lacking quite a bit of articulation, here.   But, truly, I hate to have the ending given away to me, so I’m trying to keep myself in line.  I have another long standing critique of movie makers that I must needs voice as well, but I’m almost through.

That being said, I’ll summarize and be gone.

 As I mentioned earlier, the movie is visually stunning.  It also bears the marks of true Pixar genius- one must watch the whole screen in order to avoid missing cleverly placed or implied quips and comedy.  The actors who lent their voices were also incredible.   With all those elements in place, I feel that so much attention was focused on those facets that the story was let slip on by.   In researching a bit of the background, there seemed to be some changes in the mix that may have contributed.  The initial director (a woman), was found to have artistic differences with the studio, and was replaced (by a man) with about 18 months left before release.  I know, I know, it’s politically incorrect and sexist to be calling out gender qualifications.  But in a film where the central story revolves around the relationship of a mother and a daughter, is having male direction really the best way to go?  (C.S. Lewis has a phenomenal statement on the uphill climb male authors have when trying to write from a female perspective, but I can’t find the blasted quote that I want for here!).

As for my longstanding gripe about all movies in recent decades- studios seem to think that there cannot be both a strong female lead alongside a strong male presence.  The nearest exceptions to this rule that I have seen in recent years are Mr. Incredible, and Rapunzel’s father in Tangled.   Mr. Incredible does a great job, although his tragic flaw definitely trips him up.  Rapunzel’s dad is an admirable figure, but has nary even one vocal line with his daughter.  We assume the best of him, but maybe that’s because he shows up as a constant, despite only being on screen for a mere handful of frames.

Brave’s father figure, Fergus, suffers a more traditional fate.  While obviously gifted with great strength, and just as obviously loves his wife and daughter, he fails to truly champion either when their need is the greatest.   Rather, he is ruled by his passions, and hands over all of the actual ruling (all that we see, at any rate) to be handled by his wife.   Don’t get me wrong here- I love strong women characters!!  I’ll take an arrow slinging, horseback riding, betrothal-bucking Celt over a simpering namby-pamby waiting-on-Mr. Right-to-save-me any day of the week.  But I do not feel that emasculating our men makes us stronger women.

  Pixar at its peak is the family dynamic in The Incredibles.  It’s the self-sacrifice evidenced in Cars, and the tenacity and hope in Finding Nemo.    Brave, for all of its visual glory, falls short of that mark. 

So, apparently, I'm that lone child in the field playing "Blind Man's Bluff" whilst all the rest of the better informed and non-blindfolded children laugh from the shade at my blundering about the field, sipping lemonade and tea cakes. (What do you mean?  That's not what you're childhood consisted of?)

Apparently, one can now pass things on through blogging...who knew?! I'm still trying to figure out my formatting :-) 

At any rate, one of the women on the blogosphere whom I admire greatly (while shamelessly rifling through her blogs for tips that I can employ in my own) sent me a note that I had been nominated for the Kreative Blogger Award!! What joy! What rapture! What does that mean?  To paraphrase, in order to accept this prestigious nomination (pronounced 'press-tij-uss' to properly convey the height of this honor) one must bare one's soul by denoting seven little known facts about myself, and then nominate another Magnificent Seven.  The best part, as Joanne noted : "there’s no monetary investment and you don’t have to send a book or a dish towel to thirty of your closest friends".  Talk about myself with no added postage fee?? Sign me up!  So here it is, kiddos; put up with hearing seven fast facts about me, then you can go off and visit the realms of seven much cooler bloggers than I!! Shall we begin? 

1.  I have a sad obsession with YA fiction.  It's my version of train wreck TV.  I'm proud to say that I've never watched an episode of The Bachelor, but I have read scores of novels...many with one word titles.  I'm not proud of it, but there it is. 
2. One of the greatest things I learned in college is that a large spoon, a (wide-mouthed) jar of peanut butter, and a 1 lb bag of M&M's is a better dinner (or lunch, or breakfast) than you will ever find in a cafeteria. 
3. I consider myself a pretty good haggler, but I'm terribly inefficient with coupons. 
4. I know the words to every song in about 7 Disney musicals, and can hold my own with many of Broadway's. 
5. I often drive at least 5 miles over the speed limit home from work.  The speed often increases in direct proportion to the Bon Jovi song to which I'm belting out at the time. 
6. I was hopeless as a cook through my collegiate years- much of what I learned was gleaned from my husband and the food network.  I <3 Barefoot Contessa.
7. I get uber pissed off when people downplay the work and talent necessary to be a stay at home mom.  I am back to being full time in the workforce, but secretly wish every day I could stay home to bake with my daughter and read stories to my son at all hours. 

