A blog for you. . . and by you I mean me.

Ryan sings Jesus loves me

2009-06-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's Liam and Noel all over again . . .

Me and Hayward

2009-05-11T21:53:00.001-07:00

There's no way my story is better than the one you're entertaining right now so enjoy.

Is Breaking Bad really that good?

2009-04-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

You bet it is.

Narrative driven TV shows are not typically meant to imitate life. Sure, some are written from real life experiences, some are written from amazingly sharp imaginations, but in the end they are not designed to imitate real life.

However . . .

One show may be very close.

I, along with my good friend Alex, would like to make a case for the show Breaking Bad on AMC.

First off, Breaking Bad is not for everyone (This includes you mom); this show plays at a varsity level. The Hollywood Reporter sums up the premise:

A pathetic high school chemistry teacher named Walt White who -- upon learning he's dying of lung cancer -- chucks it all to become a crystal meth chef in a mobile lab with a perpetually irritated ne'er-do-well former student, Jesse, to make enough money to provide for his family after he's gone. That family includes a pregnant all-American blonde, and an adolescent son afflicted with cerebral palsy.

So, why would I encourage anyone to watch this?

Alex says:

1) Breaking Bad feels so real.

“Feels so real” In my mind this is the one of two key reasons that Breaking Bad is great. It does feel real at every step of the way. Actions and decisions are deliberate and logical. The show’s progression never stresses my suspension of disbelief.

But any show can do that. The key is to do so in an entertaining way.

The next key element is that the show, “goes there” in other words it moves it’s story’s plot points forward before the viewer might anticipate so. They surprise you therefore leaving events unpredictable.

The accomplishments of both these things are inherent in premise:

A high school chemistry teacher saddled with debt, a handicapped son, pregnant wife . . .

This is the “real” part.

. . . is diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides to start cooking and selling crystal meth in order to provide for his family after his inevitable demise.

This is the “goes there” part.

If you really think about all the great shows you are engaged in, the premise falls on logical decisions that are based on these two elements. That’s my thoughts anyway.

I say:

1) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Walter is a man who has followed the straight and narrow all his life. He’s not very cool, yet very smart. He’s not a man’s man, yet has a wife loves him. He has tried to be a good person all his life, yet now has terminal cancer. He has worked hard to build a good life and now it’s all going to be taken away.

What did Walt do to deserve this?

This can be debated of course. However, Walt is at a breaking point and in the end decides to do the wrong thing for the right reason.

Rebel (break bad).

He decides to use his chemistry knowledge to cook meth under the premise of financially securing his family. Selfishly satisfying his rebellion and his responsibility. The thrill of breaking the law breathes excitement back into his life only to be brought down by the guilt and shame of his actions. His actions are slowly killing him from the inside out.

What makes this show work is that it isn’t glorifying what Walt is doing. It’s showing you what happens when you make decisions like this. These choices are nothing but destructive and deadly to your soul, family, and everything good you’ve worked for.

2) When you make the choice to rebel, you can't always control your consequences.

It is our human nature to imagine getting away with a wrongdoing. It's also in our human nature to imagine what consequence we "may" receive in order to judge whether the actual action is worth it. The flaw is that when we finally make the choice, the imagined plan of action assumed everything would swing in our favor. Real life denotes differently though and we all know it. This is what makes Breaking Bad feel so real.

When Walt decides to cook meth with his partner Jessie, Walt safely assumes he will only cook and never have to deal with the actual drug dealing. This is a way to justify maintaining his rebellion and responsibility. Unfortunately, his partnership with "dealer" Jessie forces Walt to become more involved alas becoming more endangered. There are more and more elements he can’t control which constantly make him rethink what he’s doing. The more he compromises on the side of his new venture, the deeper and deeper he becomes indebted to it. Now the line of right and wrong is blurred.

What makes this show so attractive is that it’s on the side of “doing the right thing”. Walt is not doing the right thing, but you long for him to make the right decision regardless of the consequences. Breaking Bad, for me, constantly encourages me to be honest and open. It constantly points to the importance of communication and trust. Lastly, it’s an indirect accountability partner, always telling me to choose the right path in life’s “fork in the road”.

5 things to bestow upon Ryan & Jack

2009-02-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, baby #2 will be a boy. Woohoo! Of course I had a choice on what the sex was, I just chose boy so that Ogdens can slowly but surely dominate the world. Besides, look how awesome Doug and I are. . . well, look how awesome I am.

Anyway, I've been thinking about what's important to pass down to my two boys. Obviously they are smart, but good taste isn't always nature, sometimes it's nurture.

Here are some things I feel are important for them to learn in order to be on the road to awesomeness.

1)Good Gin

Beefeater's will not cut it. My sons will drink good gin and like it. Besides, it's good with tonic or cheerios.

2)Criterion Films

And none better to start with than Seven Samurai. Seven Samurai is one of the greatest samurai films of all time, if not one of the best films of all time. Thanks to Criterion, I can show my sons real cinema like L'avventura, 8 1/2, Wages of Fear. Ryan and Jack will be so snobby that when their friends ask them if they've seen Star Wars episode I, my sons will punch them in the face, no questions asked.

3)Oasis

The greatest band there is. How could my sons ever learn to be rockstars if they don't listen to Oasis? Well, I'm a good dad so I will teach them to be supersonic.

4)The Bible

You may think to yourself "What does the bible have to do with the other three on the list?" Well, they don't really. I believe that nobody can be a real man (or be saved) unless they read and understand this book.

5)Stephen Colbert

Politics can be real ugly and eventually my sons will be old enough to make decisions on their own. Navigating through what's right (Colbert) and what's wrong (Rush, Hannity, Beck) can be tricky. It's important to teach them that if someone disagrees with their political view, that someone is wrong.

Define Irony

2009-01-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

Vicki Christina Barcelona & Fireproof may not make for the best double feature.

