Still Not Dead!

Stuff’s gotten packed at school, Nanowrimo’s coming up, and it’s a bit too much for me at the moment for me to upkeep the blog on daily updates. Expect lesser updates in the future. However, in December, I’ll post up my Nanowrimo submission, not to mention a revised Life of Pi review. With the sad news, I leave you with an adage:

 

Why is it that the same people that complain about “wasteful government spending” complain when a program that they benefit from gets cut?

Something of Note

Today while mowing the lawn, I pondered something concerning a movie I saw recently. I caught 2006’s Superman Returns on Cinemax the other day, and I noticed an interesting pattern. The five recent Superman films (Superman I, II, III, IV, and Returns) have all featured Lex Luthor as the main villain (with the exception of Superman III which had an original character). I find this rather lazy writing work on behalf of the people who write these, considering the massive library of characters over the comic’s 80-year history. We see Lex Luthor four times at the expense of other, more interesting villains like Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, Doomsday, The Parasite, and many other characters, not to mention many friendly acquaintances, like Superboy, Supergirl, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, and anyone else with the initials L.L. And no, I’m not a comic book nerd, I’ve just memorized the placards in the queue for Superman: Ultimate Flight. That, and copious amounts of Wiki.

So, my question is: when we can see the guy on the cloud, the guy from Htrae, and the mermaid, why do we keep seeing the bald guy in the suit?

An Update (Because You Know I’m Being Productive. Not.)

I’m working on a rewrite of the Life of Pi article. Rather than a dumb synopsis, it shall be a dumb synopsis with points!

Stay classy.

Take Me On, Please

CALLING ALL OBAMA-HATERS, CREATIONISTS, CONSERVATIVES:

Take me on in a debate. You’re sure to lose. Just leave a comment in the comments section and I WILL RUIN YOU.

That is all.

A Proposition

So, you guys, what would you think if I rewrote a few of my old classics? Looking back on some of the…. better (if you can call them that) articles, they seem to be hastily put together, and while the points are cogent, they aren’t really expressed in the way I’d like. I would probably cover the Life of Pi review, the Sea Princess Azuri review, the Ojamajo Doremi article, not to mention a few others. This wouldn’t be a revision of length (as I can’t really make the Ojamajo Doremi article any longer) but rather one of quality, though I think the revisions will add to the word count.

So what do you guys think? Revise, or keep the classics classics?

My Review of The Informant!

(Note: this is NOT the version in the school newspaper; rather, it is the longer version I submitted which was cut down by over one half to make that version.)

They say that truth is stranger than fiction.

This proves true in The Informant!, which hit theatres September 18th. It’s a comedy-infused corporate thriller inspired by real-life events. It is based off a book of the same name by Kurt Eichenwald and stars Matt Damon, with Scott Bakula and Melanie Lynskey as his supports.

Mark Whitacre (Damon) is an executive at Archer Daniels Midland, a farming conglomerate in Springfield, Illinois. This film details his 14-year relationship with the FBI and the intrigue and suspense in his partnership with FBI agent Brian Shepard (Bakula).

Matt Damon executes his character perfectly. By exploiting the archetype of a corporate mole, Damon crafts a fresh, original character. Bakula holds his own as a tactical, analytic FBI agent who likes to get the job done. Whitacre’s conscientious wife, Ginger (Lynskey), brings out his best and sometimes his worst behavior.

Informant! is not just a tale of corporate espionage. It also takes a more introspective look into Whitacre’s life. Damon narrates each new scene, talking about a rainbow of subjects, from paranoia in business to mimicry in evolution to stories he hears from co-workers. All this is set to a quirky, rambling score, which is an interesting hybrid between smooth jazz and R&B. Director Steven Soderbergh creates amazing visuals in this film, making the dull beiges and grays in a row of cubicles seem active and full of life, not to mention the way he brings out the actors’ talents.

This movie is quick paced from the first scene, a title card that tells the viewers that the film they are about to watch is based on a true story, with names, locations, and other miscellany intact. The comedic side shows itself early when a second part of the card appears at the bottom of the screen, saying “So there.” The theatre responded with uproarious laughter.

