Pauline Kael: A Classic Critic (Kael Revision)

   Pauline Kael is revered as one of the greatest movie critics of all time, and as Francis Davis, author of Afterglow, puts it, "No one else has written as vividly about movies."

   Kael's love of movies came at a young age. She saw many movies seated cozily on the laps of her parents, and as she grew older, she and her friends continued frequenting the theaters. It is no great feat to love movies, but Kael went beyond watching movies and created a career for herself as a critic. She wrote freelance for some time and eventually went to work for The New Yorker from 1968 to 1991. 

     Francis Davis, a writer, and Kael's long time friend and admirer published Afterglow: A Last Conversation with Pauline Kael in 2002. Davis has high praises for Kael, commenting that, "Reading her work was like going to the movies with someone you adored; when you disagreed with her, it was like having a lover's quarrel." Davis, among many other, thought Kael's work to be revolutionary, as it was clear cut and incorporated social commentary.

    Renata Adler, another writer for The New Yorker, extensively criticizes Kael's reviews in her essay, House Critic. Adler found once Kael joined The New Yorker, her work deteriorated: "A collection of her reviews is out. . . and it is, to my surprise, line by line, and without interruption, worthless." Worthless is far too strong a word; if Kael's pieces were worthless, they would never have been published in such a prestigious magazine. 

    While Adler is off with that claim, her essay does speak to many of the faults of Kael's writing. After reading a few of Kael's reviews, her repetitive diction and constant use of "we" and "you" becomes apparent.  As Adler says, "'We' becomes a bandwagon, a kangaroo court, a gang, an elite. . . which readers had better join, or else be consigned to that poor group of deviants, sissies. . ." Kael seems to be forcing the reader to react to the movie in a certain way, which is not comforting or appealing. 

   Through Adler's incessant nit-picking, "you" see that Kael's reviews do have their faults. In one of the interviews with Davis, though, Kael rises above Adler's criticism. She says, "I was stunned when that piece by Renata Adler came out. . . it was a group movement to denounce me. . . I had no idea it was coming, that anything was building. I was busy innocently going to the movies and writing about them." While Adler and other writers spent their time attacking Kael, she continued on her merry way, doing what she enjoyed the most: reviewing movies.

    Kael had an affinity for movies, and as her work clearly demonstrates, she had an affinity for writing about them too. Sure, there is repetition, but there is also devotion. Despite what Adler and others may think, Kael gave her life to reviewing and her reign as a writer for The New Yorker is proof of her timeless talent. 

Oscars a Success

  The 81st Academy Awards, held on Feb. 22, were beautiful, from the people to the movies, back to the people again. The show was held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, CA and was a success across the board.

   The Academy Awards started in 1929 as a closed ceremony, attendees small in number. Over the years, the recognition of excellence in the movie field has grown exponentially. This year, 24 Oscars were handed out for an array of talents, ranging from best picture to best short documentary. 

   Hugh Jackman, People's Sexiest Man Alive, hosted the show for the first time and did not disappoint. His talents extend beyond being sexy, to singing, dancing and even humor. He did an excellent job hosting, although he was not on the stage all that often. This year, there was a different presenter for nearly every Oscar, which led to a sort of disconnect. Jackman was good, and there was no need to constantly switch presenters. The variety kept the show interesting, but was to such an extent that Jackman was missed.

    If the people on the stage weren't sexy enough, the stage was there as a back-up. The stage movements were made seamlessly, from dance floor to band set-up and back again. Only one major error occurred within design and production, and as it came early, the "Steve, open it!" curtain incident was dwarfed by all the other wonderful effects. The crystal curtain added glamour to the stage, and the floor pattern was stunning. The stage was glorious, and did not take away from the ceremony at hand. 

   For the most part, the Oscars were a celebration, a time to rejoice in all the great work the movie industry has created in the past year. One moment, though, was heart-wrenching. The Oscar for supporting actor went to Heath Ledger (1979-2008) in "The Dark Knight." The award was accepted by his parents and his sister. As each of them spoke, the camera panned the audience; tears were welled up in the eyes of almost all. Even in the midst of such great sorrow, Sally Bell, Ledger's mother, said, "Tonight, we are choosing to celebrate and he happy for what he was achieved."

    With that, the celebration went on. This year, the Academy Awards went much further than just being an awards show. It included a number of bits by other actors, as well as some song and dance. Seth Rogen and James Franco did a spoof of their acting in "Pineapple Express," which solicited laughs from many. Hugh Jackman and Beyonce Knowles did an extended musical-like performance with a multitude of other dancers. Both bits were entertaining, even if somewhat irrelevant.

     Despite the over the top extravagance of the 81st Academy Awards, they were still phenomenal. The amount of work and planning put into the show paid off, and the beauty of the show was inescapable. 

Hicok Reading A Hit

   Bob Hicok didn't start writing poetry until after a break-up at the age of twenty: a thank you to the girl who first broke his heart.

   Hicok is originally from Michigan, which is evident in much of his poetry, but now resides in Blackburn, Virginia, as an associate professor of English at Virginia Tech. He has only recently left the workforce(automotive die designer, computer systems) to become a full time writer and professor. 

    He has published five compilations of his work since 1995: The Legend of the Light, Plus Shipping, Animal Soul, Insomnia Diary and most recently, Clumsy Living. His books have received numerous awards, including ALA Booklist Notable Book of the Year (The Legend of the Light, 1995). He has been published in many well-known publications, including The New Yorker and The Best American Poetry.

