How does a long running comedy show stay fresh and successful? For "South Park", the formula has been to remain hyper-topical, using vulgarity and extremely raunchy material to rip on anything and anyone current in pop culture, politics, or anything else in the headlines. In a recent episode from its 14th season titled “It’s a Jersey Thing” the timely targets are characters from the fad of New Jersey themed reality TV shows. The Colorado town is put under siege as the entire country east of them is taken over by New Jersey. While Cartman tries to destroy Kyle when it is discovered he is actually from New Jersey, the town desperately seeks help from unwilling allies to join in their fight against the threat of becoming “west Jersey.” The tale comes to a happy end when Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda agree to help "South Park" and beat back New Jersey’s advance by smashing commercial airliners into them.
While the subject matter of this episode is current, making it intriguing at first to see just how the writers will mock it, it is hard to ignore the fact that the show is so old and has constantly and tirelessly attacked the topical. There are moments of disappointment in jokes that seem repetitive of things in episodes past, while examples of commitment to quality writing help the viewer stay engaged enough to get to the funny parts. The result of this is a successful but uneven ride through funny highlights and a few uninspired lows. Strong short format writing helps this episode remain memorable, rather than just a forgetful string of random jokes.
Given the sheer amount of times "South Park" has attacked popular figures making them appear extremely disgusting, offensive, and monstrous, the caricature of Snookie (from MTV’s “Jersey Shore”) here falls flat. The diminutive orange loud mouth is portrayed as a deformed shrew type, sexually assaulting anything it can catch. This idea is fairly rote for the series, which may hinder it from being humorous to regular viewers of the program. However, this creature is not simply revealed for a random laugh peripheral to the storyline. The Snookie monster serves as a main plot point when Kyle is able to redeem himself to Cartman (remember Cartman wanted to annihilate the New Jersey native) by using his instinctual trash talking and club brawling skills to defeat the monster as it was raping Cartman in his ass. Here the integration of a sub par joke into the overall theme and story is an asset and benefits the overall enjoyment of the show.
The funniest theme in this episode is the fact that the town is so overjoyed and appreciative of Al-Qaeda hijacking airplanes and decimating New Jersey. Jokes about September 11th and the resulting war on terror are common on South Park, and once again the show’s age can make them seem repetitive. Here however, the jokes are funny not only because of how over the top offensive they are, but because even after a decade of joking about it, it remains such a fertile topic to be offensive about. The current political climate is still extremely sensitive to these issues, and "South Park", particularly in this episode, has a knack for making that sensitivity seem completely ridiculous. Take for instance the climactic scene of the terrorists plowing the planes into the ground. The fleet of aircraft is hilariously massive, and the explosions so cartoonish, devotees will be hard pressed not to giggle at the spectacle.
This episode is sure to be appreciated by fans of the show familiar with the topic. The jokes, while sometimes tired, are as offensive and crude as the show’s reputation. There is little here to dissuade critics, whether those are people who are offended by its content or have grown weary of some of the reused concepts in this episode. However, it is evident that thought was put into story and structure, and enough of the jokes attempted succeed to make this a quality episode in the series’ extensive catalogue.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Girl Talk, "All Day" (Illegal Art, 2010)
Girl Talk has a new album and it’s sure to be as divisive as anything this artist (a label some would hesitate to use here) has released to date. Girl Talk is the alias for mash-up producer Greg Gillis, and his newest recording “All Day” was released free to the public as a digital download by the label Illegal Art. The album features over 70 continuous minutes of hits from several genres mixed (or mashed) together to create music that maintains a dance groove with frequent and frantic shifts between source materials. There are many camps that have been critical of Girl Talk’s prior work, and this new album will only make them more confident in their arguments. These disparagers will most likely be further disappointed by what is sure to be widespread positive reaction to this fantastic record.
