Frustrations with Politics...

I watched the Series Premiere of "The Barack Obama Show" tonight. If you didn't catch it, you should definitely find it somewhere online and watch it.

It was very well done. The music was fitting to set the heroic mood, the lighting was professional, the shot selection was fascinating, and above all, the acting was phenomenal.

No, I'm not suggesting that the people Barack Obama sat with were acting, but our future President himself.

Of course, it's not like anything has changed. Nor do I wish to say that Barack Obama is the only politician guilty of this. But he is the only one I see buying up a half an hour of very expensive air time to say the exact same message he has given for the last year. Miraculously, he is going to lower taxes for all families that make less than $200,000 a year, while at the same time, put billions into energy independence, technology advancements, military renovations, hiring an "army" of new educators, paying them more, making sure we are "the first ones" paid back from all the recent government spending, more affordable/available health care, and buying Mars.

Okay the last one was false, but do you see what I mean? And again, for all you Obama supporters, I don't want to say that I believe that it's only Obama that makes such outrageous and impossible claims, but if you want to avoid the "celebrity" tag, don't put your 30-minute show at 7:00 p.m. on primetime television!

Barack Obama is a family man and will probably serve well as President (besides the whole socialism concerns...), but his debut on primetime tonight made me think about the big picture:

I wish there were a day I could remember voting for someone I actually believed should be President.

I wish a candidate would stand up and say, "Look, I am not going to pretend like I can save the world. I'm not going to promise you a perfect solution to everything from the start. What I will tell you though is that I will start with the greatest problem facing our nation. Once I have done all I can do, I will move to the next. I will start by taking on this economic crisis. If there is more to do, or a better way to do it, I'm going to figure it out, cause I'm an American too. Then, I'm going to sit down and be informed on everything about the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm going to talk to those who know, get advice, and work together across any party necessary to come up with the best solution possible.

When our economy becomes strengthened and we make necessary moves in regards to the fighting, I will then be able to promise and provide tax cuts. I want to speak straight forward to you, because I know it will be better for all of us in the future. I will not try to deceive the American People to vote for me. I want to show them who I am, what I stand for, and that I am a human, just like every single one of them, and I will do the best I can."


Maybe that's what they are saying, and I'm just not hearing it. Maybe that's what they want, but I can't see it. It just feels so superficial to me, and I hate thinking that I am forced into a "lesser of tw
o evils" situation when voting. I don't believe that either of our candidates today are in fact 'evil' or anything of the sort, but you know what I mean.

Anyways, to sum up, I hope I don't make anyone too upset with this post. That is not my intention. I just wanted to vent my frustrations with politics in general, and it happened to be Senator Obama and his TV show that got me going.

So, if I offend you in anyway, I'm sorry you are offended, but I won't apologize for my remarks, because they are mine, and I'm entitled to them.

Anyway, peace out.

Take

Take. The word is in and of itself a very selfish word. It is one of those words that brings emotion to the surface, whether to display bitterness or guilt. It is also the title of a recently released independent film starring Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner. The film is based on two days in the lives of two strangers, Ana and Saul, portrayed by Driver and Renner.
"I was attracted to this film by the brave and compelling nature of the story itself," said Driver. "It took me on an emotional journey that was impossible to prepare for. I think it forces you to expand your spirit and connect with something bigger than yourself."
The lead characters in the story meet for only a few brief moments during the entire film, but their chance meeting tragically changes their lives forever.
"This experience has presented a crossroads in my mind, questioning what I thought I knew and what I wish to be true about the human spirit, life, and ultimately, the death penalty," said Jeremy Renner, after discussing the challenges of portraying his difficult character.
The film strays from the Hollywood norms of revenge for what is lost. It is driven by a belief by writer-director Charles Oliver, a graduate in Humanities from Brigham Young University.
"In Take, I wanted to explore how far the heart could go with this kind of resentment before it would fold in on itself. I wanted to examine the idea of forgiveness as a mechanism of survival - having nothing to do with whether someone deserves it and everything to do with our own need to forgive."
Take has been rated 'R' for "some violent content with intense emotional impact," according to the Motion Picture Association of America website.
For more information on the film, click here.

Another Week

I'm tired. Boo. I'm ready for bed at 7:30 pm. That's sad. I wish I could just go to bed. Good ol' homework.

Is it really Thursday tomorrow? I can't believe it's Thursday again. Things are happening so fast. I guess that's what happens when you are working and schooling.

I'm halfway through my first week at my new job. I started working at a film studio called Living Biography. You can check it out at www.livingbiography.com. As soon as I do something cool I'll post it here or tell you where to find it or something.

I can't really describe what I do over there exactly, but I am learning a whole lot and I really like it so far. It's been very fun, but very busy as well.

Now, I'm dummm and I can't figure out how to just put a blasted countdown thing on my blog, but I don't really care all that much. I don't want to take the time to do it anyway. I'll just tell you. I don't need it for myself because I have a countdown on my computer, on my phone, and in my brain. By the mouth of two or three witnesses...

