Some time in our era, scientists and star gazers found a meteor that got caught in Earth's atmosphere. At first, it didn't appear to be much of a threat. It continued to burn brightly as it orbited the planet for many generations. Eventually, it was even looked upon as a gift and a granter of wishes.
The scientists took advantage of this and made several studies as carefully as they could on the giant rock. That's how they made their most startling discovery. The rock's material was not burning away. It was changing in the heat. It was made up of a mysterious compound that slowly was turning radioactive as it generated more and more heat in the atmosphere.
That's when the mathematicians stepped in and delivered the worst news of all. The meteor was going to crash. Using all of their skill possible, they found out that the meteor in orbit around the planet was not really stuck at all but on a downward spiral. It's landing place would come to be known only as District Six.
Word got out to the people of District Six as well as the surrounding areas. Families fled to other locations in a hope to get away from what could be the next world disaster. Prisoners and free men, the rich and the poor, the homeless and the working. They all were moved somewhere outside of District Six until it was nothing more but a ghost town.
Everyone had plenty of time to escape, but all did it prematurely. The meteor was not to crash for several decades. And during that time, the town slowly began to grow new life. A generation of doomed people. The scientists tried to warn them, but their studies fell on deaf ears. The people said that they were wrong in their calculations, basing their logic on an old science.
Then, one night, the sky didn't turn black when the sun set. It turned red. It stayed red well into the night. Curious as to why this was happening, many of the people living in District Six looked to the stars for an answer. They soon found it in a blinding flash of light. District Six was vaporized upon impact.
There were very few survivors of what would be known as The Red Sky Event. Those that lived just outside of the blast zone were left homeless and ill. The environment changed dramatically, forcing both animals and humans back into a nomadic way of life. Eventually, those with more brains than guts rediscovered agriculture through a new science. Small establishments were made where there was some kind of raw material that The Red Sky Event created, be it acid rain or sulfuric snow.
And eventually, war began as well. The people grow greedy. They wanted the power supply of every other establishment that figured out how to be self-sufficient. The nomads that were still living at the time did not want any part of this war. But unfortunately two young boys didn't have a choice.
It was common practice to raid the camps of the nomads by one group of people that found a way to use the unprotected star light at night as a source of energy. They were combatants of the skies, and they were good. Their troops were near infinite in numbers thanks in part to a discovery by a local doctor who found a way to rewrite the memories and motives in the human brain using the unprotected star light. It was only a matter of time before the two brother's camp was raided.
That night, two brothers slept in a tent. But in the morning, only one of them would walk up in the same tent. The other ended up being brain washed for military purposes.
As the war raged on between all those that found a source of power, the planet slowly began to die off. It got to the point where people were no longer fighting for more energy sources. They were fighting to stay alive. That's when they introduced a new weapon of massive and indiscriminate distruction. The Starlight Cannon. Propagated as the next atom bomb, this cannon collected and stored energy for the stars to be fired at anyone or anything with an accuracy of a sniper. It could wipe out entire towns as well as individual people. And it was attached to one of the two brother's left arm. The brother who was captured in the raid of the nomad those many years ago. Before the height of the war. Before he ended up fighting his long lost and forgotten brother.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
Herbie: Fully Loaded Review
I'll be honest. I didn't expect much from this movie. I'm not really a fan of several of the things Disney is doing with some of their more iconic stars and franchises. (I'm still reeling in pain at the fact they made a Cinderella 2 movie.) But I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised with this offering from them.
It's been several decades since Herbie was first introduced to the world as the little bug that could, and since then he's been having a bit of a slump. After living up the high life that is pretty much the stereotype of what people think being famous is all about, Herbie has lost all of what makes him great to the point where he had to get a job as a taxi just to stay running. Which ultimately doesn't work anyways, since the first thing we see Herbie do is trying to escape a scrap yard.
Meanwhile, Maggie Peyton (Lisndsay Lohan) has graduated from college, the first in her family's history. Her family history, speaking of which, is in racing. She loves to race, but she prefers the illegal kind of street racing, which becomes more and more apparent as the film moves on. Her father (Michael Keaton) tries his best to protect and provide for her, which is why he brings her to a junk yard to pick out a new car in the classic good-hearted Dad faux pas we've come to just accept in films and shows today.
Incidentally, this is how Herbie and Maggie meet. From there on, it's just one fun ride through a plot that offers a lot of interesting twists and turns.
I don't care if you like Lohan or not; she was actually pretty good in this movie. She played the role of a Nascar kid growing up in what appears to be some utopian city full of car lovers really well. Yes, the fact that her character is suppose to be a college graduate and her acting reads as if she is a high school graduate is nothing that can be over looked. But this is a movie about a car's relationship to a driver. Despite his lack of screen time, Herbie is the real star.
I liked how they introduced Herbie to the generation that has no real memory of him. I feel fortunate that I grew up watching bits and pieces of the old Herbie movies, and smiled widely when I saw several of my favorite scenes from the hold franchise. It was probably one of the best opening sequences I've seen. Like with the Spider-Man 2 opening, you don't need to know what happened before after you watch this sequence.
I think one of the more surprising actors in this movie, for me at least, was Michael Keaton. I didn't expect him to play the part of a Nascar Racing dad, but he does it very well. He looks, sounds, and even acts the part! For a while, I honestly thought he was someone that I knew or bumped into somewhere in Nashville.
