book/movie review; week 2

Rant by Chuck Palahniuk


Rant is one of those books that makes you crack up laughing, cringe in disgust, and freak out when it throws you for a loop. Presented in the style of an oral biography from the points of view of the deceased protagonist, this book offers a new twist to the trademark Palahniuk style, allowing multiple personalities to emerge and coexist, while not always in a complimentary way. Through differing opinions and perspectives on the same events, the reader can develop their own opinion on the story as it is not completely clear by the end. Surprisingly, a lot of the "stranger" parts of the actual story seem somewhat average compared with "normal" Palahniuk. It isn't even until about 100 pages in does the reader realize that the entire book takes place in a near future dystopia and may very well deal with an awkward Grandfather/mother paradox that makes songs like "I'm My Own Grandpa" take on a new meaning. Even without the awkward incestuous overtones or the somewhat confusing futuristic setting, this book leaves the reader satisfied, even if not to the degree that Survivor or Lullaby do.
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SLC Punk! directed by James Merendino

Why am I reviewing this? An amazing movie that I have revisited time and time again, SLC Punk! is and will always be one of my favorites. I may have a huge issue with the punk culture and the music may not be my absolute favorite, but Matthew Lillard as Stevo and Michael Goorjian as "Heroin" Bob never cease to entertain as they take viewers through a chaotic, hilarious, and, in the end, profound journey during the summer of 1985 in Salt Lake City. It's one of those movies that is a must-see for any of my friends, for anyone who might have a slight interest in fun. Doesn't matter if you're punk and you listen to the Sex Pistols, something clearly stated in the movie. This movie is for anyone who chooses to be different and chooses to think outside the norm. And, of course, for anyone who likes having fun doing it. Watch it.

Varsity Blues directed by Brian Robbins


This is what I get for dating a cheerleader. Sports movies. But this one is actually really good. It has the typical motivational message at the end, the dramatic injury, the pressure from parents and peers, the tough coach, et cetera et cetera. But it also has crazy parties, slutty cheerleaders, stolen cop cars, Kurt Vonnegut, and the ever dreamed of stripper/teacher combo. Not that I care for football, alcohol, whip cream bikinis, or country music This film certainly entertains everyone, from sports diehards, to the ones who will tolerate it because their weird girlfriend feels like yelling at a group of sweaty guys every weekend. If you're just hanging out with some friends and need a decent, fun movie to watch, this is a good choice.


Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant

This movie proves two things: Gus Van Sant can direct good movies if he really wanted to. And some movies definitely deserve the hype they get. This movie is a must-see for anyone. I'm not even going to say much more than that. What is it about? See it and find out. Who is in it? Shouldn't be too hard to figure out from the above image, but see it anyway. All the actors deliver great performances, and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck deserve the recognition they got for writing it. I don;t know what else to say, just watch it



Scott Pilgrim Versus The World directed by Edgar Wright


This movie was weird. But it made me laugh a lot. I love Michael Cera, and the music was cool and the weird video game motif was different, and yeah. Go see it, it will keep you entertained for a great two hours. Enough said.

Zay.

book/movie journal; week 1

So to get through an ever growing list of novels and movies, I have decided to read at least one novel a week and watch 2-3 films so that I can make a dent in my aspirations as a book nerd and movie junkie.

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Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Palahniuk continually delivers masterpiece after masterpiece. For some reason, Invisible Monsters didn't appeal to me when first discovering the author, but I can now appreciate the widespread opinion that this is Chuck at his finest, although Survivor is definitely my own personal favorite. Invisible Monsters follows a woman through her experiences in the fashion world and the trauma after an apparent accident that left her disfigured almost beyond recognition. Using his trademark combination of satire, humor, odd facts, and almost philosophical insights, Palahniuk takes the reader on a high-paced journey through the worlds of plastic surgery, gender reassignment, and drug addiction that will shock the reader, make them laugh, and leave them satisfied and yet anxious for more.




Less than Zero By Bret Easton Ellis

Declared The Catcher in the Rye for the MTV generation, Less Than Zero is the debut novel of Bret Easton Ellis who has gone on to write such novels as American Psycho and Rules of Attraction. Based on personal observation while growing up in California, the story follows Clay as he returns home for the holidays after attending college on the east coast. Minimalistic, the novel explores the ordinary activities of Clay and his friends Blair and Julian and their indulgences in cocaine and casual sex. The novel gives accounts of both the mundane and the extremely shocking in a culture where everyone has everything they could ever ask for and thus has nothing to lose, ending ambiguously with the reader confused with whether to admire Clay at least for his dissatisfaction with his lifestyle and the possible hope of a change or to hate him and his passivity.


I'm now in the middle of Rant by Palahniuk, though I've taken a short break of a day or two so that I can focus on Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte for Ap Lit. As expected, Rant is an entertaining novel, though perhaps less impressive than some of Palahniuk's other works. Wuthering Heights isn't too bad, though I have yet to discover why Heathcliff is apparently so sexy...


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Choke directed by Clark Gregg.

Let's face it. Palahniuk's voice is extremely hard to respectfully and successfully flow onto the movie screen. Edward Norton performance in Fight Club was amazing considering the amount of material he had to deal with in the transition from page to screen. The film adaptation of Choke proved that replicating that kind of success may be very hard to do. Though the acting is actually good and believable, Sam Rockwell's performance as Victor Mancini, a med school drop out sex addict struggling to pay for his mother's medical care, comes off as too comedic, ignoring the aspect of an odd type of philosopher that Palahniuk's protagonist's often display. Granted, portraying the adventures of a con artist/sex addict on screen may be hard to do without there being comedy involved. Still, the lack of internal dialogue or some way to paint Palahniuk's narration more truly to the text manages to change the tone of the entire piece. Though staying true to the novel in respect to plot, the shift in genre through the different mood makes this a disappointing film adaptation of an amazing piece of literature.





Less than Zero directed by Marek Kanievska

I have to admit, I had low expectations from the start. So I can't say that I was necessarily disappointed, because the film version of Less Than Zero just confirmed by assumption that depicting the superficial, shallow California culture of the novel would not go over well in its transition to the screen. Especially in the 80's. Instead of showing the sad truth of the hollowness of the reality of those kids who have ruined their lives and relationships with too much money, casual sex, and cocaine, the movie portrays a cleaned-up shadow of the story. This version bears hardly any resemblance to the book except in title and character name and has become part of some anti-drug crusade that the novel never attached itself to. While an alright film in its own right due to a great performance by Robert Downey Jr. and the good casting call for the role of the drug dealer, the extreme differences from the novel make me very prejudiced towards it, as if the annoying 80's music didn't already do that for me. I just hope that the film adaptations of the the other Ellis novels impress me more, though I've been told not to get my hopes up.

palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk. What a genius.

"Only after disaster can we be resurrected. It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything. Nothing is static, everything is evolving, everything is falling apart."

"Six hundred and forty fish later, the only thing I know is everything you love will die. The first time you meet someone special, you can count on them one day being dead and in the ground."

"When you understand," Brandy says, "that what you're telling is just a story. It isn't happening anymore. When you realize the story you're telling is just words, when you can just crumble up and throw your past in the trashcan," Brandy says, "then we'll figure out who you're going to be."

"The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on."

"The best way to waste your life is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch."

"Life's greatest comfort is being able to look over your shoulder and see people worse off, waiting in line behind you."

Everything is funnier in retrospect, funnier and prettier and cooler. You can laugh at anything from far enough away.