Defending Nicolas Cage

Some people say Nick Cage has lost his edge. Some people say Nick Cage has sold out. I say Cage was just biding his time, coiling like a snake ready to strike.

After dynamic performances in movies like 'Moonstruck', 'Raising Arizona', and 'Adaptation' some people have been disappointed in Cage's choice of scripts recently i.e. 'Knowing' or 'Next'. I have two thoughts on this.

One. You gotta get paid. Actors are people and they need paychecks. I work at a financial institution and I can tell you that no matter how much people make they spend about that amount. People are bad at saving. So saying "oh Nicolas Cage is rich" doesn't really have anything to do with his job and doesn't really address the day to day struggle with money that everyone deals with, you make alot you spend alot. Period. So don't expect Cage to be better or more moral or have more artistic integrity than do we. I know people that go to children's birthday parties dressed up as fictitious superheros and their glad about it. Stardom does not equal artistic superiority.

Two. People like those movies. I hate the 'National Treasure' movies. I hate them. I think they're trite and stupid and they numb my brain. My dad loves them. Loves them. And he's a super smart practicing attorney that has gone to the Federal Court of Appeals and voted in the Electoral College. People like those movies. People like 'Knowing.' As much as you and I don't some people do. Cage has said in interviews that he likes doing edgy stuff but after having children he wants to do something with more broad appeal. Which I understand. He wants to do movies which his kids can actually watch. So don't fault him for it. It's not 'Rumble Fish' but its entertainment. Sometimes you want to watch movies that don't make you think.

Also, He hasn't lost it.

My man Nicolas Cage has got edge like crazy. More edge than even up-and-comers do. I would site 'Kick-Ass' and 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' as inspired, dynamic Nicolas Cage performances. He hasn't lost his edge he's just tempering it with a wide range of material. And why not? Why can't my man do different stuff, very his approach and mix things up? Do the family film, the blockbuster, and then the art house film. Why not? Why does he suffer? Why does he come under so much scrutiny? I don't know. I don't get it. Lay off. Nicolas Cage is serious and committed and dynamic, no matter what, whether it be rom-com or thriller. You can't help but watch. I'd love to just kick it with the guy and get some cheese fries.

"Shoot him again, his soul is still dancing." -Cage

Top 5 Nicolas Cage movies:
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Peggy Sue Got Married
The Family Man
Adaptation
Vampire's Kiss

His soul is dancing. I just want to see the show.

Silver Screen to Small Screen

I was home for the holiday's this past weekend as many people were. My parents have an HD tv from one of my dad's clients, Boz. Boz tried investing in an HD tv company overseas a couple years ago that never panned out. The upshot of it was we got a BOZCO HD tv. My parents also have a much more involved cable plan than do I so when I'm home I always try to catch up on things I've missed with their 'On Demand.' Also I'm a huge reader. Not to be self congratulatory or anything its just a fact and I would say that its more of an anti-social behavior than an intellectual practice. But even so. I read alot and when I read I like to have the TV on. Some people think thats really weird. Both my sister and Matt just this past week commented on how weird they thought that was. I can't comfortably read without some kind of outside stimuli. I don't know why. Anyway to my point.

I was scrolling through the HBO On Demand looking for a movie I hadn't seen recently to put on while I finished up 'The Game of Thrones.' I settled on 'Avatar' in HD. I began to read.

I've seen 'Avatar' in theaters three times, once in 3D. I didn't love it but I really enjoyed it. The genre very much appeals to me. As I was reading I got really distracted and then periodically put down my book to watch the movie. What I found was surprising. 'Avatar' is terrible. It's awful. Sam Worthington's narration is campy and trite and couldn't be more obvious or heavy handed. The effects are almost cartoonish. My experience bore no relation to the one I had in the movie theater. I exited out of the movie and tried to find something more agreeable to read to on cable. I settled on 'Lord of the Rings: Two Towers.' I began to read. After a while I was distracted by Elisha Wood acting with a cartoon. I finished TGOT and went to bed. I dreamt.

I dreamt of dark theaters, hushed voices, and raked seating. I dreamt of popcorn and nachos, holding hands and stolen kisses. I awoke. And realized.

Some movies just don't translate. Some movies aren't meant to be seen on a TV. Sam Worthington's narration in the theater is moving and adventurous and brings you in to the story, on TV its simple and stupid and childish. In a dark theater these sweeping effects create a world you would have never imagined, in a lit living room the same effects look cheap. Will I ever watch 'Avatar' on TV again? No.

It's all about context.

Steve's Top 5 Movies of 2010

Top 5:
Winter's Bone
The Fighter
Let Me In
True Grit
Temple Grandin

Top 5 Disappointments:
Inception
Black Swan
Shutter Island
The Kids Are All Right
Hereafter

Most Overrated:
The Social Network

Most Underrated:
Never Let Me Go

Honorable Mention:
Kick-Ass

Performances of the Year:
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Nicolas Cage, Kick-Ass
Jennifer Lawerence, Winter's Bone
Barry Pepper, True Grit
Chloë Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass and Let Me In

Steve's Guide To Christmas Shopping

1. Make A List- Go out there with some purpose. If you know what your going to get or what you want to get your going to have a more efficient shopping experience. If you have a list your going to cut down on the chance that you start browsing and buy something for yourself. Its better to give than receive.

