Philip French, The Observer, Sunday 9 August 2009 Article history
Produced by its female star (and involving as much personal embarrassment for her as Sandra Bullock provided for herself as producer-star of last month's The Proposal), this is an old-fashioned battle-of-the-sexes comedy refurbished with the kind of language (mostly about oral sex) that would once have made a maiden blush, though blushing maidens are now rarer than flame-snorting dragons.
Katherine Heigl plays a workaholic daytime TV producer in Sacramento who's forced by a ratings crisis to employ charmless, shock-jock, male chauvinist Gerard Butler on her programme. His slobbish counselling turns her into a sex-hungry slut, he discovers a more considerate, sensitive inner gentleman and they pass each other going in different directions before getting together on a hot-air balloon. The most shy-making scene in a distasteful film occurs when Heigl tries on a pair of vibrating panties, is suddenly whisked off to a smart restaurant and has a loud, long-drawn-out orgasm while making a pitch to network executives. Where are Harry and Sally when we need them?
1. Summary
This is a review written by Philip French about the movie: The Ugly Truth. He finds it an old-fashioned battle-of-the-sexes comedy. He thinks there’s a sexual use of language, mainly about oral sex. He thinks the scene where Katherine Heigl is wearing a pair of vibrating underwear and is having a loud orgasm, is the most shy-making scene. He ends with the sentence: ‘where are Harry and Sally when we need them?’ This sentence is probably referring to the movie: ‘When Harry met Sally’ where Sally is also having a loud orgasm in a lunchroom.
I don't agree with the reviewer. The review is set with a negative tone. But I don't agree, because there is tension in the movie: if she's going to stay with Gerard Butler or not. I thought this film kept fascinating me. Of course I agree with the reviewer about the distasteful scene where she's wearing a vibrating panties. But at the other hand the audience, when I watched the film, was laughing quite loud at this scene.
2. Why did you choose this text?
I’ve chosen for this film review, because yesterday I went to the cinema to watch this film, The Ugly Truth. I was curious what other people, in this case a reviewer, think of this film.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
For me it was a difficult use of language. First because he uses very long sentences. The first paragraph is only one sentence and the whole review consists out of only three sentences! Also he has a difficult use of words. For example: flame-snorting and shock-jock.
Style
The reviewer uses a lot of hyphenation, which is used to join words: battle-of-the-sexes, shock-jock, sexy-hungry, shy-making and long-drawn-out.
4. Type of text
A review belongs to mass communication. It’s an evaluation of a publication, in this case of a film. It is meant for a wide audience. It can be read by people who would like to watch the film, but don’t know if it’s good enough. Or by people, like me, who would like to know what other people, reviewers, think of the film.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/09/ugly-truth-film-review
zondag 22 november 2009
zaterdag 21 november 2009
Baby's voice 'saved coma mother'
Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, her husband Paul and their son, Ollie
A woman who was in an induced coma after contracting E. coli says the sound of her baby's voice helped to pull her through her ordeal.
Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, aged 32, a librarian from Wrexham, was affected by the bug at the end of July when her son Oliver was 10 weeks old. During her five-week coma her husband Paul played tapes of their baby. She said she had "wanted to die", but after hearing Oliver's voice she decided: "I need to live". At the time, The Llay Fish Bar in the town was named as the likely source of infection in four people. Ms Morrisroe-Clutton is now recovering after her 67-day stay at the Wrexham Maelor hospital. Though she has made a near full recovery, she has been desperately ill, suffering seizures, kidney failure and being put into a medically induced coma. She said: "I did know that I was dying at one point. In fact because I was having all this treatment I knew it wasn't working; at least something wasn't working quite well.
"I gave up. I wanted to die. But I heard Ollie. "I heard his voice because Paul was playing the tapes and I turned around and said I can't do this. I need to live. I heard him and thankfully I pulled through."
'Massive smile'
She was not able to see Oliver for eight weeks while she was in intensive care because of the risk of infection but she said she had pictures and video and she knew he was being well looked after.
