New Year's Resolutions: 2015 Edition

This Thanksgiving, your faithful MPL bloggers had a lot of fun coming up with a list of the pop culture properties that we are most thankful for. But as the holiday season progressed, and we began looking towards 2015, it got us thinking: what other books, films, shows, and music are out there waiting for us to discover?

So we've decided to make a few resolutions. That book we always meant to read?  The films we never got around to watching?  The song Ms. B has always meant to learn to play on the piano?  (More about that in a bit.) This year, we've decided, is the year we tackle such projects.

We now present our official list of New Year's Pop Culture Resolutions for 2015. Wish us luck!

(We'll be back, as the year progresses, to let you know how we do ...)

TRACY'S RESOLUTIONS: 

- Continue watching Classic Doctor Who

Doctor Who is one of the most popular shows in the world. Its very first episode broadcast over 50 years ago. After a brief hiatus in the 90s, the show returned to television in 2005, and became even stronger and more popular than it had ever been. I have only been watching the rebooted Doctor Who for a few years, but I am a genuine Whovian!

Although I am all caught up on the current show, I have much to catch up on with the classic Doctor Who. If you are not familiar with Doctor Who, it is a show about a time-traveling alien who uses an old English police phone box, known as the TARDIS, as his space ship. Oh, and he's really, really old -- but doesn't always look like it! He regenerates into a different body when his current one is too damaged. So there have been 12 Doctors (or 13, depending on how you count them), each played by a different actor.

Classic Doctor Who covers the adventures of the Doctor through his first eight incarnations. I have watched as many as possible of the first two Doctors, but I've been stuck on the Third Doctor for awhile now. I resolve to continue watching Classic Doctor Who episodes until I am caught up!

Request Doctor Who titles from the Catalog.



- Read a gothic novel

One of my favorite Jane Austen novels is Northanger Abbey. It is a story of Catherine, a young woman who is fascinated by the gothic novels that were so popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This fascination gets her in a bit of a misunderstanding with her new friends.

Jane Austen was a reader of these gothic novels herself and, in Northanger Abbey, she parodies them. Now I want to be able to understand that type of novel better. Several novels were mentioned in Northanger Abbey (known as the "horrid novels"), most notably The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe. The others are The Italian, also by Radcliffe, and The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parson.

 I resolve to read at least one, if not all, of these novels!

Request The Mysteries of Udolpho from the Catalog.

Request The Italian from the Catalog.



- Make more geek-related crafts

I love to make crafts for myself and as gifts for my friends and family. Unfortunately, I have not been making as many as I would like. My crafting ability lies mostly in counted cross-stitch, but I am also a decent crocheter. 

Last year I discovered the book Star Trek Cross-Stitch: Explore Strange New Worlds of Crafting. I've already made a few things from it, but I want to make more! And the internet is full of patterns for all kinds of geek-related shows, movies and books. What I really want to make is this Death Star pillow that you see above. It would look great sitting on my couch! So, I resolve to crochet the Death Star pillow in 2015!

Request Star Trek Cross-Stitch: Explore Strange New Worlds of Crafting from the Catalog.

Request Knits for Nerds: 30 Projects: Science Fiction, Comic Books, Fantasy from the Catalog.

Online craft sites to check out:

Geekcrafts and Pinterest are great places to look for geeky craft ideas too.

MS. B'S RESOLUTIONS:


- Read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables

I was a junior in high school when our English Lit class studied the much-beloved musical Les Miserables. Based on the book by Victor Hugo, the musical tells the story of Jean Valjean, a convict imprisoned for nearly twenty years after stealing a loaf of bread for his starving sister and her family. Pursued by the unrelenting police inspector Javert (after Valjean breaks the conditions of his parole), Valjean is soon swept into the events of France's June Rebellion of 1832 (more on that historical event here and here).

I've been a fan of the musical ever since 11th grade, but I've never read the original Victor Hugo novel. Coming in at between 1,200 to 1,400 pages (depending on the edition), and chock-full of historical and political detail, it always seemed like a daunting task -- perhaps too daunting.

