John Carter...Warlord of Mars! Review

   

    Of all the books I read as a kid that I have waited to see on the big screen, the John Carter books were first and foremost on my list. This was one of the earlier books I read as a kid that blew my imagination away. I didn't even read them in order, the first two I read were actually books(see pic above) from later in the series, but I was hooked and went out, found and read all of them. Here was a world where the inhabitants of Mars were not little green men but tall huge tusked four armed violent warriors that laughed during battle! The main human-like inhabitants are Red hued, scantily clad yet loaded with swords and guns slung on their hips and across their backs. They are constantly at war with other city states, Assassination is a common practice run by guilds, and of course the Mad Scientists who construct their unmanned ships and synthetic-men. Pirates colored dark ebony sail and raid the skies... and of course the Plant-Men, blue in hue and carnivorous! The protagonist of the series John Carter is a Civil War vet, lost in the mountains of AZ running from Indians, seeks refuge up in a cave and then finds himself transported to Mars. A skilled fighter as is, he is made even fiercer due to his abilities heightened by the difference in gravity. Early on he meets and falls in love with the "incomparable" and beautiful Dejah Thoris and throughout the series he is fighting for her and the city state of Helium. Dejah though is no women in distress by any means. Edgar Rice Burroughs (Yes, the creator of Tarzan) was well ahead of his times writing these books in the early 1900's with making her so strong.

    Now did the movie totally nail it, was it what I've been waiting for all these years...? Not exactly, but in all fairness they got plenty right and I enjoyed it (and will watch a million times on DVD). John Carter is a fun old school Sci-Fi/Fantasy flick. The critics who ripped this apart and gave it under two stars are a bunch of self-hating, disgruntled, clueless English Lit majors. Saying that you've seen this all before shows an utter lack of understanding of the source material. It was written a 100yrs ago! It's not that you've see it all before...it's that John Carter is the source material for most of the Sci-Fi you have ever seen. More importantly, this film has its own look. Are there some things they borrowed from others, sure, big deal. As for convoluted storyline, I guess if you suffer from ADD or are not too bright, then yeah maybe, but if you're of reasonable intelligence you should be fine.

     For fans of the books without spoiling things they did make some major changes. For one thing, in the books the Therns are a religious order and in the first book no one has ever seen them. This is a major plot point of the early stories. In the movie their role is very different. In the book the explanation of how he got to Mars was kinda weak..which was odd considering all the inventions that he did foresee. In the movie how he gets to Mars ties in with the Therns new storyline. A major plot point of the overall stories is that Barsoom( Mars) is a dying world that requires an Atmosphere plant powered by the 9th ray to provide air. In the movie it's never mentioned(I found this odd, the subplot of religious orders and energy resources that he wrote about 100 yrs ago are so timely now) and the 9th ray is used more as a weapon though it is alluded that it can be used for good. They also took a lot of liberties with Dejah's character. It is with the Tharks and key Thark characters they did the most justice to the books. Oddly enough the "dog" creature is from the books, though not so sure about his Road-Runner like speed.

    I do think the script could have been better, some lines were a bit campy, but the actors all did a good job and deserve far more credit then they have been given. The main problems have more to do with the terrible job the geniuses at Disney did in marketing it, due to their fears about the failure with Mars needs Moms. They are so damn stupid that they think just hearing Mars in a title would have an adverse effect on people decision to see the movie. The other problem is that though written 100 yrs ago...the John Carter books were R rated not PG. They were full of bloody battles and atrocities committed by vicious warriors, terrible monsters, and maniacal mad scientists. Also, due to the heat the Martians are scantily clad wearing nothing more then boots/scandels, battle harnesses and briefs/thongs. Again Disney tried to appeal to the masses. I think this will do well overseas and fantastic on DVD. Much like John Carter...I yearn to return to Mars and look forward to a sequel or two. All in all this is a fun old school Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie and if this is your genre go out and see it. If you like it, buy the original books, they are great and Dynamite-Warlord of Mars Comics is doing a few series based not only on the books, but stories from Mars past that focus on Dejah Thoris and on Barsoom's distant past that have been absolutely fantastic and fun.

