A commentary on "black/white" issues seems to call for a black and white fractal. I chose Extreme because it was the blacckest and whitest fractal image I could find. So--on with the rant!
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Last week Dr. Laura Schessinger seriously put her foot in her mouth by repeatedly spewing the "N" word over-and-over again. (For those of you who haven't heard her comment here's the entire call: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY0ccH7Hchw). Personally, I didn't find the comments overtly racist. I did find them beyond stupid: with as much media experience as she's had the woman should have known better. I found myself wondering if some of her comments showed an "anti-Obama" slant. That's not relevant to this commentary: maybe another post for another time. Still, it left me with a few questions.
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One one level I kind of agree with Dr. Laura: honestly, I don't get why it is appropriate for blacks to use the "N" word but if a white person uses it there's going to be trouble. I've heard the "we use it to diffuse it" aguement but I just don't buy it: if a word isn't appropriate for one group it shouldn't be appropriate for any group.
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I've also made the mistake of asking a black person what do "your people" think of this or that? (Oddly enough, I've never felt the need to ask this sort of question of an Asian or Hispanic--I don't know why.) Yes, I know there's no overarching organization that sets black social policy: I was also lucky enogh to be in a conversation with a nice person who simply said "I can't speak for 'my' people but this is how I feel about it..." (I ended up feeling a little foolish and realizing that I needed to work on my attitude.) Maybe the caller should be a little less sensitive on this issue.
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But that's pretty much where Dr. Laura and I part ways: I don't think the caller is hypersensitive. I found Dr. Laura's comments on "complaining about racism" to be ludicrous (and unspported) not to mention the "don't NAACP me" was uncalled for. Still, I'd probably have let it go until she went on Larry King last night to announce she was quitting radio. (Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9trj0ZBa28M)
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I'm sorry--what has this broad been smoking??? She's leaving her show because she wants to "regain" her "first ammendment rights". She wants to say what she wants without fear of reprisals. Sorry Dr. Laura--last time I looked "free speech" was a two-way street: you can say anything you want to say but you have to take the consequences. That's the beauty of the system. If you don't like it then KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!!
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As you probably have guessed I've never been a big "Dr. Laura" fan: we disagree on so much and I question the ethics of someone whithout a psychology/sociology background setting themselves up as an advice guru. (Her advice is no more valueabl than mine--only I don't have a nationally-syndicated show). I'm glad she's moving off radio and sliding into irrelevance: her devoted fans will follow her but her voice will be muffled if not silenced. As Martha Stewart says "it's a good thing."
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Think about it.
Today I'll be reviewing a performance of the national touring company of In The Heights. I wanted somethinhg spicy and hot (but I guess you'll have to settle for Fandango 3: it somehow conveys a "Latin flava" to me at least--so on with the review!
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In The Heights proves that you can put predictable, pretentious crap on stage and still have the audience go wild if you lay down a good beat and get it labeled social commentary. You'll get a bunch of "Tony Award" nominations and even win a few. OK, maybe this musical isn't complete crap (at least not to it's target audience) but anyone with half a brain is going to very quickly realize they've seen all this before and done better in West Side Story and countless other sources. This has all been done before and better.
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You need a big band to cover the sound of the plot grinding along (but at least this company has a good AND large band.) The songs are clever enough: some are funny, some are touching but I can't remember a single tune. The no-name cast sings with fervor and a good deal of musical ability. A number of characters get to do some serious American Idol-style belting. I don't know my Latin musical styles but this music certainly had the flavor. While I admired the technical ability the Actors showed, the music (hell, the entire show) wasn't quie to my taste so I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have. The dancing that accompanied the music was fun to watch if not particularly spectacular.
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Like the music, the script shone in a few spots but it nevrer held my interest. I didn't find the story to be particular revelatory (or even interesting for that matter) but a good number of people in the audience obviously felt differently. The Orange County Performing Arts Centre (their spelling not mine) usually has a predominantly white crowd. This time there was a lot of people of color in the audience (and I suspect they didn't get in to see shows very often). For them, it was probably anazing to see their stories up on stage told in ways that would interest them. They "got" the show where I didn't so I guess it has some merit.
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For many reasons In The Heights wasn't my cup of tea (or glass of horchata.) I wasn't the target audience but Latinos and folks with a lot more multiculturalism than me (and a less critical heart) would probably really like the production.