But this year, that changes!  I resolve to read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables -- from cover to cover. 

Request Victor Hugo's Les Miserables from the Catalog



- See the '80s Classics

Though I am, technically, a child of the '80s, I was young enough that I missed out almost entirely on the pop culture of the era. And that means I've never watched a number of classic films that came out in that decade.

What films, specifically?  I've had a number of classics on my list for quite some time, including The Goonies, Gremlins, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Labyrinth, Footloose, Ghostbusters, Superman II, The Untouchables, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Fly, and Beverly Hills Cop.

A list that long seems just a little bit intimidating, though (especially since I've got twelve hundred pages of Les Miserables waiting for me). So I hereby resolve to watch at least five '80s films throughout 2015.

Request The Goonies from the Catalog

Request Pretty in Pink from the Catalog

Request Ghostbusters from the Catalog



- Watch Star Trek: Voyager

I've been a Trekkie since before I can remember. And, happily for me, there's been plenty of different flavors of Star Trek for me to enjoy. As a kid, I loved Star Trek: The Next Generation; while in grad school, I became a huge fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Over the past few years, director J.J. Abrams's rebooted Star Trek movies have earned a place among my all-time favorite films. I've even started watching the original '60s series.

But for all that, there's one particular Trek that I have no experience with -- and that is Star Trek: Voyager. I've been interested in watching Voyager for years, especially since it remains the only Trek show to have a woman (Captain Kathryn Janeway) in the command chair. But despite hearing about its intriguing premise and great characters, I've never quite gotten around to giving the show a try.

The time has come to remedy this, and so I resolve to watch all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager by the end of the year.

(There's still Star Trek: Enterprise to get through, but we'll worry about that in 2016.)

Request Season One of Star Trek: Voyager from the Catalog



- Play the music of Hans Zimmer

Maybe not in quite this fashion.

As I've mentioned, I'm a huge fan of film scores and soundtracks. I'm also a particular fan of the scores of Hans Zimmer, the composer behind such film soundtracks as Interstellar, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Dark Knight trilogy, and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Considering that list more or less comprises my favorite films, it's been a delight to have Zimmer's fantastic and memorable music show up in these movies to help tell their stories.

It also just so happens that I've been playing the piano (to varying degrees of success) nearly all my life. While I haven't been playing much in recent years, I've decided that this is the time to change that.

So, inspired by the works of Hans Zimmer, I resolve to learn to play at least two Zimmer-penned songs on the piano by this time next year. And if I'm successful, I'll upload a video of my performance.

Fingers (and tentacles) crossed!

Request the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest soundtrack from the Catalog

Request the Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows soundtrack from the Catalog

-- Post by Tracy and Ms. B

Really Bad Eggs

September 19th is one of the best days of the year. Know why?

Because it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day, of course!

I've written before about my fondness for pirates, and I know it's an obsession in which I'm not alone. Author and historian David Cordingly once wrote about an exhibit he co-organized at the National Maritime Museum in London. Entitled Pirates: Fact and Fiction, the exhibit first opened in May 1992 and was scheduled to last for four months. Its popularity was such that it remained for three years.

It's probably books like Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883) and Barrie's Peter Pan (1904) that should be heralded (or blamed) for creating pop culture's modern pirate craze. However, the biggest single force in piratical storytelling today is Disney's ongoing film series Pirates of the Caribbean.

When the first movie premiered in 2003, pirate movies had been in a slump for decades. Movies about pirates were known to be box-office duds, and the fact that Disney's latest offering was a quirky fantasy film said to be "based" on one of their amusement park attractions did little to inspire confidence in critics.

But Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl turned out to be a sleeper success, eventually pulling in over $600 million worldwide in ticket sales. The success was enough to spawn three additional movies in the series -- Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, and On Stranger Tides. Together, the series made history as the first film franchise to have two entries in the "billion dollar" club (that is, films whose gross has exceeded $1 at the worldwide box office).