This album continues a trend that Girl Talk has followed on his previous output of letting the sources play a little bit longer, allowing the mashed ideas to sit on the groove just a bit more. The result would not be as good if the ideas did not work so well. A fantastic example of this is the riff from Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” providing the rhythm behind a vocal sample transition from Black Rob’s “Whoa!” to Rihanna’s “Rude Boy.” Any of the ingredients here are examples of well-known songs by each artist. They might even be boring to the listener on their own because they’ve been overplayed. What Gillis has done is take the most pleasing hooks of each, and positioned them relative to each other so that the result is fun and exciting. This facet of Girl Talk’s music can certainly be hit or miss, and there are some points with questionable mixes. When Old Dirty Bastard is rapping how raw he likes it (from the classic track “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”) over “Creep” by Radiohead it actually sounds too raw, and is one of the few pockets where the music grates alongside the ever-present dance beat. On the whole the combinations are pleasing, and the constant stream of ear pleasing hits in interesting new contexts is entertaining.
The most obvious and seemingly valid argument against Girl Talk as a quality artist (or an artist period) is the simple fact he takes material that is already popular on its own, and just stacks it all up. The fact Gillis relies predominantly on super well-known hooks is inescapable, but no reason that this album shouldn’t be enjoyed. Many people are tired of the full versions of the songs used on this album because they’ve been played to death. To be sure, most people critical of this album would not enjoy listening to the full version of “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, but its sugary guitar part is a fascinating contrast to M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” playing over the top. Gillis takes only the most delightful parts of these songs and plays them all together so they can be briefly appreciated in unpredictable contexts, and the slightly smoother transitions on this album add to the delight.
This album is likely to generate significant buzz for several reasons. Much has and will be said about the price and distribution of the product (free and digital), the legality of the album since the samples are not licensed, and of Gillis’ merit as a creative or a thief. This buzz may boost exposure to “All Day” but have an unfortunate negative impact on the listener’s enjoyment if these preconceptions are set in cement. This can be a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience if the only thought before one dives in is, “let’s turn it up and dance!”
This album continues a trend that Girl Talk has followed on his previous output of letting the sources play a little bit longer, allowing the mashed ideas to sit on the groove just a bit more. The result would not be as good if the ideas did not work so well. A fantastic example of this is the riff from Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” providing the rhythm behind a vocal sample transition from Black Rob’s “Whoa!” to Rihanna’s “Rude Boy.” Any of the ingredients here are examples of well-known songs by each artist. They might even be boring to the listener on their own because they’ve been overplayed. What Gillis has done is take the most pleasing hooks of each, and positioned them relative to each other so that the result is fun and exciting. This facet of Girl Talk’s music can certainly be hit or miss, and there are some points with questionable mixes. When Old Dirty Bastard is rapping how raw he likes it (from the classic track “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”) over “Creep” by Radiohead it actually sounds too raw, and is one of the few pockets where the music grates alongside the ever-present dance beat. On the whole the combinations are pleasing, and the constant stream of ear pleasing hits in interesting new contexts is entertaining.
The most obvious and seemingly valid argument against Girl Talk as a quality artist (or an artist period) is the simple fact he takes material that is already popular on its own, and just stacks it all up. The fact Gillis relies predominantly on super well-known hooks is inescapable, but no reason that this album shouldn’t be enjoyed. Many people are tired of the full versions of the songs used on this album because they’ve been played to death. To be sure, most people critical of this album would not enjoy listening to the full version of “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, but its sugary guitar part is a fascinating contrast to M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” playing over the top. Gillis takes only the most delightful parts of these songs and plays them all together so they can be briefly appreciated in unpredictable contexts, and the slightly smoother transitions on this album add to the delight.
This album is likely to generate significant buzz for several reasons. Much has and will be said about the price and distribution of the product (free and digital), the legality of the album since the samples are not licensed, and of Gillis’ merit as a creative or a thief. This buzz may boost exposure to “All Day” but have an unfortunate negative impact on the listener’s enjoyment if these preconceptions are set in cement. This can be a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience if the only thought before one dives in is, “let’s turn it up and dance!”
Monday, November 15, 2010
Leon Golub at the Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL
The current exhibits at the Block Museum of Art on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus include Leon Golub “Live and Die Like a Lion?” in the main gallery. Featured in the exhibit are over 40 drawings by the late painter, taken from the last years of his career. Alongside the drawings, the show presents the last painting that Golub was working on before he died in its incomplete form. Golub (1922-2004) was born and educated in Chicago, studying at the University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During his lifetime he lived in Chicago, New York, and Europe and became well known for his paintings on large canvases. These paintings were often figurative political statements against inequalities and injustices.
