3 in 1 Movie Review: Romances

If you're like me on Valentine's Day... then you're all alone you sad sack of shit!!! Just kidding, I'm a fan of most holidays, despite commercialism and other negative things related to any particular holiday. This holiday is kind of special, you get to spend it with someone you absolutely love or you get to relax and enjoy being single. If you're one of the relaxing singles (I'd like your number please) or even a couple who likes to stay in on Valentine's Day (and not do dirty things I guess) then I say curl up on the couch and watch yourself a movie or two. Here's a list of my top 3 favorite love stories and a quick review on each. From 3 to 1, lets count down!

#3
The Artist.
This is a cute little film that may still may be out in theaters. It's a silent film about an actor who can't let go of the silent film era when it begins to move into the era of talking movies (or talkies as they were known.) I like this film as a love story because the romance aspect is a subplot to the rest of the film. The movie is about the film industry and one mans struggle to survive in the world. Heck, the romance aspect is so far down on the plot list that the main character ends up having a better relationship with his dog (not in the sick kind of way.) But the romantic aspect is such a lovely story, full of ups and downs, twists and turns, so much so that I recommend it if you decide to go out and see a movie tonight. Also, to make this a full movie review like I promised I would a few days ago, I give the movie and B, see it if you get the chance or at least buy or rent it on DVD. The directing and silent acting where also magnificant.

#2
11 Minutes Ago.
Fair warning to people who hate independent films, this is one of them. But it's not an indie film in the same sense that most of what Michael Cera makes are indie films. This one LOOKS like it was made by a bunch of college students, but that's where the comparison ends. The plot and structure to this film and how well executed it is make up for anything that may come off as amateur. It's essentially a love story about a time traveler who falls in love with a lady from a different time than his own (he's from the future.) But unlike movies like The Lake House or how I'm assuming The Time Traveler's Wife is done (I haven't actually seen it), 11 Minutes Ago marries romance and sci-fi together in such a way that you feel like neither one is lacking. What I'm saying is The Lake House was a romance with a time machine plot device, 11 Minutes Ago is a science fiction romance. I give it an A, it's on Netflix Instant, you should check it out if you can. The acting is eh but the directing is amazing!

#1
Wristcutters: A Love Story.
Last but certainly not least, my all time favorite love story. Now don't let the title fool you, this movie is a lot more light hearted and full of fun than you think. It's essentially about a guy who dies and goes to hell (I'll give you a guess as to how he dies. *Hint: Title of the movie.) In hell he finds a girl and the love story begins. This, just like the other two movies on my list blend romance with other fantastic story telling elements in an awesome way. I love this movie not only for that, but for the fantasty element it has as well as how it presents it's views on morality, life, and religion. Love this movie, I give it an A, it's on Netflix Instant as well. The acting is pretty good and so is the directing.

Well there you have it. If you're a couple, hope you enjoy watching these movies together. If you're single, try to concentrate on the other cool parts about these movies. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and of course, Happy Valentine's Day!

4 in the Morning: Do you know where your mind is at?

So it's super early in the morning or late if you're like me and can't get a second of sleep. I could get sleep, which is the shitty part, but I wouldn't get much... so it doesn't seem worth it to try to fall asleep. I'm going to use this post to just talk for a second about my life, where it's at, where it's been, give you a clue as to why I believe I'm losing my mind. I'll just get started then.

I hate my job. That's number one on my list right now. I feel like I can say that here 'cause I highly doubt any of my coworkers or my boss read my blog. I've been told that my blogs are read by more people than I know, some just choose not to give me feedback (let's hope those people aren't my coworkers). Anyways, back on track, my job. I have to wake up at 8 tomorrow to be at work by 9:30 and I only have a half hour to set up the entire store before opening at 10, and I have to do all of this alone. Once I've opened I have to deal with what seems like the worst people in the world. Which can't be right, 'cause they're just average people and I can't believe that the average person sucks, I'm an average person and I don't want to suck. Anyways, lately all I've gotten at work is bullshit on top of bullshit, not just from the customer, but also the people I'm working for.

Last time I worked I opened alone as usual (I'm not supposed to tell people I work alone for safety reasons and such but I figure if they're not going to schedule someone to work with me then me getting beat up and robbed is on them anyways). So I opened and my boss came in for mid-shift and, as usual, all I got from her was shit. That's all I ever get, she's also technically not the boss boss (the boss boss is on leave) and all she does is tell me shit I can't do or tell me shit I'm doing wrong. So every day I work I have to look forward to bullshit from customers and bullshit from my boss it seems. Why the fuck would I want to wake up early for that? Or lose sleep over that?