In total, the four movies have brought in over three and a half billion dollars worldwide. In doing so, the films have also widened the world originally created for The Curse of the Black Pearl, bringing in elements of nautical mythology to create a rich, unique universe that rivals Lord of the Rings or Star Wars in terms of epic scope. The films were conceived as summertime popcorn flicks -- but, like the best sagas, they have a richness in story and character that goes far beyond the usual such fare.

Speaking of characters, there's one in particular who can take credit for the breakout success of the Pirates franchise -- and that is Captain Jack Sparrow. You don't have to have seen the movies to recognize the name of Johnny Depp's hilarious, witty, and wholly weird pirate character, as Jack Sparrow has become a pop culture icon in the decade since his first appearance.

Savvy?

Jack's my favorite, of course -- Jack's everyone's favorite -- but he's hardly the only noteworthy character in the story. He's joined by such figures as Will Turner (a young blacksmith whose ideas of right and wrong have convinced him of the impossibility of someone committing a crime but still being a decent human being), Elizabeth Swann (a governor's daughter who idolizes pirates for the freedom they represent), Commodore Norrington (a by-the-books naval officer whose world spins entirely out of his own control), and Angelica (a pirate lady from Jack's past who also just happens to be the daughter of Blackbeard). Alongside such formidable baddies as Captain Barbossa, Lord Cutler Beckett, and the devil of the sea himself -- Davy Jones -- the result is a series of stories where complex characters reign supreme.

Over the course of four films, the Pirates of the Caribbean film series posits questions about the nature of freedom, the line between good and evil, the meaning of love and friendship, and prices that must be paid for what we most want to obtain. The result is a blockbuster franchise of depth and scope that remains my favorite set of films to this day.

Considering the holiday, now would be a great time to watch (or re-watch) the Pirates of the Caribbean films. For those of you short on time, however, I've summed up my five favorite moments of the series for you. Take a look:

5. Entrances

"It's a shilling to tie up your boat to the dock."

Nobody knows how to make an entrance like Captain Jack Sparrow. The character is first introduced in The Curse of the Black Pearl standing tall and proud atop the yard of a regal sailing ship. Except -- as the camera pulls back -- you see that Jack's not aboard a tall ship at all, but rather a tiny (and somewhat hole-ridden) boat that's sinking, more than sailing, its way into port.

This funny, surprising entrance (made all the more entertaining by the character's utter unconcern) was the first indication that there might be something more to this movie than the usual summer blockbuster. Jack's wholly-unique first appearance set the stage for a character who excels in forcing the people around him to expect the unexpected -- and who proves to be endlessly hilarious while doing so.

In the following films, Jack's entrances are used to foreshadow the character's fate (Dead Man's Chest), showcase his talents (On Stranger Tides), and bring him completely full-circle (At World's End). The result are four truly memorable introductions to one unforgettable character.



4. Moonlight Swordfight (The Curse of the Black Pearl)

 "Couldn't resist, mate."

There's nothing like a good plot twist to raise the stakes in the third act -- and nothing like a great sword fight to finish out a grand pirate adventure. The entire Pirates film series has plenty of fantastic action sequences, but for sheer fun, you can't beat the moonlit sword-fight that takes place towards the end of the first film.

Throughout The Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack's out for revenge against Barbossa, the mutinous first mate who once was a part of his crew. That's easier said than done when you're fighting against a bad guy who's under an ancient curse that makes him impossible to kill (not to mention turning him into a skeleton every time he steps into the moonlight). Jack is, however, nothing if he's not an optimist, and the sheer odds against him don't seem to bother him much as he squares off against his mortal enemy in a rip-roaring, no-holds-barred sword duel. (Of course, Jack usually does manage to find a way to even the odds against him.)

Much of The Curse of the Black Pearl is spent wondering exactly whose side -- if anybody -- Jack Sparrow is really on. We get our answer here, tucked within a sword-fight whose participants are crossing in and out of moonlight (and in and out of "skeleton-mode") as they duel. The result is an action set piece that is visually fun and character-based, all at the same time.



