Conspiracy Theory

"There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I've got to beware"
-Buffalo Springfield 1966

For many reasons, I never want to sound bat-shit paranoid insane, but there seems to be something wrong in America today.  Instead of building towards a better tomorrow, it seems to be crumbling around us at an alarming rate.  Why?  We're in the 21st century, shouldn't we be more enlightened, or at the very least, more civilized?  Sadly, it seems as if we have a vastly growing continental divide of morality.  Our society seems to be moving towards a new civil war, and I'm trying to understand why this is happening.

First, let me say I am probably one of the least qualified people to discuss social or political issues.  I graduated from a simple technical college, and other than taking a semester in sociology and psychology in high school, I really am quite the clueless idiot.

But what I lack in education, I try to make up with common sense and acute observational skills (hopefully).

Let me share with you what I've noticed:

Each week, it seems news and mostly social media, is eager to focus on one specific story.  Everyone is almost obligated to share, like and/or comment on this one grand mal headline of the week.  Recent spotlights have been about a county clerk refusing to give marriage licenses to gay couples, a "politician" saying Mexicans are drug dealers and rapists, a Muslim kid being arrested for building a clock, and a 16 year old kid being tackled and arrested by police for jaywalking.  Anyone remember the big news story about Kony 2012 that everyone was obsessed with?  How quickly we forget...

If you're like me, (i.e. human), each of those stories make your blood boil.  I read about them and cringe, feeling my heart race from the stupidity involved, and get knots in my stomach.  I watch the videos and weep for our society and try to understand why it has to be this way.  Maybe some of you will do more.  Maybe some of you will make efforts to make a change to the world, but my instinct says, most of you will sit in anguish and maybe 'like' or share the post, or maybe even make a creative hashtag in support.  Because I'm sure you know by now, a creative hashtag can easily solve all the world's problems.

But then something strange happens:  sometimes, a news article will come out that puts a completely different spin on this tragic situation.  Or you find out suddenly how many people are supporting this horrible person.  Why???  What happened in our society to cause such a vast difference of opinions?  Are the cops really a bunch of racist thugs killing kids, or are people in these dangerous neighborhoods threatening, and even killing police every day so they have to protect themselves?  Did this kid innocently build a clock, or was he trying to make it look like a bomb to make a statement and cause trouble?  Is President Obama one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had according to some sources (like here), or is Obama truly an evil arrogant megalomaniac bent on world domination according to other sources?  Are you sure about your answers?  Have you really read information from both sides thoroughly before answering?  (FYI - these are rhetorical question.  I'm not writing this for a debate on any of these specific topics).  Sometimes, those opposing views make some very interesting points that make you think.  Of course sometimes, those viewpoints are extremely moronic too.  But really... you should question EVERYTHING!  Just because you agree with it, doesn't mean it's true.  You should still think for yourself and spend a moment doing some research. 

But... could it be that SOME of these stories are fake?

Remember kids, we live in the 21st century, and video is fairly easy for any random idiot to create.  It's not difficult to gather enough friends together and stage something seemingly unbelievable.  Or, with the right software, you can edit a video to tell a completely different story.  And even worse, many satirical sites are being shared as if it is a real story.  You have to look deep into the site to see it is satire, but the damage is already done by people sharing because they KNOW it's plausible enough without bothering to double check. 

So what should you believe?  Maybe the bigger question is, why is it being done?

Do you know that feeling you have in your stomach when you read those disgusting news articles?  Last year, it was leaked(?) that Facebook toyed with our emotions.  Specifically, they spent a week in 2012 manipulating your news feed to see if they could elicit more negative responses from YOU, (read about it here).  And for the record, there is nothing illegal in their actions.  So, is this an ongoing project?  I know I still cringe sometimes when I read a shared news story.  Currently, over one billion people are using Facebook every day.  That is quite the impressive social experiment if you think about it.  One billion people to test and see if you can make them happy, or sad, or angry, or...?  

But realistically, I doubt going back in time and stopping Mark Zuckerberg from creating Facebook will solve our problems.  Maybe we would all still be using MySpace *cringe*, but the affect on our society would still be the same.

