So, after the BTTF II & III debacle, we decided to watch the original the other night. Now, that is an awesome movie that stands up. Seriously, I know this isn't the case, but it is as if different people were responsible for the two sequels. The storytelling is so much better in the original that it's like the writers had a labotomy between when the original was made and when they wrote the sequels.
Anyway, I still don't concede that the time travel is either sensible or internally consistent, but I don't care because the movie is just so awesome. Nothing beats 1955 Doc shrieking "One-point-twenty-one jiggawatts!"
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Film - Air Guitar Nation
The other day I watched the documentary from 2007 "Air Guitar Nation." This film chronicles the journeys of the first ever North American air guitar competition, and follows our country's representatives to the international championship in Finland. Although enjoyable and fun, I am only luke-warm in my reception towards this movie. In terms of documentaries introducing viewers to a highly competitive weirdo world we never knew existed, I kept wanting this film to become as engrossing as the vastly superior "King of Kong." Read on for a further discussion and comparison...
"Air Guitar Nation" showcases performers who dress-up outrageously and create rocker personas full of moxie. They and the judges are in on the joke of a rock-and-roll competition where no one has an instrument. However, for a while there seems like there could be a division amongst competitors between those who see air guitar as an art-form and those who see it as sort of a comedy platform. The end result is that everyone appreciates what everyone else is doing, and everyone is having a good time.
"King of Kong," on the other hand, was gripping. There was scheming, there were villains, there was heartbreak.
Although I definitely wouldn't discourage you from watching "Air Guitar Nation," my hope is that you will use the film as a mere amuse bouche before watching the very fulfilling meal that is "King of Kong." If you've already seen "Kong," maybe this little snack of "Air Guitar Nation" will leave a slightly bitter taste.
Read more!
"Air Guitar Nation" showcases performers who dress-up outrageously and create rocker personas full of moxie. They and the judges are in on the joke of a rock-and-roll competition where no one has an instrument. However, for a while there seems like there could be a division amongst competitors between those who see air guitar as an art-form and those who see it as sort of a comedy platform. The end result is that everyone appreciates what everyone else is doing, and everyone is having a good time.
"King of Kong," on the other hand, was gripping. There was scheming, there were villains, there was heartbreak.
Although I definitely wouldn't discourage you from watching "Air Guitar Nation," my hope is that you will use the film as a mere amuse bouche before watching the very fulfilling meal that is "King of Kong." If you've already seen "Kong," maybe this little snack of "Air Guitar Nation" will leave a slightly bitter taste.
Read more!
Books - Twilght Series
For fear of being out of touch, I have started reading the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer. I have read the first book and am into the second. My husband has even joined the fun, having already finished “Twilight” and “New Moon” (a family that reads young adult vampire romance stories stays together, right?). Although I haven’t finished the entire series, I thought I’d go ahead and start blogging about these books now.
Most of the buzz I’ve heard about this series is that it sets up unrealistic romance expectations for the young female readers. Man, that’s for sure! But let’s broaden up this discussion to whether you’d be okay with your hypothetical 12 year-old daughter getting sucked up into Meyer’s smoldering world of vampires.
First off, I’m always going to be in favor of any book that gets young adults passionate about reading. So much better than a video game or reality TV show for their supple brains!
However, as an avid reader myself, I don’t think I’d be able to help myself but be disappointed in the lack of literary merit these books bring to the table. Sure - it is a successful piece of escapist literature if droves of people go out and buy the books and read them ravenously. However, who says escapist literature can’t have complex sentence structures? Or better-developed characters and mythologies? I know that these books are supposed to be written from the perspective of a 17 and counting year-old girl, but she is also supposed to be intelligent. How come she keeps awkwardly forcing nouns into adverbs? I distinctly remember Bella describing her day as “nightmarish.”
And Bella herself isn’t much more than a “Mary Sue” character, to borrow a phrase from the world of fan fiction. Through Bella, we live a fantasy of being swept off our feet by a beautiful boy… and better yet we get to choose this handsome devil over scores of other eligible bachelors, because every single male Bella meets fancies her. But Bella herself is short-changed of real-depth. We know she is clumsy (all the better for getting saved!) and we know she sacrifices hers safety and sanity for those she loves (dating a dude who kind of wants to kill her, hanging with his family of fellow vamps, and even the fact that she gave up her entire teenage life in order to give her mom some space to get jiggy with a minor-leaguer).
But literary criticism aside, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty with our issues of feminism and saving our beloved hypothetical teenage daughter from a world of romantic disillusionment. Surely this book presents a scary idea for teenage love: Edward likes to creep into Bella’s home without permission and watch her sleep. He is possessive and invades her privacy. He spies on her friends to get closer to her. He has unpredictable mood-swings and some major anger issues. And Bella is nothing but flattered by his gestures and treasures his every broody characteristic. Is this the sort-of relationship we’d like to see our daughter be a part of? Surely not- it’s abusive! However, our daughter is not reading an instruction manual on how to be a teenager in love. She’s reading a piece of fiction, and we’ve raised her better than for her to take any one piece of media and hold it as the ultimate guide for how to live a life.
