A Title Not Fit for its Own

Have you ever had that itch that when you find it it moves? No matter how hard you scratch, you just can not pinpoint that specific spot. That is the typical vibe you get from watching Monsters. Don’t let the name steer you wrong, it only refers to a small sub-plot of the entire film. No matter how far you get, it never fails to tease you as if it is getting to a pivotal moment. It builds this fake suspense where you feel as if you are going to learn exactly what is going on. You should hang on to that feeling because there is no release on it throughout the entire journey.

 
Monsters is about Andrew, a photojournalist hired to bring his employer’s daughter, Samantha, back from Central America. Samantha is unhappily engaged while Andrew is the typical loner that eventually gives in to the girl. Custom’s and border patrol aren’t the only thing standing in their way though. Along the border of America and Mexico, a NASA probe crash landed, releasing alien life forms that creates an “infected zone” that Andrew and Samantha must cross through to get to safety. The movie revolves around their relationship that builds out of nowhere. The title shouldn’t be called Monsters. It should be something like Two People that Secretly Love Each Other with a few Giant Monsters. 

 
There is a point in the movie where Samantha says “Doesn’t it bother you that you need something bad to happen to profit from it?” Which Andrew replies with an amazing burn. “You mean like a doctor?” That was the greatest line in the entire movie. For some reason this affects Andrew drastically and lack of character development sinks in. Scoot McNairy does a decent job as Andrew Kaulder. He shows emotion when needed and does not over do it. You can’t blame him for the writing and quick change he has to make. After being asked how he can profit from the bad he must make a choice to photograph a young dead girl. He pulls out his camera as if he is going to make the “Andrew” choice but soon reveals that he is actually pulling out a blanket to lay on the girl making the “Samantha” choice. It isn’t appealing how fast it has taken Samantha to change his total outlook on things in yet she does it in just a few hours. The development just feels rushed. Samantha Wynden is played by Whitney Able. You can’t blame the writing on this one. She just lacks the ability to be on camera. Everything she forces out of her mouth sounds as if she is uninterested. The only time she is believable is when she is speaking spanish and that may very well just be voiced over. The writing of her character isn’t bad though. Samantha actually has a pivotal moment that actually gives gives you a bit of hope for the writing. But there is one mystery that will make your brain rattle. Why is her arm fractured? They also fit in dumb lines like “What happened here?” With houses fallen to the ground around them and all they have been through, who would even think to ask something like that? Even worse is who would even reply with “I don’t know.” The storyline takes a turn for the worst when you realize that Samantha is having feelings for her escort. When the movie is called Monsters the last thing on someone’s mind is love. It just seems like a horrible mixture of romance and aliens.

 
This tends to have a more stable Cloverfield feel. The only problem is you barely ever see the “monster.” When you finally do, you wonder to yourself if it would’ve been best kept hidden. It isn’t hard to figure out what the monster will consist of. With any alien movie it would be a sin to leave out tentacles. Tentacles apparently have this strange mystery to them that science fiction writers love. Usually when the alien is revealed it turns out to be something that tentacles don’t belong on. That is not the case here. When you finally see the monster, you will wonder if you crossed into the world of The Little Mermaid with neon lights. How creative can you get? We are being invaded by the cephalopods that we find in a Chinese Buffet? What makes the monster even worse is that it uses its tentacles to suck the power out of right of the screen of our televisions. There is no explanation as to why a giant octopus needs power other than making us miss the premiere of our favorite show. The octopus’ gives off this bright red luminescence that would give Rudolf a run for his money. The only excitement these aliens add to the story is the U.S. making the border fence into a Great Wall. Even as sub-plots these aliens serve no purpose. All we are given is that they are being contained between Mexico and America. The don’t put to big of a dent on human society since we barely ever see anyone running from it. At least in Cloverfield the monster was feared and you could tell by the havoc it caused. Even then the monster was barely seen but it built up suspense of storyline.

