Choose It: Literal Trailers
The guys doing literal trailers are genius. Someone needed to question how many scenic helicopter nature shots are truly necessary in movie trailers these days, anyways.
Lose It: DieAussen-something
I don't read German, but in any case, I think this sucker was misfiled under the "News and Politics" section. Doesn't it seem like a lame self-promotional music video about retro toys to you?
Showing posts with label choose it/lose it. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choose it/lose it. Show all posts
Monday, September 6, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Choose It/Lose It: A flick and a read
Choose It: The Book of Eli
It's the story of Eli, a "walker" wandering in the ruins of a future world, carrying the only known surviving copy of the Bible with him. Of course the forces of evil are bent on getting their hands on the book, which leads Denzel Washington to bust out some Batman-esque butt-kicking. (I always like it when fight scenes rely on swords instead of guns--although this flick had both.) I kind of expected this movie to either be cheesy or a ridiculous distortion of writings and events in the style of The Da Vinci Code. But it was neither.
It's got a post-apocalypse meets old-school Old Testament story line, a mixing of genres that I found pleasing, probably because the biblical allusions weren't disgustingly overdone (as so often happens when people try to "make Christian art"). Granted, Eli quotes Scripture at every turn--but he also shoots arrows through a potential rapist's crotch and steals shoes off dead bodies. I like that kind of tension in a character. Besides, it's got a good shot of mysticism and mystery and a twist at the end. Good work, Denzel. I'd watch that again.
Lose It: Twilight book series
I've been saying for some time now that Twilight had potential to be a good book--but instead, it is a second-tier piece of airport-novel trash. I say this because I don't think there's anything wrong with the story line--hey, who doesn't love a good vampire romance injected with werewolf fight scenes? The problem with Twilight is the writing itself--rambling passages that could easily be cut and never affect the main story line, lazy characterization that relies on physical description, too many adverbs, too much sloppiness in passages that say "very beautiful" instead of "dazzling." I knew it by the first paragraph of the book--four out of the five verbs in the opening are "was." (I maintain that you can tell a good writer very quickly by their verb choice. Good writers know precise, action-filled verbs. They only use "was" if absolutely necessary.)
Stephenie Meyer's fatal flaw was only ever writing one draft. What kind of writer only writes one draft? That's like a filmmaker submitting his raw footage to an audience without ever letting it hit the editing room. Only a hack would do something like that. And where were the editors on this thing? Couldn't they have seen a diamond in the rough and sent it back to Meyer for some polishing?
I don't know what makes me angrier: That Twilight actually could have been a good book, or that it made so much money as a bad one.
It's the story of Eli, a "walker" wandering in the ruins of a future world, carrying the only known surviving copy of the Bible with him. Of course the forces of evil are bent on getting their hands on the book, which leads Denzel Washington to bust out some Batman-esque butt-kicking. (I always like it when fight scenes rely on swords instead of guns--although this flick had both.) I kind of expected this movie to either be cheesy or a ridiculous distortion of writings and events in the style of The Da Vinci Code. But it was neither.
It's got a post-apocalypse meets old-school Old Testament story line, a mixing of genres that I found pleasing, probably because the biblical allusions weren't disgustingly overdone (as so often happens when people try to "make Christian art"). Granted, Eli quotes Scripture at every turn--but he also shoots arrows through a potential rapist's crotch and steals shoes off dead bodies. I like that kind of tension in a character. Besides, it's got a good shot of mysticism and mystery and a twist at the end. Good work, Denzel. I'd watch that again.
Lose It: Twilight book series
I've been saying for some time now that Twilight had potential to be a good book--but instead, it is a second-tier piece of airport-novel trash. I say this because I don't think there's anything wrong with the story line--hey, who doesn't love a good vampire romance injected with werewolf fight scenes? The problem with Twilight is the writing itself--rambling passages that could easily be cut and never affect the main story line, lazy characterization that relies on physical description, too many adverbs, too much sloppiness in passages that say "very beautiful" instead of "dazzling." I knew it by the first paragraph of the book--four out of the five verbs in the opening are "was." (I maintain that you can tell a good writer very quickly by their verb choice. Good writers know precise, action-filled verbs. They only use "was" if absolutely necessary.)
