Sicko

Disturbing movie. My girlfriend's reaction when the credits rolled was: I wanna move to another country. I'd been aware of the drug companies stranglehold on our culture since college but this gave you a face to reinforce the numbers. Michael remains just as passionate as he was in F911 but doesn't place the blame on one political party. He blames our health care system which indeed requires improvement. I believe health care in other countries probably aren't as smooth as they appear here, but you can't argue with the basic facts about America's system which have been verified in several articles. Like most Moore movies, I leave the theater thinking "ok now what should I do?" There are the usual lesson like pay more attention to politics and more educated voting, but it seems like such an insurmountable problem. I was asked if Michael's task is to merely make us aware of an issue, or to exact change. What makes his documentary successful? I think as a movie maker, as long as he has made you aware, he's succeeded. But if he means to become a political activist, then change must be achieved.

More opinions on TV

ok let's get Smallville out of the way. I really didn't watch it this season. The show's mediocrity has been grating on me since day 1. The sad thing was the amount of potential the show had. They should have put him in the costume years ago. After prodding from me mum I watched the season finale which saw some wild, drastic changes. The appear to have really killed Lana Lang. How do you know a TV death is real? You go onto imdb.com and see she has several new projects in the works. This doesn't seem to jive with current DC continuity which is still in flux post Infinite Crisis. However, they do something to fix the Chloe/Lois debacle which was quite bizarre. A little background. They needed an investigative reporter for Clark to rescue so they created Chloe Sullivan, a spunky blonde who secretly crushes on the enigmatic Clark Kent. years later, we're shown that she's in fact a cousin of the infamous Lois Lane. Continuity fanatics started brainstorming about how she fits into the mythology of Superman from the comics. Maybe Lois dies and Chloe takes her name! Maybe they were switched at birth! This is an inherent flaw in the hardcore comic reader. What we know of comics is gospel and to tell us something different makes steam come out of our ears. We have to make the puzzle piece fit. Eventually we're introduced to Lois, and Jimmy Olsen, and just about everyone else in Clarks adult life. Yet he doesn't wear the costume. *Sigh*. OK back to the episode. Lois is mortally injured sneaking around a Lexcorp facility when Chloe happens upon her. Chloe begins to cry and as her tear touches Lois, Chloe's essence pours into Lois, healing her in the process. Wha-zu-huh?! After a trip to wikipedia, my favorite vacation spot, I'm now equipped with the knowledge that Choe had been exposes to Kryptonite (meteor rocks) and has been displaying some sort of super powers throughout the season. So I guess Chloe's knack for a story has now been instilled in Lois and that's how we'll get the character of Lois Lane. A very odd trip. We're also given a version of Bizarro for CK near the final moments which was a cheap thrill for comic fans. Bottom line is I'm just not interested in the show at this point. Too many broken promises and let downs.

Veronica Mars was a real treat when it debuted. Solid writing, developed characters, and a season long mystery which had viewers in a tizzy. Who killed Veronica's best friend. But like Twin Peaks before it, the people still alive in the town are the true focus. Veronica's is a obsessive sleuth who disregards personal relationships and the local law in order to discover the truth. This isn't a common reaction for a teenage who believes she was subject to sexual abuse (possibly rape) and has been abandoned by her mother, but it's somewhat believable. Hey, if you believe Bruce Wayne was able to focus the pain of his parent murder into becoming a Olympic athlete and the worlds greatest detective, you can accept this. The show was being compared to Buffy, partly due to it's strong, pint size female leads. But also for it's quality in storytelling. As the show entered it's second season we were given a new mystery which wasn't as intuiging, but ultimately provided an amazing finale to a very solid season. This leads us to the third season which ended up being it's last. The show made the very treacherous jump of putting our characters out of high school and into college. The show was also moving to the new CW and the network demanded shorter mysteries for our character to solve. This was initially off putting but I eventually settled in to the season only to have the show taken away from me. Like many great shows b4 it, Veronica Mars was taken before it's time whilst mediocrity like Smallville remains. I plan on covering this odd phenomenon in future posts but for now lets say it's disappointing. There are talks of the show moving to comic book format which is fun, but never quite the same.

