Daniel Craig IS Ian Fleming's JAMES BOND!

My father and I have always enjoyed movies. I credit Dad with instilling in me an appreciation for the craft and artistry involved in making movies. I don’t think that Dad knows that my lifelong appreciation for movies began the summer between 5th and 6th grade. During the school year, my father had purchased a very heavy and exotic looking device that, for all intents and purposes, looked like a giant tape recorder. My father was excited about this giant box, and my brother and I could not understand why. Our confusion lasted as long as it took for my Dad to put a tape into the box and press “play.” We found ourselves watching a movie on TV. We were able to pause it so we could go to the bathroom or get snacks. My mind was really blown away when my Dad was able to play a TV show that had been on 2 nights before. Wow. The family VCR was definitely a hit, and I think that we were among the first adopters of the new technology. Dad, in his infinite wisdom, had even chosen a VHS machine instead of Betamax. His decision was highly prescient. Our love affair with the VCR intensified upon Dad’s purchase of a video camera. Now, we were able to film all of our family’s special moments and watch them instantaneously instead of waiting weeks for Super 8 film to develop. No more setting up the projector and the screen. It was all so awesome. I know that, in a world of tiny camcorders, digital cameras, and DVRs this all might seem a bit trite, but I grew up in a time where we had 3 channels (6 after Dad set up a UHF/VHF antenna). It really seemed like magic to me.

The VCR was also the way that Dad and I bonded. My parents were very good about choosing appropriate films for my brother and me (resulting in me not seeing “My Fair Lady”, a “G” rated film, mind you, for a few years because Henry Higgins yells the word “Damn” several times). The real fun came during the aforementioned summer when Dad took my brother and me to the video store, the Video Discount Warehouse, located in Portsmouth, VA. This was a time before the ubiquitous Blockbuster Video, Hollywood Video, Erol’s, Movie Gallery, and Family Video. Every Wednesday, Dad would take us there and let my brother and me choose movies. I still remember how the films had stickers on the spines (red “As” for new releases, blue “Bs” for slightly older releases, and green “Cs” for old releases and kid films). Dad would always let my brother and me choose the maximum 6 movies, and he did not limit us to the most inexpensive lists. Sometimes, he would gently make suggestions if we could not decide. I used to look forward to my Wednesdays with Dad because they were true bonding times. Neither of us was into baseball as many fathers and sons are, so we bonded over films. I think that, except for my love of science fiction films, we have a pretty similar taste in movies to this very day.

One of the films that we rented that summer was a recent blockbuster, “Octopussy.” Up to that point, I had only watched part of a James Bond film, and it had bored me to tears. The film was “From Russia, With Love,” and I remember when it was broadcast on ABC falling asleep while watching it. I also remember my parents’ amusement at my comment upon viewing the moment when Bond, fresh from the shower with a towel around his waist, finds Tatiana Romanova in his bedroom, sits down on the bed, and starts his seduction. My comment? “Wouldn’t he be embarrassed if his towel fell off.” Hey, I was pretty young, so I didn’t quite get the sexual overtones of Bond. I think that my parents were both amused and comforted by my naivety. Anyway, “Octopussy” was available, and we rented it. I was mesmerized from the first moments of the film. Roger Moore became the Bond of my childhood the moment he flew out of Cuba using the tiny jet in the pre-credit sequence. The next time we went to the video store, Dad let me rent the max number of Bond films. I devoured them over the next few days. My favorite Bond when I was a youngster was Roger Moore; I think that a lot of this had to do with the foppishness of his performance. As a kid, you never want to fell as if the hero is really in any danger, and I never felt that Moore was ever in any danger.

Time went on. As I reached my teen-aged years, Moore gave way to Dalton, and my appreciation for the performances of Dalton and Connery grew. My appreciation was born both out of a more mature appreciation for how the character was portrayed (with me wanting more realism from my action heroes) and out of my appreciation for Ian Flemings original James Bond novels. Connery came closest to Fleming’s description of Bond, and and I later learned that Fleming, impressed with Connery’s portrayal of his creation, introduced a Scottish background into Bond’s backstory during the writing of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," which coincided with the filming of "Goldfinger". Dalton took his cue from the Fleming novels, but subpar screenplays and having the role of the follow-up to the popular Moore (not to mention a long drawn-out lawsuit concerning the character of Bond), proved to be Dalton’s undoing. I always felt that Dalton received short shrift for his portrayal, and it is not deserved. He did the Fleming Bond proud. Between the last Dalton film, 1989’s “License to Kill” and 1995, there were no Bond films as the lawsuit was litigated. In 1995, however, Pierce Brosnan was given the role and was superb in the film “Goldeneye.” Brosnan proved to be a worthy successor to the Bond mantle, and the story also gave the audience an all too rare glimpse into the psyche of Bond. There were not a lot of gadgets in the film, and Brosnan gave a subtly nuanced performance as Bond, finding middle ground between the intensity of Dalton and the foppishness of Moore. Still, I never thought that Brosnan could compare to Connery from the first 3 Bond films. Sadly, the quality of the films deteriorated rapidly shortly after that (a remote control BMW in “Tomorrow Never Dies,” Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist in “The World is Not Enough,” and an INVISIBLE CAR and a diamond-satellite refuge from “Diamond are Forever” in “Die Another Day”). The future looked bleak. Brosnan was starting to look a little too old for the role (a role that was originally offered to him in 1986 before NBC screwed that up). The screenplays by Purvis and Wade were ludicrous, and I started to wonder about the viability of the franchise. I found myself reading the books, and I wondered why the filmmakers couldn’t just make a straight translation of Fleming’s novels. The thing that every single Bond film has missed was Fleming’s character. The movie Bond (with the noted exceptions of Dalton, Connery’s first 3 films, and George Lazenby’s single film portrayal in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”) all missed the boat when it came to understanding the character of Bond. Bond is an assassin, a cold, calculating, cruel weapon of the MI6.

Word then started coming about a NEW Bond. This Bond would be Daniel Craig, Paul Newman’s weak son in “The Road to Perdition.” I was a bit nervous about this until I saw his performance in Steven Spielberg’s “Munich”; his performance in that film convinced me that Craig might be a good Bond, but I was skeptical as to whether the producers would actually take advantage of Craig’s talent by providing a good screenplay. When the trailers for the new film started to play, I started getting more excited. This was a different kind of Bond, one who seemed to have sprung from the pages of Fleming’s novel. “Casino Royale” opened yesterday. I saw it today.


Wow.

The origin of Bond proved to be every bit as satisfying as that of Batman in “Batman Begins.” The screenwriters (the much maligned Purvis and Wade, with an assist from "Crash" writer/director Paul Haggis) crafted an excellent story, using Fleming’s novel as the template and FAITHFULLY ADAPTING it, changing some minor aspects that had to be changed due to the post-Cold War world we live in. We see the 2 kills that made Bond 007 (2 kills, 2 “0s”, hence 00…and this is straight from Fleming…even the first 2 kills were lifted straight from the 1952 novel). Daniel Craig IS James Bond to the point who…dare I say it…not only challenges Connery’s portrayal but actually SURPASSED it in many ways. The plotline is timely and not far fetched, the stunts were not ridiculous, and there were no gadgets. The wonderful thing is that we get to see what made Bond Bond. I cannot recommend this film enough. Halfway through the film, I reflected on what a good film it was, not just what a good “James Bond” film it was. Several things made me smile…retaining Rene Mathis and Felix Leiter as characters from the novel, the creation (lifted straight from Fleming’s novel) of the James Bond martini, the total lack of slapstick and ridiculous science, the acting of Daniel Craig, the soundtrack (not the opening song, but the string-heavy instrumental soundtrack that was a throwback to the great Bond soundtracks of the 1960s), and the overall “feel” of the film. This film felt like a classic 1960s Bond film sans rocket packs and bulletproof cars. Much of the dialogue was lifted straight from the novel, and I was pleased. This is a great film. I cannot recommend it enough. I was also impressed with the pacing. In most action films, the character scenes are too often viewed as filler for the action sequences, but the scenes had true import in this movie. In the end, when Bond (excuse me, Daniel Craig) delivers the famous introduction, I was smiling. When the original arrangement of Monty Norman’s James Bond theme played over the final credits, I was smiling even more broadly. Even the theme was as it was in the early Connery films. This was a great Bond film. This was a great spy movie. This is one of my favorite films of the year.

