poor little fictional... countries

Yeah, that's an inside joke with the ex. When I would cry because someone died in a television show or movie, he'd tease me with, "Oh, poor little fictional character." (smile!)

This week with the A*List, countries that are no longer, or never were, real, relegating them all to the dream world.

And, how about we make it fun and make this a game?

Match the country to the movie, if you please!

1) Elegia

2) Kingdom of Dahomey

3) Wakanda

4) Metlakatla

5) Kahndaq

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A) "Black Adam"

B) "One Piece Film: Red"

C) "The Woman King"

D) "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

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1) Elegia has always been imaginary, though it is quite nicely drawn. Choice B) is the correct answer for this fable about deceit using music to entrap people's souls into the Sing-Sing World. As well as having excellent lyrics for the many songs, the film had a lot of different pirates with fanciful names that I really liked. Arrrgghhh!!!

2) Kingdom of Dahomey did not exist until 1600, then winked back out of reality in 1904. Choice C) is based on real events there during the final engagement of that country in the selling of war captives to the slave trade. The movie also has a great side story of a 19-year-old girl who, in one day, become the top new warrior for the tribe, is courted by a biracial visitor to the country, and learns who her birth mother is. That's quite a reunion of a mother and daughter... but that's all I'm saying about it!

3) Wakanda is a fictional country in the Marvel Universe and is the closest thing to a WEIRD nation set in Africa. What's WEIRD? Something I picked up from an article about scents in last month's Smithsonian. That acronym means Western Educated Industrialized Rich Democratic country. And the movie set in this locale is, of course, Choice D). I very much enjoyed the tribute to Chadwick Boseman, but the movie could have easily taken twenty minutes off its 2-hour 41-minute running time by trimming some overly long scenes.

5) Kahndaq is a fictional country in the DC Universe Earth, with purported positioning dear Egypt. So, think "Pyramid" and "Sphinx" and you'll see that The Rock was the logical anti-hero for this adventure tale. That makes Choice A) the one for this "world Savior" story that many people, five thousand years later, got a few key facts wrong. Really worth a viewing!

So, that takes care of the A*List, of which 2, 3, and 5 were the movies for free. That Japanese anime was my fourth of the week and only cost me 63 cents, thanks to a $5 Reward from AMC. Woohoo!

Oh, and what about that other place? Metlakatla?

That's real, folks! It's an actual Indian reservation in Alaska!

Bet you thought I went a little non-PC there, but you're wrong. The folks that live there refer to it as an Indian reservation, so that's what it is. The school team is even named "The Chiefs". It's all about perspective.

And just why did that come up at all? AARP's MFG, that's why. "Alaskan Nets" was all about the year that a high school team there took the Alaskan State Championship for the first time in 34 years, despite death and a grueling schedule and merciless cold. It's really an inspiring story, especially considering that school has a total student body of 72. Amazing!

What I really liked was the gritty feel of the documentary. A coach that cusses, kids trying to mix practice in with commercial fishing work and staying up on their grades, teachers supportive of the students but bemoaning the fact that "away" games literally keep the players out of school for a week at a time because of the long distances traveled. That all felt very real to me as a retired professor and a sister of three brothers. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something different!

(smile!)