"A Future with a Past, if we are Connected and Fight"

Finally saw SLEEP DEALER and it was all that and a Jumbo Jack.

I got to see the first prototype of this film in 1996 when it was called "Animaquiladora" where the term "Cyberbracero," was coined by Alex Rivera and Lalo Lopez. Rivera was a cool guy with sci fi dreams, just like me! We never connected even though we know the same people, nonetheless I always would hear how he was always one step closer to making his dream film come true. It was well worth the wait. Thanks for not giving up.

For those who have not gone to see it, expect to see a not too distant future where corporations have developed technology to outsource manual labor. Imagine being wired up in a warehouse in Mexico, and able to drive a cab in London. Si se unfortunately Puede, in the near future. The lead protagonist walks us through this world, and along the way meets a beautiful woman who makes her money selling her memories online. Kind of like blogs but more intense.

I don't want to give too much away, just watch the trailer below, I'll just say there is a great story and visuals to trip your mind. I feel it has a very 1970's sci fi vibe like "Soylent Green" or "Omega Man." It is not flashy nor slashy, it's more of a thinking man's sci fi.

I hope that Rivera takes this into other platforms like webisodes, animation, manga or even photo novela. The world he presents is rich and full of so many possibilities to comment on our current state that it would be a waste to just leave that SLEEP DEALER world with just one chapter. He already has the cool website about Cyberbracero that I linked above. Very much like the Hanso Foundation website that works with thee TV show LOST. I hope he gets a TV series, or more films. It is that rich. Now go see it!!!

Watching "Watchmen"

It was a premonition that I was defending my Star Trek love to Fran over at the Brooklyn and Boyle offices, hours before El Random Hero and I went to catch the 12:31 am screening of "Watchmen." Fran was picking on us for being such geeks and I said "You have no I idea how deep the geek hole I go." I admitted I had a Star Trek shirt and mentioned that I should go home and get it to wear tonight, just to up the geekiness of the night.

After eating at El Gran Burritto we got to the Arclight a 1/2 before our show to take in the sights of the opening of this much anticipated film.





As soon as we walked in my homie Brent came up said "Hi" and told me that Zachary Quinto was there to watch the movie. Ofcourse I told EHR that Sylar / Spock was in the house and too keep an eye out.

Near the cafe / bar they had on display three minature models of the USS Enterprise which are a part of an art show celebrating Star Trek. The art show will have some 40 different models from different artist interpreting the Enterprise. This one said it had Aztec influence. I don't see it, but it's dope nonetheless.















Next we took in some of the costumes from the "Watchmen" and some of the peeps dressed like characters from the film.

















We still had some time so we posted up where we could get a view of the room and soon enough Zachary Quinto was right in front of us.























I noticed next to Quinto was JJ Abrams, the creator of LOST. OMG
I immediately sent ERH to ask for his photo too and then I saw that Quinto was kickin it with some other pretty peeps. I asked Abrams if that was is Kirk, he said "Yes that it is my Spock, Kirk and Uhura." WOW the new Star Trek crew was in the house!

I stood there mentally kicking myself for not having put on my Star Trek shirt. I could have gone up to them and said something like "Hey I know we are undercover here, you know prime directive and all, but just letting you know, I'm with you." Then I could have flash them my shirt!

I once crashed a Midnight Ridazz ride dedicated to Star Wars while wearing my Star Trek shirt. A lot of people were mad at me. I would just respond with "When you guys figure out how to time travel, mess with the space time continuum and figure out transporters, talk to me. Til then I have restrictions on how much I can interact with primitive societies." Geek on ese.

Oh yeah the "Watchmen" movie. I liked it. I expected a lil more. The fans will like it. I don't know how many peeps who like a decent detective story with super hero costumes are out there. I hope there are a lot and that they come out and see the film.

I want my bailout...

