JP's Opinion

2015-01-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is my awesome kid's blog!! The TALON PADUA!!!

Rant on the State of Politics!!

2010-08-26T08:59:00.001-07:00

I have not blogged for a little while I know, but today I just have to do something. As I look at the political landscape this country now sits in, I just want to cry. I have never seen eye to eye with Democrats, mostly because their passions tend to cloud their common sense, but even after sticking with the Republicans through the Bush administration, I must now say that I am neither. No, today, I start my own party. Today is the day I say goodbye and good ridden to all the hateful, irresponsible and ridiculous so called conservatives and liberals out there that have failed in their responsibility to this country. Welcome to the American Party (working title LOL will take suggestions).

I have never known what it means to be a Democrat/Liberal, so I will not try to expound on the way it supposed to be for them, but what makes me sad is how lost conservatives have become. The way conservatism should work, for those who have learned only from the current “conservatives” is that we want less government, less government in our homes, in our jobs, and in our lives. And with this we address issues: yes is it an ideal that the country provides free health care, absolutely, but folks we are going about this all wrong. It is not the responsibility of the Federal government to provide health care; it is that of the states. Yes we all look to Canada and their health care system as something amazing, but they struggle as a result of that. I am not opposed to free health care; I just feel is not the Federal government’s place or responsibility. If people want free health care allow the states to institute it and then the people can vote and pay for it. Why should the middle class of this country be paying for other’s health care, without choice or option? The founding fathers knew that there were going to be issues like this someday and that is why they want all Americans to have a choice. If Florida wants free health care, great, but if I do not want to have free health care, then I should be allowed to move to another state that has legislation that fits my liking. Democrats that say, “Oh well, if we did that no one would live in Florida, except those who do not work and it would collapse,” well guess what then all the passionate folks that feel that way can move there and help support them, or find a better system, one that works.

Also there is this little line, in this little document we call a constitution that states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”, meaning a separation of church and state. It says NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion which means that no law should be created that directly reflects on the values or beliefs of a specific religion. It is designed to keep this country from picking favorites folks. For gosh sakes folks, read the Treaty of Tripoli! Christians are no better or worse than Muslims, Jews, Hindi, etc. Can someone please tell me when the Republican Party became the Christian Party? If I had known I would have jumped off the bus then and there. As some may know, I do not follow any of the established religions, least of all Christianity, but I understand the need for them. I both admire and appreciate people’s passion for them, but I hate bringing religion in to politics for the same reason I will never be a democrat. Folks, too often people become so passionate about something (myself included) that they can no longer see the forest for the trees. Passion in politics is both necessary and dangerous. You have to have a little bit of passion and drive to get there, but the problem is that passionate people forget that there are others that have valid concerns and beliefs that may be different from theirs. They too often fail to compromise or show understanding. It does not make them bad people, just bad politicians. We all must learn to leave our passions, both religious and otherwise at the door, if not completely at least partially, or we will never grow as human beings and as a country.

As I am writing this and thinking of all the things I want to say I realize this has a real chance of getting out of hand, so I am going to try and bullet some points here:

I want the Federal Government to handle interstate trade and relations, protect our borders (not your place Arizona), provide a national military, and carry out foreign policy. That’s it folks it is not rocket science. Look the President and the Legislature are to focus on these things and the Supreme Court makes sure its legal. That’s it.
I want people to get out of each other’s business. Look pro-choice pro-life, it is all pro irrelevant. Do I think abortion should be allowed, no, but would I ever support a law against it, absolutely NOT because it is not my right to tell someone else what they can or cannot do to their body. Am I gay, my wife would like to think not, but what harm is there in giving them their rights and privileges as citizens of this country. Look you show me one person’s whose life is perfect and self sufficient and then I will say you can comment on others but otherwise, folks mind your business.
TAXES, folks look we are so financially irresponsible. This country should be able to pay a simple percentage tax and be just fine. We spend poorly and we tax even worse. And the government needs to realize what taxes, MONEY, means to the folks that have to go out and earn it. Never forget you earn the money that runs this country. You are the ones out there earning the money that is paying for someone’s food stamps, social security benefits, or any number of other programs that allow people who do not want to work and get to live without consequence.
Lastly, part of the reason that the government ends up getting involved in things that they do not belong is because we as American’s do not take care of them ourselves. I drive by BP gas stations all the time and see people buying gas. I on occasion walk into a mall and ask a jeweler where they get their diamonds from and they ask me to leave their store, but there is always someone buying something. Look I do not expect people to care about everything that is going on in the world, but get involved folks. Be aware of the world around you! It is the narrow view of our generation, and that of the one before us, that is raising a generation that cannot see past their Facebook accounts and texts.

