"You have to keep carrying the fire....The fire inside you."

The above is one of very few lines in the film, "The Road". The reason there aren't many lines is because, well, there aren't many people left in the world to talk to.
The story follows the meandering trek of a young boy and his father through post-apocalyptic America. They spend all of their time heading toward "the coast", dodging cannibals, and forging for food and shelter.
But moreover, this is a love story between a father and a son....and their daily struggle to uphold morals, and test their strength and courage. Its also a gauge of their will to live in a world in which everything else is either dead, or on the verge.
This is a dark, depressing movie at first glance, and if you've read the book (by Cormac McCarthy) you know what I'm talking about. However, the film itself offers at least some semblance of optimism that the book, I am realizing now, hopelessly glossed over, or didn't offer whatsoever.
I enjoyed both the book and the film equally, which is rare in my world. I think its because the film wasn't trying to be anything other than faithful to the book. Furthermore, I found myself "recognizing" the scenes in the movie, as the exact way I pictured them while reading the book. In all, the film is great, and has a GREAT cast. My favorite scene was with the old man (Robert Duvall).....its very cool. I recommend this movie, but be aware that there are some rough patches and some scenes that are disturbing.....remember, we are looking at post-apocalyptic life....its not a very pretty sight. See it, or read it...let me know what you think. 3.5 stars for me.

Back on Track....

Okay, now that Soleil has settled in, and I'm not making daily, if not hourly, trips to the hospital for weeks on end, I can go back to reviewing some movies......

Before a few nights ago, it had been many, many months since I had sat down and watched a movie (somewhat) uninterrupted. So, with some time on my hands the other night, I decided to watch a film I had seen on several "Top 10 in 2009" lists, and even one "Top Movies of the decade" list. So, I gave Coraline a shot......and then I wanted to be shot.

The first half hour was spent being intrigued by the animation (the ONLY cool thing about the film), and the rest of the time was spent being pissed at the lack of character development, the lazy dialogue, and wondering why the story (which was intriguing in the beginning) had turned to a jumbled, obscure mess. Is it cool to make your film unwatchable in the name of trying to make it feel, well, trippy?
Again, I was willing to look past the strange, yet original animation, if the story could stay interesting for its duration.
I don't know, perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for it, but then again, I am scared of the mood I might have to be in to fully enjoy this movie. 1.5 stars for cool animation, and for an interesting first half hour.

Friends.....stay tuned for more reviews coming up. I have a few good ones here from Netflix, and I've had one request for "My Cousin Vinny". I will do those as soon as I get a quick chance to watch them!!

Rexburg in Pictures....Part 1

This is Rexburg. Five square miles, most of which sits on a shield volcano. Of the approximate 20,000 inhabitants, 95% are white. 70% of the population is under the age of 24, thanks in part to the campus of Brigham Young University-Idaho.

I am always surprised at the number of my LDS friends that haven't ever been to Rexburg, so I am taking this opportunity to take some pictures and show this town of ours off a little. In the coming weeks, I will carry my camera around town during my excursions outside, and snap some pictures of things that might be of interest to you, or moreover, things we find interesting after living here for the past year. Furthermore, if there is something you want pictures of, let me know!!

".....and the rockets red glare......"

I was a sports fan when I was in the womb. I have been to more live sporting events than probably most Americans. I bought a large, plasma television and HD programming SOLELY for watching sports on TV.

When I first started watching sports, it was almost always about the game. Nobody was bigger than the game, and nobody wanted to be. I think of baseball players like Pete Rose, Cal Ripken Jr., and Hank Aaron as true ambassadors of the sport, and what baseball was, or is, all about. Think of other greats; Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar etc. I remember watching these guys on the weekends on BASIC CABLE in my parents living room, on their 13" tube.

For the most part, I remember them being humble, even grateful it seemed, to be playing sport for money. Nowadays, it seems things have changed in the values, and practices, of the professional athlete. Most of them, in my opinion, go out of their way to "brand" themselves. As if, playing sports is not nearly enough, they need to be in our face 24/7 through commercials, twitter, facebook, myspace, and so on.

