Final Post

Over the course of the semester I have learned a lot about how to write in general, and it shows in each of my posts. As I progressed through the semester I noticed that as I started writing that I would pick up on habits that made my writing worse. Also just writing the reviews became easier. I started to create my own voice as I wrote each paper. I also noticed that the some of the habits that I would pick up while writing my reviews for this class I started to notice in the other papers I was writing. This was very interesting to see. While looking back and reading my old papers I can see that my writing has improved a lot since I started. I am happy that I took this class, and all of the feedback during the workshop sessions was awesome. As much as I didn't want to read my review in front of everyone, the criticism I received really helped progress my writing. It also helped in the sense that you didn't just write the paper and hand it in like in most classes. The workshops were a tremendous help in improving my writing. Overall my writing has improved tremendously not just in review writing but in any paper that i write. 

Response #2 Dirty Oil

New Yorker review of A Most Violent Year

                In David Denby’s New Yorker review of A Most Violent Year, Denby projects his authority on the subject in the second paragraph. He gives a background of Chandor’s family and a previous film that Chandor directed. “His first feature, “Margin Call” (2011), was by far the best - the savviest and most emotionally resonant – of the films and TV dramas devoted to the financial crisis of 2008” (Denby 2015).  Denby goes on in this paragraphs to say how Chandor’s father influenced how he directed and masterfully blended together performances from actors like Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto and more. Denby tries to establish his authority and credibility in this paragraph and he definitely accomplishes that goal. This is not the only part that makes Denby an authority on this movie.

                Later on in the review, Denby’s knowledge of the film world becomes extremely apparent. “Bradford Young’s cinematography captures the yellowish early-morning light when the drivers set out, but, at times, the wide shots make the movie feel distant; it lacks both the visual excitement that Martin Scorsese or David Fincher would have built into it and the momentum and the rhythm that David O. Russell would have provided” (Denby 2015).  This shows that Denby is well versed in cinematography and can use that knowledge to analyze the films he watches. Denby very clearly projects his authority in this review on multiple occasions, not just the one’s mentioned here. 

Response #1 Authority

New York Times Review of Fury

                At the beginning of A. O. Scott’s review of Fury, he brings up a past role of Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt was also in the movie Inglorious Bastards and the reviewer uses this to catch the reader’s attention. Scott starts off with one of Pitt’s more memorable quotes from the movie. The reference here is comical and interesting as we get to see Brad Pitt take on another role that involves killing Nazis. This immediately grabbed my attention as I have watched Inglorious Bastards and thoroughly enjoyed it. Also I feel as though most people have seen the movie or at least heard of it. This causes the reader to want to read more as they want to see how Fury relates to Inglorious Bastards.

                Scott also does not give away too much information too early. This is an easy trap to fall into, but Scoot does a fairly good job at withholding some information and still making the reader want to know more about the movie. This can be attributed to his reference to Pitt’s other role in Inglorious Bastards. In Scott’s first paragraph he peaks the reader’s curiosity and then hooks them in by the time they are done reading the second paragraph. This is what happened to me as I read his review.     

Response #5 Travel Writing

How does he identify the place? 

He identified the trip as something that anyone can do with any time frame. With his itinerary you can pick and choose which items on the list you can visit. Since he also provides how many days you should spend in each this makes planning for the trip all the easier. It also helps in deciding how long you want to stay for. He gives options for three day excursions and for the full twenty one day trips.

How does he critique the excursion? 

Rick does not do much critiquing of the actual places he saw and visited but rather he critiqued the times to visit, the weather, and the types of transportation you can use. This is very different from what I expected but it is also good as these things can be the most irritating part of a vacation. Since he tells you what to expect from each aspect there are relatively no surprises and this allows you to relax and enjoy the vacation like you are supposed to do.

Assess his tone.

In the first paragraph it is very clear that Rick Steves loved his visit to Ireland. By him just saying, “So much to see, so little time. How to choose?” you can tell that he enjoyed the trip. His tone is filled with excitement and enthusiasm, it almost sounds as if he is trying to get you to buy a trip to Ireland. But he also does not come off as a salesman trying to sell you something. It sounds more like a friend who has just come back from Ireland and wants you to have the same experience that he did. 

Response #4 Ed Hitzel

Ed Hitzel Reviews

1.   1.  I read Ed Hitzel’s review of the Jamaican restaurant, Yardy. His review painted a very vivid picture in my mind. The way he described the steak they cooked made it feel like I could actually see it right in front of me. “Mingled with tender-crisp slices of red and green bell peppers was an ample portion of tender cubes of beef cloaked in a rich and savory brown sauce.” This is just a part of that description.

2.     2. Yes, he made me want to go to the restaurant Yardy even though he said that the atmosphere as lacking a great deal. The way I see it is that when I go to a restaurant I am there to eat not to look at all the pretty things around me. I also don’t want to sit in a gross rotting place with mice running around, but I don’t need fancy ambiance just to eat. After reading this review it furthers my logic in that you have to try something before you can hate it.

