Top Tens of the Decade

Well, it's New Years Eve and this year it's not just the last day of the year, but the last day of the decade! :O And what a decade it's been. Not too good for the world, in general, but nonetheless, a very significant one for me (though ten years is a long time, I don't know if there won't be a decade in my life I wouldn't consider significant). This decade did take up two thirds of my life after all (:O), so a large portion of my experiences, memories, good and bad, took place during the 2000s. Too much to share the ups and downs or any personal favorite moments, so I don't really feel like celebrating in any way personal, but I thought to honor the occasion, I would post some of my top tens of the decade (movies, music, and books). Over the winter break, I've been seeing these things all over the place, so I'd thought I go through mine.

I also want to start writing more and posting on this blog, even though no one reads it. But I feel like I've been wasting time looking at stuff like top ten lists on the internet (The Internet: World's Worst Distraction), instead of doing something meaningful like writing or working. One more thing: I'm not gonna be explaining my choices or anything, because I don't feel any need to prove my tastes to anyone. I simply like what I like, which is constantly changing, but it's all subjective and these just happen to be the pieces of art that have affected me emotionally. Everyone's lists will be different.... sorry for pointing out the obvious. On all the other lists I've seen, they usually say that.... What is it with top ten lists, anyways? Why do I feel the urge to rank things....

I'll start with movies:

Top Ten Films of the Decade:

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (d. by Michel Gondry)

2. Wall-E (d. by Andrew Stanton)

3. Adaptation (d. by Spike Jonze)

4. Amelie (d. by Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

5. There Will Be Blood (d. by Paul Thomas Anderson)

6. The Dark Knight (d. by Chris Nolan)

7. The Departed (d. by Martin Scorsese)

8. (500) Days of Summer (d. by Marc Webb)

9. Almost Famous (d. by Cameron Crowe)

10. Brokeback Mountain (d. by Ang Lee)

Other films that I love, but didn't quite make the list (in no specific order, just the order I thought of them):

Memento (d. by Chris Nolan)

Sideways (d. by Alexander Payne)

Kill Bill (d. by Quentin Tarantino)

Punch-Drunk Love (d. by Paul Thomas Anderson)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (d. by Shane Black)

Synecdoche, New York (d. by Charlie Kaufman)

Finding Nemo (d. by Andrew Stanton)

Inglourious Basterds (d. by Quentin Tarantino)

Little Miss Sunshine (d. by Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris)

Once (d. by John Carney)

Top Ten Albums of the Decade:

1. From a Basement on a Hill by Elliott Smith

2. In Rainbows by Radiohead

3. Funeral by Arcade Fire

4. Oh, Interverted World by the Shins

5. Once Soundtrack by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (The Swell Season)

6. Far by Regina Spektor

7. Set Yourself on Fire by Stars

8. Achilles’ Heel by Pedro the Lion

9. Kid A by Radiohead

10. Figure 8 by Elliott Smith

Now, other albums I love, but didn't quite make the list (in no specific order, just the order I thought of them):

Neon Bible by Arcade Fire

The Dresden Dolls by The Dresden Dolls

Fate by Dr. Dog

Elephant by The White Stripes

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix

Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor

Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie

Strict Joy by The Swell Season

I'm Wide Awake It's Morning by Bright Eyes

Now, books are a little trickier, because though they're probably the strongest of these three art forms, I can listen to a cd or watch a movie a lot quicker than I can read a book. So, there are lots of movies and cds that didn't make either of those lists that I still liked, but I don't even have an "other books I love, but didn't quite make the list" books because I've only read a little over ten books from this decade. So, i have no way to rank ten other books, unless I count like Andrew Clements or Leminy Snicket books. Also, I don't really care for Harry Potter, so he's not on this list. Sorry. :P Also, just to clarify, I have read way more than 20 books this decade, but only about 15 of them were released this decade (which is what I'm ranking). Most of what I read came out a long time ago (though usually in the 19th century). Sadly, looking at this rather weak list, none of these books compare to my favorites (FitzGerald, Salinger, Yates, Vonnegut), except for my number 1. My top five, I actually think is pretty strong, even though I'm always complaining about how there's no good literature anymore. Certainly better than anything I've read from the 80s. I also haven't read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, The Kite Runner, or The Story of Edgar Sawtelle yet, so I'm sure any of those three could have made it on here. Also, I'm only doing fiction, so two of my favorites (Marley and Me and Manhood for Amateurs) couldn't make it. Wow, that was long. Anyways, here was go:

