Cinema: An Art Form In Distress

I have a question… What the hell is happening to American cinema?

I just got home from Peery’s Egyptian Theater, which screened Spiral Staircase by Robert Siodmak; it was undoubtedly the best film I’ve seen this year, yet it’s over sixty-five years old. If you’ve not seen this film, and are a fan of nineteen-forties film noire, you must see it. It’s a character piece about a mute girl working as a caregiver in New England in the early nineteen hundreds in a town where a serial killer has been murdering young women. She becomes trapped in the mansion in which she works during a terrible storm and the killer is in the house! It was exquisitely shot with one of the richest screenplays of its generation. The last wonderful film I saw was The Guard starring Brendon Gleeson and Don Cheadle, which was an Irish production that came through Sundance last year by the same production team that made In Bruges (also amazing). That’s it, though. Before those two, the last decent film I saw was Black Swan, but that was almost a year ago.

So, the best films of the year were either older than my parents, or from the UK. In a country that spends more on films than its government spends on aiding the impoverished, why can it not produce a decent piece of cinema? Daron Aronofsky, Clint Eastwood, and Joel Coen are really holding down the fort lately, since Martin Scorsese seems to be going a little senile, if the trailer for his new children’s film is anything to go by. Oliver Stone, Edward Zwick, Wolfgang Peterson and Ridley Scott haven’t directed anything memorable for at least five years. I’m worried that the age of classic filmmakers is coming to an end. I’m telling you, NYU cannot accept me into their masters program fast enough; American cinema needs me in the worst way. Don’t worry, you’ll see why in about ten years.

American documentaries have been carrying the industry’s credibility for a few years. The Cove, and Casino Jack and the United States of Money were fantastic and brave pieces of filmmaking. The Devil Came on Horseback, a documentary about Sudanese genocide, was the most powerful film I’ve seen in my entire life, but I wish the film wasn’t so necessary, because its subject matter may be the darkest thing the world has ever seen, and it’s happening right now. If you haven’t seen it, you need to see it, even if the only thing that comes from it is a fresh perspective of your own life. It notes that the only thing necessary for American support there is pressure form its constituency. A group of friends and I sent at least thirty letters to our representatives, but have yet to hear back from anybody (color me surprised.) Please, anybody who reads this, educate yourself about what is happening in Darfur, and act on it. I’m sorry this last paragraph turned into a political push, but it’s necessary; the barbarity that’s occurring throughout that region is absolutely abhorrent.

Anyway, I have to slander Michael Bay a little while I’m on the subject and have the chance. Is he, or is he not the worst thing to happen to the silver screen since its conception? “Yes,” said Cole, “Yes, he is indeed.” The man is a hack with a big box full of squibs (squibs are tools used to make explosions on sets.) All the man does is film explosions in a desert, and chroma key robots into the shots later. He must have been so pleased with himself when he made Armageddon. It was a film about an explosion that saved earth! Are you kidding me! But it’s not his fault, because the drooling masses can’t get enough of it, and enable the man to keep pumping out this brainless, over-budgeted, visual swill! There is a sinkhole in Thailand with that man’s name on it… Terrence Mallick should probably be pushed in too…

A Skeptic's Inspiration

Yesterday, I went to the Philosophy Club lecture on Noam Chomsky's Universal Grammar (UG) given by Dr. Mark LeTourneau. Last year in philosophy of language, we were not able to get the topic because of time. So Dr. Richard Greene organized the lecture because I expressed that I was very interested in it. I was a little disappointed, however, because it was only a brief overview. Don't get me wrong; I was very grateful. But I didn't learn anything new.

The best paper I have written in my college career so far was on Universal Grammar. Particularly, I argue that it is not science. I still disagree with this theory as science, but I also think it is inherently incorrect. I just get that gut feeling. So maybe it wasn't the lecture. Maybe the lecture was telling me that a lecture on Universal Grammar is not where I need to look for ideas/inspiration.

So I know Universal Grammar. Where I need to look is into scientific theories of language acquisition. There probably aren't many, considering Chomsky's theory has been around for 25 years. Is it just that technology is not yet advanced enough to perform experiments? Granted, we could devise experiments; they'd just be highly unethical. Soon psychology and neuroscience will make a breakthrough.

Who knows? Maybe science will prove Chomsky right. Until then, I'm off to studying linguistics, psychology, and philosophy in hopes with coming up with that "great idea."

