The Express

Confused as to why I would want to go see a football movie? Well first of all I went to Ernie Davis Jr. High here in Elmira, although I don't think it was called that then. Actually that building would have been Elmira Free Academy, in the movie I guess they just called it Elmira High so people don't think it was a private school, it's not. Anyway I want to see this for that reason but his story is practically made for the big screen. And it's about more than just football.

The movie coming out got me wondering if people outside of this area know the story of Ernie Davis? Maybe some die-hard sports buffs but I would guess not too many. If you really want to know then go see the flick, it really should be good. Lets see heres the uber quick version, oh and if you know nothing about the guy, then theres a bit of a spoiler about how the story ends. He grew up here in Elmira, went to Syracuse University a couple hours away, was the best football player of the day, won the freaking Heisman Trophy, and he was black at a time when that a wasn't socially acceptable. So it should be a moving story about overcoming diversity and racism. So it'll have the usual up's and downs of any good drama, the low's when they flay the confederate flag in his face and drop N-bombs like it was Vietnam, but then highs when he scores the winning touchdown in their faces, that sorta shit. But this story does have one final twist, one that I've been told they only briefly mention in the movie. Now for the Spoiler Alert, if you don't know Ernie Davis's story and plan to see the movie, stop now.

For those still reading, how is it that the first black Heisman Trophy winner is someone you've never heard of? I mean this kid was good, he signed on with the Cleveland Browns and Jim Brown took him under his wing and expected him to be amazing, but it didn't happen. He was never able to play a single pro-game. He died of Leukemia, but the story goes that at one of the first games of the season he came to the stadium, and when he walked onto the field the entire stadium stood up and gave him a ten minute standing ovation. I hope they were able to incorporate that part into the film.

The Dark Knight

I finally got to see this flick and it's pretty damn good. Not even just sorta, hey it's good for a comic book movie but like actually a good film, I'm impressed. The dead guy played a great joker, he seemed more like a very disturbed person who had something terrible or many terrible things happen to him, completely insane but human, vs the old joker who just seemed like a the bad guy from a cartoon, or a comic.... So yeah this isn't exactly news to anyone but hey I'm cheap, I don't go to the theater unless it's something fuckin' special, or a chick wants to go, then I'll go watch National Treasure 2... true story, and that bitch just wanted to be friends. Which reminds me I gotta do a shout out for another movie that I might just go see in the theater.

Appeasement

It's a words thats being thrown around a bit lately, generally in a negative connotation, and understandably so. Giving in to a despot is generally a bad idea, but there's a huge difference between appeasement and diplomacy. Obama has said that he would like to talk to the leaders of Iran and other countries with whom we have rocky relations, no shit. Obviously the first step in foreign relations is to talk to people, why does this piss people off so much? I assume people saw the Chris Mathews video from Hardball where he made a complete ass of some complete ass from the GOP, if not go here. All of us on the left are loving that video, even though we generally aren't very big fans of Chris, but when someone decides they aren't going to allow talking points to go unchallenged then we're going to cheer. Seriously we need more of this, when someone make a historical reference, we should make sure they know what they are talking about. So thank you, on that day Chris you acted like a journalist, congrats, now keep it up.

Now that we've talked a little about appeasement, how about some more on the subject from Pandagon. They also have a big of a laugh about the possible re-making of the right-wing cult classic "Red Dawn." First off I gotta say I used to love that flick. I haven't seen it since I was a kid (which might explain a lot) but I just loved the idea of a band of kids fighting of one of the worlds most powerful armies, how could they do that? Guerrilla warfare, terrorism, whatever it took. Then again if you wanted to re-make it in a believable context then instead of mid-western kids they would probably be Iraqi kids blowing up American soldiers, and somehow I doubt that would go over well. If they still want it to be American kids defending our country from foreign invaders then I'm not sure who the enemy would be, China maybe?? They'll probably make the enemies Arab terrorists because who gives a shit about realism in "Red Dawn" remake? Other than me.

