Month: July 2007

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Transformers

It’s a good movie.

When I was young, my brother and I had many Transformers toys. The shows were the driving marketing force for the line of toys, and it did a good job. I watch the old shows now and it’s obvious that no one thought kids would see the poor production value. But, none of that matters to me. It is what it is. The comics were a little better, providing a bit more cohesive stories and a huge chunk of believability. I never got into the Transformers animated movie. Mostly because my favorite character, Optimus Prime, was “killed off”. Blah.

Enter the new movie this year. It has problems. Bad acting, horrible camera-work, editing problems, and a huge lack of focus on the Transformers themselves. Things I can bring myself to overlook just long enough to enjoy seeing (and hearing) Optimus Prime in action.  I enjoy Prime’s simple character. I don’t want to know about his internal turmoil or some kind of struggle. His fight is external and that’s where I want to see the action. Giant robot fighting action.

Here’s hoping Transformers 2 gives people more Autobots, more Decepticons, and less screaming humans fleeing for their lives.

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Independence Day

Today is the 4th of July. A single day to celebrate the founding of the United States of America. For me, this is one of the true holidays of every year. A day to reflect on how lucky I am to live in a nation that was devised to protect my rights as a person from tyranny. And one of those rights is one that not nearly enough people take advantage of. That is the right to look around your country, to examine your leaders, to look at your local government and yourself and say, “This place SUCKS!”

That’s right. The most vocal critics of our country are most often the ones who love it the most. Those who coddle our government with tacit approval are no different than parents who spoil their children with gifts and a lack of discipline. When someone tells you that they support our government fully, be suspicious that they do not understand their rights to question authority. Their duty to seek out our nations problems, expose them to the light, and make things right.

I don’t know where our nation will go in the future. I do know that it’s better today than when it was formed because people spoke out against injustice and evil. I’m thankful for a nation built on the backs of greater men and women greater than I. We should all be thankful for those who rock the boat.