Hi everyone!
"The Canyons" is probably the most strangely disappointing film I've seen all year. I wasn't sure what to expect. I went into it knowing that it wasn't going to be a good movie, and yet I hoped I might find something in there to redeem it. And how odd is it to say that the best thing about the film was the performance of James Deen, the rather dubiously famous young porn star who's making his mainstream debut here.
Yes, this is a Lindsay Lohan vehicle. Yes, this is a film directed by the once great Paul ("Taxi Driver") Schrader. Yes, it was written by Brett Easton Ellis, perhaps the greatest novelist of Gen-X angst there's ever been. And yes, the film feels very much the product of Mr. Ellis's twisted yet oh so glamorous imagination. It's got a Hollywood setting and beautiful actors but that's about all it has going for it. At the very least I was hoping for some decent camp or some first rate scenery chewing, neither of which is to be had.
There's not even much of a plot. Christian (James Deen) and Tara (Lindsay Lohan) are a couple (I think). They live together in a rather swanky pad in the Hollywood Hills. Christian is a producer(?) and I think Tara is an actress, but it's never made clear. Tara is secretly seeing or at least at some point has hooked up with an aspiring wannabe actor Ryan (Nolan Funk) whose current girlfriend Gina (Amanda Brooks) is a yoga instructor (I think?). Christian invites strangers from the Internet to come have sex with him and Tara which he records on his camera phone. Christian gets jealous of Tara and Ryan. Christian does something bad. Tara leaves Christian. And then there's the final scene of the movie where it seems Tara isn't quite out of the doghouse with Christian but we don't really know and we don't really care.
Along the way we're treated to a montage of abandoned movie theaters and a scene where Tara asks Gina when was the last time she'd seen a movie in a movie theater. I think this was supposed to be like some profound statement about movie-going habits in the 21st century but, like everything else in this dreary mess, it's not clear what the motivation is or why it's even relevant.
I had such high hopes (of a sort) for this movie. I really thought it was going to be an epic train wreck like "Showgirls", a camp classic, that I was going to be able to return to again and again and have a good laugh about over a bottle (or two) of cheap wine. "The Canyons" isn't out-and-out dreadful, it's just...boring. Even the much-hyped four-way sex scene is so claustrophobically shot that it leaves no impression at all, not even a modicum of voyeuristic titillation.
But despite all the tedium, James Deen is really rather good. Christian is a sleaze ball but he's an elegant sleaze ball and I have to admit he really looks rather good. As for his acting, he's no better nor worse than, say, Channing Tatum. In fact, Mr. Deen infuses the atmosphere with an effortless sort of charisma that almost succeeds in elevating the rather lifeless production that surrounds him. If he ever decides to leave porn, I daresay he could do quite well for himself in "independent" cinema.
As for Ms. Lohan, well, she tries.
Bottom line, "The Canyons" could have been a great bad film. Instead it's just a ponderous bad film that isn't sexy or particularly engaging, though I will say it is rather handsomely shot. I think it has (or had) aspirations of profundity, but overall, I felt like I was watching an experiment or a well-photographed student film, which I realize isn't saying very much.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Movie review: The Curious Case of "Blue Jasmine"
Hi everyone!
I went to see the new Woody Allen film "Blue Jasmine" last night. After all of the critical acclaim the film has been receiving I was expecting to really be blown away by it. I've been a Woody Allen fan for years. And while not all of his films have been particularly good, I can usually find something in even the worst Woody Allen film to commend. "Blue Jasmine" proves no exception.
For those of you who follow cinema, you're probably all aware of the basic premise of the plot: Jasmine (played by Cate Blanchett) is the former wife of a Bernie Madoff-type New York financier and businessman played rather effortlessly by Alec Baldwin. His Ponzi scheme is exposed -- in addition to dozens of extramarital affairs -- and Jasmine's privileged way of life falls to ground. She loses everything. In an effort to start picking up the pieces, she moves to San Francisco to live with her downtrodden, very working-class adopted sister, Ginger, played by a tremendously affecting Sally Hawkins (probably best known for her work in British director Mike Leigh's film "Happy Go Lucky" for which she received an Oscar nomination a few years back.) Jasmine is a mess -- swilling vodka and popping pills and pretty much unapologetic for her husband's gross financial misconduct, victims of which were Ginger and her now ex-husband, a surprisingly good Andrew Dice Clay.
Jasmine, as played by Ms. Blanchett, is in many respects an homage to Blanche du Bois. Ginger is Stella and Ginger's new boyfriend, Chili (a terrific Bobby Carnavale) resembles a somewhat more benign Stanley Kowalski. There's also a Gentleman Caller (Peter Sarsgaard) who offers Jasmine the chance of a return to her former lifestyle despite the fact that everything he knows about her is predicated on lies.
Ms. Blanchett is a wonder. You can't take your eyes off of her. And although Jasmine is a monster, Ms. Blanchett infuses her with such bittersweet compassion and tragic desperation you cannot help but sympathize with her. In the role of Jasmine's sister, Ms. Hawkins is spirited and human and sad and all the more tragic for approaching her lot in life with optimism and an almost defiant aplomb. Ms. Hawkins has a couple scenes toward the end of the film that, for me, come close to stealing the show from Ms. Blanchett who is undoubtedly the focus of the film. Come Oscar nomination time, these two amazingly talented actresses should receive huge notice.
