What color are the trees in my world

And I have spent the better part of the day arguing with fan boys on a blog about up coming films. I should know better.

The problem with being a fan of film is that no one persons taste is the same as others. The number one film on your best list could be your friends number one on their worst list.

I grew up on Star Wars I still remember seeing the first film in 1977 at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood and loving it. I saw that film over fifty times that summer which is pretty good for a nine year old. Empire even though I thought the ending sucked, you see I don't like surprises so having to wait three years to find out what happens to Han Solo was just excrusiating to me, I loved more. But by the time they got to Return of the Jedi, I have to admit I was a little let down it wasn't as good as Empire but that's a hard film to live up to. My point is the most recent three films the first in the trilogy blew chunks. Plenty of other people have written about each films short comings so I'm not going to go into it here. Now that being said each one stunk a bit less than the last. Phantom was bad, but Attack was a little better, and Revenge was a lot better than Attack but it still wasn't a great film. Need an example? "NOOOOOOOOOOO" Nuff said. Now of course there are the rabid fans out there that even though deep down, and I know this is true, somewhere inside themselves they didn't really like the recent films they will never admit it outloud and will defend them almost to point of fighting over it. Amost because let's face it Star Wars dorks aren't the most physically agressive folks.

So today I find myself defending a comment I made that I believe that King Kong will be better than Revenge of the Sith, again not hard to do I've already seen three films since that are better than Revenge and none of them are blockbusters so to speak. And of course the fact that I love to egg people on and sometimes love to have the last word will keep this arguement going until the other person gives up or I get bored.

But this goes back to what I started with that a lot of film fans can't live with the fact that everyone else doesn't share their love of a film. Going back to the opening day of Buckaroo Banzai where it was me and two other people in the theater I knew I was going to be alone in loving that film and that was fine. Isn't that what going to the movies is about seeing something you want to see? Otherwise what the hell are you wasting your money for? It's not like it's cheap entertainment anymore.

I love film so much that unless it's something I really need to see if it's not playing at the Arclight I'm not going. It's $14 bucks for a ticket plus usually dinner another $40 to $60, and some parking and damn them there's a Ameba records next door and I rarely get out of there for less than $100 bucks. That of course is the extreme side but still teenagers, which I have hated going to the movies with since I was one still will spend too much money to go see a film and talk and goof off through the whole film. Why? They could have spent that money on drugs or booze anything but going to a movie. That's why I don't go near the theater by my house.

So now I ride out the rest of the summer, the next film I' waiting to see is Dukes of Hazzard. Why? The cars of course the same reason I watched the tv show I was never interested in anything else. Plus it will be funny. I'm certainly not expecting Shakespear which is a good thing because through careful consideration I have found I don't really care for his stuff either. I saw the complete version of Hamlet, pretty boring and let's face it no one ever talked like that not even back then, Christ most people weren't even educated there's no way they talked that flowery. Also saw Much Ado About Nothing perfectly title I might add. Apart from some really cliched quotes really not worth watching. No point to it really since everyone else just rips him off now and makes much better use of the plot lines he created.

So after all that rambling pointless crap my point is this is what I feel about film definately not what anyone else does, my girlfriend certainly doesn't agree with my belief that Towering Inferno is one of the greatest films ever made but that's okay because one of her favorites Last of the Mohicans is one of the biggest pieces of crap ever put to film. "What ever you do, Stay alive I'll find you!". Look revel in what you enjoy and be objective about what other do and for Christ sake don't try and change their mind.

Maybe it's just me.

I often get accused of being a lefty, liberal, Democrat, what ever. Problem is I'm not. Some times I don't know how to desrcibe my views. Except that I certainly don't follow either side blindly like most members of either party do. I have been registered as an independent ever since I started voting in my twenties.

For years I really wasn't interested in voting, when ever I came out of Target, where apparently is where politically minded dipshits live, if they approaced me with their speal. "Are you regisitered to vote?" The best answer I could give to get them to get the hell away from me was, "no I'm a anarchist, I'm trying to bring down the Government."