Habakkuk Project Act III

2009-01-16T20:23:00.001-08:00

Habakkuk Project Act II

2009-01-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Habakkuk Project Act I

2009-01-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Act I of III
Enjoy.

Habakkuk Project

2008-12-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

About seven weeks ago my youth pastor approached me and said, "Hey, I'm doing a sermon series on the book of Habbakuk. You want to shoot something for it?"

I said, "Of course". Thus began my crazy adventure in directing for the very first time.

We met shortly after this exchange and I asked "Well, do you have an outline for what you want to do?"

"No." he said.

"Well isn't that fantastic."

So for the next few weeks we got together and ironed out a story that we both agreed on. Then talked about casting choices, figured out who would be a good leading man, and then I went off to write.

Two weeks later I had an outline and approached the family I wanted in my movie. They said yes (after saying please and offering lots of beer). At this point I had about four weeks until it was due and I had to figure out when everyone was available to shoot. So I call my actor on a Tuesday and asked him if it would be better to shoot this Saturday or next. He said this Saturday would be best. No problem, I can get my act together in 3 days.

Ignorance is such bliss.

I managed to make a shot list, get a camera, get a A.D. (assistant director), location scout my two major places I was shooting, go to home depot morning of shoot and get last minute supplies and then hopefully by 7am start shooting.

Which I did.

About half of my short was shot in sequence, which was awesome. The other half was out of sequence and much harder to keep the story together in my head. However, the day went very good and my last shot was 3:30 that afternoon. I was beyond tired.

The following Thursday I shot the last remaining scenes that I was not able to get on Saturday. It went quick and painless and now there was only one more day of shooting left.

So, the next Saturday we shot the last of my short in a few hours and thus concluded principal photography.

Now, for the last week in a half I have been editing. I have a third of it done and working on the rest now.

I know I haven't posted in a while and I know this isn't really mean or funny (or both), but I thought I would just give you a quick rundown of what's been going on over the past month. Hope all of your Christmas' were awesome. As soon as I'm done editing I will get back to my regularly scheduled tom foolery.

(My short is about a guy who interviews for a promotion and instead loses his job. )

Restoring America

2008-11-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

I never really thought I could make a difference in this election. Sure I voted, which is an important civic duty, but how much difference does that make? Even if I did vote for McCain, do you really think he would win California? I want to do something historic, something grand.

And then it happened.

Someone actually voted for me for President. This is a legit ballot from one of my friends in Eugene. I am now a contender for the presidency of the United States. Not only that, but look who my running mate is - Ryan.

When I saw this I felt a huge weight of responsibility. I have had so many ideas on how to make this country better and, let's face it, so does Ryan. It was time to make a decision. I talked with my family a great deal and we came down to a decision. Ryan and I are going to run. How fitting it is to celebrate the launch of my campaign at the place where this all started: in my office about 10 minutes ago.

Ogden/Ogden 08'

We are part of the SUA party (Straight up Awesome) and we have a platform of important issues we are running on.

Phil Ogden - President

Education - I feel like teachers aren't paid enough so starting in my first day of office, teachers start at $100,000 per year. Teachers will also be on an incentive bonus payment plan. Every time they disregard one of the states standardized tests they will get an additional $30,000, and a teacher's aide. Teachers are limited to 10 teacher's aides per year.

Economy - I will look to my trusty cabinet members and tell them to FIX IT!

Energy - We will establish our independence from foreign oil by completely getting rid of the middle east. We will bus everyone out of the country in a diplomatic and peaceful way, then turn it into the worlds largest starbucks/jamba juice. Problem solved.

Ryan Ogden - Vice President

Here are some platforms that Ryan will be running on.

Mac and Cheese - starting in his first day of office, Mac and cheese will be delivered to every home in the world as a way to open up lines of communication with foreign countries and those who hate us. And because it's good.

Thomas and friends - Thomas and friends will now replace the nightly news. Anchors from NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, and Fox will, instead of news, voice over characters from the famous English show. Brian Williams will be Thomas, Tom Brokaw will be Gordon, Katie Couric will be Emily, Dan Rather will be Cranky the Crane, Sean Hannity will be the troublesome trucks, and Rush will be Sir Toppham Hat.

Tractors - Since Ryan is a big advocate for tractors, everyone should have one. That way, when he comes to campaign in your town, he can check them out and think they are cool.

On November 4, do the right thing. Vote Ogden/Ogden 08'

Straight talk hope we can all believe in.

Ryan is going to be a big brother

2008-11-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. In June, Ryan's going to have a buddy. I've tried for a couple of weeks now to blog about something even half as cool as this (btw, it's debatable whether I blog about cool things) but I haven't been about to come up with anything.

We decided to wait a few weeks to tell anyone. After we decided to start telling people we had a shortlist of people we wanted to tell before the news got out of control. Chances are if you read this blog, you already know about our news. If, for some reason, I forgot to tell you and this is new to you, there's a good chance I don't care about you and wish you would would get run over by a car.

I'm just kidding . . .about the car part.

It's great news and we wanted to celebrate it with youalleverybody.

A picture is worth a thousand words

2008-10-27T20:20:00.003-07:00

Look at me

2008-09-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I know I vent about many necessary things, make fun of stupid people, and laugh at other peoples' expense. Well, it's only fair that once in a while I take some of my own medicine. I thought it would be fun (and funny) to post some pictures of me in my younger days and show you all that I was awesome then, and now.

This is me at Magic Mountain chillin' with Wile E. Coyote. I was about 4 or 5.

Rockin' the Olan Mills photo shoot. Big Pimpin' at 6.

Here I am with my date Tracy before the Christmas Formal. I was a Junior in High School then.

Is this me or Brian Austin Green? Maybe Parker Lewis?