And yet....and yet...despite these wonderful performances, the film doesn't really work for me. I'm frustrated because I can't put my finger exactly on what it is that I feel makes the film miss its mark. The flashback sequences portraying the unraveling of Jasmine's elite Park Avenue life ring hollow. Others scenes -- particularly an attempted seduction in a dentist's office that is broadly comic and yet uncomfortably invasive -- seem clumsily staged. And the re-emergence of Andrew Dice Clay's character in the scene that solidifies Jasmine's downward spiral in the last fifteen minutes of film feels contrived and a little too pat.
Ultimately, "Blue Jasmine" is a tragedy. All the classic Woody Allen traits are here -- the neuroses, the pithy one-liners, etc. -- yet nothing is particularly funny. I think this is definitely by design and this is not my criticism of the film. I think my problem is that it's neither here nor there. Is this is a commentary on corrupt Wall Street hubris and greed? Class warfare? I don't know. What I do know is that the performances of Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins are extraordinary and the film deserves to be widely recommended for this if for no other reason.
I went to see the new Woody Allen film "Blue Jasmine" last night. After all of the critical acclaim the film has been receiving I was expecting to really be blown away by it. I've been a Woody Allen fan for years. And while not all of his films have been particularly good, I can usually find something in even the worst Woody Allen film to commend. "Blue Jasmine" proves no exception.
For those of you who follow cinema, you're probably all aware of the basic premise of the plot: Jasmine (played by Cate Blanchett) is the former wife of a Bernie Madoff-type New York financier and businessman played rather effortlessly by Alec Baldwin. His Ponzi scheme is exposed -- in addition to dozens of extramarital affairs -- and Jasmine's privileged way of life falls to ground. She loses everything. In an effort to start picking up the pieces, she moves to San Francisco to live with her downtrodden, very working-class adopted sister, Ginger, played by a tremendously affecting Sally Hawkins (probably best known for her work in British director Mike Leigh's film "Happy Go Lucky" for which she received an Oscar nomination a few years back.) Jasmine is a mess -- swilling vodka and popping pills and pretty much unapologetic for her husband's gross financial misconduct, victims of which were Ginger and her now ex-husband, a surprisingly good Andrew Dice Clay.
Jasmine, as played by Ms. Blanchett, is in many respects an homage to Blanche du Bois. Ginger is Stella and Ginger's new boyfriend, Chili (a terrific Bobby Carnavale) resembles a somewhat more benign Stanley Kowalski. There's also a Gentleman Caller (Peter Sarsgaard) who offers Jasmine the chance of a return to her former lifestyle despite the fact that everything he knows about her is predicated on lies.
Ms. Blanchett is a wonder. You can't take your eyes off of her. And although Jasmine is a monster, Ms. Blanchett infuses her with such bittersweet compassion and tragic desperation you cannot help but sympathize with her. In the role of Jasmine's sister, Ms. Hawkins is spirited and human and sad and all the more tragic for approaching her lot in life with optimism and an almost defiant aplomb. Ms. Hawkins has a couple scenes toward the end of the film that, for me, come close to stealing the show from Ms. Blanchett who is undoubtedly the focus of the film. Come Oscar nomination time, these two amazingly talented actresses should receive huge notice.
And yet....and yet...despite these wonderful performances, the film doesn't really work for me. I'm frustrated because I can't put my finger exactly on what it is that I feel makes the film miss its mark. The flashback sequences portraying the unraveling of Jasmine's elite Park Avenue life ring hollow. Others scenes -- particularly an attempted seduction in a dentist's office that is broadly comic and yet uncomfortably invasive -- seem clumsily staged. And the re-emergence of Andrew Dice Clay's character in the scene that solidifies Jasmine's downward spiral in the last fifteen minutes of film feels contrived and a little too pat.
Ultimately, "Blue Jasmine" is a tragedy. All the classic Woody Allen traits are here -- the neuroses, the pithy one-liners, etc. -- yet nothing is particularly funny. I think this is definitely by design and this is not my criticism of the film. I think my problem is that it's neither here nor there. Is this is a commentary on corrupt Wall Street hubris and greed? Class warfare? I don't know. What I do know is that the performances of Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins are extraordinary and the film deserves to be widely recommended for this if for no other reason.
Monday, July 22, 2013
French Cinema at its Finest: "Little White Lies" and "Intimate Enemies"
Hi everyone!
So as most of you who follow my blog know, I'm a bit of a Francophile. My trip to Paris this past spring just further solidified this. If it's French, it's got to be good, right? (Well, maybe not always -- I've never really gotten Johnny Halliday -- but close enough.) Food, wine, fashion, music, film...the French have got it covered.
I treated myself to a French film double-feature this weekend, thanks to Netflix's streaming service, whose selection of French and other foreign language films continues to impress me:
Guillaume Canet's 2010 ensemble comedy-drama "Little White Lies" (Les Petits Mouchoirs) and Florent Emilio's Siri's riveting 2007 Algerian war drama "Intimate Enemies" (L'ennemi Intime).
"Little White Lies" features an all-star cast (Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard, Benoit Magimel, Francois Cluzet, Gilles Lellouche, Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin, and others) in a drama that many have dubbed the French "Big Chill". There's some truth to that. A group of friends gather at the seaside vacation house of one of their gang for two weeks of boating, sun, drinking, and lying to each other. Despite their collective veneer of frivolity, no one is particularly happy either with themselves, their significant others, or those whom they wish were their significant others. Hanging like a specter over all of them is the fate of their friend Ludo (effectively played by "The Artist"'s Jean Dujardin) who suffers a horrific accident that opens the film and is confined to his bed in an intensive care unit in Paris while everyone else is soaking up the sun -- and the Bordeaux -- in the South of France.
