Privilege & Fraud — Academia Is Still Important!

Academia is still a very important institution — it's a place where we: test ideas; gather & share knowledge; challenge each other; and give people the tools to navigate the complicated world around them. That is why the recent news about admissions fraud is even more disappointing. Those that value academia need not turn their back on it, but should be critical & honest about the ethical failures of these schools.

My parents worked multiple jobs and saved for years so that we could move to a nicer school district. In the end, I wasn't able to attend Wayzata High School because they re-did district borders (because you can't have the poorer part of Plymouth coming to such a pristine school). It all worked out for me because I met some of my best friends and had some of the best teachers at Osseo Senior High School. But this is why my professional career will be about breaking down barriers, giving people more access, and helping people to see privilege.

Go Out to L.A or N.Y if You're Truly Skilled

Critical mass and economies of scale certainly matter, but the objective need not be the hoarding of wealth, but rather the gracious diffusion of it. Feed your roots for they shall feed you.

Donald Trump: A Catch 22

I really wanted to see Donald Trump succeed as president because we all thrive if he does a good job. I remained pretty quiet during the onset of his tenure because even Donald Trump deserves a chance. Also, it’s not like I have any real influence on a large, or even moderate, scale. However – minus Nazis, Klan members, and members of the alt-right – I think we have all seen an immense degradation in morality and ethics in the White House and the political space due to President Trump. This is to say I support and believe we need to strengthen the resistance against this failed experiment. But there is a catch 22 to keep in mind when correcting President Trump’s wrongs – even when we win, we lose.

Politics is often a game of optics. If we let President Trump and his team do what they want and we let them run this vehicle into a burning ditch then we get to point at the wreckage at the end of this and feel validated. Yes, we’ll have to put the fire out and clean the mess up, but at least we get to say, “I told you so.” We’ll have some cleaning up to do to a certain degree regardless – we have a lot of apologizing to do in the international space, marginalized groups domestically, and to the future generations of this country and world. However, if the resistance is successful and we are able to mitigate the damage this administration plans to enact history will be able to claim Trump’s efforts weren’t so bad. History will also be able to claim that the resistance overacted. Even if we win, we lose.

Hitler gets a lot of ink in your high school history book. What doesn’t get a lot of ink are the numerous alternative timelines that did not occur because a good group of people prevented a tyrannical leader from burning the house down. A negative occurrence – present & absent and not benevolent & malevolent – doesn’t get any ink because it’s a non-occurrence. You might prevent the ship from sinking, but you won’t get any credit for it because a floating ship looks like business as usual.

So should we prevent President Trump from enacting horrible ideas? Of course, but I wouldn’t expect a lot of praise for doing that work because most of it will be invisible. This notion will be disappointing to some, but it’s important to keep in mind. Cheers to a better tomorrow.

Millennials Need To Step The F Up

Fellow Millennials,
Like with any failed episode there ought to be a sound exit strategy in place. We are going to have to answer a lot of questions and do a lot of cleaning up after Trump. We better start planning how we are going to mend our relationships with the rest world, with marginalized groups, and how we are going to explain all this to our children. I doubt, "I thought grandma, grandpa, and my cranky neighbor knew what they were doing," is going to satisfy our children when they see the world they have inherited. Let us organize.

A Review of 2018's Music

Really enjoyed reviewing last year's music and making this episode. Please give it a listen and let me know if I should make more episodes like this one.

Aquaman Film Review

TL;DL — the movie isn't good.

Who Gets Divorced? (Quality Under Pressure Podcast)

Really proud of this episode because it captures what I hope The Quality Under Pressure Podcast becomes — it's conversational, funny, engaged, but we also touch on a topic that is considered taboo by some. I hope we help normalize topics with lots of social stigma attached by talking about them. An intentional, engaged, and meaningful conversation is a very powerful tool. It's why I love meeting up with people for 1-on-1 chats over coffee and it's why I formatted the show after that sentiment. Plus, I get to see 2 of my best friends & co-hosts more often because of this project.

