Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The end of an Era

September of 1992, it was the fall before I graduated high school
1992 it was the year I got my drivers liscense
1992 it was the infamous "senior trip" where I won the 300+ in a poker game with other high schoolers, bought the Indiana Jones hat and showed some of my more extroverted nature.

It was also the first game Brett Favre started at QB for Green bay. it wasn't the first I had ever seen of Brett no I remember him sitting on Atlanta's side line one of many Qb's the Falcons tried out. I think of running backs no longer doing it started AFTER 92, I think of some of the QB greats no longer doing it. 19 years I mean there have been old QB's who you keep on the roster just in case your main guy goes down, journeymen like Vinny Testaverde, Jeff George, Gino Torretta you know guys who's arms are still strong but you aren't gonna turn the game over to them if your regular starter is healthy.

To say the old gunslinger was one of a kind is an understatement, he has passing records galore(as a matter of fact thanks to him continuously playing it's gonna take years for Peyton manning to get the all time passing yards record) I mean the next closest guy has 204 consecutive starts. There are only 16 games in an NFL season that means to catch up the remaning 93 games Peyton manning has to finish out this season and keep starting for 6 more, yes like the movie 300 if he could have done that in football, made it a full 19 seasons(and maybe a few more next year, I mean he's 41 years old his body has to be a series of cracks, but you already know if you got him to come back this year you could probably have rung up 16 more games on that record, 20 seasons total) this is football 10 years is thought of as a long career in football, Jerry Rice played 20 seasons and yet even he didn't start every game for his 20 years. His first 5 seasons he didn't start(which actually isn't that odd for some positions you may be a vital player but not in on every down) yet still posted high numbers of yards, receptions and td's(if ever anybody told you jerry rice played a full season and wasn't productive laugh in their face). Two positions you are pretty much guaranteed to get hit every game QB and RB, even if you don't get sacked as a QB players can still hit you RIGHT after you release the ball(it's like a step and a half or something), they even tally that stat during the game sacks, hits, hurries, batted(for passes batted down if the defensive player didn't get the qb but got to the ball), and fumbles. And Brett Favre played in an age BEFORE they were all protect the QB, the whole no going for a qb's knee's "pffft his knee was a part of his body he needed to stop being a sissy". No shots to the head, "his head is a part of his body he needs to learn to duck", no spiking the QB into the ground, "oh please this is football stop treating them like girls".

In the age of Brady and Manning yes they have decided to protect their star players a lot more, but before that concussions please as long as you could stand up they would put you back in there now if you started throwing nothing but int's(interceptions) yeah then maybe they would sit you if you got your bell rung. Hell we've all had our bells rung once or twice, until recently a rung bell just meant you sat out a quarter or two. I mean until 5:50 eastern time came and Brett didn't take a single warm up stat it was almost a foregone conclusion Brett Favre was gonna start last night, it's BRETT FREAKING FAVRE before last night there were like 3 givens in football:The packers hate the vikings, The Steelers hate the Ravens and if it's a Sunday or Monday night Brett Favre is gonna start a football game. For 19 years 297 consecutive starts thats just how it was, Brett Favre was breathing he was going out to start a football game, broken angles, broken thumbs, calcified feet, Sprained this, bruised that

So it's a game today and my team needs me. I can't say I wonder how many times we counted him out, because I know every year at least 4 times a year it looked like yup brett favre is done for blank(the season, 3 weeks, 2 games whatever) and sunday rolled around and first the green and yellow, then the green and white and now the purple and gold had ol' number 4 under center. To call him football's iron man is almost an understatement every game for the better part of 19 seasons, damn it doesn't even feel right saying "the better part of". I just wrote an "all good things must come to an end" blog about us and peyton manning(he hadn't lost to the philadelphia eagles in his entire career until this year) so I guess I should have realized that even that "streak" (to hell with streak STANDARD) could come to an end.

