It has been a week without a cigarette and it's been tough but a lot easier than I thought it would be. So here's a breakdown of the past seven days.
Day 1- Nothing really happened other than throwing up because I put on a patch that was double the amount I needed.
Day 2- I spent the entire day high because my body wasn't used to oxygen. I also had several other maladies such as indigestion, anxiety, tingle fingers, etc. This was the first day I noticed just how many systems smoking effects.
Day 3- I was travelling all day and there was some pretty serious anxiety while I was on a packed train. There was some constipation, indigestion, and my sinuses were flushing themselves out.
Day 4- Nothing happened, this was a great day for me.
Day 5- Depression really kicked in this day. There was some pretty serious frustration as well. On the light side most of the physical effects finished up.
Day 6- This day just sucked anyway. Depression was still there but not as bad as day 5 and frustration was pretty much only because of bad weather.Physical side effects were at a low.
Day 7- Ho-ly crap, this day sucked. I was stuck on a cold train platform for four hours. If there was going to be one day I would have caved it would have been this day. I didn't though and it looks like it's all down hill from here.
Week 1 conclusion- This is going really really well. The real test will be tomorrow when I go back to work. Work is where I used to smoke the most so we'll see how it goes. I'm confident though, if I can get through an entire evening waiting for a goddamn train in the freezing cold I should do just fine at work.
Dec 28, 2010
Dec 26, 2010
The Cold Turkey Diaries: Days 4 and 5
Merry Christmas everyone! Day four was very boring on the effects side, that's why these two days I'm clumping together and I'm most likely going to progressively give longer time intervals between posts. It seems most of the main physical stuff is all taken care of, but here comes the tough part. Today my frustration and depression levels were very high. I was trying to cook dinner earlier and I ended up snapping a couple times and needing to go in my room to meditate for a little bit. On top of that when all was done and taken care of nothing I made was good enough for me. Everything tasted fine but I focused on every little aspect of the meal that was not perfect. On top of that I watched a bunch of versions of a Christmas Carol (even Muppet AND Bill Murray)and I was just miserable because everything stewed in my head. These past four days have been relatively calm compared to day five. A friend said his hardest days were five and six. I'm hoping with me today is the worst because I tell you, it was not easy.
Dec 23, 2010
The Cold Turkey Diaries: Day 3
Day three started well, I had a very wonderful sleep. I'm not as high on oxygen as I was yesterday which is nice because after an entire day it gets trying. Also, my acne has cleared up considerably and my extremities aren't as tingly. Enough good news, ON TO THE NEW SIDE EFFECTS!
Respiratory
-My sinuses have been moving around all day. Filling, refilling, etc. This is just the sinuses cleaning themselves out.
Gastro-Intestinal
-Constipation, it was only a matter of time. Nicotine is a stimulant, therefore it acts as a diuretic. It's the opposite of someone who is dope sick from stopping heroin. Once that stimulant is gone? BAM! Poo plug.
-Indigestion, I'm not sure why this happens but I do know it to be another side effect of quitting smoking.
Mental
-The aggravation hit earlier today on the way to the train station. Still not unbearable though and given this is the third day I'm hoping the aggravation has reached apex.
That's it for now. I've reached the third day mark so it should be downhill from here...hopefully. Luckily I am currently visiting my mom so hopefully the Less stress atmosphere will work in my favor (hence one of the reasons why I chose this week to quit). Stay tuned.
citation- most of the facts about nicotine and its side effects I'm listing come from this website.
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-happens-to-your-body-when-you-quit-smoking-with-cold-turkey--Chantix-or-Zyban
Respiratory
-My sinuses have been moving around all day. Filling, refilling, etc. This is just the sinuses cleaning themselves out.
Gastro-Intestinal
-Constipation, it was only a matter of time. Nicotine is a stimulant, therefore it acts as a diuretic. It's the opposite of someone who is dope sick from stopping heroin. Once that stimulant is gone? BAM! Poo plug.
-Indigestion, I'm not sure why this happens but I do know it to be another side effect of quitting smoking.
Mental
-The aggravation hit earlier today on the way to the train station. Still not unbearable though and given this is the third day I'm hoping the aggravation has reached apex.
That's it for now. I've reached the third day mark so it should be downhill from here...hopefully. Luckily I am currently visiting my mom so hopefully the Less stress atmosphere will work in my favor (hence one of the reasons why I chose this week to quit). Stay tuned.
citation- most of the facts about nicotine and its side effects I'm listing come from this website.
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-happens-to-your-body-when-you-quit-smoking-with-cold-turkey--Chantix-or-Zyban
Dec 22, 2010
The Cold Turkey Diaries: Days 1 and 2
As some of you may know I quit smoking yesterday (Dec. 21, 2010) and the body changes I'm experiencing, even already, are fascinating. So, I have decided to follow The Almighty Goldblum's example and keep a journal on how everything goes to help me and everyone else to understand what smoking really does. So, I am going to start by saying, last night I threw up a lot. Yes there was a lot of drinking involved but nothing I can't handle. I found out today that the nicotine patches I bought were too damn high in content and I suffered some sort of nicotine poisoning shortly after I took it off last night. I smoked camel lights for weeks up until this past weekend. The average amount of nicotine in a Camel Light is .7 to .9 mg. I smoked half a pack a day so I thought the step 2 patch of 14 mg was the right one...I was wrong. Pretty much via simple math I should have bought the step 3 patch of 7 mg. So, I'm totally patch-less today which isn't so bad. Fear and horror of nicotine is a wonderful quitting tool. So onto the science bits. I woke up today to see a face filled with acne. In day two of quitting my body is under stress, it also didn't help that my history of anxiety disorder went against me today causing even more stress. Now, onto the individual parts of the body.
circulatory
-Currently I'm experiencing some pretty intense dizziness. According to one website this is my brain adjusting to the rise in oxygen levels in my blood stream. More oxygen is reaching my brain and it's literally making me high.
- I'm experiencing minor leg pains and tingle fingers because my circulation is improving.
respiratory
-My chest is tight and I'm acquiring a cough. This is the cilia in my lungs fixing themselves and my body is pushing all the junk out.
-My voice is a little more hoarse than usual and my throat is sore. This is the skin in the back of my throat regenerating.
renal
-I'm peeing a lot. This is my body pushing poisons out of it.
mental
-There isn't that much irritability at the moment but anxiety is certainly at an all time high.
-Ansyness, I can't stop bouncing my foot up and down and actually it's the very reason why I started writing this. I also started writing this to help with the anxiety because if I can do research and understand the changes that are happening I won't think I'm dying.
That's it for now everyone! Stay tuned, I plan on updating this every other day if not every day.
circulatory
-Currently I'm experiencing some pretty intense dizziness. According to one website this is my brain adjusting to the rise in oxygen levels in my blood stream. More oxygen is reaching my brain and it's literally making me high.
- I'm experiencing minor leg pains and tingle fingers because my circulation is improving.
respiratory
-My chest is tight and I'm acquiring a cough. This is the cilia in my lungs fixing themselves and my body is pushing all the junk out.
-My voice is a little more hoarse than usual and my throat is sore. This is the skin in the back of my throat regenerating.
renal
-I'm peeing a lot. This is my body pushing poisons out of it.
mental
-There isn't that much irritability at the moment but anxiety is certainly at an all time high.
-Ansyness, I can't stop bouncing my foot up and down and actually it's the very reason why I started writing this. I also started writing this to help with the anxiety because if I can do research and understand the changes that are happening I won't think I'm dying.
That's it for now everyone! Stay tuned, I plan on updating this every other day if not every day.