Lamont Pride: The Jokers Conundrum

     A career criminal is once again out of jail for all the wrong reasons including loopholes in the system and misguided compassion. He races through the night from dark alley's and buildings to the next after violently ending innocent lives and forever psychologically scarring the lives of the victims loved ones and friends. He is chased by an avenging angel...a dark knight...a battle ensues...it's vicious and bloody...the final blow sends the criminal over the edge of the building...to his well deserved death...but the hero catches his foot just as he goes over and with incredible effort and risk to his own life saves the killer. He turns him over to the authorities to arrest, try, and if found guilty with the proper evidence incarcerated. Release into society and repeat over and over again sacrificing innocents in the process.

    While the above reads as a comic book you've read or seen in the movies or on TV...the real problem and sad truth is that without the elaborate costumes, gadgets, and make-up this happens on our streets every day. Peter Figoski was a Blue Knight who was shot down in cold blood by a career criminal who should not have been on the streets in the first place. Lamont Pride...a fitting last name for a career criminal with an 11 page rap sheet..."pride" being not only one of the deadly sins but considered to be the original. Why was he out on the streets in the first place? I'm not just referencing the judge's decision to release him...why was he out in the first place? How many crimes does one have to commit until it becomes clear that he/she simply cannot live within our society without harming others? We are one country and while I'm no Lawyer so I don not know the details...if one shoots someone in one state is another to do nothing about it? Can another state not hold or extradite one to another state?!?

    I understand that the laws are in place are to protect us from becoming a Totalitarian state. Our laws came about because Royalty in Western Europe believed they were above the common man. As common men our ancestors throw off their yoke and put an end to that. So while I agree with innocent until proven guilty (though I question if it should be by peers or professionals) just how many times do you have to be proven guilty or commit an act so heinous that you are removed from society for good? Take Jerome Issac for instance. He's not a career criminal..he has no priors or 11 page rap sheet. Why do I mention him? Jerome felt an elderly woman owed him money for work he did around her apartment. She stopped using his services because things in her apartment were going missing on a regular basis whenever he did work. Jerome solution's to work this out...he approached the 67 year old woman in an elevator...sprayed her with flammable liquid then threw a Molotov cocktail at her lighting her on fire...she burned to death screaming. The list of horrors that have been committed just over this last year from the shooting of Senator Gifford and those killed around her to the massacre at the Long Island Pharmacy...the list is sadly endless.

    Now some of you may point out that neither of these men have been found guilty in a court of law...yet. You would be correct at this point in time. Lamont Pride for the record to the best of my knowledge admits he did shoot Officer Figoski...but by accident and that it was not his gun. Jerome Issac turned himself him. Half of his face is baldy burned...in a dark twisted take on life imitating art he looks like a real life version of Two-Face. What is our society to do what men like these(I will not put in writing what I what do...but it would less then pleasant for you to read). The Laws need to protect the innocent as well as the accused. If one is incapable of not stealing, raping, assaulting, killing etc then one should not be allowed to live among us. If one commits an act so vicious and horrible...I'm sorry but I have no desire to give them a second chance or try to rehabilitate them. Some of you might. You may be more compassionate then I. I've heard more then enough pseudo hypothetical pseudo-intellectual arguments on the subject. Just tell me...if your Mother was burned alive by a madman or your Daddy was shot in the face and killed by a career criminal who should have been in jail and not on the streets in the first place do your arguments still hold up for you?

Please note...if you are so inclined you can make a donation to a fund for Officer Figoski's surviving 4 daughters at Peter Figoski Scholarship Fund Please make sure you note that it is for this fund....as there are many.

Margin Call Review ****

    If you work in Finance, have any interest in the banking crisis or just need to take a break from your fellow OWS protesters go check out Margin Call. This is a great movie with a great script and cast. There are no Hollywood cliche's here nor mmoore like indictments on the free market economy. Margin Call is a fictional financial thriller that takes places in 24 hours starting with a mass layoff and ending with what this fictionalized bank(I believe Lehman was the model) will do in order to survive.

    Real quick synopsis, the Head of Risk who was just fired was working on some numbers that don't look too good...on his way out he gives them to his subordinate who after running the numbers and models starts calling people back into the firm late at night on a Thursday to discuss their ramifications to not only the firm...but the entire financial market. From here it keeps escalating to higher and higher levels of management.

    What really makes this such a good thriller...is what a great job they did catching what was really going on at the time and likely now. For someone who works(ed) for an Investment Bank I would be very curious to hear what they thought, for someone like me that has learned about their business as a business partner I found it fascinating and so dead on in many places that many if not familiar with this world will think as bull...but are really wholly accurate. For the OWS crowd and their supporters...this is porn. They will be foaming at the mouth watching this.

