No, I'm not talking about the blog. If you look at the second post below this one, you'll notice that I'm just getting started. What I'm talking about is the advertising campaign that surrounded Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, henceforth in this blog to be labeled HP7.2.
Somewhere back in the archive there is a review of HP7.1 - a great film that, in my opinion, picked all of the important bits from the book and portrayed them onscreen. So what was going to be the capper? The climax? The end?
The campaign, "It All Ends", reminded people that lived under rocks for the past several years that this would be the end of the Harry Potter franchise. That this movie would be the end to a generation of kids that wanted to be witches and wizards. The end of the money train for a lot of the actors that began their careers with these films (though it seems Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson will be alright....unsure about the rest of the kids in general).
HP7.2 was a really good film. I hope it actually gets some nominations when it comes to Oscar time, because I think they deserve it. Sure, the Academy would probably nominate them in the effects categories or sound, but I don't know if they would for acting - not that there aren't great actors in the film - it's just that the Academy looks at these movies differently than the "Oscar" type films.
I will admit that there was a moment when I was tearing up. If you've read the book, then you'll understand. It was the depiction of Snape's memories. It just showed how much he cared for Harry's mom and how sad he was when she died (maybe I should have warned you about spoilers, but I think at this point, just about anyone that reads my blog has also read Harry Potter).
Visually amazing and the kids - now young adults, really - all did a terrific job with their parts. The ending was satisfying and even the Epilogue played out just like the book. A lot of people didn't like the Epilogue when they read it. They thought that JKR should have either ended the book where she did or the Epilogue should have talked about some of their lives after the war ended. Of course, in the book (not the movie), there is a little bit of description of the inbetween years, but it's not enough.
Some people have written fan fiction about the missing years, though I haven't seen any that seem to capture what the Harry Potter world is - magical. Maybe JKR purposefully did that so she could one day write the adventures or Ron, Harry and Hermione as they grow older. Maybe she did it so we could simply imagine what their lives would be like and how they got to where they were in the Epilogue. Who knows?
What I do know is that I was told "It All Ends" and it did. Eleven years, eight films and a lot of imagination. All in all, it was magical.
Until next time.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Education (and more) Is Getting Distant
I was driving to work this morning and I heard a commercial for an organization called SoCal Online School Network. I'm all for distance learning and people being able to take classes remotely and am even starting to look at distance education as a way to get a degree myself.
Regardless, that's not what I was thinking when I heard the commercial. As I listened, I heard a "parent" say that they were proud of their child because they were able to contact their instructor at any time of day, whether it was at six in the morning or ten at night.
This commercial also went on to let people know that students can earn a degree through this organization. The program is available for students in sixth through twelvth grade. So, does this mean that a sixth grader or a twelvth grader can simply give up on their actual schooling and just "get a degree online"?
I sure hope not.
And yet, just based on the commercial that I heard, it seems that they (being SoCal Online School Network) are pushing their online classes and basically tossing actual physical schooling out the window. The so called parents in the commercial state that their child is much better in their classes because they managed to take classes online and not have to deal with the rigors of actual school.
This is not to say that I don't condone home schooling. In some instances, home schooling is actually a good thing, however, I also feel that children that are home schooled have a harder time when it comes to the social aspects that children learn when they are with other children in school. Home schooled children also don't get to be involved in sports, though there are some students that have had some opportunities, but those opportunities are few and far between.
Kids need to have a chance to learn how to share and how to deal with others. Home schooling and distance education at such a young age do not afford those opportunities. Keep the kids in school and let them enjoy that time because eventually they're going to grow up and run out of time for all the fun stuff.
Until next time.
Regardless, that's not what I was thinking when I heard the commercial. As I listened, I heard a "parent" say that they were proud of their child because they were able to contact their instructor at any time of day, whether it was at six in the morning or ten at night.
This commercial also went on to let people know that students can earn a degree through this organization. The program is available for students in sixth through twelvth grade. So, does this mean that a sixth grader or a twelvth grader can simply give up on their actual schooling and just "get a degree online"?
I sure hope not.
And yet, just based on the commercial that I heard, it seems that they (being SoCal Online School Network) are pushing their online classes and basically tossing actual physical schooling out the window. The so called parents in the commercial state that their child is much better in their classes because they managed to take classes online and not have to deal with the rigors of actual school.
