Bryce Moore's Blog, page 228

Another Successful Daddy/Daughter Dance

Saturday I took DC to another Daddy/Daughter dance being held at a local elementary school. She’d had such a fun time at the last one, how could I pass up another chance? Reading over that last post, it seems like this one was similar in most ways, different in a few distinct ones.

First off, DC knew what to expect this time. She wanted to know if we were going to go to the same restaurant–because the one we went to last year was “so beautiful.” So yes, we went to the same one. She once again had chicken fingers, along with almost all the other girls at the table. (One went with pasta this time.) I had a fantastic sausage and peppers pasta dish that was superb–though I ended up spilling on my white shirt (of course).

A highlight this time was the fact that there was a fireworks show just across from the restaurant while we were eating dessert. Really, we couldn’t have planned it any better, though it happened more or less accidentally. DC had a great time watching the fireworks, and I got the chance to eat all the dessert.

The dance itself was much improved from last year. There were actual songs I recognized (much appreciated–Justin Bieber just doesn’t do it for me), and better yet, there were no F bombs in the middle of lyrics. It was interesting watching DC dance–she was unconcerned at all with how she was dancing or what she might look like. Not self-conscious at all. At the same time, she never stopped watching what everyone else was doing, and I’m not sure why. To get ideas of other dance moves she could try out? To see if they were dancing any better? No idea.

I thought it was funny that the first thing she wanted to do when we got to the dance–after having a great dinner at a restaurant–was make a beeline for the refreshments. Grapes and crackers. Boo yah.

I’m sure I looked like a big goof out there on the dance floor. That’s my typical modus operandi. But I’m happy to say I really no longer care. I was there for my daughter, and I was with a group of people who likewise didn’t care. Hooray for that. Of course, it’s easier to be less self conscious when all of the girls at the dance are crawling on their bellies underneath a limbo stick. (They played limbo during a part of the dance. The daughters apparently all thought the only really important bit was getting under the stick–it didn’t matter how. Funny.)

I couldn’t help think about some of my other dances–from high school, for example. When I think of all the time, money, and effort I put into trying to make those nights “awesome” . . . I can’t help but think it was a waste. All that does is build up the pressure to have the event be great. Saturday’s ticket was like $8. Senior prom’s ticket was something like $120, as I recall.

No offense to my senior prom date, but my daughter was way more fun.

Anyway–that’s all I have time for today. DC’s still in the prime age group for these, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be back next year for another report.

You Gotta Know When to Fold ‘Em

I finished the read through of GET CUPID earlier this week. There are parts of that book that are flat out awesome. The characters are lots of fun, the tone and voice are jumping and funny. The magic is intriguing.

And the plot is a train wreck.

That’s perhaps being a tad harsh. It’s not a train wreck. It’s more of a long journey with some fun friends who have no clue where they’re going and aren’t in any real rush to arrive. Some friends who make random stops along the way. Which is fun for a while, but when you signed up for a direct route, it can get pretty maddening after a while.

So.

I’m faced with a difficult decision. I can try and do a fourth massive revision of GET CUPID. And that was my first instinct. To fix it. To make it better, darn it! I’ve spent over a year on that book, and giving up on it would just make that year feel like a complete waste, writing-wise. So I tried to figure out what I would do to salvage it. The first chapter was great. Second chapter started to go awry. Third chapter would have to go. Maybe the middle three chapters are gone. Rewrite the finale . . . The more I listed things that needed to change, the more I looked at that list and said, “Nope!”

And so that’s what I’ve decided. Nope nope nope. Not rewriting that book. Not again. Not right now.

Am I giving up on it completely? No. Because some of the hardest part of writing for me is figuring out characters and developing a strong main voice. I’ve got that done here. All I need to do is transfer them into a new plot. In this case, it’s going to be a prequel to the book I wrote. GET CUPID takes place in the main character’s senior year of high school. The new book is going to be his freshman year. It’ll be more Harry Potter-esque, in that it’ll be a “school book” far more than GET CUPID. I sat down last night and started hashing out conflicts and coming up with new and exciting heists and con jobs.

