Yellow

(read quickly, and like a song)

Yeeeeeeeeelllll…

-lo is fabulous color

a really remarkable hue

It has all the zim of the sunlight

It has all the zang of the dew (when it’s new)

It’s the jubilant zing of a trumpet

Like a starfruit it has all the tang

There’s the sour delight of a lemon that’s ripe

And the sweetness of lemon meringue

OH!

Though apples are crispy and peaches are peachy I’ll still always take the banana-NA

‘Cause yellow ain’t cold, it’s more like honey gold or the voice of great Carlos Santa-NA!

Sunflowers, and fairies, beach sand and canaries, and butter and some kinds of beeean

With sea snakes and frosting, it’s all quite exhausting, so hurry and move on to green!

Orange

Oh, Orange

Ocher Oblique Omens Over Oaks

Oblong Obstacles Obstructing Others

Oral Orbs Offering Olfactory Onslaughts of Odor

Omnipotent Oodles Of Odious Oiled Oceanic Organisms Audaciously…

Oops.

Red

Of all the common colors there is one important hue

With not the punch of purple, nor the iciness of blue

But the passion of a burning flame that grows into a fire

The raging carnal sentiments that soar with strong desire.

 

It sleeps in all the rubies as they’re taken from the mine

It sleeps in every laced and pasted paper valentine.

 

Though do not doubt it will come out, escape its quiet prison

Erupting back to power at the time of its decision.

 

Don’t fear the crackling sparkles as it rises from the dead

Pity all vermin of the slimy dark instead.

Since it is they in danger’s way, for now approaches red.

Searchboxes

Every time I type her name in the search box, a fragment of hope tells me that this time I will find her. Every time I am disappointed. Lists of people, all with the correct name, stare back at me, but none of them are whom I am looking for. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever see her again.

We used to be good friends. Back in the misty memories of childhood I remember the times we spent together, our two-year age difference somehow disregarded. She was one of the few whom I called my best friend. But somehow I cannot remember why. Her personality eludes me. I know she was “nice.” But how am I to extract meaning out of an adjective so vague? All I can see is her smile.

I do remember the last time we were together. Or at least it’s the last time I can recall. Our families decided to go out together, but tensions made the evening awkward. The others were less than cheerful as we all left the restaurant that night. It had been a cold, windy night. I turned back as we walked to the car, not sure when I’d see her again, but she had already disappeared into the labyrinth of the parking lot with her parents and sister.

Has she changed? Who is she now? Who was she then? These are questions I want to answer. If only fate would give me the chance. Would it matter to her? Does she ever think of me? Does she even remember me? How can I expect so much of her when I can hardly answer yes myself?

Sometimes I picture what it would be like to meet her again. Her curly red hair is longer now, her freckles less obvious on her cheeks. When she smiles, there are no holes where she’s growing in her adult teeth. But still it is her. We sit at a small coffee table, and ask the generic questions. “How are you? What have you been up to?” Only in our conversation, these questions are not mere pleasantries, cast out into the abyss to fill the void of silence. They are genuine entreaties to make up for lost time.

Perhaps by some miracle she is reading these lines. Perhaps she wonders if I am who she thinks. Perhaps she has forgotten me. For now I will keep typing her name into search boxes.

A Review on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”

The Hobbit was predicted to do well in theaters, and so far it has certainly done that. It has gathered $84.8 million in North America during the first weekend alone, and set the record for the most popular film opening in December, according to the Wall Street Journal. The big question of course is does the movie deserve its success? With a franchise such as this there is always the risk of disappointment, whether from fans or those to whom the novel is unfamiliar. Likewise, the legacy of the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy puts addition pressure on the new series to live up to the family name.

The greatest difficulty in saying anything about “The Hobbit” is that one will automatically be assumed to be biased. If the comment is negative, then “The Lord of the Rings” fans will assume the critic is just venting dislike of the original trilogy on this new story. If the comment is positive however, the critic will be accused of being a fan just trying to uphold the Hobbit name. Admittedly, I did read “The Hobbit” once, but that was long ago, and I had honestly forgotten much of the story. Incredibly I have also only seen the beginning of one of the “The Lord of the Rings” movies. So while I entered the movie theater with the ghosts of characters floating in my mind, I could sympathize with those new to the Hobbit tale. Thus, my opinions are neither those of a Rings hater nor a Rings lover.

Some critics have argued that “The Hobbit” is long and dull. Personally, I feel that this statement is a bit harsh. Detailed is a better adjective I think. The creators of the film likely knew that they would make enough profit to produce two additional films. As a result, they likely did not feel the same pressure to fit everything of importance into a single movie. Now, they might have gotten a bit carried away. After all, nearly an hour was spent inside a hobbit hole, with no real action or adventure to speak of. But who knows? Perhaps the creators merely wanted to set the stage properly, and since the story will be told over the course of three films (and a predicted 9 hours total) it is understandable that the introduction should be a bit longer.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that “The Hobbit” was terribly original. There were all the expected tactics used in action/adventure movies; several life and death situations that the heroes barely made it out of, a villain who kills his messengers when they bring him bad news. In fact at one point, this same villain, upon seeing the protagonists in a desperate situation, smiles and laughs a long and evil laugh just like virtually every bad guy in recent history.

