Kids vs Adults

 

Kids vs Adults

I’m sorry if this subject is long, it’s just that there is a lot to say about it.

I don't know about you but I'm tired of hearing people complain about how out of control our youth is because they didn't wake up one day and decide that they'll make life miserable for everyone. Whatever problems you have with them are on you so please stop blaming what they watch, the music they listen to, who they hang around with, what they eat and their medication. I'm not saying those things are not factors however if someone or something has more influence over your kids than you then something is wrong. For example, we have plenty of movies and TV shows that are against racism, discrimination, and bias. Despite that, those things are still issues that we face today. Why are you not mad at Hollywood for not doing a good job of explaining that those things are bad if you're going to be lazy as a parent?     

Another thing parents and society need to stop pointing the finger at each other when kids become a handful because it takes a village to raise a child. Which means everyone is responsible for how kids turn out. Look at how society was in the 1930s or 1940s, if you can look past how server racism was kids conduct themselves more respectfully. Do you think that would happen if both the parents and the community weren't on one accord on how kids should carry themselves? That's no longer the case today because we have different points of view on how we should treat our youth. Plus, parents feel like the village is stepping on their toes and vice versa. I'll get into that later. 

How can I feel sorry for parents for a situation that they created for their kids? For example, we tell kids that they're special and they're just as good as everyone else and then they realize that they're not. You’re not going to get straight A’s just because Billy got straight A’s, you’re not going to be a billionaire just because Donald Trump is a billionaire and you’re not going to invent an iPad just because the late Steve Jobs did. We tell kids it’s wrong to lie, if that's true then why do we lie to them about Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairly? Look I understand why parents do that because it's their way of keeping their kids in line however they better not get upset about the trust issue they created by doing that. If you can lie to them about things that are not real, they're going to wonder what else are you lying to them about? I don't see the point of telling them it's wrong to lie because they will be put in the position to do that regardless of how you feel about it. For example, if you end up in prison and you don't want any issues with the other inmates, you’re going to have to lie to keep yourself safe. 

Here is an example

The guard: Do you know who attack my partner?

Me: No! I didn’t see anything.

The guard: Did your cellmate do it?

Me: No sir he was asleep.   

Also, we put them in a position to lie, if they do something wrong and we tell them to apologize for it, if they're not sincere about it that's lying. If I was a parent, I would tell my kids it's acceptable to lie to get out of a bad situation however it's not OK to do it to avoid the consequences of your actions. Parent's relationship with their kids is also a lie, I mean if the relationship is based on the kids living up to your expectations, then it's not a real relationship. Like I said before we tell kids that there special so they act like they're special, if that’s not true then why can’t people handle their shortcomings without getting angry, crying, and doing things out of aggravation? American Idol is another example of that do you think the contestants wouldn’t be angry and crying that they didn’t win if someone didn't convince them that they could win? That creates a trust issue we can’t tell them that they can sing or do whatever then have someone tell them that they can’t then you say life is not fair and expect them to be OK with that. 

How often do we remind them of that? My cousins asked me why I don’t go to their football games and I told them it's because I’m tired of them getting mad every time they lose, that is what you sign up for when you play the sport. You have two choices you either practice or you quite stop expecting people to make you feel better about your shortcomings. Another reason why I don’t go to my cousin's games is that they don’t keep score because we don’t want to hurt the kid's feelings, so we're going to stop giving D’s and F’s to spare the kid's feelings? Making our kids believe in something that's not true will also hurt them because they will have a hard time reconciling what they believe versus what society tells them. When they can't do that, they will fight against it. We tell kids to stand up for themselves but that's tricky with authority figures like judges, drill instructors, and police. Here's an example of how to set boundaries with them. If your boss wants, you to do something that's not in your job description you can ask for a raise or you quit because what he or she is doing is extortion. Keep that word in mind because will go back to that later.  

I find it insulting that we tell kids that there are no shortcuts in life if that's true then we wouldn't use technology, I mean that makes things easy for us. Also, women wouldn't need hair hats, and men wouldn’t need steroids, or take blue pills. I’m just saying. So yes, I understand why people are acting foolish, they feel like we set them up for failure because we didn’t warn them about how ugly life can get. They also feel like they've been robbed of their childhood because we act worse than the kids, they feel like they have to be the adult because you won't. 

Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

 

This is the second reason why I was a handful because I haven't seen an adult growing up. Being an adult means you take responsibility for your actions; you have a good temperament and you come to terms with the fact that life is not fair. When it comes to black Friday, fast food restaurants, sporting events, and the justice system the grown-ups have failed to set an example. (To be fair I can understand why being denied justice is problematic however, that's not excluded from life being unfair.) 

We need to stop talking about how much we missed our childhoods because it's hurting our youth. When we do that it doesn't help boost their morale to mature. We make it seem like there's no benefits to being an adult or the responsibilities outweigh the benefits. If the last thing I said is true then that's a problem. That's what people miss not being a kid but not having a lot of responsibilities.   

Some of the other things I mentioned happened to me. You have no idea how stupid I felt when I learned that racism still exists, I mean the teachers had me convinced that Dr. King and Malcolm X fixed this problem. None of my family members talk to me about this as far as I remember and they didn’t warn me about how the world would treat me because of this. I had to figure this out on my own. When I was trying out for sports, I didn’t realize that you had to be good at it beforehand, I mean I thought you just try out then you practice for the sport. No one told me that you would have a better chance if you practiced. That's what bugs me about that situation, I mean if there is a certain level of entry and the coach won't help me then what do I need him for?  

