All Stories are for Entertainment, But Not All Are Safe for Work

            If there’s anything I’ve learned from taking up English courses back in college is that every medium (i.e. book, play, TV show, movie, music, etc.) has a plot which could only be entertaining if the author shows it rather than telling it. In this post, I’ll be sharing with you my favorite and (as mentioned) random forms of media:

·      Old Possum’s Books of Practical Cats: a collection of Edward Lear-like poems on which Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony award-winning and memorable musical Cats is based on. 😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾🐱

·       Maus: Written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman, this outstanding graphic novel tells of the horrors and trials the author’s Holocaust survivor parents had to endure during World War II. 🐭🐭

·      Jem and the Holograms: In this truly outrageous 1980s cartoon, Jerrica Benton 🎤and her sisters, Kimber🎹, Shana🥁, and Aja🎸, are a band known as Jem and the Holograms. In the show, they travel around the world expressing their musical talents while competing against their rivals The Misfits.

·         Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: An amazing fantasy TV series that retells many European fairy tales, starring John Hurt as the Storyteller and Brian Henson as the Storyteller’s dog. 🐕

·      The Joy Luck Club: In this amazing novel by Amy Tan, the mothers and daughters of four Chinese-American families living in San Francisco 🌉 narrate of the ups and downs they experience amidst Chinese traditions, American lifestyles, mahjong, and love. In 1993, it was adapted into an award-winning movie featuring an all-star cast.

·        Into the Woods: In Stephen Sondheim’s musically fractured retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk 🐄, Little Red Riding Hood 🐺 (both French and German versions), Rapunzel 👩🏼, and Cinderella 👠 (the German version), a childless baker and his wife enter the woods and encounter classic fairy tale characters while searching for the ingredients a witch needs to make her magic potion. If they succeed, the couple will finally have the child they’ve been wishing for. However, one must always be careful in what they wish for, and the characters soon discover that living “happily ever after” isn’t all it's cracked up to be.

·       Sliding Doors: In this romantic comedy, we watch what would've happened if Helen (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) misses or catches the train 🚝 home. The soundtrack includes my favorite Aqua song Turn Back Time.

·        The Hours: Based on Michael Cunningham’s novel, this drama film explores how the English classic Mrs. Dalloway affects the lives of three women, Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman in her Oscar-winning role) the author of said text, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore), a housewife living in post-World War II LA, and Clarissa Vaughn (Meryl Streep), a modern-day New York City 🗽woman whose life mirrors that of her literary namesake. Keep those tissues handy. 💐

·         Rent: In this comedy drama musical film based on the late Jonathan Larson’s rock opera and featuring most of the original Broadway 🎶 cast, a group of bohemians adapt as New York 🗽transitions from modern to postmodern conditions amidst AIDS, drugs, music, Marxism, and the power of love. This movie is a must-watch and must-have for Idina Menzel fans including yours truly.

·         The Danish Poet: In this Oscar-winning short, the title character, Kaspar Jørgensen, travels to Norway to find inspiration and to meet Sigrid Undset, author of Kristin Lavransdatter 📙📕📘. Instead, he finds himself in a star-crossed romance 💑🏼with a beautiful Norwegian maiden. Watch how their actions lead to the meeting of the narrator’s parents.

·    Black Swan: In her Oscar-winning performance, Natalie Portman stars in this psychological thriller as a ballerina who breaks out of her comfort zone to play the dual roles of the innocent Swan Queen and the seductive Black Swan in a production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake.

·      Turning: Based on Lynda Sexson’s short story, a little boy celebrates his birthday 🎂 by imagining a world where old women 👵🏻👵🏻👵🏻turn into birds🦆🦆🦆 and gifts 🎁crawl like spiders, while a skinless  emperor 🤴 seeks a wife.

·       Princess Knight: In this classic manga series by Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy,  Sapphire 👸🏻, the princess of Silverland, is forced to pretend to be a boy to inherit the throne as the law states that only a son could be declared the heir. Including a mischievous angel👼, a charming prince🤴🏻, a wicked witch, and swordfights ⚔, Princess Knight is a fairy tale you’d never forget.

·       Wolf Children: This heartwarming anime film is about single mother Hana raising her wolf-human hybrid children, Ame ☔and Yuki❄, in a picturesque countryside. As they grow up, the siblings will have to choose being human or wolf. 🐺

·       Orphan Black: The “one-and-only” Emmy award-winning Tatiana Maslany stars in this Canadian Sci-Fi thriller TV show as a number of clones. With the themes of violence, sex, drug abuse, mad science, and family, sestras will feel right at home at Clone Club. 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

·    Steven Universe: 🌟Join the Crystal Gems-Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven-in out-of-this-world adventures as they deal with and battle against monsters, nosy human neighbors, and the evil Homeworld Gems, all in the name and power of love. 🌟

·     He Took his Skin Off for Me: Giving a new take on the phrase, “Showing your true colors,” a woman tells of the time her boyfriend takes his skin off 🤢 to show her how much he loves her; with disastrous 💔 results. Based on the short story by Maria Hummer.

