Zootopia - Average Joe Review

So, on April 10, 2016, I went to the theatre to see Zootopia. And this is my review of the movie.

First off, this review is spoiler free. You're welcome.

Zootopia: a magical place "where anybody can be anything". Sounds like a cliché premise for a movie if I've ever heard of a movie about anthropomorphic animals. But you would be wrong if you said that Zootopia is cliché. Themes about prejudice, about gender and race, and an interesting, original plot combine to make Zootopia the best Disney movie I've seen. And yes, that's including Big Hero 6. And yes, that's including Frozen. And yes, that's inc--

Anyways, back to the point. Zootopia is about a spunky rabbit, Judy Hopps. who defies stereotypes by becoming... gasp a cop! This seems to parallel the gender norms and stereotypes associated with certain jobs in the real world, and is apparent (but not shoved down our throats) when the police chief, Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba, who has a great performance) assigns her with a less-than-suitable job, although Judy was valedictorian of her class and worked hard to get where she was at, similar to how some people believe that women shouldn't work in certain professions. Nevertheless, eventually, Judy is assigned a case to find this otter dude (Emmett, I think), and yeah, she does some good stuff and starts being all boss-like... and then she uncovers this [SPOILER HERE] and starts to work against [PREVIOUS SPOILER] until [SPOILER]. Along the way, she meets her friend/enemy/annoying con-artist Nick Wilde, who helps her with solving the case and uncovering the [SPOILER].

Zootopia is mainly divided into districts, each corresponding to a different climate/biome/thing (shut up, this isn't science class), solving the problem of how polar bears and panda bears and bunnies and rodents and foxes and water buffalos all coexist in one city. There was this one shot of the whole city that showed the entirety of these districts, which, in my opinion, was the most cinematic, beautiful shot of the film, really showing off the animation quality of Zootopia. Did I mention how good the animation was? Well, it was really spectacular, and I could see the different types of fur on different mammals... it was kind of mind blowing, especially at the start of the movie.

Zootopia also has a social structure type thing, and although the slogan of the movie was, "Zootopia: where anybody can be anything," that's far from the truth. As with any city claiming to be a utopia (or Zoo-topia in this case huehuehue look at me so funny, even though that pun was in the freaking title), Zootopia is far from it. Crime is relatively common, the aforementioned missing mammal cases were unsolved prior to Judy's involvement, and prejudice is very, very, common, in stark contrast to the opening scene where Judy is in a play illustrating how mammal coexist peacefully, predator or prey. This is what, to me, is the central theme of the movie: prejudice against certain kinds of peop--, animals. In particular, foxes are stereotyped as sly, up-to-no-good thugs, and bunnies are stereotyped to be wimps. This is highlighted in the introductory scene to the police department: there isn't a single non-threatening mammal in sight (except for an overweight jaguar, but y'know, it's still a jaguar). In particular there is this one scene with a fox where the fox isn't actually [SPOILER] but is still beaten up by the prey animals in his Junior Ranger Scout troop because of preconceived notions of prejudice. I saw this as a clear connection to the racism in our society today. In addition, prey are often prejudiced against predators, seeing them as a threat. For example, Mayor Lionheart (excellently voiced by, naturally, JK Simmons) appointed a sheep, Assistant Mayor Bellwether "for the sheep vote," as if the sheep wouldn't vote for him otherwise.

Keep in mind, Zootopia is a Disney movie, and Disney movies are generally for smaller children. Although this movie kind of goes against that formula by introducing more real-world complex scenearios, the humor is still pretty solid. There were Godfather references, likeable characters, and overall more mature humor than that of, say, Kung Fu Panda or Madagascar, which I enjoyed. One thing I will add is that during moments of intense action, or plot development, the humor definitely took a backseat, and these lulls might've bored out younger audiences.

The plot of Zootopia was solid, with powerful underlying messages and themes throughout, and performances were very well-done. The animation was beautiful, and the characters were relatable and realistic. Character development was well done, especially with Nick as he works more with Judy for the greater good instead of reverting back to his con-artist ways. I give Zootopia a 4.7/5, for although everything was spectacularly well done (expected, what with 3 directors and 8 writers), there were certain lulls in the movie. Great movie, everybody should watch it.

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PRANAV

Intended Audience

What is the point
Of writing on the wall

Or writing on paper
Or a screen
Or at the mall

Or rhyming
Or not rhyming
Or repetition
Repetition to do something

What is the point of
This experiment of words

Cuz words are weird
If you don't speak them
They're not your's

But if you do
They're not your's
If you do,
It's everyone's, but nobody's

For words are weird,
Are they for you
Are they for me
Are they for their own existence
Or are they for something else entirely

Either way, words are
How we communicate
And although they
They're weird
They're something else entirely

Words are weird
They're something else
That something else is something
That nobody knows

Into the Void

So, I've been doing this blogging thing for about 10 months or so, talking about whatever crap comes to mind and seems interesting, and the thought occurred to me: all communication is just yelling (not necessarily, but you know what I mean) into the void. Who knows if anybody understands my ideas for what I interpret them to mean? Why do we, as humans, hope to be understood in an attempt at connection? Does anyone actually care about what I say? (Don't answer that last question.) Anyways, I guess I was just pondering the futility in this experiment I call life the way the human race begs to be understood, and to voice their opinions to those who might have the slightest inclination to care.

