Word: schtick
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Populism being the most versatile of all the political faiths, Gore had something for everyone - a Pell grant, a promise, a platitude, a plan. He is perfecting his schtick, which is working very well for the incumbent of this sunny status quo: With all this money lying around, we've got enough for everybody that needs it - why do anything crazy? He covered all the ideological ground from Ted Kennedy to Bill Clinton, and refused to give anybody there a reason to vote for George W. Bush (though he did take a stand on the Constitution as a living document...
...clocks in at a lean 101 minutes, the movie takes its time to develop the start of what should be an extremely interesting set of character dynamics. Indeed, the best thing about X-Men is that we await the sequel knowing that we won't get the same schtick from the first one - Singer cleverly delivered a movie that can both stand on its own and yet also demand more intricate resolutions...
...pays off because the part requires unbounded earnestness. The role of Ethan Hunt in MI2 demands just the opposite - a casual aloofness, a confident grace that Cruise can't muster regardless of how hard he tries. Everything else in MI2 doesn't help to conceal his shortcomings. Woo's schtick is growing tired, Thandie Newton just barely survived one of the most thankless roles in recent memory, the plot was just barely there, the action sequences were corny, etc. . And most intolerable, of course, is that ridiculous 'mask' cop-out that they keep throwing in whenever they run into...
...queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach (I have the same reaction to thoughts of Scary Movie. If I think of them simultaneously, I have to pull the air sick bag from under my chair.) Though Carrey tried valiantly to up the ante on the gross-out schtick, the movie just never rose above its cheap tricks. Remember, Mary succeeded because of its pacing - in between the astounding sight gags, the Farrellys toyed with an ultrasweet romantic comedy that offered all kinds of weird nuances in Cameron Diaz' title character. Not only does Renee Zellwegger have zero personality...
...accomplishments. And we respect you. We celebrate your victories with you, and break putters with you when you lose. But if you have any interest in seeing that respect evolve into full-fledged admiration and fondness, you'd be well-advised to drop the whole self-congratulatory post-win schtick. It's grating. And Americans, pompous as we are, prefer to see our sports heroes pocket their wins with a certain degree of humility. Think of Grant Hill, or Bernie Williams, or Mario Lemieux. We love these guys - and they never have to remind us of just how great they...