Skip to content

Why Paper Towns is Awesome

2015-07-31 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:47 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing (also: Projects, Personal life) · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion, timely hook

Hank, unscripted, says the Paper Towns movie is good and, like its story, shows that things need not be exceptional to be good; its smaller success may mean we measure success badly. He also celebrates VidCon and mentions tomorrow's colonoscopy.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Unscripted opening

  • ★ Hank is making this video without a script, which he usually does not do. — 00:00:04 · Vlogbrothers

00:00:09 — Hank finally saw Paper Towns; John's 'movie career': TFiOS beat a Tom Cruise film (Edge of Tomorrow / All You Need Is Kill)

  • ★★ Hank finally saw Paper Towns and feels bad that it took him so long. — 00:00:09 · Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★ Hank says The Fault in Our Stars film was the number one movie in America, beating a Tom Cruise movie. — 00:00:18 · The Fault in Our Stars (film)
  • ★ Hank liked the Tom Cruise film but can't settle its title (Edge of Tomorrow or Live, Die, Repeat); its Japanese source book's title, All You Need Is Kill, is far better. (playful) — 00:00:29

00:00:49 — Paper Towns less successful than TFiOS; Hank's fear of disliking his brother's movie

  • ★★ Hank says Paper Towns has been, by most measures, less successful than The Fault in Our Stars. — 00:00:49 · Paper Towns (film), The Fault in Our Stars (film)
  • ★★ That worried Hank: you don't want to dislike a big movie of your brother's book; if he had, he would have stayed quiet and just congratulated John. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:54

00:01:16 — The movie is good: normal people, normal wonderful moments; its success trajectory mirrors its story; how we measure success; pride in John

  • ★★★ Hank was relieved: the movie is quite good and full of great moments; he laughed out loud, clutching Katherine, and the audience enjoyed it too. — 00:01:16 · Paper Towns (film), Katherine Green
  • ★★★ Hank says the film is about normal people having normal but wonderful moments, not exceptional ones: 'not Frodo going to Mordor', just people liking and understanding each other. — 00:01:28 · Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★★ Hank says Paper Towns' success trajectory mirrors its story: things don't have to be exceptional to be good and lovely for those who make and enjoy them. — 00:01:55 · Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★ Hank suggests the film may have a bigger impact on the fewer people it reaches, thanks to its practical knowledge of how the world and relationships work, perhaps why it is less successful. (hedged) — 00:02:11 · Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★ Hank suggests that how we measure success in general may not be very good. (hedged) — 00:02:22
  • ★★★ Acknowledging it is stressful when things don't go as hoped, Hank, as John's brother and a fan, tells John he is great, makes really great stuff people love, and that he is proud of him. — 00:02:27 · John Green

00:02:43 — VidCon happened and was great; thanks to everyone who made it possible

  • ★★★ Hank says VidCon was great and he is buzzing about online video and internet culture; he thanks sponsors, attendees, creators, staff and volunteers, and was freaked out beforehand. — 00:02:46 · VidCon

00:03:20 — Colonoscopy tomorrow, unfed and on Gatorade; still happy; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank has a colonoscopy tomorrow, has eaten nothing today and is living on Gatorade, but is really happy. (playful) — 00:03:20

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Paper Towns (film) · VidCon

Also: People: Katherine Green · Tom Cruise

Works: All You Need Is Kill · Edge of Tomorrow · The Fault in Our Stars (film)

Concepts: colonoscopy

Characters: Frodo Baggins · Mordor

Products: Gatorade

← Previous: Paper Towns, Agloe, and Touring: Thoughts from (Many) Places · Next → I Love You, Hank. Esther Day 2015