ROGUE ONE REVIEW (NONE SPOILERS)

After watching The Force Awakens, and hearing a series of spin-off Star Wars Movies were to be released (establishing a cinematic universe like Marvel and DC movies), I felt  that these things might just be money grabs: high production value without a solid story for support. While it may indeed be a money grab by the empire of the dream tyrant, Disney, it's a brilliant one. The cast was excellent and the special effects were amazing enough to bring a dead man to life.

It's not perfect. It does have some odd edits and tiny errors throughout, but it's over all ability to recreate the entire Ep. IV universe elegantly was enough for these things to be over looked. I was wonderfully overwhelmed with nostalgia. However, as a die hard fan I was extremely disappointed with Darth Vader's suit, but that didn't ruin the movie too much for me because we seem him go full sith lord on rebel scum later on. Knowing how powerful Vader had yet to be portrayed on the silver screen, I was immensely satisfied with the end result.

I don't want to give away too many details and accidentally spoil the movie, but it does justice to the original trilogy and fills in many of the gaps between Ep. III and Ep. IV. It works well as a stand alone film too. I give it a 8 out of 10 for technicalities, a 9 out of 10 for story, and an overall 4 out of 5 for entertainment.

HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED: Stranger Things Review

A break from all the sex and violence that most "Original" series have to offer, Stranger Things is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on the face of the internet. On a cinematic level, it can be compared to The Goonies (1985) and Alien (1979), and if we could incorporate video games into the mix Half Life (1998) comes to mind. As a whole it satisfied my needs as a viewer.

The pacing was so well that no episode dragged on or felt as long as they did. The plot followed through like a good cup of coffee: smooth and fresh. The cast and character development were so natural I cannot fathom it another way. The soundtrack was also powerful and allowed for key moments to transcend the boundaries of the screen. In a sea full of technicalities, the only areas I found a little troublesome were the costumes and the special effects.

While the main cast appeared to be constructs of 80s fashion, everyone else seemed to me an 80s spin off (hipster is a word that comes to mind). I have nothing against the use of digital effects, but in a story that alluded to and paid homage to practical effects in movies like The Thing, I feel like they should gone that route more often than they did. Especially when it came to interacting with the environment.

For the casual viewer this series is easily a 5 out of 5, and even for those with a more cinematic eye it's hard to condemn the nuances that make Stranger Things what it is. The season could not have ended any better than it did with all loose ends tied up and bound, with parallels in the story forward, backward and all around, and yet with stranger things still to be found!

SUPER SAIYAN TWO, but not really.

Earlier this year I weighed a little more than 190lbs (fasting). How I got there is irrelevant, all that mattered was that I drop weight (being 23 is a haunting idea with metabolism, 190 can easily get out of hand). It wasn't easy, but it wasn't too hard either. Through diet and exercise I was able to get down to 165. I stopped eating fast food and started eating more simple foods, nothing too drastic for those of you that firmly believe you cannot live without that extra grease. The exercise routine wasn't anything out of the ordinary either, every other day for about 30 minutes (starting with a jog, performing basic calisthenics, and cooling off with stretches). First week I lost about five pounds, and after about five weeks I lost the rest. The hardest part was maintaining the routine. You can only lose weight by eating less calories or increasing your energy consumption (using more energy{being more mobile}). We all have our own circumstances, but I believe that you can reach your goal if you put effort into it.

Due to recent life changes, the problem at hand now is that I may have lost too much weight. However, the plan now isn't to merely gain it back as fat, but as muscle. While it is true that you can push more and hit harder with stronger muscles, technique is a big factor (and something I am a big fan of). By the end of the year, aside from film, I want to be at 165, but with power. 

Rescrambled

There’s been a lot of changes on my end. This however does not change the master plan of doing four shorts! Due to recent changes, however, things are going to be rearranged and pushed and pulled across the fabric of space-time. To be frank I’ve always wanted to do a Noir film. While Nosferatu: A Modern Rendition has aspects of Noir because of its influences and because Nosferatu was one of the influences for Noir itself, it was not intended to be full on Noir.

