Friday, January 8, 2010

Simplify, dude!

Simplification. How many times have you kept things simple? Simplification. Women are known to be masters in that, although men are slowly catching up! In times like these, simple is best.



I've been told that this blog is too much bulls***. Readers alike have told me to just cut it short, get straight to the point. Problem is, according to them, they just don't know what they're reading. Strange as it is, simplification is needed in desperate hours.



So, simplify you say. To simplify is to cut short the crap, and get straight to the point. Everyone needs to simplify, the question is of course, how? I've been trying some simplifying work lately, and boy, it needed patience and tolerance. To be simple is to be simple. All right, so I haven't been keeping things simple here, and I haven't been going straight to the point, like a misfiring laser beam. Heck, I think it is safe to say, being simple is not enough.



Sometimes, we should not simplify. We should just go with the flow. If we try, we fail. Sure, you can tell me, "Hey pal, I think you just lost your marbles for saying that" . Sometimes, it's just not the way, trying to simplify, for all we need to do is just take it up the chin. Where optimism is lacking, we can feel great that things could have been worse. Simplification is just another way out, an excuse of escapism, a sinful method of not wanting to take things as it is. To those cowards out there, what's wrong with a little embarrassment? What about the old-fashioned 'all guns blazing' attitude? My apologies to the offended, I'm merely learning how to simplify.



Simplifying is absolutely essential, no doubt, but c'mon now, what can you actually get from trying to be all too perfect and SIMPLE? Now, let's see, how could I have simplified more, folks?

Review of The Week!

Movie : The Avengers (2012)

Awe-inducing, funny and action-packed, this could be the superhero movie of the year (not that there are many).



It is unusual for directors to modify the genre of superhero movies. To be precise, if we are looking for some popcorn entertainment, Joss Whedon could have easily turned this into a full-blown alien-versus-superhero affair (that actually would not be too bad). Interestingly to note however, he does not. With an affinity to blend action scenes with tongue-in-cheek humor, he balances the tone of the movie to be both rewarding and most definitely, superhero-themed.

There are plenty of noteworthy things you can brag about this movie. The cinematography, the script, the visuals, the cast, the production design. Surely though, there would be one or two flaws, but they are not really meant to be called 'flaws' per se. Bending the laws of physics, 'saving the world' is saving the US and how Hulk manages to comply to orders are just some of the minor 'flaws'. These are probably things that you would just like to ignore for the sake of giving the director the benefit of the doubt.

It is quite evident that Whedon has made this film his own. He incorporates humor into almost every scene, as if things are not to be taken too seriously in the world of The Avengers. And it should be like that. Again, the emphasis on superhero movies usually lie on destruction, life-saving and personalization of characters. But here, there is some of that, but not completely. No chessy lines. No rushed pacing. No cliche-ridden narrative. (Just Loki speaking in a not-so-sharp English accent.)

The movie can also be likened to last year's Deathly Hallows (Part 2); a lot of hype, and duly delivered. At least we could expect how the last Harry Potter movie was meant to be : an emotional, epic battle. The Avengers did deliver but there is something different to the whole theme that somehow manages to change our view on how superhero movies should be in the future. Is it Robert Downey Junior's Shakespearean jab at Thor? Or is the excellent cinematography of sticking to single shots instead of quick-fire editing? Heck, it could even be Scarlett Johansson's semi-obscene display of bust. Anyhow the movie is a success, most definitely.


Unprecedented, now that is one word to decribe Joss Whedon's take on a superhero movie.


Personally*... Stay in your seats till the end; there are rumors that an extra scene is added to the US version of The Avengers, for compensation of the late release.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/894039/reviews/

Spark of inspiration?