Category: Uncategorized

J.K. Rowling’s A Casual Vacancy – Definitely NOT Harry Potter

First let me say that I am a huge…I’m talking HUGE Harry Potter fan and that I hold J.K. Rowling in the highest esteem for creating such a wonderful and exciting world. Unfortunately, her world building isn’t so much in A Casual Vacancy. 

Rowling’s first turn into adult books leaves me…disappointed. The book tries its hardest to remain relevant to adults, but fails by having all the conflict brought on by teenagers. I think Rowling still misses the teenage world,  and I hope she returns to her roots.

Vacancy is chocked full of characters – way too many to keep track of – and the biggest problem is that you can’t really tell whose story it is. Point of views change at a blink of an eye – sometimes mid sentence. That doesn’t bother me as much as not really caring about any of the characters, even though the circumstances of the characters should be worth caring about. 

Drug addiction, infidelity, political intrigue – yeah it sounds like ABC’s REVENGE, right? At least that show is so bad it’s good.  Vacancy lacks a true direction and makes the reader work really hard for very little in return. Its full of weird sentences like, “it fluttered in her stomach like a fetus.” Eck.

Where is the lovely alliteration? What happened to lines like, “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”

That’s what I’m talking about…and miss.

 

Pitch Perfect is Almost Perfect

Let me tell you – there is nothing like watching a movie in a theater full of middle school girls. There were so many of them to see PITCH PERFECT that a manager had to address the crowd before the movie to remind them to behave or be escorted out. Seriously? Shame nobody knows how to behave in a movie theater anymore, but that’s another post.

Now I was there not only for the a cappella music (by the way – BEST opening of a movie I’ve seen in a while – won’t say anything more in fear of spoiling) that was shown in the trailer, but to see the funny Anna Kendrick (Netflix UP IN THE AIR and see her Oscar nominated performance) and the hilarious Rebel Wilson (most famous for her recent turn in BRIDESMAIDS, but she really shines in BACHERLORETTE – see it OnDemand or in your local theater). Both women were good and made the most out of a very choppy script.

The dialogue was okay. There were some hilarious one liners that I’m sure every 13-year-old in the audience is taking with her and repeating to anyone who will listen in the hall of her school. However there was a lot of innuendo. I’m talking A LOT. Much of it was really explicit and didn’t require an enormous amount of cerebral processing. Obviously there was a huge problem keeping the script and story to a point where it wouldn’t warrant an R rating, and because of that the movie really suffers.

Overall, it was entertaining and fun and will make money. Why you ask? Because every thirteen to seventeen-year-old girl will see it and then see it again. And again. And again.

Absent No Longer

Hello to the four people who read this blog, including my mother! It’s been a long absence, but I have been busy doing a lot of life changing things – way too many to mention in this tiny space. And because I am freakishly private, I wouldn’t really share them anyway. Needless to say, I have stored up a lot to discuss and share. So, get ready, hunker down, there are going to be more posts coming!

 

Stay tuned.

Jerry Saltz Is His Own Work Of Art

I’m a big fan of New York Magazine and yes, I admit it makes me feel just a little more a part of the “in crowd” to read it.  Jerry Saltz, the lead judge for the Bravo TV show WORK OF ART, writes an interesting piece about what he learned from being a part of the show. The article is both insightful and educational. It’s rare that the viewer gets an inside look of a reality TV production. But it’s even more rare for a critic to talk about how he can do his job better. And because of that, he is now a friend in my head. We sit over dinner of pasta fazool while we discuss well…he discusses, I just listen, the many facets of the art world.

As a writer, I know the importance of criticism. I am also well aware of the biting sting criticism can leave. One small word can send me to the edge, pondering for about the 80 millionth time why I didn’t just join the Peace Corp when I had the chance. Why do I continue to isolate myself in my apartment drinking Dunkin Doughnuts coffee to create the most near to perfect storytelling I can?

But this isn’t about me. It’s about criticism. We all need to hear it at some point. It’s important to take feedback in a constructive manner and learn from it.  And that even a critic such as Jerry (yes, as a friend in my head I can call him by his first name) can critique himself and learn to do better.

Bravo!

Inception – Too Much Show, Not Enough Story

I reluctantly did see Inception. My reluctance has nothing to do with Chris Nolan. I really like Memento and Insomnia. But my reluctance centers around the film’s star – Leonardo DiCaprio. I don’t care for the actor. Not even in Gilbert Grape. I once saw an interview where he said,  “…an actor better try his hardest to be believable in the role, otherwise people won’t care.”  I think that’s his problem. He tries too hard (The Aviator) and then misses the mark (Gangs of New York). It’s a shame, because he is the catalyst for a lot of movies getting made, particularly with his newfound partner in Martin Scorsese…but this isn’t about Mr. DiCaprio. Well…maybe it is, but let’s get to the story.

A lot of people will disagree with me – well, the two people that read this blog and that’s not counting my mother – but there are some problems with Inception, mainly the exposition that poor Ellen Page is in charge of dishing out. It is a complicated theory to explain and because of that there is little emotional connection to the concept. The script really doesn’t trust the audience to “get it” and the film suffered for it. Perhaps, the story has a better arc on paper, but just doesn’t translate to film. Although visually stunning, the movie relies too much on the “special effects” and very little on characters, making it hard to buy-in to the whole situation. And for whatever reason I get the feeling that I have seen all this fancy CGI before. It just reminds me of the Verizon Towers commercial mixed with a little Transformers and throw in some Matrix.

Also the puss face that Joseph Gordon-Levitt wears the entire time is really annoying. It’s charming in 500 Days of Summer, but not so much in this movie. A friend of mine points out that if you close your eyes, you’d be listening to Keanu Reeves. Try it!