Month: January 2007

all about me

ouch! (tattoo talk)

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Last night, instead of making it to the monthly APWBWGTTD, I was laying on a table being repeatedly stabbed with needles. No, it wasn’t a massive dosing of heroin, I was getting tattooed, for what I hope to be, the last time (for a while). Russ beautifully colored in the turtle on my inner arm (OW!!!!!!!!), and let me be the first to say that getting tattooed on your inner arm FUCKING HURTS. Seriously, it is almost too much. He also added another little fish in a spot that seemed like it needed something, and to be honest, it totally changed the whole tattoo for me. It looks so much more cohesive and beautiful. My arm is insanely swollen and painful, but I will try to get some pictures up soon. I love tattoos, but I sure hate getting them.

During the session last night, Russ and I were talking about him starting a blog, which I think is pretty cool. People are seeing the potential for blogs to help them talk about things they want to discuss, as well as providing them with ways to continually provide fresh content for their websites. For him, he will be able to talk about tattoo things, and as someone who only got into tattooing seriously a year ago, it will definitely be something I would be interested in reading. There are so many things you don’t know about until you try them; and sometimes, you learn a lot more than you expected.

I can’t really think of much else right now because of the throbbing in my right arm, but I do know that I hope upon hope that it doesn’t freeze around here. I can’t handle the grocery store madness and the freaks on the road. Just let me get some beers, so I can go home and prop this arm up and rest!! Stay warm!

all about me, civil rights, listen up!

realization and the power of seeing different perspectives

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When I wrote the blog post about Jimmy Carter and how I felt he wasn’t being anti-Semitic, I believed that a man, a good man would not have an agenda that many believed he did; one that was seemingly against Israel. I believed this, because I highlighted his belief in peace, and how, if anything, his thoughts about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would act as catalysts to providing peace to both states. I believed that the good in someone was true, and that a man of his character could not be capable of such deception; but based upon conversations and investigating different perspectives with Bugboy and a close friend of mine who is actually from Israel, I have come to believe that there is potential for it to actually be otherwise. The reason I feel the need to update/change what I said, is because I realize that one of the most important things we can do in life is see different perspectives to learn more about ourselves and the world around us. I realize that it is important to truly understand what this book may actually represent, where before I rested on his principles, and what I believed to be a steadfast goals of peace and understanding. I also rested on my perceptions of the way he represented himself and what he said in this book to the media. What I realize, is that by listening to, and understanding different perspectives, what I feel from this is disappointment.

Like my friend, I defended Jimmy Carter’s character, not his book, because I couldn’t allow myself to believe that someone capable of such good, could also be capable of defamatory agendas; as the case may be with his book. I believed that, like many Americans, the real goal was peace for both states, but unfortunately, it isn’t a goal that is being reached because of aspects unreported here in America. I have a ignorant perspective of many things that occur in the region simply because I live in a country that has chosen a side, and when I heard a diplomat coming to the aid of a supposed “underdog”, I believed he meant for good. But what I did not know, but learned from Bugboy and my friend, is that Palestine continues to attack Israel, even though Israel has refrained from retaliation. What I did not know essentially prevented me from seeing the perspective of those that were against Carter, those that saw that his book represented something other than a simple peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. I wanted to believe, and based on the information that I had, I did. But now that I have seen different perspectives, I am not so sure anymore, and that is disappointing.

I, like many others, would love to see peace between these neighboring states. I would like for there to be a world where we could live without greed, hate, fear, and war. I would like to believe that people want the same things that I want, but I realize that isn’t going to happen. I wanted to write this, mostly because I don’t like being misrepresented, but even more, because I don’t like being narrow-minded, and refusing to understand the gray that exists within each and every seemingly black and white situation. I came to this realization by being shown different perspectives, and am better for it. This is what I want for myself, to represent an educated perspective, and if that means it can change, then all the better. I wanted it to be clear that not everything is so cut and dry, and I am not so naive as to believe that. I am one that believes in the best from people, and sometimes, it seems, that means I will occasionally be disappointed.

civil rights, is it just me?, venting, well?

stop the name calling

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Remember that petty ass Grey’s Anatomy name calling thing a few months ago? Well, if not, here’s a recap: the out gay actor was called a faggot by a fellow cast member, who not only denied he ever did it, but didn’t really apologize, either. Well, Mr. Bigot was all about discussing the event the other night after the Golden Globes, and said he never called him a “faggot” (mentioning it, AGAIN).

Now, I can’t help but sit here and wonder, why is this guy just throwing around faggot like it isn’t that big of a deal? I mean, when will people realize that derogatory and shameful terms used to describe others isn’t okay? I think that the guy from Seinfeld figured that out, as did (hopefully) Mel Gibson; so why is it something other people have such a hard time with? Faggot is not a word you are allowed to use without consequence. Stop the name calling; because I am pretty sure if they tables were turned, you would take great offense at some words that could be used to hurt you, okay?

Seriously, why can’t we just live in a world where there isn’t so much hate and fear? When will be able to just be kind and peaceful? Will we ever? Little things like this make me doubt we ever will. Ugh. (article)

all about me, hmm interesting, mixed media, that is so gay

go J.Hud!!1!!!1! and hanky panky (well, the talk of)

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So, basically, I have been going nuts over Dreamgirls for a while here on the blog, and last night, the Golden Globes recognized our girl Jennifer Hudson as the best supporting actress!! You go girl! I am so happy for her, because it was definitely not her time when she was voted off AI, and this just goes to show that sometimes, not winning doesn’t mean the end. I certainly hope she can parlay this into a successful career, because we need more people like her around!

You would think, though, like a good little queer, I would have been hosting a fabulous GG party last night to partake in the festivities and cheer on the aforementioned diva, but interestingly enough, we did have people over, but none of us watched TV. In fact, we all just hung out in the living room and talked. It was actually quite nice. It was like getting to know your friends, which is just interesting, because, well, we are all friends already, but sometimes you learn things about each other by talking (that’s right! No TV, talking, WTF?!?!111!!). It reminded me of when we waited all night outside Target for the Wii… same thing as last night, but there was more drinking last night, and it was not cold. And, well, we weren’t sitting outside a Target all night long.

What was interesting about last night, though, was that the conversation quickly made a turn when we decided to have a rousing game of “never have I ever…”. Needless to say, it was quite fun to see who had done what, and who hadn’t done it at all. I learned a lot about what goes on in some of my friend’s bedrooms, and what has gone on in public places as well. While it was fun, and definitely interesting, I have to say that I solidified something that I only sort of believed about myself: I am definitely a prude when it comes to sex. Most of my friends have done this, that, and the other, by themselves, with one, two, or three, and well, me, I just haven’t. Of course I have done the deed, but for the most part, I am pretty vanilla when it comes to hanky panky.

Now, I am not saying that there is a “requirement” to do more things sexually, or need to be more sexually “adventurous”, but I never went through the so-called “whore” phase when I came out, and as such, haven’t really done that much sexually (because supposedly, this is when most gay men reach a sexual awakening, and go, well, buck wild). Mostly, this is because of my thoughts on sex, a lot of which stems from my upbringing, where I didn’t learn anything about sex until I found it out on my own. Couple that with good old fashioned guilt about everything, and you have someone that thought for the longest time that sex before marriage was a big old sin that should never be committed. Sure, it may be a sin, but I really, really was against it. Thank goodness that I am not so weird about it any more, but I still can’t seem to shake that little “oh no! we couldn’t do that!!!” bird that sits on my shoulder, and to this day, I really don’t know where it came from (or why it won’t go away!). But I guess I can say this; I have been a careful boy. I am safe today as a result. That is a definite plus. But, I can’t help but feel like I may have missed out on some stuff. Now, I know it is never too late, but that little bird is still there, so I don’t know how much I will (if ever) do differently. Now, I am not fretting or anything, and it is definitely c’est la vie for sure, because it is, after all, just sex, but it was interesting to find out that my thoughts that I may be Prudence McPrude was actually a pretty spot on reality. It doesn’t change how much I think about sex, or how much I love looking at the mens, but it definitely curbs my actions. I guess you could say that I am definitely a think-before-you-act kinda guy… and maybe that isn’t SO bad.

civil rights, show the love

MLK jr. Day

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Today, a few of us are lucky enough to have a day off to remember a great man. A man that had a dream that we could all exist and be treated as equals. I too have that dream, and as I remember his life and what he did on this day, I am thankful for everything that has changed as a result of his words. But I am even more hopeful that those changes will continue to march forward, in hopes that one day, we ALL can be equal. We can all have the same civil liberties, and we can all truly call ourselves free and equal.

