Steven Spielberg: that name could not be any more familiar to film goers both casual and hardcore. Regarded as one of the greats of the film industry, Spielberg was responsible for many great movies of our time. Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List. If there was a movie he was involved with, it would be considered a classic.
Nowadays, however, he's something of a past-his-prime entity. His first movie outing in years is Ready Player One, a movie based off of a book that rides on the success of one pop culture reference too many and now has faced backlash due to the whole GamerGate debacle. Even with critical success, it's not going to be a movie that's going to light up the charts. It'll be remembered for a month tops before it gets crushed by Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Even before taking his latest theater offering into account, Spielberg has devolved into the equivalent of the typical stubborn old timer lamenting on the days of old and how everything in the 21st century is the work of the devil. He whines about how Netflix movies should not be considered eligible for the Oscars, how television is a threat to film goers, and the same old 'media corrupts youth' routine with attacking computer games.
First off, Martin Scorsese is working on a movie for Netflix right now. By that logic, a Netflix film directed by someone as legendary as him is not worthy of awards of any kind. What if other famous directors get into Netflix? Are their films not considered eligible for awards, either? To me, films made for Netflix should be deserving of Oscars. Nay, they ARE deserving of Oscars if they're worthwhile.
Also, when he said that television was a threat to film goers I facepalmed and started doing thorough research on his works. Here's some history that Spielberg hopes you forget about. Steven Spielberg has been involved with multiple television shows, ranging from all ages fare like Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, and Tiny Toon Adventures, to dramatic yet condensed war movie fare like Band of Brothers and Five Came Back, and science fiction works such as Invasion America
and Falling Skies.
He was also the producer for Under the Dome, a CBS show based off of the Stephen King novel of the same title. Spielberg even founded Amblin Television, which more or less was the production company for many of the shows that I mention. So to say that television threatens film goers while being behind both television shows and starting a studio ranges on hypocrisy that most politicians wish they had.
Here's a hint, Spielberg: how about your films as of late have not been relevant since the nineties, and that going to the movies nowadays has the fun factor of a kidney stone while being twice as painful? Most of your movies after that time were either average at best or downright forgettable. Ready Player One may have a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that means nothing when it doesn't rake in the cash. Not to mention the stress of getting to a theater in the first place, the high cost of tickets and food, and putting up with a volatile audience. Oh, and god help you if you need to hit the restroom. You miss an important scene? Nope, too bad, no pause or rewinds for you.
Lastly, his statement on computer games also assumes people forgot about his prior legacy in the interactive media realm. He was one of the founders of Dreamworks Interactive, which paved the way for the Medal of Honor franchise. The studio also brought in titles like Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair, BoomBots, T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger, and Skullmonkeys.
Dreamworks Interactive later became Electronic Arts Los Angeles, continuing the Medal of Honor Legacy as well as producing Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. They then became Danger Close Games with the reboot of Medal of Honor and finally named DICE Los Angeles with the Battlefield series.
In addition, Steven Spielberg was one of three writers (the other two being Orson Scott Card and Brian Moriarty) for the LucasArts point and click sci-fi adventure game The Dig. The Dig was originally going to be an episode of Amazing Stories, which is another television product courtesy of Spielberg, followed by a movie before becoming a game. Again, this idea was from Spielberg himself. It became a game because it was too expensive to make into a movie or TV episode. When the game was released, it became a best selling classic; it was not without delays and troubles.
In a way, it saddens me to write this blog post and what Spielberg has become. It's basically the film director's version of the Detroit Red Wings, Gwyn from Dark Souls, or the Roman Empire's legacy. In the case of Spielberg, he was a great director in his hey-day and produced great works even in the nineties. Unfortunately, starting in the 2000s his work started to decline in quality. By the time of the new tens, he has all but become irrelevant in the age of video streaming, Disney the media juggernaut, and an increase in television programming equaling or surpassing the cinema experience. Unfortunately, Spielberg sees the likes of television and Netflix as a threat rather than an opportunity. His need to cling to the past will eventually ruin him in the long run. He's obsessed with trying to protect the traditions of the past while still thinking that he will stay on top. He's wrong in this regard.
This reminds us of an awful truth: we ALL have an expiration date. No matter how great or talented we all are, we are not forever. Though our legacies will be remembered, we are all but parts to be replaced in the great machine. Spielberg and a few other directors are, unfortunately, a harsh reminder of the unwillingness to adapt quickly. Society and Technology goes on, and unless you adapt to current trends, you will die. What happens if you DON'T adapt? You become Steven Spielberg.
This is also a reminder to stay on top of these famous and/or powerful people in case they slip up. Spielberg has become afraid of the legacies he's created, and how he feels they've turned against him. This is a mistake that, unfortunately, he is not aware of. Sooner or later, he'll be gone for good, and without a legacy to continue on. Spielberg, do yourself a favor: evolve, or prepare to die.
Websites referenced:
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/26/17148350/ready-player-one-book-backlash-controversy-gamergate-explained
http://deadline.com/2018/03/steven-spielberg-netflix-oscars-tv-clear-and-present-danger-to-filmgoers-1202353123/
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/martin-scorsese-the-irishman-netflix-theatrical-story-of-film-1201944963/
https://lifehacker.com/what-would-make-you-actually-go-to-the-movies-1821605002
http://variety.com/2017/film/features/movie-business-changing-consumer-demand-studios-exhibitors-1202016699/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DICE_Los_Angeles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dig
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2018
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Star Wars: Pop Culture's Pharisee
Alright. The Last Jedi is headed to theaters in a matter of a few days. What better way to celebrate than with a rant on the fan base and even haters?
