Monday, June 25, 2012

The Last Airbender Series: Jet and the Value of the Innocent in War

Jet represents the first truly guerrilla fighter in the War. He is the leader of the Freedom Fighters, the cliched group of ragtag soldiers doing what they can to make a dent into the Fire Nation. Rebellion groups like them are common in many movie and television wars. But it is so unbelievable how the ATLA creators incorporate such a extremist group into a kids show. There is no doubt that Jet is an extremist, and to the Fire Nation, an unquestionable terrorist, though we do sympathize with him because of what the Fire Nation did to him and his family. He attacks the innocent and will let nothing stop him from ending the Fire Nation. His most telling moment was his order to wipe out an entire village, filled with Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom folk alike. While the guilt of the Fire Nation warriors can be questioned to death, there is little question about the innocence of the other villagers. Why is Jet so willing to dispose of the innocent to achieve his goal?

You can easily go to Jet's violent relations with the Fire Nation to explain his complete indifference towards their safety. The Fire Nation army destroyed his village and killed his family. The Fire Nation as a whole is an evil entity. But his actions go beyond just stopping the Fire Nation. He will stop them at any cost. An innocent person is nothing compared to the greater goal of the annihilation of the Fire Nation. He shows this by threatening an old man dressed in Fire Nation garb and by attempting to flood an entire Earth Kingdom colony filled with Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens alike. While his actions may seem extreme, there is no doubt that people have sacrificed innocent people in order to achieve bigger goals. Jet is merely trying to defeat the Fire Nation at any cost, and any life lost could get him closer to that goal.

It is impossible to determine whether Jet was doing the right thing. Should Sokka have stopped Jet from killing all of those people? At first glance, yes he should have. But sometimes in war, you have to match your opponent, eye-for-an-eye, life-for-a-life. This is how Jet operates. He is an unscrupulous guerrilla war leader. If you compare him to Sokka, another warrior who has lost a parent to the war, you could also see a sense of savagery in Jet compared to Sokka's civilized behavior. Jet has survived in the woods without a family, and only the Freedom Fighters to call his own. Sokka was protecting the tribe that he grew up with. The difference is not just in mindset. Jet is not protecting anything and is purely on the offensive. Sokka is a defensive minded person, more interested in protecting Katara, Aang and himself than destroying the Fire Nation. That is why an innocent person is not an obstacle to Sokka, but a person in need of protection.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

The Last Airbender Series: The Waterbending Scroll and Iroh's "Proverb"

"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" Uncle Iroh spits out this tremendous line, to which Zuko responds by bemoaning his uncle's use of trite and boring proverbs. Of course the interesting part of this is that this does not actually sound like a proverb. It may carry a sagacity because of Iroh's wise demeanor, but even if it was a proverb, what would it mean?

The backstory of this line is that the pirates and Zuko's crew are fighting each other because of a reneged agreement to trade the waterbending scroll that Katara stole for Aang. During the scuffle between the three groups, Katara, Sokka, and Aang were able to sneak away. In order to escape from the feud, Katara and Aang waterbend the pirate ship off the beach. As the pirate captain and Zuko are fighting, Iroh interrupts to deliver this line. The first implication of this line is that violence has some negative effect on your focus. But what are you focusing on i.e. what does the "ship" imply? An avid LOK fan would assume relationship, but let's think about this in ATLA terms. A ship is an important piece of property for a person. It actually may be a lifestyle in a way because of the technological importance of having a fast and able ship. But the obvious motion aspect of the ship likely makes the "ship" a metaphor for an event in life. It is something that you can see, but so much can affect you actually getting to the ship. The most telling part of this proverb is that this ship has "set sail". It passed by without you noticing, quite possibly one of the saddest and most indescribable feelings you could have. It describes this emotion that you have when you realize you missed out on something. So the proverb discusses the impact violence has on your way of life. If this were a proverb, it would be warning against the ill effects of violence, or more broadly malevolence toward another person, and how it actually detracts from your life and actually causes you to miss opportunities.

This proverb almost certainly has its real world counterparts. While it is difficult to put this in exact words, maybe an example would be a better demonstration. Consider Inigo Montoya's words at the end of The Princess Bride. He says that he had been in the revenge business for so long that he knows no other lifestyle. Having invested his entire life towards the demise of a single man, he missed out so many opportunities to do something else with his life. While it is a fulfilling experience, twenty years of his life are gone. So don't be so busy with the petty things that you miss out on a bigger opportunity. Don't let that ship sail because you were too busy fighting.

