On this day, it was a Sunday even, nine months ago on October 11, 2009, one of my close cousins was officially declared brain dead. That was a very rough time in my life. I've lost people I've care about, deeply, before, but no one as close to me as he. Like a brother, really. And at nine months, I've never stopped thinking about him, never stopped thinking of that Friday before when I was told he'd gotten into a car accident.
It was just him, just a mile from home......the belief is that he swerved to avoid hitting a dog, which was later found dead(we still don't know if he actually hit it), hit a ditch, over corrected, hit the ditch on the other side, spun(at a very odd angle) back to the other side, and on his side hit a chain-link fence and a bricked up mail box. His side, the drivers side, was the only side damaged, but it was bad enough that the car was totaled. Blunt force trauma throughout his torso, mainly.
I didn't go with my grandparents that Friday, they were the ones who told me. Grandma asked me to stay and watch her dogs, since she didn't know when they would be back. So I did, even called off work. She called every 3-4 hours to let me know what was going on. They came back later that night, and she asked if I wanted to go see him the next day. I did.
Mom came with us since she didn't have to work. We left at either 10:30 or 11am, I can't remember which. When we got there at the hospital, we had to go too UK (University of Kentucky), and went to his room......he was sleeping, was my first reaction, with a breathing tube down his throat, blood tubes through the side of his chest, and through his head. Paula, his mother, just stared at him. I hide myself over to the side against the wall. That placed me in front of a screen, that had about 7-8 different lines measuring different frequencies of something.......it was a neuro-scanner(that's what I called, I actually don't know what it's called), I realized. The lines weren't hardly there at all. I looked back and forth between the scanner and him about 4 or 5 times before I stopped. The breathing machine that he was on, he couldn't breathe on his own. I sighed and looked away. I realized that he wasn't there anymore. I heard one of the nurses say that he had no blood flowing to his brain; repeating what a doctor had told them all previously. Apparently his blood pressure rose rapidly and then just dropped dramatically, after my grandparents had left, and that's the reason for the lack of blood flow.
When we got back to the waiting room, I looked at all the faces come to see him; friends and family. And knew that none of them would believe him truly gone until they officially announced it. I sat there watching it, because I couldn't say anything, and let them have their false hope. Mom left around eight-ish with my uncle who'd come down also. Awhile later, I noticed everyone had left Paula alone in the sitting room, so I went in with her.
And my heart broke. She looked like she lost her soul, just a shell sitting at the table with her chin on her arms staring at nothing. Her face looked like it would slide off at any moment. I went and sat next to her and laid my head on her shoulder, the only thing that told me she noticed was that she laid her head on mine. I didn't say anything, she didn't either. We just sat there, staring at nothing. At one point, someone came in and turned the light off. I didn't pay attention enough to see who it was...
I only sat with her for a few minutes before my grandma and great aunt came in and encouraged Paula to take a walk or eat something. She took a walk. Two others and myself followed after her to go outside where she walked a ways to sit on a curb in front of a street light. I think we all sat out there in silence for about fifteen minutes before getting up and going back inside.
When we got back, the room's lights had been turned off to give the occupants encouragement to sleep for awhile. Paula had gone back with her husband to sleep beside Allen one last time. I think they too knew that he wasn't going to wake up.
I located my laptop and made my way to an empty little room they for extra seating for their cafeteria that was across the hall. My Facebook posts were never and have never since been more depressing than they were that night. I stayed in that room, listening to music and posting my ridiculously depressing poems that spewed from my brain all night. My grandma came in at one point and stayed for an little while. The only bit of conversation we had was her stating that she was going to miss him. To which I replied, "I already do." She nodded and left after, going back to the waiting room to lie down.
I already knew that Allen was gone, what with the facts I had been given, and the simple fact that when I walked in that room I couldn't feel him there. I didn't sleep that night.
When morning rolled around I saw people start to flitter around in the hall. So I packed up everything and headed back to the waiting room.
I probably got an hour of sleep, barely permitted by the obnoxiously hard 'cushioned' chairs we'd been given. Nobody had the chance to tell everyone the bad news. We heard enough from Allen's girlfriend, in the little room I had been in with Paula that night, to come too that horrible conclusion. Nobody need say a word. And even though I already knew, had been preparing myself since I found out about his accident, nothing I had done could stop that horrible pressure that was crushing me from the inside. It hurt. Like no pain I had ever felt before and I was suffocating, drowning in a wave of despair that I couldn't fight.
