Last Blog

Well, this will probably be my final blog ever. I'm graduating this semester but for some reason, I can't accept the idea. I never thought that this day would come...well, at least I hoped it would never come. Oh, well. Thanks for everything this semester Professor and I hope everyone else enjoys their Holidays.

Peace :)

The Wall

The concept of the wall is simple. You reach a certain point in a given activity, and once and a while, especially if you've been working really hard on the activity, you suddenly freeze up, unable to do anything. Unfortuanetly, it seems like I've hit the wall. This is my last semester and one of my last papers and I can't for the life of me, think what else to write. I just don't have the energy.

The worst part? I have to write another 7-8 page research paper for my other film course. This semester can't end fast enough.

Censorship

I've been watching the TV show Lincoln Heights, which airs on ABC Family, and frankly I can't believe how it possibly made it on that channel. The show is about a black family which moves to Lincoln Heights in LA. The father is a cop and the mother is a nurse. The show revolves around the father and the cases that occur during his job, sometimes involving his family. One episode in particular seemed a little too extreme for the network that it airs on. The episode begins with the parents finding a baby in a dumpster wrapped in a trash bag. By the end, we find out that a 15 year old girl was raped by her father, gave birth to the baby in her house and her mother threw the baby in the trash to "get rid of the abomination". To me it seemed like this was a little too real for a network like ABC Family.

On another random note, Nip/Tuck showed full frontal female nudity on FX about two weeks ago. The only reason that it was allowed (I would assume) was that the girl had no nipples because they were surgically removed (I'm not going into the reasons why lol)

It seems the standards of censorship of old are starting to die out slowly but surely. Hell, network television usually uses every swear except f**k nowadays (which I'm sure won't be far away). Not that I'm complaining but I do find this phenomenon interesting (i.e. the changing censorship standards that we live by).

Videogame Characters

Going through the video games that I've played over the years, I realized a few things. First, most of the main characters are males, with females usually the damsel in distress (ex. Mario and Princess Peach). Second, most of the characters are white. It is hard to find any ethnic characters within the library of videogames of the world. When I looked online, the best site I could find to illustrate this point is here:

http://listverse.com/2008/03/30/top-10-video-game-characters-that-are-not-white-males/

There are a few more but it is difficult to find any that have any exposure beyond being the lead characters sidekick. Just thought I point this out.

Foreign Remakes

Watching movies nowadays, we often get a slew of remakes every year. Many of them are old horror films that studios reproduce to milk the franchise or name for a few more dollars, but some are remakes that were formly "foreign films". Films like The Departed, The Grudge, The Ring, and Quarantine are all examples of this. Though some of these films are good, you wonder why they bothered at all. Isn't a remake supposed to improve on the formula or bring it in a different direction than it was already shown? Have we become so lazy in America that we find it easier to watch Americans to act rather then watch a film with subtitles? Hollywood has been doing this more and more, with films like Edge of Darkness and State of Play being some of the most recent examples (and these films were originally produced in England.

Modern Warfare 2

Since this is the Game of the Year (or at least will be) and I've just beaten it, I thought this might have an interesting discussion that I could use. For those who are going to play the game and haven't read anything about the game SPOILERS BEWARE!!!!!!!!!

When I first booted up the game, I was treated to a warning that some disturbing content may be observed within the game and that I could skip it if I wanted to (which I didn't) after a few missions to get the game started, we start on a mission where a US Ranger has infiltrated a terrorist group. The first thing that happened was a massacre at an airport. Essentially you thousands of innocent civilians while portraying a terrorist. Kinda messed up, huh?!

I wonder if this has truly created any conrtrovesry and if so, what will become of it? I also thought it was interesting that the game could censor content like that, actually really fascinated by it. Well, we can only wait and see.

Growing Up

I noticed someone talking about Doug and its colot treatment and I decided to run with it. As a child, I loved to watch Doug, Rugrats, and Ren and Stimpy. Needless to say, I had now idea how many jokes I never understood as a child that I understand now. Growing up certainly changes your perspective on things and enhances your perception. For instance, when watching Doug, I never associated the show with its racial colors. Actually what I mean is that I never compared the characters to their real races. For instance, Skeeter is bluish-green and was meant to be black, but as a child I never understood that, nor did I care. Patti Mayonnaise was supposed to be a typical Californian surfer blonde that was overly intelligent but I never picked up on that either. Even Roger Klotz, is portrayed as a sickly yellowish-green, which is supposed to be Asian I believe (though don't quote me). I never noticed ANY of these things and its strange to see these things change before my eyes. I wonder at what point do I leave my childhood frame behind and transition into the adult mindset?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Though this movie war probably derided by critics everywhere, I still love this film. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was seen by everyone in my generation and was much loved. I remember as a kid, I would watch the cartoon ALL the time. I had the audio tapes, the action figures, even a Turtles mug. I don't remember when this movie first came out, but when I first saw it, I instantly fell in love. My favorite cartoon heroes were transported into reality and seemed like they could actually exist. They were hip, they were cool, they weer totally bodacious. I came to watch the first and second films in the series many times. The third film I saw in the theatres (and absolutely hated because of its lack of Shredder) and I continued to watch them. Then I grew up. The cartoon ended, the live-action television show was canceled, and there had been no new films for years. It became very difficult for me to stay in touch with the Turtles; I still loved them but they weren't a part of life like they used to be. Then when the new cartoon came out, I instantly fell in love again. Though the cartoon wasn't like the old one, I thought it was refreshing to see some new storylines. I saw characters in new ways. And I fell in love with the movies again. The newest film TMNT didn't surpass the original film, but it was still nice to see that Turtles are still loved. I can only hope that another film is produced, but until then, I still have my old favorite to watch again and again.

