Teodora's Blog

Summer camps may easily be gold mines of bizarre and humorous events, as literary / cinematic pieces have demonstrated time and again. Vera Brosgol’s graphic novel Be Prepared (2018) announces the same atmosphere, which is most certainly eccentric, almost chaotic (despite the rules that are never absent within camps) – and yet, the book manages to stand out due to the author’s cultural angle. What the readers receive is the unfiltered perspective of a nine-year-old Vera (since the featured recollections are inspired from Brosgol’s real-life childhood), who has moved from Russia to America at the age of five and struggles to fit not just in American sisterhoods, but also in a taxing Russian summer camp. The fact that Brosgol draws significant inspiration from her own experiences as a young immigrant and camper gives the plot a particular charm which cannot be reproduced that simply. There’s a curious mixture of absurdity and solemnity throughout young Vera’s accounts, all engulfed by...

(upper side: Symphony of Progress ; lower side: Millennial History ) “ Do you think we are naïve? ” “ No. Naïve is a too diplomatic term. People is ignorant. [sic] Misinformed, uninterested. Not naïve. ” A brief exchange as such is what has stuck with me since going to the documentary-concert Millennial History (Resonate Productions, Netherlands), at the beginning of this month. Those same lines resurfaced even more prominently while attending a radio-like play called Simfonia progresului / Symphony of Progress (HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Germany & teatru-spălătorie, Moldova). Both performances were part of the National Theatre Festival held in Bucharest (5-13 November 2022) and they have ended up reminding people that contemporary theatre has different purposes altogether, namely to be – or feel – real . To openly address political and social issues. Ultimately, to urge the members of the audience to step out of their wilful blindness. The two shows do have different origins an...

This year’s summer kicked off quite beautifully with the hit movie Top Gun: Maverick (and this comes from someone who hadn’t watched the prequel from 36 years ago). I only set off with a concise synopsis and awaited the development of the story (and was occasionally told by my mother, during the screening, that certain scenes were almost – or entirely – replicas of ones from the 1986 film). The echoes start right away, with the intro being shot from the same angles, in the same setting, with the same soundtrack (the Top Gun theme song, soon changing to the invigorating Danger Zone from Kenny Loggins). For some reason, whether you are familiar with Tony Scott’s 1986 motion picture or not, the theme track’s chime seems to instantly enthral people of different generations, one way or another. For whom does the bell toll? Apparently for us all. In time, it has become only partially clear why Joseph Kosinski’s sequel has had quite a resonant impact on individuals who had barely heard...

*Spoilers will be discussed (spoilers for this movie and other films belonging to Phase 4 of the MCU)* The fourth instalment. Of Thor . The latest addition. In Phase 4. Given the massive success of Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017 (for the movie did ensure some comic relief within the Marvel universe and provided us with a fresh perspective of Thor himself), plenty were eager to know where Love and Thunder would be heading to and whether it would preserve a similar tone. This time around, the director, Taika Waititi, was also in charge of the script, amping up the entire atmosphere – and it showed. His visions, somewhat clashing with Marvel’s trademarks, definitely sparked some heated opinions from comic / MCU-savvy fans (in opposition to Waititi’s separate devoted audience). Some belong to both of these categories – and they might just notice how Love and Thunder manages to equally be a Marvel production and a Waititi film, blending characteristics from each side in a curious, but c...

There is something alluring about crime series / movies, no matter how many narratives we’ve been exposed to already; although, admittedly, tinkering with new compelling elements is a prerequisite at this point, so as to stand out in a conglomeration of mystery stories. We are at liberty to question whether the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building (created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman) is nothing but a clever gimmick or happens to be an actual novelty – and it turns out it may be both at the same time. There are numerous factors contributing to the show’s appeal, the most obvious ones being its mixture of mystery and comedy, and its diverting self-referential nature (which will be looked into shortly). The action takes place in New York, mainly in an extravagant apartment building called Arconia (supposedly based on the real-life Ansonia), where two of its residents are murdered throughout the first two seasons (the show having premiered last year, in 2021). One such sp...

*A few spoilers will be discussed* Reviews of David Leitch’s Bullet Train have definitely been split so far; critics claim that the film’s comedic stunts and charming characters don’t compensate for its curious combination of convoluted backstories and overall shallowness, in the end. Meanwhile, the audience’s reactions can be summed up in a chant like “toot-toot, the movie’s a hoot”. The same old question would be whom we should credit more. What can be established instantly is that both sides do acknowledge the film’s entertaining side, supported by the actors’ skilful approach to a story that could have easily been deemed familiar. Aboard a Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, diverse assassins seek to complete their separate missions, only to gradually discover that they are all strangely connected to one another, through a briefcase with ransom money, a fearsome leader (the White Death) in the criminal underworld and his unpretentious son. So how does this outline provide us wit...

Note : The following poem brings forward a reinterpretation of Stanley Kowalski from Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire . I have also included the famous tomcat named Bob; the first book about him (written by his owner, James Bowen) is called A Street Cat Named Bob and I couldn't help but think that the title was inspired from Williams's play. Given this situation, I decided to bring Stanley and Bob together, in order to explore the former's notorious portrayal as a brute. The central question was whether Stanley could ever be "tamed" and reveal a humane side - and a possible answer might have emerged through Bob himself, as he indirectly challenges his (new) owner to re-evaluate himself, his past actions and how the entire world perceives him. The poem (constructed as if Stanley addresses Bob) makes use of lines from the play (written in italic) and a few scenes from movies and TV shows ( Back to the Future , Seinfeld , Gilmore Girls , The Princ...