Here’s to you Martin Luther King, Jr. Thanks for your contribution to freedom and equality.

"pointless", mixed media, the catch-all-egory

sunday observations

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Since today is Sunday, and, well, there really isn’t anything better to do than reflect and offer up some random observations, what better way to waste a little bit of time and blog it! So here you go… my Sunday observations.

— The song “With Every Heartbeat” by Kleerup feat. Robyn may be the perfect pop song. I can listen to it on repeat… for a long time. It is bloody perfect. So is Robyn’s “new” album. I hope it comes out in the US soon.
— Isn’t porn fun? Why is it so subversive to like it? Weird…
— I have this amazing ability to not want to do anything but sleep. I woke up yesterday at 3pm. I could seriously sleep 12 hours a day. Wouldn’t that be perfect?
— Baked spaghetti may be nature’s perfect food. Insanely delicious.
— We took a friend out last night for his birthday. He wanted to go to a sketchy bar, so we went. They found out it was his birthday, and gave him free drinks all night. Why doesn’t that ever happen to me?? Also, there is a point where free drinks turn into TOO many free drinks.
— Should I switch to Bellsouth (um, or it’s new name, AT&T, ugh) DSL? Comcast “high speed” still is random, at best.
— I hope 2007 is better than 2006. I wonder how to make sure of that?
— The only thing better than a 3 day weekend, is a 4 day weekend. Why can’t every weekend be 3 days? Seriously, let’s adopt the French way of work; a 30 hour work week! It would help with unemployment!
— I have been lucky in finding good, new music a lot, but I wonder where everyone else finds their music… So tell me.
— I have to caulk the living room today. Yuck. I don’t want to. I would rather just play Zelda. Anyone else want to come do it for me? See, James would do a messy job, so I pretty much have to do it. Oh well.
— I watched Lady in the Water recently. It got pretty piss-poor reviews, and I was pretty sure I would hate it because it is an M. Night Shyamalan movie, but I really liked it! It was really well done, and it was a really sweet story. Shock and awe. I also really liked the movie Crank, but mostly because of the hotness that is Jason Statham. I really love being surprised by movies.
— I am really attracted to big, hairy, bearded men. There’s no shame in my game. Last night at the bowling alley, there was such a guy. I took his picture. Several times. Yes.
— I am going to hopefully be doing a podcast in the near future about music. I am sort of excited about it. I hope it actually happens.
— Guitar Hero (I and II) and Wii Sports may be the best games ever. Seriously.
That’s about all I have right now… But I am sure some more stuff will pop up, and perhaps I will share it. For now, I am off for some pasta bake, and in a little while, caulking. Can’t wait for this project to be done so I can share some final photos! Hope everyone’s Sunday is great!

civil rights, is it just me?, politics, well?

stem cells and Jimmy Carter

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Two things that as I sit here thinking about, don’t really make sense to me:

1) Why Bush (or anyone) is so opposed to stem cell research, especially because of the amazing benefits that it can bring in curing many different incurable diseases, like cancer and Alzheimer’s. More importantly, why Bush should be the final say in the decision for the stem cell bill that passed recently with a vast majority.

Okay, so you don’t agree with abortion. Fine. I get it. It may mean you are a little narrow-minded, but you don’t like it, I understand that. I still stand by the position of, “if you don’t like abortion, don’t have one”, but I understand that doesn’t work for everyone. But why attack stem cells? First of all, these cells are not the reason people get abortions. The source of stem cells may come from aborted fetuses, but they also come from embryos that were slated for in vitro fertilization; that is, eggs that were fertilized outside of the body for later transplantation, that for whatever reason, were not used. Now, the only other option, is to throw these cells away. You can also clone these cells, but I can see where some are against cloning too; but if it is only for the purpose of research, and the cells are going to be destroyed anyway, why not? Especially when the benefits are so potentially great? That doesn’t make sense. Think of what the world would be like without surgery. They had to practice it and try new things when it was first developed; do you think people didn’t die? At least in this circumstance, people wouldn’t be dieing; it would be cells slated for destruction, cells that could potentially allow someone who is paralyzed be able to walk again. Making this decision as one man, is completely selfish and unrepresentative of the people that live in this country, and those that will be living here and affected by this narrow-minded decision in the future. I just don’t understand that, especially because, hey, don’t we have 3 arms of government? The two should keep the third in check, right? So why does he just get come in and veto it? It just doesn’t work for me.