It's a long film -- clocking in at just over 2 1/2 hours -- but the performances are so effortless, so deeply affecting, and so genuinely real that the time just flies by. Be prepared to laugh, to squirm in discomfort, and to cry...and then go back and watch it all over again. (Which I did actually, the next day.)
There's not a single bad or uneven performance, but there are some definite stand-outs worthy of brief mention: After two viewings, Gilles Lellouche as Eric, Ludo's best friend, steals the show. He's the life of the party who has to deal with the guilt of being the last person to see Ludo before the accident. Eric is a mess but somehow he always manages to maintain a sunny disposition...until he can't anymore. Veteran actor Francois Cluzet as Max, the owner of the house and the boat to which they all gather, is by turns hilarious and very real. Early in the film, his best friend Vincent (a quietly effective Benoit Magimel) drops an emotional bomb on him that threatens to destroy their friendship and the group's dynamic. Cluzet's facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission. And finally, the luminous Marion Cotillard proves once again that she's a formidable presence in any film she's in even when the material requires her to blend into an ensemble.
"Little White Lies" has something for everyone -- and a terrific soundtrack. It's a film to savor and return to again and again.
"Intimate Enemies" couldn't be any more different from "Little White Lies" and yet in its own visceral but understated way, it packs an equally resonant punch. In many ways, this is the Heart of Darkness or "Apocalypse Now" set in Algeria during the French-Algerian War in 1959. A young seemingly idealistic officer (played by "Little White Lies"'s Benoit Magimel) is brought in to command a platoon of French soldiers in the mountains of Algeria. Their mission, simply put, is to track down and kill soldiers of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN). Not surprisingly, the idealism of the young officer is gradually replaced by disillusionment, brutality, and madness.
The cinematography is striking. The violence is shocking and sporadic. And like the very best of war films, "Intimate Enemies" questions the notion and value of war. There are no winners or losers. There's just atrocity. And in the face of man's brutality to man, even the most hopeful of souls finds himself committing acts that he may never have believed possible just a short time before.
"Intimate Enemies" belongs in the same category of such great war films as "Platoon", "The Hurt Locker", "Apocalypse Now" and "Breaker Morant".
Bon soir!
So as most of you who follow my blog know, I'm a bit of a Francophile. My trip to Paris this past spring just further solidified this. If it's French, it's got to be good, right? (Well, maybe not always -- I've never really gotten Johnny Halliday -- but close enough.) Food, wine, fashion, music, film...the French have got it covered.
I treated myself to a French film double-feature this weekend, thanks to Netflix's streaming service, whose selection of French and other foreign language films continues to impress me:
Guillaume Canet's 2010 ensemble comedy-drama "Little White Lies" (Les Petits Mouchoirs) and Florent Emilio's Siri's riveting 2007 Algerian war drama "Intimate Enemies" (L'ennemi Intime).
"Little White Lies" features an all-star cast (Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard, Benoit Magimel, Francois Cluzet, Gilles Lellouche, Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin, and others) in a drama that many have dubbed the French "Big Chill". There's some truth to that. A group of friends gather at the seaside vacation house of one of their gang for two weeks of boating, sun, drinking, and lying to each other. Despite their collective veneer of frivolity, no one is particularly happy either with themselves, their significant others, or those whom they wish were their significant others. Hanging like a specter over all of them is the fate of their friend Ludo (effectively played by "The Artist"'s Jean Dujardin) who suffers a horrific accident that opens the film and is confined to his bed in an intensive care unit in Paris while everyone else is soaking up the sun -- and the Bordeaux -- in the South of France.
It's a long film -- clocking in at just over 2 1/2 hours -- but the performances are so effortless, so deeply affecting, and so genuinely real that the time just flies by. Be prepared to laugh, to squirm in discomfort, and to cry...and then go back and watch it all over again. (Which I did actually, the next day.)
There's not a single bad or uneven performance, but there are some definite stand-outs worthy of brief mention: After two viewings, Gilles Lellouche as Eric, Ludo's best friend, steals the show. He's the life of the party who has to deal with the guilt of being the last person to see Ludo before the accident. Eric is a mess but somehow he always manages to maintain a sunny disposition...until he can't anymore. Veteran actor Francois Cluzet as Max, the owner of the house and the boat to which they all gather, is by turns hilarious and very real. Early in the film, his best friend Vincent (a quietly effective Benoit Magimel) drops an emotional bomb on him that threatens to destroy their friendship and the group's dynamic. Cluzet's facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission. And finally, the luminous Marion Cotillard proves once again that she's a formidable presence in any film she's in even when the material requires her to blend into an ensemble.
"Little White Lies" has something for everyone -- and a terrific soundtrack. It's a film to savor and return to again and again.
"Intimate Enemies" couldn't be any more different from "Little White Lies" and yet in its own visceral but understated way, it packs an equally resonant punch. In many ways, this is the Heart of Darkness or "Apocalypse Now" set in Algeria during the French-Algerian War in 1959. A young seemingly idealistic officer (played by "Little White Lies"'s Benoit Magimel) is brought in to command a platoon of French soldiers in the mountains of Algeria. Their mission, simply put, is to track down and kill soldiers of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN). Not surprisingly, the idealism of the young officer is gradually replaced by disillusionment, brutality, and madness.
