Peter Tenuto's Open Salon Blog

TransFormers Walks The Line

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:07:05 -0400

I haven't posted here in quite a while. Possibly, the last time I posted the TransFormers sequel, Revenge of the Fallen was out or just getting ready to be released. I have taken too long of a break from political writing and it's good to be starting up a regular blog again. More about why I stopped posting here will be forthcoming later but today I would like to write about TransFormers: Dark of the Moon, which I just saw the other day.

There is a fine line between genius and crap, and TransFormers: Dark of the Moon walks that line well. Part of what is wrong with this movie is that, while it obviously does not take itself too seriously, it still tries to project the image of being a sweepingly epic grand masterpiece. Director Michael Bay's style is more than apparent here: One of the consistent and most recognizable aspects of all three films is his use of overhead and low-angle "human's-eye-view" shots of the robots. These points of view do make the movie fun to watch for a time, but like bubblegum the flavor fades too fast.

Critically, I look at this movie and realize what a huge, steaming pile it is. Like a Taco Bell taco, there is no redeeming value and up to 12% of filler. You know it is bad for you, but still you eat it. At least a Taco Bell taco tastes good.

Throughout the movie, characters often do illogical things while other plot points are equally illogical. Why did Sentinal Prime need to betray his people when he could have just as easily used the Bridge to defeat the Decepticons and exile them to a barren planet? Why isn't the Government putting Sam Wittwickey's knowledge of the Autobots and field expertise to good use? Why use the Xanthium to get to the moon early in the film, but only make a big show of it when they are sending the Autobots away? Why didn't the Xanthium's Engergon detectors pick up all those Decepticon ships and robots that were on the moon and apparently hidden just miles away from either Tranquility Base or the crashed ARC?

Like in the second film, these logical falicies kill the momentum when you stop to think, "Why didn't they just use the chunk of Allspark Cube to revive Optimus? Why did they use it to revive another Autobot who might be able to tell them about something else that might possibly revive Optimus?" Attempts to build tension like this plot summary of Revenge of the Fallen also occur in Dark of the Moon, and they feel empty, as if the writers are trying to be clever rather than letting the story itself be naturally clever.

Yes, writing 101 will tell you that having a character point out the illogic in something is often a good way to dispell the audience's disbelief at said illogicality (and characters do this here almost as often as when they point out the obvious like, "Look at that ship! It's landing!") But that writing technique does not give writers license to be wholly illogical in their premises.

All the same, perhaps one can get past the inconsitencies, the vaguary and the skewed logic such as, Sentinal Prime was headed to Earth to meet up with Megatron, yet Megatron was discovered in an already frozen state during the 1920's while Sentinal's ship, the ARC, did not crash on the moon until 1953. If one can get past all that, Dark of the Moon does what it set out to do - gives us giant robots, lots of explosions, nearly endless action sequences and is pretty well-shot so at least it's nice to look at.

In spite of all the terrible points, all the reasons why these are bad movies (not the least of which is this is a MOVIE franchise based on a CARTOON which was itself based on series of TOYS), I still love these movies. For whatever reason, giant robots that can change shapes into cars, planes and other vehicles still hold a childlike fascination for me. All the action sequences simply make my eyes pop out of my head and my inner child is extremely satisfied.

And at least Dark of the Moon has one saving grace over the first two TransFormers movies: No Megan Fox.

Definitely not five-star fare, but better than most of the summer selections that aren't Marvel this season. I can't wait until the fourth movie, when they introduce the Dinobots!

Me in Film

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 03:10:53 -0400

I was surprised today when a friend of mine sent me his youtube posting of a short film I did when I was going to SIU. This was a great short film to be a part of and I hope you all enjoy it. It's called The Box, and is split into two parts on the page at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/wilsonludolph

Hope the link works, this is my first time trying to link on OpenSalon here.

My Contribution to Health Care Reform

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 22:09:11 -0400

The tension of the last few months' worth of health care debate is finally sliding off my back.

To President Obama's credit, I shouldn't have been so worried. The one component of reform that I really was hinging on was the Public Option. But I got so wrapped up in that one bit, that one idea of having the government pay for my health coverage, I forgot all the other points of reform that are so neccessary and valuable to our society.

That being said, one major idea about health care and wellness is being left out of the debate, or at least being undervalued: Prevention.

To that end, I have decided to make my own contribution to my personal state of health, and to the health care reform question in general:

I have started going to a gym.

