The Top 10 Singles of 2008

Here's one more musical top 10 list for all of you audiophiles out there. The ten songs of 2008 that I thought ruled the most were:

10. "American Boy" Estelle featuring Kanye West
9. "A-Punk" Vampire Weekend
8. "Discipline" Nine Inch Nails
7. "Spaceman" The Killers
6. "Piece of Me (Tiesto Remix)" Britney Spears
5. "Lost" Coldplay
4. "Sex on Fire" Kings of Leon
3. "Chemtrails" Beck
2. "Ricochet!" Shiny Toy Guns

My favorite song of the year is...

1. "Kids" MGMT

Again, please comment. Yell at me for any inappropriate inclusions or exclusions. Or, if you must, give mad props.

Also, if you haven't already, check out my Top 10 Albums of 2008.

The Top 10 Albums of 2008

Every year, I write up my list of the top 10 movies of the last 12 months. This year, I decided to force my musical taste down your throats as well. Here are, in my not-so-humble opinion, the 10 best albums of 2008:

10. One of the Boys, Katy Perry
9. Only by the Night, Kings of Leon
8. Circus, Britney Spears
7. Day & Age, The Killers
6. The Slip, Nine Inch Nails
5. Dear Science, TV on the Radio
4. Modern Guilt, Beck
3. Season of Poison, Shiny Toy Guns
2. Oracular Spectacular, MGMT

The Best Album of 2008 is...

1. Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay

Please leave some comments. I'd love to know what you think.

The Most Awesomest News Story for the week of Dec 21-27, 2008

When will people learn to just shut the fuck up when they're in a movie?

On Christmas, during a screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (which totally rules and you should go see it now), James Cialella became annoyed with the people sitting in front of him because they were talking. James, trying to be reasonable, asked them to quiet down.
When their rudeness continued, he shot them.



Full Story

PS. When I refer to a story as awesome, I mean unusual or interesting or even shocking. I do not condone shooting loud people in movie theatres.

The Most Awesomest News Story for the week of Dec 14-20, 2008

The pool at the Atlantic Resort in the Bahamas has a pretty cool feature: a shark tank underneath. Oh yeah, while swimming in the pool, there are sharks directly underneath you. Pretty sweet, right?

Well, on Tuesday the 16th, one of the sharks decided he didn't like being confined to his tank, so, like any sensible shark would do, he leaped out. Onto a water slide. And rode down it into the pool.



Full Story

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yes, my friends, it is my favorite time of the year!

No, not Christmas time, Oscar Season! Between now and the end of the year, film studios are releasing all of the year's best films in order to be noticed for Academy Award consideration. Since I don't live in Los Angeles, a lot of these movies won't reach me until January or February, meaning I have two months of movie bliss coming to a theatre near me! Woo hoo!

I am especially looking forward to seeing Doubt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button & Frost/Nixon.

If you have any suggestions for movies to see, leave them in the comments section.

Also, check back in a few weeks for my Top 10 albums and songs of 2008, and in February for my Top 10 movies!

Peace.

The Most Awesomest News Story for the week of Dec 7-13, 2008

A woman in West Palm Beach, FL will no longer be receiving around $2,000 a month in alimony payments after a kick-ass court ruling. A stipulation in her divorce agreement states that she would receive alimony payments from her ex-husband until she either gets married or cohabitates with another person for over three months. Well, in 2005 she was sentenced to nine years in prison for injuring 2 men in a drunk driving accident. Her husband challenged in court that during her time in prison she is cohabitating with her cellmate. A panel of judges agreed and ordered her alimony be cut off.

Full Story

I Suck

So it's been about 2 months since my last post, which is pathetic.
I vow to, from now on, post something at least once a week.
So keep on reading people (or more likely, person).

I Voted!

I finally finished reading up on everything and filled out my absentee ballot. In California, we have 12 propositions to vote on, so getting educated on everything was a ton of work. I feel good about my decisions, but I'm not sure if the rest of the state is going to agree with me.

