Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest is a 1079 page bible novel, written in the narrative form.  However, differentiating between the typical narrative structure, Infinite Jest goes beyond what is expected, giving insight upon the characters through various point-of-views that mostly all contain footnotes; of which delves further into the disclosed and personal lives of his characters.  Upon reading Infinite Jest, which at first seemed to be entirely focused on entertainment—essentially as a commentary on how it is the one substantial tool that drives all of humanity—the realization of the actual story emerges later on.  This realization—of which I believe to be the actual point of the novel—is human relations, and even more specifically, the complexity within familial relationships.

Infinite Jest is best described as a study between the discourses of human relationships and entertainment.  While half of the novel explores the dependency and power that entertainment has upon every aspect of the living world, the other half presents the struggles that people have with simply living unconditionally.  It is a hard book to describe, as its main point seems to be centered on the theoretical, rather than the narrative.  But for those who want to know the basic run-down of the plot, it is this:  a film cartridge so powerfully entertaining that whoever watches it becomes so extraordinarily obsessed that they cannot go back to living their lives, eventually causing them to die, is “missing”.  After hearing about this film cartridge, Quebec separatists begin their hunt for this cartridge, hoping to use it as a terrorist device against the United States of America.  Three of the main characters, Hal, who is the son of the film-maker, Joelle, the actress in the film, and Marathe, the Quebec spy who is searching for the film are followed throughout the novel, showcasing their lives separately at first, and then in connection to one another.

While this novel is long, it is brilliant and undoubtedly a masterpiece.  The themes, plots, and characters are unique and deeply constructed, so much so, that even I must admit that I probably missed out on a bunch of information.  That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone who is an avid reader—though, I’d recommend reading it at a time where you can pace yourself and really read it properly.  Meaning, don’t add this to your reading if you are in school, or have a heavy workload ahead of you.  While this book is entertaining, impeccably written, and beautifully constructed, it requires a lot of concentration and brainpower.

Fundamentally, Infinite Jest is a book that any self-proclaimed reader should have on their bookshelf.  Personally, I know that I will be reading it again in the future, knowing that I will pick up on more of the information and giving it another chance to blow me away.

Carrie

Carrie, credited as Stephen King’s first published novel, is best described as a horrific epistolary that reads as a research paper derived through a typical narrative structure.  Excellently adapting sharp and precise prose alongside casting a grim exposure upon the themes of religion, supernaturalism (specifically telekinesis), and social deviance, Carrie is undoubtedly a classic masterpiece that should be in every reader’s collection.

For those of you who don’t know, Carrie is about a young girl named Carrieta White (Carrie), who is born with the supernatural gift of telekinesis.  Unfortunately, due to her unusual gift and her excessively religious mother, Carrie is barred indoors throughout most of her life, either praying, or locked in a closet to repent for her sins.  As result, Carrie is mostly unkempt, which makes her a target for bullies at her school.  As they are unaware of Carrie’s gift, Carrie’s bullies push her closer and closer to the edge, until her eventual and unavoidable eruption—morphing the novel into a revenge tale, where Carrie finally lets out her true feelings upon every last person who has ever tormented her.

As mentioned, Carrie is an epistolary novel, meaning that rather than consisting of chapters, the story is told through various different forms of documentations—of which, are expressed by several different characters point of views.  In the case of Carrie, these documents range from diary entries, journal articles, memoirs, research papers, and more.  Consequently, while reading Carrie, it is easy to be overwhelmed by a sense of realism that pushes the intrigue and suspense of the fictional story outwards into the realms of reality.  Moreover, with the dark and torturous storyline, the book pushes the readers emotions as the epistolary literary technique exposes vulnerability and empathetic undertones towards your feelings towards all the characters.  I, personally, have never felt so much shock, hatred, sorrow, guilt, and at times comedy from reading any other book.  Subsequently, with only three hundred pages, I have to credit Stephen King for both his creativity, and his story-telling, as Carrie burns through countless different themes, moods, and moral values in such a small amount of pages—all the while, keeping me entertained thoroughly.