My point is we have to do better with our youth how can we if we can't work together? Parents don't like it when the state or anyone gets involved in how they parent their kids. That's understandable however you can't ask for help and then dictate how things are going to be done. If I was an Algebra teacher and you don't like how I teach my class or how I deal with your kids when they act up in class, you have three options. You either take it up with the school board, you teach your kids Algebra, or you make sure your kids behave themselves in my classroom. Side note this is why I tell people I'm the last person you want to babysit your kids. I mean if you don't want me commenting on your parenting then do expect me to know where they are when they run away from home or cut class. 

Since we're on the subject of school we lied to them about that. I mean one of two things will happen when you graduate high school, the first thing is you will work at a job that will pay 7.15 or 8.00 dollars an hour with no medical, dental, or pension plan. The second thing is going to college where you have to spend years paying thousands of dollars in debt. No wonder kids want to drop out of school because they have nothing to look forward to after they graduate. Parents must be high to think kids want to stay in school because of that. If those options are not good enough for you then why should they be happy about them? If you want kids to stay in school, you need to give them better options. 

Also, how the schools teach kids and deal with bullies needs to change, I mean you can't learn everything from a book. As far as bullying goes if you think bullying only involves name-calling, you're a fool. Heck, I bet you don't know what a swirly is. Unless you want the victims of bullying to continue to shoot up the school's something needs to be done about that. Really, we wouldn't have these problems with our youth if we teach them intelligent disobedience. Intelligent disobedience is helping people make better decisions by not following their orders, this is how dog trainers train blind seeing-eye dogs not to let their owners fall off a cliff. Here's an example of how you can apply this to kids. Let's say they're taking a test and the teacher tells them not to talk during the test. One of the kids sees someone breaking into the teacher's car but the child doesn't say anything. Do you see what I mean?       

Don't take this the wrong way but I think it's funny that society frowns upon child labor but have no issue with extorting them. If you expect them to do things for nothing that's what you're doing. Don't give me that I give them food, clothes and a home. First of all, they didn't ask to be here, second, they didn't agree to do anything you ask in exchange for the things I just mentioned. Finally, that's a giving or should be a giving. Why should they be grateful for having those things? I'm not saying that they shouldn't appreciate you giving them these things however that should be the standard. Kids won't develop properly if they don't have those things. This plays a role in why people commit crimes because most people can't provide food, clothes and shelter for themselves. They wouldn't need to work for someone else and people would live in the wilderness if that was the case. You can't say not giving kids these things is bad parenting and then make them feel guilty for having those things the next minute. 

That's one of the things that bugs me about parents is that they use homeless children to shame their kids for having what you provide for them. I want to ask parents something what are you doing to help kids in poverty? Are you losing any sleep over homeless children? If the answers to both questions are nothing and no, then you have no business talking about them because you don't care about them. Until you help 100 of them you don't have the right to be worried about them. (Really, people who do missionary work should knock you out for doing that.) How are you any different from people who use kids in the sex trafficking ring? 

(My editor looks shocked that I said that.) Yeah, I said it and I'm sticking to it. Beyond telling them that you love them and buying them things what's the difference between you two? You don't have to love someone to provide those things. Speaking of love that's an overrated thing to tell anyone because you can love someone and not trust them, be ashamed of them and not respect their boundaries. If you have these problems, then love means nothing. As I said you don't have to love someone to fulfill the same duties that parents would do. This is why people get confused thinking someone loves them, but they don't. Parents don't think about their kids long term, if you don't have Godparents or guardians for them after you die then that's my point. 

If your argument is that kids suffer from ADHD yeah so what? I mean what's the difference between adults and kids beyond that? Adults need food, shelter, security, love and structure as well. Kids can't keep themselves safe guess what grown-ups can't either without law enforcement. You can manipulate kids with candy and toys, you can manipulate adults with money and safety. Even if kids are suffering from ADHD that's no excuse for how we treat them as far as feeding them fairy tales and getting mad at them when they don't take life seriously. If you don't know how to deal with children who have ADHD send them to someone who does. I can't be annoyed with our youth for acting up because of how we treat them. That's all I have to say about this subject for now.      

   

My Matrix trilogy Review

My Matrix trilogy Review

Intro: A line form A Few Good Men.

I want the truth! 

You can't handle the truth! 

Me: Is it me or was the line wasted on this movie? 

The Matrix: This movie is centered on a man name Neo who's looking for someone name Morpheus to help him answer the question what is the Matrix? He gets more than what he asked for when he learns what the matrix is. While he's processing what he learned three agents are after Morpheus because he has information that could endanger the human race. So, Neo has to decide if he's going to save Morpheus or not? 

This movie gives the Terminator and Total Recall a run for its money! It may be similar to those movies however it's different enough to stand on its own. I like that the humans and the machines need each other because the conflict between them is not so black and white. The bullet time effect is cool it's a different virgin of slow motion. the CGI looks great for the most part. What I took from this movie is to be careful with the knowledge you seek because it can be destructive if you're not ready and willing to accept it. 

There are times where I wish I didn't know certain things, but I digress. This is why I don't buy into the saying knowledge is power because it's a double edge sword. After seeing how bad the world is in this movie it makes you question is what Morpheus doing is worth it? I'm fond that the beginning of the movie is a mystery I mean we don't know if Neo should trust the agents or Morpheus? If this movie has a theme, I would say it's choice we see people reflect on the choices they make and regret those choices. I appreciate that this movie didn't make the fish-out-of-water jokes. 

Neo is a lost soul and I like the mystery about him in the movie. I wish the writers could have done more with this character.  

Morpheus is the wise mentor to Neo and his crew. What bugs me about him is that he's narrow-minded about his goal.  