Oct 20, 2010
Shattered LPs: Bad Religion "Dissent of Man"
Finally settled on a music review name. Shattered LPs seemed fitting to coincide with Severed Thumbs so if you don't like it that's your fault. So, thirty years ago a couple punk kids from the LA Suburbs got together and became one of the most successful and prolific Punk Bands, that band is Bad Religion.
Their most recent (and fifteenth) offering is "Dissent of Man" and what can I say? They haven't lost it at all, it's everything one would expect from Doctor Greg Graffin (who apparently is a Life Science Professor at UCLA) and his crew. Quite frankly I can put this album right next to Stranger Than Fiction, Generator, No Control or any of their other classic albums and it snugly fits in there. The question is though, if a group shows no growth in thirty years does that go with or against them? That question can be discussed in the comments, as for me I have to go with my nostalgia muscles on this one. Full Price
Set List:
1.The Day That the Earth Stalled
2.Only Rain
3.The Resist Stance
4.Won't Somebody
5.The Devil in Stitches
6.Pride and the Pallor
7.Wrong Way Kids
8.Meeting of the Minds
9.Someone to Believe
10.Avalon
11.Cyanide
12.Turn Your Back on Me
13.Ad Hominem
14.Where the Fun Is
15.I Won't Say Anything
Their most recent (and fifteenth) offering is "Dissent of Man" and what can I say? They haven't lost it at all, it's everything one would expect from Doctor Greg Graffin (who apparently is a Life Science Professor at UCLA) and his crew. Quite frankly I can put this album right next to Stranger Than Fiction, Generator, No Control or any of their other classic albums and it snugly fits in there. The question is though, if a group shows no growth in thirty years does that go with or against them? That question can be discussed in the comments, as for me I have to go with my nostalgia muscles on this one. Full Price
Set List:
1.The Day That the Earth Stalled
2.Only Rain
3.The Resist Stance
4.Won't Somebody
5.The Devil in Stitches
6.Pride and the Pallor
7.Wrong Way Kids
8.Meeting of the Minds
9.Someone to Believe
10.Avalon
11.Cyanide
12.Turn Your Back on Me
13.Ad Hominem
14.Where the Fun Is
15.I Won't Say Anything
Oct 9, 2010
Severed Thumbs: Review Updates
After writing the review for Let Me In I decided to look back on the other Severed Thumbs reviews and update some things. A couple movies I've watched again and I switched things up a bit now that the memory and hype are gone.
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
It's still up there but upon watching it again I wouldn't give it a six. That score is for the real special movies to me such as Pan's Labrynth
New Score 5:6
Where the Wild Things Are
I really don't remember that much from this movie and that means it's not worth the 4:6.
New Score 3:6
That's all the changes for now I'm sure I'll change more in the future.
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
It's still up there but upon watching it again I wouldn't give it a six. That score is for the real special movies to me such as Pan's Labrynth
New Score 5:6
Where the Wild Things Are
I really don't remember that much from this movie and that means it's not worth the 4:6.
New Score 3:6
That's all the changes for now I'm sure I'll change more in the future.
Severed Thumbs: Let Me In
by: Jon
I'm drunk, let's do this. First, a quick back story. In 2004 a Swedish writer by the name of John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote a vampire novel called Låt den rätte komma in translated, Let the Right One In.
It was a new spin on the vampire genre that intertwined several separate stories but focused on a boy named Oskar who is regularly bullied at school and a "girl" named Eli, the vampire who befriends him. It was dark, it was sweet, it made me say "what the fuck?" a couple times, and, in 2008, it was made into a Swedish movie of the same name.
When the movie premiered stateside it received a lot of acclaim from genre fans, movie buffs, and critics alike. It was still in a niche though, not that many people saw it. So, as is the increasingly common case, in 2010 there was an American remake made called Let Me In
directed by Matt Reeves and staring Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) as "Abby" and some kid I know I've seen him in stuff but can't seem to put my finger on as "Owen" (obviously, just like on Ellis Island names have to be Americanized too). Oh, and it also stars Casey Jones. With a relatively weak opening weekend this film probably isn't going to be around much longer so I saw it today. Now, this review is difficult. Because it is a remake, I naturally have to try to break it up into two reviews. One as a stand alone film, the other as what it is, a remake.
First up, let's get all biases out of the way and review it as a remake. This is difficult because, to paraphrase a friend, it's like reviewing Jesus's son, no matter how good the kid is, his father is fucking Jesus. Though not as terrible as I expected there was a lot lacking. The pacing was completely off, the extra graphics were wanton, and it was noticeably dumbed down. My friend and I kept on joking that there should be a pop up video version of it. In the original story, Eli writes Oskar a note which simply is a Romeo and Juliet reference "I must be gone and live, or stay and die.". It's used in the movie, but not before the repetitive showing of Romeo and Juliet cramming down the viewers' collective throats and identifying that that is a reference to Romeo and Juliet. My other complaints are there was no real showing of the relationship of Abby (Eli) and "The Father" (Hakan). The side characters are also glanced over such as Eli's one victim Virginia who becomes a vampire herself. In the original it's very touching to see her realize what she has become and, knowing it's going to incinerate her, telling the nurse to open the curtains to her hospital room. My final complaint is "The Father" (played by Richard Jenkins) is the most bumbling serial killer ever. His first scene killing someone shows him stepping through ice and spilling a jug of blood. He had about as much screen time in the original Swedish film but the viewer was able to sympathize with him more because one could tell he has been doing this for a while, and when he finally gets caught it's one simple mistake that does him in. He was thrown into this relationship and role and is just starting to get tired and sloppy. The Americanized version uses him as comic relief, not as a character one can get behind and feel sorry for. I understand what they were doing and I'm all for being the first person to say "most Americans are dumb" but that doesn't mean you need to rip out the soul of a picture to make it more palatable. The movie was so stripped down for American audiences that it turned into Cliff Notes. Complaints aside, they still managed to keep at least some semblance of the relationship between Eli and Oskar, for the most part, in tact. Despite the computer generated effects, they also were able to show the dichotomy of Abby and what she really is.
as a remake 2 out of 6
Now that my ranting is done and over with, as a stand alone piece, it really wasn't that bad. There were a couple shots in the movie that really stood out. The first that comes to mind is when "The Father" is trying to speed away after killing his last victim. Most of the shot is from his point of view and you really get the feeling of anxiety as he's trying to pull this off. Yes, it is a Charlie Brown act because everything goes comically wrong (nothing goes together quite like homicide and slapstick kids) but the scene is intense. It's confusing, it's dizzying, it made my heart beat a bit faster. Another scene I utterly love besides the car accident is when Casey Jones/Elias Koteas/The Police Officer, is killed by Abby and he is reaching out to Owen to help him. That was a much appreciated addition because you really saw the horror of this beast and Owen just closes the door on this dying man. You could tell at this moment he not only accepts what kind of animal Abby is but what humanity he has to sacrifice to be with her.
On that note I mentioned in the previous section the relationship between Abby and Owen is, while not as deep as it was in the original, very much real. These were two star crossed lovers who relied on one another for comfort. The addition of the drunk, Jesus freak mother was also a nice touch and the pacing, while not nearly as fantastic as the original, was still slow enough to actually build to something.
Stand Alone movie 3 out of 6
I'm drunk, let's do this. First, a quick back story. In 2004 a Swedish writer by the name of John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote a vampire novel called Låt den rätte komma in translated, Let the Right One In.
It was a new spin on the vampire genre that intertwined several separate stories but focused on a boy named Oskar who is regularly bullied at school and a "girl" named Eli, the vampire who befriends him. It was dark, it was sweet, it made me say "what the fuck?" a couple times, and, in 2008, it was made into a Swedish movie of the same name.