But to the movie’s credit, it did not fall into many pitfalls that similar works have fallen prey to. For instance, the 3D was lovely, even beautiful to watch. There were no cheap tricks where a projectile is hurled at the audience, and the panoramic views of nature (even if computer generated) were simply magnificent. By the end of the movie, I had forgotten I was wearing glasses.

In addition, there were no silly references to modern-day culture. The world in which the story was set was therefore original and consistent, making the characters and the plot seem all the more real. I said before that the movie was not very original, but honestly, the fans of the series would probably not have been very happy if it had been. Watching “The Hobbit” was very much like watching “The Lord of the Rings,” which is an aspect that I do  not believe will be lost on such fans. And ultimately, it is for them that the film was created. Let’s not kid ourselves.

For those who have never read “The Hobbit” or any of “The Lord of the Rings” I would not recommend starting with “The Hobbit” film. While prior knowledge is not necessary for comprehension, it certainly makes the picture more enjoyable. For those who have read or seen “The Lord of the Rings” and liked it, you will not be disappointed. For those who did not like it, stay away. For those who have read “The Hobbit” before, go and enjoy. From what I remember of the book, the film has been pretty faithful. Finally, for anyone who does decide to go see “The Hobbit,” beware. It’s a good tale that is worth the patience, but you’ll have to wait another two years for the rest of the trilogy.

A Review on “Cloud Atlas”

When I walked into the theater to see Cloud Atlas, I didn’t know what to expect. Would the directors of The Matrix succeed in creating another deep, thought-provoking film for the ages? The first scene with Tom Hanks as a wizened, old bald storyteller seemed to argue otherwise.

As the movie gained momentum, my number of questions increased exponentially. One moment the viewer was sailing on the seas of the slave trade, the next, was watching Jim Broadbent’s character trying to escape from an old folk’s home. What was the significance of that shooting star tattoo, or that turquoise button? But most importantly, how would all these radically different tales unite into one cohesive message? Unfortunately, nearly three hours later I still couldn’t answer that final question.

Like The Matrix, Cloud Atlas certainly is thought provoking. But whereas both films use effective hooks to hint at a more profound underlying message, in Cloud Atlas this hint is a red herring. Not to say that there are no connections; on the contrary, Cloud Atlas is one of the most complicatedly interwoven pictures I’ve ever seen. But what do such connections mean? That everything is connected? Tom Hanks successfully made that argument in the first five minutes. The trailer did it in two.

However, Cloud Atlas is still a movie worth watching. It presents its story in a way that is new and refreshing, albeit lengthy. Some have said that the film was more enjoyable for the actors who got to flex their acting abilities than the audience who had to sit through it. But ultimately I would argue that Cloud Atlas marks the beginning of a new era in film. The raw potential is there, it just needs a bit of refinement.

Honestly, I believe any one of the six stories could have stood on its own as a legitimate movie. But that’s not really the point. The creators of Cloud Atlas wanted to go beyond the status quo, and if using brute force to rope six well-developed stories into one super story was their method, well then so be it. It worked. And no one said creativity had to be gentle.

Musings on Thanksgiving

It’s mid-November, and I’m dreaming of duck. Then a turkey flaps in and says “try me, I’m juicy and succulent” while handing me a carving knife. What’s that soft pillow like texture under my feet? Oh, of course its only a mountain of stuffing. Cranberry sauce rains from the sky, and an apple pie floats gently on a sea of whipped cream. When I wake up, I remember that Thanksgiving is not for another week, and that the last thing I ate was a slice of cold pizza.

In my opinion, Thanksgiving is underappreciated. Think about it. It is a holiday to celebrate eating, an activity that stems from one of the deepest desires of the human race. But still there are rebels. Thanksgiving is outdated, they claim, and only America even acknowledges it because of the card companies. “And who wants to eat [make] a turkey anyway?” Ironically it is these same people who support having a Thanksgiving break.

Is Thanksgiving outdated? In some ways of course it is. Not everyone is the descendant of an American Pilgrim, and even less are descendants of those particular native Americans. But ultimately, the message remains applicable to the twenty-first century. Not only is it a nice practice to be thankful for what one has, but the very instigator of that first great feast, namely the friendship created despite a cultural void, is something that America claims to be an expert in. There’s the melting pot, the current cultural diversity, etc. etc., point is it’s time to accept that Thanksgiving is a wonderful day, if not a holy one, and should be appreciated as such. I’ll go finish that stuffing now.