Posted on June 28, 2014 at 7:06 pm
Two writers from Slate couldn’t figure it out, either. Except that “If I’m ever in Hong Kong in the midst of an apocalyptic battle between Dinobots, Autobots, reconstituted Decepticon leaders, evil CIA agents, venal tech CEOs, and Chinese nationals conveniently trained in kung-fu, I can only hope there’s a Bud Light on hand to refresh me.”
Posted on January 22, 2014 at 3:50 pm
I am a big fan of Slate’s podcasts, especially the Culture Gabfest, and am delighted that Dan Kois (of the excellent Book Club) is co-hosting a new one about parenting. Kois and his co-host, Alison Benedikt, lead off with their own current struggles and triumphs (so far managing to be candid without overly intruding on the privacy of their spouses or children). The current episode takes a more nuanced approach in discussing the current fan of “mindful parenting” than Slate’s Double X essay by Hanna Rosin and I like its overall tone, friendly, accessible, supportive, and curious.
Posted on July 26, 2013 at 3:59 pm
I very much enjoyed Scott Nye’s article for rogerebert.com about plot holes in movies that are summerily — if not satisfyingly — dealt with via some line of dialogue.
If you watch big budget entertainments, there’s no escaping these sorts of moments. The trope familiar to the Scooby-Doo generation, in which a few nagging uncertainties are resolved with a “there’s just one thing I don’t understand” kickoff, has now become a motif. Characters must constantly address questions on behalf of a too-curious audience awash in complexly-plotted mega-stories. The movies are trying to plug leaks in a boat before the whole thing sinks—never quite repairing it, but doing just enough to get by.
He has some great examples but does not mention my favorite, in “Thank You for Smoking,” written and directed by Jason Reitman, based on the book by Christopher Buckley. It’s my favorite because it makes fun of this very issue. Aaron Eckhart, plays Nick, a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, who meets with Rob Lowe, as Jeff, a Hollywood executive, to talk about product placement in a new film. There’s a hitch — it takes place on a spaceship.
Nick Naylor: But wouldn’t they blow up in an all-oxygen environment?
Jeff Megall: Probably. But, you know, it’s an easy fix. One line of dialogue: “Thank God we created the, you know, whatever device.” You ought to make a product to tie in with the movie, such as a new brand of cigarettes.
And Slate, which just blamed the book Save the Cat!, with its formula for movie scripts, for the cookie-cutter nature of studio films, has a new piece about the year’s biggest money-losers, calling this The Summer of the Mega-Flop.
The latest high-profile calamity at the box office is the ill-buzzed R.I.P.D., which followed such heavily marketed titles as Pacific Rim, The Lone Ranger, White House Down, andAfter Earth in failing to attract its expected audience. Meanwhile, The Conjuring, a smaller,Exorcist-style chiller from Saw director James Wan, more than doubled its production budget in just one weekend.
Summer 2013 is unquestionably the season of the über-flop. But do these numbers add up to the paradigm shift that Spielberg anticipates? For moviegoers exasperated by CGI whooshing—and 150-minute running times padded with a solid hour of action—a victory for the little guy might seem like good news. Still, the tent-pole collapse isn’t quite as stark as headlines might imply. With a mammoth gross of $407 million, Iron Man 3 has become the year’s top-earning movie, while Fast & Furious 6 continues a long line of success for its franchise. From the theaters’ perspective, this summer has been a bonanza. “We had four straight weeks of more than $300 million in box office, which has never happened,” says Patrick Corcoran, vice president of the National Association of Theater Owners….?In an interview with New York magazine critic David Edelstein, producer Lynda Obst also pins the current trend toward gigantism on the increased importance of the foreign market, coupled with a collapse in DVD sales, which once provided a safety net for midrange pictures that didn’t pan out….Gomery notes that this summer’s fizzling blockbusters may also be symptomatic of the type of moviegoing dip that typically accompanies recessions; so far, relatively flat domestic attendance has been offset by China’s emergence as the world’s second-largest film market. And the jury may even be out on this summer. In the era of media conglomerate–owned studios, he says, it’s traditionally been the rule has been that it’s “a good year” if one in 10 of your major properties takes off and becomes a hit. If you want to get a sense of how that principle might work, he says, “Just watch a day’s worth of HBO.”
Posted on June 2, 2013 at 8:00 am
Slate has a great list of magazine articles that were turned into movies, from “Adaptation” (Susan Orlean’s “The Orchid Thief”) to the upcoming “The Bling Ring” (“The Suspects Wore Louboutins” by Nancy Jo Sales). Take a look to find out the real stories behind “Argo,” “Coyote Ugly,” “The Perfect Storm,” “The Fast and the Furious,” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 3:47 pm
Emily Bazelon’s first book, Sticks and Stones, comes out this month. Her Slate series about bullying included illuminating research that altered the conventional narrative of some highly publicized real-life cases. The book builds on this with new stories about kids and schools, and new discussion of the relevant research about bullying — its causes and the most effective ways to respond and prevent it. To express her gratitude for pre-orders, Emily has put together a package of giveaways for Slate readers who buy the book before the publication date.
Anybody who orders the book — hardcover or e-book, from any bookseller — before February 19, 2013, will receive the following:
1. A free one-hour webinar with Emily – with an exclusive look at the latest developments in research about bullying and kids’ behavior online, along with a chance to ask her questions.
2. Three free PDF resource guides Emily has written, highlighting books, movies, and programs that fight bullying, tailored to educators, parents, and students.
3. A free PDF of a Q&A with Emily, delving into some of the topics in the book in greater and more personal detail.
4. A free STICKS AND STONES book plate, signed by Emily and mailed to you, to paste inside your book.
Once you pre-order the book, or if you’ve done so already, just forward your receipt in any form to emilypreorder@gmail.com to get information about how to receive the extras.
