Activity – Movie theme – Canada

Laura: I chose One Week because it was filmed in Canada and it was touted as a beautiful journey through that country…and it was. The movie was about a young man (Joshua Jackson) who is confronted with his own mortality when he finds out he has cancer, and his chances of survival are slim. Rather than start treatment immediately, he decides to buy a motorcycle and ride across Canada. His fiancé and his less-than-satisfying job will just have to cope without him while he faces the big questions: how do I want to live the rest of my life? what matters most? Although there is nothing particularly new about this story, the presentation is very touching and the insights into the Canadian landscape and landmarks elevated this film from enjoyable to memorable.

Activity – Cooking Cupcakes

We’ve already sampled a bunch of cupcake bakeries for our ABC Life but this month we decided to try our hand at baking them. The recipe called for creating cupcake owls and since that involved Oreo cookies and M&Ms how could we not? They actually came out quite good and were fun to create.

Activity – New Movie:  Comedy special: Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King

Laura: Honored with a Peabody Award in 2018 for this 2017 American stand-up comedy film, Hasan Minhaj has acquired a new fan – me. This was Hasan’s first special on Netflix and it focuses on his experience growing up in an Indian American Muslim family. What made this film so special was Hasan’s blend of humor and sadness. It was like a personal memoir unfolding, where he shared the immigrant experience, being on the receiving end of racism, how it feels to be stereotyped and the pressures of intergenerational acceptance. His comedy succeeded in both making me smile and laugh while gracing and enlightening me with a new and deeper understanding of the immigrant experience.