What to Expect at a Christian College

Sure, there are many challenges with colleges, but there are also challenges specific for any Christian college, particularly the largest Christian university in the world. So since I can't really talk on the broad scale about every college, let me just tell you would encounter here at Liberty University, just as I have.

-You Will Hear "Heck" A Lot-

 "For Pete's Sake!", "Oh my goodness!", or my personal favorite, "By golly!" I appreciate the willingness to not curse in certain environments (it's also a good professional tool to learn), but do you have to sound like a character from Leave It To Beaver? Plus, being a Theater Arts Performance Major, I was able to see many of the freshmen auditions before I stepped up. It's always hard to find a comedic monologue that's clean, but some people always take it upon themselves to change the "bad parts." What they're left with is an audition that has five crap's, four heck's, two butts, and one "forget you". Everyone knows what you did.

-Patience-

 This is an actual picture of a line at Liberty. If you think this is long, you should see the line for picking up books. Not only are the lines long, but the walks are long too. I usually don't take a shuttle because (shocker) they take too long. Walking is faster, but it still takes me about ten minutes to get across campus. And I'm a fast walker; so fast that people actually part because they think I'm running and getting a workout. Or maybe they're just scared of me. Just think of it as God teaching you patience...the hard way.

-Workout Regulars-

Aka, the people who go to the gym the most but don't need to. I mean, just look at them. What on earth are they there for? Certainly not to burn some calories; I'm pretty sure calories are scared of them. The only reason they are there (besides the strong guy who comes in every once a week to keep his form) is because it's their identity. They like being strong, and people certainly notice. That's why they're there. I mean, I know you're supposed to treat your body like a temple, but my gosh, Buddha could fit in there! As for me, you can always tell where I've been, marked by the lowest weights on the machines I last used. But if you want to actually find me? I'll be up on the second floor, practicing my splits on a yoga mat.

-Crazy Drivers-

I think I learned this way back in Sunday school when my dad would complain about Sunday drivers; then I got to experience them for myself. And now, here at Liberty, every day is an adventure with Sunday drivers--especially since it is an open campus. Not only are there reckless college students but other people who somehow found themselves in the middle of a university by accident. As I was walking from the dining hall one day, I was about to step across the street but looked both ways, like a good pedestrian. I saw a car way down the way, but I decided to step on the crosswalk. Normally, cars will start to slow down when they, I don't know, see someone in the middle of the street, but this guy accelerated. Seeing him coming, I took a step back behind the yellow line and waited in the middle of the street for him to slam on his brakes (he wouldn't even had hit me if he hadn't). I waited until he waved for me to continue on, and when I did so, now at the sidewalk, the car slowed beside me, and a guy in the passenger seat leans out and says,
"Yo! You must be a freshman, bro! You gotta look where you goin' or you gonna be hit by a car! Just lookin' out for you, man."
"Sure."
I didn't realize that his bad driving would inform him that I must be a freshman. Well...I am.
...Lucky guess. Maybe you've been this guy before or maybe you've been the distracted girl who hit me with her car earlier today. Thank you for testing my reflexes.

-White Girls-

Eight o' clock in the morning is prime time to get knocked over by a herd of jogging, blonde, white girls. Be prepared for sayings such as, "I can't even," "OMG," "Literally," and "lolz." They talk as though they're texting. Somehow, they've even managed the art of double texting in actual, real life conversation. I can't (even) get a word in. But I guess I should only be listening, anyway. They're actually lovely, sweet girls if you get to know them. You just have to speak their language.

-Ring by Spring-

There should be a law that states you should be dating, at least, half a year before you get engaged. My parents actually only dated three months, but they were much older and able to make value judgments. Most people are just too immature to get married. You shouldn't be able to get married if the law says you can't consume alcohol. Then again, if you don't even know what the electoral college is, you shouldn't be able to get married.
And don't ever propose on campus. On a weeknight.

-Youth Ministry Majors-

There's absolutely nothing wrong with youth ministry majors. There are just a lot of them. And please stop saying, "Oh..." whenever I tell you I'm majoring in something that doesn't have the word "Ministry" in the title. There are other ways to witness.

-Best Friends-

Finally, at a Christian college, you will find best friends that love you unconditionally and challenge you spiritually. If they don't, you haven't found the right friends yet. Or maybe, you need to be the one that can be that friend to someone else. Who knows, maybe you've already met your future best man or maid of honor.

Just don't propose on campus. 

Thoughts of an Introvert

In the wake of countless freshman activities to get me to open up, I've decided to let others know a few things about introverts that you may not know. First of all, there are many classifications about what differentiates an introvert from an extrovert, but the way that helps me understand it the most is where the person goes to recharge. Extroverts rejuvenate themselves by being with other people while introverts rest by being alone, which leads me to my first little bullet point...

• Let us recharge. 

If we've had a long day of classes, dealing with people, or even having fun with friends, we find comfort and solace in alone time. If you take away our quiet time, you take away our rest. We're like batteries. If you let us recharge, we can perform to our maximum potential the next day and love doing it too. And, just like batteries, if you don't let us recharge...we'll die.

• Just because we're alone does not mean we're lonely.

Don't feel sorry for us because we declined to go play basketball. It's not antisocial--you're just overly social. And don't invite me over to sit with you at lunch, group of strangers. If I'm alone, it's probably cause I like it that way. There's nothing wrong with being alone. In our world, alone and lonely have the same meaning, but you can be alone without being lonely. If I'm lonely, I'm going to do something about it. I don't need you to fix it for me.

• We're not antisocial.

Introverts are some of the most fun people I know. For instance, I'm a theatre major and still an introvert. I get enough social time, and I have loads of fun. However, this does not mean I don't need to recharge. (See battery analogy) We'll socialize if we want to.

• We're not people haters.

Well...some of us may be. But you can also be a people hating extrovert. What I'm saying is that we're not hiding in our rooms because we never want to socialize, have fun, or go out. We're hiding in our rooms because you're peering under our door, trying to make sure we have friends. You are scaring us.

• We don't hate talking to people.

It's not that we dread it (all the time), but if we have something to say, we'll say it. When we're quiet, it's not cause we're scared (all the time), we just have nothing to say. Introverts tend to carefully think out their words so that we say only what we need to say. It's called efficiency. Write that down, extroverts.

• Being an introvert does not mean we don't come out of our shell.

It just means we have one. We open it around people we know. I know several people have remarked that I'm an extrovert, but they have only seen me with my best friends. With new people, we're just a little more closed off. But, do not try to crack open our shell immediately. If you think we're shy and try to get us to dance with you in public after we meet you (true story), that shell is going under lock and key around you. Being shy has to do with personality not being an intro/extrovert. You can be shy on either side. I just happen to be a slightly shy, awkward introvert who doesn't like dancing in public when I first meet you (still a true story).

These are not rules, and they may only apply to me. I only hope this may give you some sort of tolerance for those who are not like you. Maybe you can appreciate their differences or maybe this can help you realize your necessary recharge times that you've been missing. And for God's sake, don't try to make someone you just met dance with you in public.

(Very true story)...

The Pianist

The Pianist (2002) - Directed by Roman Polanski and Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
In the birth of the Holocaust, a Jewish musician struggles to survive in a now German-occupied Poland...

I tried so hard. I tried not to get attached to the main character. I tried to not be invested in the story. I tried. Then the tears came. My girlfriend was just as surprised as I was. In the beginning, I thought the story was boring, and the characters uninteresting; then, I realized that the characters were just real life people, and the story was only slowly reeling you into their normal lives. It is a movie that allowed you to peer into the ordinary life of people who walked through the streets of the ghetto, avoiding the dead bodies of children at every corner. Especially at these moments, I tried to keep a distance. I tried.

At first, I thought Adrien Brody (Wladyslaw Szpilman) was nothing to sneeze at, then I suddenly fell in love with his completely normal character. Farther into the movie, he experiences a slow but drastic change, and this is where his Academy Award comes into play. He transforms from a young, handsome man into a dying, nearly-crippled, dirty man who has nothing left for which to live. He deserved that award.

The fact that this movie is based off a true story makes it even more gripping and hard to watch. The simple truth is that this movie tells a story that will leave you with a myriad of emotions that you can't tell apart. If anything, watch it solely because it is a movie in which you can find yourself invested. Not many movies touch your heart with love, sadness, and joy like this one (even if you try to avoid them). It's worth the time.

I must say though, my favorite part was watching my girlfriend's reactions even though she had already seen the movie. She's not one who can stay emotionally distant like I can.

Well...at least I tried.

Moving Out

I have packed for multiple vacations and car trips before, and the way of thinking, for me, is that I will be packing for however many days with the knowledge that I will return. But packing for going away to college? It's packing with the knowledge that, essentially, you won't return. Of course, I will be back in Texas for the summer, Thanksgiving week, Christmas etc., but I will always return to Virginia, not the other way around. Instead of me returning to Texas, it's me visiting and returning to my new home. Although, Texas will always be home for me; that will never change. Sure, it's sad, but I try to pretend I don't have negative emotions.