Look I realize we have to work what with what we got, but at least do me this favor, when you go to the voting booth, know what you are voting for. Be informed, or please do not go, an uninformed vote is more dangerous than no vote at all. We have to change this country, we the people, because if we do not eventually, as in every country in the history of the world, our time will end, and it will not be pretty! Just I know this is all a little scattered brained, but my feelings are true and I would imagine they reflect the concerns and feelings of others too.

Ok this is getting long so I will end it, but know that there is always so much to say!!

Some Kids Poems I am working on...

2010-05-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

Kids Poems

Itsy Bitsy:

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the little baby,

She started to wiggle and go all crazy.

“OUCH” said the spider, “You crushed my leg,

Now I have to walk with a wooden peg.”

Texting Terry:

Texting Terry texted twenty two times a second,

She walked, talked and ate without stopping I recon.

But then one day her brother came bouncing along,

And broke her cell phone while singing this song.

“Texting Terry Texting terry, you look like a fool,

When reading all those texts you always start to drool”

Terry was angry, sad and frustrated too,

What was poor Terry going to do?

No phone to text, no apps to buy

“Mother” she said “I think I am gonna die!”

Her minutes went unused, her downloads incomplete,

But then one day she found that she also had two feet.

She went outside and took a walk then met someone new,

Texting terry found her boyfriend, a boy named download drew.

So all you texters watching life pass you right on by,

Take a lesson from Terry and give this a try.

Go walking once a week, no ipod, cell phone, or drool

And just maybe you will find that you meet someone cool.

Johnny Robot:

Johnny robot was built half past two,

While the scientist that built him went to the loo.

His birth always shamed him and brought him much grief,

For who wanted to be the robot that was built during relief.

His friends all got a laugh and called him silly names too,

But clever old Johnny knew just what to do.

He went back to that bathroom of his shameful, shameful birth,

And built it into a mansion of beauty and great worth.

His friends were then all jealous and asked if they could come stay,

And little Johnny robot said, “No thanks” and sent them away.

So listen to me close, and heed this warning as true,

Do not make fun of others, for someday, you may want to be them too.

Do not laugh to fast:

Everyday circle went to school in shame

The squares and rectangles all laughed at his circular frame.

He was different without sides, corners, or angles too

And the rest of the shapes all thought he looked kinda blue.

Different he may be but do not laugh too fast

Because when it came to a race circle never came in last.

MySpace:

My space is black dark and vast,

It contains all life now, future and past.

Your space is cluttered with whiners and wieners,

It contains garbage and people like lemurs.

My space is beautiful filled with the stars,

Your space is creepy filled with people from mars.

My space wonderful and I hope to someday see,

Your space is dangerous so listen to me.

Remember when you parents taught you not talk to strangers,

MySpace is filled with them and other great dangers.

Never meet someone or call them stay far away,

In fact why don’t you just go out and play.

Arizona Non-Sense

2010-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is my first post in a while but if I intend to be a know-it-all blogger I guess I need to get to work. Let me begin by saying that I have not read the new Arizona law that will not only allow, but require law enforcement to validate that Latinos are in the state legally, and in turn allows the justice system to treat these people as state criminals, but hey do you need to read anymore than that?

