After nearly a month off due to meeting commitments, travel, and GRE
Prep we're back. Before we get underway this week, a recap.
Previously, On "The Morning Report": After a week covering Zambonis, 30 Rock, and the Super Bowl,
the Report tackled the real world of fake estates, exploring famous
homes of fiction. I asked readers for help naming my home and
identifying famous homes of the American literature scene. One reader
suggested my name did not play strongly enough into "Marshmolie," and
offered "Marshmouslie" instead. Another strongly agreed with the
proposed "Creaking Tree." In terms of literary homes, several minds
leaped to the [Fall of the] House of Usher. One of our most dedicated responders provided several more, including Little Women's Plumfield, Cheaper by the Dozen's "The Shoe," "Sunnybrook Farm" (of Rebecca of fame), and Streetcar Named Desire's famous, though unseen, "Belle Reve."
But: Back to today. This morning I listened to this week's episode of This American Life, "No Coincidence, No Story."
At first, the title sounds like a demanding criterion for submission,
and this is true: All the pieces featured in this week's episode (and
the extras featured online) include moments of coincidence.
Coincidences of all sorts. From the mundane (seeing someone twice in the
same day) to the morbid (a body under a manhole cover). From the gut
churning (a tale of two pukers) to the heart wrenching (reunions with
long absent fathers). But the title actually refers to a Chinese saying
with wider implications: "No coincidence, no story" -- Without
coincidences, we wouldn't have the stories we tell at all.
Moments of apparently fated chance can be found along the branches,
if not at the very root, of the stories we tell, read, and watch. Lost
built six seasons out of curious connections. The hand of fate guides
the characters of Thomas Hardy through crossroads and often lead to
their downfalls, as in The Mayor of Casterbridge and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. One of my favorite films, Magnolia,
features my favorite film opening, in which a narrator describes three
stories of incredible chance and coincidence. (While I cannot find a
video online, the stories he tells are the second monologue on this page).
While moments of coincidence feature prominently in the fiction we
consume, they also tend to take center stage in the factual reflections
we produce. And maybe we're just adding structure to the randomness of
life... Or maybe these strange things happen all the time.
Consider: Wandering alone through an open bar welcome
reception for study abroad students when I was in London, I saw a face
that seemed somehow familiar. (Perhaps it was the fact that he was a
ginger. Actually, that was definitely it.) Turns out the whole group
was from Georgetown. Ryan (the ginger) and I would end up traveling all
over Europe together, but only after a conversation in which we
realized that I had spent the previous semester living with a good
friend of his. And not only that, but that he would be living with that
friend and another friend and former roommate in the following year in a
house that I had opted not to live in!
Consider: Getting drinks with some co-workers after work, it
came up that one of my co-workers, Joe, is a New Hampshire resident. He
asked where in New Hampshire I was from, and I gave my standard answer:
"A town about fifteen minutes from the coast... The Exeter area."
"Where in the Exeter area?" "Stratham..." Anticipating a vague
awareness, what I got instead was a surprise: "I'm from Stratham."
Turns out Jim was neighbors with one of my closest friends from
elementary school. Now I work in Virginia three feet from someone whose
property I almost definitely trespassed on as a kid in New Hampshire!
And the list goes on...
But... Rather than ramble on about my own coincidences, I want to hear about yours! I'm
putting out another call for reader submissions, which I can tack on a
few at a time to the Report for the next couple of days. Send in
your stories of run-ins with friends in strange places, odd encounters,
numbers that seem to be haunting you, and any other coincidence you've
come across in your life.
Looking forward to hearing from you on this one!
"And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator
that this is not just 'Something That Happened.' This cannot
be 'One of Those Things... ' This, please, cannot
be that. And for what I would like to say, I can't. This
Was Not Just A Matter Of Chance. Ohh. These strange things
happen all the time." --Magnolia
Today, as many readers are likely aware, is the release date of one of this year's major action movies, the new James Bond film Skyfall.
This means that at midnight last night (because seriously, what movie
doesn't get a midnight release anymore?) die hard Bond fans, Daniel
Craig lovers, Dame (or Day-um) Judi Dench supporters, and Adele someones-like-you
took to the theaters to see Bond take on a creepy blonde Javier Bardem
(first Bond, then Bardem?), as well as, according to the trailer, a
scorpion. I was not among those in the theater, as I was getting ready
for bed, but if early reviews and blogosphere buzz are to be believed,
when I do get to see this movie, it will be quite impressive.
And as the tiny Daniel Craig in the gun-barrel "O" above indicates,
we're taking on Bond in today's report. As in talking about him. Not
fighting him. He'd destroy us.
So with everyone saying Skyfall is so good, it's got to have a
few key ingredients. Beyond the basics of a good (if not incredibly
far-fetched) story and a strong leading man to be Bond, a good James
Bond film needs...
An Action-Packed Opening
Before the opening titles even
roll, the film's got to establish itself as a bad-ass piece of Bond
awesomeness. The best way to do this is an action scene that grabs you
right away. The Daily Beast put together their favorite openings, and I think they capture things pretty well. Goldeneye certainly takes the cake, and I always associate the secret duck with Goldfinger. Not on the list, but one I have a secret love for, is The World Is Not Enough,
just because I loved doing an impression of Sir Robert King saying
"Take this pin. It was the detonator." Overall favorite, though, has to
be the gritty opening to Casino Royale that brought a fresh edge
to the character, cutting back on late-Brosnan era corniness, and
replacing it with a dark, character driven piece of work. (And for
those who want more traditional action, just wait til the Parkour scene
after the song plays through.)
A Good Song
With the opening action wrapped, it's time for a song. The James Bond opening songs
(click musical note to play song) are always a product of the decade of
the film. Given that famous musicians are always brought on to provide
them, this decade-relation should come as no surprise. Consider 1965's
Thunderball song "Thunderball" by Tom Jones, the obviously 80s
"A View to a Kill" and "The Living Daylights" by Duran Duran and A-Ha
respectively. You'll also notice a trend of song being named after
film, which has been carried through almost all of the Bond films after
Dr. No. There are some notable exceptions. I can't believe they
couldn't find someone to sing a song called "Octopussy." Though I'm not
surprised that nobody could work "Quantum of Solace" into a catchy
little lyric, considering the incredibly effective way that it was
worked into the film. Oh wait...
A Cool Title
Speaking of titles, they are almost invariably super cool. (Note the Quantum of Solace exception given above.) A View to a Kill, Live and Let Die... even Die Another Day,
awful as the film was, is a pretty kick-ass title. And just imagine
the titles that could have come if the films had started production
prior to 1962. If you can't imagine any, Andrew Howley took care of some for you. Two Lefts and a Reich would be incredible, and imagine the gadgets the Newton-esque Q counterpart would provide in Objects in Motion. Then again, there are the forgotten Bond films of the Bush era. (Actually, some of these might have been better than Die Another Day... )
A Hot Bond Girl
Next ingredient to heat things up a bit:
The playfully named Bond Girl. Where, but in a James Bond film, could
Denise Richards pass for a nuclear physicist? And where, but in that
same Bond film, would that physicists name be "Christmas Jones"? And
where, but in that same film, would Pierce Brosnan get to say "I always
wanted to have Christmas in Turkey" and not be talking about December
25? There's a whole vast history of beautiful women
who have seduced, tricked, trapped, been trapped with, and, in the
latest Bond story arc, even broken the heart of James Bond. There are
also some great Bond girls who never were, and hopefully never will be.
A Super Creepy, Crazy Villain
Finally, let's wrap it all
up with a villain who just wants to watch the world burn. No, wait,
that's the Joker. But seriously, Bond villains
aren't far from the supervillains of the comic book world, especially
in terms of their plots for world domination or turning a quick
(billion) buck(s). Whether they cry blood, carry golden guns, throw
deadly bowler hats, or love gold, these villains all have one thing in common: They expect Bond to die.
Of course, they'll toy with him a bit first. Or torture him
mercilessly in one of the most painful sequences I've ever seen on
film. (Looking at you, Casino.) The point is, it can't be simple. It's all a game. A most complicated game.
All told these ingredients combined (shaken, not stirred) work together to create a gem of a Bond movie. And it sounds like Skyfall makes the grade. Catch it in theaters this weekend. (I get money from MGM now, right? That's how that works?)
For those who have Monday off, enjoy the long weekend. I'll be back
on Tuesday with what I anticipate will be some smaller scale reporting
than this week's.
Til next week,
Mousseau. Evan Mousseau
(Please, like you didn't know I would sign off like that.)
Welcome to the end of another work week. Time flies, it really does. As
I walk through Georgetown's campus and find it all prepared for a
graduation that is not mine, and look at my calendar to find I've been
working here for exactly 10 months, that's the only conclusion I can
reach. (Another example of time flying... Started this report this
morning, didn't finish til 12:45. All work and no play.)
Lots of excitement around Wednesday's report. Two readers
reflected on how much their younger selves would have loved to stumble
on a real-life mystery like that in their own home. Another was
reminded of childhood adventures, though his were less hypothetical, as
he reflected on trips to the
Winchester Mystery House,
which he describes as "the incredible product of a deranged woman who,
from the time her
husband died until the time she herself croaked, kept adding rooms and
staircases-to-nowhere and trapdoors and reverse fireplaces and all kinds
of weird stuff to the house." I've never been, but I remember seeing
it on some sort of scary homes special on the Travel Channel or
something. Looking at it now, I am reminded of the thrilling and wildly
original novel House of Leaves, which centers on a house larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
One reader is actually a wealth of resources for today's report, having
also provided some excellent links to city skylines. First, he sent
over an Atlantic photo series on
night sky views focused around London,
though including some other UK cities, as well. I am struck first by
how many Ferris wheels there are in the series, beyond just the now
iconic London Eye. Is the UK particularly rich with Ferris wheels, or
do they just make neat things to photograph, I wonder. I was also
disappointed to see that a photo featuring the BT Tower in London did
not make the cut. Though not as iconic as some of London's other
towers, it was right near where I lived when I studied there, and thus
served as a guiding star home on many a night when the exact route to
where I lived was a bit foggy... The second link provided by this reader also
features a skyline with a missing tower. I have heard it noted of the
Eiffel Tower that, while it provides the best view of Paris, photos
taken from the top always miss one element of the City of Light, namely
the Eiffel Tower. Still, even without an appearance from the Tower
itself, this interactive Paris panorama is a great way to look around the city.
To close things out for the week, two shorter items, both found via Andrew Sullivan's "The Dish." First,
Ken Burns reflects on storytelling.
Burns is, of course, a master of turning massive events, histories, or
pastimes into interesting stories, even when footage is limited to slow
pans and zooms across still photographs. So his two cents is probably
worth something. And second, good-ish news for the coffee addicts among
the readership. The Washington Post reports on a study that argues
that heavy coffee drinkers show potentially prolonged lifespans.
But even on Causal Friday, correlation is not causation, as the
commenters have been quick to note. The best comment, by far, though,
is the reader who notes that, regardless of her own prolonged lifespan,
those around her have a better chance of living longer when she has her
coffee. Touche, sassy reader, touche.
Hope the rest of your Friday (30) Rocks. (It's Tina Fey's birthday!)
