Movie Review - 300

Why '300' so deeply troubles Hollywood
The few, the proud among fans of '300'

I've been wanting to see 300 for a while now; I'm so glad I saw it in the theater! The audience I saw the movie with was great; there was a lot of clapping and cheering, especially when Queen Gorgo commits her single act of violence near the end of the movie.

The violence isn't as bad as I thought it could be; it was nowhere near as violent as, say, Kill Bill 1 or Sin City. The best way I can describe it is Gladiator with red paint.

The movie is visually stunning. I read somewhere the director has a background in T.V. commercials. You could pull some beautiful stills from this film. There are multiple "bullet time" shots. While the color in the film has a "washed out" quality to it, the use of color to convey tone or emotion is incredible. It is not like Sin City in visual style. It looks much more natural than that.

A lot of people have compared the film (visually) to what you would see in a video game. I would have to disagree. Maybe if they did games in high def. I think the film is more accurately compared to what someone would "see" in their head if they were listening to a recounting of the events in the movie. That's not an articulate way to describe the film, but it's the best I have right now.

The nudity in the film is sparse compared to what I thought it would be. But I also think that it was done artfully.

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding 300; people have been saying it's racist, sexist, etc. I think you bring whatever troubles you to the movie theater, or bookstore, or any outlet of media. Queen Gorgo is possibly the most progressive, strong, non-bitchy female character in a swords-and-sandals flick I've seen. I also think the claim of racism is unfounded; it's a very basic symbol to depict 'white' as good and 'black' as evil. I've also read that historians are complaining about the lack of historical authenticity in the film. While I am normally all for historical authenticity and faithfulness to source material, the film doesn't take itself as seriously as the historians (which is one of the reasons why I think the film works so well) do and is quite honest about what its' scope is.

I definitely didn't go to see the movie to get an education on Sparta. If I wanted that, I would order the Discovery Channel special. I went to get entertained. The film doesn't lie about the type of film it is, and gives the audience exactly what they want: nudity, violence, a good deal of bloodlust (prepare to have your bloodlust level increase by fifty points when you go to see this), and some cool special effects. Throw in appeals to nobility, integrity, honor, and commitment to duty, and you have a winter blockbuster. I think the simpleness of the film is it's strongest point.

Cookies In The Office

Last night a few students, including me, brought treats to eat after the final exam. The treats I brought were Diddy Riese cookies from that famous little shop on Broxton. (If you go, make sure to try their ice cream sandwich made with two freshly baked cookies of your choice and a scoop of Dreyer's ice cream, vanilla or otherwise!)

I overestimated the number I cookies I should have brought by two-fold. So I took the remaining cookies to work today to leave in the breakroom kitchen for whoever might want a sweet round of pure sugary bliss to get them through their Friday.

One woman I know stopped by my office to say, "Thank you; I know what you did and it was nice of you to do." Cryptic, unless you were in on the secret.

Just now I stopped by the kitchen to refill my tea mug with hot water. There was a guy peering into the bag of cookies.

"Oh man," he says. "Whoever left these cookies here didn't know that I was in the building."

All I could do was smile.

Chinese Final

I took my final in Chinese XL 1 tonight. That means I can sleep for a couple weeks before class starts up again, right?

Taking this class has been a great experience for me. I made some great new friends, although I don't communicate with them as much as I'd like. I've also learned some serious time management skills.

What can I say in Chinese? I can ask for your honourable surname, what name you go by, what your occupation is, where do you work, etc. I can mention a few hobbies, and say some simple past-tense things. I can negate what I can say. I can ask for something to eat and drink, or offer something to eat or drink to company.

I ask the time, and say the time. I can figure out dates, too. I can ask how old someone is.

What's most funny to me is that most questions asked in class are related to dating. How do I ask someone out in Chinese? What is a girlfriend called, and how is this different from a man's ai ren (爱人).

I can write most of what I can say. I can read or infer a little more than what I can write or say. Some characters I know what they translate to in English, but not how to say them in Chinese.

Running Goals

What is it they say about goals? That they're more likely to happen if you write them down? My goal is to finish the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. next year.