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FINAL GRADE: C+
I suppose I could just choose a random fractal for your "cookie" each time but, damme, I feel a certain "obligation" to have it bear at least some relation to what I post about. Today I chose Overflight because the vaguely balloonish shape reminds me that I'll be hovering "over" this particular topic. Is it a stretch? You bet your boots--but it's what I got so I'm going with it! So--on with today's commentary!
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I found Facebook at a particularly low point in my life: I was so wrapped up in (and massively stressed out by) "Real World" issues that I was too emotionally drained to have virtually any creative outlet. I coudn't write, I didn't enjoy music and I could barely daydream. All I did was fret. Then I discovered the wonderful world of "point-and-click" fun on Facebook. Yeah, it was great to re-connect with old friends (holla "Terra" Beltran and Richard Knights! and Wayne Abraham who I met in SECOND GRADE!!!) It was fun to meet new people from strange and wonderful places and interact with them (however tangentially). But for me it quickly became all about the games.
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First it was Pirates, Mafia Wars, Street Racing and, God help me, Fashion Wars: they were easy, colorful and mindless fun they got old pretty quickly. I dropped Fashion Wars first because I wasn't getting anywhere with that game. Then Zynga quit supporting Street Racing (which I played mainly because I'd developed a passion for "car collecting" and I got stuck in Mafia Wars needing item "A" before moving on to Task "B" (and not being able to beg, borrow or steal said item). Luckily about then I discovered Farmville and Yoville.
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The "ville" games were different in the fact that they actually allowed you to "create" something. (Yoville is a low-rent version of The Sims and Farmville allows you to create a virtual farm. NOTE: this info is given for the benefit of my non-gaming readers.) These games required more maintainance but at least there was a minimum of creativity required to create the virtual environments.) I was mad for Yoville (until I "topped out" and couldn't advance further) and Farmville veered into the tedious and cutesey-poo with the endless tasks and cool items that required "real" money to buy. (Call me silly but I just don't feel good about spending cash on "virtual goodies." Luckily for me I disovered Social City and My Town.
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Social City and My Town are both "city builders" (basically simpler versions of Sim City): I was hooked the moment I entered the game. As a kid I was crazy for Lego and would fill my bedroom with red-and-white cities (back at the dawn of time Lego only came in two colors) but these games gave me the ability to create the city of my dreams. Playing these games re-ignited my creative spark and I began finding my way out of my personal darkness. Still, Social City ran like molasses on my computer and after taking almost two hours to collect on my city I gave it up as a bad job. Before too long I was playing My Town exclusively.
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I literally couldn't get enough of My Town: I was checking in on "Mastiff Manor" multiple times a day and once I found the discussion board I spent much time reading and answering posts. I started "friending" folks I met there and ended up accepting a ton of requests from folks who found me the same way. Those were halcyon days... We were getting updates regularly and often--and the stuff was completly cool. Sadly, all good things must come to an end--and the end came all too soon...
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First Broken Bulb moved the discussion board off Facebook (with little to no notice--and, yes, I'm still annoyed with that!). Intentionally or not, this effectively torpedoed the budding social community that was growing up around the game. Next they drastically cut the number of new updates and made many new items "cash only". (Yes, I fully understand the Developers need to make money off the game but there's a fine line and they wandereed well over it--IMHO.) Last, but most certainly not least, we been getting "new" Snoop Itmems that are merely recycled stuff we don't want and can't really use. (They don't even take the time to throw up an image to go with them.)
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Do I still love My Town? Yes,--but I don't love, Love, LOVE the game any more. I used to schedule my Mondays and Thursdays around update times but now it's no longer a priority. I keep coming back hoping that things will change for the better and end up disappointed when they don't.
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Still, I hold on to the good times: I remember the Great "Craphole Motel" debate over Easter week with great fondness. I think of the many new Facebook friends I've made. (I'm sure I'd be great friends with Julie TwoDat Stripling, Joanne Thompson and Thom and Carolee Kaufold if we ever met.) I'd love to get the chance to know folks like Barb Duncan Castile and image I could learn a lot from Sadie Morgan. Rene Canetti always amused me and I couldn't help but smile every time poor Raed Aridi managed to cram his little foot into his mouth however unintentionally. I thought I was pretty creative--at least until I saw towns designed by people like Joel Clarine and Gloria Milam. Lastly, I will never forget the kindness shown to me by too many people to mention here. Just know that I will always appreciate your thoughtfulness. Oddly enough I even strangely appreciate the people who took offense at my humor. (I'd mention a name but the individual would probably be offended.) My Town may have tripped and fallen but it could rise again. Even if it doesn't I've made wonderful friends that I will treasure: for that reason alone I'll stick with the game.
