Sharing

One of the interesting elements of human nature that I have observed is our need to share. I am completely in favor of this, mind you, but a strange corollary to wanting to spread joy to others is the wish of many to perpetuate bad news or experience. I am not completely knocking that either. Who doesn’t love one of those “my worst day ever” stories? Many great stories have been written and shared through movies and other media based on less than desirable circumstances. What I find disturbing is when sharing drives people to habitually dwell on the negative or resort to gossip.

Books and movies have always relied on conflict to make the story interesting, but the 3twins.net approach will never be to slander or gossip about any real person or event. Of course, you will probably see one character or another lie, cheat, or deal with any number of unpleasant situations, but that is what makes the journey fun as the story resolves. “Our” world is fictional as are its inhabitants. They are free to treat themselves any way they please! It is for that reason that I have hitched my creative wagon to this company and its endeavors. I strive to maintain a posture of respect and appreciation for all of our fans, regardless of their background or preferences. I also don’t wish to disrespect any other creative personnel or performers in other companies that don’t share our views.

So sharing our work is what I hope to do across as wide an audience as possible. That is also where you come in. Please share with others what you like about us. Please share any comments or criticisms with us as you feel inclined. If you reply to any of our blogs, rest assured that we will appreciate your time and opinions as well as politely respond to you the best we can. We ask for the same from you. In the end, we love what we do, and want you to do the same so you will share us with the rest of the world!

Thanks for being with us.

~ Chuck Bedard

Places in the Heart: An Oldie but Goodie

Sony Pictures (1984)

I first saw this movie probably in the late 80's (Yes, I’m giving away my age), so it had been around a while even then, since it was made in 1984 and released in September of that year. I recalled loving it at the time, but I had forgotten exactly why, other than that I had enjoyed it immensely, so when I noticed it was playing on Encore the other night, I informed my hubby that I would like to see it. Granted, he was a bit reluctant, probably because, since I recalled loving it, he most likely thought it was some kind of “chick-flick.” Not that he said as much, but I could see it in his eyes. 

Anyway, long story short, we watched Places in the Heart, and no more than 15 minutes into the movie, Chet said, “Honey, this is really good;” and he said it several times thereafter. He also commented upon the “extraordinary” performances of the actors, the “stunning” cinematography, and the “outstanding” sound track. Though it was admittedly difficult, I bit my tongue and refrained from saying, “See, told you so.”

All of that said, this is definitely a see-again movie, and if I live long enough, I will see it again. It’s that good. It’s a beautifully acted, poignant drama that will have you teary-eyed at times and smiling through those tears at other times. It is rated PG-13, however, for language (a few curse words) and violence (none of it graphic), so I wouldn’t recommend it for really young children, though those older than 12 should have no problem with it whatsoever.

Sony Pictures (1984)

Then again, most children that age today are probably too much into computer-generated special effects and pulse-pounding digitally synthesized music to enjoy a film like Places in the Heart. For one, other than the tornado scene, there really aren’t any special effects to speak of and the sound track consists of old-time gospel songs like the ones I grew up singing at Campbellton Baptist Church, for example, “I Come to the Garden Alone,” and “Blessed Assurance.”

Brief Overview of the Storyline

Written and directed by Robert Benson and set in Waxahachie, Texas during the Depression, Places in the Heart tells the story of a young mother’s struggle to survive following the accidental shooting of her husband, the town sheriff, by a young black man, who is later killed by a vigilante mob.

Sony Pictures (1984)

Despite the disapproval of certain members of the community, some of whom belong to the Ku Klux Klan, Edna Spalding (Sally Field) hires a drifter, Moze, played by Danny Glover, to help her plant 30 acres of cotton in order to save the farm from foreclosure and keep her family together. She also takes in a blind boarder, Mr. Will (John Malkovich), who happens to be the brother-in-law of the banker who holds the note on her farm.

Sometimes it’s rather like watching “The Perils of Pauline” because poor Edna has to endure so much, as do Moze, Mr. Will, the children (Frank and Possum), and other characters, for example, Edna’s sister Margaret, whose philandering husband is carrying on with the town’s elementary-school teacher Viola, who just happens to be Margaret’s closest friend. There’s also a tornado (it’s a harrowing scene) and the Ku Klux Klan to contend with, along with the challenge of picking cotton, which is grueling work and can do really nasty things to one’s hands. My hands started to hurt, in fact, just watching them picking that cotton.

