Hello

Well how do we start this off. A little bit about me, well that would be pretty boring on most days. In fact if I blogged about my daily adventures you would be incredibly bored or maybe depressed before the first good stuff hit you. I'm just a guy in a funny hat, I'm tempted to say a normal guy, but I think most people who know me would disagree. I am definitely unique, for better or worse and usually a little of both. I like to hang with my friends, watch movies, eat, drink and basically be merry. I am opinionated but not fanatical.

I tend to see people as people and try to avoid labeling and stereotypes. We all are human beings underneath our differences, now that is easy to say, but it can be hard to actually follow through on what we say. We may look different, we may have different ideas of right and wrong but down deep we are the same. Those differences are what keeps life from being boring. I have friends across the spectrum of all races, beliefs, nationalities and orientations. You can learn so much from people when you go beyond the fear and bigotry. Why limit yourself? Why do we as a country let ourselves continually be torn apart by our differences instead of celebrating them? How boring would a box of crayons be if there was only one color? It's not a sickness confined to America but the whole Human Race. Around the world we kill each other for minor differences. We fight over religion. We fight over race. We wage war at the slightest provocation with each other.

I guess we should feel lucky that at least here our fights are mostly with words now. That's not to say there isn't violence between groups here at home. Churches are burnt, abortion clinics bombed and doctors murdered. Perhaps the days of lynching are over but their are still instances of racial violence and there is still gay bashing. Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, Muslims are still looked at with distrust but acts of violence have slowed. I remember not long ago when a local murder was justified by my neighbors because he was "just a Mexican." As a species we need to get past this but I don't know if we ever will. It's hard and there are no easy answers. We can punish the guilty but that doesn't fix the problem and we can't legislate feelings. trying to control what's someone thinks is going down a dangerous pathway anyway. The government has the authority to legislate our actions but not our thoughts. We have a right as Americans and as humans to our prejudices and hatreds. We don't have the right to act on them though.

There has to be a way to go beyond these differences and slowly do away with them from within. The problem once again is how? I think the first step is to do away with the fear of something different, just because it's different. The fear that everyone of a certain race or belief is going to act the same as everyone else of that race or belief. Why should a person of the Islamic faith be any more scary than a person of the Christian faith? Turn it around and why should a Christian with a assault rifle be any less scary than a Muslim with one? Not every black man is going to rob you and not every gay man is going to seduce you. We have to learn to judge people by their actions and not by the color of their skin or the god they worship. A bullet hurts just the same regardless of who pulls the trigger.


I didn't mean this to be a rant but just an introduction. If you didn't know me before you probably know just as little now. Maybe some of my long time friends might be a bit surprised that I am not quite as much a southern redneck as they might have thought. I grew up in the south and I grew up with bigotry and intolerance, hopefully I have risen above most of that. I know that there is some of it left deep inside me but it gets harder and harder to justify those feelings. If I do continue this blogging thing you might actually learn more about me. I did intend this to be lighthearted and fun but some days fun just doesn't leak out onto the page. Until the next time.
Peace

10 movies you should see if you haven't

For a while I have been wanting to write a list of my top 100 movies or 100 movies you have to see and have found it near impossible. I just can't put a decide on my ten favorite or even 100 favorite movies. Finally I decided that I would just make a list of ten movies you should see but probably haven't. There are a lot more good movies out there and not all of these will be for every one's taste. Therefore without further ado

Ten movies you might not have seen, but should ( in no particular order.)

1. The Machinist

OK this is probably my favorite movie of all times, at least today. It stars Christian Bale from Batman Begins. This movie would be worth watching just to see what Bale has put his body through for the role. He lost weight till he was around 120 pounds and looks like a walking skeleton. Its a psychological thriller about a man (Bale) who hasn't slept for a year. His mind is slowly unraveling and he can no longer tell reality from hallucination. It also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Ironside. There are some disturbing scenes, profanity and brief nudity.

2. Donnie Darko

Jake Gyllenhaal ( Brokeback Mountain and The Day After Tomorrow) heads an all star cast about the darkness that lies inside a disturbed and misunderstood teens mind. Part time travel, part coming of age love story it is a heart wrenching movie. The song playing over the end credits will bring you to tears. this also stars Patrick ( Dirty Dancing, Roadhouse) Swayze, Drew ( Charlie's Angels, ET) Barrymore, Noah (ER) Wylie, Jena ( Saved, Cold Mountain) Malone and Mary ( Battlestar Galactica, Dancing With Wolves) McDonnell. It was promoted as a horror movie but its not and is pretty much suitable for the whole family, though there are some disturbing scenes and situations.

