My Last Blog

This is my last blog. If you have been paying attention, which probably not, I explained that I want to write comedies and to make the world smile, I don’t know where that will take me but I hope one day I can make something that means something, not only to me, but to others. I think that should be a plan for you too. Whether its broadcasting sports, directing films, or making documentaries, keep following that dream. Never take no for an answer, take chances, and never stop trying new things. One of the most important things I believe is that we can never get comfortable. Being comfortable means being stagnant. We got to keep pushing. Pushing the boundaries and making new things happen. I think that all of us are created to create and make something out of ourselves. We all have a different story, and that story could affect someone in a way you never thought possible. So, go out there and show the world what you got. Go get ‘em, tiger.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer

Oh boy, I’m excited. The first trailer for the new Spider-Man movie came out last night during Jimmy Kimmel Live and I was impressed. While watching it, I noticed how Spider-Man is very young and unlike the other Spidey movies, he is a real teenager. Marvel is going towards a more comedy-ish film and during the trailer, I noticed Spider-Man was joking around and making fun of his enemies. I really enjoy how they are implementing that and making Spidey more fun. The movie will be star studded. Zendaya, Donald Glover, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey JR, and many more will be in this film and that gives it that much more excitement. The director Jon Watts explains that this Spider-Man movie will be a John Hughes inspired film and that kind of worries me. I’m worried that they will try too hard to implement that in the film and that it won’t really catch what Spider-Man is all about. John Hughes is a great role model to influence a movie on but it does have a lot to live up too, especially a Marvel film. Overall, I’m excited about this movie but I’m also worried.

Soundtracks and Movies

I think it’s important to have a good soundtrack in movies. Movies like Saturday Night Fever, Flash Gordon, Goodfellas and many more have soundtracks that impact their film and have driven sales because of it. Music in films really drive a sense of emotion and can affect the audience as much as the visual. When we look at Quentin Tarantino, he states that music fuels his movies and that some of his famous scenes have come from certain songs.  I believe that songs that come from movies can become way more popular than by themselves on certain markets because songs remind people of certain scenes from movies and from movies themselves. The most important part of soundtracks in film is that without it, movies won’t have the edge that good soundtrack movies have.

Chaplin (1992)

The 1992 documentary/ drama is the story of Charlie Chaplin. Played by Robert Downey Jr, Charlie Chaplin came from the rough parts of England. His dad not being there and Chaplin putting his mom in an insane asylum, Chaplin grew up a performer, loving the stage. Known for acting the best drunk in all of England, he is sent out to California to start performing in front of the big screen. One day, he creates “The Tramp” Chaplin’s iconic character. After that big day, The Tramp turns into a cultural phenomenon and is a huge success. Chaplin soon makes his own production company and starts making movies himself. After a couple divorces, some failed films, and being deported from the United States, Chaplin today is one of the main reasons why comedy is such a huge success and how film can affect so many people. Chaplin is an interesting film because in many scenes, they reproduce scenes form Chaplin’s films and added them to the theme of the movie. It tells the heartbreaking story of Charlie Chaplin and how a man can make so many people laugh but can’t seem to laugh himself.

George Lucas In Love

I really enjoyed this short. I’m a big Star Wars fan and the use of the films into the life of a college George Lucas was very clever. What I love about the short is that they used a story line of George Lucas trying to finish a script and how we were going to finish it in time. Then they added characters from Star Wars and turned them into college students and made it small and some unnoticeable. If you didn’t see Star Wars, this could’ve been confusing but most things were noticeable and the audience could figure out why it was there. Using the Leia girl as George’s crush was my favorite because it was funny and the ending made it that much better. Kind of a creepy scenario when you have a crush on a sibling but a funny uncomfortable. Overall, this video is enjoyable and truly makes fun of Star Wars in a good way.

Christian Radio: Are We Doing It Right?

Newsboys, The Afters, MercyMe, and many other Christian bands have all been played on Christian radios all over the United States. But are they getting too comfortable with their craft and are Christian radio stations getting to the right people? I don’t have a problem with Christian bands but I think that they attack a certain group and that’s Becky. Becky is the forty-year-old mom who drops their kids off from school in a blue van and is a stay at home mom. Don’t get me wrong on this, I think Christian music works for some people and gets them to the right place but is it getting to folks who don’t believe in the words that Christian music sings? I truly don’t believe so. I think Christian radio needs to broaden the spectrum and not be so cheesy and to not have the same equation all Christian songs have.  If Christian music was truly good and was something that people wanted to hear, it could get to different people and not just Christians.