I would give you my full opinion on working there, but technically I'm not allowed to and I could get fired for it... which kind of makes me want to tell you (isn't that fucked up?) In any case, I'm moving on to a different topic, my debt. My parents recently told me that the problems I have aren't as bad as they seem, so seeing as I'm apparently blind to the true natures of my problems I'm just going to tell you all the "real adult problems" I have and let you decide if I'm in a bad situation.

I'm in an extreme amount of debt and only half of that debt is actually my fault. I've got a $40 a month gym membership to a gym I don't go to that I have to pay or they'll take me to court (btw, the only other ways out of the contract is to move to a different state or die... so yeah). My credit card has been maxed out for the second time in my life and I haven't actually spent a dime of it on myself. You want to know who did? My parents, to pay for the massive amount of debt they're in. So now, ALL of their financial problems become mine. We almost got evicted a week ago because my parents couldn't afford rent. I only get paid about $200 every two weeks. I'm going to leave that there for you and move on to a really weird and moderately personal problem... my one regret in life.

Honest to goodness I only live with one regret in life, which is a very small amount for the average person I'd say. Even the shit I've been ashamed of I don't regret having done because at least I learned from those experiences. This regret came from a choice and I picked the choice that guided me towards a life of debt and depression (fact). What the other choice would have guided me too, I have no clue. Like most choices in life, this one involves a girl (to tiredly misquote the opening narration to Spider-Man in a way that only vaguely resembles the actual quote.)

The choice was to date a girl or not date a girl (she had freaken asked me out). I'll give you a guess as to which one I choose. Yup, you guessed correct, I choose not to go out with her 'cause I was a stupid idiot who was too shy a person to have a girlfriend (still am.) Anyways, she was really cute and I kind of liked her, I should have said yes... but if I had my life would have turned out completely different. Yup, one girl in freaken middle school gave me a life changing choice and I didn't even know it at the time. Now of course this wouldn't be such a life changing choice if it wasn't for a second choice I was given less than a year later. The choice to move to California.

Yup, the only reason you know me and are reading my blog right now is because of... well, me, and technically this girl. The second choice was given to me by my parents who let me decide if my dad should take a job offer in California or if he should just stay in Kansas. Now that's one of those clearly life changing decisions, but this one had a super easy answer: move to California.

I hated it in Kansas, I was bullied a lot and probably would have ended up as one of those school shooting kids if I had stayed... unless I had a really good reason to stay. A girl would have honestly been a good enough reason to stay in Kansas, especially this girl. In retrospect, out of all the girls I've ever dated or potentially had a chance to date, she probably would have been the best of them... then again, it was Middle School, I was 14, the only thing people have in common at that age are liking the pizza the school serves for lunch, so what did I know? But chances are, I would probably find her awesome today.

If I had been dating this girl at the time I would have choose to stay in Kansas. I never would have moved to California and my life would be completely different right now. That's a very difficult thing to get past: what my shitty life is right now vs how things could have been different. So anyways, that's all I really ahve to say this early in the morning (late at night?), if you read this please for the love of all that is holy let me know, even if you simply tell me you read it. Adios amigos!

Movie Review: Chronicle

You know what was a good movie, Office Space. That movie was funny and smart. But this review is about Chronicle, so lets get crackin' my homies!

Chronicle is a film about 3 highschool seniors who get super powers and tear some shit up. Everyone who worked on the film was an essential "nobody" who's getting their start in cinema and let me tell you, they all did pretty amazing. In the directing category we have the "found footage"/POV style format which was introduced to the modern public with Cloverfield, popularised by Paranormal Activity, and is now kind of over used. However, despite all the typical stuff you see with POV directing, this movie did some pretty cool things with it that went above and beyond the norm. I would describe a few breathtaking scenes but that could spoil the movie for you. I'll move on to acting.

For a bunch of actors I don't recognize, they did a pretty good job. With the exception of HUD from Cloverfield, not that many of these "found footage" actors seem to go on to do anything else recognizable. Goodness I hope the actors in Chronicle do. On a side note, the actor who plays Andrew (the cameraman character and essential star of the film) reminds me of a young Leonardo DiCaprio, the friends I saw the movie with agreed.