I've found that it was very hard to pack for a new home. I had to take everything I would need, combined with everything I might want, along with stuff I'll probably never use. It's basically picking up your room and taking it with you to another state, while still leaving some of the stuff in your room because you don't want to absolutely destroy the memory of your old home. As for me, I'm not actually taking a lot; if you look in my room, it doesn't look bare...just clean. I wouldn't call it nostalgia necessarily, because after all, I don't have emotions.

All I'm thinking about is the 20+ hour drive to Virginia. There's only so many things you can do on a car trip before your laptop dies. Half of the time, I'll be driving, sure. But the other half? Who knows. I can last about 30 minutes of reading before I get car sick. What then? These are not rhetorical questions people, I'm actually wondering what to do.

First, we'll stop in North Carolina to visit my brother's family, but then, after a couple of days, we arrive at Lynchburg, Virginia, and I find my home at Liberty University. Now, that's a scary thought...

Good thing I don't have emotions.

The Potato State: Finale

Our vacation was planned to go until Monday, but Sarah and I left early to make it to my grandfather's funeral. It was a happy final day filled with nonchalant conversation, packing, and planned dashing from plane to plane--until our flight was delayed. Here we sit, Sarah and I in Denver, waiting for our flight to arrive. By the time we take off, we would have already been home if the flight hadn't been delayed over three hours. I blame this morning's omen. Everything was happy...until a bird hit our window.

 

No jokes were allowed to be made about the bird. But this experience did provide me with a window into Sarah's soul. I just pray I don't run into it.

The Potato State: Day III

There's no better way to start a day than to accidentally punch your girlfriend in the face when she tries to wake you up.

We left early in the morning to go to another town in Idaho where there would be zip-lining (which I had never done before), and as soon as we arrived, I found that I had been placed in a sitcom--the kind where several characters that don't go together are locked in one room. Funny for the audience, not for them.

First on the character list was the country jock who worked there. He was loud, opinionated, and all about anything pertaining to himself. My first experience with him was when he was arguing with a girl on the phone. In the middle of the conversation, he turns to me and loudly says, "That's what ya get fer marryin' a blonde."
Ah, yes. Life lessons from CJ (Country Jock).

Next was the jock jock who also worked there. Big, bulky, and slow speech. The first thing he said to me was a halfhearted grunt. The model employee, JJ.

Then there was my girlfriend's mom who is an eternal ray of sunshine (ERS, if you so desire).

There was also Mr. Jokester (MJ). Lanky, older, and always equipped with a "dad joke" for any situation. As soon as he walked in the building, he saw me putting on my harness and said, "It's only for halfway." His family laughed, but I just looked at him. Excuse me? Who are you, and what does that even mean?

And finally, there was me. The quiet observer who was using this experience as play time.

The five of us (plus many others) piled in a trailer and were escorted to the first zip-line sight. As soon as we sat down, MJ exclaimed, "Put your luggage in the overhead compartment..." followed by a polite laugh from the crowd. And he doesn't even get paid for his stand-up, folks! The first zip-line was basically a warm-up for everyone, and the second was the one where the workers tried to get us to break the spin record. Upon hearing from JJ that I was not getting my money's worth if I didn't spin, I decided to go for the record, 35. My girlfriend got 26 spins, and I got 25...and a fourth.
"Well, yeah!" I said, "It's cause Sarah's smaller."
"Actually, you go faster if you're bigger," one of the workers energetically corrected me.
"And you're bigger," CJ added for good measure--in case I wasn't listening.
ERS went after me, but, due to lack of speed, she stopped just by the hill. CJ took no time to grab a rope attached to the zip-line and ran towards the edge of the hill. What he was trying to do, I'll never, to this day, understand. With the rope in his hand, he jumped off, but ERS had started to drift backwards. The rope whipped back, and he fell into the brush below.
"My Tarzan weren't as cool as I thought," he shouted.
Once he climbed back up the hill, he attached his harness to the wire and pulled himself out to ERS, who was laughing nervously by this point. He reached her in a short amount of time, but when he arrived, he (somehow) got his carabiner stuck in ERS' carabiner.
"[CJ]" the other worker called out, "Bring her back?"
"We're carabinered!"
"Bring her over!"
"We're carabinered!"
After the other worker brought the rope around and pulled Tarzan to safety, she un-carabinered them, and ERS stepped off the hill with another nervous laugh.

There was one more smaller zip-line, and by the time I had gone, I stepped to the side and waited for the rest of Sarah's family to make it across. At this end, CJ and JJ were standing, waiting to help brake the participants' landing while talking to each other. I found myself in the middle of their conversation, only glad that I had missed as much of it as I could.
"So, I'm putting the dumb blonde on my list," CJ said as he scratched his inner thigh.
"Which list? The half-list?"
"But I don't care. She's hot, and that's all that matters."
I turned to Sarah.
"Isn't that guy married?"
"Him?" she answered, "Are you kidding?"

Finally, we arrived at the fourth and final zip-line where two could go at once and race on separate lines. Sarah and I were first, and as soon as I stepped up, one of the girl workers cleared her throat.
"You need to be on the left."
"Oh, okay," I said.
"It's just that...the right line is faster, and we're giving her a chance--"
"Heavier ones go on the left," JJ said without a pause.
"Oh, good," CJ said to me as he stepped up to the platform, "You're on the left. You tell 'im that the bigger ones go on the left?"
I get it, CJ. I get it.

As CJ and JJ traveled the zip-line to prepare to brake us on the other side, Sarah and I waited on our platforms--I was on the left side. I was on the left. In the awkward silence while we were waiting, the girl worker turned to me and asked,
"So, are you from here?"
"No, ma'am, I'm from Texas."
"Oh..."
Right before I was about to race, the girl handed me a water bottle and said, "Here. This is [CJ]'s water. He didn't want to carry it."

Then, Sarah and I raced (with a water bottle in my hand). I got there first (because I was fiercely kicking in the air and gaining speed), but CJ didn't brake Sarah as hard, and she went farther across the final hill.
"Dude, she won," CJ laughed.
"Then you don't get your water bottle," I said as I tried to throw it past him (unfortunately, he caught it).
"She totally won," JJ added, "Cause you were flailing."
"I was kicking," I said.
"You were flailing," CJ laughed.
"Flailing don't do nothin'. You could go down an endless zip-line 'n flail to your heart's content, and ya wouldn't get there no faster."
I left in the middle of the sentence and congratulated Sarah on her "win."
"Whoa! PDA!" CJ shouted.
"I can show you more if you like!" I shouted back, then said to Sarah, "Cause you never get any and don't know what it looks like."
"Be nice," Sarah said as she shushed me.

Finally, we were back in the trailer, and MJ made a joke my mind probably erased from my memory. When we started moving, CJ started talking, to my great surprise.
"Make sure and buckle--the blonde is driving."
"Is that your wife?" someone asked.
"No, the other blonde is my wife. This one is only half stupid. You'll recognize the stupid one when you see her."
"She's the one who answers, 'What?' to every question," JJ added, "Just call her 'What' and she'll respond, 'What?'"
The two laughed, and someone asked about their marriage.
"She doesn't like it when I call her my wife, though," CJ said, "I don't know why. Maybe it's cause I'm too good for her."
"That's not it," I said.
"So he's a guy that doesn't date and just calls a co-worker his wife?" Sarah asked.
Bingo.

If you haven't learned at least one life lesson from CJ, then just learn to call girls "stupid" to their face. As for me, I was treating this little adventure like an episode of Lost. I was studying every one of the characters with whom I might possibly have had to spend a couple years of my life.
The good news? I didn't have to.

The better news? Golden Corral fixes everything.

The Potato State: Day II

If you're wondering if I woke up only to run right outside to climb a small mountain in our backyard, then you are not only psychic but a creep. Why would you be thinking about that? Don't you have something to do?
As for me, I not only scaled a mini-mountain but also hiked across a trail where I found this little beauty.

Oh, hey, Idaho (See, I told you I would do some outdoor adventuring). Next we visited the town of Ketchum (See, I told you I would do some small-town exploring) and found a very nice little bookstore as well as some other gems. However, in my roamings, I found many pictures and t-shirts of Ernest Hemingway. That's when I found out that he was buried a minute from where I was staying.

As you can see, people remember him by drinking too much and smoking at his grave. Hey, if he had been alive, he would have done it with you. The money is a nice touch--not as clever as the coconut water though.
Needless to say, I ended up with a collection of Hemingway's short stories from the bookstore I mentioned earlier. I have my night completely set.

Then I realize that a movie I wanted to see is about to go off Netflix.

Priorities...

The Potato State: Day I

Suddenly, I find myself in Idaho. And I realize five things.

1) Everything is yellow.
2) There are a lot of potatoes.
3) There are a total of eleven people living in Idaho.
4) My God, there are a lot of potatoes.

And 5) It's actually very beautiful. For a state nobody really remembers as a state, it's quite underrated. It feels just like Colorado, but it's even more silent. Once you get past the yellowed wasteland that is Boise (and the potatoes), you find a little place called Sun Valley where there are colorful aspens and serene hills. There is even a gentle river that is about a couple feet away from my door. Granted, it smells like poop, but that's not the point here.
I came here with my girlfriend's family before I leave for college, and at first, I was skeptical. When people asked me where I would be vacationing, I found it very hard to say "The Potato State" with confidence. But here I am, ready for a few days of outdoor adventuring and small-town exploring. Out there, there's so much Idaho to be discovered.

