Wilde's "The Critic as Artist"

"Each little thing we do passes into the great machine of life, which may grind our virtues into powder and make them worthless, or transform our sins into elements of a new civilisation, more marvellous and more splendid than any that has gone before." 

(I love this.)

The excerpt from Oscar Wilde's "The Critic as Artist" is written around the idea of criticism as an art, the highest form of art. 

Ernest: For, after all, even you must admit that it is much more difficult to do a thing than to talk about it.

Gilbert: More difficult to do a thing than to talk about it? Not at all.

I had never thought about doing versus reviewing in this light. But it makes sense. In order to review a piece of art, you must be knowledgeable in so much more than just that one piece, whereas the artist has no other obligations than to create. Wilde argues that the critic is the highest form of art. I agree with some of what he has to say, but not this. Without art, there are no critics. A chicken and the egg argument, almost, but there must be art to be critiqued. I think the critic is of high importance, but in no circumstance trumps the artist. 

I really liked the form of this piece. Rather than reading a long, droning essay, Wilde spiced it up with a dialogue that serves to counteract areas of debate. 

Stylin' with Strunk and White

Chapter IV: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused stood out to me because, apparently, I misuse a good portion of the words I choose in my writing. Often times, a writer only realizes a word is wrong when getting a graded paper back. This way, maybe, just maybe, I can actually pick the correct words before the fact. 

Revising and rewriting is another thing I need to work on. I tend to word vomit, and when I reread what I've written enough times, some how, it makes sense to me. I want to work on being more meticulous as an editor of my own work. 

"Taxi to the Dark Side" Painful, But Necessary

The sound of a music box twinkles hauntingly as various torture tactics are described. The sweet, crisp notes of innocence are entirely at odds with the image of a man writhing in pain, each grimace easily detectable against the stark white background. Alex Gibney's 2007 documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side" is a must see for every U.S. citizen. It explores U.S. torture in Bagram Air Base and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Gibney, a producer, director, writer extraordinaire with multiple award nominations and wins under his belt, tells it like it is. U.S. torture now has a face: Dilawar.
Gibney's story revolves around Dilawar, a 22-year-old taxi driver who disappeared from his home in 2002. Three days later, he was found dead. As the story unravels, it turns out he was entirely innocent. Dilawar's death by torture at the hands of the U.S. becomes increasingly sickening. This young man died for no reason at the hands of the world's greatest power, leaving a young daughter, wife and extended family behind. By picking out one individual, Gibney personalizes the story. The pain of Dilawar's brother and family becomes the pain of the audience.
Torture has been a hushed topic in the U.S., as Cheney had hoped with his "dark side" approach. With Abu Ghraib, it became public information and angered many. But still, as Gibney notes, 35% of the U.S. population still thinks torture is acceptable under some circumstances. This movie says otherwise.
This particular documentary carries a special weight for Gibney, as his father was an interrogator in World War II. Frank Gibney encouraged his son to take on the topic and is interviewed in the film. Frank was disgusted by current coercive interrogating strategies, which under the Bush administration included sleep deprivation, knee strikes (which killed Dilawar) and waterboarding. In his day, he built a rapport with prisoners to get them to talk, which he claims was much more effective. Including his father in the documentary made for an interesting perspective, as well as a touching note.
Growing up with Frank Gibney as a father, Gibney could've made "Taxi to the Dark Side" entirely one sided and biased, but it isn't. Former prisoners, interrogators, family, government officials, other journalists, anyone at all related to the story is interviewed or commented on. This makes for a plethora of information, and the amount of people included in the documentary is almost overwhelming. Keeping track of which soldier is which, what higher up said what is an unwelcomed task. It makes the documentary more credible, but also more confusing.
Even so, "Taxi to the Dark Side" deserves every single award it has received and more. Sure, it can be overwhelming and painful to watch at times, but torture is a part of our past and present as U.S. citizens. Gibney does a superb job documenting a touchy subject, and thankfully, the 44th president has already taken action to close Guantanamo Bay. This documentary represents the voice that need to be heard beautifully, the voices of those still imprisoned.

The Duel, "The Office" Worthwhile

Michael Scott is insistent that he can run 31 miles per hour. The speed meter said so. Nevermind the fact that a car drove by at the same time. The opening clip of NBC's "The Office" promised another hilarious episode and was not one to disappoint.

"The Office" had its first episode of 2009 last Thursday, the 11th in its 5th season. "The Office" is adapted from the British version by Greg Daniels and is one of few British to American show adaptations that is popular in both tv realms. The first season of the American version was taken directly from the British, but now it has its own script, humor and distinct characters.

