Recently in Features Category

This is a human interest feature from the Star Tribune about an upcoming film.

Old Dogs is an upcoming comedy about two men, John Travolta and Robin Williams, who are both high-rolling sports marketing partners and have their own personal life problems.

The author of this review, Orlando Sentinel, says this movie really bit it (not in a good way). The plot was uninteresting and harmless, according to Sentinel. "There's nothing offensive here," Sentinel said.

This feature was insightful, as it advised readers not to see this movie. But I also couldn't really understand the plotline very well because the only thing Sentinel seemed focused on was ripping apart this film. It's hard to understand features when the author is so negative. That creates a lot of clutter and detracts from what the feature is trying to do, in this case write a movie review.

Next time, I would hope to see more focus on the plot, instead of the author's rude feedback.

Link:

This feature is interesting because of the writing style of the author. The New Yorker's writer Ian McEwan wrote a humorous biography on Michael Beard, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in physics. McEwan talks about Beard's life in a chronological fashion.

McEwan takes readers to the childhood of Beard, talking about how his mother, Angela, shoved food down Beard's mouth.

Then, McEwan Beard got a scholarship to oxford. Then, he served as a junior officer to a variety of different countries.

McEwan adds humor to this story by saying things about Beard, like "took up pornography and masturbation full time, and then girls.

McEwan finishes the feature by talking about Angela's battles with breast cancer and her son's final visit to her in the hospital.

This feature was interesting but it was very hard to read because each paragraph was very dense. Some paragraphs only consisted of a sentence or two, but each was highly detailed. I would recommend this article to a more advanced reader, because I had difficulties reading and understanding the material.

Link: http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2009/12/07/091207fi_fiction_mcewan#ixzz0Yb9rAra8

I found this feature to be very interesting. Vanityfair.com seems to specialize in profiles about celebrities, but this one just seems to stand out. The story is about Meryl Streep, a very accomplished actress, who has won several awards.

Streep is still standing strong in Hollywood. "In the cover profile of Vanity Fair's upcoming January 2010 issue, Leslie Bennett's investigates the mystery of how, at age 60, Meryl Streep has become the industry's 'new box-office queen.'"

Her most recent films include: 2008's Mamma Mia, the Devil Wears Prada, and this year's Julie & Julia.

This is a profile feature because it focuses on one subject and it shows the reporter's interpretation of a person. Many popular magazines interview celebrities to paint a clear picture on whom this person really is.

Meryl Streep said in an interview, "it's incredible--I'm 60, and I'm playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies!" Streep is a beautiful, smart, and talented actress but she seems really down to earth, saying things like, "I hate to have my picture taken!"

I think the ending could have been stronger to this feature. Also, the feature seems to focus on Streep as an actress but not as a person.

Link: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/11/cover-story-preview-leslie-bennetts-on-meryl-streep.html