Movie of the Day: Finding Forrester

Today’s movie of the day is: Finding Forrester

This is one of the most overlooked movies I have ever seen. It follows the story of a young writer named Jamal who lives in the Bronx, whose test scores set him above his peers in the world of academics. His Basketball skills are highly superior to the other kids too. Thus when a private school takes interest in Jamal, he must question what is more important to him, writing or basketball.

All of this is taking place as Jamal slowly befriends a mysterious writer who lives near a basketball court where Jamal plays street ball with his friends. It is eventually revealed that this writer is in fact William Forrester, a writer who only wrote one book. This book was so influential though, that Forrester just had to say he was working on a second one, and the world would sit by and hold it’s breath. With an original reluctance, Forrester takes Jamal under his wing during Jamal’s spare time, helping him with his writing and developing his skills as he grows from a troubled teen into a responsible adult.

This movie thrives on character interact between Jamal and Forrester. While they both develop independently, Jamal at a new school and Forrester with learning how to accept life, when the two character’s are on screen together you get an awkward sense of mutual understanding.

These are the kind of films I want to make. This film inspires me to be a better human being every time I watch, and that with determination and a level head, I can over come even the simplest of obstacles without a hitch.

 

Movie of the Day: The Emperor’s New Groove

Today’s movie of the day is: The Emperor’s New Groove

John Goodman is awesome. David Spade is awesome. Thus this movie defaults to double awesome.

The story follows a meso-American king as he comes to terms with his ego via a transformation into a llama. I know it sounds weird, but it works. The movie quickly turns into a buddy movie following Emperor Kuzko and Farmer Pacha on a journey back to the castle to reverse the spell that turned Kuzko into a llama in the first place.

I would safely call this the last good 2D Animated film. The chemistry of Goodman and Spade is spot on, although it will never come close to Spade and Farley. The laughs are consistent and you can tell the actor’s enjoyed their work, especially Goodman.

The point blank humor of this film is what sells you though. The script is damn near perfect, delivering laugh after laugh, even if you have seen the film multiple times. There are references that you will miss, that will send you rolling on the floor, even through multiple viewings.

All in all, highly recommended.

 

Movie of the Day: The 6th Day

Today’s movie of the day is: The 6th Day

Arnold Arnold Arnold… what would we do without you? We would be without classics like Kindergarten Cop, Twins, Junior. Okay so maybe we could do without Junior. But still! Terminator! Mr. Freeze! The guy from Jingle All the Way!

The 6th Day is one of Arnold’s lesser known movies, which is a little sad considering how good it is. The premise is a simple one that might actually be an issue in a few years: Cloning humans is illegal. But through a series of unfortunate events, Arnold is cloned. With his family taken hostage he must team up with well… himself, to bring down the evil corporation who cloned him in the first place.

Throughout these adventures we are given a very interesting view of the future. Automatic cars, laser razors for shaving, talking intelligent dolls, ordering food from a touch panel on your refrigerator, virtual whores, and the XFL! This all is taking place while Arnold does some soul searching about his humanity.

The charm of this movie is the pacing. It moves fast enough to keep you entertained and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Don’t expect too much depth, but throw in a bag of popcorn, kick back relax, and watch Arnold be Arnold.

 

Movie of the Day: The Truman Show

Today’s movie of the day is: The Truman Show

The thing most people don’t understand is this isn’t supposed to be a comedy movie featuring Jim Carrey. It is suppose to be a movie featuring Jim Carrey, which is a big difference, given his hits before The Truman Show such as Dumb and Dumber and The Mask. Many say it was Jim Carrey’s first step into a serious role, although the movie was marketed as a comedy.

While any movie goer can tell you there are parts in just about every movie that should make anyone laugh, be it a dumb line or just a well placed gag, this movie has heart in it, forcing laughs to the back burner. The film follows the life of Truman Burbank, perhaps a little too closely. Truman was adopted at birth, and placed into the fictional city of Seahaven to be recorded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a TV Show. Everyone else in town is just a simple actor, while Truman believes it is all reality.

Truman grows past his thoughts of reality and seeks freedom from Seahaven, with the simple desire to visit Mount Fiji. This is where the movie starts getting interesting, as you see Truman’s past through a series of flashbacks, allowing you to empathize with the character being trapped by a greedy corporate producer.

Ed Harris gives a great performance as the TV Producer Christof, while Paul Giamatti commands the screen in the most simplest of roles, really showing the depth of the actor. All in all I recommend the film to just about anyone who is looking to kill a few hours, but if you decide to miss it, not all is lost. It’s charm is present, and leaves a lasting impression, but it isn’t anything to write home about.

 

Tattoo?

So I have been kicking around the idea of getting my first, but definitely not last, tattoo. I got a couple of ideas thus far. Here was what I was thinking.

1- Portal

This one seems a little self explanatory. I was thinking get one on the shoulder, and the other one on the ankle, just to convey the theme correctly. I want this one because of just how well Portal was done. This was something that was done so well that it took most people by surprise, with a showcase of great humor, whitty puzzles and something that could be interpreted with varying amounts of depth. Much like human beings…

2- Power up!

This one is also a two part-er. I was thinking getting the 1up Mario Mushroom on my left wrist, and the Poison Mushroom on my right wrist. Or vice versa. I like this idea because it represents polar opposites, a key to life. Balance is something that I see everyday, be it the ratio of food to drink, or in the way the world works. Good VS Evil. Light VS Dark. These are ideals which everyone can relate to.

