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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Classic Hits - Media Bias
*Classic hits is an attempt to consolidate all my internet written content, and also to revisit it from the present*
This post was borderline cheating when I originally put it up since it was mostly just something I wrote for a class, but it still seems pretty relevant today, even though there aren't a lot of people braying about bias in the media these days. By far the most interesting dialog going on about the media right now is happening right now in the final season of David Simon and HBO's The Wire. The show's depiction of the newsroom and the conversation going on in the journalistic community about its portrayal is pretty fascinating. I want to watch the rest of the episodes so badly, but I do not want the show to end.
Other funny notes from this post include me mentioning my homepage as fark.com, a site I don't believe I've visited in a couple years, and poking fun at dateline well before the "To Catch a Predator" thing became wildly popular.
I have included the stupid 'mood' and 'song' fields because I have to give myself some credit for starting my internet tradition of saying I felt dirty every time the internet asked me what mood I was in over 4 years ago. That and the song I was listening to is really awesome, and Y O U is a great band that's giving their cd flashlights away on pleaserock.com.
If one were to listen to the pundits, be it on television, the radio, or the internet, one would think that media bias was everywhere. Of course, if one were to keep listening to them, one would be inclined to suffer a brain aneurism due to all the issues to be upset about.
I think media bias is an important thing to keep an eye out for. After all, if we can’t get reliable news, or at the very least get the same news from a variety of sources and then settle on a reasonable conclusion, how can we reach any logical conclusion on world affairs, or even social and political issues? However, none of the theories or opinions I researched seemed to resonate completely with me. I think the answer lies somewhere in-between the lines.
However unrelated they may seem on the surface, the many different topics that were discussed in my research, whether it was the liberal media junta, the menace of mega-media corporations, or Rush pontificating into his microphone over the issue of the day, all are part of an ever-increasing problem in media presentation.
Perhaps it’s not media bias that is the problem per se, but the bias that seems to be as much a by-product of showmanship in news reporting as hard-line political views. News today, regardless of medium, doesn’t seem to be about the five Ws anymore, but about answering the question at hand in the most entertaining fashion possible. It almost seems like a new, twisted form of yellow journalism.
Evidence of this emergence of entertainment as king of news can be seen as the 24 hour cable news networks become overpopulated with pundit fueled debate shows that seem to be less about debate and more about yelling opposing viewpoints that are far from those of the real mainstream citizen. It may not represent all the viewpoints very well, but it sure is fun to watch. Even headline news, the network that just gives you the main news details, inundates its viewers with a screen full of information, much of which is entertainment related.
Hardly any of us are innocent of contributing to this trend. As a confessed internet junkie, my internet homepage is www.fark.com, the very definition of entertaining tidbits mixed in with the news. My mother, despite vehemently disagreeing with his political views, listens to Rush Limbaugh whenever she can because she thinks it’s funny. She’s one of the 40 million reasons he has a 250 million dollar contract.
Even investigative reporting has let some of these aspects slip through. The Datelines, 60 minutes, and Primetime Lives of the world keep us inundated with new, upsetting, and titillating hour-long segments to shock and horrify middle-aged women every day of the week it seems. What fun is the latest investigative report without the deadpan wit of John Stossel?
This is not to say that bias in the traditional sense does not exist or is not a problem. Bias is most likely present in virtually every story whether the author is aware of it or not. It’s very possible that just in what small details are revealed or remain unrevealed, or even the wording of a sentence, can be interpreted as bias by someone with a personal connection to the issue at hand. I’ve witnessed firsthand the "hostile media effect" examined in the UPS teamster strike study. I’ve almost certainly fell victim to it as well.
What is worrisome is the increasing inability of reporters, columnists, and editors to write on any subject without stepping on the toes of the people who give them a paycheck. Even if a member of the media has an outright liberal bias as some claim, it is most likely not in their best interests to show it. More likely it is in their best interest to reverse that bias. Unfortunately, these economic influences put even the most impartial writers in a position where they cannot upset the stockholders else they end up out on the street dancing for nickels.
I think that bias in the sense that most people are worried about is not going to develop into a huge issue. Despite what insidious motives the conspiracy theorists may ascribe to the media, for right now most of the established media is concerned with maintaining their integrity. I think the bigger problem lies in the replacement of that integrity with the profit-driven bottom line and what we may lose in the end. But, even I can say I would tune in to watch CNN’s Crossfire: the Cage Match.
This post was borderline cheating when I originally put it up since it was mostly just something I wrote for a class, but it still seems pretty relevant today, even though there aren't a lot of people braying about bias in the media these days. By far the most interesting dialog going on about the media right now is happening right now in the final season of David Simon and HBO's The Wire. The show's depiction of the newsroom and the conversation going on in the journalistic community about its portrayal is pretty fascinating. I want to watch the rest of the episodes so badly, but I do not want the show to end.