 I don’t listen to Christian music because I just don’t enjoy it. Most people might but as a twenty-year-old in college that really enjoys music and the craft, I don’t bob my head or vibe with it and the story that comes with Christian music. Just personal opinion, if you like it and if it gets you closer to God, by all means, don’t let my words get in your way.

Do Independent Artists Get the Short Stick When It Comes To The Grammys?

Chance the Rapper is a Chicago native independent artist that has grew in popularity for his mixtapes first getting attention on SoundCloud. Over the past five years, Chance has released three mixtapes and his latest mixtape, Coloring Book, has featured many rappers such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and 2 Chainz. Chance is up for Best Rap Album in this year’s Grammy Awards. But will he be able to grab such an accolade with not being signed with a label? The problem with not being signed with a label is the money that comes with being signed. Chance gets all his money from tours and merchandise. Unlike other artists, Chance has the choice to do whatever he wants when it comes to songs, studio time, and creative input. Chance was the first independent rapper to perform on Saturday Night Live this year and continues to play for people like Ellen and Jimmy Fallon. It’s sad that the chances of him winning a Grammy is so low because of the perks signed artists have and the connections they make while being signed. If it came down to creativity and breakthrough, Chance the Rapper would easily win but bigger names with bigger sales will always win over independent artists like Chance.

Are Films Giving Too Much in Trailers

Before a movie comes out into theaters, we are given a peek inside with the help of a trailer. I personally believe that we give way too much information in trailers and that we need to stay away from longer than a minute trailers. When you make a trailer that is more than a minute or two, you tell the story of what is in the movie without telling the whole thing but that’s too much time to bring in an audience if they already know too much. My suggestion is to make a .45 second video of the movie and given them enough to know the basis of the film and to get them excited. I believe that trailers today are great but with too much information and what is in the movie, it defeats the purpose of seeing the film because you already saw it in two minutes.

Airplane! A Movie Written On The Spot

There is a certain debate on whether movies should be scripted or un-scripted. Scripted movies have the story and dialogue all planned and doesn’t certainly give the actors any say in what the character should say or not to say. When the dialogue of a movie is improvised and un-scripted, it gives a certain question mark on how well the movie will flow and stay on the story being told. I believe that movies like Airplane! And Ferris Bueler’s Day Off certain give the improvised script a thumbs up. Airplane! is considered to be one of the best comedy movies of all time and I certainly agree. It’s silly, it’s quirky, and it’s fun. Being improvised, the movie has so many options and the actors are given free rein on their character and the movie truly feels like a stand-up comedy act because of the humor involved. It’s a risk but if you have very talented actors like Leslie Nielsen, you can let them do what they sees fit. I believe that comedies now a day don’t have the silliness and fun that Airplane! has and I believe the brilliance of the actors in the film give it that justice.

Bad: A Short Film

What people don’t know about the Bad music video is that it is based off a true story. The story is based off a New York Student that goes to a private school that is better off than where he is. His friends are all into being “bad” doing drugs and being a part of a gang. In real life, Michael Jackson’s character is shot and killed because of where he lives and how he was different than everyone else. But in the music video, Michael teaches his friends that you don’t have to be a bad person to be cool, and he does it with the MJ twist with great choreography and a buckled-out jacket and pants. Michael wanted to tell the world that you don’t have to be a dangerous person to be cool or hip, you can be smart, you can be a nerd and you can even be a pop superstar to be cool.

The Reboot

Ah yes, the reboot. When the first movie sucks but has potential to make a lot of money again, they reboot a movie that’s already been made. Why do they to this? I have one answer, and that’s money. Spider-Man is an example. There are millions of Spider-Man fans out there just dying to see their hero on the big screen. In 2002, the first Spidey movie was made. Making tons of cash they made two more after that. After a disastrous third movie, Sony stopped making Spider-Man movies. Then they thought to themselves and said, “hey, we are getting poor, let’s remake a Spider-Man movie and make it seem like it’s better but it’s really not!” Then everyone from Sony stood up and cheered, “hooray!” Fans were going crazy and Sony rebooted two more Spider-Man movies. After a piss poor sequel, Sony and Marvel are now teaming up to create another rebooted Spider-Man movie, trying to give the superhero justice. This is the second reboot of Spider-Man and I don’t think they will ever stop. The reboot will live on and unfortunately will never die because money runs the show.  

