Review of Total Recall (2012)

If your looking for Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" you'll be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if your in for a dystopian adrenaline rush this is your movie. It starts off like the Governator's predecessor of the same name. A factory worker asking a trusted co-worker about a place called Rekall. The co-worker tries to dissuade Mr. Quaid from the idea of going to a place that would mess with your mind,  but Doug persists and goes there anyway.

While the general story line is quite similar to it's 1990 namesake, the world looks much more tired and run down. From the moment the needle goes into Douglas Quaid's are the movie is for the adrenaline junkie. There is lot's of hand to hand and car to car combat. The acting is mediocre to above average.

While it is not the worst movie I've ever seen, I find it more interesting to watch then "The Phantom Menace". That's not saying much, I realize. Okay to be fair, it ranks up there with Zombieland. Enjoyable enough to waste a couple of hours.

One item I found interesting was when Mr. Quaid was entering the customs area there was a woman ahead of him who looked very much like the fake woman used in the 1990 version. Sort of a node, if you will to the one directed by Paul Verhoeven.

With the synthetic police, it becomes Total Recall (1990) meets iRobot.

The Carpenters - Goodbye To Love

I
After fell in love with my wife I never thought the day would come when this would be the song of my life. I always loved this song since I first heard my aunt playing it. Now that it applies to my life it is bitter sweet to listen to. But life goes on...alone.

Sixteen Years of effort

So it's over. For sixteen years I attempted to keep interested the women I loved and wish to grow old with. She has decided to move on. While the marriage wasn't all wine and roses, I think I grew content. It seems when I become content with something the universe jumps in and says, in a Cockney accent, "Hey there, there'll be none o' that 'round here!". And POOF! Life throws a curve ball. This time I struck out.

And life goes on...

One of those days

Did you ever have one of those days that you knew in the back of your mind was going to happen? Yeah, today is one of those days. I can never understand why people are so mean to each other. The world would be so much nicer if people were open and honest.

Love (Sex) and Marriage

I recently had come across an article in the New York Times written by Lori Gottlieb which related an anecdote of a dinner party where afterwards her boyfriend and her concluded that the hosts, a married couple, would not be having sex that evening. This fact seemed to dismay her since the couple had what she viewed as the perfect marriage.

I am personally dismayed that a writer for the NYT did not receive a proper education. It seems that in our effort to make a more homogeneous world we have stop teaching reality. Nietzsche is disdained because the National Socialist German Workers Party twisted his ideals into a parody of itself. Something we would have been horrified to see by all accounts.

In the same vein, it is a apparent that Oscar Wilde is too crude for our modern, easily offended society. For he said, "Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power." This alone would give you all the information you need. In an equal marriage great sex will be nonexistent. Sorry to tell you this, but it's true. Think about this, good sex requires one partner to be in a power position. It really doesn't matter who but one must be master and the other servant. Once you remove that from the equation the only reason for sex is procreation. The more intelligent the couple the more likely they will share in the duties rather than one do all the house work while the other "brings home the bacon".

The evidence for this I have seen portrayed in media of all sorts as well as my own observations. I am reminded of the movie Idiocracy at the beginning of which they show two families a modern educated couple producing one child and a hillbilly looking (redneck) couple who produce grandchildren before the other couples child is out of diapers. This effect stems from a man who uses sex to assert his dominance of a woman who is all to willing to be "protected".  

Building the Perfect Beast

Back in the mid 80’s Don Henley released a solo album. Ten years before Hell Froze Over. Buildings the Perfect Beast was introduced to me by a friend. We sat at his house one night listening to a cassette version on a cheap boom box. Later we drove to the mall in my car listening to it in the open air of the vehicles T-roof. Youth was a high all unto itself. We thought we could rule the world. 

The song that first got my attention was the Boys of Summer. Even though I haven't seen it in years I still associate the music with video and remember Josh Paul banging on the drums.  I have nothing but fond memories of that time period. I remember being hooked at the very beginning. The song begins with an rhythmic anticipation and a simple guitar twang that pulls you in. As if to say it's time to pay attention.

