Rom-no-no

   I'm still behind but I'm catching up.  I've seen plenty now about this Mitt Romney caught-on-tape fiasco, and honestly, enough is enough.  There are a lot of facets to this whole ordeal, so let's start with the media coverage.

   We all hear about bias in the media, and while I will admit that my WATCHING of that media has also been biased (for example, I haven't watched Fox News to see what they are saying about the incident), I do think that this is a good case in point.  Remember when Obama had that open-microphone incident?  You don't?  I'm not surprised.  It seems like when that happened it was a big deal for a couple of days and then it died down.  This Romney thing just keeps going, and going, and going.  Granted, it's election season so that kind of throws off the objectivity of this situation compared with the Obama example, but still... I can pretty much guarantee you there would not be this level of coverage if Obama had made the gaffe.

   Aside from the coverage though, let's talk about the issues.  Both sides in this argument have valid points, and to be honest I'm proud of Romney for more or less standing by what he said.  Just think about what he was really talking about in this statement.  It's no surprise, and it's something we're all guilty of.  Clean water. Constant electricity.  Top-notch healthcare.  Garbage pick-up.  (Relatively) cheap gas.  These are all things we expect as American citizens, and they are all things that very few other countries in the world can claim as normal, everyday parts of life.  These are entitlements, ladies and gentlemen, because we expect them to be there every single day.  Of course these aren't the entitlements that Romney is talking about.  He's talking about the small-but-growing percentage of our population that depends on the government to take care of other aspects of their lives: food, clothing, jobs, etc etc etc.

   This is definitely a cause for concern, and it was absolutely right for Romney to bring it up.  We are rapidly heading towards a point where we can no longer function as a society without government help.  That is not the role of government, and it should not be expected that government will take up those reigns.  It should also not be expected of the rest of us to pay into a system that supports people who would rather suck off that system than step out on their own and make a solid go at improving their lives.

   On the other side of that coin though is the reality of what Romney and others like him have done to this country.  We are effectively at a point where there are truly "haves" and "have-nots."  It is almost impossible for any person to reach Romney's level of wealth and prosperity without being born into it.  The rich are becoming very similar to Hollywood stars -- only a few "get in," and most of the time those are the people who know a guy who knows a guy.  The rest of us are subordinates, working non-stop trying to make ends meet, and at the same time making people like them even richer.

   It's hard to stand behind Romney making these kinds of arguments, unless we remember the fact that he did work his ass off to get to where he is today.  There are people who will say he did it by stepping on others and making lives miserable... but at the end of the day, if you take emotion out of it, that's what capitalism is.  It's a constant fight to reach the top.  It's clawing, kicking, and screaming for every dollar in a never-ending quest to make more and live rich.  That might leave a bad taste in your mouth, but consider this: it's also the only system in the world which has proven to be successful over the year.

   The bottom line is that we have to find a middle ground.  We have to find a point where the rich, who worked hard for their success, now pay a little more into the system that allowed them to get so rich, all in the hopes that it will help others find that same route to success.  I'm not suggesting socialism.  I'm not even suggesting anything as drastic as what Obama is suggesting.  But the reward for the rich is being rich... they don't need any extra rewards in the way of less taxes or more freedoms.  People are people, no matter how much money they have, and without American capitalism, they would have never reached that level of success.  It would be good for them to remember that, just like it would be good for all of us to remember that we are not "entitled" to anything... we are lucky to have everything that we have.

Stop Apologizing

   These riots in the Middle East are getting ridiculous.  And while it's terrible what happened to our embassy members over there, it's also shocking to me the way we as Americans are now expected to apologize for what supposedly led to this whole craziness in the first place.

   So a guy made a shitty movie.  So what?

   Yes the movie is blasphemous and offensive.  But hey, you know what?  So are a lot of movies.  Can you imagine how nuts it would be if Christians rioted every time someone made fun of God or religion?  Or if jews got their back up every time a movie came out where it makes fun of the fact that so many lawyers and movie executives are Jewish?  It would be ridiculous.  And yet the (small percentage of) Muslims out there go apeshit every time someone draws a picture of Mohammed, and we are apologizing to them?  This is called appeasement, and it's not the way to make things right.

