The Nutcracker

It's hard to believe that Winter Break is in less than a week. This last week before Christmas is usually when it gets really crazy around my house. Last minute shopping, everyone is on the phone to make plans for Christmas, and present wrapping -- it could be said that this last week before Christmas, my entire room is covered in wrapping paper, ribbon, gift bags, candy canes, etc... But this last week is the most fun for me because everyone's bustling around and it just feels like Christmas. Especially because this year, it just hasn't really felt like Christmas for me because there's been so many things going on lately, it's like, "Where did the time before Christmas go?" And also, the weather hasn't really been cooperating. Sixty degree weather one day and forty degree weather another day without snow doesn't really make it feel all Christmas-sy. But this last week before Christmas feels a lot better than the last few weeks.

Yesterday, my parents and I went to see The Nutcracker at Olney Theatre. It was really, really terrific. It was a small and local production, but nonetheless, I loved it. And also despite that little girl who sat in front of me and squirmed around and whispered to her dad the entire first act. But again, nonetheless, I really enjoyed it.

The Nutcracker is the story of a little girl, Clara, who receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve. Her brother breaks the nutcracker and Clara is distraught. However, that night, she sneaks downstairs to find her broken nutcracker and falls asleep. She dreams of a faraway land, where the nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince. Clara meets the Snow Queen and her snowflakes while walking through the pine forest. In the second act, Clara travels with the Nutcracker prince to the Land of Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy, who sends for entertainment for Clara. There are dancing chocolates form Spain, dancing coffee from Arabia, dancing tea from China, and candy canes from Russia. Danish shepherdesses and Mother Gigogne and her children also come as well as dancing flowers. The grande finale is the grande pas de deux, a dance performed by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavelier.

I thought that the ballet was just fantastic. It was funny, well-done, and the dancing was beautiful. Also, I loved the little kids who performed. They were adorable! Especially Madame Gigogne's son. So cute. The entire prodcution was one of those things that just makes you happy and makes you feel all Christmas-sy. It was a great way to enjoy the last week before Christmas.

I actually still cannot believe that there's only about a week before Christmas. I hope you're enjoying your last week before Christmas! Here's a trailer of Olney's The Nutcracker production.

The Holidays

This week (and maybe for the next few weeks) I will be taking a break from film reviews. Since it's December (already!), will write about the holidays and, as cheesy as it sounds, what it means to me. This week, I will write about Christmas traditions.

I love the holiday season because it is just such a happy time. You always get that warm feeling inside when you see snow falling outside your window, when you see twinkling lights around the neighborhood, wreaths on people's doors, and candles in windows.

On a more personal note, Christmas is very important to my family. For my family, the holidays start the first week of Advent. We kick off the holiday season by putting up our Christmas tree. This has been a tradition since I was three and the tree we have now is actually the one we got when I was three. We usually put up our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving, a week before Advent (We have an artificial tree). Many say it's too early, but if you think about it, the so-called "official" holiday season is only about four weeks out of the fifty-two weeks of the year. An additional week wouldn't hurt. Anyways, my dad and I usually turn on some Christmas music while my mom's in the kitchen, cooking up something nice. My dad puts up the tree while I sort out the ornaments, stockings, and other miscelaneous decorations that we own. After my dad's done with the tree, I put up the ornaments and after we put everything on the tree, we put a little porcelain nativity scene underneath the tree.

It could be said that my family has a lot of Christmas traditions; however, it has evolved throughout the years. Starting from the time I was four, I would help my uncle put up the huge tree at my grandparents' house. Then, when the day of Christmas Eve came, we would have lunch at my grandparents' with all my aunts and uncles on my mother's side. I was one of two grandchildren on my mother's side at that time. In the afternoon, we'd get into our fancy Christmas clothes and go to Church. When we returned home, we'd first take a family photo next to the tree. Then, we'd have dinner and my grandmother would bring out the two yule logs for dessert. We'd gather around the tree and open presents. I remember always being so hyped up when Christmas came around. Now, things are a little different. Instead of going to my grandparents', one of my aunts hosts. Instead of having one cousin to share Christmas with, I have seven. My favorite part, I remember, was the secret santa game that our family did. Unfortunately, we had to stop once there were too many babies. I remember being just pure happy, running around, screaming with excitement when it was time to open the gifts. Everyone else would be just as loud and excited. By the time all the gifts were all opened, the floor would be covered with wrapping paper, which we then cleaned up together, and we'd wait for Christmas Day.

When Christmas comes around, I always reminesce about this time. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the holiday season is a time where you look back through the years, take in all the good, forget about the bad, and just be thankful and feel happy. Wow, that sounds cheesier than intended, but it's the truth! So this is this week's blog post: a reflection on the start of the holiday season! Hope you all are getting into the holiday spirit as well!

Here's two clips from A Charlie Brown Christmas. The first is of Charlie Brown attempting to find out the true meaning of Christmas. The second is of Linus explaining "the true meaning of Christmas." Enjoy!

The Natural

Just a couple of days ago, I was flipping through channels on the television to see if there was anything to watch. While scrolling through the list of channels on the guide, I saw The Natural. The title sounded familiar but I didn't know why. I decided to watch it, and when I turned it on, (it was at the beginning of the film), it was Robert Redford pitching. Then it all came back to me. In sixth grade, I had had a media teacher who was a huge Robert Redford fan. She had a film poster of The Natural on her wall. After watching the film, I totally understood why she was such a huge fan of the film (and an even bigger fan of Robert Redford).

The Natural, was released in 1984 and directed by Barry Levinson. It was also based off of a book of the same name, written in 1952 by Bernard Malamud.

The Natural is a film about an aspiring pitcher, Roy Hobbs (Redford) who is headed to the major leagues; however, on the way, he is shot by a mysterious woman, forcing him to temporarily abandon his ambitions of becoming a pitcher in the major leagues. Despite his incident, he never gives up baseball. After his recovery, at the age of 35, Hobbs makes a second attempt to get back into the major leagues, this time as an outfielder and, of course, hitter. Hobbs is recruited by the New York Knights, a major league team with a record losing streak. At first, his coach and teammates underestimate him because of his age and dubbed him to be the "middle-aged rookie." Despite taunts from his teammates, Hobbs proves himself to be a hitter with astouning skills, and immediately becomes the most well known player in the league as he breaks records.

It can be said that The Natural is one of those "inspirational" films where the theme is "never giving up" but the premise and the plot of the film are both terrific.  I don't think I've ever watched a film about baseball that I actually like; this is the first. The first time I saw it (I actually watched it again the next day since I missed part of the beginning), I thought the story was really unique. An aspiring pitcher getting shot by a random woman whose intentions were never revealed, forcing him to restart his career? I'd never heard anything like it. It's unique and very enjoyable. Robert Redford's performance as the ambitious, tough, and somewhat vulnerable baseball player is phenomenal as well.

And I've got to say, Robert Redford's attractiveness back in the days was really the cherry-on-top for this The Natural.

It was extremely difficult finding a good quality Youtube clip of this film. I tried finding a clip where Hobbs was actually playing baseball, but couldn't because the quality was extremely poor. Instead, I found this one clip of Hobbs talking to his childhood sweetheart, Iris (Close), about how he wants to be "the best there ever was" which is a line that comes up a lot throughout this film. Enjoy!