summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2007-12-26 11:39 pm
summercomfort) wrote2007-12-26 11:39 pm
Capitola, Charlie Wilson, and Coming Attractions
Well, 2 days with family in Capitola was quite nice. Was there from Mon afternoon to Wed noon. Ate a lot of tea eggs and oranges. Spent a lot of time trying not to freeze on the beach (putting up the tent helped). Ate white-people food. Introduced parents to concept of guacamole. Did not take well. Walked along the Soquel river and took pictures of people's yards. Mom came up with strange "brain teasers" based on what she did or saw. This sometimes involved sneaking into private beaches, fishing for sandals, or optimal use of shower stall. (Mom is weird). Driving parents' minivan = weird. Had to drive slow.
After getting back today, went to watch Charlie Wilson's War with dad in the afternoon. It was... entertaining? It had more closure than "Good Night, and Good Luck", but I slot it in the same category of "historical process" movie (as opposed to a "historical event" movie). This one is about how they set up covert operations in Afghanistan. Just like GN&GL is about how they stood up the McCarthy. I've discovered that I'm unimpressed by historical process movies, because they just sort of peter out, and are often so absorbed in showing the process as to forget the character development. As an example -- montage sequences are often used to show off more about the character as s/he grows and changes and whatever. In this movie, however, a montage sequence is used *just* to show the process. It's like, the main characters stopped developing as characters after about the first third of the movie. I'd say the same for the Afghanis. I feel like they didn't really spend the time showing the context of... everything. So, not enought context and not enough character, but plenty of process. Good thing the process is interesting. Also, could have done without the beginning/end 2 minute fluff.
Redeeming qualities: There *is* some pretty classic Sorkin office-comedy in the beginning. Tom Hanks drinking at 10am. Lots of saucy characters. Shady dealing. Anti-aircraft missiles. Decent message about America/War that wasn't knocked into your head with shameless beatings with the dunce hammer.
Speaking of Afghanistan, I finally read Kite Runner while in Capitola. (All of my 10th graders were reading it last year, I'd heard good things about it, and the movie is coming out....) And, verdict is: Good story, but with the author would stop doing the "oooo! lookit! I'm an author!" things. Like narrative parallels and dramatic irony up the wazoo. Everything was so pat as far as symbolism goes, that it made me want to tear my hair out. It's like, "Now I will add in this plot development as a mirror of what happened in chapter 3!! And then refer to it uber-self-consciously!" Over and over and over. Which is cool if you're trying to analyze this for something or other. But if I just want a good story where the author's point kind of sneaks up on you after you put the book down.... Parts of it actually reminded me of the snooty French movie I saw Saturday night with my roommate (Cache. Also about childhood guilt, but more messy). Aside from that, I liked the whole "ethnic novel" thing of "look, Afghanistan is not monolithic culture". I'm curious to see if the next book will be more ... mature. Also curious to see if next book will stray farther from the author's personal narrative voice. (In Kite Runner, he kinda pulled a Murakami, in that the narrator is a young Afghani author)
Anyways, to-do list for tomorrow:
- try to fix the mess I made of parents' business. Oops. Mostly sorting out papers and filling out forms. I think I'm still missing a few notices and letters here and there. ick
- go back to apartment, tidy up fridge. Attempt to find cell phone again. Pack for upcoming trip.
- do some grading? At least figure out a Grading Plan for my return.
- get self to train station by 8pm.
After getting back today, went to watch Charlie Wilson's War with dad in the afternoon. It was... entertaining? It had more closure than "Good Night, and Good Luck", but I slot it in the same category of "historical process" movie (as opposed to a "historical event" movie). This one is about how they set up covert operations in Afghanistan. Just like GN&GL is about how they stood up the McCarthy. I've discovered that I'm unimpressed by historical process movies, because they just sort of peter out, and are often so absorbed in showing the process as to forget the character development. As an example -- montage sequences are often used to show off more about the character as s/he grows and changes and whatever. In this movie, however, a montage sequence is used *just* to show the process. It's like, the main characters stopped developing as characters after about the first third of the movie. I'd say the same for the Afghanis. I feel like they didn't really spend the time showing the context of... everything. So, not enought context and not enough character, but plenty of process. Good thing the process is interesting. Also, could have done without the beginning/end 2 minute fluff.
Redeeming qualities: There *is* some pretty classic Sorkin office-comedy in the beginning. Tom Hanks drinking at 10am. Lots of saucy characters. Shady dealing. Anti-aircraft missiles. Decent message about America/War that wasn't knocked into your head with shameless beatings with the dunce hammer.
Speaking of Afghanistan, I finally read Kite Runner while in Capitola. (All of my 10th graders were reading it last year, I'd heard good things about it, and the movie is coming out....) And, verdict is: Good story, but with the author would stop doing the "oooo! lookit! I'm an author!" things. Like narrative parallels and dramatic irony up the wazoo. Everything was so pat as far as symbolism goes, that it made me want to tear my hair out. It's like, "Now I will add in this plot development as a mirror of what happened in chapter 3!! And then refer to it uber-self-consciously!" Over and over and over. Which is cool if you're trying to analyze this for something or other. But if I just want a good story where the author's point kind of sneaks up on you after you put the book down.... Parts of it actually reminded me of the snooty French movie I saw Saturday night with my roommate (Cache. Also about childhood guilt, but more messy). Aside from that, I liked the whole "ethnic novel" thing of "look, Afghanistan is not monolithic culture". I'm curious to see if the next book will be more ... mature. Also curious to see if next book will stray farther from the author's personal narrative voice. (In Kite Runner, he kinda pulled a Murakami, in that the narrator is a young Afghani author)
Anyways, to-do list for tomorrow:
- try to fix the mess I made of parents' business. Oops. Mostly sorting out papers and filling out forms. I think I'm still missing a few notices and letters here and there. ick
- go back to apartment, tidy up fridge. Attempt to find cell phone again. Pack for upcoming trip.
- do some grading? At least figure out a Grading Plan for my return.
- get self to train station by 8pm.
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You might be interested to read Reading Lolita in Tehran. Memoirs of an Iranian English professor in Tehran.