Yesterday, at 7:30 in the morning, I cast my vote for president of The United States with an immense hope that my voice would contribute to millions of others who would stand up and speak strongly for a change in the governing of our nation. Later that evening I watched an historic election be counted, tallied, and written in the history books. I saw the system of the electoral college function to reflect once again the true will of the people, without significant suspicions or areas of significant doubt, as it was certainly intended to. I felt emotions of a magnitude that I had never felt before rise within myself as I listened to the words spoken by the president-elect, Barack Obama, as he announced the victory of his presidential campaign, and the voters who chose him, to the world. This is a day that I will never forget, and remember always as a symbol of what it means to be an American, and a voting citizen of The United States of America.
I feel I should share with you the atmosphere I felt at the lunchroom at my workplace on this historic day. I happen to work at an institution with an immense diversity of nationalities, and I am grateful for the many opinions I get to hear on a daily basis. Yesterday, this was the group I broke bread together with: 2 Americans (including myself), 2 Argentinians, 1 Greek, 1 Swiss, 1 French, 1 Chinese, and 1 British. The sentiment at the table was unanimously in favor of Barack Obama's chances to win the presidency. One of us even commented that we were like the United Nations. We all shared a little laugh at that comment.
The biggest moment of the day, however, had to be when the confirmation was released that Barack Obama would be elected as the next President of The United States. It took several minutes to fully sink in that the election had finally, and decisively, gone in the direction of the will of the people. First it was John McCain, who delivered a heart-felt humble concession of the presidential race with the utmost respect and dignity. He further called on those who had supported him, to join him in supporting Obama as our new president. In spite of all the negative ads that were run by both sides in this long campaign, I truly believe both candidates have many goals in common, and I trust McCain to keep his word in continuing to work with Obama toward those common goals.
Then, it was Obama's turn to tell the country that he had won the presidency. In true Obama fashion, he quickly made the speech about the people who have supported his cause as he acknowledged everyone in the world from allies to enemies, from supporters to opposers, and all facets of the voting population. He told a captivating tale from the perspective of a 106-year-old voter, citing every crucial event in history within her life time, and reminded us that we are a resiliant people, who should always stand together when times challenge us and temp us to just fall apart. It is true that only time will tell to what degree any president is able to succede and meet the challenges of their time. But Obama gave me more hope with his words in these dire times than any president I can remember. Though I support him now, and am excited for his victory, I remind myself that the decissions of any president should always be scrutinized by the people of these United States. Though the president is our elected leader, it is always our will they should follow, and our opinions great or small, that they should consider. I pledge my support to Barack Obama as he prepares to assume office, and I encourage every American to do the same.
Enough politics now! I shall try to get back to reviewing books, movies, and other events in my life for your reading enjoyment!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Mistaken Identity, by Lisa Scottoline
This was an excellent read from one of the best crime drama/mystery writers out there. Scottoline draws on a bit of personal experience to build the characters in this court-room thriller... In the "Acknowledgements" at the end of the novel, she mentions that she met her own half-sister late in life (similar, but in different context than how the main character met her "twin"). I was lucky enough to hear Lisa tell the story in person when I attended a book signing she held in my community in support of the release of Dirty Blonde. Turns out her father apparently had an affair at some point in the past, and his daughter from that relationship had become a fan of Lisa's writing. She knocked on her door out of the blue one day, just to introduce herself. The emotions connected to such a discovery were great fuel for much of the writing involved in Bennie's character in Mistaken Identity.
But lets focus on the story now:
Bennie answers a call from a women's prison death row to find the inmate, Alice Connely (who looks shockingly similar to herself) claim she's her lost twin sister. Attempting to look at the case subjectively, Bennie eventually takes the case. Her investigation into the circumstances that left Alice on death row lead to more questions, many of which Alice is reluctant or unwilling to answer.
The authenticity of Alice's claim of both her relation to Bennie, and the circumstances of her case seem more and more in doubt as the story progresses. With her mother suffering a mental condition that leaves her unable to verbally communicate, Bennie has no choice but to try to track down her elusive father to get some answers about Alice.
