Let’s face it, we are all just a tad too serious most of the time and we take ourselves just a little too seriously. When you are under constant threats, deadlines, making the grade or trying to improve yourself, it’s hard to let your hair down and relax, but sometimes I think that is exactly what we need to do.

I am learning to relax, chill-out and not take things so dog-gone seriously. We can get way too caught up in all the things we want to do and the goals we set for ourselves that when it looks like we are not going to achieve something, anything, it becomes the biggest let down ever, you know, like EVER – the sky is falling and quickly too! Let’s just take a moment and breathe. Take that deep breath in and hold it for a few seconds, then let it out slowly. See how much better everything is? Well, it might take a few times, but don’t hold your breath too long.

Hey, it’s not your fault! The educational systems, society and modern life have made everything so excruciatingly stressful. If you feel as though you are under constant threat, that there is always an emergency and things just have got to be done right now, this minute! You’re right, that’s how the modern world has become and that’s why we end up with the world changing at a speed not even flash Gordon could catch up with. Or am I talking about that other Flash guy? See, I can’t even catch up with that.

We are rushing, rushing, rushing. We have got to have the new thing right now! Ipad anyone? Well, if we can afford all the new things out there. I have to pass for now, besides it is just not the right size for me. I need something more between the iphone and the ipad, so my thumbs can type at a speed fast enough to keep up with my hyper mind! But, alas, I digress, because you know what? It’s not all that serious. If I really try, I can wait. Apple always has a revolutionary new product coming out and they will get the size right just for me, if I choose to wait, but can I? Of course, I think I can. Shoot! I’ll buy it today! Don’t tell Joan, ’cause I will hide it under my pillow – that’s just between you and me, so don’t go spoiling it for me. No, no, no! I will wait… I think.

This brings me to the two movies which have really, absolutely, totally made my winter and spring: Avatar and How to Train Your Dragon!

My ADHD mind just salivates at the thought of those two movies and what they did for me. What did they do for me? Let me think, if I can remember. Ah yes, they allowed me to take a few hours off from the world (that’s why I couldn’t remember) and just enjoy the splendors of fantastical colors, love in a fantasy world (oh, sweet, love) and above all, they allowed me to soar with them in the clouds on the wings of dragons! WEEEEEEE!

What more can I want? A good story? Hey, see how easy it is to get serious again? Well, How to Train Your Dragon has a wonderful story and Avatar, well, Avatar basically throws the idea of a good story in your face with Unobtainium (you know, that stuff you can’t get – you did get that, right?)! Although I thought the relationships within Avatar were rather well done (and corny too), I was more interested in the colors, the flight and the beautiful world Cameron created as eye candy! If Avatar wasn’t an ohhhh shiny, then I don’t know what it was and I don’t know anyone who went to see it for the story! Did you? C’mon, you can admit it, we won’t tell anyone.

All I am trying to say is that from time to time we need to realize how important it is to just chillax! If we don’t find ways to laugh and enjoy the splendors of life without all the I just gotta get this done right now or the world will explode into a million zillion pieces, we are going to crash and burn-out, but with just a fizzle.

So, here’s my recommendation: At least one day a week find your child within and just allow yourself to enjoy something, anything – a movie, a walk, or just daydream all day with total abandon! Give yourself permission to goof off. We can all think of a million reasons why we can’t let even the slightest moment pass, but guess what, it’s all going to pass anyway, seriously. The more reasons that you can think of that won’t allow you to relax for a day, well, take it from me, that’s all the more reasons to do it!

What do you enjoy the most? What refreshes you and makes you smile a mile a minute? You know that something that makes your day pass like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day. Do that, enjoy that!

WOOO HOOO – Can you catch me?!!!!?

Let your child within go outside to play, or if it is raining outside, let loose inside!

~Bryan

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Jenna’s story is not simply an inspiration, which it is. It’s more than that, much more. It’s about a young person growing up in an adult world and having adult pressures surround her daily, such as her parent’s breakup and divorce, her sister moving out to live with their father, the place Jenna would like to go, but can’t. Jenna could have cracked and give in to the pressures that threatened to overwhelm her, but instead she has ‘Frank’. Frank is someone I know very well and yet I have never met Jenna in person. Being negative 80 points on a reward system to keep from being grounded, as Jenna’s sister was because she had chosen to protect Jenna, and still find positive and inspirational messages within all the chaos makes clear that Jenna’s intuition isn’t what one could call normal, it’s a gift and provides Jenna the means to survive, to believe, or rather, know, Help is on its way.

