Super 8 is a big fat…

I am always filled with amazement when things in the world are actually kept secret! It’s like a trust that doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Whoever J.J. Abrams collaborates with are a very rare breed. I finally got myself to the theaters to see Super 8 today with the Bestie and the Munster.

I have heard nothing but vague good things about this film, so I went in with my own preconceived ideas about what I was about to witness. So many people said it was good, but they mentioned that they couldn’t describe why.

I had the expectations that the acting in this film would be so so. I haven’t seen too many kids that excel at making me believe wholeheartedly in what they are going through. Call me a harsh critic, if you want. I mean the first Harry Potter flicks were only about the story and the effects, not so big on the acting was Mr. Radcliffe. Although, he has certainly come into his own. I do respect him especially now after seeing his performances on the Tonys and Jay Leno. So I was expecting the adults to handle most of the heavy acting and the kids to do most of the running and screaming. I was happily proven wrong when the movie began to take off after the opening scene of the movie.

Elle Fanning is incredible in the scene with Joel Courtney when they watch the film featuring his mother and she tells her confession. That entire scene was so heartfelt and honest that you have to have a heart of coal to not be moved by it. I don’t mean you have to cry like a baby, but to feel something. All the younger cast in the film were incredible. They really held their own against film veterans Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard. I loved the scene with the kids in the restaurant and the back and forth that ensues.

But the acting wasn’t the only thing that made Super 8 super. Abrams is a master storyteller. There were so many unexpected moments that got a reaction from me that I felt like I’d been on a very long roller coaster ride when I left the theater. The story had such a powerful message about how our government would go through great lengths to cover up anything they deem classified. Not that we didn’t know this already, but it’s always nice to be reminded every once in a while. The other theme that I loved was how our species always tries to destroy things that it fears.

The misunderstood “creature” is a big confusing mass, though. I still can’t figure out what all of it’s parts were exactly. It had tentacles, and I think 8 legs, but I thought I saw claws when it first gets out of the train.

I did find one thing that was weird though. At the end, when Deputy Lamb and Joe were brought back together, Joe’s necklace is a focal point. While I can clearly see that Joe is looking at it, I thought that the Deputy would be looking at it also. But he is obviously looking at something else completely. I wonder if it’s the monster or what, but it’s not the necklace.

All in all, Super 8 is a big fat 10!! Now, I know what my friends meant when they say it’s hard to explain why it’s so good. Just know that on every level, Abrams and team have crafted a solid story that is nearly perfect in all facets of movie making magic.

Don’t be a Weiner!

On the 16th of this month, Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned from office thanks to his own political party. As I was finishing up my run at the gym, the breaking news bulletin was just beginning. It made me a little sad that it ended up like this. It’s not that I condone his actions, but what about Republicans like The Governator, who now has a “new” kid; John Ensign, who carried on a two year adulterous affair with one of his staffers; Paul Stanley, an evangelican who cheated on his family with a 22 year old intern and nude photos were involved in that little brouhaha as well? Oh, and my personal favorite my favorite toilet toe tappin’ Senator Larry Craig!!

In comparison, a few pics vs. actual sneaky sex pale immensely in my opinion. People are arguing that the guy lied about the pictures and that’s why it’s such a big deal. My answer to that: He’s a politician!! They all lie!! That’s what we pay them for. At least that’s what it seems like that’s what we are paying them for. All we ever get is political theater. There is never any true action that happens. Take for example, the deficit. The tax payers are going to be paying a shit-ton more in interest on that debt (even though we can’t afford to) while Congress pretends to be concerned with cuts that aren’t even going to make a scratch on the overall amount AT ALL!! But the politicians pretend that it was going to make such a difference. And we buy it. Why? Because we pay them to lie to us. To make it feel like things are under control. If the deficit was America the amount that they wanted to cut would be the equivalent of a city block. If you look at a map of the states in it’s entirety, would you miss a single city block? I bet you wouldn’t even be able to notice.