The mysteries of family secrets grow in intensity right along with the tension of the life-or-death trial up to the story's conclusion. I hope you check this book out and enjoy it as much as I did!
Happy reading.
Monday, September 15, 2008
All Things Unforgiven
As the release of Metallica's Death Magnetic approaches, I can't help but to reflect on my history of being a Metallica fan, as well as the role Metallica's music has played in my life. I've shared many memorable moments with friends and family while listening to Metallica, or discussing their music. One such conversation is actually how I met my wife.
It was my senior year at college, 1998. Another friend and I had just gotten our food trays and were looking for a place to sit in the cafeteria. We saw a large table that had a mix of familiar and new faces and decided to join them. This was in the first couple weeks of a new school year, and as is habit this time of year, we introduced each other to all the new people. I recall I actually shook the hand of a girl behind the back of my friend sitting on my right-and that girl is now my wife.
The topic of conversation at the table in question happened to be Metallica, and their newest single (then, The Unforgiven II). Many at the table were fans of Metallica's Reload album, and interested in how the rest of those at the table compared the new song to the original Unforgiven from Metallica's land-mark "black" album. "Which version of The Unforgiven do you like best?" was the question going around the table in between bites of tator-tot casserole (or some similar cafeteria entree/staple). The young lady whom I would soon take a keen interest in said she liked the lyrics of the new version, and that they seemed an appropriate continuation of the theme of the original.
I felt I had the perfect curve-ball comment to throw into this conversation, so at the next lull in the dialog, I spoke up, "Well, personally I prefer the strings version of "The Unforgiven".
"There's a strings version?" someone asked.
"Yeah", I said, "It's done by Apocalyptica. They have an album where they cover Metallica songs on four cellos."
"Metallica played on cellos? Sounds cool!", said the beautiful youg lady.
"If you like, I could bring it over for you to borrow later tonight?"
"Sure, sounds great." she said.
And so began our friendship, that quickly grew into a romantic, long term relationship; and later, our engagement and marriage. That time was approximately ten years ago this month. We've been happily married the last six of those years, and remain fans of both Metallica's and Apocalyptica's music. Very soon, we'll be able to renew that old argument again, as Metallica have a song titled, "The Unforgiven III" on their newest album. Check back later to see what we think!
It was my senior year at college, 1998. Another friend and I had just gotten our food trays and were looking for a place to sit in the cafeteria. We saw a large table that had a mix of familiar and new faces and decided to join them. This was in the first couple weeks of a new school year, and as is habit this time of year, we introduced each other to all the new people. I recall I actually shook the hand of a girl behind the back of my friend sitting on my right-and that girl is now my wife.
The topic of conversation at the table in question happened to be Metallica, and their newest single (then, The Unforgiven II). Many at the table were fans of Metallica's Reload album, and interested in how the rest of those at the table compared the new song to the original Unforgiven from Metallica's land-mark "black" album. "Which version of The Unforgiven do you like best?" was the question going around the table in between bites of tator-tot casserole (or some similar cafeteria entree/staple). The young lady whom I would soon take a keen interest in said she liked the lyrics of the new version, and that they seemed an appropriate continuation of the theme of the original.
I felt I had the perfect curve-ball comment to throw into this conversation, so at the next lull in the dialog, I spoke up, "Well, personally I prefer the strings version of "The Unforgiven".
"There's a strings version?" someone asked.
"Yeah", I said, "It's done by Apocalyptica. They have an album where they cover Metallica songs on four cellos."
"Metallica played on cellos? Sounds cool!", said the beautiful youg lady.
"If you like, I could bring it over for you to borrow later tonight?"
"Sure, sounds great." she said.
And so began our friendship, that quickly grew into a romantic, long term relationship; and later, our engagement and marriage. That time was approximately ten years ago this month. We've been happily married the last six of those years, and remain fans of both Metallica's and Apocalyptica's music. Very soon, we'll be able to renew that old argument again, as Metallica have a song titled, "The Unforgiven III" on their newest album. Check back later to see what we think!