So there you have it...is your life now enriched? 

On to bigger and better things!  In no particular order, here are my archetypes in the blogging world. Stop by to be transported, informed, and amused :-)

•  My Broken Fiat is written by a fantastic young woman who is daily working to live out her chosen faith, while maintaining an honest, upfront dialogue with the world in which she lives.  Gina pulls no punches, and I love seeing what she has on the table for discussion.  
• Joanne's Nuts and Bolts- Mama Jo is the phenomenal mother of one of my greatest friends.  She was a source of great encouragement to me for starting this blog...you have her to blame :-) 
• Nicholle Goodnight Photography- I am not a photographer.  If I was, I would want to be Nicholle.  Her talent oozes out of her blog, sometimes straight through my keyboard, and makes me want to go take pictures.  Alas, mine look nothing like hers.  My own children appear even MORE beautiful when captured with her magical lens.   Oh, and she's total unpretentious.  I like that about her. 
• Phew. this is harder than I thought. I'm going to have to go a bit more commercial here.  Ok. The Pioneer Woman is a source of great culinary inspiration to me.  I love her rustic, down homey recipes, and I think she'd be a lot of fun to invite over for dinner. Plus, her cookbook makes me laugh. 
• The Art of Manliness...this is one that my husband came across. He is actually a much better blog-follower than I am, but I must say, this one is really cool.  It's a treasure trove of, well, manly stuff. There are tutorials on how to build things, prizes like a straight razor shaving kit, and of course, how to use said straight razor without inflicting bodily harm. 
• Into the Wildwood- I'm switching gears here a bit, but that's ok...I'm tricky like that.   Into the Wildwood is an Art/Book/Writing/Drawing blog by a fascinating gent named Ed.   Ed and I have exchanged thoughts on books and such back and forth for a good while now. We tend to argue over methods, or book selection, and I must say that such conversation always makes me feel much smarter than I actually am.  A very peaceful blog.  I like it. So you should go see it. 
• Lastly, but certainly not leastly, Sarah Unfiltered . I'm new to this one, but I have to say, I'm a fan. SarahUnfiltered is a happy amalgamation of life, recipes, DIY, and cute babies.  Seriously, stop by, and if the cover photo doesn't make you giggle, or at least smirk, then feel free to go about your life.  Just know you'll be missing out. 

THERE! I've done it! Go forth, and blog mightily. I, on the other hand, will be going to bed.  Oh, and tag. You're it. 

                                     

Rules of Civility- Amor Towles

Ok, being once again overcome with remorse with my flippant treatment of my tiny corner of cyberspace, when so many others are being diligent, I’ll try (once again) to fill the gaping void left by my absence.  Stop snickering.

Rules of Civility

By Amor Towles

If I came back in another life as a writer, I think I want to write like Mr. Towles.  I could never aspire to anything so grandiose as Tolkien, or Tolstoy, nor could I ever have the sheer intellect necessary for greats like Clive Staples, or the gentle whimsy Mr. Dahl.  But Mr. Towles, now, he’s a fellow after my own heart; clear, incisive, witty and warm, with a bit of snark and sass to boot.  To wit: “As a quick aside, let me observe that in moments of high emotion- whether they’re triggered by anger or envy, humiliation or resentment-if the next thing you’re going to say makes you feel better, than it’s probably the wrong thing to say.”

I may need to have that particular quote ensconced on my desk…facing me, of course.

Rules of Civility was all the rage a few months back, and I heard about through one of my favorite ‘I’m-bored-find-me-a-good-sounding-book’ sites...NPR Books.   The story of a young girl trying to make good in the big city is a often a fun read, and when that story features a fun-loving roommate, a tender-hearted heartthrob and underground bars of the 1930’s, so much the better. 