Wow.

Congratulations, Daniel Craig. May the producers continue to provide good screenplays for you to use, and may we continue to see you as Bond for years to come.

For those of you interested in watching the films in chronological order:
1) Dr. No
2) From Russia, With Love
3) Goldfinger
4) Thunderball
5) You Only Live Twice
6) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7) Diamonds Are Forever
8) Live and Let Die
9) The Man With the Golden Gun
10) The Spy Who Loved Me
11) Moonraker
12) For Your Eyes Only
13) Octopussy
14) A View to a Kill
15) The Living Daylights
16) License to Kill
17) Goldeneye
18) Tomorrow Never Dies
19) The World is Not Enough
20) Die Another Day
21) Casino Royale

Note..I realize that there was an earlier version of Casino Royale, and I know that Connery was in the Thunderball remake, Never Say Never Again, but the only authentic Bond films (in my opinion) are the ones from Eon Productions.

Update: all is well...I guess...

Sorry for the long delay in updating my blog. I had been right on target at a new post every two weeks, but once again, my law school work has foiled me! The only thing I can do is blame Legal Writing for the delay. The strange thing about the second year of law school is that while it is much easier than the first year, there is a lot more work to do. I am writing for a journal this year, writing for my Legal Writing class, attempting to keep up with the reading assignments for my other classes, and I was selected (3 weeks ago) with my buddy Don as a Moot Court Negotiations Team member. Life is busy…not hard, but busy. The hard time is almost at an end, though, as the Moot Court Regional Competition is in 2 weeks, my last Legal Writing Assignment (EVER!) is due in 3 weeks, and exams are just around the corner. Of course, then all I have to do is worry about next semester…..

I had a lot of fun last weekend (the weekend of October 20). My parents came to town, and we had a wonderful visit. Whenever my folks come to town, I have a really good time. We ate, talked, and walked. The problem was that before I knew it, the weekend was over. I was left with the same empty feeling as before when they left town. I really do not like only seeing my parents once every 3 months or so. Our family is much closer than that. In the end, I am looking forward to a January trip to Orlando. That’s right! I am 35 years old and am going on a family vacation to Orlando with my parents and my older brother. I count myself extremely fortunate to be a part of such a close family. I mean, I used to think that my parents really did not get me. This time, however, my parents were able to read into my irritability at some moments as anxiety over getting some work done over the weekend. My parents were the ones who suggested that I get some work done; they took the onus off me because they realized that I want them to keep coming out to Chicago to visit me; if I worried too much about work and made a big deal about it, they would not want to come. That is the LAST thing I want to happen. I want them to continue coming to visit my brother and me (and yes, they DO read my blog, so I hope they get my gentle hint J).

After the weekend was over, the real work began. I had to write my entire legal writing assignment and do a lot of other work in an extremely short period of time. This was stress, but it was completely manageable. I sure was glad when the weekend showed up…but wait! My brother and I threw a Halloween party! Amid all of the decorating and preparations, there was not enough time to enjoy anything on Saturday until the party itself. All of our friends showed up, and we had a blast. I don’t think that I have dressed up for Halloween since I was 13 years old, but I had fun dressing up as a Dark Lord of the Sith. For your entertainment, I have included a photo of me and my brother (I am the one on the left)!

A visit from a friend and "The Departed"

Sometimes friends can really be what we need to get through a particular hectic series of days. I mean, we go through our normal day-to-day schedule, trying to balance the demands of work (or school), job hunting, and other activities (like paying bills, cooking, grocery shopping, etc), and you can feel a bit overwhelmed. Right when you have lost all sense of how to relax, your friends can come along and provide a reality check. My friend Jennifer from Owings Mills, MD was in town for a conference this week, and we had a chance to catch up on Friday and spend a day around Chicago doing nothing. That was a wonderful thing and was just what the doctor ordered. We had lunch at Grand Lux Café on Michigan Avenue, and we took advantage of a gorgeous Chicago fall day to go up to the Observatory Deck of the John Hancock building. I had never done this most quintessential of tourist activities, and it ended up being a lot of fun. While walking to Navy Pier to retrieve Jennifer’s car, we made an impromptu decision to see the new Scorsese film, The Departed (more on that later). All in all, my day was a much needed respite from the pressures of law school. Thanks, Jennifer!

So, since there has not been a movie review in some time, you all might be wondering what I think of Scorsese’s latest magnum opus, The Departed. First of all, one cannot find fault with the cast. Di Caprio, Nicholson, Damon (taking full advantage of his natural Boston accent), Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen all did outstanding jobs with their material. The film, a remake of the Chinese crime drama Infernal Affairs, was a tour de force for the actors. The engrossing plotline combined the best elements of the crime drama, action, spy, and police genres. I always separate the truly great films from those that are merely good by considering if I am able to remove myself from the real world and be completely engrossed and taken away by the story. This was the case here. I cinematography was gorgeous, and every shot was lovingly framed by Scorsese. My only grip would be the hamfisted editing. Scene transitions were anything but seamless, and one never gets the sense of time going by. One minute, Di Caprio’s character is just starting his undercover mission; the next, years have gone by with no visible changes other than a verbal reference. What the story lacked in developed plotlines and perfected editing was more than made up for by the acting performances. I liken it to the film Heat, an excellent film that would have been merely good without the performances of De Niro and Pacino. This is the first true Oscar contender of the year, and the performances alone are well worth the price of admission.

I love the NFL

Well, another week has gone by. It is almost Wednesday, and I cannot believe how fast my year has been progressing. Next week will mark the completion of my first month as a 2L. 3 months until finals! The last couple of weeks have been rather hectic, but then, what else is new? At least I can enjoy my NFL games now that I have Mondays off to do schoolwork. This Monday, however, I had a second interview with a Chicago-based intellectual property firm. I think it went pretty well, but one never knows until one gets the acceptance or denial. I have not received any denial from any of the firms with whom I interviewed, and I am feeling a lot better about my job prospects. I am also feeling better about my schoolwork. I have taken my uncle Ravi’s advice into the new school year, and the result has been even more free time (yeah, right!). Seriously, his advice on getting up early to get some work done in the wee hours of the morning is something that I highly recommend. My classes are a lot of fun. I am enjoying all three of my traditional classes, and I also have a pretty good handle on my legal writing class. Everything just seems a little routine now.

Now I am going to get into a discussion of the NFL season thus far. For those of you who could not care less, skip on down to the next paragraph. For the rest of you, all I can say is: wow, what a season. For the first time in a long time, my favorite teams are all winning. Let’s start with the Baltimore Ravens. Since Art Modell oh-so-wisely moved them from Cleveland (don’t believe me? Think about the Lombardi Trophy he won within 4 years of the move versus the 30 years of futility he experienced in Cleveland), the Ravens franchise has been in search of a passing game. We had some wonderful times with Vinny Testeverde passing to Michael Jackson, but since the move from Cleveland, the Baltimore quarterback roster has included (and Aaron, correct me if I am wrong here): Vinny Testeverde, Jim Harbaugh, Scott Mitchell, Eric Zeier, Stoney Case, Tony Banks, Anthony Wright, Kordell Stewart, Chris Redmon, Jeff Blake, Trent Dilfer (Super Bowl winner (!)), Kyle Boller, and now Steve McNair. The last time we had the receivers and the quarterbacks on the same page, however, was way back when Vinny was firing darts to Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander (oh so long ago). We never had a chance to match up a great passing quarterback with great receivers. Now, we have a quarterback who is 2 years removed from an MVP season passing to his favorite receiver from that time (Derrick Mason) and a future superstar in Mark Clayton (I hope) plus the best tight end in the game. We are set for offense. Our defense is healthy. The only teams that would seem to stand in the way of the Ravens are the Bears (NFC) and the Chargers, Bengals, and Colts (AFC). The Ravens will play the Chargers next week, a game that will be a match up of undefeated teams. After the way the Ravens limped out of Cleveland this week, I must admit to being a little scared.

There has been no time for movies or relaxation (save for my precious NFL)! The life of a law student is upon me. Help!

