The Celluloid Closet

Thanks to the wonder that is Tumblr, my attention was recently brought to the amazing film The Celluloid Closet. A documentary based off the book by Vito Russo, it analyzes the portrayal of gay characters throughout the evolution of film. (And it is pretty much just gay characters, not LGBT - there's maybe one ambiguously bisexual character, and no trans* people.)

I thought it sounded interesting, and I was not  disappointed. A thoughtful look at many different kinds of films that all have their own problems or advantages. It's incredibly disheartening for the first half or so, of course - but don't worry, there's always a happy ending.

What I like about this documentary is the truthful commentary that comes along with presenting certain clips. I found myself agreeing with most of the things that were being said - for example, that gay audiences are so used to looking for tiny crumbs in media that we'll watch a terrible movie just for the possibility that a character might be gay.

This also put quite a few movies on my to-watch list. I can't believe I'd never heard of some of these. Overall, it's an incredible film, and I'm very glad I saw it. Why don't you take a look too?

Good News, Except Not

The saga of my ever-deteriorating physical health continues! After suffering from a severe throat-killing  chronic cough for a whole year-and-a-half, I finally had an appointment with an ENT. The "normal" doctor's diagnosis of an acid-reflux disease seems to have been off, since the medication I took for a month made practically no difference.

The good news? I'm not suffering from some life-threatening condition that manifests itself as a cough. The doctor didn't stick that infernal scope down my vocal cords and freak out about what she saw there. It appears that there's really nothing wrong with me.

The bad news? Nothing wrong...EXCEPT THE COUGH. It almost would have been better if she had found something, because then there would be a definitive reason, and it could be treated. As it is now, the only explanation she can offer is that I just started coughing for some reason, and since then my body has self-perpetuated the irritation of my throat.

That or I have some form of asthma.

Well, I'll be taking some cough-suppressing pills to see if that will work. (I absolutely refuse to drink liquid medicine. I don't care  if I'm 15 and should be "over this", I positively will not drink anything that tastes that icky.) If all else fails we'll probably try an inhaler to test the asthma theory.

The human body: Finding unique ways to screw you over since the beginning of time!

The best place to find scary story books "for kids"?

I'm lucky enough to be within walking range of at least two bookstores and a library, and in driving range of many more, from small independently-owned stores to chains like Barnes & Noble and (formerly) Borders. (Rest in peace, my beloved Borders.) Being an avid reader (some may say "obsessive", and I will not disagree with them), I've spent plenty of time determining the best places for specific genres. Each store and library has its own strengths and resources when it comes to what they stock.

Personally, I'm always on the look for dark and Gothy books aimed at younger audiences. A lot of parents have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that not all horror books are gorefests and wildly inappropriate for anyone under 13. Goosebumps aside, that is. Goosebumps are amazing, but when I was spending hours in my school library, I certainly wanted more than that one series that could satisfy my darker reading side. And in fact, I've discovered that the best place I've seen to buy scary story collections aimed at young readers is: Goodwill.

Seriously. I live in range of about three Goodwills, and have been to several more. Every one I've been to has four or five bookcases of haphazardly organized used books, which I always raid with enthusiasm (even though my parents brought me there to buy clothes...ooops). And every single time I've looked, I've found "children's" scary stories books. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I mean a collection of short stories made to be a little creepy but nothing overly scary - the typical book has about 8-15 stories, none more than eight or so pages. The most famous one is probably Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, though don't worry, no other collection/series has those mentally scarring illustrations.

(Oh yeah, have I mentioned that while I've never been scared of a movie or book, but five months ago when I saw the picture for The Dream, I flipped out and refused to touch those books because I was so paranoid there would be more terrifying pictures? Seriously, that Dream illustration, as well as the one from The Thing, made sleeping difficult for WEEKS.)

Anyway. So, if an entertaining short story collection for people under 13 is what you're after, don't waste your time at a normal bookstore. Just browse through the shelves at the nearest Goodwill.

(I put "for kids" in quotations, because I will still be reading these books when I'm 50. The stories are good, darn it!)