In the exhibit “Live and Die Like a Lion?” the drawings presented come from late in the artist’s life and are slightly different in theme. Many of the drawings deal with death and sexuality. They reflect a painter in old age coming to grips with his mortality. The incomplete final painting can be seen at the rear of the exhibit as soon as one walks into the room, and sets the somewhat morbid tone for the show. This feeling is often cut with sarcasm and humor as the viewer takes in the drawings along the walls before getting to the large canvas of the final work. A fine example of this humor in mortality is the drawing immediately next to the history lesson and introduction to the exhibit which is simply a smudged up purple skull with the words “FUCK DEATH” scrawled in ink over the paper (the drawing is oil stick and ink on Bristol board like most of the drawings presented).
Another drawing titled “Exhumed” features a figure pulling a dead body out of the ground. Interestingly and perhaps indicative of the artist’s clear view of his approaching death, the face of the exhumed body is much more clear and detailed than that of the person digging up the body. Another drawing titled “No Escape Now” uses only different shades of gray to show a man shackled at the waist, hands, and feet to what looks like a post or a tree.
Even in the paintings that do not seem to deal directly with death, one can see or feel the theme still present. Many of the drawings incorporate dogs. Most of the dogs are not cute or friendly looking at all, with their teeth bared in aggression. They could be construed as hell hounds coming after the artist. Several paintings also incorporate sex and women in sexual positions. At first glance these don’t seem to incorporate any themes of death, but close examination can help reveal this overriding idea even in these drawings. “One Leg Up” is a great example of this. At first it just looks like a nude woman with her leg up in the air. Studying it a little further reveals a woman that at first looked young, but now looks quite old indeed. Her arms in particular are almost skeletal. The drawing is done all in red giving it an almost bloody appearance.
These drawings all seem to reflect Golub dealing with death in his old age, and while the mood of the exhibit is often gloomy there is much to enjoy. The sarcasm and humor present lightens the mood of what could have been a very dreary experience. The inclusion of the unfinished painting seems to only escalate this mood, and does not seem totally necessary. Also included alongside the exhibit are pieces from the Block Museum’s collection of some other work by Golub (mostly screen prints and lithographs) and examples of his source material (lots of magazine clippings) taken from his archives. These will serve nicely to cool down the observer after the emotionally stirring themes of the main exhibit.
In the exhibit “Live and Die Like a Lion?” the drawings presented come from late in the artist’s life and are slightly different in theme. Many of the drawings deal with death and sexuality. They reflect a painter in old age coming to grips with his mortality. The incomplete final painting can be seen at the rear of the exhibit as soon as one walks into the room, and sets the somewhat morbid tone for the show. This feeling is often cut with sarcasm and humor as the viewer takes in the drawings along the walls before getting to the large canvas of the final work. A fine example of this humor in mortality is the drawing immediately next to the history lesson and introduction to the exhibit which is simply a smudged up purple skull with the words “FUCK DEATH” scrawled in ink over the paper (the drawing is oil stick and ink on Bristol board like most of the drawings presented).
Another drawing titled “Exhumed” features a figure pulling a dead body out of the ground. Interestingly and perhaps indicative of the artist’s clear view of his approaching death, the face of the exhumed body is much more clear and detailed than that of the person digging up the body. Another drawing titled “No Escape Now” uses only different shades of gray to show a man shackled at the waist, hands, and feet to what looks like a post or a tree.
Even in the paintings that do not seem to deal directly with death, one can see or feel the theme still present. Many of the drawings incorporate dogs. Most of the dogs are not cute or friendly looking at all, with their teeth bared in aggression. They could be construed as hell hounds coming after the artist. Several paintings also incorporate sex and women in sexual positions. At first glance these don’t seem to incorporate any themes of death, but close examination can help reveal this overriding idea even in these drawings. “One Leg Up” is a great example of this. At first it just looks like a nude woman with her leg up in the air. Studying it a little further reveals a woman that at first looked young, but now looks quite old indeed. Her arms in particular are almost skeletal. The drawing is done all in red giving it an almost bloody appearance.