Top Ten Fiction Novels of the Decade:

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

4. Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk

5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

7. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

8. Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

9. The Breif Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

10. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

And there we go. That's everything. I don't watch enough TV to do a top ten of that. Maybe a top five. (Arrested Development, The Office, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The Daily Show). Damn, 1 short. Well, there's four anyways. I wish you a Happy New Years. (It was so weird yesterday, I was on the phone with Apple trying to figure out computer problems and at the end the lady, who was being really flirty, told me not to drink too much on New Years Eve, and I wasn't sure if I should say that I was 15 or just laugh and say I wouldn't.... so instead I said "You too." :I She also told me that she met her husband on AOL 16 years ago. Then, she said "Can you believe that? We've been together 16 years!" And, again, not really knowing what to say, I just said " Wow. That's impressive.") Anyways........... I've been stalling way too long. I have to get back to work. Adios and Farewell.

"Ain't Misbehavin'" Review

I forgot to post this a while ago.

Review of ATC’s Production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’”

by Marc Hansen

ATC’s revival of the classic Fats Waller musical “Ain’t Misbehavin,’” which won 7 Tony awards back in its heyday, is fantastic. The play does a magnificent job of bringing you back to the swinging, jazz filled 1920s. By the end, you really feel like you’ve just spent the night in a different era. Featuring 30 of Fats Waller and others hits, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” hits all the right notes.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” isn’t a typical plot-driven play and as someone who loves stories, a great one would’ve only made it better, but a bad one could have also brought it down. The production is, instead, a collection of songs detailing the rise of Fats Waller and a tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and ‘30s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. There’s not much to dislike about “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (named after the Fats Waller song that opens the show) and it remains perfectly enjoyable, even without a plot. Besides, having a story only would’ve taken away from the production’s greatest accomplishment - the wonderful atmosphere it creates. Through the use of music, light, set design, and costumes, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” takes you to a new world, and makes you forget your own.

The stage has been transformed to look like a ‘40s nightclub with a disco ball and a piano that impressively moves around the stage. The ladies’ elaborate gowns only add to the illusion that we actually are in a ‘40s club and the way the light is used to create mood is incredible. The lights are perfectly dimmed in slow ballads, where you feel like just closing you eyes, curling up with a loved one, and letting the music take you in, but during the bright, jumpy swing numbers, the lights are bright and dramatic, more representative of the music’s poppy exuberance. Credit also has to go to the jazz musicians that give the production its playful energy. After all, what would a Fats Waller musical be without musicians that do its composer justice? Luckily from Darryl G. Ivey on keyboards to Thomas A. Fries on drums the band members are all top notch.

The cast is similarly excellent, from Angela Grovey’s spunky wit to Christopher L. Morgan as the charming goofball. And though they all have boisterous voices, Ken Robinson’s ability to hold a note stands out, as he proved in “Honeysuckle Rose.” Rebecca Covington and Aurelia Williams round out the cast, and while Covington has an undescribable, but immediate likeability (she even does a piece where she sings bad, in character), Williams, or the character she played, is a little too over the top. Either way, her loudness was mildly annoying.