Lil' Bush Fahrenheit 911 and Sicko

I caught an episode of Lil' Bush last night on Comedy Central. The animation is beyond crude but it was quite funny and inflammatory to GW. However, in preparation for Sicko, I watched Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911 today. I realized I need to watch F911 maybe every 6 months to remember how outrageous our government has become. It almost made me sick to think I was laughing about this criminal not 12 hours ago. Watch the opening 10 minutes or so where Moore explains the corruption in Florida and the black congressman plead for at least one senator to challenge the Supremem Courts ruling. It will make you sick and angry and want to do something about it. We all need to pay closer attention to the people we vote into power who make these decisions as REPRESENTATIVES of our intentions.

TV Roundup

Thought I might review some shows I watch:

24 - This 6th season was a real disappointment for most fans. To much of the same old terrorist threats. I remember daydreaming with my friend Todd after the finale of season 5 with Jack now imprisoned by the Chinese. 24! Escape from Little Trouble in Big China! Starring Jack Bauer! Instead we picked up months later with a Jack Bauer, still imprisoned and badly tortured by the Chinese. Instead of breaking out of imprisonment, his release is secured by the USA, only for the purpose of offering him for sacrifice to middle eastern terrorists who have seized control of LA. Sound Familiar? However, we're treated to something new at the close of the episode when a nuclear bomb goes off on US soil. OK they've managed to shock us a bit. But that's not the prize at the bottom of the box. We see a Jack Bauer who still has the instinctive drive of a Hero, but lacks the means to do it. The loss of so many loved ones, combined with the psychologically devastating isolation and torture by the Chinese has left us with a hero ambivalent about his own life. He cringes when he sees a colleague torturing a prisoner. He drops to his knees and vomits when he sees the mushroom cloud in the sky. It shows us Bauer is not the invincible god who contends with Chuck Norris in ass-kicker of the year online polls. He's a human who has an amazing tollerance which has been worn down by these 6 awful days in his life. Where does he go from here?
Well, the producers decided not to go down that path. instead they have Jack lace up his boots and go into soldier mode for most of the season. The only break is when he discovers that his family was behind many of the dirty dealings of season 5. However, this swerve feels a little empty and belongs on a daytime soap. Only once the day is won in the 24rth hour do we see the humanity of Jack Bauer resurface. After acting out against Audrey (JB's love interests) father, he realizes he's in no position to care for her in her debilitated state. Jack wanders off into the sunset unsure of what hope is left for his life.
Despite this unsatisfactory season. I do have hopes for next year. The producers publicly acknowledged the shows staleness and I hope that means we'll see Jack in a new situation next year. Remember: the show's called 24. The only restriction is time.

HEROES- The ads for this show were all over last summer and while out visiting my parents in Cape Cod, I watched the opening episode and was intrigued. All the trappings of a superhero comic, many staples of Campbell's the Power of Myth, serialized storytelling. What's not to like. I continued to watch and then the 5th episode clonked me on the head. with minutes to go, The subway car Peter Petrelli and Mohinder Suresh are riding in stops as does time itself. Out of nowhere Hiro appears sans glasses but carrying additude, a samurai sword and a lot more hair. He is, in fact, a version of Hiro from the future who has come with a message for Peter: save the cheerleader, save the world. This appeared to be a message for me that this show was going to be something special. Unfortunately, it ended up being somewhat mediocre. The dialogue was cliche at times as were the situations. Flashes to a dystopian future were old hat when Claremount and Byrne did it in the X-Men. The prediction of Hiro stabbing Sylar occurred too early leaving us with several episodes that treaded water. When we finally get to the NYC showdown which has been alluded to for half the season, the fight is over before it began. We're also supposed to accept Hiro just got the jump on Sylar, that he didn't slow time to speed himself up? I'm also assuming a cop out to the Petrelli's suicide mission. Nathan could drop Peter b4 the explosion and Peter could somehow live through the meltdown as did the guy who had the nuclear power before. This is nice to keep the characters in but as Joss Whedon has taught me, every so often you need to pull the trigger and show that the stakes in your narrative are real.