Trinity is a blank slate and I don't buy her subplot. 

Cypher is trouble you can tell by looking at him. However, it's understandable why he's like this. 

Agent Smith (the main villain.) could have been a compiling villain if his actions backed up his claims, just like Neo he isn't happy with his life.    

One of the many problems I have with this movie is I'm not sure of what people can or can't do in the matrix. Also, the plot holes, characters not having much of characteristics and the last scene in the movie bugs me. Overall, this is one of the best sci-fi movies and I would recommend this to any sci-fi fan. 

Rating = Worth Seeing 

Intro: What happened here!?! 

Matrix Reloaded: The human resistance learns that the machines are digging into Zion (Zion is

the last human city.) they go back to Zion to prepare for their arrival. Morpheus believes Neo can stop them because of the prophecy so Neo goes to the Oracle to see what he has to do. His task becomes difficult when programs get in his way including a familiar face. Now Neo has to avoid them and complete his mission before the machine can reach Zion. 

This is one of those movies that will give you a migraine! What really hurt this movie is the writing, the writers establish things and forget about them the next minute. This is embarrassing did the people who worked on this movie have a script meeting? This wouldn't bug me so much if the creators didn't have the caricatures trying to sound smart. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. 

 A line from the movie: You don't truly know someone until you fight them. 

Do you see what I mean? I'm not saying this line has no value however you can replace that line with you don't truly know someone until you play a broad game, dance, skydiving or having a threesome and get the same results. The fights in this movie are disappointing, one fight looks like they're dancing and another fight drags. Also, the chase scene is all over the place. Speaking of disappointments Zion is a joke, it looks more like an ant colony than a city. 

How can the creators make a movie about humans rising up against the machines if we don't care about the humans? For the most part, it seems like all they do is party. Yes! They talk about the machines coming however we don't know how it affects them, plus we learn something that will undermine this conflict. This movie could have ended differently if one of the new caricatures took control of the situation. The characters are not worth talking about because they're not flushed out or developed in this movie, they might as well be pieces of wood. Considering what's at stake in this movie that's a big issue. The characters shouldn't be more robotic than the machines. The only character that stood out is Link (Morpheus's new crew member.) because he's the comic relief. 

Neo is suppose to be the savior of the human resistance but he did something that made him look less noble. What's the point of giving him and Trinity a romance if it does nothing for them as characters? 

Morpheus parallels with Neo in this movie. Besides that, he doesn't have much to do in this movie. There is a scene where he gives a speech and it was unintentionally funny. 

The Oracle is a wild card in this movie as far as not knowing if she can be trusted. Plus, she doesn't reinsure people that she can be trusted.   

  

Why is Agent smith in this movie? I mean he got what he wanted thanks to Neo so why does he feel the need to get in his way?    

   

The things I like about this movie are the world-building, being careful with the knowledge you seek and continuing the themes of choice and control (Despite the fact that this movie doesn't seem to understand those things.) The movie address some of the plot holes from the first film and the way the movie begins and ends. The bottom line is this is one of the worst sequels I've seen!     

Rating = Trash 

Intro: How is no one waking up from the Matrix after (My editor censor what I'm saying to keep me from spoiling the movie.) in the Matrix?  

Matrix Revolutions: This movie takes place right after the last movie and Neo is stuck somewhere in the Matrix. Morpheus and Trinity go into the matrix to find him and figure out what their next move is? Meanwhile, Agent Smith is causing problems for the humans and the machines, so Neo has to stop him before things get out of hand. 

This is worse than the last movie! That's another good thing I can say about the last movie which isn't saying a lot. The previous film tried to tell a story about choice and control, this movie has nothing. I was let down that the writers didn't have the humans and the machines work together to stop a common enemy. The way this movie ended is awkward you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. Also, there are parts about the ending that bugs me. The battle between the humans and the machines wouldn't exist if the humans use their EMP's and energy weapons instead of bullets. Speaking of the battle calling it stupid would be a compliment. What bugs me about it it's hard to tell who's winning, plus we learn that Zion has been taken down five times before so how can we be invested in this battle? 

What this movie has done with the Matrix is ridiculous, I can't get into the details without spoiling anything. The movie tried to rehash scenes from the first film and they're worse. How can the writers forget about the consequences they establish in the last movie!?! Overall, this isn't a good ending to this trilogy! I would recommend this if you like action films. 

Rating = Trash             

My Lost series review

My Lost series review 

Intro: Gilligan's island eat your heart out. 

Lost: This series is about a group of people who survived a plane crash, it lands on an island and they have to band together to survive. That becomes difficult when they are attacked by a white bear, a cloud monster, inhabitants on the island and conflict with each other. So, the survivors have to get off the island before the danger escalate. 

This is one of the most intriguing series I've seen! The story is told as a mystery in a way where the viewers are as confused as the characters. That's the best part about this show it tells an ongoing mystery about the island or the characters. We also learn that the survivors are connected to each other in ways that may surprise you. I like that people died because it helps build tension. This show borrows elements from Lord of the flies. Each season takes its time to focus on one thing before moving on to something else. The island is a character itself because of what it does and what it can do for the characters. 

Jack is a doctor who is the reluctant leader of the group. What bugs me about him is that we get one flashback episode that wasn't subtle. 

John Locke is the wildcard in this series. I like his dynamic with jack because it's fact vs faith. 

Kate is a troubled woman with a past. For the most part, she just creates love triangles.

Hurley is the comic relief and the voice of reason on the island. 

Sawyer may be the douchebag of the pack but he does have a heart. You also feel for him in season 5. 

