Final Magazine Project: Film Review

Matthew McConaughey, left, and Jennifer Garner in "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."


Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

2009

Hollywood heavyweights and a modern twist revamp a Christmas classic.

In this modern remake, the same general elements are still present. A heartless man is living a superficial existence, late night visitors attempt to reveal the error of his ways and an ominous family situation presents a renewed outlook on life. Essentially, the man’s heart has turned to stone as he easily keeps people at an arm’s distance, never allowing anyone to get too close. This behavior stems from one of two things: a severed relationship with his parents at a young age and a broken heart. When the man goes to his younger brother’s wedding, he spends his time ridiculing the institution of marriage. When things start to fall apart, it’s up to him to put the pieces back together.

As a hot-shot celebrity photographer, Connor Mead (played by Matthew McConaughey), is perfectly content with his fun, commitment-free life of women and parties. He does things like break-up with women over conference calls and makes a sport out of sleeping with beautiful women. Just when it seems he may ruin his younger brother’s wedding, he is visited by the ghosts of his relationships past, present and future. On this entertaining journey, he begins to see his life in a new perspective. But is it enough to change his cynical views of love or will he remain the lost cause that everyone thinks him to be?

Fans of romantic comedies can look forward to all the usual heart warming moments, which will bring a smile to any woman’s face. With the sweet, there is always the sour, and the film has a few moments that could even bring a tear to Ebenezer Scrooge. As anticipated, love is the main theme of this remake, as it was in the original. Most romantic comedies pull at the strings of the audience’s heart as they watch the chemistry of the lead couple go up and down, like the waves on a beach shore. The audience roots for the lead couple to get together and the mystery lies in whether they do or not. The director, Mark Waters, who has directed other romantic comedies like Head Over Heels and Just Like Heaven, creates a believable on-screen chemistry between the lead couple.

Although the movie was enjoyable, there were a few scenes that were just too cheesy, even for a romantic comedy. For instance, there are a couple scenes where the male lead is drowned by elements of his womanizing ways. In one scene he faces all the women he’s hurt in the past and they bombard him in such a way that it looks like he’s drowning in a sea of women. The symbolism is appreciated, but the execution is not. In another scene, the man is standing in the rain, only to find that rain is actually the tears that women have shed for him over the years. A shower of tissues that have been used to wipe those tears follows the shower of tears. As if we didn’t get the point, he then proceeds to drown in a shower of prophylactics. Despite a handful of real heart warmers, don’t go into this movie expecting Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton of Nicholas Spark’s The Notebook.


My Favorite Top 5 Classic Movie Remakes:

1. Romeo and Juliet (1996)
WIlliam Shakespeare was a talented writer whose work is still appreciated to this day. The modern remake of the 1968 Romeo and Juliet uses the same poetic language as Shakespeare intended, but places our "star-crossed lovers" in a modern setting. I don't think Shakespeare pictured the Capulet house party as having disco lights and metal detectors, but for some reason it fits perfectly. There are endless gun battles, slick classic cars and neon lights everywhere. Not to mention there is a killer soundtrack to go along with it.

2. Sydney White (2007)
Sydney White, played by Amanda Bynes, is a typical teenager who is facing the trials of making the transition from high school to college. This bubble-gum comedy tactfully pulls ideas from the Disney classic Snow White. Just like in the original, there are a group of seven guys who can be appropriately deemed nerds that act as the seven dwarves. A blond, high-profile girl and president of an esteemed sorority acts as the evil queen. She does everything she can to ruin Sydney's life. Especially since her ex-boyfriend, "The Prince," is interested in Sydney. And the story wouldn't be complete without the mirror on the wall. Only, in the remake it's an online "Hot-or-Not" site that reveals who is the fairest of them all.

3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Leave it to director Tim Burton to take a mildly creepy children's movie about a candy factory and flip it upside down. The 1971 WIlly Wonka and the Chocolate Factory brought to life every child's fantasy. In the remake, Burton sticks to his usual style of darkness and raw humor by casting one of his favorite actors, Johnny Depp, as Willy Wonka. The new film still follows the main premise of the original, but adds some unique back story and vivid imagery. To fully understand the transformation from the original to the remake, imagine yourself going to your favorite candy store. Then, imagine going to that same candy store on acid.

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
The original cartoon from 1966 comes to life in this amazing remake. Whoville becomes a real place, not just a figment of imagination, with the elaborate sets and costumes. Jim Carey plays the Grinch, and quite well too. From the attitude to the voice, it is as if Carey were born to play a grumpy, green creature banished from the year-round Christmas cheer of Whoville. The remake packs so much more story and character development than the short original ever did. All the same characters that audiences fell in love with from the original are still present. For example, little Cindy Lou Who, played by a young Taylor Momsen, is cute as ever with her soft voice and doe-eyed innocence. This is a movie that can definitely be enjoyed at least once a year, if not more.