Once she was on an ordinary ward, they were reunited. She said: "He did remember me... sort of gave me a look and then this massive smile came... it was just wonderful." She added that her consultant, Stuart Robertson, had been desperate to get her back with her baby to speed up her recovery. She said: "He hoped it would help... it did... I had something to live for." Ms Morrisroe-Clutton said she was now "almost" back to normal, apart from some slight liver damage which will eventually repair itself. She is also suffering from muscle weakness after being so long in a hospital bed. She praised hospital staff, particularly Dr Robertson, who she said never gave up and fought tooth and nail. In a statement on the fish bar, Wrexham Council said an investigation at the site was continuing. Toni Slater, from the council's public protection department, said: "The Llay Fish Bar has been inspected on numerous occasions. The council is still satisfied the fish bar is still complying with the legal standard."
1. Summary
This article is about a mother, who was in a coma. She says that her 10-week old baby helped her through her hard period. Her husband played tapes of their baby and his voice made her decide she didn’t want to die. She probably became ill after eating at the Llay Fish Bar in town. She couldn’t see her son for eight weeks.
2. Why did you chose this text?
I’ve chosen this text, because when I saw the head: Baby’s voice ‘saved coma mother’, I was very curious to the story of the mother. I think it’s a very special story, but not worth the BBC News. I think that all mothers, if they hear the voice of their child, want to live again.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
This was an article, which was easy to understand. Not a difficult use of language and no long sentences.
Style
The only thing that shows off to me is that the writer of the article uses a lot of statements of the mother in the article. It doesn’t contain a lot of information and facts. It’s a nice story, but as I already said, not worth the BBC News.
4. Type of text
It is a news article from the BBC, so it’s mass communication. It will be read by a lot of people, who read the BBC News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8295061.stm
A woman who was in an induced coma after contracting E. coli says the sound of her baby's voice helped to pull her through her ordeal.
Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, aged 32, a librarian from Wrexham, was affected by the bug at the end of July when her son Oliver was 10 weeks old. During her five-week coma her husband Paul played tapes of their baby. She said she had "wanted to die", but after hearing Oliver's voice she decided: "I need to live". At the time, The Llay Fish Bar in the town was named as the likely source of infection in four people. Ms Morrisroe-Clutton is now recovering after her 67-day stay at the Wrexham Maelor hospital. Though she has made a near full recovery, she has been desperately ill, suffering seizures, kidney failure and being put into a medically induced coma. She said: "I did know that I was dying at one point. In fact because I was having all this treatment I knew it wasn't working; at least something wasn't working quite well.
"I gave up. I wanted to die. But I heard Ollie. "I heard his voice because Paul was playing the tapes and I turned around and said I can't do this. I need to live. I heard him and thankfully I pulled through."
'Massive smile'
She was not able to see Oliver for eight weeks while she was in intensive care because of the risk of infection but she said she had pictures and video and she knew he was being well looked after.
Once she was on an ordinary ward, they were reunited. She said: "He did remember me... sort of gave me a look and then this massive smile came... it was just wonderful." She added that her consultant, Stuart Robertson, had been desperate to get her back with her baby to speed up her recovery. She said: "He hoped it would help... it did... I had something to live for." Ms Morrisroe-Clutton said she was now "almost" back to normal, apart from some slight liver damage which will eventually repair itself. She is also suffering from muscle weakness after being so long in a hospital bed. She praised hospital staff, particularly Dr Robertson, who she said never gave up and fought tooth and nail. In a statement on the fish bar, Wrexham Council said an investigation at the site was continuing. Toni Slater, from the council's public protection department, said: "The Llay Fish Bar has been inspected on numerous occasions. The council is still satisfied the fish bar is still complying with the legal standard."
1. Summary
This article is about a mother, who was in a coma. She says that her 10-week old baby helped her through her hard period. Her husband played tapes of their baby and his voice made her decide she didn’t want to die. She probably became ill after eating at the Llay Fish Bar in town. She couldn’t see her son for eight weeks.
