Untitled Michael O'Leary Project

Democratic Primary Debate Reaction

2007-04-26T22:04:00.000-04:00

Tonight, April 26, 2006 was the first debate among the Democratic candidates for President. Here's a run down of their performances in one writer's opinion:

Mike Gravel: The former Alaskan Senator who has been out of public office since 1981 (that's 8 years before I was even born) provided some of the wildest entertainment of the night. I felt he unfairly received very few questions, but he was a spectacle when he answered the questions he was offered. I felt Gravel offered observers something that most of the other candidates couldn't offer: candid opinions on current issues he hasn't had to campaign on for more than two decades. His outright belittling of the leading candidates drew laughter from everyone and offered an unexpected element of comedy to the event.

Hillary Clinton: The former First Lady did nothing to debunk the image of Mrs. Establishment that I have of her. Her long drawn responses were only trumped in length by her on-stage neighbor, Barack Obama. She routinely attacked the Bush administration and even referenced the "Clinton administration" (oddly, not "my husband's administration" or something a bit friendlier) a few times as a point of comparison. Ironically, when moderator Brian Williams asked her to react to the fact that she has been voted the most unlikable candidate, or some other unpleasant label like that, she did little to improve her image. As long as the funds keep flowing in, Hillary will be around for quite a while, despite what this writer thought (and thinks) of her.

Dennis Kucinich: This man has got a lot of good things to say, too bad he received near Gravelian (yep, I said it) amounts of questions thrown his way. This lack of questioning often lead him to resort to answering already asked questions despite the question currently being presented to him. Kucinich does not appear physically bold, but he's got a fightin' spirit. In response to "one mistake you have made" was "When I was Mayor of Cleveland, I fired the Police Chief live on the 6 o'clock news" (a nice change of pace from the rest of candidates answering "getting duped by the Bush Administration about Iraq). His other highlight had to be defending his calls to impeach VP Dick Cheney by pulling out a pocket Constitution, which he claims Cheney has no regard for, and holding it at eye level for the entirety of his answer.

Chris Dodd: The "Meh" award was easily captured by Chris Dodd at tonight's debate. The most intriguing thing Dodd presented was the vast color difference between his hair (snowy valley white) and his eyebrows (dark chocolately brown). He also didn't have too many questions to answer, but failed to have any moments that have stuck with me less than 4 hours after the debate ended.

Barack Obama: Recent BU visitor, Barack Obama, may have spoken the most of all candidates at the debate, not only because he received a lot of questions but because his responses often required an intermission because of their length (I will be attempting to watch Lawrence of Arabia [216 minutes] during his responses at the next debate). I felt Obama invoked too many of his accomplishments during responses rather than getting to the core of the questions he was supposed to be answering. I am still very interested in what Barack Obama has to offer but it'll take a little more campaign trail wear and tear before I can get a real feel for this candidate.

Joe Biden: Long ago, I was behind Joe Biden in '08. He hasn't done nearly enough as the other leading candidates to be a realistic possibility, not to mention him calling Obama "clean" and "articulate" as part of his own candidacy announcement. I like Biden's tough delivery on the issues and his air of defiance (displayed when talking about voting against the Roberts and Alito confirmations). But that approach doesn't work on the presidential level (as the Bush administration has demonstrated. I think Biden's best bet is to remain in the Senate as a top notch Senator from the glorious land of Delaware. He has to be given credit for writing his own comedy though, when he simply answered "Yes" to Brian Williams question along the lines of "Do you think your reputation as being boisterous and verbose in many circumstances is accurate?"

Bill Richardson: The Governor of New Mexico has a lot going for him in the credentials department. He is very much a western Democrat as well and expressed his moderation through many of his responses. I felt Richardson doesn't have the charisma it's going to take to win in this incredibly competitive election and his moderation probably won't get him through the primary stages. Brian Williams also pointed out that Richardson is the NRA's favorite candidate, in either party. Oh boy...

John Edwards: Alright, so I did save my favorite for last, despite my "in no particular order" label at the top of this post. I thought John Edwards did the best at answering the questions that were asked of him without being too long winded or bragging of his accomplishments that may or may not be tangentially related to the question content. Edwards offered real solutions for proposals like universal health care and climate change. His responses were not scripted and he was clearly thinking of the answers as he went along. Anyone with a soft spot has to give him credit for citing his wife as one of his three moral role models. Nice job Johnny.

Salt, Pepper, Ketchup on your Pink Flowers?

2007-03-29T23:12:00.000-04:00

This is not a piece on the delicacy of the Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese sandwich which I recently discovered is a New Jersey only phenomenon, a phenomenon I am very proud to be a part of. No, I am talking about something that brings honor and glory to the state of New Jersey. That's right, Salt the Sky. Salt the Sky is a band I've been following for a few years now with quite a bit of interest, largely because they are from my town and I know the members but also because the music they produce is so different and lets me escape for a bit in a way that mainstream music doesn't. That is not to say that their sound is inaccessible to all but the most pretentious music lovers but simply that they offer something new and different to the huge musical landscape we already have to choose from. A video on the band's myspace refers to me lovingly as "their only fan" or something along those lines. This is not true, but if it was, well I believe now that they've gotten their music together and out for mass consumption, new fans will be found everywhere.

I love the band's variety in their songs that draws from influences all over the musical spectrum and can be heard on their debut album, Pink Flowers. The album is available for free at a variety of places around their hometown, Pequannock Township, NJ and should not be hard to obtain if you contact the band through their site, http://www.myspace.com/saltthesky, where several of the tracks are available for streaming and download. If you are not going out right now to seek this music, you are being lazy. Free music is directly proportional to many people's happiness these days, so do yourself a favor, and make yourself happy. Get this album that you can obtain for free and will also offer you a whole album of great music.

Salt the Sky's first album reminds me of groups such as Pink Floyd and The Arcade Fire at points, but then offers completely new sounds on the next track. At parts eerie, at times depressing, Pink Flowers has a lot to offer through its heavy use of synthesizer successfully combined with the more traditional bass, guitar and drums. The vocals sound great, a problem that plagued Salt the Sky for a long time early on. Many of the tracks have long instrumental sections and some are entirely instrumental, a much appreciated departure from the verse-chorus-verse structure of so much of today's music.

I can't speak highly enough of the band and will listen to a lot of their music on my midnight drive down to Washington, DC I am about to embark on. Salt the Sky tops my list of summer concerts I am looking forward to. The band always goes all out in the stage presence and energy departments at live shows and with this impressive repertoire now at their disposal, their shows will be a can't miss ticket for anyone in the know.

Did You Say Dennis Kucinich?

2007-03-06T16:49:00.001-05:00

Ohio Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich ran for President in 2004 an got little attention. He is a four-term member of Congress and former mayor Cleveland but garnered very few votes in both the primaries and the general election, which he did stick around for. In the lead up to 2004 he was the butt of many jokes and we'll be sure to see it again in the coming months, as he is out on the campaign trail again.

I'll be honest though, Dennis Kucinich is a unique, straight shooting politician. He's not out to BS American voters into voting for him by letting them hear what they want to hear. Sure some of his initiatives are interesting (such as creating a Department of Peace in the Executive Branch) but what the things he says make sense. He was against the war from the beginning, an unpopular move at the time. Kucinich appears to me as one of the most articulate candidates of recent memory and has the discipline to live a vegan lifestyle as well.

At 5 foot 7 inches and 60 years of age, he doesn't come across being aesthetically "presidential" but he has a lot of good things to say. I think this YouTube video sums up the man pretty well in just a few minutes: Kucinich talks to George Stephanopoulos.

Sure, Kucinich's chances aren't even close to great in the next election, but I think he deserves some coverage. With the election over a year away, I'm already getting a little annoyed and disillusioned with the current field of Democratic candidates. It'd be nice to see an underdog like Dennis Kucinich or a candidate on a real mission like Al Gore come on the scene and shake things up a little bit. If you're still interested by the time you get here, check out Joe Klein's profile of Kucinich in these week's Time Magazine, which inspired me to write this.

Rebuttal

2007-03-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

So apparently the Free Press will not let a debate play out on its pages so here's the rebuttal I wrote with hopes of publication:

Rebuttal to Rosenberg's Response:

It’s strange that Arestia Rosenberg would mention Hollywood’s relationship with Washington in her response to my letter, Hollywood’s double standard, because I didn’t mention this relationship in mine. My impression of global warming is that it is a problem that transcends politics, transcends partisanship and, oh yeah, it’s global! We need not concern ourselves with Hollywood’s role in American politics when it comes to global warming because it’s not a political issue, it’s a human civilization issue that we need to deal with now.

I was as happy as anyone to see the Hollywood elite get behind Al Gore’s initiatives in as visible a way as they could. However, I was let down by the small, non-indicative (at least that’s what Rosenberg would lead me to believe) piece of Hollywood that came to Boston University last Monday.

No one can belittle the positive charity work that Hollywood does either. Whether they do it out of compassion or for their image, it is charity work nonetheless. Certainly some charities seem to have highs and lows of popularity, both among the people in Hollywood and the general public, but any work with any charity is commendable.

Kevin Spacey is a great actor and from the research Rosenberg did (and I did not, as she was quick to point out) a philanthropist as well. I’m sure he and his friends in Hollywood will soon start doing their part for this particular cause. It is undeniable how much they do already, but it frustrates me that we have seen very little from them recently regarding global warming, a cause they overwhelmingly showed support for at the film industry’s biggest event of the year. The film production I saw first hand the other day showed no signs of change from the old ways and that’s where my frustration stems from.

Again, global warming should be on all our minds because we can all make a difference. Charity work is great and Hollywood does a lot of it, but environmental initiatives are in another realm completely because they affect every living thing on this planet.

For the time being, I will continue to do my part for this cause, remain “self-righteous,” and get ready for post-graduate employment as “that assistant fresh out of college” that Rosenberg assured me I will be.

Response to My Letter

2007-03-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

Well I guess it's only fair to post the other side:

LETTER: Hollywood not given credit

Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Opinion

It's never enough, is it? While I may not always agree with Hollywood and Washington's relationship (in fact, I rarely do), I do have to applaud the efforts stars try to make with their popularity. When it's cool to support a charity, the masses follow.

Look at the telethon event after the tsunami in which you could call in to donate and maybe even speak with George Clooney or any other one of his triple A-list pals pals. I don't care if they do it just to look good or because it's fashionable - celebrities still make a difference.

Which is why I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Michael O'Leary's letter (Hollywood's Double Standard, Mar. 1, p. 9). I'm willing to go to the bank on the fact that Kevin Spacey does not make arrangements for his transportation. Some bleary-eyed 20-something assistant probably made the call for a car during the 17-hour-plus work-day while O'Leary was busy frowning at the trailers needed to shoot a movie.

I'm pretty sure they weren't too concerned with what the students of Boston University would think if their boss showed up in anything less than a hybrid because they're too busy balancing things like Spacey's schedule and phone list and too stressed about things, such as paying rent and having money to eat, to even have time to watch the Academy Awards.

So, I ask again: How come it's never enough? Never mind the charities Spacey sponsors, like Medicinema, which brings movie theatres to hospitals so patients can escape their illnesses, or Declare Yourself, which helps young people (like O'Leary) get educated and inspired by voting (so that green issues can have a voice) or any of the countless other fundraising events he attends throughout the year. I did my research. Did O'Leary?

So, I'll tell him what. When he is that assistant fresh out of college (and he will be), he can be the one to make sure his boss is going green and be self-righteous about who is doing their part. I think Hollywood is doing okay.

Arestia Rosenberg
COM '07

LETTER: Hollywood not given credit

Narcisist? No, Just Whoring Another Writing Outlet!

2007-03-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

Here's my letter to The Daily Free Press as it appeared on Thursday, March 1, 2007 and the link to the original website below:

LETTER: Hollywood's double standard

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Opinion

Sunday night at The Academy Awards, Al Gore took center stage promoting global warming initiatives and received much applause from the Hollywood elite for what he's done already. Not only were the members of the audience apparently behind Gore, but Leonardo DiCaprio announced the Oscars were "green" for the first time, which also received applause from the audience. Hollywood seemed all geared up and ready to do its part to make change.

And then Monday rolled around. With the filming of "The Untitled Blackjack Movie" on Boston University's campus, a dozen trailers and their diesel-guzzling vehicles rolled onto Commonwealth Avenue to give Boston a little taste of Hollywood. Even A-list star Kevin Spacey, a frequent attendee of the Oscars, climbed out of a big sports utility vehicle, as seen on the front page of this paper Tuesday ("Actor, producer Spacey brings filming to BU Castle," Feb. 27, p.1). Looks like Hollywood really is ready to make some change.

Perhaps the giant trailers and the vehicles to pull them are something that the stars just can't part with quite yet. But Spacey couldn't be transported to the set in a hybrid or even a compact car?

If Kevin Spacey hadn't been filming this movie, he probably would have been in the audience at the awards applauding along with his colleagues. But instead, he was using a Lincoln Navigator (which I measured to be larger than my room in Warren Towers) in front of a crowd of moviegoers and star-struck onlookers. Imagine how great of a gesture it would have been to see a Hollywood star actually doing his part for the environment after the previous night's environmental triumph.

Here's to hoping Spacey hadn't received the memo yet about the newest Hollywood trend and will soon try to do his part, just like rest of us should, to follow Gore's lead.

Michael O'Leary

COM '10

LETTER: Hollywood's double standard

Dissappearing Posts

2007-02-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

In case anyone did notice the post that was here, I jumped the gun in putting the letter up here. It's going to be published in tomorrow's Daily Free Press (the BU student newspaper) so I figured I would let that happen before I left it up here permanently. Check out what I had to say tomorrow morning at www.dailyfreepost.com

Say What?

2007-02-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

So as some of you may have noticed (courtesy of the creepy stalker feed on Facebook), I switched my political leaning from "moderate" to "liberal" because I think I've come to realize that that is in fact how I am. I didn't want to be all narcissistic and make a post about myself, but I also didn't want to have awkward conversation with people potentially wondering "why the switch?" I believe that as a young person, it is almost a duty to be open-minded and progressive (two synonyms of "liberal" that I prefer). I believe that political candidates falling to the left of center work better for me at this time of my life and left leaning positions on issues are more beneficial for my own good. And further, there is no way in hell I am supporting a Republican candidate in 2008. I believe that I would be able to maintain my "moderate" status only if I was at least going to give the GOP candidates the time of day, but that's not going to happen. And if you're wondering, my favorite right now is Al Gore.

The former vice-president and one-time popularly elected presidential candidate has not officially declared, I'm holding out that he's going to run. Consider the following: he was the star of a twice Oscar-nominated film that has been the talk of many political circles for 6 months now, he's a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and he's placing fourth in national polls although he has yet to announce. Not to mention, he's got a best selling book and another book still to be published coming out in May. He also was on the Grammys last night and is on television all the time now. Oh and I forgot, he also won the election just 7 years ago.

Anyway, speculation is that if he is in fact going to run, he may announce at the Oscars in 13 days from today. This will put him in front of an audience of millions worldwide and will be a bit higher profile than the impersonal, prerecorded announcements posted on Clinton's and Obama's websites. He is also expected to announce plans for massive worldwide concerts to be held this July in order to raise awareness about global warming.

I truly believe that Al Gore is the best candidate for the presidency in 2008. He was one of the first high profile critics of the Iraq War, An Inconvenient Truth screenings seem to be held hourly (at least in these parts) and the man is everywhere, whether it's on his network, Current TV, or at a news conference with billionaire Richard Branson. The worst thing that can come out of all this face time and exposure is that more people will be aware of the noble things he is advocating, and of course the best thing is that it's enough to get him back into the White House, but this time as the head honcho.

Preemptive Democracy, Perhaps?

2007-01-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

With each passing day, it seems that the U.S. faces more and more trouble with the international community. The most recent event of note in our ongoing struggles is the Chinese testing a missile capable of destroying low-orbit satellites. This story broke late last week and few new details have surfaced in the few days since then. The Chinese government is remaining uncomfortably quiet about the situation for some reason. Some assume that the success of the test came as a surprise to certain sectors of the government and the proper authorities to address the situation have not prepared themselves to issue a statement. The initial thought was that this was a test done by China to flex their military muscle, perhaps in an attempt to get the U.S. and Russia to the bargaining table to sign a treaty banning such weapons.

Such a treaty is not a novel concept and has been discussed for at least 15 years now. The U.S. has shown little interest in drawing up a treaty because it did not believe other nations possessed this technology and more specifically, the Bush administration vowed not to sign such a treaty because they did not want the U.S. to be limited in any way in their space activities. Most likely, a treaty won't be signed on this issue because Bush is still in office and prefers to "stay the course" on most issues. Additionally, it's unlike the U.S. in this day and age to receive a perceived threat like this and then act diplomatically on it. If the U.S. were to jump on and sign a treaty banning these weapons now, it will be like China is saying "told ya' so" in our faces, which is not a position the U.S. would like to see itself in.

If this is in fact the scenario we face, why didn't we just try to work out a treaty in years past to avoid ever getting to this point? The Bush doctrine holds preemptive war as one of its key points, but why not preemptive democracy? Why shouldn't the U.S. consider potential threats and act diplomatically in addressing them before they become fully realized? This most incompetent administration now has a new diplomatic problem to deal with on top of all they already have to deal with. Had they acted on the intelligence they clearly had that China wanted to sign a treaty banning these weapons and could eventually possess the technology, why not sign a treaty before Chinese possession of these weapons become a reality?

At one point, early in the presidencies of both George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao, many believed (or naively hoped) that these two men would be able to work together and bring down tensions between the United States and the People's Republic of China. The events of the last couple of years have done much more to increase tensions than most people probably could have anticipated way back when this hope was expressed. The United States stands at a historic crossroad right now to either enter a new era of widespread East vs. West tensions, reminiscent of the Cold War, or to quell these burgeoning tensions before they become too hot to handle.

I'm going to put my faith into my elected officials, both the newly elected ones in the Democratically-controlled Congress looking to make good on the promises they've made and the mandate for change they've been given and those in the White House, hopefully willing to strike a middle ground on top priority issues to make progress and to improve a legacy that currently stands about one rung above Richard Nixon's before it's too late. Anyone familiar with Phil Ochs' classic protest song "Here's to the State of Mississippi" or the reworked "Here's to the State of Richard Nixon" will enjoy this Pearl Jam reworking of the song into "Here's to the State of George W."

How Much Longer are We In For?

2007-01-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

President Bush's new strategy for the Iraq War is to increase the number of troops over there. This move seems completely backward considering the sentiment of the American people and the members of Congress at this point. U.S. troop casualties continue to climb and the country is in Civil War. Something has to change but this is not the way to do it. This situation is immensely complex considering the tensions that exist within Iraq between the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Kurds but this is also their country and they are probably best suited to deal with it. We do have an obligation to help out since we are completely responsible for the current state of the country but the government of Iraq needs to do its part too. The Senate is coming up with a resolution denouncing the new strategy and the war on the whole. As an alternative to increasing troop numbers, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) says the strategy should be "shifting the mission of U.S. troops from combat to training, counterterrorism and protecting Iraq's territorial integrity", according to MSNBC.com. This strategy will "Iraqify" this war and slowly lessen our involvement. Clean up after this war is our responsibility and we've tried our best by establishing a new government with a new constitution but civil war is an internal conflict and needs to be dealt with internally for the most part. If we can get a military force trained over there, they can get out and suppress the regional tension as they see fit. These people are of the country will be better solving the civil strife. Pulling out now is not an option so we need to do something else. Getting the Iraqi government to do their part is the most important factor to bringing this problem, or at least our involvement in this problem to a close. To conclude, Press Secretary Tony Snow would like us all to know why we should support the President's plan with a snide remark, rather than presenting us reasons or expert opinion and analysis: "The one thing the president has said is, whatever you do, make sure you support the troops, and the question people who support this resolution will have to ask is, how does this support the troops?"

Movies 2006

2007-01-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

So I've decided to put together this list despite not having seen what I consider a few notable releases that may have a place high on this list if I had seen them. I'll start by discussing them:

Dreamgirls: This film could very well win the Best Picture Oscar this year, but I just haven't had a chance to see it yet. This one interests me but isn't going to be found anywhere on the list because I haven't seen it.

Little Children: This one has been getting great reviews, but I had no expectations as I haven't seen director Todd Field's previous film, In the Bedroom. I'll be sure to see this one when it comes to DVD, especially if it gets some awards this season.

Stranger Than Fiction: This is one I was really looking forward to but I missed it in theaters and will just have to wait until it comes to DVD.

The Good Shepherd: Robert DeNiro's second directorial feature looked intriguing, starring half of Hollywood and exploring the origins of the CIA. It's length and initial reviews discussing it's slow pace didn't make me want to see it, but encouraged me to spend my money on another film. I'll definitely see it when it comes to DVD though.

The Queen: This film is another likely Best Picture contender and I may still see it in theaters as it is going to see a rerelease this weekend. This one was playing very limitedly and didn't come on to my radar until late into its first run but its great reviews make me want to see it.

Letters from Iwo Jima: I have seen this film's companion film, Flags of our Fathers, but this one has barely played on more than a few screens so far and has logistically been out of reach for me to see. As soon as this one does expand to my area, I'll see it.

I'm not going to do a write up of every film I saw this year, but I'll discuss the ones I feel deserve mention. I'll begin with my least favorite of the year. I didn't see any films that I absolutely hated this year, but I did see a few that were mediocre. The three I saw this year that I liked the least were Beerfest, Night Watch, and Hostel. Beerfest had its funny parts. They were cheap laughs and you had to leave your brain at the door for this one but it managed to entertain for a little while. Night Watch is a huge film in its native Russia but I just didn't think it was that great. It is a trilogy and the story had me interested enough that I'll try to see the sequels when they come to DVD. Hostel was about on par with Saw and it was obvious it was trying to cash in on the same audience with its excessive gore and blood. It gave me some fun for an hour and a half and I'll probably catch the sequel when it comes to DVD too.

Here's some films that I believe were really good, but because I did see quite a few movies I enjoyed this year, didn't make the Top 15.

The Descent: I have not seen a new horror movie that I thoroughly enjoyed and was sincerely scared by. This movie came out of nowhere and was really creepy. It wasn't like most of the horror movies that come out today (ie, terrible remake/sequel or Saw/Hostel ripoff) and was actually a good film.

An Inconvenient Truth: Scariest movie of the year. This movie should not be scary but because of the state of the world, it is. This movie must be seen by everyone who cares about this planet, not to mention Al Gore is the man!

Clerks II: Kevin Smith does not let his fans down with this hilarious follow up to his no-budget debut that has become a cult classic. I loved it and look forward to what Smith has to offer in the years to come.

Inland Empire: It is hard to place this film anywhere on this list. I’ve moved it around a bunch of times and I’m not completely sure this is where I want it to be. This was an experience if any film has ever been an experience. The more I think about the movie, the more I seem to like it. In terms of giving you a plot, I can’t. Laura Dern is in this David Lynch film that is a true David Lynch film. The movie’s three hour run time is a little too long, but I remained enthralled throughout. In my mind, because I remained interested for the entire time, despite not knowing what was happening in the narrative (if there is one), I must have liked the movie. If you plan to see this one, buy into from the beginning, and it will be an incredible experience.

A Scanner Darkly: Director Richard Linklater continues to deliver high quality cinema with this pseudo-animated adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story: This is a funny movie that very few people saw. It's offbeat and very unconventional but I really enjoyed it.

Superman Returns: I loved this one. I was incredibly happy to be able to see Superman on the big screen in a new film during my lifetime. I look forward to the sequels that are sure to follow.

The Fountain: This one kind of flew under the popular radar but it was a fine film. The plot was convoluted but the themes it delivered were very intense and the visuals were simply beautiful. Hugh Jackman puts in a great performance, perhaps the best of his career.

Brick: I love the classic noir films and this one puts a contemporary twist on the old formula and puts it in a suburban town with high school students.

And here are my Top 15 favorite films of the year:

15) Borat: This film certainly secured itself in the canon of American pop culture this year. Between such exaggerated statements as “the funniest comedy ever,” massive box office returns and a handful of law suits, there actually is a very good film. Sacha Baron Cohen’s alter ego, Borat Sagdiyev, stars as a Kazakhstani journalist sent to

America

to improve his country. In the process, real Americans are exposed as having the most outrageously inappropriate ideas about their own country and the rest of the world. Most of these ideas concern race, religioun and sexuality. These situations prove to be hilarious for the entire film. This film has almost been overexposed at this point though. With the character appearing every interview style television show on American television and even Saturday Night Live, Boratmania may have been a little bit too much for the legacy of this one. Either way, the film is hilarious and I doubt this is the last the American people will see of Sacha Baron Cohen.
14) Monster House: This was an incredible film and is fun for anyone to watch. I felt like the plot elements and characters in this movie belonged in a more adult movie but they all worked great in this animated film. This one really surprised me and was very well done visually.
13) Cars: Pixar is at it again, delivering animated films that everyone loves. The voice cast in this one was the most impressive of any Pixar film yet and the music was very well done. The car society created for this movie is very cleverly done and many of the jokes are above the intended audience of this film, which is great for older viewers.
12) Casino Royale: My god, is James Bond back. This film is the third major "reboot" (after Batman Begins and Superman Returns) and just had everything working for it: a Paul Haggis script, Goldeneye director Martin Campell returning to direct and Daniel Craig as the new James Bond. This film gives our generation a new take on James Bond and promises to revive this 40 year old series. I just hope Daniel Craig doesn't become too linked with the part that he can't continue doing phenomenal work as he had been before this one.
11) The Proposition: Guy Pearce stars in this western taking place in the Australian outback. I love westerns but many say the genre is dead. Less than 15 years ago Unforgiven won for Best Picture and in the past year we've seen this one and Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, both fine genre films, and next year we have The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford starring Brad Pitt. In addition, "Deadwood" is a huge hit on HBO. I'm hoping these factors will give way to somewhat a revival of the dormant genre.
10) Inside Man: Director Spike Lee gets some great performances from Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and up and comer Chiwetel Ejiofor. This bank robbery film is somewhat reminiscent of Dog Day Afternoon, one of my favorite films of all time, so I had no complaints.
9) Flags of our Fathers: Clint Eastwood keeps up the incredible directorial work with the first of his two Iwo Jima epics. The American half of the two films concerns itself much more with the homefront and the media's approach to the war. Adam Beach gives one of the best performances of the year, as a Navajo soldier unable to handle the limelight that his part in Iwo Jima has brought.
8) The Prestige: The second of two 19th century magician films to come out this year does The Illusionist a little better. With strong performances from Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson, director Christopher Nolan gives moviegoers yet another top notch film. This one may go unnoticed at awards time, which is too bad as it is one of this year's real gems.
7) Pan's Labyrinth: I was waiting for this one for a long time. Director Guillermo Del Toro completes a trilogy of dark fantasy films that also includes Cronos and The Devil's Backbone. This film was slower paced than I expected but was still very good. This one has a very good chance at taking home the Best Foreign Film Oscar this year.
6) Children of Men: Clive Owen can seemingly do no wrong. Everything I have seen him in so far I have absolutely loved. Alfonso Cuaron brings an incredible dystopian thriller to the screen that at points is eerily reminiscent of the United States today. I feel this film may fall under the awards radar as well seeing as it doesn't seem like the kind of film the academy would really go for. The film's plot and acting combine with the exceptional directing to make one of the best films of the year.
5) United 93: The first major film about 9/11 was released earlier in the year. This film tells the story of the only hijacked plane that did not make it to an intended target. The film features unnerving reenactments of the day’s events and brings back all the memories of the initial confusion and eventual horror. The film’s emotional core lies in the story of the passengers of the flight in the film’s title. Even knowing the story as well as Americans probably do at this point, to see it dramatized is not easy to watch. These were a handful of heroic people unwilling to let a few evil men do their worst. The story is so heroic it seems like it could be fictionalized, but these people all really existed and actually did what they did in this film. This is an extraordinary film and succeeds admirably as the first mainstream movie about 9/11.
4) A Prairie Home Companion: Here's a film that I'm really surprised hasn't gotten more mention in year end lists and awards. Director Robert Altman passed away about a month ago and this film marked his final directorial effort. The film adapts the long running radio program to film but with an all star cast that acts, improvises much of their dialogue and sings. The film's exploration of death adds another level to the film, making this easily one of my favorite films of the year.
3) Little Miss Sunshine: This one is this year's indie hit. Steve Carell was the standout for me in this film, although the entire cast is hilarious. This film is the best directorial debut I saw this year and directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris show great promise as film directors in the future. This one deserves recognition at this year's awards, especially for the acting.
2) Babel: The final part to a trilogy of multiple story line dramas from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is the most intense movie I saw this year. The connections between characters are fascinating to watch unfold as the film progresses and the large cast has no weak links. With the conclusion of his first three films, all part of the same loose trilogy, I can't wait to see what the director will do in the future after such strong pieces like this from a relatively inexperienced director.
1) The Departed: Well, I hinted at this quite a while back immediately after seeing the film. Martin Scorsese's work refuses to decline in quality more than 30 years after his directing career began. I really believe this could be his year to take home that elusive Oscar and it may even finally be the year that one of his films wins Best Picture, both which have never happened. The acting is superb all around, the story is awesome and The Departed blows the original Infernal Affairs out of the water. For my full thoughts, see Dearly Departed.