   This does two things: first, it empowers the nutjobs who are leading these riots.  They now see that they can get through to us by freaking out and killing people, so the next time they want to make a point what do you think they're going to do?  Freak out and kill people.  Second, it forces us to deny one of our most fundamental rights: freedom of speech and expression.  We as Americans should be celebrating the fact that this guy is allowed to make a movie like this.  Sure it's garbage and it's offensive, but that is his freedom, and that is what makes this country great.  If every time someone says something offensive we try to shush him, we are defeating ourselves and letting the enemy win.

   I'm not defending this guy.  He's an asshole.  But what I'm defending is this guy's rights.  And as Romney said, we should not be apologizing for America's greatness.  That, in the end, is what we are essentially doing.  I think we all agree that it's infinitely more complicated than that -- the "peace" in the Middle East is very fragile, and this is a good opportunity for us to strengthen relations and gently nudge the countries over there into a position of more lasting and stable peace and prosperity.  And something like this awful movie undermines that whole operation.  I get that.  But you know what?  That's America, dammit.

   We shouldn't be over there at all.  We shouldn't be telling them what they can do and can't do.  We shouldn't be telling Iran that they can't have nukes, when we allow other countries to have them.  We are openly, unashamedly unfair to these countries.  We apologize for offending them, and then in the same breath enact sanctions and edicts that make them hate us even more.  It's the classic definition of a cluster-fuck, and the best thing we could do right now is just get the hell out of it.  Just my opinion.

Your Highness

   From Netflix:  When a twisted wizard kidnaps the virginal fiancée of a valiant prince, his ne'er-do-well brother grudgingly joins his sibling on a quest to save the beautiful damsel. Along the way, the duo meets their match in the form of a fetching female warrior.

   My Take:  Here's a classic case of a bunch of really funny people completely missing the mark.  "Your Highness" had plenty of laughs, and even a couple of really funny bits... but the concept was just stupid.  Or maybe it wasn't.  Maybe they knew exactly who they were going after.  Because at the core, these are a bunch of dudes who probably played Dungeons and Dragons and videogames growing up.  They are the nerds who made it, who struck gold and broke into a scene that very few are able to enter.  So maybe this movie was more an homage to the people who they left behind than anything else.  If that's the case I commend them.  If it's not, then this movie is stupid.

   Like I said, there were a couple of really funny moments in this movie.  The line delivery was good, and the fact that they were trying to do it in the dark ages makes it funny as well.  But the story was meh, the acting not great, and overall it was just kind of dumb.

   I'm neutral on this movie.  I imagine it's one that certain people will find hilarious, and certain people will consider a complete waste of time.  So I can't really lean either way on this one.  If you really like these actors, and I mean REALLY like them, then sure, give it a shot.  Otherwise you should probably just steer clear.

Why We Fight

   From Netflix:  Filmed during the Iraq War, Eugene Jarecki's Sundance Grand Jury Award-winning documentary dissects America's military machine with a keen eye to answering a necessary question: Why do we engage in war? Through personal stories of soldiers, government officials, scholars, journalists and innocent victims, the film examines the political and economic interests and ideological factors, past and present, behind American militarism.
   My Take:  Documentaries like this are always very interesting to me, because they bring up important, truthful topics that everyone then denies and pretends isn't true.  Often these are the same people who talk about how much they hate surveillance cameras and "Big Brother."  We all ready "1984," yet these people can't even see when they are being lied to and manipulated.  They can't even open their eyes to the possibility.
   "Why We Fight" goes all the way back to World War 2, when Eisenhower famously said that he had a lot of fear for the future, because he could see the military power expanding and the guy in charge (the president) not knowing a damn thing about it.  Case in point: Bush.  But case in point is just about every President since Eisenhower.  Presidents aren't Generals, and frankly I would rather keep it that way.  Trouble is now we have a militaristic moron in charge of the most powerful force the world has ever seen.
   But this movie doesn't stop there.  This movie goes on to allude and hint at things that Ron Paul has said and gotten booed off the stage for saying.  It talks about how Saddam Hussein USED to be our ally.  How we prop up these commanders because they are our allies, but when they don't fall in line or when it's convenient, we make them into our enemy.  So much of this goes on behind the scenes that you and I never know anything about it -- but we should.
   The government doesn't do anything about movies like this because no one pays any attention to them.  Seriously... they are about as effective as movies about UFOs.  The government keeps us all fat an ignorant, and in turn we allow them to do whatever they want.  Sounds like a fair deal, right?  Right?
   You all owe it to yourselves to watch this movie.

