Wisdom of the Sages
Episode II
February - Winter 2010
Hello People of the World;
Well, it’s frickin’ dumping snow on us again. And we, being so used to the last few mild winters and not understanding the irony of when we brag about “Chicago Winters and How We Survived Them”, are suddenly whiny and stupefied in the face of this white hell on earth. Grow up.
It seems that February has turned into the major winter month. It has been snowing but not sticking with temperatures rising again after heavy snows. Well, Spring is next month so try and hang in there until then. Okay?
Let’s get started, shall we?
:[ First item of the month: The 2009 Oscar Nominees were announced and the Nominees for Most Undeserved Nomination: “Avatar” and “Inglorious Basterds”. Yeah, I said that.
Movies just seem to be getting dumber, you know? Entertainment Weekly ran a story a while ago about the death of the so-called “Grown Up Movie”. Where character and story are outmatched by the YouTube Mentality of something WhizBang happening every ten minutes, of a new cinematic world of remakes, comic book movies and mindless action and teen, vampire romances, Hollywood is not looking to make you think but rather let you mindlessly look at a screen and taking your money.
For so long I have said that movie making is a business, not an art. With “Avatar” as a “critical” and box office success and “New Moon” as a legitimate cinematic phenomenon, once again bringing this point to bear.
:[ I would have you know that “Rashomon” is not really a “samurai” movie. Neither is the book. Sure, it features a samurai in one or two of the stories. But, both the book and Kurosawa’s film have always been wrongly attributed as a part of the “Samurai” genre. So much so, that the book was featured prominently in “Ghost Dog” a story about a lone hit man living according to the Hagakure, a book about samurai. The Hagakure itself is not necessarily a samurai treatise but a reflection on samurai behavior, not a code of conduct.
:[ A Protester living in an airport finally allowed to go home to China. Wait, after more than 90 days in an airport protesting his own government’s refusal to let him re-enter the country due to some writing he did about student protests, and the only thing the US Media compares him to is a f*cking Tom Hanks’ movie?
:[ Sitting in the Starbucks today I could not help but overhear this woman ragging on the rest of her family about how everyone but her is responsible for her poor grades while going on and on about how talented and how great her daughter is and how everyone needs to acknowledge that and if the school does not bring up her grade so she can get into music school then watch out!
Man, that’s what I hate about the new Cellular Age, not only that you can be called almost anywhere but also you get to hear the rants of the narcissist mothers!
:[ Why are we compelled, when crossing a one-way street or waiting for a train on a track, to always look in the opposite direction as if that will make the train come faster or the one-way traffic clear up?
:[ My thoughts on the titanic movie about terminating aliens in an abyss of piranha 2’s, “Avatar”. Since I’ve seen it, I’ve changed my mind. Avatar has to be the Comedy of the Year. COMING SOON.
I cannot explain why I am so hesitant to review this. Even though I should. I am so jumble in my points because they are so scattershot as to try and pull them into something coherent seem like an arduous task right now. Thing is, A LOT of people liked this movie.
Sooner or later I’ll post a review. Sooner, possibly, rather than later.
:[ Redshade Productions Update:
Hamlet: Teeters along slowly but surely. I am putting the pieces in place. I had a meeting with a potential producer; which helped me raise the very questions to myself that others would ask. In the end, I think I will stick to my fast and loose plan. The screenplay, however much I put into it will only serve to steer my company in the right direction. And to answer the most common question, it is NOT “Native Hamlet”. It is “Hamlet” by a Northern Arapaho.
:[ Since we’re talking about this, I watched Super Bowl XLIV. I must admit that it was a very good game. Very suspenseful and action packed. I am happy the Saints won, although I could have gone either way. But that was before the CBS Commentators started the Payton Manning Lovefest.
I absolutely hate when they do that. Rather than do objective coverage, the commentators just pick their favorite before hand and they talked Manning up with all kinds of Man Love. He could do no wrong. It got to the point where Bonnie and I were shouting “But what would Manning think, do, say?” about any little thing the Commentators said because it sounded like it was all over after the Colts scored the first touchdown. Hah!
Then, Manning didn’t even have the sack to go congratulate the Saints. Took his ball and went home after the game didn’t go his way. Aww, go home and wipe your tears on your million-dollar, multi-year contract, you big baby. You play a child’s game for a living. The rest of us WORK for far less that you. So, suck it up!
Well, the Saints won handily, which means New Orleans is all better from Katrina now, right?
:[ Yahoo Headline: “Surprising Drop in Unemployment”; why is it labeled ‘surprising’? Because it is under Obama’s watch? That it actually went down in January? Because we were all told that economic re-stabilization was impossible under Obama?
Another thing; why is the media asking when is Obama going to get anything done, or what has he accomplished, when everyone in power that is supposed to help him is not doing anything but crying socialism and crossing their arms and refusing when he asks for their help. We’re hypocrites.