Technically, Arizona is correct in saying that it can create such a law. The Constitution does not address immigration well and technically, anything not addressed is left in the hands of the states. I also do not feel that it is the federal government's place to get involved with most things that are not explicitly defined in the Constitution, because lets face it, they have been doing a lot of that lately and have been getting it WRONG! I will though say this, President Obama needs to step in now.

Where do I begin with the slippery slope this presents. First of lets talk about the reality of immigration. It is an American way of life. We are almost all immigrants by one way or another. You have few families in this country who can say they have more than 10 generations here. Part of what makes this country so great is that we are a melting pot from all over the world. Yes, do I feel that our neighbors to the south take advantage, they do, but wouldn't you if the roles were reversed?? We cannot have it both ways, we cannot be this great open world leader and not expect be hated and worshiped, it comes with the territory.

If you were to ask if I feel some immigration reform needed to take place, I would say absolutely for a couple of reasons. First, there is an abundance of immigrants coming in willing to work for less than the average American, or act simply as increased competition for any job. Secondly, I think that our present Federal System is lazy and ill equipped for the task at hand. I think they are poorly trained, use out dated tactics, and are grossly ineffective.

All of that being said, here is the reason that this is such a difficult job, and why this law is not only wrong but unconstitutional: How can you tell if people are illegal or not? You really cannot, particularly in the south west were there is a large population of LEGAL Latino citizens. This law takes away all of their liberties, because it allows the average beat cop to walk up to them and demand proof of citizenship. How long before a cop takes that too far? How long before someone is falsely imprisoned? I will take bets, and I will put money on less than 6 months. Now what do you do Arizona, the lawsuits that are going to come of this would easily equal the salaries of several new border patrolmen. Not to mention some new training and equipment.

Oh and lets not bring up the fact that law enforcement resources are already spread extremely thin all over the country. This law is a massive undertaking for LE, which means less protection for the rest of us from real crime.

It also condones racial profiling, while we are at it lets make a law that allows us to search all Black people for weapon permits and all White people for drug prescriptions. When is this country going to learn that its leadership is failing them. That until we get some people with a bit for perspective leading us we are quickly becoming the next FALLEN empire.

Finally, I will say this, if this law is allowed to stand, we should all take note, because it is a bad sign. It is not hard to see the events leading to the falls of the great civilizations and all the signs are here folks. Parents be prepared to make your children citizens of the world, because there is a good chance that the USA may not be the best spot 20 years from now. Don't get me wrong, we are still a better country than most, but remember freedom and independence are what made this country great, and tell me when was the last time you saw a law passed that protected either of those?

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Avatar

2009-12-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

If you read movie reviews, and I am assuming that you are if you are reading mine, then there will be ample reading for you on the movie Avatar. Many of the ones I have read are like minded in saying that the movie is visually stunning but that the story does not match up to the movie; however, Avatar is more than that.

In school we learn all the things we as a species have discovered through out the years. Be it language, history, science or math, these are the tools we use to function in society. Also, many of us then turn to organized religion to fill our spiritual needs, and this gives us the tools to deal with our existence and our mortality. But to teach us what we are, as sentient and cultural beings, we turn to art. Art is the culmination of our spirituality, our history, our science, and our existence. Be you Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, etc. you look at the Sixteenth Chapel and you are moved. You see a Rembrandt, DaVinci, or Picaso and your life is better everyday after as a result. You read Shakespere, Hemingway, Twain, or whomever and your outlook on the world around you shifts. The generations leading up to ours will be remembered for their music, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, the Beatles, and yes, Michael Jackson, and we were moved by them all. And in a hundred years when our generation's art is examined, and masterpieces are talked about, James Cameron's Avatar will be among those that are remembered.