The A-Team

   From Netflix:   This updated feature-film take on the hit 1980s television show follows a group of Iraq War veterans on the run from U.S. military forces while they try to clear their names after being framed for a crime they didn't commit. Along the way, Col. Hannibal Smith, Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock , Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus and Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck help out various people they encounter. Joe Carnahan directs this high-octane actioner.

   My Take:  There are movies that I go into with low expectations that surprise me and really impress me.  There are movies I go into with low expectations that really are pretty lame.  And then there are movies like this one... movies where expectations can be set at their lowest point, and the movie STILL disappoints.  This movie is bad.  It is BAD.

   And the crazy thing is, there are some really big names in this movie.  I don't know how much they paid Liam Neeson... though I have to say that guy has been pretty hit-and-miss lately with movies... but whatever the case may be, there is no way this movie could have possibly helped his career.  So, so bad.

   I'm not going to tell you anything about this movie.  I don't care if I ruin it for you, I just don't want to relive the horrible thing.  Do not see this movie.  If you do, don't say I didn't warn you.

Adios Muchachos...

MoviePalooza

   I've got good news and I've got bad news.  The bad news is I've been so buried at work that I haven't really had a chance to poke my head up and see what's going on in the world.  But the good news is I finally got satellite TV, and I got the 3-months of free movie channels with it.  Couple that with being so exhausted when I get home from work that I can't do much more than lay around and watch movies, and you get MOVIEPALOOZA.  Here goes...

Tower Heist

   From Netflix:  When a group of workers at a ritzy Manhattan condo realize their boss has swindled them out of their pensions, they vow to reap their own justice. With the cooperation of the building manager, the group devises an ingenious plot to recover the funds.
   My Take:  Hey I never said they were going to be good movies.  Actually though, for a light-hearted Ben Stiller movie, these aren't that bad.  Ben Stiller is an interesting cat.  He's got the fun-loving, family-friendly, "Night At The Museum" movies, and then he has the hard-hitting, trying-to-hang-with-the-big-boys, dirty movies like "Tropic Thunder."  Both of these seem to work for him.  But when he tries to combine the two, like he did with "Tower Heist," it misses the mark.
   Unlike Adam Sandler, who is almost making movies just to see how stupid people are for going to see them, Stiller at least tries to make a silly concept somewhat relevant.  But I think another problem with this movie is that he plays it too straight.  Stiller is a color guy... he's supposed to be the weird, haphazard nutjob.  That's when he's best.  When he's the straight-forward, clean-cut, hero-type character, he's just not as strong.
   That said, he does know how to cast a movie... and he cast this one extremely well.  His support characters were all spot-on and hilarious.  Incidentally, I don't think I've ever written a review with this many -dashes- in it.
   Overall, I would give this movie a "meh," and say pass.  But if you're looking for something harmless to put on while you're doing other stuff (like putting a bunch of work contacts into your phone), then this is definitely the movie for you.

