In Memoriam

I saw this picture on TV today. It captures a young woman mourning the death of her fiancé who recently died in Iraq. It nearly broke my heart. Let’s remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion…”

~Abraham Lincoln

'Lost' and other Cultural Milestones

Lost might be the most creative, most complex, and most riveting TV show to ever grace the small screen. This fairly recent phenomenon and the fervor it generates from TV watchers, countless bloggers, and even experts in fields of, “pop culture, literature, philosophy, art and democracy” is unprecedented. In fact, the last episode of the season entitled, “Through the Looking Glass,” was the quintessential study of sci-fi homage and literary symbolism. If you want a deeper insight into the season finale you must read this blog from J. Wood, which fleshes out Biblical allegories, Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, and why Juliet kissed Jack. Here’s the first paragraph:

“There is no easy entrance into "Through the Looking Glass" except through the past episodes. The author of the episode's namesake, Lewis Carroll, was a mathematician and logician whose own Through the Looking Glass is an exercise in mind-bending logic. All assumptions are turned inside-out, as if mirror-twins of their presumed originals, and the season three finale demonstrates how some of our own assumptions of the narrative are turned inside-out. Even time works wrong.

Maybe.”

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This link was brought to you by Casey and the letter “P”

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Lingering questions.

MPA Graduation 2007!!

So, I just discovered Picasa. So, sorry if the pics are a little strange.

Welcome to Earth Hank!

Congratulations to the White family for having what appeared to be a cute little alien named Henry Robert White. Here's another pic. I’m grateful everyone’s healthy and happy. Again, I apologize for walking into the room right after you gave birth Emily. Oh, and thanks for the Reese’s Pieces.

Here's some more pics, seriously.

Generation Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke’s new movie “The Hottest State,” (which he directed, produced, stars in, and adapted from the book he wrote) is opening this summer, but what I’m probably more excited about is the soundtrack, which includes Norah Jones, Cat Power, and Bright Eyes. And in the spirit of Ethan Hawkishness (the Generation X poster boy) I’ve posted my top five Ethan Hawke quotes (in chronological order):

Todd Anderson: [standing on his desk] Oh captain, my captain. – Dead Poets Society

Troy: There's no point to any of this. It's all just a... a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know... a quarter-pounder with cheese, those are good, the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain, the moment where your laughter becomes a cackle... and I sit back and I smoke my Camel Straights and I ride my own melt. – Reality Bites

Jesse: You know what's the worst thing about somebody breaking up with you? Is when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with and you realize that is how little they're thinking of you. You know, you'd like to think you're both in all this pain but they're just like 'Hey, I'm glad you're gone'. – Before Sunrise

Vincent: There's no gene for fate. - Gattaca

Jesse: I heard this story once about when the Germans were occupying Paris and they had to retreat back. They wired Notre Dame to blow, but they had to leave one guy in charge of hitting the switch. And the guy, the soldier, he couldn't do it. You know, he just sat there, knocked out by how beautiful the place was. And then when the allied troops came in, they found all the explosives just lying there and the switch unturned, and they found the same thing at Sacre Couer, Eiffel Tower. Couple other places I think...
Celine: Is that true?
Jesse: I don't know. I always liked the story, though. – Before Sunset

**If you have any more quotes, please share.

To Everything there is a Season

I thoroughly enjoyed the season finale of The Office. Of course, it doesn’t top last year’s Season Two cliffhanger that ended in a dramatic kiss, but it was still good. This episode really left everything up in the air: Who really got the corporate job? What did Jim mean by saying ‘it’s a date’? Was Karen left high and dry in NYC? One thing I am certain of though was that I love watching hour-long episodes of The Office. There are so many great characters on this show, that’s it’s impossible to give them adequate screen time in the current half-hour format. Ah, c'est la vie!

