Highly Recommended: American History X

Flicking through the channels last night, I saw American History X was on the History Network. There was no way that I was missing this movie.

I know I recommend a lot of movies here - some good, some bad, some dance oriented. For anyone who has not seen American History X, do yourself a favour and go get this movie. Don't get it on a day when you're not wanting to pay attention and think or when you're looking for a laugh though. It's not that kind of movie.

It is, however, an outstanding movie and probably one that gets unfairly passed over when discussing the best movies of the 90's and one that I have mistakenly left out of my All-Time Top Ten... until now.

While movies are certainly meant to entertain, this one not only does that in spades, but it also discusses some very important and powerful topics and should not be missed.

It also marks the end of Edward Furlong's actual career.

Remember Eddie Furlong? John Connor from Terminator 2?

Dude was all set to become one of the best young stars of the moment after following T2 with this outstanding film and his quality performance as Edward Norton's kid brother. Instead, he made Detroit Rock City, drove head first into drugs and alcohol and now lives in the Direct to DVD bin at your local Blockbuster.

Regardless of the failings of Eddie Furlong, he was terrific in this movie and Norton very much deserved the Oscar nomination he garnered for his performance. Perhaps the best performance of all, in hindsight, was that of Ethan Suplee who plays dim-witted oaf Randy on My Name is Earl. The Neo-Nazi ball of hate and anger you see here is nothing like "The Big Dummy."

All I end with is this: if you haven't seen it, go get it and if you have, watch it again.

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Highly Recommended will appear periodically whenever something awesome stumbles into my life that I feel the need and desire to share with all of you. Books, movies, music, that kind of stuff...

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A Discourse on Discourse

"As for you Spencer “bitch” Kyte, were I come from you enter a man house uninvited and talking shit, you get a machete in your punk ass! On one hand it’s great to see the recognition that TSF gets from across the internet. Unfortunately we are getting so much attention that sewer rats like you feel compelled to come up in here with your ignorant shit, looking for your 15 minutes of fame."
- Sankofa, November 3, 11:06 AM at The Starting Five

The above quote was left for me in response to a comment I made at TSF about the Marc Ecko bullshit I was rambling about yesterday. Thanks for the inspiration...

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Since I've been at this, I've stooped to name calling once or twice in my comments, though I've never made mention of someone catching a machete with their back. I read what the angry Sankofa had to say this morning, literally, first thing after I woke up and the entire drive into school with Sarah was spent discussing what I think is one of the plagues of our society.

The minute that we start to use name calling and threatening language, it automatically lessens the likelihood that someone is going to take what you say as intelligent, even if what you have to say is brilliant. Everything that is said becomes clouded in perceived ignorance because you've dropped an F-bomb or called someone a bitch.

You can say the same thing in much more educated and eloquent terms and make your point just the same, all the while not getting people's defenses up. We don't all have to have the exact same viewpoints on everything - what fun would that be? - but being able to argue your side intelligently without making it either (a)hateful, (b) derogatory or (c) threatening will make me want to keep talking and learning more of where you're coming from to further educate my opinions and views. Knowledge is power after all...

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Respect begets respect.
Intelligence begets intelligence.
Act like an ass, talk like an ass, be treated like an ass.

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Perception is everything, like it or not. How someone sees you, through your words, your actions, the clothes you wear is where they are going to form their opinion.

Is it right? No.
Is it fair? No.
But it's the world we live in.

Education and intelligence trumps all.

Never stop learning...

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