Unlike comedies of today, which rely on physical shtick, Informant! takes a more nuanced angle, varying from blunt, raucous dialogue to little “ah-hah” remarks embedded in the subtext. The jokes made in the film are more Dilbert than Foxtrot, and some of the references are rather obscure, like the references to Japanese takeovers and the corporate culture-modeled one-liners. This makes for a smart, witty screenplay that really shines.

I give The Informant! three and a half stars out of four, for a comedic and gripping tale that will have you simultaneously laughing out loud and on the edge of your seat. This is not Soderbergh’s first foray into the lives of whistleblowers (he directed 2000’s Best Picture-nominated Erin Brockovich), so it would not surprise me at all if this film is on AMPAS’s list this coming February. I wholeheartedly recommend this film!

I’m Not Dead! (Just on Hiatus.)

I’ve been on hiatus the last couple days. I asked Quincy and DrChuckJustice to help continue the blog (what great help that was) and I’m probably going to still be down a few more days.

Just wanna let you know.

Stupid Movie Alert

I hate watching TBS because of how many times they will repeat the same commercial. One of the most idiotic commercials is for one of the most idiotic movies I’ve ever seen. Ever. This film is The Invention of Lying, which hits theatres in a few weeks. See, I care so little that I’d rather not click my own Wiki link to find the release date. It takes place in an alternate universe where nobody has ever lied. Ever. All that I know is that Ricky Gervais is in it, and he screws everything up. I mean, did you see Night at the Museum?

In short, skip this. No good.

The Kanye West VMA Incedent

Wait a little while, Kanyes gonna let me finish… ok.

IF you haven’t been totally hidden from society in the past week, you’ve probably heard about what Kanye West did at the VMA’s. To recap, right after Taylor Swift recieved her award for Best Female Video, Kanye sprints up on stage, grabs the mike, and says this:

“Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time,” he shouted. “One of the best videos of all time!”

I think he just tied with Joe Jackson on the Asshole scale.

Just look at this from Taylor’s perspective. You’ve just won one of the biggest awards you can get in your carreer, and all of the sudden this jackass runs on stage and says that someone else should have gotten it instead of you.

Doesn’t that crush your little 17 year old heart?

Now everyone is speaking out to Kanye saying he should apologize. Even Kermit the Frog, who went to the VMAs with Lady Gaga, says he should.

However, Beyonce invited Taylor up after recieving her award to finally have her moment. GO BEYONCE!!!

I personally see opportunity from Kanye’s fault, for it won’t be long untill people will start making spoofs of it on web videos/ SNL.

Think about it, what if someone edited Kanye into Forrest Gump?

FORREST: Would you like a chocolate? My mama says life’s like a box of choco-
KANYE:I’mma let you finish, but I think that Life is more like a Taxi, cuz the meater is tickin whether your movin’ or not.

By the way, Forrest Gump: Good movie, Better book. And good base for one hell of a restaurant… (Really good food)

Either way, Kanye, Beyonce think’s you’re an ass, Kermit think’s you’re an ass, Even Obama think’s you’re a jackass. so who is it gonna hurt to apologize?

In Defense of ACORN

A simple defense of Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (trying asking a conservative what ACORN stands for!) would warrant criticism from the loud whiners on the right. Seeing as Republicans get a buzzword or scapegoat and attach to it relentlessly (March’s Corruption Connection, August’s “Where are the jobs?” fiasco, and the as-of-now ongoing Czarmania), it comes as no surprise that a ton of unwarranted rhetoric is being dealt against ACORN for what seems to be no apparent reason. Over the past few months, the tea party people (to no surprise) have demonized the organization, all over a few isolated incidents at local offices. These instances of behavior outside standard protocol have been distored and extrapolated to portrayals of systemic corruption or the delusional belief that child prostitution is “business as usual” around the organization.

These claims are obvious manipulation of a gullible constituency. Even worse, they try to portray ACORN in Obama’s pocket. Sure, ACORN is a group mased on helping the poor and minorities, and these demographics lean left in Presidential elections, but in no way are these tied to Barack himself, nor are they tied to the menagerie of people promoted by the right as the President’s “inner circle.”

Why does this BS propagate?