The Star Wars fan base and haters are some of the most two-faced, hypocritical groups in all of pop culture. As someone who has been growing up with this franchise since the nineties when the special edition re-releases made their way into theaters, I cannot stand it anymore. Where do we even start?
There's the Santa Claus lookalike known as George Lucas. Let me put it this way: nobody in the Star Wars fan-base likes George Lucas. We merely tolerate him simply because he can direct movies and he isn't Tommy Wiseau. Now he is nothing more than the shadow of his former self, having sold his franchise and studio to Disney because even he can't stand what the fan-base has become. It's not even that, either. This man boasts that making money through movies is an act of monstrosity, yet Lucas was the forerunner of movies as a merchandising vehicle, on top of milking his work to death with the 'special editions' and constant collector items.
Really, George, are you for real? You release 'special editions' of your work with 'updates' like eyesore CGI and you don't take into account of how that goes against everything you stand for? You also have the nerve to say that you hate that you and your studio have become money factories, yet you go around making more movies for the sake of completing what you've started while raking in millions in royalties and revenue. It's utterly groan-worthy, and it's about being a total hypocrite. You WERE that sellout you sought to avoid becoming. You WERE the man who made movies for money.
That said, he's tame compared to other people involved with Lucasfilm. Like the CEO everyone loves to hate known as Kathleen Kennedy. Kathleen has become the target of fans and haters alike thanks to her non-existent 'feminist agenda' simply because of Rey and Jyn Erso. This is ignoring the presence of strong, stand-up females in Star Wars like Leia Organa and Padme Amidala, as well as Ahsoka and Shaak Ti, in addition to villanous female characters like Mara Jade Skywalker, the throwaway bounty hunter Zam Wesell, Aurra Sing from the commercial Vigilante 8 mod known as Star Wars: Demolition, Ysanne Isard from the X-Wing novels, Admiral Dalla, Roganda Ismaren and Asajj Ventress.
Asides from that, she's been the target of the fan-base also because of her mafia-like behavior: if you do what she says, you'll be granted a good chunk of the production process. If not, you're cut because of 'creative differences', regardless of whether you've done anything good in your career. That's ignoring that former Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow's finest work was Jurassic World, a reboot of Jurassic Park that was merely average at best and only made money on nostalgia alone. In a way, it's good that he was kicked because he more than likely would have tainted the reputation of the franchise faster than EA did with their loot boxes in Battlefront 2k17. And yes, I'm calling the games by year to avoid confusion.
And then there's JJ Abrams, a director who also has been known to have been called talent-less because of his power to revive franchises via supposed rehashes and retreads. JJ has also been the target of fans and haters. Insults like Jar Jar or Jew Jew Abrams are commonplace with the fans not familiar with his work. He's merely average at best, like Colin Trevorrow before him, but at least he's also competent in his work. While people mostly remember him for the Star Trek films and Lost, he's also done classics along the lines of Alias and Felicity.
Rian Johnson is also the target of hate by the fandom because of 'The Last Jedi', and how their expectations were subverted because of how Rian Johnson directed everything. You do know JJ Abrams was okay with everything Johnson did, right? And that the hate for 'The Last Jedi' came from Russian trolls? And that JJ is going to have to either stick with the changes or correct course with his original script, adding in crappy explanations in the process? If anything, JJ is responsible for 'The Last Jedi' because he approved of the changes to the original story in the first place. It's completely fake because everyone wants to take a dump on these directors for 'ruining their childhood' and their franchise, yet they defend George Lucas in spite of doing the exact same thing. Piss off with this garbage!
You want to know the worst part of this franchise, however? The fan-base. Oh, Jesus Harold Faltermeyer Christ the fan-base and haters. If you thought the Sonic the Hedgehog fan-base was toxic, Star Wars fans makes them look like choir boys. Growing up and marinading in this franchise for a decade, I'd rather look up creepy fetishes, SonAmy slash fan fictions and original characters than put up with a Star Wars fan. Everyone talks about how loyal the fans are, how everyone will stick to Star Wars no matter what happens. They obviously drank the Kool-Aid. Look around the web like on Reddit and the various forums, and then lecture me on their 'loyalty'. We're some of the most knee-jerk sacks of crap in the world, bar none. They'll talk about how Star Wars is going in a better direction one minute, and then demand that everyone and their brother be fired the next.
Speaking of which, the fan-base also wants George Lucas back in spite of people dumping on him constantly. I'd much rather have Christopher Nolan be a Star Wars director than George, JJ, or even Rian Johnson. True, Nolan has done a few select movies worth watching, but he's still considered a top tier director. Do you know how many Star Wars fans would die to have Nolan as a director? The Aztec sacrifices would pale in comparison.
In regards to the haters, however, there is a channel out there dedicated to fake news regarding the franchise by the name of WorldClassBullshitters. I am NOT making that name up. This is a channel where fans and haters alike go for general doom and gloom regarding the Star Wars franchise, but also to relish in their hypocrisy. One video even discusses how the brand is worthless and dead under Disney, never mind the abuse of marketing and how nobody buys the toys because crack is cheaper. In fact, the channel name is perfect for their content: they really are World Class Bullshitters.
I would also like to point out that stormtrooper armor, enslavement bikinis, white robes with cinnamon bun hair, black armor with helmets, Mandalorian armor and Jedi robes are considered proper attire. In fact, if George Lucas has a funeral one day, I expect anyone who attends to hum out 'The Force Theme'. I also see some rooms that are shrines to the Empire and the First Order. You know, the organizations going around boasting their supremacy and making life a living hell for everyone if they don't comply. It's as real as the non-existent freedom and democracy message that the franchise is known for, if George Lucas is any indication.