And afterall, isn’t this essentially the story of Romeo and Juliet? There’s a love that forces the young couple (Juliet’s 15, no?) to forsake their families and their safety in order to be together? However, at least then our daughter would be reading Shakespeare.
So for all the hub-bub out there about this book being bad for its female readers, I’m going to go ahead and vote “nay.” We can’t blame Meyer for our daughter’s decision to date abusive weirdos- that’s a parental failure. More than likely Meyer is doing us a favor: setting our daughters up with high enough expectations that they won’t waste their time dating immature high-school jocks, saving themselves for more worthy suitors in college.
And just in case you really do have a high-school daughter reading these books, you might just want to show her THIS VIDEO MASHUP showing us in a nicely produced 6 minute movie how Buffy would react to Edward’s stalking.
Read more!
Most of the buzz I’ve heard about this series is that it sets up unrealistic romance expectations for the young female readers. Man, that’s for sure! But let’s broaden up this discussion to whether you’d be okay with your hypothetical 12 year-old daughter getting sucked up into Meyer’s smoldering world of vampires.
First off, I’m always going to be in favor of any book that gets young adults passionate about reading. So much better than a video game or reality TV show for their supple brains!
However, as an avid reader myself, I don’t think I’d be able to help myself but be disappointed in the lack of literary merit these books bring to the table. Sure - it is a successful piece of escapist literature if droves of people go out and buy the books and read them ravenously. However, who says escapist literature can’t have complex sentence structures? Or better-developed characters and mythologies? I know that these books are supposed to be written from the perspective of a 17 and counting year-old girl, but she is also supposed to be intelligent. How come she keeps awkwardly forcing nouns into adverbs? I distinctly remember Bella describing her day as “nightmarish.”
And Bella herself isn’t much more than a “Mary Sue” character, to borrow a phrase from the world of fan fiction. Through Bella, we live a fantasy of being swept off our feet by a beautiful boy… and better yet we get to choose this handsome devil over scores of other eligible bachelors, because every single male Bella meets fancies her. But Bella herself is short-changed of real-depth. We know she is clumsy (all the better for getting saved!) and we know she sacrifices hers safety and sanity for those she loves (dating a dude who kind of wants to kill her, hanging with his family of fellow vamps, and even the fact that she gave up her entire teenage life in order to give her mom some space to get jiggy with a minor-leaguer).
But literary criticism aside, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty with our issues of feminism and saving our beloved hypothetical teenage daughter from a world of romantic disillusionment. Surely this book presents a scary idea for teenage love: Edward likes to creep into Bella’s home without permission and watch her sleep. He is possessive and invades her privacy. He spies on her friends to get closer to her. He has unpredictable mood-swings and some major anger issues. And Bella is nothing but flattered by his gestures and treasures his every broody characteristic. Is this the sort-of relationship we’d like to see our daughter be a part of? Surely not- it’s abusive! However, our daughter is not reading an instruction manual on how to be a teenager in love. She’s reading a piece of fiction, and we’ve raised her better than for her to take any one piece of media and hold it as the ultimate guide for how to live a life.
And afterall, isn’t this essentially the story of Romeo and Juliet? There’s a love that forces the young couple (Juliet’s 15, no?) to forsake their families and their safety in order to be together? However, at least then our daughter would be reading Shakespeare.
So for all the hub-bub out there about this book being bad for its female readers, I’m going to go ahead and vote “nay.” We can’t blame Meyer for our daughter’s decision to date abusive weirdos- that’s a parental failure. More than likely Meyer is doing us a favor: setting our daughters up with high enough expectations that they won’t waste their time dating immature high-school jocks, saving themselves for more worthy suitors in college.
And just in case you really do have a high-school daughter reading these books, you might just want to show her THIS VIDEO MASHUP showing us in a nicely produced 6 minute movie how Buffy would react to Edward’s stalking.
Read more!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Film - Jennifer's Body - Red Band Trailer
The red band trailer for the new Diablo Cody-penned horror movie, "Jennifer's Body" starring Megan Fox, was released earlier this week. I liked Juno a lot, and I like Diablo Cody okay, though I think she's a little too pop-culturish for her own good. I'm not sure how I feel about this movie, though. I'm not crazy about horror movies, though there are a few I am partial to. But I kind of dig this trailer. I'm getting a little excited about this movie in spite of myself. Amanda Seyfield is always good, so that's a plus. Kyle Gallner (who, coincidentally enough has also appeared in both Veronica Mars and Big Love with Seyfield) is also in it, and I keep hoping that kid gets some more jobs. I think he gets overshadowed by less talented, but better looking peers. Unfortunate.