Other funny notes from this post include me mentioning my homepage as fark.com, a site I don't believe I've visited in a couple years, and poking fun at dateline well before the "To Catch a Predator" thing became wildly popular.
I have included the stupid 'mood' and 'song' fields because I have to give myself some credit for starting my internet tradition of saying I felt dirty every time the internet asked me what mood I was in over 4 years ago. That and the song I was listening to is really awesome, and Y O U is a great band that's giving their cd flashlights away on pleaserock.com.
Makin' love on the radio
I've just finished what appears to be a successful all nighter writing a sociology term paper on bias in the media. I achieved new heights of procrastination on this one- I did no research at all until the night before it was due, and didn't start writing until around 1. But, due to my silly perfectionist complex that decides to rear its head every once in a while, I couldn't bear to halfass it. One thing that was fun about this paper is I got to write a 2 page section on what theory I thought best addressed the problem, so I've decided to post it here for your viewing pleasure. -disclaimer- I'm a bit delirious at this point and it was the last thing I wrote so it may not be completely coherent. Enjoy:Dr. Media-slant or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pundits
If one were to listen to the pundits, be it on television, the radio, or the internet, one would think that media bias was everywhere. Of course, if one were to keep listening to them, one would be inclined to suffer a brain aneurism due to all the issues to be upset about.
I think media bias is an important thing to keep an eye out for. After all, if we can’t get reliable news, or at the very least get the same news from a variety of sources and then settle on a reasonable conclusion, how can we reach any logical conclusion on world affairs, or even social and political issues? However, none of the theories or opinions I researched seemed to resonate completely with me. I think the answer lies somewhere in-between the lines.
However unrelated they may seem on the surface, the many different topics that were discussed in my research, whether it was the liberal media junta, the menace of mega-media corporations, or Rush pontificating into his microphone over the issue of the day, all are part of an ever-increasing problem in media presentation.
Perhaps it’s not media bias that is the problem per se, but the bias that seems to be as much a by-product of showmanship in news reporting as hard-line political views. News today, regardless of medium, doesn’t seem to be about the five Ws anymore, but about answering the question at hand in the most entertaining fashion possible. It almost seems like a new, twisted form of yellow journalism.
Evidence of this emergence of entertainment as king of news can be seen as the 24 hour cable news networks become overpopulated with pundit fueled debate shows that seem to be less about debate and more about yelling opposing viewpoints that are far from those of the real mainstream citizen. It may not represent all the viewpoints very well, but it sure is fun to watch. Even headline news, the network that just gives you the main news details, inundates its viewers with a screen full of information, much of which is entertainment related.
Hardly any of us are innocent of contributing to this trend. As a confessed internet junkie, my internet homepage is www.fark.com, the very definition of entertaining tidbits mixed in with the news. My mother, despite vehemently disagreeing with his political views, listens to Rush Limbaugh whenever she can because she thinks it’s funny. She’s one of the 40 million reasons he has a 250 million dollar contract.
Even investigative reporting has let some of these aspects slip through. The Datelines, 60 minutes, and Primetime Lives of the world keep us inundated with new, upsetting, and titillating hour-long segments to shock and horrify middle-aged women every day of the week it seems. What fun is the latest investigative report without the deadpan wit of John Stossel?
This is not to say that bias in the traditional sense does not exist or is not a problem. Bias is most likely present in virtually every story whether the author is aware of it or not. It’s very possible that just in what small details are revealed or remain unrevealed, or even the wording of a sentence, can be interpreted as bias by someone with a personal connection to the issue at hand. I’ve witnessed firsthand the "hostile media effect" examined in the UPS teamster strike study. I’ve almost certainly fell victim to it as well.
What is worrisome is the increasing inability of reporters, columnists, and editors to write on any subject without stepping on the toes of the people who give them a paycheck. Even if a member of the media has an outright liberal bias as some claim, it is most likely not in their best interests to show it. More likely it is in their best interest to reverse that bias. Unfortunately, these economic influences put even the most impartial writers in a position where they cannot upset the stockholders else they end up out on the street dancing for nickels.
I think that bias in the sense that most people are worried about is not going to develop into a huge issue. Despite what insidious motives the conspiracy theorists may ascribe to the media, for right now most of the established media is concerned with maintaining their integrity. I think the bigger problem lies in the replacement of that integrity with the profit-driven bottom line and what we may lose in the end. But, even I can say I would tune in to watch CNN’s Crossfire: the Cage Match.
Current Mood: 
dirty
dirtySunday, January 27, 2008
Classic Hits - Apples in Trees
Classic Hits is a new feature for Craig T SoAndSo, which has a two pronged purpose- To take old material I've written on the internet (substantive content articles only) and have it all moved here, and to do a bit of reflection on it. I'm going to go from the very back, to my then famous (10 comments!) post inspired by a silly saying that I saw again recently, even though it was kind of the setup for a decently funny joke.