All of this hides the inescapable truth regarding this franchise. We are all massive hypocrites.
We decry the rebooted continuity for being diversity friendly and politically correct while ignoring how we were so offended with the caricature aliens in the prequels.
We are the type of fans who will root for the Empire and dress up as Darth Vader and stormtroopers, while liking a movie with an anti-fascism message while having zero understanding of the irony behind everything.
We dump on the female protagonists and the heightened presences of women in the new canon but immediately look the other way regarding female characters in the older expanded universe. Not to mention how the early draft of the first Star Wars film had a female protagonist as well.
We will call out Disney, JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy for ruining Star Wars while ignoring that George Lucas ran his franchise into the ground during his time making the prequels.
We will never shut up about how successful Star Wars is, but we will also be quick to bury any failures from the franchise's past.
We will laugh at the DC Extended Universe and their misery in the film production department but ignore that Star Wars movies as of late have been rushed out the door and altered at the last second on top of going through production members like popcorn. Not to mention that George Lucas himself directed three flops during his tenure at Lucasfilm.
We will put George Lucas on a pedestal for being a great director, and then forget that he was the fan base's personal toilet during the prequels, and that Lucas was more concerned about being a marketing salesman and entrepreneur and ran Lucasfilm like it was a country club.
We will rage about how the Legends Expanded Universe is no longer canon, when George Lucas himself openly hated the idea of an expanded universe, viewing his own movies as the only canon.
We feel bad about the horrors that go on in the film industry, including people dying, but happily ruin the lives of anyone involved with Star Wars, Lucas included.
We will say that Star Wars Rebels is another kiddie show but ignore that the bad guys win constantly, Darth Vader shows why he's the dreaded in Season 2's opener, and The Clone Wars was more or less a spiritual predecessor to Rebels.
We will call Jakku another Tatooine but gloss over Jedah in spite of it being a desert planet as well.
We will call Kylo Ren the most evil Star Wars character for killing fan favorite characters but ignore Director Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin, Jabba the Hutt, Sheev Palpatine, Dr. Nuvo Vindi, General Pong Krell, Keeper Agruss, Count Denetrius Vidian, Gallis Rax, Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, and the metric crapton of other characters from Legends and Canon expanded universes that would make the wretched hive of scum and villainy known as Mos Eisley blush with their assortment of atrocities.
We also give Kylo Ren so much hell for killing his father but Sheev Palpatine did the same thing and murdered his family in cold blood in his backstory and we don't bat an eyelash.
And then there's Rey. Good old Rey. We can't have her as a Star Wars hero. She's not a true Star Wars character. She's is the avatar of Kathleen Kennedy's feminist agenda. True, she was able to master things early and almost handed Kylo Ren his ass, but that's because she was left to fend for herself on a desert planet and more than likely had her memory erased, to say nothing of Kylo Ren being a stupid idiot like every other Star Wars character and more or less giving Rey her powers on top of the force influencing stormtroopers like they're nothing. And it's not like Luke Skywalker was capable of blowing up the first Death Star on his first day of being in the Rebel Alliance, when most others just shoot up stormtroopers.
Even if fans and haters alike hate her, who else do we root for as a Star War hero?
-Obi Wan Kenobi: A Jedi Master who is something of a hypocrite and deliberately lied to Luke Skywalker regarding his father
-Yoda: A Jedi Master who thought the order he was a part of needed to be destroyed because it had become corrupted
-Qui-Gon Jinn: A Jedi Master who constantly told the Jedi Council to go to hell and cheated his way to victory using the force, on top of being the trainer for the man who would become Darth Vader
-THE ENTIRE JEDI COUNCIL: A group of zealots who take force sensitive children from their homes and turn them into indoctrinated soldiers
-Anakin Skywalker: The future Dark Lord of the Sith who makes Shinji Ikari look modest while only being slightly more useful
-Saw Garerra: A ticking time bomb who is an outcast of the rebellion and a total extremist that makes Grand Moff Tarkin look like a nice guy
-Padme Amidala: A queen who only revealed herself as such at the last second and goes from badass to useless in the span of three movies
-Mon Mothma: A failure leader who dumps bricks and is quick to give up at the sign of an advantage they don't have
-Jar Jar Binks: A stupid idiot who only served to be trouble to everyone around him, and was responsible for the downfall of the Republic
-Galen Marek: A god mode clone who is somehow more powerful in the force than a Skywalker.
And...
-Tyber Zann: A villain protagonist space pirate out of nowhere who somehow hands Grand Admiral Thrawn his ass a dozen times over
It's baffling that this fandom is allowed to criticize a character of one gender because they're supposedly Mary Sues and catering to someone's nonexistent agenda but we praise other characters in spite of doing things that deny the rules of Star Wars as a whole.
Even if you think I have an axe to grind, there is still one thing that is pure truth: The Holiday Special is the real worst work of the franchise. This is a special that almost killed the franchise before it took off, and George Lucas more or less rushed to get 'The Empire Strikes Back' done so everything would not have been for naught. This is in spite of having one of his trusted aides do The Holiday Special, only to quit as a way of saying 'I am not CBS's slave'. And Lucas wonders why The Holiday Special turned out the way it did, while also having done Attack of the Clones, the other nadir of the franchise.
After putting up with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, and looking at the crap-fest of the internet cultists, I came to only one firm realization: I. HATE. This franchise. Everything about this franchise, top to bottom, is abhorrent inside and out. The sheer arrogance, insufferability, and hypocrisy of the fans, the studio and the franchise, every movie, every word, every interview, every work, oozes like bantha poodoo. Nothing would make me happier to see this franchise crash and burn, like The Holiday Special or Attack of the Clones did. It's coming, too. Nobody's looking forward to the movies or spin-off material anymore. Merchandise isn't flying off the shelves like they should. The games released have been disasters left and right. And now Solo has earned the medal of dishonor of being the first Star Wars film to flop. I personally can't wait.