3. Dead Man

One of the most surreal westerns you will ever see. Johnny Depp stars as William Blake, not William Blake the poet, but William Blake the accountant. This film is loaded with stars too numerous to mention here. guy farmer plays the Native American "Nobody" who believes Depp is the Poet Blake. As they run from the bounty hunters and various lawmen sent after them by a vengeful mine owner ( played by Robert Mitchum in his last film role) they cross paths with the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, and Iggy Pop. Along the way Depp becomes more the killer that he is wrongly accused of being at the beginning. Nobody becomes more certain that he is the poet on a trip to the next world. The film is bloody, strange and utterly enthralling. Some sexual situations, very brief nudity, profanity and violence

4. The Jacket

This movie had a limited theatrical run and honestly the studios just didn't know how to promote it. the trailers made it look like a horror movie and while intense at times it is in no way a horror film. its a psychological love story and thriller with some time travel thrown in ( or is it all a hallucination?) It starts Adrien Brody, from King Kong and The Pianist, and Kiera Knightley from the Pirates of the Caribbean. Also look for Kris Kristofferson ( Blade), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Machinist, Dolores Claiborne,) and the man who would be Bond, Daniel Craig.It has profanity, violence, intense scenes, and a brief nude scene from Kiera Knightley.

5. House of Flying Daggers

This is one of the most beautiful movies ever filmed. If you liked Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you will love this movie starring Zhang Zihi ( from Crouching Tiger and Memoirs of a Geisha.) Ziyi stars as a blind dancer who is actually a member of the Flying Daggers rebel group. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed the love story while a bit twisting and a little hard to follow is very touching. The song performed by the actors is another heart tugger. Some people hate watching a subtitled film but this one is worth the effort. It has some violence but is basically family safe.

6. The Royal Tenenbaums

Who isn't in this film by Wes Anderson? Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Owen and Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, and, well you could basically just cut and paste from the cast list. Its a bit slow and the humor is sublime but the movie as a whole is a wonderful touching, funny experience. Everyone involved brings their A game. The acting is excellent throughout the cast. Wes Anderson is a talented director and this is by far my favorite of his films. Basically suitable for the whole family, with only very mild violence, profanity and sexual situations.

7.Planet Terror

Check your belief and logic at the door and just enjoy the ride. made in the style of a drive in film of the 70's this was part of the "Grindhouse" double feature. While best viewed as a whole with the fake movie trailers intact, this is the strongest of the two films. The second film "Death Proof" is good but way to talkie and lets the pace and energy of the first film dissipate too quickly. It stars Bruce Willis (Die hard), Rose McGowan (Jawbreaker), Tom Savini ( Dawn of the Dead), and Michael Behn( The Terminator, Abyss) and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Its gory but in a cartoonish way and has a lot of profanity and violence and (almost) a sex scene.

8. Audition

It would be a sin to give away much about this movie. The twist in the plot is extreme. I will say its not for the squeamish. Directed by filmmaker Takasi Miike. Watch it, but be warned.

9. A Better Tomorrow

John Woos best film in my opinion. Starring Chow Yun-Fat as a gangster who has seen better days. Most people prefer Hard Boiled and while that is a great film, seeing Chow Yun-Fat as a cripple past his prime is so against his usual type its mesmerizing. The plot involves two brothers. One is Yun-Fats partner just released from prison, the other younger brother has just graduated from Police Academy. The ties between his crime family and his blood family clash and lead to a bullet filled showdown. Gunplay, gunplay, gunplay and a damn good story to boot. Its subtitled and very violent.

10. The Apostle

Robert Duval and Farrah Fawcet head the cast in this story of a minister who has lost his way, but not his faith. Hes falls from grace and begins a pilgrimage both physical and spiritual. Along the way he comes to grips with his life, his faith and his sins. Billy Bob Thornton costars in a scene that is intense and moving. The movie manages to show a man of God who has faults without ever making fun of Christianity or his faith. There is some violence and mild profanity but is pretty much family safe.

I hope this list has introduced you to some movies you might not have heard about. Most of them are films that can be enjoyed by everyone, although be warned Audition is INTENSE. Do yourself a favor and take a look at a few and let me know what you think