Things to do before I die

So I was rather bored during my layover in Phoenix this morning, so I created the ultimate list of my adventures and goals for the future.

Visit the Great Wall of China
Visit Tokyo
Write a book
Create a comic book
Create a film
Create a website/magazine
See Sigur Ros live
Bungee jump
Learn to play piano
Learn to bartend
Learn a second language
Attend the Cannes Film Festival in France
Compete in a Video Game Tournament (either Halo or Gears of War)
Storm out of a job exclaiming, "I quit"
Live in another country
The Bull Run
Octoberfest
Kiss someone on New Year's (I know, how sad)
Participate in a protest rally
Take a piss on the Hollywood sign

Wanted, or What does the NRA think about Assassins

I watched Wanted last night. I knew I was in for something different, since director Timur Bekmambetov isn't known for creating a sober film. His Russian fantasy films, Night Watch and Day Watch, are a crazy mix between an acid trip and a few episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants. This makes complete sense when creating a comic book film, though I do wonder if the general public will be ready for this one. Wanted definitely has its own style. The voiceover narration, by James Mcavoy, makes the film more than just a sheer superhero film, though it's technically a supervillain film. Newby Mcavoy is asked to join the Fraternity of Assassins, designed to create order around the world. He is one of a few people in the world with a rare gift; he can slow down time and respond quicker to his surroundings. This makes him more agile and an amazing gunman. But the point of the joining the Fraternity isn't for the sake of humanity's survival. No, Mcavoy's character joins up because he doesn't know who he is and feels that this group of killers can help him find his destiny (a commonly used word in the film), or purpose.

The entire film actually felt like a fucked up version of Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life. He wasn't doing what he should've been with his life when he had the 9-5 job. Now, he was livin' the dream. Getting the much-needed rush to calm his anxiety and help him find clarity...you know, amidst all the killing. The way "purpose" is addressed in this film is almost satiric. This is "Fight Club" for gun lovers. While bullets fly through people's skulls, Mcavoy says, in voiceover, "this is me taking control of my life, my destiny, what the fuck have you done lately." I wanted to cheer and laugh at the same time. Obviously, the film was shooting for badassness, but it sure was telling at the same time.

On a different note, I really think the film would've been better if it had followed the graphic novels it was based on more. The premise is amazing. In 1986, the Fraternity decide to kill all the superheroes of the world and decided to quietly control it through their organization. The series picks up with an uprising in the Frat, where some members are tired of remaining on the sidelines of society. There are no good guys-not ridiculous idea that assassins are a necessity for peace. In Wanted, assassins are just people trying to take over the world. Also, the Wanted series also has magicians and people with other types of powers besides awesome gun slinging, but perhaps concepts like curving the bullet were enough for one film to handle. It wasn't perfect but it sure was entertaining. And James Mcavoy is an amazing actor. He definitely pulled off the action hero role. Props.

10 Things I learned in New York

10. New York is a very humid place (right now, worse than Florida)
9. Hegemony comes from the root word "hegemon," having something to do with imperical rule. :)
8. When your mouth is dry, beer isn't the cure.
7. People from Australia are cool.
6. It is possible to go a few days without meat and still have good meals.
5. "How I Met Your Mother" will always be a great show.
4. This city still gives me anxiety.
3. Even in New York, $80 is too much for a cab.
2. I wish there were more cities that stayed up this late.
1. Opera in the park, who really pays attention.

Good times.

Hope, Change, Progess and all the Other Rhetoric

I should be writing about possible changes in bicycle laws in the City of West Hollywood or the new funds raised by community organizations to renovate the front lawn of a high school, but I just can't do it right. So I've decided to take a break from work writing to write about something I haven't written about in years, politics. Unlike some people I know, I only get jazzed about these things every two and four years. Besides that, I try to stay up with issues but my simple mind can only take so much before I zone out and put on another episodes of Ninja Turtles or Vultron. But alas, here I go, venturing into a world everyone seems to think they are an export of but few actually let their say be heard come election time.

