Junior Year History Class & A Ground Rule

     My Junior Year at Venice High School in sunny Venice, FL, I was blessed to have an enchanting American History teacher by the name of Ms. Simmons. I doubt that she will ever read this, but I would be remiss not to thank her for allowing me to learn through my beloved medium of film. 23 films were shown over the duration of Ms. Simmons' one-semester class, and each helped to further illuminate the dark coves and corners of history.

     After graduating from her class, I was dismayed to find that the public school board found her film-infused teaching methods undesireable and thus forced her to greatly reduce and alter her tried and proven curriculum. Censored by a misguided and presumptuous system, Ms. Simmons is now retired, hopefully still enjoying films in the company of her beloved cats (all named after presidents and their first ladies, mind you).

     The first week of Ms. Simmons' class structure was such that it was designed to come full circle. The very first week of her class was identical to that of the last. The 1st and last week were about the decades that formed the country that we (the class of '08) were born into. This week-long unit began post-WWII and continued on through 1989. The film shown to embody these deacades was Forrest Gump.

     Before she presented the movie to us, Ms. Simmons introduced a "ground rule" for the class that stemmed from our watching of the film: For all intensive purposes, in that class, Forrest Gump was a real person. The film would never be referenced, but Forrest himself would be. When the Watergate scandal was discussed in the class, so was "Mr. Gump's" involvement. When Vietnam was discussed, so was Forrest's role in it. When we talked about the emergence of AIDS in the '80s, it had to be mentioned that Forrest fathered a child with a victim of that std. Forrest's inclusions in our classes were normally prefaced by "Some of you may remember our 'friend' Forrest's involvement with this event..." and so we did. Because of Ms. Simmons' use of him as a marker throughout recent history, Mr. Gump became a vital and participating member of our Honors American History class.

     I relayed this anecdote to you to announce that I shall now set a "ground rule" that will affect the way this blog is to be read. As Forrest Gump was is my class, Roger Ebert is to be treated as a real person in this blog. "Well...," you may think, "He IS a real person!" Of course he is, I know that, but his blog or reviews are not what I shall reference when reffering to him, just as Forrest's movie wasn't mentioned when referencing him. Roger's thoughts that I quote in this blog will be treated as first hand accounts, not quotes. When I write of him, I shall write as though I learned my information directly from him, not from one of his publications. Fun situations and locations in which I was "with" him when I was given the information may be invented, I mean included, as well.

     With my announcement and anecdote out of the way I shall bid you all adieu. Expect soon: A posting of vital links that one will need access to in order to keep up with this blog/ My thoughts on Two Lovers and Inglouriou Bast*rds .