Poetry Friday -The Ampersand

 The A to Z challenge is over and now I can get back to my regular life for awhile. That means I can start  posting some of my poetry here again.  

Last month I participated in my first official poetry reading. The poetry group I attend with my daughter at our local library had all the poets who attend that wanted to read their works at a special Poetry month celebration. The poems I read ranged from being 9 months to 30 years old but on the walk to the library on the day of the reaidng. this poem popped into my head.

The Ampersand

The ampersand is very grand

When he is on vacation

He looks real great, is never late

For he is punctuation

The ampersand stands in for and

When and is on hiatus

He tells parentheses to let it be

When question marks berate us

He says to dash - don't be so brash

Because you are in morse

Without me

AT&T could never stay the course

The ampersand don't understand

Why pound signs now hashtag

The at signs name is apersand

Which really is a drag

The ampersand don't hang out late 

At exclamation point

But saves the drama for the comma

When he gets out of joint.

Check out all the other Poetry Friday fun and whatnot hosted this week by Teacher Dance by clicking here.

 

April Stats

 The A to Z challenge is finished. It is now May and time to look once again at how many times I posted last month.  I posted 38 times in the month of April that's 12 more posts than January Through march combined. At this rate I will have 192 posts for the year.

I of course, wont be posting at this rate for the rest of the year but I would like to try to average 10 or so posts for the rest of the year, so we will see what happens.  

A Month at the Movies End Credits

  Last Month I participated in the A to Z Challenge.  My theme was A Month at the Movies.

1796714 © Awcnz62 | Dreamstime.com

The Films I examined were ...

Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)

Breaking Away  - 1979 

Chariots of Fire - 1981

Dave - 1993

Empire Strikes Back, The -1980 

(F) 42 -2013

Gattaca  - 1997

Hidden Figures -2016

It's A Wonderful Life -1946

Jesus Revolution -2023

King's Speech, The- 2010

Last Full Measure, The - 2020

Man For All Seasons, A - 1966

North by Northwest - 1959

Ordinary People - 1980

Persuasion - 1995

Quiz Show - 1994

Return To Me - 2000

Silverado -1985

The Muppet Movie -1979

UHF -1989

Vertigo - 1958 

When A Man Loves A Woman -1994

X-Men: First Class -2011 

You Can't Take It With You -1938

Zootopia -2016

A Closer Look

• 5 of the movies are from before 1964 (before I was born)
• 13 of the films were made between 1964 and 1997 (before marriage)   
• 8 of the films were made since 1998 (since I've been married)

Each post contained my thoughts on the film, a positive and a negative Rotten Tomatoes review,  a comment referencing what the film had to say about resilience, which was the theme of the A to Z challenge this year, a comment regarding whether this film might be in my top 100 films of all time (a list I'm in the process of revising), and any connections the film might have with other films in the challenge. 

Previous Years Challenges 

2012: No Theme

2015: Nouns

2015 White Sox Home Run Hitters (Crazy Uncle Dave's Sports Blog)

2016 Y is for You Tube - Dave Out Loud

2016 Cubs Home Run Hitters - Crazy Uncle Dave's Sports Blog

2016 A to Z  Superheroes (Sadly I no longer have access to these posts)

2019 Songs of the Sherman Brothers Random Acts of Roller

2020 State and World Capitals Random Acts of Roller

2021 Living in 1921

2022 Wordles, Limericks, and Home Runs (Oh my)

Reflections on 2023 

At times I wondered when quoting negative and positive reviews of each film whether people might be confused about how I felt about the film.  Other times I felt a little bit of guilt in posting a negative review of a film I adored.  However, my intention was to show the reader the spectrum of opinions that a movie no matter how well done can engender.  In the end, I was gratified that I could find well-reasoned arguments on both sides regarding the quality or lack thereof for each of my selections. 

For the most part, this was another good year at the challenge.  I did not interact with as many other blogs as I would have liked to.  I don't think I looked at any blogs other than my own for the last week of the challenge.  Each year I tell my wife that I should have all the posts written before the challenge starts.  I never get anywhere near that goal.  This year I had a few fully prepared in advance, but I had set up each post in advance and had added good chunks of information ahead of time.  For example, I had the graphics copied to the individual posts about 2 weeks ahead of time and the Rotten Tomato reviews were linked usually the Sunday before the week they appeared.  I also in retrospect was wise because I finished Z and Y completely before the challenge, so when Friday hit and challenge fatigue was at its highest, I was essentially finished with the challenge.

FAQ

Did each film represent your favorite film with that letter?

No, some films were, and many films were not. Adventures of Robin Hood is one of several A movies that are in my top 100, whereas Arsenic and Old Lace will probably not make my top 100.  Arsenic and Old Lace was the one I chose to feature.

Did you have certain criteria for choosing each film?

I wanted each movie to have had a theatrical release, and I wanted it to be a movie I had previously seen and enjoyed,  Other than that I did not have specific criteria.

Did you rewatch each movie in anticipation of the challenge?

No, but I did rewatch some prior to writing my post and watched others on or near the day the post dropped.  I watched You Can't Take It With You this afternoon with my wife as a post-challenge treat.