The cinematography is striking. The violence is shocking and sporadic. And like the very best of war films, "Intimate Enemies" questions the notion and value of war. There are no winners or losers. There's just atrocity. And in the face of man's brutality to man, even the most hopeful of souls finds himself committing acts that he may never have believed possible just a short time before.
"Intimate Enemies" belongs in the same category of such great war films as "Platoon", "The Hurt Locker", "Apocalypse Now" and "Breaker Morant".
Bon soir!
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Hot Tracks of Summer 2013
Hi everyone!
As Bollywood bombshell and now international pop star Priyanka Chopra sings in "Exotic," her new single featuring the ubiquitous Pitbull: "I'm hotter than the tropics", that's what the temperature here in Chicago is feeling like these days, though it isn't exactly making me feel exotic, just sweaty and lethargic. But no matter. In honor of the dog days of summer, I thought I'd write about the 5 hot summer songs I've got on repeat play in my Summer 2013 playlist...
Starting at number 5:
5) "Vocal" (Pet Shop Boys). This is the first single off of PSB's latest album Electric. Still going strong after 30 years, the Pet Shop Boys have their finger on the pulse of electronic club-friendly dance music. There's not much depth to the lyrics -- nor is there much of a vocal -- but the synthesized beat is infectious and the song is pretty much guaranteed to whip you into a frenzy on the dance floor...so who needs a vocal really? Stuart Price (of Madonna's award-winning epic 2005 release Confessions on a Dance Floor among other pop classics) is at the helm as producer.
2) "Take Back the Night" (Justin Timberlake). This is the first single off of Justin's second new album of the year, due in September: The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2. It's funky, soulful, and unlike the tracks he's been laying down lately, you can dance to it. Close your eyes and you might think you were listening to late-70s "Off the Wall" era Michael Jackson, which is no small compliment. Again, the lyrics aren't particularly memorable and the chorus isn't overly catchy, but it's all about the funk and the horns "And the horns say..." and the more I listen to it, the more I like. I'm also a fan of The 20/20 Experience's Cuban-influenced rhythm track "Let the Groove Get In" if you're looking for more Justin this summer.
3) "Tu Ne Le Dis Pas" (Mylene Farmer). Madame Farmer is the French equivalent of Madonna. She's been courting controversy and dance music in the French-speaking world for as long as the Queen of Pop. I'm only now just discovering her. "Tu Ne Le Dis Pas" (You Don't Say) is the second track on her 2012 album "Monkey Me". The lyrics have something to do with a woman telling her lover that he never tells her he loves her, but you don't need to speak French to get into this song. The beat pulses hypnotically, the vocal sails ethereally, and there's a really heavy electronic bass 'dance break' about halfway through that's pretty darn cool. Vive le musique populaire de France!
2) "Exotic" (Priyanka Chopra featuring Pitbull). Fans of Hindi cinema know Ms. Chopra from her Bollywood box office smashes. The rest of the world is starting to know her for her Desi-tinged English-language pop songs. Her first single "In My City" featured will.i.am and was released earlier this year. As much as I wanted to like it, the song was pretty generic and the lyrics were, well, just kind of stupid. But with "Exotic," Ms. Chopra has teamed up with the Miami-based Cuban rapper/DJ Pitbull and channeled her inner Jennifer Lopez. And the result? Muy caliente. It's classic Pitbull with a masala twist. Yes, all of Pitbull's songs sound the same and the lyrics are pretty much identical but, paired with Ms. Chopra's sultry vocals, the package works. This would be my pick for the song of Summer 2013, if it weren't for...
1) "Get Lucky" (Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams). Yeah, this is probably the most overplayed song of the summer but it never gets old. It's cool, funky, and bounces along like any great summer song should. It's also somewhat misleading. "Get Lucky" is a total anomaly on the album Random Access Memories from which the song comes. I took the song, but passed on the album. If you're only a casual fan of Daft Punk, you might too. Nonetheless, no other song this summer comes close to matching the sexy effortless ease of this track. That's why it's my number one.
Ciao.
As Bollywood bombshell and now international pop star Priyanka Chopra sings in "Exotic," her new single featuring the ubiquitous Pitbull: "I'm hotter than the tropics", that's what the temperature here in Chicago is feeling like these days, though it isn't exactly making me feel exotic, just sweaty and lethargic. But no matter. In honor of the dog days of summer, I thought I'd write about the 5 hot summer songs I've got on repeat play in my Summer 2013 playlist...
Starting at number 5:
5) "Vocal" (Pet Shop Boys). This is the first single off of PSB's latest album Electric. Still going strong after 30 years, the Pet Shop Boys have their finger on the pulse of electronic club-friendly dance music. There's not much depth to the lyrics -- nor is there much of a vocal -- but the synthesized beat is infectious and the song is pretty much guaranteed to whip you into a frenzy on the dance floor...so who needs a vocal really? Stuart Price (of Madonna's award-winning epic 2005 release Confessions on a Dance Floor among other pop classics) is at the helm as producer.