But really, the star of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” is Fats Waller, himself. It’s his playful energy and sense of ethnic pride that seeps through the performances. It’s everywhere, in the hilarious “Your Feet’s Too Big,” about dumping a woman because of her overly large feet, in the literally jumping Act 1 Finale “The Joint is Jumpin’” and in the ode to pianos “Handful of Keys,” in which the quintet cleverly sing like a piano (Robinson’s low bass note boops to the others’ high note bops). The production’s wit and energy is infectious, and it’s impossible to leave without a smile on your face. There’s always a certain joy in the meaningful plays that really get at something deep, but sometimes, as “Ain’t Misbehavin’” proves, it’s just nice to sit back and be entertained.

The only misstep in the songs is Morgan’s drawn out “The Viper’s Drag,” in which Morgan flaunts off his muscular physique as he seduces the crowd. Morgan just didn’t work for me as the bad-boy sexy type, especially after he had already been established as a lovable goofball, a la Clark Gable in It Happened One Night. That slight misstep was quickly forgiven though with the beautiful harmonies between the cast in the moving “Black and Blue,” by far the best performance in the production. Though you might think this would be likely to put the audience to sleep, because it’s so calming, the opposite is actually true. It’s so startingly good that we’re more awake than ever, and ready for the finale.

The production truly takes you back to a different time, a place you may not have even known about, but believe me, you’ll be glad to have taken the journey. Buying the soundtrack just wouldn’t be the same, because you’d miss out on all the crazy hijinks, the humorous facial expressions, and the pure, raw electricity from the actors playing off the audience. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” may not have a plot, but that’s only because its job is to transport you back to the era, and let you create the story for yourself.

Overall Grade: A-

"George is Dead" Review

Review of ATC’s Production of “George is Dead”

by Marc Hansen

“George is Dead,” the new stage comedy produced by the Arizona Theatre Company and currently playing at the Temple of Music and Art, sounded great on paper, but is, ultimately, an utter disappointment. It’s not that “George is Dead” was a great idea and just didn’t work out on stage, it’s that writer and director Elaine May (who also happens to be a comic legend and an Academy Award nominee) seemed to have no idea where she wanted to go with the idea in the first place. There are things it did quite well, but its faults bring it down to a seemingly endless, directionless, bore of a show.

I’m not even sure how to set up the plot, because there’s not much of one to start with, but it contains two couples who are the exact opposites of each other. Emmy winner Marlo Thomas stars as Doreen, the dim, socialite wife of the much older, richer, but very happy George (Don Murray). Michael and Carla, on the other hand, live in a crummy New York apartment because Michael, (nicely played by Reese Madigan) an angry liberal History teacher, can’t afford anything better (hey, he is a teacher) and Carla (Julia Brothers) is too busy being neurotic and trying to please everyone in her life. Halfway through the play, George suddenly dies while skiing, and Doreen depends on Carla to take care of her for the rest of the play.

May does write the characters well, I’ll give her that. They’re all cardboard cutout stereotypes, but at least they’re consistent, making it feel less like May wrote them as stereotypes and more like they’re real people, who just happen to fit those stereotypes. I mean, it worked magnificently in The Birdcage (which May also penned) and sometimes it can be a good technique, because it does make us feel like we personally know the characters.

The play’s also funny; not laugh out of your chair, slap your knee funny, but a ‘that was pretty clever’ chuckle kind of funny. Funny, nonetheless, right? I guess, I just felt like the humor was almost too tame. I admired it for its wit, but it wasn’t daring enough to truly make me laugh. I hate to say it, but I think the play’s sense of humor perfectly illustrates the vast differences in each generation, that is the play’s theme. While the older, more conservative character ‘George’ would probably enjoy this play, his 22-year-old cabbie and Michael’s students (who are constantly texting) are used to more severe, inappropriate, and ‘racy’ jokes that would go against a ‘George’s’ traditional values. Being a youngster myself, I’m not the target audience for this play, but if ‘George’ is just a metaphor for that older generation and, as the play’s title suggests that ‘George is Dead,’ then this play’s audience is dead, too. Instead of getting into how every passing generation gets more rebellious in its music, clothes, movies, and culture, I suggest May stop looking down on her cabbie and students and pick up the new memo.