And everyone settled into Allen's room, a giant horse-shoe around his bed. And for a minute I was outwardly fine. Only trails left on my face from the waiting room. Then one of Allen's friends, a priest, whose name I cannot remember, from a that Allen went to, came in and said a prayer for him. And when the prayer over, everyone hand-in-hand, he sang Sweet Chariot. He had a beautiful voice, but that melodious voice caused an onslaught of quiet tears. My face was carefully blank. Allen's little brother, Joey, and I made eye contact and just stared at each other for a moment. A mutual understanding that only we understood.
Allen was our friend, our brother...and he was gone. He was a good man.
And he died way to young.
(The following is the script that was in the Viewing pamphlet.)
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not here...I do sleep,
I am a thousand winds that blow, I
am the diamond glints on snow, I am
sunlight on ripened grain, I am the
gentle autumn's rain. When you
awake in the morning hush, I am the
swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in
circled flight, I am the soft star that
shines at night. Do not stand at my
grave and cry, I am not here...I did
not die.
In Memory Of
Allen Scott Terry
Date of Birth
February 20, 1988
Oakland Co., Michigan
Date of Death
October 11, 2009
Lexington, Kentucky
I miss you Allen. I wish you were still here.
#Edit! - I started to write this that Friday a little over three years ago and then got distracted and then eventually forgot I even had it on here. But it's here now, I apologize for the use of any tissues you may or may not have used reading this.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
I'm Back, Bitches!!!
Dear Lord I've been away forever. I apologize to anyone whoever bothered with this blog for my extended period of absence. No more, I say!! I've got a lot of movies to update on and some other news that I may or may not elaborate on in the near future. Well see....
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Really Strange Story Behind Sundays Blue Moon
It's amazing what you can learn about something that was once just a phrase.
The full moon of November arrives on Sunday and will bring with it a cosmic addition: It will also be a so-called "blue moon."
"But wait a minute," you might ask. "Isn't a 'blue moon' defined as the second full moon that occurs during a calendar month? Sunday's full moon falls on Nov. 21 and it will be the only full moon in November 2010. So how can it be a 'blue' moon?"
Indeed, November's full moon is blue moon – but only if we follow a rule that's now somewhat obscure.
In fact, the current "two- full moons in one month" rule has superseded an older rule that would allow us to call Sunday's moon "blue." To be clear, the moon does not actually appear a blue color during a blue moon, it has to do with lunar mechanics.
Confused yet?
Well, as the late Paul Harvey used to say — here now, is the rest of the story:
The blue moon rule
Back in the July 1943 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, in a question and answer column written by Lawrence J. Lafleur, there was a reference made to the term "blue moon." [Gallery - Full Moon Fever]
Lafleur cited the unusual term from a copy of the 1937 edition of the now-defunct Maine Farmers' Almanac (NOT to be confused with The Farmers' Almanac of Lewiston, Maine, which is still in business).
On the almanac page for August 1937, the calendrical meaning for the term "blue moon" was given.
That explanation said that the moon "... usually comes full twelve times in a year, three times for each season."
Occasionally, however, there will come a year when there are 13 full moons during a year, not the usual 12. The almanac explanation continued:
"This was considered a very unfortunate circumstance, especially by the monks who had charge of the calendar of thirteen months for that year, and it upset the regular arrangement of church festivals. For this reason thirteen came to be considered an unlucky number."
And with that extra full moon, it also meant that one of the four seasons would contain four full moons instead of the usual three.
"There are seven Blue Moons in a Lunar Cycle of nineteen years," continued the almanac, ending on the comment that, "In olden times the almanac makers had much difficulty calculating the occurrence of the Blue Moon and this uncertainty gave rise to the expression 'Once in a Blue Moon.'"
An unfortunate oversight
But while LaFleur quoted the almanac's account, he made one very important omission: He never specified the date for this particular blue moon.
As it turned out, in 1937, it occurred on Aug. 21. That was the third full moon in the summer of 1937, a summer season that would see a total of four full moons.
Names were assigned to each moon in a season: For example, the first moon of summer was called the early summer moon, the second was the midsummer moon, and the last was called the late summer moon.
