I've been thinking about Last Action Hero for a long time, and last night by one hilarious and magical miracle - it was on TV.  Nick, as long as you're on a streak of wishful thinking, would you mind wishing I won the lottery, too ?  Watching the movie got me thinking, though - if you had a magical movie ticket that could get you into any movie world, where would you go?

Play by the rules of the movie, too, folks.  You're not going into a movie as a character to take their place ("I wanna be the Terminator!  SO COOL!").  No, you're going into a movie as yourself, but you get to experience the world that the movie created and play by its rules.  Like Last Action Hero, if you're choosing to go into an 80's action movie, violence will be a daily activity, and heroes don't get hurt.

Nick said he'd jump into Back to the Future II, though that may have just been setup for a punchline (SO MUCH).  I think I might have to go with Disney's Alice in Wonderland, myself.  I'm curious to hear where any of you would choose to go, though, so leave a comment!  Don't worry about embarrassment, either... I just said I want to live in an insane cartoon world with a young English girl and constant madness.  I doubt you'll choose much stranger than that .

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Time/place: 3:10 showing at Ocean Ranch 7 (w/Nick)

Haha, oh, Michael Bay.  I was very tempted to simply leave the review at just that - but I won't .  I am not a fan of the first Transformers movie.  There isn't a single redeeming thing about it, beyond an attractive blonde, so it's not that I came into this one as a fan.  I've heard nothing but bad things about this sequel, though to be quite honest, I don't know why.  Sure, for some critic who was harsh on the first movie, the sequel offers no improvements, but for those who were fans of Transformers, I simply can't comprehend WHY Revenge of the Fallen is worse in your eyes.  Actually, I think it's better.

Three famous people passed away within the last few days:

Ed McMahon - No real memories with him, though I do remember watching Carson's last show as it aired.

Farrah Fawcett - What a beautiful and sexy woman she once was...

and, of course, Michael Jackson - Not a HUGE fan, but his songs are certainly fun.

With Jackson's passing, I thought it fitting to take this opportunity to add a video to the Classics section as my version of a tribute.  Don't be thrown off by the title, either .

Anyways, I wish their families well .

P.S. - this is how we're doing updates here, now.  I know I have quite a few folks who only follow my RSS feed (Facebook), and this'll be the best way to let everyone know when I add new content to other sections of my site.

...and that's just what they'll do...

I have been blessed with a very curious nature.  My entire life, I have always questioned the world around me.  This is part of what makes me a good listener - I'm attentive and interested to find out more, but this is also part of what makes me stick out like a sore thumb.  Sure, in my teenage years my questioning of authority came across as youthful rebellion, but it always came from a genuine place.  "Why?"  Because you said so?  That's not an answer.  Over the years, I have been challenging more and more of what is "normal" in this world; always pushing onto these ideas the logical rationale of Why.  So, what does this have to do with the title? Well, for some time now I've been interested in a concept that I began to try out this morning - going barefoot.

Here comes the question: Why do we wear shoes?  I'm not interested in the history of fashion and walking in human filth, I'm talking about right now in south Orange County.  God didn't design my feet to wear shoes, so why do I?  Style and social norms are the only real reasons.  When I was first finding my own sense of style, I often told my friend Joe, "...comfort over style."  Yet, if you know me, you know that I'm certainly no slob.  The key to that statement is practicality.  If an article of clothing is painful or hindering, it should be done away with.  My jeans, t-shirts, slacks, ties, and suspenders all fit a certain style, but never at the expense of my physical well-being.  Shoes, however, so negate the foot's natural movement, that the good can't outweigh the bad.  Indeed, I have done quite a bit of reading on the topic, and it seems to be very widely accepted that walking barefoot is the best thing for the body.  In a brash moment last night, I decided to start a personal test with my morning walks.

I walk around without shoes at home, but my feet aren't very accustomed to being bare outside.  This morning I went on my regular 30 minute walk, and I went barefoot.  I found golf clubs sticking out of someone's trashcan, too good to let go, so for the last half of my walk, I was quite the sight to behold: a man walking through the neighborhood, unshaven for a few days, barefoot, and carrying 4 golfclubs.  After I returned home and went into my room to stretch, I noticed that each of my feet had two blisters on them.  However, sitting here now, both feet planted on the ground, I can already feel the blisters fading away.  It will take time to build up my skin's thickness, and there is no doubt that I will learn to walk correctly (something that's not possible while wearing shoes), but that's what makes it an experiment!  Like I last posted Sammy's lyrics - "Whether I'm right, or whether I'm wrong..." there is no reason not to try .

Perhaps I will live the rest of my life sans footwear, or perhaps I will return to wearing shoes for every occasion, but only time and logic can tell.  When I have my own children, one of the greatest things I will do is to encourage them to constantly question their world with a healthy curiosity.  The point is never to be strange just to be so, or to fight just to do so, but to find the best way of living - even if it doesn't quite mix with what's "normal."

Having a dad that wears nice pants, fitted dress shirts, suspenders, ties... and no shoes can only reinforce that idea for them .

Times have been interesting.  I left a job which I was only at for a few weeks, realizing that it's not the place for me.  And then there was "other," as well - which we won't get into here.  Driving home from my last day on the job, though, a song popped into my head, and while working this Monday at Blockbuster, I started singing another song.

These are two songs I've loved for years, the first being one I've often called a personal anthem, but I haven't heard them in awhile, so I found it hilarious that they both sprung up from my memory.  Each one fits in a very special way, so let's pay attention to the lyrics, shall we?