The whole thing is just insane, seriously we now chastise a politician because he wants to try talking to world leaders who we have major problems with rather than do as his opponents and simply shout abuse at them while threatening to bomb, or even nuke them. WTF?!?!?! I've said this many times but it sickens me think think back to being a kid at school and what I was taught about our country and the ideals we were founded on and how 15 years later we are debating which humans have human rights? Do all citizens have equal rights? Is torture acceptable? I think about the pride my teacher had when telling us about how our country has the two longest unfortified borders in the world. That was a point of pride because as a nation we were so loved by our neighbors that we didn't even need to put a fence or (Gasp) soldiers along our borders. It's going to take a whole lot more than a new president to fix the fear we have embedded into our collective psyche. Good luck to us all.

Juno

Amazing. srsly go see it. It was more than a little ironic for me because my job revolves around teen pregnancy but thats fine because I was too busy laughing to care. I don't want to give anything away, so I'm just giving my full endorsement and say that so long as you have a sense of humor you will enjoy this flick.

Spamalot

Ok first off I absolutely love the Search for the Holy Grail, one of if not my all time favorite movie. This both helps and hurts the play. The parts that came straight from the movie were some of my least favorite parts. The problem is that no matter how good they do its not going to be the original. Luckily there was quite a bit of new material which was generally very funny. There was one whole song that shocked me a bit, I would have expected it from Mel Brooks but I didn't see it coming from the Pythons. It was all about how no matter how good a play is it won't succeed on Broadway if their aren't any Jews. It was funny and obviously it didn't offend anyone too much or it wouldn't have won three Tony's. My assumption is that if this was a newcomer it might not have gone over well, but its Monty Python they pick on everyone, they've established their irreverence for everything so they can get away with a lot. The play had its ups and downs but I was lost control of my laughter a few times, I highly recommend it. Oh one little moment I liked, The knights who say Ni. "we are the knights who say..." and half the audience says "ni" later on its "we are no longer the knights who say ni, we now the knights who say...." and he looks out at the audience and yells, "Not so smart now are ya?" then goes into the, "icky icky patang ...." It was quite perfect. Oh and to those who care Clay Aiken was in it, I thought it was odd when robin got such a big applause. someone then told me it was Clay Aiken to which I said, "who?" Then I vaugly remembered him, and he played robin, the not so brave knight, which seemed pretty fitting. He did well at it. Anyway if you like to laugh and you like plays then go see it next time your in the city.

Should be Interesting - Zeitgeist

Hope this doesn't upset the person involved, I won't use her name, but they'll know who its about. The same friend who recommended "What the Bleep" has recommended another film. I want to start by apologizing to said friend because I did make it seem like she believed the things in What the Bleep,which is not why she recommended it. She simply said that she found the movie entertaining. I know how that is, I enjoy watching some of the 9/11 conspiracy movies, or UFO specials, it doesn't mean I believe them, it means it can be amusing.

Speaking of conspiracy's the latest recommendation might fall into that category. Now I haven't seen the film yet, but its free on the internet so I probably will at some point soon. The movie is called Zeitgeist, and it covers three topics. The Federal Reserve Bank, 9/11, and the question of a historical Jesus, in the opposite order. I'll star by saying that I know very little about The Fed, I know that some question its legality and some question if its done more harm than good. As for facts about it all I know is that the Fed sets the interest rate at which banks can borrow money which in turn influences how much money the banks loan to the public. This has huge implications for the economy. Honestly thats about all I really know, well that and the fact that I should learn more. I look forward to seeing that part, but with my usual degree of skepticism. How about the 9/11 conspiracy's, I've seen a few of these, they raise some good questions, they also raise some stupid ones. I don't expect to see anything new here. And finally the big one J.C. is he a man, a god, or a story? The person who recommended this was clearly most interested in this portion, which isn't surprising as it calls into question a pretty damn important tenet of christianity. I've seen some of this debate before, its an interesting question but I seriously doubt we will find an answer which will satisfy everyone. The skeptics claim that there is no evidence for a historical Jesus, and they have a point. There are quite a few non-biblical references to Jesus, their just doesn't seem to be any from the time he was alive. At the same time theres an awful lot of talk of Jesus as a person from within 30 years of his death that it seem odd that his myth became believably personified that quickly. I'm not sure if I worded that in a way that makes sense but I'm not sure how else to say it. My personal view is irrelevant but its my damn blog and you're reading it so here goes. My assumption is that there was a guy named Jesus, he was a rabble rouser back in the day when dissent meant death, his followers embellished his story to make it more powerful, today we call that creative license. If suddenly we found new evidence for or against a historical Jesus it wouldn't change my world view, although finding out he was a myth would reinforce my atheism. But I try hard to be skeptical of claims that agree with my world view, its tough, its easy to hear something and agree with it because of its agreeable implications, all I can say is that I try. Anyway, should be an interesting flick.

