Archive for July, 2010


Today

Filed under: Inspirations — Leave a comment
July 29, 2010

Today I’m appreciative of my father giving me the space to follow where my heart takes me…

I got an unexpected phone call asking if I would be interested in being part of a panel talking about (black) cinema.  I said I’d be flattered and I would be.  Movies are one of my passions (sports, music, and ‘the cycle of life’ are probably the other three topics I could still talk about all night now in the same way I could as a teenager).  Anyway it wasn’t all that long ago that I told my father that my future and my past don’t seem connected anymore (what most adults refer to as ‘life’).  And his response as usual was along the lines of, “Well let me know where you’re going.”  And that might not seem to be that great of an anecdote but I’ve reached a point in life where it means a lot to me.  It’s having a choice, it’s freedom from being judged. It’s knowing someone gives a damn. I took that for granted as a kid but I recognize now that for some all the hard work in the world can be made meaningless without any type of encouragement.

Today I’m appreciative of ‘the Fellas’ for a lifetime of hilarious stories, not all of them mine…

I was driving home and I got a call from one of my college buddies who’s here in L.A.  And somehow he ended up telling me about the night some drunk chick literally trapped him and his roommates in their dorm room.  2 in the morning on a Saturday night, and those three fools all ended up staying inside all night because they could hear her (literally) laid out in front of the door, yelling “I know you’re in there!” at least once an hour!  I’m still chuckling as I type that out.  I may be wrong but I think this is the first time all of us are in serious relationships, at minimum.  College days swiftly pass but the memories are forever.

Today I appreciate my sister for reminding me to be a little more ‘self-conscious’…

I seemed to have learned how to ‘tune people out’ before I knew what the phrase meant.  It’s a great quality to have I think because you’re staying inside of the moment of what’s in front of you.  You don’t get big headed over every compliment, you don’t feel destroyed over every negative remark.  But there is a downside.  I’ve spent more time talking to my sister as of late, and even though we’re both adults it’s weird to me in a way to hear how she ‘looked up’ to me.  It certainly wasn’t me ‘trying’ to set an example or being anything other than myself, but there were two of us and I was older so…there it is.  Anyway it’s a reminder to me that just as I tend to quietly go about my business, there are probably others who quietly watch me or read me or study me as an example of some kind.  And maybe I should grow some rabbit ears once in a while even though it’s against my nature.  Because sometimes you really have no idea how highly someone thinks of you.

Tonight I go to bed rich with the experience of life.  Tomorrow I add to the riches.

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Under the Red Hood

Filed under: Movie Reviews, the Batman — Leave a comment
July 26, 2010

 

Time for another geeky post…

As the countdown to Batman 3 officially begins, Warner Brothers released an animated version of the comic story, “Under the Red Hood.”  Like its namesake, this animated film centers on a new supervillain in Gotham taking on the persona of the Red Hood.  Or rather, an ‘old’ villain.  The Red Hood persona was used by many Gotham criminals over the years, including the Clown Prince of Crime himself.  This new version of the Red Hood seems to have ties to Batman, the Joker, and the deceased second Robin, Jason Todd.  So how do the threads tie together?  This is the plot of the story.

The film plays well whether you’re familiar with all the story’s twists or it’s a completely new experience.  The art style is its own, but there’s definitely a familiar feel that’s recognizable if you’ve seen any of the major Batman works over the years (whether that’s the film The Dark Knight, the video game Arkham Asylum, or the cartoon Batman: the Animated Series).  Along those lines, the character actors of the ‘Red Hood’ are new to the franchise, but the voices are undeniably ‘Batman’, ‘the Joker’, ‘Alfred’, and ‘Nightwing’. 

So obviously, I give this film a recommendation.  Now’s let’s focus on Nolan’s next film…

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Inception

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July 18, 2010

There’s Chris Nolan and there’s everybody else right now.

That was my first thought walking out of Inception a little while ago.  I’m not saying there aren’t other filmmakers capable of making films as thought provoking or visually interesting as him; nothing could be further from the truth.  But with the billion dollar Dark Knight franchise under his belt, Nolan (clearly) has the green light from Warner Brothers to make (dare I say it) original types of films on the budgets he needs to make them.  And to the benefit of the rest of us, he uses that creative freedom and makes films like Inception.