Star Wars fans, I know you're mad at me. I know you want to punch that seventies or eighties computer out, but deep down you know I am right about everything I said. It's pure gold, in fact, to watch the hypocrites tear themselves apart for petty reasons and to cry about how such a franchise that has lasted forty years and sold billions is coming down in flames. It's brilliant comedy and I look forward to more of it. COME AT ME, NERD PIGS!
And, by the way, John Williams and Michael Giaccino are overrated hacks.
The Star Wars fan base and haters are some of the most two-faced, hypocritical groups in all of pop culture. As someone who has been growing up with this franchise since the nineties when the special edition re-releases made their way into theaters, I cannot stand it anymore. Where do we even start?
There's the Santa Claus lookalike known as George Lucas. Let me put it this way: nobody in the Star Wars fan-base likes George Lucas. We merely tolerate him simply because he can direct movies and he isn't Tommy Wiseau. Now he is nothing more than the shadow of his former self, having sold his franchise and studio to Disney because even he can't stand what the fan-base has become. It's not even that, either. This man boasts that making money through movies is an act of monstrosity, yet Lucas was the forerunner of movies as a merchandising vehicle, on top of milking his work to death with the 'special editions' and constant collector items.
Really, George, are you for real? You release 'special editions' of your work with 'updates' like eyesore CGI and you don't take into account of how that goes against everything you stand for? You also have the nerve to say that you hate that you and your studio have become money factories, yet you go around making more movies for the sake of completing what you've started while raking in millions in royalties and revenue. It's utterly groan-worthy, and it's about being a total hypocrite. You WERE that sellout you sought to avoid becoming. You WERE the man who made movies for money.
That said, he's tame compared to other people involved with Lucasfilm. Like the CEO everyone loves to hate known as Kathleen Kennedy. Kathleen has become the target of fans and haters alike thanks to her non-existent 'feminist agenda' simply because of Rey and Jyn Erso. This is ignoring the presence of strong, stand-up females in Star Wars like Leia Organa and Padme Amidala, as well as Ahsoka and Shaak Ti, in addition to villanous female characters like Mara Jade Skywalker, the throwaway bounty hunter Zam Wesell, Aurra Sing from the commercial Vigilante 8 mod known as Star Wars: Demolition, Ysanne Isard from the X-Wing novels, Admiral Dalla, Roganda Ismaren and Asajj Ventress.
Asides from that, she's been the target of the fan-base also because of her mafia-like behavior: if you do what she says, you'll be granted a good chunk of the production process. If not, you're cut because of 'creative differences', regardless of whether you've done anything good in your career. That's ignoring that former Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow's finest work was Jurassic World, a reboot of Jurassic Park that was merely average at best and only made money on nostalgia alone. In a way, it's good that he was kicked because he more than likely would have tainted the reputation of the franchise faster than EA did with their loot boxes in Battlefront 2k17. And yes, I'm calling the games by year to avoid confusion.
And then there's JJ Abrams, a director who also has been known to have been called talent-less because of his power to revive franchises via supposed rehashes and retreads. JJ has also been the target of fans and haters. Insults like Jar Jar or Jew Jew Abrams are commonplace with the fans not familiar with his work. He's merely average at best, like Colin Trevorrow before him, but at least he's also competent in his work. While people mostly remember him for the Star Trek films and Lost, he's also done classics along the lines of Alias and Felicity.
Rian Johnson is also the target of hate by the fandom because of 'The Last Jedi', and how their expectations were subverted because of how Rian Johnson directed everything. You do know JJ Abrams was okay with everything Johnson did, right? And that the hate for 'The Last Jedi' came from Russian trolls? And that JJ is going to have to either stick with the changes or correct course with his original script, adding in crappy explanations in the process? If anything, JJ is responsible for 'The Last Jedi' because he approved of the changes to the original story in the first place. It's completely fake because everyone wants to take a dump on these directors for 'ruining their childhood' and their franchise, yet they defend George Lucas in spite of doing the exact same thing. Piss off with this garbage!
You want to know the worst part of this franchise, however? The fan-base. Oh, Jesus Harold Faltermeyer Christ the fan-base and haters. If you thought the Sonic the Hedgehog fan-base was toxic, Star Wars fans makes them look like choir boys. Growing up and marinading in this franchise for a decade, I'd rather look up creepy fetishes, SonAmy slash fan fictions and original characters than put up with a Star Wars fan. Everyone talks about how loyal the fans are, how everyone will stick to Star Wars no matter what happens. They obviously drank the Kool-Aid. Look around the web like on Reddit and the various forums, and then lecture me on their 'loyalty'. We're some of the most knee-jerk sacks of crap in the world, bar none. They'll talk about how Star Wars is going in a better direction one minute, and then demand that everyone and their brother be fired the next.
Speaking of which, the fan-base also wants George Lucas back in spite of people dumping on him constantly. I'd much rather have Christopher Nolan be a Star Wars director than George, JJ, or even Rian Johnson. True, Nolan has done a few select movies worth watching, but he's still considered a top tier director. Do you know how many Star Wars fans would die to have Nolan as a director? The Aztec sacrifices would pale in comparison.
In regards to the haters, however, there is a channel out there dedicated to fake news regarding the franchise by the name of WorldClassBullshitters. I am NOT making that name up. This is a channel where fans and haters alike go for general doom and gloom regarding the Star Wars franchise, but also to relish in their hypocrisy. One video even discusses how the brand is worthless and dead under Disney, never mind the abuse of marketing and how nobody buys the toys because crack is cheaper. In fact, the channel name is perfect for their content: they really are World Class Bullshitters.
