Comments on: Brad and Angelina http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:45:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: tom c http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-103 tom c Fri, 02 Dec 2005 22:18:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-103 this discussion is little about intelligence and much about heart people who find violence--simulated or otherwise--as entertaining are out of my league, thankfully that people now accept such mean and nasty movies as "cool" makes me happy to have been raised and inspired by the culture of lennon, dylan and other artists who knew that art is about drawing us back to our Source Peace this discussion is little about intelligence and much about heart

people who find violence–simulated or otherwise–as entertaining are out of my league, thankfully

that people now accept such mean and nasty movies as “cool”

makes me happy to have been raised and inspired by the culture of lennon, dylan and other artists who knew that art is about drawing us back to our Source

Peace

]]> By: physicists conquer google | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-102 physicists conquer google | Cosmic Variance Thu, 28 Jul 2005 19:16:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-102 [...] You gotta love google. This is just too funny. A mere week and a half after going live, cosmic variance is now the number 54 hit for “brad and angelina”. Or perhaps Sean has even more of a hits obsession than even I realized, and he did this on purpose. [...] [...] You gotta love google. This is just too funny. A mere week and a half after going live, cosmic variance is now the number 54 hit for “brad and angelina”. Or perhaps Sean has even more of a hits obsession than even I realized, and he did this on purpose. [...]

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Clifford Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:58:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-101 So those of you who found the Brad and Angelina show hopelessly shallow, please tell us on the other thread what you think of "Rize". Or go and come back and tell us. I'm curious. (It is possible to like both, by the way.) -cvj So those of you who found the Brad and Angelina show hopelessly shallow, please tell us on the other thread what you think of “Rize”. Or go and come back and tell us. I’m curious. (It is possible to like both, by the way.)

-cvj

]]> By: Courtney Dimwiddie http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-100 Courtney Dimwiddie Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:44:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-100 Although it may seem paradoxical or even hypocritical for me to quote one of the stupiest movies in the history of cinema, I would adapt Forrest Gump's words and say that "pretty is as pretty does" and question how any sensible person can find Brad and Angelina pretty on that basis. In terms of human achievement, Joe Torre is prettier. Even though I hate the damn Yankees, Torre is expert in an entertainment world that has at least a little substance to it. Baseball is at least a test of human performance under pressure. Being a successful Hollywood movie personality is like being born on third base and thinking you hit a triple. And "witty banter"? I hold with a more traditional definition of wit--"True wit is nature to advantage dressed, what oft was thought but ne'er so well-expressed" (Alexander Pope). "Steamy looks"? This has to be either the softest pornography on record or bait for one of the most romantically vulnerable people on the planet. The less said about "gunshots" the better. Those people who are entertained by mindless violence deserve the culture they get. "A visual feast of elegant settings" reminds me of a friend who said, quite seriously, that she enjoyed watching soap operas to check out the furniture. I mustn't go on. Although it may seem paradoxical or even hypocritical for me to quote one of the stupiest movies in the history of cinema, I would adapt Forrest Gump’s words and say that “pretty is as pretty does” and question how any sensible person can find Brad and Angelina pretty on that basis. In terms of human achievement, Joe Torre is prettier. Even though I hate the damn Yankees, Torre is expert in an entertainment world that has at least a little substance to it. Baseball is at least a test of human performance under pressure. Being a successful Hollywood movie personality is like being born on third base and thinking you hit a triple. And “witty banter”? I hold with a more traditional definition of wit–”True wit is nature to advantage dressed, what oft was thought but ne’er so well-expressed” (Alexander Pope). “Steamy looks”? This has to be either the softest pornography on record or bait for one of the most romantically vulnerable people on the planet. The less said about “gunshots” the better. Those people who are entertained by mindless violence deserve the culture they get. “A visual feast of elegant settings” reminds me of a friend who said, quite seriously, that she enjoyed watching soap operas to check out the furniture. I mustn’t go on.

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Clifford Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:26:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-99 It's not about who's smarter than whom. That is irrelevant and for all I know you may well be smarter than anyone I've ever met. Who knows? I don't even really know what smart means.... In any case, thanks for contributing and do continue to comment from time to time. cheers, -cvj It’s not about who’s smarter than whom. That is irrelevant and for all I know you may well be smarter than anyone I’ve ever met. Who knows? I don’t even really know what smart means…. In any case, thanks for contributing and do continue to comment from time to time.

cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: Ijon Tichy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Ijon Tichy Wed, 20 Jul 2005 11:59:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-98 You are probably right and I am hopelessly wrong. That's part of the reason I come here, to listen to the opinions and ideas of people much smarter than me. I'll pipe down for a while and just listen. You are probably right and I am hopelessly wrong. That’s part of the reason I come here, to listen to the opinions and ideas of people much smarter than me. I’ll pipe down for a while and just listen.

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-97 Clifford Tue, 19 Jul 2005 23:03:42 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-97 Oh yes, *that* will certainly keep us in touch with the general public. It's actually possible for the same person to love a film by Tarkovsky and one by Speilberg. I certainly do. The Brahms violin concerto is one of my favourite pieces of music, but I also really like Macy Gray's "The Trouble With Being Myself". Those people you spoke of almost certainly just mentioned *part* of what they spent their spare time doing, 'cos they thought it looked good. What were they doing when no one was looking?. Maybe Oppie read the odd Superman comic now and again. Maybe Bohr read some "trashy" H.G. Wells Sci-Fi, now so fashionable. And was your brilliant physics professor any less brilliant for liking Star Wars (episodes 4, 5, and 6, I hope you mean) ? cheers, -cvj Oh yes, *that* will certainly keep us in touch with the general public.

