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Tag: community review

Rowan & Romans: Reviews for June 5th

by Nicole Carpenter
Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in is a skit comedy show that aired in the late 60’s and early 70’s, known for its unconventional pacing and humor, as well as its commentary of current topics and politics. The Vietnam War and Nixon Administration was a favorite target. Even now, more than 50 years later than first airing in some instances, I found the jokes to be incredibly entertaining, and was able to see several humorous performers —some of whose acts we might consider eccentric or odd today. One example was Tiny Tim, a ukulele player who sang songs like “Tip Toe Through the Tulips” in an incredibly high falsetto. The show featured different musical guests with up-and-coming performers of the day each episode, keeping the audience on its toes and exposing them to new personalities every time.  
Naturally due to the age and controversial nature of the show, some jokes didn’t age well—particularly those with sexist or racist overtones. However, if you are looking for a ‘groovy’ throwback or want a glimpse into pop-culture of the past, and are able to historically contextualize the content, I would definitely recommend giving the Laugh-in a watch.
TV Review: “Laugh-In”Bennet Staffa, WM’s Staples High School Intern 
Mary Beard’s book SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome takes a new critical look at what she calls “the first Roman millennium”, the one thousand years after the supposed founding of the eternal city in the 8th Century BCE. (SPQR is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase Senātus Populusque Rōmānus which refers to the ancient Roman republic.) Through examining and evaluating the bias of the written record of the Roman Republic and Empire during that period, combined with analysis of archaeological evidence, Beard reveals that much of what we believed to be true about the Romans may be more nuanced that it appears. The book is slightly more advanced scholarly work, and is not the best place to start for people just beginning to learn about the history of Rome, but for readers with a little background already, it’s a highly recommended read.
Book Review: “SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome”Nick Foster

Time Travel and Madness: Reviews for May 7th

by Nicole Carpenter
From the director of pre-colonial era horror movie, The VVitch, Robert Eggers’ 2019 movie The Lighthouse is a thriller following two lighthouse keepers as they fight the elements and one another for survival on a weather-battered island during the 19th century. The film is shot in 1:1 aspect ratio which adds to the claustrophobic feeling of the close quarters the two men are forced to endure. Shot in high-contrast black and white, the film is not only visually stunning, with each shot reading like an old photograph. The lack of color serves many purposes other than an aesthetic choice: The color scheme makes it near impossible to feel that any time is passing on the island and drains any sense of comfort and warmth that a movie shot in color might have. In this way, the color choice tips its hat to classic-horror imagery. Thomas Wake played by Willam Dafoe and Thomas Howard played by Robert Pattison, respectively engage in an extremely antagonistic and often violent relationship. Though they rely heavily on one another for companionship, there is an imbalance of power between the senior lighthouse keeper, Wake and his junior counterpart Howard. Throughout the film we are made aware of these imbalances, for example when Dafoe guards the lantern at the top of the lighthouse from Howard, and forces Howard to do the (quite literally) dirty work involved in lighthouse maintenance. These imbalances drive tensions to a fever pitch, resulting in explosive arguments and are potentially the force behind vivid maritime hallucinations of mermaids and one-eyed seagulls. While the ending is very similar to The VVitch also from Eggers as well as other horror movies from the movie production company A24, this thriller did not disappoint. The suffocating tension resulting in the inevitable but disturbing ending of the story of the two lighthouse keepers serves as a reminder to take a moment to calm down when the frustration of being stuck in doors begins to mount.
Film Review: The Lighthouse (2019) Catherine Graham

  

  
A time hopping tale, Susanna Kearsley’s Bellewether is the story of a house or, more specifically, the people who inhabit that house centuries apart—and whose ghosts remain. The modern narrator is Charley Van Hoek who has come to Long Island’s North Shore as curator and director of Wilde House Museum. Researching the Wilde Family who built the house in the colonial era, Charley discovers a tale of romance and intrigue in the days of the French and Indian war.  As she continues her research, Charley feels a strange presence in Wilde House and she becomes obsessed with learning the secrets of Wilde House. History lovers—particular those interested in the colonial era of the communities on both sides of the Long Island Sound will appreciate the care with which this book was researched and which brings the story to vivid life. Those who are aficionados of fantasy fiction will find much to love in this book as well. Admittedly, I am not normally a fan of the latter but Kearsley does such a good job of weaving the supernatural aspects of the story into the present-day narrative and historical fiction that I soon forgot about the genre at all. Kearsley is masterful at hopping between eras without feeling stunted or short-shifting either one. I finished Bellewether longing to read similar books by this author.
Book Review: Bellewether Ramin Ganeshram