Friday, June 8, 2012

The Last Airbender Series: Avatar Roku and our Reaction to Magic

Penn and Teller have a hilarious demonstration of magic in their show which tell the audience seven basic principles of magic. Palm, ditch, steal, load, simulation, misdirection, switch. In this episode of Avatar the Last Airbender, the Gaang utilize many of these tricks. They simulate the opening of the blast door. Zuko misdirects Zhao and his firebending fleet. They load Momo into the room only to (ideally) switch him with Aang. The magical moment demonstrates the ubiquity of these magical abilities.

The Gaang certainly understands the quintessentials of magic. Zuko discovers the questionable motives of Zhao and allows him to follow Iroh's smokescreen as he backdoors the fleet in another ship. Katara uses Sokka's failed experiment to convince the sages that Aang had successfully entered the solstice room. But the outcomes of these "magical acts" also demonstrate two reactions many people have when they witness magic. One is a feeling of success in understanding a trick. When you know what to expect from a magic trick, you immediately are wary of anything that seems out of place. When you keep your eyes open, magic tricks become less mystifying, but maintain their entertainment quality. However, when you are completely duped, there is a feeling of shock. You know that you have been deceived, and the only correct reaction is to freeze up. You are taken aback for just a moment, much like the sages were.

Many people believe that knowing how a magic trick works ruins the trick. One of the biggest rules of a magician is to never reveal any of his tricks. But there is a satisfaction people get when they experience magic. Even if they know what happened, understanding how the trick works does not make the trick any less impressive. But the best is not knowing how it works. While you may be frustrated or shocked, you cannot help be take in a moment of awe, as you see the magician represent your duped feelings.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Airball: The Inconceivability of the Ineptitude of the Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats are the worst team in the NBA. Period. It was not like last year when there were a couple of teams that showed signs of ineptitude. The Bobcats just screamed inability, mediocrity. But where does it start?   The answer: no one really knows.

You could blame their owner, Michael Jordan. While he was one of the greatest players to hold a basketball, he is one of the worst owners in league history. While many cite his falterings in the draft, it was primarily his love affair with Adam Morrison that gave him this reputation. While Morrison is almost equivalent to JaMarcus Russell, Jordan's draft history has not been awful when he has been the owner. We only have one year to look at, but he was able to get two solid players in a very weak draft. Bismarck Biyombo shows signs of offensive maturity as he maintained a strong defensive presence, and Kemba Walker has shown some offensive brilliance. The problem is his inability to find good players. He made an admittedly decent move by getting rid of Stephen Jackson, a decent, but problematic, player. But he got the ghost of Corey Maggette. The roster right now is just horrible. While there are talented players like D.J. Augustin, Biyombo, Walker, Byron Mullens, and Gerald Henderson (one of the few bright spots), you also have guys like Tyrus Thomas, DeSagana Diop, Derrick Brown, and Matt Carroll. I don't want to give up hope for MJ, but he has to get rid of a lot of these players. Hopefully he can rebuild around Augustin, Walker, Biyombo, Henderson, and Anthony Davis, as long as the Bobcats get the number 1 pick. But they have not created a winning nor rebuilding club.

The team is also just bad in most parts of the game. Defensively, they blow assignments, allow easy points, and get beat often. Offensively, they lack rhythm at times, force jump shots, and just shoot a very low percentage. The players are not that untalented, it just seems that way. This is a flaw of both the coaching staff and the players. Paul Silas has to get his team more motivated, especially defensively. It seems like a difficult task given the lack of attendance in Charlotte, but once the team starts winning, the fans will come. But they can't win without a good defensive strategy, which starts with Silas. With a growing defensive force like Biyombo, it should not be too difficult. But offensively, they need their players to make better decisions. They can't win by taking bad jump shots. Walker could turn out to be a viable offensive option, but he's gotta work on his field goal percentage. Fewer jump shots and more shots in the paint could do him very good. Biyombo has to mature offensively. He can not just rely on his ability to rebound and block. Adding one or two post moves will significantly help his game. Augustin has to be more assertive. He played well at the beginning, but he has to take command of the team once he is at complete strength. This team is still not a championship-caliber team, but at least they are respectable.