5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The film, based on a 1988 TV series called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, takes fantasy to a whole new level. With wonderful advancements in technology over the twenty years, the remake features epic battle scenes and flawless CGI characters. The acting is so much more advanced in the Hollywood film that it could bring a tear to a cynic's eye. The TV series looks like a costume party of mythical creatures, but the new version makes it seem as though those creatures really do exist. It takes a lot of skill and work to be able to create another world in the audiences mind, so they feel as if they've actually travelled to a foreign place, and this remake does just that.


RADIO BROADCAST:

FILM REVIEW: GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST

60 SECONDS

‘GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST’ IS A FUN MOVIE THAT PUTS A MODERN TWIST ON A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC.

CONNOR MEAD—PLAYED BY MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY—IS THE ULTIMATE WOMANIZER WHO MAKES A LIVING PHOTOGRAPHING HOT MODELS. THE STORY TAKES PLACE AT THE WEDDING OF CONNOR’S YOUNGER BROTHER—PAUL. CONNOR NEARLY RUINS THE WEDDING…BUT BEFORE IT’S IN COMPLETE SHAMBELES….HE IS VISITED BY THREE GHOSTS. THESE GHOSTS TAKE HIM TO HIS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS. JENNY PEROTTI—PLAYED BY JENNIFER GARNER—IS CONNOR’S CHILDHOOD FIREND AND THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY.

THERE ARE SOME MOMENTS THAT SEEM OVERLY CHEESY AND OVERLY EXAGGERRATED IN THE MOVIE. AND THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN MCCONAUGHEY AND GARNER ISN’T QUITE UP TO PAR.

HOWEVER--ROMANTIC COMEDY FANS CAN REST ASSURED THAT THERE ARE PLENTY OF HEART WARMING AND HILARIOUS MOMENTS THROUGHOUT THE FILM. ‘GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST’ WON’T BE GETTING AN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS ANYTIME SOON…BUT IT SURE IS ENTERTAINING.

-60 SECONDS-

Listen to the podcast

Online News Writing Exercise

I chose CNN.com to review for this exercise since it is the website I use to get my news online.

CNN website

a) Do the news items reflect immediacy?
I'd have to say yes and no. Some of the stories are less than an hour old, but there are others that were updated in the morning. I'm reviewing the articles for Friday, May 8, 2009 at 12:30pm. These headlines are all listed on the home page under "Latest News." Here are some examples:

Obama to address Muslim relations in Egypt speech updated 14 minutes ago
Reviews: 'Star Trek' is exhilarating updated 9:32 a.m. EDT
California wildfire expected to gain strength updated 2 hours, 18 minutes ago

b) Does the site try to help readers save time?
c) Is it quick and easy to get information?
Yes and yes. I think the layout of the website makes it easy for readers to navigate through and find what they are looking for quickly. For instance, the home page has links to all the most recent stories. On the top of the web page, there are links to more specific topics and when you click on those, the site brings up the most prominent stories for the related topic. Each story has a summary lead which allows readers to get the main point of the story just by reading the first paragraph.

d) Does it provide both visual and verbal information?
Yes, along with all the stories, each article has an accompanying image, which relates to the story. The site uses image boxes that sometimes contain more than one image, which you can toggle between in a slide show. The lead story on the home page actually has an image that changes as you revisit that page. I think it's clever to have the image change as you revisit the page instead of taking up too much space with multiple pictures. It also encourages the reader to come back to their site.

e) Do the stories contain lists and bullets to make them easier to scan?
Yes, each article has a "Story Highlights" section in the top-right corner, next to the title. In this section, there is a bulleted list of the main points of the article below it. It essentially allows the reader to skim the points instead of reading the whole article. However, within the article there are no bullets or lists.

f) Are the stories broken into "chunks"?
Yes, all the stories are broken into chunks just the way that we have learned news stories should be. Each paragraph contains one to three sentences and the leads are all one sentence. The language is simple, and so are the sentences.

g) Do stories provide hyperlinks to additional information?
Yes, there are links that provide additional information. For instance, in the story about Obama and Muslim relations, there are links for "Obama" and "Egypt." In the movie review article, there are links to how the director shot a particular scene.

h) Are there opportunities for readers to "talk back"?
I was surprised to find there was no option for readers to "talk back." In my head I imagined there was a comment box beneath the articles, however, when I checked there were none to be found. I personally like to read other readers' comments, but I guess CNN doesn't want that on their site. I can see why. They don't want people posting things on their site that they don't agree with.

i) Does the site use multimedia to enhance understanding and add appeal?
Not really. I did find a video link with the movie review article, but other than that it's strictly words and pictures. I think CNN should consider adding multimedia to their stories to add some appeal.