2. Get Something You Like- If your giving a person something that you would enjoy its going to carry alot more weight. Your going to be excited about giving it to them and seeing what they think about it. If you give them something you like its alot more personal. Your invested as opposed to just doing someones shopping for them which brings me to my next point...

3. Don't Use Their List- Getting something off of a persons list is fine and cool, obviously its something they want BUT its better to get something that you know they want but didn't ask for. Or something you know they would like but don't know they want. Those gifts have the most power, hold the most delight. Anyone can go buy something from a list.

4. Recycle- Wrapping paper is dumb. I honestly don't get it. Use newspaper. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Happy Holidays.

An addition: Roger Ebert's Top 10 Movies of 2010
1. The Social Network
2. The King's Speech
3. Black Swan
4. I Am Love
5. Winter's Bone
6. Inception
7. The Secret In Their Eyes
8. The American
9. The Kids Are All Right
10. The Ghost Writer

'Zeroville' A Recommendation

I reread one of my favorite books 'Zeroville' by Steve Erickson, start to finish yesterday. It's written in a series of short chapters going from 1 to 227 and and then back down to 0. It starts with the main character Vikar showing up in L.A. in 1969 because he wants to be involved with the movies. He's raised in a super religious way that the book doesn't really delve into but they refer to a point when he discovered movies and then became obsessed. The author said in an interview "I didn't want to write a book about making movies, I wanted to write a book about loving movies." And thats what it is, an expression of pure love for something. I highly recommend it.

Norse Mythology

I just finished reading 'American Gods' for the third time. One of the main characters is the American incarnation of the God Odin. My dad's family is from Norway so for whatever reason the Norse pantheon speaks to me.

Having a series of Gods with human like traits makes more sense to me than the whole Christian philosophy. I'm not saying I'm a pagan, for one I wouldn't even know how to go about worshipping a polytheistic religion, but to me the Greek, Roman, and most of all Norse mythology makes more sense. It's more accessible without any of the blaring contradictions.

I know Loki, Odin, and Thor. My knowledge is not extensive but I know some stories and I know the traits of each god. I can identify with their strengths and weaknesses, I see myself reflected. The Christian God and Jesus are perfect and ethereal and unmanageable. I can't see any of myself in them or the idea of them. They're as foreign to me as an alien would be. More 'primitive' cultures developed religions with gods with human characteristics because thats what they could identify with.

My ancestors came from Mountains and Forests, from Sea and Battle. Their lives were lived on the brink. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century.

'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman(which I highly recommend that you read) alleges that belief creates gods. That belief by people creates a personification of different gods.

I just want to believe.

'Black Swan' A Review

Devin posing with the poster after the movie, which she loved. For me...

In a word: Disappointing.

I don't know why exactly but I've come to expect alot from Darren Aronofsky. Maybe it's because I fit squarely in his target demographic 18-45 white middle-class artist type. So I feel like I should like him, I'm obligated to like him. He sucked me in with Pi and I feel like he's been riding that train ever since.

Pi: Amazing

Requiem For A Dream: Disturbing for disturbings sake, will never watch again.

The Fountain: Terrible. Laughably bad.

The Wrestler: OK, generally a disappointment.

(Spoilers)

Nina is an up-in-comer in a prestigious dance company in New York City. She gets taped to play the Swan Queen in their upcoming production of 'Swan Lake.' Thus begins her mental breakdown. The part requires her to play the innocent White Swan whose technicalities she can nail but also the sensuous Black Swan who Nina can't get in touch with. Natalie Portman plays Nina all one note, she's whiny, sniveling, and tentative for 99% of her performance. We only get the briefest of tastes of her darker side, her sexual side, her 'Black Swan.' Which is the TITLE OF THE MOVIE! There's about 15 seconds in the movie prior to the opening night performance where we get even the slightest hint that Nina has a back bone. Opening night comes, Nina rushes to the theater and when its time to dance the 'Black Swan' she kills. Absolutely kills. Up until then the on screen dancing was boring and Natalie Portman worrying about the dance moves came across more so then the actual dance moves. But this last dance is breathtaking and as she dances she starts to sprout feathers and morph into a black swan.

