Okay, you always suspected those movie review blurbs in movie ads were artfully punched up with elipses to make them sound better than even the most breathless reviewer could make them. But here’s a list of rather egregious examples of Orwellian editing:
The Talent Given Us (Daddy W Productions)
Dennis Lim, Village Voice: “Raw, fascinating … blessed with almost shockingly unselfconscious performances.”
Actual line: “This raw, fascinating, often unpleasant film is not in the least coy about its queasy mix of exploitation and therapeutic exhibitionism. A stunt premised on the unembarrassed supply of too much information, The Talent Given Us is blessed, if that’s the right word, with almost shockingly unselfconscious performances.”
Not quoted: “basically a glorified home movie…”
The Girl in the Café (HBO)
Oregonian: “An endearing romantic comedy.”
Actual line: “This new offering from HBO Films is at its heart a bit of political propaganda wrapped into an endearing romantic comedy that starts losing its laughs when it gets to Reykjavik and decides its teachable moment has arrived.”
A regular feature, the listing includes blurbs for movies, TV, theater, and books.
(via BoingBoing)