·     We Bare Bears: A Cartoon Network original series about three bear brothers, Grizzly🐻, Panda🐼, and Ice Bear❄ living their everyday lives in San Francisco 🌉.

   
Please take your time in researching on any of my favorite stories, shows, movies, and books. Who knows? We might have common tastes.

Best regards,
A. Eleazar
P.S. In case I haven't mentioned already, not all references cited in my blog are safe for work, so be careful in searching and sharing. Thank you.

References:

1. Appleyard, K. et al (Producers), & Fawcett, J. et al (Directors). (2013). Orphan Black [Television series]. Canada: BBC America.
2. AquaVEVO. (2011, February 24). Aqua – Turn Back Time. [Video File]. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls0WfopgR9k
3. Armour-Brown, K. (Producer), Arieli, K. & Freed, S. (Directors). (2010). Turning [Motion picture].  United Kingdom: Sulkybunny.
4. Aston, B. (2013, June 3). Maria Hummer reads her original short story - ‘He Took His Skin Off For Me’ [Video file]. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/67548806.
5. Bass, R. (Producer), & Wang, W. (Director). (1993). Joy Luck Club, The [Motion picture]. United States: Hollywood Pictures.
6. Braithwaite, H. (Producer), & Howitt, P. (Director). (1998). Sliding Doors [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Miramax.
7. Cunningham, M. (1998). Hours, The. United States: Picador.
8. Dail, M. M. (Producer), & Lee, R. (Director). (1985). Jem and the Holograms [Television series]. United States: Hasbro.
9.  De Niro, R. (Producer), & Columbus, C. (Director). (2005). Rent [Motion picture]. United States: Sony Pictures.
10. Eliot, T.S. (1939). Old Possum’s Books of Practical Cats. United Kingdom: Faber and Faber.
11. Fearnley, L. (Producer), & Kove, T. (Director). (2006). Danish Poet, The [Motion picture]. Canada: National Film Board of Canada.
12. Fox, R. (Producer), & Daldry, S. (Director). (2002). Hours, The [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
13. Franklin, S. (Producer), & Aronofsky, D. (Director). (2010). Black Swan [Motion Picture]. United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
14. Grimm, J. & Grimm, W. (1812). Cinderella; or Aschenputtel. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/stories/german.html
15. Grimm, J. & Grimm, W. (1812). Little Red Cap. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/ridinghood/stories/redcap.html
16. Grimm, J. & Grimm, W. (1812). Rapunzel. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/
17. Henson, J. (Creator). (1988). Storyteller, The [Television series]. United Kingdom: Jim Henson Company.
18. Hummer, M. (n.d.) He Took Off His Skin for Me. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from https://english.wisc.edu/devilslake/issues/spring2013/Hummer.html
19. Ito, T. (Producer), & Hosoda, M. (Director). (2012). Wolf Children [Motion picture]. Japan: Nippon Television Network.
20. Jacobs, J. (1890). Jack and the Beanstalk. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/jackbeanstalk/Lloyd Webber, A. (Producer), & Mallet, D. (Director). (1998). Cats [Television film]. United Kingdom: Really Useful Films.
21. Lamptey, F. (Producer), & Aston, B. (Director). (2014). He Took His Skin Off for Me [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Cungkeel Pictures.
22. Merlis, I. (Producer), & Lapine, J. (Director). (1991). Into the Woods [Television film]. New York City, NY: Brandman Productions.
23. Perrault, C. (1697). Little Red Riding Hood. Retrieved August 5, 2016, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/ridinghood/
24. Rachel. (2016, April 6). Turning by Dr. Lynda Sexson [Blog post]. Retrieved August 4, 2016, from http://highbrowlowbrowthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/04/turning-by-dr-lynda-sexson.html
25. Spiegelman, A. (1996). Complete Maus, The. United States: Pantheon.
26. Sugar, R. (Creator). (2013). Steven Universe [Television series]. United States: Cartoon Network Studios.
27. Tan, A. (1989). Joy Luck Club, The. United States: Penguin Books.
28. Tezuka, O. (2011). Princess Knight. New York: Vertical, Inc.
29. Undset, S. (1920). Kristin Lavransdatter. New York City, NY: Penguin Random House.
30. Wilksen, C. (Producer), & Hernandez, M. (Director). (2015). We Bare Bears [Television series]. United States: Cartoon Network Studios.
31. Woolf, V. (1925). Mrs. Dalloway. United States: Harcourt, Inc.