I'm currently training for the Seal Beach 5K, at the end of this month. I've been using the beginner's schedule in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Running. I like that schedule more than the one in Runner's World Complete Book of Running. Both books cover similar information, but I can't imagine keeping one book in favor of the other. There are some things that are covered better in the Complete Idiot's Guide than in the Runner's World book, and vice versa. Runner's World also published their Complete Book of Women's Running. I don't think I'll get that one, although it probably would be more relevant to me than the other two books.

I've been training on the treadmill, but once I can run a 5K I'm going to start hitting the roads and trails. It's hard to run continually outside when you don't have much of a base to start with.

I think that forcing myself to compete in "fun runs" will help me meet other runners, and will help me make small, short-term running goals that will in turn help me accomplish the big one.

I think it will, in the long run, encourage me to eat better and take better care of myself. Not to mention lose a few extra pounds and gain some muscle definition!

"Grignak" Climbing

(For those of you who don't know what a grignak is, it's a reference from Galaxy Quest)

So this is me doing my best to rock climb at Rockreation in West L.A. last week. It was supposed to be a work-related "team building" event, but only three of us (plus the big boss, and my manager) showed up. The particular climb that I'm working on in the photo was the most difficult we tried; only the big boss could make it up. The guys (I was the only female to participate in our team building - the other girl in the photo works for Rockreation and was helping us out) let me go first on all the climbs, so either they wanted tips on how to do it (if I succeeded), or they wanted to avoid what I did wrong (if I failed)! Just kidding, they were just being gentlemen (I hope!).

I think rock climbing would be a great hobby to get into - it has a mental component as well as the obvious physical aspect, and the knot-tying and rock-climbing are essential "cool" skills to have (like piloting small aircraft). The unfortunate part is that, like all cool hobbies, rock climbing can get very expensive, and to do it safely it would be best to have a partner you can trust. Self-belaying is possible, but I'd like to think it is an "advanced" technique that I'm not quite ready to conquer just yet.

Massages Lost In Translation

I've been getting acupressure massages from the guys at the Galleria Mall, on Artesia and Hawthorne, for a few months now. They're all Chinese, and speak very little English. Over time they've discovered I know a few words of Chinese, and I think they appreciate that I try to communicate with them. That, and I think they appreciate the fact I'm a regular and tip well.

But anyway, I digress. I've managed to form some sort of friendship with one of the fellows, a happy guy named "Li". He's one of the best, and for the locals who are interested, there's a tall, skinny guy who's good and a couple of the gals are good too. The tiny quiet one who doesn't have red hair is good. The one who has red hair is good, but I sense she prefers the quick customer who will give her cash than in building a customer base.

Today when I went to the mall to get a massage, Li started saying a lot of Chinese to me, most of which went completely over my head. I heard "Mei guo ren" ( 美国人/American), so I assumed that he wanted my nationality. I said (in Chinese) something to the effect that I could only speak a little, and that I'm American. He happily said something (which sounded like a lot) to his coworkers, repeating that I only speak a little and something else I didn't understand. He then asked me something I really didn't understand, and before I could say I didn't understand he said, "My Mandarin too much, yes?" I said yes and he said, "Si Shi?" (四十/40), for how long (in minutes) I usually get my massage.

I don't know how much better an acupressure massage is from a regular one, but the good masseuses manage to completely unknot my shoulders, and it lasts for days. But I think I go to get massages more because I want to be touched than I have painful knots in my shoulders (I don't, because I get massages!). I don't touch anyone at all most days. Sometimes a friend will touch my shoulder, or I'll touch a friend's shoulder. Sometimes I'll shake hands with someone. My coffee buddy usually gives me hugs when he drops me off at my building. I don't think I'd do well in solitary confinement.

If you think about it, how many people do you touch in a day? I think on an average day, I don't touch more than five people, and then only casually. I speak to many more.

I don't know why this bothers me so much, not being touched. I recall articles I've read regarding how little Americans touch one another, compared to Europeans and South Americans. I'm sure someone has tried to link obesity/overeating with lack of touch.

After my massage was over, Li told me he liked the hand cream I was using (I had just bought some Aromatherapy Orange Ginger hand cream from Bath & Body Works, and was wearing a sample) and taught me the Chinese word for "lotion" as I taught him the English word. I've already forgotten it (Although "mei" was one of the syllables. But "mei" usually means "pretty", in my experience). Maybe I can consult my mom and she'll know the term. I told Li (in Chinese) that my Dad is American, my Mother is Taiwanese, and that I didn't have a photo with me today. I told him in English I would bring one "next time". He seemed happy and I assume he let everyone in on the news.