The Bobcats have been the doormat of the NBA for quite some time. It will not get any easier. Lottery picks can only help so much. They still lack the big name city that draws free agents. They still have some very useless players on the team. But they have hope in the Oklahoma City Thunder. It only takes one player to build a foundation for the team. Once that happens, they can find the role players in the draft. But it will require them to draft smartly and to find coaches and players who can function offensively and defensively. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, much like Diop's free throws, it looks like it is going to be an airball.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Week Before the Oscars Predictions

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen has seemed like a surefire lock for Midnight in Paris, while Alexander Payne and his team seemed to be fighting off Moneyball and Hugo. But it looks like, after the Writer's Awards, we have our two Screenplay winners.
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
It got nominated for a high profile category (Screenplay) and won the Golden Globe. With The Skin I Live In not nominated, this seems to be the heavy favorite in this category.
Best Documentary Feature: Pina
There were certainly better documentaries this year, but given the death of subject Pina Bausch mid-filming, it seems only appropriate to dedicate this win for her legacy.
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
She's been sweeping up through the major award ceremonies. It would take a miracle to beat her.
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, The Help
See above.
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
I will be wavering about this one for the next week or so. Streep somehow pulled off the BAFTA win, even though Viola Davis had a lot of momentum from her win at the SAGs. But if the British Academy can award Streep's controversial portrayal of former P.M. Margaret Thatcher, maybe the Academy can as well. The BAFTAs are also a better predictor for the Oscars given the overlap between voters in the British Academy and the Academy.
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
This is long from a foregone conclusion. But it seemed that George Clooney had this award all wrapped up. But after winning the SAG and the BAFTA, Dujardin is the clear favorite. Coupled with the tremendous momentum of The Artist along with the steady decline of The Descendants and Clooney's previous win for Syriana, it appears that Dujardin will be awarded the Oscar.
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
He won the Directors Guild Award. He won the BAFTA. The Artist is the most-awarded and talked about movie right now. Chalk up another win for The Artist.
Best Picture: The Artist
After taking home the BAFTA and gaining awards for its youthful director and charming lead actor along the way, The Artist looks like the silent movie that could. The Help, Hugo, and The Descendants still can upset The Artist, but it looks like silence is, well, golden.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Oscar Predictions Updated

With the announcement of the SAGs, the Oscars face some new competition. The Help has elevated its chances with a Best Cast win, and one of its stars, Viola Davis, took the SAG award for Best Actress along with Octavia Spencer, winning a SAG for Best Supporting Actress. The biggest surprise was Jean Dujardin, getting noticed for his work in The Artist. Here are the updated predictions.

Best Adapted ScreenplayThe Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Bridesmaids and The Artist deserve to get some serious cred, but I think that these two are locked in for now. Moneyball, and Aaron Sorkin, could spoil the Adapted Screenplay race.
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
With the SAG award, Spencer is the one to beat. She will hear her name come Oscar night.
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
As is the usual, Best Supporting Actor and Actress are determined well before the Oscar ceremony. Plummer gets a deserving win for a long and illustrious career.
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Despite losing the Golden Globe, Davis bounced back with a SAG win. Meryl Streep always deserves to be recognized, but it's Davis' time right now.
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Clooney seems to be unstoppable, but I learned that you should never go against the guild. The SAGs will go 4 for 4 at the Oscar ceremony.
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Remember how David Fincher should have won last year? He lost to DGA winner Tom Hooper. Expect Hazanavicius to follow suit.
Best Picture: The Artist
They may have lost the SAG, but the SAG has never been the best decider of the Best Picture. With wins for Dujardin and Hazanavicius, The Artist caps a winning night with the top prize.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Oscar Predictions 2012

There were many surprises and snubs in this year's Oscar nominees. Michael Fassbender snubbed for Shame, but his snub led to a surprise (first-time) nomination for Gary Oldman. Albert Brooks, who was Drive's most likely nomination, was snubbed as well. But it is not a matter of snubs and surprises, though those were the three that most shocked me. Here are my predictions for the Oscars.

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
The Descendants strengthens its Oscars push by taking the Adapted Screenplay, and Woody Allen makes a triumphant return to the Oscars with his highest grossing film yet.
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
While co-star Jessica Chastain could take this award as the "It"-girl of the year, Spencer will ride all of the momentum from the Globes, SAG, and BAFTA wins to an Academy Award.
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
With Albert Brooks out of the race (though he was becoming more of an afterthought), the award certainly goes to Plummer. Anything else would be shocking to say the least.
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep may be a revelation as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, but she will be weighed down by a under-performing movie on the whole. Davis rides The Help's relative success in awards season to here first Academy Award, making Streep 2-16 at the Oscars.
Best Actor: Brad Pitt, Moneyball
George Clooney and Pitt are neck and neck right now. Clooney has his award, and with Pitt "retiring" in 3 years, I highly doubt the very political Oscars will shun Pitt any further. He takes his first Academy Award.
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Despite making his best movies 25-40 years ago, Scorsese takes his second Best Director win for his cleanest film to date.
Best Picture: The Artist
Despite missing out on most of the big-time categories, The Artist, despite losing the SAG to The Help and facing a strong push from The Descendants, ride a BAFTA win to Oscar glory. Cue the dog.