A big thanks to Leah for joining us and being an open book. Not everyone would be that open about their divorce and I am grateful for your generosity & courage. I'm glad we got your perspective on divorce and that we all laughed while you shared your insight. Also, thank you for the solid logo! It almost looks like we know what we're doing because of it.
It's crazy to me that one could judge another for being divorced. Marriage is an antiquated practice and if divorce brings happiness to the people involved we should be supporting them. At the same time, if marriage brings you joy then you should be allowed to practice it, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. The issue is that society tells you to get married and to stay married even if it means sacrificing happiness and health. Hopefully our conversation helps shine a little light to bring a little more balance to the topic.

I get stoked every time we record episodes. I really hope future episodes end up like this one and our episode on religion with McKenna & Leo — they're funny & light, but we dig into some important topics. If you're going to check the podcast out, I would start with 1 of those episodes. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, YouTube, and many other platforms.

The Quality Under Pressure Podcast

I started a new podcast and it's been great fun.
Please check it out if you have time.

On Our Way, Troubled One...

It's always the troubled that take a second to look around, isn't it?

Maybe it's because it's all we have — our troubles. 

Story of the Year - "The Black Swan"

In my opinion, Story of the Year's 2008 release, "The Black Swan," is the best album they put out. "Page Avenue" might have had more commercial success, but I do not think it stacks up against "The Black Swan." It's an album that looks at human existence while touching political and social topics. The album also has an interlude that includes an excerpt from Carl Sagan so that already scores many points in my book.
The album was released towards the end of the W. Bush era and it captures the tumultuous times in 13 beautiful tracks. The album begins with Bush speaking and the first word we get from frontman Dan Marsala is "liar." The album continues by urging listeners to wake up, think, organize, unite, and take action.
I still come back to this album 10 years later and it's still great. In fact, the album seems to have taken on new meaning considering the actions our current president is taking.

To The Old Man Above

So you’re probably thinking — “why air out our beef on social media?” — but you’re probably not actually thinking that because you’re not a millennial with all history (false or correct) at your THUMB (none of this FINGERTIPS crap! The thumb is underappreciated sometimes — separate post to come — maybe).

But dude, can I listen to this jazz music at a volume I can appreciate? Admit it, you actually kind of enjoy that I like smooth jazz just like you once used to. In fact, come on down, there’s no reason we can’t enjoy the sounds of Miles Davis together.

But are you actually typing on your smart phone with your fingertips? No, you’re not — you’re probably wondering how quickly you can thumb through this pretentious post with your thumb right now! You’re likely only using fingertips if you’re using the tip of your ring finger because your other fingertips are too busy with food and baby poop — and you can’t get Doritos dust on your phone! Your pinky is just there to act as a counter weight — because, well, you know — physics, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and blah blah blah.

The old man above isn’t a god. The old man above isn’t even a grumpy old man that lives 20 feet above me. The old man is me.

The Super Bowl: A Cacophony for the Deaf

That is an image of Mercedes-Benz’s marketing campaign involving Che Guevara. That is not from a The Onion article — it was a real thing which you can read more about HERE. More on this later.

I have been a fan of sports since the fourth grade. I was first introduced to the National Basketball Association (N.B.A) by someone at church which acted as my gateway to baseball which lead me to football. I love playing and following sports, but the Super Bowl is easily the most exaggerated event on the planet. It’s less about football and more about spectacle. I’ve seriously been to “football parties,” although I try to avoid these now, where the people attending do everything but watch the football game. There are moments at these parties when I get excited about a splash play and literally everyone else will look up from their phones and ask me, “What happened?” At a “football party.” Where people gather to watch football.

Super Bowl 52 happened to be a really entertaining game. It was a well played, relatively penalty free, back and forth game that came down to the end. However, it was still overhyped. And to make things worse, the commercials were really atrocious. Take for example, this BUDWEISER COMMERCIAL. Now, I am not knocking their effort to help people — that is a wonderful thing. What I am knocking is how they spent north of 5 million dollars to pat themselves on the back for helping people when they could have used those 5 million dollars to actually help people. The only thing valuable to emerge from this commercial is that Budweiser has finally admitted that their beer is water.