But then damn in anarchy didn't become fashionable for the children of rich white people that harbored some sort of resentment twords their parents. They'd go around burning down business' and vehcles they saw as harming what ever uber opressed system they believed in. You just watch most of those shitheads are working in the very system they sought to bring down and driving the cars they said were the problem. Christopher McDonald's character in SLC Punk put it best "Remember son I didn't sell out, I bought in." So basically I didn't want to be lumped in with those dipshits so I had to get off my ass and take a stand.

The Republican party has been over run with right wing Christian shitbag hypocrits. I like the progun and prodeath thing. But this whole God thing is a load of crap, first off I don't believe in fairy tales, and really they don't either if you look at their behavior. They profess to hate gays but as the old saying goes, "beware of he who protests too much." The most antigay members of the party turn out to not only be gay but so gay that normal every day homosexuals are forced to say, "Jesus what a freak." They claim to be promariage and profamily but then you get good old Newt that cheated on his last wife with one of his aids, ended up marrying her, does she really think he won't do the same to her? Devorced another former wife while she was in the hospital fighting cancer. And one of my personal favorites rant about how government should stay out of our personal life yet they do things like tell a woman what she can do to her body and most recently the whole Terri Schiavo thing.

The Democratic party has it's loons as well, granted none as creatively stupid as Republicans but still. Bunch of tree hugging nitwits that believe that the open spaces of this country is for their enjoyment only. Then there's the completely baseless belief that passing gun laws will stop crime because most criminals obtain their firearms legally.

So what could I do, I like guns and four wheeling clearly Republican issues. I believe in the right to choose, and believe me it's not just the woman's right to choose because don't think she's going to be the only one paying for the kid if she's forced to birth it. Clearly Democratic. I believe that most homeless people are lazy worthless pieces of shit that are just smelling up the place and aren't going to get a dime out of me, however there are some out there that we should be helping. Back to the gun thing I truely believe it's a fundemental right as an American to own guns, but there are reasonable restrictions that should be applied. Registration is fine and really no one needs to own automatic weapons. Coal burning power plants are probably a bad idea, and I do believe there is such thing as safe nuclear engery.

You see what I'm getting at? I had no choice I had to register as an independent. One thing it sure makes it easy to criticise both sides! My point though is that every issue I have a stance on I arrived at looking at all the facts available to me that's how it should be done. That is not the case though if you choose one of the two major parties today. They each have a platform and expect everyone in the party to toe the line. I can't do that.

It scares me to talk to some people that vote today, they do so based on what they are told to do, few people take the time to look at an issue themself so that's where I agree with what the Matt and Trey from South Park fame said if you don't know don't vote, or take the time to learn.

Maybe it's just me.

Once again the flag desecration issue is come up again, and it's getting dangerously close to actually passing. Making it a crime to burn a flag? What the fuck? Freedom of speech means freedom of speach period. I know that it has limits the good ole go to of you can't yell fire in a crowed theater is as over used as calling someone you don't like Hitler.

Burning a flag harms no one, it's just a peice of cloth, of course I shouldn't be surprised that some of these nut cases want to diefy a fucking flag. If they bothered to check other than every other country in the world there's not too much flag burning going on here in the United States. But the minute they outlaw the practice it's going to be, "game on". People seem to buy into the old "______ died for that flag in ___________ war." WRONG! American's fight for freedom, unless you count Iraq where we're fighting for who knows what, freedom includes the freedom to burn as well as worship the flag. If you can't see that you need to go back to elementary school and learn basic history all over again.

Jeb Bush has show his family colors of being a sore looser. Turns out he is going to waste Florida tax payers money trying pin Terri Schiavo's injury on her husband. You can count on this in a couple of months burried so deep that only <a href="www.fark.com>FARK</a> or <a href="www.thesmokinggun.com">The Smoking Gun</a> will find it there will be a report showing that there was nothing to find.

Maybe it's me

So they found Michael Jackson not guilty accross the board. What the fuck? You know putting all the legal issues aside how is it today there are still hundreds if not thousands of people that want to line up so their kids can get molested.