I would recommend this book to anyone.  It is a quick read that is shocking, disturbing, and at times very comedic.  The writing is perfect, the literary elements are exquisite, and all in all, it is probably one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

Weeds, SPOILER ALERT

Created by Jenji Kohan, “Weeds” is a television show that aired on Showtime for eight seasons.  As most fans know, the grand finale of the show was three days ago, on September 18th.  The show itself was remarkable, with some of the best characters I have ever seen on television, most notably Nancy Botwin (played by Mary-Louise Parker).  However, rather than critique the entire show, I would like to focus on a single moment in the eleventh episode of season eight, known as “God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise” that is probably one of the best scenes I have ever seen in my lifetime.

Before going into this scene, I think it would be most appropriate to give the unknowing readers a slight background to the two characters that are showcased within it.  Nancy Botwin and Andy Botwin are sister/brother-in laws, linked by Andy’s brother Judah, who married Nancy.  After Judah’s death is exposed in the first episode, Andy appears (later on in the season) to help Nancy take care of his two nephews.  Andy, smitten by Nancy, assists in taking care of her children, while simultaneously hoping that she will one-day reciprocate to his feelings of love.  However, Nancy continuously denies him, stringing him along with all of her problems–simultaneously showcasing loving emotions towards him, leaving viewers unclear on her true feelings for him.  With this, viewers were constantly awaiting for their eventual and seemingly obvious coupling.

Now, after nearly eight full seasons of over a hundred episodes total, we are finally given what we’ve been waiting for… yet rather than receiving pleasure or happiness out of the situation, we are left with a feeling of emptiness.  Although Nancy and Andy finally hook up, the entire ordeal was cold, grim, and bitter, ending with Andy rushing away from the crying and screaming Nancy.  As Andy runs off, it is clear that he knows that Nancy is only now finally giving in to his sexual advances because she is alone and he is refusing to continue to stay with her—the sex was her tool to trying to keep him from starting his own life, and staying with her.  As she watches him run, she remains on the floor, crying and shouting for him to come back, where she undoubtedly realizes that she has lost the one man who was always there for her.  And within that moment, we can see how much she truly loved him.

The entire scene was completely intense, with a brutal and unsettling sex scene that twisted away from what was expected of Nancy and Andy’s relationship, being happier and fulfilling.  It may not be as amazing to those who have not watched these characters grow together, but it shed tears from my eyes, and I had to write about it.  It is (in my opinion) the best scene of the entire series, and one of the most powerful scenes I’ve ever seen.

“Weeds” is now over, and I can say that I am definitely going to miss the show, however I am completely satisfied with its finale—especially with that incredible scene that tied up the relationship between Nancy and Andy.

Sorry the quality is bad, but this is the scene.

Excision

Excision is Richard Bates Jr.’s debut feature film.  The film is best classified as a psychological dark comedy—however with the emphasis on dark, rather than on comedy.  Excision plays with the viewers mind in an uncomforting new way, making it undoubtedly one of the most unsettling, disturbing, and eerie films I’ve ever seen (and not for gore value, but rather due to its subject matter)—making me feel uncomfortable and awkward during many of the films scenes, which I have yet to feel for any other movie.

It is rather difficult to review this film, as I would really not want to spoil anything for the readers that have not seen it, but I will try my best.  Excision is essentially a film that follows a teenager (Pauline) who is sexually attracted to blood, with a fascination for surgical procedures.  We are shown two sides to her personality in the film: one being her real, living self, where she participates within the compounds of the typical teenage lifestyle—for example, parental rebellion, sexuality, school conflicts, etc.  While her other persona is represented through her fantasized dream world, where she is a beautiful surgeon, sexually ripping through an endless amount of flesh and blood from random humans.  Although these two personas are introduced as separate identities, the audience is quickly shown that Pauline is not afraid to give in to her fantastical desires, regardless of what the real life consequences will be.

This film was exceptional.  I believe it was probably one of the best narratives that I have seen in a long time.  The cinematography is stunning.  The acting was outstanding—especially to the main protagonist AnnaLynne McCord, whose role of Pauline is without doubt an award-winning performance.  The themes and messages in the film were unique.  The soundtrack was perfect.  Literally, I can go on and on about how wonderful everything in Excision was, so I will end this segment by saying that I am extremely impressed with this film (especially as it is a debut feature) and I cannot wait for its DVD release so I can watch it again.

If you are a horror fan with a love for an extremely twisted, dark, and unsettling storylines, I would highly recommend this film.