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1月18日 We are MarshallFinally got to see We are Marshall here in Huntington, WV, the very town this movie has as its setting. I like it a lot, but It is very difficult to see it as being just a movie, because the movies is so much about the town, the university, and even somebody you may know or meet here. You cannot maintain the distance that could be afforded to other movies when appreciating them. Yet this feeling is special. The movie is emotionally charged most of the time, as it should be, given the fact that so many people died and a team rose from ashes. It oscillates between being poignant and funny. The pain part was very well captured by Mathew Fox, who plays Red Dawson, the assistant coach, who was tormented by the fact that he happened to have missed the disaster while the rest of his team died. The other Mathew who played the head coach seemed to lack some emotional depth in the role he played. That might be natural, because the role he portrayed had had nothing to do with Marshall before accepting the role as head coach. Yet at other times, it is just Mathew the "star" coming out. That effect could be diminished if the coach is played by a less well-known guy. Or have I been way too saturated with all the coverage about Mathew the superstar that it is now impossible to scratch the actor to see the acted? Even as someone who speaks English as a foreign language, I can tell that his language is somewhat banal as some critics have pointed out. It is too “movie-like”, so to speak. However, there are also bursts of freshness. For instance, when he gets President Dedmon to visit NCAA in person by asking Dedmon how he proposed to his wife. But to be fair, Mattew did a good job showing the development of his character. Jack the head coack is actually the one transformed by the whole experience. When he makes that speech in the cemetery, one sees the transformation reach a climax. My favorite is the character of Don Dedmon. He is portrayed into a rounded, developed, and rich character. In him you see the mixture of the somewhat clumsy academic, a really hard-working leader, and a converted Herd fan. The rise of the football team seemed to have had the greatest impact on him. At the end of the movie, it is mentioned that the Young Thundering Herd lost more games in the 70s than any other football program in the nation. However, the glory comes in the 80s, when the team won championships and produced national football stars. That line has the potential of becoming something really great. But it was dismissed too quickly. There is really a good point in there: It takes time to actually make a program work. More importantly, it takes incubation, nurturing, and even patience in years and years of tireless work. Yet these are not materials for Hollywood. There is less drama in them. Instead, the movie turns to a spike of glory in those years that were not actually chracterized by winning games. The real thundering glory, I believe, is the laying of foundations in these early years in spite of pressures and losses. Hemmingway says courage is grace under pressure. So is glory. 1月17日 TidbitsSince I am here all by myself, I watch TV, I watch movies. My American culture knowledge must have gone up one standard deviation. Here is what I discovered recently:
1. John Malkowich is a really really great actor.
2. Sean Penn was once married to Madonna, got into several fights, was divorced. Went to Iraq, Iran, Katrina. Literally rescued several people in the Hurricane.
3. Brad Pitt is husband of Angelina, the actress in Raiders of the Lost Arc or Raiders of AncientTomb, whichever is correct. How can I remember all this stuff!
4. Donald Trump believes he is the hottest brand on the planet. I wonder if he means earth. I don't think I like his hair. It's not much better than my own.
5. This month is the international coffee month. I will honor that by making more trips to the coffee place at the end of the IT hall.
6. Ebert is one of the greatest movie critics alive. I put all his recommended movies in my netflix account.
7. Scott Adams washes dishes too. This makes me feel so much better. I think that is married men's mysterious destiny. I am now very philosophical about it.
8. Nowadays "Clinton" means "Hillary". I thought that is hillarious. I always think of Clinton as Bill Clinton. Either Hillary or I have to adapt.
9. Obama is not a terrorist (Not Osama). He is a new political star.
10. The guy who played Frank Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond" passed away. That broke my heart.
I probably got all the spellings messed up. But hope I am getting there. Article in Herald-DispatchBerlin Fang: Ford remembered from Chinese point of view
 
1月16日 FireThis Huntington fire is a tragedy that unfolds in Jack's case like a practical joke. Jack was asking me about the green card in the afternoon. That very evening he lost everything, including his passport.