Seth, Me, and Mark at our favorite karaoke bar in Korea town. No joke, I thought that shirt was cool!

Battlestar Galactica is awesome, which is why Dayton needs to start watching it

2008-08-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Meet my friend Dayton

He is a rock star, a husband and a great dad, and he's been my friend for 10 years. I stayed with him and his fam last year when I was in town for a wedding (Trevor's) and we got to hang out and do some old traditions (drink caribou coffee) and new traditions (drink beer and buy Petra songs online). It was awesome.

What was not so awesome is when I told him "You have to watch the new Battlestar Galactica. It's Awesome" and he said screw you hippy, I don't watch nerd things like that. (I may be paraphrasing . . .)

Well, I'm here to start a campaign to get Dayton to start watching one of the best written shows on TV.

Dayton, just between you and me, here are 3 reasons why you should watch this show.

1)I don't steer people wrong.
I told my friend Eddie, who is an avid Lost watcher, "You have to watch Battlestar Galactica." Unlike you, he tried it out and became hooked. He finished the mini-series in the first day, the first season in a couple days, and within two weeks finished season 2 and 3. Dayton, I know you love Lost, trust me, you'll love Battlestar.

2)The show redefines the sci-fi genre
The show deals with the conflict of a monotheistic and polytheistic society, it deals with racism and prejudice, and takes the best part of space exploration and makes it look cool.

3)In the future, everyone's hot. (I thank Mary for point #3)
That's right, nobody's ugly on this show. It's comforting to know that our future is full of hot women in red dresses and, well, I can't remember what else is important.

So, my challenge to you is to watch the Mini-series. How do I get the mini-series you ask? Well, I will send it to you to watch. It's only 3 hours. If by the end, you don't like it, I won't hate you. At least you tried.

Stop it with the blue tooth in public

2008-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

You know who you are. You're the guy who goes into Subway with your friend from work, catching up on the day's memos, then right in the middle of your friend's sentence you tap your ear and say "hello".

Stop it. Seriously.

Nothing says "I care about you, but really I hope someone more important calls" than a blue tooth in public places.

Oh wait, let me guess, your excuse is "well, I wear it so much that I don't even notice."

Bullshit. How do you not notice a piece of electronic equipment in your ear? You look like those guys in Star Wars that control the Death Star. Just robots desiring to be controlled by jackassery.

Stop it.

Here's a tip. When you leave your car or walk out of your building to eat, shut off your earpiece and be part of the human race. We like you, just not your jackassery.

Does Heroes still suck?

2008-07-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yes.

After a terrible, terrible second season Heroes is set to return. I think it's suppose to start in Septembewhogivesacrap.

The answer is nobody.

Especially at Comic-con. Heroes had their panel set for 11am Saturday in the big hall where they were going to have the writers come out and talk about the third season and show the premiere episode. However, I don't know how many Heroes fans got to see it because Lost had it's panel at 12pm and fans (of a show that's actually worth watching) started lining up at 2am that morning. When the doors for the Heroes panel opened, they just let the Lost line in. Lost fans had to sit through what I'm sure was a giant apology for why season 1 finale was so bad, why they haven't brought back Claude, and why Peter Petrelli still continues to breathe and annoy me. After that, they showed the season 3 premiere. Was it good? Don't know because no one is talking about it. I haven't found any news on it, any buzz, any clips, any video of the panel, nothing.

Where are the people that say "Heroes is so much better than Lost?" Why aren't they updating their blogs feverishly giving away juicy story lines and new characters plots and saying things like, "Tim Kring said this and talked about that?" I hear no response. Perhaps that the sound of me being right.

A Robotix story

2008-07-12T17:29:00.001-07:00

When my brother and I were young we used to play Robotix. The other day I got them out and let Ryan explore them. Then I had an idea. . .

THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE ROBOTIX

Episode I - Red Ball of Destruction

Chase Robotix is the defender of the universe. When trouble or stupidity cross his path, he reaches back and keeps his pimp hand strong.

Every time that I look at myself, I can't believe how awesome I am!

As Chase was out surveying the galaxy (for ladies) he came across his twin brother/arch nemesis Rex, who was trying to destroy planet beanbag with the red ball of destruction.

Chase could not stand for this so he destroyed the red ball of destruction with his mind.

This, of course, angered Rex.

Rex wanted to destroy everything like he always does: Chase, The planet, and Ryan's intergalactic Thomas and friends hat.

Chase couldn't let that happen so he jumped in the way to distract Rex. Rex finally had the chance to destroy his brother. Chase was almost a goner.

Then Chase fired a rocket of doom and destroyed his brother's ship. Rex managed to survive . . .until next time.

I rule!

Political Correctness lives here

2008-07-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

. . .not so much. This is a funny video. If you are easily offended or have trouble with people making fun of others, I suggest skipping this post.

Our trip to San Fransisco

2008-06-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Jenny and I just go back from a weekend in San Fransisco. It was the first weekend away from Ryan in a long long time. Here is just one of the many pictures you will find on Jenny's blog post regarding our trip.

Amanda Heasley, Me, Jenny, Vanessa (Doug's almost wife), Doug, and Chris Heasley

For more pictures and stories check out Jenny's Blog

Phone Pix from Morro Bay

2008-06-21T17:50:00.001-07:00

We went to Morro Bay at the beginning of June. Yes, we forgot our camera so here are some phone pix. Enjoy!

Capt. Ryan Sparrow

Ryan at the Zoo

Ryan the whale rider

Mama, Ryan, and Rita

Me!

The List

2008-06-18T20:36:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to read more, and after the reviews of M. Night's The Happening who could blame me right? So I started asking my friends "What should be on my top ten list of books to read before I die?" The response was awesome. My friends are not only cool but literate as well. I got everything from science fiction to slavery memoirs. Is this a pretty good list? What's missing? Are their any you have read that you can further recommend?