Here's what my ballot looks like:

PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT: JOHN MCCAIN/SARAH PALIN
PROP 1A SAFE, RELIABLE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN BOND ACT: NO
PROP 2 STANDARDS FOR CONFINING FARM ANIMALS: YES
PROP 3 CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOND ACT: NO
PROP 4 WAITING PERIOD AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION BEFORE TERMINATION OF MINOR’S PREGNANCY: NO
PROP 5 NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENSES. SENTENCING,
PAROLE AND REHABILITATION: YES
PROP 6 POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNDING.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND LAWS: NO
PROP 7 RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION: NO
PROP 8 ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME–SEX COUPLES TO MARRY: NO!
PROP 9 CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. VICTIMS’ RIGHTS. PAROLE: NO
PROP 10 ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES AND RENEWABLE ENERGY.
BONDS: NO
PROP 11 REDISTRICTING: YES
PROP 12 VETERANS’ BOND ACT OF 2008: NO

There it is. Feel free to comment, or, as I suspect many will, criticize.

I wish the entire Presidential campaign was like this...

I love Sarah Palin, but this is still hilarious

They take a few jabs at my girl, but it's in good fun and not mean spirited.

This Has Got To Stop

Before I start this blog, I think it is only fair to disclose where I stand in this year's presidential election. Up until very recently I was one of those coveted "undecided voters." I am a registered republican, but don't align myself too strongly with the party. While I'm fiscally conservative, my views on abortion and gay marriage would be considered very far left. I liked McCain's economic policies, but differed on some other issues. Conversely, I liked the Democrats theme of change.

Back in February, before the Democratic nomination was settled, I decided that if McCain wanted my vote, he would have to prove to me that he could also bring change. He would need to show that he truly was the maverick he claimed to be. A good way to do that would be to pick a running mate who was new to the national stage, uncorrupted by Washington. To pick somebody young, with new ideas and a passion for making our country a better place. A person like Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin. Yes, I picked Palin back in February.

Since we now know who McCain has decided upon, I'll let you guess who I'll be voting for.

And now that you know that, I'll start my rant:

For someone who claims to be an "agent of change," Barack Obama seems to be playing the same political games as everyone else in Washington. Rather than focusing on the issues, Obama and his surrogates insist on spending their time digging up dirt on and attacking Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Obama and his campaign have attacked Sarah Palin's religion, gender and family, among with other things. They have also come up with and circulated stories meant to damage Palin's reputation that were proven to be completely false.

Here are a few quotations about Palin that have come out over the last couple of days, either directly from Barack Obama, his campaign or high profile supporters in the Democratic party:

• Early today, South Carolina Democratic Chairwoman Carol Fowler said that John McCain chose a running mate "whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion." This is in reference to Sarah Palin's pro-life stance and her choice to carry her Down-sydrome son to term. Using Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter as ammo is tacky enough, but using an infant, disabled or not, is just disgusting. Also, on a slightly related note, if you've heard that Palin doesn't believe in birth control, check your sources.
  

• Senator Obama himself said yesterday that "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." This is apparently in connection to Palin's joke that the only thing separating hockey-moms from pitbulls was lipstick (alluding to her own tenacity). When criticized for the comment, Obama said that he wasn't talking about Palin and that the "lipstick-pig" quote was a common saying. I would be inclined to accept his explanation, but, earlier that same day while introducing Joe Biden to supporters, Representative Russ Carnahan said, (in reference to the Republican ticket) "There's no way you can dress up that record, even with a lot of lipstick." It seems lipstick has become a theme in Democratic attacks against Palin, which leads me to believe that Obama was calling Governor Palin a pig. Sounds a little like sexism.

