Back in Those Days...

As the last few days of this June come to a close, it occurs to me that we are 1 and 1/2 years from the end of this decade. Part of the interest around this first decade of the New Millennium (TM) is just what to call it. It's pointedly difficult to get single numbers to roll off the tongue like Forties, Fifties and Sixties. There are numerous suggestions for names of this decade, but I believe the most accurate (and historically relevant) name would be the "ought-nots," as in "ought not to have happened."

It's easy to guess from past entries that I am what some would call, pessimistic. I actually disagree with this conjecture, and prefer to identify myself as an optimistic cynic. The simple truth is, bad things have happened, are happening, and are likely to continue to happen, but I maintain that things can get better. I would further argue that plainly acknowledging the negative truths as they exist, rather than trying to sugarcoat or euphemize them away, is simply being realistic. But I'm getting away from the point.

I will not argue that this decade has seen significant advances for the human race. The Internet has had an incredible explosion of progress, with greater information access, user-generated content, and more ubiquitous computer/electronic device use overall. The environmental awareness or "Green" movement has gained social and political popularity again, with numerous industries striving to help with diminishing pollution and carbon-impact in their products and creating efficient alternative-energy technologies (though generally in response to several problems discussed below). Further developments in science and medicine continue to enable possibilities for greater standards of living worldwide. And a few stellar achievements have been made by humanity outside of our little blue-green bubble.

However, in a staggering ironic turn, the UN General Assembly declared the decade of 2000–2009 the "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World," which seems more a statement of unfulfilled wishes rather than a declaration of achieved goals.

First of all, let's consider the minor conflicts of this "culture of peace": the resurgence of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, insurgencies in several Mid-East countries and South/Southeast Asia, genocidal civil wars in Africa (including Darfur, Somalia and Chad), the renewed violence of the Mexican Drug War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars (to name just those most-covered in the worldwide media).

Then, throw in the numerous natural disasters: record-breaking heat waves in 2003 and 2006; several categorically large earthquakes, including the Indian Ocean (2004) whose tsunamis killed more than any ever recorded and place it sixth on the Top Ten Deadliest Disasters, Kashmir (2005), Java (2006), and Sichuan Province (2008); Hurricanes Jeanne and Katrina (2004, 2005); unprecedented droughts in Africa, China and Australia; flooding in the Far-East, Mid-East, Africa, U.K. and U.S. Midwest; and seasonal wildfires which continue unabated to destroy millions of dollars of property. For fun we could also include that little blip of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak.

A large part of the problem with the above disasters was the ensuing man-made disasters of relief efforts, where politics, mismanagement, corruption, and simple lack of preparation or resources further compounded the problems brought about by nature, resulting in even more deaths.

And of course I can't forget to leave out that infamous day, that looked upon event as the day which defined the ensuing century. The September 11th attacks. Puzzled over and dismantled numerous times and with various findings, eventually resulting in a publicly released Congressional report. But let's not forget the attacks in London, Madrid and Mumbai, as well as countless smaller attacks in urban civilian areas over the years.

A great deal of these led many people to the conclusion that "nowhere is safe;" that the conflicts of other regions could affect anyone, anywhere, regardless of personal identity, age, politics or religion. A great deal of fear resulted from this, naturally. And following that fear, anger. And following that, aggression. But the new "enemies of peace" are divided, hidden and unpredictable. There are few, if any, large standing armies to fight. So in a cloud of confusing danger, you fight who you can, where you can.

The Global War on Terrorism has been dubbed a "Long War," and it seems it will most likely replace the Cold War as the pervasive, but elusively experienced constant fear that will encompass our global consciousness. We'll get up hearing more rumblings or reports of disastrous events, trudge through the day with whatever distractions or personal stressors arise, then go to bed with further reports (or probably just block them out with escapist media).

Where does all this leave us? I don't know. I don't know what will be said of all this by a 50-year-old historian in 20 years. But I know how it all feels right now, to my generation. It sucks. It is a weight and a pressure that is always at the back of the mind. There is misery and conflict in the world, and there is very little light to be seen towards the end of any tunnel. If anything, the tunnel of our future seems to just dig deeper and deeper underground.