Let me start with the end. How classic was it to see Ryan probably getting the job in NYC in the last little segment that I always seem to skip on my TiVo? Ryan becoming Michael’s boss would create a lot of uncomfortably funny plots next year. It’s interesting that B.J. Novack, (aka Ryan) a writer on the show, would essentially give himself less screen time. Maybe the producers felt that the already packed-with-characters sitcom would benefit from better actors taking a more prominent role, like Ed Helms (Andy) for instance. Ryan the Temp character isn’t that good to begin with anyway, it’s sort of a one-note, smarmy kid. He’s had some good lines, and I love his interactions with Kelly, but overall I’d rather watch the Andy/Dwight power trip conversations over the Ryan/Kelly relationship quarrels.

But the conversation at the end of the episode isn’t a guarantee that Ryan actually got the job. In fact, one of my friends at work has hypothesized that Karen could have gotten the job at corporate and Ryan might have gotten a different job, such as Jan’s assistant. Remember the line Jan told her assistant before she left about following your dreams and not to give up on the rock band? It’s just a thought. But also, just because Ryan has an MBA doesn’t really make him qualified for such a high position, especially since he has never even made a sale—maybe those MBAs are a little more valuable than I had thought. However, if Karen were to get the job that would produce an interesting dynamic to the show, as she would become not only Michael’s boss, but Jim’s superior. This of course all assumes that Karen’s character would be coming back next year.

I’ve also read some internet rumors that have said that Rashida Jones (Karen) would come back to the show contingent on whether or not her new sitcom was picked up on Fox. The sitcom has actually been picked up by the network, so her character might be axed all together. But still we’re gonna need some resolution to the Jim/Karen relationship, so I’m thinking she’ll at least be back for some guest appearances at the very least.

Speaking of relationships, who would have thought that the most dysfunctional and somewhat funny, but mostly creepy couple to watch this season has been Michael and Jan. From the first season Jan has always seemed like a very strong-minded corporate individual, and her lust for Michael was something of a fluke. The CFO might have given us an insight into her neurotic character, by painting her as an undependable basket case, furthered by her recent, er, “enhancement”. In pure double entendre genius I love how they entitled this episode “The Job”. I completely lost it when Michael explained why he was getting back together with Jan by telling Pam, “Your advice was good, but Jan’s was bigger.” Of course, Michael might be getting a little more than he bargained for by tenuously inviting Jan to move in with him—which completely depends on whether he can reneg on his eBay sale of his condo (that’ll probably hurt his rating).

Then there was Dwight who had seemingly consolidated power without using the ancient Roman methods and made Andy his number two. I, too, have often thought that I would like to have Jack Bauer as a second in command of my life, if only he weren’t unavailable, fictional and overqualified. The introduction of the Shrute bucks was vintage Michael incompetence, but only meaner. The banter that followed was some of the best wordplay of the season as Dwight and Stanley haggled over the ratio of Stanley nickels and Schrute bucks, which happens to be the same as unicorns to leprechauns.

But the dramatic lifeblood of the show rested on a golden yogurt lid (symbolizing past flirtations) and a small note, which brought the always cool Jim to stammer in his interview and then—as we’re led to believe—race back to ask Pam on “a date”. Of course, we’re not exactly sure what is meant by the ambiguous invitation, but watching Pam’s face look at the camera after and give a smile of joy and nervousness is pure Emmy material that brought a lump to my throat. It seemed like Pam had found herself with her new independence and confidence, and right before Jim came in she said that it hadn’t worked out because of timing. I’ve heard this explanation before from someone trying to get out of a relationship with me, but it’s also been a real issue that I’ve confronted with potential relationships. In Pam’s case she wasn’t skirting the issue or beating about the bush, she was, and maybe for the first time, being completely honest with herself. Even if two people have a connection, one of them might be engaged, or even dating someone else in the office, which could result in a possible relationship that never materializes. With Jim and Pam the feelings between them were obvious and even manifest to the viewer through Lostesque flashbacks, when Jim noted that even though he was back, he felt like he wasn’t really back. I think this means that he’s never really got back to the place in his heart where he fell in love with Pam. To protect himself he had buried those painful feelings deep down through a relationship with Karen. Only when Pam was able to meet him at the same place of vulnerability and humility, by publicly announcing that she had broken up her wedding for Jim, could he begin to really come back to a place of yogurt lid medals, secret alliances for office pranks, and flirtatious glances of validation.