This was written on October 27th, 2003 on livejournal, and the 21 year old Craig was still very much in a Jason Lee in mallrats phase of his life involving a lot of rants and general malaise directed mostly towards the opposite sex. He also was not very self confident around the ladies. The 'wahh, nobody wants a nice guy' stuff is especially fun. Just soak in the angst :)
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First on the list- no matter who your boyfriend is and how many nice things he does for you, odds are he is not the best boyfriend in the world. In order to fit that criteria the guy would have to be able to deliver amazing sex, take you shopping, buy you roses and dinner, appreciate your feelings, and ride a white horse, all at the same time. If you can document your boyfriend doing this, then I'll give you that one. I also request the videotape, as it would be highly amusing.
Next- girls are not apples on a tree. They're not bananas or pears either (but maybe melons AM I RITE? ROTFLOLOLOOLLL). "Boys don't want to reach for the good ones because they're afraid of falling and getting hurt." What? Speaking for myself, if all the best girls were at the top of the tree, I sure as hell would own a lot more climbing equipment. But, it's not that simple. I just think this is a ridiculous metaphor. Relationships and why they do and don't happen are quite a bit more complicated than you don't have a boyfriend because the guy who's supposed to be with you is having saucy apple sex with all the rotten fruit sluts on the bottom branch. Odds are you don't want the idiots chasing after every fruit, vegetable, and legume that gives it up easy anyway. On second thought, maybe this is true and those patient good climbers do eventually come for the best women. Perhaps this is why I see all the best women with stupid apes :p.
Third- I realize many of you ladies fantasize about being a princess. Waiting for that prince on the white horse to come and sweep you off your feet and live happily ever after. Ain't gonna happen. True love does happen, and I've seen it. That doesn't mean there's such thing as a problem free relationship. You may meet some person that complements you so completely that you can live the rest of your life with them. But odds are this person will not be the guy that comes on to you in the bar and feeds you exactly what you want to hear so he can get you to come back home with him. You want to know why you keep getting mixed up with assholes? Because flattery gets them everywhere and they know it. I'm becoming bitter and disenchanted enough to subscribe to the "not many girls want a nice guy" school of thought anyway. In real life, a true happy to the end relationship is a two way street. A guy should work hard to earn the affection of a lady, but it's like the transcontinental railroad- you need people working from both directions. I mean come on, that loveable ragtag bunch of railroad workers from California can't get the job done by themselves!
This was written on October 27th, 2003 on livejournal, and the 21 year old Craig was still very much in a Jason Lee in mallrats phase of his life involving a lot of rants and general malaise directed mostly towards the opposite sex. He also was not very self confident around the ladies. The 'wahh, nobody wants a nice guy' stuff is especially fun. Just soak in the angst :)
--------------------------------------
Warning: if you are the average girl, this will probably piss you off.
Everyday, be it through general observation in the outside world or cruising the away messages and profiles on my buddy list, somebody says, does, or writes something that just kind of pisses me off. These somebodies usually have no Y chromosome. Now don't get me wrong, There are way more than enough idiot guys around, but for some reason the things I'm about to talk about are more of an irritant. Fire and ice, baby.First on the list- no matter who your boyfriend is and how many nice things he does for you, odds are he is not the best boyfriend in the world. In order to fit that criteria the guy would have to be able to deliver amazing sex, take you shopping, buy you roses and dinner, appreciate your feelings, and ride a white horse, all at the same time. If you can document your boyfriend doing this, then I'll give you that one. I also request the videotape, as it would be highly amusing.
Next- girls are not apples on a tree. They're not bananas or pears either (but maybe melons AM I RITE? ROTFLOLOLOOLLL). "Boys don't want to reach for the good ones because they're afraid of falling and getting hurt." What? Speaking for myself, if all the best girls were at the top of the tree, I sure as hell would own a lot more climbing equipment. But, it's not that simple. I just think this is a ridiculous metaphor. Relationships and why they do and don't happen are quite a bit more complicated than you don't have a boyfriend because the guy who's supposed to be with you is having saucy apple sex with all the rotten fruit sluts on the bottom branch. Odds are you don't want the idiots chasing after every fruit, vegetable, and legume that gives it up easy anyway. On second thought, maybe this is true and those patient good climbers do eventually come for the best women. Perhaps this is why I see all the best women with stupid apes :p.
Third- I realize many of you ladies fantasize about being a princess. Waiting for that prince on the white horse to come and sweep you off your feet and live happily ever after. Ain't gonna happen. True love does happen, and I've seen it. That doesn't mean there's such thing as a problem free relationship. You may meet some person that complements you so completely that you can live the rest of your life with them. But odds are this person will not be the guy that comes on to you in the bar and feeds you exactly what you want to hear so he can get you to come back home with him. You want to know why you keep getting mixed up with assholes? Because flattery gets them everywhere and they know it. I'm becoming bitter and disenchanted enough to subscribe to the "not many girls want a nice guy" school of thought anyway. In real life, a true happy to the end relationship is a two way street. A guy should work hard to earn the affection of a lady, but it's like the transcontinental railroad- you need people working from both directions. I mean come on, that loveable ragtag bunch of railroad workers from California can't get the job done by themselves!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
In defense of the Indiana Pacers
Professional sports are a curious enterprise. People expending a lot of energy, emotion, and oftentimes money pulling for grown men, most of which are millionaires, to score points based for the most part on where they happened to grow up is kind of a silly idea when viewed from the outside in. But, I don't care- sports are interesting, entertaining, and fun to invest in emotionally. Yes, even professional sports. There's something to be said for seeing athletic competition at its highest level, and if it's fun to participate in as a spectator too then I'm all for it.