I have to give a shout-out to Seth for suggesting "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. I forgot to add that to the list.

Lost: Almost home (Spoilers)

2008-05-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last season finale I tried to guess what may happened and I was wrong on all levels. So, when at first you don't succeed . . .

1)Who's in the coffin?

Well, for a long time I've been saying it's Sawyer, mainly because it would be so nice to guess right about something in the show and have that guess be relevent to the story in some way. However, the more that I think about that the more I feel Sawyer's death would be just a means to an end. My guess is that Alvar Hanso in the coffin.

Here's why.

Jack is a man of Science and Locke is a man of faith. I believe Charles Widmore is a man of Science and Ben is a man of faith. If Charles and Ben are in a big game of risk, there are some people who will have to be sacrificed in order to win the battle for the island. Alvar Hanso, man of science, desiring to conduct experiments on the island, hired by Widmore, and not a man of "faith". Ben, knowing this, is charged with protecting the island rids Alvar of his life. Of course, I don't know how or why, but who does really?

2)Why does Jack go to the viewing?

Now that Widmore knows where the island is, Alvar Hanso knows where it is too assuming the hanso foundation is funded by Widmore. In an attempt to help get people off the island (because I believe he knows who Ben is and what he is capable of), Alvar Hanso tries to help Jack and the oceanic 6 get off. I think the oceanic 6 will meet Alvar before they all get on a plane together. Perhaps he's the one who tells them to lie.

3)The question of Walt.

It breaks my heart to think that someone would take a kid from his father and never quite tell him why. Now that I am a dad I can understand some of the emotions Michael is going through. That's why I hope there will be some sort of story progress in regards to Walt. At this point, no reason has been good enough for why Ben took Walt, or Jacob or anyone. The payoff for Walt's story has to be so good that it excuses why he was a prisoner for so long.

4)Who will die?
I say Jack. If your going to be wrong, be wrong all the way.

My review of Spider-man 3

2008-05-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Boring boring boring.

Bruce Campbell as the french waiter . . .sooo funny.

Boring boring boring.

credits.

An Addendum to my review

2008-05-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

My P3 review was suppose to be a mock. My apologies if it didn't come across that way. Apparently this movie made me so stupid that it stripped me of my humor. Seth had told me how convoluted and stupid this movie is, which he's right. In fact, everyone told me how stupid this movie is, so my review was a mock support of it.

Did not work so well now did it. . .

At world's end is just plain retarded. Don't see this movie, ever.

My Review of Pirates 3: At World's End

2008-05-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I loved the first Pirates movie. I then went and saw the 2nd installment and wanted to shove a lawnmower down my esophagus. So, being the trooper I am, I decided to watch the last one even though many, many people told me how bad it was. Well, I say they were wrong.

The movie begins with lots of people lining up to get hung. They all start singing a pirate lullaby as they wait for their death.

Title credits

Now we are in an underground cave in Singapore. We follow Barbosa and company to the main pirate king room where they tell head pirate guy (we'll call him Chink) that the lullaby has been sung and that the quarry of nine from eight have to meet. Well, Chink, being skeptical, decides that the only way to find out if this is true is to fight, for 20 minutes, at least. So they fight fight fight and Chink agrees the meeting must happen. But first they have to find Jack. How will they do that you ask? Well, Barbosa says it's easy to get to Jack, the hard part is getting back. One has to travel through cold weather and wait for the green flashing light to occur. So they are off.

Cut to Jack Sparrow. A lot of him. He apparently is in an afterlife holideck which is able to conjure up his worst nightmares. So he is in the white sand, with lots of copies of him and eggs that look like rocks which transform into crabs. He somehow convinces the rocks to move the ship from the middle of the desert to the beach, where Barbosa, Elizabeth Swan, and crew wait for Jack. When they all meet up, Jack is unsure if they are real or if they are just figments made from the holideck. Nope, they aren't. So they set sail. But they have to figure out how to get the boat back to real life before sunrise. That's right, sunrise. Because in this world the sun rises in the west. Wait, if it rises in the west that must mean the ship is upside down. So the whole crew starts to tilt the boat back and forth for at least twenty minutes until it flips over, which it does, and then they see the green flash. WooHoo, Jack is saved from the afterlife holideck of doom.

So ends the first hour of the film.

Okay, so now that Jack is reunited with Barbosa, Swan, and crew, now they have to get Will Turner who is captured by the English as the ship Endeavor is on the hunt for pirates, riches, and world domination. So, I think Will strikes up a deal with Captain English douche bag (EDB) to find barbosa and to find where the quarry of the nine from eight are meeting. Will then says he can deliver Jack Sparrow and trade jack for Will's dad's freedom. So, the deal gets made on a short strip of land and Will goes with barbosa and Swan, while Jack goes with EDB and it seems to be bad, but a reassuring shot of Jack giving a little "I know what I'm doing" made me feel better.

So, at this point, Jack is trying to get the heart of Davy Jones so he can be freed of his debt, and Will is also trying to free his dad from his debt. . .I think, I can't really remember. No, I think that's right because if Will frees his dad they can be reunited and the dad doesn't have to be bound to the ship any longer . . . I think. Well, no matter, Jack has a plan. And the plan involves Calypso.

Barbosa knows that the plan involves Calypso too, because Calypso is bound in human form and when she is free, she can turn into weather and control it. So, Barbosa knows he has a secret weapon on his hands.

Okay, so, after the Jack/Will exchange, Barbosa and crew sail to a pirates cove conveniently close to where they are and all the pirates of the world unite. They all discuss how they are going to handle the big last battle and how they are going to amass artifacts in a plate to figure how they will beat the EDB and his english army. After about a twenty minute discussion someone yells, "We must have a vote". Whoever is pirate king will make the decision. So they vote. Every pirate captain votes for himself including Swan who is now the captain of Chink's boat. Then Jack comes out of nowhere and votes for Swan. An uproar occurs because they all argue over the rules. Then the Keeper of the Pirate law (Keith Richards) comes forward and says the law is the law. Swan wins, so they go to war with the English.

