Skip to content

Tag: Nicholas Hoult

Victor Hugo, Stardust, Warm Bodies, Brad Troeger, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Victor Hugo, Stardust, Warm Bodies, Brad Troeger, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 1, 2023

Sunday Supplement #125 (October 1st, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Life is the flower for which love is the honey.”

– Victor Hugo

Book of the Week:

Stardust – Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman’s third novel follows young Tristran Thorn, who will do anything to win the love of cold and beautiful Victoria.

Thorn even promises to fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. However, to do so, he must go across the unexplored lands beyond the wall that is their village’s namesake.

Tristran finds the realm of Faerie beyond the wall, where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

I featured Stardust, the movie, in Sunday Supplement #31, but the book is well worth checking out for those who enjoyed the movie or love the fantasy genre.

Gaiman is a master storyteller, and even though he is early in his novel career, this Locus Award-nominated novel showcases some of the best of his imagination.

Movie of the Week:

Warm Bodies

Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies is an adaptation of the Isaac Marion novel about a highly unusual zombie who saves a still-living girl from a zombie attack.

The unusual zombie, R, played by Nicholas Hoult, forms a relationship with Julie, the still-living girl played by Teresa Palmer, which sets in motion events that transform the lifeless world.

Warm Bodies had a budget of $35 million and made around $117 million at the box office. The movie seemed like it came and went, though, because not many people have seen it.

The film is a hilarious but heartwarming story that is able to craft a thought-provoking world and explore what it means to be human.

Levine is probably most known for his film 50/50, but I highly recommend Warm Bodies as I have it high up on my feel-good movie list.

Brainfood of the Week:

What is Love? – Brad Troeger | TED-Ed

The animated TED-Ed video starts by emphasizing how there is no shortage of answers for what love means.

One of the challenges to defining love is comparing it to something else or getting a biased/skewed answer.

The video explains how our environments, experiences, and expectations can influence our experiences of love.

While the video shows how there can be many different interpretations, it emphasizes the necessity for communication and openness for it to grow.

This short video from Troeger is worth checking out for a thought-provoking look at how nuanced love can be.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“When one is in love, a cliff becomes a meadow.”

– Ethiopian Proverb

When I came across this Ethiopian Proverb, I was struck by the dual nature of the interpretation.

You can view the proverb as meaning love makes difficult things easier to navigate or be reminded that love can obscure reality.

I think both are helpful interpretations. We must remember to view things from a clear perspective, but we can also take strength in action from love.

Ideally, we can see things clearly and act from a place of love. 

Find the strength in love, see things clearly, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed
Sundar Pichai, Little Scarlet, A Single Man, Navajo Traditional Teachings, and a Dhammapada Verse

Sundar Pichai, Little Scarlet, A Single Man, Navajo Traditional Teachings, and a Dhammapada Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on January 22, 2023

Sunday Supplement #89 (January 22nd, 2023)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.”

– Sundar Pichai

Book of the Week:

Little Scarlet – Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins series follows Black WWII veteran Rawlins, who moved from Louisiana to Los Angeles after the war.

There are fifteen novels in the Easy Rawlins series, and Little Scarlet is book nine. You don’t have to read them in order, and Little Scarlet is one of my favorites in the series.

In the novel, Rawlins is asked by the police to investigate the murder of a Black woman right after the Watts Riots just ended.

Mosley’s novels take the best of the detective fiction genre and explore deep themes and the history of Black America in Los Angeles over a few decades of the character Rawlin’s life.

I featured Walter Mosley and his Easy Rawlins series (picking the first novel in the series) in Sunday Supplement #3. Check out the series and see where you’d want to start.

Movie of the Week:

A Single Man

Tom Ford’s A Single Man adapted Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel about an English professor George coping with the death of his partner, Jim.

George goes throughout his day in a despondent nature but has various encounters with people that provide color and illuminate different possibilities of existence.

The casting of the film was excellent. Colin Firth received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of George, and Julianne Moore and Nicholas Hoult also shone in their roles.

A Single Man was Tom Ford’s directorial debut. The famous fashion designer brought an impeccable look to the film that aided the brilliant narrative.

While the film has a small scale, it has a rich depth to the story and characters that help capture a beautiful snapshot of life.

Brainfood of the Week:

Teachings About Balance in Life | Navajo Traditional Teachings

Navajo Traditional Teachings’ YouTube page aims to teach the culture of the people from the language, traditional teachings, and oral history passed down through the generations.

In this video, Navajo Historian Wally Brown discusses the teachings of balance and how we can take things that don’t matter and lose our balance.

Brown emphasizes the importance of not allowing things that don’t matter to rule your life. He gives the example of outside influences trying to change your values.

Another form of balance Brown discusses is how understanding a negative thing can help make it a positive and create balance.

This six-minute video has much wisdom, and the Navajo Traditional Teachings channel provides a unique insight into a great breadth of teachings.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Do not associate with evil companions; do not seek the fellowship of the vile. Associate with good friends; seek the fellowship of noble men.”

– Dhammapada verse 78

This Dhammapada verse made me think about the influences I have around me. While it discusses people, I think different mediums also can affect your life.

On one side, I see people or things wanting you and pushing you to be the best you can be.

The other side would be people or things that promote negative habits that drag you down and take you away from positive experiences.

I liked how the end of the verse was about seeking the fellowship of noble men (& women). The search is worth considering because they may require effort to find, or they may already be in your life and needed to be left in.

Consider your influences, look for positive fellowship, and have a blessed week ahead!

14 Comments
2021 © Drew Alexander Ross