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Sunday, December 14, 2008

CHANGELING

Changeling, Clint Eastwood's next-to-latest movie, opens in Spain this week. We'll have to wait until February to see his latest one, Gran Torino. Two movies in one year, not bad for a 78 year old. Both movies have had mostly great reviews in the USA.


Starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich, and set in 1920's Los Angeles, it tells the story of a woman whose son disappears and is later returned by the police. There's one problem, though: the boy is not her son. In order to save face, the police will discredit the mother and she'll be thrown into a mental institution. It could be a novel, but it is actually based on a true story: reality is stranger than fiction.

The title comes from European folklore; a "changeling" was the offspring of a fairy or troll secretly swapped for a human child. The ending -ling appears in several words with a diminutive meaning, indicating origin or the young of animals, such as duckling or earthling.

You can see the trailer and other film clips by visiting the official webpage.

Watch this video review by Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.



You can also read his review by clicking here.

The story was published in the Los Angeles Times, which as part of the promotional campaign set up a webpage with clippings of the original articles, like this one. Click on the image to visit the page.


From a journalistic point of view, they also published this article on the story. Be careful, though, it contains spoilers (that is, details about the plot).

If you're really a film buff, you'll enjoy this other material from The Guardian with a more cynical perspective. You will find another video review, two written reviews, video interviews and a curious blog posting entitled 'Hollywood and the myth of mother courage'.

Finally, here's a funny slide show starring Angelina Jolie's lips:

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

TASTELESS MARKETING?

Do you like fast food? Burgers? Do you prefer McDonalds or Burger King? These are the big two in the USA, but there are more: Carl's Jr, In'N'Out, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Red Robin, etc.

Burger King recently launched a new campaign called 'Whopper Virgins' . Here's one of the ads:



This kind of ad is called a teaser: it's short and leaves you wanting more information. As you can see, the idea is to have people from remote places, who haven't a clue what a burger is, to taste-test a Whopper versus a Big Mac, as explained in this promotional video:



Smart? Well, the campaign has stirred a lot of controversy. Many people have criticised Burger King for making fun of developing countries . Others think this is precisely what Burger King wants: controversy. Check out these articles:
Also, watch this segment from Fox News, which comes with a transcript:


It seems burgers have a history of tasteless marketing. Paris Hilton's ad for Carl's Jr reached new heights:



Or maybe not. As far as taste goes, 'It takes all sorts (to make a world)'.

Finally, if you're addicted to burgers, you'll be happy to learn about the world's biggest, unhealthiest one:


The Quad Burger is available in Australia at Hungry Jack's restaurants, and your taste buds will start watering once you see what's included in this thousand calorie monster.
  • 4 beef patties
  • 4 slices of cheese
  • 8 strips of bacon
  • A swath of sweet, sassy BBQ sauce