Megamind

   From Netflix:  When a cunning supervillain (voiced by Will Ferrell) accidently kills his crime-fighting nemesis, the rogue suddenly finds life boring and uninspired. So, he creates a new enemy (Jonah Hill) who seeks to destroy the world, forcing Megamind to play the hero role for once in his life. This hilarious animated feature from director Tom McGrath (Madagascar) also features the voices of Brad Pitt and Tina Fey.

   My Take:  Ah, another animated movie from "that other" 3-D animation studio.  Dreamworks I believe?  You know, it's really interesting to see the different strategies play out.  Pixar seems determined to come out with new, powerful stories that captivate audiences, and then group that with gorgeously rendered animations.  Dreamworks seems to say "throw as many big name actors in there that you can and hire some folks to do some animation stuff and you're done."  Sure their stuff looks good, but compare "Megamind" to "Up" and there's just no comparison.

   Still, I was interested in this movie.  What a concept: a movie where the bad guy wins?  And then what?  It's something I think a lot of kids wonder... they're so used to seeing the good guys persevere, but somewhere, deep down, they have to be wondering... well, what if they didn't?

   So I watched "Megamind" because they went there.  They took a shot and asked the question.  And I gotta say, they did a pretty good job with the story, all things considered.  Really the biggest pet-peeve for me was Brad Pitt voicing the good guy.  Well, that and how all the sudden he had redeeming qualities at the end.  Tell me that didn't come from some kind of consultant ha ha.

   As far as these types of movies go, I would say "Megamind" is actually pretty enjoyable.  I never got into the "Ice Age" franchise, or the one with all the animals from the zoo.  I'm sure they're funny, but they're just churned out every year to make money.  "Megamind" may not enjoy the level of success that those movies have, but it's a reach... and for that I salute them.

The Big Year

   From Netflix:  Inspired by Mark Obmascik's nonfiction book of the same name, this high-flying comedy concerns a trio of competitive bird watchers who vow to win a contest by spotting and recording as many avian species as humanly possible.

   My Take:  No way in a million years did I think this was going to be a good movie.  Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson... bird watching?  Is this some sort of joke?  Nope.  It's a real movie.  And turns out... it's really, really good.

   The movie is about bird watching, or "birding," but it's not really about birdwatching.  It's really about relationships.  It's really about what happens when a passion becomes an obsession.  When something is so ridiculous, and yet we cling to it just for the sake of keeping our name on it.  It's about how different all of our lives can be, and how they can still be the same and meld together so well.  It's innocent, it's goofy, and somehow it is endearing.

   Yeah, I'm talking about "The Big Year."  Maybe you're like me.  Maybe you saw the preview for this and said "what the hell?" and left it there.  Maybe you looked at it as another "Snakes on a Plane" ridiculous movie and forgot about it altogether.  But if you're anything like me, or if you share my taste in movies, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by this one.  If you do watch it, go in with an open mind.  Watch it by yourself if you have to (I won't tell anyone).  But I dare you to not enjoy this movie.  Good luck.

Another Earth

   From Netflix:  After a strange Earth-like planet is discovered, astrophysics student Rhoda accidentally slams her car into the vehicle of John, killing his family. In time, Rhoda and John begin an unlikely romance, but Rhoda begins to wonder about the other planet.

   My Take:  There goes Hollywood again... trying to weave a love story into science fiction.  But I have to admit... this movie has intrigued me for quite a while.  I remember when it first came out, the concept astounded me.  A movie where another earth mysteriously appears?  Fascinating!  Then I dove in a little deeper and discovered, oh yeah, it's about a chick who has a bunch of regrets.  Still... interesting idea.  The fact that it's all about righting wrongs and the wonder of how an alternate you would have reacted differently.  It's compelling stuff.

   What bothered me about this movie wasn't actually the story.  It wasn't the acting either.  It was the way it was shot.  Raw.  Documentary-like.  Shaky.  It reminded me of an episode of "Friday Night Lights."  I get that it's a style, but it just doesn't do anything for me.  It seemed to me like they were using here to try to hide all of the imperfections and weird looks and feels from a cheap-o camera (relatively speaking, of course).