• Joe Biden said that electing Sarah Palin "would be a step backward for women." Indicating that putting a woman in the second most powerful office in the country, a "heartbeat away from the Presidency" (as the Dems seem fond of saying), is bad for feminism. Is that what I should take from Biden's comment?
  

My non-partisan (honestly) advice to Obama is to stop talking about Palin altogether, and tell his supporters to do the same. It seems like everytime Palin is criticized, McCain moves up in the polls. Like it or not, Governor Sarah Palin is popular with voters. More popular than both Barack Obama and John McCain. So, anytime attacks are sent her way, voters retaliate. If Obama was smart, he would focus on McCain, and let Joe Biden take his fight with Palin to its appropriate battlefield: the Vice-Presidential debate.

10 Ways To Be An Idiot At A Concert

A close friend of mine, Patrick Castagna, wrote this guide to concert behavior. I found it to be not only informative, but fucking hilarious. Please, read on:


Through my years of rock concert-going, I have compiled a list of stupid things that are much too common among "rockers." they don't happen at every concert, but the bigger the show, the more things on this list there will be:

1) Slam dancing.
You may think that making your 110 pound adolescent body convulse in an epileptic manner makes you a cool punk rocker, but really your lanky, flailing arms and retarded leg gyrations are succeeding only in proving your lameness beyond a shadow of a doubt. What really baffles me is that people see others doing this and decide they want to partake in it. How can this ridiculous sight not immediately turn you off from slam-dancing altogether? Those of us who love rock music usually can't dance. That does not mean that we should make up a shitty, stupid looking dance and call it something other than shitty.

2) Moshing.
I respect the choice of some concert-goers to partake in a physical expression of music-induced adrenaline in a mosh pit. However, your lame excuse for a circle pit, which involves little more than pushing your emo friends around during an Anberlin performance is basically painting a vagina on your undersized women's jeans. Save your efforts for legitimate hardcore bands that merit throwing your weight around.

3) Water Bottle Throwing.
For some reason people think it is cool to throw a full, loosely-capped 5 dollar bottle of water into a crowd or at the performing artist. Unfortunately for you, this is not only a waste of money, but also a musical game of Russian Roulette involving my fist and your face if one of these bottles ever hits me. If you do this, I hope the person it hits finds you and rips your throat out.

4) Headphone Coercion.
I'm not sure what it is that makes people think that walking up to me with an iPod and asking me to listen to their shitty band (which isn't even at the concert, in fact they don't even have a tent) will get a positive response. I would also love to know why people think, in the year 2008, that this is an effective way to get fans. However, I can assure you that my response to this request will be something along the lines of "get a fucking Myspace."

5) Outlandish attire.
It's safe to say that if you are one of those guys who is wearing a pink tank top with baby blue shorts that are so short that they are hugging your junk, you are adding to the the concert's douche count. Things could be worse though. You could sport this very outfit, but top it off with white socks pulled most of the way up to your knees and a yellow sweatband on your forehead with a free sample Trojan Magnum condom stuck in it behind your ear. As a 5'4" tall white dude, everyone knows that condom will do little more than fall off if you try to wear it, so unless that Magnum is for your boyfriend's massive penis, please rethink your wardrobe.

6) Excessive Crowd Surfing
Crowd surfing is fine, except that it tends to pull people in who don't want to partake. For example, when I'm standing a fair distance from the stage and you come crawling over my back because you're going to break the world record for farthest crowd surf, starting 50 yards from the stage, I tend to not want to help you out. Not to mention that your insatiable need to have people grab your ass sends you awkwardly across the crowd, kicking the faces of the people holding you up. IF you chose to crowd surf, do it in moderation, and not in a group of 8.

7) Literature Dispersal
I can safely assume, if you are reading this blog, that you do not like Scientologists or their stands at the mall. Therefore, I know that you will agree that it makes no sense for people to go to a big concert with their bullshit books about Enlightenment and Transcendence as a part of their stupid fucking cult. If you walk up to me with no shirt on, dirt all over your body, and try to hand me a book from a tattered sack that looks like you brought it back from the Korean War, why would you ever be surprised that I say the first thing that comes to my mind? "That looks like a stupid fucking book."