Ladies & Atomic Lessons: Reviews for April 29th

by Nicole Carpenter
Greta Gerwig’s 2019 interpretation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women brings the 19th century novel into the modern age with a timely and expressive adaptation. Each March sister is highlighted, bringing her perspective to the foreground: The story of Amy, the spoiled, pretty youngest sister’s role in this version of the story is the most robust I have seen in any film adaptation. While the film is moving and a beautiful viewing experience, the call backs to the period are what I found to be lacking. The Civil War receives only a passing mention even though it was the overriding issue for each American of the day and the costumes, while appealing, do not give an accurate glimpse into the world of the 1860s. Bonnets, floor length skirts shaped into a bell shape with caged crinoline and curled hair worn up are all characteristic of the time. Despite the “creative liberty” with the wardrobe, this film offers a refreshing look into this classic tale of family, loss, and ultimate triumph.
Film Review: Little Women (2019) Nicole Carpenter
It’s been over five weeks since we’ve been shut down in Westport and in that time a lot of us have turned to binging on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. I know I’ve been judged way too many times with the taunting, “Are you still watching?” As if it’s any of their business that I’ve spent six hours lost in the 18th century and now have an accent. 

With the overindulging in TV comes the guilt. We know that it’s not normal to consume so much media at one time, but it can feel so good. However, I’ve decided that binging is perfectly fine as long as it’s on certain shows and forms of entertainment. While I’ve always been a fan of documentaries, this pandemic has afforded me more time to delve deeper into them through YouTube.  
  
YouTube is free, has decades worth of films and shows to watch, and there’s something for everyone. During the start of our shutdown, I watched one particular show that has been a great way for me to frame what we are enduring. “1940s House” is a U.K. television show from 2001, that while dated is a glimpse into a time we can learn from.  

The premise finds a family from the year 2000 auditioning to live for nine weeks as a typical family would have in WWII Britain. To some this may not be a stellar bit of entertainment, but I found myself lost in the episodes and wanting to learn as much as I could. Watching this show was something I needed to do. Watching it at the start of this pandemic helped me shift my perspective on what we are experiencing. While we stand in line to buy our groceries or struggle to find some of the items we like, taking a look at what life was like decades ago during a period of crisis helps me frame this time with a big old grain of reality salt.  
  
While we are going through a time that is filled with so much uncertainty, looking into life as it was can give us a sense of perspective we may not otherwise have.  
View episodes here.
Community Review: The 1940s House Jerri Graham

Community Review: Survival Under Atomic Attack

Nick Foster

View a copy online here!

Reviews for April 20th

by Nicole Carpenter
Although the earliest years of American history are often presented to us through the singular view of the patriot story, history tells us that those who lived during the American Revolution were a myriad and complex group. We know for example only a third of the country supported revolt while another third remained loyal and yet another third remained ambivalent. The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution offers yet another lens onto the experience of Americans during this era. The book explores the experience of African-Americans, brought to the colonies as enslaved people and then largely denied citizenship in what would become the new nation. Author’s Sidney Kaplan and Ellen Nogrady Kaplan tell this complex history beginning with Crispus Attucks, the first victim of the Boston Massacre and then explores soldiers and sailors on both sides of the conflict, clergymen, businessmen, artists and public advocates. This richly compelling though historically rigorous work will offer readers a new view on the oft-told stories of the American Revolution.
Book Review: The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution Ramin Ganeshram
1776, as the year implies, the book chronicles many of the key military events (Siege of Boston, Battle of Brooklyn, Battle of Trenton) at the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775 and 1776. It also profiles many of the individual personalities behind these serial engagements. It is an excellent work made even better with a side by side read of David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography of John Adams. McCullough has a fantastic way of taking extremely well-researched source material and bringing it to life in a style that will remind you of your favorite college professor.
Community Book Review:  
1776 by David McCullough David Krasne

Killing the Queen & Dictators on Screen: Reviews for April 13th

by Nicole Carpenter
Love stories of spies, love-triangles, revenge, and whodunnits? The Royal Art of Poison may be the perfect read for you. The piece of non-fiction is split into two parts: The first explores the history and circumstances that led to danger for the aristocracy of the past, while the second examines well-known cases of alleged poisoning to determine if victims  were really done in by an assassin or simply succumbed to a terrible (but natural) end. Accessible for history hobbyists as well as historians, The Royal Art of Poison is a delight in its agonizing themes.
Book Review: The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul Nicole Carpenter
German author Timur Vermes 2012 novel, Look Who’s Back: Hitler and the Nazis, expertly balances the horrifyingly twisted ambitions of the Third Reich, while also exploring the dangers of assuming that it could never happen again. This dark satire begins with Adolf Hitler waking up in modern Berlin, completely unaware of how he got there and without knowledge of his modern surroundings. Vermes’ plot mockingly follows Hitler as he attempts to slowly (and comically) understand the new world around him and attempt to once again reach the heights of power. Great read for both historians and those examining modern politics.
Book Review: Look Who’s Back: Hitler and the Nazis Nick Foster