Social media isn't the only source of public manipulation.  Lest ye forget we also have news organizations and politicians.  Both of which can be extremely biased.  There is no guarantee or law that says news programs or politicians have to tell the truth.  They just have to convince enough people of they're sincerity.  And why would they lie???  They have power, so I can't think of any reason why they would need to mislead us.  

Well, maybe all is lost for us, but obviously our children are the future, so if we teach them well, we can all live long and prosper.

But wait... in a perfectly controlled society, we don't want the next generation to outsmart anyone in power.  So, hopefully, parents are ignoring their children enough and letting the television or video games babysit them.  And while in school, maybe we can have standardized testing for students, so we aren't really educating them.  We just want them to pass a test to be smart enough to work in McDonalds.  In a properly brainwashed world, we should send children to schools that focus on everything except education... from suspending children for wearing the wrong clothes, or if they pretend to shoot imaginary guns, or sending children home early because they have 'violent' characters like Star-Lord or Wonder Woman on their backpack (yup, it happened here).  Or maybe we can just prescribe drugs instead of actually taking care of them properly, (like these). 

But what is the agenda?  Is there a goal to all this dumbing down of our society?  Is there a Star Chamber where the 1% meet and talk about us like pawns?  Maybe the days of Roman Caesars are being reborn.  Maybe they watch from afar, betting 3,000 Quatloos on their favorite group of gladiators to defeat the others, when society starts to inevitably crumble. 

I really have no answers, but personally, I will not play this game.  I focus on my own world.  I'm aware of the bad things and try to educate myself, but I try to share the positive and creative parts of my life.  I worry about my friends and family.  I'm not jumping onto anyone's bandwagon, because in most cases, they're already too crowded, and I have plenty of room in my own bandwagon.  I will never share or discuss those stories-of-the-week on social media, because I wasn't there.  I don't know those people, and I wasn't involved.  I have very strong opinions, but, there could be plenty of people that disagree with me and... what if I'm wrong *gasp*? 

Personally, I prefer to focus more on aliens than alienation.

 
Now, if I suddenly disappear tomorrow....
Deeesher

Fantastic Four 2015 Review

There is a very good reason superheroes have always been popular.  They were fun.  Most kids (and many adults) read comic books because it made them smile.  It's a chance to escape the real world for a while, and imagine something... fantastic.  It's nice to read about someone unique, and maybe thinking of yourself in their place with amazing powers, helping save the world by defeating evildoers.

It is very clear that someone at Fox never got that concept when making the newest reboot of Fantastic Four.

And I can already hear you saying, "Hey Deeesher, please tell me we get to see another origin story!!"  Why yes, you clueless idiot, we get to spend half of the movie (two thirds?) learning how they get their powers.   But I'm sure if you're reading this blog, you already knew how it happened, because you have an interest in this kinda thing, and you're familiar with the comics.  Or maybe you saw one of a few different animated versions... or you saw the 2005 movie... or it's sequel.... or you saw the 1995 Roger Corman version.  Either way, we get to hear how all this happened... again! 

In the interest of full disclosure, this movie is based on the 2004 comic reboot of Fantastic Four, written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar, so it is slightly different from the original idea.  The biggest difference, instead of going into space to get powers, they develop inter-dimensional travel.  And they're much younger.  Okay, even in the comic version, this bothered me.  Traditionally, Spider-man was young.  Reed Richards was an older guy.  But whatever.  

In the comic version, we see football player with a heart, Ben Grimm, eager to help protect young Reed Richards from bullies in school.  In the movie version, young Reed is picked on by students and teachers alike.  Young Ben has his own problems at home with his dysfunctional family.  And in one of the more painful moments in the film, we hear Ben's father shout, "It's clobberin' time!" before he beats up his kid.

Sadly, the painful writing decisions do not stop there.  I won't even discuss how a bunch of young kids (well, early twenties) break into a top secret government facility to do some secret experiments on some ginormous machine, without anyone noticing.  Nor will I discuss their disjointed story arc for Dr. Doom (Toby Kebbell).  

