The Shadow that is the Tree

The darkness consumes the life around me

For why? It's easy to understand

A tree isn't really a tree

While the stars sit in my hand

These trees are really just shadows

That's all there is to see

Or that's all the darkness shows

The darkness consumes the life around me

The stars repel the night around me

The ones that sit in my hand

Reveal what there is to see

Through the darkness over the land

Which is true? A matter of perception

The darkness, the light

Not the eyes, the mind of reception

The brain wrapped quite tight

The darkness consumes the life around me

The stars repel the night around me

Which one can it be?

I can only see

The shadow that is the tree

ללא חלל

There are a lot of people who dread weekends like this. Going to church, twice, then having to see family who they don't even like. Many don't want anything to do with Jesus, let alone their own family. There's only one way I can put this. It sucks. It sucks a whole freaking lot. Hating interaction with those who love you, even though sometimes they may seem like they don't. I'm glad I am not one of those people, because I don't know what I would do with my family, blood or not. My immediate family is something that I couldn't be happy without. All of my aunts and uncles and cousins each have a special place in my heart for different reasons, and without them there, there would only be a void, and that void would suck away all the happiness I experienced with them. And I know that's true because it has happened once before.
For those of you who don't know, I had an Uncle Steve, and he was a wonderful man. He grew up happy, joyful, and he walked with the Lord. He was a maestro on the guitar, and his voice reminds me a lot of my own, but with less of a Montanan accent. He had many excellent dogs as well, and the only one I can remember was Charlie, a big ol' German Shepard with nothing but love to give. I remember running a path around the pool so I could jump in and he would catch me when I was no more than four. One of my parents' fondest memories of him is one night when they sat around a lake and he sang and played Harvest Moon by Neil Young, and they still say that too this day it's some of the best music they've ever heard. Though he certainly had his flaws, and one flaw in particular became his downfall.
He was an addict. He became addicted to alcohol early in his adulthood, and went through rehab five or six times. Just when we thought he was free, he was chained back up, right where we didn't want him to be. He lost his wonderful wife and two amazing young daughters when he lost control of himself. She didn't want to be around him when he was in that state, and she didn't want their children to remember him as a drunkard. There were many times that we had no idea where he was, and my grandfather always had people keeping tabs on him, just so we knew he was safe. There was one month where he was AWOL, no where to be found, but this had happened before, so we were less than terrified.
We don't really know how it happened, but we found him, down to nothing but bone and muscle, in the woods of northern Michigan. The only way we could identify him was by his wallet, which had his ID in it.
Just rewriting what I know is bringing tears to my eyes, because I miss him. And I don't know what I'm going to do when I start losing the rest of my family as well. But I'm going to have the best moments I can with them now, so I don't have to regret not having them later. All this goes to my extended family as well, and by my extended family, I mean my close friends. And I have a LOT of close friends. Kane county Spotlight is an entire family of its own, and then I can break that down in to smaller families that I'm a part of. I love you all. But there's one place in my heart that I've always had, that even though at one point, I should have had a void there, but I didn't, and that is for Jesus.
Jesus has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember being upon this earth. And every time Good Friday comes around, and I watch the gut-wrenching crucifixion of Jesus Christ, I really don't feel very sad. Yes, of course it's depressing to watch the Son of God get obliterated by the ones he came to save, but I don't think I've ever cried watching these things, and I think I know why.
I know Jesus died to save our sins, but that's pointless without the resurrection. I know that when Jesus dies, he comes back in three days time. I know that Jesus lives. I don't just know that in my mind, I feel it in my heart. I feel his love telling me, "Dude, it's all good. I'll be back. I promise. If I can deal with this, you can deal with what you're going through." I remind myself that every day. No matter what is going on around me, that I can't have suffered more than the Son of God did.
I know that Easter dinner is most likely over for many of you, so I just ask that (if you believe) you thank our savior for the punishment he faced, so that we don't have to, but also to thank him for rising, so that we know that we can rise over whatever feels like death to us.

Have a happy Easter friends.

