The Onion Movie (2008), Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire

The Onion Movie (2008) was a successful transition of the newspaper into film. The film did a nice job balancing comedy and satire. At eighty minutes the Onion Movie was short, and there were a few sketches that seemed forced, but otherwise the film didn't have a problem reaching an appropriate length. The Onion Movie developed several in depth gags and even a small story in the newscaster Norm Archer, that gave the film its focus. The film was able to draw on these pieces as it wove in and out of commercials, broadcasts and occasional live action sequences. The issues addressed in the Onion Movie are of the typical sort, such as violence, sex, race and war. The movie goes to the extra trouble of addressing news integrity however, in the story of Norm Archer, and justifies the film's existence by doing so. While some of the Onion's points might be more eloquently expressed in print, bringing the satire into moving image helped to make their questions about news coverage all the more hard hitting.

Norm's story takes shape after an advertisement interrupts his newscast. When Norm confronts his bosses about it, they reply that what he is saying is a "steaming pot of shit." The issue of news integrity is addressed specifically well because of the format of the film. The sketches in The Onion Movie were fairly brief, so good attention was required to not miss the quickly developing jokes. When Norm first appears as a character it is not clear that he will be the main character in the film. As Norm's story is developed, the plight of the integrity of the news is revealed. The "creeping corporate influence" that Norm must fight not only comes in the form of a cute penguin character, but as the characters in all of the rest of the sketches of the film. The film draws on the viewer's memory of these characters as it reintroduces them in the final scene to make its point. In Norm's final broadcast of the film these "corporate influence(s)" have become so pervasive that they invade the studio to help save Norm from terrorists. As the film ends, Norm acknowledges this, stating that these "influence(s) over the news protect us from terrorism." The viewer, paying careful attention to each sketch, is fully primed to grasp the issue. Norm's concern over the penguin becomes our concern as well, and the issues being raised by the rest of the sketches become a full picture of the television programming one might be exposed to just while watching the news.

The power of this tactic comes from its disguise. In order to shift the focus from Norm and leave the appearance of the film chaotic, a number of other recurring characters are used, including Cock Puncher and Melissa Cherry. Melissa appears as a caricature of teenage women pop singers, denying the sexuality of lyrics and videos for songs such as "Down On My Knees," "Take Me From Behind," "Lollipop Love," and "Shoot Your Love All Over Me." The lyrics to the songs, and especially the videos, are grotesquely sexual. Melissa appears again and again throughout the film, though generally in the background on a TV within the camera shot. When Norm is in danger of being killed by terrorists, it is Melissa that comes to his rescue. The characters like Melissa that take the focus off Norm are also balanced with stock characters in commercial segments. In a segment called "Little Known Stereotypes," Native Americans are referred to as drunks and Arabs as terrorists. As most of these short segments go, the humor is more ridiculous in its attempt to make its point. "Black people love taffy," Irish have huge nipples, and Puerto Ricans "can hang from steel beams for hours at a time." These short and snappy sketches are ridiculous in their attempts to convey a message. The pairings of all Arabs as terrorists with Puerto Ricans that hang from steel beams for hours works well though. This tactic provides variety in the pace of the movie and requires the viewer's attention for the jokes to work. When the focus switches back to Norm and it is time to think about the integrity of the news, the viewer is ready.

The House On Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros

The vignettes in Sandra Cisneros' The House On Mango Street gently construct the narrator. This is occasionally accomplished through pieces directly about the narrator, though it usually takes place through Esperanza's exploration of her new neighborhood. As time passes and we learn more about the people who live around Mango street, Esperanza's self is beautifully revealed through her personal interactions. The subtlety with which her character is built provides the power to her realizations about growing up with aspirations as a minority and a woman.

In the first piece, "The House On Mango Street," Esperanza has already faced judgment on her economic status: "The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There...I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to." A comment from a nun from Esperanza's school gives Esperanza an insight into levels of class. Esperanza initially seemed content with the benefits of the new house on Mango street, but this satisfaction is quickly dashed. Esperanza's family quits renting property and purchases a house. Despite this improvement in the family's status, the house is illegitimate by page five. It is no longer "real" from a simple comment by a figure of authority.

This places a fire in Esperanza, and she aspires to better things: she wants to "have a best friend..who will understand (her) jokes without (her) having to explain them" and to not "inherit her [Grandmother's] place" in society. These desires take place by pages eight and ten. However, as Esperanza explores her neighborhood the realities of her world challenge these aspirations. She identifies with her friend Alicia who is "smart and studies...at the university." Alicia's future is potentially a "whole life in a factory or [a kitchen]" though. Esperanza is not in Alicia's situation now - Alicia's "mama died" - but Esperanza could easily share her fate. It is Alicia's father who makes her work in the kitchen packing his "lunchbox tortillas." Esperanza is the oldest of the daughters in her family, and with the death of her mother she could easily find herself packing a lunch for her father.