The chaotic life of a 2L begins....

So, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? It has almost been a month. My apologies to everyone. The last few weeks have gone by like a whirlwind, and I have barely had time to catch my breath. So, what have I been doing? Well, when I last wrote, I had been captivated by the wonderful novel “The Prestige,” by Christopher Priest. I was getting ready to head to Cleveland for a few days of R & R with my best friend and his family. I arrived at Aaron and Julie’s on Thursday and stayed through the weekend. We had a wonderful time. We ate, we played video games, we watch movies, and celebrated my (gulp) 35^th birthday. Aaron and Julie took me to a wonderful restaurant in downtown Cleveland called Sushi Rock. We dined on some excellent sushi and had a wonderful evening. I arrived back in Chicago and immediately started getting ready for classes on Thursday, but first I had a law interview for a firm in Madison, WI. The interview season for summer associate positions (for NEXT summer) was already upon me, and I was fortunate enough to have been granted a number of second interviews with some pretty reputable firms around the country. The interview was an all day affair, but I found some time to have lunch and dinner with some former colleagues of mine from my last job. I arrived home late on Wednesday night, but I was ready for class the next day. The following week, I found myself on a plane to Washington DC for another second interview. I flew back on Wednesday night and was in class the next day. I was able to catch my breath a bit this week, and I needed it. There are still some things that I would like to take care of around my place.

I haven’t watched many movies since the last time that I wrote, but I did read an excellent book (yet again on the recommendation of my friend Aaron). Anthony Bourdain, the chef with his own TV show on the Travel Channel, wrote a novel in 2000 called “Kitchen Confidential,” a fascinating look into the secret society of kitchens around the world. Bourdain’s book comes across as a completely honest and, at times, painfully unflinching look at his life and the places his work as a chef has taken him. Bourdain also has a wonderfully wicked sense of humor, and I found myself laughing out loud while reading several of the passages (much to the consternation of my fellow train riders in the morning..I guess they thought they were stuck with “crazy guy on train”). Bourdain also teaches. For example, the best nights to eat in a restaurant are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The WORST meat in the cold rooms is served whenever someone orders something well done. Don’t ever (EVER) order mussels from a restaurant. Knife sets are wastes of money. All you need is one chef’s knife of a particular manufacture. Am I being too cryptic? Pick up the book! It is wonderfully readable and chock full of fun facts. Bourdain has become my favorite (non) celebrity chef.

My reference to reading on the train reminds me that I need to rant briefly about something. iPods are slowly and surely removing us from daily important social interactions. Everywhere I look (on the train, on sidewalks, in elevators), men and women walk around attuned to their own world, the eponymous white ear buds sticking out (and the volume too damned loud!), tuning out the world at large. This has caused a reduction in day-to-day conversation and interaction among the people in our society. Now, I am not an iPod hater. I love my iPod. It saves me when I am at the gym, and iTunes is a wonderful computer program for cataloguing one’s music. My problem is that I can see the iPod-ation of our society will have some farther reaching consequences beyond early hearing loss in the majority of individuals under the age of 30. What is my suggestion for a better society? If you are around other people (unless you are doing something like RUNNING), turn it off. Not only will you save your ears (and the ears of those around you..those ear buds really aren’t worth crap), you might be surprised to find that you are living in a society of pretty decent people.

Sorry if the entry seems a bit rambling, but there was a lot on my mind. Until next time….

An incredible book of magic, mystery, and murder

Citizen Kane. The Sixth Sense. The Usual Suspects. The Shawshank Redemption. Ender’s Game. What do these films and books have in common? They have all successfully provided fascinating mysteries and so-called “twist” endings that have excited and delighted audiences and readers since their respective releases. Who doesn’t remember the thrill of discovering the meaning of Charles Foster Kane’s last word (rosebud) in Citizen Kane? How about the revelation of Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects? M. Night Shamalyan provided many clues to the mystery in The Sixth Sense, but audiences still thrill at the revelation at the end. How did Andy Dufresne escape from Shawshank? How real were the battle simulations in Ender’s Game? No matter how many times I see a certain film or read a certain book, I can tell whether the author or creator is a master of his craft by how easily he is able to manipulate his audience. Mysteries do that, and I have been fortunate enough to take part in yet another such journey. The author is Christopher Priest, and the novel is The Prestige.

I first learned of the novel when doing an internet search on a forthcoming film from Christopher Nolan. My friend Aaron Fraley told me of a new film coming out and directed me to the trailer on the internet (on Apple’s Quicktime movie trailer site). I am a huge fan of the director Christopher Nolan. Although I was underwhelmed by his sophomore effort (Insomnia), I loved Memento and Batman Begins. The trailer for The Prestige blew me away. It was full of atmosphere, mystery, and suspense that bordered on horror. The cast was also intriguing: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. After viewing the trailer, I immediately went to the internet movie database (www.imdb.com) to get some more information on the film. Upon arriving at the site, I noticed that it was based on a novel that was published over 10 years ago. I immediately procured a copy of the novel and started reading it on Tuesday, August 8.

I finished it on Wednesday, August 9.

The Prestige was the veritable “book that you cannot put down.” The book chronicles the rivalry of 2 fictional 19^th century magicians, Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier, the levels to which the rivalry rose and the depths to which each (along with their heirs) sunk in order to win. There is science, magic, murder, intrigue, love, death, wealth, poverty, and, above all, mystery. Late last night, when I reached the climax of the novel where everything was made known, I uttered aloud an “OH MY GOD” even though I live alone and was READING A BOOK! The climax uncovered the author’s masterful manipulation of the reader (me) throughout the first part of the novel. It did not end there, and in this, the author was even more deliciously devious. My discovery of this mystery with 80 pages left to read lulled me into a false sense of complacency whereby I did not expect the rapid- fire succession of surprises that were yet to come. The novel itself proved to be a most wondrous magic trick. I could barely fall asleep after completing it. I kept turning over the narrative in my mind and marveled at how the author had so easily manipulated me. Moreover, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed the experience. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you are looking for an incredibly fun read that will keep you guessing until the end, The Prestige is the novel for you. The only problem with discussing the novel is that there is no way to tell you about the relevant plot points of the story without giving the whole thing away. I would not have wanted anyone to take away the fun of the journey; therefore, I will extend to you the courtesy of secrecy.

Having discussed The Prestige, I can now turn my attention to discussing a few more films of the summer. First up is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. In their infinite wisdom (yeah, right), Disney brought back the entire team from the first film and signed them for 2 more (PoC: At World’s End will debut next May). This means that Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and last but NOT least, Johnny Depp all returned. I’ll be honest: except for Johnny Depp, I could have done without the rest. As with any sequel, when the cast gets larger, the screen time afforded the rest must go down. Here, we are introduced to Davey Jones, Bootstrap Bill Turner, the crew of the damned on the Flying Dutchman, the evil new head of the British east India Company on the Island, the voodoo priestess…do you sense a pattern here? The first film succeeded because of Johnny Depp and in spite of Orlando Bloom. Granted, the ladies might enjoy Bloom as eye candy and I personally think that Keira Knightley is a looker, but the root of the success of the first film was Geoffrey Rush as Barbarossa and Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp gets greatly reduced screen time in order to give service to the rest, and the film suffers as a result. Throwing special effects at the screen does not help matters, and I left the theater feeling rather cheated at the short shrift afforded Depp. Oh well…the film was not as bad as Superman Returns, but it could have been better. The great surprise was the return of Jack Davenport’s character of Norrington (Elizabeth’s suitor from the first film). Where (in the first film) he was a boring officer of Her Majesty’s navy, Davenport had an opportunity to shine in this one as a fallen officer seeking redemption after having fallen into a pit of drunken despair. Norrington will probably be integral to the next film as well (judging by the finale of this chapter). This is a good thing.

Crockett and Tubbs are back..and the summer got a little bit better...

So it has been a while, but with my exam finally behind me, I can get to work enjoying the rest of my summer (in theory). I have been fortunate enough to see 4 movies since my last report. Are you curious as to whether I was able to salvage the summer movie season? Read on.