For a $500,000 film, the special effects aren’t horrible. Maybe not as capable to have Transformer like quality, the makers still do a decent job with what they have. The monster is obviously computer generated easily visible by lighting flaws but its movement seems pretty solid. There are a few instances where a tentacle passes through another tentacle which makes you wonder if the alien is an apparition. One thing that really gets annoying are the helicopters. They look good and the sound effects  give them a realistic feel but it is almost as if they are gloating that they make the best helicopters. For the first 30 minutes it felt as if every other shot there was another helicopter going by. It may add to the suspense to the movie but by the 2nd or 3rd one we must have an idea of what’s going on since you’ve already shown us the monster. Things like flipped vehicles and cars would be CGI as well and it really added to the atmosphere. If you looked hard enough you could tell but they did a good job hiding the fact.

With being such a low-budget film, it can be assumed that a Canon 5D was their choice of equipment. That being said, it really gave it a different feel than if it was shot on film. They captured really nice, crisp landscapes of Mexico. Scenes where they were in deep forest type areas seemed to work the best. The natural lighting worked well while shadows influenced the lighting. There are instances where their lighting is too dark. It happens more often than you’d wish and it seems to happen at the points where you want to get into it more. When that happens it takes you out of the moment and makes you start all over again. With everything else being so well done on such a low-budget, you would think that they could afford some decent lighting. Or maybe they could ask their Giant glowing Octopus to shed a little light on them.

 
You could spend days and days looking for that itch but you will only end up being at a loss. The similarity between your itch and Monsters is that no matter how hard you try, you will not find anything with this movie. It looks good and has decent effects but it lacks so much story and detail that you eventually want to give up on it. It is not worth the time you will spend asking questions and trying to understand why things are what they are. A movie that should be simple, twists and turns your brain for no apparent reason. It is called Monsters. And if the title alone does not scare you, then the contents of this movie sure will. Do not waste your time looking for the itch, because once you have finally found it, you will realize it wasn’t worth the time.

Skip the main course

Have you ever been to dinner but didn’t want the main course? You want to skip right to the dessert. Then you constantly ponder what the dessert will be afraid that it will be either too exotic or too plain. Just like dessert it’s the same with music. You can’t go wrong with CAKE. 

“Motorcade Of Generosity” is CAKE’s first album and it has a flavor that tends to top the others. It’s the beginning of their “mish mash” of guitar, trumpets and some sweet percussion. It assumes a style of its own separated from other bands and even their newer albums. The first song to lead them all is “Comanche.” It’s a salsa style guitar thrown with some vocals that seem as if they’re leading a room full of dancers. After each track you don’t know what to expect. On the 12th track “Mr. Mastodon Farm” plays. This may very be the most interpretive song on the album talking about birds falling from a window ledge. It contains background maracas, a nice guitar melody and some very odd vocals that bring it all together to further the quality of this album.

The lyrics don’t fail at their job. The constructive beats in each line paints a vivid picture for those listening. Some lyrics are interpretive but some tend to be straight forward. In each song they have somewhat of a protagonist that ends up working out their plot. Although you can get a bit lost trying to follow both the music and lyrics at the same time, it intertwines very well here.

“Motorcade Of Generosity” doesn’t leave you in regret. Whether you turn the music on for fill or something for others to enjoy, your’e bound to hear a story that somewhat relates to you. Don’t wait for dessert. Just go grab your CAKE and make sure you get the right flavor.

Where's Eve?

Ever wondered what the book of Genesis would look like if women were never created? If so, Rene’ Magritte’s  “The Son of Man” may actually be a spot on depiction. It is revealing in the sense that perhaps the man chose to eat the forbidden fruit.

A very interpretive piece with a man in a bowler derby hat and dress coat standing in front of an overcast sky and endless body of water. What’s so special about that you ask? Blocking this man’s face is what we consider to be the forbidden fruit. A green apple blocks the vision of this man with leaves that look as if the tree is still holding it up.

It is a very simple portrait with a glance and may not be interesting to most. The thing to look at is at the man’s eyes which are not visible to us, which is where the interpretation comes in and the questions you have. Like any other painting this contains the mysterious questions of “why this man”, “why this location” and “why?”

The colors are washed out a bit so it gives off a 60s comic book feel. Since this was made in 1964 that would be a great style to apply. That idea is solid since at that time Marvel was becoming a large part of pop culture being created in ’61. As dry as the painting feels you get a sense up depth where the waves meet the sky. A clash of orange and blue to attract your eyes.