End of hour 2

So, then there occurs lots and lots of sailing to where the English boats are. When they finally get there, it is time to free Calypso because quarry of the nine from eight all put special magic items in a plate and said some magic words and then she started huffing, puffing, growing into a giant, then she exploded into a bunch of rock/crab transformers we saw in the afterlife holideck, and they all fall into the sea. Oh crap you say? You betcha! The sea starts to get real crazy and big whirlpool forms in the middle of the ships. Yikes! Then it starts to rain, then it's "man your battle stations" and "Fire!" The battle to end all battles occurs. Swords and cannons fly everywhere. Jack fights Davy, Barbosa fights crazy english soldiers, Will and Swan do this swing your sword/profess your love that really defines their relationship. So much so that during the sword fight, they get married. Where would they find someone to marry them? Barbosa of course. So they exchange vows in between swinging their swords.

Then the big standoff with Davy, Will, Swan, and Jack happens. Jack found Davy's heart and is about to stab it when Davy turns around and stabs Will, rendering him dead. Jack and Barbosa put a sword through Davy's heart and he dies for good. Then the waters grow calm, then a big ship comes out of the water and it's Will's. He's alive again and captain of the boat that carries the dead. Both ships then sail to the Endeavor and blow it to pieces. Swan is happy to see Will again but can't for long because now his heart is in a lock box and must go to the afterlife holideck for ten years.

In the end, Jack in on shore with 2 ladies looking for the black pearl. Well, it's not where he parked it. Turns out Barbosa stole it and the map to the fountain of youth from Jack. Ha Ha Barbosa says, foiled Jack one more time, then opens up his map to see there is a big hole in it. ARG!! Jack was the one that took it, now he's after the fountain of youth.

Then Will and Swan are on a beach and Will has to say goodbye but, he leaves his heart in a treasure chest for her to keep. Then after the credits, Will does come back. I guess they can be happy again, right?

This film redefines stupid.

Three things that really bother me about Myspace users

2008-03-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have a Myspace account. I debated a long time before I signed up because I felt like it was just for kids in high school. Turns out it isn't. I did find people I went to high school with, get updated photos from my brother in Portland, and keep up with friends.

However. . .

There are 3 things that send my anger to the stratosphere when it comes to people and their myspace page:

1)The music on your page - Unless you are actually in a band promoting your music, stop it with your crappy music. No one cares if you like Good Charlotte or Delilah. Seriously, if I wanted to hear bad music I would listen to the radio. If you want to have music, try silence. It's better than anything you're listening to.

2)Graphics on your page - Honestly, how much shit can you cram into your graphic design? Really, do you have to have a animated monkey along with your posters of Scarface? How about your 10 pictures of you on a photo slide along with thomas kincade paintings on top of zig zag wallpaper. It's all a little too much, don't you think? Nope you don't, because you post like 10,000 youtube videos on top of all that background. Just stop it!

3)Bulletins on your page - Surveys = Forwards, and no one cares about forwards. Maybe once in a while they're fun . . .oh wait, no they're not. Turns out if no one comments on your survey, or responds to your survey, it does not give you licence to send out 1200 more. Just stop it, seriously.

So I think what I'm trying to say is: excess . . .not so much.

Oh yeah, I forgot, have a nice day!

Funniest Joke?

2008-03-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Essential Favorite Films

2008-03-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I love movies. I know that I care about film and aspects of how they get made more than most. So, I thought it would be fun to show the more relatable side by posting my 10 favorite films (in no particular order).

1)Dead Poets Society - I remember how moved I was the first time I saw the kids stand on desks. Oh Captain my Captain!

2)The Game - I've probably watched this film 40 times in my life and I still find it mesmerizing!

3)Tron - I remember as a kid wanting a light cycle.

4)The Black Hole - The USS signus is still larger than life. I still watch this and tron back to back every year.

5)Goonies - My sense of adventure was teased when I saw this (in 6th grade).

6)Back to the Future - I still want a Delorean, and a Volterra skateboard.

7)My Blue Heaven - To me, one of the funniest movies that stands the test of time.

8)Raiders of the Lost Ark - If Goonies teased my sense of adventure, Raiders helped cultivate it more.

9)Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Don't worry, Wrath of Khan was on the list but I always go back to this movie. The idea of exploring the truly unknown is so awesome, plus the Enterprise is my favorite ship of all time.

10)Star Wars - There was a time when "Star Wars" meant episode IV, you remember, right? When Han shot Greedo first, and you watched this taped movie at least once a week on VHS, because that's all you had. Ah, the good old days. . .

(As an added bonus, I got Jenny to play the game too. Here's her list.

1)Amelie
2)The Sound of Music
3)The Game
4)All the Bourne Movies
5)Almost Famous
6)Sneakers
7)Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
8)Rushmore
9)Mary Poppins
10)Cinderella

A TobyMac song I like

2008-03-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

It's no secret that TobyMac has tried for years to destroy music. No one denies he's got a massive amount of talent, but he seems to take every style his come across and try to jam it in a song. Most all his songs are crap and I like to make fun of them. Here is what a TobyMac song is like: It starts out kind of cool, you get sort of invested in it, you think "oh #$*!", this may be a cool song", then he takes a giant dump on it and, once again, you feel like he hates music and everything good it stands for.

So, I hear a new song called "I'm for you". I thought it was kind of cool, got invested in it, got to the "oh #$*!" part of the cycle, but then it kept being cool. I couldn't believe it didn't let me down. The song has a great beat, he dials back the limp bizkit garbage, and the song has a great message. Now, in the grand scheme of music, the song is like a 5 out of 10. For a TobyMac song, I give it a strong 8. In fact, I bought the song on Itunes.

