Kung Fu Panda: Skadoosh!

So I am on break from school for the oh so joyous holiday season. My little six year old sister pretty much has run of our house and what is selected as far as the television goes. Normally its all about Mary Poppins or her all time favorite The Wiggles, but on the rare occasion she will want to watch something the whole family can enjoy, well at least watch together.

Last night she wanted to watch a movie I had yet to really see and thought to myself, "Thank God, something with Jack Black." Her selection was Kung Fu Panda, and my reaction to the film shocked me.

The movie is about a Panda named Po who was raised by a goose who owns a noodle shop in the Valley of Peace. Po's father wants him to take over the family noodle shop, while Po has other plans. He wants to be a Kung Fu artist and be one of the fab five trained at the Jade Palace. He makes his way accidentally into the palace in time to see the Dragon Warrior be selected. Little does Po know, that's him.

That's a brief synopsis of the introductory parts of the movie. But the journey of Po becoming the Dragon Warrior is where the laughs and lessons ensue. Po learned how to become a Kung Fu warrior because of his love for food. First lesson, we all learn in different ways. It is one not necessarily in there for the children, but more for the adults watching the film. We should all gain the patience to learn the way that is best for an individual to learn.

Po then gets to see the Dragon Scroll, which should make him super powerful. But when he opens it, all it is is a blank and reflecting piece of parchment. As Po leaves the temple disheartened he looks at the parchment and realizes. The Dragon Warrior is inside of him, the best lesson so far. He learns the power all comes from yourself. We don't need some special secret to get ahead in life, we just need to believe in ourselves.

I think I identified with this because I really do struggle in this area. I fail to believe in the importance of believing in myself. In fact I do the opposite. I tend to doubt myself, thinking that if I do I will actually succeed. I know this is backwards thinking, but for some reason in my brain it works. So for me to have this flaw highlighted for me by a cartoon film, I am still in a little bit of shock.

Through the one-liners. The cryptic, yet informative, wisdom of Master Oogway (the old turtle who founded Kung Fu). And some cool Panda fight scenes. I actually took more from this film than I have from the last few movies I have watched combined. And I definitely found my new favorite catch phrase...

Skadoosh!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: Get Your Mouthwatering

This Food Network hit has been my night light for many nights since it first aired in 2006. Guy Fieri finds the best places he can stage his shows at and invades the kitchen of some of the best food concoctions ever at the most unlikely places.

Guy is the best host for the show. He's laid back, knows food, and he can always make the proprietor and the audience laugh.

With places entitled "Hillbilly Hotdogs" serving up the biggest burgers and hot dogs you'll ever see. He has visited and crashed the kitchens of over 400 restaurants and has shown the nation that good food can be found anywhere.

My personal favorite was a small family restaurant called Pizza Station. This establishment specializes making unusual and extraordinary pizzas.

Disclaimer, do not watch this show if you are hungry, it'll make you starve.

This is not good television, it is great television.

The only problem is I can never remember where these places are. I know if I was driving by and saw them I would remember, and remember what to order. But when I go to plan out a trip to these places I fail epically.

So check the show out, if you don't have Food Network, I'm sure you can find it online.

If anything you can learn how to cook a little in the process of making your mouth water like a dog's as he waits for his bone.

Final Post for Jour 425

So far this all has been for a class. The two posts a week. The hours spent watching and re-watching movies. The forging of ideas. All for a grade. So far I haven't regretted, and don't think I ever will, regret a single post. It's been a blast.

I have always taken something from movies and will always value the lessons to be learned from a film. I will continue to watch as many movies as my busy schedule allows for and will relish my upcoming Christmas break to catch up on some flicks I have been wanting to see.

This isn't a goodbye for me though. I have found yet another hobby to enjoy. Blogging. I will be continuing this blog after the conclusion of this class. Now it might be a tad bit more vulgar, or as I like to put it, real. I know this sounds dumb but its the truth I have been holding back, at least a little.

So please continue reading. Continue to learn about life from a movie with me. I know people will agree and disagree with what I write. But I hope I can spur ya'll's imagination. Only if just a little bit. My wish is that everyone can take as much as I do from a film. And I hope people learn their own lessons, and not just take the ones I learn and accept them as truth.

Our brain is an amazing thing and if we push it we can all become the smartest and most analytical people imaginable.

So! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad. Or whatever you celebrate.

More posts to come after Christmas, or maybe some before.

I know it's the title of my blog, but this is the most important lesson I have ever learned about life. I have it tattooed on my back and I will always try to lead my life by this saying.

Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Overcome

This is the second installment of the trilogy and one of the best books and movies of all time. The middle movies of most trilogies always tends to struggle for some reason. But not this time around. This is my personal favorite of the two films because it shows the most of the inner struggle of all three.