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Death Note live-action Japanese films!
In Japan, the Death Note manga story was made into 2 live action films. Having just seen them recently, I'm highly recommending them to any fan of the manga or anime series.
(Caution: spoilers may follow)
As you can imagine, trying to condense a 13 volume manga series into 2 films is going to be a tough task, and much detail must be sacrificed in any such endeavor. However, given how well plotted the manipulations were, it makes me wonder what the problem is with American film adaptations when liberties are taken with plot. Very often a movie butchers a book's plot so severely that if you have read the original work, the film is completely un-enjoyable.
This is far from the case with "Death Note" and "Death Note: The Last Name". There are a number of deviations from the plot, and of course many of the scenes are omitted, but all of these changes are done with close attention to the integrity of the concept and characters behind Death Note.
The movies never introduce characters like Mello or Near from the manga, but they compensate by keeping the drama and competition between Light and L extremely captivating. Light's manipulation of characters using the powers of the Death Note goes into uncharted territory with these films, although the underlying twisted motives will ring familiar bells with fans of the manga or anime series. I recommend checking these films out! You can probably find them under foreign films-Japanese. There are also plans for an American Live Action re-make of this story, so watch for that too...
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sword Fight at the Library!
About a week ago I volunteered at my local library to lead a boys book discussion with some assistance from library staff, other volunteers, and a couple friends of mine. The book we discussed was Peter & The Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
The book itself was excellent! An exciting adventure set as a "prequel" of sorts to the classic, Peter Pan & Wendy. In this book Peter and his group of friends are beeing sold as slaves to a greedy and cruel King of some foreign land. During their journey across the ocean, Peter discovers a treasure of "starstuff", which has many supernatural powers, is being transported in secret. He joins the cause of a group called the Starcatchers, who want to keep this potent material out of the hands of common and greedy people who would abuse its power.
There is an excellently described Pirate attack at sea, followed by a shipwreck, and the discovery of a remote island with native inhabitants who have some secrets of their own. All-in-all it was a very fast and enjoyable read, and a great title to recommend to grade-school boys. But the book talk wasn't even half the fun!
Immediately after the book talk we quickly segued into a presentation/demonstration about swords and sword-fighting, presented by my friends, who had made a special trip into town for this event... in full Pirate costumes! What's better is they planned an ambush in the middle of the program...
While my one friend, "Wolf", began an informational talk about what the parts of a sword are, my other friend (who had hid himself away in a utility closet in the back of the room for the entire book discussion segment of the program) stormed into the room and declared an intent to exact his revenge on Wolf. The two engaged in some generic cheesy dialog, and hastily erupted into a full-blown (but well rehearsed!) sword fight in front of the stunned grade schoolers. It was a riot! After their quick fight concluded, they stood & bowed- to much applause!
From that point on they continued their demonstration in perfect tandem. The kids loved it, I loved it, and it was all free entertainment provided at my local library! I do recommend the book for those who may be looking for a youth/young adult adventure-fantasy type of story. I've already began reding Barry & Pearson's sequel, Peter & the Shadow Theives. There is also a Peter & the Secret of Rundoon, and a 4th book coming soon by these authors.
Enjoy!
The book itself was excellent! An exciting adventure set as a "prequel" of sorts to the classic, Peter Pan & Wendy. In this book Peter and his group of friends are beeing sold as slaves to a greedy and cruel King of some foreign land. During their journey across the ocean, Peter discovers a treasure of "starstuff", which has many supernatural powers, is being transported in secret. He joins the cause of a group called the Starcatchers, who want to keep this potent material out of the hands of common and greedy people who would abuse its power.
There is an excellently described Pirate attack at sea, followed by a shipwreck, and the discovery of a remote island with native inhabitants who have some secrets of their own. All-in-all it was a very fast and enjoyable read, and a great title to recommend to grade-school boys. But the book talk wasn't even half the fun!