Mr. Towles’ tale is told from the point of view of 25 year old Katy Kontent, and we are quickly immersed in her life…such as it is.  Katy is very bright young woman, taking advantage of every opportunity available to her in her young life.  That is to say, she is a typist in a multi-bodied secretarial pool, noted for her attention to detail, and desire to succeed.  She shares a mediocre flat with Eve, a mid-west debutante, bent on throwing off the yoke of wealth, beauty and privilege, forced upon her by birth.   Would that I were so smitten. 

“Looking at Eve asleep, I wondered what the hell was going on.  How did she end up drunk in an alley?  What happened to her shoes?  And where was Tinker?  Whatever their story, Eve was breathing easy now- for the moment forgetful, vulnerable, at peace.   It’s a purposeful irony of life, I suppose, that we never get to see ourselves in that state.  We can only pay witness to our waking reflection, which to one degree or another is always fretting or afraid.  Maybe that’s why young parents find it so beguiling to spy on their children when they’re fast asleep. “

Katy and Eve hit the town on New Year’s Eve 1938, with a strictly budgeted plan for libations which goes quickly awry.   Happily, they encounter Tinker, a debonair, suavely dressed young bachelor who is happy to help them out of their poorly budgeted evening.  The three go on to form an intricate connection, wildly different, but strongly experienced on all sides.  Their story spans only one calendar year, but it’s filled to the brim with contrasts; ten cent gin and glistening champagne, drunks on the street and dinner parties in the penthouses, true friendships and shams.   Each character bears a bit closer scrutiny, from the humble but strong Katy to the beautiful Eve, to the smartly groomed Tinker. 

Will this book change your life? Probably not.  Will it upend your view of society and redefine your entire belief system? No.  Will it fit snugly in the crook of your thumb, draw you in so you can smell the cigars and gin, and leave you with the too-oft-rare feeling of ‘wow.  That was a good book.’ ?  Yes.  Yes it will.

“Could there have been a more contrary statue to place across from one of the largest cathedrals in America? Atlas, who attempted to overthrow the gods on Olympus and was thus condemned to shoulder the celestial spheres for all eternity- the very personification of hubris and brute endurance.  While back in the shadows of St. Patrick’s was the statue’s physical and spiritual antithesis, the Pieta- in which our Savior, having already sacrificed himself to God’s will, is represented broken, emaciated, laid out on Mary’s lap.  Here they resided, two worldviews separated only by Fifth Avenue, facing off until the end of time, or the end of Manhattan, whichever came first.” 

Guest Review By the Incomparable Gina

As you know, here on T&T, we love to hear reviews from other bibliophiles!  This time around we have a review from Gina, hailing from North Jersey.  Gina and I have known each other since the days of yore when we played a pair of doddering old biddies, bent on improving the lives of lonely men by pushing them off this mortal coil in the classic "Arsenic and Old Lace".   Happily, neither of us have taken this role to heart, and now work toward the happiness of our respective families, and discovering new tomes of greatness! So, without further ado, here is Gina's take on Kate Danley's The Woodcutter.

I purchased The Woodcutter by Kate Danley based on the reviews of others. I can only hope my review solicits the same response. This is one of those rare gems you breeze hungrily through then suggest to 20 other friends so you can talk about the many plot devices, characters and surprises that enraptured you to begin with!

To begin with, The Woodcutter is a fairy-tale fantasy. Our hero, the Woodcutter, is charged with keeping the peace between the various Kingdoms of what we know as "Happily Ever After." He is protector, ambassador, sleuth, and when he must, assassin.

However, something frightful is afoot in his Woods - the Woods that connect the Kingdoms. Princes and princesses are being kidnapped and an ominous beast is devouring True Love. With this onslaught of despair and confusion, the once peaceful balance is being torn asunder and the omnipotent Fairy Realm, for centuries content to bequeath their loving and powerful magic to gentle, deserving souls, now finds itself being manipulated by this dark and dangerous force.

A familiar cast of characters lulls the reader quickly into rapt attention even though the adventure is foreign and wild. Since most readers already feel a childhood connection to these characters, an immediate bond is formed and the audience will cheer the "good guys" on from the very first chapter.

