Thursday, May 22, 2008

Mmmmm, the Wind

Today sucked. Besides the fact that I spent more than two hours trying to get from Glendora to Beverly Hills (what a shit hole). Besides the fact that I continue to find new ways to get scolded at work (man, I can't wait to quit). And besides the fact that I can never seem eat normally or healthily at work. I spent over 10 hours at work looking outside to see trees moved by the wind that I desperately wanted to be moved by. I love windy days. Here's a list of things better than windy days:
1. sex...probably
2. ...
That's it. Of course, when I got home after nine, the wind was gone and I would've been too tired to bask in it anyways. Sidenote, I'm convinced that journalism can swallow your personality if you're not careful. Cure, socialize, drink, remain slightly apathetic about work, and blog. Back to wind. I love wind. If it's caress did it for me, I'd be a happy man. The sound of it at two in the morning makes me want to sleep forever-and that's saying something since I usually stay awake until four. Though it's 1:47 right now and I'm feeling the bed pull...but not yet. Besides those random moments when you're driving and a gust yanks the into another lain, wind has few negative elements (get it). And for the love, I was stuck inside all day. I don't care about pretty sunny days, a good wave at the beach, or daisies floating in the air. Give me wind, some rain, and snow. It's all wonderful to me. Just don't make we stare at it through a window that can't be opened. That's cruel and major cause for window vandalism.
Sidenote two, my intro to journalism and freshmen writing classes are both full. I currently have 39 students between three classes. The fall's gonna be crazy. Syllabus stuff is still going strong and I'm receiving quite a few books to review.
Sidenote three, if you wanna see me singing a song, rapping, and all around acting very inappropriately, check out Steve's latest blog (he's linked on my panel). I apologize now for the vulgar things I say and excessive use of the word "fuck." I swear, I don't normally talk like that...before noon...when I'm asleep. I'm done.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Top 10 Fantasy Films

So I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night, and I quite enjoyed it. Way better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Darker and even had a rather bleak ending. They added some stuff that wasn't in the book and it worked really well. Funny, dark, and epic battles. It's inspired me to create my new fantasy top 10 list.

10. Hook
9. Spirited Away
8. The Neverending Story
7. CON: Prince Caspian
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix
5. LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
4. Princess Mononoke
3. Pan's Labyrinth
2. LOTR: The Return of the King
1. LOTR: Two Tower

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Teeth: When “It” Fights Back

A film was recently released on DVD called Teeth, and you’ll never guess where they’re located. I’ll give you a hint…vagina. I saw the premiere of this film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film description said little more than a synopsis about a high schooler who runs a purity campaign begins going through some changes. No shit. It then concludes saying that if you don’t know what the vagina dentata myth is, then you will. It’s true. So the premise is pretty simple. A girl is born different. She gets a crush on a guy. They kiss. He wants to go farther and she doesn’t. Unfortunately, when he forces himself on her, those sneaky teeth kick in and kick out his little guy. Some idiots still believe that most women had it coming when they get raped. Welp, this guy definitely had it coming. Use your penis for evil and you lose it. The girl then learns to control her newfound power. When she’s happy, it doesn’t bite. But if you piss her off, get ready for something really, really fucked up.

I remember watching this film with a large group of people that cringed, shouted, and laughed in unison. The film was definitely a mix between comedy and horror. Also, it really wasn’t that good. Bad acting. Ridiculous music. Superficial plotline. It really only had shock value. But that’s more than most horror films have these days. I remain convinced that this film, while trying to become a girl-power film, actually doesn’t do anything new. It simply allows women to enter male-dominated film with the same aggression and bloodlust as men. This isn’t something new, but the old reversed. With that said, the vagina dentata myth still speaks loudly to Western culture—and world culture for that matter. Culture truly forms around the dominating ideology of penetration as the ultimate form of power. What is a knife if not an extension of the penis, spreading its power to whatever victim, male or female, it seeks out. There’s a reason most serial killers in movies use knives and go after women. Teeth serves as an alternative to penetration as power. The vagina becomes a weapon that can engulf the penis. The foreign object is at a disadvantage on the home turf.

There’s part of me that wants to buy this film even though I may never watch it again. Though I am curious to see the rated-R version as I saw an unrated one. Three castrations will stick with you. The subject matter is intense and easily ignorable to many, but when I left that many, there were a lot of 45-year-old female viewers talking about how the chick flick was just redefined. There’s something powerful in this crappy movie. Just imagine the possibilities of such a concept or similar ones, thematically, maybe not just conceptually, in the hands of a film master

Monday, May 12, 2008

Something Drastic

So I did something rather compulsive yesterday...That's right. My hair has reverted to a size unknown to me since seventh grade. The mop on my head was getting rather unmanageable and the person who normally cuts my hair doesn't live close by anymore, thus I'd been debating this for a few days. I was ready to do and Steve pointed out that doing it myself would make it much shorter than I originally planned. But alas, I was impatient and just did it. No scissors, just the buzzers on a 1-inch setting. I don't regret it, but I'm suddenly very aware of my receding hairline. It ain't that bad, but a bit of a reminder of where my head's going in the future. I also have a few gray hairs saying hi to me, but I kinda like 'em. I feel like they give me street cred, or at least add a few years of wisdom to my face. Either way, what's done is done. I'm not gonne keep it this length and it'll probably grow out nicely in a month.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Top 10 Comic Book Movies

So I've been inspired to create my top 10 superhero movies list, since I just looked at one that was ridiculously stupid. Sorry, this ain't an opinion, the guy was a dumbass for his list. Oh well, not everyone can be right. (keep in mind, there's a lot of superhero movies coming out, so this list could easily change)

10. Batman
9. Superman
8. The Incredibles
7. Blade II
6. Unbreakable
5. V for Vendetta
4. Batman Begins
3. Iron Man
2. X2
1. Spider-Man 2