Brett, I thank you for making me shake my head all those years with those amazing plays both good and bad. I thank you for showing me there is no such thing as you can't keep going if your heart is in it. Yes I'm mad I'm not gonna see you get to 20 season 316 games, another 2-4000 yards passing, who knows how many more touchdowns and amazing plays, but honestly you can't blame me or any other football fan. You have made it look so effortless over the majority of our adult lives that it's common place, we have come to expect it, it's like Micheal Jordan and beating the cleveland cavaliers in the play offs it isn't a wow anymore it's an "okay thats supposed to happen".  So Brett thank you for being that clock work for the entirety of my adult point up to now, I tip my hat to you

Due to technical difficulties

Yesterday's blog about Brett Favre not playin for the first time in almost 2 decades had to be put on hold. Basically my internet was tripping and I didn't want to lose it to the ether.

Running up and down the highway a lot today so I've made up for yesterdays laziness. This isn't gonna be a long one. Of course the plan for the weekend is tron the sequel I have been waiting damn near 20 years to see. I will link to Geektyrant's website so you can see that in house CGI special ending to Yogi Bear it was comical and unexpected, but I'm still going to go see tron.

I hope everyone is staying warm, comfy and safe and I'll catch up with you all later either here, twitter, facebook or wordpress

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Monday, December 13, 2010

While schedule sometimes requires it

I truly hate going to the movies Saturday night during football season. I'm a fan, a die hard Eagles football fan so on Sunday I am trying to do my laundry, relax and prepare to watch my team play football. Now granted nobody forces me to write my movie review blogs, but I do like to write them while the information is mostly fresh in my brain. Like leftovers I want to see what I still have a hankering for the next day after watching the movie so I can't do it that night. I do the trailer blogs the night of because they were trailers and whatever impression they left after I got done watching an hour and a half plus movie I want to get out there. The movies themselves again "how much of the directors world has remained".

This may seem a bit whiny, and I will admit for a none paid, unsponsored, unaffiliated blog I can do what I wish when I wish. And I do, but if I'm gonna do that I want to do it as best I can, even if it's sometimes forces time constraints later.

If you are reading my blogs I hope you enjoy(and when you find your voice speak up) I don't think December will see as much blogging as November, mainly because this is like my "vacation month" I like to kick back in December and recharge, kind of let my spirit soak up some human kindness and come back the next year raring to go. I will blog some this month but I doubt I will keep up with last months 70+ blog pace.

On the high seas with the dawn treader

The Chronicles of Narnia Voyage of the Dawn Treader

This book marks the last official adventure for the youngest two Pevensies, Lucy and Edmund. The next 4 books of the Narnia series kind of go into the actual first induction into the world of narnia but that comes later.

In this book Susan and Peter are in America with their father, WWII is still going on and the Pevensie children have been separated by the Atlantic ocean. The movie starts with Edmund trying to sign up for the war effort(like many other young boys of his day, it was a common occurrence in America too where young men would falsify their ages) and Lucy walking up and basically ratting him out. As has been the case through the first two books The Pevensies are staying with relatives. This time their Cousin Eustace, Eustace seems to be a "logical" type, kind of Ebeneezer Scroogish. He does not seem to be too interested in flights of fancy, he is a rather neat little boy(brags later on in the movie about winning his schools hygiene award 2 years in a row), who collects bugs and has a thing for sweets. Our first introduction to Eustace has him writing in his journal complaining about his annoying cousins and wishing that he could treat them like he does his bugs.

After an argument between the cousins Lucy and Peter adjourn to an upstairs bedroom where they speak about missing Narnia, when Lucy notices a ship in an ocean painting. She remarks that it looks like a Narnian ship with brings Eustace into the bedroom to complain about them constantly talking about their insane fantasy world. Eustace is tired of their prattling on and him and Edmund start having a row while Lucy continues to stare at the painting, all the sudden water starts running out of the picture. Lucy tries to get Edmund's attention but of course he and Eustace are still going at it, that is until the water splashes onto he and Eustace. Eustace panics, so they fight over the painting it gets tossed on the floor the room fills with water over their heads, they swim up out of the water only to be on the open sea. Now any who have read the books or seen the previous movies know once the impossible happens you are of course in the land of Narnia. They come up for air in front of the ship Lucy and Edmund had notice in the picture.

