Version 2.0
From the category archives:
The Boulevard of (Broken?) Dreams
Reviewed by Jillian Zeidner
January 11th, 2008
Everyone, at one point or another, has wondered what it would be like to be a superhero. They have cool costumes, awesome superhuman powers, and everyone loves them. It would be the best job on earth, right? Maybe not. Confessions of a Superhero, a documentary directed [...]
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Discover the Unknown, Unheard, Unseen
Reviewed by Rebecca Lee
February 25th, 2008
It is night and of course very, very dark. The only light seen is the flashes of guns going off and villages being burned and savagely massacred. All around you, the only sounds heard are the pitter patter of feet as people try to escape quietly. [...]
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Paper and Glue
Reviewed by Katherine Lee
January 7, 2008
“There’s no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole,” or so the saying goes. The Kite Runner tells a story of an atheist who found God in one of the deadliest fox holes on Earth. Told through the eyes of Amir, the son of a wealthy [...]
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Holden to Chi-Mo; Elitists to Hippies
Reviewed by Patrick Schoener
January 11, 2008
King Dork is a modern day version of Catcher in the Rye, written in the style of teenage skaz and with many of the universal ideas brought up by Holden Caulfield. The main Differences between the two books would be that Tom Henderson in [...]
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A Musical Gift to America
Reviewed by Stefanie Chow
March 10th, 2008
A stunningly brilliant story of oppression to empowerment, this film documents the amazing life of British singer and songwriter John Lennon, everything from the epic beginnings of his career to his tragic and unforgettable death – capturing nothing short of timeless triumph, heartbreaking tragedy, inseparable love, [...]
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Can o’ Beans, Dirty Sock, Conch Shell, and A Few Too Many Veils
Reviewed by Karina Chahal
January 10th, 2008
A tale that cannot be told without depictions of challenging conflict and lyrical imagery, this novel must be read. It is a unique story that is difficult to imagine, as Tom Robbins blurs the thin line between [...]
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Unveiling the Cryptic Codes
Reviewed by Kevin Yen
January 11, 2008
Mystery, suspense, and actions are the key elements that make this book such a pulse-quickening adventure. This New York Times bestseller will blow your minds away with its twisted puzzles and brain-teasing mysteries. As you dig deeper into the book, you will gain insight as to [...]
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Arthur Reimagined
Reviewed by Danny Zeff
January 11, 2008
This well-written book scraps the tale of the traditional story of King Arthur. Instead it reintroduces him as a young squire waiting to become a knight and is given a stone that shows visions. The story lets the reader feel like he is living on an English manor in [...]
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Holden Caulfield on Drugs
Reviewed by Divya Nag
December 27, 2007
“I am an Alcoholic and I am a drug Addict and I am a Criminal” begins this exceedingly controversial and oxymoronic fictional memoir, which slowly yet surely captured the hearts and breaths of everyone reading this compelling novel. Meet the new and improved Holden Caulfield: the same [...]
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Post 9/11, a New York of Gatsby-Size Dreams and Loss
Reviewed by Michiko Kakutani
The New York Times
May 16, 2008
If some of these passages reverberate with echoes of The Great Gatsby and its vision of New York — “the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes,” the “fresh, green breast of the New World,” [...]
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Dey tol’ me dis book was gud. Dey lyin’
Reviewed by Andrew Curran
January 10, 2008
This dramatic tale about The Civil War is only for those truly interested in the subject matter. All others should stay far away from this novel.
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The New York Times recently published the article “Where the Real Action is” on the nominations for Documentary feature category for this year’s Oscars. The ideas brought up in the article are interesting and contribute to our study of the nonfiction film genre. An excerpt:
This year all five nominees are politically charged, [...]
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I have included nine trailers of nonfiction films that I have personally enjoyed viewing (and ones that I could find on YouTube). As you begin to think about which nonfiction film you want to study, remember to consult my Nonfiction Film List for ideas, as well as the Internet Movie Database, which is [...]
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Scotland, P.A. is only loosely based on the play—there is not a word of Early Modern English uttered in it. But this “adaptation” takes place in the 1970’s, and instead of a kingdom, Joe McBeth, with the persistent urging of his wife, takes control of a local fast food establishment (with plans for [...]
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A Nightmare of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Reviewed by Shahrnaz Zarafshar
September 24th, 2007
Perhaps director Peter Hall was actually asleep when he made the low-budget movie version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is therefore not liable for the nightmare result. But surely studio executives were wide awake when they authorized the DVD release, or maybe the [...]
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A while back I was recommending a movie to a friend, and after explaining all the movie’s merits—why it is unique and interesting and why he should see it, I remarked as a disclaimer, “Nothing really happens in it, though.” To which he replied, “It seems like that ‘happens’ in a lot of [...]
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