I'll be back with LOST, and a small Veronica Mars and Smallville writeup

Back in the Saddle

Sorry for the delay, the pre-summer has been busy with birthday parties graduation parties and a wedding. But allow me to ease back into the hot bath that is this little blog with some more Star Wars related business.


First up is the Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. This was a 2hr program that was on the History channel last month which featured interviews with filmmakers, historians and writers about the cultural implications of these movies. It was quite comprehensive and provided me with some insights I'd not come to myself. The fact that Solo's jacket and holster in ANH essentially gives him a cowboy outfit. The addition of the red-robed Royal Guards from ROTJ makes the empires color motif black and red which were power colors Hitler used in his regime. Although a bit verbose, I'd recommend it to hardcore fans.


Next, The Dharma of Star Wars, a book I received for my birthday which explains the basic ideas of Buddhism using the characters and themes of Star Wars. The books is by Matthew Bortolin, who was interviewed for the above documentary. I've been interested in Buddhism, specifically transcendental meditation and this has been a great primer for me. The ways of the Jedi include meditation, focusing on the here and now, forbidding attachment which all factor into Buddhist philosophy. If you're interested in either subject I would recommend it. A very easy read.


Finally, after taking these movies SO seriously, lets laugh at them a bit. Robot Chicken, the 1/2 hour stop motion animated comedy from the minds of Seth Green and Matthew Senreich had an all Star Wars themed episode that debuted last night as part of a Robot Chicken marathon. It was funny, often inside baseball, but overall I recommend again for the hardcore SW fan. Ultimately, Robot Chicken works better moving from subject to subject.

It was 30 years ago today.....

Just take in that video in for a sec. Bask in the greatest special effects 1977 had to offer. Take a minute to think about your relationship with these movies..... I will give you mine.

I was born in '79 so I really remember ROTJ most vividly. The sand, little yoda, Gammorean guards, Jabba, Emporer’s Royal Guards, chase in Endor, ect. I don't know if my parents brought me to subsequent rereleases of Empire and ANH, but I know we had them on VHS. I remember receiving C-3PO's action figure when I was up coughing at 3AM. I remember a Han Solo figure on a car ride. I remember the Darth Vader carrying case for all my action figures. I remember the X-Wing, Millenium Falcon, Ewok village playset. I remember collecting the POTF line in '95 with my brother. I remember somehow knowing that Obi-Wan and Anakin fought on this lava planet. I remember knowing that there were episodes 1-3 and 7-9, assuming they were in book format. I remember seeing the Special Edition of Empire in the dead of winter at the Madison Theater. I remember the announcement that there would be new Star Wars films.

It's a factor of your age for sure. I can imagine what it was like for people older than I to go into the theater and see the effin' Rebel Blockade Runner enter from the top of the screen, followed by the Imperial Star Destroyer. What an assault on your senses! Audiences had never seen anything even close to that.

Now I'm 28 and I focus more on Lucas' sins. Why was there so little product directly from him post Indiana Jones? Why not continue to push storytelling further as Spielberg did? Where was the magic in episodes 1 and 2? There was a little in 3, and maybe that was just nostalgia tweaking my nose. Maybe you just can't go home again. But this is the anniversary of the original, lets forget about all that and salute him and his crew for creating The Star Wars.

Spider-Man 3: Redux

I viewed Spiderman 3 a second time with my brother and his fiancé, which gave me a chance to let the movie sink in. I enjoyed the movie a little more, but my rating for the trilogy still stands. Peter is dealing with fame, dealing with unresolved guilt over uncle Ben, remorse over what he's done to Harry and to MJ. The Symbiote could have been an entirely different movie, but it gets us to a Peter with his head so far up his ass, it's comical. The Sandman sadness is really his strength and I wish he was allowed more screen time. There are many coincidences, but I think a fair number are needed in most movies. It's just a question of your level of believability. Even though it's completely telegraphed, I still love Harry coming in to save Peter. How about the somber, disjointed note the movie ends on?