Sayid is the dangerous one of the pack because of his past of strong-arming people. Despite that, he does want stability.      

Ben Linus (Leader of the others.) is a control freak who has parent issues. The reason why he's on the island is to figure out why it's dangerous to women? This mystery is contrived because he has no reason to do this. Also, he doesn't seem to be completely interested in figuring this out. 

Speaking of the Others (The inhabitants of the island.) they are disappointing. They are described as brilliant savages but there not. That's saying a lot considering that they try to enslave them and play mind games with them. The show would have ended differently if both groups work together.            

One of the problems I have with this series is that the writers have us believe that a kid is behind all the weird things that happen on the island, but they forgot about him. What the fudge!?! The mysteries may be the best part of this series but it's also the worst. Instead of solving them the creators adds more and more and more. Don't get me wrong I'm fine with not all of them getting resolved but this is ridiculous. 

It also feels like the writers are making stuff up as they go along. Some of the characters wouldn't have been killed off if it wasn't for some behind-the-scenes drama maybe. Season 4 could have worked as a series finale with rewrites. It's time to address the elephant in the room and that's the ending. Whether or not the ending is a cop-out I'm not that outraged over it. It does explain all the strange things that happened on the island. Plus, the writers could have written themselves in a corner.

Overall, this is a decent series that I would recommend if you like mysteries.      

My rant about Prequels

My rant about Prequels 

 

I can be narrow-minded when it comes to Prequels. I mean, they can be hard to make because you have to tell the story backwards without contradicting yourself. That's the one and only problem I have with prequel stories. How can I be invested in a story if I already know the outcome? That's not always the best excuse to not watch or read them, just because you already know what happened, that doesn't mean you'll know how things will play out. For example, if I told you that Harvey Dent died in the dark knight without the either you died a hero or live long enough to see yourself be the villain line his death adds no weight to the story. 

That's how you make a good prequel it has to reinforce what we already know and adds context to it. Another example in history class I was jaw-dropped to learn that Black people were slaves to the point where I didn't believe it. After I saw Roots, underground and went to the Africa American museum I was still in shock. Hearing about what happened in the past should be as good as seeing it if it's not then something is wrong. Also, having this I already know what happened attitude can make you look arrogant. Let's use History class for example do you think the history teacher will accept I already know what happened as an excuse for not doing your homework? What about wars knowing who won means nothing if you don't know how the war was won and how it started because we will repeat past mistakes. 

Sometimes it's not about the destination is about the journey. Batman fans were annoyed that Batman Begins told Batman’s origin story. They didn’t want to see Batman’s origin being told because less is more. Seeing Batman's origin in that movie didn't ruin the movie for them. The same thing goes for Arrow, with the flashbacks. In fact, that's considered the best part of that series. There are somethings that shouldn't get a prequel because there isn't much to work with.

Another problem I have with prequels is when you bring in a new character or element from the past, it could overshadow the present story. Count Dracula, I mean Dooku, can close to doing that for me In the Star Wars prequels. I'm annoyed with how he was wasted in the third film. Speaking of Star Wars, there are things Star Wars fans didn't like about the Star Wars Prequels like the midichlorians, the prophecy, CGI Yoda, not knowing what role the Clone Wars play in this franchise etc.   

Look at Terminator Salvation, for example. That movie tried to tell us how John Connor became the resistance leader that we hear about in previous films. That was the problem I had with the movie I didn’t want to see that plus we didn’t hear stories about how he became the leader of the resistance he just became the leader. Because we don’t have a lot of knowledge of what the characters or what the universe was like beforehand that creates continuity issues. ( I know that's not the best example but you get the idea.) When you don't have an outline for a prequel you could write yourself into a corner. This is what I'm worried about in the show Gotham, I'm worried that it will make all the villains sympathetic. Do I really have to explain how problematic that is?

To me, a good prequel is a standalone story that flushes out characters and the world that we're familiar with without having prior knowledge of it. So far, we have that with X-Men first class despite the continuity issues. We also have that with the new Plant of the ape's movies; they almost connect with the original movies. Another way you can make prequels work is by telling the story backward I mean have the movie start in the middle of a character doing something wrong. Then have the movie shows the events that led up to that moment showing that he or she is not a bad person. Halo Reach is a good example of doing that and being a prequel. (Despite the hiccups in continuity.) That’s all I have to say about this subject.

My Reboot review

My Reboot review

 

Intro: This cartoon should have quit while it was ahead. 

Reboot: This series is centered on a guardian name Bob from the supercomputer he is sent to mainframe to protect it from viruses. On top of that, he has to get inside games and beat them if he doesn’t it will destroy a section of the city. This is one of those shows that sound simple but it’s not, in season two it starts telling an ongoing story. 

What I like about this series is that it gives us an idea of what it’s like inside of a computer, that’s impressive considering computers are not that advance in the ’90s. This show also made jokes and references to what’s popular during this time period and hardware for computers. I appreciate that this show shies away from its goofy nature and become more serious with every season (kind of.) because it helps this series reach its potential. There are also twists and turns that took me by surprise, plus world-building. For this being the first CGI show it looks good at the time now it doesn’t age well. 

I don't have much to say about Bob he's basically the town hero of Mainframe. 

Dot Matrix is the smart one of the group thanks to her father, we learn that her father was a scientist. That trait helps Bob defend mainframe from the viruses, plus she's a workaholic. What bugs me about her is she starts developing feelings for Bob but she doesn't tell him. I find it funny that the smartest character in this show can't express how she feels. 

