Wishes + Tied Down

So yeah, a "few" months ago I put my acrostic series on hold so that I could get back to my "usual" style of writing... beginning with this.

And now for why I threw a rant tag on this post. My process for writing, and photography too I suppose, is that I come up with a concept, write a poem, take a picture that I think fits that poem, and then I write another poem that directly applies to the picture. So yeah, two poems, one picture (if you get what I am playing off of with that then I am truly, truly sorry).

Anyway, I thought it was a shame not to share all of the results of my "process" on here so I am going to start including the "picture specific" poem after the "concept specific" one. The picture specific poems are usually shorter and less formal so I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal. Enjoy!


Wishes

Wishes are such
Silly things.

We send them into the sky,
Like colorful little balloons,
Hoping that one or two
Will bump into someone "up there"
And they, in turn,
Will answer our
Requests.

We send them up
By the dozen,
By the tens of hundreds of dozens,
Yet we only dare to hope
For one or two
To be answered.
Why is that?

Do we feel the need for
Modesty?
Wishes are selfish.
Regardless of our
Intentions,
Each one is essentially
Just for us.
What does it matter
If we push
The line
Between "very selfish"
And "mostly selfish?"

Do we not feel that
Every wish
Is worth the answer?
Wishes are invaluable.
Beneath that thin layer of rubber
Someone's hopes and dreams
Bounce back and forth
Like hundreds of hungry
Molecules
Eager for release.
Why dream at all
If any one dream
Is less important
Than the last?

Do we feel that
We are not strong enough
To handle
More than one or two?
Wishes are empowering.
They help us maintain
The belief
That there is something special
Out there
Waiting just for us.
Why burden yourself with
Life, at all,
If something so simple
Is too much
To believe?

Wishes are empowering,
Invaluable,
Selfish,
And silly.

I understand all of this,
Yet I just can not seem
To get my wish
Off the ground.

Could you help me with the knot?

Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee


Tied Down

We were meant
For the sky.

We were meant
To touch the clouds
High above your heads
Without having to worry
About looking down.

Yet you have found the
"Need"
To tie us to the ground,
To your flightless situation.

You have found it
"Necessary"
To tie us to your cruel fate.

You may think it
Amusing
To watch us suffer,
But we were not meant
For this place,
This life,
And we are running out
Of oxygen.

Set us free.

Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Trailer 1

[Video Link]

As much as I dislike Michael Cera (I am tired of seeing him play "awkward teenage boy" in every one of his films), I would be a complete and total liar if I said that this movie doesn't look awesome. On a side note, I am really glad to see that more and more non-mainstream comics are getting film adaptations. Hollywood seems to be taking less liberties with their stories (because that makes perfect sense) and has been making them look fairly amazing.

Anyway, enjoy the trailer!

Alice in Wonderland Impressions

In spite of all I have said about Tim Burton in the past, I will admit that "Alice in Wonderland" had the potential to be a great movie. The acting was decent, though Alice felt very bland at times, the voice work was great, and the visuals were amazing.

Pretty much everything else, however, was rather terrible. The story and the dialogue felt forced and awkward, especially a lot of the insertions of lines from Lewis Carroll's work, and far too many convenient solutions revealed themselves in light of the character's problems. You never feel like any of the characters are in danger and all you can really do is sit back and watch things happen. There also seemed to be quite a few pacing with the film issues as all of the events outside of "Underland" felt rushed and shallow (there are barely any formal introductions to the "real"characters) and in Underland events seem sporadic and whimsically arranged. This especially hurts the ending of the film because it is really difficult to know what to make of things. More than a few of the liberties taken with the original work felt needless and awkward as well.

I am awarding Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" one and a half stars out of five for having potential, but not doing anything with said potential. By the end of the film, you will have no choice but to wonder whether or not the visuals alone can make this film worth the time and money you spent on it. In my case... they just couldn't do it.

Defendor Trailer

[Video Link]

Although this film has technically already released theatrically, I am sure that most of you have never heard of it. I have really been getting to like Woody Harrelson, though, so I thought that I would post the trailer for the film before its DVD release in April. This film reminds me a lot of 2006's "Special" with Michael Rapaport, but the story looks a bit wider in scope and more interesting. Anyway, enjoy!

Drawn Together

Acrostic: "A poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each line, form a name, motto, or message when read in sequence."

This is the tenth entry in my Acrostic Adventure series. I wrote it back in August and took a break from this particular series to get back to my usual style. Why is Alice taking him to the very place that she kept him from going earlier? Exactly what is it that she wishes him to do?

**I shrank the text to better preserve the line spacing.

Drawn Together

Presumption foolishly ventures to pluck the most beautiful red
Apple from a tree that is twisted and withered to its core.
Poison has never before tasted so sweet.
Entranced by Alice's palatial promise, he pushes open the
Rusted rear gateway to the Overlooked Palace.

An ancient and decomposing mausoleum lays itself out before them like a
Nocturnal wonderland of death and decay.
Dreary specters silently perform their dismal waltz across the somber scene.

Ghosts of Overlooked Kings and Queens
Long since turned to dust.
Unity is the rose-colored placebo that
Eases the pain of relentless aging.

Copyright © 2009 Jarred Lee

New Iron Man 2 Trailer

[Video Link]

I was wondering when they were going to give us a new Iron Man 2 trailer. They showed the old one during the previews before "Shutter Island" and I was kind of disappointed. Ah well. Enjoy! The film is due for release in American theaters on May 7th!

Shutter Island Impressions

I had high hopes for "Shutter Island," it being a Scorsese film and all, and I can happily say that I wasn't completely disappointed. The film was well shot, well acted (Leonardo DiCaprio was especially fantastic), and will keep you intrigued from beginning to end (though I found the ending to be fairly disappointing, personally).

My biggest issue with the film had to be the editing. I can appreciate the fact that "Shutter Island" wants to play with your mind, but changing filters at random times for seemingly no reason and random breaks in shot consistency is far too self-indulgent. Scorsese tries so hard to convey the instability of the film that you are left wondering if what you have seen was purposely done or an if a few inconsistencies slipped past the editors.

I am awarding "Shutter Island" three and a half stars out of five for being well acted and intriguing, but for having distracting (an often annoying) editing work and a somewhat disappointing ending. This film is definitely worth the watch, even if you only want to see how things pan out, but don't feel bad if you want to wait for a rental.

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin: Psychonauts

[Video Link]

"Ash dives into your brain!"


Haha, I suppose some minds are just better off unread. But still, that looked kind of painful.