There's the list, and here are some final thoughts:

Three Mexican directors delivered three of the best films of the year: Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men, and Babel. It's very promising to see quality film making continue to expand around the world. As quality cinema expands to all parts of the world, more and more people will be given the opportunity to see great art.

Although I didn't really mention them yet, I was really impressed with most of this year's big blockbuster releases. V for Vendetta was one of my favorite blockbusters this year and was just a small notch below the films mentioned above. The three big sequels this year, M:I 3, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest were better than, not quite as good as and just as good as their immediate predecessors and were all well worth 10 bucks to see in the theater.

Bring on 2007!

Just What We Need

2006-12-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

In the last day or so, Democratic Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota had a stroke and is in critical condition. With a two seat majority in the Senate, the Democrats will lose control of the Senate with the loss of one senator. In his current condition, Senator Johnson may very well have to relinquish his Senate seat, which would then be filled by an appointment of South Dakota's Republican Governor. The Republicans have tried for a long time to convince the American people that God is a Republican and I may finally be willing to agree with them if the Democrat's lose control of the Senate through an act of God. All I'm saying is if this plays out as badly as it may, we may want to investigate the Russians. First they take out one of their own with radiation and now they've teamed up with the Republicans. Conclusion: George Bush is in bed with Communists and is destroying this world.

I'm Procrastinating

2006-12-07T15:09:00.000-05:00

Right now, I am procrastinating my work. I've got some heavy stuff due tomorrow, but I am currently neglecting my responsibilities. Well it's been damn near a month of me writing anything on here. I was getting pretty excited pre-election and posting quite a bit, but my excitement climaxed on Election Day and I feel like I've just been lying here in the post-coital cuddle for a month. Well now I am back and fully refracted and almost ready to post again. Once I've got this work out of the way I will once again post regularly. Plans for my two upcoming posts are an open letter to George W. Bush that I will post on here and also send to the White House and this year's version of my epic Year in Movies post. It is already being worked on so I should be able to get it out quicker this year than last year for all those 5 people I know are out there who look to me occasionally for movie recommendations and who will also enjoy the sexual innuendo laced description above. I also have a short story that I may put up on here, unless it's used in a campus publication, in which case it'll just appear there. I'm inundating myself with new movie watching to ensure I can compile the best commentary at the end of the year. Alright, responsibility calls.

I LOVE MY COUNTRY

2006-11-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

And the people have spoken! This is probably not at all expected that I am posting about my glee regarding the immense success my Democrats saw last night. We took the House no problem and we have (anyone in Virginia thinking that George Allen is going to prevail is an idiot not only because he has quite obviously lost at this point, but also because you voted for a man who called someone macaca on the campaign trail) taken the Senate. I haven't had a doubt in my mind since the end of September or so that we wouldn't take the House, and the fanatical half of my mind was telling me we would take the Senate, but the pragmatic half told me to shut the hell up, we had slim chances. Well eat that pragmatism and let fanatiscism prevail (in this case at least)! So let's watch as the Democrats obliterate Bush's final two years and anything he hoped to get done. Here's to stem cell research advances, raising minimum wage and getting us on track or out of Iraq! Let's do this Democrats, let's do this! Just make sure you don't let Hilary get the '08 ticket...

Succulent Saltines

2006-11-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

Am I procrastinating my work? Do I even have to present that rhetorical question to? How many more questions can I possibly raise to myself? Unimportant. What is important is how delicious saltine crackers are. I'll be honest, I may not be a reliable source as I'm pretty strung out on them. I've stolen a good amount of them from the dining hall and plan to steal more in the days, weeks and years to come. They are simple, just salted crackers. But they are so damn delicious and addictive! Not only are they just satisfy to eat, but you can crunch them up into small crumbs while they are still in their individually wrapped two-packs and then dump the residue into your soup. Perhaps the most delicious thing on earth is a souped soak spoonful of saltine cracker crumbs. I'm already craving more and I just finished a packet. The problem is the masticated mush of the crackers is still in my mouth and the lingering taste makes me crave more. It's a vicious cycle that I'm hoping I can break. A little water should be able to wash the taste away and then my craving should be suppressed and I can get back to my work. Well those are my (unhealthy and strange) insights on saltine crackers.

I Now Live In Massachusetts, I Can Be Angry

2006-11-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

John Kerry, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how close we are to election day of an election that the Democrats were (I sure hope it is still "are") getting closer to taking both houses of Congress every day? And then you decide to make a stupid comment about Bush and being stupid, although it was easily construed to be about troops being stupid!? And it was at a campaign event for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in California who can't stop the governator any way!? First you blow the 2004 Campaign by (not quite) "reporting for duty," then you skip out on showing up for the Deval Patrick rally I attended, and now you may have very well blown the Democrats chance of doing as well as they could on Tuesday! You bring shame to the entire state that I am somewhat temporarily now calling my home. If you would like to see the senator in action, go to MSNBC.com or similar website and look for video coverage of it. The "joke" he makes goes over about as well as Hitler telling a Jew joke at a Bar Mitzvah. John Kerry, to avoid bringing yourself, this state and this party national shame, you best hope we take both houses on Tuesday because otherwise it's going to be all on you, whether it actually is or not. You damn fool. Don't run again in 2008, please.

Perpetually Tired Boy and Real Life Bobblehead Girl

2006-10-25T12:25:00.000-04:00

No, I am not starting up a new comic book with the characters Perpetually Tired Boy and Real Life Bobblehead Girl as the characters. These are two fictional students in two different fictional classes that I made up in my mind who I imagine would keep my occupied during boring classes. I'll begin with Perpetually Tired Boy (PTB from here on). (Keep in mind all the "fictionals" and the conditional text I already wrote as I switch to a different tense, as if if these students really existed, which of course, they do not) In the class that PTB and I share, we both sit in the front row. I sit in the second to last chair all the way to the right of the row, and he sits in the very last chair on the left in the row, so we're pretty far from each other, but being that it's a small class, I can still see him. PTB can usually be seen dozing off. I'm talking some seriously hardcore dozing off. Severe head jerks as he falls into a deep slumber that look like they could cause brain damage. The progression from alert to totally asleep is the best to watch though. PTB will begin sitting upright, then a few minutes into the class I'll notice his eyes looking very heavy. Slowly, blinks become longer and soon are becoming full scale eye shuts. Once they make it to the point of completely shut, the head slowly begins to look downward. And as the head falls and PTB falls into a deeper sleep, the movement of the head downward gets faster until it completely crashes as low as it can go...and PTB is out cold. Usually he regains consciousness in a few seconds, but he can't manage to stay awake for much longer before it all happens again. And as this is just about an everyday occurence, he is dubbed Perpetually Tired Boy. Thank you PTB for keeping me occupied during class. Real Life Bobblehead Girl (RLBG from here on) sits two rows in front of me in a reasonably large lecture (approx. 100-200 students), in the front row, and for those of you keeping up, that puts me in the third row. RLBG will often be sitting in the front row, seemingly listening to the professor's lecture or completely zoned out; I'm not always sure as I'm usually directly behind her. But then, a student will raise a point that RLBG approves of and is in love with wholeheartedly. At this point, as the student is often behind RLBG, she turns her around as far as she can as to potentially make eye contact with the student who had made the point she agreed with. Then, RLBG begins nodding her head with approval very harshly. Not a few subtle nods, but seriously about a minute of up and down head nods. So much so that it seems like the brain would be bouncing around and causing a headache, but apparently it doesn't as she looks to give her approval to select students in this fashion almost every class period. It's as if at the instant that a student raises a good point, someone hits her on the head, and she is a real life bobblehead doll, whose head will continue to nod for 30 seconds or so. Thus, she is known as Real Life Bobblehead Girl. These two students are completely ficticious and no attempts to make contact with them for interviews, conversations or demonstrations of their abilities should be made, because they are not real.

Gimme Shelter

2006-10-22T19:55:00.000-04:00

Fresh off of my second viewing of The Departed in one week, I'm listening to the songs from the film pretty obsessively. The most prominent songs in the film for me are Dropkick Murphy's cover of Arlo Guthrie's "I'm Shipping up to Boston," the Allman Brothers Band's "One Way Out," a cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" by The Band and Van Morrison, which upon second viewing of the film I liked much more and last but not least (obviously as it's the title of this post) the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter." I've seen the legendary film of the same name but not until I saw The Departed did I fall in love with the song. The song is somewhat of a staple of Scorsese's crime films, as it was used in both Goodfellas and Casino as well. The song works particularly well in the new film, especially in the first couple of minutes with Jack Nicholson's character establishing monologue. Certainly, until you've seen The Departed, you won't fully appreciate the song in context. However, it's a damn good song on its own. The sheer intensity of guest vocalist Merry Clayton's backing vocals have to be the best part. At the points when she's singing and it goes so high her voice does this cracking sort of thing, it's quintessential rock and roll. In fact, according to the always-correct-source-of-info, Wikipedia, Clayton suffered a miscarriage because of how intense her performance in this song was. Rock and roll is incredible.

Dearly Departed

2006-10-16T13:50:00.000-04:00

Martin Scorsese's newest film, The Departed, is going to go down as one of the peaks of his career. In my opinion, he's been gold since him and Leonardo DiCaprio started collaborating two pictures ago on Gangs of New York. The Aviator was a great film too, but it's loss for Best Picture and Best Director didn't come as a surprise for me. This new one could have been Scorsese's ticket to his long absent Oscar, but since it's a remake, I see little chance in that. This was easily the strongest film I've seen in 2006 and I'll have to see some mind blowing cinema over the next few months for this one to be dethroned. This cop-and-mouse cop drama is much more than that three word description would suggest. We see stellar performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon (both giving two consecutive career performances with The Aviator and Syriana before this one), Jack Nicholson (could definetely be another Oscar for this veteran) and Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg. I was so impressed by Mark Wahlberg's...performance...in Boogie Nights but hadn't seen anything since then that was that great from him, but this is another great performance, although it is in a supporting role. This is going to be one of the best of the year, and let's just hope the Academy rewards it deservingly come awards season. At least one of the following will have to exceed the anticipation I have for them to see this one not be my favorite of the year: Inland Empire, The Prestige, The Fountain, Pan's Labyrinth, or Flags of our Fathers. This will be a damn good year for the movies if The Departed is not the best one of the year.

North Korea: You are Making Me (Kim Jong) Ill

2006-10-10T10:37:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting at my desk, skipping some class and I'm completely taken aback by North Korea going for it and doing a nuclear test this week. Sure, there is speculation that the "underground test" may have been a dud or didn't happen at all, but I'm buying into those pointing to the fact that it did happen. Either way, North Korea (DPRK from here on) wants to provoke the entire world flexing their fledling nuclear muscle. In terms of nuclear muscle, the U.S. ranks at a Pumping Iron-era Schwarzenegger whereas DPRK ranks at about Mike O'Leary (maybe I'm giving myself too much credit), but the point is that they are relatively weak and don't pose an immediate threat. However, any nuclear capability of a rogue nation is a problem. I'm hopeful on this matter. China, yes, the crazy commie bastards of China, are warning DPRK agains further nuclear actions. That is a very good sign, in that if the international community can for once put aside long held political differences and multilaterally take on this problem it can be solved. Action like this is important but these countries can't dance around the problem forever, they have to get in there and do something. China is the only hold out for things to get underway, but they do seem interested in doing something. They have explicitly ruled out war against DPRK, which is good because we don't need another one right now. China has not ruled out sanctions however, most likely the first move to be taken up by the international community. I feel encouraged that many countries want to fix this problem together especially since DPRK likes so say things like, "We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile comes" (that's a direct quote). For now, keep your fallout shelter close and keep your faith in the international community closer. I've got to get to class.

Thoughts on the Status of the World

2006-10-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

Call me annoying, say I have an agenda, do your worst that these humble writings could provoke you to do, but if you are reading this and you are not registered to vote and are eligible to be registered then you are either a fool or a Republican too ashamed to even try to get things together for that grand ol' bunch. Different things get people excited but I'm gearing up for a Tuesday night party come November 7. I figure that either the Democrats will get out there and kick some serious elephant ass (I was going to attempt a pun somewhere in this sentence using "ass" as a synonym for the "donkey" that represents the Democratic party, but I couldn't manage it smoothly so instead I just put in this long awkward parenthetical notification) or the whole thing will tank somehow because of the injustices of the world but I'll have felt better having spent some time hanging out with people on a Tuesday night. Seriously though now, voting is really important and the election is coming up real soon, so arm yourself with my favorite weapon of guerilla campaigns/revolutions, a Molotov Cocktail. Shit. I mean a ballot. Ballots not bullets. I've got my absentee ballot ready to be sent and to make a difference. I'm pretty sure times need to change considering the damage that has been done by our current leaders, at home, abroad and online to underage pages (for a good "this is so uncomfortable all I can do is laugh" laugh, followed by a sick feeling in your stomach, check out the Foley transcript).

Other thoughts that I'm going to let bleed into this post: If you have any appreciation for popular music right now you should really check out The Raconteurs covering Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" at Lollapalooza. Also, I feel very incompetent as a hardcore Martin Scorsese fan in not having seen The Departed already, but godamn, it got awesome reviews. I'll be seeing that very soon and if you want to love life, you probably should too. If you'd like to live a better life, seriously consider all I've said here.

The Greatest of All Human Beings

2006-09-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

As the school year begins again, every student is already anticipating the first days off. Days off scattered throughout the school year are like delicious chocolate morsels scattered throughout a pit of rusty needles, like the one in Saw II. Yeah, everyone hates that part and now you're probably upset that I brought it up. Ew, that part is so gross when the needles are all stuck in the girls arms and legs! Ok, I'll stop there to keep you reading. So I'm not going to focus on the needles, I'm focusing on those delicious chocolate morsels. Yes, those days that have become the most anticipated of all during the otherwise mundane school year. Because these days are so highly sought after, I think it's safe to claim that the people responsible for these days are the greatest people to have ever graced the face of our humble planet. Here's my countdown and commentary on The Greatest.

THE LIST:

7) George Washington/Abraham Lincoln-In my mind, the best holidays are those that only one man is responsible for. Since President's Day is a combination day celebrating these two men's birthdays, it takes a way a little bit from its glory. However, a holiday is still a holiday and a three day weekend in the middle of February can speed things up a little bit in the slow time between New Year's and Easter. Not to mention, who doesn't love seeing 29 "Macy's President's Day Sale" commercials every hour on television.

6) Christopher Columbus-The man popularly given credit for discovering America has his birthday celebrated as part of the first three day weekend of the school year. I'm glad he "discovered" America but if we're celebrating his birthday, I feel that we should be getting a three day weekend for Leif Ericson too. Columbus, you're a good guy for giving us a day off and all, but you're really disrespecting Leif through all this hullabaloo. Thanks for everything Chris, just don't forget Leif, alright?

5) Martin Luther King, Jr.-Normally, this is a great holiday because it, like President's Day, helps get you through the cold, unforgiving stretch between the New Year and Easter. This is also one of very few holidays to celebrate one person's birth, so props to MLK. I would like to note that Boston University is totally dissing the entire African-American community and advocates for civil rights everywhere by making us go to school on this day this year. Anyway, he was an undeniably great man, and this is now an undeniably great holiday.

4) Founding Fathers-Sure, they decided to sign a very eloquently letter to the British on a July afternoon some two centuries ago. But they should have signed it during the school year. I know that's what I would have done. Come on guys, you were among the smartest living men on Earth when you pulled this little stunt off, but you didn't even consider that your descendants and the American citizens in school wouldn't reap the benefits of your deed? I'll give you guys some credit for somehow getting the Fourth associated with blowing stuff up for recreation. Who doesn't love fireworks and who doesn't love freedom?

3) American War Veterans-These men and women have provided our country with numerous years of service and bravery carrying us through the wars of the twentieth century, and more importantly, we also get two holidays out of them. Memorial Day is a more or less a universal school and work holiday and it unofficially kicks off the summer, which is always awesome. Veterans Day isn't that great. It's normally overlooked in terms of schools and workplaces, however, I do have off for it this school year so I have a new found appreciation for this holiday. Thanks for everything and keep up the good work veterans!

2) Pilgrims/Native Americans-The landing at Plymouth Rock and the subsequent "First Thanksgiving" between the Pilgrims and their newly found Native American buddies has become that annual occasion when we get about three days off and are culturally expected to act as gluttonous as the rest of the world likes to portray us. Just kick back, eat and eat and eat for hours and then fall asleep from all the trytophan chemically embedded in the turkey we consume. Then after a nice turkey-induced sleep, we may up a an ungodly hour and go shopping for stuff at insanely low prices. My mouth waters already, three months in advance of the holiday.

1) Jesus Christ-Well, here he is: the undisputed champion. Right here, we have Jesus Christ, The Greatest of All Human Beings. He has inspired millions of followers world wide for two millenium now and get this, he can be credited, at least partially, with getting us off of school for well over a month depending on your school. He can be given credit obviously for an extended weekend around Easter with the inclusion of Good Friday, nearly a month before and after Christmas and often Spring Break falls immediately before or after Easter, so I'm going to give him credit for it. True, an extended Christmas Break may also incorporate the New Year holiday and other religious and cultural celebrations, like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but he is undoubtedly responsible for this break for the most part. And because of all this time we get off for him, I think it's safe to make the proclamation that Jesus Christ is The Greatest of All Human Beings.

THE REST:
I didn't want to call this the "Dishonorable Mention" section but, that's more or less what it is. These are people or groups I feel need to try a little bit harder to get their holiday out there and get us out work and school.

Patriots-Sure, we get a day for these guys up here in Massachusetts. The rest of the country, with the exception of Maine and Wisconsin (neither part of the original 13 mind you) is S.O.L however, as Patriot's Day only gets people out of school and work up these ways. Sure, it's a day off, but distribute the wealth Patriots, this isn't what you would have wanted.

Jewish Culture-Guys, I love all of you, but could you do something so I can get out of school for the entirety of Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Passover and Yom Kippur? I'd really appreciate these few extra days off. I mean, I'm not Jewish, but you guys aren't Christian and you get off for those holidays so could you throw us a bone?

Mexican-Americans-Cinco de Mayo anyone? Probably only a third of Americans know what this day celebrates (French defeat at the Batalla de Puebla). Mexican immigrants make up such a large portion of our population that we should probably use this day to miss school and work, and to celebrate Mexican culture through the devouring of Margaritas and Quesadillas. I'd be up for it.

Betsy Ross-Flag Day is perhaps the greatest joke of all patriotic holidays. I'm going to have to blame this one on Betsy Ross, often cited as the creator the flag that is celebrated on this day. Betsy, are you going to take this and just sit there sewing, or are you going to get us out of another day of school and work?

Irish-Americans-There are sure enough of us around that St. Patrick's Day should be noted enough to get out of school and work, right? At a very minimum, the day after should be given off because the way in which this one is normally celebrates does not grant participants a very easy time getting up in the morning.

National Football League-Right here, I am sincerley the most passionate about. I'm not even too crazy about football, but I mean the Super Bowl is watched by more people each year than just about any other television program airing in the same year. Not to mention the countless parties that are held, the fattening food and alcohol that is consumed over the course of the game by the American public. Unfortunately, the game is always on a Sunday and that means work and school the next day. After a Sunday like that, no one wants to go to school or work, and numerous people, especially those who work, just call out anyway. I don't always love the game, but I always love the party and hate going to school the next day. Here's to Super Bowl Monday.

Ah, I love the numerous amount of days we get off for all these reasons and I could always go for a few more. Here's to the greatest people around who get us out of our schooling and working.

Save the "Street"

2006-08-30T18:53:00.000-04:00

I know most people probably read my writings here and think to themselves, "My gosh, where did this kid get the abilities to write and maintain such a kick ass blog?!" Well, I'm going to come clean and tell you right now. It's because I grew up watching great childrens programming like "Sesame Street" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on public television. I'm sure many of you watched them in your early years and would hate to see future generations not afforded the opportunity to watch this programming. Congress has recently decided to cut spending for public broadcasting, starting with shows like "Sesame Street." Here's your chance to have your voice heard in support of public television and radio. Below is a generic letter you receive after signing a petition in support of these programs at moveon.org (despite what you may think of that site as a whole, it's hard to object to this cause) that will allow you easily to say what you want to say:

Hi,

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks!

P.S. Read the Boston Globe story on the threat to NPR and PBS at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864

College Dos/Don'ts for Myself and Others

2006-08-25T01:24:00.000-04:00

These are a few quick rules I plan to follow once I get up to school next week. I invite you to check them out and provide any you believe I'm forgetting in the comments section.

Don't use the extra space that your corner double provides you for holding out of control bashes, but do use the extra space in other people's corner doubles for this purpose.
Keep your books close, but your booze closer.
Stock up on as much of everything while your parents are still there moving you in because once they're gone, so is their money.
While door is open, avoid playing music that will establish you as the laughing stock of the floor (or worst case: the building or campus). You're own discretion will have to be used, but I'm looking to avoid anything and all things boy band, Britney Spears and her imitators, Vanilla Ice and the heir to his crappy white boy rap music throne, K-Fed.
Avoid placing any item that has touched the bathroom floor higher than your ankles or anticipate serious viral and bacterial infection, and even by this rule you should be ready to battle off foot fungi.
If you are going to go off campus to eat, be sure that the portion you will be served is the same one the military forces of medium-sized third world countries tend to have, to ensure you have leftovers for yourself for the next week or so.
Trouble making friends? Tell people you like any of the following, Panic! @ the Disco, Jack Johnson, The Fray, John Mayer, Ben Folds, or The Postal Service because everyone else likes them too where your going.

That's all I can muster up for now, but feel free to add as they come to you.

I was a Target at Target

2006-08-24T15:11:00.001-04:00

My favorite kind of college shopping is buying the nonesentials, which I suppose makes sense, but isn't good. For example, today I went to Target to see if I could pick up some reasonably priced DVDs to keep myself procrastinating right through college. Target has good prices on CDs and DVDs and I feel no ethical dilemna in going there because they are by no means Wal-Mart (don't know what I'm talking about? Check out this one).

So I went either looking for a reasonably priced "The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Season Two," being very happy with the nostalgia and joy brought on by the Season One set or The Dark Crystal on DVD. They didn't have either, so my mission failed, although I got to save the money I would have spent otherwise. But while I was shopping, something else was going on too.

As I got out of my car in the parking lot, I cross one the lanes running through the lot. A car is steadily approacing a nearby intersection of the lot, but isn't anywhere near me...yet. So as I go to cross, the car gets closer to the stop sign at that intersection and I cross because the driver isn't even close to the intersection yet. Once I'm halfway across the lane, the guy decides it would now be an opportune time to peel out and get the hell out of there. Problem though, I'm in the way. I've been eyeing this car and see this man flying at me and do a Secret Service style leap and run out of the way. The guy breaks once I've flown out of the way onto the curb, and doesn't even give me a look or an apology. He pulls away, I'm disgusted, but I notice that his license plate reads "A55KLWN." Coincidence? I think not.

At this point I manage to safely get into the store. I begin my browsing, my general perusing, and all of the sudden, out of no where, a strange middle aged man is lingering uncomfortably close behind me. Is this really neccesary? Call me Fox Moulder, but I believe this man was another pawn in the attempt on me at Target. First the car, then this guy, both of which fell apart too soon thanks to cunning abilities and wit. Seeing as my personal space was being violated in addition to whatever malevolent plot this man was about to drop on me, I made my way to the other side of the aisle I was looking in.

I'm checking out the new releases at this point, some pretty good buys, but I had given up hope on finding the ones I was looking for at this point. I see that Match Point is selling for 14.99 and that some Hugh Grant movie is the--OH MY GOD! A blood curdling scream tears through the serenity that had been the Target store. I look to my left and a woman who had been crouching looking at greeting cards gets wailed by a lunatic driving a full cart. Surely, I was the target of that, but the errant cart missed me. Enough is enough, I've had it with these motherfu***** attempts on my life at my local motherfu***** Target. I bolt and make my way swiftly, albeit cautiously, to my vehicle.

I throw it in to reverse and notice a creepy woman sitting in her car all by herself in an empty section of the parking lot eyeing me down. It was like she was a starving wolf and I was warm fleshy raw meat. I bolted, no DVDs in hand, but still holding on to my life. I hope I can't post this account of my day's events before I'm apprehended by them....just kidding, I'm sure everything will be fine...unless Peter Pizzo happens to make his way into work tonight and I have to deal with that too...Peter Pizzo may be one of them in fact. I think it's safe to declare: THE END?

Forthcoming Flicks/VOTE

2006-08-23T19:28:00.000-04:00

Well, inspired by my recent purchase of Outkast's double album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," this post is going to have two different agendas loosely connected by a conjoined title ("what the hell is he talking about?" is right) But seriously, I haven't written anything in a while and I'd really like to procrastinate anything productive concerning college packing so...here I am. Check out part 1 concerning "Forthcoming Flicks" and stick around for "VOTE" below that.

The fall is quickly approaching and that means its time for some seriously kick-ass movies to come out. I've seen my fair share this summer, here's a quick run down of least favorite to favorite (although I haven't not at least mildly enjoyed any yet) this summer: The Da Vinci Code, X-Men: The Last Stand, World Trade Center, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Snakes on a Plane, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Clerks II, Superman Returns. I haven't really made an attempt to look for what was coming this fall in terms of what looks Oscar-worthy. Instead, I've just been anticipating the movies that I really think I'll enjoy, which seems both much less strenuous and pompous to me. So here are the one's I'm still looking forward to before the end of this year:

The Fountain-This much delayed science fiction/fantasy epic is one of the most visually stunning things I have seen in quite a while. The trailer looks weird, the premise is weird (three parallel plot lines hundreds and hundreds of years apart with the same actors, or something along those lines), but the cast and crew are promising, to say the least. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz star in three roles each in the film and director Darren Aronofsky (husband of the female lead) has had great critical success with his two features thus far, Pi and Requiem for a Dream. This one looks like a masterpiece in the making and is probably my most anticipated film for this year.
The Prestige-The second film this year involving Victorian-era English magicians (The Illusionist being the other) is the newest film from one of my new favorite directors, Christopher Nolan, of Memento and Batman Begins fame. I'm currently about halfway through the book that this film is based on, although judging from the trailer, the film seems to change quite a bit from the plot of the book. This one has an impressive ensemble cast with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman (he sure is making his rounds this fall) in the starring roles and Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie, as a fictionalized Nikola Tesla, among the supporting players. As I finish this book, which has successfully managed to keep me turning the pages, I think my anticipation for this one will only grow larger.
Idlewild-I've been looking forward to this one for a few months now, and picked up it's companion album yesterday. Idlewild comes out this friday and is a period musical starring both members of Outkast, and looks like it could be really fun. I've enjoyed what I've heard of the album, which shares the Idlewild title, and a rap musical starring these two and a very solid supporting cast could be very good. This one may have to wait for DVD though, as initial reviews are a little underwhelming, and I'd love some more time to get to know the music in this film.
Flags of our Fathers-This film and its companion film, Red Sun, Black Sand mark director Clint Eastwood's first works since the success of Million Dollar Baby. Unlike Baby, Eastwood is not in either of these films. These two films together depict the events of the Battle of Iwo Jima, one from the American perspective, the other from the Japanese. I only mention Flags of our Fathers at the top, because it seems unlikely that Red Sun, Black Sand will be out this year, although the films are meant to be related. The first of the films, Flags, will no doubt be released this year and is based on a best selling book of the same name.
Apocalypto-Friend of the Jews, Mel Gibson directs his first film since a little one called Passion of the Christ came out two years or so ago. I don't really know much about this one, but it's got an intimidating title, a cool trailer and stars a cast of completely untrained (I believe) native Latin Americans. The film concerns one of the ancient civilizations down that way, the Mayas, or the Incas or the Aztecs and looks like it could be a great epic for our age. Well my incredibly vague description and lack of knowledge of this one should sell it to anyone reading.
Hollywoodland-This fictionalized account of the events leading up to and following the death of George Reeves, television's Superman on the 1950s "The Adventures of Superman" seems like it may be cashing in a little bit on the release of Superman Returns earlier this year, but it looks very good in its own right. Adrien Brody stars as a fictional detective investigating the death of Reeves in 1950s Hollywood. The film has a great supporting cast, including Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins and Diane Lane and looks like it could be very good.
The Black Dahlia-This film reminds me of the previous one, in that it involves a real life (although fictionalized) murder in Hollywood some decades ago. The trailers for this one look gritty, unrelenting and down right awesome. Josh Hartnett stars in this noir-looking feature from master director Brian de Palma, who has not seen much success in recent years, however the early word on this one is that he is back to top form and that this film will not let viewers down.
The Departed-The master, Martin Scorsese, is back this year with a remake of the Hong Kong crime masterpiece, Infernal Affairs. I've talked a lot about casts in the above films but this cast is by far my favorite of the year. Among the stars for this one are Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen. Remakes can, and often do, crap out, but Scorsese has had success with the remake before, in 1991's Cape Fear, which garnered more Academy Award nods than the original. The trailer for this one looks pretty good, with the exception of the crappy song that plays in the background.