     Hicok read his first poem, took a drink of water and announced, "I hate poetry readings." Hate them he may; the audience felt otherwise. When Hicok spoke, silence descended upon the room, interrupted only by titters during light moments in his pieces. 

    He read a total of twelve pieces, ranging from motifs of cancer to physics. The magic of his writing came through in his sprinkling of humor despite depressing topics. "BRCA1" delved in cancer and the option of testing for the gene that carries breast cancer. His friend, the inspiration for the poem, deemed the test "the best thing since the wet kiss." That line, along with Hicok's "hooray, but ouch," drew smiles around the room.

    There's something about Bob; he is nervous and confident all at once. During the space between poems, he seemed small, jittery almost, telling little jokes, poking fun at himself, admitting to "long columns of self-indulgence." But, when it came time to read again, when enough room for reflection had come and gone, Hicok became very focused, intent upon conveying his message in a crystal clear, never-wavering voice.

   Each of his poems was a story, laced with spell-binding drugs. Or maybe it was Hicok who was spell-binding. We'll never know for sure, the two are so closely intertwined that to separate them would destroy all traces of beauty; a thank you to the girl who first broke his heart. 

Springsteen Performance a Let Down

        The Boss is in charge no more. Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl performance last Sunday was painful. In a mere twelve minutes, Springsteen proved that he is past his prime. He is one of America's greats, with hits like "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road," but the half time show performance of the forty-third Super Bowl, which included the E Street Band, was not up to standards.

         Ever since the 2004 Super Bowl half time show, which featured Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake and tear away clothing, any room for error, and on occasion, entertainment, has been eliminated. Since the wardrobe malfunction incident, new producers have taken over the show and have consistently opted for old men. Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and now this. Not that there is anything wrong with old men, but not all younger people want to be exposed themselves on television. 
         The New York Times ran a piece about The Boss on Sunday, sighting him as a musician who still relates to the people, who can still put on a good show. Springsteen proved them wrong. The performance had a twelve minute cap, but his voice couldn't stay strong that long. He sounds tired, haggard even. He couldn't hit the high notes, and you have to wonder if Steve Van Zandt is there to cover up Springsteen's failing voice. If his fading vocals weren't enough to damper the performance, the show included a "referee" who came on stage and signaled penalties during part of the performance. Really, Bruce?
          Springsteen and the E Street Band opened with "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out." The second song was the Bruce class "Born to Run." In this song, the usually long, drawn out "Run" at the end of a verse fades quickly, nowhere near his typical enthusiasm. They moved onto "Working on a Dream," or as Springsteen sings, "Working on a Dre." The end of the short word is lost; his voice is gone.  The half time performance closed with an infamous song, "Glory Days." The song was hindered by Springsteen and Van Zandt's unnecessary and unwanted banter.
"Steve, what time is it?"
"It's Boss time."
          When performers have to validate themselves, something is seriously wrong. They also chat about running over the allotted time, which they dismiss, as they clearly think their talent supersedes the time limit. Their conversation also includes quite a few corny jokes with football references: "We're going to be going over time. . . Man, it's going to be penalty time." One of Springsteen's comments at the opening of the show was on the same level of lameness. He tells viewers to "step away from the guacamole dip." Inspiration at its best.
            The Boss is an American great, he has put on many a good show, but Sunday night was not one of them. Bruce Springsteen should've followed the advice of his own lyrics in "Born to Run":   "We gotta get out while we're young."

Brucey Boy Outline

For the most part, I kept the same order for my revised review. 

Intro(BUT)

Past half time shows, recent changes

Voice issues-failure

Lineup of songs

More failure

Take your own advice: "We gotta get out while we're young."

Bruce Springsteen Half Time A Failure

   The Boss is in charge no more. Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl performance last Sunday was painful. In a mere twelve minutes, Springsteen proved that he is past his prime. He is one of America's greats, with hits like "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road," but the half time show performance of the forty-third Super Bowl, which included the E Street Band, was not up to standards. 

   The New York Times ran a piece about The Boss on Sunday, sighting him as a musician who still relates to the people, who can still put on a good show. Springsteen proved them wrong. The performance had a twelve minute cap, but his voice couldn't stay strong that long. He sounds tired, haggard even. He couldn't hit the high notes, and you have to wonder if Steve Van Zandt is there to cover up Springsteen's failing voice. If his fading vocals weren't enough to damper the performance, the show included a "referee" who came on stage and signaled penalties during part of the performance. Really, Bruce?

   Springsteen and the E Street Band opened with "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out." The second song was the Bruce class "Born to Run." In this song, the usually long, drawn out "Run" at the end of a verse fades quickly, nowhere near his typical enthusiasm. They moved onto "Working on a Dream," or as Springsteen sings, "Working on a Dre." The half time performance closed with an infamous song, "Glory Days." The lyrics were altered to better suit the occasion, the baseball player in the song becomes a football player, which was a nice touch. But, the song was hindered by Springsteen and Van Zandt's unnecessary and unwanted banter. 

"Steve, what time is it?"

"It's Boss time."

    When performers have to validate themselves, something is seriously wrong. They also chat about running over the allotted time, which they dismiss, as they clearly think their talent supersedes the time limit. Their conversation also includes quite a few corny jokes with football references: "We're going to be going over time. . . Man, it's going to be penalty time."

One of Springsteen's comments at the opening of the show was on the same level of lameness. He tells viewers to "step away from the guacamole dip." Inspiration at its best.

    The Boss is an American great, he has put on many a good show, but Sunday night was not one of them. Bruce Springsteen shouldn't followed the advice of his own lyrics in "Born to Run:"

 "We gotta get out while we're young."