Delicatessen!

Like any normal college kid, I devoted my entire weekend to studying with breaks to: 1) run errands 2) watch Young Frankenstein which is, admittedly, still homework since I'm watching it for class 3) watch SNL (I'm not a cave person. I know how this works. If you don't watch it in the first 12 hours, someone's gonna spoil it for ya.) 4) Church. (who plays "Tis Finished, the Messiah Dies" in January?)

But tonight was special. I FINISHED my weekend reading. And I celebrated by watching a French film called...Delicatessen. (What a nerd, right? I used English subtitles, but still. I learned some stuff from it. My yearning to learn will not be ignored!)

Warning: it's a film review, so spoilers are a given.


Mmm. A deli. Sounds tasty, right?

It's only tasty if you thought "Man, that sounds good!" when you watched Sweeney Todd.

For some reason, in alternate France, there is no food, so people resort to killing one another for meat. I didn't quite figure out why there wasn't any food...maybe that was explained in the few seconds where I ran to the window to see why there was a lot of honking going on outside. (No reason. I'm blaming Texas road rage for that racket.) In most places, people get together and draw straws to see who gets the ax. But the tenants above the delicatessen have a better solution. The butcher advertises for a person to do odd jobs. After this person arrives, they kill him and eat him.

But of course, this time the butcher's daughter falls for the odd jobs man. (You may recognize him as the creepy failed writer from Amelie.)

I really liked this movie. Usually when I watch something, I get bored and pause it so I can get on pinterest for a bit. But this was excellent.

Why did I like this movie?
1) There was a moment that I choose to interpret as a Doctor Who reference even though I know it isn't one.
2) It was weird that I liked it, but I loved the scene where everyone ended up doing everything (subconsciously) in the rhythm of the springs creaking.
3) This movie has one of the darkest side stories, and it's hilarious. This lady in the building is trying to commit suicide for the entire film. At the end, she attempts to asphyxiate herself, hang herself, shoot herself, poison herself, and blow herself up all at the same time, and she's still unsuccessful. It's one of those things that shouldn't be funny since it's such a serious issue...but somehow it is.
4) Louison plays the saw.
5) The scene where Julie and Louison flood the bathroom. It's so weird...it makes me want to watch more French movies to see if they're all like this, or if it's just because this movie has the same writer/director as Amelie (one of the greatest films ever made).
6) The entire movie is so absurd. I really like that.
7) The final scene. I want to play the saw on the roof.

In summation: This movie is like a better version of Sweeney Todd. The director also seems to have a Burton-esque relationship with some of his actors. Or maybe there are only 10 actors in France.

Franz and Sophie

I need to go grocery shopping. I have a lot of things I need to read for class. But I've been doing have-tos all day, so I want to take a few minutes to eat a brownie, drink a cup of coffee (this was just becoming necessary), and write about an issue that has resonated emotionally with me lately.

Franz Ferdinand.

Girl, look at that mustache.

I know, right? He's been dead 98 years. And all you know about him is that he started World War I. (Bonus points if you realize that he didn't start anything since he was, you know, dead.)

But his life was more that that. He was a generally disliked man in the Austro-Hungarian scheme. Mostly because 1) He wasn't supposed to be next in line for the throne and 2) He married for love. It has also been said that he had an icy personality, but I didn't meet the man, I just read about him.

Isn't that the saddest thing you've ever heard? Centuries of inbreeding and affairs, and when Franzy goes off and marries a girl he loves, everyone hates him. She was actually from a noble family...they just weren't noble enough. She was pretty as well! This isn't some sort of thing where everyone didn't like her and kinda whispered behind her back. No, this was the sort of thing where she was denied her title (like Camilla Parker-Bowles) and wasn't allowed to be in public with her husband at a lot of events.

It is also very important to realize that the Archduke was one of the few people in power in Austria-Hungary who wasn't itching for a war in 1914. The other leaders were foaming at the mouth for conflict. So his death setting off the First World War has another level of irony and sadness to it.

The whole reason that the two of them were in Sarajevo (besides needing to do some official stuff) is that the weird administration of the country meant that Sophie and Franz could be together in public. Isn't that sweet? And it was their anniversary as well! (Although it was also the anniversary of a great Sebian defeat...should've checked "This Day in History" before hopping on the train.)

Then the two of them got shot and died while on their way to visit a man who was injured in an earlier assassination attempt on Franz Ferdinand. Europe's Last Summer says that Franz's last words were something along the lines of "Sophie dear! Don't die! Someone must care for the children!"

But after they died, the angry Austrians weren't finished humiliating them! There was a plan to bury only Sophie in the special tomb that she and her husband had had build because they knew they couldn't be buried together in the royal tomb and stick Franz in the royal tomb anyhow! Luckily, someone intercepted the bodies and they at least got their wishes in that regard. But those sweet children weren't allowed to go to the memorial service, and they were barely allowed to send flowers. Foreign leaders (who normally would've been all over this funeral) weren't invited; the Kaiser only got to come because the two were personal friends.

Anyway, I didn't know the details of this melancholy affair until 3 days ago. I always had a vague idea of what happened (thanks, John Green) due to this excerpt from An Abundance of Katherines:                                    
"[Ferdinand] married this girl named Sophie in 1900, and everyone thought she was just totally low-rent. But, you know, in the guy's defense, he really loved her."

So I've been telling everyone I know about it. I'm sure this account is oversimplified and not actually true, but if there's anything that history can teach us, it's that what you believe is what matters. That's what shapes your worldview. That's why you have to be discerning and think critically. But isn't it wonderful that we live in a world where, 98 years after a man and his wife were assassinated, people still care? Because I honestly care about this story. I wonder what happened to his kids and need to read up on them. So many histories are remembered through the ages because they were bloody and many people died, but far less are remembered because they represent the best in us, but without those stories, we might forget how good the good can be.

Every Day Should Be Downton Day

Oh my. I love Downton Abbey so much. I livetweeted it like it was Death Canoe 4. But seriously, HOW OLD IS ANNA? I thought she was about 25, but then she married Bates who is...45? I can't tell how old these people are. And Daisy looks like she's 12, but I think she's about 20. And isn't Edith an old maid by now, or was that not a thing after WWI because there weren't that many men around? Mary is still my favorite character. Her icy devotion to her family and position is nice. I hated it last week when she was acting emotional because she was getting married. That's not an excuse for feelings! I wanted to see her get married and say something like "Oh well, if I must" at the altar and have her and Matthew get into an argument over it, but then still get married.

I'm watching the news right now - it's repetitive and depressing. "Armstrong doped." "Newtown parents want more gun control" "No one else wants gun control" "Fiscal Cliff: Part XXXXVI" That's followed by a typical CBS Evening News feel-good story of some kind that I don't particularly care for.

I had a really good last first day at the University of Arkansas. I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in about a month, and 2 of my 3 classes were ausgezeichnet. The other one was fuzzy - didn't get into any material, so it's too soon to judge. I ate an apple between classes. I'm so happy that I have the opportunity to be nerdy and take 15 hours when I need about 3 of them. Only one class tomorrow, so it looks like a good day ahead.

I'm also finalizing my applications for one program that I really want to do next year and my application to GWU. I hope both are successful! I'm just waiting on recommendations for both applications, and I reminded my professor (along with sitting in a class she was teaching for 3 hours today), so hopefully all goes as planned. I'm so nervous/excited about next year. I can't wait to either teach English or start my graduate studies - but I'm nervous to see which opportunities pan out.