It's incredible...problem is its only 30 seconds long. We never get a real taste of Nina's duality until this moment, minutes before the film ends. Isn't it a film about duality? Up until then we've only been given one side and were suppose to be satisfied by numerous shots of mirrors and Natalie Portman seeing other Natalie Portmans dressed in black. There's no juice, there's no HEFT. Nina is two dimensional at best. We have no idea what drives her, we have no idea who she is, where she comes from, what her secrets are. All we know is that she's 'losing it' and thats where the movie stays. A place Aronofsky is comfortable weird for weirds sake, all surface no depth. Sorry Natalie I'm just not interested. In the supporting roles Nina's mother and Nina's dance instructor are both flat, one note repeated endlessly. We have no idea who these people are or what drives them. Mila Kunis is a shining star in this bleak landscape of 2D images. She jumps off the screen with desire and spark and wild abandon. She dances, sure, but she also lives and THATS what we want to see, thats the Black Swan not Natalie Portman needing her fucking eyebrows. Unfortunately Kunis is in the movie only briefly. Also I don't really like Vincent Cassel as the dance instructor, what with the yelling and the sexual harassment and all. But he does make a good point...

"PASSION NINA!"

An addition: Stephen King's Top 10 Movies of 2010

1. Let Me In

2. The Town

3. Inception

4. The Social Network

5. Takers

6. Kick-Ass

7. Splice

8. Monsters

9. Jackass 3D

10. Green Zone

'Splice' Stephen? Really?

Panang Curry: Joy's Noodles

A couple months back I was talking with Matt about BLT's. He said he loved BLT's and ordered them wherever he could. He was trying to find the perfect BLT.

Whenever I go out for Thai food I always get the Panang Curry. In an effort to find the best Panang Curry I will document my different attempts.

Served on a plate not a bowl. Crispy fried noodles not steamed rice. Ingredients: chicken, curry, basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, crispy noodles. 6/10. The curry was generally forgettable. The crispy noodles made the whole dish difficult to eat, it was difficult to saturate the noodles with the curry sauce so they were sharp and too crunchy.

The best part of the meal was the waiter whose voice was high pitched and whose accent was incredibly thick. He may have asked me if I wanted steamed rice or the crispy noddles but if so I didn't understand and just said 'Yes.'

I would not get the Panang Curry at Joy's Noodles again.

'Winter's Bone' A Review

This year has been pretty thin for film. This movie was a pleasant surprise. See it.

(Spoilers)

The movie takes place in the Ozarks of Missouri. The landscape is bleak and its people poor. Junked up cars and trucks sit in almost everyones yard. The movie opens with a seen that clearly establishes our hero Ree Dolly played by Jennifer Lawerence. A seventeen year old girl who acts like a woman, shouldered with the responsibility of taking care of her mother and raising her little brother and sister. Her father, a meth cooker, was recently released from jail on bond using their house and property as collateral. The local sheriff played by Garret Dillahunt(of Deadwood fame) comes by to tell Ree that her fathers missing and they'll be evicted if he doesn't make it to court. Her response "I'll find him." with such determination you have no doubt she will.

The rest of the movie is Ree's quest to find her father and save her home. Everyone in the area is a Dolly and related in some way. And it seems everyone is involved in the meth trade. It's spoken about obliquely and not emphasised which is pleasing for us, its not about drugs its about Ree. Movies about meth or meth culture sometimes beat it to death a la 'SPUN'. Ree first goes to her sisters for help and then her uncle 'Teardrop' played by John Hawkes(also from Deadwood). She continually gets the brush off and is told to 'go home and not mettle.' A relative takes her to a blown up meth lab and says her father was in it. Her response "You must think I'm stupid, there's 3 month old weeds growing in there." She's smart and she's brave and she's strong. She has a singleness of purpose and thats to take care of her family. She tries to approach the local crime boss, of course a Dolly, but when she pushes her luck three women beat her up.

She comes to in a garage full of Dollys looking to intimidate her. Teardrop comes to pick her up and take her home and makes it clear she's to be left alone. Hawkes at first comes off antagonistic towards Ree, gruff and almost hateful. He periodically snorts from a bag of white powder we assume is meth or cocaine. He conveys a relaxed reserve of danger, like he could calmly kill at anytime. One of my favorite scenes Teardrop is driving Ree home and they get pulled over by the sheriff. The movie is a lot of implications and subtext, most things are left unsaid. Come to find out Jessup Ree's dad had turned snitch in order to help his family. This information kind of comes out while the sheriff tries to get Teardrop to get out of the car. Teardrop pulls a gun, backs the sheriff down, and drives off. This scene was such a pleasure to watch because of the tension, the exposition, and the aesthetic. Also its nice to see two awesome actors from my favorite TV show have a scene together.

Another favorite scene of mine is during a break of looking for her father Ree teachers her brother and sister to shoot and skin squirrels. It's sweet, forceful, and beautiful. She's trying to teach them how to feed themselves, how to survive, in case something should happen to her. She's totally aware of the danger shes put herself in looking for her father but she pursues this goal fearlessly.

A subplot during the film is Ree thinking of joining the armed forces. She is thinking about joining up for the $40,000 signing bonus and maybe a chance to get out of her town. She never says this but you can see that she's conflicted about the decision. Half way through the film she talks to a recruiter. The scene is just so honest and powerful. He gives her some advice, basically she should stay with her family, the money isn't a reason to join up. I realized during this scene how great the accents were. Understated yet totally regional.