But when a particular season has four moons, the third was apparently called a blue moon so that the fourth and final one can continue to be called the late moon.
So where did we get the "two full moons in a month rule" that is so popular today?
A moon mistake
Once again, we must turn to the pages of Sky & Telescope.
This time, on page 3 of the March 1946 issue, James Hugh Pruett wrote an article, "Once in a Blue Moon," in which he made a reference to the term "blue moon" and referenced LaFleur's article from 1943.
But because Pruett had no specific full moon date for 1937 to fall back on, his interpretation of the ruling given by the Maine Farmers' Almanac was highly subjective. Pruett ultimately came to this conclusion:
"Seven times in 19 years there were – and still are – 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon."
How unfortunate that Pruett did not have a copy of that 1937 almanac at hand, or else he would have almost certainly noticed that his "two full moons in a single month assumption" would have been totally wrong.
For the blue moon date of Aug. 21 was most definitely not the second full moon that month!
Blue moon myth runs wild
Pruett's 1946 explanation was, of course, the wrong interpretation and it might have been completely forgotten were it not for Deborah Byrd who used it on her popular National Public Radio program, "StarDate" on Jan. 31, 1980.
We could almost say that in the aftermath of her radio show, the incorrect blue moon rule "went viral" — or at least the '80s equivalent of it.
Over the next decade, this new blue moon definition started appearing in diverse places, such as the World Almanac for Kids and the board game Trivial Pursuit.
I must confess here, that even I was involved in helping to perpetuate the new version of the blue moon phenomenon. Nearly 30 years ago, in the Dec. 1, 1982 edition of The New York Times, I made reference to it in that newspaper's "New York Day by Day" column.
And by 1988, the new definition started receiving international press coverage.
Today, Pruett's misinterpreted "two full moons in a month rule" is recognized worldwide. Indeed, Sky & Telescope turned a literary lemon into lemonade, proclaiming later that – however unintentional – it changed pop culture and the English language in unexpected ways.
Meanwhile, the original Maine Farmers' Almanac rule had been all but forgotten.
Playing by the (old) rules
Now, let's come back to this Sunday's full moon.
Under the old Almanac rule, this would technically be a blue moon. In the autumn season of 2010, there are four full moons:
Sept. 23
Oct. 22
Nov. 21
Dec. 21
"But wait," you might say. "Dec. 21 is the first day of winter."
And you would be correct, but only if you live north of the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator it's the first day of summer.
In 2010, the solstice comes at 6:38 p.m. EST (2338 UT).
But the moon turns full at 3:13 a.m. EST (0813 UT). That's 15 hours and 25 minutes before the solstice occurs. So the Dec. 21 full moon occurs during the waning hours of fall and qualifies as the fourth full moon of the season.
This means that under the original Maine Almanac rule – the one promoted by Lafleur and later misinterpreted by Pruett – the third full moon of the 2010 fall season on Nov. 21 would be a blue moon.
Choose your blue moon
So what Blue Moon definition tickles your fancy? Is it the second full moon in a calendar month, or (as is the case on Sunday) the third full moon in a season with four?
Maybe it's both. The final decision is solely up to you.
Sunday's full moon will look no different than any other full moon. But the moon can change color in certain conditions.
After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, the moon can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere, can sometimes make the moon appear bluish.
In the aftermath of the massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991, there were reports of blue moons (and even blue suns) worldwide.
We could even call the next full moon (on Dec. 21) a "red moon," but for a different reason: On that day there will be a total eclipse of the moon and, for a short while, the moon will actually glow with a ruddy reddish hue.
Blue Moons & Eclipses
Seela Kali
The full moon of November arrives on Sunday and will bring with it a cosmic addition: It will also be a so-called "blue moon."
"But wait a minute," you might ask. "Isn't a 'blue moon' defined as the second full moon that occurs during a calendar month? Sunday's full moon falls on Nov. 21 and it will be the only full moon in November 2010. So how can it be a 'blue' moon?"
Indeed, November's full moon is blue moon – but only if we follow a rule that's now somewhat obscure.
In fact, the current "two- full moons in one month" rule has superseded an older rule that would allow us to call Sunday's moon "blue." To be clear, the moon does not actually appear a blue color during a blue moon, it has to do with lunar mechanics.
Confused yet?