The special effects in the film are kind of a mixed bag. Those with a keen eye will notice something that could be seen as a throw-back but probably will be scene as a poor job. What I mean is that some of the CG in the film was rendered in a way to make it look like the old Herbie films. There's no real thick and obvious black line around Herbie or Lohan on the scenes that I could see, but it's obvious they didn't blend things like lightning and shadows to make it look more realistic. I liked the look, but in this day and age were we have more realistic looking renderings of objects in films, most people would see this as sloppy.
The story is cute. It's about finding your direction in life and how something small could get you there fast. That's if you read into it like I did. For the most part, the story is entertaining and in the true style of Herbie films from what I remember. However, the direction and pace of the film did drag. At times, the story felt more like an experiment in how to write and film a story from the 60's and 70's.
The movie itself overall is pretty good. It's worth a rent at the least. It definitely surprised me as to how good it was. I was expecting it to just destroy the franchise, but who knows? Maybe we will end up seeing more of the Love Bug in the future. I just hope it isn't in a cheap and ultimately vain attempt at trying to make more money.
It's been several decades since Herbie was first introduced to the world as the little bug that could, and since then he's been having a bit of a slump. After living up the high life that is pretty much the stereotype of what people think being famous is all about, Herbie has lost all of what makes him great to the point where he had to get a job as a taxi just to stay running. Which ultimately doesn't work anyways, since the first thing we see Herbie do is trying to escape a scrap yard.
Meanwhile, Maggie Peyton (Lisndsay Lohan) has graduated from college, the first in her family's history. Her family history, speaking of which, is in racing. She loves to race, but she prefers the illegal kind of street racing, which becomes more and more apparent as the film moves on. Her father (Michael Keaton) tries his best to protect and provide for her, which is why he brings her to a junk yard to pick out a new car in the classic good-hearted Dad faux pas we've come to just accept in films and shows today.
Incidentally, this is how Herbie and Maggie meet. From there on, it's just one fun ride through a plot that offers a lot of interesting twists and turns.
I don't care if you like Lohan or not; she was actually pretty good in this movie. She played the role of a Nascar kid growing up in what appears to be some utopian city full of car lovers really well. Yes, the fact that her character is suppose to be a college graduate and her acting reads as if she is a high school graduate is nothing that can be over looked. But this is a movie about a car's relationship to a driver. Despite his lack of screen time, Herbie is the real star.
I liked how they introduced Herbie to the generation that has no real memory of him. I feel fortunate that I grew up watching bits and pieces of the old Herbie movies, and smiled widely when I saw several of my favorite scenes from the hold franchise. It was probably one of the best opening sequences I've seen. Like with the Spider-Man 2 opening, you don't need to know what happened before after you watch this sequence.
I think one of the more surprising actors in this movie, for me at least, was Michael Keaton. I didn't expect him to play the part of a Nascar Racing dad, but he does it very well. He looks, sounds, and even acts the part! For a while, I honestly thought he was someone that I knew or bumped into somewhere in Nashville.
The special effects in the film are kind of a mixed bag. Those with a keen eye will notice something that could be seen as a throw-back but probably will be scene as a poor job. What I mean is that some of the CG in the film was rendered in a way to make it look like the old Herbie films. There's no real thick and obvious black line around Herbie or Lohan on the scenes that I could see, but it's obvious they didn't blend things like lightning and shadows to make it look more realistic. I liked the look, but in this day and age were we have more realistic looking renderings of objects in films, most people would see this as sloppy.
The story is cute. It's about finding your direction in life and how something small could get you there fast. That's if you read into it like I did. For the most part, the story is entertaining and in the true style of Herbie films from what I remember. However, the direction and pace of the film did drag. At times, the story felt more like an experiment in how to write and film a story from the 60's and 70's.
The movie itself overall is pretty good. It's worth a rent at the least. It definitely surprised me as to how good it was. I was expecting it to just destroy the franchise, but who knows? Maybe we will end up seeing more of the Love Bug in the future. I just hope it isn't in a cheap and ultimately vain attempt at trying to make more money.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Where is my generation?
It's happening again.
I look around me and see people talking with people. They are into their conversations and enjoy the company of who they have talking to them. They all have something in common. They have some kind of interested that they can share their time with others on. They are all the same in one fashion or another.
And here I am. So different that I feel like I'm invading just by looking at them as they talk from a distance.
And here I am. Blogging again about something nobody wants to hear or cares about simply because I have nobody that will lend me their ear or their time to get it out of my system. At least nobody I can feel comfortable talk to that is somewhere in my generation's age range. I'm tried of talking to adults like I've been doing whenever something upsets me. For once, I wish there was something within my age range that would listen to me and not hate me afterwards for opening up and showing how messed up I am.
I'm tired, lonely, depressed, and stressed out over what will probably be nothing in the end. I want to believe that one day my prince will come, but I know I can't. I want to be able to at least have some kind of life that isn't based on working or something that I see as practically slavery sometimes when I feel like being insane. But right now, I'm tired. I feel alone, and that makes me really sad. Because right now, I need someone to hold me close and tell me things are going to be alright. But it doesn't look like I'll get that from anyone my age right now.
I guess I don't feel like I belong in this generation of youth in America. I'm not sure I even belong anywhere socially at this point.
I look around me and see people talking with people. They are into their conversations and enjoy the company of who they have talking to them. They all have something in common. They have some kind of interested that they can share their time with others on. They are all the same in one fashion or another.
And here I am. So different that I feel like I'm invading just by looking at them as they talk from a distance.
And here I am. Blogging again about something nobody wants to hear or cares about simply because I have nobody that will lend me their ear or their time to get it out of my system. At least nobody I can feel comfortable talk to that is somewhere in my generation's age range. I'm tried of talking to adults like I've been doing whenever something upsets me. For once, I wish there was something within my age range that would listen to me and not hate me afterwards for opening up and showing how messed up I am.
