You may be Marshall, but You are NOT going to make me Cry!

A week ago I attended the film, We Are Marshall. The true story based on the 1970 Marshall University football team that perished in a plane crash after playing a game against East Carolina University. The victims included almost all of the football staff and members of the athletic director's office. If a football team were to be started again they would have to start with four players and a receivers coach (played by Matthew Fox). The school hires Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) as head coach to pick up the pieces and begin the program again.

This movie was nicely laid out, but I felt the director McG (yes just three letters, one name) was trying to make the audience cry. I decided I was not going to cry no matter what was thrown at me. There is the plane crash, very abrupt and it is always sad to see the end of the incredible potential in the human element. It pulls at the heart strings, BUT I'm not going to cry. Then there are those that were left behind, fathers, mothers, teammates, and fiances and there struggle to cope with the sudden loss. Really pulling at the heart, BUT I'm not going to cry. Then there is the first home game with the brand new team made up of mostly freshmen (which were allowed to play thanks to an NCAA exemption) that pulled out a victory against Xavier, BUT again I'm not going to cry. After the celebration is over, McG pulls out one last stop to get the audience to cry. After the team has cleaned up and left the locker room. Coach Red (Fox) is left in the room by himself. He sits down and cries. Not just any cry, but a sincere overly emotional venting cry. This was a man who decided to let another coach get on the plane so he could catch his granddaughter's piano recital, which ultimately saved his life. This was also a man who only committed to one year of coaching after the crash and found redemption. He had finally found a cathartic release in this team's win. It was a very deep and moving last scene, but... I DID NOT CRY! Screw you, McG! I won. I held it together very well, but my friends did not fair so well. They let loose a towel's worth of tissue after we left the theater.

Folks its a football movie. Not Steel Magnolias. Sheesh!

Rocky Balboa: a true testament to Hollywood's patience for Sylvester Stallone

So today I took in the movie Rocky Balboa. I went in to this movie fully intending to hate it, but I also had a bit of nostalgia in my coat pocket for this character. Christ! my favorite training scene is in Rocky IV. This movie resembled the first and second Rocky movies. There was a sentimental pull for Rocky as a person, as Adrian has now since passed, and Rocky is left to keep up the restaurant, appropriately named "Adrian's". But as Rocky makes his way through Philadelphia on the anniversary of Adrian's death, he is reminded of his past. A past that apparently contains a beast within, and is looking for redemption.

Enter ESPN and a video game simulation between the movie's current champion Mason "The Line" Dixon. I cannot make that up, that really is the name of the character. When it turns out that virtual Rocky defeats virtual Mason, some sneaky-as-snake promoters come to present Rocky with an offer he does not refuse. You can guess what happens, and I have to say it was decently constructed. It by no means captures the essence of Rocky in chapters one and two (and hell even four for that matter). The movie ends with an epic battle of supremacy where the will of Rocky must go toe-to-toe with the speed and quickness of Dixon. I won't ruin it for you, but there is a winner at the end of the bout.

This movie overall was worth seeing, it closed up all of the loose ends created by Rocky V, and even III for that matter. The only thing that would have sold me completely on this movie would be to have Ivan Drago return to fight the winner, for christ sake Drago was able to level a man with punch measuring 2000 PSI. That my friends is a punch that "Rocky Balboa" lacks. I would give this movie 40 PSI. Which is exactly the amount of air needed in the tires of my Ford Windstar minivan.

R.I.P. James Brown and other last minute Christmas Gift ideas...

So I learned a few minutes ago that James Brown has passed on. One man's day of birth is another man's day of expiration.

Before I found out this round of news, I had been wrapping my family's xmas presents and playing pool with my dad (the old man got the best of me 2-1). actually as i write this my parents are putting the presents underneath the tree... i'm still pissed about the revelation of the true identity of Santa.

Speaking of, Columbia's own NASCAR driver has started a record label in Columbia, MO. So now among Emergency Umbrella, Co-Opt, and Cat Jams, we can now add Back 40 Records. According to the site Carl and his pal Aaron have a number of artists that range from Hip Hop to Rock. The claim here is that they will help talented Columbia artists get into the national spotlight. they have a studio somewhere in columbia and are ready to get everything up and running. i have emailed carl or aaron to say hi from EU and that i would geniunely like to meet them and see the studio. their roster of artists are not my cup of tea, but we'll see what their contribution will be to the community.

