Haiku- 25

A ukulele
Tiny with only four strings
Loads of happiness

Song of the Week- July 26, 2008

Hello folks!

The song of the week is really simple this week. I'm not going to say too much- just sing along to the chorus if you know the words.

Singing,
Greg



P.S. - SOOOOO SALLY CAN WAIT, SHE KNOWS IT'S TOO LATE AS SHE'S WALKIN' ON BYYY....

John McCain is so old...

... he never used the internets before. That is until today.

Honestly though, my grandparents use the internet- my 79 and 74 year old, Korean immigrant grandparents use the internet.

John McCain is old. Really old.

I'm adhering to my vow not to wax political for a while (I don't know if I can resist the urge), so my thoughts of both Senators McCain and Obama will be saved for another day.

But seriously, how old is John McCain?

Tired and laughing,
Greg

I'll admit this about the Red Sox...

... they are definitely the most entertaining! See below.



Oh it's Manny Being Manny(tm)! So is Manny beating the crap out of club officials. Also, how come that's the first article ESPN covers of Manny when they'll post essentially what's being printed by E! about Alex Rodriguez?

Being,
Greg

Review of the Dark Knight

So I went and saw The Dark Knight Thursday night/Friday morning. I caught a midnight showing at the Sunrise Multiplex Cinema in Valley Stream, New York. They had about 5 screens dedicated to show this film in the midnight hour. Accordingly, since The Dark Knight is the most hyped film in my immediate memory, probably about 1000 people showed up- it was the most people I've ever seen at that particular theater in my life- this is considering the recent history of that theater (the shooting during The Godfather Part III, the metal detectors at the doors, etc.). The experience itself was a solid opening night experience.

Christopher Nolan and the entire cast and crew deserves all the credit in the world. I've been telling people that I couldn't think of 10- no 5- films that were better than The Dark Knight released since the year 2000. Yes, The Dark Knight lived up to all the hype and then some.

The film is driven by a complex and intriguing plot. Despite the 2 hour 32 minute run-time, the film wasn't "action-packed" but rather methodically put together and moved by quite quickly. There were easily three or four concurrent themes throughout the film- the Dark Knight/White Knight disparity between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Harvey Dent/Two-Face respectively, the love triangle between Rachel Dawes, Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne, the clash between the Joker and the Batman, the development of Two-Face/Harvey Dent's downfall, the Joker's motives- I can't continue without spoiling things. What do I have to say about the plot at the end? All of the 2 hours and 32 minutes were used to the up-most efficiency; yes it's long, but each and every minute of it was necessary.

The Dark Knight also featured perhaps the best cast for a superhero movie ever. Christian Bale, one of my personal favorite actors, presents the best Batman/Bruce Wayne seen on any screen since Batman: The Animated Series. He is believably intimidating as Batman while he's equally aloof with flashes of manifested inner conflict as Bruce Wayne. Heath Ledger has been getting a tremendous amount of accolades after his performance as the Joker. He took the gimmicks out of the Joker and turned him into the truly terrifying anarchistic villain/terrorist. Ledger was able to successfully let millions of viewers suspend their reality without question. Overlooked is Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Dent, in some ways, is the primary protagonist of the film as you watch the White Knight of Gotham become Two-Face in classical tragedy fashion. Eckhart doesn't fail to deliver as Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal, one of my favorite actresses today, added a depth to Rachel Dawes' character that was painfully missing in Katie Holmes' version and is more than just a damsel in distress. Gary Oldman plays a very genuine and sincerely honest Jim Gordon. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman play the butler Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox respectively and do what they do best: play wise father figures.

The one word to describe this film? Balance. Everything is perfectly balance. Nothing overshadows anything else from the entire film. Not any of the characters or performers (like Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman), not the background (Batman & Robin), not the camera work. Everything is in perfect harmony. It's this symphonic nature of the film that let The Dark Knight transcend the comic book/superhero genre to become a truly great film.

I've heard comparisons being made between this film and films like Heat and The Godfather, Part II. I was wary at first, but the truth is, both are valid comparisons. I believe the Oscar hype this film has- this is a great film. I can't name 10 films better made since 2000 (oh no, this is gonna be a list now).

Go see it.

Sitting,
Greg

P.S.- no, seriously. Go see it. Like, right now. Go to your nearest theater- buy a ticket- and watch.

