Just stick to emotions and you'll go far...

So this last week a story broke of an undercover video revealing that Planned Parenthood is indeed the home of horrific abortion mill butchers who callously deal in a baby chop shop of blood and money.

Then a second video emerged, of an old biddy joking about buying Lamborghini's with the profits from organs.  And then yet another video came out, this one with pie plates full of baby body parts.

Disgusting, reprehensible and enough to send shockwaves across the country and make even the most ardent pro-choice people take a second look at the industry of "reproductive health".

There is so much to absorb with this story - one of the biggest things that gets to me is the fact that this company has fought against the right of women to use ultra-sound technology to make an informed decision and then turns around and uses that same technology to manipulate and extract a fetus so that it's most financially valuable organs can remain intact.

It's an utterly abhorrent story.  This is it  - now we have to wake up and pay attention, right?

Wrong.

As almost as if right on cue, here comes Cecil the lion.  Look, bright shiny thing over here!

Yes, yes, we all know that Planned Parenthood is doling out the parts of butchered babies for cash - BUT LOOK AT THAT LION!  LOOK AT THE UTTER BARBARITY.  DEAD LION PEOPLE!

Let's track down the hunter and DESTROY HIS LIFE.

Now this story is the lead on the New York Times.  Now this story is running everywhere, all the time.

Sigh.


Look, I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of trophy hunting.  But let me back up and give some info on where I am coming from before I bring down the hammer of truth.

I was a camera operator for two seasons on ESPN's American Hunter, and in my time there I learned a lot about hunting and hunters.  The first thing I discovered was that hunters are the largest group of supporters of wildlife conservation.  By a lot.

The show promoted this fact and thankfully it also promoted the sustenance type of hunting, every episode always concluded with a cooking segment on the game that had been brought down.

But inevitably I crossed paths with hunters who enjoyed killing animals for the sheer sport of it, and in turn collecting parts to add to their decor.

I can't say that I found much to admire about this passion - and I still find it mostly reprehensible.  Mostly.

The one redeeming thing about this activity, I learned a few years later when I traveled to Africa to shoot (as a camera operator) for a wildlife show, is that trophy hunting was and presumably still is, the number one source of income for the preservation of animals in southern Africa.

Simply put - a single trophy hunt by a lone hunter can yield more money that an entire photographic Safari camp full of tourists can pull down in a month or even longer.

This inescapable economic fact, and the naked truth that wildlife would simply not exist in most parts of Africa were it not for trophy hunters -  falls on deaf ears now more than ever in the age of outrage.

This particular Cecil hunt it seems, was shady and full of shenanigans - the trophy hunters I encountered would be appalled to know that a collared research animal was brought down after being baited out of a national park.  This is not how things normally go down by any means, but I am not surprised it happened in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe, under the ruthless dictator Mugabe, has an 80% unemployment rate, a poverty rate of at least that much and suffers under a ruthless and systematic campaign of human rights violations.  It's government is entirely corrupt - and I find it a bit absurd how now, that the story has gone viral, government officials are righteously clamoring for the dentist to return to face poaching charges.

Despite Zimbabwe's problems, it is my understanding that trophy hunting there is usually legal and above board, and the killing and the collecting of parts to display later, goes on not only there but throughout sub-saharan Africa at large, all the time.

And as revolting as I find it on a personal level, having been in awe in the presence of wild lions, tigers and bears, in my life - I also am grateful in the end that trophy hunting does happen, so that the revenue it generates can mostly go to the preservation and protection of the animals that otherwise would quickly meet extinction.

In short - no money, no animals.  Period.

A guide I worked with in Kruger put it succinctly - I'm paraphrasing - 'If an animal cannot generate revenue, it will not exist.'

Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time in Africa, not just as a tourist but working for months at a time as I have - will understand this plain truth.  Poverty is not as it is in the United States - where most people who deal with it are not actually in it, but rather trying to temper it within a political arena of ideas that often end up exacerbating it.

Poverty in Africa is a very real, direct and often violent threat to existence for the people who are in it, which unlike the US, is the majority of the population.  Without tourism, and very importantly without exorbitant trophy fees, the beast that is real poverty threatens to overrun and consume the people who live in the shadow of it's specter.


But by all means, carry on with the outrage from your laptop.  Call for violence.  Print out this man's home address.  Actually track down this dentist and string him up, as PETA has demanded.

That way you don't have to think about stories of any real significance or consequence or bother dealing with real evil.


Babies can go right on being butchered, and in the end big and rare animals will still be killed and butchered as well so that Kruger national park and other amazing places can continue to exist.

But which slaughtering is more abhorrent, and which should be getting the most attention from the media and from your social media feed?

Oh yeah, the animals of course.  BECAUSE LOOK AT THAT LION OH MY GOD!!!!!

Regarding race...

Recently I had an exchange with a mutual friend on Facebook over issues of race.  Here is her latest question and my response.

It's interesting to me that you used the term "privileged" since much of my recent discussions on the subject of racism has been about acknowledging white privilege and trying to convince white people that our responsibility is to recognize our advantages and use whatever power and advantage we have to speak out against oppression. What sanctimonious lecturing are you hearing? Do you think black people, in particular, are treated the same way as white people? If not, what would you like to see happen, ideally?

I understand if you're just tired and don't want to respond, but I hope you will.

I've given some thought to your queries, and I'm afraid I can't get too much into the weeds over this, but I think my biggest problem with white liberals regarding race issues is that they tend to speak with such righteousness and authority - when they really have no clue about what it is to grow up black in this country.  

Obviously I don’t either, but I would never presume to tell someone, no matter their color, to ‘check their privilege’ .   I think such a statement is supremely arrogant and also disingenuous in that it comes almost always comes entirely from privileged white people.  

In other words, the relentless, humorless and accusatory path taken most often by people on your side of the political spectrum, does way more harm than good in bringing people together.  Our country is more divided now than ever, under a black democratic president, but I don’t hold our president entirely responsible, I mostly blame the white elitist dogma that he subscribes to.  Micro-aggressions and trigger warnings and all this other bullshit do nothing but piss people off on both sides of the aisle.  When someone says, ‘check your privilege’ they are really saying ‘agree with me or shut up.’  

Well sorry, I’m not on board with that.  I have no idea what it is to be black, but I don’t want to hear one word from a white person regarding this.  I’ll stick with actual black people and not necessarily race baiting extortionist shysters like Al Sharpton.  I throw my hat in with conservative black intellectuals like Clarence Thomas, Larry Elder or Senator Tim Scott, because - I’m a conservative and independent thinker and these men are as well.  

But beyond that, these guys actually walk the walk.  They are not only actually black but all three of these men grew up poor.  Thomas was the great grandchild of a slave and didn’t have running water in his house until he was 7 years old.   Elder grew up in Compton, dodging bullets on the way to school.  Scott’s single mother worked 16 hour days to support her family in the working class poverty neighborhood of Charleston.    These men grew to greatness through hard work, the grace of God, and the opportunities provided to them by the greatest country on earth; never blaming others for the obstacles in their way, including actual racism on a regular basis.

The utter lack of respect and humility from the left regarding men like this, who happen to believe in free market capitalism, the right to bear arms and the American dream; is what pushes me away from listening to liberals about race.   I don’t want to hear how Clarence Thomas is an ‘uncle Tom’ or how Senator Scott betrayed his race - especially from porridge brained white college students who haven’t done anything or been anywhere.  I recognize that there are also liberals who despite lots of real world experience, still cling to the infantile notions of utopianism and the idea that poor people can’t help themselves without the government.   That’s not me.

In my 20’s and 30’s I traveled all over the world in my work with NGO’s, and I have been to dozens of third world countries and been knee deep in actual poverty - seen with my own eyes starving children and their desperate mothers.  I can’t come back to the United States and condemn the only economic system that actually works to bring people out of poverty.  I also have a hard time sympathizing with iPhone using activists who want to tear down capitalism and punish those who have been successful at it.   

I hope this illuminates my perspective a bit, you may of course disagree - goodness knows most of my friends and family do; but this is where I’m coming from.  Thankfully I don’t believe that my politics are my identity, and that there’s a lot more to life than who or what I vote for.  I can have strong opinions about which means to an end will work best, but the end that I want is the same as most Americans, liberal or conservative.  Peace and prosperity for my kid and her kids.