Moving the book to freshman year also does something interesting to the plot: it moves it out of young adult and right into middle grade. Which is okay by me, but will take a bit of tweaking and getting used to.

The good news is that I’m excited to write the new book, and that’s key when you’re sitting down to the keyboard. GET CUPID is done. Finished. It remains the 10th full novel I finished, and nothing will change that. It’s just I’m now working on my twelfth book, and it happens to be the first prequel I’ve done. The year and a half I spent writing and revising the original wasn’t wasted time–it was time getting ready for this next book.

Because sometimes that’s just what you have to accept as a writer.

Space, Rotary Phones, and Mini-Golf: Awesome Link-O-Rama

A busy day here in Brycedom, so to keep you all entertained while I’m off doing other things, allow me to distract you with three fine links I came across during my daily web crawl. First up? A website that shows you just how big the solar system is. It starts with a simple conceit. What if the moon were one pixel large? How big would the earth be? How about the sun? And that’s fascinating enough, but what’s *really* interesting is the blank space in between all the planets and the sun. This is the first place I’ve seen that really captures that. Be prepared for horizontal scrolling. LOTS of horizontal scrolling.

Next I present to you a video of kids reacting to seeing a rotary phone for the first time. (Hint: they don’t get it. Though I do love some of the contrived ways they figured out how people would use them to text back in the day . . .)

And last but not least, in the “Proving you can make something inspiring about any topic,” I present to you a documentary about a man who shot a perfect 18 hole mini-golf game. Because I guess there’s a pro league for anything? It’s short, and it’s fun, and it’s the only time I’ve ever heard a grown man admit he started crying over a mini-golf score.

Revisiting Cheers

With all the sound and fury in my life the past few months, I’ve found myself gravitating away from deep dramas and intense movies and looking for the film and TV equivalent of comfort food. Cheers used to be one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. It was funny, and I looked forward to watching it every week. That said, it’s been a show that I ignored every time I would stumble across it in searches on Netflix.

Cheers is old. I like my comedies quick and snappy and smart. What’s so smart about a bunch of people hanging around a bar?

But as I said, I’ve been looking for something safe, comfortable, and funny. Cheers was there, so I thought I’d give it a shot, not sure of exactly what I’d find. Would the show stand up? Would I be disappointed at my poor taste in sitcoms when I was growing up? Would the humor not work anymore?

I was overjoyed to find the show just as funny as I remembered. There’s a good reason the show won something like 28 Emmys over its run and was nominated for many many more. The show is consistent and the premise is simple. It doesn’t dip into the gutter for its jokes, which are almost all character-based, without being mean spirited.

Really, the more I thought about it, the more impressed I was with the conceit. It’s set in a central location where a varied group of people would naturally congregate. You’ve got the chance to have a stream of guest stars come by to spice things up. You can assemble a diverse set of characters that will naturally play well off each other. But it’s not just a good idea–it’s executed very cleanly.

So Denisa and I have been watching some episodes on nights when we don’t have a lot of time, but want a short break from all the other stuff we have to do.(Sheesh–I talk much more about the show, and I’m going to start quoting the theme song.)

Give it chance if you’re looking for something fun to watch. (Now . . . if only they were all Yankee fans . . . )

On the Importance of Academic Libraries

(NOTE: Here’s a piece I wrote a few months ago that seems particularly relevant to me recently. Note that it’s focused on the academic side of libraries, not the public side. I’d intended to post it on the blog a while ago, and I forgot to. But now seems like a wonderful time to highlight my current views on the role of the academic library. This is a bit more high brow than my usual posts, and I spent a bit longer thinking it through. I’d love to hear what your views of libraries are. It’s an important discussion, and it needs to happen in an open forum. Anyway. Enough with the note–on with the post!)

Academic libraries stand at an important crossroads. Even as collection sizes increase with electronic materials, the popular perception of the need for organization has decreased over the past decade, as more and more people simply assume they can google whatever information they need. While internet search engines are powerful, they are no replacement for a well-maintained library catalog.

