Thoughts from Xander

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:

Stay true to the original work
Update it to be current
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

Image 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.