It’s damn near impossible to recommend this movie without sounding like some elitist.  But the film is really intelligent, and there’s a lot to the plot, and a lot to keep track of.  And when it’s over you’re still not 100 percent sure of what you’ve seen.  Various films that are running through my mind as I think of this: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Truman Show, Heat, Eternal Sunshine, The Dark Knight.  Inception is in that category: you get distracted for a minute and you’ll feel lost.  You’ll feel lost anyway but that’s part of the movie’s plot.  The title refers to the idea that an idea can be planted into your subconscious (an ‘inception’).  And trust me when I say that gives away absolutely nothing.

So it’s probably obvious how much I liked the film, but I’ll end on this note as a Batman and a film geek.  The general rule with film trilogies is the third one always sucks.  No need to rehash all the film trilogies here, you know the rare ones where the third film is better than the second (or first).  So up until now most Batman geeks have agreed that after The Dark Knight, if Nolan wanted to walk away we were fine with it.  No way he was topping that.  He announced he was coming back, and we were happy but still not setting our expectations high he could top himself.

Now…I’m thinking it’s at least possible…

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A History of Violence

Filed under: Inspirations — Leave a comment
July 11, 2010

 

Now that the NBA season is over, I’ve been catching up on movies and TV shows that have slipped through the cracks.  A few quick opinions -

  • Curb Your Enthusiasm: halfway through the last season, started kind of slow but picking up steam fast. 
  • Requiem for a Dream: the visual storytelling and acting still hold up.  Some of the methods have been copied but I see why it was so big at the time.
  • A History of Violence: really enjoyed this film.  Have no idea how I didn’t hear more about the various twists but I won’t talk about it if you haven’t seen it.

I like to read the reviews of some of the critics after I’ve seen the film.  Here’s how Roger Ebert opened his review of A History of Violence:

David Cronenberg says his title “A History of Violence” has three levels: It refers (1) to a suspect with a long history of violence; (2) to the historical use of violence as a means of settling disputes, and (3) to the innate violence of Darwinian evolution, in which better-adapted organisms replace those less able to cope. “I am a complete Darwinian,” says Cronenberg, whose new film is in many ways about the survival of the fittest — at all costs.

Those definitions made me think of violence in my own life; not violence as in physical violence mind you, but violence as it’s referenced in the third defintion.  I will never live it down, but those who knew me in my younger days still kid me about my ‘Michael Corleone’ phase: every decision, every move based around the singular purpose of getting what I wanted (LA or NYC).  Just an ice cold mentality (pun intended) where there was nothing and no one who couldn’t be replaced.  I remember watching the end of Godfather II and thought that was the coolest shit ever.  “I don’t feel I have to wipe everybody out Tom, just my enemies.”  And Michael won.  He was alone and didn’t trust anybody at the end, but he won.  That played to my own ‘bottom line’ mentality.

Of course, I um, matured, and wanted other things in life.  The other half of that film of course is Vito at the same age, and his rise to power.  He comes home to his young wife and Santino, content to a point.  Then the local Don (who Vito sees is not much of a tough guy) costs Vito his job and the chain reaction begins.  The day he officially becomes Don Vito Corleone, he comes home, holds his youngest son in his arms and tells him, “Michael, your father loves you very much.”  The power is the result of his ambition, intelligence, and actions, but the ‘why’ is to protect and provide for his family.

I’d like to believe I have many more years left on this rock, but as a good friend reminds me from time to time, “We’re only going to ‘go to work’ for so long.  You live life well and ‘what you did’ is part of your backstory, but not THE story.”  I blew that advice off the first time he said it to me many years ago, but he kept saying it, and now I finally understand it.  Thankfully not too late.

I guess I’ve adapted.

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Halftime

Filed under: Inspirations, What I'm Working On — Leave a comment
July 5, 2010

Words will never do justice to the highs and lows I’ve felt the first half of 2010.  I’m not sure what I’ve ‘learned’, but I’ve definitely been reminded of various lessons that I’ve picked up over the years:

1. Whatever you fear the most in this world, there’s something a million times worse out there.  And it will hit you when you least expect it.

2.  People are pretty good about remembering when you were fair with them, usually indifferent if you didn’t make an impact one way or another, but never, never, never forget if they feel like you did wrong by them.  So burn your bridges carefully.

3. Time doesn’t move backward, it goes forward.  Past experience informs our futures, but if you spend too long in the past it can cause you to ignore what’s in front of you.

4. If it was easy, everyone would have it.

5. Money can’t buy love or happiness, but anyone who says it doesn’t provide a competitive advantage is full of shi-.

And on that note, here’s to a happier and healthier six months!

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