In the first film we see it the beginning of the struggle, and in the last we see the conclusion of the struggle. But here, oh here we see the shit hit the fan. Frodo's struggle with the power behind the ring is peaking. The will of man-kind hangs by a thread. The Elves are leaving. Middle Earth is soon to be over run with evil.

The best part is through all of this is the will to overcome. This is something we all can learn and through J.R.R Tolkien and Peter Jackson we can learn this trait. Not only this trait, but values of honor. Not to mention the innate ability to go out in a badass way.

The pinnacle of chivalry, honor and manhood comes in one scene. The scene where Theoden the King of Rohan and Aragorn ride out into glory and lay it all on the line. (Have you noticed I love it when it's all laid down on the line in, well anything?) This is one of my favorite movie moments.

I can only hope sometime in my life there will be a moment like that. A moment of pureness in my life. I know it wont be riding out against a legion of Orcs, but I hope it lies somewhere in the same amount of grandeur.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Lore in the form of Gore

This series Spartacus: Blood and Sand ran on the Starz movie channel over this past summer and instantly became a hit, to me at least. The show depicts the story of a gladiator named Spartacus and his road to glory in the arena and in the rest of his life. He has a corrupt master, a host of other gladiators who dislike him, and the pain of losing his wife to deal with throughout the 13 episode season.

It wasn't the nudity or intense fight scenes that made me want to watch the show, as every female I told that I watched the show insisted. It was more than that.

It was the love Spartacus had for his Wife, who was taken away from him. It was the way Spartacus refused to give up in a fight. It was the way Spartacus' biggest enemy and critic, Crixus (Manu Bennett) was taken to near death, but his lust for strength and honor drove him to work his way back into the arena.

It is the lessons the show teaches you about standing up to the evils that oppress you. It is the way the show can make sense even through blood hitting the screen and an occasional nipple seen.

We also can learn some history from this show. It may be half-truth and embellished, but it is an attempt to show an ancient Roman society how some people believe they actually acted. We know they had gladiators and slaves, but their side of the story is rarely shown. In Spartacus: Blood and Sand the majority of the show comes in the form of these roles perspectives.

Just go watch it, it's available on the Starz website. You might even learn some lessons and lore through a form of sex and gore.

I Love You Man: The Ultimate Movie For Men

I Love You Man is the best movie a man can watch with another man. I know that is a little un-comforting but it is so true. Not only does the film keep the one-lining quotes coming, it can teach us all lessons about the friendships we have in life.

The basic plot goes through a man, Peter Klaven, who is getting married and needs to find a best-man. The problem is he's always been a girlfriend kinda guy, and now that he is trying to make male friends he realizes he is an awkward fellow.

I first saw this with my Uncle Scott, and as awkward as that was, it made us closer. The male bonding in the film shows the definition of a true "bro-mance." They reach the level of ultimate friendship.

I love that I have this kind of relationship with my friends. We are closer because of our awkward moments. This movie shows us all how we can reach a level of friendship that goes beyond a normal friendship and reaches a level of brotherhood.

If you're a man, WATCH THIS MOVIE! It is the ultimate man film.

Who knows, you might find the level of friendship they reach in a movie.

Happy Feet: Yes Cartoons Are Great Movies Too

This movie is one of my little sisters favorites, one of my friends too oddly enough. It really is a cute movie though. And to be honest, who doesn't like cartoon penguins. I know this strays from my usual serious movie choices. But in the spirit of the holiday season I'll give you my take.

In the movie the main character is named Mumble. Mumble is the only penguin in his family of singing penguins who can't sing. But he does have a talent. He can dance. For this he is cast out and is forced to leave his family and move on to the vast world in front of him. In the end he is a massive hero and ends up making a difference in the World.

I think this is an awesome lesson to learn. Just because someone is a little different from everyone around us, it doesn't mean we need to treat them like an outcast. The fact that there is a movie out there teaching a lesson to youngsters that's not how to be a princess, or knight in shining armor, actually makes me feel better about the entire movie industry.

We should all be a little less judgmental in our lives. And I'm not saying I do this already. But I know I make a conscious effort to not judge others before I know them.

We're all a little different, but in that we are all the same.

My Movie Rant for Jour. 425

So what will you do today?

This is a video I did for my Journalism 425 class at APU. So watch it and enjoy it. Also it sort of puts a face on the person who is posing all of these thoughts and questions every time I make a new post. I tried to do a whole mock Michael Moore thing and interview people. In the end it just didn't come out how I wanted it to so I am not going to use it. I have always wanted to make an online rant anyways. Sorry its coming up at 6:25 prof. Scauzillo. I had some loading difficulties.

So it also cut off at the end. The last line should be. "SO WHAT WILL YOU DO TODAY?"

I put that in bold because it is such a solid point.

Thanks for the hits folks, keep them coming.