And now moving on to a more pressing matter...the 2006 Elections are quickly approaching. Don't fall asleep on me quite yet! Being at least 18, as my peers mostly are, entitles us to vote, and don't take this one for granted, get registered now. There is some waiting or processing period that must pass between the time one fills out the paperwork and when one can actually vote. This year, November 7 is Election Day. A lot of you may be at college on this date, so find out how to cast an absentee ballot. For NJ residents, the website is here: Absentee ballot application. Once registered, you can file the above application (if you are a NJ resident) and have an absentee ballot mailed to you wherever you may be (college mailbox for example).

Our country is moving closer and closer to falling into shambles. Unless you had a lobotomy around the time of 2002, you should be well aware of how unsuccessful our country has been doing in all aspects. We have two wars overseas, only one of which is arguably making positive progress (that would be the Afghanistan campaign). Temperatures are rising and we're running out of fuel in this world. I don't want to go on and on, but these things are not good and must be fixed. I don't want to place the blame on one group or anything but since at least 2002, the Republicans have controlled the White House, the courts and both houses of Congress. Connect that statement to the previous ones and I'll allow you to come to any conclusions you would like. Now that you've hopefully made the right conclusions, I'd just like to say that I am not a die hard Democrat, but I feel like we should at least give them a chance to get into control, because the worst that can possibly happen is that they continue to run our country like the GOP has, but I'd like to think that things can only get better with change.

So the easiest thing to do for those of you who are 18 or soon will be 18 and are residents of NJ, is to click here (Adobe Acrobat required) to get registered. That form needs to be printed, filled out and mailed to your county's Commisioners of Registration which can be found here. Once you get notification that that is done, if applicable, download the application for an absentee ballot here (Adobe Acrobat required). Print that, fill it out and send it to your respective County Clerk, which can be found here. You will then receive your absentee ballot at least within 40 days before the election. Make your choices on your ballot and mail it back to your County Clerk. If you have yet to register at all, the registration, obtaining an absentee ballot and filing the absentee ballot will take about a month and half considering snail mail speeds and the time needed to process. For anyone out of NJ, just google "(your state) voter registration" and "(your state) absentee ballot" and you should find it no problem. There's my public service for today...encouraging the youth of today to make a difference and make choices that will affect their future and everyone's future.

P.S. If you need a little help in deciding who to vote for in this upcoming election, you may want to check out Neil Young's Living with War album. But that's just one man's subjective opinion.

O'Leary's Sounds of the Summer

2006-07-08T01:09:00.000-04:00

So while driving and thinking, listening to some of my most recent favorite albums, the thought came across my mind to write about one of them here. Rather than do that, I thought it would be less work on my part and more enjoyable for anyone who's interested in reading short write ups for several different albums. Here's my thoughts on a few recent ones a all of which have been, and will be taking up my audial energies this summer.

Pearl Jam's Pearl Jam: This newest release from grunge's other breakout act has really turned me on to the group. This album is enjoyable through and through without a previous liking for Pearl Jam, as I was a very casual fan before picking up this one, but still managed to really enjoy it. The album has it's political overtunes, as would be expected by a band who played the Rock the Vote tour not two years ago, especially on one of the singles, "World Wide Suicide." This album will no doubt deliver the goods for rock fans, but has plenty of heart and thought put into it that any music fan should be able to enjoy it.

Arctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not: Claiming the title for longest album name of the list is the debut album of this British rock band, which has already been hailed as a contemporary classic in the band's homeland, and has seen a good amount of success on this side of the pond. The sound of this album is vaguely reminiscent of JET, Oasis and Franz Ferdinand, however, the album is a little bit more raw than any of those bands' works, especially in regard to the vocals. This album is a very pleasant surprise from a band I had never heard of until very recently and will see its fair share of playing through my speakers over the summer. Thanks to Chris Stopiello for if not giving me a complete recomendation (in fact I believe he told me I probably wouldn't like this band), at least implanting this band in my head.

Gnarls Barkely's St. Elsewhere: Perhaps this one may seem a bit of an atypical pick coming from me, but I really like this pseudo-hip hop/rock duo's debut. I suppose this album does fall into the realm of hip hop, however, it has alternative influences, reminsicent of Outkast, another hip hop duo I enjoy. The first single, "Crazy," is seeing heavy rotation on college radio and elsewhere, but the rest of the album is just as great as the single that drew me to the album. Some of the other songs on the album are a bit less accsesible than "Crazy" but should be no less enjoyable to listeners.

The Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers: I would be lying to you if I told you that this album was just like the three already mentioned, and on first listen I loved it. This new band features Jack White on lead vocals, and I suppose I should have expected my initial reaction, as that is how I first reacted to the White Stripes' masterpiece, Elephant (now one of my favorite bands and albums). However, through a few listens, the album really grew on me and I find it to be a very formidable side project for the White Stripes front man. I would say anyone who likes the White Stripes, and I'm well aware that not everyone does, should find this one to be a good listen.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium: This new double album from these modern rock pioneers turned me back on to them after a very long apathy towards the band. I was relatively unimpressed with the last studio album, By the Way, when it came out some three years ago, and didn't find any solace in the one or two new singles released as part of the band's greatest hits compilation a year or so ago. However, this album featuring 28 very different tracks has not only got me to go back and listen to By the Way again and enjoy it this time through, but finally pick up two of the band's most revered albums, Californication and Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and purchase concert tickets to see the band in the fall. This two disc set can be found for about the same price as most single albums and is well worth it, even if it does end up costing a few more bucks.

Wolfmother's Wolfmother: I picked up this album and listened to it all the way through just in time for inclusion on this list. On most tracks, this new band presents tracks that are reminiscent of 70s hard rock and aren't afraid to (allow me to feel the rock and roll flow through me for a moment) kick ass and take no prisoners. Of the albums on this list, this one, without any doubt, has the coolest cover art, in which a Medusa-esque woman floats in the night sky above a thrashing sea through which some sort of sea serpent swims below. With one album out and already a devoted fan base from extensive touring, it will be very interesting to see what comes of this Australian trio in the years to come. The televised performances I've seen of this band are full of energy and I hope to see them live as soon as possible, while their venues are still small and tickets are still cheap. Thanks to Chris Stopiello once again for giving me a whole hearted recommendation this time around, clearly telling me, "you will like this one."

Soon

2006-06-29T15:16:00.000-04:00

So I've been treating this weblog like (nerd alert) Harry Potter while at the Dursley's house, and I'm not going to do much of anything right now, but it is the summer, so I should be writing something. What I have in mind for a post in the next couple of days is either a write up about Red Hot Chili Peppers' new album, Stadium Arcadium, Pearl Jam's new self-titled album, writing up the first part of my University of Maryland saga, or discussing the new Superman movie. Although the people probably want the UMD saga written (except for those who have heard it a vast number of times), I feel compelled to cash in on the recently revived Superman craze and give my thoughts on that. Well, that's all I have for right now, but I will be back shortly, but I was particulary disturbed by this headline this morning, so I'll allow anyone who reads this to be disturbed as well: Operation removes lightbulb from anus (that link doesn't work anymore)

Some Brief Political Thoughts

2006-05-31T21:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, so the end of the month is coming around and I haven't posted anything in the month of May. As to ensure that my archive stays neat and orderly, I'm going to get one post in at the 11th hour of the last day of the month. This is going to be brief, as the title may have tipped you off to, seeing as I haven't had much time, although I should seeing as it's the final two weeks of senior year, but that's a different rant for a different time.

I've already dedicated one post to the 2008 Presidential Campaign. I suppose it's kind of sad, but in a way I feel it's justified. The need to begin discussing this one so early on comes from both the fact that I'm disgruntled about the results of both the 2000 and 2004 results and I believe 2008 really could be the chance for the good guys to get the power back (those good guys are mostly Democrats that don't annoy me and a select few Republicans). I'm certainly holding out for the 2006 midterm elections to move a little more blue into Congress as well.

2008 is the important one though. A few months ago, I gave my endorsement to Joe Biden. I'd love to see this man run still, however, in the last couple of days, the ultimate dark horse has pulled up from the rear a little bit. With the release of new documentary starring him and a Time feature on him, Al Gore may be back in it. I don't know what it is, but in 2000, I wasn't too excited for Gore, but Bush appealed to me even less. In the months and years that would follow, I became more and more a Gore man. I became more sympathetic to him, coming to realize how shafted he really got in the 2000 election. He would appear on SNL in a hilarious hosting stint and on Jay Leno's show after that. I found the man brilliant, personable and hilarious. Those three adjectives are usually used to describe exactly what Gore is not, however I really think he has become a new man since Bush v. Gore stole the presidency from him.

What really scares me is the prospect that Hillary Clinton will get the nomination and her being such a volatile personality, the GOP will win again. I won't have a problem with the Republicans winning as long as it's McCain, Giuliani or someone in that realm politically. However, I think the Democrats need to get it back and get someone in there who'll get this nation and the world back on track.

As it's still early and uncertain, I'm still rooting for Joe Biden to get in there and do what needs to be done for 2008. However, I'll throw my hat behind a number of other potential Democratic nominees, or even Republican ones, once it all gets closer and names start emerging. The potential nominees, and some of these are long shots, that I'm excited for are Barak Obama, Joe Biden, Al Gore, Evan Bayh and Mark Warner. Republicans I'm excited to see are John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Democrats I'm afraid to see are Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, and Howard Dean. Republicans I'm not too excited for include anyone in Bush's cabinet and certain GOP senators that annoy me, especially Rick Santorum. Well there you go, that's what I think way in advance. We'll see how this all plays out and that's my post for May.

Memoirs of a Soon-to-be College Student

2006-04-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'd like to make it clear to everyone before I really get into this that yes, you can and will study abroad during college. I implore you to pass this message along to your parents as they will most likely ask this question at a college related gathering that I have yet to attend, at least that's how it has been thus far, as every event I have attended that relates to a little thing beginning with "c" and ending in "ollege." Why must you ask so many times if your child can study abroad during college? The answer is yes, and even if the answer were to be no, which it is not, the college would give you some roundabout answer and swindle you into believing your student could study abroad during his/her four years at (insert name here) University (or here, following an "of").

The non-college college stuff is now (nearly) over. I have applied, I have been accepted, I have been rejected, I have been wait-listed, I have been forced to sell three different organs that I formerly had pairs of in order to pay for the college I will soon be attending. My situation isn't much different than everyone else's, I saw a reasonable amount of success in this college quest, and will be attending Boston University. Good for me, good for me. Sure, I would have liked being accepted into New York University and offered a nice financial package, but I'm sure that college admissions people just weren't impressed enough with my transcript. Perhaps stacking my transcript with mindless membership in a few more organizations would have done that trick. It's not like I'm a member of both the National and Spanish Honors Societies, maintained a GPA exceeding 4.0, broke 2000 on the New SAT, obtained leadership roles in Band during my four-year membership, won multiple awards for drama or even for that matter spent a good portion of my summer taking classes at an Ivy League university. I guess I should have been a Peer Leader or a Future Business Leader of America as well.

With the fate of the next four years of my life being secured very soon by the click of a mouse on BU's website, I do feel quite a sense of accomplishment in tearing through all the red tape and finally seeing some progress. What's important to me is not the ability to say, 'Hey, I'm a college man' or even 'All my hard work in high school has finally paid off.' All that I have accomplished during high school, and all that has impressed Boston University enough to admit me into their outstanding institution is realized in the very visually appealing text of "Boston University 2010" that I can now let stand alone in my America Online Instant Messenger profile. I feel that this day is truly mine.

But still, much lies ahead of me before I actually find myself living in some sweet Alcatraz-esque freshmen dorm room digs. Not only will I enjoy an excellent prison ambience in my near future, but I will potentially be living with a total wierdo and sacrifice my personal privacy as I'm sure people will be "just popping in" and eating my fruit snacks and borrowing my movies. The roomate issue is a little ominous, as I have no control over who I am going to end up with. Sure, I could find myself rooming with a very cool student who could become a lifelong friend, and by all means, I hope that the situation I will soon experience is closer to that possibility then ending up living with a seemingly labotimized Ken-esque fool (that reference may be lost on a few of you).

I have no doubt in my mind that college will be a place where I will grow significantly socially and in terms of my knowledge. Whoa, how did a sentence from one of my college application essays get into this post. I hope that I enjoy my college experience and spend a lot of money in the process, but manage to do what I have to to find a job when I leave to pay back all that money spent during college. It should be quite a ride.

Filet-O-Fish

2006-03-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

Certainly one must read the title of this post and wonder, why would this post be titled that? Well, the answer to that question would be that this post is about the McDonald's sandwich, the Filet-O-Fish. Originally, I had planned to make my next post something about how the Iraq War was going (not well, if you haven't heard) brilliantly titled "We're in Deep Shiite," and perhaps that will still occur, but at this time, the most thought provoking thing I can think of is a McDonald's sandwich.

To begin frankly, the Filet-O-Fish scares me. I have never eaten one nor do I ever plan to eat one, because I value my life. Certainly, I would probably eat one if "my life depended on it" but under very few other circumstances would I ever ingest one of those things. So I've put it out there, I have never eaten one, but I'm going to be writing this post on prejudice and hearsay alone. For those of you unfamiliar with this sandwich, it's main component is a square-shaped, breaded, processed fish patty that is, according to Wikipedia, a conglomerate of Pollock and/or Hoki meat. I have never heard of either of those fish, but I am aware that they are not gourmet sea food and are probably best left off a bun and in the ocean. Additionally, it scares me when meat is shaped into unnatural shapes, such as a square or dinosaurs, like many chicken nuggets are. On top of this thing is a slice of American cheese and tartar sauce. Following the writing of that description, I need to take a moment to vomit.

And, I'm back. One of my greatest gripes with this sandwich lies in McDonald's use of the letter "o" to mean "of" as is commonly seen in the last name of people of Irish ancestry. Seeing as my name is Michael O'Leary, I share something pretty intimate with the repulsive mass known as the Filet-O-Fish. The "o" used at the beginning of Irish last names is a stand in for "of" to indicate the origins of a given family. This "o" appearing at the beginning of Irish last names has saved millions of people the time and energy of writing the "f" that would follow the "o" if the entire "of" were written out, for many centuries. I find the Filet-O-Fish's use of this "o" rather than "of" a crying shame. The time saving "o" is a sign of Irish culture and ingenuity and is quite frankly, sheer exploitation used in the context of this sandwich's name. I truly would prefer an alternative name to this sandwich, such as McFish or FishMac, two names that are in fact used outside of the United States.

Another gripe of this sandwich is the purpose it was either originally conceived for or that it is now purported to serve. This purpose is that it works with the world's religions to meet their beliefs when the rest of McDonald's menu does not. During the Christian season of lent, Catholics are not permitted to consume meat on Fridays. As fish does not fall under the umbrella of "meat" in this case, it may be consumed. Therefore, if a good Catholic happens to stumble into a McDonald's on a Friday between Ash Wednesday and Easter, they have no choice but to eat a Filet-O-Fish. This is a real sly move by McDonald's that, I'm sure you can tell from my tone, I do not approve of. Additionally, Kosher rule and Halal rule do not allow Jews and Muslims respectively to consume many of McDonald's more mainstream offerings, and therefore, this thing is really one of their only options.

I don't know what McDonald's thinks they are doing in offering this sandwich, but they shouldn't be doing it. I'm really confused as to where they got the impression that when the citizens of this world get a Hoki or Pollock craving, they are going to go directly to the nearest McDonald's and quench that craving with a Filet-O-Fish. In conclusion, I think it's safe to assume that this sandwich also causes some rare form of cancer, as almost everything in this world does nowadays and this is another reason I encourage you to join me in my looking-down-upon-this- sandwich-in-shame-of-its existence. Finally, I ask you not to eat this sandwich for it makes me sick just to think of it in its little blue box with those three hyphenated words across the top.

What's Goin' On?

2006-02-21T19:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much of a reason to write recently, partly because I feel I need to write something non-film related after that last lengthy post and nothing in society has created a real fire inside of me to voice my opinion on. I will have something up soon, but I'm not sure yet what it will be about. Well, until later, I'm going to do some reading and watching so I can perhaps find something that inspires me.

Michael O'Leary's Year in Film

2006-01-30T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, finally: Already 1/12 of the way into the new year, here's my favorite films of last year. Despite all the press the film industry was getting this year because of a drop in ticket sales and the growing prevalence of DVD and home theaters, I was pretty impressed with the crop of films audiences were offered this year. Here, I have listed every 2005 film I've seen, put it in its respective category and given a short commentary on it. Enjoy.

Basically, complete wastes of my time:

Fantastic Four- I saw this while I was up at Cornell over the summer, where I was immersed in cinematic classics and deep profound film discussion. Perhaps that had set my sights too high in terms of film quality. I always found the Fantastic Four idea to be fairly cliché and trite, but this film could have definitely been made better. It had it's exciting CG action moments, but they were few and far between. The twenty-minute-or-so X-Games plug was terrible and some of the dialogue was just so lame. I figured I could have at least gotten some exciting fights and special effects, but those really only showed up in the final 15 minutes, and they weren't even that great.

The Longest Yard- Perhaps it's unfair to include this one on the list. I slept through about half the movie. However, I did catch the beginning and the end, which were pretty terrible. I figured this film would at least have some good crude jokes, certainly I wasn't expecting smart, witty humor, but the jokes it had barely got a chuckle out of me. I came in expecting this film to be mediocre, and it was less than that.

Films I found very entertaining, but I did see better this year:

Hooligans- This film saw a very limited engagement in September, however, I saw it last spring at the Tribeca Film Festival. I found it very entertaining, with healthy doses of intelligence and drama included. I felt like I had seen some of this before though. Some parts seemed reminiscent of Fight Club (1999) and other films I can't recall specifically. It was very entertaining however, and I'll at least rent it when it comes to DVD, and perhaps buy if I can find it well priced.

Howl's Moving Castle- This was a fairly limited released Japanese anime film that came out over the summer. Anime has never been my thing, I find it very peculiar and I find the animation itself very jumpy and hard to follow. Including this one, I have only seen three full anime films in my life (Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Akira (1988)) and this was my favorite of the three. Maybe I just need a little more exposure to such films in order to get into them, but I still find them hard to watch. This one I didn't find as hard to watch as the other two I've seen and I enjoyed it to a degree, but I still don't think anime is my thing.

George Romero's Land of the Dead- I was very excited for this movie, being a big fan of Romero's other works. It felt much different to me, since the undead were now being fought off by military operatives in a post-apocalyptic world. In the other Dead films, it was mostly ordinary people, still living in our world that were the main characters. I find the old formula a bit more fun, as I find it more relatable, if such a thing exists in zombie flicks. I have also found that recent zombie films, especially 28 Days Later (2003) and Shaun of the Dead (2004), have moved away from the traditional zombie flick mold and I have found them extraordinarily fun/scary/etc., all the emotions Romero's older films, more specifically his first two Dead films, brought about. I've read that Romero plans on making more films in his Dead series, and as a fan, I will continue to see them as long as he keeps making them.

War of the Worlds- Steven Spielberg's second best film this year (of two) was a more traditional Spielberg film in which it cost a lot to make, it had a big star in the lead role, all the children survived and was released as a summer blockbuster. I've heard a lot of people rip on this one, but I found it very enjoyable. I did find the ending a little abrupt and too tidy, but I found the rest of the film very good. I still find Dakota Fanning fairly annoying, but Tom Cruise and Tim Robbins made the movie for me. It was good to finally see some malicious alien invaders in a Spielberg film too.

The Wedding Crashers-This is one of the funniest raunchy comedies I've seen in quite awhile. However, this year, it was overshadowed by the best raunchy comedy of the year, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which I happened to see right before this one in a double feature at the drive-in. I was reasonably tired when I watched this one, and hopefully I'll find it even better upon repeat viewings with a larger, more awake audience, no offense to the small audience I saw it with. A very funny film, but The 40-Year-Old Virgin is my favorite raunchy comedy of this year.

Notable films that I have not gotten a chance to see:

Brokeback Mountain-Yeah, it's probably the most talked about film of the year, but there are just other films out there that I want to pay 10 bucks for before this one. It's not that I'm homophobic, the movie strike me as being all that interesting to me, despite all the praise. Sure, I'll see it eventually, probably once it hits DVD, but right now there's too many other things I want to see. I don't even think this one's playing around here yet, so maybe I'll have a change of heart and see it in its theatrical run. For now I'll stick to my Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone westerns and save this "wethtern" for later.

Capote- When this first came out, it looked very interesting, and I had made it my goal to read Capote's In Cold Blood before I saw this. As that was my objective, and I never made it very far into, let alone finish, In Cold Blood, I just didn't get a chance to see it. Hopefully, I can finish the book before the film comes to DVD and see it then.

Syriana-I really wanted to see this one, but didn't get a chance to and now it's kind of fading from the theaters. This looks very interesting, and I will see it as soon as it comes to DVD, which I hope is fairly soon since this was probably released a month or two ago.

The Squid and the Whale- I knew nothing about this movie until it was already in the theater. This film received a fairly limited release, but has seen very good reviews since coming out. This one will have to wait until DVD too since a theater that's still playing it will probably be a drive to get to.

Walk the Line- This one looked very good to me when it came out in October too. I wanted to get to see this one, but the chance never came around. Like last year's musician biopic released in early fall (Ray) I'll probably have a chance to see this one on DVD fairly soon.

The New World- This film version of Pocahontas' and John Smith's story was released limitedly at the end of last year, and won't hit theaters everywhere until the end of this month. I look forward to seeing it when it comes to a theater near me. I've heard the film on the whole is great, and that visually, it's one of the most beautiful in years. This looks very promising, I just haven't had access to it at the time of this posting.

Honorable Mention:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- I really enjoyed this one. I was very happy to see a new film from Tim Burton, not to mention, a very worthy follow up to the underrated Big Fish (2003). I’ve never been a huge fan of the original, and I was very impressed with this one, especially with Burton’s willingness to make it very weird. I was also very pleased with Danny Elfman’s score and songs, all very different from the original.

March of the Penguins- As far as documentaries go this was a great one. It was fairly run-of-the-mill subject matter, nature. However, it was a very enjoyable story to follow, not to mention, it is a very extraordinary journey that the film covers. I was impressed with the film’s ability to make the viewer forget that the penguins are not human, but simply animals.

Layer Cake- This is a very awesome British crime thriller that’s already out on DVD. Daniel Craig stars as a big time drug dealer trying to go clean. The film basically shows his attempts to get out, and to perform one last deal. Daniel Craig seems very promising to me, with this film and Munich under his belt, he still has the next James Bond film, Casino Royale to come, a film I’m very excited for.

Me and You and Everyone We Know- This is probably one of the least known films on this list. It’s the debut from director/star Miranda July and is very different than any film I’ve ever seen. The film analyzes aspects of everyday life through an unconventional story and presents the viewer with some unusual characters. It took me a few minutes to get into this one when I first started watching it, but eventually became very intriguing, and an excellent film all around.

Oldboy- This is the middle chapter of director Park Chanwook’s “Vengeance” trilogy, but the first readily available for American audiences. It’s a difficult film to follow at parts, but it all makes one great film by the end. This is one of the more graphic films I saw this year, and one of the best, obviously, being on this list. I really liked it the first time through, and I hope I get a chance to see it again soon so I can better understand and come to love this one.

My favorites of the year:

20) Red Eye- For a full review, see “Stealing Mr. Ebert's Ground.” I really liked this film that I was not anticipating at all, because the trailer made it look like total garbage, not to mention director Wes Craven’s films have never really interested me. However, I found this film to be great. It was a fairly simple thriller that at points reminded me of Hitchcock. Cillian Murphy plays the antagonist of the story, in a very chilling turn. I look forward to seeing more great films from Wes Craven in the future, and many more great roles for Cillian Murphy.

19) Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior- I’ll admit, this is not one of the “best” films of the year, in terms of technical details. This film is very fun though, and features extraordinary stunts done completely without aide by star Tony Jaa. Tony Jaa unleashed one hell of a debut with this film and his forthcoming films will be awesome, despite any technical shortcomings they may have, because this man is seemingly super-human.

18) Kung Fu Hustle- This is one of the most unique films I’ve ever seen. The easiest way to describe it is a spoof of martial arts movies, with some fantastical elements. The film is very, very cool and the martial arts aspect of it is flawless. The fantastical elements make it like a Loony Tunes cartoon at times, and give it a light hearted mood, but the martial arts aspect keeps it from getting too silly. This film successfully spoofs the martial arts genre, while at the same time, existing as a film of the martial arts genre. This one is very cool.

17) Melinda and Melinda- This film was released very early on in the year and I don’t really remember it making much of a splash at all. It came out on DVD some months back and has sat on the shelf at Hollywood Video without me giving it much more than a passing glance. However, amidst my current Woody Allen binge, I figured I’d pick it up. This film marks the first (and not the last…) Woody Allen film on this list. This one does take a few minutes to get going, but it quickly becomes very intriguing as one character’s story is told as a drama and a comedy, with the scenes flipping back and forth very smoothly between the two separate universes. Some parts in the middle are a little slow, but on the whole, this is an excellent film.

16) The 40-Year-Old Virgin- The funnies movie I saw this year. Steve Carrel is emerging as a comedic genius, with this film and his starring role in The Office. The concept of this film by itself can make you laugh and it was executed perfectly. This film successfully infused drama and comedy, without getting corny and utilized the raunchy elements to the greatest degree without becoming repulsive. This film is hilarious.

15) Batman Begins- Christopher (Memento) Nolan’s entry into the film universe of Batman brought this dying franchise back with a bang. This is without a doubt the best Batman film ever made and one of the best films of the year. Batman Begins is longer than the other recent Batman films, but it ventures deeper into the man’s origins and makes for a much better film, and certainly not your typical comic book adaptation. The entire creative team behind this one has hinted at a trilogy of films in this film’s universe, something I look forward to greatly.

14) Murderball- The second documentary mentioned here, and the first documentary on the Top 20 list, is Murderball. This was surprisingly uplifting story of a group of quadriplegic rugby players. The film’s main focus is on several of Team USA’s most prominent players. The film explores these players’ backgrounds, including how they ended up as quadriplegics and how they discovered this sport that has brought new meaning to their lives. Matching these players’ stories with that of a newly injured quadriplegic who is just picking up the sport is one of the film’s most remarkable focuses. This film isn’t just an inspirational sports movie, as it is graphic and real, and is much more emotionally riveting than a fictional movie in that vein.

13) Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith- The highest grossing film of the year was this relatively little one with the words “Star Wars” in its title. The Star Wars saga came to a close this year with the third prequel, and by far, the best of the three prequels. I enjoyed this one so much, I’d say it’s the third best of the entire series, placing right behind A New Hope (1977) and Empire Strikes Back (1980). If this film had any flaws, I was willing to forgive most of them because this one was just so much better than the last two, which I actually enjoyed also, despite the popular notion that they should be hated. Despite how much I enjoyed this one, Darth Vader’s “NOOOOOO!!!” towards the end still rubs me the wrong way.

12) Cinderella Man-Star Russell Crowe and director Ron Howard team up once again for this depression era boxing film. The film tells the tale of real life depression era boxer James J. Braddock and the struggles he experienced, despite being a top contender for some of the boxing world's greatest prizes. The film had a very disappointing turn at the box office, but has revived a little bit since its release to DVD and some recognition among the season's award ceremonies. This film continues to prove that Russell Crowe can seemingly do no wrong on screen, since about 1999 with The Insider, although some may cite Proof of Life (2000) as his sole misstep. I feel we would have heard much more of this film this year had it made a little more money at the box office and had America not just fallen in love with another boxing drama, Million Dollar Baby (2004), only months earlier.

11) Good Night, and Good Luck-This is one of the best films of the year, despite being one of the most technically simplistic ones. In terms of what was on screen, this film was reminiscent of 12 Angry Men (1957) in that both films are among the most visually simple films I've ever seen. This film did not have a very large cast, was shot in black and white, and had very few sets. I don't recall any special effects, as the film did not really call for them and it was a fairly short film. Despite a lack of frills often seen in today's films, the tale of pioneering newscaster Edward R. Murrow still seemed very relevant as journalists still struggle to do what's right while still trying to satisfy "the man." The films main point of focus is the on air feud between Murrow and infamous politician Senator Joseph McCarthy. The film's use of black and white film stock and depending heavily on stock footage really made the entire thing feel like a relic of that time period. I hope this film sees some success in this year's award season, as it deserves any award it wins.

10) Millions-Danny Boyle (Trainspotting (1996), 28 Days Later (2002)) delivers another masterpiece with Millions. This is a totally different kind of film than either of the above mentioned R-rated features. This PG-rated film is one of the most beautiful films of the year, both in terms of visuals and the film on a whole. The story is wonderful and fantastical, and uses many elements of magic realism throughout, similar to some David Lynch films, although done in a much lighter context here. This film proves to anyone doubting Boyle that he is a versatile filmmaker and I can't wait for this year's "Untitled Sunshine Project" that I know nothing about except that it reteams him with Cillian Murphy.

9) King Kong-Anyone interested in seeing my complete thoughts on this one can check out The New "King" of Cinema. This film was well worth the time and effort to go see it at 12:01 AM on its opening day. The studios did an excellent job in releasing the original in a beautiful DVD set shortly before this one came to theaters, in order to get viewers to fall in love with the 1933 Kong just in time for this one to come out. This formula worked beautifully with me at least, as I had seen the original about four times in the time between its DVD release and the theatrical release of this one. The original is now one of my favorite films and this remake did the original justice, while at the same time, managed to be one of my favorites of the year.

8) Hustle and Flow-Perhaps it's atypical for Michael O'Leary growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey to love this film about a struggling pimp and his attempts to become a rapper in the slums of Memphis, TN, but that's really how you know this film works. The film is gritty and might not be for everyone, but I found it an incredible experience. Terence Howard delivers the best of his two stellar (Hustle and Flow and Crash) performances this year in this one. Despite not being much of a fan of hip-hop, I also found myself downloading the film's two most prevalent original songs and listening to them over and over after watching the film. The film's context may seem like something from another world for some viewers, but it shouldn't. The gritty story of the film takes place in the same country we live in, should we want to accept it or not, and on a deeper level, it really is a universal story of having a dream, and doing what one has to do to complete that dream.

7) A History of Violence-David Cronenberg's film about one man in a small midwest town suddenly being revisited by his dark past came to the theaters without much hoopla and left without making too much of a mark. However, just because the film maintained a pretty low profile doesn't mean a thing. This is one of the most challenging films I saw this year, but one of my favorites upon further contemplation. Upon first seeing it, I had some difficulty as to what to make of it, but eventually I realized how good it was and how anxious I was to see it again. This is a very good film that isn't afraid to be graphic and really makes the viewer think. I hope soon enough I'll be able to see it again and pick up on things I missed the first time around.

6) Sin City-The award for the most visually stunning film of the year has to go to Sin City. This film has an awesome cast of new and old faces that all deliver top notch performances. Sin City is unrelenting in terms of the intensity of what is on screen. Much of the action and violence is stylized, but still manages to unnerve the viewer at points. Films with multiple plot lines occurring simultaneously always have a certain sense of intrigue, just in the viewer waiting for them to intersect, and Sin City is no exception. This film has perhaps my favorite soundtrack of the year, a score that fits the neo-noir atmosphere very well. I look forward to the sequel(s) that have been discussed since this film's success.

5) Grizzly Man- This film is absolutely amazing. This film is easily the best documentary I saw this year and one of the best I've seen ever. It plays out much differently than I initially expected. I was expecting some sort of nature documentary infused with a somber look back at one man who loved the animals he documented, until he was unexpectedly killed by them. However, the film was much more about the man than the animals. It was not wholly a sad look back at a glorious life, but explored this very complicated man's life, a life about which the filmmaker did not have only positive things to say. This documentary presents a very watchable story and is very different from anything I've ever really seen before.

4) The Constant Gardener- Director Fernando Meirelles' follow up to his debut masterpiece, City of God (2002), is an extraordinary film. City of God is one of my favorite films ever, and although the first time through it I enjoyed it, it left a much greater impression on me through repeat viewings. I found The Constant Gardener much easier to appreciate the first time through, although I believe it will also be much more appreciated the second and third times I view it. Admittedly, I did find the first thirty minutes or so a little slow, most likely because I had no idea where the film was headed and didn't understand what any of this was leading up to. However, when things start unfolding, it becomes apparent what these first thirty minutes are there for and the viewer is hooked. I hope people get to see this film, something I don't think has really happened much since it was released. I feel this film will become a forgotten classic unless more people see it and/or it sees some recognition this awards season.

3) Munich- The final three films on this list were the hardest to decide between. I knew these three were my three favorite of the year, but I had trouble putting any one of them ahead of any of the other two. For my complete thoughts on this one, see “Taking a Trip to 'Munich'." This film proves that master filmmaker Steven Spielberg is still in fine form, despite any disappointments that may have arose as a result of War of the Worlds or his films of the last couple of years. I hope this film sees some recognition this awards season, and I also hope it sees a very nice treatment when it comes to DVD.

2) Match Point- This film is extraordinary. This film snuck up on me, as I was only a casual Woody Allen fan and had zero anticipation for this one, however, when it came to the big screen near me, I went out to see it. Upon seeing this one, Melinda and Melinda watching Annie Hall (1977) again, I'm pretty certain Woody Allen is a genius and now I'm seeking out all of his films and reading his prose. This film marks a fairly rare turn for Allen, as it is a drama, basically through and through. The film integrates elements of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, as the protagonist is reading it in the film. The film begins in a somewhat cliche and uninteresting manner, but in no time becomes absolutely incredible, and the viewer just can't stop watching. This one was so close to being named my favorite film of the year, but the film that took that...

1) Crash- Before I crown this one my absolute favorite of the year, it is the only one of the top three that I have seen more than once, which I do believe gives it an upper hand. Despite that, this film is undoubtedly one of this year’s absolute best films. I had heard very little before this one came to the theaters in May or so, but it received very good reviews upon its release and on a weekday night, I saw it with a few friends. The film was instantly captivating, the characters are all so excellently created and there is not, in my opinion, a single weak link in the entire cast. This is one of the few films that I’ve seen in the theaters that was so intense that I, along with those who went with me to see it, basically walked in silence for a few minutes before being able to comment at all about it. I did have some problems with it after the first time I watched it, but after the second time, the film really established itself as my favorite film of the year.

Well, there it is, my complete commentary on the films that I've seen over the course the last year. I'm looking forward to what 2006 has to offer, and will continue giving my insights into what I see at the cinema this year. I've realized lately that I've become very focused on film related posts, and I hope to continue this, but I am going to try to get a little more social/political commentary on here, as I find that very fun to write about, and even more fun to argue about in my comment section. I might do some more media exploration, but stray away from film a little and discuss books and music and things like that. Whatever I end up doing, I hope you loyal few who read this continue to, and even if you don't, I'll probably keep writing because I enjoy doing it. Now that I have finished this gargantuan piece, I'll start something new that will hopefully be a more reasonable length pretty soon.

Updates soon...

2006-01-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

My end of my year in film post is coming shortly, but it's become much more of an undertaking than I had initially envisioned. I get carried away in writing "brief" reviews and reasoning for positions and the entry is very large. I also had some technical problems that seem to have fixed themselves. Hopefully, I'll have it up some time next week, and perhaps this weekend, but I'm going to be in Chicago for the weekend, but I'm going to have my laptop, so some free time may help this one get done. I don't think anyone is actually up-in-arms over this brief hiatus but I feel more comfortable in setting these goals for myself and thinking that the masses are demanding my next entry.

Taking a Trip to "Munich"

2006-01-07T19:38:00.000-05:00

Well, somewhat fresh off finishing the post (at least I was when I began writing this one) on the new King Kong, here I am to write about a film I'm even more passionate about. I'll come right out and say it: Steven Spielberg's Munich is extraordinary. In terms of this year's films that I've seen, I'm trying to figure out if this is my favorite one, but I'm not sure about that yet, but hopefully I'll have another post soon about my favorites for this year after I've seen a few more of this year's highly regarded flicks. This film is unlike anything I've seen this year in terms of intensity, and is the best I've seen Spielberg in years. I love Spielberg, despite critics often citing him for being to effects oriented and having no depth to his films. Among my all-time favorites is Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a film I feel far too many people look over as being a high point of Spielberg's career. I have also really enjoyed a lot of Spielberg's recent films that haven't faired as well at the box office or in the eyes of critics. Therefore, I was very excited about this film, from the moment I heard about it months ago. Upon viewing it recently, it was everything I had wished for, and very different than I had initially imagined.

The context of the film is the action Israel took in response to the kidnapping and murder of Israel athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Despite how easy it would be to make a film about the debacle that was the handling of this incident, the film explores the covert actions taken by an Israeli force to seek vengeance for the Munich incident. These actions consisted of hunting down the men responsible for Munich who remained at large throughout Europe, and killing them. The film's main focus is on Eric Bana's character, Avner, and his struggle with logistically carrying out this mission, accepting the morality of the mission and maintaing his family all at the same time.

I'd go as far as to say this film would be hailed as Spielberg's masterpiece had Schindler's List (1993) never existed. This is the most intense Spielberg film since Schindler's List. I wouldn't say it's the most violent, because Saving Private Ryan (1998) takes that, but the implications this film's violence has on the characters and the flowing of the story give it that more intense mood that I'm talking about. This film, despite being about events that occured some 30 years ago, is very relevant for today's audience. The main conflict, that of the Palestinians and the Israelis, continues to this day. But what I think is more important is the film's sub-surface conflicts and themes. The film's exploration of right vs. wrong is a universal concept that has been tested and examined for years, and will be tested and examined for years to come. The protagonist's struggles with morality and nationalism are very relevant and riveting to follow through the film.

One of the best parts of the film is the chilling reenactment of the Munich incident itself. Although this film isn't the story of that incident, the reenactment serves as a prologue and is infused throughout the film. I found the entire reenactment very scary, because it was depicting a real event, an event that ended tragically. Besides serving as the prologue of the film, scenes of the Munich incident play out through the film as Avner struggles with grasping the morality of his mission. Having seen the superb documentary One Day in September (1999) that did explore the Munich incident itself, I realized how much care had been put into this segment of the film that may at first seem unneccesary to the film's main focus. The reenacted scenes were very much like the actual events that are shown in One Day in September and were amazing to watch.

The central conflict of the film, that being Avner's ability to carry out this mission while at the same time remain a good man, takes a little bit of time to expose itself, but plays out brilliantly and intensely for the remainder. The idea of nationalism and ethics are infused into this struggle and attempt to make suggestions as to how to properly carry out this mission. In terms of this conflict, it sees its climax when Avner discusses with a Palestinian agent their two nation's conflict. These men meet by chance and engage in the most thought provoking moments of the film.

This is a great film and one of the few that really left me thinking about the film after it had ended this year. The ideas presented in the film are ideas that mankind has struggled with for ages and will most definitley continue to struggle with, especially considering the same political turmoil in this film is remains around today. I hate to comment on the length of the film, but since the average moviegoer has made film length such a pressing issue when considering what to watch recently, the film is more than 2.5 hours, but it's a beautifully crafted and mentally riveting. It's great to see Spielberg work on typical films, the big budget CGI extravaganzas, but to see him step away from his normal path and pursue something smart or off-beat as we've seen in Munich, The Terminal (2004) and Catch Me if You Can (2002) is very exciting too and I hope to see more of this in the future.

Final note: I am working on a list of my favorite films of 2005, but I haven't seen a couple of the most praised films of the year. However, I'm doing my best to get them under my belt before I go ahead with the list. I'm going to try to see 1 or 2 more and then just go ahead with the list, noting the films that I have not seen.

Folio Short Story

2006-01-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

Foreword: I decided at the last minute to churn something out for the Folio short story contest. The resultant work is the following stream of conscious/allegory/reflective piece. I found it easy to write about what I wrote about, and that's why I did it. I haven't heard any results from any of the various Folio contests, and certainly an accolades from that contest would be nice, but I found it very relaxing to write this and I hope you all can enjoy what I've written and relate to it. I figure I'd post this as a bit of a change of pace and to fill the void between my last post and the forthcoming Munich post, which is taking me longer than I expected to write. Enjoy.

Drive, Michael O'Leary

The world is glorious on this day. For most, this is just going to be a regular day, a nine-to-five work day, run-of-the-mill. However, I’m not going to let myself see this day through in that fashion -- no, I’m going to be bold and extraordinary, at least in my own right. I wonder why I feel so wonderful, why I think I understand the glory of this day. School’s out, that could have something to do with it. But school’s out a day later than it should have been courtesy of a few too many missed days in midwinter due to weather. No need to feel bitter though; the summer is here and graduation has come and gone. Graduation brings with it quite a sense of accomplishment: I have finally conquered the drudgery of years and years of public schooling. When I conceived this idea, this idea of a short self discovery drive, I was fresh off of finishing finals, on the verge of graduation; I thought I was on the top, perched nicely atop my laurels. This notion gave me the idea that I had to be bold, I had to explore and see places no man had ever seen before or in the very least, somewhere I had never been before. Through years of mild youthful delinquency and an overly inquisitive nature, I had seen all that my community had to offer. I now feel I have to go further from my home than I’m used to.

I’m done with high school, and I naively feel that my life is fulfilled, but it isn’t even nearly fulfilled, the prospects of college and of being propelled into the “real world” lie ahead. The open road is finally here; it’s so boring having to take all the local roads and minor highways before hitting the interstate. But I have reached it, should be wide open from here. I guess I’m driving in order to isolate myself, allow myself some self time to think about college. I need something to come on over the stereo, something that’ll inspire me, or at least serve as mellow background ambience. Another Led Zeppelin song about the Lord of the Rings just won’t do the trick. No bother, I just need to keep on ramblin’.

First priority: get on the right track. I’ll be lost forever if I don’t steer myself properly so early into this trip. Let’s see, Route 80 West should do nicely. I think it ends in San Francisco or maybe Los Angeles, either way, with such an ambitious goal as either of those, I should see plenty of open air and be left with numerous decisions as to how to get there most efficiently. Here we go, the Velvet Underground’s “Cool it Down.” I don’t really need this now; there’s a time and a place for the encouraging of taking it easy, but I think I’m pretty chilled already, no need to really take it any easier. Not to mention, on such an uncertain journey as this, I should probably keep on top of things and stay focused.

High school was so spoon-fed; I don’t know how I’m going to manage next fall. Any spoon I hope to feed from at a university next year will most likely be atop a pillar high above a pit of spikes and hellish creatures. Weird imagery. Suffice it to say, it’ll be tough to find a spoon from which to feed from here on in. These highway signs sure seem to get less clear as I move away further from home, but that could just be an effect of venturing into unfamiliar territory. This is good, a little bit of Primus’s “Tommy the Cat.” What am I talking about? I have no idea what this song is about. Nice bass line though. No matter how many times I play through this song, I just can’t grasp what it’s all about. What’s the point, what are the artists trying to say?

I probably should have invested a small sum into a map; on second thought, there’s probably no point since this lame drive is probably a passing obsession. It just seems I don’t have any direction right now, what am I doing? I should go back to what I’m familiar with, get ready to go to college and enter the real world. But it’s so tempting to follow this road where so much uncertainty lies ahead; I want to see it all through. This was going to be a day of discovery and self glorification. The highway could provide so many options. But I need to get back to what I know, what I’m certain of, so that I can more easily venture into the unknown. I think I took a wrong turn a while back.

The New "King" of Cinema

2005-12-31T01:01:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I saw Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) but it has stayed in my mind. I was very happy with my choice to go see it before the masses could at 12:01 AM on the day of its release. The theater did not appear to be sold out that night, which disappointed me a little bit, but those of us who did make it there had a blast. I won $10 bucks to a comic book store that I will probably never spend in answering a trivia question in the pre-screening festivities but a great deal of self-satisfaction came along with it, so I was happy.

The film is three hours long, but it was not bad at all to sit through, especially considering the hour in which I was viewing it. It felt an appropriate length, any longer and it would have begun to drag. The acting was all very impressive, although Jack Black still stuck out as a bit of an odd choice for the role of Carl Denham, especially since he had to deliver the famous final line of "It was beauty killed the beast." Naomi Watts was good, straying quite a bit from Fay Wray's portrayal of the character of Ann Darrow, in showing more compassion for the misunderstood beast. Adrien Brody was strong, but his role as Jack Driscoll really didn't allow him much room to really shine and show audiences what he's capable of, given a challening role, such as that in The Pianist (2002).

One noteworthy creative choice for this film would be that of the Ann/Kong relationship. In the original, Kong seemed to love Ann, but she was afraid of him for the entirety of the film. Peter Jackson decided to create a mutual relationship in his film, which is intriguing to follow but feels a little bit excessive and awkward at times. This may have been done to show up close interaction between humans and CGI characters, because the CGI in this film should be showcased. This was a beautiful film overall, especially the computer generated elements. Kong himself looked very life like, not to knock Willis O'Brien's groundbreaking stop motion creature in 1933. The interaction between human and computer generated elements was flawless as well. Some of the most exciting moments in the film came from CGI, such as Kong's battle with multiple T-Rex and an updated "Spider Pit" sequence with terrifying CG bugs.

I was very impressed with the film overall and was very happy to see someone undertake this project with such passion and drive. Hopefully this film will stir up some interest in contemporary audiences for the original masterpiece. I can't see this film becoming a classic, especially considering the shadow of the original hanging over it, but it will entertain audiences for a long time. This film will mark a high point in Peter Jackson's career and is a very impressive follow up to his monumental Lord of the Rings films. I certainly hope people see this film in the theater, because it is more fun on the big screen with an audience. It is also a very good movie and is aware of the prowess of the original, apparent through creative homages and in-jokes. This film works beautifully as a modern update of a classic that I'd hail as timeless, but in need of some technical modernization, something the 1976 remake didn't really succeed with. I hope everyone can see this in the theater and I'm just going to wait for a beautiful DVD of this film, hopefully chock full of extra features.

The Original "King" of Cinema

2005-12-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

Before I begin, I'd just like to point out how lame the Law and Order: SVU theme is, I hate hearing it. Anyway here we go. It will be freezing cold, it will be a ridiculous hour of the night and it will be a weekday, but I hope to be overwhelmed with anticipation and among the company of my closest friends. The night of December 13/14 will be awesome. Peter Jackson's reimagining ("remake" just doesn't sound glorious enough for something of this caliber) of King Kong will hit theaters at 12:01 AM on this night and reawaken the public's love for this gentle, yet misunderstood giant who has left his mark on pop culture over the last 70 years.

Sure, I'm excited for the new film, but I have recently become very excited about the original as well. With the release of King Kong (1933) onto DVD for the first time last month, I was finally able to easily see it again, after many years, when I had caught it on TV or on VHS. Being a film nerd, I was excited for the DVD set that included the original film, its sequel, Son of Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949). This was an awesome set with in-depth special features regarding the original film that should quench the thirst of cinephiles such as myself until the new film comes out. I was a little apprehensive about watching the film, afraid I might find it ridiculously aged or corny. However, I watched it twice in the two days and loved it. Some of the acting does appear very stiff and the special effects aren't done by WETA or ILM, but this film catalyzed the evolution of cinema into what we know it as today.

This film is timeless in many regards. Sure, the acting may be a little flat, very 1930s, and reminiscent of the acting style of the silent era, and the special effects aren't that of a Spielberg film, but this film still holds it own. The effects still work some 70 years since its release, and it's very interesting to watch the film and try to figure out how all the special effects shots were pulled off. Additionally, the story of a creature entering a monstrous rage upon being prejudged and misunderstood is an idea that has been used many times since, and remains relevant. The film is just fun to watch, as well. On the surface, it's a monster movie and can fulfill that niche if that's what a viewer is looking for.

One of the best parts of this film is the score. Often, I'm disappointed with the scores of older films, as I have grown accustom to pivotal role music plays in most films of today. However, King Kong utilizes its masterful score to the fullest, using it often, much like recent films do. It is so infused with the film that it is even used to accentuate sound effects at some points. This use of film music is another one of King Kong's marks on the evolution of cinema.

The sheer time and energy that were put into the production of the film are astounding to observe as well. Much of this would be lost on the average viewer, however, with the new DVD, it can be seen how painstaking the stop-motion effects are and how much money was poured into this production at the time, despite much apprehension from the studio executives. The immensity of the production is astounding to try to grasp and can really get viewers to appreciate how impressive this movie was at the time, and remains today.

Upon recently seeing this film again, I can understand why it is hailed as such a classic and why it is loved by cineastes everywhere. Peter Jackson is certainly no exception to this rule, as this film is his favorite of all time. The new version of King Kong should be exceptional because of Jackson's directorial prowess and sheer love for this film. King Kong is a gem of cinema and it's great to see so much interest for a classic being reawakened after so many years with the release of the new film.

Mulholland Dr.

2005-11-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

So, it's been close to a month since I've updated at all, and a bit longer since I put up anything good. College stuff has been kind of keeping me busy, but I have one acceptance so far, one other application totally filed, one nearly ready to be filed and a number that are barely started or only have small portions done. Here I am with a film-related post, yeah kind of run-of-the-mill and expected, BUT, regarding a very non-run-of-the-mill film. I recently experienced Mulholland Dr. (2001), and I say "experienced" because saying that I had "viewed" it or "watched" it would not begin to properly describle what having the light from the images of this film pass into your eyes is like.

The director of this film is one of my recent favorites, David Lynch. I've recently been on a binge of watching his films, of which I had previously only seen one, Blue Velvet (1986), which is also excellent, but that's for another day. I have loved what I've seen of his work this far, which also includes the first season of "Twin Peaks," the cult hit television show from the early 1990s for which he was also creatively responsible. Mulholland Dr. has emerged as my favorite of the bunch, which is saying a lot since I absolutely loved "Twin Peaks," its prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1993), Wild at Heart (1990), and The Straight Story (1999).

Mulholland Dr. is one of the few films that I have seen in my life that has done a certain thing. This film and Being John Malkovich (1999) are the two films that I've seen that immediately emerged in my mind as almost totally unique and original, with almost nothing else out there like them. For this reason, I immediately wanted to watch both again, because they were so intriguing. Additionally, Mulholland Dr. falls into the rare category of films that has a fairly long running time (two-and-a-half hours or more) that I was able to sit down, and watch almost straight through, or if I didn't physically watch it straight through, I wanted to so bad, but circumstances just wouldn't allow it. The other films that have had this affect on me have been classics (at least in my mind) like The Godfather (1972), Gangs of New York (2002), Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999).

It will take a hearty paragraph for me to give a brief summary of this film, because the basic plot takes just about the entire two-and-a-half hours to unfold. In simplest terms, a car accident occurs on Mulholland Drive about the streets of Los Angeles in which a dark haired woman (Laura Harring) is the only survivor. The woman, in a confused stupor, stumbles into an empty apartment. Meanwhile, a young actress (Naomi Watts) comes from Canada to Los Angeles and stays in her aunt's apartment, who is away filming a movie. This happens to be the same apartment in which the confused woman is taking up shelter in. Through some mistaken identity and other circumstances, the two woman become friends, and the young actress agrees to help the dark haired woman discover her identity, which she forgot through amnesia brought on by the car accident. The dark haired woman also has a sack of money, lots of money. She can't recall the origins of this either. The two woman work together to try to figure some things out and events unfold. The other major plotline is about a young film director (Justin Theroux) and the involvement of organized crime in the production of his film. The two plot lines eventually intertwine and much more goes on also.

My summary gives nothing away but also doesn't really sell the movie because of the boring description, but that's the very basic premise of the whole thing, for those looking to answer the question of "what is this movie about." That is what it is about, in the simpleset terms. The film flows fairly coherently through the first two-thirds or so, and then the film takes a nearly incomprehensible turn. I was a little disappointed at this point as I was enjoying it so much up to this point, however, the film, since it is so good, held my attention for the remainder, even if I hardly knew what was going on. I thought some things might clear up by the end, but they didn't. I knew there was something more to it though, the film just seemed so smart, and I knew it was only incoherent because I wasn't smart enough to realize what was going on.

After the film was over, I read a 6000 word essay on the film, and most of it become coherent, and I realized, it was a masterpiece, although it requires some intellect and patience from the average viewer. There are elements of it that even through the most thorough of analysis can be interpreted in a hundred different ways and some other elements that just need to be accepted as "it's a movie" or artistic/stylistic choices. I invite anyone to come experience this awesome piece of cinema with me, especially if they don't want to read essays explaining stuff, since I have read them and will be willing to fill you in.

This film is not like other films that are out there now, and that's something I appreciate. Additionally, it requires some thinking, another thing I appreciate in film. The atmosphere and mood conveyed by director David Lynch is also exceptional creates an incredible film viewing experience.

Beyond "Untitled Michael O'Leary Project"

2005-10-27T23:01:00.000-04:00

You may or may not have noticed the small link in my blog profile or in the right-hand column of this blog, but a second blog of Michael O'Leary's has spawned and exists as an outlet for me to put up things that I was going to put on this blog but either thought they were dumb, never finished them or they just didn't really belong here. So, that other blog, "Outtakes and Unfinished Thoughts" (http://olearyblog2.blogspot.com) will be there also, but will only have things I never finished and won't take away from my main focus, this blog. Yeah, so you can check that out if you want or just check out the beautiful content here. Many of the posts on "Outtakes and Unfinished Thoughts" are from a few months ago, but whatever. I'll be back with some new posts here real soon, probably regarding the incredible film, Good Night, and Good Luck or developments in the Plamegate scandal (hopefully I'll be able to comment on indictments against those in Bush's cabinet...).

It's the End of the World As We Know It!

2005-10-14T15:10:00.000-04:00

Well, I'd like to begin by saying that I am very happy about the recent attempts by "michaelalexander34897323" to post two spam comments on my last post. Needless to say, they were automatically deleted as a result of my recently instated commenting program, and to michaelalexander34897323, I say suck it.

With that aside, something in recent news has come to my attention. From the title of the post, you might have some idea as to what it is. Over the last two weeks, the international community seems to have entered into panic mode over the spread of avian flu. This issue has existed as a topic on the international agenda for a couple of years now, but very few deaths have occurred, and their occurrences have all been isolated to Asia, so the western world hasn't taken the proper measures to prevent a full scale pandemic. Now, the international community is bracing for a crisis as bird flu has spread from Asia and infected birds in Turkey and possibly Rumania, on the outskirts of Europe.

The virus, scientifically known as H5N1, is fairly benign at this point as human-to-human exchange of the virus has not occurred and does not seem possible in the virus' present form. Additionally, those people who have become infected with the virus were in almost constant close contact to the birds from which they contracted it or had consumed raw poultry products (in one case, a victim contracted it from indulging in the Asian delicacy of raw duck's blood).

