All posts tagged: movies

Strange Happenings in April

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April 1st NaPoWriMo begins today. If you want to join in on this month long challenge, visit the unofficial homepage. Creator Maureen Thorson provides daily prompts and ideas for participating poets. April 6th The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon on shelves. This book has such an interesting premise, it’s definitely going on my TBR. “Growing up, Lex and Jax were inseparable, spending summers at their grandmother’s estate in Vermont, known for its underground springs rumored to grant wishes … but also take things in return. When Lex dies in the pool, Jax returns home and begins to learn more about the house’s supernatural history, including the story of a woman in 1929 desperate to have a baby.” April 7th This is a Robbery: World’s Biggest Art Heist streaming on Netflix. “In 1990, two men dressed as cops con their way into a Boston museum and steal a fortune in art.” I’m really looking forward to this deep dive into the case, having been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum many times. April 17 International Haiku …

Winter’s Last Gasp at Elk Knob Park

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Technically, I visited Elk Knob Park three days after the start of spring. The weather however, was all winter. A cold wind swirled a misty haze through the woods, and the landscape was still bare, devoid of any greenery. Dispute clamoring for warm weather, I didn’t mind the fog and sparse surroundings. The misty atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, and highlighted an ongoing project. As hazardous trees are removed from the trail, art from students attending Appalachian State University are being mounted into the stumps.

Searching for Springtime Scares

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I like to align a lot of my writing with the seasons, since I take a lot of inspiration from nature. Spring is usually a challenge for me, as I prefer darker themes and imagery. How do you make sunshine and budding flowers scary? I might be able to take some tips from a hugely successful horror movie that premiered in March. Jordan Peele’s Us featured warm weather, picturesque settings, and children. Peele contrasts these elements with dark tunnels, and a nighttime confrontation between the protagonist’s family and terrifying, murderous versions of themselves. I can also take  literary inspiration from some classic short stories.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is centered around a sunny room. And of course, Shirely Jackson’s famously unsettling The Lottery, detailing the horrifying tradition of a small New England town each June. What’s your favorite springtime scare?

13 stunning poetry scenes in movies

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I was toying with creating a list of great films featuring poetry, but then I found this one over at Pick Me Up Poetry. It’s better than anything I would have created, and has a few films I haven’t seen yet. Number 6 is one I really want to check out, and number 7 is one of my all time favorites. The first time I watched Coach Carter was back in 2008 at my high school leadership team-building retreat in … 13 stunning poetry scenes in movies

Strange Happenings in March

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March 3rd Moxie available for streaming on Netflix. A shy teenager transforms into an activist that uses her voice to call out the school for sexism with some inspiration from her mother’s rebellious past to start a revolution. I wish a movie like this came out when I was in high school. Murder Among the Mormons available for streaming on Netflix. “The murders sent further shockwaves through the community when a trove of early Mormon letters and diaries were found destroyed in the vehicle of the victim, Hofmann, a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous “White Salamander” letter – an artifact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of the LDS Church.” Both of the directors for this documentary, Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Nacho Libre”) and Tyler Measom (“An Honest Liar”) were raised LDS, so having their perspective on the murders and ensuing controversy will be interesting. March 11th New York City Ballet is hosting a digital spring season, with the first event, Three Sides of Balanchine, set to run from February …