Making fun of Toby is easy. It's almost easier than making fun of fat and ugly people at the fair. But for the first time in my life, I'm sticking up for him. I think he made a great record. Hats off.

Rate that Commentary

2008-03-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

Rate that commentary is a website devoted to commentary tracks on DVDs. Most likely, if you own any DVDs, 8 out of 10 have a director's commentary or various other commentaries. Are they any good though? Most of the one's I've seen are very informative and entertaining, but as I was listening to a podcast from the hollywood saloon entitled "art of commentary", it truly takes talent to do a commentary track. Sometimes a director is best on his own, sometimes a director is best with his writer or fellow actor. The podcast talked about great ones and suck ones. The best one that I've heard is the Philosopher's track on Matrix Reloaded. I also enjoy any David Fincher track (Fight Club, Panic Room).

According to rate that commentary, here are the top ten (voted by site users):

1. Zodiac -- Commentary track: Actors Jake Gyllenhall and Robert Downey Jr, producer Brad Fischer, screenwriter James Vanderbilt and writer James Ellroy. Rating: 9.0

2. Zodiac -- Commentary track: Director David Fincher. Rating: 8.6

3. Superbad -- Commentary track: Director Greg Mottola, screenwriter Evan Goldberg, actors Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, producer Judd Apatow, and Apatow's nine-year-old daughter Maude. Rating: 8.6

4. Halloween -- Commentary track: Writer/Director John Carpenter, actor Jamie Lee Curtis and writer/producer Debra Hill. Rating: 8.6

5. The Exorcist -- Commentary track: Director William Friedkin. Rating: 8.5

6. The Godfather -- Commentary track: Director Francis Ford Coppola. Rating: 8.5

7. Escape From New York -- Commentary track: Director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell. Rating: 8.5

8. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -- Commentary track: Director Peter Jackson, and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Rating: 8.5

9. Brazil -- Commentary track: Director Terry Gilliam (on disc 1, the director's cut of the film). Rating: 8.5

10. Evil Dead II -- Commentary track: Director/co-writer Sam Raimi, actor Bruce Campbell, co-writer Scott Spiegel, and special effects make-up artist Greg Nicotero. Rating: 8.5

(Disclaimer - Superbad, to me, is a giant piece of shit. We watched the first 15 minutes of it and I wanted to throw a giant cinder block through my television. Anyone who loves this movie should run their head into the wall . . .but you know, it's just my opinion)

Here are the ten worst:

1. 2019: After the Fall of New York -- Commentary track: Actor Michael Sopkiw and "Post-nuke film historians" David Zuzelo and Dolph Chiarino. Rating: 0.0 Good Luck Chuck cover

2. Good Luck Chuck -- Commentary track: Actor Dane Cook, director Mark Helfrich, producer Mike Karz and writer Josh Stolberg. Rating: 0.0

3. The Story of O -- Commentary track: Director Just Jaeckin. Rating: 0.8

4. Rollerball -- Commentary track: Actors Chris Klein, LL Cool J, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Rating: 0.8

5. The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) -- Commentary track: Director William Friedkin. Rating: 0.9

6. Ren and Stimpy: The Complete First and Second Seasons -- Commentary track: "Man's Best Friend". Rating: 1.5

7. Taboo -- Commentary track: Actor Kay Parker. Rating: 1.5

8. Ultraviolet -- Commentary track: Actor Milla Jovovich. Rating: 1.5

9. Bowling for Columbine -- Commentary track: Receptionists, production assistants, and interns. Rating: 1.6

10. Spaceballs -- Commentary track: Director Mel Brooks. Rating: 1.8

Do you have any favories?

Director's Score: David Fincher

2008-02-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

I have been listening to a podcast called "Watching the Directors" which is a husband and wife team who podcast about a director's body of work. They made up a 10 quiz to judge the various things they liked and disliked about the films. So, I'm stealing there ten quiz in hopes of sparking some discussion. Here it goes.

David Fincher:
1) FAVORITE FILM - The Game

2. BEST CHARACTER - Somerset (Morgan Freeman's character in Se7en

3. BEST SOUNDTRACK - Fight Club

4. ESSENTIAL SCENE - Jack's realization of who he is (in Fight Club)

5. WORST FILM - Panic Room

6. BEST FILM - Se7en

7. DVD RECOMMENDATION - Panic Room 3 disc (or the Criterion Laserdisc of the Game)

8. DESERT ISLAND FILM - The Game

9. KEY COLLABORATOR - Darius Khonji (DP on Se7en)

10. TO REMAKE OR RECAST - David Fincher should remake The DaVinci Code

What do you think?

The other films that impacted me in 2007

2008-02-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

I reviewed La Haine and The Bourne Ultimatum and have been trying to get to these other films but time is just getting away from me. So, here are short snippets of the other three films (for the maybe 2 people who have been waiting in total suspense)

3)The Double Life of Veronique - A fascinating visual film that has layers upon layers of subtext.

4)No Country for Old Men - You live by the sword, you die by the sword. Amazing tale of greed and ego and the price that comes with it.

5)American Gangster - To quote Alex "Ridley Scott went out to make the best movie he could. He didn't focus on just the look or over stylize the 'world', just went out and made a good movie." Agreed.

Eddie posted on his blog

2008-02-15T13:48:00.001-08:00

Me, Josh, and Eddie

My friend Eddie just posted a great political oped. It starts a great dialog about politics and christianity and how far apart they can seem. Check it out.

(Josh, your on notice)

Weekend at Morro Bay

2008-02-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

We were in Morro Bay this past weekend hanging out with our friends Seth and Amy. Although we have no pictures with them, you'll just have to trust they were there.

Anyhow here are some pics to enjoy.

Morro Rock

Jenny and Ryan next to the USS boat

So cute!