I’d be happy to hear more about you and your experiences and feel free to lay on the lib-speak, though I should let you know that growing up in Berkeley I’ve pretty much heard it all.  Yes, I’m pretty much set in my ways, and I try to remember that most other people are as well - sometimes I forget and share inflammatory posts from Matt, but hey, I’m only human.  :)

Dropping the BOMB.

I have never been one to swear too much on this blog, you may have noticed that in the last two years or so there has been an uptick, that's because my dad and grandmother are gone and no longer read, so I am less concerned about offending anyone.

I feel it's important to drop the occasional f-bomb here because I want this blog to be entirely accurate on how I feel - unfiltered.  I temper myself on Facebook quite a bit, and I think it's fair that I have a place where I can let loose a bit.  So if your ears are sensitive, this might not be the post for you.

You may not believe it, but overall I am actually not a giant fan of profanity.  However, I find it does on occasion find a useful purpose.  Lately the pressure cooker in my brain has been building, so in the interests of my own sanity and to blow off some steam so to speak, here, in no particular order here are the latest people and things that I think can utterly and sincerely FUCK RIGHT OFF.


Micro-aggressions and trigger warnings.

Anti-plastic bag ordinances.

People who say "I'm normally for free speech, but..."

Bullet trains to nowhere.

People who say "Faux News" instead of Fox News.

The college student with the mattress.

The $15 minimum wage.

Those who think hate speech should be a crime.

The Baltimore DA.

Obama's speech to the Coast Guard last week.

Firefighter cadets who can't pass their physical tests but graduate anyway.

Donald Trump.

The Delta Smelt.

Lena and Janeane.

The California legislature.

People who complain about too many super hero movies.

Hands Up, Don't Shoot


And so on and so on and so on.  Really, this is a grumpy old man post in so many ways.  I, for the first time in my life, feel truly disconnected with the younger generation; they seem very entitled and are far more concerned with 'feelings' and 'fairness' rather than logic and liberty.

Particularly irksome is the seemingly never ending stream of stories about the lunacy on college campuses.  This preoccupation the left has with creating 'safe spaces' free of discourse or original thought has chilled free speech beyond what we could ever imagine, turning what is supposed to be places of learning and growing into cocoons of infantilism and regression.

It puts me in a strange place because my kid, though she's only 11, will some day probably go to college.  I have long ago promised myself that I wouldn't overtly inflict my political views on her, I much rather she make up her own mind on all the issues as she gets older and gains a greater understanding of the world around her.

But I fear that when she goes to college the deck may be severely stacked against her when it comes to independent thought.  These by and large are no longer institutions of learning but rather indoctrination.  Where instead of being challenged to 'question authority', young minds are now encouraged to 'check their privilege'.   It is a disturbing mentality that pervades our universities, and personally I find it frightening and disgusting.

So, I'm afraid I have to renege a bit on my ideal idea of not getting my own politics tangled up in hers too early.  I simply cannot wait for her to be brainwashed by her teachers, even in middle and high school.

True story; her fourth grade teacher taught his students a historic quote every week.  It was all fine and dandy until Nat brought home a quote from Al Gore.  Then daddy had to step in and offer up a quote of his own... from the original environmentalist, Teddy Roosevelt.

"The pacifist is surely a traitor to his country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrong doer."

How do you like them apples teach?

And so it is, that I will continue to insert myself into my kids schooling as often as I can, and to offer a counter point whenever I encounter lazy thinking.  You see, it's not so much the liberal ideology I mind, what I really can't stomach is the presumption, the arrogance, the laziness and lack of critical thinking that is bound to pop up more and more as my daughter's education continues.

I will be right there to counter balance, to offer a different perspective, to get my kid to actually challenge presumptions and yes, respectfully question authority.

Above all, I hope and pray that even if she comes out seeing things differently than I, it won't be for lack of thought or effort.  I hope she gets to travel as I have, so that she can appreciate what we have here and understand that it's easy to be flip and dismissive when you have no concept of what the world is really like.



Anyways, looks like I got a bit off track - I've been a bit consumed with despair and anger over the younger generation's utter lack of thoughtfulness when it comes to the world at large.  Glad I could find my bearings through my kid, she really is the best thing I've ever done and she is turning out so awesome.  Super smart and utterly capable of dealing with all the nonsense out there.  I have to remember, when I get down, that there is hope in the next generation.  Even if it is only just my kid, at least there will be someone who gets it.

Movies 2014

Finally getting around to this - there's still a lot of movies that I want to see, but I have to just go for it at some point.

And here's my usual disclaimers -

I'm a big fan of movies, less so of films.  Confused?  Don't be - read the first two paragraphs of this.

Also, I don't get out much.

All caught up?  Good.  Here we go.


First off, the runners up - in no particular order, movies I enjoyed and would recommend.


Big Hero 6
Utterly charming and inventive.  Another winner from Disney Animation.  Loved discovering a new world with new characters, and plenty of heart to go with it.  A must watch again.

Boxtrolls
Great stop motion animation that I enjoyed more than this studios past two efforts of 'Coraline' and 'Para-Norman'.   Especially I love the villain, whose predicament I won't spoil, but suffice it to say it is a most ingeniously devised paradox that motivates his 'evil' doings.   Be sure to watch the credits, probably the best tag I've ever seen.

How to Train Your Dragon 2
The first one is one of my all time favorite movies ever, so this one couldn't possibly hope to reach it's heights - and indeed, it didn't.  Still, I was surprised at how good it was.  Structurally, it has problems - most notably is the ham-handed way it brings in Hiccup's mom.  That and the fact that they revealed this in all the trailers and ads, which is ABSOLUTELY inexcusable.  This blunder means that this sequel isn't as powerful as it should have been.  I also had issues with Stoic's departure, again - it just seemed clumsy although it was heartfelt and worked to the extent that we are already invested in these characters from the first film.

Divergent
Pretty derivative of the Hunger Games, which in turn is derivative of a ton of dystopian future stories - but Divergent also stands on it's own as an engaging and at times emotionally resonant comment on the human psyche and the ideal of human sovereignty. Plus the lead actress is hot.

Godzilla
This is by far the best iteration of this story I've ever seen - and though it lags in the middle considerably, I'm still glad I got to see this on the big screen.  Not nearly enough of the big green guy on camera leaves us wanting more, and that's not an entirely bad thing.  I really wish though, that the rest of the film were as powerful as the opening sequence with Brian Cranston and his wife.

Amazing Spider-Man 2
Yet another example of too little too late to be hailed as a great super hero movie.  The Disney MCU movies are simply too strong.   This one has all the earmarks of a classic, yet we still can't shake that feeling that we've seen all of this before and seen it done better.  But there are parts of this story that do absolutely soar.  I am probably the only one who really liked Jamie Foxx's Electro.  I also really enjoyed the Parker/Gwen Stacy romance quite a bit, and though the culmination of the arc is badly rushed, the aftermath is the best part of the movie.  I also freely admit, I got pretty choked up with that little kid at the end.

Unbroken
I did not expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.  I dug it so much that I actually watched it twice.  I love historically accurate WWII movies, and I especially appreciated this one's tribute to the human spirit.  After watching the movie I read quite a bit about the protagonist, and then found myself wishing that they had showed us the second half of this remarkable man's life.   I could have easily gone for the rest of his amazing journey.

Noah
We finally got around to seeing this, and I must say my incredibly low expectations helped me enjoy this quite a bit.  It takes a while to get there, but the ending really does pay off and is very powerful on an emotional and spiritual level.  I felt it was well worth my time.  Others, especially more literal minded Bible folks and those who have a problem with the director being an atheist, may be slower to find inspiration here.

Edge of Tomorrow
Despite this reminding me very much of two other movies I love, Groundhog Day and Starship Troopers, I still had a blast with this one.  Very dense movie and whip smart in it's story construction and character development - even though the only characters of any depth are Cruise and Blunt.

Dumb and Dumber To
Honestly I get a good laugh from all the pompous critics and nerd naysayers who poo-poohed this very worthy follow up, 20 years later.  I mean really, people act like the original is some amazing work of art and this sequel pales in comparison.  Um, it's 'Dumb and Dumber' people, Shakespeare it ain't.  My 10 year old girl and I had a great time with this one, both of us at one time or another were in fits with tears of laughter streaming down our cheeks.  It's brash, it's bold, it's stupid.  It's extremely funny and more than a little bit subversive.