2) "Take Back the Night" (Justin Timberlake). This is the first single off of Justin's second new album of the year, due in September: The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2. It's funky, soulful, and unlike the tracks he's been laying down lately, you can dance to it. Close your eyes and you might think you were listening to late-70s "Off the Wall" era Michael Jackson, which is no small compliment. Again, the lyrics aren't particularly memorable and the chorus isn't overly catchy, but it's all about the funk and the horns "And the horns say..." and the more I listen to it, the more I like. I'm also a fan of The 20/20 Experience's Cuban-influenced rhythm track "Let the Groove Get In" if you're looking for more Justin this summer.
3) "Tu Ne Le Dis Pas" (Mylene Farmer). Madame Farmer is the French equivalent of Madonna. She's been courting controversy and dance music in the French-speaking world for as long as the Queen of Pop. I'm only now just discovering her. "Tu Ne Le Dis Pas" (You Don't Say) is the second track on her 2012 album "Monkey Me". The lyrics have something to do with a woman telling her lover that he never tells her he loves her, but you don't need to speak French to get into this song. The beat pulses hypnotically, the vocal sails ethereally, and there's a really heavy electronic bass 'dance break' about halfway through that's pretty darn cool. Vive le musique populaire de France!
2) "Exotic" (Priyanka Chopra featuring Pitbull). Fans of Hindi cinema know Ms. Chopra from her Bollywood box office smashes. The rest of the world is starting to know her for her Desi-tinged English-language pop songs. Her first single "In My City" featured will.i.am and was released earlier this year. As much as I wanted to like it, the song was pretty generic and the lyrics were, well, just kind of stupid. But with "Exotic," Ms. Chopra has teamed up with the Miami-based Cuban rapper/DJ Pitbull and channeled her inner Jennifer Lopez. And the result? Muy caliente. It's classic Pitbull with a masala twist. Yes, all of Pitbull's songs sound the same and the lyrics are pretty much identical but, paired with Ms. Chopra's sultry vocals, the package works. This would be my pick for the song of Summer 2013, if it weren't for...
1) "Get Lucky" (Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams). Yeah, this is probably the most overplayed song of the summer but it never gets old. It's cool, funky, and bounces along like any great summer song should. It's also somewhat misleading. "Get Lucky" is a total anomaly on the album Random Access Memories from which the song comes. I took the song, but passed on the album. If you're only a casual fan of Daft Punk, you might too. Nonetheless, no other song this summer comes close to matching the sexy effortless ease of this track. That's why it's my number one.
Ciao.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Big Brother Season 15 - Real World Racism and Bigotry on Shocking Display
Hi everyone!
So who's watching Big Brother this season? I know, I know...I should be writing about the Zimmerman verdict (based on the law as explained to the six jurors and the definition of"reasonable doubt", justice was served whether you agree with the verdict or not) or the continual turmoil in Egypt or any number of other more socially significant topics. But the fact of the matter is it's summer and close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and after working all day reading and editing manuscripts about law and socially significant things, I need a mental vacation, which is exactly what Big Brother provides.
For those of you who followed this blog last summer, you know that I am an unabashed Big Brother fan. For three months each summer, it takes over my life -- well, at least my television viewing, encompassing not only the 3 prime-time airings each week but also the "Big Brother After Dark" live broadcasts 7 nights a week, this year airing on TVGN. For me, Big Brother distills the best and worst and -- certainly this season -- the very worst of human behavior. It's a grand social experiment of the old "Real World" model -- sixteen strangers picked to live in a house -- with ridiculous and humiliating challenges thrown in, endless scheming and strategizing, evictions both deserved and undeserved, and endless pure entertainment.
Still only in its third week, this season is proving no exception. However, the train wreck factor is tinged with something a little darker, more disturbing, and probably more emblematic of true society than we've seen before. For a percentage of the house-guests this season, racism and bigotry seem to be the order of the day. So much so that the New York Times and other national publications have featured articles about the show and two house-guests in particular, the blonde fem bot Aaryn (this season's most hated and talked about contestant) and Jersey girl GinaMarie. They don't know it yet, because the guests are completely isolated from the outside world for the duration of their time in the house, both Aaryn and GinaMarie have been fired from their real world jobs based on their behavior on the show. Unfortunately, Aaryn and GinaMarie aren't the only guilty parties.
I'm not going to go into what all has been said, but for a show that is typically billed as mindless summer entertainment, there's a genuine rawness to the emotions and conflict on display here. The house's two African American house-guests -- Howard and Candace -- are the most overt victims of Aaryn's racist idiocy. Sunday's primetime broadcast only touched on the tip of the iceberg. In last Thursday's live After Hours broadcast -- from which most of Sunday's show was based -- viewers saw Aaryn spew one racist comment after another at Candace, who was finally reduced to tears after Aaryn pulled the mattress of Candace's bed, flipped it over, and strew Candace's clothes all over the bedroom, while Aaryn's "acolytes" Caitlin and Jeremy looked on, all the while referring to Candace as "Shaniqua" and mocking her in a stereotypical "ghetto" voice. Candace found consolation in Howard who is battling his own race-based demons. Howard's instinct is to lash out, but he fears what might happen if he were to verbally attack a white woman (Arryn) even out of self-defense. On the live feed, we saw Howard on his knees praying for the strength of restraint. It was powerful TV.
The most telling moment came when house-guest Amanda tried to tell Aaryn that her racist behavior was not only hurting people in the house but was inevitably going to negatively affect Aaryn's life outside the house with "all of America watching". Rather than take Amanda's words into consideration, Aaryn merely rolled her eyes and told Amanda she was annoyed to even be talking about it and that frankly she didn't care.