I'm tired, lonely, depressed, and stressed out over what will probably be nothing in the end. I want to believe that one day my prince will come, but I know I can't. I want to be able to at least have some kind of life that isn't based on working or something that I see as practically slavery sometimes when I feel like being insane. But right now, I'm tired. I feel alone, and that makes me really sad. Because right now, I need someone to hold me close and tell me things are going to be alright. But it doesn't look like I'll get that from anyone my age right now.
I guess I don't feel like I belong in this generation of youth in America. I'm not sure I even belong anywhere socially at this point.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
No Sale
With Halloween about to wrap itself back up and the commercial Christmas making its presence ever known in do-it-yourself stores, various advertising departments have decided to start early this year to attract those out there that will drool and spend money on whatever they make look pretty.
Case and point, the Star Wars Episode III ads that are playing right now in preparation for their DVD's release.
The thing is, I'm not bothered by what will end up becoming an eternity of commercials between now and Thanksgiving. What bothers me is that I'm not affected by them.
The capitalistic world as we know it now doesn't really sit well with me anymore. Very rarely do I find a product that I know I'll get more for my buck. Something I can treasure or get a lot of use out of. If I were to make my Christmas list now like how all the ad companies want everyone to do, there would only be two items on the list. The Musical History of Disneyland Box Set and some kind of SLR Digital Camera. Expensive, yes, but cheaper than the grand total of what I wanted last year. (And a hell of a lot cleaner as far as content goes as well.) On top of that, those two are the only things I think I would get the most out of. If I was to buy the Star Wars DVD that is coming out, how many times would I watch it? There are DVDs sitting in my drawer that I haven't touched in well over a year. Hell, there's a set of DVDs in there I haven't watched more than once!
I guess it would be premature of me to say that I may be learning the value of a buck at this point. Most don't learn that until they work their asses off to the point where they are seen as respectable.
Ironically, give us just a few more decades and the US will become the source of cheap labor. Why? Well, there's this little thing called "The Number Gap." Long story short, once all the smart people in all the scientific field of work retired, the US will only have 1/3 of the number of innovators and inventors that they do now with some kind of creditable background, that isn't some hack trying to get rich quick. I've brought this subject up before; I know I have. When I have, I learned that our society is so left-brain oriented, that eventually it will be the creative ones that will take over. The ones that can produce things that the average person will eventually realize is worth more than what they are really investing in because it can never be reproduced. That's why in Japan, the source of our cheap labor for all those Happy Meal toys and anime shows, collecting art is a hobby that will pay off several fold over once they become the supreme commercial power in the capitalistic world of ours. After all, all the best products come from Asia now. Hell, some of the best cars come from Europe! What commercial product can you name that the US has made that is the best in the world? The only thing I can think of is being the world's supplier for food and weapons. Both of which we are slowly finding out are bad for us in one form or another.
But I'm ranting again.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I've come to a point in my life where I realize what is more important to me financially. I can enjoy what spoils of life that are free, like the free online video games I play provided I pay the monthly internet fee for example. Even now, I can enjoy what little privileges I have such as the fact I don't have to pay any bills at this point since I'm not working. But I don't think I'll be buying anything the commercial world wants me to any time soon. At least not anything I know I won't get any repeat value off of.
But the commercial world is tricky. They know how to make it sound like you need their product. So who knows. Maybe this is just me being premature again.
Case and point, the Star Wars Episode III ads that are playing right now in preparation for their DVD's release.
The thing is, I'm not bothered by what will end up becoming an eternity of commercials between now and Thanksgiving. What bothers me is that I'm not affected by them.
The capitalistic world as we know it now doesn't really sit well with me anymore. Very rarely do I find a product that I know I'll get more for my buck. Something I can treasure or get a lot of use out of. If I were to make my Christmas list now like how all the ad companies want everyone to do, there would only be two items on the list. The Musical History of Disneyland Box Set and some kind of SLR Digital Camera. Expensive, yes, but cheaper than the grand total of what I wanted last year. (And a hell of a lot cleaner as far as content goes as well.) On top of that, those two are the only things I think I would get the most out of. If I was to buy the Star Wars DVD that is coming out, how many times would I watch it? There are DVDs sitting in my drawer that I haven't touched in well over a year. Hell, there's a set of DVDs in there I haven't watched more than once!
I guess it would be premature of me to say that I may be learning the value of a buck at this point. Most don't learn that until they work their asses off to the point where they are seen as respectable.
Ironically, give us just a few more decades and the US will become the source of cheap labor. Why? Well, there's this little thing called "The Number Gap." Long story short, once all the smart people in all the scientific field of work retired, the US will only have 1/3 of the number of innovators and inventors that they do now with some kind of creditable background, that isn't some hack trying to get rich quick. I've brought this subject up before; I know I have. When I have, I learned that our society is so left-brain oriented, that eventually it will be the creative ones that will take over. The ones that can produce things that the average person will eventually realize is worth more than what they are really investing in because it can never be reproduced. That's why in Japan, the source of our cheap labor for all those Happy Meal toys and anime shows, collecting art is a hobby that will pay off several fold over once they become the supreme commercial power in the capitalistic world of ours. After all, all the best products come from Asia now. Hell, some of the best cars come from Europe! What commercial product can you name that the US has made that is the best in the world? The only thing I can think of is being the world's supplier for food and weapons. Both of which we are slowly finding out are bad for us in one form or another.