Song of the Week- July 19, 2008

Hello folks. I was going to talk about what I thought of The Dark Knight, but that was before I remembered that I was going to go to Baltimore. A delayed bus, a 3.5 hour trip, two miles of walking in 90 degree heat, two large lemonades, and 30 minutes of setting up a router later, I've remembered that it was a Saturday and I needed a song of the week.

This week, I give to you "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse. I cannot reiterate how much I love this song. This song is just plain fun. Nothing else. It's full of hooks all over the place- there are hooks in the guitar, the bass, the drums, the vocals- everything. I don't want to adulturate my pure and innocent love for this song with analysis. So I'll just stop here and let you all experience this song for yourself.

The first video is a live performance at Wembley Stadium. The second is the music video. Both are excellent.

In Baltimore,
Greg

I just saw The Dark Knight...

... and all I have to say is one word. It's three letters long, and it's a palindrome. Do you know what it is?

Awestruck,
Greg

P.S. - "Wow."

Haiku- 24

Inhale and exhale
Become the ideal you seek
Towards enlightenment

How's my writing- or how I use too many ellipsies.

Since I've been writing this blog, I've found that my writing has changed. I've been using far more ellipsies- you know, things like ";," "-," "...," etc. Ha, look at that, that's the most awkward lump of punctuation I've ever seen. Just because of that fact, lets reproduce it right here, just very largely:

";," "-," "...," etc.

Alright, now that's done, I feel better.

Does the fact that I use so many ellipsies in my writing a good or a bad thing? I'm not sure which it is, but I sometimes feel like it's the only way I can evoke a conversational tone when I'm writing. This helps me out when I'm writing one of my rants about something (speaking of which, I'll make sure to have another one up- I'm aware of how pointless but popular they can be).

Hmm.... I think that's it about this.

In mild weather,
Greg

P.S.- in a post about ellipsies, I used three quite blatantly. Oh the irony!

A call for aid to my friends/readers

Don't worry, it's nothing too dire.

Well for a little more than a month now, I've been driving back and fourth between home and work every day, spending a hour in transportation in all per day. So for the half hour going both ways, I need some way to entertain myself. I went and made myself a couple of playlists to entertain my own driving. But there's something off with listening to something you designed yourself. So the challenge is this:

Help me by suggesting songs to put into a driving playlist, or better yet, give me a set of songs to listen to while driving.

You'll be helping me out by making sure my attention is on the road rather than trying to skip a song that I don't want to hear. I'll say in advance that I greatly appreciate it.

Gettin' ready for work,
Greg

Haiku - 23

See the pictures move
Popcorn, squeaky cushioned chair,
This is cinema!

Song of the Week - July 12, 2008

And with my comeback, I present to you all "The Skin of my Country Yellow Teeth" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

If I had to use one word to describe this song, the word used would be "infectious." First thing you notice is the moving drum part that harkens back to disco songs of old to get those hips moving. The next thing you notice is the catchy guitar line in the intro with the bended note. The last thing you notice is the almost-strained singing of the lead singer. Half of the time, I have no idea what he says, but whatever it is, I don't care the song as a whole is fun. I realize that this song is already a few years old in retrospect, but who really cares? Enjoy the infectious noise.

With my boogie shoes,
Greg

RIP Tony Snow

Tony Snow died today from colon cancer. I can't help but pity the guy. I mean, he was the White House press secretary which probably looked like a dream job. It just so happens that he took the job when America's public opinion of the Bush presidency turned for the worst- he became the public mouthpiece of the intensely scrutinized administration. I can only suspect that some of that stress is the reason for his cancer coming back. He did an admirable job during his stint and he always struck me as a sincere person.

Hello, my name is Greg...

... and I'm back.  Did ya miss me?  I needed a break from this after pretty much marathon posting since mid-May.  It just kinda hit me one day and I decided to let it for a week.  So I'm back.

Returning,
Greg

P.S.- Speaking of which, I can't wait to see Batman return in The Dark Knight. I hope I can find a way to see it this weeked.

Breaking News: Miley Cyrus will be depleated by 2013

From the most trusted news source in Etchasketchastan, The Onion: "Society as we know it will fail to function- governments will collapse. Humanity will be reduced to roving tribes of barbarians constantly searching, and fighting and searching and scouring the landscape for the last remaining Hannah Montana fashion doll or The Best of Both Worlds CD." For sustainable Cyrus use, Greg