Miscommunication is one of the biggest barriers in the way of human connection. Here I am, at my desk (well, actually on my bed because my desk is overflowing), writing something on the internet, for at least a few people to read, and hopefully, interpret the way I interpreted. Wait, scratch that. It's not necessarily good if people interpret this post the way I do. That's just a repetition of ideas, and sure that may lead to a fostering of new ideas, but for the most part, it just leads to agreement. Sure, agreement can be good in the way of peace and lack of conflict, but by the same token, agreement is not disagreement: it doesn't lead to different perspectives, new outlooks, a clash of ideals characteristic of what progress has come to mean for many people nowadays. I dunno, maybe I'm looking at progress the wrong way, but to me, it comes from new ideas from the same materials: different interpretations. So go ahead, think about the futility of communication, of screaming into the void, differently than me. I would love to know what you think.

That is, if you're thinking anything at all. I have an inkling of an idea of a suspicion that some people just read or watch a creator's content just to be supportive of that creator. Like, sure, I like the notion that there are people out there that are so nice to just do this to support someone, but at the same time, if you don't really think about their message, or you don't enjoy the content for the content's own sake, then are you really doing the creator a service? (The answer is yes, by the way: yes, because view/pageviews = money, and that's all adSense cares about.) Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that most people, the overwhelming majority who read this probably don't care, or read it and forget it, and in short, it doesn't make a lasting impact. Consuming a creation is one thing, caring about it another, and pondering it, a completely different thing. Thought is what drives creation, and creators share their thoughts and ideas. And if those ideas aren't thought about equally so, perhaps due to lack of execution by creator (ahem, me, ahem), perhaps through the idleness of the consumer (and I'm hesitant to use the word consumer here, because that implies that it's a transaction, that the creator is selling something to the consumer, whereas the reality of the situation is that in most cases, the creator is suggesting something to the viewer/reader/listener, be it ideas or otherwise), then maybe the creation was for nothing. Or maybe it wasn't. After all, my "What is Art" post a long time ago failed to mention what soon after Samantha from Sam the Ant World told me, that art can be art for the simple notion of being interesting, pleasing to the eye or the mind, entertaining, dare I say. Maybe the creator simply wanted to make something interesting for their own sake.

However, personally speaking, I make these thingies to express an idea, a single, fleeting thought. I make these for myself, as a sort of journal, of what was and what is and what will be, and of a prison sanctuary for ideas that otherwise would be lost (but as I've realized, I'm really not that creative. I'm almost certain that this has been written about and philosophized about and pondered for millennia, probably. Whatever.). I also make these things for people to read (obviously), and for people to think about. And maybe this is working, maybe people are thinking about stuff more as a result of this experiment I call life blog, however minute an impact upon the world this will make.

Or maybe, I'm just screaming into the void. But I have a quiet solace in that my shouts are not alone. Maybe humanity itself is just one huge scream into the void, desperately wanting to be heard by someone, something... maybe even by itself.

Nostalgia For The Soul

The aching of the heart
For they were once there
Beside you

The sadness of the mind
For they were once here
Right with you

The past was the past
But that doesn't change it
That doesn't change that they
They were here
With you

But the present is the present
However the past was the past
And the aching of the heart is
Still there, for they
They were once right here

You might cry and scream
For what was once
Reality, and wish
For what could've been

And the aching heart
That is what it aches for
For the possibilities lost
For the experiences,
Never remembered

Reality was with them
Smiling
Laughing
Making memories

Reality isn't with them
Loneliness captivates the soul
Loneliness envelopes the mind
Loneliness is being with them
When you aren't

Nostalgia is for the soul too
To mend what once was
Into something that
Soon will be

Looking forward while
Looking back
At the life you once led
And the life you will lead

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens - Average Joe Review

So, on December 23, 2015, I went to the theater to see Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. And this is my review of the movie.

First off, this review is spoiler free. You're welcome.

Also, I will add that I haven't seen any of the prior Star Wars films, prequel or otherwise. GASP! I saw a few snippets on TV when I was little and instantly disliked the franchise. Many years later, I realize that I saw a snippet of the prequels on TV, not the original trilogy.

As my first Star Wars film, I was very pleased for this to be my introduction to the franchise. Even if the movie itself was terrible, the music on its own would bring up its rating by 3! J.J. Abrams pulled off something in this movie that, had it not gone as well as it did, would've had... let me just say bad consequences within the Star Wars fandom (which is basically every adult at this point). Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and every frame was a pleasure.