It may be clear to some that I'm no fan of the conservative standpoint, even though I'm apparently considered one simply for being a Christian (which I still find hysterical since a prereq for being a Christian is being a revolutionary who gets in the way of legalism and tells oppressors to fuck off). Anyways, I was one of the few people that actually voted for John Kerry almost four years ago. I didn't particularly care for the man, but Bush was just that scary. But I currently take no pride in being right (even my father, who often considered himself a strong republican, lost faith in the right-this was a big victory for me after years of debating with him and my mother). I am relieved that it's almost over. Currently, a former Democratic presidential hopeful is trying to impeach Bush, and I am very okay with that-though it won't happen. It's politics time again, and all the naivety that comes with it is out and about.

I find all the rhetoric for and against presidential candidates rather intriguing, and I'm always ready to fight someone I disagree with. I must say, I super stoked about Barack Obama. There's a lot of talk about his experience and other subtle ways of saying the country isn't ready for a black man to be in office, but I'm thrilled. I would vote for Obama because he is black. And I would've voted for Hillary Clinton simply because she is a woman. I don't see anything wrong with this. The alternative is a moron, but besides that, we desperately need leaders that are not old, white men in major roles. This is huge. We live a country that doesn't want to admit how severe racism is, and sexism for that matter. Just check out the segregation and distribution of wealth in any major city, it's beyond tragic. It should be illegal. Now with that said, I've never been more excited about a candidate than Obama in all the time I've been able to vote. Yes, he sure is a damn good speaker, and I guess such speech could be problematic since it could be seen as manipulative (see Aristotles three principles of rhetoric), but I see what Obama stands for and really see a chance for this country to get of the shit it's been getting deeper in for the past eight years (I'm sure this length of time is more, but I can only speak for the time I paid attention). So here's to affordable healthcare (it'll be nice to have some again), a public figure that will help heal racism, and ending the war. I know this is all very simplified, but whaddya expect, I care about cultural implications, thus lack much of the practical language and application politics and policy require.

I'd also like to add that the picture of Obama here is awesome. The artist, Shepard Fairey, is one of most distinctive right now, creating works that bring together art, social justice, and capitalism-a combo rarely done well.

Anyways, yay Obama, fuck McCain.

Yet Another Nerd Out Moment

I just got back from a special theatre screening of my favourite anime, Bleach. The show created a film in 2006 called Bleach: Memories of Nobody, for two nights at select theatres they premiered the English-dubbed version of the film. The screening was just like a midnight showing of a film or attending Sundance; you're surrounding my people just as obsessed as you. It's quite refreshing after the months of torment from roommates and friends about my abnormal interest in this Japanese phenomena. Before the film started, there were several previews of selected anime TV shows and it was great to here people cheering them on-this cheering would continue throughout the movie when familiar faces appeared for big battles.

There were no previews for films before the movie, but there was a 15-minutish piece on the Via Media, the American distributor of Bleach, on the process of converting the Japanese manga for an English-speaking audience, and converting the anime for an English-speaking audience as well. The video actually began with a good five-minute clip of the Bleach creator sketching the main character. It reminded me about how I used to be able to draw but somehow forgot...oh well. Anyways, the video was rather interesting and it included interviews from voice actors and the editing team at Via Media. There are more than 170 episodes in the show's history and I'm almost caught, thus it was rather interesting to see the faces of the voice actors and learn about what's going with the Japanese creators and the American team. P.S. the creator is gonna be at ComiCon in San Diego this July, and I'm totally gonna go here him speak.

The film was about what I expected. It had nothing to do with the main story arch of the show, which is incredibly in depth, but did it's own thing with new villians and a new character it could kill off at the end. It was still cool to see the fight scenes of memorable characters and watch something with crisper animation-the music still sucks. It was a pretty cool experience and, as usual, I love going to the movies. The End.