Say What, Mr. Gates?

Gates Warns on U.S. Immigration Curbs

In the same speech before the Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions, Gates says the following:

“It makes no sense to tell well-trained, highly skilled individuals, many of whom are educated at our top colleges and universities, that the United States does not welcome or value them,”

and

“America cannot maintain its innovation leadership if it does not educate world-class innovators and train its workforce to use innovations effectively. Unfort­unately, available data suggest that we are failing to do so . . . especially in our high schools.”

So our institutions of higher learning are capable of producing well-trained, highly skilled individuals, but none of our USA-born high school graduates are attending these great schools? Is that what he's saying?

Let's also mention that, if Mr. Gates was so concerned with being unable to hire people to work for his States-side facilities, he also has sites all over the world, including sites in India, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. Abu Typesthecode in India can write the same snippet of code that will do "something" in Vista that Joe Coder in Seattle can. Microsoft is a big enough corporation that, aside from manufacturing concerns, where you do your work in the world doesn't matter as long as the work gets done.

Maybe if Mr. Gates would pull his head out of the clouds he could see about doing something to really improve this country's problems regarding education, rather than complain about not being able to find (or retain!) a quality workforce. When I graduated college I didn't have program managers beating down my door to find me, even though it seemed like everyone was saying software engineers were in high demand.

Oh but wait. Doing something productive regarding education would cost money. Precisely what he's trying to save by "fixing" immigration.

Movie Review - Zodiac

I went to Zodiac Monday night. While interesting, I found the movie to be excessively long (2 hours 40 minutes) and disconnected. Zodiac follows the amateur detective work done by Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, to solve the Zodiac murders. It also presents an interesting case of who the Zodiac killer might be.

All the violence in the film occurs in the first hour of the film, and I didn't necessarily find it to be extremely intense or scary. "Spooky" is a better adjective.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the film's protagonist. Throughout the movie he's depicted as just a "good guy", a "boy scout" who wants to solve the case out of the goodness of his heart. Unfortunately, the character doesn't have much of a personality for the viewer to attach to, and at the end I didn't feel quite satisfied with the film. He's seen neglecting his family and work responsibilities to continue his detective work, and I for one wasn't surprised when his wife takes their children and leaves. Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. are great in their supporting roles.

Overall, the film wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. If you see this in the theater, don't pay for it (I didn't - I was on a date!). The biggest problem with the film is that it fails to show why the characters were obsessed with solving the case. The viewer is assumed to just accept the characters' obsession without given a strong reason to do so.

At best, it's "true crime" trying to be both honest and sensationalized. If I wanted to learn about the Zodiac killer, I could have watched a Discovery Channel special and not only learned more, but have been more entertained.

The Commandant's Own

I had a real treat today; I drove up to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the Marine Corps Battle Color Ceremony be performed by the Marine Corps Drum & Bugle Corps (The Commandant's Own), the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and the Marine Corps Color Guard.

I was most impressed with the Drum & Bugle Corps "Music in Motion" presentation. These Marines not only perform great music, but they change formation at the same time! Pieces they performed included: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, a James Bond Medley, You're Beautiful (James Blunt was a captain in the British Army), and Stars & Stripes Forever. They also performed the Star Spangled Banner and the Marine's Hymn.The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon was very cool to watch, but not as impressive as the stuff in the film "A Few Good Men". Still, they have some great tricks. One of my favorites is this rifle toss, during the fancy rifle inspection sequence of their routine.
Also, while I was close to the field, I wasn't nearly close enough to catch the precision movements on my digital camera. Bummer. (And yes, bayonets are attached to those M-1s!)After the Battle Color Ceremony the crowd was invited onto the field to meet the Marines in the Drum & Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill Platoon. What this really meant was that parents could drag their children down for a photo-op. It was really cute. There's something really charming about children and military men, especially Marines.

McCain Preannounces Candidacy on Letterman

In Newly Usual Way, McCain Says He'll Run

Does anyone else find it odd that this presidential campaign is starting so early?

I predict the nation will get bored of it by November '08.