I am not quite sure if this film lives up to the hype, but The Force Awakens sure does a good job at attempting to. I highly doubt any film could live up to the amount of hype that surrounded Episode 7 (ahem, Age of Ultron, ahem)

When the scrolling text appeared in its iconic yellow font and filled me in on what happened in the 6 movies I missed (although I am very confused as to which movies are canon and which aren't), I was relieved that this movie didn't require the viewer to have watched prior installments episodes to understand it.

The movie is, in essence, the classic fight between good and evil, in this case, between the Resistance and the First Order, basically a new evil organization after Luke Skywalker's whereabouts to kill the last Jedi and to secure their safety & stability as an evil organization. And maybe to take over the galaxy too. Eh, it's not too clear, but then again, I'm not exactly the best at movie comprehension. The protagonists of the story, Rey (I think that's how you spell it?) and Finn are very well portrayed characters. They are relatable, and the actors do a very good job at conveying the ups and downs of their story arcs. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that in The Force Awakens, there was no shortage of acting talent on-screen.

What really enthralled me, and probably most everyone else in the theater, were the brilliant setpieces (IDK if that's the proper terminology or whatever, but neither does the Average Joe (I should think), so IDC: DEAL). Jakku, the desert planet which we saw much of in the trailers, is absolutely astonishing, as are many of the other settings in this film. The forests, the starships, the galaxy itself, everything was to perfection, and this aspect of the film, a mon avis, really brought the whole film together.

Han Solo was ever-so charismatic, and Harrison Ford's portrayal of him is SO GOOD, especially at a certain point in the film (which I won't spoil now). Chewbacca is Chewbacca, which is to say, AWESOME. All the side characters in this film are great.

One gripe that I have about this movie, however, is the lack of character depth. For example, the Resistance pilot we see in the beginning of the film, although we see his incredible loyalty to the Resistance, we don't see much else of him in terms of character development. The same goes for the orange old alien lady voiced by Lupito Nyong'o (whose name I don't know, because y'know, movie comprehension isn't my strong suit), however to a lesser degree.

Another thing: the character development and interactions between Finn and Rey seem rushed and very unrealistic. I understand the attempt at "enemies-turned-allies" and such, and by the end of the film (not a spoiler), they become close, but still, their character development seemed rushed and unrealistic.

The starship fights, ont he other hand, were amazing. Special effects were great in The Force Awakens, and unnecessary CGI was seldom seen. Lightsaber duels (of which there were, sadly, fewer of them than I had anticipated) were awesome, and Kylo Ren's use of the force was accompanied by some great acting and some great sound work (that sentence sounded stupid, I know).

Finally, the villain: Kylo Ren. As someone who had no prior knowledge of the Star Wars Universe, I had no idea who this guy was, other than the stereotypical evil bad guy dude that the audience is supposed to not like and is supposed to want dead. That being said, throughout the movie, the character development for this character is very good. By the end of his story arc, I found his fate befitting of such a character. I won't spoil anything now, but I'm just saying that the villain of The Force Awakens is good (ahem Marvel ahem).

All in all, The Force Awakens was, for me, a very good introduction to the Star Wars Universe, and every frame was a pleasure. From setpiece to setpiece, planet to planet, across the galaxy, it was funny, action-packed, dramatic, and all that other crap. I give The Force Awakens a 4.7/5, because although the action was awesome, laser-gun-fight-light-show-thingies (equivalent to a rave in Zion in terms of how epilepsy-related-seizure inducing they were) were also awesome. a mon avis, character development was somewhat put on the back-burner, and to me, that's a really key component for a fulfilling movie.

--
PRANAV

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 - Average Joe Review

So, on November 23, 2015, I went to the theater to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2. And this is my review of the movie.

First off, this review is spoiler free. You're welcome.

The pseudo-trilogy that is the Hunger Games has had it's ups (Catching Fire) and downs (ahem, MJ Part 1, ahem), but I think this last installment of the Hunger Games wraps the series quite neatly. Sure, there are still questions, loose ends and the like, but the stories of Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and the others are, in my eyes, complete. However, I think it's important to note that the characters we met in the 74th Annual Hunger Games are far different than the ones who emerge from the war between the Districts and the Capitol.

LOL, that sounded like fan fiction, so formal.

We start out in District 13, right where the first movie left off. A couple hours before the screening, I saw Part 1 to refresh my memory. Where Part 1 finishes, Part 2 begins immediately thereafter. Katniss and her team go on a quest to kill President Snow, and ultimately bring down the Capitol. The acting in this film is quite superb. Some may not care for the dramatic tension that is so essential to MJ Part 2, but I really appreciated it (though it cut into the action, and was a bit too drawn out). If you've read the books, and even if you haven't, you should appreciate the talent of the actors in this movie.