Transformers: Age of Exhaustion
This one is a lot of fun, but it is also a big bloated mess.  Interesting to me is how Michael Bay, who is a true film auteur in every sense of the word, cast this latest installment with big name Chinese actors in small roles and parlayed the movie into a billion dollar earning behemoth. A very sharp and many would say very cynical way to make a movie.  I still got a kick out of it - even though there were plenty of parts that dragged and in the end the movie feels like every bit of it's overlong running time.


I also enjoyed Grand Budapest Hotel, it was probably the least irritating Wes Anderson movie I've ever seen.  Also, also, I just saw 'Wild' with Reese Whitherspoon and I was shocked to find that I really dug it.  Very moving, despite the lead character being every bit the dummy with her life choices.  Somehow, Reese is so likable that it all works.  I somehow felt sympathy for her foolishness and sinfulness, and reflected on my own as well.

Okay, so here's my top ten movies of 2014.  I still really want to see 'Imitation Game', 'Whiplash' and 'Bird Man' as well as a few others, but at this moment in time, this is what it is.


10. Maleficent
Believe me, no one is more shocked than I am that this movie turned out so well.  Angelena Jolie is just so strong in this role that she elevates the material entire.  A very touching fairy tale and family film that at it's core has real heart ache and hope.  Like the best Disney stuff, this movie explores both the divine and the profane, and with a magnificent production design and serviceable direction, manages to be more than just fluff.

9. Fury
One of two GREAT war movies this year.  There is moral ambiguity in war, even in the 'good' ones, and 'Fury' doesn't shy away from this in the least.  The action set piece is a tank to tank battle that is an amazing technical feat of practical effects, editing and sound manipulation - but the heart of the film is the scene in the apartment with the two young women.  Both enthralling and disquieting in the extreme.

8.  X-Men: Days of Future Past
Hey, I love superhero movies, what can I say.  Brian Singer returns to form and basically fixes everything that was wrong with X3.  Yes, I know he didn't direct that one, but I'm glad he came back and righted the ship with a story that moves fast and is driven by character arcs that are both emotionally resonant and satisfying.  Plus the action kicks ass.  More Quicksilver please!

7. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
This is probably the strongest of the three Hobbit flicks, and not just because some dwarves finally get killed off.  It is leaner and meaner than the previous installments, but it is also (like Return of the King) a payoff for our investment.  All the big action, all the big set pieces, all of the conclusions are here.  Most satisfying is the fabricated character of Tauriel and her doomed love; but Bilbo's story is also fulfilling.  I confess I am a bit mystified by all the hate in Nerdworld that these movies have gotten, very reminiscent of the Star Wars prequel trolls; but whatever.  It's Middle Earth for crying out loud, and I for one am very glad I got to go on the journey.

6, Lucy
An original (enough) story that is R rated and whip smart and stars my favorite Black Widow, what's not to love?  This is classic Besson and highly watchable in the very best tradition of R rated1980's popcorn fun.  Terminator, Road Warrior, Aliens, etc.  Now we have Lucy, and she is rather bad ass.

5. The LEGO Movie
Preposterous is the word that pops into my head when I remember that this movie did NOT get an Oscar nom for best animated feature.  That bullshit aside, The LEGO Movie is a hell of a lot of fun, and carries with it the genius premise that this all emanates from the mind of a child - and really, every aspect of the story does seem to organically flow from such a boundless imagination.

4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Loved the first one and love this one just as much.  It's about as grim as it gets for a popcorn movie, but I am fascinated with most well done apocalyptic movies - and this is no exception.  Especially great is the effects work, these are all entirely digital creatures.  It is in fact, mostly an animated movie; but the real power of the film comes from a great story and great actors, even those who are motion captured.  The Blu-Ray has an exhaustive set of documentaries that show just how much of the actors performances are utilized in the final product.  I was shocked to find out that it is nearly all of it.  Can't wait for the next episode.

3. American Sniper
Right up there with 'Zero Dark 30' and 'Lone Survivor' as GREAT war movies about our country's latest conflicts.  Chris Kyle is an American Hero and this movie shows that and more, dealing honestly with his sins as well as his sacrifices.  I'm a bit surprised that the far left has been so vitriolic in it's condemnation of this as a jingoistic snuff film, but most Americans who watch this - no matter their political persuasion, can plainly see that it is not that.  It is simply a brutally honest picture of war and war is ugly.  Granted, the simple truth is that far and away most of the ugliness comes from radical Islam - and that is probably what rankles coo-coo birds like Michael Moore.  They hate America so much, that when the facts of our war on terror are laid bare so effectively, they can't help themselves from lashing out against Kyle and the US Military at large.  Well I say fuck them.

2.  Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Oh hells yes.  Disney's MCU it seems can do no wrong.  This is a tight and taught spy thriller from the 70's wrapped up in a 2014 package of awesome production design and stunt work with practical and CG effects so seamlessly blended it really is amazing.   There is a lot going on here in a fantastic story structure bursting at the seems with action - but my favorite moments are the quiet ones between Cap and Tasha.  A grown up relationship of respect and care in a comic book movie is a very satisfying thing to behold.  Redford is great.  The Falcon is great.  Everything works.  It is both grounded and fantastical, dire and exhilarating.  CAWS is truly something else, my favorite Marvel movie since the Avengers.  I didn't think it could be topped until...

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
My number one pick is always based on one thing - which of all of these flicks is the one I would have with me on a deserted island and watch over and over again.  This year the choice was easy. GOTG soars like no other.  It's a space opera, it's fun, it's amaze balls.  Love all the characters, especially Drax.    Again, Marvel does the boy girl thing really well - Gamora and Quill's attraction is believable and natural, it doesn't feel forced or rushed at all.  But there's also so much more to love in this movie; I have said it before on Facebook and I'll say it here - this one is this generation's Star Wars, Raiders, take your pick.  This one is one for the ages.


So there it is.  A lot of fun stuff in 2014.  Yes I'm a Marvel movie nerd in the grip of a full fever, but I'm okay with that.  Very much looking forward to Avengers 2 and what lies beyond.  Also can't wait to see Kingsman soon!

Glad to be Me

I'm feeling very grateful today.  Thankful for my friends and family, humbled by my good fortune in having a job that I enjoy and a life that I love.

In general I am dimly aware of this gratitude, but on Monday, with the Ferguson non-decision decision handed down, I have been resoundingly reminded to not to take these blessings for granted.

I am beyond grateful for my values and clarity of mind that allow me to see things for what they are and not simply what I want them to be.  The facts, the evidence in this case are fairly plain as these things go.  It is not a good thing that a young man was killed, but any objective look at the situation reveals that the outcome, while tragic, can be primarily blamed on Michael Brown.  Circumstance also played a role, but it was not the deciding factor.

I am perfectly comfortable with the grand jury's decision, and I have no problem supporting officer Wilson and his decisions.  If I'm a cop, or even a private citizen,  and someone grabs for my gun, all bets are off.  If they get away and come at me a second time, I'm putting them down.  Period.

So that's it for me.  No doubt, no drama.  And for that I am filled with gratitude.  I am so, so, SO happy that I am a conservative, and that my brain is not clouded by the kind of emotion driven dogma that grips both the elites and the poor who have been duped into a lifetime of dependence on the state.

I am content to recognize that I am not the one with the problem.  The citizens of Ferguson (and make no mistake it IS people that live there) have decided they would rather burn their city to the ground, that is - mostly businesses that are minority owned - rather than face up to the uncomfortable truth.

And so, I have no beef.  No axe to grind.  Good luck with that folks.

I am staying off of racebook this week, I have seen far too much fall out with other people being de-friended by liberal antagonists, who let emotion take over and lash out.  I'm staying out of it because I love my friends and I really don't care too much about this case; but I'm grateful for this blog which allows me in no uncertain terms to state my opinion on the matter, plainly and truthfully.

It is sadly and with no joy that I say, Michael Brown got exactly what he deserved.

EDIT:

Well I spoke too soon and broke down, after the 10th or so post I read that someone was "de-friending" someone else for being "racist".  I posted this to everyone... hopefully it is respectful enough that I won't get the ol' de-friend myself.

I refuse to de-friend any of you, regardless of your opinion on this Ferguson thing.

Opinions are just opinions, and clearly there are a lot of them here on all sides of a very complicated situation. No matter what you think or feel, you are entitled to express your views and you won't get any shaming or name calling from me.

With that said, truthfully, I am reluctant to share my views here - because of all the vitriol that I've read from both sides. It makes me sad that people can't speak their minds without being called racist, a very hurtful term that is more often than not overused these days to the point where it ceases to have any real meaning and greatly diminishes actual incidents of it.