Come to find out Jessup has been killed for talking to the cops the Dolly clan eventually bring Ree out to the body where she gets proof he's dead for the sheriff so they can keep their house. Early on Teardrop said "don't tell me who killed him, if you find out don't tell me." At the end he's sitting on Ree's porch, there's a long pause, and he says out of no where "I know who did it." He runs to his truck and drives off presumably to kill whoever he suspected. Teardrop comes in and out of the movie like a storm. Hawkes was absolutely mesmerising to watch.

Ree is the movie. She's quiet and stalwart. Brave and powerful. We travel with her on her journey and never get a sense that she's afraid or thinks about stopping. She has her family to think of. We all aspire to her courage.

The Twilight Effect

In response to my Harry Potter post I had a request to write about 'Twilight.' Here it goes.

As far as getting children or people who don't read to read I'm on board with anything, in this case the Twilight series. BUT I have problems with it both logistically and philosophically. I will also preface this response by saying I read the first book only. My knowledge of the plot of the last three books is based off of descriptions from friends and the Twilight episode of the Stupid Nerd Podcast. Which you can access here- http://stupidnerdpodcast.blogspot.com/

1. Co-opting Mythology- Meyer takes a mythology that were all familiar with, vampires and werewolves, and creates a whole new set of rules. Some of which are absurd, stupid, or nonsensical. Shining like diamonds in the light as opposed to being burned. Being able to feed on animals etc. She changes so much the 'vampires' don't resemble vampires anymore. It seems to me she picks and chooses different vampire conventions to move her narrative forward not because she's particularly interested or invested in vampires. The story at it's base isn't even about vampires. It's more a 'Romeo and Juliet' not a 'Dracula.'

2. Bella- The main character isn't likable. I've posted before about how this is a huge dealbreaker for me. Bella is whiny, entitled, irrational, dangerously impulsive, standoffish, and what...cute? I mean is that the big draw that she's hot? I don't get it. In the first book and from what I understand of the other three Bella has no redeeming qualities. She never does anything that warrants the Team Edward/Team Jacob fervor.

3. Sexuality- What the book actually is about is combining love and sex in a very non-threatening way. I imagine that's why the book appealed primarily to girls and young women. For me I found this aspect of it very frustrating and unsatisfying. Meyer doesn't spend a lot of time on the vampires, fine. But she doesn't really spend much time on the sex either(at least in the first book) Edward and Bella kiss a couple times and there is a lot of tortured caressing. There are pages and pages of tortured caressing. I don't understand the appeal to women in my age bracket but many women I know read and enjoyed the entire series. Evidently there is a lot of sex in the last book but I'm not going to read 1200 pages in order to get to it. For me if you don't have good vampire stuff and you don't have good sex stuff your left with boring whiny high school kids. Woof.

4. Bad Writing- Stephen King said it first "Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good." The book is poorly written- it's muddled, it meanders, the characters are underdeveloped. Edward comes off as more of an idea than a person. There is no variation in sentence structure so it reads like it was written by a middle-schooler. The narrative structure as well has no sense of rising action, tension, or climax(similar to the sex scenes). There's never any payoff. In the first book specifically we finally get a vampire fight but its only partially written because Bella blacks out so we skip it. It's almost as if Meyer knows she can't handle writing that scene so she just fast forwards. I thought at least the book would be a page turner because of how fast my friends had devoured the books. I found I had to force myself to finish it. To quote Truman Capote "That isn't writing at all, it's typing."

If people are engaged by the story I'm all for that. I just wish they were engaged by a better story. For me the J.K. Rowling/Stephenie Meyer comparison...

Is no comparison at all.

Harry Potter And Literacy

Of course with 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part I' coming out there's a lot of talk about the series coming to a definitive ending and analyzing it's cultural effect. My take.

I was a camp counselor for eight years, my first year was in 1998 when the first Harry Potter book was released in the US so I've been around kids in different aspects since the series started. The last summer I was a camp counselor was in 2005 when 'Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince' came out. The camp I was at was an all boys camp of about 300. I would say easily 250 of the campers had their parents ship them the book on the date of release. All down time activities were set aside for a couple days while everyone finished the book, myself included. When the last Harry Potter book was released I worked at a Barnes & Noble and worked the midnight release of the new book. My point of this being, I've been around the Harry Potter phenomenon semi-intimately since it began.

Also to get it out of the way: I'm a fan. Not a huge fan, I never went to the Museum of Science and Industry when it had its Harry Potter exhibit and I never watched any of the midnight showings of the movies BUT I'm a fan. I got all the books shortly after they were released and have read the series cover to cover about three times. One of the things I like most about it is that it's a quick read, I would call it fast food fantasy. It's not as dense as Stephen R. Donaldson or as satisfying as Gene Wolfe but thats why it appeals so broadly.

In 4th grade I discovered my reading level was almost non-existent. Our English teacher at the time required us to read a certain amount of pages per month. I found much to my surprise not only couldn't I do it but I couldn't decipher most words in most books. My parents solution was to make me go to my room and not let me come out until I finished some assigned reading. I never let on to them how behind I actually was. It was becoming a real problem until I got 'The Chronicles of Narnia.' I was a real big fan of the BBC made for TV movies and in an effort to engage my interest my mom got me the complete hardcover edition. I found reading was easy and even fun when your interested in the story. I've been an avid reader ever since.