Avatar is quite simply stunning. I am without a doubt that for at least that short moment on film, Hollywood can make anything real. The movie takes place on a planet called Pandora, and despite its name, it is as beautiful as any painting I have ever seen. Of the two and a half hour movie, much of it is spent just being in the world that is Pandora, and for this will we remember Avatar as a masterpiece. With its neon colored plants and animals and the Na'Vi's human feel, despite the fact that they are anything but, I left the theater looking to the sky and hoping that Pandora was somewhere above me. The animals are life like and amazing, the plants are something out of a dream. At times you want to reach out and touch what you are seeing, and it is hard to believe that Cameron did it all with some cameras and computers. I did not get to see it in 3-D, and admittedly I do not particularly enjoy 3-D, but let me tell you it is not necessary to experience the beauty of this film.

Will it be known for its story, no I do not think it will, but that does not mean it did not make the grade. The flaw, if it could be called such, is that maybe the story does try to do too much. While it touches you in many different ways, it does not expound on any of those feelings. To give an example I will bring up another masterpiece. The movie Cast Away is a testament to the feelings of loss, loneliness and ultimately perseverance. Tom Hanks spends the better part of the movie making the audience feel Chuck Noland's struggle to deal with isolation and despair. It is a movie that wraps us in a single focused and intricate journey of shear determination to survive. Avatar meanwhile takes on a journey, during which we experience a story of self discovery, love, domination/resistance, loss and faith. Each touch us in a personal way, but the fact of the matter is you can only do so much in less than a few hours. Where I felt the story excelled, was in its expression of faith. (Spoiler Alert) Pandora is a living and breathing entity and all if its creatures are connected. The Na'Vi can connect to this shared sentience and live as part of it. They have faith in all those things around them, and it is this that drives everything else they do. But it does not make them weak, or naive. Their faith makes them strong and gives them the power to persevere, when some would otherwise give in. I think, personally, this was my favorite tone of the movie, but trust me when I say there were plenty of tones to choose from.

The acting also did not fail. Sam Worthington was great. There is an interesting correlation between Worthington's character, Jake Sully, and the actor himself. Sam Worthington is well on his way to being an action star, especially with Clash of the Titans just around the corner, and action stars can be one dimensional at best. Jake Sully begins the movie as a crippled Marine, focused only on being a soldier once again. But what Worthington does well for Sully, and in turn for his career, is make him emotional. He makes Sully more than the jar head that he refers to himself as at the beginning of the movie, and gives the leader, brother and lover depth. I have always been a fan of Giovanni Ribisi, and while he was very good in this film I would not say it was his best. His character is the corporate monger who has to deal with his desire for money vs his conscience, with money winning. Stephen Lang is the ultimate villain and does a good job as what appears to be a representation of Cameron's view of our previous administration. And Zoe Saldanea is beautiful, both as a Na'Vi and someone who has to bring a personality through a completely computer generated being.

The only other flaw I will state, is that again I left a Hollywood creation feeling inferior physically. Even computer generated beings look better than I do, but alas that I fear that will never change. There are few movies I will say need to be watched in a theater, but this is certainly one of them. It is worth every cent of that 8-10 dollars you will spend per ticket to visit an audio and visual art exhibit. Someday a teenager will be forced to sit through a virtual lecture on the art of the early 21st century, and will probably hate every minute of it, but they will be required to watch this movie, and whether they realize it at that moment or not, the will be changed forever. Do not miss your opportunity to change too.

Though visually Avatar gets an A++, overall I give an A and urge you to see it.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

JP

Ninja Assassin

2009-11-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hello All! OK so I know i am almost a week late on this post but hey what are the chances that any of you have gone to see this movie yet. I went and saw Ninja Assassin the night it came out, and while I was surprised my small theater even carried it, I was still amazed that there were only two other people in the theater. As of Monday the movie has only taken in 21 million and came in 6th at 13.1 for the weekend.