Immediately after the book talk we quickly segued into a presentation/demonstration about swords and sword-fighting, presented by my friends, who had made a special trip into town for this event... in full Pirate costumes! What's better is they planned an ambush in the middle of the program...
While my one friend, "Wolf", began an informational talk about what the parts of a sword are, my other friend (who had hid himself away in a utility closet in the back of the room for the entire book discussion segment of the program) stormed into the room and declared an intent to exact his revenge on Wolf. The two engaged in some generic cheesy dialog, and hastily erupted into a full-blown (but well rehearsed!) sword fight in front of the stunned grade schoolers. It was a riot! After their quick fight concluded, they stood & bowed- to much applause!
From that point on they continued their demonstration in perfect tandem. The kids loved it, I loved it, and it was all free entertainment provided at my local library! I do recommend the book for those who may be looking for a youth/young adult adventure-fantasy type of story. I've already began reding Barry & Pearson's sequel, Peter & the Shadow Theives. There is also a Peter & the Secret of Rundoon, and a 4th book coming soon by these authors.
Enjoy!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Seven
For my 7th post, I'm choosing to review my favorite movie: Seven.
Seven is a psychological thriller that is so well plotted there are hardly any films that compare to it. I often refer to it as my #1 favorite movie. I've even heard that the word 'Seven' is spoken seven times in the script of the movie, but every time I try to count the 'sevens' I end up getting sucked into the plot again and lose count by the 4th or 5th 'seven'. I can talk about this film endlessly, but I'll try to just give a quick review, offer some of my thoughts and leave it at that.
(Caution: spoilers may follow.)
Seven tells the story of 2 New York detectives (Mills & Somerset) investigating a series of homicides with a common theme; the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, pride, envy and wrath. The crime scenes are quite gruesome as the serial killer uses the victim's own "sin" as the method of their "punishment".
Just when it seems that Mills & Somerset will run out of time to save any of the presumed 7 victims, the killer hands himself in. And his name is John Doe.
The most memorable part of the movie is, of course, the killer twist that comes when John Doe reveals his final victims. I've heard reviewers say it left them feeling like they had just been run over by a train. I couldn't agree more.
The thing that fascinates me most about Seven, and keeps me watching it every so-often is how the 3 main characters all seem to be dealing with the same struggle: to get by in the chaotic, dangerous environment that is New York. Drugs & violence seem to permeate society from every angle here. The way I see the characters' psyches is pretty much the same: in some way or another, they all give up this struggle at some point in the film. They only differ in how they deal with this feeling of futility. At one point in the movie John Doe even brings this to detective Mills' attention, stating how they may be more similar than Mills might believe.
John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey): John Doe gas given up in his struggle to live a normal life in the sin-infested environment of New York long before the story has even begun. We get a small glimpse into his mind when Somerset reads a couple passages from John Doe's library of journals while searching the suspect's home. He's chosen to deal with his frustration with the commonplace acceptance of the 7 deadly sins by committing atrocious acts of "forced attrition" against those he sees as sinners. The police see the results as a senseless killing spree until our detectives come along and start to put the pieces together.
Detective Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman): This man is a veteran detective on the brink of retirement who is asked to mentor newbie David Mills before he hangs up his badge & gun for good. His retirement represents his point of giving up in the struggle to fight crime he sees as more futile by the day. In the course of the film we discover how this pessimistic environment has affected Somerset's personal life, resulting in his inability to remain close to any of the people he may have once loved. When it came down to being dedicated to either a family or his job, he chose his job, in hopes that he could still make a difference. Throughout the film this belief of his is in constant doubt.
Detective David Mills (played by Brad Pitt): Mills is a young & 'green' detective with a drive to make a difference & prove himself a worthy detective. He embarks on this case with a perspective that reminds Somerset of how he used to think when he was younger. His ambition also reveals an underlying impatience that often gets the best of him. Once Doe hands himself in, while the police are still making sense of his crimes, he tells the detectives (through his lawyer) he'll confess if he can reveal the last 2 bodies to Mills & Somerset alone. The legal obstacles to a death penalty for Doe are so frustrating to Mills its almost more than he can stand. He jumps at the chance to get Doe's confession, and at the same time falls into Doe's trap.
