Movie: *REVIEW* Mysterious Skin

I will openly admit that I am on a Joseph Gordon-Levitt kick at the moment. I go through a phase where I become a little too focused on just one actor that has impressed me (Edward Norton, Christian Bale and ESPECIALLY Matt Damon. I have a huge school-girl crush on him….). With that in mind, I am prone to look at their work to analyze their overall acting talent.

Well, Mr. Gordon-Levitt has impressed me after having seen (500) Days of Summer, which I have also reviewed here in this blog. I had to see what he was made of, so I took the time to look up his previous roles in movies. I’m quite glad that I did.

Mysterious Skin

I will say that I was not prepared about the topic in the movie. However, that did not stop me from completing it. Considering that I didn’t know the background of the director, Gregg Araki, I went into it open and curious and left very shocked and amazed.

Here is the cast for the movie:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Neil McCormick

Brady Corbet as Brian Lackey

Michelle Trachtenberg as Wendy

Jeff Licon as Eric

Michelle, Jeff, Joseph, and Brady - Main cast of Mysterious Skin

Mary Lynn Rajskub as Avalyn Friesen

Elisabeth Shue as Mrs. McCormick

Chase Ellison as 8-year-old Neil McCormick

George Webster as 8-year-old Brian Lackey

Bill Sage as Coach

Lisa Long as Mrs. Lackey

Chris Mulkey as Mr. Lackey

Richard Riehle as Charlie

Kelly Kruger as Deborah

Pretty interesting and varied cast. Some well-known while there are others that are not. There are a few that I recognized and was not expecting the roles that they did play for this movie based on their previous work.

The movie touches on the very sensitive topic of sexual abuse of children. Based off the novel written by Scott Heim, the movie does a great job of handling the displays and actions of the two main protagonists, which are two males who are drastically affected by the sexual abuse they received by their baseball coach at a young age. The story is set up through the eyes of both boys, Neil and Brian, and their views on how they were affected by this event and their lives afterward. Brain is probably the most traumatized out of the two, having horrible nose bleeds and blackouts when trying to remember certain events and has come to the conclusion that he was abducted by aliens because he cannot recall any of the events. Neil, however, has come to embrace the event in aiding his confirmation of being a homosexual, along with his fascination with older gentlemen.

It is visually stimulating, heartbreaking, yet wonderful and brilliantly preformed. Joseph and Brady both portray the characters of Neil and Brain so greatly, that it almost outshines the other actors and actresses in the film. It’s fantastic overall and it does not sugarcoat the main issue of the film. It will make you a bit unsettled, but it will also have you on the edge of your seat. It shows Joseph’s acting talent in full and how immersed he can be when playing a certain role.

If you are in the mood for a thought-provoking, attention catcher and a movie that will leave a long-lasting impression, this is a great film to accomplish that for you.

Thoughts – Women vs. Men (Part One)

So, I was linked to an article that I found to be rather interesting. A guy wanted my viewpoint on it and believe me, I was quite glad to give my thoughts on it.

Here’s the link, in case anyone wanted to gaze over it themselves: 10 Things That Turn Men Off

Now before I get any flaming comments from women, please be warned that this post is only part one of a series of posts that I plan to create on this issue. Gender issues are a very hot topic, and I know there will be a lot of people who find this article kind of offensive, irritating, or just plain silly. It would be great to get viewpoints towards it from men and women.

She looks like she's going to eat his face....

This article makes a pretty good argument on the things that drive men mad. Considering that I have a lot of male friends (AND yes, I’m a woman in case that was a mystery for some people), I’ve heard a ton of these complaints from men about their girlfriends, wives, mothers, sisters, etc. What makes it worse for men is that it is hard to tell these women about what they do that drives them insane. To quote from this article:

“It’s not easy for a man to tell his wife or girlfriend what she does to irritate him. In my experience, confessions like that tend to lodge themselves deep inside a woman’s subconscious, never to be forgotten…ever. More than that, women tend to focus so much on their so-called “faults” that it can feel excessive to give you more reasons to be critical of yourselves.”

This is true. From my own personal experience, as soon as a guy tells me what I do that seems wrong to them, or off-putting, the first thing I would do is criticize myself for doing it, try to change it, or blame myself for causing the issue to begin with. Recently that has changed, as now I’m much more blunt and open about things and if there’s a problem, I’m usually willing to fix it or try to work towards making it better before blaming or judging just myself.