Candace and Howard haven't been the only victims. Asian American political consultant and this week's Head of Household, Helen, was the butt of Aaryn's "Shut up and go make rice" quip. Andy, who seems quite sensitive, sensible and well-meaning, was referred to as being the house's "token queer" by one of the male house-guests. It's rife, it's shocking, and it seems to be the most prominent plot line this summer, making past seasons relatively benign by comparison.
Is it exploitation? Is CBS focusing on this for ratings? Since these instances were publicized in the national media last week, the show has apparently experienced a big ratings boost. Sure, there may be a bit of this in play. However, more than any other show on network television in recent memory, season 15 of Big Brother is putting the spotlight on the very real social issues this country still continues to face and is doing so in a courageous and commendably uncensored way.
This isn't just a game anymore.
So who's watching Big Brother this season? I know, I know...I should be writing about the Zimmerman verdict (based on the law as explained to the six jurors and the definition of"reasonable doubt", justice was served whether you agree with the verdict or not) or the continual turmoil in Egypt or any number of other more socially significant topics. But the fact of the matter is it's summer and close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and after working all day reading and editing manuscripts about law and socially significant things, I need a mental vacation, which is exactly what Big Brother provides.
For those of you who followed this blog last summer, you know that I am an unabashed Big Brother fan. For three months each summer, it takes over my life -- well, at least my television viewing, encompassing not only the 3 prime-time airings each week but also the "Big Brother After Dark" live broadcasts 7 nights a week, this year airing on TVGN. For me, Big Brother distills the best and worst and -- certainly this season -- the very worst of human behavior. It's a grand social experiment of the old "Real World" model -- sixteen strangers picked to live in a house -- with ridiculous and humiliating challenges thrown in, endless scheming and strategizing, evictions both deserved and undeserved, and endless pure entertainment.
Still only in its third week, this season is proving no exception. However, the train wreck factor is tinged with something a little darker, more disturbing, and probably more emblematic of true society than we've seen before. For a percentage of the house-guests this season, racism and bigotry seem to be the order of the day. So much so that the New York Times and other national publications have featured articles about the show and two house-guests in particular, the blonde fem bot Aaryn (this season's most hated and talked about contestant) and Jersey girl GinaMarie. They don't know it yet, because the guests are completely isolated from the outside world for the duration of their time in the house, both Aaryn and GinaMarie have been fired from their real world jobs based on their behavior on the show. Unfortunately, Aaryn and GinaMarie aren't the only guilty parties.
I'm not going to go into what all has been said, but for a show that is typically billed as mindless summer entertainment, there's a genuine rawness to the emotions and conflict on display here. The house's two African American house-guests -- Howard and Candace -- are the most overt victims of Aaryn's racist idiocy. Sunday's primetime broadcast only touched on the tip of the iceberg. In last Thursday's live After Hours broadcast -- from which most of Sunday's show was based -- viewers saw Aaryn spew one racist comment after another at Candace, who was finally reduced to tears after Aaryn pulled the mattress of Candace's bed, flipped it over, and strew Candace's clothes all over the bedroom, while Aaryn's "acolytes" Caitlin and Jeremy looked on, all the while referring to Candace as "Shaniqua" and mocking her in a stereotypical "ghetto" voice. Candace found consolation in Howard who is battling his own race-based demons. Howard's instinct is to lash out, but he fears what might happen if he were to verbally attack a white woman (Arryn) even out of self-defense. On the live feed, we saw Howard on his knees praying for the strength of restraint. It was powerful TV.
The most telling moment came when house-guest Amanda tried to tell Aaryn that her racist behavior was not only hurting people in the house but was inevitably going to negatively affect Aaryn's life outside the house with "all of America watching". Rather than take Amanda's words into consideration, Aaryn merely rolled her eyes and told Amanda she was annoyed to even be talking about it and that frankly she didn't care.
Candace and Howard haven't been the only victims. Asian American political consultant and this week's Head of Household, Helen, was the butt of Aaryn's "Shut up and go make rice" quip. Andy, who seems quite sensitive, sensible and well-meaning, was referred to as being the house's "token queer" by one of the male house-guests. It's rife, it's shocking, and it seems to be the most prominent plot line this summer, making past seasons relatively benign by comparison.
Is it exploitation? Is CBS focusing on this for ratings? Since these instances were publicized in the national media last week, the show has apparently experienced a big ratings boost. Sure, there may be a bit of this in play. However, more than any other show on network television in recent memory, season 15 of Big Brother is putting the spotlight on the very real social issues this country still continues to face and is doing so in a courageous and commendably uncensored way.
This isn't just a game anymore.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Summer 2013 Reading List
Hi everyone!
With tomorrow's unofficial start to the 4th of July "weekend" I thought I'd use this column today to highlight some of the books I've been reading -- or are on my summer beach reading list -- in case any of you are looking for a great read while working on that tan at the beach. These aren't in any particular order. Some I've read, while others are waiting to be read on my ever-growing stack of must-read books.
1) "The Son" by Philipp Meyer. I raved about this epic American western a couple weeks ago before I had even finished it, and now that I have, I'm still raving. A sweeping yet compellingly intimate novel spanning close to 200 years that's as vast as the Texas landscape it describes. For fans of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian", Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove", and Edna Ferber's "Giant", it chronicles four generations of a Texas ranch family. The characters are uncompromising, violent, and utterly unsympathetic in their thoughts and actions, yet somehow Mr. Meyer makes you care about these people and long to cut loose on the harsh but beautiful Texas range. I'm recommending this book to anyone and everyone I know -- a truly Great American Novel.
