tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1665619563748706349.post5179438020998626830..comments2023-10-07T07:44:17.892-07:00Comments on The New Englander: Farewell, Cafe AielloThe New Englanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201310505648616855noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1665619563748706349.post-3357153291653179652008-07-29T14:56:00.000-07:002008-07-29T14:56:00.000-07:00Megadittoes on the pretentiousness and the way it ...Megadittoes on the pretentiousness and the way it just goes hand-in-hand with self-importance. They are two sides of the same coin. (And I swear that wasn't some smarmy Harvey Dent reference...no, really). <BR/><BR/>I liked your word choice -- 'art' makes me think of other forms of expression -- music, comedy, paintings, whatever...if people feel that just because something is *base* (i.e. a Kevin Smith or Seth Rogen movie), simple, or popular, that it therefore can't be good, that's just a totally whack opinion. That's like saying sunsets aren't beautiful because they're so...quotidian.The New Englanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06201310505648616855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1665619563748706349.post-7712616815506529032008-07-28T18:17:00.000-07:002008-07-28T18:17:00.000-07:00Agreed.What's great about Spanglish and Superbad i...Agreed.<BR/><BR/>What's great about Spanglish and Superbad is that it is ALL THERE ON THE SURFACE. It's about real people dealing with real shit. What makes stuff like Batman so popular is that it allows the viewer to feel super-smart about himself -- he is unpacking metaphor. I overheard a conversation in a coffee shop today about the Dark Knight -- being discussed was what the movie says about terrorism. What does it say? That terrorists are nihilists and people, like you wrote, are generally good. It doesn't feel too deep to me -- imagine if there WERE a movie about an actual terrorist and a group of CIA agents trying to catch him: it would have to go a lot deeper than The Dark Knight for people to think it had meaning. That's at the root of pretentious art: it allows people to feel smart without actually thinking. And that's what at the root of pretentious people: an insecurity about their own intellect that forces them to construct airs to make themselves feel more substantial.Jon and Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10387906860079789219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1665619563748706349.post-33415890573067116042008-07-28T15:25:00.000-07:002008-07-28T15:25:00.000-07:00Matt,Glad you like DINK..wish i could claim it, bu...Matt,<BR/><BR/>Glad you like DINK..wish i could claim it, but I first saw it in an Economics textbook during the roaring nineties..<BR/><BR/>..very glad to hear that you're joining me in the distinct minority of Americans who feel that way about Dark Knight. Also, good call out about 'pretentious.' As you know, I'm a huge fan of Spanglish and Superbad. And I mean that in an unblinking, serious way. <BR/><BR/>What they have in common are profound messages about decisions in life, transitions, identity, growing up, etc. but they're NOT cloaked in some lame-o shroud of pretention. It's all there, though.<BR/><BR/>It's interesting to think about pretention can apply to people and places, too. <BR/><BR/>Comparing Lowell to Cambridge, one of the biggest things I always tell people is that Lowell just isn't pretentious. It has so many great elements of a small city, but everything always seems really accessible and no one puts on airs. <BR/><BR/>What I love about non-pretentious people (or places) is that they're just as interesting/smart/talented/fun, etc. but when you strip away the smarmy self-consciousness that pretentious people carry around, you get a result that's just much more real and down-to-earth.<BR/><BR/>-gpThe New Englanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06201310505648616855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1665619563748706349.post-42126154624439207202008-07-27T14:57:00.000-07:002008-07-27T14:57:00.000-07:00Few things...Love "DINK." Awesome.Couldn't agree m...Few things...<BR/><BR/>Love "DINK." Awesome.<BR/><BR/>Couldn't agree more with your Batman review. I found it worse than boring -- it was arrogant, and pretentious. I think the definition of "pretentious" is when you apply extra meaning to something that doesn't deserve it. In this case, using a guy in a rubber suit to comment about the nature of nihilistic terrorism (the argument between Batman and Morgan Freeman about the efficacy and morality of cell phone spying was truly galling) is just preposterous.<BR/><BR/>A movie recommendation -- THE LIVES OF OTHERS. Not sure if you've seen it, it won the Oscar for best foreign film last year, and it is a real humdinger of a movie.Jon and Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10387906860079789219noreply@blogger.com