Life of Hypatia

Not too long ago I mentioned reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan, one part that I found fascinating was the early history of astronomy. The shit people figured out by observing the skies and taking really good notes just amazes me. One of the sadder stories was of Hypatia, which I think is a beautiful name, a scientist, teacher and philosopher and was the last great to work out of the Great Library of Alexandria. The sadness comes when she is killed by an angry mob of christians. Why I mention this again is because UTI mentions that the life of Hypatia may soon be made into a movie, with a hotty in the lead role no less. So a big thank you to UTI for bringin this to my attention. Thanks guys!

What the Bleep

A friend recommended this movie to me, as we've had a few talks about science and religion. I was curious to see it but I'm glad I didn't read the reviews beforehand. The quick version is, its not very good, in fact its quite bad from the standpoint of explaining quantum physics which is what the goal seems to be at the start. But then it moves to bio-chemistry which isn't terribly mysterious. Then it gets into some stupid shit like how thoughts affect the pattern of a snowflake. Quite possibly the best moment is at the very end of the movie when it explains the credentials of the people interviewed, if you want to know why its great you'll just have to go here. Its a way better review including the problems with the limited science thats included and an amazing screen shot, without which you wouldn't believe this persons credentials....

Golden Compass

I don't know much about this film/book other than it's written by an atheist and its driving christians crazy despite having watered down some of the atheistic themes to try to avoid pissing off the fundies. Some are even upset that they watered it down, they claim that people will see the tamer movie then buy the book as a back door way to get children to question their faith. You just can't win with some people. Just by the random clicks across the Blogsphere I ended up at a site called Christian Apologetics Ministries, and of the 9 or 10 posts (at the time of writing) one of them was NOT about this movie. Now I knew a few people were annoyed but holy crap bro, even when I'm obsessing about a chick I break up the monotony a little bit. And why do people care so much? It's a movie, its fiction, I could see people getting upset about documentaries that deal with controversial issues, but with only a couple exceptions documentaries don't get enough audience for anyone to get upset about their content. I'm not really sure why I care enough about this apologists opinions to even bother with a reply, maybe I'm just trying to break up my monotony a bit.

More Than Meets The Eye

I watched Transformers last night and I can't decide how I feel about it. It was entertaining and great but craptastic and stupid at once. A huge part of the problem was being stuck with a horrendous plot the details of which are best left ignored. But thats sort of the point, it's not a thinking movie its a fun movie with giant robots fighting in the streets. And for the most part it is fun, and had more laughs than I expected which was a major bonus because it's not a movie that should take itself too seriously and it doesn't. One point I didn't catch but someone else in the room did, of the Autobots (good guys) only one was killed and in perfectly stereotypical it was the "black" robot. Obviously I'm using the term very very loosely as it's hard to be racist about a robot but in Jazz's only line which should have ended up on the cutting room floor or else re-written, it was obvious he was supposed to be the cool one and possible the "black" one, so of course he dies. Its an action movie law you know? So I'll say its entertaining enough to rent. I probably wouldn't buy it although Megan Fox almost make that worth while. Should I feel dirty thinking shes hot (she is) while playing a high school girl or is it ok because I know shes not really? Eh either way enjoy the flick but put the skepticism away its a movie about giant alien robots that look like chevys. It's funny how easily we (I) accept that, then can't help but point out other glaring errors even if they are tiny by comparision. like the little spy robot that turns into a cd player, it walks and gets in fights with people and holds its own, usually kicking a little ass, but somehow once it transforms into a cd player its light enough that no one notices while carrying it. I guess I'll just call it space metal and move on. I also would love to know what GM paid to have every car a GM, and in a less than subtle touch the only "bad guy" car is a Ford Mustang. That might have backfired as the cop edition 'stang looks pretty bad-ass. If you like action movies you'll like it, I guess thats all there is to it.