Realizations like these lead Esperanza first to feel misunderstood, as in "Four Skinny Trees": "They are the only ones who understand me." Esperanza sees the life that will be available to her without independence or an education. So as she watches Sally's interaction with men, or her neighbors Mamasita or Rafaela, Esperanza increasingly identifies herself as someone who does not fit here. This otherness is so great that it causes a split with her highly admired friend Sally, in "The Monkey Garden." Esperanza tries to save Sally from the "ball and chain" by bringing a brick to the garden to confront the boys Sally is hanging out with, but she is rejected and looked at as "crazy." This is where Sally and Esperanza divide forever. Esperanza is so saddened that she wishes she would die. When she doesn't, she knows what she must do. In "A House of My Own," Esperanza details her escape: "Not a man's house...Nobody's garbage to pick up after...only a space for myself to go." I really liked this book, and I hope I can understand what it is trying to save.

Misreadings, Umberto Eco

In the preface provided to Umberto Eco's Misreadings, the author confesses that he "owe(s)...the reader a few words of explanation." Two pages of text follow, citing authors, books and a television broadcaster that Eco will reference in his collection of parodies. Misreadings is comprised of fifteen essays whose topics are generally: sex, democracy, art and science. These are interesting subjects, but unless you are familiar with the laundry list of people and books that Eco references, the essays can be boring or unreadable.

Eco's tone remains essentially the same throughout Misreadings. Despite the occasionally funny joke or insight, the writing itself was boring. Eco mentions this in the preface: these essays are simply "free-wheeling reflections." While I think the topics discussed are interesting, Eco does not pursue any particular point in his discussions. So while he makes insights and jokes, the interesting thought is never pursued for more than a few sentences.

In his piece on burgeoning democracy in ancient Greece, "The End Is At Hand," Eco reflects for twenty-three pages on a variety of figures but his initial assertion - that "[democracy] has been thrown open to all the savant monkeys who desire to approach it" - is never elaborated upon. This is disappointing because Eco makes a couple of great statements. For instance: "[Plato] present(s) the harshest truths of ancient philosophy in the most digestible form...and doesn't hesitate to turn concepts into pleasant and superficial examples." I wish this had been pursued; I found many ideas of Eco's really interesting, and I think the parody would have been much better had a few ideas been discussed to a great depth.

In the essays that referenced material I was familiar with, I felt the discussion to be perfunctory. When I had not read the author's work, I just felt lost. I did find Eco's parodies of rejection letters to famous texts (Don Quixote, The Divine Comedy, et cetera) to be enjoyable. Eco stated that the "parody's mission...(was) that it must never be afraid of going too far;" the bogus book reviews were the only of his essays I felt accomplished this. The level of seriousness changed from piece to piece. In "Letter To My Son," the tone was far more serious and Eco's pastiche subtle. Eco accomplishes his parody by taking an unlikely position on violence. I enjoyed this piece, but the variety in the tone of the essays didn't improve the book for me. I felt this approach was inconsistent at best. This is a collection of articles written for a magazine. It is convenient that they are published together, but I was bored when I attempted to read more than a few of the essays in one sitting.

Poetry again

As some of you know, I took a couple of poetry workshop courses in college. I have tried writing some again, but I haven't been happy with most of it. Here is one that is OK. 5 June

Untitled
The road is ensnarled
with the traffic
it can't handle

It can only think
in two directions at a time,
though the channels
of thought admirably
span 8, 10, 14 lanes
wide
curving and branching
left and right
in coordinated arches

so the impulses
the bursts in
red, green, white
silver, black
big blue hulks
or the powerful giants
hauling their massive
dirty trailers

get hung up
at the bend in the knees
or the strangle
of the neck to the brain
and tick forward
as little spaces clear
itching
making your neck hot,
so you rub it while
you wait for the light
and smoke another cigarette.

First efforts

I started drawing in my last month in Korea. I didn't have a specific idea in mind, but my interests quickly became public transport and text. These are in chronological order, and many are unfinished. 9 March - 26 March

Leaving Asia

I tried out English teaching for the last year and a half. As most of you know, I worked in a suburb of Seoul, Republic of Korea. After graduating from university, I traveled around the People's Republic of China for 6 weeks. When I returned home I found my job prospects to be depressing. Working abroad seemed interesting to me and I gave it a shot. I am not sure what I plan to do now, but I feel confident that I have a direction for the next few years if I would like to follow the path of international English teaching. I think that returning to university within the next year is much more likely.
I liked teaching for many reasons, but I don't want to do it for the rest of my life. The part I enjoyed most about the last year was living abroad. I took the Foreign Service test this past March in an attempt to continue this lifestyle. I did not pass the test, but before I received the results my resolve had waivered. Working in the Foreign Service would have been a commitment of at least 5 years.
I have been considering many options for school, and I have started writing and drawing to see if I am interested in a career related to either of those.