Arizona

Arizona

A movie set in the suburbs of Phoenix, written for Seth Rogen.

This movie combines elements of Knocked-up, Pineapple Express and Goodwill Hunting, with an ending designed to encourage the audience to believe in self. This script is written with consideration for the quirky, naïve sensibility exhibited in both Knocked-up and Pineapple Express where the non-hero triumphs after generous application of a good natured, never quit as long as it’s convenient attitude.

But the casual good humor Seth Rogen normally portrays in his roles is combined with darker tones reminiscent of Goodwill Hunting along with a message of redemption and self-discovery realized through the vehicle of an unlikely Yoda-like character conveyed in an Asian American biology and botany researcher whose self-avowed mission in life is to deliver to the world the most badass marijuana.

The plot will follow our star from the nascent years of high school where he starts as a borderline nerd. Our main character’s ambitions are simple – a predetermined plan for yearbook ascendancy bundled together with a desire for academic distinction all for the purposes of college matriculation. But because of a series of events triggered by the faltering health of his first mentor figure and the subsequent machinations of the first villain of the movie, his well-laid plans are thwarted. When Christine Bumps, our nascent Othello’s first nemesis undermines his Yoda-like teacher by leading an anti-drug rally, our character’s life is turned upside down as all of his preconceptions of right and wrong are turned on end. Our star’s mentor has been dosing with medical marijuana openly to deal with his cancer. He’s made full disclosure of the fact to all parents, teachers and school officials.

The resulting epiphany earned by challenging preconceived notions launches our star on a path that includes random McJobs such as painting tree trunks with white paint in a senior community and unlikely friendships with a motley group of lovable losers.

Our high school scenes will include an homage to Fast Times at Ridgemont High with our star ordering a pizza during Christine Bumps class.

Though our high school scenes will only occupy ten minutes of the movie, the scenes will provide a moral foundation that will inform our star’s behavior for the rest of the journey. When certain previously unassailable precepts of our main actor are invalidated by a tragic turn, our star’s approach to life is forced to embrace the strange and unexpected. An altered approach that reroutes the star from a predetermined track headed for college and career and instead propels him towards a quirky Quixotic journey with lovable ensemble of losers living far below each characters’ native potential. By the end of the movie, all will be set right in the classic tradition of comic theater that would comfort an Athenian. Arizona is a movie that would make Northrup Frye proud.

And we have monkeys.

Opening sequence, rip-off Simpsons, they rip-off everybody else.

Origin, exposition, introduction to first mentor, declaration of hopes and dreams, best yearbook ever

Dr. Ruth Westheimer foreshadowing of Christine Bumps self-pleasure and upside-down stock tables to cover-up

Say no to drugs

Mentor diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

Mentor dosing with medical marijuana

Christine Bumps campaigns against degenerate drug user, drives mentor out of school and usurps yearbook advisership Say No to Drugs

Star present when mentor dies, funeral scene, speaks at funeral

Tries to make it on yearbook, resigns when Christine Bumps insists on a layout with watermarks of daisies and doilies

Pizza ordering scene, father and principal reminisce, impressed our star knows the classics

Decides to try drugs since everything Christine Bumps says or does seems wrong

Dissolve, five years later, side of a road, star painting tree trunks counting time

Driving back home after work is finished, picks-up hippie hitchhiker, finds out hippie is a marijuana grow consultant and that myth of miracle marijuana at ASU is real

Schemes to get a job as janitor at ASU to get access to marijuana

Interview scene

Sneaking-out marijuana, gets caught, meets second Yoda, mentor

Yoda insists only legal, makes star and motley group of friends to come up with legitimate indications for medical marijuana before he writes a script for dispensation

Yoda origin montage, rip-off Harold and Kumar montage with anthropomorphized bag of marijuana, Yoda raising marijuana with dad who says “your grandfather had acres of these back home in China”

Crew sees Yoda’s monkeys doing really smart things, like writing out elaborate equations, decides the marijuana imparts superhuman intelligence to imbibers

Enters quiz show, goes up against nerd/nemesis from high school, competes for old high school crush, now dating nemesis on opposing quiz team for a million dollars

Loses access to marijuana when nemesis2 teams with nemesis1(Christine Bumps) to jail Yoda

Motley crew comes close with miracle marijuana but loses, earns respect of opponents, girl

The moral of the story and that’s just one superfreaky monkey, he can’t solve the equations

Black Coq scene

Cut, NORML Rally with George Soros on stage, sponsored by Black Coq

My Crazy Movie Ideas

Short film I want to shoot right away.

