Pacific Rim Review

I have seen "Pacific Rim". 

Here is my capsule review: Big bada boom.

Here is the longer review: Dude, if you like big ass robots fighting big ass fishy, rocky monster thingies, then MAN is this movie for you!!!  So big!  So much crashing and banging and smashing and wow!

There was a kinda story-ish thing going on, too.

In this world, the giant monsters have been attacking the earth for a while so the people made giant robot mecha things in order to fight the giant monsters.  Unfortunately, the monsters just keep coming and each time they are bigger and stronger.  So, the people decide to try one last-ditched effort to destroy the monsters.

Some there are relationships built and destroyed.  People die.  People love.  You know how it is.

But NONE of that is important because there are giant robots fighting giant monsters and THAT is what you are paying for.

Some critics thought it was too loud.  I disagree.  I saw "Pacific Rim" in XD ginormousness with humungo sound and speakers and I thought it was ok.  Hell, "Dark Knight Rises" was louder (apparently Batman and Bane hit harder than an 80-foot tall robot).

Seriously, if you like a good summer blockbuster-type movie where you can just sit back and watch some cool robot fights, this is your thing.  If you like, the Japanese-style mecha shows, this is right up your alley, too.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Review

Several years ago I read my first Neil Gaiman book.  It was a little story called "Stardust".  The movie was coming out and I thought it looked pretty cool so, seeing as it was based on a novel by a guy the comic book industry thought was akin to a god, I thought I'd read it before I saw it.

"Stardust" was, in no uncertain terms, breathtaking. Simply.  Right away, I was in awe of Gaiman's ability to put his fantasy world directly into our world and thus make it that much more accessible for his reader.  For Pete's sake, he gives you directions from London to the town of Wall (the town at the center of the plot) and to the gate in the wall that leads to Faerie (where the story takes place).  I had never read something like that before and it struck a strong chord in me, one that has kept me coming back ever since.

This ability to inundate reality with fantasy is on full display in Mr. Gaiman's new novel, "The Ocean a the End of the Lane".  The difference here is that this novel is firmly based in our very real world with all of it's brutality and heartbreak, and the fantasy serves as more of a support structure than the primary setting.

I have a tough time talking about "Ocean".  On the surface, it is a story about a childhood innocence and the conflict between a boy and his super-natural nanny, but in reality, there is so much more happening.  It's about relationships: between mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, children and adults, boys and girls, and (most importantly, in my opinion) fathers and sons.  The depth of these relationships are fathomless.  It's almost shocking how well developed each relationship is in the book when you consider how short the novel actually is (about 128 pages).

Despite the simple sounding description I gave above, the novel delves into some very adult, serious issues.  Gaiman dives into the topics of adultery, isolation, and abuse freely and demonstrates an ability to handle each subject honestly and brutally but with much respect so as not to be offensive when using graphic imagery.

"Ocean" is a short read, which is good, because there is a lot there and you will want to read it again to make sure you have it all.  I would recommend "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" to any fan of dark fantasy or anyone who has every felt alone, isolated, abused or unloved.  It will reassure you that you are not alone and that there are people out there who love you.

Holy Crap! A Post!

My wife asked me the other day, in not quite so few words, why I don't write any more.  I kinda stared at her in response.  

I had nothing.

High school came crashing back at me!  I was in Mr. Dziura's (lord knows if that's spelled right) class and he was asking me about "Snow Falling on Cedars", which I never opened (or brought home, for that matter). Embarrassment and confusion engulfed me and went slack jawed.

There was no good reason why I wasn't writing.  I had plenty of outlets and lots of notebooks, so what was my problem?

I'm lazy.  I need external motivation. But how could I get it?

Y-Reeka!  I had a plan: I' get back into writing my blog!

"Where's the motivation?" You ask?  Why, it's on Facebook!  I created a fan page for this here blog and invited some people (because I was only allowed to invite 41 of my 376 friends) to follow it.  That way, I would feel obligated to keep up with it.

So, here goes nothing!

The Dream

The tinge of dark creeps through the field
Turning the world deep violet
And the sky depths of blue unimaginable

Peepers sing in harmonies complex and high
Accompanied by cricket strings
Echoing from pond through the field

The bats feast upon the airborne pests
And the fireflies dance
Clinging to fragments of the sunset

Deep beats from night owl wings
Scare the skulking mouse
Giving the symphony rhythm

Her hand reaches out for my leg
A gentle breeze twists her hair
And the the world creeps to a hold

Her breath, cool upon my skin
Carries whispered oaths of love
Promises for nights to come

Her eyes in dark, deep like ocean waves
Breaking on the shores of the Cape
Soothing and inviting

C'Mon Now!

Are you serious? We are burning books? Serious?

A church in Florida has decided to commemorate 9/11 this year by burning copies of the Koran. They are trying to show radical extremist groups that they are not welcome or going to be tolerated anymore. Or something like that.

