The End of an Era

 Today; Friday, July 15th, marks (or should I say "Dark Marks"?) the release of the latest and final Harry Potter film. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a cinematic event that's been 14 years in the making (the first book was published June 1997). Now, perhaps you might be thinking "what's the big deal? The movies weren't really that great, and they got kind of lame over the past few films". To which I might have a hard time arguing. But I'm not here to talk about the quality of the films, I'm here to talk about why this movie (you could even say it's only the second half of one movie) is such a huge deal.

Love, Harry Potter.

 If you're reading this, I assume you're between the age of 12 and 30. If you're 12, you weren't there in the beginning- get out you stupid poser! In all seriousness though, Harry Potter is a franchise that has grown up with us (yeah, I say "us". Deal with it) for pretty much our entire lives. Whether you went to see these movies in theatres, or just rented the DVDs, or have read the series more than 5 times like some friends of mine have, you more than likely know of Harry Potter.

 For some reason, people (including myself) eat this up! With the exception of probably the last 2 or 3, I loved the books! They were wonderfully written and tons of fun. The movies were never of Citizen Kane quality, but they were still a lot of fun too. What's more is that these were relatable characters. I think we all know a Ron Weasley, or a Hermione Granger (okay, until I saw the movies, I always thought her name was pronounced "Her-moyn"). With each new adventure, we escaped to Hogwarts and loved every second of it. My point is this, though, Harry Potter was in some way part of your life. Maybe your best friend read them, but Rowling had created a franchise that was almost universally popular.

Sometimes I pronounced it "SOHOTSOHOTSOHOTSOHOTSOHOT"

 I've heard from a lot of people that they don't like how the movies became darker and more serious. I totally agree with that. After the 4th movie, gone was the escapism that I craved, and it was replaced by "dark and gritty" themes and boring teenage drama. In the books, you don't notice it as much because, while the themes are darker, the almost playful writing is there to soften it. Also, being that films shorten the story as presented in their respective novels (the Harry Potter books became a lot thicker after the first 3) so they have to pick and choose what to include, and they chose what would sell to their target audience. I totally understand that from a business perspective. 

All I care about is MONEY! And also watching you while you sleep!

 I'm kind of sad about these characters leaving us too. It's bitter sweet, really. The way I try and explain it is this: these characters grew up with us, and as we got older, the series began to cover themes that we were old enough to handle. The series is ending, and the characters are moving on. Now we can too.

 All that being said, this is the end of an era. Whether we like it or not, Harry Potter will go down in history and will most likely define our generation. It's time to say good-bye. This will be a day that I personally believe will go down in cinema history, and will not be forgotten by pop-culture nerds as long as they exist.

I mean, we've all tried to forget this, but it can't be done. Sorry.

Scratching The Surface of Modern Nerd-dom.

(The following is my final project for my Media class. Hopefully I will continue to update this blog, and depending on how my summer goes, I will be able to review a lot of movies. So, please enjoy this post and have a great summer, folks.)

Nerd: an intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession.

Nerd: a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.

If you ask me, then a nerd is a hipster that not everybody hates (despite the work “contemptible” being in the definition). That wasn’t always the case, though. Back in “the day” nerds were stuck in the basement of their respective mother’s, left to play Dungeons and Dragons and fantasize over Princess Leia (we’ve all been there). Now nerds are an accepted group, and even have a sitcom about them (though whether it is a good sitcom is up for discussion). So, what hapenned? What turned being a nerd from something uncool into being a popular niche? The answer is quite simple. Late 90s and early 2000s were the years of the nerd. Now, “why is that, Zach, you devilish genius?” you may ask. That’s kind of the idea of this whole project, my dear reader.

Devilish genius indeed! Minus the homosex, of course.

Just think about it though. In the late 90s/early 2000s, the kids who grew up with Transformers, Power Rangers and Thundercats were becoming adults. They emerged out of post-secondary schools with their Ph.D’s and Doctorates, as opposed to sports scholarships like all of those nasty bullies. Just like everyone has predicted (perhaps jokingly) that they would “be your bosses”, it happened. And in my opinion, it’s what the world needed going into the new millennium. These are the people who were forced to think differently because they were treated that way. They were the underdogs, and as the world grew into one fit for underdogs, they emerged victorious.

So what did all this mean? Should you run in fear of being beaten to death by calculator-wielding virgins? Not at all, dear reader. Well, at least that’s not the point. My main point is that entertainment and the media has changed to fit the audience, and as well as the “big wigs” at the heads of companies. Why are there all sorts of super-hero movies coming out? Why is there a movie about the founding of Facebook? Why is everything ever written by Mark Millar or Alan Moore (yeah, that’s right. I put them together. What’re you gonna do about it?) being put onto the big screen? Because that’s what the writers and directors and studios know that movie-goers grew up with, and so did they. Be honest with yourself. If you could green-light a project to turn your favourite cartoon into a movie, you would totally do it. And that’s what happens. Sometimes it doesn’t make a good movie, but people will pay to see Transformers 12 because they want to see their favourite toys on the big screen like back in the 80s.

