Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Honest Abe fights vampires. Some might sneer at this concept, but I find it fun. In a time perhaps overladen with vampire drama, it is nice to have a rather comedic and Gothic take on one of our most memorable presidents. Abraham Lincoln seems the perfect candidate for weaving a 'hidden' side into a historical figure's life, for he exemplifies great virtue. That he's the 19th century male Buffy works, and surprisingly (yet oddly) makes him seem more human and heroic, probably because we learn he has a personal axe to grind (all puns intended).

Young Abraham Lincoln's (Lux Haney-Jardine) formative moment as the man who will end slavery and fight vampires begins when he witnesses his black, childhood friend Will Johnson (Curtis Harris) being beaten. Despite his father's warnings to look away, Lincoln runs, hatchet in hand, to save his friend, unwittingly earning the ire of Jack Barts (Martin Csokas), who turns out to be undead. The price for young Abe's intervention comes at a great loss, which inspires the adult Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) to seek out Barts for revenge, but this becomes a lifelong pursuit of vamp slaying that gets intertwined with the moral issues surrounding slavery and the Civil War. 

The film's hyperbolic action does make you chuckle, but in a good way. Often, superhuman strength is played so seriously in movies we forget how fun it is to appreciate the comedic unbelievability of super hero strength. I mean, Lincoln can slash a tree down in one fell swoop with his axe. Add a little silver to the blade and he can kill vamps while using crazy martial arts moves.  This type of action has been done so seriously so many times, that adding something funny really adds freshness to the action scenes. 

Yet, this film also mixes the comedic with the Gothic. The costumes, the gray hues of sets, and a couple of steam punk gadgets add a romantic, faux-historical visual flare. To this is the added the melancholy of Lincon's story, scary vampires who can disappear and reappear before your eyes, and characters with rather morbid aspects. 

I enjoyed Benjamin Walker as Lincoln. He was believable and brought a fair amount of darkness to his role. At the same time, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln was a great choice. She portrays a playfully, sharp Mary Todd, who Lincoln, despite warnings to remain single-heartedly devoted to vampire slaying, cannot resist loving. Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturgess, Jimmi Simpson as Joshua Speed, and Anthony Mackie as Will Johnson all make a great band of vampire-slaying friends. 

If you go to the movies looking for  a serious period piece or a purely dark tale with mythical weight, you'll be disappointed. If you go to the movies looking for a fun fusion of vampire meets Abraham Lincoln with a little darkness peppered with hyperbolic action, this is a great film for you. 

This movie made me curious about the book by Seth Grahame-Smith, who also wrote the Pride and Prejudice and Vampires. There's something interesting about bringing together 19th century history and today's vampire/zombie obsession that makes sense. Maybe it helps us re-imagine older but still popular narratives in terms of today's post-apocalyptic action tales, giving the older narratives a new relevance. 

3 out of 4

Rock of Ages Review

I love campy musicals anyway. Add 80's rock 'n' roll, throw in Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, and I'm most definitely there. Rock of Ages, adapted from the Broadway musical, is like a long glee episode that took a time-machine back in time. This is compliment, I promise. (Warning spoilers follow).

Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) is just a small town girl all lonely in a bus pointed toward LA, where her grandmother has pushed her to pursue her dream. Classic newcomer moment happens when she steps off the bus and gets welcomed to the city by a friendly thief, who runs down the street with her only suitcase, which is of course filled with vinyl. Not even pretending to chase down this creep, Sherrie's soon-to-be boyfriend Drew Boley (Diego Boneto) darts across the highway to make sure she's OK. Not only feeling sympathy for her, Drew falls in love right away. He gets her a job at the Bourbon Club, run by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and Lonny (Russell Brand). From here, Sherrie and Drew's romance develops and has its problems, Drew gets a big break, they both have to sell out on their dreams for a little while, and then it all ends up happily fixed in the end.

The plot behind the love story brings the most interesting aspects of the movie together. Crazy protesters, organized by Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones) in a ploy to get more attention to her mayor husband's (Bryan Cranston) campaign, and part of her own inner rock demons, threaten to bring the Bourbon down. Dupree and Lonny need money fast and rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) is the only one who can bring that kind of attention and revenue to the club.