Enzo Matrix is Dot's little brother and he's a typical boy as far as he loves to play games, goofs around and looks up to Bob. Despite that he does want to help Bob fight the viruses but can't due to his age, however, he does help him win some of the games. I like what the creators have done with him in season three, but I can't get into details without spoiling it. 

Mike the TV is annoying, part of the reason why is because he loves to say the price tag of 99. 

Mouse is a wild card in this series. She's a hacker with a Southern accent. She also has history with Bob, her hacking ability are useful to both parties. 

Phong is the mayor of mainframe and he's also a mentor to the main characters. However, he doesn't give them advice for free he will give you advice if you beat him in pong, I am not kidding about that. It's a good thing he doesn't do that if someone wants advice on a life-or-death situation. 

Megabyte (the main villain.) is a power hunger and egotistical virus. However, he carries himself like he's a mobster. He's also dangerous with his claws super strength and being able to jump high. I can't get into what bugs me about him without going onto spoiler territory. 

Hexadecimal (another baddie.) is dangerous due to how powerful she is and she's unstable. Despite her and Bob being adversaries they have a good rapport and I'm surprised with what the creators have done with her in season 4. 

Hack and Slash are comic reliefs who work for Megabyte. 

The problem I have with this series is I wish it ended in season 3 because I didn't like how this series ended. To be fair season 4 tried to answer some of the unanswered questions. Bob and Enzo are at odds with each other over how to deal with the viruses but that went nowhere. Overall, this was one of the best cartoons in the 90s, if you love cartoons then I would recommend this.  

My Street Sharks review

My Street Sharks review

 

Intro: I was going to joke about how far Vin Diesel has come as an actor, but he traded doing toy commercials to promote family.

Street Sharks: This cartoon is about four brothers who have transformed into mutant sharks thanks to Dr. Paradigm. He did this to get back at their father for interfering in his plan for world domination. So, the four brothers use their abilities to stop Dr. Paradigm and figure out what happened to their father?

Out of all the TMNT clones, I enjoy this one the most. (Besides Swat Cats) This show even took a jab at TMNT. I can’t tell you if this is a cartoon that has one-off episodes or tells an ongoing story because it manages to do both. The problem I have with TMNT is that I didn't like them fighting the shredder all the time. I don’t have that issue here because Dr. Paradigm is connected to them. Plus, not every episode is about stopping him. This show also has world-building for example showing us other creatures and characters being gene-slammed. Also, this series spin-off another series called Extreme Dinosaurs. Just like Jurassic Park, this show deals with playing with genetic power. This cartoon deals with other serious subjects like dictatorships, drug dealing, gambling addiction and the ugly side of war. This cartoon also has ridiculous episodes like time travel.          

Ripster is the leader of the four and the smart one.

Jab is the lazy and hotheaded one of the group.

Streex is the fun one and a flirt.

Big Slammu does have much personality beyond being the muscle.

Bends is an ally of the street sharks who proves them a base, tech support and comic relief.

Lena is a student of Dr. paradigm who fills the street sharks in on what he’s up to.

Dr. Paradigm is the typical mad scientist who makes things difficult for the street Sharks by having the public think they are dangerous and discredit their father.

I don’t have much to say about his henchmen because they don’t stand out with the exception of Killamari. He’s the competent one and the most dangerous of Dr. Paradigm’s henchmen.     

Guy in the sky may not be a villain but he’s an instigator. I wish I knew what he looked like.

One of the problems I have with this cartoon is the shark puns. This cartoon removed some of the side characters for no reason. To be fair some of them are not that helpful. Setting up Extreme Dinosaurs shouldn’t take eight episodes. Plus, the street sharks get shafted in favor of doing that. There are also head-scratching moments in the cartoon and some loose ends. Overall, this is an underrated cartoon. I would recommend this if you like 90’s cartoons because this is a product of its time.                

My rant about suicide

My rant about suicide

Intro: I wanted to cover this subject and others in my rant about morality, but I feel like this should be a separate post. This is not a suicide note or me encouraging people to commit suicide, I’m just giving my thoughts on the subject.

People have misconceptions about suicide, I mean people see it as cowardly, someone being lazy or ungrateful. Just because someone is thinking about ending his or her life doesn't mean that person is suicidal. I see suicide as a way to defend your life, if life is full of disappointments, then who in their right mind wants to endure that? I'm not fond of the idea of anyone having control over my life, but I don't want complete control of it either because I want to be surprised. Don't get me wrong I know hardship and suffering are a part of life however those things are suppose to help you grow as a person not overwhelm you. It can be overwhelming if you don't have a good support system, your physical and mental needs are not being met. Most people especially men won't get that if you're not desirable to others and by desirable I don't just mean looks. When that happens, it will become a problem for everyone else as I explained in my Father's Day rant. 

I find it both funny and insulting that people have bad things to say about those who want to die because if it was up to us, we would want a life free of misery. I say that because we don't know how to deal with the ugly side of life, we wouldn't have vacation time, the path of less resistance, meditation, medication to keep us sane, addictions, therapists and religion if that wasn't the case. Heck, the stress of staying healthy, keeping a job, a car and a house can get to you. That's another reason why I don't want kids if life becomes too much for them to the point, that they want to be euthanized that's on me. If I can't provide a good life for kids or help them through hardship, then I'm doing them a disservice, but I digress. 