Then take this well thought out DODGE RAM COMMERCIAL. And by well thought out I mean mind numbingly stupid. Who thought using content from a Dr. Martin Luther King Junior speech to sell a horrible truck was a good idea? If it wasn’t the person involved in the Che Guevara Mercedes-Benz campaign, here’s what needs to happen — the person behind the MLK commercial and the person behind the Che Guevara idea need to sit in a cold, dark, isolated room together and slap each other in the face until something semi-intelligent materializes.

Yes, these commercials are heinous and the Super Bowl is a joke, but what bothers me most is that it works. Common folk will irresponsibly spend a silly amount of money on the Super Bowl only to serve the wealthy. If these commercials didn’t cause people to go out and buy these stupid products, these companies wouldn’t spend 5 million dollars for a 30 second spot. Plain and simple, it works. The Super Bowl is a cacophony wasted on the deaf. It is such a wasted teachable moment and that is why it stings. If the deaf could hear, they would know that what looks like a beautiful symphony is in fact a cacophony that is so loud that we are all going deaf. 

There, however, was one good commercial — check out this GROUPON COMMERCIAL and watch a rich white dude get a football kicked into his nuts. 

Beer Pong - A Masochist's Game

Beer pong is a game enjoyed by adults (and naughty under aged teenagers) typically within a social context where the primary directive of the night is to become inebriated. In the game, when an individual or team succeeds, the opposing side is punished by having to consume alcohol. So, if the penalty of losing is also the primary objective of the evening -- like, WTF? The incentive scheme is backwards.

Thank You Mr. Kevin Garnett

I never got a chance to post about Mr. Kevin Garnett after he announced his retirement. I was obsessed with basketball when I was younger, and I can't think of another athlete that had a bigger impact on my life than Kevin Garnett. His fire during the games, his charisma after the games, and his loyalty (especially to the Minnesota Timberwolves) is a package that may never be matched.
To this day, when I play basketball, I run on every single possession. It's a characteristic that I learned from Kevin Garnett when I was in grade school. It's a lesson he learned from Karl Malone. I have prevented so many easy fast break opportunities, and it's all from watching Kevin Garnett play. Sure, 99% of the easy fast break opportunities were converted successfully, but that 1% is completely worth it. I learned that being exhausted and in pain is an easier feeling than the feeling of, "I didn't do enough".
Giving-it-your-all is a lesson I learned early. So thank you, Mr. Garnett.

"Where To Invade Next" Review

Michael Moore's latest documentary, "Where To Invade Next," is a humorous, touching, and illuminating look at policies that have worked in other parts of the world. It's also a very positive documentary compared to Moore's previous works. It's a film anyone can watch and take something from regardless of political affiliation.
Many topics are discussed in the documentary. Moore visits Italy to look deeper into paid time off, and how this effects productivity, happiness and stress. While he is there, paternal and maternal leave is discussed. France is Moore's second destination, and there he sees how kids are fed at school. We learn that having better "food culture" not only changes how nutritious our foods are, but we also gain skills from learning etiquette. While in France, Moore asks about their sexual education curriculum. That transitions to Finland's top education system, and their immensely different view on education. And when talking about education, it's difficult not to talk about how expensive higher education is in America. That's when Moore takes us to Slovenia, and we are exposed to their debt free college student. Even at that point, we are not even half way done with the documentary. A handful of other countries are visited and with each new country we gain greater insight. I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary.

"Captain America: Civil War" Review

I'm not a big fan of superhero movies. It was fun once or twice, but they've been coming out year after year for so long. First we had to deal with each individual Marvel franchise so that they could coalesce into one giant Avengers thread. Now DC is trying to build a similar pillar. And let us not forget about Fox's X-Men movies. I like that the DC team is taking their universe down a darker path, but overall it's no contest when comparing what DC is doing and what Marvel is doing. Marvel's vision is so much tighter, and it shines through in Captain America: Civil War.