I would also like to point out that stormtrooper armor, enslavement bikinis, white robes with cinnamon bun hair, black armor with helmets, Mandalorian armor and Jedi robes are considered proper attire. In fact, if George Lucas has a funeral one day, I expect anyone who attends to hum out 'The Force Theme'. I also see some rooms that are shrines to the Empire and the First Order. You know, the organizations going around boasting their supremacy and making life a living hell for everyone if they don't comply. It's as real as the non-existent freedom and democracy message that the franchise is known for, if George Lucas is any indication.
All of this hides the inescapable truth regarding this franchise. We are all massive hypocrites.
We decry the rebooted continuity for being diversity friendly and politically correct while ignoring how we were so offended with the caricature aliens in the prequels.
We are the type of fans who will root for the Empire and dress up as Darth Vader and stormtroopers, while liking a movie with an anti-fascism message while having zero understanding of the irony behind everything.
We dump on the female protagonists and the heightened presences of women in the new canon but immediately look the other way regarding female characters in the older expanded universe. Not to mention how the early draft of the first Star Wars film had a female protagonist as well.
We will call out Disney, JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy for ruining Star Wars while ignoring that George Lucas ran his franchise into the ground during his time making the prequels.
We will never shut up about how successful Star Wars is, but we will also be quick to bury any failures from the franchise's past.
We will laugh at the DC Extended Universe and their misery in the film production department but ignore that Star Wars movies as of late have been rushed out the door and altered at the last second on top of going through production members like popcorn. Not to mention that George Lucas himself directed three flops during his tenure at Lucasfilm.
We will put George Lucas on a pedestal for being a great director, and then forget that he was the fan base's personal toilet during the prequels, and that Lucas was more concerned about being a marketing salesman and entrepreneur and ran Lucasfilm like it was a country club.
We will rage about how the Legends Expanded Universe is no longer canon, when George Lucas himself openly hated the idea of an expanded universe, viewing his own movies as the only canon.
We feel bad about the horrors that go on in the film industry, including people dying, but happily ruin the lives of anyone involved with Star Wars, Lucas included.
We will say that Star Wars Rebels is another kiddie show but ignore that the bad guys win constantly, Darth Vader shows why he's the dreaded in Season 2's opener, and The Clone Wars was more or less a spiritual predecessor to Rebels.
We will call Jakku another Tatooine but gloss over Jedah in spite of it being a desert planet as well.
We will call Kylo Ren the most evil Star Wars character for killing fan favorite characters but ignore Director Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin, Jabba the Hutt, Sheev Palpatine, Dr. Nuvo Vindi, General Pong Krell, Keeper Agruss, Count Denetrius Vidian, Gallis Rax, Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, and the metric crapton of other characters from Legends and Canon expanded universes that would make the wretched hive of scum and villainy known as Mos Eisley blush with their assortment of atrocities.
We also give Kylo Ren so much hell for killing his father but Sheev Palpatine did the same thing and murdered his family in cold blood in his backstory and we don't bat an eyelash.
And then there's Rey. Good old Rey. We can't have her as a Star Wars hero. She's not a true Star Wars character. She's is the avatar of Kathleen Kennedy's feminist agenda. True, she was able to master things early and almost handed Kylo Ren his ass, but that's because she was left to fend for herself on a desert planet and more than likely had her memory erased, to say nothing of Kylo Ren being a stupid idiot like every other Star Wars character and more or less giving Rey her powers on top of the force influencing stormtroopers like they're nothing. And it's not like Luke Skywalker was capable of blowing up the first Death Star on his first day of being in the Rebel Alliance, when most others just shoot up stormtroopers.
Even if fans and haters alike hate her, who else do we root for as a Star War hero?
-Obi Wan Kenobi: A Jedi Master who is something of a hypocrite and deliberately lied to Luke Skywalker regarding his father
-Yoda: A Jedi Master who thought the order he was a part of needed to be destroyed because it had become corrupted
-Qui-Gon Jinn: A Jedi Master who constantly told the Jedi Council to go to hell and cheated his way to victory using the force, on top of being the trainer for the man who would become Darth Vader
-THE ENTIRE JEDI COUNCIL: A group of zealots who take force sensitive children from their homes and turn them into indoctrinated soldiers
-Anakin Skywalker: The future Dark Lord of the Sith who makes Shinji Ikari look modest while only being slightly more useful
-Saw Garerra: A ticking time bomb who is an outcast of the rebellion and a total extremist that makes Grand Moff Tarkin look like a nice guy
-Padme Amidala: A queen who only revealed herself as such at the last second and goes from badass to useless in the span of three movies
-Mon Mothma: A failure leader who dumps bricks and is quick to give up at the sign of an advantage they don't have
-Jar Jar Binks: A stupid idiot who only served to be trouble to everyone around him, and was responsible for the downfall of the Republic
-Galen Marek: A god mode clone who is somehow more powerful in the force than a Skywalker.
And...
-Tyber Zann: A villain protagonist space pirate out of nowhere who somehow hands Grand Admiral Thrawn his ass a dozen times over
It's baffling that this fandom is allowed to criticize a character of one gender because they're supposedly Mary Sues and catering to someone's nonexistent agenda but we praise other characters in spite of doing things that deny the rules of Star Wars as a whole.
