Impromptu Haiku Movie Review, Little Balls, Death and Taxes

How to Train Your Dragon

Humanity glimpsed
In the mirror of beast's eyes
Misconceptions die

The haiku piece gets pretty difficult. I had thought up a really awesome Haiku for the movie whilst in the theater, but became distracted by the sheer greatness of the film. This movie was a coming-of-age story for a misunderstood (and outcast) teenager named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruschel, i.e. my new favorite Sephardic Jew) who realizes that the people of his village have spent generations fighting dragons as their ultimate enemy only as a result of ignorance. Hiccup befriends a wounded dragon that he names Toothless (due to his retractable teeth) and nurses him back to health. He later uses his extensive knowledge of Toothless to tame other dragons, wowing everyone in his dragon training class (the aim of which is to teach to kill dragons). He soon goes from zero to hero in the community's eyes, but soon faces a moral dilemma that pits what he always wanted against doing what he believes is right. Heavy.

The movie is about dispelling long held misconceptions. It's about standing up for what you believe in, and about doing what's right instead of what's popular. Sound kind of cliche? How to Train Your Dragon is anything but cliche. The animation is superb, and the writing is such that it's like you're watching a live action movie; these characters (and their dilemmas) become very real to the viewer. And the flying scenes with Hiccup and Toothless are simply breathtaking. And guess what? I didn't even see it in 3D! I was awestruck, and I wasn't even watching the movie at its full potential. Given that, I think I'll have to see it again.

It was fanciful and exciting...I was moved. I cried. That's right! I cried. I left the theater feeling like a kid; I left feeling like I'll never grow up, because that movie made me want to run outside and fly on a dragon of my own. I wanted to be a heroine, and save the day, to bring light where there was once darkness. I think it's awesome that kids are seeing this movie and possibly feeling the little kid version of what I felt.

Other notable voice talents: America Ferrera, Gerard Butler (I didn't recognize their voices, and was shocked when the credits rolled)

Little Balls

So, some friends and I trekked out to Silver Spring last night for Cosmic Bowling at White Oak Duckpin Lanes. What is duckpin bowling? It's just like regular bowling except you're throwing little balls at little pins. And you get three throws instead of two. I find it to be WAY more difficult than real bowling. That's not to say this is "fake" bowling but you can't be bored to sleep watching duckpin bowling on TV. Does that make it superior or inferior? You be the judge.

Anyway, I kind of sucked. I bowled 1 strike, 1 spare, and like 3 tens though!! I was beaten though, by a mean Jew named "Sasha." Both in the game and physically. He's really competitive and at one point...he kicked me. A bruise is forming on my shin as we speak. This leads me to my three main problems with playing competitive sports with friends:

1. The Games Can Become Violent

And by "they" I guess I mean men. Since something similar occurred in "To Date or Not to Date" clearly bowling is the catalyst for this behavior. I think men become enraged at the idea of women throwing a ball harder than them. When I was on the bad date, the violence was only implied. Maybe this is because it was "real" bowling. But with duckpin bowling, since the balls and the pins are so small, men have to overcompensate by lashing out with more explicit forms of violence. Watch out ladies...never go duckpin bowling on a date. It's a good thing we're just friends, or he might have punched me out. The kick was enough though. I lost 94 to 122. Sasha is king of duckpin bowling...and fear.

2. Someone Has to Lose

That someone is often ME! This sucks. I'd rather not play...

3. There's no reason not to play!

Forget the other two! I had an awesome time, and would totally do it again. The bowling crowd was super diverse; there was the perfect mix of sketch and snerdy (super nerdy). And the music was fun. We were alternately dancing it out to stuff like the B-52s "Love Shack" and the "Electric Slide" to T-Pain, Chris Brown, Pink...it was random. And great. Try it out.

Death and Taxes

I did my state taxes yesterday, and because I lived in Ohio, Illinois, and Virginia...it was a freaking disaster. It drained away my lifeforce. I almost let Uncle Sam kill me, but I fought back. I almost didn't go out, but if I had done that...there would be no Haiku Movie Review, and no bruise on my shin. So I'm happy I pushed through it. Refund from VA. Happy!!

P.S.

This is not the Sunday post, this is the late Saturday post. I'll have something to say regarding Palm Sunday later on.