- In his review of The Proposal — which doesn’t sound at all appealing to me, frankly — Keith Phipps writes:
Bullock plays a feared, powerful book editor, a job that apparently consists entirely of reading unsolicited manuscripts while riding an exercise bike, and trying to coax authors into appearing on Oprah.
Yes, this is exactly what the job of book editor consists of, just as the job of book author involves nothing but music-filled montages of frenetic typing, feverish concentration and crumpled-up wads of paper. Red pens are sometimes stategically employed in either case.
And authors need coaxing to appear on Oprah?
- In his review of Woddy Allen’s new movie, Whatever Works — A.O. Scott writes:
Mr. Allen’s unwavering belief in an empty cosmos made somewhat less bleak by the charms of old movies, older music and much younger women is one of the few things left we can count on. If the man ever gets religion, then we will know we’re really in trouble.
Frankly, this new one doesn’t look so great either.
- Meanwhile, I agree with Scott Tobias: Quick Change is an underrated comedy.
- This must be a joke, or else it takes the idea of “urban exploration” way too far. And I hope like hell I don’t live near anyone like this. [via]
- And finally, Amanda Palmer on the importance of being bored:
“I don’t want to sound like a luddite old-fart, [but] I kind of worry about the ‘digital generation.’ Kids today don’t have the freedom to be bored. There is something really important about boredom, and how you choose to fill it. If I had had the Internet at age 14 or 15 and had been able to expose myself and connect with people that way, I don’t know if I would have gone and messed around with the piano. Kids can definitely use the Internet creatively, but I think that there is something important about incubating on your own. I think boredom, space, time, and development need ‘unconnectedness.’ These kids are so connected, and they are never bored, because they don’t need to be. I think that’s dangerous. I think boredom is important.”
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Interesting. I know I wouldn’t have read as much as a kid if I’d had the internet. It was the only thing to do during in the ‘burbs…either you had money for soccer (we didn’t) or hockey (we didn’t) or dance (we didn’t), or you went to the public library two and three times a week (we did). My reading life will forever be associated with the sounds of the photostat machine in the bookmobile, and the curious feeling of stepping into a mobile library. It was several years before we got a permanent branch library.