I swear to BLOG...!

Instead of responding to the comment just left on my previous post, I thought I'd share this (slightly old) video with you instead, because it's not trite or boring; it's HILARIOUS.

My previous comment about Street Kings is instigating a bit of controversy, so I thought I'd briefly address the issue here (and finish this post with the video that was originally in it, when I only had one post that I was trying to sidestep because I thought it was a random bullet).

I'm hesitant to even be responding, because I have absolutely no idea the kinds of people who are commenting. Expressing positive emotion anonymously is humble, but expressing negative emotion, or just plain calling me a jackass, and doing so anonymously, is cowardly and helps no one.

That being said, I'll talk about why I am appalled by the trailer for Street Kings. First of all, I don't think that getting "good reviews" or being considered for an Oscar means anything. The Oscars are a long way away, and they are not without their fair share of swill every year. People are constantly passed up for Oscars despite giving better performances or turning out better products than the winners they butt up against. It's politics, people.

Also, I think it goes without saying that making a lot of money does not implicitly make you good at anything other than making money. I am always incredulous when people who are not talented (and let me be clear here, if I wasn't before: Keanu Reeves is NOT talented as an actor) at particular trades or skills are heralded, or well paid in those fields, when they rise above the heads of those more deserving. And I am not saying that because I *secretly* believe that I am more deserving of that money than Keanu Reeves. I'm saying it because I can think of tons of people, from nobodies in community theaters, to people working hard getting bit parts in large films, to people who deliver monster performances in the independent and international film markets, who are more deserving of the recognition, if not the money.

My opinions about the film or Keanu Reeves or ANYTHING on this website have absolutely nothing to do with who I am in terms of my successes as a person. I'm incredibly young, and it would be absurd to expect me to be a filmmaking genius recognized in any major circle. My age and lack of success does not mean I can't have intelligent thoughts about filmmaking, a specific film, or a specific actor. I think that studying film for years academically, on top of the lifetime I've spent studying them, at least entitles me to that. I'll admit that my post was facetious, sarcastic, and dry, but the opinions in it were not just my own. They are shared by many people. Intelligent people.

The film stars many people who are poor actors, or are not actors at all. The Game is a rapper. While he may have good acting chops, I have yet to see those chops. Meanwhile, I have seen several rappers (P. Diddy among them) who decide to go into acting and fall on their faces, but the swill gets made anyway because they have DRAW. Most of the actors starring in Street Kings have DRAW, not necessarily acting talent.

And as a side note, Street Kings is clearly an action film. Traditionally, action flicks are not exactly in the business of delivering powerful emotion or valuable social/cultural statement. They are in the business of giving people a lot of bang for their buck: a 72-minute adrenaline rush with lots of fast, bright, pretty pictures. And on top of that, they are popular among, but not limited to, the poorly educated people in this country. And when things are directed toward the poorly-educated and contain lines like "We are the police. We can do whatever the hell we want," I get worried. Because the police CAN'T do whatever they want, and if most of the country thinks they can (which they seem to, because we wouldn't be approaching the police state we're headed toward if they didn't), then one day we'll find ourselves in quite a pickle.

I gave the trailer the slop review and brushoff that I gave it because it has every ingredient that makes it not worth my time. Not because I'm cocky, not because I'm a "jackass," not because I am jealous of these people getting to be in SUCH A SUPER FUN MOVIE MAN I WISH I WERE IN IT BUT DANG, I'M A NOBODY. I KNOW, I'LL GIVE IT A BAD REVIEW!! Not because of any of those things. I gave it the 30 second crap acknowledgment that I gave it because I can see it will foster absolutely nothing in the people who will watch it other than a thrill and pulling down the notches of one's expectation in filmmaking and acting quality. Which is a worthless endeavor.

And if the movie is actually as bad as I think it's going to be, then I feel really, really bad for Forest Whitaker. Because he's a good actor. And good actors don't deserve to be in shitty popcorn movies once they've proven themselves to be above them.

Now, enjoy a funny video. Everyone who posted comments on the previous post about me being a jackass or a jealous nobody probably won't find this funny, or even get the reference, so they should probably just skip the video and go straight to the comments to start flaming. Here are some great names to call me.