Miles Vs The Pop Culture of LOVE: An Introduction (Part 1 of 3)

This is dedicated to the love makers, heartbreakers and future heartbreakers, and yes this one is for you. My sister recently had her baby this weekend, a little girl named, Millea Anaiya Irie Villalon. My sister had told me earlier that week it means: Mountain of Hope. But this is not about her being a mountain of hope, its about something else, something that has lingered for me for a while

Earlier I mentioned future heartbreakers, well I look into my niece's eyes and I can see that in her. I even told her: "Your going to break a lot of hearts." Its funny to say that to a newborn, but ain't it the truth, somewhere out there.

Some boy will be born and in about 10-15 years he will cross my niece and they may share something special for a little while then one day she may get bored or maybe just fall out love and BAM, that kid is heartbroken.

His whole life is upheaved because now he knows: that this is what was being setup for him: 10 years of growing up to be heartbroken and lonely and depressed and my niece will know that she will be the reason that this boy, whomever he will be will listen to DEPRESSING pop music and watch romance movies to keep him optimistic. I know this cause I have been there and will still be there. There is just no other way around it: We set ourselves up for heartbreak, fellas and that is how we go about it in life.

That idiot Chris Brown once said after the Rihanna incident that "NO ONE TAUGHT THEM HOW TO LOVE." But it seems were getting lessons everyday, its more like work-expierence for relationships, I mean we have generations of kids raised on pop music and sappy 80s movies.

I suffer from LDS, what is that you wonder? Lloyd Dobler syndrome.

In the past 2 weeks I have watched Say Anything at least 5 times, last thursday it was twice in one day and I must say Lloyd Dobler is my hero.

The ultimate romantic. The ultimate optimist.

At the beginning of the movie they deal with this conundrum of heartbreak: Lloyd wants to ask out Diane Court, but his friends (all girls by the way) tell him that girls like that don't date guys like Lloyd and that they are only advising him cause they don't want him to get Hurt.

Lloyd, the ultimate romantic and optimist almost Plato like says: I WANT to get HURT. It's a interesting theory that heartbreak is worth the hurt as long as you understand the consequences and know you may not have your way but your OK with it. More on LDS will be in my next blog.

Lets just say when it comes down to it boys, "I wanna get to hurt" is as valid as saying "I will succeed." "I wanna get hurt" expresses your need to take chances, be bold and risky and if more "i wanna be hurt" a whole lot of us would be asking out OUR DIANE COURTS.

Nobody Puts Swayze in a Corner

“The ride is over”  is a classic line said by Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Utah character directed at Bodie, a zen-Buddhist-surfer played by Patrick Swayze, and now it has a real surreal value after news that Patrick Swayze died yesterday from pancreatic cancer.  Swayze was battling the disease for more than a year, longer than most people survive with that type of cancer. In that time he was able to complete work on the television series “The Beast” and was working on a memoir with his wife. Swayze for anyone who grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s was an actor known for his talent and charisma. Women swooned for him in the likes of “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” and men saw his tougher side in’80s  like “The Outsiders” and “Road House.” What Swayze teaches us is the power of perseverance. Even after his diagnosis Swayze continued to be strong and positive about his prognosis, especially when news outlets starting reporting that he had died earlier this year. His final days can be a lesson to us all about how we live our lives and should really be more positive about our outlook on life. If there is anything Swayze taught us it is this: that even if you have cancer “nobody puts baby in a corner.” 

MIdnight movie review: Inglorious Basterds

There is a remark toward the end of the movie where a character says: "This is my masterpiece." Maybe this line reflects how director and writer Quentin Tarantino feels right now or maybe it's an assessment that this is his best work thus far, whatever the case Tarantino pulls out all the stops creating an over the top and zany war-western-foreign-action-adventure-comedy-film that showcases what Tarantino does best and that if history was rewritten World War 2 and Hitler were defeated by a band of soldiers known as the BASTERDS.

Combining everything that Tarantino loves about the cinema he has created an exhilerating film going experience. Using his trademark non linear storytelling the film jump betweens two parallels story, the story of the basterds led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt sporting an over the top Southern accent) who commands a team of Jewish-American soldiers on a mission into Nazi-Occupied France to as he says "killing Nazis." But not only do they kill them they scalp them and imbed a swastika on the heads of those who live as a reminder to the world that they are evil.

