Allow me to explain.
EXPLANATION:
I hope I've explained myself eloquently enough. A picture is worth a thousand and one words, and this picture (front and center right!) speaks one of the greatest volumes ever written.
"Great Expectations" is the new "Sex in the Impoverished British Countryside." And boy does it live up to my rather high expectations.
See, I'm not really one for television. I tend to veer towards reading newspapers and books (particularly in languages I don't understand... yay headaches!) Or as I once pompously declared, "I prefer to live in the real world." I got an ear full for that one (Katie, your mockery of me was deserved).
But it's true, I have a really hard time plugging into the experience machine of the small screen. Lost didn't get me for longer than half of the first season, Gossip Girl makes me snooze, Top Gear is only good once a month, and any other show (even ones featuring snarky prostitutes, badass recess school children, calligraphy painting cats or really weird Philadelphian gangs with the best one-liners) doesn't cut it for... longer than a week.
Sad day. Sort of...
This show is only three installments, over three consecutive nights, and even has a literary aspect to it. Puuuurfect.
Now onto The Real Topic of Tonight's Blog Post: a continuation of the differences in British and American culture, as seen by yours "unobservant" truly.
"Americans churns out so much trash every year, so many junk movies, like movies about singing squirrels, and talking animals and that stupid Star Wars." -Grandfather.
HOW DARE HE? Yes, there is a point to be made with the singing chipmunks, and most of the talking animals are banal (Save the dancing monkey rave scene in Madagascar... mindblowing, that was). BUT, he later confessed that he had never seen Star Wars. The old Star Wars are the coolest things since Light Sabers, and anyone who has a beef with them can have a chat with Carrie Fischer in her metallic slave girl costume.
Yet, I've noticed the superior quality of films in general which come from England. They are a captivating bunch on whole, and tend to be seeped in much more culture, meaning and wit. When the yankees wanna blow your cinematic mind, they blow some expensive stuff up and pay for it by a little product placement here, a little endorsement there.
I also get really offended by the unsubtle and flat out biased manner in which American films can barge through. We rarely address most issues in a thoughtful way, continuing with the tried and true cowboy figure who dashes through to save the day, get the exceptionally dim-witted girl and save the world. Every single time.
I don't know enough about british film to make a reasonable comparison. What I have seen however is a much keener interest in serious topics, a much more engaged audience (British documentary films are watched by a significant proportion of the population) and two (or even three!) dimensional characters.
However, I don't know if this is the "fault" of the movie industry, or what the populations actually want. Mfph. ANy thoughts?
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