This kind of situation has always got me wondering how lawyers sleep at night. How do you defend a guilty person? You know I'll give lawyers that represent most white collar crimes a pass, most are victimless. Except for Enron, but that's another story. But how do you defend a pervert like Jackson and provide him with the means to do it again? I can be a cold detached person, it's one of my specialties but I couldn't do that. I could work for big tobacco and not care, hey you smoke you die your fault. But these Lawyers Jesus Christ, no wonder Shakespear said we should kill all the lawyers.

You know at least his family had a good reason to stand behind him, without his money their screwed. But really I can't think that anyone, any sane person deep down can't believe he's innocent.

Oh what the hell, they'll catch him eventually. He's a pedophile he's not going to stop just because he was almost convicted. He will continue until they finally can prove it. And like I said there are plenty of people lining up to give him his next victim.

Maybe It's just me.

Europe finally has something good to laugh at us for, the fact that for some reason the US is becoming a Theocracy. While the rest of the Western world is finally moving out of the darkness of believing in a invisable friend in the sky the good ole USA has to be different and go in the oposite direction.

John Ashcroft is one of the nuttiest with his prayer breakfasts and his complete terror of having to stand below the naked tit of the statue of justice, by the way that cost us $800.00 for the curtains he put up to cover that filthy statue. He's also the one that believe that the devil walks amongst us. Maybe that's the real meaning behind the posters that say "Watch and Report" with some vaguely Nazi looking artwork that have been appearing in the Capitol subways. Which reminds me of the completely moronic belief that atheist are somehow Satanic, look brainiac if there's no god there's no Satan!

Yesterday I read about a nut (another American Christian) that has bilked several really stupid other Christians out of sevenmillion dollars to drill for oil in Isreal because of a crytic passage in the Bible that says something about god and something from far below. Did he even bother to find out that the Isrealies have been looking for oil for the past fifty years without any sucess? Of course the nuttier Christians think that the Jews are evil anyway so I'm sure he thinks they're just lying. I hope this ends up just like another stupid American Christian that decided he was going to climb Mount Arrat and find Noah's Ark luckily he fell to his death. Before you judge just realize that he was just taking up valueable resources.

Speaking of Isreal there has been a new cooperation between some Christians and Jews on the subject of Isreal but when you scratch the surface you find out the real reason, you see your nuttier Christian takes the Bible literally, a stupid idea we'll have to explore. There's a passage in the Bible that implies that when the homeland of the Jews is restored that the rapture will happen and all hundredthousand or so of the best Christians will assend to Heaven and the rest of us, including the Jews will have to stick around and suffer for some predetermined time.

If you believe that the world was created in six days by some invisable friend in the sky six thousand years ago then you are a moron and need to have your head examined. How do you function on a daily basis? To continue to believe in god past the age of five does not make any sence at all. It's a fable like Santa Clause! You're supposed to grow out of that fase develope critical thinking skills and examine religion and think, "Hey that's a crock of shit!" Then move on with your life. No body is guiding your destiny, no body is watching over you, no body is protecting you. That time that you and your buddy drove off that canyon road and crashed and you walked away, that was luck nothing else. Just realize that statistically at the same time that you almost died thousands of people all over the world did die.

You know once I stepped out of the darkness I started to wonder how the hell preists and such could continue to believe in this crap when they have nothing better to do, considering it's their job but to read the Bible and continplate what they read. Recently I got an answer, Julia Sweeney who did a show recently about her own journey away from religion mentioned on her blog that she has recieved a lot of supportive email from people, but the really interesting part was she recieved several from preists stating that they no longer believe but having limitted job skills just kept going with their duty. So think about that the next time you being preached to, they guy up there that you think is a direct link to the great grilled cheese sandwich in the sky thinks it's all crap.

Speaking of Julia Sweeney's show it was fantastic we saw it twice, she plans on writing a book and releasing a CD and DVD of the show and I recomend that everyone pick it up. It's not preachy it is simply the detail story of her journey from Irish Catholic to Athiest, when you listen to what she says I find it hard to believe that anyone couldn't identify with some if not all of it. She did all the research so if it doesn't change your mind it at least points you in the direction to do the research your self.