An Experience of a Lifetime: Imagine Dragons, Nico Vega, and The Naked and Famous LIVE

This post is incredibly overdue, but the whole experience has been hard to formulate in to words until I actually look back on it in retrospect. It was a night of confusion really; it was my very first concert. When we got there, Maggie and I had no idea what we were doing or where we were going, because neither of us were very familiar with the whole "concert experience". We had VIP passes, so we got to enter in through backstage. The only problem with that, is that we were lost almost immediately. We tried about four different ways to go, and we finally found our way in to the arena. We were there really early. In the whole arena, only about thirty seats were filled. The front was packed almost immediately upon entering. Everyone wanted to be as close to the stage as humanly possible, and they did just that. So did we.
In the beginning of the concert we were about thirty-five feet from the stage to the right (if you can vaguely envision that). We waited there for a good hour, just chilling out, waiting for the show to start. To be perfectly honest, I felt quite claustrophobic in the small amount of people that were there, and I feared that later on, we would be moshing. But then eventually we started to talk to the people around us. There were a couple of short, pretty girls there. I remember noticing the older one specifically because of her fantastically pink hair and thinking that their mother looked like my Aunt Julie who lives in Australia. The older one with the pink hair was (if I remember correctly) Zoe, and her sister was Hannah. She started off our first conversation by exclaiming, "Man, I hope there's moshing here tonight.", and I just laughed and responded, "I have a feeling there's going to be moshing here tonight, so don't worry." And the four of us just kind of hit it off from there. We talked schools, boys, celebrities, girls, our mutual interest in bands, etcetera. They were quite fun to be around. I made short jokes, Maggie made Jon jokes, all three of them made boy jokes; we just had a blast.
After what seemed like an eternity, the opening act, Nico Vega, finally marched on and started to play. I've loved Nico Vega for a while now, and I felt like a total hipster, because for once in my life I knew an indie band that all these music junkies didn't. I was very happy to find that they rocked live as well as on recording, and it made me even happier to hear the people around me saying things like, "Why haven't I heard of these guys before? They're good!" or "I'm looking them up later." Nico Vega ends, and there is an overly long thirty minute wait for The Naked and Famous to appear as the second act of the night. Was it worth the wait? Sadly, no.

As The Naked and Famous took the stage, I immediately pointed out that they looked like they were trying to be super hipster, and I was SO right. The guitarist had that Macklemore style, short on the sides, long on top, hairdo, but just a tad longer; the pianist and female vocalist had a more slicked back version of the former. They also dressed as hip and new as possible. Their whole vibe just bugged me; I felt like they thought they were better than us. The music they played was alright. It did not make me want to run and but their album. I liked how much bass they used though. Those of you who know me well enough have probably heard me say that my soul is made of bass, so this pleased my soul. But other than that, The Naked and Famous felt more like that awkward church band that tries to be super cool and mix things up but always ends up falling flat.

Then, on the eighth day, God created Imagine Dragons.

That's obviously not how it really worked, but the the sound of ultimate indie rock glory filled my ears  and kept me entranced once the two (or so) hour performance began. They began with an opening riff while a huge jumbotron-like sphere displaying a moon rose, and since then, it's been a blur. I don't even remember all the songs they played, I only remember Radioactive, Monster, Tiptoe, and Top of the World, even though there were so many more than that. All of their songs sounded BETTER live than on recording, and my biggest fear when seeing a band live is if they suck live. That is not the case with Imagine Dragons. Each member played their part skillfully and the only stuff that was backtracked was some of the multilayered synth stuff because there was only one keyboard dude who also played a ton of other instruments. One thing I'm happy to remember distinctly was when Imagine Dragons played one of the greatest rock songs ever written, Tom Sawyer by Rush.

Imagine Dragons
Played a Rush song
And they did it really freaking well.
I CAN'T EVEN

Imagine Dragon's drummer, Daniel Platzman, was sick behind that set. He obviously doesn't have the Neil Peart drum cage, but he made due with what he had, and he made due well. The lead guitarist Wayne Sermon and bassist Ben McKee both had their own solos, and brothas can JAM. Sermon had some of the tastiest licks I've heard from any guitar. He's going to go places. See, I can't even formulate professional sentences anymore because my fire for Imagine Dragons has been rekindled.

