The 3D Arguement

I hate 3D and I think it should die. The only 3D movie I enjoyed and got anything out of the 3D was My Bloody Valentine 3D. Because they used the gimmick like a flick from the 50s. It's funny and entertaining. 3D movies these days are "depth" perception. It's useless and stupid. No need for it. Most of these recent 3D movies aren't even 3D. They're post converted. So for the majority of the movie, it's not 3D and you're watching a 2D movie with sunglasses.They put it in 3D so their picture will make more money. that's all it is. It costs more to see a 3D movie, higher ticket price. That's what it comes down to. It's not for movie goers, it's for the studio. Money grubbing whores. 3D should only be used for Disney or Universal Studios theme park attractions. I would give my left arm to see the Alfred Hitchcock exhibit at Universal again. I don't remember any details. One of the only things I do remember is that there was a 3D movie and it scared the crap out of me as a youngster. It would be awesome to see today, after I've seen his movies and can appreciate it.

Actor Appreciation: Christian Bale

Christian Bale is probably my favorite actor of modern cinema. When I say “modern”, I mean the year 2000+.

Notable performances include:

American Psycho (2000)
The Machinist (2004)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Harsh Times (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
Public Enemies (2009)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
The New World (2005)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Shaft (2000)
Reign of Fire (2002)
Equilibrium (2002)

A lot of people say that Bale’s one note, playing the same character in every film he's in, but I highly disagree. He adds something to each character he's portrayed and made it his own. He’s the master of accents and, for the most part, each one of his characters in the movies I’ve seen him in was different.

The first Christian Bale movie I saw him in was American Psycho. He knocked me on the floor. Everything about his portrayal was phenomenal. He goes from being playful and laughing, to bat-shit insane, then to calm and cool… in the same scene. His phone call toward the end was just the epitome of great acting.

Next, I saw him in Batman Begins. This masterful performance of Bruce Wayne and the caped crusader made me seek out his old and new movies. He can go from being suave and sophisticated, to a man in a bat costume that beats criminals to a pulp.

Once again in Rescue Dawn, Bale proves he’s got the chops to remain relevant in the acting profession for many years to come. His performance is easily the best thing in the movie and he carries it throughout.

Harsh Times is another film where he’s a completely different character from what he’s previously done. His performance is top notch.

In Public Enemies he was not ‘intense’; his character was calm and collected. He captured Purvis’s southern accent perfectly according to Purvis’s own son. He was the sleeper of that movie, in my opinion. As in, he gave the best performance and wasn’t recognized for it.

In Equilibrium he had to convey no emotion for the first half of the movie and he did it with flying colors. In the second half, he had to let the emotion flow as the death of his wife came back to haunt him.

Bale’s fantastic in movies that aren’t even considered ‘good’ by most people, but I still enjoy them. Reign of Fire, for instance, is tossed aside by most people. However, I think it’s pretty good. Bale’s great in it and this, along with Equilibrium were the beginnings of his action career. In Shaft, he plays a rich, racist, “daddy’s boy”. He’s not in it that long, but he commands the screen whenever he is.

Now most people are disregarding him because of his rant on the set of Terminator Salvation, but I think it just proves how much he takes his job seriously. Yeah, it wasn’t the most professional way to handle the situation, but the lighting guy was a moron.

I hope Bale comes back down and continues to churn out great performances demonstrated in American Psycho, Rescue Dawn, and Harsh Times.

There are many great performances I haven't touched on, so if the only Bale movies you’ve seen are the Batman’s, and want to get a taste of his greatness, check out
American Psycho (2000), The Machinist (2004), Rescue Dawn (2006), Harsh Times (2005), The Prestige (2006), Public Enemies (2009), and 3:10 to Yuma (2007). And if you've seen these, check out the noteable performances above.

Strange Dream

So last night I had a dream that I had a confrontation with the dude that’s been my archenemy since I was around ten or so. For some reason or another, there was a huge group of people (including me and him) collected in this remote location. He said something that pissed me off. When we were getting ready to leave, my friend let the air out of the tires of the dude’s truck. We jumped in the car and left and he was abandoned there by himself. A little bit of time passes. For some reason, the group was at a different location. There was a discussion happening which was lead by my current boss. The kid comes walking past the group dragging his bike. The bicycle is missing its tires. Next thing I know I’m at home. A bit more of time passes and I’m pacing through the house nervous. I was going to leave through the garage door and I see him standing by his car wearing a suit (for whatever reason). I sneak back in and begin to panic. I see him step into the kitchen from the hallway and he’s holding a gun. I duck into another room before he sees me. I’m able to sneak out the front door and I start running for my friend’s house. I pull my cell phone and begin to dial 911. Next thing I know, he comes ripping through my neighbor’s bushes in his car. I look at my phone to see if the call went through and I realized I dialed the wrong number. Just as I see this, I am run over. At this point I woke up.

I did a little looking into it this morning. According to this website I looked up, death is a symbol for change. When you dream of someone of the same sex, they represent an aspect of the outer, waking self (or the conscious mind). A bicycle is a balance and forward motion. Conflict is lack of harmony between aspects of self. Running from something is running from something in you. A gun is a tool for change.

Change could refer to the fact that I’m graduating college in five months. I need to maintain balance and keep moving forward even through hard times and disappointing phases of my life. Lack of harmony in aspects of my life could be referring to my relationship with my family members and friends or overall outlook on life. There are many things I have problems confronting: women, any type of conflict, what I want to do in life, and relationships with various people.

I don’t know for sure what this is. I’m not saying that these interpretations are iron clad. These dream books all have different explanations. This was no life altering dream for me. It’s just the first time I can remember having a frightening dream. I can’t remember ever dying in a dream before. It was quite interesting. I’ve always been fascinated by dreams in general.

So I Think My Apartment May Be Haunted

Some nights I came feel a sort of "presence". Like if someone or something was touching the back of my neck when I'm laying in bed. I didn't really think much of it. BUT. Yesterday morning something strange occurred.

So the past few mornings my smoke alarm has been going off for no apparent reason. I went to talk to the Residence Life director yesterday about rent and some other things. On my way out I mentioned the smoke detector was acting up. She gave me a new battery and said if it keeps doing it we'll just replace it. So I get home and the first thing I do is put in the new battery. Here's where shit gets creepy. This morning I wake up and when I'm turning off my alarm clock I look on the dresser and the new battery is sitting on my dresser. I look up and the detector is opened with the battery leads hanging down. WTF?

Q: "So did you thoroughly inspect the smoke detector? To see if there was anyway the batteries could have fallen down during the night?"

A: Well the thing has a hinge on it and it locks into place when you close it. Also, the battery goes into a clip of sorts to stay in place. also, the battery was on the dresser, about a foot over from the thing. No way could it have fallen on it.

Q: "You do [believe in ghosts and the paranormal] now?"

A: I don't know if I would go that far. For some odd reason, I could have sleepwalked. I don't know why I would unplug the smoke detector, but I suppose this is a possibility. I've never sleepwalked before, but whatever.

Q: "Is it even remotely possible you set the battery down on your dresser with the intention of replacing the old battery.....but instead just closed it back up after removing the old one, forgetting to place the new one in?"

A: No, I distinctly remember putting the new one in. I took out the battery Tuesday when it was randomly going off and when I put it back in, I didn't use the battery clip. When I put the new one in, I did use the clip. That's why I remember doing it, because I hadn't used the clip before.