Now there are usually rules for the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve coming to Narnia, usually it means Narnia is in need of help. Except this time when the are pulled onto the ship by King Caspian and crew well it seems that Narnia is in pretty good shape(or at least as far as the king knows). It seems that Caspian has been running successful military campaigns to reunite the many countries of Narnia that were broken up when his uncle started his wars against the magical folk. Caspian has decided to go on a Voyage to find the 7 lords who had run off when his Uncle took power in fear for their lives. They arrive at the Lone Islands to see what seems to be a deserted land, Caspian, Eustace, Edmund and Lucy travel inland while leaving some of the crew members and the brave Reepicheep the heroic talking mouse(from the prince Caspian story) to secure the boats. They enter a large tower where they are set upon by bandits, and while they appear to be fighting bravely against them(and possibly winning, Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy are used to fighting battles against overwhelming odds) until Eustace is brought in as a captive(this is Eustace's first trip into Narnia so he has yet to be trained with a sword and is not the world's most apt fighter).  Edmund and Caspian are put into the dungeon while Lucy and Eustace are most likely going to be sold by the slavers.

The next day comes Lucy is auctioned off and Eustace is on the block, Edmund and Caspian are being moved when the crew comes to the rescue, but while the crew has come to the rescue Narnia's rulers now realize why they are all here, there is some weird green mist that is kidnapping people and they must travel east in the Dawn Treader to try and find the causes of this great evil. For those who do not know the children are brought into Narnia when the land needs them and they need to learn a lesson or two.

The basic premise of this book is that Edmund, Lucy and also Caspian have been doubting themselves Edmund his worth since he is the younger brother. Peter was always in charge, Peter was the one everyone looked to when decisions needed to be made, and now coming back the king is Caspian he may be High King Edmund but he still has to answered to the much younger Caspian(I say much younger because time moves differently in Narnia than it does on earth, between their first foray into Narnia and meeting Caspian I think 400 years plus had passed in Narnia.). Lucy does not feel her value and wishes to be her older sister Susan, as she is starting to become a young woman the beautiful Susan is her idol. Caspian the young King misses his father and doubts his role as king and this seems to be just the mission to show them all who they are and how valuable.

There is a mysterious evil far to the east almost to the land of Aslan, and they must place seven swords at Aslan's table to break the spell.

This book would be the one where folks could really point to and say this is the proof that these are books basically using christian doctrine/mythology to tell a children's story. I really like the way the directors have stuck so closely to the books with these movies(I haven't read the books in at least 3 years), I noticed a lot of silly almost unnecessary moments in these movies that help you fall in love with characters in a book but are often left out of the movies because of well the attention constraints of the audience. The building of the relationship between Eustace and Reepicheep, Eustace finding his courage, the whole further quest to Aslan's country.  These books have endured for decades, I say the subject matter speaks for itself let the movie draw people in the same way.

This is a good movie, I was ready to be hard on this movie because of the last few "aimed at children, from successful childrens franchises" movies that have come out where basically the adults turned them into merchandising fests and ignored the story. Once again though I have been pleasantly surprised by their dedication to the story, and the characters. yes some things have been cut out, things are always cut out, some things were expedited slightly, but no so egregiously that you can't enjoy the story whether a newbie or someone who has read this books from early childhood and is seeing the movies in their 30's. The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe has been animated many times, acted out in live action as well. As I own a compilation book I of course know how the story ends. IF they do all 7 movies I will be happy, it was a good story and I love how it is all wrapped up in the end.

