Movie review: COWBOYS AND ALIENS

Ahh Cowboys and Aliens, what an interesting movie you were. This was another one of those movies  were it was obvious that critics would bash it, simply because a lot of them view everything on a Oscar scale criteria as opposed to taking them at face value. This movie was a well thought out and well filmed and I believe Spielberg, Ron Howard and the director did a good job in making a movie based off and idea one would only find in a graphic novel something that you can take seriously.

BACKROUND (from wiki):

In 1873Arizona, a loner named Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens with no memory of his past and a mysterious shackle around his wrist. He enters the town of Absolution where he learns that he is a notorious criminal wanted by many people, including Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), who rules the town with an iron fist. Absolution soon faces an even greater threat when alien spaceships attack the town. While his shackle holds the key to defeating the aliens, Lonergan must ally with Dolarhyde and other former enemies to make a stand against them.

STYLE:

From the moment you see Daniel Craig waking up alone in a field with the shackle around his wrist; you know you are in for a unique movie. The style from this movie is obviously very rustic and western, but there is more to it than that. It does not have the same feel to it that pure western movies like true grit and 3:10 to Yuma do. I believe this western but not so western environment was created so that the viewer’s know that there will some major nonwestern occurrences happening in this movie (if for some reason the viewer has not seen any trailers for this movie). When the first alien strike does happen, and the blending of sci-fi and western genres starts to happen, the movie does an excellent job of staying true to itself. This movie could have easily turned into some ridiculous mess where the story is trying to do too many things at once in order to entertain fans of both genre, but instead it stays with a simple plot that is entertaining to follow. The aliens themselves even have a cool style about them, having seen a lot of alien flicks I have seen a lot of alien styles, but these kind are by far one of the coolest. They are shown as big hulks with big weapons that really highlight the challenge the heroes of the movie have is store for them.

PERFORMANCE:

First and foremost let me saw that Daniel Craig is a BEAST. The casting crew did an incredible job, for all the characters are perfectly matched. Craig has got the role of the lone hero down, Olivia Wilde plays a perfect mysterious love interest, and Harrison Ford (as much as I didn’t like his role at first) plays a good villain. This all-star cast put on a very realistic performance of how those in the olden times would react to aliens. Referring to them as “demons” and there space ships as flying machines, and none of it seems forced. As many people might complain about this movie, I think this is one of the rare movies I have seen that had the perfect cast (of blockbuster films at least, cult favorites usually have a perfect cast). I even liked Noah Ringer, the boy who played Aang in the live action Avatar movie. The extras and side characters were enjoyable to watch as they shouted, screamed, and shot in battle, and the great acting made this action movie all the more fun to watch.

EFFECTS:

Any movie that Spielberg is involved in is sure to have great effects, and this is no exception.  The western towns look believable, as do the aliens. The balance here is pretty cool considering if one was off then the other would look like a joke. The action sequences where the two sides clash are really well done, the viewer gets the effect the effect of the humans being taken over by these hunkering aliens. The space ships and the alien’s base look well modeled and fit well into the story. You can tell that a lot of time was put into this movie in order to avoid the audience thinking that this movie is just a cliché or ridiculous, and I congratulate the special effects team for doing a great job.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

I loved this movie, not just because I am an action fan, but because I can see how much work was really put into this. The director of the movie could have just made this into something silly and stupid, but the time and effort to make this movie not only into something people could take seriously, but something they could take seriously while still captured by the awesome unbelievable action. I also like this movie for being true to itself, the humans that fight the aliens do not miraculously over power them without any effort, they are slain left and right until the truly start to work to together. There are little lessons of humanity and how we should have open hearts and work together and stuff like that, but that’s not the main focus of this movie. This movie is about fighting aliens to get your people back, a true American tale that action and sci-fi fans will be sure to enjoy.

Beast.Inc on the horizon

Today Beast.Inc had its first adventure day. Beast.Inc is a sort of soon to be crew that consists of me and my friends: JJ, Isaac, Marc, and Daniel. Although it was only Isaac, JJ and I, it was still an awesome time, and I think this signals good things to come for Beast.Inc.