But honestly, I’m not even entirely sure if that was the play’s theme. I hope it was, because it’s a good theme and that would be one of the few positives about the play, but the play seemed to slyly suggest that it might be, yet wouldn’t explore into this interesting concept enough to confirm that it was. Instead, the play preferred to spend more time having its characters engage in drawn out nonsense. May took a good premise and then did nothing with it. There wasn’t even tension to fuel the play, which was the play’s biggest downfall. Parts of some of the conversations are interesting, but for most of the time I was just wondering where they were going and what the point to them was. It’s as if May was a first time writer and was so enamored with hearing actors read her lines that she decided to insert her daily, uncut conversations instead of an actual story. Half the play was spent on the last stage where Doreen spends the night with Carla, and besides a fight Carla and Michael have near the end, not much else happens. It’s mostly just an opportunity for Marlo Thomas (of That Girl fame) to shine and show off her natural wit and comedic timing. She was, by far, the highlight of the entire show, but because I was spending most of the time pondering what May was trying to get at, it all felt meaningless. I don’t think May even knew what she wanted.

Sometimes it can be good to make your viewer confused, but the questions the viewer has have to be answered by the end, or at least left up to the viewer to decipher their meaning. With ‘George is Dead,’ I instead felt that I was confused throughout and after the play, but that I wasn’t supposed to be. The play did have nice lighting, convincing sound effects, and great sets-the apartment set looked like a real apartment-but its serious script flaws prevent it from becoming anything more than a disappointment. And ‘George is Dead’ is the worst kind of disappointment, because it had the real capacity to be great.

Overall Grade: C

'The Kite Runner' Play Review

Wow. So, it's been a long time since I've been on here. But I'm doing this thing for the ATC where I review their plays, so I'm posting my review on here. Here it is:

"Review of ATC’s Production of “The Kite Runner”
by Marc Hansen

The first show of the Arizona Theatre Company’s 09-10 season is an adaptation of the acclaimed best-selling novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I haven’t read the book yet, so unfortunately I won’t be able to compare it to it’s original source (as I’m sure fans of the book are wondering if this production does it justice). I have, however, talked to some who have read the novel and they say the play certainly contains more of the emotional impact from the book, as opposed to the movie which instead put in lots of cool shots of kites flying.

But if you are new to the material, like me, I’d highly recommend it. As for fans of the novel-I’d see it just to see it, even if it isn’t as good as the novel. The material is dark and very emotional, so it’s not for everyone, but if you’re willing to give it a chance, it will engage, entertain, and most importantly, make you feel and care for the characters. I assume most of what’s best in the play stems from the novel, because really the best thing about the production is simply the story. Yes, the sets are beautifully constructed, the music adds to the atmosphere, there are over four hundred costumes and the acting is, for the most part, very good, (as you can always expect from the ATC) but what makes this play really great is the story. It’s truly excellent, and that’s rare these days.

The play starts out in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1970s. It follows a young boy Amir, an aspiring writer who loves movies, but whose father wants him to play sports. Instead, Amir feels his father’s attention is mostly on Amir’s best friend/servant Hassan, who Amir would never actually admit he likes, because he is Amir’s servant. Hassan, on the other hand, is almost too loyal. He’s such an angel, but you feel so bad for him, because he would literally do anything for Amir, but Amir wouldn’t do so for him. One of these things include when a group of teenage bullies threaten to rape Hassan if he doesn't give them a ske Amir won, but Hassan endures it because he's so faithful to Amir. Amir witnesses this (though he doesn’t think Hassan notices him) and yet doesn’t do anything about it. The guilt he feels haunts him forever.

