Diatribes by Joah

If I was a blogger back then...

here are some things I would've blogged about.

5. Being racially profiled by police for the first time

I'd been followed around in department stores before and experienced a good bit of racism as a young teen, but the story I'm referring to is when I was 17 and I spent the summer with my grandmother and uncle in Greenville, South Carolina. [I'd moved to Killeen, Texas, the year before.] After getting my paycheck from Pizza Hut (my high school job) my uncle and I stopped at the grocery store a couple of miles from my grandmother's house then headed back home. While driving through a green light, the light turned to yellow and then I saw a cop behind us and saw the sirens come on. We were stopped for "running a red light" according to the officer, but it didn't take long for us to be summoned out of the car with our hands up and to get onto our knees.

Another officer pulled up quickly and my uncle was arrested for "fitting a description". The car was turned inside out and I was left on the sidewalk with no cell phone or license way to drive home. When I was pulled over in Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas one year later - while meeting with a friend I'd just met at the Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo Scholarship Banquet (which I'd just won) - nearly the same thing happened. But that time I wasn't so surprised.

4. Why John McCain should have been the Republican nominee for president in 2000

Al Gore probably would've won which would have been interesting, but if McCain won I wonder if there would have been as much of a justification behind the Iraq war. Obviously McCain is a shell of his former self, as evidenced by his staunch backing of the Arizona immigration law in hopes of getting re-elected (which is crazy considering he was rumored to have only been concerned with one term as president). Regardless, it would've been a good topic to cover. Especially as a 17-year-old.

3. Why Shawshank Redemption should've won Best Picture

I'm still beside myself thinking about this one. Hate all you want, but IMDB.com is one of the most-important sources in the movie business and nearly half a million people agree that it deserved a lot more recognition. I recently watched Siskel & Ebert's review of it and I love how quick Ebert is to come around once Siskel gives it high praise. Too bad he had to die first, Siskel was always the smarter one. I fully believe that the only reason Shawshank didn't win Best Picture or Best Director is because Pulp Fiction was perhaps equally worthy, thus splitting votes and forfeiting the award to Forrest Gump, the crowd-pleaser with far less significance and replayability years later.

2. My favorite albums of the '90s

The order would've been something like this:

 - 1. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders - If I were stranded on Lost, I'd want to have this before most things.

 - 2. Radiohead - OK Computer - Duh.

 - 3. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt - Best album he ever did, which is saying a lot considering all the other classics.

 - 4. Outkast - Aquemini - Most creative hip-hop group ever who took the South to new heights.

 - 5. Dazed & Confuzed Soundtrack - One of my fav all-time movies and one of the best all-time soundtracks, filled with classic classic rock.

 - 6. Wilco - Being There - I owe my love for Wilco to my best friend Colby whom I met in '99.

 - 7. Roni Size - New Forms - I probably have replayed this album more than any other except Midnight Marauders over the last dozen or so years.

 - 8. Dave Matthews Band - Crash - Saw them five times in concert as a result of this album.

 - 9. Michael Jackson - HIStory: Disc 1 - The King of Pop reminded us why he earned the title.

1. Life in Killeen, Texas

I left Kileen in 1991 listening to MC Hammer on a U-Haul truck driving to South Carolina and moved back in 1999 listening to Outkast...hip-hop definitely grew up along with me. Not much had changed. The mall was still the "scene". The movie theatre was still the best entertainment in town. People still went to drive-thru liquor stores and ate a chain restaurants. The main difference was being old enough to drive to Austin on weekends.

SXSW Buzz Builder: The Letter 'X'

This was surprisingly an easy letter because I'm an early fan of The xx (who isn't by now) and I'm growing on XV.

Of course they're from London.

And believe it or not, XV is from Kansas.

SXSW Buzz Builder: The Letter 'F'

You seriously can't go wrong with any of these acts. Fanfarlo will be trekking into Austin from the UK

Julie Feeney is also from Europe, Ireland to be exact

And Finale comes from Detroit (via Atlanta)

Best of '09: Movie Edition

There are nine movies that merit inclusion my list*:

9. Public Enemies - Johnny Depp is the only person that I think is capable of playing The Joker as well as Heath Ledger did in Dark Knight so it was a true pleasure to see him mix it up with Christian Bale who is trying to take down John Dillinger (Depp), one of the most notorious bank robbers in the '30s. I liked this movie because it allowed Depp to be the charismatic guy he is, regardless of role, and I loved the chemistry he developed with Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.

8. Terminator Salvation - It wasn't earth-shattering or anything, but it was certainly worth watching in part because of Bale and in part because I'm a fan of the series.

7. Blindside - Sandra Bullock is the new Julia Roberts if box office receipts is what we're looking at. First The Proposal, then this. JetBlue should pay her just for provided such plane-worthy flicks. Thanksgiving is a time to get together with your family and watch a movie that can pull you to both tears and laughs while being uplifted. That's why Blindside, and not Precious, made this list...it was a true story that didn't have to pull too many punches to hit the audience with its message.

6. Iron Man - If you didn't see it, you're missing out. Robert Downey, Jr., resurrects his career by playing a hotshot defense/weapons engineer-turned-super hero. I mean have you seen the trailer for the sequel?!?!?

5. Inglurious Basterds - Brad Pitt is a badass. Fight Club cemented that status and this movie reminded us once again. Didn't see it in the theatres; actually saw it on a 20-something inch non-HD TV, but was still inching out of my seat when those scalps were being pulled.

4. Up - What a fun and touching movie. Especially in 3D. Whether you're an 8-year-old girl or a 26-year-old man or a married couple in your 50s, this movie is just plain fun to watch. From start to finish, this was the best animated film I've seen since The Lion King. If Wall-E was an Oscar shoo-in last year, I have to believe Up will be as well.

3. Star Trek - I've watched the DVD about a dozen times since I got it a few weeks ago. This movie is that good. I'm a big fan of what J.J. Abrams does with Lost and he definitely made a lot of the elements from that show work for this movie. The alternate reality and time traveling elements worked into the story tremendously without being too confusing and the movie ended without me feeling like it lasted 10-15 minutes too long, which is a rarity these days with big budget films.

2. Avatar - Speaking of big budgets...James Cameron went about all-out with this one. And it paid off, not only with box office receipts around the world, but with a moving, can't-take-my-eyes-off-this film that is part love story, part genocide story and part coming of age story. I'm going to see this at the IMAX at least one more time before year's end.

1. The Hangover - I don't get drunk very often, but I did the night I saw The Hangover. It was so good that I left the theatre itching to go to Vegas and instead ended up on the wrong side of eight 7 and 7s (leading to my rule: never have more than seven, 7 and 7s). Regardless, I managed to bike myself home, recover and see it again two more times in the next week.

Each of these movies is DVD worthy so go get your stocking stuffers!

I am told George Clooney's Up in the Air is worthy of any such list, so I left a spot in my top ten for it. I'll go see it this weekend.

Classic Clip: Bloodsport

Classic Clip: Rebound: The Earl "The Goat" Manigault Story

Seriously, put this #1 on your Netflix queue right now. This scene is just a taste of this great HBO flick starring Don Cheadle and Forrest Whitaker.