8) Guitar Hero/ Rock Band all stars
Most people will agree that both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are enjoyable video games. Furthermore, most people who aren't total losers will tell you that it is never cool to pay money to go to a concert and hang out in the Guitar Hero tent all day trying to show everyone how much time of your life you have wasted strumming a fake guitar with 5 plastic buttons on it. No one cares what level you can play the fake drums or guitar at, because we are watching real bands just yards way from you.

9) Groupies/ Wannabe Roadies.
Here you go girls, the first thing on this list that is dominated by the female sex. These are the girls (though sometimes guys) who have seen one particular band at this show 10 or more times. They will say, without batting an eye, at 15 years of age, that this trendy one-hit wonder is the greatest band of all time. They will go to great lengths to memorize the names and ages of all the band members (and tell them to everyone). Then they will get to know one of them, and make sure everyone they see at the show knows that they know that person and got to go back stage once and watch the band walk from the stage to their bus. Don't be this person. If you are going to be a groupie, don't go telling people lame stories about you and the band. Your roundabout tall tale might be interesting to you, but all I hear is "I slept with the bassist."

10) Drunken heckling
We all know that it is too much to ask for every band in a line-up to be phenomenal. If this was the case, tickets would be much harder to get. Still, this is no reason for you, drunk off 80 dollars worth of concert beer, to go yell "you suck" at a hard-working group of musicians. Yes, I know I previously talked about a shitty band who couldn't land a spot in the line up pushing their music on me via iPod, but that is completely different. It's not that his band sucked, it's that that dude wanted me to listen to a crappy band on his iPod instead of a good band that I paid to see. You should never go taunting a band in mid-set, nor should you chant the name of the headliner in an attempt to get them off the stage early. If you do this, you can eat shit.

In conclusion, I encourage everyone to go to concerts and enjoy themselves. Jump around, sing along, cheer, cut your sleeves off, maybe even mosh a little bit when appropriate. Go ahead, fuck shit up. Just please use a little common sense and moderation to avoid making yourself look like a bigger idiot than most of the people around you. (After all, it would be too much to assume you aren't one to begin with)

What Does The Bible Really Say About Same-Sex Marriage?

In November, Californians will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 8. If passed, Proposition 8 would add a new section (7.5) to Article I of the State Constitution (ironically placed right between the Equal Protection and Nondiscrimination clauses) that reads: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” This amendment would undo the California Supreme Court’s May 15, 2008 decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage in the state.

I personally oppose the proposed amendment.

Some opponents of the Court’s decision, including dissenting Justice Carol Corrigan, say that the Court acted outside of its capacity, and that it is not the Judicial Branch’s duty to legislate. However, the Court did not create any new laws. It was ruled (in a 4-3 vote) that marriage is a fundamental right under article 7 of the State Constitution; therefore, any laws restricting that right to homosexual couples were unconstitutional. Chief Justice Ronald M. George wrote in the majority decision that “the right to marry is not properly viewed simply as a benefit or privilege that a government may establish or abolish as it sees fit, but rather that the right constitutes a basic civil or human right of all people,” including homosexuals.

(On a side note, Republican governors nominated all seven justices of the California Supreme Court. So, despite what many in the Religious-Right want you to believe, liberal activists did not make this decision.)

Of the 220 endorsements for Proposition 8 from organizations and public officials, 125 of them are from Churches and Ministries and many of the others are from Christian schools and other faith-based associations. Well over 55% of the proposition’s public supporters are religious groups, which confirms that significant (if not primary) motivation for banning gay marriage is based in religious beliefs, specifically Christianity.