3- Wisdom, Power, Courage

The Triforce is a symbol of completeness. Wisdom is something one must obtain, as is power and courage. These themes transcend gaming more than people think, often used as characteristics used to describe people. The idea behind this is I would get the tattoo, but only merely the outline. I would fill in each corresponding section when I feel that I have obtained each virtue in life. An example of this would be I would fill in Courage after proposing to an eventual spouse. This tattoo would probably be located on my left forearm.

There are many more ideas I have for tattoo’s, but I believe this is a good starting point.

 

I Blog Therefore I Am

In today’s day and age there are many things one can do to express themselves. You can write, you can draw, you can post videos, you can do anything. But the biggest problem with the world these days is getting noticed. In the world of the internet there are millions upon millions of pages on the Internet. How does one gain acceptance in this brave new world?

Look at Xbox Live. I know not everyone plays video games, but to quote a famous movie: “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” This is where the inherent flaw of the internet thrives. What is that flaw? The fact that there is no regulation. Most people think it isn’t that big of a deal, however it allows for the unknown to grow.

Ethics play a big part of your online identity. The first key to this is to accept the fact that you are going to piss at least one person off. If you are not comfortable with that, stay away from user-driven sites. The internet is a global community. Just because what you say might not offend people living in your country, someone in a different country can stumble across your thoughts. This allows for a total peer analysis, regardless of if you want it or not. Be prepared to taste your own blood.

 

10 Things I Hate about WoW

So I have been playing World of Warcraft for about 3 years now. The game is by no means perfect, but it is defiantly part of my lifestyle. Here are some things that could use some upgrades in the game, some slight tweeks, or just an all out overhaul.

 

Women

NOTE: The below is not targeted at any one specific individual and represent my experiences. 

Dear Women,

Why the hell can’t I figure you out? Everything I do either insults you or gets thrown by the wayside. I grab your drink to fill it up for you so you don’t have to, what I believe is polite, and then ask if you want Diet Coke. You then yell at me because you think that I think that you are fat, which in reality, I just asked if you wanted that because that is typically what you drink. Sorry for being observational and considerate, I will never do it again.

The above is just one of many double standards enforced by most women. We can’t have other female friends because then they think we are cheating, but if they have a guy friend we are supposed to be okay with it. This presents a small myriad of problems, that in turn snowball into bigger problems, thus becoming an issue, that quite frankly shouldn’t exists. Not to mention the whole: He isn’t with me at this very instant, he could be cheating on me. Next time you think that, call him, but don’t be sorry when you wake him up or something.

Most importantly though, I fucking hate the friend zone. Let me explain this to you. It is when you are nice to a girl and get shit in return. The catch though is that you still are willing to do pretty much anything for that girl. However she is typically stupid and goes for the asshole whom she is obsessed with due to some ‘desired’ physical feature. And then they bitch to you about how they are treated like shit and expect you to sympathize with them, which you do, even though you have told them countless times that they shouldn’t just keep setting themselves up for it. This is the part in the conversation where you hope, just hope, that she picks you over him, even though it never happens. Thus the cycle infinitely repeats itself, as you are who she goes to when she has problems, but never who she wants to hang out with and have something more with.

I have been in this state with multiple women since about the 7th grade. Do I want this to change? Hell yes I do. But it never will because I hate being a dick to people, women I am interested in included. I hate being mean, I really do. This however causes me to be put into an endless cycle of 2nd place. No one ever remember who got second place, but everyone remembers who the hell beat them out.

I guess the thing I am scared of the most would have to be that I am always going to end up in failed relationships. I really want things to work with each and every relationship I have ever been in, save one I had in High School (<– Regret). As far as I am concerned you should be committed 100% to a relationship. All or nothing, balls to the walls committed. Yes you are going to have to make sacrifices, yes you are going to have to weather the storm at times, yes you are going to fight. That doesn’t mean give up though. The one balance of this though? The relationship has to be mutual.

Ultimately what defines a relationship is the fact that two people have their own separate lives and seek to have someone else of importance included in them. The important thing is that a relationship is built on growth as a person. Both people have to do this in order for a relationship to succeed. The only flaw in this is society. In a world where one-night stands are considered acceptable it is hard to find someone to be with for more than a couple hours a week to get your jollies off with. Sex is fun don’t get me wrong, it is just not a determining factor for some, myself included.

These are just some thoughts.

<3 RMH

 

Achievement Unlocked – World of Warcraft

Why is it that only Xbox 360 games allow you to accumulate a gamerscore? Isn’t a gamerscore supposed to encompass all games, regardless of platform? While I may not be in charge of the gaming world as a whole, here are some ideas on the first 1000 possible achievement points for one of the most popular games made, World of Warcraft. Now before I get flammed for my ideas, this achievement list represents all content from 1.0-2.0 and follows the rules of all games with achievements. It has 36 achievements across 1000 points. I do plan on doing Burning Crusade, which will have 250 gamerscore points.

 

Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky

Today, BioWare announced that the first Mass Effect DLC will be hitting on March 10th. DLC should last about 90 minutes for 400 MSP and add one new achievement worth 50 points. Read the jump for the offical info.

LINK: Mass Effect Fourms