Lanewatch: Lane Change?

Things seem to have changed for Anthony Lane, a film critic for The New Yorker -- and a proud Brit. I like the magazine, but I've been irritated (and also amused) by Lane's totally Anglo-centric perspective on American movies. In fact, I was able to construct a 10-point checklist of mainly British topics (Shakespeare, Dickens, etc.), at least one of which (and usually about three of which) Lane would feel compelled to reference in nearly every piece he'd written on movies. But he may have changed. He has now written three substantial pieces in a row in which I could not detect excessive Anglo-centricity. I wish I could take credit for this shift, but I have to assume other forces are at work. Anyway, "jolly good!" for Lane. (But I'm still watching...)

Lanewatch

Anthony Lane, The New Yorker's British movie critic, has struck yet again with his review of The Dark Knight Rises. As you may recall, Lane is temperamentally incapable of writing anything of length without referring to at least one of the 10 items on his Anglo-centric checklist: Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolkien, 007, royalty, Harry Potter, Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Sherlock Holmes and something European (non-British, often French). His average seems to be about three of these references per article, and he's right on target in his latest effort. He references 007, royalty (the musical piece "Pavane for a Dead Princess") and something European (Ravel, the composer of that piece). Just for fun, he throws in a mention of Hitchcock and calls Bruce Wayne's living quarters a "castle." Clearly, the boy can't help it.

Lanewatch

As I've mentioned before, Anthony Lane, the British film critic for The New Yorker, apparently has a master list of 10 topics, at least one of which he must reference in just about everything he writes. That list, you will recall, includes: Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolkien, 007, royalty, Harry Potter, Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Sherlock Holmes and something European (but not British). Lane's review of The Amazing Spider-Man references three of these: Shakespeare (in the first paragraph!), royalty (the fictional Queen Narissa, played by Susan Sarandon in Enchanted) and something European (Faust). He also references fellow-Brit Roald Dahl, as he did in his recent review of Moonrise Kingdom. A couple more nods to Dahl and I might have to add him to the master list.

Lanewatch

Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Ed Norton and Bruce Willis in Moonrise Kingdom

Anthony Lane's review of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom in The New Yorker reminds me that I left out one of his favorite references in my previous posting about him. In addition to Shakespeare, Dickens, 007, royalty, Harry Potter, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien and something European (non-British, often French), this British film critic also likes to reference J.M. Barrie, as he does in the Moonrise Kingdom review. (I also forgot to put Sherlock Holmes on the list, for an even 10.) In addition, his review carries a subtle reference to Shakespeare (the word "tempest" seems carefully chosen for its literary association), as well as to fellow Brits Roald Dahl and Frances Hodgson Burnett. He cites British composer Benjamin Britten, but I guess I have to give him that one: Britten's work is apparently an important element in Moonrise Kingdom.

How to Read Anthony Lane

Although I like The New Yorker, I don't care for the work of Anthony Lane, one of the magazine's two main movie critics. Lane is British, and my problem with him is that his perspective so obsessively British as to seem almost pathological. A while back, though, I figured out a way to enjoy reading Lane. His frame of reference is so narrow that in almost every piece, whatever the subject, he manages to reference one or more of the following:
1) Shakespeare; 2) Charles Dickens; 3) James Bond; 4) Royalty; 5) Something European (but not British), often French; 6) Harry Potter; 7) Lewis Carroll; and 8) J.R.R. Tolkien.
So, for me, his recent review of Dark Shadows was fun to read in almost the same way a scavenger hunt can be fun.  In it, Lane manages to reference Nos. 1 (specifically, The Merchant of Venice), 3 and 7, with references to fellow-Brits Michael Powell and Edward Lear thrown in as a bonus. Jolly good!