The Harry Potter series has done this same thing but on a global scale. Hundreds of thousands potentially millions of kids have started reading because of Harry Potter. Many of whom wouldn't read at all if it weren't for the books. And one thing I've experienced and seen in the kids I've worked with- once you have an enjoyable reading experience you want more.

I realize this point has been made periodically in the past twelve years. I guess sometimes I just wish Harry Potter had hit a bit earlier so it could have effected my generation more thoroughly. Because a lot of the time when I ask someone "You read any good books lately?" they say...

Oh, I don't read.

A Fable About Choices

There once was a bear cub.
A black, cocky bear cub.
This bear cub liked to eat.
He would gorge himself on meat and honey.
He would sit in his cave and eat and eat and eat.
This bear cub got fat.
He lost his edge.
Eventually he had nothing left to eat.
He had to venture out, to hunt.
But he had forgotten how.
His stomach dragged on the ground.
He made too much noise travelling through the forest.
He had lost his edge.
He went back to his cave and laid up.
His hunger ate at him.
His hunger became cunning.
He remembered how to hunt.
Hunt, bear cub, Hunt.

'127 Hours' A Review

For the most part I don't like it when movies have 'Oscar buzz' before they even come out. That being said I really enjoyed this movie. James Franco plays a real life hiker who falls in a canyon and gets his hand trapped by a boulder. The majority of the movie takes place with Franco stationary, pinned, dealing with/brainstorming-ways-out-of his predicament.

(Spoilers)

At times the movie can feel a little claustrophobic because, as an audience member, you're just as much trapped as Franco is. There are only two cut aways from Franco while he's trapped, both are brief and both just pan out to give perspective about how alone he is geographically. The worst parts for me were the times when he was tugging on his arm which was pinned. One of my favorite shows is 'House' and even the procedural stuff in that is tough to take for me sometimes so all his arm stuff was difficult for me to watch.

The movie, unsurprisingly, hinges on Franco's performance. He's totally mesmerizing to watch, partly because the majority of the shots are right in his face so we pick up/are privy to the smallest things that he does and partly because it seems as if he's talking directly to us. He plays the character with humor and an overpowering zest for life. The beginning sequence of the film is his journey out to the canyon which has so much energy and fun-loving spirit you almost dread what you know is coming because you almost want to just watch a film where James Franco has fun.

The enjoyable parts aren't what he does in the situation(for example drink his own urine, woof) but how he reacts to it and what he says. He repeatedly tells his parents he loves them(he has a video camera that he records messages on), he apologizes for not being more responsible, he reminisces about his ex-girlfriend, he chastises himself for his arrogance. And all through out he keeps a sense of humor and a humble spirit for the small things. Favorite scene-

After the second day Franco starts to hallucinate. At one point Franco does this 'talk show' bit where he's interviewing himself about how he put himself in such a bad position i.e. no one knowing where he was going. It's funny and sweet and self-deprecating. It provides some much needed levity and the realization that Franco is totally self aware about who is responsible for the mess. Him. After watching 'High Fidelity' ten years ago a high school friend of mine said "If it wasn't John Cusack it'd be too much John Cusack." Thats how I feel about James Franco in '127 Hours.' The casting was perfect, you had to get an actor who was serious but also had a humorous spirit. You put someone too serious in that roll and the experience would be unbearable.

Franco eventually frees himself by cutting off his own arm. That scene went on a little too long. He binds up his wound and prepares to leave. There's a shot where he walks away, looks back and says "Thank You." You don't know if he's talking to God or the boulder. There's an amazing sequence when he's hallucinating where he says my favorite line of the film.

"That rock has been waiting for me my whole life."

The Road Not Taken

I was walking back from seeing 'Due Date' and I saw this tree. It made me think of this poem.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
in leaves no feet had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
-- I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference"
-Robert Frost

Steve's Guide To Breaking Up

1. Do it in person. There's nothing more gutless or harsh than breaking up over the phone. I've done it, I'm not proud of it. Whoever the person is they deserve a face-to-face. It's daunting, even if your the person who wants to break up its a really terrible feeling, believe me I get it. Sack up and tell the person.

2. Be honest. People can smell deceit. Not all the time but especially in break-ups. Your much better off just telling the person the real reason you want to break up. If you're in a relationship for an extended period of time I'd hope you care about the other person. In fact I'd hope you love them. So be honest, express yourself. They'll appreciate it, it serves you well to put your feelings out there. The other person may be hurt but if you were close to begin with your just doing justice to your connection.

3. Hold something back. Don't divulge potentially hurtful information. If you've been in a relationship hopefully you know each other very well. In that case your in a position to really know the other persons weakness. Do not use this. You may be upset, really upset, thats fine. But don't hurt someone because you're hurting. Don't hurt someone just because you can. Don't throw out pieces of information when your leaving as a 'fuck you' to the relationship. Thats childish.