These drawings all seem to reflect Golub dealing with death in his old age, and while the mood of the exhibit is often gloomy there is much to enjoy. The sarcasm and humor present lightens the mood of what could have been a very dreary experience. The inclusion of the unfinished painting seems to only escalate this mood, and does not seem totally necessary. Also included alongside the exhibit are pieces from the Block Museum’s collection of some other work by Golub (mostly screen prints and lithographs) and examples of his source material (lots of magazine clippings) taken from his archives. These will serve nicely to cool down the observer after the emotionally stirring themes of the main exhibit.
Monday, November 1, 2010
"Almost Famous" (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
“Almost Famous” follows the teenaged William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he joins the fictional band “Stillwater” on the road to cover them for the rock magazine “Rolling Stone.” Set in the early 1970's, he struggles to pin members of the band down for their interviews, mostly struggling to sit down with the elusive lead guitarist of “Stillwater” Russel Hammond (Billy Crudup). There is a lot to enjoy in this movie, and its main strength is the depiction of the relationships between Fugit's character and the rest of the cast in the movie.
The triangle of sorts that develops between Hammond, Miller and Kate Hudson's character Penny Lane is the centerpiece of this film. As the young writer tries to get backstage to interview Black Sabbath at the beginning of the film, he meets Penny Lane who corrects him when he calls her a groupie. He learns that she is actually leader of a group called the “band-aids” who give much needed support to rock bands, and members act more as muses than sex objects. She seems to take an instant liking to Miller, and helps him to gain entrance to the arena.
Later, Miller is sent out on the road with the up and coming rock group “Stillwater” and Penny and some other band-aids come along for the ride. A romantic connection between Hammond and Lane develops and Miller serves as unlikely support for both of them. Fugit deserves a lot of credit here for his acting, being able to come off as mature and understanding, while still remaining believable as a 15 year old high-school student. Seeing Miller try to figure out what Penny Lane is all about, and trying to work around Lane and Hammond's frequent rendezvouses to get an interview with the rock-star is the high point in this movie. Hudson and Crudup also deliver fine performances, and the scenes towards the end of the movie involving their relationship's meltdown and reconciliation are well written and particularly touching.
Miller's relationship with some of the more ancillary characters in the movie also provide some highlights. Phillip Seymour Hoffman portrays the wild and slovenly rock critic Lester Bangs who is Miller's hero and serves as his mentor and motivator. While a somewhat secondary character in the film, Hoffman's performance is so good he becomes one of the most memorable characters in the movie.
Frances McDormand plays Elaine Miller, the tightly wound and over protective mother of the young writer. She is perfectly cast in this role, and the back and forth that she has with both her son and her rebellious older daughter Anita (Zooey Deschanel) provide for some of the best dialogue in the film. Maybe the funniest moment in the entire movie comes when McDormand's character leaves the usually macho band leader Hammond stunned after a lecture on the phone.
There are times that the comedic and feel-good aspects of this film can become a little much and seem corny. The best example of this is a scene on the tour bus when a sing along to “Tiny Dancer” turns the group's mood from dour to cheerful. This and other cutesy moments in the movie are either going to leave the audience smiling, or looking for a place to puke. On the whole though, Crowe balances this corniness with seriousness, and the result is a finely acted and genuinely fun film.
The triangle of sorts that develops between Hammond, Miller and Kate Hudson's character Penny Lane is the centerpiece of this film. As the young writer tries to get backstage to interview Black Sabbath at the beginning of the film, he meets Penny Lane who corrects him when he calls her a groupie. He learns that she is actually leader of a group called the “band-aids” who give much needed support to rock bands, and members act more as muses than sex objects. She seems to take an instant liking to Miller, and helps him to gain entrance to the arena.
Later, Miller is sent out on the road with the up and coming rock group “Stillwater” and Penny and some other band-aids come along for the ride. A romantic connection between Hammond and Lane develops and Miller serves as unlikely support for both of them. Fugit deserves a lot of credit here for his acting, being able to come off as mature and understanding, while still remaining believable as a 15 year old high-school student. Seeing Miller try to figure out what Penny Lane is all about, and trying to work around Lane and Hammond's frequent rendezvouses to get an interview with the rock-star is the high point in this movie. Hudson and Crudup also deliver fine performances, and the scenes towards the end of the movie involving their relationship's meltdown and reconciliation are well written and particularly touching.
