Sunday, December 21, 2008
Totally Quotable-Mildred Wirt
On her first solo-flight: "Touch the throttle and it would snort with rage. Step too hard on the brakes and it would try to pitch the instructor through the windshield. Airborne, it arrogantly flew itself, tying me into a mental pretzel." From the Toledo Blade
Never a Bad Word-Girl Sleuth
Never A Bad Word
Girl Sleuth: the Women Behind Nancy Drew-Melanie Rehak
Girl Sleuth: The Women Behind Nancy Drew sets out to tell the tale of how Nancy Drew became the smartest, bravest, most popular, and best-dressed girl in children’s literature. Though, along the way it becomes a chronicling of American feminism guided by the much beloved fictional character. At times, the book suggests that Nancy may have made her readers grow into feminists, but mostly it proposes that the Nancy Drew’s character was the product of woman’s growing role in society, as well as, a mascot lovingly appropriated by later movements.
In order to frame the tale of Nancy Drew, Melanie Rehak starts with the college educations of her two most notable writers Mildred Wirt and Harriet Stratemeyer. Both have very different backgrounds, values, and ambitions, but both, unknowingly, blaze the path to feminism by being some of the first educated working women in America. Ms. Drew definitely gets her gumption from Mildred who went on to become a reporter, pilot and adventurer who was still actively writing for the Toledo Blade past her 93rd birthday. On a different note, Nancy gets her style, and graciousness from Harriet whose father originally came up with the idea for the Nancy Drew Mysteries. Somewhere between the two women’s views of their creation, Nancy grew to be a timeless role-model and inspiration for millions of women and girls.
Girl Sleuth: the Women Behind Nancy Drew-Melanie Rehak
Girl Sleuth: The Women Behind Nancy Drew sets out to tell the tale of how Nancy Drew became the smartest, bravest, most popular, and best-dressed girl in children’s literature. Though, along the way it becomes a chronicling of American feminism guided by the much beloved fictional character. At times, the book suggests that Nancy may have made her readers grow into feminists, but mostly it proposes that the Nancy Drew’s character was the product of woman’s growing role in society, as well as, a mascot lovingly appropriated by later movements.
In order to frame the tale of Nancy Drew, Melanie Rehak starts with the college educations of her two most notable writers Mildred Wirt and Harriet Stratemeyer. Both have very different backgrounds, values, and ambitions, but both, unknowingly, blaze the path to feminism by being some of the first educated working women in America. Ms. Drew definitely gets her gumption from Mildred who went on to become a reporter, pilot and adventurer who was still actively writing for the Toledo Blade past her 93rd birthday. On a different note, Nancy gets her style, and graciousness from Harriet whose father originally came up with the idea for the Nancy Drew Mysteries. Somewhere between the two women’s views of their creation, Nancy grew to be a timeless role-model and inspiration for millions of women and girls.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Quantum of Solace
Quantum of Solace can be best described as Bond goes rogue. The Marc Foster directed film is the perfect second installment of the 'new Bond.' In my opinion, Casino Royale set the 007 franchise back to zero, not only with a new lead actor, but with a new attitude and a new credibility. As the second film, Quantum has the difficult job of continuing to grow Bond into the character we love without losing the believability and grittiness that Royale brought to the famous spy. I hope, over the course of his five films, Daniel Craig will continue the trajectory of becoming more like the Bond we know and love. So far Craig has the swagger, the confidence (or shall we say cockiness), and the wit of James Bond, but he still has a few rough edges that need to be hammered out.
The first film saw fit to beat up Bond a bit, smoothing a few edges. Royale exposes that he couldn’t always kill with complete ease and not only proves, but shows, that Bond sweats and bleeds. Royale makes Bond human. This addition to the Bond canon is why the opening action sequences of the Quantum are a little disappointing. Pre and post the opening credits, Quantum seems to suffer from a desire to be Bourne not Bond. The fast confusing editing and the jerky handheld style keep the audience from really understanding the lay of land. Particularly in the post-credit sequence, a hand to hand fight against a traitor who just tried to assassinate M, the camera moves briskly and haphazardly without keying into the psyche of the struggling men. You want the camera to linger on the hits and grimaces, to show their determination and blood thirst. However, the editing removes you from the scene keeping the audience as a fight spectator rather than a witness. Finally, in a very dramatic shift, the camera settles on a close up of Bond as he coolly shoots and kills his opponent. The first of many casualties; Bond certainly makes good use of his license to kill in Quantum.