Even if you think I have an axe to grind, there is still one thing that is pure truth: The Holiday Special is the real worst work of the franchise. This is a special that almost killed the franchise before it took off, and George Lucas more or less rushed to get 'The Empire Strikes Back' done so everything would not have been for naught. This is in spite of having one of his trusted aides do The Holiday Special, only to quit as a way of saying 'I am not CBS's slave'. And Lucas wonders why The Holiday Special turned out the way it did, while also having done Attack of the Clones, the other nadir of the franchise.
After putting up with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, and looking at the crap-fest of the internet cultists, I came to only one firm realization: I. HATE. This franchise. Everything about this franchise, top to bottom, is abhorrent inside and out. The sheer arrogance, insufferability, and hypocrisy of the fans, the studio and the franchise, every movie, every word, every interview, every work, oozes like bantha poodoo. Nothing would make me happier to see this franchise crash and burn, like The Holiday Special or Attack of the Clones did. It's coming, too. Nobody's looking forward to the movies or spin-off material anymore. Merchandise isn't flying off the shelves like they should. The games released have been disasters left and right. And now Solo has earned the medal of dishonor of being the first Star Wars film to flop. I personally can't wait.
Star Wars fans, I know you're mad at me. I know you want to punch that seventies or eighties computer out, but deep down you know I am right about everything I said. It's pure gold, in fact, to watch the hypocrites tear themselves apart for petty reasons and to cry about how such a franchise that has lasted forty years and sold billions is coming down in flames. It's brilliant comedy and I look forward to more of it. COME AT ME, NERD PIGS!
And, by the way, John Williams and Michael Giaccino are overrated hacks.
Friday, April 14, 2017
What a day (or night) for a dream
Recently, I have been writing entries in a notebook that was lying around in my home. This notebook is my dream diary, that is, a log of my various dreams.
This not only helps me back into writing as a side hobby, but also taps into my psyche and desires. As of this blog post, I have written twenty dream diary entries, and the number is growing by the day.
I will not disclose any entries in my blog, due to certain individuals being in the diaries. While the content of each dream is all ages to PG-13, they contain individuals very close to me. I will also not upload individual entries, either, nor will I sell my dream diary en masse.
That said, I will base my future writing on some of my dreams. Don't be surprised if a future novel contains an event based on a dream I had...
Sunday, September 20, 2015
A hub for USBs: The IOGEAR USB 3.0 Hub
USB devices are commonplace in the world nowadays. Card readers for SD cards have them; smartphones can connect to USB ports for charging and data; external devices like keyboards, mice and external drives require USB ports to even work. They're also evolving with different standards that increase compatibility and speed. Alas, as we get more devices with USB it gets harder to find places to plug them all in. Eventually, it comes down to finding a hub to connect everything.
A company named IOGEAR was one of many companies that heeded the call to make these products. Some succeeded in rising to the occasion, while others were left in the dust and forgotten. IOGEAR is best categorized in the former, thanks to their USB 3.0 SuperSpeed 4-Port hub. This USB hub offers the latest in offering extra space for USB devices. It utilizes USB 3.0, which is faster compared to USBs 2.0 and 1.1. Speaking of which, there is compatibility for the latter two in case you have devices that are not USB 3.0.
Installation is simple: plug in the power adapter to the USB hub; plug the USB cable into the hub and to your computer; and then let your computer find the drivers to the USB hub.
I've been using this for some time now and have yet to find any problems, so long as the hub is plugged in to the computer directly. This is great because I have a place for my many USB flash drives so I can back up small files and documents on them. I can also have a dedicated USB port for my external hard drive again to make room for the aforementioned USB flash drives. A great product for those looking for the latest USB hub.
The IOGEAR USB 3.0 hub can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-SuperSpeed-USB-4-Port-GUH374/dp/B006DEBNLW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1442758073&sr=8-3&keywords=iogear+usb+hub
A company named IOGEAR was one of many companies that heeded the call to make these products. Some succeeded in rising to the occasion, while others were left in the dust and forgotten. IOGEAR is best categorized in the former, thanks to their USB 3.0 SuperSpeed 4-Port hub. This USB hub offers the latest in offering extra space for USB devices. It utilizes USB 3.0, which is faster compared to USBs 2.0 and 1.1. Speaking of which, there is compatibility for the latter two in case you have devices that are not USB 3.0.
Installation is simple: plug in the power adapter to the USB hub; plug the USB cable into the hub and to your computer; and then let your computer find the drivers to the USB hub.
I've been using this for some time now and have yet to find any problems, so long as the hub is plugged in to the computer directly. This is great because I have a place for my many USB flash drives so I can back up small files and documents on them. I can also have a dedicated USB port for my external hard drive again to make room for the aforementioned USB flash drives. A great product for those looking for the latest USB hub.
The IOGEAR USB 3.0 hub can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-SuperSpeed-USB-4-Port-GUH374/dp/B006DEBNLW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1442758073&sr=8-3&keywords=iogear+usb+hub
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Sending SASEs to Special Services and Celebrities
Got a celebrity you like and want an autograph from? Can't make it to that fan convention due to circumstances out of your control? Sending a document to an official organization for publishing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I've got the thing for you.
The SASE, or Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for short, is a special document that consists of two envelopes each with postage stamped on. It is used to send fan requests for autographs or manuscripts to publishing companies. Sweepstakes companies even request these documents in the event someone wins a massive prize.
The process is simple: have two envelopes with postage for both of them. The smaller envelope should NOT, repeat, NOT sealed up as this is reserved for the receiver to do so. Also have the intended delivery address--your address by the way--on this smaller envelope. Put the smaller envelope in the larger envelope. The larger envelope should have both the delivery address to the celebrity or company on it and a return address should things go wrong. Seal up the larger envelope, put postage on it and send it out. Hopefully you'll get a response in a few weeks.