The Breakfast Club: John Bender

I like The Breakfast Club for about two reasons. John. Bender. Played by Judd Nelson, John Bender is the school bully and bad-a**. He’s dangerous and has a way of making you look stupid with his words. There is something else about Bender though that we only see a little bit. He has a heart. He plays hard because of his home life and that affects him and how he treats people. Bender doesn’t let people close because he is scared he is going to get hurt by them. He gets in trouble because he doesn’t get attention anywhere else and that’s why he is always in trouble. He gets detentions because it keeps him away from home and his alcoholic father. John Bender is more than just a bully but he’s a person too. I think that when we see bullies we think of them as just jerks but shouldn’t we give them a chance too? John Bender got a chance and that made all the difference.

Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting is a movie that impacted me and how I look at people and their stories. Matt Damon is a janitor at MIT and is a math genius. He secretly answers a problem put on a board in the hallway at MIT that is explained by the math professor to be pretty much impossible. He gets caught and is put into counseling and is under super vision by the math professor at MIT after getting caught in a fight. Matt Damon is scared to let anyone in his life and take chances because of his past in foster care homes and being beaten by his foster dad. This shows in his relationship with his girlfriend and his relationship with his new counselor. After letting go of the past, he chases after the girl he let go and takes a chance in his life.

 I relate to Good Will Hunting because I have trouble letting people get close to me as well. My past has shaken me and has affected how I love and how people love me. I don’t know why but it just happened and ever since I watched Good Will Hunting, I changed how I let people in my life and I appreciate the story of this film.

Dead Poets Society

One of my favorite films of all time is Dead Poets Society. The basic theme of the story is to break out and live your life with abandon and to “suck the marrow of life, without choking on the bone.” The boys in the school all have their niche and stick to themselves in their creativity and their imagination because that is how the school has treated it. When their professor (Robin Williams) tells them that life is more than school and putting your head in a book and studying the crap out of it. The boys find themselves and start to explore girls, sports, and drama. The main message of the film is “carpe diem” and life is a short journey that can end at any time, so why waste it. I believe we all as human beings need to challenge each other and step out the box every day. Life is a beautiful thing and we shouldn’t waste such a thing.

My Name Is Earl

“Do good things, good things happen. Do bad things, bad things happen.”

My Name is Earl is one of my favorite sitcoms because of the message it brings to the table. Earl Hickey, the main character in the story, is hit by a car after winning 100,00 dollars from a lottery ticket, losing the ticket. In the hospital, while watching television, he sees Carson Daly talking about Karma. He believes what Daly says and makes a list of all the bad things he’s done and changes his life around. After cleaning up the parking lot of the motel he lives at, his lottery ticket shows up instantly. He starts using the money for his list and every episode is a new journey of how Earl is doing the right thing. I don’t believe in Karma but I believe that Earl has a point in doing good things and that doing bad things creates pain and struggle. I believe that love is an action and if we can show that love through our actions, we can create a better world.

The Legend of Bagger Vance

As I was strolling through the recently added on Netflix, I came upon a new movie called, The Legend of Bagger Vance. The story is told through the eyes of a boy named Hardy who believed Rannulph Junuh was the greatest golfer in the world. Junuh was only an amateur golfer when he went to enlist in the war. Putting his clubs away for good, he came back emotionally broken and threw himself into alcohol. A tournament that brings up the two greatest golfers in Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, sparks the town and to compete with them, the town choses Junuh. Junuh takes the offer but has lost his swing. A man named Bagger Vance comes to him with the answer to his swing problems and his caddy issue. Through the first round, Junuh can’t find rhythm in his game but Bagger knows that it isn’t just his swing, its Junuh himself holding him back, not just in golf, but in life. Believing he can’t move on from the pain of loss in war, Bagger tells him that he can either move on or hold on to the grudges in his life and quit. Bagger tells Junuh that golf is just a game and life is something you can’t quit on and to push on, even if you don’t feel like you can.