This is not to say that I don't condone home schooling. In some instances, home schooling is actually a good thing, however, I also feel that children that are home schooled have a harder time when it comes to the social aspects that children learn when they are with other children in school. Home schooled children also don't get to be involved in sports, though there are some students that have had some opportunities, but those opportunities are few and far between.
Kids need to have a chance to learn how to share and how to deal with others. Home schooling and distance education at such a young age do not afford those opportunities. Keep the kids in school and let them enjoy that time because eventually they're going to grow up and run out of time for all the fun stuff.
Until next time.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Yet Another Milestone
So, I just noticed this.....actually, I noticed it a few days ago and forgot to mention it and then I got distracted with something and ended up forgetting about it. And then I noticed it again and forgot to mention. And then I just saw it this morning after I posted that movie review of HTTYD.
If you look at the right hand side of the blog, you'll see the Archive. It shows just how many posts I have done over the life of this blog, and, if you click on one of the years, it shows you how many I actually wrote per month. Well, if you pay close enough attention, you would see that I have already superceded my total blog posts from last year and it's not even the end of July.
What does this mean? It just means that I'm either getting more opinionated and want people to see what I have to say or I'm just finding more and more random things to talk about. Maybe the latter.
But just because I passed last year's count this early in the year, it does not mean that I am taking a vacation from blogging. That would be a travesty because I'm sure there are going to be a lot of things to write about in the next five months (my daughter's impending first birthday is just one subject I'm sure I'm going to touch on).
Therefore, I resolve that sometime in the next five months, I will commence with another thirty in thirty event. And, if necessary because of my busy schedule, it might actually be made into a thrity-one in thirty-one.
Regardless, the blog is just getting fun. Wake the kids. Phone the neighbors. Get everyone you know to read my blog. Maybe someone will actually want to pay me to be a writer. Who knows.
Until next time.
If you look at the right hand side of the blog, you'll see the Archive. It shows just how many posts I have done over the life of this blog, and, if you click on one of the years, it shows you how many I actually wrote per month. Well, if you pay close enough attention, you would see that I have already superceded my total blog posts from last year and it's not even the end of July.
What does this mean? It just means that I'm either getting more opinionated and want people to see what I have to say or I'm just finding more and more random things to talk about. Maybe the latter.
But just because I passed last year's count this early in the year, it does not mean that I am taking a vacation from blogging. That would be a travesty because I'm sure there are going to be a lot of things to write about in the next five months (my daughter's impending first birthday is just one subject I'm sure I'm going to touch on).
Therefore, I resolve that sometime in the next five months, I will commence with another thirty in thirty event. And, if necessary because of my busy schedule, it might actually be made into a thrity-one in thirty-one.
Regardless, the blog is just getting fun. Wake the kids. Phone the neighbors. Get everyone you know to read my blog. Maybe someone will actually want to pay me to be a writer. Who knows.
Until next time.
I Want A Dragon.
Last night, Joanna and I went with our friend Amanda to Victoria Gardens, where they offer summer movies in the park. Abby decided to come, too. Though, technically, since it's at a shopping mall, there's no real park. In fact, because of other maintenance, it wasn't even on grass. Nope. We watched a movie on the concrete. However, it was cool that they offered us foam mats to place under our blankets, which were well appreciated. But that's getting away from the movie.
The movie last night was How To Train Your Dragon, an animated film that had the unfortunate luck to go up against Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Film. But as Amanda told us after the movie last night, she felt that it should have won the Oscar and not Toy Story 3 (blasphemy!).
HTTYD, as I saw it referred to (and I can see why, it's a long title), was a good movie. I had read a lot of good things about it when it came out and I still didn't see it. I am glad that I was able to see it now and I have a better appreciation for the movie now. But I still wouldn't give it the Oscar. As I told Amanda, "this movie didn't make me cry like Toy Story 3 did", which is true. There's something about Toy Story 3 that just pulled at every emotion. I'm not saying that HTTYD didn't. In fact, there were several moments that were Kleenex worthy and yet I didn't cry. And yes, I have a heart, so there.
There are also several messages and themes throughout the film, as there are in any sort of movie like this. Not only is the main character, Hiccup, trying to win his father's approval, he is also trying to win the approval of the rest of his tribe. Add on to that his unwillingness to kill dragons and thereby be considered a "real" Viking.