I have a love-hate relationship with money because we need it, we let it run our lives. If that's not true let me ask you this, what would you do with your life if you didn't have to worry about money? Money can also cause us to do horrible things, do you really think people would be OK with killing anyone and sex trafficking if there wasn't a lot of money involved? I'm tired of having to earn my right to live because I didn't ask to be here. The only thing we should earn is the luxuries in life. This might not be an issue if we had UBI. (Universal basic income. That can work if everything is automated or our economy is based on consumerism.) What's the point of living if you can't live life the way you want to live it? I'm tired of hearing people say nothing and no one can stop you from doing what you want because that's a bunch of crap. There are factors like your environment, the laws and people that are keeping me or anyone from living how you want to live within reason.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Why do I have to wait until I'm fifteen to work, why can't I work when I was five? I mean that when I first start doing choirs if you're old enough to do choirs you should be old enough to work. What's their excuse it's not safe really, it's not safe for almost anyone. Anyone can get mugged, robbed, killed, kidnapped and raped. I'm sorry but that's not good enough. Kids learn how to add and subtract, why can't they work in a grocery store and as a cashier or swipe the floor? If people can use kids as soldiers and sex objects then why can't they work? You can't say you're against child labor and not object to Schools operating like prisons.  

Another example is if someone breaks into my house, I should be allowed to shoot the robber without getting into trouble for not firing a warning shot. The robber didn't warn me that he was going to rob me so why should I fire a warning shot? That's not cold-blooded murder when someone trespass on your property, when that happens you should have the right to deal with that as you see fit. Since we're on the subject of robbing people if someone robs me and the robber threatens to kill me if I tell anyone I was robbed I'll agree to that. 

It's not because he or she threaten to kill me it's because that person didn't kill me. I want to be a man of my word; the robber and I have an agreement. I won't tell on him or her, the robber keeps the money and I live. I can live with that. Really if you tell police that you were robbed, you're making it hard for the next victim. I mean if you tell the police, you were robbed and the robber goes to jail. If that person gets out of jail and robber's people again that person will start killing the victims. It's hard to build a case against someone without victims. 

If I decide to pick up a prostitute, I'm not going to be happy about it, but you can't shame me for it for two reasons. First of all, I respect that they let you know if we're going to do a, b or c you have to pay this amount of money. Second, how is picking up a prostitute any different from dating, who spends the most money on a date? I shouldn't be condemned for wanting to get laid instead of being in a relationship waiting weeks or months hoping to get laid. Like I said before if you have to wait that long she's not into you.   

My point is it's impossible to take responsibility for your life when it's beyond your control. I mean you have no control over anything that happens to you good or bad like being subjected to disease or viruses, someone trying to kill or abducted you, the banks or IRS taking your money, your house getting destroyed by a tornado, etc, etc. We wouldn't comment on those things if that wasn't the case. It's almost difficult to run a business without resorting to micromanaging to avoid scrutiny when something goes wrong under your watch. 

Also, the choices you make in life are a double edge sword for example I can get a job that pays me well enough for me to live in a nice area. If I'm not happy that the job supersedes my life that's on me. If I get a job that doesn't do that but doesn't pay enough for me enough to get the basic things I need, that's on me too. You see I'm screwed if I do, I'm screwed if I don't. If you don't think indirect responsibility should matter just as much as direct responsibility, then the little fish shouldn't face criminal charges. Basically, I don't like being told what to do unless it benefits me. This is why I don't want to be put in a position of authority because A it's a babysitting job and B if I don't like to be told what to do why would I tell other people what to do? 

Also, you either have a huge ego or you're delusional to think you have everyone's best interest in mind. How can you when you don't take the time to get to know your subordinates or if you won't put your interest above there? The Army and sports teams understand this, as far as they know you have a better chance of beating your opponent if you study them. This is why I can't be famous because I'm a private person. I don't mind people taking pictures and interviews but it shouldn't happen every time they see me. If I was a director of a show or movie, I can't create the show or movie I want because studios will try to undermine my ability to do that, there have been so many stories of that happening. 

I'm surprised that men are not committing suicide out of the blue, if they were I would understand. Men are tired of the world treating them like they're disposable. If that's not true then let me ask the men and boys this, has anyone shown interest in your life the way a therapist does? If the answer is no, then I prove my point. Also, have you noticed that people only showed interest in men and boys when they do something wrong? I understand why Black men don't do it it's because we have been mistreated for so long that we've become numb to it and that's a problem. How can we draw the line with how people should treat us when we allow a lot of crap to happen to us? Men are also tired of women making things difficult for them. Let's face it women, in general, don't love men, if that's not true then explain the following. 

Why do women laugh at a man when he cries? 

Why do women make fun of a man if he can't satisfy his wife or girlfriend in bed? Sidenote women look foolish for doing that, like I said before sex has its growing pains. 

Why do women falsely accuse men of rape and abuse? 

Why do women try to keep the kids away from the father? 

If a man has a low opinion of women, the women shame him by saying he can't get laid. Ladies you need to stop saying that because you're making his point valid. 

Men, have you ever seen a group of women break up a fight between two men? 

Why do women laugh when the media portrays men as incompetent and when women are abusive towards men? 

Why do women try to make men broke in a divorce? 

Why do women make it hard for us to get laid? 

Why are women uncomfortable with men being able to defend themselves against women?  

Come on do I need to continue? There are times where I wish I didn't exist, as far as going to sleep and never wake up. I feel this way for two reasons, they are how society treats Black people and not having a father around. Having life, liberty and the purpose of happiness means nothing if your boundaries are not respected. What's the point of having the right to bear arms if we can't exercise that right? I understand what the late Eldridge Cleaver meant when he said I will not be free until I can have a white woman in my bed. I mean he wants the option of getting with other races of women. If we have freedom and racism is dead no one should care about who you date or marry. Plus, White men created this problem, you can't promote the image of White women being the standard of beauty and then complain about other races of men wanting to get with them. 