"I hope they don't hire Michael B- Oh, man!"

“Now wait just a minute.” you might be saying. “I grew up with Transformers, and I loved Thundercats. And Rainbow Brite was one of my guilty pleasures! Does that mean I’m a nerd?” Well, my incredibly confused friend, it’s possible, but all that does not make you a nerd. What makes you a nerd is the obsession, the desire to learn more, all those deep and subtle qualities is what makes a nerd. 

Seriously, dude, what's wrong with you?

But good news, poser/wannabe! With this great new-fangled piece o’ technolojay called the “internet” you can begin your quest to nerd-dom. When the internet first came around, only nerds could use it. There wasn’t porn to watch, or new CollegeHumour videos, but you could connect to another computer and write lines of code and stuff. In retrospect, it was kind of stupid, but the enjoyment came from connecting with someone in another part of the world with the same obsession for computer programming as you! With the internet being what it is now, you just need to know how to Google stuff, and you can find most any piece of knowledge ever contained in any human brain in the entire world. What originally took years of dedication, travelling to conventions and rewatching old episodes now just takes a quick read-through of a Star Trek wiki page to learn. 

And that’s where some people (including myself, to an extent) have a problem. 

See, all that commitment and time and energy is part of what makes a nerd a nerd. “Single minded expert in a particular [thing]” in this context basically means “obsessed”. What makes a nerd isn’t so much the knowledge of Kirk’s (creepy alien sexual) exploits and Picard’s adventures, it’s being able to argue which one of them was a better Captain, or had a better dry-cleaner. To be a nerd is to “care about the stuff that no one else cares about”. But with people actually starting to care about “nerdy” things, do nerds have to delve into the more obscure?

You have to admit that Picard is a total f***ing boss

Cole Stryker seems to think so, as he says in his article but I’m not so sure. If being a nerd is only being into stuff that only a small number of people are into, then I guess we’re all just hipsters. I know I use the word “hipster” in my own personal definition, but what I mean by that is that we set trends, and are ahead of the curb. But just because other people maybe have caught up, doesn’t mean Transformers and Green Lantern aren’t cool. Like I said before, the commitment and obsessiveness is what makes a nerd. You might know “all the names of the Asgardians”, but do you know “which one is totally the coolest” or “which one has the most badass helmet”. It’s these sorts of minute, seemingly insignificant details that make a true otaku, and this is why true nerds don’t need to fear being overshadowed by the posers. Because let’s be honest, we were probably like that at one time too.

If people are starting to become interested in nerd-dom, we shouldn’t be upset. Sure, you might feel a little bit bitter that you’re not the only one who listens to film soundtracks and re-watches Godzilla movies, but instead of being bitter or angry about it, we should embrace the future of our culture! The n00bz are the ones who will be running the show soon enough. So pass on your knowledge, lend a movie, suggest a comic book (don’t let them borrow it. You want it to stay in good condition) and let rise the new generation!

TL;DR

Just give me a good mark, Mr.Edwards!




PS: I want to thank my wonderful girlfriend for letting me bounce my ideas off of her, and being overall helpful with pretty much all of my posts. Thanks, Joelle. :)

The Last, and Probably Least, of My Mini Reviews

Ah, Back to The Future (no short form, because this assignment has a minimum word count. I’m going to milk this). I talked about this movie a little bit in my Time Travel Post (hm... is that posted at this point in time? I can never keep track) but I thought I’d might as well review it as part of my 3 “mini-reviews”.

Like this. Only as a verb.

What can I say about this movie? (You’re about to find out). It’s a classic. It’s a comedy, romance, and an adventure that spans through time and space! This movie is just a lot of fun to watch, and if you haven’t seen it yet, then you don’t know what you’re missing. I watched the trilogy for the first time about a month ago, and I was delighted with it. The acting was great, and the writing, even (or especially) with the cheesy jokes made for an enjoyable movie watching experience. Got time to watch 3 movies that aren’t Lord of the Rings? Watch the Back To The Future trilogy.

Beetlejuice, Beetlej- Oh, screw it. I'll Say it at Least 3 Times in the Review

 Speaking of great directors creating great atmosphere, we watched Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice over the course of the... well... course. If you’ve seen a Burton film, then you know his style: dark and quirky. He even manages to make Pee Wee a bit of a creepy concept (other than the whole public masturbation thing, I mean). Masturbation joke aside, Beetlejuice is a great movie that I enjoyed as a child. After re-watching, however, I thought “What were my parents thinking when they let me watch this?!?!” This movie is creepy, but, like a lot of Burton’s other films, manages to be simultaneously light-hearted. I seriously don’t know how he does it! I mean, it’s a story about a young couple who die a tragic death, and haunt a family with the help of a demon. How this plot is made into a comedy about finding yourself is beyond me.