It’s like watching someone trying to climb something and we stand there and do nothing even though we said we would help and they ask for help, then blame them for not climbing the wall at all.
:[ Wow, Tiger Woods apologizes. That’s right. He admitted his transgression and gets to get on with his life. Right? I mean, with Dave Letterman and Roman Polanski getting passes, so we should embrace Tiger as well. Right?
Hell, he will have the rest of his life to make it up to his wife. Because this is really between them, right? He needs to grovel for her, man up and get back to work like the rest of us like a grown up. Unfortunately, his work consists mainly of kicking white guy’s ass at golf. No wonder they are not pleased.
:[ I missed out on seeing one of my favorite musical acts live this past weekend. Yeah, I’ve told you before, I’ve developed a thing for pretty ladies and their ukuleles. But more pressing matters were afoot but I hope that I get another chance to see this act again soon. Oh well. Such is life.
:[ CLICK HERE for the Masterpiece known as My Review of “Inglorious Basterds”.
:[ Oh hey, the Winter Olympics are going on! Right?
:[ I saw both “The Wolfman” and “Shutter Island” this last weekend with my buddy Mike. Why do werewolves wear vests? Think about that one. “The Wolfman” was a fun monster movie. I did like how they kept the look close to a man that exhibited wolf features, rather than turning into a big dog, which has been the trend of late.
What I liked about “Shutter Island” is that I was trying to figure it out from the beginning. But I hate it when a one-sentence summation of the plot is used as dialogue and it makes the movie sound dumb. Anyways. He was dead the whole time. Weird. Wait-sorry.
:[ I knew it!
:[ More of God messing with us. Turns out that the ladies don’t need us!
:[ So, I bought, read and finished “U2 By U2” which has skyrocketed up my favorites list. Hearing the tales of the formation of the band and of how they continue to stick together even today is something remarkably rare in Rock Music. I am in awe of all of their accomplishments. I recommend you pick it up.
:[ I hate it when I sign in on YouTube that I get the same nine video recommendations. No matter how many times I refresh the page, it just reshuffles them, but they are the same nine videos. Wow, am I that easy to please?
:[ I must admit something right here and now. I read “Classic Bloom County” and I am an eternal fan of “Calvin and Hobbes”, but I must admit that I am also an unabashed follower of the comic strip “Luann”. Yep, you heard it here first.
I remember first seeing the strip years ago back in Riverton (Or as we say it “River’ on.”) when it first started. But my current interest was stoked from my time at CRIS Radio when I had to slice newspapers and comic strips for reading over the air and of the strips left over, one was “Luann” and I just started reading it. That’s all.
What’s your secret guilty pleasure in comic strips? I know, I know, “Calvin and Hobbes”, everyone says “Calvin and Hobbes”. But what is the one goofy strip that you read regularly simply because you enjoy it. I like Luann because unlike a lot of strips, the characters age. I remember Brad (Her big brother) when he was simply a terrorizing mook. Now, he’s a quasi-responsible, firefighter. I dunno. I just enjoy it. I check it everyday practically.
Shh. Don’t tell anyone.
:[ Man, I am sooooo ready for “Dynasty Warriors 5”. I’ve made it through each Musou Mode for each Kingdoms including the Lu Bu Musou. I’ve looked everywhere for DW5 but cannot find it. So, I’ll just keep playing DW4 until I, I don’t know, get a life or something.
:[ From the “This Just In” File: Looks like Ian McShane of “Deadwood” fame is close to signing to play Black Beard the Pirate in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean flick by Diney, “On Stranger Tides”. Well, they got my ticket now.
:[ Last Item of the Month: I finally got my “The Joshua Tree” Deluxe Boxed set with the two CD’s; one with the re-mastered and the other with unreleased tracks and a DVD with a full Joshua Tree concert and music videos. Yep, all is well with the world.
That will do it for this month.
I hope this finds you all well. Hey, just so you know I have a fun Geeky Contest going on, on Facebook. So, if you are a friend of mine check it out. Real simple. The prize is that I buy you the Geeky DVD or Blu-Ray of your choice. (Within reason of course.) So, no eight-disc Season Boxed Sets or Deluxe, Super, Extreme, Maxi, Ultra Editions with seven discs and a collectable whatever. I’ll do Criterion or three-disc Editions but that’s it. Good Luck!
As always, feel free to comment, contest, or disagree with anything you read hear. I look forward to hearing from you. Also, I apologize for the lateness of this post. It seems that I have had something of a social life happen to me when I was not looking. I can always count on a friend to ask me to do stuff or stop by. In fact, that is one of the main things that I consider in calling someone a friend. Otherwise, it is business as usual, and cousin, biz-ness, is a boomin’. Quoting the Moron.
Until Next Time, “I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control everything really are.”
© 2010 Ernest M. Whiteman III