A little background about the name of the dance crew; when I got the crazy thought in my mind that one day I could be an amazing dancer surrounded by my awesomely talented friends, I wanted to come up with a name that meant something. I wanted me and my fellow dancers to stand for something, to not just be some ragamuffin team of kids. I envisioned that we needed to be beyond the average crew and prove that we are all dancers from the heart, in other words…we needed to be beasts. I also wanted for us not be sloppy or to be identified as some sort of impromptu street gang, we are all smart people and I believe we deserve to have a more respectable image then that. So I thought “we need to be professional…almost businesslike” then it hit me: professional beasts= BEAST.INC. My initial vision after coming up with the name was a bunch of werewolves wearing suits dancing in an amazing fashion, this abstract thought let me know that I had the right name.

When I had a dance crew in mind, I imagined a group of friends bonded together by what they love to do most, and doing what they love to express joy to other people. Today I experienced the first part of this. Exploring PV today and taking random yet awesome pictures of us just being our dancing selves was the perfect start to a crew in my mind. Through little things like this we were able to just have fun and bond together. I hope soon we can adventure again and throw more dancing in the mix, but for now this is a perfect start. We climbed things, hung from things, and found primo spots for really cool pictures, signs to me that we have a lot of teamwork capability.

Truth be told, I do think a little big, but that’s the only way I know how to think. A crew, no, a family of dancers come together to help brighten up the world just a little, that is a job best left to professionals. So I ask you: what better choice of professionals than a group of well-trained beasts?  We may be on a small scale now, but the world is funny and the small crew of dancers will hopefully grow to inspire and help people just how dance has helped us. You never know ;D.

Beast.Inc is on the way…

A Band Thought

Wow…when did time stop being the friend who always cruising along side you, and become the random person with a nice sports who zooms past you every chance they get? To those of you who don’t get this crazy metaphor I am simply asking when did time start passing by so fast and leave us dazed and confused about what we are supposed to be doing. it seems like only yesterday that i entered my high school marching band and i thought it would never end..and now the end is near.

Today as I met up with my buddy Erin and we discussed the next year of marching band and what will it entail, I realized that this is my senior year. I know that this may sound like me being extremely slow but it never really dawned on me that this is my last year of high school, and It took band to help me realize it. My schools band is vital part of its sprit and this is something I have known since my freshmen year, however, due to a switch in music teachers my sophomore year (the veteran music teacher replaced dude to horrible occurrences) the bands suddenly changed. There was an awkward time of collision between the veteran band members and the new teacher and it seemed as though the PV band might never again be the family of dedicated musicians it once was.

 Luckily I was proven wrong as the next year things began to run more smoothly...but little did I know that the countdown had already begun and soon it would be time for my class to rise up and leave a legacy in band. See me and the band members in the class of 2012 are the last class to have had any instruction under the guidance of the old music teacher, and all his wisdom. When we leave then it will literally be the end of an era. So this year I plan to encourage my class to leave a lasting impression that will inspire and motivate the band kids of future years.

This may seem like a tall order considering we only have a year to basically leave a humongous mark, but truth is that we have already started. My class is known for its uber supply of energy and spirit, so that part is done. The things we have yet to accomplish is to unify the band in such a way that every member feels cared for by one another, that’s the way it should be. I remembered that every class I have ever had in high school had been with a band member, It dawned on me that in high school I grew with the people I met in band, and they became some of my favorite people. The recognition you get for being in band, and the overall experience is truly amazing, and it is the duty of the c/o 2012 band members to ensure that this legacy of how band should be is continued, and that the ways of old are not forgotten.

This thought went just as quickly as it had come, and the only thing I could think was “wow…what a band thought”.

Operation: Hope For Marines

To whom it may concern,

Every day the states are a little safer because of you. Every day people of this country owe their lives to the things you do. Never once regret the choices you have made that have brought you to where you are. Never think that those back home don’t appreciate you, because we do. You have the bravery of any infamous warrior mentioned in ancient times, and this should be a constant thought in you minds. In today’s times the true heroes are never given the recognition they deserve, and I for one hate it. I personally hate conflict and war and fighting, but it is also because I do not possess the strength required to be a part of something like the Marine Corps. You are the chosen few who are awesome enough to do what needs to be done, to accomplish the tasks that no one else is able to do. Never doubt your own abilities because it is a gift that you should cherish and use to better the world one step at a time.