Of all the meaningful gems found within Jenna’s story, there is one paragraph which stands out in my mind above everything else and to me is the essence of Help Is On Its Way. The meaning is clear to me and somehow I believe I was meant to read Frank’s words at the exact moment I read them. I truly believe that when the student is ready, the master will appear. I have copied the paragraph, words which are related to Jenna from her guide, Frank:

“Because it’s your life. Nobody else is gonna do it for ya, Jenna. Now you don’t have time to waste. Remember. God gave you a destiny in this world. But you won’t ever reach it if you neglect to first find the happiness and satisfaction in your own right. You’re old enough now. It’s time ta take full charge of ya life. Set your sights on nothing but all the good you can see and dream.”

When I read that statement from Frank to Jenna, I was overcome with a feeling of providence. It seemed as though Frank was talking directly to me through Jenna’s book. And I must admit, he is right, it is when I set my sights on nothing but all the good for which I can see and dream that things began to improve in my life. Perhaps Frank is making sure I would not forget that fact and get back to doing more than keeping on and continue to make the improvements I have set out to make.

Jenna’s story is a treasure and her writing is breathtaking. It is so easy to become captured in her style and sense for details. The atmosphere she creates is so real that I felt as though I was right there with her. She had me worried sick when she ran away from home and was sneaking into her close friend’s house… was her friend’s abrupt and harsh father going to detect her? I was stuck in the closet with her until her friend’s father finally left and we could hear the car going down the road. That reminded me vividly of moments in my life when I waited to hear my father’s car to pull out of the driveway and hopefully forget me, ah but this is about Jenna’s story.

I cannot recommend Jenna’s book enough. There are many valuable and inspiring moments within the pages that you will come away with a treasure trove of motivational tools for improvement and realizing that we can do better, we will do better, no matter how dire the circumstances, or, how endless they may seem. Problems are real and so are the solutions, Jenna gives the solutions to us in many ways, but the best ways are through the wise words of Frank. Good old Frank! Thanks Jenna!

You can find Jenna’s book Help Is On Its Way here.

~Bryan

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Does Tinker Bell have ADHD? The Disney movie sure seems to indicate that she does, not directly, but if you know and understand the symptoms of ADHD then you will probably recognize some of the most common in Tinker Bell via her all new animated Movie!

Plot: Enter the magical world of fairies and meet the enchanting creatures of Pixie Hollow, who “nurture nature” and bring about the change of the seasons. Changing the colors of the leaves, moving a sunbeam to melt snow, waking animals from their winter slumber, or giving a patch of sproutlings a sprinkle of water are all within the realm of these seasonal specialists. Tinker Bell thinks her fairy talent as a “tinker” isn’t as special or important as the other fairies’ talents. But when Tink tries to change who she is, she creates nothing but disaster! With encouragement from her friends Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn and Iridessa, Tink learns the key to solving her problems lies in her unique tinker abilities … and discovers that when she’s true to herself, magical things can happen.

Tinker Bell, the animated movie, is about Tinker Bell trying to be something she is not because she thinks the traits and talents others have are somehow better. The little ball of fire and energy, which is Tinker Bell, causes chaos like no other fairy doing all the things she should not be doing and falls victim to the bully of the movie by her vulnerability in believing she can be something ‘different’.  Tinker Bell is constantly distracted from her work by the lure of “The Mainland” and because she is a ‘Tinker’ fairy she is not allowed to go there. “The Mainland” is only for Garden Fairies and so Tinker Bell reasons she should learn how to be a Garden Fairy, but the problem is that she is not a Garden Fairy no matter how much she wants to be one.

I had to chuckle a bit to myself while watching Tinker Bell, throughout the movie she finds ‘lost’ things, they are shiny and catch her attention away from anything else she is doing. She can’t seem to stay focused on anything, but when she starts to repair ‘lost’ things or invent new things from them, she becomes hyper focused and does not detect that she is being watched by her friends – she, herself, doesn’t even realize what she is doing! I am telling you, this movie seems to be showing classic ADHD symptoms at their most obvious. 

