John Carpenter’s Halloween is a horror classic to say the very least with an onslaught of sequels, prequels, remakes and rip offs it’s easy to see how Halloween is one of the most influential horror movies of all time. No Country for Old Men on the other hand is a gem of the thriller genre that reignited critical acclaim for The Coen Brothers, sky rocketed the career of a Mister Josh “Thanos” Brolin, launched the American career of Javier Bardhem and was arguably the start of Tommy Lee Jones’ physical metamorphosis into a Basset Hound. However, these films couldn’t be more different. Or are they?

Yes, despite their differences I’d say that Halloween and No Country (as the cool kids say) are very similar once you break them down. The biggest similarity I feel is the dynamics of their characters and their arcs. Firstly, I would say that Llewelyn Moss would be the middle age male equivalent to Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode as they’re both Hitchcockian everymen/women completely unprepared for the insanity and death that lay before them. Next, I would say that Jones’ Ed Tom Bell would be a reinterpretation of Doctor Samuel Loomis as they’re two both moral characters living in an increasingly immoral world that they can no longer understand. Finally, that leads us to our main villains Michael Meyers and Anton Chigurh which are the embodiment of the United States’ biggest phobias at the time.

This can be seen in Meyers as he’s the boogieman next door. Halloween came out during the seventies, when the crime rate was continually going up in the states and the news was filled with stories on serial killers such Charles Manson, The Zodiac Killer, John Wayne Gacy and more. However, those killers operated mostly in large cities, they couldn’t possibly be IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD…or could they? That was the fear that Halloween exploited with Michael Meyers.

Fast forward to 2005 when No Country for Old Men was published and what was America’s biggest national fear? Foreign terrorism, which Chigurh is the complete embodiment of, an enemy not from our neighborhoods, but one from an unknown foreign land sworn to destroy American lives and to be an agent of chaos. Granted the film is set in the 1980’s and if you want to get technical Chigurh is professionally a hitman for the cartel. However, multiple times during the film he’s shown a love for being loud and bombastic with his terror and lethal methods and if that’s not terrorism I don’t know what is.

They also have very all-American settings as if to highlight said fear’s corruption of Americana. Halloween has a very all-American setting of a warm and peaceful suburb near a school no less as if to highlight that not even innocent children are safe from Michael. No Country for Old Men on the other hand is set primarily in Texas which given most folks think Texans are all cowboys (a specifically American role) that gives No Country for Old Men a distinctly Americana feel as well. So, those are all the reasons why I feel that No Country for Old Men is a spiritual remake of John Carpenter’s Halloween, what do you think?

What is it about autism and Star Trek? Even on a metaphorical and literal level for a show with so many literal and metaphorical aliens coming together it still seems weird that for such an odd show how uniting Star Trek is to those on the spectrum.

How does Star Trek relate to autism though? On a more direct level I feel that each show has their own alien/alien feeling character that stands outside of the crew. Granted I’ve only really seen Star Trek the Original Series, The Next Generation and a pinch or Deep Space Nine, but I feel most confident in speaking to the former.

That being said, let’s examine Star Trek: The Original Series, particularly Spock. I feel that there’s an intimate reason why the late Leonard Nimoy is so well regarded among the geek/fanboy community and that is relatability.

Not the most obvious of example amongst typical autistic traits, but I really liked and related to Spock’s snark. I feel that there’s some misguided notion surrounding people on the spectrum having difficulties with snark and  while I may be potentially only speaking for myself here, I feel we can pick up when something one says is…. ill informed.

While we may not speak to it as much as neurotypicals maybe something in our over analytical fashion of thinking we may pick up dopey dialogue which I love and all too much relate to Spock’s quick witted although dry responses. The other thing that I love and relate to regarding Spock is his over analytical … analysis of situations when others will initially lead with a more practical/obvious solution to an issue (Data from TNG shares this but more on that later).

He also seems to be largely alone or as isolated as possible (even in a room full of people), but never seemed lonely. That and his repressed emotions/emotional awareness feel very traditionally autistic.

Now, let’s move onto The Next Generation’s loveable android with Data. He I feel is too displaced emotionally to be properly representative of autism as I know it (VS Spock’s half emotional human side) which seems to be a defining characteristic for him.

HOWEVER, I feel that Data’s analytical nature is more intricate/detailed then Spock’s. I feel that while they both have a strong desire to learn that Spock’s arc has always been more about understanding himself, his humanity and feelings vs Data’s unending search for knowledge and understanding others.