I will talk about Pirates of the Caribbean in a later entry. Today, I want to talk about “Miami Vice.” Miami Vice has a special importance for me. The year that it debuted on NBC, I was getting ready to start high school. Yes, my formative years were spent during the run of the original Miami Vice television show. You can bet that Michael Mann’s production of Anthony Yerkovic’s dark world of cocaine cowboys during the wild west days of the drug wars in southern Florida had a seismic impact on the pop culture zeitgeist of the mid-80s. I mean, the beginning of the 80s was marked by shows such as Knight Rider, the last days of the Dukes of Hazzard, and prime time soaps such as Knott’s Landing, Falcon Crest, Dynasty and Dallas. In other words, there was precious little for an impressionable teen-ager to watch. Miami Vice stood out because of its realistic storylines, the dangers of the cops walking the fine line of being undercover and actually living the lives of drug lords, and it was shot like a film. Indeed, the show went on to influence the later cop-buddy films of the late 80s and early 90s. Miami Vice was also one of the first shows that I can remember where the bad guy often got away. The show was not about the bad guy getting caught every time. As in real life, the cops were often frustrated in their efforts. It is sad that the show’s name has almost become synonymous with 80s camp. Between Don Johnson’s 5 o’clock shadow and aversion to socks (while wearing fashionable white suits with pastel T-Shirts) and Philip Michael Thomas’s horrendous “Soul Glo” look complete with ugly gold chain, there was a lot to laugh about. It was truly a product of its time. The music was also something that set it apart from other shows that were on the air at the time. Most shows of the time had to rely on sound-alikes if they wanted to feature current rock hits. Miami Vice went one better. The show not only received the rights to play the original songs sung by the original artists; the show became a showcase for the future hit makers (and even some, like Glenn Frey and Phil Collins, who were trying to find fame after losses/changes to their own supergroups). If you wanted to know the hot songs, fashions, and cars, an impressionable teen would look to MTV and Miami Vice. Yes, Miami Vice was the cop show of the MTV generation. I have had the opportunity to revisit the original show when the pilot was rebroadcast on NBC not too long ago. The show holds up extremely well. I was surprised to find so many actors who later became famous in the pilot. Jimmy Smits and Mykelti Williamson were just 2 of the featured players on the first episode of the show.

This brings me to the new film. Would I like the new Miami Vice, with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in the Crockett and Tubbs roles? Would the show have the same vibe without the campy aftertaste of the original series? Would the music be as perfectly matched to the scenes as it was on the series? I went to see an afternoon show (much much cheaper!). As the theater lights darkened following the trailers (hmmm...”Snakes on a Plane” looks like it will be a lot of fun), the Universal logo appeared. The screen then went blank, and the opening cords of Linkin Park and Jay-Z’s “Numb/Encore” (eponymous with the “Miami Vice” movie trailer) made their way over the speakers. I was then thrust in the middle of a nightclub. We meet the vice squad in mid assignment, but the assignment was cut short because of a call from a former informant who was in danger. The story went all over the place from there, but in a good way. Unlike a Michael Bay film, where the quiet moments seemed to be merely spacers for the next over-the top action sequence, here the quiet moments fed into the “day in the life” aspect. The frenetic, dangerous, and tense aspects of life as an undercover vice cop in the middle of the major drug weigh station of the US was wonderfully realized. Michael Mann used his Hi-def digital cameras to great effect. There were a lot of moments (if you see the film, look at the shots of the Lear jet and you will understand what I mean) where I was just staring at the screen going “wow.” The action that was in the movie was gritty, realistic, and 100% germane to the plot. The performances of the actors were all right (not great, but at least they played the roles with a certain earnestness). I loved how Mann drops us off right in the middle of the action and then does not let up until the end of the film. Yes, you will get involved with the characters. Yes, the film delivers as promised. If the TV show were to be shot today, this is what it most likely would look like. Now, I am a big fan of police procedurals, but this made me miss the days when the lives of the cops behind the badge took precedence over telling the tale of yet another DNA test for blood. Oh, and lest I forget, the MUSIC was perfectly chosen for the film. Lots of Audioslave and Moby, but it really seemed to work. At the end, what I really appreciated was that nothing really seemed to change from the beginning of the film to the end. The cops went through hell and back, but in the end, it was just a day in the life. It was this type of circular storytelling that I can appreciate. Should we be so naïve as an audience that we can believe that the end of the story would wrap itself up into a big happy bow just for the sake of a happy ending for our protagonists? In an animated film, maybe. In a “feel good film of the summer,” of course. In a gritty cop film about the cocaine war, not on your life. I did not feel cheated by the film. The summer movie season got a little bit better.

No movie review this time, but other odds and ends...

This weekend I went home to see my parents. Visiting my parents tends to be very bittersweet nowadays. I love coming home because we are a close family. As I have grown older, I have a new appreciation for all that they went through as “strangers in a strange land.” I have discussed this with my brother, and we both agree that as we are growing older, there is a renewed interest in our “roots” and our “people.” I always enjoy my visits with my parents for this reason. They are a constant reminder of what is possible with hard work, intelligence, and above all, perseverance. At the same time, I hate leaving them at the end of the day. In my previous visits, my unhappiness on my last day usually manifested itself in a temper tantrum (I know, just like a 3 year old, right), and I would end up ruining the last bits of time with my folks by starting an argument. This time was no different with regard to my unhappiness on the morning of my departure. Because I recognized my own problem, I tried very hard to keep my grumpiness down because my parents do not deserve it. They provided a wonderful time for me, and I look forward to the time when I can see them more frequently. I am lucky to have had such wonderful role models for my life. In the end, the only feelings I ended up with were those involving sadness. There were no arguments; there was only the unhappiness of them pulling away from the curb of the airport. Oh well. I hope to see them sooner rather than later.

The noose is starting to tighten. In short order, I have a very busy six weeks ahead of me. My Criminal Procedure class ends in 2 weeks and the final is 2 weeks from this Thursday (!). After that, I will be pushing full bore in studying for the Patent Bar. I am also moving this week, and I have to get geared up for the fall semester for law school. All in all, the summer has been anything but restful, but it has provided me with a modicum of a brief respite for the full bore pressure of law school.

So, what am I taking next semester? Copyrights and Trademarks, Antitrust, Evidence, Legal Writing III, and Business Organizations. I was only going to take 4 classes, but with my final year in school dedicated to job hunting and studying for the bar exam, I think it prudent for me to get as many classes out of the way this year so that I will not have to pile it on in the end. I think that my future courses will include Patents, Wills and Trusts, Federal Income Taxation and Policy, Trial Advocacy, Real Estate Taxation, Genetics and the Law, Professional Responsibility. and Secure Transactions. If anyone has any other suggestions for good courses for me to take, let me know. I still have some openings for the future!

Legal headline of the month: the Supreme Court ruled in Hudson v. Michigan that police officers do not even have to knock before they enter a home with a search warrant http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/04-1360.pdf . What does this mean? It means that our 4^th amendment rights protecting us against unlawful search and seizure have taken yet another big bite. The exclusionary rule states that any evidence that was gathered in a manner that is contrary to the 4^th amendment’s protections cannot be admitted into evidence at the trial of the D (we have seen this in the numerous police procedurals that are on the airwaves right now). Of course, by negating the so-called knock-and-announce rule, there is a concomitant weakening of the exclusionary rule. The times they are a-changing. We are moving from a country full of freedoms to one where our constitutional rights are being chipped away, yet no one seems to care. I was extremely gratified at the recent decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which held that enemy combatants (yeah, right!) cannot be held indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay without coming to trial. At least there is a semblance of the court trying to re-establish the balance that has been tipped away from the people and towards the executive branch of the government (Patriot Act anyone?).

I have also provided the link to the recent US Supreme Court decisions because I think it is important that everyone recognize the protections we citizens of the United States are afforded and how the Court interprets the laws passed by Congress and how the Court weighs in on possible constitutional arguments in some criminal cases. Taking Criminal Procedure this summer has really opened my eyes to the value of the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th amendments, but at the same time, those freedoms that we enjoy are not as broad as we would like to believe. Stay tuned!