Stephenie Meyer's fatal flaw was only ever writing one draft. What kind of writer only writes one draft? That's like a filmmaker submitting his raw footage to an audience without ever letting it hit the editing room. Only a hack would do something like that. And where were the editors on this thing? Couldn't they have seen a diamond in the rough and sent it back to Meyer for some polishing?
I don't know what makes me angrier: That Twilight actually could have been a good book, or that it made so much money as a bad one.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Choose It/Lose It: Writings
Welcome to Choose It/Lose It, my latest excuse to praise or condemn aspects of culture that have caught my eye lately.
Choose It: Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
I read a good chunk of this book on the way to Uganda, and I honestly can't wait to finish it. The premise: The ongoing violence and discrimination against women worldwide--including sex trafficking, honor killings, mass rape and mother mortality--are tantamount to gendercide. Kristof and WuDunn have done a beyond-incredible job of interviewing hundreds of women who have been affected by gender-based violence and providing a platform for their stories. The book provides graphically detailed descriptions of the realities of forced prostitution, rape as intimidation, and women who have been cut up or burned with acid or beaten into sexual slavery. Eye-opener is not a strong enough word.
And while the authors do not wish to sugar-coat or downplay any aspect of this gendercide, they do not leave readers without hope, either. They interview dozens of women, many of whom are former victims, who have taken courageous actions to provide medical care and education for women in those areas where gender discrimination is at its worst. Probably the most worthwhile book I've read in years.
Lose It: A Girl's Guide to Saudi Arabia by Maureen Dowd
I feel like I've read this article before, perhaps more than once. It's your typical single-gal-goes-to-Saudi-Arabia-and-gets-pissed-off-because-she-has-to-wear-an-abaaya. Dowd whines on and on about the dress code, the driving laws, the edited Hollywood movies, the lack of Cosmopolitans..."I'm so repressed!" she says. "Poor me! Poor all women in Saudi!"
But my main problem with the article is the Dowd only manages to talk to one Saudi women--who commented on how nice the malls and restaurants in Saudi are. All the other people talking about women's oppression? Western. If you're going to travel to another country, especially if you're going to write about it, it is your responsibility to ask questions and, as much as possible, see things from another perspective. Dowd just remains stubbornly in her own shoes and lays her pre-conceived notions over everything she sees. She's too busy with her pity party to do her research. Smacks of Orientalism to me.
Choose It: Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
I read a good chunk of this book on the way to Uganda, and I honestly can't wait to finish it. The premise: The ongoing violence and discrimination against women worldwide--including sex trafficking, honor killings, mass rape and mother mortality--are tantamount to gendercide. Kristof and WuDunn have done a beyond-incredible job of interviewing hundreds of women who have been affected by gender-based violence and providing a platform for their stories. The book provides graphically detailed descriptions of the realities of forced prostitution, rape as intimidation, and women who have been cut up or burned with acid or beaten into sexual slavery. Eye-opener is not a strong enough word.
And while the authors do not wish to sugar-coat or downplay any aspect of this gendercide, they do not leave readers without hope, either. They interview dozens of women, many of whom are former victims, who have taken courageous actions to provide medical care and education for women in those areas where gender discrimination is at its worst. Probably the most worthwhile book I've read in years.
Lose It: A Girl's Guide to Saudi Arabia by Maureen Dowd
I feel like I've read this article before, perhaps more than once. It's your typical single-gal-goes-to-Saudi-Arabia-and-gets-pissed-off-because-she-has-to-wear-an-abaaya. Dowd whines on and on about the dress code, the driving laws, the edited Hollywood movies, the lack of Cosmopolitans..."I'm so repressed!" she says. "Poor me! Poor all women in Saudi!"
But my main problem with the article is the Dowd only manages to talk to one Saudi women--who commented on how nice the malls and restaurants in Saudi are. All the other people talking about women's oppression? Western. If you're going to travel to another country, especially if you're going to write about it, it is your responsibility to ask questions and, as much as possible, see things from another perspective. Dowd just remains stubbornly in her own shoes and lays her pre-conceived notions over everything she sees. She's too busy with her pity party to do her research. Smacks of Orientalism to me.
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