I smell sitcom!

 I think my favourite part about this movie, and Burton in general, is the quirkiness. All of his characters are basically outcasts looking for a place to belong. Maybe this just speaks to me personally (a friend of mine actually calls me "Zach Skellington"), but it seems to work for Burton all of the time. Call them cheesy, but I love the effects, too. Beetlejuice’s crazy arms, turning the handrail into a snake, the lame floating/dancing scene at the end of the movie are all great and kind of capture the lightheartedness of it all. I wouldn’t say that this is Tim Burton’s best film, and it probably wouldn’t even be in my top 5, but it’s still a good movie, and Burton is a good director. What more can I say? The great thing is that I don’t have to say a whole lot. This assignment is a mini-review.

END

PS: 3 times, see?

A Lamento on Memento

 If you know me, then you know that I love Chris Nolan. Because I know you’ve all seen The Dark Knight, you all know that he handles the film-noire genre really well. If you watched Inception, then you probably also know that Nolan also has a knack for messing with his audience’s head (Although Inception’s plot really wasn’t that complicated. But that’s a discussion for another time). Memento is a great film of Nolan’s, and is probably the best one to watch if you want to get a sense of what he’s all about. 

Seriously, you guys, it's not that hard.

 Memento is the story of a man named Leonard Shelby, a man with anterograde amnesia, which means he can’t make new memories. He’s trying to find his wife’s killer, and has to keep notes (and give himself tattoos) to remember details of his investigation. Nolan cuts between two separate plot-lines. One is told chronologically with Leonard talking about his investigation with an anonymous caller on the phone in his hotel room. The other is in reverse chronological order, as we go backwards after Leonard has supposedly killed his wife’s attacker. This makes the audience feel as if they have Leonard’s condition, as they can’t remember what’s just happened (we don’t know yet) but can see what’s happening presently. For the final scenes of the movie, Nolan merges these two stories which creates a really cool effect for the viewer, as Nolan begins to tie everything together. 

Yes, it was all tied up very nicely.

 This movie is great. If you want a psychological thriller or a mystery, then watch this film. The ending will blow your mind, and the storytelling is incredible and unique. The ending contains mindf***ery of the highest degree. A lot of people think that the film noire genre died a long time ago, or think that it only existed in the 20’s and 30’s, but Nolan manages to keep it alive with a breath of modernity while still maintaining classic (if not a little bit stereotypical) film noire elements like narration and black and white creating the film’s atmosphere.

Important Message From The Future

 Okay, so this isn't actually an important message from the future, but it is time to take a look at the Time Travel genre! Yeah, this is another assignment. I'll try to make it as not-lame as possible. 

 The Time Travel genre is basically an extension or sub-genre of science fiction, but I felt it deserved to be placed on it's own. I LOVE time travel stories. Basically what happens is characters are thrown into a crazy situation and have to think of an even crazier way to get out of said situation. The reason I love them so much is because of their unpredictability. Now, you have understand that when I watch a movie or TV show, I don't really try to guess what happens next because... well, I really don't care. But this sort of mystery of "man, how is The Doctor going to get out of this one?" is a feeling that I love getting.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually—from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint—it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff."

 The genre also has a common theme of fate. Quantum Leap is all about changing the past to alter the future, and make life better. The Back To The Future trilogy also touched on this subject, but also shows us that it is the past that makes us who we are. Doctor Who (up until recently) shows us not to meddle, even though we may want to. The Doctor shows us that life is what you make of it, and not to worry.

 The problem that I often had with science fiction in general is that it tends to be cheesy. But in all honesty, once you get used to science fiction and it’s general lack of budget, you get over it. I mean, Doctor Who has always had cheesy effects, but it’s not so much the effect, it’s that you understand “okay, there is a monster there. It has a big head”. And sometimes it’s just a matter of “it’s so bad it’s good”.

Plots sometimes have more holes than this cheese, here.

  So here I have 3 examples of works that exemplify characteristics of the Time Travel genre best. You're welcome.

 Doctor Who is a show that's been going on since the 1960s. It's the longest running science fiction program of all time, and is extremely popular in it's homeland of England (and is gaining popularity in North America, too) with radio programs, novels, and spinoff shows. It follows a Time Lord (known only as "The Doctor") from the planet Galifrey, the last member of a whole race of time travelling aliens, as he goes on adventures with his various human companions. Antics ensue. Whenever something goes wrong, you can always count on The Doctor to attack the problem with an child-like sense of excitement. 

 Quantum Leap is a show about Doctor Sam Beckett, who invents a time machine. Instead of just travelling through time, though, he switches consciousnesses with random people, and can only hope to escape by solving a problem in their life. Once he has, he moves on to another body, hoping to eventually find his way home. He is accompanied by his hologram friend, Al. Antics ensue. 