3. Palm Tree Pow-wow (On Stranger Tides)

"Here's to revenge -- sweet and clear."

From the beginning of the series, Captain Hector Barbossa's been just too much fun to be all bad. Even Jack seems to concur here, as the two captains -- tied up side-by-side by the soldiers they were just attempting to rob -- take a moment to converse (and share a well-earned drink).

Barbossa's always been a complex baddie: terrifying but fun, bluntly cruel but often honorable. As the films have progressed, Barbossa has crossed the line from outright-villain to sometimes-ally, and the result is equal parts fun and fascinating. By the time we reach the fourth entry in the series, he is, if not exactly a good guy, at least masquerading as one. And as Barbossa explains what's happened to his ship (and his missing right leg), the audience gets their deepest look yet into what price Barbossa is willing to pay for his freedom and his fate. So does Jack -- who comes out of the conversation ready to help his former enemy find justice. It's an incredibly powerful scene, and it's little more than two characters sitting and chatting underneath the palm trees. Not to be missed!

(Plus, the whole thing wraps up with one of Jack's greatest escapes ever.)



2. Up is Down (At World's End)

"Now up -- is down!"

The third movie in the series remains my favorite of the films, with its complex characterization, gorgeous visuals, and epic scope. That said, it's one of the simpler bits of action that remains one of my favorites.

Trapped in the doldrums of an otherworldly ocean, our pirate crew finds themselves lost, stranded, and without any real hope of escape. They've got a mystical map that may hold the answer to their way back home, but having been unable to decipher its messages, things are looking rather bleak.

No problem. You've got Jack Sparrow on board. The solution he arrives at, following the clues of the map, may not be a traditional response to the situation -- but when you've been hounded by the supernatural as long as Jack has, you pick up a thing or two on how to handle these things. "Up is Down," reads the map, and it stands to reason (at least to Jack) that the they should take the instructions as literally as possible.

What follows is a scene that is a bit of delightful, goofy fun, but that's also got a hint of zen to it: to get to where you want to go, you might have to take a direction you'd rather avoid. If, in this case, a bit more literally than the usual.

1. The Maelstrom (At World's End)

"Gentlemen -- hoist the colors."

I don't think it's just my personal bias talking when I say that this may be the grandest action scene I've ever seen on film. With the events of a trilogy's-worth of epic storytelling all coming to a head, At World's End third act features an epic sea battle between Jack Sparrow's Black Pearl and baddie Davy Jones's Flying Dutchman -- while a storm is raging and the two ships are pulled into an enormous whirlpool.

But the Pirates movies have never been just about the action. For all the stunning visuals and enormous special effects, what makes this a favorite scene of mine is the final pushes the characters are put through. Elizabeth Swann completes her transformation from upper-crust governor's daughter to a woman fighting for her own freedom, as well as the freedom of those around her. Will Turner seizes his chance to save the father he swore to help, and, in doing so, just may discover his own destiny. And Jack Sparrow finally answers the question of whose side he's on -- and what he's willing to do to stay there.

These decisions come with prices, and, in the end, our characters prove willing to pay them. Such choices and consequences add a rich layer of morality and heart to the story -- and leave our "pirates" better, and truer, versions of who they've always been.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me ...

From the Catalog

-- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (DVD)
-- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (DVD)
-- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (DVD)
-- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (DVD)

-- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Blu-ray)

-- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Blu-ray)

-- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Blu-ray)

-- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Blu-ray)

-- Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks (CD)

-- Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean by Michael Singer (book)

-- The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean (book)

-- The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides by Michael Singer (book)

-- The Pirates' Guidelines by Monique Peterson (book)

Don't forget to celebrate the day, matey.

-- Post by Ms. B 

A Pirate's Life for Me

I love pirates. If you've ever met me, then you probably know this already -- I've got something of a reputation as a pirate fan. (Er. As in "historical, swashbuckling buccaneers," that is. Not the baseball team.) (Although, come to think of it, I'm a fan of the baseball team, too. They've got quite a cool name.)