Always remember that your gifts of Courage & Bravery are tools that can truly help people =)

Your friend,

Ezekiel Starling   

District Council (I.E The Grand 5160 Council of not-so elders)

Sigh… so recently I applied and got accepted to a position connected to interact and rotary, called district council. District Council (DC) in my opinion is a Grand Council that puts on events for our district (5160) and helps promote unity and leadership skills among teens. My job specifically is more weighted to coming up with unique ideas and help put them on as events. Of course my feelings for DC are divided in to three main categories at the moment: Expectations, Excitement, and Fear.

EXPECTATIONS:

Everybody has them, and mine are usually low. I never really expect a lot from my peers because I know that a lot of them are holding back their own potential for whatever reason and as such, are lazy. But with DC I think my expectations are quite the opposite. I assume everyone will be very smart and have a 4.0 GPA and just make me look bad. At the same time however, I feel like I should not expect anything from DC, not because the members will be slackers or anything, but simply because I am in for an experience so unlike anything I have ever really done that my expectations will not mean anything. At the same time I wonder what will be expected of me… I have never been in a position where a lot is required of me and I am sure that this will be the perfect start. It will be a good feeling to be in an environment where people expect the best of me and encourage me to do better. So I guess I expect that DC will be a big surprise to me, not something I originally expected XD.

EXCITEMENT:

I can honestly say that I am excited to meet everyone in DC. I know a lot of them from CAMP ROY-AL but there are members that I have not met and I really want too. We do not get a lot of opportunities as teens to really get out and be part of something much bigger than ourselves, something that is for the benefit of others instead of ourselves. So I really want to see how DC does its thing and put my heart into the making of events that will help bring people together. I wish more people knew about things such as interact and rotary, I mean really knew, knew that it could help them develop communication, discipline, teamwork, etc.  I want a chance to really do something in DC that is major and will get to people. I don’t know what that something will be, but as long as I remain me and have the support of the friends I meet in DC, I am sure the right idea will come to me.

FEAR:

Hmm… my fears, I guess the two things I fear most about DC are rejection and failure. I fear that when I go into a meeting that the other members will not accept me, like I will be some sort of outcast whose ideas are not wanted or need. This is just something I have always gone through and I am hoping that this is just a silly phobia and DC is not really like that. I also fear that my past experiences and abilities are not enough to handle the job I have been given and I will fail. I fear that faith will be put into me only to fuel my ultimate crash and burn. As I stated earlier I have never been ins such a position where so much pressure was put on me…and for that very reason I fear I will fail and I will let down other DC members who were good enough to accomplish their jobs and goals.

This is an interesting albeit scary task I have ahead of me, but I will go into the void willingly, because deep down I feel that if I really were not qualified to do this job, then I would not have been given it. DC here I come >=D.

What happens in Vegas stays...except this Blog =3

Ah Vegas, Sin City of lights. Although I was only there for a few days, I can honestly say I loved it. Living in Pinole I don’t get to experience the hustle and bustle of huge cities often, which is usually something I do not mind, I love being away from busy streets and crazy people. In Vegas however… the environment was so fun and exciting and full of life that I just enjoyed the feeling of it, like there is a chemical in the air that gets you all hyped up with energy and life. So from this point on enjoy the journey of my trip to Vegas.

THE DRIVE:

The drive was incredibly fun XD. I got to play for my mom all the music that I have accumulated on my Zune. It was funny to watch how she reacted to Eminem, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Bruno Mars, etc. I barely noticed the time flew by as we rocked out to all the Zune music and enjoyed all of the various snacks that we packed. For the record let me just point out that I love road trips with a passion, and I hardly get to really hang with my mom this was especially fun. About halfway through the trip we came to stop at a 7-11 to use the restroom, of course with them not having one we had to get right back in the car, but this time I offered to drive >=3. I pulled out of the lot and within moments I was zooming down my first highway, of course my long road also happened to have a LOT of twists and turns that were a bit tricky to navigate at first but I got the hang of it, and I drove for a good hour and a half going to Vegas. On the way back I drove a lot more (about 2 ½ hours) and got us all the way home =D. I will never forget the excitement I felt as we rolled into Vegas and I got my first glimpse of all the hotels and casinos.

