Singin' in the Rain in Chicago

We've started in on musicals and the first two both have commonalities revolving around show business and the need for fame.  Your task is to discuss the themes of both Chicago and Singin' in the Rain; pay special attention to the need for attention from the media, the need for control, and how show business is portrayed in each. 

As always, this needs to be at least three hundred words and demonstrate good writing conventions.

John Green's Novels Turned Films

All young adult literature is dystopian! At least this seemed to be the case prior to John Green's work taking center stage.  Green's popularity has skyrocketed and he is ever-present in many classrooms thanks in part to his work with Crash Course and Vlog Brothers both on Youtube.  This is not the only medium that Green enters the classroom, however.  His work is is revered by students and teachers alike for its realism (many students tell me that the characters are like them and deal with stuff that they deal with) and its authenticity.

It will come as no surprise to many of you that upon getting a boxed set of Green's work I was MIA from society for a week while I poured over each novel.  But it's not just me doing this; readers from classrooms to Hollywood are diving into these works and finding something in them that speaks to them.  Presently, two of Green's novels (The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns) have been adapted into films with Looking for Alaska in the works (it has continually been pushed back thanks to disputes between the director and studio, you can find out more here).

Why does Green's work resonate with us?  Your task is to discuss the themes present both The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.  What do they say about the human experience?  What can we learn about ourselves?  About others?  Why does it matter?  What makes them interesting?

As always, please use good writing conventions and at least three hundred words.

9/11 and the Lost Generation

You've all probably heard me say (multiple times, I would assume) that Reign Over Me is my favorite film with Adam Sandler even though he is not the protagonist.  And much like Reign Over Me attempts to address the effects of 9/11, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close attempts to do the same.  This leads me to think of the Lost Generation - writers during the 1920s and 30s such as Ernest Hemingway, attempting to explain, understand, and cope with World War I.  Much of the work from this era did not focus on those that were directly involved with the causation of the Great War, but instead focused on those effected.

How does each of the films attempt to cope with and make sense of 9/11?  Which of the films resonates more strongly with you?  Why do you suppose that this is?