The plot is also well developed, and there are many (familiar, if you've read the books) twists in the film. When Katniss and her team are in the Capitol on their way to kill Snow, they encounter numerous obstacles, pods, the movie calls them, to make "a spectacle out of their deaths". In the books, these were intense, dramatic, nail-biting scenes of action and suspense. In the movie, however, the portrayal of these traps was mediocre, subpar at best. The pseudo-horror genre and feel that these scenes adopt are rather unsettling, but no where near as intense as I felt they should be. Perhaps the filmmakers thought that these scenes should be short and action-packed, but I felt as though there should've been more suspense, and the action could've been drawn out just a bit. Also, there weren't as many of these traps shown in the movie as there could've been, but maybe that might've drawn out the runtime a little too long...

As Katniss and her team (count how many times that phrase has been used in this review!) storm the Capitol and are nearing the President's Mansion, Katniss is overcome by moral dilemma, of right, of wrong, and of justice. I found these an interesting view into the mind of someone whose life had been torn apart by violence and injustice, and the decisions Katniss makes in the end of the film really complete her story arc well.

HOWEVER comma, the ending for MJ Part 2 is dreadfully, snore-inducingly drawn out. Scene after scene rolled by, each one more boring and unnecessary as the last. In the book, if memory serves correctly, it was nowhere near this drawn out. It was a short and bittersweet ending in the print version, but in the movie, unnecessary tying of loose ends led to a meh ending, at BEST.

All in all, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 was a good film, one of the more solid ones of the Hunger Games big-screen adventures (OK, that phrase might've been a little too cliché for this review, LOL), I would think. I give it a 3.7/5, losing out because of the drab ending and a bit too much drama, to put it mildly. Good acting, good plot, all around good movie. However, a lukewarm, un-fulfilling ending to the Hunger Games.

--
PRANAV

Long Time No See

The two people lock eyes. From across the crowded room, their eyes light up as they exchange glances. One smiles. One pretends to be oblivious. People mill about, talking about their mundane lives. The two people slowly wade through the people until they are face to face.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Long time, no see."

"Long time, no see."

One blushes. One looks down at their feet.

"How have you been?"

"Good."

The two smile. They stand there. Motionless. The sea they went through to get there engulfed them once more. The people milled about. They stand there. Motionless. Time passes, but they don't move. They become separated. Other people interrupt their moment. Suddenly, they were back to where they started.

They look for one another in the crowded room. As they search, they find new faces, new people. Time passes, but they stand still. They stay rooted to the spot. Motionless. And the distance between them has never been greater.

Slowly, the other people file out of the room. Hours pass. They stand there. Motionless. And then, one smiles. One finds the other.

And then the two fade, a memory long forgotten.

There's No Reason To Worry #6

The house was dimly lit throughout, a layer of dust choking its visitors. Sanjay coughed as quietly as he could, for fear of disturbing whatever was in the house. “We should split up,” Aaron said.

“That’s a perfectly horrifying idea.”

“Why?”

“You clearly haven’t seen any horror movies in the last millennium.”

“Nope,” Aaron grinned at Sanjay. Sanjay sighed.

“I guess we should start exploring, or whatever,” Sanjay said resignedly, “Lemme remind you that this was your idea, not my suicide wish.”

They ventured into the house cautiously. “Wait, so are we splitting up, or no?”

“No, you idiot.”

“Oh, okay.” Aaron shot another stupid grin at Sanjay. Aaron took out his flashlight and immediately mice scampered from beneath the flashlight’s gaze. Aaron’s grin disappeared. The house seemed to be fairly normal, architecturally at least. Directly opposite the front door was a set of dark wooden stairs which turned to the right and out of sight. On the wall to their left was a painting of water lilies. Sanjay took out his own flashlight from his backpack and shined it on the painting. At the bottom, it said, “Claude Monet 1904.”

Aaron walked up the stairs, producing an eerie creak. Sanjay hesitated to go up with Aaron. Before he knew it, Aaron was out of sight.

“Aaron, I think we should retrace my steps,” Sanjay called, trying to make his voice more confident that he felt. There was no response. “Aaron?” Again, nothing. Sanjay uttered a few of his choicest curses before climbing the stairs. As he turned around the corner, he could hear a faint noise coming from upstairs. Sanjay proceeded to go upstairs, and as the second floor came into view, Sanjay gasped.

The floor was empty. It couldn’t really be called a floor, more like a one-room upstairs. A huge window covered one entire wall, though it was molded to the point that it could barely qualify as translucent. There was a single door leading to a closet on the other side of the room. Sanjay inhaled sharply before walking ever so cautiously toward the closet, the door of which was trembling. Suddenly, a sneezing Aaron erupted from the door, screaming.

“What was that all about?” Sanjay asked as Aaron wiped the sweat and dust off his face.

“I was locked in hell!”

“Closets can be hell, yes. Which shirt to choose, what matches what, oh so many CHOICES!”

“Shut up. I was locked in a closet. You would’ve sissied out too if you were there.” Sanjay ignored Aaron and continued to investigate. “I thought you were scared of this house. Does it also bring out your inner sass?”

