Random Movie Review: Mysterious Skin

Random Movie Review: Mysterious Skin

I'm not too entirely sure how to begin this post. Wow. That movie touched the strings that keep my heart floating in my chest. It tickled the nerves that display emotions. This movie was one of those gem's hidden under layers of cinematic junk. This movie was selected in the Sundance, Venice, and Toronto Film Festivals. It was directed by Gregg Araki and released in 2004.

"Mysterious Skin" is the name of this movie and my reason for watching this film was to see our boy JGL in his earlier years. That's Joseph Gordon-Levitt for those of you who have never seen "Inception", "The Dark Knight Rises", "Looper" and the unromantic comedy "(500) Days of Summer". Either way JGL is proving to the world that he is a versatile and prominent actor. He stars as Neil McCormick, a teenager living out in Kansas. Neil is almost your average punk-rock kid, except he's gay. How he became that way is explained in the beginning of the movie. (I'm not here to debate whether you're born gay or you become it. My opinions are my own and if you don't see eye to eye with them then move your mouse northwestward and click HOME). The other main character in this movie is a boy named Brian (played by Brady Corbet) who explains that when he was a child, he was susceptible to nose bleeds and frequent episodes of fainting. Brian is your average goody-two shoes, who has a slight fascination with extra-terrestrial life.Wendy (played by Michelle Trachtenberg who starred in "The Ice Princess" and "EuroTrip"), is something like Neil's best friend/girlfriend if he were straight. One can easily tell however that she is indeed in love with him, by the way she touches his face and gives him the long stares. Typical teenage love.


The movie revolves around Neil's downward spiral into a life of  promiscuity, drug usage and the eventual realization of how cruel and fucked up life is; whereas Brian's world being unraveled by re-occurring nightmares and aliens. Brian grows up believing that he was abducted by aliens and that is the reason his memory from certain moments are awash. The two share a strange and traumatic secret that will eventually bring the two boys back together in an effort to find consolation. An interesting feature that the movie makes frequent use of is flashbacks, telling the story of how the boys met and what exactly links the two together. JGL's performance is epic, it is my belief that to play a homosexual character as a straight man takes courage and extreme focus, especially during suggestive scenes.  Neil is best described by Wendy when she warned Eric, their other queer friend. "Where normal people have a heart, Neil McCormick has a bottomless black hole. And if you don't watch out, you can fall in and get lost forever." - Wendy.  His devil may care personality is invasive and intoxicating. He subconsciously finds his way to your core and rests his head there, staying under your skin. Credit also goes to the actor who played Neil as a child, he was quite the bad ass and helped shape the character.  Overall he sells the character so well that we eventually begin to wonder if we had a friend like Neil or if we were in fact Neil. 

"I hear something, it's the voice of God."

As far as the soundtrack of this movie goes, it incorporates a great deal of instrumental pieces. I particularly liked how the song "Samskeyti" by Sigur Ros would abruptly cut off during the final scene where Brian is remembering the past. The constant on and off aspect of the music made you feel time shifting back and forth while the boys realized how the past can be so defining. Aside from the music the other outstanding feature was the camera placement during the key scenes. One particular shot is at night where Wendy and Neil are standing at a Drive In theater and snow begins to fall on them. The giant screen can be seen and the two shadows are cast on it. This scene is where the movie begins to wear away at your superficial layers, much like how skin can be easily removed. Wendy and Neil begin to marvel at the giant screen wishing their life could be like a movie and end with them standing together in front of the screen. The atmospheric music places the two in a dark world that has yet to be touched by the goddess, Hope. 

"Mysterious Skin" is more than just a film about a homosexual teenager and his reckless lifestyle. What this movie does is reach into your soul, it fishes in the deep for any memories that are worth catching. We were all lost children at one point in time, and during our wandering our souls occasionally stumble upon a path to a new area. An area that they would eventually call home. Within each of us lies secrets, sometimes epic and others traumatic, that the world is not ready to hear. In fact often times we ourselves are not ready to experience what has already been experienced. It may be Freudian in concept, but some areas in our lives will always remain blank even though we lived through it exactly like we are living now. I sometimes wonder if that is God warning us not to worry about where we came from and focus on where we are headed. Other times He may be trying to free us from the hidden chains that prevent us from moving on with life.

