Kinky Boots

Kinky Boots is a British film that my wife and I recently rented from those lovely "Red Box" locations for a cool two bucks...because we forgot to return it the first day.

The film is a comedy-drama about a classical shoe company that recently got taken over by a son who didn't quite know what he was doing...or want to know. He's thrust into running the company that had been dying for years. He looks for a niche market to try to bring in new revenue. What does he find? Women's boots for men who dress as women.

It's an amusing film that tackles some interesting and serious issues. It's also loosely based on a true story, which makes it evevn more interesting to me. My wife and I both enjoyed the movie and I would suggest it to anyone.

I Love Elite Beat Agents, But...

I love the game Elite Beat Agents. It's a clever, silly, and fun beat game that can entertain a man for hours and shows that beat games can be played with a touch pad on the DS...and done very well.

But...Three Panel Soul pegged it best with this comic. Sometimes the story just makes a person a little confused by its ridiculousness.

Talking About the iGeneration

A while back, iTunes ran this promotion where they gave away free songs when you joined their facebook group. It was great, and it was the only reason I joined. During one of the packages of free songs, I got a track entitled "iGeneration" by MC Lars. Check out the lyrics, specifically the second verse --

The iGeneration new organization meant optimization and unification,
When imagination gave participation in creation of culture a manifestation.
The Berlin Wall fell and out we came, the post-Cold War kids laid claim to AIM.
LOL, OMG, yo, BRB. Space, colon, dash, closed parenthesis.
We sat at our laptops and typed away, and found that we each had something to say.
Web-logged our fears, our hopes and dreams. Individuated by digital means.
Fiber optic lenses, DVD, Coca Cola, Disney and Mickey D's.
Flat mass culture, the norm that took hold; I hope I die before it gets old.

It may seem like a bunch of buzz words about the internet and modern mass media, but think about it for a moment and you'll realize that MC Lars, with is expression and his lyrics has put the nail on the head. He has found a new way to define Generation Y, and frankly I think they should be defined that way. We are the iGeneration.

The internet is such a defining factor in this entire generation, from MySpace to Facebook to Web logs of our lives, our hopes, our ideas. We use the internet as our means of uncovering the news far more than we use classic media. We post personal thoughts and sometimes information, yet no one seems to blink an eye. We don't care about privacy issues as much, so long as we continue to have a choice as to how much of our privacy we wish to give up. We are much more liberal on social issues partially because we see them, we see people and we feel their plight through the mass media and through their own personal release of emotions through the internet. We appear more passive in our attempts to protest and raise up against, but in reality we do so en masse to each other through the incredible power of the internet. We've found a way to protest and get our message across to one another across the globe in such a way that has never existed before. We find video games to be as true of a media as film, television, and literature. We also take our freedoms and liberties for granted far more than we should. We have a faith that's personal and many explore different religions and home brewed versions of traditional faiths. We are ready to take over already as Generation X stands by with a bit of rugged ingenuity and the iGeneration rises into political offices already. We are unified through this information superhighway and we like it that way. We are the iGeneration and I think I'm happy to be a part of it.

Something to Sing About

In the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More with Feeling," has some wonderful music that I've talked about at least once before here. One song that I didn't pay as much attention to at first was "Something to Sing About," which discusses Buffy's emotions about coming back from the dead. The profound aspect begins with the first verse and I think it can apply to...well, many people --

Life's a show
And we all play our parts
And when the music starts
We open up our hearts

It's all right
If some things come out wrong
We'll sing a happy song
And you can sing along

Where's there's life
There's hope, everyday's a gift
Wishes can come true
Whistle while you work
So hard all day
To be like other girls
To fit in in this glittering world

Don't give me songs
Don't give me songs
Give me something to sing about
I need something to sing about...

It's profound in many ways. The emotions evoked by these lyrics is amazing and what it means both in and out of context is great. Think about the desire to fit in, the desire to be understood by everyone around you, you want to be accepted by those who care. It's an interesting song and Sarah Michelle Gellar pulls it off far better than Jewel would have (as Whedon initially had intended, according to Wikipedia).

Everyone feels like they need something to sing about from time to time. They need something to make them more fulfilled in life -- something may seem missing. This whole introduction sets that stage. Joss Whedon has a way with words, so it's not surprising that he's able to come up with such clever and meaningful lyrics. Read them through and think about them.

A New Tron Chapter Awaits

One of the first movies to make use computer generated graphics was Tron. It was a sight to behold and incredibly fun back in the 1982. This year marked its 25th aniversary.

Well, apparently, that marks as good a year as any to finally make a sequel movie. The original creators are still around and ready to help write for this one. This will be interesting to see how a sequel will be handled, and how much of the ridiculous "Tron 2.0" video game gets incorporated into it. I just hope that it can live up to the expectations that will be created from a 25 year wait between sequels...

Angel and the Joss Whedon Realization

I've realized completely at this point why there are so many people who believe that Joss Whedon is a master storyteller. I began my Joss Whedon fascination a long time ago and I didn't even know it. He was one of the primary script writers for Toy Story -- as a big fan of that film, must say that it was incredibly well written with witty dialogue.

It was later on that my friend Yanni got me to watch all of Firefly before going into the theater to see Serenity, one of my favorite movies of all time. That led into me watching Buffy. I already knew I enjoyed the same group of storytellers and most especially, the fanciful ideas of Joss Whedon. I found Buffy Season 1 on sale for 15 bucks and picked it almost on a whim. I loved every episode and have watched over and again every episode since. I even got my 12 year old sister hooked on the show, asking to borrow seasons of Buffy and asking me rather detailed questions about the show on a regular basis.

Now after finding out that I got a $150 Best Buy gift card for my new cell phone and that seasons of Angel were on sale, I picked up the first two seasons on DVD. After watching the first eight episodes, I've realized that Whedon and company are masters at storytelling. To go from cowboys in space ala Firefly; to all the complications of high school written cleverly and with almost epic action; now I'm watching Angel which is a detective style drama with witty dialogue and very in depth characters. Frankly, I can't wait for Ripper.

Whedon and his team of writers have masterfully crafted nearly every single genre and he's only ready for more. I know I'll be here waiting as excited as ever to hear the new stories told by this storytelling team. I also realized how relatable the characters are -- despite their demonic or superhuman characteristics. There are many complaints that can be made about the writing and styles of Joss Whedon -- but above all, he's an amazing entertainer and a great storyteller.

Sad, But True

Read over this comic about little Billy. Poor little Billy's puppy died...and guess how his mother handled it.