The show started off this year with a duel, an epic duel at that. The Duel episode was dominated by the confrontation over Angela, played by Angela Kinsey, between Dwight, Rainn Wilson, and Andy, Ed Helms. Expectations were high, as the Angela-Dwight had been going on for quite some time, and Andy was the only one oblivious.

The Duel lived up to typical "Office" humor, filled with raised eyebrows at the camera, boss Michael Scott, played by Steve Carrell, being overly idiotic and the strange behaviors of other office employees, including Dwight's debut into the music industry. Early in the show, Dwight has an individual clip in the conference room. It involves a vocal rendition of the Schrute family forth rules for boys: "Learn your rules, you'd better learn your rules. If you don't, you'll be eaten in your sleep! Harwwf!"

"The Office" is at a turning point. Many of the original conflicts in the show have resolved themselves, and the chance of becoming mundane is very real. A big surprise came in this episode, though, when David Wallace called Michael in to corporate to inform him he was doing something right. That was a spin no one saw coming. There are certain characters, however, whose shtick is now worn down. Take Meredith, played by Kate Flannery, for example. She got in her usual two bit piece about having two men fight over her too, except they were fighting about who got to hold the video camera. 

Regardless of the tedium some characters have, one thing did truly stand out about this episode. While the show rarely passes judgement on the actions of characters, the situation with Angela was handled in a way that insinuated her actions really were wrong. Even Michael's affair with a superior is laughed off, even Michael unintentionally outing Oscar is humorously dismissed. "The Office" takes a slightly serious tone to give Angela what she deserves. 

The Duel episode stands out as one of the best yet. The long awaited fight played out in a way no one suspected, but perfectly at that. Now, the show just needs material to keep the addictive, laughable vibe going. 

"Gran Torino" Gran Shame

My But for "Gran Torino" came in the first paragraph, as follows. 

Clint Eastwood has done it again: somehow, his superb acting has managed to rise above the corny lines crafted for him by Nick Schnek and Dave Johannson in "Gran Torino." 

I think I need to do more background research before viewing a film or at least before I write the review. My article also lacks consistency in reference to characters/actors in the film.  And then, there is the flow of my article. I guess writing without a set structure is hard to adjust to. The more NYTimes reviews I read, the more I realize more evidence is better than more points. Just another thing to work on. 

Overall, I'd give myself a C+ ish. 

"Live From Baghdad" Informative, Not Entertaining

"Live From Baghdad" wrestles with the duties of journalists in turbulent times: would you stay or would you go? Robert Wiener, who is played by Michael Keaton, wrote the screenplay himself after his experiences as the CNN senior producer in Baghdad during the Gulf War. CNN was the sole station to maintain a constant dialogue with reporters in Baghdad during the war.

The HBO made-for-tv movie is an excellent informant of the events that led up to the Gulf War. CNN overcame many obstacles in their struggle to interview Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which are realistically portrayed in the movie.

Mick Jackson, director, used live footage of President Bush, as well as Hussein and shots of Baghdad to ground the film in early 1990s, Iraq. The cinematography was not otherwise noteworthy, though it was interesting to watch a film about filming. 

"Live From Baghdad" is a tribute to journalism. Journalists have to take chances, risks, and much of their hard labor goes unappreciated. This story shows what it's really like to pry a story out of unwilling hands. Society relies upon journalists to give them news, to put themselves in the line of danger for the sake of information. In one of the final scenes, the CNN team must decide to stay through January 15th, the bombings, or return home to safety. While the journalists are cast in a positive light, some shadows are cast around Wiener and his interactions with Naji Al-Hadithi, played by David Suchet. 

Keaton is accompanied by Helena Bonham Carter, as Ingrid Formanek. Joshua Leonard and Lili Taylor make up the rest of the core CNN crew. Keaton performs well and outshines the small-time actors he is surrounded by, Formanek included. The movie leaves some questions lingering, like the ever present romantic tension between Wiener and Formanek. Does the hero get the girl?

The film was released in 2002, but the issues at hand are just as relevant now as they were then. "Live From Baghdad" documents the beginning of the conflict with Iraq, a conflict yet to be resolved. While the movie covers a very important historical time, it does not do so in a very entertaining fashion. It does not deserve the three awards it received, nor the seven others it was nominated for. "Live From Baghdad" was built up to be more than it truly is. Yes, it poses a thought provoking question about journalism and documents the start of the Gulf War, but it is not a movie to put on a pedestal. It has its moments, but is informative before it is ever entertaining. 

IMDB Saves Local Journalism Students

For the movie inept, the Internet Movie Database is a life saver. Simply type in the movie, tv show, character name or the like and a whole wealth of information will appear. In terms of movies, the site offers plot synopsis, ratings, viewer feedback, actor information, and links to more information. More or less, everything you need to know. 

imdb.com