Time Management

I've been waiting for Uncharted 2 (a new videogame for the Playstation 3) to come out for sometime now. When I finally received it in the mail today, I sat down and played it for 2 and 1/2 hours straight. I would have continued to the end, but unfortuanely I ran out of time. College is the best time of your life, where you learn time management skills that are good for later life. However, it always seems like I can never start a paper until the deadline is about 24 hours away. I'd rather play videogames rather then take my midterm (actually did sleep through a midterm because I played a videogame till 5 that morning lol). Though I know it may not be as big of a problem later in life, right now my time management skills are terrible. I keep looking longingly at my PS3, thinking "Only a few hours, only a few more hours." This stinks lol.

TV Shows that End: Good or Bad?

Watching television is always a difficult thing for me because it seems like I never have enough time to sit down and watch a program the same time every week. One of those shows that is an exception to the rule is Nip/Tuck, which is having its last season this year (albeit it being split into two parts). I started watching Nip/Tuck when it first came out. I don't know why, but I fell in love with it. It was edgy and pushed the boundaries of appropriate television. Unlike another medical show that I watched, E.R., the surgeries performed were not just there because they needed to be, they often added a subtext to the story. Over the years, Nip/Tuck has become stranger and stranger and at points ridiculous.

When I first heard that it was to be ended after 100 episodes, I was unhappy and dismayed; one of the only shows I have left from my teenage years was about to end, and I would have to move on to something else. Unlike other shows like The Sopranos, though, I eventually saw the end as a good thing. It seems like it is right for Nip/Tuck to become complete. A show can't go on forever (unless its The Simpsons), and sometimes it is better to bow out before the show is canceled.

How does does everyone else feel about this?

Addiction to Reading?

I don't know if this is a good thing or bad thing but I started last week by reading Dan Brown's new Robert Langdon book The Lost Symbol (for those who still are scratching their heads, its a sequel to Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code) I finished the book in about three days, pretty much tuning out reality in the process. After that I started in on another book I had a while back about the Mafia and the history behind that. Soon I finished that and went onto a novelization about a comic book storyline that I have been trying to read for a while. After that I HAD to stop. I wasn't getting any work done and almost seemed like I was ignoring friends to a certain degree. Can reading be almost as addicitive as heroin (not that I'd know lol) or is it just me. Do you ever have the feeling like you want to read a book and just not stop no matter what? It felt like I could survive the end of the world if I just finished the book. Does anyone else have these feelings occasionally?

Notes - I hadn't read a book for pleasure in almost six months. Also The Lost Symbol was awesome and moves away from the cliches that I've seen in the three novels I've read by him. Finally, why can't school textbooks be this interesting; if they were, I might be the greatest student in America lol.

Online Classes

Hmm...I've been thinking lately. I'm taking two online courses this semester and they both have a strange trend. They both seem to have more work then the in-class course and the half and half course that I'm taking this semester. Between the reading and the movies and the discussions, it always seems like online courses are actually more work then in-class classes. I was just wondering if anyone felt the same way.

Note - This s not a criticism Bjorn. Just a general observance...please don't fail me lol.

"Taped Before a Live Action Audience"

Many of the shows that my parents watched (and de facto I watched as a kid) always seem to be taped before a live action audience. I wonder what it would be like to be in that audience. Would you need to laugh if they told you too? Could you for that matter? What happens if you laugh at something that wasn't funny? Would they kick you out?

If the show is taped before a live audience, does that mean the actors cannot make mistakes? Before long I could see any audience being bored with take after take after take of the same joke. How would you pick the audience? Was there a waiting list for this kind of thing?

Do they still use live action audiences? I'm not totally up to date with television, because there is only so many things I watch in my life. I just always wondered about this while I was watching shows like Sanford and Son and occasionally the The Cosby Show.

Videogames/Violence

I love to play videogames. I especially love those that have a storyline (I cannot play MMOs). Some of the videogames I enjoy include GTA. Whenever Rockstar (the company that makes GTA) makes a new videogame, it always seems to have troubles with the ratings board. For instance Manhunt 2 was originally given an Adult Rating (A) because of the excessive violence within the videogame. This virtually kills a videogame because many stores will refuse to carry it because of the rating. This also happened to GTA: San Andreas because of the Hot Coffee Mod that allowed players to watch one of the main characters fornicate with random women.

What I find annoying is that although we already have a Mature (M) rating that restricts games to 17 and older, we still have this higher rating. Why do we need this A rating? At the age of 17, an idvidual should be able to decide whether they are old enough to paly these videogames. Why should people be restricted from playing a certain videogame, just because a ratings board believes there is too much violence. How much is too much. That is the problems with ratings boards. Can you really decide that correctly everytime? Is there a mathematical equation to decide these classsifications? Do these ratings boards change with the times. Are A rated games going to become M rated within 10 years?

Funny enough this discussion can also be used for movies as well. Both Midnight Cowboy and A Clockwork Orange received an X rating when originally released but were given an R rating in later years.

Continuous vs. Standalone

This blog is more to promote conversation then anything else. You have two main types of shows. Those that have a continuous week-to-week storyline (like Sopranos and ER) or those that have standalone episodes (like Family Guy and The Simpsons. More often then not comedies will have standalone storylines while dramas will have continuous storylines. There are instances when this is not the case (like The X-Files that had both standalone episodes and a main storyline) but this is usually the general way shows are today and have always been.