There are plenty of questions to bring from this. In no form can they be answered correctly because that’s art and this is truly art. Is this Adam? Does it have any biblical meaning? Perhaps it is just a man being told he needs to eat healthier. Whatever the answer is, is should not take you away from the substance that “The Son of Man” brings to the table. The man in the bowler derby knows that a picture is worth a thousand words and an apple a day won’t keep the questions at bay.

A Punch to the Face Never Hurt Anyone

Sweat mixes with blood as it runs down the tip of your nose. There is a sting in your forehead where the blood seeps from. You take your hand to the cut and realize you’re just watching David Fincher’s Fight Club. The only thing happening to your body is mental and your mind is taking the trip of its life.

Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel with the same name, Fight Club tends to be clever around every corner. The Narrator is our protagonist whom happens to have insomnia. Maybe not the greatest defect in a character but it works in the dark environment you are set in. Realizing that the only possible help are group sessions that help him sleep at night, he decides that signing up for other therapy sessions like survivors of cancer would improve his mediocre life even more. When all of his belongings blow out of his apartment window, he is left without anywhere to live except one option. Tyler Durden, a soap salesman that has all the qualities that the Narrator wished he had. Tyler and the Narrator’s lives take a turn when philosophical reasoning meets society. Fight Club’s philosophies are insane, outrageous but most of all true. The cleverness of the dialogue is fantastic. It doesn’t just interest you. It makes you think about things that never cross our minds. “Our fathers were our models for God. If our fathers bailed, what does that tell you about God?” The statement isn’t denying religion, it’s giving a reason to think twice about what you believe. Not many movies tend to venture deeper then the opening of the wound. Fight Club dives deep to find the source of the pain.

Edward Norton and Brad Pitt do a phenomenal job together. Their reactions to each other are to a tee, and if you didn’t know any better you’d think they were twins. Norton pulls off the downtrodden protagonist with a pale complexion and bad hair cut. If you look into his eyes you can see the change waiting to happen inside him. Pitt on the other hand charms people with his spiked hair and trendy clothing. All of his dialogue rolls off the tongue making the audience want to believe every word that leaves his mouth.

Fight Club will take you to a world you’ve never realized before, reality. With its captivating message and outstanding acting it deserves more credit than it is probably given. Once you reach the final stretch, Fight Club will have you saying “Where is My Mind?”

Join Us

Ever wonder what it feels like to be a rat in a maze? Waiting for the moment when you can sink your teeth into that delectable cheddar cheese. The only thing standing in your way are the tall, white walls and long paths that mislead you. That is what you are bound to feel like when typing in any web address in your search bar on your homepage. Netflix on the other hand, tends to create a very flawless and easy to use interface that releases a lot of the stress that can be easily created by such obstacles.

If you have a Netlifx account, you are greeted with a cover shot of a recently watched movie. To the right you are given the option to give it a 1 to 5 star rating. One being horribly bad and five being “top notch.” After that rating you are given 3 suggestions of movies that have similar qualities. The innovation in this setup makes the site very personable. It is sort of like a chameleon. It adapts to its surroundings based on every rating made. On the downside that can become very frustrating. Every rating makes change for your picks. If you used your Netflix to keep your toddler in a trance while you take a nap for two hours then your page will eventually become flooded with Dora the Explorer or Backyardigans. Although its a very easy fix by tuning into The Terminator and other quality movies. There is also a top 10 pick that run horizontally across midway down the screen. Netflix may not know you as well as it thinks it does because 10% of the time does that actually have something worth while. The homepage is pretty self-explanatory when it comes down to it. It is like a buffet, it’s up to you to pick and choose what you’re in the mood for.

Clicking on a movie opens a whole new realm. What a surprise, an even larger picture of the movie cover appears. As well as reviews by other members of the Netflix family. If you aren’t sure of a movie, visit its main page and read up and get an idea if you are really going to waste 2 hours of your life on b-movie acting. The option to play the movies trailer is also placed in front of you. If you don’t trust the instincts of the millions of people on the web, take charge and make your own assumptions. You are also introduced to the plot summary, cast/crew and its rating. Remember, R means you must be 18 or older to watch.

