Saturday, May 31, 2008

Loss of Personal Accountability... and Political Anger

I don't think I'm inside my own mind today and I'd just like to get it out of the way now. There's a bit of cursing in todays entry, so pardon me but...

When did we, as a people, effectively lose our testicles and become big flaming vagina's? How come whenever somebodies child shoots up a school or commits suicide we can find it so effortless to point the finger everywhere except where it needs to be pointed. Scapegoats are everywhere in our society, be it Video Games, Music, Movies, hell we can even find time to point the finger at the homosexuals too. Why can't we ever fucking blame ourselves for anything anymore?

I sit here before you a broken man, lost inside a world he has no control over, Is the internet the only place where we can be fearless anymore? I am pretty certain they have their greasy paws all over our beloved World Wide Web... Regardless, I stand fearless to point some blame. Lets fucking blame the parents!

Whoa?! What. Why? It's impossible that the parents, the PARENTS of the children could somehow be to blame for their child's indiscretion but no, is it that we are far too afraid to see anything but good in people that we can't admit that sometimes things just don't go the way you planned? Kids are playing Grand Theft Auto and parents are suddenly shocked. Let me ask you a question, your kid tugs on your shoulders, points to the game. You decide to buy it for him, is there at no point of at least three different opportunities you are looking at the game, one of which you're HOLDING the game as you bring it to the counter, that you cant notice the modest "M" for Mature logo on the corner of the box, not to mention. You'd think some of that Fox News brainwashing would've at least caught wind your way by now right? You paid for the game!!! I don't understand how we can blame anybody BUT ourselves in this whole instance...

Can I ask why rapists are always being let out of prison? What the fuck are we thinking? Risk of re-offense, through the roof. The only reason we let these people go is because we don't want to PAY for them to be in prison isn't it? Murderers given early parole, every time I read a newspaper it seems to me that there is another excuse of why the death penalty would be a good idea. I don't want these assholes back on the street to kill me, thanks.

I'm going to blame you for a second, for creating a world that I don't like living in. Where politics are unimportant and the politicians seem more transparent and are more enthused with playing games in the House rather than doing things that matter. Inducing taxes on anything they want. I mean, if they want my money so bad why don't they just send some asshole to my door to inform me that they're going to be putting a glove on, and literally ripping my colon out of my asshole. We're heading toward a recession and everyone seems to be dodging that issue. No, it's not going to happen. No, we're absolutely fine. People are losing jobs, prices are going through the roof... I don't know. I think the line in the sand was blown away by the wind somewhere in the 70's and we crossed it in the 80's and now we're in the shitter.

I know my flaws, I've accepted them and I've moved on. Why does nobody vote? I look at Stephen Harper, he's a face to me nothing more, Stephane Dion? Plain and simple, he's out of his element and I don't even know why the Liberal's support this guy. Jack Layton? ...NDP yeah, I mean he's not really rockin the vote for me. Didn't in the last election either. If Canada can drop into an election as soon as the Liberals decide they're finally going to use that backbone of theirs, the Election is just going to go as the last one did, we will have more of a minority government than before and I wouldn't be surprised if Dion by some freak chance actually won! I would probably toss my vote Green, when I care so little about the big dogs, why not throw the little dog a bone.

There is nobody I can point the blame at so I'm just going to direct it at everyone. I know I don't do my part in what, I'm sure if I put more effort I could maybe actually make this world a better place. But unless we all make an effort, we're going to be sitting here being fucked around by the suits until we're all dead.

Sorry for all the cuss words, I promise to be calmer tomorrow...

Peace!

Friday, May 30, 2008

Dirty Dancing Leads To Cancer

I don't think I'm inside my own mind today...

It's out... dirty dancing does lead to cancer. Okay that was a really bad joke, but I just heard today that Patrick Swayze has terminal pancreatic cancer. Like the guy or not, I stand by firmly that Road House is 100% a mans movie and is completely bad ass in every way. If you are a man, who gets adrenaline in your veins when you see violence on the screen then you need to watch Road House. It's a pretty simple 'Walking Tall' kind of movie where Patrick busts some heads for 90 or so minutes. It just came as a shock to me, maybe those tabloid magazines know what they're talking about once in a blue moon although I refuse to believe it.

