Leonardo De Suckio

Went to watch the Gangs of New York last night. Theatre was mostly empty as people are probably out somewhere skiing or having Christmas celebrations at anywhere but here. The movie itself had less than 20 spectators, most of whom probably had nowhere exciting to go either. The movie followed with the mood of the entire evening: unorgasmic.

As a child, Leonardo's character was born in the life of 19th century brooklyn ghettos, AKA 5 points, was populated mostly by poor irish immigrants that flooded the ports of New York. While Ireland was plagued by the potato famine, the Irish came to the US in Hordes, seeking of a better life. The portrayal of life in the 5 points was quite shocking and pictured fairly well. Living in the ghetto, money was scarce, your life would have been one born into a local gang and your daily occupation was to be a hooker, thief, or murderer. Death... it seemed was almost welcomed and accepted as much as living. One can get robbed at any corner, killed for a dollar, or murdered by one of the local gangs. Life was cheap. You got a feeling that life was almost meaningless and wondered how these people maintained their sanity.

That was pretty much the only good part of the movie. I'm not going any more into detail, incase some of you might actually go watch the movie. However, be warned, this movie served better as a documentary of life in 19th century new york/brooklyn, than anything to do with gangs or mafias. It was a far cry short of movies such as The Godfather. A lot of grotesque scenes (butchery, murders, fights) and a lot of nudity (Nude tits). Very inappropriate for children.

Final Grade: B-

Also finished up the book, Kingdoms for Sale, by Terry brooks. The plot of the book was interesting. In a department store catalog, much like the one's you'd find at Ross or Macy's, was advertised a kingdom for sale for 1 million dollars. Why or How that land became for sale, you'll have to read the book. But basically the Protagonist of the book, Ben Holliday, a successful but lackluster lawyer, purchased the mythical land, and became it's king. However, he later finds that all was not as seemed as written in the Ad. He inherits a crumbling castle, with no retainers, no army and no money. He has a few followers, a court magician, 2 kobold cooks, and a dog as a court writer. On top of that, a demon vyes for the throne. Will he succeed in bring peace to this mythical land or would he pay the ultimate price, his life, in his attempt at kingship?

Read the book and find out...

Kingdoms for sale: A-