For me, I more often then not enjoy the continuous storyline. It can be interesting to watch events unfold over several episodes rather then knowing the whole story within an hour or less. There are times when this is not the case like The Simpsons and Family Guy, which can be quite hilarious in their episodes and boring and dry in others. Shows with continuous storylines always seem like you invested your time and effort to watch all the episodes whereas standalones you can stop watching for a whole season and everything will be about the same. Plus watching continuous storylines seems, at times, like watching a very long film.

I was wondering what everyone else felt about the topic.

Unnecessary Sequels/Spinoffs/Remakes

I might have spoken of this in past blogs but after what I've been reading lately, I just keeping more and more annoyed. I believe that Hollywood has run out of ideas (at least to a certain degree). They've decided that instead of lowering the number of movies we see each year, so they can regroup, they must either remake a classic or give it a sequel. Lately I've been hearing news of another Bad Boys film. Hasn't it been a while since the last one? And was the last one as good as the original? I'm also hearing this news with Rambo and Beverly Hills Cop. I root for the underdog like everyone else, but COME ON!!! Sylvester Stallone is in his 60s for god sakes!!! One was enough but another? and Beverly Hills Cop? I love Eddie Murphy...10 years ago. And he has one or two good films since (I personally enjoyed Dreamgirls). But doing another Beverly Hills Cop will not help him.

Another thing is the remake. Remake used to be a decent idea. Good examples that were great, or even decent are Father of the Bride, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Sometimes these films were even better then their originals. Nowadays remakes have become a dime a dozen. Either you'll see a foreign film remade (Juon to The Grudge or Infernal Affairs to The Departed) which can be decent, or you'll see older horror films remade (like Amityville Horror, Last House on the Left, When a Stranger Calls, The Wicker Man) and they will almost certainly fail where the original succeeded. Remakes may seem like a more viable option than coming up with a more original idea, but sometimes its a better investment in time.

My last complaint are Spinoffs, which are in the tv area. I can't understand remakes of Beverly Hills 90210 or Melrose Place. Whats next, a new Baywatch. Why don't we make a spin off on Frasier, i mean if it worked once, why not six more times.

Maybe its not just Hollywood's fault. If we didn't watch these things then eventually Hollywood would have to follow a new path, maybe a better one. Reading one of my favorite websites a few months ago, I saw an article on movies over the decades and ones that are truly memorable. All were classics that everyone should see. Know what scared me? They couldn't come up with anything beyond The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They went on to call the 2000s the year of remakes (paraphrased of course). Sad really, but until we say "No More" we will continue to have these films redone and shoved down out throats. Will we ever see another era changing film like Star Wars in our time? Time will tell.

Color Adjustment

Watching Color Adjustment was interesting to say the least. The special showed many different stages of blacks on television, a progression that moved behind the times. Its interesting to watch the programs change, always too late to be revolutionary. Color Adjustment actually even says that programs too revolutionary will never be broadcast or will be quickly canceled (Interestingly enough, however out of topic, think of both Family Guy and Futurama, both canceled in their primes). The one thing that concerned me was that if this was true, how can you possibly ever have an accurate representation of a poor black family that will last more then three episodes and won't end with "Dynomite!!!". Television may never be ready for a true representation of any race.

Who am I

My name is Joe DiGaetano. I'm a history major from Rockland who is attending BSC for his last semester. I enjoy video games and watching movies. I have an unhealthy obsession when it comes to movie and video game news and like the Oscars more then the Super Bowl. I read when I can, but it always seems like there is too much to do, so I never have time to read.

I've worked at Walgreens for the last five years and will going back there after college. I'm not sure what I want to do with the rest of my life. It's such a menacing question. "What do you want to do for a living?" Such a final question that will rule you for the rest of your life. I'm still not sure and might never be (God forbid). Until I understand my destiny maybe I'm doomed to wander the earth searching aimlessly. (Kinda sounds corny doesn't it lol). Well that is a small part of me, more to follow.

The End is Near...

Now that mine paper is done, I'm sitting here and checking my e-mail for what seems like every hour lol. Finals is always a pain because you study as hard as you can or write what you think is the best paper and then sit back and wait...and wait...and wait until what seems like eternity with some classes. The problem with finals is that their all at different times so some classes make us wait longer then others and after a certain point your brain shuts down, refusing to absorb anymore information, leaving up a creek. At this point I have two more finals to go, both tomorrow, and I CANNOT STUDY! I realize every time I look at the clock that time is running out but my brain won't slow down to study. Argh, I can't wait till 4 o'clock tomorrow when everything is all said and done.

Finishing Papers

You ever get that feeling of hopelessness once you get near the end of a feeling, like its not going to be your best paper. Getting near the end of the semester, you get papers and finals for all your classes and sometimes, a paper doesn't work out the way you want it to but unfortunaelty it's too late and their is nothing you can do but hope for the best. Throughout this semester, I've gotten all my work in on time and pretty decent grades. Let's hope that I'm just paranoid and this blog is just a figment of my imagination.

Writing Papers

Writing my paper tonight I noticed a trend that I sometimes have. When I'm writing a paper on short notice, I sometimes have a short period were I can write continously for over a page. I'll literally just be constantly writing without needing to pause and think about what I need to say. I find it refreshing to be able to have free floating ideas come together without having to pause to write them in a readable format. Just thought I'd throw this out there.