I want to buy myself a big ole TV
Travel with my gf and mi hija
Buy my mom and dad a house
Fix the building I live in
Pay artists to paint my walls
Feed some family-less peeps
Get me a new PS2 and an Xbox too
New shoes and clothes would be nice
Fix and detail my car
Heck, sell it and get a hybrid
Get wall to wall carpet
Solar panels on the roof
Double pane windows
Some tix to see G. Lopez
Native desert plants around the house
Some new CDJs and Technics would be great
Dodger and Laker tickets
Donate to Self Help Graphics and KPFK
Buy some Chicano/a art

Charge it all, and say "ooops I messed up, I over spent, can I get a bailout? I need one 'cause I have to pay my artists, my mechanic, the stores I owe, the workers I hired, the bills I owe, or people will be out of work! I need to pay my debts with your help Uncle Sam 'cause I messed up."

Do I need to send someone to DC to speak on my behalf?
I would need to pay them too. I would be creating jobs and helping the economy by doing that.
Do I need to contribute to politicos campaigns so I can get a bailout?
Give me some tax payer money, I will give it to the politicos, they will give me my bailout, and I can pay all the people I owe and keep people employed, businesses open, and the economy humming.

Am I being too idealistic? Unrealistic?

Well if the government can help the big guys, they should be able to help me. I won't cost them $700 billion. A couple million would do.

I want my bailout.

Let's go shopping!

Space the final frontier...

The California Science Center had the exhibit 'The Science of Star Wars.'
Sorry, today was the last day.
I think I've mentioned my love for Sci-fi in other posts. I'm not a big big fan, no full on costumes in my closet. I have just one TNG Federation shirt and a pair of Vulcan ears.

Sadly I didn't understand Star Trek until I was in community college. As a young adult at LACC seeing and speaking with Africans from Africa, multilingual Europeans, Asians from countries I had never heard of, and people of the Middle East (none of whom thought the same on any issue) I felt like everyday at school I was going where few Chicanos had boldly gone before. I would record Star Trek repeats on Ch. 13 at 11pm for as long as they aired them, and I finally could follow along the issues of race, peace, tolerance, hope, honor, determination, sacrifice, the prime directive, warp drive, light years, and how green alien women can be hot. Star Trek, even though the Raza characters were few and far between, was filled with a promise that we could all get along and could one day live without money, greed, need or racism, at least on Earth.

A few years ago there were a few docs on Star Trek fandom and how most of the peeps are super intelligent and have kick ass science jobs or creative jobs or are the nicest peeps and they credit Star Trek for giving them the dream. It made me proud to be a Trekkie and a sci-fi fan. I could never laugh at anyone for their following the concepts of Star Trek or of the Jedi, like I would never laugh at someone following Shaolin kung fu. Both are seeking to reach into the human and bring out the exceptional, the best within.

I hope my Q gets the sci-fi bug. I have her watch the videos and films from the Sci fi cannon with me and we talk about how the future might look with flying cars, transporters, space travel, new beings and how we need to be open and ready for this always. So today we went to see the connects between what Lucas dreamt of in the mid 1970's and how we have been trying to match it with hard science. We still have a long way to go on the science end, but what was still awesome was seeing young and old living in the openess of possibility and remembering old friends and heroes. Many had a sparkle in their eyes as they viewed a costume, a prop, a model of a spaceship, or a robot. I got choked up watching a 6ft tall goth boy with spiked purple hair stand between a Jedi, and a Stormtrooper for a pic. His cold, pale demeanor dissolved as he stood there nervously chuckling and he became that kid with big dreams of acceptance of difference who probably got picked on until he got to be 6ft tall. I overheard an Asian family looking at the interrogator droid from Episode IV. The young son said "I don't remember this." His mom quickly replied, "When they had Princess Lea captive, before Han Solo and Luke rescued her." The boy jumped slighty "I remember!" His mom was very cool at that moment for him and me.

Granted scientifically we probably do have all the nasty things that kill ready. We still need to work on the good stuff. But what Star Wars and Star Trek have done to many of us is more valuable than any gadget, it is the hope of a better future filled with infinite diversity, in infinite combinations, it is the love to explore further outward (while honoring the prime directive) and inward to find the Jedi in all of us.
May The Force Be With You!!!!
Live Long and Prosper.