I'll end here, but I have to thank a few people first. I have to thank Shure first off, and their artist relations guy, C. I can't name him by name, but I hope he gets to read this and know how grateful I am that he could make this happen. I have to thank my best friend Maggie, for accompanying me to one of the most spectacular nights of my life and for being there when others weren't. I have to thank Imagine Dragons, even though they will most likely never read this, for being my favorite band and for killing it. I lastly have to thank my mother, who went through all the trouble of talking to Shure and making sure that I represented them well, and for all the hard work she has ever done for me and will do. Words will never be enough to explain how much I appreciate you mom, but I'll do my best to show it more in the future.

So bottom line, Imagine Dragons rules.


FUN FACT: Did you know that Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons is married to Aja Volkman of Nico Vega and they have a kid? Probably not. I didn't know until I researched the bands a bit.

Review: The LEGO Movie

EVERYTHING IS AWESOOOOOOME! EVERYTHING IS COOL WHEN YOU'RE PART OF A TEAM!
This song will be stuck in your head for a long time after seeing this instant animated classic, and for good reason. In The LEGO Movie, everything IS awesome. In a mostly bland sea of animated movies (save for the Disney empire), The LEGO Movie is a refreshing movie that has excellent visuals, great voice acting, and a surprisingly touching and bitingly funny plot. While not perfect, it is a great way to open up the 2014 movie season, and one of the best animated movies I've seen in recent memory.
One thing that really stands out about the film is its eye popping visuals. It's almost entirely stop motion, and it's really freaking fantastic. Every color flies off the screen, and the intensity of battles shows off incredible detail and technical prowess. For being an animated movie, it's really not all that animated.
The performances also add to this monumental movie to celebrate the monstrosity that is LEGO. Chris Pratt really shines as his run-of-the-mill, pretty-much-a-nobody-until-he-suddenly-becomes-somebody Emmett. He's funny, like laugh out loud funny, and his endearing enthusiasm never wears thin as the movie's run time progressively shortens. Wildstyle is your stereotypical punk girl, being as cool as cool can be, while being incredibly quirky and never too tough for her own good. Though the biggest star of the show is Batman, played by Will Arnet. Almost every other line is a Batman pun, and Arnet delivers them skillfully with the perfect blend of coolness, cheesy darkness, and overall jerkiness. He's incredibly funny, and even though he plays one of the most iconic characters in character history, you never lose that classic Will Arnet charm that shows in all of his shows and movies. And then there is Morgan Freeman, I don't think I've ever laughed at a Morgan Freeman performance. He's so funny here, and there's definitely a comedic side to him that I desperately want to see again. Sometimes he just spews random words of "wisdom" that really means nothing, or he'll just casually walk across the ceiling, or he'll keep watch while being completely blind. The laughs never stop.
One thing that this film does expertly is bridging the gap between age groups. Never have I seen (save for Disney) an animated movie that's so classically funny, that anyone can watch it and have a good time. It told a wonderful story, one that surprisingly touching, and has a whole lot to say on the "everyone is special" topic, and not in the way you'd expect. I expected the ending to be cheesy, light-hearted, and one that would really end the movie on a good vibe, but The LEGO Movie hits it out of the park. The way Chris Pratt ends one of his monologues with Will Ferrel towards the film's finale is really well done, and seems as real as it can get while still being portrayed through the classic LEGO minifigure. It's really something to behold, and is an ending I will hold future animated movies to in the future.
Now, as with almost all movies, there are a few downsides to this wave of praise.
While it's filled with great laughs, many of the characters make a brief appearance, leave, and make no impression on you except "why are they here?" Yes, the film is used to celebrate everything that is LEGO, and the many trademarks it has at it's disposal, but it sometimes just feels like a hodgepodge of super names. Now, the core group of protagonists do actually leave a mark on your viewing experience so we can count them out. But people like Gandalf, Dumbledore, Abe Lincoln, Superman, Green Lantern, and Han Solo, really have no substantial impact on the plot or anything that has to do with the plot.
Though stuffed to the brim with stitching puns and dry humor, quite a few of the jokes fall flat. Leaving you with the feeling that they just tried too hard. These are both minor complaints, but still make a serious impact on the viewing experience.