Zoolander: Stupidity Brings us Knowledge

Okay so I know Zoolander is a movie many people would call dumb. In fact its characters are the epitome of dumb. The movie is about a male super model who is in the decline of his career. He doesn't win model of the year for the first time. His friends die in a "freak orange mocha frappicino gasoline fight." And a reporter for Time magazine puts out a story about how dumb he is. So he retires only to realize the real world doesn't want him. Then he is sought out by a evil fashion designer to kill the Malaysian Prime Minister, who has put a stop to cheap labor for the fashion industry.

With a cast including Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Ferrell the jokes, one liners and awkward scenes cause viewers to laugh throughout the whole movie.

But besides the laughs their are themes and messages littered throughout the film.

Derek (Ben Stiller) has to learn how to not be superficial, and while its a process. He does do it by the end.

There are lessons about love and friendship taught to us by Hansel (Owen Wilson) that to be honest I didn't see coming at the beginning of the movie.

We can make fun of something like fashion and still get the seriousness of issues like cheap and children's labor. The wrongness of this often goes by our eyes blindly. But a Hollywood comedy sheds some light on these issues. At least making us aware that they're out there.

In the end of this movie you can honestly walk away as an informed individual on a world issue and learn some life lessons while being able to laugh. Making for an awesome wat to spend a couple of hours.

The Office: Good Ol' Fashioned Television

So I love the show The Office more than most of the tv shows I tend to watch. The dynamic of the characters is vast and the plot lines are great. Some hate it, most love it, but all can agree it is a prominent force in American television.

Personally I don't have a favorite character. I love them all. From Pam to Jan for the women and from Michael to Toby on the mens side. No character couldn't have a whole show based on their perspective. That's due to great writing and character development on the creators and writers part in the show.

The Office holds so much more than just witty and satirical comedy. It possesses in nearly every episode a lesson to be learned.

Maybe thats why I am so addicted to the show.

I love when media makes me think introspectively, and the show can do just that if you let it.

When Michael dates Jan, there is a lesson to be learned there. Up until the most recent episode when half of the office decides to invest in Ryan's company, and are going to be screwed over. There always seems to be a moral to be learned, even if you have to dig a little for it.

I know I talked about the characters like you knew who they were, which to people unfamiliar with the show is unfair. But honestly boohoo, because its your own fault you haven't watched it already. Unless your from overseas, which then I am sorry, and you should check it out on a tv streaming site, legally of course.

I can honestly say this show has altered my outlook on some aspects in life including love, friendship and honesty. So what could it do for you if you let it in.

Fall in love with The Office, I promise you wont be sorry.

John Butler Trio-Ocean: Masterpiece

Play it and enjoy!

So I normally do movies but this was just to hard to pass up. John Butler Trio is a band that is slowly gaining fame in the world. The main musician, Butler, is a guitarist with amazing talent and a voice to match.

I had seen some of his other work on youtube.com. Mostly a song called Peaches & Cream. But I stumbled upon this while talking to a co-worker who told me about this guitar solo while we talked about amazing face melting music we loved.

I checked it out. My jaw literally dropped at the two minute mark. At the four minute mark I was close to going into shock. My mind was blown. I was near tears to be completely honest. I witnessed a masterpiece.

This is purely a guitar song. No other instruments. No vocals. Just an acoustic guitar and a man with God given talent.

For five minutes I was somewhere else. I was in a world all to my self. Listening to this song. It was powerful, calm, moving, thought provoking, and so many other feelings all at once.

I heard the song for the first time at around 9:00 yesterday night and now it is one in the morning and I have listened to the song 20 times already. And I have only been at my computer for like forty five minutes of that four hour span.

Here's my thoughts on the song. We all have talents in different aspects of life. Some can sing, some can play an instrument, some can play a sport, some can act, some can cook, some can persuade, some can defend, some can write, some can speak, etc. I could go on and on with a list like that.

But many of us dont tap fully into our talent. And even if we do rarely do we share it with the world.

I feel like we should all share our gifts with the world because that is the reason we were given them.

Imagine if William Shakespeare never wrote a line down on paper.

Imagine if Michael Jordan didn't play basketball.

Imagine if Abraham Lincoln was never President.

Imagine if John Butler didn't play this solo.

The world would be lacking. Anyone of us can be the next important piece to the world. So let's let our talent shine through and carry us to places we never dreamed of.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: I Swear This is the Last One

So yes I waited in line in the freezing cold to see this movie at midnight, well 12:01 technically. It was well worth the wait.

The final movie was so amazing. So well made. Only a few deviations from the book. A master piece was made. Epicness was created.

Now we're all going to have to wait till this summer to see it's conclusion.

I was so into the film I didn't even realize the 2:30 hours it was. In fact I was near shocked when it ended at a point I knew was half way through the book. I was so swept up I forgot it was going to finish only half of the story.

