The Wry Side of Life

I noticed an interesting trend the other day on two of the shows I watch on the CW 90210 and Privileged. Both shows feature an interracial couple, one is straight the other is gay. One of the partners is African-American while the other is white. What disturbed me until last Tuesday (Feb. 10, 2009) was that neither couple was ever shown kissing on the lips. The camera would capture the kiss from a angle where you would see the back of someone's head. I found this annoying, because I've never seen this done. You always see at least the lips touching especially with straight couples. This had several implications for me. Was the censorship of these couples part of because we had a Republican administration in office at that time? Or could it be part of an even more disturbing implication that interracial relationship are on par with gay relationships. That they are things that shouldn't be promoted and have to be watered down to the point where it seems more like a friendshi...

I had bought this book sometime last year and just had a chance to finally read it. I had five people tell me already how much they enjoyed the book. It seems to have struck a nerve for some people and I wanted to see if it would have the same effect on me. I enjoyed the section in Italy. Part of the reason could be that I wanted to know if she was going to have a torrid affair with an Italian guy. Alas she did not, I guess it keeps it from going the Under the Tuscan Sun (movie version) route and avoids all those tourist cliches. Another part that I enjoyed was when she was describing the pizza she bought in Naples. Man, I could only wish that slice of pizza had manifested itself in real life. Now I really got to save up and travel! The India section was the weakest part of the book for me. I didn't buy the whole New Age conversion--that the constant meditation changed her spiritual well-being. Is it really about meditating that changes one's life or is it the opport...

I watched the movie The Reader last Friday and it left me perplexed. I'm unsure about how I feel about the film and the way it approached its subject. The film is about a young boy who has an affair with an older woman. Later on in his life he happens upon her trial and he is keeping a secret of his own. I think the film brought up a lot of tough questions and I'm not sure if there is a good answer or a perfect response. 1. Would it be possible for someone who was a Nazi guard, who was responsible for the deaths of Jewish prisoners to achieve some sort of forgiveness? Can this person be redeemed? 2. Could that same person ever re-enter society and function as a normal human being? 3. Is the next generation doomed to repeat or doomed to forget the past? Watch the movie and let me know what your thoughts are.

I just watched the movie Ghost Town and I loved it! I didn't have high expectations going in. One of my least favorite writers David Koepp wrote and directed it. I have to say if this is how he writes when he's not doing a Spielberg movie I'd like to see more of it. What it made good was Ricky Gervais performance as a dentist, but I also think the supporting cast deserves kudos as well. Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear are the types of actors that are grossly underrated. I also, have to commend Aasif Mandvi who played Dr. Prashar , his patient co-worker. The gist of the movie is Ricky Gervais ' character Dr. Pincus is a major jerk. He's annoying and disrespectful to everyone. His first encounter with Gwen (Tea Leoni's character) results in him pushing the door close elevator so she can't get on. Greg Kinnear's character, Frank is cheating on his wife and planning to buy a pad for him and his mistress. Before all is said and done in a freak accident...

What is shoddy writing? It's a polite way for me to say Sh**ty writing. I'm singling out Heroes for this post. After watching the mid-season finale I have to say that it ended for me on a disappointing note. This has started to become a pattern with this show that when things don't work the way the writers/producers had intended they decide to sweep things under the rug and pretend they didn't happen. Who do you think you're fooling? Let me list a few that have troubled me: 1. No reference to the previous season and the fallout from that. What happened to Peter's romantic love interest who was stuck in the past? 2. What happened to Nathan's wife and kids? 3. I didn't think it was necessary to kill Elle off. If there were concerns about her schedule the perfect thing to do is have her leave the show for nine months and come back with a baby in tow. Before her and Sylar reunite she gets killed, and Sylar is left alone to raise their baby. 4. The whole Sa...

If you watch Hellboy II: The Golden Army this song will stick in your head. There's a scene where Abe and Hellboy are listening to romantic songs. Abe is trying to get in touch with his emotions. They're both drunk and they start singing this song "Can't Smile without You". It's hilarious and they both aren't that bad at singing. I really enjoyed this movie, the pacing and the action sequences. I have to give props to the actors, animatronics controllers (don't know what you call the people controlling the facial movements) who embody some of the creatures in this film. It's hard sitting for hours being made up or being stuffed into a costume. However, I find that their performances carry a level of nuance, and I also believe that actors do better when they have something to interact with. I for one am not a fan of complete CGI . I still think it looks fake and cartoonish . However, I am a fan of combining animatronics and CGI . A coupl...

I have to admit I've fallen under the spell of the Death Note. My favorite character is L and the Shinegami Rykuu. I've been recommending the live-action Death Note movies to friends. It seems that the rest of my friends don't agree with me and think I'm completely nuts for recommending the movie. I've heard criticisms about the series that it doesn't take a strong stance on Light Yagami's vigilante justice. Which is exactly why I enjoy it. How many times do you have to deal with a movie drilling its message over and over? I think a stance is taken but you aren't beaten over the head with it. The series through Light's actions take you on the journey to where you come to a conclusion about the character. Do you hate him? Is what he's doing wrong? I think there are a few key moments that define this character and by the end you see what kind of person he becomes. Check it out and let me know if you disagree?