But as much as I might rag on the athletes for jumping through hoops to get in our living room, and in our daily vernacular, there is another presence on the sports peripheral that has gone out of its way to popularize themselves.....and honestly its offensive and getting out of hand.

I am speaking of the singers of the National Anthem. What used to be an uplifting spectable, has now often turned into a debacle. Remember Rosanne? Remember Carl Lewis? This dude? Horrible!! I'm sure there have been worse. But mind you, this is on the big stage. These people are seeking publicity, and obviously recieved it without consideration about whether or not its positive. But folks, there is a trickle-down effect taking place. There need not be a large stage anymore.

For example, a few weeks ago, at a major-junior hockey game in Portland, Oregon, in front of a crowd of 3,000 or less, without ANY TV exposure, this is what happened. How in the hell do these people get past their audition? Unbelievable!

Listen, I'm not an idiot, I know for the most part that those that sing our National Anthem treat it sacredly, and seriously. I am thankful for their efforts. It takes a lot of guts to get in front of 50,000+ rowdy, drunk fans and sing an extremely difficult song. It will always be a highlight of my live sporting event experience.....as long as its done RIGHT!

Music from the Soul

Okay....I'm going to let this song speak for itself. I'm usually not much of a blues guy, much less an electric blues guy, but this song hits me in that place that invokes your booty to shake uncontrollably.

Its Sugarfoot by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. Behold....



This song reminds of something Ed Kiester would have in his car....

LeGarrette Blount's Punch-Out

Now that LGB's football career is over, he should seriously consider boxing, or MMA fighting. That right jab he threw last night at Boise State's Byron Hout was WICKED!

Check it out here.

Now, about the game....

Five years ago, Boise State vs. Oregon would invoke very little thought, little hype, little excitement....if any. However, after BSU won the Fiesta Bowl in 2006, and throttled Oregon in 2008 (in addition, DESTROYING Jeremiah Masoli on a late hit), the way has been paved for a great showdown between two teams that, on the surface, are light-years away from each other in seemingly every aspect of a college football program. Nevertheless, they went into last night's game with essentially the same national rank, and enough history to make opening night in college football actually exciting.
Those of you that watched the game, know how badly Oregon sucked, but you also know how many times BSU tried to lose. Not capitalizing on turnovers and mistakes (BSU had two missed field goals, and 3 fumbles) is going to be the death of a team like Oregon if they can't get their offense ticking. The defense actually looked pretty good. Kellen Moore had to make some pretty damn good passes to keep drives alive, and it certainly seemed as if they got lucky at times. Having said that, BSU running backs were slippery last night because I can remember atleast 6 to 7 rushes that should have been stopped in the backfield or on the line, that turned into 8 to 10 yard gains. Nicht so gut Oregon D.
The Oregon offense was 1 for 10 in 3rd down efficiency, and that ONE came midway through the 3rd quarter. When Portland State plays Oregon State on Saturday, I am willing to bet that they, even by accident, get a first down in the first half.
Truth be told, I'm not an Oregon fan whatsoever. The Portland media has just force-fed me for so long that I can't help but observe how they do year in and year out. I see them righting the ship a little and finishing 3rd in the Pac-10 behind USC and Cal.
I am looking forward to BYU/Oklahoma tomorrow. I hope its atleast competitive, and I would love to watch Max Hall throw for 300+ yards. If he does that, the Cougs will win.

Seahawks Fan

Gabe and I had an interesting conversation this morning. Des had taken the boys into Idaho Falls yesterday to do some school shopping, and Gabe was giving me the lowdown on the stores they visited, and the items they bought. He mentioned that they stopped inside the sports store to look at "Niner-gear". He also mentioned that there was a guy wearing a Seattle Seahawks jersey. This is how the conversation went:

Gabe: "There was a guy wearing a Seattle jersey in there."
Me: "Oh yeah? Did you tell him he needed his butt kicked?"
Gabe: "I think he already did."
Me: "Why do you say that?"
Gabe: "Because he was in one of those chairs." (At this point he makes a strange motion with his arms)
Me: "What chair? A wheelchair?!"
Gabe: "Yes, one of those."

I don't think he understood, nor still understands, why that is so funny to me.