As John Doe reveals the crowning piece of his series of 7 murders, the results are so personally devastating to Mills that he loses his mind and gives up on the legal system he works to support. He becomes a vigilante (and I can't blame him, you'll see what I mean if you watch this film), taking John Doe's life in dramatic fashion...
Don't be surprised if this movie leaves you asking yourself, "What's the point of life anyway?" Don't say I didn't warn you.
Seven is a psychological thriller that is so well plotted there are hardly any films that compare to it. I often refer to it as my #1 favorite movie. I've even heard that the word 'Seven' is spoken seven times in the script of the movie, but every time I try to count the 'sevens' I end up getting sucked into the plot again and lose count by the 4th or 5th 'seven'. I can talk about this film endlessly, but I'll try to just give a quick review, offer some of my thoughts and leave it at that.
(Caution: spoilers may follow.)
Seven tells the story of 2 New York detectives (Mills & Somerset) investigating a series of homicides with a common theme; the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, pride, envy and wrath. The crime scenes are quite gruesome as the serial killer uses the victim's own "sin" as the method of their "punishment".
Just when it seems that Mills & Somerset will run out of time to save any of the presumed 7 victims, the killer hands himself in. And his name is John Doe.
The most memorable part of the movie is, of course, the killer twist that comes when John Doe reveals his final victims. I've heard reviewers say it left them feeling like they had just been run over by a train. I couldn't agree more.
The thing that fascinates me most about Seven, and keeps me watching it every so-often is how the 3 main characters all seem to be dealing with the same struggle: to get by in the chaotic, dangerous environment that is New York. Drugs & violence seem to permeate society from every angle here. The way I see the characters' psyches is pretty much the same: in some way or another, they all give up this struggle at some point in the film. They only differ in how they deal with this feeling of futility. At one point in the movie John Doe even brings this to detective Mills' attention, stating how they may be more similar than Mills might believe.
John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey): John Doe gas given up in his struggle to live a normal life in the sin-infested environment of New York long before the story has even begun. We get a small glimpse into his mind when Somerset reads a couple passages from John Doe's library of journals while searching the suspect's home. He's chosen to deal with his frustration with the commonplace acceptance of the 7 deadly sins by committing atrocious acts of "forced attrition" against those he sees as sinners. The police see the results as a senseless killing spree until our detectives come along and start to put the pieces together.
Detective Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman): This man is a veteran detective on the brink of retirement who is asked to mentor newbie David Mills before he hangs up his badge & gun for good. His retirement represents his point of giving up in the struggle to fight crime he sees as more futile by the day. In the course of the film we discover how this pessimistic environment has affected Somerset's personal life, resulting in his inability to remain close to any of the people he may have once loved. When it came down to being dedicated to either a family or his job, he chose his job, in hopes that he could still make a difference. Throughout the film this belief of his is in constant doubt.
Detective David Mills (played by Brad Pitt): Mills is a young & 'green' detective with a drive to make a difference & prove himself a worthy detective. He embarks on this case with a perspective that reminds Somerset of how he used to think when he was younger. His ambition also reveals an underlying impatience that often gets the best of him. Once Doe hands himself in, while the police are still making sense of his crimes, he tells the detectives (through his lawyer) he'll confess if he can reveal the last 2 bodies to Mills & Somerset alone. The legal obstacles to a death penalty for Doe are so frustrating to Mills its almost more than he can stand. He jumps at the chance to get Doe's confession, and at the same time falls into Doe's trap.
As John Doe reveals the crowning piece of his series of 7 murders, the results are so personally devastating to Mills that he loses his mind and gives up on the legal system he works to support. He becomes a vigilante (and I can't blame him, you'll see what I mean if you watch this film), taking John Doe's life in dramatic fashion...
