There's an interesting debate happening in Hawaii right now concerning House Bill 444, which would allow civil unions between two people of the same sex. Click here for the text of the bill.  This bill passed through the Hawaii State House and is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary and Government Operations committee tomorrow.  As expected, it's been a controversial bill and there have been large protests, both for and against the bill.

I consider myself to be respectful of all opinions irregardless of whether or not I agree with such opinons.  Having said that, I'd like to direct your attention to the following excerpt from today's Honolulu Star Bulletin:

 Many at the rally yesterday opposed same-sex marriage and civil unions because of their religion or because the state already voted to allow the Legislature to ban same-sex marriage in 1998.

***

"Marriage is to procreate," said his mother, Cheryl Camara. "If we have this (bill), we are going to end the human race, and our kids are going to have this in our schools."

My tolerance for Opinions Which Are Not Mine has a certain limit, and the above quote hath surpassed said limit.  The human race is going to end because of civil unions?.....really? you're actually saying that?  Are you kidding? Am I seriously to believe that the legalization of civil unions will cause a mass epidemic of gayness, which will in turn cause straight people to turn gay and stop procreating? 

Lady, you and your ignorant opinion are zits on the epidermus of mankind.       

Good news!  The surgery went well, and the biopsy showed that the tumor was benign! Whew, what a relief!

My dog is going for surgery tomorrow to remove a tumor on his leg and I'm extremely worried.  They have to take a sample and send it to the lab to determine whether or not it is cancerous.  If the tissue sample is malignant, then they have to determine whether it's localized or if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body. 

We consider our dog to be like a son and so this is distressing news.  I want my dog to live as long as he can.

I was thinking about buying a handgun, but my wife vetoed the idea.  In hindsight, it was probably the right decision.  I wanted a gun for recreational purposes, and also for home protection.  But if I owned a gun, the very fact that there was a weapon in my vicinity would probably end up doing more harm than good.  I've never even touched a real gun before so I guess I was just curious.  

In totally unrelated news, I finally found the trailer for "Hachiko: A Dog's Story" HERE

I've been looking forward to this movie for a long, long time.  The advance reviews are that there won't be a dry eye in the house at the end of the movie.  In some ways, I'm more excited about seeing this film than I am about seeing the Star Trek movie (I can't believe I'm saying that!).   The problem is I don't think the've found an American distributor yet. 

Santa gave me the mino HD videocamera for Christmas and so far, I love it.  The picture quality is awesome for a camera of its size, and videos are easy to upload to the Internet.  The mino also comes with its own video-editing software, which is also easy to use. 

One of the functions on the mino is that you can take a digital "snapshot" of a frame on your video.  This function also works wondefully and the pictures look the same as those that come out of my regular digital camera.  For example, the picture a few posts below of my dog in the Santa hat was taken in the aforementioned manner. I know little to nothing about the art of photography, but whenever I use the digital snapshot function on the mino, I feel like I'm cheating.  Normally, when you take a photo with a regular digital camera, you have to factor in timing, angle, and other such things.  But when you simply cut out a frame from your videocamera it seems as if there is very little skill involved.  All you have to do keep the videocamera on for a while, then go back and watch the video until you find a frame you like. 

Given the technology available to us today, perhaps this is an inevitable next step.  I wonder if new skills become needed while old ones fade away or become less relevant to the production of a good picture.  If the end result looks great, then maybe we shouldn't think too deeply about the creative process which led to the result.  I wonder how real photographers feel about this...

As expected, the TV show "Lost" is a pretty big deal here in Hawaii because almost every scene is filmed locally.  One of the fun things about watching the show is trying to figure out where they filmed a particular scene.  Some locations are obvious (to those living here), while others may only be immediately known to people who happen to live in the area. 

There have been a few scenes shot in my part of the island.  For example, the scene where Benjamin, the leader of "The Others" talks to Julliette about her desire to go home was shot at a beach near my house.  The scene where Kate walks out of the courthouse and talks to Jack in the parking lot is actually the parking lot of where I used to work (it's not a courthouse at all).  It's amazing how they can make Oahu look like a deserted island.  If you would turn the camera just a few more inches to the left or right, you would see definite signs of civilization. 

Once in a while, you can see the actors of Lost on the streets of Honolulu.  Last month, I saw Naveen Andrews (Sayid) shopping at the supermarket.  Josh Holloway (Sawyer) uses the same health club as I do, although I've never seen him there myself.  Ultimately though, Lost is popular because it's a well-written show.  Some critics said that parts of season 2 and 3 were weak, but personally I think the show has been fairly consistent.  The producers sometimes put out a call for extras.  I'm tempted to send in my resume and head shot. If I get picked, I'll send you an autographed picture. hahaha.

