Power Rangers 20th Anniversary Post

A few posts ago I discussed my thoughts on my viewing of an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as an 18-year-old. Well, now as a 19-year-old I am going to once again talk about the teenagers with attitude. Power Rangers was probably my second-favorite show from my childhood, losing out only to Pokemon. I don't know if I wasn't allowed to watch, or if I just had no intent to watch, but it took me until I was in 2nd grade to finally watch an episode of Power Rangers. I don't remember the particular one, but it was an episode of Wild Force. Looking back, Wild Force was probably one of the worst incarnations of the series. It had a very cheesy plot and some of the worst acting in television history. But at the time that didn't matter to me. I loved every second of that show. It showed that regular people got to be superheroes. The Zords were so cool, and I couldn't wait to see who the monster of the week was!

After Wild Force was over I continued to watch Power Rangers for 3 more series': Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, and Mystic Force. But my Power Rangers obsession did not stop there. Thanks to my friendly local Hollywood Video, I was able to see where the series began with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. This first incarnation ended up becoming my favorite. It always seemed to have something special that the rest of the series' didn't have. Maybe it was a special comradery between the rangers. Perhaps it's the nostalgia it provokes from the all-around 90'sness of it all. Or, it could just hold true that the first is indeed the best.

Now 20 years after Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini, and Kimberly first uttered the phrase "It's Mophin' Time" the series still exists. Quite a feat for any tv show, nonetheless one that many thought would never make it past its first year. Even though they are celebrating by scrapping together a very disappointing reunion episode I have to say this:

Happy 20th Birthday Power Rangers.
From a childhood fan.

P.S. I always wanted to be the green one ;)

Baby Brother's First Day Of School

Today was my brother's first day of school. It was a weird feeling dropping him off and not going into the school. A part of me is kind of sad to not be going back to Westpark, and I will miss my friends. Yet, at the same time, there's Ignitia: the Curriculum form Hell and a bunch of dumb rules so I am sorta glad I graduated. Plus the younger kids are in the high school room and everything is so weird now. It seems like Westpark will be like a sitcom that just lost all of its good characters this year. When I went to pick him up I parked in the "parking lot" on the side of the school, because I wanted to say hi to some of my friends, the teacher kept glaring at me and then told me that I wasn't allowed to park there when I pick up Joe, even though I stopped and said hello to people. I have a strange feeling she's going to ban me from campus.

I Watch Superman Fly Away

*Warning: post does contain spoilers*
Let me start off by saying that Man of Steel was an okay film. Henry Cavil was pretty good, could've been a lot worse. Amy Adams did a surprisingly good job as Lois Lane (though I do wonder if a black wig was out of the budget or just made her look bad). All the rest of the roles were cast and played well too. Especially, Russel Crowe as Jor-El. I really liked how it showed the history of Krypton, and the scene with the bus was a really good way to introduce Supy's powers and his struggle to fit in.

However, I did have a huge problem with this film which is: the fight scene at the end of the movie. The entire scene dragged on and on and on and on. It wasn't even that exciting. You would think the huge showdown between Superman and General Zodd would be immensely thrilling, and possibly even the highlight of the film. Alas, it was the complete opposite. Perhaps it was the fact that the two individuals involved in the scene were just too powerful. Superman would punch Zodd, Zodd goes flying, Zodd hits a building. Then once he came to Zodd would punch Superman, Superman would go flying etc. This would repeat a couple of times to ensure maximum boredom until finally Zodd is defeated.

Despite the fact that I waited with Joe and Alissa in the theater for the world's longest credits, and no post credits scene, I was definitely excited for what would follow in Man of Steel 2. I figured they would bring in Lex Luthor (A. because he's Superman's greatest foe, and B. The Lexcorp truck that appeared in the midst of the treacherous fight scene). The villain is still unconfirmed at this point, though I am hoping for Bruce Willis as Lex Luthor (think of the awesomeness), but one thing has been confirmed: Batman.

Batman only left the big screen in 2012 with the Dark Knight Rises. A good, yet slightly flawed, conclusion to Christopher Nolan's hugely successful Batman trilogy. We saw the Caped Crusader fly off the big screen only last year and now he will be returning in the 2015 sequel to Man of Steel.

This upsets me deeply. I don't want to see Batman in a Superman movie. Just like I wouldn't want to see Superman in a Batman movie. First of all, they are two completely different characters. Batman has a lack of superpowers, while Superman practically has them all. They have two completely different rogue's galleries, with Batman's consisting mainly of psychologically damaged freaks and extremists, and Suprman's is full of mega-powered individuals, some from other dimensions. Almost all of his villains, like the Man of Steel himself, in fact do have powers, and strong ones at that! Their fighting styles also differ, Batman's staying in the realm of hand-to-hand combat and gadetry, and Superman well...uses his powers of strength, flight, heat vision, and basically everything else.

We've seen Batman. As a matter of fact we've seen a LOT of Batman. We live in a world where he is almost better known than Superman, which is honestly a shame. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Batman fan. I grew up with the superb 90's animated series (still the best Batman incarnation to this day), and still watch it now. But Superman is the real deal. He inhibits all that is a true superhero. Sure, Batman has a tragic backstory, and cool gadgets, friends in low places, and some of the coolest villains in the business, but he really just doesn't belong in  movie with Superman, especially when this is only is second one in this new series.

Worst of all, the new Batman is going to be played by none other than Ben Affleck. You know the man that brought us Daredevil... I'm sure he will be simply awful. He'll be over-the-top douchey as Bruce Wayne, but  Affleck as Batman is where I am really scared. I can picture him being very rigid in the part. I'm sure he was either friends with someone high up, or chosen purely on his looks. Plus, isn't he just a tad bit old to play Batman? Just putting that out there.