4. Have your friends on speed dial. In the aftermath of any break-up your going to feel raw. Your going to feel kind of lonesome or listless. Call your friends. Get out and don't stew. The best way to move on is by doing things. The other people that love you as much as your significant other are your friends and family. They're there to lean on, so lean on them. You're not alone.

5. It's not over. If you were in love, which again I hope you were if you were with someone for an extended period of time, its not going anywhere. It's special and it's beautiful and it's not just going to dissipate like smoke. Those feelings linger. Even if you've moved on and the other person is really hurt or whatever you still have this thing in common. Breaking up doesn't mean that it wasn't important, breaking up doesn't mean it wasn't special. You'll always have it, in someway, forever.

6. The contact question. There are two ways to go with this. One, you sever completely and don't contact each other. Two, you become friends. One is easy but it's also harsh. There's no room to wiggle but the benefit is that its clean. There's a definitive ending. Two is much, much harder. You almost have to start completely over to build a connection from the ground up. Without a lot of things. There's no middle ground. If you try to do something in between it's just going to be an extension of the relationship and someone is going to be leading the other person on. Not fair.

Break ups are hard.

Bottom line: You're going to be ok.

Street Talk

FireCup had a show at the Playground Wedensday night. I was walking around the block a couple times to kill time before the show. I hate getting to places too early and going into them alone. I walked passed the L&L Tavern on Clark- a relatively well known dive bar. As I was walking by three friends came out to have a cigarette.

Smoker#1(male): Can I ask you a personal question?
Smoker#2(male): Yeah, man, of course.
Smoker#1: Does your dick ever go numb?
Smoker#3(female): ...
Smoker#2: Ummm...?
Smoker#1: You know like if you lay on it wrong when you're sleeping and...?
Smoker#3: He's asking you if your dick ever goes to sleep.
Smoker#2: I don't think so...most of the time, when I'm sleeping, its the opposite.
Smoker#3: ...(judgmental stare)...
Smoker#1: I swear its not just me.

Steve's Guide To A Sucessful Wedding Experience

Matt and Katie, the day of. Photo credit to HO.

1. Don't be the drunk one. There always seems to be one or two people at a wedding who are way too drunk, so a couple steps to not be that person. Don't pre-game, there's no reason to. Regulate your intake until all pre-planned parts of the wedding are over with i.e. speeches, first dance, cutting the cake etc. After all that is done go to town, just don't put yourself in a position where either the bride or groom has to do damage control. Remember, it's their day.

2. Dance. Older folks and kids will usually start off the dancing so there's no pressure to get the dancing going early on in the reception. But at some point you need to get out there and dance. If you think you can't dance, newsflash, you can, if you're not comfortable dancing post-up by a friend who is and they will ease you in, if you need to just copy what they're doing. The bride and groom want to feel like they're having a successful reception, nothing says successful reception like a packed dance floor. Dancing is fun.

3. Keep your emotions in check. It's ok and expected to get teared up during the ceremony and when the bride dances with her father. But over the top displays of emotion pull focus from the people who the event is really about, the bride and groom. We're all really happy for them but throwing a lot of emotion at a couple who is probably stressed, tired, hungry, and overwhelmed is not helpful. Give them a big hug and tell them you love them. No tears.

4. Save a slow dance for the single folks. Lonesome George can pop up pretty easily at weddings. If you see a single person looking lonely in a corner ask them to slow dance, you were once alone, it's not fun.

5. Hook-Up. Weddings are a real aphrodisiac. Grab a special someone, pull them close, and kiss.

6. Do what they tell you. Do whatever the bride and groom want you to do. You're there first and foremost to make their day special and go the way they want it to. Your enjoyment is secondary.

Feel free to comment on past, present and future posts.

'I'm Still Here' A Review

Subtitle: Joaquin Does Dylan
('I'm Still Here' Graffiti on Grand Ave.)

I really enjoyed 'I'm Still Here.' I think Roger Ebert said it best so I'll just quote him "If Joaquin Phoenix is acting, it's the best acting he's ever done." Initially I think it started as a pre-planned thing then as time progressed and Joaquin got deeper and deeper in it he lost his dome and actually became that 'character.' When I was watching the movie I was struck by this feeling of familiarity, after thinking about it I realized it reminded me alot of the Bob Dylan documentary 'Don't Look Back.' They both investigate celebrity and the leads seem to be playing heightened versions of themselves. Both come off as self-centered and irritating. I think Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix watched 'Don't Look Back' and decided to do an updated actor version with the same 'fuck you' attitude. Mocking the idea of celebrity while totally indulging in it by making a movie investigating it. What's interesting is that scenes from 'Don't Look Back' were transcribed and used in the movie 'I'm Not There' which had a bunch of different people play Bob Dylan. 'I'm Not There' of course is an inverted version of 'I'm Still Here.' Casey Affleck came out today and said that it was a hoax. He also repeatedly said it wasn't. At this point it's subjective. The truth of if it was fake or not doesn't matter and at this point can't be verified. So what if Casey says it was a hoax at this point, maybe he's embarrassed or the movie didn't do as well as he thought so he's trying a different marketing strategy. What matters is the movie going experience. Go see it. What do you think? Also see 'Don't Look Back.' I have a copy if you want to borrow it. If you watch 'Don't Look Back' and 'I'm Still Here' back to back you'll think

Joaquin Phoenix is channeling 1965 Bob Dylan.

