{"id":1575,"date":"2016-02-07T01:17:55","date_gmt":"2016-02-07T06:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeneralmusings.com\/?p=921"},"modified":"2016-02-07T01:17:55","modified_gmt":"2016-02-07T06:17:55","slug":"arts-culture-that-moved-me-in-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeneralmusings.com\/?p=1575","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars, and other Arts and Culture that moved me in 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don’t get out on the town that much anymore, other than my season’s tickets to the National Ballet (young kids are such a bummer). Even so, there\u00a0was still lots of arts and culture that moved me in 2015. And since it’s already into February\u00a0in 2016, without further ado, let’s get to the list!<\/p>\n

TV \/ Webseries<\/h2>\n

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries<\/a>, a webseries on Youtube.<\/h3>\n

This 2013 production\u00a0takes Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and updates it to the current modern era and format with aplomb. Lizzie Bennett is a video blogger (aka vlogger) and through her semi-weekly videos (each usually lasting between 3 and 5 minutes), the story unfolds. It’s not necessary to know the plot of Pride and Prejudice to enjoy this series, but it does\u00a0give an extra layer of enjoyment to be able to anticipate the\u00a0plot, and compare the adaptations. It even won an Emmy! I love that Charlotte and Bingley\/Bing Lee are Chinese! I love the costume theatre! (you’ll see) I missed this web series during the original publishing back in 2012, so\u00a0I did\u00a0lose out on the interactive trans-media aspect of it, but it was no matter, I was hooked all the same and binge watched this in two sessions. If you’re a romantic, give it to episode 7, and see if you too aren’t hooked for the count.<\/p>\n

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/a>, on Netflix.<\/h3>\n

The premise of this show seems so ridiculous that it\u2019s a wonder they were able to sell a pilot, much less a whole season. Would the release and reintegration of women who\u2019d been kidnapped and held captive for 15 years seem like good fodder for a show? But I\u2019m so glad they did. This show is populated with hilarious characters brought to life in broad strokes by the talented cast with the balance to prevent them from being annoying and unlikable. <\/span><\/p>\n

So many hilarious nuggets in this show, the best being Ellie Kemper\u2019s portrayal of Kimmy Schmidt, the determined bright optimist, in face of the cynical world. <\/span><\/p>\n

Books<\/h2>\n

This is Water<\/em>, David Foster Wallace<\/h3>\n

This is actually the text of the commencement address that Wallace gave at Kenyon College\u00a0class of 2005, the only one he gave. It\u2019s highly accessible, humourous, and opens a number of doors to introspection of your own values. It\u00a0underscores the hard and constant work it is to be empathetic. The subtitle of this work when found in print is, “This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life”. <\/span><\/p>\n

As someone who is agnostic and doesn\u2019t follow or practice a particular religion or dogma, I sometimes feel envious of those who are actively follow an organized religion, because they have such clear guidelines and parables on how to live \u201ca good life\u201d. There is a religious leader who constantly reminds them of the hard and constant work it is to be empathetic to others. Without this provided structure, like\u00a0for me, it’s easy to lose sight of that\u00a0hard and constant work and be swept up into the singular view of the importances in my head.\u00a0This is Water<\/em> will be a regular touchstone of mine going forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Link to a Youtube video recording of the speech:\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/8CrOL-ydFMI<\/a><\/p>\n

Eleanor & Park<\/em>, Rainbow Rowell<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

Yes, it’s a teen romance novel, and perhaps you think you should be reading more sophisticated material. You\u2019d be missing out. It’s so well done, with unconventional characters and a gripping story of forces impacting them beyond their unlikely romance, that I still think back on the scenes now, even nearly 12 months later. Rowell does use a lot of short chapters as she switches perspective between the two characters, reminiscent of the MTV video style of editing. Some may find that annoying, but I didn\u2019t mind at all.\u00a0<\/span>My earlier review.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fifth Gospel,<\/em> Ian Caldwell<\/h2>\n

My favourite mystery\/thriller book in recent\u00a0years, miles ahead of the others like\u00a0Death Comes to Pemberley<\/em> and\u00a0Girl on a Train<\/em>. Not only is there a mystery to be solved, looming danger, and very human characters,\u00a0there was a lot learned\u00a0about the Vatican City, Western and Eastern Catholic priests in the Vatican, and Catholic religious history. All this and the writing was wonderful\u2014the main characters were fully dimensional, the location springs to life, and complex history was made clear. The resolution was satisfying and logical, and yet I did not see the ending coming. It took Caldwell 10 years between this and his first book (The Rule of Four<\/em>, co-authored with Dustin Thomason, and also one I highly enjoyed), but it seems like it was time very well spent.<\/p>\n