SammyStorm's Top Ten List for 2008 in Movies is:

1. Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood cast amatures for many of the parts in this movie, and it shows in some of the performances.  Eastwood himself is great, but his supporting cast leaves something to be desired.  The script is good but much of Eastwood's character is similar to all the other "tough guy" characters we've seen in Eastwood's other movies. Some of the supporting characters are not fleshed out and it seems that Eastwood's character is the only three-dimensional one. Having said all this, you would think that I'm giving "Gran Torino" a bad review.  The reason I'm putting this at the top of my list is that it has a "Sixth Sense" kind of feel on an emotional level - the ending made the rest of the movie make sense.  There's a certain moment near the end that is incredibly moving, thought-provoking, and hits you like a ton of bricks.  There were a number of movies in 2008 which had superior acting and editing. However, the ending makes up for this movie's shortcomings - enough to make "Gran Torino," in my opinion, the best film of 2008.
2. Love and Honor (Bushi no Ichibun) - this is the third in director Yoji Yamada's loose triology of films that portray the human, more realistic side of ancient samurai life in Japan. Love and Honor is the darkest of the three films, but is not depressing nor full of despair.  First-rate actors appear throughout this film and it will grip you until the final scene.  Calling this a "samurai" movie implies that it is an action movie, but that would be a gross misrepresentation of what this film is about.  This is a drama and love story-- no doubt.
3. Changeling - Once again, Clint Eastwood comes through with a film worthy of consideration for the Best Picture award.  Angelina Jolie gives an intense performance as a woman in 1920's Los Angeles who loses her son.  Everything about this film was great, although the subject matter is quite distrubing.
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - this was a worthy addition to the Indiana Jones series.  A lot of fun and over-the-top action scenes.  Not as good as Raiders or Last Crusade, but still much better than most action movies.  I laughed out loud several times and remembered the pure thrill I got when I first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark.  In hindsight, the first 3/4th of the movie was as good as any of the other Indy Jones movies, but the last 1/4th felt rushed.  Incidentally, I rented this movie and watched it again in November.  My feeling after the second viewing is that it was an awesome movie - but it just lacks one or two more scenes to set up the ending. 
5. Slumdog Millionaire - This film has a very unique premise but manages to tell a very heartfelt and moving story.  There is an undercurrent of exuberance that you can feel as you track the development of the main character.  The pacing of the movie is perfect and despite the dramatic plot, it never feels manipulative. Simply a great film. 
6. The Dark Knight - Finally, a "mainstream Hollywood" movie that refuse to pander to formulaic cliches, and that gives it audience the benefit of the doubt.  The most impressive thing about this film is not the special effects or the novelty of seeing a superhero on screen, but the plot itself.  It plays out like some kind of tragic opera...with men in bat suits.  The funny thing is I'm not especially a big fan of the Batman comics either.  Stunning.
7. Frozen River - This film has almost no flaws, if you're not prone to nitpicking.  It's an intense drama that examines realistic characters in serious situations.  The movie involves human smuggling at the U.S. - Canadian border, but at its core it is a character study of how a mother tries to make a better life for her family (interestingly enough, the protagonist of the movie is not an illegal immigrant, but the smuggler).  Addresses a somewhat depressing topic, but ends up being ultimately uplifting.  
8. The Visitor - This film is about a man whose life is affected by certain "visitors" he encounters in New York City.  There are some funny and hearfelt scenes in this film, but it tackles some serious topics such as illegal immigration.  The script does not attempt to take on too much, and so the scale is somewhat limited to the personal travails of the main character.  In some ways, it left the viewer wanting more, but empathy for the main character overcomes whatever limitations exist in the scope of the film. 
9. Iron Man - I was never really a fan of the Iron Man comic books, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film adaptation.  Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Tony Stark, the playboy arms dealer who eventually becomes Iron Man.  The director set the right tone and the action scenes were exciting.  I'm looking forward to the sequel.  Make sure you stay until the end of the credits if you watch this movie.
10. The Chaser - Although I haven't seen all that many Korean movies lately, I suspect that this thriller is one of the best movies to come out of Korea in a long time.  It's gory but does not rely on cheap thrills in order to tell the story.  What makes this movie good is the character development and effective pacing.  If you like action/thrillers, this is a must-see film.

