Tuesday, October 14, 2003
“Scare quotes” gone “wild!”
I received a rather odd “gift” from my “bank”—a “movie guide.” I'm not sure “how” or “why” I “rated” this “gift” but I have it. And as “movie guides” go it's not that bad—the films are all “critically acclaimed” or “blockbusters” so it's a fairly decent guide to films. But the “listings” are “rather annoying” in that “scare quote” style. For instance, for Duck Soup:
Duck Soup [Black/White]
1933. Directed by Leo McCarey. With the Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont. 70 minutes. Not Rated.“Hail, hail Freedonia” cry fans of the “anarchic” Marx foursome, whose trademark “lunancy” is at its “peak” in this “political sature” about a “mythical dictatorship”; “absurdly funny”—it includes the “legendary mirror scene with Groucho and Harpo”–it's the brothers' “finest hour” and voted top of the Marxes in this Survey.
See?
Or how about The Princess Bride:
PRINCESS BRIDE, THE
1987. Directed by Rob Reiner. With Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright. 98 minutes. Rated PG.Despite the “chick-flick title”, this “lighthearted” but “fractured fairy tale” defies “categorization” and is admired by “even the most macho” guys for its “swordfights” and “verbal jousting”; thanks to an “intelligent” William Goldman script, “masterful” direction by Reiner and an “incredibly talented” cast, “finding a better movie is inconceivable”—“plus it's got André the Giant.”
I'm surprised the “printers” didn't run “out of quotes” when printing this “movie guide.”
Most “amusing.”