If Tinker Bell has ADHD then it will be no surprise to anyone that she becomes the most famous fairy ever! No wonder! To understand what I mean, you will have to watch the movie and then be sure to comment here with your thoughts.

What I liked most about the movie, and it is a very, very good movie throughout, is the fact that Tinker’s problem stems from the fact that she cannot focus on the work she is instructed to do and is distracted by so many other things; however, it is this distraction which leads her to her REAL talent of salvaging ‘lost’ things and inventing new things! Had she not been distracted and interested in other things she would never have found her true talent and become the Tinker Bell we know and love today – the most famous fairy ever!

To me, the moral of the movie is that you cannot fit a circle into a square hole no matter how hard you try! But that’s exactly what we do in today’s civilized world with across the board standards. I am quite sure if Tinker Bell had been subdued with medication she would have been able to perform in the required manner of a ‘Tinker’ and not hyperactively and impulsively leave her education and duties constantly to find her passion and true talent. No, I am not saying medication is bad and doesn’t help. Actually medication does help many of us fit into society better and not cause the chaos that Tinker Bell caused during this movie. The question I would like to pose is: If Tinker Bell had been diagnosed with ADHD before her true talent came to fruition would she have become the Tinker Bell we know and love today? Watch the movie first! Then come back here and tell us your opinion.

Children today must meet an abundance of standards in education and have plenty of homework along with regular school – how much time do they have to adventure and explore their personal talents and traits? Kids are growing up under stricter and much more restrained conditions every generation. And sadly, with over population and saturation of the job market, not too many who actually do somehow find the time to discover and nurture their personal talent will ever have the opportunity to work in a job that allows him or her to use it. Or am I just being cynical? The world has changed so much in the last century and I sincerly believe that many of us with ADHD are equiped for a world and lifestyle that simply doesn’t exist anymore. Many of us make do and some find ways to succeed anyway, and yet we still feel empty and lost for something more… off to never, never land Peter Pan!

~Bryan

Tinker Bell images copyright Disney

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Joan and I went to see Quantum of Solace the other day and it took our breath away! Yes, the mainstream movie reviews are making it seem like Quantum of Solace is terrible and not worth your time, but trust you me, the movie is awesome! The movie has done nearly $200 million in Europe just over the weekend and word of mouth is what is moving this movie in Europe, they don’t make $200 million for just the name! No, it’s a good movie, a darn good movie that moves fast and keeps moving to the finish.

Daniel Craig plays Bond, James Bond, like 007 has never been played before and he is very convincing. Yes, the women are going to go see Quantum of Solace for the sake of seeing Mr. Craig, but they are going to be in for one big surprise. The opening scene starts just days after Bond’s love of his life has died in Casino Royale (making this the first direct sequel in the Bond series), he is being chased down a winding road while being shot at and crashed into. Just like in Casino Royale Bond takes a beating like never before, everything seems quite real if you can get past the fact that he is dodging a thousand bullets a second.

The biggest complaint about this movie from critics seems to be the speed of the movie and the camera angles. I don’t understand this complaint at all. The movie is supposed to be fast and the camera angles put the viewer directly into the movie, almost as if the view is part of the action – you ‘feel’ it when Bond gets hurt. I often heard grunts and “oh my God’s” from the audience. I guess the critics are used to sitting and writing and not being part of the action! Critics loved Royale because it was so emotional and, well, a relaxing pace, not too fast for those who sit all day. If you’re a gamer, this movie will be cherished! Keep in mind that your usual critic is not an action fan, so do yourself a favor and ignore the negative reviews on this one, you won’t regret it!

That being said about the action, Daniel Craig is an actor’s actor. Robert Downey jr. being cast as Iron Man was a stroke of genius and so was Edward Norton as The Hulk (even if not as good as Iron Man). Action movie directors have learned something valuable, get a real actor and it changes everything! Daniel Craig acts the way James Bond has always wanted to be, but was always too corny to be. You will notice that there is a lack of gadgets and other side shows in Craig’s Bond movies, the truth is an actor of Craig’s stature and abilities doesn’t need anything on the side, he is the movie!