There are so many awesome things I want to tell you about this film, like the many awesome scenes, interesting plot, and the nice superhero theme they eloquently sewed into the film. But I think it's best if you see this movie yourself, I give it an A+. See it, then see it again, and be sure to invite me with you both times. Thanks for reading!

Superman Saves Too

I'm writing this because of Superman and I never thought this would be one of the hardest blogs I'd ever write. But not for the reasons you'd think. I've been having a rough day, hell, a rough month, maybe even year. As I go along, I hope to convey why I'm having a hard time writing this and why the blog is written because of Superman, but not because of Superman. Lets start with that confusing notion.

You may be thinking, Casey's writing a blog about Superman because he's a fan of Superman and just needs something to write about in his boredom. This is not the case. I'm writing specifically about Superman today because I just experienced a moment when I needed him the most. Yes, a moment when I needed a fictional superhero to help me get through something.

This is a hard blog to write because of that something, and that something was: giving up. Not giving up doing something, but giving up the person I am simply because I'm tired of being that person. This is where Superman comes in and why I like him.

Many people have compared me to Superman and for good reason, I aspire to be like him. I don't mean I want to fly and shoot lasers out of my eye (although that would be awesome), I mean I want to be like the type of person he is. Superman is a symbol of hope, he is a man who has achieved great things fictionally and hell, non-fictionally. Not only can his character stand the test of time but his comic does as well. This is why I like the big blue boyscout.

Every time I feel down, or angry, or just feel like reading a comic I always go for a Superman one. I do this because every time I open a Superman comic I see a world where the nerdy nice guy gets the girl. I see a world where one man can achieve great things. I see a world where, no matter how hard things get, that one nerdy nice man never gives up.

I was very close to giving up today. Not on life, but on how I wanted to live it. A lot of people don't think I can be an asshole, that I'm always going to be the nice guy. But you know what, in a way they're right, but not for the reasons they may think. The nice guy isn't the nice guy because he's simply born that way, he's the nice guy because goddamn it he chooses to be, through thick and thin he never gives up.

I was moments away from up and deciding to be an asshole, yes, just deciding to be mean to everyone (and yes, I know how, just ask the rare person I've been an asshole to), but at the last second something saved me: a symbol, a character, a hero. This something pulled me from my anger, from my sadness, and from my hate back into the light that I struggle to remain in. Today, I was saved by Superman.

... and then you die.

What is the meaning of life? That's a tough one to answer. Go ahead and ask yourself that question and think about it for a moment. Now consider that whatever answer you came up with, will probably not be the same as what some of your friends, your co-workers, or even your family came up with. So what does that mean? How can you truly know what the right answer is? Absurdism says you can't.

We seem to live in a world in which we constantly search for answers to things and can't find any. Or instead, we find a bunch of answers and can't decide which one is right, which pretty much means we haven't found an answer. Absurdism, lets you choose your own answer, while simultaneously understanding that there technically isn't an answer, at least not one you can find. You essentially get 3 options with this:

1) Become religious: your answer is God, or Jesus, or Buddha, or Tom Cruise. They bring meaning to your life, they created it after all.

2) Kill yourself: end the life that you can't find meaning for. This one is essentially a cop-out, 'cause no matter how you look at life, you're here. Ending it would just be... I don't know, absurd.

3) Accept the bullshit, default to atheism, or find your own damn meaning: fight the power. Seems to be the best option, unless you're religious, then I refer you to number one.

For all intents and purposes, life seems to suck. That's the old saying, right? Life sucks and then you die. Go ahead and ask any "born-again Christian," I bet they'd say, "if it wasn't for Jesus, my life would suck right now." Ask any apathetic/lethargic person and they'd say, "life sucks, I'm going to go die." In general, people seem to think that life sucks. But to all of those people, all of them, that includes you Mr. and Mrs. God-fearing-Christian: Fuck you for telling me my life sucks!

Granted, you never said my life sucks specifically, but you sure implied it by saying your life sucks or that life sucks in general. Hate to quote High School Musical here, but we really are all in this together. You're life sucking without Jesus implies that my life sucks because I haven't found Jesus. You're life sucking because of all the bullshit in it implies that my life sucks because I'm going through similar bullshit. I don't think life should suck at any point, because really, what would be the point in that?