I have always felt that special effects, and in general the modern action film, killed two classic kinds of films. The classic western and the classic martial arts film died before I was even born. As a child of the 80s, my first exposure to martial arts films were Karate Kid, Best of the Best, etc. The western is something that I grew up thinking only old people watched, with my only saviors having been Tombstone and Young Guns. Now the western, even really good ones like 3:10 to Yuma, have really just become dramas with action sprinkled in. Meanwhile, martial arts films have become something that we watch in animated form or epic movies that are more about art then action. Do not get me wrong, I love the fight sequences in Crouching Tiger, Hero, and the like, but they are not the same as the movies we all remember watching Bruce Lee rise to stardom in.

This brings me to Ninja Assassin, and lets get right to the bad. It does not surprise me that this movie was written in a matter of days (according to the writer J. Michael Straczynski in a quote found on Wikipedia). This movie is a poorly written attempt at reviving those classic marital arts films of our societal past. The plot is mundane and boring and the flash backs are not always appetizing. The majority of the acting in the movie was par at best and some of the characters in the movie were just plan unneeded. (Spoiler Alert) The entire Interpol investigation is a waste of time and the characters associated with it are irritating. I am still not sure I understand the entire thing with the KGB. Also, some of the supernatural effects were a little too out there for the feel of the rest of the movie.

All of that being said this movie has some amazingly redeeming qualities. While I am not sure why he associated himself with such a poor script, the movie is directed by James McTeigue who is quickly becoming a must see director. If you are not aware, he worked on all of the Matrix movies, Star Wars Episode II, and made his directorial debut with V for Vendetta (Awesome!). What he does with this movie is incredible. The action sequences are terrific and he makes Rain, who plays the lead Raizo, look bad-ass. Where this movie does pay proper tribute to those martial arts films of the 60s and 70s is the awesome ninja on ninja, blood squirting action. The movie is also produced by the Wachowski Brothers, who produced the Matrix movies and V for Vendetta.

As I stated before, the lead is played by Jeong "Rain" Ji-hoon. Rain is a Korean pop star that is huge in Korea and Japan but has only been seen here in the movie Speed Racer. If you Wikipedia him you will see a picture of him in this rediculous pink outfit that he used to perform in and cringe that he could be an action star, but fear not, James McTeigue makes him look incredible. His general acting still needs some work but there is certainly some promise there. According to Wikipedia, it was watching him doing some fighting in the Wachowski Brothers directed Speed Racer that inspired Ninja Assassin. Just wished they could have come up with a better script and supporting talent.

The flash backs in the movie, are at times unnecessary and tedious, but they in general carry the plot. The actors that play the younger versions of Raizo and his love interest Kimiko do ok but generally with the exception of the fight sequences this movie is a bore. My only hope is that the fight sequences are enough to keep Ninja Assassin from being a scar on McTeigue or Rain's resumes. As for the Wachowski Brothers, with this and Speed Racer on their list of recent achievements they are in trouble of become jokes. Overall, I give the movie a C+, with only McTeigue and Rain keeping it from a failing grade.

Thanks for reading, until next time!

JP

New Moon

2009-11-22T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone! Let me start this post by saying that I have read all four of the Twilight Books (Yes, audio books count!) and I need to express a general opinion about them. I had a few problems with the books and I apologize in advance for the super fan this may insult.

The first problem I had was that the first two books, and this is the nicest way of saying this, were whiny. Bella tends to do a lot of whining throughout the books, but particularly the first two where draining at times. I think I know what the author, Stephanie Myer, was trying to do, or at least I will speculate as much. I think she has a good understanding of what teenage girls like and feel. I also think that was clearly her audience, particularly for the first two books. The only problem with that is teenage girls are, no offense ladies, somewhat crazy and obsessive. I think this hurt the books in that it took away from the depth of the characters. It ended up making Bella feel like a groupie, and Edward an arrogant fool. I think the comparison they make to Romeo and Juliet is interesting, because Shakespeare had a way of making an arrogant fool, Romeo, have depth where Edward clearly falls short.