It seems that no matter what, we are all going to get cancer or get something that can cause cancer and fail to live to our potential. At least that's what they are clearly trying to have come to fruition in our minds. I'm not going to give into this mass hysteria. If cancer takes me down then I hope it takes me down fast so I don't have time to worry about it. I could also go without colon, testicular, or cancer that affects any of my vital organs. Take and arm or a leg if you need to but please leave my torso out of this... Brain cancer, eh I'm 50/50 on that one but I'd really just prefer to avoid this whole cancer train all together.

Up until last weekend, it had been an astronomical amount of time since I had been sick. I had adopted some new standards of thought, sure of myself that I could never become ill in any way, that my immune system would be their to bail me out if that nasty influenza decided to come my way. One day it hits me like a ton of bricks, I feel 'effing nasty! Indigestion, gas, funny poop, nausea, motion sickness, I thought I had been attacked by some kind of biological weapon of some kind.

First instinct kicks in I thought, maybe I've got food poisoning. My diet isn't exactly a diet, unless you count fast food and kraft dinner any kind of diet. So I didn't exactly find it a stretch in my mind to think that maybe I've eaten something I shouldn't have, something improperly prepared or something that had outlived its shelf-life. However, despite my bodies best intentions I could not bring myself to induce any kind of vomit, even of my own volition. Any kind of disturbance to my center of gravity be it a sudden horizontal or vertical movement would produce a very sudden desire to sit down and allow blood flow to restore to my brain. Accompanied by all this was this perpetual feeling of illness that also felt as if I was hungry. Of course, my smoking habit did not help ease any of this (and I didn't exactly care to realize right away either) So I had a few shitty days.

Then I start thinking, well maybe I have a stomach ulcer? It's not entirely out of the field, all the pain was mostly around my stomach area, the motion sickness and the indigestion went away after a couple of days but I was still gassy and all the rest. Burping periodically on an empty stomach is a very peculiar feeling. Now I feel fine but I've still got a lingering suspicion that something is worse but until the doctor tells me that something is wrong with me I'm going to remain optimistic that maybe I just did get sick.

Until next time, treat your body right.

Peace!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Movies piss me off

I don't think I'm inside my own mind today...

It seems that without fail, Hollywood is hell bent on discovering the next "Matrix" the next "Star Wars" the next big thing that will generate them millions of dollars. The next big thing that will rejuvenate the box office and have people talking for decades. They(the suits who run the film studios) have this down to a science, they think that they know what a movie needs for it to be a hit, that this formulaic process will guarantee success at every avenue and ensure greener pastures from here-on-out.

I mean, Lord of The Rings was good... but it wasn't Star Wars good.

Think of any movie that Michael Bay has made, you will agree that they all have an unprecedented amount of action in them. He's arguably one of the most visually innovative directors in Hollywood right now. It's just a shame his storytelling skills aren't in the same ballpark or we'd have a director on our hands who we might have looked forward to directing the Transformers movie... Please, lets be honest. It wasn't Shia LeBouf's fault... When I think about it, I wonder who else could they really have gotten to make that? The Transformers directed by anyone outside Spielberg would've been a joke to me. (But I think Michael Bay has received enough flak from the internet.) I didn't hate Transformers but I thought The Island was better...

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies were fun, but after the first movie it was clear that the fun of being Capitan Jack had waned in Mr. Depp's performances which really seemed less and less spirited in each film. If they hadn't worked so hard to make Jack Sparrow interesting in the third movie I almost shudder to think what a train wreck that trilogy could have been, no worse than The Matrix Trilogy, I suppose, I think it will be tough for something to crash and burn that badly, but we did make it through Star Wars episodes 1-3 didn't we?