The only opinion that seems to be heard after a beleaguered sigh of discontent, is that the only thing to be done is to press on, and try and dig UP at every opportunity. The inertia of so much progress and hope behind us seems to keep us walking ever onward, even if we don't know towards what. Many would decry a political agenda that would emulate this outlook (as it seems to be today), but in a world of constant change, what choice do we have?

There isn't a choice of isolationism in a global economy. There isn't an option of leaving politics and big difficult choices to certain groups when those groups reveal continual scandal and corruption. And there isn't a choice of resigned apathy and ignorance when survival and health is determined by motivation and reliable information.

Back in this day, people had been given a gift of prosperity and hope, and then suddenly it began to be taken away from them in bits and pieces. And people had to decide if they would merely be repulsed and outraged at this, or if they would actively work to ensure further prosperity and hope against continued trials (possibly forever).

And back in this day, the future was still unknown, still always before us, and you're inability to rely on things made you change constantly. And only looking back from tomorrow were you certain if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed. " -George Carlin, 1937-2008

Dedicated to a wise and no-bullshit man. We'll miss ya, George.

I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille

So...how've you been? Yeah, same here.

But, while it may seem I've hardly done anything for this site, I've actually been quite productive elsewhere. Starting with this fall, I'm consistently producing short films for my Radio, Television, Film classes, and most recently I've gotten all my schoolwork posted on YouTube.

Yes, a little bit pathetic but...alright, it's quite pathetic, but at least I can save them somewhere and also allow people to view them as they please. Eventually I'll be having to edit all my files into a comprehensive Demo Reel, but thankfully that's at least a year away.

For now, enjoy these *cough* masterpieces of student filmmaking. And look out, because I'll be using this blog as a shameless self-pimping page in the future. (And since the embedding isn't working, you'll have to actually go to YouTube to see them).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYB9iZT7gjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6QAKZxgKio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUqu6x0HGac

J.K. Rowling and the Profitable Idea

About ten years ago, an author started a book series about several special adolescents with unique abilities who were destined to save the world from a great evil. She used her initials as more of a gender-neutral moniker to appeal to both male and female readers. The books eventually spawned merchandise and cross-media adaptations. This was the appeal of Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.

You were expecting something else?

In May 2001, the sophomore school year was winding down, and I was eagerly finishing the first major book series I had ever read, started all the way back elementary school (the 5th grade, to be exact). Back then, series like Goosebumps were very popular, but I had more of an interest in sci-fi adventure than lightweight horror. The series was also more fun than Goosebumps for me; it dealt with themes of friendship, love, family, war, the minds of "wild" animals, alien-perspective on human culture (and vice versa) and even the question of existence itself. The sheer detail of the alien races, technology, and worlds was quite exhausting by book #54, however, and having to take in and remember so much over a long period of time had grown wearisome.

So when a classmate gushed about the enjoyability of the Harry Potter series, reeling off facts about Quidditch, Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, I was completely disinterested. I had just finished a long-arc book series; why would I want to start another?

But the Cult of Potter would not be denied. Later that year, the first film was released, and try as I might to avoid it, Harry Potter creapt into my attention left and right. Our English teacher went so far as to play music from the soundtrack whenever we worked quietly on essays. Eventually, my parents rented the feature and we watched it together. They fell asleep, I was enthralled. Once the movie began to run on HBO, I watched it almost every chance I got. When the sequel was released the next year, I kept my fervor hidden, waiting for the release on TV. Again, I watched it as often as it was on, and by the time the third film opened, I openly admitted to liking Harry Potter and attended the film along with all the other Pott-heads.

Still, I had not read the books that started this fandom avalanche. Luckily all the paperback editions were readily available at every (EVERY) bookstore, and though the books increased in length and density, they always had a rather brisk pace. There were legitimate thrills from the numerous twists and reveals (for those who read the books before seeing the movies) and quite a bit of elements for adults as well as children.