With the ease of this site, little Billy won’t have too much trouble watching movies that are probably out of his league. They make it a little too easy to navigate, which by all means is a good thing, but they really need to determine when a password is needed to watch certain movies. Finding your way around isn’t hard at all. Your next destination is just a point and click away. The only thing it tends to lack on is an entire list of their movies. That is a major hole in this nearly flawless site. Everyone needs a choice. You don’t go to Disney land without a map and places to eat do you? Since the movies are constantly changing it can be assumed that it require someone to moderate that sort of thing. That could only make it an even greater experience for those who pay the fees each month. Without that you feel a bit cheated on what choices are exactly at your finger tips. It narrows the window of your viewing pleasure.

With all that in mind, Netflix has a pretty solid website. Of course the selections can only be accessed with a membership as is any club or cult. But with this membership, be prepared to expand your horizon in a wide variety of movies to stream instantly or be delivered to you. If you aren’t feeling welcomed by the bright red when you first enter that screams “Join us” don’t turn away. Give it a chance and prepare to subtract a lot of vitamin D from your life. You can spend hours upon hours streaming movies. Redbox doesn’t have anywhere near the same capacity as the keyboard and screen that you are viewing this on right in front of you. Kick back, relax and enjoy the awesome ease and capability that is Netflix.com

And the Lord gave us Eli Stone

Opening with similar bells and a snowy mountain scene as Northern Exposure, you feel ready to put on your North Face jacket and sit down to watch Eli Stone, but that’s not what you are in for here. We are introduced to our protagonist Eli Stone, played by Johnny Lee Miller, a lawyer for a large firm that tends to take advantage of the lower class citizens that can not defend themselves. 

When Eli explains his background, we are supposed to get the sense that he is a bad, materialistic man that follows the holy trinity of “Armani, accessories and ambition.” This impression is something that should have been gained over other episodes so we could get a sense of who he is actually meant to be and the big change he plans to make with his life. It does not come off as believable. He is a likable guy from the beginning which leaves no changes to happen for him in the end. If they were to give him more of a diabolical personality that audiences could hate, that would attach them more to the changes that he makes in his life, which seems to be the premise of the series. He seems like the goofy underdog that people will already root for where his problems don’t seem relatable at all. He get s brain aneurysm and it is hard to have any feelings with just meeting the guy.

It must be Eli’s most pivotal moment in his life. Not only is he encountered by a client, which whom he lost his virginity to, but he has began hearing and seeing George Michael’s “Faith” played out on his coffee table and in the law firm he works. After learning he has an inoperable brain aneurysm, he decides to take his life in a new direction and defend those less defenseless. He is sort of like a Superman with a law degree, excluding the red tights and large biceps. Eli is put in a situation by his new client, Beth Keller, whose son has developed autism from a large pharmaceutical company’s child vaccine. The firm that Eli works for defends this company and forces Eli to take the risk to do good or go along with his life with no care for the “little people.” All through out this Eli must endure the rejection of his fiance and figure out if these visions are the signs of him being a modern-day prophet. The shows premise is a very intriguing one that may be difficult to carry on for seasons to come. It does tend to hold true to its message of doing good.

The characters, even Eli, tend to have a flatness to them. It feels as if there is something missing to each one. Their dialogue does not seem real enough, and there place in the story seems inferior. Eli’s mother and brother hopefully play a larger part in the series, revealing more of Eli’s father and his possibly hereditary aneurysm that causes divine visions. As of the pilot they tend to add no depth what so ever to the story, only pity for Eli. His fiance, Taylor Wethersby comes of as shallow, which assumably fits her for the future. She doesn’t make much of an appearance only to dump Eli and try and rekindle the spark by the end. Patti Dellacroix is Eli’s secretary and plays a great voice of reason and is what you would find in the dictionary if you looked up the word Gospel. Dr. Frank Chen is an acupuncturist with a fake chinese accent. He is the one that proposes the idea that Eli may very well be a modern-day prophet and that there are two explanations for everything that are “scientific and divine.” He will make a good ally for Eli. Jordan Wethersby is the father of Taylor and Eli’s boss. That already screams cliche’ from the top of its lungs. The only thing we find out about Jordan is that he forgives to easily when Eli wins against him in court. He comes off too fluffy to a guy that is marrying his daughter. There needs to be some sort of conflict between Eli and Jordan.