Some people might think I'm being hard on Christians and you're right but come on believing in god in the twentyfirst century, it very 13th century. It's time to put that all behind us and realize that the human race is nothing more that the product of evolution which we don't have all the pieces of but almost. Unlike creationism and intelligent design which have absolutely no scientific evidence to back them up.

Everyone knows that Hollywood has run out of movie ideas but let's not forget the bankruptsy of television.

Today I picked up one of my favorite television shows Quincy which has been rehashed into the crappy CSI shows today, the same as St. Elsewhere has been rehashed into ER. I never watched NYPD Blue because I didn't care for it when it was called Hill Street Blues.

Not that there's nothing to watch. There are several first run shows that I watch today but few are on network. I remember a time when there was something on nearly every night of the week that I didn't want to miss. And before you accuse me of maturing and just moving past TV you're dead wrong, I haven't matured since Junior Highschool. Television shows just blow now.

My current list of can't miss television include The Gilmore Girls, possibly the best show on television right now, with writing that resembles films like His Girl Friday, Bringing up Baby, or You Can't Take it With you. And one of the greatest character actors of all time Edward Herrmann. It's no surprise that most people haven't caught on to this show because it's far to intelligent for the general population but the ratings have been increasing steadily so the right people are finding the show.

Believe it or not the USA network has some damn fine shows such as The 4400 a show about alien abduction that could easily have been simplistic and stupid but because it's from some of the people responsible for Star Trek Deep Space 9 the best of all the Star Trek shows it's very smart. Also on USA, and also by people responsible for Deep Space 9 is Dead Zone soon to start it's third season and has not lost any of its steam, even if you've read the Stephen King Book it's hard to tell where they're going with this show. And of course Monk the best detective show to come along in a number of years. A show so good ABC mades some money off it repeating the first season durring the summer rerun season.

Over on SciFi is Battlestar Galactica that in its orginal form was a guilty pleasure for many of us Sci Fi fans, and for those of you that think it was a great show get your heads examined. The updated show is incredible great cast great writing and again from a person responsible for Deep Space 9.

What do you get on Network TV? Crap like Lost, a show with so much hype it will never live up to it's potential disapoint a lot of fans just like X-Files did. Or crap like Desparate Housewives with four of the most botoxed actress' you'll ever see in one place. Christ the red head looks like one of the fucking aliens from This Island Earth with her bulbse forehead, not to mention the one that looks like a man. Of course if anyone actually read this they would try to point out how red hot the show is, yeah? Well so was Joan of Arcadia and it's five minutes are over and it's cancelled. I have yet to meet anyone that can give me a good reason why they like either show.

That's why I love the DVD player, I can watch great TV on DVD and no commercials. Of course life would be better if they would just get around to releasing the Rockford files on DVD.

Maybe it's just me.

Thursday in America and as usual I have a shitload on my mind. Today what's bothering me the most is President Butthead is once again trying to take credit for doing nothing.

You see AIDS is running through the African continent (I have no doubt Bush thinks it's one country)like Lance Armstrong in the Tour De France. President Butthead thinks that his little token efforts is solving the problem, infact went so far as to once again credit his invisable friend in the sky with telling him to take action! But he has already taken action way back in 2000 when he made sure that none of God's.... er The United States money would go to such silly things as birth control education and distribution of condoms which no matter what any of these right wing nut jobs say will stop AIDS from spreading.

No he had a better idea, abstinance cause that works so well here, are you reading my sarcasm? People if it doesn't work here where we are (supposed) better educated then how's it going to work in Africa? And if you don't believe me look up the statistics and see for your self, I find it especially funny that it bombed out in Texas where Butthead himself put it in place.

So even today five years later anymoney the US sends cannot be used for reproduction education or condoms, oh and we can also thank the dipshit Pope for that one too. Consiquently people continue to die and the numbers will only increase and shit heads like Bush will continue to take all the credit for doing nothing, which is par for the coarse for a politian and as long as there's no oil most of us won't care because after all what have they done for us lately.

maybe it's just me.