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.

All Summer Long

All Summer Long

                Peace, love and good times. These three things completely embody Kid Rock’s lifestyle and his hit single “All summer Long”, produced by Mike Clark. The song is a single from his 2007 album Rock n Roll Jesus. “All Summer Long” saw great success in the U.S and overseas where it reached #4 on Billboard’s U.S Hot Country Songs, and it hit #1 in six other countries. The song is a sampling of two different tracks, Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". It is considered more of a mash up of these songs because of its close resemblance to the original tracks. If you listen to "Werewolves of London" you will hear the exact same piano chords as in Kid’s song. Also, “All Summer Long” takes the exact guitar riffs from "Sweet Home Alabama". Even though Kid is directly taking the chords from these songs, it is not stealing. On the track Warren Zevon and Gary Rossington (founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd) are listed as two of the writers, and Billy Powell (piano player from Lynyrd Skynyrd) is featured on the song. Also, Kid is close friends with the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd as he has toured with them and he inducted them into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. The lyrics are the only part of this song that are original. Kid reminisces about his misspent days as a young man singing, “While we were trying different things/And we were smoking funny things/Making love out by the lake to our favorite song”. Can feel the warm summer air with that cooling breeze on your face?

Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves in London

                Lynyrd Skynyrd’s most famous song, “Sweet Home Alabama”, was released in 1974 and was produced by Al Kooper. “Sweet Home Alabama” is known for its iconic country sounding guitar riff that everyone can recognize. The songs success is still evident today as it is the epitome of country rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote the song as an answer to two other songs, "Southern Man" and "Alabama" by Neil Young, which dealt with themes of racism and slavery in the American South, and caused a lot of controversy. One example of Skynyrd’s controversial lyrics is “Now Watergate does not bother me,
does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth.” When Warren Zevon released his song “Werewolves in London” some people questioned the authenticity of the song as the chord progression bears a close resemblance to Skynyrd’s song. Even though the songs are similar no legal action was taken against Zevon. Warren Zevon is a one-hit-wonder as “Werewolves in London” was his only notable song. The track’s catchy piano and odd lyrics caught the attention of the U.S. and he even howls on the track multiple times. The track reach #21 on the American Top 40 charts. The impact that these songs had on music can still be heard today through Kid Rock’s song “All Summer Long”. So let me ask you if you sampled someone’s music and didn't give credit to the original artist would your conscious bother you. 

Bombay Indian Restaurant

Located in the corner of the English Creek Shopping Center lies a gem waiting to be found, Bombay Indian restaurant. This hidden restaurant has many things going for it the food, the atmosphere and the service, but you wouldn't know this by looking from the outside. Bombay’s entrance is anything but appealing. The sign and door look old and worn. If you can make it past its ratty exterior you are greeted with the smell of fresh Indian cuisine in a small but cozy low lit room. The food is served as a buffet style but everything is fresh. The best item in the buffet was by far the mixed Pakora. It is like the chicken of India but far superior. Also for those of you who cannot handle spicy food don’t fret, the food has a little kick to it at best but still just as flavorful. The service was also very good. The waiter was attentive but not over bearing. It was also not hard to reach him when you needed to. All in all I would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. They will have something for everyone. 