Women, also, do not forget things. My goodness. Talk about grudge holders. My mother still talks about something I did to her when I was 9 years old. Not only does that tell me that she can’t let things go, but she still has a pretty damn good memory. Women hate being told something that they are doing anything wrong. It just eats away at their pride and ego, just like guys.

Out of the article, these were the major points that I think most women do on a regular basis and not realize it:

• Devaluing Our Friendships
• Not Really Listening to Us
• Over-Sharing
• Having a Superiority Complex
• Assuming We Know What You Want Us to Do

These are, from what I observe in women that I know, tend to be the most affecting for a man when they do them. However, I must also state that considering the men that I know, there could be different viewpoints on what issues really cause a guy pain or irritation.

Going even further, the top three that I think are a huge hit are: Not Really Listening to Us, Over-Sharing, & Having a Superiority Complex. The reason that I picked these three are because most women do them without even realizing it.

I know a ton of women who tend to ignore their guy when he’s right in front of them and pretend he’s not there. Either that, or they just pretend like they are listening. But when he asks a question, she has no idea how to answer and just plays the innocent/I’m-an-idiot-and-you’re-smarter trick, or take an insult approach to the question to make the man wish they hadn’t asked to begin with. But when a man doesn’t listen to the woman or is preoccupied with something else, she goes and throws a fit. You can’t expect to get special treatment when you treat him like crap, ladies. Listen to him. Sometimes, it’s rare for a guy to actually open up and share his feelings. Slip up, and he may not do it again.

And damn, women sure do like to tell their business. I’ve had co-workers tell me about a time when their guy and themselves had sex and…. I won’t go into details, but I really didn’t want to hear about it. Seriously! Keep that to yourself. Everyone and their mother does not want to know about that time you and him got into a really bad fight and said some horrible names and then had angry sex and it sucked. Just stop it. It really makes your guy upset as well. Especially when you talk to another guy about it. Not only does that make them seem like a horrible person, but it gives any other guy the impression he could indeed make a move on you if he is interested.

I will admit that the superiority complex is something that I have indeed done myself without realizing it, but I was broken of that horrible habit due to personal experience. I think, in my opinion and from what I’ve heard, this is probably the most annoying thing a woman could do to a man. Thinking that you are better than your man and then bluntly pretending to be in front of people to gain status or give a certain image is probably the lowest and most painful thing you could do to a man.

Considering that most men go off of their egos, their personal experiences and use that to grow to become better (or even worse, but that’s another story) overall, it blind-sides them when a woman puts herself up on a pedestal in place of her man and then treats him like dirt. Now, I could be over-dramatic in this sense, but I’ve seen it happen to so many of my male friends, that it just bugs the hell out of me. Makes me want to pull a chick by her hair and bring her back down to Earth with epic force.

I think, at least in an American society, woman are put at such a high standard that instead of taking it as a compliment and really working to be equal with men, we take it for granted and use it to our advantage. Society teaches us to love and praise a woman, because it’s the same thing we would do for most of our mothers. So men are expected to treat a woman as if she is, sadly, a Queen or Princess. However, this causes a horrible side effect of the woman EXPECTING to be treated like royalty and when that does not happen, she moves on to the next because she knows she will get another man no problem, or just gets rid of the guy entirely because “He doesn’t treat me right!” Yeah… I’ve heard it several times that I just had to quote it.

It’s very sickening and frustrating to hear women claim that they want to be equal with men, but they expect to get special treatment. At least on the relationship side. As for other issues, I won’t touch on that.

However, this does not give men the chance to  just run and do things themselves. I plan to explain the things that men do wrong to turn women completely off in a future post and then find some way to compare and contrast the actions that both men and women do together.

The bashing will continue.

Culture – American Health Care Bill

Well, something else in our wonderful country has caught my attention once again. There just always seems to be an incredible event. That’s sarcasm, in case no one caught that.

So, as of last night the health care bill, that has been debated for I don’t know how long, was finally passed, assuring about 32 million Americans who were not covered by insurance that they will have health care probably within a good 4 years. I actually applaud the congress for passing such a bill. This obviously went back a few decades, even before Clinton, supposedly.

But, the main issue that has been bothering me about this bill was not only the actual facts behind it, but also the arguments against it. I’m still having some trouble trying to find a full article that gives me all the information on it, because the only thing I’m getting is left or right views on the bill itself. So, if anyone has a solid link to the bill itself, hit me up! I’d appreciate it.

One argument was that of financial concern. The issue of long-term effects from this bill is what appears to be on the minds of the Republican Party, also known as the “Party of No” for the past couple of months. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a smart concern, but to argue that this bill will cause a deficit of $12.6 trillion dollars as a main fault for this bill is a bit of… crap.