The 2nd story is Tarantino's homage to the World cinema of the late '60s tells the story of french- Jewish girl named Shoshanna (Melanie Laurent) who escpaes the massacre killing on her family by Colonel Hans Lada (Christopher Waltz), Lada is known as the "Jew Hunter" for his cunning skills in finding Jews around. Shoshanna after escaping the bloodshed heads to Paris where she runs a cinema under a new identity. When the Nazi's decide to host the premiere of a new pro-Nazi war film, "Nation's Pride," Shosanna sees it as a opportunity to exact revenge on the Nazis.

Tarantino draws inspiration from the classic man-on-mission series of films such as "Great Escape," "Bridge on the River Kwai," "Guns of Navarone" and so forth creating a film that is as much as original as it is an homage to these type of movies. Tarantino knows this is not meant to be a history lesson so if your going to kill Hitler he figures, do it with style, substance, blood, guts and lots of bullets! But what really drives the movie are the eclectic characters that encompass the story:

Sgt. Donnie Donnowitz (The Bear Jew) played by Eli Roth is known all through out Europe for killing Nazi's with a baseball bat, hitting them as if he were the Sox in the World Series.

Hugo Stiglitz- A german soldier known for his violent temper and basic bad ass-ness.

Brigitte von Hammersmark- A german actress who happens to be a double agent who helps the basterds.

Archie Hichcox (Michael Fassenbender) (one of my favorite characters)- a British secret Agent and former film critic who has to put on the performance of a lifetime to make it pass a bar full of Nazi's

and it features cameo performances by Mike Myers as a British General, Harvey Keitel, and if you listen closely Samuel L. Jackson.

If the the history books had told the story of the Basterds, well it would make history class a whole hell lot of fun. So when you get a chance become a basterd and let Tarantino tell you his World War Two story.

p.s. for you "the Office Fans" B.J. Novak for the two lines he speaks does a funny job delivering them in the most deadpan way possible.

Mles vs Top 5 pop cutlure things a Beer Summit could Solve

New Castle is the best beer around in my opinion. Barack Obama apparently prefers Bud Light and Henry Gates, the black professor prefers Red Stripe (he probably enjoys some Bob Marley Music as well and some ganja to get his lectures going). So what better way politically to hammer out differences in this case racism by sharing a beer between the President of the United States, a black Harvard professor, and the white cop who arrested him. I say bring on more beer summits to solve our nations problems so here it is a top 5 list for the best use of the beer summit:

5. Jon and Kate minus the 8- Get Obama, Jon & Kate together over a beer to solve their marital disputes, maybe we will find that Kate just doesn't want to be married to a man who wears nothing but ED Hardy.

4. Oasis and Jay-Z= get them drunk, hammer out their differences then get them in a studio together. Pronto.

3. Seth Rogen and Megan Fox- So she snubbed giving Rogen a Kiss during the "jimmy Kimmel Show" well make it up to him by sharing a deliciously brewed beer with him with President Obama, then give him the kiss after a few drinks, it would be ok cause you both would be drunk.

2. Larry Flynt and Sarah Palin- Wanna bailout the porn industry, talk about it with the Hustler himself over a nice Bud Light (Once again I say the White House should only drink New Castle) and Palin could be there just because she has nothing better to do.

1. Paula Abdul- Have a beer summit and explain to her that American Idol is all she has going for her now, no one want's to see a rapping cartoon cat anymore, that was so '80s and American Idol is so Now. C'mon Paula have a drink, settle for 10 million, and get back to being the unusually happy judge you are!

Miles Vs. (500) Days of Summer or how it should be the best picture of the year

Boy Meets Girl. check.
Boy falls in love with girl. check
Boy loses girl. check
This is a love story. Wrong.
This is a story about LOVE. DOUBLE CHECK.