When the movie premiered stateside it received a lot of acclaim from genre fans, movie buffs, and critics alike. It was still in a niche though, not that many people saw it. So, as is the increasingly common case, in 2010 there was an American remake made called Let Me In
directed by Matt Reeves and staring Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) as "Abby" and some kid I know I've seen him in stuff but can't seem to put my finger on as "Owen" (obviously, just like on Ellis Island names have to be Americanized too). Oh, and it also stars Casey Jones. With a relatively weak opening weekend this film probably isn't going to be around much longer so I saw it today. Now, this review is difficult. Because it is a remake, I naturally have to try to break it up into two reviews. One as a stand alone film, the other as what it is, a remake.
First up, let's get all biases out of the way and review it as a remake. This is difficult because, to paraphrase a friend, it's like reviewing Jesus's son, no matter how good the kid is, his father is fucking Jesus. Though not as terrible as I expected there was a lot lacking. The pacing was completely off, the extra graphics were wanton, and it was noticeably dumbed down. My friend and I kept on joking that there should be a pop up video version of it. In the original story, Eli writes Oskar a note which simply is a Romeo and Juliet reference "I must be gone and live, or stay and die.". It's used in the movie, but not before the repetitive showing of Romeo and Juliet cramming down the viewers' collective throats and identifying that that is a reference to Romeo and Juliet. My other complaints are there was no real showing of the relationship of Abby (Eli) and "The Father" (Hakan). The side characters are also glanced over such as Eli's one victim Virginia who becomes a vampire herself. In the original it's very touching to see her realize what she has become and, knowing it's going to incinerate her, telling the nurse to open the curtains to her hospital room. My final complaint is "The Father" (played by Richard Jenkins) is the most bumbling serial killer ever. His first scene killing someone shows him stepping through ice and spilling a jug of blood. He had about as much screen time in the original Swedish film but the viewer was able to sympathize with him more because one could tell he has been doing this for a while, and when he finally gets caught it's one simple mistake that does him in. He was thrown into this relationship and role and is just starting to get tired and sloppy. The Americanized version uses him as comic relief, not as a character one can get behind and feel sorry for. I understand what they were doing and I'm all for being the first person to say "most Americans are dumb" but that doesn't mean you need to rip out the soul of a picture to make it more palatable. The movie was so stripped down for American audiences that it turned into Cliff Notes. Complaints aside, they still managed to keep at least some semblance of the relationship between Eli and Oskar, for the most part, in tact. Despite the computer generated effects, they also were able to show the dichotomy of Abby and what she really is.
as a remake 2 out of 6
Now that my ranting is done and over with, as a stand alone piece, it really wasn't that bad. There were a couple shots in the movie that really stood out. The first that comes to mind is when "The Father" is trying to speed away after killing his last victim. Most of the shot is from his point of view and you really get the feeling of anxiety as he's trying to pull this off. Yes, it is a Charlie Brown act because everything goes comically wrong (nothing goes together quite like homicide and slapstick kids) but the scene is intense. It's confusing, it's dizzying, it made my heart beat a bit faster. Another scene I utterly love besides the car accident is when Casey Jones/Elias Koteas/The Police Officer, is killed by Abby and he is reaching out to Owen to help him. That was a much appreciated addition because you really saw the horror of this beast and Owen just closes the door on this dying man. You could tell at this moment he not only accepts what kind of animal Abby is but what humanity he has to sacrifice to be with her.
On that note I mentioned in the previous section the relationship between Abby and Owen is, while not as deep as it was in the original, very much real. These were two star crossed lovers who relied on one another for comfort. The addition of the drunk, Jesus freak mother was also a nice touch and the pacing, while not nearly as fantastic as the original, was still slow enough to actually build to something.
Stand Alone movie 3 out of 6
Sep 2, 2010
GAME TIME! 90s Punk Supergroup
Game time! Form a 90s Punk rock super group rules are they could not have been in the same band during the decade. Here's Mine
Vox - Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
Bass - Matt Freeman (Rancid)*
Rhythm Guitar/backup vox - Jesse Michaels (Common Rider)*
Lead Guitar - Ezra (Choking Victim)
Drums - Bob Trondson (Blue Meanies)
Special (used sparingly)- Voodoo Glow Skulls Horn Section
*yes, I Know Jesse and Matt were together in Op Ivy but that band broke up in 89 and since neither one has done anything with the other since LOOP HOLE!
Vox - Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
Bass - Matt Freeman (Rancid)*
Rhythm Guitar/backup vox - Jesse Michaels (Common Rider)*
Lead Guitar - Ezra (Choking Victim)
Drums - Bob Trondson (Blue Meanies)
Special (used sparingly)- Voodoo Glow Skulls Horn Section
*yes, I Know Jesse and Matt were together in Op Ivy but that band broke up in 89 and since neither one has done anything with the other since LOOP HOLE!
Aug 25, 2010
Just what the Funk Doctor ordered
This is more of a follow up to the last written blog entry from a couple weeks ago. This is my new go to song.
Aug 22, 2010
Aug 1, 2010
Nights Like This...
I should have an emergency bottle of scotch on hand at all times because...damn. It started at work as most of these things do. I had a drink and was about to have another when across the room boisterous drunks broke out and flooded every ear in the room with what they do best, being fucking annoying. That and given that my two particular co-workers were at odds and both in moods I said "fuck this, I'm heading home." That's when everything started. I walked to the bus stop and missed the first bus there so I waited the fifteen minutes for the other one. Given it's Philadelphia on a Saturday/Sunday at 2 am (as soon as the bars close) a flood of even more annoying drunks came out of the wood work. There were mobs of obnoxious people picking fights with other obnoxious people, even more people just shouting, one or two standing on cars. In fact the only sweet hearted thing I saw that kept me from wanting to castrate all of humanity was a girl fell flat on her face and her boyfriend lovingly picked her up, dusted her off, and a couple women in a car at the red light poked out and said "are you okay sweetie?". At that the boyfriend, with a warm and slightly embarrassed smile, just lovingly said "yeah we're fine" and escorted his girlfriend the rest of the way home. Shortly afterwards the bus came and was quiet and welcoming. I got off at my stop, which, is still in town but certainly far away from the mobs in center city, and then even more drunks came by, this time in cars. There was honking, screaming out the window, some girls tried to get my attention by revving their engine and honking and I just hung my head, ignored them, and kept on my usual feverish pace. 30 minutes later I got home, was welcomed by a puddle of dog piss on the carpet, the dog doing her "will I or won't I go in" game after I let her out, and then she ran in and dragged her ass on the carpet in a panic because somehow she got a paint chip stuck to it. End Scene.
This is where I look back on that last paragraph and just think...WHY!? Why must people make asses of themselves? Why must everyone be so fucking miserable in their own lives they have to make everyone around them miserable as well? Why in the fuck am I still living in such a concentration of liars, thieves, loud mouths, and very very amateur drunks? I don't understand it and never will. Yes I've made an ass out of myself plenty of times, but never ever to the extent that I perceived every single goddamn mouth breather I came across tonight. The ONLY thing that is keeping me grounded in reality and not in fever dreams where I commit mass genocide are the little things such as the couple I saw at the bus stop I mentioned, and two women on the bus playing with a bubble gun...Thank you, I needed this.
This is where I look back on that last paragraph and just think...WHY!? Why must people make asses of themselves? Why must everyone be so fucking miserable in their own lives they have to make everyone around them miserable as well? Why in the fuck am I still living in such a concentration of liars, thieves, loud mouths, and very very amateur drunks? I don't understand it and never will. Yes I've made an ass out of myself plenty of times, but never ever to the extent that I perceived every single goddamn mouth breather I came across tonight. The ONLY thing that is keeping me grounded in reality and not in fever dreams where I commit mass genocide are the little things such as the couple I saw at the bus stop I mentioned, and two women on the bus playing with a bubble gun...Thank you, I needed this.
