My Take on the Dark Knight Rises

*This will be my only critique of The Dark Knight Rises. I fully believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I believe that it's okay if many people were not blown away by the movie or if they were downright disappointed. That being said, everyone is entitled to their WRONG opinion....just kidding.

There have been arguments back and forth about whether The Dark Knight Rises is a complete success or an utter failure. Because of the success of its predecessor, fans have been foaming at the mouth (myself included) to view Christopher Nolan's swan song to the Batman franchise with the hope that the franchise will go out with a bang. I was definitely the guy who followed the Twitter feeds, looked at the spy photos, and buried up every bit of info I can find leading up to its release. Now having seen the movie multiple times (you pretty much need to), I thought the movie was a fitting conclusion to Nolan's Batman.

I'm not going to talk about the movie in detail because at this point, it would seem redundant to almost any review that's out now. I'm just going to point out some tidbits that I found was pretty noteworthy. I don't think anyone was ever convinced that Anne Hathaway can pull off Catwoman or even if the character was needed, but in many ways she steals the show. Bane was a force of nature and having seen Warrior before TDKR, I knew that Hardy could prove to be a formidable foe for the Dark Knight. The audio was hit or miss for his voice but overall, I felt it got the job done. I will always remember that line: "...do you feel like you're in control?" What nobody seems to talk about is Christian Bale's performance. There was a lot of Bruce Wayne in this movie and he delivers in almost every scene. Sure, the Batman scenes are cool but at the end of the day, I felt that we experienced the trials and tribulations of Bruce. Bruce felt that Batman was needed and argued that anyone could be Batman. **

The biggest complaint I've been hearing about the movie sans plot holes and errors of logic was that this version of Batman didn't stay true to the source material. At this point, I feel that way of thinking is inadmissible because we are viewing an interpretation of Batman through Christopher Nolan's eyes. It feels like when the good canon is there, it's great. When changes are made, it's crucified. Do you remember in Batman Begins how cool it was that Batman's spikes were incorporated into his fighting style? With each incarnation of Batman, the fundamentals are still there but there are always caviats. If people are worried about canon, let them go back to the Schumacher movies. I personally think Paul Dini's Batman is the best interpretation of him but I know future generations will come to know a new incarnation. There's a generation of kids who feel that Terry McGinnis is the definitive Batman (if you don't know who Terry is, don't worry about it) or even Adam West with the POW! BAM! SLAM!

(SPOILER PARAGRAPH) Now for Blake. Blake is the closest we'll ever see to the dynamic duo of Batman & Robin. Throughout the movie, they traded information, fought side by side, and every now and then, Batman gave him orders on what to do next...which is pretty much the dynamic of the Boy Wonder and his mentor. People are definitely complaining that Robin should not have been his legal name but instead it should have been Dick Grayson or Tim Drake (Jason always gets thrown to the curb...haha). The name drop was for the masses. It's likely that outside of the hardcore comic fans, there are people who do not know the real names of our heroes. Do you think people know who Erik Lensherr is? How about Oliver Queen, Bobby Drake, Kitty Pryde? Here's an easy one: Who is Raven Darkholme? 

I enjoyed the movie. What seems to be pretty universal (at least, in my group of friends) is that it was a very cool movie that didn't top the second movie...and that's okay. Really...what could? I'm one of the few people that enjoyed Batman Begins a bit more than Dark Knight because it centered more on Bruce Wayne and his journey to becoming the legend.  What I do know is that we will NEVER get superhero movies like this EVER again. And as far as the ending is concerned, I liked it a lot. Few trilogies that are out there have good endings and I feel that Nolan gave a pretty satisfying one. The Dark Knight Rises is definitely a very dark movie that reflects on what it means to be a hero. Thank you Mr. Nolan for your contribution to the franchise. 

**The interesting plot hole I WILL bring up is Bruce stating to Blake that the goal was that anyone could be Batman. In The Dark Knight, Batman breaks up a drug deal between the mob and Crane (Scarecrow). In addition, he takes down copycats of himself who engaged the bad guys with guns. One copycat that is tied up asked Batman what gives him the right to do the crime-fighting and not them. "I don't wear hockey pads..."   Is that the only reason, Bruce? 