If you've seen Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Ant Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, and/or Captain America: The Winter Solider (Whew!), you know what you're getting into. Marvel didn't break away from what is working. Prepare yourself for a CG happy, explosion friendly, slap-stick humor fused film that does well in setting up the next movie. Speaking of setting up the next film, like with any Marvel movie, stay until the very end. Like the very, very end. I think fans will be very pleased with the teaser.

The film did have some interesting ethical questions it juggled. The film brings up the age old debate of utilitarianism vs. deontology. Is it okay that a few people get hurt along the way if the greater good is protected? Or must the means be as just as the ends? It really sets up great friction between Captain America's team and Iron Man's team (thus, "Civil War"), even if the framing is hardly fair within the movie. The movie has Captain America's name in it, so clearly the audience is nudged in that direction. However, it does set up a neat dichotomy for the audience.

The World Wide Web lost their collective cool when it was revealed that Spider Man would make his debut in this Marvel/Disney universe. I thought the teasers did a great job not showing too much. I think fans will be very pleased with Spider Man's presence in this film. If a grumpy film viewer like me could enjoy it, you can too. I'm a fan of Paul Rudd, so I wish they would've included Ant Man a bit more in the film. Regardless, I enjoyed the film and I expect it to do very well.

"Ex Machina" Review

Ex Machina is a damn good movie! I'm sorry we've been distracted by other shiny objects disguised as movies while this gem goes relatively unnoticed. This is one of the best films I've seen in a long time and a film that threatens to enter my all time favorites list. What an embarrassment that it took me so long to watch it. I almost saw it in theaters on multiple occasions, but by democratic decision my friends chose other movies before Ex Machina. We truly missed out.

I should've looked into the film a bit more because then I would've assumed I'd like the movie. Alex Garland wrote 28 Days Later and Sunshine which are 2 movies I can watch anytime on any day. This was his directorial debut and I think he knocked it out of the park. The movie handles philosophical questions about evolution, humanity, The Singularity, and so on. Not only is the movie dense, but it is such a beautiful movie. It's what I wanted my movies to "feel" like. Gritty, yet elegant. Dense, yet simple. Uncomfortable, yet desirable.

The 3 main actors are names we should all get to know too. Their star power continues to rise and I think we'll be seeing much more of them in the future. If we didn't know Alicia Vikander was an actual person, we might've thought she were an actual robot. It doesn't seem fair that Sweden has all sorts great policies on top of producing beautiful and talented women like Alicia Vikander. I think out of all the places I Periscoped, Sweden had the highest concentration of intelligent and beautiful women.

You'll notice that the movie was given an R rating and one of the reasons is for "graphic nudity". I don't think I will ever understand what that could mean. We all have bodies, and when we don't follow the social convention of being clothed, we are nude. There is nothing graphic about it. I have body image issues, and even I know this is stupid. Please go watch this film.

Underoath Re-Birth Tour Review

On April 6th, 2016 I got to watch UNDEROATH perform live at the Skyway Theater in Minneapolis. It was the first time I've seen them perform live since 2011 (HERE IS MY REVIEW OF THAT SHOW). I don't have an accurate number, but I once backtracked and realized I have seen Underoath perform at least 13 times. One would think this "fourteenth" time wouldn't be so exciting as I've seen the band so many times, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The band called it quits 2013 and I thought I would never see the band ever again.

Just got home from checking out @UnderoathBand. My body is cramping, and my back hurts. This never happened when I was younger. This might be the best workout I've had in 2016. This my 14th+ time seeing Underoath and it never gets old. Can we do it again next week??

A video posted by Min Lee (@minlee2) on Apr 6, 2016 at 10:25pm PDT

The show was everything I hoped it would be. Underoath was clearly back because they wanted to be, and you could sense that in their performance. They played what is arguably their 2 most popular albums from front to back. I consider their 2006 album, "Define The Great Line" the gold standard for anything "screamo". I hesitate using label "screamo" because I don't want people to think the album is full of angsty screaming. An honest listening of "Define The Great Line" will show any listener that it is a beautifully conflicted album. It is gracefully melodic, while being brutally heavy. It was painfully dark, while being pleasantly uplifting.