THE HOTEL:

The hotel was boss. We got was the roomiest hotel I have ever been in and I loved all the space. Plus we had a really good view of the Vegas strip, as we could see the Bally’s sign (the name of our hotel) and other hotels such as Rios, The Bellagio, Paris, etc. the room was so lite up at night due to all the neon lights outside. The beds were big and comfy and the TV got TNT and Fox, which were all me and my mom needed for the two-night stay. The hotel room service was by far some the best food I have ever had in my life, in fact ALL of the food in Vegas was amazing, from room service to the restaurant in the lobby downstairs. Speaking of the lobby, it was full of slot machines, card tables, shops, and restaurants and it all felt so lively.

THE CITY:

Ok Vegas was HOT, and I mean that literally, it was 105+ degrees with no breeze and dry air. No matter how amazed I was by the town I hate hot weather so walking around outside on the Vegas strip was horrid. Once we got inside the hotels and malls and got to look around, it was so cool. All the designer shops and famous restaurants, along with all the cool artwork and statues made walking around inside more fun. When the lack of walkway forced us to walk outside, however much as I hated the heat, we did see some interesting things. All the street performers and mini stores were fun to pass by, but I must say there were an obscene amount of people trying to solicit porn -_-, I swear there was a guy or girl on every corner just handing out info on how to order it, it was actually pretty funny considering my mom was right next to me as this was happening. Also there was a man holding a sign that said “smile if you masturbate” I had to try not to laugh as I read this or risk being pointed out as other random people were. In conclusion the Strip was so much fun and with the exception of the heat it was my second favorite part of Vegas.

THE JABBAWOCKEEZ:

YES! The whole reason we went to Vegas in the first place. The excitement did not hit me until the day of the show and we got our tickets. It was hours before the show but I wanted the show to start the moment I touched my ticket. I was so excited that I wanted to get a Jabbawockeez shirt (an official Monte Carlo one) so I could wear it to their show. My mom later teased me about this because I said it was something I would never do (buy merc before a show). As the hours counted down and my mom and I rested in our hotel room before the show, I couldn’t sleep or relax, I was too pumped, and when it came time to walk to the Monte Carlo for the show I almost killed my mom by forcing her to power walk at top speed with me. We got the theater and there was a line, and felt anxious to get inside. When the doors finally opened my heart skipped a beat and we rushed inside, took a picture by murals that were on the wall of the Jabbawockeez masks and hurried to our seats (which were very close the stage and also right by the speakers X_x). The show began with a single member of the group doing little comedy performances by getting some audience members involved and having them do various things, sadly to say I did not get picked but it was hilarious to watch as the single Jabbawockeez performed mini comedy sketches with the audience. When the show officially started I was amazed. Simple as that; it was a full scale Vegas show with effects, drama, comedy and most importantly it spread a message of inspiration that made you wanna get up and dance with them. The show was incredible and I wish I could reveal more but sadly there was so much to take in its hard to sort it all out. Needless to say I was not disappointed by the show and I would gladly go through the 9 hour drive in the blazing heat just to see them all over again. The Jabbawockee are truly inspiring, more than just dancers, they are revolutionaries who captured the audience through their unique ideals, comedy, and awesome choreography.

Viva Las Vegas      

Hiatus in Vegas

Hello all, due to my taking a trip to Las Vegas tomorrow (to see the jabbawockeez), I will not be blogging this Sunday-Wedsday. I will be talking about my Trip when I return but for now I leave you with a sneak peek of what im going to see. HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND YALL XD

Spontaneity at its Finest

Today, I woke up thinking that it would be another average summer day, I has never been so wrong.

My morning routine was the same, except I felt a little more lazy than usual and I had to marinate a chicken for dinner, something I randomly volunteered to do because I just felt the need to. This was the first spark in the fire of my spontaneous day. I went to a camp for speech and debate (which is basically just a two hour meeting in which different branches of our debate club talk to their members and prepare them for the upcoming year.) I noticed that my coach was making me run around a lot and do various favors for her, which I didn’t mind being her go-to person, but I just found it odd that I was the one she chose to do these random favors. I felt more open at the meeting than I usually do, talking more and spreading more ideas and it in turn was more fun. After camp is when the real fun began however, and it all started with the bounce house.