So back to Weiner…With Fox News, the “unbiased” (excuse me while I crap my pants laughing at that!!) “news” network owns the majority of the news media, I feel like the weiner was grilled a little longer than usual in an attempt to begin swaying the public for the 2012 elections. What I have a problem with was that Weiner should have fought more. He could easily have said “Hey, I’m human, and I made a mistake.” Then use that tenacity and knack for words to rebuild your career. I mean it worked for Chris Brown, right?

What does this have to do with theatre or the site, you may ask.

Two things that strike me: First, I say fight my fellow dream seekers!! Don’t get pressured into doing what the mass thinks you should. If your dream is all that you are, then fight.

Secondly, Politicians, after years and years and YEARS of lying and cheating, still haven’t realized that even though they have the opportunity to do something forbidden it doesn’t mean they should. You are always being watched. Just like when you go in for an audition, the moment you walk in and interact with the people around you, you are creating an impression.

I love to listen to everything that the staffers say. I want to learn and not make the same mistake that someone else made, or make the same choices that the previous actor has made. Being mindful of the little things that people say to others, when it’s not private, is a good skill to obtain. Often times, it’ll only help you become better at your craft if you let it.

This Green Lantern’s light, I’m gonna let it shine

So some people have said that X-Men: First Class and Thor are incredible movies. They’ve even gone so far to say that they are the best comic book movies out there. I don’t know if I can agree with that.

I like to read some comics because it’s fun. I like the imagery. I like the idea that some people are made to be something more that just a mere mortal. Someone who can help to make the world a better place. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished for that. If I had to venture a guess it would be a least twice every single day. Every. Single. Day.

For the same reason I read comics, I enthusiastically watch movies based on those funny little books.

It seems like the two previously named movies were made in the attempt to make the movie “deep” or taken seriously. Now, I know someone is going to say that maybe I don’t have the attention span for this. Not true. I love good dramatic films, but I don’t want my comic films to try and be something else.

If I wanted to see a deep movie or a serious movie, I’d frackin’ go and see the “Kings Speech” which by the way is an AMAZING film.

For this reason, I didn’t enjoy X-Men or Thor nearly as much as I would have liked to. I had high hopes for both. I wanted them to be insanely good. I wanted to see more super power vs. super power action in both and felt let down, when the action was so brief.

While Green Lantern’s major battle with Paralax was short lived, the rest of the movie fulfilled very nearly all of my expectations. The romantic story line was a bit long, but the movie which runs just over an hour and a half, gets in nearly everything you need to know about the history of Hal Jordan and the creation of the GL Corps, Hal’s training as GL, and the Peter Sarsgaard’s villainous story line.

The story pushed forward steadily with action and dashes of comedy. Yeah, sometimes it was cheesy, but so what?

A lot of people take issue that Ryan Reynolds is too “comedy” for this role. Maybe, but if Nathan Fillion, who I am a HUGE fan of, got the role, it still would have been a comedic actor playing the role. I think by having Reynolds or Fillion playing Hal Jordan, the audience gets charmed right off the bat. Hal Jordan is a selfish jerk so it would take some time to make the audience want to root for him. In a comic book movie, studios just don’t have the time for it.

We got to watch the movie in 3D and I have to admit that I am not really a 3D kind of person. I have to say, however, that the graphics were excellent. I really enjoyed the opening and closing credits. The mask on his face is still a bit of a disappointment. I hate the fact that it looks painted on. Mark Strong as Sinestro was spot on. I cannot wait to see him shine in the sequel.

If you are going to see this movie hoping to find some deep meaning or prolonged “acting” sequences (The acting in X-Men was meh when Fassbender and McAvoy weren’t on screen.) then prepare to be a little let down. However if you are going to see a fun comic book movie that has great imagery and pretty dang good action then you’ll more than likely enjoy this film.