I think the mass audience has been cursed with the cloud of 'the trilogy' hanging over our heads. Our minds go back to Godfather 3, Return of the Jedi, The Last Crusade. We feel that the stakes must be higher and higher each time we plunk down $10 @ the cinemaplex. Why not look at it as another installment or, in other words, another issue of Spiderman? Well, it takes 3 years between these films and there's no guarantee there will be a next one. It isn't serialized like TV and comics. We've also become accustomed to seeing Spidey swing throughout the city. You can never get back the first time he puts on the costume and spins a web any size. But still there's a loud majority that feel the 2nd Spiderman is the best comic book movie out there. I believe that because you get all of the trials and tribulations of Peter Parker, plus a much more solid villain in Doc Ock. It also has the great moments where Harry and MJ discover his secret identity. The bottom line is when I watched X-3; it felt foreign to the first 2 movies. Like someone had hijacked the studio and the actors to put on their own conclusion. Raimi has some things forced on him, but ultimately this is still his world and his conclusion to many of the major plot threads. We'll see how Shrek 3 and Pirates 3 fare in a few weeks. My guess? Shrek has 1 solid weekend and Pirates does very well for a month or so till Tformers.


PS. LOTR did all their movies together and Pirates filmed 2 and 3 back to back. I'd like to see more of this in our superhero franchises

Spider-Man 3 Review

(slight spoilers)
Last summer, the third installment of Marvel Comics' second most successful comic to movie adaptation, X-Men was released on the silver screen. I entered the theater with much trepidation. I'd learned that Bryan Singer, the director of the 1st two films had been unceremoniously dumped due to his involvement with resurrecting the Superman franchise. Singer offered to return to the X-Men and give his conclusion to the narrative, but Fox said thanks, but no thanks. Instead Fox hired the infamous Brett Ratner of Rush Hour frame, started production one month after Superman began production and was in theaters one month before the last son of Krypton. The resulting film was a train wreck. Deaths of major characters for shock value, hokey dialogue, and improper plotting. They took the pinnacle of the X-Men's 40+ years of stories, the rise and fall of the Phoenix, and relegated it to a subplot. Now here we are, one year later, and Spidey is looking to complete a trifecta with a more satisfying conclusion. The difference is the original director/screenwriter, Sam Raimi, is still on board.

A little background Spidey and I. I've known of him for a while (see photo) and he was one of the principal introductions I had into comics. I thought the first film was amazing, until I saw the 2nd one. Every aspect of the first film: the emotional journey of Peter, the love story between him and MJ, the breakdown of Harry Osborn, the effects of Spidey in action, all continued and were improved upon. The train sequence blows my mind and then breaks my heart. Every time. I was highly anticipating this installment of his story with a bit of trepidation. I was awaiting his final fight with Harry as the new Goblin, but then I began to hear reports of two other villains that would appear in the movie. This seemed like too much and began to sound a lot like how other superhero franchises have failed (see Batman Forever. Don't even try viewing Batman and Robin). Still I trusted Raimi and went in with high hopes. I think this is a key point. I think your enjoyment of a pop culture snack is largely based on your initial expectations.

My initial impression is that it is a satisfying conclusion to the first two movies. We're given a resolution to Harry/Peter conflict that might have been the highlight of the movie for myself. It was patterned very close to the comics and is a personal story to my brother and I. We're given a new obstacle for Peter, dealing with success, which he does not handle well at all. Even before the symbiote. The MJ/Parker relationship is again strained to the breaking point, and this felt like a bit of a retread, but if they don't have issues, we don't have a movie. I'd have like to have seen Gwen Stacy in a bigger role. NERDFACT: Gwen was actually Pete's 1st major love in college who met her demise at the hands of the 1st Goblin in the scenario you saw Mary Jane in the 1st movie. As for the effects, they were excellent as always. I think there was only one instance where things looked a bit off (Gwen running from the crane).

