flaming γαρίδες σαγανάκι!

[lagilman]

From the weird to the…differently weird.


Anyone here read Infinite Jest? Anyone here read the entire thing? Really?

You’re a better bookworm than I.

Mind you, I enjoyed what I read. Wallace is that annoying clever bastard who manages to both take himself seriously and poke fun at his own cleverness and seriousness at the same time. And he invites us along for the ride, if we can keep up.

But the ride should have been a day at the Speedway, not a marathon slog through the Badlands. 10 point type, 42 lines to a page, 981 pages. You do the math. Or don't bother. The book was too long for human comfort. And did I mention the 10 point type?

So. I feel virtuous and literary for having gotten as far as I did, and I have no real need to torture my eyes by going further. Sorry, Mr. Wallace.

At the waaaaay other end of the spectrum – I went to see Ghost Rider this afternoon. Because, y’know. Nic Cage. Flaming skull. Devil's motorcycle that comes when you whistle for it. What's not to love?

This movie is… well, it's massively flaming cheese, redux. But worth the price of admission for

a) Visually, it’s almost perfect. And the moment of riding across the prairie? I want a litho of that one scene. Seriously. Art.
b) The soundtrack is PERFECT. Remakes and remixes and originals and not a false note, cueing every single emotional reaction (be it giggles or anticipation or concern) without (sorry) a false note.
c) The moments of total geeky joy in Cage’s performance. He was so clearly having a blast with the job, from the candy cocktails to giving the cops the finger (look for that moment, it's lovely)
d) And speaking of Nic – that boy has been working out. He’s still a weird looking fkcuer, but man, he’s got a sixpack you could dice on. And he sill looks good in leather pants. Bastard.

That said? Not a perfect slice of cheese. It could have moved faster in the first half, and they totally totally did not use Sam Elliot as much as they should have (Sam frickin Elliot, man!) Also, the female interest? Obviously was only there for the female interest, IYKWIM. Seriously. If she unbuttoned one more button it would have to be the snap on her jeans. Even the teenaged boys in the audience were going "man, she looks like a total tease" (if we actually saw her having sex, she could graduate to being a slut, but this is a remarkably puritan movie in that respect. And, adding insult to insult, she couldn’t act. And there’s no way you believe she’s smart enough to be a t.v. reporter (think about that for a moment).

But go see it. Pay matinee prices, and see it on the big screen. And have a plate of flaming saganaki, after.

Comments

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

Will Netflix do?

[lagilman]

Only if you have a massively large tv. And HD. Because seriously, this is a movie with moments of beauty.

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

Lets see if this works

http://tinyurl.com/yoyand


I found it on Cleolinda's LH. She has amazing links.

Deb asked me to post it here.

[debg.livejournal.com]

mmmmm, flaming cheese and men named Nic......

As to Infinite Jest? Pass-a-dena, yo. I barely read anything anymore, period (no time, what with the nonstop writing and the music in between), but I'd have had no pull to read that one in any event. I'll probably get excoriated for this and frankly, I don't even bother arguing about it, but a thousand-page novel isn't a novel, it's a boat anchor or three books, period. Someone get the man an editor. And anyway, you lost me at "10 point type".

[chicating.livejournal.com]

I'm sadder than you. I read it to impress a guy. I got through it, i.e. turning all the pages, but I'm almost sure I missed the Point. Liked parts of it, but I'd say overall I didn't grok.