But I'm ranting again.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I've come to a point in my life where I realize what is more important to me financially. I can enjoy what spoils of life that are free, like the free online video games I play provided I pay the monthly internet fee for example. Even now, I can enjoy what little privileges I have such as the fact I don't have to pay any bills at this point since I'm not working. But I don't think I'll be buying anything the commercial world wants me to any time soon. At least not anything I know I won't get any repeat value off of.
But the commercial world is tricky. They know how to make it sound like you need their product. So who knows. Maybe this is just me being premature again.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Movies From Austin (Part 4 of 4) - The Dark Crystal
Had to save the best for last. I've been a fan of the Jim Henson company for as long as I can remember. Probably for as long as I have been a Disney fan. As such, I consider Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal to be the company's best work as far as full length features go. Thing is, I never saw the movie in its entirety until just now.
Set in another time and place, the world of fantastic creatures in The Dark Crystal has been thrown out of balance. An evil race known as the Skeksis rape the land of natural resources and even defenseless people for their own selfish bidding. It is up to Jen, the last member of the Gelfling race, to fulfill a prophecy that, to be perfectly blunt about it, he has no clue as to why.
This is a classic story with characters from the peak of Muppet Technology. The character designs and sets are magical and very memorable. The kind that make people smile whenever they see something that looks like one of the races in the movie.
While pretty to look at, I found the plot to be rather long. This was filmed in a time where epics like Star Wars were bringing in the cash, but the story didn't really benefit from it. It did create some very beautiful scenes and several elements to make the characters feel real, but at the same time it made the film feel very long.
The art in the film is classic Henson, with vivid colors and characters with so much detail and life. You sometimes forget that you are watching puppets some of the times. I just wish they made the Gelfling race look a little more human. The ears, I don't mind. It's the nose that bothered me. However, the best character models would have to go the Skeksis. It's hard to believe that there was someone underneath all that fabric controlling what was suppose to be a vulture-like creature that was nothing but skin and bones. The race known as the Mystics come in at a very close second, mostly because they way they were built is in the classic two-person-puppet form that Henson made a staple of his company.
The music and acting could be better, but then again, given the time, it was still grand as it could be.
Like one person said on Gaia Online when I said I was going to watch this movie. "Dark Crystal is love!" There's something in this film for most everyone to enjoy.
Set in another time and place, the world of fantastic creatures in The Dark Crystal has been thrown out of balance. An evil race known as the Skeksis rape the land of natural resources and even defenseless people for their own selfish bidding. It is up to Jen, the last member of the Gelfling race, to fulfill a prophecy that, to be perfectly blunt about it, he has no clue as to why.
This is a classic story with characters from the peak of Muppet Technology. The character designs and sets are magical and very memorable. The kind that make people smile whenever they see something that looks like one of the races in the movie.
While pretty to look at, I found the plot to be rather long. This was filmed in a time where epics like Star Wars were bringing in the cash, but the story didn't really benefit from it. It did create some very beautiful scenes and several elements to make the characters feel real, but at the same time it made the film feel very long.
The art in the film is classic Henson, with vivid colors and characters with so much detail and life. You sometimes forget that you are watching puppets some of the times. I just wish they made the Gelfling race look a little more human. The ears, I don't mind. It's the nose that bothered me. However, the best character models would have to go the Skeksis. It's hard to believe that there was someone underneath all that fabric controlling what was suppose to be a vulture-like creature that was nothing but skin and bones. The race known as the Mystics come in at a very close second, mostly because they way they were built is in the classic two-person-puppet form that Henson made a staple of his company.
The music and acting could be better, but then again, given the time, it was still grand as it could be.
Like one person said on Gaia Online when I said I was going to watch this movie. "Dark Crystal is love!" There's something in this film for most everyone to enjoy.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Movies From Austin (Part 3 of 4) - Soylent Green
This is probably the only movie I had a hard time enjoying thanks in part to the many spoilers I was told about by the film students in my school. Then again, the only real spoiler is the ending.
Set in the year 2022, the planet Earth is pretty much left for dead. There are too many people, too much Global Warming, and not enough food for everyone. Those that can afford fresh food and water are the very rich and powerful. The poor are left with a product known as Soylent, each in a different color given their use. Some are used as energy, others as food substitutes. The most popular and highest in demand of the Soylents is Soylent Green. It is so widely wanted that if a supply should run out, riots happen. And apparently in this future, riots are contained and controlled by bull-dozer-like trucks known as "The Scoops," where unrulely citizens are lifted and then dumped into the truck never to be seen or heard from again. And most offending of all? Women are called "furniture" and are treated as such.
Kind of a bleak outlook on the future from the 1970's, huh?
What I found fascinating is how accurate some of the props from the future was. Notepads in the movie look similar to our modern PDAs and Blackberries. The Emergency Phone boxes that are used in the movie feature phones that look like the cell phones from several years ago. Not the bulky kind that is usually used to mock the invention when it first came out, but kind small enough to hide in your hand for the most part.
Ironically, they have an Atari cabinet in the movie, which one character calls a new toy. New to her, yes, but by our standards today, that item is a collectible. Probably something you wouldn't want to play as intensely as she was.
Plot wise, it starts off like a decent detective film. Some big shot got murdered and Charlton Heston's character is in charge of solving the case. When he gets too close, the rich people that pretty much control the world try to shut the case. While a solid plot in every respect, the tangents that they show have no purpose other than to flesh out the characters and give you a better sense of what the state of society is like in that particular future.
Overall, I don't know what to say about this movie. It has some nice social commentary that is relevant even now about the state of the economy, where the rich get pretty much everything and the poor are treated like fodder. It even has some implications to how women are still being treated today. But as far as being entertaining goes? I can't really say, mostly because the ending was spoiled for me. And when it actually did end, it didn't feel like the story really ended.
