I thought the following chinese proverb from my daily planner was worth sharing. "A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark."
There are humorous villains who cry about the toy he didn't get or not being hugged enough. However, the quote applies to everyone as the influence and as the one influenced.
Here are three villain examples with an impacting childhood moment anyway:
Gru from Despicable Me,
Ego the critic from Ratatouille (Spoliler),
And Megamind.
Megamind at the top. Metroman at the bottom.
The last two are cast into the roles of villain and hero according to looks and homes.
Can you think of an example? It does not have to be a villain or from a movie.
Last Friday, I saw The Hunger Games movie. I liked it, but I worry if people will understand some scenes. My friends who did not read the books missed the new situation at the end of the movie. Although characters smile at that point, listen to what is said in private!
I am glad that I read the first two books before the movie so that I knew the details and connections. It is hard for me to picture how much of the story I would have grasped without the book. Thankfully, some game explanations from Katniss' thoughts in the book were given in another manner.
I will be vague in further discussion of the movie to avoid spoiling it. However, I will first discuss my disappointment in The Watchmen adaptation for comparison. The trailer is down below.
Reaction to The Watchmen Adaptation First
I read The Watchmen comic shortly before the movie release. Here is the trailer for it.
During the movie, I laughed and was entertained, but afterwards I felt disappointed in the adaptation for these reasons:
The state of the world was not depicted enough. In the comic the second Silk Spectra helped portray the society at least through her addiction.
There is no distinction made between superheros and masked vigilantes.
Heroes that did not severely harm or kill, like Silk Spectra, plunged a knife into a mugger's throat. In the comic, the heroes who take lives are the ones who have a different state of mind.
Does the viewer question the consequences that the heroes reluctantly accept?
I do not detest every change made in an adaptation. For example, I have no problem with the change in the S.Q.U.I.D. Because years have past since I first saw the movie, I would now watch it a second time. Some scenes were great to see on the screen.
Back to The Hunger Games
The movie was a good introduction to Katniss' world. Some great scenes were left out of the movie, but I think key moments for characters were kept such as when Thresh speaks in the game and Cinna's influence. I was not disappointed. Some of you may be if you expect love drama.
Before the movie, I read an article on the decision to tone down the violence, which the director felt was unnecessary for the main message and characters. I agree. Anyone who hungered for more violence has not grasped that the game is actually an instrument not entertainment. The anticipation of the game and the game itself are exciting, but remember its purpose and meaning. Violence is not action. Do you mean conflict or confrontations that can be an opportunity for character growth instead?
I was surprised that the terror and danger were toned down too. I think young audiences could handle a little more of both. The focus was appropriately placed on the main danger, the Capitol. Each book because harsher though. Will the rating stay at PG-13?
To me the book was a suspenseful adventure while the movie was more on the dystopic world. When Kato has the sword, I thought of Roger in Lord of the Flies. I can see that aspect as enough terror for some minors.
Some parts before the game felt slow to me, but my coworkers who did not read the book said the beginning was fast for them. After all, they did not know the setting and characters yet. Come to think of it, I did not linger on questions with the movie's pace. So I guess the first half of the movie was not slow.
Stanley Tucci as Caesar.
My favorite minor characters in the book were Rue and Haymitch. During the movie, I smiled and laughed at every scene of Caesar, but I was still teary for Prim and Rue. It was nice to see non-tribute characters during the game.
I left the theater at 1am with energy from the movie. The third book,Mockingjay, is higher on my reading list now and I want to read the first book again. I may watch the movie in theaters a second time.
In my last post, I mentioned printed tees including "Paintballers" by WinterArtwork. Well, TeeFury is selling the shirt for $13 (including shipping) right now! The subject is the NBC show Community parodying Ghostbusters.
I bought my tee minutes after I saw it on TeeFury. The shirt is available on that site for 22 more hours.
I think "Hunger-lympics" is my favorite shirt for the book. Some of theactor/character shirts at Hot Topic are cool (I'd get Haymitch or Rue), but I like more than a face. This shirt shows some of the plot without spoiling the story. The Wasp Relay makes me laugh. I am excited to see that part in the movie.
I also like that the artist, WinterArtwork, came up with his own rendition of the mockingjay.
If I hadn't already bought a shirt that week, then I would gotten "Hunger-lympics." My sister bought it though, which is appropriate because she is the bigger The Hunger Games fan. The third book is her favorite.
WinterArtwork came up with this Community shirt on the left as well. It parodies the best season finales as the Ghostbusters. The artist wrote, "When there's something strange in your community college...who ya gonna Chang?"
On
shirt.woot!, the shirt on the right, "Hungry Hungry Games," has been one of the top 20 tees for a week so far. The Hunger Games is parodied as the children's game Hungry Hungry Hippo. No spoilers in the design. Just a laugh.
Shirt.woot! is a new shirt site for me. Everyday a new shirt is released like TeeFury, but shirt.woot! keeps the shirt as long it sells.
Here are four more top 20 tees from shirt.woot! with more meaning behind the images:
Those cat outlines spell out Curiosity. I thought the shirt was cute until I saw the numbered signs for dead bodies. :o Despite the shirt being morbid, I can't help still appreciating the artist's work like other people. The shirt is #9.
Speaking of 9, did you notice that there are nine cat outlines? That was one very curious cat.
For that design, the regular tee shape is sold out for girls. Just the "boat neck tee" is left. Click on the titled caption for that shirt. I prefer not to get white shirts, but I could not resist with the use of cards and the pun.
Last month, Johnny Earle was a guest speaker at my home community college. His shop, Johnny Cupcakes, looks and smells like a bakery, but he sells tee shirts instead of edibles. In 2008, he was named#1 entrepreneur 25 years and younger by BusinessWeek.Although I do not plan on running my own business or clothes line, I still found Johnny inspirational.
