Teodora's Blog

În perioada 26-30 martie 2018, proiectele tradiționale Arts Week și Science Week ale Colegiului „Costache Negruzzi” din Iași s-au reîntors cu un set nou de ateliere și workshop-uri pe diverse teme din domeniile științelor umaniste și reale. Revin în ipostaza de coordonator, de data aceasta coordonator al unui workshop de artă dramatică despre inteligența emoțională, care a avut-o pe actrița Haruna Condurache, de la Teatrul Național „Vasile Alecsandri” din Iași, ca invitat special. Workshop-ul a avut un aspect non-formal, ca o discuție între prieteni. Actrița Haruna Condurache a făcut parte din public și totodată a creat o scenă pe care elevii prezenți au devenit actori. Cu toții au jucat un rol, (și-)au pus întrebări și au simțit într-o oarecare măsură emoții, pornind de la un moment de improvizație sau un simplu gând trecător. Așa cum era de așteptat, atmosfera a fost prietenoasă, cu jocuri care au testat atenția participanților și experiențe amuzante povestite de actrița Haruna Co...

Before I read “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”, I had thought that the basics of Astronomy (with a pinch of Physics) could be easily understood. Apparently I was wrong. Tyson may have used simple terms and slipped in a few jokes, and yet I couldn’t help but feel even more confused with the vast universe that is simply… out there. Written at a basic level, the book is meant to offer a quick insight into the past, present and future of outer space. It might be a significant help for anyone who is passionate about Astronomy. In my case, I can only mention two revelations: 1) “The outer space and its concepts are clearly out of this world and out of our reach.” We may have discovered plenty of secrets, but I suppose we can all agree with the fact that everything related to the universe is overwhelming. I am actually a bit surprised that Tyson still managed to capture the essence of the facts and amaze his readers with his storytelling style. It goes without saying that I memoriz...

I hate forced diverse casts in films. It gets even more annoying when you introduce two or three black characters as the white protagonist’s sidekicks. It is believed that movies usually portray the reality, but what if we’ve been depicting it the wrong way? Who says black people can’t be under the spotlight as well? Who claims the fact that you’re instantly more successful if you are white? I’ve only started asking myself these questions when I noticed the increasing diversity in all sorts of movies. Even biracial couples have become a trend. Although I find the idea of mixed families adorable, the clichéd chemistry between black and white characters is rarely convincing. Neither friendships nor love stories unfold naturally. Everything seems to be insincere, you end questioning the authenticity of even the smallest details. Perhaps this is the very reason I fist-bumped the air when Marvel Studios announced the release of the movie “Black Panther” in 2018. A film rooted in black cul...

Don’t worry, you read the title right. Although you might feel lost in life when you read the emotional scenes featured in the book, you will eventually experience a new powerful lust for life, a huge desire to stand out and do your own part in the world you live in. This biographical novelization of Vincent van Gogh’s life could easily be classified as Irving Stone’s masterpiece. Based on the consistent letter correspondence between the famous Dutch painter and his younger brother, Theo, the book extends across Vincent’s last 10 years of life, from the moment he leaves home for missionary work until the day of his death. I should probably just cut to the chase: the novel is too well-written. Despite its biographical touches, it is by far better than a lot of fiction novels out there. At times, it also features a more dynamic environment than the film adaptation from 1956, starring Kirk Douglas. The element I’m most pleased with is Irving Stone’s ability to recreate such a credible ...

Back in 2013 I wrote a review (in Romanian) for R. J. Palacio’s book called “Wonder”. I would have never thought it would become my all-time most viewed post on my blog. Even for the past week it has registered over 300 entries. I suppose it’s no wonder I wanted to watch the movie and decide whether it lived up to my expectations. And I assume it’s still no wonder why I absolutely loved it. *This review contains spoilers* “Wonder” features the bumpy life of August Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) throughout the course of a school year. Auggie is a fifth-grader with a rare facial deformity known as either mandibulofacial dysostosis or Treacher Collins Syndrome. As soon as the movie started, I recalled one of Auggie’s famous sentences from the book: “I won’t describe to you what I look like; whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” I remember perfectly well how I would try to imagine the boy’s face in the most hideous ways possible. At some point I even told myself that a movie would...

