Time For Another Political Rant?

Dear Shiva,
I cannot mentally grasp the current mindset of the so-called "Grande Old Party." Obviously the happenings that have taken place in Benghazi within the past nine months have been less than favorable, but to attack President Obama in the hopes to impeach him from office? Ha, good luck with that, you lot of wingnuts. I, just as everyone else, was very disturbed with the death of Christopher Stevens and the three other officials back in September, but recognized it as a result of terror. The mere fact that the GOP is attacking Obama now, in reference to an event that happened eight months ago and is now regrettably irrelevant, makes me furious.

Sincerely,
A cynical libretarian

P.S. I hope that you do some destroying in the near future, for I do not think that I will be able to physically and emotionally handle the right wing conservatives who reside in this county for much longer.

Ichi, the Killer?

 

I have somewhat recently entered a cult phase, in which I am attempting to view every "Cult Classic" before going off to college.  Most of the classics I have seen thus far are campy horror films that should have been put out of their misery years ago, yet are entertaining nonetheless.  I remember seeing Ichi on the shelves of the Video Showplace that used to take root a few minutes from my home, primarily because the cover of the movie was so disturbing that it had haunted me from first grade on.  Ah but I digress, for I must begin my comments regarding the manga.

As it turns out, Ichi the Killer was originally a manga written by the great Hideo Yamamoto.  As it also turns out, all ten volumes of the manga were available on Manga Fox, thus provoking me to read the series. When the series was first released, it was actually banned in several sections of Japan and Malaysia.  Why is this?  Let me put it this way: the extremely graphic depictions of cruelty throughout the comic were seen to be 'too' controversial among many readers.  Nevertheless, I read, and to my surprise, adored the series! 

Despite the fact that the characters were just a lot of immoral Yakuza, most of them turned out to be extremely dynamic.  Kakihara, a masochist, is hands down the most twisted antagonist that I have ever come across (and I have seen a lot of twisted stuff, my friends).  He has a slit mouth, scars covering his face, and several dozen piercings, and wants nothing more than to find Ichi--the allusive murderer of his beloved Anjou.  The series itself follows the story of Ichi, a boy who has been psychologically scarred from being bullied as a child ( as a side-note, Ichi is socially inept and has the inability to smile like a normal person, as picture above).  I won't go into any more details as to prevent spoilers, but I would very easily present Ichi with a five star rating. 

Bullying, a Complicated Subject? (inspired by the documentary "Bully")

No.  There is nothing "complicated" about the topic of bullying.  If I were an authority, I would have shut bullies down yesterday.  When a person is bullied, it legitimately breaks my heart.  It is beyond frustrating when authority turns a blind eye when people are being targeted by bullies.  Children are taking their lives because of the cruelty of others, what more proof do you need?  When you hear authority say that "boys will be boys," and that "they need to work it out for themselves," know that a puppy is getting smacked with a phone book.  Take some responsibility for your incompetence, and reprimand the bully for once. 

Some of the Most Underrated Actors

I get genuinely frustrated when I watch movies with truly talented actors, and realize that their talent goes unnoticed time and time again.  This being said, I kind of wanted to make a list of all of the actors that I believe to be truly masterly when it comes to their ability to portray a character. Listed in no particular order:

1.  Guy Pearce
2.  J.T. Walsh
3.  Danny Trejo
4.  Michael Jeter
5.  Michael Clarke Duncan
6.  Tommy Lee Jones
7.  Tim Curry
8.  Samuel L. Jackson (some people see Samuel L to be overrated, but seriously, he's a badass mofo and hasn't won a single Oscar.  Plus he and Steve Buscemi are in like EVERYTHING).
9.  Ray Liotta
10.  John C. Reilly
11.  James Cromwell
12.  Peter Postlethwaite
13.  Joaquin Phoenix (seriously he's been nominated for three Oscars and still hasn't won anything WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD)
14. Sam Neill
15.  Steve Buscemi
16. Tom Hulce
17.  Seth MacFarlane
18.  Patrick Wilson
19.  Joshua Jackson
20.  Paul Bettany

Bonus Round:  Joseph Gordon Levitt, Jesse Eisenberg, Don Cheadle, Emile Hirsch, 

And to think that people like Nicholas Cage and Tom Cruise and Rob Pattinson and Charlie Sheen and Dwayne Johnson (the list goes on) get more recognition than these guys -_-

Oh the Places I'll Go?

Amherst
American
Arcadia
Bennington
Macalester
Middlebury
or
Ursinus

Sexy Free and Single I'm Ready Too, Bingo?

The other day, someone asked me what kind of guys I normally go for.  Jack and Marcus, now they're my type.

To Tatt or Not?

 

I've been wanting a tattoo for a while now, and not because it "looks cool," or to make a statement of some sort, but to express some of my innermost feelings.  Tattoos, when done in good taste, can be truly beautiful--unfortunately, not everyone feels this way.  Anyways, I'm interested to hear other opinions regarding tattoos!  Comment away.