Considering the deficit that we already had, which was about over $2 trillion, I don’t think this is a huge deal.

It is, believe me. This is indeed insane and our country needs this taken care of, but this is towards something that Americans need. 32 million Americans without health care is not acceptable and spending money to actually get it started will just have to be something that we can deal with for now. The taxing will be a big thing for most people, so I know that will hurt many people, but the health care of our country is something that we need to get a grip on. We are ranked among the lowest countries to have the poorest Infant Mortality Rate and Infant Death Rate. This is a huge concern. This is often used to describe the health care and coverage of a country. The so-called “World Leader” has horrible health care. What a wonderful example of what a country should strive to be.

OH, and by the way, that deficit we have was already there before Mr. President was already in office, people. Maybe you should’ve thought about entering ourselves into those wars that no one focuses on anymore. I’m tired of other parties pushing the issue of money on the current President. This is not the case. This debt that we have has been around since 2000.  Take the blame and try to help to fix it, not hinder it “Party of No.”

Another concern is that of abortion. That was another core issue that had so many people refusing the bill.

I’m going to be open and voice my opinion on this issue. If a woman wants to get an abortion, she should have the right to do so. If she doesn’t, then she does not have to. Let the woman choose. No religious biased nonsense, no “its a life” dribble. I think the woman should be able to come to a conclusion on those issues. Most of us are not stupid, people. Some of us know what consequences we have to live with based on the issue. BUT, that’s another post in itself.

One thing that I would have to ponder on is the government funding abortions. They will not be doing so. I can see both sides on this. Funding for abortions means that people can do it left and right. However, people who actually cannot afford to have a child might consider abortion an option. This is a mixed problem in itself.

Another alarm was that of the failed push for a complete agreement on this bill. The Republicans refused to vote for this bill in their efforts to opposing anything that President Obama tried to do for this country out of spite. One thing that they haven’t figured out was what if  this bill had fallen through. Did they have a plan or another bill to try to put in place of this thing? For what some sources have stated, that has not been the cause. They oppose for the sake of disagreement, bitterness, and fear. I haven’t seen one Republican proposal that has benefitted this country. If someone wants to show me one, please feel free.

There were also issues of the pharmaceutical companies having a hand in this bill, Medicare and Medicaid having some major changes, tax issues, no government public-option to health care, how this affects the insured already, how this benefits uninsured, etc.

There is so much more about this bill that needs to be addressed, but at the moment, I am not finding the information to discuss it. I’ve read the New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, and a couple other sites. But, I want other views and ideas as well so that everything can be addressed.

So, any comments, concerns, links to information would be great. I want to know more about this bill and I think there should be great discussion on it. COMMENTS are encouraged on this post, readers.

Music: *REVIEW * The Morning Benders – Big Echo

Having just stumbled across this band through a random search of looking for new music to listen to, I must say that I am quite glad that I did.

The Morning Benders

The Morning Benders is an Indie band hailing from Berkeley, California. The band consists of Julian Harmon, Tim Or, Jon and Chris Chu. They’re licensed under Rough Trade Records.

Christopher Chu is the lead songwriter and I must say that the lyrics are fantastic. Their musical style is very distinctive from the mainstream Indie bands, but not too distant to make them uncategorized.

They have released several EPs and singles. Their first album, Talking Through Tin Cans, was created in a very short amount of time, having been their first major shot at producing an album, and I must say that it was a wonderful job. The songs have very long-lasting effects on any listener. The lyrics, melodies and selection of instruments are very amazing. I may do a review of it in the future for this blog.

With their second album, Big Echo, having been released last Tuesday, they have gained a sense of critical acclaim. Grizzly Band member, Chris Taylor, who has worked on several other albums with other bands, produced it. It has been listed as “One of the Most Anticipated Albums of 2010” by many music magazines and publishers and I can understand why.

Big Echo - Second Morning Bender's Album

First Track – Excuses: This starts off the theme of the album. The composition is arranged very well in this song. Christopher’s voice is a part of the song and just flows so well. The lyrics are very cleverly written as well. Chris stated that the song could have had a symbolism towards many things. A first kiss, first time at sex, first relationship. I got that vibe instantly. I posted a preview of the song earlier in my blog and it received a lot of looks. One of the best songs on the album Rating: 5/5 (Yes. It was possible and they did it).