Don't be surprised if this movie leaves you asking yourself, "What's the point of life anyway?" Don't say I didn't warn you.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Death Note
A new phenomenon popular among teens these days is the reading of manga (Japanese comics). Many of these comics are developed into animated series (called Anime). I happen to enjoy watching Anime a great deal, but for the most part I haven't read much manga.
The one manga series that has really grabbed me is Death Note.
Please don't be deterred by the fact that this story is a "Comic". Manga is a completely different style from your stereotypical "Super-Hero" comics. It is simply another form of creative story-telling, and the better titles are incredibly well-plotted. Death Note is one of them.
(Caution: possible spoilers)
Death Note follows the story of a brilliant & bored-to-death high school student (Light Yagami) who happens to find a notebook that was dropped by a Shinigami (or God of Death). Light finds instructions in the front of the notebook, one of which is: "The human who's name is written in this note shall die."
Now, of course Light thinks its some kind of practical joke at first. However, when he sees a live hostage situation on a breaking news story, he figures it wouldn't hurt to write the gunman's name in the notebook- just for wishful thinking right? Imagine his surprise when a couple minutes later the hostages walk out of the building saying their captor had just collapsed dead.
Interested in this story yet? Maybe you're thinking what you might do if you had this mysterious death note? Whould you write some one's name in it? A couple someones' names? Maybe a few thousand? Curious to know how many names get written in Light's death note? Well, you'll just have to find out for yourself! Read Death Note. Remember that Japanese manga reads right-to-left, so it might feel like you're starting at the back of the book. Don't worry, you're not.
Death Note is a fantastic story, with a myriad of plot twists that keep coming at you. The rules of the death note are seamless. The plot is very intense, and philosophically challenging. All throughout the story it keeps you captivated-there are no slow points in this story. It becomes a detective/cat-&-mouse hunt. The events of the story reach a global scale before its over. And the ending does not disappoint, so you're not left hanging with major unanswered questions. So do yourself a favor: Read this story! Don't pre-judge it because its in graphic novel format. You will not be let down...
PS- If you are a fan of Anime, then you should watch the series as well. I've been collecting the DVDs as they come out, and they stick to the story like glue. Great voice-cast, and well produced.
The one manga series that has really grabbed me is Death Note.
Please don't be deterred by the fact that this story is a "Comic". Manga is a completely different style from your stereotypical "Super-Hero" comics. It is simply another form of creative story-telling, and the better titles are incredibly well-plotted. Death Note is one of them.
(Caution: possible spoilers)
Death Note follows the story of a brilliant & bored-to-death high school student (Light Yagami) who happens to find a notebook that was dropped by a Shinigami (or God of Death). Light finds instructions in the front of the notebook, one of which is: "The human who's name is written in this note shall die."
Now, of course Light thinks its some kind of practical joke at first. However, when he sees a live hostage situation on a breaking news story, he figures it wouldn't hurt to write the gunman's name in the notebook- just for wishful thinking right? Imagine his surprise when a couple minutes later the hostages walk out of the building saying their captor had just collapsed dead.
Interested in this story yet? Maybe you're thinking what you might do if you had this mysterious death note? Whould you write some one's name in it? A couple someones' names? Maybe a few thousand? Curious to know how many names get written in Light's death note? Well, you'll just have to find out for yourself! Read Death Note. Remember that Japanese manga reads right-to-left, so it might feel like you're starting at the back of the book. Don't worry, you're not.
Death Note is a fantastic story, with a myriad of plot twists that keep coming at you. The rules of the death note are seamless. The plot is very intense, and philosophically challenging. All throughout the story it keeps you captivated-there are no slow points in this story. It becomes a detective/cat-&-mouse hunt. The events of the story reach a global scale before its over. And the ending does not disappoint, so you're not left hanging with major unanswered questions. So do yourself a favor: Read this story! Don't pre-judge it because its in graphic novel format. You will not be let down...
PS- If you are a fan of Anime, then you should watch the series as well. I've been collecting the DVDs as they come out, and they stick to the story like glue. Great voice-cast, and well produced.
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