A few years ago, I was in the best shape of my life. I was using my local university's rec center on a regular basis. As a student at the time I got a good low rate, while at the same time bemoaning the fact that other state universities didn't charge for the use of their exercise facilities. I got into really good shape, lost quite a bit of weight and was on my way to leading a regularly healthy lifestyle.

After a few months, however, classes and homework caught up with me and I was forced to make a decision between regular trips to the gym and actually completing all my homework.

Needless to say, since I am a recent graduate, I chose to drop regular gym visits. I have put on the weight I lost since then, and have grown complacent and fallen out of good health.

But that changed last week when I decided to start going to the gym again. I looked into the selfsame rec center and found that, as a graduate of the university I can recieve a cut rate that, although not as low as student rates, affords me the opportunity to hit the gym on a regular basis once again.

And with no classes to distract me, I feel sure that I will not fall out of the habit.

And it is a habit. The endorphin release, the adrenaline rush, becomes an addiction, a rare good addiction that feeds you and helps you to be healthy.

Exercise increases immune function, helps to regulate sleep cycles, and fends off - prevents - incumbent health issues.

I have only been exercising for a week and already I feel the benefits. In keeping a fitness journal I am once again watching my intake of food. I have increased my intake of things like salads and vegatables. I can already feel some of my muscle groups gaining in definition and size. I sleep soundly and wake up refreshed.

And while, yes, my 2+ hour routine does make my muscles ache at the end of the day, it is a good ache that reminds me I'm doing something good for myself, and possibly making a contribution to health care issues by making my body well and preventing any future ills I might encounter.

What's my routine, you might ask?

It's not easy. Nothing worth having or doing ever is. But if you really want to do something for your body, one should follow the basics that have been imparted upon me by the various trainers and gym class instructors I have worked with:

Begin with cardio. Walk, ride a bike, use an eliptical stair-stepper or Nordic Trac-style machine. Whatever the case, I work at an hour of cardio every day which includes 20 minutes of walking, 20 on a bike and 20 on the stair-stepper. I also follow this up with a routine of sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and arm raises. Perhaps I should throw Burpies into the mix. God, I hated Burpies in grade school. Now I actually look forward to them!

Next, I work on weight machines. If you are going to weight train I would suggest you go for fat burn rather than muscle mass increase. This allows you to work at weights on a regular basis without burning out your muscles from the constant increase in amount of weights. Choose a level at which you feel your muscles work but does not tax or overburn your muscles. I often do the full compliment of weight machines at a rate of 10-12 repetitions per set, and two sets per sitting. A set is a series of repetitions, or how many times you use the specific muscle group to lift the weight at hand.

In addition to the excellent health benefits my now-regular trips to the gym have afforded me, I also get time to myself. Time to contemplate my life, meditate on the world around me, and most importantly, listen to my "Get Up and Go!" playlist full of pumped up music that's sure to get anyone moving.

Good night, good luck, and I hope to see you at the gym!

If UHC Fails, No One to Blame But Our Selves

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:08:03 -0400

Okay, so let me get this straight: A bill that has the public option only has a solid 41 votes in Senate. But if they try to go with a bill that has no public option anywhere from 57 to 100 Dems in the House will vote against it. And through all of this the Republicans refuse to play ball in any way, shape or form.

Why does this all sound so familiar?

I personally think the Administration should just say "screw it" and run with a single-payer option the way they wanted to in the first place. But I know that's not how things work, much as I wish it could.

The real question here isn't "Why do the Democrats seem to be ready to drop the Public Option?" The question should be "Why did the same grass roots groups that got Obama elected allow the Republicans to win the message war?" Why didn't the same people who were out there campaigning and speaking up for Obama, campaign and speak out for health care? Why didn't the shouters get quieted by people, the majority of whom want the public option?

I know, we saw the failure of SEIU members to quell the shouters at the Town Hall in Tampa. And at several other Town Halls when people did get arrested it was often the Union representatives. This discouraging fact might have kept people who otherwise would have liked to have stood up for the health care bill away from their local Town Halls.

Whatever the case may be, Republicans won the message war on this one. Once again, they scared the people - and not even a majority of the people, but enough to disrupt civil discourse on the matter - into working against their own interests.

But the White House is hardly to blame here. They tried desperately to stop the hemorrhaging and get the positive points of the message out, but the people who would believe such lies as the "death panel" scare were too easy to fool.