I was raised Catholic, attended Catholic school for fourteen years, and even attended a fundamentalist Christian church for a few of those years. So, I think it’s pretty safe to say that I have a pretty solid understanding of the Bible and Christian teachings. Using this knowledge, and some research, I hope to convincingly explain that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality and that religion is not a valid justification for this discrimination.

The most commonly quoted Bible passage used to argue that homosexuality is a sin is Leviticus 18:22, which says, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” Fundamentalists take this to mean “Men shall not have sex with men.” However a more literal interpretation of this text would actually ban homosexual sex between heterosexual men. For someone to “lie as he does with a woman,” would he not have to regularly “lie” with women? If he is gay, he doesn’t sleep with women, therefore he wouldn’t be laying with men as he does with women.

Even if we are to accept the fundamentalist interpretation of this passage, Christianity teaches that the coming of Christ overwrites Old Testament teachings. Christ never speaks about homosexuality or gay sex (It is, however, mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. Be patient; I’ll get there). But for fun, let’s just pretend that this isn’t the case, and that the rules of Leviticus still apply in their full glory. Examples of other things forbidden in Leviticus include: eating pork or shellfish (11:7-12), playing with the skin of a pig-that means no football (11:8), shaving or getting a haircut (19:27), getting tattoos (19:28), and wearing polyester (19:19). These are all real examples. Look them up. Should we also amend the constitution to ban these actions as well? After all, it is in the Bible.

Another commonly quoted piece of scripture (and the definite favorite from the New Testament) is Romans 1:21-27. This passage reads:

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

Read that carefully. Christians will often quote only the last paragraph, which says that the people gave up natural heterosexual relationships in favor of unnatural homosexual ones. A closer look into the entire passage will reveal a much different story. The truth is, the people in the story created a false idol and, as part of their ritualistic worship of the idol, began having heterosexual orgies. This angered God, who intervened and made them have homosexual orgies. God didn’t punish any gay people for having gay sex; he punished straight people by making them have gay sex. Seriously.

Other passages in the Bible will mention various homosexual acts, but never in the context of a loving monogamous relationship. You may find condemnation of gay rape, gay orgies, pedophilic gay relationships, but never any mention of a committed gay couple.

It is important to remember that I only advocate one interpretation of these pieces of scripture. My interpretation is obviously different than that of a religious conservative. Though different people will interpret Biblical writings in their own way, one simple fact remains true: regardless of how one interprets religious teachings, said interpretations remain irrelevant in the context of the law. America’s founding fathers established a clear, non-negotiable wall of separation between church and state. Laws are not to be made based on religious belief.

Because of this, I encourage all of you to vote "No" on Proposition 8 this November.


Sources: The Bible (NIV Translation), ProtectMarriage.com, text of In re Marriage Cases, Years of Catholic education

I Want to Run Over Nancy Pelosi With a Large SUV

On Friday, Nancy Pelosi adjourned congress in the middle of a debate regarding gas prices and offshore drilling. While House Republicans were arguing their side of the issue, Pelosi cut their microphones, turned off the lights and shut down Congress for a five week vacation.

Pelosi's actions show her obvious disrespect for the democratic process. Since when was it okay for the Speaker of the House to refuse to hold a vote on an issue just because she disagrees with it? Is voting on controversial issues not Congresses sole purpose? If Pelosi is so sure that offshore drilling is not a way to ease consumer pain at the gas pump, she should argue her case to the rest of the House and allow them to vote on it. She should have enough confidence in her own ability to articulate a point that she would have no need to worry about the results of a vote. The House is controlled by Democrats; if they vote against her position, she is obviously misguided.

Regardless of your politics, or your position on offshore drilling, you should at least agree with me that refusing to allow debate and democracy in the United States House of Reprsentatives is repulsive.