A Fable About Shame

There comes a certain point in a wolf cubs life where he has to leave his den.
He may be tentative about leaving.
He may not want to leave.
But at a certain point if he has not left his parents push him out of the den.
He ventures out and becomes comfortable with the world.
He has no notion of what the outside world is so he is not afraid of it.
He explores freely and enjoys the freedom outside the den.
He hunts, fishes, mates and grows strong.
But he's still a cub.
He learns as much as he can but there are still things he does not know.
He is open to mistakes because he does not know fear or caution.
He has no restrictions because he has no need of them.
One day the wolf cub encounters a bear fishing by a creek.
That is my creek! Thinks the wolf cub.
The wolf cub attacks. He does not know bears, has never seen one.
He is filled with the confidence of youth.
The bear bats the wolf cub aside like a stray horse fly.
The wolf cub's ribs are cracked and blood is matted in his fur.
He slumps back to his den.
His parents lick his wounds and leave him be.
He sits and does not leave his den.
The wounds are one thing, his injured pride is another.
How, he asks himself, could I have been so stupid? So blind to my own danger?
He does not want to leave the den, does not want to show his tail to the other wolves.
But time heals all wounds.
When he is well again the wolf cub tentatively ventures out of the den.
He goes slowly at first, but only at first, now he knows pain, danger.
He is cunning.
At some point he has become a wolf.

He has a scar but fur has overgrown it.

Caution, friend.
Do Not Forget.

'Kick-Ass' A Review

The only reason I enjoyed 'Kick-Ass' is Nicolas Cage. The idea is that a normal kid takes it into his head to be a superhero with no special powers just a desire to help the common man. But he's also dealing with normal high school type issues and girl problems etc. etc. Little does Kick-Ass know that there are two other actual superhero's out there really making a difference- Big Daddy(Cage) and Hit Girl, they don't have powers either just superior training. BD and HG are taking revenge on a crime boss who broke down their family unit. They meet up and the story goes from there. My main problem with this, similar to 'The Last Song,' is that the main character isn't likable.

(Spoilers Ahead)

Kick-Ass is the problem with 'Kick-Ass.' There's lengthy digressions into his high school social life that seem pointless, he never really succeeds in a fight, and there is this horrible subplot where he pretends to be gay to get a girl, bleck. The character is pathetic, he gets into 'crime fighting' because he's single and doesn't have a hobby. I'd much rather see the film 'Big Daddy and Hit Girl'. Cage steals the show, he's mesmerizing to watch, and easily worth the price of admission. Through his few scenes he builds a comprehensive narrative, you can identify with him, and you want to see what he's going to do. Favorite Scenes.

"How to take a Bullet."- At the top there's a scene in a vacant lot where Big Daddy is teaching Hit Girl how to take a bullet with a vest on. Cage plays it so straight, so soft, so loving. After she gets up after the first shot you can see the pride in his eyes and they go out for ice cream.

"Warehouse Showdown."- Cage's only action sequence is about half way through the film. It takes place in a warehouse right before the gangsters trap Kick-Ass. The scene is gripping. The action only takes 30 seconds. The scene in total takes 58 seconds. The choreography is poetic. There's a mix of guns, knife play and Kung Fu. Cage moves through the scene with such an economy of movement, such purpose and clarity it evokes a visceral response. It's done in only one shot which follows Cage through the entire warehouse as he kills every man in it. The inspired yet totalitarian costume and the way Cage handles himself make you really believe that he's a real man doing extraordinary things. And that's the best part of the movie, when the movie really works is when you get a sense of real heroism.

"The Betrayal."- Kick-Ass inadvertently set Big Daddy and Hit Girl up. Hit Girl is sitting in the window when the betrayal takes place and gets shot out of the window while Big Daddy and Kick-Ass are captured. We know she's alive, its a call back to the earlier training scene. The bad guys thing she's dead. We know she's coming. Its a good feeling. That small scene at the beginning brings us in on it.