Jul 1, 2010
Main Stream Producers and Filmmakers Change Strategies
LOS ANGELES - Hollywood has decided to change its strategy to disenfranchise America's younger population. A current trend in movies, as many casual and critical film goers know, has been live action reboots and reinterpretations of familiar and well loved pop culture icons such as The Transformers and GI:Joe. Though monetary gain from these franchises has been great, Hollywood producers and studio executives feel "unfulfilled" as one source, a producer who has demanded to remain anonymous, has claimed. The source went on to say, "The problem with the 21-30 demographic, the kids who remember and care about these franchises, is by the time the average American is eighteen or twenty, he or she has most likely graduated High School and/or college and is already jaded and disenfranchised with the world. As businessmen, we need to start the process at a younger age, we need to start showing younger kids that the world is a harsh place but there is nothing they can do about it. That early complacency is key to future economic stability."
The most recent film to capitalize on this idea has been M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender a live action remake of the now famous cartoon Avatar:The Last Airbender which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. With its balance of dense narrative, darker themes, rich character development, martial arts action, and comedy, the cartoon has received high praise from critics, parents, and children alike and quickly became one of Nickelodeon, and it's parent company Viacom's, most successful franchises to date.
"[Avatar]has made us a ton of money in merchandise and viewership." said a representative from Viacom, "The problem was the show was too good. It blurred the lines of good and evil, black and white, and just made kids think too much. We received calls and emails from teachers and parents complaining that their children and students started asking too many questions. Take this scenario for instance. A third grade teacher in Arkansas wrote us an email in 2006 complaining that her student, an avid fan of Avatar:The Last Airbender, started questioning Columbus's discovery of America. He equated the idea of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Marina landing in the West Indes to an early episode of the show where Prince Zuko and a Fire Nation ship land on the shores of the Southern Water Tribe demanding the tribe bring him the Avatar. In that first season Zuko is the main bad guy! We can't have our children thinking Columbus was a bad guy. That would undermine the very fabric of this country. Imagine what that student thought, a couple years later, when he saw Zuko become a good guy. He must have been so confused. The gray areas in this series are catastrophic to the fragile psyche of the American Youth. That's where M. Night came in."
M. Night Shyamalan has admitted in interviews to be a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender because his children, also avid fans, watched the show religiously. Though Shyamalan has seen success with his movies and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for his 1999 film The Sixth Sense his later and most recent works have often been ridiculed by movie goers and critics. The Viacom representative said this "When we heard Shemelon was a fan of the show, it was like a gigantic weight lifted off our shoulders. "Let's have HIM make a movie out of it! Surely if anyone can screw this franchise up it's him." I heard one of the execs say at one of quarterly meetings. On a slightly related note, that same exec just watched Lady in the Water the night prior. So we pushed Bryan [Konietzko] and Michael [DiMartino], the creators, to let Shamalama make the movie and the rest is history. We didn't need to do anything, we just let M. Night have full control and we knew it would be just what the doctor ordered.
Four years later The Last Airbender has hit theaters with much criticism. Critics such as Robert Ebert are already calling it "an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented." While still others say "it is a new low for Shyamalan."
"We know its crap, plain and simple, but we also know that these kids we're trying to set right are going to make their parents buy tickets and give us money so it's a win-win situation no matter how poor the movie is." said the Viacom representative.
How does it fit into Hollywood's new plan though? To find out just how effective this new direction is in creating apathy and complacency in younger children, Paramount Pictures, the studio who released this movie and another subsidiary of Viacom interviewed parents and children after a surprise, early screening of The Last Airbender at the Bridge Theater in Shyamalan's home city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A parent who took her child to the screening was quoted in saying "I don't understand it, my seven year old son was so energetic and happy to see this movie, now he's just confused and sad. It's like he's a whole other person." Another parent said "My ten year old daughter just loves the character of Katara [one of the protagonists in the show and movie], she thinks she is such a strong and motherly character, always looking after Aang [the main protagonist]and the other down and out characters. She liked Katara so much that after the episode when Katara learns she has healing abilities, my girl went up to me and said "Mommy, I want to be a doctor, so I can heal and help people just like Katara does." but after the movie, her eyes were glossed over and glassy and she just stared in the middle darkness. When I asked if she wanted her doll to play doctor with, she just snatched the doll out of my hand and threw it into the street.I've never seen anything like it." One of our own reporters, also at the screening, was able to get permission to ask one of the children what they thought of the movie but all the child said was "Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter."
"Mission Accomplished!" said the anonymous producer from Hollywood,"This is fantastic news. We have many more movies in the works. 80s nostalgia is old hat, those kids are lost causes. It's time we set our sights to the 90s and the Aughts. I overheard a guy from Time-Warner talking about a gritty Freakazoid reboot at a Starbucks but I didn't think it would fly. "Too recent" I thought. Jokes on me, hell, Avatar:The Last Airbender is just two years old. New episodes were being made when the movie script was being written. This is a great day for all of us."
The most recent film to capitalize on this idea has been M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender a live action remake of the now famous cartoon Avatar:The Last Airbender which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. With its balance of dense narrative, darker themes, rich character development, martial arts action, and comedy, the cartoon has received high praise from critics, parents, and children alike and quickly became one of Nickelodeon, and it's parent company Viacom's, most successful franchises to date.
"[Avatar]has made us a ton of money in merchandise and viewership." said a representative from Viacom, "The problem was the show was too good. It blurred the lines of good and evil, black and white, and just made kids think too much. We received calls and emails from teachers and parents complaining that their children and students started asking too many questions. Take this scenario for instance. A third grade teacher in Arkansas wrote us an email in 2006 complaining that her student, an avid fan of Avatar:The Last Airbender, started questioning Columbus's discovery of America. He equated the idea of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Marina landing in the West Indes to an early episode of the show where Prince Zuko and a Fire Nation ship land on the shores of the Southern Water Tribe demanding the tribe bring him the Avatar. In that first season Zuko is the main bad guy! We can't have our children thinking Columbus was a bad guy. That would undermine the very fabric of this country. Imagine what that student thought, a couple years later, when he saw Zuko become a good guy. He must have been so confused. The gray areas in this series are catastrophic to the fragile psyche of the American Youth. That's where M. Night came in."
M. Night Shyamalan has admitted in interviews to be a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender because his children, also avid fans, watched the show religiously. Though Shyamalan has seen success with his movies and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for his 1999 film The Sixth Sense his later and most recent works have often been ridiculed by movie goers and critics. The Viacom representative said this "When we heard Shemelon was a fan of the show, it was like a gigantic weight lifted off our shoulders. "Let's have HIM make a movie out of it! Surely if anyone can screw this franchise up it's him." I heard one of the execs say at one of quarterly meetings. On a slightly related note, that same exec just watched Lady in the Water the night prior. So we pushed Bryan [Konietzko] and Michael [DiMartino], the creators, to let Shamalama make the movie and the rest is history. We didn't need to do anything, we just let M. Night have full control and we knew it would be just what the doctor ordered.
Four years later The Last Airbender has hit theaters with much criticism. Critics such as Robert Ebert are already calling it "an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented." While still others say "it is a new low for Shyamalan."
"We know its crap, plain and simple, but we also know that these kids we're trying to set right are going to make their parents buy tickets and give us money so it's a win-win situation no matter how poor the movie is." said the Viacom representative.