Sony Pictures (1984)

I don’t want to give away anything, but be prepared for the movie’s final scene. At first you think it’s really happening—at least I did—but you then realize it’s only a dream, or maybe “fantasy” is a better word, depicting a world where all the characters—friends and enemies, black and white, living and dead—are united and taking communion at the little Baptist church in Waxahachie, Texas. Fantasy or not, though, it is a powerful scene that you will not soon forget.

Cast of Characters

Though there are too many actors to list them all, the main characters include:     

• Sally Field as Edna Spalding 
• Danny Glover as Moze 
• John Malkovich as Mr. Will 
• Ed Harris as Wayne Lomax 
• Lindsay Crouse as Margaret Lomax 
• Ray Baker as Sheriff Royce Spalding 
• Amy Madigan as Viola Kelsey 
• Yankton Hatten as Frank Spalding 
• Gennie James as Possum Spalding 
• Lane Smith as Albert Denby 
• Terry O'Quinn as Buddy Kelsey   

Sally Field deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, and Robert Benson won the Oscar for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Moreover, though it didn’t win, the movie was nominated for Best Picture, while John Malkovich and Lindsay Crouse were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, and Robert Benson for Best Director. Of course, had I any say in the nominations, Danny Glover would have been nominated for Best Actor, but then, if the decision had been left up to me, Places in the Heart would have won Best Picture of 1985. It’s really that good, so if you haven’t seen it, please do.

Source of Photos: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1984)

The Comic Book: From Cave Drawings to Superheroes

Comic books have been a staple of entertainment for children in America, as well as other countries, for many years now. In fact, according to Thomas Andrae, author of Carl Bark’s and the Disney Comic Book (2006), “Before television, rock music, and video games, comic books were the mainstay of entertainment in America” (p. 3). Indeed, comic books were “a universal experience for children who grew up from the Great Depression through the baby boom years” (Andrae, 2006, p. 3).

That statement, however, is not meant to imply that comic books have waned in popularity. If anything, they have become even more popular, and for reasons surpassing mere entertainment value. As Andrea relates, “Comic books, like other pop cultural ephemera, have become highly priced collector’s items” (2006, p. 3). For example, according to CNBC (2014), a copy of the first issue of Action Comics featuring Superman sold for $3.2 million on EBay in August of 2014. On the other hand, comic books today are prized for more than their sentimental and monetary value; they are also celebrated as important works of art (Andrea, 2006).

Then again, regardless of their continued popularity, there was a time when comic books did not exist, and the question that arises is, exactly when and where did this form of creative expression originate?   

The Origin of Comic Books

According to Wikipedia (2015), comic books had their origins in the 1700’s in Japan and the 1800’s in Europe, and they were introduced into the United States in the 1930s. Moreover, “The first modern comic book, titled Famous Funnies, was “released in the United States in 1933,” though it was merely “a reprinting of earlier newspaper comic strips” (para. 3).

Alternatively, according to The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin (2013), Rudolphe Topffer, a Swiss artist, published the first book to combine cartoons and text in 1837; and after being translated and published in several European countries, the book came to the United States in 1842. The title of the American version was The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, and the book contained 6 to 12 panels per page in a 40-page side-stitched booklet, measuring 8 ½ by 11 inches.

It’s interesting to note, however, that the thematic elements of comic books, according to Random History (2015), can arguably be traced back to tales of the mythological gods and superheroes of ancient Greece, as well as figures in the Holy Bible. For example, the modern comic-book hero Flash explicitly draws on the iconography of the Greek god Hermes with his winged helmet and boots; and Samson’s weakness in the Old Testament, a haircut, echoes the vulnerabilities that afflict modern heroes, such as Superman, who is weakened by kryptonite.

On the other hand, it’s possible that the origin of comic books dates back even further. In fact, according to Random History (2015), “The format of the modern day comic book perhaps can be traced to ancient narrative sequences of cave paintings, but more likely to the medieval broadsheet, which was a narrative strip carved into woodcuttings (Hayman and Pratt 2005). As Random History explains, “Broadsheet authors would often create cartoonish narratives of public executions and caricatures of public figures. As the printing press allowed mass circulation of the broadsheets, they were often gathered into collections, or what could be considered a prototype of the modern magazine or newspaper and, by extension, the comic book.”

