It's Actually Not That Complicated; Tuesday, Second Period, 09/27.

[died8yearsago]

"Well," said Rosa as she got the class started for the day, "we're finally stepping into Nancy Meyers' position as director in the films we'll be looking at, starting with her 1998 directorial debut with meta for The Parent Trap, which was also a pretty big film debut for actress Lindsay Lohan, playing two twins separated in their youth in their parents' big divorce, who meet at a summer camp and decided to get their parents back together, against all odds. It's a remake of a 1961 film of the same name, based on a 1949 German novel. So it's a remake of an adaptation, but with Meyers and Shyer behind revamping and updating the source material in their own particular way and Nancy finally getting a shot in the director's chair, what you end up with is a classic, charming little family-fun comedy for the ages.

"For some more familiar with her later work, this movie might feel like an odd choice for a directorial debut, but I'd argue it makes a lot of sense looking at Meyers' career up to this point, and even afterwards. The crux of the plot is a romance-driven one, but not really. There's the rom-com elements, but it's driven by the sisters and their bond and working together, and the romantic elements are just the result of that; the romance isn't necessarily the main thing. And that's where Meyers also improves on the original, in developing her main characters more. And even though its more focused on the kids, we still get her classic interiors in their respective homes: a Napa Valley vineyard and a London townhome.

"Anyway," Rosa shrugged slightly, "there isn't too much to say about this one. It was an important stepping stone into directing for Meyers--there's a rumor that she was asked to direct meta for The First Wives Club in 1996, which seems to have all the marks of a Meyers film in her later filmography, including staring Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, who inspired the casting of Lohan in this film because Meyers was looking for a 'young Diane Keaton'--but she apparently turned it down and doesn't even remember turning it down. She was actually set to make her directing debut with some Hugh Grant movie, but he backed out like an idiot, Meyers was pretty devastated by it, but she and her company working with Disney had just rewritten this script, and so she just directed this instead. So let's watch it, and we'll see if we can start picking out certain...Nancy-isms or just talk about what we liked or didn't like. I don't know."

All she knew is that she already had that stupid song from the original movie stuck in her head and she didn't even watch it.

Libraries and Books: Highlights and Dangers, Tuesday

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon was a fear avatar. He had been the most powerful being in his own world's apocalypse. He had killed people without touching them. And above all else, Jon was stubborn. Nothing was going to stop him from doing what he knew was right.

Except for possibly a cat.

Jon stood at the front of the classroom looking simultaneously apologetic, disgruntled, and utterly sleep-deprived.

"I had a lesson for today. It is now covered in cat vomit, because somebody didn't appreciate the new tinned variety. I had no time to write another, because someone then proceeded to walk all over me last night. So today you get a movie." If he had to suffer, so did you.

American Inventions, Tuesday - September 27th

[imafuturist]

There was just the one teacher waiting in the classroom this week. And he was checking his phone frequently before the time for class finally hit.

"Well," Tony said with a smile that was only slightly strained before smoothing on out. "Today will be an easy one for you all. We have a movie for you on the subject."

Because it was one of those days, kids.

"I brought popcorn too," he added, getting it started.