Real Men Like Real Football

There is this myth in this country that never ceases to amaze me. It is widely believed that Americans do not like soccer (football is the correct term, but I will call it soccer here for practical purposes). Anyone who still believes that has never been to Rio Tinto stadium, where games are routinely packed with 20,000 screaming fans. The impulse to deny soccer its rightful place in this country stems from the American tradition of xenophobia. Yet, those who are able to get past the “foreignness” of soccer invariably fall in love with it. And why not? It is a—no, the—beautiful game. It is a game full of passion and full of energy. It is a game in which fans are center stage.

Some people complain that it is a low scoring game and call this boring, but anyone who has been to a professional game will see the low scoring aspect of the game as a huge positive. Yes, there are few goals in most games, but when the goal comes, there nothing more beautiful, or if you are receiving it, more painful. Either way, it means a great deal. One goal can make an entire stadium erupt with joy or bring sadness to the stands.

In victory, the fans share in the team’s happiness. In defeat, there is collective mourning. And win or lose, fans are part of the team in a way that no other sport allows them to be. That is why soccer, more than any other sport, favors the home team. The energy in the stadium is transferred to the field in the form of chanting, singing, and screaming that never stops. Soccer fans are in a very real sense a huge part of a team’s success.

Every time I show up for a soccer match, it feels like the first time. Each time the players come out, and I pull my scarf over my head to show my allegiance, I feel like I am part of something bigger than myself. Every time I scream at the referee or try to intimidate the opposing team, I feel like I am contributing to my team’s success. It seems silly—until you experience that rush.

There is nothing like it, except maybe being on the pitch. Soccer is growing at an incredible rate in America. Major League Soccer teams are no longer a joke. They are competing—and winning—against elite international teams. And people are starting to realize just how amazing the sport is, and just how much fun being a soccer fan can be. It is not the passive, wishy-washy fandom of “football” or basketball. Soccer fans are engaged, passionate, and loyal like no other subset of fans. It is time we pay a little attention to the world’s game, and make it our own. And let the record show that I was a soccer fan before it was cool to be a soccer fan!

Is it solipsistic in here, or is it just me?

I started playing Magic: The Gathering in 1994, took a break for a few years and got back into it in 2004. Every year the creators produce a new block of cards consisting of three sets with a large set in the fall and two smaller sets in the winter and spring. The new large fall expansion just came out called Innistrad. The theme for this year's block is gothic horror, so vampires, zombies, and werewolves abound. They came up with tropes from classic horror stories and movie and designed cards to fit. Cards like this inspired by The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

For those who don't know, Magic is the original collectible card game with well over 10,000 unique cards. Imagine a chess game where the pieces don't start on the board, you don't know what pieces your opponent is going to play, and you each get random pieces from your pile to add each turn. Or imagine poker with over 10,000 possible cards rather than 13, and you're each playing from a different deck. Even in the most limited formats to play Magic, there are over 200 unique cards that an opponent could play. It's a little mind-boggling and incredibly fun.

I love this time of year when a new block is released because the possibilities for building a deck are wide open. The full card image gallery for Innistrad is here: http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/innistrad/cig# They put a lot of work into the art style, creating names, and writing flavor text to bring the world to life. They also love to hire English majors if you ever wanted to work in the Seattle area.

Feeding Time

Feeding Time

I collapse back against the tree trunk. I fight to harness my raging breath and pounding heart. How could I have been so stupid? The old man told me the tiger, a man-eater, had been stalking the camp for days. I curse my youth and arrogance.

The air stands still. The wet heat shimmers green. He must be close, the birds hold their chirping, the saar beetles fall silent. No breeze. Perhaps he won’t smell me. I must control my breathing.

A moment passes. Where is he? Run! No! Stay. I clutch the revolver, pressing its cool barrel against my lips. Why didn’t I bring my rifle? A crack, a rustle, birds screech fleeing the treetops.

He’s right behind the tree. I must run. Right or left? One chance. Crack. I whirl left. Wrong choice. The striped demon crouches low in the grass. Paralyzed in the amber fire of his eyes, I can’t even scream.

I raise the gun. He springs, slashes. My hand! The gun! They disappear into burning pain. An eviscerating swipe tears my torso. I’m flung to the ground, the beast crushing my chest with an iron paw. Golden eyes pierce through the black pain closing in around me. He throws his head back. The roar crashes against the pain and crushing pressure. His fangs flash to my throat.

