Why Johnny Can't Read (At The Movies Edition)

We saw Iron Man and liked it, although the ending was a bit predictable and crash-bangy.   But what caught our critical eye was this - early on, the  director went with the well-worn technique of showing a series of magazine covers and newspaper headlines to present the outlines of industrialist Tony (Iron Man) Stark's life.

And one cover, describing Stark's ascension to power at the company his father founded, was this:

Tony Stark Takes The Reigns At Stark Industries

Groan.  Confusion reins.

MORE:  OK, When it reigns, it's poor.  And now I am terribly self-conscious about that apostrophe in "it's".

Comments

[Buford Gooch]

When it reigns, it poors?

[htom]

Those would be from the very old days of newspaper headlines, when the typesetters punished those who needed it.

[MayBee]

$100 million at the boxoffice says: "reigns" is now the proper spelling

[Karl]

Favreau went with "the well-worn technique of showing series of magazine covers and newspaper headlines," but with more reason than most who do it these days. It seemed like a Citizen Kane allusion, given the nature of character.

[EvilGator]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign
works fine

[Adriane]

At least it doesn't say: Tony Kitteh iz teh nu Ceeling Kat @ Stark Industreez, LOL.

[Jane]

Who goes to the movies these days?

[clarice]

I have never been in L.A. where signs, menus, in sum--anything printed-- wasn't full of misspellings. It's a family joke to see who can spot the most, kind of like the license spotting games we used to play on family trips.

[BumperStickerist]

Tom,

I ordered a case of Willing Suspension of Disbelief from Amazon and am having it drop-shipped to your secret undisclosed location.

Enjoy.

[clarice]

Just for fun, a true cat story .
http://explorations.chasrmartin.com/2008/05/04/cat-story/>Gaia

[Jane]

LOL Clarice - I don't understand the whole cat thing, but that is a funny story.

[clarice]

She's a real character. Last week a new cat sitter stopped in to get familiar with the place and watched with bemusement how Gaia yelled until I filled her bath with some water and then reached in and pulled the plug so she could watch the water swirl down the drain---another of her favorite pasttimes.

[kim]

She should learn to flush the toilet. Get an automatically activated one, like in public restrooms. Drop ship your water bill to undisclosed locations.
====================

[Porchlight]

Clarice,

Great story. I also think it's marvelous that your cat is named Gaia.

[clarice]

Thanks,porchlight. kim, she knows how to do that but apparently when she pulls on the handle it is with insufficient force to achieve a flush. OTOH she does know how to and has successfully turned on several of the sink taps.

[Danube of Thought]

Isn't Jon Favreau the guy who had the Sopranos gig, back when Christopher was consulting on Mob matters?

[Danube of Thought]

For anyone playing Clarice's imbecile-spotting game, the surest way to rack up a quick series of hits is to examine every apostrophe. Rougly two out of three are improperly placed or superfluous. (There appear to be a number of sign-painters who believe that an apostrophe is required in advance of the "S" when forming the plural.)

[clarice]

Well, I tried to figure out why misspelling is so common in L.A. and , frankly, I think it's that so many Angelenos are immigrants and the school system is so rotten, but I'd entertain the imbecile theory.

[MayBee]

I just watched Obama on Today call Matt Lauer "Tim" several times.

[MayBee]

Well, I tried to figure out why misspelling is so common in L.A. and , frankly, I think it's that so many Angelenos are immigrants and the school system is so rotten, but I'd entertain the imbecile theory.

Don't forget how many beautiful people from across the land have swarmed LA to make it big but are now doing other jobs here. They aren't all braniacs.
I haven't noticed it yet, but after 5 years of living in Asia, I think my brain just automatically does the English to English translation.

[Elliott]

The most recent menu misspelling I saw was "arugala." I wonder what the price of that has been lately.

[Rick Ballard]

Bitterly high.

[Jane]

Hot Air is reporting from the WSJ that Obama has agreed to end federal oversight of the Teamsters (LUN).

That sounds a little Rezko-esque to me.

[Mattsky]

What happened to Stan Lee's first rule in super heroics - A Superhero NEVER gives their true identity away?

I enjoyed the movie but could have done with out the anti-military industrial complex preaching.

[troy mcclure]

Of course, there's a logical problem,even in a comic book movie, illustrated by James
Cramer's rant. It Stark Industries is not making weapons; at least for the public market, Tony won't have the funds to support
his Malibu pad, the cars, the life style or more importantly; the capital to bring his upgraded suit up to snuff. One assumes Shield will help out; after all they have those flying fortresses; but that's in the future. I know one reads a little too much into this; but it's better than the lovesong
to the 60s, The Last Party, where Downey was imbibing the left's wisdom via future
truthers like Mike Ruppert, Oliver Stone et al.

[Soylent Red]

I just watched Obama on Today call Matt Lauer "Tim" several times.

Maybe he was trying to elicit a Pavlovian tingling effect in Lauer's leg?

[Elliott]

The most recent menu misspelling I saw was "arugala." I wonder what the price of that has been lately.

Posted by: Elliott | May 05, 2008 at 10:44 AM

Bitterly high.

Posted by: Rick Ballard | May 05, 2008 at 10:53 AM

Dare I say skyrocketing?

[richard mcenroe]

For everybody on the intertubes getting yer panties in a knot over the 'lefty' preaching in Iron Man:

1. This was the story arc in the comic.
2. This is a comic book writer's imaginary take on the global arms trade, dumbed down for a Hollywood movie. Whadja expect, a thrilling feature based around 'follow the end user certificates?'

[Charlie (Colorado)]

For anyone playing Clarice's imbecile-spotting game, the surest way to rack up a quick series of hits is to examine every apostrophe.

Not on my blog, please: that right little finger just has no damn sense.

[clarice]

Charlie, I just learned that a local cat rescur oeprationplans to link to your cat tale in their news letter..

[Mattsky]

richard mcenroe I haven't read any of the comic books so I wouldn't know the plots in them. Very few watching the movie will. The movies didn't need the 'lefty' preaching to be a successful film.

[narciso]

the end user certificates, along with the false bill of lading and
the ransom notice in Urdu were on the 'ghost drive'; but point taken.