In its entirety, Nosferatu: A Modern Rendition was going to become increasingly action/ horror. The second half was going to be a flash forward to the end with some notes of comedy and hints of drama. A real genre blender! But due to general setbacks and conflicting availabilities the second part will not be finished for a long, long time. If anything it will remain as it is with Harker and the Strange Driver (Dracula) driving into the night towards the castle.

All this being laid on the table, the play by Ibsen is going to be done at a later date and Shakespeare’s Medea in the key of Noir will be the next project in play. I’m still trying to decide if I should set it in the 1960s or in the current. Either way it’s going to be absolutely beautiful. Lord willing, all this done by the end of the year.

As for the other projects. I’ve been doing a ton of pre-production, or lining up my shots and networking. Some of them are done paperwork wise (researched over the years/ academic papers/ concept art). Some of them are still an idea. And some are just about ready to go and all I need is a cast and a crew. I’ve been working on other projects and doing some personal homework on directing and cinematography in the meantime, so don’t freak out. This whole layover has been wholly productive in life as art and art as a science.

Thoughts on the Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Unfortunately, or indifferently, I was not able to watch the Rio Olympics as the events unfolded. Fortunately, my dearest sister had recorded the whole thing, so when I had gone down South to visit family and to witness two good friends of mine participate in the sacred ceremony of bonding called Marriage, I was able to sneak in a peak of the opening ceremony.

Given the circumstances of their situation, I think the Olympic intro did a good job. I really had hoped for more Capoeira to be evident in the sequences, or maybe even an entire scene, because I feel that it plays a big part in Brazilian culture. Because I was only at home for a short time, I could not watch the Olympics itself. "It would be nice" if you could buy the games on DVD or something. I wouldn't mind saving or unwisely spending over $60 for a box set.

Ugh, but the whole thing was just amazing. I'm still in love with Russia's opening, but Brazil did a might fine job envisioning a bulk of history all into one spec-daz-ular choreography. From origins, to the contrast of slums and wealth, to the cat walk, especially the cat walk (Gisele Bündchen is the girl from Ipanema)! Really wish I could re-watch the games at home on my own time though.

While there were many protests and crisis going on at the time, I am glad the intro gave a shout out to environmental concern. Hopefully the government(s) can pull their act together and just fix everything that has been allowed to get out of hand. Similar things were going on at Russia's games. I'm getting tired of finding out that all these iconic and tourist locations are in ruin or in political/ social turmoil.

Reading Biblical prophecy and studying the Book of Revelation, I had anticipated focused governments and organizations. Instead I get conspiracies about super secret elite societies that supposedly run the governments of the world. That's even harder for me to believe because it looks like they're just shooting themselves in the foot left and right and all over, but that's a blog/rant for another day. Good job Brazil! And congrats to all that gave their best!

Not formal title, just another update.

I haven't posted anything at all in a while, aside from almost random tweets, but that all changes today! You might be saying, "Jorge, instead of writing why not film it, vlog it, or Youtubes it?" Haha, well that's what I'm going to do. I have a habit of writing things out before I say them. Help me get the message out a bit more coherently. So most of what I say is more like a commentary to the original thoughts.

Believe me, hearing my thoughts in the raw are almost impossible to understand. Unless we had the time to talk about things for hours, it'd be like trying to solve a Rubix cube with only half the pieces. Another reason why I haven't really been active is because I've been busy. Busy learning other things in hopes of making my content a bit more enjoyable. Like learning guitar, piano, studying to test out of an exam so that I can get my BA in Theater/TV/ Film. Things like that, while trying to remain sane!

I'll be posting again here later today, I already posted on the Instagram, but I might take that one down, and I'll be posting a video too. Hope things are going well on your end, life is a spectrum full of colors.

