In the grand tradition of lists (I love lists...), I am beginning one for tracking my ownership of Disney animated films, which, next to musicals, are my favorite genre. They are listed in order of release (thank you to http://www.thecompletistgeek.com/ for the information). I have noted if they are owned on Bluray (the goal), DVD (intermediate) or unowned. Disney's limited release schedules may make some harder to find than others. Also, I have made some changes since this is the "to buy" list and I have removed those movies I'm not interested in, which are usually the smaller market releases (sorry, Saludos Amigos) or the never-ending sequels (Bambi II? Really?). The list does include Pixar as well given their on-again-off-again relationship with Disney.
1. Snow White (1937) - DVD
2. Pinocchio (1940)
3. Fantasia (1940)
4. Dumbo (1941) - DVD - this was my favorite as a child
5. Bambi (1942)
6. Song of the South (1946) - this has never been released for home viewing because of racist content, but if it ever is...
7. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
8. Cinderella (1950) - DVD
9. Alice In Wonderland (1951)
10. Peter Pan (1953)
11. Lady and the Tramp (1955) - this is about to released on Bluray
12. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
13. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
14. The Sword and the Stone (1963)
15. The Jungle Book (1967)
16. The Aristo Cats (1970)
17. Robin Hood (1973) - my dad's favorite
18. The Rescuers (1977)
19. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
20. The Black Cauldron (1985)
21. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
22. Oliver and Company (1988) - introduced me to the great Billy Joel
23. The Little Mermaid (1989) - DVD - Ariel is my favorite heroine because she looks like me!
24. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
25. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
26. Aladdin (1992)
27. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Touchstone, technically, but has been so integrated into Disney culture that it counts.
28. The Lion King (1994)
29. Pocahontas (1995)
30. Toy Story (1995)
31. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
32. Hercules (1997)
33. Mulan (1998)
34. A Bug's Life (1998) - DVD
35. Tarzan (1999)
36. Toy Story 2 (1999)
37. Lilo and Stitch (2000)
38. Monsters Inc. (2001) - DVD
39. Finding Nemo (2003) - DVD
40. The Incredibles (2004) - DVD
41. Cars (2006)
42. Ratatouille (2007)
43. Wall-E (2008)
44. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
45. Up (2009)
46. Tangled (2010)
47. Toy Story 3
These movies aren't technically animated features, but they heavily feature Disney animation and thus are on the list.
Mary Poppins (1964)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Pete's Dragon (1977)
Enchanted (2007)
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Confessions of a Gleek
I am now officially caught up on Glee thanks to Kyle's Hulu Plus account. I know the show has lost its magic for some people, but it still speaks to me. The Santana/Brittney relationship continues to be beautiful to watch, especially seeing Santana deal with the very real reaction from her grandmother. But the story line that speaks to me the most is Emma's struggle with OCD. The show has done a really good job of addressing the struggles, stigmas and real challenges of mental illness though Emma's story, just as they have addressed other issues on the show. One of the things I like so much is that they didn't fix Emma with a pill and say it was fine. In the most recent episode, she refers to having good days and bad days, that it will always be that way and that it's simply part of her.
Emma is the character I relate to the most on Glee, and not just because of her red hair and Kate-Spade-meets-J-Crew fashion sense. While I don't have OCD, I do have PTSD and the battle with mental health is similar. There's the stigma not only with people in general but with yourself. Accepting that the diagnosis is part of who you are is a challenge that threatens your identity and can shake your security of who you are. Even once you come to terms with it, there are times when it feels like it controls your life, which generally only exacerbates the symptoms, leading to a spiral that can be hard to break. The moments of watching Emma really struggle with it, like the brief clip of her trying to stop herself from cleaning the coffee pot in "Yes/No" are the ones that resonate for me.
I think the show does a great job of balancing the humor of Emma's excessive cleaning (which is, in fact, funny) with the seriousness of what is behind it. It's made it easier to laugh at some of my own rather funny habits that are a manifestation of something more serious. They always say that being able to laugh at yourself is healthy and I've found that when I can do that, it's easier to have a good day.