Summer Movie Season STILL Sucks! Superman (sorta) Returns

I really wanted to like this film. I have been looking forward to it since the announcement that Bryan Singer (the director of "The Usual Suspects," "X-Men," and "X-Men II") would be directing it. You see, ever since Warner Brothers' intelligent decision to sign Christopher Nolan to direct "Batman Begins," I started to have a renewed faith in the powers that be over at the studio. I mean, Warner Brothers has a stable of incredible comic heroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash), icons known the world over. Bryan Singer is the one who successfully brought the X-Men to the screen, and I had faith that he would show a reverence for the material. Well....he did, but not the right material.

If you have not seen "Superman Returns" and do not like to read plot spoilers, stop reading here and go see the film. If spoilers do not bother you, keep reading. I might be able to save you a good $8.00 movie ticket.

OK, so here I am at the Navy Pier IMAX Theater in Chicago. It is the Wednesday afternoon of the release of "Superman Returns." I have my assigned seat in the top row of the IMAX dead center of the screen. Everything is going perfectly. I know that the presentation is going to have 20 minutes of 3-D, and I am pumped for the film. As the lights dim, a brief prologue written on the screen tells us a little of the legend of Superman. We then get a view of the planet Krypton's civilization as Marlon Brando's Jor-El (Superman's father) provides a voice-over from the first Superman movie from 1978. We also hear composer John Ottman's rendition of "The Planet Krypton," the same piece of music composed for the original Superman movie by John Williams. The camera pulls back, Krypton explodes, and the main title march from the original Superman blares over the speakers, with the same typeface used for the opening credits of Donner's 1978 film. I AM THERE and loving it. And...it was all downhill from there.

What was good about the movie? In a word, Brandon Routh as Superman. I must confess that I was always a fan of Christopher Reeve's characterization of the Man of Steel, and it seemed as if Routh was channeling the spirit of Reeve in his performance. I kid you not...it was downright eerie at times. The action sequences were exciting, and the Superman moments were fun (streaking in space, flying, facing down a machine gun, lifting a continent...all very cool). What else was good about the movie? Jimmy Olsen, for once, was played note perfectly. This is as he should have been played before and how he has always been portrayed in the source comics. That just about wraps up what was good about the film.

What was bad/disappointing about the film? Just about everything else. Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane did not seem to be a hard nosed reporter, and she and Routh had ZERO chemistry (a sad thing because this was supposed to be a love story in parts). Frank Langella's Perry White was just THERE...not doing much of anything. Lois's kid was annoying. I do not have anything against kids in movies, but this kid was horrible. Last, but not least, Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor. Hoo-boy. What a disappointment. There was only one moment that I believed he was Lex Luthor, and that was when Lex stabs Superman with the Kryptonite shank after having his goons thrash Supes. Otherwise, it was a completely over the top uninspired performance. Spacey obviously did no research on the character of Lex other than to look to Gene Hackman's completely missing the mark performance from 3 of the 4 Superman films. In a recent interview, when he was asked whether he tried to stay in character between shots (as most great thespians try to do), Spacey replied: "C'mon! It's a f---in' comic book, not Othello. Umm, Mr. Spacey, more people (as sad as it is) would be familiar with Lex Luthor than they would be with the villainous Iago from Shakespeare's play. Why didn't you do the research? Heck, Michael Rosenbaum does a great job essaying Luthor on TV's Smallville. All you had to do was watch his performance to get a clue. Spacey's performance was reminiscent of Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face character in the atrocious "Batman Forever." Yes, it was that bad. I blame Spacey, but I also blame the writers.

This brings me to the real weakness of the film-the plot. It was a strictly by the numbers affair that was too long by at least 30 minutes. The pacing was horrible, and the story was all wrong. We saw something similar in Superman: The Movie (almost the same scheme by Luthor) 30 years before. Couldn’t the writers have been more original? There was no JOY in this film at all. It was heavy and pedantic. The writers, in their quest for verisimilitude to the source film material, obviously felt handcuffed by the earlier film cannon. Why should they have been? Goyer and Nolan did a great job in rebooting the Batman franchise by forgetting about everything that had gone on before it. Singer would have done better had he chosen to do the same. There was too much sadness in the film. This is SUPERMAN, not Batman. You can have a serious action film with some sadness, but you can also have joy as well. Heck, the Kryptonian symbol for "hope" is the emblem on Superman's chest. No I am not making this up...I am actually so much a geek that I know this. (What, you thought the "S' stood for "Superman"?) If the man's symbol is related to hope, shouldn't you have some hope in the film?

This also brings me to the characterizations. Having said that I loved Routh's work as Superman, the writers got the character of Superman all wrong. Superman is CLARK, he is not just Clark's alter-ego (unlike Batman, whose Bruce Wayne is the real mask that hides his true identity of Batman). The writers completely misssed the point on the character of Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman. The writers only needed to look to the recent animated series or the George Reeves version of Clark from the '50s Adventures of Superman TV show in order to figure out how to write for the Clark character, but because of the writers' failure, Clark Kent is a non-entity in this film.

Another problem is the character of the kid and the situations in which the kid is used. First problem..Lois takes her kid onto a suspicious yacht on her way to the...wait for it...Pulitzer banquet. Yeah...right. Child endangerment and chasing a story that could have waited 2 hours. Next, Lois is being threatened by a goon, and her kid reveals himself to be Superman's kid by throwing a piano into the thug threatening his mom. You read that right. A 5 year old committed murder. Nothing is mentioned about this issue in the film. Later in the film, Superman has rescued Lois, her fiancé Richard, and the kid from a drowning death. Lois convinces Richard to follow Superman back into the danger. Nope..uh-uh...I don't buy it. You see, even though I do not have any kids, I have enough friends with kids to know that in that type of situation, the CHILD's safety is utmost in a parent's mind. There is NO WAY that mother Lois would persist in keeping her kid in danger. NO WAY! I know that you all are thinking "Get a grip, Artful, it's a comic book movie." That is not the point. I am willing to suspend disbelief up to a point, but this takes the cake.

Finally, Superman having a kid with Lois out of wedlock. Great role model, huh? The writers, because of their HUGE RESPECT for the 70 years of Superman stories (note my sarcasm), decided to have Superman knock Lois up and leave her for 5 years. I didn't like it one bit. No child support, no communication, nothing. What a great icon, folks. I became rather peeved at this blatant disregard for the character of Superman. This is NOT the character. I still have not seen a Superman film and will probably never see the one that I want (except for the excellent version of the character from the DC Animated universe). Another thing with the kid is that he will have to be in every sequel. Oh, joy. The Superman Family. Just what I wanted.

Here is my recommendation to Bryan Singer. Read the comics. The ones since 1986. Get a grip on Lex Luthor. Luthor has NEVER wanted money...he has always wanted power. He built Metropolis and owned Metropolis. The Lex Luthor in the comics would never have let Kitty live after what she did in the film. He would have dropped her out of the helicopter without a second thought. Lex's motivations come from a desire for power and a desire to be worshipped, and this worship was stolen from him by an alien who swooped in and took away the good will of the citizens that it took Lex a lifetime of hard work to earn. Geez..what a great idea for a 3 dimensional villain. Do you see my point? This is the Lex Luthor of the comic book world. Also, read the comics to learn about who Lois is and who Perry is. Find Superman through Clark; don’t just use the Clark scenes as filler for when Superman has nothing heroic to do. If not Lex Luthor, use another villain. While Superman's Rogues Gallery runs dry after Luthor and Brainiac, you could give him an extraterrestrial menace. Let's not forget that Superman has the knowledge from the "22 known galaxies" from his fortress of solitude. Remember that the comics are about hope as much as they are about action. The personal stories have always been what have driven the comics, but there is joy in the personal as well. Finally, DO NOT MAKE IT CAMPY OR FUNNY IN ANY WAY! No more villain one-liners, no needless humor. Let the humor come from the situations (see Batman Begins).

The summer movie season still sucks. Here's hoping that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is good.

What a bummer of a movie season....the trouble with "Cars"

I have slowly come to the realization that they just don’t make movies like they used to. Have I become a grumpy old man? No…it is just that when I go to the movies, I am invariably disappointed with what I paid for. This summer movie season is a prime example. I have already bored you all with my mini reviews of X-Men and the Da Vinci Code (both disappointing, especially the Da Vinci code [a book that I still refuse to read]). Last Friday, I went to see the new Disney/Pixar film “Cars.” Now those of you who know me know that I love Pixar films. From the original Toy Story on through The Incredibles, I have witnessed a body of work from a group of individuals who get “it.” What, exactly, is “it”? “It” is the fact that the story is the thing. You can throw all of the special effects, exotic locations, and expensive movie stars you want at a project, but if the story stinks, then forget about it. John Lasseter’s creative group at Pixar really gets “it.” I have never been disappointed in their storytelling. I reveled in the Lasseter-directed “Toy Story (1 & 2)” and “A Bug’s Life.” I enjoyed “Monster’s Inc” and “Finding Nemo,” but my favorite Pixar film is “The Incredibles,” directed by Brad Bird. The one thing that all of these films had going for them was the fact that the stories were ORIGINAL. Oh, of course, there were some recognizable archetypes and paradigms that were present in each case (the buddy picture, the little guy overcoming all obstacles, a father’s search for his child, superheros), but in each film, I could walk away and say that I had never seen anything like that before (both technically and storywise).

This brings me to “Cars.” The first problem that I had was that I HAD seen this story before. It was called “Doc Hollywood,” and it was released in the early 1990s and starred Michael J. Fox. Of course, Lasseter and the 7 OTHER CREDITED WRITERS just substituted cars in for people and changed the story to suit the situation, but it was a little too similar to the earlier film. Yes, I said 7 other writers. Too many cooks indeed…I never bought the story. I never bought into the characters. It seemed as if the storytellers (namely Lasseter) was going by the numbers on this one, a safe film as it were. Maybe it was the cars themselves. In all of the other Pixar films, we are dealing with living things, whether they be toys or monsters..they are all based on something that is ALIVE. Woody might have been a cowboy doll, but he was a COWBOY. Mike and Sully might have been monsters, but they walked and talked like living things (and were masterfully voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman). No, I never felt warm and fuzzy for the cars. Not one bit. I mean, it is not as if I lack imagination (just ask my folks, who, when I was younger, spent years worried that I lived in a fantasy world). I am able to give the benefit of the doubt to any work of fantasy or science fiction.

One theory is that the people at Pixar just didn’t try very hard. Why, you might ask, would they not try hard? Well, originally, this was to be the last film that Pixar released under their original agreement with Disney. The evil Michael Eisner (former President and CEO of Disney) and Steve Jobs (the CEO of Pixar and Apple) had a falling out, and Cars was to be the last film. In the meantime, however, Eisner was ousted by a shareholder revolt and Bob Iger, the new CEO of Disney, made nice with Jobs. Disney bought Pixar (which they could have done for a fraction of the cost 20 YEARS AGO!), and Jobs now sits on the Disney board of directors. Anyway, this might have been Pixar’s way of screwing Disney, but this is just speculation. I mean, according to the agreement, Pixar and Disney split the profits 50-50, so Pixar would have just been hurting itself by purposefully tanking the film. BTW, if you want to find out more about the Disney situation, I highly recommend James Stewart’s Disney War, a book that chronicles the rise and fall of Michael Eisner at Disney. This is a real page turner!
So what now for Pixar? Well, the good news is that they had a trailer for their next film in front of “Cars.” The film is “Ratatouille,” and it opens next summer. I must admit to laughing more during the preview of “Ratatouille” than I did during the whole of “Cars.” In addition, the Pixar short that preceded “Cars” is hysterical! What now for the rest of the summer? Well, I am still holding out hope for “Superman Returns” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I am also looking forward to “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” Will Farrell’s ode to NASCAR. Otherwise, though, I am content to watch my dvds of really good summer films and wonder what has happened to Hollywood.

Do you want my recommendations for good films if you are in the mood for some fun? Well, you cannot go wrong with “The Incredibles” (yes, I know it was released during the winter holiday), “Batman Begins” (the new standard for the superhero film), “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (number 1 on my list of all time favorites), and “Conan the Barbarian.” Yes, I said “Conan.” From the opening quotation from Frederick Nietzsche and the strains of Basil Poledouris’ musical theme “Anvil of Crom” over the opening credits where a sword is created on through the rest of the film, director John Milius really succeeded in doing justice to Robert E. Howard’s Cimmarean warrior. Milius gets the whole primal nature of man (I mean, his filmography includes writing “Apocalypse Now” with George Lucas and Coppola, writing and directing “Conan the Barbarian” (improving on Oliver Stone’s treatment of the script) and writing and directing “Red Dawn.” Taking those three films together, you would have a great testosterone film festival.

SUMMER IS HERE!

And so, my first year of law school is over. My finals were completed a week ago, and I have spent the last week recuperating. Finals always take a lot out of me. It would have been difficult for me to concentrate so hard for a 2 week period, with the requisite late nights/early mornings and the accompanying “brain drain” without suffering some sort of after-effects. At least I get a 2 week respite before my summer class starts. That’s right. I am taking a summer class. There are a multitude of reasons. First of all, this is the first year that 2^nd year students are required to take a legal writing course. We had 2 semesters of legal writing during the 1^st year, but next semester is my last semester of legal writing. It will count for 3 credit hours instead of 2, so I would like to have some extra time to work on writing. Secondly, I will also be a staff writer for the Journal of Art and Entertainment Law. With that commitment as well as my Vice-President commitment to the Intellectual Property Law Society, my time will be more constrained than it was this year. Thirdly, the fall semester is the interview semester for 2^nd year students. It is a time where we go on interviews and are (hopefully) placed at firms for the next summer and beyond (in some cases). Having a 12 credit hour course load would be more beneficial for that reason. Finally, the professor for my summer course (Criminal Procedure) was the professor for my Criminal Law course. He is retiring next year, and this is the last time that he will teach this particular course. He was, by far, the best professor I had my first year. This is saying a lot. I had some incredible professors first year (Weber for Torts, Roberts for Con Law, Greenberger for Civil Procedure, Ashley for Property, and Decker for Criminal Law), but Professors Decker and Greenberger were the ones who never coddled us as law students. They held us accountable while teaching us things that still stay with me. For example, I had a question from a family member concerning case dismissal due to lack of jurisdiction. I KNEW the appropriate rules for this! I have had contract questions that I have been ale to answer and Con Law questions as well. Criminal Law, however, was my favorite course last semester. What does this mean for someone going into intellectual property? Not much other than I intend to take some litigation courses. I see myself in a courtroom, and this is in no small part due to Professor Decker. I am looking forward to taking his class this summer.

I am also doing some legal work for Cabrini Green Legal Aid. This is a non-profit organization that helps the indigent of Chicago with legal questions in a variety of matters. The wonderful thing about this organization is that it provides an opportunity for me to put my legal education to immediate use to help others. Although I do not intend to go into housing law, criminal law, or family law, it never hurts to have a background in all three.

Another goal for the summer is to pass my Patent Bar. The recommended study period for the PatBar is 150 hours minimum, and the summer seems to be the best time to study for the exam. Of course, this means putting out $1800 for the training materials (OUCH!), but in the end, having my PatBar taken care of before the fall interview process will be invaluable.

I also intend to do a lot better with updating my blog (cue the eyes rolling). I know that I have promised this in the past, but there is a lot more free time in the summer. I usually think that what I talk about bores all of you, but thanks to my friend Michelle Suit, I have been informed that many people, amazingly enough, find my ramblings to be interesting. I have always had a hard time opening up about myself. Although I can talk until I am blue in the face about movies, books, and pop culture, I have a greater difficulty sharing what is going on inside my noggin. Sometimes, I don’t even know myself. I suppose that is the purpose of a blog…to sort through the detritus of gray matter and come to a realization of what is going on in one’s head.

The next couple of weeks will be fun. Classes start next Thursday and my folks will be in town the weekend after Memorial Day. My brother and I are looking forward to that, as it gives us a chance to be a family (something that, strangely enough, has not happened in over a year!). I will also regale you with movie reviews of the films that I have seen this summer (thank you, student discount!). Stay tuned!

The first year is almost done!