Growing up in central Indiana I've had some interesting experiences following the pro teams nearby, at least once I got past the 'front running little kid' phase of my sports fan experience. I don't really care much about major league baseball other than I generally wish the Cubs and the Reds well. The Colts are king around here right now, and I am enjoying it immensely. The NFL is a great league and having one of the elite teams is a great thing for a football fan especially now that they finally got over the hump, and I can't wait for our season ticket spots to open up next year.
One thing I do have to cop to, which is true really mostly everywhere, is that I share a spot in the fan base with an extreme amount of bandwagoners. Of course, this holds true for almost any good team, but it seems like our ratio is much worse than other places like Green Bay, Cleveland, etc. The last Colts game I went to the fans started doing the wave when the offense was on the field. I get absolutely infuriated by our fans way too often.
Which brings me to the Pacers. I remember feeling the electricity around the state when those mid 90s playoff series were heating up. Reggie. Spike Lee. John Starks. The Dunkin' Dutchman. Boom Baby. Indiana is 'the home of basketball' and no place rocked quite like Market Square Arena during the eastern conference finals. An elite team that always fell just short (sound familiar?) but that always had the support of a great fanbase. Getting edged out in game 7 of the 98 eastern finals in Jordan's last Bulls year was a heartbreaker. But the team made the right moves and persevered until finally it looked poised for a championship run in the 2004-5 season.
Pretty much everybody knows what happened next.
What people don't seem to remember is the stretch after the brawl how large crowds continued to show up while probably the least talented group of players in the league fought (not literally) through every game and still made the playoffs. But the damage was done. The brawl and the subsequent flip out of Artest put a stigma on the Pacers that sticks to this day and will continue for years. After the brawl was a few months old but still a major sports topic the word 'thug' started to pepper more and more conversations involving the Pacers. Reggie Miller retired. Jermaine O'Neal battled injuries. Jamaal Tinsley got a huge contract but struggled under Rick Carlisle. Stephen Jackson fired his gun in the air outside a strip club. Tinsley and Marquis Daniels got into an argument at a bar. The Colts continued to prosper, Conseco Fieldhouse attendance dropped.
Enter 2007- the Pacers are a PR disaster, but they have a new coach who may be just the guy for the roster they have, and the guy with the system to really unleash the talent on the squad, and nearly every game is on tv. Ron Artest is long gone. Stephen Jackson is gone. Jamaal Tinsley is still here, and the fans are not happy about it. But, quietly the Pacers are quietly adjusting to the new system and Tinsley is the centerpiece of the team, playing up to his contract finally. Jermaine O'Neal's purported unhappiness starts to disappear after he rests his knee for some games, and the momentum is building behind the positive play of the team, putting them maybe in position to win some fans back.
And then Tinsley, now a big leader on the team, decides to step out in the middle of a few days off to the wrong part of town. Goes with his brothers, a couple friends, and a pacers employee and Larry Bird's friend (you think he's not there to keep an eye on things?) to an R. Kelly Concert, watches the Mayweather - Hatton fight, and then makes the decision after midnight to head to a west 38th street club where the after party for the concert is being held. When word hits the Tinsley group that a fight broke out earlier, they leave immediately, but when they get back to their cars, some real thugs are waiting, and they want to party with the rich guys. When told they're just heading home, said thugs are reported to have said 'We're going to party with you whether you like it or not.' Words exchanged, high speed chase downtown, Larry Bird's friend shot in the elbow. Everyone lucky to be alive.
In the aftermath, the fan base reaction has been mostly on the level of another club rio incident, when really the only thing Tinsley is guilty of is being out too late and at the wrong club. He and his group made every effort to avoid trouble, and yet is fired on by an assault rifle, but he's 'in trouble again' and the fans around town who haven't seen the turnaround this season and have their mind made up on the guy want him gone. Oh, and trade Jermaine while you're at it! At the very least you probably won't see any Pacers go anywhere remotely sketchy again soon, at least I hope not. For somebody who's been won over by the team's great effort and play on the floor, this is the most frustrating thing that can happen because it'll keep people from tuning in to watch the turnaround. And Jamaal Tinsley did nothing illegal.