When you go see this movie do not expect a long drawn out remake of The Titanic or Terms of Endearment, plan on being part of the movie and seeing someone actually act like a real living breathing James Bond, even if he can dodge a thousand bullets a second!

~Bryan

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This is one incredible movie! This is one awesome movie! I saw Iron Man last week and have to admit that I loved it, but after watching SPEED RACER I had to catch my breath, take a few minutes to gather myself and just hope, beyond hope, that there is a sequel! Iron Man did not have quite that lasting effect, actually, okay, the Robert was pretty darn awesome as Tony Stark and the whole Avengers hook up was… sorry, got distracted.

Go SPEED RACER GO! If you read the prior reviews about there being no plot and that there was too much color for too long, well, they got the colors right, but I loved the story and felt that it did the original series justice. Not only that, the movie revealed a lot more than I expected about the Racer family. Nobody overplayed or underplayed their parts, all the actors did a great job and to imagine that most, if not all, the acting was done on blue or green screens. The movie is a master’s piece all of its own, forget The Matrix, this goes beyond The Matrix.

Not many movies, Iron Man included, have the ability to keep my attention through every single scene. I know for a fact I went to the restroom at least once during Iron Main, but there was no way in the world I could leave the theater while watching SPEED RACER. Too much color? Maybe for anyone who does not have ADHD, but if you have ADHD, then prepare for a feast like none other than you have ever had. The driving scenes are out of this world! If you expect realism, then you will be disappointed; however, if you go into this movie realizing that it is the product of an animated cartoon series ,which was never meant to be taken, or even remotely considered, as real, well then, you won’t be disappointed.  

The problem with the movie, for many reviewers, comes down to the fact that the movie is supposedly too improbable, too self involved and has too much color. I wonder though, were those reviewers ever kids and do they know what the definition of animation and cartoons are? Someone send them a memo and for heaven’s sake, if they can’t review the movie for what it is, and not for what they want it to be, then review something else.

Okay, not everyone is going to appreciate this movie as much as I do, but I would love to hear from our fellow ADDers and what y’all thought of it. (short spoiler) One of the best parts is when Speed Racer is in elementary school and totally ignores his teachers and school work, doing nothing but racing cars in his mind and drawing cars on his exam papers! Okay, I am not saying Speed Racer has ADHD, but C’mon! And while you are watching it, remember what I have been writing about concerning mentorships.

AWESOME – MUST SEE!

~Bryan ~ out…

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It’s like thunder, the roar and they are off! The precision, the strategy, the speed and the most important factor of all = the race against others. It’s not about the cars, they are supposed to be as equal as possible, and it’s not about the race track, because it is the same track for everyone.

 Just like Fast Eddie said in “The Color of Money” – “it’s about human moves”

“Days of Thunder” is one of those movies that brings it all home, the excitement, the danger, the confusion, the worry and the fear, then it all comes together and we cheer at the end because the hero has found himself, overcome and above all else, and in spite of everything else, he wins! But, and this is important – is it realistic? It could be and yet for most it is not; however, there is a hope within the story of the movie itself that lends to its appeal.

In my opinion, Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) has the symptoms of ADHD. He gets in a car and without understanding the mechanics of the car, its tires or even the race track itself, he can drive like there is no tomorrow – and how! He is the epitome of talent and potential, the poster boy of what talent and potential is without knowledge and maturity. This is so very familiar to me and probably so many others with ADHD. Loads of potential, talent boiling over and yet not a clue what to do with it and yet some of us get lucky as Cole Trickle did in Days of Thunder, someone noticed, someone cared.

There comes a time when Cole must admit to his mentor that he does not understand cars. He explains that he gets in them and can drive, but doesn’t have a clue of how they really works and when that he is given instructions or asked to clarify a problem with the car, he just can’t. You know what is interesting about this? So many of us can identify with this type of behavior, we can do something, something amazing and yet have very little knowledge about how or why and that missing knowledge has us going through time wishing and hoping for things to come together, we know we can do it, we know it is within us, but for some reason it always stays just beyond our grasp. Sound familiar? If we watch the movie close enough, we realize that Cole is embarrassed and ashamed because he knows that he does not understand enough, but he does not realize that this is what is holding him back or that there is a way for him to understand certain things. His mentor is insightful and understanding enough to not try and teach Cole a way that he will never understand, but instead goes with the way Cole’s brain works and decides to help Cole understand certain things in a way his mind can easily comprehend. Does any of this sound familiar?