As I was walking with my friend Erin, who has just come back from Brown University as she was part of a scholarship program, we noticed a bounce house that was up and running  in front of a local church. Erin was on her way to a shop a little ways down the road and as we both saw the bounce house, we both had the same thought of how awesome it would be to get to bounce in it. She let the idea turn into reality when she uttered the phrase “dude, lets do it”, I knew immediately what she was refereeing to and usually I would have thought “man we could get busted” but today, I felt more spontaneous, ready to try anything, so I agreed. I walked Erin to the shop she needed to go to and as we headed back toward the bounce house we saw a fellow member of debate walking home so we grabbed and dragged him toward the bounce house with us, Erin rushed into the inflatable first, with me and our friend following after. It felt liberating. To be able just freely jump around not caring who was watching or what those watching would think. This was living, doing something fun on the fly and not even giving it a second thought. Even when the man working in front of the bounce house came over and asked us if we had tickets (to which we all said no) I felt no regret in the choice I had made, and I was truly proud of myself.

After the man working had let us keep bouncing, we all decided that we had had our fun and exited the inflatable. Now at this point Erin and I could have parted ways, but I decided to walk her home because we were having a good talk about college and Spontaneity and how more people should be willing to just let themselves be silly or do random things, etc. Sooner or later the conversation turned to us talking our schoolmates and how a lot of them have no spirit. We talked about ways we could inspire our fellow students to be happier but also to try harder, the burden of our generation. Eventually Erin asked about my Camp Royal trip and this is where the fun began. As I described my trip to her and how it changed me, she told about how she wished people could not have to worry about stressful things such as the future and college, and just live in the now. We ended in her garage discussing my trip and just brainstorming ways we can help people. I learned a lot about Erin today and also a lot about myself.

People owe it to themselves to not carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. We are only human and if we only stress and worry, we will not survive long. Only you can affect how you are, but you are not alone in this journey called life. There are so many people out there who care and are willing to help you become better, you just need to have enough courage and faith to go out and find them. This is how we will spread love, helping one another. There is a revolution on the horizon; one consisting of change and positive energy. Will you just go with the flow of everyday life, or will you resist the flow and go with the change.

Forever spontaneous and living to the fullest.

Max Payne..YES

I considered writing this as a video game review, but I realized that I wanted to do my first game review in video form. So this will be an impromptu post based on the game Max Payne (kind of a review but not really).

Max Payne is a bit of an old game now (first coming out in 2001, with the sequel appearing in 2003) but it is by far better than most modern games of its genre. MP ( Max Payne) is more than just  a game, it’s a story, a creative dark story with a major noir feel to it. The dialogue that is used in the story sucks you in like you wouldn’t believe, and the twists in the story actually surprise you.  It is a masterpiece, but the game doesn’t stop after the story ends, you subconsciously take lessons from the game that would most likely get from most modern games.

To keep things simple, the game is about a cop whose wife and child are murdered by raging druggies, and in the cops search for the truth he finds a conspiracy, betrayal, and secrets that he could never have foreseen coming. Sounds kind of like your average noir story right? Not so, this story involves the main character battling his demons with more than just his might. As Max is haunted by the murders of his family, you start to see him as more than just a video game character, he becomes…symbolic in a sense.

The reason I love this game so much and believe most people who play it will love is because they will start to connect with Max as if he were a real person. You feel his pain as he slides deeper and deeper into the abyss with no way out. You start to think of your own darkness over time, and as the game progress and Max learns more about himself and things going on around him ,you cannot help but think about things going on around you. “Have I really come to terms with what has been bothering me? Is it secretly dragging me down?” or a thought as simple as “is everything as it seems in my neighbor, is there a conspiracy going on?” While these thoughts may seem a bit extreme, they become natural in the course of MP you want to keep playing not only to learn how the story ends, but to find out the fate of Max and the dark demons surrounding him.

