Film Critic Owen Gleiberman


Written on September 29, 2010 – 5:52 pm | by chrisstjacques

Horror movie critics are few and far between. When it comes to horror movies, critics generally fall into two categories:
1) Those who love horror movies and are unabashed fan boys.
2) Those who hate horror movies and will bash anything with too much blood and scream, “What about the children?!?!?”

So, while I might go to a website like aintitcool.com to learn more about a flick, I don’t go there for there objectivity.
The one mainstream movie critic (he just doesn’t review horror films) who seems to at least give them all a chance and not dismiss them right away is Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman.

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I don’t know much about the man other than what he writes in his columns, but he has a great style and has been working for Entertainment Weekly since 1990, so he has some gravitas behind him.

I became a fan of his writing based on two things. The first being his review of “Hostel II”, where he gave it a “B” writes “[Eli]Roth isn’t just whipping up a blood-smeared megaplex hellhole. He’s asking: In a world of global depravity, where anyone can buy anything, is homicide-for-kicks-for-the-right-price really such a huge leap?” Gleiberman took the time to look for something deeper in this film, rather than just write it off as more “torture porn.”

The second thing I liked was a list he made for ew.com where he ranked the 20 Top Horror Films of the Past 20 Years. Sure some of the ones on his list probably shouldn’t be there (I’m looking at you “What Lies Beneath” and “Dead Alive” should be way higher than number 20) but his top five are really strong, especially his number one pick, “Audition.” About it he writes that “Audition” is a, “great, primal nightmare, which is no J-horror genre film; it’s more like Psycho for the age of feminine empowerment.”

If we both have the same number one horror movie of the past 20 years, than I can’t not look to see what Owen Gleiberman says about anything else horror related that comes out. That’s all I want, somebody who is fair and shares at least some of my sensibilities, because let’s face it, $14 is a lot to waste on 90 minutes of crap.

SNL Tiny Hats Debacle


Written on September 29, 2010 – 5:04 pm | by Rob Bock

Tiny HatsThis week’s news in the comedy world is that popular sketch show Saturday Night Live may have stolen an idea from not-as-popular sketch show Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job! Whether or not the idea of tiny hats was actually stolen remains to be seen, but this blog from the Washington Post is doing an excellent job covering the drama.

Link HERE

And the winner is….. woops!


Written on September 29, 2010 – 1:48 pm | by storres7

I thought I would share this with everybody!

Wrong Winner Announced in Australia\’s Next Top Model

Those tricksters in Underoath


Written on September 29, 2010 – 11:27 am | by donaldomahony
Underoath

On Monday, Underoath announced the release of a new song from their upcoming album “(Disambiguation).” Fans were invited to follow a link to listen to the song, only to be greeted by a track that is basically an extended drum solo. Although it is from the new record, it is not what most fans were hoping for. A countdown on the website says the next track will be released right before class tonight, but who knows what it will be this time?

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Go Wild This Fall


Written on September 29, 2010 – 10:03 am | by sweettea

h&m_fur_vest Fur vests are a DO this season. You don’t need to be rich to make this trend work. Pair a dark pair of jeans and basic white tee with this piece, and you’re ready to stunt. Don’t support fancy, real fur? Well, a knock-off is never that bad. Check this one out from H&M.

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Jennifer Pozner: Reality TV Critic


Written on September 28, 2010 – 7:09 pm | by Gabriella

How do you critique reality television when it’s supposed to be about real life and human behaviors? Media critic, Jennifer Pozner, critiques reality television by exposing its lies, analyzing stereotypes and discovering what it all means about society.

Pozner started as a journalist writing about women in the media and women empowerment. When reality television boomed she started critiquing how women were portrayed in reality series. Through her blog, twitter account, articles, lectures and book, Pozner has become a serious reality television critic.

Her blogs, WIMN: Women in Media & News and Reality Bites Back, have witty critiques on specific reality series and her analysis of women on the shows. Her writing is woven with sarcasm, humor and research creating a solid point; reality television is a guilty pleasure that’s degrading women.