Mythological Criticism--The Shadow People?

*This post may or may not contain spoilers.

You spot something from the corner of your eye.  It seems to be dark and shadowy, yet nothing is there. What was it?  Your imagination? Shia Labeouf?  Or perhaps, a shadow person--those creatures that are seen briefly out of the corner of one's eye. 

According to legend, these entities appear in a variety of forms.  They may simply pass through our bedroom as we sleep at night, or lurk in our doorways--watching, waiting.  These figures have become so widely recognized as paranormal entities, that people have taken up the study of these beings.  Several theories have been offered as an explanation of the origins of the Shadow Person.  They may be demonic entities, ghosts, inter-dimensional travelers, astral bodies, or just a figment of the imagination.  My research led me to the multiple classifications of the Shadow People: the benign shadow, negative shadows, red-eyed shadows, and hooded shadows.  The benign walk through one's room, never straying from their path and never paying the living any attention.  Their only purpose is to walk the Earth for the rest of eternity.  The negative shadows lurk, causing an unnatural feeling of terror.  The red-eyed shadows are a form of the negative, which stare at their victims with glowing, red eyes.  Supposedly the negative and red-eyed shadows feed off of their victims' fear.  The hooded shadows appear to be dressed in ancient garb, similar to that of a monk.  They appear to those who are experiencing an immense amount of rage.  Whatever these entities actually are, they each prove to be equally shocking for a human to come into contact with.

 David Wong made use of the "negative shadows" in his book, John Dies at the End.  People can rarely make out the features of these dark figures that lurk in the corners of your room.  After a shot of soy sauce however, John and David the ability to sense these "people" at all corners of the universe.  According to Mr. Wong, the Shadow People are dark messengers from a universe parallel to Earth.  His adaptation of the paranormal phenomena, described them as malicious, soul hungry beings that sought to take over the universe.  The Shadow People in John Dies at the End were the inter-dimensional beings described by the theorists that I came across during my research.  It is discovered toward the end of the novel, that an alternate dimension exists almost identical to that of the Earth.  The Shadow People from the alternate dimension, had found a way to intrude Earth in attempt to take over it's inhabitants.  The only difference between Mr. Wong's Shadow People and those of paranormal myth, is that they can cause physical harm to their victims.  They prove to be rather dangerous enemies, as John and David attempt to save the world. 

Rather than using the sun or the moon to foretell the end of the world, David Wong used the elusive Shadow People, a figure which many readers can recognize, in order to evoke a universal feeling of fear and terror.  John Dies at the End is recognized as one of the scariest books of the modern era.  Why is this so?  Well, it is primarily due to Mr. Wong's expert usage of myth and archetypes, both of which induce a realistic interpretation of the novel as a whole.  

After I finished the novel, I found myself thinking about the possibilities of an actual alternate universe, full of actual Shadow People.  Shaken by this thought, I set the book down and started a more lighthearted read.  The point of my saying this was to emphasize the effect that the Shadow People in John Dies at the End had on me.  I was terrified.  I found myself checking my back when I took my dog out late at night.  The shadows in the corner of my room seemed to take on a life of their own.  After experiencing that kind of fear, I would say that David Wong's use of a mythological archetype proved to be rather successful. 

Cancer is the reason that I don't believe?

I have been feeling very emotional lately (probably due to my recurring nightmares, but I won't get into that right now).  In short, I have been having trouble with my faith for the past couple of months, in the sense that I don't really believe in any god.  I believe in good morals--obviously--but I just do not believe that there is an outside force watching over what we do.  I don't believe in any sort of life after death.  When we die, we just die.  That's all there is to it.  Sometimes I like to pray despite these feelings, as a way to quell my fears for the time being. But is that worse than not believing?  Realizing that there is no god, but making one up anyway, so that life is more bearable? 

To get to the point, someone that is very dear to me has had cancer since before I can remember (since I was four to be exact).  This cancer has made me morally and spiritually stronger, but not necessarily religious stronger.  I always get really emotionally when I see someone with cancer, or something of the sort.  I hate it.  I hate it so much, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I feel so helpless, and watching the pain that it causes is more unbearable than suffering through it first hand. 

Ever since my first encounter with cancer, I have liked the idea of living in the present--the whole notion of carpe diem--but am not sure if a god resides in this present.  I believe that you have to be your own god.  Let me rephrase, I believe that you have to make the good in your life, despite all of the bad.  I am more than happy with the life I have been given, but I have an incessant sadness that resides inside of my subconscious.  I'm not depressed or anything, in fact, I'm quite the opposite.  I enjoy every day that I am given with the person, for I know that they could be taken from me in a different manner.  I have already been given 17 years with them, and hope that I may have 17 more.  Despite everything, I have been blessed with a truly wonderful life, whether it was by God--if there is a God--or by the luck of the draw.