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Friday, May 13, 2011

Politics And What It Means To You.


- EDITOR'S NOT: Somehow this got deleted today. So, here it is again.

When I was growing up my Grandfather told me there are two things that you don’t argue over, “Religion And Politics”. That really didn’t make sense to me at the time, probably because I was around 10 years old and the only thing’s that I argued over were the injustices of my mother, and the intolerable feelings I had toward my younger sister (a whole different couch blog), not realizing the importance of the people we elect or the pontiffs that get assigned to “oversee” our well being. I always viewed religion and politics as one and the same, and never really gave it a second thought.

My first memory of being political was the ’88 election between Bush Sr., and Michael Dukakis. I remember REALLY liking Dukakis, and I was only 7. I don’t know why. I was one of the first generations raised on the video camera and television and movies always fascinated me, so that probably played a part, especially considering the career path I took. But, as far back as I can remember, I always had an opinion on politics.

My first real foray into politics, and the first time, I believe I voted, was in the 2000 presidential race. I remember thinking that I was going to vote to make a difference. It was a time of weird change for our country, the new millennium, and the world. Well, it happened, the change definitely came, but not a change we expected. We ushered in the new millennium under a veil of fear and uncertainty, then events quickly arose that would magnify those emotions one hundred fold.

A lot has changed over the last 11 years, and I don’t think that anyone can argue that those fears and uncertainty now far outweigh the positives and advances that we envisioned. We are constantly on edge about what to expect or what can happen at any given moment. The media, religion, and the politicians have engrained in our psyche a paranoia that we’ll HAVE to pass universal healthcare just to pay for the psychiatric visits our society will have to endure. Just watching the news is like reading a Dean Koontz novel EVERY DAY. And I know people will say that “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality has been there since the inception, but not to these levels. With the 24-hour news cycle and the Internet, we are just reinforcing those emotions and “letting the concrete cure”, so to speak. It’s a buffet that we have all knowingly, or unknowingly, brought our plate up to feed at.

Now, I might seem like a hypocrite for saying that because of what I have chosen to do with my life. Never in a million years would I think that I would be involved in politics in ANY WAY, but the path set itself up for that happening. All we here at TwentyFiveEight want to be is be good storytellers, but storytelling doesn’t have to be fictional, or happen in the past, a story can be happening right now….and they are. Even as I write this, stories are unfolding all around you. There are people out there fighting for their lives to make a difference. What you have to do is be able to know which stories are important, and which stories are special effects Michael Bay movies (Did I mention I’m a HUGE Michael Bay fan, but I am willing to admit his faults).

The current political climate, especially in NEPA is filled with a who’s who of political veterans. The same ones that claim a change needs to happen, which is kind of counter intuitive because if they get re-elected doesn’t that mean things stay the same? Meanwhile, the people who don’t have the backing of powerful people, or the name recognition to raise funds are being left in the dust and forgotten, without even getting a fighting chance; all things being equal, on any given Sunday ANYONE can win. That idea doesn’t apply to politics, national or local. It’s who has the most money WINS.

We have been fortunate enough to get to know some of these “Great Unknowns” over the last two years and it has served a two-fold effect on us. For one, we have learned how the political system runs; be it good or bad, it just is. The other is, we have learned to hope again, and to believe in something, which in this world, is pretty tough.

Now, come Election Day next week, nobody really knows for sure who will win, and if they do then they’re involved in criminal activity and I’m sure the FBI will find them (word is they’re supposed to be here a while). All joking aside, nobody can definitively make a call. The political forecasters are just like weathermen, it’s the only job you can keep being wrong 90% of the time and still keep it. What does this mean to you? Well, there’s still time. Time to educate yourself on who’s running and why? Most intelligent, sane people don’t run for office because they think it will be fun, they run because they think they can make a difference. They have heard a higher calling than you or I will ever hear, and I commend them for that. But, you and I are voters, and we owe it to ourselves to get educated about who we want to speak for us, and who can do the most selfless job.

