Tag: #movies

Books

If Shakespeare’s Characters Were High School Stereotypes

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Ellen_Terry_as_Lady_Macbeth.jpg
“I want the throne AND your lunch money…” –Lady Macbeth

While stereotypes are harmful and incorrect in the way that they oversimplify people, they’re everywhere in books, movies, and TV–especially when the setting is high school! If the characters in some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays were to be recast in this format, then, which high school stereotypes would we find?

1. The jock

Romeo from Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare: We’re always hearing about how Romeo and his friends are getting into fights with the Capulet boys, which surely keeps you in great shape. Sword fighting itself can be a sport, in a way (albeit a bloody one…). Plus, Romeo manages to kill both Tybalt and Paris, so he’s got to be pretty swol.

2. The loner

Continue reading “If Shakespeare’s Characters Were High School Stereotypes” →

Books

Who Would Win an Escape Room Faster: Moira or Katniss Everdeen?

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escape room Moira Katniss 2.jpg

Both fictional characters are spunky, determined, and creative, but when it comes to logic puzzles who would really be faster? Would they even make it out?

Escape rooms have become really popular recently, and it’s not hard to see why. The idea is that you and your group have to solve a certain number of interconnected puzzles in order to shut off, for example, a device that will cause the world to get sucked into a black hole if not disabled in 60 minutes (no pressure). The puzzles you have to solve include Continue reading “Who Would Win an Escape Room Faster: Moira or Katniss Everdeen?” →

Books

Mr. Darcy and Whiskey: If Literary Characters Were Beverages

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Mr. Darcy is whiskey

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that whiskey makes for an excellent character arc. –Jane Austen, probably

Have you ever thought about how different drinks have different personalities? If chocolate milk were a person it would surely have different hobbies, character traits, and life goals from Wine or Orange Juice, for example. So naturally, this question simply begs to be asked: if certain characters from literature were beverages, what type of beverage would they be?? Continue reading “Mr. Darcy and Whiskey: If Literary Characters Were Beverages” →

Music

Top 10 Song Adaptations: The Quirky, the Funny, and the Intriguing

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Quirky funny song adaptations; cat banjo

Some are quirky; some are funny; some are both. Some are even inspired by books and movies!

Back in Music Mash-Ups: Rock + Chopin, Rock + Opera, I talked about how retellings of fairy tales and books like Jane Eyre (Jane Steele/Jane Slayre) are a lot like mash-ups between different genres of music–and how amazing they both are. But lately I’ve come across some new mash-ups, as well as some looser “adaptations” of music where it’s less about two genres coming together and more about importing a song into a new context (like in the Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley).

The best part is that depending on the song and style, adaptations can be hilarious, moving, or just plain quirky! So without further ado, here are ten song adaptations to brighten your day: Continue reading “Top 10 Song Adaptations: The Quirky, the Funny, and the Intriguing” →

Music

Music and Meaning in Moonrise Kingdom

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As graduate school comes to a close for the year I’ve been working on a paper about some of the music in Wes Anderson’s (amazing) movie, Moonrise Kingdom. If you’re not familiar with the movie, the basic gist is that 12-year old Sam runs away with Suzy and the two lovebirds keep trying to escape the adults. But the kids’ are portrayed as the sensible ones! Overall it’s a great, quirky movie that I’d definitely recommend for your summer viewing pleasure.

Anyways, a lot of Continue reading “Music and Meaning in Moonrise Kingdom” →

Books

What If Books Used “Easter Eggs?”

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What if books had hidden “Easter eggs” like in the movies?

Sometimes in movies the viewer will find hidden or bonus information that only someone who has seen all of the other related movies would understand. For example, in Disney’s Aladdin, when Jasmine’s father is Continue reading “What If Books Used “Easter Eggs?”” →

Books, Music

Clair de Lune in Two Popular Movies (What’s Up With That?)

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movie popcorn

I find it fascinating that the classical piano piece “Clair de Lune” is used so much in movies. I mean, what is it about that specific piece that makes it so popular and meaningful? And how does using it in different movies give a new, nuanced meaning to either the movie scene and/or the music itself? Continue reading “Clair de Lune in Two Popular Movies (What’s Up With That?)” →