Many people wonder just why these books are so special. There's hundreds, thousands of other children's books being released each year. Why are these suddenly so big? For one thing, they are easy to pick up and read, and despite the detail put into Harry's world, it is described in a simple, layman's view. The humor that J.K. Rowling employs is a familiar British wit that dryly notes the obvious even while meandering through the most surreal locales. The author's conversational tone makes the book seem less some epic fantasy reserved for scholars (sorry, Prof. Tolkien) and more an oral fable being given from narrator-to-reader. While some characters may seem usual clichés of mythic fiction, the series makes a point of given complexity to the seemingly straight-forward.

Many religious organizations (a fair number in the U.S.) contend that the books promote witchcraft, (incorrectly labeled Wicca in certain arguments) and Satanism. For anyone who has actually read the books, it is obvious these are groundless accusations. The books' interpretation of magic is acutely secular, with no mention of patron deities or gods, nor demonic or angelic beings. Indeed, magic is a near-science, with observable laws of cause and effect (though the effects are often malleable and able to be overriden). In addition, calling the series "godless" (implying it is without moral virtue) is equally unfounded. The importance of strong morals and proper ethics is the crux if the entire story of Harry Potter. The books stress love, trust, friendship, academic diligence (or at least its rewards), bravery, wisdom, etc. The layered nature of Rowling's storytelling is a key to her popularity with older readers.

The series is also notable as the first major film franchise of the new millennium, starting just one month prior the Lord of the Rings. Alongside LOTR, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Star Wars prequels, Harry Potter established a new era of fantasy filmmaking, with these series featuring the most advanced effects and artistic design the film industry has ever seen.

With the publication of the final narrative book in the series, J.K. Rowling cements herself as one of the landmark authors of the 21st century: garnering an enormous fanbase that stretches into the youngest and oldest readers across the planet (encouraging many youngsters to pick up a book instead of a remote or video game), having amassed a fortune that places her as the second-richest female entertainer in the world (the Oprah cannot be stopped), holding the record for the fastest-selling book in history, and even having an asteroid named after her.

All this because a Manchester-to-London train was delayed for four hours.

Artistic License to Kill

It goes without saying that if you've travelled the web, you've come across this new art medium called a webcomic. I won't argue the merits of webcomics here, because if Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes get critically acclaimed hardcover collections, it's hardly a giant leap to see graphics over the internet having a similar value as graphics on paper. Indeed, webcomics may even be argued to be an improvement of printed strips, because aside from the broader capabilities in digital production, webcomics are more widely available to readers. But enough literary blowjob.

I've heard, through my various sojourns through the Net, various web comic creators...well, for lack of a better term,"shit-mouthing" one another's work. And in the age of sarcasm-as-martial art, that can get a bit petulant, if unnecessary. I suppose this behavior surprises me because I follow an invalid path of logic: webcomics bring me amusement, thus they must be designed to that end, thus their creators' only aesthetic judgment of webcomics is whether or not they provide amusement. I have to remind myself that (some of) these people are artists, and they take what they do seriously, and often their personal criticism will pepper their view of other artists' work. Doesn't mean I won't read all the unpopular shit.

A shining example of this is Penny Arcade. People alternately love or loathe Penny Arcade, even having opinions on the individual personalities of the creators. Obviously, being a strip heavily devoted to video gaming commentary and reference, any positions they take in the comic will rise ire with readers. But to start fire-bombing with derisive comments and critiques of the comic as a whole seems overkill.

Obviously, not all webcomics are created equal. The same situation exists with newspaper strips. Not everyone finds Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes hilarious and witty, but you'd be hard-pressed to find people who could adamantly heap loads of scorn on Charles Schultz or Bill Waterson. Mostly because it's just pathetic, especially since the former is dead.

I hold a "love 'em or leave 'em" policy with my internet amusements. If I get some small iota of entertainment, however mindless, I frequent the website. If not, I lose interest and eventually delete the link. Beyond that I hardly raise thoughts on the content of most webcomics or webseries. That's how most people deal with internet entertainment. There's little to no critique necessary, mostly because it barely registers as art. Why bother comparing things when the audience treats it as replaceable cheap fun?

But enough of that. Let's see what we're really talking about: webcomics. Specifically, MY favorite webcomics.