“Boys!”

He whips his head around. His ears perk up.

“Time for lunch.”

My nephew rolls off my chest. I sit up.

“Uncle Shaun?”

“Yeah?”

“After lunch could we be cowboys?”

“Sure."

Financial Meltdown

Well, I guess we all know the economy is getting worse. Things in Utah are not as bad as in other states, but still, a lot of companies are not hiring full time people because they want to try avoiding paying any benefits. The root of the problem is that there isn't enough credit available for small businesses borrow money. We all have this idea about debt being a bad thing, and it is, especially when you have too much. But on the other hand, when investor's buy up U.S. debt they don't really expect the U.S. Government to ever pay off its obligations. They rely on the U.S. to be able to pay the interest on those loans, and that's how investors make their money. So what's the problem then? Shouldn't a huge national debt be a good thing? Not exactly. You see, if the country ever borrows so much money that it can no longer pay the interest on its loans then it has no choice but to default on its obligations, or it can, as is the case for the U.S., simply print more money to finance its debts but that would eventually created unwanted inflation.

So there's my shot at typing some financial gobbledygook.

Desserts

With work and school responsibilities, all of my summer crafts have been put on hold and progress has slowed to a standstill. The project that is on the forefront of my mind is the holiday treat recipe book I’ve been making. I can’t wait to finish it but, unfortunately, I can’t find time to work on it right now.

A few months back, as I was pursuing recipe books for some inspiration, I came across this delicious concoction that has become an instant favorite. (It comes from the Lion House Christmas cookbook.)

St. Nick’s Lime Fizzer

Ingredients

5	fresh limes, juiced (about ½ c)
½	c sugar
1 ½	c pineapple juice
1	quart lime sherbet
1	16-oz bottle lemon-lime soda
8	Marachino cherries, for garnish
8	thin-slices lime, for garnish

Directions

Place lime juice, sugar, and pineapple juice in a blender; process for 30 seconds. Add half of the lime sherbet and process again for a few seconds. Pour juice mixture into eight 10-oz glasses (⅔^rds full). Fill glasses almost to the top with lemon-lime soda. Top each cup with a scoop of sherbet. Garnish with a cherry and a lime slice.

Talk about yummy! Well, if you test this recipe out I hope you enjoy it as thoroughly as I do.

p.s. If anyone knows of a good New Years Eve treat, let me know. I have a delicious almond puff pastry recipe but because I already have an Easter puff pastry dessert in the book I am on the search for another treat.

I'm poor now.

Finally, my chance to complain about things that do not relate to tutoring.

Ironically, what has been bothering me most is all of the concerts and album releases that have been taking place this month and will be coming around by November. I am being driven to the edge of my bank account by all of the wonderful music that has been coming out. In the next two months, there are three different concerts that I am going to be attending: Opeth, Mastodon, and Between the Buried and Me, who are touring with Animals as Leaders. On the first show, Opeth, I spent a whopping $200 so that I could have the merch pack and VIP access. That much money for a single band seems excessive, but I do not think people fully understand how much I love that band--not to mention I need to get my PRS Mikael Akerfeldt guitar signed by the man himself! The Mastodon show probably will not be very expensive. As for BTBAM with Animals as Leaders, I am going to be spending an arm and a leg. For that show, I am going to have to drive all the way up to Boise, spend the night there, and, of course, pay for the show. So I have gas, food, lodge, tickets, and merch to worry about. That is a lot of money.

On top of these shows, there have been a great many record releases lately. Before the end of the year, I am going to have to buy records from Opeth, Mastodon, Animals as Leaders, Dream Theater, and any others that might surface. I am not much of a CD or digital guy, so all I buy is vinyl. Anyone who is familiar with purchasing such things will understand that they are a great deal more expensive than CDs or audio files. These records start costing even more when you factor in my obsession with these particular bands. Instead of just purchasing the albums, I find myself investing much more so that I can have the "super extreme deluxe edition."

In addition to all of the wonderful music that is going to be coming around, I also have to support my own ambitions of being a musician. Music equipment is expensive. For my birthday, I bought myself a new guitar pedal: the Boss GT-10 Multi-Effects Processor. This bad boy cost me $500, but it is more than worth it. I am in love with my pedal. Now I just need a new amp, and maybe some new recording equipment, and possibly a loop system. I need to stop buying so many things.

In other media, I am extremely excited for the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I do not think that words can describe how cool this game looks. I just want to scream every time I think about it.