Sammy Davis Jr. - "I've Gotta Be Me"
This one has been a biggie for many years.  I used to imagine it as some great call to Hollywood, but revisiting it now gives it a much more personal meaning.  The last line of the emphasized lyrics below was what originally popped into my head as I drove away from the wrong job path... but it works in every other way.

Frank Sinatra - "Young At Heart"
This one, though less passionate and full of fight, is the key to it all.  I watch people miss this on a daily basis so pay attention, folks.

Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If youre young at heart
For its hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If youre young at heart

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on its way

Dont you know that its worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart
For as rich as you are its much better by far
To be young at heart

And if you should survive to 105
Look at all youll derive out of being alive
Then here is the best part
You have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart

So, as I'm remembering that I've gotta be me, I wanted to remind you all to be young at heart... and perhaps we can meet somewhere in the middle.

The ones to see:
Phoebe in Wonderland

Eh:
Inkheart

The ones to avoid:
Confessions of a Shopaholic

More detailed reviews below.

Away We Go
Time/place: 7:40pm showing last night at University 6 (w/Kellie)

I was quite looking forward to this one.  Sam Mendes directing a quirky, lovely comedy about a young couple travelling in an attempt to find themselves?  That's call a potential heart-attack-of-amazingness-on-film for Mark Mushakian.  However, as has happened a few times this summer, the movie wasn't quite what I expected out of it... but this time, it wasn't for the better.

I'm not generally a fan of poetry, especially poetry that doesn't rhyme (I'm a Dr. Suess man, what can I say), but I like this one:

"Day"

Every Day
       I think
Some Day
       I hope
ToDay
       Will be my
Perfect Day
       But still it's ever
                     Night.

Moon
Time/place: 11:40 showing at University 6 on Saturday

When I first heard about this movie, a one-man show about a guy alone in space starring Sam Rockwell, I grinned hard.  When I saw the trailer, that grin erupted into a huge smile.  This sounded EXACTLY like my kind of movie: a singular and amazing performance, the stillness of space, a beautiful but mysterious concept, and a potential slow pacing of the story.  After I left the theater yesterday, however, these ideas (along with my previous smiles of anticipation) were shattered.  What replaced them wasn't disappointment, though.  Moon wasn't exactly what I was expecting - it was a heck of alot better!

Ever since I was a little tyke, I've enjoyed being in the back.  I was short (still am), so class photos always put me in the front, but I'm talking about inside the classroom.  This carries through to today: I always prefer taking a seat, in any situation, most like the back row of a classroom.  I enjoy having a seat which affords me the best view of my surroundings.  This has nothing to do with getting the best look at what I'm supposed to be watching (teacher, movie, whatever) because even if the front row offered the best way to see, I'd prefer the back.  Why?  I don't like being watched.

This has been the case for as far back as I can remember, but after telling someone about my discomfort of having eyes on me, I realized it sounds a little odd when I hear it out loud like that.  So, I thought I'd get into it here.  Perhaps you feel the same way I do.  Perhaps I'm just a loon.  Let's find out together, shall we?

Imagine the title set to the tune of "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits.  That's completely irrelevant to the post... but it's what was going through my head when I thought of it.

After a recent conversation with a friend, regarding priorities, and a few other things that have been going on, I thought I'd share mine.  I know for awhile there I was adament about pursuing a movie career, but then I came to some very serious realizations about what I really wanted out of life - about priority.

Sure, whatever God wants out of my life is what I want, but if we're going to discuss purely selfish and personal desires, than here's a list of what I'm after in my time here on Earth:

- A wife and kids.

... and that's it, folks.  There are details all over... a decent career that I can enjoy which will allow me to take care of my family, friends, creative interests, etc., but as to what my own personal priority in this life is, all that really matters to me is to have a family of my own.  Sure my ignoring Hollywood has many more reasons involved, including the fact that I just don't want it enough to do what needs to be done to succeed there, but a large factor is that if given the opportunity to be a major star who goes on 2 month movie shoots or have a mediocre job that allows me to stay home with my family - there's no question for me.

For a long time, I had a hard time coming to terms with what my priorities really were, but now that I have I can not only embrace it and do my best to find it, but I can encourage anyone else out there to do the same.  Of course, knowing is just half the battle .

Now I gotta make it happen...

The ones to see:
Gran Torino (previously reviewed)

The ones to avoid:
The International
Crossing Over

 No extended reviews today, but if you'd like to know why I made these suggestions, just ask .

I've come across a few interesting links over the week, either by way of one of many sites I regularly visit or even Twitter.  However, rather than simply re-tweeting or emailing links to friends - I figure this is the most efficient way to share them with the most folks.

Old Jews Telling Jokes - Exactly what it says.
Bowser's Minions - The villains of the Super Mario Bros. games form a coup...
My Milk Toof - By way of a re-tweet from Kinokofry.  Absolutely adorable and brilliant... and very similar to an idea I've been working on.  This is better, though, so I'm going to re-work my idea .
Ferrari Guy - Just... amazing.

My pal shared this Facebook ad with me yesterday, with the intent of believing it appropriate for the hilarity of I ♥ The Internet.  As you can see below, I concur with this belief .

What sort of horror and black magic is this?  Turning beautiful young women into crazy old ladies?  That may be your cup of tea, folks, but it certainly ain't mine.

Ah, who am I kidding - I LOVE crazy old ladies.  Sure that hot blonde Before is sexy as heck with her come hither look and pearly white smile - but look what she becomes!!  That old After is so hilarious, and obviously crazy, that I would be insane to not rather spend my time with her... she even still has the same arched eyebrow she did when she was younger - if that sexiness matters to you.  So, I say, bring on the madness!  It's time to morph ALL of our young women into crazy old ladies!  Viva la revolucion!