The Gazette

I know that this class is long over, but sometimes an idea sticks in my brain and I need a place to put it.   As I was vengefully listening to country music because my co-workers hate it, I was struck by the amount of damage Carrie Underwood does to her lover's car in the song Before He Cheats. I assume we've all heard this masterpiece, but if not, here is a link to the song.  So, to reiterate, Carrie 1) Dug her keys into the side of his pretty little souped-up four wheel drive.  2) Carved her name into the leather seats.  3) Took a Louisville Slugger to both headlights.  4) Slashed a hole in all four tires.  In Carrie Underwood's home state of Oklahoma, would she get in legal trouble for doing this? Although I am absolutely on her side, here, it feels like a lot for just suspecting him of cheating.  For keying the car and destroying the seats, Carrie would be charged with a misdemeanor as long as the damage was under $1,000 dollars. However, just th...

"Because thou hast believed me, thou hast believed: blessed are they who have not seen, and yet believed. " John 20:29    Last week, I saw the Polar Express for the first time in its entirety. It was like being hit by a motion capture train over and over for 90 minutes. I'm not sure even if I enjoyed it or not (although the company was superb).  While there were many things I found confusing and disturbing, the most striking was how similar the story was to C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce . Both involve Public transportation A promised land of joy that some passengers didn't believe was real The passengers are unsure of where they are going and how they came to be on the train  A folksy guiding spirit   Various nameless archetypes who embody various sins Essentially, an unnamed everyman protagonist uses public transportation as a metaphorical conduit from hell through purgatory to heaven. Oddly enough for a Christmas movie, the Polar Express takes great pains...

Before judging me for wasting time on this instead of doing my actual post first, just know, I am working on it, but I need to watch all Wallace and Gromit content.  So, I will treat my readers to what I was talking about when I spent 15 minutes discussing Bill Murray in class a few weeks ago.  My theory is simple: Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, and Steve Martin fill similar but distinct ecological niches in film. All four are excellent actors with great comedy chops who are often cast in "funny but secretly heartwarming" roles.  In this post, I will attempt to recall every role I have seen these actors in and decide whether the role could have been successfully executed by a different actor. Please do not comment on films I have not reviewed. I'll just say "That sounds great! I'll put it on the list!". There is no "list" and never has been.  Steve Martin  George Banks, Father of the Bride     Steve Martin did it best, but I do think every...

 If you're looking for a post about dogs in art, move along. This post was requested by the inestimable Alison Gee and isn't for credit, I just think people need to know the truth.    Anyways, if you Google Artoo's gender, it says "masculine programming". This is from Daniel Wallace, the author of multiple Star Wars fanfiction. Since Star Wars is a kids' movie, writing history books for adults over it is kind of cringy, plus he's a man so I don't think that's a valid opinion. She doesn't have a biological sex, being a robot and thus unable to reproduce, but gender-wise, she is female.   My main argument here is the scene in A New Hope, where everyone gets stuck in the trash compactor. Everyone is panicking, but Artoo hacks into the computer and saves everyone without losing her head. Could a man do that? Could a man do that without the expectation of praise? Definitely not. She continually saves the day quietly and unrewarded.  Girlboss Further...