The United States media has recently begun a crusade to pressure politicians into preparing for it. The president has been drilled with avian flu related questions recently, mostly in regard to the idea of whether the nation is ready or not for a pandemic (we're not at this point) in the wake of the botched response to Hurricane Katrina. At this point, experts have declared that 7 million people would die were a global pandemic of avian flu to break out. The United States can, if it begins acting now, drastically reduce the number of Americans that would fall victim to an avian flu pandemic. At this point, it is well known and undeniable that we do not have enough vaccine to prevent the seemingly inevitable outbreak of this disease that is looming. However, producing the necessary amount of vaccine is a huge undertaking and could potentially yield huge losses for American pharmaceutical companies. An outbreak of the disease would also cripple the world's poultry industry, which I imagine is huge as every place in the world seems to eat chicken.

In conclusion, taking into consideration the avian flu issue, the endless rains we're currently experiencing and the incompetence of George W. Bush leading us into the future, the end of the world seems like it could certainly be right around the corner. I say that lightly, but I wonder if, subconsciously, I really believe that as I've recently downloaded the wordily titled R.E.M. song "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." This could be just a coincidence but I've never found myself listening to and enjoying R.E.M. quite as much as I am currently when listening to this song. If this is the case, I'd like to think that the optimistic undertones conveyed in this song about the Apocalypse are keeping me happy, as I subconsciously believe in the reality of the looming end of the world. My plan for now is to keep cool, maintain an optimistic outlook, and devour as much chicken as I can before the entire world's poultry supply becomes infected.

UPDATE: Drug Testing at the High School

2005-10-06T21:57:00.000-04:00

Last June, I wrote fairly extensively on my opinion regarding the then-in-question and now-in-place random drug testing at Pequannock Township High School. The Star Ledger ran an article on October 6, 2005 about the drug testing, in which a certain individual who contributes to this blog (that would be myself) was quoted. I don't know how long this link is going to work for, but check it out for now. Yes, I know I'm only partially quoted once in it, but I'm proud of myself.

Pequannock institutes drug tests in schools

Mr. O'Leary's Early Presidential Endorsement

2005-09-29T19:13:00.000-04:00

The presidential election of 2008 may seem far off, especially considering the last one occurred less than a year ago. However, being the optimist I am, I'm looking forward, towards the future, towards a better tomorrow since the last two elections were such terrible mistakes. The speculation is already rampant for the next election as to who the candidates will be. Another interesting situation is that this will be the first election in a ridiculously long time (yeah, I don't know the exact amount of time) in which an incumbent President nor a sitting Vice President will be running for office. Certainly Hilary Clinton and John McCain seem to have established themselves as the favorites for the Democratic and Republican nominations, respectively. I'm not sure who I'd prefer between these two, since both of them appeal to me. However, I'm going for an underdog at this point, a man too few people are watching, the Senior Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden (D).

Biden has twice on live television alluded to a run for president, as long as he believes he has a realistic chance of competing by the end of this year, in recent months. This man has already waged one attempt at the Presidency, albeit, an successful one. Due to an allegedly plagiarized speech, given during the campaign of 1988, Biden dropped out of the race. It was later decided that Biden had simply not credited the source of the text correctly, a source he had cited correctly in past speeches. I believe this to be an unfortunate set of circumstances and hope that he will seriously pursue the nomination this time around. In addition, Biden plans to release his memoir in 2007, just in time for potential voters to know the man as a human being.

Having nearly served a quarter century in the Senate, Biden has gained much respect, from both sides of the aisle. Biden does not allow his party to dictate his beliefs and, for the most part, maintains a left-of-center position on the political spectrum, something I can respect, seeing as I am situated at about the same position. Further proof of his rational politics, he has also mentioned a Biden-McCain ticket for 2008 as a possibility, in which case he would be willing to act as either President or Vice President. In reference to what I said earlier, I would vote for McCain over Clinton if he were to take on Biden as his running mate.

Furthermore, I can respect Biden much more than other politicians. He seems more down to Earth and, quite frankly, more average. When I say average, I don't mean in his demeanor or his political career, but in his upbringing. Biden attended University of Delaware and Syracuse University, two respectable, but not overly elite institutions (not to mention, I'm considering both of them for myself). Most politicians have attended Ivy League schools and Oxford or Cambridge, but seeing this man in such a powerful position in our society, and potentially the most powerful by 2009, who attended the same schools I'm pursuing, really makes me feel a connection to him. Too often politicians are extremely wealthy, have made it into politics through family connections or attended colleges most of us can only dream of, but Joe Biden is like any one of us, and that's very impressive.

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself, the election is still more than three years away, and at the rate our country is going, it's quite possible our society won't make it until then. But, I'm jumping on the Biden Bus early and hope to see this vessel pull into the White House in January of 2009. Joe Biden for President, 2008.

Goodfellas: Good Flick

2005-09-27T18:59:00.000-04:00

Martin Scorsese is, perhaps, my favorite director of all time. He is a true lover of film and his works are so well put together and directed. Scorsese was a product of the "New Hollywood" or the "American New Wave" movement in which directors were coming to be accepted as the most significant creative forces behind their films. American directors were now "classically" trained, in that they had a vast knowledge of the medium, as it existed before now, something the generation before them didn't really have, as the entire medium of film was fairly new. The 70s were really Scorsese's glory days, but the 80s didn't treat him too badly either, and he has surged into the 21st century with Gangs of New York (2002) and The Aviator (2004). The 90s, however weren't all that impressive, of course relative to the rest of this man's stellar career, that doesn't say too much. However, Goodfellas (1990) and it's companion piece, Casino (1995), marked two high points of Scorsese's career.

Here, in the second entry to the "Classic Films of the 90s" series, Goodfellas will be the subject. If this isn't Scorsese's best picture, it puts up a good fight (no pun intended in regards to the first title) against Raging Bull (1980) and Taxi Driver (1976). The basic premise consists of a chronicle of several men and the three decades they spend in the mob. The main focus of the film is on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro). All three men provide subjective voice overs at times, I suppose making this a limited omniscient point of view, with respect to these three characters.

Henry Hill is really the main character as the film begins with his entrance into organized crime at an early age, plays out through his life in the mafia and wraps up as his time involved with orgnazined crime wraps up. Ray Liotta, who usually plays cliche roles in shallow films, works nicely in this one. The rest of the acting is also superb, with Joe Pesci winning an Academy Award for his role and De Niro still near the top of his game (yes, this was 15 years ago, a time when Robert De Niro was still a good actor and didn't only star in terrible crap).

The comparisons between this film and The Godfather (1972) are endless and endlessly annoying. These films do share the common theme of organized crime and the fact that they are both stellar, among the greatest, films. I don't see the use in comparing them however. The Godfather is endlessly entertaining and has a certain epic feel to it. Goodfellas seems a bit more realistic and is grittier. Both films are exceptional and should be judged soley on their own merit, and not comparitvely. As can be expected from a Scorsese film, this film is violent and does use the English language to the fullest extent, so to truly appreciate the film, one needs to be able to overlook these things and be interested in a true piece of film, in the way films should be made.

Goodfellas was the last best chance Scorsese had at winning his Oscar. To those of you unfamiliar as to what I'm talking about, this legend has never one an Oscar, and for further discussion of this, see my June 11, 2005 post, "The Incredible Martin Scorsese." Scorsese has been nominated for a Best Director Oscar twice since his nomination for Goodfellas and garnered a third nomination for his hand in writing the screenplay to The Age of Innocence (1993). The two films for which he was nominated for Best Director, Gangs of New York (2002) and The Aviator (2004), were also great films. With the Academy's passing over of Scorsese for his work on Raging Bull (1980) and Goodfellas, I'm not sure much hope remains. Certainly I've enjoyed his works since Goodfellas and I look forward to his future work, but this was one film for which he really deserved the award.

Goodfellas is a classic piece of 1990s cinema, as well as one of Scorsese's best, which is certainly saying something. As well as being a staple of 1990s cinema and Scorsese's filmography, this is one of my personal favorites. I urge people to stop watching run-of-the-mill movies and check out Goodfellas, or something else by Scorsese, which I feel too few people in the general public have endulged in.

September 11, 2001: A Retrospective

2005-09-11T14:07:00.000-04:00

Four years have passed since 9/11, but it remains fresher on my mind than many things that have occured since then. I remember the day, almost too well. So many minute details of the day linger in my mind, details of a day I would normally never remember. But this day was unlike any I had ever experienced. Never in my short life had I ever felt that way.

The first Tuesday of my eighth grade year began no differently than any other day at middle school had. My classes passed no differently than they had the day before. As my fourth period band class came to a close, the most unusual announcement came over the loudspeaker: "There have been terrorist attacks in New York and Washington." I remember Dr. Trusheim, the middle school principal, uttering those exact words. I had no grasp of what this meant. My idea of terrorist attacks at the time were of those that seemed to happen weekly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In my mind, those were insignificant blips in this ongoing conflict, normally only claiming three or four lives, not that I believe comparing tradgedies is an effective technique for getting a point across.

With that brief statement from the principal as to what had happened on that day, I didn't feel any reason to be worried. Still, subconsciouly, I must have felt a great sense of alarm with this announcement, for I remember vividly the moment it happened. The announcement came on, Jillian Schurman was to my left, and said "Oh, my God..." or something along those lines, I looked at her and saw the sheer terror on her face. I looked down at my teacher, Mr. Miksza, and the look on his face was stern, but not shocked. I didn't understand why he had that reaction at first, but later on, I found out the attacks had taken place an hour or two before we had been notified, so he probably already knew, and was hearing this news for at least the second time. Only a few minutes were left in the period after the announcement, and those few minutes consisted of a few of us speculating as to what could have happened. None of us had any idea, seeing as we were naive eighth graders and we had none of the facts.

We went to lunch the next period and the room was a buzz with discussion regarding the terrorist attacks. Rumors started spreading that a car bomb had been crashed into a building in Washington and New York, others claimed that planes had crashed into buildings. I remember my good friend Dave Brudner connecting the plane idea to the plot of Die Hard 2 and the eerie similarities he was claiming the situations had. Laughter existed, although I think we were really all scared beyond our wits and the laughter was there because we needed something to comfort us. At the time, even though we really had no idea to what extent these attacks had crippled our nation, we were afraid and the laughter came from us not knowing how to react.

The period after lunch was shop. A bunch of middle school kids sitting around and pasting wood together and ranting to eachother about the terrorist attack that they really had no knowledge of. Before the period could end, the entire school was told to go outside, without backpacks, just walk outside and wait for further instruction. My class was brought to the back of the school, and once outside, parents started taking their children home and word got around that some looney had exploited the hightened sense of hysteria to call in a baseless bomb threat. The threat was taken seriously, like it should have been, thus we were evacuated from the school.

While I stood outside, on one of the most beautiful days, in terms of weather, so many confused thoughts went through my head. With the little amount of information I had, I really didn't know what to think, but I knew this was serious with the measures being taken by parents and teachers. I saw my friends leave one by one as their parents arrived to pick them up, I didn't know where my parents were or if they had even been notified yet to come get me. Eventually, the few of us left were brought to the front lawn of the school, where a number of teachers and students still remained. After a short time (that felt like a very long time at the time), my mom showed up, with my next door neighbor, Jimmy Dericks, who I had seen leave earlier with his mom. They both started giving me details as we walked to the car: "Two planes hit the Twin Towers," "Both of the towers have fallen down," "There's still a plane unaccounted for," "Another one crashed in Washington." I didn't know what to make of all this, how can someone react to this, on a day that began like any other.

My mom had taken a little while to come get me because she was working at a school in West New York, on the Jersey bank of the Hudson River. She had witnessed the collapse of the first tower and left immediately to come get me. I couldn't at the time, and still can't imagine what must have passed through her mind. I suppose part of her thinking was to go home, seeing as she did, because the world seemed to be falling apart before her eyes with the collapse of that mammoth structure. We went from the middle school back to my house, where my cousin was. We picked her up and dropped off Jimmy and went over to North Boulevard Elementary, where my sister was.

In a similar fashion as they had us at the middle school, my sister was outside with her teachers and the few students who remained. My sister had no idea what was going on. They had told these students just about nothing in regards to why people were leaving the school. The situation was explained to my sister in fairly simple detail, for at least what would suffice for now.

When my mom, my sister, my cousin and I got back to my house, a lot of people were there. I think it was my dad, my next door neighbors, my grandpa and at least one of my mom's friends. I knew this was serious now, both my parents were home from work and people who I would normally only see periodically at planned gatherings had congregated at my house on little if any notice. The images I saw on television as I walked into my family room were unlike anything I had ever seen. The replaying of the second plane crash and the sheer chaos on the streets of New York was unbelievable. Scenes of the destruction in Pennsylvannia and Washington only made things worse. These were like scenes of war in places I knew, in places relatively near my home. How could this be happening?

That day went on for a very long time. I think it would be safe to say that that was the longest day of my life. I don't think I was even capable of grasping the extent that this day would affect American society. Every television station was devoted to coverage, as was every radio station. No where could anything be found but coverage of that day's incidents. For hours upon hours, all one could think of and hear about was the events of that day.

That day is the first day in my life, thus far, where I remember so many details, exactly where I was and what was happening when I first found out. Adults talk about hearing when JFK and Martin Luther King were assassinated, or when Princess Diana died, or perhaps when the Berlin Wall fell. These incidents either occured before my lifetime or happened when I was too young to understand them. Experiencing September 11 made me feel like I was someone, that I now was well aware of the world around me. This event marked the end of the first stage of my life, in a way. I felt like I needed to grow up, I needed to take care of myself and those around me, I had to appreciate life and could no longer depend on the security of the great United States. Four years since, we're still feeling the effects, with a war being waged in the middle east with its roots in 9/11 related affairs.

I feel like that day shouldn't still be so fresh in my mind, but so much around us alludes to it, or recalls memories of that day. Just yesterday I stood in the footprint of the World Train Center, waiting for a train to take me towards home. Despite having enjoyed a wonderful evening in the greatest city in the world with Sara, being there was just so weird. How could a few hours of one day have caused all of this? That day marked the beginning of the rest of my life, and almost rendered everything before it insignificant, all of that was negligible compared to the larger picture and what was going in the world. I have no doubt that I'll always remember the events of that day, perhaps not as well as I recalled them here, but to some degree they'll always stay with me. When I think about that day, the most prominent thought I have is, I hope I never have to live through another day like that and the notion that something like this has to happen again scares me more than anything else.

Analyzing "Amy"

2005-08-30T19:04:00.000-04:00

Kevin Smith's 1997 film, Chasing Amy is remarkable as it works as a hilarious comedy at times while aslo an excellent drama at other times. The film falls in the middle of Smith's as-of-now five part "New Jersey" series. It is arguably, the best entry in the series (Clerks (1994) gives it a run for its money). But since it is my favorite part of the series, I'm dedicating my first "Classics of 1990s Cinema" post to it.

The basic premise of the film is that a comic book writer/artist named Holden (Ben Affleck) falls in love with this woman, basically at first sight. Upon their second meeting up, Holden witnesses the woman, Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) making out with another woman. This kicks off one of the most interesting and awkward romantic element I have ever witnessed in a film. Holden really likes Alyssa, but she's sexually oriented in a way that doesn't allow for her to love back, in that way. In addition to this element is Banky's best friend and comic book co-writer (of sorts), Banky (Jason Lee), who has different ideas for the future of their book and is also a homophobe.

Among the notable supporting players are Kevin Smith staples Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) and Hooper X (Dwight Ewell). All three characters exist in the film to provide Holden with romantic advice regarding his lesbian/straight romantic plight. Hooper X is a homosexual and disects the situation through the eyes of a differently sexually oriented person for Holden in an attempt to help him. Jay and Silent Bob meet up with Holden at a diner (which myself and a few of my fellow Kevin Smith fans have visited and ate at) and try to help him out. Silent Bob engages in perhaps his longest speaking part in any of his films when he tells the story of a past relationship with a girl named Amy, from which the film's title is derived.

On the surface, this film would probably be categorized as a "romantic-comedy." I think this label is a tad misleading. It is a comedy with romantic elements. However, most of the comedy is well beyond the point of vulgarity normally found in your average, run-of-the-mill romantic comedies. I'm not complaining, I'm not easily offended, just making an observation. Additionally, the film disects human relationships and romance, transcending the line between homosexual and heterosexual. This sort of thing is almost taboo for most romantic-comedies because they look to appeal to the largest demographic by keeping the content as socially acceptable as possible. Another unique element of the romantic analysis in the film is that it is intelligent and original. Most romantic-comedies attempting to seriously critique romance do so in a manner so trite, it is soon forgotten by the viewers. Intelligent romantic-comedies like Chasing Amy are brilliant because of their original take on something that is so often done through cliche after cliche.

Chasing Amy, despite being the third part of a loosely tied together universe of films (the Askewniverse, for those of you who know what I'm talking about), the film can stand on its own. However, since I love Kevin Smith's other films occuring in the same diegesis as Chasing Amy, I'd strongly recommend watching Clerks. (1994) and Mallrats (1995) first. If you enjoy these three, then check out Dogma (1999) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). Perhaps not the first time around, but certainly on repeat viewings, one will be able to pick up the overlapping stories and characters that exist throughout the films. Chasing Amy is a film for any one who enjoys an occasional dose of vulgar comedy and has a soft spot for an intelligent love story.

Classic Cinema of the 1990s: Introduction

2005-08-28T15:15:00.000-04:00

To begin, I'm going to stop with the recommendations, at least temporarily, so I can focus on the main subject of each post. If I have a deep urge to get the word out about something, then I'll revive the recommendation portion. With that aside, I'm here to discuss some cinematic masterpieces of the 90s. I'm probably bias in recommending these films, since most of my life thus far was spent in this decade. The 70s are my favorite decade in terms of the quality of film, but the 90s could well be my second favorite.

This is the intro post to a series of posts regarding films that I regard as masterpieces that were released in the 1990s. Although I'm not certain of which films I'll go into in depth, I have somewhat of an idea, and some films I won't go into besides a mention, because I've already covered them. Among the films that I regard as classics of the 1990s that I've already discussed are Pulp Fiction (1994), The Truman Show (1998), The Matrix (1999) and Magnolia (1999).

Some films that come to mind as high points of the 1990s are Jurassic Park (1993), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Schindler's List (1993), Unforgiven (1992), Heat (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Being John Malkovich (1999), Before Sunrise (1995), The Iron Giant (1998), Clerks (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Ed Wood (1994), Trainspotting (1996), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Goodfellas (1990), American Beauty (1999), L.A. Confidential (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Barton Fink (1991), Toy Story (1995), Trois Couleurs (1993-94), Beauty and the Beast (1991), among others.

I won't be covering all of these films, and I may cover others that I didn't mention here. Check back soon for the individual posts regarding these films.

Stealing Mr. Ebert's Ground

2005-08-20T23:57:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Album: Tenacious D, Tenacious D. Actor Jack Black makes up one half of this comedy/rock duo that not only makes me laugh my pants off, but additionally, rocks my pants off. This two front approach is so effective, it is safe to declare that this band tears my pants off mercilessly, something I quite enjoy when done in this fashion. For those of you who have been aimlessly wandering the last two sentences, check out this album from this unique duo and watch out for their feature film coming to theaters next year!
Film: The Goonies (1985). I've loved this film for as long as I can remember. It's one of the earliest films I can remember having a knowledge of. This kind of intelligence and depth can not be found in an adventure film starring teens and pre-teens today. The sheer imagination put into this film is awesome to see. The characters are all very well developed and are interesting to watch as the film plays out. Sean "Samwise" Astin can be seen early on his career in this film.

So as this weekend approached, there was only one film I was looking forward to seeing: The 40 Year-Old Virgin. The star of the film, Steve Carell, has amazed me first as a correspondent on "The Daily Show," then in his show stealing performance in Bruce Almighty (2003), and then as the boss of the American version of "The Office." Not only was I awaiting this film because of its ridiculous premise and star, but because it seemed to be the only film worth paying any attention to. Then, something caught me totally by surprise: the early reviews for Red-Eye were very strong. I was shocked. The trailer, frankly, made the film look like typical late August garbage. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive however, so I went to check out Roger Ebert's review. For whatever reason, Mr. Ebert hadn't reviewed this film either formally or with his "thumbs up" system. So, I headed the positive reviews, and checked it out. Since Mr. Ebert didn't post a review for this film, read my mine instead.

Red-Eye (2005) is the first film of master horror director Wes Craven that I have ever seen. Despite such renowned films as The Nightmare on Elm Street (1985) and The Scream Trilogy on Craven's resume, I've never seen one of his films before. However, I am well aware of his prowess in the horror/thriller genre. I went into this film with a positive outlook regarding it. The main selling point for me was actor Cillian Murphy's presence in the film. I have been blown away by his performances in 28 Days Later... (2002) and Batman Begins (2005). First off, he is the best part of this film. He delivers one of the most excellent villain performances in recent memory. Murphy plays Jackson Rippner (it obviously required a genius to concieve that name), a man who at first seems like a man trying to get with Rachel McAdams' character, Lisa, in an airport and then on an airplane.

Jackson drops a few hints of creepiness before he takes the full blown dive into the realm of creep during the two characters' flight from Dallas to Miami. The entire sequence of the two characters meeting in the airport is done very well. Despite the obvious and very realistic awkwardness that exists, you can see that the two seem to be bonding. All of this bonding seems like it was for nothing when the two go separate ways as they board the plane. Coinidently (or not), they end up sitting next to each other on the plane, with Lisa in the window seat and Jackson on the aisle. The bonding/small talk continues between the two for a bit until Jackson begins unveiling his true plans: his associates have Lisa's father at their fingertips and will kill him if she does not go along with Jackson and company's plan to kill a high ranking political official.

The choice to remotely control this entire situation from the plane was a brilliant one. The sheer sense of claustrophobia that sets in is one of the most thrilling parts of the film. Lisa has been put into the worst situation of her life while aboard a plane, where there is no where to go and no one she can tell without repercussion. The entire plane segment is excellent. As the plane lands and the film begins to race toward the end, the quality of the film begins to dwindle.

The first two thirds of the film are stellar. They successfully deliver an original and thrilling film. The film's final third could have been done better, but still manages to deliver a few good thrills. The first two thirds' brilliance far outweighs the final third's typical, somewhat cliche nature. This is a good film, despite the lackluster ending. It takes awhile for the audience to realize how trite the final third is as they are still enjoying the characters that were developed in the first two thirds. Check this one out on the big screen while it's still around, I think it'll be a much better experience than checking it out with a bunch of friends on DVD.

Alfred Kinsey and the Sexual Revolution

2005-08-15T00:18:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Food: Chris Paul's Pizza. Pastey, white Anglo-Saxons have long been known for their pizza making prowess, so it should be no surprise that Chris Paul can make a fine pie. I'm not sure how long this phase will last, but one should endulge in it while it's still here.
Show: The Andy Milonakis Show. This show is certainly not among the classier things of society that I normally associate with, but watching it delivers a viewer some good fun. The short segments that make up an episode are very different from each other and some are down right stupid while others maintain some of that stupidity but manage to make you laugh. A good filler if nothing else is on.

Upon watching Kinsey (2004) a night or two ago, America's sexual revolution, in which sex was removed from its extremely taboo status and pushed much closer to the mainstream than it ever had been before, was presented to me for the first time in such vivid detail. Alfred Kinsey was the pioneer who nearly single-handedly changed America's-and perhaps the entire world's- view of sexuality as a whole. Here I'll be discussing the man, his work and the film in a combined study of the topic I've already introduced.

To get the cinematic matters out of the way first, here's a quick run down of the film. The film is somewhere better than good, but not quite excellent, in my mind. It takes a while to get going, but once it does it becomes very intriguing. The main characters, besides Kinsey himself, played wonderfully by Liam Neeson, didn't really interest me and for the most part, their interactions came off as unintentially awkward. Several interactions did stand out as being done very well though, both in the acting and their use to advance the story. The most enjoyable part of the film was its exploration of Kinsey's work and the reaction it recieved. How he was going about collecting data for his revolutionary sex studies was very interesting to see on the screen. The outrage and simultaneous intrigue expressed by the American people of the time (late 1940s-early 1950s) is the most enthralling aspect of the film. This film ends much stronger than it begins and turns out to be a great film.

Kinsey's collection of sexual data from Americans of all kinds was so interesting to follow. His strictly scientific approach to all things regarding sexuality, both physically and mentally, is depicted wonderfully in the film. It's too bad this man has nearly all but been forgotten in modern science teachings. He is basically responsible for creating our perception of sex, as it exists today. It is almost comical to witness the film's depiction of America's perception of sex as it existed before Kinsey's time. Sex was beyond the point of taboo, if such a thing exists. Sex was accepted as something between one man and one woman, not engaged in until after the man and the woman were married and the physical act did not venture outside of the culturally accepted, traditional "sex."

America's perception of "sex" today is quite different from this purist view displayed in the film. The debate over gay marriage currently raging in our nation is one inconspicuous indication of how far our nation has come sexually since Kinsey's work. His exploration of alternative sexual activities and varying degrees of sexual orientation have pushed them into more acceptable territory in the minds of the American people, so much so, apparently, that homosexual orientation has reached a point of acceptability that marriage for homosexuals seems to be approaching legality, and in some cases is already legal.

Before Kinsey, it seemed America was like an eighth grade dance in that the atmosphere is absolutely bland with the boys on one side and the girls on the other. Kinsey was the one who jumped out into the middle of the dance floor and got the party started. America's perception of sexuality remained stoic and stonewalled from the founding to the 40s, with very little change, and Kinsey came in and kicked down the flood wall, and the contemporary ideas regarding sexuality flowed in.

Alfred Kinsey should be commemorated more than he is today. He went against the accepted beliefs of Americans and broke the "perception of sexuality" mold. Kinsey should be applauded for this work that pushed America into the future and helped the society evolve. His willingness to explore the unknown should be viewed as the model for those seeking to enter controversial territory in the future. Despite the controversy surrounding the taboo of sex, Kinsey studied and explored it and helped the American society evolve into the great one in which we live today.

Some Ideas Regarding Guns and Gays: Part II, Gays

2005-08-06T01:01:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Song: "Clocks," Coldplay. So I've absolutely loved this song since it came out two years ago or so, but upon purchasing A Rush of Blood to the Head, the album featuring this song, recently, my love for this song solidified and I am now convinced it is absolutely one of the greatest songs to ever grace human kind with its presence. I can listen to this song over and over, without any other songs playing in between and enjoy it. This song has been played everywhere since it came out, but I still absolutely love listening to it everytime I hear it.
Film: The Iron Giant (1999). This is easily my favorite animated film. It is incredibly intelligent and deep for an animated flick. Using the height of the Cold War as the setting, the film is able to get across messages of the futility of hysteria and prejudice. Also notable is the fact that a nearly unknown Vin Diesel provided the grunts and groans of the titular character.

I've got one question for people, heterosexual or homosexual: who cares? Why do people care so much about the personal, private affairs of individuals? If a man loves another man, or a woman loves another woman, why should laws and politicians and the religious right care so much? Those people can go on living their heterosexual lives and the affairs of homosexuals will not interfer.

I suppose you could say I support gay marriage and gay rights, but I feel more like, if you don't bother with my most personal and intimate affairs, I won't bother with yours. The main issue regarding homosexuality is marriage and civil unions. Now, if two men love each other and want to get married, why shouldn't they be able to? If they are legally prohibited from doing so, they'll live together for the rest of their lives, much like a heterosexual would, but when something happens to one of them, because they are not married the partner can not be included in any decision making or those decisions' outcomes. Civil unions are simply a joke. It is marriage by a different name, the different name simply exists so that homosexuals are forced to remain ostracized from society. If civil unions and marriages grant virtually the same rights to the couples involved, why not just call it all "marriage?"

The main argument against gay marriage is that it will forever change the "concept of marriage as an establishment." It should be noted that such an argument is being made by right wing nuts like Senator Rick Santorum, Pat Robertson and Ann Coulter, who anyone with any amount of sense knows not to take seriously (note: I don't take far leftists seriously either, so don't accuse me of bias). I think these people will be remembered in about 40 years similarly to how we now remember Strom Thurmond in terms of racial segregation. In the future, gay marriage will be a regular part of society and those who don't support it now will have a shameful legacy in the future.