(Also, if you have a bunch of old books that you never read anymore, please consider donating them to Goodwill! Just like any other toy or piece of clothing - you may not want or need it, but I can guarantee you a person somewhere would LOVE to have a nice book to read.)

Review Of The 2009 Roméo Et Juliette Cast CD - Part 3

I know it's taken me forever  to finish this up, but I finally got around to it. Here's the final part of the CD itself, though later I may talk about the bonus DVD (which I finally realized I could play in my computer regardless of the region...)

Anyway, let's finish up Act 2.

11.Avoir Une Fille - This is definitely my favorite arrangement of this song. A nice balance of the delicate piano, strong guitar, and Arié Itah's rough voice. I have to admit that this was another song it took me a while to warm up to. Here, you can really feel all the emotions that a father is going through. Overall, excellent!

12.On Prie - Aaaand another new song. I was a little suspicious of this at first - after all, the second act is already bogged down by too many ballads, and with this addition, we have eight slow songs in a row.  But if you ignore the slow pacing it adds to, this is a nice song. Not an amazing song, but a nice one. Daniel sounds...odd, I don't know how to put it. He's not strained, but his voice doesn't always sound comfortable with what he's singing. Also, at several points it's nearly impossible to hear Joy's upper harmonies. Overall, a good song, but the show could do without it.

13.Le Poison - Confession: I never liked this song. And it's not one of the ones I've warmed up to - I still don't like it. But as far as I can appreciate it, the instruments are lovely, and Joy sounds delicate and fragile in the best way possible. She sounds like a beautiful glass vase that's about to shatter - very emotional. There's also a lovely subdued choir in the background. Overall, it's an amazing version of a song I just can't come around to loving.

14.Sans Elle - The only reason I've heard the melody of this song as much as I have is that I kept playing the German version on the piano. But, unfortunately, it's another song which I think could be poked out of the show and I wouldn't mind at all. Daniel and Joy sound great, and I love the guitar in the background, but overall I'm just not fond of the song itself or this particular arrangement.

15.Vérone 2 - When you first hear this, it might be difficult to even realize that this is a reprise of Vérone. It is, and it's GREAT. I think I've mentioned before that Stéphane Metro is my favorite Escalus, and this song just cements that opinion. So much emotion - and he goes in seconds from shrieking in anger to barely whispering in sadness. This song shows both the range of emotion in his vocal acting as well as his vocal range itself. Overall, bloody fantastic!

16.Comment Lui Dire - And we finally get a solo from my favorite Benvolio! This is another wonderful arrangement with another wonderful singer. There's the faintest hint of plucked strings in the background along with the guitar and synths, and along with Cyril Niccolai's soaring voice, it's a beautiful effect. Overall, just amazing.

17.Mort De Roméo - Another confession: This might as well be the first time I'm hearing this song, for all the times I've listened to it. I think I heard it once before. Because I'm used to the Hungarian ending, which has a reprise of J'ai Peur replace this song. (I like that way better.) I mean, this is a good song - I like the woodwinds, and Daniel sounds lovely as always - but it's just so...monochrome musically. Overally, nice singer but meh.

18.Mort De Juliette - I have  listened to this song often, though, and I'm torn on this arrangement. On the one hand, the instruments are beyond fantastic. Great guitars, nice strings. On the other hand, Joy's voice sounds incredibly weak. I want to hear a stronger angst. There should be a little anger. Instead, all I get is a delicate little voice singing without all too much emotion. Overall, it would've worked better as an instrumental.

19.J'sais Plus - Another song which I must confess to skipping typically when I'm listening/watching. But I can find nothing to complain about here, strong voices and strong instruments, with a nice lamenting choir. Overall, while I might not be too fond of the song itself, a great arrangement.

20.Coupable - Yay, we get to hear more from Lady Montague! I remember this song as being arranged differently in just about every single version, and this is one of my favorites. A neat little string beat makes a nice background to the legato voices of the Ladies and the choir. I did really love the German version where they worked a reprise of Einmal in, and I wished they had done that here, but it's so lovely that I can't really complain.