BUT they want to make it very clear that this isn't aimed at moderate Muslims because they're cool.

In this day and age, with all the tension between non-Muslim Americans and Muslim Americans, why would one think that burning religious text is okay? Does it matter that they say it's aimed at extremist groups? Would it be okay, then, for a synagogue to go out and burn a bunch of bibles because they think the KKK is evil? If they did, do you think that little church in Florida would take offense, or would they be all right with it?

Right about now, an "inter-faith" committee is meeting to discuss to growing acts of aggression toward Muslim Americans since the "World Trade Center Mosque" hubbub. Maybe they should bring in that Pastor from that little Florida church and tell him he needs to cool it. Things like book burnings are not going to help relationships here.

I've got an idea and you all can let me know what you think, but maybe burning books (like Nazis) is not the best way to commemorate 9/11. Perhaps we should celebrate the lives of those we lost and not instigate more hate in the world, or did we all forget, it was hate which cause 9/11 in the first place.


I now step down from my soap box. Thank you.

Sirens

She lay in bed staring at the craggy wasteland that was her ceiling. It was desolate and barren and it consumed her. It ate her thoughts and kept her awake, ever since she heard the sirens. The only sound she could hear was the blood pumping and pressing past her ear. It's rushing engulfed her senses, ever since she heard the sirens.

Since she heard the sirens, her mind was aflutter. Nothing could stick; each thought skipping cruelly across her mind harassing her. All since she heard the wail of the sirens.

She got up, unable to deal anymore. She strode down the hall as if being chased, desperate. She opened the door, quietly, so she could she her baby. Through the feasting gloom she saw a slight twinkle from her daughter's eyes: desperate for her mother's confidence. She sent a hollow smile through the expanse to her daughter who reciprocated in kind.

Silently she closed the door and turned to head back to her room. She couldn't move. She was frozen, crippled by fear. She knew where it was from. She could feel it in her stomach and her chest. She was absolutely certain, more confident than she had ever been about anything before. No doubt dwelt inside her.

She was certain tonight she became a widow. Ever since she heard the sirens.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS!

Ah, Quentin Tarantino, how I have missed you.

Tarantino is easily my favorite director. He made Kill Bill which is probably my favorite movie of all time (I consider both parts as one movie) and hasn't made anything I really didn't like (something I can't say about any other director). Pulp Fiction was perfect and Reservoir Dogs was pretty damned awesome, too. I even liked Jackie Brown, though it wasn't his best.

This was new Tarantino, though. This was WWII Tarantino. So, how did it stack up?

Very well, thank you. You would think this movie would be super-duper gory. Think about it: the basic plot is about a troop of U.S. Jewish soldiers hunting Nazis through occupied France and killing them violently before scalping them. They let one guy go to spread the word, but they take the time to carve a swastika in his forehead so everyone will know he was a Nazi. But it wasn't overly violent. I mean, it's war so there is violence and blood, but nothing like Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction. In fact, it was mostly guys sitting at tables talking.

Really.

It starts with two guys talking at a table. Then Brad Pitt talking to some guys. Then some Nazis talking to a woman at a table. Then the Basterds (The Jewish troops) talking to a traitor at a table at a bar. Then a bunch of Nazis watching a movie. But it wasn't slow and it wasn't boring. Tarantino's skill with dialogue is uncanny. He can make all these people sitting at a table talking suspenseful and tense.

And man, was this movie funny. So many of the characters were characatures or blatant stereotypes. The absurdity of it all was fantastically funny.

Brad Pitt was absolutely hilarious with his stereotypical portrayal of a grizzled mid-western war vet. Eli Roth as a Bostonian with some sociopathic tendencies was great. They guys who played Hitler and Groebbel were both excellent with their blatantly over-the-top-evil portrayals of those historical figures. Hell, Mike Myers even made a goofy little cameo!

The woman who played the Jewish cinema owner really was relatable and made you feel her anger and frustration putting the humanity in the film.

The man who played Landa, the "Jew Hunter", stole the show. He was funny, creepy, terrifying, subtle, over-the-top all in equal measure. You always knew where he was and wanted to keep an eye out for him because you always felt his evil. He always seemed to know more than anyone else on screen and was ready to use that knowledge to push forward his agenda. All the while, he is talking to everyone like he's their best buddy or like he's just a normal guy out there doing his job, no matter how unpleasant that may be. Excellent depiction of a character that will go down in film history as one of nastiest.

Inglourious Basterds is long. Like 3 hours long. It's not slow or anything, but by the end your butt's a little sore. When I saw it, we had an inadvertent intermission, which in retrospect was very nice.

Go see this film. Seriously, it's a fun fable with some of the most interesting characters you are going to see in a movie this summer!

Oh, yeah, Grindhouse was freakin' great, too!!!