From then on the film changes pace and, even though Quantum is less then two hours long, it seems to take its time. The lead characters are fleshed out, the minor characters are kept from being simple stereotypes and, of course, there is just the right proportion of action. If Royale makes Bond human, then Quantum gives him humanity. Faced with the betrayal and suicide of Vesper, the woman he loves in Casino Royale, Bond is lost between the desire to avenge her and the desire to hate her. His journey is not just to find a tiny piece of solace, but also the ability to forgive and Daniel Craig finds an understated way to give Bond emotions giving the character over to them.
Returning as M, Dame Judi Dench not only delivers some of the funniest lines with a perfected dry wit, she also gets to finally showcase her acting chops while playing the erudite head of MI6. After the assassination attempt on her life, M is left wondering who she can trust: the revenge seeking Bond, her oil thirsty country who is ready to get in bed with the bad guys, or even her own security team. Faced with this, she continues to move with a confidence, determination and grace that make you wonder how many people she killed before getting to her high position. Further, the maturing relationship she has with Bond takes several steps towards being filled with the mutual respect and friendship of the original Fleming creations. When, in the end, she says to Bond, "We need you back," she means it with a sincerity and respect that wasn’t yet there in Royale.
This installment's villain, Mr. Greene, has the right amount of intelligence, narcissism, and poor fashion sense to make him both enticing and terrifying. Played by Mathieu Amalric, Greene heads a company that is creating environmental sanctuaries, but really his company is Quantum's way of hording natural resources. Quantum, a creepy sounding organization, has its meetings during an Opera and not only claims, but literally has people everywhere; there could be one behind you right now.
Camille, Quantum’s sultry main Bond girl, is given a revenge plot of her own. When we met her she is in league (and in bed) with our badie Mr. Greene, but only as a way to be re-introduced to her personal villain; General Medrano. Earlier in his career Medrano was a henchman who murdered, raped and killed Camille’s family. Now he is about to take over the Bolivian government with the help of Greene and Quantum. Like, Camille has a no-nonsense attitude which can border on arrogance. After Greene sends an unsuccessful hit man after her, she boldly walks back into his compound to demand why he wants her dead. Actress Olga Kurylenko will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best Bond girls.
Also returning are Casino Royale’s Renée Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) and Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright). Mathis is Quantum’s unlikely sage. After his passports and credit cards are canceled, Bond goes to Mathis for assistance. Proving his charms aren’t solely for the use on women, he convinces Mathis to accompany him to Bolivia. A few poignant conversations between the men give a window into why Bond can’t find the titular solace.
Quantum’s Leiter, a character carried over from the book and film series, is more refined than his predecessors. Played by the expertly cool Wright, Leiter gives the appearance of a hard-ass but is quick to joke with his favorite Brit. One can only hope that Felix will be given more a role in future films.
And what is a Bond film without a car chase followed by a boat chase followed by a plane chase. This film has it all. Quantum of Solace is as a good a Bond as any and, as one final proof; I put forth the opening credits. Traditionally, Bond has long opening credits played over graphic imagery and accompanied by the theme song, instead of having the bare credits over a few establishing shots like most contemporary films. Casino Royale has Daniel Craig’s silhouette mixing with casino imagery including hearts, spades, kings, aces etc. Coupled with the song “You Know my Name,” which flirts with the main Bond theme song, but never quite hits it, the credit sequence is an effective way of positioning Craig as the new lead. However I couldn’t help but feel the absence of the ‘possibly naked’ ladies that usually populate the screen.
Quantum starts with stylized shots of Bond walking across an expansive desert with the cosmos behind him. The theme song “Another Way to Die” compliments the way Bond seems to be alone in the universe. Then, a shape seems to emerge out of the dunes, until a possibly unclad woman rises from them. At times it is unclear if the camera is panning across a woman lying underneath thin sheets or a female form made of mounds of sand. Quantum’s opening sequence is the perfect step back toward the classic Bonds, while the film is the perfect step forward for the franchise. Leaving camp behind, Craig and the cast take bonds to new heights of legitimacy. Although, I don’t think Oscar talk is appropriate for this year; it no longer seems entirely ridiculous to use Oscar and Bond in the same sentence.
The first film saw fit to beat up Bond a bit, smoothing a few edges. Royale exposes that he couldn’t always kill with complete ease and not only proves, but shows, that Bond sweats and bleeds. Royale makes Bond human. This addition to the Bond canon is why the opening action sequences of the Quantum are a little disappointing. Pre and post the opening credits, Quantum seems to suffer from a desire to be Bourne not Bond. The fast confusing editing and the jerky handheld style keep the audience from really understanding the lay of land. Particularly in the post-credit sequence, a hand to hand fight against a traitor who just tried to assassinate M, the camera moves briskly and haphazardly without keying into the psyche of the struggling men. You want the camera to linger on the hits and grimaces, to show their determination and blood thirst. However, the editing removes you from the scene keeping the audience as a fight spectator rather than a witness. Finally, in a very dramatic shift, the camera settles on a close up of Bond as he coolly shoots and kills his opponent. The first of many casualties; Bond certainly makes good use of his license to kill in Quantum.