“I am just as scared as you are,” Sanjay retorted forcefully.

“Ooooooh snap! Not even using contractions!”

Sanjay suddenly froze. Aaron was confused. “Hey man, what did you die for?” Sanjay lifted a solitary finger and pointed over Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron followed the finger and whipped around, heart racing to see... nothing, just a blank wall. Sanjay burst out laughing.

“Okay, okay, now I really think we should investigate this hellhole.”

“But, but there’s nothing here. You were wrong. This ain’t no Percy Jackson bullcrap, seeing reality through your dreams.”

“We may as well explore the rest of the house--”

“And get scared out of our wits? HAIL NAW!”

“Eh, I guess so. I didn’t really see anything of note in the kitchen.”

“THEN LET’S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, MR. P KRISHNARAMKIJAIBAGHAWAN THE SECOND!”

Sanjay raised his eyebrows.

“Something I saw on the internet, never mind that. Now let’s GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!”

Sanjay nodded, still surprised by Aaron’s pronunciation of the Indian-not-Indian name. Aaron ran to the stairs, grabbing Sanjay along with him. As they ran down the stairs, Sanjay caught a glimpse a boney white hand and the tops of a pair of black sunglasses disappearing under the moldy window.

Aaron sprinted out of the house with Sanjay in tow to be met with multiple wailing police cars. How they didn’t hear the sirens before, Sanjay had no clue, but there they were, the glorified neighborhood crime watch of Clare View Point. One was holding a gun. Heading these police was none other than a haughty Roger Davies. Sanjay glared at him as Aaron pulled Sanjay in front of himself as a human shield, but when Sanjay looked into the old man’s soulless eyes, it occurred to Sanjay that, today, Mr. Davies was looking particularly like the embodiment of evil itself. Maybe that was because his skin was tinted pale yellow. Or maybe because his eyes were black.

********************************************************************

The dark figure gazed upon the situation unfolding before the abandoned house. His lips curled into a sinister smile. Perfect. Everything is falling into place. It decided that it would have a name. Yes, a name that people would learn to remember. Even fear it, if necessary. But only if it was necessary. For fear, was a powerful tool, but it had to be used with caution. Otherwise, there was no telling what the fickle, bickering humans would do. Anything better than what they were doing now. Anything more than nothing.

Lean Back

The clouds cleared
A brief glimmer of sunshine
Poked through the clearing
And for a brief moment
All was well

The birds chirped
The kids played
The adults smiled
And I watched

As all was motionless
Time, an inconceivable notion
A figment of worry, and
Of fear

As the darkness
In the back of my eyes
Clears out
And the brief glimmer of sunshine
Last an eternity

Insert Title Here

The wind is me
And I am the leaves
And the leaves are the tree
And the tree is Jupiter

Red and stormy
Quaint and teal
Like water lilies
Floating in the emptiness
Of the human soul

Blackness, darkness
But you can find the purple
If one only remember
To turn on the sea

Blue and stormy
Quaint and crimson
Like the yellow of
The sun, rising up

Above the rest, the tarred
Bits of wreckage we call
Life, the swirls of snow that
Hold us back, buffeting

Us from the Universe, the
Unaltered form of purity
Of sacred simplicity
Of nonsensical nonexistent
Meaning

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - Average Joe Review

So, on August 12, 2015, I went to the theater to see Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. And this is my review of the movie.

First off, this review doesn't contain any spoilers for MI 5. You're welcome.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to review Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation as an Average Joe in an eloquent and entertaining manner."

I accept.

Mission Impossible, one of the better action-film franchises (ahem, Fast and Furious, ahem), and I thoroughly enjoyed this one, if not as much as Ghost Protocol (because, come on, Ghost Protocol was downright epic... Nothing can beat that Burj Khalifa scene).

The movie is a roller coaster following Ethan Hunt, an international fugitive now that the IMF (his... team?) has been disbanded by the Director of the CIA. He has gone rogue, as it were, but he is still trying to bring down the Syndicate, a terrorist organization led by a man named Lane whose main goal is to destroy the IMF. The catch? The CIA doesn't believe the IMF exists, and thus think that apprehending Hunt is their number one priority.

It starts out very intensely with the first scene, (I'm sure you've seen it), with Ethan Hunt hanging on the side of a plane before the actors' names roll. But one main gripe I have with the movie is that it starts out somewhat slow, and the plot takes some time to understand. Dialogue and drama take precedence in the first few minutes, more so than action. However, as the plot progresses and Benji and Ethan are united, the main heist begins. I've noticed that most all the Mission Impossible movies involve a (very well choreographed) heist. Some may say it's beginning to become formulaic, but, as this is an Average Joe review, and not a Super Critical Hyper Movie Critic Review, I don't really care about that.