Topical Blog Post #2

Slice of Life

"You know how things are right now, " Spangle said, "with the economy and everything."

He sat in the plastic lawn chair as he poked his Top Ramen with a plastic fork. The steam rose off the soup in smooth billows.

"Dad, I've been real good with my money lately, but having to take all those forced days off work...I'm kinda hurting right now," said Spangle. "I would just need to borrow, like, two hundred dollars, and I'll pay you back out of my next check."

Like many others in the country, Brian Spangle, 26, is on the phone with his father. He's asking his parents for help as a last resort. He normally avoids talking to his sergeant-like father about money at all costs.

"My boss announced last week that I could either take a twenty percent pay cut or he could lay me off and I could collect unemployment. I'm thinking about asking them to lay me off 'cause I'll make more on unemployment than I would working. With the pay cut, I'd be making less than the amount they started me at. How will I pay my bills?"

Spangle closed his eyes and began massaging his forehead. The soup had cooled and the steam was no longer rising. Spangle listened dutifully to the loud voice on the other end of the line.

"I know."

"I know."

He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I will."

There's a long pause.

"Thanks dad. You'll really be helping me out and I promise I'll pay you back," said Spangle. "And I'll keep you posted on my job situation."

"Alright, then. Bye pops."

Spangle sighs and flips the phone closed.

FInd That Feature Lead

Scene-Setter Lead:

"AFTER three minutes of digging on a muddy and shell-strewn beach along the shores of the Hood Canal in Washington State, I had gathered enough shellfish for a pretty mean paella."

The New York TImes Magazine


Blind Lead:

"THIS is hardly the existential Shakespearean question. But for the outgoing types in a certain niche of society, it does have a lot to do with one’s own identity — and how one acknowledges others."

"The question is, to air-kiss or not to air-kiss?"

The New York TImes Magazine

Focus Story Structure Exercise

It was just another game for Pete Stenhoff, 16, a Chula Vista high school student. He was unaware of the unusual twist that would take place in that particular game his senior year. Stenhoff rammed his head into the ball carrier's chest causing Stenhoff's vertebrae to crack in his spine. He is now confined to a wheelchair.

"I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football," Stenhoff says, and adds, "I wish I would have known just how bad it could be."

Each year there are 20,000 injuries in high school football and 12% of them permanently disable the victims. Since thirty-five percent of the injuries are to the neck or head, most critics blame the helmet. Concern is mounting due to Stenhoff's recent injury and the deaths of thirteen youths last year.

Due to his injury, Stenhoff didn't graduate with his class and is trying to get his diploma by taking correspondence courses.

Topical Blog Post #1

Personal Meditation

Sewing is a lost art. I lay in bed staring at my sewing machine, quiet and sleeping beneath its cover. My childhood memories drift into my subconscious. I recount the endless images and sounds of my grandmother working away on her sewing machine. She would hover over the sewing table and hum along to whatever song quietly floated around the room. The music coming from the radio was overpowered by the beeps and chugging sounds that came from the sewing machine. Every year she would make my Halloween costume, which is something for which people always remembered me. My grandmother put love and care into all the things she created.

Everyday people are faced with the dilemma of what to wear. Many things contribute to the end result, such as what is clean or the occasion for which you are dressing. We rifle through our closets and sometimes sift through scattered piles of laundry, but we never stop and think of the effort that went into making that article of clothing.

I've recently decided to follow in my grandmother's footsteps and learn the lost art of sewing. Often the current fast paced times prevent us from really taking the time to truly appreciate the things around us.

Favorite Magazine

The newsstands call out to the public, enticing them with their bright graphics and catchy tag lines. There are magazines to satisfy any person’s interests whether it is fashion, celebrity gossip or electronics.

I’ve read a wide variety of magazines growing up, but currently People Style Watch magazine is the one that currently holds my intrigue. I surmise the magazine’s target audience is wealthy and trendy women who take an interest in fashion and shopping. A great aspect of the magazine for a frugal fashionista, are the articles that show a celebrity icon wearing an outfit, then show a cheaper alternative that looks almost identical to the more costly original. Along with fashion, the magazine does features on makeup trends, hair trends and celebrity trends. Other magazines focus on the haute couture and runway aspect of fashion, but People Style Watch aims its focus at the fashion consumer.

Unlike veteran fashion magazines, like Elle or Vogue, People Style Watch doesn’t contain any real articles. Short how-to’s and brief explanations or tag lines are the extent of writing involved in this publication. I hadn’t realized the lack of writing in the magazine until this assignment forced me to examine it. I suppose it will be one of my guilty pleasures, which serve no academic purpose, but does improve a part of my daily life.


People Style Watch Magazine