The world is so caught up in conveyer belt developed minds and standards set the same for everyone and anyone, jacks of all trades etc… that the world is now missing out on some of the greatest minds of our time. Who is the Einstein of our time? It seems that every generation has an Einstein, but who is really our Einstein, today? Anyone stand that far out? I can’t think of anyone at the top of my mind and I doubt if anyone else can, there are some worthy prospects but none of them are above the rest, they are all quite near each other and nothing within the range of Benjamin Franklin or Da Vinci or Einstein – and by the by, all of those names of the past are considered to have had ADHD!

If you’re a business owner, a manager or a principle or a teacher or a parent, take a closer look and perhaps you have someone with ADHD, maybe you have a Cole Trickle in your midst that could revolutionize something or anything. Consider mentorship instead of punishment, consider coaching instead of ridicule, and consider understanding instead of chastisements. The dividends could go beyond your wildest expectations. That’s not really what our world is about nowadays, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be and it doesn’t mean it can’t be rewarding.

GO Speed Racer GO!

What do you think would happen if Jerry Bruckheimer took the director brothers Wachowski, of Speed Racer and The Matrix, under his mentorship? – oh my, oh my! See what I mean with that idea alone?

~Bryan

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“You gotta have two things to win. You gotta have brains and you gotta have balls. Now, you got too much of one and not enough of the other.”

Paul Newman spoken as Fast Eddie

One of the most appealing things about the movie “The Color of Money” is that the story is familiar to a great deal of people. You don’t have to have ADHD to have lived through identity crises or not be appreciated for your talents and you don’t have to have ADHD to be lost or unaware of certain things. The world has changed a lot in the last hundred years and people from all walks of life must put aside their inner desires to make their way through designed systems. Most people do fine with the designed systems in place and that’s why those systems will not change much, and those systems are not bad or wrong, but there are some who live mediocre lives due to these systems and with the right incentives, and mentorships, they can break free and become what they were meant to become in the first place. It is rare nowadays, but it happens from time to time. A hundred or so years ago, this wasn’t so rare due to apprenticeships and mentorships systems which had been in place for thousands of years. For the most part we’ve lost those, but sometimes a lucky few find their way half-hazardly into a sort of mentorship, sort of like what happened for Vince in “The Color of Money”.

“You walk into a pool room with that go-go-go, the guys’ll be *killing* each other, trying to get to you. You got that… But I’ll tell you something, kiddo. You couldn’t find Big Time if you had a road map.”

Paul Newman spoken as Fast Eddie

Before I talk about “The Color of Money” I want to talk about Paul Newman’s character Fast Eddie, which was first explored in the movie “The Hustler”. Fast Eddie was exactly as his name dictated: fast. He was impulsive and wanted to prove he was the best right away. Taking the longer, more profitable and ultimately, or seemingly, rewarding road wasn’t in his character. He was a loner with a partner that didn’t know any better and wasn’t really a mentor. Fast Eddie was a prodigy, with a gift for playing pool that he did not understand. The only way fast Eddie could calm himself, and slow himself down, was with liquor and as we all know, that’s not a very good solution. Being fast and impulsive, Fast Eddie did not take the time to understand the game he loved so much – just knowing how to make balls is not enough; one must understand who he or she is and understand the people who they will be dealing with. Not understanding the human factors, fast Eddie was extremely naïve and therefore reckless. Even if he could beat Minnesota fats it would be a mistake that would destroy the world of pool for him, leaving him exiled from it.

In “The Color of Money” Paul Newman once again takes on the role of Fast Eddie, but this time he is a much older and ‘wiser’ person. He now knows the answers that would have helped him long ago, but through-out the movie he makes many of the mistakes and blunders that he made long ago, in the first movie “The Hustler”. Fast Eddie gets both hustled and sharked at the very same time by a character marvelously played by Forest Whitaker. Watching Forest Whitaker’s performance is worth the price of this movie alone, if you have an understanding of sharking and hustling you will marvel at how well Forest pulls the act off. When someone has ADHD it takes a situation as what Forest does to Paul Newman to really get into the mind and wake it up. This demonstrates that even a hustler can be hustled.