"The Death of Big Daddy."- This is my favorite scene of the movie. I thought it was moving. I know thats weird cause it's an action sequence but yeah. I'm going to describe it. The scene opens Kick-Ass and Big Daddy are strapped to chairs in a gloomy garage being beat up. It's being broadcast on the Internet so every character in the movie so far is watching. "Kerosene. Yes. The silent killer." henchmen pours kerosene on our hero's. "And this for all you Cavemen out there is Fire!" flicks Zippo "Fire is good. Fire is our friend. Gentlemen. Time to Die." Gunshot, lights go out. Hit Girl attacks and starts to kill the gangsters. In the ensuing blackness someone lights Cage on fire. Hit Girl gets flustered and as he burns alive Cage begins to shout instructions.
"SWITCH TO KRYPTONITE!" Cage is grinning, and burning, and you can tell he's proud of this little girl, unleashing his revenge upon the world. He conveys this manic happiness as she uses different gun fighting techniques and gadgets to kill a room full of men. "TAKE COVER CHILE!" all through the movie he calls his daughter 'child' but in this last frenetic moment he develops this New Orleans lilt. Inspired Cage. "NOW ROBIN'S REVENGE!" and in this moment he invokes the quinsential sidekick to finish the job. Hit Girl extinguishes the flames with her cape, looks in the camera and says "Shows over Motherfuckers." and shoots it. And again you get the sense that a twelve year old Olympic gymnast who had lots and lots of weapons training could have pulled it off.

For my money the movie should have ended there. The rest is Corney, campy, reference heavy and of course Kick-Ass comes into save the day with a Jet pack. Boo. The movie was good, it could have been great. The interesting parts were left unexamined while the obvious parts we explored to tedium.

I'm not interested in a teenage angst subplot.

Especially if most teenagers can't get into the movie without their parents.

'The Last Song' A Review

'The Last Song' is a Nicholas Sparks adaptation starring Miley Cyrus. I'll say first off I didn't intend to see this movie, it was Devo's pick. But I'm secure enough to say that I enjoyed watching it and enjoy movies that fall into the genre "chick flick" or "romantic comedy." For example I love the movies 'American Sweethearts' and '10 Things I Hate About You.' And I also want to say before I get to deep into describing and critiquing the plot that I'll see anything. There is no movie in the history of movies that I wouldn't pay ten bucks to see in the theatre if someone or possibly no one influenced me to go. I hated 'Transformers' I didn't like the TV show and I didn't like the theatrical version. Adam and I went to 'Transformers 2' on opening night. What I mean is I love movies and find enjoyment out of almost all movies. I can enjoy watching almost anything. There are somethings which I'd never see again like 'Blindness' which is unarguably the worst movie I've ever seen. But I watched the whole thing. You get the idea.
(Spoilers on The Last Song to follow)

'The Last Song' opens on the very classic generic type scene mom dropping kids off for the summer with dad. Parents are divorced, kids live in New York with mom, dad moved back to small town in Georgia after the divorce. My first problem- you never find out what town it is and you never find out what the parents do for a living. It appears their dad is a well respected member of the community who is retired at 45, can play the piano, make stained glass windows, but has no discernible income. So Miley plays the main character "Ronnie" who is a piano wizard(which they never really let you know, your just suppose to infer) but she gave up playing to spite her father when he moved out of New York. She's 18 and about to turn down the Julliard school of music. Needless to say she's super angsty. She meets a local guy(surprise!) who through the course of the film wins her heart. Their interactions are kind of ok to watch but the contrived plot devices detract. For example a local girl tells Ronnie 'he does this to all the girls' and she flips out and tries to break it off. Overall the movie is very predictable. When Ronnie and Will(said guy) start to really bond is over a sea turtles nest that Ronnie saves. I would say that was the best scene of the movie, the actors don't really talk and the turtles crawl out of the sand and into the sea. After this scene Greg Kinnear, the dad, collapses because (surprise!) he's sick with cancer and just wanted to spend some time with his kids before he died.

Oh yeah turns out Will is a rich kid with baggage so all the stupid stereotypes follow that. Domineering parents, Ronnie not being well bred enough etc. etc. Big Problem #2- they're suppose to be in Georgia on the coast, no one has an accent, not one single person. There's a montage of Ronnie and her dad spending time together, he dies during her playing his 'last song' and she plays it at his funeral. Will and Ronnie get back together in the end. Credits. Ok. I'd give this movie a 5/10. The plot was very predictable but thats ok sometimes we like predictable. We like the idea of girl meets guy, they fall in love, have problems, get back together. Or like estranged father tries to reconnect with children. We like those story lines because we can identify with them on a very basic storytelling level. What I hated most of all, the biggest problem with the movie as I saw it, you guessed it- Miley Cyrus. My number one thing in fiction(movies, TV etc.) is that the main character has to be likable. Miley Cyrus not only is a bad actress but when she found the character Ronnie she wasn't likable. She had no charm, wasn't interesting, I had no idea why Will supposedly the cool guy in town would be interested. She's sullen, combative, mean, reserved, rude, immature, irresponsible, unreasonable I mean I could go on and on. She flys off the handle multiple times with her Dad and Will for virtually no or very illogical reasons. Obviously her dad has to love her and yeah he's dying but any other guy...

Why make the effort?

Steve's Top 5 Movies Of 2009

Top 5:
Pandorum
Moon
Tysen
The Cove
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Top 5 Disappointments:
Where the Wild Things Are
Crazy Heart
Away We Go
Public Enemies
The Hangover

Most Overrated: UP
Honorable Mention: Good Hair