1. I thought that it was a decent, but rambling film. I understand that a man's life is a very important thing, and the issues dealt with in this movie were extremely important, but I think that the movie was too excessive on that one topic. In the film, I admired Ramon's friends who helped him die. I think that that was a very honorable thing to do. I understand how if you were not able to do anything, life wouldn't be worth living. In all, it was a decent film, but I liked the book, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly much better.
2. I think that even though The Sea Inside and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly were both about people in situations that maybe aren't even worth living in, it is difficult to compare the two. In The Sea Inside, Ramon is paralyzed, but only from the neck down. In The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Bauby can only blink his left eye, yet Ramon is the one wanting to die. I think that in this case Bauby is a stronger person. However, Ramon has been in his condition for around 29 plus years, while Bauby only a year or so. So, I think that the two stories are not very similar besides the fact that they both couldn't really move much and were at the mercy of others.
3. During the film, there were many very interesting shots that definitely added to the production of the movie as a whole. During the more intimate kissing scenes, they had extreme close ups panning and fading into more extreme close ups, giving it a mood to match what was happening. During the flying scene, they do a first person shaky shot angle to add drama and suspense and also give the viewer the feeling of seeing things from Ramon's perspective. In all, there were many great shots that added feeling and different moods to match each scene in the film.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Always Running #10
Ahh, the last outside reading blog post... I guess it's been a good run though, huh?
Anywho, I guess I'll get to it.
To be completely honest with you all, with all my previous posts, I already knew what was going to happen. I am the kind of person that doesn't do well when I try to read slow and stop all the time to do things on the book. I need to read it straight through and then do things on it. So, in order for me to do all my blog posts, this wonderful memoir, "Always Running; La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A." by Luis Rodriguez, has been read by yours truly four times.
And it got better each time.
Throughout the book, Rodriguez unravels tales of hardship, violence, and human life at its very worst. Even with some extremely brutal subject matter, he manages to tell his story with a tranquil but troublesome tone. Not only is it a great memoir to read, but it teaches very important lessons. Most people don't even realize how terrible some people are almost forced to live. Gangs, drugs, and violence tears peoples' lives apart. And all of it may be hard to avoid when you grow up in tough neighborhoods, but it is definitely not the right path to go down.
With wonderful voice, a great story, and very important lessons, "Always Running" is a must read. I strongly suggest that you read it. If you happen to be someone who knows me, I would be more than happy to lend it to you. Just ask. : )
Well, that just about wraps it up here. So, until next time...
I is out fo sho bro
heehee bye.
JPN
Anywho, I guess I'll get to it.
To be completely honest with you all, with all my previous posts, I already knew what was going to happen. I am the kind of person that doesn't do well when I try to read slow and stop all the time to do things on the book. I need to read it straight through and then do things on it. So, in order for me to do all my blog posts, this wonderful memoir, "Always Running; La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A." by Luis Rodriguez, has been read by yours truly four times.
And it got better each time.
Throughout the book, Rodriguez unravels tales of hardship, violence, and human life at its very worst. Even with some extremely brutal subject matter, he manages to tell his story with a tranquil but troublesome tone. Not only is it a great memoir to read, but it teaches very important lessons. Most people don't even realize how terrible some people are almost forced to live. Gangs, drugs, and violence tears peoples' lives apart. And all of it may be hard to avoid when you grow up in tough neighborhoods, but it is definitely not the right path to go down.
With wonderful voice, a great story, and very important lessons, "Always Running" is a must read. I strongly suggest that you read it. If you happen to be someone who knows me, I would be more than happy to lend it to you. Just ask. : )
Well, that just about wraps it up here. So, until next time...
I is out fo sho bro
heehee bye.
JPN
Always Running #9
OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS. I am terribly sorry for the minor repetition, but I have to talk about this again. Police corruption and brutality. Not cool. At all. This book is making me hate police so much. I don't know if that is healthy, but nonetheless. I don't know how to begin explaining this scene, so I am going to try to type a really long quote of the most important part of the scene. Forgive me for it's length...
"The woman screamed but nobody appeared to hear. I saw a couple of deputies push her against a car parked in the lot of an after-hours club in Norwalk. I looked to see if anybody else was around, but the few who were there turned away, ignoring the screams as a deputy punched the woman in the face.
"Hey, get off her!" I yelled.
I didn't know who she was or what she did; I just couldn't stand there and witness the beating.
"Get the fuck out of here- now!" shouted an officer as he pulled hard on the woman's arm so he could put handcuffs on her. Her face smashed against the asphalt, bleeding from the mouth.
"Pinche cabrones!" she managed to say.
"Leave her alone- can't you see you're hurting her?"
At this, a couple of deputies pounced on me. I fell to the ground. Officers pulled on my arms, picked me up and threw me against a squad car. I felt the blows of a blackjack against my side and back. I tried to pull them off me, when suddenly eight other deputies showed up. AS they pounded on me, my foot inadvertently came up and brushed one of them in the chest.
The deputies threw me inside a squad car, the woman in another. By then a crowd had gathered, but they appeared helpless as more deputies swarmed the club's parking lot.
For about a half-hour the squad car drove around. A deputy hit me in the stomach. Another struck me in the face:
"You got something to say...it looks like you got something to say to us," an officer implied.
I didn't say anything. Not even fuck you. I felt my cheek swell. Another fist smashed into an eye, the end of a blackjack into a rib. I clenched my teeth, holding back a cry so that they couldn't use anything I said of did to intensify their attack." (pgs 226-227).
If this isn't police brutality and corruption, I don't know what is. I think I might think twice now before I even look at a cop in the wrong way. Man...
"The woman screamed but nobody appeared to hear. I saw a couple of deputies push her against a car parked in the lot of an after-hours club in Norwalk. I looked to see if anybody else was around, but the few who were there turned away, ignoring the screams as a deputy punched the woman in the face.
"Hey, get off her!" I yelled.
I didn't know who she was or what she did; I just couldn't stand there and witness the beating.
"Get the fuck out of here- now!" shouted an officer as he pulled hard on the woman's arm so he could put handcuffs on her. Her face smashed against the asphalt, bleeding from the mouth.
"Pinche cabrones!" she managed to say.
"Leave her alone- can't you see you're hurting her?"
At this, a couple of deputies pounced on me. I fell to the ground. Officers pulled on my arms, picked me up and threw me against a squad car. I felt the blows of a blackjack against my side and back. I tried to pull them off me, when suddenly eight other deputies showed up. AS they pounded on me, my foot inadvertently came up and brushed one of them in the chest.
The deputies threw me inside a squad car, the woman in another. By then a crowd had gathered, but they appeared helpless as more deputies swarmed the club's parking lot.
For about a half-hour the squad car drove around. A deputy hit me in the stomach. Another struck me in the face:
"You got something to say...it looks like you got something to say to us," an officer implied.
I didn't say anything. Not even fuck you. I felt my cheek swell. Another fist smashed into an eye, the end of a blackjack into a rib. I clenched my teeth, holding back a cry so that they couldn't use anything I said of did to intensify their attack." (pgs 226-227).
If this isn't police brutality and corruption, I don't know what is. I think I might think twice now before I even look at a cop in the wrong way. Man...
Always Running #8
While reading this memoir, I keep thinking about how violent life is when you are in bad neighborhoods and especially with gangs.
"A loud crack resounded nearby as a powerful projectile struck the side of the helicopter, causing it to sputter and twirl as it descended toward earth." (pg 205).
"Two bullets burst out from inside the vehicle before it sped off, never stopping. No barrio was claimed. The bodies of Santos and Indio lay across the lawn, killed instantly, while a small boy wailed for his mother." (pg 205).
"There before me lay the larges collection of weapons I had ever seen: shotguns, in different gauges; handguns from .22s to 9 millimeters; semi-automatic rifles with scopes, thirty-thirty and thirty-ought-sixes; and the automatics- 16s and all sort of subs. In a corner were sever wood boxes piled up with hand grenades." (pg 207).
"But Chava did not run, could not run; he stood alone in the back yard as the legion of shadows approached, yelling back, shadows which surrounded their prey and pounced in a deadly pantomime, steel blades penetrating flesh... ...Somebody picked up a rusted tire rim from the cluttered driveway, raised it high, and thrust it down on Chava's head." (pg 211).
These quotes, and even more that I didn't post, made me glad I live in a safe area. In a song I know, there is a line that says, "It's not my fault that humans don't act humane." I think that that line is very appropriate with some of the gruesome, terrible things that people do to each other.