I would hope that everyone, regardless of where they come down on this matter - can step back and understand that different life experiences result in different perspectives and thus different opinions. It doesn't mean they are off to join the KKK or the Black Panther Party, it just means that this is how they see it.

Be at peace this Thanksgiving day and be grateful that we can have these discussions in this, the greatest country on God's green earth. I know I am.

A Time to Marvel

The world is on fire.  Evil is inflamed overseas, partisan discord and demagoguery divides on our own shores.  And yet I can't seem to shake a pesky and persistent feeling of hope.  As bad as things want to be - I've been around on this earth long enough to know that things have been a lot worse, both in my lifetime and well before and beyond it as well.

I have been somewhat neglectful of this blog - but I'm happy to say I'm not going anywhere and don't plan to stop writing any time soon, though it may be farther and fewer between as the years pass.  I have two other blogs, both related to poker, and lately I've been writing on them more frequently.  I'm less inspired to write here because this is where I typically air my grievances, especially the political ones.

Maybe it's part of getting older; I just don't feel as passionate about dissecting all the different ways to a similar end that most Americans want.  I'm not inclined to dissect and delineate the intellectual failings of infantile liberals. I've realized that ultimately it's not so much stupidity, but upbringing that has taken them down the easy path of child-like emotions and knee jerk instinct in dealing with weighty matters of the world.  I also recognize that it's a heavy burden to always be right and be one of the few who can separate facts from fantasy.  It's also tiresome to be so smart all of the time.

But on a serious note - I am and always will be a hopeless political junkie, and I'm thinking that the real reason for my reluctance to engage in a battle of wits with unarmed opponents is that more than ever I really feel like I have nothing to prove, and that trying to convince a died in the wool liberal, who thinks that poor people should be perpetually attached to the government tit, that maybe a life of dependence on a massive bureaucracy isn't the way to go - is ultimately futile.

So I feel good - good about my world view, borne of months at a time abroad in the third world, borne of building a home and family from the sweat of my brow and my brain.  And I feel optimistic, upbeat, hopeful.  Hopeful about my country, my family and friends, my career and this amazing information age.

Lately I've been thinking about miracles; not the big heavy duty biblical ones, not even the daily ones I read about in the news relating to matters of life and death - the little girl whose cancer disappears, the hopelessly lost hikers who miraculously turn up a week later dehydrated and exhausted but alive.  No, lately I've been thinking about the smaller miracles of the first world that are in my face, all of the time.  I guess miracle is the wrong word - but I can't help but be in awe of these little marvels.  They are silly, they are trivial I guess - but they provoke a strong response in me.

The produce section in Ralph's is a marvel.  All I get is blackberries and grapes for my little girl, apples and bananas for the wife and myself.  Sometimes a tray of veggies for poker.  I have a friend who has told me more than once that I really shouldn't bother with Ralph's for produce - "It's overpriced and the fruit is so much better in the farmer's market."  Um, okay.  Try the market in Nairobi or Cairo my friend.  For that matter, try getting fresh produce on the island of Key West where I grew up.  My dad, who lived on that island for most of his life would come visit me in Los Angeles and stand in awe of the fruit at Ralph's.  Ralph's is a marvel.

*********

About six months ago I got my first smart phone.  I had resisted a long time.  In fact, I had resisted texting for a much longer time.  I broke down about 2 years ago, and just recently a doe eyed 20 something sales girl at the Verizon store got me to take the plunge.

My i-phone is a marvel.  It's no longer the latest and greatest, but it's incredible.  I don't have to text anymore, I can talk into the phone and it will write down what I'm saying.  I can find the quickest route through LA traffic to get where I'm going faster.  Recently I was in Las Vegas and needed a haircut.  I asked my phone, and these were my exact words - "Where can I get a haircut?"  Bam.  Instant directions in my car, she talked me straight to a Supercuts 5 minutes away.  What's the score of the A's game?  Bam.  Yep, they're losing again.  What did Allen say on Facebook 30 seconds ago?  Bam.  Yep, his grandpa is dong good.  When does the World Series of Poker start airing again?  Bam.  What song is that playing?  Shazam.  Bam.  I'm bored. Let's play Minion Rush.  Bam.  What did that dopey guy in the White House say today?  Bam.

Bam.

Bam, bam.

The i-phone is a freaking marvel.

**********

My television is a marvel.  It's huge.  Going by screen size it was way cheaper than the last standard def tv I bought.  It's GORGEOUS.  Over a year later I still can't get over how good Megan Kelly looks.  And I'm not just saying that because she's super smart and pretty - she just looks AMAZING. The lighting, the color, the contrast.  BAM.   Yeah right about now I'd like to watch Captain America: Winter Soldier with PERFECT sound and an INCREDIBLE picture.  BAM.

*********

Speaking of Captain America -  comic book movies are right up my alley and are GD marvels. (And not just the ones by Marvel, but the DC ones too.)

I have more than a friend or two who are my age and are weary of comic books coming to life on a weekly basis in the multi-plex.  To that I say, are you KIDDING ME?  First of all, what kind of movies did you think people our age would be making?  Secondly - do you have any idea just how good the vast majority of them are?   And thirdly - do you seriously think this will last?

The first question I think should be answered with a time machine.  It is my fondest wish that every  geek over 40 who is whining about too many comic book movies could be visited by their 13 year old selves and be wheel-house bitch slapped for complaining.  This is a GD GOLDEN AGE PEOPLE!

Relating to this -the second question.  Even the "crap" super hero movies are pretty darn cool.  Sure, Green Lantern "sucks" - but only because it came out a couple of years ago.  If it had come out ten years ago - it would have been hailed up and down.  Well maybe not, but it wouldn't have bombed.  Structurally, it is indeed a mess of a film, but only because in Hollywood today (and thanks in no small part to PIXAR) story is KING.  I confess my wife and I have found ourselves stopping to watch it on television more than a few times.  It's Green Lantern for crying out loud!  I do the same thing with the two Fantastic Four movies as well - BECAUSE IT'S THE GD FANTASTIC FOUR!   Helloooo.... is this thing on?

The third question - it won't always be like this.  I am very grateful that the dreams of my childhood have come to life on the big screen; and more-so, that these dreams apparently were shared with millions of people because these movies are the biggest money makers ever.  But I understand that within a decade this fad will pass, and we will very likely see far fewer super heroes in action on the big screen.  So I'm going to enjoy this trend thoroughly while I can.

But back to the second point.  Okay, we all know the super hero movies that 'sucked'.  Green Lantern, The Fantastic Four, the new Spiderman movies (and the old third one).  That's what I can think of off the top of my head.  Let me attempt to list ones that I thought were top notch AWESOME and are must haves.  In no particular order...

Spider Man 2  The Sam Raimi version.
The Dark Knight
The Avengers
Iron Man
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America WS
XMen 2
The Incredibles

Now let me list those I thought were thoroughly enjoyable - and that I've purchased.

Iron Man 3
Thor 2
Captain America 1st Avenger
XMen
XMen 1st Class
XMen DOFP
Spiderman 1 Sam Raimi
Batman Begins
Superman MOS

That is 17 flicks off the top of my head that I absolutely love and will watch again and again over the years.  They are magnificent.  They are everything that I loved about comic books, come to life before my eyes - outrageous and righteous morality plays with bigger than life good guys and bad guys.  They are, all of them, FAR better than the paltry few superhero movies of my childhood.

And I loved the Chris Reeve Superman movies, and still do.  And I loved the first three Batman movies, and still do.

And again, there are plenty of less than great superhero movies that I dig.  I actually enjoyed the recent Spiderman 2 very much, it had some great gags and great emotion - and they absolutely nailed Peter Parker and the Spiderman character way better than Raimi did.  Now the story was bloated and problematic - it was  90 minute movie trapped in a 130 minute bloat of self indulgence.  Worse than that - we've seen this whole thing before and we've seen it done better.  Raimi is a true auteur and his first two Spiderman movies are superb.

Anyway - there are plenty of 'mediocre' superhero movies that I like just fine;

Thor 1 - Thor is a bit of a bore, but the movie works more than it doesn't.

Both Hulk movies.  Ang Lee's troubled film still has the second best Hulk sequence ever captured, after the Avengers, of hulk rampaging through the desert.  The other movie is much tighter enterprise - and has some great gags.