3.     3. In the couple of reviews that I read he did talk about how the food was prepared, and it was similar to reading the description of a meal on the menu. He kept it short but gave info so that you generally know how the dish was prepared. Ed did show me some new foods one being the jerk chicken. Even though I had no idea what it was my mouth was still watering even after I just ate dinner.

4.     4. He did inspire me to visit a new neighborhood. Sometimes you can forget what it’s like to eat new foods. You become so accustom to eating the same thing, but after reading some of his reviews I want to visit these places if I could. I also want to see what I can find around Stockton. It always feels good to showing friends something new and having them love it. 

Response #3 Objectivity

Writing objectively suggests that you are concerned about facts and are not influenced as much by personal feelings or biases. In Sasha Frere-Jones’ review “Second Coming” she shows clear love of the artist D’Angelo but still gives a fair review of the artist. Her love does not overshadow her ability to write a fair review. Sasha says, “D’Angelo wasn’t just back – he sounded magnificent, maybe as good as before. Was it possible?” Here she clearly shows that she loves this artist but Sasha backs up her claims. Sasha says, “And D’Angelo may have some of Sly Stone’s rhythmic tics and off-kilometer sense of swing, but his taste in horn and vocal arranging does not recall Stone’s otherworldly, dissonant style.” Doing this shows that even though she loves the topic she does not just blindly love the artist. 

Mickey and Minnie's Inn

Mickey and Minnie’s Inn is a cozy little restaurant that sits on the White horse Pike in Galloway New Jersey. This restaurant was originally a bar that opened back in the 1930s until it was sold to George Garbutt in 1938. The Garbutt family is still running the day to day operations even today. In the 90’s the bar changed into a lunch and dinner restaurant. They also had a complete menu and scenery makeover. Now they serve anything from American, Italian and even German food. I was fortunate enough to have learned of this place from my brother who found it while going to school in South Jersey. When my brother, Rob, told me about Mickey and Minnie’s he raved about how great their German food was, so I had to try it. 

        As we pulled up to Mickey and Minnie’s it looked like every other building on the road and could have easily been missed if you weren't paying attention. The outside is plain with some plants in the front. It looks like a normal house which makes sense because the owners live upstairs. The bartender, who is also the owner, greets every customer with a friendly hello. The low lit dining area is on the left, a pool table can be found on the right, and the bar is right in front of you as you walk in. He told us that we could sit where ever we wanted and that he would be right with us. The dining room’s brick flooring and wood panel walls present a small but comfy eating area.

            The owner came over as soon as we sat down and gave us the menus. I went straight for the German menu to see what they had. The menu displays seven different kinds of Schnitzel, a Sauerbraten entrée and two Wurst entrées. All of these entrées range from $17 to $22. On the regular menu the dinners were about the same price. They also have a wide selection of beers and wine, so much so that it has its own menu. I ordered the German Wurst Sampler which is Bratwurst, Knockwurst, and Bochwurst, served with apple sauerkraut, hot potato salad and spicy mustard. Rob ordered the Sauerbraten: marinated top round of beef simmered in red wine vinegar & beef stock. With just my brother and I ordering from the specials menu and my brother having a beer the bill came out to be a little under $50.

            Each entrée comes with soup or salad. I got the beef and vegetable soup and my brother got a salad. The salad is a basic lettuce and tomato salad with dressing that comes in a side container. The soup was excellent. Two big pieces of meat sit in the middle of the broth with an assortment of vegetables floating on the side. At first I was disappointed with the large pieces of beef because I prefer to taste the meat throughout the soup. But I soon realized that the taste was there even when the beef wasn’t. Then came our entrées and there was a lot to eat. Each plate is loaded with food literally stacked on top of each other. This is the way German food should be prepared. Everything on the plate needs to be eaten with everything because it enriches the taste. In my meal Bratwurst is basically the German version of Italian sausage, Knockwurst is a thicker American hot dog, and Bochwurst is a combination of veal and pork. Each of these were juicy and when sauerkraut was added it gave it a slight sour tang that only added to the flavor. The hot potato salad is sliced potatoes with salt and potato skins, simple but delicious. I only got to sample the Sauerbraten but one taste was all I needed. The meat is chewy and juicy. In just one bite I could taste the red wine vinegar and stock oozing from meat. If you don’t like vinegar in your food you will want to stay away from anything on the menu that has vinegar in it because the taste is very prominent in the meat. Unfortunately after finishing our food we were too full to even try to eat dessert.

            The overall service and the atmosphere of the inn is very welcoming and has a home-like feel to it. The owner who was our waiter, is a very nice and funny man who likes to talk to his customers. These conversations are always short and sweet. Because of him talking to us we ended up talking with the table next to us. The whole experience was refreshing and calming. In most restaurants you won’t even look at the table next to you but here it’s like eating with one big family.

            Overall, I loved going to Mickey and Minnie’s Inn. Everything about it was top notch. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and personal, and the atmosphere was relaxed as if eating a meal at home. One thing I should mention is that the German menu does not become available until after 3pm because there is a special chief who comes in to cook the food. I would give Mickey and Minnie’s Inn a five out of five. So if you are looking for a nice meal out give them a try.