A Collection of Contemplatives

I've been thinking about just spitting out haikus all over this page for a while. I've also been unable to figure which project to favor more at different times; I've been multi-threading things in a way. Doing a little bit to everything here and there. I might focus on one project one week just to finish all the projects faster. Doing things one chunk at a time instead of piece by piece.

If any of you have any suggestions as to which ones I should put more importance on first, let me know. As of right now the play by Ibsen, the project a friend and I are working on, and a web comic for the Galactic Conquest of the Time Travelers are the priority, as well as maintaining the youtube channel.  Contradictory, I have sparked another side project: a short story. It sounds overwhelming because it is. This is how I stay sane.

All this on the line, I might just end up updating the channel every two weeks, regardless if I have anything ready. Of those things will be Mini Updates, video logs (like a journal or diary), SnapChat Files that have little victories and rants in life, Major Updates, Concept Art, ASMR Story Drafting where I record myself typing, or writing, and whispering my thoughts out loud, Literature Out Loud where a group of three or more of us gather and read works published or original, Things I Eat (similar to a cooking show), Odd Theories Before Bed (the thoughts and ideas that keep me up at night), and Panels Philosophically Scientific about almost everything you can think of.

Thats about three paragraphs, so now is time for a haiku:
" I'm only here for the wifi "
I don't have a home
Internet connection so
Cafés I go to

Don't touch that dial!

Upon the precipice I am.
Determined to release a barrage of video blogs.
Not logs, not blogs, and certainly not bogs, but vlogs.
Stay tuned, stay tuned for upon the edge of glory I am.
I'm not too fond of confessing in rhymes.

H.U.M.A.N

Sometimes I feel trapped inside of a body that physically needs rest and nutrients in order to function properly. I've gotten used to eating, but every now and then the necessity of food gets in the way. Sleep, however, is the real problem.

While I'm not a fan of naps, my sleep cycles occur in 2s and 3s usually. From 20 minutes to 2 hours or 30 minutes to 3 hours. Anything less I consider napping. When I wake in the middle of the night, my mind is screaming.

I prefer three hour cycles to two because I feel better rested, waking up isn't so bad at three. But at two it feels like I'm waking from the dead. My body doesn't respond and I'm needing to drag it up and out.

Everything is heavy and numb, I can't see nor hear correctly, breathing hurts and is sporadic; my heart is pounding hard and fast to replenish oxygen and blood supplies as I force my body to move. My mind is screaming, my brain sending potent electrical signals down path ways: every surge breaks metaphorical ice and mends shattered nerve rail ways.

When I'm up I feel pain, pain all over. Pain on the inside and pain on the outside, as if I am feeling every texture, every toxin, and everything tactile and tangible for the first time. I feel like I'm going to vomit, but then all the tension fades way. Nothing hurts and my senses have adjusted and dulled. I'm exhausted.

This doesn't always happen when I awaken, but it happens enough for me to find sleep somewhat uncomfortable. It can get in the way sometimes.

DP BRTHS EEA

Sometimes I get sick and I can't tell my left from my right nor what is up and what is down; things may even appear. This happens occasionally, and I've learned to deal with it when it happens. I don't know if any of you have experienced this sober, I know quite a bit of people that experience this under the influence.

Not to say that I experiment with drugs, or that I know which drugs and specific people do drugs, but that I know there are people who like to feel three dimensionally disorientated.

Something that helps me when I experience this spacial dissociation, is counting and tapping.

Counting: counting similar things, counting breaths, counting footsteps or rhythmic things. 
Tapping: tapping the floor, the wall, a chair, a table, physical contact like a punch, "high five", or a hug helps.

Of course ff you have the convince of sitting, lying down, or resting then use it. But if you don't have the luxury of just stopping everything to re-center yourself, then you can try the counts and taps. You can try to apply this to any daily activity. The above are examples and the below are more daily examples:

Stripes on the road, the ticking of a clock, keystrokes on a keyboard, the flickering of a flame, the probabilities and possibilities of life.