2) How people can be saying that Jimmy Carter is anti-Semitic with his book, and why 14 people decided that he is so “evil” that they resigned from the board of the Carter center.

First of all, it is pretty clear that anyone that calls Jimmy Carter an evil man is a pretty delusional person. The man won the Nobel Peace Prize, is an amazing diplomat, and possibly most contradictory thing to the “evil” label, is the fact that he is a renowned humanitarian. Jimmy Carter is not anti-Semitic, in fact, he isn’t anti-anyone; which is why he wants peace in Palestine, and not apartheid, which is basically enforced discrimination and separatism resulting in the denial of human rights. The statements he has made in favor of peace for Palestine (and Israel) make complete sense if you look at them in context. People have said that he is anti-Israeli because of his stance against bombing Lebanon and Palestine; but he is against this because he is against war and killing. He stated that Israel has no right to destroy and reclaim Palestine, because, well, they don’t. Just because you believe “God” ordained something for you to have, doesn’t mean that you can take it by force. Sure, Palestine doesn’t have a spotless history, but when do you stop and say, “let’s think about our future?” A great man once said, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”, and you know what, Gandhi was right. Continued fighting over the right to this tiny piece of land will bring about nothing but death and destruction in both places, and what Jimmy Carter is highlighting with his book, is that it doesn’t have to be like that. A call for piece is a call for survival. It is a call for humanitarianism, and should never been seen as anything but civil and just. People have got to stop hiding behind religion and killing each other over land and differences of opinion… and that is what Jimmy Carter sees. We as a nation have no right to stand on either side of that fence and state “we agree” with either side; it is not our place. But if we have any involvement in the region or the discord between these two nations, it should be one of peace making and diplomacy; something that Jimmy Carter knows a lot about. That is why I wonder how people can still think he is anti anything, other than anti war, anti death, and anti hate. I don’t know about you, but he sounds like a pretty good guy to me. UPDATE: After several conversations, I feel the need to follow up on these statements I made about Jimmy Carter, and have done so in this blog post. Please check it out.

Man, I have been thinking way too much lately. A nice 3 day weekend is just what the doctor ordered. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and a great Monday remembering such a wonderful man, Martin Luther King, Jr.!

is it just me?, politics, venting, well?

answers, accountability, and more importantly, change; we need some NOW

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After hearing Bush’s “new” plan for Iraq, I find myself scratching my head and asking myself a few questions. Of course, we know that this in fact is not a new plan, because he said pretty much the same thing he said 3 months ago. Well, that plus the surge of more troops. Here’s hoping that the funding is killed before he can send any more American men and women to their deaths.

After seeing the speech, and realizing the obvious lack of any real change in our “plan” to “win” Iraq, there are a few things I would like to know:

1) Who is Bush listening to with regards to actually trying to end this war? Because it is pretty clear he isn’t listening to anyone that doesn’t have monetary gain at stake; those serving to make money through this war are just getting richer, and there is no desire for it to end for them. It is pretty clear to me that he is listening to them, but not us… and why not? Isn’t his job to represent our interests (after all, we are paying for this war, and will be for a LONG time to come)? Isn’t that what a Democracy is supposed to do?

2) When is he going to realize that more than 70% of Americans have made it clear that the war has got to end now? (This piggybacks on the last question.) Bush needs to realize that we elected a new majority to speak for us, and that voice needs to be taken seriously. I ask, because his approval rating doesn’t seem to matter to him one bit.

3) Does he really care about the soldiers that have died, as well as those that have been injured (which total WAY more and are, for some reason, never mentioned)? Because he doesn’t seem to have an ounce of remorse, especially as his new plan will call for more deaths.

Quoth the Bush: (source)

Let me be clear: The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue – and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties.