Second Track – Promises: A much more upbeat, but somber tune after the main track. The vibe I got from it is that of an issue of a relationship going downhill or ending after a conflict. Instrumentation is awesome either way. The drums are the main tune in this track, along with the guitar. Very well composed. I find it a bit strange that Chris’s voice is a bit off in this song. But, still a good track.  Rating: 4/5

Third Track – Wet Cement: I love the feeling I get from this song. It makes me feel as if I’m on a beach front of some kind, enjoying the scenery. Chris’s voice is very distinct in this song. Carrying much more of the melody, in my opinion. Guitar is definitely the lead in this song, though. I love the arrangement of it, and the drums can give it a bit of a boast. The bass, though, is great as well. However, it can be a bit hard to hear what Chris is stating. Almost sounds as if he is mumbling. The instrumentation is great, but his voice could’ve been a bit better.  Rating: 3.5/5

Fourth Track – Cold War: This melody is very awesome and outstanding. I instantly go back to the decades of the 50s and 60s. Very upbeat, cultured and exciting. The only thing that bugs me is that it’s so short! Wonderful song, and his voice is fantastic as well. The lyrics are very catchy and the chorus is great. I can get this song stuck in my head for days. Rating: 4/5

Fifth Track – Pleasure Sighs: This song is sexy as hell. The instruments are fantastic in this song. The melody is wonderful and Chris’s voice is lovely and outstanding. Even the use of the bells fit. It’s almost like a psychedelic tune, but I wouldn’t put it in that state completely. I bet this song is wonderful live, and the lyrics are indeed very witty and clever as well. I think the main focus on this track is the music and I won’t argue with that at all. Rating: 4.5/5

Sixth Track – Hand Me Downs: I wasn’t sure how this song was going to be once it started out. I mean, Pleasure Sighs is a hard track to follow, but once this song continues and Chris starts singing, I have gained my confidence back. It’s strong all the way through. His voice is full of confidence and clear as hell. The lyrics are great as well. The guitar outshines any other instrument in this song, though.  And the random insert of a musical-box tune was very interesting. Very abrupt ending lyrically, but still great.  This song is great from start to finish. Rating: 4.5/5

Seventh Track – Mason Jar: I’m still having trouble on how I feel about this song. The lyrics are a bit strange, and his voice is very off-putting in this song as well. There must be some hidden meaning to it, but I haven’t caught it after having listened to it several times. I’m assuming it’s discussing the issues of giving second chances or changing. I would love it if someone would tell me. The instrumentation is strange starting out, but it gets much better after about 2 minutes of the song. His voice gets greater towards the end. I think there should’ve been a better approach to the track, but it does finish off much better than it started. Rating: 3/5

Eighth Track – All Day Day Light: This track is fantastic! The beat is great, the lyrics are awesome and his voice is strong from start to finish. This is a song I would listen to in the middle of the summer on a hot day, windows down in the car in the middle of a park with a group of friends or banging my head to on the road. I think this would be a great summer track, honestly. Put this on the soundtrack of someone’s life. Instruments are strong and great and its something you cannot ignore on this album. Rating: 4.5/5

Ninth Track – Stitches: Another track in which I had no idea where it was going when it started. Was half tempted to skip it after a while. But, I’m glad I didn’t. It’s a track that develops overall. It starts off slow and empty for a reason. The lyrics give it that image. It’s about recovery and a slow, gradual process at that. The choice of composition is great for this song and Chris’s voice is eerie. I love it! The piano helps with that, along with the distant echo of his voice in the background. Instrumentation is, again, the main focus on this song, along with the strong build up towards the end. Lovely track. I get shivers listening to it. Rating: 4/5

Tenth Track – Sleepin In: Interesting ending to the album overall. I guess they are ending on an “Echoing” note. Very soft melody and harmony of voices. Very Phil Spektor-like track. I admire the image they are trying to give. Honestly, I picture the sun setting over a beach as the song grows towards the end, appearing as if dusk is the climax of the whole event. It’s very wonderful. A nice way to wrap up an overall great album. Rating: 4/5

Bonus Track – Oh Annie: I bought this album from Itunes, in which there was a special bonus song for doing so, along with a digital booklet. This song is very lovely to listen to. Very romantic as well. For old-school tune, almost like a love ballad. Very cool nice treat for buying it, really. Melody is very simple, but sweet. Placement of the strings was interesting and clever as well. Lyrics are very forward but strong. I liked it overall. A little short and slow at some points, but it’s still a nice track. Rating: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 8/10

Don’t get me wrong; this album probably deserves a ten out of ten rating. But, being their first mainstream album, its great but there should’ve been a few things to touch up on and fix. Some of the songs seemed a bit out-of-place and maybe there should’ve been a rearrangement of orders, but the album is fantastic. Each song fits into the overall theme of the album. It is definitely a big, lovely echo throughout of a strong voice, wonderful instruments, and great composition. This should be added to anyone’s music collection. I look forward to listening to more from this outstanding and impressive band. Will be on my favorites list for years to come.

