Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Do not destroy the lavitory smoke detectors.

Each time I fly, I mostly ignore the recorded messages played before takeoff. I have heard them hundreds of times, making it white noise. Today, while the message was playing, my mind drifts to a simple question: do people destroy bathroom smoke detectors on airplanes to puff a cig in-flight? According to the recording, It is a federal offence. I am thinking I would like to be on the federal grand jury for that case. If a person can't jones on an airplane, how well will they fair in court?

As a former smoker, I get what a nicotine fit feels like, but dayum... Check-yo-self. Meditate or something. OH-MA-NE-PA-NI-HUN, playa. Stop thinking you can't, and start saying "YUS."

This is the world we live in today. Where a person can be so caught up in self, they lose touch with the rules of engagement. Maybe they believe they are above them. We are all guilty of this from time to time, I know I have to pull myself back to earth on occasion. I am certain there are parts of my flawed personality akin to assholism, but I hold the door (hodor), say please and thank you, address men and woman with respect, and I tip well when merited.

Which segues into the crux, where is the decency today? Is it just plain gone?

As a man who is not overly political, not some huge jock, not an educated scholar, mathematician, or a natural computer wizard, not a hunter, nor overly tree hugging, I find myself outside of a conversation more often than in it. I am outgoing and loud, sure, but I am introverted as well. I claim to be a bit nerdy, because I am, but I have a very difficult time with little details that make nerds, nerds. Hell, I sing and play guitar, but am horribly uncomfortable on a stage. Life's little ironies I guess.

My point? I am not for everybody. I joke that people really like me, in very small increments, which is what makes me a good salesman. A joke that is not entirely untrue. It makes me a target for people, which gives me thicker skin than some, but I can honestly say, that even if a person is the largest hard head to me in daily deals, as long as I am treated with respect and decency, it's more than ok. I always try to return the favor. It's simple cause and effect.

Hence, it drives me insane when I see how utterly disrespectful people treat one another today. I am tired of hearing f-bombs in public places. I am tired of pop culture glamourizing sex as nothing more than exploits to be bragged about. I am tired of political in-fighting leading us nowhere, I grow weary of everyone only being in the game for themselves.

But I really want to meet the man or woman who would destroy a smoke dector on an airplane. That somebitch is on a whole other level. Word.

Nago

Monday, August 21, 2017

Back....to the originality.


This past weekend, I was bored and scanning my ShowBox app for something fun, when I stumbled upon a "search by year" tab for movies. After seeing year after year of mostly forgettable titles combined with the occasional blockbuster, I scanned 1985. Something hit me, 1985 might have been the best year for movies, period.
 
Now, some of my all-time favorite movies are not represented in 1985, but the overall storytelling and epic characters of this cinematic year blows me away. Even the B movies are good.
 
Goonies
Back to the Future
Rambo
Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome
Weird Science
The Breakfast Club
That one movie with Madonna which didn't suck
Rocky IV
A View to a Kill
Legend
Commando
The Color Purple
Nightmare on Elm Street II
Day of the Dead
Fright Night
Clue
Out of Africa
Spies Like Us
Teenwolf
Cocoon
St Elmo's Fire
National Lampoons European Vacation
Police Academy 2
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Brewster's Millions
LadyHawke
Fletch
The Legend of Billie Jean
Jewel of the Nile
Mask
Witness
Agnes of God
 
I mean... dang. I could watch Goonies right now.
 
It's probably the influence of Spielberg's storytelling and Lucas' special effects that made the 80's so epic. Each decade preceding the 80's had merit, but a steady Hollywood decline since the 1940's left us with strange, almost icky, periods in between. Beach babe movies, scary monsters, early gore porn, spaghetti westerns, and invaders from mars filled the seats and drive ins across North America. We eventually saw the birth of the obscure (Allen, Kubrick), and master storytellers as well (Hitchcock, Coppela). In the same spirit, the uncharted waters of mid century Hollywood allowed the rise of James Bond, made massive stars like Hepburn, Wayne, Redford, and Newman, and brought us lost cause idols like Marilyn and James Dean.
 
The 80's in general were a second peak for Hollywood. The stage was set for greatness with special effects finally growing up thanks to LucasArts. Action/Adventure movies became all the rage with really good screenplays and direction, making Indiana Jones and Karate Kid box office hits. Sci-fi was getting a much needed horror-esque rebirth with franchise players like the Terminator, Alien and Predator. Horror itself came out of the 1970's religion based shock of Omen and Exorcist to fun bad guys like Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, and Chucky. With the help of SNL alums, comedy struck gold with Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, and Stripes. It was a world filled with BratPacks, Cusacks, corny montages, and cornier monologues. We ate it up by the shovel full.
 
I say we, but in 1985, I was 10. Let's say Nago SkyNet was not really self aware yet. I was, however, inclined to see Back to the Future, 3 times at the theater. A record that stood until 1989's Batman tied it. Both of which were finally defeated by The Force Awakens in 2014. I digress.
 
Another cool feature of the list from 1985 is the amount of quality-ish sequels:
  •  USA vs. Russia via a winter's montage?
    • DING FRICKING DING!
  • Mad Max chilling with Tina Turner in the absolutely peak of the franchise?
    • Two man enter, one man leave...me wanting more!
  • Rambo freeing POW's with a M16, a bowie knife and a red headband?
    • Cambodi-hell-yeah.
  • Torin industries featuring Grace Slick taken down by 007?
    • Her majesties secret serv-YES!
In a way it leaves me sad to see the creativity of a time gone past. We are so often bogged down by rehashed, overkilled, super hero stories, we forget about originality. I am also a bit sick of too much motion in my motion pictures. A camera flailing about to entice a feeling of action is a bit like cheating. It also gives me a headache. It's like listening to people talk over each other on the "news" programs. So, maybe this winter when it's dark early and cold too often, I will eat my popcorn at home watching a bit of fun nostalgia, and pass over whatever shit Jason Statham movie is on Netflix that week. Word.


I leave this blog with two final notes:
1. Goonies rule
2. Back to the Future deserves it's own blog.

Nago