I guess all I can do is keep watching the games, and telling people how things are different this year. And watch as Jermaine O'Neal returns to form and looks like a happy player on the floor again now that he doesn't have to carry the whole team on his back. Even Mike Dunleavy is putting up career numbers and looking like a solid player and I hated the guy last season. I guess Donnie Walsh was right to make the trade he did, the ingredients just needed a different chef. And did I mention the games are much more fun to watch now? Give it a shot former Pacer fan, tune into FSN, and read Indy Cornrows. Tonight you would've seen Troy Murphy get half punched in the face and also ejected, and watched the Pacers come from 16 down to winning convincingly. It's hard not to be entertained by that.
Growing up in central Indiana I've had some interesting experiences following the pro teams nearby, at least once I got past the 'front running little kid' phase of my sports fan experience. I don't really care much about major league baseball other than I generally wish the Cubs and the Reds well. The Colts are king around here right now, and I am enjoying it immensely. The NFL is a great league and having one of the elite teams is a great thing for a football fan especially now that they finally got over the hump, and I can't wait for our season ticket spots to open up next year.
One thing I do have to cop to, which is true really mostly everywhere, is that I share a spot in the fan base with an extreme amount of bandwagoners. Of course, this holds true for almost any good team, but it seems like our ratio is much worse than other places like Green Bay, Cleveland, etc. The last Colts game I went to the fans started doing the wave when the offense was on the field. I get absolutely infuriated by our fans way too often.
Which brings me to the Pacers. I remember feeling the electricity around the state when those mid 90s playoff series were heating up. Reggie. Spike Lee. John Starks. The Dunkin' Dutchman. Boom Baby. Indiana is 'the home of basketball' and no place rocked quite like Market Square Arena during the eastern conference finals. An elite team that always fell just short (sound familiar?) but that always had the support of a great fanbase. Getting edged out in game 7 of the 98 eastern finals in Jordan's last Bulls year was a heartbreaker. But the team made the right moves and persevered until finally it looked poised for a championship run in the 2004-5 season.
Pretty much everybody knows what happened next.
What people don't seem to remember is the stretch after the brawl how large crowds continued to show up while probably the least talented group of players in the league fought (not literally) through every game and still made the playoffs. But the damage was done. The brawl and the subsequent flip out of Artest put a stigma on the Pacers that sticks to this day and will continue for years. After the brawl was a few months old but still a major sports topic the word 'thug' started to pepper more and more conversations involving the Pacers. Reggie Miller retired. Jermaine O'Neal battled injuries. Jamaal Tinsley got a huge contract but struggled under Rick Carlisle. Stephen Jackson fired his gun in the air outside a strip club. Tinsley and Marquis Daniels got into an argument at a bar. The Colts continued to prosper, Conseco Fieldhouse attendance dropped.
Enter 2007- the Pacers are a PR disaster, but they have a new coach who may be just the guy for the roster they have, and the guy with the system to really unleash the talent on the squad, and nearly every game is on tv. Ron Artest is long gone. Stephen Jackson is gone. Jamaal Tinsley is still here, and the fans are not happy about it. But, quietly the Pacers are quietly adjusting to the new system and Tinsley is the centerpiece of the team, playing up to his contract finally. Jermaine O'Neal's purported unhappiness starts to disappear after he rests his knee for some games, and the momentum is building behind the positive play of the team, putting them maybe in position to win some fans back.
And then Tinsley, now a big leader on the team, decides to step out in the middle of a few days off to the wrong part of town. Goes with his brothers, a couple friends, and a pacers employee and Larry Bird's friend (you think he's not there to keep an eye on things?) to an R. Kelly Concert, watches the Mayweather - Hatton fight, and then makes the decision after midnight to head to a west 38th street club where the after party for the concert is being held. When word hits the Tinsley group that a fight broke out earlier, they leave immediately, but when they get back to their cars, some real thugs are waiting, and they want to party with the rich guys. When told they're just heading home, said thugs are reported to have said 'We're going to party with you whether you like it or not.' Words exchanged, high speed chase downtown, Larry Bird's friend shot in the elbow. Everyone lucky to be alive.
In the aftermath, the fan base reaction has been mostly on the level of another club rio incident, when really the only thing Tinsley is guilty of is being out too late and at the wrong club. He and his group made every effort to avoid trouble, and yet is fired on by an assault rifle, but he's 'in trouble again' and the fans around town who haven't seen the turnaround this season and have their mind made up on the guy want him gone. Oh, and trade Jermaine while you're at it! At the very least you probably won't see any Pacers go anywhere remotely sketchy again soon, at least I hope not. For somebody who's been won over by the team's great effort and play on the floor, this is the most frustrating thing that can happen because it'll keep people from tuning in to watch the turnaround. And Jamaal Tinsley did nothing illegal.
