amrenmiller Reviews

Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)

Same old story, even if it gets told better every time

[19 September 2020]

I definitely learned some things, and also didn't. We keep on hearing the same story over and over again. The economy seems to keep lurching from crisis to crisis, and people throw up their hands every time there's a collapse of sorts and then private equity shows up and buys up everything, and the cycle of wealth accumulation goes basically unchallenged. Rinse, repeat. I don't really think it's that hard to imagine a solution. Politically, it shouldn't even be that hard. The elites make it seem like the solutions are untenable, but they distort the narrative significantly.

I have been reading a book about the Koch brothers, and I can say with absolute certainty: do not trust ANYTHING they say. I say to my family, when Eminem even acknowledges the very existence of mumble rappers, it gives them more power. It's the same with the 'mainstream news' media. If you even accept the very idea that someone's views on an opposing channel are worth debating, you have implicitly bought into the idea that they even have merit in the first place. So it's simple: don't accept the narratives of the elites. They live in a complete bubble and think the entire universe revolves around them, and they are absolutely myopic because they only hear each others' opinions and live in separate zip codes. I once heard, "To be rich in America means never having to be around people who aren't." So don't even accept any of the premises they are arguing from.

We need to have a reckoning. Don't accept the status quo.

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Makes some really good points

[9/10 · 14 September 2020]

Yeah, it's pretty good. I think they made a lot of good points. Even shocked me with the degree to which things I'm not aware of are happening. Some is suprising, some not so much.

However, speaking for myself, I don't and have never loved or even really liked 'social' media. I absolutely detest being on my phone, (though this has developed over years, and younger people may not become this way until after years of phone usage). I remain absolutely appalled at the degree to which people use technology and get too involved. Twitter has never made sense to me. I consider it a loathsome technology, and I've really only actually tweeted once EVER. And I have one single post on my wall on Facebook. I am not the norm for sure.

But the thing I just can't seem to process is the degree to which Americans haven't grasped how they are also part of the problem of technology. Most of them virtually never leave their houses, except to shop. (I would know. I walk around neighborhoods all the time), and they also, at least where I live, are isolated in their cars. Where I live, (other places may be different), people have basically built themselves into actual physical cages, (cars and homes), and don't interact with other people when they go to restaurants. You could be forgiven for thinking that they are phone addicts, but the REAL problem is that most people don't go to restaurants to socialize in the first place. And you're not really allowed to truly be yourself there in any case.

What is the point I'm trying to make? Well, I personally think that technology addiction is an environmental factor. The polarization in our country is less due to the fact that algorithms are dividing us, and more due to the fact that Americans don't hardly ever leave their houses. They could solve this by actually going out at least once a week for reasons other than to shop, but of course, there are no actual public spaces where you can hang out and literally do whatever you want, at least where I live. Going to a restaurant may make you feel like you're part of the public hive, but it's approximately the same as trying to get all your nutrition from a milkshake. So to Americans, nothing seems wrong, because they are conditioned this way. But in the midst of all of this, they nonetheless log on to the internet too much and argue with people with wildly different views from all across the country, which is inherently flawed. Are people isolated because of their phones? Or are they isolated and lonely first and foremost because Americans hardly ever go outside in the first place, so living in the US feels like living on the moon?

Anyway, the reason that people don't tend to do anything spontaneously IN PUBLIC is because everything is PRIVATIZED. It's not really that hard to understand. If you are 'out in public', you are likely at a restaurant, so why would other people spontaneously want to do something with you, when that's not the reason that they came in the first place? Yet, we all blame technology. You walk into a restaurant and think that the person that's on their computer or phone is an addict or something, when in actual fact, it's actually quite likely that they are casually waiting to strike up conversations with other people as they walk in the door. But the person who comes through the door looks to you like they COULD be coming to strike up a conversation with you, but you don't know that. To YOU, it actually looks like they could be trying to find their friend who they came to meet, and then they get distracted by the hostess anyway. It's a complete mismatch that also makes people feel lonely and isolated. Not to mention that people who are out in public just to eat are usually under time constraints, which prevents them from having a prolonged conversation with a stranger, and no one usually wants to have their social lives revolve around the dining room of a McDonald's or what have you, so the same people USUALLY aren't there on a regular basis. Multiply these types of interactions thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of times across the country and you discover that our perception of 'technology addiction' might in many cases be a completely contrived and fake crisis.

