It hasn’t been a fun summer, really. Maybe it is my age. I had a summer job. Two, actually. I had yard work to do about twice a week. The heat has been unbearable for some time. Funny how people who don’t believe in global warming will scream about snow and cool temperatures, yet, when we start having record-high heat, they keep quiet.
But I digress.
This has really been my first true “adult” summer. My previous college summers have consisted of fun internships or making movies with friends while working a part-time job just to survive. But these “adult” summers? They just aren’t fun.
In addition to all that, it has also been pretty depressing when it comes to current events. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is still going on. Who knows when it will finally be killed? Probably not as soon as thousands of fish and other marine life.
Then there is the economy. It isn’t going up very quickly. I hear about that every day on television and in newspapers. The housing crisis, unemployment benefits, budget deficits, etc., etc.
And sadly, we are still at war. Sigh.
In an effort to escape the sadness that is our world, we like to go to imaginary places through the magic of film. And what better time for film than summer? Sure, you might say, “Mark, the fall is the best time for film because that’s usually when all the Oscar-caliber films are released. Also, you look just like George Clooney.”
I would respond with, “I don’t care about Oscar-caliber films. I want stuff blowing up and pointless dialog. Also, I do look like George Clooney, thank you.”
Then you would say, “You’ve used this George Clooney joke before.”
And I would respond, “Many times before. Many, many, times.”
And you laugh and say, “But really, how is reality a joke? You look just like him!”
I give a wry little smile and bat my hand at you, “Oh, you stop it.”
“I’m serious!” you say. “It’s uncanny!”
I look up at the sun, but I don’t close my eyes because I am a man and the sun does not harm me. “It is uncanny,” I say in a deep and sexy man voice.
But this summer’s films had to go the same way that the rest of the world is going: to crap. Most films have no lived up to their potential. “A-Team,” while fun, left a lot to be desired. “Iron Man 2” was cool, but not as good as the first. I didn’t even bother with the fourth “Shrek” movie because after the first, they should have stopped. “Grown Ups” felt like it was nine hours long. It was the worst comedy I have seen since “Schindler’s List.” And “Twilight: Eclipse?” Let’s just say they could cast sea lions as the entire cast and it would have been better acted (and ridiculously more adorable).
The only bright spots so far have been “Toy Story 3,” which did a fantastic job of ripping my heart out, and “Inception,” which did a fantastic job of ripping my brain out.
And then there is music. Every summer, we get huge new releases from some of our favorite musicians. Out of those albums, comes the song of the summer. It’s that one song that is played everywhere, that you cannot get out of your head, and that you ultimately hate more than anything come September. But what is that song for this summer?
Some say “California Gurls” by Katy Perry is that song. But I don’t think so. First, it is a great song, but it got old fast. Second, it personifies everything wrong with our country. Why are we celebrating California? Isn’t it billions of dollars in debt with no way out? Shouldn’t its citizens be fighting for better government representation, a change to their economy and be out working to make things better? Yes. But in this song, it sounds like all the females are being super lazy, getting drunk and having sex on beaches and ignoring their civic duties. Shame on you, girls in California. You’re destroying America.
Is the song “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga? I was ready to say it was, until the names made me think of Spanish men, which made me think of the super-racist Arizona law, which makes me sad. So no, not “Alejandro.”
So summer movies are a bust. Summer music is a bust. Everything summer is a bust.
But I have hope for the fall. Things can’t stay bad forever (unless you are a fan of Cleveland sports).
We have a whole new slate of films and music to be released soon, so hopefully there will be some gold in there. The oil spill is capped and the relief wells are close to being capped, so hopefully that will end that for good. Washington is trying to pass legislation helping out the unemployed, which is a great step to helping out the economy (there is proof that passing out unemployed benefits helps the economy, look it up).
So the outlook is more sunny than cloudy.
Plus, let’s be honest. I am just whiny because I wasn’t able to be off this summer, goofing around and playing video games.
Sigh. I guess we all can’t be California girls after all.
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TIMBAP_WAS 1 year, 9 months ago
Summer wasn't all that great for me either...but I can't say for the same reasons, because my summers still consist of begging my parents to go to a friend's house for a couple of hours just to bumb out and watch anime. Movies have certainly gone downhill, and don't get me started on the music. Fall will be a better time in my perspective because, unlike you, I am still a carefree high schooler and slaving away at school for eight hours a day is better than staying at home, breaking my back doing manual labor!