Many people know about the final installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise has come out and many people are mourning the end of this saga....I am one of them.
I must admit that, initially, I had absolutely no desire to read any of the HP books. In fact, by the time I purchased the first one, the third book was ready to hit the shelves. The primary reason I was not going to read/invest in the series, though it pains me to say it, was because at the time I was only reading books by African American authors. I was a senior in high school when the first book began to make waves in the literary community and had discovered that I had basically sheltered myself as a reader by only reading books written by white authors. It wasn't even that no one had introduced me to black fiction, I hadn't been interested in it. I hadn't looked for it. So when I found it around my junior year in high school, I jumped into it head first because I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do. So when the HP books came out, I didn't bother to look at them because 1.) the author was white, and 2.) it was a children's book (the mindset of an almost young adult) and I was beyond that. The other reason why I had some reservations about reading the book had to do with the uproar that it had created in the religious communtiy. There were so many people damning the series because it had a magical setting that it was pushed even further off of my radar.
Then, my second year of college, I had decided that I wanted to try and form a youth reading group with the summer program at my church for the 3 months that I was out of school. That desire led me to ask some of the kids I knew as well as search on the web for some books that would be entertaining, without being fluff stories that would be too easy to read. I wanted it to be a fun challenge. Guess what kept coming up, both in recommendation and online searches: the first two books of the series. Now, me being me, there are only so many times I'm going to pass up on a book. So I went to the bookstore on campus and bought the first book, and the rest is history. In fact, I read the first three books so quickly that I had to wait almost 8 months for the fourth to hit the shelves.
Here is what I realized: The HP stories were no more demonic or evil than anything else I was watching or reading at the time. I am a HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, I watched Angel, Charmed, watched some horror films. I read stories by V.C. Andrews about young girls getting raped and abused by their parents/caregivers and other stories about people who had sordid affairs and lived lives of complete promiscuity....HP was no where near as evil or against the values of Christianity as some of those stories were. Coming to that realization taught me that you can't listen to fanatics who are quick to demonize something just because it's different.
This is some what I gleaned from reading HP:
The "least of these" can be used to be wonderful instruments of deliverance
True friendship doesn't come from never fighting, but from never ending the friendship because you fought
Being popular can make you loved and hated at the same time
Being different is not wrong
Evil is taught
Life is worth living when you have something/someone you are willing to die (not kill) for.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but nothing of that sounds evil-based or against my faith. But I only know that because I read the books.
I could go on and on about this series because it has truly entertained me, both in print and on screen, and I am saddened to see the final end of the empire that is HP. But I will end by saying this.....The best thing about a book is that when you get to the end, you can begin again. So while there will be no new HP books or movies, I own them all. Fourteen so far, fifteen when the final movie hits DVD. So I can read and watch them over and over again...and I will.
Note: Originally written in July 2010
Sunday, January 1
Wednesday, September 7
Pathetic Women
Is it just me or do some authors have a penchant for creating weak, whiny female characters? And I'm not talking about male authors, the chicks!!
I am currently reading through a series of novels that were recommended to me by a co-worker and, while I like the stories, I am getting tired of reading about these leading women who are determined to be pacifists when they are being mistreated and threatened by forces that could be dealt with with great finality if they used the resources available to them. And to add insult to injury, they don't heed the direction of the people who have lived the new life they are coming into for years (centuries). Someone tells them to stay put, they leave and walk right into danger. Someone tells them "don't go play in the brier bush" and they jump in ass first then cry for healing and help when, had they not done what they were warned not to do, they wouldn't be in the situation to begin with. Like they are two years old and don't know the stove is hot!!!!
I am aware that I can sometimes be very vengeful and too ready for payback against people who have done wrong, not necessarily to me, but to any person that would be defenceless unless someone came to their aid. But to have stories about these women who, before they meet these men have these harrowing experiences and live through them just fine using common sense and good reflexes, and then they meet these men, come into this new lifestyle and lose all the sense they had and their reflexes. Do any of these authors think it ridiculous to have a man beat someone senseless, prepare to rape them, and plan to keep them tied up to "have fun" with them for days on end pitied by the person they are attacking? And then, for that person to not want them killed, and for that person to not want to watch if they can't do the deed themselves? I mean, in one of the books the chick flipped because she was the only way link to the men being able to kill her attackers telepathically and as a result, she had to look at the person and watch the murder....SERIOUSLY!!!! If that's all I have to do for you to avenge my abuse then that's just fine with me!!! But again, maybe that's just me.
I'm going to continue reading the books but like I said, the weak women who are supposed to be these people's last hope are so trapped by their own limitations that it seriously irritates me. To have women who need their mate to coerce them into doing what they know is best for them. Or need to have a man to pull them out of danger because they are too paralyzed by their own fear to fight or run for their lives. While fear can be a very paralyzing thing I would think that when faced with your fear or dying, one would choose life.