Every other XMen movie, including the 'awful' X3 and the first Wolverine.  All of them have great moments and ultimately work in their universe.  I especially dug the 2nd Wolverine movie; as ridiculous as it was at times.

Bryan Singer's Superman movie; yeah, it's boring a lot of the time; but there's some great moments - and the spirit of the original is captured beautifully.

The weakest of the modern Marvel movies - Iron Man 2, is still a blast.  Watched it recently and it held my interest; also love Scar Jo.

The one somewhat recent superhero movie that I can't really bear to watch again, because it breaks my heart because it is so bad - is Daredevil.  Man, yes, that movie is indeed crap.  It doesn't help either that DD was always my favorite comic book.  The good news is, Netflix is taking Daredevil and turning it into a tv series.  Sweet.  Can't wait to binge on that!

Anyways, I didn't mean to get so sidetracked on superhero movies.  I guess that's the main topic in this post.  I will also mention in passing that there are many other kinds of geek movies out these days that are also marvels.  Especially animated movies, as I've gone on and on about in this blog before; but also other great genre films like Avatar, the Hobbit movies, Pacific Rim - just to randomly name a few; that are absolutely incredible to watch, especially in light of how thin the field of sci-fi and fantasy used to be in movie theaters.  True, there were some awesome ones; Terminator 1 and 2, The Road Warrior, Alien and Aliens - and others, but the quantity and quality of the last decade, I'm sorry to say - simply blows away what we had when we were young.

I guess superhero films are on the surface, like all modern marvels that we live with here in the greatest country on God's green earth - are silly and superficial, but to me it is what they represent that wields the real power in my life.  We all know that yes, evil exists - and our faith tells us that there will always be a light to shine on the darkness; but nowhere in todays world is this more dramatically illustrated than in comic book movies.  These are our modern day fairy tales, bigger and better than ever - that serve to lift us up, to elevate our spirits above the chaos and fear.  To share with our loved ones, with our children; to enjoy and to be inspired by.

I guess all I've really done here, is do what I've done before.  Stated firmly and fairly that NOW is the time of greatness and great stuff.  We are in the midst of the age of Marvel and marvels.  And I absolutely love it and I'm so thankful I get to nourish my soul with what is on the surface fairly frivolous and somewhat mindless entertainment.  I wouldn't want to live in any other time and place than where I am.  I am utterly grateful for all the joy that little marvels bring into my life - they sustain me through the rough stuff - and they bolster my love, joy and hope for what really matters most - my family and my faith.

Hey Blue

"I've heard it said,

                                                                        That people come into our lives

For a reason

Bringing something we must learn.

And we are lead to those

Who help us most to grow if we let them.

And we help them in return.

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today.

Because I knew you."

                                   - Stephen Schwartz 

                                               (From the musical "Wicked")

In my almost 44 years on this earth I have been privileged to know a small group of remarkable people who have had a profound and positive influence on my life and on my character. Besides my dad, there have been 2 other major father figures - the first was Bill Cain, a remarkable man who was a major positive influence through my adolescence. He was the man who introduced me to and mentored me through the world of baseball umpiring. We probably umpired over 100 games together - from the youngest levels of Little League, to regional tournaments across the state.

One of my fondest memories of Bill, is when we traveled to San Bernardino together to attend the regional Little League umpire seminar. It was great to be with him amongst 50 other umpires and really get at the heart of what sports officiating was all about.

Bill passed away just yesterday, very suddenly from what I can tell. My heart breaks for his two sons Mike and Tom, whom I've known since they were little. And I am deeply saddened myself, mostly because I never specifically told Bill how much he meant to me and how much he had helped make me who I am, especially when it comes to dealing with stressed out people.

As a baseball umpire, Bill was always calm and cool - matter of fact, but firm and unwavering, with a deep commitment to fair play and justice on the field. Though I have long ago left the game behind, I carry his principles with me in my daily life. Keeping a level head in the face of unbalanced people on the baseball field can be very tough, but the real world can be much more dire. I am so glad that I had the game in my youth to work through confrontations, and I'll be forever grateful that Bill was there to show me the right way to do it. I am a much happier and balanced person than I was at age 13 when I met Bill, in large part because he gave me the tools to deal with emotional dysfunction being thrown in my face.

And I know, that even though I never specifically thanked you Bill, and oh how I regret not messaging you on facebook or even shooting you a text to tell you this - I know, as with all men who are genuine - men who are indeed 100% "real men" as you are; that the words didn't need to be said.

But I'll say them here, for his boys Mike and Tom. I want to make sure to add my voice to the chorus of praise for this remarkable man who undoubtedly has touched many many more lives in ways as profound as mine -

Thank you Bill Cain, you changed my life for the better when I needed it the most and you will be missed terribly.

 

Two Worlds, One Cup

I did love the recent world cup game with the US and Portugal, to a point.  Hear me out.

Soccer's got 99 problems, but being boring ain't one.

That the game can be boring is way down the list of why American's don't care for soccer. We (and I) love baseball and that's the most boring sport there is.  Being boring has little to do with why this sport hasn't caught on in the US, though it's what every non-soccer fan will tell you.

The real reason Americans don't dig "futbol" is flopping.  Flopping is why I don't watch soccer.  Players fake injuries, ALL the time.  It's systematic, it's inherent in the strategy of the game.  Soccer players pretend to be hurt even more than NBA players which is saying something.  It is un-sportsman like behavior of the most craven kind.  It's really hard to stomach, professional athletes, incredibly skilled - rolling around like little babies until they get the call they want.  Then, back in the game with no consequences.

The lack of a replay rule to deal with these theatrics at this level of play is absurd. Also, that there is no replay rule for the easily reviewable but often controversial offside decisions is just flat out stupid.  Also also, that the game clock is unofficial and that it goes into extra time that the referee adds in his head is ridiculous, and is a lightning rod for controversy where there should be none.

And then there are problems with the antiquated World Cup format itself.  My dear Berkeley brethren, they of the soccer love, sent me this chart to help answer my questions regarding team USA's fate in advancing, after the Portugal game ended abruptly with the score tied.  (Apparently, this is also common, like hockey, they let the game end undecided.  Dumb, yes, even in the most crucial of games like say, oh I don't know, the biggest sporting tournament on the planet.)

First of all, I'm not really enough of a math genius to comprehend this absurdly intricate graphic - so there's that.  But look closely, yes, those are yellow boxes with the words "coin toss" in them.  So if the score of the Portugal/Ghana and US/Germany games fall in some random fashion, the fate of the potential champions of the world will be determined by a coin toss?  Really?

As a former youth sports official, I have twice actually run across rules that involve a coin toss to determine a winner.  One was a single day baseball round robin that had an odd number of teams.  The coin toss determined who would get a bye in the first round.  The players in this tournament were 12 years old.  It was a pre-season fun one day event.  Nothing but bragging rights at stake.

The other event was again, a pre-season event; a soccer tournament over a weekend, where they allowed ties in every game but the "championship" match.  If the teams were tied at the end of a game, the referee would toss a coin to determine who moved on.  These were 10 year old traveling teams, so they were All-Stars, but THEY WERE 10, and many of them were irritated at the random unfairness of this procedure.

Now we are on the world's biggest stage, with the very best players in competition for the most significant championship anywhere - and we're going to toss a coin.

And my friends wonder why this sport hasn't caught on in the States.

Bottom line, Americans like their play fair, and coin flips notwithstanding, the game of soccer itself is replete with antiquated rules and procedures which make it not so. Until the game rectifies these glaring problems, ie gets a uniform game clock, implements the replay rule at the highest levels and puts an end  to the acting shenanigans, soccer will continue to be a game for the rest of the world that just assumes that the system is inherently screwed up, while those of us in the land of opportunity know better.

Someone much more eloquent than me once said that the rest of the planet loves soccer because it is a sanctuary of serenity in a chaotic world, while Americans love football (our gridiron version) because it is a sanctuary of chaos in an otherwise peaceful and free country.  I know this is not entirely the truth, but it is pretty darn close to being correct.

To their credit, the American team has said they don't "flop" and that they don't include the concept in their strategy and approach to the game.  At least that's what they say.  I know the guy who got his face kicked in in game one wasn't faking. This makes it easier for me to root root root for the home team - though honestly, as a big a jingoist as I am, I wouldn't be too heart broken if the God forsaken country of Ghana had won.  I think they need it more than we do.

Billy Joel at the Hollywood Bowl, May 27

Okay - review time.