Thus, timing had been the culprit to the inception of their relationship previously, but in TV land anything can happen. So, we’re left to ponder over the summer whether Jim and Pam are finally getting together after three seasons. But what kind of Office would a Jam relationship result in? I hope the writers aren’t foolish enough to take us down a road of on-and-off-again-soap-opera relationships a lá Ross and Rachel. I should hope not. The Office has too much realism gushing from its creative center to pursue something so uninspired, but maybe I’m giving the writers too much credit. In fact, a relationship at the office would be interesting and could be fun between Jim and Pam, coming up with different ways to annoy Dwight and Andy and giving each other playful looks of acknowledgement every time Michael opens his mouth. But, whatever kind of Office season four turns out to be, one thing for sure is that they’ll be a lot of them, as NBC has asked for an unprecedented 30 episodes to be made. So, sit back, relax, and have a good summer. I’ll see you all next year to enjoy this amazing sitcom with me, in fact, “it’s a date.”

Clearplay for your Conscience

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but video rental shops aren’t allowed to edit movies anymore. (There is, of course, a loophole of editing movies for educational purposes that keeps some of these rental shops in business). The reasoning behind this District Court decision has to do with the fact that Hollywood does not want video retailers to make money off an “altered” movie, which is clearly copyright infringement. Luckily, for those who enjoy watching movies without being saturated with colorful metaphors, there is an alternative, it’s called Clearplay. Clearplay is a company that sells DVD players that edits movies while your watch them. In other words, they don’t actually alter the physical copy of the DVD, but just take out the dregs while you watch--that’s basically how they get around the copyright laws. Recently Target has begun to sell these DVD players for only $59.99. My family has actually owned one for years and it worked great, until it broke. We bought one of the earliest beta versions since we knew the brainchild behind this product, so they’ve probably worked out all the bugs now. Maybe we’ll get a new one…

From 'Lost' to 'X-Men'

The X-Men movies have recently petered out in their overall coolness. I mean, X-3 was okay, as it reminded me more of the cartoons than any of the other movies, but the storyline was confusing and the plot thin. However, some casting news for X-4 might revive my interest in the franchise. There are rumors that Lost star, Josh Holloway (affectionately known as Sawyer), might be stepping into the role of Gambit. This late-addition X-Men mutant known as a southern thief and card shark would be the perfect fit for conman Sawyer, even if it is blatant typecasting.

What's in a name?

Have you been having problems lately naming your kids? Or are you bored with your own name? Well, here are the top names in the nation from the US census for 2006. There might be some ideas in here for you. Angel came as #31—I’m guessing that’s the Spanish version. Navaeh came in as #43 for the girls—that’s heaven spelled backward in case you were wondering.

Scrubs Renewed for Seventh Season!

Most of you probably don’t care, but Scrubs, the underrated sitcom that comes after The Office, has been renewed for a seventh season! Scrubs is kind of a silly screwball comedy that doesn’t get much respect, but I have a soft place in my heart for this single camera sitcom which helped popularize the trend to abandon laugh tracks. Zach Braff’s character comes off a little too whiny and childish sometimes for someone who’s in his early 30s, but the surreal daydreams can be downright hilarious and the poignant life lessons are always a treat. Braff wasn’t gonna come back for a seventh season due to his popularity stemming from his movie, Garden State, but after stinkers like The Last Kiss and The Ex, I guess he decided not to hang up his scrubs quite yet. (and yes the pun was intended, even if it sucked)

Warriors Bullies and Mavericks Cowards?

According to Charley Rosen of Foxsports, the Warriors are nothing but bullies evidenced by their late-game cheap shots and uncalled-for assaults. I think that’s a little extreme. The Warriors were obviously frustrated last night, which resulted in some hard fouls, but it’s hard for me to call them bullies. What is obvious, however, is that Don Nelson’s version of NBA basketball (run-and-gun and live or die by the 3) is fun to watch, but doesn’t get you far in the playoffs. Rosen goes on to say “the bottom line, though, is that bullies can only intimidate and beat cowards, i.e., the Dallas Mavericks. And there's nothing cowardly about any team coached by Jerry Sloan.” True dat. Double true.