Seaview Podcast

What’s up guys! My name is Mike Sasso and today I am going to be talking about something that a lot of people have a misconception about, The Seaview hotel. Some of you already know this but for those of you that don’t Stockton does house students at the Seaview. I have noticed that people always say, “Uhhh I got stuck at Seaview.” This bothers me a great deal because I live there and it’s probably the best housing when it comes to accommodations and extra commodities. First off every student at Seaview gets a full size bed! Not those old hard twin extra-long beds on campus, but big, comfy full size beds. Wouldn’t it be great to come back from class and just lay out on your bed like a starfish, well you can’t do that on campus but at Seaview you can. This year living at Seaview I have never had trouble falling to sleep. It’s not just the beds that are big but the rooms are to. A normal room at Seaview is at least twice the size of the rooms on campus. My brother recently visited me at Seaview, he is a Stockton alumni and had never been to Seaview. When I showed him the room he said, “Wow this is huge, I lived in a cube on campus.” Secondly Seaview has 2 pools and a hot tube. There is an outdoor and an indoor pool, so even in the dead of winter it can be a pool day. Also, for the most part the pools are relatively empty because in the winter Seaview doesn’t have many guest so you can have the pool all to yourself. I can’t tell you how nice it is to come back from a day of classes and just go for a swim. Also, you can buy food at Seaview. They have a convenient website that allows you to order food online and then pick it up at the kitchen. The food is a nice change of pace from the food on campus. Some of the things that we get at Seaview are quesadillas, tacos, meatball subs, and cheesesteaks to name a few. You can also get breakfast as well. Some of the breakfast options are pancakes, omelets, and bagels. One aspect of this that you should be aware of is that you can only use flex to buy the food, but Stockton does provide a specialized meal plan for Seaview residents. Now I’m gonna take a quick break so here’s some music. Interlude Welcome back, now if you couldn’t tell I like living at Seaview but it’s not without its problems. One of these problems is that fact that it is off campus. It does get annoying to have to travel back and forth every day, but there is a shuttle service. So even if you don’t have a car you can still get to campus and back. Also the shuttles run every day and they run until midnight. But the shuttles could be more convenient because they only run once every hour so if you miss the shuttle by even a minute or two you might have to wait an hour just to get back. The other thing that bothers me about Seaview is dealing with the regular hotel guests. These interactions don’t happen often because the students are separate from the regular guest but it’s just one of those things you don’t want to deal with. Sometimes when you are just walking around the hotel you might get some glares because it is a four star hotel and when wealthy people see 20 year olds in sweat pants they tend to not like it. But these interactions can be quite entertaining at times. When you run into a drunk guest that’s when it gets fun. You don’t even have to do anything to make it interesting they’re funny on their own. I have had some interesting conversions in the year that I have been here. Well that’s all I have to say about that. Seaview’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. So thanks to Great White Buffalo and Brave Bird for their awesome music and thanks for listening, see ya!

Satsang #1

Nicholas Cage or Johnny Depp

In a choice between Nicholas Cage and Johnny Depp, I would have to choose Johnny Depp because I find that Cage is always playing the same person in all of his movies. I know that recently Depp has been doing this as well, but I find Depp funny and more entertaining to watch. If you put any one movie from both Cage and Depp in front of me and said I had to choose one to watch I would probably choose the Depp movie because you never know what Depp you are going to see. He has one side of him where he is goofy and awkward, but he also has a side of him that is very serious. Both sides of him are very entertaining to watch. When you watch a Cage movie he always plays a crazy guy and he does not do it very well. I usually want to turn off Cage movies with a few exceptions. So Johnny Depp is the more versatile actor and the more entertaining one to watch. 

The Name of the Rose

The Name of the Rose

            Have you ever wondered what a medieval style Sherlock Holmes movie would be like? Well in Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose, that is precisely what you get. The Name of the Rose is based on the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Sean Connery plays William of Baskerville, a murder solving monk. William has the same rational approach to solving murders as Holmes does, and they are both generally not well liked by most of their peers. William, along with his trusty side-kick Adso of Melk, Christian Slater, arrive in an Italian abbey where he is charged with investigating the death of monk. Shortly after his arrival more monks wind up dead, some in very gruesome ways, and it is up to William and his apprentice to find out why.

            One of the best points of this movie is Connery brilliant performance as William. Connery’s quick-witted responses and intuition make you want to see how he is going to figure out what is happening. Although most of his reasoning is kept to himself it’s still fun to watch Connery argue with the monks at the monastery. In one scene William is arguing the about laughter and says, “Monkeys do not laugh, laughter is particular to men.” Connery’s rebuttals and intelligence makes him the most interesting character in the movie.