Of course, as an obsessor of pirates, I'm quite aware that the happy-go-lucky swashbucklers of fiction and film are a far cry from the historical reality. Real pirates of the seventeenth and eighteenth century were rough, brutal men and women (yes, there were women pirates, too) who lived with constant violence and without regrets. But pirate crews were also notable for being made up of people escaping tyrannical naval captains, slavery, and impoverished living conditions. Pirate crews were also true democratic societies -- pirate ships would choose their own captain by election, and every major decision was first put to vote by the crew.

In history and in fantasy, the Golden Age pirates have captured the imagination of people the world over. As we approach the release of the new Disney film "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," check out these titles -- and find your inner swashbuckler!

Films

• The Curse of the Black Pearl [videorecording]
  Dead Man's Chest [videorecording]
  At World's End [videorecording]
  Be sure to catch up on the first three films before seeing the newest installment!
• The Black Swan [videorecording]
  Not a reference to the Natalie Portman movie! This classic film from 1942 stars Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, and Anthony Quinn in a tale about the real-life buccaneer Henry Morgan.
• Captain Blood [videorecording] Based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini, this 1932 picture stars Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone (of Sherlock Holmes fame), and the irreplaceable Errol Flynn.
• Muppet Treasure Island [videorecording]
  You can't go wrong with a film adaptation of "Treasure Island" that stars both Tim Curry and Kermit the Frog! A great family film.

Books

• Under the Black Flag: The Romance And The Reality Of Life Among The Pirates, by David Cordingly. [non-fiction]
  The quintessential modern overview to what life was like during the "Golden Age of Piracy" -- the period of time during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, when piracy in the Caribbean ran rampant.
• Pirate Hunter: The True Story Of Captain Kidd, by Richard Zacks. [non-fiction]
  Pop culture tells us that Captain Kidd was the epitome of a Golden Age pirate. But this account shows that Kidd was, instead, a licensed privateer who was set up by the East India Trading Company to take the fall after inadvertently pitting himself against them. A rip-roaring story, told in a fascinating style, Zacks's book is highly recommended.
• Chase the Morning, by Michael Scott Rohan. [novel]
  A fantasy adventure featuring an unlikely protagonist, an import/export agent who finds himself sucked into an alternate world of heroes, demigods ... and pirates.
• Pirate Latitudes: A Novel, by Michael Crichton. [novel]
  Published posthumously, this caper-style historical novel is notably different from Crichton's usual science thrillers.
• The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook: A Swashbuckler's Guide from Pirates of the Caribbean, by Jason Heller. [humor]
  A great book for anyone looking to encourage their inner swashbuckler. Contains such "vital nautical information" as how to break a curse, how to stay alive when your ship sinks, and the Top Ten Pirate Superstitions.
• Bloody Jack : Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy, by L.A. Meyer. [YA novel]
  The first in a series of young adult novels, Jacky Faber -- a young orphan girl struggling to survive on the streets of London -- decides to disguise herself as a boy and sign on to serve on a merchant ship. She's not looking for adventure, she's merely trying to survive -- but adventure has a way of finding Jacky Faber!

Music

• Rogue's Gallery [sound recording] : Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys [sound recording]
  This collection of rocked-out traditional sea songs and chanteys was produced by Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski. Be warned: these traditional chanteys were written for salty sailors, and have the salty language to match!
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Swashbuckling Sea Songs [sound recording]
  Meanwhile, this family-friendly album is just the thing for the younger buccaneers looking for some piratical tunes to sing along to!
• Masters and Commanders [sound recording]
  Includes music from the best seafaring film classics, including "Mutiny on the Bounty," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
• Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, or, The Slave of Duty [sound recording]
  The soundtrack to Gilbert and Sullivan's famous comic opera, about the Pirate King and pirate crew who together raised a boy who was originally intended to be ... a pilot.