 And of course, Back To The Future. A classic trilogy that I actually hadn’t seen until just a month or so ago. Marty McFly goes back in time in a time travelling DeLorean invented by Doc Brown. He has to make sure that his parents get together while also preventing the death of Doc Brown. Antics ensue. He meets Doc Brown of the past, and they work together to get Marty back to the future (get it? That's the name of the movie) in time for 2 more sequels. 

 "The Time Machine" is the book that basically created the Time Travel genre as it is now. Written in 1895, the novel portrays a character known simply as "The Time Traveller" who creates a machine that takes him to the year 802,701 AD. Antics ensue. 

 If I had to guess why I love the time travel genre so much, it’s probably because the stories are all action packed adventures, and super fun. But because the characters risk messing with the time/space continuum, the stakes are a lot higher, tension is greater, and you’re that much more concerned for what’s going to happen next (either that, or you already know what’s going to happen next because it’s already happened). Regardless, if you haven’t seen any of the the shows or movies that I’ve talked about, I’d recommend giving at least one of them a try. At the very least, you can tell me that I’m an idiot for liking them. You’d be wrong, but you could say it.

TL;DR

Long story. But antics definitely ensued.

Biased Documentary is Biased

I recently watched the documentary "RIP! A Remix Manifesto". It was basically about the artists who mix music to make new music, and whether the law suits being pressed upon them are warranted. My opinion? Well, I’ll get to my opinion on piracy later, but I do think that the film was biased in favor of the "remixers".

By that I mean director Brett Gaylor looked only at why the remixers should be encouraged, but didn’t deal with the fact that the record labels were losing money on products that they actually own. Whenever they portrayed the corporate side of the industry, they were portrayed as big wig, greedy Nazis. The fact is that music is not just an art, but an industry. Now here’s where things kind of go morally and legally grey.

You don't remix music... Music remix YOU!

If an artist takes previously existing music and does something new with it, whether it be a cover or a remix, is it still art? Is it even at all original? I like to think that it can be original. The basic argument of the film is that everything comes from something else. Science has shown this [link] has been demonstrated in art basically forever. Here’s a song you’ve probably heard and here is a remix of that song. Now, these songs have similarities, but they are also radically different. That’s art. Speeding up a song to make it sound like The Chipmunks is not.

Pictured: The only redeemable thing that Disaster Movie did was it's portrayal of these evil monsters.

I thought that this movie was compelling in the sense that it makes a case for the artists using copyrighted music to make more art. It did not address piracy and how the companies are losing money from everyone who downloads their music.. Sure, some people use copyrighted music to make art, but other people just download it so they don’t have to pay for their media. This movie seems to forget about the corporations who are getting totally screwed by the people who download their music illegally. So yeah, if you’re going to make art with someone else’s music-go ahead, but I think they should at least pay some kind of royalty or something. It’s only fair. If you’re downloading music because you can’t be bothered to pay for it- well, "don’t get caught" is really all the advice I can give you.

Do I pirate music and movies? If I say "yes" then the fuzz can come and cuff me. Quite frankly, I’m not into the idea of being bummed in a jail cell. If I say "no" then I come across as a self-righteous jerk-hole. So, I’m not saying one way or the other. But I will say this: piracy is breaking the law. People break the law all the time. If you’re fine with the guilt and the risks for the sake of getting your media cheaper, then that’s your choice. I’m not going to stand in your way. Then again, someone else might.

Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow. But this guy kicks WAY more butt than you.

Citizen Kane>Everything You've Ever Seen In Your Life. EVER.

 All right, you got me. I, a self-proclaimed lover of movies,  had never seen Citizen Kane before just last week. In my defence, I had been trying to make time to watch it, but had wanted to watch it in my Media Studies class. In any case, I've seen it now. And, although I will admit I need to see it again, I will do my best to talk about it, as is my class' assignment. For those of you who haven't seen the film, this review may contain spoilers, although most of the movie has been revealed via pop-culture. (Like the entire Simpsons episode that was a spoof of the film. A true homage).


 Citizen Kane is widely regarded as being the best film ever. At the very least, it is the most revolutionary. The camera shots, the acting, the music and the story were all so unique, incredible and new at the time. When a movie can capture an audience after 70 years, it must have done something right.

Citizen Kane isn't the only thing that's 70 years old and awesome!

 I've got to be honest, Citizen Kane is not my favourite film (I'm not sure if I can even pick a favourite), but I would be hard-pressed to find a "better" one. I put "better" in quotations because the goodness of a film is somewhat relative. A good way of telling whether a movie is truly good or not is what I say about it. My opinion is always right, so it's a good idea to double-check with me before you go on thinking you know things. Just something to keep in mind. (If you know me, then you know that deep down, that's pretty much how I feel. Arrogance is a topic I will probably cover in another post).