How does it fit into Hollywood's new plan though? To find out just how effective this new direction is in creating apathy and complacency in younger children, Paramount Pictures, the studio who released this movie and another subsidiary of Viacom interviewed parents and children after a surprise, early screening of The Last Airbender at the Bridge Theater in Shyamalan's home city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A parent who took her child to the screening was quoted in saying "I don't understand it, my seven year old son was so energetic and happy to see this movie, now he's just confused and sad. It's like he's a whole other person." Another parent said "My ten year old daughter just loves the character of Katara [one of the protagonists in the show and movie], she thinks she is such a strong and motherly character, always looking after Aang [the main protagonist]and the other down and out characters. She liked Katara so much that after the episode when Katara learns she has healing abilities, my girl went up to me and said "Mommy, I want to be a doctor, so I can heal and help people just like Katara does." but after the movie, her eyes were glossed over and glassy and she just stared in the middle darkness. When I asked if she wanted her doll to play doctor with, she just snatched the doll out of my hand and threw it into the street.I've never seen anything like it." One of our own reporters, also at the screening, was able to get permission to ask one of the children what they thought of the movie but all the child said was "Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter."
"Mission Accomplished!" said the anonymous producer from Hollywood,"This is fantastic news. We have many more movies in the works. 80s nostalgia is old hat, those kids are lost causes. It's time we set our sights to the 90s and the Aughts. I overheard a guy from Time-Warner talking about a gritty Freakazoid reboot at a Starbucks but I didn't think it would fly. "Too recent" I thought. Jokes on me, hell, Avatar:The Last Airbender is just two years old. New episodes were being made when the movie script was being written. This is a great day for all of us."
Jun 30, 2010
8 Mutants Killed in Gunbattle at Afghan Airport
KABUL, Afghanistan - Mutants set off a car bomb and stormed the entrance to a major NATO air base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, authorities said. Eight of the beasts died in the failed assault. The CHUD (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) Nation has taken full responsibility. This is the third ground attack from "the Nation" (as supporters and members informally call it) on NATO forces since drilling in the Middle East disturbed their home in early May. Using light weapons, and rocket-propelled grenades the mutants battled U.S. and Afghan forces for 30 minutes around the airport on the outskirts of Jalalabad city, the media office at the airport said.
"The beasts were not able to breach the perimeter. They were fought off by Coalition and Afghan forces." German army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, a spokesman for NATO, told reporters, "We've seen a lot out here this past decade. Car bombs, suicide bombers, and men and women who are civilian one second, enemy insurgent the next. The Middle East has always been a hot bed of violence and blurred lines. There is nothing these Humanoid Cannibals can throw at us that we haven't already seen."
A letter written on skin was sent to the Associated Press that said six suicide CHUD scouts killed 32 Coalition and Afghan forces at the airport about 80 miles east of the Afghan capital. The Nation often claims higher numbers in deaths than the official toll.
In an unrelated incident in East Afghanistan last week, a United States soldier was dragged underground and is considered missing in action. This brings the possible American death toll to 59 in June.
At a Press conference held shortly after the most recent attack, when asked about the addition of the CHUD Nation to an already volatile situation in Afghanistan American General David H. Petraeus, who recently was put in command of Afghan forces, had no comment.
"The beasts were not able to breach the perimeter. They were fought off by Coalition and Afghan forces." German army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, a spokesman for NATO, told reporters, "We've seen a lot out here this past decade. Car bombs, suicide bombers, and men and women who are civilian one second, enemy insurgent the next. The Middle East has always been a hot bed of violence and blurred lines. There is nothing these Humanoid Cannibals can throw at us that we haven't already seen."
A letter written on skin was sent to the Associated Press that said six suicide CHUD scouts killed 32 Coalition and Afghan forces at the airport about 80 miles east of the Afghan capital. The Nation often claims higher numbers in deaths than the official toll.
In an unrelated incident in East Afghanistan last week, a United States soldier was dragged underground and is considered missing in action. This brings the possible American death toll to 59 in June.
At a Press conference held shortly after the most recent attack, when asked about the addition of the CHUD Nation to an already volatile situation in Afghanistan American General David H. Petraeus, who recently was put in command of Afghan forces, had no comment.
Jun 24, 2010
A Bonding Moment With Dad
Dad- Son, out of my brothers and I, who do you think is the smartest?
me- I don't know, umm...Uncle ------?
D- Actually it's your Uncle ---, he's an accomplished scientist. Now, second question, who do you think has the biggest dick?
m- ...you mean second biggest?
D- (nods approvingly)Good answer
me- I don't know, umm...Uncle ------?
D- Actually it's your Uncle ---, he's an accomplished scientist. Now, second question, who do you think has the biggest dick?
m- ...you mean second biggest?
D- (nods approvingly)Good answer
Jun 3, 2010
Music Review: Gogol Bordello "Trans-Continental Hustle"
I know I promised beer reviews but I haven't been able to sit down and get a good thing going with those so we'll call those on Hiatus right now. That said, here's a review for the new Gogol Bordello album Trans-Continental Hustle.
For those of you not familiar with the band, here's a quick synopsis of what they are. Take a bunch of Eastern European immigrants, give them a mix of folk instruments (accordion, violin, etc.) and electric guitars and shove them into the modern day NYC punk rock scene. You have the lead singer Eugene Hűtz, an energetic, quarter Romany descendant from Ukraine who is a much better show man than singer and a mix match of other Gypsies and outcasts having a good time and playing music that's a mix of folk, kleizmer, punk rock, dub, hip hop, Balkan brass, what have you. They came on the scene in the early aughts and broke out with their second full length album and my personal favorite of there's Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony since then they've received a lot more attention through use on music soundtracks (Everything is Illuminated and Wristcutters: a Love Storyare two that come to mind)and playing festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Now that introductions are done, here's the review.
In a few words "it's Gogol Bordello", in one word "tired". While most bands I've listened to and still do try to tweak their formula with every album to produce something fresh, Gogol Bordello is sticking to the same coattails that have carried them since their third album Gypsy Punks:Underdog World Strike which, while sounding a bit apart from Multi Kontra, still offered a pretty good range of memorable songs and pretty solid messages in some of them. In their following album Super Taranta they returned back to sounding a lot more like Multi Kontra which was nice but a couple songs irked me the wrong way. Trans-Continental Hustle isn't terrible, just over all pretty forgettable. Hell, I've been listening to it this entire review and already I forget most of what I've just heard. I don't buy albums very much, but when I see something from a band I've always loved and supported (i.e. when I saw the most recent offering from Gorillaz Plastic Beach I picked it up immediately) I drop the money I could have otherwise saved by pirating it offline and hold my breath. Trans-Continental Hustle is the weakest offering from Gogol Bordello, flat, which isn't saying it's bad, just they're totally capable of better stuff, I've heard it. Keeping with my rating system from the last music review (Full Price, Buy Used, Download, Fuck It) this is a solid Download if you're a fan of the band. If you haven't heard them, skip this and buy their first two Voi-La Intruder and/or, and I'll drop the name of the album again Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony.
Track List
1. Pala Tute
2. My Companjera
3. Sun is on My Side
4. Rebellious Love
5. Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher)
6. When Universes Collide
7. Uma Menina
8. Raise the Knowledge
9. Last One Goes the Hope
10. To Rise Above
11. In the Meantime in Pernambuco
12. Break the Spell
13. Trans-Continental Hustle
For those of you not familiar with the band, here's a quick synopsis of what they are. Take a bunch of Eastern European immigrants, give them a mix of folk instruments (accordion, violin, etc.) and electric guitars and shove them into the modern day NYC punk rock scene. You have the lead singer Eugene Hűtz, an energetic, quarter Romany descendant from Ukraine who is a much better show man than singer and a mix match of other Gypsies and outcasts having a good time and playing music that's a mix of folk, kleizmer, punk rock, dub, hip hop, Balkan brass, what have you. They came on the scene in the early aughts and broke out with their second full length album and my personal favorite of there's Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony since then they've received a lot more attention through use on music soundtracks (Everything is Illuminated and Wristcutters: a Love Storyare two that come to mind)and playing festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Now that introductions are done, here's the review.