Have you seen Green Lantern yet? Are you going to see it? Let me know what you thought of the movie.

♭♪♫ Papa- Paparazzi ♩♩♫

Flowers never looked so good! Calling all you non-professional photogs out there!!

Could you use a little cash? Of course you could. I mean, who couldn’t nowadays, right? Then I think I may have a fun way to earn it! And it’s kinda easy…

Yamagami’s Nursery is having a contest for the best picture of flowers.

The contest is basically three stages.

Stage 1: You have until June 26th to upload your best image to the Yamagami’s Photo Contest Page by submitting them to: Flowers@YNurseryNews.com. You may upload only three submissions. It could be close-ups of the flower or a wide angle shot of a display of them, just as long as they are the focal point of the image. Keep in mind, there may be a brief delay getting you pictures to the proper page, so get them in at least three days before the deadline.

Stage 2: Beginning June 27th and thru July 23rd, the public will begin to vote on which images they like the best. You can find the competing images HERE. There are some amazing images. However, don’t let that discourage you from putting your best foot into the contest. Just as nature’s created millions and millions of beautiful images, your creativity and uniqueness can capture something that most people have never seen. Challenge yourself to see beyond the stunning colors and the brilliance in the patterns. The top ten images will then be submitted to a panel of judges who will then award the cash prizes.

Step 3: Beginning August 18th, you can view the images when you stop on by the nursery as they will be on display. On August 27, Yamagami’s will host an awards show and the prizes for the Top 3 will be given to the photographers with the best images. All of the Top Ten finalists will receive a small Yamagami’s Nursery gift certificate.

Please read the complete detailed rules before entering and best of luck to all you picture snapping photogs out there.

Sadly, employees of Yamagami’s and their families are not eligible to enter.

Here are a couple of my fave nature shots that I’ve taken. What do you love to capture with the lens? Share where do you like to go for that inspiration?

There I sat in rapt attention…

Before I say anything, I have to give a gigantic THANK YOU to my boss, Ms. Amy Root!!! If it wasn’t for her radicalness, I would have not been able to catch the whole evening whilst looking shockingly presentable. There’s pictures of me floating around somewhere. 🙂

Friday night, Teatro Vision held a little fundraiser to help cover the cost of sending two Teatro Vision representatives to the National Theater Communications Group Conference. Typically, this conference is held in the East Coast, but this year, it’s happening in the City of Angeles. The TCG is focused on how to keep the Arts alive and changing with the times. On their site, they say that the theme of the conference is “What if…” I think it’s a brilliant theme and I loved some of the questions they posed on the page. You should check it out!

How could I not want to help a local company, that has given me so many opportunities, travel to something this important? With this in mind, I accepted the invitation to the get together and was granted permission by Elisa to take photographs of the night. Since I didn’t want to distract the performers, I didn’t use the flash, so there is a kind of 70’s looking graininess to them that I kind of like. But I really did want some clear shots especially for the dancers.

The night’s hosts Rodrigo and Elisa made everyone feel welcome and thanked the crowd many times over. Rodrigo was the emcee and he was incredibly charming behind the mic. He spoke of the hope that this event may be something that Teatro will host every few months to have a chance to reconnect with each other. It was a small gathering, but he said we were all familia. That’s one of the great things about Teatro Vision that keeps me wanting to go back again and again.

First up to perform was Cristal Gonzalez. She performed a monologue titled Hero & Saints. This multi-character scene began with an Erin Brockovich type reporter bringing to light the toxic water supply in a California city and the citizens struggle with governmental assistance. The reporter shifts into a gossipy neighbor, then into a mother and grandmother of a child dying from the water. It was a lovely piece that makes me want to know the rest of the story.

Next up was Sarita Ocon.

