Big River, Big Fish

Big River

If you're in the area, or if you can get to the area, y'all come on down and get tickets for the signed/sung production of Big River at Ford's Theatre. The regular run is March 18-May 1, although I'll let you in on a secret - they've told the ushers to be ready for a 2-week holdover.

What a fantastic performance!

( Very long review and staging notes )

Big Fish

Big Fish was one of those many movies that I thought "eh, I wanna see that, maybe" that got skipped in the theaters and dumped onto my Netflix list. (I barely go to theaters anymore.) One problem was that I couldn't tell from the previews or the ads or even the reviews what the frick it was about - was ever a movie this poorly advertised?

And the sad thing is, it's such a simple and beautiful story. A pragmatical son has never communicated well with his fanciful father; now that the father is dying and the son's wife is pregnant, the son comes home one last time to try to make a connection and to find out the truth of his father's life.

And what does he find? That the truth is, his father gave magic to all he touched.

It's a sweet, heartbreaking, beautiful movie - I watched it twice and it made me cry both times, ( major spoiler ahoy! )

A rewatch was definately in order, as there are hundreds of little details that you don't know to look for on the first time around.

It kills me that this gem was overlooked because nobody would give it a fighting chance. Rent this movie, y'all, you'll be glad you did. And I'm going to put it on my next mass video purchase list.


(side note: It is simply not worth running spellcheck on an entry that has words like "piiiiiiigriiiims" in it.)

Well, that answers that (missionary stuff)

The good news:
I've found a web page that gives the address and open hours of the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society - 553 South King Street Honolulu, Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The bad news:
"ADMISSION - Although the library is open to the general public, its resources and services are primarily intended for the use of those engaged in serious research. Library holdings are maintained for scholarly work and projects to promote education and the interpretation of Hawaiian history to the community. The librarians encourage and appreciate advance notice of extensive projects."

Since my name isn't Michner (and my aunt has already gotten a chilly reception for popping in for general research), I am going to have to be part of a PhD program before I go to Hawaii. I'm probably going to have to be part of one before I even approach the HMCS.

Harvard's rare manuscript library doesn't seem to be as attitudinal, not to mention being a heck of a lot easier to get to, so I'm going to mine them first. But while they doubtless have copies of the reports and the official directives (not to mention that goldmine that I desperately need, "The History of the Defection of Dr. Thomas Holman") they're not going to have the personal letters that I'll equally desperately need. The HMCS Library probably has the diaries too.

This still leaves the problem of "what degree from which college?" I thought perhaps I could tailor the entire project to a PhD in professional writing, (class in research, class in grant writing, class in pitching the project, etc.) But it turns out that there are online PhDs in Prof Writing, except that they should really be called PhDs in Technical Writing; they're all about rhetoric and instructional design. Which is peachy for the job 'n' all - I could probably get work to pay for it even - but that doesn't finish the Missionary Project, which is the original point.

'Tis a puzzlement.

Reviewing the Evidence

Two more reviews of mine are up at Reviewing the Evidence (link at right on my LJ): Bride and Groom and Definition Murder. One of these has reached immortality as one of my examples of eyeball-sporking badness, so go see what I'll be twitching about for the next year.

Also recommended is Andi Shechter's review for See Isabelle Run. She's got a great authorial voice and she's so right about the reaction to TV dramas.