In all truth this game becomes a bit of coming-of-age story that unfolds as you play, a story that makes you think about your own life in a way. The people you love whom maybe are not with you anymore, things you may regret, etc. and you will be amazing at Max’s growth throughout the game. When the final credits roll, you feel sad at the ending of a story but also glad that through this game you yourself may have grown a little. Whether you are curious if this game will really affect you emotionally or you just want to be immersed in an amazing game, Max Payne will not disappoint, and I urge you readers to partake in this classic tale of love lost, darkness, betrayal, vendetta, and redemption. 

Just A Thought

As the years keep going by seemingly faster and faster I think to myself that it is all most time for the switch in which our generation takes over for our parents. It is a terrifying thought that makes me want to get in my bed throw the covers over my head and not come out. I think how much the world has changed since we were kids, how trends and ideals now differ from the ones we grew up with… most importantly, I think how people has changed.

By this I don’t simply mean the friends you had in 8^th grade become potheads or druggies when they entered high school, I mean change as in how far we have come. Have humans really progressed that much since we were all kids? Has the world grown colder since our innocent days of play without a care in our minds? These questions dwell in my mind, but every time I think them I always draw the same conclusion “we will survive”.

No matter how different the world has become, we (my generation) will take on the task of up keeping the world ready and willingly. We may be scared, nervous, or just plain not ready, but when the time comes we will show everybody what we can do. My generation has been looking down upon for years due to gangs, drugs, etc. but when we take on this world and our number is up, we will accomplish, imagine, build, and create things that were never even deemed possible…we are the world, and theres not point worrying about the future when deep down we all should know that we will survive, thrive, and enhance our world.

Just A Thought…  

Freelance Poetry

To all those out their searching for their destiny

Thinking “this American life’s getting the best of me”

I write these words so that maybe you can understand

That true destiny, and fate in truth lies in your hands.

Never once should you let evil forces make you think, about how far you haven’t gone and push you to the brink of your sanity and life, causing you to lead a path of shallow vanity and strife.

You hold the key to the one door that is meant for you, so ignore other people who try to decide for your life what is best and true.

They tell you free will is a crime and an illusion? Well then lock me up for my past misfit thoughts of deciding my own fate and throw me in a penitentiary and give me grime and seclusion.

Some react with anger to being told that their destiny does not belong to them whilst some react with sadness,

However I urge you to react with a smug look of confidence and stand proudly knowing you are one to stand against the madness.

Rise up against those trying to take what is rightfully yours to own and show them that this is your destiny, you fate, your life, your zone.

For whether you choose to be an artist, doctor, plumber, or a dancer

Remember that your fate is what you decide to make it, know that you are a true FREELANCER.

Young Love

Never once have I heard, read, or seen anything like the fleeting affections of my generation. So I dedicate this blog to true young lovers.

 As children we are told that love is a beautiful thing and should be a main focus in your life, whether it is as a girl wanting to find the man of her dreams and get married in the most romantic way, or as a guy who simply needs to find the one who makes him complete. In this day and age, with all the media and negative influences that are found all throughout our daily lives it can become hard to determine what is real and what you WANT to be real.

A perfect example of this would be a simple high school crush, to like someone for their personality, looks and how well you two get along. On paper the potential relationship might look perfect but the two people involved end up heartbroken, now why is that? I believe this is due to our subconscious mind filling blanks to questions that we have not even thought of yet. For example before you even ask yourself the question “will we work together” your mind already has filled in the blank with “We will be PERFECT together”. This is simply just a side effect of the time we live and while it may seem like a little bleak, there is hope to overcome this real vs. fake ideal of love.

You must be able to think PAST initial feelings if you are to ever find true love. A lot of youth nowadays are simply rushing to find their soul mate just so they can say they have one. It is unfortunately these same rushed relationships that end in turmoil. We all know it is enticing to feel that you have found love, to know that you have met the person who was made for you, but in order to verify this, you must use more than your heart to think. You must ask yourself the big questions “Is this what I REALLY want?” “Does the other person feel the exact same way” “how much do I really know/trust this person”. 


Remember, to right one will not slip away if you wait, it is better to be patient and resolute rather than to rush relationships and be prone to heartbreak.