Sarita performed an original piece called “Compromise.” This performance was also uses a monologue from the play “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot.” While speaking with her, I found out that it’s an exaggeration on an experience that happened to her at an audition once. She slates as one would at any audition, then begins to launch into her monologue. She is repeatedly interrupted by the director who is constantly trying to make her more feminine or more “Latina” I cannot explain how fascinating this was to watch. I just knew that I was watching someone incredibly special. I mean, I have NEVER paid so much attention to how someone rolls up their sleeves. I was completely enthralled and did not ever want it to end. Her transformations were marvelous. You could see, after she was “directed,” she took time to change her attack and she showed you without a word and without making it a long drawn out thing.

Not only was her performance mesmerizing, but her story was so full and complete that it wasn’t until after I got home that I realized the song that lead into her piece was a perfect choice. I don’t know if she requested to be brought onto the stage to the tune of “I’m Your Puppet” by James and Bobby Purify, but it fit with the idea that she had to do the things that the director wanted.

By the time she was done, she was the complete opposite than what she started and was so much more intense that when she left the stage, the room exploded with applause. Truly an amazing and gifted artist, and I would LOVE to work with her.

The next performer was a shock to me for two reasons. The first was that this is a Latino function and there’s so much machismo in this culture that I didn’t expect it. The second was the audience reaction. I feel bad because I couldn’t quite catch the name, but we were treated to a fun three song set of a drag performance.

Her heels must have been at least 3.5 inches so I don’t know how she did all that she did in them. Props to her for that alone!! She worked the crowd and they loved it. I wish I could tell you the songs she used, but they were in spanish and I was just lost. So I focused on the beat and the dancing. She was all kindsa sassy! So fun though.

Closing out the show would be my first folklorico dances since I truly began to appreciate dance. My friend the beautiful Anees Guillen and her dance partner Alex Morales delighted the crowd with a three song set as well. It was stunning. I couldn’t help but to be drawn to the way she would work that dress!! It just moved to well. They had asked me to make these little calls or yelps to cheer them on, so when I tried it, I felt like I wasn’t doing it right. I didn’t do them very loud, but I tried.

While it was the end of the performances, the night was still young, so I hung around and danced my first line dance! When I told Perry and one of my other friends this, their reaction was the same: Me: I danced my first line dance. Them: Ugh! Me: It was to Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy-Breaky Heart. Them: UUgh! Me: In Spanish. Them: UUUGH!!

But it was super fun. I got a little sweaty thanks to the tunes of our playlist iDJ, Hugo, who was also very active in getting everyone into the line. I think in all there were four songs that had a line dance type of movement to them.

In the MACLA gallery, I was greeted by the works of Elizabeth Gomez. She works with mixed media to create images of nature/animals that are adapting to human habitats mixed with religious iconography. One of my favorites called “Crow” is a large beautiful piece of blues with little faux flowers that looked to be painted to match the canvas settings. It’s a charming and lovely piece that would look perfect in my blues filled living room.

One of her other pieces was of a mountain lion that had been shot by Animal Control, I believe it was. I don’t know if you remember the mountain lion that was found in the backyard of a Redwood City home and was shot rather than captured and released that happened a while back. Thanks to, for lack of a properly respectful term, Ms. Gomez’s love of nature, her sorrow for this pointless killing inspired her to create a stuffed toy replica of the lion and underneath is scarlet red fabric. There are three deep indentations with that same scarlet fabric sewn into them with ribbons of it flowing out the “wounds.” I am sure that my likemindedness regarding nature and destroying other creatures homes for humanity’s benefit allowed me to connect with this image and made me feel what I guess is the same sorrow that she felt. The hanging flowers over the body offer a touching element representing that love of nature. I was so caught up in looking at the lion and the other works that Ms. Gomez created that I didn’t even realize the doors opened and people were filing in.

All in all, it was a wonderful night! I got to hang out with my buddies Hugo, Rodrigo, Anees, and Elisa. I got to meet some cool new people like Alex and Sarita. And I was blessed with inspiration. What more could I hope for?