Miller's relationship with some of the more ancillary characters in the movie also provide some highlights. Phillip Seymour Hoffman portrays the wild and slovenly rock critic Lester Bangs who is Miller's hero and serves as his mentor and motivator. While a somewhat secondary character in the film, Hoffman's performance is so good he becomes one of the most memorable characters in the movie.
Frances McDormand plays Elaine Miller, the tightly wound and over protective mother of the young writer. She is perfectly cast in this role, and the back and forth that she has with both her son and her rebellious older daughter Anita (Zooey Deschanel) provide for some of the best dialogue in the film. Maybe the funniest moment in the entire movie comes when McDormand's character leaves the usually macho band leader Hammond stunned after a lecture on the phone.
There are times that the comedic and feel-good aspects of this film can become a little much and seem corny. The best example of this is a scene on the tour bus when a sing along to “Tiny Dancer” turns the group's mood from dour to cheerful. This and other cutesy moments in the movie are either going to leave the audience smiling, or looking for a place to puke. On the whole though, Crowe balances this corniness with seriousness, and the result is a finely acted and genuinely fun film.
Monday, October 18, 2010
“The Slammin’ Salmon” (Directed by Kevin Heffernan, 2009)
“The Slammin’ Salmon” is a comedy revolving around a wait staff at a Miami restaurant owned by a former championship boxer. The boxer’s name is Cleon Salmon (played by Michael Clarke Duncan) hence the name of both the restaurant and the movie, and fittingly the restaurant serves seafood. This movie is produced by and stars the same group that created “Super Troopers” and “Beerfest”, and it barely lives up to even those low standards of quality. The jokes are often vulgar, the plot inexplicable, and laughs are hard to come by.
The vulgarity in this movie is constant. In the first few scenes Jay Chandrasekhar’s character Nutz has to clarify for his peer that he was joking when he said he, “made sweet hot love to an orangutan.” While crude humor like this can sometimes get big laughs, here it falls flat partly because of poor delivery, and partly because its just not a funny joke. That seems to be the problem with most of the jokes in the movie. They just do not incite much laughter, and the viewer is often left just trying to understand what the joke was supposed to mean. Duncan’s character’s favorite line in the movie is to tell whomever he’s chastising that he’ll shove, “blank up your ass!” He tells his employees that he will shove entire people up their asses, and even goes so far as to threaten an employee that he will, “shove your own ass up your ass!”
The story in this film makes just as little sense as the majority of the jokes. The crux of the plot is that Salmon is desperate for the restaurant to make $20,000 (more than they’ve ever made in one night) and will go to any lengths to motivate his wait staff to get it done. Even though the reason for the desperation is clearly statedProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
0(Duncan’s character owes the yakuza $20,000 for a debt from gambling on Japanese albino hunting and he is currently cash strapped) it still seems completely inexplicable. Furthermore, his method of motivation is nonsense as well. He first offers Norah Jones tickets to the top seller of the night. When that barely gets anyone jumping to sell fish, he ups it to a 4-day spa vacation, and eventually in desperation ups the prize to $10,000 cash for the best waiter. Why would someone who needs $20,000 offer $10,000? It might be a joke but it is not funny.
This prize pot does the trick and for the rest of the film the wait staff is shown running around the restaurant like lunatics trying to sell the most seafood. While this war is waged the predictable gross food service jokes come a mile a minute, and usually miss the mark. Pass on this one, it’s a little undercooked.
The vulgarity in this movie is constant. In the first few scenes Jay Chandrasekhar’s character Nutz has to clarify for his peer that he was joking when he said he, “made sweet hot love to an orangutan.” While crude humor like this can sometimes get big laughs, here it falls flat partly because of poor delivery, and partly because its just not a funny joke. That seems to be the problem with most of the jokes in the movie. They just do not incite much laughter, and the viewer is often left just trying to understand what the joke was supposed to mean. Duncan’s character’s favorite line in the movie is to tell whomever he’s chastising that he’ll shove, “blank up your ass!” He tells his employees that he will shove entire people up their asses, and even goes so far as to threaten an employee that he will, “shove your own ass up your ass!”