Also, I'm not a miracles worker but people expect me to work miracles for them. (If you work at a high demanding job, you know what I'm talking about.) If you can perform miracles for others but not for yourself then something is wrong. I don't think people appreciate how hard it is to start from the ground up, they watch and read too many underdog stories. People who are born poor or in the middle class are not going to thrive to do better because they're a custom to the life they have, if someone demands better, he or she will be labeled as spoiled. 

I don't want to die of old age because I'm not looking forward to getting old. No! I don't have Peter Pan syndrome even if I did so what? It's understandable why men have that because we are responsible for building and maintaining society. Due to that, we don't have the luxury of being free or experiencing the luxuries of life until we're 45 or 55. Also, where's the dignity in dying when your body and mind is falling apart? The day I can't go to the bathroom on my own is the day I want to die because I don't want to be a burden on anyone.  

It's hard to have a good attitude about what life throws at me because I don't know if it will make or break me? Spider-Man 2 is a prime example of what I'm talking about. Peter tries to balance being Spider-Man and his life, but he has nothing to show for it. His life was going down the toilet because he tried to do too much. He doesn't have the best support system because he breaks promises to people and his aunt can only do so much. I understand why Peter quit being Spider-Man because he's responsible for his life. I'm not saying putting others before yourself was a mistake however it shouldn't come at the expanse of pushing yourself over the edge. 

There was a time where if I could start my life all over again, I strive to be a well-rounded person as far as being trained and equipped to deal with every situation. That's what you need to survive and be respected. Now it's not worth the effort because that takes too much work to achieve. Also, improving yourself can do more harm than good, that's a topic for another time. If it was up to me, I would live off the grid or on an island. I get annoyed when people tell me to make plans for my life because that's arrogant for reasons I explained earlier. In order for things to work in my favor life has to throw me a bone instead of monkey wrenches. How can anyone expect me to find meaning in my life if society or my so-called family don't value my life? Also doing that goes against people saying life is short and uncertain to have regrets. Were they lying when they said those things?   

Now back to the people that criticize others for committing suicide it's not our place to judge them because we don't know what he or she is going through. If you don’t think being homeless, blind, paralyzed, dying of leukemia, being wrongly convicted of a crime and being born into sex trafficking are not the worse things to happen to anyone then you should have no problem being put in those situations. If you don’t want to know what that’s like then you’re in no position to tell those people that they shouldn’t think about committing suicide. 

Heck dealing with narcissistic people is enough to drive anyone nuts, if it was up to me, I would put them in a Psych Ward, but I digress. Also, if we don't know the person that wants to kill him or herself then that person's actions shouldn't affect us. You know what we shouldn't have a problem with suicide because we allow abortion, women have an abortion because having a baby is inconvenient for them. So why are abortions OK but not suicide? So, we don't need permission to be broth into the world, but we need permission to leave it what's up with that?  

To the people that say that people who commit suicide are selfish stop saying that, stop making it seem like being selfish is bad. At the end of the day, you have to think about yourself because no one else will. Again, why is suicide a selfish act but not abortion? We seem to forget that it's his or her life, if someone doesn't want to live in a world full of war, segregation and hatred that's their choice, he or she shouldn't live just to spare you the pain of losing them. 

Would you rather the person take his or her life than take the lives of others? Just because life is more cruel than it is fair that doesn’t make it easy for us to overcome the cruelty, we wouldn’t try so hard to avoid that if that wasn’t the case. We avoid the hardship of bad health by going to the gym and eating healthy food. We avoid the hardship of being poor by being greedy with our money. We use technology to make things automated, the list goes on. Let me ask you this do you think lazy people should be rewarded? If the answer is no, then that's another reason why you shouldn't frown upon suicide. I mean if you're not willing to stay healthy or work why bother living? What happened to give me liberty or give me death? 

The bottom line is this is your life your choice.   

My thoughts on movie tie in games

My thoughts on movie tie in games 

 

Since I’m starting to see less and less of these games, I think it’s time for me to talk about them.

I don’t know about you, but I’m surprised that movie tie-in games lasted this long because they don’t seem to make as much money as other video game franchises, as far as I know. (Plus, I see those games in bargaining bans in retail stores.) Also, most of them are bad, part of the reason why is the rushed production. The developers didn’t work on the game at the same time as the filmmakers filmed the movie; even if they did, making movie tie-in games is a gamble. If the movie isn’t well-received, what makes you think the games will sell? Plus, you have to ask yourself, can this movie work as a video game, and what elements from the movie can be used as gameplay? 

The only way around this issue is to come up with a story that takes place before, during, or after the movie.

These are some movies that have no business being a video game. Sorry! There are so many of them that I can't think of any examples at the top of my head. Plus, the game follows the same story as the movie for the most part, so there’s no surprise in the game’s story. Then again, the DBZ fighting games have the same story as the anime, and no one seems to mind that, but I digress. Speaking of that, I'm surprised that we have tie-in games of TV shows and cartoons, because they are made before the show ended. Spider-Man 2 is held as the gold standard for how movie tie-in games should be done. It has an open world, has a lot of content for the game to have replay value, and the game gives you the experience of playing as Spider-Man. I think it’s kind of messed up that this game got so much praise. I’m not saying that it doesn’t deserve it; however, we had decent tie-in games before Spider-Man 2, like Golden Eye and The Lion King. 

