Month: September 2008

Posted in Issues

I couldn’t get into it (This blog is about gays) (read it)

Posted on by Bri

I’m not going to post a music blog today.

No, no I won’t. Because I’ve got something on my mind. So you all know I’m in newspaper class. One of my articles (big suprise) is about the gay marraige disputes in California, Florida, and another place that escapes me at the moment. Unfortunately, we’re putting it under “news”, meaning that I can’t express my opinion on the dumb people I interviewed.

But then I think… I have a website!! I can dig into the dumb people as much as I want! I won’t mention names, just know… these are exact quotes from actual interviews that I conducted. Keep that in mind.

BRI: What is your opinion on the people polling for the rights for gays to marry?
DUMB KID 1: It’s WRONG. They don’t deserve rights.
B: Why not?
DK1: They’re not real people (laughing)
B: So gay people are not real people.
DK1: No
B: Why not
DK1: Because they’re less than human.
B: What makes them less that human
DK1:They’re gay
B: What defines a human, then?
DK1: Um, that you’re attracted to the opposite sex
B: That’s the only thing that makes you human?
DK1: In my opinion

Ok, dumb kid 1, in your opinion, what makes something a human is that is attracted to the opposite sex. Notice he did not specify physical attributes. Using his logic, the two dogs in the park that you don’t want to look at are human. You know, the ones who are being ignored by their owners until they start making a… scene. They are humans. And the proud duck parents trotting around with their ducklings, they are humans too.

BRI: What’s wrong about gay marraige?
Dumb Kid 2: Uh, a guy liking a guy is…. way beyond belief.
B: Why?
DK2: I can’t wrap my mind around it… I dunno. It’s just my opinion
B: There has to be a reason for your opinion.
DK2: I really don’t know
B: Is there a basis for this opinion of yours?
DK2: Actually, no, it’s just a choice I made
B: Choice? You don’t have to be gay to be pro gay marraige.
DK2: Yeah, but, I’m not FOR gay marraige
B: Why not?
DK2: I hate gays
B: Why.
DK2: Because they’re gay

So this interview with Dumb Kid Two just went into a circle. I was getting very frustrated. I thanked him and walked away, then lamented to Bart about it. He just laughed.

PLEASE NOTE: I am not making fun of people who are against gay marraige. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I am making fun of the people who are against gay marraige for reasons they don’t even understand, and the people who have silly arguments. I mean, come on. The what is a human argument should be enough to tell you that some people just don’t get it.

The reason I don’t take these people seriously is that they
A. Have no basis for their opinions, or
B. They can’t back up their arguments

Now, I want to address one more thing. Dumb Kid One told me that marraige should be between a man and a woman, because it’s in the bible. Because it is his belief, and because I know other people who agree, I’m not going to make fun of this. I wouldn’t have, anyways, because hey, if that’s what you believe, I respect that.

But here’s my problem; people forcing others to believe. In our Constitution, we are awarded the “freedom of religion”. The religious people against gay marraige recognize the right for others to worship in their own way, or not worship at all. And yet they still expect everyone to abide by the rules of THEIR religion. Does this make any sense? No, no it does not.

So, citizens of the United States, here is my proposal. Give us unrestricted religious freedom, or take it away altogether. Stop withholding my rights as granted to me in the Constitution, or force me to convert! There is no middle ground, America!

Posted in Movies

Top 5 Movies That Are Better Than Citizen Kane

Posted on by Godfather

Last week, I talked about why Citizen Kane is not the best movie ever made. So this week I’ve decided to make a list of 5 movies that are better than it. I’ve taken into consideration most of the aspects of filmmaking, cinematography, directing, originality, writing, and story when making this list.

 

5. Memento

 

This was the hardest decision for me when making the list. I had 2 other movies that could have taken this spot, but I pretty much had to choose Memento because of how greatly it was told. The movie starts from the end and makes it’s way towards the beginning.  You would think that you could guess what is going on from the start, but so much changes by the end (of the movie) that you are left stunned. The shots were excellent, and keeping the black and white scenes between every segment was brilliant. For those of you who didn’t know, Memento was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the creator of The Dark Knight, which was amazing, but this one was even better. For it’s originality and storytelling, I think that this was much better than Citizen Kane.

 

4. Metropolis

 

Made in 1927, I think that this silent movie is still better than Kane. The story is basically about how the rich business owners and poor workers need to work together. Even with no sound but the music, Metropolis is still much more interesting than Citizen Kane. The sets don’t look too realistic, but they did what they could with the materials. The movie isn’t even fully put together yet because somebody lost a few of the film reels with the scenes, yet it still works fine with a few slides telling what happened in them. The ending does wrap up the story well, clearly showing what the whole film was about. I think that Metropolis should be on a lot more Top 100 Movies Lists, maybe it will when they come out with the full version.