It’s ironic in many ways that in this age of technology, with so many advancements popping up every day, popular consensus should be that libraries are on the brink of death. As I go to national library conferences and read about innovations in the field, I see the exact opposite: there’s more need for libraries now than ever before. But how do you convince a populace that a commonly held belief is wrong?

I am an enemy of the status quo, especially in libraries today. The status quo is the mindset that the average citizen has of libraries. Horn-rimmed glasses and hair buns. The status quo is a building bursting with dusty books. When I attend community meetings or hear about the struggles libraries face for renewed funding, I sometimes feel like Ebenezer Scrooge as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come points a bony finger at my grave. If we persist in letting others define what we are, that’s the future that awaits us.

To combat these ideas, libraries have started trying to explore new territory. Add video games to the collection. Highlight game nights at the library. Transform from a building of books into a community center. I disagree with this approach. Not with libraries being fun and inviting—but with trying to be something we’re not.

We don’t need to convince our patrons that libraries are fun places to hang out. There are plenty of spots for that on campus. We need to convince them they’re essential. That their research can’t possibly be complete with our services. The good news is that this is the truth. We are essential. But the definition of “library” means so much more than books today. It means databases, technologies, and programs. Websites and subject guides. Once we get our patrons to understand that they don’t need to be in a library to be using the library, we’re halfway there.

I have overheard students (and sometimes faculty) bragging about how long it’s been since they set foot in the library, and it’s here where libraries need to focus their efforts. Because when you haven’t come to the library in years, then you can’t possibly understand what libraries have to offer.

So we need to reach out on an individual and group level, making personal connections to students and faculty. Libraries exist to connect researchers with their research. People need to understand that most of the research they perform is available because of the contracts and databases that the library has performed on their behalf. Libraries aren’t buildings full of books. They’re collections of information.

The key, then, is to be sure you have the information your patrons need. Know what students are studying. What classes faculty are teaching, or what research they’re performing, and tailor your collection to those specific needs. A fantastic library at one institution could be a terrible library at another. A successful library rests on the strengths of its collections, both print and digital. It changes and adapts with the times, just as colleges and universities change and adapt. It has current information where current information is needed, historical perspective where that’s necessary.

Ideally, libraries aren’t the ones who make the case that they ought to exist. The ones who argue that should be our patrons. If a student (or faculty member) brags about how he’s never stepped foot in our building, his audience should greet that boast with shocked dismay, not a knowing nod and a wink.

In my spare time, I write young adult fantasy novels. One of the core principles of storytelling is “show don’t tell.” It’s one thing to tell your audience something. They’ll generally take your statement at face value, but it won’t change them. It won’t stay with them. Tell your reader that a character is heroic, and they’ll shrug and nod. Show them being heroic, and they’ll root for your character till the very end.

Libraries don’t need to tell our patrons we’re important. That won’t really convince them. We need to show them we’re important, and we do that by being the best collection of information and knowledge we can be. As we do that—and make sure we’re seen doing that—I believe the time will come when the cries for the end of libraries will cease, as more and more people begin to understand that the Information Age wasn’t the end for our field. It was the beginning.

Oscar Round Up

And so we reach another end of another Oscars broadcast. This one was fairly enjoyable, as far as Oscars broadcasts go. It did feel odd to me that the situation in Ukraine was really only brought up a couple of times (and one of those times was when an actor said, “To the people watching in Ukraine.” Um . . . dude? Ukraine’s got much more serious stuff to deal with at the moment than the Oscars.), but overall I had a fun time. Ellen was her usually reliable self. Some people might have thought the pizza schtick and other random interactions were lame, but I thought it brought a breath of fresh air to an event that takes itself way too seriously. Loved seeing how some of the actors/actresses would interact with her, and some just clearly wanted to be anywhere else but there.

As for the winners, seems like Gravity was an inescapable force–right up until the final award. I loved the fact that they gave the Oscar to 12 Years a Slave–it was a great twist ending to what seemed like an inevitable conclusion. Also extremely nice to see some diversity up on stage. Latin Americans, Kenyans, French–the Oscars should be about more than white American men winning golden men trophies. And last night seemed like a great step away from that.