Of course, the play wouldn’t work if it wasn’t adapted well, which it is (by Matthew Spangler), but it does sometimes stumble over trying to take novel conventions and apply them to the stage. For one, the narration of adult Amir (Barzin Akhavan) during the first act, which chronicles Amir’s childhood, which I guess is necessary because without it you would lose his point of view and thoughts, but at the same time it just seems kind of unusual with adult Amir always standing in the background, like the ghost of Christmas past, while the rest of the story continues. Obviously, Spangler understood that why the book worked and the movie (which didn’t include this) didn’t was because you had Amir’s thought process, but it’s hard to include that in a play (which is why it was probably written as a novel in the first place). Thankfully Akhavan’s performance makes it work.

There’s also a fight scene in the second act between Amir and the main bully (pretty much an Afghan version of Kiefer Sutherland in Stand by Me). Unfortunately, they actually “acted” out the fight, even though everyone could tell neither of them were hitting each other (but I guess we’re supposed to believe they are because they would each fall back and make groans). This was just disappointing. This is a play! You shouldn’t have a fight scene. The strengths in this play are emotions, not action. If they didn’t want to cut it out, they could have at least handled it better, like they handled the “rape scene” in the beginning, which was beautifully done (the actors run off stage and Akhavan describes the action).

That’s one bad example of the translation from text to stage, but there were scenes that don’t usually fit into the play format, that I thought still worked really well. Like the aforementioned “rape scene” and the “kite running” scene where young Amir and Hassan win the race, which seems realistic even though they obviously weren’t holding real kites, but my mind filled in the blanks because of the execution and the fact that I was into the story. The music composed by a brilliant Tabla player Salar Nader really helped here.

Another aspect which really surprised me was the amount of humor in the play. Whenever you hear people talk about this story, they always mention how deep and powerful the story is, but you never hear about how funny it is, as Thomas Fiscella (who perfectly plays the father) mentioned to me. He, in particular, gets some of the funniest moments, like when he and Amir first arrive in 80's America, after enduring the hardships of war, and the ensemble breaks out into disco, or the old Vietnamese grocery store owner who tries to kick Fiscella’s character out of her store.

Overall, despite its few flaws, I really enjoyed ATC’s production of “The Kite Runner.” At its heart, and what makes it so good, is a really excellent story, but this production does a great job in retelling it, especially in the first act, which is just perfection in every way (the second act drags a little). It also contains a magnificent twist, which I didn’t see coming at all but makes so much sense once it happens, and a really excellent performance by the lead, Barzin Akhavan. He might be the biggest highlight of the play. He really tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel his pain. This guy is going places (too bad young Amir sounds like Andy Kaufman). All in all, while I wouldn’t see the play again, I’m really glad I did see it and would definitely recommend it. And best of all, the play made me want to go out and read the book.

Overall Grade: B+

The Kite Runner is playing at the Temple of Music and Art presently until October 3rd.

TV Commercials and a little Short

So, first of all, I changed my little setting thing, which looks really bland now, but it's the only way to fit the whole youtube videos in my posts.

So secondly, I thought I'd ad a few videos before I leave tomorrow. For those of you who haven't seen them (or can't wait to see them again!...... anybody?)here's my Gemeni Commercial:



And here's my Vit-A-Bear Commercial:



And premiering for the first time every here's a little montage I made:



I'll be gone for a month (......anybody?) but back with a documentation of my trip in Europe! (a.k.a. a documentation on how spending 24 hours a day for 4 weeks can drive a family to kill each other-it's gonna be good.) Bye!

Twizzlers

Okay, so last time I promised that I would be back with a humorous video that my brother and I made. And I have kept that promise. We actually made it over a week ago and it's been on youtube for a couple days now too, but I just decided to post it on this blog today. So here it is:



Enjoy! And thanks to all of my positive comment.....okay, thanks Alison for the only comment on my last one (but seriously thank you :D).

Barack Obama = Mr. Bindschadler? (and more!)