Well, as the late Paul Harvey used to say — here now, is the rest of the story:
The blue moon rule
Back in the July 1943 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, in a question and answer column written by Lawrence J. Lafleur, there was a reference made to the term "blue moon." [Gallery - Full Moon Fever]
Lafleur cited the unusual term from a copy of the 1937 edition of the now-defunct Maine Farmers' Almanac (NOT to be confused with The Farmers' Almanac of Lewiston, Maine, which is still in business).
On the almanac page for August 1937, the calendrical meaning for the term "blue moon" was given.
That explanation said that the moon "... usually comes full twelve times in a year, three times for each season."
Occasionally, however, there will come a year when there are 13 full moons during a year, not the usual 12. The almanac explanation continued:
"This was considered a very unfortunate circumstance, especially by the monks who had charge of the calendar of thirteen months for that year, and it upset the regular arrangement of church festivals. For this reason thirteen came to be considered an unlucky number."
And with that extra full moon, it also meant that one of the four seasons would contain four full moons instead of the usual three.
"There are seven Blue Moons in a Lunar Cycle of nineteen years," continued the almanac, ending on the comment that, "In olden times the almanac makers had much difficulty calculating the occurrence of the Blue Moon and this uncertainty gave rise to the expression 'Once in a Blue Moon.'"
An unfortunate oversight
But while LaFleur quoted the almanac's account, he made one very important omission: He never specified the date for this particular blue moon.
As it turned out, in 1937, it occurred on Aug. 21. That was the third full moon in the summer of 1937, a summer season that would see a total of four full moons.
Names were assigned to each moon in a season: For example, the first moon of summer was called the early summer moon, the second was the midsummer moon, and the last was called the late summer moon.
But when a particular season has four moons, the third was apparently called a blue moon so that the fourth and final one can continue to be called the late moon.
So where did we get the "two full moons in a month rule" that is so popular today?
A moon mistake
Once again, we must turn to the pages of Sky & Telescope.
This time, on page 3 of the March 1946 issue, James Hugh Pruett wrote an article, "Once in a Blue Moon," in which he made a reference to the term "blue moon" and referenced LaFleur's article from 1943.
But because Pruett had no specific full moon date for 1937 to fall back on, his interpretation of the ruling given by the Maine Farmers' Almanac was highly subjective. Pruett ultimately came to this conclusion:
"Seven times in 19 years there were – and still are – 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon."
How unfortunate that Pruett did not have a copy of that 1937 almanac at hand, or else he would have almost certainly noticed that his "two full moons in a single month assumption" would have been totally wrong.
For the blue moon date of Aug. 21 was most definitely not the second full moon that month!
Blue moon myth runs wild
Pruett's 1946 explanation was, of course, the wrong interpretation and it might have been completely forgotten were it not for Deborah Byrd who used it on her popular National Public Radio program, "StarDate" on Jan. 31, 1980.
We could almost say that in the aftermath of her radio show, the incorrect blue moon rule "went viral" — or at least the '80s equivalent of it.
Over the next decade, this new blue moon definition started appearing in diverse places, such as the World Almanac for Kids and the board game Trivial Pursuit.
I must confess here, that even I was involved in helping to perpetuate the new version of the blue moon phenomenon. Nearly 30 years ago, in the Dec. 1, 1982 edition of The New York Times, I made reference to it in that newspaper's "New York Day by Day" column.
And by 1988, the new definition started receiving international press coverage.
Today, Pruett's misinterpreted "two full moons in a month rule" is recognized worldwide. Indeed, Sky & Telescope turned a literary lemon into lemonade, proclaiming later that – however unintentional – it changed pop culture and the English language in unexpected ways.
Meanwhile, the original Maine Farmers' Almanac rule had been all but forgotten.
Playing by the (old) rules
Now, let's come back to this Sunday's full moon.
Under the old Almanac rule, this would technically be a blue moon. In the autumn season of 2010, there are four full moons:
Sept. 23
Oct. 22
Nov. 21
Dec. 21
"But wait," you might say. "Dec. 21 is the first day of winter."
And you would be correct, but only if you live north of the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator it's the first day of summer.
In 2010, the solstice comes at 6:38 p.m. EST (2338 UT).
But the moon turns full at 3:13 a.m. EST (0813 UT). That's 15 hours and 25 minutes before the solstice occurs. So the Dec. 21 full moon occurs during the waning hours of fall and qualifies as the fourth full moon of the season.