The second song to really catch my attention wasn't All she wants to do is Dance, like one might expect. Truth is I really never cared to much for that one. Yes it's got a nice hook from the start but it just doesn't click with my psyche. Building the perfect Beast, grabbed my attention and holds it to this day. The subject matter is a reflection on mankind and were we are going. It starts off stating that the perfect beast is the top predator killing "the things we don't eat" It goes on to refer to planned greatness rivaling the gods of Olympus and a reference to Walt Kelly's earth day poster from 43 years ago, "We have met the enemy and he is us". It closes speculating on our life spans getting longer and longer and us gaining a deeper understanding of our world. These would be the references to Methuselah and digging deeper into Pandora's box. I find it to be a stunningly great song in lyrics, rhythm  and execution. This is definitely my favorite on the album.

I am of the opinion that A month of  Sundays should always be played directly before Sunset Grill. One song flows into the next like Jackson Browne's The load out and Stay. It's like one story leads right to the next. A month of Sundays is a beautiful reflection song about times gone past. The Sunset Grill  is the kind of place you'd like to go and do the reflection. 

If I was going to a desert island and could only take 3 albums with me They would be Building the Perfect Beast, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and The Beatles Rubber Soul.

The Bafflement of Failure

I see apps showing up in the Apple and Android stores and think to myself what's the point? The app is free and does some cutsie thing and does it in a social way (read expects you to share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc). Somehow these people manage to convince people with more money than brains that if they build it, the people will come. It just takes a few more dollars.

Seriously?

I have found humans to be basically selfish. We all have ulterior motives for our actions that may not be apparent up front. Some so that they can get into heaven. Some hoping for fame. Some, like myself, for the endorphin rush when you know you've helped someone else and made the world just a little bit better.

For this reason "Social" is a failure. "But what about Facebook?", I hear you cry (or maybe that's just a voice in my head).  Well let us take a peek at the Facebook model. Advertising. You yourself can pay Facebook so that your personal post is ensured to get to all your 'Friends'. But don't actually be selling something because then they expect you to pay more...a lot more.

Be weary of snake oil salesman who tell you it's a social app. Yes people might use it. But you'll never make a return on your investment. Better to buy Yahoo stock while it's still under $40. Ms. Mayer will take that company places. After all she's a geek with a plan.

The Erosion of Society

There is trend in North America of spreading out as far and as wide as possible. This has the effect of requiring transportation to go from place to place. It also allows for Mega-stores. Neither are necessarily bad in their own right. It is the way that the engineers and designers have chosen to implement the scheme.
People are encouraged to own a house. Banks advertise the low interest rates and show Mom, Dad and the kids all smiling as if out of some Stepford Wives nightmare. This only spreads building and more importantly people further away from each other.
Homeowners now have to maintain the own property. Trim the lawn, make sure that the property generally stays in good repair so that they may continue to live in it. To this end the homeowner is now required to own a vehicle to get a lawnmower and because they are not built to last, intentionally, in a year or two it will have to be replaced. The reason for this is because labor has become so expensive that it is cheaper to just purchase a new item rather than fixing the old.
Labor is so expensive because everyone has to buy a house, a car, a lawnmower and on and on. While this stimulates the economy it makes people busier which gives them less time to socialize face to face. People who don't socialize with others tend to become less trusting of others. This is encouraged by the isolation developed from driving one ton vehicles around.
The solution to this ever growing problem is simple. Design things around personable interaction. Make use of public transportation more convenient then a personal vehicle.  How? well first public transit should be closer to buildings rather than farther away. Sidewalks should be cleared before roads, except routes used by public transportation. This would also give people much needed exercise. It's not a complete solution but following this pattern would be a good start.
Unfortunately this will most likely not happen anytime soon because it would completely destroy the economy as we now no it.

But maybe that's a good thing. ;-)