 Like I said before, I can't really think of a "bad" aspect of the movie. A lot of my classmates were complaining about Susan Alexander Kane, and how annoying she was. Well... yeah. That's kind of the idea, folks. The acting was top-notch, the music was really cool, the camera tricks were revolutionary, and got me thinking about how we take all those neat little things for granted today.

 Citizen Kane may not be all that exciting for the average viewer. It's certainly no Michael Bay masterpiece. There are no giant robots, or boobs or anything. So why watch this movie? Because this movie is brilliant, that's why. I did some Googling, and took a look at some of the things that Citizen Kane did that no other movie was doing at the time. If you look, pretty much everything is in focus in any given shot. Why? Because it was different, that's why. You'll notice that pretty much every movie you will ever watch does this. Orson Welles says "you're welcome". I'm not going to go through everything. Seriously, take a look even on Wikipedia or something and see all the things that this movie brought to film-making.

What they mean is "this movie is literally the best movie you will ever see."

 This assignment is tough. "First impressions of Citizen Kane"? I'm supposed to give my thoughts on the greatest film of all time after only seeing it once? Well, fine. Here it is. I'm don't have a list of the Top 10 Best Films According to Zach, and I don't think I'll make one. I love a lot of movies, and I dislike a lot of movies. I think a lot of movies are just okay. Citizen Kane is one of the movies I really loved. That's all you're going to get out of me in terms of an explicit statement, and I think that's all you guys are going to get in any of my blog posts. I say this so often, but it's so true. My blog is a stream of consciousness. It's a blog.

Sucker Punch *SPOILERS*

All right, here it goes...

 Some of you may know (in fact all of you. Only my friends actually read this thing, I'm sure) that I was really excited for Sucker Punch. This movie looked AWESOME. I mean, check out this trailer and tell me that this doesn't look like it's going to be the coolest movie you've ever seen.

 The above video encompasses basically every daydream I've ever had. This is almost literally how I see things in my head! (Same thing I thought when I saw Scott Pilgrim, btw). But anyway, that's not the point. The point is: I was really excited for this movie. 

 I really wasn't hoping for much. An entertaining night at the movies with some strong female characters and awesome fight scenes. I've got to be honest, that's what I got when I went to see Sucker Punch. But, man, that movie was not good. It wasn't bad, but it was most certainly not good.

 I was a little confused from the beginning of the movie. The opening scene shows Baby Doll's mother dying, leaving everything she owns to her two daughters. Baby Doll's father isn't too pleased, and gets all drunk and stuff. Long story short, Baby Doll shoots at her father, but misses and kills her sister instead. Daddy sends Baby Doll to the crazy house, which is where our adventure will take place (well.. kind of).

 Baby Doll meets 4 other girls, including a black-haired girl named Blondie, an asian girl names Amber (a little racist? naw) and two sisters named Rocket and Sweet Pea. Rocket, Sweet Pea and Baby Doll are really the only important characters in terms of plot, but the others are cool too.

 Blue is the name of the guy who takes care of them in the mental institution. This is all the exposition you really need to know.

 The girls go on quests (like in an RPG) in their imaginary world and recover artifacts that they need to escape. In the end, turns out that all of the main five characters except for Sweet Pea and Baby Doll were imaginary, and Sweet Pea eventually escapes, and Baby Doll is left in the asylum. (She wasn't insane before, but now she is. That actually did used to happen, and that's actually something I would have liked to have seen more of. Baby Doll's transition into insanity). I did mention there were gonna be spoilers. right?

 Here's why I didn't like the plot. The whole deal is that Baby Doll imagines herself and the other characters in a brothel. Which is fair, because Blue exploits the women. The whole movie basically takes place in this brothel, causing you to be confused/not care about what's really going on. Zack Snyder's trying to go all Inception on you, and ultimately fails. When the dancing instructor (the therapist in real life) puts on music, Baby Doll goes into a further "dream state" where she fights monsters and stuff. basically, a video game. These moments are the only cool parts of the movie. Seriously, if this movie were just the fight scenes and the soundtrack, I would be just as happy, if not more.

/END OF LAME STORY CRAP/

 So, the feeling I got from the movie is that Zack Snyder made a few fight scenes, and thought "I want to show people these, but there's no context for them." I'm having trouble explaining this, so I'm just gonna show you guys a conversation I had with a good friend of mine, Joelle over Facebook. She's a girl, so I really wanted to get her perspective on the film. We were both excited to see strong female leads. Anyway, here is a peek into the grand social like of Zach!

Joelle: "I can't rate it, there are too many aspects to consider. The whole idea of the different realities/dreams/imaginary worlds was awesome, but the rest of it sort of lacked. I don't know... if I have to choose, maybe a 5 or 6." (5 is average, btw).

Me: "Fair enough. The feeling I get is that it was a really awesome idea, and they could have done a lot with it. But it wasn't completely clear what Zack Snyder wanted me to think. What message was this movie trying to portray? To me, he wasn't JUST trying to give us a fun time, he wanted to tell us something. Perhaps about the mistreatment of women by authority? Funny way of doing that, what with all of those camera shots from under the characters skirts'. I'm still not completely sure what to think.