I realized one theme I really wanted to point out in this film; Friendship.

I have noticed this in all of the other books and movies, but in the finale it really shines through. Harry's bond with Ron and Hermione is stronger than ever. The trio are on a mission to take down Voldemort, and that intensifies their friendship in ways both negative and positive, but it definitely strengthens it.

Dobby returns to the film in two short stints. He is most likely Harry's truest friend, outside of Ron and Hermione, and there for him til the end. He dies for Harry Potter. The biggest test of friendship and he owns up to it.

Harry is outcast, downtrodden, hunted, oppressed in nearly every way possible. But the one thing he has going for him is his loyal and true friends.

I hope I am as lucky as Harry in my life to have friends like that if I am ever hunted by a deadly powerful wizard, because I will definitely need them.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: Social Suicide for Society

Oh Harry Potter. This was the beginning and continuation of my child hood. I remember reading the first books when I was young and in elementary school, then finishing the series when I was in high school. There are few things in this world that can traverse a gap of time so long and so diverse as far as emotions and growing up. Good ol' Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the wizarding world were able to.

I will never forget staying up late and reading the books and emerging into a reality that seems so achievable. A society so unreal but yet so real at the same time. I was at Hogwarts with them as they roamed the corridors. On a broomstick with Harry playing quidditch. Wondering what Dumbledore would do next with his infinite wisdom and power as the greatest wizard of all time. This is when books reach their ultimate potential. When they make you escape and bring you into it's pages.

The movies so far, barring the 4th one, have all been made according the story line for the most part. As close as can be with the interchange from page to lines of a script. And now the mass hysteria will begin again on Friday morning at 12:01.

The first 2:30 hours of the final books installment will make it to the big screen across the world. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part I is finally here with the second part set to come in 2011. We finally get Harry back.

I have my tickets for the midnight showing.

Here's my take on it all.

There are few things in the world that can unify and excite nearly all of it. Whatever your beliefs on the books from a religious perspective, one thing you must own up to is that the books and movies can span the culture gap in any given situation. Millions have read the books, and now millions will watch the movies in less than 72 hours.

We are lucky that it is Harry Potter that does this in my generation. In my grandparents generation it was war that unified the thinking of people in separate countries. In my parents it was the hippie movement(war, drugs, and music.) I'll take Harry Potter as a talking point over those other topics any day.

So thank you J.K. Rowling for giving me and the rest of the world Harry Potter, we needed it.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: In Honor of the 7th Installment

I have been on a Harry Potter binge lately. I have been watching the first six films in order to be reacquainted with the films one more time before I go and watch the seventh film. Well the seventh film part one, because they are being split up into two parts, praise the Lord.

I love the Harry Potter franchise. Thats what it is its a franchise, much like the New England Patriots of the early 2000's it's becoming a dynasty. I am super pumped for the movie. Yes, I am even going at midnight.

In the sixth movie we follow up on the Order of the Phoenix's creation and the world of wizarding in turmoil because of Voldemort. I am a staunch believer of people watching movies and enjoying them for them selves so I will stop here. But in order to right about what I took from this film I have to ruin the ending. I sincerely apologize if you live under a rock and haven't read or seen the ending of the sixth Harry Potter and I am blowing your mind here. Dumbledore dies.

This got me thinking. What happens when the people we rely on so much leave us. Dumbledore leaves Harry to fight Voldemort for himself. It almost seems cruel to do this in the books. But you know what I have realized. It's not cruel its being real. People live people die and rarely do we have any control in this matter.

What will happen when my Dad dies. He is a man I rely on so much in so many ways. So if he were to leave this world today I would have no idea what I would actually do.

What would happen if my Mom or my step-Mom died. I'd lose the two women who have given so much to me I can never be thankful enough. Again devastation would persist.

What would happen if my Grandpa or Grandma died. Again I rely on them so heavily. They are always there for me when I need them in any way. Devastation would set in for sure, even though they are old and I know it is going to be inevitable.

In the book and movie Harry immediately trudges on when Dumbledore, the closest thing to a father he ever has, dies.

This is what the human spirit does. It triumphs over all the pain and suffering. It wins over the grief and forces you to eventually move on, but never forget.

The closest person I have ever had die on me was my great great Aunt Blanche. She was 102, only 19 days shy of being 103. She was the nicest little old lady you would ever meet who truly cared about all of her family and friends. When I lost her wisdom and advice I lost a link to the past and a outlook on the future.

When we lose those we care for we can only push on and remember what they have taught us abou the right ways to live our lives. Harry does this in the books and in the film. Will we?

P.S. I Love You: Can We Love Someone That Much

First of all no, I am not a chick. Yes I do enjoy the occasional "chick flick" but I swear I don't watch them too often. Well maybe I do. Whatever.