The story in this film makes just as little sense as the majority of the jokes. The crux of the plot is that Salmon is desperate for the restaurant to make $20,000 (more than they’ve ever made in one night) and will go to any lengths to motivate his wait staff to get it done. Even though the reason for the desperation is clearly statedProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
0(Duncan’s character owes the yakuza $20,000 for a debt from gambling on Japanese albino hunting and he is currently cash strapped) it still seems completely inexplicable. Furthermore, his method of motivation is nonsense as well. He first offers Norah Jones tickets to the top seller of the night. When that barely gets anyone jumping to sell fish, he ups it to a 4-day spa vacation, and eventually in desperation ups the prize to $10,000 cash for the best waiter. Why would someone who needs $20,000 offer $10,000? It might be a joke but it is not funny.
This prize pot does the trick and for the rest of the film the wait staff is shown running around the restaurant like lunatics trying to sell the most seafood. While this war is waged the predictable gross food service jokes come a mile a minute, and usually miss the mark. Pass on this one, it’s a little undercooked.
Monday, October 4, 2010
M.I.A. at The Vic Theater 9/30/2010
M.I.A. made two appearances at the Vic in Chicago in support of her recent release “MAYA.” The second show on September 30 showcased M.I.A. performing several tracks from her new album as well as many highlights from the rest of her catalogue. She appeared dazzling as always, though in a toned down wardrobe of jeans and shiny top, which she later covered to market a t-shirt you could pick up at merchandise. The stage included a raised DJ, background dancers shaking it in burkas, a girl doing the requisite (but not overbearing) hyping and dancing with the “rah rah” contingency, and a large screen in back shining mega-pixelated video. The absence of superfluous details in the visual production and performance allowed the music to make the statement, with M.I.A. seeming intent and focused to celebrate the edge and groove often under appreciated on her new album.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mike Sula
Mike Sula is a food writer for the Chicago Reader. His reviews seem to be very informative while remaining succinct and entertaining. A good example of this is his review of the sandwich shop Mac and Min’s. He informs the reader of the quality of several selections on the menu, and mentions things in specific that work well, and some that do not work very well. After mentioning the high and lows of the restaurant he closes out the review with a general statement of the restaurant as a whole, in this case calling it a “keeper”. He incorporates a sense of humor into this review saying he would happily lick their barbecue sauce off of a shoe. He also seems to like to play with vocabulary slightly mentioning oysters in once sentence and calling them bivalves in the other. Similarly he mentions shrimp and then refers to them as crustaceans further in the review. This certainly helps him to avoid a sense of dullness when talking about one ingredient over many sentences. After mentioning several of the options available on the menu and describing them with sometimes colorful language, Sula ends his review with a quick description of the decor of the restaurant and his overall take on the establishment.
In another review by Mike Sula, his reviewing style reveals itself clearer still. Part of the review covers Burger Bar. In this section Sula dives into describing the many options available at the Burger Bar including the burgers, sides, beers, and shakes that are available. He again uses detailed descriptions to talk about the quality of the food, mentioning several examples of the choices available. He mentions things about the restaurant outside of the menu, in this case the “evangelical staff” and rounds out this portion of the review with another overall take on the Burger Bar, calling their simplest selections their best.
The second half of this review is dedicated to a pizzeria called Suno. Here, again, Sula follows a format of covering multiple selections from the menu in descriptive detail, what he thinks works and does not work, and a overall take on the restaurant saying, “the incidentals are superior to the main product.”
In another review by Mike Sula, his reviewing style reveals itself clearer still. Part of the review covers Burger Bar. In this section Sula dives into describing the many options available at the Burger Bar including the burgers, sides, beers, and shakes that are available. He again uses detailed descriptions to talk about the quality of the food, mentioning several examples of the choices available. He mentions things about the restaurant outside of the menu, in this case the “evangelical staff” and rounds out this portion of the review with another overall take on the Burger Bar, calling their simplest selections their best.
The second half of this review is dedicated to a pizzeria called Suno. Here, again, Sula follows a format of covering multiple selections from the menu in descriptive detail, what he thinks works and does not work, and a overall take on the restaurant saying, “the incidentals are superior to the main product.”