There are obviously crossovers between those between the two characters on those elements, but that’s how I see that breakdown. Regardless, I hope that that dual breakdown helps to contextualize some autistic symptoms of these two classic characters to better understand or relate to a character with your/someone’s spectrum. 

I adore this movie and it’s probably going to be the most technically exceptional (la di da) film and/or controversial given it’s reviews. However, I was largely blown away by this movie albeit confessionally I’m a sucker for the late 60’s especially the hippy movement within. 

However, I’m also not blinded to the complaints surrounding this film as I can definitely see how…masturbratory even the long driving scenes can be and a pinch of them bothered me overall I adored the cinematic vacation of this film. What is is this film about though?

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about Rick Dalton and Cliff (played exceptionally by Leonardo Dicaprio and Brad Pitt respectively),  his stuntman buddy having a midlife crisis in 1969 Hollywood while the city itself drastically changes. Too. Like I said, this film is a cinematic vacation (a term that I’m admittedly stealing from tarantino himself), I can’t think of any other way to describe that. It feels like the most practical/realistic way to attain a sense of time travel. 

Again with the low score I don’t know if this will get Oscar accolades upon that time, but the cinematography in this film is truly exceptional like a warm hug of nostalgic pop culture. That pop culture extends to it’s soundtrack which I have been blasting more regularly/on repetition then Tarantino’s other works. 

Margo Robbie may technically be overqualified for the amount of screen time that she’s given, but I feel that you need someone with her caliber of charisma to sell what needs to be with her character. The supporting cast I also love and am very much hoping that the extended edition netflix mini series that has been proposed to have more time with the smaller characters. 

These actors characters include Cliff’s boss (played awesomely by Kurt Russell), Al Pacino (), Timothy Olyphant as another cast member on Rick Dalton’s show Lancer, Bruce Dern as Cliff’s old friend with an eerie connection, Damon Herriman as that eerie connection, an awesome but weirdly random cameo by Damien Lewis (as a 60’s icon), yet another exceptional performance by the arthouse Tom Cruise of his generation Emil Hirsch, a Clu Galagher cameo and many more. So,yeah …a little run on, but it’s a big cast that I adore, what can I say? 

Overall, this may be a bit highbrow for something called Brovember, but I feel that the charisma between the two lead (especially in a later scene with them just drinking and talking crap while watching a cheesy TV show) really solidifies how exceptional of a bro film that Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is. I adore this movie, but I know that it has a love/loathe reputation and I’d love to hear which side that you take.

This movie was….underwhelming to me. Especially this time watching it. For whatever reason I went into it remembering this movie being better at least in a different sense then what was in the film that I was given. 

What I was given was a legendary  Sylvester Stallone POW breakout sequel that was directed by George P Cosmatos (director of Tombstone and ) and written by Stallone and James Cameron (the legendary filmmaker who made Terminator 1 and 2, Aliens and you should know the rest). The cast I’ve also started to really love especially Richard Crena (from Summer Rental, the rest of the Rambo trilogy and Leviathan), Martin Kove (from the  Karate Kid trilogy) and Charles Napier (from Silence of The Lambs, Married to The Mob, the ever underrated The Goods, etc) and more. The film does kick ass, however knowing Cameron’s involvement I suppose that it missed out on his variability? 

I’m not going to tell you that Rambo First Blood Part II doesn’t have a s***t ton of awesome explosions and action movie insanity. HOWEVER (and I’m trying to contextualize this as I write this so I hope that I’m making sense) I feel that what a lot of other Cameron movies have over this is more of a natural approach to action VS how much more staged the action feels here. 

An example of this I suppose would be something like in Terminator 2 where characters adapt to the action more naturally like the tiers of the Terminator club shoot out to the car chase. Maybe this is irrational complaining about not having the movie I want, BUT I feel that the transitions could have been smoothed out between action scenes a bit more, especially for James Cameron. 

However I feel conflicted because the action scenes still do look very impressive on a technical more traditionally 80’s action movie explosive style style. I also know that I’m the minority in this and feel like a grumpy old man complaining about action/violence, but what can you do? 

The following are spoilers, but I feel I wouldn’t want to see a Rambo film at all where Stallone didn’t blast a dude with an explosive tipped arrow which he does most awesomely. I also really applaud Stallone’s performance throughout as he takes the material very seriously and even has a great and surprisingly thoughtful monologue at the end. The ending song didn’t at all compare to the awesomeness of It’s A Long Road from the first one either.   

Overall, upon revisiting it I found Rambo First Blood Part II to be surprisingly underwhelming and disappointing this time around. Despite it less fitting the Bro theme that I’m wanting to go with this month it really held up. That being said I’m really hoping that 3 winds up being better than this. 

