Archive for the 'Videos/media' Category
July 29th, 2009 - The Love Affair of Film and Novels
If you’ve never read a “great” novel (pop or classic) – no worries — the movie industry has got you covered.
As of late, literary print, comic strips and teen novelas have been erupting across the big screen. This lovely line up includes the “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” series, “Alice and Wonderland” (Directed by the great Tim Burton) and “Sherlock Holmes” (featuring the oh-so-witty Robert Downey Jr. and the very talented, Jude Law).
If you’ve never read any of the aforementioned material — you’re not alone. I stray from romantic and vampiric novels, so “Twilight” has yet to fall on my summer booklist; “Harry Potter” is like 24 years old or something — so the magic in that tale is quite done for me; Alice in Wonderland is oddly dark and I’m excited to see just how Tim Burton will darken it further (he always does); and Sherlock Holmes — I know it but never actually read it.
The dilemma I presented to myself (for fun of course) was to find a great dramatic novel and its big screen counterpart in pre-production or in pre-release.
I found “Push” by Sapphire (Ramona Lofton) and a few short weeks later I found the film adaptation called “Precious”. The films director is Lee Daniels (newbie) and produced care of Harpo & Tyler Perry Studios. It’s already won big at this the 2009 Cannes film festival.
Warning: “Push” is not for the squeamish – its a dark tale of incest, violence, molestation, rape, abuse, obesity, poverty and a wracked social system. I highly recomment it!
Lofton also addresses the societal impact on young girls’ physical, mental and sexual being through the eyes of “Precious”. Its redemptive and sorrowfully beautiful. The film will most likely be less raunchy..for ratings sake..but if you don’t mind the heavy details – DO READ the book first.
Click here to watch a Trailer for “Precious (release date November 6, 2009.)
April 13th, 2008 - Book Censorship…
A Little Background…
Board of Education Island Trees Union Free School Dist. Vs. Pico (1982) involved a case in which Island Trees junior and senior high school removed 10 specific titles from its shelves. The board members however removed these books without consideration to their content, only stating that they were offensive, “objectable, anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-sematic and just plain filthy”.
Steven Pico, one of several students, objected to the removal of the books and brought a suit against the Board on behalf of his fellow students at the Island Tree High School. The lawsuit was tried in District Court first and the School Board won. After this decision, the Court of Appeals reversed their win saying that the removal of the books violated the First Amendment.
The U.S Supreme Court affirmed the judgement coming to the conclusion that “local school boards have broad discretion in the management of school affairs…[however] such access [to certain reading materials] prepares students for active and effective participation in the pluralistic society which they will soon be adult members.”
Here’s the Deal…
Which made me think, book censorship can and does censor the learning processes of a child. Sheltering them from a world that won’t take the same courtesy and discouraging different views — the essential point of public institutions.
The School Board violated no law in restricting the content — courts made that clear. However, the books that were pulled because of their offensive nature were pulled on biases, not academia. A few titles included: “Black Boy” by Richard Wright, “Best Short Stories of Negro Writers” by Langston Hughes, “The Naked Ape” by Desmond Morris and “Down these Mean Streets” by Piri Thomas ( a book about a boy growing up in Spanish Harlem with bad anger management).
Application…
According the National Council of Teachers of English (NTCE), “The right of any individual to read is basic to democratic society.” Profanity, violence and suggestive sexual situations are great reasons to ban a book in schools, but by the highschool age — especially in 2008 — teens have already experienced these things and much more.
School boards and teachers need to examine the literariness of the text and its educational impact on students. If we censor, when will it stop and how far will it go? — that’s like removing fairytales because they incite magic and evil.
April 9th, 2008 - Childrens Books = TV Series
Anyone born after 1986 knows that after school cartoons are the best. Which included “Tiny Toon Adventures” (shockingly a Steven Speilberg production), “Animaniacs” (Pinky & the Brain), “Goof Troop”, “Doug”, “Rocko’s Modern Life”, “Hey Arnold”, “Gargoyles”, ”Aladdin”, ‘Mighty Max”, and the Batman, Superman and Spiderman series. Ah memory lane…stroll with me won’t you?
A lot of childhood shows are spinoffs from popular movies i.e. “Timon & Pumba” from the Lion King or “Aladdin” from the Disney Aladdin movies. Some of our favorite childhood shows (cartoon or otherwise) started with a book. Does anybody remember wishing they had Mrs. Frizzle as a school teacher?
Mrs. Frizzle’s 4th grade class had to be the most envied in the 90’s. Not only did they go on field trips but they had adventurous hands on learning– and never did a lick of homework.
The Magic School bus series became so popular with the 90’s generation, that in 1994, it was made into a afternoon TV show, airing until 1997 (on and off the air between 98′-02). Who can forget the opening song by Little Richard…
Copyrighting won’t allow the video to be posted, so here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8KaZeNA7Ys
R.L. Stine is most famously known for his “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” series.
Stine, originally a joke book writer, decided to write scary books about ghouls, ghosts, masks, evil dummies, and the general angry undead. Titles like Say Cheese and Die!, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, A Night in Terror Tower, Night of the Living Dummy — scared kids of the 90’s for years.
Stine wrote for the 90’s teens as well — there was a fear street for every scary interest. Dead End, The Prom Queen, First Date and One Evil Summer, every book promised chills, thrills and all around stereotypical highschool drama with a little death thrown in the mix.
To complete our quick stroll, here’s the intro to one of the most recognized show’s of the 90’s:
In the case of technical difficulties:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feKHgAtqXBc
March 11th, 2008 - Coming Soon…
New Literature and pop fiction hitting the big screens in 2008, including: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, Bag of Bones by Stephen King and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
February 28th, 2008 - Featured Video: New Gadgets for Readers
I found this exciting video. See what ya think!