Thursday, September 24, 2009
Why English?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
New Semester
While this semester's stack might not look as intimidating as last semester's tower of babel, the price tag tells a completely different story. These books were much more expensive.Thursday, August 6, 2009
Quiz Show
I watch a lot of movies. I find that when I'm completely worn out and lack the willpower to do anything remotely productive, movies are one of the most rewarding activities at my disposal. They're like television with more potential. Of course, I'll be the first to admit that much of what I watch is completely worthless outside of its basic entertainment value. However, every now and then, I stumble upon one that really justifies its existence. And boy, have I stumbled across a good one.
Tonight I watched Robert Redford's 1994 best picture nominee Quiz Show (it lost both best picture and best director to Forrest Gump...it was robbed). Quiz Show tells the true story of the 1959 game show scandal and the subsequent investigation and trial. Here is what amazon has to say about it:
This vigorously entertaining film, sharply directed by Robert Redford from Paul Attanasio's brilliant screenplay, is based on the game-show scandals of the 1950s, when TV quiz shows were rigged to attract higher ratings and lucrative sponsorships. The fact-based story focuses on the quiz show Twenty-One and popular contestant Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a charming, well-bred intellectual who agreed to win the game by using answers supplied by the show's producers. This unfair advantage turned Van Doren into a prototypical media darling at the expense of reigning Twenty-One champion Herbie Stempel (John Turturro, in a bravura performance), a working-class Jewish contestant who, according to the show's sponsors, had worn out his welcome in the public eye. When a congressional investigator (Rob Morrow) catches on to the scam and Stempel blows the whistle on this backstage manipulation, Quiz Show becomes a smart, political exposé about the first generation of television, the corrupting effect of celebrity and success, and the ongoing loss of innocence in American society. Bristling with superior dialogue and energized by an excellent cast including Paul Scofield as Van Doren's morally upstanding father, Quiz Show succeeds as history lesson, intelligent thriller, and morality tale, setting the stage for the countless scandals that would follow in a nation addicted to television. --Jeff Shannon
Don’t just take mine and Mr. Shannon’s word. This is one film that is truly worth the time it takes to watch it.
On a side note, Ralph Fiennes is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors. Whether he is playing a “a charming, well-bred intellectual,” a hit man (In Bruges), or a dark wizard who must not be named (Harry Potter films), he never disappoints.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Stockholm Syndrome
Well the new Derek Webb album is out and it certainly doesn't dissappoint. It isn't available in stores until the September 1, but you can download it from his website now. I would personally recommend that you purchase it through his website as the only version that will be available in stores is the "clean" version which lacks one of the album's essential tracks. Besides, you won't find a better price (as little as $7.99) anywhere else.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Annie Dillard on Science
"Science, that product of skepticism born of cultural diversity, is meant to deal in certainties, in data which anyone anywhere could verify. And for the most part it has. Our self-referential mathematics and wiggly yardsticks got us to the moon. I think science works the way a tightrope walker works: by not looking at its feet. As soon as it looks at its feet, it realizes it is operating in midair."