While I don't see this conflict being settled, I do believe it will be settled in the next five years or so. Opinion regarding gay marriage is about fifty/fifty right now. The supporting faction is gaining ground as well, as gay marriage proposals are coming up for vote in nearly all elections, not to mention, such marriages are already legal in Massachusetts. It is good to see progress being made, however, national action needs to be taken or else state-by-state action will prevail and "homosexual sanctuaries" will spring up all over the country. Until national legislation is put in place, opinion will remain divided and with the passage of gay marriage legislation in various states, gay will be okay in some states, and not others. This reminds me of a time, about 150 years ago, when state by state, slavery was banned. Eventually, slavery was legal in half the country and outlawed in the other half. As you've probably realized by now, that led to the deadliest war in U.S. history. Despite whether you believe that such a comparison is too drastic or right on par, division is never a good thing for a country. So, our main goal should be one national precedent. With one law in place for the entire nation, there will be no more debate as to how to go about this issue and we can move on and continue evolving as a society.

Some Ideas Regarding Guns and Gays: Part I, Guns

2005-08-04T01:14:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Trainspotting (1996). The way this film came to me began with my love for a good zombie flick. A good zombie flick doesn't usually scare me, but I think they're so fun to watch. So, since I had seen the Dead trilogy (true, Land of the Dead has escaped me thus far, but I'll see it soon enough), I decided to give 28 Days Later a try. I was pleasantly surprised regarding the superb quality of this film. The director, Danny Boyle, got his big break from a small film back in the 90s, Trainspotting, so I gave that a try. It blew me away! The acting is superb, the soundtrack is intense and the story absolutely enthralls the viewer. Upon a second viewing I may devote an entire entry to this one, it's that good. But in the mean time, check it out so you know what I'm talking about when I do discuss it in depth.
Tea: Earl Grey. As a self proclaimed man of class, I enjoy engaging in classy things. Drinking the world renowned tea of Earl Grey was one such engagement. It is quite delicious and I recommend it to others. I take mine absolutely plain, just water and a tea bag, but if you must, throw in some milk and sugar and whatnot.

Here is the first part of this two part entry regarding two very hot issues in America today. I'll declare it right now, my leftward leanings will shine through in this entry. However, I just have to get my opinion out there and hear some feedback. This time, it's regarding my thoughts on guns and gays. Both issues remain debated in today's society and one is addressed directly in the Constitution. In other words, these issues are big and many clashing opinions exist regarding both issues. This entry's purpose is to present and argue for my opinions regarding both issues.

First, let's talk about guns. Technically and generally speaking, American citizens have the "right to bear arms" as guaranteed by Amendment II of the Bill of Rights. That document was written about 200 years ago and has been amended 19 times since; thus, it is not a flawless piece of work.

Guns really only serve a few purposes in modern day society: to sit unused for years in suburban homes, only to accidentally shoot a stupid teenager playing with it, to commit crime, and to build comaraderie among rednecks. To be frank, I don't support any of those purposes for guns. Comaraderie is a good thing, but how about you go to a pool party instead to find friends.

I suppose I should have included hunting, but I don't find hunting to be a legitimate form of anything. Most people who can afford guns aren't hunting for their livelihood. I don't buy hunting as a sport, I mean you're just killing defenseless animals. If you enjoy sinking your teeth into meat you just shot or you enjoy watching a weaker organism than yourself die at your disposal, enjoy yourself, but I'll be eating my store bought meat from animals in captivity that wouldn't have otherwise existed had there been no consumer demand for their meet and passing the time doing other things besides ending lives.

Then of course there's the "self-defense" argument. First off, if others didn't use guns, you wouldn't need one to protect yourselves. Guns obviously can be used for defense against non gun-wielding foes, but what is the frequency of break-ins or other things of that nature that require one to keep a gun in their home? Save some money, prevent accidents and don't buy a gun.

Guns will remain legal however, because of groups like the National Rifle Association. This ultra conservative faction holds firearms higher than any God. Additionally, a pick-up truck with a "The South Will Rise Again" bumper sticker must be owned if one wants to be a member. The NRA has recently supported a boycott of Conoco and Phillips 66 gas stations because the parent company ConocoPhillips will not allow employees to have firearms in ConocoPhillips parking lots. That's simply irrational. As a corporation, this company has every right to make policy decisions regarding their employees actions while on the company's grounds.

Lobbying by the NRA is also, at least partially, responsible for the lack of renewal on the Assault Rifle Ban. Why in the world would a private citizen need to own an AK-47? They are not engaging in guerilla warfare or fighting a battle for freedom from the Soviets! Absolutely insane political actions like this should render the NRA as ridiculous of an organization in everyone's mind as it does in mine.

All in all, I think the existence of the Second Amendment is outdated. Its content may have made sense two centuries ago, but it just seems unneccesary in today's world. I don't believe the Constitution is the right place for laws regarding firearms. I believe firearm laws should be placed among the laws concerning drugs, tobacco and alcohol, since firearms are already regulated by the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Perhaps the removal or alteration of Amendment II would open up the door for some more relevant Amendments for our time, perhaps one regarding marriage and who exactly can get married to who. That argument is another argument completely, and thus will be discussed in the second part of this post.

Upcoming Flicks I'll Be Checking Out

2005-07-21T21:34:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Heat. To date, Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro have starred in two films together: The Godfather, Part II and Heat. The Godfather, Part II featured parallel story lines playing out during different time periods, and therefore did not allow Pacino and DeNiro to be onscreen together at all. Heat marks the first time that these two legends of acting interact and exist in the same scene. This is no gimmick, either. Heat is a brilliant crime thriller with DeNiro as a criminal mastermind and Pacino as the law enforcer after him. Director Michael Mann delivers one of his best films with this three hour masterpiece starring two of our age's greatest stars.
Song: "Frankenstein," Edgar Winter Group. This song is, quite frankly, excellent. Although it's simply five minutes of instrumental music, it's incredible to listen to. You know that this must be a good song since it's my ring tone for my friends.

As the summer film season sadly begins it's downward spiral, I'm looking ahead to what films are still in store for us. However, some of the following films are still to be released this summer and some won't be released this year. Here's a look at the films I'm looking forward to seeing:

The Brothers Grimm: Director Terry Gilliam returns to the cinema eight years since his last film. The former Monty Python has become one of my favorite directors, although he has a limited filmography, one that I haven't even completely seen. This film, starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the Brothers, is a fantasy film taking place in and around the famous stories of the Brothers Grimm. Despite its release in late August, normally a time when the studios deliver the crappiest of crap to the theaters, I'm optimistic about this one. Not to mention there won't be much else out there when it's released.

A History of Violence: This film has some pre-release buzz as it was shown at Cannes Film Festival and vied for the top honors there. It stars Vigo Mortenson and Ed Harris in a plot that really intrigues me. The trailer doesn't really get to much into the story, but that much that it does get into seems really interesting. Mortenson is a seemingly normal guy in a normal town until his armed defense of a robbery attempt at his diner brings out some aspects of him that those around him were unaware of. Questions like "how did this normal man obtain such abilities?" arise from those around him. Harris' character enters as the one who has info about Mortenson's past and is depicted as a menacing force in the trailer. This film looks very original and very interesting.

A Scanner Darkly: I've already mentioned this film in a past recommendation. This film won't be released until some time next year but it's already getting me excited. The story comes from a novel by master science fiction writer Philip K. Dick and employs an incredible looking animation technique. The trailer displays all of this and can be found at "www.apple.com/trailers." After you check that out, you'll be excited for this one as well.

The Island: This film is to be released tomorrow. It is from shallow director Michael Bay (I'll give him props for The Rock, but all the rest of his films are shallow and suck), but I'm excited about Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson being in it and the film has the potential for being deeper than any of Bay's other films because of the sci-fi cloning plot line. Reviews have been mixed thus far but should they remain where they are or swing upward as of tomorrow, I'll be checking this one out.

Elizabethtown: Director Cameron Crow has had a pretty impressive career as director of Say Anything..., Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. This is his new film that is already drawing some Oscar speculation. The trailer looks great, although the film looks a bit feminine. That doesn't bother me too much as a good romance can hit the spot for me, something I am looking for this film to do, as well as deliver an excellent film on the whole.

The 40 Year Old Virgin: Perhaps the least classy film mentioned in this entry, this film looks hilarious. The outlandish title can make you laugh by itself. I've heard that this film is histerical and this will also be released in one of the semi-annual black holes of cinema, late August. However, one of my favorite comedic actors, Steve Carell, plays the title role, not to mention the film is going to be rated R and comedies of this caliber with such a rating in the past couple of years have almost always made for a good time.

King Kong: Yes! Another remake! Remakes are running rampant around the cinema these days. Many of them are terrible, however, not all of them (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, should one consider that a remake, was excellent in fact). This one looks like it could be good, if not excellent. Naturally, King Kong and the dinosaurs of skull island are computer generated, but they look very good in the trailer. Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson, is helming this one, with Adrien Brody, Jack Black and Naomi Watts, among others, starring. This one will be out at Christmas, or there about and should make for an exciting end of the year flick.

2046: This one has been released in most of the world already, but it's coming out in the beginning of August in the U.S. This film from Hong Kong, directed by respected Chinese director Wong Kar Wai, stars Tony Leung (House of Flying Daggers and Infernal Affairs) and Zhang Ziyi (Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), two of China's most revered current actors. The trailer looks very cool, showing a romance story in a futuristic noir type of city. This one looks very interesting.

V for Vendetta: This is the film for which Natalie Portman infamously shaved her head for filming, sending teenage boys everywhere to sleep crying (and some eerily aroused...). The Wachowski brothers, of Matrix fame, are credited with some creative input in the trailer for this film, although I'm not exactly what it is since they aren't directing. Hugo Weaving stars as the masked villain of this film, based on a graphic novel. This film has a good deal of buzz around it and I'm hoping this will be the second incredible graphic novel adaptation for the screen of the year, the first being Sin City.

Spielberg Olympic Film: This one is being called Vengeance some places, although that hasn't been confirmed as its title yet. This will be Spielberg's second film of the year, following this summer's excellent War of the Worlds. This film isn't exactly about the Olympics, despite it being widely called "Untitled 1972 Munich Olympic Project." The film is supposedly about the Israeli military action taken against the Palestinians responsible for the kidnapping and murdering of Israeli athletes at those Olympics. The actual story of the kidnapping and murder is an intense one, and if interested in that, check out the incredible documentary, One Day in September. This film is still in production, but all sources point to a late 2005 release, although no trailer or poster has been released. I'm totally excited for this one and I'm hoping it will be released this year.

Jarhead: Director Sam Mendes has had an absolutely stellar career so far, despite only having directed two films, American Beauty and the vastly underated Road to Perdition. This is his new film about soldiers in Gulf War combat. Indications are that it will have comic elements, so this isn't a Saving Private Ryan for the Gulf War. It is based on real events, however, and stars Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. This one is also drawing some early Oscar buzz and looks very, very promising.

The Fountain: This film may be the film I am most anticipating. It stars Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman. I'm always looking forward to seeing Hugh Jackman in a new movie because I think he's a very versatile actor, not to mention I met him. This one comes from Pi and Requiem for a Dream director, Darren Aronofsky. The film has a totally insane plot in which three parallel stories, all starring Weisz and Jackman, play out simultaneously, despite the fact that the stories take place at different times in a 1000 year time span. The title comes from the Fountain of Youth, which plays some role in the film. This one has been in production for awhile and has been kept under pretty tight wraps. Not too many people seem very excited about this one, but it's going to knock our socks off.

Green Street Hooligans: This one is kind of a cheat. I have seen this already, although it hasn't been released in theaters. It has had its rounds on the festival circuit, under the title Hooligans, one of those festivals being the Tribeca Film Festival, where I saw it. First time feature director Lexi Alexander made this film out of personal experience. This is a gritty film depicting the world of football firms in the U.K. Firms are basically hardcore football fans, loyal to one team, who beat up the firms of other clubs. Alexander told the audience at the screening I attended that she was part of this world for awhile in Germany, where things are similar to the way things are depicted in this film. Despite speculation that this would be picked up because of its seemingly easy sell with Elijah Wood starring, it did not sell to any studio and is being released independently. Come September, this one will be released limitedly and will probably expand from there. I'm going to make an attempt to see this one again and I encourage others to as well. This film reminded me a lot of Fight Club in that it followed organized groups of average guys that fought periodically, however I enjoyed it more than Fight Club because of the sports aspect and because it was less surreal than Fight Club.

Well these are the films I'm looking forward to. I'm sure I won't get to see all of these in their theatrical runs and more films that have flown under the radar will be seen by me in the theater as well.

The GOP: Yeah, I'm Embarassed They Run Our Country Too...

2005-07-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Short Cuts. My love for lengthy ensemble pieces is shining through again. This film has drawn countless comparisons to Magnolia, and while they're both three hour films with huge casts set in Los Angeles, not much else is the same. I believe Magnolia to be better, but I believe Magnolia to be better than many, many films, so that doesn't say much. Short Cuts is definitely worth checking out, the three hours fly, as they do with Magnolia, but don't come in to this film looking for Magnolia, it's a totally different movie. Master director Robert Altman helms this one and directs the fantastic cast quite skillfully.
Date to Keep Free: Saturday, July 16. Yep, that's right. You know you've got to keep this date free, because O'Leary's making his triumphant return to Pompton Plains, best brace yourselves! Yeah, I'll see you kids on Saturday, sometime in the later half of the day.

I've had a dry spell of politically themed entries recently, at least in my opinion. Thanks to a lack of television at Cornell, I've been reading the news both online and in print much more than I would at home. This has brought me to the conclusion that broadcast news sucks for the most part and print is better in that a larger selection of articles is available and you can choose what news you get to hear. Being the left-of-centrist I am, I've been reading up on the plight (one I'm not at all sympathetic to) of this nation's GOP, the Republicans.

Quite the contrary to how our nation is supposed to run, ideally, the Republicans control just about everything in this country: the majority of the governerships, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House. This is quite a ridiculous fact, although the White House isn't much of a problem as people have come to realize this administration is just some sick joke. Right now, the members of the GOP are making fools of themselves. To give a quick run through, demigod of the right, Karl Rove, is at the center of an alleged White House cover-up to protect him from charges of exposing the top secret identity of a CIA operative; William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the highest individual judicial power in the land, is living in a hospital bed and refuses to retire; and the president has his nation in a war for which support is slowly drying up.

Karl Rove, the advisor who is credited with significantly helping Bush's reelection campaign, is now being called to retire by Democrats. Rove is being blamed for releasing the name of a secret CIA operative during an investigation of the authenticity of the evidence to go to war in Iraq. The situation is complex and I'm not going to go into all the detail but as a result of all this, Judith Miller, a New York Times reporter sits in jail. The important part is that the Bush administration has taken no apparent stance on Rove's involvement in the situation as Press Secretary Scott McClellan has repeatedly answered "no comment" to all questions regarding his involvement in the situation, despite the fact that just a few months ago he denied that Rove was at all responsible for the situation. The way I see it is that the White House will just keep up this "no comment" strategy until the press finds something else to cover. Several months ago, Democrats demanded another high ranking member of the administration, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for authorizing the torturing and whatnot that occured at Abu Ghrab, but that eventually died down and this twisted dude still controls our defenses. So most likely, the Democrats and members of the press will call for Rove's resignation or firing but the hype will probably die down. We should all be impressed with this strategy the White House is using.

The Supreme Court has been in the news recently because of an announced retirement and because of a speculated retirement. Chief Justice William Rehnquist is battling thyroid cancer, seems to be in the hospital every other day, is very old and feeble, and was in the Nixon administration. He needs to step down or get healthier. This stubborn Republican seems insistent on finishing out his alloted life term on the Supreme Court. We can't have this feeble man holding the highest judicial position in the land, it's just ridiculous.

(Read like the "Now, a word from the President" line in "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta") Now, a word 'bout the President. Oh boy that was thrilling to conceive and type. Bush, Bush, Bush. Let's go back to the beginnin: the guy was placed into office by a court order and the help of his brother and friends down in Florida. Then, less than a year into his first term, 9/11 occurred. Now normally, a national catastrophe creates a hero in the president of the time. For a while there, Bush did have the potential to become a revered figure. He was strong in the days following 9/11 and in October he went to war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan in a successful military campaign, although that fight is still going on as we try to create democratic stability and search for Osama bin Laden. Then we got involved in Iraq, and after about a month of fighting, Bush declared an end to major combat operations. Now, more than two years since that, and almost 2000 Americans dead, the end of "major combat operations" doesn't seem visible quite yet. With his approval ratings hitting an all time low, as almost half of the nation does not approve, it makes me wonder what Americans were thinking eight months ago when they reelected him. What could they possibly expected him to do in the upcoming months? Well, whatever Bush voters were expecting him to do, he hasn't done. Recent polls have also shown that Americans are looking for control of Congress to switch parties following the 2006 elections. What were the people thinking in November '04?!

America's frustration with the way the Republicans are going about things just seems to be increasing. Hopefully they'll be out of office soon enough or they'll get some sense knocked in to them. Well I wish you all well in the coming months as the Republicans continue to control our country. I'll leave you with this deep, humorous slogan that surfaced during the election campaign last year, "At least when Clinton lied, no one died."

Microcosms in Late 90s Cinema: Part 3

2005-07-09T20:04:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Collateral. Usually I don't recommend something in the same realm as what my post is regarding, but this film deserves an exception. I love this film but I recommend it per a request by the lovely Sara Rutkowski, probably embarassed upon reading this. This film is intense all the way through. The soundtrack successfully mixes original stuff with pre-recorded songs. Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise both give stellar performances under the direction of Michael Mann. I've enjoyed discussing this film in short here so much, I think I'm going to make a full post out of it.
Trailer: A Scanner Darkly. Well a few months ago, a visually stunning movie's trailer hit the web and I was all over it. I told quite a few of my peers and they became pretty excited about it. That film was Sin City which ended up a huge hit of the first half of this year. In somewhat of a repeat of that incident, I have found a new film that is visually stunning, perhaps more so than Sin City. This film is A Scanner Darkly. From genius director Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Dazed and Confused) comes this film which employees an animation technique he previously used in his film, Waking Life. A few years have passed since that film and the technique has improved dramatically. Check out the trailer for A Scanner Darkly at "www.apple.com/trailers". It has an impressive cast and looks absolutely incredible. I'm already anticipating this film and after seeing the trailer, I think you will be too.

Well after a day off, I'm here with the final part of this three part entry. To recap, I've explored The Truman Show (1998) and Dark City (1998) and the existence of a microcosm in these films. Today, The Matrix (1999) is the subject. This is going to be the hardest one to write about because the film has such a large following and its story and its themes have been explored quite a bit already. However, the film is all about the microcosm that exists within the film, so it's a worthy film to wrap up this series of entries.

The Matrix is the most seen and most commercialized of any of these three films. It has spawned two sequels, a series of anime, video games, etc. The premise of this film is concerned with an artificial world existing along side the real world. To avoid conflict, my use of "artificial" and "real" describing the two worlds are the subject of debate during the film, but for our purposes, I'll be referring to the "Matrix" as the artificial world and the world on which the city of Zion exists as the real world. The "Matrix" is the world in the film that exists only in people's minds. The people living in the Matrix are in fact encased in goo filled capsules under the control of machines. The lives that they live are actually only occuring in their minds, which are being controlled by the machines. The real world is unknown to almost everyone living in the Matrix. The people living in the last human stronghold, Zion, and the crews of various hovercraft spelunking the canals of the barren earth are the only humans conscious of the real world and these people have manipulated the system so they can live in the Matrix and live in the real world as they please. One becomes conscious once they are approached in the Matrix by one of the conscious people and invited to learn what the Matrix is.

Herein lies the plot for the film: Thomas Anderson is an average joe working a 9-5 office job who is a computer hacker on the side. He begins to be contacted by an unknown person and eventually meets with them face to face. They refer to him as "Neo," his hacker alias. The two who have been contacting him are "Trinity" and "Morpheus." These shady communications pinnacle when Morpheus calls Neo on his cell phone and instructs him as to how to escape several agents in pursuit of him. While initially successful, Neo doesn't end up following all of Morpheus' instructions and eventually falls into the custody of these "Agents." While in their custody, Neo is interrogated as to his knowledge of Morpheus and has the opening to his mouth physically sealed. Shortly thereafter, some sort of insect-looking thing is injected into Neo's navel. Trinity reenters the picture when she picks Neo up and removes the insect.

Neo is taken to see Morpheus, where he is invited to learn about the Matrix. While initially apprehensive, Neo does enter into the Matrix wherein he is told that he is believed to be the chosen one. Neo learns the ways of the Matrix, the world he formerly thought to be the real world. Neo and the others engage in an adventure within the Matrix that eventually help Neo come to the realization of the sort of possibilities that exist for him now.

This film is confusing and complex the first time through, but its action and intrigue will bring one back a second time, upon which further understanding will be had. The sequels are there in order to see how Neo's story plays out, however, one can still enjoy The Matrix without seeing the subsequent films in the series or without any intent to view them. This has served as little more than a recommendation because so much has been said about this film already and it has been explored thoroughly already, however, I include it as a companion piece to Dark City and The Truman Show because of the three films diverse depictions of microcosms. In conclusion, The Truman Show is my favorite among these films, but these three offer very different things and it is tough to compare them.

Microcosms in Late 90s Cinema: Part 2

2005-07-07T16:21:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Music Video: Tonight, Tonight, Smashing Pumpkins. If you've never seen this music video, download it. If you have seen it, you're well aware of its glory. Not only is the song incredible, but the visuals of this video are stunning. Graphically supposed to resemble film of the silent era, this video is very cool, with its retro feel. A bit bizarre at parts, this video is entertaining for its entirety.
Song: All of My Love, Led Zeppelin. This song is so sexy. It sounds a bit different than some of Zeppelin's other stuff, seeing as it was done later in their career. I can listen to this song for hours on end because of how sexy it is and because it is awesome intrumentally. Check this one out.

The second part of my three part entry will begin shortly. I'd like to take note of the terrorist attacks in London and how much they've enraged me. However, since the articles I've read so far are all varying on details, and the whole situation still seems in chaos, I'll wait to comment extensively on the incident. I will finish this three part entry and then return to the politcal arena and write an entry regarding terrorism. On a lighter note, things are going well here at Cornell. I've got a good amount of down time so I can write stuff like this and I'm doing well in my class (I was one of only a few students to get an "A" on our first paper, booya; anyone interested in reading this pseudo-masterpiece can ask me for it).

This entry is going to focus on Dark City (1998). Again, I'd just like to warn readers of spoilers that may exist in the following text regarding Dark City. This is without a doubt, the least seen and least known of the three films I'm discussing. However, its lack of public notariety does not in any way take away from the experience of viewing it, and perhaps for some, will increase it because you will be able to recommend this film to almost anyone after seeing it. This film does feel a lot like The Matrix (1999). People are living in a world in which they are almost totally controlled and their minds are being manipulated by a group beyond their control. The beings in this all controlling group are known as the "Strangers." They exist mostly underground and all have a Nosferatu-like appearance. The name of the film comes from the fact that the city is in perpetual night time. The sun is never seen but the people of Dark City have their memories altered often enough that they never realize that they never see the light of day.

The film works on two levels: it's a story of a man, John Murdoch, that we enter in the middle of and watch to see how it unfolds and it's also the story of a controlled society and those who control the society. John Murdoch awakens in a hotel with a dead body sharing the room he is in and having no memory of anything, not even his own name. He begins his journey to outrun the authorities and to reorient himself with his surroundings. As the film progresses, influences from both the Film Noir genre and the German Expressionism movement are apparent. The Noir feel comes from the crime elements of the film, among other things and the Expressionism influence can be seen in the purposely surreal environments.

Murdoch's encounter with Dr. Schreber, a man whose alliances never become quite clear, launches him into his search for the truth about the place he is living in. Dr. Schreber's character is very similar to the character of Morpheus in The Matrix in that he takes on a naive person and shows them the truth about the world. Murdoch's interactions with other citizens of Dark City help enlighten him as to what exactly is going on in this place. The Strangers begin to pursue Murdoch for gathering a little too much information. Eventually, Murdoch obtains unhumanly powers, much like those Neo has in The Matrix. With these powers and with the knowledge of his environment Murdoch now has, he is able to engage in a battle with the Strangers and ultimately exposes Dark City as a floating celestial body. The city has walls all along the outside of it, preventing the citizens of the city from venturing too far. This aspect of the film is very much like the televsion studio in The Truman Show (1998).

At the point in which Murdoch rips a whole in the outermost wall of Dark City to expose outer space is absolutely shocking and compelling. It evokes almost the same emotions of shock and triumph that come about as a result of the moment in The Truman Show when Truman's boat hits the wall of the television studio. Viewers are blown away by these resolutions, but feel triumphant in that the main characters' journeys are complete with these revelations.

Dark City is an incredible movie. Its stylized visuals and science fiction aspect remove it a bit from The Truman Show but not so far from The Matrix. It is the most complex film of the three and will probably take two viewings to fully apprectiate its beauty and sheer intelligence. This film's DVD is also available at many retailers for a ridiculously cheap price (I got mine at Suncoast, one of the more expensive retailers, for $5.99). So, for practically the price of a rental, pick this one up because not only is the film insane, but Roger Ebert provides a very intriguing commentary track. Do not watch this film with light hearted expectations as you may take into The Truman Show: this film is much more complex, more violent and grittier than that film. However, do not stray away from this film because of its complexity, it is well worth your time, and after you watch once, you will come back for more. The Matrix is up for the next entry.

Microcosms in Late 90s Cinema: Part 1

2005-07-06T17:05:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Song: Wise Up, Aimee Mann. This song is used in the middle of Magnolia, at my favorite part of the film when all the characters sing along to it. It's a beautiful song and is even more enjoyable after seeing it used in Magnolia.
Food: Corn Muffins. Delicious and filling. Work as an entire meal in the form of one single muffin. Whether you eat corn muffins or not, I will. Enough said.

First off, here's a warning regarding this post: plot spoilers will follow regarding the three movies I'm about to discuss. In other words, if you haven't seen these movies, and don't want any aspect of them ruined for you, don't read this. If you have seen them already or if you could care less about spoilers, go ahead and read. The three movies I'm here to discuss are The Truman Show (1998), Dark City (1998) and The Matrix (1999). The reason I throw these all into one entry is because of the short amount of time between all their releases (just over a year) and their different approaches to alternate, smaller, artificial worlds existing alongside the real world. To begin, I love these movies a lot. Since I love them so much, and have a good deal to say about them, I've decided to break this into three parts, discussing a different film in each part.

The first part, right here, will cover The Truman Show. I've seen this film a number of times, but my viewings have been spaced out over a number of years. Due to the fact that the DVD of this film isn't up to my elitist standards, I do not own this film, despite it being one of my favorites. However, next month, a special edition will be released, it may be while I'm at band camp but I will buy it as soon as I possibly can. Everytime I come back to watch this film, I see new things, I love it even more than the last time. My memory of the first time I saw this film still stays with me. I saw it in the theater in the summer of 1998 for a friend's birthday at the Clearview in Parsippany and even at that young age, I was blown away. Looking back, I'm surprised I enjoyed it so much since the premise is off beat and a bit much for a fourth grader to handle, not to mention I knew Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura, The Mask and The Cable Guy, but I remember absolutely loving this film, and it's really the first movie I remember that I thought was incredible. The film was helmed by the often brilliant Peter Weir (Witness, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World). Additionally, I find the moment in "Family Guy" in which The Truman Show is parodied to be the funniest moment in the entire series.

The Truman Show tells the story of Truman Burbank, a man living in a seemingly normal sea side town. However, the world that Truman knows, is in fact the world's largest television studio. Since birth, Truman has lived in this world that has been broadcast to millions of people around the globe and "The Truman Show" is now the highest rated show on television. Truman's town of Seahaven is on an island and since an early age, Truman has had a fear of water, thus, he's unwilling to venture out of his town. The fear was brought on by a staged boating accident in which his father died. All of Truman's family and friends, including his wife, are actors. They are all aware of the fact that they are on television and they follow a rough script to make for interesting television. Truman exists in a controlled microcosm within this planet and The Truman Show is the tale of Truman and his journey towards enlightenment.