In a few words "it's Gogol Bordello", in one word "tired". While most bands I've listened to and still do try to tweak their formula with every album to produce something fresh, Gogol Bordello is sticking to the same coattails that have carried them since their third album Gypsy Punks:Underdog World Strike which, while sounding a bit apart from Multi Kontra, still offered a pretty good range of memorable songs and pretty solid messages in some of them. In their following album Super Taranta they returned back to sounding a lot more like Multi Kontra which was nice but a couple songs irked me the wrong way. Trans-Continental Hustle isn't terrible, just over all pretty forgettable. Hell, I've been listening to it this entire review and already I forget most of what I've just heard. I don't buy albums very much, but when I see something from a band I've always loved and supported (i.e. when I saw the most recent offering from Gorillaz Plastic Beach I picked it up immediately) I drop the money I could have otherwise saved by pirating it offline and hold my breath. Trans-Continental Hustle is the weakest offering from Gogol Bordello, flat, which isn't saying it's bad, just they're totally capable of better stuff, I've heard it. Keeping with my rating system from the last music review (Full Price, Buy Used, Download, Fuck It) this is a solid Download if you're a fan of the band. If you haven't heard them, skip this and buy their first two Voi-La Intruder and/or, and I'll drop the name of the album again Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony.
Track List
1. Pala Tute
2. My Companjera
3. Sun is on My Side
4. Rebellious Love
5. Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher)
6. When Universes Collide
7. Uma Menina
8. Raise the Knowledge
9. Last One Goes the Hope
10. To Rise Above
11. In the Meantime in Pernambuco
12. Break the Spell
13. Trans-Continental Hustle
May 19, 2010
Origilio Beer Distro Event: Full Report
It's been a couple days but here it finally is. Sunday afternoon Doobie's Bar descended on Origlio Beer Distributor in the far North East of Philadelphia for a trade event. There were at least 30 or 40 brewers there, live music, and free (and really good)food. Here's a recap of everything I tried with a couple formal reviews of the couple beers I especially loved. First, the list, I tried to look up what I could but some beers don't have all the info on the brewer website. Starred beers have full review. Oh, and all percents are ABV, not ABW. Not that too many people state side use ABW...unless their weirdos. This is just a breeze through if anyone has any questions on the beers I'm not featuring in full reviews just ask.
Arcadia
Sky High Rye - Rye Pale Ale
*Whitsun Ale - Spring/Summer - Whit Beer 6.2%
Atlantic Brewing- Bar Harbor
Island Ginger - Ginger Wheat
Coal Porter - Porter
Dock St. Brewing
Summer Session - Session Ale - 5%
Dogfish Head
Midas Touch - Ancient Turkish...thing - 9%
Great Divide Brewing
*Yeti - Imperial Stout - 9.5%
Great Lakes Brewing
Burning River - Pale Ale - 6%
Eliot Ness - Amber Lager - 6.2%
Heavy Seas
Marzen - Marzen - 5.75%
Peg Leg - Imperial Stout - ~8%
Lagunitas
Hop Stoopid - 8%
La Rossa
Old Speckled Hen
Magner's
Magner's Irish Cider - Hard Cider
Oskar Blues
Gordon Pale - Pale Ale - 6.5%
Sam Adams
Coastal Wheat - Hef - 5.3%
Sly Fox
Saison Vos - Belgian Style Saison - 6.9%
Spaten
Optimator - Doppel Bock - 7.2% (this one actually may be ABW but it's the only number the website gave me)
Stone Brewery
Levitation - Amber Ale - 4.4%
Troubador
Gulden Draak
21st Amendment Brewery
Brew Free or Die - IPA - 7%
Weyerbacher
*Blithering Idiot - Barley Wine - 11.1%
Whew, that was a lot. That's It for now, I had a couple more but they were international and only had the name of the Importer, not the brewery. I'll get to the formal reviews later. As for now I've been on the road all day and I'm exhausted. Good Night
Arcadia
Sky High Rye - Rye Pale Ale
*Whitsun Ale - Spring/Summer - Whit Beer 6.2%
Atlantic Brewing- Bar Harbor
Island Ginger - Ginger Wheat
Coal Porter - Porter
Dock St. Brewing
Summer Session - Session Ale - 5%
Dogfish Head
Midas Touch - Ancient Turkish...thing - 9%
Great Divide Brewing
*Yeti - Imperial Stout - 9.5%
Great Lakes Brewing
Burning River - Pale Ale - 6%
Eliot Ness - Amber Lager - 6.2%
Heavy Seas
Marzen - Marzen - 5.75%
Peg Leg - Imperial Stout - ~8%
Lagunitas
Hop Stoopid - 8%
La Rossa
Old Speckled Hen
Magner's
Magner's Irish Cider - Hard Cider
Oskar Blues
Gordon Pale - Pale Ale - 6.5%
Sam Adams
Coastal Wheat - Hef - 5.3%
Sly Fox
Saison Vos - Belgian Style Saison - 6.9%
Spaten
Optimator - Doppel Bock - 7.2% (this one actually may be ABW but it's the only number the website gave me)
Stone Brewery
Levitation - Amber Ale - 4.4%
Troubador
Gulden Draak
21st Amendment Brewery
Brew Free or Die - IPA - 7%
Weyerbacher
*Blithering Idiot - Barley Wine - 11.1%
Whew, that was a lot. That's It for now, I had a couple more but they were international and only had the name of the Importer, not the brewery. I'll get to the formal reviews later. As for now I've been on the road all day and I'm exhausted. Good Night
May 17, 2010
Rock Tumbler
When I was little my brother got a rock tumbler as a present. It was one of those little, battery powered plastic ones that came with some pre-packed stones to polish with that vinegary solution and with a little book on what to look for and false promises of finding real gem stones in your own back yard. I only remember him using it once or twice then it was in boxes for years until it was thrown away.
Flash to years later and to when I was in High School. Like many, there were a few people I related to and a couple (literally) of which I still call friend. Now, most of the time I'm completely satisfied with this, my life is affected but by no means dictated by those years. Every so often though and after a couple drinks and introspection I go on that hideous bitch goddess facebook and go through my friends list and try to reconnect with one or two individuals I haven't spoken to let alone seen in years. It never works out and I should by now know it never does, but hell, maybe one of these days it'll be worth a shot, or at least that's what the boose tells me. Usually though I just end up reinforcing my beliefs that people suck and those I thought I had a genuine connection with five years ago show their true eroded and washed out colors. I don't know if it's a matter of my bridge burning, things I've done in the past, or just how peoples' experiences just can either break down or build their characters but whenever I try to "reconnect" it ends up augmenting my feeling of "there's a reason you lost contact with them." I think what hurts the most is the disappointment in people I thought were solid and how, through a series of life's events, they've lost the very qualities that drew me to them in the first place. Sure, for all I know I could be the asshole that skipped out on them so they're pissed at me; as critical as I am on myself it's really difficult to be able to go against my belief that I am, while by no means the best, a relatively good person. Everyone changes, it's inevitable, I just wish there was more of a balance of being able to keep true to oneself while chipping away the gritty bits to allow more admirable luster to shine through. That fucking rock tumbler never did work right.
