Happy Easter

I don't have much to say about it, really. At least, not now. I did find this picture, though, which pretty much illustrates a lot of my issues with Christianity.
So there you have it. *Shrugs* I may go into it later today. Moving on for now, though...

I bought the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack today. A while ago I made a list of good childrens movies I wanted to list as timeless, and worth showing to my children when that year's Disney offering wasn't all that exciting. I'll see if I can link it, but the part I'm referring to is here:

I also spent the last hour and some watching Lilo and Stitch, which is really one of the better Disney movies out there. I've been thinking about parent-hood a lot lately, because I'm getting those urges, I guess. I dunno. Hormones, a phase?

Anyway, Lilo and Stitch is one of those children's films / TV shows that I can enjoy as a more mature individual. I've become sadly disappointed with the quality of childrens entertainment lately, for the most part. Lilo and Stitch is going to stay in my family DVD library for years. Also in there: Aladdin, The Lion King, Transformers, and, should it be canceled, Sesame Street. That was quality childrens programing right there. Oh yeah. And the Incredibles.

Heh. When I went looking for it, I wasn't even sure Lilo and Stich was on the list, and I wanted to be sure and add it. Turns out it was the founding member. I'm glad I keep this stuff recorded, I guess. In trying to think if there's anything that shoud be added, well, nothing comes to mind now, but I know I'm gonna pretty much forbid the early princess movies, because of reasons I've stated before.

I re-watched the Matrix Trilogy lately, and I gotta say, I think I was kinda wrong about the second and third movies. Part of my initial fascination with the first one was quite simply the premise of it all. It's always advertised as a Hollywood Blockbuster-style action adventure in which Keanu Reeves randomly kicks ass, and the most important part of the movie is the sweet gun battle in the lobby. If any one here hasn't seen it yet, lemme tell you, that is NOT what the movie is about. Sure, that's a good part of it, but the real meat of the movie, the thing that truly makes it awesome, is the idea it tosses into your mind. What is reality, really? Can we ever trust our senses completely? That's the sorta thing that really gets your mind going. The rest of isn't that big in comparison.

So I went into the sequels expecting to be let down. I was setting my expectations along the level of "OMG REALITY ISN'T!", which is honestly an impossible goal for the movie to meet now. In fact, it sorta off put me even more because a lot of stuff in Reloaded actually helps prove without a doubt that we, the audience, are not in the Matrix. There was no way it was gonna be as good as my initial reaction to the movie.

Of course, this was my initial reaction. Watching it over and over again, the whole "Red Pill / Blue Pill" revelation really doesn't seem as exciting any more. Yes, the Matrix is an artificial reality, not the real reality, blah blah blah... I started to get distracted by other little nuances, like the Oracle's vase prophecy, and stuff like that. And in THAT field, the second and third one are good movies. They follow through, mostly, too. You gotta look deeper than just a surface impression for the good stuff. So when I watched all three movies just last week, they seemed a lot better, in my eyes. I liked watching them, and therefore, the whole trilogy rightfully sits as a trilogy in my eyes. The first movie still holds a place in my heart for being revolutionary, but the trilogy as a whole succeeds just as much, albiet in a different way.

The question still remains, though, throughout all three movies (and the Animatrix, too): if you had the choice of being hooked to the Matrix, living in blissful ignorance and eating steak, or being freed to Zion, living under less than stellar conditions and eating what tastes like runny eggs (or maybe Tastey Wheat...), which would you pick? Would you choose as Cypher did, and try to get back into the Matrix? This all assumes that it's possible, of course. My personal theory is that the Machines had no intention of returning Mr Reagan to the Matrix, when simply killing him would have been much easier for them. But given the choice, which is of course impossible to actually be given, I'd probably rather live in the Matrix. It's too bad there's no going back... I'll have to stay away from any of those red pills.

Oh yeah, Brain Age is coming out for the DS this Tuesday. I'm gonna pick myself up a copy, definitely. If you haven't heard, Brain Age is something of a mental stimulator, something to keep the brain cells active. I could use some of that. I'll prolly set aside an hour or so for "brian activity" every night, actually. I could use some time to read, really. The DS will be part of my regimen, but, like a single healthy meal, it's not the complete solution to my problems. I need to read more, bottom line. And write. Maybe two hours, then. *Shrugs.*