You are Not an Orphan...Kinda

I was rewatching You are Not an Orphan and I realized one thing. No matter how hard I tried, I could never get an accurate list of their names nor how many of them there were. And when I say I tried, I paused in certain spots, especially the ending about 15 times (I'm kind of a stubborn person lol).

Besides that I realized that this film seems to full of Soviet ideals of equality and "brotherhood". If you think about it, the progress the children make is towards becoming a good Soviet citizen by working together. Anytime the children work together, they can accomplish anything. But whenever someone is selfish because they are starving (like Vanya) or whenever they complain about the horrible living conditions (like Renat) they become an immediate outcast. They are essentially antagonists because they go against the grain. When Dzidra complains about her mother not being around, there is no one to comfort her, just more children saying they have the same things problems. The equality within this movie almost seems too much like a Soviet allegory. No matter what your race is, you will eventually become equals under the Communist Party.

As you can obviously tell, I've been thinking way too much about this movie, but considering I'm running out of time, might as well get the thinking out of the way.

P.S. I truly don't believe that a real Soviet guard would have allowed those children to leave that day after they all got "arrested".But maybe that's just me.

Differing Opinions

I was sitting in one of my last classes on the History of the USSR and were just wrapping up the post-Soviet era. Out of the blue, my Professor starts to talk about Kazakhstan and when he asks for the name of the President, I was the only person to actually answer him (which I personally thought was hilarious). Yet, when he starts talking about Nazarbayev, his opinions seemed to stretch more towards the things that he hasn't done then those that he has. The only opinions that he had on Nazarbayev and some of the rest of the Central Asian leaders are former Soviet leaders that are just "dictators for life". I just found it interesting that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can never get over a image that you had to project earlier to survive. And sometimes, people will only see the bad rather then any of the good that you do.

Little Angel, Make Me Happy

Interesting film to say the least. Compared to our other WWII movie You are Not an Orphan, this film shows the harsh realities of a period that would later be called the Great Patriotic War by the USSR. Both of these films deal with orphans but in very different ways.

In Orphan, we are treated to a storybook version of the war, at least what we see. It is assumed that the Germans are the enemies but never really brought out as an issue. People in the villages never torment any of the children. One man even joins in briefly with the game of hide and seek the children are playing.

The orphans in Little Angel are German children left behind, while their parents are sent to Siberia. They are innocent victims of circumstance and none of them have ever done anything wrong. Yet they are treated like Hitler incarnate by the Communist officials and left to die of starvation and disease. Anyone that helps the children are imprisoned. These children are forced into conditions that you wouldn't hope on your worst enemies. And they have done nothing wrong.

The differing views on orphans within the Soviet Union changed mainly due to time passing. Orphans was made during the Khrushchev Thaw and was allowed some artistic flow but still had to remain within a certain boundary. You can even see examples of propaganda within the film every so often, especially with the police women that allows the orphans to go home at the end. Little Angel was made in 1994, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and had to respect no boundaries. It's unique because it shows that not all Germans are evil; the "bad guy" could be anybody, even the Russians. It showed that things are not black and white, that World War II didn't have all Germans ready to fight. Some are just trying to survive.

Little Angel allows viewers to see a different side of the war, that of the Germans, which is not often portrayed in a good light. However, this picture of innocence being tortured just because of its ethnicity is utterly horrifying but shows that when dealing with war, nobody is just as you think they are.

Epiphany

Every once and a while, usually in the most random occasions, I get a good idea. While I was watching Little Angel, Make Me Happy, this semester's last film, I finally figured out what I want to write my final paper on (better late then never lol). Being a history major, I wanted to write on something I'm particulary knowledgable about. Noticing the many similarities between Little Angel and You are Not an Orphan, I've decided to write about the before and after of World War II. Namely, I will be writing about the style and messages conveyed by the two films, botht he similarities and differences. I am going to show the effect of Soviet propagada on Orphan, and show how Little Angel is so much different, despite them both dealing with the same period. I know may not sound interesting but that's only because I can never contain my ideas down into such a short format (i.e. this blog). Can't wait to get this thing started! Thank God for Epiphanys!!!

Kazakhstan's New Capital?

I went to go looking for Kazakh news today and I saw something rather humorous. Apparently someone in the Kazakh parliament wanted to rename the capital of Kazakhstan, which is currently Astanta, to Nursultan, in honor of President Nazarbayev (it's his first name). This was met with overwhelming support within the parliament but was turned down by Nazarbayev, who felt that the decision whould wait until another generation can deal with it.

What I saw as more humorous was the total negative stance the newspaper took against it. It was blatantly obvious that the article was against Nazarbayev and the party. They show his presidency as almost a dictatorship rather then a democracy, with him dealin with the wrong problems. It seems that no matter where you go, there is always going to be criticism no matter how popular you are.

Kosh Ba Kosh

Last week's movie was called Kosh Ba Kosh. It was a story of love and death, of beauty and destruction. Two distinct environments existed throughout the film. They were the city, with a civil war ragin all around. Gambling is rampant and everything seems to be dark and seedy. The mountain location is seen as a peaceful place where it seems nothing can go wrong.

The bridge between these two locations is the lift between the two. The lift itself reminds me of Greek mythology, of the story of Charon, the ferryman of Hades. When people died, they would have a coin placed in their mouth to pay toll for the ferry in Hades. They would then be allowed to cross the river in Hades to join the land of the dead properly.

The lift often seems to be a bridge where anything can happen and both environments often blend. Love and hatred exist in harmony within the lift like life and death mix until the destination is met. This is the rule used throughout the film, keeping both sides separate, until the end, when the gatekeeper, Daler, allows gambling to corrupt the mountain paradise, killing the love between Daler and Mira.