To the fellow members of this generation; It is up to us rise above any negative influence and gain our own respective loves. Always remember to think as the mature young adults we have grown up to be, rather than the young prince and princesses we were as children. Love finds all who are willing to wait for it.

True to Thyself

As I was discussing the matter of acceptance with my father today, I learned more about my origins (that is, me as a baby) and realized the importance of being true to yourself.

Some will read this post and go “whaaat, your JUST now realize the importance of being yourself-blablablabla” and my answer to that is no, I have always realized the importance of being me, but being true to myself is different.

When you be yourself, in my opinion that means you act crazy despite whose watching, wear the clothes you want, you laugh out loud even if some may find it annoying, and you love being yourself. This is a trait that is immensely important in life, however it is also a skill most of us learn in elementary school-middle school. The part where things get tricky is when the times comes and you must learn to be true to yourself.

As my father told me the story of my birth, he explained to me that his whole side of the family expected him to force me into sports (since my dads a sports star) and he never once forced me to do anything. When I asked why, he replied that the only thing he really wanted from me was good grades, and having accomplished that I was free to determine my own life. It was with this freedom that had to learn to become true to myself, meaning I had to draw a line that would represent where I wanted to go in life and STAY on that line. That is the difference between being yourself and being true to yourself. It is very possible to be yourself (meaning your comfortable with who you are) while dropping out of high school, developing a drug addiction, etc.

So in this message, I urge you readers to STAY TRUE to whom you are, do things that will fuel your forward path and ignore the dark aspects of our society that can and will drag you down at the first chance they get. Never try to please others by changing yourself because each human being has a set of traits and abilities that make them who they are, if you feel the need to change these traits for anyone, do not, you will regret it. I have faith in all your abilities to stay true and become amazing people because deep down you all knew who you were and what you wanted. So stay true my friends ;)

The Energy of Dance

DANCING:


so today as I was dancing with my friend JJ (aka BBOY FLASH) I started to think, really think, about what dance is and what it can do.


Every culture has a form of energy that they consider to be the life force of humans and power us. Chi, Chakra, Aura, Swag, whatever you want to call it you cannot deny that is there. Normally this energy doesn't really spark in us unless we are determined to accomplish something.  However when you dance you can feel this strange sensation inside you, more of a feeling then just joy or happiness, that feeling is your inner energy activating.


Now to some of you this may sound a bit far fetched, because you have lived your lives knowing that you and you and nothing controls you, but this energy I refer to IS you. When your in the zone dancing you feel stronger, confidant, like you can do anything, and this feeling is amazing. Now JJ told me that dancing is his life, and it shows, his energy radiates and you can feel that "wow, this boy has a true passion for dance".


In the video I posted above, you may not be able to tell that energy is flowing through me, but it is. It fuels my moves, helps me create in the moment, instinctively know where to go next as if I had been dancing all my life. THIS is what dancing is. It is not just a hobby, or a form of art, but a power.


The superpower that is dance reflects the dancer him/herself. When a dancers happy their movements are fluid and bright, when mad their movements are rigid and forceful, when serious the movements are cold and calculated. These traits are things that you develop over the course of training that is dance. Not only does this effect you however, it also has an effect on people around you. The reason people are so attracted to shows such as ABDC is that they get sucked in by the radiation of the dance crew energy. For example, last season when IaMmE did their battle against punk phenomenon the audience and viewers at home started chanting the crews name, the could FEEL all the power that was put into making this performance, and later released in its execution. The connect between dancers and those who do not dance is that one inspires the other, in a cycle the naturally inspires one to be better.


Dance has as much power as it could possibly need to help the world, and I truly believe this...think about it, a world where people who dance inspire EVERYONE to become better people, dancers in the Middle East and Africa dancing to inspire people in their respective areas to cease warring on one another, dancers in china inspiring their leaders to treat their citizens more fairly, and dancers in our very own U.S inspiring our political leaders to give our Nation true equality and more just policies...to others this may be a crazy conspiracy, but to me, this is a true possibility, through  the power of dance and expression of emotion...we can help change things =)

Closing of 1st day

Honestly, i just wanted something to keep me occupied over break, but this might turn into something that i really enjoy =D

First Movie Review- Sucker Punch

BACKSTORY (from ign):
(Close your eyes. Open your mind. You will be unprepared. "Sucker Punch" is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what's real and what is imaginary. She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls--the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish)--to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm). Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey--if they succeed--will set them free.)