Billy is old, 65, and looks like he needs to take better care of himself. His voice, thankfully is about 90% of what it was - which is great for his age. He's also still an expert at the piano, though he bonks plenty of notes, it all works and seems effortless. He is a consummate professional musician and artist. He's also hilarious in between songs. He did a spot-on Elton John impersonation and sang a good chunk of "Your Song" before cutting himself off at the line "I don't have much money..." "Bullshit!" he exclaimed.

The band is as tight as I've ever heard at one of Billy's concerts, but theirin is part of the problem. Though technically far more perfect than the original line up, this bunch does not have the propulsion and energy, the emotion, wrought by drummer Liberty DeVitto and the other Long Island boys that Billy grew up with and played with until he got rid of them. I really miss those mooks and the passion that they brought. They were born and bred of Billy's music, and it really shone through. Don't get me wrong, the band now is very, very good - Mark Rivera and Crystal Talifero in particular have been with Billy a long time (the former since Nylon Curtain and the latter since Storm Front) and bring some of the old spirit. The two guitarists and the bass player are all tremendous vocalists, which really makes for a fat clean sound. Still, I pine for the immediacy and the energy of Billy's old gang. A smaller group, no horn section, but somehow more urgent than the polished veneer of the 2014 crew. Search YouTube for Billy Joel: Live from Long Island and you'll see what I mean.

Over the three shows at Hollywood Bowl I think the setlist on our night might have been the best. You can click on the "Related Concert Setlists" links for the 17th and the 22nd to compare and contrast. Yes, the shows were all very similar, but we got We Didn't Start the Fire and Uptown Girl, the other two nights did not. Uptown Girl was truly amazing - the vocals were phat! It was also great to see Billy strap on the old guitar for that old dentist drill of a song "We Didn't Start the Fire" - never one of my favorites, but it works very well live with 17000 people singing along word for word.

Songs we missed out on: "Pressure", "And So It Goes" and "Sometimes a Fantasy". I've seen Pressure live many times, ASIG is one of my favorites that I didn't get on the Storm Front tour. I've also seen "Sometimes a Fantasy" (on the Bridge tour) and I agree with the description of it as the least sexy song about phone sex ever. We also didn't get "The Ballad of Billy the Kid." or "Summer Highland Falls" both of which I still have yet to see live. No one got to hear "Goodnight Saigon" - which is fine, or "Angry Young Man" which is sad. It was the only song I really missed, even though I've seen it live more than a few times.

All for Leyna, Zanzibar, Where's the Orchestra, Everybody Loves You Know and Say Goodbye to Hollywood, all blew my mind as songs that I absolutely did not expect to hear over the course of the evening. I loved that Billy dug a bit deeper, as I think the bulk of his album tracks that were not singles are where the real gold is in the catalogue. Say Goodbye to Hollywood was actually a minor am radio hit, and on his greatest hits record, but I read in a review of Billy's concert at the bowl on May 17th that it was the first time he had played the song live in almost 30 years. He had retired the song long ago because it is at the top of his register - I'm glad he dusted it off for LA, it sounded great.

The venue was great, the sound was pristine, one of the best sounding concerts I've ever been to, and by far the cleanest Billy Joel show I've ever heard. The mix was awesome, the visuals were very good. The lights were what they needed to be and the occasional video footage worked beautifully with a very polished I-Mag camera operators and director. (IMag is the video image magnification, the video of Billy and the Band on the screens for those of us with 43 year old eyes and not in the $2500 seats).

All in all, it doesn't get much better than Billy, even old Billy who stays at the piano through Big Shot and You May Be Right - he did strut a little bit for It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, but stayed put in all the other songs that he used to run around to. Inevitable I suppose, and truly no less enjoyable in it's own context - just a reminder of his and our own mortality.

Global Change and Climate Warming

Been awhile!   Recently talked a bit about Global Warming (or whatever they're calling it this week on Facebook) and as usual I had a great home-run final response to post that was kick ass and long.

But the guy I was talking with is a friend of mine, smart fellow but alas to far gone to really appreciate my brilliance, so Imma post it here instead.

Right after someone posted a link about April being the "hottest April ever" (which is pretty absurd in itself) I fired back with...

"It was also the coldest winter on record last year, and we had record Arctic ice, the polar bear population crashed because there was so much ice they couldn't get to the seals.  Either way, regardless of what the numbers say or are manipulated into saying - ultimately it doesn't mean a damn thing to me.   Global warming is so far down the list of what I think is important to me and my family, it's kind of sad really.   Sorry, they have to do better.

The planet is four and a half billion years old.  I've been watching Cosmos, and if anything, it has made me more of a skeptic.  Tyson spends 50 minutes telling me to question everything and that the universe is infinitely old, and then he turns around and says "the science is settled" regarding global warming.  It's wacky, and frankly, it pisses me off to the point where I genuinely don't give a shit.   It's the boy who cried wolf on steroids.

Al Gore and his contemporaries have utterly failed to bring people in the middle and to the right of it over to the side of a cause that SHOULD be a no brainer, but isn't.  Turns out, he's the one without a brain. He sold his television station to the biggest propagators of oil on the planet giving a huge middle finger to the planet on his way out the door to a billion dollar pay day.

Instead of bridging the gap with dialogue and common ground, the whole global warming gang has devolved into a bunch of bullies who blacklist anyone who doesn't fall in line - and on top of this they don't offer any practical solutions except flushing money down their water saving toilets with projects like high speed trains to nowhere and other billion dollar boondoggles.  Remember Solyndra?  That whole thing is what the modern environmental movement is to me - a fucked up and decadent 1st world horseshit pet project with little bearing on the real problems of the world, a world of which I've seen an awful lot of (been to 40+ countries, many of them third world) and it ain't pretty.  Maybe we could work on sewage in India or depravation in the Sudan before people get in my face about plastic bags.

I know it sounds like another angry rant, but really, it's not.  I just frankly don't want to hear about global warming from politicians anymore.  This so called scientific consensus can keep their mouths shut too, as long as they aren't offering any real solutions.  I don't have time to deal with their self-aggrandizing crap.  No wonder the planet has a fever, it's full of hot air from these smug do-nothing jerks."


This blog is a much better place for my righteous smack-downs than facebook, right?

Movies 2013

A bit overdue, but better late than non-existant; 2013 was simply too good a year for movies to let my annual post about them pass by due to my recent laziness and lack of attention to this blog.

Remember, I'm talking about movies, not necessarily films.  Can't remember the difference?  I've spelled it out many a time over the years, the first few paragraphs here are your primer.

Also, disclaimer number 2 - I don't get out too much these days, so I haven't seen a great number of movies like I used to back in the day when I was single.  This is a limited sampling of the year, no doubt.  Also, as I have a kid, my selections are top heavy with family movies.  Thankfully we live in an age of great family entertainment.  On the more grown up tip, I still really want to see World War Z, 42 and Elysium, despite the latter's apparent political idiocy.  I also can't believe I haven't seen Bad Grandpa - no doubt that will rocket to the top of my favorites when I do finally Netflix it.

Before I get to my top ten - here are the runner-ups; there were a lot of them.

Thor 2
Lots of fun, even more-so than the first one.  Took my 9 year old and wife, they both dug it.  Eager to see it again.

Despicable Me 2
Not as fresh as the first, but still a good time and beautifully animated.

Monsters University
Many saw this as an unnecessary rehash.  I enjoyed it, recognizing that it really wasn't something I was dying to see - but understanding that the Pixar wizards still did a remarkable job with such a thin premise.

Captain Phillips
This one almost cracked my top ten - but it encroaches heavily into film territory, and art film territory at that, rather than a straight ahead jingoistic treatise that I would have preferred.  Still, Hanks is a remarkable everyman, and his Somali co-stars are a revelation in truth.  The shaky cam is fairly tortuous, but highly motivated.

Oz the Great and Powerful
I am able to set aside the legacy of the MGM Oz movie and see this fun romp for what it is, a fun romp by Sam Raimi.  The consensus on this one is that Franco is miscast, I would disagree and say he does pretty well as a smarmy and somewhat likable charlatan who gets through his origin story with enough deft aplomb to sustain our interest.  Love the production design, not hung up on the overuse of CGI.  My kid really enjoys it too, so that speaks to something I suppose.

Star Trek: Into Darkness
A blast of a movie - a bit of a come down from the stellar 2009 reboot, but still a rollicking adventure. Ignore that Sherlock Holmes is supposed to be Kahn (and that awful Spock scream) and everything else works just fine. Here's hoping they really take off in the next installment; I'm looking forward to seeing them finally go where no one has gone before.

