What do you expect when you pick up a piece of historical fiction? A story about a young Revolutionary War soldier rubbing shoulders with George Washington or an aspiring female actress desperate to appear in one of Shakespeare’s plays? Novels set in well-known historical moments such as these are popular and engaging, but rarely do these works of fiction look beyond our own Euro-centric culture. It’s rare to find novelists who can create protagonists and situations that explore the intersection between the East and the West in a meaningful way.
I’m being completely honest when I say that I believed I wouldn’t have the time or the will to read the latest issue (Issue 07) of The Common in time for this review. The Common, a print and online literary magazine based at Amherst College, publishes fiction, essays, poetry and images that focus on a modern sense of place. Issue 07, which was released this Monday, April 29, promised to be an enriching read, but I doubted how much time I’d have to devote to reading it. Drowning in my research, papers, presentations and labs, I worried constantly about budgeting what little time I had.
It’s all part of a cycle that started before most of us were even born. Members of Saturday Night Live leave, viewers get upset and they become convinced that no one could ever replace the old core group. Then, when the new cast is busy getting their bearings, people switch off, angry that their expectations of Chevy-Chase-falling-down-stairs levels of hilarity aren’t being instantly met.
As we’ve discussed before, I love superheroes. If anyone needs proof, please look back on my previous articles or find me in Val to hear about my intense bordering-on-obsessive love for the Caped Crusader. That love also extends to Marvel’s universe. Having seen massive success with “Thor,” “Iron Man,” “Captain America,” “The Avengers” and the hype for the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the Marvel Universe will soon see its next potential hit: a “Fantastic Four” reboot.
I’ve been deliberating how to start this review for a while. I’m incredibly tempted to break all conventions of professionalism, click the caps lock key and scream at the top of my lungs about my love for this movie. You know what? Screw it. Forgive me until the end of this paragraph. THE LEGO MOVIE WAS AMAZING! I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO “EVERYTHING IS AWESOME” NONSTOP! It was one of the funniest, most heartfelt films I’ve ever seen. I hadn’t laughed so loud and cried (yes, actual tears) in a theater in … well, ever. And I don’t think I’m the only one.
I remember for about 18 months while I was five and six, I made it a point to watch “The Lion King” at least once a week. When I realized just how excessive this pre-adolescent binge watching was, I felt sorry for all the people who had to watch with me to make sure the VHS worked. This person was usually my mom. Recently, my mom reminded me of these frequent screenings.
This needs to be said right away: “About Time” is a new movie about a time-traveler who marries the always-popular “Mean Girls” star Rachel McAdams. It is is not, however, “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” which was released in 2009 and is also about a time-traveler who marries the beautiful “Wedding Crashers” actress Rachel McAdams. Aside from the odd repeated typecasting of Rachel McAdams as drawn to time-traveling men (she also starred in “Midnight in Paris” with Owen Wilson) and the seemingly identical premise, the two films have remarkably little in common.