That was quick, I joked. You'll have to stay here now, because you cannot return to China without a passport. You cannot stay here either without any discernible identity. You fall into the hole of the system. Just like the guy in Tom Hanks' Terminal.
Anyways, now I can share with him how to get a new passport in D.C.
Thank God he is alive. 1月3日 Can Jesus Stay in the US with Five Miracles or LessVery doubtful! Let’s do a science fiction version of the second coming. (I should send this to Spielberg to make a movie out of thisJ Here is what I imagine might happen.
Jesus wants to board on the plane to go directly from somewhere in Israel, but is declined. There is a customer who complains of security concerns because "there is a guy who looks mid-eastern on the plane." Jesus, being the nice one He has always been, complies with the aviation authorities and chooses not to board. Instead, he decides to walk all the way to the US. He stops in Shanghai to get His US visa, because that is the last place he can get it, before walking on the water of the pacific ocean to arrive in San Francisco.
To get a visa, He was required by the US Consulate in Shanghai to pay big time for the visa interview. On top of that, even to set up the interview appoitment, He is asked to buy a specific phone card from a specific bank. The card costs 6.75 dollars, lasting only 12 minutes, during which they ask all sorts of strange and irrelevant questions just to get Him to go over 12 minutes so that He will buy another card. Since there is no bank around where Jesus is, He tries to pay online, but failed, because the consulate web site keeps giving Him error messages. He sighs. Produces a card with a miracle, and gets an appointment. His visa application is turned down. He tries again. And again. He performs another miracle. Gets it. Bingo.
Walk on the pacific is fine. But customs at San Francisco is a bit of trouble. Let’s say he performs another miracle to go through them in a short time.
Finally, Jesus starts to work. In order to remain legal, he needs to have work authorization. Well. Let’s say he manages to do this with another miracle. And then he tries to get a Green Card.
Here He seemed to have opened a whole can of worms, using Matt's words.
The immigration agencies asks for a birth certificate to process His I-485. Jesus says, “I was born in a manger in Bethlehem. Not in a hospital. I don’t have a birth certificate. I was just ... born! Otherwise how can I be here?”
“Oops,” the lawyer smiled, “I cannot help, sorry.”
Being Jesus, He manages to find the three wise men who came to see Him when he was born. He resurrects them all, and have them produce enough evidence to prove He was actually born.
Then immigration agency asks for Proof of No Criminal Offense.
“I don’t need it. I am innocent. Even sunday school kids know that! ”
“Untill you can show a police record of that, dating back to the time you were born. You are guilty until proven innocent.”
Jesus thought that is ridiculous. Becaue that is duplicate effort. FBI will check the background anyway. Besides, this is double standards. What are you doing to the guy who wrote a book "If I Did It?" But for the sake of proper procedures, He finds the Roman centurion, gives him life, and then has him prove His innocence.
“Now I have everything ready. Will they process my case now?” He asked the immigration lawyer.
“Not yet. There is currently a backlog to file the 485 (the last step of the permanent residency process). In order to deal with the backlog, USCIS issues the visa bulletin every month which makes visa numbers available to applicants based on priority date. You just check the USCIS visa bulletin and wait.”
Jesus goes to the immigration office and sighs, “Do you know that you have almost used up the 77 times of my forgiveness in this entire process?”
“Who do you think you are? Jesus?” The guy laughs volumptiously, rolls his eyes, shakes his head. "You do not have to make this difficult." Jesus says. "This is part of the pain to stay in this country." Guy says. "If you are not satisfied, go back." "Cann't you see I am doing valuable work that you people can benefit from?" "Mister, let me tell you one thing before I throw you out. The only thing I see is the proper documentation you produce! IS THAT CLEAR?" Jesus goes out. On His way out He sees two illegal escaped convicts showing the permanent resident cards they just got. "So you get them?" "Yep! There was this amnesty thing for illegals. Ha ha!" |
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