3 Things I Hate, Vol. 1: Bands/Singers

The following is the first installment in a series of blogs entitled "3 Things I Hate." This inaugural entry focuses on the three bands or singers that I despise the most. In general, I'm really not that picky about the music I listen to (come on, my favorite band is blink-182), but these three examples really get me fired up. Here's the hate:

3. Atmosphere
Atmosphere is a hip-hop group that has apparently been around since 1993. I have just recently heard of them because their song “You” has been getting pretty frequent play on alternative radio. Atmosphere falls into a genre of music that I have dubbed “Alterna-Rap,” a hybrid of alternative rock and rap that rarely produces anything worth listening to.

See Also: The Flobots
See Also: Shwayze

The single “You” stands out to me as pure crap, in particular, because of its lame, monotonous beat and asinine lyrics. Atmosphere’s rapper, Slug, sings about life as a waitress who is treated poorly by customers and hardly makes enough money to get by. These lyrics would be fine, had they been sung by a woman who lived her life as a waitress and hardly made enough money to get by, but, since they are being sung by a 35 year old musician who hasn’t had a real job in over ten years, they are completely ridiculous.

The fact that Atmosphere’s newest record, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, (I’m not making this up, that’s really the title of their album. See now why I hate them so much?) debuted at number five in its first week of release, selling over 36,000 copies, has left me with no choice but to lose all faith in humanity.

2. Amy Winehouse
When is this bitch going to do us all a favor and just die? Amy Winehouse became famous a couple of years ago when her album Back to Black, earned critical praise, sold over nine million copies and won multiple Grammy Awards. While I’m not a fan of her music (it’s just not my thing), I can almost understand why people like it. It’s somewhat original, and her voice isn’t terrible. The reason Winehouse makes this list has little to do with the quality of her music, and a lot to do with the fact that she is a pathetic excuse for a human being.

I would usually love the irony of her entering rehab as her song “Rehab” (which contains the lyrics “They tried to make be go to rehab, but I said, ‘No, no, no’”) was topping the charts, but I am too sick and tired of hearing about her smoking crack, beating people up and whining about her jailed husband, to appreciate it. She causes all kinds of problems for herself, yet expects people to feel sorry for her. I’m sorry, but anybody who gets diagnosed with emphysema and continues to smoke rock doesn’t deserve to live, let alone be applauded by millions of fans, record executives and music critics. As lame as it is, kids do look up to celebrities as role models, and giving Amy Winehouse the level of exposure she receives is irresponsible. Shame on you, Rolling Stone!

1. The White Stripes
I used to think the problem with The White Stripes was their lack of a bassist, but Jack White’s side-project, The Raconteurs, has proved otherwise. It has since occurred to me that the problem with The White Stripes is not their lack of a bassist, but their lack of talent.

Meg White plays the drums like she’s mentally disabled, with no apparent goal but to produce some kind of sound, she’s not picky about what that sound is. But even her random pounding isn’t the big problem with this band. The big problem is front man Jack White.

Jack White’s singing sounds like a four-year-old girl throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of a toy-store. His shrill voice and choppy singing literally make me angry every time I hear a White Stripes song. The worst part about White is that people will defend him rigorously. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this phrase uttered: “Say what you want about his band, but you’ve got to admit Jack White is a great guitarist.” To anyone who believes this, kill yourself. You clearly do not have enough intelligence to provide anything useful to society; we’re better off without you. Jack White is a mediocre guitarist at best. Sure, he can play, but compared to other talent out there, he’s nothing.

Despite how strongly I dislike the band itself, the real reason why The White Stripes tops this list is their fame and acclaim (Yay, rhyme!). I can deal with bad music, but bad, yet immeasurably successful music makes me want to vomit. Though each record they release is a larger, stinkier pile of shit than the last, The White Stripes' last three albums have each received the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Is the American music industry really that big of a joke? Sadly, I think so.

Computers Suck, but Not Having Them is Worse.

Today at work, one of the company's computer servers crashed...and so did it's backup. This crash left the entire company without the ability to access their hard drives or print anything. Since my job is to type up orders and print them, I could not perform my job duties.

