Puff Pieces by Adrian: Cheers to Hunger Games/Movie Update

Monday, August 26, 2013

Cheers to Hunger Games/Movie Update

My wife and I managed to see Hunger Games recently, and we were definitely impressed. There’d been much hype around it, which anyone even remotely clued into pop culture knows, so we were naturally curious. We try not to fall for hype, but of course, far be it for us to neglect or completely ignore what stirs the public crazy without at least finding out what it is. And yes, I know we were way late to the party, but we have a baby so it’s been hard to get out and watch movies.

Anyhow, I was honestly skeptical of the movie. I had heard some negative things about it being a love story that doesn’t really happen and it being a bit over the top. I didn’t find that to be true though. As far as sci-fi goes, it was zeroed in pretty well to that theme with the costumes and technology, at least for the average informed citizen like myself.

The story was good, which is most important. The movie is an adaptation from a novel that I didn’t read. I thought the style and costumes were pretty good. I thought the story was good too. I find that the whole Lord of the Flies mentality is always an accurate depiction of what happens to people in an isolated and desperate live or die situation. The story covered that well. I like that the hero was a female, too. The actress was indeed tough, and she played the part well.

I could see what people probably meant when they said that the love story was weak. I didn’t feel a love story. I saw a guy and a girl fake a love relationship as a means of survival, which not only worked, but was also the key to their survival in the Hunger Games competition for life. Maybe people didn’t get that? Who knows.

Anyways, I thought it was worth mentioning, simply because I was impressed with the movie. I will try to read the book to part II before the movie comes out. Congrats to the writers and everyone else involved. Good job!

Other recent movies of note: We saw So This is the End, which was a surprisingly awesome movie out of the Judd Apatow clan via Seth Brogan. We also saw Wanderlust, the Paul Rudd/Jennifer Aniston turn hippie movie. It was ok. We saw 10 Years, the Channing Tatum movie about a 10 year reunion. It was pretty good. That reminds me, I will probably be seeing a lot more Channing movies as the wifey is way sprung on that fool. I don’t get it. I don’t see anything special there, but whatevs.

We also watched Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. It was ok too. Nothing great. I thought the end of days would be a lot more chaotic and violent, but hey, it’s anybody’s guess. I think Steve Carell is too nice in his movies, but hey, I guess that’s better than him being just another asshole. Like we don’t got enough of those. And lastly, I’ve seen Cinderella (the 1950 cartoon version) oh, I’d say about 90 times in the past two months. What can I say, baby girl loves it. It had her at hello.

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Revolution of the Soul. A Mission Statement.

I am by default, and through no fault of my own, different. I’m not out cruising the boulevard on the weekends, blasting oldies-but-goodies with the homies. I am also not listening to rock en Espanol, speaking in Spanish-only with my friends. I could fit into either stereotype perfectly though, and to an outsider, I probably appear to be from either or both worlds. I have brown skin, which is pretty much all it takes. It’s not that simple though, as others like me surely understand. I speak some Spanish but I also speak perfect English. I went to college. I love hamburgers and fries, and hip-hop, and alternative music. I have simply integrated into American culture from the start, because I was born here, and because I wanted to.

I’m glad that I’m not still stuck in Mexico somewhere, growing up a third world existence, which statistically would have been the case, had my familia never come here. But I am glad to have come from a country and peoples with such a rich and vibrant history. There are many reasons having such a heritage is a good thing, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am glad to have been born here in America, and happy to be part of this system. I’m happier yet that I didn’t grow up as a cholo gang-banging, tagger, too-cool-for school type of guy, even though I’ve had plenty of chances, given my surroundings. That subculture is not all bad either, depending on the level of involvement and the choices one makes. In other words, you can look the part without being a thug, or a social, or immigrant, or anything else, que no? This is true of all life.

So even though I am different, I am by no means alone, and I know this. The problem for me is that I’m not seeing enough representation out there in the media. I’m not seeing a lot of works written, or filmed, for people like me. It annoys me, too, for a lot of political reasons, because our image is grossly misrepresented. Sure the gangbanger cholos are fun to include in film, because violence sells. However, that only perpetuates a false image. These days, it seems as though everyone in this country sees us either as cholos or as immigrants that refuse to assimilate, legal or not. This angers me because we are so many different things including a multitude of diversity within our own subculture. It’s pretty frickin’ beautiful, if everyone only knew…

Either way, I decided to make the changes I wanted to see, on my own. I’m writing stories for me, for you, and for everyone else, and my main characters are all Latino, and not just Mexican-Latino either. My stories are not about quinceaneras or growing up as a pocho in high school. They are not about crossing the border, or starting any revolutions. The only revolution I write about is the Revolution of the Soul. My stories are meant to entertain and inspire people, and hopefully many of you will relate to them in one way or another, and see yourselves there in them, wherever that may be.