   It was like it was trying to be indy, but at the same time have a full-blown Hollywood style storyline.  I don't think you can go both ways.  I can't think of a time when I've seen it work before.  Movies like "Cloverfield" work, but look at the image quality in that movie.  WAY better than a handycam would actually give you.  Here's one shot on a handy-cam (or prosumer-grade camera, whatever)... and it shows.  If you're going to go indy, go full indy.  Don't try to Hollywood up your story so that it gets more recognition from the big boys.  That's like sucking up to someone else's boss.  Weaksauce.

   See this movie though.  There are a few great moments that you will really appreciate.  They are spread out, they are short-lived, but they do enough to make you glad you took the time to sit down and watch this movie.  Enjoy.

   Alright folks, hopefully I'll get into a more regular rhythm here.  If I can, maybe I'll actually have something to talk about.  Until then...

I'm Still Here

   I know it has probably been driving you crazy.  You've probably felt like something was missing from your life.  Something important.  But don't worry folks, I'm still here.  A lot has changed since the last time I wrote here, and those changes have consumed me to the point where I just haven't had time to update.  I'm in Phoenix now.

   I accepted the Marketing Manager position for a new show called "The List," which launches in 6 cities on September 17th.  We have a website, a facebook page, a twitter feed... everything you could ask for.  And it's totally different from anything I've ever done.

   Do I miss Houston?  Absolutely.  My whole life is there.  In the past 5 years that I've lived in Houston, I've made some of the best friends in my entire life.  My family is all there.  It's home, and even though I have several complaints about the city, I think it always will be home for me.  But who knows... Phoenix may have a few surprises up its sleeve.  It's hot here, but not hot like Houston.  They say "it's a dry heat" and I've always thought that was silly... but it's true.  The atmosphere here is very different, and even when it's triple-digit hot, it doesn't feel as bad outside as it does in Houston on a typical summer day.  Today it was cloudy and rainy, and it actually felt cool outside (not muggy and gross like Houston).  There are also some really cool things to do in this city, and it's pretty awesome looking out your window and seeing mountains every day.  I can't complain about that.

   Anyway, work has been pretty crazy so far, and I don't have TV yet... so I've missed out on a lot of what's been going on.  I'm mainly just writing here now to let you know that I am still around and I will resume my posting as soon as I get settled in and to a point where I feel like I have something to talk about.  Oh, I do have a movie review for you.  Enjoy...

Lockout

   From Netflix:  A former government agent wrongly accused of a crime gets a shot at freedom -- if he can engineer a high-risk mission to outer space in order to rescue the president's daughter from a prison where the inmates are in control.

   My Take:  When I first popped this movie in, I thought if I could make it through the first 10 minutes without turning it off, I would be in good shape.  The previews looked silly, and when it showed up in the mail I wondered why in the world I ever thought this movie would be worth watching.  But then two words completely changed my perspective: Luc Besson.

   Luc Besson of "The Fifth Element" fame.  Luc Besson of the original "Transporter" movie.  Luc Besson, the weird french dude who makes cheesy ass stuff work because he fully commits to it and never looks back.  And he did it again with "Lockout."  The opening 10 minutes of this movie are some of the most ridiculous I've ever seen.  The dialogue is campy, the action sequence that follows is so ridiculous it's almost not even worth watching.  And yet, it all works somehow.

   There is a style to this movie that makes it immensely entertaining.  It's not at "Fifth Element" calibur... I don't know of anything that is... but it's the closest Besson and his pals have gotten.  Guy Pierce is great.  Most of the other characters are great.  The chick is not nearly as good as Leloo Dallas, but she's much better than the chick in "Transporter" (THERE ARE FO-HUNDRED PEOPLE ON THOSE CRATES!)  The characters are great and acted out well by just about everyone.  The twist at the end is so preposterous that it fits perfectly with the rest of the movie.  It all just makes sense.

   I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, and I think you will be too.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Alright folks, more to come... from Phoenix...