Summary:

“Keeping Mum” (2005) is a British comedy film about a psychopath who was released from prison after 43 years in prison. She searched for her daughter, who was born in the prison and was later adopted. She answered an ad for a housekeeper, which her own daughter posted. So she came to live with her daughter’s family and did not inform them who she really was. The daughter is the vicar’s wife; she’s not your typical vicar’s wife, either. She doesn’t go to church. The rest of the movie has strange occurrences that will make you laugh and wish that the daughter’s family would figure it out soon enough.

Review:

There are some hilarious moments in the movie. It’s so funny to watch the mother and daughter and granddaughter working together to cover up something so that the vicar doesn’t know. There are some dull moments as well, which could have been made it more exciting with better dialogue or editing. I was disappointed in the end results; I think the director could have cut a few minutes to make it stronger.

The vicar is Rowan Atkinson. His portrayal brings back memories of his role in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” especially when he stutters and his comedic acts. Kristin Scott Thomas, the daughter/vicar’s wife, did an excellent job performing. She is convincing in her role as the vicar’s wife.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Summary:

“October Sky” (1999) is about a young boy, Homer Hickam, in the 1950’s West Virginia’s coal mining region. The main character’s father is the coal mine supervisor. He was expected to work in the coal mine after high school. Yet, he has aspirations to go to college and to go to space. With the guidance of his science teacher, he and his friends created a rocket to enter the science fair. This story is based on true story.

Review:

The story is compelling and inspiring. It’s a good movie when you are feeling a little blue; it’s a good movie for family, too. The plot is typical. When you watch the movie, you know what will happen at the end. But you are rooting for Homer to overcome his obstacles and to become successful.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary:

“The Story of the Weeping Camel” (2004) was about a family who lives in the Gobi desert of Mongolia. They raise camels and sheep. There was a camel who gave birth to a white camel, which is a rarity. However, the mother rejects the baby camel. Family tried everything to convince the mother to bond with the baby. Finally, the boy and a family friend went on a journey to find someone for help. In the city, the boy was fascinated with technology and civilization. They returned with a person to help.

This was filmed by the National Geographic Society.

Review:

I saw the preview of this movie. It showed clips of the journey to the city and the camels. So, I thought that was cool and something different. Also, I skimmed a review in Wall Street Journal, which stated it was a “one of a kind.” Yes, it was something different and one of a kind. There were beautiful scenes of the Gobi desert and camels and sheep. Cool? Ha! The movie was long and slow. There were long scenes of silence and no action. At first, I was patient and figured it would speed up sometime soon. I ended up reading a magazine while watching the movie. I never had done that. If I had known what was the movie was like, I could have put the DVD on fast forward and still understand the movie. That’s how bad it was.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Here’s the deal:

I have to answer questions and people I tag have to answer the same questions, so here I go.

Five Snacks I enjoy:

1. Bagel with cream cheese and a mocha latte with a book to read outside (hence my name: Moxie Mocha)
2. Salt & Vinegar Chips
3. Toblerone Chocolate
4. Chocolate Raspberry Cake with a glass of red win
5. Pretzels

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Pay off all of my debt and buy a house.
2. Invest in Barnes & Noble so I can always get books
3. Co-Establish a scholarship program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing youth with Sharon )
4. Establish a philanthropy program to give out grants to churches to launch new ministries and to expand their ministries.
5. Establish trust funds for my nieces.

Five jobs that I have had:

Five places I have lived:

Name your irrational phobias: Snakes, Heights (While working at camp, I had to take care of the snake and clean its cage. The snake did bite me. I also climbed the wall and “tolerated” the heights.

Five People I Want to Get to Know Better:

1. Nevada Girl – she left comments on my blog about my book reviews. She has an interesting blog
2. Ear of My Heart – She has a beautiful and inspiring blog
3. Deaf Mom Shares Her World – I love her blog and she shares her passion about her children. She is also involved with Hands & Voices, a parent organization for parents with deaf children.
4. Josh Swiller – I read his book and I absolutely love his writing style. I hope he continues to write
5. Chris Heuer – I just met him a couple of weeks ago to listen to him speak about his new book and his other stories he has written. He’s a blogging member of DeafDC.com

As I was researching for something to say about Thanksgiving, I came across this profound thought from a young teenager.

“I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy.”
– Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank

Last night, I saw “The Brothers Grimm,” a Terry Gilliam movie. First of all, I’m quite impressed with the cinematography. The way they filmed it makes you feel like you’re there with the brothers. Angles and camera sweeps are “realistic”, especially in the scene of The Red Riding Hood. The colors in the setting are beautiful; it’s much richer compared to other films, in my opinion.