Oh well, gotta stumble upon bad movies once in a while, right?
Set in the year 2022, the planet Earth is pretty much left for dead. There are too many people, too much Global Warming, and not enough food for everyone. Those that can afford fresh food and water are the very rich and powerful. The poor are left with a product known as Soylent, each in a different color given their use. Some are used as energy, others as food substitutes. The most popular and highest in demand of the Soylents is Soylent Green. It is so widely wanted that if a supply should run out, riots happen. And apparently in this future, riots are contained and controlled by bull-dozer-like trucks known as "The Scoops," where unrulely citizens are lifted and then dumped into the truck never to be seen or heard from again. And most offending of all? Women are called "furniture" and are treated as such.
Kind of a bleak outlook on the future from the 1970's, huh?
What I found fascinating is how accurate some of the props from the future was. Notepads in the movie look similar to our modern PDAs and Blackberries. The Emergency Phone boxes that are used in the movie feature phones that look like the cell phones from several years ago. Not the bulky kind that is usually used to mock the invention when it first came out, but kind small enough to hide in your hand for the most part.
Ironically, they have an Atari cabinet in the movie, which one character calls a new toy. New to her, yes, but by our standards today, that item is a collectible. Probably something you wouldn't want to play as intensely as she was.
Plot wise, it starts off like a decent detective film. Some big shot got murdered and Charlton Heston's character is in charge of solving the case. When he gets too close, the rich people that pretty much control the world try to shut the case. While a solid plot in every respect, the tangents that they show have no purpose other than to flesh out the characters and give you a better sense of what the state of society is like in that particular future.
Overall, I don't know what to say about this movie. It has some nice social commentary that is relevant even now about the state of the economy, where the rich get pretty much everything and the poor are treated like fodder. It even has some implications to how women are still being treated today. But as far as being entertaining goes? I can't really say, mostly because the ending was spoiled for me. And when it actually did end, it didn't feel like the story really ended.
Oh well, gotta stumble upon bad movies once in a while, right?
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Sick Perverted Bastard Am I
I came so close to getting into so much trouble today. It scared me.
Austin just got out of class, and because I'm a complete social dependent, I waited on him to hang out for a while. He asked me were the spray room was, and I lead him to it. That's when I nearly got myself in trouble.
The hallway leading to the spray room was darken. The reason was, according to Austin, that the electric bill was getting ridiculous, so in order to cut down on wattage, they removed several bulbs from areas of the school nobody goes to as often. Once in the spray room, I found myself closing the door behind myself and Austin.
Keep in mind that the spray room is actually just a five square-foot closet with a high-power ventilation fan at head level. There's also a table that takes up about half of the space for projects to rest on while being sprayed. So, yeah, there's not much space to move around.
Being in there alone with just him in an area of the school people rarely go to, I found myself getting hard rather suddenly. I wanted to just pounce on him. I had the urge to just throw myself all over him as he bent over looking at the spray cans left behind to find if any of them had any paint left in them. It was the most difficult time for me, because I knew I couldn't get away with it.
When he found a can with paint left, I asked him what he's going to use it for. He said he needed to touch up his pants, and I left the spray room as he tagged himself along his right pants leg.
I tried to get my mind off of what may have happened by looking at a discarded art piece someone did. Apparently, someone took the time to find and glue to a white wood panel several dozen Dum-Dum suckers in an arrangement that looked like a color spectrum. The fact that it was there help keep some of the tension of what my mind was going through off the subject until the ride home when I started to feel like a complete pervert.
I need to get laid to the point where sex is boring to me.
Austin just got out of class, and because I'm a complete social dependent, I waited on him to hang out for a while. He asked me were the spray room was, and I lead him to it. That's when I nearly got myself in trouble.
The hallway leading to the spray room was darken. The reason was, according to Austin, that the electric bill was getting ridiculous, so in order to cut down on wattage, they removed several bulbs from areas of the school nobody goes to as often. Once in the spray room, I found myself closing the door behind myself and Austin.
Keep in mind that the spray room is actually just a five square-foot closet with a high-power ventilation fan at head level. There's also a table that takes up about half of the space for projects to rest on while being sprayed. So, yeah, there's not much space to move around.
Being in there alone with just him in an area of the school people rarely go to, I found myself getting hard rather suddenly. I wanted to just pounce on him. I had the urge to just throw myself all over him as he bent over looking at the spray cans left behind to find if any of them had any paint left in them. It was the most difficult time for me, because I knew I couldn't get away with it.
When he found a can with paint left, I asked him what he's going to use it for. He said he needed to touch up his pants, and I left the spray room as he tagged himself along his right pants leg.
I tried to get my mind off of what may have happened by looking at a discarded art piece someone did. Apparently, someone took the time to find and glue to a white wood panel several dozen Dum-Dum suckers in an arrangement that looked like a color spectrum. The fact that it was there help keep some of the tension of what my mind was going through off the subject until the ride home when I started to feel like a complete pervert.
I need to get laid to the point where sex is boring to me.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Movies From Austin (Part 2 of 4) - Plan 9 From Outer Space
Dubbed as the single worst movie in history, I set my expectations rather low before viewing this. Apparently, my appreciation for the 1950's and what they produced in entertainment came to the forefront as a result.
Set in the post-WWII days when people feared anyone would drop the hydrogen bomb, some aliens decide to "visit" Earth. Thing is, us paranoid Earthlings decided to fire at them and not believe that they came in peace. So, in an effort to save the universe from us, the aliens decide to kill us before we kill them... by using the dead.