One thing I may say that I loved is the score, perfectly complimenting the suspense and action with the trademark Mission Impossible theme. As Ethan and his team move around the world to suit their needs, the music changed accordingly, and it greatly impacts the "edge of your seat" nail-biting suspense, especially in the heist sequence. I especially love the fact that Tom Cruise does the majority of his stunts, which, for me at least, added an additional layer of thrill, making it far more real.

<sidenote> Oh, and Mr. Cruise, I have one suggestion. Could you, perhaps take running lessons so you run like a normal human rather than whatever you run like now? Thanks... (only kidding!) <sidenote>

In the middle of the movie, more towards the end, there is an epic plot twist, and it was just absolutely mind-bogglingly amazing, totally out of the blue unexpected... except that it was exactly what one should expect from a Mission Impossible movie. As the action builds up the epic finale, the dramatic tension increases tenfold, which I absolutely loved.

Performances were great all around, and a mon avis, Simon Pegg's was one that was particular fantastic, playing Benji very well.

All in all, a great movie, however more dramatic than the other Mission Impossible movies (at least, more dramatic than Ghost Protocol). I quite enjoyed this movie, exactly what you would expect out of a movie from the Mission Impossible franchise. I give it a 4.4/5, for it was a great movie, but I would've preferred more "Tom Cruise on a motorcycle" (which I did get, and that bit was AWESOME!) and less "Tom Cruise in heated and intense negotiations with terrorists".

--
PRANAV

My Movie Bucket List

As I was doing my usual nightly routine of browsing Wikipedia till I fall asleep at the computer (I read somewhere that exposure to information was helpful for being creative.), I came across Rotten Tomatoes's Top 100 Movies of All Time, and after browsing through them (basically reading the synopsis of every single one of the movies I hadn't already watched), I realized that there are a lot of movies that I haven't watched that are apparently(?) good. So here is my movie bucket list... I will be updating, editing, and revising the list.

In no particular order (well, I guess the shortest to longest movies would be the ideal order to watch them, unless they are sequels/prequels to one another):

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Note to self: read the books first. I know you kind of gave up on the Fellowship of the Ring after 200 pages or so, but do it so you can experience the movie(s).

2. Citizen Kane Note to self: Keep in mind that this movie was kind of revolutionary in the art of movie storytelling. Also, don't get annoyed at the old movie quality. DEAL WITH IT.

3. The Wizard of Oz (1939) for obvious reasons

4. All About Eve Old comedies are usually good comedies

5. The Mission Impossible Movies that I haven't already watched

6. The Terminator Movies that I haven't already watched (except Genisys, cuz screw Genisys)

7. E.T : The Extra-Terrestrial for obvious reasons

8. A Hard Day's Night Old comedies are usually good comedies

9. Whiplash because J.K. Simmons

10. Metropolis Note to self: don't get annoyed at it being a silent. DEAL WITH IT.

11. Mad Max and Mad Max: Fury Road because I really wanted to see Fury Road, but I think I should watch the first one before that

12. Inside Out because is it really any good?

13. The Maltese Falcon for obvious reasons

14. TFiOS and Paper Towns for obvious reasons

15. Rear Window old timey mystery? Yes please!

16. Selma for obvious reasons

I've noticed that I've used for obvious reasons a lot, but that should be for obvious reasons.

17. Dr. Strangelove because Stanley Kubrick amongst other reasons

18. The Iron Giant for obvious reasons

19. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when it comes out because OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMOMGOMGOMGOMGOGMOGMGOMGOMGOMGOGMGOMG

and finally, 20. Mulan OKAY OKAY DON'T HATE ME FOR NOT HAVING SEEN IT YET, but I can explain: it's on this list because I remember watching it, but I basically have no recollection of the movie whatsoever, other than "You must be swift as a coursing river!"

Strikethrough = I have watched it after writing this movie bucket list

There's No Reason To Worry #5

Sanjay bolted up, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, chills all across his body.

"Dude, you okay?" asked Aaron. 

Still gasping, Sanjay replied, "No... not at all..."

"Tell me what happened, lemme get you some water." Aaron walked down to the kitchen and got a glass of water for Sanjay. As he came back upstairs, Sanjay was gone. "What the hell?" Aaron slowly walked downstairs again, and there was Sanjay in his study, pacing furiously. "The hell you think you're doing?!"

"I-I-- I had a dream."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"No, it was important, I've never had this before."

"Why do I care? I've only been your roommate for what, 3 weeks?"

Sanjay vaulted over his desk, blowing papers every which way, and grabbed Aaron's shirt, pushing him against the wall. 

"DAMMIT! What the hell you think you're doing?!"

"If I let you stay here, I can sure as hell kick you out. Now shut the hell up and LISTEN." Aaron had no reply. Sanjay let Aaron go and went back to pacing on the other side of the desk. "I had... a dream. A vision, you might call it. It was of this dark figure, a ghost, like an imprint of a past soul departed."

"Fancy vocabulary, Mister Harvard Scholar," Aaron muttered. Sanjay took no notice. 