Eli Stone doesn’t focus on that of a single religion. It plays into the idea that there may be a God but more along the lines that people should do good even if it is difficult. It’s a better message then a lot of other shows out there that just tend to corrupt the youth. It has a “Thank You For Smoking” type dialogue that is clever and funny and a “Bruce Almighty” premise that combines into a hearty, wholesome show. It needs to focus more on the characters and their relationships more than anything. If that happened then Eli Stone could be a good show with a good message. Moses raises his staff to Eli Stone.

Wave, the Sky will Wave Back.

Imagine flying down Columbus Dr. through Millennium Park. Landing on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and resting your wings. Now look North and notice numerous amounts of large undulated waves risen above the surrounding skyscrapers. This is the distance in which a bird can notice the gray etches on the exterior windows of Jeanne Gang’s Aqua skyscraper. Located at 225 N. Columbus Dr. in downtown Chicago, this building stands 870 feet (approximately 144 men tall) amongst buildings like the Aon Center that stands 1,136 feet tall. The title Aqua isn’t necessarily determined from the over all form of the building. It is actually given the name due to it’s location in the Lake Shore East area with other buildings being named with oceanic themes as well such as The Tides, The Shoreham and The Regatta. It consists of nearly 1,790 rooms that can be occupied by residents. It was specifically built with a hotel portion, which would have made it the first of its kind in downtown Chicago but due to America’s state of financial setbacks it contains condominiums, apartments and residential units only. Aqua is 82 stories of its own unique city.

Jeanne Gang is the leader of Studio Gang Architects that has designed and completed many different projects. Aqua is the tallest building in the United States that was created by an architecture firm that is lead by a female. The group tends to pay specific attention to their environment. With “Aqua” they created a “Bird-proof” skyscraper. Aqua was given PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Proggy award. With it’s use of highly noticeable, wavy exterior and etched glass, it creates a safer environment for both the residents and the birds. It helps prevents the birds from colliding into windows. That cuts down on the possibility of broken glass or panes of glass loosening to fall from several stories. It could get a recognizable phrase like “Keeping the birds up in the air and out of our hair.” To keep things on the “Green” side, it was also the first building in Chicago to have public charging stations for the oil saving electric cars.

With its location, Aqua creates an environment with plenty to do. Located just a couple blocks South is Chicago’s Millennium Park that exhibits sculptures, a pavilion and in the midst of November, an ice-skating rink that attracts many of the locals. To the North East, a bus ride away, the residents have access to Navy Pier. Home to a variety of restaurants, a large ferris wheel and Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre. A block over and to the North, just over the Chicago River is The Magnificent Mile, a strand of various stores that run down Michigan Ave. East of Aqua lies the rest of downtown Chicago, with numerous vendors, different schools, and plenty of entertainment for the residents of this towering wave. It sits in a “sweet spot” for convenience to the cities most exciting attractions. The neighborhood it is in is all around a safe environment. With 24 hour security from Aqua and the security of other surrounding buildings, the possibility of burglary is minimal.

Aqua’s height may not be in comparison to some of its surrounding buildings, but with its unique exterior, it pops out to anyone walking down the street. The balconies are specifically designed for each level to be able to see down a level below them. Although in doing so it manages to shorten some of certain resident’s balconies, not only by a couple inches, but a couple feet. Sitting on top of the building is perhaps Chicago largest green roof consisting of a terrace with gardens and gazebos for those that enjoy the “zen” of high society living. It has pools and hot tubs for those willing to relax 870 feet above ground level. It also has a track for the residents that are not willing enough to walk down possibly 82 flights of stairs. Lastly it has a fire pit for those cold Chicago evenings as you look over the endless waters of Lake Michigan. It really rewards the people that occupy these homes with the convenience of everything in return with a hefty sum of monthly rent or mortgage.

All in all, this unique giant is only the beginning of the future living. It takes several different styles of homes and creates its own community. It is a safe environment for us and the creatures that cross its path and manages to find other ways to stay “green.” If you are ever taking a trip down Columbus drive and notice the ripples in the air, flip a coin its way and make a wish, because perhaps someday, you could be living in the bountiful wave in the sky called Aqua.