Essentially, the lift is the gap between the two very different worlds, with Daler as a Charon of sorts, ferrying people back and forth, sometimes at a price.

"The Wave of the Future"

In Scorsese's The Aviator, we watch as Howard Hugh (Leo Decaprio) degrades, going from being a fantatic movie director, to playboy, to grand designer, and finally losing everything, falling into a stupor of repeating the same phrase over and over: "The wave of the future". At the time, he was speaking about the advent of jet engines in airplanes but it also can refer to any type of techonolgy nowadays. Hughs' is one of those people that contributed significantly to different areas at huge personal risk and danger to his well being and character. If you haven't seen The Aviator, it should be one of the next movies on your list, its great.

But I digress, I replied earlier to someone's discussion on technology and the unification of the world. Playing devil's advocate, I still believe that technology can be a bad thing. Facebook has started to ruin people's job oppurtunities and with a more unified world we run the risk of losing our national and cultural identities.

Now, I go into the territory of fantasy (or is it?) One of my favorite movies of all times is James Cameron's The Terminator (T2 comes close but I love Michael Biehn, he is the man). With the advent of technology, Skynet, an autonomous computer with the power of artificial intelligence is created. And everything just goes into the crapper. It gains "self-awareness" and ends up killing 5 billion people with nuclear weapons and an aresenal of dead mechanical robots including the Hunter-Killers (HK) and the T-series cyborgs. Some movies have a tendency of foretelling future events and a weird way. Could The Terminator be foretelling are fates with our dependance on the overbundence of technology?

Old Bad Movies May Actually Be Good

I just bought Howard the Duck the other day on DVD. As a kid, I loved to watch this film, even though I didn't realize half of the sexual innuedos among other lewd material shown in the film. Despite what every critic has said about this movie, I still like watching it. It's funny to see Jeffrey Jones in his duel portrayal of a scientist and of a Dark Overlord (and then read about his sordid past...yikes!) Another thing that people might not realize or remember is that this movie has a young Tim Robbins in it (even though he seems crazy as hell in it). My whole point for this blog is to try and show that not all movies should be written off immediately after release. Wait 20-30 years and maybe even Gigli might be good (or not...nvm lol). Some movies are seen in a better light years after they come out and it proves that sometimes time does age films for the better.

Blade Runner Obsession

Probably one of the best sci-fi movies ever, and that's to say the least. This is one of those movies that you can watch ten times over and still find somthing new. And that's if your only watching one version of this classic. In 2007, director Ridley Scott was finally able to complete the revisions to his make his masterpiece complete; hence the "Final Cut" was released. Along with that, Warner Bros. released a 4 or 5 disc collection that contained all or most of the versions of Blade Runner. Being a fan, I definetly had to get this collection. And then I ended watching all 5 cuts of the film. The Original Version, the International Cut, the Workprint Cut, the Director's Cut, and the Final Cut. What was is most humorous is that I just bought it for Blu-Ray and have begun to rewatch the collection. I can never really understand why, but Blade Runner is one of those movies that you should watch multiple times.

What depresses me the most is that it is becoming a film many of my friends have never seen. To me, it seems like a crime to humanity. It's like missing Schindler's List or Silence of the Lambs. It's one of those movies that define a genre, that change an industry. Despite the negative reviews that it intially received during its theatrical release, this movie has become one of the greatest movies of all time. It's themes and setting are oppresive and depressing but say something about human beings future' s unless change is made.

Undramatic Deaths for Important Characters

I was watching tv last night and Sarah Connor Chronicles was on. At the very beginning of the show that end up killing one of the most important characters and don't even stop the action. No change in music, nothing, just a panned down shot of him with a bullet hole in his head. For me it was a tradegy, it was like reading when Sirius Black died in Harry Potter. It was something that the mind can't really comprehend until after it has occured. These tragic heroes turned icons are gone and without even a final goodbye or dramatic death. It's as if they never really mattered. Watching the death of this character was tragic not only because I liked what he was about and what he did, but he held emotional value for me. But the way he was taken was just awful and tragic, a hero unworthy of his character.

Anyone else become angered by these tv or movie deaths that are so sudden and unpredicatable?

Wrestlemania XXV

For anyone that has ever watched wrestling, Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of the year. Some dream matches are fought and some really bad gimmicks are performed. WWE (formerly WWF) started Wrestlemania in 1985 but it never really caught on until 1987 with Wrestlemania III with the headlining of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. The massive superstar vs. Goliath has become the epitome of Wrestlemania with many attempts to recreate this feeling. With Wrestlemania XXV, Vince McMahon (owner of WWE) has shown that to at least some degree has created a successful product, that despite its fall in popularity is still fun to watch.

I, myself, follow wrestling to a small degree. I don't really have the time to watch matches anymore but with the advent of modern technology, I can follow storylines through the website and through other sites. Despite my waning interest in wrestling, I still get excited by the prospect of Wrestlemania. There always seems to one standout match that gains my attention and I just have to watch, trying to relive my childhood, watching with eyes and mouth wide open in excitement and awe. With the heafty price tag of $55 for the pay-per-view, my childhood dreams always seem to cost a fortune. Yet sometimes you have to satiate that inner child. Otherwise, what's life living for.