Exams start in 2 weeks, but for some reason I have not started panicking. I am sure that the panic will set in eventually, but I think that, having gone through the grind of exams once already, I am better able to gauge how to prepare this time around. Furthermore, my approach to class preparation and note taking started out smoothly this semester. Last semester, I was struggling with trying to figure out what to take down in class. In the month since my last update, precious little has happened. Most of the time has been spent studying and working on law school stuff. I still keep in contact with some of my old friends from Bio-Rad and from my previous life in the real world, but for the most part, the only daily personal interaction that I have is with my classmates in school. Most of my weekends are spent in the library or at home studying. Part of me is looking forward to the summer when I will be able to give my brain a little rest, but as I have decided to take Criminal Procedure this summer, I will still be working on the grind for 2 months out of 3.

Yes, this morning we had to schedule our classes for next fall. I will be taking Business Organizations, Copyright and Trademarks, Evidence, and Legal Writing III. A normal course-load is 5 classes, but having spent so much time on Legal Writing this semester, I am well aware that I will have to put in extra time and effort in the class next semester in order to succeed. Taking Criminal Procedure over the summer will help as well, as that class is 3 credit hours. A total of 86 credit hours are required to graduate from law school. After this year, I will have 31 (Wow!). At the beginning of next fall, I will have 34, and at the beginning of next spring I hope to have 46. That means that I will have to take 40 more credit hours spread out over 3 semesters…not too bad.

I have also taken on some other responsibilities. I was elected Vice-President of the Intellectual Property Law Society for next year. We have a full slate of ideas to plan and organize over the summer for the incoming 1Ls, and we have to get going on planning our speaker series for next year. I was also selected to be a staff writer for the DePaul Journal of Art and Entertainment Law. It was a tough competition, and I am glad to be a writer, as journal experience is looked upon most favorably by prospective employers. I haven’t had the time that I had hoped to devote to the blog, but I intend to keep it going and make it more regular. I need to work in some more of the stuff I am reading about in law. I hope that it will not be too boring for everyone.

Well, I am going to sleep now. It is midnight in Chicago, and I have to get up early tomorrow morning to review my notes before Contracts. I hope that everyone is having a good spring…

March 12--new post, but still in school.....

Wow. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I have a good excuse (really)! The semester has kind of gotten away from me, but I do not mean in a bad way. I cannot believe that I am almost halfway through the second semester. This is gong by a lot faster than the first semester, and I can only attribute this to the fact that I am now fully acclimated to the law school lifestyle. Day in and day out, I have my classes. The funny thing is that I have not missed a single class yet. Last Wednesday, I arrived at school a full 1.5 hours early as is my custom. Upon arriving, I went to the study lounge and sat down at a table with my friend Kwabena. He and I exchanged pleasantries as I reached into my bag to get the power cord for my computer. There was one problem…the power cord was still plugged in under my desk at home! D’oh! I immediately ran downstairs and boarded an El to get back to my place. The problem is that I did not have enough battery power to last throughout the day, and I rely on my laptop. To make a long story short, I arrived back on campus and entered Constitutional Law class about 3 minutes late. Professor Blackmun was in the middle of his recap, so I had not missed anything. The problem was that my seat (we chose our seats for the entire semester in each class at the beginning of the semester) was nearer to the front, and I did not want to disturb the class. I snuck into the classroom and sat at a seat near the back. After class, people came up to me and asked why I had missed. I remarked that I was there but not in my customary seat, but it was kind of gratifying that my classmates noticed that I wasn’t there. I asked a couple of them about this and they said: “Artful, you never miss class. It was strange not to see you there.” Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I tend to be a bit Type A. I can hear all of you uttering a loud sarcastic “NO!” right about now, so I will move on…..

So what is going on in my life right now? Other than classes, not much. A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Barrister’s Ball (kinda like law school prom) with my friend Susan at the Hilton in Chicago. It was a lot of fun to see my classmates dressed up and to interact with them in a social setting. My classmates tend to be surprised when they find out I am 34. I guess that my immaturity is finally paying off! Actually, I attribute this to being a perpetual student. People sometimes ask me if I am going to go after another degree, and I usually say that after this one, it’ll be time for me to collect social security. I also joke that I want a business card. At the end of my name following the first few degrees, I want my card to read “continued on the other side.” In all seriousness, though, this is my last degree. That sound you all heard was the collective sigh of relief from my family and friends…..

Hmmm…what else….My brother and I are going to Las Vegas this weekend (the first weekend of March madness). I had only gone once before (a short weekend jaunt accompanying my mom), but my brother has never been. I am looking forward to the vacation. I have not had a vacation trip in so long that I have forgotten what it is like to travel for the fun of it. When I worked for Bio-Rad, I practically lived out of my suitcase to the point where the American Airlines personnel at O’Hare knew me by name. Heck, they even stopped “randomly searching” me after the first few months on the job. Anyway, I am looking forward to going out into the desert and seeing the stars, visiting Hoover Dam, seeing the Strip, and taking in some sightseeing. I will have a lot of work to do later in the week, but I actually have a spring break. 34 years old and I have spring break….weird…

I cannot wait until Tuesday is over with. I have a legal writing memo due. I finished the first draft late yesterday and will be whittling it down and fine tuning it all evening tomorrow. After that, the rest of the week is downhill. My friend Stan from Bio-Rad will be in town for the week, and we will probably have dinner on Wednesday night. On Thursday, my classmate Phil (a really good friend of mine) is celebrating his birthday with 20 people at the Whirlyball place in Chicago. What is Whirlyball? Think bumper cars crossed with la crosse. Friday is St. Patrick’s Day. For those of you who have seen the movie “The Fugitive”, I am sure that you are aware that St. Paddy’s is a big day here in Chicago. They had the parade and the green river this weekend, but people will also be out in force next Friday. I intend to get a good night’s sleep and prepare for my trip.

I hope that all of you are doing well. If you have any questions (things that you might like me to comment on, etc) just leave a message on my blog. I guess you could call it “reader’s request.” I never seem to know what to talk about, and this blog is mostly for all of you to keep up with what I am doing. I just don’t know what people would be interested in reading about. Let me know.

The Saga Continues: Year One, Second Semester

And so, another semester of law school has started. My classes this semester include returning favorites (Constitutional Process, Contracts, and Legal Writing and Analysis) as well as 2 new classes (Criminal Law and Property). Already, I have noticed a seismic shift in the way the professors conduct classes. We are now being called on by our first names rather than the traditional “Mr.” and “Miss” titles of the previous semester. The professors are also much less uptight. I can only attribute this perceived “more relaxed” atmosphere to the lackAlready of the need to scare us straight. Having already endured the rigors of the first semester, law school is now “old hat” to all of us 1Ls. My schedule is also (I think) a little more forgiving. My earliest class is at 11 AM. On Tuesday, I have 3 classes (11-12:15, 1:30-2:45, and 3-4:45), and it is by far my most tiring day. The upside of having a heavy Tuesday is that on Thursday and Friday, I only have one class. This has been extremely beneficial with regard to planning out my reading assignments and figuring out how busy my weekends will be. Many of you will remember my extreme level of stress last semester, but this has given way to more routine. I am sure that there will be moments of stress (i.e., when writing assignments are due or around exam time), but the normal stress of keeping up with the reading is not so bad. For example, we have 3 cases assigned for Criminal Law for Tuesday, 100 total pages of reading. Last semester, I would have panicked. That amount of reading would have taken me the better part of the afternoon. Today, I completed all of the cases in 2 hours. Somewhere along the way, I have learned to identify the relevant portions of the opinion while tossing aside the dicta. Breaking down cases is SO MUCH easier than it was last year. I now understand why many people say that the first semester of law school is one of the hardest things to get through.

I also have followed the advice given to me by my Uncle Ravi. He mentioned that when he was studying for his master’s degree, he would get up early on the weekends and get his work done. This left the rest of the weekend free. I tried it this weekend, and I was completely done with the days work by 11 AM on both days. Of course, this meant getting up at 7, but I had 4 solid hours of work and the rest of Saturday and Sunday was mine! If any of you have work that needs to be done over the weekend, I highly recommend this. In addition to enjoying my time, I didn’t have something hanging over my head during the day. I had a nice long workout, went grocery shopping, and relaxed. I even have time to update my blog!
So, what is my favorite class this semester? This would have to be Criminal Law. No, I am not looking into becoming a prosecutor or defense attorney, but the class itself is intriguing. Professor Decker is a dynamic speaker, and the class discussions address more than what is in the cases. People are less reticent about chiming into discussions, and this had made for a very entertaining class. I look forward to Criminal Law. That is not to say that I don’t like Contracts still. We have started with how contracts are policed (looking at contracts made under duress or where there was fraudulent concealment, etc). Professor Taylor is still great, and now that we have the Contracts basics out of the way, we are learning how to apply what we learned to different situations.