And any night that includes Bill Murray giving a shout out to Harold Ramis is a successful night in my book. (Bill–when did you start looking so old? That’s not allowed. NOT ALLOWED!!)

Then again, whose bright idea was it to have Better Midler sing Wind Beneath My Wings after the In Memoriam section was over? I mean, did they brainstorm for all of three seconds for that gem? Bring back Yo-Yo Ma–though on another bright note, it seems they muted the audience for the Memoriam piece, so we didn’t have to listen to the Applause-o-Meter to see who was most popular (or who everyone was most glad was dead . . .?) That was a good idea.

Oh–and John Travolta. What in the world were you trying to call Idina Menzel? Because it sure wasn’t anything remotely close to her name. And then Ellen tried to smooth it over by calling her “Eye-dina.” Way to go, Hollywood. I expected more from Travolta.

I will say it felt very long to me this year, and that’s never a good sign. But I was watching with friends, and there was plenty to talk about or make fun of, so time goes faster that way, too.

But of course I know the reason you’re all here. You want to know if I defended my Oscar Hat trophy. It was a close year this time–the result wasn’t sealed up until almost the very end, but I squeaked out a victory: I got 19 out of 24, and second place was 18 out of 24. Phew! (Though there’s been some rumblings of changing the scoring system for next year–rumblings I might be in support of. Perhaps a three tiered system, with obscure awards getting 1 point, major awards getting 3? Something like that. We shall see.) The fact that I got as many picks right as I did is likely a testament to how predictable this year’s crop of nominations was. I don’t get to see the new releases very much these days, so I have to rely on reviews and word of mouth to make my picks for me. (If you’re looking for a much more in-depth live blog review of the show, might I suggest my agent’s blog? I always enjoy reading his reactions, and one year, it would be great to watch it with him–though the drive down from Maine in February ain’t exactly a sunday jaunt.)

But without further ado, I present to you this year’s winner (yours truly) in all his Oscar winning glory.

Writing Update

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so allow me to enlighten you all. As most of you know, I’m now up to four projects in various stages of completion that are all post-VODNIK. First is TARNHELM, a YA noir fantasy which has been out on the desks of editors for over 18 months now. We’ve heard back from around 40% of them. You heard that right. 40%. I’ve asked my agents if that’s par for the course–if some editors just never get back to you at all, agented or not. And it sounds like the bitter truth. There are a few editors we’re still holding out for, but at some point this is a book I’ll have to decide to either publish myself or just set it in a drawer for a while. Sad but true.

Next is GET CUPID, a YA heist fantasy which I’ve just started the fourth draft of. I’m in the midst of re-reading the third draft, and it’s an interesting read. My agent didn’t like the second at all, and so I did a huge revision (that he’s still yet to see–I never sent it to him) and set it aside for a long while in order to let myself be able to read it fresh and see what was working and what wasn’t. The good news is that I feel like the characters and conflict and magic system are all working great. The bad news is that the plot is still an absolute mess, even three drafts into it. The book was trying to be too  many things at once. My third draft helped streamline it some and bring it to more of a focus, but that focus (i’m discovering as I re-read it) is still far too blurry. But to return to good news, I have quite a few good ideas about how to change the book and make it work, plot-wise. It’ll be a hefty revision, but I think it’s doable. That’s what’s keeping me busy on a day to day level at the moment.

My other book is THE MEMORY THIEF, a middle-grade contemporary fantasy that I just finished the third draft of. My agent is reading it over now, but it’s looking good so far. I’m fairly confident we’re not too far off from having it on the desks of editors. TARNHELM is a strange book and one that could be hard to find an audience for. (Not too many teens reading noir at the moment, and even fewer clamoring for a hefty dose of fantasy with that noir, ya know?) MEMORY THIEF is much more main-stream and easy to sell (I hope). It also helps that I haven’t read anything really like it, though it fits comfortably in the same genre as other books. But we’ll see what editors think when they get it.