I guess all I can do is keep watching the games, and telling people how things are different this year. And watch as Jermaine O'Neal returns to form and looks like a happy player on the floor again now that he doesn't have to carry the whole team on his back. Even Mike Dunleavy is putting up career numbers and looking like a solid player and I hated the guy last season. I guess Donnie Walsh was right to make the trade he did, the ingredients just needed a different chef. And did I mention the games are much more fun to watch now? Give it a shot former Pacer fan, tune into FSN, and read Indy Cornrows. Tonight you would've seen Troy Murphy get half punched in the face and also ejected, and watched the Pacers come from 16 down to winning convincingly. It's hard not to be entertained by that.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Review: The Golden Compass
Last night I got the opportunity to take in a preview screening of The Golden Compass. Since I'm a nerdy enough guy I don't mind a good fantasy movie here and there. Initially I was lukewarm on the movie (may have had something to do with having to sit in the front row).
After a day to think about it I've come around quite a bit on this movie. My major gripe with it is the pacing was way too fast, and a lot of major plot points and settings were packed in together, but it's very difficult to introduce and frame an entire fantasy world in less than 2 hours. I think it would have been better off with an additional 30 minutes to let things breathe a bit.
Part of the problem is that Peter Jackson set the bar too high with the Lord of the Rings movies, but The Golden Compass seems to stand on its own pretty well. The special effects and art direction are unique enough from typical fantasy, leaving the theater we had a discussion about how the aesthetic is reminiscent of the game Final Fantasy III on Super Nintendo if you remember that sort of thing. The Industrial Revolution type fantastical technology meets magic and monsters sort of vibe is a nice change of pace.
Overall I did enjoy this movie and taking a step back from the ending and realizing that there definitely are going to be a couple more movies it works pretty well. They really were heavy handed about wrapping it up there, and there is a pretty neat battle towards the end, despite the couple of GIANT AWESOME BEAR OUT OF EFFING NOWHERE moments. Can't help but smile at those though.
Casting was great, the girl who plays Lyra was good for the role, Nicole Kidman is great as the creepy Mrs. Coulter, Ian McKellen was a good choice for the voice of Ioric the bear, and we'll see how Daniel Craig does more in the next couple of movies I'm guessing. Even though she's not as ridiculously attractive as she was opposite the aforementioned Craig in the last Bond movie, I liked Eva Green as the prominent witch character. Last but certainly not least, I think Sam Elliot plays pretty much the same role in every movie, but I love it every time he's on screen, and his 'daemon' was perfect.
Overall, I'll give the movie 3.75 out of 5 fountain cokes, to Fellowship of the Ring's 5 out of 5. Definitely worth seeing if you're able to enjoy fantasy kinds of movies. I still haven't seen Chronicles of Narnia, I probably should get on that.
SCANDAL RELATED Postscript: After seeing the movie and then reading about the 'Controversy' surrounding it, it all seemed pretty silly to me. I haven't read the series of books that this movie started the adaptations to. Evidently they're known for their themes against 'organized religion,' but in the movie they're really toned down. If anything it's more anti-authority than anti-religion, on a level similar to the Star Wars trilogy (IV-VI anyway). The "Magisterium" in the books is supposed to evoke a church similar to the old church of rome that has strayed from its roots and now seeks to control everyone rather than enlighten them. Kinda Paradise Lost-lite themes of free will in there, but really I don't see what the fuss is about other than they use the word heresy a few times.
Last I checked Christianity did go similarly astray from its roots there in the middle ages, even I received the smoothed over version of those events in Catholic school. There were reasons for the clash between the Franciscan and Benedictine schools of thought, and reasons that Martin Luther went redecorating, and reasons there was a counter-reformation that got things started back on the right track. Obviously things never got even close to as bad as they do with "The Magisterium." But if you're really getting that upset over the comparison then I'm not sure what to tell you, read a history book. But this sort of stuff is really harmless and in no way attacks anybody's faith. Most dystopias are pretty outrageous but still plausible intentionally so as to remind people not to let things even get half as out of hand.
After a day to think about it I've come around quite a bit on this movie. My major gripe with it is the pacing was way too fast, and a lot of major plot points and settings were packed in together, but it's very difficult to introduce and frame an entire fantasy world in less than 2 hours. I think it would have been better off with an additional 30 minutes to let things breathe a bit.
Part of the problem is that Peter Jackson set the bar too high with the Lord of the Rings movies, but The Golden Compass seems to stand on its own pretty well. The special effects and art direction are unique enough from typical fantasy, leaving the theater we had a discussion about how the aesthetic is reminiscent of the game Final Fantasy III on Super Nintendo if you remember that sort of thing. The Industrial Revolution type fantastical technology meets magic and monsters sort of vibe is a nice change of pace.
Overall I did enjoy this movie and taking a step back from the ending and realizing that there definitely are going to be a couple more movies it works pretty well. They really were heavy handed about wrapping it up there, and there is a pretty neat battle towards the end, despite the couple of GIANT AWESOME BEAR OUT OF EFFING NOWHERE moments. Can't help but smile at those though.