Why Is Film Important To Me

When i was a little kid, i wasn't always the popular one. I had some friends but kids always viewed me as strange and weird. Being made fun of wasn't the greatest feeling in the world that is for sure. Once i got home from school, i'd come home to a jerk of a step father and i would have to deal with that too. It definitely affected me greatly and which led me to watch movies and TV shows. I'd get home and i would go straight to the TV. When i was little, i loved to watch cartoons and things that would make me laugh. Still to this day, i love anything that can make me laugh. Being bullied in school, then coming home to a emotionally abusing step father made me want to hide from the world and i didn't feel comfortable anywhere but inside the TV and my mom knew that. I loved it when my step dad would go away for business and me and my mom would watch old Mel Brooks films together and laugh together. We still to this day quote movies and laugh at stupid jokes. She knew what made me happy and she knew that laughter and film was something I needed to keep me going. Without her support and love for comedy, I don't know where i'd be.

Film is important not just for me but for others because it connects people. It connects families, friends, and even strangers. Every film has a purpose and can touch anyone in many different ways. I know that without comedy film, I wouldn't be here writing this blog. Films has connected me with many of my friends, my brother, and especially my mom. Film has changed my life and I pray one day, I can work on a film that will impact someone just like me.

Peter Parker: The Most Relateable Super Hero

Before being Spider-Man, Peter Parker was just your average kid. Well, sort of. In the comics, Peter Parker's parents die when he is just a little kid. He is given to his Aunt May and his Uncle Ben after the death of his parents. Form there, he grows up and is now in high school. He is the smart, nerdy kid that everyone finds weird and is picked on and bullied. While on a field trip to a radioactivity field, Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider. Spoilers i know. He goes home on his journey back from the field trip and figures out the spider has given him super powers. He can jump high, climb walls, and is super strong. He becomes Spider-Man. His Uncle Ben suspects something is different with Peter and tells him the greatest advice he will ever hear. Ben says, "With great power comes great responsibility." Peter blows him off. Using his powers unwisely, he goes as Spider-Man and tries to earn money from TV stations and wrestling. His Uncle is found shot and Peter feels to blame. He turns his selfishness into being more than just a guy with acrobatic ability and now fights for the right reason.

Peter Parker is relateable because he is real. He has been in more real life situations than any other super hero and has dealt with situations real people have been in. Many people in real life look at Spider-Man as more than just a super hero and people relate to his struggles in life and feel connected to him. He dealt with death, love, and responsibility and may people love that. I love that Spider-Man is humorous about his life and his difficulties and has kind of a good outlook even though his life sucks. I can connect well with that. All in all, Spider-Man is a person just like you and me and that makes him a great super hero.

Man In The Mirror

Michael Jackson is known for many things. Some things very bad, some very good. One of the good things he has done for this world is create music and to inspire. When he passed away back in 2009, i heard for the first time, "Man In The Mirror." I always knew the really popular ones like "Bad", "Billie Jean", and "Beat It" but when i first heard "Man In The Mirror", I was pretty surprised. I never knew that a man like Michael Jackson would sing something like that. In the song, he sings about making a change in the world and to look at yourself to make that change. Michael Jackson was very active in Africa when he was alive and he even sings about being in love with a lady from Liberia in his song, "Liberian Girl." which no one was singing about back in the 80s. Different story though.

 The song really is a motto i like to live by because change starts with you and you alone. If you don't like what you are doing or you don't have purpose, you gotta stop and look into your heart and find it. In the song, he is singing and calling us out to do better in the world. If you don't make a change to yourself and into the world, then who will. If you believe in yourself and believe in what you are doing, people will see that and that can make a big impact on anyone.

How I Met Your Mother: Friendship

One of the most important lessons in How I Met Your Mother is keeping your friends close. Throughout the whole show, all five friends maintain a close relationship. Some closer than others. How I Met Your Mother shows us that our friends are almost as important as family and that friends can be family. All through the show, the struggles of love and heartache all end in comfort and support from friends. As Christians, we are to pick up our brothers and sisters in Christ and to be there to support and love them in their best times and worst times. How I Met Your Mother is far from a Christian show but has a great representation of how a friend should be during good times and the bad. It shows us that when you have friend that doesn't see love, be the love they need. How nothing is legendary unless your friends are there, and that being a friend is more than just someone you hangout with but an accountability and someone you can tell anything to.