I want to play a game. The Syracuse International Film Festival wrapped up on Oct. 18, and in honor of making it past the halfway point of the semester, I figured we could use a fun little challenge. So here it is: in this week’s Cheers and Jeers, I have strategically inserted a random number of movie quotes, some of them more recognizable than others. The first person to tweet @tommyvazquez0 the exact number of movie quotes I’ve inserted and the films they’re from before next week’s issue will win a $25 Wegmans gift card. I’m serious. And better yet, this will show me who’s film-savvy and who actually reads my column. May the Force be with you.

 

1 Cheer: Today and Tomorrow

Everyone gives everything they don’t want to tomorrow. Due tomorrow? Do tomorrow. It’s ironic how much gets pushed to a day that might not even happen. I mean, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today. And another thing: stop forgetting about today! The older you do get, the more rules they’re gonna try to get you to follow. Moral of the story? I couldn’t tell you.

 

2 Cheers: Finding Something You Lost

One of my friends once told me it’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything, and believe me, I’ve lost everything. Bouncy balls. Legos. Papers. Laptops. Headphones. My sense of self. Houston, we have a problem. Or do we? Isn’t finding something you’ve lost the most rewarding feeling? And you can’t experience this feeling if you don’t lose things. Thanks for the advice my friend. Here’s looking at you, kid.

 

3 Cheers: Friends

I found out what the secret to life is — friends. Best friends. I would not have made it through the first half of this semester without these beautiful people. You know, the ones that make failing a test and lying to your family OK. Even more so, I found a whole group of friends who have the same dream, and that makes us sort of like a family. Just sort of. Because if they were like my relatives, I’d have to hate them.

 

1 Jeer: Not Taking Compliments

What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.  I’m awful at taking compliments. It just reminds me that I haven’t complimented someone in the last year and then I feel like I have to say something nice just to balance my karma. Or I question the compliment. For example, here’s what someone said to me last week: “Hey…you’re pretty funny.” To which I responded, “But I’m funny how? I mean, funny like I’m a clown? I amuse you?” They haven’t talked to me since.

 

2 Jeers: Snow in October

I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser gate. But I woke up a few days ago and it was one of those days when it’s a minute away from snowing and there’s this electricity in the air; you can almost hear it. I got down on my knees and begged for a sunny day, only to find myself scraping snow off my windshield. Too soon, Mother Nature.

 

3 Jeers: Fantasy Football

What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss? The front seat? The last cookie? Last Sunday I foolishly agreed to accept or deny a trade based off of a coin toss and ended up giving away my entire team. 5 weeks into the season I’m mentally shot. I backed out of the league. But just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in and make me put effort into a fantasy game that takes the joy out of watching the NFL.