And the Geeks Shall Inherit... San Diego?

Call us what you will - fanboys, enthusiasts, or geeks - but there is no denying our power during this time of year. I'm referring to Comic-Con International, which began Wednesday night in San Diego. Every year in July Comic-Con brings together all the coolest things (movies, video games, comicbook art, etc.). The number of attendees has grown to approximately 125,000 strong - this is more people than attended either of the political conventions during the last presidential campaign (according to the LA Times).

Unfortunately due to budgetary constraints, I was unable to attend this year. So this 'bark' goes out to my brothers & friends... I'm with you in spirit on the crowded convention floor. Yet in spite of my absence I've managed to quench my inner-geek and I'm excited about what I've heard coming out of Comic-Con.

This has been another year of firsts. Peter Jackson (the overlord of "The Lord of the Rings") came out his New Zealand lair to attend Comic-Con for the first time. Tim Burton appeared for the first time in years and James Cameron gave Comic-Con a first peek at his latest work Avatar (his first film since Titanic)

Jackson

Peter Jackson announced that he was weeks from completing the first draft of The Hobbit. Exciting news indeed, since there was a time when Jackson further involvement in the Tolkien saga was in question due to legal issues with the producers of the first three LOTR fims. The Hobbit will be two films and Guillermo Del Toro is set to direct the films. Jackson did some promotion for District 9, a film that revolves around aliens that earth is keeping in detention/concentration center. The trailer I've seen for this film looks great.

Burton

Tim Burton didn't come alone to Comic-Con. He was accompanied, to the surprise of everyone, by Johnny Depp. They both spoke about their next collaboration Alice in Wonderland (due out in March 2010). Depp is playing the Mad Hatter, and the film appears to have Burton's trademark darkness. The production still for Alice make it look like Burton took the work he did on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and is pushing that "look" to the extremes.


Cameron

Hall H is the biggest hall at the San Diego Convention Center (it holds several thousand people), and it's reserved for the biggest events of Comic-Con. Apparently people waited for hours to get into Hall H for James Cameron's session on Avatar. There's a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding Avatar, since it's Cameron's first film since Titanic. Cameron wrote this story over a decade ago, and he has literally waited until the technology reached the point to allow him to create this film the way he envisioned. Briefly the story is set on the planet of Pandora and revolves around a human soldier, who is befriended by a Navi princess (the Navi inhabit Pandora). The film is in 3D, and Cameron screened 20 minutes of the film for the capacity crowd. Everything I've read about this project says it could be a "game changer" for Hollywood - how's that for buzz.

Well... this dog is done barking.

Transformers: Revenge of the Pudding Heads

All right, so I’m a couple of weeks late to this party. I finally saw the Transformers movie last night. I can’t believe this was the movie I was so looking forward to months ago. Unfortunately the experience was much like going to a party given by one of your parents’ friends – you had to go, the party was okay, but staying home could of also worked out fine.

This Transformers movie should serve as a case study for a common Hollywood fallacy that states “more is better”. In this movie more comedy, more explosions, and more robots didn’t make a more enjoyable film. Now had the screenwriters put more originality into the story these excesses could of worked. Instead this movie plods along from one effect scene, to another explosion scene, to a comic relief moment with little subtlety. I know… this is a Michael Bay film; expecting subtlety from Michael Bay is like expecting the Pope to handout condoms at a free clinic – not going to happen.

I saw trouble on the horizon at the opening credits when three names appeared credited with the screenplay. Screenplays by committee seldom produce worthwhile results. What annoyed me most about Transformers was the “cutesy” factor. The two jive talking, twin Autobots and Mikaela’s pet Decepticon were glaring examples of screenwriters desperately trying to connect with the kid audience (blatant merchandise development posing as story). Another low points included - Sam’s dog (Mojo) and the pet Decepticon’s leg-humping bits (cheap laughs from lazy screenwriters), Sam’s annoying college roommate (who added nothing to the story), and Sam’s over-the-top mother (a smaller dose was funnier in the first film). I wonder is there a screenwriters’ Magic Eight Ball that they shake whenever they need a conflict between their main characters? In this case the ball showed “boyfriend can’t say, ‘I love you’ to girlfriend.” Sam and Mikaela, fighting to save the world from total annihilation, have no time for romantic conflict. I’m sorry, but saving the world requires complete focus from those involved. Obviously the screenwriters felt the urge to give the female audience a token plot point, too bad this one clanked so hollow.