Get a clue, people. Create a better world without so many parking lots, fewer cars, and with REAL public spaces.

***Disclaimer*** No protests where I live, so I have rose-colored glasses on to a certain degree, and I admit that. But the way I describe my own city is as accurate as I say it is.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Don't pay any attention to the negative reviews

[10/10 · 8 May 2014]

This movie is jaw-droppingly amazing. The visuals and audio are stunning, to the point where you can practically feel pleasure by watching it. You could be forgiven for thinking that it can feel corny at times, but to me, they embraced the super hero feel to the point where you either reject it, or let it consume you and pull you along completely. I was pulled in. Not only that, but the action sequences are not in-your-face, like other movies. They took some of the tiniest elements and expanded them in an elaborate dynamism that is truly hard to match, and will never truly be overcome because this is the pinnacle of movie-making. Many of the scenes feel like Spider Man is in a stadium, performing for people, but the best part is that the action sequences get chopped up and slowed down to show everyone's personalities, which simply pulls you in even further. It's playful and enormously entertaining. Some people have criticized the constant music that plays in the movie, but again, if you just let yourself go and get into the movie, it pulls you along and gets you emotionally invested. The whole movie feels like an grand symphony. What else can I say about it? Incredible, just incredible. It is hard to explain, you just need to experience it.

Dexter (2006–2013)

Feeling so ill......

[3/10 · 24 March 2014]

I'll keep this a little short. Dexter was my absolute favorite show.....until the end. I was so into it, that I would feel ill with anticipation and literally have to force myself to keep watching. THEN.....season 8 came and the plot careened out of control and the series started,(even more than before), to make little sense. They disrespected Batista, who was on the show for years and ultimately got little screen time, and many actors were brought in for a Hollywood incest fest. They also cheaply used the season as a cash-cow advertisement vehicle, BLATANTLY placing Pepsi into one of the shots. THAT'S one of the reasons how you know the show crapped out so bad. They also played dress-up too much in the season by wearing bright colors and saturated many of the scenes with red. Also, they zoomed onto characters too closely with the camera and forgot to involve a broader audience for the story. It was this aspect that truly made the story feel shallow and unrealistic, like a really crappy comic book with one or two people in each frame.

Yeah, the show went down when they tried to be too Hollywood and also, at the same time, went too meta, meaning that they tried to convey too much deep meaning on screen. If you're not careful in doing that, the show can easily lose viewers along the way.

Also, the plot just had too many holes and refused to circle back onto its own storyline by bringing up the past seasons and events. Not only did they refuse to close this gap by filming certain scenes, but the dialogue was also crappy and really, honestly, could have been better written by a monkey......with disabilities and no hands. It's like that South Park episode with the manatees in the tank randomly picking out words for a Family Guy episode by choosing a random ball. Horrendous. And offensive.

I don't want to really throw out the entire series, but I am in FULL agreement that Dexter was really meant to be a package-deal series. The story was so centered on Dexter that to let the series crap out in the end LITERALLY made the entire series lose value. I literally cannot watch Dexter anymore. It's like being punched in the gut while having your brain sucked out of your head, and a black hole start in your heart with your soul being vanquished forever to Satan by Jesus Christ. Which is to say, you'll wish you never watched it all to begin with. Remembering only hurts.

So, the stars? Dexter gave me some really, really good times, so I can't give it one star just because of the last season. However, the last season is a travesty to the series overall and blights the honorable name of Dexter Morgan. Just end the series on season four or five, and you'll be good.