Hollywood's preoccupation with action and excitement has lead a severe discourse in the way of quality. Do you think people are downloading movies just because it's more convenient, it's more cost-effective and because it's a lot easier to stomach a movie that sucks when you haven't just blown 20 bucks getting a ticket and some snacks. Movies are supposed to tell stories. The stories in the movies aren't good anymore, they aren't even trying. If you're watching a action movie. It's safe to assume you can check your brain at the door but then we get movies like Crank and I wonder if they're even putting any effort into it anymore. I think the biggest violator of this whole trend was The Golden Compass. This movie pretty much generated enough buzz on the whole religion fiasco that followed the pretense of the novel. Something that wasn't even touched upon in the movie, and yet it still managed to have as much action as it could muster for the entire film. I haven't read the novels. but can't children's movies just be about adventure anymore instead of having to turn into Lord of The Rings at the end with the epic climactic battle?

The movies that I treasure most are the kind that involve careful storytelling with a mixture of unique characters and quality cinematography. This is a movie, that doesn't just mean it has to look good you might as well take the time to tell a cool story too shouldn't you? Movies like Running with Scissors, Lars and The Real Girl, even Iron Man are great examples of movies that tell a careful story that are told around interesting characters who feel real, with real motivations . Iron Man may be a bit of a stretch as far as the fact that he's a billionaire super-genius but maybe Bill Gates could identify with that...

I'm sure this downward spiral will only continue to blow out of control and movies will get progressively worse and worse. There are a handful of filmmakers who sustain my confidence in film and help me look forward to seeing something.

Christopher Nolan: The director of a bunch of great films including Batman Begins, he is as meticulous a storyteller as there is in Hollywood right now. He puts a lot of care and time into his films and they always seem to entertain. The Prestige gets better with every viewing. With The Dark Knight coming up this summer, and my huge affinity towards the Caped Crusader, I have a bit of giddiness in my step looking forward to this, and any film he makes in the future.

Jason Reitman: The director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno has proven to me he is a versatile filmmaker who is capable of drawing any angle of the human emotion that he can. He tells stories in such interesting ways and his movies draw me in so quickly, if you've yet to see either of these two films they are highly recommended. He will be a director to watch in the future as he gets more movies under his belt I cannot wait to see what he decides to bring to the screen.

James Mangold: With 3:10 to Yuma and Walk The Line, he's got some hits under his belt. He's also made one of my favorite Stallone film's Cop Land which probably doesn't stand up to the previously two mentioned films but he makes engaging movies that I like to watch. Definately the kind of director who has a knack for making the moments feel right. His movies hit right where they need to and I can only hope he'll continue to bring some interesting films to theaters.

Guillermo del Toro: I regrettably have yet to see Pans Labyrinth although I've heard nothing outside of the fact that it's a fascinating film, but I do have to say I hold other films in his library pretty closely to my heart, mainly Hellboy and Blade 2. He has a pretty interesting way of storytelling that I think, after Pans Labyrinth especially I think we will only start to see his movies become more imaginative and interesting. With Hellboy 2: The Golden Army upcoming, I am also looking forward to the Doctor Strange movie, if they make it. I can't say I really care for The Hobbit but the fact that he's making those movies makes me a little bit interested to watch them.

Bryan Singer: Sure, Superman Returns might have been a misstep to some but it was a film I really enjoyed, and went to see twice in theater. It didn't hold up to either of his X-Men films which are probably part of the upper-echelon of the genre. The Usual Suspects is probably one of the greatest films ever, and if you haven't seen it you need to go to the movie store like now and go rent it. He's an executive producer of the TV show House. With the upcoming film Valkyrie starring everyones favorite Scientologist, a movie about one of the assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler, personally count me in for that! I always find his movies interesting to watch and I am sure that Tom Cruise won't kill that for me. I mean, I liked War of The Worlds...

Until next time, peace!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Musical Enlightenment

I don't think I'm inside my own mind today...

Now I didn't exactly want to start this off on the wrong foot. But I want to make it clear first off this isn't going to be a blog where I push my interests on to the world hoping for heinous infamy. Although I'm certainly not going to hesitate to do that either, this is just a place for me to get things off of my chest.