When you come back from whatever in-between dimension you drifted off to: immediately let go of the number you've counted, the textures or rhythms you created, and the ideas you may have conjured. For methods to help you return, those are vast and various, perhaps in a later blog will I cover how to. One thing for certain, I cannot force you back to reality, but I can guide you back out of the rabbit hole.

Post Reprocussion Reflections

The visit was very heart warming. The trip back to the DFW was long enough for me to feel the pains of having to say goodbye without having to say it at all.

I never did officially say good night or good bye to friends and family of the RGV.  I'm pretty bad when it comes to that (tell me good morning, and I'll just say "Hello!"). The question of the week was what it felt like to be back home.

Maybe at one time I felt the RGV to be a place of rest and warmth, but only for a moment in time. In the years I've spent and minutes spent there not once did I feel the safe guards and peace that one feels at home.

I feel the same way about the DFW too. In many ways I've come to believe I won't be at rest until I have finished everything I helped start or started.

It felt good to be back in familiar shores; surrounded by wonderful and familiar faces, but I did not feel a sense of belonging. I miss all of them, each and everyone of them who I call friend or family of blood and not of.

Not often do I feel, but during that final stretch down I-35E, I felt it. Like gravity pulls on objects in flight, did my mind rationalize what emotions I masked from myself when I shut the car door for the long haul.

The separation from all those that I love.

Black PegAsus

I have returned to my region of origin for a bit; reasons are many clear and unclear. This visit is slightly past due and at the same time rather early, either way this means I have access to my main machine: the freedom from the power of this machine is immense.

I'll probably use that power responsibly to update my personal and professional informations, play video games, and reconnect with the world in a digital level again. Think of it as a save point in a game or one of those recap episodes in an anime.

Due to many factors I haven't been able to remain as connected as I have wanted to, so if your birthday has passed within the last two months and you're reading this, "Happy Birthday!" The original plan was to be able to travel between the RGV and the DFW with ease and when desired, when needed; when the time comes.

In some ways it has been a blessing to be disconnected from the world in this way, my exposure to the foolishness and negativity of humanity was minimal, but at the same time it meant that I couldn't directly support my allies, colleagues, and friends. One big bonus was that I could no longer distract myself from myself.

At times I can be super self-critical, and during this time I wasn't able to distract myself from the flaws that I have been made aware of over time. Because I could no longer dismiss them, my time disconnected allowed me to cultivate and foster both my strengths and my weaknesses.

I don't want to say I'm invincible, because I am far from it; not only am I now more aware of my mental and emotional capabilities, I have grown in them.

Catastrophically Mundane

While nothing catastrophic has happened, I haven't been able to post as intended due to current life situations. A lot has happened, and I do have the capabilities to post via phone, but I prefer it not. Perhaps it is better this way.

I do not want to say I've been slightly side tracked, no, not that, instead a reallocating of priorities had occurred. A friend of the family had called upon me and my services to aid her with a project she wanted to put forth. In place of the Ibsen Project I worked on her's. No there is no fling here.

I agreed to work with her on this venture out of a common interest; Jesus Christ. Had faith not been involved I would not have put aside the Ibsen Project. Her project has the fuel and potential to be something great, and I am glad to have helped push it in the direction it currently heads. Hopefully within three weeks her vision, God's Project, will be up and running. I will post links here when the time comes.

Nosferatu and La Voyage de Coffee are complete. Depending on LVDC's reception I may or may not go public with it for sometime and instead send it through the short film circuit privately, as much as that bothers me. Until further notice it will remain under wraps. So where does this leave future projects like the Ibsen Project? Being completely honest I am five weeks behind on that schedule.

Aside from working "God's Project", which has been a collaborative effort by receiving feedback from various individuals from all walks of life, I completed Nosferatu in its intended entirety, La Voyage de Coffee in the best way that I could (with help from family), and did a few camera jobs too to keep the bills at bay. At the moment I am not in a position of abundance to be filming at full speed, so the Ibsen Project might come about later than hoped.

