2 Weeks and Counting
The end (of the wait) is nigh! My honeymoon preparation is kicking into high gear now as we come to within 2 weeks of departure. There's still a lot to do, of course, but I'm getting stoked. I haven't had 3 weeks off from work since I was 12 years old, when I got my first job, and for the last 4 years I have been doing 2 jobs. So I expect this will be a little Twilight Zone-esque but that's just fine. In 16 days I'll be scuba diving and snorkeling in one of the best places in the world according to Jacques Costeau. 19 days from now I'll be taking a whitewater trip underground, and wihin 3 I'll be walking through Mordor. And that's just the North Island.
It's gonna be amazing.
The Prestige
It's the first movie I've seen in the theater for about 4 months, a film-noirish steampunk thriller about the competition of 2 magicians and bitter rivals in turn of the century London. The cast is stellar - Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and of course Michael Caine (and Scarlett Johannsen's boobies) turn in great performances - and director Christopher Nolan once again proves he is a master of complexly threaded tales. The analogy between rivalry of Burton/Algeir and Nikola Tesla/Thomas Edison - both rivalries, at their core, a clash of sound method and natural talent vs. radicalism and obsession - was a very nice touch.
Quote of the film, from Nikola Tesla:
Do you know the saying, 'man's reach exceeds his grasp?' This is not true - rather, it is that man's grasp exceeds his nerve.
Brilliant summary of the theme of obsession and 'getting your hands dirty' that permeate the film.
The only faults I think the movie had was it was slightly self-indulgenent drawing out the conclusion, and it shows its hand earlier than I would like, but it's nowhere near as self-serving as any of M. Night Shalyman's twist-dependant 'shockers.' Overall, 4 of 5 stars.
A Non-Venomous Political Post (Really!)
Lately, I'm sure you're all aware that I've been more than a little fired up about the state of a lot of things - the current administration, for one, but also the sorry state of the opposition. Well, I believe there's hope out there beyond the Al Gores and John Kerry's and other Boomer 'everything-to-everyone' Democratic stuffed shirts. What I feel - and have rightly felt since the 2004 election - was that the Dems forgot a) how to fight, b) what's at stake, and c) that it's better to stand up for something than in opposition to everything. It's OK to be centrist, guys...that's where most of the nation sits. That's why it's called the center.
The new generation of Democratic candidates like Barak Obama have moved me, made me believe that unlike the neo-cons following Bush and the rest of Congress's lead that they may not be willing/liable to make the same mistakes as their forebears. Harold Ford Jr. in particular has captured my attention. Check out his statement on economic reform. The fascinating thing is, regardless of whether this is feasible with the way things stand today, that this policy is fiscally conservative without callous disregard of needy populations (1% cut of ALL government spending save for education and veterans is damn brave); forward-thinking without magical assumptions; and still manages to ask tough questions that our nation needs to address now (such as getting GenX to wait until 70 to collect social security; spending more to develop multiple new fuel sources; and build savings accounts for every child to be used only on school, retirement, or home purchase). Fiscal responsibility plus social liberalism is something both my Republican and moderate leftie friends could get behind...and THAT is real poltical power today.
Color me impressed. I will watch his political career with great interest - I can only hope that Washington does not alter his course too fast or seriously...
The end (of the wait) is nigh! My honeymoon preparation is kicking into high gear now as we come to within 2 weeks of departure. There's still a lot to do, of course, but I'm getting stoked. I haven't had 3 weeks off from work since I was 12 years old, when I got my first job, and for the last 4 years I have been doing 2 jobs. So I expect this will be a little Twilight Zone-esque but that's just fine. In 16 days I'll be scuba diving and snorkeling in one of the best places in the world according to Jacques Costeau. 19 days from now I'll be taking a whitewater trip underground, and wihin 3 I'll be walking through Mordor. And that's just the North Island.
It's gonna be amazing.
The Prestige
It's the first movie I've seen in the theater for about 4 months, a film-noirish steampunk thriller about the competition of 2 magicians and bitter rivals in turn of the century London. The cast is stellar - Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and of course Michael Caine (and Scarlett Johannsen's boobies) turn in great performances - and director Christopher Nolan once again proves he is a master of complexly threaded tales. The analogy between rivalry of Burton/Algeir and Nikola Tesla/Thomas Edison - both rivalries, at their core, a clash of sound method and natural talent vs. radicalism and obsession - was a very nice touch.
Quote of the film, from Nikola Tesla:
Do you know the saying, 'man's reach exceeds his grasp?' This is not true - rather, it is that man's grasp exceeds his nerve.
Brilliant summary of the theme of obsession and 'getting your hands dirty' that permeate the film.
The only faults I think the movie had was it was slightly self-indulgenent drawing out the conclusion, and it shows its hand earlier than I would like, but it's nowhere near as self-serving as any of M. Night Shalyman's twist-dependant 'shockers.' Overall, 4 of 5 stars.
A Non-Venomous Political Post (Really!)
Lately, I'm sure you're all aware that I've been more than a little fired up about the state of a lot of things - the current administration, for one, but also the sorry state of the opposition. Well, I believe there's hope out there beyond the Al Gores and John Kerry's and other Boomer 'everything-to-everyone' Democratic stuffed shirts. What I feel - and have rightly felt since the 2004 election - was that the Dems forgot a) how to fight, b) what's at stake, and c) that it's better to stand up for something than in opposition to everything. It's OK to be centrist, guys...that's where most of the nation sits. That's why it's called the center.
The new generation of Democratic candidates like Barak Obama have moved me, made me believe that unlike the neo-cons following Bush and the rest of Congress's lead that they may not be willing/liable to make the same mistakes as their forebears. Harold Ford Jr. in particular has captured my attention. Check out his statement on economic reform. The fascinating thing is, regardless of whether this is feasible with the way things stand today, that this policy is fiscally conservative without callous disregard of needy populations (1% cut of ALL government spending save for education and veterans is damn brave); forward-thinking without magical assumptions; and still manages to ask tough questions that our nation needs to address now (such as getting GenX to wait until 70 to collect social security; spending more to develop multiple new fuel sources; and build savings accounts for every child to be used only on school, retirement, or home purchase). Fiscal responsibility plus social liberalism is something both my Republican and moderate leftie friends could get behind...and THAT is real poltical power today.
Color me impressed. I will watch his political career with great interest - I can only hope that Washington does not alter his course too fast or seriously...
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