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Source: markarayner.com/archives/9621
R.I.P. Robin Williams – your big heart, sense of humor and empathy will be missed tremendously. As The Laugh Factory had it: "Now make God laugh!"
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden.)
Hands up folks, how many of us discovered Thoreau after having watched this movie? Really discovered I mean, regardless whether you had known he'd existed before. How many believe they know what Thoreau was talking about in that passage about "sucking the marrow out of life," cited in the movie, even if you didn't spend the next 2+ years of your life living in a self-constructed cabin on a pond in the woods? How many bought a copy of Whitman's poems ... whatever collection? (And maybe even read more than Oh Captain! My Captain!?) How many went on to read Emerson? Frost? Or John Keats, on whose personality Robin Williams's John Keating is probably loosely based? To many people, this movie has a powerful appeal like few others and has proven inspirational far above and beyond the effect of an ordinary movie experience. And justifiedly so, despite the fact that charismatic Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), one of the story's main characters, tragically falters in the pursuit of his dreams, in the wake of apparent triumph. Because although Neil's story is one of failure, ultimately this film is a celebration of the triumph of free will, independent thinking and the growth of personality; embodied in its closing scene.
Of course, lofty goals such as these are not easily achieved. Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) in particular, the last scene’s triumphant hero, is literally pushed to the edge of reason before he learns to overcome his inhibitions. And Thoreau warned in "Walden:" "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; That is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." Anyone who takes this movie's message to heart (and Thoreau's, and Whitman's, and Emerson's, Frost's and Keats's) knows that success too easily won is often no success at all, and most important accomplishments are based on focus, tenacity and hard work as much as anything else. And prudence, too – dashing Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen) pays a terrible price for his spur-of-the-moment challenges of authority; although of course you just gotta love him for refusing to sign Keatings' indictment. "Carpe diem" – live life to its fullest, but also know what you are doing. You won't enjoy this movie if you are afraid of letting both your mind and your feelings run free.
Shot on the magnificent location of Delaware's St. Andrews Academy, "Dead Poets' Society" is visually stunning, particularly in its depiction of the amazingly beautiful scenery (where the progression of the seasons mirrors the progression of the movie's story line), and as emotionally engaging as it invites you to reexamine your position in life. Robin Williams delivers another Academy Award-worthy performance (he was nominated but unfortunately didn't win). Of course, Robin Williams will to a certain extent always be Robin Williams ... "Aladdin's" Genie, "Good Morning Vietnam's" Adrian Cronauer and "Good Will Hunting's" Professor McGuire (the 1997 role which would finally earn him his long overdue Oscar) all shimmer through in his portrayal of John Keating; and if you've ever seen him give an interview you know that the man can go from hilarious and irreverent to deeply reflective in a split second even when it's not a movie camera that's rolling. Yet, the black sheep among Welton Academy's teachers assumes as distinct and memorable a personality as any other one of Williams's film characters.
Of its many Academy Award nominations (in addition to Robin Williams's nomination for best leading actor, the movie was also nominated in the best picture, best director [Peter Weir] and best original screenplay categories), "Dead Poets' Society" ultimately only won the Oscar for Tom Schulman's script. But more importantly, it has long since won it's viewers' lasting appreciation, and for a reason. – As the Poet said: "Camerado! This is no book; Who touches this, touches a man" (Walt Whitman, So Long!), this is no movie; who watches this, watches himself!
(Original version of this review posted on ThemisAthena.info. To mark Robin Williams's passing, also cross-posted on Leafmarks.)
There were a lot of mentions of about how plain and unattractive Miri was in this book that I didn't get from the previous book. 
This book started out really rocky for me. So rocky, in fact, that I almost put it down. The opening chapters are kind of hard to swallow. I am supposed to believe that this girl named Vassar Spore (Really?!) is this ridiculous caricature of an overachiever and her parents encourage this behavior to the point where it becomes OCD. No, I'm serious. This girl writes lists for everything. She has never had a relationship and doesn't want one because it would interfere with her studies and life goals. She is SO much of an overachiever that every night for one hour, she has a meeting with her parents called 'the hour of reflection' where they discuss the day, plan goals for the next, and plan future ones. It is like a life management hour. And it is ALL ridiculous. She has her entire day planned out and literally has ZERO time for fun. I thought it was all ridiculous and very hard to believe. The dialogue is corny, the tension is zero, and I was just completely unimpressed.But then she gets on the plane to Singapore. And then I fell in love. Somehow the combination of the really fun characters, traveling in Southeast Asia, the adventures Vassar goes on, and the fun writing really led me to enjoy this book. Vassar's grandma is just wonderful. She does some really absentminded things, but in spite of it all, she is truly a remarkable and lovable character. Vassar annoyed the shit out of me, however. Girl couldn't do ANYTHING right. And it did get to be a bit much, but it was still fun to ride along with her from one screwup to the next. The book is a guilty pleasure. It's lighthearted, enjoyable, and totally predictable. I knew almost from the very beginning how the plot was going to go down to the very letter. I even had the twist figured out--it's not that much of a twist either. The settings are wonderful and the descriptions of Asia had me really wanting to go there. Someday I will. It's not a perfect book. But it was a whole lot of fun, and sometimes this is EXACTLY the kind of read I need to renew my love for reading. I'm only sorry the author has not written any other books! I wish I had more of her work to sink my teeth into. I'm only sorry this one is over. When it was finished, I was suffering from withdrawals. If you are looking for a fun escape, this is the perfect book for that. I could not recommend it more.
4.5/5; 5 stars; ACarpe Diem takes up right after Agent of Change ends. Val Con and Miri are in a bit of a fix and have to find refuge on a planet at the end of nowhere. Against the background of this backwards, low tech world, we see how badly damaged Val Con was/is by his stint with the Department of the Interior, we see how tough it is to be a foreigner in every sense of the word, and we see the birth hope and healing. In some ways, the book is a time out, that focuses on Val Con and Miri learning to be a couple and learning to fit in with this strange new world. But at the same time, we see that events are moving forward on Liad and with the evil plot that is the main driver for this book, the previous book and the coming books. Another well done, entertaining entry in the series.
