In Defense of Ben Affleck…

Ben Affleck is a good actor. He may have had some bad choices along the way, but nevertheless he is a good actor. Last week, we found out that he was cast to portray Batman in the new Superman (Man of Steel) sequel: Batman Vs. Superman.

How this news was received? People overreacted and even other actors disapproved of this. I was shocked that Affleck got so much hate for one role. Ok, before I start getting hate myself. I’m not particularly excited that he got the role, but I think if he got it the people who cast him saw something that would compliment Cavil’s Superman. Let’s not judge him on the fact that he portrayed Daredevil and that movie failed miserably.

Personally, I didn’t like when Val Kilmer and George Clooney portrayed Batman. Let me clarify the fact that I have only seen Batman in movies and have not read the comics. For me- Batman is a rich man that has a dark side and a sad past.  Simple.

George Clooney is cute and too happy to have a dark side. Val Kilmer’s huge lips would be too distracting under that mask. Once you notice, you can’t stop looking at them! These old movies weren’t as successful as the first ones, right? And then we got over it and welcomed Christian Bale.

Affleck has a little of darkness to him and we know he can do action movies. Daredevil failed because it deviated a lot from the comic. There were probably a lot of other reasons why it failed aside from the main actor. What if this is the role that Affleck gets to redeem himself from his previous superhero portrayal?  Could any of us have known that he would be a great director? No. He was praised with his first attempt with The Town. Then, Argo won an Oscar. Stop spreading around how much you hate the fact that he got cast. We just need to wait and see what happens! Though on the other hand, hey you’re setting the bar low and he can potentially surprise all of us.

If this doesn’t do it then consider the fact that sometimes the actor is just a factor of the final product. Good scripts, shots, directing, editing and effects most of the time outweigh other aspects.

I Miss…

Sometimes I miss the time when we used CDs. The excitement when we had to go to the store, purchase the CD and wait until we were back home to take off the plastic wrap and open that precious box. Looking at the design on the CD and putting it in your CD player. While the songs played, you could grab the booklet and lay on your bed while experiencing your new purchase.

I can’t say I miss VHS, who wants to spend 5 minutes waiting for the video to rewind? I do miss when there was something on TV we would grab a VHS and quickly press ‘record.’ Now, the thought is “hey, I’ll youtube it later…”

Books. I miss when having books was the most normal thing in the world. Yes, they still exist but now everyone is slowly changing to Kindles, Nooks and IPads. I have a Nook, I read on it every now and then but honestly it is not the same. Personally, walking in a bookstore or library is one of the most relaxing things I can do. It is sad that bookstores are becoming a rare thing.  They don’t make it easier for us book lovers either, book prices are higher than Nook or Kindle ones.

Times start changing and things change. The problem is…are we ready for these changes and are these changes actually good for us? CDs are hardcover copies of what people still buy online. At the same time, DVDs are more practical than VHS. About 1000 books fit in a small machine like a Kindle or Nook; but are they beneficial for younger generations to grow up not knowing what a book is and reading from a screen rather than paper? Is our society really progressing or will all this progress really have other side effects we don’t realize until later on?

Songs come Alive

Music Videos are sometimes underrated; they are a method of expression in which the artist can show off who he or she is. Music videos are also the one time the artist has to be able to show their fans how creative they are and find a visual representation behind the words of their song.

I love watching music videos-it is one of my to-go procrastination tools. Usually it’s the artist singing in some location and a bunch of shots of the artist or band looking straight at the camera while singing or playing their instruments. Sometimes the artist has an interesting concept and makes the best out of those 3-minute videos.

I found the concept behind these videos pretty interesting:

–Houdini by Foster the People: Actually most of their videos are pretty creative. I just liked this one.

–This is Gospel by Panic! at the Disco. It looks pretty simple, but every movement is choreographed and its makes for an interesting video.

Sometimes simplicity is the key: 

–Lover of the Light by Mumford & Sons. There is something about Mumford that just makes you think of green pastures and valleys. I don’t know, is it just me?

–Lights by Ellie Goulding. Some lights and Ellie Goulding. That’s all you need.

Popular songs: 

–Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. This song has been so overplayed already, but at the beginning of the summer when it was just a “catchy song” and I liked it- I expected a better music video. White background, awkward dancing… I had more fun watching this.

–Applause by Lady Gaga. I just had to add this because all of her videos are weird. I don’t even know what she’s on when she thinks of a concept, but its always interesting to watch. I’m still unsure if I even like the song.

First Music Disappointment: TDG

Ever since I can remember music has always been my hide-from-the-world outlet. I am the definition of someone who disappears as soon as my headphones are on. I’ve also gone through so many music phases. I listen to everything, but there are music bands that are my go-to for everything. Up until I was 16 or 17 it was Linkin Park. After Linkin Park’s Minutes to Midnight, I kinda gave up on them (and I used to call myself a hardcore fan). I understand that they wanted to explore the various sides of them and eventually might make something that will sound back like Hybrid Theory or Meteora. After I gave up on them I felt like I had no favorite band. I then realized that around the same time I was listening to Linkin Park, I had found another band that I loved too and somehow I never got tired of that one cd they had come out with: Three Days Grace.