At one point early in the movie, Hiccup is trying to convince his boss (the local blacksmith) that he can be a great dragon hunter (this is after he has caused a lot of destruction in the village). The blacksmith, tells young Hiccup to "Stop trying to be what you're not." Basically, Hiccup wants to be a dragon killer, like his father, and earn his father's respect and the respect of the rest of the village, but at that point in the movie, he's just a clumsy kid that has no potential to be great. It's only with time and learning that Hiccup is able to understand his real place in the village and make changes to their way of thinking, despite the attitude of his father and others. In fact, by trying too hard to be a Viking, Hiccup realizes it's what he's not that is more important to the village and their survival.
The movie plays out like a lot of "coming of age" type stories, though I was a little disappointed that a certain character didn't die because in these types of movie archetypes, a death is what usually pushes the character forward and toward change. The creators of HTTYD managed to do that without an important death and that was very creative.
HTTYD was a good film. I would suggest you rent it or buy it or stream it or whatever you do to view movies nowadays. It has a really good message and does a lot to reinforce the parent trying to accept their child for who they really are, despite attempts at making them what they're not. Plus, it made me want a dragon.
Until next time.
The movie last night was How To Train Your Dragon, an animated film that had the unfortunate luck to go up against Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Film. But as Amanda told us after the movie last night, she felt that it should have won the Oscar and not Toy Story 3 (blasphemy!).
HTTYD, as I saw it referred to (and I can see why, it's a long title), was a good movie. I had read a lot of good things about it when it came out and I still didn't see it. I am glad that I was able to see it now and I have a better appreciation for the movie now. But I still wouldn't give it the Oscar. As I told Amanda, "this movie didn't make me cry like Toy Story 3 did", which is true. There's something about Toy Story 3 that just pulled at every emotion. I'm not saying that HTTYD didn't. In fact, there were several moments that were Kleenex worthy and yet I didn't cry. And yes, I have a heart, so there.
There are also several messages and themes throughout the film, as there are in any sort of movie like this. Not only is the main character, Hiccup, trying to win his father's approval, he is also trying to win the approval of the rest of his tribe. Add on to that his unwillingness to kill dragons and thereby be considered a "real" Viking.
At one point early in the movie, Hiccup is trying to convince his boss (the local blacksmith) that he can be a great dragon hunter (this is after he has caused a lot of destruction in the village). The blacksmith, tells young Hiccup to "Stop trying to be what you're not." Basically, Hiccup wants to be a dragon killer, like his father, and earn his father's respect and the respect of the rest of the village, but at that point in the movie, he's just a clumsy kid that has no potential to be great. It's only with time and learning that Hiccup is able to understand his real place in the village and make changes to their way of thinking, despite the attitude of his father and others. In fact, by trying too hard to be a Viking, Hiccup realizes it's what he's not that is more important to the village and their survival.
The movie plays out like a lot of "coming of age" type stories, though I was a little disappointed that a certain character didn't die because in these types of movie archetypes, a death is what usually pushes the character forward and toward change. The creators of HTTYD managed to do that without an important death and that was very creative.
HTTYD was a good film. I would suggest you rent it or buy it or stream it or whatever you do to view movies nowadays. It has a really good message and does a lot to reinforce the parent trying to accept their child for who they really are, despite attempts at making them what they're not. Plus, it made me want a dragon.
Until next time.
Monday, July 25, 2011
All I Have To Do Is Dream
If you can dream it, you can do it. - Walt Disney
You know, there's only so far that that message can go. Sure, people dream of going to the moon and they did it. People dream of becoming professional athletes and they do it. I dream of becoming a professional writer ......
But that's besides the point. The point is that dreams are kind of tricky. I'm not talking the overall "dreams" or goals in life: go to college, get a good job, get married, be rich and happy. Obviously those are great dreams, but what I'm talking about are the images that we all have in our mind when we are deep in slumber.
I will tell you that sometimes I have really cool dreams and sometimes they aren't so cool. But for the most part, when they are cool, they play like action adventure movies and I'm one of the stars (hey, it's my dream, and if I want to be the star, so be it). And what's really cool, as I start to wake up and have the lingering images, I think, that would be a cool story to write (remember, I'm trying to be a professional writer). So I grab my iPhone and start jotting down some notes as quickly as the images are fading.
Ultimately, I end up with a sentence or two or a few keywords and I have to go back to them later and figure out if I can remember. I wish I could because I've had some dreams that would make for really cool stories or novels. And yet, what do I have to show for it?
One story that I managed two sentences of description before I couldn't remember more ended up becoming only a mere paragraph and I couldn't think of where to take the story after that. Another dream that I had managed to document with a few keywords managed less than a paragraph after I realized that I was mixing two different dreams, which then made no sense.