I will write multiple posts of Johnny Cupcakes including his advice. This post will be the longest of three or four.
His Story
Because Johnny's mother often came home upset from long hours of work and commute, Johnny decided, “I'll work at a cool company or be my own boss.” Everyone wishes for this outcome, but Johnny did more than wishing.
Johnny has been a salesman throughout his life. When he changed to a charter school, he was sad to no longer school with his friends. However, there were benefits to a small school such as easily finding the young salesman. When Johnny saw that the charter school had no yearbook, he put his scrapbook to good use. He didn't have the money for mass production, but he learned that pre-orders provided the funding.
Then Johnny learned about wholesale from buying whoopee cushions in bulk for the price of four whoopees. Selling just four whoopees would cover the cost.
He invested the profit into other gag products such as itching powder. Unfortunately, a student was allergic to an herb in it. When faced with expulsion, Johnny argued, “If a kid buys a pencil from a supply store and then stabs another kid, you don't blame the supply store.” Thus, he was suspended for a few weeks instead of expelled.
Because his better selection of candy sold better than the school's candy, Johnny was told to focus on the internship requirement for graduation. He looked through a phone book and chose printed shirts. At the assembly line, he was inspired him to make his own designs.
Johnny worked more internships for hands-on experience. His attitude was, “work now, play later. Put 110% into business.” As for games, Internet, and parties, Johnny said, “Don't do anything excessive.” He had to break-up with a girlfriend and one friend disappointed Johnny by not putting as much effort into a shared business. However, he still had fun with friends such as putting oral gel on their drinks so they drooled when talking to a girl.
Johnny's parents wanted him to give college a try. If he needed more time outside of school, then he could take less classes. If he took a few classes, then choose the ones he was passionate about. His parents were fine if he stopped, which Johnny did do in his first and only semester. He was distracted by business opportunities. Johnny stated that he had Borderline ADD. He had intended to take a break from school for these ideas.
The classic cupcake with crossbones.
His Cupcakes
Johnny randomly slapped a cupcake on a shirt. He thought a hard-core rock band member wearing a cupcake instead of a skull would be amusing. And because people gave him Johnny-this and Johnny-that nicknames, he came up with Johnny Cupcakes. His shirts caught the attention of coworkers and customers at a comic store. Because of all the inquires, Johnny made more shirts and sold them from the trunk of his car during work breaks.
Nickelodeon was a dream come true
for Johnny!
His shirts became popular because there were no shirt brands focused on food. Johnny played with pop-culture by substituting characters and icons with cupcakes. Weapons were replaced with cupcakes too. The profits were invested in better supplies and equipment.
Currently, Johnny is known as not selling his product to stores, but he had done so at the beginning. He benefited in seeing store labels, tags, and packaging. Packaging alone can attract and keep customers. Johnny has spent money and time on detailing the packages he uses now to make them special. If a customer hangs onto a tag, then you get free advertising.
Johnny hard at work.
From the stores, Johnny heard about trade shows and risked his savings on a table at one. He discovered that a year's worth of networking could be done at one trade show. To stand out, he gave away cupcakes, had his team dress as chefs, and placed products on baking trays.
Johnny noticed the advantages of online shops. People buy more on the Internet than in person because they don't see each dollar leave their wallet. Customers also want to make the shipping cost worth it. In addition, items and purchases on the Internet can be shared easily.Based on a survey box, 90% of customers heard about Johnny Cupcakes from a friend. Some new customers found Johnny Cupcakes from searching “cupcakes.” Even if these people felt tricked they still spoke of the shop because the search result was different.
Because word of mouth was effective, Johnny kept people talking. Sometimes he places a random item in a purchase such as a bag of sand, a vintage sticker, batteries, or even a $20 bill. Customers share about these fun surprises and buy more shirts for more surprises. In addition, a random battery serves as free advertisement for Johnny by reminding the customer of the shirts at the sight of batteries. In his blog, he stated his excitement for when a customer finds a fake skull in their purchase.
At the lecture, Johnny taped a little surprise under each seat. Attendees found a little bag (like the one in the image) filled with his business card, candy wrapped with the Johnny Cupcakes logo, and a vintage trading card. One bag had $1 while another had $20. A code was also given for a 20% off discount. Johnny stated, “It's okay if you return the shirt. I just want you to see the packaging.”
This shirt that I bought had a hidden message.
Another one of Johnny's kooky strategies is a hidden message on the inside of most shirts. The shirt printers hate this extra step because most customers do not know about it. Johnny muses over a customer possibly finding the hidden message on laundry day. Johnny thinks the customer will then check other purchased shirts, call friends to check their own purchases, and buy more shirts.
Johnny then tried a new shop location for better foot traffic. It was a risk, but over 400 dedicated customers stood in line for the grand opening. People slept 12 days on the street to buy a shirt. I will share the grand opening video in another blog post.
He got a trade dress for his shop, which means a trademark for store or product display. He won't sell cupcakes to keep his shop weird, strange, and unique. Nearby bakeries have been saved because Johnny sends the tricked, hungry customers to these shops. Another person who benefited is Johnny's mom. He hired her as CEO and she's happy now. =)
Thank you, Johnny!
I thought this real life Willy Wonka was worth standing in line three times for the lecture, shirt purchase, and face-to-face on my birthday.
It draws up many questions such as "Was that evil Abed in the beard?"
If next week isn't soon enough to see the gang again, then check out the animated shorts. Abed becomes the Dean's assistant. I'm getting the feeling that it will take a turn like the movie I, Robot.
I could not help laugh when Shirley appeared at the end. They captured her voice and personality in the expressions.