To me, the most uncomfortable part of this entire fiasco, was what happened immediately after they got their powers.  To be blunt, it was horrific, and nightmare-inducing.

For comparison, here is what happened in that 2004 comic, shortly after Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm got their powers (click on the pictures to see full sized and read their reactions).

Cute.  Light.  Confusing to the characters, but still fun and lighthearted enough to be enjoyed. 

In the movie, the government straps them down in isolated rooms, studying them as they scream in fear and agony.  Reed (Miles Teller) manages to escape, only to find his rocky friend, Ben (Jamie Bell), begging for his help in terror.  The music, the tone and atmosphere are so far away from the original concept of fun, it was difficult to endure watching.  Nothing about this is fun, or inspiring.  I imagine kids watching, clutching their mother figure tightly, crying, "Mom, I don't want to explore strange new worlds or ever get super powers!  I just want to be an accountant!"

And going from this uncomfortable sequence, we instantly get ONE YEAR LATER, and see them using their powers for government work.

So what happened?  The film has only been out a few days, and director Josh Trank has already started making excuses and blames the studio for not allowing him to do what he wanted.  He directed Chronicle, which I really loved!  And in Fantastic Four, in his defense, he didn't use much shaky cam and when there was action, you could follow it easily.  But everything else was just dark and lifeless.

The acting was... fine.  Nobody stood out.  Nobody was horrible.  They did their job.  And to be clear, making Sue Storm (Kate Mara) the white blonde adopted sister to black Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), seemed one more unnecessary plot point.  If they wanted to make the Storm family, including Sue, all black, that's great!  If they wanted to make Reed and Ben black, that's great too!  If they wanted to have an all female cast, that's fine as well!  To clarify, I have no problem if a black family wants to adopt a white daughter.  But wasn't there enough of a story to focus on, that you had to add this element too? 

Fantastic Four was created by Marvel Comics, but this was not a Marvel movie production.  This was made by Fox.  Marvel makes movies fun for fans.  They figured out the formula.  The proof is watching Avengers, or Captain America, or Iron Man, or Guardians of the Galaxy, or most recently Ant Man.  

Fox also made the 2005 version of Fantastic Four and it's sequel.  Some people didn't like them, but for me, they seemed enjoyable for the most part.  I preferred the 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer more than the 2005 movie (even if their vision of Galactus was a bit... off). 

Maybe my opinion was skewed by Jessica Alba?  Well.... not that much.

Okay, maybe it was,
Deeesher

Jurassic World Review

(Please read the following in an epic movie trailer voiceover guy type of voice)
...In a world, with way too many reboots and sequels... comes... another reboot/sequel....! /end epic voice.

WHY must some idiot in Hollywood dig up some franchise, that was popular many years ago, in hopes that there is still a shiny penny they can squeeze out of it?  In nearly every case, the remake/sequel has no heart and no soul, and can be rated anywhere from, meh, to sucks.  Why can't anyone do anything unique or create a new franchise... like Guardians of the Galaxy???  If you're curious, read my review for that here.

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's review a movie.  Which one will we talk about today?  Wait, seriously... Jurassic World???  Ugh....

So many years after Steven Spielberg poached a lot of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park (allegedly), someone again decides to make a theme park out of living dinosaurs... because it worked so well the first time.  And now that the public has become bored with the concept, a brilliant team of scientists, (led by the clear winner of the George Takei lookalike contest, B.D. Wong), they suddenly decide they need to make a bigger and badder dinosaur, that could never possibly escape from his pen.  From here, I think you can figure out the rest.

I was content on waiting for the blu-ray version of this, partly because of my rant above on sequels/remakes, and partly because this was just released in theaters, and the last thing I wanted to do was watch a movie with a bunch of people.  Because the one thing I hate more than remakes is... people.  But after being reluctantly dragged to see this, I'm really happy I spent too much money on it, because... it was good! 

One big concern I had, was the director.  Seriously, who is this Colin Trevorrow guy, and what has he done before???  Well, not much of anything really.  But he proved you don't have to be Steven Spielberg to make a good dinosaur movie, (and for the record, this is much better than Spielberg's sequel, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, by miles).  Trevorrow gave us some very nice homages to the original movie, and a few other decent visuals.  I particularly loved how you could read a lot of emotion in some of the dinosaur's eyes.  And for the win, he avoided my two pet peeves:  There was very little shaky cam, and there was plenty of good lighting/colors (even at night).  Bravo sir!  

It also helped that the entire cast was really good.  Huge thumbs up to Vincent D'Onofrio, and I'm eager to see the inevitable Wilson Fisk/Star-Lord memes from this movie.  But I think the success of Jurassic World, is largely due to Chris Pratt.  I'm not saying his performance was Oscar worthy, but I'm really starting to think he made a deal with the devil.  How else do you go from being the fat ass on television in Parks and Recreation, to suddenly being the guy many women swoon over, and starring in two of the biggest grossing movies of all time in less than a year.

I mean, seriously....

Okay, if I really nitpick, (and you know I do), some plot points are a bit too convenient and painfully obvious.  Don't expect the same terror or intensity as the original Jurassic Park.  At the end of the day, this is just a simple monster movie, and it doesn't take itself too seriously.  But it's easy to overlook because Jurassic World really is a lot of fun!  It does have a decent sense of humor at times, and seriously, how can you go wrong with a raptor posse???  

And lest you think I didn't notice, we also get our share of Bryce Dallas Howard...

Grrrrrrrr....
Deeesher

Megacon 2015 - The Experience

So another Megacon has come and gone, and like poetry, we are left with lots of feels.

If you've been living under a rock, Megacon is one of those nerd-infested (geek-infested?) events celebrating all things sci-fi/fantasy.  There are many variations throughout the year, from Dragoncon, to Supercon, to Comic-con and even Vulkon, but the overall theme is the same.  And seriously, if you've never heard of this... why are you reading my blog??

The consensus of Megecon 2015 seems very positive from all attendees, and I will wholeheartedly agree... it really was a lot of fun.  This year was definitely better organized and, despite the crowds, there was room to breathe occasionally.  And, to be clear, I would never say a disparaging word about something that reaches to the core of my being.... 

However... Conventions have changed a LOT over the years, and not necessarily for the better.

When I first started going to this type of thing, in the mid-90's (for clarification, I was 5 years old... as far as you know), they were held very quietly in hotel ballrooms.  One ballroom had vendors, another ballroom had props, one other had guest speakers, and a fourth had tables for celebrity autographs.  And we had to WALK in two feet of snow... uphill... both ways!!

Okay, maybe there was no snow, but it was definitely more cozy and personal.  I remember walking into a quiet room with James Doohan (Scotty from the original Star Trek) at one table, and David Carradine (pre Kill Bill) at another, and you could shake their hand and have a conversation and even get a picture with them if you had a camera. 

And for 2015, the autographs tables are 30 yards away, and NO photography!  But you can get a professional picture with them if you are independently wealthy, or don't mind going deep in debt.  Since when did celebrities become so elitist??  Well... maybe that is part of the definition of celebrity.

I do regret not getting a picture or autograph from several people there, but... ugh, these prices!!

Admission price for all 3 days = $70 per person

Hotel room for 2 nights = $90/night

(your hotel prices may vary depending on which hotel you get.  And even though I live only 30 miles away, I booked a room, because traffic and parking for those 3 days is disgusting!  One friend, who came for one day, took over 3 hours from leaving her nearby home.  Our shuttle bus driver said it took over an hour to drive 2 blocks at one point during the afternoon)

For cast members from the series Firefly:

Summer Glau Autograph = $40

Photo op at the table using your own camera = $40

Professional photo op = $50

Adam Baldwin Autograph = $50

Photo op = $50

Alan Tudyk autograph = $40

Photo op = $50

Firefly group photo op = $120

For cast members from the series The Walking Dead:

Norman Reedus autograph = $80

Professional photo op = $105

Michael Rooker autograph = $50

Photo op = $55

Walking Dead group photo op = $140

For cast members of Doctor Who:

Karen Gillian autograph = $55

Photo op = $60

Alex Kingston autograph = $55

Photo op = $60

Doctor Who group photo op = $125

Not listed are prices and photo ops for Stan Lee, Lou Ferrigno, Hulk Hogan and a few others.  But I think you get the idea.

