Super 8 Is Throwback to 70s with Lots of Destruction By Art Byrd

I remember when my dad gave me a Super 8 camera. I filmed around the neighborhood, the houses, my mom’s rosebushes and the streets. I know the excitement having the Super 8 camera.

Super 8, the latest movie from J.J Abrams, shows the fun of being a kid shooting a real movie on Super 8 film. Of course, as in all movies, there has to be a twist. Super 8 has a huge twist with a monster we don't see until later --like the movie Cloverfield. I like that element of the monster being hidden for some time.

The storyline is simple: a group of middle school kids are making a zombie film during their summer vacation.

Super 8 was filmed in Weirton, West Virginia. The movie is set in 1979.

One night, the kids sneak out to film scenes at a train station. During the filming, a truck goes head-to-head with the train on the tracks. In the huge accident something escapes. We’re not sure what it is, but it is big.

Super 8 has a few back stories: young Joe Lamb, played by Joel Courtney, has lost his mother in a tragic work accident at a steel mill. His dad, Deputy Jackson Lamb, is played by Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights). Father and son are on shaky terms with each other.

Joe is a makeup artist and model builder, working on a short film with his friend, Charles, played by Riley Griffiths. Another of the crew is Alice, played by Elle Fanning. She is acting in the short and is Joe’s secret crush.

The movie has many layers going on: loss of a loved one, crushes, shaky relationships, suspense and lots of destruction. The special effects are amazing, especially when the train crashes and later when the town is under attack.

Super 8 has a believable plot but there are gaps. The writing is good as a lot of dialogue is snappy and original.

There will be comparisons to such movies as Goonies and ET. The style is like Steven Spielberg’s, who was a producer on the film. Super 8 has a 70s feel of a suspense/monster movie and it’s better seen on the big screen.

Getting Back My Mojo by Art Byrd

Have you ever had a bad hour?
A bad day?
A bad week?

How do you get through it?
Me, I've had a strange six months.

In January, I got into a car accident going to the math lab at YSU. My fault.

Later in March, I had a mental breakdown during the exam and got a disappointing grade on a math exam. As I was walking outside looking at my notes.  I studied I walk into a sign. A speed limit sign. I got in my car and thought I didn't get injured. But I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that I had a huge scar on my head.

Toastmasters
Moments later, I would be at Toastmasters meeting. And everybody noticed my scar. I'm somewhat private. And there I was in public and scarred.

Mojo
With these things happening I felt something was slipping away.

I realized that I was losing my mojo.

Do many of you know what mojo is?

Mojo means finding the magic and in what we do. To lose your mojo refers “to loss of inspiration or creative genius; a loss of that special spark.” And that was how I was feeling.

Fellow Toastmasters and honored guests. I want my mojo back.


According to answers.com, the word “mojo” has been around almost 100 years. One source says sites is use as early as 1926.

Movies-Austin Powers
In movies the term “mojo” was used in one of the Austin Powers movies starring Mike Myers is referred to it is a combination of all the right stuff that makes a man successful.

And isn't that what we all want a successful life.


A Friend
I have a friend who I hadn't seen or heard from for while. I sent him an e-mail. I got a reply from him saying he was having lack of motivation.

I, too. was feeling the same way. This friend is strong and his mojo will be back.

Even the strongest most powerful sexy confident people lose their mojo.

These moments of temporary Mojo loss can be attributed to a crisis or transitions such as loss of a loved one, lost romance, a health scare and other transforming experiences.

I feel that the lost of mojo is based on fear. Maybe, maybe you have felt fear in the sense of loss of who you are. Like being in quicksand when you are stuck and sinking.

Tyler Perry
Until about a week and a half ago, I still felt I didn't know where my mojo was. I was stuck and sinking.

Then I got an e-mail from Tyler Perry, the director of the popular movies, such as Madea goes to jail and various place.

Before he became famous; Perry had loss of mojo with failed plays to the point he was living in his car.

The e-mail was to his e-mail list which I'm a part of. The e-mail had a story.

 Tyler and a friend were climbing at the Grand Canyon and Mr. Perry said “at one point in climbing, I was over steep drop it was tied to a safety rope, while buddy safety rope was tied to me. It was my responsibility to help him up, since I was bigger and way more. I told him, I'll hold onto you to help you up but if you start to pull me over with you, I'm going to untie this rope.”

A few days later he thought about that moment. How many times we are tied to something that keeps us down. Yet, we won't not untie the rope. Mr. Perry said sometimes it's time to untie the rope.

Fear
Fear can tie you down. It did for me. They told you about not doing well on an algebra exam and getting scarred.

On a trigonometry final, I had a hard time on. I was sure I would get a failing grade in the class. So much so, the grades are posted online. And I didn't look for almost 5 weeks. I kept trying to find the right date look.