I sure as hell can't abide a world that sucks, so I choose to believe it doesn't suck by believing that life is indifferent to my problems, and boy do I have ton of them. But lets be honest here, you don't want to hear them. So what do I do to face my problems?

Whatever the hell I want, that's what. The way I look at most decisions in life is as follows: there's either a God (spirutual deity), or there isn't, either way, it doesn't really matter. Follow me on this one, if there is a God, my problems don't mean anything, 'cause eventually I'll be delivered from them. If there isn't a God, then nobody keeping track anwyays, so why worry about it?

On that note, I'll finish with one more thing. Life can be the coolest and most awesome thing in the world if you fight for it and choose to live the life you want to live... and then you die, beyond that, doesn't really matter, you're here now, make the best of it. Thanks for reading!

Movie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Before I give my review of this movie I must preface this by saying three things: 1) I'm going to review the trailer before hand. (Promised someone I would.) 2) It was a loooooong movie. 3) This will probably be a loooooong post, so I hope you've got a ton of food stored somewhere.

TRAILER
Got to be one of the best trailers of the year, but then again, Sucker Punch had a good trailer and I heard that movie sucked. The trailer had a lot going for it, imagery, music, everything matched the beat, and all of it built up to the title of the film. The trailer is even more perfect because it serves as an analogy to all the hype built up about this movie. I'm sure you've heard of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (it won't make you a hipster if you have, unless you say you liked it before everyone else liked it.) It started as an award winning novel (later trilogy) and then was adapted to film by the Swedish thereby making TGWTDT (2011) a remake of a foreign film and a book-to-movie adaptation. All of this being said, I don't want to reveal my thoughts of the movie just yet, all you need to know is that it was an awesome trailer.

MOVIE
Alright, lets talk about the director, David Fincher. I've liked 4 out of the 5 movies by him. His first one, "Alien 3", sucked so hard I wonder how he even made it as a director. Then again, this is the guy who made Fight Club, Benjamin Button, and The Social Network all award winning wet dreams. So he's clearly a skilled director and it shows in TGWTDT. Every scene felt how it needed to feel and every image was captured almost perfectly. But then, I didn't really have a problem with Alien 3's directing, just the rest of it. So I'll move on from directing.

The acting was atrocious...ly amazing! As one of the people I saw the movie with said (and I'm paraphrasing): it's nice to see Daniel Craig as someone other than Bond. Rooney Mara, otherwise remembered as the chick Jessie Eisenberg bitched about in The Social Network, did all sorts of an amazing job, especially with her accent. I honestly thought they cast a foreign actress for the part, turns out Rooney's from New York, go figure. The rest of the cast is filled with a bunch of old famous people, so they obviously did good.

Now my final note of the film. So I hope I've kept you on the edge of your seat with what I thought about this film, just as the mystery of the film kept me on the edge of mine. But seeing as I've mostly given good notes, you can probably guess what I'm about to say.... I hated Alien 3... but I loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Absolutely loved it. It was about 3 hrs long and had a good handful of moment where it could have ended. But just like in the Lord of the Rings, it had to close off a few things it set up in the film. No problem here with doing that, it makes the movie a far more rich experience to watch. I give it an A+, see the movie. One last thing, if topics such as rape, murder, or religion leave you with a feeling of unease, you may want to stay away from the movie, unless you think you can handle it, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo really is the feel bad movie of Christmas.

The Mostly True Story of the Coolest MoFo in the World: Me. (The abridged version.)

It started in 1991 when momma Rafler and daddy Rafler had a baby together, they
named him Casey The Well-Endowed. By age 5, Casey was gettin' all the bitches at
Pre-School when he showed off his tricycle, it had tricked out rims, an awesome
stereo system, and hydrolics. The ladies couldn't resist. At age 10 Casey
developed a serious Coke addiction. Coca-Cola was his favorite soda for the
longest time. But then, in his 14 year of life, tragedy struck.The dreaded
diabetus set in and Casey had to switch to diet, no worries though, diet is
quite slimming. At age 15 Casey moved to the chillest state in the Union,
California. He was originally from the most uptight state, Kansas. It was here
that Casey spent the rest of his life up until now, age 20 (almost 21). With the
coolest friends surrounding him, in the coolest state possible, Casey Rafler
became: The Coolest Motherfucker in the World (Who's also well-endowed.) True
story.