    There are quite a few lines and soliloquy's here that were really dead on and I will mention where to look for them and who spoke them along with their roles ...but will not provide them to keep this spoiler free.

• Penn Bagley the Jr Analyst's explanation of his job in the town car and his scene in the Men's room stall
• Paul Bettany the Head Trader getting dark on the roof and in belief the way the world works in his sports car
• Jeremy Irons the CEO John Tuld (Lehman ya think?!) in the board room and the executive dining room...Has he ever played a Vampire? If not...he needs to
• Kevin Spacy is a Managing Director and one of the few characters portrayed with a soul...yet still a company man...the scene with his dog, late night meetings and with Irons in the executive dining room
• Stanley Tucci as the Trading floors Head of Risk...getting let go at the beginning of the film and on the stairs of his home later in the film explaining his background
  
• Zach Quito...when he uses telekinesis to cut the top of Tuld's head off...oh wait sorry wrong show, I mean when he gives Bagley a Vulcan neck...oops wrong movie...Actually he was great in this...in the car with Bagley, when he explains his CV(resume...background...please note this is not Hollywood hype...it's actually more common then you would think) in the boardroom explaining the financial models
• Simon Baker as the 40 something Executive who is cold blooded and ruthless... in the elevator with Demi Moore and in the initial meeting to discuss the crisis
• Demi Moore I believe is the CRO... in the elevator with Baker and in the office with Tucci

    There are two things that really hit me at the end of this movie. The first is with so many people from other fields (ie sciences, engineering) getting into finance for the far batter pay...what are we losing? What is not getting invented, developed, built, discovered, changed, improved, etc...We need more Steve Jobs...not guys running equations to just make more money. The second is after attending pop-international-gallery-bermanotomlinson-event where people from many different fields got together for charitable causes...is it all really about the money...isn't it about making the world a better place?

    Now some final deep thoughts...first is the Financial Community is heavily involved in Charity work, more then most people think. So the "1%" are doing some good out there(it's the ruthless 1% of the 1% that cause all the trouble). The rub though is...things are the way they are because we all buy things we don't need and many buy things they cannot afford. Our economy is all based on debt and most of us contribute to it. So if you have a mortgage, credit card debt, live beyond your own means etc...don't be so fast to thrown stones in the glass house you help to create each and every day...

Mark Cuban's Soapbox Advice to the OWS Movement and then some

    I saw on Twitter a fairly thought provoking article from Mark Cuban's blog and his thoughts on the Financial Markets. soapbox-advice-to-the-ows-movement-and-then-some/ After you read his piece... my deep thoughts...

    My $.02 for what's it worth is this...the Frank/Dodd bill is a disaster because he doesn't tackle the real problems on Wall St and our Gov't...it attacks the easy to see profits...which is only resulting in not only less profits for banks but less tax revenues...guess where the money comes from that pays Union's, Unemployment benefits etc...???

    Where I think Mr Cuban nailed it is on these two points...

1) Holding Corporations responsible. Buying a share of stock and attending share holder meetings would likely do a bit more then getting high in a park while asking for hand-outs and using the very tools of Capitalism (iPhones, Twitter, Google, etc) while accepting gifts from American Apparel, etc...to attempt to...do what exactly...

2)The stock market was created to raise capital for companies so they can come out with better product/services and in turn become more profitable...that's not what's going on any longer...

    Where I don't agree is in regards to High Frequency Trading...I don't see it going away anytime soon...it's a matter of how it's used. Furthermore I don't think sending our trading markets overseas would benefit us whatsoever and really don't get why he does, unless he was just being provocative.

    Last but not least...while I believe there need to be major changes in Wall St regulation, the Gov't, the Tax code etc...I do not see the OWS as the vehicle to get us there. If anything they are doing more damage then good by diverting Police resources away from high crime areas where they are needed(yes...crime is up) and not only are they not affecting Big Banks profits... they are killing small business's in the Wall St vicinity!
 

    I also had the pleasure of walking through them in USQ when it first started. It was not comprised of intelligent people articulating their thoughts... it was a mass of unwashed idiots screaming and shaking their fists while carrying signs about one thing and yelling about another. The fact that its comprised of anarchists looking to bring down Capitalism, Anti-Semites spewing their rants(yes a minority...but I have 0 tolerance for it) and the clueless looking for something to do...they quite simply do not get my support and I think it's time for them to pack up for the next protest they know nothing about.