But for right now? I'll stay here, sitting by Sarah as we hold hands and read our books in silence.

Now, that's a vacation.

Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) - Directed by Matt Reeves and Written by Mark Bomback and others
Ten years after the incident in San Francisco, humanity has nearly been obliterated, and the genetically evolved apes remain, led by Caesar. When his tribe clashes with a surviving group of humans, the two races are suddenly thrown into a conflict that will decide the fate of both human and ape.

What surprised me most about this movie was that about 20% of it was action, and the previews are very misleading (in a good way). The average viewer is coming into the theatre expecting to see monkeys riding horses and shooting guns, and they get just that, mixed with a whole lot of theme and emotion. The good thing is, you're not exactly cheering for the apes to wipe man from the face of the earth, and you're also not siding with your own kind. Instead, this movie makes you hate war and lets you see that there is no true bad guy and good guy. The humans had some bad guys and some good guys as did the apes. In fact, much of the theme came from the fact that the apes (since they had been genetically altered) were becoming more like humans in the way they walked and talked but especially in their actions.
Don't worry though. There is a villain on both sides, though one is misunderstood and the other is a villain for good reasons but a villain nonetheless. You'll get your fill of an epic good V.S. evil showdown on a high tower that begins to crumble and explode. Where else would a final battle take place?

This movie is obviously better than its predecessor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but I feel like the titles weren't really thought out. Come on, humanity--dawn comes before rise. Get it right. It happens every day.
And the fact that Gary Oldman was in this movie makes it ten times better.

The animation was beautiful, and the creators very cleverly marked each of the ape main characters so that they would be easily recognizable from the crowd. Andy Serkis was especially brilliant; just the difference he achieved in portraying King Kong and then Caesar while still being a flat-out monkey is outstanding.

I actually liked the writing a lot, but sometimes the story got a little too complicated. Many times, there was a lot going on because you're trying to keep up with two races as well as their histories and characters. Unfortunately, with that many characters and backstories, some fall through the cracks. We hear only once about the main human girl's daughter and see once about Gary Oldman's family before he goes off to kill an army of apes. It still showed everyone's reasons, but they weren't exactly as developed as they could have been. The point still got across though and while sweet Gary only cried for about five seconds of the movie, I wanted to cry with him (I might as well name this post "My Not-So-Secret Love for Gary Oldman"). Now, a way the writing did work was that it made the two races so lovable that you didn't want anyone to die. As soon as the fighting began, it just made me sick. They also, very smoothly, led to the war between humans and apes while still maintaining Caesar as a good guy who silently holds a special love for humans in his heart.
Also, the movie opens and closes on the same shot. I love when movies do that. Maybe a little too much. It's brilliant and also memorable.

Okay, so the plot is a conflict between apes and humans, and it sounds dumb--but it's filled with more lessons, emotions, and plot twists than at which you could shake a machine gun. Go see a movie before you judge it.

And if you do happen to see it...watch for the scenes with the character Koba. According to my brother Luke (see Luke: Part I, II, and III), many of his shots very closely resemble Scar from the Lion King. He would like someone to back him up.

I am not that person.

Luke Part III

Looking back at my past experiences with my brother Luke, I realize that he prepared me for my future. Most kids play video games or something, but my brother and I always used our imaginations. When I would watch a movie, I would instantly go outside to change the story and make it even cooler. When Luke and I got just a little bit older, somehow our private imagination turned into public storytelling. We found a video camera and pressed record before we even discussed what we were doing. From terribly painful home movies to B movie comedies, we created a series of movie spoofs about 0011D (like 007 but a fake number...? Elevendy? Never mind.). It started with a spur of the moment taping, but by the final time, we had watched Casino Royale and created a way to spoof the movie.

Yes, yes, it's on Youtube. All our movies were food themed for some reason, and we named this one Casino Tortellini (why we didn't name it Club Royale, I will never understand). Now, since there were only two of us, as you can imagine, we played all the parts. Luke was the director, "writer"--I use sarcastic quotes because there was no script (I'll get to this part later)--and the main character. I played almost every other part. Sidekick, boss, bad guy, girl love interest, henchmen. It was Dr. Strangelove, and I was Peter Sellers. Unfortunately, our costumes were limited so the characters in suits looked very similar except for their ties.

Now, the writing...we had no script, only an idea of what would happen when and where, and right before Luke would press record, we would tell me a summary of what I was to say and a quick overview of blocking. I nodded, he pressed record, and I would do it. I didn't realize at the time that he was helping me at picking up a change in a script and go with it on the fly. I helped a friend with a commercial recently, and Luke and I were both in it. We walked in, wearing business suits as we were supposed to, and my brother was playing the boss. However, after some quick consideration, the directors swapped us because I looked more like the boss. Then they told me to walk in, give them a speech about something work-related then turn to face the window. I did just that, and they loved it. In fact, the directors liked what I did so much that they added several shots of me doing my improv as I faced the window. It still scared me to death, it made me shake, and I thought I did horrible, but they encouraged me that it was perfect for what they needed. I couldn't help but thank someone else because where had I initially learn this skill? In my backyard where my brother would tell me to get shot, give a bad guy speech, and die dramatically. And I would do it. Then I would switch shirts and become a different character.

My brother not only taught me skills I use today, but he gave me a chance to learn how much I love storytelling. He let me be a bundle of completely different characters I will always love and also gave me something to do with all the free time I had in my homeschooled schedule. I realize now that my main love of acting is the characters and completely becoming a different person, and that first began right here at my home. In one day, I got to be the evil bad guy all the way to the kooky sidekick. And all it was, was putting on a different shirt. That's all it should be to become a different character. He taught me that.

So no matter how much theatre I do, it will never compare to my first love of film which will always remind me of the time I first began: Luke pressing record on the heavy video camera, and then whispering to me in mid-take that I had forgotten to use my finger as a mustache as I glanced into the lens with sheer fear, then rubbed my nose with my hand, gradually formed my finger into a mustache on my upper lip, and exclaimed half-heartedly, "I shaved, and it grew back..."

We finally did write a script several years ago. It's a spoof on another 007 movie, Goldfinger, but we named it Chickenfinger. See? Food related.

I wonder if we'll ever get around to filming it...

TV Review: Fringe

Fringe (2008-2013) - Directed by Joe Cappelle and others and written by J.J. Abrams and others
A mad scientist, a bitter, cynical con man, and a hardy FBI agent are all thrown together to work for a secret division of the FBI known as the Fringe Division, investigating and solving strange phenomena that may threaten the very existence of their world.

So I'm a Fringe fanatic. I have an IPhone case that only Fringe fans will catch. I love the show for many reasons, but I might as well title this post "Why Fringe is better than Doctor Who".

If you're not really a sci-fi kind of person, then this show might not be your favorite, but you'll still enjoy it. It's Doctor Who mixed with 24 mixed with Sherlock mixed with Grey's Anatomy. Not really, but the point at which I'm arriving is that it's got enough science for the sci-fi-ers, enough action for the adrenaline junkies, enough intrigue for the mystery lovers, and enough emotion to keep you interested and involved until the very end. First off, J.J. Abrams is brilliant, and the science in this show is astounding. I'm not a big sci-fi nerd, but this show made me become one. Don't think it's hard to understand, however; the writers knew their audience wouldn't be scientists so everything is explained perfectly, and it makes you feel smarter, in fact.

Apart from the writing, the actors are brilliant. Hypothetically, even if every other aspect of a show or movie is amazing, I would not be able to watch it if the actors were not believable. This show absolutely has dedicated actors. So much so that when I was watching an episode about an alternate version of the characters in a different reality, I thought, "Man, I haven't seen Anna Torv in a while. Is she even in this episode?" Then I realized how stupid I was. I was watching Anna Torv play the same character but a slightly different version, and I didn't even know it. The actors got to play many characters, and there was some very intricate character development. When I forget they're actors, then they've done their job. What fun it must have been for the actors during this show. Also, John Noble is too outstanding, and Anna Torv did very well with an American accent. Few people know she's Australian (and much more famous there).

Yes, there are cons. Sometimes the animation is super cheesy, but the animation is very minimal. Whenever they could, they used makeup and costumes (which were top notch), and I was only taken out of the story a couple of times due to the animation. Even the writing had its cons, but you must remember that it is very hard to construct five seasons of one hundred episodes all filling the time slot of an hour. In a movie series, the entire time can be at least six hours, but that's only six episodes of a TV series. It's very hard to keep a series going, and sometimes some of the plot falls through because either it didn't work or it has to make way for something bigger that's rising. Most of the viewers probably forgot the little snippets that were never brought up again, but I catalogued them because I assumed everything in the show was important. There were only a few episodes that fell through, but this show did a better job at holding itself up than any other show I've seen. Especially with how complicated it was. This show is certainly no Gossip Girl. The beginning episodes are linked to the very ending, and I'm so glad this show was able to complete a full circle without accidentally creating a messy, open rhombus (again, Gossip Girl). Or even How I Met Your Mother--making things up as you go along.

Some don't like the final season, but I just treated it like a movie. The show ended, and a movie was made, almost as a sequel. If you've seen the show, you understand. It's almost like a different show while still being the same old Fringe.