So, I just read Mr. B.'s latest entry (http://www.bbind.blogspot.com) about one of his students who was reminded of Mr. B, after watching President Obama on Jay Leno. What a smart guy. But after watching the interview (http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/video/clips/president-obama-full-interview-319/1067541) there was something about him that reminded me of Mr. B. There was a charisma and a playfulness that was exactly like Mr. B's. He sounded just like Mr. B, when he was just joking around and being normal. Not at all when he was being "political"-God, I hate how fake politicians have to be, but the qualities I hate about politicians are traits that they can't get elected without, so I also just hate Americans. But am I a cynic for thinking that all politicians lie and are corrupt? All right, I don't really think that. Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, I do, deep inside of me, have some faith in people. But back to you, Mr. B. The truth is I don't even know President Obama, so I don't really know. And I don't know why you took it as a compliment. The only reason he reminded me of you was because you both make fun of the disabled (not really, though I felt really bad after talking to you and then coming home to all the news coverage on that). It was a compliment, and the truth is you're probably cooler than anyone arrogant enough to run for the presidency.

So, recently my sister and I have been fighting-ninja style. Even though we're joking, she's still a lot stronger than I am.

Now, I know that no one's really gonna care that I'm telling you guys this (if anyone's even reading this) but I'm excited about it so I'm just gonna tell it anyways. Last summer, I wrote a screenplay (wow, I feel pretentious writing that) and over Rodeo Break when my mom, sister and I went to L.A. for the weekend, one of the things we did was meet with some screenwriters my mom knows. We had dinner and a long conversation about writing and movies, in general, and I gave them a copy of my screenplay (after staying about till 2 in the morning the night before and deciding to edit it). Well, they just emailed back after having read it. I'm not gonna get into the whole thing but they liked it! Of course, it wasn't perfect, and they made a lot of very helpful suggestions and things I can work on (and I agreed with everything they said), but they liked it and think that I can only get better. And here's a direct quote from the email "After our dinner, I didn’t know what to expect, as there are hundreds, if not thousands of “writers.” The difference is that most of them can’t get anything cohesive, entertaining, memorable, insightful, etc… on the page. I think you’ve done that here. Is it perfect? No. Is it entertaining and a page turner? Yes. And the subject matter is dark. What is on the page can’t really be taught. It’s something that evolves with you the individual." So, I'm feeling pretty proud and excuse me for gloating, but I can't help it. I love getting feedback and when I do a good job. I always love it when Mr. B. really likes something that I've written, when I do really, really well on a math test (105%, baby!), and I felt so good when the whole class responded so well to my latest presentation and liked it as much as they did. And I feel really proud about this too. I think I generally keep a pretty humble attitude about it and usually act like it doesn't affect me, which is why I don't feel as bad writing all of this, but you know, I work hard and probably no one is reading this, so I'm just letting it all out for once.

This is also partly in response to part of Mr. B.'s latest entry in which he said ". . . it struck me, as it often does, how much we all carry around inside ourselves that we rarely let out. Sometimes people amaze me." And man, I don't know, but I just feel like that is so true. I know, from myself, that there's so much going on in my head, so many thoughts and emotions, that I never express. No one knows these things at all. Just the other day, I broke down and started crying, telling my mom that I felt like she wasn't proud of me. I think there's a whole other side of everyone that we don't see. And I wish we could because it is amazing, there's nothing more human in the world and I do sympathize.