So, all of that said, perhaps one can conclude that comic books originated, at least in a fashion, with humankind’s earliest artistic renderings. Regardless of where and when they originated, however, comic books have endured and will continue to endure for generations to come.

Sources:

Andrae, T. (2006) Carl Barks and the Disney Comic Book: Unmasking the Myth of Modernity. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi

CNBC (2014) The Most Valuable Comic Books. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/id/101944524

Random History (2015) Archetypes, Commercialism, and Hollywood: A History of the Comic Book. Retrieved from http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/033comic.html

The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin. (2015) Comic Book. Retrieved from

http://www.tititudorancea.com/z/comic_book.htm

Wikipedia (2015) Origin of the Comic Book. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_book

Images:

Action Comics (2015) Google Images: www.technobuffalo.com

Famous Funnies (2015) Google Images: www.thecomicbooks.com

Flash Comic Book (2015) Google Images: wikipedia.org

Prehistoric Cave Painting (2015) Google Images: wurstwisdom.com

Frozen: Delightful Entertainment for All Ages

Disney Studios (2013)

If you enjoy movies with scripts that are beautifully written from beginning to end, cinematically breathtaking, and contain musical scores that cause you to sing along with the characters and then hum those tunes long after the movie has ended, you will absolutely love the movie Frozen.

Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and classified as a musical/fantasy/comedy, Frozen is a 3-D animated film released in late 2013 by the grandfather of family entertainment, Walt Disney Studios; and many film critics consider it the studio’s best animated undertaking since Disney’s golden era, which ran from 1988 through 1999 and included such blockbusters as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King (Disney, 2008).

Inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale “The Snow Queen,” Frozen is an epic, sprawling adventure about an intrepid princess (Anna) who undertakes a quest to locate her estranged sister (Elsa), the Snow Queen, who possesses cryokinetic powers and is, however unintentionally, responsible for the kingdom’s being locked in the relentless grasp of eternal winter. Accompanying Anna on her journey into this land of ice and snow are a tough, resilient, and handsome iceman (Kristoff): the iceman’s pet reindeer (Swen); and a naïve, quite comical snowman (Olaf). Filled with adventures and misadventures, their journey is a visual and musical delight for all ages.

A blend of both computer-generated imagery and traditional hand-drawn animation, for which Disney is famous, Frozen is, to date, the highest grossing animated film of all time, and its monetary success has far exceeded that generated through box-office receipts. For one, according to Fritz (2014), “On the first day of its 2014 release on Blu-ray and DVD, the film sold 3.2 million copies, to become one of the biggest home video sellers in the last decade, as well as Amazon's best-selling children's disc of all time” (para. 2). Moreover, the film has given birth to a multi-million-dollar franchise of toys, games, books, clothing, and other related paraphernalia, which have been so in demand that stores report a difficult time keeping the items in stock (Fritz, 2014)

As for the cast, since this is an animated film, the “actors” provide only their voices, and given the scope of the story, the list of voice actors is quite extensive, but providing the voices of the main characters are the following:

·         Kristen Bell as Anna, the 18-year-old Princess of Arendelle

·         Idina Menzel as Elsa, the 21-year-old Snow Queen of Arendelle

·         Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, the iceman

·         Josh Gad as Olaf, the snowman

·         Santino Fontana as Hans, a prince from the Southern Isles

In summary, chances are, if you have children, you have already seen Frozen more than once or even multiple times. However, if like many adults, you avoid animated films altogether because you think they are strictly for children, you need to give this particular film a chance. I seriously doubt you will regret it. In fact, you will probably thank me for recommending it. If not, well, then I will personally come to your house and extend my heartfelt apologies. How’s that?  

Sources:

Disney: Notes on the End of the Disney Renaissance.  (2008) Retrieved January 6, 2015 from decentfilms.com.

Fritz, B. (2014) Disney's Film Business Gets Big Boost from Frozen: Operating Income at Film Unit More than Quadruples; Musical in the Works". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 6, 2015.

Lang, B. (2014). Frozen Sells Massive 3.2 Million Discs in One Day. The Wrap. Retrieved January 6, 2015.