2) "The Fortunes of the Rougons" by Emile Zola. This is the first novel in Zola's classic 20-book series about the rise and fall of the Rougon-Macquart family, set against the backdrop of Bonapartism and Empire in late 19th century France. I'm about two-thirds of the way through Brian Nelson's excellent new translation and as an entree into mid-to-late 19th century French literature, this is a grand read. With the exception of the star-crossed (and yes, doomed) young lovers Silvere and Miette, this is another novel filled with characters who aren't naturally sympathetic--in fact, what they do to each other is downright rather despicable--but Zola is a master of social realism and revolution. European history buffs will enjoy reading about Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'etat of 1851 through the lens of fictional characters caught up in the ebb and flow of history. Fans of "Les Miserables" will enjoy some of the parallels between this novel and Victor Hugo's epic classic (and appreciate, I don't doubt, Zola's relative brevity). Not traditional beach reading to be sure, but once you get into it, the story is unputdownable.
3) "Diaghilev: a Life" by Sjeng Scheijen. After having enjoyed the Diaghilev exhibition currently on display through the summer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., I was curious to learn more about the great Russian theatrical impresario and his famous and influential Ballet Russes. Scheijen's recent biography presents Diaghilev's larger-than-life persona with a panache worthy of its star and its supporting cast is equally as fascinating -- Stravinsky, Nijinsky, and Coco Chanel are just a few of the cultural icons who figure into the story. For lovers of ballet, art, theatre, and 20th century Russian history, "Diaghilev: A Life" is a feast.
4) "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" by David Sedaris. For those of you looking for something on the lighter side, you surely can't go wrong with Mr. Sedaris's latest collection of essays. The title alone let's you know you're in for another treat. I haven't read it yet, but Sedaris is one of the few humor writers today who invariably makes me laugh out loud. A perfect salve to restore your faith in humanity and a celebration of all life's foibles.
5) "Defending Jacob" by William Landay. This is legal fiction at its finest. Landay elevates the somewhat tired genre by infusing his novel with a pathos and sensitivity not usually found in legal thrillers, while still keeping you impulsively turning the pages. I'm not going to give away any of the plot other than to say that the story is eerily topical, covering some of the same territory as Lionel Shriver's brilliant novel "We Need to Talk about Kevin", with an ending that for me ranks right up there with the devastating final paragraphs of Ian McEwan's "Atonement". Like Shriver's and McEwan's novels, this is another that will haunt you long after you've read (and reread) the final page.
Happy summer reading!
With tomorrow's unofficial start to the 4th of July "weekend" I thought I'd use this column today to highlight some of the books I've been reading -- or are on my summer beach reading list -- in case any of you are looking for a great read while working on that tan at the beach. These aren't in any particular order. Some I've read, while others are waiting to be read on my ever-growing stack of must-read books.
1) "The Son" by Philipp Meyer. I raved about this epic American western a couple weeks ago before I had even finished it, and now that I have, I'm still raving. A sweeping yet compellingly intimate novel spanning close to 200 years that's as vast as the Texas landscape it describes. For fans of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian", Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove", and Edna Ferber's "Giant", it chronicles four generations of a Texas ranch family. The characters are uncompromising, violent, and utterly unsympathetic in their thoughts and actions, yet somehow Mr. Meyer makes you care about these people and long to cut loose on the harsh but beautiful Texas range. I'm recommending this book to anyone and everyone I know -- a truly Great American Novel.
2) "The Fortunes of the Rougons" by Emile Zola. This is the first novel in Zola's classic 20-book series about the rise and fall of the Rougon-Macquart family, set against the backdrop of Bonapartism and Empire in late 19th century France. I'm about two-thirds of the way through Brian Nelson's excellent new translation and as an entree into mid-to-late 19th century French literature, this is a grand read. With the exception of the star-crossed (and yes, doomed) young lovers Silvere and Miette, this is another novel filled with characters who aren't naturally sympathetic--in fact, what they do to each other is downright rather despicable--but Zola is a master of social realism and revolution. European history buffs will enjoy reading about Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'etat of 1851 through the lens of fictional characters caught up in the ebb and flow of history. Fans of "Les Miserables" will enjoy some of the parallels between this novel and Victor Hugo's epic classic (and appreciate, I don't doubt, Zola's relative brevity). Not traditional beach reading to be sure, but once you get into it, the story is unputdownable.
3) "Diaghilev: a Life" by Sjeng Scheijen. After having enjoyed the Diaghilev exhibition currently on display through the summer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., I was curious to learn more about the great Russian theatrical impresario and his famous and influential Ballet Russes. Scheijen's recent biography presents Diaghilev's larger-than-life persona with a panache worthy of its star and its supporting cast is equally as fascinating -- Stravinsky, Nijinsky, and Coco Chanel are just a few of the cultural icons who figure into the story. For lovers of ballet, art, theatre, and 20th century Russian history, "Diaghilev: A Life" is a feast.
4) "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" by David Sedaris. For those of you looking for something on the lighter side, you surely can't go wrong with Mr. Sedaris's latest collection of essays. The title alone let's you know you're in for another treat. I haven't read it yet, but Sedaris is one of the few humor writers today who invariably makes me laugh out loud. A perfect salve to restore your faith in humanity and a celebration of all life's foibles.