“That’s not what I said, kid. I said you *are* a natural character; you’re an incredible flake.”

Paul Newman spoken as Fast Eddie

Okay, let’s get back to Vince and who he is. Like Fast Eddie once was, Vince is a prodigy, but he has a problem to which Fast Eddie can relate very well to. Vince is impulsive and has no clue about the gift he possesses. Fast Eddie sees an opportunity with Vince and jumps at the chance to give him the mentorship he didn’t have and, of course, make some money with him. The problem though, is that Vince is extremely naïve and very stubborn. In my opinion Vince isn’t truly stubborn, he simply does not know how to control his impulsivity and is oblivious to the fact he could be so much more. As a matter of fact Fast Eddie offers Vince the deal of Vince’s lifetime where Vince works in an average job with no obvious aspirations for more. Vince is basically a grown up child who is lost in his thoughts about computer games and shooting pool. Fast Eddie describes working with Vince as “Child Care”.

In order to convince Vince into going on the road Fast Eddie must manipulate him in order to do so. Being that Vince is naïve and knows nothing about how the world revolves, he is rather easy to manipulate. This doesn’t surprise me, many of us with ADHD are always lost in our thoughts and distracted that we don’t pay enough attention to the details. We tend to call ourselves ‘late bloomers’.

“Pool excellence is *not* about excellent pool.”

Paul Newman spoken as Fast Eddie

Fast Eddie was exactly what Vince needed. Although we can frown on the fact that Fast Eddie had to manipulate Vince, it was what Vince needed to finally start seeing the ‘truth’ and what he was really capable of. One of the first stops on the road was for Vince to play a man with an obvious physical handicap. Vince was so distracted by the person’s handicap that he could not play ‘his’ game and lost. Fast Eddie allowed for Vince to get his butt kicked for not paying up in order to teach Vince a lesson he would not forget. There is something about telling someone with ADHD to do this or that, it usually doesn’t stick, they must first experience it in order to learn from it, and even then the lesson probably will not be fully learned the first time. Time and time again through-out the movie Vince must be pulled in from making impulsive decisions and disastrous mistakes.

The movie “The Color of Money” is not so much about a gifted pool player, as it is about what someone is capable of if apprenticed and mentored and how they would remain without such lessons. By the end of the movie Vince becomes something of a ‘pro’ himself, but if he had not met Fast Eddie and learned from him he would still be working in his average job and not on the way to greatness. And that is what happens to a lot of people in today’s world, they could be doing so much more, achieving great things if they had the proper mentorship and were apprenticed and not simply left to rules and standards they may not understand until it is too late.

Actually, Vince was very lucky that Fast Eddie not only noticed him, but also took him under his wing to train him. Not too many people have the time or tenacity to really take an appreciation for someone else anymore. As a matter of fact, if Fast Eddie had not once been in the same boat as Vince, he probably would have passed him over without a thought. Vince reminded Fast Eddie of himself and luckily Fast Eddie had the time on his hands to explore Vince’s abilities. How often does that happen in today’s world? Not very often.

“Human moves, kid. You study the watch… while I study you.”

Paul Newman spoken as Fast Eddie

The only thing lacking from this movie was the mental struggles Vince was obviously going through. He was making mistake after mistake and simply could not grasp the ‘big’ picture. He had a transformation and the movie implies it, but never explores it. Tom Cruise used to play roles that touched people, and he acted well the come from behind, misunderstood and confused shouldn’t-be-a-loser type. Other Movies Tom played in that demonstrates symptoms of ADHD is “Days of Thunder” and “Top Gun”. I guess things have changed for Tom and his search for an Oscar has taken him away from the roles he excels at… too bad… next article I will talk about “Days of Thunder” and what I noticed about Tom’s character, Cole – and guess what helps him again… another mentor!  

I relate very well to both Fast Eddie and Vince. I was once a lot like Vince, bursting with talent and potential and I refused to be instructed, so I learned through the very long road of trial and error. In my book I explain how that changed for me and how and why accepting mentorship changed my whole world.

