The Rise of Korean Film Superiority

In one of my favorite T.V. cartoons, “The Critic”, Jay Sherman sings "I love French films, pretentious, boring French Films. I love French films, two tickets s'il vous plaît!" That was 1994 and Jay Sherman was taking his middle-school aged son and his Cuban girlfriend to the movies. Sherman was a film critic who hated almost every movie he saw, basically only considering foreign movies worth ratings other than "it stinks!"

I connect with Sherman in this regard. In many cases, I would much rather watch a good foreign movie over a good American movie. This isn't to say that simply because the movie touches American hands that it possesses diminished quality, but instead that American film motifs are familiar, overused and boring. Name one recent American movie that doesn't have love somewhere...anywhere...in the whole film. Even the refreshing originals, like Inception, fall back to some of these overused themes.

Among all the world film industries, Korea stands alone as understanding the balance between art and excitement: French movies are very artistic, much like slowly walking through a museum – and American movies are exciting, like riding a rollercoaster. But like a museum trying to make a “fun exhibit!” or a theme park displaying local art, the movies just comes off as all wrong. There are some gems worth the time and money of viewers, but unfortunately the vast majority of American cinema is starting to rot to the point of inedibility.

Writer's Block

Whenever I find myself sitting before a blank page with pen poised and ready for employment, I remember the movie Throw Momma from the Train. In a scene from this farcical treatment of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, Billy Crystal sits at a typewriter attempting to paint the setting of his new book. As he tears nigh unmarked pages from his typewriter, Crystal reaches the precipice of madness, unable to move beyond "The night was..."

I often fair a little better than Crystal's character, composing at least three sentences before the invisible wall stealthily advances and sets itself firmly between the muse and I. Yet, once that third period appears on the page, I too am pacing, tearing, overturning tables, and pillaging villages (I have it on good authority that William's 1066 conquest was the result of the duke's failed novel). Again like Crystal's character, I always seek an excuse for the inspirational stream's meager flow. Perhaps the cream of my talent is skimmed off by the students I help, allowing them to construct passing essays and damning my frequent creative attempts to malnutrition. Maybe I've emaciated my mind by playing too many video games and watching too many cartoons, leaving me with a polluted wasteland for a brain--an atrocious lie given the creative richness of both mediums. Perchance my creative powers have atrophied from a lack of exercise? If only blame were riches.

So often have I fallen that I've sought the most ridiculous of remedies. I've hazarded daily journals, prompts, discussions, practice, abstinence, dramatic experiences(à la Throw Momma from the Train), and pure force of will all in the attempt to rape the muse(read Gaiman's "Calliope" in his Sandman series). Needless to say, none were successful, though some yielded interesting results of other natures.

Strangely, the greatest remedy for the drought of inspiration derives from a musing a friend once spoke on the subject of religious journaling. He suspected that people are intimidated by journaling because they feel they must write something profound. And there was the rub. The same infernal desire which animates the charm of writing serves as its chain. Only when one lets go of the demand for perfection can one dare to brush its robe. As Ken Robinson in one of his TED presentations states, creativity in children stems from their ignorance of failure. By knowing how one can fail, one is doomed to falter, but if one forgets how to fail, one releases his or her skills from the chain. Absolute faith results in absolute satisfaction. The trouble is mustering absolute faith, and that is still beyond my understanding.

The American Temptation

I've gone back and forth on Dinesh D'Souza -- sometimes I like him,  other times I don't.

I vaguely remember seeing him on The Daily Show years back. He was  unassuming -- a little Indian guy with glasses, a soft voice, and calmly conservative (contrasted against Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck). I can't remember why he was on the show, but he  was laid back and funny. I found him pretty charismatic. He also  seemed to be the next poster child for Republicans: educated, conservative,  intellectual, Christian and...well...not old and white.

A few years passed and I watched him debate Christianity at Oregon State. The question in the debate was "Is Christianity Good for  the World." D'Souza was everything I remember: articulate, laid-back, poignant, intelligent. He presented Christianity from a unique viewpoint – his family was converted to Christianity by “The Portuguese Inquisition”, as he said it. He discovered that Christianity literally came to his family “at the point of a bayonet.

Why I Love Trains

Red is an American living in Japan. You too can experience Japan, from the perspective of Red. It goes without saying that this is the best perspective, and probably even better than going to the country for yourself. His experiences will be chronicled here per his own convenience. Any questions may be left in the comments or sent to bethanytable@gmail.com

Tonight is my lucky night.

I managed to catch a ride on the express train home. Hey, that’s about 15 minutes off of my commute.

My luck continues. I look to my left. Score! An open seat! Yes, tonight is shaping up to be a great night.

Why I Love Rhetoric

Reading the recent posts of my friends, I find myself in a romantic mood. Though I find little pleasure in politics, I find myself on the cusp of ecstasy as I read, hear, and generally experience the impassioned debates between ideological foes. If I may be poetic for a brief moment, arguments between people are the breeding grounds of creative language. The passions of the opponents may appear hateful, but they become amorous for their munitions of words as the carefully crafted bullet points storm the gates of opposing minds and seduce the ethereal forms of counter points. When one reads the previous titles: "Why I Love Political Partisanship" and "Why I Hate Political Partisanship," one sees the fruit of such an erotic interview, allusion. In these debates, Rhetoric, the core of argumentative language, finds harbor and sows its seed amongst the ready population of ideological concepts, siring the sling-stones and arrows of argument.

Why I Hate Political Partisanship

There is a core belief at work in Erik's criticism of bipartisanship: he seems to think that being partisan means advocating for your constituency. This fallacy colors the entirety of his arguments, and leads him to a multitude of incorrect conclusions. Bipartisanship does not mean, nor imply, that people with opposing political views will decide to compromise their beliefs for political expediency. Rather, the intention is to achieve progress that is in the best interest of the country.

Why I Love Political Partisanship

I mostly use CNN and Newsweek as my sources for the happenings of Washington D.C. One repeating message coming from many commentators is the growing partisanship of all the politicians on both sides of the aisle – how disagreements in the chamber are turning personal. And the subsequent analysis is that government is becoming paralyzed because those Republicans and Democrats just refuse to cooperate.

On the surface, this may sound scary, perhaps even signaling a growing apprehension between people on the Left with people on the Right. Political discourse over dinner may prove awkward, but it doesn't prevent the dishes from getting cleaned. So people apply the same logic to Washington D.C., attempt to identify government as worse now than it was fifteen years ago, and conclude that things are bad because, gosh darnit, those politicians just can’t get along!

I agree with everything asserted above, except that partisanship is actually a good thing for America. Here are five reasons why:

Introducing the BTE

Welcome everyone to the Bethany Table Experience! Please comment and contribute to our ongoing debate -- as if you were sitting at the table with us!

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