Other Notable Films

• Flawless - [Edit: I just realized this may be a 2007 movie, I think I rented it in 2008!] I had kind of given up on seeing Demi Moore in any type of siginificant role again, so this movie was a pleasant surprise. A very effective and intelligent thriller about two people who have grudges against their company and who try and carry out a heist.  But it's not really a "heist" movie, it's about two ordinary people who take extreme measures in an effort to right perceived wrongs that they suffered at the hands of their mutual employer. Appaloosa - Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris were amazing in this Western.  Although the plot was something you would see in any other cowboy movie, the acting puts this film in my top ten list this year.  It's good to see that the Western genre is alive and well.  [edit: as you can tell, this movie fell out of my top ten, but it was still good. I just saw other films after this one that I liked better]
• Marley & Me-  The trailers make this film seem like just another "dog comedy," but it has its serious moments.  In fact, this film is just as much as the human family as the dog itself.  Dog owners will probably cry at the end. Good movie.
• The Good, the Bad, and the Weird - this is a crazy movie from Korea about Korean cowboys in Mongolia who chase after a treasure map.  There's a lot of shooting and lots of crazy characters.  Very entertaining and fun to watch.  The acting was great, but don't look for any deep meaning in the story.
• Tropic Thunder - Very funny movie that manages to make Jack Black and Ben Stiller not annoying.  But the best performance came from Robert Downey Jr.  He is absolutely hilarious in this movie.  Surprisingly, Tom Cruise in his cameo was also very funny. 
• Swing Vote - A likable movie with some good peformances by Kevin Costner and the young actress who played his daughter, Madeline Carroll.  This film is basically a satire on the U.S. political process.  There were some laugh-out-loud funny moments, but the film drags when it starts to get somewhat serious.  Not the perfect movie, but its likable characters and funny plot overcome the slower parts of the movie.
• Cloverfield - A solid monster movie with no superfluous elements or scenes.  In other words, this movie is all about a monster rampaging through a city and you get no more and no less.  Despite the fanatastic nature of the subject matter, it feels real and quite scary sometimes.  While this film probably didn't live up to the intense hype that surrounded it, it was entertaining nonetheless.
• The Air I Breathe - This was one of those "ensemble movies" with four different stories that somehow converge at the end.  The case was great and the stories were interesting but there was really nothing you haven't seen before.  The best storyline was probably the one with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Brendan Frasier.  Good movie, but you probably won't remember you saw it in a year or so.
• Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway was awesome in this free-spirited movie about a woman who returns home for her sister's wedding and confronts various demons from her past (not literal demons - this is not scifi).  There were a lot of funny moments, but for some people it may feel a little too "documentary-like." 
• Be Kind Rewind - Started out wonderfully with some funny scenes.  I understand that they were trying to make a film that is an homage to film making itself, but there was something lacking in the execution.  I know that we were supposed to be moved at the end, but you kind of just ended up smiling and walking out of the theater (or turning off the DVD Player) without the film having any lasting effect on you. Good effort though.
• Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - There were some funny moments but the film wasn't as intelligent as the first one, if you could believe that.  The characters are likable and I have no problem with the crude humor, but there was something clumsy about the execution.  However, these two types of characters don't exist anywhere else, so I'll keep watching just to see stereotypes be turned on their heads.  

Worst Movies of the Year

• 10,000 B.C. - Not only is this the worst movie of the year, it's the worst movie of the last 10 years.  Whoever made this movie must think we're all idiots who will accept simplistic dialogue, bad acting, mediocre special effects, and a stunningly bad screenplay.  This film failed on every level. 
• Vantage Point - The cast was great and you can tell they tried hard with the material they had, but ultimately, this movie sucked.  By the end, I really didn't care what happened and was turned off by the idiotic screenplay.

I usually post a year-end "Top 10 Events of the Past Year" list, but frankly nothing major happened on the personal front this year. No one died, no one was born, work is the same, and the Cubs still suck.  Obviously the major news items of 2008 were the economy and the presidential elections.  I suspect the economy will be also a major story in 2009.  The other major news of 2009 will be the Cubs finally winning the World Series!!!!  I don't have a list for major events, but I'll be posting my much-awaited top ten movies list soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Does Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" sound like Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly?"  Here's part of an explanatory article from the Chicago Tribune:

"A day after hauling in seven Grammy nominations, the members of Coldplay should've been celebrating. Instead they were served with a copyright infringement lawsuit Thursday that claims they ripped off guitarist Joe Satriani to write one of their biggest hits, "Viva La Vida."

The song, nominated Wednesday for song and record of the year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, incorporates "substantial original portions" of Satriani's 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly," according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court."

The overall melody does sound similar, although the style is very different.  I've never composed a song before, but it seems like it would be hard to come up with a new melody.  Is there a point where mankind has come up with so many melodies that there are no new ones to be composed?  I doubt if we've reached that point yet, but eventually, in a hundred years or so, won't we start recycling melodies and arranging them in different ways?