Child Prodigy, Artist, Poet

I've posted some paintings here for all of you to enjoy. The interesting thing about them is that they were painted by a child between the ages of 8 and 11. Her name is Akiane Kramarik. She has been called a child prodigy in art and poetry. She was born in the US by Lithuanian immigrants who happened to be athiest. At age 4 she said that she had a life-changing spiritual transformation and began to paint. With no formal training she's said that her abilities are a gift from God. It's quite inspiring. Thanks Aunt Christie.

'Lost' Enlightenment

Last week’s episode of ‘Lost’ was a doozy! It seems that the writers are really trying their best to confuse us with their mumbo jumbo direction of the show. With Jacob (shown here), as an allegorical ghost from the Old Testament, or the suddenly new revelation that Richard might be immortal, the writers never seem to leave us without scratching our heads. I was recently reading one article on the not-so-subtle interjection of famous Enlightenment philosophers’ names as main characters and their connections. “They include: John Locke (blank slate; social contract), David Hume (cause and effect; skepticism), Rousseau (general will), Anthony Cooper (harmony of character), Edmund Burke (conservatism), and the Russian oddball of the bunch, Bakunin (anarchy).” Doc Jensen goes on to discuss it further:

Here's the Big Idea — the curious unifying link — that we've failed to recognize in our narrow application of these philosophers: with the exception of Bakunin, the philosophers of Lost all lived during the Age of Enlightenment, a movement that flowed out of the Age of Reason in the 17th Century. (See: René Descartes, ''I think, therefore I am.'') The Enlightenment belief was that the human mind alone could fathom the mysteries of the world and tame its unruly nature with logic and ideas. It was the Enlightenment that provided the ideological spark for a series of scientific, political, and economic revolutions that would reshape the world and bring forth the utopian-obsessed Modern age. The founding fathers of the United States, for example, were rooted in the ideas of what commentators refer to as ''The Enlightenment Project.'' But perhaps more pertinent to Lost is this: The Enlightenment neutered God. To be clear, many Enlightenment thinkers actually believed in the Big Guy. Nonetheless, their exultation of reason and empiricism precipitated the gradual expunging of religion, mysticism, and magic from any foundational understanding of existence. Thanks to the Enlightenment, God was rendered hazy and driven underground — you know, kinda like a certain crankypants smoke monster that dwells in the bowels of the Island. Coincidence?
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Where to take kids on a bike ride?

Have you ever wondered where you would take your kids, if you had any, on a bike ride? I haven’t. But, this article gives ten great places that, for many of you, might come in handy in like ten or fifteen years. Rad is the word you’re searching for. Oh, yes, my hometown just happens to be one of the towns—too bad I can’t fully enjoy the trails until I have some offspring of my own.

Transformation

I have vivid memories of the toys I owned as a kid. Most of them were He-Man action figures. But, I was also a big fan of Transformers. I remember I had the one that would turn into a tape-player, and it actually worked!! Anyway, Michael Bay and Co. have come out with some more Transformer pics and they’re a lot cooler than when I was a kid. For example, here's Optimus Prime. Uh...awesome. If you can start humming along with the phrase, "more than meets the eye," then you know what I'm talking about.

Derek Fisher: Father First, Basketball Player Second

In case you were wondering, yes, I still love the Jazz! I can’t get over their game on Wednesday when they beat the Warriors to take a much-needed 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semis. It was truly an amazing experience to watch them come back and win this instant classic thriller in overtime—I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. There were so many heroes and so much drama that it really can’t be summed up in one paragraph. So, I won’t. But, I would like to say my prayers are with Derek Fisher and his 10-month old daughter as well as Dee Brown. Good luck tonight guys!