There are so many places to start with P.S. I Love You. The story line is great. Gerard Butler and Hillary Swank do exceptional in their roles. The supporting casts helps make the movie. The soundtrack is amazing. I could go on but I wanna get to my point.

If you haven't seen the movie the basic storyline is that Butler's character, Gerry, is married to Swank's character, Holly. Gerry is from Ireland and the two live in New York. The two are the picture of a married couple. They fight, but they make up. But one thing is clear from the get go, they really love each other. Gerry passes away, and the film is about a series of letters he wrote for Holly to read and follow through on after he dies.

This is my point. Gerry really loves her. He goes through the amazing trouble of going through the process of writing the letters and making sure his widow becomes a better person and doesn't dwell on his death.

He loved her enough to leave his homeland and marry her. He loved her when she treated him poorly.

His love for her is so immense it surpasses his death.

My only hope is that I can emulate this great love for someone. I have been in and out of love before and it has its highs and lows in both cases. So I know its unrealistic to think there is this type of movie love out there.

But I honestly hope it is. I hope it exists and I hope I can find it.

Because if I can I know I will truly be happy no matter what happens. I could live, I could die. But one thing is for sure is I want to go out like Gerry.

Garden State: Who Balances You Out?

The movie Garden State starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman definitely falls into the realm of odd films. It is one which at times can be hard to follow. Especially if you miss the beginning like a friend who ended up watching it with me found out.

I'll be honest I did buy this film only because I saw it had one of my favorite actors and one of my favorite actresses. Braff and Portman play their roles brilliantly. A pill overdosed man who cant feel anything and wants to be an actor. And a zany female who is a flowery person and a compulsive liar.

These two meet at a "brain" doctors office and are able to find love in a matter of days. Because they balanced each other out.

Now this got me really thinking.

Who do we all have in our lives who balance us out?

Don't think I don't need some one to balance me out, I'm fine. Because I will never for one second believe we don't all have some crazy in us. Were all messed up in our own ways. That's what makes us unique.

The film uses extremes to portray this. They get the point across though.

So who is out there waiting to be balanced by us, and to balance us out? Is there anyone specific?

I know these are a lot of questions but I pose them because simply I don't know the answer. I know what I want the answer to be. I want it to be yes there is that one person. I'm not necessarily saying it has to be a soulmate. But even a friend who can reign in the crazy for you and you do the same for them.

Again I wont lie, preferably I want it to be a female companion. Just because I feel like that would work out better because you would be around them more most likely.

So I sincerely hope we all find that person out there. Some one to reign in the crazy that's in all of us. Because without that special person, we all will end up in a state of mundanity. And that is no way to live.

Whitman or Brown: A Choice of Which We All Should Frown

Meg Whitman the billionaire who has spent over two billion of her own dollars on her campaign so far is one candidate. Jerry Brown, who has already a tried and failed as California's Governor, is in the other.

Whitman was found to have employed a illegal immigrant as her maid for a period of time. And her husband knew, so we can all assume she knew too. She is supposedly against illegal immigration. This is what Jerry Brown wants us to know.

Brown went on CNN after his last term as Governor. He said he didn't have any type of plan going into his time in office and admitted he told voters what they wanted to hear so they'd vote for him. This is what Meg Whitman wants us to know.

I know I normally do my posts on movies and the topics or ideas that spur from them. But today on election day it just felt fitting I talk about this. All the commercials both have tried to fill my brain with have combined to be longer than any movie I can ever watch.

This is what I learned, essentially only now because I am of voting age. This is going to be firm. And might even get me in trouble for my class. But I have to go for it because I realized also, this is my blog.

All of this is bullshit. All of the ads, bullshit. All of the back and forth slandering of each other, bullshit.

Neither of them wants to really help California. This is all for the glory of themselves. They are both slimy. Yeah most politicians are. But why do political commercials for the most part be a near libelous bashing of the opposition, and then what whatever reason the candidate is better. It makes so many people lose faith, or lose patience, or lose interest in politics.

Yeah sure the candidates might want to do this, or change that. But in their limited time actually in office. Yes they are there for four years. No that is not time to do more than really get the ball rolling. Yes the next person who takes their place just is going to probably stop that ball.

So why waste the money on a state that is in near gajillion like numbers of debt?

In fact why didn't Meg Whitman put two billion dollars into the state. I would have voted for her then.

Why didn't Brown come out and clearly say he had a plan to decrease the debt.

That would be good campaigning. That would actually cause all of us who have lost faith, or patience, or interest to go and vote.

I am a 19 year old Journalism major at a small university in California. Sure I am not a huge fan of politics already. Yeah sure, this is because these commercials literally make me sick at times. Yes this is because they are bullshit.