I can't say it was my favorite Underoath show, but that's only because my favorite Underoath show is in a league of its own. I'm not very spiritual, but I had an out-of-body experience at one of their shows without any mind altering substances at play. I think I was just overwhelmed by the power of their music. I doubt I will ever have an experience like that again, so although their latest show doesn't compare to that one very special performance, it was still very good an memorable. I also met a couple of other long time Underoath fans, and people who recognized me from my radio job. Super fan, Brandon Doll, also wanted to share a few words about Underoath.

I met some really cool dudes in the circle pit at @UnderoathBand. True fans of the band and true circle pit gentlemen. Circle pit etiquette is often lost, and that's disappointing to me because it's a space I really love.

A photo posted by Min Lee (@minlee2) on Apr 8, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

Here is Brandon's review:

To say that I was excited to see Underoath at the Skyway Theater is the understatement of the century. I purchased my ticket last fall the second that the tour was confirmed. Underoath has not performed in Minnesota since 2011 and obviously the band has gone through a lot since that time. All this did was create an insurmountable amount of hype for a show that was unthinkable as little as a year ago. At that point I don’t think anyone would have ever dreamed that this band would play together again.

             
            Which brings us to Wednesday night. After a somewhat lengthy stage setup following opening act Caspian, the lights went dark and it was show time. The band members took the stage and immediately ripped into “Young and Aspiring” which sent the crowd into a chaotic frenzy. During the “They’re Only Chasing Safety” portion of the show the crowd was at its most energetic during the singles off of the album, “A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White”, “Reinventing Your Exit”, and “It’s Dangerous Business Walking out Your Front Door”. My personal favorite moment from this segment of the show was when Underoath played “Down, Set, Go”, which also happens to be my favorite song off of the album. During the set lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain stated that it was a song they had never played live before they kicked off the Rebirth Tour. I find that to be incredible because it is the best song off of a phenomenal album in my humble opinion. The only criticism that I can come up with from the entire night occurred during the albums closing track, “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape”. The song was played to perfection but for some reason the track was cut short right before the epic breakdown that closes out the album. However, I was able to overlook this small miscue knowing that the best was yet to come: “Define the Great Line”.

                The band only took about a 5 minute break and immediately rushed back out to kick off the Define segment with a raucous rendition of “In Regards to Myself”. This is when the band hit their stride. Everyone appeared to be in vintage form. The incredibly talented Aaron Gillespie who has quite possibly the most difficult task in music of simultaneously drumming and singing, looked like he had never even left Underoath. The crowd and most of all the pit was noticeably more active for the Define songs. Define is much heavier, more polished, and has many more breakdowns, which allows for more “moshable” moments. Underoath kept up the frenetic pace of heavy fast paced metal until they reached the interlude track “Salmarnir” which finally allowed the crowd to catch its collective breath. This is when my favorite moment of the show took place. At the end of this track Min, Myself, and a few of my other pit mates organized a “wall of death” in preparation for possibly the heaviest track off of Define, “Returning Empty Handed”. The track began with a Gillespie drumroll and is kicked off with a ridiculous Chamberlain guttural growl, at which point the bodies were flying everywhere. Another high point was reached during Grammy nominated lead single “Writing on the Walls” which is always a crowd favorite.

                I cannot say enough positive things about this performance. It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever had the pleasure of attending. Obviously anytime one of your favorite bands plays two full albums you are going to be in store for a fantastic night, but I was equally as impressed by the passion displayed by the crowd of all ages. I was shocked at the number of kids in attendance to see a band that first hit the scene when many of them were possibly still in diapers.

As for Underoath, uncertainty still lies ahead. At the completion of this Rebirth tour the band members still have their separate careers so a new album appears unlikely, but they did tease the crowd with what sounded like a new exitlude track tacked onto the conclusion of “To Whom it May Concern”. Even though it appears unlikely, I think we can all agree that a new album or song would not be out of the realm of possibility. I hope it happens.