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'nuff said.
Choosing a fractal for movie review can often be a difficult to near-impossible task. I had no idea what I was going to do for The Other Guys so in desperation I cchose Twisted Quad--mainly because the image is black and white--like most police cars. (Told you I was desperate.) Ah well, that being said--on with the review!
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Frankly, I wasn't all that excited about seeing The Other Guys. Will Farrell movies of late have been pretty badd and the previews could, at best, be described as lame. Imagine my surprise when the movie turned out to be surprisingly good! The movie works because it is done with a wink and a nudge as it sends up the buddy-cop genre yet plays everything completely straight!
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The movie opens up on "superstar" cops Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne "the Rock Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson in brief cameos) who do 12 million dollars damage foiling a $74,000 jewelry heist and they get away with it (in a scene that could only happen in an action movie). After the two cops die (failing to make one of those action movie rooftop jumps) tne action switches back to the station where we meet "the other guys" Detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz (Farrell and Mark Wahlberg). Gamble is recently transferred from Forensic Accounting to the squad room and gets paired with Hoitz who got (in)famous for shooting Derek Jeter (playing himself) during the World Series. What follows is an action movie twisted about 90 degrees yet played straight.
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Farrell plays his usual oblivious schmuck character (although he turns it down quite a bit for this role). Wahlberg's Hoitz is a tortured soul very typical of this sort of movie. The evolution of their relationship is fun to watch as are the revelations about both characters. Other standout characters include Michael Keaton as Captain Gene March amd Steve Coogan who plays oddly-loveable slimeball Sir David Ershon. Eva Mendes looks hot, hot, hot as Allen's wife Sheila but otherwise has a pretty thankless role. The action sequences are done as homages to famous scenes in other movies and played completely straight even though the twist makes you laugh. No expense was spared in these scenes and they are sure to satisfy any action-junkie.
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It seems I liked The Other Guys somewhat better than the average movie-goer but I still quite recommend it. Is it a movie for the ages? No--but it is certainly a movie for the summer. Especially a summer where there is so little to entice you into the theaters...
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FINAL GRADE: A-
I chose Tilework as today's fractal "cookie" mainly because it seemed to convey my feeling about the movie Inception: for want of a better description I can only say the movie is gray and multi-leveled. So--on with the review!
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You can say at least one good thing about Inception--it's hardly your usual summer blockbuster. Yes, there are battle scenes aplenty and enough special effects to make even the most die-hard Fanboy weak in the knees. But there's also a truly deep plot--one that keeps you guessing to the very end (and I'm afraid that a lot of the movie-going audience won't be able to follow). If anything, that's where the movie trips up: the story begins if not in the middle than certainly well after the start. We literally jump into the action with no explanation who these characters are or how and why they do what theey do. The audience is merely expected to accept them at face value and go with that. Eventually you do get some explanation but the whole story is never fullly-revealed (as so often happens in real life).
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Describing the plot is difficut so I will just give you the barest bones. Cobb (almost every character in the movie only gets one name) is an "Extractor"--an espionage agent who enters people's dreams to steal their secrets for profit--and that's all I can easily explain. (If you want to know more go see the movie.) ANYway--Leonardo DiCaprio--plays Cobb as a one-note character as does the rest of the cast. True, they all play their one not well but together it's not a tune I found particularly enjoyable. Worse, I found it hard to work up a lot of sympathy for any of the characters so I had nobody to root for.
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The movie is beautifully shot: virtually every scene is shot through a gray, sepia or blue filter to give it just that extra bit of moody atmospherics. The dream sequences whey they veer away from reality are suitably spectacular and the FX are first rate. (To quote KTLA Entertainment Reporter Sam Rubin: "you see every dollar on the screen"--and you really do.) The visual style is almost enough to make it worth the price of admission (to a Matinee at least).