The rest of my life is going pretty well. I have figured out a balance for working out, going to school, and sleeping. I just needed to figure out when I could update my blog. I still look forward to hearing from all of you from time to time. Please let me know if you want to read about more cases. I enjoyed writing about Semtek last semester and I might throw an interesting case into the discussion every now and then. Funny thing: if you Google the case name (Semtek International v. Lockheed Martin), my blog entry on the topic pops up at #20 out of 551!).
That’s all for now. Welcome back to another exciting semester of law school!

Vacation time...

Well, the spring semester is just about ready to start. I have had a great respite from the rigors of law school, and I feel refreshed enough to venture once more into the abyss of reading and classwork. I only hope that I will have a better handle on how to prepare for my classes. Last semester, the learning process was exceedingly steep, as I had to get re-acclimated to school after a 10 year absence. I also had to learn how to prepare for law school classes. My classes for the spring semester include second semesters of Contracts and Constitutional Process and 2 new classes: Criminal Law and Property.

The rest of my exams went off without a hitch. I have no idea how I did, but I was fairly comfortable with the answers I provided. There were some things that I could have added if I had more time, but overall I feel pretty good. The Monday after exams, I flew to Virginia to visit my parents for a week. I had not been to Virginia in 5 months and I had not left Chicago in 4 months. I had a pretty relaxing time at home. I was nice talking to Mom and Dad for an extended period of time. My return trip too Chicago was smooth, and as we were touching down in Chicago, I had an overwhelming sense of relief that I was home. This was a strange sensation for me because somewhere along the way, without me realizing it, Chicago had become home. I love Chicago and the surrounding areas. I spent my second week in Chicago just taking care of some business around the apartment. I spent most of the time straightening out the mess that was my room (remnants of the mad days leading up to exams) and bringing out a wardrobe that did NOT consist of my study sweats. It was a very restful week. During my third week, I spent a few days with my friends Aaron and Julie in Cleveland. They had just moved into their new place, and it was a lot of fun hanging out with them during the week. The last couple of days have been spent sitting on my sofa watching the NFL playoffs, cooking, and working out. Yes, I finally have the chance to cook again! My project last week was to perfect Thai red curry, and I hit upon a recipe that really seemed to work well. This week, I will be taking care of loose ends before school starts on Monday the 16th.

1 down...3 to go

Hi All:

The exams have begun! I had my first law school exam yesterday. Civil Procedure was pretty tough, but it was a fair exam. I struggled with some of the multiple choice questions, but I felt reasonably confident about my essay answer. Of course, those of you who know me probably predicted that, as soon as I walked out of the room, I would start worrying about Torts. This is exactly what happened. I had to force myself to unwind from the exam and take some brain time. I watched the last episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and took a nap. As soon as I woke up, it was back to the grind. I covered a lot of ground last night (making note cards) and went over the entire course. My buddy Justin came over to the house today and we repeated our study strategy from Civ Pro..a full review of the course. 10 hours later, we were pretty much wiped. We had only taken a 1/2 hour break all day, and we were feeling it. I think that talking out the problems in the courses is a great way to study. I know that I will still feel a little panicky tomorrow as I realize that there is only one day until my exam, but I am prepared for that. I plan on taking it easy on Friday night since my next exam is not until Tuesday. The days are going by in a blur. I keep forgetting that this is Wednesday!

Well, I am going to sleep now. I hope that everyone is keeping warm. Here in Chicago, it is a blistery 10 degrees F!

Study blues and a lesson in Civil Procedure...

It has been over 10 years (not counting the LSAT) since I last took an exam. 10 years. Normally, this would be something that might send me into a panic, but for some reason I am calm. I keep waiting for the exam panic to hit, but so far, there has been nothing. My outlines are done, I have done a single complete review for Civil Procedure (mastering the most difficult case of the year in the process) and am now just doing some fine tuning on my studying. I have attended every class and have kept up with the reading and my note taking all year, so I know that I have the materials to succeed. If I should worry about anything, it is that I will fail to expound on some key topic that might keep me from getting the “As” that I want in all of my classes. My classmates are in full blown panic/study mode, but the strange thing is that, as I go though my (voluminous) notes, everything seems familiar. This isn’t to say that I know everything and am fully prepared for my exams, but I know that it’s in there. I liken my brain right now to a disorganized office. Everything that I need to know is in there, but I have to put it all in my file drawers for accurate and quick access.

The general malaise of exam studying has already kicked in. I have rapidly lost track of the days of the week, and I am now looking forward to getting the first exam under my belt. I will be so glad when I walk out of that Civil Procedure exam.

Speaking of Civil Procedure, I will now bore all of you with a law lesson. We will be discussing Semtek International Corp. v. Lockheed Martin Corp. This case was the most complicated case of the year in our class, and you will soon see why. The plaintiff sued the defendant (Lockheed) for breach of contract and other tort claims in CA state court. Because the defendant and the plaintiff are residents of different states, the defendant was allowed to (and chose to) move the case to federal district court in CA. The CA federal court found for the defendant and dismissed the case “on its merits”. The plaintiff then refiled the same claim in Maryland state court. The defendant moved it to federal court again (but not on the ‘different state” grounds as before since Lockheed Martin is considered a “citizen” of Maryland), but the federal court threw it back to the state court (too complicated to explain here). The defendant also tried to enjoin the plaintiff from bringing the suit again because the federal district court in CA had already ruled in its favor. I think that you can appreciate how someone found innocent doesn’t want to have to defend himself all over again. The doctrine of res judicata is one of claim preclusion; courts use it to prevent people from endlessly litigating claims after final judgment has been entered. The CA federal court upheld the claim as subject to res judicata, so technically, the plaintiff should not have been able to bring suit in Maryland. The problem is that, even though the federal could precluded the plaintiff from bringing the claim again, there are no laws or statutes that govern whether a state court has to follow what the federal court says. In a way, this is a preservation of the states’ 10th amendment rights. The Supreme Court had to decide: what law does a state court follow in federal claim preclusions? The answers for other court decisions are all easy. If the preclusion was given by another state (say, the state court in CA instead of the federal court), the Full Faith and Credit clause of Article IV of the Constitution holds that state courts must follow the decisions of other state courts. If the preclusion was given by a state and the plaintiff brought the case to federal court, there is the Full Faith and Credit statute. This forces federal courts to follow the decisions of state courts as binding. If a federal court precluded the claim and the plaintiff tried to refile in another federal court, federal common law (federal judicial decisions) would hold that all federal courts giver deference to a federal district court decision.

This brings us to the problem. In this case, we have a federal court decision on a claim that is being re-litigated in a state court. The defendant is saying that the federal court precluded the claim from being re-litigated, but does the state have to follow what the federal courts say? What about state’s rights? What law of claim preclusion should be followed? Are you still awake at this point?

In this case, the Supreme Court used the judicial decision (federal common law) of Erie RR v. Tompkins. In that case, the Court held that the laws of the state in which the federal court sits would govern cases brought in federal district court. In the current case, the district court of CA passed judgment. Thus, the law of claim preclusion followed by the Maryland State court should be the law of claim preclusion of the state courts of CA. So, in the end, federal common law dictated that the law of the state in which the district court sits will be the deciding factor. When you consider the Full Faith and Credit Clause and how it works, this actually makes a lot of sense. So what happened? Well, the claim was NOT precluded under CA law, so the P could make its case in a Maryland state court. After all of that effort (and all of those lawyers’ fees), the plaintiff gets his day in court again.

Isn’t the study of law fun? If you were able to follow this, you too could be studying law! Note…I wrote all of this from memory, and this is only ONE case from part of a single class this semester. Multiply this by 2(roughly 2 cases per class, with more cases in other classes), multiply this number by 26 (average number of class meetings) and multiply that by 4 (the total number of classes I am taking). This may give you all some sense of the amount of material I am dealing with over the next 2 weeks.

I am SOOOO looking forward to the holidays...