1. Scottsdale Superficial

Sort of like Legally Blonde, without the deep meaning. First scene Breanna drives up to Nordstrom, is familiar with valet, blows him kisses while handing him keys.

In store, she's trying to decide between two different shoes. The clerk says why not take both, she says that's genius, that's why I love Nordstrom.

She meets a serious looking guy with some friends, it's Jake from Ohio. He starts to talk about Somalia, Breanna interrupts and says, wait is that a new store in the mall? Wait wait, I'm sorry, it's where you're from in Ohio?

Breanna doesn't drink anything alcoholic, working out for her trip to Acapulco.

Driving from the get-together, she runs a stop sign and runs over a Mexican man, dirty from working all day as a laborer.

First reaction is to see if her car is alright, "he's so dirty, did it get on my car?"

Man seems alright, dazed, but he gets up and walks away. Breanna gives him one of her business cards.

Breanna visited at her office by police officers. They explain the man died. She thinks it's a joke of her coworkers, Amy, you bitch, this is not funny, my god where did you find these actors. When she realizes they're not kidding, she asks, did I kill him? Police explain there's no way to tie her to the death, and that the man was illegal. They just wanted to get some facts, a sister who is legal is making a stink about it. Cracks a joke, guess they can't read the street signs. Breanna interjects, I ran the stop sign. Police explain why she doesn't want to repeat that.

Breanna gets a call from mans daughter, Lucia. "Are you the woman who killed my father? My mother wanted me to invite you to the funeral, she says she forgives you and god will give you grace." 

Breanna goes, sees all of Juan's children, his wife hugs her. Last shot, Breanna staring at the camera, acapella song as credits roll. I want this all within 15 minutes.

2. Arizona, is the treatment I sent already.
Description and Plot Synopsis of Arizona

3. 21*

Follow the 21 medal of honor recipients of the 442nd and the 22nd who should have received one. Pretty easy one, requires researching the official records, want to interview the recipients and members of the 442nd. Gave my card to Coach Kajikawa's daughter, joined the Japanese Americans Citizens League as a lifetime member.

The most decorated combat regiment in the history of the US dating back to the Revolutionary War, first combat regiment commanded by an Asian American, Korean American Young-oak Kim. Outside of the Army had to do laundry to make a living because nobody would hire him. In the Army, commanded the most decorated combat regiment in the history of the US. When the brass asked him if it was okay for him to command Japanese, he said they're American, we're fighting a common enemy, I have no problem with these young men.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd

4. Hirise Living

Set in a high rise condo in Phoenix, hotshot game developer finds himself playing a live version of his own hit game when a fan turns the hero's live upside down, turns personal when his friends are killed by the serial killer stalking the main character.

5. The Original

It's 2012, London Olympics, Garett Clive a competitor in the decathalon is considered the most perfect human ever born. He endorses Gendeavor, a Company selling genetic enhancements to parents using Garett's dna as the reference blueprint. Garett feels something is wrong with the genetic manipulation, takes his family and others who feel the same way and disappears from society.

20 generations later, people are at physical perfections, through genetic manipulation. However, people start exhibiting strange behavior. A physicist theorizes that the lack of normally occurring flaws in the DNA of humans provides not vessel for human souls, a quest starts for a search for the Original, descendants of Garret Clives who never participated in the genetic manipulation. However, two pre-eminent political entities battle each other, in a race for supremacy.

6. Jury Consultant

Romantic comedy, maybe Catherine Zeta-Jones. Deidra Jammer is no nonsense shark. Within 15 minutes with a jury, she can tell you with 93% certainty what a company's likely liability from the results of a jury trial. All is fine, until she meets a juror she can't get out of her mind. She rediscovers ideals she thought were long buried, and choose her ethics, love, or her career.

7. HeLa Gene

African American woman, Henrietta Lane contributed unknowingly to medical science, a gift that made modern DNA research possible. In the 1940s, cells were harvested from her tumor, those genes now if linked end to end would total over 350 million feet, would wrap around the world three times.

The genes won't die.

This movie is along the lines of the DaVinci code, and Illuminati type of organization is seeking to capture a method of harnessing the immortality of the HeLa gene for a human. The thought that a super-human who'd live through the ages aggregating wisdom and knowledge, a la Highlander. But absolute power corrupts absolutely. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs types, among the Illuminati group, a political activist recruits a recalcitrant ex-cop, down on his luck, lost family type, seeing Ashton Kutcher in the role, I think he was underestimated in Butterfly Effect.