ER Finale

One of the only tv shows that I've been watching for the longest time is ending tonight after 15 seasons. For a while I stopped watching but it wasn't anything against the show. It just seems rather difficult to pay attention to a show every week, especially 22 episodes long! So in preparation, I just watched seasons 10-15 and think I'm ready (imagine watching over 100 episodes at over 42 minutes a piece ugh!) The funny thing was that it still had the same emotional content for me that it had before, especially after the entire original cast had already left. It still caused the same laughs and cries as it did before. And with the final season, the ante was upped. Angela Bassett was brought on and it seems that that anyone that was on the show over the last 15 years made a cameo...and it didn't seem overworked. Getting to see all the old gang was refreshing, even to see George Clooney, who has moved on to become a huge star. And with tonight, the end has finally come. Many have said that this show has gone on long past its time. To those, I say maybe but sometimes good things die hard. And with ER being one of the most watched dramas on television once, I think this shining star earned this moment which should be treasured by all, old and new fans of the show.

TV Ranting Part 2

I MISS THE SOPRANOS! I know that everyone hated the ending to the series (okay not everyone but a good number excluding myself), but it probably was one of the best pieces of television I have seen in a while. It’s a show I could never become bored with. The violence, the family struggle, and the mental health problems made it an experience I will always remember. One that can never be repeated no matter how hard anyone tries.

Which brings me to m subject point of why hasn’t there been another mafia show created to replace The Sopranos. With the amount of stories that actually exist about the Italian Mafia and the imagination of a talented writer, I’m sure that a series could be created that would satiate my appetite. If my memory serves me right the last mob television show before The Sopranos was a show called Wiseguy which aired in the late 80s, which if you think about it is actually kind of depressing. Like Dunkin Donuts, America runs on violence, and the mob sometimes is the epitome of violence, at least within the American psyche. Movies itself are inundated with the subject of the mob (two of the greatest movies of all time are The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II). America loves the subject of the Italian mafia and it puzzles me why it is not another common subject of television. Someday my wish may be granted and I will be granted the presence of another great mob show but until then, bring on prepubescent teens and their slapstick antics (NOT!)

Videogame-to-Movie Adaptation

Surfing ign.com, I often hear about the latest movie news. And every so often I hear about a movie adapted from videogame sources. For some reason, these movies always fail (and I wonder why). Is it because they have the wrong director? Or is it the wrong screenwriter? Maybe just interference from the studio executives? I don’t think so. My opinion. I think many of these movies should never have been made, because something that was written for a videogame isn’t necessarily adaptable to the screen. The first people you have to appease in the film are always the fans, who can never be appeased because there is just not enough time for the plot. You can never appease a fan of the original source unless you do a straight adaptation of the video game (and then there is no point in the first point). The second people you must appease are the movie goers, those that are there just to enjoy the movie. The plot that worked well for a videogame is not always the most interesting subject to watch in a movie, especially if you have to leave out certain plot points. If you don’t adhere to at least one of these groups, the film is doomed to failure (and it seems they always do).

To prove my point here is a quick list of the videogame adaptations that I can recall right now:

Super Mario Bros.
Double Dragon
Mortal Combat
Mortal Combat: Annihilation
Street Fighter
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Hit Man
Doom
Postal
The Resident Evil Trilogy

There are probably a lot more but I am getting tired and very forgetful.

Note: This is only a list of movie based on video games and not an opinion by the author.

TV Show Rant Part 1

Considering one of my favorite tv shows may be canceled after this season, I think its time to talk about some issues. The Sarah Connor Chronicles, for those who don't know, is a contitnuation of the Terminator series (ignoring Terminator 3). Gracing some good reviews in its first season, it was granted a second season of 22 episodes but ever since the series premiered this fall, its been on the roller coaster ride to cancelation hell. First, the network wasn't going to order the last 10 episodes in the series and then once it did, it moved the series to Friday nights (which is apperently where old shows go to die). I know ther ratings might be slipping, but these networks have to remember one thing and that is with showss like this, you have to watch every episode or otherwise you are left out of the loop and lost forever. That is why many people either wait for reruns, watch episodes online (legally or otherwise), or just wait for the DVD release. Unfortunatly it seems like the networks don't really give a damn and sometimes good shows die (like Family Guy and Futurama did originally). Sometimes the networks just anger me to no end. They order more episodes of shows like The Simpsons (which I stopped watching 10 years ago, but cancel shows that are actually fascinating and that still have stories to give. Oh well, just have to hope otherwise.

WHY!!!??? (Spoilers Included)

I was looking through imdb.com today and was rading about "Rosemary's Baby". Roman Polanski's version is terrifying, many of character's actually seem like people I would see at my job any day of the week, yet they are evil, going so far as to impregnate a woman with the son of Satan. Back in high school, I was writing a paper on the short story "Where are you Going, Where have you Been" by Joyce Carol Oates and in my research I came across the book the "Son of Rosemary" by Ira Levin (the same author as "Rosemary's Baby") and I thought, "Wow, this should be interesting to read. Well it wasn't the worse piece of crap I've read but it kind of robbed me of my time. Not only do they continue the original book with the Rosemary coming out of a coma after the last thirty years, they totally threw away both books plots with Rosemary waking up from a dream right before the events in the first novel (WHAT THE HELL!!!! WHY DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A BAD TV SHOW!!!) That's fine. It can't ruin the movie that is legendary among horror fanactics (among a unoffical trilogy of "The Exorcist" and "The Omen").

