Saturday, August 29, 2009

Requiem In Pacem: Ted Kennedy

I will not watch the news right now. I do not need to hear about how Ted Kennedy was the greatest man who ever lived.

I lived for seventeen years in a very conservative household so I heard absolutely nothing good about Kennedy until a couple of days ago, particularly from his Wikipedia entry and a couple other bits throughout the web and on the news. It seems like he was a great guy to have as your senator and as a public official representing you, but the mainstream media needs to realize that outside of Massachusetts, and maybe the District, no one cares that much about him. Some coverage of his funeral is fine, and maybe even proper, but for the most part they shouldn't be anywhere near it. (Historically, funerals are private matters.)

I have this sneaking suspicion that there is real news out there just waiting to be found, but they would rather take the easy path and hug a corpse.

Of course Ted knew this would happen. His party is planning on using his death to pass their healthcare bill, just like they wheeled him out other the last several months just to prevent the conservatives from doing anything, so we won't stop hearing about him for at least another couple of months.

But, if he they will let him - Rest in Peace
-X

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Tips For Movie Makers to Make Movies Suck Less

I watch a lot of major motion pictures. I consider it my duty as I have a degree in the entertainment industry. I've been thinking of a couple ways that movies could suck a little bit less. Some of these are based on current movies, others I came up with long ago.

Don't number sequels.
I think it has to do with the concept that everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end that if a move has one sequel, it must have a third. For some reason they insist on numbering the movies, so that you know that they are related. I understand the concept, but it causes the viewer to compare the movie very closely with the original. If the original was big because it was in fact "original" the sequel will bomb because they audience will be expecting it to be as cool as the original. It also suggests that the later movies have no reason to exist other than to continue the original story, which should have been wrapped up in the first movie.

Which brings me to my next point

Do not cliffhanger a movie.
The last thing anyone wants is to watch a movie or $10 only to discover that in six-twelve months he will have to shell out another $10 to find out how it ends. It's okay if the main story has been closed up and that it just implies that the journey continues, but it is rude and disgusting to actually treat a movie ending like a season finale, yes I'm looking at you Matrix Reloaded. They are cutting the last Harry Potter book into two movies but I'm allowing the exception after the atrocity it did to the sixth book.

I like how this is flowing to...

If you base it on something else (a book, a video game, etc.), actually base it on that material.
Every year at least a dozen books/video games/cartoons/comics/etc are made into movies. Three things I think of here:
  1. Stay true to the original work
  2. Update it to be current
  3. Enhance the work to become a Major Motion Picture
Don't completely change the story and claim that it is still based of said work. Updating is fine, change the Nazis to terrorists, Soviets to aliens, US agency to UN agency. Add a black guy to the cast. Make the pseudoscience match better to real science.

Do not change the laws of the universe, such as was done in Eragon. Do not kill off all of the main characters, like in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Respect the original work and make sure that you raise it up to the right level. Just because it is based on a Saturday morning cartoon doesn't mean that you can't take it seriously. In fact, I know I've seen children's movies where they take the kids more seriously then they do super heroes.

If you are going to do it, do it awesome.
This is almost something you could live by. If you are going to do it as well as possible. It should feel real to the audience, there is no excuse for it not to be.

That took longer then I thought.
-X

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Feeding Time

If you haven't noticed I'm posting more often, about once a day in fact. This blog is a growing boy and needs lots of posts to keep it alive.

I'm trying to get myself drawing some more. I'm one of those people who are lazy and don't get out much and I'm not the fruit drawing type. I'm considering a trip to downtown to maybe draw our town hall. I'm also planning on taking part in the Seventh Sanctum contest. I submitted to the third one and never again, then again I haven't had time in ages.

I've refreshed my eBay page so that it will be nice and usable as soon as possible. Oh and I applied for three jobs last night. I really should try doing that earlier in the day but it's never that likely with me.

I happen to be tired because of that and because I read Umbrella Academy last night. To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement.

Well, night then.
-X

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Get Rich Quick Scheme

I'm contemplating get rich quick schemes.
I, of course, have no income coming in except for late graduation gifts, so I'm trying to invent other methods of creating money at least temporarily.
Can I create things cheaply? I'm trained in contruction techniques, painting, and sewing as well as I know how to create jewelry and definitely would like to play around with that some more. I'm just not sure if I want to invest the energy into any of those ideas.
Do I have crap I need and can sell? Yes, actually I do. I don't have a lot of stuff, I gave away and threw out a lot when I moved back to my parents, but I have some things I could get rid of, make less to bring with me and make a couple of bucks on.
To the eBay account then?
I'm still not sure. The last time I sold stuff on eBay I didn't have much luck, this time I do have more time on my hands.
This is not a well thought out entry, because I'm usually not well thought out. I have a couple jobs I actually want to apply for. Tootles.
-X

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Movie Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

SDCC Poster 15 - GIJOEImage by heath_bar via Flickr

So I finally decided what to see. Went to see G.I. Joe, in my usual theater, with my free movie ticket. It was dissappointing.

Not because of many of he reasons that have been thrown around already. More for the corny names than anything else. Everything else they modified and evened out - to the point of the Joes being arrested after being found alone at the scene of destruction equiped with high tech weaponary, but they still have the stupid names. How do you keep a straight face saying those crappy names? Even good friends don't always use nicknames, that's part of knowing that they are really friends (as in knowing someone's real name).