By the mouth of two or three witnesses, Mary (my girlfriend) comes home in approximately 35 days. If you were to count that out right now, your finger would land right on Thanksgiving Day, for that is the day on which she arrives. Yay yay, hallelujah. Seriously. I can't type how excited I am. I should take a picture of it and then post it on here. That takes way too long though. Just take my word for it.

So amidst my excitement for her return, I am also starting to stress like a madman. I'm trying to save up money, but also pay for the things I need to buy, and also just be who and what I need to be by the time she gets home. It's not that I'm scared, I just want to be ready. So as it turns out, I'm really happy that time is going by fast because 35 days will go by quicker, but before I know it, we are at the end of another week and I feel like I'm broke or just about to be.

Anyway, I'm not overly concerned about it. It's just part of what's going on in my life.

Also, as much fun as the fall break was, it has been very difficult for me to get back into a school-goer mode. I go, but I guess the hardest part is getting my homework done. I was doing great up until then. I was getting to all my classes and doing all of my work and turning it in on time, but for some reason, these first few days back have been especially difficult.

Oh well. I'm over it. I can feel myself starting to take some responsibility again and stop wasting so much time doing nothing, or doing something else. I don't know.

So this blog has been nearly pointless. Well, I guess it serves as a good update.

Oh yeah, one more thing: my future in-laws are awesome. Seriously. They are awesome.

Awesome.

Prince Caspian...Finally...

Today, I’ll do a better-late-than-never review of the newest Chronicles of Narnia movie, “Prince Caspian.”

If you at least got a little enjoyment out of the first installment, you should love it the second time around. This time, our (mostly) lovable young heroes are back in Narnia, but not at first. We find them at home, and anxious for some sort of sign, a whisper, a call. And quickly enough, we find ourselves once again wandering through the most breathtaking oases of Narnia. But immediately things become foreign to the young kings and queens. Although just a short period of time has passed at home, many years have passed in Narnia. The places they knew so well are in ruins, and much of the great monuments have fallen; testaments to the time passed and the current turmoil of the land.

Prophecies are once again fulfilled as the four nobles make their presence known. The Narnia they once knew is no longer. Many of the blissful and peaceful elements of Narnia have been revoked, and Narnians find themselves in hiding within their own land. There is a new enemy with an aggressive arsenal and an astounding hatred for all other life.

The perception we come to love about Narnia is that it is completely unlike reality. The two elements that make Narnia flow and make people aspire for it are: life and harmony. Things are alive. Things are moving, flowing, real, speaking. We do not always understand what things are being communicated, but the actions speak much louder than words. The expressions of the trees and plants, for example, are a highlight to Narnia. These expressions, and these living things, are the great cause for the potential harmony in Narnia. When just kings and just queens rule Narnia, life and harmony are also present. The same is to be said of the opposite. We see in “Prince Caspian” that when evil and greedy kings and queens reign, life is then quite literally ‘sucked’ from the land, and therefore harmony as well.

Our emotions soon get to us and we understand that without life and harmony, there can be no hope. But not all life is gone. While there is still life, there is still hope, and that gives harmony a chance.

Throughout the film, you can find many Christian parallels. If you have seen the film, but did not notice them, go see it again, and look only for parallels. If you are still having trouble, I’m sorry.

There is a great moral in the film that I wish to point out. Fortunately, I can explain it in general terms so that you can identify them when you see it and I’m not giving you spoilers.

The young ones, more especially Peter (being the High King), must make crucial decisions during the story that will essentially determine the fate of his Narnian followers. As you watch this story progress, you will see the consequences based on their faith. At times they have more faith and hope than others, and it becomes obvious as they seek for support. There are many different sources they can go to for ‘help,’ and they do in fact ‘try out’ these sources. A great lesson here is that you should never have to sacrifice good for good. In other words, you cannot achieve good through the methods of evil. It’s a principle of life. If you try to accomplish what seems to be a ‘greater good’ by incorporating an aspect of what you know to be wrong, the results will be devastating. This is obviously not the only film that teaches this principle. But to me, it's more about the way it's taught rather than what exactly is being taught. It is a clear and precise message.

I will own this film when it comes out on DVD. It is an all-time favorite of mine. It is the best movie I have seen in a very long time. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Forever Strong

I started writing a blog about the economy, but BORING. That's all I can say. I lost interest and I'm pretty sure people are actually going to make something happen over the next few days, so it's all good. At least we didn't have 1.2 trillion dollars just flat out disappear a few days ago! Oh wait...

Anyway, I want to talk about the last movie I saw. The movie is called "Forever Strong." It was directed by Ryan Little, whose name you may recognize from a movie called "Saints and Soldiers." He directed that one as well.

If you have seen Saints and Soldiers, you know how good Ryan Little is. In Forever Strong, he tells another great story.

Forever Strong is based on actual events. It comes from the inspiring legacy of the Highland High School Rugby Team. Under their current coach, they have nearly 400 wins and only 9 losses. It's a remarkable record, but you have to see the film to understand the style of champions this coach has molded.

The story covers important morals and values that seem to be out of reach for most Hollywood films. It gets down to real emotions and situations that affect real people.

This isn't a very long review, but I think you should just go see it without me telling you more about it. I don't think many movies are worth a full $8.50 Friday night showing, but this is one of the few that does.

Go see Forever Strong.