By now I’ve created the impression that I hated Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So let me say that watching the vehicles transform into robots is such a cool effect that each time it happened it stirred my inner-geek. I give Michael Bay credit, the purported 200 million dollar budget is all on the screen – every technical aspect of this film is top drawer. Bay has developed a great relationship with the U.S. Defense Department, so they give Bay access to the coolest military paraphernalia (aircraft carriers, jets, tanks, etc.) that I love watching Bay play toy soldiers on such a life-size scale. To say nothing about how Michael Bay does more to keep explosive manufactures in business, than some small terrorist organizations; lots of things loudly going BOOM on the screen all the time. Fabulous! Then there’s Megan Fox… boobs, booms, and Autobots - a combo that’s all ready taken in over 700 million dollars worldwide at the box office (Boxofficemojo.com).

It just too bad a little more attention didn’t go into a creating a better story to pull all these elements together into a tighter movie. Too bad that instead of “more is better”, no one recalled the better old Hollywood chestnut - “It’s the story, stupid!”

MJ and the Rat

In 1972 my mom took me to the Orphium Theatre, on Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles. In those days the Orphium played first-run movies with Spanish subtitles, this allowed mom and me to enjoy the same movie.

On this particular outing to the Orphium, the movie was Ben; the story of a young boy, named David, who befriends Ben, a dark colored rat. Ben leads a horde of pissed off rats – pissed because the last human they trusted tried to incinerate their furry butts. Somehow Ben finds it in his rat heart to make nice with this goofy kid, the unpopular kid, the kid that gets picked on (I think he might have even been in a wheelchair). Fast forward - spoiler alert – at the end Ben gets hurt (or dies) in a fiery blazed courtesy of the fire department, police department, or maybe the National Guard. It’s been over thirty years, so some of the details of this cinematic gem get lost. Three things I’m certain about – one, Ben was a sequel to an equally ridiculous 1971 film, Willard. Two, I was about ten years old and I cried my eyes out at the end of Ben. Lastly, the title song, in Ben, was sung by Michael Jackson. Michael’s voice begins to sing the sad ballad of Ben, as David comforts the hurt/dying rat and the credits begin to roll.

Not long after seeing Ben, I convinced my mom to buy me the movie soundtrack. This was one of my first LP’s. I listened to Michael Jackson sing and relived the end of Ben probably more than I want to admit. In the years since my Ben affliction, any time I hear the name “Michael Jackson” I think back to those innocent and simpler days. I never picture Michael in the leather outfits and the sequin glove instead I see the picture of a young black man, with an afro, on the album cover to the soundtrack of a movie best forgotten. The picture on album cover exudes wholesomeness. For me it records a point in time when Michael and normal where within close proximity and today for some unexplainable reason I am comforted by this thought.

I write this not in denial of the freakish sideshow Michael Jackson’s life became. Over the next several weeks a media tsunami will wrench every aspect of this man’s life, and undoubtedly the most bizarre bits will float to the top. These “bits” may influence how those of us who grew up listening to Michael’s music reconcile his musical talent to his life. Can you like the music, but not the man who creates it? I do not know for I am not keen to judge. Nonetheless, how absurd that a song about a rat may be what softens my opinion of Michael Jackson.

Myla's Last Bark

Today we finally had to let our oldest pug, Myla, go. For some time, we knew this day was near. Having gone through this with so many animals, you'd think letting them go would get easier - it doesn't!

Every time one of these little creatures goes, they leave a void. For days something is missing in the house. The absences of their unique sounds makes our eyes tear up. In our minds we hear their huffing & panting - we think, "Oh, it's time to let Myla out." But Myla is gone, no girdle to put on, no treats to be given.