Never before has a show made me feel like a kid during playtime and a scientist at the same time. I absolutely suggest watching it. It only gets better as it goes along. So if you want to be immersed in a great story full of complicated writing, dedicated actors, and stunning cinematography, then  Fringe is the show for you. At least try it out. Soon enough, you'll be helplessly attached and buying a phone case like me.

Unless you're like my girlfriend Sarah. She watched Fringe for me but stopped around the third season because she was too confused and overwhelmed.

But hey. That's how I felt when she made me watch Gossip Girl.

Movie Review: Maleficent

Maleficent (2014) - Directed by Robert Stromberg and Written by Linda Woolverton and others
Witness the well-known Disney version of the tale Sleeping Beauty but with a different protagonist--or antagonist. The famed villain now gets her own origin story.

Or I could say, follow the famed villain in her good guy origins to her downfall as a bad guy to her redemption as an almost good guy to a climax as a kind of bad guy. The movie wasn't terrible, but it wasn't that great either. The only thing that stood out were the visual effects and animation on which Disney obviously spent the majority of their time.

My main problem is that, if you're going to do an origin story, it has to tie up nicely with the original. For me, this movie was Wicked all over again. The villain we all know is given sympathy (which is fine) but never actually turns evil. It just weakens the original. There were many ways this movie did not tie up with Sleeping Beauty, but it mostly had to do with changing the character of Maleficent.

The movie felt very rushed, and within just a couple minutes, Maleficent has already turned evil just because a man betrayed her by cutting off her wings. At this point, I was quite confused. She's supposed to be a fairy, but where are the others fairies of her kind? And if she's a fairy, then what are the three little creatures that help Sleeping Beauty? As for her powers, she was practically a god. She could do anything--anything except give herself another pair of wings.

I guess I liked Maleficent watching Aurora growing up and basically being her guardian, but it just made the ending of the movie weak because she wasn't the bad guy anymore. I mean, she didn't even turn into a dragon! The moment we all knew and for which were waiting was actually her casting a spell on her crow and transforming him into a dragon that did nothing. All the movie left me with was a desire for an origin story of Stephan, the king and father of Aurora. His arc into darkness was very interesting, much more than Maleficent's. But I suppose if they made a movie of him, it would show that he was not the bad guy, and there would be some other person to blame.

Also, the entire screen time that Aurora was indeed Sleeping Beauty...was five minutes. And the prince was absolutely pointless. His kiss didn't even work. Again--messing with the original. I just feel like the movie could have really achieved something if Disney had actually let Maleficent be evil like she was just for a couple minutes in the film. It could have provided more theme than whatever was trying to be put across with her sort-of-redemption and willingness to let the real bad guy die. Too many character changes for me. Angelina Jolie did amazing though--I just didn't like the character.

Hey, don't blame me for all these opinions. My vote was to see Edge of Tomorrow.

Movie Review: X-Men Days of Future Past

X-Men Days of Future Past (2014) - Directed by Bryan Singer and Written by Simon Kinberg and others
In a devastating future nearly void of both humans and mutants, the remnants of the X-Men send Wolverine to the past where he must change the current of time to save all of humanity from certain doom.

In other words, it's a clever way of taking the white-out and blotting out X-Men: The Last Stand. It's a reboot and a redo all in one (thank you JJ Abrams and Star Trek for the idea). It's a creative way of starting over, but sometimes elaborate plots that change time can leave the audience quite confused.
I had the joy of seeing this movie with my girlfriend, and I hadn't even realized that this was her first X-Men movie (Ah, I remember my first time.). As the lights in the theatre dimmed, I wondered why we were seeing a movie that would basically be tied together by all the previous ones; no doubt, she would have no idea what was going on. However, it was the opposite. I was the one who had seen the series, and while she blissfully accepted the outcome of the movie, I walked in silence, only partially confused mixed with partially satisfied. Don't get me wrong, it was one of the better X-Men movies (thanks to Bryan Singer who directed the first, the second, and finally this one). But for me, I was having trouble trying to understand the inconsistences between the directors. I hadn't seen the original three in a while and most recently watched The Wolverine, which was pointless not only because it didn't add anything to this movie, but it was just plain dumb. Yes, Days of Future Past had it's problems, but the whole point was for Bryan Singer to correct the mistakes of the flunked movies and start over. The problem was that the trilogy didn't line up the origins movie of Wolverine or exactly with First Class so this one was just all over the place. Still, it was enjoyable.

I essentially liked the idea that sending him back in time wouldn't change anything--like throwing a rock in a stream; eventually, the stream would correct itself. But enough interruptions, and the stream would have to redirect its course. Creative.  I also loved Michael Fassbender as usual and liked James McAvoy much better in this film. Then there's the perfection of Sir Patrick Steward and Sir Ian McKellen. The writing was better than X-Men First Class, and the plot was just perfectly spaced between action-packed moments and emotion-filled conversations (even if they were sometimes pointless to the plot).

Now, dare to read onward if you want a couple of smaller spoilers. This part is about how Sarah (who wanted to be referred to as the gorgeous girlfriend) absolutely always points out inconsistencies and poor writing in movies. But this was a super hero movie, and I found myself answering her questions with a bunch of bull crap just because I was defending the sacred territory of the superhero franchise.

"Why did the magnet guy lift an entire stadium?"
At the moment, I said, "To show how powerful he was," but I knew this shot of the movie was actually pointless. He brings it to the White House, and that's the end of that. Then I said, "To place a wall around the White House." "A stadium has opening." "He only brought the top part." I could taste the nonsense on my lips.
"Are the magnet guy and the mind guy best friends?"
They went back and forth so many times in the movie, I had no idea.
"Who was the bad guy?"
No one. No one was the bad guy. The mutants were divided, but they both had good intentions. Even the humans were just protecting themselves. The only real bad guys were the robots in the future that you barely get to see. And they were awesome.
"How did the Wolverine survive after drowning?"
Well, he has regenerative properties as seen throughout the movie--but drowning? There's no coming back from that. I understand rescuing him a couple minutes after he's lost consciousness but a couple hours? How would he regenerate air? With that, they practically made the Wolverine invincible.
Thank goodness Sarah didn't have to worry about the Weapon X program inconsistencies and other problems. All that mattered was the action. All I have to say is that if the X-Men movies are only going to get better (and not switch directors which got us into this problem in the first place), then I can't wait for X-Men Apocalypse.

With all the time changes made in the movie, it's hard to think about this still being the Marvel universe. For me, there's Marvel, X-Men, and DC. This is even more so because of the drastic changes made to history in the movie. As for the X-Men...there's something oddly appealing about mutants. In other superhero movies, the character is special and unique, but in X-Men, there's many of the mutants. And all that's changed is a simple strand of DNA to make them superheroes (or villains). Which means it could happen to any one of us...

Let's just hope we inherit the DNA of Hugh Jackman's body.

Movie Review: Godzilla

Godzilla (2014) - Directed by Gareth Edwards and Written by Max Borenstein and Dave Callaham
The infamous monster rises to battle against ancient creatures that threaten the very existence of humanity. The hunt is on as mankind is thrown in the middle of an epic warfare between gods.

Yes, it's about giant monsters kickboxing in the ruins of heavily populated cities. Yes, I've always been a Godzilla geek. Yes, I know how dumb it sounds, but I think it's worth it. It tells a great story and still provides the viewer with a good amount of suspense and action. It's got some problems, sure, but overall, I think it's a winner. Plus you get to see creatures use stuff like skyscrapers as weapons. Now that's worth it.

First off, the animation was stunning. Godzilla wasn't just a monster that roared--he was showing emotion every second. He was practically an actor in the movie. Plus with all the destruction, the animation had to be top notch, otherwise the entire movie would flunk. However, Godzilla was a little on the pudgy side. I mean with all that mass, his legs did have to be huge. We love him just the way he (she?) is.

While the monsters were outstanding, the humans were just...stupid. When they knew that one of the creatures had destroyed an entire city, they kept the other one to "study" it. Then it took a scientist, whose only purpose was to explain the plot, to realize where the plot was going so the humans could find out that they were missing half their bunker where they kept all their nuclear equipment. You'd think they'd have a little security there. Or at least satellite images--somehow they kept losing the gigantic monsters. The creatures were great, the humans were dumb...maybe that was the theme.

The actors were great (Brian Cranston will always have my heart), and I definitely liked Gareth Edwards' version of Godzilla. There's a reason he immediately was offered a job after the movie came out. I suggest watching it but take note that it's also fairly depressing. Several major cities are absolutely demolished and possibly a million or more die. This fact is glided over to make room for action, but it's hard to think about. Especially when you couple it with the fact that the humans do nothing in the movie. Every move they make either fails or backfires, and in the end, it only shows that they're helpless. That's just what I realized though. Hopefully you'll find some hidden nugget of meaning that'll transform the entire movie for you. For me it's a story of narrowly avoided worldwide devastation, only avoided due to interference of a god. It basically showed me that humans are not God. Pretty interesting.

Now, there are other options. If you can't afford to see Godzilla, talk to my brother Luke (see Luke: Part I and II) who recreated the entire movie, shot for shot, line for line as best as he could, for my mother who was unable to go with us. He even did in an half the time, and now my mom doesn't have to go see the movie. Everybody wins!