The most compelling character in the film, with the exception of Truman, is Christof, played by Ed Harris in an Academy Award nominated performance. Christof is the head honcho in charge of "The Truman Show" and spends the entirety of the film in a control room in the top of the studio. From here, Christof can talk to actors, alter the weather conditions, basically have his way with anything in this fictional world. However, the one thing Christof does not have direct control over, is Truman Burbank himself. This is ultimately Christof's fatal flaw as Truman's free will causes him to begin to ask questions, to search for answers, and to pursue the truth. As the world that Christof has created for his surrogate son, Truman, begins to crumble, Christof attempts to do everything in his power to stop Truman from uncovering too much. At this point, Christof's true character is revealed as he is willing to go as far as killing Truman to prevent him from finding out the truth.

The Truman Show really plays out in two acts. The first is comprised of the film's portrayal of Truman's normal life, including his family and friends and the daily grind he has to endure. The second act is about Truman's exploration of some enigma; this enigma being that he lives in a television studio. The live television show has some haywire moments and people attempt to contact Truman as he moves closer to the truth. The two acts are equally entertaining and intriguing and together, they form an absolutely amazing cinematic experience. The Truman Show is one of the best films of 1998, that I've seen, right up there with Saving Private Ryan. The film is also one of the best of the decade; what number exactly, I'm not sure. The Truman Show will remain with us for a long time, especially as television, especially reality television, is expanding and getting more twisted. In the way that Network poked fun at the operation of television in the 70s, similarly does The Truman Show in the 90s and into the future. For those of you who haven't seen this film and those of you who have seen it and appreciate its glory, we can watch it at my house as soon as I get a copy of the special edition DVD. Stay tuned for Part 2.

I've Been Thinking A Lot Today...

2005-07-05T17:57:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: 12 Angry Men. This film is simple. It is masterful cinema in its most simplistic form. The first few minutes show the closing arguments of a trial in which a boy is being tried for murder. The 2 hours or so that follow take place almost entirely in the jury room in which the twelve jurors deliberate the verdict. Twelve actors, one room, it's as simple as that. One of my favorite actors, Henry Fonda, gives an extraordinary peformance as "Juror #8," the righteously minded, persuasive one of the bunch. This film is absolutely enthralling and thoroughly entertaining and will not disappoint anyone with the slightest inkling as to how our judicial system works. Not to mention, the film is directed by one of my favorite's, Sidney Lumet.
Newspaper: The New York Times. I've made it clear that I enjoy the Times through and through. I'll admit the publication falls into the left side of the political spectrum, but so do I, and that's part of the reason I enjoy the paper. All the articles are eloquently composed as they always address previously mentioned people as "Mr." or "Mrs." later in the article. Plus, as a psuedo/wannabe New Yorker, I feel at home in reading it.

Well amdist some idle time up here in Ithaca, I started thinking. Thinking...thinking about the future. What the hell am I going to do with my life? I've basically decided on majoring in journalism in college, but I have amassed a near encyclopedic knowledge of film and I am also taking a film class here, so I was trying to figure out how I could incorporate that into my future. So, as I perused New York University's website this afternoon, I came across their journalism page. They proclaim that they're journalism program is one of the best in the country, blah, blah and it makes me want to go there. It is my dream to go to NYU, for journalism. Not only is their journalism world class, but they have a concentration in "Media Analysis and Criticism." Damn, just up my alley: observing society and ripping it a new one, that's what I want to do. Now that probably encompass social criticism, as well and it was the next piece of info I discovered that makes me want to go to NYU more than anywhere else. Journalism majors are required to take on a double major and NYU just so happens to offer a major in "Cinema Studies" at the same school as journalism. Life is beautiful. So, this what I'm shooting for, go to NYU, double major in Cinema Studies and Journalism, with a concentration in Media Analysis and Criticism. If this ideal situation was to occur, I'd be on top of the world. However, I think I need to look at other options and keep my hopes humble as NYU is a very competitive school and the possibility of rejection is always there. But, at this point, my isolated thinking has brought me to the conclusion that this is what I want to do. Just felt I should share my prospective plans for the future and let my peers know that I'm on the right track. Comment as you wish.

Confessions of a Cornell Summer College Student

2005-07-03T17:32:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Beverage: Starbucks' Caramel Frappuccino. This drink is absolutely delectable. I recommend this both because of the fact that I haven't had one in a week and won't have one for another two weeks and because I want to show those of you unaware of this beverage's beauty, what it can do for you. This drink, whatever size, will not only massage your taste buds over the course of you drinking it but it will put you on a most excellent caffeine rush. My choice of beverage for a late night energy boost.
Film: War of the Worlds. I would recommend seeing this film in the theater while you still can. It is visually amazing and is the work of master director Steven Spielberg. The characters are very interesting and well developed and the computer imagery is stunning. Parts of the story do come off as shallow or lame but for the most part, this is a very enjoyable film. I was a little disappointed initially but in hindsight I believe my expectations for this film were a bit too high and I now think this is a good film.

One week down, and two to go. Cornell is a one third complete and has been great so far. The food is pretty good, especially for not having to pay anything for it (yes, I realize it was included in the initial payment, but it's no money out of my pocket at the time of the meal). At points, those in positions of authority have created an atmosphere similar to that of a Gestapo occupied Jewish ghetto under the Third Reich. However, seeing as I'm a good kid, I haven't really had any trouble with them. The film class is going well; I'm taking in a good amount of information, some of it more interesting than other. I haven't spent too much money, even with an ATM card at my disposal. I'm still working on hardening my calves in walking up hills every day. Whether I could get into this school or not, I have decided I wouldn't want to go here. Not only is it supposed to be ridiculously cold here from October-April but there is really nothing to do around here. There's your standard stuff to do on campus but the life off the campus is pretty, well I think it would best be described as "upstate New York." Yep, any suburbanite or urbanite who has ventured into the realm of upstate New York knows what I'm talking about. So in mockery of the Ithaca area, I have purchased an "Ithaca is Gangsta" t-shirt as my memoir of this trip. To those of you confused, Ithaca is not gangsta. Many, many, many white people populate the area. Well I'm going to run off and get some of the decent Cornell cafeteria food. See you kids around.

Michael O'Leary: College Man

2005-06-28T16:53:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Do the Right Thing. I believe this film to be Spike Lee's masterpiece, although Malcolm X gives it quite a run for its money. I mention this film because it's one of the films we'll be focusing on in the class I'm currently engaged in at Cornell. I've only seen it once but the racial themes explored during the course of the film have stayed with me since that viewing. I'm looking forward to watching it again in the coming weeks, especially on a big screen. If you live in today's world and are at all interested in the issues that exist in your society, check this one out.
CD: Songs for Silverman, Ben Folds. Ben Folds' second studio album is, quite simply, excellent. I immediately fell in love with his first album and this one may even be better. Of the notable songs of the album are "Gracie," "Jesusland" and "Bastard." Although it may seem rather effeminate to be making mention of "Gracie," a song Folds wrote to his daughter, I absolutely love this incredible song. "Jesusland" sounds a lot like a Phish song to me, and I love Phish, so it's a good thing. "Bastard" starts the album off somewhat melancholily but it's a great song. Not to mention, this album is a "DualDisc" and has some DVD content on the reverse side, so this album is well worth your money.

Well, here I am: at Cornell University and coming off my longest entry hiatus since the inception of this blog. Life's been pretty good up here. I say this as I sit in my dorm and do what I want during the two hours of mandatory study time. Yeah, not quite sure how that works. Anyway, the days are pretty demanding, not just for me but for everyone. It's basically like I'm in school, only I'm only involved in one field of study and I'm on a huge college campus. My class is eloquently named, "On Camera: Studies in Film Analysis." It probably took the entirety of my rather substantial tuiton to come up with that name. So, I'm here for three weeks increasing my film buff status. So far, I have been (pleasantly?) surprised by the amount of class time and out of class work bestowed upon us, however it's fairly light in comparison to that which has been bestowed upon students in other programs.
Naturally, after only four days of being here, my dorm room is beginning to get rather messy, like my room at home. Not helping the situation is the fact that nearly my entire building is comprised of single rooms, where there is only one student per room, including my own. Only a little while ago, I returned from the library where I was watching a sequence from Battleship Potemkin, of approximately 15 seconds, that I will be writing a three page paper on due Friday. This at first appeared to be a daunting task, however, I now realize that this assignment is no match for an intellectual/cinephile such as myself. In other words, I will wait until Thursday night to do this paper.
Classes and work aside, campus life is pretty excellent. When I'm not chilling in my room eating Goldfish or Pop-Tarts or downing some Tropicana straight from the carton, I'm playing cards with the other kids in my building, having an extended (all-you-can-eat) meal with those same chaps or taking in the Cornell/Ithaca atmosphere. Negatives do exist, however. The hill (mountain, in my mind) leading up to the classes, libraries, etc. is rather intimidating. Naturally, all the dorms are at the bottom of the hill. I'm not too worried though; usually I ascend that slope shortly after a carb-filled meal and besides, after three weeks of this, I'll have finely shaped calves, like that of a member of England's national football team. Yep, the ladies, now aware of this detail, who were anxiously awaiting my return already, are unsure whether they'll be able to go two and a half more weeks without me. What can I say? I haven't had to do any laundry yet (which has been placed either purposely or coincidentally in the girls dorm...) but seeing as I do my own laundry at home, that shouldn't be a struggle.
So now that I'm getting settled here and I've let you in on what I'm doing without you guys, I'll probably start updating more frequently. And just in case talking to me on the phone or on AIM isn't good enough for you, here's my postal address up here:

Michael O'Leary
213 South Baker Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853

I'll Be There Awhile

2005-06-25T01:00:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
CD: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins. Over the past week, I have absoultey fallen in love with the Smashing Pumpkins. Naturally, I've heard their music before but never have I owned any of it nor did I even have any of it on my computer. However, in the past week I've bought two of their albums and cannot stop listening to them. This album features some of my favorite songs of theirs and is two discs, twenty-eight tracks of beautiful Smashing Pumpkins music. I now love the Smashing Pumpkins and hope that the "getting back together" speculation comes true. I'd go as far as to say that not checking this album out would be masochism.
Film Series: Kill Bill. Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 were two of the finest American films of the last two years. Together, they create a revenge epic of over three hours. Quentin Tarantino went about making these two volumes and created two films that were like nothing else out there currently. While parts are violent, especially in Volume 1, almost all the violence is purposely over the top and should be taken lightly. The two volumes do feel very differently but together, they form an incredible epic that will amaze audiences for some time to come.

Well from the title, one may have expected a 311 recommendation, but I just ripped off and modified one of their song titles to give an idea of my upcoming situation. In only a few hours (I probably should be asleep but recently enjoyed a Frapuccino), I'll be headed to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. I'll be taking up residence there for three weeks, hence the title of the post, engaging in film related studies. I'll have my laptop up there and will hopefully will be communicating via AIM and updating this blog regularly. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, spending some time outside of the microcosm I normally exist in, learning the ways of the cinema and getting an idea of what to expect of college. I'm hoping I'll get a cool roomate and won't have to deal with too many, if any, cinematic novices. Living independently should be cool as well but I am obviously going to miss all of my friends, especially those who will be away when I get back. So, as my final blog thought in New Jersey for the next three weeks, I leave you with this, a fond farewell in the form of a movie quote, both to say goodbye for a while and to get myself in the right mindset: "I'll be back!"

There's Traffic Today!

2005-06-23T23:30:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Kid: John Reenstra. As per a promise, here I am recommending John Reenstra. Although his antics may not always be for the faint of heart, he's generally a fun loving kid, not to mention a master of Adobe Photoshop. Sure this may seem like a cheap way to get out of a recommendation, but I'm doing it anyway. John Reenstra, ladies and gentlemen.
CD: (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis. Having just gone to an Oasis/JET concert last night, I was reminded how incredible Oasis is and this album includes some of their finest songs. Oasis's vocals were almost inaudible when they played Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, and Don't Look Back in Anger because the crowd was so in to it. All three of those songs are on this album, naturally why I mentioned their drawing power. Awesome album, anyone who likes any rock music will like this album.

Steven Soderbergh's masterpiece, Traffic, is not just another lengthy film featuring an ensemble cast that I'm crazy for, although those labels do fit the film, all in a positive light. To begin, Traffic has one of the best casts I've ever seen in any film: Michael Douglas, Benecio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Don Cheadle, Erika Christenson, Topher Grace, Albert Finney, Salma Hayek, Benjamin Bratt, and Dennis Quaid. Whether or not one enjoys any of these actors other works, he will enjoy that actor in this film. A viewer would have a hard time describing any of the afformentioned actors as the "weak-link" of the cast. The film won 4 Oscars in 2000 (should have won a fifth for Picture) and is already securing a spot as one of the best films of this decade.
The premise of the movie is depicting the war on drugs in the United States and Mexico. Several perspectives of the war are shown through the different, intertwining stories. The stories follow DEA agents, the Mexican equivalents, Mexican drug cartels, the judiciary aspect of the war, average teens' involvments, those who profit from drug sales and many people in between. With all of the appropriate scenes in the Spanish language and having subtitles, realistic teen situations, and real Senators playing themselves, the film feels authentic and entertains for two hours.
While the drugs are obviously portrayed in a negative light, this isn't an anti-drug movie. It displays problems created by the drug trafficking, it shows the way the war against trafficking is being played out and eventually has an optimistic tone regarding society and the effect drugs have on it. Few films can address a current social issue with such little controversy and with such great mastery of the issue and come off as a relevant motion picture for years to come. Since the five years of its release, Traffic has not been seen by as many people as it should be seen by and the film has remained very relevant, perhaps taking on more relevancy than it had when it was released. The issues and conflicts portrayed in the film have not died down and don't seem to be declining any time soon.
All in all, Traffic is an incredibly accurate and interesting look into a certain aspect of society while also existing as a film done by a master. This film will not disappoint and comes from the same guy who directed Erin Brokovich, Ocean's Eleven, Out of Sight, and Ocean's Twelve. Watch Traffic to be blown away with Soderbergh's film making and to be intrigued by the social issues at hand.

The Roads Are Clear: No Traffic Today

2005-06-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Currently Playing Film: Batman Begins. Christopher (Memento, Insomnia) Nolan's entry into the struggling Batman film series should be grouped into its own, autonomous series. Not only does this film not follow the same story as the original four (not counting the Adam West/Burt Ward Batman film of the 1960s), but it is a much better film than any of those (this time, including the Adam West starring film). This dark, gritty, scary approach to the origins of Batman is quite simply, awesome. Not to mention, it has my favorite Batman villain of all time in it, Scarecrow. This is not the typical eat-a-bucket-of-popcorn-and-watch-lots-and-lots-of- stuff-blow-up-for-two-hours summer movie: it's perhaps the best superhero movie to ever be made and not a film to be missed in its theatrical run.
Film Director: Akira Kurosawa. This man is Japan's greatest film director. Although he has passed away, his films are still out there. He has had a great influence on American film making and its makers and the way Japan is portrayed internationally. While all his films do have subtitles, they are among the most highly regarded among all films.

I love Traffic as one has probably gathered from my brief rantings regarding the film, thus far. I made mention in my last post that my next post would be regarding Traffic, but as some of you may have realized from the cryptically corny title of this post, something else has come to my attention. Now your probably thinking a recent polictical issue has come about that has ticked me off, but I actually just viewed a different film I feel compelled to speak about. Not to mention, I'll be going away this Saturday, June 25, to Cornell University to take a three week course in Film Analysis and I'm focusing my entries on film to get myself in the right mindset. So, upon viewing The Graduate for the second time last week, I was so intrigued and amazed with the film that I had to come write about it.
The first thing I'll admit is that The Graduate does look a bit aged. I don't know what it is about it but the film looks a bit grainy and the sound seems to be in mono, but this film does not feel aged. It in fact comes off as very relevant, especially for someone of my age. Although Dustin Hoffman's character, Benjamin, is a bit older (has just graduated college, hence the title of the film), he could just as easily be a senior in high school. Benjamin lives a life that most people, especially adults, have a lot of trouble understanding and relating to. While it does sound cliche, adults cannot relate to those younger than them, especially teenagers, in the day and age of The Graduate as well as the current day and age. Most people don't have any idea what they want to do with their life, especially as high school is coming to an end nor as they finish college. Perhaps that's why I appreciate this film so much because I feel that Benjamin could be me, or any one of my peers. He awkwardly speaks with adults, whom he barely knows and yet they try to make it seem like they're lifelong friends. This is an experience I am, as well as many others are, too familiar with. His parents also parade him in front of their friends for his academic accomplishments, and while he's proud, it's also embarassing.
While the character study of a very relatable figure is very intriguing, The Graduate also delivers one of the greatest, memorable, unorthodox love stories in the history of cinema, an incredible soundtrack done almost entirely by Simon and Garfunkel, as well as a look into the youth culture of the 1960s. The Graduate is also one of the funniest "subtle comedies" that I have ever seen, mostly due to awkward moments that Benjamin experiences. This is a movie that I will watch many times in the future and that I hope many others see, and that these people appreciate it as much as I do.

Summertime, and the Living's Easy...

2005-06-18T00:12:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Movie: Jackie Brown. Quentin Tarantino's third film. In terms of quality, it's right on par with all of his films, with the exception of Pulp Fiction which is a bit higher up than all of Tarantino's other films. Anyone who doesn't believe this to be a good film, doesn't understand it, is trying to get something out of it that doesn't exist, is looking for a Pulp Fiction sequel, or hasn't seen it. Awesome movie.
CD: Rift, Phish. Phish has never crossed into the mainstream, which isn't a problem for those who have discovered their music. While Phish's studio albums are nothing compared to their live albums, this excellent studio album is a good place to start for those unfamiliar with the band and their music. Some excellent songs.

As I see my next post being a time consuming, in depth look at Traffic (as I had made mention of in a previous recommendation), this post isn't going to be much. But, I'll begin by noting that summer is here. Naturally, there are those who will point out that Monday is technically a school day and I will be there for band practice, but with the end of exams today, well, looking at the time I suppose it was actually yesterday, Michael O'Leary has made the shift from "semi-summer mindset" to "full-blown sunshine-soaking, free-loving summer mode." My stack of summer reading is intimidating, however, but I will manage to get it done. I go to Cornell next Saturday, exactly one week. I'm looking forward to that and will probably be brushing up on my film viewing over the course of this weekend and this week. Not sure what's going down tomorrow, but I do have my sister's graduation (I guess it's called graduation when moving from middle school to high school) party, hopefully that won't be too painful. Well, not much else to say, but I will leave you with the away messages I used this week during my exams, each one in the form of an acrostic poem, with the subject I was then being tested on as the vertical word:

English: An Acrostic
Every day learning about the masters of literature
Nature is very important to the Metaphysical poets
Gillian Hettinger is English, and teaches English
Lots and lots of books have been studied
Ishiguro wrote our summer reading book
Sleeping during such an informative, tough class will not bode well
Haha! That's a pity laugh for this pathetic poem that I learned to write in English this year.

History: An Acrostic
Historical occurences are discussed
In great detail, the history of our great nation is learned
Schels knows what he's talking about
Too often, history repeats itself
Of the presidents studied this year, FDR was the best
Reprints and video clips are apparently the only way to learn history
You think you know about history, but in actuality, you have no idea!

Spanish: An Acrostic
Senora Teta-Kohle's last name translates into Spanish most humorously
Paco is quite a common Spanish name
Andalucia is the frying pan of Europe!
No is the opposite of yes in both Spanish and English!
Interesting fact:
Spanish is the most commonly spoken language around the world.
HorseMIERDA is the above statement!

Mathematics: An Acrostic
Masochism defined.
An excruciating way to end the year
Terrified are the innocent children being subjected to this test.
Holocaust would be a more appropriate name than "final exam"
Erroneous procedures and answers will exist in droves
Molougney's slamming the door on our way out of his class against our
Asses with a force I cannot calculate because I don't know how to do
That sort of problem, but I need to be able to for this test
I'm uncertain whether I'll make it through this test alive
Calculus is the devil's work
Some thorough counseling, I will require after enduring this exam.

A Message for Lynching Victims from the U.S. Senate: We're Sorry?

2005-06-15T12:01:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Whenever Jim Carrey is in a semi-serious role, he scores; notably, Carrey's work in The Truman Show, The Majestic, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In this film, from an original screenplay by the genius Charlie Kaufman, Carrey's relationship with Kate Winslet's character, Clementine, is destroyed when he discovers she has had him erased from her memory. Out of spite and to prevent mourning, Carrey's character, Joel, does the same. Much of the second half of the movie takes place inside of Joel's mind while his body is unconscious. The scenes depict the memories of Clementine being erased, but Joel trying his hardest to hang onto them. The film is absolutely brilliant and is unlike any romantic movie I've ever seen, or heard of for that matter.
CD: Legend, Bob Marley and the Wailers. This greatest hits CD is absolutely incredible. I don't think it's possible to not enjoy the jams of Bob Marley. Pick this one up, or at least download it if you're cheap like that.

This week, the U.S. Senate issued a formal apology for never passing anti-lynching legislation. No, they didn't pass a ban on lynching, just an apology for never have passing a band. Lynching is the hanging of someone, foregoing that person's right to due process, often making a public spectacle of the hanging. It's also not "hanging" in the sense of a "quick drop and a short stop", but rather tying a noose around the victim's neck and pulling them over a tree branch or something else in the air, leaving their hanging body to be strangled by the rope around their neck. This is a grisly way for someone to die, no doubt about that, so how in the world weren't there laws in place making lynching illegal?
It should be noted that lynching was most often used against blacks in the time after the emancipation of slavery and before the most significant civil rights legislation was put into effect in the 1960s, a racially turbulent time period (to put it in the most objective light). I would like to say that it only happened in the South, but according to an Associated Press article, lynching occured in all but four states, which aren't specified in the article. However, they do mention that Mississippi had the highest number of lynchings of any state. According to the same article, 1 in 4 lynchings was of a non-black victim, most likely a white supporter of civil rights. The most startling fact is that 4,743 people fell victim to lynchings over the course of about 80 years. While I don't have an exact figure on how many people were arrested, it wouldn't come as a surprise to me if not one person was arrested for lynchings, at least during the time in which they occured. I am aware of at least one recent arrest of a lyncher, for his crime he committed in the 1960s. The act of lynching was never made illegal and to this day is not classified as illegal, however nowadays, one who lynches would be brought up on murder charges. The racially crooked law enforcement of the lynching era never saught to prosecute those who lynched, because many times law enforcement agents were part of lynch mobs and the fact that most of these acts were carried out by mobs, made it hard to place blame on any individual.
Upon some further research, it is apparent that the Senate was almost singlehandedly responsible for the lack of national anti-lynching legislation. According to the Associated Press article, "Senate Apologizes for Lynching-Ban Delays," Seven presidents petitioned Congress to end lynchings. Nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in the first half of the 20th century. The House passed three anti-lynching measures between 1920 and 1940, but the Senate passed none. You can't knock the Senate for apologizing, but its 2005, the days of lynchings died down in the 1960s: what were they doing for all those years? At the time of the afformentioned article's publication, 75 members of the Senate had endorsed this apology. I find it disturbing that all 100 hadn't signed it immediately. Sure, a few may have been doing business elsewhere, but this is the kind of thing that every single senator should be showing his or her support for, unconditionally.
Now, moving beyond the Senate, some disturbing historical fact regarding the ignoring of lynchings, thanks to Wikipedia. With the election of progressively minded Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, anti-lynching advocates thought an opportunity to finally get legislation passed was available. FDR, however, fearful of losing the white southern vote in the 1936 election, did not endorse any such measure. While you can't rag on the guy for this, he's a politician, one who we needed to be in office in 1936 and beyond, just playing the political game. The more disturbing aspect is that lynching was a hot issue among white southerners. It is absolutely pathetic to think that these Americans(?) would refuse to endorse a president should he make a certain form of murder illegal. Lynching was like a past time for these people! In the way that the more civilized Americans of that age liked going to watch the Yankees, or have barbeques, or go down the shore for the weekend, these people hung black people from trees. Sometimes I'm not sure the fight to prevent the South from seceeding was worth it; maybe if they try again, we'll wise up and let them go, as long as we can capture Disney World.
While I love to see steps being taken to improve race relations and to move into the future a racially united nation, I'm not sure I'm satisfied with what the Senate did. An apology is nice, and is often a big thing in politics, but why didn't they just pass the ban on lynching? It would have been more momentous and meaningful. I sure hope that fear of rejection wasn't one of the reasons such a ban hasn't been passed in recent years. Well, we'll have to settle for this apology for now, perhaps a ban on lynching is the next step.

Regarding George A. Romero's Dead Quadrilogy

2005-06-12T20:55:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Film: Traffic. For those of you who haven't picked up on it through my discussions of Pulp Fiction, Crash and Magnolia, I love long films with ensemble casts. Traffic is about 2.5 hours and has a huge cast. I have a lot to say about it, and may do so in a future post devoted entirely to Traffic, but for now, I'll be as simple as possible. Traffic shows the intertwining stories of people across the United States and into parts of Mexico, all relating to drugs. It takes a look at what drugs are doing to America politically, socially, economically, in the cities, in the suburbs, etc. It's a very relevant topic and the film has emerged as a masterpiece after only five years in existence. The cast is star studded and the film should have won the Best Picture Oscar in 2000. Stay tuned for a more in depth look at Traffic.
CD: Out of Exile, Audioslave. For those of you who liked Audioslave's self-titled debut, you will love their second, more mature offering.

In anticipation of Land of the Dead, I'm here to discuss George A. Romero's Dead quadrilogy. Land of the Dead marks the forth entry in the nearly 40 year old quadrilogy, following Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. With 1968's Night of the Living Dead, Romero created the modern zombie movie, although the word "zombie" has never been uttered in any of the Dead films. Just about every common occuring idea about zombies has been credited to have been created by Romero: zombies cannot be destroyed unless the body is separated from the brain or the body is burned, a zombie biting a human creates a new zombie, zombies feast on flesh, etc. When it was released, it was considered by many to be one of the scariest things ever to grace the screen; it ushered in a new era for horror films. The film was made on an ultra-low budget, by an unknown director, starring unknowns. The only thing that Night didn't have, was color. Whether it was an artistic choice of a matter of money, Night was filmed in black-and-white. It was Romero's second film in the series, 1978's Dawn of the Dead, that would feature Romero's now-famous vision of the undead in color for the first time. This films follows the story of a small group of humans attempting to take up shelter in a mall overrun by zombies. This film is regarded as Romero at peak performance. Both of the first two entries in the Dead series feel very much like films of their respective decades, aka, they have aged a little. However, watched with an open mind, both of them can be enjoyed very easily by almost anyone. The next part in the series came in the form of Day of the Dead in 1985. The quality of Romero's films takes a dip here, without a doubt. Being from the 1980s, Day is reminiscent of the over the top, sometimes campy, action flicks of that decade (think Predator with a bit cheesier dialogue). However, Day is notable for the most impressive gore effects of the series, effects that have been emulated over and over in horror movies since. With the forthcoming Land of the Dead, Romero returns from the biggest gap between films and looks to be back at the top of his game. Probably the most ambitious film in the series so far, in terms of budget, bigger name actors, number of zombies, etc., Land looks promising. Many of those who see Land, when it comes out in under two weeks, probably have no idea who George A. Romero is or that Land is the fourth entry in a series spanning nearly 40 years. With the release of last year's Dawn of the Dead remake (which I haven't seen so I won't be commenting on directly), many who go to see Land of the Dead may think that these two films are of the same series, but in fact Land of the Dead is of the same series as the remake's source material. Knowing this isn't all the important, however, since, should Land follow in the same suit as the others in the series, Land is unlikely to connect to any of the other entries in the series, so can be viewed without having seen, or having any knowledge, of the earlier entries to the series. I note this so that those interested in seeing Land of the Dead won't be scared off, not having seen the first three in the series. But, I'm sure that shortly upon viewing Land that you'll rush out to pick up Night, Dawn and Day. Another film to catch is the Dead spoof, Shawn of the Dead. It's absolutely hilarious but having seen the first three Dead films makes it that much more enjoyable.