This is before I saw a link for a film called "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby?". All could think of at the time, was "Are you F'ing kidding me?" Turns out that the actress who won an Oscar for her role in the film (Ruth Gordan) also was in this one. Did she really want to do this or did she really run out of money. My hope is it was the latter. God help whoever decided to direct this piece of TV crap that has a 3 on imdb.com (actually it looks like he was an actor/director; guess that formula doesn't always work lol). And yes I am judging a book by its cover but considering it doesn't take a genius to realize this was a bad idea, then I think I am entitled to this error this one time.

Strange Talents

Anyone that really knows me, especially many of the guys in my fraternity can you have a very strange talent. Many of you have read that I truly appreciate the Oscars. Well, this talent can prove that fact very quickly. Anytime I'm sitting in lunch and one of my friends has to amuse himself or a friend, all they have to say to me is "Hey Joe, who won Best Picture in 1984?" and almost immediately I say "Amadeus". For some reason, everyone gets wowed by it and start naming off different years until they get bored or frustrated. I even have friends that ask me to name all the years I can remember. I'm getting pretty good actually and have memorized it down to 1960 when "The Apartment" won but after that it gets a little hazy. Anyone else have any other strange talents that they can think of (cause I know all of you are probably going to be blogging like crazy soon lol).

Blogging = Big Pain in the A**

Wow. If I realized anything from this course, it is definetly that blogging is a big pain in the a**. I know this is soemthing a lot of people like to do , to tell the world what they're thinking or to let off steam but this is probably one of the hardest things for me to do. I hate to express my thoughts in words, it just never seems right. I've never kept a diary or journal (or are they the same thing...hmm). I don't even send out e-mails unless I have to. The idea of a blog just seems so aggravating, recording your every thought. I think George Carlin (God I miss him) was here, he would probably say that no one is this important, to have their every thought and idea written down, it's just not natural, only maybe the 3% that own all the oil should do that (that's a joke btw lol). Don't get me wrong (and please don't fail me Prof.) but blogging really does suck! Anyone else agree?

Oscar Predictions - Final Thoughts

Well since the Professor himself requested this, I guess I'll have to oblige. My choice for Best Foreign Film is an uneducated one to say the least but I'm basing it essentially on data of past Oscars and the like. This year, I think the big two would be "The Class" and Waltz with Bashir". "The Class" was this years winner of the Palm d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival and deals with educational experiences in France. "Waltz with Bashir" was this years winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film with a veteran regaining his memories of the past. I will confess that I have not seen any of these films, but with an educated guess anyone can pick the winners. This year winner, I predict, will be "Waltz with Bashir".

Well good luck to all my choices. Can wait for 8:30 tonight!

Horror Films

I enjoy great films like everyone else, but is there anyone that enjoy the mindless violence or pure terror of horror films? From Exorcist to Jason, I know that every horror film seems to have to have a sequel, and while some shouldn't (The Exorcist is top on my list) others like Jason, Michael, and Freddy have always provided me with some of the best moments of violence of my life.

Watching all the movies, you realize that the ones to be killed will always be the dopers, sex fiends, and nerds (oh well) leaving the mildly to pleasantly attractive and sometimes male cohort to survive the mass murders (until there's a sequel and then all bets are off).

Nowadays, its seems every horror movie possible is getting some sort of remake. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror, Halloween, and now Friday the 13th. Again, I'm not against this. I enjoy a new look on how to murder a bunch of teenagers and the occasional middle-ager/parent. But sometimes you have to realize that bad choices make bad movies. Prime example being put a comedy actor into a horror film where he is the killer, and you get sub par because you can't stop laughing on how bad he is at serious work (this means Ryan Reynolds in The Amityville Horror).

Other films do get some things right. Despite what everyone said, I enjoy the Halloween remake (it does help I'm a fan of Rob Zombie's films). I felt that the beginning was pretty interesting and Malcolm McDowell was a great doctor Loomis, putting a great spin on the character by making him want to study not help Michael. I hope the new Friday the 13th can fulfill all the horror prayers that I've laid down. Oh, just for you to know, now there is going to be a remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Child's Play, so get psyched...or not, depending on your views.

Oscat Predictions - Part 2

Well, here I am again, attempting to name the winners of this year Academy Awards. Let's see how I do.

Best Supporting Actress

This year's nominees seem to be in a rare position, none that I can recall have one any other awards this year for their performances, because every other film awards have given the award to Kate Winslet, but since whe is in the Best Actress competition, this makes this category a little harder to jusdge. After watching all of these films (except Vicky Cristina Barcelona) all of the performances were terrific. That being said, I do not see either Amy Adams or Viola Davis winning, not being the head of the pack. In my mind I see Taraji P. Henson in Benjamin Button or Marisa Tomei in the Wrestler as the ones to choose. Though I enjoy them both, I see Marasi Tomei to pull out a close one. Good luck on winning you're first REAL Oscar (My Cousin Vinny...really?)

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger, Heath Ledger, Heath Ledger...God help the Academy otherwise.

Best Picture

Well there are two clear canidates this year as always. This year its The Curious Case of Benjamin Button vs. Slumdog Millionaire. Like last, everyone knew who the winner would be, it's pretty obvious by now, so I'll just say it, Slumdog Millionaire. Slumdog Millionaire is the first Western Indie film that I've heard of. The story is storybook and the music superb. The story of one man's suffering to be finally delivered a winning hand by destiny is definetly a keeper.

Best Director

This could go to David Fincher but I doubt it. This year I think it will go to Danny Boyle. The direction of this film was perfect and should not be changed one bit.

Well, that's it! The Oscars are next Sunday, so let's see if I get them all right this time.

