Too often, she tries to build momentum through portentous foreshadowing and cryptic dialogue. Although marked by erudition and great learning, his work tended toward the portentous and overblown. The Tower is sealed from the vast, unknown "Outside" by portentous, impenetrable doors. With chaos descending, everyone is surprised by the sudden and portentous appearance of Luzhin. The film opens with a portentous observation by King Nimrod's chief stargazer. Gregory of Tours recounts that portentous serpents and dragons were seen in the waters. All of this would seem portentous considering the controversy the track subsequently caused. At the 1967 convention there was another, perhaps equally portentous, demand for equality and autonomy. Arthur Birling is described as "a heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties". North Korean media also celebrates natural phenomena witnessed at the mountain as portentous. The song mimics the "portentous" drum rhythm of "Five Years" and features a hand-clap rhythm. At the end Halee shouts "So long already, Artie", a portentous message. The Guardian also reviewed "Infected", criticizing the book's "portentous cliff-hangers and one-dimensional characters". More portentous was the status of the Tamil parties.