Category Archives: Movies

Kong is King at the Movies

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If you haven’t seen it yet, go see King Kong. It is a tribute to old-school captivating movies that take you away into a different world. A remake of the famous classic was a big feat, and although we’ve all seen remakes done before (and poorly, at that) I think this remake was really something special.

What made me happy was to see a fresh and seamless use of today’s special effects. Jackson was able to integrate some cutting-edge graphics without spoiling the realism or flow of the story.

I think the use of these effects was responsible and well done, because I often see today’s directors choosing to scenes just for the effects instead of using effects to improve an already great scene.

The characters are palpable, and are built well over the course of the movie, which is about 3 hours. Yes, three hours. A bit long, you might say, but if you stop and look back at all the truly great classics, they are all longer than 90, even 120 minutes.

It’s probably because the theatrical epic needs to have substance. It is a journey that should take you out of your world for longer than just 90 minutes. It’s a movie that is long, but doesn’t seem long, and when it is over you are a little sad that your journey has ended.

Overall, King Kong was a tribute to the epics — great movies like Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca — because it has brought back imagination to the big screen that has recently been suffering a complete lack of ingenuity in the wake of rapid special effects advancements.

I’d like to see more movies coming out like this one. It reminded me of how far our imagination can take us, and that’s something we should always appreciate and cherish.

A giant ape has feelings too. It takes a great director to show it.

Super Smart, but Just as Evil

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The Smartest Guys in the Room, a film about the Enron scandal, outlines the events leading up to the collapse of Enron, and what has been dubbed as the largest corporate scandal in the history of civilization.
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How could these people be so evil? — that was the question I asked myself time and again. My answer? They thought they were right. Enron executives believed in themselves, that they were right. Once they could trick themselves, it was a matter of time before their employees, Wall Street, Investment Bankers and the general public all followed suit. Sound familiar?

Through use of the media and political lobbying, insanely rich people can pretty much execute any agenda they want. Not only that, they can get away with it. Our current administration is a good example of a group of people who actually believe what they are doing is right. George senior, GW, Jeb — all morally questionable, all rich, all powerful — and all right — it’s not a coincidence, people.

So where does everyone’s conscience go? Is it pooling in some black hole of decency and morality somewhere? A Yucca Mountain of shoulda, woulda, coulda but didn’t? What keeps everyone so oblivious to the people they hurt? Why doesn’t everyone use their vote to change this?

The media won’t let us. Like the lone journalist who spoke out against Enron, Jon Stewart continues to be one of the very few who say on a regular basis that something is fucked up here. So when will everyone start paying attention to the truth? Hopefully before the US self-destructs.

Will we learn from the Enron collapse, or will our country share a similar fate?

Finding your Rob Gordon

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At some point you stop and look back at all the shit you went through and the pure volume of past drama is staggering. To think, I did all that, and not in a shy way…

When you’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to think that you’ll never make it. Yet time and again we all somehow find our way. After time clots our wounds and the scar fades, we finally get a chance to make sense of it all — if it’s even possible.

High Fidelity was an interesting look back at the life of John Cusack’s character, Rob Gordon. It was a unique narrative, taking you through the failed relationships of a used record store owner.

What can we learn from Rob Gordon? Well, for one, we aren’t anywhere near perfect either. We are assholes. We play for our team only, we are selfish, we are liars, we cheat, and sometimes we cut corners. We do it without really thinking. Well, maybe you’re a lot nicer than I am, but you have some Rob Gordon in you — might as well accept it.

So what happens to all of this crust? It is a part of our relationships. It’s the dirt on the windshield, the birdshit on a clean car, the piece of furniture that doesn’t match. And it’s not going anywhere.

But sooner or later we at least realize it’s there. We sit up and say, “Holy shit, I was an asshole!” And like Rob did we look back and think of all the things we could have done differently. Was it our fault? Did I fuck things up? Was she the one but I failed to realize it?

And after hours of recounts and retallying, there is a bucket full of maybes and a handful of what-ifs. They can’t save you from yourself. They can’t change the past. But it’s fun to dream about, and you can at least do some things to save the present and future.

We are left with this delicate balance between the crust of ourselves and the sunny side. I think that once you can at least partially understand yourself — identify your strengths and maintain some level of damage control when it comes to your weaknesses, you are ready to find a person who understands them just as well as you.

For some, it takes a lifetime. But if we are lucky we see things clearer while there is still time to set things straight. Then, when the times comes, we can be ready to give ourselves up and be vulnerable when we should. Of course, until then, things will be a fucking mess. But hey, it’s a damn beautiful mess.

I miss her smell. And the way she tastes. It’s a mystery of human chemistry and I dont understand it. Some people, as far as your senses are concerned, just feel like home.