~Bryan   

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This was an amazing movie, absolutely positively amazing. Before I go any further let me just say that if Will Smith doesn’t get an Oscar for his performance then nobody from ’07 deserves one. Yes, yes, I know it’s a sort of horror film, but it’s not really – it is an emotional endeavor to explain how a person deals not only with loss, but to be totally alone with that loss and be defeated over and over again by a seemingly hopeless struggle to find a cure. Yeah, this is an ADDer movie.

Not too many people can pull off a full movie with just their acting alone, but Will Smith does it and I think the only other person who pulled it off was Tom Hanks. Both are incredible actors.

The opening scene is Will Smith’s character racing through the city, hunting! It’s cool and considering the theme, it’s a very ‘alive’ scene. Although we ADDers can be very exciting, this only serves to cloak the fact that we often feel alone.

Will’s only friend is his dog, the love between them is unconditional and free of arguments and disagreements, with the exception that his dog really should not chase after the night zombies. Their relationship is very unique and well acted by both Will Smith and his dog. It is also heartbreaking at times and pulls at you in unexpected ways. Beware of this relationship, because it really brings home the movie and can leave you thinking about it for days. Hyper-focus value is very high, but will probably make you cry. Not saying that I did, nope, not saying that!

The best part of this movie is quite simply the acting and only one person deserves any credit for that and you can guess who. I was enthralled by the movie, but the ending, in my opinion didn’t live up to how well the beginning and middle were set. It seemed to just give up and there is a very good reason for that, but if I tell you then I would be giving it away.

Even thought I was not happy with the ending, that in no way means this was a bad movie. No, no, it is an awesome movie and I had to watch it twice! Regardless that zombies are in the movie, it is not a horror movie and although there are a few moments where you might jump a little, it’s not the scary kind of jump. Actually, these particular zombies have something very interesting about them which I found unique to this movie. You will have to watch it to find out what I mean.

- Awesome movie -

I think ADDers will stay interested all the way through!

~Bryan

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The first TV show from my childhood that I can remember is the Howdy Doody show. I remember it faintly and slightly fondly, but not much more than that. SPEED RACER on the other hand I can remember with great fondness and clarity. It was the ultimate show from my childhood! What Transformers was to the late 80’s and early 90’s children, Speed Racer had owned our minds previously and I suspect had the firmest grip on young Adder minds. Everything about Speed Racer was cool and he appealed to us because, although he was cool, he was still flawed. I guess you could call him the Spider Man / Peter Parker of race car drivers.

Transformers came to theaters this last summer and I went to see it! It was a good movie, but it didn’t really catch my interest the way it was catching the interest of the younger crowd. I didn’t really know the Transformers and to tell you the truth, I just couldn’t summon any desire or empathy for the metal characters even after I watched the movie. Great action, but sitting here right now, I can’t quote any lines from it. By the way, this year’s movie for me was ’3:10 to Yuma’! And I fell asleep during that Jessie James movie, or whatever it was. Sorry, Brad, I think your cool and all, but you’ve had more exciting roles.

COMING MAY 9, 2008! SPEED RACER!

Slated for release on May 9, 2008, “Speed Racer” marks the Wachowski brothers’ first writing/directing collaboration since “The Matrix” movies. Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowskis on “The Matrix” movies and “V For Vendetta,” is producing the film under his Silver Pictures banner. – http://speedracerthemovie.warnerbros.com/

I have a feeling Speed Racer is going to be the biggest blockbuster movie of 2008! The first Matrix Movie and V for Vendetta are two of my favorite movies and I can watch them over and over again. If there are any movie creators with ADD or ADHD out there it’s got to be the Wachowski brothers. Those guys know how to WoW us and keep our attention and they set standards. The only problem with the Wachowski brothers is that the standards they set become over used by others and therefore seem to become old-school, but the good news is that the Wachowski brothers set new standards with new, exciting and inventive ideas!

  ”The Wachowski Brothers really can’t do anything easy,” said Silver. “They want to make it as hard as they possibly can. So Speed Racer has a look that you have never seen before. It’s really a vast panorama of the story. There’s going to be a trailer out at Christmas, and it’s pretty spectacular. So you’ll see it pretty soon.”—Joel Silver

Christmas? I don’t want to wait that long! The last time I was so eager for a movie was when the first Spider-Man movie was coming out a few years ago. I wasn’t disappointed then and I really don’t think I am going to be disappointed this time either.

GO SPEED RACER GO!