The Croods
Yet another great animated movie.  There are just so many of them these days.  This is the one that my kid likes the most, so I have to put it here.  What really makes it soar is it's devotion to the value of family as a unit of love; lots to look at and enjoy, it really holds up to repeated viewings - which of course, with a 9 year old in 2014, is how movies are most often viewed.

The Wolverine
After the forgettable first Wolverine movie, this one was a delightfully fun surprise of comic book grit and creativity.  A stunning train sequence highlights this "Logan comes of age" flick.  Did we really need it?  Not especially, but I'm glad I went along for the ride.  It will likely end up sitting on the shelf next to my other X-Men blu rays.

Pacific Rim
Another one that could have easily cracked my top ten - I just love this movie.  It harkens a bit back to Starship Troopers - minus the hyper-violence.  Cheesy dialogue and mostly wooden acting, save the indomitable Idris Elba and the scenery chewing Ron Perlman, are rescued by the deft directorial touches of Guillermo Del Torro who finally delivers on his potential.  This is the ultimate man-in-a-rubber suit spectacle, though nearly entirely CGI, it has more than enough visceral thrills to merit repeat viewings.

Okay - just want to pause here for a second to bring up a movie watching truism - If you have super low expectations, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised.  The next two flicks on my runner-up list were blasted by critics and bombed with audiences; and make no mistake, they are both problematic movies.  But, they are also both full of cool stuff and they both also have plenty of fun moments.  I am happy to recommend both of them, provided you go in thinking that they are going to be total crap.

Jack the Giant Slayer
Zero expectations for this one - pleasantly surprised to find a highly watchable fairytale romp with lots of spectacular set pieces and mountains of creative designs and creatures.  Yes, it could've used a dialogue polish, or two or three, but that said - you could do a lot worse than this fantasy tale.  In fact, we have.  Dragonheart, Lady Hawke, Legend and so on, are all beloved, yet not as well crafted or told as this Brian Singer directed movie.

The Lone Ranger
Hey, it has problems.  It is too long, and the title character is woefully underdeveloped and underplayed by the bland Armie Hammer.  However, The Lone Ranger is a spectacular looking and at times spectacular feeling western that I was pleasantly bowled over by when I saw it on a whim on a Disney cruise.  People forget that Verbinski is a true auteur film maker, and he plays a lot with deeper themes in a visual way, much like Tim Burton, and often what he is getting at is lost by critics and less attentive moviegoers.  I get what he does and I dig it.  This one, believe it or not, is a purchase.


And so those are the ones that didn't make the cut, many of which would make it into my top 10 any other year.  So here we go.

10.   The Wolf of Wall Street
So many people hated this one, I kind of expected to as well, but I have to say - I was thoroughly entertained and never bored despite it's 3 hour running time. (Take notice "American Hustle")  Over the years I have been mystified by people's slavish devotion to Scorcese as a film maker - "Goodfellas" is regularly hailed as one of the greatest movies ever, and I have to say; it's pretty good, but Greatest of All Times?  Meh.  It sure is violent and at times gratuitously so.  This is okay, but I would never hail it or "Casino" (which I think is a better movie) as "wonderful" or "amazing".  They are crisply directed and brutally staged operas of violence - which are mostly over the top enough not to really bother me. (That scene in the cornfield in "Casino" is really rough though....)

Anyways, I'm meandering a bit - but my point is, the outrage that you would think people would have over Marty's gangster movies and their violence apparently was saved up for this rather ludicrous portrayal of a stock trader who has no conscience and and overindulges in sex and drugs.  People, liberals especially I should say, have a deep and seething hatred for Leo's character and the outlandish and non-judgmental portrayal of his excesses.  I personally think this movie is fucking hilarious and very entertaining.  Which are two big qualities I look for in movies.

The shock and indignation of people over the absurdities portrayed in Wolf of Wall Street, these same people who blithely enjoy Joe Pesci putting a guys head in a vice and tightening it until an eyeball flies out, have got their priorities of outrage all mixed up.  Jonah Hill is hilarious, Leo DiCaprio is great and this movie is fierce and outrageous.  I loved it.  And I recognize that life isn't fair and people in fact don't always get their comeuppance - at least not on this earth.  I know truly, that while the real life wolf may think he got away with "living the dream" he has a lot to answer for and absolutely will in the face of his maker.  Gosh I am so glad I am at peace with my faith and my God - saves me a lot of anxious anger at silly things.  And this movie above all is silly - how anyone can look at it and see any kind of truth is baffling to me.


9.   Man of Steel
Speaking of God - this is probably the most obvious tribute to our father in the movies this year.  I absolutely love this classic tale, redone for the 21st century game.  The Reeve movies, and to a lesser extent the Brian Singer tribute, were good for their time; but this is Supes done up right for the new millennium.   Snyder delivers outstanding action set-pieces and a surprisingly deep story with lots of biblical and spiritual themes to chew on.  Love the ending with Zod - and again, my God given clarity of conscience and thought makes this one easy.  Can't wait for the sequel, though part of me wishes they would incorporate Nolan's bat instead of an entirely new one; never mind that it's Daredevil.

8.  Rush
Oh hells yes.  Didn't know I could ever be so fascinated by race car driving, which traditionally I've found about as exciting as soccer.  Apologies of course to my friends who enjoy 90 minutes of not scoring.  Ron Howard brings an amazingly mature and assured hand to weaving the perfect rivalry film - yes, it is a film; but because it's Howard it is grounded in what makes movies great.  Action, a bit of sex that's actually sexy, and two superb performances by actors who inhabit the souls of the real life people they portray.  A fascinating ride that's also a lot of fun, both as a beautiful period piece and an exploration of a different day and age.

7.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Much lighter and frothier than the Lord of the Rings saga, still, this journey for me is one well worth taking.  Loved the action and pace, the great production design and VFX; thankfully the story and characters are just good enough to draw me in and hold my interest.  Can't wait for the conclusion.

6.  Catching Fire
Woot woot - the second installment of this surprisingly watchable tale, adapted from the mega-best selling young adult book series, is even better than the first.  With quite a bit more of a modest budget than many of the bigger franchises out there, the writers and director manage to envelope us into a grim dystopian future and still keep us hopeful for our heroine.

5.  Saving Mr. Banks
Much like last years "Flight" - this one is tough to watch for someone who has had alcoholics in their life.  The sequences with Thompson and Hanks are wonderfully sentimental - but the flashbacks are difficult to get through.  Thankfully, the filmmakers manage to bridge the disconnect very well in the end, and provide a satisfying story of hope over disfunction, even a disfunction which never completely recedes.  The real life story of P.L. Travers is quite a bit darker than what is portrayed here, but if I wanted to watch a documentary instead I wouldn't be as big of a movie fan that I am.

4. Frozen
A GREAT Disney movie.  Like "Tangled" - the Disney animation studios have outdone their Pixar brethren again, by a lot.  There's so much to love here, great animation, story, songs and a healthy dose of humor that makes these things so much fun for parents and kids to enjoy together.  Olaf is a revelation - I thought after watching the teaser that he would be lame.  Come to find out, he rocks.  And speaking of rocks - the trolls are great as well.  Lots to savor, not the least of which is the unconventional act of true love that comes to fruition at the movie's end.  A classic for the ages.

3.  Iron Man 3
Simply a great superhero movie.  A fantastic redemption from the uneven Iron Man 2 - this one has a great script and director from Shane Black, a very talented filmmaker in the mold of Tarentino, who is an expert at taking old tropes and making them fresh.  Love the action, love the humor, love Gwyneth Paltrow- and that my friends, is a miracle in movie making.

2. Lone Survivor
The only real film on this list, with the possible exception of "Rush" - this is yet another great military movie.  Like Zero Dark Thirty, my number one movie last year, this one does the troops right and shows it all, the good and the bad, simply the truth - and we are all better for it.  Not easy to watch at times, graphic and unflinching, "Lone Survivor" is in the end a fitting tribute to the courage and sacrifice that our soldiers have made for us in staving off the forces of evil.

1.  Gravity
A game changing movie from one of my favorite directors - Gravity has it all; action, suspense, darkness and hope, all wrapped up in a powerful 90 minute package of mind blowing VFX and a surprisingly potent spiritual component.  With groundbreaking camera techniques and masterful editing, this movie is truly unlike anything you've seen before, and I cannot speak highly enough about it - both from a technical and emotional perspective.  If you haven't seen it - run, don't walk, to your nearest Imax facility before it goes away.  If you do miss it - you can come to my house and watch it on my 55" television from 3 feet away.