I feel I may be going around in circles in this, but to conclude this review, if you want to sink back a few beers while watching some awesome boom boom then this is for you, it just wasn’t for me.

What the hell is this? I mean….what…..the hell…..is…..this? It’s….a Stephen King adaptation, adapted by William Goldman (the writer of All The President’s Men, The Princess Bride, The Stepford Wives, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Sting) and directed by Lawrence Kasden (the director of Body Heat, Silverado and The Big Chill) somehow made…..this. 

First to clear up the controversy or whatever may come of me putting a Stephen King movie on this list because Stephen King is high brow. However, I sincerely hope that if nothing else this doesn’t paint this masterpiece as highbrow at all. 

What the hell is this movie about though? It’s just the long told story of a group of Bros, their psychic mentally handicapped friend’s battle to destroy an interplanetary alien menace wanting to destroy the world…one of those. 

Dreamcatcher is apparently becoming somewhat of a cult classic these days as it seems there’s been a reappraisal of this film as of late which I completely support. However, this film I don’t think has the fan base I feel a film as odd as it deserves.

The cast ESPECIALLY NOW is spectacular including the legendary duo of the equally exceptional Thomas Jane (from the 2,004 Punisher, Hung, the very underrated Stander, Predator and so much more), Timothy Olyphant (from Justified, Go, Live Free or Die Hard, Deadwood and more), Damien Lewis (from Homeland, Band of Brothers, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and more), Jason Lee (from Dogma, Chasing Amy and more), Morgan Freeman (who you better know) and more. There’s also just random moments of what the hell(?) that only a brilliant writer like Goldman could bring like Thomas Jane talking to a gun as a cell phone. 

The immortally awesome villain term coined by Morgan Freeman himself as and I quote “S*** Weasels”. I know?! How did this movie not win every screenwriting award? 

Bet your a** it has a huge budget too as it was graced with a price tag of sixty eight million dollars (which for context X-Men, still a recent blockbuster cost 75 million dollars). That’s very well shown as there’s a lot of great (say it with me now) but stupid action scenes including a massive fight against a foreign alien hive, legit cool alien designs and portrayals of psychic powers and more. 

I don’t get it…at all, but I love it. I adore how much this film shouldn’t be and the madness it represents of a film with far too much of a budget and accolades and too little sense. I feel that that makes it truly beautiful and very much a bro film of legend.

Loudly

Until Next Time,

Lawrence

Just because We Do It Doesn’t Mean That We Like It

OK FINE, I suppose that there’s more to it than that, but I’ll be damned if we can’t be shrilly loud. Also, yeah, I’m making fun of it, just because we do it doesn’t mean that we like it. For whatever reason that still perplex me, us autistics speak rather loudly. This may be universal, but we’re especially crap conversationally in groups.

Autistic Group Conversations

What I mean by this is that for me at least conversations feel like quick time events in video games. What I mean by this is that we may want to say something, but don’t want to interrupt the pre established conversation BUT don’t want to wait for our lives to be over(!) before we’re able to enter the conversation. When I’m in a conversation (especially with newer people) I constantly overthink what I’m going to say to make not just a good first impression., but the BEST first impression.

I don’t mean that in a narcissistic way as much as a cloyingly annoying overly analytical one which can be very exhausting. That exhaustion can also lead to annoying and draining stress headaches.

Autism and Drinking

Therefore, we tend to isolate in social circumstances especially social circumstances without intoxicants. That sounds bad and it probably is, but it can just be so damn socially overwhelming traditionally that that lessening of the mind can be freeing for us of the legal drinking age.

On the other end, with our lack of social understanding and general shamelessness alcohol can largely make us the funny guy/gal at the party/gathering/ Or we’re annoyingly louder than most upon drinking.

However, awkward silences can also cause us to overthink as we or at least I (especially with someone that we really like/are into) don’t want to screw things up but don’t have that mental social guideline that “normies” have making almost any situation with another person weird.

Autism and Syncing

I’m hoping that this post is making sense as it’s like The Matrix in that it’s easier to be shown then to be discussed. However, to make things more complicated, this in no way means that we DON’T want to hang out with the people that we’re super into.

That energy (especially when we really feel synced up conversationally) can be almost like a drug to us. To point to my squareness, I’ve never personally tried it, but I’d imagine it’d be something akin to ecstasy regarding really syncing up with someone socially.