If that made any sense to you, you're smarter than I am.
The film is pretty much an example of cross-genres that don't work. You know, like Vampire Westerns or white people playing Samurai warriors. This film takes the two most popular film classes of the era and forces them to produce a bastard child that is part chiller-thriller movie, part alien movie, and lower than B-Grade in most respects.
Acting is below average for the most part, special effects were decent given their time, and the sets were pretty much cheaply made in every respect possible. Though you have to appreciate the way they presented the living dead back then. I just wish they didn't cast Vampira, who looks like she was the inspiration for Mortisha Adams.
The only thing that can make this movie better is if there was an option to watch it with the cast from Mystery Science Theatre 3000 making jokes during the movie. It's that bad.
Set in the post-WWII days when people feared anyone would drop the hydrogen bomb, some aliens decide to "visit" Earth. Thing is, us paranoid Earthlings decided to fire at them and not believe that they came in peace. So, in an effort to save the universe from us, the aliens decide to kill us before we kill them... by using the dead.
If that made any sense to you, you're smarter than I am.
The film is pretty much an example of cross-genres that don't work. You know, like Vampire Westerns or white people playing Samurai warriors. This film takes the two most popular film classes of the era and forces them to produce a bastard child that is part chiller-thriller movie, part alien movie, and lower than B-Grade in most respects.
Acting is below average for the most part, special effects were decent given their time, and the sets were pretty much cheaply made in every respect possible. Though you have to appreciate the way they presented the living dead back then. I just wish they didn't cast Vampira, who looks like she was the inspiration for Mortisha Adams.
The only thing that can make this movie better is if there was an option to watch it with the cast from Mystery Science Theatre 3000 making jokes during the movie. It's that bad.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Movies From Austin (Part 1 of 4) - Tank Girl
Disclaimer
Anyway, the story goes that it is 2033. Eleven years prior, a big-ass comet crashed into Earth and made the planet a big ol' desert. What little water is available is under the control of an evil corporation called Water and Power. And because the government was nuked in the blast, nobody is around to enforce the monopoly laws. Enter a group of people that steal water as well as another group of creatures hell bent on getting rid of the W&P for raping the land.
Heading one group is none other than Malcolm McDowell who plays the evil villain of this 1988 comic book turn mid-1990's movie. He carries the part well. Looks the part, walks the part, even sounds the part. Which bugged me. I'm not really all that keen on type casting, but I know I've heard his voice play several villains before. Where, however, is another question.
On the other end of the spectrum of main characters is Lori Petty. She's pretty much that Harley-Quinn-meets-Gwen-Stefani-with-whatever-her-name-is-from-FLCL girl I told you about. Again, looks the part, acts the part, and surprisingly sounds like the child of Harley Quinn and Gwen Stefani. I could tell she probably had a blast playing the part.
The character, however, that caught my attention more was Naomi Watts's character. I don't know, but I seem to be more in favor of character development, which she has. She starts off as a nerd, but by the end of the film, she's pretty much a smarter-yet-just-as-ballsy version of Petty's character. I blame anime for that kind of appreciation of character growth.
Speaking of which, I believe this movie would have been a hell of a lot better animated. What little animation there is in the movie looks really fun to watch. Think Ren & Stimpy during their prime and add in about a kilo of crack. Mix in some LSD for color, and you have the animation sequences of the movie. Then again, this was filmed during the Disney Golden Age of Animation where anything animated pretty much bombed, so I guess the inter-cutting of comic book panels is justified more than the animated sequences.
To be perfectly frank, I was told this movie has some "I. Q. lowering" moments. And boy, does it. There were just too many sequences that were too strange to watch. For example, they completely break movie genres when they force the owner of a strip club to sing "Let's Do It" (You know, "Birds do it/Bees do it/Even educated fleas do it/Let's do it/Let's fall in love"). While funny, the sequence just lasted too long given that this was suppose to be a mindless action comedy. And that's just one of many.
Another thing that bothered me was the way this gang of mutant kangaroo people called "The Rippers" were presented. They didn't look all that threatening. They just looked goofy. And when you saw comic book images of them or that brief animated part of one of them, they just looked like something out that really bad Kangaroo Jack animated movie they had on Cartoon Network last summer. Then again, this was made in 1995, and anything back then that looked like the live action Ninja Turtles was considered decent.
Overall, I liked the characters and some of the humor in the film, but it just falls flat on its face as far as substance goes. It's pretty to look at, but that only goes so far. However, if you like mindless entertainment, I guess this movie is good for you. Just keep in mind, you'll be watching a really skinny punk girl with a really big gun most of the time. But if that gets you off, more power to you then.
Austin finally remembered to bring me Tank Girl, as well as several other movies he wasn't sure if he told me he'd let me borrow or not. Since this is the first one I remember him saying he'd let me see my name, I thought I'd review it first and then work my way down the pile to a movie I know I'll enjoy. As such, the next blog entries should be about those movies, provided they don't get interrupted by something.What do you get when you mix the humor of a horny Harley Quinn from the Batman: The Animated Series show, that girl and her moped from FLCL, and the style of Gwen Stefani? You get Tank Girl. Well, kind of. You actually get mindless entertainment consisting of things blowing up and kangaroo-mutants killing people, but I'm trying to be nice here.
Anyway, the story goes that it is 2033. Eleven years prior, a big-ass comet crashed into Earth and made the planet a big ol' desert. What little water is available is under the control of an evil corporation called Water and Power. And because the government was nuked in the blast, nobody is around to enforce the monopoly laws. Enter a group of people that steal water as well as another group of creatures hell bent on getting rid of the W&P for raping the land.