The ending is satisfying and ties up all loose ends. However, a door is also left open for a sequel which I hope is one day procured. I cannot possibly speak more highly of this fun, adventurous fantasy!

Full of Remorse- Three quick reviews to pacify our insatiable audience...

So, I have woefully neglected our little corner of blogging, and I’ve been so very sad about it!  In an effort to make it up to you, here are my takes on the last three notable books I’ve delved into…
 I'm still a total sucker for re-takes on fairy tales, and as such, "Entwined" by Heather Dixon.  This is one of the best that I've encountered in a long time.  If you've ever read Robin McKinley's "Beauty", (a retelling of Beauty and the Beast) you might find that the literary styling is very similar. "Entwined" is a redo of the story of the 12 dancing princesses, which has long been a favorite of mine. (If you’re into fairy tales and folklore, make time to check out SurlaLune.com.  Interesting site.) Ms. Dixon weaves an absolutely entrancing story of the princesses, their circumstances and their suitors.   A little humor, a dark history, and a lot of dancing; I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I also just finished "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. There was quite a bit of media hype about this, which was one of the reasons I decided to look into it, and it is a neat read.  Set in the Victorian period, it’s the tale of an ethereal and mystifying circus, in which two rival magicians vie for glory.  Ms. Morgenstern’s tale has some very arresting and intriguingly fantastical descriptions, and if you can call a non-illustrated novel ‘visually astounding’, this is it. But as descriptive as the writing was, I always felt that I was only getting the 2 dimensional version.  I wanted a bit more than what was presented.  For those of you who have watched the movie "The Prestige", this is sort of along similar lines, only (sadly) less compelling and much more polished over all.  I felt as if I could wander through the “The Night Circus” in white kid gloves, and never muss them.  To my mind, a circus implies a dark, seamy underside where lurks the barely restrained power and mystique that bulges at the seams of the canvas tents.  Still, it was an interesting book, but I can't bring myself to rave about it.

Lastly, I read "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater, which was also brought to my attention by outside sources.  Apparently, this lady has written some wildly popular teen fiction regarding star-crossed were-wolves.  I'm happy I didn't know that before I read "Scorpio", because it would have irrevocably biased me against picking up the book.   I had a similar reaction to this as I did "The Night Circus"....felt that the story line had so much promise, but it took me a while to get into. The story revolves around a horse race on a small Scottish (?) island, where the horses racing are water horses.  Not hippos, but the capaill uisce of mythology (meat eating horses of the sea which have a tendency to drag their riders to the depths.) Cool, huh?  But I felt like it just didn't deliver on its promise.  Any story placed by the restless ocean is incredibly attractive to me…Maybe I’m just too finicky, but, like the ocean, I wanted a bit more depth, and a little more undertow.  But again, I would recommend it, because maybe you'd have a different reaction or appreciation to/for it than I did. 

Overall, of the last tomes that I've tackled, "Entwined" is far and above the winner.     Check 'em out, and let me know what you think!

            

East of Eden by John Steinback

This month's post is contributed by a guest author, Joy G.   Joy is actually the one who first introduced me (Dorothy) to give East of Eden the ol' college try, and I've loved it since I first cracked the binding on it.  But enough about me, let's hear it from her! 

Joy G. says....

As a guest blogger sitting in for my two sisters I have the pleasure of reviewing one of the best novels I have ever read.  East of Eden by John Steinbeck, is also the only of Steinbeck’s books that I like at all.  So if you have ever read any of his other books and thought, “Darn that was depressing,” get ready to celebrate because he actually wrote something that was not a sucking void of depression.  There are so many things I enjoy about this book, that I would be unable to enumerate them all in this post.  I will do my best to give you a quick and dirty version.

Steinbeck introduces us to a number of characters in this book who you will fall in love with.  These people are rich and varied and truly alive even when in the midst of terrible pain.  One of the characters you are unlikely to adore is Kate.  She is one of the most evil characters I have ever met in the pages of a novel.  She makes Sauron, the White Witch, Voldemort and some of the other villains of our day look mild.  The reason for this is not due to some side plot wherein Kate can blast people with her laser beam eyes.  Instead what is so chilling about her is that she could be real.  Her evil is at once subtle and like an impenetrable wall that crushes everything good and beautiful in its path.  If you have ever read another gem entitled People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck, which is Dr. Peck’s discussion of a psychology of human evil, then Kate will already be a familiar entity.  If you have not be prepared because she is not someone you would want to invite for dinner or fall in love with for that matter.