Closing Remarks

I think that there should be a week or so between the end of the challenge and the beginning of the reflection period.  Reflection shouldn't be rushed and rest and reflection walk happily together.  Of course, I want my reflection to be near the top so more people can read it, so I eschewed the rest and am finishing my reflection on the challenge before the challenge has officially finished.  

In that vein, I would not start the A to Z Road Trip until Memorial Day.  On the positive side, I think it's grand that there will be at least one post a month on the challenge blog for the rest of the year.  I did one of those posts in February 2022 and would be honored to step in again if asked. 

Next Year: I plan on an A to Z look at characters from The Chronicles of Narnia.  Each year since 1983, I have been reading all the books at least once and this year when I do I'll begin making a list of which characters will appear here in 2024.

Z Is For Zootopia

 A to Z Challenge 2023

A Month  At The Movies

 

Film: Zootopia (2016)

Directors: Byron Howard & Rich Moore

2016 was a big year at the movies for Walt Disney Studios.  According to Box Office Mojo, they had 5 of the top 7 grossing films released in that year.  It was also a big year for animated children's movies with 3 of the aforementioned top 7.  Zootopia was 7th on the list grossing 341.3 million in the U.S. alone.

By gkaidan - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42701886

                                                                         Zootopia - Disney Enterprises Inc. 

Zootopia features Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) as the voices of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde a bunny on the Zootopia police department,  and a fox,    a hustler, and a condog (a male fox is called a dog, look it up.).

This movie follows the standard buddy cop movie plot.  A by the book, play by the rules cop is partnered with an informant who flaunts and plays fast and loose with the laws.  As they learn to work together they go deeper and deeper to uncover a vast conspiracy.

This plot also underlies the main theme of the movie that biases and prejudices don't really show what the true heart of a person, or in this case an animal is. 

Positive Tomato: Sure to speak to kids d grown-ups alike, Zootopia unfolds a poignant lesson about how prejudice can hurt people, but also how it can be overcome. And it does all this in a wonderfully fun film. Kristy Pucko - Pajiba  

 Negative Tomato: It just never fully settles into its own message or visual style. Deidre Crimmins - Cinematic Essential

Resiliency: Resiliency is a major theme of the movie.  It can best be summed up by the Shakira song that plays in the film. Try Everything.

 

The lyrics are chock full of what they call at my school, Growth Mindset.

Consider the opening verse:

I messed up tonight, I lost another fight

Lost to myself, but I'll just start again 

I keep falling down, I keep on hitting the ground 

But I always get up now to see what's next

The song continues:

Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up.

Nobody learns without getting it wrong.

After the familiar chorus, the 2nd verse preaches even more resiliency:

Look how far you've come, you filled your heart with love

Baby, you've done enough, take a deep breath 

Don't beat yourself up, no need to run so fast 

Sometimes we come last, but we did our best 

Try Everything - Shakira

Top 100: I enjoyed this film quite a bit, but it is nowhere near my top 100, I doubt it would even make the top 200.  

A to Z Connections: Bonnie Hunt who voices Judy's over-protected Mom also appears in Dave as a very eager White House tour guide. She co-starred, co-wrote, and directed Return To Me.  

Next Time: A to Z Reflection

Y is for You Cant Take It ...

 A  TO Z Challenge 2023

A Month At The Movies

This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z  challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter.  You can skip over this part if you want to.  

I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another.  With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 1  more time this month.

Film: You Can't Take It With You (1938)

Director: Frank Capra

You Can't Take It With You is your standard issue 1930's screwball comedy with the Frank Capra touch.  The below video does a great job in 9 minutes of recapping and reviewing the film.

The son of a Wall Street banker falls in love with the granddaughter of the person blocking the banker's money-making scheme.  Stars Edward Arnold, Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur.

Positive Tomato: It's one of the most amusing and satisfying pictures to be seen in months, and certain to be an enormous hit with audiences. Edwin Schallert - Los Angeles Times

Negative Tomato: It may be disappointment that any Frank Capra comedy should be heavy and overdone which makes You Can't Take It with You seem such a dud. Otis Ferguson - The New Republic

Resiliency: You Can't Take it with you is the oldest movie on this list.  It is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. That its themes would still resonate with audiences today shows how resilient film can be.  

Top 100: This is one of those movies that I would tell you I think it would be my the top 100 and then wind up with 125+ films on my list.  It is definitely worthy of consideration and may end up making my actual list.  

A to Z Connection:  This is the third film featuring my favorite director Frank Capra in the challenge along with Arsenic and Old Lace and It's A Wonderful Life.  It is also the 3rd film featuring my favorite actor Jimmy Stewart (It's A Wonderful Life and Vertigo).  Speaking of 3s, it is the third film along with the aforementioned Arsenic and Old Lace and A Man For All Seasons to be adapted from a broadway play. This is the 5th and final Academy Award winner for Best Picture on my list.  The other 4 are A Man For All Seasons, Chariots of Fire, Ordinary People, and The Kings Speech.  The Kings Speech has also been produced on Broadway, but in this case, the play was adapted from the film, not vice-versa.

Next Time: Zoo-Dun-It?