Heading one group is none other than Malcolm McDowell who plays the evil villain of this 1988 comic book turn mid-1990's movie. He carries the part well. Looks the part, walks the part, even sounds the part. Which bugged me. I'm not really all that keen on type casting, but I know I've heard his voice play several villains before. Where, however, is another question.
On the other end of the spectrum of main characters is Lori Petty. She's pretty much that Harley-Quinn-meets-Gwen-Stefani-with-whatever-her-name-is-from-FLCL girl I told you about. Again, looks the part, acts the part, and surprisingly sounds like the child of Harley Quinn and Gwen Stefani. I could tell she probably had a blast playing the part.
The character, however, that caught my attention more was Naomi Watts's character. I don't know, but I seem to be more in favor of character development, which she has. She starts off as a nerd, but by the end of the film, she's pretty much a smarter-yet-just-as-ballsy version of Petty's character. I blame anime for that kind of appreciation of character growth.
Speaking of which, I believe this movie would have been a hell of a lot better animated. What little animation there is in the movie looks really fun to watch. Think Ren & Stimpy during their prime and add in about a kilo of crack. Mix in some LSD for color, and you have the animation sequences of the movie. Then again, this was filmed during the Disney Golden Age of Animation where anything animated pretty much bombed, so I guess the inter-cutting of comic book panels is justified more than the animated sequences.
To be perfectly frank, I was told this movie has some "I. Q. lowering" moments. And boy, does it. There were just too many sequences that were too strange to watch. For example, they completely break movie genres when they force the owner of a strip club to sing "Let's Do It" (You know, "Birds do it/Bees do it/Even educated fleas do it/Let's do it/Let's fall in love"). While funny, the sequence just lasted too long given that this was suppose to be a mindless action comedy. And that's just one of many.
Another thing that bothered me was the way this gang of mutant kangaroo people called "The Rippers" were presented. They didn't look all that threatening. They just looked goofy. And when you saw comic book images of them or that brief animated part of one of them, they just looked like something out that really bad Kangaroo Jack animated movie they had on Cartoon Network last summer. Then again, this was made in 1995, and anything back then that looked like the live action Ninja Turtles was considered decent.
Overall, I liked the characters and some of the humor in the film, but it just falls flat on its face as far as substance goes. It's pretty to look at, but that only goes so far. However, if you like mindless entertainment, I guess this movie is good for you. Just keep in mind, you'll be watching a really skinny punk girl with a really big gun most of the time. But if that gets you off, more power to you then.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
As Usual
Well, it was my sister's birthday a few days ago. So, as a belated birthday present, we decided to make the trip out ot Virginia to visit her for the weekend. (And in case you are curious, I'm on the hotel lobby's computer trying to look like I'm doing something important that I can't do anywhere else.)
Well, as usual, once we got closer to her college, she kept calling us. Eventually, we picked her up and went around to look for some place to park. We saw her new dorm she got for accepting the RA job position, and immediately we knew why she asked for a carpet. We then left to look for a carpet store and bought some reminate enough to cover the room. We were going to get more of the things she needs, but it was late. My sister checked out, as is required for RA's to do when they are going off campus, and spent the night with us.
And, as usual, after she pretty much was picked up, I was thrown to the wind. Anything I said and did didn't really matter. My dad and I had to swallow our pride (something I think my dad did several decades ago) and become the pack mules. You know, carrying the rug we bought as well as the VCR and other things we got from Wal-Mart the next day. I really shouldn't sound so selfish. This was my sister's birthday weekend, if nothing else. It was her time to rule again.
As usual, her campus was full of really hot frat boys and other cuties, most of whom I would bet are straighter than an arrow. It was Highlander Days, so there were a lot of them walking around with kilts. Nobody did what the traditional kilt-wearers do; they all had shorts underneath. Yeah, I know, but what do you expect when it is cold and windy most of the day?
As usual, I found myself not really enjoying myself. I know I don't get out much, but even when I do, I just can't seem to appreciate it outside of the change of scenary. I tried to see if I could the the Musical History of Disneyland box set I read about several weeks before (you know, to make the ride home someone less quiet even if I end up torturing my folks with the full ride audio from The Hanted Mansion ride), but the best I could find was a condensed version of the album which features clips from the shows and no full ride or show audio. Looks like me best bet is Borders at this point.
And as usual, I can't use spell check on this computer. So apologize for once again butchering the English language.
Anyway, that was my weekend.
Well, as usual, once we got closer to her college, she kept calling us. Eventually, we picked her up and went around to look for some place to park. We saw her new dorm she got for accepting the RA job position, and immediately we knew why she asked for a carpet. We then left to look for a carpet store and bought some reminate enough to cover the room. We were going to get more of the things she needs, but it was late. My sister checked out, as is required for RA's to do when they are going off campus, and spent the night with us.
And, as usual, after she pretty much was picked up, I was thrown to the wind. Anything I said and did didn't really matter. My dad and I had to swallow our pride (something I think my dad did several decades ago) and become the pack mules. You know, carrying the rug we bought as well as the VCR and other things we got from Wal-Mart the next day. I really shouldn't sound so selfish. This was my sister's birthday weekend, if nothing else. It was her time to rule again.
As usual, her campus was full of really hot frat boys and other cuties, most of whom I would bet are straighter than an arrow. It was Highlander Days, so there were a lot of them walking around with kilts. Nobody did what the traditional kilt-wearers do; they all had shorts underneath. Yeah, I know, but what do you expect when it is cold and windy most of the day?