I am not a Mark Zuckerburg. I am not an Albert Einstein. I am not a Steve Jobs. I am not a genius by any means. I am a 19 year old Journalism major at a small university in California.

What is sad is if I can figure it out. Why can't the people who are running our State, even our Country, figure out that maybe all the dirtiness in politics is what actually kills it?

Maybe I just went on a tangent on a topic I am mad about lately. Maybe I'm right on point.

You tell me.

Phenomenon: What's is Your Brains Untapped Potential

The movie Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Forest Whitaker, and Kyra Sedgwick is a movie that if it came out today would have been an instant hit just because of the stars in the film. But at the time of the movie John Travolta and Duvall were the only big names in the flick.

This movie encounters what can be perceived as paranormal. Travolta plays the character of George Malley who receives the special power of learning and knowledge. He reads a book and learns everything from it. He is clearly special, but the members of his town rebel against him. The ending does have an expected twist if you actually pay attention to the film. But the story line and character development are portrayed nicely.

One theme that shines through is that George Malley is an ordinary man. He knows he is just working in an area of brain capacity humans never have experienced.

This made me think. Do we ever use the amount of our brain which we can use? I feel sometimes we can short ourselves with how much we can use our brain. Especially in todays world where we are so media oriented and we don't push ourselves to actually think when a computer does it for us.

So will we actually get to the point when we don't even think anymore? That is something I legitimately fear for our future. I fear we will become like the people in Idiocracy. People who let the computers think and do everything for us. Leading to dust storms and starvation.

I don't wanna be part of the world that doesn't let us use our brain. I don't think any one else would either. I actually wish I could push my self to be like George Malley. Some one who has all the power to move objects and learn Portugese by reading a book.

The Departed: Twists, Turns, and Burns

This movie was classically one of the best Martin Scorsese has ever made. It's only four years old. That alone should tell you it is going to be a classic for movie enthusiast for a long time to come. With a star studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Anthony Anderson. All of which have had lead roles of their own.

Mr. DiCaprio has played the lead role in all of Scorsese's best films including Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and most recently Shutter Island. They have made masterpieces together. With The Departed near the top, only rivaled by the recent release of Shutter Island.

I will not go into the film and tell you about it. To do so would be an injustice to the film. Go watch it. Experience it. The end will blow your mind.

What I will tell you is that this movie has more twists, turns, and burns of it's characters more so than any other film I, or many of my movie buff friends, have ever seen.

So it got me thinking about life, and how like the movie has twists and turns, so does life. We all expect so many things and they never come to being. The way a situation can take a turn right in front of your face is amazing at times. It can be good, or bad, but one thing that's for sure is it is always unexpected.

My Dad always told me that life rarely goes as planned and if you let yourself get into the bad situations you are going to be burned. No one wants to be burned. So I have tried to live my life in avoidance of such situations in which my involvement might burn a friendship or relationship. In the past two years I haven't done the best with involving my self in such situations. Granted everything has mainly worked itself out now. The past two years have sucked.

Why don't we all just expect the unexpected?

If only that worked. It never seems to. Because even when expecting the unexpected sometimes we will get what is expected. That just throws us on another loop in itself.

So in life I find that we just have to accept the twists, go with the turns, and avoid the burns. Then we can save such events for the movies like The Departed. Then we can enjoy them just a little bit more.

Get Him to The Greek: "I don't wanna be selfish anymore."- Live Blog

First let me start by admitting I love any movie with this list of characters in it. Created by Jason Segel these characters have been part Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to The Greek so far while making a short appearance in the back ground of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. The main character has been Aldous Snow, played by Russel Brand. He has so far been the common driving force in all of the films and Brand plays him magnificently.

While this movie is hilarious and seems to just be a comedy. There are inner messages littered in which all of us can take out of the film and apply to life. I am watching the movie right now, and blogging on it. But I was compelled to as well first of all I need to for an assignment. And second of all it hit me this was perfect to do it on. Me and my friend Caleb went to Target today just so he could buy this film so we could watch it. And as we sat in my Campus Housing apartment where I go to school I grabbed my computer and started to blog as I heard Aldous say something almost profound, especially profound for the movie.

"I don't wanna be selfish anymore."

I love that line. He is a rockstar in the film and as he parties his way to the concert that will save his career he realizes something real for the first time in a long time. It's not about him.

I love when comedy's don't just make you laugh, but they make you think. It is fantastic the way you can realize something you might need to work on in your life while laughing.

Is there a better way? I don't think so.

So don't just watch comedies to laugh. Look for the lines or actions of the film that make you realize something. It might even be profound enough to change your life.

500 Days of Summer: Will Guys Ever Get It?

The movie 500 Days of Summer went from a small indie film to being one of the biggest box office movies of 2009. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen and Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn. The pair depict one of the most interesting love stories a movie has ever shown. It begins with the classic story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl goes out with boy. And what happens next includes topsy and turvy twists and turns which none can fully understand until it all becomes clear as the film progresses.