We're there too many villains? Yes, but Raimi does his best with the cards he was dealt. He was pressured by the execs to bring in the fan favorite, Venom, into the franchise. You could have done this movie without the alien symbiote and it would've probably been more of a grounded personal journey as the first 2 were. But Raimi uses the black costume well, giving us the fantastically hilarious Emo-aggresive Peter Parker and the angry-vigilante Spider-Man. There are also a lot of convenient coincidences in this movie, which are at times hard to swallow. Have the Symbiote arrive on earth attached to a landing shuttle (piloted by John Jameson, of course) and then seeking out Peter, due to his super powered nature.
The performances were solid. Tobey really is Peter Parker in my mind. Excellent cameos by Stan Lee and Bruce Campbell. Kirsten Dunce's acting is fine, but she seemed to have soured on the role in her press interviews and with her character doing a lot of souring on the screen it leaves an acidic taste on the tongue. Bryce Dallas Howard is given very little to do as Gwen, but looks the part and has the acting chops to do the character justice if given more. Topher Grace is fun and J.K. Simmons is still the best J Jonah Jameson ever.

Currently Spider-Man 2 is still my favorite, then Spiderman and then 3. But they are similar to the Star Wars original trilogy in that I enjoy them all. We'll see if anything changes once I see it in IMAX.

RetroZone

Retrousb
Great site for emulation gamers. The company sells classic Nintendo joysticks with a USB plug so you can use it on your Mac and PC. Looks like they just started selling a type that plugs into a Wii as well. I just ordered a classic NES controller. I reccomend Nestopia and Snes9x for Mac users

Movie Review: Hot Fuzz

I came very late to the Shawn of the Dead party. I'm not a fan of the horror genre and also have issues when it feels like a piece of pop art is being pushed too hard. "Oh you HAVE to see that movie!!". In this instance, I was too dismissive. It's a great comedy and so is Pegg/Wright's latest effort, Hot Fuzz. I think they're strongest skill is that they're able to give you an excellent comedy, where you actually care for the characters. I don't care about Ben Stiller's character in...well just about anything. Can you even remember Vince Vaughn's character's name in Wedding Crashers? Pegg really puts some humanity into his portrayal of the obsessive cop, Nick Angel. The film isn't just a send up of Bad Boys either. It has situational humor executed by some great British actors, A tight direction by Wright, and a hilarious final act. A-

The Dallas Mavericks Better Get Dirty

OK this is a bit of a tangent from the mission statement, but I had a request to blog on this. The Dallas Mavericks have had an excellent NBA season winning 67 games and acquiring the number one seed in the dominant Western conference. Last night they lost their 2nd game in a row to the 8th seed Golden State Warriors, a team who won 25 games less than Dallas making them almost a .500 ball club. Basically, they have a coin tosses chance whether they'll win a game or not. So now Dallas is facing elimination and all us fair weather fans have to ask "what the f*** is going on??"

Golden State is small ball; they don't have NBA type big guys so they adopt a run-and-gun strategy. But waitaminnute. Wasn't this the calling card of the semi-successful Mavs of several years ago? The run-and-gun style doesn't provide much success come post season. When the arena staff slaps the "NBA playoffs" decal onto the hardwood floor, they might as well be throwing molasses on the court. The game slows down; more fouls, more half-court setups. And yet here's Golden State up 3-1 in the series.

Lets go to a perennial favorite, questioning the heart of the team leader. Yeah, that's right. You're #1 doesn't have the winner's mentality. Let's tear down our idols! Michael Jordan gambles! *Ahem* OK I'm back. Dallas is lead by the lanky 7'1" German-born Dirk "Diggler" Nowitzki. In the past, Dirk was mostly a scorer whose defense was questionable and Steve Nash really led the team at point guard. But with Nash gone, Dirk has assumed the mantle of leader, resulting in a chorus of MVP chants from fans and analysts. But I saw him barking orders last night, taking teammates to task. He dropped 23pts, equaling his high score for the series.