Years after, I was going through some changes in my life and at the same time Three Days Grace came out with One-X.  I loved it and listened to it non-stop. The lyrics were simple, but they hit every right spot when I listened to them. Then I saw the little documentary that had come out about the lead singer and how he had been able to overcome problems in his life and that most of the songs that I had fallen in love with were written by him during his time in rehab.

Fast forward to my hardest year in college. Three Days Grace was there again. That year they came out with Life Starts Now. The timing couldn’t have been better. I promised that one day I would go to their concert. Even though they offered Itunes versions of the CD, for this band I had to pre-order the hard copy of the CD. The experience you get when you open a CD box and see the design they picked for the CD and the booklet inside is something that no one can take away from you. It is pure happiness and excitement in that precise moment. Yes, I’m kinda old school.

There is a pattern in this right? Guess when Transit of Venus came out? The same year I graduated college and the same month I had decided I wanted to attempt to get into law school or I would regret it. My broke self- pre ordered one of the fan packages that came with the hard copy of the cd, a poster and t shirt. (yes, I also added my name to the back #nerd)

Disappointment knocks: a couple of months after Transit of Venus came out Three Days Grace broke up. The lead singer decided that he wanted to go solo because the band was no longer producing things from the heart. Alright before someone kills me, they said so many things during this time- but essentially I’ve come to the conclusion that this is what probably happened.

I’m just sad and disappointed that this happened and the way it happened. It was truly my first music related disappointment. Even though the rest of my relatives were thinking I was nuts for feeling like I was. I was sad for a couple of weeks. I was sad that I wouldn’t get the chance to see them live, I purchased a shirt one of their old tours and listened to them non-stop.

Stay Classy, San Diego

I am 9 years late to watching this movie. I have seen shows, shirts, gifs, youtubers, friends, etc at some point reference to it and since I never saw it I obviously didn’t get any of the jokes.

Honestly, Will Ferrell movies fall into the 50/50 chance that I’ll like it or I won’t get why he’s considered hysterical. So, this movie wasn’t exactly on the top of my list of movies “to watch.” But, I do love Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell and Christina Applegate. So I was going to eventually watch it.

Weeks ago, I saw the trailer for part two that will be in theaters in December. I thought it was funny so here I am writing this after I just watched Anchorman.

I’ll admit it was funny. I laughed. The whole concept was something that is not often explored in comedy. Usually we get the present-day type of deal, but setting this movie in the 70’s was the key. The other problem that movies filled with many funny actors is that sometimes they sort of block each other, but this also was not the case. They all brought in laughs and they all were funny at their own time.

I am interested in seeing what happens in the sequel. The cast for the sequel is just an explosion of funny people and that alone is setting the bar high. At the same time, we all know what to expect of sequels and hope that they don’t over-do it.

Trailer 2:

Contests on TV: You Get to Decide! Vote now!

I’m not a fan of contest shows on TV, but if I end up watching one or two episodes just because its on. I’m doomed. I fall into a black hole of hoping my favorite acts go through and my least favorites get kicked off.

In most TV contests there is that point where the judges let the country vote and “You get to decide!” At this point, the person that goes through may not necessarily be the talent but instead is the most popular. Sometimes being the popular act does not equal being the act with the most talent.

Also, with the public voting how can we be sure all the votes are going in. Long time ago, I heard that in an old season of American Idol the phone lines get so clogged that everyone was sure that all votes weren’t necessarily going in. People now a days can vote through the website of whichever show they are watching, thru twitter and in some contests also thru the phone.

The main reason I don’t like these contests is because they are beyond our control, shouldn’t the winner of any contests be the one that has the best talent, best voice or greatest potential to be something. Not the one that has the most friends and is able to get their hometown to vote for them.

How Are You?

The most common question of every social situation: “Hi, how are you?”

The typical response: “Fine thank you.” Or “Good thank you.” Even if you’re not ok, you’ll still reply with “Good” or “Fine” … right?

These two phrases are stuck into our brain as an automatic response. Someone asks, you should reply as if it were automatic without any hesitation. If you hesitate, then you’re weird. Trust me, you get weird looks as if you don’t know how to act as a normal human being.

Why is that? People want to be polite, but they don’t want to hear your problems. If you’re response is anything else aside from good or fine, all you’re left with is an awkward smile and a lame attempt of changing subjects. Of course- every now and then someone will listen if you say not ok, but if its not a family member or you’re closest friend they are most likely thinking what they’re going to do later when you’re spilling your heart out.

Slowly we are losing the ability to feel empathy. We are so involved in our own life that even though we want to sound polite by asking something so simple like “How are you?” we are unable to care for the real response. Even if we go with option two and just say “Hi” or “Hello” it doesn’t sound as polite as “Hi! How are you!?” right?

And then the response. Why is it that we feel that we have to reply with Good or Fine? Yes, sometimes it is the easier route than to say “Well, you know it’s not been a good day,” or “I’m mad,” or any other of the million emotions we all have. Just because we reply with how we are truly feeling it doesn’t mean that we are opening a door for a full blown conversation.  We are just sharing that we are not always ok. 

And with just sharing that “I’m not okay today” reply instead of lying with “Fine”- wouldn’t we feel much better?