Personal Belief

A person who fights for his government is a soldier. A person who fights for his country is a patriot.

Transformers: Age of Michael Bay

    I just came out of the Transformers: Age of Extinction and I want to start this critique by adding that I've hardly watched any of the cartoons with the exception of the Beast Wars. I wasn't a big fan of the franchise until I saw the movie and for fans who did see the cartoon and hated the movies, your attitude won't change. I became a fan by watching the movies and while story wise and dialogue usually lack, the action is always top notch and it carries on into this 4th installment into the franchise. Michael Bay has a terrible reputation for putting in so much action and explosions into his movies, the film itself is a giant roller coaster in a way. He definitely put himself in that box with this film that apparently will be his last time directing.
    For those whom may not know, the transformers started out as toys owned by famous company, Hasbro. When their popularity skyrocketed, the cartoons came out only to spread the word and made more money for the company. In 2007, Michael Bay would bring them to the big screen with a screaming Shia LaBeouf and sexy Megan Fox. However fans who are "purist" to say the least were outrage by the changes made as well as other things I don't care to mention simply because, it's fiction so let's get over it. While the stories can be confusing and the action ridiculous at times, again this is an action movie, nobody expects Oscar winning performances.
    To me, this film is no different from the rest with the only exception of the absent Shia LaBeouf whom is replaced by Mark Wahlberg who plays an inventor/tech repairman. Living with his daughter in Texas, they come across what appears to be a broken down truck which turns out to be Autobot Leader Optimus Prime. This brings Wahlberg and his family into a war that's been going on behind the scenes ever since the events of the last movie Dark of The Moon. The United States government is hunting the Autobots who once swore to defend them thus breaking the alliance and Optimus Prime's faith in humanity. To add more on  Prime's crap list, a bounty hunter claiming to be working for Optimus's "creators" comes to Earth to bring him back to his place of origin.
    Meanwhile Mark Wahlberg and his daughter played by Nicola Peltz, are on the run from Kelsey Grammer who in charge of the CIA and Stanley Tucci who plays the owner of a corporation that's building their own army of Autobots that can be controlled with the aid of studying and resurrecting a familiar foe. Armed with the legendary voice of the original Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen and a few surprise voice cameos, this film brings in familiar and new Autobots to love. Like most of the Transformers movies, this is a great action film with a barrage of explosions and tons of action that makes the 2 and 1/2 hours feel like only 90 minutes.
    This definitely wasn't the worst, that title belongs to Revenge of the Fallen but this film was worth the money, especially in 3D. Besides the action, there was plenty of comedy relief and a heartfelt theme with Mark Wahlberg playing a father that learns to let go of his daughter. I would have to give this movie a solid 7 out of 10 because again, this is an action film. The story was confusing at times and the action was really over the top, I think I saw more explosions in this film than any other done by Michael Bay. The other problem I had was the newly added Dino-bots because they really just appeared without any origin or anything.
    It was revealed in the beginning that the "creators" used some of Earth's atmosphere during the dinosaur period to create the Autobots so did they make the Dino-bots as prototypes or something? Ignoring the minor details, this is still a fun movie and I can tell just from the ending that it's the end of Michael Bay but not the end of Optimus Prime. Of course, if you're one of those people that didn't like any of the movies anyway then I doubt you should bother. I wonder if you even take the time to finish my critique? Anyway, this movie is a solid summer blockbuster and I will anxiously look forward to the fifth installment.

Personal Belief

The love of the whole world is meaningless compared to the love of the one.

Redskins lose Trademark and Name Change Possibly Coming

    It was recently announced that a U.S. Patent Office had terminated the Washington Redskins trademark on the grounds that it was offensive to Native Americans. That the name "Redskin" was in fact a racist term and the logo was indeed offensive, so what that basically means is the Washington Redskins can no longer claim profits from anything with the Redskin's name or logo. So the popular NFL Franchise that's been around since the early 1930s is now forced to make a hard decision on how to proceed with the team's future. Of course they're lawyers are already working on an appeal but at the end of the day, the season starts in two months and they will lose money if they don't change their name to something they can claim and make money off of. At the end of the day, that's all this is about for the Redskins.