That's all. Not so bad, is it?
Sources:
Self Addressed Stamped Envelope - Wikipedia
How to Send an S.A.S.E. (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope)
The SASE, or Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for short, is a special document that consists of two envelopes each with postage stamped on. It is used to send fan requests for autographs or manuscripts to publishing companies. Sweepstakes companies even request these documents in the event someone wins a massive prize.
The process is simple: have two envelopes with postage for both of them. The smaller envelope should NOT, repeat, NOT sealed up as this is reserved for the receiver to do so. Also have the intended delivery address--your address by the way--on this smaller envelope. Put the smaller envelope in the larger envelope. The larger envelope should have both the delivery address to the celebrity or company on it and a return address should things go wrong. Seal up the larger envelope, put postage on it and send it out. Hopefully you'll get a response in a few weeks.
That's all. Not so bad, is it?
Sources:
Self Addressed Stamped Envelope - Wikipedia
How to Send an S.A.S.E. (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope)
Thursday, August 27, 2015
ReTrak Selfie Stick: Self-Indulging and Self-Satisfying
First and foremost, the Selfie Stick by ReTrak can be purchased on Amazon.com for $20 here: ReTrak Selfie Stick with Bluetooth
The Selfie Stick: a product of smartphone owners around the world who want to be able to take pictures of themselves without exposing the smartphone in question. While no substitute for dedicated cameras with tripods or even high powered compact point and shoot cameras, it's great for if you have a phone with a high quality camera built in and need a stable hand for photography. So how does the Selfie Stick by ReTrak stack up?
The device in question is well built, not feeling like it's going to break but not too durable at the same time.
Operating the device is easy. The phone goes on the clamp at the end of the stick, and in the case of the model that I am using, has a switch on the bottom to turn the Selfie Stick's Bluetooth function on or off. Pairing the phone with the stick varies between phone models but it's a matter of going through menus and following instructions. There's a button on the stick allowing the picture to be taken when phones are in camera mode.
The only bad thing about the Selfie Stick is that the clamp part tends to flip when trying to extend outwards. This could be based on me using my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone while operating the Selfie Stick, however.
In conclusion, this is a great device for taking pictures of yourself or your friends but you don't have a dedicated camera. Smartphones are common place and almost everyone has one, so if you want a tool in assisting that camera app the ReTrak Selfie Stick is for you.
The Selfie Stick: a product of smartphone owners around the world who want to be able to take pictures of themselves without exposing the smartphone in question. While no substitute for dedicated cameras with tripods or even high powered compact point and shoot cameras, it's great for if you have a phone with a high quality camera built in and need a stable hand for photography. So how does the Selfie Stick by ReTrak stack up?
The device in question is well built, not feeling like it's going to break but not too durable at the same time.
Operating the device is easy. The phone goes on the clamp at the end of the stick, and in the case of the model that I am using, has a switch on the bottom to turn the Selfie Stick's Bluetooth function on or off. Pairing the phone with the stick varies between phone models but it's a matter of going through menus and following instructions. There's a button on the stick allowing the picture to be taken when phones are in camera mode.
The only bad thing about the Selfie Stick is that the clamp part tends to flip when trying to extend outwards. This could be based on me using my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone while operating the Selfie Stick, however.
In conclusion, this is a great device for taking pictures of yourself or your friends but you don't have a dedicated camera. Smartphones are common place and almost everyone has one, so if you want a tool in assisting that camera app the ReTrak Selfie Stick is for you.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Hiatus Return
For anyone that's new to this blog, feel free to ignore this post and just treat it as a "welcome to my blog" posting. Everyone else, read on.
I'm announcing the return to my blog after two years of no activity. I haven't posted anything in a long time not only because of outside issues, but also I felt that I haven't had anything new to say in a while.
That's about to change since from this point on, every two days a new blog posting will be created. Topics will range from progress in my novel; discussions about voice actors and audiobooks; product reviews; and other quality topics.
Again, I haven't had anything to write in a while but I promise I will change that. In fact I plan on making lots of changes not just in my blog, but with myself and others.
I'm announcing the return to my blog after two years of no activity. I haven't posted anything in a long time not only because of outside issues, but also I felt that I haven't had anything new to say in a while.
That's about to change since from this point on, every two days a new blog posting will be created. Topics will range from progress in my novel; discussions about voice actors and audiobooks; product reviews; and other quality topics.
Again, I haven't had anything to write in a while but I promise I will change that. In fact I plan on making lots of changes not just in my blog, but with myself and others.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
2013 is upon us
Well, this is pretty much the last post that I write for the year 2012. It was quite a thrill ride for me, let me tell you. A lot has been happening that changed my life forever in this year alone, and I am amazed at the progress I've made. Of course, I can't have a new years post without a resolution of sorts. So, without further ado, my new years resolutions:
-Work on my novel, except sticking to my 'finish one chapter by Saturday' rule (I've been slow with it and it's time I got back to work on it)
-Do at least one blog post a week (I haven't been on here lately, mostly because of outer issues)
-Get my novel published
-Focus on losing weight some
-Maybe open a YouTube account (I have lots of videos I want to show off)
-Do some more artwork, especially character art for my novel
So there, that's my resolutions in a nutshell. Have a happy new year, everyone!
-Work on my novel, except sticking to my 'finish one chapter by Saturday' rule (I've been slow with it and it's time I got back to work on it)
-Do at least one blog post a week (I haven't been on here lately, mostly because of outer issues)
-Get my novel published
-Focus on losing weight some
-Maybe open a YouTube account (I have lots of videos I want to show off)
-Do some more artwork, especially character art for my novel
So there, that's my resolutions in a nutshell. Have a happy new year, everyone!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Super Special Blog Post: Blog Hop Interview
Yay, I've been selected to do a special blog hop posting! This posting is unique in that it's a blog hop that requires me to select five writers so they can do a similar blog hop post, too. The post will explore what my work in progress is about, and how it came to be.
