A Book to Read

A Book to Read

I am not a big reader. I would much prefer to watch movies. This is probably indicative of my personality. But, either way, I do not read very many books. I am going to make it a point in college to read more, because, frankly, my writing skills are suffering because of it. If I had to pick a book to recommend though, it would be one of the Harry Potter books.

I know that most people will say that I am “too old” and what not to be talking about Harry Potter in a class setting, but these are one of the few books that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. Granted, I have not tried reading that many other books, but I thought that the Harry Potter series was stellar. J.K. Rowling created a series that I have loved literally since the first time that I read it. I remember that my father used to read the books to my brother, my sister and myself. I do not even remember what grade that was in. I want to say second or third grade, but I don’t know.

I love the series, and the ride that the books take you on, but I also love the memories that I have associated with the Harry Potter series. They were a constant fixture in my childhood, ever since my father began reading them to me. I remember going with my family to watch the movies, my father ordering multiple copies when they were released, etc. I wasn’t one of those super fans that dressed up as Harry and wore glasses, but I can accurately say that the Harry Potter series is my favorite series of books that I have read to date. 

Movie Review

I think that my favorite movie of all time is Inception. The combination of special effects, great plot, great casting and a great score rank it as one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I am shocked at how good it is every time I see it. BUT, I think that it wouldn’t be as cool to review because it was wildly popular. So, I am going to review my second favorite movie, Lucky Number Slevin.

Lucky Number Slevin is a film starring Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Stanley Tucci and Sir Ben Kingsley. I would describe it as a gangster type of film with sort of a drama, romance, thriller type of feel to it. There is a great cast and they work well together. I first saw the movie in Virginia while there for some sort of family gathering; probably Thanksgiving or something. My family has a tradition of watching a movie every time we go to my Uncle Michael’s house. My mother had already seen Lucky Number Slevin and recommended it to us. I loved the way that it toyed with my mind before clearly explaining everything. It is a slow movie, and there isn’t much action for long parts at a time, but it is wildly entertaining.

I can’t explain too much of the film without giving it away, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone who is a fan of good movies.

Art Review

Art Review

The movie, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” was interesting to watch. I am a huge fan of contemporary art, and that particular style. I admire what those artists are able to do, and the message that they send. I am a terrible artist, so their creativity and craftsmanship is amazing to me. It is truly one of the coolest and most interesting forms of art to me. However, I would have to say that my favorite artist is Ernie Barnes. I do not know much about painters other than what my parents have introduced me to. He is an artist that has been hanging in my house for as long as I can remember, and has really grown on me.

Barnes was born in 1938 in Durham, North Carolina. He was a stellar athlete, and has painted a number of pieces about sports. I love the detail and dramatic effect in his paintings. I originally grew fond of him because of the number of basketball paintings in my house done by him, but he has also done more than that. All of the pieces that I have seen are of black people. In writing this blog, I have found that it is hard for me to explain why I like him so much. But I do. He is without question my favorite artist.

We Have the Right

I imagine this is related to the film, Exit Thru the Gift Shop. I agree that we have the right to express ourselves creatively in whatever way we see fit, however there are limits. For example, if a graffiti artist were to tag my house, I would be pissed. By no means do they have the right to do that. So I'm going to change the direction of this blog. I'm going to say that we have the right to follow our own destiny. I take this to mean that we should be able to be what we want to me, and who we are capable of being.  Unfortunately though, this is not the case.

 I am writing this while reading, The Invisible Man. It is a late blog entry, I know, but I think that it is a perfect blog for the book. The invisible man in the book faces a number of obstacles that preclude him from being the person that he can be. As readers, we do not know what would have happened had some of these events not happened, however we do know that the outcome would have been different.

This is a complicated statement for me to back up because the adversity one faces throughout the course of their life is a large part of what makes them. I am not one that believes that people should not go through hard times in order to achieve their goals. But I do think that it is a tragedy when someone does not reach their full potential because they have not been allowed to follow their own destiny. 

X is Known

X is Known

I think that this is a bit of a false statement. Most people know who Malcolm X was, however, they do not know much more than that. I remember in US History not reading much about Malcolm X. There was a small paragraph, and that was about it. In my experience, the Civil Rights Movement is largely based around Dr. King. Dr. King is the more socially correct figure, and is easier to pick out as the “good guy.” It is hard to understand Malcolm X without having read his works. (Personally, I love MLK. This isn’t a knock on him. I agree with his views on civil rights and his methods of achieving them.)  

Usually, people view Malcolm X as an extremist. They often make the mistake of viewing Malcolm X as the person that hated white people, and was not interested in the same sort of things that other civil rights leaders at the time were interested in. This is in some ways true. However, he was much deeper than that. People are entitled to their opinions. But I strongly feel that if people knew more about him, he would not be viewed in such a way.  This is mainly why I disagree with the statement, “X is Known.”

X Marks the Spot

I am having trouble understanding what I am supposed to write about. Obviously, it is in some ways related to Malcolm X, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Outside of that, I'm pretty lost. The saying, “X Marks the Spot,” usually makes me think of pirate movies and treasure hunts. Maybe this is your way of saying that Malcolm X was of great importance? Who knows.

My initial thought is that the title is related to the importance of the novel, and/or Malcolm X as a human being. Malcolm was a person who influenced thousands of people all around the world to change their beleifs. He did so in a number of different ways; many of which were controversial. He, for one, changed his ways while he was in prison; he became a religious man, and stopped his life of crime to become a leader in the Nation of Islam. 

The same can be said about the book. The book was one of the most important pieces of literature in the twentieth century. I imagine that is has had a profound effect on a number of readers. There is no way of me knowing whether or not it has changed lives in any ways similar to the way Malcolm did as a person.

Either way, Malcolm was certainly a treasured figure in our history, and his legacy will live on for generations to come.