21.Avoir 20 Ans - Aaaaand this song. This song was actually half of the reason I wanted this CD in the first place - after only hearing some very low-quality live recordings of the song, I was insanely curious as to how the recorded version sounded. And it did not disappoint me at all! I completely adore this song, everything about it. It's nearly as catchy as Les Rois Du Monde, and wormed its way into my head for days afterwards. It's just a fun, feel-good song with great singers. Overall, I beyond love it.

And thus ends the show! As a whole, any fan of the musical should have this recording. With an amazing cast, powerful orchestra, and some new songs, it's a must-have, and probably one of the best recordings out there. The only weak point of it is the occasional weak arrangement or unemotional singer, but those are easily overlooked in what is simply a wonderful CD.

Review: School Of Fear: Class Is NOT Dismissed, by Gitty Daneshvari

Because I loved the original School Of Fear so very much, I was eager to get my hands on the sequel. I was delighted to find a copy in the children's section of my local bookstore. (My funds, however, weren't so happy, given that it was hardback and I already had four other books in my arms.)

I finished it much quicker than I expected, but it took me a long time to write a review, because I was stuck trying to convince myself that I enjoyed it more than I really did. Before I explain my feelings on the book, I suppose I should give a summary.

It's everyone's second summer at the School Of Fear, and Madeleine, Garrison, Lulu, and Theo are excited to be back. Well...sort of, anyway. But problems have been plaguing the residents of Summerstone - numerous break-ins and thefts have left everyone paranoid. On top of that, a new student joins the four. Hyacinth (or Hyhy, as she prefers) is an awkward ferret-loving girl with a crippling fear of being alone.

Frankly, I was disappointed by this book. Badly disappointed.

It had it's good points. Abernathy's backstory was excellent, and the reveal of Mrs.Wellington's motives for opening the school added an important depth to her character that was desperately needed.

However, it seemed like Daneshvari got tired of the story halfway through. There's no satisfying climax. The reveal of the "villains" is weak and somewhat forced. The fact that the author kept pushing the characters out of Summerstone whenever possible didn't help - as a result there's none of the wacky fear-solving techniques that were a treasure of the first book.

Basically, the book seemed like one long trailer - just a way to get to the third book.

Speaking of the next book, I know that you need to have a mild sequel hook, but the ending here was simply pathetic. Practically nothing got resolved. I felt cheated.

So yes, I was incredibly sad that such a fantastic book had such a weak follow-up. I'd say that if you want to get the best School Of Fear experience so far, just read the first book, maybe find some spoilers for this one, then go to the third.*

*Which I will be reading once I go through the crapload of books that are piling up on my bed because my bookcase in overflowing. Never let me loose on used book sales, people.

Student Calls Out Rick Santorum's Bible Bullshit

I SO want to be this girl when I get to college.

There are a couple of things to notice in this video:

1.More of the "Religion = Always right but science = just silly" argument that Christian bigots just love to make. Gawker said it best: "Yea, a bunch of centuries-old bullshit from withered old men in robes and a magic book...is unassailable fact about the evils of homosexuality, but scientific findings about it are just so much silliness." I made the title about this line of argument because it pops up so frequently, that it just needs to be KILLED WITH FIRE whenever possible.

2.Notice that Santorum does exactly what a lot of adults do - it's one of the things that annoys me the most about them: He consistently interrupts the younger woman, but then, when she tries to speak again, starts whining about being interrupted. Then he gets even more hypocritical by saying "I've given you a chance, now give me mine." (Uh, no dude. You didn't. You interrupted her, basically saying "She's using actual reason to discredit my see-through arguments! This must be stopped at once!" Not to mention his completely patronizing use of "Time out!"

But what I am really wondering is...why the fuck was this man invited to speak at a college? How is a heterosexist religious fanatic EVER a choice for appropriate guests? If my school suddenly brought in a hate speech politician to present to us the reasons he is such a bigot, I would have protested the hell out of it. I'm imagining LGBTQ students in this class, closeted, and having the reasons for that being all wrapped up in this jackass that their school brought in. 