...Except for the Godzilla franchise. They lost a couple bucks.

Movie Review: The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club (1985) - Directed and Written by John Hughes
Five high school students from completely different worlds are thrown together for one day in detention where they end up learning more about themselves than the other students.

I finally watched it. In the past, I had been told countless times that it was such a good movie, and that it would even change my life. Needless to say, my expectations were just a little bit high. Then, I watched it. I watched it straight through. I watched the entire movie.

And I don't get it. It's not like I thought the writing, cinematography, or acting was bad (per se), I just don't get it. Why did this movie need to be made? It taught me absolutely nothing, and it most certainly did not change my life. In fact, I was utterly bored watching it. I just don't get the movie.

I am the only person I know who doesn't like this movie, and I have been outcast because of it (see my book, All Alone in Rightville). However, I explained my case, and one of my friends re-watched the movie with what I said in mind. When she finished, she came back to me quietly, and her words were, "Why did that movie need to be made?"

I'm not saying all movies have to change my life, but for a movie considered as such a classic, I'm just confused as to why it lacked purpose. I learned nothing from it, and nobody will tell me what they learned. I'm at the point where I just want somebody to explain to me why it's a good movie. Maybe it'll be my favorite when I am just able to GET it.

The main thing that bugged me was the lack of change. If these kids were supposed to change each other then why was the jerk still a jerk, the bully guy still a bully, and the nerd still my least favorite character at the end? And the girls just fell in love with the guys, but the five of them are never going to see each other again. Even people who have seen the movie agreed that they'll absolutely go back to being the people they were before. Then what's the point of watching it? If there is no theme, no character change, no climax, and practically no plot, why am I watching this?

I just don't get it. If you do, please explain it to me. I would love to love the movie. But I can't really love something that has no purpose.

Unless that was the movie's purpose. To have no purpose.

Then I just don't like the movie.

Luke: Part II

My brother and I took piano lessons for eight or more years, and, though we enjoyed making music, we hated attending the annual recitals. For our certain piano teacher, the recital would fall every year in December on our mother's birthday. None of us wanted to spend that day (or any day) sitting around for a couple of hours in stuffy clothes listening to a little kid plunk out the notes to "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". Our teacher was also a classical voice teacher, and you could be sure that some young girl would be singing "Wouldn't It Be Loverly". All of this was endured for only ten minutes of Luke and I screwing up a song we had practiced perfectly for months just because our hands were shaking.

Our story takes place on one of the recital days, and...needless to say, we were dreading the night. Luke and I had just finished some class of ours, and our only choice was to change into our suits in the bathroom because there was no place to change at the Steinway Hall where the recital was being held. As I walked out of the stall (looking fabulous in my spotless suit and pink tie, I might add), I heard a sharp gasp from the other stall.

"Oh, no..." Luke muttered, "Mom is going to kill me..."
"Did you drop your tie in the toilet again?" I asked.

With a sigh, Luke stepped out of the stall, complete in his suit--but with a frown on his face. Before I could ask, he pointed down to the ground, and I laid my eyes upon the horror of his suddenly incomplete outfit. He was missing a sock. Mom was going to kill him. I tried to act like no one would notice, but his dress pants were too short, and his barefoot-dress shoe look was quite obvious as compared with his other lone sock.

"What are we going to do?" he asked me, aghast with remorse.
"We? We are going to go to the recital. Don't worry, mom won't notice."
"Do you know our mother?! It's all over, Matthew!"

After much complaining, I got him into the car, and he drove us to Steinway Hall in a pensive silence. He acted as though he was driving to his own execution. When he parked, he took one look down at his sockless ankle and looked back to me as I reached for the handle to my door. Just as I was about to open it, the locking sound of the car doors reverberated in the small space. I glanced back to Luke, confused, but instead observed a strange and wild look in his eyes.

"Okay--here's the plan," he began.
"What? What plan? There's no plan!"
"No, no, just listen to me. Be cool. I have an idea."
"For what? Your sock problem? It's not a big deal--"
"You don't know what's at stake here, man!"

He immediately cleared his throat as a family walked by our car. They tried not to look at us, but we knew they had heard him yell. When they (and the awkwardness) had passed, he continued:

"Here's the plan: you give me your sock--"
"I don't like this plan."
"Listen! We've seen the order of the show, and I go first. So, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to walk up there with two socks, and when I sit back down, I'll inconspicuously take off your sock and hand it back to you for when you go up."
"That's a terrible plan!"
"Mom will never know! If we pull this off, it could be the greatest story to tell!"
"A sock escapade? That won't make a very good story."
"Just give me your sock--"
"I'm not giving you my sock, don't punish me for your bad attention to detail--"
"You'll get it back! This can work!"
"People will see us switching socks!"
"No, we're in the audience, remember? The students sit in the first three rows of the audience so everyone will be busy watching whoever is on stage!"

Eventually, the argument was harder than the act of taking off the sock so I finally gave it to him. He chuckled like a villain with a master plan as I realized that I looked very ridiculous with only one sock. Who was I kidding--mom would notice, and Luke's plan might just save us both. As we stepped inside Steinway Hall with only three socks between us, we found something a little different than what we were expecting. The students' seats were not in the first three rows of the audience like we had anticipated but...on stage--directly perpendicular to the audience where they would be able to see our ankles. I immediately looked at Luke.

"It could still work," he said instantly.
"Give me my sock."
"Our sock. And no, we're going through with the plan. All we have to do is be even more careful not to draw any attention when we're making the switch--"

Just then, we had stepped up to the stage, and we found our name plates on our seats. Mine was directly on the end of the row nearest to the audience where I would be in plain sight. Specifically my sockless ankle.

"It could still work," he said again, anticipating my words, "You just need to switch your sock so that the sockless foot is the one hidden, and then I can slip it to--"

Then, he noticed where his name plate was. Unlike the previous years where Luke and I had sat together, I was on the front row, and Luke was not behind me but on the third row.

"It could still work--"
"Give me my sock."
"The game is the most dangerous when you're closest to succeeding!"
"...what does that even mean?!"
"It could still work!"
"Give me my sock!"

We hushed our voices as a young girl took her seat in between us on the second row. I looked back at Luke with a vengeful look in my eyes as he so obviously proposed solutions in his head, staring only at his (and my) socks. Eventually, the girl left to go to the bathroom, and Luke immediately leaned forward with a--

"It could still work. All we have to do is get the help of that girl."
"What?! You don't know her!"
"Even better! There's no trail back to us! I'll just get her to fall in love with me, then she'll hand the sock to you!"
"This is a terrible plan--do not flirt with that girl! Give me my sock!"
"It could still work!"

When the girl had come back, I shot Luke death glares, hoping he wouldn't go through with his plan. However, there was no stopping Luke's plan; he already had leaned forward and cleared his throat. The girl jerked at the sound, but Luke's plan was not hindered in the slightest--he liked the element of surprise.

"So are you...new around here?" he said with a terrifying smile and a voice much lower than his own.
"In...Fort Worth?" she answered, "Uh, no, I was born here."
"Me too! That's funny!" he said right before he threw his head back with a forced, overdone laugh, "My name is Luke, by the way."
"(I can't for the life of me remember this girl's name)," she said with a hint of a smile.

Luke winked at me, and I chuckled nervously.

"You look very pretty in that dress, (I can't for the life of me remember this girl's name). I have to be honest though...I wasn't quite expecting to see someone as cute as you tonight."

She blushed.

"Tell me...do you like soc--?"
"Hey, Luke!" I shouted a little too loudly, "There's our family! Let's say hi--now! I bet they'd love to see us! Let's go over there! Immediately!"

I jumped up and pulled him off the stage as he whispered to me,

"It's working! She's putty in my hands! Now, I go in for the kill!"
"What girl would ever help you secretly exchange socks with a brother after one minute of talking?! Give me my sock."
"But Mom will see my--"
"Give me my sock!"

Somehow, just as he had convinced me to remove my sock, I did the same to him, and I retrieved my sock. I guess Luke finally realized it was hopeless, but the only thing I cared about was my sock. When we returned to our seats, the recital was about to begin, and I could faintly here Luke mutter, "It could still work." As the families took their seats, (I can't for the life of me remember this girl's name) quickly turned around towards Luke and began to play with her hair.

"So, how old are you?"
"I have a girlfriend."

Finally, the recital began, and the climax arrived: Luke played his piano pieces with one sock.

And Mom didn't notice. Turns out, she loved us enough to not worry about what we looked like, but instead, she joyfully listened to us play. We hadn't calculated love into the equation. That Mother outsmarted us again. Thank you, Mom, for coming to our recitals on your birthday.

Now that I think about it...why didn't we go to a store to buy a sock? We arrived at the recital early. We certainly could have. But I suppose that wouldn't have made a great story.

Oh--and we screwed up our songs anyway. Our hands were shaking.

Auditioning

You may be reading this because you want to better educate yourself with facts about the life of the starving artist, or you may be reading this because you're bored. Either way, this post will certainly achieve your goal (look at you go!) because this post is all about auditioning--no, not tips on how to stand out during auditions (if anyone needs to learn those, it's me), but auditions according to the actor for those of you who have never stepped into one.