I don't like it. I don't like how they are throwing aside all respect for the character of Superman, ruining his chance to shine, and the poor casting decision of Ben Affleck as ol Batty. For the first time in my life, I'm on team Superman.

It's Getting Closer

On September 23rd 2013 I will start college. I am so incredibly nervous. Never in my entire life have I been to a school as big as Yakima Valley Community College. It's going to be a huge shock, especially coming from a high school with a graduating class of 7 kids (and that's a big class for WCA). I am hoping and praying that everything will turn out for the best.

At this point in time I still have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have hobbies, but I don't think any of them are something I could make a career of. I also don't know what classes I am taking. It all depends on what's available when I go to sign up. Also, I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out.....YIKES! Scary stuff man....

P.S. Two days ago was my birthday. So a belated Happy Birthday to me :)

In Defense Of My Religion

Christianity gets a lot of hate. There are lots of people out there who call my faith a cult. Others who have never set foot in a church in their lives have some insane notation that only upper-class white folks are allowed in. Some, even go as far as to say that Christianity will be the downfall of the world. There is so much hate surrounding Christians today, both from non-believers and from other sects of the Christian faith. I am here to say stop the hate.

Many people say that Christians are intolerant, that they do not like anyone who is not like themselves.These claims are false. How can people possibly draw assumptions from something that they themselves do not understand? Jesus did not minister to the saints but to the sinners. The door of the church is always open. No one guards the door and decides who enters. That is your own personal choice.

I do not believe that Buddhism is the path to salvation. I do not agree with what Mormons teach. And certainly, I have my opinions on Scientology. However, that's just what these thoughts are: opinions. Do you see me joining any clubs that bash these faiths? Do I rant online about these religions. No, I don't. Maybe, there are some Christians that do. I never once in my life have said that all Christians are perfect human beings, because that is false. We all sin, we have from the moment Eve first ate the apple and we will until the end of time.

Now, what concerns me even more than the hatred towards Christianity from within the Church. I was brought up as a Catholic. My family left the Catholic church for reasons that do not need to be discussed here. Even though I no longer identify myself as a Catholic, Catholicism will always be a part of me. Many of my family members and closest friends are still a part of the Catholic church, and I would never assume that any of them deserve less salvation than a Baptist, a Methodist or a Pentecostal.

When I first got to Westpark people would look at me funny when I said I came from a Catholic school. Some would tell me I needed to be re-baptized. One kid said that Catholics make weird hand signals when they pray. Really, that's the sign of the cross. It's not any different from bowing your head. Others told me that the Catholic church is bad because it is ritualistic. Every single church is ritualistic. At a Protestant service you will come in, sit in your pew, sing songs, listen to an opening, listen to the preacher, worship some more, sometimes take communion, then leave. Someone who I considered a friend at that time even went as far as to say that she thought all Catholics went to Hell. I was mortified. I didn't see how my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ could go as far as to say that their own people are damned. 


At the end of the day only God can judge us. If you want to make it your life's goal to continue to hate on Christianity, fine that's your decision. I am in no position to tell you what you can and cannot do with your life. However, if you are reading this and you are guilty of hating or harassing Christians of any faith. Please, take a moment to think if it is really the right thing to do. I am asking you this both as a believer, and as a human being.

Thank you for your time.

My Power Rangers Experience

One of my closest friends since I was nine months old was in town. For nostalgia's sake, we decided to watch an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It is pretty much the same as I remember it, except different. I noticed a lot of little things while watching and decided to share them.

• Zordon is a giant floating head. What happened to the rest of his body? Or is he using some sort of telepathic projection.
• The black guy is the Black Ranger, the Asian girl is the Yellow Ranger. I get it..
• Alpha is significantly more annoying than I remember.
• Kimberly is beautiful.
• The acting from Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Jones, and Austin St. John isn't attrocious. Can't say the same for Thuy Trang and David Yost though.
• Do the monsters really wait for the Rangers to morph and the Megazord to assemble?
• Rita Repulsa is so badly dubbed it's unbearable. Props to her voice actress though, she's got some serious chops.
• It's so obvious that the morphed-Yellow Ranger is a man, would it have killed them to find a stunt WOMAN?
• The special effects are well.....bad. 
• When Rita throws her magic wand, how does she get it back?
• Why does Rita send the Putty Patrol, then the monster, THEN make it grow. Has she ever considered just sending down an extraordinarily large monster? All that time in a space dumpster must have seriously damaged her mind.
• If Squatt and Baboo annoy Ms. Repulsa so much why doesn't she just zap them with her trusty dusty magic wand? They don't serve a purpose anyway.
• The clothes are so totally 90's.
• It's disappointing knowing that they had to use footage from the Japanese version of the show for the fight scenes. I mean c'mon with they money they were making off this show from toy sales alone could've paid for some extra film and stunt actors.
• How could nobody tell that they were the Power Rangers? They always are hanging out together and wearing their respective colors.
• It's hard to watch Trini without thinking how the actress that played her passed away
• The first Rangers really are classic, I was so mad when they replaced them.

That's all for now. Have a morphinomical day.

Paula Deen, the Rap Game, and My Humble Opinion

If the American public is going to persecute Paula Deen for saying the n-word, then I think the only rightful thing to do is to also persecute the endless number of rappers who also use the word. I don't know what ever made that word acceptable for black people to say. I don't know how it ever became a compliment r nickname amongst them, but I think it should stop. As Africans, they should honestly know better. they should know the stigma associated with that word and know that to use it they way they use it today is wrong. Thank you, and good day.