Movies<\/h2>\n

Inside Out, animated movie by Pixar.<\/h3>\n

Wow. This is a true piece of storytelling art, a masterful accomplishment by Pete Doctor and the team at Pixar. Like really, how do you explore the concepts of emotions, memory, how the two interact to influence personality behaviours, AND make it a compelling story to follow? I would think it\u2019s damn near impossible, but somehow they pulled it off. <\/span><\/p>\n

The emotions characters are brilliantly rendered and voiced. There is multi-layered humour in different formats, appealing to both kids and adults. There is drama and tension in Joy and Sadness\u2019s hero journey back to Mission Control. There is the sadness of losing a friend you care for, and the empathy you have for someone who has to wrestle with these large feelings. I certainly cried in this movie, and E1 and E2 both were so overcome with the feelings they couldn\u2019t deal and \u201chad to go to the bathroom\u201d to escape the theatre.<\/span><\/p>\n

I say phooey to those people who nitpick for shortcomings in this movie. Who cares if it\u2019s not exactly matching all the current understanding of psychology? That this movie arms kids (and adults) with the awareness of their emotions and a vocabulary to articulate it makes it powerful movie. That it\u2019s also entertaining and accessible pushes this into the realm of highest art, in my opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Star Wars: The Force Awakens<\/h3>\n

I loved this movie. If I can turn off the overly-analytical\/critical\/cynic part of my brain, this movie was freakin\u2019 amazing. I\u2019ve made up my mind that it is great in spite of some flaws that I\u2019ll choose to ignore. I think of it as a kind of reboot of the series for the current youth generation, while respecting the storyline of the first 6 episodes. (we totally needed a palate cleanser to rid our memories of Episodes 1, 2 and 3) JJ Abrams had a lot of different balls to juggle to try to satisfy peoples\u2019 desires, and I think he got it mostly right.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has a kickass heroine Rey, who does all these incredible feats that is often rote in a male protagonists of action films. (Sledding down a sand dune mountain! Kicking ass with her staff! Piloting the Millennium Falcon at first try! Rewiring the spaceship! Fighting with a lightsaber without training!) Who cares if it\u2019s improbable, it\u2019s great fun to see her so hyper-competent.\u00a0I’m curious about her back story, and excited to see what she does next.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finn is a great \u201cEveryman”, in a way the audience’s proxy to being a part of this fantastic world. His sense of decency, wry sense of humour, and brave actions in spite of the fear he has, makes him also a character to root for. You want to be his best friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega have done an excellent job bringing these two characters to life. I’ve fallen in love with them and actually care about what happens to them in the next episode, which is miles from the feelings I had coming out of the theatre after seeing Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 1999.<\/p>\n

Music<\/h2>\n

Hello<\/a>, by Adele<\/h3>\n

This clearly was a monster song from the moment it was released in November. It’s at turns intimate, pleading, powerful, and cathartic, all within the same song. In a few sparse lyrics an entire backstory is filled in and you’re invested in her story.\u00a0It’s like I’m\u00a0listening in and eavesdropping on her\u00a0emotional conversation and the hairs just stand on the back of my\u00a0neck because of the sheer emotive power of Adele’s voice. It’s a full romantic drama in less than 4 minutes, and even now I\u00a0still get the shivers.<\/p>\n

Warpaint<\/a>, by Ivory Hours<\/h3>\n

This was an instant ear worm for me the moment I heard it in the car. The driving syncopation, pop melody, interesting guitar line and snappy tempo just grabbed my ear and hasn’t let go. I’ve really enjoyed their whole album (yes, it’s on Spotify). Go CanCon!<\/p>\n

Comic Artist<\/h2>\n

Kate Beaton,\u00a0Hark a Vagrant\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

I only discovered Kate Beaton in 2015. She posts her web comics at http:\/\/www.harkavagrant.com\/ \u00a0covering historical figures and their stories with\u00a0a modern sense of humour. Sometimes she pokes fun at the historical person themselves, but often if it’s someone she does really admire or respect, she pokes fun at the absurd people around them. Some of my favourites:<\/p>\n