Let me say that Battle Ground, Washington is a developing-ish rural-ish town north of Portland, Oregon.

The population is about 16,000 and lowering, as the housing boom took many plots of developed land and turned them into vacant lots for weeds to occupy.

It has three Starbucks, one Fred Meyers, a Safeway, a Tire Factory, and a 8 screen movie theater.

It has a clash of young families integrating into the newly developed, still occupied, non-foreclosed suburbia with the vanguard of still rural occupants there for many many generations.

I described Battle Ground once to a really really pretentious professor at my uncle's wedding (whom thought my flannel shirts humorous) like "living in a more urbanized version 'The Last Picture Show' with the sanctuaries of a still standing theater and Portland, Oregon"

now to the point:

if there's one thing that DOES NOT exist in Battle Ground are returning college graduates, for there are no jobs (maybe at "The Columbian" for Journalism majors, but that's in Vancouver) for the young fledglings.

this is what baffles me for when I returned two weeks ago for a wedding the headlining movie at the movie theater was "Post-Grad"

According to yahoo.com "Post Grad" is this:

"Ryden Malby had a plan. Do well in high school, thereby receiving a great college scholarship. Now that she's finally graduated, it's time for her to find a gorgeous loft apartment and land her dream job at the city's best publishing house. But when Jessica Bard, Ryden's college nemesis steals her perfect job, Ryden is forced to move back to her childhood home. Stuck with her eccentric family - a stubborn do-it-yourself dad, an overly thrifty mom, a politically incorrect grandma, a very odd little brother - and a growing stack of rejected job applications, Ryden starts to feel like she's going nowhere. The only upside is spending time with her best friend, Adam - and running into her hot next-door neighbor, David. But if Ryden's going to survive life as a post grad, it may be time to come up with a new plan... "

Now you can understand my confusion, I think... I can understand the lack of decent storyline and the chick-flic-ness , but the demographic is all wrong.

Observations Watching "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"

For reference, I was not under any influence writing my observations while watching this movie.

This movie should be renamed "Home Alone 2: Hotel Concierge Held Liable For Child's Disappearance"

The weirdest part, aside that the kidnappers should be dead or unconscious after at least 3 serious injuries, is recently watching "Goodfellas" (which is amazing) and "Casino" (which is close to amazing) and seeing Joe Pesci being so vulgar and violent (by which I mean stabbing many many people), and then going from that to Joe Pesci (in the same YEAR as Goodfellas) being beat half to death and NOT being vulgar because of a 10 year old.

A. I really miss Joe Pesci

B. He was as hot as a camel's ass in 1990

As well, Catherine O'Hara, because of the Home Alone series, was PERFECT for Orange County

and speaking of which, I'm glad Colin Hanks is getting solid work acting in Mad Men. I wondered where he went since Orange County, and I get him confused with the guy from "(500) Days of Summer".

FINAL THOUGHT:

The crazy pigeon lady in "Home Alone 2" looks insanely similar to Susan Boyle.

I swear this will be the last campaign song related post for a while.

I read not too long ago that John McCain formally apologized to Jackson Browne for using his song "Running on Empty" during his campaign.

First off, thank you.

Second off, please hang Sarah Palin upside down for using "Barracuda"

Third off, thank you for going back to normal John McCain. We really missed you being the normal non-partisan politician that I would have voted for. Please don't listen to the GOP anymore.

Forth off, why the hell would you use (of all amazing Jackson Browne songs) "Running on Empty". That just seems like a generally bad song to support a campaign with.

Personal suggestions:

-Take it Easy

-These Days (if he had real testes, he's use the Nico cover)

-Late for the Sky

I would seriously consider arresting somebody in a way that looked racially motivated if it meant I could have a beer and talk about race relations with the president and a Harvard scholar.

I probably wouldn't talk a lot seeing as I'm from Battle Ground and they're, well, black (seriously... as far as race relations go, I'm so out of my element. That is, unless they wanted to talk about Bibio's new album.)

But I'd love to just listen.

ALSO

I'm guessing a blue collar police officer discussing anything is probably gonna feel like the odd man out when he's talking to

A. The President

B. The Vice President

C. The top scholar of African American studies in the nation

ALSO

Nice cop out *cough Obama/Biden cough* on the Miller Lite choice. Pick an actual beer for god's sake.

I'm unintentionally in Battle Ground for the weekend but I'll be back in tomorrow to possibly discuss the following:

-Jackson Browne

-John McCain

-The Beer Summit

-Joe Pesci, Tim Curry, Daniel Stern, and Mackuley Culkin

-Inexplicable fishing and improper demographic fittings

Sleep, son.