Growing Up Really Poor - Wage War Against Poverty

A little over a month ago I applied for the Krusell Fellowship. It's a program that helps people in developing communities with housing and other needs. In a portion of my application statement I shared a bit of my history growing up in South Minneapolis. I never felt poor growing up, but I learned later in life that my family was indeed very poor. My parents immigrated to America with almost nothing, and they could not find much traction here early on due to cultural and language barriers. There was virtually no way we could not have been poor during the early years of our family. Now that I am an adult, I better understand that we lived well under the poverty line, but I did not understand exactly how poor we were until recently.

There were only two occasions I ever felt poor growing up. I remember feeling poor after winter break would finish and all the kids would meet up at school and brag about their Christmas gifts. My friends would have a laundry list of gifts the received, but I hardly ever got more than one gift. The lack of Christmas gifts stopped bothering me when I entered junior high. I had to quickly overcome the envy because we moved to affluent Plymouth when I entered junior high. There was no possible way my parents could get us gifts that matched the gifts of my suburban friends. The only other time I remember feeling poor was when I was around second grade age. A friend of mine had me over for dinner one night. Milk and macaroni and cheese was served that night. That must have been the most, middle-of-no-where-Wisconsin-white-meal I have ever had up to that point. I thought it was delicious. I remember going home and bragging to my parents what was served for dinner at Kevin's house. It must have been a few weeks later that my parents weren't able to even put food on the table at home. I remember being especially hungry that night, and all we could afford was a slice of bread for dinner. I remember vocalizing my disappointment and frustration with my parents. I compared what we were having for dinner to what I had at Kevin's house only a few weeks prior. I know I can claim youthful ignorance, but it breaks my heart to think about how my parents must have felt in that situation as their first born child sat in the middle of the kitchen crying and complaining.

My father, mother, and 2 siblings shortly after we moved to Plymouth

My parents did a wonderful job shielding us from the a lot of the craziness that life throws at families (especially at families in need). They exposed us to the stressors of life in small doses to insure we weren't overburdened with concern while not missing out on important life lessons. I am forever grateful for their masterful balancing act. It is a bit strange researching your own family's history though. I asked my parents about programs we utilized to help us get to the place we are today. One of the greatest things to have come out way was a program my father had access to. It was a program that reimbursed his tuition at a technical college if he worked full time and kept his grades above a B average. It gave my father the economic mobility our family needed to pursue a decent standard of living and more educational opportunities. Our family used that program and food stamps to stay afloat, and I feel a bit of regret now as I feel as though I have not vocalized my defense for welfare enough after learning how food stamps helped my family tremendously. I have a lot of Republican friends (I did, after all, grow up in Plymouth) and I consistently see their anti-welfare posts on social media.

Why should people have access to an education if they can't afford it? Why should people get food stamps when they are just going to abuse the system?

I cannot say I have ever agreed with their sentiments and I do believe a social safety net is important (especially in a nation as wealthy and as "Christian" as ours). I am ashamed that I didn't defend the people who aren't that much different than my family more vehemently. To be negligent of their needs is to fail morally. Henceforth, when I see people bashing social programs that work and that saved families like mine, I will take it as a personal affront. To take these programs away from people in need is to create a vacuum is misery, and certainly you have a little more compassion than that.
Our application statements for the Krusell Fellowship were limited to two-pages. I dedicated a paragraph to my family's history. It took forever to write and it was heartbreaking. Imagine me in my dimly lit room hacking away at my keyboard with vision blurred from the tears running down my face. I have it exponentially good because of my parents, but also because there is a community and system that is willing to lend a hand. I cannot begin to summarize the level of malice some people must have to want to deny people access to these programs of mobility. There are families out there that are treading water and all they need is a little assistance to find solid ground and run inland. I am hoping to soon be in a position to search the sea for these people.

Oh, one last thing. I did not get the fellowship, but life goes on.

"Batman vs. Superman" Review

I went into Batman vs. Superman with low expectations, and although I am attempting to compensate for setting the bar so low, it might still have something to do with why I give the film an above average mark. It also could be that I have been on a streak of average or slightly below average movies (Deadpool, 10 Cloverfield Lane, etc). It goes without saying, cause what sort of jerk catches a pre-screening and ruins the movie for everyone, but there will be no spoilers here. There is a Star Wars like turn in the movie, and I will do my best to distance myself from any clues.