As usual, I found myself not really enjoying myself. I know I don't get out much, but even when I do, I just can't seem to appreciate it outside of the change of scenary. I tried to see if I could the the Musical History of Disneyland box set I read about several weeks before (you know, to make the ride home someone less quiet even if I end up torturing my folks with the full ride audio from The Hanted Mansion ride), but the best I could find was a condensed version of the album which features clips from the shows and no full ride or show audio. Looks like me best bet is Borders at this point.
And as usual, I can't use spell check on this computer. So apologize for once again butchering the English language.
Anyway, that was my weekend.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
One Down, One To Go
I talked to the dorm roomie of Cleet again to get any and all information that they forgot to tell me as subtle as possible. I learned from one of them that Cleet spends a lot of time on MySpace.
What is it with people having a MySpace? It's like everyone is on it! It's kind of like when everyone joined blogger because of the blogging fad. Albeit, that's when I joined, but I didn't join because everyone else was doing it. But I won't get into that.
Anyway, I went to Cleet's MySpace according to the address his roomie gave me. Scroll down and you'll see the reason for my title of this blog.
For those of you that are too lazy, Cleet's straight.
And that's the end of that.
What is it with people having a MySpace? It's like everyone is on it! It's kind of like when everyone joined blogger because of the blogging fad. Albeit, that's when I joined, but I didn't join because everyone else was doing it. But I won't get into that.
Anyway, I went to Cleet's MySpace according to the address his roomie gave me. Scroll down and you'll see the reason for my title of this blog.
For those of you that are too lazy, Cleet's straight.
And that's the end of that.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Myself vs. Myself
I found myself towards the end of the day at odds with myself. It's not unusual to be fighting with yourself, especially when you're so messed up and confused like I am.
For a while, I've been trying to find out more about this guy named Cleet. The only reason is because he suddenly peaked my curiosity a few days ago when he started to mess with me every time he passed by to get his food in the cafe. When I say mess with me, he'd do some strange hand gesture in my immediate vision with a smile and then walk off. Then, for the rest of the time there, he would sit very close to a girl in my World Civilization class talking softly.
The only information I was able to find on my own is that he lives in the dorms, is a goof ball, plays guitar, and is extremely nice. Not much to go on, huh?
A part of me wants me to probe further to find out more about this guy, but another part of me keeps saying to back off. If it wasn't obvious to me before, I find myself constantly beating my head over it whenever I get love-struck. He keeps talking tot hat one girl that's in my class sitting very close to her, if not with her sitting on his lap all cuddled up and cute looking. Then why is it that he keeps doing "jazz hands" in front of me whenever he passes by and I make eye contact with him?
And then there's Austin. Boy, that's getting messed up. The moment I see him the crush hits, but as soon as I start talking to him about whatever, it's gone. Furthermore, I don't know much about him outside of his motorphobia and what his interests are. The more I talk to him, the more I find that crush creeping back up, especially if his jacket is off and he shows off those really nicely toned arms of his he got from drum line.
Both of these guys I only see twice a week every other day. Cleet I run into mostly on Monday and Wednesday; Austin is pretty much a solid Tuesday and Thursday encounter.
So what's the problem? Simply put, I know better. These guys are just simply out of my league. Hell, they aren't even on my team! I probably would have better luck with Wyatt if I didn't already know that it wouldn't work out with us since we are so different in pretty much everything!
Normally, if I didn't have this constant encounter with one of them causing my emotions to go all a-flutter, I would be over them within a good month. That was the case with Joe in my painting class. (Although, he is still a pleasure to look at.) But, that's not the case for me.
The only way that this problem would be rendered moot is if one of them is secretly gay and isn't telling me for one reason or another. But I doubt that my luck is that good anymore.
For a while, I've been trying to find out more about this guy named Cleet. The only reason is because he suddenly peaked my curiosity a few days ago when he started to mess with me every time he passed by to get his food in the cafe. When I say mess with me, he'd do some strange hand gesture in my immediate vision with a smile and then walk off. Then, for the rest of the time there, he would sit very close to a girl in my World Civilization class talking softly.
The only information I was able to find on my own is that he lives in the dorms, is a goof ball, plays guitar, and is extremely nice. Not much to go on, huh?
A part of me wants me to probe further to find out more about this guy, but another part of me keeps saying to back off. If it wasn't obvious to me before, I find myself constantly beating my head over it whenever I get love-struck. He keeps talking tot hat one girl that's in my class sitting very close to her, if not with her sitting on his lap all cuddled up and cute looking. Then why is it that he keeps doing "jazz hands" in front of me whenever he passes by and I make eye contact with him?
And then there's Austin. Boy, that's getting messed up. The moment I see him the crush hits, but as soon as I start talking to him about whatever, it's gone. Furthermore, I don't know much about him outside of his motorphobia and what his interests are. The more I talk to him, the more I find that crush creeping back up, especially if his jacket is off and he shows off those really nicely toned arms of his he got from drum line.
Both of these guys I only see twice a week every other day. Cleet I run into mostly on Monday and Wednesday; Austin is pretty much a solid Tuesday and Thursday encounter.
So what's the problem? Simply put, I know better. These guys are just simply out of my league. Hell, they aren't even on my team! I probably would have better luck with Wyatt if I didn't already know that it wouldn't work out with us since we are so different in pretty much everything!
Normally, if I didn't have this constant encounter with one of them causing my emotions to go all a-flutter, I would be over them within a good month. That was the case with Joe in my painting class. (Although, he is still a pleasure to look at.) But, that's not the case for me.
The only way that this problem would be rendered moot is if one of them is secretly gay and isn't telling me for one reason or another. But I doubt that my luck is that good anymore.