            The setting was also very well done. The abbey portrays the middles ages better than most modern day films. Modern films set in the Middle Ages, they make it look fairly clean and reasonable to live in, when this was not the case. In The Name of the Rose the way the abbey looked honestly made me feel uncomfortable because it looked that disgusting. In the foreground of one scene a pig is being slaughtered and its guts are spilled all over the ground. Annaud made the correct choice in filming this movie in a real monastery. The setting is something that gets over-looked a lot and it is the most important aspect of immersing your audience.

            There were some things that did bother me. The first is that I felt the movie was too long. After the first thirty minutes it fell into a pattern of interesting and boring events that left me almost falling asleep. This made the middle portion of the movie very hard to watch and stay interested in. Also, this made it feel much longer than just a two hour film. What made the movie watchable was the fact that when you felt bored enough to turn it off, your hit with another death or some revelation. Even with Sean Connery’s performance, one man can only carry a movie so far.

Salvatore, played by Ron Perlman, is one of the monks in the abbey and probably the most annoying character. His endless babbling and shrieks made me want to fast forward every scene that included him. I was hoping that no one would walk by when he was screeching and wonder what the hell I was watching. He also was not the most appealing character to look at. He is a hunch back with one tooth, which sticks out and feels like it might stab you in the face.

The final issue I had was how William just seemed to arrive at his conclusions, sometimes with little to no explanation at all. Comparing him again to Sherlock Holmes, what makes Sherlock Holmes such an interesting character is that at the end you always get to see how everything comes together and how he figured it out. In The Name of the Rose it simply lacks this. Connery’s character sits there and nods his head and just states his conclusion many times. Also, at the climax of the movie when William finds the man responsible he just solves the mystery with zero explanation. It leaves us wondering how he figured everything out

The Name of the Rose did some things well, but it was also lacking in many departments. In terms of the cinematography and the lead actor this movie shines, but in most other sections this movie falls utterly short. This is a movie designed for those who love murder mysteries and are willing to sit through a long two hour film. Anyone else who tries to watch this movie will most likely turn it off after the first half hour or so. I often found myself wanting to turn the film off and if you don’t absolutely love murder mysteries you will probably turn the film off. 

Selfie of Man

Selfie of Man

Tyler Durden, the antagonist of Fight Club, once said, “The things you own, end up owning you.” I think this quote perfectly describes Fred Morton’s “Selfie of Man”. His photo was inspired by “The Son of Man” by Rene Magritte. Magritte’s self-portrait simply shows himself standing on a cliff with a floating apple covering his face. In Morton’s photo he covered his face with his phone. His selfie is a reflection of what the people in our society have become. Everyone in today’s society has become so consumed by technology that they have become the devices themselves. Our material possessions are controlling what we do and how we do it.

Sherlock

Sherlock

            The TV miniseries Sherlock brings the classic tale of Sherlock Holmes to modern day London. The first episode of the series opens up to a John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, who has just returned from Afghanistan. You probably know Martin Freeman from his role as an orc killing hobbit from The Shire, better known as Bilbo Baggins. Yes, the tiny hobbit who saved Middle Earth is now in London solving crimes with the famous Sherlock Holmes. But it’s not as odd of a match as you think because Sherlock Holmes is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who also played the dragon Smaug from the Hobbit series. So now we have a former hobbit and dragon solving mysteries in London. Even with this odd pairing, both Freeman and Cumberbatch take us on a fun, whirlwind ride as they try to find a murderer who makes his victims kill themselves.

As expected Holmes is a well-dressed, intellectual detective who has trouble understanding and relating to other people. The only person in the world who can tolerate Holmes is his partner in crime, Watson. Together they try to piece together the series of murders in London. Watching Holmes when he is trying to figure what is happening at each stage makes him the most entertaining to watch. Even teenagers can find humor in his ridiculous comments and odd behaviors. Watson is the perfect counterpart for Holmes as he is the more normal of the two, but also enjoys the thrill of the hunt as much as Holmes. So if you’re the kind of person who likes a good murder mystery, then this is the show for you. It has intense suspense filled scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat, while also making you laugh at the clever and witty responses from Holmes. If you would like to get a preview check out the link below.

Clip of Sherlock