This means that under the original Maine Almanac rule – the one promoted by Lafleur and later misinterpreted by Pruett – the third full moon of the 2010 fall season on Nov. 21 would be a blue moon.
Choose your blue moon
So what Blue Moon definition tickles your fancy? Is it the second full moon in a calendar month, or (as is the case on Sunday) the third full moon in a season with four?
Maybe it's both. The final decision is solely up to you.
Sunday's full moon will look no different than any other full moon. But the moon can change color in certain conditions.
After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, the moon can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere, can sometimes make the moon appear bluish.
In the aftermath of the massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991, there were reports of blue moons (and even blue suns) worldwide.
We could even call the next full moon (on Dec. 21) a "red moon," but for a different reason: On that day there will be a total eclipse of the moon and, for a short while, the moon will actually glow with a ruddy reddish hue.
Blue Moons & Eclipses
Seela Kali
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
"Ready or Not.......Here I Come".....
Kakurenbo premiered in March 2005 at the Tokyo International Anime Fair, where it won the award for Notable Entry in the General Category. In Korea, it received a Best Film Nomination at the Seoul Comics and Animation Festival. It then went on to win Best Short film at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal.
Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek (カクレンボ, Kakurenbo, lit. "Hide and Seek") is a Japanese cel-shaded anime short film written and directed by Shuuhei Morita.
The film is based around "Otokoyo", a game of hide and seek played by children near the ruins of an abandoned old city. The children who play this disappear, believed to be spirited away by demons. Kakurenbo follows Hikora, a boy who joins the game with hopes of finding his missing sister. The story line is built on the idea that Tokyo is losing its natural aesthetic, which includes child's games such as hide and seek in order for industrial progress to ensue i.e. lighting the city of Tokyo costing innocence of childhood games.
Characters
Hikora (ヒコラ)- The young boy who plays the game to find his missing sister. At the end, he wins the game and becomes the new host for Oni.
Sorincha (ソリンチャ)- Hikora's sister. In the film it is implied that she is the oni although it is never proven.
Yaimao (ヤイマオ)- Hikora's best friend who plays the game to lend a hand in finding Sorincha. He is taken by the Child Taker.
Noshiga (ノシガ)- The leader of his little gang who claims is not afraid of demons. He is taken by the Blood Taker.
Tachiji (タチジ)- One of the members in Noshiga's gang. He has blond hair and wears glasses. He, along with Suku, is taken by the Liver Taker.
Suku (スク)- Another member of Noshiga's gang. He is short and has a large, red scarf. He, along with Tachiji, is taken by the Liver Taker.
Inmu (インム) and Yanku (ヤンク)- Twin brothers whose reason for playing is a mystery. They are both taken by the Oil Taker.
Demons
Once the eight children pass through the gates to enter the abandoned street, they are pursued by four different demons and then finally by the one who is "it".
Kimotori (肝取り). The liver taker (a strange red humanoid)
Chitori (血取り). The blood taker (a horned lion that wears a tarp over its back)
Aburatori (油取り). The oil taker (two small, identical demons, one sitting on a cart, and the other pulling said cart)
Kotori (子取り). The child taker ( spider-like demon with eight arms)
Oni ("it"). The demon, or ogre. It takes the form of Hikora's sister and wears a fox mask, which changes into an oni mask that the person who is "it" wears. Its true face is never seen. Oni means the one who is "it" in tag.
This film is roughly 25min. in length and is perfect for those who enjoy animation and suspension with a twist of horror. While there are a lot of Japanese films/animations directed towards children, the true nature of anime is directed towards adults. This film wouldn't be a wise choice to show too young children as it would probably give them nightmares.
I love this film. Hands down, one of my favorite C.G.I Japanese anime animations I've ever seen. (I had this movie a while ago, then at some point I lost it, so hopefully I'll be able to find it again at AnimeIowa, but it's doubtful. Trying to sift through all of the other animes is a pain in the ass.) I've always been in love with the more sinister side of Hide & Seek, adding demons to the mix is just brilliant. In the film, though it isn't proven, it is strongly hinted that the missing children, found at the end of the game, after being used to light up the city, die after their life force(used to light the city) is used up.
Anyone who has yet to see this film is strongly urged to do so, it is a fantastic film, and is well worth sparing the 25min.