So here's the challenge: can I remember my dreams long enough in order to write something that would be exciting? Good luck to me.
Until next time.
You know, there's only so far that that message can go. Sure, people dream of going to the moon and they did it. People dream of becoming professional athletes and they do it. I dream of becoming a professional writer ......
But that's besides the point. The point is that dreams are kind of tricky. I'm not talking the overall "dreams" or goals in life: go to college, get a good job, get married, be rich and happy. Obviously those are great dreams, but what I'm talking about are the images that we all have in our mind when we are deep in slumber.
I will tell you that sometimes I have really cool dreams and sometimes they aren't so cool. But for the most part, when they are cool, they play like action adventure movies and I'm one of the stars (hey, it's my dream, and if I want to be the star, so be it). And what's really cool, as I start to wake up and have the lingering images, I think, that would be a cool story to write (remember, I'm trying to be a professional writer). So I grab my iPhone and start jotting down some notes as quickly as the images are fading.
Ultimately, I end up with a sentence or two or a few keywords and I have to go back to them later and figure out if I can remember. I wish I could because I've had some dreams that would make for really cool stories or novels. And yet, what do I have to show for it?
One story that I managed two sentences of description before I couldn't remember more ended up becoming only a mere paragraph and I couldn't think of where to take the story after that. Another dream that I had managed to document with a few keywords managed less than a paragraph after I realized that I was mixing two different dreams, which then made no sense.
So here's the challenge: can I remember my dreams long enough in order to write something that would be exciting? Good luck to me.
Until next time.
Friday, July 8, 2011
It's All About Mattering
I know that I've written about sacrifice before, but I think that today's topic screams for me to use part of that original blog entry.
What I'm talking about is the way I opened that post, with the quote by Spock, from Star Trek II. And the reason it has come up is because a character in the latest Transformers movie actually quotes it. The ironic part is that the character in the Transformers that speaks the line is voiced by Leonard Nimoy aka Spock. But here's where it gets even more ironic. The character, Sentinel, is talking about saving the Autobot race by destroying the human race in the process. This is a complete opposite take of Spock's attitude in Star Trek. It is Sentinel's belief that the needs of the Autobots and Decepticons to survive outweighs the human's right to survive. This clouded judgement is what gets him in trouble, not only with the Autobots, but with the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, also.
But I'm not going to give away the ending. Well, not unless you want me to.
As for the rest of the movie and the reason I titled this blog post as such, let me just say that I liked it. Yes, there were a lot of explosions. Yes, there was a pretty girl that runs and screams most of the time and doesn't do much else, although she did make a difference toward the end, surprisingly. Yes, there was an unexpected bad guy. But all of these are standard for summer blockbusters. This is one of those movies that you don't think too hard about.
But these aren't the point either. There is a scene in the movie where the main character, Sam, tells his girlfriend that he just wants to matter. She tells him that "you matter to me." But at that moment, Sam doesn't realize that that is all that he needs. He's too busy trying to help save the world again without thinking about the girl that he loves.
Sam's desire to "matter" is something that we all feel. We as human beings want to matter to someone or something that we work ourselves to near death just because we think it's required in order for someone else to take notice and remember us - to have a legacy that we can leave behind for the rest of the world to discover and enjoy. But as his girlfriend, Carly, says, he mattered to her. This is also something that all of us are looking for - to matter to someone special - to find the one true love of our lives if we can. I know I did.
Even when it seems like all is lost, though, Sam is still determined to matter and do what it takes to stop the Decepticons from taking over the Earth.
Does Sam matter to the world? Does he matter to his girlfriend? Does he even matter to his parents? The answer is yes to all three, but in order to find out how he matters, you'll have to see the movie. I can recommend it as a movie that you sit back and enjoy some popcorn. Don't think too hard about any of it or you might hurt your brain.
Until next time.
What I'm talking about is the way I opened that post, with the quote by Spock, from Star Trek II. And the reason it has come up is because a character in the latest Transformers movie actually quotes it. The ironic part is that the character in the Transformers that speaks the line is voiced by Leonard Nimoy aka Spock. But here's where it gets even more ironic. The character, Sentinel, is talking about saving the Autobot race by destroying the human race in the process. This is a complete opposite take of Spock's attitude in Star Trek. It is Sentinel's belief that the needs of the Autobots and Decepticons to survive outweighs the human's right to survive. This clouded judgement is what gets him in trouble, not only with the Autobots, but with the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, also.