And so begins (500 Days of Summer) with its catchy and hip pop songs, romantic views of Los Angeles, and the gorgeous Zooey Deschanel staring at every guy in the room with her dooey blue-eyes and pouting lips. She's the "It" girl of the picture, the one that sets in motion a series of sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always enlightening course in the relationship between her and Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Music video director Marc Webb (Michael Bay and Brett Ratner could take some lessons from this guy) brings a lot of heart to the most original story about Love I have seen in a while, and at the center of is Summer, who doesn't believe in love, only cause she hasn't had that "feeling" where as Hansen realizes from the moment he meets her on Day 1 that she is the ONE.
What makes the movie work is how it takes the conventional wisdom of movie romances and flips them over and inside-out. Tom is the romantic through and through but you'll find by the end of the movie that when you thought he would have learned his lesson, it like a cylce, rinse. wash. repeat. but in this case See her. Fall for her. repeat (SPOILER: relates to how the movie ends). I could probably also spend an entire post discussing Zooey as Summer because like all great female characters, Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, Shirley MacClaine in "The Apartment," Kate Winslet as Clementine, not only do you realize that Tom is falling for Summer she is also the apparition or avatar even for any or every girl that as guy you have run into. She represents all that you may have thought you wanted or desired and plays that to the T.
Which is why it is my bid for Best Pictue this year, I mean when a soundtrack(that I bought after seeing the movie), a cast, a script, a city, and a entire film comes together as amazing as (500) Days of Summer does, what can I say, I don't want to challenge the merits of this movie, so maybe I should change this post to 'Miles Champions 500 Days of Summer".... In the meanwhile I need to find my own Summer or just escape to the catchy

p.s. songs from the album to listen/download/ cry/ fall in love to:
Regina Spektor- Us
Carla Bruni- Quelqu' Un M'A Dit
Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition
The Smiths- There is a light that never goes out

p.p.s changed my mine GET THE ENTIRE ALBUM. NOW. GO.
Miles will return in: Miles Vs Quirky

Miles Vs. "The" Social Network

Facebook: The Movie starring Shia Laboeuf as the young upstart who builds a social networking website as a prank that becomes a multi-million dollar investment.

Ok so this isn't a real movie well at least not yet but the in-development film "The Social Network," is just that, an upcoming movie about the creation of Facebook (sorry MySpace but it seems the world has nearly forgotten to you like William Hung or more aptly Myspace is what American Idol is to Justin Guarini) but that is besides the point, you know social networking has got it made when they are making a movie about it. I social network everyday whether it is Facebook, @Twitter or my newest obsession FICLY.
what was going to be a blog about our obsession with social networking I have now decided will be about Ficly, cause what can really be said about our social obsession except were OBSESSED like Beyonce. My aunt facebooks 24/7, celebrities are tweeting 24/7 and everyone is living out their Kerouac fantasies on Ficly.
What makes Ficly fun is that like Twitter, you are only aloud a certain number of characters to write a short story then other people can rate them by pencils (ex: I give your story 3/5 pencils), like Twitter you can also follow Ficly authors. Anyways maybe I didn't really have a chance to conquer the social network today but there is always tomorrow and tomorrow I won't be hungover.

Miles will Return in Miles Vs. The Wild Wild West and others in my should be considered cult films list (some good, some bad, all enteraining)

The Tao of "UP" or how a movie couldn't be anymore near Perfect

Dare I say it: "UP" is a perfect movie. Or at least as near perfect a movie can get: why one may ask is "UP" such a perfect movie well to put simply: it touches all the bases that one could ask for. Unless you have been living like a hermit in a cave for the past 10 years or so you would know when it comes to animation there is only one Buddha on a mountain top: PIXAR. After wowing audiences with "WALL-E" last year this year Pixar gives us "UP" that is a love story, an action/ adventure tale, a Buddy comedy, and a tearjerker all rolled into one creating an unforgettable movie experience. The film follows 70-something-year-old Carl Fredrickson a Balloon salesman who following the death of his wife decides to live out their dream of the South American adventure by attaching Balloons to his house and flying to South America, the only problem is an eager boy scout is along for the ride as well and so as the film states: "The Spirit of Adventure Begins." The fact that this movie really does have something for everyone is what makes this more than a movie, it elevates it to an experience, the way "The Dark Knight" elevated the comic book genre. "Up" explores the many themes of life that we face: life, death, love, family, adolescence, friendship, and that everlasting eternal search for adventure. I will be the first one to say "Up" is one of the best pictures to come out in a long time, and that is saying something. I mean if you didn't near cry in the beginning of the movie: You have no soul. That's my story and I am sticking to it.