JessicarulestheUniverse | 2012

Archive for October, 2012

If they give away the ending, loop them.

October 19, 2012 By: jessicazafra Category: Books, Movies 2 Comments →

We will not add to the information in the trailer, except to say that anyone who gives away the ending of Looper should be sent back in time to the moment before they opened their big mouth…and then crushed by a falling safe.

And to assure you that Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s prosthetics are only distracting for the first few scenes.

Rian Johnson’s science-fiction thriller is now among our top time travel movies, along with Back to the Future and Chris Marker’s La Jetee (and its descendants, Terminator and 12 Monkeys). We haven’t seen Primer.

Looper is clever and entertaining, a genre film done right. Okay the added zinger may be a bit much, but we did not expect the movie to be so affecting. Gordon-Levitt, Willis, Emily Blunt and the kid are excellent, and we like the ongoing Jeff Daniels renaissance.

Mr. Looper

October 18, 2012 By: jessicazafra Category: Childhood, Television 4 Comments →

We can’t hear “Looper” without thinking of “Mr. Looper”, which is what Big Bird called the old storekeeper on Sesame Street (“It’s Hooper! Hooper!”). When Will Lee, the actor who played Mr. Hooper, died, the producers decided that no one would replace him and that it was time young viewers learned one of the basic truths of life: Death. Three decades later this episode still makes us reach for the tissues.

This is intelligent children’s television, free of the superstitious-sentimental drivel that infests the mass media. That’s probably why Mitt Romney wants Big Bird and company fired.

After we stop blowing our nose we’re off to watch Looper.

Abel, t’nalak, atbp at Habi bazaar

October 18, 2012 By: jessicazafra Category: Clothing No Comments →

Gigantic abel bag by Rene Guatlo. We throw in laptop, books, shoes and we’re ready to go. Rene will be selling bags, scarves, shawls, table runners, placemats and napkins made of handwoven traditional Ilokano fabrics at the Habi Bazaar in Rockwell. For inquiries, contact rene.guatlo@gmail.com.

From our friends at Habi, the Philippine Textile Council chaired by Maribel Ongpin: The annual year-end Habi bazaar will be held on 20 October 2012 (Saturday) at the ground floor of Power Plant Mall (by the fountain outside Zara) at Rockwell, Makati.

The bazaar will showcase Filipino weaves from north to south: abel blankets, bags, placemats and napkins from Ilocos; hablon, jusi, pina and sinamay from the Visayas; t’nalak from Lake Sebu; Yakan weaving; ready to wear apparel, fans, antique jewelry and other accessories.

Also available are pure silks from La Union, Tepina from Palawan, casual dresses embroidered and embellished by T’boli women, and limited pieces of handwoven 100% cotton cloth.

This year Habi features woven items from Laos: traditional textiles produced in the ateliers of Carol Cassidy. Cassidy, who has been working with silk weavers in Laos since 1989, shares her experience in preserving traditional weaving and promoting native silk products in a talk titled “Weaving Success in Southeast Asia” on 20 October, 2pm at the Bernas Room of the Ateneo Law School beside the mall. Admission is free.

Babel, Isaac

October 17, 2012 By: jessicazafra Category: Books 4 Comments →

We’re doing a BIC-sponsored writing workshop for high school kids today and we want to read them a great short story. But which great short story? We looked at our favorites by John Cheever, Saki , Shirley Jackson, J.D. Salinger, Tobias Wolff, Guy de Maupassant, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Ernest Hemingway, Irwin Shaw, James Salter, and then we remembered a short story we read because Salter called it essential (and it involves another writer of classic short stories). Of course we can’t pass up the opportunity to introduce schoolchildren to the work of Isaac Babel.

Babel was not one of the great Russian novelists Natalya described as having been doomed to a living death. Stalin’s secret police killed him. He was 44 and his final request was to be allowed to finish his work. That request was denied.

Guy de Maupassant
A Story by Isaac Babel

In the winter of 1916 I found myself in Petersburg with forged papers and without a kopeck to my name. Aleksei Kazantsev, a teacher of Russian philology, gave me shelter.

He lived on a frozen, reeking, yellow street in Peski. To increase his meager income, he did Spanish translations—in those days the fame of Blasco Ibáñez was on the rise.

Kazantsev had never been to Spain, not even once, but his whole being was flooded with love for the country—he knew every Spanish castle, park, and river. Besides myself, a large number of men and women who had fallen through the cracks of life flocked to him. We lived in dire poverty. From time to time our pieces on current events appeared in small print in the popular press.

In the mornings I lounged about in morgues and police stations.

The full story at Narrative (one-time free registration required).

P.S. Just reread the story. Contains boobs, lust, adultery, and something that could ruin their sex lives if handled incorrectly. Will require a history of Jews in Russia. Too much guidance required for the 30 minutes we were planning to spend on the story. Will go with Vanka by Anton Chekhov.