Ctrl+Alt+Dlt [Control Alt Delete]
Yes, that's first on the list. Rather it was the first I came across and decided to frequent quite awhile ago. The basic gist of the story? Gamers are freaks. At least that's what I draw from it. When it first began, the comic's main characters were Ethan and Lucas, two roommates who both enjoy the various types of gaming but to starkly different degrees. Aside from their own exploits, the comic also shows there interaction with the computer illiterate, several potential love interests, and the oddities of the general world. There is also robot on occasion. In between the plot comics are nonsensical absurdist strips featuring The Chef, and strips illustrating logical fallacies and ironies of popular video games and gaming in general. I usually skip the Chef stuff.

Something*Positive
I actually had the pleasure of meeting the creator at the Tomato pizzaria in Denton when he'd made one of his frequent trips back to his native Texas. I'd never read or even heard of the comic, but a friend recommended it highly and encouraged me to come. I netted a free sketch of the Grim Reaper saying, "I'm gettin to ya" for my older sister. The comic itself has an eclectic cast of twenty-somethings living in Boston, but with one having ties to Texas. They're all drifting around, alternatively progressing and regressing down their own paths. Mainly the acerbic wit and "what-the-shit?" situations keep me coming back.

Full Frontal Nerdity
Done by the same fellow that produces the acclaimed black-and-white comic, Ps238 (Aaron Williams), FFN delivers exactly what its title promises: nerds. Or more specifically, geeks (damn you, there IS a difference!). If you've ever trembled at discussions of any production having the word "Star" in its title, BEWARE. Three friends (and one web camera) get together regularly for their traditional tabletop game while also discussing various issues and events in the Nerd World (which is vast and frightening......................BEWARE).

xkcd
I admit, there are days I have NO idea what this comic's talking about. And then there are times where it's piercing insight is only matched by the light of God. Y'know, like that part in Raiders of the Lost Ark where that guy's face melts? Yeah, just like that. Most of the early stuff is just sketch work, but later on creator Randall Munroe starts digging into his math and science background to come up with some real heady stuff. If philosophical play on words and Escher-inspired artwork isn't your thing...well, you suck and this comic hates you.

VG Cats
In my opinion, THE videogame/pop culture web comic. It's very tongue-in-cheek and oh so pretty, so you probably don't need more reasons to see it than that, but in case you do (dammit), you should know that there is regular use of gore, violence, perverse sexuality, blasphemy, unnatural acts and death. And obviously, cats.

Lil' Formers
A recent find, and probably the most direct in its audience and subject targetting. Basically, it's transformers. Cute. Wittle. Transformers. Making fun of transformers. That's it. And for me, that's enough.

Antiseptic Poetry
...has nothing to do with this comic. Seriously. The story begins as some post-modern superheroine tale, but then slowly careens into gal pal stories and body image debates (aka FAN SERVICE). I've only just come across this comic like, yesterday, but it's already gotten my erection-er, attention. Yes. And its exploration of the female-female dynamic in modern America is a rare find amongst the other male-produced webcomics. Plus boobies. Boobies are good.

The Perry Bible Fellowship
My absolute favorite. Hands down. The ups-and-downs of this comic will make your head spin. And then pop off. And then dance a jig, then a cha-cha, then box step, foxtrot and finally charleston itself to pieces. Because one second you're reading about children exploring . Each is standalone, with few carry-over gags, save some recurring character designs and motives for simplicity. If you liked the Far Side, you'll love this comic.

The Calm Before the Storm

The spring season is upon us, if not in weather, than in arbitrary calender notation. For most of the U.S., spring means new, new, new, specifically new entertainment media to satiate their staggering boredom. With so much stressful crap in their world, both large and small, this is the cheapest and most widely available drug to "turn on, tune in, [and] drop out." And what avenue is always reliably there to give them more cheap thrills and sensory overload every year? Cinema.

Already Frank Miller's 300 has taken over the box office and I'm sure most of you have suffered through the myriad catchphrases being beaten to death in pop culture. I liked the film, but more for it's individual presentation and comic book roots than any grand theme or idea it might present. It's an opera, an orgiastic splash painting of violence, and more of how a storyteller would embellish a military campaign to pass it on, than any historical treatment. It's also a huge encouragement for people to work on their abs. Seriously, lots of abs in that movie.

