Word: manner
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...funny. Or even human. In the previous movie version, as in this one (and I'll bet in the play itself) all the actresses strike comedic poses. They sashay about, rolling their eyes, pouting their lips, making big gestures and talking really fast. It's essentially an antique theatrical manner, the falsity of which the movie camera, dialing in for its close-ups (and even its two shots) exposes as relentlessly now as it did 69 years ago. No one ever gets to act - and this is a cast rich in good actresses - if by acting you mean the expression...
...have enjoyed a quarter-century of critical acclaim, it's that they betray a condescension, almost a contempt, for the people they've created. From the lover-killers in the Coens' first feature, Blood Simple, to the babynappers in Raising Arizona and a raft of Minnesotans in Fargo, all manner of desperately striving oafs populate the Coen gallery of film art. The brothers have been very smart about their characters' being very stupid...
...turn them on right now in your dorm room—the party’s right here, y’all! If you’re wondering what student groups to get involved with, it’s fairly straightforward. Do you find this prose disdainful in a manner that is at once didactic and orotund? If so, comp the Advocate. Are you copyediting this page at Berryline while listening to Miley Cyrus with your pants off? If so, comp The Crimson. Or are you just holding out for a penis joke? Well then, you’re doomed...
...screen, it was much different; the real information, it seemed, was in the tone and manner of the exchange. (On the transcript, Palin's attempt at defining the Bush Doctrine was "His worldview." On the screen, it was "His worldview?" - with a hint of a challenge in it.) She injected "Charlie" into her answers constantly, as if trying to draw him in; he kept a distanced and almost curt manner, following up briskly and often. After a few follow-ups to his question on whether the U.S. had the right to invade Pakistan to pursue terrorist leaders, he asked bluntly...
...aloofness from a person with a too self-assured worldview. Richard Epstein, a Chicago professor and one of the nation's leading libertarians, sees a parallel with Obama's campaign style. When Obama grants audiences to adversaries, Epstein says, "he's got this wonderful manner, cocks his head forward, always asks good questions. You always feel you've been heard out." But in the end, "he doesn't change his mind. He's surprisingly rigid, intellectually...