Sounds like a one-man show. :)

Golf Cart Troubles

Wow. I already did not live up to the weekly post as I intended to. I'm only off by a couple of days so I think it's that bad. I was going to talk about the infamous investment banker and his scathing e-mail or the article I read in the university paper about about female students who become sex workers to help pay their expenses. But as of now, I rather talk about work and a couple of movies.

Work
On Thursday 12/15, I got a huge sense of what my job really is. Prior to that day, I was told by my boss to prep for a donor that was going to come on campus and to expect to give him a tour. I researched the potential donor, made sure the golf carts was reserved, and the next day I dressed in professional attire to entertain our guests. Suffice it to say, things went wrong. The first problem was that someone else checked out the golf cart that we RESERVED! So after some negotiations, I was given a new golf cart. Upon reaching the cart, I realized that this particular cart is of a different model than which I was trained on. This normally would not have been a big deal...only that on the cart that I was trained on, the forward/reverse switch was on the dashboard and on this cart, that switch was nowhere to be found. I ended up turning on the cart and actually used my legs to push it in reverse and then I was off. I got to the rendezvous point to pick up my boss and the donor when I saw that he brought his wife and his daughter to the university. So preparations that were made for one person were thrown out of the window and I had to adapt to three people. When everyone piled into the golf cart, I gave them a tour but when it came time to go in reverse, I would make big 180 degree turns instead of promptly going to reverse because honestly, I DIDN'T KNOW HOW! I always got an inquisitive look from my boss but she rolled with it. As we were exiting a building to get back to the cart, I walked back to the driver's seat from a different angle and noticed the forward/reverse switch underneath my seat. WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS!

So now, I'm driving normally and for the most part, things are good. Unfortunately, the weather was getting cold and the daughter had left her jacket in her car. My boss had me drop off her parents at an education building and I was tasked to take the daughter to her car to retrieve the jacket. Along the way, the daughter opened up to me and bluntly said to me that she knew that me and my boss were trying to get her parents to donate to the university. She said that it was pretty transparent. I got a vibe that this was a family that had the moniker: "Whatever daughter wants/says, daughter gets/is heard." This means that she can sway her parents NOT to donate which would ultimately screw me.

I try to keep things civil and get her to lighten up a bit and to my relief when we got back to her folks, she gave a glowing statement about the university and that I was a great tour guide (Whew). And then it rains...hard. We drop them in front of the bookstore, wish them well, and tell them we'll be contacting them soon. My boss pulls me aside and asks what was the deal with me and the golf cart. When she heard I didn't know how to go in reverse, she said, "Thank you sooo much for not telling me that during the tour." :)

I changed my mind about talking movies in this post. I'll probably go more into detail later on but I'll say that Mission: Impossible is a must-see and is a sight to behold in IMAX and also Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was an enjoyable romp but as of this writing, the Dark Knight Rises trailer is finally released and it contains tragedy and a lot of it.

Take care..hope to write more soon...and all that good stuff..

The Return to Writing

It's been awhile since I posted on my blog so while the iron is hot, I'll try to at least make weekly postings. I completed my first week at my new job position at Cal State University, Northridge and the transitions seem to be going very smoothly. I work as a type of liaison for potential donors for the Social & Behavioral Sciences Department. In a way, it is my job to show them a good time on campus and to persuade them to give back. I seem to have a positive work environment and I look forward to building myself up within the organization.

Let's talk movies.I was fortunate enough to attend a movie screening of "Safe House." The movie starred Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Washington plays a CIA operative who went off the grid for 10 years and who was deemed a traitor. When he willingly turns himself in to an American embassy in South Africa, the CIA wastes no time to extradite back to the U.S. Unfortunately, various mercenary groups are after Washington and he is transferred to a temporary safe house that is run by Ryan Reynolds. His goal is to move up the ranks of the CIA but has been given multiple run-arounds. He is given a chance to prove himself by making sure that Washington remains secure. Things do not go very well. I like most of the movies that Ryan Reynolds has been in, unfortunately, they are not box office successes. If this movie doesn't do it for him, I'm not too sure anything else will. I wrote as much when I needed to write an opinion about the movie. In addition to me seeing the screening, I was invited to see the prologue of the Dark Knight Rises film. The prologue will entail the introduction of the film's new antagonist, Bane. As a Batman fan, I am quite excited.

