Project Idea #2

READ THIS: (caution: slightly bad language. silly people. stop swearing.) http://www.collegehumor.com/article/5971108/omg-wwii-on-facebook

I found this a while back and I think it's just GENIUS! I LOVE the way a classic thing can be "translated" into our 21-century-pop-culture ways. It's so subtle but so so so good. Like the whole "Japan poked USSR." There is so much context in that one little phrase, because we all know what is REALLY happening, you know?

Well, I was thinking...what if we did this from a Shakespeare play. It would take some serious coordination and thought...but I think it would be really cool!!!!!!

Project Idea #1 (Because this is still the best)

Ok, I'm sticking to my guns here. I REALLY want to do that "pitch a Shakespeare movie" idea. It would just be great!!!!!!!!!!

Costumes
Music
Story board
Casting

I think with all the variety in the class we could pull of something REALLY cool...Plus, It would be so much more creative than just a short film. I think I've made one too many cheap-and-not-enough-time-and-effort-student-made-films in my life time...I say we try to avoid that one...Anyone else?

Lear. King Lear.

Main characters. Psych major. Gotta rant. Really sassy. Had fun. I sorry.................

Lear--Ok before anything else, I think it's LEGIT that Professor Burton named his son after King Lear. I think if I were a boy, I would so want that to be my name. Plus, I was reflecting on the legacy that would leave for him. And the more I started thinking...Lear is pretty awesome. I mean, yeah, he's probably a bit senile. Ok a lot a bit...but I think Shakespeare is able to do a lot with the Lear character. Mostly the idea that we are all imperfect and we all lose sight of the things we should really appreciate. Lear is HUMAN and I like that Shakespeare reminds me of that. Not all things are fairytales. Sometimes, life is about CHOICE!

• Evidence: uuummmmm I can't find the quote I want at the moment. I'll get back to you, Lear.

Cordelia--Poor girl? Not exactly......She at least could have told the old man she loved him. What's with this "I only love you according to our bond" crap? She makes herself sound like she doesn't love him at all. She could have played a better card...like an "You know how much I love you so I'm not going to say it" card. Which obviously she shouldn't have to say since she shows it, but come on, girl. Give your poor father a break. If you love him as much as every reader thinks you do, haven't you seen him start to loose it? I mean you don't have to be obnoxious and deceitful like the two evil stepsisters you got there, but honestly: can't you just tell the poor guy you love him?

• Evidence: "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth: I love your majesty according to my bond; nor more nor less."       - I.i.

Goneril and Regan--can I just name them the two evil stepsisters and call it a day? Watch Cinderella. You'll get it. Well...I mean...I guess I can't blame them too much. It'd be pretty......uummm......annoying to have a senile man living in your house....it's never happened to me before...but HONESTLY people. It's your own father! Let him keep his 100 servants on his side of your freaking castle and let the poor guy rest. You don't even have to talk to him.

Gloucester--I got nothin bad to say about you. You're just a nice guy. Thanks for introducing me to the theme of blindness in the play. Really quite cool...but I'm sorry about the eyes. You'll be happy to know there is a town in Massachusetts that bears your name. Known for it's fishing and resort center. Wonder who was thinking when they named THAT one. Thought you might be interested...

Kent--Wow. Hello loyalty. Way to go, dude.

Albany--Hey. Way to stick up for father-in-law there. You're a nice person too.

Cornwall--Dude. CHILL! Why you so angry all the time.


:) Well, I hope you enjoyed my complete and unnecessary SASS!.......but I don't feel THAT bad...because these are fictional characters. I'm hoping to expand on this post later but I REALLY gotta go do my Psych homework. :) Thanks for listening.

After math of class

So, like I said, I read King Lear in high school...

So, I go to class on Wednesday thinking I own the place, right?

So, I was wrong. When Professor Burton talked about Lear being senile and how a-king-giving-up-his-kingdom-before-he-is-dead should be a sign that something is already amiss...yeah...

MIND BLOWN!

So, I kinda re-thought the entire play.

So, Shakespeare (and Professor) does it again. Blowing the minds of college students again...and again...and again...

Lear on Film/Fun with IMDB

Ok first of all, I read King Lear my senior year of high school. . . ok so I kinda half read it/half read the NoFear version...but still! I more or less enjoy the play, even then. Pretty overall decent storyline. Shakespeare does it again.