This is not true, however, of Jacob. If I could interview Ms. Myer I would love to ask her if she tried as hard with Jacob. Jacob's character has a way of talking to you, most likely because he is constantly being abused in the books. He is the night in shining armor that we often pull for, but in this case is rejected at almost every turn. This is takes me to my second problem with the books. Jacob's constant abuse, and I can only speak for myself, makes Bella the biggest monster of them all. She uses Jacob, knowingly I might add, and in the end (I won't ruin it for those still reading) is sort of dealt with in this neat little way that left me a little irritated. That however is a review for another time.

All of that being said, Ms. Myer owes Chris Weitz, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner a ton of gratitude and respect. New Moon portrayed everything I felt its worded counter part attempted to portray. For those who are contantly saying the movie is never as good as the book, let me say this, can it be. Books have the ability to drone on about the most minute of details, while movies cannot afford that luxury. A movie has two hours to do what a book has twenty hours to do. In the two hours and twenty some-odd minutes that New Moon has, it hits almost every plot highlight in the books and the actors give the characters depth that the books sometimes worked hard to do.

Chris Weitz and Summit Entertainment puts together a film that looks how it feels, both real and sureal at the same time. Summit is a independent film company and I think it is good for the Twilight movies, keeping them grounded. The actors are of course more attractive then I or most will ever be, but they look real and even the vampire and werewolves do not go way over the top. I think if anything the somewhat subdued CGI of the wolves were the most extravagant thing in the movie, and that is including a trip to Rome and a visit with the Volturi. The movie flows well and does not seem as long as it is, which was a concern I had going in. There were times in the books where I wanted it to get to the point, and I did not have that in the movie. My one criticism is, and again I have to be careful of taking my own advice, it did brush over parts of the books that I enjoyed, such as Charlie's involvement and bonding with Alice and the growth of Jacob and Bella's relationship, but again there are only two hours.

Now the actors, I will start by saying this, Kristin Stewart could become the death of Megan Fox's star. At nineteen she has begun to grow up right before our eyes and is beautiful in the same way that I have always felt that Diane Lane is. I will say that her screeching in the movie at times is annoying and unbelievable, but her depiction of Bella is spot on. I think she and Chris Weitz's direction during Bella's depression is accurate and effective. I will take this moment to implore Kristin to find a movie that does not make her so depressive and dark because I want to believe that she can do something else. She has a history of playing depressive and dark characters and she is running the risk of falling into that early in her career.

On a side note, let me say that Dakota Fanning is doing a good job of putting herself in situations to make the transition from child star to budding actress, by doing the Twilight movies and Push, characters the audience would not have expected to see her in.

I want to briefly speak to the vampires. Robert Pattinson has an appeal that we have not seen out of our cousins across the pond in the last decade. At a time when the Australian's have filled the void, Robert Pattinson is England's return to our hearts. I will say that he has to be careful that the teenage mobs do not only kill him physically, but professionally as well. Again he will have to strive to distance himself if he wants anyone over the age of 21 to buy him as a talent. The rest of the vampires take a back seat to the Werewolves, but again we do take a trip to the Volturi, who are sufficiently distant and arrogant, and again, though she has maybe two lines and five minutes in the movie, Dakota Fanning steals the show. I look forward to Eclipse and a real return to the Cullens.

So cue the stars of the movie, the Werewolves. After I got past the feelings of insecurity staring at abs for a good 50 minutes of the movie, I found out Taylor Lautner is a really good teenage werewolf. Make no mistake that the New Moon book is clearly about the werewolves, and there is a lot the movie was forced to leave out, but Taylor Lautner and Chris Weitz get the audience there quickly and efficiently. Taylor does an excellent job of being that knight in shining armor and does and excellent job of taking his constant rejection. Sam and the crew are not as present as I would have liked, but they take advantage of their time there. The action sequences with the wolves both with vampires and without, are exciting and also subdued enough to fit in with the rest of the movie. I think the best part of the movie is that it ties the story together in a way that the books were not able to do until the third and fourth books.