Flash to years later and to when I was in High School. Like many, there were a few people I related to and a couple (literally) of which I still call friend. Now, most of the time I'm completely satisfied with this, my life is affected but by no means dictated by those years. Every so often though and after a couple drinks and introspection I go on that hideous bitch goddess facebook and go through my friends list and try to reconnect with one or two individuals I haven't spoken to let alone seen in years. It never works out and I should by now know it never does, but hell, maybe one of these days it'll be worth a shot, or at least that's what the boose tells me. Usually though I just end up reinforcing my beliefs that people suck and those I thought I had a genuine connection with five years ago show their true eroded and washed out colors. I don't know if it's a matter of my bridge burning, things I've done in the past, or just how peoples' experiences just can either break down or build their characters but whenever I try to "reconnect" it ends up augmenting my feeling of "there's a reason you lost contact with them." I think what hurts the most is the disappointment in people I thought were solid and how, through a series of life's events, they've lost the very qualities that drew me to them in the first place. Sure, for all I know I could be the asshole that skipped out on them so they're pissed at me; as critical as I am on myself it's really difficult to be able to go against my belief that I am, while by no means the best, a relatively good person. Everyone changes, it's inevitable, I just wish there was more of a balance of being able to keep true to oneself while chipping away the gritty bits to allow more admirable luster to shine through. That fucking rock tumbler never did work right.
May 4, 2010
Severed Thumbs: Exit Through the Gift Shop
I'm a huge fan of Banksy. I believe all of his work his meaningful, witty, gorgeous, and tongue in cheek hilarious. Naturally, when I heard he released a movie I had to see it. That movie is Exit Through the Gift Shop
So just a bit of background for those who don't know Banksy. Banksy is a UK based street artist who is infamous for his stencil work, installations, and privacy. Nobody except a very select few have heard his voice and seen his face. Here's one of my favorites of his.
Now that the introductions are over, here's the movie. The movie is a documentary that Banksy made about Thierry Guetta, a not even amateur French film maker turned street artist. As Banksy put it, Thierry was looking for him and trying to make a documentary on him. Banksy took the project and made the doc about Thierry because he is much more interesting. It started in the early Aughts when Thierry's cousin "Space Invader", a street artist, took him on a couple outings when Thierry was visiting family in France. Thierry, who always had a video camera on him at all times, came on the night runs and fell in love with the movement. Eventually Thierry gets sucked into the street art world and becomes its unofficial documenter. He travels the world taping and aiding famous street artists such as Ron English (known for his work in the movie Super Size Me )and Shepard Fairey (Obey). This goes on for a couple years but Thierry does absolutely nothing with the footage. Enter master artist Banksy, who learns of Thierry on a run in LA. They get to know each other, become friends, then a series of events turns Thierry into a street artist by the name of "Mr. Brainwash" who sells out so bad he makes Gene Simmons look like a starving artist. Take note, this synopsis does absolutely no justice to this film NONE. To anyone familiar with Banksy's work or just those even a bit curious, this is a definite must see. There's a lot of speculation on whether or not this is in fact a true doc or, in typical Banksy style, something much much more. See it, laugh, cry, get pissed, and judge. 6 out of 6
So just a bit of background for those who don't know Banksy. Banksy is a UK based street artist who is infamous for his stencil work, installations, and privacy. Nobody except a very select few have heard his voice and seen his face. Here's one of my favorites of his.
Now that the introductions are over, here's the movie. The movie is a documentary that Banksy made about Thierry Guetta, a not even amateur French film maker turned street artist. As Banksy put it, Thierry was looking for him and trying to make a documentary on him. Banksy took the project and made the doc about Thierry because he is much more interesting. It started in the early Aughts when Thierry's cousin "Space Invader", a street artist, took him on a couple outings when Thierry was visiting family in France. Thierry, who always had a video camera on him at all times, came on the night runs and fell in love with the movement. Eventually Thierry gets sucked into the street art world and becomes its unofficial documenter. He travels the world taping and aiding famous street artists such as Ron English (known for his work in the movie Super Size Me )and Shepard Fairey (Obey). This goes on for a couple years but Thierry does absolutely nothing with the footage. Enter master artist Banksy, who learns of Thierry on a run in LA. They get to know each other, become friends, then a series of events turns Thierry into a street artist by the name of "Mr. Brainwash" who sells out so bad he makes Gene Simmons look like a starving artist. Take note, this synopsis does absolutely no justice to this film NONE. To anyone familiar with Banksy's work or just those even a bit curious, this is a definite must see. There's a lot of speculation on whether or not this is in fact a true doc or, in typical Banksy style, something much much more. See it, laugh, cry, get pissed, and judge. 6 out of 6
Apr 11, 2010
Love, Ire & Prose
"Once, we were young. We were crass enough to care but I guess you live and learn, and we won't make that mistake again." -from "Love Ire and Song" by Frank Turner
I'm only 23, but those words sum up my twenties thus far. In the past three years I've cared, I've acted, and I've received nothing but disappointment. Usually given what I've seen, my form of jaded usually takes longer than that but I suppose I've had extreme measures and too much time to be introspective. I went to protests, I read the literature, I lived in West Philly, I did Food Not Bombs. The protests were poorly run, the lit was boring, the guy I lived with in West Philly was insane, and my reasons for leaving FnB are too long winded to fit in a parallel sentence structure. I still fervently support the group and the work it does, but yeah, long winded. These last five years, and I say five because everything started to go to shit February of 2005, have been a mix of culture shock, isolation, lost friends, confusion, and disillusion. It's as if I've done more growing up in five years than a lot of people I know do in a life time. I know life isn't supposed to be easy, but it feels like I've consistently been walking up a seventy degree slope with two tons of baggage on my back. I'm not depressed, just gaunt and frustrated. I know I'm too analytical about everything but I just can't seem to relax anymore, let things be, and get behind a cause. That's what used to fuel me, being able to get flustered enough and get behind a cause but every single one I've supported has been flawed. My first real defeat in this respect was two years ago. I took a stab at vegetarianism because I found out what the meat companies were doing with people, both customers and employees. One year later I learned that 80% of food in this country comes from the same four or five companies. I was shattered; Makiya was there with me and saw the defeat in my face. I will never forget that night and everything since has followed the same path. My life hasn't been much different so far really. A vicious cycle of disappointment after disappointment and disillusionment after disillusionment. I've managed to cope with most things but some nights like tonight the zippers on the baggage break and everything scatters.
I know everything sucks and it could always get much worse, but I'm pissed dammit. We all grew up thinking that the world is filled with possibility and with hard work and determination you will succeed, but all that optimism is eroding away and what's being left is just a jagged shell of bitterness covering a core of knowledge that the world our ancestors and previous generations left us is complete shit. A world where corruption and apathy towards others reins supreme and anyone with any feeling other than complacency towards an obviously broken system is thrown to the fucking dogs. I think that's what gets me the most about everything, complacency. That's what angers me the most, that feeling that so many people have that everything will work out and we'll all be taken care of, so why be a rabblerouser? I've been guilty of it myself and it's repugnant. When I see myself doing that I look at my own reflection and spit on it. It's another cycle, I get jaded, I get complacent, then I get pissed off, find a cause, learn it's flawed, then back to being jaded. I need to find a way to break the cycle at "find a cause" then stick with it.