Otherwise the graphics were fine, after some of the reviews I was scared of what I would see. The story was much better than I thought was possible for a movie about action figures. Though I liked the old version of Cobra being from an ancient alien race, than just being a emo kid. That said Joseph Gordon-Levitt did much better with then I think anybody expected him to. I don't think we give enough credit to actors and what roles that can play. We type cast a lot of young actors in young immature roles because they start in them and then resist them when they try to branch out.

It reminds me of Heath Ledger as the Joker, they all doubted at the time and now they feel like no one else could possibly do the character anywhere near the same character.

Enough for now. Added lots of extra reading for you.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Theater Quality

So tomorrow (today if you want to get particular) is Tuesday, which for me is movie day. I go on Tuesdays because I usually go to a Regal Cinema, which have $1 popcorn on Tuesdays. I get it out of tradition, only a couple of times have I gone to a movie and not gotten popcorn. Once was right after I had my wisdom teeth out and I thought it would be bad to have popcorn with a torn up mouth. The popcorn at my Regal actually sucks pretty bad, which is why I go on cheap popcorn night.

So it occured to me to try one of the other local theaters I use to go to. Last time I was there I was not impressed, but I checked the ticket price and they are selling at five dollars, which makes me more willing to check it out. Downside it is kind of defeats the point of going on a Tuesday, it was like a special holiday.

I still haven't decided if I'll go or not, I get points for going to Regal theaters so cheating with a competitor will make me miss out on a free movie (only redeemable two weeks after opening). And this other theater was very sketchy the last time I was there, sticky floors and such.

I'm not even sure what I'm going to see yet and that may have an impact on where I decide to see it. Really in the mood for G.I. Joe.

We'll see.
-X

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Pain and agony

Today, I haven't been very hungry. I couldn't finish my late brunch sandwich and I ate very little at dinner. Had a doughnut for dessert and realizing that I really hadn't eaten enough (for a 21 year old 221 lb man) I threw together a peanut butter sandwich.
Then I had to go to the bathroom. Badly.
I was thinking back to last week when I was in Michigan that I had a similar problem, but no reason why. I barely ate anything in Michigan, mostly because I did not have an opportunity. I thought maybe it was crappy food from the 24-hour dinner we kept eating at. Then I remembered those warning they put about dieting, particularly for vegetarians.
The warning are based off of the concept that people who do vegetarianism correctly feel a lot healthier, note that those who do it wrong feel like they want to die. Anyway, apparently if a vegetarian starts losing weight from when they were eating meat it makes them feel like they are eating meat again, which involves bathroom troubles as well as other various ills, such as headaches and nausea.
They also used similar reasoning on an episode of House M.D. where a young man got sick off of an over abundance of chemicals that had been stored in his body fat (vitamins A, D, E, and K can be stored in Fat, among other things) as the young man loss weight.
So I thought, was I not feeling good a couple months ago when I was last in the 220 pounds range? Oh right, that was when I bought and ate a tub of cookie dough a week before it was recalled out of an e-coli scare. I didn't care at the time because I cooked the dough and it was very much gone by then. I wondered if my upset stomach had anything to do with it but it was already mostly passed my by then.
What similar adventures will I discover as I attempt to lose weight I've had since I was fifteen?
-X

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Every Weekend

mother of dreamsMother of Dreams by breezeDebris via Flickr
So I've been busy. Not busy finding a job, no I'm busy traveling to Atlantic City (for fun), Detroit suburbs (for my brother's wedding), and a neighboring town where I use to do youth community theatre. I keep feeling bad about not looking for work harder, but when I go to the sites they tend to have even less then usual. I should check the temp sites, again.
But in order to not do nothing I am planning on starting affirmations. If you are unfamiliar with the concept it is basically saying what you want over and over again until you get it. It's suppose to be very effective. Also I got a fortune cookie tonight that said
"A dream you have will come true"
Not very specific, as I have a lot of dreams. I have a good feeling about it being the getting an awesome job and moving out of my parents, not the one involving the zombie apocalypse.
I was really hoping to be farther along with a job by now with decent plans to move out by the end of the month, but all of the trips, etcetera I have actual not left me with much time alone to work on it.
Now I've spent enough time playing with this blog tonight, time to try to work.
-X

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

busy week is still busy

So I've been surpisingly busy. Seen two movies in the last two weeks Orphan and Funny People, both were good and eventually I'll start writing reviews of movies I see. And I'll note that I think Orphan is the type of movie you really need to see in a theater to really get the emotion of it.
Other than that, last week I went to Atlantic City - with my parents. My father was there for the Food and Wine Festival, which is a terrible place to go when you are on a diet. The City itself was a bit nicer than I expected, but not anywhere nice enough that I would want to live there. Mostly having to do with the stink of sewage.
This weekend I am heading up to my eldest brother's wedding. He's thirty two, so it is about time. My mother declared that she dieted out of the dress and can't go now. Speaking of which, when I get married I'm dictating what she'll be wearing just to save all those near her the pain and agony of her bemoaning everything about the dress, and to prevent the bride from making comments about it.
Attempting to do the one hundred pushups challenge, but I'm being hindered by the traveling. Other than that, not much happening.
Have things to do, places to be.
-X

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