"Now You Are It",
Akumu
Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek (カクレンボ, Kakurenbo, lit. "Hide and Seek") is a Japanese cel-shaded anime short film written and directed by Shuuhei Morita.
The film is based around "Otokoyo", a game of hide and seek played by children near the ruins of an abandoned old city. The children who play this disappear, believed to be spirited away by demons. Kakurenbo follows Hikora, a boy who joins the game with hopes of finding his missing sister. The story line is built on the idea that Tokyo is losing its natural aesthetic, which includes child's games such as hide and seek in order for industrial progress to ensue i.e. lighting the city of Tokyo costing innocence of childhood games.
Characters
Hikora (ヒコラ)- The young boy who plays the game to find his missing sister. At the end, he wins the game and becomes the new host for Oni.
Sorincha (ソリンチャ)- Hikora's sister. In the film it is implied that she is the oni although it is never proven.
Yaimao (ヤイマオ)- Hikora's best friend who plays the game to lend a hand in finding Sorincha. He is taken by the Child Taker.
Noshiga (ノシガ)- The leader of his little gang who claims is not afraid of demons. He is taken by the Blood Taker.
Tachiji (タチジ)- One of the members in Noshiga's gang. He has blond hair and wears glasses. He, along with Suku, is taken by the Liver Taker.
Suku (スク)- Another member of Noshiga's gang. He is short and has a large, red scarf. He, along with Tachiji, is taken by the Liver Taker.
Inmu (インム) and Yanku (ヤンク)- Twin brothers whose reason for playing is a mystery. They are both taken by the Oil Taker.
Demons
Once the eight children pass through the gates to enter the abandoned street, they are pursued by four different demons and then finally by the one who is "it".
Kimotori (肝取り). The liver taker (a strange red humanoid)
Chitori (血取り). The blood taker (a horned lion that wears a tarp over its back)
Aburatori (油取り). The oil taker (two small, identical demons, one sitting on a cart, and the other pulling said cart)
Kotori (子取り). The child taker ( spider-like demon with eight arms)
Oni ("it"). The demon, or ogre. It takes the form of Hikora's sister and wears a fox mask, which changes into an oni mask that the person who is "it" wears. Its true face is never seen. Oni means the one who is "it" in tag.
This film is roughly 25min. in length and is perfect for those who enjoy animation and suspension with a twist of horror. While there are a lot of Japanese films/animations directed towards children, the true nature of anime is directed towards adults. This film wouldn't be a wise choice to show too young children as it would probably give them nightmares.
I love this film. Hands down, one of my favorite C.G.I Japanese anime animations I've ever seen. (I had this movie a while ago, then at some point I lost it, so hopefully I'll be able to find it again at AnimeIowa, but it's doubtful. Trying to sift through all of the other animes is a pain in the ass.) I've always been in love with the more sinister side of Hide & Seek, adding demons to the mix is just brilliant. In the film, though it isn't proven, it is strongly hinted that the missing children, found at the end of the game, after being used to light up the city, die after their life force(used to light the city) is used up.
Anyone who has yet to see this film is strongly urged to do so, it is a fantastic film, and is well worth sparing the 25min.
"Now You Are It",
Akumu
Sunday, July 4, 2010
That Which Constitutes Our Freedom....
Happy Fourth of July!!! On this day we, as Americans, celebrate the day/people that gained our independence from the British in the Revolutionary War. And on this day I, as myself, will be enjoying my freedom to do whatever the fuck I please. And I please to go too my aunts and have a cook out!!!!
Blood and Honor,
Akumu
Blood and Honor,
Akumu
Saturday, July 3, 2010
(Avatar) The Last Airbender Review
Movie: Ok, sooo......while I do have a few problems with the movie, purely as a fan, I was rather impressed with the direction that it went in. It wasn't as bad as what I thought it was going to be. I mean, yeah, they mispronounced a lot of the names, had certain scenes acted out differently than in the series, cut out some of the more important scenes, and left out some important people, it was a well though out adaptation of the series. Now, keep in mind, while I am huge fan of the series, I went in as more of a film critic than a fan. That being said, I have to say that a lot of those in the fan-base went with that fan-base mindset and was judging the movie act for act, scene for scene, and with that said that the movie is an epic fail. While that isn't necessarily wrong, that isn't the way to judge a movie for the movie's sake. Some of it I think has to do with the fact that the movie was only 1hr and 43min. and could have been way longer to reveal some key points from the series but this is meant to be a trilogy, this movie was Book 1: Water, so there is still plenty of time to get the rest of the main characters in and sort out missed scenes.