Autism Obsessions

Suffice to say, we can also be fairly one note conversationally at times. However, that tends to be more of a starting/launching point conversationally for us. I suppose it’s our obsession (which differs on the individual) which we may get lost in discussing, but if we find a link from conversation about our obsession to a conversation that you’d prefer we’ll probably take it.

Though we can also be stubborn, so please bear with us. On that note, I hope that this article has clarified a peculiarity of autism.

I’m setting this up on here while I work on creating my site aspergersassets.com to delve deeply into my autistic brain development journey. It’ll be an exploration and documentation of my journeys, experiences, plights and delights while being on the spectrum. For now however, consider this as Shang Tusng in Mortal Kombat put it “a taste of things to come”.

Dating can be a surreal, exciting and confusing experience for people on the autistic spectrum. With all of the newer and unique variables of the disorder I’d imagine it’d be difficult for the neurotypical too. However, with this article I hope to be your guide for both sides to help make dating and autism to be an ideal experience.

Autism and Eye Contact

Firstly, eye contact can also be…. different for us. It’s easier for some then others, but largely our eyes can be reverse magnetized to yours. This can understandably be very unflattering during a first date especially.

Certain social situations can also be confusing for us as we miss things like ice breakers as I at least tend to overthink what to say and wind up getting lost in our thoughts. I also tend to wear graphic shirts and the subject of the shirt could be a good place to start conversation?

Autism and Food Ordering

Along with overthinking about what to say to you/ask you about ironically ordering the meal in and of itself can become somewhat background noise. As such ordering can also be difficult because of the over thinking and over analyzing most things impassivity doesn’t become us.

Speaking from a hetero male’s point of view it also may be weird for us or at least me to ask what you want to eat. I definitely appreciate a gal that eats more rounded then just healthy, but we tend to want to say something about it that may seem smart…ish to us, but often that falls flat.

Autism Overthinking

The over thinking thing isn’t sinister or anything though. It’s mostly us being anxious about thinking of the best/worst possible things to say and us weighing the pros and cons of each (we can be annoyingly analytical yet somewhat very naive at least for me),

The first conversation can also be weird because It’d definitely help if the neurotypical started the first conversation. However, pride or something may make us or at least me feel belittled because I feel that it’s something, I should be able to do, but can’t.

On the upside, however, once we do lock into a conversation topic that we’re both into us autistics can get VERY deep into said conversation as we’ve been thinking about it thoroughly. Again, not in as sinister of a way as that may sound, but we really want to understand and relate to you who are kind enough to share in hopefully an exceptional meal with us.

We can also get lost on tone and how one may mean something. We understand what you’re trying to say but, perhaps not how you mean it.

Autism and Silence

Along with the weirdness of eye contact for us silences can be good, but weird for us. Speaking for myself at least I tend to worry about looking like I’m zoning out when I’m really trying to think of what to say. I think that that largely comes from bullying and the misunderstanding and false assessment of others thinking that we’re stupid or something because of it.

Autism and Shamelessness

Another advantage of dating an autistic person is that we can be shameless and if you like or love karaoke, we can be damn into it. I’m partial to a duet of Jackson by Johnny Cash or Bobby Brown’s biggest hits, but that’s my prerogative.

Autism End of Date Decision Making

Ending the date can also be weird for us as. That’s because it can be difficult for us to suss out where we stand as much as possible. It’s also difficult for us to determine if the date  feels that it’s ended to too early and it looking like you’re not into them vs dragging it out in fear of rejection (as we tend to be overly use to the later).

I hope that this helps those interested in potentially dating an aspie regarding understanding the fun side and how to navigate then less then ideal side of the spectrum.

Damn that was a hell of a film. I couldn’t even sleep last night last night as my trying to unravel Stanley Kuberick’s last gem kept me up all night. However, it’s still not my favorite Kuberick movie (which goes to either Barry Lyndon or The Shining) and is flawed yet FILLED with perfect moments. My biggest criticisms of this film are the beginning I found to be slower for a Kuberick film (especially next to Barry Lyndon) as I found that the conversational editing was a bit sluggish despite the amazing performances. The ending revelation I found to be underwhelming too given the lack of other suspects and who the actor was.

ALTHOUGH I saw a video on how the whole film could just be a dream which may help that flow a bit easier…. or be a cheap cop out for a lesser Kuberick, time will tell. Also….dat ass I’m sorry I know that there’s a lot going on in this movie and looking at it while using terms like dat ass is doing it a major disservice, but ……DAT ASS. Thank you, Nicole Kidman. After being so objectifying though I do want to praise Kidman’s amazing performance from an actor who always knocks it out of the park. Also, in terms of nullifying my objectification comment and the erotic opus that this was hyped as that Tom Cruise wasn’t shown naked at all, where’s the equal representation?

