web: kiyoshimartinez.com | about me | resumeHelpful when writing fiction.
[Permalink]No explanation necessary.
[Permalink]Fans of “The Wire” and David Simon rejoice. He’s back and this time is focusing on post-Katrina New Orleans:
[Permalink]Set immediately post-Katrina, the drama intends to tell the city’s recovery story through fictional characters drawn from some of the real characters who were here then — men and women who live and work in and around the peculiar vernacular culture known mostly to locals: second-line musicians, Mardi Gras Indians, cooks and chefs, music fiends, Kermit Ruffins.
“Green Zone” trailer - Basically, this looks like “Jason Bourne goes to Iraq.” Same star, same director. Hey, if the formula works, why mess with it, right?
[Permalink]“Salt” trailer - Angelina Jolie as a sleeper cell spy? Sign me up.
[Permalink]“Ninja Assassin” trailer - Starring the Asian pop star and Stephen Colbert nemesis, Rain, and produced by the Wachowskis! Oh, and they got J. Michael Straczynski to write the script, too.
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I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the “Mad Men” season 3 promotional poster and how it perfectly captured the theme of the season.
The obvious parallel to draw is that “the water is rising” around Don Draper. It surrounds him and Sterling Cooper both (as it is shot in his office), yet what really strikes me is the look on his face.
If the flood waters were rising around you, then the natural instinct would be to panic and escape. A survival instinct kicks in and you try to beat the tide.
And yet, Don Draper sits there, in his suit, smoking his cigarette. This is the part that troubles me.
Is Don Draper ignorant and unaware of the rising waters around him?
Is Don Draper arrogant and cocky, believing that he has time for a smoke, because he’s already figured out his escape plan?
Or is Don Draper resigned to his fate, taking a smoke before his life as he knows it ends?
I guess we’ll find out tonight.
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“Mad Men” finale tonight.
[Permalink]Watch this right now! It might help fill in the loss of sci-fi shows in TV recently, like “Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles” and “Battlestar Galactica.”
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“V” is really good. You should watch the pilot.
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(via forwhenifeellikesharing)
Desert Rose running away was another truly great moment in this show demonstrating just what awful people the characters of this show are. Amazing.
Some people might have a problem with this comparison, but I think “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” might be the new “Seinfeld.” You have a constant cast of friends extremely flawed by either their own stupidity or vanity. Really, no character on either cast was a decent person, which is what makes both shows hilarious to watch. I’ll grant you that “Sunny” is a lot more edgier and outrageous, but I find myself liking both shows for the same reasons.
[Permalink]For un.
[Permalink]Judging by Twitter, the general consensus among GOPers/conservatives is that of outrage, anger, etc., over the House vote tonight.
My take?
Guys, it’s like that whole “Cats versus Sharks” thing on Tumblr a few months back. If you didn’t want stuff like this to happen, then try winning the election. Otherwise, you end up in a world where cats beat sharks and Democrats pass what they’re calling “reform.”
Obviously, the GOP/conservative message in 2008 wasn’t a winner. And the way things are looking now, I’m not sure the national platform for 2010 is shaping up to be a winner either (seems to me to be more anti-incumbent than anti-any particular party).
I really don’t think just being angry and having a tea party rally is going to do anything for the Republican Party, which seems to have become the modus operandi of late. I think there’s got to be a better way.
Looking at the Republican Party right now, I think we’ve got a great opportunity. There is a lot of grassroots enthusiasm, but it lacks leadership and a strong, uniting message. We need a platform that’s inclusive, not divisive. We need to become more serious about embracing diversity — including age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality and social class.
Obama campaigned on a platform of “hope” and “change,” but he hasn’t delivered. We need to make the case that we can help create jobs by stimulating small business growth. We need to reform Wall Street’s dangerous practices, not shower them with cash. We need to encourage innovation in a global economy, not subsidize failures like we did with GM and Chrysler. We need to build a social safety net for those who are struggling right now and at the same time provide educational support to schools so the next generation can get ahead instead of being left behind.
Internationally, now’s the time to show our resolve on the war on terrorism. Obama’s stumbled in Afghanistan by sitting on the fence, deciding what to do. This is our chance to own up to Bush’s failures and settle the score with Al Qaida and the Taliban regime.
But so far, I don’t think this case has been made, and if it has, it hasn’t been made strongly enough. The message seems to be filled with reasons why one shouldn’t vote for them — filled with finger pointing and scorn — and yet is void of any reasons why someone should vote for us.
We need to offer the American people something. These are extremely depressing times. One out of every 10 people doesn’t have a job! A lot of the blue-collar, middle-class workforce is being dismantled through globalization in the Midwest. A growing number of states are basically broke, meanwhile the strain on their social services budget increases.
Sure, we’re getting by, but for how much longer? And what about the ideal of American prosperity and social mobility? Will that ever happen again?
Now’s the time to come in and get the job done, Republicans. This is the moment.
Roger Ebert made a great point on Twitter a while back, saying that conservatism used to be about intellectualism. Now, it’s become the ability to recite talking points from overpaid pundits. He’s got a point.
I know it goes against every single political instinct, but maybe the plan shouldn’t be to talk down to people, but instead find a way to raise them up. Let’s make the intellectual case for our politics, not the visceral one. I think voters are all ears.
[Permalink]Been really digging the ads for the show, as it looks like it’ll enough to keep me occupied when “Mad Men” finishes. Also, I’ve been really digging Ian McKellen’s awesome wardrobe of white suits.
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