friday
At the station. Bored. Tired. Wishing I had the concentration to do some writing...This novel's really gotten hold of me, plus it's damned fun to write. Yay! Then again, writing a novel takes a LOT of time away from other work I should be doing. heh....
Review: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Hm...Part of the trouble I have with a lot of women's writing is the tendency to focus on Issues. I hate Issues because they come with a built-in emotional response. I mean, what kind of person are you if, for example, you DON'T find abortion, or teen pregnancy an emotional challenge, whatever your personal politics are? And unfortunately, SOOOOO much of women's writing is really Issue writing at the centre. Maybe it's because women are faced with Issues or because women tend towards wanting an emotional response, or maybe it's a genuine interest, I haven't been able to put my finger on it...
So anyway, the Issue here is medical ethics. Because it's an Issue and not a story, unfortunately the characters aren't fleshed out enough to really give any of them, even the main characters (Anna and the two legal representatives) much of a narrative arc. The rest of the characters, also unfortunately, become a face for each side of the Issue rather than a complicated, human character.
There are things I liked about it. Anna is a sweet character, and there are moments of writing that are joyous and fluid. I didn't care much for the ending, and I sincerely wish the writer would have kept herself out of it more, because there were way too many times when I found myself questioning what the character was saying, like "would a 13 year old, even a precocious one, REALLY talk like that??"
Not bad, and it whiled away an evening or two, but not great. 2/5.
Review: Bolt. Hee hee...Everyone knows I'm a big Disney fan (Pixar as much as Disney). Here are just a few reasons:
1) The visual details are jaw-dropping.
2) John Lasseter, Brad Bird, and the rest of the directors are fucking geniuses.
3) They understand certain things about the human condition, and use it to tell the story brilliantly.
4) The plots are damn-near perfect.
5) FINALLY! Someone else understands why a hamster in a ball is FUNNY!
But remind me not to watch any more Disney movies featuring dogs. I end up crying, fucking CRYING all the time! It's embarrassing. Fuckin' dogs. :)
Review: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Hm...Part of the trouble I have with a lot of women's writing is the tendency to focus on Issues. I hate Issues because they come with a built-in emotional response. I mean, what kind of person are you if, for example, you DON'T find abortion, or teen pregnancy an emotional challenge, whatever your personal politics are? And unfortunately, SOOOOO much of women's writing is really Issue writing at the centre. Maybe it's because women are faced with Issues or because women tend towards wanting an emotional response, or maybe it's a genuine interest, I haven't been able to put my finger on it...
So anyway, the Issue here is medical ethics. Because it's an Issue and not a story, unfortunately the characters aren't fleshed out enough to really give any of them, even the main characters (Anna and the two legal representatives) much of a narrative arc. The rest of the characters, also unfortunately, become a face for each side of the Issue rather than a complicated, human character.
There are things I liked about it. Anna is a sweet character, and there are moments of writing that are joyous and fluid. I didn't care much for the ending, and I sincerely wish the writer would have kept herself out of it more, because there were way too many times when I found myself questioning what the character was saying, like "would a 13 year old, even a precocious one, REALLY talk like that??"
Not bad, and it whiled away an evening or two, but not great. 2/5.
Review: Bolt. Hee hee...Everyone knows I'm a big Disney fan (Pixar as much as Disney). Here are just a few reasons:
1) The visual details are jaw-dropping.
2) John Lasseter, Brad Bird, and the rest of the directors are fucking geniuses.
3) They understand certain things about the human condition, and use it to tell the story brilliantly.
4) The plots are damn-near perfect.
5) FINALLY! Someone else understands why a hamster in a ball is FUNNY!
But remind me not to watch any more Disney movies featuring dogs. I end up crying, fucking CRYING all the time! It's embarrassing. Fuckin' dogs. :)