"A loud crack resounded nearby as a powerful projectile struck the side of the helicopter, causing it to sputter and twirl as it descended toward earth." (pg 205).
"Two bullets burst out from inside the vehicle before it sped off, never stopping. No barrio was claimed. The bodies of Santos and Indio lay across the lawn, killed instantly, while a small boy wailed for his mother." (pg 205).
"There before me lay the larges collection of weapons I had ever seen: shotguns, in different gauges; handguns from .22s to 9 millimeters; semi-automatic rifles with scopes, thirty-thirty and thirty-ought-sixes; and the automatics- 16s and all sort of subs. In a corner were sever wood boxes piled up with hand grenades." (pg 207).
"But Chava did not run, could not run; he stood alone in the back yard as the legion of shadows approached, yelling back, shadows which surrounded their prey and pounced in a deadly pantomime, steel blades penetrating flesh... ...Somebody picked up a rusted tire rim from the cluttered driveway, raised it high, and thrust it down on Chava's head." (pg 211).
These quotes, and even more that I didn't post, made me glad I live in a safe area. In a song I know, there is a line that says, "It's not my fault that humans don't act humane." I think that that line is very appropriate with some of the gruesome, terrible things that people do to each other.
Always Running #7
Whew. I don't know what to think of this memoir.
In one chapter, Luis will be doing terrible things like drugs, sex, and hurting people along with his fellow gang members, and the next chapter, he will be doing public service and writing poems. Ahhh! This book seems so two sided, but for some reason it is in an appealing way.
I have always heard that once you are in a gang, the only way you get out is dead. With all of Luis' gang involvement in the Lomos barrio gang, this is something that has been frequently running through my mind. I know he doesn't die, because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to write and publish the book, but how does he get out? Or does he get out at all? I am very curious to get some answers. And along with the gangs, does Luis quit all of his other bad behavior? With drugs and alcohol being so addictive, will he be able to quit that as well? Hmmmm. This is something I will definitely be looking for as I read on.
In the last segment that I read, one segment truly made me angry at police. Personally, I don't like police that much to begin with, I don't know why, or actually have any reason why, I just don't. But anyways, one of Luis' friends, Miguel, died. Miguel had absolutely no gang affiliation.
"He devoted himself to sports- becoming a prize-winning track runner and baseball player. His leadership qualities satyed with him as he participated in San Gabriel High School's MASO club at the same time I was embroiled in ToHMAS. In fact, he had the respect from both barrios as someone who could transcend the obstacles and amount to something. He even talked about being a police officer." (pg 201).
One night, Miguel and his friends were ordered by policemen to line up and be searched. Miguel's brother saw the police and ran because they recognized him from an outstanding warrant. The police chased after his brother into their house. While his brother was trying to run away, Miguel ran into the house to try to help his brother. In the house, the officer shot at his brother, clipping him in the ear. Miguel tried to stop the policeman from shooting again, but the officer turned and shot Miguel in the heart, killing him.
I am fuming at this point, so I'm leaving. I will let you (whoever may be reading this) think about this.
In one chapter, Luis will be doing terrible things like drugs, sex, and hurting people along with his fellow gang members, and the next chapter, he will be doing public service and writing poems. Ahhh! This book seems so two sided, but for some reason it is in an appealing way.
I have always heard that once you are in a gang, the only way you get out is dead. With all of Luis' gang involvement in the Lomos barrio gang, this is something that has been frequently running through my mind. I know he doesn't die, because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to write and publish the book, but how does he get out? Or does he get out at all? I am very curious to get some answers. And along with the gangs, does Luis quit all of his other bad behavior? With drugs and alcohol being so addictive, will he be able to quit that as well? Hmmmm. This is something I will definitely be looking for as I read on.
In the last segment that I read, one segment truly made me angry at police. Personally, I don't like police that much to begin with, I don't know why, or actually have any reason why, I just don't. But anyways, one of Luis' friends, Miguel, died. Miguel had absolutely no gang affiliation.
"He devoted himself to sports- becoming a prize-winning track runner and baseball player. His leadership qualities satyed with him as he participated in San Gabriel High School's MASO club at the same time I was embroiled in ToHMAS. In fact, he had the respect from both barrios as someone who could transcend the obstacles and amount to something. He even talked about being a police officer." (pg 201).