Café Rio v. Chipotle

I was driving to the Café Rio in Fort Union to get my fix of marinated pork barbacoa the other day, but got a little lost. As I was driving around I noticed a construction sign that said a new Chipotle Mexican Grill was gonna open soon! I was delighted, but I could already hear the furious debate starting among all Utahns who seek delicious quasi-Mexican sustenance. Of course, I had heard the comparison before from those who have lived in other states outside of the Beehive, but with the sudden surge of Chipotles popping up in Mormonland now, I’m certain that the argument will reach a fever pitch. I foresee it turning into a civil war between these two Mexican-themed restaurants. Families divided. Friendships pushed to the brink. Tempers flared, resulting in questions such as: “What do you mean, you don’t have enchilada style!?” and “What part of tin-foil wrap do you not understand!?” However, there will be few among us, who, having lived in both areas, will have to quell the inevitable uproar and become the voice of reason. Because I have a dream that one day, when their lips are dripping with either the words of "enchilada style" or "burrito bol," that the Café Rioites will be able to join hands with the Chipotleistas as hermanos and realize that both Mexican eateries are delectable in their own right.

But until then, let the verbal lucha libre begin!

What did you think of Spidey 3?

Now that Spider-Man 3 has already broken some opening weekend records and made like a kajillion (1,000 bajillion) dollars, despite receiving mixed or average reviews, what did you guys think of it? First of all, I liked it. It was a perfect summer movie blockbuster. Yeah, the plot was a little thinner than usual, and it was suffering from what I like to call the “Batman & Robin” syndrome (i.e. way too many characters for adequate character development). With that being said, the special effects were amazing I also thought the acting was pretty good, especially Harry (James Franco). I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t drunk my weight in soda. So, was it what you expected or was it a tangled web of disappointment (man, I’m so witty).

Some things to consider:

-Too many villains? Who would you get rid of?

-Bad Peter Parker’s emo hairdo

-Bad Peter Parker’s dance scene

-Amazing special effects?

-Venom/Sandman lame or cool

-Why did the black goo stick to Peter?

-Was the butler scene really necessary?

Are you a Jazz fan?

Someone asked me if I was a Jazz fan recently. I told her, as I had my hand across my heart, that “they complete me.” Just kidding. I feared mentioning something like that due to the awkward silence that might have ensued. It was a casual question, that deserved a response, but I couldn’t tell her how I really felt about the Jazz—I don’t think she would’ve understood. You see, as a child I dreamed about one day making it into the NBA. I mean this was an actual option for me—and I don’t think I’m alone on this. Many kids go through a phase of thinking that they’re bound to be the next Michael Jordan, or in my case, John Stockton. I mean why not? I had already made it onto the Junior Jazz, that has to mean something right? (Isn’t the Junior Jazz some sort of pre-screening that the Jazz do before they select you on the team?)

Through my basketball career I slowly came to the realization that the NBA wasn’t really going to happen mainly due to the absence of Michael Jordan’s genes in my god-given physicality. However, for some reason, I made the high school basketball team every year, even though I hardly played. But I remained passionate about it. Maybe that’s why I made the team—I was their Rudy or something. Even though my obvious lack of skills and minimal athletic talent shattered my childhood dreams of playing professional basketball, I never stopped being a fan. These pro basketball players were guys that were living out my childhood fantasies. They were real-life superheroes with superhuman strength and power. They were doing what I could only dream about. How could I explain this to her? How could I explain my unwavering allegiance to my home-town superhero Jazz team? The only way I could do this was by explaining the Jazz. My team. I had to explain to her the history of the Jazz as well as their current situation. So, here goes:

The Jazz just beat the Houston Rockets in the opening round of the playoffs yesterday in a seven game series. Not one sports analyst had the Jazz going past the first round. I’ll admit I didn’t either, along with my friends and family. It’s not that we’re disloyal Jazz fans, it’s just that the Jazz’s last month of regular season play was lackluster at best. This is a team that barely missed the playoffs last year in a very strong Western Conference. Thus, this year’s expectations were modestly higher than last years. We, as in the Jazz management, made a few trades in the off-season and acquired our only veteran (Derek Fisher) to bring level-headedness and poise to a still fairly young team. We picked up some players in the draft (Ronnie Brewer, Paul Millsap) that looked to bring an immediate impact. And then the season began with a blitzkrieg start.