Someone PLEASE tell me that I'm missing some context here, and this isn't a case of a school bringing in a hateful person to be hateful...please.

Study Finally Tells Adults The Damage Schools Have Been Doing To Creativity

(First things first, sorry for the long title. I try to be concise, I really do. Whether I succeed in that respect is another, less likely, matter entirely.)

Well, this new study has been getting some attention in the blogging field. Findings suggest that modern society has been reducing children's creativity, with schools as the primary suspect.

My response when I read that?

What, now  you realize that?


How can people be surprised by this?

With preschools and earlier grades cutting recess and free time, how can this come as a surprise?

With music and art programs being cut and removed entirely from schools, how can this come as a surprise?

With focus being directed more and more only at math and science - where there is no room for actual thought and individuality, there is only one correct answer - how can this come as a surprise?

With school boards deeming drama and theatre classes "unnecessary", how can this come as a surprise?

With growing class sizes and crowded schools, where no attention can be paid to a child as an individual, and they are seen simply as a monolith to be lectured, and punished for failing, not helped, how can this come as a surprise?

And, most of all, with the focus of everything being on testing - making your school the top in standardized tests, and judging a students intelligence by how well they do on tests - how the bloody hell can this surprise people?!


Students, in the past decade, have been feeling the effects of these awful changes every single day. The testing approach, especially, is one of the worst culprits for limiting our thinking. For example, in Algebra class at the school I attended last year, every single day, the routine was the same: We would be ushered into our seats and do practice on whatever subject we learned yesterday. As soon as all the answers for that were correct, we would immediately switch to a completely new subject and furiously take notes on that. It was just a lecture, there was no proper interaction with the students. How could there be, when schools are cramming people into classes of 40?

If you had a question, there was no time for it to be properly addressed. Because that would take too long - the teacher had to cram in one new concept every day of the week, to lead up to the test on Friday. The lecture would take up the whole class - and as the bell rung, we were assigned about two hours worth of homework from our textbook.

This is a good model of what a high school class in a public school looks like today, in America. My contact with other public high school students across the states gives me pretty much the same results - there's no room to be creative when it's all about grades.

So, school leaders cry, what the heck are we supposed to do?

It's not that complicated. Perhaps it may be difficult in your eyes, but it is really quite simple. Look, I can even give a few helpful suggestions:

*Treat art, music, drama, and other creative classes like they should be - just as important as math, science, and other "important" classes. There are so many students, me being one of them, who don't have natural talents for things like math and science, but have an aptitude - and more importantly, a passion  - for creative subjects. What do you think you're doing when you cut out all opportunities for us to improve on our skills? You're lowering our chances of getting a career in out desired field. Adults complain about how "kids these days" are lazy, with no motivation to do anything. But here's the thing - we are motivated. But not to the subjects you want us to be. Having skills in a particular area =/= laziness.

*Stop treating all students like they're the same. We are not a monolith. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Schools, right now, are focused on punishing a student if they get a bad grade, instead of actually helping them when they clearly don't understand something. More individualized attention would not only be better for students' mental health, but guess what - those stupid test scores you care so much about? It would raise those up. I know, shocking, right?

*Cut it out with the "Shut up and listen to the teacher, now here's your homework" model of teaching classes. It is helping absolutely no one.


*Reduce class sizes. This is attached to the individualization thing - how on earth do you expect us to learn when we're invisible in a sea of other people? Where we know we're worth nothing in the long run?

And those are only a few.

And another thing about this study: Creativity isn't the only thing that the modern public school system has been crushing. Let me go back to that "motivation" point for a minute. I certainly had no desire to go out and do things when I got home from a schoolday. What, with hours of homework and a day that exhausted me, mentally and physically? Hell no. And when schools cut the only classes we like or are talented at - the ones we have motivation to do - what does that tell us? It tells us that motivation doesn't matter in the long run.

So how in the hell do schools expect to help a generation of young people go out and live productive lives, when all they teach us is that test scores are the only things that matter, our individual talents mean nothing, and that we're worthless in the long run?