**********

Well that's it for the movies in 2013 - overall I have to say there were a lot more movies I loved than movies I didn't .  The one big disappointment for me was "American Hustle" which seemed to be a very unfunny "comedy" that was actually a dour Martin Scorcese-light.  The acting was good, especially Amy Adams who had a much more difficult role than Jenny Lawrence, but overall I just wanted to get away from these people - they were not only unlikable, but not interesting enough to get past that.

As for "12 Years a Slave" - I do want to see it, but I will be fully aware that I'm watching a film, not a movie - as it certainly doesn't look to be entertaining whatsoever.  Ah well.

2014 in movies is already off too an amazing start, as "The Lego Movie" is already firmly ensconced in my top spot!  Here's hoping that something even more amazing will come along to usurp it.

More of this, less of that...

Happy New Year to one and all.  2013 was fair enough, but there are certain things I want less of.

First and foremost, I want less outrage.  From everyone.  If 2012 was the emergence of perpetual outrage, 2013 was that anger coming fully into fruition.  In 2014, I refuse to be outraged.

In tandem with less outrage, I expect far fewer shrill accusations and labels. There were far too many vicious attacks this year - from all manner of idiots on both sides of the aisle, though admittedly from this right of center fellow's perspective, it always seems that the left has nearly cornered the market on most of the most outrageous smears.

Back in twenty aught eight, when Barry ascended the throne - I half joked among my liberal buddies that they couldn't call "racist" every 10 seconds anymore now that a good majority of voting citizens had put a black man in office.  But now, as the "r" word has been used to death in 2013 beyond all decorum or sense of reason, I am no longer joking.

As far as I'm concerned, the terms "racist" and "racism" have lost all meaning in any actual discussion.  Much as any "Hitler" comparison that you draw to your political opponent means that you are lazy and have lost the argument, this now also applies to any and all accusations of racism.  I don't want to hear the word, because it's been sucked dry and thoroughly used up by the hysterical left.

So that's what I want less of.  As for what I want more of - I only ask for one thing.

More shame.

I want more shame.  Less shamelessness.

From Miley, to Wiener to the crack smoking mayor of Toronto, I have absolutely had it with all these dick holes who think it's okay to be walking trainwrecks.  Lance Armstrong - you are a disgrace.  Dennis Rodman - North Korea is evil, the government kills tens of thousands every year.

All of you, yes Kim and Kanye, and I'm including you too, all you "Real Housewives" out there - find some shame.

Quickly.

I also want more hope and less hopelessness.  More humility and less hubris.  You know, the usual stuff.  Thankfully, the optimist in me truly believes this will be the way it is.  I am forever upbeat about the future - as my life has been so amazing and fantastic so far, I can't help but feel this way.

God bless us, every one.

A recap...

The old blog has been pretty heavy lately - I promise I'll get to lighter stuff soon enough, but for now let's recap...

I grew up a liberal in Berkeley California - and I was always taught to think for myself and question authority.  Unfortunately when I actually started doing so - I got shouted down, called names, lost friends - I was basically ostracized by many who had once told me to speak my mind.  Thankfully my close friends all stuck by me.

As I got through college and then out into the  real world, traveling to over 30 different countries, many of them 3rd world, as a camera operator and working with various charitable organizations - I became more and more convinced that a capitalist free market system was the only salvation for the planet; I also recognized that I lived in the greatest country on earth.

Over a decade I was transformed from a statist liberal - into a fiscal conservative and pro-military hawk, though still with quite a few liberal tendencies on social issues.

My true friends and of course my family, almost all of whom are liberal - still love me, we just don't talk politics.  But far too many acquaintances on the left that I encounter these days are super fast on the draw with the "r" word - racism, which is laughable to me and has lost all meaning.

I have also been called "evil" and "a bad person" on lil' old facebook.  I have been summarily de-friended by many who I assume have been unable to support their arguments and have been beaten up pretty bad by my unrelenting principles and beliefs.

But I don't bear any one of them ill will, and I don't believe a single one of them to be bad people.  They are simply lost - and ignorant of the real world.  Me, I've seen it first hand; I get it... not from some book or some socialist professor; I've dealt with it, poverty and real injustice in my face.  But the world is a big and complicated place and it demands logic and critical thinking, not emotional, reactionary rhetoric.

I pray on a regular basis that those without faith, those without a compass, those who are lost in their own anger and fear - will someday see the light.  That they can recognize that we are indeed put on this earth to help one another, but we must be on guard against the false compassion and the power hungry tyranny that threatens to bust forth in the name of "social justice" or being "fair"from the left.

You cannot legislate morality and you cannot insure that the world is "fair" from a political office.  You can only simply do your best to serve the people by insuring that they keep their freedom and individual liberty.  Only by this basic tenet will we all have the best chance to prosper; there is no quick fix, no miracle cure for greed in the human heart.  You cannot pass laws, draw up regulations, that will right every single wrong or insure a utopia.  

The best approach is, and always will be - to have faith in the creator and preserve as much personal liberty to the individual as we all can stand.  Only then, will we even have a remote chance at heaven on earth.

Hypothetical.

Say I was in an argument with a family member, perhaps a family member that I didn't always get along with - but a family member non the less.  A person that I would have to live with and deal with for the rest of my life.  And a family member that in the end, I would have to admit that I loved.

Now in this argument, let's say I was WAY right and they just happened to be WAY wrong.  But being a stubborn member of my family they were loathe to admit this.

Still, I lay out the evidence and decisively show that I am 100% right, and they are 100% wrong.

As they realize this, what should I do?

A.  Do a victory dance and multiple hip thrusts in their face.

B. Smirk and pshhh and turn my back and mumble "whatever".

or

C.  Be gracious and accommodating and even "admit" some fault of my own and find some way to give some ground even if I feel that I shouldn't give anything.


Do you see where I'm going with this?

First, a question.

What is leadership?

Is being arrogant and condescending with your opponents always the best approach? Even when your opponents are your fellow Americans?  And not just fellow Americans, but fellow civil servants who love their country.

Is it wise to have an unrelenting and unbending ego that blinds you to the big picture?

If I say to someone that I feel I have humiliated, "Yeah, well that's what you get.  NOW BEND DOWN AND SUCK ON IT YOU EXTORTIONIST ASSHOLE!!"  Does that really get me where I want to go?


Now don't mistake my hypothesis here - I don't for a second feel that the GOP is entirely, or even largely wrong.  But if I was a democrat, and my ship was on fire and headed for the rocks I might think twice about kicking republicans overboard just because they keep bothering me with a pesky fire extinguisher and keep grabbing onto the wheel.

Alas, I fear that our president is so hopelessly consumed by his ego, which is saturated with a dangerous infantilism that is fairly common for people his age and of his political bent - that he cannot for a moment see the forest for the trees.

Ultimately, it's his deep down fear and loathing of American exceptionalism that is blinding him to his obligations as our leader.  So instead of stepping back and understanding, that just because he has the momentary tactical advantage - he shouldn't necessarily use it to crush his adversaries; as these adversaries are ultimately on the same team as he is.  Ultimately, they are his family.

For me to unload on and humiliate an in-law, or a crazy cousin or uncle - just because I happen to be right on whatever topic has come up; would not only be selfish and childish, it would ultimately be destructive to my family.

Obama needs to take a breath, step outside of himself and understand that an unconditional surrender from the republicans simply isn't going to happen.  He has within his grasp the ability to at least temporarily dodge the rocks and put a damper on the flames - and he can do it with saving face and getting almost all of what he wants.

But he CAN'T expect the GOP to turn their backs on the people that elected them and get nothing for their efforts.  Even if, for arguments sake, we say that their efforts were entirely foolish.

For the record - I personally don't think the GOP was that far out of line; I would have preferred a fight for a delay of the ACA for the individual and a fight to make congress obligated to sign up for it.  Not a fight to defund; Obamacare will undoubtedly crash and burn on it's own, but that's neither here nor there and beside my point.

If Obama thinks the GOP will blink at this point as the debt ceiling deadline approaches, he is a fool.  And if we default it won't matter the amount of media spin - ultimately his administration, and he himself will bear the blunt of the blame for the beginning of the end in our country.