Finally, I’ve started another book that’s still unnamed. I got about 10,000 words of it written before I set it aside for MEMORY THIEF and GET CUPID. It’s nice to know I’ve got a project lined up to return to when I’m done with my revisions, and I actually think the time away from the project will once again help me approach it fresh and see how well it’s working.

I’ve been focused a lot on improving my ability to plot lately. I feel like my prose and voice is solid, but my plots have a tendency to meander around quite a bit. We’ll see how well it works in practice, as I try to wrangle GET CUPID into fighting form.

People always ask me, “Are you working on anything new?” And I’m always surprised they don’t know that I’m *always* working on something new. I just don’t have anything to show for it that you can read in print just yet. It makes me sad, but it is what it is. Hopefully I can buck that trend in the near future.

Anyway. Thanks for reading, and thanks as always for the support you all give me. It’s much appreciated!

Big Changes at Work

On Tuesday, my boss’s position was eliminated–meaning that as of now, the library no longer has a director. Obviously there’s a time and place to talk about what happens at work, and I’m not going to use my blog to air all my thoughts about the change–what went into it, why it was done, what should happen now. But what I do feel comfortable talking about is my reaction to the change, albeit briefly.

Mainly I bring it up because my mind just isn’t in a spot to be writing big blog posts at the moment. (Thankfully, I have previous posts written on dealing with just such occasions–see here and here.) In some ways, I feel like the last six months have just been one thing after another: the lawn tractor died, the snowblower broke, the roof needed to be repaired, TRC knocked out his front tooth, I got in a car accident, and now my job is facing huge changes. But at the same time, there have been many things that have gone the right way that have made it much easier to face these challenges. Yes, it’s been a fairly bad run as far as bad runs go, but it could have been much worse for yours truly, is what I’m trying to say.

And if there’s one thing I’ve found so far in dealing with trouble, it’s that the worst thing possible is to dwell on what’s happened. The sooner you can pick yourself up and get moving again, the better. Because once the terrible present is now the terrible past, it’s up to you in how you deal with it.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and talk about my current boss, and how much he’ll be missed. I’ve had a number of bosses in different jobs over the years, and often I’m just happy to have a boss who’s not terrible, as opposed to a boss who’s genuinely good. My current one is genuinely good. He’s always been willing to go to bat for his employees, he takes an active interest not just in how we’re doing our jobs but how we’re doing as people. Too often in the workplace, the personal falls by the wayside as if it doesn’t matter. But I don’t believe we should live in order to be able to work. We work in order to be able to live. My boss realized that, and it makes a huge difference.

He’s been supportive of me in my various endeavors across the state, giving me the chance to fill major roles in the Central Maine Library District and then the Maine Library Association. He’s helped guide the library through some genuinely sticky and treacherous times, and his stoic approach to dealing with adversity is going to be missed not just in the library but on the campus in general.

I don’t know. I feel like this post is turning into a eulogy, and that wasn’t my intent. I’ll just leave it as saying a big thanks and nothing but best wishes in what I hope is a bright future for him.

As for me . . . I have no idea what’s going to happen now. The direction the library will go. The choices that will have to be made. But still, you deal with the hand that’s dealt to you (except in Magic the Gathering, where I’d definitely mulligan this hand in a heartbeat). But if I seem a bit distracted over the next week or two (or month or two), you’ll know why.

Here goes nothing.

Downton Finale Review

Sorry for the late post–it’s been a fairly hectic last few days in many different areas of my life. More on that in a day or two, but for now, I’m here to give a report on the finale of Downton’s fourth season, an episode that was really just a home run in my book. It did so many things right, that it pretty much made up for most of the messes that the middle episodes stumbled into. After some floundering for a direction and a clue, I’m very relieved that the show seems back on firmer footing. And let’s face it: after last season’s bloody ending, finding a way toward normalcy was far from a done deal. Thank goodness we have no such troubles this time.