It’s actually possible for the same person to love a film by Tarkovsky and one by Speilberg. I certainly do. The Brahms violin concerto is one of my favourite pieces of music, but I also really like Macy Gray’s “The Trouble With Being Myself”. Those people you spoke of almost certainly just mentioned *part* of what they spent their spare time doing, ‘cos they thought it looked good. What were they doing when no one was looking?. Maybe Oppie read the odd Superman comic now and again. Maybe Bohr read some “trashy” H.G. Wells Sci-Fi, now so fashionable. And was your brilliant physics professor any less brilliant for liking Star Wars (episodes 4, 5, and 6, I hope you mean) ?

cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: Ijon Tichy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-96 Ijon Tichy Tue, 19 Jul 2005 22:23:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-96 Why do smart people (e.g. physicists) watch Hollywood films (i.e. mind-numbing consumer products of capitalism), rather than films from such luminaries as Dreyer, Tarkovsky, Bergman, Ozu, Bresson, and Teshigahara (i.e. great challenging works of art)? Einstein played the sonatas of Brahms on his violin, Bohr studied Kierkegaard and developed quite a sophisticated philosophy of "complementarity", Oppenheimer was a Hindu scholar and read the Bhagavad Gita in its original Sanskrit. The concept of a broad, lifelong and high-quality education seems to have been lost on intelligent people these days. As a physics student, I had a brilliant professor who was a fan of Star Wars, I knew a clever post-doc who slavishly watched daytime soaps, and most of my student friends were fans of sci-fi and fantasy of the trashiest sort. I am still befuddled by it. So, intellectually gifted people of the world, let me be your conscience. Leave the trash, dross, and slag of civilisation to dumb dolts like me (who merely fluked his way through two science degrees), and stick to the rare but gleaming jewels of high culture. I beg you not to waste your cerebral gifts on such ridiculous questions as: when are Angelina and Brad finally going to admit they're an item, why does Johnny Depp fail to look silly no matter what role he plays, and is Spielberg the greatest director ever or what dude!? To start your penance, explore three of the following creations in the next three months: Mann's "The Magic Mountain", Bach's "St Matthew Passion", Ozu's "Tokyo Story", Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" and Dante's "Divine Comedy". I'll watch Entertainment Tonight and the Jerry Springer Show to maintain the natural order of things. Why do smart people (e.g. physicists) watch Hollywood films (i.e. mind-numbing consumer products of capitalism), rather than films from such luminaries as Dreyer, Tarkovsky, Bergman, Ozu, Bresson, and Teshigahara (i.e. great challenging works of art)? Einstein played the sonatas of Brahms on his violin, Bohr studied Kierkegaard and developed quite a sophisticated philosophy of “complementarity”, Oppenheimer was a Hindu scholar and read the Bhagavad Gita in its original Sanskrit. The concept of a broad, lifelong and high-quality education seems to have been lost on intelligent people these days. As a physics student, I had a brilliant professor who was a fan of Star Wars, I knew a clever post-doc who slavishly watched daytime soaps, and most of my student friends were fans of sci-fi and fantasy of the trashiest sort. I am still befuddled by it.

So, intellectually gifted people of the world, let me be your conscience. Leave the trash, dross, and slag of civilisation to dumb dolts like me (who merely fluked his way through two science degrees), and stick to the rare but gleaming jewels of high culture. I beg you not to waste your cerebral gifts on such ridiculous questions as: when are Angelina and Brad finally going to admit they’re an item, why does Johnny Depp fail to look silly no matter what role he plays, and is Spielberg the greatest director ever or what dude!? To start your penance, explore three of the following creations in the next three months: Mann’s “The Magic Mountain”, Bach’s “St Matthew Passion”, Ozu’s “Tokyo Story”, Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason” and Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. I’ll watch Entertainment Tonight and the Jerry Springer Show to maintain the natural order of things.

]]> By: Sean Hurley http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Sean Hurley Tue, 19 Jul 2005 20:32:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2005/07/19/brad-and-angelina/#comment-95 Let me preface this by saying that I'm not bashing you. Just that I had a v. different take... Mr. and Mrs. Smith is... a stupid movie. I'm ashamed I even watched it, even more ashamed that I trusted the friends who told me that it was good... I'll admit that I didn't hate it... But I had deep problems with the movie: including the glamorous, 007-style, portrayal of assassin as a profession (sure the benefits rock, but the hours will kill you). The soul of this movie is amoral and insubstantial. The movie wasn't located anywhere. The suburb the couple lived in was outside of Houston. The offices were downtown in NYC. The desert was New Mexico, etc... and aside from a few "friends at the office" the characters weren't rooted anywhere either. Maybe there was a message to this movie... that honesty will cause one's relationships to flourish. Its a shame that none of that honesty was really shared with the audience. Let me preface this by saying that I’m not bashing you. Just that I had a v. different take…

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is… a stupid movie. I’m ashamed I even watched it, even more ashamed that I trusted the friends who told me that it was good… I’ll admit that I didn’t hate it… But I had deep problems with the movie: including the glamorous, 007-style, portrayal of assassin as a profession (sure the benefits rock, but the hours will kill you).

The soul of this movie is amoral and insubstantial. The movie wasn’t located anywhere. The suburb the couple lived in was outside of Houston. The offices were downtown in NYC. The desert was New Mexico, etc… and aside from a few “friends at the office” the characters weren’t rooted anywhere either.

Maybe there was a message to this movie… that honesty will cause one’s relationships to flourish. Its a shame that none of that honesty was really shared with the audience.

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