Um, when will be in a position to not EXPECT more casualties? What if the plan doesn’t work? Will that mean even more dead? As of right now, there have been over 3000 soldiers lost, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths. That sounds like enough is enough to me, one more death is one too many. And no more soldiers need to be subjected to injuries; these people are coming home without arms, legs, genitals, etc. That is just not right.
4) If we are trying to end the war, why is there a surge of new troops being deployed? I mean, if the plan is (was) to provide support to Iraq, and help them build up their own military, why hasn’t that worked, since we have been doing that from the beginning? Are more troops really what we need to do something we haven’t yet been able to accomplish? And are 20,000 troops really going to be able to make it happen? Or, is it more plausible that we can’t attain this “goal”, and the best thing to do is make things right (since we started by making them wrong) by ending the war? There have to be better strategies… Oh wait, there are several, but Bush didn’t seem to pay attention any of those. Remember what happened in 2001 when he ignored some good advice… I’m just saying.
5) Since it is obvious that there is no desire to end the war, what will the next steps be? Are we ever going to bring home our troops? If so, is there a plan for getting them out? If there is, what is this plan? To me (and many others) this seems like he is just passing the buck, holding out this war until his term is over. He won’t admit defeat or failure (his lame ass “I accept responsibility” last night was weak and pathetic), and as a result, he will pour everything we have into making it look like we are “making it work”. How is that making things right?
6) Why haven’t we ever acknowledged, and therefore altered our plans accordingly, that the people responsible for the attack on 9/11 are not the ones we are gunning for? And why is that, because wasn’t why the war was started; a war on terror? WTF? I know there are volatile people in the region, but most of those are insurgents gunning for us because we invaded and continue to occupy THEIR COUNTRY. Why aren’t we trying our diplomatic hand at making things better in the surrounding countries; who now are continuing to get more and more pissed at US, and will soon be coming for US??!
As a fellow livejournaler invoking the spirit of Kelly said, “George Bush is a douche-bag…. I want to send that guy a douche bag in the mail.”. Seriously, folks, this guy is a real sadist and mass murderer. Calling him anything less would be inaccurate.

Now, I know that the Bush supporters/conservatives out there are going to go all ape-shit on this post, but I don’t even care. These questions are based on what has been said and what is currently going on… much of it without opinion. Say what you want, and argue all you want, but this war is wrong, and Bush’s plan is plain wrong for suggesting we continue down the same old road. Something has got to change, and I hope that change comes soon. Come through for us Congress! Come through!!

And to you, John McCain, shut the fuck up. You have no idea what you are talking about you douche. You can’t say the “failure” of the war is from the consequences of actions taken by Congress NOW… if anything, that failure has already happened, we are dealing with a mess that needs to be cleaned up ASAP, ass. I might send him a douche bag in the mail too. If you were in Vietnam, and you see the same thing now, how can you continually bury your head in the sand little man? Wake up! (source)

is it just me?, venting

who are these magazines for?

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Details. GQ. Both are men’s magazines. Both are also magazines that I have personally subscribed to for years. Both of these are magazines I have been getting since I was in high school. Why? Because both of these are men’s magazines that are all about fashion, gadgets, etc., and things that men, men like me, like to look at and read about.

But, last year, I cancelled my subscription to GQ for one big reason; I don’t think that magazine was meant for me, at least not anymore. Reason being, that almost every single thing they advertise and hype in their fashion and gadget sections are WAY out of my price range. And I am not talking, “oh, that’s just expensive, I could never afford a $400 coat”, no, I am talking like a $40k-watch-out-of-my-price-range, price range. Seriously, who has this magazine begun to target? Millionaires? Billionaires? Because these are the only people that I can foresee being able to afford to drop a couple thousand dollars on one bag or one pair of shoes, or afford a $7000 suit. Not to say that I don’t like those things, but I do have an idea of what it means to be extravagant, and just plain stupidly indulgent and wasteful. Seriously, if you spend $40k on a watch, you just have too much money, and you are just wasting it because you can’t think of anything else to do. That has to be it, because it is JUST a watch, after all. I can even see spending a couple thousand on a watch, if it is what you want, and can afford, but not $40k. That is overly excessive and insulting to those that go hungry every day (now, I am not saying that they have to do anything else, I am just saying, I would never spend that much money like that. I think it is crazy.). So, long story short, that is why I cancelled my GQ subscription. It sucked a little bit too, because I always liked looking through it and reading about fashion and whatnot. But I just felt so distant from the target demographic they have started going for, that I really had nothing in common with it anymore.