Joelle: "That's exactly what I got from that, too. You could get a different message by looking at each scene from a different perspective, but none of those messages fit in every part of the movie. It's almost as if someone told Zack Snyder that he needed to show that girls are awesome too, so he threw in some female fighting, but wanted to get the male audience to come, so put the girls in fishnet stockings.

Me: "Okay, I can get that. But maybe he was trying to do too much, and two completely different things, for that matter. Like you said, to appeal to the female AND the male audience. It didn't work for me. (I'm not both genders, but I'd like to think I'm in-tune with this sort of thing. :P). And the whole concept of the movie lead me to believe it was just gonna be a fun time, but instead they tried (key word-tried) to give a deep plot. I think a lot of things Snyder was trying to do got lost in translation."

Joelle: "I don't even know how to reply to that, because that's the perfect way to explain it." You're so smart and you have really big muscles.

I think that this movie had acknowledged that it was basically a video game, then they could have had a lot of fun with it, and the audience would have had fun, too. I think this movie took itself too seriously. Like I said, Snyder wanted to have a really fun action movie, but he also wanted to have a complicated plot and a deep message. This movie could have just been a fun action movie with a message about self-empowerment, and it would have been a lot of fun. This move could have been like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World if it had simply acknowledged that it was silly. The audience all understood that it was silly, but I can't be sure if the director did.

 Anyway, I was disappointed with this movie. I wanted it to be a cult-classic, and it could have been. Should you watch it? That's a great question, inquisitive reader. I'd say that if you want to have a fun time at the movies with your friend, or a lady or whatever... then yeah, sure. It was not worth seeing opening night, though. If you're looking for an Oscar movie, you're out of luck. I'd suggest going to see it with some friends, and deciding for yourself.

 PS: (For those who have seen the movie): Would this movie not have been totally awesome as an anime movie? I mean, anime can get away with stupid stuff like this. It could have worked!

TL;DR (a segment done by my friend, zorkonlikespie)

Today, I had a nap. When I woke up, I had birthday cake. True story.

Heroes Season 2

 Yeasterday (I'm posting this at 1:30am, so technically yesterday) was St.Patrick's Day. Every year, I've got to appreciate the Irish. Last summer, I went to a town called Midland for an international rowing (yes, as in boats) competition with teams from all over the world. I will never forget the enthusiastic Irish and their loud cheers, and of course, their incredible ability to dance on top of tables. I mean, St.Patrick's Day is a day that the abuse of alchohol is not only socially acceptable, but almost expected of you. And for that, I tip my green hat to the Irish.

 The preceding paragraph had nothing to do with the following ones. It was also brought to you by the letter "J", so I'd love to give a shoutout to "J". Thanks, man, I owe you one.

 So anyway, while you were all out drinking and having the sort of fun that normal members of society seem to have, two of my friends decided to watch all 11 episodes of Heroes, season 2. (I wrote about the first season a couple of posts back, if you want to take a look.) Basically I want to relay my initial thoughts about it, and hopefully initiate some discussion either in the comments, or if you see me in person. (As is my goal with most of my posts.)

 When I tell people I was planning on watching all four seasons of Heroes, I was told "seasons 1 and 2 are the best. It's not even worth watching from that point." Well, I'm going to watch season 3 and 4, just so you guys know. But I've got to be honest, I was really under-whelmed by season 2. Like I've said before, my favourite character was Noah Bennet because of the great growth he went through, and he seemed to be a constantly changing character. But in season 2, it was as if he had forgotten all that he had learned. In terms of the characters, I think that Nathan really shined, and so did Hiro. He's becoming more and more wise, as are a lot of the characters. I also found myself loving Claire even more. She's starting to find herself I think.

Nothing says "strong character" like cutting off your toes, just to see what happens!
You can read that post sarcastically or not. It works either way.

 In terms of the plot, I was unimpressed, and I think that's what got me most about it. It was cool to see what happened to the characters after the explosion, and their whole adventure in season 1, but that's all thanks to the characters, not the plot. With the first season, it opened with telling us of an explosion that it going to completely destroy the city, and the whole "save the cheerleader, save the world" deal. It kept me watching. I wanted to find out how they dealt with a seemingly unstoppable explosion. With season 2, I didn't really feel that sort of suspense. I enjoyed watching the whole Hiro/Kensei thing that was going on, and I liked seeing the situations that the characters were put in. But in terms of the main plot about the previous generation "screwing things up", I found myself generally uninterested. Maybe it was just me, or maybe (as one of my friends pointed out later) it was the context in which I was watching the show, but I was not engaged nearly as much as I was in the first season.

 So, I'm going to watch the rest of the series, and will hopefully finish season 3 in a week or so. I'm not saying that season 2 was bad, I'm just saying that I got my hopes up after the brilliance that was season 1, and I was let down.

