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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Is Stephen Holden Off His Rocker?

posted by on October 11 at 18:25 PM

With supergenius Manohla Dargis in its ranks, the New York Times film section isn’t in any kind of crisis. But perhaps somebody ought to put the editing reins on Mr. Holden, whose piece about the New York Film Festival contains each of the following phrases:

my longstanding resistance to animation

What? I mean, that phrase would be lame if it ended in “graphic novels,” but in film, where animation practically preceded live action (if you count early trompe l’oeil technologies), began in earnest in the ’00s, and is well represented in avant garde movements…. I don’t know how to respond.

Both films [Pan’s Labyrinth and Persepolis] are immeasurably enriched by examining war and social upheaval through innocent female eyes.

Please note the protagonist is probably 30 by the end of Persepolis, which encompasses much of the plot of the book Persepolis 2. So much for the film’s “tacit” feminism.

And, um,

Laugh-out-loud humor is a scarce commodity at any film festival, but there are yucks galore in…

Wow.

RSS icon Comments

1

"I don’t know how to respond."

Good. Because you'd sound like a know-it-all typical Freshmen film major if you did. This is considering your response would be as boring and empty as your movies reviews are.

Please note the protagonist is probably 30 by the end of Persepolis, which encompasses much of the plot of the book Persepolis 2. So much for the film’s “tacit” feminism.

...okay. Burn?

[Quoted] Laugh-out-loud humor is a scarce commodity at any film festival, but there are yucks galore in…

Wow. You fuckin' know you're a professional journalist when you make posts analyzing torn-up fragments of someone else's article.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 6:43 PM
2

*movie. Fuck.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 6:53 PM
3

God, it's like a total dick parade in Slog comments today.

Posted by chauncey | October 11, 2007 7:21 PM
4

Yeah. How dare someone comment with attitude on a post with attitude. The nerve.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 7:38 PM
5

Oh, I can tell already - tomorrow is going to be a verrrrry long day...

Posted by COMTE | October 11, 2007 7:49 PM
6

@5

Why? Everything you post is perfectly fine. Annie Wagner is aimless and coma-inducing. After 200 words of links/unnecessary profound words/opinionated non-opinions, you stop and wonder if she actually said anything at all.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 7:59 PM
7

OHHH! I get it. Mr. Poe is an alias of Annie's. Too me a long time to get that.

Posted by S. M. | October 11, 2007 8:29 PM
8

I stopped taking the post seriously after reading "supergenius Manohla Dargis." Dargis is unreadable and it is not always clear that she's actually seen the movie she's reviewing.

The whole post must be some kind of joke and she actually loves Holden but has a funny way of showing it.

Posted by PA Native | October 11, 2007 9:16 PM
9

Ah sure, you say that NOW, Mr. Poe.

But wait until tomorrow, when I'm on the other side of the commentor/commentee dialectic.

Then you merciless barbarians will be all over me like a starving wolverine on a creamy peanut-butter covered relapsed David Hasselhoff.

Posted by COMTE | October 11, 2007 9:26 PM
10

Persopolis is french right? Not exactly a nation where feminism has gotten very far.

Posted by Andrew | October 11, 2007 9:33 PM
11

@10,

France? What are you talking about? Were you perhaps thinking of Iran?

Posted by keshmeshi | October 11, 2007 9:43 PM
12

@10

It's a French film, yes. And yes, it isn't a nation where feminism has gotten very far. Nor is it a nation where reason has gotten very far. Or riots. Especially riots.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 9:57 PM
13

This must be a record-breaking comment count for Annie. (Excluding her idiotic Iraq posts, of course.)

Go Annie!

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 10:01 PM
14

I like late night posts. Far and few between, however. Omg! I was always hoping I'd get to use that phrase!

Posted by Amelia | October 11, 2007 10:23 PM
15

wow, I really don't have the time to keep up with all this blog drama. Poe, you really do seem like an A.W. puppet. why the hell else would you comment constantly for 6 hours on a post you didn't like?

If you aren't Annie, quit acting like you *are* her drumming up interest in her posts. If you are Annie, quit duping us all and drumming up interest in your posts. Either way it comes off as desperate and attention-whore-y.

Posted by dbell | October 11, 2007 10:25 PM
16
France? What are you talking about? Were you perhaps thinking of Iran?
No, France. Women only got the vote in 1945 (on American Insistence), the first woman admitted into a grande école was in 1972 (!!!!) and women were not allowed to work after midnight until 2000.
Posted by Andrew | October 11, 2007 10:33 PM
17

I am Annie. Sigh. You got me.

P.S.
You need to learn addition. I know, it's tough. I think my sister's 3 year-old baby is learning it right now. I hear it's a bitch.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 10:33 PM
18

@16

Be careful. Keshmeshi is a raging feminazi. Anything involving women being victims, women who aren't victims--but they're women so they are, women in general, women in a car, women in a bar, women in a house on the farm; she'll comment. And kill you. If you say anything negative.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 11, 2007 10:37 PM
19

Here is Annie's amazing take on Outsourced:

The majority of pilots never make it to screen, but Outsourced’s heartwarming ethnic hee-haws might be just the ticket.

Posted by Lester Bangs | October 11, 2007 11:47 PM
20

I see what you did there, Mr. Poe. Well done indeed.

Posted by Roger Williams | October 12, 2007 1:17 AM
21

Descriptions such as "supergenius Manohla Dargis" make me think that Strangeroos don't have quite high enough standards. I'll file this next to Feit's description of his friends as "like, GRE smart."

Posted by Gabriel | October 12, 2007 2:53 AM
22

I just wanted to jump in and say that I, too, am not terribly enamored by Ms. Dargis. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Posted by Michigan Matt | October 12, 2007 4:26 AM
23

I don't dislike Dargis, I just would never call her a "supergenius."

Posted by Gabriel | October 12, 2007 6:33 AM
24

You west coasters are behind the times!! Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize! Get on it Slog!

Posted by chicagoan | October 12, 2007 6:50 AM
25

@24 I posted the Nobel result a few hours ago in the post below.

Posted by Gabriel | October 12, 2007 6:53 AM
26

Rally Rally Rally!!

Who wants to hold a Rally Saturday to Draft Al Gore? We could meet at Westlake Center!!

Anyone or will it just be me?

Posted by Just Me | October 12, 2007 7:53 AM
27

With her last quote from the article, Annie was trying to say that the editors should have changed "yucks" to "yuks" (I think).

Posted by spell checker | October 12, 2007 8:01 AM
28

i don't want to read the work yuk -- regardless of how it's spelled -- in a moive review. but i feel same way about the expression hee-haws.

Posted by infrequent | October 12, 2007 10:00 AM
29

@16,

Right, and the French beat us to the punch in offering up a female candidate for president -- who came very close to winning.

Posted by keshmeshi | October 12, 2007 11:59 AM
30

@18,

Poe, give me one example of your comments on Slog when you have demonstrated nothing but contempt for women.

Posted by keshmeshi | October 12, 2007 12:04 PM
31

Why would I give you an example where I have demonstrated nothing but contempt for women? That doesn't help me, that helps you.

Any post where I do not speak of women, or to women, would be a demonstration where I'm not showing contempt for women.

And here's the latest compliment I have sent. Please turn your sarcasm radar off before you click this.

I make one crack about Phil Hartman's wife, what, 8 months ago, and now you sniff out every crack I make about women in general, because you think I'm a misogynist. Which is okay, think what you want. It won't change the fact that you're a bitch, and I could care less.

Now go ahead and quote my mockery of McIv's wife and the frying pan. I know you're simply dying to do so.

Toodles!

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 12, 2007 12:34 PM

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