Anyways, these slacker prompts are much easier to write than ones that relate to tutoring.

"Define Interesting" -- "Oh God, Oh God, We're All Going to Die!"

Oh man… writing about what’s on my mind is a lot harder than responding to a prompt! There’s just so much going on in there right now.

Let’s see… One thing that is on my mind is movies. I am Hopefully going to a pre-screening of “50/50” tonight. I’m really excited. I am a big fan of Joseph Gordon Leavitt, and Seth Rogen has his moments too.

I’m also thinking about Castle. A new episode is on tonight and I’m really excited for it. I am what you would call a “Fillionaire” or a fan of Nathan Fillion. His body of work is quite nerd-tastic and I enjoy much of it. Castle, for those who don’t know, is a show about a mystery writer who follows around a really attractive cop to get “ideas” for his novels. He helps them solve crimes and generally causes some kind of hijinks. One of his best quotes is “Don’t ruin my story with your logic.”

I also want to watch “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog” because I’m going to be Captain Hammer for Halloween and I need to try and perfect the look. Again, a Nathan Fillion show.

He also played Mal Reynolds in Joss Whedon’s “Firefly” and “Serenity.” I remember how I felt when I finished the last episode of Firefly for the first time. I was terribly sad because I knew there wasn’t any more. Then, when I saw Serenity, it was like ripping open the wound again because it ties up a lot of the loose ends but really just makes you want more! Terribly tragic. “I aim to Misbehave” is quite a powerful phrase in certain circles. Perhaps more powerful, however, is “Mercy is the mark of a great man.” Mal then stabs a man, to wound, not kill, then says “Guess I’m just a good man.” He then stabs him again and says, “Well, I’m alright” It is a very powerful emotional moment!

Enough about Fillion. Let’s talk about Tennant. Doctor Who is amazing. As cool as Eccleston and Smith are, Tennant is my Doctor. “Don’t Blink” is perhaps the best advice that he ever gave. It’s fun to see him in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch JR. Also, it’s really cool to see him as en English Teacher in the following video… found Here Seriously, amazing. Doctor Who, Shakespeare, etc. Classic!

I guess I should mention I’m also thinking about girls. I do that sometimes. And while I am thinking about a certain girl, I am also thinking about a few others as well. The ones who aren’t the “certain girl” are on my mind because I need something from them. I wrote a book and a publisher has agreed to publish it. We have a contract signed and I was given an advance on my royalties… which is really exciting – but as it’s autobiographical, all about my funny and tragic dating experiences, I need to have the girls sign releases that say they are aware of the book and give me permission to publish it. I changed the names, but the publisher is still making me get these signed. I have all but 3 signed, and the 3 I need have all agreed to sign but just haven’t yet. I’m really wondering how much I can bug them before it becomes “too much.” Seriously though, I have like 23 signed. I am SO close to getting this book published. I am just annoyed that the 3 are taking so long! BLAH

Anyway, those are a few of the things that are on my mind right now and I guess that’s all I really have to say! If you read this far, that is impressive and I feel like I should thank you for your focus and dedication!

Slacker Prompt!

Several of you remarked in your blog surveys that there haven't been any slacker prompts yet. Well, here you go! Write about what's on your mind.

I noticed people talking about procrastination on the blog. I thought this was funny. But mostly, I was happy to learn that I was not the only bad student who has been procrastinating.

The biggest thing that stuck out to me is that we are tutors for the global issues, not the local ones. At times, a tutee may have many grammatical errors such as punctuation, comma splices, etc., and these can make it hard to see the global issues, but it is important not to take over a session and only help with the local things. Things that are global are thesis, paragraphs, and organization.

Another thing I noticed was advice on how to not take over a session and tips on how to fix it, if one does take it over. How not to do it is to not give the tutee the answers. Ask him or her questions that will direct them to the answer. Do not do the paper for them. If one does take over a session, he or she should have a step back and assess whether it is that the tutee is not engaged or if the tutor is being lazy or tired. If the tutee is not engaged, try to mimic his or her body language or ask him or her to reschedule. If the tutor is tired, it is okay. But it is important to get back to doing one's job.

Another thing I noticed was to not try to bluff the answer. It is wise to seek the help of Claire, reference books, the internet, etc. This displays how to find the answer to the tutee. This is a great opportunity to teach by example so that the tutee may become self-sufficient.