Sentient Tires Will Rule The Earth!!!

 Eye-catching title, right? And believe it or not, it actually has to do with this post! Crazy, right?!? So, I watched a movie called "Rubber". It's a comedy-horror film about a sentient tire that can blow up people's heads. Still don't believe me? Here's the trailer for this thing.

 So, I saw the trailer for this and I was like "okay, this could be really funny. It'll be interesting to see how they keep my interest for a whole hour and twenty minutes". Well, I've got to be honest... they didn't. Don't get me wrong, I totally got what they were trying to do with the movie. Just skim over this. (It's basically modern art, only in the form of a play/movie or whatever.) But as a comedy, this movie isn't really very funny. As a horror, it's not scary. It's a tire. Sorry, folks, but unless you have some sort of tire phobia (I couldn't find one on the internet. But it's got to exist) then tires aren't scary.

Doctor Who makes inanimate objects SO much scarier. Don't blink, kids.

 While watching the movie, I was basically thinking the same thing in my head. "What am I watching? When is something going to happen? What am I watching? When is something going to happen?" etc. The only real enjoyable thing about this movie is the novelty that such a film exists, and that you just watched it.

 In terms of plot, there really isn't one. The movie starts off with an explanation about how there are so many things in this world that don't have a reason. Basically, they're saying "Don't expect an explanation to any of this. We're just as confused as you are."

Gonna haunt your dreams, aren't they? Yeah, me neither...

 So, it's getting late (actually, it's only 11:00. But that was just an excuse to stop writing. I've stopped caring at this point...) and I'm gonna close this up. This is a movie to watch with your buddies for the sole purpose of watching a movie about a murderous tire. If I had friends, I'm sure that's what I would have done, and I wouldn't have blogged about it afterwards. It's not a good movie, but it's a movie worth seeing for the obscurity of it. (I call "no hipster")

Have a great March Break.

Zach

Heroes Season 1

 Last night, I finished watching Heroes season 1. This post isn't going to be long, I basically want to express how much I loved it! The character development, the story. It was all great.

Look at how happy they are. Awwwww...

 For the first couple of episodes, I was concerned as to how they were going to keep the interest going through the whole 23 episodes, let alone 4 whole seasons! But Time Kring's creativity (plus the fact that I have nothing else to do with my life. Hence this blog) managed to keep me watching all the way through. It made me laugh (especially Hiro. More on him later) and it made me cry (Noah Bennet's scences, and, of course, that ending...) and I loved the plot twists and everything. But what I really want to talk about is some of the characters that I loved, and how the characters are really what drives this story.

 Everyone has their favourite characters. Personally, mine is Noah Bennet. He doesn't have any powers, but he deals with people who do every day. From the beginning, there was something about the character I loved. He started off as a loving supportive father, and although he didn't know what Claire was going through (well, he did. But we didn't know that he knew. so it doesn't count) and he still supported her. Then he became a villain, then a vigilante, then a hero. I'm really looking forward to what happens to him in the rest of the series.

 The characters are so important in this show. The show isn't called "Stop an explosion", it's called "Heroes". It's about the characters. Something I noticed was that near the end (SPOILERS) the supporting cast was ignored. I realize that it would have been impossible to incorporate all of those characters, but I would have liked to know how they were doing at least. Hopefully they cover that in season 2.

 Anyway, I guess I kind of just wanted to let you guys know I watched season 1, and I will be watching the others. I like to pretend that people care what I think, and blogging helps with that. :P

G'day all

Zach

 I also want to give a shout out to everyone in Japan right now. My thoughts and prayers are with the families over there.

Assignment #2: Music Video Analysis

 The above video is Michale Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", the best music video ever. It was released as a single for his album "Bad" in 1987, and the video was also featured in Michael Jackson's movie (yes, he had a movie. And it was terrible) "Moonwalker". The dancing, the pure kick-assedness of this video is overwhelming. Seriously, if you haven't watched it, watch it now! It's 10 minutes long, but it's worth it. I can wait, really.

Seriously, go and watch it.

It's fine. I made myself a sandwich, go ahead!

All right, good. Now that you've settled down, here's the part where I analyse it for my teacher- er, I mean, for you, my loyal readership.

 And I guess because I'm making a post about a piece of Michael Jackson's work, I have to talk about his unfortunate death. I think we can all remember where we were when we found out that our beloved MJ had died. Does that say something about our culture? Sure it does, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily bad. It's things like this, whether it be the death of a president or the greatest pop artist of all time, that bring North Americans (Canadians and Americans alike) together. I choose to see it as a good thing. Anyway, on with the show...