If you have a problem with magic, mysticism, mythological creatures and fantasy settings don't go watch this movie with your closed mind, you will not understand it. Hell by the time you got to the last book and realized what this story was really about it would have been such a waste of your time to have to backtrack and apologize for your tunnel vision that I'd rather not even have you begin the journey. If you have an open mind, are a fan of CS Lewis' work, or enjoy entering fantasy worlds go see this movie, hell take your kids.It's a good story, with a decent message, and a plot that will keep you guessing til the end

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The trailers Chronicles of Narnia

Thor
Marvel is putting out its second big Avengers character's movies Thor, or The Mighty Thor if I want to tie it in to the comic. Now I can't give the trailer full props NOR can I ridicule it because THE THEATER had issues playing it. The basic Synopsis I get from the trailer:

Thor Norse God of Thunder the Odinson in his arrogance has peeved off his dad. In punishment for his transgression Odin takes his mighty hammer(Mjolnir), his Godly Mantle and sends him to Midgard(earth he said earth when someone talked to him so this may be Norse mythology lite). On earth the god of thunder tries to make his way while some major catastrophe is afoot caused by whatever mistake Thor made.
The shield agent from Iron Man is here so it seems to tie in to the finding of the Hammer after the credits in Iron Man 2. As far as "storyline" is concerned it seems to be meshing Ultimate and Regular. In Ultimate Thor is Thor has his powers some weird hyper scientific looking armor and a slightly futuristic looking hammer, Normal Marvel U he's got his enchanted stone looking hammer odd looking armor and a strange way of speaking.

They also seem to be using the


Whosoever holds this hammer,if he be worthy, shall possess the power of.....THOR
Mythos. Because in one trailer I saw the recently disgraced Odinson finds his mighty hammer and is unable to lift it. Yeah not anybody can lift Mjolnir pretty much gotta be of stout character and noble heart. I'll do a blog about Thor later though.

Gulliver's Travels

Jack black as gulliver a mail boy who wants to be a journalist is giving a story, lost in a storm, and washes up in the land of the lilliputians. An update of the story as there are hydraulic creatures use, jack black has a cellphone(droid or iphone for those who wana know). Gulliver is a rather short guy who tells tall tales to the lilliputians about his great life back home, promises to be their protector, is exposed as a braggart and then has to not only prove to himself the kind of man he can be but also redeem himself in the eyes of his minature hosts.

Looks like it could be a funny romp, but we shall see.

Rio

Another animated cartoon story about repopulating a species. Similar to Alpha and Omega. This time it is a story about two Macau, the last of their breed. The male is from america the female is in Rio. The female appears to either be wild or else in a preserve. The male is domesticated, living the good life.

Looks like there is a lot of high profile comedy voice talent. Thing is though, meh its kinda becoming rote here. The best of the breed and you know the mid to bottom of the barrel have to save the species. I mean a bird who can't fly isn't that like stretching it too damn far?

Oh well kids movie, not going to see it I'll wait til it hits cable. Plenty of funny actors but nah not feelin it.

Okay ready to bed this one, I'll add in the links and post it in a little while

By the way for those who noticed, no I did not link to gullivers travels simply because I've seen that trailer like 7 times now I'm tired of linking to that site hit one of my other trailer blogs, it's IN THERE, trust me

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Feeling like the white rabbit

"I mustn't be late, I mustn't be late"

I was a bad boy, I got sucked into "Push" and forgot to charge my phone BUT as baby bro has the Torch now I'm using his half charged battery for the walk up and will use my half charged battery for the walk back.

As I'm walking I believe I will check out "the Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader"(almost lost this blog forgot I started it on the camera). Now I used to own a book of all the collected Narnia works, as I have often said I read a lot as a child. Being a latch key kid with not a lot of friends or near by relatives books and TV were how you got by. I mean yes Nickelodeon had started while I was a child but NOTHING like it is today, and Cartoon Network the stuff of dreams I tell ya.

It was just your 2-3 hour after school block and maybe a holiday special. Rudolph, Charlie Brown, a Muppet something or other who programmed for kids we didn't have money, we didn't buy anything aah how times change.

