It's Halloween!
Demon beasts you've never seen.
It's Halloween!
The scene's riddled with screams.
It's Halloween!
Where the undead walk the roads,
Better stay at home in your motherhold.

It's Halloween!
In the night cold eyes gleam.
It's Halloween!
In the night a knife reams.
It's Halloween!
Where the ghosts and goblins moondance,
In the bigger picture of critters we're like huge ants.

It's Halloween!

Poets,
They know the world is changing!
That God is on vacation!
And no one sees the music!
Cause no one ever dances!
So many failed romances!
I want to bash a plank against the tree trunk of a tree and feel it's damp skin bleed but I'm no savage.

Poets,
They know the world was better!
Sovereignty of nations!
But we won't ever bow down!
Or halt with our creation!
Even when they watch us!
Keep us quite and noble!
Like the old Chernobyl!
I want to just let go, fuel my writing with eco fuel and move on like a ghost through the barriers that most gruel.

Poets,
We are a dying breed now!
But maybe we should feed doubt!
Let it blaze on higher!
So people will aspire!
To write and never tire!
Of fighting our own system!
Then maybe they will listen!
Somehow I really doubt it!
The rich ones' views are cloudy!
Their heads are in the clouds see!
While they keep reaping sunshine!
We're down here in our darkness!
Yet we know where our heart is!
Cause we can see it shine now!
Stronger in the gray dusk!
Longer days they're made up!
Winter time's a lie!
But I am not complaining!
My life's in silver lining!
Sweden's home of Sala!
Haven of silver mining!
Paradise is The Shining!
Half as nice as I make it!
What notions are really sacred!
When will our time and crime end?
Which one for the other?
So much left to discover,
And no one keeps on searching,
They dive into their problems,
Like they don't want a meaning,
Who thinks they have a purpose,
And lives a life redeeming,
The past sins they have offered,
They are just like gophers,
Hiding in their holes below,
Growing old, burroughing homes,
When the Earth is all we have,
And no one will make it better,
I can't send out a letter,
If no one ever answers,
Us humans are a cancer,
But deep down we all know it,
But deep down I'm a poet,
I slowly stir a laughter,
The present is the past soon,
The past is a lost chapter,
We better all adapt.
We better all adapt.
We better all adapt.
World.

When did Keanu Reeves decide he wanted to direct martial arts movies?! I wonder what gave him the idea... but whatever it was, I'm glad the idea was given! He doesn't feature in most fights, but he does make an appearance in the final one, and compared to Tiger Chen he is a giant! The battle isn't as realistically fluent as some of the other ones (where both contenders are professional martial artists) but it's not bad either. He puts up a good final fight, plays the villain accordingly, and Tiger Chen makes the trip from light to dark to light again just like he's supposed to. I liked that subtle yin/yang transition after he bows down to his opponent at the end, and the 'I am nothing' is spot on to the teachings of Tai Chi! Such profound wisdom in a simple sentence, and to think that the enemy bestows upon him the wisdom that ultimately lets him control his chi properly, to let it out; free himself... and beat his opponent. Ironic.

I love movies that make good modern use of martial arts without making them seeing unnecessarily flashy on the verge of supernatural, movies that humbly bridge the gap between Eastern and Western cultures without making either one seem superior, and movies that keep the tradition of real stunts and fighting choreography performed by pros still going strong! And of course I'm saying this because this movie did all three. And the fights look real, even when there are strings attached.

Overall it was a great action movie, with some great martial arts; plenty of opponents Chen has to fight. Reeves has done a nice job of gathering together talented people that aren't necessarily well-known in most of the world. Simon Yam and Karen Mok are the two exceptions, and Tiger Chen gets to (I think) debut as main character, something he does with flying colors! I guess his working with stunts on The Matrix movies might have something to do with it. Iko Uwais gets a very brief appearance at the end too. You know, that guy from The Raid? I was looking forward to a real fight but... maybe some other time. :)

Plotwise, I think I can reveal without spoiling anything that this is a bit like the Truman Show of underground fight clubs, the story of one individuals life, and the lessons and obstacles he faces along the way. Which seems all the realer considering he plays who he is, at least by name, both Tiger Chen in and outside the movie. Great watch.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

A laborer moves to Shanghai in the hope of becoming rich. But ends up using his kung fu skills to survive.

Now this is what I'm talking about! This is what Shanghai is! This is what I expected to see when I watched Shanghai (2010) and though I don't recall much about that movie, I do remember feeling deeply disappointed.

Here we have friendship, love, brotherhood, family, justice, vengeance, sacrifice, Samu Hung, Andy On, Philip Ng, Yongchen Liu along with many others and a story of a Shanghai in the 1930s ruled by Long Qi and the Axe Gangs. The Japanese are plotting to take over, and Ma Yongzhen just arrived fresh off a boat.

The movie isn't really in black and white, but at the start that's what it looks like. When we leave the boat and venture out into the world we realize it's more like white and brown, colors so saturated the nuances barely show through (unlike the covers above). I thought I'd have liked to see the movie in color, but the darker nuances build up the atmosphere in a unique way and after a while I'm snug and settled in. Well, not snug, more like constantly at the edge of my seat. But settled in.

There's dance, there's music, there's tumbling around, there's fighting, eating, glancing at each other through the windows and the over the rice bowls... just like I'd expect from an Asian movie of such grand proportions! It has elements of both old and new. It has style and it has grit. It's nice. It's sad. It's fun. And the fight are masterful. Great watch.

I couldn't find the perfect cover image so I made four.

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome

I need to practice my cursive,
I think in a while it'd be worth it,
My thoughts seem a mess on the surface,
Just cause my words are my weakness.
I assure you they all have their purpose,
All I write has a meaning,
Even if you couldn't read it,
Outside of it's digital sleekness.
Thus I am posting this poem,
First in the state it was written,
So you know I've written my writing,
First in the state I was sitting,
At work but my work leaves me idle,
But I never idle, I'd lie if -
I said I lived life like my idols,
But I try to reach high like a sky-lift.
There's no time for writing this slowly,
If only I knew what was holy,
If only my good will controlled me,
I know one day I would find bliss.
Existence is sometimes exciting,
Sometimes it is bright and inviting,
More often I feel it is frighting,
And grueling, and sly, yet I do my thing
Anyway. My poems end abrupt.
And then I say: stop
I guess it's a case,
Of writer's block.

Many of us spend half our time wishing for things we could have if we didn't spend half our time wishing.

Wise words from the chapter with the same name in a book I just finished reading. Getting Things Done (1978). An inspiring collection of advice on how to efficiently handle your time! I could probably have saved some skipping chapters on shorthand and efficient typewriter usage though.