"So come on let's be young, let's be crass enough to care
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again yes
And then darling, just for one day, we can fight and we can win"
I'm only 23, but those words sum up my twenties thus far. In the past three years I've cared, I've acted, and I've received nothing but disappointment. Usually given what I've seen, my form of jaded usually takes longer than that but I suppose I've had extreme measures and too much time to be introspective. I went to protests, I read the literature, I lived in West Philly, I did Food Not Bombs. The protests were poorly run, the lit was boring, the guy I lived with in West Philly was insane, and my reasons for leaving FnB are too long winded to fit in a parallel sentence structure. I still fervently support the group and the work it does, but yeah, long winded. These last five years, and I say five because everything started to go to shit February of 2005, have been a mix of culture shock, isolation, lost friends, confusion, and disillusion. It's as if I've done more growing up in five years than a lot of people I know do in a life time. I know life isn't supposed to be easy, but it feels like I've consistently been walking up a seventy degree slope with two tons of baggage on my back. I'm not depressed, just gaunt and frustrated. I know I'm too analytical about everything but I just can't seem to relax anymore, let things be, and get behind a cause. That's what used to fuel me, being able to get flustered enough and get behind a cause but every single one I've supported has been flawed. My first real defeat in this respect was two years ago. I took a stab at vegetarianism because I found out what the meat companies were doing with people, both customers and employees. One year later I learned that 80% of food in this country comes from the same four or five companies. I was shattered; Makiya was there with me and saw the defeat in my face. I will never forget that night and everything since has followed the same path. My life hasn't been much different so far really. A vicious cycle of disappointment after disappointment and disillusionment after disillusionment. I've managed to cope with most things but some nights like tonight the zippers on the baggage break and everything scatters.
I know everything sucks and it could always get much worse, but I'm pissed dammit. We all grew up thinking that the world is filled with possibility and with hard work and determination you will succeed, but all that optimism is eroding away and what's being left is just a jagged shell of bitterness covering a core of knowledge that the world our ancestors and previous generations left us is complete shit. A world where corruption and apathy towards others reins supreme and anyone with any feeling other than complacency towards an obviously broken system is thrown to the fucking dogs. I think that's what gets me the most about everything, complacency. That's what angers me the most, that feeling that so many people have that everything will work out and we'll all be taken care of, so why be a rabblerouser? I've been guilty of it myself and it's repugnant. When I see myself doing that I look at my own reflection and spit on it. It's another cycle, I get jaded, I get complacent, then I get pissed off, find a cause, learn it's flawed, then back to being jaded. I need to find a way to break the cycle at "find a cause" then stick with it.
"So come on let's be young, let's be crass enough to care
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again yes
And then darling, just for one day, we can fight and we can win"
Feb 13, 2010
Feb 2, 2010
Recipe Corner: HamBurzums
2lbs chuck
1 egg
1 tsp. bread crumbs
1/2 onion diced
1 T old bay
1 t chipotle powder
1 t garlic
1 t black pepper
Dice onions and set aside then mix together beef, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add onions and spices then fold and mix beef until everything is well blended. Press into patties then set aside for a couple minutes on parchment paper until dry skillet or grill is hot. Then all you need to do is cook them up and eat them.
1 egg
1 tsp. bread crumbs
1/2 onion diced
1 T old bay
1 t chipotle powder
1 t garlic
1 t black pepper
Dice onions and set aside then mix together beef, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add onions and spices then fold and mix beef until everything is well blended. Press into patties then set aside for a couple minutes on parchment paper until dry skillet or grill is hot. Then all you need to do is cook them up and eat them.
Jan 11, 2010
Severed Thumbs: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
It's been a while since I've done one of these. That doesn't mean I haven't watched any good movies lately, I just haven't felt like writing about them. This movie on the other hand I've received requests to review it (okay, so just one) so here we go; this is The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
So, what happens when you combine Terry Gilliam's imagery(Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc.), Heath Ledger's last performance, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrel doing their best Heath Ledger impersonations, a decent story and top it off with Tom Waits playing the devil? Well sheer wonderment of course...unless you're a damned Nazi. The movie has been completed for well over a year now but it didn't see even a limited release in the States until this past Christmas. We start off with the immortal Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a mystic who runs a sideshow with his 16 year old daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), a former street rat named Anton (Andrew Garfield), and everyone's favorite go to dwarf, Verne Troyer. Through a series of bets with the Devil, called Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) Dr. Parnassus is in a contest to see who can get the most souls via a magical mirror that transports people into the good Doctor's mind where their wildest fantasies (or nightmares) are shown. In this fantastical world the contestants are shown two choices that either lead toward enlightenment or carnal desires. Enlightened souls go to the Doctor, carnal bastards go to Mr. Nick. Eventually it comes down to one last bet, the winner gets The Doctor's daughter, first to five souls in two days wins. In the mean time they run across Tony (Heath Ledger) whom they rescue from certain death. Tony is a suave, charming, young business type who knows how to persuade people (especially women.) Through a series of events Tony falls in love with Valentina, learns about the wager, and has some ideas to help out. He almost succeeds but some surprises from his past catch up and complicate matters; what follows is both heart warming and twisted in the usual Gilliam manner.
This movie is one of the best I've seen in the last couple years and though I wouldn't rank it up with Pan's Labyrinth (see Creatively Stumped episode 3 part 2) It's still really up there especially since Gilliam's last two releases (Tideland and Brother's Grimm) have been less than spectacular. My favorite aspect is how they managed to finish it up without Heath (for example of how not to do it, see a movie that had similar problems with main actors dying, 1994's The Crow.) The transitions between Heath and the other three actors who played Tony were seamless, which also brought more depth to the character because to me it seemed each actor represented another aspect of Tony's personality with Heath being the whole, now THAT'S clever screen writing. The rest of the casting was spot on especially Tom Waits' portrayal of Mr. Nick not as a terrible person but more of a business man and gambler, which is precisely how I always thought of the devil. Is this my favorite Gilliam Film? It comes close, but it's hard to beat Brazil. It is up there though with the rest of the movies that have really had an effect on me. That's why I give Dr. Parnassus 6 out of 6 severed thumbs.
So, what happens when you combine Terry Gilliam's imagery(Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc.), Heath Ledger's last performance, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrel doing their best Heath Ledger impersonations, a decent story and top it off with Tom Waits playing the devil? Well sheer wonderment of course...unless you're a damned Nazi. The movie has been completed for well over a year now but it didn't see even a limited release in the States until this past Christmas. We start off with the immortal Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a mystic who runs a sideshow with his 16 year old daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), a former street rat named Anton (Andrew Garfield), and everyone's favorite go to dwarf, Verne Troyer. Through a series of bets with the Devil, called Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) Dr. Parnassus is in a contest to see who can get the most souls via a magical mirror that transports people into the good Doctor's mind where their wildest fantasies (or nightmares) are shown. In this fantastical world the contestants are shown two choices that either lead toward enlightenment or carnal desires. Enlightened souls go to the Doctor, carnal bastards go to Mr. Nick. Eventually it comes down to one last bet, the winner gets The Doctor's daughter, first to five souls in two days wins. In the mean time they run across Tony (Heath Ledger) whom they rescue from certain death. Tony is a suave, charming, young business type who knows how to persuade people (especially women.) Through a series of events Tony falls in love with Valentina, learns about the wager, and has some ideas to help out. He almost succeeds but some surprises from his past catch up and complicate matters; what follows is both heart warming and twisted in the usual Gilliam manner.
This movie is one of the best I've seen in the last couple years and though I wouldn't rank it up with Pan's Labyrinth (see Creatively Stumped episode 3 part 2) It's still really up there especially since Gilliam's last two releases (Tideland and Brother's Grimm) have been less than spectacular. My favorite aspect is how they managed to finish it up without Heath (for example of how not to do it, see a movie that had similar problems with main actors dying, 1994's The Crow.) The transitions between Heath and the other three actors who played Tony were seamless, which also brought more depth to the character because to me it seemed each actor represented another aspect of Tony's personality with Heath being the whole, now THAT'S clever screen writing. The rest of the casting was spot on especially Tom Waits' portrayal of Mr. Nick not as a terrible person but more of a business man and gambler, which is precisely how I always thought of the devil. Is this my favorite Gilliam Film? It comes close, but it's hard to beat Brazil. It is up there though with the rest of the movies that have really had an effect on me. That's why I give Dr. Parnassus 6 out of 6 severed thumbs.
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