As I already stated the book is far from depressing, so it does not just have a great villain.  Another aspect of the story that I cherish every time I re-read it (about once every couple years) is the way Steinbeck told the story.  East of Eden, he proposes, is a telling of his family history interwoven with another famous family, that of Adam and Eve.  This wonderful tapestry draws you into a story that at its center is an interior struggle between good and evil in the hearts of Eden’s men and women.  His retelling of the Genesis story is refreshing and as well done as Lewis’ retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, Till We have Faces.

The last thing I will share is that of the stories setting.  Steinbeck paints a picture of California as it was during his childhood and before.  As with everything else this book has to offer the backdrop of the book is subtle, complex and entwined into the story to deliver a work of fiction that many refer to as Mr, Steinbeck’s opus.  I must say I agree entirely.

My sincere hope is you get yourself a copy, possibly a bottle of red wine, and you curl up in front of your fireplace to fall in love with this novel.  If you do not have any of those things but the book it will still deliver, I promise.  It will leave you longing for more, and you will be compelled to return and rediscover the richness of this story again and again.

Cheers to at least one not depressing Steinbeck novel!

Joy



The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Ever get the feeling that you’re singing a discordant note in the choir?  Me too.  My discordance has the pleasure of being both literal and figurative- I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.   But what I’m referring to in this case is the fact that I tend to disagree with book critics on a regular basis. Not always, mind you, but in many cases.  Pardon the stream of conscience divergence from our normally stately book reviews, and bear with me here for a minute whilst I rant.

When I come up dry on reading ideas, my two favorite websites to go to are barnesandnoble.com and npr.org.   B&N has some neat reviews of their bestsellers that you can skim through to try to find out what all the people with disposable income are purchasing, and NPR has an awesome section on books, period.   NPR is my top choice, because it never ceases to bring books to my attention that I would have otherwise never stumbled upon, and pique my interest in genres that I would have decried any interest in.   Some of these I have thoroughly enjoyed! However, the exception that is niggling at my brain tonight is The Magicians by Lev Grossman.  Grossman’s novel is touted as an acceptable stop-gap for those of us struggling with the painful conclusion that we’ve matriculated through seven blissful years of Hogwarts, have been handed our walking papers and are being forced back out to the muggle world, now safe from Voldemort, and a little duller for the safety. 

The Magicians is definitely a grown up novel.  There are friendships and painful coming of age relationships, dysfunctional families, and great loss.  There is magic involved, a dark, elemental magic that incinerates the careless, feeds on personal pain, and is available only to the intellectually elite. (I already feel excluded.)  The novel also corrupts much of what is beloved about our childhood concept of ‘magic’, taking particular aim at bastardizing a whole ream of children’s fiction literature and its creator.  Apparently, the main characters in The Magicians have idolized a set of children’s stories entitled Fillory and Further written by Christopher Plover.  Disclaimer: I have never read Plover’s work.  The Fillory novels focus on a magical world which exists outside of ours, and is inhabited by intelligent, talking animals and magical creatures who desire the help of some British children who routinely get called over to help solve the woes of the world.   Oh, and in The Magicians, Fillory is a real place.  With real problems.  You follow so far?  Said magicians embark on dreamed of magical quest to find nothing but pain, disillusionment and severely misguided philosophy.

Maybe this is my beef with Mr. Grossman:  the entirety of his novel is aimed at destroying the best loved elements of fantastical fiction (i.e. mystery, heroism, the proving of virtues and humans besting their inherently troubled nature).   Additionally, the Fillory novels in question seem to bear remarkable semblance to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, which makes any mudslinging on the kid-lit fiction unacceptable to a book-nerd such as myself.  I feel as if some bored journalist tried to mate the original ingenuity of Harry Potter, with Donna Tartt’s depressing and nihilistic The Secret History.  The unappealing result seems to be The Magicians.