For the first couple of months the Jazz were the best team in the league, stockpiling an unusual amount of come-from-behind victories. As the regular season wore on the Jazz were humbled back to earth, as injuries mounted and other teams came into their own. But even then, down the stretch, the Jazz had a good chance to take the Division championship as well as a fourth seed with home-court advantage going into the playoffs. But, as previously mentioned, the Jazz began to implode by losing games to lesser teams due to selfish play and a lack of team cohesion. This resulted in losing home-court advantage to the Houston Rockets, which is an almost assured death nail in playoff advancement. The Jazz are an amazing home-court team because of the louder-than-life fans that bring enthusiasm and heart into every game. The Rockets had surged late in the season and looked pretty unstoppable, however. The media had been all over the Tracy McGrady angle due to his superstar status and the fact that he’d never gotten past the first-round in the playoffs after five tries. The other all-star was the Chinese player, Yao Ming, who some consider the best center in the game today.

And here were the Jazz; an up-and-coming team that couldn’t get media attention even if they recruited Paris Hilton. The dynamic trio of Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Deron Williams had put up all-star numbers the whole season, but it was only Okur that would make it into the all-star game due to the fact that another player dropped out caused by injury. With a hodgepodge of international players that makes it look like a UN basketball training camp, little or no experience in the playoffs, and a coach that some consider past his prime the Jazz started the series.

They played their little hearts out in the first two games at Houston only to lose their half-time advantage—a trend they would continue throughout the series. It was clear by the time that they were down 0-2 that the Jazz had a fighting chance to win some home games, but to win the series seemed a little far-fetched at this point. Oh well, there’s always next year, I thought. They remained competitive in each of their losses, but the home-court factor seemed to be insurmountable. Game 3 proved to be a catalyst for the Jazz, as they completely dominated the Rockets. They carried that confidence with them into Game 4, which resulted in rare blowout for the Jazz. With the series even at 2-2 a glimmer of hope started to creep into some fans’ minds. But the Jazz needed to win at least one game in Houston in order to take the series, and this seemed impossible. Game 5 turned out to be a heartbreaker for the Jazz, as they lost only by four points at the very end of the game. They were right there—they could’ve take home-court away. Game 6 turned into a struggle as the frustrations of the series started to boil over, with technical fouls and hard-hitting physical play. Both teams knew the other inside and out at this point—both could exploit one another’s weaknesses. The Jazz would prevail, however, tying the series again at 3-3.

Before the start of the series every sport analyst picked Houston to triumph, but many of them said it would go to seven games. This meant that the two teams were pretty evenly matched. This was true. In fact, I would argue that this was the best series to watch in the first round, because of how close these teams were. But, of course it was being overshadowed by the bigger and more surprising stories of the eighth-seed Warriors taking down the top-seeded Mavs or the Baby Bulls sweeping the defending-champ Heat. The Jazz have never won on the road in a seven-game series before. In fact, it was a rare feat for any team to win on the road in Game 7, as only 18 teams have ever done it in the playoffs!

I went and watched the game at my brother’s house and there was a group of people that included males and females. It was obvious that the guys in the room were glued to the HDTV as if all their childhood hopes depended on this game, and in a way it did. The women were more interested in talking about baby names and other things, but I really have no idea because I couldn’t hear them—I could only hear the announcers and subtle roar of the crowd. The Jazz would play unbelievably good as they took an early 16-point lead. This lead would diminish some as they went into half-time, but they still looked like they could steal the game. However, the third quarter started with a thud, as the Rockets came out blazing hot and that unmistakable feeling of angst came over me, like it did in the previous three losses of the series. The Jazz were never able to maintain their composure down the stretch of the game at Houston and it seemed like they were destined for summer vacation. They even lost the lead at one point, but then something truly amazing happened. The planets were to align as the Jazz took back the lead. AK-47, who’s been especially erratic in this series, was to shoot a rare three and by the grace of Putin himself, it went in! Okur, who’d been great on defense in this series, but seriously lacking offensively, was to reclaim his “Money Man” title by hitting two other three pointers down the stretch.