So I prepare myself for the impending bad news. I had figured out how I would retake the class. And all these plans are more backup plans. To find the right day to look at my grades.

On weekends, I would say await Monday. On Mondays, I don't want to go to Toastmasters upset.

On Tuesday, I would be too busy cleaning or writing to check. On Wednesday, I was working on my newsletter. And with bad news I'd be too upset to work.

On Thursday, I would be doing the final draft of the newsletter and didn't want to be upset.

On Friday, the corrections from Michelle, the newsletters editor would keep me busy. Then I would not check because I would be hanging out with my dad later that day and I didn't want to be upset.

Getting Grades
Even though, I thought I prepare myself for the worst. Then one day, I was soon sitting in front of the computer. I was at the YSU website. I got my strength for a moment.

With an unsteady hand on the mouse. I clicked on the grades icon. The screen changed. The grades appeared. I couldn't believe it. I had two classes: advanced algebra and trigonometry. I looked again. My heart jumped. I looked again. And saw two Bs.

At that moment, I felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of me. Finally, I had untied the rope.

I read getting your mojo back is just refueling your emotional tank. My tank was near empty. When I learned about my grades. It felt like a gas tank in my emotional tank moved to one fourth of a tank.

How you get your mojo to a full tank or at least three quarters?

Make a focused effort to change the way you think about yourself.
Example: instead of instead of thinking Dud think Stud. That is for the Guys.

Example: for the ladies–instead of thinking from the pink beautiful.

Tune out the noise, TV news and what others think you should do with your life.

Guard your mind–be around people who are encouraging not discouraging.

Don't neglect your emotions–emotions are part of human nature. The harder you try to hide a feeling the more the filling will dominate your life.

Go to the movies in a theater. I went to go see bad teacher and laugh with a theater full of people is a great way to feel great.
Part of having your mojo is feeling great.

The New Normal
There is something called the new normal. The sooner you realize that what you have in front of you is the new normal, the happier you will be. Wishing him praying for the old days to return we do nothing but drag you down.

Actor John Wayne said courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.

We all don't know our own strength sometimes. But we can know our own mojo.

Shoelaces
I bought this shoelace it's my favorite color aqua. I tighten knots on the shoelace. When I need to do something or have fear. I taken not out. And hopefully soon it would look like this.

Closing
As for any of you who needs get back their mojo or if your mojo is good. Remember there is one way of getting back or maintaining your mojo. And all you have to do is untie the rope.

Given at the Toastmasters 408 meeting. June 27, 2011

The Hangover Part II Will Have You Hung-Over with Laughter By Art Byrd

One of the best things to do is laugh, really laugh. Almost two years ago, the movie The Hangover crept into theaters. The audience laughter for the movie could be heard for blocks. I was part of that crowd.

But when I heard about a sequel to The Hangover, I thought, “No way -- don’t mess up a good thing!” as most sequels do. The Hangover Part II was made very quickly; Filming finished earlier this year. The average sequel takes about two-and-half to three years to get into theaters.

There are similarities between The Hangover and The Hangover Part II but different twists. For instance, the characters are the same, but now the location is Bangkok, Thailand. Right there, the laughter can begin, because you know a cultural and language barrier is coming.

We catch up with the so-called Wolf pack: Doug, played by Justin Bartha (National Treasure movies); Phil, played by Bradley Cooper (Limitless); Stu, played by Ed Helms (The Office); and Alan, played by Zach Galifianakis  (Due Date). It’s now about a year-and-a-half after the Las Vegas excursion. Stu is getting married to Lauren, played by Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch, Samurai Girl). She is Asian and her family has arranged for her to be married in Thailand.

All of the Wolfpack except Alan are invited to go to the wedding. Stu doesn’t want Alan to come.

In a fun scene at IHOP where Stu is having a bachelor brunch instead of a bachelor party, he tells Doug and Phil that he is still haunted by the Las Vegas incident. After prodding by the other two, Stu reluctantly asked Alan to come to the wedding.

I will say that Ken Jeong is back as Mr. Chow. He is too funny, especially with that strange voice he uses. There is a monkey played by Crystal the Monkey (yes, the monkey has billing with the rest of the cast).  I can understand why because Crystal is hilarious and has human characteristics, especially with a cigarette, and it adds to the story line.

Phil was the calm one as he tried to deal with the cultural and language barriers. Stu/Ed Helms’ reactions were priceless as he couldn’t believe the same thing that happened in Vegas was happening again.

Galifianakis’ Alan has to go down as one of the strangest and funniest characters in movie history. His straight face while delivering dialogue added to the laughs because you couldn’t believe the stuff that he would say.

All in all, The Hangover Part II is as much fun as the first one was. As for which one is better, I don’t know. If you do see the movie, you and the rest of the audience will be hung over with laughter and feel good. That is a very cool way to see a movie.

edited by Michele Ristich Gatts