Except, my image of the play is slightly tainted by the Michael Elliot movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0148376/  It was a pretty dark movie........which works, I guess, because it's a tragedy. I thought the movie was relatively good...but it was two years ago...but I think I'm still a little bitter toward this play because the gorging-Gloucester's-eyes-out scene was SUPER graphic. Ew. Other than that they do a pretty good job with it...if you are interested in watching a film version of it. Here's a clip of the end, if you wanted to get a sense of the darkness I was talking about:

I guess that's why I was a bit surprised when Professor Burton said he hadn't seen any versions he super liked yet. Perhaps we're in luck: congrats to Hollywood. A new version of King Lear is supposedly on it's way. We'll see if Professor Burton likes this one. :) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371129/

Also, the kept thinking I knew the actor that played Lear. It was drivin' me crazy because I knew the other movie he did was GREAT. Then I remembered: It wasn't the same guy at all. It was Patrick Godfrey, the actor that plays Leonardo in Ever After. So I stalked him on IMDB, obviously, and found out that he actually IS in a Shakespeare play: Love's Labour's Lost. The movie. Of the Globe Theatre Version. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1710580/ THAT SOUNDS LIKE MY DREAM. *Sigh* Someday I'll make it to London. For now...I might just go see that movie...and until then...I guess BYU's production will have to be enough. *hehe*

Google Doc Link for Projects:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Fkj4kBlzVvETc-hbKqO1g5fgyaSxR-juv9ykgw7ito/edit

Yup. That's pretty much it. Let me know if it doesn't work.

Oh the things you can find on the internet....

It was just too classic. I had to share.

To Be CRAZY or Not to Be CRAZY!

Talk about frustrating. Typed up all my notes about Hamlet as a draft. Then threw my notes away. Then draft didn't save. All Hamlet notes gone. LLAAMMEE!!!!! So here's at least what I remember:

I had quotes memorized that I didn't even know I had memorized. Wow. Impressive, Shakespeare. Way to change my world... subconsciously.

• "To be or not to be?"
• "What is a man?"
• "Are you honest?"

So I actually got the chance to watch the Kenneth Branugh's Hamlet. Movie party with Austen and Katie? Successful. Surprisingly interesting. Here are some funny quotes you missed:

• "This movie is 4 hours long???? Bummer. My attention span is about a half an hour."     -Austen
• "He's crazy."    "Are not we all?"      -Austen's roommates. We'll make Shakespearians out of them yet.
• After the 3 minute long nudity flashback: "Wwwhhhhaaaaaaaaaattt????????"      -Katie and Chloe'
• "What's with the black and white checkered room?"    "It represents the conflict in the play."    -AWESOMELY deep quote by Katie. I really hope you blog about that, girl.
• "Who is that?"      "The dead guy?"      "No, not that dead guy. The fresh dead guy."     -Austen

Ok ok. So Im a psych major. The whole "crazy" phenomenon had my mind goin' the whole time. It was driving me CRAZY. It was pretty cool to think about the falsities and the reasons associated with that theory. Here's my own brief analysis:

• Hamlet. NOT CRAZY!
• TOTALLY acting. His way of reasoning is way too brilliant to be out of his mind. The way he contemplates his life and his reasoning in Act 4, Scene 4 was SO cool. Defiantly faking.
• Plus, in both movies (Kenneth's and Mel Gibson version) they show Hamlet as being completely aware of the presence of Polonius and his parents in the confrontation of Ophelia scene. He's putting on a show for them. He's angry at Ophelia for giving up their love for her father's sake

• Ophelia. CRAZY!
• Maybe I'm biased (because, again, I've seen both the movies), but the scene with Ophelia's ranting song about the flowers???? Way too random. Especially in contrast with Hamlet, who has a purpose.
• Then again, if my lover just killed my father, acted insane, then threw me around a checkered room...I'd probably go crazy too. Can you blame the girl? 
• The whole "she fell in the stream, tried to save herself, and then her dress made her sink" quote from Gertrude in IV.vii.175? I don't buy it. "Incapable of her own distress"? Yes ma'am.

• I'm convinced they were really in love, by the way. There are even several references to the idea that Ophelia might be pregnant. 

Ophelia Syndrome
Pretty interesting...for me, that is. This article does a wonderful job of explaining things: BYU Magazine: Ophelia
Oh. and p.s. if you Google "Ophelia Syndrome," the results send you to a band's main page. Silly name for a band, guys. I guess Shakespeare IS everywhere. I bet Professor Burton would be proud.


Side note: why the gloomy burial scene? Ophelia was practically the princess of the castle. EVERYONE loved her. Why couldn't her grave be somewhere more fit for her loveliness?

I thought I caught a hint of forgiveness in the final moments of Hamlet's life. Was I imagining that?
p.s. I hope I have that much energy/important things to say when I'm writhing/dying on the ground.