First off, let me say that i am glad that this movie in particular is my first review, i think you will really get a good grasp of my tastes in movies and how i look at them by reading this review =).


Okay, i knew from the first moment i saw this trailer that i would without a doubt enjoy this movie, however the reasons why i would enjoy did not make themselves apparent until i actually watched the film. Also, i knew that i would be one of the only who genuinely like this movie without marking it off as some anime- wannabe imitation crap. I will split this review up into sections for the sake of organization of my thoughts and clarification for my readers X3.


STYLE:
i was actually surprised at the style of this movie. I was under the impression that it would have some kind of ridiculous bright cliche back story about a fantasy world being torn apart by war or some such nonsense, but this was not the case. The style was that of a fantasy, but it was very dark nature, you could obviously tell it was fiction from the first few minutes in, but not from the actual movie images, but rather from the FEEL of it. and to me it is very rare to find a movie that immerses you in the feel for the movie and has you interested before the action even starts. The transitions between reality and fantasy are done in quite a unique fashion in this movie, so that even in the over the top anime style settings, you still know that its the story and you know that the action portrayed is an essential part of the main story because it keeps the same dark-ish style (more on transitions later).


ACTING:
Was great for this type of movie, meaning it was not a performance worthy of best actor or actress, because the majority of females played the same role (the role of a woman who just wants to escape) however you could tell that each actress had a unique personality and as such none of the characters blended together. I loved seeing Scott Glen in this movie, playing a wise old man  and he is a joy to watch XD. I must say that even Vanessa Hudgens did a good job, i was not disappointed with the acting job in this movie , for all the performances went along perfectly with the story, a harmony usually found in movies people consider much better than this.


EFFECTS/ACTION:
These two items go hand to hand in this movie. The CGI played a big role in all the action sequences due to all the action taking play in a fantasy world. They effects were bold, well designed and looked amazing. At the same time the models off all the enemies did not stray to far from pre-conceived notions. By this i mean that the dragons looked like dragons we have seen in harry potter, robots looked like that we have seen in terminator or Irobot, and the settings did not stray from the average design of castles and battle zones. I believe this was done to make people focus not on the actual setting of the fantasy world, but the story and action taking place inside of it, to make an illusion within the fantasy that connect the styles of the reality and fantasy worlds together more intimately.


EXTRA:
I would really like to point out that I love how the creators of this film USED the action and fantasy. To make the fighting in the fantasy world a symbol of the main character "dancing" was not how I expected the movie to go at all, while others might condone this i commend it for being a unique way to use something i thought would be cliche. To make it more simple, i guess its just saying that the fantasy action is a more dramatic form of the real world situation is something that appeals to me because i have a flair for the dramatics =).


OVERALL/FINAL THOUGHTS:
I read reviews for this movie and as I suspected, not a lot of people liked it. they criticize it for being degrading toward women by portraying them as eye candy, to this I reply, if you actually WATCHED the movie you will have noticed the girls work for a brothel, and often times do not have a lot of clothes on. This is simply the setting of the movie and is should be no more criticized than the female characters of mortal kombat. In my opinion if you are going to see a movie, know what your going for, you can obviously tell from this movies trailer that the women in it would not be wearing a lot of clothes (again due to them working and living in a not so reputable environment) and if you dont like that, dont watch the movie, simple. All in all, i liked what this movie tried to do and how it tried to do. but as I stated earlier, I did not watch this expecting an Oscar nominee, I expected a simple poorly told action movie, and I actually got more than what i asked for. So do i recommend this movie? Yes, for gamers, action fans and anime fans, but if your the type to nitpick every little detail of a movie, you might want to skip this one ;)

CAMP ROY-AL!

Video Intro =D

WELCOME

WELCOME TO THE STAR WORLD, here i will be discussing all the radnom interests i have in order to entertain and have my opinions logged online enjoy the world