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For me though, it takes more than a spectacular visuals to make a movie truly good. I've already spoken about the characters so I guess I need to talk a bit about the script. I can accept not knowing an entire character's story but knowing NO character's story is a bit hard to swallow. Likewise, the endless twist-on-a-twist-on-a-twist theme to the plot got tiresome after a while. I quit caring about an hour-and-a-half in and just waited for the movie to be over.
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I can honestly say I'm glad I saw Inception--even though I can't say I truly enjoyed it--and I definitely don't feel the need to go back and see it again (even though I might get more out of it in a second viewing). It deserves to be seen on a big screen so all the depth and detail can be fully realized. Can I recommend it? That I don't know: the theater where we saw the movie was crowded and fans walking out seemed equally divided between "wow, what a great movie" and "geez--what a piece of crap!" I guess I fall somewhere between the two extremes. Go see Inception for yourself and tell me how you like it.
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FINAL GRADE: B-
I chose Spinz 11 as today's fractal cookie for two reason: first--like Sherk, it's green. Second--this movie laid an egg and the imge is basically egg-shaped. (If you didn't figure that I was going to slam the movie by reading the title of this review maybe you'd better stop reading before you waste any more of your time.) Now that' we've got the intro business out of the way--on with the review!
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Shrek began life as a 38 page children's book. Having suffered through a few "Doctor Seuss " movies I wondered if there would be enough material to pad out the material enough to make it work. Much to my surprise they did--and they made it work even better. Shrek 2 was even better than the first movie but by Shrek the Third the franchise was getting a bit tired. Shrek Forever After brings the franchise to a limping close (proving once again that if any series hangs around long enough it will eventually turn to crap).
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Don't get me wrong: Shrek Forever After isn't completely awful. Sprinkled in among the tired old plots and characters, there are some truly cool bits. An early scene in a witch-infested Trailer Park is particularly inspired and crammed full of delightful little throw-away details. There are also several scenes that look like they came straight out of a video game: looks great but the rest of the movies pretty much comes out as "been there, done that". It's hard to get exitited about the movie whe you've seen it all befrrore and better ehsewhere. We didn't spend the extra money to see the 3D version and frankly I don't think I missed anything. How To Train Your Dragon did it altogether better--even if that movie wasn't made in 3D. Die-hard fans of the Shrek series will find what they have come to know and love in the series but for me the series has well and truly lost its lusterr.
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FINAL GRADE: D+
A review of Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time pretty much requires one of the many "Arabesque" series as the fractal cookie. I chose Satin Arabesque 53 mainly because the color scheme so closely matched the one used in the film. Now you know so on with the review!
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Two bits of information will tell you everything you need to know about Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time. The movie is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (of Pirates of the Caribbean fame) and it's about a dagger that turns back time. The movie will reach it's inevitable end with non-stop action from start to finish. The movie is based on a well-known video game so you can expect minimum character development and maximum spectacle.
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All that being said, Prince of Persia isn't a bad movie: sadly, it's not all that good either. I could get past the by-the-numbers plot and less-than-awesome acting, True, there are a few (very minor) surprises but you pretty much know how the movie is going to go from the moment it starts. I could blame Jake Gyllenhall as the male lead but the script doesn't give him a lot to work with. Sir Ben Kingsley gives a phoned-in performance as Nizam. (You know he's the bad guy because he's the only main character all dressed in black.) Alfred Molina fares slightly better in his comedy-relief role of Sheik Amar. Gemma Arterton looks pretty is feisty Princess Tamina but she didn't leave a lot of impression on screen. The other characters don't leave much of an impression.
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The action scenes come thick and fast but there really isn't anything we haven't seen before (and better). The FX are plentiful but, again, it's nothing you haven't seen before. The costumes and sets are suitably "fantasy Arabic" but the whole film is overwhelmingly BROWN. Every color and shade of brown you can imagine are here and don't look for any red, blue or green 'cause it ain't here. (Yes, it's a movie set in a desert but I'd have hoped for a bit moer color here and there.)
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In the end there's really nothing WRONG with the movie--but there's just not a lot that's RIGHT either. This is a completely typical summer blockbuster but there's nothing here you haven't seen before (and better) elsewhere. Check it out if you have an afternoon or evening to waste but surely there has to be a better way to spend your time and money.
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FINAL GRADE: C+