Myla came to this house as a rescue, along with her sister Monty. Old dogs that were cast out by people whose lives could no longer accommodate their needs. Surprise that in our disposable society even these little spirits get the boot as a matter of convenience? Luckily for Monty and Myla, D & M took them in without hesitation - they were granted "family" status from the moment they stumbled through our doorway. Although Monty went first, neither of these pugs went without affection or attention our household. These girls were special, they were queens.

Over the years Myla went by many names: Myla-bones, Bonez, and My-by. She loved her treats... I don't believe Bonez ever met a cookie she didn't like. Our young pugs gravitate towards her - they loved lying next to her (or on top of her in some cases), but Myla never complained. She was the Grandam of the house, and she knew it.

The most special thing for me... I would some times walk into the room and I could see Myla rising her nose, taking a couple of sniffs, and Myla knew I was in the room. Please don't be mistaken, I did not do the lion's share of the work with Myla. D was the one who cleaned up after her, hand fed her, stayed up with her at night when her breathing was labored & shallow. D & M paid all the vet bills, and did so without complaint. Without fanfare - D & M deserve medals for what they have endured with Myla and all our animals. They have a love for these angels, that I will never understand. But who am I?

Mother Teresa once said, "I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." Today with Myla's passing, I believe I understand this wisdom a little better.

25 Random Things

I just did this for my Facebook profile. It was an interesting writing exercise. Figured why not add it here as well... so these are the 25 things that came to mind:

1. Always place my vitamin bottles facing the same way in the cabinet.
2. Grapefruit juice over Orange juice
3. The best Bloody Mary is on an airplane made from those little vodka bottles.
4. I would love to become a Tennessee Squire.
5. Can’t understand why anyone likes gin.
6. Coke over Pepsi
7. I sang with the house band at a bar on Bourbon Street.
8. I love New Orleans.
9. I would like to see Nepal some day
10. Survived being roommates with Robert Wagner for a summer in Grand Lake.
11. I have worked on a presidential inauguration.
12. Proud to have watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery.
13. Have photographed sunrise in Death Valley.
14. Am lucky to have more than two friends that I’ve known for over 20 years.
15. I live in a house with 11 pugs.
16. Best lesson I learned from my Mom – never deny kindness to anyone.
17. Would like to have the kind of golf game that would allow me to play Pebble Beach Golf Links.
18. I have over 3000 songs on my iPod.
19. Jack Daniels over Wild Turkey
20. I cry at the movies – “The Secret Life of Bees” was the last one that got to me.
21. My DVD collection has swollen to over 300 disks.
22. If I could, I would write like Hunter S. Thompson
23. I have the love and support of three amazing women – Dede, Mary, and Mom
24. For the last couple of months I’ve been practicing card flourishes. I can fan a mean deck!
25. Did I mention I really love Colorado!

Woof - Woof

Today was one of those day when I just float along without much thought about where I'm heading or what I'm doing. You have days like that?

Since quitting my job last December, my life has slowly transformed into something... more... tranquil. Before I didn't have a career, I had a lifestyle. The blackberry constantly going off, conference calls with various parts of the globe, numerous calls between 2am - 5am on any (every) night of the week. I was unhappy with my life, and more so I was making those around me miserable with my short temper. I felt stuck without any options. After leaving that existence behind, I spent the first couple of months sleeping late into the day after stying up watching television sometimes until 4am. My biggest accomplishment in those first months was watching every episode of The West Wing; all seven seasons. For large portions of the night I would sit and watch 4 episodes, and just lose myself in the fictional lives of the Bartlet administration.

I laughed and I cried through all those episodes, but most of all I allowed myself to mourn the loss of something. Perhaps my innocence. Not sure.

Latest Bark

Wow... it's been a while since my last bark. My life in transition has taken me in some interesting directions. For the last several months I've attended Pre-Service that begins the process of applying for my CA Teaching Credential. Some of the class work can kindly be described as dry, but I've learned something new every day.
The biggest revelation - those who would be teachers need a heart full of commitment. The volume of work necessary to prepare lessons, engaging students in the classroom... teaching is not a profession for those only seeking a paycheck. Trust me there are easier ways to earn money. In those quiet moments before going to bed, I wonder if I possess the necessary commitment.