Casting was great, the girl who plays Lyra was good for the role, Nicole Kidman is great as the creepy Mrs. Coulter, Ian McKellen was a good choice for the voice of Ioric the bear, and we'll see how Daniel Craig does more in the next couple of movies I'm guessing. Even though she's not as ridiculously attractive as she was opposite the aforementioned Craig in the last Bond movie, I liked Eva Green as the prominent witch character. Last but certainly not least, I think Sam Elliot plays pretty much the same role in every movie, but I love it every time he's on screen, and his 'daemon' was perfect.
Overall, I'll give the movie 3.75 out of 5 fountain cokes, to Fellowship of the Ring's 5 out of 5. Definitely worth seeing if you're able to enjoy fantasy kinds of movies. I still haven't seen Chronicles of Narnia, I probably should get on that.
SCANDAL RELATED Postscript: After seeing the movie and then reading about the 'Controversy' surrounding it, it all seemed pretty silly to me. I haven't read the series of books that this movie started the adaptations to. Evidently they're known for their themes against 'organized religion,' but in the movie they're really toned down. If anything it's more anti-authority than anti-religion, on a level similar to the Star Wars trilogy (IV-VI anyway). The "Magisterium" in the books is supposed to evoke a church similar to the old church of rome that has strayed from its roots and now seeks to control everyone rather than enlighten them. Kinda Paradise Lost-lite themes of free will in there, but really I don't see what the fuss is about other than they use the word heresy a few times.
Last I checked Christianity did go similarly astray from its roots there in the middle ages, even I received the smoothed over version of those events in Catholic school. There were reasons for the clash between the Franciscan and Benedictine schools of thought, and reasons that Martin Luther went redecorating, and reasons there was a counter-reformation that got things started back on the right track. Obviously things never got even close to as bad as they do with "The Magisterium." But if you're really getting that upset over the comparison then I'm not sure what to tell you, read a history book. But this sort of stuff is really harmless and in no way attacks anybody's faith. Most dystopias are pretty outrageous but still plausible intentionally so as to remind people not to let things even get half as out of hand.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Passion of the Craig
Last weekend I was involved in one of those late night philosophical conversations that pop up occasionally, this one involved the subject of having a passion in life and what exactly that means. As a result of this conversation I realized that I don't really have a capital P level 'Passion' as most people define it, and I also realized I'm perfectly fine with that.
Part of the discussion revolved around how my friend and bandmate's one driving focus is music- it's all he wants to do with his life and monopolizes most of what he's thinking about, and my drive in no single area is anywhere near as strong as that. There was some discussion of 'passion envy,' and while I do admire that sort of singular drive, and recognize that it's responsible for the great art that I love so very much, I don't necessarily wish I had it.
I love to play music, and I'd like to get much better at both playing and writing and learning new instruments, but barring a life crisis or some huge shift of luck it will probably remain a hobby I spend an unusual amount of time and money on. In a way, I'm patterned after Sponge from Salute Your Shorts. I love to read and absorb as much information as possible on every possible subject- music, current events, politics, science, technology, literature, stupid trivia, everything. Like Depeche Mode, I just can't get enough.
If anything I don't have a 'Passion' because my passion is spread too thin across too many pursuits, but I like it that way. I love to write even though most of my writing is on this blog that probably gets just a few readers. I love to try and get back into shape even though the past couple years have shown that I'm not very successful at it. I will keep slogging my increasingly bad knees to the gym at irregular intervals. I do have the ability to focus intently on a pursuit, but I'm not as astute at honing that focus on more than one thing at a time. But, I think part of that reason is that my brain is always seeking that next new thing to whet its appetite, and I think for me that'll do just fine. I'm happy enough being a jack of all trades, close to a master of a few.
The other, intertwined subject of this conversation was how we as individuals are going to be remembered. Without a driving passion to create something truly great, how am I going to leave a legacy? I think every philosophy has something to lend to the idea of leaving something behind for those still on this mortal coil after someone is shuffled off of it, and I put a lot of credence in the idea of making a mark and being remembered. However, my thinking on this in the past few years seems to be influenced by two quotes, the first of which is from a speech by Carl Sagan in regards to the picture at the top of this post:
We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The second quote is one that one of my oldest friends likes to use that is actually old Honest Abe quoting an ancient eastern society, although Wikipedia says the origin is attributed in a few different places:
It is said an eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with the words, 'And this, too, shall pass away.' How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!
Both of these statements have shaped my personal belief that eventually the greatest accomplishments in this lifetime will be swept away, but if anything that drives me to try and accumulate the knowledge and create whatever creative works I can and share them with people I care about while I've got my shot.
I know many people will draw many different conclusions from that sort of an idea and I'm also aware it's nothing revolutionary in a theological or philosophical sense, but it gives me a bit of direction. I am extraordinarily thankful for the creative geniuses, a couple of whom I've written about in previous entries, who often destroy themselves under the weight of their own passion for their art or their science- without them there would be much less love to spread around.
