Most of you are probably familiar with Britney Spears's song, "Womanizer." If not, here it is:
Typical "It's Britney, bitch" material. One could potentially say that it is about a woman who refuses to take crap from a skeezy guy. Female empowerment. With Britney lounging naked in quite a few scenes. She won't let a womanizer get to her!
I have my Britney-fan moments, mostly involving the song "Toxic," but they are still there.
Overall, I can't stand this song. It's just... a terrible song. Good let's-go-party music, bad any-other-time music.
The cover, posted below, is awesome. All American Rejects just have this awesome, badass, sarcastic vibe to them that just rocks. (Take for example, "Gives You Hell") You can tell this cover is mostly just to poke fun at Britney, show how anti-talented she's become, and it's actually a really fun cover.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Oh... classic romance...
Two things about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice before you read this post:
It is a brilliant plot that has the ability to transcend centuries and can be adapted to any modern telling. I have seen a grand total of three P&P remake movies, each brilliant in their own regard. Two of these have been set in modern time.
Bridget Jones is the most successful of the modern remakes.
It forwards the text of the original into a way that serves the modern public well. It takes the ideas and concepts of the original ("Singleton" and "spinster" and whatnot) and changes the contexts - from a time where women literally could not survive without men to a time where everyone thinks it's silly for a woman to try to survive without a man. Both Bridget and Elizabeth maintain the attitude that they don't need men, but... still want one at the same time, as long as he is the "right" one.
The movie Bridget Jones's Diary forwards the book's concepts, as well. I think the director did a fantastic job. Certain things had to be adjusted, like Bridget's mother's running off to Portugal or the constant appearance of the Smug Married couples to fit within time constraints.
Overall, the ideas clearly made it through. A girl's weight, drinking and smoking were still major topics, men was a major topic and "singleton" life was a major topic.
What I thought was interesting was how in the book, Bridget is fighting with being 120-125 pounds, while in the movie, she struggles well above 130. This is intriguing - the director must have wanted Bridget to come off as a plumper girl at 135, where she would have appeared perfectly normal at 125. The struggle with weight would be a lot more evident if she looked heavier like she did in the movie.
- I love the plot. It's this fantastic, classic romance set in a fantastic, classic period with a relatable leading lady, dysfunctional family and a mysterious, sexy man who has a tendency to be an ass.
- I hate the book. I cannot stand how Jane Austen writes. I'm sorry, but I don't need to spend three pages reading about random details of the courtship process. Every single time I have attempted to read this book, I've gotten bored and easily distracted.
It is a brilliant plot that has the ability to transcend centuries and can be adapted to any modern telling. I have seen a grand total of three P&P remake movies, each brilliant in their own regard. Two of these have been set in modern time.
Bridget Jones is the most successful of the modern remakes.
It forwards the text of the original into a way that serves the modern public well. It takes the ideas and concepts of the original ("Singleton" and "spinster" and whatnot) and changes the contexts - from a time where women literally could not survive without men to a time where everyone thinks it's silly for a woman to try to survive without a man. Both Bridget and Elizabeth maintain the attitude that they don't need men, but... still want one at the same time, as long as he is the "right" one.
The movie Bridget Jones's Diary forwards the book's concepts, as well. I think the director did a fantastic job. Certain things had to be adjusted, like Bridget's mother's running off to Portugal or the constant appearance of the Smug Married couples to fit within time constraints.
Overall, the ideas clearly made it through. A girl's weight, drinking and smoking were still major topics, men was a major topic and "singleton" life was a major topic.
What I thought was interesting was how in the book, Bridget is fighting with being 120-125 pounds, while in the movie, she struggles well above 130. This is intriguing - the director must have wanted Bridget to come off as a plumper girl at 135, where she would have appeared perfectly normal at 125. The struggle with weight would be a lot more evident if she looked heavier like she did in the movie.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
"You stole my story."
My friends say I have a rather sick obsession with Johnny Depp, considering he is 3 years younger than my parents... (but in my defense, I thought he was fantastic BEFORE he became Captain Jack Sparrow. More specifically, I fell in love when he was Ichabod Crane in "Sleepy Hollow" in '99. Yes. I was 10. Just roll with it.) He's a great actor. And he's pretty for a 40-something. And bad-ass.