While I love the musical scenes between Drew and Sherrie -- we get to see them sing their budding love in 'Waiting for a Girl Like You'-- some of the best parts of the movie involve the oversexed, irresistibly hot rocker Stacee Jaxx, an ass-hole for sure, but a groupie king nontheless. Perhaps the best scene is between him and the alluringly and deceivingly cute Rolling Stone reporter Constance Sack (Malin Ackerman), where she's trying to be a serious reporter, but she can't resist Jaxx's seething sexuality.

Alec Baldwin is the perfect hardcore rock-lover and Bourbon owner, who just wants to rock, but he has to take care of business too. Baldwin and Brand play well off each other, with Brand's zany Britishness and Baldwin's genuine and quiet young-at-heart charm. They end up playing their mutual love and  attraction with great comedic effect, a commonly acceptable way to play the gay card while keeping it light. I think this works well in this film, but I do wonder when it will be OK to not make same-sex attraction a joke just so it's easier for everyone. But, I digress.

The soundtrack to this movie is absolutely amazing. In an age of mash-ups, we get good fusions of 'Juke Box Hero/ I Love Rock 'n' Roll', 'Shadows of the Night / Harden My Heart', and 'We Built this City / We're Not Gonna Take It'. Cruise and Zeta-Jones sing well in a musical with the likes of Mary J. Blige, and the choreography is just simply fun.

Running at 123 mins, it is a long film, but every musical moment makes it worth your while. If you're an 80's rock lover, this is a great musical tribute to a wonderful era.

YYY
(out of 4)

Thinking on These Things

Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar



For the past while, I've been in a rather dark mood and unable to see much rosiness, happiness, beauty, or whatever you wanna call it in the universe. Feeling unloved, under appreciated, and wounded, the last few months have been a struggle. At times I've been full of anger, sadness, and nerves. Other times I've been deflated, hollow, dry, and puddled like a liquid clock in a surrealist's world.  Last night in particular I was feeling unfriended, icky from my unhealthful food, full of frustration, and eventually just tired.

Though I feel self-indulgent and a little embarrassed to admit this, I somehow feel compelled to spill the auto-biography of my pain. Nevertheless, I think much can be learned from a dark night of living through miserable feelings. For example, despite it all, I found some enthusiasms for life again last night, and it all connects back to an actress and her book.

About a month ago Sissy Spacek was coming to my city to talk about her memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, replete with tales of growing up in Texas and making it in the film industry. One of the most striking things in her book is how solidly well-formed her childhood was. It seems this gave her what she needed for later success. Her father and mother were supportive and positive. Seeing Sissy being interviewed live was amazing. The hour flew by; I could have listened to her forever as she regaled stories of working on Carrie and meeting her husband and having Bill Paxton house sit (disastrous though it was) for her when he was young. When I had her sign my copy, she was so genuine and kind. Full of grace and charm.



Though I had read most of the memoir the day before meeting her, I still had the last 60 pages to go. Picking up the book last night, I read about when her mother passed. Her mother was her 'travel companion' who was such a positive influence. In fact, Sissy writes that her mother's favorite bible verses included passages enjoining an optimistic attitude: Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 23:7.

So, I read Philippians 4:8, which says, 'Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.'

Wow! This is exactly what I needed to hear at this moment for here I was feeling very depleted and absolutely done with everyone and everything. And then, I was hit with this 'a-ha' as Oprah would call it. Yes, life can be really shitty and dirty and hard, but there are also good things to enjoy and realize. Yet, it is so very difficult to think on these things because many times the brain clings only to those negative aspects of living.

Now, I've subscribed to positive thinking before; however, I have also dangerously repressed any other feelings that were present in my flow of feelings. So, I think we must exercise care in handling our outlook. We can't ignore parts of life, or if we do, it coils itself up and readies itself to strike back. And, when it strikes, it hurts. It is better to accept all of life -- its hurts, its pains, its messes, its beauty, its joy, its wellness-- than just part of it. Things are going to be annoying, hurtful, angering, frustrating, but things are also going to fun, uplifting, lovely, and relaxing too. It helps to see all of life and to calmly notice and accept our reaction to it.  The negative, when it does come, can be transformed if we also are able to see that there is a good there too. Thich Nhat Hanh writes about how important smiles are and shares a poem:

I have lost my smile,
but don't worry.
The dandelion has it.