2. Why did you chose this text?
I’ve chosen this text, because when I saw the head: Baby’s voice ‘saved coma mother’, I was very curious to the story of the mother. I think it’s a very special story, but not worth the BBC News. I think that all mothers, if they hear the voice of their child, want to live again.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
This was an article, which was easy to understand. Not a difficult use of language and no long sentences.
Style
The only thing that shows off to me is that the writer of the article uses a lot of statements of the mother in the article. It doesn’t contain a lot of information and facts. It’s a nice story, but as I already said, not worth the BBC News.
4. Type of text
It is a news article from the BBC, so it’s mass communication. It will be read by a lot of people, who read the BBC News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8295061.stm
vrijdag 20 november 2009
Visitors find Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile wider than ever in Wrexham
The world’s biggest Mona Lisa has been unveiled at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham. It is 50 times bigger than the 16th-century original by Leonardo da Vinci and covers 240 sq m (2,580 sq ft) — the equivalent area of 22 London buses. It is also double the size of a version painted by Rolf Harris in Edinburgh in 2005, which was the previous largest Mona Lisa. Visitors are allowed to touch the painting and can also get a bird’s eye view from a balcony above the artwork.
Katy Webster, an artist, was in charge of the community project which took 245 people, using 86 litres of paint, 987 hours to complete. She said: “It’s mind-blowing, but the smile is still as enigmatic as ever. It took over a week to do her face — everybody knows what it looks like so we had to make sure it was exactly right.
“Our version has a different style to the original because the paint is acrylic but I think it works well. This has been the best bit today — putting her together so we can see the Mona Lisa in all her glory. Because there’s a balcony overlooking our Mona Lisa people will have a spectacular view of her.
“It is really great that this project by Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre has brought art to the community with so many members of the local community involved in creating this amazing piece of art. It is really important for me that art is accessible and adorns public spaces, like this wonderful centre, instead of locked away in galleries.” Fine art graduate Jude Davies did 200 hours of work on the project and was barely able to contain her excitement. She said: “People see different things — the more you look, the more you see. I didn’t realise that she hasn’t got any eyebrows. On her face everything is blended in. Her smile changes depending on how and when you look at it. Her eyes seem to follow you wherever you’re standing.” Sections of the painting are being sold in aid of Hope House Children’s Hospice but it will be on display for two years before being broken up. Kevin Critchley, manager of the shopping centre, had the original idea for the giant painting. He said: “Our Mona Lisa has a lot of advantages over the original. It’s a lot bigger so she is much easier to see, admirers will not have to queue to make her acquaintance, there isn’t any entry charge to Eagles Meadow, and unlike the version in Paris you will be able to touch her.”
This week, scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, claimed to have solved the secret of the Mona Lisa’s smile. They discovered that the subject, Lisa Gherardini, is both smiling and not smiling — depending on which cells in the retina pick up the image and through which channel the image is transmitted in the brain. A member of the team, Luis Martinez Otero, said: “Sometimes one channel wins over the other and you see the smile, sometimes others take over and you don’t see the smile.”
1. Summary
In the Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre in Wrexham is the largest Mona Lisa painted on the floor. It’s made by 245 people and there are 86 litres of paint used on an area of 240 squared metres. Visitors can have an overview from a balcony. They are even allowed to touch the painting, comparing to the real piece in the Louvre in Paris where visitors are not allowed to touch it.
2. Why did you choose this text?
I’ve chosen this text because this autumn holiday I went to Paris. In Paris we’ve visited the Louvre. The largest national museum in France. Where I saw the Mona Lisa (also known as: La Gioconda). When I saw the head of the article, I was curious to the rest of the article. That’s why I’ve chosen this text.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
There is no difficult language used in the article. Of course there were words that I didn’t understand, for example: enigmatic, retina, acquaintance. But overall this was a text that I could understand well.
