Quick Shots - 01/Nov/2016

Jeez the year is going by rather quickly.

Bob Dylan Wins The Nobel Prize For Literature Thing

I didn't really remark upon it when it happened because I had ambition my plate at the time, but this business of handing Bob Dylan the Nobel Literature Prize is pretty radical. It's easy to understand the argument in its favour, because the work Dylan resonates everywhere in pop culture.

Dylan's influence is in the Beatles, so everybody downstream of Lennon and McCartney writing pop songs owe a debt to Dylan; Dylan comes to us through Jimi Hendrix with his monumental 'All Along the Watchtower'; Dylan comes through to us via Frank Zappa who was inspired by Dylan to write his on confronting lyrics; Bob Dylan comes to us through any number of folk singers or rock singers who took his song narratives to heart. If one is a Baby Boomer, threes no doubt Dylan worked words into their heads. It's understandable that a certain group of Baby Boomers might feel compelled to hand such a prize to Dylan.

The problem is, if you're willing to give the Literature Prize to Dylan for his contribution, it opens the door to king whether other categories of écriture fall under the purview of the Literature prize. It begs the question if, say, screenwriters and film directors would be considered in future. Or for that matter copywriters and sign-writers and editors of newspapers and performance poets, even. In choosing Dylan, they sort of open up the scope of the Literature prize so far, you wonder if they will ever able to keep it the semblance of a literary prize in the future.

Or, it might just a one off. If it is, then Bob Dylan's one lucky songwriter. If it's not, the Nobel Prize picking board is going to be in for a tougher time in future, because there will be any number of different types of writers who might be considered if Bob Dylan could be a winner.

It's curious it took a while for Bob Dylan to get back to the Nobel folks; it looked as if he were giving them a snub. When he did come out of his shell to talk about it, he was most gushing about the award. You got the feeling that maybe his manager swiped him a slap over the head when Dylan thought maybe the coolest thing would be to push the award right back.

'Prisoners'

There's been quite a number of these children-go-missing-andparents-go-berserk stories. The parental reaction is interesting in this one because they do take the law into their own hands.

Hugh Jackman plays an American survivalist. There's something of an ironic touch to his performance seeing that he's far from that kind of guy. Or maybe he secretly is like that and he's channeling his inner survivalist nut job. It's one of his better performances in the not-Wolverine division. Paul Dano plays an intellectually challenged man-child who Jackman suspects is the kidnapper and in turn kidnaps Dano's character.

Dano is great in this supporting role but wouldn't have been in any running for any Oscars because he "goes the full retard".

'Wild'

I guess this one is a sort of Gen-X-coming-to-grips-with-adulthood movies. Reese Witherspoon plays a woman who has a rough upbringing and becomes a reckless heroin addict who decides to clean up her act by going on a big hiking trip. And she does, end of story.

 It's a strange kind of film where there is no real cathartic moment, just a stagger across the finish line and an abrupt ending. All the same it's a weird film filled with an uniquely American paranoia about other people and gender politics. Men are such inexplicable bastards in this film; even when they're being overly generous with the main character. She comes to the conclusion that maybe all the fucked up things she did are okay because it led her to the trail where she can contemplate her own life as some kind of emotional rollercoaster.

If you want to know what the world looks like from a Narcissistic Personality Disordered person, this is your film.

Cubs-Indians World Series

The Cleveland Indians haven't won the World Series since 1948. The Chicago Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908. They're both very long hoodoos, and one of them is going to get busted in this best-of-seven series. So far it's the Indians who are edging the Cubs 3-2. It's actually been quite good viewing. I hope it goes to Game 7.

I like the Indians' players. There's Andrew Miller who is the proxy-Yankee; Jose Ramirez is a revelation; Francisco Lindor is an exciting shortstop; and Corey Kluber is quite the crafty ace. I like the Cubs too. There's Aroldis Chapman who is the proxy-Yankee with the Cubs; Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo who are the power threats; Javier Baez is every bit as good at second as Lindor is at short; and Wilson Contreras is a damn fine catcher.

It's also funny seeing names like Hendricks and Baez on one side and Carlos Santana on the other. :)