That being said, today's blog is going to be about music. Many of us proclaim to be music lovers and I intend to enlighten some of you today, there's so much good music out there that we shouldn't have to have Rihanna and Nickelback shoved down our throats. I'm going to go over a handful of groups who make music that deserves to be listened to.(And yeah, I just happen to have a huge personal bias towards these groups, so what?)

The Mars Volta: labeled a 'prog-rock' group. They incorporate many elements of Latin music and jazz into their rock using a small army of musicians, the band has 9 members. Anchored by the wailing vocals of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and the masterful guitar work by guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. This band has laid down an impressive groundwork of music over their five albums. The latter of which, titled "The Bedlam In Goliath", was just released this past January and is easily one of their strongest albums. I will admit their sound may not be the apple of everyones ears but if you're looking for something different this band might just be what you're looking for.

Check Out: Concertina, Roulette Dares(The Haunt Of), Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus, Viscera Eyes, Goliath, Ilyena

Protest The Hero: A young Metal group out of Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Their sound is uncompromisingly aggressive and their musical maturity shows beyond their years. They make music primarily for themselves but they are also a band driven to create music that they enjoy, and I can respect that. Why make music if you're not enjoying it right? Their first album, Kezia, was a concept album that gathered them critical acclaim. Their music blends a brute force sound with a technically complex sound structure. Their second album, Fortress, continued to further their name. This album saw them step away from the conceptual heavy center of Kezia and move toward a more lucid general tone for Fortress. Fortress continues their sound as a unstoppable force and they take their music in imaginative new directions. I cannot wait to see what their third album holds in store.

Check Out: Heretics and Killers, Bury The Hatchet, Blindfolds Aside, Sequoia Throne, Palms Read, Limb From Limb, Goddess Bound

Black Tide: A Heavy-Metal band hailing out of Miami. Every member of this four piece band is younger than twenty years old. Their lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Gabriel Garcia, is only the brisk age of Fifteen years old, forming the band when he was only ten! Their sound has influences from late 80's rock, having elements of the 80's metal we like to remember (I'm talking to you, Metallica) as well as encompassing the feel of that hair-metal sound we love to sing along to. Their sound is refreshing and its surprising that such a young band has produced such an awesome first album. There is a band named Airborne that is getting a lot of attention and I think they suck. Black Tide is where it's at and if you're looking for a bit of nostalgia, check out their first album "Light From Above" Just released this past March its a winner!

Check Out: Shockwave, Warriors of Time, Enterprise, Hit The Lights

Alpha Galates: Formerly called "The Hollow", this group is a Canadian Progressive Metal band that. When I listen to their first album "Stimulus for A Reason" released this past February, it reminds me of the best of Megadeth and the imaginative nature of Tool all rolled up into one. Their songs run as short as three minutes and as long as ten minutes for some. If these guys opened for either of those two bands I just compared them to they would be absolutely huge. Hugely hugely recommended to anyone who is a fan of either or both of those bands, or bands like them. An interesting fact about this band is that all of their members, with the exception of the bassist, sing vocals.

Check out: The Darkest Eyes, Subliminal, Entropy & Chaos

I have covered a lot of rock so I also wanted to give props to an MC who drops some wicked beats.

MC Frontalot: Self-proclaimed as "the worlds 579th greatest rapper". Part of the 'nerdcore' genre of rap. He performs yearly at the annual Penny Arcade Expo. He raps a bout a lot of things, the aforementioned Penny Arcade has labeled him 'their official rapper'. The sings about a large foray of topics from things like weed, homosexuals, genius babies, goth girls and secrets from the future. If you enjoy a bit of lyrical devastation as I do on occasion but you're not a fan of the gangster heavy rap scene then maybe Front is your man, especially recommended if you're into anything geeky or at all funny in any way.

Check Out: Mountain Kind, Secrets From The Future, I Heart Fags, Pron Song

Until next time, have a good one guys.