But what about the rest of us? I know I tried. I got out to the Town Hall by me, and even though the majority of folks there were reciting the Republican talking points, and I was up against Rep. Tim Johnson (R - IL), I still tried. I tried to educate the uneducated, tried to beat the lies.

About a month ago I had a back-and-forth with a fellow poster who claimed that they campaigned for Obama with health care reform at forefront of mind. They said they would not vote to re-elect Obama if he couldn't get the Dems together on UHC. I challenged him to go out and get together the same campaign team to get the word out on health care. I got no answer. This is where health care reform has failed, that the people who got Obama elected figured, "Our job is done now you do your job Obama" instead of asking, "What can I do to help you keep doing your job, Mr. Obama?"

And this is why UHC will fail in the future, if the people who want the reform can't get themselves mobilized to get the word out.

If Universal Health Care dies, don't blame the Republicans, don't blame the Blue Dogs. They were just doing their job, disdainful and sickening though it may be. Don't blame House or Senate Dems and definitely don't blame the President. They did their jobs too. They tried their damnedest to get the word out. Blame yourselves. If you had a campaign team that got Obama elected, but did not band together to talk up Health Care Reform, if you had a Town Hall by you but did not go, if you did nothing but post blogs and sit at home, then you have no one to blame but yourself for the death of UHC.

And let us remember: Health Care Reform is not totally dead yet. Just because the media with their 24-hour news cycle is trying their hardest to make it look like the White House has stopped trying for the Public Option does not neccessarily mean they have stopped trying. The vote isn't until September, and a lot can happen in the next several weeks. There are a lot of balls up in the air, but so many people seem to want to call the game while they're up there. Like the Cubs who are six games behind St. Louis in their division, nothing will be set in stone until September. Hang in there, UHC supporters. Call your congressmen, call the White House, let them know what you want, what you demand. There is still time.

Playlists

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:08:29 -0400

A recent blog I saw had a woman listing her limited iTunes list of artists. I thought it would be nice to share some playlists for CD mixes I have done recently.

Watching Me Fall

1. Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head) - Ben Folds

2. You Never Know - Wilco

3. Magic Garden - Dusty Springfield

4. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals

5. How High the Moon - Chuck Berry

6. I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself - The White Stripes

7. Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll - The Killers

8. Stragglers Moon - The Fratellis

9. Mutha'uckas - Flight of the Conchords

10. Effington - Ben Folds

11. Men Called Uncle - Elvis Costello & the Attractions

12. Wires and Waves - Rilo Kiley

13. Do You Know How it Feels? The Flying Burrito Brothers

14. Just a Little Lovin' - Shelby Lynne

15. Nothing - Dusty Springfield

16. Pity - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

17. Open up Your Door - Richard & the Young Lions

18. I'm Bound to Pack it Up - The White Stripes

19. On the Radio - Regina Spektor

20. Secret Heart - Feist

21. Je Ne Peux Pas T'en Vouloir - Dusty Springfield

22. Dites Moi Tu - Karpatt

23. Tristeza, Separaciones - Part II - Astor Piazzolla

24. Tico-Tico - Carmen Miranda

25. Parting Gift - Fiona Apple

Musica! Musica! Musica! De los Musicales!

1. Overture/And All that Jazz from Chicago

2. Mein Herr from Cabaret

3. Shipoopi from The Music Man

4. The Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd

5. I've got a Theory/Bunnies/If We're Together from "Once More with Feeling," Buffy the Vampire Slayer

6. Sweet Transvestite from Rocky Horror Picture Show

7. Jack's Lament from The Nightmare Before Christmas

8. Over at the Frankenstein Place from Rocky Horror Picture Show

9. What You Feel from "Once More with Feeling," Buffy the Vampire Slayer

10. Ya Got Trouble from The Music Man

11. If I Were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof

12. I'm an Ordinary Man from My Fair Lady

13. Man of LaMancha (I, Don Quixote) from Man of LaMancha

14. Piano Lesson from The Music Man

15. America from West Side Story

16. There are No Cats in America from An American Tale

17. The Oldest Establishment from Guys and Dolls

18. Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You? from The Music Man

19. No Place Like London from Sweeney Todd

20. Tonight from West Side Story

21. To Life from Fiddler on the Roof

22/23. Coda/End Credits (Broom Dance/Grr Arrgh) from "Once More with Feeling," Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Hope you like the tunes, and feel free to send me playlists or suggestions for groups I should listen to.