One night, Miguel and his friends were ordered by policemen to line up and be searched. Miguel's brother saw the police and ran because they recognized him from an outstanding warrant. The police chased after his brother into their house. While his brother was trying to run away, Miguel ran into the house to try to help his brother. In the house, the officer shot at his brother, clipping him in the ear. Miguel tried to stop the policeman from shooting again, but the officer turned and shot Miguel in the heart, killing him.
I am fuming at this point, so I'm leaving. I will let you (whoever may be reading this) think about this.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Always Running #6
Ok, now for a post that's a little more towards my book actually.
I thought that my book had been getting better (in the sense of not so bad for the characters lives, not the quality of the book), but I was wrong. In the last section that I read, many tragic things occurred. One of the worst, I think, is what happened to Luis' friend Sheila. When Sheila found out she was pregnant, (not with Luis, they were just friends), she asked Luis' advice on what to do. Luis thought that she should tell her parents, and even though she was scared about the idea, she took his advice.
"The next day, I asked around for Sheila. Nobody knew where she was at. I entered the Chicano Student Center.
'Hey Blanca, have yo7u heard from Sheila?'
'You mean you don't know?' Blanca said.
'What?'
'She told her father she's having a baby,' Blanca replied. 'He got so mad, he broke all her fingers.'" (page 199)
Another example of how bad life is for the characters in this book is in an intense scene with Luis. I had thought he was almost done with the gang life, but then he happens to do a drive-by shooting against another gang, and gets arrested. After a little time in jail, Luis finds a loophole in the system and gets off without too heavy of a charge. However, this is still bad, and just goes to show how once you start being involved in gangs, it's hard to get out.
I'm out. adios.
I thought that my book had been getting better (in the sense of not so bad for the characters lives, not the quality of the book), but I was wrong. In the last section that I read, many tragic things occurred. One of the worst, I think, is what happened to Luis' friend Sheila. When Sheila found out she was pregnant, (not with Luis, they were just friends), she asked Luis' advice on what to do. Luis thought that she should tell her parents, and even though she was scared about the idea, she took his advice.
"The next day, I asked around for Sheila. Nobody knew where she was at. I entered the Chicano Student Center.
'Hey Blanca, have yo7u heard from Sheila?'
'You mean you don't know?' Blanca said.
'What?'
'She told her father she's having a baby,' Blanca replied. 'He got so mad, he broke all her fingers.'" (page 199)
Another example of how bad life is for the characters in this book is in an intense scene with Luis. I had thought he was almost done with the gang life, but then he happens to do a drive-by shooting against another gang, and gets arrested. After a little time in jail, Luis finds a loophole in the system and gets off without too heavy of a charge. However, this is still bad, and just goes to show how once you start being involved in gangs, it's hard to get out.
I'm out. adios.
Always Running #5
Well, apparently "the legend" (a.k.a. maxwell a.k.a maxium, which means big in latin heehee) liked my going the "extra mile," so I did it again.
In the memoir, Luis is part of a group called "ToHMAS," or "To Help Mexican American Students." In the high school that he goes to, there are a lot of Mexican American students, as well as Caucasian and other races. However, the Latino students are often disregarded by the school administration, and placed into classes that they aren't usually interested, most often based around blue collar jobs such as shop class and mechanics. The students are also discriminated against often in the school, and "ToHMAS" wants to do something about it. All of the Mexican American students plan a walkout and they pull it off in a massive protest against the school.
As a fairly politically involved young person, I have always taken an interest in useful and effective protesting methods. Walkouts have always seemed interesting to me. They are not quite a boycott, which proved to be a very effective method in the Civil Rights Movement, but a walkout is very similar. I used some prior knowledge and some research and found out that young members of "YAWR," an organization founded in Seattle, had successfully done a walkout and achieved the goal of it. YAWR stands for Youth Against War and Racism, and the students in Seattle had a walkout to protest military recruitment in schools. The government often will send in military recruiters to high schools, where the recruiters make the military seem like a wonderful option to high school students, especially racial minorities. Kids will often take the bait and throw away their future because of it. So, in Seattle, the students planned a walkout to protest against action like this.
Neat!
In the memoir, Luis is part of a group called "ToHMAS," or "To Help Mexican American Students." In the high school that he goes to, there are a lot of Mexican American students, as well as Caucasian and other races. However, the Latino students are often disregarded by the school administration, and placed into classes that they aren't usually interested, most often based around blue collar jobs such as shop class and mechanics. The students are also discriminated against often in the school, and "ToHMAS" wants to do something about it. All of the Mexican American students plan a walkout and they pull it off in a massive protest against the school.
