All atwitter

As tempting as it might be to maintain a Twitter-free zone here (just for the novelty of it), credit must be given to the microblogging innovators for one thing in particular. No, it's not the "revolution" in global communication. Neither is it the proliferation of the use of terms such as "tweet" and "twittery." The most impressive feature, by far, is the presence of the comma in direct-address salutations. The initial notice sent to a member who is being "followed" (which actually sounds a bit creepy, when you think about it) by another member remarkably includes a comma between "Hi" and the user name, conforming to correct punctuation standards. So, against the tide of current convention, this latest social network is upholding traditional usage. Perhaps a revolution is afoot, after all.

Subtexting in cinema

Films, like literature, tend to be more interesting when multiple levels of meaning are in operation, adding texture to the fabric of the story. A subtext enriches a film, engaging the viewer's mind to complement the immediate sensory appeal of images and sound.  

This is illustrated very overtly in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", which references Homer's Odyssey. With a protagonist named Ulysses (played adroitly by George Clooney), a danger-fraught journey home, alluring sirens and other obvious correlations to the epic poem, the movie exemplifies how effective the use of a subtext can be.

"Lisbon Story" is another film that incorporates a subtext to anchor the surface action. Examining the purpose of cinema, the drama features a thin plot about a filmmaker's descent into near-oblivion, with a playful glance at Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (which, of course, also supplies the subtext for Coppola's "Apocalypse Now"). 

Subtexts have long been employed in storytelling, probably emerging from the ingenious use of allegory as practiced by medieval writers. The technique has been perpetuated in modern cinema to great effect, continuing an ancient conversation.