But at least I still had Details. Details is a sorta-gay-friendly watered down version of GQ; not as high and mighty, and a little more level headed when it comes to fashion and personal spending. Even when GQ started to slide more towards the superfluousness, Details still maintained a sense of staying grounded. There was a feeling of youth to Details, and you could tell it really was made for men like me. But alas, just as GQ zoomed off in a multi-million dollar jet, it seems that recently, they have doubled back in order to pick up Details and take them for the ride. Low and behold, there was a feature in a recent Details that hyped “indulgent” items, and there was the $40k watch, staring right back at me. Ugh. And it highlighted what I didn’t like about GQ, Details is no longer targeting normal guys like me… indulgence isn’t a $40k timepiece or a $700 steak, it is MUCH MUCH less than that; that is more like wastefulness. So I ask, who are these magazines for? Apparently, it has become so out of sync that you must be a multi-millionaire to have “nice” and “indulgent” things… I mean, we live in a country where stores can sell a normal t-shirt for $100. And I am talking a regular shirt just like the Hanes T you can get at Target, 3 for $10, but with a D&G logo screen-printed on the front. No other differences.

Things have just gotten so out of control, and I guess the magazines are just reflecting the inflation… but in the process, they have alienated me, and I would guess many other middle class men like me. I know that I won’t be renewing my subscription, because like GQ, they are not concerned with my demographic anymore. But they probably won’t notice anyway, since I’m no longer their target. Sigh.

listen up!, mixed media, movie musings

10 movies I loved from 2006

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So, as promised, I have FINALLY gotten around to writing up my yearly favorite movies post… finally. Now, as with the CDs, my taste in movies tends to be all over the place and I am a sucker for a good comedy, blockbuster, or romantic comedy. These definitely shouldn’t be considered THE best movies of 2006, they are just the ones that I really loved, and was most excited about in 2006… and even through today (obviously, if I am writing about them again…). Also, as with the CD list, there is no real particular order; with the exception of the top movies… those were definitely my favorites out of the bunch. So, without too much more heeing and hawing, here’s the list:

Little Miss Sunshine

The whole family piles into the VW van to travel to California so awkward little Olive can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant contest. Hilarity ensues. That’s pretty much what you need to know, oh yeah, and the fact that this movie is fucking hilarious. This is one of the best movies that came out in 2006 (in my opinion, it was probably THE best), so you have to see it, and you will enjoy it, because it is great. And funny. And really super great. Seriously. You will laugh at this movie, that is, unless you are completely soulless, and have no sense of humor. I know that is strong, but it is true, but if you are soulless, you probably don’t care anyway, because you are soulless.

V for Vendetta

Wow, wow, wow. This movie is so fantastic, it is hard to believe. Definitely the 1984 of 2006. It looks at what happens when a government takes control over its people under the guise of “protecting” them. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Fed up with the treatment he and others have received, V dresses as the famous Guy Fawkes, and promises to succeed where Guy had failed (in blowing up Parliament). This movie is not to be missed, especially because it is so scary that this is one possible outcome of the current political events that are currently occurring today. I for one hope not, but if it is, then I hope we have the courage to stand up and fight, just like V. Viva la revolution!

Superman Returns

I don’t care what anyone says; this is one of the best sequels I have seen, ever. I am a huge comic fan, and even more of a fan of well made comic movies. The action is top notch, the acting is great, and the story is awesome. They totally captured the vibe of the old Superman movies, while updating it at the same time. Brandon Routh is the perfect Superman. This is one of those movies that you can sit through the entire film, and maintain the sense of “wow” and captivation that a good movie should offer. I was greatly surprised, and definitely satisfied. I am very excited to see what comes with the next Superman movie; if it is anything like this one, it will be fantastic. I seriously loved this movie!

Dreamgirls

Shockingly, I really didn’t have really high hopes for Dreamgirls, other than the infamous performance of “And I Am Telling You…”. But, with that being said, each trailer made me a little more excited about the movie, and I was all hyped to go when I missed out on the chance Christmas day. I thought it would be okay to wait for rental, but everyone was gushing, and thankfully, a friend who had seen it agreed to go again. OH MY GOD. I was such an idiot for thinking anything other than, “this movie is going to be off the chain”; because it was. Jennifer Hudson is magical, and deserves every award they can throw at her. And, I left NOT hating Beyonce!! A twofer! Seriously, if you love musicals, this one is great!