I also made some time to buy some guitar strings at Guitar Center. I absolutely hate going into BIG guitar and instrument shops. There is always a sales associate wailing on some $2000 guitar (distortion, hard rock scales complete with squeals, and almost always sporting a pony tail). There is also a customer trying out a bass amp, playing the same notes over and over and over and over. After a couple of measures they should get the idea. And then there is of course a Nirvana song they have blaring over the speakers in the store. Go to one of these shops and I promise within 30 minutes you will hear Nirvana. Look I like Nirvana just as much as the next person, but if I were working at that store, I would use my shitty health insurance to have doctors remove my hearing.

Well I'm off to sleep and wake up to a tree full of tightly wrapped presents, though i got my big present already a 14 month membership as my main present... god i need to get back in shape...

anyway, i hope everyone gets what they want under their tree... as for me i hope my 22 year old sister doesn't wake me up at 6 am (she still hasn't outgrown the excitement of christmas morning).

A trip to the refrigerator leads me to the St. Louis Blues game with my Mother

wow what a creative title for my first blog post in a long time. so last night we played a show for our friend colin's graduation party at Eastside Tavern. we had a great time, played some new songs (there seemed to be a nice reception to the new material) and than partied until the very very wee wee wee hours of the morning. my phone was filled with drunk messages and a very self-loathing text message (i still haven't replied, its so stupid that its not worthy of further comment). so i was hungover and met a new friend. i'm proud to say that she is a new friend, she is so funny and cool, benjamin and i had lunch with her. its nice to have people like that in columbia. so after a lunch full of conversation and discovery, i made my way back to st. louis, i talked to my brother and my friend ryan reed for awhile, and than traded my time with AM radio. i don't like listening to music on the radio, so i grabbed some talk radio...

so i get home and immediately go to the refrigerator. 1. because my parents have food, and 2. my parents have food. so on the door i found four tickets to the Blues game for tonight vs. the Buffalo Sabres. the face value read $100 per ticket! so even though i was tired and hungover, i could not stand that these tickets did not have a person to use them, so my mom and i went.

it was great. the blues won 3-2 in overtime, but more importantly i had a pretty chill evening with my mom. i admit i'm a mama's boy, i talk to my mom quite a bit, but it was nice going on this impromptu trip. she went with me, because i couldn't find anyone to go in time for the game, but she really liked the game. plus the seats were in the Club section, which meant we had a wait staff attend to our every hot dog and beer need we had.

later, i caught up with some friends from columbia, which included my friend rich, who is by far my funniest friend. he makes me laugh so hard i actually tear up, but then again i'll tear up several times during steel magnolias. okay that is only partly true. but still he is one funny fella, and is a welcomed part of company. i also saw my friend jenni, john, dan, and stephanie. none of them know each other, but they do now, and it was a nice evening of beer and talk at one of st. louis' worst restaurants "krieger's". it is as trite as applebees or ruby tuesdays.

all in all it was a nice day, but i have to get some fucking sleep already.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

expect more transmissions now that i have a computer to work on for the next three days.

happy holidays y'all...

computer availability = consistent blog updates

Well this is what I get for starting a blog over Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Only to return to Columbia and not have a computer at home, so of course it has been ages since my return to my battle station.

So as we know this is the time of year that I go completely broke before the holiday season. So if anybody is expecting any gifts from me, think twice, think three times, and then think, wait what did I get last year from Billy? So not to dwell on my financial situation much longer, but I was supposed to go to Chicago, but I was not able to afford to go. Even though I found one of the most affordable means of transport. I am still looking for the catch, but regardless, Chicago will have to wait until next month.

I caught The Hold Steady. They have a very energetic live show and a cult following to boot, but it isn't for me. My friend commented "I guess I'm just not into rock and roll anymore." I guess I haven't made up my mind about them yet, but my friend may be on to something here. Where is rock and roll heading? I'm not sure. Though the bands that produce that anthem-style rock will always have an audience, as long as there is beer...