    Maybe they can camp out at the Universities that charge the crazy exorbitant fee's that have lead to a TRILLION dollar bubble in unpaid student loans getting ready to burst...or possibly on Barney Frank's lawn. He can come out and explain Fannie and Freddie to them and tell them why he said he supports them while he was at a fundraiser meeting with Investment Banks while in New York recently...

Peter Lik's Sunset Dreams...yet I yearn for Endless Summer

  

    This past Friday world renowned Photographer Peter Lik released his newest piece Sunset Dreams. It's a new variation on a theme he has done before, a jetty extending out into calm waters. The picture entices you to reach out...take that special someones hand and step right into the picture to stroll along the jetty to enjoy that magnificent sunset together. In his last piece like this the picture was all about cool blues during the day. This one is about a sunset bursting with a multitude of purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and blues. If like me as a kid you had the big box of Crayola's see how many colors you can name.
   
    In addition to Sunset Dreams Peter decided to surprise the crowd and sent over Endless Summer...which I believe turned out to be the star of the show. Endless Summer is a Trestle extending out high over lapping waves with highlights of light throughout the piece. It's primarily cool blues and grays yet like many of his photographs packs an emotional punch. The incredible blue color towards the end of the tunnel like trestle is incredible.
    
    For those not familiar with Peter Lik's works...they are not as many suspect back-lit. It is a combination of very high end film, the camera he is using and the quality of the printing process they employ. While there are those who are skeptical, for any of you that have seen the incredible colors of a sunset for yourself, the blues of distant oceans, the colors of life under the sea and the colors of flowers on land you realize that these colors exist in nature...whether they be of divine intent or simple scientific light refraction I will leave to you to decide.

An 'Affaire' to Remember on Avenue B

    Affaire is one of those transporting destination restaurants where you find yourself walking down Avenue B in the East Village and the next thing you know you're out through the looking glass and in a bistro in Paris oozing with sex appeal. The menu is primarily French bistro classics with a few updated takes on classics. Favorites include their Mussels with frites, Steak Au Poivre, Frites with chevre (goat cheese) sauce, and for something with a twist, "Buffalo" Frog Legs.Lobster Risotto is high on the top of my list to try on my next visit. 

    I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Affaire's affable Andrew Krauss and the sweet Sasha Cox (the entire staff was great). We had a good crew comprised of NearSay staff, bloggers, a sports photographer and a mixologist extraordinaire and had the pleasure of watching Affaire's Executive Chef Edgar Navarrete work his magic making mussels over the fire.It's always a pleasure watching a pro, be it an athlete, artist or chef in action doing their craft while making it look effortless. And watching him cook the mussels was a lot of fun, almost as much as eating them – almost. We were also sopping up the chevre cheese and pesto atop the frites.

    Affaire has a nice, roomy L-shaped bar when you enter; it's well stocked with a nice selection of wines. Their specialty drink menu is geared towards the ladies (fruity, topped with Champagne etc) yet they equally make a nice solid classic stiff drink. If you're lucky, the lovely Nicole will be shaking and mixing them for you. The dining room has wooden tables, one very large lampshade and chandeliers to set the mood. To continue your evening Affaire has multiple subterranean lounges which if I had to pick one word to describe them would be sultry. They are done up with brick walls, dark wood, gold ceilings, banquettes, couches (a raised chaise that got all our imaginations going), and plenty of nooks and cranies for quiet conversation and if things go well some canoodling. Affaire is definitely a place to, at the very least, fall in love with, if not ending up falling head over heels with your date.

    For you "cunning linguists" out there, the word affaire is often maligned as an illicit relationship of a sexual nature when in fact the actual definition of the word is "a matter to attend to, an event or happening" which comes from the Anglo-French a faire "to do"

    To make the mussels, if I remember correctly, heat up some oil, add chopped shallots, then the mussels followed by chopped garlic (add in after the shallots and on top of the mussels so you do not burn the garlic), add white wine, a bit of butter (butchers thumb) salt, pepper and top with chopped parsley. Once the mussels start opening turn down the flame so they don't overcook. Add bacon, beer and some cream to make Grand Mere style or add cream and curry if that's your thing.
Affaire: 50 Ave. B, at E. 4th St.