"And as we sat there listening to the carolers, I wanted to tell Brian it was over now and everything would be okay. But that was a lie, plus, I couldn't speak anyway. I wish there was some way for us to go back and undo the past. But there wasn't. There was nothing we could do. So I just stayed silent and trying to telepathically communicate how sorry I was about what had happened. And I thought of all the grief and sadness and fucked up suffering in the world, and it made me want to escape. I wished with all my heart that we could just leave this world behind. Rise like two angels in the night and magically... disappear." - Neil's Monologue

Neil's Monologue YouTube

Overall I would rate this movie a 4/5 for an outstanding performance by the actors, the emotional message it conveys to the audience and the portrayal of the conflicting life of teenagers. I also am impressed how it handled the homosexual aspect of the movie. In conclusion, "Mysterious Skin" is definitely a movie that should be watched with a spare towel and a phone to call your childhood friends and question the past. I wouldn't recommend it for a Friday night gathering with your friends but if you have a moment to yourself then find it on Hulu.  

Skin is the largest organ in the body but is only two layers deep; underneath the layers is where we find out what we really are. We are all empty husks ready to be filled with countless memories. 

~Mad Hatter

Jukebox Corner's: Sonic The Hamilton

Here in the Jukebox Corner you will find all things music related, from upcoming artists to interviews and features and some of my personal favorites. All that and more can be found by clicking HERE

Sonic the Hamilton

He’s crazy, he’s been punched in the face by a chick on camera, he loves sonic hamilton and the color pink, he is never satisfied by the females who are in and out of his life, he is…Charles Hamilton. Charles Eddie-Lee Hamilton is without a doubt my favorite musical artist, from the first song I heard I instantly fell in love with his music. Charles is truly talented creating his own samples, beats and lyrics  but what I respect more about him is the emotions that lie between his rhyme book. He is one of the most conflicted African-American males when it comes to love, women and the thoughts that haunt his mind. I really feel as if he is a mirror image of me in so many ways, I guess that is why I dig him so much. The man is truly a genius but is viewed by many as a whiny punk bitch but he is more of a man because of the fact that he can express his feelings through song. He has been in the music industry for ages releasing countless mixtapes at a time. I remember he released about 7 at once and I downloaded all of them instantly.

Hamiltonization 

The mind of Charles Hamilton is more elaborate than Pan’s Labyrinth. The thoughts that swarm his head come from the fact that Charles has been through a lot. From his childhood to being alone on the NY streets, to the overuse of substances both harmful and illegal. It is only natural that his mind would be a breeding ground for demons and monsters but through his music he has found a way to tame these horrid creatures. Psychotic is what some refer to him as but names are only words unless proven.The year is 2011 and Mr. Hamilton has been absent from the underground music stream. Earlier this year he released a mixtape, but since this point nothing has been heard. The name has not even appeared in the media in ages. Charles wrote songs about his crushes on celebrities and common women alike. One particular woman is Rihanna, I believe he dedicated a whole mixtape to winning her love. As far as his success goes….we don’t know but regardless of this he is the man. Falling in love with girls left and right; he sees women for who they truly are which is a rare trait this day and age.I think if I had the opportunity to meet this man it would almost be like meeting my future self. I have had my trouble with women, racing thoughts and other things but all in all I have made it through. Instead of music, I’ve found my outlet in a pen and pad. Charles Hamilton is one of the most pivotal and intriguing musical artists that I have ever listened to. On a good day I can play his music for days at a time and not complain or skip a song. He is that great to me.

~I am More Concerned With Love than Life

Cheers,

~The Caterpillar

Words Workshops Presents: Y For You

A sample of what can be found in the words workshop HERE.