I think the most surprising part of the movie, was the humor. There are quite a few times that the audience found itself laughing despite the otherwise brooding tone to the movie. It keeps the movie from becoming too depressive. I was also happy to see that it was able to keep it entertaining for those of us not between the ages of 11 and 19 and of the female persuasion. I give it a B+.

Thanks for reading, until next time!

JP

PS. Go Team Jacob!

2012

2009-11-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, first a side note. I have created this blog so that I could do editorials separate from my other blog that is supposed to be more for my maybe someday comic book or novel ventures. As I am overly opinionated, and frankly a little lazy about real work, I for see this blog being used more. I encourage you to read my other blog which you can find here.

Now then, I went and saw the movie 2012 tonight and felt like I had to make some comments. Leading up to my seeing this movie I had been frustrated reading all of the reviews. They appear to be bothered by the unlikeliness of the premise and the what some called a "weak" plot. If that was all you should critic a movie about then they are absolutely right. There is no catastrophe that is going to strike in 2012, it is extremely long, and the premise of the movie is pretty weak. The plot itself is very straight forward and for the most part is carried by the acting. All of that being said, this movie is an instant classic and will be remembered as one of the epics of our generation.

There is a reason that we flock to movies like this and why we are willing to pay anywhere from $8 to $20 to sit on our ass for three hours. During that three hours we experience the emotional spectrum. (Spoiler alert) When the protagonists of the story are constantly being shot down by the bullies and politicians, and environmental catastrophes, we feel their anger and frustration. We laugh at the one liners and thrill in the adrenaline rush fights for survival. When a relatively small character, sits with his family and watches the oncoming tsunami he knows will kill his son, because we all know that is the only one he is thinking about in that moment, we all feel that pain. When fathers have to say goodbye to their children, we share their sadness. And when those who survive look out on a brand new day, we share their hope. Some of these emotions we forget we have in the hectic comings and goings of our life, but for moments during this movie we feel them and relate to the moments in our lives that have also given those emotions.

We are also, and more importantly, reminded of not who we are as individuals but what we are as a species. We as human beings, more than anything else, are problem solvers. When our ancestors created the first tools and built their first homes they were solving problems in a way no other creature on earth has. Throughout history we have thrived when we should have failed, we have bent the heavens and earth to meet our needs. I think what disturbs me most about so many of us now is the lack of perspective and the ability to solve life's everyday problems. It is movies like 2012, Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow, and even the Matrix, when we are reminded that we are survivors. They say that in the shark you will find the perfect hunter, we are the perfect thinkers. Our propensity to learn and adapt is nothing short of a miracle and we should be more appreciative. We would do well to remember this as we face the future that we must create for our children.

And lastly, and possibly the thing that both the movie and I want to express the most, we as human beings have the ability to show compassion. We share in each characters experience because we have the compassion to feel for them. What I felt that 2012 did better than most movies of its kind was to have the protagonists remember that while they were surviving, all around them people they did not know where dying. Regardless of your race, nationality or religion, we are all human beings and if we cannot show compassion to those around us we have lost our humanity. Remember that the people around you do not need you to baby them or lead them to your way of thinking, they only need understanding and respect. You do not have to like that gay couple, Muslim family, or born again Christian, but you should show them the understanding and respect that you would want them to show you. Human beings have been on this planet for thousands of years, and if we want to make it more than a few hundred more, we must stop being the self-righteous fanatics that are plaguing us now, and start to respect each other.

So, if you have three hours to kill and 20 bucks to spend then I say go see the movie. It is by no means the greatest movie I have seen, but we need these reminders in our celebrity obsessed, materialistic lifestyles. It always good to take a moment and share in someone else pain, even if that someone is a Hollywood character. And whether you go see the movie or not, tomorrow try to find one person in your day that you show a little extra compassion and understanding.

Until next time, thanks for reading!