8. Never Going Back to Brooklyn

Guy, on a business trip to New York, gets invited to meet some friends in Brooklyn. Ends-up in the AM, mugged, mugger takes pants, shoes, camera. Has to return home, makes a police report, police officer starts threatening a false report felony charge.

Narrative to follow a Kafkaesque maneuver through bureaucracy, and the unraveling of the evening leading-up to the mugging. Parallel stories, unraveling out of sequence.

My Comments on Friedman's Trust Article

I'll kind of do some commentary of the commentary, meta-commentary. One journalist I read criticizing this piece claimed that Friedman suffers from ADD, what this critic claimed was that Friedman started with a thesis of trust and started gushing about Alibaba just because he met some players from the Company.

Reading the piece I understand the critic's point, but I see where Friedman makes the point that there's a lack of trust in China and that's holding it back in innovation, then offers that Alibaba works with trust and is facilitating innovation. 

I couple comments I have, about culture. The Communist party worked hard to destroy the family as the basic economic organization unit of China, trying to replace it with a state collective. The Great Leap Forward in China, where Chinese melted down useful utensils made of metal to "manufacture" steel that sat as useless lumps, saw the widescale starvation of millions. 

Despite the best efforts of the CCP, the family remains as the primary unit of trust of economy in China. Though greatly changed. I think what affects the family greatest in China is the one child policy. It has greatly curtailed the participants in a circle of trust. 

China remains a society just like any other where business requires trust. A trust that America could rely on so easily till we found out that the bankers we expected to safeguard our collective capital were just parasites and self-serving buccaneers. Doing business in China requires first cultivating a relationship, on whatever superficial level. It requires some form of social interaction, and it requires building social capital.

What Friedman really wants to talk about I think is IP protection and the widespread pirating of goods. China's always been practical culture, there are no devotional religions prevalent in the society for example. Chinese probably couldn't imagine making paper a proprietary technology, and I think the attitude extends to other useful tools. 

I think Open Source provides a great opportunity to align Chinese culture with the wider world. We can offer Chinese tools that are Open and Free as in freedom, and they can become contributors to tools that help everybody. If we can get China on board on a widescale with Open Source, I believe we'll end a reality where shovels that is prosaic tools to do basic work no longer cost $1,000,000. 

Try a Lemonade Stand First

Entrepreneurship rewards the faithful well. For those who build a relevant business that satisfies customer wants, the business owner gains a bountiful income and satisfaction of control that escapes most who punch a clock for a living. Many people try entrepreneurship for different reasons, that's not as important to me for this post as how people go about it.

Used to be, people would apprentice to learn a craft. A system that took root in the Middle Ages in Europe, many European countries continue with some formal forms of apprenticeships designed to place young people into gainful employment. In the US, other than internships and certain union programs, apprenticeships have disappeared other than perhaps medical professionals. Internships and residencies for MDs may be the last bastion of professional craft training.

Today, entrepreneurs dive into a startup, with little preparation, no idea, and no practice. Same entrepreneurs are baffled why they don't gain support, earn investment, and ultimately fail. If there's a lack of opportunity to apprentice, then create your own opportunities to practice. Open a lemonade stand.

This is an ad absurdum example to a certain extent, though I really believe that opening a lemonade stand would teach a nascent entrepreneur a lot. An entrepreneur would learn about setup -- for example test different creative for signs and messages, learn how to build or hire a contractor to build a lemonade stand, figure out if a license is required or can you dodge the authorities long enough to meet your goals. The biggest lesson should be how to make customers happy.

I confess, I lucked into my apprenticeships. To begin with, my parents and the other adults I was around had no choice but to run businesses. I am part of a community of Chinese from Korea. In Korea, we had no status. There were laws enacted to prevent our prosperity, and hiring practices kept us from employment in companies or businesses owned by Koreans.

One business we were allowed to run were restaurants. During the 1970s, when Park Chung-hee started vigorously enforcing discriminatory laws that already existed, most all the Chinese left Korea. Our status was supposed to be Republic of China citizens, but there we also faced discrimination. Other than government jobs and teaching jobs that were allocated as a form of affirmative action for us, in Taiwan we were unemployable as well. Most of us came to America, a large majority of us settled in Los Angeles and Atlanta, operating restaurants.

My uncle Ching Fang Hsu was an early Chinese emigrant out of Korea. He settled with his family in Seattle in 1958, sponsored by a local church. His family was the first Chinese from Korea to settle in the US. He would go on the found the first Mandarin Chinese speaking church, and the first restaurant serving Northern Chinese cuisine in Seattle. It all happened because he couldn't work otherwise.