First off, auditions are scary. Auditions are as scary as Willem Defoe getting his car rear-ended. Think of an interview...but you have to sing. No matter how many times you do it, it's nerve-racking. You bare your soul to a man or woman you've never met and--here's the worst part--get told no. Over. And over. And over again. No. No. No. There's a reason people call acting the job of rejection. Going to an audition is like going to a break-up. Sometimes, you already know how it's going to turn out, but you show up anyway and do your best to prove that you're right for the show and that you love the show more than anyone else. Then, the director tells you that you're "just not right for the show." Sometimes, the director doesn't even give a reason; more often than not, a soft "thank you" lets you know that you're not what they're looking for--but that in itself should be a consolation.

You didn't fail (unless you literally failed (yes, I am speaking from experience)). Every director has their own interpretation of the show, and when you're auditioning, you're not fighting against other actors--you're fighting against the director's vision of the character. Who fits the model in his head best? From there's it's just piecing together parts of a puzzle. True, sometimes it is hard to remember this when someone slightly better than you gets up to sing, but the thing I have learned to do in this situation is...smile. Even if it's fake, it looks better than a menacing glare; then, even better, the more you fake smile, the more it becomes real. Soon enough, you'll actually be happy that the person is doing well, and it makes you more confident for your own audition. Look at that. I guess I did have some tips to offer.

But back to the rejection. I get into about one-fourth of the shows I audition for. The good thing is that this gives me a lot of experience, but it's still extremely hard. For me, every part I audition for is the part I've never wanted more in my life. Sure, I may like some more than others, but when I walk into an audition for a certain part, I have never wanted that part so badly. And to get shot down without another thought? Heartbreaking. Auditioning never gets easier, and the heartbreak never gets less painful.

When people ask Matt Damon if they should go into acting, he tells them "no" because he understands that if that person will change their mind based on one "no", how will they be able to withstand a thousand? Think of it this way: the job of an actor is auditioning and getting the role is just a perk. It's a job of rejection, and if you plan to go into this job, you should be prepared for some major heartbreak and "no's". I've even been told that getting a degree in theatre is useless cause the job rate after college is so low. I just laugh. I'm used to the condescending "good for you," and the empty smile and nod. They try to "help me," but I just laugh.

Cause obviously they don't understand that rejection fuels me.

Movie Review: Warrior

Warrior (2011) - Directed by Gavin O'Conner, Written by Gavin O'Conner and others
A troubled, alcoholic former boxer trying to prove himself. A father trying to save his family. A reformed father caught in between his two sons. A nation-wide martial arts tournament where this already torn-apart family will be stretched even further.

Obviously, I'm just reviewing, giving my extremely expert opinion, as I watch these movies, not when they come out (thank you, Netflix). Warrior is a heart-wrenching story of redemption that is very hard to watch. Well...maybe not for a girl, but every guy I know that has seen it has cried. It's definitely a story for guys. It's got enough action to tide a macho man over and enough sentimental moments to reenergize an emotional man. It's got brother moments and father/son moments so unless you're a girl or have a heart of stone, you will cry. If anything, watch this story for the great message of redemption, especially because it doesn't have a traditional happy ending. Instead, it has a sort of hopeful but unexplained ending that satisfies the viewer but still leaves the rest, the conclusion, to their imagination.

Tom Hardy (Tommy Conlon) was as perfect as always and brought me to tears as did Nick Nolte (Paddy Conlon).  Joel Edgerton (Brendan Conlon) was good as well, especially in the final scene where the two brothers fight each other. No, that was not a spoiler--with a plot like this, it's obvious that the two brothers are going to be the final two contestants. Who doesn't see that coming?

The writing was great, though sappy at moments, but it was quite obvious that Gavin O'Conner and the writers had a lot of trouble writing the final scene. Warrior is the kind of movie that could have ended many ways, but the writers found much strife picking only one. I understand their pain, but it was quite obvious in the last five minutes, as though the entire movie was stalling and waiting for them to make up their mind. It did add to the suspense of the climax however.

Okay, so it's not the greatest movie, but if you want a good cry, go for it. Just don't watch it alone like I did. Then you have no one to hug. And that's something worth crying over.

Luke: Part I

My brother is four years older than I am, but anyone will tell you that our ages are switched. I'm the older, and he's the younger (even though he's 23 now); this is the way it's always been. The reason for this mix-up is because of his imagination. He is still a kid at heart. At times, I even wish I had his imagination (if he ever wanted to, he'd be a brilliant actor).

As young homeschooled children who finished their homework before mom would wake up, we would play the most fascinating fantasies either in the backyard or in the house. Sometimes it was Star Wars, sometimes it was the Lord of the Rings, sometimes it was something completely original. It didn't quite matter. We would see a part of a movie and make it better during playtime. For me, Luke was the narrator and creator of all these stories in which I would be the main character. He's a graphic design artist who loves writing, and I'm an actor who loves writing as well, but ten years ago, he would be creating a fantastic world with all sorts of obstacles for me to tackle. It seems nothing has changed.

However, when I was in the process of growing up, I didn't always want to play. Luke would have none of this. Every time was play time. Before I knew what was happening, my homework had been thrown aside, and I was being chased by a modern Viking horde with hockey sticks (I'll never understand, but they were incredibly terrifying). Somehow he could always get me in a good mood.

One time in particular, Luke and I were home alone, and the power went out. I suppose I was about 14 and Luke 18, but we called our dad anyway to let him know what was going on. "Whatever you do, don't open the fridge more than once," he said. Made sense--all the cold air would get out, and everything inside would be ruined. We finished our school about an hour later, and as I passed by the kitchen, Luke nonchalantly opened the fridge and said, "I'm gonna eat." He immediately and simultaneously gasped and shrieked, and I ran to see what was wrong. When I remembered what Dad had said about the fridge, Luke was attempting to pull random objects out of the fridge.

"We have to eat it all!" he shrieked again.

I quickly slammed the fridge shut, and Luke moaned aloud, obviously dissatisfied with my quick thinking. His thinking was to grab everything out of the fridge and eat all of it before it went rotten, but he had only pulled out mustard.

"Great," he said sardonically, "Now we can only eat mustard for lunch."
"We can open the fridge again, we just have to be quick," I said, "And we have to know what we want."
"I don't know what I want."
"Well, do you want a sandwich or--"
"No, Matthew! I won't be able to know what I want unless I can look at it. I need to open the fridge and look at everything."
"What? No. That'll take too long. Look, if you want a sandwich, then I know we need meat, cheese--here. Let's make a list of all the things we need so that, when we open the fridge, we can quickly get it."
"A list? Are you kidding? No, I just need to open the fridge--"
"Luke, just tell me what you want!"
"I don't know what I want!"
"Well, if we write down the possibilities, then you can decide--"
"I'll see the possibilities when I open the fridge. Just let me browse!"
"That'll take too long!"
"This is taking too long!"
"We need to keep everything fresh!"
"We're a little past that now, Matthew!"
"Holding the fridge open won't help!"
"I don't want to eat mustard!"
"You don't have to eat mustard! Unless you want a sandwich, then it's one of the items on the list!"
"What list?!"
"The list for the fridge!"
"I'm not making a list!"
"I'm making the list! And we're putting mustard on it!"
"I don't want to eat mustard!"
"You won't have to eat mustard!"
"But it's on the list!"
"We haven't made the list yet!"
"Because we haven't opened the fridge to see what's inside!"
"We're not opening the fridge!"
"I don't want to eat mustard!"
"You're not going to eat mustard!"
"Then let me open the fridge!"

By now, I was protecting the closed doors of the refrigerator with my entire body as our nonsense argument continued. Eventually, Luke stood still for a couple seconds, the wheels ever so obviously turning in his head as he finally and ominously said,
"All right. Let's make a list."

I immediately began to spout information about the list as I followed Luke to the old toy closet in the game-room. He ducked his head inside, and I heard him begin to riffle through old costumes and weapons on the other side.

"What are you doing? Are we going to dress up and pretend to do a contract between nations or something? Why are we getting stuff for the list--"

Luke turned around with a rope in his hands, and the next thing I knew, I was bound and gagged in a dark room. About this time, I wonder what would have happened if Mom was home. I stayed in this room for about ten minutes until I eventually broke free. Luke had already eaten, and I was able to make my list. However, with the times of me opening the fridge to get what I needed then opening it again to put it back (2) and the times of Luke's browsing (which I later discovered were 5), the fridge was not opened once like my father had asked but seven times.

We never told him.

Closing a Show

I don't think non-theatre people will ever understand the heartbreak of ending a show. Sure we may be a little eccentric and overdramatic, but we experience pain just like you. So let me explain the process of closing a show for all you normal people out there.

On one level, ending a show is like ending a vacation with your friends. Some of them you'll see at school, some you'll see in another show, but some you won't see for a long time. Over the process of rehearsal and performance, the cast forms an incredible bond, and it's suddenly broken without another thought as soon as the curtain descends. Your friends--your family is suddenly whisked away from you, and you feel terribly alone. So when you see cast members crying in the lobby after a show is over, it isn't because they thought they screwed their solo up--they don't want the show to end.

