Tag: Movies

margaret atwood’s the handmaid’s tale

200px-TheHandmaidsTale(1stEd)-1Prepping to discuss Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale tomorrow in my Lit 111 course. We’ll discuss more dystopian elements, feminism and watch some scenes from the film adaptation.

spring break and being flynn

Spending time with Nick Flynn’s book and also watching some clips from the adaptation: “We all need to create the story that will make sense of our lives. Make sense of our daily tasks.”

frank darabont, blade runner and needless qualifiers

Today in Lit 150 we are discussing needless qualifiers. I like the Frank Darabont/Tears in Rain soliloquy example from Blade Runner documentary:

gerald nicosia article: on the road, the movie?

On_the_Road_FilmPosterSpent time this afternoon with Gerald Nicosia‘s Huffington Post article about his experiences working with the film makers of the On the Road film adaptation. I’m interested in his opinion because I enjoyed his book Memory Babe so much. Here he writes candidly about setting up a Beat boot camp for the actors and also becoming a bit starstruck. And I have to agree the Jose Rivera script had quite a bit missing in terms of Kerouac’s mad spirituality. I was sad not to see the Old Walking Saint character and the “Go moan for man” scenes or any stream of consciousness style scenes with voice-over narration. I have to say now that I’ve seen the film I’m more excited to see the Searching for On the Road documentary shot alongside Salles’ film. Also I wonder if Ann Charters has seen the film.

hunter s. thompson and joan didion

hunter s. thompson and joan didion

Today in Com 112 talking about the radically differing accounts of the 60’s in Joan Didion’s and also Hunter S. Thompson respective creative nonfiction . Didion alludes to Yeats’ Slouching Toward Bethlehem World War 1 generation poem and Hunter S. labels the generation in San Francisco as riding a high wave.

sunday morning philip k. dick segment on to the best of our knowledge

PhilipDicksunday morning philip k. dick segment on to the best of our knowledge

Spending time this Sunday afternoon listening to Philip K. Dick segment on To the Best of Our Knowledge. I was most struck by interview with Ann R. Dick, wife #5, and also David Gill interview on film adaptations of Dick’s work.

Love this quote: “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” — Philip K. Dick

one fast move or i’m gone: kerouac’s big sur documentary

one fast move or i’m gone: kerouac’s big sur documentary

Had some time to watch this documentary by Kerouac Films and directed by Curt Worden. I was most taken by the cinematography capturing Big Sur and San Francisco. I was also taken with the candid interviews of Carolyn Cassady and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

kerouac.net link to big sur trailer

kerouac.net link to big sur trailer

Kerouc.net linked to a Vimeo preview of the Big Sur film trailer. Looks good. Can’t embed the video though I tried.

Big Sur from Michael Polish on Vimeo.

terry gilliam’s man of la mancha

terry gilliam’s man of la mancha

This article gives some hope for the film. And I remember the documentary from a while back about the failed project. I hope Depp and Gilliam can get this going again. I like Terry Gilliam movies.

new on the road movie trailer

New trailer came out today for the Walter Salles adaptation of Kerouac’s famous novel. The book that means so much to me from my younger moco days. I’m happy to see the film has an R rating. I’m happy to see the January 2013 opening date for wide release will soon be here.