"I went to a house. He called it "the Abyss", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. And then, all I remember is falling, falling into this black hole of sorts. Then, nothing. I could feel the ghosts around me, like I was prey, but then I heard some piano, and then here I am."

Aaron didn't say anything for a while, his face pale-white with fear. "So, you're saying that you saw a ghost, and then you fell into an ethereal black hole?" As Aaron went over the information aloud, the color rushed back into his face, as did the skepticism.

"Yes."

"BS!" Sanjay clenched his fists and twisted his neck in an attempt to control his anger, then sat down at the desk in front of him, motioning for Aaron to do the same. "I'm not sitting down! You explain yourself RIGHT NOW!" 

"I did," Sanjay said with a cold intensity, "I told you everything." Now it was Aaron who was pacing.

After much contemplation (and pacing), Aaron said quietly, "Isn't it obvious then? We have to investigate!" Aaron ran out of the room, up the stairs to his bedroom, and came back down with his brown leather jacket, his iPhone, and a backpack before Sanjay said anything. "I'm not sure about this." Sanjay eyed the bag suspiciously.

"Dude! There's nothing in the bag!"

"Then why the hell do you NEED IT?!"

"Well, I do have some stuff in here." Sanjay motioned for Aaron to empty the backpack. Aaron proceeded to take out a flashlight ("I read somewhere that ghosts hate light"), a metal ring with several large carabiner clips on it ("It'll help us get into the haunted house, trust me"), and a considerable length of rope ("I am not falling into some black hole!"). 

"That's a lot of nothing."

"OK! You got me! Now can we go?!"

"Dude, I was the one who had the dream. If you saw what I saw, you wouldn't be so eager to go."

"But I didn't, so GET A MOVE ON!"

"Fine," Sanjay relented.

In a few minutes, Sanjay had a similar backpack to Aaron, along with a water bottle, his laptop, and kitchen knife.

The two went outside and were met with the biting winter cold. Few stars could be seen in the black expanse of the night sky. Sanjay shuddered. Shivering, Aaron and Sanjay navigated the streets of Clare View Point until they found the house they were looking for. Aaron made a note of the address on his phone. 88 Rory Ln. The two made their way up the concrete steps to the door of the house. Sanjay hesitated as Aaron opened the door and walked in. "Are you sure this is legal?" Sanjay asked.

"Since when did you ever care about the legality of your actions?"

"Ever since I realized that getting killed by ghost-devils in a haunted house would be a bad idea."

"Touche... Well, are you coming or not?"

Sanjay inhaled sharply, then closed his eyes and, with Aaron by his side, stepped across the threshold.

Changing Education

As I was internet-ting today, I came across a very thought-provoking video calling, "Don't Stay In School". It's good. Watch it:

Watched it? Okay. Now here are my thoughts on it. First off, let me say that if you had learned the things mentioned in the video that Dave (that's his name) didn't learn, and you say that it's his fault for not being educated, that is fundamentally wrong, because just because you may have had the opportunity for a better education, that doesn't mean that everybody else does. School is to prepare us for what is to come after it... entering the workforce, getting a job, becoming a functioning member of society. It is to educate us on how to be productive and helpful to society. It allows us to get skills and knowledge useful to use in the future, and along the way, introducing students to new avenues of thought, different perspectives, new things and ideas. And this is how it is a fundamentally flawed system.

I actually have written a few essays on the subject of how the public schooling system is flawed in more ways than one. This entire blog post will probably be a point in support of that conclusion.

<sidenote> Oh dear, it's already becoming too mechanical and structured isn't it.... <sidenote>

The first of these essays, which I wrote roughly 3 years ago and submitted in as a paper in school was about how I shouldn't have to write that essay in the first place... I got a 100 for it. :D Basically, I was detailing how classes shouldn't have to be taken unless I had an interest in them and they would directly positively impact my education and future in the workforce. I also had a paragraph (or two) for how it was necessary to introduce all kids to everything they possibly could be introduced to to see what they are interested in, instead of taking it out of their life without ever exposing it to the student. I know, very similar to the message of the video at the end.

Another one of these essays, I was talking about how essays, especially ones of the carte blanche variety were infinitely more useful in demonstrating and encouraging creativity and learning than standardization, memorization, and other such mindless tasks. For instance, multiple choice tests often discourage creativity for limiting the answer choices and not allowing you to back up your answers, or to introduce a new perspective on the topic at hand because it is one-sided: right or wrong. What would be more beneficial to learning would be to, say, write an essay about how the rock cycle has affected a specific region (of your choosing) instead of a multiple choice test with questions about the rock cycle. Both would involve learning about the rock cycle, but the essay would force the student to actually learn about the rock cycle and how it interacts with other natural cycles in the Earth, rather than just memorizing the rock cycle and its components.