But like I said, maybe its just me. Apparently these authors have found a market for, in my opinion, pathetic women. And here I am, borrowing them from the library because they were recommended to me by a female reader who, by the way, missed all the relationship and "fighting for your life" and teetering on the edge of extinction parts of the story and only told me about the wild sexual encounters. The books are more than the pathetic women and more than the sex. But the pathetic female leads are really bugging me.
Again, I needed to get that out.
I am currently reading through a series of novels that were recommended to me by a co-worker and, while I like the stories, I am getting tired of reading about these leading women who are determined to be pacifists when they are being mistreated and threatened by forces that could be dealt with with great finality if they used the resources available to them. And to add insult to injury, they don't heed the direction of the people who have lived the new life they are coming into for years (centuries). Someone tells them to stay put, they leave and walk right into danger. Someone tells them "don't go play in the brier bush" and they jump in ass first then cry for healing and help when, had they not done what they were warned not to do, they wouldn't be in the situation to begin with. Like they are two years old and don't know the stove is hot!!!!
I am aware that I can sometimes be very vengeful and too ready for payback against people who have done wrong, not necessarily to me, but to any person that would be defenceless unless someone came to their aid. But to have stories about these women who, before they meet these men have these harrowing experiences and live through them just fine using common sense and good reflexes, and then they meet these men, come into this new lifestyle and lose all the sense they had and their reflexes. Do any of these authors think it ridiculous to have a man beat someone senseless, prepare to rape them, and plan to keep them tied up to "have fun" with them for days on end pitied by the person they are attacking? And then, for that person to not want them killed, and for that person to not want to watch if they can't do the deed themselves? I mean, in one of the books the chick flipped because she was the only way link to the men being able to kill her attackers telepathically and as a result, she had to look at the person and watch the murder....SERIOUSLY!!!! If that's all I have to do for you to avenge my abuse then that's just fine with me!!! But again, maybe that's just me.
I'm going to continue reading the books but like I said, the weak women who are supposed to be these people's last hope are so trapped by their own limitations that it seriously irritates me. To have women who need their mate to coerce them into doing what they know is best for them. Or need to have a man to pull them out of danger because they are too paralyzed by their own fear to fight or run for their lives. While fear can be a very paralyzing thing I would think that when faced with your fear or dying, one would choose life.
But like I said, maybe its just me. Apparently these authors have found a market for, in my opinion, pathetic women. And here I am, borrowing them from the library because they were recommended to me by a female reader who, by the way, missed all the relationship and "fighting for your life" and teetering on the edge of extinction parts of the story and only told me about the wild sexual encounters. The books are more than the pathetic women and more than the sex. But the pathetic female leads are really bugging me.
Again, I needed to get that out.
Tuesday, September 6
Beauty and the Beast
Question: Why did I go see this musical?
Answer: Because the first time was a horrid experience!!!!
I saw Beauty and the Beast years ago, when I was in high school (it makes me sick to think that was years ago, lol) and all I could remember from the show was that I was sitting in the most uncomfortable box seats with no armrests and the lady who played Belle had a shaky, shrill voice that annoyed me for the ENTIRE show! I remember thinking in the beginning that it may have been nerves, but after 10 or 15 minutes on stage...certainly after intermission, you should be in the swing of the show and immersed in your character and nerves should not be a factor. I don't remember anything else about the show. It is like her voice was the spot of blood on Lady Macbeth's dress that she couldn't get out no matter how hard she scrubbed. No matter how hard I try to forget that voice, I can't. And I can't remember anything else about that production because I can't not remember that voice....like nails on a chalkboard.
Anyway, so, I went to see the musical and it was AWESOME! I dare say the cast for this year's touring production is one of the best traveling companies I have seen so far! They were all so talented, their comedic timing was GREAT! Nafoo was hilarious. All of the characters where as memorable on stage as they are on the animated movie. This production was an example of how, no matter how small the set, the CAST and direction of the play the difference in how it is perceived by the audience. The set was absolutely small. While it was very colorful, it was almost minimalistic. Even the castle of the beast only had 3 or 4 parts to it, but the way those parts were moved around, and how the actors traveled and worked with the set made it seem larger than it was. It was like every detail, small as it was, was taken into account like it was larger than life. One of the most impressive things for me is how the set for the castle interior of the Beast's home was moved around. There were human gargoyles that spent the entire time they were on stage in poses as if they were real gargoyles and when it was time for a staircase to be moved, or a room to be turned around, they worked together to move the sets, then went back into formation. It was seamless, and part of the show, and the show wouldn't have had the same effect if they were not there & the set was on mechanics or strings and; pulleys like some of the other show sets are. There were, or course, musical numbers that were a part of the show that are not part of the movie, but there was one with an AWESOME dance sequence that was a combo of singing, dancing and prop percussion (like STOMP) that was absolutely amazing! I mean, they clinked and tossed beer mugs across that stage like it was nothing, all while dancing and with NONE of them looking like they were working really hard to catch and clink on cue without messing up.