Even with critical misses toward the end of the game by the team, Carlos Boozer (35 pts) was able to come up with some big offensive rebounds that would ultimately give the Jazz a much-deserved victory. They had done it! Jerry’s kids had gone on to win on the road in the seventh game. Most people thought it was impossible, but they proved all the naysayers wrong. Now, as the Jazz get ready to play America’s newly-minted underdog team (Warriors), they’ll have that home-court advantage that eluded them in this series, which will hopefully give them enough confidence to keep my childhood dreams alive a little bit longer.

I was about to explain some of this to the girl, but I prefaced it with, “Yeah, I love the Jazz. They’re my favorite team.” She quickly stopped me and said, “Oh, I meant jazz music.” “Oh, ok. I must have misunderstood the question.” But, who could’ve understood all of this anyway?

Are You Not Entertained?

While Jed may be geeked about this year's summer movie lineup, I tend to look away. Recall Jed's list from his post "Let's Go to the Movies." Of the nine on the list, only Rescue Dawn is an original (albeit based on a true story) idea. From top to bottom, the list of big summer movies is relegated to a second, third, even up to a fifth helping of a good idea, or a regurgitated idea from at 1980's cartoon.

Jed is correct, this summer is chalk full of movies that are franchises full of special effects, eye dazzling scenes, and Ringling Brothers style-stunts. With Tobey Maguire making the talk sounds rounds in promotion of Spiderman 3, I've seen several extended clips from the movie. The movie has less to do with character and story than it does acrobatics. The clips don't feel like a movie -- they feel like a ride at Universal Studios. I feel like I should be given a pair of 3-D glasses for these movies, Captain EO style.

I feel that one reason for the constant pushing of these franchises comes from the need to not just be mentally stimulated, but to be "physically entertained." Hence, I post "Maximus" Crowe asking you, the reader, "Are you not entertained?" Movies, at least in the movie theater, are more than movies, they are full body experiences, much like Captain EO, or some kind of ride like that.

However, I feel that there is a deeper reason for this type of entertainment lying below the surface -- the cost of the ticket. Movie theaters are so expensive that in order to justify the payments for the awesome stereo system and digital light projection, the theater has to charge eight bucks or more to get you in. And, in order for you to fully appreciate the eight dollar movie, the awesome system and DLP have to blow your mind. It goes hand in hand -- the theater costs a lot to maintain, the movie needs to entertain to maintain.

Thus, if I'm looking forward to a roller coaster like vomit inducer, I will go see Spidey 3 or Bourne Ultimatum. But if I want to see good cinema, I might as well watch the television.

"Let's Go to the Movies"

Alright, I’ll admit it; I’m totally geeked out about this summer’s offering of movies. Between this Friday (Spider-Man 3) and Labor Day, Hollywood will try to squeeze out every penny from a more-than-willing public, by pandering to our childhood nostalgia, franchise addictiveness, and overwhelming desire to be the first to see heavy special effect-laden extravaganzas. These aren’t talking pictures meant for the stuffy academy award crowd—they’ll be no hint of Best Picture nominations here—these are movies meant to dazzle the eyes, release the brain into a fantasy haven, and fill the mouth with butter-soaked popcorn. (I imagine the Celestial Kingdom to be somewhat similar, just kidding; I know we’ll eat manna, not popcorn.) Anyway, it’s become pretty obvious that fanboys have taken over Hollywood, and it can’t be any more apparent then by looking at this summer’s slate of comic-book-inspired movies, sequels, and sci-fi adventures. Irregardless, I know that many of you are excited to start singing, “Let’s Go to the Movies” soon, but what are you the most excited about? What’s number one? I think I’m most excited to see Pirates of the Caribbean. So, I’ve compiled a list—in no particular order:

-Ocean’s 13

-Spider-Man 3

-Pirates of the Caribbean

-Bourne Ultimatum

-Transformers

-The Hobbit

-Harry Potter

-Shrek the Third

-Rescue Dawn? (Christian Bale rocks!)