The Incredible Martin Scorsese

2005-06-11T12:03:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Pez Dispenser: The Death Star. As someone of a Pez dispenser connoisseur, I think the Death Star Pez dispenser is absolutely one of the coolest. If you're somewhere, and you have the craving for Pez, get the Death Star one, it's so cool.
Book: The DaVinci Code. To be fair, I haven't fiished this book yet. However, it is absolutely awesome already. From the beginning, this book offers non-stop thrills. Not to mention, the chapters are pretty short, so in reading it, it really feels like you're making progress, which I find appealing.

This is something new: a discussion of a master director. Already I've talked about certain films I believe to be great and other things, but today, I'm discussing one man, the legendary Martin Scorsese. To give those of you an idea of his resume who may otherwise be unaware of it, this man has been directing films since the 1960s and is still pumping out gold; some of his film's include, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Casino, The Color of Money, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Last Waltz and After Hours. Of those films, five were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in their respective years and Scorsese himself has garnered five Best Director Oscar nominations and, in total, seven Oscar nominations. Despite the fact that Scorsese is considered by many to be the best living American director right now, he has never one an Oscar nor have any of his films ever won the Oscar for Best Picture. However, with the lack of awards Scorsese has won aside, his films are American classics. Notable facts about his films include: Raging Bull is considered widely to be the best film of the 1980s, while also marking the end of the American film movement, "The New Hollywood" or "The American New Wave;" Taxi Driver's stunning effect on society could be seen when, about four years after the film's release, a derranged man obsessed with the dark film saught to emulate it and attempted to assasinate then-President Ronald Reagan; The Color of Money is the sequel to Hollywood classic, The Hustler, released some twenty years after the original, and is notable for garnering Paul Newman with his first Oscar as well as marking the only teaming between Scorsese and Tom Cruise; The Departed, Scorsese's newest film, currently in production, is a remake of a highly acclaimed police thriller from Hong Kong, Infernal Affairs, and with a stellar cast, looks very promising. Scorsese is one of my favorite directors, as you are probably aware of by this point. I own more of his movies than any other director and have never been disappointed (more often have been absolutely blown away) with the quality of any of his films, although I haven't seen all of them. I hope to see them all, and to see Scorsese work well into the future, delivering more and more American classics. Finally, if you haven't seen any of Scorsese's films, or have only seen a few, you don't know what you're missing and need to get out there and see them.

U.S. Border Patrol: What in God's glorious name are you doing!?

2005-06-09T18:40:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Movie: Young Frankenstein. This is one of my favorite comedies of all time. It is a spoof of the classic horror movies and all the cliches they entail. Gene Wilder (the guy who played Willy Wonka, originally) plays the contemporary Frankenstein, described in the title. One of the best, if not the best, of Mel Brooks's films. Absolutely hilarious.
Song: Not the Same, Ben Folds. This song depicts a partygoer's acid use, ultimately resulting in an epiphany by which the acid user emerges as a born-again Christian. Might seem weird, but the song is awesome.

First off, I never publicly thanked John Reenstra for creating the extremely classy picture of myself, a state that is so often experienced by those around me come the weekend. Some of you may have heard already of Gregory Despres, the man who attempted to cross the U.S. border with a homeade sword, a hatchet, a knife, some brass knuckles, and (oh here's the best part) a chain saw with spots resembling blood splatters on it. Well certainly the patrol working at the tightened-since-9/11 border must have stopped him, right? If you've read the title of this post, you probably already know the answer: no, the border patrol did not stop this man carrying more than enough weapons to carry out a succesful coup of some third world nations. However, the border patrol did confiscate the entirety of his arsenal and take down Despres's finger prints. Following this, he was allowed to continue into the country. As if this story isn't pathetic enough, it gets far worse. A day or two after Despres's run in with the border patrol, his two neighbors were found dead in their home. One of the victims was decapitated (perhaps done with a chainsaw?) and the other was stabbed to death (a knife would do the job). Despres happened to posess both of these weapons and more when he came from the North, into the U.S. Despite the incompetance of the border patrol, they could put two and two together to figure out that Despres might have had a hand in the murders. As of now, he sits in a prison, waiting for the American justice system to have their way with him. Now, why would the U.S. border patrol let him in? They claim that there were no outstanding warrants for him nor were they capable of charging him with any crime. First of all, the guy has a chain saw with blood-red colored specks covering it. It doesn't take a genius to know that the chain saw has long been the weapon of choice of sadistic members of society (and lumberjacks I suppose and perhaps in that part of the U.S. lumberjacks are commonplace enough that chain saws are carried around like we carry around cell phones). I can think of only a few ways, off the top of my head, that one would have a chain saw covered in blood-red specks: they have sawed into a large crate of ripe tomatoes, they have sawed through a can of paint, or they have sawed through a person's jugular vein. Perhaps the border patrol should have called in some forensic scientists to test whether the specks were vegetable juice, red paint, or human blood. Once tests had shown that it was in fact blood on the chain saw, the border patrol would then be able to hold Despres in custody. But, rather than taking the time to do anything, they just took his toys away and sent him to play outside. Not to mention, this guy does not look like he's in his right mind, what with his pasty white skin, dark black hair shaped into a mohawk going down to his eyes and his eyes protruding a bit too far from his head. If I saw this individual with a blood splattered chain saw, I'd put all the times I've tried not to prejudge, and I'd lock this guy up. In addition, I do believe brass knuckles are illegal to own, and he had a pair of those on his person. If in the end, the border patrol really couldn't find any crime to hold him for, at least try to question him as to why he seems to be carrying the chain saw used to carry out the simultaneous graphic deeds at the end of Apocalypse Now. It seems that if this man was able to come into the safer-since-9/11 U.S., an Islamic extremists with a malevolent agenda and an explosive tucked under his shirt or a small vial of anthrax in his pocket wouldn't have to put up much of a fight. Let's also remember that this is our northern border, not usually associated with immigration troubles, just imagine the possibilities for those at the southern border...

Keeping with the Cycle of Things

2005-06-08T18:36:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Movie: Being John Malkovich. This is easily one of the most original films that I have ever seen. I won't try to explain the plot in too much detail, because it would take far too long, seeing how intricate and bizarre it is, but basically, two people working together, stumble upon a portal into the mind of real life actor, John Malkovich, and exploit it. It will blow you away the first time you see it. It is funny, shocking and intriguing, however, it does lose some of its might the second time around, see it anyway.
Television Show: Lost. This was an addicting show in its first season. A plane crashes on an island, somewhere in the pacific with a handful of survivors. From the beginning, weird things are going on and the mysteries of the survivors and the island itself start to get complicated. The show will be available on DVD in September. The first season is also being repeated throughout the summer on Wednesdays at 10 on ABC. If you haven't seen this show, make every attempt to, it's awesome.

The first thing I need to recognize is the heated debate/discussion going on in the comments of my post concerning random drug testing at PTHS. I'm glad to see people are reading and reacting to what I'm writing. So, the cycle I've been starting to notice on my posts is that they are either a log of my daily life, an in depth look at a movie or something regarding politics. Eventually, I'm hoping to break this cycle with other types of posts, but until then, that's what you can expect. Seeing as the discussion is still raging regarding my last post, I'm not doing anything heavy today. This is one of the posts regarding my daily life. To begin frankly, school has become unbearable. I know many other people will agree with me. I, as well as many others, have already entered the "summer/school's already out" mindset. Unfortunately for us, school isn't quite over yet. This past week, the heat has been almost too much to take, literally not figuratively. It has been very hot and the lack of AC in just about every room in the school only compounds the problem. The good news however, is that the number of days until finals begin (when school is basically over in my mind) is three. Due to the circumstances however, I know these are going to be three long days. Once school ends, I'll have less than a week in which you know I'll party hard (because that's just the kind of kid I am) and then, it's off to Cornell to study the works of the masters. The masters being Spielberg, Scorsese, Scott, Bergman, Kubrik, Ford, Huston, DePalma, among others. Nothing else to say for today, but do check out the discussion in the comments part of the random drug testing post for a good time, and don't forget to give your two cents. O'Leary, out (not an allusion to Ryan Seacrest, I sware...)

Drug Testing at the High School

2005-06-07T17:57:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Movie: The Last Waltz: This film, documenting the final concert of The Band, quite simply, rocks. Both in that the film features non-stop rock music and the concert footage and interviews are integrated beautifully through the entirety of the film. Guest appearances include those of Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr, among other legends of the day. Additionally, it was directed by master film maker Martin Scorsese.
Song: America, Simon and Garfunkel. Awesome song discussing some aspects of life in the 1960s America. Not sure if I like Simon and Garfunkel's or YES's version more, but both versions are incredible.

Well the Pequannock Township Board of Education is looking to implement random drug testing on any student involved with athletics, any extracurricular activity or who parks his or her car on the campus. Seeing as I am personally not a drug user, I am not concerned about the personal ramifications of drug testing nor have I been following this issue quite as closely as any given student probably should be. However, I have read up on it and believe that I have enough information to form an opinion and write an intelligent post about it. My first reaction to hearing that there was a debate about whether or not to put in place random drug testing was, why? I couldn't begin to fathom why any parent, or student, would speak out against drug testing unless they were looking to incriminate their child or themself of using drugs. Upon further reading, I became aware that the reasons that parents are presenting in opposition of the proposed policy is that parents fear that, 1) the district doesn't have the money to fund a program of secondary importance such as this; 2) innocent students will be subjected to humiliation due to the randomness of the testing; 3) the school officials will take on the role of parents in administering drug tests; 4) a "draconian" environment will develop in the school. I don't really buy these reasons for expressing opposition. It should also be noted that the tests are saught to clean up the school, as the police will not be notified of a student failing a drug test, only the parents will be in order to hopefully find counseling and recovery programs to cure a drug problem in any given failing student. So, in the following sentences are my responses to the objections raised by concerned parents (or parents looking to hide their child's drug problem). Firstly, the financial issue: this comes across as the only valid argument against the new policy. Our district has already had several meetings this year regarding our shaky financial situation, which they blame soley on new state legislation. The legislation restricts fundraising of some types and I have no idea whether or not a policy such as this would fall under the cap. However, if starting up a program like this would take away from other, more traditionally school related programs, it should be reconsidered. The second objection: innocent students will be humiliated because of their selection to be randomly drug tested. Now, the concept of random drug testing is that students will be chosen randomly to catch a potential drug user off guard. Naturally, through the random process, students who have never even seen a drug will have to be tested. As long as the random drug testing does remain random and if this is happening on a regular basis, no one will be humiliated because their peers will know that it is all part of the random drug testing process. Third concern: school officials will attain a parental role in administering drug tests. Well, if a student's actual parents aren't doing enough to keep their child off of drugs, maybe the student could use a few more parents. I'll leave it at that. Final concern: a draconian environment will come to be in the school. If the random drug test policy is a success, as in it is scaring kids into not doing drugs, the environment will probably become more relaxed. As long as students aren't using drugs, the school won't have to be ruled with an iron fist. But, if the school's objective is to rid the student body of drug use entirely, and tests are indicating students are using drugs, perhaps a tough environment will be necessary. Finally, the solution for students who want to continue to use drugs is to walk or find a ride to school, drop out of all athletic programs and extracurricular programs and then, the tests will be rendered useless because any student eligible for on campus parking and involvement in any athletic or extracurricular activity who isn't taking advantage of it will be identified as either a misanthrope or a drug user evading the random testing policies. However, the bottom line isthis: random drug testing can work and should be implemented, and if you don't want to get caught, don't do drugs.

Pulp Fiction: Pure Masterpiece

2005-06-06T16:11:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Soda: new Sprite Remix
Video Game: Timesplitters: Future Perfect: Enthralling story, beautiful first-person fun, incredible multiplayer. Schmidt, your mine!

Before I begin, I'd like to post one of the raves I've received from a peer: The Chris Paul says, "The O'Leary blog is filled with ravishing topics and witty satire on todays shallow culture." Well, this is odd: Michael O'Leary is posting his thoughts on Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is the movie that introduced me to the idea of film as art. In seeing this movie about two summers ago, I was blown away. I stayed up to a ridiculous hour to watch it on one of my seven or eight HBO channels because I had recently read or heard something about it that for some reason, created like a mandate inside of me to watch it. Soon after my first viewing, my friends and I watched the film on a VHS we found at one of their homes. Shortly thereafter, I purchased the movie on DVD and watched it over and over. In the first few minutes of the film, two characters, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, or Ringo and Yolanda, are shown sitting in a diner, discussing, in a way that any person may discuss any day-to-day thing. The fluidity of the lines and the realism of the conversation are intriguing. The conversation carries on until the two characters, now revealed to be a criminal duo, jump on the table and announce their plans of robbing the restaurant they are currently in. The credits, some of the longest opening credits of any film I've seen since the end credits became the place where the majority of the people are listed are fun to watch. Despite being long, they are fun to watch. Yellow text on a black background is as intricate as the credits get. The music playing behind the credits is one of the best parts: the first half being Dick Dale's Miserlou and the second half being Kool and the Gang's Jungle Boogie. The famous, recognizable names just keep coming in the credits: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Rosanna Arquette, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Christopher Walken, and Steve Buscemi. The credits end with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's characters, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, two hit men, driving to a job and discussing the differences in American and European fast food. This segment serves as the second prologue of the film, in which Travolta mentions his duty of taking his boss's, Ving Rhames, wife, Uma Thurman, out to dinner while his boss is away, to Samuel L. Jackson's character. After a confrontation at the job they were headed to, the first official story begins. The format of Pulp Fiction is basically three interlocking stories, ignoring chronological order, playing out over two and a half hours. The stories are, 1) John Travolta's ill fated night on the town with his bosses wife; 2) Bruce Willis, an aging boxer, who has just killed the opponent whom he was supposed to lose to purposely evading the same boss whose wife is being taken care of by John Travolta in the first story; 3) And the continuation of the second prologue in which John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson attempt to dispose of a dead body. Watching the events appear out of chronological order may seem overwhelming at first, but seeing the way in which they all link up is an unforgettable experience. After my first viewing, I was convinced this was the greatest film to ever exist. It was violent, it was funny, it was captivating, it was beautiful. The film loses nothing on repeat viewings, as the jokes become more and more familiar and enjoyable and knowing what's to come, just creates an immense sense of anticipation in the viewer. After seeing this film many times, and seeing many, many more films I have since come to appreciate as art as well, I'm not sure I believe Pulp Fiction to be the greatest film ever, but it is without a doubt right near the top of my absolute favorite films. Time magazine recently named Pulp Fiction the best film of the 1990s, beating out such revered masterpieces as Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, Goodfellas, and Fargo. Pulp Fiction isn't just a film, it's an experience. It's an experience that will stick with you for a long time. You'll cringe at the more graphic of moments, you'll laugh out loud at the eloquently written jokes and dialogue. Beautifully written, extraordinarily acted, and just amazing all around, Pulp Fiction is among the 25 films that someone, especially of my generation, must see.

Summer 2005

2005-06-05T12:07:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Movie: Dazed and Confused: This film goes along with the theme of this post, as it depicts the last day of school for high school juniors, going into their senior year. It takes place in the 70s, but still seems very relevant.
Song: School's Out by Alice Cooper

Well, as every member of society is aware, school is winding down and the summer is coming. My friends have all made mention of ambitious plans they which to see to fruition this summer. I'm looking forward to this summer because I want to stay up until the early hours of the morning and sleep until the afternoon. As an overachieving scholar and film lover, I'll be spending three of my weeks this summer up at Cornell University taking a course in Film Analysis. I'm looking forward to increasing my knowledge of film and sharing my current knowledge with those less informed than myself. It's going to be a great experience living on a college campus, especially one as prestigious as Cornell. I will have my laptop up there, so I'll be on AIM and writing in this blog when I'm procrastinating my out of class work up there, similar to what I do outside of PTHS. At this point, my family also plans to take a trip to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hopefully, I'll sit on the beach, watch sunsets, drink frozen fruit drinks and use my laptop there as well. Quite a few college visits will probably take up my summer as well, although I've already got an idea of where I'd ideally like to go, I'll probably have to take a look at some safety schools. The rest of the summer will probably be spent driving around, mowing lawns, and just being lazy. I really have no intentions of getting a job, but in having so many more hours available to me to spend money, I may have to find one. Of course, there will be summer work for several of my classes in school and I've told myself already that I won't wait until 1 am on the morning of the first day of school as I did last year to finish it, but we'll see what happens. Band camp looms at the end of the summer, which is going to be the first indication to myself and my peers that we're going to be seniors in this upcoming school year. Pretty crazy! I'm not going to get all emotional or nostalgic but college is just around the corner, unbelievable. Well, I'm sure the summer has more in store for me than I have listed here or that I can even imagine, but here are my initial thoughts of what this summer is to be.

Walmart and the First Amendment

2005-06-04T18:03:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Internet Browser: Mozilla Firefox: A safer, superior browser to Internet Explorer, Netscape and all the others out there. (for those of you who are unaware of it's glory, I'm hoping they are few and far in between)
Movie: Before Sunrise: At first glance, this may appear to be a chick flick, but I see it like this, Before Sunrise is to a chick flick as "Untitled Michael O'Leary Project" is to a "livejournal." So, a chick flick with brains, made by an intelligent film maker.

As you are probably already aware by the time you've reached this sentence, I've changed the recommendations to include a short description of the items I'm recommending. I'd also like to point out the positive comments I've received, thanks to those who have posted, and thanks for correcting my post, which since reading the comment has been fixed. For today's entry I think I'll discuss a politcal/social issue. To give you an idea of what to expect, I fall somewhere left of center on the political spectrum. I support a woman's right to choose, I support gay rights, mostly, I don't support the coddling of criminals, in any way, I believe in capital punishment, I believe in the separation of Church and state, I support the teaching of evolution in schools, and I support the Patriot Act. But, the one issue that means the most to me, is censorship. I hate censorship in almost all forms. The first amendment is the first, because it is the most important and it is the backbone of our rights as citizens of the United States. We may pray how we want, we may protest how we want and most importantly, we may say what we want. I don't believe that the government should have just such a large role in censoring content in movies, on television, on the radio, in public, etc. I believe it should be at the discretion of the one at the helm of releasing the messages in question. One instance pops to mind: several months back, ABC had plans of airing Steven Spielberg's critically acclaimed masterpiece, Saving Private Ryan. Since it's release in 1998, this movie has made millions and millions off of its theatrical run and home video sales. At the end of 1998, it made top 10 lists and won major industry awards, including Oscars. The film was noted for its life-like, gritty depiction of the Invasion of Normandy and other World War II happenings. So the networks should be begging to show this film in order to get great ratings, right? Some did. The ABC affiliates in the great Northeast, including Boston and my own WABC in New York went right ahead showing the film, uncensored. However, a few dozen ABC affiliates in states that hate the First Amendment like we Northeasterners hate the Second pulled this epic masterpiece of a film and put on repeats of some ABC sitcoms. It was a shameful move indeed. Those people who voiced thier opinion to ABC, letting the network know that they believed it inappropriate to show don't need to watch it, nor do their innocent children, unaware of what violence or sex looks like, (yeah alright) who would obviously be disturbed and shaken, need to watch it. Every R-rated moment of Saving Private Ryan is there to show World War II as it happened, blood, swearing, everything. The graphic elements of the film are not thrown in there to appeal to gore-hungry pre-teens in the way sexually explicit elements are thrown in to pornography and low quality teen sex comedies, both of which exploit their audiences hankering for these elements to make a few bucks (although I believe even two much censoring of these genres, bordering on pure smut, exists; someone did create this so-called smut and is proud of it and that person has a first amendment right to freedom of speech as well). But, when sex, violence and profanity are used to convey a message in a piece of art, such as a film realistically depicting events that are commemorated in multiple national holidays every year, the use of censoring is absolutely out of the question. Then again, I suppose when your nearest neighbor, your side of the Mississippi that is, is a 3 hour tractor ride away, you've got some time to complain about the art appearing on your television. Now that I'm through with that half, you're probably wondering, well why do you mention Walmart in the title of the post? Well, Walmart, when they aren't keeping wages as low as they law allows, giving legal citizens' jobs to illegals and running every family run establishment in the country out of business, violates millions of people's first amendment right every single day. As America's largest DVD retailer, the policies Walmart has in place regarding DVD sales has quite an effect on the industry. Not to mention, Walmart does not sell one single CD that carries a parental advisory warning, unless every four letter word beginning with F, S, D, H, Z and Q is removed from the album. However, people tend to overlook these outrageous policies as the prices are so damn cheap. Sally Bob in Kansas only has to pay 10 bucks for her Rascal Flatts album because her neighbor (although living rather far away from eachother), Billy Jake, only gets payed $5.15 and hour, before taxes. Part of Walmart's unconstitutional policy does spawn from their huge presence in America's (long live the Confederacy) Heartland, where their evangelical customers demand that every breast, buttocks and f-word be removed from the media that they will be purchasing, or if not removed, made unavailable for purchase to people who should, due to other age restrictions, be able to purchase. This is where my beef with Walmart comes in. While still a naive citizen (aka unaware of Walmart's policies), I attempted to purchase an R-rated DVD. As I scanned the item through the SELF check-out lane, the Walmart employee who had been aiding all the customers at the SELF check-out lanes came over and asked for my ID that proved that I was 18 years of age. 18? Why I can go buy a movie theater ticket for an NC-17 rated movie. That would be the rating one notch above R, however, Walmart won't let me purchase an R rated DVD. Not to mention, I was attempting to purchase American Splendor, another critically acclaimed, Oscar nominated feature, one of the mildest R-rated films I've ever seen. Of course, Walmart has no way of discerning between a mild or a hardcore R-rated movie, but as a 17 year-old member of society, I'm of the age to buy R-rated materials. So due to my lack of ID, I handed over the American Splendor DVD to the employee like I was trying to steal it, I made my final purchase at Walmart for the forseeable future and drove myself to see three R-rated movies and 5 NC-17 rated movies at the nearest cinema (not really, but because of my age, I would have had absolutely no trouble doing so). Well, I hope that you all now love your First Amendment rights and plan to use them as often as possible in the near future and will at least feel a slight pain in your heart for supporting such practices. Don't let yourself or those around you to be censored, especially in the name of art.

Magnolia and Crash

2005-06-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Book: The Tipping Points: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
CD: Ben Folds, Ben Folds Live

So, here's the first truly intellectual entry into this blog. With the posting of this, there will actually be something of merit to read here. It's regarding two films I've seen recently, Magnolia and Crash. Although I've only recently seen them both, Magnolia was released in 1999 while Crash is still in theaters. The reason that I'm devoting a post to them is because I think both of these films are absolutely stunning and of the highest caliber. I lump them together into one post because, at first glance, they are similar. Simply put, both films have ensemble casts whose characters' story lines overlap and intertwine in present day Los Angeles. However, the films do play out differently. Magnolia runs just over three hours but they move quickly. However, these are three of the most depressing hours I've ever witnessed on film. The depressing lives the characters lead in the film can really make the viewer feel the same emotions that the characters are feeling at almost any given time. The characters are developed beautifully, so that you really do care about what happens to each one of them. Several characters come off as disturbed persons at first, but through the events of and the confessions revealed during another one of the character's stories, justification, or at least reason, for the "disturbed characters" comes about. Following and connecting the various plot lines holds the attention of the viewer until the climax of the film comes along. This film isn't just about the connections between the sad lives of individuals in LA; it's also about the power of chance, the power of coincidence. The utterly amazing and shocking climax plays on this theme and brings the movie to an incredible close. In addition, the film stars and incredible cast featuring Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, and John C. Reilly, among others, a beautiful cast-wide sing along to an extraordinary Aimee Mann song and an enthralling prologue introducing the themes of coincidence and chance. Now, onto Crash. Crash, while playing on the same barebones structure of Magnolia, substitutes the depressing mood and the themes of chance and coincidence with an underlying theme of racial tensions and stereotypes laced throughout its multiple plot lines. Crash comes off as much more gritty than Magnolia. Much more of it takes place amongst the poorer of LA and on the streets whereas most of Magnolia's characters seemed pretty well educated and had at least a reasonable amount of money to live on. Crash is also significantly shorter than Magnolia, running just under two hours. One element that Crash has over Magnolia is that it connects EVERY single character to at least one other character, although, I do think the character connections made in Magnolia were sufficient and connecting them anymore so would have drawn it out longer than it needed to be. But, the totally connectivity of the characters in Crash works very well. The most intriguing of moments in Crash occur when two characters meet up for a second time, after having a bad experience during their first meeting, one moment in the film stands out particularly. It's through these characters' interactions that they become more aware of other racial groups and the truth or fiction behind commonly held beliefs. The epiphanies the characters have because of their experiences are incredible to see unfold on the screen. These two films are, without a doubt, two of the best films (that I have seen) to have come out in the last couple of years. It is without a doubt worth your time to see either or both of these films. Enjoy.

Minor Crisis

2005-06-02T18:40:00.000-04:00

O'Leary's Recommendations of the Day:
Movie: Brazil
CD: System of a Down, Mezmerize

Well my hard drive crapped out on my laptop today. So, it's under repair at CompUSA for a few days. I hope my my baby's alright...ok that's just pathetic. It looks like I'll be watching movies or getting something productive done (probably not) rather than sitting in front of my computer for hours on end. Originally, I was going to put up an insightful review/recommendation/comparison of Magnolia and Crash but seeing as I'm pressed for time using my sister's computer as she wants to do all the things I would be doing if I had my computer, I'll just give you an idea of my current situation. Things will return to normal, both in terms of this infant blog and my AIM usage, once I have my laptop back, hopefully that'll be soon. Well in case I don't have ample time to post before my laptop returns to me, I've got the Band Awards Dinner tomorrow night, and SATs at William Paterson on Saturday morning (driving a car full of party animals). Ok well heed my recommendations and leave me some words of wisdom. See ya kids later!
P.S. If anyone wants to make me a picture that I could use as my visual representation on this blog, I'd be more than willing to use it. Then again, I just might make one myself.

June is upon us!

2005-06-01T21:25:00.000-04:00

Mike's Suggestions for Readers:
Song to d/l (on iTunes naturally, don't steal): Trey Anastasio, Guyute, from the album "Seis de Mayo"
Movie that needs to be rented: Magnolia

Here's my first real post, consider the previous one as sort of like the rules and conditions of this blog. So, I'll give you an insight into my day, kind of a boring thing but whatever, here it goes: School today, obviously. It's already Wednesday, which is good. Not to mention, June is already here. So sweet. Anyway, I made no progress at all until fifth period in which I took in some of Schels's knowledge regarding Pearl Harbor. History's a good class, at least in comparison to my others. Lunch after that; we discussed intellectually as one would expect a table of our superior intellect to do and as we do everyday. In gym, my softball team hauled some arse again. We did math in math and then band came. Speeches for band council were today. That was fun. I was the first candidate to speak. I was just about the only person with a prepared speech. I delivered it very eloquently and with great passion. It went over pretty well. I didn't care too much about actually winning the election but just saw it as an oppurtunity to write something fun. If anyone is like a creepy stalker and is really interested in reading the speech, just IM me and I'll send it to you. After school, I hit up Starbucks for my fix. I passed the new coffee place in Pequannock and almost stopped but I figured it'd be chaotic seeing as it was the opening day and there didn't appear to be many people. I brought my Grande Caramel Frappuccino and Starbucks Classic Coffee Cake home, sat outside, playing with my dog, doing math homework and listening to music. Nothing of significance since then, although I told myself several hours ago that I'd finish the cliff notes for "Hard Times." Well I hope you enjoyed the first real entry to the "Untitled Michael O'Leary Project." See ya later!

It's Alive!

2005-06-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

Well, Mike O'Leary's inaugural blog entry...note, this is not a live journal. I hope not to intrude onto the emo, whiny ground often associated with live journals and similar things. Here, I hope to speak my mind on current issues through sarcastic, comical rhetoric (humor does lie in the eye of the reader, however); give you a recommendation for a movie that I just watched either at home or in the theather; let readers have a look into my daily activities, among other things. I will attempt to refrain from cursing so that every individual can read with a smile on his or her face, although as a teenage boy in general as well as being Michael O'Leary, it's sometimes tough to do. While I am currently feeling confident about updating this, we'll see how that turns out. Seeing as most of you don't have accounts on this blog host, you can post comments as a guest, or whatever they let you do, just drop your name somewhere in there so I've got a clue as to who's trying to communicate with me. While this thing has been fun thus far, I haven't done any of the things I claimed I would earlier on in this rant. Well this post has gone on for too long, so I'll create another recapping my Wednesday.