I haven't visited the blog since around the time I last posted something, so I looked at the review (Avatar) and saw that someone had commented. Instant author-boner; I'm always curious to know how I'm perceived. As it turns out, Anonymous was not exactly dazzled by my critiquing skills, which of course lead to the flaccidification of my aforementioned author-boner (if Palin can say refudiate and Bush can say embetterment, than I can say flaccidification). Anonymous seems like a smart enough contributor, but I don't think he/she really got the review. I'm not defending my review, I mean, this person totally called me out in one spot. But I'm bored, so I'm going to review Anonymous' comment.
Anonymous said...
"Fortunately for Van Gogh and M.C. Escher, they didn't have to bother with dialogue, plot lines, sound effects, music... you get the idea."Ok, to start off...Ouch. Fucktasticly awful? I'm not even mad. Fucktastic just made my Top Ten Word list. But still, ouch. Now to the negatives:
You're an idiot. Way to compare completely different individuals who were trying to accomplish different things altogether. Nice choices by the way--Escher and Van Gough...Did you bother to learn about any other artists after your second grade art class?
"The story itself is fairly formulaic, but so is every other epic adventure."
No, actually. Epics like The Odyssey set the formula to begin with. Way to just throw in internet cliches. "LOL EPIC!" Such unconventional wit!
"heartwrenchingly human"
Your writing is fucktasticly awful.
Concerning the first half of Anonymous' comment about comparing a filmmaker to single-image artists, I don't understand what the problem is. I clearly state that Avatar is "an incredibly stunning visual experience..." and I also call it a "visual masterpiece" just before. Referring to this single aspect of the application of technology to the art of visual image creation (I don't typically write that technically because it tends to bore people) is completely legitimate as it is the exact concept that James Cameron, M.C. Escher and Van Gogh presented with much of their work.
There are galleries that display still images neighbored by moving ones on flat-screen televisions, both being appreciated for aesthetics and techniques of strictly visual presentation.
And as to the comment about me not taking any art classes after the second grade, I chose those two common names because the review is supposed to be accessible to a wide range of readers, it isn't meant to send them on a search of obscure dead painters' Wikipedia pages just so they can understand a reference in the second sentence of a movie review. Plus, I didn't have my first art class until 3rd grade, so as you can see, I was already at a disadvantage.
Next. Referring to an epic as formulaic is not cliche, but a basic principle of literature and storytelling. The word gets thrown around now in sentences like "that shit was epic!" and I can see how it might not mean to most what it actually means. An epic, when referring to a story, has a set of traits that define it, like every genre (comedies are supposed to be funny, hopefully). A hero, a quest, typically lengthy, victories, losses, narrated in an elevated style, the list goes on defining organization of events and all that noise. It is true that the Odyssey and Iliad and the likes were stories that developed the formula (not exactly sure why that was thrown in there, all genres have to have an origin, of course), but it doesn't make the structure of an epic any less formulaic. And yes, now is the time to think about the implications of an epic shit.
At last, Anonymous commented on the line "heartwrenchingly human" from my review, referring to the blue aliens of the Avatar world. I mean, I get what I was trying to say, but you're right, that's just bad writing. Shit.
I leave you with this: I appreciate comments, the good and the bad. So, thank you to Anonymous, though I only give your comment 2.5 Stars, I still think you are fucktasticly awesome.
In the words of our last leader...“I understand small business growth. I was one.” - George W. Bush (New York Daily News (2/19/00)).
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