    The Washington Redskins are one of the most valuable teams in the NFL, currently valued at about 1.6 billion dollars. They have some of the most loyal fans in the league and as of where they stand, their upcoming season seems to be promising but now things have changed. Merchandising counts for a huge sum of a franchise's profits so if anyone can make money of a team and they don't have to pay them, that's a problem. So does this mean that they Redskins have to change their name? No, but if they want to keep their revenue stream going unaltered then it's what they'll most likely have to do. 

    This ongoing lawsuit has brought much debate on both sides for decades. One side claiming that it is in fact a racist and offensive towards Native Americans, reminding people of the discrimination they suffered. The other side is talking about how this is a slippery slope that tells people that they can just file a lawsuit on the basis that they're offended by anything they find offensive. Which side of the coin your on is up to you but these are the facts. What's going to happen is unclear but the clock is ticking and the team's future may not be in trouble but I wouldn't count on them keeping the name.

    Like I've stated before, Merchandising counts for a huge sum of the team's yearly profits and only a fool would let money slip through his fingers. I know what a lot of people are thinking right now. "They have a history," so did the Cleveland Browns (that became the Baltimore Ravens) and the Houston Oilers but guess what, that didn't stop them from moving and changing their name. There's not much anyone can do now at this point, even if the appeal happens, this can go on for years so the easiest thing to do is would be to change the name and get it over with. It's the smart business move but the owner has vowed to fight on behalf of the fans who are dedicated to the team and it's history.

Father's Day Poem

I Have a Dad

I have a Dad.

He loves me when I’m good.

He punishes me when I’m bad.

He never does it because he can.

I have a Dad.

He loves to make me laugh because of how I smile,

no matter how lonely or sad I am.

I’m proud to be his son.

I have a Dad.

He is there to guide me,

even when I get mad

and I lose all my sanity.

I have a Dad.

He is there for my mother, sisters and me.

He always gives an ear and a shoulder to our problems.

When my other friends see us, they begin to cry.

They cry for something they don’t have.

I cry because I have a Dad.

Every Writer Starts Somewhere

Every writer starts somewhere and for me, it started with these four short stories. Still underground and trying to put my feet in the water, these four would start a foundation for me to build on. Now I'm a self-publishing when I can and it all started here. I'm very proud of each of these no matter what people say and I know they're worth your attention if you give them the opportunity. There's something for everyone in this book. I've been self-publishing for 3 years now and have put in some work so now I feel it's time to start bring things together.

Most of these stories are short and I know that some people aren't willing to pay much for short pieces of work. This feels like a better way to give people more of me for a reasonable price so I hope you give this novel fair consideration. Two of them are written in a prose form, A Murder for a Murder: September 11th, 2026 and Confessions of a Vampire. The other two are plays, one for the screen, The Wall. The other is a theatrical comedy play, The Merlin show. The stories here were chosen in a specific order to give you a break from one genre before going into something similar. I sincerely hope you enjoy this collection and until the next is written.

To Hell With the Friend Zone

Wisdom from a Muse

By

Anthony Labson

Tell her about her hair.

The way she waves it

As she turns her head

And looks at you with her eyes.

The way she uses them

To burn a hole through your heart

and tell her how there’s only one way

to get it started.

To feel the touch of her lips.

So full and luscious

And the thought of them touching your skin

sends a paralyzing chill up your spine.  

A spine you would use to defend her

even if it cost you your own life.

Never allowing it to break in half

even if it was the weight of the world,

the world that is nothing without her.

The only reason that you live

Is because you know she’ll be there

and seeing her by your side

makes the world a jewel in the universe.

Oh wait a minute,

You’re just in the friend zone?

Move on and find someone else.

These words are too good for her.