As a fairly politically involved young person, I have always taken an interest in useful and effective protesting methods. Walkouts have always seemed interesting to me. They are not quite a boycott, which proved to be a very effective method in the Civil Rights Movement, but a walkout is very similar. I used some prior knowledge and some research and found out that young members of "YAWR," an organization founded in Seattle, had successfully done a walkout and achieved the goal of it. YAWR stands for Youth Against War and Racism, and the students in Seattle had a walkout to protest military recruitment in schools. The government often will send in military recruiters to high schools, where the recruiters make the military seem like a wonderful option to high school students, especially racial minorities. Kids will often take the bait and throw away their future because of it. So, in Seattle, the students planned a walkout to protest against action like this.
Neat!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Always Running #4
During the last chapter that I read, I became very interested in what Luis was doing. As a part of the organization he was in to better the Mexican-American community, Luis, along with others, went around East Los Angeles looking for walls and buildings that had explicit graffiti on it. Instead of letting them be, or even cleaning them up, they would find the owner of the wall, and ask permission to repaint it as a mural that the whole community could enjoy.
I thought this was a very cool idea, so I decided to do some research on the topic. I found out that Los Angeles is considered the city with the most wall/building murals in the world. Famous muralists like Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco painted works there, as well as local unknown artists and civilians just like Luis.
In the memoir, Luis describes many of his artworks in detail, and I noticed that they all have a common theme. With a very impressionistic style, his artwork is heavily influenced by the rough life he had lead so far, involving women, drugs, and gang violence. As I browsed through pictures of murals in Los Angeles, I noticed that many, if not all of them were just like the way Luis described his. Among my favorites was this artwork, by an unknown artist:
I thought this was a very cool idea, so I decided to do some research on the topic. I found out that Los Angeles is considered the city with the most wall/building murals in the world. Famous muralists like Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco painted works there, as well as local unknown artists and civilians just like Luis.
In the memoir, Luis describes many of his artworks in detail, and I noticed that they all have a common theme. With a very impressionistic style, his artwork is heavily influenced by the rough life he had lead so far, involving women, drugs, and gang violence. As I browsed through pictures of murals in Los Angeles, I noticed that many, if not all of them were just like the way Luis described his. Among my favorites was this artwork, by an unknown artist:
Always Running #3
Interesting...
I have definitely hit a turning point in my memoir. So far, it has been all about the dark life of being involved in poverty, drugs, violence, and gangs. In the last section that I read, however, Luis has started to mature and try to stay away from these bad influences, or, in some cases, influence others to be better. Luis started to attend high school again, after having dropped out for a couple years. He immediately emerges as a leader among other Mexican-Americans at the school, and starts influencing others to be more responsible. Luis was a member of the "Lomos" barrio gang, enemies of the "Sangra" barrio gang. However, Luis helped communicate between the two so that the two gangs signed a peace agreement.
The peace didn't last too long, but for the time it did work, it was a major accomplishment for Luis. He also joined a club in his school that worked towards better treatment for Mexican-Americans in the school and community. He helped organize a walkout to protest the unfair way the school administration had been treating them, which succeeded and there were new guidelines and classes available for the students.
I am curious to find out if Luis is able to maintain this healthier lifestyle throughout the rest of the book.
I have definitely hit a turning point in my memoir. So far, it has been all about the dark life of being involved in poverty, drugs, violence, and gangs. In the last section that I read, however, Luis has started to mature and try to stay away from these bad influences, or, in some cases, influence others to be better. Luis started to attend high school again, after having dropped out for a couple years. He immediately emerges as a leader among other Mexican-Americans at the school, and starts influencing others to be more responsible. Luis was a member of the "Lomos" barrio gang, enemies of the "Sangra" barrio gang. However, Luis helped communicate between the two so that the two gangs signed a peace agreement.
The peace didn't last too long, but for the time it did work, it was a major accomplishment for Luis. He also joined a club in his school that worked towards better treatment for Mexican-Americans in the school and community. He helped organize a walkout to protest the unfair way the school administration had been treating them, which succeeded and there were new guidelines and classes available for the students.
I am curious to find out if Luis is able to maintain this healthier lifestyle throughout the rest of the book.
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