Dave notes in the video that schools often do not properly prepare students for the real world, and I'm not sure whether or not me being a high-schooler affects the weight my opinion carries on this matter (if any), but I feel as though this is true. I have gone through 8 to 9 years of the public school system, and only one of those years have taxes even been mentioned. Guess which grade? 6th? 8th?

Nope. It was 3rd. Make of that what you will, but there should have been some more lessons throughout my academic ... career? I guess you could call it. Teach me about how to file taxes, teach me where my money goes, teach me what matters in the real world! Sure, there are 4 more years of high school to go, but I get to choose those courses for myself, and due to the way the (flawed) GPA system works, financial literacy and other such courses are not part of my 4-year-plan because of their lower weighted GPA. Other such things are also affected by the flawed GPA system, such as fine arts being only regulars or honors courses, instead of being what might be called AP. Once again, we see how the emphasis on grades affects the education system negatively. 

People will say that if you give students the choice to choose their courses too early on, and without boundaries and limits, the students just won't choose some courses. I mean, what student in their right mind would choose AP Calculus BC? Those people are denying the intrinsic human quality of curiosity within each and every one of us. Especially children. We most definitely would seek out challenges and seek out education were it not so thrust on us, forced upon us in such a way to discourage us from liking it. Perhaps that is the teacher's job, to make sure we love to learn and stay curious. Us kids like to learn new interesting things, things that will help us in the future. If you recommend to me that AP Calculus would help me later down the road majorly, then I would definitely take it! But if you force me to take that course, then I would hate it, because kids don't like to be told what to do. 

Maybe that's what school does to us. It makes us obedient, slaves to society (metaphorically speaking, hold your horses now!), obeying its every whim. School weeds out creativity, makes going against the current against the rules as well, and makes doing something different or off the wall crazy discouraged. But that's what has gotten us so far as a human race! Creative people not backing down from being told that their work is stupid, won't stand a chance, useless, garbage, that is what has improved life so drastically. And unless we start making changes to our education system, to put creativity and self-thought first and grades second, unless we allow students the freedom to choose their courses to fit their future, unless we teach the basic life skills necessary to be functioning members of society, then we will still be in the dark. Change is necessary for progress, whether you like it or not.

--

PRANAV

There's No Reason To Worry #4

"Dude, how the hell is this an Abyss?" said Sanjay, "Like, it's on the second floor for crying out loud! I think you and your team of researchers need to go back to the drawing board," he jerked his head to the rest of the wraith-like figures. If Sanjay was going to die, or was going to be kissed by the Dementors over there or whatever, then his snarky comments wouldn't matter... right?

The dark figure motioned for Sanjay to go forward into the room, and all the fear came back to him. Oh shit... this is it, isn't it? As Sanjay and the dark figure glided across the molded floor and through the mass of other dark figures, Sanjay could see a blackness on the floor in front of him.

"Mr. Patel, you know what to do." Sanjay couldn't reply, he was frozen, he couldn't even let himself go into the Abyss. The dark figure whispered once more, "You know what to do."

Falling, falling, into nothingness. Black all around. An indistinct murmur seemed to surround Sanjay, voices overlapping and fading out. In fact, Sanjay wasn't even sure he was hearing anything. The deafening silence gave way to one cohesive whisper, "You know what to do." Sanjay closed his eyes. Suddenly, Sanjay felt an ice-cold something brush his neck. Then another, and another, all different experiences. He tried to turn around, but couldn't. An eternity passed, an eternity of blackness, of silence, of nothing. Then, a piano. The whispers were still there, but a piano, it was there too, like an undertone. It was peaceful enough, but it just made Sanjay more eager to get out of there. Ah, he recognized the melancholy piece, Reverie by Debussy. He was on edge, the dissonance accenting his fright, his mental pleas for help. And then as the piece reverted back to the main melody, Sanjay closed his eyes again. Focus on the music, focus on the music, lose yourself in it. Be the keys, be the pedals, be the piano. And as the final arpeggio resounded around the blackness, and Sanjay shed a tear for such beauty, it was over.

Though his eyes were still closed, the black turned to red and yellow. As his eyes fluttered open, the Debussy was still playing in his head. Sanjay shuddered at what had just happened. Still thinking of the Abyss, he observed his surroundings. What the hell? He was back at home. In fact he could hear Mr. Davies protesting once more. As Sanjay got up from his desk and walked cautiously into the living room, expecting the dark figure to be around every corner, he noticed a dark wisp of smoke swirling about around the house. He continued to search every room of the house, each and every one of which contained the black smoke. When Sanjay finished inspecting his house for unwanted creatures, he sat back down at his desk and started to finish the paperwork strewn every which way. The black smoke was still present, but Sanjay thought nothing. As he started to doze off (paperwork takes a long time!), the black smoke seemed disturbed. It swirled more vigorously, like an insidious cloud of evil. When Sanjay's eyes closed, the black smoke surged into his chest. He sat straight up, wide awake.

When his eyes opened, they were filled with blackness.