On the second point, the plot is intriguing. They started the plot with the brothers fooling the small village as if they were getting rid of the demons for them. Instead they used magic tricks. It’s a fantasy movie with references to several fairy tales. The ending was a typical fairy tale ending: “they lived happily ever after.”

I don’t know much about the Grimm Brothers, other than the supposed fact that they collected and wrote the fairy tales. I’m not so sure if they actually did exorcisms of so-called demons in these small villages. According to my quick research, they did not. They went to law school and became fascinated with local folk stories. So they collected and wrote the stories.

Lastly, this is not the movie to show to kids. It has some really scary, gory and unexpected scenes. I was a little disappointed, because it would be cool to show to kids and have them identify and analyze different fairy tales. Strong language was also used. The overall grade I would give this movie is 4 out of 5.

Recently, I read The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner. These three women represent the following religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. When I started to read this book, I couldn’t put it down. Each woman had an interesting perspective, and all three of them were striven to understand each other’s religion. I would like to start my own faith club one day with three deaf women representing these religions. The experience would be powerful and would make a huge impact on my life.

Here is the website for your own perusal.

Today, I went to Richmond to see “Medea.” I thoroughly enjoyed watching the play since it’s been a while for me to see a play with deaf actors. The interesting thing about the play was that there were several levels of communication between Medea and other characters. For example, her husband, Jason, did it in sim-com. Her father used an interpreter and signed some words that he knew. The king, of course, used an interpreter. Other than that, deafness was not an issue. The issue that Medea made was that women were being oppressed in Greece, as it was originally written. I like the fact deafness was not an issue; it’s a part of the character’s life.

Mary Vreeland, a student at VCU for MFA, did an excellent job portraying Medea. The cast also really showed that they took the time to study ASL along with the play. Not all cast members signed; only a select few signed.

Costumes on the other hand were not clear in sense of purpose. Some clothes were modern. Medea’s costume looked like it was from medieval times. The guards had machine guns. What is the point of the discrepancy in the time periods? Is the artistic director trying to tell us that the play is timeless? I don’t know.

On a different issue, some of the signing was to the back rather than to the audience, which made it hard for me to see some of what is being said. At the end, Medea was above the audience and I was seated next to the scaffolding. That made it difficult for me to look up and watch. So my kind friend interpreted what Medea said to her husband Jason.

Overall, it was a good play and was a great outing for me. It was cool to meet and eat with the “star” along with other deaf attendees. It was a blast.

I found this really cool theatre group via Deaf Digest (www.deafdigest.com). Nalaga’at, “do touch,” is a theatre group of 12 people who have Usher’s syndrome. (Those who have Usher’s tend to be blind and deaf.) They are based in Jerusalem, and have already traveled around the world. Their current performance is called “Light is heard in Zig Zag,” and their upcoming Carabet style performance, “Not on Bread Alone.” There is a short video clip and some pictures on their website. When they come back to the states, I’m going to see this wonderful group. I advise you to do the same.

I just received the news that Gil Eastman has passed away yesterday. He died of cancer. I grew up watching the television program called “Deaf Mosaic” in which he was a co-host. I loved that program, and that was where I learned so much about deaf history and culture, considering the fact that I was mainstreamed with a few other deaf students. This past summer, I went to Gallaudet for their summer program, and I stayed in the dorm. I was able to watch the re-runs late at night, and remembered some of the episodes. I remember thinking I wish it was re-running on PBS or Discovery Channel again, so that I can watch them again at home. “Deaf Mosaic” chronicles deaf events, recollections of the history, deaf professionals, and so forth. I remember the young couple decided to quit their jobs and start the chicken farm. I wonder what they’re doing now. I also remember the famous episode on “Deaf President Now,” 1988 protest. Another favorite is about the history of different deaf schools.

Gil Eastman was truly great, and he shall be remembered for his work on “Deaf Mosaic,” ASL and drama. I hope there will be a memorial on Gallaudet campus or American School for the Deaf.

I tried to find links and/or images to help you learn more about “Deaf Mosaic.” Unfortunately, there are only videos from Captioned Media Program, and that’s not much to read online. If you are deaf, you can borrow them for free. Here is one blog honoring Gil Eastman. I also did a Google search on Gil Eastman, and again, I got videos on his interviews from Captioned Media Program.

UPDATE as of 12.5.06: Gallaudet University now has a video library, where you can access to “Deaf Mosaic.” All of the “Deaf Mosaic” episodes will be online by the end of January.

UPDATE as of 12.9.06: Thanks to my friend and colleague, he sent me this lovely tribute. Check it out. Those of you who remember Gil Eastman, it will bring tears to your eyes.