On another level, ending a show is like shutting off a part of your life. You become so invested in the story each night, and the character you create is so real that sometimes it seeps over into your real life. But when the show is closed, the character vanishes, and a part of you vanishes too. You made room for that character to live inside you, and now that it's gone, you feel empty. Empty and alone.

The solution? Immediately jumping into another show, creating another character, and forming another family. Sure you miss the other show, but if the first show was a breakup then this show is a rebound that happens before the depression can set in. You may think that this heartbreak that the actor goes through sounds too dramatic and not even worth it, but let me tell you--few things measure to the joy of stepping out from behind the curtain, into the lights, and in front of a packed audience. This is why we actors put ourselves through this depression in between shows. To put it simply, it's worth it. Just like eating an entire monster-sized Freebirds' burrito is worth it no matter how many times the stomachaches make you want to die. The joy outweighs the heartbreak. It's worth it.

Because the closing of one show means the opening of another.

Movie Review: Noah

Noah (2014) - Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel
A single man is chosen by the Creator through dreams to restart life itself as the wicked world is cleansed by an apocalyptic flood.

I was very surprised by this movie. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting when I walked into the theatre. Maybe an action movie that completely threw away the Old Testament Bible story. Maybe a thought-provoking epic that showed how cruel God is. Maybe a combination of the two. But what I received was not what I was expecting at all. Once you get past the idea of angels as rock monsters, you can really become invested in the story.

This movie showed not that God is cruel, but that we are wicked. True, a great many things were added (some extremely cheesy), but this movie was just an interpretation. What's more, it was an atheist's interpretation. Darren Aronofsky saw the story of Noah as what it is--an epic story of rebirth. Believe it or not, I liked his portrayal of God because it applies to our world today. God wasn't portrayed as a man in flowing robes with a Morgan Freeman voice but as a breath of wind between the leaves, the storms of water raining down upon the world, and as the shining rainbow in the sky. He was always present, but the characters weren't always aware. I also liked the theology of the angels helping him build the ark.

What I loved most was just when you think the movie is about redemption and portraying the wickedness of man (which was absolutely accomplished), you find out it's about mercy. Yes, an entire nation fell and thousands perished, but a few amount survived. The movie showed that they were wicked too and deserved to die, yet they were given mercy. The Garden of Eden had been ravaged by man, but man was going to be given a second chance because Noah had been given a choice. Adam and Eve's choice ruined mankind, and Noah's saved them from extinction. A beautiful theme.

The cinematography was also beautiful, and the visual effects were stunning. Ray Winstone was my favorite of the movie with his performance of Tubal-Cain, but the movie had many talented actors. If you can stand rock monsters, embellishments, and interpretations of the Old Testament, then I think you should see it. If anything, at least go to open your mind to an atheist's view on an epic story of God's great mercy.

Why We Watch Bad Movies

Sometimes, it's just about feeling superior, and poorly made movies do just that. I know that, given the choice, I personally would pick Birdemic over Lincoln because Birdemic will make me feel better about myself. With the former, I know what to expect--there aren't any surprises in store for me. I won't have to think, and I won't have to analyze; all I have to do is sit back and make fun of every little piece of the movie. I can watch the ill-trained actors and very quickly begin to feel better about myself. This is a major factor as to why I watch bad movies. The other is...it's just easier.

Good movies take a lot of work, and sometimes they can depress me. I'll sit and watch an amazing actor and think less of myself. It's very hard not to beat myself up when I'm watching Daniel Day-Lewis or Ralph Fiennes who seem to be perfect on the other side of that screen. When I'm watching good movies, it'll hurt a little too much because I just want to jump up into the TV with the actors and become a character alongside them. The dream is an arms-length away, and yet, it's impossible for me to jump into that screen. That's why it hurts. It's so close, but I just can't reach it.

I do adore watching good movies, but sometimes bad movies are just easier. I think that's why we watch them. They make us feel better about ourselves.

And isn't that what entertainment is all about? Making us feel better about ourselves?

Movie Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - written and directed by Wes Anderson
A narration inside a narration inside a narration inside a narration about the adventures of M. Gustave H. and his lobby boy/protégé Zero as they run a legendary hotel between the wars in a forgotten country while simultaneously finding themselves caught up in the middle of a conspiracy.

I might as well just name this post: true movie comedies. If I were to say movie comedy to you, you'd probably think of a movie like Mean Girls, Bridesmaids, or the Hangover, but the Grand Budapest Hotel defined for me what a true movie comedy should be. It set the bar extremely high, and I expect all other comedies to rise to its level of excellence. There are some key differences between a comedic movie and a true movie comedy, and the Grand Budapest Hotel showed all of these.

First, it wasn't petty. There weren't ten sex scenes or hundreds of "F" words, but instead, Wes Anderson found a sort of moderation that worked for the style of the movie. It wasn't something I felt sick watching, and almost all of the language that was present was used in a way at which I could not help but laugh. Meaningless curse words are petty, but strategically placed curse words can be very funny if used correctly.

Second, there was much more at play and involved with the comedy than just the writing. Anyone can write a couple clever jokes, and sometimes movies are based solely around some clever writers...but comedies should deserve more. One of the main things that stuck out to me was the cinematography. The fisheye lens, the still, stiff-neck shots, and their length all made it feel like its own genre. Along with some of the shots, the beautiful color schemes made this "forgotten country" seem otherworldly. I must admit I do love it when movies are set in a world we know but bear hints of a different world altogether. I couldn't help but laugh at some of the shots, color schemes, and costumes in general because they were so intricate. Not many comedies take this much time to perfect work on aspects of the film that only few will notice. It wasn't just clever in writing, but all the aspects of film came together to tell this outrageous story. Even the lighting made me laugh at moments.

Third, the actors knew what they were doing. If there is anything that annoys me more than comedy actors, it's probably malls closing at six in Texas. There is a drastic difference between an actor who is trying to be funny and one who is completely immersed in the story. One is doing something over-the-top to get you to laugh while the other is doing what the character would do. Usually, we find comedy in other peoples' misfortunes (USA #1) so we as an audience can especially notice when an actor is trying to be funny in a sad situation or when an actor is actually present in this situation. The same even goes with stand-up comedians. One will make jokes and listen for the level of the laugh while the other will tell a funny story and get so caught up in it along with the audience.
Thankfully, the cast of this movie were actors who knew what they were doing. God bless you, Ralph Fiennes. If there is anyone that should be cast in a comedy role, it's men who do Shakespeare because you can be sure that they know timing down to a tee. And comedy is all about timing. He was a brilliant lead who completely believed every word he said along with an eccentric cast of actors including Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Mathieu Amalric, Edward Norton etc. Each of these actors were so serious about the situation that it came off as hilarious (as it was intended). That's comedy.

The actual raw written comedy (as handled by the actors) was so vast that it surprised me. Usually a movie is labeled as a slapstick, a parody, or an advanced comedy, but this movie seemed to appeal to everyone. A cat's being thrown out a window one second (slapstick), then a joke is made in the background that some will only catch if they see it a second time (advanced). It wasn't just one style of comedy. When I saw it, at least every person in the theatre was laughing at one time or another because of their specific humor tastes. This movie appealed to all of them.

So, to sum up, this unique movie had all types of comedy that stretched into even the cinematography, lightning, and costumes, the actors were brilliant, it was good-quality, not petty, and had its own specific style. So I say you should definitely go see it, preferably with a friend so you can laugh harder.

"But why should I listen to you? You're just a college kid."
You're the one who's reading this blog.

Lord of the Flies V.S. Hunger Games

**Be warned. If you have not read these books, there may or may not be spoilers--who can say?**

First off, I would like to state that I was a big fan of both--until I put them together and analyzed them. So to start, I will list off the good and bad things about the books separately to show that I am an almost fair person. Prepare yourself for a long and nerdy book post, and let's begin with Mr. William Golding.

Lord of the Flies - Pros:

 1) The Obscure Setting: At times, the characters hint at a war occurring between the Communists and England along with other unclear history facts that could very well mean that this book not only takes place on an uncharted island but in the future. After all, an aerial battle happens at night in one of the chapters, and a dead pilot parachutes down to the island. Sounds like war to me. I think this shows the subtle hints of man's savage nature and even adds to the confusion of being stranded on the island. Not only is the reader stranded on the island with the characters, but they feel like they're stranded in time. There's nothing as annoying as a book handing every answer to the reader on a silver platter when the characters haven't figured it out yet. Let the reader take the same journey; that's why they're reading the book.

2) The Novel Plot: No, this is not a pun. I literally mean a new idea that hadn't been written about at the time. A group of kids stranded on an island, forced to become adults dealing with man's inherent, evil nature? Brilliant. To write about a world without adults but show how it's the same world as adults? Novel. One-third of the way through the book, the kids are no longer referred to as children or kids but as "savages" because they have painted their faces and fashioned weapons. Halfway through, even the reader forgets they are kids because of their behavior patterns. They become more and more like adults until an actual adult is finally shown at the end, and the characters are savages no more but kids. They were about to kill the main character, but the adult sees it all as "just a game." Heartbreaking.