I am so glad I went to see this show because it was nothing short of amazing. I wish I could see it again. I wish I could have recorded it because they were absolutely amazing! Even with a small set!
Answer: Because the first time was a horrid experience!!!!
I saw Beauty and the Beast years ago, when I was in high school (it makes me sick to think that was years ago, lol) and all I could remember from the show was that I was sitting in the most uncomfortable box seats with no armrests and the lady who played Belle had a shaky, shrill voice that annoyed me for the ENTIRE show! I remember thinking in the beginning that it may have been nerves, but after 10 or 15 minutes on stage...certainly after intermission, you should be in the swing of the show and immersed in your character and nerves should not be a factor. I don't remember anything else about the show. It is like her voice was the spot of blood on Lady Macbeth's dress that she couldn't get out no matter how hard she scrubbed. No matter how hard I try to forget that voice, I can't. And I can't remember anything else about that production because I can't not remember that voice....like nails on a chalkboard.
Anyway, so, I went to see the musical and it was AWESOME! I dare say the cast for this year's touring production is one of the best traveling companies I have seen so far! They were all so talented, their comedic timing was GREAT! Nafoo was hilarious. All of the characters where as memorable on stage as they are on the animated movie. This production was an example of how, no matter how small the set, the CAST and direction of the play the difference in how it is perceived by the audience. The set was absolutely small. While it was very colorful, it was almost minimalistic. Even the castle of the beast only had 3 or 4 parts to it, but the way those parts were moved around, and how the actors traveled and worked with the set made it seem larger than it was. It was like every detail, small as it was, was taken into account like it was larger than life. One of the most impressive things for me is how the set for the castle interior of the Beast's home was moved around. There were human gargoyles that spent the entire time they were on stage in poses as if they were real gargoyles and when it was time for a staircase to be moved, or a room to be turned around, they worked together to move the sets, then went back into formation. It was seamless, and part of the show, and the show wouldn't have had the same effect if they were not there & the set was on mechanics or strings and; pulleys like some of the other show sets are. There were, or course, musical numbers that were a part of the show that are not part of the movie, but there was one with an AWESOME dance sequence that was a combo of singing, dancing and prop percussion (like STOMP) that was absolutely amazing! I mean, they clinked and tossed beer mugs across that stage like it was nothing, all while dancing and with NONE of them looking like they were working really hard to catch and clink on cue without messing up.
I am so glad I went to see this show because it was nothing short of amazing. I wish I could see it again. I wish I could have recorded it because they were absolutely amazing! Even with a small set!
Friday, August 19
Help Hullabaloo
So, the talk of the African American (AA) literary community (writers and readers) for the past few days has been about the book that has recently been turned into a movie called The Help.
Before I get into what other people have said, let me start with that I think. First and foremost, I have not read, nor do I intend to read this book. I don’t doubt that this author is very good at what she does, nor do I question the level of entertainment that others have gotten from reading this book. I will not read this book because I have no desire to read about circumstances surrounding the disenfranchisement of black people told by a white author. While I do read all races of authors, I just don’t have the need to read about my history from the creative mind of a white author. In the same vein, I wouldn’t read a book about the Jewish historical experience written by a Nazi sympathizer or a book about the Native American experience written by someone other than a descendant of Native Americans. While I do believe that all authors have the ability to tell any story and tell it well, I don’t feel that you can write about someone else’s experience with the same amount of authenticity as that person, or a person directly related to that experience, could. Could a white person give an apt portrayal of Jim Crow South? Yes, absolutely! Do I feel a white person can give an accurate portrayal of Jim Crow South from the black perspective? HELL NO!
Having said that, I will also not see the movie. At least not in theaters. After all, I do have Netflix. I have an issue with the fact that this book was optioned for a movie so quickly when there are so many excellent portrayals of the black experience by AA authors. Although I am not an author, I feel slighted by this occurrence and have found myself wondering why so many AA written books are not optioned for films when they are just as good and just as well read as books by white authors. Through reading some posts on FB I have gathered that there are many factors that we as readers can control, that hinder books by AA authors. Things like lending, borrowing and bootlegging AA works by members of the AA community work as a disservice to the AA artists. This affects more than just AA book, but also AA movies, hence the adding of bootlegging.
