UNIT 3: ENTERTAINMENT
My name‿ is Paul. I watch‿ a film‿ almost‿ every evening,│ an(d) my wife claims‿ I am‿ addicted. I would describe‿ it differently:│ I am‿ interested‿ in narrative,│ an(d) the cinema is│ where narrative‿ is currently being rebuilt.
The most‿ interesting writingwri-ding‿ in the las(t) ten years has not been‿ in films‿ at alladall│ but‿ in television,│ because‿ a series can develop‿ a character‿ over‿ eight‿ hours‿ instead‿ of ninetynine-dy minutes. However,│ the format‿ also produces‿ a lot ofa lotta padding,│ an(d) many series could be reduced by half without losing‿ anything. Sequels‿ an(d) spin-offs‿ are usually the weakes(t) part‿ of that‿ economy:│ they are commissioned│ because the first‿ instalmen(t) was profitable,│ not because‿ anybody had‿ a secon(d) story to tell.
What‿ irritates me is that predictability is punished‿ as│ if‿ it were‿ a crime. Some‿ of the bes(t) films‿ I have seen were‿ entirely predictable,│ and‿ a cliché can still work│ if‿ it‿ is performed with conviction. My son disagrees│ and‿ only watches‿ adaptations‿ of books he has‿ already read,│ which means he is never surprised. I tell (h)im that the cinematography is‿ a language‿ of‿ its‿ own‿ an(d) that‿ a good‿ adaptation‿ is‿ a translation,│ not‿ a copy. Films may be trivial,│ but they are the way my family still‿ argues‿ about‿ ideas‿ at dinner.