But even still, the 18-30 demographic is salivating for more as the summer months draw near, and already the films are lining up to power through the audiences' wallets. This weekend alone has Tarantino and Rodriguez's Grindhouse collaboration, as well as acclaimed production house Williams Street's animated feature based off their cult TV hit Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Neither of the films is going to offer "redeeming stories with broad appeal," but they are going to be quite successful. Why? Because they know their fan base and they give them exactly what they want; which is only what the creators' want. While on opposite ends of the pop culture spectrum (Tarantino and Rodriguez legit arthouse and commercial directors, Williams Street a Turner Broadcasting subdivision dedicated to absurdist humor), both share the artistic directive of knowing what they want to make, and making it. Trying to skew that towards an audience is not really required, because the audience bends their tastes to the productions, rather than vice versa. Also, that bomb scare in Boston was a shitload of free advertising.

After these two further assaults on pop culture, we get the tried and true "Summer Sequel Slam" with Spider-Man 3, 28 Weeks Later, Shrek 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean 3, all separated by one week each. It's honestly a big risk by all these studios to crunch every single feature into the month of May, and so close together, but it's a tried old method of studios to try and trump the hype of other franchises by making an audience choose between features.

Your movie selections for May will most likely depend on your own family makeup. The family moviegoers will see Shrek and Spidey immediately, and possibly Pirates, while the older audience members will want a taste of the frenetic in 28 Weeks Later, and a look of the Hollywood hot in Pirates. There's also bound to be a lot of crossover, so expect the big takers to be Spider-Man and Pirates, since they carry the widest and largest fan bases. If you want to avoid all this craziness at the multiplex, meaning you want a screening without a hundred screeching adolescents and little children, check for theatres showing the british cop parody, Hot Fuzz. It'll be out for several weeks beforehand, so you can enjoy it in peace.

And it doesn't stop there: June brings The 40-Year-Old Virgin fans Knocked Up, more sequels with Ocean's 13, Hostel II, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Evan Almighty and Live Free or Die Hard, as well as the latest Pixar creation, Ratatouille.

Assuming you've survived all that, July picks up with the ultra-hyped Transformers "live-action" feature (which has all the important stuff computer-generated, so good luck figuring out that label), followed by the latest Harry Potter adaptation (which will be followed by the final book being released a week later, so expect Potter mania mid-July), The Simpsons Movie and cult author Neil Gaiman's adapted work, Stardust.

So, you've had three solid months of sequels and adaptations; surely you can rest easy as we edge towards fall, right? Nope. Another "live-action" feature, Underdog (yes, that Underdog) opens August along with The Bourne Ultimatum, and they're followed by Rush Hour 3 and a film based on that god-awful toy line, Bratz. September will bring us the best-selling novel The Nanny Diaries, as well as the shameless screwball sport comedy Balls of Fury and the (hopefully) final Resident Evil film.

There's honestly much more than that to come (we haven't even reach October-December!), but I'll leave you drooling/trembling at those prospects. Within all that mess, there are actually lots of simple comedies and romances, as well as off-beat indie flicks to enjoy, so don't be fooled by mob rule into seeing what has the biggest poster. Go online and watch some trailers to see what you feel like paying for.

You're supposed to enjoy going to these, remember?

New Year, New Dystopia

Winter is the second big season for cineplex rushes, so I figured the best way to usher in the year was with a movie review.

Since The Fountain, the movie I’d been hearing the most whispers about was Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. Now, with the former, I was a little bit disappointed after so much build-up and anticipation. With the latter, perhaps hearing about it so late was the saving grace. Or maybe it just kicked my teeth into what's left of my higher brain functions.

In what the audience is allowed to gather, a future London, England is the last bastion of “civilized” human life, all other notable countries and metropolises in shambles. Wars and terrorist attacks (both nuclear), pollution, even a few vague natural disasters have led to worldwide poverty and strife. But the true issue at the heart of every despair-filled event is a simple ritual of existence, taken for granted after so long: fertility.

The human race has not had a single birth in eighteen years, meaning no new children, meaning no new generations, meaning no future. Needless to say, people go a bit crazy. After the countless other tragedies befalling mankind, every country’s population rips itself apart in civil war. That’s basically the plot. The world is ending, and no one can rise up and save us.