From then on the film changes pace and, even though Quantum is less then two hours long, it seems to take its time. The lead characters are fleshed out, the minor characters are kept from being simple stereotypes and, of course, there is just the right proportion of action. If Royale makes Bond human, then Quantum gives him humanity. Faced with the betrayal and suicide of Vesper, the woman he loves in Casino Royale, Bond is lost between the desire to avenge her and the desire to hate her. His journey is not just to find a tiny piece of solace, but also the ability to forgive and Daniel Craig finds an understated way to give Bond emotions giving the character over to them.
Returning as M, Dame Judi Dench not only delivers some of the funniest lines with a perfected dry wit, she also gets to finally showcase her acting chops while playing the erudite head of MI6. After the assassination attempt on her life, M is left wondering who she can trust: the revenge seeking Bond, her oil thirsty country who is ready to get in bed with the bad guys, or even her own security team. Faced with this, she continues to move with a confidence, determination and grace that make you wonder how many people she killed before getting to her high position. Further, the maturing relationship she has with Bond takes several steps towards being filled with the mutual respect and friendship of the original Fleming creations. When, in the end, she says to Bond, "We need you back," she means it with a sincerity and respect that wasn’t yet there in Royale.
This installment's villain, Mr. Greene, has the right amount of intelligence, narcissism, and poor fashion sense to make him both enticing and terrifying. Played by Mathieu Amalric, Greene heads a company that is creating environmental sanctuaries, but really his company is Quantum's way of hording natural resources. Quantum, a creepy sounding organization, has its meetings during an Opera and not only claims, but literally has people everywhere; there could be one behind you right now.
Camille, Quantum’s sultry main Bond girl, is given a revenge plot of her own. When we met her she is in league (and in bed) with our badie Mr. Greene, but only as a way to be re-introduced to her personal villain; General Medrano. Earlier in his career Medrano was a henchman who murdered, raped and killed Camille’s family. Now he is about to take over the Bolivian government with the help of Greene and Quantum. Like, Camille has a no-nonsense attitude which can border on arrogance. After Greene sends an unsuccessful hit man after her, she boldly walks back into his compound to demand why he wants her dead. Actress Olga Kurylenko will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best Bond girls.
Also returning are Casino Royale’s Renée Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) and Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright). Mathis is Quantum’s unlikely sage. After his passports and credit cards are canceled, Bond goes to Mathis for assistance. Proving his charms aren’t solely for the use on women, he convinces Mathis to accompany him to Bolivia. A few poignant conversations between the men give a window into why Bond can’t find the titular solace.
Quantum’s Leiter, a character carried over from the book and film series, is more refined than his predecessors. Played by the expertly cool Wright, Leiter gives the appearance of a hard-ass but is quick to joke with his favorite Brit. One can only hope that Felix will be given more a role in future films.
And what is a Bond film without a car chase followed by a boat chase followed by a plane chase. This film has it all. Quantum of Solace is as a good a Bond as any and, as one final proof; I put forth the opening credits. Traditionally, Bond has long opening credits played over graphic imagery and accompanied by the theme song, instead of having the bare credits over a few establishing shots like most contemporary films. Casino Royale has Daniel Craig’s silhouette mixing with casino imagery including hearts, spades, kings, aces etc. Coupled with the song “You Know my Name,” which flirts with the main Bond theme song, but never quite hits it, the credit sequence is an effective way of positioning Craig as the new lead. However I couldn’t help but feel the absence of the ‘possibly naked’ ladies that usually populate the screen.
Quantum starts with stylized shots of Bond walking across an expansive desert with the cosmos behind him. The theme song “Another Way to Die” compliments the way Bond seems to be alone in the universe. Then, a shape seems to emerge out of the dunes, until a possibly unclad woman rises from them. At times it is unclear if the camera is panning across a woman lying underneath thin sheets or a female form made of mounds of sand. Quantum’s opening sequence is the perfect step back toward the classic Bonds, while the film is the perfect step forward for the franchise. Leaving camp behind, Craig and the cast take bonds to new heights of legitimacy. Although, I don’t think Oscar talk is appropriate for this year; it no longer seems entirely ridiculous to use Oscar and Bond in the same sentence.
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