Monday, November 23, 2009

no country for shooting each other

I think the difference between a game and life is that in life the consequences matter, which makes it more exciting, but also more stressful.

One of the problems of sharing links online is that my conversations become redundant (oh, did you hear about how shellac is bug poo? Yes, Whistler, you shared it in Google reader).

I read No Country for Old Men and I didn't like it that much. I thought the philosophy was too overt and the violence a little self-gratifying. But I think my dislike is deeper. I consider a book well-written if it teaches me new words and describes things in ways I hadn't thought of before. I also like it if there are hidden connections and obscure tangents. Okay, I still don't know why I didn't think it was fantastic. I really hope it wasn't just because it was a bunch of guys shooting each other, because I think that has potential.

1 comment:

Makayla Steiner said...

Wow. I really disagree. I had a hard time watching the movie (visual violence and bloodiness is more difficult for me than written violence), but I thought the philosophical aspects of the book were absolutely stunning. Especially because I think that Sheriff Bell is a voice that is disappearing in contemporary society, which I dislike.

But I liked the book a lot. Not nearly as much as The Crossing, Blood Meridian, or The Road, but I did like it.