The Continental

           Taxi Driver (1976) is an amazing movie that captures the spirit of New York City in the 1970s. It was gritty, dirty, and was the urban equivalent of being ambushed in the jungles of Vietnam. Or, maybe not, I don't know. But that sounds better for the story, you know? Not only does the movie depict the environment perfectly, but the main character, Travis, played by Robert de Niro, is a complex character who illustrates what it means to have no meaning in your life even with everything the city has to offer.          Travis is a mentally disturbed ex-Marine who now finds himself bored in New York City, so he becomes a taxi driver. Travis is shown to be a highly detailed person who wants to work long hours as he quickly runs out of things to do. The X rated theaters, the various people he would never fit in with, the late nights, nothing particularly interested him. One thing is very clear to Travis, though.  The city ...

         I love Joan Jett, black leather jackets, 1970s punk, and greaser style. Light of Day appeared to be about Joan Jett playing a character who was basically herself in a struggling rock band with her brother played by Michael J. Fox. Fun, right? Not at all.  I did not expect the film to be so touching and focus a lot on their relationship with their good Christian mother. I was blown away at how accurate it was for Joan’s character, a single mom of a young boy, to be lost in her 20s. She had this psychological barrier in her mind convincing herself that her mother had placed it there to follow a strict cadence and prevent her from experiencing the world. I guess it was not surprising for an old movie to construct meaningful relationships, but it was surprising for a rock ‘n’ roll movie with a real rockstar for the rockstar to actually depict a suffering, struggling, emotional person. Joan Jett is a really great actor, and her depth proves that her roc...

Introduction          Point Break (1991) is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love older action movies because of how real the characters can seem, and even if there are exaggerations, they still have a well defined personality which symbolizes something much deeper in human psychology than what you see with your eyes. I believe Point Break is one of the most significant movies about youth, and more specifically, your 20s.   Your 20s is a very important part of your life because it is what defines the direction the rest of your life takes.  Point Break should be the official movie of your 20s, as if The Breakfast Club could be the official movie of your teens, because it perfectly illustrates the internal struggle of your 20s caused by unfound purpose. On the other hand, the 2015 remake fails to live up to the impact of the original or blaze its own trail in any way. Bodhi's Motives and Views on Life          Thanks...

            Jenny Curran is Forrest Gump’s love interest in the book of the same name by Winston Groom from 1986, as well as the movie adaptation in 1994. Forrest met Jenny when they were kids and as they grew up, they split apart and came back together many times. While the book and movie take very different paths and have different messages, both managed to be excellent in their own right and shows the world views of Forrest Gump, an individual with an unusually low IQ. Forrest inadvertently excels at the many activities he tries out throughout his life but doesn’t understand context behind what people say. One of the biggest differences between the movie and book is how Jenny changes her world views, and in the book, she becomes a genius.           In the book, Forrest goes through much more wild experiences than in the movie, and the same could be said about Jenny. Jenny's character has a lot more depth and influence i...

          Flowers for Algernon is a short story that was adapted into a novel by Daniel Keyes. I remember reading the short story in elementary school and it resonated with me ever since. I just finished the novel and I cried. Flowers for Algernon is about a man named Charlie Gordon who has a very low IQ and is mentally disabled. He attends classes for mentally disabled adults with his teacher, Miss Kinnian. Charlie is the most determined to learn as much as he can. This is why Charlie is selected to undergo an operation that was only done on a mouse named Algernon, which increases his IQ until he becomes a genius and a great problem solver. However, genius does not teach him emotional stability, and Charlie struggles to connect with others as his intelligence surpasses those around him. Soon, Algernon shows signs of decline, and shortly after, Charlie begins to decline and reverts back to his low IQ self. He forgets about the interactions with others and h...

Introduction           I wrote a blog post a year before this one with the same title that I since renamed. I rambled on a lot about Joan being like a Marty McFly and I think most of it did not even answer the question effectively. After a year of learning and listening more about rock 'n' roll, I think I have more relevant information in this blog post that answers the question better. Is Joan Jett the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll? You can read my old post  here .           I will present my case by looking into Joan Jett’s qualities as a rock musician and a performer. Let us start by saying that Joan Jett as a rhythm guitarist is nowhere near among the best guitarists of all time, and her musical style didn’t really raise the bar in any meaningful way. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts have a slight punk rock sound like the Ramones with some hard rock. I have provided a little bit of history about Joan Jett in my old post. Besid...

         I recently got to drive a loaner 2024 Acura Integra from the Acura dealership that had 439 miles. It was a base model in Majestic Black with Graystone interior. Driving something new for a change compared to a 2005 Acura TSX has really validated my perspectives on how small cars in the U.S. have changed in 20 years.         What do I mean by this? The TSX feels small and nimble. The pillars are thin, so you can actually see well around you without the need for a backup camera. The steering is tight because it is a sport sedan. I grew up learning how to drive with that tight steering. It feels  fast when you accelerate, even though torque isn't a strong number. I read about people's experiences with old Honda Civics, like from the late 1980s and 1990s. It's easy to say that that it's so much better to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow, and the Civic is the epitome of the former, or a Miata. An old Civic is so basic ...