Score: 9

+Great performances
+Awe-inspiring stop-motion animation/CGI blend
+Celebrates the brilliance that LEGO has created
+Everything Is Awesome
+Bitingly funny...
- ... But sometimes tries to hard
- Flash in the pan characters 

Review: 12 Years a Slave

I've just finished watching this film. It is 9:33 PM, Sunday, March 9th, 2014. The film is about Solomon Northup, who was a slave for twelve years, from 1841-1852. In the two and a half hours I spent watching this marvel of a film, I still shake, still hold my breath, and still pray that this sickness that is slavery will never return. Those of you who know me rather well know that I love Andrew Ryan, a character from Irrational Games' Bioshock. In the game, he says something that has impacted my decisions for a long time now.
"A man chooses, a slave obeys"
Six words, yet they define so much of history. Back in the revolutionary war, we could have stayed the figurative slave of England, but we chose to be free, just as in the time period that this film is based on, Solomon obeys, and later on, he chooses. He chooses to no longer stand victim to the claims that he is less of a human than any other white man.
"A man chooses, a slave obeys"
I could go on for a very long time on why slavery was such an irrefutable evil, but that's not what I am here to write about. I'm here to write about the masterpiece of a film that is 12 Years a Slave. Those of you who watched the Oscars this year, or even heard about them, knew that this picture won the Best Picture award, and rightfully so. Lupita Nyongo was nominated for her role in this film as Patsy, and won, deservedly so. Michael Fassbender was nominated for his supporting actor role, and lost to Jared Leto. Chiwetel Ejiofor was nominated for best actor, but lost to the powerhouse that is Matthew McConaughey. It was even scored by the brilliant Hans Zimmer, who's pieces have graced the screens many times. He was also nominated, but did not win. All this hype adds up, and did it disappoint? No, I assure you, it did not.
The film follows closely the true life story of Solomon Northup, once being a free black man, then kidnapped and sold in to slavery. The change of events is quite abrupt, and can be a little confusing at times because, early on, he flashes back to the life he once had. Though this abruptness it met with gruesome violence, almost immediately after you realize what has really happened. This movie is violent, dark, and malicious, in the same vein as Schindler's List, and The Passion of the Christ. Though to some it may seem overdone, I assure you, it was in no interest of being violent just to be violent; it accurately portrays what these people suffered through.
Each actor, whether big or small, plays a very large part in the overall scheme of the film, and each outspoken character is displayed with passion. Much of the film, Michael Fassbender held me the entire time. The corrupt, evil, quick-tempered man with no need for a filter or a stayed hand let loose every time he was on screen. He terrified me. And that's not something I can say about most actors in this vein. The last person I believe I can say truly terrified me with their performance was Heath Ledgers Joker, and since his appearance on screen, no other Joker has been able to meet the exceptional standard he set for them. Epps (Michael Fassbender) was brilliantly portrayed in his crooked smiles and whipping hand, and is one of the best acting performances I've seen to date.
Now, with this much praise, I do have a few flaws that need to be pointed out. There are a few moments in the film that the cinematography goes in a completely different direction than what is shown most of the film. One that stands out to me is towards the end. Solomon looks out in to the distance, and just kind of sits there, for a good five minutes. It pulled me out of the experience for a moment, but I didn't want to be pulled from it. There are quite a few other moments like this as well. Also, this film is portrayed in media ray, meaning that it starts somewhere that isn't the beginning, throws you back to the beginning, and then halfway, meets up with where it began. In 12YAS, it doesn't work that well, and left me feeling rather confused. They are minor complaints, but still those worth pointing out.