Monday, September 20, 2010
Two Movie Reviews
Sometimes a movie review does its job well. It informs the reader of the reasons whether or not they will enjoy the movie. This seems like a simple concept for a critic to deliver, but there is no doubt readers have come across reviews written poorly enough to not deliver the message. A critic cannot simply say, “this is a good movie” or, “this movie sucks”. It is the descriptive and informative writing about the subject of the review that stirs up interest or disinterest for the movie in the reader. A brief example of both a good and bad movie review will support this point.
An example of a fine movie review is Richard Roeper’s review of the 2009 film “District 9”. The review is not overwhelmingly long but the moderate length allows him to fully develop the reasons that he enjoyed the movie. He talks about the pacing of the film, the unique setting, and the quality characters. Roeper also refrains from spoiling too much of the movie. He even mentions that he is leaving out a spoiler in such a way that it leaves the reader salivating to know what has been omitted. He also gives a nice overview of what the story is actually about. He achieves this by not only including a synopsis but compares it to the work of well known authors to explain the quality and genre of the story. The review provides a sense of the experience by mentioning the “four-star gross-out moments” and the way political metaphors are present but the audience will not feel “lectured”.
Roeper’s well written review can be contrasted with a review that is lacking in several areas. Lisa Schwarzbaum’s review for Entertainment Weekly of the movie “Killers” is a good example. She completely (and fairly) pans the movie and gives it a D rating. However, it is not the negative take on the film that causes this to be a poor review. Most people that see this film would most likely agree with her assessment. She begins her review by listing several reasons why someone might want to see this movie even though she calls it “crappy”. She does not state whether or not those reasons are legitimate reasons to ignore the crap that is this film. She then sets off on a very brief synopsis of the movie. This is the main area where this review falls short. She does little else besides just simply stating what the plot is, and then listing a bunch of the subject matter in the jokes that arise as the movie continues. A more in depth summary of the plot or story as well as some explanation as to whether the jokes work or totally bomb would be appropriate. The final part of this review makes the reader feel as though she totally copped out and was just trying to fill up space on the page. It is a paragraph long “dissection” of how terrible Katherine Heigl’s character is in the film. The result is an overly long list of cliches apparent in the character that could have been reduced to a sentence or two. By the time the list is through the reader is left with a sense that Lisa was clearly not excited about the movie, and perhaps even less excited about writing a review of it.
An example of a fine movie review is Richard Roeper’s review of the 2009 film “District 9”. The review is not overwhelmingly long but the moderate length allows him to fully develop the reasons that he enjoyed the movie. He talks about the pacing of the film, the unique setting, and the quality characters. Roeper also refrains from spoiling too much of the movie. He even mentions that he is leaving out a spoiler in such a way that it leaves the reader salivating to know what has been omitted. He also gives a nice overview of what the story is actually about. He achieves this by not only including a synopsis but compares it to the work of well known authors to explain the quality and genre of the story. The review provides a sense of the experience by mentioning the “four-star gross-out moments” and the way political metaphors are present but the audience will not feel “lectured”.
Roeper’s well written review can be contrasted with a review that is lacking in several areas. Lisa Schwarzbaum’s review for Entertainment Weekly of the movie “Killers” is a good example. She completely (and fairly) pans the movie and gives it a D rating. However, it is not the negative take on the film that causes this to be a poor review. Most people that see this film would most likely agree with her assessment. She begins her review by listing several reasons why someone might want to see this movie even though she calls it “crappy”. She does not state whether or not those reasons are legitimate reasons to ignore the crap that is this film. She then sets off on a very brief synopsis of the movie. This is the main area where this review falls short. She does little else besides just simply stating what the plot is, and then listing a bunch of the subject matter in the jokes that arise as the movie continues. A more in depth summary of the plot or story as well as some explanation as to whether the jokes work or totally bomb would be appropriate. The final part of this review makes the reader feel as though she totally copped out and was just trying to fill up space on the page. It is a paragraph long “dissection” of how terrible Katherine Heigl’s character is in the film. The result is an overly long list of cliches apparent in the character that could have been reduced to a sentence or two. By the time the list is through the reader is left with a sense that Lisa was clearly not excited about the movie, and perhaps even less excited about writing a review of it.
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