The character of Summer is an interesting one, she is attractive, but strange and at times distant. She seems to fall in love with Tom, but she never goes head over heels for him, at least in the way he does with her. Then she goes and marries a man she knew for a shorter amount of time than she even knew Tom.

This, needless to say leaves Tom heartbroken and lost. So there's a quick synopsis for you, go see the movie. Guys it's okay this is one chick flick that is acceptable to see.

But this movie did more than awe me and make me laugh, and wanna cry. It taught me a valuable lesson. It showed me no matter how we feel about people, we can never make them feel the same way about us. We can't force love or happiness, we can only let it come to us.

Because when we force it, then it's not really true. It's a emotion we feel we are supposed to and must feel. The way Tom loves Summer is so grand and great we should all strive to devout ourselves to the people we love in the same way. But if they don't wanna love us back in the same way we just have to let it go. Tom has a hard time figuring this out in the movie. In the end he does, so we can all go home happy, but it is one of his biggest struggles in the film.

So love your lover strong, take their hand and hold on. Because that's all you can do, so do it well. And if they don't wanna reciprocate the same feelings back to you, accept it because there's definitely nothing you can do.

The Damned United: A Man Before His Time

The Damned United starring Michael Sheen as famous English coach Brian Clough. Clough was as put in the film, "the best English manager that England never had." He took teams from the bottom and rose them to new heights and glories they never dreamed of.

In the film Sheen portrays the confident and loud aura Clough brought to his teams, and the discontent he felt during his brief stay at Leeds United (hence the Damned in The Damned United). At all of his other teams the team saw improvement under him.

The movie shows the stress it is to be a manager, and also a good friend. Clough gave up his and his partners job because he was so thick headed he didn't want to be pushed around.

Clough was an amazing coach but some of his styles were criticized at the time, but wouldn't ever be put into back in the timeline of the film. He was ahead of his time in how he coached the game.

I highly recommend this movie, especially if you like football (soccer in America) and good stories on and about football.

I know this is the second English based movie I have done lately but bear with me, I promise it will be my last for awhile. It's just I ordered it and it finally came, I couldn't help myself.

The main thing I got out of this movie though was the way a friendship can be pushed to the very edge, and people can still be friends with an apology, or in the case of the movie a grovel.

I feel like we all close ourselves of to the possibility of an apology to another person. We don't let ourselves forgive. I know we all think why should we? In most cases we got screwed over. But I believe strongly in one thing, we all need to forgive people for their mistakes towards us because then we become more like God and more like Jesus. God doesn't hold grudges towards us, but one of our favorite things to do is hold a grudge over somebody elses head.

In the film Clough is forgiven by his long time assistant coach Peter Taylor, played by Timothy Spall, because he ruined the happiness of his career. While the pair are basically showed as brothers, sometimes those are the hardest type of people to forgive.

Trust me it was a very small theme in the film to notice, but sometimes it's best to realize things when their not flashing right in front of us and we have to think.

How do you forgive, or do you even forgive? I know I struggle with this maybe that's why I realized it.

The Social Network: What Have You Done Lately?

In the new movie The Social Network, starring Jessie Eisenburg as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, the world gets to see a dramatic look at the creation of the biggest social connecting facet of all time, Facebook.

I highly recommend going to see this movie, it pertains to most of the world today just by what the movie is about. But it goes deeper in making the characters and the story behind Facebook come to life. The movie on a technical and content level are so well made I've seen it twice while in theaters, something I haven't done since the last of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's a serious yet seriously funny movie which if you do not like, you either are a fascist or just plain crazy.

But besides this movie being possibly the best of the year, it also has many moral themes which pop up and teach us all to become better people.

In the end of the movie Eisenburg as Zuckerbergs character says to one of his lawyers, "I'm not a bad person ya know."

And it is clear, but what is also clear is when people my age (19) and a little bit older get all the power and money, and just don't know what to do with it.

Zuckerberg ends up cutting his best friend out of the company, and then is hit with the realization that he messed up. He ends the movie "adding" the girl who broke his heart and started all of his projects because of his need to impress her.

We all think we are right about whatever we are dead set on being right about. But when we only focus on being right we can hurt the only people who mean anything to us in life. The movie banner says it best. Hence the picture I used for this post. Thats one thing I learned from the movie.

But the biggest thing I took away from the movie was what am I doing lately? Zuckerberg does all of this when he was in college, busy with class but yet so focused on this project that made him who he is today. So what have I done lately? What have you done lately? Are we living our life to the fullest of our abilities? You or me might even be the next "punk genius millionaire."