In the end I realized my goal is to end up as a less literal, somewhat higher-brow version of Earl Hickey. I've got a quite a ways to go, but I suppose that can be my 'Passion.' Given how things have been going recently for me, I need to be a bit more proactive, but personally I think it's good to take stock of that personal philosophy occasionally and get re-centered.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
this counts as calling three years out
One of my favorite little things about music is certain songs or albums seem intertwined with certain events or time periods in the past. I tend to listen to music in full album form rather than individual songs so for me this makes certain albums seem much better than they are, and other really great albums get tainted (although a couple albums I really liked have risen above this).
For the most part when this happens, various albums just evoke certain memories without affecting my thoughts on the music. Every time I hear any track off of Led Zeppelin IV I get a very vivid mental image of riding a school bus to a cross country meet. Maybe the fact that this record singlehandedly spurred my 'good music' awakening implanted that experience into my brain.
The White Stripes' Elephant and Queens of the Stone Age's Rated R transplant me into the mostly empty apartment Justin and I lived in off campus over the summer at Purdue. Blind Melon's first record and the first Hootie cd take me to the balcony of that same apartment earlier in the year sitting and bullshitting with Cole and Justin Karr, but there doesn't seem to be a real pattern into what ties a specific piece of music in with any specific memory or timeframe.
Oddly enough, my favorite instance of this involves an album that I listened to incessantly during one of the most emotional and depressing times of my life. I was mostly lonely with most of my friends having moved away, and smack in the middle of a transition phase of my life- deciding where I was going post college and consumed with job interviews and final projects. I was in the process of dealing with a genuine heartbreak and in complete denial that I was suffering from any such thing, and maybe that's what helped The Wrens' The Meadowlands become the album that evokes the fall of 2005 more vividly than most other musical memories.
The Meadowlands is a slightly noisy indie rock record made up mainly of retrospectives on many topics, but like most of the very best and worst music, relationships are the main subject. I listened to the first two tracks of this album on my shower cd player nearly every day for a couple of months, and given the subject matter puts me in probably one of my all time great emo states of mind. She Sends Kisses is a track that could probably compete to be in my top five favorite songs. The Boy is Exhausted and Faster Gun are great upbeat tracks, and Ex-Girl Collection and Everyone Chooses Sides have titles that can tell you exactly what they're about- but the lyrics are brilliant.
13 months in 6 minutes is also pretty self explanatory, but it tells a completely non unique story that is so vivid it brings to mind every relationship that started hot and flared out, or even had the possibility to do so. The last track is short, but sends such a piercing and emotional yelling note up your spine it's one of my favorite 5 seconds in rock music, and definitely among the most bitter and sad.
The Meadowlands may have been written in the garden state and about a collection of experiences that occurred there, but every time I hear it I'm sitting in a threadbare apartment on Yeager Road feeling sorry for myself- and I always keep listening.
For the most part when this happens, various albums just evoke certain memories without affecting my thoughts on the music. Every time I hear any track off of Led Zeppelin IV I get a very vivid mental image of riding a school bus to a cross country meet. Maybe the fact that this record singlehandedly spurred my 'good music' awakening implanted that experience into my brain.
The White Stripes' Elephant and Queens of the Stone Age's Rated R transplant me into the mostly empty apartment Justin and I lived in off campus over the summer at Purdue. Blind Melon's first record and the first Hootie cd take me to the balcony of that same apartment earlier in the year sitting and bullshitting with Cole and Justin Karr, but there doesn't seem to be a real pattern into what ties a specific piece of music in with any specific memory or timeframe.
Oddly enough, my favorite instance of this involves an album that I listened to incessantly during one of the most emotional and depressing times of my life. I was mostly lonely with most of my friends having moved away, and smack in the middle of a transition phase of my life- deciding where I was going post college and consumed with job interviews and final projects. I was in the process of dealing with a genuine heartbreak and in complete denial that I was suffering from any such thing, and maybe that's what helped The Wrens' The Meadowlands become the album that evokes the fall of 2005 more vividly than most other musical memories.
The Meadowlands is a slightly noisy indie rock record made up mainly of retrospectives on many topics, but like most of the very best and worst music, relationships are the main subject. I listened to the first two tracks of this album on my shower cd player nearly every day for a couple of months, and given the subject matter puts me in probably one of my all time great emo states of mind. She Sends Kisses is a track that could probably compete to be in my top five favorite songs. The Boy is Exhausted and Faster Gun are great upbeat tracks, and Ex-Girl Collection and Everyone Chooses Sides have titles that can tell you exactly what they're about- but the lyrics are brilliant.
13 months in 6 minutes is also pretty self explanatory, but it tells a completely non unique story that is so vivid it brings to mind every relationship that started hot and flared out, or even had the possibility to do so. The last track is short, but sends such a piercing and emotional yelling note up your spine it's one of my favorite 5 seconds in rock music, and definitely among the most bitter and sad.
The Meadowlands may have been written in the garden state and about a collection of experiences that occurred there, but every time I hear it I'm sitting in a threadbare apartment on Yeager Road feeling sorry for myself- and I always keep listening.
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