Status Update!

Hello Internet world!

Hope life has ben treating you well. Me, however, have gone through a few issues through life, which is why this lovely little blog hasn’t been updated in a week.

School was beating me with a wooden bat with nails in it, caught a horrible repository infection that had me down and out for 5 days straight, got my purse stolen on my college campus after I put in my application to graduate in June, my lovely MacBook Pro needed to be brought back to life again and the State is hard to deal with.

However, that has not knocked me down fully. I’ve found some music and movies to review, some games to go crazy over and maybe even some books to discuss. I plan to do that this week, since my Spring Break will be official after Wednesday.

Don’t worry, world. Ash will return soon enough! Just keep checking back within a day or two and there will be updates galore.

Movie: *Review* (500) Days of Summer

Staring off my first movie review for this blog, I decided to critique something that I hold at a high ranking.

(500) Days of Summer

This movie is something that everyone with a heart, intelligent mind, and soul should see. The first few verbal lines in the movie sum it up well, “This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story.”

The casting is as follows:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen, a trained architect who works as a writer at a greeting card company

Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn, assistant to Tom’s boss and romantic interest of Tom

Chloë Moretz as Rachel Hansen, Tom’s younger sister

Geoffrey Arend as McKenzie, Tom’s co-worker at the greeting card company

Matthew Gray Gubler as Paul, one of Tom’s friends

Clark Gregg as Vance, Tom’s boss

Rachel Boston as Alison, Tom’s blind date

Minka Kelly as Autumn

Patricia Belcher as Millie

Richard McGonagle as the Narrator

There are a few actors that I have never really seen before or paid much attention to, but I will say that I will from now on because they really show their talent in this film.

The film follows Tom and Summer’s relationship, running through the days that they encountered with each other. The attitudes towards love and relationships as a whole are shown throughout the film from each character. As it states, this is not a love story. It is more so about the trails of being or falling in love.

The format of the movie can throw off viewers a bit, as it skips around on the different days and events that the couple encounters, but it all comes together at the end.

The soundtrack also helps in making the film stand out, labeling it as an Indie film. Such names as The Smiths, Doves, Regina Spektor, & Feist are included in the film.

This film is very memorable for the quotes that are presented, almost making it seem as a cult classic. Considering that it was labeled as “A breakthrough film of the summer,” a lot of people did not know that it existed. It was a limited release, in which you could only see it in certain cities or independent theaters. I will have to admit that this film slipped right past me. I would not have known about it if it wasn’t suggested from someone who stated that I would enjoy the film after having seen it themselves.

A heart-wrenching, but a comedic and romantic film about relationships and life, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a different perspective on being, falling, and recovering from love.

Poetry – Secrets

Secrets

I wanted to ravish you in unimaginable ways
Just to make myself feel better.
Selfish or spoiled; I’m not so sure.
But I wanted you to be mine.

I cry every night as if I am being tortured.
Longing makes the pained conflict in my chest increase.
Trapped between two situated struggles,
Having nothing to hold onto.

While the life is being sucked out of me,
I wandered back to the desire I held for myself alone.

I wanted to show my affection in physical styles,
But I’m too confused to try.

I wanted to show how much I loved you,
So that you could cry for me when you were alone too.

-

I’m on a poetry kick lately. I think I may consider writing song lyrics or something. Maybe I could start a band…

Fashion – Bowler Hat

One fashion trend that has been catching my attention lately is that of the bowler hat.

Such an awesome hat.

I see a lot of women wearing it. Probably not as much as before, as it may be a fading trend as it’s getting into warmer months soon, but I’ve always loved the bowler hat before any of these fashion elites decided to go and snag it. Charlie Chaplin, for goodness, rocked that hat with the cane!

It’s so stylish, classic, and fitting in many ways. The shape of it, along with the correct color patterns of clothing; make it the token item for any outfit.

However, you have to have the correct shape of a face and head in order for it to work. Not everyone can wear the bowler hat, unless they can wear anything and look good.

I would love to own one, but those suckers can get very expensive. I’ve seen some run up to $190. Me, just give me a cheap one from target to make me feel fresh. I’m cool with that.

But if you like to mix up your world of fashion, give the bowler hat a try. I plan to find me a decent one to wear with my knee high boots, black cardigan, and striped shirt.