But I'm not going to give away the ending. Well, not unless you want me to.
As for the rest of the movie and the reason I titled this blog post as such, let me just say that I liked it. Yes, there were a lot of explosions. Yes, there was a pretty girl that runs and screams most of the time and doesn't do much else, although she did make a difference toward the end, surprisingly. Yes, there was an unexpected bad guy. But all of these are standard for summer blockbusters. This is one of those movies that you don't think too hard about.
But these aren't the point either. There is a scene in the movie where the main character, Sam, tells his girlfriend that he just wants to matter. She tells him that "you matter to me." But at that moment, Sam doesn't realize that that is all that he needs. He's too busy trying to help save the world again without thinking about the girl that he loves.
Sam's desire to "matter" is something that we all feel. We as human beings want to matter to someone or something that we work ourselves to near death just because we think it's required in order for someone else to take notice and remember us - to have a legacy that we can leave behind for the rest of the world to discover and enjoy. But as his girlfriend, Carly, says, he mattered to her. This is also something that all of us are looking for - to matter to someone special - to find the one true love of our lives if we can. I know I did.
Even when it seems like all is lost, though, Sam is still determined to matter and do what it takes to stop the Decepticons from taking over the Earth.
Does Sam matter to the world? Does he matter to his girlfriend? Does he even matter to his parents? The answer is yes to all three, but in order to find out how he matters, you'll have to see the movie. I can recommend it as a movie that you sit back and enjoy some popcorn. Don't think too hard about any of it or you might hurt your brain.
Until next time.
Monday, July 4, 2011
C Is For Courage
I read a quote the other day and it seems to fit perfectly into the message for today.
"Courage isn't just a matter of of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."
This quote comes from an episode of the Classic Doctor Who series from the 1960s, when Jon Pertwee was portraying the Doctor. But that doesn't really mean anything.
The reason that I'm placing it into the blog today is discuss Independence Day. Yes, America declared it's independence from Britain and there was a war and we won, but you don't have to go to war in order to have courage. In fact, you can simply be living your daily life and have loads more courage than some people in the military or police or fire department. That's definitely not to say that those people have less courage. I applaud and I thank each and every military member, as well as police and fire fighters because they do tireless work and don't get enough appreciation.
Courage is not something that is learned, it is something that is inherent in all of us. Sure, if you train in the military you can "learn" to be courageous at the right time, but it's your ability to pull that courage out of the depths of your soul when you need it the most that is simply not a classroom subject.
Everyone has courage in them, it's all a matter of how they use it. Courage can be needed when standing up to someone that is doing you wrong, whether physically, mentally or emotionally. Courage can be used when deciding on which career path to take or what college to go to. Courage can also be required when simply taking a risk and attempting to submit your writing for publication.
Granted, courage in all its forms is not the same, but neither is one person to the next going to be the same and therefore require the same amount of courage as the previous person. But we all need courage at some point in our lives and we all have it. It's just a matter of using it.
Happy Fourth of July.
Until next time.
"Courage isn't just a matter of of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."
This quote comes from an episode of the Classic Doctor Who series from the 1960s, when Jon Pertwee was portraying the Doctor. But that doesn't really mean anything.
The reason that I'm placing it into the blog today is discuss Independence Day. Yes, America declared it's independence from Britain and there was a war and we won, but you don't have to go to war in order to have courage. In fact, you can simply be living your daily life and have loads more courage than some people in the military or police or fire department. That's definitely not to say that those people have less courage. I applaud and I thank each and every military member, as well as police and fire fighters because they do tireless work and don't get enough appreciation.
Courage is not something that is learned, it is something that is inherent in all of us. Sure, if you train in the military you can "learn" to be courageous at the right time, but it's your ability to pull that courage out of the depths of your soul when you need it the most that is simply not a classroom subject.
Everyone has courage in them, it's all a matter of how they use it. Courage can be needed when standing up to someone that is doing you wrong, whether physically, mentally or emotionally. Courage can be used when deciding on which career path to take or what college to go to. Courage can also be required when simply taking a risk and attempting to submit your writing for publication.
Granted, courage in all its forms is not the same, but neither is one person to the next going to be the same and therefore require the same amount of courage as the previous person. But we all need courage at some point in our lives and we all have it. It's just a matter of using it.
Happy Fourth of July.
Until next time.
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