CS Lewis is said by some to have been a christian story teller. He crafted his love able stories with a central Messiah like figure (Aslan) who may not have been there with you EVERY moment

Okay made it to the movie theater with time to spare I'll expand on my CS Lewis thoughts later

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Friday, December 10, 2010

The beauty of promising a "chicken in every pot"

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty smart guy. Give me a book/manual/decent training class and I can get damn near anything. Those wonderful charts and figures that get put up when people discuss:deficits, tax cuts, government expenditures if I can see them full size and read the key on the side I can usually get the gist of what you talking about. Any term I don't understand I will hit google, websters, investor words, how stuff works, bing or whatever other source I may need to so that I can follow along with your argument/topic of discussion.

That's me though, see if something piques my interest I'm like a dog trying to get his beloved toy from under a chair. I'm gonna dig and scratch, try to get my shoulder/arm in there, run to someone seeking help, keep trying to find a way. That's not most people hell, I have come to believe that people have started creating lipper charts, Feng zwei curves, out da back door averages and you don't need to know so don't ask me reports JUST so they sound intelligent to the average person and you will stop questioning them and leave them alone if they seem to buttress your own position. Its 2010 most people in my age bracket have seen the results of Reaganomics from kindercare to adulthood.

We have seen our neighborhoods go from nice friendly places where we could play outside til the lights came on to desolate scenes from old westerns. Ghost towns where the lawless rule and the average persons goes about their day in fear hoping to stay under the radar. You hope to avoid the big rancher out to own every acre his eye can see, the drifting cowboys bored with the monotony of the trail so they have "just one night" to spice it up a bit.

When those at the top are allowed to ignore the rules(or buy them as they see fit), justice is based not on the incident but on your ability to pay for representation, a permanent "unclean" class is present and always decried as the "unstoppable" enemy while the people run around "defending" themselves from the enemy the haves keep all the spoils for themselves. As for the ne'er do wells hey all they need is a shadow to hide in. When justice is blinded by dollar signs who wants to call the law? Every negative encounter re-enforces the idea that they won't help us.

Look around now, isn't that what you see? The world going to hell while you and yours just try to survive? You don't have time for high minded ideas now do ya? Taking the time to research every last claim by somebody living in a gilded cage, eating off a silver spoon he doesn't know what your life is like. So let's say somebody who looks kinda like you tells you how it ain your fault, how if you just leave these folks over here (who by virtue of their past successes obviously know what their doing) alone that their success will lead to your success. And that as they are more successful you will see things improve for you, why they'll get so good on your side, if you put these folks in charge, that there'll be "a chicken in every pot".

Now you don't know who lipper is, or S&P but you know who chicken is. Hell look how many chicken proprietors are out there:Tyson, Purdue, The Colonel, Churches, Zaxby's, Popeyes, Mrs. Winners, Chic-Fil-A. Think of how inexpensive a chicken dinner usually is, its good, its quick all kinds of great memories for MOST people. Hell thinking about it can you name a bunch of "beef" companies? I mean you could name me a "burger joint" but even burger joints sell chicken. How about an actual brand of beef, you've got your super market meat department, might even be able to tell me who makes ya turkey sausage or your hot dogs. Ya steaks and pork chops though uh uh, not too many people in that game.

So you pick a cheap yet delicious item, an item that most people have dealings with on a regular. No nothing extravagant, nothing that's actually gonna put you out a few dimes, not Filet Mignon in every oven. Or a pan full(remember its only one chicken singular, might be able to feed a family of 4 2 days on 1 chicken) of Minions, NY strip, Prime Rib nah not that stuff that costs money. How about a pot full of lobsters? Yeah let's all be ballin, let's all be eating good give me that King Crab, that Caviar(beluga baby), Dom Peri in the glass, Private stock in the cup pimpin.

Nah, that's too much can't pull that off without people getting suspicious huh? KISS keep it simple stupid, a message people can understand and comprehend. Things that seem tried and true nothin fancy, elaborate or invasive. While not every chicken pusher sells it to you cheap, ain nothing like some tender, juicy chicken now is it.

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