12 Years a Slave is a masterpiece, and if you have the stomach to experience it fully, it's a must see.

Score: 9.5

+ Awe-Inspiring Performances 
+ Historically Accurate
+ Thought-provoking
+Disturbingly realistic
+Michael Fassbender
- Some cinematography issues
- Media ray proves to be confusing here

My Ten Favorite Video Games Ever #6 Bioshock

Bioshock

Bioshock is truly something special. It was one of the few games I've ever played that I didn't care about how much fun I was having, but more about where its wicked, disturbing, roller-coaster of a plot was going to take me next. It's this plot, the one that gripped my tightly from start to finish, is what made the game so spectacular and made it stand out from many other first person shooters. The same exact thing happened to Half-Life 1 and 2.

Throughout the game, you have little sense of who your main character is. All you know is that his name is Jack, and he's crashed in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, somehow surviving the terrible plane crash. He's the only one alive, and he finds a lighthouse. A few (extremely horrifying) moments later, you're in the underwater utopia of Rapture, one of the most iconic places in all of gaming history. There's reason for such a statement as this. Rapture is beautiful in every sense of the word. Or was. It's now a decaying Eden, filled with addicted men and woman with super genetic powers, and little girls who steal peoples "ADAM" followed by hulking and nearly indestructible Big Daddies. Sound disturbing? Indeed it is. 

As you progress through the game, you earn loads of different abilities and weapons, giving you limitless options of how you want to annihilate your foes. This is what sets Bioshock apart from other first-person shooters aside from its incredible story. It lets you play any way you want, giving you full control over any situation without making the game any less difficult. It also strays from Metroid style gameplay by letting you choose what plasmid or weapon you want, when you want it. Bioshock's combat stands tall above others in its genre.

Then there's the characters. Oh the characters of Bioshock. Many memorable moments from video games stem from Bioshock. Atlas, your buddy, your pal, the one you never meet in person until the very end, is a sob story of a loving father who asks you to say his wife and child. His story also unravels to reveal one of the greatest plot twists in all of story history. This plot twist involves one of my favorite characters (of any story medium), Andrew Ryan. There are many things I love about Andrew Ryan. He is so fully realized in the universe of Bioshock and all that inhabit it. He's in self denial, but also full of prospect, hope, and ambition. He set out to create a world that lived fully free, and he did it. No other person in any story I've read took his personal wealth and made an underwater world where the economic and social aspects of life could be run freely and without loopholes and tons of rules. I don't want to divulge any more details about one of the greatest characters ever, so read the game's epic prologue, Rapture, and then play the game. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Though Andrew Ryan takes most of the story credit in Bioshock, one of the most interesting encounters I've had in any video game is with the savant Sander Cohen. He loves his art. And no matter what form it's in, he still loves it. You go around this level taking pictures for the madman, and hanging them on a portrait made up of frozen splicers. It's haunting, and I still think about some of it's moments to this day. Sander Cohen is like Arkham Asylum's Scarecrow, he's not the main event, but he's one heck of an opener.

Another thing that sets Bioshock above and beyond most stories (notice how I didn't say games) is it's sense of atmosphere. A deep, tense, dark, horrifying, twisted atmosphere. The underwater once-utopia is stunning to look at, and it's six years old now! Each character is uniquely dressed, but really it's hard to notice when you're too busy not dying. Rapture is a dark, glorious masterpiece, and remains as one of the best story universes ever.

Bioshock redefined the first person shooter, and the world has been better off for it. If you haven't played it, do so immediately. It deserves this spot on my list.

Tasty Jam of the Day: Happy by Pharrell Williams

This song has become the new anthem for my life. Those who know me well know that I try my very best to be happy everyday, all the time, and it has done nothing but wonders for my life. Having a positive outlook in all matters of life does much more than most people think. Happiness is the truth. It seems that I'm not the only one who realized this. Pharrell Williams, best known lately for his compilations with Daft Punk and Robin Thicke, has released this song with the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. And it is just fabulous. A poppy back beat with some four part harmonies rounds out this head bopping, toe tapping, smile extravaganza. Take a listen. I guarantee you'll feel better.