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, cursing the NBA gods, I had an epiphany. The Mavs have never been punched in the nose and swung back. Look at the dynasties over the past decades. The Bulls had to be roughed up by the Pistons. The Lakers took elbows, knees and even fists from the Celtics. If you look at every championship team, you'll find they each have one player gets dirty (with two r's) and physically intimidates the competition. Now Golden State isn't physically intimidating the Mavs, but they're doing something just as deadly. They’re coming in with the mentality of a carefree underdog. Their pressure is miniscule compared to the hopes that have been lofted onto Dallas' shoulders. So they come in loose and steal the 1st game. Now their confidence is growing. They drop the 2nd game as expected but then the go home and hear the inspired Golden State crowd and now they're pumped. They clobber Dallas by almost 20 points. Think of the mental game like a teeter-totter. Golden State started at the bottom and Dallas at the top. With Golden States confidence rising, it pulls Dallas into the doldrums. Dallas should be Angry! These chumps are gonna take three games from the mighty Mavericks!? Dallas must focus this anger towards the dark side of the force (ahh I knew I could slip in a pop culture reference). Dallas, like all NBA champs, has to get a little blood on the hands. Every foul is hard. No dunks allowed. If Baron Davis wants to play in the paint, you slap him down and show him what it's like. Teams lose confidence on the offensive side, and Championships are won on the defensive side. This is a wakeup call. Get mad or else get out your fishing poles and join Kenny 'the Jet' Smith at the
fishin' hole

Maybe you should Drive

The Barenaked Ladies garnered their highest success in the states with their hit single 'One Week'. This combined with their other major hit, 'If I Had a Million Dollars' misrepresented them to the masses as musical goofballs. Novelty. Yes they have a lot of fun onstage and I applaud their antics. I have an mp3 of them live on stage beginning with a rap about Crocodile Dundee and ends with a twisted version of crocodile rock. However it clouds the fact that they're really talented songwriters. Not just that they can craft a hit single, but full albums of lyrics that are really quite smart.

A little back-story: Gordon was BNL's 1st album, which sold like hotcakes (do people still use this term? What is a hotcake?) In their native Canada and the boys were the equivalent of NKOTB. They would follow up this album with a decidedly more mature sophomore effort, Maybe You Should Drive. The Canucks hated it. Where was the funny? Why are these songs so slow and sad? As with any pop art, once you know the creators behind it, you see the work with new eyes. Ed and Steven, the main songwriters were going through something Joey Ramone might identify with (see post below). Ed's brother was in a motorcycle accident and Steven was battling alcoholism. I assume there was also an effort to be more mature on their follow up album as well. The result is something I recommend to everyone with ears. One of my favs is the last track, 'The Great Provider'. The songs seem hazy and dreamy. Drums are only an accent and the guitar is mostly relegated to harmonics and a few little hammer-ons. It features a BNL trademark of taking a saying and turning it on its ear:

You and I have been through this before
I owe you my whole life, nothing more
I never said that I liked you the most
You're my father; I'm your son, who's the Holy Ghost?
Where does the time go when it's not around here?

My all time favorite instance of this appears on their third album Born on a Pirate Ship in the song 'Stomach vs. Heart'

but tummy just growls
not real words, mostly vowels
and I always forget sometimes Y

"Welcome to my nightmare" -J. Ramone

One of my favorite drops from the Howard Stern Show. A smashed Joey Ramone called up show producer Gary "Bababooey" Dell' Abate's, voicemail in the middle of the night and left a nearly incoherent message signing off with 'welcome to my nightmare'. It became cannon to Stern listeners and was used by Howie whenever he was in a bad situation.
http://www.marksfriggin.com/news96_97/jul-97.htm

So why begin a blog like this? Well, it explains my trepidation with starting a blog. There's a lot of them out there and most of them I'm not reading. But maybe my friends will get a kick out of it. Joey's catchphrase is also indicative of the type of stuff your going to find on this blog. Pop culture musings spanning comics, music and movies. Hence the url. The three B's of the 1960's that changed American culture drastically. At least one post a day. Bababooey to y'all