None the less I wish to achieve the goals I set out before the end of this winter, so productions may bleed into next calendar year. Lord willing I finish everything on time.

No word on the side projects I mentioned in the last post, but I am getting all my notes together so that when the time comes I can produce all that is needed in a swift, efficient, and manner of high quality. 

Until then... The dead travel fast at night.

Belated Ides of March Update

The Ides of March passed and I didn't have a chance to upload anything spectacular. I had skipped town to cast my net of specific skills on the other side of the boat: North Texas. I've taken only just enough equipment to finish projects unending and complete what may come.

As an avid enthusiast of MMA, more so martial arts of eastern origin,  I began training two friends of mine and some family. They did exceptionally well, adapting the text book examples into their own styles, however we no longer train. Because of my move I am unable to train them. Having studied copious amounts of content online and through various books (all official and unofficial) I still want to pass on my knowledge one way or another. I might posting videos on my YouTube account, or at the very least posting my notes here, it might become an ongoing series, but either way its going to be a party.

Speaking of series, I want to make a five episode short about mental health. Hopefully I can start working on that throughout April into late May, maybe even June, but no later than that. I want that whole thing uploaded by July. I'm still juggling around with the concept and which direction to go, no script yet, but its something that on my heart.

Still trying to get a final version of Nosferatu: A Modern Rendition up. As mentioned before my editing machine is back at HQ in the RGV. Its just about ready to go, just some post-production things to take care of. However, I am already looking into producing/ directing a short based on Norwegian folk lore. I don't want to go into too much detail, but the short will be based on one of Ibsen's plays and will probably be a "Modern Rendition".

That being said I am going to bring an end to modernizing old plays or just stories set in a time before the 1960's. I did it with the Jewish Wife and Nosferatu (originally Dracula). After the Norwegian short, I want to do two more "Modern Rendition"s. One of them will be the Greek tragedy Medea, and the other will be a Shakespearean work (possibly). I'll do more if they are royalty free or if it would be easy for me to obtain the rights to produce it, but I want to move away from reinventing the wheel and creating original work.

So for now the production schedule is as follows unless something catastrophic occurs. These do not include the release dates, but might be released within the time frame.
- March 20th - May 13th
   Norwegian Short
- May 22nd - July 15th
   Medea
- July 24th - Oct 14th
  Shakespeare

Aside from those productions all the other stuff I've mentioned will be released during and in-between those dates. Nosferatu by mid-April, a coffee short a friend and I were working on by the end of April, the Mental Health series, the MMA series, and the occasional life updates (here on the blog at least once a week and on the vlog every two weeks). My life may be more scrambled and fried than an omelette crafted by Bradley Cooper right now, but story telling is in my blood and I won't stop until God says "No."

Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens movie review.

(1/12/2016)

While Star Wars Ep. VII was filled to the brim with easter eggs and sci-fi fantasy space opera awesomeness, when compared to the Star Wars movie universe and Star Wars lore (most of which had been dismissed by Disney as non-canon) I feel it a just a tier lower than its predecessors (Yes, even the prequels). It would not be the same to say that I disliked SWVII altogether, but there were some technical aspects and creative choices that I did not agree with. Whether it was J.J. Abrams’ focus on insta-friendships or Disney’s happy endings, or a sick and twisted combination of the two, I give this saga’s entry a six out of ten.

(3/6/2016) 
And now its time for me to obliterate the movie into the oblivion of hyper space (but not really).

Its been more than a month since SWVII premiered to the masses, if you haven't seen it yet and you're reading this stop. Stop right now before I ruin the epicness of the movie for you. As mentioned above I don't believe it lived up to the original trilogy and the prequels, partially because of Finn's character, partially because of Poe's absence, mainly because of the story build up. Is it a script problem? I don't know, I'll leave that up to you.