Here are the rules for this blog post:
* Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog
* Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
* What is the working title of your book?
* Where did the idea come from for the book?
* What genre does your book fall under?
* Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
* What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
* Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
* How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
* What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
* Who or What inspired you to write this book?
* What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
* What is the working title of your book?
The working title of my book is Animator's Dream.
* Where did the idea come from for the book?
A lot of things, mostly consisting of internet hopping and researching voice actors on the web. Also, I got some ideas from real life and pop culture, plus some things that go on in my head. For instance, I made a chapter based on the anime series Code Geass, but I wanted to throw in giant robots from the video game series Armored Core. My imagination just ran wild with the possibilites of the missions my characters could do, and that's just one chapter! In short, I wanted to let my imagination run wild with the ideas contained in me.
* What genre does your book fall under?
Mainstream; it mixes elements of action, adventure, romance, sci-fi, psychological horror, and comedy.
* Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I've actually been wanting to do an audiobook involving veteran voice actors, so if the chance that an anime movie would be made, I'd like these people to reprise their roles. If you're interested in my dream cast and why I chose them, go here:
http://projectrenesis.blogspot.com/2012/06/side-story-progress-and-dream-voice.html
* What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young anime fan is sucked into the animated world after winning a supposed magic pencil, and is caught in a mystery that is also a war against an evil organization terrorizing this new world.
* Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-Published, since agencies are becoming obsolete and nobody wants to go through such hassles and middlemen loopholes.
* How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I'm still working on it now! I've slowed down progress from time to time in spite of setting a goal of finishing one chapter section per week because of school and a need for entertainment.
* What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I would say Harold and the Magic Crayon, but also the novelization of Tron, too. I also got some elements of Stephen King's works and even inspirations from various comic books and manga.
* Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The whole anime and manga mediums inspired me, but I also wanted to implement real life people into this work. Some of the characters are based on characters from works of fiction and people in real life, notably voice actors in the anime industry.
* What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There's something for everyone in this book, from getting involved in a centuries-old war to characters of different types, and there's all sorts of references to anime and manga in this book, too.
Five Writers on my tag list:
Lily Silver (http://lilysilver.webs.com/)
June Faver (http://livingwiththemuse.blogspot.com/)
Morgan Mandel (http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-morgan-mandel-author-of-new.html)
Joe McCoubrey (http://joemccoubrey.com/a-novel-born-out-of-troubled-times-in-ireland/)
Tom Gillespie (http://pauldbrazill.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/short-sharp-interview-tom-gillespie/)
Credit goes to Maria Hammerblad for getting me involved in this special posting. If you wish to look at her works, then go to these links:
(http://www.facebook.com/maria.sadowski.5)
(http://www.scifiromance.info/)
Here are the rules for this blog post:
* Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog
* Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
* What is the working title of your book?
* Where did the idea come from for the book?
* What genre does your book fall under?
* Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
* What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
* Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
* How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
* What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
* Who or What inspired you to write this book?
* What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
* What is the working title of your book?
The working title of my book is Animator's Dream.
* Where did the idea come from for the book?
A lot of things, mostly consisting of internet hopping and researching voice actors on the web. Also, I got some ideas from real life and pop culture, plus some things that go on in my head. For instance, I made a chapter based on the anime series Code Geass, but I wanted to throw in giant robots from the video game series Armored Core. My imagination just ran wild with the possibilites of the missions my characters could do, and that's just one chapter! In short, I wanted to let my imagination run wild with the ideas contained in me.
* What genre does your book fall under?
Mainstream; it mixes elements of action, adventure, romance, sci-fi, psychological horror, and comedy.
* Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I've actually been wanting to do an audiobook involving veteran voice actors, so if the chance that an anime movie would be made, I'd like these people to reprise their roles. If you're interested in my dream cast and why I chose them, go here:
http://projectrenesis.blogspot.com/2012/06/side-story-progress-and-dream-voice.html
* What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young anime fan is sucked into the animated world after winning a supposed magic pencil, and is caught in a mystery that is also a war against an evil organization terrorizing this new world.
* Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-Published, since agencies are becoming obsolete and nobody wants to go through such hassles and middlemen loopholes.
* How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I'm still working on it now! I've slowed down progress from time to time in spite of setting a goal of finishing one chapter section per week because of school and a need for entertainment.
* What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I would say Harold and the Magic Crayon, but also the novelization of Tron, too. I also got some elements of Stephen King's works and even inspirations from various comic books and manga.
* Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The whole anime and manga mediums inspired me, but I also wanted to implement real life people into this work. Some of the characters are based on characters from works of fiction and people in real life, notably voice actors in the anime industry.
* What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There's something for everyone in this book, from getting involved in a centuries-old war to characters of different types, and there's all sorts of references to anime and manga in this book, too.
Five Writers on my tag list:
Lily Silver (http://lilysilver.webs.com/)
June Faver (http://livingwiththemuse.blogspot.com/)
Morgan Mandel (http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-morgan-mandel-author-of-new.html)
Joe McCoubrey (http://joemccoubrey.com/a-novel-born-out-of-troubled-times-in-ireland/)
Tom Gillespie (http://pauldbrazill.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/short-sharp-interview-tom-gillespie/)
Credit goes to Maria Hammerblad for getting me involved in this special posting. If you wish to look at her works, then go to these links:
(http://www.facebook.com/maria.sadowski.5)
(http://www.scifiromance.info/)
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