X-men: X3 the Last Stand

Hands down, the best X-men movie of the franchise. Now, with that being said, I know that there are a ton of people that will completely disagree with me, but I don’t care. This was one of the first times I actually felt like they were the X-men, rather than Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, etc. Also, making the Phoenix be the main storyline was the ultimate wet dream of anyone that is a fan of the X-men, so just having that in there (and doing it extremely well), was worth it for me. I certainly hope that this isn’t the last one, as the name suggests, because it is almost like they were just honing their craft. It definitely has a different feel than it did with Singer at the helm, but I didn’t feel enough of a difference (good or bad) to effect my thoughts on the movie. I know for one that I am keeping my fingers crossed for X4 and so on. There is so much more they could do with the X-men, and they were just getting started; and if any future ones are as good as this one, I am already on board.

Shortbus

While the movie was extremely controversial because of the use of actual sex acts, as opposed to simulated ones, this movie was extremely good. What you end up seeing is a bunch of people dealing with their sexual identities and needs in a way that may seem unconventional to many, which ends up causing them some problems when they try to fit the mold. What I took away from this, was a look at how sex and sexuality can define us and our relationships, and how different perspectives work for different people. It is also extremely funny, and well, there are lots of naked boys with big dicks in it. Come on now, you weren’t thinking that I was going to say, “you don’t notice the nudity that much”, did you? Silly kids… Just watch the movie already, it’s good, okay!

Tristan + Isolde

Passion, love, feeling, and of course, damn duty had to go and get in the way. The classic love story of Tristan, and Englishman, and Isolde, an Irish woman, torn between love, battle, duty, and tragedy. This is a fantastic love story that is not to be missed. If you are a fan of the story of Romeo and Juliet, you really have to check out this one, because you will definitely fall in love with this story. The movie is beautifully shot, and has lots of action for those that like that angle, while giving you lots of tender, wonderful love right there on the same screen. I absolutely fell in love with this movie, and was completely surprised with how much I liked it. This is a story of love, and as you will learn (or may already know), a life without love, truly is no life at all.

Imagine Me and You

Finally a cute and believable romantic comedy about two girls falling in love! Seriously, this is such a cute movie, and both girls are extremely, well, cute! It may not be the BEST film, but it is certainly light-hearted, and Rom-Com greatness. It is also nice to finally see gay movies come out that aren’t complete trash, and can actually portray a semblance of love. There is one thing that is kind of interesting; one of them is married, and chooses the girl over her man, but it is definitely sweet to see people follow their hearts, even if that means that it is too bad for the guy! Definitely to become a lesbian classic (at least for my friend Deb it will!)!

Underworld Evolution

This is a kick ass sequel to the first, and it can’t be denied that this movie kicks vampire and Lycan ass. If you liked the first, you will probably dig this one, but if not, steer clear; as I know a lot of you will see this on my list and think, “WTF?”. But, keep in mind, this is one of the types of movies I can really get into; mostly because they are just fun to watch, and deal with that vampire/occult/dark stuff that somehow seems to interest me like little else. It also doesn’t help that I LOVED the first one, and that the action and special effects are just great. Now, I can’t wait to see the third and final one! If this one is any indication of how it will be, then I am sure that it will be action packed and fun!

MI:III

Now, before you even go there, I know that Tom Cruise is in it, but, for me, that surprisingly doesn’t ruin this movie. It is very well made, with a great story, and it only gets stronger because it totally has JJ Abrams’ signature all over it; which is a really good thing. I love the story, the action, everything… it was exactly what I was looking for in a spy thriller. Probably one of the best things EVER, is that it has Felicity (Keri Russell) as a spy! Holy cow! That is where Abrams claims he came up with the idea for Alias (Felicity joins the CIA)! Totally full circle! What’s not to love there? Seriously though, this is definitely a great action film.

Honorable mentions (good movies, but not in the top of my list, you know?): The Devil Wears Prada (I haven’t seen it enough times, I think), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Rom-Com + Action/Comic book movie = duane happy), Another Gay Movie (total spoofiness, but definitely funny) Inside Man (just not one I could watch over and over), American Dreamz (parts of it are laugh out loud hilarious) and Lucky Number Slevin (which is GREAT, but again not one I would watch over and over).

So there you have it! My movie list of 2006! Whew!! Now, tell me what you were digging in 2006!!! Here’s hoping there are a lot more movies that are lovable from 2007! Oh yeah, and as most always, these aren’t my pictures, and I don’t claim them to be, you know!