This kind of goes along with all of that. The other night, while driving in the car, my mom said she thinks she'll probably die in 15 years. This horrified me. 15 years. I'd only be 30 or so, in 15 years. Only 15 more years I have with her. If that. She doesn't even know after the cancer. The first step is to make it to 5, then 10, and so on and so on. But she thinks she and our dog will die about the same time, in 15 years. You know, even though I know everyone will die, it hurts so much to actually think about it. One day my mom will never come back. Just be gone. The most important thing in the world to me will die and never come back. And my dog-all her joy and happiness. This wonder. One day she'll die and I'll have nothing left but the memories and I can never be with either of them again. Sometimes I just really hate life. Why does it have to be this way? When I think about myself, I don't mind knowing I'll die. In fact, I don't want to live to be too old. It gets to a point where there's just no joy or anything to live for and I want to die enjoying everything. But I also don't want it to end. I could never kill myself, even if I wanted to, because I know I might be missing out on something. But sometimes there's just so much pain. It's weird to think about it. Even with people who I don't like as much. My uncle. How weird to think about? One day I'll go to my uncle's funeral. Think about it. Everyone you know will die. You'll go to their funerals and they'll never come back. Your teacher. Your cleaning lady. Your friend. All these wonderful people die. And they just don't die like they do in the movies. They actually die. Not from old age. Not in their sleep. That never happens. It's just a way to hide the pain. Those lies are just to protect us from the fact that as you get older, you just get sicker and have diseases. I can't do this anymore. I'm gonna stop here. But it's things like these that represent all the things we carry around with us and never let out. I'm letting out. Life is tough and there are parts of it that just really suck. Sometimes you've just gotta go-this really sucks and in the end, it all just sucks-but there's so much to be grateful for, to enjoy everything you do have, and to appreciate what you do have. Try and have some fun with it. Just laugh. I know I sound like some cliche grandpa telling life lessons, but you know it's true. Sometimes things are cliches because they're true. Sometimes the lessons you learn as a kid-to live life to the fullest, or that if you never try, you never know, or to try and make great memories and do exciting things that you haven't done before-well those lessons are the first ones you learn for a reason. They're true and the most important ones.

Alright, I'm signing off. And to close off Mr. B. style-I hope your presidents are as charming as your teachers, I hope your fights are full of cool ninja moves, I hope you feel proud of yourself, I hope you let it all out, and I hope you live life well. And don't worry-next time things won't be so heavy (I'll be sharing a new, humorous video with you that my brother and I made over the weekend). And because I have to end my blog my own way-here's a wonderful clip of the late Elliott Smith playing two hauntingly beautiful songs on the piano:

YAY!!!

A video I filmed about a month ago finally uploaded onto youtube! So check it out:



And now you also know what I look like in the morning.

Three Things I Currently Love

1. Go to this band's website http://www.myspace.com/loneydear and listen to the song "Ignorant Boy." It's so good. I saw them live last Saturday when they were opening for Andrew Bird (who, of course, was excellent) but they totally stole the show. This song is basically just "na na na na na na na na na na na na" over and over again but it was awesome. He had the whole audience sing it together-beautiful. They're even better live. Also check out their songs "Violent" and "I am John."

Speaking of the concert, I ran into everybody that day-I saw my kindergarden teacher at Robert's that morning, didn't even recognize her, then at the concert I also ran into this freshman from the high school who took a film class with me, like 5 years ago, (coincidentally she said she saw me at Robert's that morning too.... but seriously it was good to see her) and David Baker! I haven't seen the guy in forever (though we did talk over the phone right before our birthdays-he's 21 now). He's doing well though, going to school and illustrating comics, plus he's a huge Andrew Bird fan (I found out that night) and he still has his Hellboy hat! I love running into people. Old memories.....

Anyways on to number

2. This video:



It's awesome. A tribute to PTA's (Paul Thomas Anderson) films. Besides the fact that every film PTA has made has been a masterpiece, but the guy who edited this was genius. Seriously, knowing how hard it is to edit anything together, none the less clips (especially when it's from mostly 2-3 hour films), he does it perfectly. Better than most movies are edited. Why isn't this guy in the industry? The pace, rhythm, music (which are all important songs from the actual movies), the way that it shows different dialogue over different clips, and how all the clips work perfectly together, one after the other. This would make PTA proud.