Characters: The actors and actresses chosen, for the most part, were well founded. Some of the choices I didn't agree with, but the main actor I didn't agree with, his character, dies so that worked out. The rest I'll ignore because they played their parts well. I was impressed with just how well all of the actors/actresses were so intune with their parts, they were so fluid with the movements of their bending and fighting, they couldn't have been trained better. Very impressed and very happy; Horray for Kung Fu!!!!!
Nations and Their Bending: For those who are unfamiliar with the series, it's based on the fact that most, not all, people can bend their natural element. Water, Earth, Fire, Air; there are a select number of people who can bend these elements. Only one person, the Avatar, can bend all four. With the four elements, there are four nations. The Northern and Southern Water Tribes (really just one nation just on opposite ends of the world), The Fire Nation, The Earth Kingdom, and The Air Nomads who are (were) scattered in four different points (Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Air Temples) of the world. Most people, from each nation, can bend their natural elements. The movie gives you glimpses of each nation, and, from what I was seeing, they did a damn good job in the construction of the buildings and temples and palaces and war ships (fire nation). And while I didn't like the fact that Fire Benders had to have fire around them (they didn't need to in the series), like the other benders, I understand, from the directors stand point, that to create something real on screen, it has to look real in reality. And the bending, overall, was how it would actually look in real life. So I was very pleased with that.
Appa and Momo: Not much to say about these two fascinating creatures except "wonderful C.G.I".
So, yeah, all in all, it was an excellent movie, very brilliant adaptation, and the only thing I have to say to you die-hard, no-nonsense fans is,"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it, fuck it, fuck your criticism!!" That is all.
Elements and Chaos,
Akumu
Characters: The actors and actresses chosen, for the most part, were well founded. Some of the choices I didn't agree with, but the main actor I didn't agree with, his character, dies so that worked out. The rest I'll ignore because they played their parts well. I was impressed with just how well all of the actors/actresses were so intune with their parts, they were so fluid with the movements of their bending and fighting, they couldn't have been trained better. Very impressed and very happy; Horray for Kung Fu!!!!!
Nations and Their Bending: For those who are unfamiliar with the series, it's based on the fact that most, not all, people can bend their natural element. Water, Earth, Fire, Air; there are a select number of people who can bend these elements. Only one person, the Avatar, can bend all four. With the four elements, there are four nations. The Northern and Southern Water Tribes (really just one nation just on opposite ends of the world), The Fire Nation, The Earth Kingdom, and The Air Nomads who are (were) scattered in four different points (Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Air Temples) of the world. Most people, from each nation, can bend their natural elements. The movie gives you glimpses of each nation, and, from what I was seeing, they did a damn good job in the construction of the buildings and temples and palaces and war ships (fire nation). And while I didn't like the fact that Fire Benders had to have fire around them (they didn't need to in the series), like the other benders, I understand, from the directors stand point, that to create something real on screen, it has to look real in reality. And the bending, overall, was how it would actually look in real life. So I was very pleased with that.
Appa and Momo: Not much to say about these two fascinating creatures except "wonderful C.G.I".
So, yeah, all in all, it was an excellent movie, very brilliant adaptation, and the only thing I have to say to you die-hard, no-nonsense fans is,"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it, fuck it, fuck your criticism!!" That is all.
Elements and Chaos,
Akumu
The Countdown Starts Now!!!
There are only 26 more days left till AnimeIowa 2010 begins. As an added bonus to my trip there, I'll get to three of my favorite voice actors, EVER, again. Christopher and Greg Ayers, and Kyle Hebert. I love the all so much, there are wonderfully nice people and take the time to talk to their fans and share stories with them. I've seen Chris and Greg multiple times, but I've only met Kyle once and that was at the first AnimeIowa I went too, about four years ago I think. So it will be good to see him again. And they're all hilarious, to the point where I feel like my face is going to split in half and devour my head. I haven't seen either Chris or Greg since last AnimeIowa, I can't wait.
Demons & Devils,
Akumu
Demons & Devils,
Akumu
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