If you've talked to me about Batman vs. Superman over the last month you know that I am not pleased with how they have been promoting this movie. It feels like I've been watching trailers for this movie for years, and then after the makers of the movie exposed their entire hand, they had nothing to show leading up to the actual release date. This Batman vs. Superman team should look to Marvel and take notes. The way Marvel slowly gave us bits of Civil War and then dropped Spiderman on us recently was perfect. Now they only need to give us one more reminder that Spiderman is in the film 2 weeks before the actual release date and excitement will be a fever pitch. I've been complaining for the last month that I've already seen the entire Batman vs. Superman film due to the trailers, and I wasn't entirely wrong. We should not have seen Doomsday and Wonder Woman before entering the movie.



From the trailers, I thought I was going to hate Jesse Eisenberg's performance. I don't know much about the character of Lex Luthor, but I did not despise Eisenberg's portrayal of Luthor. It still did feel a bit rigid and forced at times, but it worked for the most part. Where I was unsure of Eisenberg, many were against Ben Affleck as Batman. I think most fans are having a difficult time detaching themselves from the Christian Bale Batman. I, however, was not a doubter of Affleck. He's coming off a string of successful movies, and I felt like he was at the top of his game again. We have to forgive him for Daredevil and Gigli at some point. Plus, I will always have a soft spot for Affleck because of Good Will Hunting.

This is the most Zack Snyder film since 2009's Watchmen. I've never doubted Snyder's artistic ability, but his stories aren't always air-tight and can drag. Batman vs. Superman suffers from exactly this. My film theory is a bit rusty, but If my memory serves me right, I remember really embracing Dziga Vertov's "Kino Eye Theory". It's the theory that cinema can see and express more than the human eye can capture. This is why I'm generally not a fan of the recent James Bond films because you can't see a damn thing. The cuts are too quick and the camera is too shaky. However, facets of Kino Eye is what Snyder does great in a lot of his films, and Batman vs. Superman pulls this off to a certain extent. With the musical help of Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, Snyder's ability to use slow motion and close-ups doesn't slow down the film, but rather makes the movie swell with detail and anticipation.

While I think fans of the superhero genre will enjoy the film, and serious movie watchers won't be totally disappointed, the movie does have its shortcomings. It has spans of exposition and I-don't-care moments, so it's hard to justify the 152 minute runtime. I guess we have to factor in that they were burdened with the duty of setting up the Justice League movie. DC is clearly playing catch up to Marvel's well established franchises and Avengers movies. Not only that, but if you were following the production of this film, you know they ran into snags and that their budget was quickly swelling and on pace to become to most expensive movie ever (suck on that, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).  On top of that, although I give Snyder credit for long shots and actually allowing us to see all the action, a lot of the choreography is slow and clumsy. There were also moments I felt like this movie was made for children. The action, especially with Superman, gets so ridiculous at times I thought I was watching Japanese anime. There is a reason I enjoyed Dragon Ball Z in the 7th grade, but could never re-visit it as an adult. It's a strange dichotomy considering Snyder is taking this franchise down a darker path than what Marvel is doing. If rumors are true, and I hope they are, we will get a rated R version when the Blu-Ray comes out. You could tell Snyder really wanted some CG blood and a sex scene, but you can't have a rated R movie pushing 410 million dollars in budget.

So did I love the movie? No. But did I enjoy it enough? Yes. It's a silly movie, but there are still some cool things being discussed, like ethics and Lex Luthor discussing the logic of god. I do think nerds will like it, and the set up for Justice League even got me excited. The movie also made me want to check out Wonder Woman. With all this in mind, I think I enjoyed (this superhero's) monologue at the end the most. Mostly because of the tragic events that happened in Brussels yesterday. You'll see what I mean when you go watch the movie.

Oh! And don't wait around like Marvel movies. There is no teaser after the credits. At least there wasn't one at my special pre-screening.