4. Type of text
This is a type of mass communication, namely a news report. It’s meant for a wide audience, namely all the readers of the Times. The writer of this text gives factual information about this large Mona Lisa.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6894525.ece
Katy Webster, an artist, was in charge of the community project which took 245 people, using 86 litres of paint, 987 hours to complete. She said: “It’s mind-blowing, but the smile is still as enigmatic as ever. It took over a week to do her face — everybody knows what it looks like so we had to make sure it was exactly right.
“Our version has a different style to the original because the paint is acrylic but I think it works well. This has been the best bit today — putting her together so we can see the Mona Lisa in all her glory. Because there’s a balcony overlooking our Mona Lisa people will have a spectacular view of her.
“It is really great that this project by Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre has brought art to the community with so many members of the local community involved in creating this amazing piece of art. It is really important for me that art is accessible and adorns public spaces, like this wonderful centre, instead of locked away in galleries.” Fine art graduate Jude Davies did 200 hours of work on the project and was barely able to contain her excitement. She said: “People see different things — the more you look, the more you see. I didn’t realise that she hasn’t got any eyebrows. On her face everything is blended in. Her smile changes depending on how and when you look at it. Her eyes seem to follow you wherever you’re standing.” Sections of the painting are being sold in aid of Hope House Children’s Hospice but it will be on display for two years before being broken up. Kevin Critchley, manager of the shopping centre, had the original idea for the giant painting. He said: “Our Mona Lisa has a lot of advantages over the original. It’s a lot bigger so she is much easier to see, admirers will not have to queue to make her acquaintance, there isn’t any entry charge to Eagles Meadow, and unlike the version in Paris you will be able to touch her.”
This week, scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, claimed to have solved the secret of the Mona Lisa’s smile. They discovered that the subject, Lisa Gherardini, is both smiling and not smiling — depending on which cells in the retina pick up the image and through which channel the image is transmitted in the brain. A member of the team, Luis Martinez Otero, said: “Sometimes one channel wins over the other and you see the smile, sometimes others take over and you don’t see the smile.”
1. Summary
In the Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre in Wrexham is the largest Mona Lisa painted on the floor. It’s made by 245 people and there are 86 litres of paint used on an area of 240 squared metres. Visitors can have an overview from a balcony. They are even allowed to touch the painting, comparing to the real piece in the Louvre in Paris where visitors are not allowed to touch it.
2. Why did you choose this text?
I’ve chosen this text because this autumn holiday I went to Paris. In Paris we’ve visited the Louvre. The largest national museum in France. Where I saw the Mona Lisa (also known as: La Gioconda). When I saw the head of the article, I was curious to the rest of the article. That’s why I’ve chosen this text.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
There is no difficult language used in the article. Of course there were words that I didn’t understand, for example: enigmatic, retina, acquaintance. But overall this was a text that I could understand well.
4. Type of text
This is a type of mass communication, namely a news report. It’s meant for a wide audience, namely all the readers of the Times. The writer of this text gives factual information about this large Mona Lisa.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6894525.ece
Belgium daylight Magritte robbery
A painting by surrealist Rene Magritte worth 750,000 euros (£675,000) has been stolen in broad daylight from a Belgian museum, curators say.
The 1948 nude entitled Olympia was stolen by two unidentified men, one of whom was armed, police said. It was stolen from a gallery dedicated to Magritte's life and work at his former home in northern Brussels. Magritte died in 1967 and is recognised as one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century.
The painting depicts the surrealist's wife, Georgette, lying on her back with a shell on her stomach.
It was part of a permanent exhibition in a house in Jette where the artist worked for nearly 24 years, and is separate from the city's Magritte museum which opened in June.
Appointment only
The theft happened shortly after the museum opened on Thursday, officials said. "Two people, one Asian-type, one speaking English and one French, broke in, armed with a gun," Andre Garitte, the museum's curator told AFP. The thieves forced museum staff to lie down on the grass as the robbery took place and then fled, he added. Two visitors were reportedly in the museum at the time of the robbery. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported. Entry to the museum is by appointment only.