3. The movie "The Fall", particularly this scene:



Great movie. Took over 4 years to make and filmed in over 20 countries with no special effects at all, it's a wonderfully directed, beautifully filmed (look at that cinematography-how did they pull that off!) movie, not to mention a great story (and Lee Pace, from TV's awesome, now cancelled-grrr-"Pushing Daisies" stars). It's about a guy whose paralyzed and manipulates a girl into giving him morphine to kill himself, by telling her an epic story in pieces.

Lastly, I wanted to post a video of my own that I made but it's taking forever to upload onto YouTube, so next time.

Journal Entry for Mr. Bindschadler's Class - "Sublime to Ridiculous"

Movies can be a wonderful thing. They can be meaningful, intelligent, entertaining. They can make people connect or relate to and care about what's happening. They can send out a message or analyze and try to figure out some of the mysteries of life. They can help us deal with life and solve our own problems. They can help us reflect on our own lives, see things from a new point of view, and change our lives. They can makes us sympathetic, maybe we've felt similar before or dealt with something just like that. They can teach us, whether it's something that happened hundreds of years ago or something that's happening right now halfway across the world that we should know about, maybe try and fix. They can make us realize concepts, philosophies, life, the truth. They're entertaining, interesting, fun to watch. They're an art form. The can be a beauty to look at, whether it's the way they were filmed and shot or maybe just the people we're looking at. They can make us laugh.

They can do so many wonderful things, but let's face it, the whole idea is a little ridiculous. I mean, come on! All we're doing is watching people get paid to pretend to be someone they're not and pretend there isn't a camera right there filming them. The whole thing is so fake. Why should we care about these fictional characters and the things that happen to them (that don't really happen to them). The whole thing's a joke. It's like we're little kids playing dress up and pretending we're in some great place. But we're not! And society is always encouraging kids to be themselves and not pretend, yet we all pay to go watch grown adults do the same thing. And then we praise them and give them awards and recognition for being so good at.... pretending! I mean, is it really that hard? Yet, we're to blame, because we're the ones who are paying money that we worked for to go watch them. We make plans for whole hours and afternoons of our days to devote to watch these things. And why? Why should we care when it's not even real? It doesn't affect us or our lives in any way. Yet we go to a building and sit with other strangers, who we have no idea who they are, crammed in our seats, shoving popcorn down our throats and gulping our soda (a.k.a. carbonated fat), never taking our eyes off of "Fantasyland." A world that isn't real, that we'll never live, or go to, or be apart of. So, why do we do it? Are we trying to escape from our own lives? Are we watching the things we wish we could do? Imagining all the other possibilities? I'm not sure. It's strange, not to mention we're just sitting there for hours watching a huge piece of cloth. I mean, does it really need to be that big?

But these are the things we do. It may be strange when you really boil it down and think about it, but these are the things we think are fun and I'm not ashamed of it. Yeah, watching movies may be weird, but it's entertaining and I like it. Technically, you could say that about anything we do. Listening to music, going to concerts, watching/playing sports, reading, writing, playing any/every game, and let's not forget kissing. As one of my classmates pointed out, we're just putting our lips together or making our skin touch. Why do we like to do that so much? I don't know, but we do, it feels good (not that I would know) and we like it. There's probably a scientific explanation as to the way our chemicals are designed, but why does making our bodies touch stimulate us? Yet it does and I've always felt strange when I physically touch someone. Like I should keep my body to myself, but when I do touch someone, even if it's just their arm or something, I feel like I've given them my trust. Almost like I'm autistic in a way, but not so extreme and not really a fear of contact, but an unfamiliarity or uncomfortableness with it. And the same things that can be said about kissing can be said about sex. I won't get to graphic or anything, but if you think about that that's weird too. Why do we like doing that so much? Why does that pleasure us? But the truth is, everything can be weird. Our whole definition of weird is based on how we live our lives. Anything is. Normality, intelligence, crazy, and weird all depend on our definition and meaning of the word themselves and how we're looking at them. So anything and everything can be weird or normal depending on how you look at it.

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