On the games front, I started Gears of War 3 and have still spent a majority of time in the multiplayer of COD: Modern Warfare 3. I need to finish my novel so I can jump into the second book of The Hunger Games Trilogy. I have enough friends telling me to jump in. Well, this is a sizable post that I can start my come-back to the blogging craze. In the weeks to come, I intend to progress in my Spanish training, revisit the piano, and go through my pile of shame.

Oh, while I have the thought on my mind, I saw Cowboys & Aliens today. While it didn't live up to the hype I had for it, it was a pretty decent movie. In conclusion, it's good to be back at the university and I'm sure there will be more stories to come in the future.

Until next time...

5 Things List

I'm bored. So instead of doing 100 questions and talk about oil spills, I wanted to write about 5 things that are pretty cool in my life and 5 things that suck. Everybody likes lists, right? Right? Right?

Five things that are cool.
1. NO MORE CLASS
The fact that I don’t have to go to class anymore is probably the penultimate thing about graduating. I always thought of class as that thing where a student tries to learn something temporarily to find a use for it permanently. Hmm…that was pretty good. I should copyright that. In any case, I always felt like I learned better on my own. Class made me feel like I was going through the motions. No more of that….
2. TV SHOWS
We are coming up on an onslaught of shows coming up that I will actually have time to watch them all thanks to no school responsibilities. Entourage, True Blood, Sons of Anarchy, Californication, Dexter (hopefully), Burn Notice, the list goes on. It also gives my instant streaming of Netflix the proper workout it deserves. After the disappointing series finale of Lost (yes people, it sucked), I feel a little renewed that quality is coming back and in full force.
3. HANGOUTS
This particular one seems like a given but unfortunately, time (or money) has not allowed me to participate in many social hangouts. I’ve done marathons of Darkwing Duck, Duck Tales, and hopefully Tales Spin at some point. Some parties have been fun and meeting new people can be decent. Plus, it’s always good to get second opinions about issues, women, and work that plagued (that’s a strong word) my life so.
4. PRIVATE SCREENINGS
Some people may not care about this one but hey, these screenings are free. Admittedly, there’s a bunch of crap that you have to sift through, but every now and then a gem does come along. Look up “The Expendables” and “The Fighter.” I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I guess the only price to pay for these screenings is the restriction of cell phones and filling out questionnaires afterwards.
5. RANDOMNESS
This is probably my favorite thing that goes on in my life. I went to Universal with friends and ended up in a Korean karaoke bar that night. I went to the Getty and ended up in Burbank that night. I went to BJ’s with friends and we got lost finding trying to find our way home. It ultimately made us stumbled across a bar that looked like a saloon; naturally we had to explore it. Drinking games that transpires during the last season of 24 and the fact that drinking is good when having to be a neutral party in issues. I think my favorite was when a friend of mine coached me on how to drink Patron.

Five Things That Suck
1. NOT A STUDENT
I’ve grown accustomed to all the perks of being a student. The discounts, the connects, and the priority was something that seemed necessary that accompanies the title. When that well dries up, you feel it pretty fast. It also sucks that I will not be able to start a new semester with new potential love interests. I actually have to go out in the real world now. Lame…
2. WORK SITUATION
I work on campus. I’m a Data Analyst Assistant whose temporary job is almost up. That means I have to update the resume and look for a new job. There are a couple potential things I’m looking at. The worst case scenario is me moving back to LA. Nooo!!!!
3. HOME SITUATION
I could talk about my terrible homeowner for a hour. Let’s just say he isn’t really good.
4. SISTER & FRIENDS
To make a long story short, my dad always tells me to be nice to my sister and her friends. There will be some point in time when she’ll have a friend that you’ll be interested in. When that rolls around, you’ll want her as an ally. The theory makes sense. One problem: She does not have cute friends. I’ll admit that I wasn’t too pleasant (there was no incentive to be) with her choice of friends during high school but for the most part in our college years, I’ve been civil to them. In almost a decade, there hasn’t been anyone that you would look at twice…until now. My sis graduated last weekend and one of her friends that supported her was pretty cute. Guess what….she doesn’t live in this country. Lame. I’ve always had this theory that my sis...oh never mind…
5. BILLS
Rent, phone, credit card, and in six months…the bank. Any questions?