Also, she has a killer wardrobe that I want very badly and would consider homicide as a matter of acquisition.
As a side note, I was preparing to post this and looked through my labels for the appropriate ones. I noticed that I had labels for fibromyalgia and medical, but not PTSD. I then realized that, despite my openness about my physical ailments, I've never talked about this. So, to be clear...I'm Jenn and I have PTSD. And now, I have a blog label for it too.
Emma is the character I relate to the most on Glee, and not just because of her red hair and Kate-Spade-meets-J-Crew fashion sense. While I don't have OCD, I do have PTSD and the battle with mental health is similar. There's the stigma not only with people in general but with yourself. Accepting that the diagnosis is part of who you are is a challenge that threatens your identity and can shake your security of who you are. Even once you come to terms with it, there are times when it feels like it controls your life, which generally only exacerbates the symptoms, leading to a spiral that can be hard to break. The moments of watching Emma really struggle with it, like the brief clip of her trying to stop herself from cleaning the coffee pot in "Yes/No" are the ones that resonate for me.
I think the show does a great job of balancing the humor of Emma's excessive cleaning (which is, in fact, funny) with the seriousness of what is behind it. It's made it easier to laugh at some of my own rather funny habits that are a manifestation of something more serious. They always say that being able to laugh at yourself is healthy and I've found that when I can do that, it's easier to have a good day.
Also, she has a killer wardrobe that I want very badly and would consider homicide as a matter of acquisition.
As a side note, I was preparing to post this and looked through my labels for the appropriate ones. I noticed that I had labels for fibromyalgia and medical, but not PTSD. I then realized that, despite my openness about my physical ailments, I've never talked about this. So, to be clear...I'm Jenn and I have PTSD. And now, I have a blog label for it too.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Historical Acts in Fiction
After waking up an an awful time for no good reason, I decided to catch up on TV. I started with Downton Abbey, which remains my favorite show on television and which I can watch on pbs.com since I don't have a television. If you're not watching it, you should be. First season is available on Netflix and the second on PBS.
Then I watched my second favorite show on television, Pan Am. I love that era and the jet age, so no surprise there. Sunday's episode ended with Kennedy being shot, but it only showed the initial reports, which all said the President had been shot but was alive. It closed with Maggie (Christian Ricci) stating that he would be alright, he had to be. Of course, the viewer knows its not. The viewer knows that Kennedy is dead and that Maggie, an ardent supporter of the President, is going to be crushed. The viewer knows that all those shocked faces are going to to mourn the loss of the President who was a symbol of youth and change in culture.
It got me thinking about how the viewer having knowledge that the characters don't in historical fictions gives the show a chance to make a point without having to explain it. In the first season of Downton Abbey, the very first thing that happens in that the Titanic sinks. They don't have to talk about the how and the why and they can avoid discussing the larger effects of the event because there is an assumed knowledge. I suspect something similar is going to occur in Pan Am (and has, actually, in the revolution in Cuba). They won't show us Kennedy dying - it will simply be the case because they don't need to tell the viewer that Kennedy dies. It frees them up to focus on the effects that the viewer doesn't already know about - the personal stories that were changed because of things we learn in history. It gives the viewer, most of whom aren't of an age to remember these events, a chance to feel what people were feeling through the characters. If they've done their job, the viewer is attached to the characters and cares about them, so their heartbreaks are ours. We may not, as modern viewers, understand what it means to lose an heir (explaining that is what the first season of Downton Abbey is about) but we get an idea of the suddenness of the Titanic sinking through their dilemma and response. I am not old enough to remember Kennedy being shot (in fact my parents were quite young) but I already anticipate what it will do to Maggie as a character I care about and thus can feel it on her behalf.
It's an interesting device that I hadn't really thought much about until today, but one that I apparently like since I am so fond of historical fiction (Downton, Pan Am, Mad Men, etc). The escapism to a world gone by is one part, certainly, but I think being able to relate, even artificially, with the joys and losses of the characters allows us to experience history in a way that we wouldn't otherwise be able to. It brings history off the books, as it were, and makes it something personal. And isn't that the point of fiction, in addition to entertainment, also to capture the reader or viewer and transport them elsewhere?
Then I watched my second favorite show on television, Pan Am. I love that era and the jet age, so no surprise there. Sunday's episode ended with Kennedy being shot, but it only showed the initial reports, which all said the President had been shot but was alive. It closed with Maggie (Christian Ricci) stating that he would be alright, he had to be. Of course, the viewer knows its not. The viewer knows that Kennedy is dead and that Maggie, an ardent supporter of the President, is going to be crushed. The viewer knows that all those shocked faces are going to to mourn the loss of the President who was a symbol of youth and change in culture.
It got me thinking about how the viewer having knowledge that the characters don't in historical fictions gives the show a chance to make a point without having to explain it. In the first season of Downton Abbey, the very first thing that happens in that the Titanic sinks. They don't have to talk about the how and the why and they can avoid discussing the larger effects of the event because there is an assumed knowledge. I suspect something similar is going to occur in Pan Am (and has, actually, in the revolution in Cuba). They won't show us Kennedy dying - it will simply be the case because they don't need to tell the viewer that Kennedy dies. It frees them up to focus on the effects that the viewer doesn't already know about - the personal stories that were changed because of things we learn in history. It gives the viewer, most of whom aren't of an age to remember these events, a chance to feel what people were feeling through the characters. If they've done their job, the viewer is attached to the characters and cares about them, so their heartbreaks are ours. We may not, as modern viewers, understand what it means to lose an heir (explaining that is what the first season of Downton Abbey is about) but we get an idea of the suddenness of the Titanic sinking through their dilemma and response. I am not old enough to remember Kennedy being shot (in fact my parents were quite young) but I already anticipate what it will do to Maggie as a character I care about and thus can feel it on her behalf.
It's an interesting device that I hadn't really thought much about until today, but one that I apparently like since I am so fond of historical fiction (Downton, Pan Am, Mad Men, etc). The escapism to a world gone by is one part, certainly, but I think being able to relate, even artificially, with the joys and losses of the characters allows us to experience history in a way that we wouldn't otherwise be able to. It brings history off the books, as it were, and makes it something personal. And isn't that the point of fiction, in addition to entertainment, also to capture the reader or viewer and transport them elsewhere?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Moving (Across the Street, not to VA)
As ridiculous as it might seem, I have now moved less than a mile from where I lived. Thanks to one really awesome friend (thank you, Paul!), all the heavy things that I could not do myself moved on Saturday. I did feel super strong lifting the couch and being able to move the bookcases by myself. Grr....so sore.
On Sunday, I drove back and forth between houses from about 1 pm to about 10 pm with carloads of stuff. Most of it is now in my living room, which looks like a hoarder lives there. For those that are aware of my slightly obsessive tendencies, you can imagine what this is doing to me. My bedroom and bathroom, however are quite tidy and I'm focusing on taking stuff that belongs on those rooms out of the living room before I tackle the big mess.
Knowing how stressed I was on Sunday, my fiance sent me a lovely vase of daisies, which are currently the first thing I see when I walk into the living room and thus keeps me from curling in ball and rocking back and forth crying about the mess. He is a good man and knows me well.
So this is my home for the next four months. The family upstairs is very nice. My landlady is like a cross between my FMIL and my friend Charlie in Atlanta, which makes her utterly charming. The landlord is a very kind man who managed to get the boxspring down here, despite Paul and I deciding on Saturday that Jesus didn't want it to happen. Apparently, landlord wins that fight. And the son, who is a college senior home on break, helped a great deal in getting me moved in by carrying things to unload. Overall, super sweet family.
It's a nice little apartment with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with large walk-in closet. My only complaints are that the heat in the bedroom is always warmer than the rest of the apartment (I have my own thermostat) but that has been corrected by propping open the bedroom door so that equilibrium is achieved. The other is that the only windows (it's a basement, remember) are in the bathroom and kitchen, so I can spend the entire day without knowing the sun comes up if I stay in the bedroom. With the bedroom and bathroom doors open, I get ambient light from the bathroom and I'm hoping this will prove sufficient. If I was going to be here longer, there are some seriously cute things I could do with the place, but with four months, we'll be happy with clean and organized.
On Sunday, I drove back and forth between houses from about 1 pm to about 10 pm with carloads of stuff. Most of it is now in my living room, which looks like a hoarder lives there. For those that are aware of my slightly obsessive tendencies, you can imagine what this is doing to me. My bedroom and bathroom, however are quite tidy and I'm focusing on taking stuff that belongs on those rooms out of the living room before I tackle the big mess.
Knowing how stressed I was on Sunday, my fiance sent me a lovely vase of daisies, which are currently the first thing I see when I walk into the living room and thus keeps me from curling in ball and rocking back and forth crying about the mess. He is a good man and knows me well.
So this is my home for the next four months. The family upstairs is very nice. My landlady is like a cross between my FMIL and my friend Charlie in Atlanta, which makes her utterly charming. The landlord is a very kind man who managed to get the boxspring down here, despite Paul and I deciding on Saturday that Jesus didn't want it to happen. Apparently, landlord wins that fight. And the son, who is a college senior home on break, helped a great deal in getting me moved in by carrying things to unload. Overall, super sweet family.
It's a nice little apartment with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with large walk-in closet. My only complaints are that the heat in the bedroom is always warmer than the rest of the apartment (I have my own thermostat) but that has been corrected by propping open the bedroom door so that equilibrium is achieved. The other is that the only windows (it's a basement, remember) are in the bathroom and kitchen, so I can spend the entire day without knowing the sun comes up if I stay in the bedroom. With the bedroom and bathroom doors open, I get ambient light from the bathroom and I'm hoping this will prove sufficient. If I was going to be here longer, there are some seriously cute things I could do with the place, but with four months, we'll be happy with clean and organized.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Party Party
Tonight was Nyla and Aziz's surprise engagement party. I'm not really one of their crew, so I was really flattered to be invited. Even better...it was black tie! I love dressing up and am always looking for an excuse. Also, I just got in a pair of vintage pink opera length gloves that I ordered on Etsy and I was dying for an excuse to wear them. So, halter neck black dress, pink pumps and pink gloves. I got a ton of compliments on the gloves, which only reinforces my decision to wear gloves as often as possible. Vintage is better since my glove size is 4 1/2 and the standard "Small" is a 6.
I was a bit out of place since, of the 20 or so people there, I knew the couple who invited and the engaged couple. I'd met a few of the others before, but I didn't know them. My friend Chris jumped in and played host, making sure I was introduced to everyone, and I stayed until the party shut down. It was a lot of fun and I'm really glad I went. These kinds of things are the things I will miss once I'm not here, but it just means that when I come into town to get my hair done, I have to make sure to get people together to go out.
Tomorrow is moving day part 1, i.e. the big stuff. If I can get the major furniture moved with help, I'll consider it a win since I can move the rest in my car on Sunday, which is my technical move in day. I've got to get up early and clear off bookcases and load my car with at least one load so that the moment the landlord calls and says I can move in, I can take a carload over. Not to the most efficient way to move, but that's how it's working this time. Next time, for the big move, I'll pack and box properly since it's a hike. This time...I just want it to get done.
I was a bit out of place since, of the 20 or so people there, I knew the couple who invited and the engaged couple. I'd met a few of the others before, but I didn't know them. My friend Chris jumped in and played host, making sure I was introduced to everyone, and I stayed until the party shut down. It was a lot of fun and I'm really glad I went. These kinds of things are the things I will miss once I'm not here, but it just means that when I come into town to get my hair done, I have to make sure to get people together to go out.
Tomorrow is moving day part 1, i.e. the big stuff. If I can get the major furniture moved with help, I'll consider it a win since I can move the rest in my car on Sunday, which is my technical move in day. I've got to get up early and clear off bookcases and load my car with at least one load so that the moment the landlord calls and says I can move in, I can take a carload over. Not to the most efficient way to move, but that's how it's working this time. Next time, for the big move, I'll pack and box properly since it's a hike. This time...I just want it to get done.
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