Y For You 

I once left you a pen, with some hope that you would begin again, you know writing, letting the ink serve as the fuel for your lighting device as we navigate through the dark depths of your mind. Inception is relative to the sign too bad I’m no Leo, and as the clocks move closer to zero its only time that matters before your thoughts commit crimes that are especially heinous, searching for the SVU while the body get so weak, no SWV. Heartbeats come to a stand still as your hand continues to sit still, I wish that I could ask the real you to please stand up as the others sit in silence. Fraudulence hinders the magnificent memories that were left in the form of memoirs that painted faces white like the geisha's of yesteryear. You once told me that you could create stories  with only twenty-six letters stitched together like freshly knit leathers worn by Mr. West, feel that en-compassing feeling as we lecture to the masses like our days are spent in classes were teachers are actually preachers and we are all sinners for speaking our minds. While we listen our ideals stray away out the back door like a thief moving out of the store he has stolen from. Don’t become the man who sells himself for profit, or live to become the Judas among the prophets. Kissing your saving grace goodbye I say that is a fitting story for a fellow who has fallen so far that life alert couldn’t pick him back up. I watched you one day aimlessly wander onto the linoleum tiles looking to pray to the porcelain goddess promising never to succumb to spirits again. Strangers surround you like a sound system blaring and bleeping word at you, they abuse your childish mind so bad that you begin to question if the design of God is actually a dinner date with the devil, spoon feeding you stories of glory and insanity as you look to me to help catch your breath while drowning in the lake of fire, now that’s what I call a burning desire. As long as I have known you I’ve wanted to be like the Ned-like neighbor, constantly looking over Homer, the practical poet or literary overcomer, this summer formed a world of new becomers behaving as if they had no home training, yourself included. I just ask don’t let my words get diluted as you look for a solution out of this acidic reaction rusting away your once strong frames. Whatever woes you once had will be lost, reach out to the light as you feel the darkness drawing your soul that was once deeply rooted in the soil. You told me the time you used grass to grow to the sky, a false high for a once fly guy, we’ve got you looking to give God a hi-five because he prefers the handshake seeing as that was makes a man. I watched you stray away from the once great plan, we would stay up all night searching for stars to wish upon, oh how have we become so undone. Undercooked despite all the heat and pressure used to produce a diamond from our carbon copies. To you whom I love I wish you would wipe away the droplets and make deposits into my cardiac treasure chest, where no pirate played by Johnny can plunder. So you ask mirror mirror on the wall, does anybody love me at all. I want to respond and make the suffering end, so that’s why I left you a pen.

~Cheshire 

Reel Rooms Random Movie Review: Chiller Thriller's

Random Movie Review: Chiller Thrillers “The Thing" 
(More RMR's can be found by clicking HERE)

Tis the season for snow, the color red and warm fires to keep you warm, the movie I am about to review has all three of those  as well as you’ll come to find out. Tonight I am dropping my review of the classic horror film known as “The Thing", both the original 1982 version and the 2007 remake. Before I get started I really think that this movie has the most usage of fire and flamethrowers ever. Everything in this movie is set on fire, I’m not lying. Burn, baby Burn. Both films revolve around a similar plot, an alien life form (never explained) is found frozen deep within the ice of Antarctica and is uncovered by a group of scientists or workers and the creature wrecks havoc in the most unconventional way. Stealth. The 1982 version focuses on a group of workers and in my opinion this movie is truly terrifying in a unique way. It employs a type of horror this generation has been lacking and that is the suspense and atmospheric horror. There are no jump or fright scenes within this movie, just the slow build-up and then climatic act and it falls back into another suspenseful buildup. Helicopter Pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell) does a great job of being a totalitarian leader during this movie, he thinks quickly and focuses solely on the eradication of this life-form rather than survival. The Thing itself is grotesque, there is a certain type of gore, blood and malformation that the 1980’s employed in their monster movies and this is no different. I’m talking this thing is ugly as ____. Fuck. And it is never seen the same way which I personally liked. As I said earlier the atmosphere plays a major role in the fear factor, the dark blue tint that is seen mostly throughout the movie is chilling and the only light seems to be from the flamethrowers and flares. The soundtrack as well…horrifying. Who knew two beats could create a symphony of fear and death. It is played in the right moments as well, so when you hear it you know that shit is about to pop off.