It seems obvious what needs to be done to fix this issue. Black readers should spend more of their resources purchasing AA authored books, if they like to read. I’m not saying this as someone who doesn’t practice what I preach. I am well aware that you spend your money on what you want to spend it on. I enjoy spending my money on books and the majority of the books I purchase are by AA authors. I do it because I like to spend my money on books. I will take my last $6.00 and buy a book. Now, I am oh so guilty of reselling books. I have bought books that I didn’t like, books that I know I’m not going to read again and I look to sell them or give them away. I haven’t been that successful in selling them, but I do it when I can. This doesn’t help with the issue of AA writers, but I must admit that the ones I will reference are not authors I’m looking to sell. Doesn’t make it any better for the other authors, but it is the truth.
I’m going to try and cut this short because I have discovered that I could talk about this for quite some time. That is one benefit of this book. I didn’t know I felt this way about the issue. I mean, I knew I liked to read AA books. Most of my personal library is AA books, but I was unaware of the fact that I was knowledgeable about the fact that AA authors have portrayed black characters for years and gotten almost no play on the Hollywood scene. I mean, look at something with as much critical acclaim as Roots….TV only. The Color Purple made it to the theaters…with Spielberg at the helm. It would be nice if some of the many books about the black experience written by AA authors would get more play on the big screen. But then again, if they did, would the black community go see it or bootleg it.
So, that’s all I’m saying at this point about The Help. I repeat, I don’t have a problem with this book being written or its author. To see my issues, refer again to paragraph one.
Monday, August 1
The Wizard of Oz
Here's how I was able to enjoy this musical: One, I haven't seen the movie 100 times over; Two, I've never seen the musical. If either of those had been a factor, I would not have gone to see the musical. In fact, I had already passed on seeing it twice before, but my determination to support the arts in my city, which needs to be done because the reception of the arts is piss poor here, overran my desire to see it on stage. In fact, I bought the tickets on a total whim. I was watching TV and the ad for the musical played and I went to Ticket Master and ordered the tickets...and got darn good seats at that!
The musical was good. It had all the songs from the movie and a couple of songs that were just for the musical and plots to go along with those. I loved the dancing poppies and the ladies who played trees and poppies and snow were very good! The cast all had really good voices and the men did a really good job of playing their parts. I have often thought that the males roles in this musical were very eccentric and a little off, and wondered how much it took for the men in the movie to play such silly, and sometimes, simple roles. Like how many takes it took to get the scene and the lines just right. But watching the men live and on stage, they did an excellent job of being exactly what the roles called for them to be...which is their job, so they should have been good at it, right? lol. The munchkins were actual kids. I don't know if I expected them to be little people or what, but they were all kids and even a couple of local kids were a part of the ensemble. Toto was cute but I don't think it was a yorkie like on the movie and he wasn't all black, but you know, he played his part. What was interesting and, I guess, different, for me at least, is that this is a musical with a lot of traveling. And there are things that happen during the travel, so the travel is showed...on a small stage. So there was a lot of walking in place, or walking in circles, not even the whole span of the stage, that made it seem monotonous. The only time Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion really MOVED during thier travel was when it was time for them to exit the stage. This was an example of a musical that was very small on stage. Very small.
I'm glad I went to see it. I don't think I would see it again, but that isn't anything new. After all its a movie classic and I think the movie is better than the musical. But there was a great turn out for it. The fact that it was only in town for two days contributed to that, I'm sure, but I was really happy to see a packed house here. That doesn't happen often and that is why I tend to go out of town to see a show. So to sum it up, the musical was good, not great, but it was enjoyable.
The musical was good. It had all the songs from the movie and a couple of songs that were just for the musical and plots to go along with those. I loved the dancing poppies and the ladies who played trees and poppies and snow were very good! The cast all had really good voices and the men did a really good job of playing their parts. I have often thought that the males roles in this musical were very eccentric and a little off, and wondered how much it took for the men in the movie to play such silly, and sometimes, simple roles. Like how many takes it took to get the scene and the lines just right. But watching the men live and on stage, they did an excellent job of being exactly what the roles called for them to be...which is their job, so they should have been good at it, right? lol. The munchkins were actual kids. I don't know if I expected them to be little people or what, but they were all kids and even a couple of local kids were a part of the ensemble. Toto was cute but I don't think it was a yorkie like on the movie and he wasn't all black, but you know, he played his part. What was interesting and, I guess, different, for me at least, is that this is a musical with a lot of traveling. And there are things that happen during the travel, so the travel is showed...on a small stage. So there was a lot of walking in place, or walking in circles, not even the whole span of the stage, that made it seem monotonous. The only time Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion really MOVED during thier travel was when it was time for them to exit the stage. This was an example of a musical that was very small on stage. Very small.
I'm glad I went to see it. I don't think I would see it again, but that isn't anything new. After all its a movie classic and I think the movie is better than the musical. But there was a great turn out for it. The fact that it was only in town for two days contributed to that, I'm sure, but I was really happy to see a packed house here. That doesn't happen often and that is why I tend to go out of town to see a show. So to sum it up, the musical was good, not great, but it was enjoyable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)