In 2005 (or so), I got an autograph AND picture with William Shatner for $75.  William F'n Shatner people!  I got a similar deal with Leonard Nimoy a year or so later.  So, it is really difficult in my tiny brain to justify spending so much money.  Does that make me cheap, or sane?  

And then of course, you have the vendor areas, where you will spend more money than you should on things you feel you really need.  You can buy prints, books, t-shirts, props replicas, plushies, or even swords... and much, much more.  

Now that you are completely broke, what else can you do?  You could check out some of the different panels they hold in one of many different ballrooms... if you want to wait over an hour in line.

Maybe I do need to be more patient, and for the next event, I should just grit my teeth and deal with the standing around doing nothing but waiting  to see something that might be kinda cool... that I could probably read about online tomorrow.    

After you've done all that, and you're completely broke, what's left?  People watching!  And whether you like anime, superheroes, fantasy, sci-fi, corsets, latex, spandex... or Deadpool... there is plenty to watch (...so much Deadpool....).  

On a side-note, these groups are starting to feel a bit clique-y.  And it feels like some people just want to be seen and aren't so worried about anything else.  You are spending a lot of money to be here, so, is it really so important to know who took your picture and where it will be posted?  I did my Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly cosplay, and people were very complimentary to me.  I am both happy and grateful, but maybe I cringe when seeing my own picture.  I'm not so eager to seek it out, but I do look around a bit, and it's always very cool when I find a pic someone took of me... as long as my hair, pose, and expression are all perfect.  Although, I'm still very honored, sincerely.  

Check out some pics of others I took (and some of me) from the convention here.

 

But one of the most impressive and important things to take away from this is... the entire weekend was filled with so much creativity and positive attitudes.  Despite the massive crowds, and lines, and how expensive everything was, I never saw anyone angry, or depressed or fighting.  There was never any pushing or shoving.  People laughed and made friends and shared their love for the unique with everyone they met.  And that is freakin' awesome!  

So yes, we all had a lot of fun.  And yes we will all go next year, and are making plans to invite more friends and create more elaborate cosplay.  But I sincerely hope, they put a cap on the amount of Deadpool allowed in the convention next year *shivers*... so much Deadpool....

I guess at the end of it all, in the words of David Bowie, we get to be heroes, just for one day.

And in the words of Zoe, from Firefly... that makes us big, damn heroes.

Deeesher

Zero Theorem Review

Based on my love of symmetry and my intense OCD for organization, I should hate Terry Gilliam.  He seems to have a way of making the guts of a movie look like they're spilling out onto the screen.  Just watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys, or Brazil and you'll see many moments of disorder and chaos that trample all over my neat tidy brain.  But for some reason... I love it!  Maybe it's just not possible to hate the director of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Whatever the reason, I was very curious when I saw the trailer for The Zero Theorem a few years ago.

See what you think:

I guess I love watching a movie that makes you feel like you're on drugs, without actually doing any drugs.

Well, apparently this came and went without making a blip on anyone's radar.  So I thought, since nobody talked about it, maybe it was a horrible movie.  But after finally watching, all I can say is... wow!  Again Terry Gilliam proved what a genius he is!  He created an amazing dystopian future that felt almost laughable but still terrifyingly possible.

The story is relatable to most people.  Qohen Leth hates his job, and management keeps pushing for results.  But all he wants is stay home and wait for a phone call that will tell him the meaning of life.

The concept is simple, but when you stretch it out to 106 minutes, everything does get a bit trippy, (as is the tendency in Terry Gilliam movies).  This could be a bit too cerebral for most audiences today (sadly).  I read some reviews from people that just didn't get it, and maybe I didn't get it either... but I have a few theories.  Sure, I like my storylines to be straightforward and handed to me sometimes, but occasionally I'm one of those crazy people that like using my imagination and having discussions with others about what it all could mean.