District 9

Ok. Holy Shit. I recently read a Videogum blog about it being the "Heinz catsup" of movies. That's kind of fucking true. It was weird. After watching the movie and recapping the film with my roommate over a cigarette I felt a mental satiation. It was the first time probably since Children of Men (which, ironically is also the last great sci-fi film) that I left feeling full.

Ok now for the why:

-My favorite reason: it was basically a weird, enormous, cinematic bitch-slap to the U.N. (except they address it as MNU). They pull no punches of mentioning that the "MNU" is the second largest weapon provider in the world. The corruption of all characters involved just oozes out of the screen.

-Another reason: it depicts exactly what would happen. Aliens aren't the bad guys, aliens aren't higher intelligent beings, and aliens aren't the answer. Aliens are REFUGEES. The opening scene is a documentary style that reminded me a lot of footage of Chinese immigrants getting stuck inside a shipping container. The militarized compounds force out real employment or financial aide, thus the slum environment and the corruption. What I found even more engaging is how they tied the Nigerian organized crime into the story as a component fighting for possession of the hero and better weapons.

(p.s. it's really hard to not give away so much of this movie the trailer definitely puts you into a fog of ambiguity that doesn't really give much of a plot)

-Another reason: SUCH a good use of violence, action, and gore. I went over to my girlfriend's house last night after seeing the movie and I went on a rant with her roommate about how amazing it is to see all the things that I had just above mentioned. She then saw how excited I was and the roommate said "Wow I really want to see it now!" (which is totally understandable as she just graduated with a sociology degree)

Now was the moment that I realized that I was so caught up about everything else that I forgot how many awesome (and I mean awesome in the dude sense, it was awesome) the gore was. I won't go into detail because I would actually give away part of the plot but I will say this; lightening gun that makes people explode, a robot mech that fucks serious shit up, and an alien pulls someone's head off. Now you understand why this is a high stomach tolerance movie. This movie is a dude-ly grossout action flick combined with serious social statements.

This is what I'm saying about it being the Wheaties of movies.

Lastly: the main character. The main guy (who becomes the middleman hero) was SOO FUCKING GOOD. Starting off as an MNU agent, he's very squirrelly and nervous and rapidly becomes so completed at the end of the 1st hour of the movie. I mean, wow. You feel it like you felt the insanity of Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood.

A few characters were a tad cliché but you get so thrown off by the story's swing from one genre to another that it really doesn't take away from it.

It was better than Star Trek. It wasn't as perfect as Star Trek, but it so much more challenging to cinema's establishment than I've seen in a while. It melded so much more together.

There's always healthcare reform backlash in the banana stand, wink.

Regarding the brown-shirting going on at town hall meetings

I've spent my day doing three things:

1. Turning in resumés

2. Setting up my apartment

3. Watching in various media forms mislead, old people going batshit at town hall meetings

It's amazing how easily mob mentality ensues when retired white people are pushed into fear and misinformation.

In fact, the last time I saw a meeting like that go into a fear-mongering mob was IN HIGH SCHOOL at an ASB meeting about whether or not to allow a gay-straight alliance club to establish itself at said high school.

I think maybe I just get so annoyed by shit like this because

A. the health care reforms would in many areas be a good perpetuation of conservatism, but the fact is the actual healthcare plan would appeal to both sides of the fence.

B. the reason people are being thrown into a tissy is the Republican party is in a serious fear of vanishing faster than the Populists that they're willing to gain popularity under the sacrifice of general welfare and misguidance of it's own followers.

Well fucking done.

Things I want RIGHT NOW

-The god damn 2nd season of Six Feet Under to finish downloading

-A lot of scented candles lit in my apartment

-Soooooo much more than just a taste of Trailer Park Boys

-A job possibly as a security guard or a barista (and shouldn't it be baristo for men?)

-A bike ride

-Spooning, in large quantities

-Just to be fucking back in Bellingham (two. days.)

-A run through South Campus

-A solution to my oxymoronic cognitions that I really want to live but really really really am going to miss my home and family

-A Costco hotdog date

The 21 Gun Salute for John Hughes

Watch all of these movies three times. It's the only homage I can think fitting for the man who created:

-My all time favorite movie.

-The only legitimate sequel. Ever.

-The BEST teen flicks prior to Superbad.

Actually my biggest beef nowadays (not my biggest beef nowadays) is the fact that these next generations ahead of us are never really going to have the memory of Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Everything's going to be 10 Things I Hate About You and Superbad. Especially the boys. Growing up I thought Sixteen Candles was THE most accurate representation of high school movie (mainly because they're were some shocking similarities between Farmer Ted and me circa 2004-5).

Sigh. I could go on and on but I guess all their is to say is rest in peace, John Hughes. You shaped everything from my childhood, to my pre-teen years, to my Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions