My Current Media Reviews

One from movies, one from music, one from literature:

Movie: So, I went and saw The Watchmen last night. I had promised myself that I wasn't going to go. I rarely enjoy movies from books that I have previously read, and further, the early reviews said that it was nothing promising. So, I went. And, three and a half hours later, I got home. In the middle was one of the best examples of the anti-hero motif in modern literature. The action sequences, which I had heard were touch-and-go, actually adapted well to the screen.

In fact, to me the biggest mystery of the entire movie was that all of the things that the classic graphic novel did well, the movie failed at. It failed miserably at de-centering the focus of the story and providing not only a non-central superhero figure, but also, the non-superheroes that figured so prominently in the original (the lesbian cab driver, the newsstand owner, the psychiatrist's wife) were all absent. Their humanity echoed and contrasted nicely originally to the humanity of the "heroes." However, the dry, postmodern conclusion of the graphic novels translated very well to the screen, and the story was kept moving. Were any of the performances spectacular? No. But they were okay.

Further, there was nothing entirely left out. Every important motif (except the pirate story) was referenced in the movie. Thus, lovers of the graphic novel will like it, but there's a good enough story for people who are unfamiliar with the story to enjoy it. I keep reading reviewers saying that since this is from the same director that did 300 that it should be no surprise that it's awful. I think that's funny since 300 is an iconic cult hit where I'm from. Maybe we're simply not elitist enough to hate this movie. Three and a half stars.

Music: I finally had the chance to lay down and listen to Stay Positive by The Hold Steady from beginning to end. Beautiful, haunting...makes me want to keep quoting it:

"Let this be my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." --Constructive Summer
"'Cause dreams they seem to cost money But money costs some dreams" --Yeah Sapphire
"It's one thing to start it with a positive jam and it's another thing to see it on through" --Stay Positive

So, the theatre kid loves a band whose oeuvre is a giant concept album. I think this might be the sad side of the resurrection felt in "Separation Sunday."

Book: Read Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott. So good. I'm not saying that I'm back on the religion band wagon just yet...but, I'm giving things a thought that I haven't considered in a good long while. I don't know. I don't really agree with everything that Lamott says, but I know that I certainly don't agree with the Dean of Chapel at Shorter.

Besides that, I've been kind of chilling. I'm hanging out at Shorter for Spring Break. And then I'm going to write my play and finish up college. You know, what I do every March.