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Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined By Saxophone, And 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists (2009)

by A.V. Club(Favorite Author)

3.8 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1416594736 (ISBN13: 9781416594734)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Scribner

review 1: I like lists, but not the ones that go1. Take cats to vets for vaccinations2. Sort out problem with drains3. find receipt for broken dishwasherNo, the kind of lists I like are "obsessively specific pop culture lists", of which this book is full. Now there are a few really silly ones in this amusing book such as -20 not so good movies based on good books (surely these AV guys know that you can make a great movie out of a not-great book but hardly ever a great movie out of a great book, it's a rule)100 killer short songs under 2 mins ( huh, too easy, I could do you a list of great under one minute 10 seconds songs)8 unrocking songs about rock music – huh, ALL rock songs about rock music are crap, even The Who couldn't do a good one (oh except The Beatles' version of Chu... moreck Berry's song called Rock & Roll Music, that one is the only good one)Rare reads – books we wish were still in print – huh, this is a poor list which includes Ballard's High Rise which is actually in print everywhereAnd there are lists which are far too American for non-American readers (13 particularly horrible fast food innovations; 24 stupid inventions for lazy Americans)BUT that leaves a lot of good ones such as22 movies with post-credits surprises16 career-jeopardizing labours of love – e.g. Passion of Christ, Southland Tales, 24 great films too painful to watch twice – I could add a few to this list15 common types you meet on dvd audio commentaries (I would like to add the type, usually the director of an indie feature, who goes on and on about the friend's apartment they filmed it in, and where they located the chairs and they coo over the junk on someone's desk like it was discovered in an Egyptian tomb but they don't mention the plot one time)16 films featuring manic pixie dream girls (definition : "the sentient ray of sunshine sent from heaven to warm the heart and readjust the attitude of even the sulkiest, most uptight male protagonist.. who… exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors") – examples : Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown; Natalie Portman in garden State; Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's; Shirley Maclaine in The Apartment ; it struck me that the quintessential hippy girl was sister to the MPDG – e.g. Ruby Tuesday (Stones) and Windy (the Association), and many others)14 cover songs that outdo the originals (they include 9 year old Sheila Behman's version of Desperado! Great!)11 great songs sung by the non-lead singer in the band (but they shoulda not included Yellow Submarine, instead should of added the lovely Goodnight on Ye Olde White Album)Note – these song lists are like Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Show – did you ever listen to that? It's cool and often very funny. I have invented more theme time hours in idle moments, such as- songs about contemplating your own death (Funeral Tango by Scott Walker)- songs about diseases (Whippin' that Old TB by Jimmie Rodgers)- songs of pure embarrasment in which the singer relates autobiographical details they should of shut up about (Ballad in Plain D by Bob Dylan, Chelsea Hotel by Leonard Cohen)I am looking forward to a quiet eveing with youtube when I explore the delights of "15 pieces of music sure to clear a room" - I have a few of those in my collection already and I really like them !Anyway, recommended for putting off any unpleasant household task.
review 2: I think the best way to read this book is in front of a computer with Google at the ready. I think that's how Inventory as a blog post works best, as they can embed clips and links. So as a book, some of the fun is lost in print. Then again, maybe I'm just not "with it" enough to know all the often obscure(ish?) music, movie, book and TV references. However, I still had a lot of fun flipping through this book, and I can definitely say I've expanded my pop culture media knowledge. Not sure if that was ever the point, but now I can talk somewhat confidently about 15 songs guaranteed to clear out a party. I'll even throw in an extra star for introducing me to the Inventory posts themselves, now a favorite part of my RSS feed. less

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