Anyway, what do you think? I'm worried that it will just be meh. But I hope it will be better than meh. Read more!
Anyway, what do you think? I'm worried that it will just be meh. But I hope it will be better than meh. Read more!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Film - Being There
Everyone has a homework assignment, especially Metta: if you haven't seen it already, go rent Peter Sellers' "Being There." I need to discuss this movie, but only with people who've seen it. Post in the comments after viewing, and I we will start a discussion.
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Saturday, July 4, 2009
Film - Snakes on a Plan on FX
Just in case you haven't seen this 25 second clip yet, it's good for a quick giggle. AND you can buy a t-shirt!!
And here is the rest of it. Don't delete the line in between, as that is where the magic read more tag resides. Read more!
And here is the rest of it. Don't delete the line in between, as that is where the magic read more tag resides. Read more!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Book - Wordy Shipmates
You may not know this, but my family-tree can be traced all the way back to the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. This discovery only added to my motivation to read Sarah Vowell's latest non-fiction work, "The Wordy Shipmates." In this book Vowell explores the lives of Puritans living in America during the 1630s. Although it couldn't compare to Vowell's "Assassination Vacation" (where she dissects the forced deaths of US Presidents Lincoln, McKinley, and Garfield) or her other historical and personal essays in "The Party Cloudy Patriot", I liked this book a lot and recommend it to anyone interested in exploring that weird time in American history, some 140 years before the Revolution, when Connecticut was the wild frontier. Read on for my further discussion.
Vowell is a tremendous font of knowledge (she is also a frequent contributer to "This American Life" and was the voice of Violet in "The Incredibles"). Her research is tireless, but she only passes-on the goodies. The way Vowell writes is incredibly approachable, bestowing incredible amounts of knowledge without ever insulting her reader's intelligence. That she is not teaching some AP History class in a struggling high school somewhere is sort of a crime, as she ignites a passion for even the dullest of subjects.
In this book, Vowell's passion for learning about the Puritans seems to be traced to her evangelical up-bringing, and also the frequent usage of the phrase "city on a hill" in popular American political discourse. We learn that John Winthrop used the bible phrase as a source for inspiration to those joining him on his quest to the New World. He had the highest of hopes for his soon-to-be home in Massachusetts Bay as he expounded on the colony's ability to set an example to the rest of the world on living a devout, Calvinist life. But how would his hopes compare to the realities of New England life?
The Massachusetts Bay gang have their share of trials in the 1630s. They have a fierce antagonist in Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. Through a refusal to send back their charter, they face the possibility of going to war with England, they suffer a brain-drain as Thomas Hooker leads many good parishioners off to Connecticut, and they go to war against the Pequot Indian tribe. With each trial, Winthrop drifts further and further away from his hopeful self and closer to resembling the oppressive King he had escaped just a few years earlier.
Vowell entranced me once again with her endless knowledge and witty anecdotes. Now I have to sit back and wait for the next historical moment to tickle her fancy, and then for her write all about it and share with me the booty of her patient research.
Read more!
Vowell is a tremendous font of knowledge (she is also a frequent contributer to "This American Life" and was the voice of Violet in "The Incredibles"). Her research is tireless, but she only passes-on the goodies. The way Vowell writes is incredibly approachable, bestowing incredible amounts of knowledge without ever insulting her reader's intelligence. That she is not teaching some AP History class in a struggling high school somewhere is sort of a crime, as she ignites a passion for even the dullest of subjects.
In this book, Vowell's passion for learning about the Puritans seems to be traced to her evangelical up-bringing, and also the frequent usage of the phrase "city on a hill" in popular American political discourse. We learn that John Winthrop used the bible phrase as a source for inspiration to those joining him on his quest to the New World. He had the highest of hopes for his soon-to-be home in Massachusetts Bay as he expounded on the colony's ability to set an example to the rest of the world on living a devout, Calvinist life. But how would his hopes compare to the realities of New England life?
The Massachusetts Bay gang have their share of trials in the 1630s. They have a fierce antagonist in Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. Through a refusal to send back their charter, they face the possibility of going to war with England, they suffer a brain-drain as Thomas Hooker leads many good parishioners off to Connecticut, and they go to war against the Pequot Indian tribe. With each trial, Winthrop drifts further and further away from his hopeful self and closer to resembling the oppressive King he had escaped just a few years earlier.
Vowell entranced me once again with her endless knowledge and witty anecdotes. Now I have to sit back and wait for the next historical moment to tickle her fancy, and then for her write all about it and share with me the booty of her patient research.
Read more!
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