Particular story lines that stood out to me:

Rose has somehow managed to stop being annoying. What a wonderful thing! This was an episode where she did some silly things, but they were silly things that can be forgiven, and she handled the consequences in a sensible manner. It’s much easier to forgive a character for their mistakes if they do the right thing as soon as they’ve discovered they made them. Her whole “coming out” plot line was also a great example of Downton playing to its strengths, exploring an aspect of British society in the early 1900s that most people have very little understanding of. (And by “most people,” I of course mean me.)
The whole “stolen letter” plot was a lot of fun. Court intrigue on Downton? Sure, why not? It managed to draw on several earlier plot lines that had been introduced over the course of the season (the poker cheat, Rose going to late parties, Bates being awesome, etc.) and tie them together in a big whole.
Bates is really turning into the “man who can do anything” plot device. If Downton ever has a nuclear bomb set to go off on the property in thirty minutes, I’m sure they’ll just turn to Bates, who will reveal he’s a pro at bomb diffusion and nuclear physics (just to make him even cooler). This just cements in my mind the fact that if the show makes it to World War II, Bates is going to already be dead. Otherwise, the Granthams would just send him over to Germany on his lonesome, and he’d have the whole Hitler thing taken care of in a weekend.
Edith–The best way to stop being an annoying character and to start being one we can admire is to stop sitting around bemoaning your fate all the time and to start being proactive. I was very pleased to see her learn this at the end of the episode–even though it clearly will cause some troubles in the future. That’s fine by me. She’s trying to do her best with the lot that’s been given to her–although I will say that the acrobatics the show went through to try to introduce some mention of Nazis seemed far fetched to me, to say the least.
The American family–Great stuff here, with Giamatti playing his role perfectly. I loved the American servant and how clueless he was about the “proper” way of doing things. Lots of opportunity for humor. Fun times.
Bates and the murder mystery. Did he? Didn’t he? Who cares. I’m glad they burned the evidence, and I really hope that’s the last we hear of that plot. Good riddance.
Carson Plans a Day Out–Anything to involve Carson in a plot is a good thing. I love his character. He’s consistently excellent and always reliable. Very funny.
Thomas the Weasel–Thomas being Thomas. I’m still surprised the Granthams haven’t caught on to his weaselness, but what can you do? Not sure what he’s got over Cora’s new maid, but I suppose that’s for next season.
Tom continues to be in a precarious situation, but it’s one I think the writers are handling well, and it’s an opportunity for continued conflict without resorting to soap opera dramatics.
Finally, Lady Mary and Her Suitors–She’s changed as a character. The change wasn’t introduced well, but now that I understand that, I’m much more at ease with the plot line. I still think Lord Gillingham is an idiot, and I have no idea what she sees in him, but it’s not like I’m the one who’d be stuck with him if she’s dumb enough to marry him. Next season could be entertaining as we watch them vie for her affections. But I still miss Matthew.

And there you have it. After the rough patch the season hit in episode three, I wondered if it could be salvaged. Thankfully the show seems to have turned a corner. In the end, I’d say this is the third best season. Season one is by far the strongest, followed by season three, then season four, and then season two. So if they keep alternating in quality, maybe we’re up for a smashing season five.

What about you? What are your thoughts?

A Tribute to Harold Ramis, Director of Groundhog Day

As a huge Groundhog Day fan, I couldn’t help but be massively bummed out yesterday when I read of passing. Check that–as a huge movie fan, not just Groundhog Day fan. Ramis wrote and/or directed some of my all time favorites, and it’s sad to see him go. (Could he really have already been almost 70? Really?) Check out his resume as a writer: Animal House, Meatballs, Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day. As a director: Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Groundhog Day, The Ice Harvest. It’s true that Ramis didn’t have a huge number of films under his belt compared to some directors, and it’s also true that he didn’t have as big of hits after the early 90s, but sometimes it’s the quality not the quantity that counts. And so as a send off to Mr. Ramis, I wanted to give a quick rundown of the movies of his that I’ve seen, and my thoughts on each.

Animal House–(1978) Written by Ramis and others and directed by John Landis, it’s the movie that propelled John Belushi to stardom. 7.7 on IMDB. Not my favorite film, but a comedy classic in its genre. Double Secret Probation. Thank you sir, may I have another? Toga party. Sometimes I wonder how much of college life is a reflection of people trying to live how they think college life is supposed to be. In other words, did Animal House make college life, or did college life make Animal House?