So far, there is nothing fascinating about this story. But wait, there's more...

I ask my boss what I should do in light of the situation, and she thinks it would probably be best for me to just go home early.

Score!

She checks with her boss, the owner of the company, to make sure it's okay, and is informed that we have some urgent orders that need to be typed and printed immediately. Given that this is impossible through conventional methods, she had to come up with a less orthodox way for me to do accomplish this task.

Here comes the kicker...

She pulls out a typewriter. Yes, a typewriter. Like they used back in the old-timey days. I was forced to spend the last two hours of my day trying to do my job with a prehistoric chunk of metal.

Kill me now.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight (5/5 Stars)

During a summer that has provided disappointment after disappointment (examples include Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Hancock), The Dark Knight finally delivers what audiences have been waiting for: a big-budget blockbuster packed with action, but also complimented by a strong script and unmatched performances by a stellar ensemble cast.

About a year after battling The Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Guhl in Batman Begins, Batman (Christian Bale) is now a regular on the Gotham City crime-fighting circuit. Although his vigilante antics are technically illegal, Batman maintains a distant but favorable relationship with lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) of the city’s police department and Gotham’s new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Just as the trio seems to be succeeding at cleaning up the city’s streets, they are rattled by the arrival of a new villain, The Joker (Heath Ledger).

The Dark Knight is an automatic improvement on Batman Begins simply because it doesn’t require any back-story. Batman Begins delved deep into the character of Bruce Wayne, successfully explaining his motive for becoming the Caped Crusader. Thanks to this profound character-study in the first film, we already know who Batman is and we are able to jump right into what Batman does. And whom he does it to…

Although this is the newest Batman movie, the film’s focus is not always on the Dark Knight mentioned in the title. Instead, we also become intimately familiar with the story’s villain. Heath Ledger brings the Joker to the screen in a way that no other actor could have even dreamed of. Ledger’s transformation into the Joker is one of the most disturbing Hollywood has ever seen. What makes the Joker scary isn’t his creepy laugh, his hastily applied makeup, or even his heinous deeds. What makes him truly frightening is his love for chaos. He has no motive or greater purpose for the havoc he wreaks, he simply gets off on the panic it generates. The Joker is able to corrupt the purest of souls, and even further corrupt the darkest…and Batman is no exception.

Batman’s struggle to stay morally unadulterated is the true conflict. As big as the fight between Batman and The Joker may grow, it never overtakes the struggle within Batman himself. When our hero is forced to question why he does what he does, and whether or not it’s worth doing, the true brilliance of the Batman story emerges. So, while it may seem like the movie is more about the Joker than Batman, it’s really about the Joker’s effect on Batman.

While most superhero movies are about the action and special effects, The Dark Knight is focused on character development. As a general rule, great films have great characters that audiences can empathize with. If a viewer is able to connect on a deep level with a character in a movie, he will connect with the movie itself. What makes The Dark Knight great is the fact that anybody can find that connection with one or more of the characters. Simply put, The Dark Knight is this year’s best film.

Are You Gay?

I found this on Digg. Definitely one of the funniest things I've read in a while.

http://www.wikiupload.com/images/gay.php

A Day at the Movies

I saw The Dark Knight for the second time today, and it's just as good the second time as it was the first! God, I love that movie. If you haven't already, go check it out. I promise it will be worth your time and money. After spending some time with Batman, I saw the midnight showing of Will Farrell's new movie, Step Brothers. It's nothing brilliant, but it is pretty funny. Will Farrell fans should be pleased.

The new According2Mike.com

So, as you might notice, my first attempt at a website went terribly. Apparently I'm not as technologically inclined as I thought I was, so coding didn't go well and the site looked terrible. I spent so much time trying to make the stupid thing work, I didn't get any content published.

That brings us here, to a basic blog where I can publish all the same content and let someone else deal with the techno-crap.

Cheers!