In her enlightening lecture, “Project Brainwash: Why Reality TV is Bad for Women (…and Men, People of Color, The Economy, Love, Sex and Sheer Common Sense!),“ Pozner goes beyond critiquing, she analyzes why reality shows put people in stereotypes. She uncovers answers to reality industries secrets, like, who profits from reality shows and why are certain shows created?

If her blogs and lectures aren’t enough, this media critic also has published a book, which hits shelves in November. “Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV,” exposes reality shows in their raw form by removing all fairytale qualities. Pozner has also had her work published in numerous publications like Newsday and Chicago Tribune. She has offered commentary on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC News and has been a guest speaker for many events. She has won a few awards and was even named one of “20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter”.

Pozner may have started out as a feminist journalist but her critiques and thorough investigation of reality television have made her someone to listen to. She has immersed herself into the reality television world, seeking the truth behind it and she won’t stop. Her fan base is growing causing her to be a powerful critic and an enemy to reality television.

Listen to Pozner yourself and watch her interview with The Today Show, for “What Women Want to Watch on TV,” to hear her talk about women on reality television and other issues.

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Never leave the house without your… lips?


Written on September 28, 2010 – 3:21 pm | by sweettea

DD6C3E1EThese metallic lips are a design by Lulu Guinness. The clutch runs for a good $355. It’s the perfect accessory for a season filled with darker tones and neutral colors. Fashionistas, get rid of your simple, black bag and experiment with this funky snakeskin piece. Also, check out a different color for a different mood.

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“Love and Other Drugs”


Written on September 28, 2010 – 9:56 am | by coliver5

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal are back together as an on-screen couple. We saw them co-star in “Brokeback Mountain” in 2005, now they are back together in a comedy flick: “Love and Other Drugs.” The movie is said to be out in theaters this November. Watch the trailer here.

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James Wood: Most Dreaded Literary Critic


Written on September 27, 2010 – 9:17 pm | by Aisha Jamil

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A Harvard professor in his forties and a staff literary critic for the New Yorker writes book reviews. Sound boring?

Well, maybe a little, but James Woods isn’t just any plain old critic. He’s been called the best literary critic in the world.

Woods, who was the chief literary critic for The Guardian and an editor at the New Republic, signed onto to become a staff writer at The New Yorker three years ago. Woods is known to have an aesthetic approach in his literary criticisms.

He has coined the term “hysterical realism”, which is a genre that has a strong distinction between its bizarre prose, plotting, characterization and details. In layman’s terms, it’s one of those novels that are filled with complex vocabulary, long sentences, detail-oriented word choice and confusing plot twists. Jonathan Franzen’s “The Corrections” and James Joyce’s “Ulysses” are two such examples. He refers to it as the “damning genre.”

“Novelists need to stop explaining how the world works and instead tell us how somebody felt about something,” wrote Woods in The Guardian.

Woods is definitely one of the most unique critics in the literary criticism industry. According to New Yorker’s literary critic Sam Anderson, he is been described in many acknowledged in many different ways: grudgingly, eagerly, nervously, warningly and mockingly. Woods is definitely a tough and “most dreaded” literary critic of our time.

Since Woods is an expert in the world of books, he has written three books about criticism himself:

  • “The Broken Estate: Essays on Literature and Belief” (2000)
  • “The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel” (2004)
  • “How Fiction Works” (2008)

He has also produced an autobiographical novel:

  • “The Book Against God” (2003)

To read some of his book reviews, click on the following websites:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/04/20/090420crbo_books_wood

 

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/bookclub/2009/04/reading-orwell-james-wood.html

 

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/tny/2008/12/james-wood-eleven-favorite-boo.html

Intimately NOT Yours?


Written on September 27, 2010 – 8:05 pm | by capriciaalston

David and Victoria Beckham’s new scent Intimately Yours is big talk this week over the internet, not for its release, but instead after David is accused of cheating AGAIN! This is the newest scent in the couple’s successful fragrance line and is available for him and her, although “her” might ponder going elsewhere if allegations are true. Looks like this time around David is not going down without a fight.

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