Block Party / Dead Prez

I finally got to see Chapelle's Block Party, I liked it. As he put it, he threw the concert he always wanted to see. I'm not terribly into hip-hop but I like good lyrics, I like music thats trying to take a stance and move people. Most commercial hip-hop is anything but inspiring. Songs like the current, party like a rock star, this is why I'm hot, and my lip gloss is poppin' make me want to drive a semi-pointed spike through the idiot who spent less time writing the song than it takes to sing, and stand it on end Vlad the Impaler style right next to the record company exec who though those songs were worthy of air time.

Then there's the good hip-hop, which is what Dave is into. Ok so Kanye West is a bit lame nowadays, and Erica Baddu's never did it for me but many people love her, there was Mos Def who I'm a big fan of, his right hand man was there Talib Kweli, The Fugges did their thing although I didn't think it was a great rendition of their classic "killing me softly" but maybe it was better live. There is a great scene where Wyclef is talking with a marching band from Daves hometown that came to the show. He says how its great to see some many black people in college, he gives a quick overview of his life, move here from Haiti taught himself english at the library as his third language, says theres libraries in the hood and if their aren't then call the mayor, call the governor and get some libraries built, don't blame whit people for anything its all up to you, if you want it bad enough you can do it. It was a great little one minute talk, then he starts singing "If I was President" with them. Ok back to the line up. The Root, they kicked ass of course, and one thing I really liked was the fact that there was a real band up on stage all night, they even had horns. Common was good but I'm going to pick on him latter for something off-stage, then there was the part that stole the show for me. Dead Prez. These guys are no joke. Dave points out how the more real you are the less likely you are to get on the radio, and these fuckers are real. They don't hit on issues so much as throttle issues. They talk shit about all the shit that comes over the airwaves, the go after police corruption, the attack politicians and call for revolution. I'm diggin it even if they do say cracker a bit, as long as they don't blanket hate all white people then were cool, I'm fine with hating individuals but to hate all white people would be just as racist as those they oppose. Any way heres a part I liked from the song Hip Hop.

Uh, who shot biggie smalls?
If we dont get them, they gonna get us all
Im down for runnin up on them crackers in they city hall
We ride for yall, all my dogs stay real
Nigga dont think these record deals gonna feed your seeds
And pay your bills because they not
Mcs get a little bit of love and think they hot
Talkin bout how much money they got, all yall records sound the same
I sick of that fake thug, r & b, rap scenario all day on the radio
Same scenes in the video, monotonous material, yall dont here me though
These record labels slang our tapes like dope
You can be next in line, and signed, and still be writing rhymes and broke
You would rather have a lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance?
A beamer, a necklace or freedom?
Still a nigga like me dont playa hate, I just stay awake
This real hip hop, and it dont stop until we get the po-po off the block
They call it....

And heres the video for the same song.


Oh and I said I'd pick on Common so here goes, before the concert he was leading a little prayer circle. He thanked god for the weather, it was supposed to rain but god was showing his face and showing them he wanted their concert to be successful because he was keeping the rain away. Shortly after that the rain started and didn't let up all night. How does a religious person accept that? God didn't like my music? He didn't care, he doesn't exist oh wait thats my view.

After my last post about a primarily black movie that made me work hard not to hate people, its nice to counter it with a mostly black movie that shows the good people are capable of. I guess I didn't really hit on that part much but it was kinda uplifting. Just lots of good people having a good time, doing what they can to make the world a little better place. I highly recommend this film, but the music is the feature, if your expecting lots of Chapelle's humor you might be a little disappointed, it has humor but the music and the people are the feature.

Sicko

I think I'm going to need to buy this one.