The sun gives life and breath to everything living . . .but it's in my eyes.

Juno

2008-02-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Jenny and I went on a date to see this movie about a month ago, and we loved it. It was charming, witty, and had some laugh out loud moments. Ellen Page (Juno) was really good. So good in fact that I don't think the movie would have been as good if someone else was in it, like say, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Everyone was good in the movie. When Juno's dad said he was going to punch Bleeker right in the pecker I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I was really glad they paid off the note Juno wrote to Vanessa. I also thought that scene where Jason Bateman's character slow dances with Juno was tense.

Overall we really enjoyed it and I would recommend it to cool people only.

Full of Joy

2008-02-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here is Ryan posing for Mama. I'm in the background trying to wake up with some coffee.

Sesame Street and Two Lane Blacktop

2008-02-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

I was reflecting last night about how much my life has changed in the past two years. I'm not only a husband but a father so I have been forced to mature in all the good ways.

Specifically I was thinking about my tastes in TV and Film. Since I have the same amount of time, just choose to spend it wiser, I don't watch as many movies or TV shows as I used to. Ten years ago I had 5 shows a week, movies on the weekend and most of what I watched was good but never really amazing. Now, I'm really only committed to one show (Lost) and I get to go out and see a movie once a month if I'm lucky. Here's the thing, when I get to watch something, I really enjoy it.

Last night after dinner, Ryan and I sat on his beanbag and watched Sesame Street together. He loves it and I love watching it with him. When Elmo comes on he is glued to that tube. It's amazing what that show attempts to teach kids and expose them too. Everything from sharing to jumping, it's skills that I want Ryan to be exposed to.

Then, about a week ago, Jenny and I start to watch Two Lane Blackop. It's suppose to be the best road trip movie ever made. So far, it's really good (Jenny bowed out because nobody ever says anything in the movie. Gotta finish it solo).

Whether on recommendation or reading reviews, I have seen some really amazing films over the past five years (La Haine, Double life of Veronique, No Country for old Men). It's about quality versus quantity. Good quality with my son and with my wife. To go from ER and Armageddon to Sesame Street and Two Lane Blacktop, it can only get better.

Lost: The Beginning of the end

2008-02-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

(Spoilers ahead)

Man, I am so glad Lost is back. It seems like I had to wade through a bunch of mediocre television to keep my mind off the waiting. Now the Season Premiere is finally come and gone. Great episode. trrrewarsdrg

In the past couple of days I have listened to podcasts that break down lost. They ask:

Does the "No Smoking" on the wall of the interegation room mean no smoke monster?
Was the other eye in the cabin Locke's?
Was the attorney from oceanic actually from Dharma?
Maybe it was Walt in the coffin.

Most of the time I feel like they are grabbing at straws. However I do think there are some clues to watch out for that strangly no one (that I've seen) is talking about.

1)There is a scene in which Rousseau walks right up to the knife in Naomi's back, then the scene cuts. It never showed her pulling the knife out. Then a little later, Jack, Ben and rousseau are on Naomi's "trail" when Rousseau says the trail ends and they were tricked. Ben tells Jack that Kate took the phone and is on the right track, Jack reacts frustrated, and then Ben says "At least one of us did something right" while giving a glance to Rousseau. I think Rousseau took the knife out of Naomi's back and left it for Naomi. The previews have been suggesting that someone in the camp is a traitor and I'm watching Rousseau's every move. I think she's the double agent.

2)Who told John Locke about Charlie? After Hurley sees the cabin, falls, and Locke appears and asks if what happened to Charlie is true, I assume Walt told him. You know they are going to go back and give you more of the Walt/Locke scene in the pit. Also, Locke's as good as new. No bullet, no blood. Spooky.

Say Cheese

2008-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Bourne Ultimatum

2008-01-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

This is the second of five films that impacted me in 2007.

Typically, I usually run from my past. Bourne runs towards it. Granted he did get shot in the back, acquired amnesia, and had no idea who he was.

The thing I liked about this movie is that, in the end, becoming an assassin was his choice. Bourne was hoping someone turned him into this killing machine by force. No, it was by choice, and because of his choice, it has led him to a life of running. Who hasn't made bad choices where the consequences follow them?

I also love the action sequences, editing, and camera work. How awesome was the Waterloo station scene?

The Bourne Ultimatum was a great film and deserves a second viewing.

Teaching Ryan to Pray

2008-01-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how fast Ryan learns. I see his eyes absorb everything that surrounds him and I am in awe of what God can do with life. It's been said to me many times that you can never start to early when teaching Ryan about Christ and how to live like Him. One thing that we've been doing is praying before meals. Right before we eat, we let Ryan grab our first finger, bow our heads, and pray thanking God for our food. We have been doing that enough now where Ryan instinctively reaches out to grab our fingers to pray. He squeezes our fingers, watching us pray and when we say "amen", Ryan nods his head and says "eeh" (which for him is amen:).

How cool is that? I hope that Ryan can imitate more good things like that. You never feel like a perfect parent, but I can always keep trying.

La Haine

2008-01-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

La Haine (hate)

I have been thinking a lot about the movies this past year that have really impacted me. About eight years ago I used to email out a top ten list of movies you, "had to see," and it was a fun thing to do. I feel that over these eight years my tastes have changed, my awareness of the world has increased, and I'm affected by deeper, more meaningful things. So, over the next few posts, I want to give you five movies that truly impacted me this year. These movies range from strong stances against violence to the true nature of justice.

The first of these films is La Haine (Hate).

Abdel, a hoodlum of the french ghetto, is victim of police brutality in 1995. Upon news coverage of this, a riot ensues outside of the police station leaving many injured, many arrested, and a cop's missing gun found by Abdel's friend Vinz. Vinz vowes that if Abdel dies, he will kill the responsible cop.