I often find myself asking if John Green will ever write a better, more emotional book than “The Fault in Our Stars”. Naturally, when I heard that a new story called “Turtles All the Way Down” was on its way, I couldn’t help but feel excited. As soon as I had the book on my own shelf, I told myself that it would definitely be a page-turner. And indeed it was... only during the first half of the story. From the first moment I realized it was no mystery book (as it seemed to be), that initial spark of interest I had slowly started to drift away. Rating books is usually not difficult for me. I figure out straight away what I like about a specific story. However, “Turtles All the Way Down” was an exception. Even now, as I’m writing this, I find it extremely hard to describe the way I truly feel about it. We meet a 16-year-old troubled narrator, Aza Holmes, who is trying to be a good daughter, friend and student. She somehow manages to live a balanced life... that is until she gets stuc...

Ada Lupu, cea mai îndrăgită actriţă din generaţia tânără, şi-a făcut debutul pe scena Teatrului Naţional din Iaşi în 2013, cu rolul Ofelia din „Hamletmachine” (regia: Giorgos Zamboulakis). De atunci a jucat o varietate mare de roluri, cele din stagiunea 2017-2018 fiind Vivianne din „Colivia” de Georges Feydeau (2015, regia: Cristian Hadji-Culea), Mary din „Cântăreaţa cheală” de Eugène Ionesco (2015, regia: Radu Alexandru Nică), Povestitoarea din „UNU + UNU...” (2016, regia: Lucian Dan Teodorovici), Fiica din „Măcelăria lui Iov” de Fausto Paravidino (2017, regia: Radu Afrim), Ludmila Cliofas din „Seceta roşie”, după „Cartea foametei” de Larisa Turea (2017, regia: Petru Hadârcă) şi Cristina din „Moartea unui artist” de Horia Lovinescu (2017, regia: Irina Popescu-Boieru). Am avut ocazia (şi plăcerea) de a vorbi cu Ada Lupu despre piesa sa de tip one-woman show, „Povestea păsării fără cuib”, despre pregătirea rolurilor sale diverse şi importanţa teatrului în viaţa ei. Teodora Leon : Aţ...

You can watch the rewind here 2017 is coming to an end, so it’s the perfect time to experience it once again. Perhaps it would have been more convenient if I had chosen to talk about Google’s “Year in Search” video. Even The New Yorker’s collection of reviews would have provided a better discussion about culture and the stories that shaped 2017. So out of all the available possibilities, why have I chosen to write about this year’s YouTube Rewind? “Defend” is a strong word. I somehow wanted to voice my opinion and convince others (even myself) that the video does have a good intention. If you ask me, YouTube has always been a great escape from reality, the perfect place to listen to book discussions, watch epic travel montages, have a laugh at ingenious skits… and express your outrage at 2017’s rewind. The video has received plenty of dislikes in order to make me pay more attention to the content itself. It’s highly questionable whether the rewind makes you feel nostalgic for 201...

Discursul lui Andrei Pleşu poate fi ascultat accesând link-ul: http://www.uaic.ro/andrei-plesu-doctor-honoris-causa-al-uaic / Pe data de 12 decembrie 2017, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iaşi a acordat titlul de Doctor Honoris Cauza scriitorului Andrei Pleşu, un moment istoric la care am avut ocazia să particip. Ceremonia a fost coordonată de Prof. Dr. Mihaela Onofrei şi comisia de Laudatio, formată din autorităţi ale UAIC şi ale altor universităţi. Parcursul carierei lui Andrei Pleşu a fost rezumat într-un Laudatio citit de Prof. Dr. Eugen Munteanu de la UAIC: „A scrie despre Andrei Pleşu este deopotrivă relativ uşor, dar şi foarte greu.”. S-a subliniat şi faptul că Andrei Pleşu rămâne în continuare unul dintre cei mai sofisticaţi intelectuali ai culturii noastre postbelice, nefiind separat, în investigaţiile sale înalte, de lumea înconjurătoare, de viaţa propriu-zisă a individului ca atare: „Care e detaliul transcendent al personalităţii lui Andrei Pleşu, apt să treacă...

I think it goes without saying that everybody has read or at least heard of “Murder on the Orient Express”, one of Agatha Christie’s most famous works. However, if some millennials still have no idea what I’m talking about, then the name Hercule Poirot might ring a bell. Each one of us has surely come across a short description or a slight mention of the fictional Belgian detective, with an egg-shaped head, a carefully grown moustache and a bundled-up costume. In order to discover the world of Hercule Poirot, there’s no need for you to start off with the first book in the series. You can ask other people for recommendations and you will most certainly be advised to pick up “Murder on the Orient Express”. Why so? Is it because of the unexpected place for a murder? Or perhaps it is Poirot’s unique cleverness which stands out the most. After all, it is quite an achievement to work out a crime with a limited source of clues and all sorts of background stories from complete strangers. ...