Movie Review: Easy A (2010)


TitleEasy A
Release Date: 2010
Director:  Will Gluck
Summary/Review:

This movie was described to me as the high school comedy interpretation of The Scarlet Letter.  The story begins when 17 y.o. Olive tells her friend that she lost her virginity to a fictional college boyfriend.  Word gets out and Olive suddenly has a bad girl reputation.  Soon Olive is pretending to be sexually involved with several boys in order to help their reputations (that is for one boy to cover that he’s gay, for another that he’s an overweight loser, and so on).  Enjoying the attention and also making a statement about double standards and rumor mongering, Olive begins wearing more revealing clothing with the letter A stitched on.  A series of improbable but hilarious events ensue.

It’s a good mix of high school comedy with biting satire, and a fun way of addressing some serious topics such as bullying, gossip, and teen sexuality.  The movie is episodic but it’s tied together by the wit and charm of the lead actor Emma Stone.  And it’s really funny.

Rating: ***1/2

JP A to Z: L is for Ley Line #AtoZChallenge #JamaicaPlain


L is for Ley Line

Jamaica Plain has connections to not one but two 20th century poets known for the confessional style.

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)  was born on a quiet street in Jamaica Plain.  Her father was a botanist who did research in the nearby Arnold Arboretum.  She moved away around the age of 4, but published her first poem in the Boston Herald at the age of 8, and maintained ties to the Boston area through her short, troubled life.

Ley Line-1
Prince Street, where Sylvia Plath was born.

Anne Sexton (1928-1974) was born in Newton, MA and lived much of her live in nearby Weston.  She is buried in the Forest Hills Cemetery.

Ley Line-2
Anne Sexton’s grave in Forest Hills Cemetery.

Draw a line on a map from Sylvia Plath’s birthplace to Anne Sexton’s burial-place and you have a ley line of confessional poetry crossing Jamaica Plain.

Post for “L” in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Click to see more “Blogging A to Z” posts.

2016 Boston By Foot Tours


Spring is here, and it’s time to get out and explore the great city of Boston!

One of the best ways to see Boston is on a Boston By Foot walking tour.  The non-profit, educational organization is celebrating 40 years of sharing the history, architecture, and stories of Boston with tourists and locals alike.  This will be my 17th season as one of around 200 volunteer guides leading tours for Boston By Foot.

Below is the list of tours I’ve signed up to lead this season, but I encourage you to check out all our tours and an architecture cruise lead by our many brilliant guides.  If you live in the Boston area, or plan to to visit and take multiple tours, membership is the best deal!  Membership gets you free admission on all regular tours, discounts on tours of the month, and special members-only events!

April 15: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

April 29: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

May 20:  Heart of the Freedom Trail – 11am

May 20:  Road to Revolution – 1pm

May 20:  The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

June 3:  Heart of the Freedom Trail – 11am

June 3:  Road to Revolution – 1pm

June 3:  The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

June 19: Roxbury Highlands (members preview) – 2pm

June 26:  Roxbury Highlands – 2pm

July 7: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

July 14: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

July 15:  Heart of the Freedom Trail – 11am

July 15:  Road to Revolution – 1pm

July 21: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

July 28: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

August 4: The Dark Side of Boston  – 6pm

August 11: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

August 18: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

August 25: The Dark Side of Boston – 6pm

August 26:  Heart of the Freedom Trail – 11am

August 26:  Road to Revolution – 1pm

See you out on the streets of Boston!