Kids and Dragons

While I was at Empire yesterday, I found some really good stuff.

First, I found a Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous CD which I snapped up immediately. As far as I know, Rilo Kiley doesn't have a local release. I've been listening to it the last day or so and I like it. It's a good change of pace from my usual car music i.e Goldfinger, Carcass, Ash etc.

Then I found a Kids DVD. What a disturbing film this is. And what a powerful one. Basically it's about this skater dude who likes to deflower virgins. Well, it goes badly when one of his former partners get tested positive for HIV. She sets out to find him and tell him. She does find him at the end but a little too late. The ending made me shake my head involuntarily.

The movie is quite dark and there's little joy in it. But it's very realistic, maybe a little too realistic for some people. I'm quite sad to say that some of the things the kids do in this movie, I have seen people do in real life. In fact, I have actually done some of those things. I'm not saying which ones. I'm not a skater, that much I can say.

I can also say, when you are young you are immortal and untouchable, the world is your oyster and the future is not something that you think about.

This movie will resonate well with people who have either lived they lives like that or have known people who have. Conservative people should stay away from this movie. Trust me on that. That reminds me, I need to remove the disk from the living room before my dad accidentally watches it.

But not all is dark for amongst the stash of stuff I got yesterday, I also found a gem which I have been looking forward to from the moment I heard of it months ago.

Dragons !!

Yes, I'm an RPG-ing D&D geek. And proudly so. Thus, like any self-respecting D&D roleplayer I am fascinated with things like history, mythology and magic. And dragons !!

Imagine my delight when I saw the Animal Planet special Dragons : A Fantasy Made Real sitting on the DVD rack at Empire. And while you're at it, imagine Raven's delight also when I messaged her about it.

Obviously, I bought it. I also bought one for Raven.

There are many films and TV series and other shows featuring dragons and their ilk. However, as far as I recall they has never been a feature ABOUT dragons. Ok Dragonheart was about a dragon but that's not the same thing.

And more importantly, they has never been a feature that made dragons look and feel so real and plausible, as can be expected from an Animal Planet documentary.

D:AFMR is shot documentary style with the most mind blowing CGI dragon sequences ever known to man. I especially like the dragon vs t-rex fight sequence with the sun behind a female dragon while she divebombs the T-Rex. It was awesome ! And the mountain dragon mating flight ! And fire ! Dragons wouldn't be as fabulous and awe inspiring if not for their ability to breathe fire.

I won't spoil it for anyone else, but I have to mention how impressed I am at how the documentary explains and justifies things like the dragon's flight mechanics and fire breathing methods. It's mad genius I'm telling you. And so very plausible.

I think our resident game master can use this DVD as reference.

In other news, Rin picked me up from the house last night after her own prior social engagement. We drove around for a bit, bought some refreshments from 7-11 and drove around some more while we drove pass the houses of all our friends and other people we know. Oh yes, she was also doing a good job traumatizing me by driving badly and not noticing red traffic lights until the last minute. It was strangely entertaining.

We talked about all and sundry and laughed at idealistic, naive comments people wrote in a teen magazine that she bought.

She painted her nails. They look great.

Rin, she's very strange but very cool at the same time.