 

3. Raging Bull

 

From start to finish, Raging Bull is a masterpiece of film. It’s been known to be a “great film about a bad person”. While it is #4 on AFI’s list, I could see it being 1. It shows this man’s life greatly through black and white and how he came to realize how much he needed to change. It’s directed by Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest of all time, and what many believe to be his best movie. Even behind the scenes, Raging Bull is great because Scorsese was heavy into drugs before making this, but with the help of his friend and lead actor Rober De Niro, this movie was his rehab. At the end, it shows a quote that is wonderful, because it shows what the movie was about, behind the scenes and in the movie.

 

2. The Godfather

 

How could you make a list like this without The Godfather? This film is great in every way, wonderful music, acting, and story makes it perfect for the #1 movie of all time. It shows the mafia in a very realistic manner, and how the people around them suffer for the line of business. Symbolism is everywhere in here, doors, windows and even chairs represent something else. I really don’t think there is much explaining to do for The Godfather, everything is executed better than Citizen Kane, I even thought it went by faster for being 3 hours compared to 2. It definitely has stood the test of time, and is already #2 on AFI’s list, so one spot shouldn’t change too much.

 

1. Schindler’s List

 

How this movie is still only #8 I don’t know. I actually didn’t enjoy watching the movie, because of how long and slow it is. But thats the point, since Schindler’s List is about the Holocaust, it needs to make you feel like it’s never going to end. It gets very emotional at the end, bringing me to the point of shedding tears. I just can’t see anyone not respecting this out of how well it was made, and the subject matter. I think that in 10 or 100 years Schindler’s List will still be seen as a wonderful film. Spielberg is said to be one of the best for a reason, and it’s these kinds of movies that earns him that title.

 

Posted in Music

Making a memory

Posted on by Bri

Usher is doing an all ladies tour. “What better way to get up close and personal than to make it all women?”

Apparently, the 29 year old rapper believes that his new CD is very intimate, and in order to get closer to his audience, he thought an all-woman tour would be a good idea. Which seems weird, but hey, it’s Usher. No offense. (Take it. Take offense! Yell at me!)

But the intimacy issue isn’t the only pro of the tour. “The ladies like to see that masculine build,” he said. “They question if I still got it.” So apparently Usher is also questioning his masculinity and wants to be reassured by thousands of woman that he’s attractive, all at the same time. Yeah, read that again. Usher has masculinity issues. So he’s going on an all woman tour. Hm.

He also re-hired his mother as his manager, which suggests that he has fired her before. I’m sorry, but that just made me laugh. almost as hard as the masculinity issues.

When I’m a rock star (yeah, you know it’s coming), I’m gonna go on an all-man tour. and then sing about female issues like periods and childbirth so men and women can get “closer”. It’s like those videos they showed in fifth grade, how they separated the boys and girls and taught them about the other gender and sex. It’ll be like that, except more graphic and not as much about sex since most grown men know what that is.

If you would buy a ticket to my all man concert (ladies, I expect to see you trying to get in with fake beards), let me know and I’ll start scheduling my tour. (I think I’ll start in Greece and make my way around Germany….)

Posted in Sports

Hey, Blue!!!

Posted on by Scarface

For those arguers out there, I’d definitely like to hear your take on this.

Umpires, the “invisible men” some call them. So many of our major American sports are directly affected by the calls umpires or referees make. Some calls are obviously questionable, others make me want to punch the TV set. I’m hoping you’ve all experienced this kind of feeling before, if you haven’t, you probably almost never in your entire life even talked to a single person about sports.

They go through a lot of criticism, a lot of it unneeded. However it is in their job description so they got themselves into it. But isn’t there a line that should be drawn? Some arguments with umpires last even 20 or 30 minutes and take away from what everyone was intending on watching, the game.

So why in some sports, baseball for example, do we allow such insane behavior, even spit to a man’s face? I’ve seen umpires with dirt kicked all over them, even some coaches throw huge bags at umpires, knowing it won’t change a thing.

For whatever reason, be it decency or selfishly taking time from the game, do you think arguing with referees should be allowed?

If you don’t then great, if you do then I agree with you, I think arguing to a point is part of the game. It is sometimes even needed, referees do get a little high on themselves especially if they can completely mess with a team they don’t like. For those of you who don’t even watch sports I’m sure you can relate somehow. So tell me, do you like arguing in sports?

This is Scarface signing off.