(no subject)

Bruriah

Jews dance in this movie.

Israeli movie about a married couple living in the liminal spaces between Charedi and Dati Judaism. (My awkward American Jewish diagnosis, at least) Both husband and wife are the children of Charedi Rabbis- however the husband's father was involved in excommunicating the wife's father from their Charedi community after he wrote a supposed heretical book about Bruriah, the wife of the Tanna Rabbi Meir. The wife spends the whole film searching for a copy of her father's book, which she has never read. Meanwhile, the film coyly and complicatedly mirrors the final story of Bruriah and R' Meir, the tragic one where R' Meir asks his student to seduce Bruriah to prove some vague and unclear point about women.

It's a really effective portrait of a marriage, I thought, and particularly how you balance a marriage as a meeting of the minds, vs. marriage as an emotional connection between two souls. I wanted more resolution to a storyline involving their eldest daughter wanting to become a Rabbi.

To Dust

Jews do not dance in this movie.

Matthew Broderick plays a burnout community college biology professor who is enlisted by a Hasidic widower played by Gezi Rohrig to explain to him the scientific mechanics of body decomposition, so he can work through his grief over the loss of his wife. Much graverobbing ensues, and eventually something approaching catharsis. There is also a very funny subplot in which the widower's young sons try to exorcise the dybbuk they believe is haunting their father.


Logan Lucky

Jews do not dance in this movie.

Heist movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, about a bunch of Carolina hillbillies who rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Amazing cast- Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, and Channing Tatum are at the top of the bill, and a number of the bit parts are filled ably by That Guy type character actors. Sebastian Stan shows up for like two scenes as a vegan racecar driver and steals them both. A lot of fun to watch.

All the transformative fandom panels at Worldcon

The power of representing ourselves in fanfiction
CCD: Wicklow Room-2
When they don’t see themselves on the page or on the screen, fans often reimagine characters, or find space in the canon for representation that wasn’t originally there, by creating their own head-canons of gender, sexuality, race and (dis)ability. Our panel talks about the power of representing ourselves by rewriting beloved characters, and discusses some of their favourite head-canons

What fanfiction can teach genre writers
CCD: ECOCEM Room
Fanfiction’s popularity continues to grow, tapping into the special creative connection between authors and fans. What is it about this literary nexus that is so fascinating and stimulating for fans? And what might authors have to learn from fans who write it?

The importance of the fanfiction community
CCD: Wicklow Hall-1
As we can see from the Archive of Our Own – managed and maintained by its creators and readers and
supporters – fanfiction isn’t just about the written works, but also about the community surrounding them. What can the fanfiction community offer that other areas of fandom can’t?

Fanworks in YA
CCD: Wicklow Hall 2B
Fanfic, fanart, cosplay, and more: how do YA fans engage with their favourite works? How do YA fans engage in fan culture? And is there a distinctly ‘YA’ fan culture?

Ship ahoy!
CCD: Liffey Room-1
Shipping is the desire to have two (or more!) characters end up in a – usually romantic – relationship. What do shippers mean by an OTP, a sailed ship, or a sunk ship? Our panellists will define niche terms, explain why the joy of shipping isn’t relegated to R- or X-rated slash fic, and share and compare their favourite genre ships.