Christoph Waltz proves he deserved his Academy Award starring as Qohen.  And feeling a bit too appropriate, Matt Damon is Management.  The rest of the cast is strange combination of psychotic and disturbing, but all enjoyable.

If it helps, this is nominated for the 2015 Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, along with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, Hunger Games: Mockingjay pt 1, and Interstellar... so, yikes.  

If you like your movies with lots of style, and maybe some strange substance, you'll enjoy this.  Or maybe you've just always wondered how Christoph Waltz looks naked... you get some of that too.

But most important, you get to see a future that worships The Batman

Deeesher

Crisis of Faith

Despite the title, this is not a religious rant.  This is about writing, which could also be considered a religion.  Specifically, it seems recently I'm filled with more insecurities and self-doubt than normal.

Some time ago, I wrote how important my writing is in helping me feel better about myself (here).  But am I writing for me, or is this all for you?  I do have a lot to say, and I want to get it out of my tiny brain, because there isn't much room.  But I also hate repeating myself when someone asks my opinion.  And I am eager for everyone to be entertained by my silly insights.  So maybe my writing is for both of us.

But am I "successful"?  And what constitutes success in writing?  Is it how many likes I get on facebook?  Or how many books I've sold?  How often people refer to my writing as a good resource?  How many followers I have in Russia?  I am most definitely unsuccessful if that's how you measure things today.  Although I have had over 600 people in Russia read my blogs, so to you, I say, здравствуйте, and спасибо.

I sincerely doubt I'll ever get rich writing (or make any money whatsoever), but occasionally I'll be proud of something I wrote.  And of course, I want my friends to enjoy what I say.  So maybe that's how I measure my own success.

But what if my friends don't care?  Or what if I am ridiculed for my opinions?  Or what if my writing was unclear, and I have to try to explain myself, or defend my views?  Then I'm filled with regret, and think maybe I should have just kept my big mouth shut... or my fat fingers still.  It starts to feel like I'm back at the nerdy table in school hoping the jocks ignore me during lunch... back when being nerdy wasn't so popular.

I can't expect everyone to agree with me, and that's never the point.  I just want to be "entertaining " and clear with my words, and I'm always open for discussion.  But why bother if I'm ignored, or told nobody cares what I think, or my views are constantly ridiculed, (all of which I've heard from others in the last few months).  Often, I think I should just keep my opinions to myself, because everyone has them, and who am I to try to express my views on anything.  Some of my friends have made it very clear, nobody really cares what I have to say on any given subject.

And sure, I can take a joke!  I often poke fun at myself, and sometimes people 'bashing' me in creative ways makes me smile, because sometimes it is genuinely funny.  So conversely, maybe I should just lighten up.  Maybe I take things too seriously, and I'm too insecure for my own good, (I can already hear a collective "yes!" from some friends).  After all, this is 'Merica, and we often poke fun at our friends for fun!  So of course, it's possible that I'm just too old fashioned and expect others to support and encourage each other in their efforts.  On a related note, I've heard the number one defense of a bully is to say, "I was only joking".  Personally, I could never do that.  It's just not in me to squash someone's talents, and maybe I'm just not a very good poker.  I might roll my eyes at their opinion or maybe give (hopefully) constructive criticism, but I couldn't mock anything they do, and I couldn't accuse my friends of shamelessly plugging their work, because self promotion is never so easy to do... unless you're a painfully arrogant ass.  

So maybe I should just become arrogant and that would solve all my problems.  Unfortunately, I've always been insecure and question everything I do.  I'll re-read things I wrote two years ago, not for arrogance, but looking for mistakes.  I always think, maybe there is a better way for me to express my thoughts.  So from time to time, I'll re-arrange a sentence, or delete an unnecessary word (looking for changes in previous posts is a fun game you can play at home!).  But my thoughts don't change. 

