Scarlett Johansson and a Broken Promise
The Bellagio poker room is surrounded by television screens. They stare down at you from every angle. You cannot escape them. The souless cyclopses are everywhere. They are after you. They flash every sports game imaginable and every bellicose, mega-decible idiot with the IQ of bubblegum to analyze the latest on field or off field drama with all the authority of a self-assured pathologist removing his gloves while an assistant is busy sewing up the quivering corpse.
When they break away from the game and the mega-babble, someone you do not know assures you that they are your new best friend and they want to sell you something you probably will never need.
My home is a quiet sanctuary where I never watch American television simply because it is too stupid for my cat and my smart little cat died years ago. I do watch some news and culture on German and Swedish web TV. The Bellagio poker room is the only time I ever look at American television.
As we speak, the college basketball playoffs are going on. Since I have yet to completely outgrow my youthful interest in basketball, I actually look up from time-to-time when the clock is running down and an upset is in the making.
In between timeouts, Madison Avenue tries to sell you a lot of useless stuff that will not improve your life or the life of your cat in any way shape or form. During one of these barking carnival displays, I found myself looking up at the trailer advertising the release of Scarlett Johansson's soon-to-be-released, "Ghost in the Shell."
I have yet to completely outgrow my youthful interest in Scarlett ever since I saw her stunning performance in "The Horse Whisperers." Way back then (1998), I thought that child had the potential to become a great actress when she grew up.
Unfortunately, that never happened. I do not think that Ms. Johansson broke any promises. The fact is, movies used to be a marriage of scintillating dialogue combined with an intriguing storyline that illuminated our everyday lives.
Modern movie dialogue has been replaced by sound effects. The storyline consists of little more than a cascading series of visual effects with little, if any, relation to the human condition.
Scarlett did not break any promises herself. It was Hollywood that shattered the great promise of her potential with mindless scripts constructed around sound effects and visual effects. "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and the fury, signifying nothing." Hope you like the popcorn.
When they break away from the game and the mega-babble, someone you do not know assures you that they are your new best friend and they want to sell you something you probably will never need.
My home is a quiet sanctuary where I never watch American television simply because it is too stupid for my cat and my smart little cat died years ago. I do watch some news and culture on German and Swedish web TV. The Bellagio poker room is the only time I ever look at American television.
As we speak, the college basketball playoffs are going on. Since I have yet to completely outgrow my youthful interest in basketball, I actually look up from time-to-time when the clock is running down and an upset is in the making.
In between timeouts, Madison Avenue tries to sell you a lot of useless stuff that will not improve your life or the life of your cat in any way shape or form. During one of these barking carnival displays, I found myself looking up at the trailer advertising the release of Scarlett Johansson's soon-to-be-released, "Ghost in the Shell."
I have yet to completely outgrow my youthful interest in Scarlett ever since I saw her stunning performance in "The Horse Whisperers." Way back then (1998), I thought that child had the potential to become a great actress when she grew up.
Unfortunately, that never happened. I do not think that Ms. Johansson broke any promises. The fact is, movies used to be a marriage of scintillating dialogue combined with an intriguing storyline that illuminated our everyday lives.
Modern movie dialogue has been replaced by sound effects. The storyline consists of little more than a cascading series of visual effects with little, if any, relation to the human condition.
Scarlett did not break any promises herself. It was Hollywood that shattered the great promise of her potential with mindless scripts constructed around sound effects and visual effects. "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and the fury, signifying nothing." Hope you like the popcorn.
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Owlseyes
(last edited Mar 20, 2017 06:22AM)
(new)
Mar 20, 2017 06:09AM
I too avoid watching [national] TV; I hope you've learned about Martin Schulz winning the SPD leadership; come late September he'll kick the Americans out of Germany. Of course, just in case the SPD wins elections.
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It certainly looks as though the charismatic Schultz has captured the popular imagination as an antidote to Merkel. The SPD has been a German bastion of the working class bastion for over a 140 years. We will see if they can articulate a position on globalization that will lure back working class defectors from the AfD.
They have even taken a "slightly" stricter position on immigration than their coalition partner, the CDU. As In the Netherlands, populism is pushing the mainstream parties to the right, but after the election, it will probably be more of the same old - same old.
Somehow, Amigo, I doubt that Scarlett Johansson, or the rest of Hollywood, would have the foggiest idea what we are discussing here.
Along the lines of great films, we had a dispute with our local cable monopoly over some charges. A few years ago, they would have lied to us and we'd be stuck. But I live near the land of the geeks in Silicon Valley. These folks don't like sports and have "cut the cable" to find other ways of connectivity that don't involve cable. Thus, our cable customer service has proven more responsive lest we do the same. They decided to appease us by giving us several "free" channels, including ones that carried old movies. Recently, on one of the channels, we were able to watch "The Third Man." Now there's a real film!
David wrote: "It certainly looks as though the charismatic Schultz has captured the popular imagination as an antidote to Merkel. The SPD has been a German bastion of the working class bastion for over a 140 y..."
I simply don't like Schultz; let's see, coming late September, what (if the SPD wins) will he do vis a vis the Trump administration (and what about NATO?); if Trump survives any and all the disgraces planned on/upon him.
OK. sounds good the "working class" narrative; Willy Brandt didn't fare well in the Guillaume affair. There you have a good example of [bad] Ostpolitik.
As for Johansson, I have no idea about the film yet; maybe I'm (too) not that passionate about manga. I've read recently she became an "activist". Well, you know the sort of ACTIVISTS Hollywood produces: Clooney and Streep.
How well I understand, David. I almost don't watch movies anymore either. If that rare occassion presents itself, they are carefully selected. My time is too precious for Hollywood to steal it away. :)
Time is our most precious inheritance, Lady Scarlett. You are very wise. Most people squander their treasure.
It should be interesting, Amigo Owlseyes. I think Schlutz will form the fabled "red, red, green coalition." Then we will witness the effect of the "Trump/Schultz collider." I doubt if Martin will have much patience with Trump.At least we will see a lot more of Sahra Wagenknecht with that coalition!
That makes me very, very happy! After all, what is porn-politics without an eye catching star?
And unlike Ms. Johansson, Dr. Wagenknecht can write her own dialogue.
David wrote: "It should be interesting, Amigo Owlseyes. I think Schlutz will form the fabled "red, red, green coalition." Then we will witness the effect of the "Trump/Schultz collider." I doubt if Martin will h..."Amigo Owlseyes, given the results of the Saarland election, it would appear that the "Schultz effect" has been vastly over-rated and Frau Merkel can breathe a sigh of relief.
BTW Congrats on your victory over Hungary yesterday.
Hey David, my germanophile [!] friend.True, seems so; I'm glad that's so; you know it's a tiny state, yet highly Catholic; and took a stand on Turkish politicians.
More than Saarland I'm worried about Russia's protests; the anti-corruption rallies and the arrest of Navalny; Putin's days are counting?
Ah! On the soccer result, don't mention it; I am not that a fan; I simply ignore soccer, the Portuguese opium, so to speak.
Portuguese opium! I like it!I doubt if Putin is in any danger. The military and the oligarchs enjoy the benefits of his political franchise. Headlines in the West do not translate into populist opposition numbers inside Russia.
Putin says the US is planning a "color revolution" in Russia; he's scared the hell...https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