Now taking a look at the 2007 version. It approached this movie from a different angle, from a more scientific and exploratory viewpoint. The obvious difference is the main character. Columbia grad student Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) plays a vertebral paleontologist who is asked to identify a new specimen that was recently found under the ice. However after a turn of events it becomes a game of hide-or-die. The creature follows a more brutish and violent way of killing its prey than the original which is understandable (because people today like violence apparently). The creature is much more vicious looking and less freakish this time around but that is mainly due to technology. The soundtrack does not stray too far from the original which I appreciated. Those same two beats. Duhn-Duhn. It reminds one of a dying heartbeat before it begins to fade. This movie has more fright scenes than the original as well. One thing I didn’t like however was how the main character went from a regular college student to a total bad-ass without a major catalyst for her transformation. I think we as horror-movie connoisseurs have adopted a new archetype for characters and that is the “Betty Rubble Bad-Ass" (Totally just made that up). But basically the character is usually a middle age female (brunette) who lives an average life until it’s turned upside down by some unfortunate events. Now granted I know people can work under pressure and all that but I don’t see how Kate goes from scoping dead dogs to burning every piece of flesh in sight. But I digress, enough rantings.

(Disclaimer: This next part contains spoilers.)

What I found amazing after watching both of these movies in the same sitting is how they are intertwined. The entire time I’m watching the remake I’m thinking like “Shit, another classic movie messed up by these trashy directors these days" until the end and my mind is blown. They set up the remake to serve as a direct sequel to the original. At the end of the remake the leftovers from the carnage caused by The Thing is seen and the remaining survivors are seen chasing after a dog (which is the creature) that escaped the hell. The beginning of the 1982 version opens with a dog being chased by a helicopter by two Dutch men. Crazy, but it goes deeper than that. The block of ice, that the creature was found in, the spaceship site already explored and destroyed, the death of one of the individuals but what I found the most interesting was how one of the creatures remains was found. One scene in the remake, an individual is attacked by the monster and their faces and bodies begin to mold into one being, and the creature is shortly burned and killed. Now in the original, when MacReady and his partner venture to this camp they find this same creature and take it back to their base…It’s amazing how these movies were made 25 years apart and yet they take place only a few hours…if that after each other. Genius.Word on the internet is that this is based on a novel by a Mr. John Campbell called “Who Goes There", I’ll have to check it out in my spare time. But if there’s one thing I learned from The Thing is to "Trust No One"Cheers.

~Mad Hatter

Be Prepared To Stop

Todays Tunes: “Black Beauty” – Lana Del Rey

There may honestly be nothing more annoying than driving down the road, wayfarer shades on sipping on a Bojangles sweet tea blasting Jimi Hendrix when you get hit with a big ol orange sign and a middle aged man sweating his butt off in the hot summer sun. Yeah, I’m talking about road construction. Summer time around Chapel Hill is notorious for driving and parking, I’m talking every road has some sort of damn block or detour. Life is so breezy and then you get hit with that “Slow” or “Stop sign and it just throws off your whole flow of things. It’s literally more annoying than sand in your sandals or that emotionally drunk friend who always cries about their problems. Just annoying.

Taking the time to look back on all this made me realize how life’s path often has construction going on. We’re constantly looking ahead to see what is laid out before us; but every once in awhile we come across a fat man holding a SLOW or STOP sign. Most of us don’t know how to handle a roadblock in our path; we get confused, upset or automatically start looking for an alternate path. When in reality the path is not broken, it’s still very much present; it’s just not accessible at this moment. For example my immediate goal now is an acceptance into UNC-CH Dental School (i.e. my destination), but my path is constantly being worked on. This past semester I ran into an orange roadblock sign read Be Prepared To Stop and I did before the summer began. It was such a complete stand still that I even tried to hit reverse till I remembered that there’s no going back in life. As I went through the summer however that “STOP” sign turned into a “SLOW” and that fat man holding the sign turned out to be life (Look’s like life’s not a b*tch after all).  In retrospect I believe that although certain goals and dreams may come to a standstill, they are still within sight and grasp. However it may not be the time for us to reach them at that specific moment. So what does life do? Tell us to stop or slow it down because we know that nothing good will come from reaching a goal without working towards it. “Insert cool hipster quote about goals and journeys and Robert Frost” Also remember have patience and wait for the sign to change. In the 21^st century I believe that patience is about as rare as an Iota, virtually NONEXISTENT. We have to develop that patience in order to be successful in life, because we have to wait. Our problem is that we feel like we are owed something just for being alive. News Flash! The world owes us nothing! Regardless, there are doors that patience is the only key for. So wait it out sometimes, when it’s time for the sign to change it will.