Green Street Hooligans 2: Stand Your Ground

I loved the first movie, Green Street Hooligans so much that despite hearing the negative reviews and hype for the second movie I bought it anyways. I was a little saddened because it was nothing near the epic-ness of the first of the first movie. But I was surprised at how much I liked the movie.

While the movie had a cheesey story line and corny moments, it did follow the story line of the original flick, which I found refreshing. The movie also had at least two of the original characters and mentioned others. There was definitely the same feel to the movie in most aspects. And the most important theme was even included in the title, stand your ground.

The movie is all about standing your ground, in the movie its for your brothers and your football (soccer for us ignorant Americans) team. But I feel you can take this mentality into any aspect of life. The movie uses fighting and even killing at times to get this point across, and of course I'm not saying to go and punch somebody. But I do believe we all need to stand up to the problems we face everyday.

I feel like in general we all back down to people to easily to keep the peace, and there's times where we all need to ruffle some feathers in our surroundings. I don't think we should do it to the extremes of the movie. But in the realms of what is acceptable in society we should stand our ground when we are getting screwed over.

This isn't just about standing your ground, its about doing it honorably.

What do you think standing your ground is, what would standing up for what is right mean to you?

A Knights Tale: Classical Twist With the James Dean of his era

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Heath Ledger is the James Dean of his time, an amazing actor who died too young. He made movies out of the roles he played. The movies didn't make him. He made the movies. He was amazing and A Knights Tale started it all for him.

The basic plot is about a peasant squire who poses as a knight to joust in tournaments. He falls in love with the forbidden girl, he forges his papers, and he becomes the best. He does all of this by being more noble than the real knights that surround him, and in the end he is rewarded for his actions.

But this blog isn't reviewing movies, it's taking something from a movie and about how we can apply it to our lives. This movie has possibly my favorite quote of all time. "A man can change his stars." This is so symbolic in the most basic sense that we can be whoever we want to be. Life and its challenges may hold us back, but its not impossible to live out our dreams, whatever those dreams may be. Wherever those dreams may lead us. It doesn't matter we can all change our stars.

I may over think this statement. It may be that I like it so much because Heath Ledger says it. But what it has done for my life is shown me that while the I may think events, incidents or anything for that matter are insurmountable, they're not. I can change my life to make it how ever I want to make it. I want to be a journalist, I want to be a writer or a novelist. And while a million other people may want to be the same thing, it doesn't matter. They don't matter. Its like this because I believe in the power the line from the movie has. It doesn't say "we all can," it says " A man can." (or a women for that matter) It uses the singular form. It gives the individual the power and not the world.

The world already has so much power over how we talk, how we act, what we wear, and what we think. So why should the world factor in in our decision of what we want to do with our lives. I don't think it should.

Do You?

East of Eden-How do you Interpret it?

Floyd McCarthy-photo courtesy of mptvimages.com -Cal punching Aron.

The movie East of Eden starring James Dean is a movie which many people I have showed it to, or watched it with cannot understand. I love this movie because it shows a side of James Dean in a film that I have never noticed before, a sense of vulnerability. They don't understand what the point of the movie is. All admit it is an interesting story to say the least, but at the same time fail to see the relevance of the movie to the world today.

I see it as a simple thing, it is a movie full of lessons, but one central one, the difference in the human character of being "good" and "bad." Throughout the film Cal (James Dean's character) struggles with the inner battle of being good and bad.

Set in 1917 Northern California, particularly the towns of Monterrey and Salinas, the landscape and imagery in the movie is beautiful. The characters are very pure and good people in Salinas, and the opposite in Monterrey. Cal's father in the film Adam (played by Raymond Massey) is the epitome of good, a Bible-reading entrepreneur and single father. And the plot twist in the movie is Cal has found his mother (played by Jo Van Fleet), who runs three brothels in Monterrey, an entrepreneur in her own way. Cal finds out and realizes why he is different from his father and his brother Aron, who is just like their father. He is his mothers son her is "bad."

The entirety of the movie is about Cal's struggle to be "good" while he is "bad." He even steals his brothers girl, inadvertently, but he slowly steals her away. He drives Aron to lunacy and to join the war by telling him who their mother is. He does many bad things, but justifiably so in his own mind.

So is Cal "bad" to the bone. I don't think he is, I believe he is misunderstood so he does "bad" things. I view him as a person like all of us who doesn't get a fair chance in life. Because even when he tries to do good it is taken as a horrible thing to do. In the end he does good, he stays by his father's side. He stays with the girl he loves. He learns how to do and be "good."

Is life this black and white? Are we simply "good" or "bad?" I personally don't believe it to be true. I think we're all a little like Cal, we're all good and do some bad things, or bad and do good things. We can't all be so cut and dry. I love this movie because I know everyone feels misunderstood at times, even amazing people can be viewed as bad. I feel like we all have a little Cal in us. Do you?