5) "Defending Jacob" by William Landay. This is legal fiction at its finest. Landay elevates the somewhat tired genre by infusing his novel with a pathos and sensitivity not usually found in legal thrillers, while still keeping you impulsively turning the pages. I'm not going to give away any of the plot other than to say that the story is eerily topical, covering some of the same territory as Lionel Shriver's brilliant novel "We Need to Talk about Kevin", with an ending that for me ranks right up there with the devastating final paragraphs of Ian McEwan's "Atonement". Like Shriver's and McEwan's novels, this is another that will haunt you long after you've read (and reread) the final page.
Happy summer reading!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
In the wake of SCOTUS's Ruling Against DOMA, Transgenderism and the Law
Hi everyone!
In the wake of yesterday's historic Supreme Court ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act, I thought I'd share an article I wrote that was published in last week's issue of Publisher's Weekly about the changing field of LGBTQ-related books.
For those of you who don't know, I'm an Executive Editor for the Flagship imprint of ABA Publishing, the book publishing division of the American Bar Association. Next month, we will be publishing a groundbreaking book on transgenderism and the law. Here is my piece in full:
"One thing I've noticed, at least in national media, is the rise in prevalence of stories relating to legal and personal challenges faced by transgender individuals. A population that heretofore seems to have been relegated by the press to the fringes of collective social conscience is gradually starting to come to the forefront. As a result, I think we're going to see more books being publishing (both non-fiction and fiction) that address the very real challenges transgender individuals face on a daily basis.
This July, ABA Publishing (the book publishing division of the American Bar Association), is going to be publishing what I think is a truly groundbreaking work. Transgender Persons and the Law, written by transgender attorney Ally Windsor Howell, brings together--for the first time ever--a comprehensive overview of the laws and landmark court cases involving transgender individuals in a variety of legal situations, including housing, military service and veterans benefits, family law, education, health care, personal safety, employment, immigration, and criminal justice. It also discusses the myriad legal documents transgender persons need to understand before filling out paperwork in order to change their name, birth certificate, and gender identification. As an added benefit, it includes a CD with a complete set of legal forms for all fifty states and the District of Columbia for name changes and, for those jurisdictions that allow it, changes to birth certificates. To my knowledge, this has never been done before.
It makes for very compelling -- as well as often distressing -- reading. What it also does is help raise awareness to the fact that an entire segment of our population may not be fully cognizant of their rights in addition to being underserved and underrepresented by our legal community. This book -- and others like it -- will hopefully make strides toward providing not just transgender individuals and the lawyers who represent them with the legal information necessary to preserve those individual rights, but will also further educate the population at large.
I believe it is our duty as publishers and thought leaders to educate and inform the public on all socially relevant issues. And while we have certainly made tremendous strides over the past 10-15 years in providing tools for greater understanding and appreciation of the concerns and issues faced by the LGBTQ population as a whole, we still have a long way to go."
The article is also available online at the Publisher's Weekly website: www.publishersweekly.com. But in order to access it, you do need to be a subscriber...
Ciao.
In the wake of yesterday's historic Supreme Court ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act, I thought I'd share an article I wrote that was published in last week's issue of Publisher's Weekly about the changing field of LGBTQ-related books.
For those of you who don't know, I'm an Executive Editor for the Flagship imprint of ABA Publishing, the book publishing division of the American Bar Association. Next month, we will be publishing a groundbreaking book on transgenderism and the law. Here is my piece in full:
"One thing I've noticed, at least in national media, is the rise in prevalence of stories relating to legal and personal challenges faced by transgender individuals. A population that heretofore seems to have been relegated by the press to the fringes of collective social conscience is gradually starting to come to the forefront. As a result, I think we're going to see more books being publishing (both non-fiction and fiction) that address the very real challenges transgender individuals face on a daily basis.
This July, ABA Publishing (the book publishing division of the American Bar Association), is going to be publishing what I think is a truly groundbreaking work. Transgender Persons and the Law, written by transgender attorney Ally Windsor Howell, brings together--for the first time ever--a comprehensive overview of the laws and landmark court cases involving transgender individuals in a variety of legal situations, including housing, military service and veterans benefits, family law, education, health care, personal safety, employment, immigration, and criminal justice. It also discusses the myriad legal documents transgender persons need to understand before filling out paperwork in order to change their name, birth certificate, and gender identification. As an added benefit, it includes a CD with a complete set of legal forms for all fifty states and the District of Columbia for name changes and, for those jurisdictions that allow it, changes to birth certificates. To my knowledge, this has never been done before.
It makes for very compelling -- as well as often distressing -- reading. What it also does is help raise awareness to the fact that an entire segment of our population may not be fully cognizant of their rights in addition to being underserved and underrepresented by our legal community. This book -- and others like it -- will hopefully make strides toward providing not just transgender individuals and the lawyers who represent them with the legal information necessary to preserve those individual rights, but will also further educate the population at large.
I believe it is our duty as publishers and thought leaders to educate and inform the public on all socially relevant issues. And while we have certainly made tremendous strides over the past 10-15 years in providing tools for greater understanding and appreciation of the concerns and issues faced by the LGBTQ population as a whole, we still have a long way to go."
The article is also available online at the Publisher's Weekly website: www.publishersweekly.com. But in order to access it, you do need to be a subscriber...
Ciao.
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