Oscar Predictions - Part 1

Since the Oscars are getting close I think it's time to start blogging about them. I think I said it in another post but I really do think the Oscars are my Superbowl. I spend the month before scrutinizing and viewing the films, meanwhile bugging the crap out of my friends on what they think (and most of them have no idea what I'm talking about lol) That night, I order food in, and threaten to kill anyone that bothers my viewing. So far, my record is 4 right, 2 wrong for Best Picture and little more conflicted with the acting categories. So here goes.

Best Actor

This year seems to be between Sean Penn for "Milk" and Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler". Both performances were great but I think with Rourke, this part was made for him. He lives his life through this character, and I feel this is his to win. So the winner will be Mickey Rourke.

Best Actress

I always have trouble picking the actress categories, sometimes the Academy comes out from left field with these awards. I'm going to have to go with everyone else with this one. Kate Winslet of "The Reader" looks to be the winner this year (despite my hatred of this movie, she is the best part of it). Although Anne Hathaway might come out of left field to win a victory for "Rachel Getting Married". The winner will be (unfortunately) Kate Winslet.

Best Animated Feature

Wall-E...does anyone really doubt this one. (Personally I do find that it got a nominations for Best Original Screenplay, despite it not having dialogue for half of the film.)

Well, that is it right now, but I will post more for my next blog. (I wonder who is going to win Best Supporting Actor...hmm (Why so Serious!)

Genghis Khan = Nice Guy

Hmm..two weeks, two good films...I like this trend. I'm not going to lie, I had heard about Mongol from another class and was tremendously excited to watch it. Unfortunately the quality on the link was really bad (sorry Professor) so I ended up getting it from outside source. Beside this, it was everything I hoped for. I wasn’t bored at anytime during the viewing and was kinda sad to see it end (although I’ve heard they’re going to be making a trilogy)

To see this film, and find that Genghis Khan wasn’t a barbarian in earlier life is not really surprising, at least not in my eyes. First of all, watching enough Hollywood biopics makes you realize that anyone can be made into a sympathetic character. I just watched “George Wallace” and found that after he was shot, he became a lot less racist and more sympathetic. SO WHAT!!! Anyone that knows anything about the Civil Rights movement would know that Wallace was a major problem, and might have become President in 1972 if he hadn’t been shot. Because he was sorry about his previous actions doesn't stop him from being one of the biggest racist in American history.

My second reason is simple. I know practically nothing about Khan and his actions. I’ve heard some of the stories in elementary school history, but like Robbins talks about, education always has propaganda attached. Another point is that this is only the early life of Genghis Khan, we have yet to see any of his further actions.

Don’t let these points think I hated this film. I enjoyed this film immensely. The actions scenes were awesome and the story was great. The cinematography was great and I did enjoy watching some of the costumes (like the Merkit masks). I hope we can keep this trend going with good films (which I’m sure we will)

Greetings from Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan................................not!!!

I decided tonight was the best time to definitely watch Borat and get something for class out of the way. I know I've stated that I'm excited to watch new films all the time, but this time I was a little weary. Since it came out in 2006, Borat is one of those films that has been polarized by its viewership. Either you loved it or hated it, with no middle ground to speak of. When I first heard of Borat, I thought I would hate it (come on, you know there are those films that automatically look awful, Paparazzi being a prime example) Lucky, I was totally wrong.

The experience in watching Borat was interesting to say the least. The opening scenes in Kazakhstan were interesting to watch, though I laughed myself silly watching the Running of the Jew (an inside joke that I've started with a Jewish member of my fraternity). The scenes in Kazakhstan were most certainly staged, but from what I've heard, many of the scenes within the movies were done with real people and many of the reactions gained by Sacha Baron Cohen are priceless, whether it be the kissing of men or the confusion over what to do with bodily waste. My favorite moment within that film had to be the insurance conference were both Borat and his companion end up battling naked (still mystified how they didn't get arrested for that stunt).

Borat's "documentary" into American culture is certainly worth a watch, especially for the puzzlement of those watching the events unfold. Sometimes real reactions are more priceless then those that are staged, especially by rednecks at dinner or at rodeos. The understanding of cultures other then of are own is not Americans' strong suits, and this movie definitely shows it.

Ranting Number 1

Well as a first time blogger I'm laying everything on the table by telling you about myself. I'm a self-professed historian without a single clue about what I want to, just that I don't want to be absolutely poor doing it. I like learning new information especially on the subjects of history, movies, video games, and books, but as the days go by, it becomes difficult to satiate my hunger for knowledge. I work at Walgreens near my home but hate my job (especially the idea that I might be working their full-time once I leave school)

Ever since I can remember, I've always been fasacinated by film. The epicness of watching something that has had so much time and effort put into it. Doesn't matter what it was, as long as I was interested in it. As a grew, the amount of movies I've watched increased dramatically. I moved from watching horror films to more award winners and suddenly I was hooked and had to watch movies all the time. It has become somewhat of an obsession with me. I want to see movies and see if the critics are always right. Some guys may be obsessed with the NFL or the MLB, but for me its the Oscars and, to a certain degree, the Golden Globes (especially delighted with the prospects of Heath Ledger and Mickey Rourke winning the Oscars this year, they were fantastic in both "The Dark Knight" and "The Wrestler")

That is why I took this course because I felt that it could "broaden my horizons" and get me to watch films I might never have watched before, for instances "Borat" and "Mongol", both films I've heard about but never had time to watch before. Films that I might have passed over are now at my fingertips and there for my viewing pleasure. I hope for good things this semester and hope this course lives up to expectations (which I'm sure it will).