I also can’t believe that I forgot how AMAZING Kuberick or his cinematographer’s camerawork is. Each scene really traps you in Tom Cruise’s character’s metaphorical and potentially literal nightmare. The lighting and use of color is spectacular too from cloudy cooling blues to intense reds and more the coloration is intoxicating. The supporting characters and actors are spectacular, I don’t remember his actor from anything, but Nick Nightingale was a spectacular character, Alan Cuming (from Spy Kids, Josie and The  Pussycats and Goldeneye) is also spectacular as ever, Rade Serbedzija (from Batman Begins, Mission Impossible 2, X-Men First Class and more) came out of nowhere but gave a great weird performance, finally masterful director Sydney Pollack (director of The Firm, Out of Africa, Tootsie, The Electric Horseman and more) was also great as Cruise’s character’s friend.

As I said the conversational editing isn’t the strongest, but that only lasts for about the first fifth or so and the exceptional lighting compensates. The film really starts to come into its own when Tom Cruise stumbles onto the piano player setting up the fascinating psychedelic noir mystery. That’s definitely the strongest part of the film as once that starts the intrigue goes from 70 to 300 as the surreal dreamlike nature of the film truly kicks in.

I also loved the subtle use of Chris Isaak’s classic tune Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing which really helps elevate the eroticism of the flick while just being a classically under rated 1990’s song. The last line of the film is also very memorable, and I love that it’s an awesomely anti Christmas Christmas movie. The movie, much like many Kuberick classics is very progressive discussing in the 1990’s an issue that has only recently been taking major effect.

I also want to very much commend Tom Cruise’s performance which feels like his take on a Patrick Bateman type of douche bag while remaining ever intriguing. I wish that Cruise would do more roles like his “edgy” era (including this film, Magnolia, Vanilla Sky and Collateral) especially now that the Mission Impossible franchise is at its height to sustain him financially too. Finally, this movie depressed me in that this film sees Kuberick use so many creative choices (including his trippy color usage, pop song usage and A list directing that really paid off). Overall, I may consider this an overlooked masterpiece in time, however I HIGHLY recommend this cult classic.

There’s GOULD in them there Hollywood hills! Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice is easily the swingingest sixties movie I’ve ever seen and for good reason. The plot in and of itself revolves around two nuclear families in the late 60’s as the matriarch and patriarch of each become more and more sexually liberated. 

The film stars Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Dyan Cannon and the legend himself mister Elliot Gould. The film is also a beautiful time capsule of 1969 especially,very much reflecting the colorful and weird nature of the year. Such a stylistic portrayal that I haven’t seen since the James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. However in comparison I feel that Bob and Carroll and Ted and Alice showcases this in a much more intimate (in more ways then one) and lived in world. 

Going into the movie’s intro, I must confess that I was building it up to myself as potentially more of an erotic drama way more then it actually became.  This further leads me to rejoice in the gift to cinema that is Elliot Gould as his flatter “matter of fact” and guy in an awkward place character had me laughing my ass off. Great examples of the Gift of Gould are him trying to manage a drive thru order while his wife has a meltdown and him trying in vain to fight his horniness while his wife is angrily dealing with Coulp’s infidelity to his wife Natalie Wood. That’s not to say that the rest of the cast was any less of a very well acted and charismatic ensemble (especially with a certain scene involving Coup and Natalie Wood’s bedroom that I don’t want to spoil). 

I also love that in a world of shallower sex comedies that BCTA kept a real feeling of as I said love where you can more understand the characters as individuals rather then types. Also, it having an amazing  late 60’s yet timelessly funky and…..groovy soundtrack from the legend himself: Quincy Mother FCCing Jones which is always a win. Finally, watching the film I very much fell in love with the time and space of it as it’s EASILY one of the cinematic worlds I’d most want to live in. 

Post script: I’ve also very much fell in love with the Paramount theater all over again . Especiall ywith this double bill of BCAT and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid as they both felt so different yet similar in regards to one being pretty violent and the other being pretty damn kinky. Although they both had very well written, charismatic characters that very much draw one into their world. I simply can’t sell the exceptional experience of going to an old fashioned theater like Paramount enough and want to give them a lot of praise. Finally, if you’re looking for a damn good modern kinky rebellious comedy to double feature BCTA with then I highly recommend The Overnight  Jason Schwatzman and Judith Goderich, Jason Schwatzman and Taylor Schilling as a swinging Cali couple uniting with a more conservative Seattle couple for a night of kinky fun and humor.