Another reason why life-blocks (coined term) are important is that sometimes we get so focused on the one lane highway stretched out ahead of us that we tend to forget we’re actually on I-40 around 5:00. Sometimes it’s important to check your surrounding like they “taught” is in Driving School, see if you’re the only car on the road or if others are next to you. Life isn’t a single player; it’s a damn MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) so prepare to share the road with others. Don’t be that Asian driver and throw others off their track either. Other times we just need to check our rearview. There is a reason we are supposed to look back in life; it’s not to put it in reverse but to look how far we have come. Take a moment to think back to how you’re last days of semester ended, how the first date went with an individual, or even how intoxicado you may have been last night. All these mile-markers are here to tell us how far from the beginning we have come, and once we’re done looking back shifting forward feels so good. By the time we take to reconnect and evaluate our surroundings, Jim-bo has already gotten the clearance on the walkie to let you pass. In life don’t forget where you are and where you have come from.

So prepare for a chance of a lifetimeBe prepared for sensational news~ Scar

Whatever goals you have set for yourself, keep them for yourself. Always remember your goals because that hope you have of accomplishing them shall be the 2000 tan Honda Civic with 258,471 miles that will take you to them. When you hit your next detour or construction site on the path of life, always remember there is a reason that this road is under construction. While you’re preparing to stop take the time to change CD’s or clean your glasses.

The road to success is always under construction.

- Lil Tomlin

~White Rabbit

The Glorious Mangina

Todays Tunes: “Objects In The Mirror” – Mac Miller

I can’t stand people who try and fool themselves in academic settings. If you’re a genius then be a genius, if your not then you're not. Point Blank Period. You look like a dumb-ass. As I came to the end of my semester I notice how people all of sudden people want to take life by the horns when its time to study. Finals are just another exam that happens to count twice as much so why stress about it? Seriously, everybody seems to be hopped up on Red Bulls and espresso shots that nobody is normal anymore. All-nighters become a staple as if we’re all vampires (not that twilight shit either).  We’re down to two more exams and the world seems to be getting the best of the class. Oh whatever shall we do??

As for me, man, I just chill. I take ahold of what is important and focus. I know that I am a bright and talented individual who can accomplish many things when prompted to, but I also know that some people don't rock like people like that. Naturally smart people are always betting looked at funny like Trinidad James at the BET Awards. The problem arises when you want to be like the rest, but have a hard time hiding what is obviously there. Which leads us to the “Mangina” theory. For those of you who don't know what a mangina is, This is an example of the mangina in all it’s man-scaped glory . 

Californication: The Glorious Mangina

The Mangina is a concept where we are clearly granted something that is blatantly obvious (I.E. a penis, natural smarts, work ethic) but yet we pretend to act like it doesn’t exist. It happens by tucking whatever we want inside for a short period of time in order to blend in with the rest.  So as I continue this trek to dental school I realize that there are times when we must put on a mangina and make it glorious, sell that mangina as if it was the real deal. Sure I could have walked around this program like King Henry VIII and rubbed it in the face of the “peasants” that I am a genius but what does that get me? A lot of cold stares and words being scribbled behind my back like a "kick me" sign.  But instead I tucked my genius capabilities in and allowed myself to be submerged in the world of the above average student. When left to myself and my own academics, I take it back out and slang it all around and put the smarts back on. It may seem like I’m putting up a façade but lets just take this, a penis is sometimes a threatening and disgusting thing to most people. If you put the junk away then people don’t get intimidated/freaked out. So in a nut sack, people can feel intimidated or inferior to an individual if he bares it all. Give the world a tease. 

When donning the mangina it is key to remember why you are doing it, is it to help reach out to the world or are you hiding your true self because of fear, embarrassment etc? Don't do it to be a fake or a fraud because we see through that shit quick and tear you to shreds. Sometimes it's good to go with the flow, don't be a complete individual all the time. Life sucks when your solo-dolo, regardless of what Cudi said. 

As I conclude my venting I just remind all of you individuals who may be taking the time out of their monotonous and boring lives to read about an equally monotonous and boring individuals life that there’s nothing wrong with hiding the goods for awhile. However take too much time and it might find a way to poke you in the ass...literally which is something nobody don’t want.  Remember this and that the mangina is not a sexual stimulant, it’s a solution to handling the feeling of being intimidating to others. Use the mangina to makes friends. Because we all know why we need friends right? 

~The White Rabbit