I should also add, I do have some people that genuinely enjoy reading what I write.  I am both amazed and grateful to all of you.  And every now and then, I'll find one of my posts on another site somewhere, which seems weird and cool (remember how I said I'm not making any money at this... so I'm not too concerned).

And I'm not posting this because I'm seeking any kind of sympathy.  Maybe like with previous posts I've written, I'll never know the right answer (the write answer?).  As I said, I do have a lot of things inside me, and sometimes speaking doesn't always happen so well, so I'm again writing my thoughts on a topic that bothers me.  And maybe some of you creative types have experienced the same frustrations in your work.  So do we just give up?  Maybe not...

I should just keep a private journal, and when I'm long gone, future civilizations can find it and read my words and figure out how to make a better version of me.

Deeesher

Star Wars The Force Awakens Trailer Insanity

Am I really writing a post about a movie trailer???  Yes, it seems I am, and sadly, it seems I'm not the only one.  I write when I have something to say and I'm tired of repeating myself.  And I most definitely have something to say about this.

For over a month now, people have been eagerly anticipating the release of this trailer.  And after all the hype and repeatedly being rickrolled, and forced (no pun intended) to watch some nice (and some not so nice) fan trailers, here is the moment you've all been waiting for:


Looks kind of cool, right?  Of course it looks cool!  It's a Star Wars trailer!  Nothing about that should ever suck!

Now, let's put things in perspective.

Good or bad, people love Star Wars.  It has embedded itself so deeply into our culture and we all feel it is an invaluable part of our lives.  We want it to be fun, and expect great things, but often we are disappointed.  We all have this collective vision of what Star Wars should be.  And on some rare occasions, we get our wish.

But seriously, movie trailers are designed to be freakin' awesome!!  Have you ever watched a trailer that sucked?  I doubt any director is going to create a teaser with the worst parts of their movie to showcase.  And how often have you eagerly anticipated a movie based on an amazing trailer, and the movie was the biggest waste of time and money ever made?  So this teaser truly is a teaser.  It shows you one minute of footage from a movie that will most likely have 120 minutes total running time.  It's like hearing one note from a song and making the blind assumption that it will be the worlds greatest song ever.  It doesn't say much of anything really.

And now, let's explore the dark side...  J.J. Abrams.

A while back, I wrote this whole rant (here) on how I dislike Christopher Nolan's style of directing and can't understand his success.  I should write a similar rant on Abrams.  Maybe I sort of did here when I complained about him ruling two equally important nerd universes.

Abrams has admitted himself, he uses too much lens flare.  It's his signature style.  He's also proven he loves his shaky cam during fight sequences, preventing us from actually seeing any of the action.  And he's shown he prefers dark drab lifeless colors in his movies, (as he took every chance he could to get the Star Trek cast out of their traditional red, blue, and yellow uniforms), filming dull dark colorless scenes.  Will he suddenly change his methods for the Star Wars franchise?  I can't imagine he will, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

It's also important to note, there is a huge difference between a director and a screenplay.  Alfred Hitchcock said "To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script".  It's the directors job to film the story, and as long as the director has half a brain, and isn't trying to be too artsy, they usually can't screw that up.  But for a movie to be memorable, I look for something more.  A film should be like a moving painting for my eyes.  I'm not expecting EVERY shot to be a work of art, but I look for something visually entertaining.  

And in the interest of credit where credit is due... Abrams proved from Star Trek that he knows how to film ships in space.  He made that cool, and by showing X-Wing fighters, and of course, the Millennium Falcon here, he definitely proved he can still do that (so far).

So for me, this trailer only showed the movie is still being made and will be released next December 2015 (which I already knew).  If it's a good script, and Abrams lets me see the action, without any lens flare and shows me a decent color palette, it could be a good movie.  I can't be as 'pee my pants excited' as many people are, because Abrams is still the director, because I don't think he's that good.  But I will admit to being apprehensively curious.  I sincerely hope I can enjoy it, otherwise The Force Awakens might as well go back to bed (I doubt I'll be the first or last person to use this phrase).

Deeesher