Magritte's work has inspired pop and conceptual art, the cover of a Rolling Stones record, a video by Oasis, and songs by Paul Simon and John Cale. He was influenced by popular art - from the slapstick of Laurel and Hardy to the detective novels of Dashiell Hammett - and started as a commercial artist, designing covers for sheet-music, posters and even wallpaper. But in his paintings, he wanted to make people think about what he called "the mystery without which the world would not exist," by showing familiar objects in shocking or dream-like surroundings.
1. Summary
A painting by Rene Magritte has been stolen from a Belgian museum, by two unidentified men of which one armed. Fortunately nobody was hurt because no shots were fired. It was a painting of a woman lying on her back with a shell on her stomach, worth €750.000.
2. Why did you choose this text?
It happened in Belgium, that’s very close to us so I was interested in what really happened. I was even more interested when I read that he was influenced by popular art. That’s because we have an assignment at arts now about popular art.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
It isn’t really difficult, but it’s not childish either. I found the article on the site of BBC News, one expects a difficult language but it was really easy to understand. Ofcourse there were words I didn’t understand, like; curators and depicts.
Style
Almost the whole text is written in the same style, the editor only used the function bold for the title, the introduction and the head: Appointment only.
4. Type of text
I think it belongs to; Mass Communication. This is because it’s meant for a wide audience, namely all the readers of BBC News. Because many people read this newspaper it must be understandable for a wide audience. Within Mass Communication it belongs to; News Report. I think this is because the writer gives factual information about a painting that has been stolen from a Belgian museum.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8272787.stm
The 1948 nude entitled Olympia was stolen by two unidentified men, one of whom was armed, police said. It was stolen from a gallery dedicated to Magritte's life and work at his former home in northern Brussels. Magritte died in 1967 and is recognised as one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century.
The painting depicts the surrealist's wife, Georgette, lying on her back with a shell on her stomach.
It was part of a permanent exhibition in a house in Jette where the artist worked for nearly 24 years, and is separate from the city's Magritte museum which opened in June.
Appointment only
The theft happened shortly after the museum opened on Thursday, officials said. "Two people, one Asian-type, one speaking English and one French, broke in, armed with a gun," Andre Garitte, the museum's curator told AFP. The thieves forced museum staff to lie down on the grass as the robbery took place and then fled, he added. Two visitors were reportedly in the museum at the time of the robbery. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported. Entry to the museum is by appointment only.
Magritte's work has inspired pop and conceptual art, the cover of a Rolling Stones record, a video by Oasis, and songs by Paul Simon and John Cale. He was influenced by popular art - from the slapstick of Laurel and Hardy to the detective novels of Dashiell Hammett - and started as a commercial artist, designing covers for sheet-music, posters and even wallpaper. But in his paintings, he wanted to make people think about what he called "the mystery without which the world would not exist," by showing familiar objects in shocking or dream-like surroundings.
1. Summary
A painting by Rene Magritte has been stolen from a Belgian museum, by two unidentified men of which one armed. Fortunately nobody was hurt because no shots were fired. It was a painting of a woman lying on her back with a shell on her stomach, worth €750.000.
2. Why did you choose this text?
It happened in Belgium, that’s very close to us so I was interested in what really happened. I was even more interested when I read that he was influenced by popular art. That’s because we have an assignment at arts now about popular art.
3. Typical examples of vocabulary and style
Vocabulary
It isn’t really difficult, but it’s not childish either. I found the article on the site of BBC News, one expects a difficult language but it was really easy to understand. Ofcourse there were words I didn’t understand, like; curators and depicts.
Style
Almost the whole text is written in the same style, the editor only used the function bold for the title, the introduction and the head: Appointment only.
4. Type of text
I think it belongs to; Mass Communication. This is because it’s meant for a wide audience, namely all the readers of BBC News. Because many people read this newspaper it must be understandable for a wide audience. Within Mass Communication it belongs to; News Report. I think this is because the writer gives factual information about a painting that has been stolen from a Belgian museum.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8272787.stm
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)