I would never presume to tell you who to vote for, but I can tell you who NOT to vote for. Don’t vote for someone because of his or her name, that isn’t good enough. Don’t vote for someone who you don’t think has time to hear your voice. Don’t vote for someone who focuses less time on the challenges, than pointing out the faults in others. Don’t vote for someone whom you didn’t educate yourself on. Don’t vote for someone who talks out of the side of their face. You SHOULD vote for someone whom you think is qualified. You SHOULD vote for someone that puts your needs and concerns first. You SHOULD vote for someone who reflects your values and ideals. And after all that is said and done, YOU SHOULD VOTE!

-Markie

Friday, April 1, 2011

Avatard

So, James Cameron wants to reinvent filmmaking, forcing us to forget every film that has ever been made...

Ugh.

James Cameron's Next Plan To Reinvent Cinema

What he's failing to understand is that everyone who has ever seen a movie has learned the visual language of film. Zooms, pans, dollies, close-ups, edits, music, score...all of these elements are subconsciously learned and understood by everyone. The element of frame rate has been learned, too. Films are shot at 24 frames per second. Things shot on video, like the news or your crappy home movie you made on your Hi-8 Handycam, are 30 frames per second. There is a noticeable difference. Open up the Settings menu on your HD TV. Turn on "motion smoothing" or "120 Hz." Put on a movie. See how awful that looks? Yeah. James Cameron.

I suppose being "innovative" on a technical level is a way to compensate for being "a complete rip-off" on a creative level.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Super 8

Anyone in the filmmaking business right now in their 20s or 30s is probably there because of Steven Spielberg. When I was in second grade I wrote a book report on a biography of the celebrated director. I recently revisited Close Encounters Of The Third Kind on TV and was struck by its ability to combine some pretty out-there ideas with characters and themes to which anyone could easily relate.

This summer will see the release of Super 8, a collaboration between Spielberg and sci-fi director J.J. Abrams. By the looks of this new trailer, it's old-school Amblin. I can't wait to see it, with all the father issues and childhood innocence you come to expect...


- Tim

Monday, February 21, 2011

Hooray for Hollywood! Kind of!

Mark Harris, over at GQ, wrote an excellent article about the current state of Hollywood originality (or lack thereof). Read the article: The Day The Movies Died

I'm of the opinion that the cream will always rise to the top. Sure, there will be TWENTY-SEVEN sequels in 2011. But how many people will remember "Hoodwinked Too!" or "Fast Five" in 2012? There will always be good movies, even great movies, and technology is making it easier to make them; people just need to know about them.

- Tim

Friday, February 11, 2011

Thank Goodness For Spoiled Brats

From Vulture:

"Good news, highbrow literary/cinema aficionados! Vulture is happy to report that billionairess Megan Ellison, the 25-year-old daughter of Oracle boss Larry Ellison, appears to be coming to the rescue of two high-profile Paul Thomas Anderson movies: a foundering untitled Scientology drama (which may or may not end up being called The Master), and Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 2009 stoner detective novel, Inherent Vice."

Being that Paul Thomas Anderson is the best working director right now (an irrefutable fact), it is extremely exciting to hear this news.

Read the full article here.

-Tim

Monday, February 7, 2011

SUPER"SUCK" and the Movie Trailers!!!

*EDITORS NOTE: It's titled "SUPER SUCK" because of Christina Aguilera, and Black Eyed Peas

I LOVE EVENT MOVIES! You may also know them as “Popcorn Flicks”. The movie’s that you finish your box of Raisinets® and half of your tub of popcorn before the first reel is over. I literally cried at the part in the first TRANSFORMERS after the first attack in the army base. I remember looking at my buddy Josh right after that part and literally out loud at the same time “That was AWESOME!” SIDE NOTE: TRANSFORMERS 2 BLEW! This summer seems to be shaping up to be another one of those summers for me because most of the flicks I want to see had teaser’s during the Super Bowl.