We bring you more short (less-than-100-word) reviews, and although we haven’t actually counted words, we suspect that at least one is in solidarity with the current administration’s disregard for the rule of law.
Sundance 2008
I suppose it could be argued that what made U23D an “indie” film is the independent technology behind the film; the cameras are newly-hatched and hadn’t, until now, been used to make more than a car commercial. But the screening itself was no different than a Hollywood premiere, except maybe for the temperature. Then again, LA has frosty screenings, too. During the weekend, my friend dislocated his shoulder and “dislocation” seems the perfect word for Sundance. The Festival celebrates Los Angeles more than it does film — money, traffic and attitude are forefront in everyone’s experience, and especially this year, the actual telling of stories was not important. A few stories were told very well, documentaries, natch: Made in America, about the history of South Central LA and La Corona, about a beauty pageant in a women’s Colombian prison, were better movies than most films in dramatic competition. There were some fantastic narrative moments in films that I saw, but the true competition was in creating the most drama off screen, rather than the films themselves. And all that said, it was still a liquor-soaked good time.
–Wendy West
One Sentence Archive
This is a compendium of true one-sentence stories, some of which are brilliant and some not so much; unlike my one-sentence review, they don’t tend to employ semicolons, yet nevertheless some manage to express a whole story’s worth of meaning in just a few words, e.g.: “‘Happy new year,’ I said to the empty room.”
–Lisa Parrish
Mitt Romney, dorky white guy
The most cringeworthy thing I’ve seen online since last week’s Tom Cruise Scientology video, Romney’s MLK Day moment raised a serious question. As a dorky white guy myself, I learned long ago never to attempt hip-hop unless I’m drunk; Romney’s a Mormon, so he doesn’t have that excuse. So what was he thinking? Maybe he’s a robot? Either that or the most frighteningly pandering presidential aspirant ever? Either way, his candidacy now seems unstoppable.
–Dave B
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDwwAaVmnf4[/youtube]
i haven’t seen it so there may not be the same level of cringe inducing context as I, Mitt but I just read a report of an obama speech from south carolina where he says the following:
“they’re trying to bamboozle you. it’s the same old okey-doke.”
The One Sentence Archive reminds me of Novels in Three Lines, a collection of over a thousand short news items from a Paris newspaper, written by Felix Feneon in the early 20th c. They’re elegant and intricate, and often very darkly humorous. An example follows:
“Mme. Tripier fired twice (blanks, she claimed) at her father, Marquet, of Montberthault, Cote-d’Or, in a dispute over a small boat.”
Ah, yes – I remember reading a review of this when it came out. Apparently, M. Feneon is the Tolstoy of extremely short stories.
Because it’s a slow comment day on TGW, here’s another curiosity for you all: the Flickr Sleeveface Pool, a collection of images where people pose with album covers in a way that makes them look like extensions of themselves. Hard to explain. Have a look.
hey — i tried to do that once for a record club cover that i never used. but i used the actual record itself, making it look as if it were my head.
Poor Mitt can’t ever catch a break. First his momma names him Mitt, and now this. And moreover, we still don’t have an answer to his question. Who did let the dogs out?
His momma named him Willard, actually. Poor fucker.
Jesus Mitt Christ, that is messed up.
In the “Why didn’t I think of that?” category, here is a wonderfully insightful review of trees.