3) The Narration: For some, this would be a major con. William Golding writes in a very straightforward, matter-of-fact tone and style that some may find extremely boring. Instead of describing a grotesque scene, sometimes you don't even realize a child has died until you think about what you've just read; as opposed to a narration whose goriness doesn't really let you think about the act of murder but makes you numb to death, William Golding writes life like it is: when you die, you die. There is no need to embellish it. There is no need to write anything gory and action-filled about a child's death--when a group of children murder another child, I think that's about enough for my heartstrings. This narration makes you think about death and realize how disturbing it is. Instead of death happening in the first five seconds, it happens near the end, giving you time to build up your emotions and be heartbroken.

4) The Theme: Man has inherent, wicked desires. This theme is strong and hits home. This book shows the natural intent of humans once the restraints of society have vanished. If children can murder each other without remorse, what can men do without the restraints of society? Quite a thinker and quite a heartbreaker. Again, the transition of the children to savages then back to children is stunning and seamless. William Golding certainly made his point even more clear by using children as his platform to catch the attention of his readers. We see adults murdering each other all the time so he reached us in a fresh way. Death is death, but with children, we actually realize that it is death. Suddenly, we're not so numb anymore.

Cons:

1) The Narration: "What? But I thought you just said this was a pro? You're losing me, Matthew." True, I am a fan of William Golding's matter-of-fact style, but sometimes, it can get a little overbearing. In the scenes where no symbolism or theme is occurring, the drone pattern of his diction can get tiresome. When I first read the book, I found myself skimming several passages and having to read the pages again. The problem with getting into this habit is skimming important sections later on--after all, you don't realize they're important thematically when you're skimming. For some, this seemingly action-less book can be a chore to get through.

2) The Subject Matter: The book as a whole is very dark. While I did not realize it at the time, it gave me some nightmares because I was too young the first time I read it. I love the dark aspect of the book, but not many people will want to pick up a book about children murdering other children. While it was okay in book form, it did not work well as a movie. I tried watching the Lord of the Flies movie, but I only got through ten seconds. There's a stark difference between reading children being stranded on an island and hearing them cry out for their mommy. I knew what would be coming an hour later in the movie, and I wouldn't be able to handle it. If the book made my heart race and tears fill to my eyes, what could the movie do to my sleep schedule? Unless some struggling director out there wants to get famous by making a dark indy version of the book, then it can never become a movie.
However, I would like to be proved wrong.

The Hunger Games Trilogy - Pros:

1) The Storyline: It's a riveting story, and I like it in trilogy form. It's got some very memorable character and an amazing plot. A sadistic game where children are forced to compete for their lives for the pleasure of a corrupted Capital? It's Lord of the Flies with a little political satire--what could be better? Just when you think the book is about Katniss and Peeta surviving the Hunger Games, you realize it's about them unwittingly outsmarting the Capital and starting a revolution. You think the climax is the end of the Hunger Games, but Katniss soon finds out that her greatest challenge yet to come is facing President Snow (my favorite twist in a book was right here--the physical climax wasn't the real climax at all). In Catching Fire, Katniss finds herself again in the Hunger Games, but the real problem is the conspiracy of which she's finding herself in the middle. Mockingjay (my favorite of the series) finally delves into the rebellion against the Capital, the moment to which the entire trilogy has been leading (took long enough). Again, the greatest climax is the split-second decision to stop her friends from making the same mistake that the heads of the Capital made many years ago. In a twist, she kills the president of the rebellion to end the Hunger Games forever. Pretty exciting, I say.

2) The Theme: War never changes and neither does human nature. Sound familiar? Thought so. Like I said, the leaders of the rebellion were about to start the vicious Hunger Games all over again, showing how human nature had done a complete 180 turn. War never changes and neither does human nature. It's a powerful point, and it's shown not only through the event of the Hunger Games but through the ever-present political satire (something that was entirely left out of the movie). If there is anything that reveals the true vicious nature of humankind, it's politics. Politics is nothing but a façade, and the trilogy showed this both on the good and the bad side.

3) The Narration: As a young man, it was quite nice to get a look inside a girl's mind. Not only was the narration 1st person, but it was present tense. If a book is written in 1st person, past tense, the reader knows that the character survived the book; however, in present tense, Katniss could have very easily died at any moment. Juxtaposed with my sense of impending doom was the solid character narration throughout the entire trilogy. I enjoyed the fresh perspective of a character narrator as opposed to an omniscient and unbiased one. Her narration was her limited knowledge--the readers knew only what she knew and found out what she knew exactly when she did. The reader felt a bond with Katniss. I applaud Suzanne Collins for this.

4) The Characters: Suzanne Collins did very well creating memorable characters. She pulled a J.R.R. Tolkien with some of their names being odd and some normal (Aragorn/Haymitch and Sam/Gale), but overall each of these characters were unique. My favorite was the change in Peeta in Mockingjay which made the reader no longer feel as though they had a safe place. Their most beloved character could have turned on the good guys at any moment. These characters helped moved the story along and were easily translated into film.

Cons:

1) The Narration: "My, God, Matthew! What is it with you and narration? You like it, you don't like it--why am I even reading this blog?!" Like I said, as a young man, it was quite nice to get a look inside a girl's mind--until it drove me crazy. Yes, Katniss could have very have easily died at any moment (God knows I wanted her to in Mockingjay), but her thoughts would never die. Over the course of the trilogy, Katniss Everdeen does not change. What was the point of the entire trilogy if the main character didn't change? She starts off as an immature brat with a loud narration that I tolerated because I assumed she would grow and ends with her getting what she wanted while still being an immature brat. She may be skilled with a bow, but she sure as heck didn't deserve Peeta. The narration was especially long in the first half of Mockingjay where nothing exciting happened plot-wise. In the other two books, the reader gets used to the fast-paced style and suddenly is bored to death by Katniss' overthinking and boy-crazy hormones. Be prepared to sit through 150 pages of "He loves me, he loves me not, actually I don't like him, whoops I kissed Gale again." Can we get back to the war? This can't be just me being a guy.

2) The Love Story: I went there. Let's be honest, I am a die-hard, hopeless romantic, but this love story took the place of the main story line when it shouldn't have. True, I'm not a fan of kitschy overdone love triangles, but I did like the choice between Peeta and Gale. The problem is that, for a love story, the author has to completely show that the ones that end up together were always meant to be; sometimes, this can translate very obviously, and every person reading the book is then left wondering why so much time was being spent with Gale when she blatantly wouldn't pick him. In fact, why was so much time spent on this triangle at all? So much political satire and theme was lost in the pages that were being filled up with useless Katniss love thoughts, love decisions, and love over-thinking. If the love thing had been a subplot, the books could have really achieved some thought-provoking themes. Instead, I was waiting for Katniss and Peeta to finally get together so my ulcers could heal. Unfortunately, this is the only thing the people in Hollywood picked up when they got the rights to the books (Disclosure: I have not seen the Catching Fire movie. I am speaking from the experience of the first). The political satire was gone and the themes dwindled to make room for...
Team Peeta VS Team Gale.
Because we wanted another Twilight.


Now that the Lord of the Flies and the Hunger Games have been (thoroughly) evaluated, let's put them together and see what we get.

Both show the wickedness of mankind via children murdering each other (possibly in the future), but one makes the reader feel the weight of this theme much more than the other. The central plot of the Lord of the Flies was the savagery of the children while the central plot of the Hunger Games was muddied in between boy-problems, evil human nature, and rebellion against the government. The latter is an action series that does exactly what it's designed to do but doesn't quite make you think, while the former is an intellectual book that finds your heartstrings and severs them.
The problem, as I see it, is that Suzanne Collins couldn't decide between writing a teen action series or an adult thought-provoker, so she did both, causing each side falter to make room for the other. Lord of the Flies is very clear about what it is; it is not for young ages. In Hunger Games, at the times when I was expecting love triangle, there were bursts political satire, and vice versa. Lord of the Flies takes the entire book to get to a child's death, and that wait is heartbreaking. The Hunger Games on the other hand, makes the reader numb to the killing. It happens so fast and is glossed over so the reader doesn't think twice. When a child gets killed in the Hunger Games, I don't gasp--it doesn't disturb me. Children murdering children should be disturbing, and this just wasn't achieved. I should be disturbed.
This is especially true in the movie versions: one was a teen action movie that achieved this goal but didn't make me think about the death, and the other was something I could not even watch because I could already feel the tears looming. If the Hunger Games was supposed to teach about the brutality of war (as explained in the end pages of Mockingjay about how Peeta and Katniss would never heal) then why didn't it impact me? It just boils down to simple facts: Lord of the Flies got my heart racing, made me tear up, made me think, and gave me nightmares while the Hunger Games was an enjoyable series that got my heart racing.

For this reason, I will recommend the Lord of the Flies over the Hunger Games any day. If you actually want to learn about the savage nature of man, the Hunger Games is not the way to do it (unless you want the abridged version). Okay, so I'm a die hard Lord of the Flies fan, but even this book has its cons. If you can get through the more tedious sections, I would absolutely recommend it. Take this entire post as a book suggestion. Pick up a book that will not only entertain you but make you think.

Unless you adore steamy love triangles, teenage girl narration, and rebelling against authority.
Then boy do I have a suggestion for you.