~Bryan

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Superman is the man of steel. He is a savior, a hero and yet he is a man of deep feelings and has the inner need to please others—especially Lois Lane. In Superman returns he comes back to earth after being away for 5 years and many things have changed. The most important, is Lois. She is now in a relationship and has a son. What I love most about this move and why I am doing something of a review about it, is that Superman acts in certain ways the first 30 minutes of this movie that every Adder dreams about.

In about the first 15 or 30 minutes of Superman Returns, Superman saves Lois from an airplane disaster. It’s a fantastic Adder scene. Lois doesn’t even know that Superman is back yet! Before I explain more, let me impart a little bit about us Adders so that you can see where I am coming from with this:

Home work not complete or maybe not even started, bad grades and they are getting worse, chores not done and probably not started, bedroom a mess and it’s become dangerous for visitors, getting grounded as a result, detention and just plain punishment becoming a regular standard for you. Many Adder children go through this, it was way worse when I was growing up because nobody knew what ADD or ADHD was! And because of those things we Adders escaped even more to our dreams and in those dreams many of us created whole new worlds. In those worlds we created ourselves in the roles of heroes and other great role models. We wanted to be better than what we were and we wanted rewards, praise and most of all: love. I imagine that, for today’s Adder children that the theme of our dreams has not changed too much.

The aircraft rescue in Superman Returns is an Adder moment. When I watch that scene, it does not matter how many times, I get goose bumps all over. It is so exhilarating! The aircraft is in mortal danger and Lois is on board and she does not know that Superman is back, neither does the rest of the world. As the aircraft’s terrible fate seems to be becoming inevitable, aircraft controllers announce that something very fast is approaching the doomed flight and then as the passengers realize their doom is near, Lois looks out the window and she sees a quick flash of blue and red. She looks puzzled, not sure of what she saw, but you can see a little spark of hope light up in her eyes. It is not a bird; it is not a plane… It is Superman! This is where the movie starts to get good, real good and us Adders can feel it all the way down to the tips of our toes.

When I was a kid I had an out of this world dream I used to escape to. It was a fantastical dream which I might even write a novel about one day. In my dream, epic dream, I was a hero. Not just any hero, I was a leader of the most powerful superheroes in not just simply the world, but the entire universe! That’s right—we Adders do not waste our intentioned dreams on being second rate. We have enough of the unwanted and nightmarish dreams which we can’t usually control, so when we dream our own dream, we go all out. In the real world we succumb to pressures and we incessantly feel inadequate and jaded. When we can control our dreams we see ourselves as being something like rock stars being serenaded by crowds. It has to do with our yearning to be appreciated and wanted—recognized in a good, positive way.

If you have not seen Superman Returns, you should. Before Superman can save the airplane he must first separate the space shuttle attached to the top of it–piggybacking. While he saves the space shuttle, the plane with Lois in it topples towards the ground in a blaze of fire and wings snapping off. We the viewers do not fear for Lois, we know what is coming next. Superman swoops down with amazing speed to the rescue. The director tries to make it seem like a chore for superman, but we really know that this is Superman’s bread and butter. Superman finally reaches the nose of the plane which is pointed straight down to the ground and uses all of his super might to bring the plane to a stop, and he does, and in no less of a place than in the middle of a crowded baseball stadium! You can hear the shocking silence of the crowd and then as they realize what has happened you can hear their cheers and rejoicing for Superman!!! It is an amazing moment. Superman is in the place where all Adders go in their dreams. In the middle of a large, appreciating crowd and saving the day! Oh my!

Yep, that’s all an Adder child wants—a little appreciation. Maybe it was an Adder who created the line “I get no appreciation!”?

We are all super! Two Adder Up, up and aways!

–
Someday I’ll be Saturday night
I’ll be back on my feet, I’ll be doing all right
It may not be tomorrow baby, that’s ok
I ain’t going down, gonna find a way

Hey, hey, hey
Man I’m alive I’m taking each day and night at a time
Yeah I’m down, but I know I’ll get by
Hey, hey, hey, hey man I’m gonna live my life
Like I ain’t got nothing but this roll of the dice
I’m feeling like a Monday but someday I’ll be Saturday night

Bon Jovi- “Someday I will be Saturday Night”
–

~Bryan

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