He started working at Frederick and Nelson then the most prestigious department store in Seattle. On the custodial crew, he worked hard, too hard. His coworkers complained that he made them look bad and that he should just fit in. Undeterred, my uncle did not compromise his values and continued applying himself to his job, for the sake of his family, which was growing even after his arrival in America. Two daughters were born in Seattle, joining his three sons born in Korea.

Eventually his coworkers schemed to get him fired, and successfully fulfilled their plan. Without a job, and dispirited that perhaps he'd be dogged by the same discrimination he'd faced in Korea again in Seattle, Ching Fang Hsu decided to take control of his fate by opening a business. He opened a tiny place with a few tables and my aunt cooking. But he had a problem, people unfamiliar with the menu kept leaving when they couldn't find dishes they were accustomed to ordering in a Chinese restaurant. That's when my uncle started challenging his customers. He'd offer to order for his customers and if the customer disliked the food, he offered that the customer could eat for free.

With that little bit of bravado, my uncle went on to build one of the most successful restaurants in Seattle history. He moved out of the Yesler Terrace projects, and became a homeowner and eventually a landlord. His oldest son Ron would continue onto a successful career as a pulp and fiber executive and contestant on Amazing Race twice, his second son became an internist and later a medical director, his youngest son a fiber optics expert, his oldest daughter graduated from Yale and later one of Yale's few Asian American deans, and his youngest daughter an educator in Seattle (My Uncle's Seattle Times Front Page Obituary).

What prepared him for success in Seattle though was preparation, apprenticeships he had served before in Harbin, China and in Korea, working for business owners, and running his own businesses. His success with his restaurant Harbin didn't come out of a vacuum. Practice helps.

My father before we landed in Seattle never worked in a kitchen in his life. He had previously owned restaurants where he hired chefs, but barely walked into a kitchen is what a family friend told me. But out of necessity, as an entrepreneur, he became in my opinion one of the greatest chefs ever (Obituary I wrote for my father).

We came to Seattle in 1974, invited by my uncle Ching Fang Hsu. After a year of searching for jobs, the best job he was able to land was dishwashing at a Greek owned diner on Pill Hill. Based on a promise by a friend in San Francisco that my father could take over his restaurant if my father learned how to cook, my father traveled to San Francisco and lived for a year in 1975, leaving us in Seattle.

My father got a job at a Korean lounge called Arirang, cooking for customers who occasionally wanted food to accompany their drinking. How my father worked it was he'd call his friend on the phone to get instructions on recipes and technique. In one of the earliest examples of online education, my father learned over the phone how to debone a chicken (I suggest you watch a video of Martin Yan deboning a chicken, it's great theater). After a year, when it became apparent that his friend wouldn't come through on his promise, my father returned to Seattle.

After working at another Korean lounge in Tacoma for about a year, my father decided he'd open his own restaurant. I was only 6 years old at the time, and only vaguely remember the details. My father bought a former burger joint in West Seattle with hopes to turn it into a Chinese restaurant. However the equipment needing replacing with appropriate stoves like wok ranges. He bought the equipment from a dealer in Everett with a family friend translating for him. Turned out the equipment was useless, and my father gave up on the location and sold the building to start again on a new location.

He got lucky on his second try. A landmark, the Teapot Cafe on Capitol Hill on East John Street across from the original Group Health hospital was for sale. The professional children of the original owners wanted to sell the restaurant after their parent's passing. My father paid $10,000 for the business, the rent was $425 a month. The restaurant also came with a nice bonus, a waitress named Mary Ann, of Swedish stock originally from Minnesota. Mary Ann waited patiently as my father put together his minimum viable product by painting the walls, replacing the carpets, recovering the seats and booths, and modifying the wok range with concrete and a stainless steel pot with the bottom reamed out. We even kept the porcelain tea pots left over by the prior owners. Only after we were about ready to open, Mary Ann marched in, I remember this vividly. She camped out in the first booth near the door, ordered a pot of tea, and then demanded my father hire her and that she belonged with the restaurant.

I remember my sister getting flustered trying to translate, unsettled by what was going on. My father laughed and said ok. He admired Mary Ann's strength. Guess he knew anybody who could standup for herself like that would be able to handle negotiating a non-English speaking chef while handling a dining room full of customers.

With this my father had a business that prospered long as we owned it. When my father sold it to other Chinese from Korea, that family continued on with success, putting all of their children through school thanks to the restaurant. Watching all of this starting at the age of 6, I began my apprenticeship.

I'll continue with another post about my direct apprenticeships.