Except Clive Owen.

Alright, that may be pushing it a little. Owen, most well-known in America for his appearances in Closer, Sin City and as the eponymous lead of King Arthur, is the eyes and ears of the audience. He is less the focus of the story, and more its unwitting witness. Detached and broken from his own trauma over the past eighteen years, he is in no mood to be an action hero; he’d much rather drink himself into a coma, except for the fact he has a narrative importance…er, destiny.

Don’t worry, though. Owen’s ghostly behavior is not the focus of the drama. The film is filled to the teeth with heavy action. Gruesome action. Won’t-somebody-please-think-of-the-children action. I remember comparing the urban fighting between military/police and civilians to the battles of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. And honestly, they are that intense.

Explosions swiftly disrupt calm if hectic urban scenes, and a background extra may be just as likely to pick up a rock and stone a main character as stroll nonchalantly by. Everyone’s depressed, everyone’s angry, and everyone sees everyone else as a potential target. The most horrific and telling detail of this apocalyptic landscape is how many people are indiscriminately injured or outright killed with little time to even register the impact.

The other remarkable feature of this film is how important the set design is. Taking place several decades in the future, there are numerous elements showing us a world distinctly different, if still descended from our world: car designs that look like advancements on current models, but obviously several years off the dealership floor; pervasive streaming advertisements and news programs; all sorts of modern technology with extra data and information flooding out. Clive Owen even has a weathered sweatshirt advertising the 2012 London Olympics.

But unlike recent futurist movies, this is all done in a passing glance, without wide, IMAX shots of how much traffic is on the superhighway. Cuarón’s use of the handheld digital camera increases the audience’s interest in the scenery. Following Owen on the street level, we become more interested in the billboards advertising assisted-suicide medication, the posters encouraging reporting illegal refugees, the religious repenters flagellating themselves in droves.

In the tradition of 28 Days Later, the horror is in how near and overflowing all of this is. A whole world surrounds the characters of the story, but it isn’t one to be celebrated, but feared. If there were any simple message to take from the film, it might be the insidiousness of allowing a government to run rampant in times of crisis (ala V for Vendetta’s cinematic translation), but the more subtle message is the calming effect of innocence. A dominant modern view is that those who are too meek to defend themselves with violence will be consumed by the darker elements of humanity. But perhaps their gentle nature protects them from being consumed spiritually...

There’s no cut and dry victory for the film’s characters, and certainly no critical solutions to any of the events the film prophesizes, but Cuarón does use a wonderfully effective thematic lesson: survive the future, by remembering and honoring the past.

Please, think of the children.

Time of the Season

The one year anniversary of my blog, and what a year.

Still, I haven't kept up with things of late, and this blog has easily suffered the most with little to no updates the past two months.

The last time you checked in, I was all fired up about the Kinkster. In case you didn't hear, he lost. He lost big time. But, I was not as dismayed when I heard this as you might think.

The day I found out Kinky came last in the top four candidates, and of course helped to keep Rick Perry in office, I was lucky enough to be treating a pleasant young woman to lunch and enjoying her conversation. On top of that, a large television in the restaurant featured C-SPAN's broadcast of the Congressional elections, as well as announcement of Rumsfeld's departure.

Happy fucking day!

In addition to those national achievements, it's been a very good season for me as well. Many new people met and befriended, another step closer to finishing my foreign language requirement, finally crossing off several of AFI's top 100 movies off my lists, and several good steps made in my own writing career, some of which will continue into the new year.

I also had the good chance to volunteer on an independent film shoot, getting some hands-on experience for the first time in a long while. Let me say, a film set is exactly like it looks on TV: chaos, chaos, chaos. Lots of people talking (when they can), lots of sudden activity followed by tense moments where you don't want anyone to so much as blink (or worse, breath), and boring waiting. Lots of waiting. Overall an exhausting job, but valuable lessons for a lowly screenwriter.

The event I'm most proud of, however, was being named Time's Person of the Year. True, it's not really a prize or award, but, I just feel so damn appreciated at the recognition. I always hoped of being selected one day, and now that I have been, I'll be shooting for Person of the Century. Look out, Einstein, you might just get overshadowed.