The title pretty much says it all. I'm talking about "Shoot 'Em Up". This post will have a few spoilers to it, I'm afraid, since I can't otherwise discuss the movie (all the important things are a bit spoilerish).

First off, from an action perspective, it's spectacular. The action sequences are really well done, and the dialogue is pretty snappy. The villain is creepy, intelligent, and infuriating. The carrots make a lovely touch to the movie. Granted, it seems like Clive Owen has been given the power to ignore how inertia should affect his body when he deems it necessary, but we expect some of that in any decent action flick these days. Now, I'm not entirely certain I approve of the subtext. Paradoxically, the movie has a strong "guns are bad" subtext to it. It would be tolerable but for some other strange things about it. For instance the senator in the movie is only cast in a negative light because he sold-out and is working with the evil gun manufacturer. The senator was selling out over a rather fanciful gun control bill that sounded like it'd create British-style gun control in America (i.e. nobody has them). The problem with this (other than it being the usual stupid Hollywood clap-trap) is that the senator was up to honest and truly evil activities himself. He was having women impregnated so he could harvest the babies for bone marrow to help him survive whatever terminal disease he had (I'd guess lymphoma, but I don't remember if the movie actually states it). That's right -- it's not a problem for him to pay women to have his kids just so that he can harvest the bone marrow from the infants, but work with the gun lobby folks to recover the one escaped baby? Now that's an issue. I'll still be adding this one to the collection; I can forgive a single Hollywood dumbass issue for an otherwise badass movie. If you like Clive Owen or Paul Giamatti, it's a must see. It leaves just the right number of loose ends, but ties itself up well. It's satisfying, but needs no sequel to follow it up, in fact, it leaves no real option for one. Instead it does better -- it leaves you ready and waiting on the next movie that Owen or Micheal Davis, the writer and director, puts out, even if it's got a weird subtext to it.

Labels: life, movies

You recall my question posted just before this? "What do I have to offer to someone? How do I fulfill the wants of another?" I think I came up with an answer, and a very good note on this was proposed by one of my friends on Facebook. Let me discuss her addition to the discussion first. She brought up a useful point. We all know what we want, and we generally want very similar things to the people that we want to attract. So that should be played off of. By her words,

A lot of people want someone gorgeous, someone fascinating. Well, if you want it, attract it. Radiate those kinds of qualities.

She's right. That's a useful method -- be what you want. My answer follows from this.

For my answer, it's simple after a fashion. I figured it out as I was going to sleep a few nights ago -- I have nothing to offer but myself. And that's also part of what my friend's words mean. What do we have to give to another beyond simply ourselves?

So to you, whoever you are, I offer my cynicism, that you may show it wrong, for it is yours to do as you will. My sarcasm shall serve your purposes, my sense of humor is yours to laugh at your jokes. My eyes shall see only you, and my voice dedicated to singing your praises. My words, those you do not simply take away, are given to you to. My ears are yours, to hear your words. My fire will burn for you, animate me to be with you. I give to you my loyalty, my dedication, my warmth, and what strength I possess. What I am, I offer to you.

Labels: life

A rather difficult question was posed to me recently, and I really haven't figured out the answer yet. I do a lot of bellyaching about how I'm lonely and I want a girlfriend, and on and on until you're all sick of it and I'm still in the same situation. So I've outlined time and time again what I want. But the question posed is one I'd never considered -- What do I offer? What do I have to give to that someone? I still don't have a good answer, but maybe I'll come up with one and bore you all with it here.

Labels: life

Back from the weekend of camping, and let me tell you, this was a much better birthday than last year. It was nice to be out camping again, and going intertubing down the river near my grandparents' place was a lot of fun. And that's even considering that I stepped on a stick in the middle of the river and now my foot's sore and it looks like it's trying to get infected. I'm hoping it's not going to be a problem, since my new health insurance premiums are kinda high and I'd end up paying for everything anyway.

Labels: life