I’m let down that the tie-in game haven't gotten better after Spider-Man 2. ( To be fair, Star Wars episode 3 Revenge of the Sith tie-in game also gets overlooked.) Well, we have some successes like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Captain America, and the Lego games that are based on movies, but they don’t rival Spider-Man 2. The Batman Arkham games manage to do what Spider-Man 2 did, but better. X-Men Legends could have worked as a tie-in game for the first X-Men movie. I say that because the story in that game is similar to the movie, but the game has better world-building. There is one tie-in game that I'm disappointed with, and that is the Iron Man game. How can you screw up an Iron Man game? Another reason why I feel this way is because of the story in the first game, you don't just destroy Tony's weapons, you also fight other terrorist groups, and the game answers one of the plot holes in the movie. That's what I like about this game, it builds off of the movie's story. If more of these tie-in games did the same thing, I wouldn't mind them so much. 

Another thing that hurts these games is that there are different versions of them; people assume that just because they played one version of the game, then they're all the same. That's not always the case due to third-party developers, for example, the Wii version of Battleship is different from the XBOX 360 and the PS3. The Wii version of Battleship is a strategy game, and the other two console versions are shooter games. Also, the Wii version of Iron Man is not as bad as the other two consoles, plus the graphics could look better that depends on which version you're playing. Do you see how this is an issue? No one is going to buy a new console just to play a better version of a game unless he or she has money to burn.    

Despite that movie, tie-in games are a cash grab that doesn't mean that they can't reach their full potential. 
    

My Rant about CGI

My Rant about CGI 

Man, O man, you have no idea how much CGI annoys me in movies. CGI has plagued movies over the years; this is something we see all the time. Two movies that made Studios overuse CGI and they are T2 and Jurassic Park. Don’t get me wrong, those films are good; however, what filmmakers fail to realize is that those films use CGI when it’s needed. In T2, that movie uses CGI for the T-1000. The T-1000 is made of liquid metal; it’s not possible to do a practical effect of a liquid metal Terminator. Originally in Jurassic Park, the Dinosaurs were suppose to be stop motion, but Mr. Spielberg changed his mind after seeing CGI footage of the Dinosaurs.

Now movie studios are stuffing their movies with CGI. I’m tired of Hollywood doing this, I mean, when someone does something new, they milk the crap out of it. What’s the point of dumping CGI in movies? All you're doing is making my eyes bloodshot! Heck, CGI is not going to hold up in a few years. Look at CGI Yoda, for example; he looks bad then, and he still looks bad now. I feel bad for saying that because I know how hard they worked to make him look like the puppet it's based on. ( plus, he looks better the second time around.) 

Then again, the CGI in District 9 looks good despite its low budget. So is this a money problem or a talent problem? I was watching Tron with a bunch of kids, and they were complaining that the CGI looks bad; of course, it looks bad; this movie was from the 1980s. You know what, kids, thirty years from now, people are going to think that the CGI in Tron Legacy looks bad. This is an issue I have with CGI; it’s affecting the minds of kids. Kids don’t appreciate a movie without CGI. Heck, they don’t appreciate black-and-white films. 

Also, when using CG1, you have to consider the lighting a color palette of the scene or character. 
That's another thing that bothers me about CGI is the CGI characters don’t look believable. Here’s an example, the 2003 Hulk film, the Hulk moves and jumps around in that movie like he’s weightless. The bottom line is CGI should be used as a last resort, not as a band-aid, just because you don't like how the movie looks in post-production. Yes! Mr. Lucas, I'm talking to you.

Now I understand that directors would rather use green or blue screens instead of filming at a location because of the weather and filming permits. However, when you do that, you take away the authenticity of the film. I’m not saying ban CGI, but use it if it’s necessary; 90% of a movie shouldn’t be CGI. The only movie genre that should be allowed to use CGI is sci-fi films. It's possible to do Avatar without CGI. We need to go back to using Practical effects, Set pieces, animatronics, and stop motion. It would be nice to see Pixar release a 2D animated movie.                   

My rant about movies based on people and true events

My rant about movies based on people and true events.


                         

Besides Horror films, movies that are based on People and true events are the types of films that I’m not crazy about watching. The reason why is because there's no surprise in watching them especially if you're already familiar with the person or the event. Also, this seems like a cheap why for actors and actresses to win an Oscar, no offense OK I’m sure you're wondering how can I like watching movies based on Comic books or novels and not want to watch movies based on people or events? The answer is simple Comic books and Novels are fiction, when I watch those movies, I don’t expect them to be accurate to the source martial most of the time. With that said that doesn't change the fact that writers making changes from the source martial bothers me, well it depends on what changes the creators make. 

That’s what bugs me about the films based on people and events, those films add or change things that didn’t happen in real life. This annoys me because I consider that an insulting thing to do especially if the person is dead or something happen that became part of history. Like I said when you make a movie about someone or a real-life event you have a responsibility to honor the and what happen. If studios don’t think that the real story of someone isn’t good enough on its own, then why bother making movies out of it? I know Hollywood is money hungry but let’s be respectful. I was jaw dropped that Titanic and the Social Network won Oscars and became hit films because those films weren’t accurate. The Titanic movie dishonored the memory of the people on that ship. As for the Social Network really? Mr. Zuckerberg became famous because he badmouths his girlfriend online. Almost anyone can do that watch. 

Venessa, you are the most stupid, brainless, manly, unforgivable, useless, butt infected, spineless, non-seductive, disgusting, fake, careless, obnoxious women I have ever met so far. See where’s my Facebook deal?

I was really surprised that Disney did this with the Disney movie Pocahontas, because Pochaontas is a real person and things happen with her tribe that took place in our history and the history of Native Americans. It's one thing to trash our own history its worst to do it to someone else's history. The bottom line is this if you're making a movie that's retelling someone's history you need to be very careful about doing it.