 In this video, Michael Jackson is presented basically as a god. In Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson does some of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. The dancing is perfect, the choreography of all the extras is perfect. I can't think of anything wrong with this video. (Well, the scene where everyone goes all quiet for a minute seems kind of out of place, but it builds up the tension). In one part, Jackson shoots a guy. Not only that, but the guy goes flying backwards and crashes through the wall. He picks up a pool ball, crushes it into dust, and blows it in someone's face to knock him out. This video enforces the belief of the time that Michael Jackson is a musical god!

 And that's something I can agree with. MJ did so much for the musical world. With Thriller he revolutionized the music video, and with Smooth Criminal, it was perfected. Now, like most videos, it presents the main character (the singer or whatever) is presented as being the pinnacle of humanity. Who doesn't want to be like MJ (before he died, or became creepy, of course). What 12 year old girl doesn't want to date Justin Bieber?
 On the same sort of line, this music video doesn't so explicitly express any specific values. I mean, you could argue that it glamourizes the life of a criminal, but it doesn't really. It's just a brilliant display of dancing and choreography, and it is awesome. You know what this video get across to me? It says "Zach, learn to dance. Only then will you unlock your full potential."

 This video can only be appreciated by people who don't suck. Most people I've talked to haven't seent he video, but I haven't met someone who saw the video and didn't like it. It perhaps doesn't indulge in sex and drugs like modern music videos tend to do, but at the end, MJ shoots up the bar. Kind of out of place, again, but this video is too awesome to be nit-picky.

 This is a great music video. it's fanstastic! Superb! Magnificent! Absolute- well, you get the point. It's awesome. I challenge you to find a more awesome video. I have never seen better choreography in my life. That makes this video worth loving. To me, anyway.

Seriously. Tell me this isn't awesome!

Sexism and the Internet

 All right, so I realize I may say things that people may not like, but that's the great thing about the internet: I don't have to care what you say! In all honesty, this post was done very quickly, and could have been way better thought out. But it's been a long week. And with that, we begin.

 So, the reason I'm making a post about this is because of Lindsay Ellis, aka The Nostalgia Chick, (Her videos can be found at http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thedudette ) has been posting tweets and blog posts about sexism and the internet, particularly on her video's comments. Apparently some people have been making comments about her video about the X-Men cartoon along the lines of "You're a girl! You can't watch the X-Men!!11!one!!11". This, and the fact that Lindsay is a feminist, made her a little upset- And I don't really blame her.

 Here's the thing: being a High School student, I have to hear a lot of sexist jokes. Whether it be about a friend's mother or girlfriend, or "make me a sandwich" jokes, the general male population of my North American city will not shut up about how they think women belong in the kitchen. I'd be lying if I hadn't made the occasional passing joke like that, but I'd like to think I treat everyone equally (which may not always be a good thing. I'm an equal-opportunity sarcastic jerk) and with at least a sliver of dignity.
 No doubt you've heard of the website "mylifeisbro". For those who don't know (and I'm not providing a link to it. Google it, you lazy fools) it's a website in the format of "fml" (Google that too if you don't know) only full of sexist jokes about having sex with your friend's girlfriend followed by her making a sandwich. Whenever I'm forced to work next to the pricks at my school, I have to listen to them reading these "jokes" and I hate it. (Ironically enough, these are the guys with girlfriends!) The internet in general seems to be targeted at a male audience. Now, the numbers say that, while the ratio of male-to-female internet users isn't differed by much, males use the internet more often, and for longer. (http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/1716582/the-online-battle-sexes). So, perhaps internet media is logically more geared toward males, but that doesn't mean that all this sexism is justified, or that the lovely ladies of the internet should just sit and take it.

 Now, that being said, I also love the internet because of it's free speech. Anyone can feel free to join a forum about anyone of their interests (whether it be 80s cartoons, Sci-Fi or creepy Furry-tentacle-Hentai) and make posts and live their lives anonymously as they choose. I'm all for that. And the internet shouldn't be censored either. So no matter what you do, it's always going to be there.

‎"So here's how it is. Women are going to be in your space and they aren't going to say sorry for it. They will watch your shows and play your games. When they go to cons, you don't get to grope them. If you build them a pretty ghetto out of popsicle sticks and glitter glue, they will not move in. When you troll their sites in an effort to shut them down and make them go away, they will laugh and move forward."-bitsyrant. That about sums it up right there. To be honest, I think that if someone wants to make a sexist comment, they might as well do it, because quite frankly, no one can stop them. But they shouldn't be surprised when someone comes back and starts hating on them.


 My main point is this. If you want to say something stupid, you have the right, but by doing so you open yourself up to all the other people who have that same right to start hating you. To the ladies: if you have a problem with someone's sexism, do something about it. If you want something to change, then help make that change1 Make a well thought out blog or video that does your gender justice. You're called the fairer sex for a reason! (See what I did there? Fair, justice. Heh). Send them a polite reply and show them that you're the bigger person. You need to keep us guys in check.


 Anyway, just thought I'd post this little something. Also, I've been informed that Nestle and Kraft use child labour to make their products. So.. y'know... boycott them I guess.