Meatballs–(1979) Written by Ramis and others and directed by Ivan Reitman, it’s the movie that started the Bill Murray launch. 6.1 on IMDB. Yes, you’ve got the typical summer camp setting, but you’ve also got what I think is one of the best inspirational speeches of all time. It just doesn’t matter!

Caddyshack–(1980) Written and directed by Ramis, with help on the writing from others. 7.4 on IMDB. The definitive golf comedy classic. I’ve seen this movie multiple times and love it each time–and not just because it’s the first pairing of Billy Murray with a groundhog. (Here’s a question for you: what if this movie is an alternative outcome to Groundhog Day, where Phil Connors went absolutely insane and emerged to become the groundskeeper of this film? Awesome.) The quotes from this movie are endless. It’s in the hole. You’ll get nothing and like it. The Varmint Cong.

Stripes–(1981)  Written by Ramis and others and directed by Ivan Reitman. 6.9 on IMDB. Not my favorite movie of his, but still–Ramis and Bill Murray team up on screen to present the most awesome ESL class ever.

National Lampoon’s Vacation–(1983) Directed by Ramis. 7.4 on IMDB. If you’ve ever been on a cross country family trip and you’ve never seen this movie, you’re really missing out. Pure comedy gold, done superbly by Chevy Chase. I’ve seen this film many many times, and I’ve always loved it. The dog behind the car. Wally World. Aunt Edna. Great movie. You also start to get a feel for some of the films Ramis likes to focus on. Comedy that comes from everyday life, with a strong twist of bizarre. The movie’s funny, yes–but there’s a squishy center in the middle of it.

Ghostbusters–(1984) Written by Ramis and Ackroyd, directed by Ivan Reitman. 7.8 on IMDB. I was talking to a student worker the other day, and they’d never seen Ghostbusters. Never even heard of it. And that should just be a federal crime. It’s a perfect blend of scary, funny, and strange. Own it. Love it.

Groundhog Day–(1993) Written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, directed by Rubin. 8.1 on IMDB–the 216th top rated film. This one needs no introduction or summary from me. Like Vacation, it’s definitely got a squishy center. I’ve seen this movie at least 15 times. Probably around 2o. It just keeps getting better. A fantastic movie.

Multiplicity–(1996) Directed by Ramis. 5.9 on IMDB. I haven’t seen this one in a long time, though I remember enjoying it a fair bit when I did. Michael Keaton has some very funny roles in the movie, and I wonder how well it has aged. I don’t think that 5.9 rating is reflective of the sort of movie it actually is, but I’d have to give it another gander to say for sure. Again, you’ve got a comedy exploring the squishier side of humanity.

Analyze This–(1999) Written by Ramis and others, directed by Ramis. 6.7 on IMDB. De Niro and Billy Crystal, doing the mob therapist thing long before The Sopranos came on the idea. I saw this one once, quite a long time ago. Not many memories here.

Bedazzled–(2000) Written by Ramis and others, directed by Ramis. 5.9 on IMDB. Again, I feel like that 5.9 is too low. The DVD cover has a bikini-clad Elizabeth Hurley, so I think perhaps it’s setting the wrong expectations for viewers. It’s not the sex romp the cover seems to be promising. It’s a Faustian remake of the original Dudley Moore movie, where a regular guy makes a deal with the devil, and humor ensues. I liked this one enough to buy it on sale, though it’s been a while since I watched it.

The Ice Harvest (2005) Directed by Ramis. 6.3 on IMDB. It stars John Cusack as a mob lawyer trying to make a break for it. How could I not watch it? Again, I think 6.3 is low for this movie–so it seems I clearly have a soft spot for Ramis films. It’s quite the departure from his other movies. Darker, although I would still argue it’s got a squishy center (for a black comedy).

And that rounds out the movies I’ve seen of his. There are a few holes I’m missing, but I’ve seen most of them. Thank goodness we’re still able to watch the work of the artist when the artist is gone, but it makes me sad that we no longer have a chance of getting anything new. Mr. Ramis, you shall be missed.