Anyway! When I picture writers, his portrayal of Mort Rainey in Stephen King's "Secret Window" is pretty much what immediately comes to mind. Sloppy, eccentric, cabin-on-a-lake-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, generally in a torn robe, eating Doritos while someone else attempts to clean his house, and then of course getting annoyed with her for doing it incorrectly... you get the picture.
Beyond that... he's witty, and he's got an attitude. He knows the point of his writing, but still lets it take on a life of its own. (Quite literally in "Secret Window," unfortunately for his wife...) Critical of himself, but knows that he's capable of turning out good work.
Here's the trailer, just to give you an idea.
Brilliant movie. Top 20, definitely.
Others might not agree, of course. It might be a creepy movie with a creepy plot with a creepy lead character... And that is because what we write and what we read and what we enjoy all come down to personal preference. How we write depends on the audience and how we want them to perceive what it is we are writing.
Take the two articles I found for class, for example.
To touch on the other clips that were posted... I absolutely adore "Stranger than Fiction." I have this weird thing with that movie, though. If I watch it, I end up narrating everything going on around me. Completely involuntary. It just happens. (More on this line of thought at my tumblr blog here)
It makes me think that there is a bit of a writer in everyone. We all have thoughts, feelings, urges to make our opinions known... Channeling those thoughts into blogs, journals, books, story lines, speeches, text messages or whatever is somehow freeing. Getting our point across is fulfilling.
"Only thing that matters is the ending. It's the most important part of the story. And this one is very good. This one is perfect." -Mort Rainey, "Secret Window"
Anyway! When I picture writers, his portrayal of Mort Rainey in Stephen King's "Secret Window" is pretty much what immediately comes to mind. Sloppy, eccentric, cabin-on-a-lake-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, generally in a torn robe, eating Doritos while someone else attempts to clean his house, and then of course getting annoyed with her for doing it incorrectly... you get the picture.
Beyond that... he's witty, and he's got an attitude. He knows the point of his writing, but still lets it take on a life of its own. (Quite literally in "Secret Window," unfortunately for his wife...) Critical of himself, but knows that he's capable of turning out good work.
Here's the trailer, just to give you an idea.
Brilliant movie. Top 20, definitely.
Others might not agree, of course. It might be a creepy movie with a creepy plot with a creepy lead character... And that is because what we write and what we read and what we enjoy all come down to personal preference. How we write depends on the audience and how we want them to perceive what it is we are writing.
Take the two articles I found for class, for example.
- "10 Quick and Easy Ways to Lose 10 Pounds," in Glamour. Very clearly directed to a female audience. It's a colorful article, with pretty fonts, pretty pictures, pretty colors... all geared toward making weight-loss seem a heck of a lot easier than it is. Every single "quick and easy way" is phrased in a friendly tone: "Rethink what you drink," or "Learn these portion shortcuts" instead of saying, "Stop drinking pop" or "Stop eating so much." It's filled with friendly reminders that you can control yourself and still be a happy camper. It's also interesting to me that the girl they chose to pose at the beginning of the article is someone who would generally be considered more "curvy." Sort of the "You're okay in your original skin, but here are some tips in case you don't think you are."
- "Death by Exercise," in Men's Health. This was an interesting article about the rare occasion of working out too much with the unfortunate result of ... death. Strong language. To the point. No fluff. It has specific facts and stats, like how heart disease can be prevented by healthy physical activity, even citing timed workouts and their benefits or disadvantages.
To touch on the other clips that were posted... I absolutely adore "Stranger than Fiction." I have this weird thing with that movie, though. If I watch it, I end up narrating everything going on around me. Completely involuntary. It just happens. (More on this line of thought at my tumblr blog here)
It makes me think that there is a bit of a writer in everyone. We all have thoughts, feelings, urges to make our opinions known... Channeling those thoughts into blogs, journals, books, story lines, speeches, text messages or whatever is somehow freeing. Getting our point across is fulfilling.
"Only thing that matters is the ending. It's the most important part of the story. And this one is very good. This one is perfect." -Mort Rainey, "Secret Window"
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