I'm still sad today but feeling better. I have a dry erase board in my office, and I decided to have little reminders of the good things in life. I drew a dandelion on one side. On the other, I made a 'Think on These Things' List, under which I wrote:

Yummy yogurt
A great friend
An amazing book
A wonderful smile :)

This was the antidote to every negativity I felt this weekend. So, I hope you may find your dandelion to hold your smile and help you when you feel down.

Veggie Log

In my attempts at ‘greener' eating, I decided to start cutting up some raw veggies to eat on.  Partly, this is in hopes of detoxing from my food hangover of bad eating. This year's Memorial Day weekend was filled with a lot of food, and overzealously I supped way too much on delicious Mexicali dip, pizza, Thai food, Pete’s donuts, and the requisite, patriotic hot dogs. Supposedly, an abundant food stock helps insure we eat less because we don’t get that fear of running out and being hungry. However, this theory does not hold up well, for we had enough food for a doom shelter, and I still ate ate ate.

The road to veggie consumption is paved with healthful dips

Raw vegetables are so wonderful: the crispy crunch of celery, the fresh scent of cut-up cucumbers, and the sweet juiciness of carrots are about the best eating experiences in the world. Though some taste buds, accustomed to salt, sugar, and lots of flavors, might find raw vegetables dull, leaving much to be desired. In this case, dips come in handy. There are a variety of flavorful dips out there, some of which are more healthful than others. One of my favorites is probably chocked full of fats and salts as it involves sour cream and a soup mix. This one I plan to eat occasionally.

However, there are better options, chocked full of good proteins and fiber.  For example, I love the flavors and texture of hummus; it is the perfect dip and good for you too. There are several shades, hues, flavors, and types of hummus, and you can make it at home quite easily (see recipe links below). I like to make traditional hummus and black bean hummus, especially if I’m feeling a little spicier. Eating veggies with hummus provides a flavorful and nutritious meal or snack. 

The Cost of Consuming Health

Often there is a fear that eating healthy means spending more; however, this is not necessarily the case. Check out this NPR story about this very issue.  Luckily, having fresh veggies is an affordable way to get more nutrients into your body.  Here’s a nice resource for lots of good veggie information: www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.

I love the Whole Foods' recipe for black bean hummus.  For a more traditional recipe, check out the Barefoot Contessa’s Hummus recipe.

Just Doing the Dishes of Everyday Life

'I am no prophet -- and here's no great matter' -- Prufrock

Recently I listened to an NPR story about the chanting monks at The Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Rather strikingly the monks being interviewed briefly talked about the 'purposeful' monotony of everydayness in the monastery. Having retreated to an abbey a few times, I can vouch for this. The monks there were on a routine: they rose, they prayed the 'Hours' eight times a day on schedule, they worked, they ate at the prescribed times, and they went to bed. Then they got up and did it all over again.

In my daily life, I despise tasks that become monotonous, especially at work. I desire a job where I do not get bored and can avoid the routine -- you know, those tasks that become mindless because you've done them way too much. I have yet to find this dream job. Obviously, I don't know how well I could 'monk' it out in the desert for very long. My one-week retreats were exciting because they were new. But, what would I do once I hit that point where I get tired of the same things? Would the prayers just become mere words after a while? Would I passively resist my duties? Would I try to sneak out to catch the latest picture show?

Perhaps I would do better to embrace the monotonousness of life because as the monks of the desert monastery suggest, the monotony is an opportunity to develop an inner life. And perhaps there would be great creativity in those inner moments. If everything on the surface is status quo, then we have an opportunity to turn inward. Yet, maybe this is why repetitivity becomes so discomforting because all you have left is the inner you to tune in to, and sometimes people run from themselves (I know I do). A good friend once told me he couldn't be alone with himself too long because he gets too in his head. I've read that this phenomenon occurs when people have to endure silence --another key aspect of the monastery as there are usually designated places of quiet.

I'm not saying everything in my life has to be routine or that I shouldn't change things up when I want or that I should give up on more interesting work. I'm just thinking that maybe the routines that I find dreadful could be more enriching if I just learn how to 'be' in those moments. Maybe the routine would then become some of the best moments of living. Thich Nhat Han says doing the dishes can be a joy for 'not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while washing them' (p27 Peace is Every Step).

I want to learn how to live fully during the daily routine of life. Maybe there are all sorts of little treasures to find in the 'butt-ends of my days and ways'.