And Another One Bites The Dust...

I think I'm starting to lose my mind a little bit. It has come to my attention that another acquaintance that I have known for a while is married and is expecting. It seems like more and more people (close to my age) are getting married or is having babies.

A friend of mine who was advocating celibacy is now having a child out of wedlock. Every time I hang out with the dude, I try to be supportive as I can possibly be. I constantly think about the thought process that is going through his head. His life is OVER. That sounded harsh...let me rephrase. His personal life is over. His sole purpose now is to feed, care, and love his newborn to death. I know he'll be good as a father, it's just going to be at the expense of his personal life. He can no longer not have a care in the world. I worry about people who get hitched this early because the majority of those early marriages never last. I don't want to sound like a broken record when I say that when marriage comes along for me, I want to get it the right the first time. But when you have a kid, it's almost like your relationship with your partner turns into an obligation. I know I went on a tangent just now, but this is what's going on in my head.

It's funny, I know it's only a matter of time before all of us gets hitched. I was hanging out with some friends as usual and I came to a realization. When all of us gets married, these "get-together's" will be nonexistent. Does it have to be that way? Some people I talk to about this says that it's inevitable. I shouldn't run away from it, instead, I should embrace it.

Food for thought...

Calendar Changes??

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a theatre class listening to a lecture about the different types of theatre in different periods of time. The lecture was dull as usual but there was something he said that made my ears perk up a little bit.

"The history of Eastern theatre is traced back to 1000 BCE with dramas of ancient Indian theatre."

I raised my hand. "Professor...what's BCE?"

"Before the Common Era."

"Did that replace B.C.?"

"I don't know."

The professor resumed his lecture. I look at the person sitting next to me and she shrugs her shoulders. When did this change happen? How long was this change in effect? It might even be a personal use of terminology made by the professor. I decided to do a little bit more research into this.

I wiki'ed the hell out of time periods and calendars. I discovered CE meant "common era" and BCE meant "before common era." These terms have been here even before I was born. I naturally thought it was a replacement term that atheists wanted to use, but it went a little deeper than that. Below is a small sample I've cut from Wikipedia about its origin:

The year numbering system for the Common Era was devised by the monk Dionysius Exiguus in the year 525 to replace the Diocletian years, because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians.[15] He attempted to number years from an event he referred to as the Incarnation of Jesus[15] although scholars today generally believe that Jesus was born before AD 1.[16][17] Dionysius labeled the column of the Easter table in which he introduced the new era "Anni Domini Nostri Jesu Christi"[18] Numbering years in this manner became more widespread with its usage by Bede in England in 731. Bede also introduced the practice of dating years before the supposed year of birth[19] of Jesus, and the practice of not using a year zero.[20] In 1422, Portugal became the last Western European country to switch to the system begun by Dionysius.[21]

Because I've been to Christian private schools for the majority of my life, I thought that would be the reason why I have never heard about those new terms. It's like 'BC' and 'AD' were hard-wired in my brain. Anyway, hope you guys learned something new. If this was common sense...cut me some slack. :)

she never saw me again...

she thought i was mysterious
she got curious
she talked to me and gave me her number
she told me i could trust her
she said she liked me
she said she was my girl
she tried to get close
she turned to me for comfort
she told me she loved me
she wanted my burdens
she told me to call and she'll come running
she told me she's there
she told me that she knows i dont trust her
she spends the night
she was able to get through to me
she was happy
she was sad when we broke up
she saw me a year later
she asked if she got too close the last time
she teared up when i said yes
she looked at me one last time
she walked away
she never saw me again

Yesterday was good...

Yesterday was a good day. I got a lot of stuff done, received a lot of stuff, and helped a lot of people. I deemed yesterday so good I feel I had to write about it. Since I do not feel like writing a couple of paragraphs right now, I feel I should write a list.

1. Got my parking permit a week before school starts to avoid crazy lines.
2. Order my textbooks online and saved a great deal of money instead of going to the bookstore.
3. Got some alone time at work and I managed to get a lot of things done.
4. Convinced a lot of potential students to come to the campus at end of January.
5. Helped many people with some problems, family included, managed to get them laughing at the end to take their minds off of it at least for a moment.
6. Got a rain check for a $60 game that went on sale for $9.99 at best buy.
7. Got another $60 game that went on sale for 9.99 at best buy.
8. Got MK vs. DC in the mail finally.
9. Got my 2009 calendars.
10. Got my Netflix DVDs of the last episodes of the great cop drama, "The Wire."

Yesterday was a good day.

9 Superpowers You Might Actually Want

*Friend of mine sent this to me and I thought I'd share this to those who decides to read it. Enjoy. Leave a comment if you want to add powers.


When it comes down to it, most of the superpowers you see in comic books, TV, and movies aren't the sorts of abilities you'd want to have yourself. While on the surface it might seem kick-ass to possess retractable metal claws or brain-shattering psionic abilities, powers like these tend to place a person on government watch lists or morally obligate them to fight crime. Plus, they can result in pesky accidents like stabbing your loved ones or having your body taken over by an alien lifeform. Here are some mutant abilities that might actually prove useful in your daily life without some of the more apocalyptic side effects:

1. Ultra Liver Function. With this power, you'll be able to metabolize alcohol and clean your blood at 10 times the rate of a normal human being. You can slide tequila shot after jager shot down your throat without any concern that it might come back up in the morning, and move from Power Hours to Power Centuries with no hangovers or late-night trips to the ER. This power does, however, come with one drawback: it costs a hell of a lot money to get drunk.

2. The Human Condom. This power grants you the inability to contract, carry, or transmit any sexually transmitted infection, from genital warts to HIV. Although you'll still require contraception, you can engage in sexual encounters relatively worry and health insurance-free. Plus, you'll still be able to catch non-sexually transmitted ailments and enjoy the occasional guilt-free sick day.

3. Wifi Brain. Plenty of people have wifi phones, but the wifi brain allows you to access the Internet instantly and discreetly. This is the perfect power for pub trivia, winning bets, and getting through boring meetings. The trick to this power is keeping it a secret – otherwise, your friends will constantly be asking you to check their email.

4. Gaydar. To prevent embarrassing social situations and avoid lengthy, unrequited crushes on persons of the wrong sexual orientation, gaydar would let you know the exact Kinsey number of every individual in a quarter mile radius. A corollary to this power would tell you whether a particular love-target has a significant other, and how likely they are to hook up with you.

5. Polymorph Clothing. If your clubbing clothes are out of date, you need to go to a formal dinner right after a work meeting, or you just need an awesome Halloween costume, simply morph your clothing into the perfect outfit for the occasion. Incidentally, if you happen to be one of those crime-fighting superheros, this is a much better way to hide your secret identity than wearing your spandex under your suit.

6. Pepper Spray Breath. Okay, maybe your friend is a little too fond of insulting the mothers of large, drunken men. Maybe that guy who seemed really cool downstairs is a tad too aggressive when you get him into your room. You don't really want to hurt anyone (after all, you don't want to be a superhero), but you do want to get these people away, quickly and possibly permanently. Through a small glad in the back of your mouth, you could shoot a small but painful stream of pepper spray, quickly disabling any potential assailant. The bonus is you'd have an especially high tolerance for spicy foods. The con is that TSA would probably never let you fly.

7. Humor ESP. You've got a great joke involving St. Peter, a stripper, and a tricycle, but you're not sure how it will go over with your friend's new boyfriend, whom you've only met once but get the feeling doesn't really like you. Your humor ESP will let you know whether the joke will end in laughs or a theological debate. This peculiar psychic ability also comes in handy when you want to come up with the exact line to scare off that guy at the bar who just won't leave you alone.

8. Mute Button. Silence crying babies, Lyndon LaRouche supporters, and cell phones that play "Fergalicious" by rendering them temporarily mute. Tragically, this power would only work in person, meaning that morning talk show hosts, cable news pundits, and televangelists must still be silenced through conventional technological methods.

9. Gravity-Defying Body Parts. Some superheroes can fly. The rest of us need those gravity-defying powers to touch only certain parts of our body, such as booty, breasts, abs, and face. It seems that drag queens, Farah Fawcett, and certain cosplayers have already harnessed this power for hair, but simply won't share the technology.

Missing Plates

Yesterday morning, I walked to my car so I can drive to work as I normally do. When I got closer, I noticed my rear license plate was gone. I canvased the immediate area to see if it fell off somewhere nearby when I arrived last night but I still did not find it. I checked the time and noticed that I still had thirty minutes to make it to work so I decided to go back to my friend's house to see if it fell off around the area where I parked.

Along the way, I called my parents. They both said that I needed to go to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) immediately to get some new plates. I told them that I needed to talk to my superiors first and I'll head right over. Sure enough, I'm driving from my friend's house to work and a cop car pulls up behind me. I took a deep breath and patiently waited for them to flag me over but instead, they just pulled up beside me and told me to roll down my driver's side window.

Cop: Hey buddy, you know you're missing a license plate, right?
Me: Yeah, I'm going to DMV to report it stolen after I clear it with my boss.
Cop: Good.

They drove off. I parked my car in the campus university and talked to my bosses about the situation and they told me to get it taken care of. I went online and found a location and then drove to one of the most dreaded places in the state. For those who have not been to the DMV, the place is loud, busy, and time-consuming. Now if you made an appointment, you could get a sort of reprieve. Since I didn't have one, I could expect to stand in a long line before I could even get helped.

When I got there, the line was literally moving. I didn't know if it was because of a weekday or if it was still early but I wasn't going to complain. I got to the front and they told me I had to do some paperwork and turn in the front plate (I still had it). I sighed because I would have to go home, get some tools to pry the plate off, and then drive back to DMV. I walked to my car and examined the front plate. I noticed that the screws have been tampered with which confirmes that the rear plate was stolen and they were going for the front plate as well. I managed to unscrew the screws with my hand and I got the plate off quite easily.

I walked in with the completed paperwork and the plate. They gave me a number and they told me to wait in the lobby with everyone else. I found a chair, turned on my iPod, and I looked at the screen so I can see the numbers that were being called. Twenty minutes later, my number was called and I walked up to the station and presented the paperwork and front license plate. The lady gave me papers which were my new vehicle's registration and a brown envelope containing my plates and tags. I paid $19.00 flat and that was that.

Overall, I'm surprised that I didn't feel pissed off about the whole ordeal. I guess I'm thinking that I learned something new. If my plates get stolen, I now know the necessary steps to take. My parents told me later that the longer I didn't report the plates stolen, the people that took them could have done something illegal and the police would have seen the plate and I would have been a suspect or something. Go figure.

8 Ways To Prevent Theft

I was out of town on a friend's computer and msn's home page popped up when I opened up the browser. The article, "8 Easy Ways to Prevent Home Theft" jumped out at me and I decided to take a look. Below are the ways, take them for what it's worth.

1. Put up a sign that says you have a home security system when you really don't.
2. Have garages closed. When items are on display, you're advertising what you have.
3. Neighbor interaction. (if they see something out of the ordinary, they're more inclined to act on your part)
4. Keep valuables outside the bedroom. (Master bedrooms are commonly the first spot for a burglar.)
5. No land escaping. (pretty much means places with less shrubbery and more open spaces aren't appealing targets)
6. Install motion sensors (great deterrent for nighttime break-ins)
7. Radio running (Let you think that someone is still in house)
8. Free police inventory. (which I find kind of suspect but the theory is that they'll come out for free and give you advice on how to improve your home. But is that wise?)

Just food for thought.

The Dark Knight Blu-ray

I'm slowing counting down the hours until I pick up my Blu-ray of "The Dark Knight." I have endured countless torture from other people around the office and classes who have already purchased the movie and watched it multiple times. I know it's unexcusable and a travesty in many ways, but I'm almost there. I am getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Music in Advertising

I find myself always being impressed by a movie company or even a game company of dishing out great trailers to advertise their products. It's not so much the clips that are being put together to garner interest from the general populace, but it's the music that goes along with those clips. It can bring out tension, sympathy, and a lingering emotion that can make you feel for the various protagionists (that's the way it is for me, at least). I almost didn't write about this because I thought it was a personal thing but I noticed that other people notice this as well. I'm talking about people who are not hardcore gamers or die hard movie enthuiasts but rather people who just have a passing interest. Below are a couple of trailers from movies/games that moved me in a way to get their soundtracks. Check them out.