Most of the film follow Vinz (a jew) and the distanting of his friends Said (an arab), and Hubert (a black boxer). Vinz's possession of the gun creates a sense of power, control, and a false sense of respect. After Abdel dies, Vinz seeks to kill any cop. While en route to the police station, Vinz's friends get pushed around by some skinheads and Vinz breaks up the fight at gunpoint, takes the skinhead leader in a warehouse ready to kill him. Allowing the last bit of morality to take over, he lets the skinhead go, realizes the gun is poison, and gives it up to his friend. As they head home, the hoodlums from the previous fight hold Vinz up at gunpoint, where the gunman taunts and humiliates him, and accidently fires the gun, killing Vinz.

I have always been afraid to own a gun. I feel living one's life with a gun as one's arsenal can eventually end one's life. This movie captured that feeling better than any other I've seen. It also captured the non-stop cycle of hate. We have all hurt someone and we have all been hurt, but how we choose to react defines us. We can repay hate with hate, or we can repay hate with good. I believe the film asks, "How will we repay?

A real new year's resolution

2008-01-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone. It's been a crazy few weeks between Christmas and New Years yet we all managed to survive. I hope your 2008 got off to an amazing start.

I know it's cliche to have new years resolutions (however, I don't know anyone who does them anymore). However, I've decided to have a real new years resolution. I'm going to try to be less inappropriate this year (and years to come). No, seriously, I am. Here's why.

If you know me at all, you know that I like to make jokes about heavy drinking or drinking in inappropriate places. To me, it's been funny to imagine someone getting loaded in Sunday school or doing shots at a Mormon temple. I don't think it's right mind you, I'm just entertained by the thought. Anyhow, through a series of situations my joking about drinking has not been well received. I took this as Jesus telling me to knock it off.

Message received.

I was really convicted to be more of a stand up guy and not always go for the cheap, low brow humor I so richly indulge in. So, I want to be less inappropriate. I am trying not to mention any drinking jokes in public, I'm trying think before I open my mouth, and encourage those who, if I would have just shut my mouth, could have shared something with me that was meaningful.

Can I get an amen?

Interesting interpretation of a Daft Punk song

2007-12-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

Daft Bodies doing Harder Better Faster Stronger.

Daft Bodies - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

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Hangin' with Ryan

2007-12-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night, Jenny had a school Christmas program to direct so I got to hang out with Ryan. I'm sure you know how awesome I am, now I get to show you what an awesome dad I am too.

First we did some reading.

Then Ryan got to hear Definately Maybe for the first time. No joke, he was totally groovin' to Live Forever. It was a proud moment.

Then, when I told him I like pop music too, he tried to leave. Can you blame him?

Then it was time for milk cup and chill time.

I love being Ryan's dad.

Heroes: 4 months ago (Spoilers)

2007-11-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

So eight, count them eight episodes into this new season and we finally get to know what happen to Peter and Nathan. I really liked this episode but I will never understand why they didn't start the season with this one. Sure they would have had to change a few things, but not that much. I think you could have had a much better foundation to build off of with this one. Say what you want about Lost, but it has always paid off it's season finales.

Deep down, I'm rooting for this show to do well. I will keep watching it because it's way better than Bionic Woman. That show may be the worst written show on television. I'm a glutton for punishment. . .

A great take on the Writer's strike

2007-11-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Phil Alden Robinson (writer and director of Field of Dreams and Sneakers) gives the best take on the writer's strike I've seen so far. Check it out.

Was Radiohead's stunt worth it?

2007-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

According to the AP -

"Radiohead let its fans decide how much to pay for a digital copy of the band's latest release, "In Rainbows," and more than half of those who downloaded the album chose to pay nothing, according to a study by a consumer research firm.

Some 62 percent of the people who downloaded "In Rainbows" in a four-week period last month opted not to pay the British alt-rockers a cent. But the remaining 38 percent voluntarily paid an average of $6, according to the study by comScore Inc."

I'm part of that 62%. I didn't want to plunk down another 10 bucks for a record I wasn't going to listen to. I accept that Radiohead is innovative, but I felt like it was at the expense of good music. For me, In Rainbows took a step to bring me back into their fold. To me, they realized their fans were disappointed, made some good music, and gave it to their audience as a peace offering. Well, apology accepted.

As a side note, it was interesting to me when I told my friends I paid nothing for it. Their reaction was surprised/slightly disappointed. I'm not sure why, Radiohead did give me a choice to pay what I wanted for it. How often does one have the opportunity to get a CD for free and not consider it stealing? I would say most of my friends don't have a strong objection to downloading music before they (maybe) pay for it, and yet most of them paid for In Rainbows when they could have got it for free.

Do you know where Sadie Hawkins originated?

2007-11-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is from a question to yahoo answers.

What is a Sadie Hawkins Dance?
I am always hearing of a "Sadie Hawkins Dance", can someone tell me what this is? Thanks!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
A Sadie Hawkins Dance is a school dance in which the girls ask out the boys...

In the United States, the Sadie Hawkins dance (also known as a snow ball, Morp, snowball, vice-versa, turnabout, TWIRP, or a Tolo)[citation needed] is a school dance, usually occurring in high schools, in which female students invite male students. This is in opposition of normal school dance traditions, such as prom, where male students invite female students. Traditionally, the Sadie Hawkins dance occurs during the autumn in November, or in some places January or February. The Sadie Hawkins dance is one of three dances that many high schools hold, the other two dances being prom and homecoming. Some schools simply hold regular dances in which certain songs are "snowball" or "Sadie Hawkins" songs in which girls choose whom to dance with.

The Sadie Hawkins dance is named after the Li'l Abner comic strip character Sadie Hawkins. November 15 was Sadie Hawkins day, when the unmarried women of Dogpatch got to chase the bachelors and marry the ones they caught. In America this caught on quickly and evolved into a dance where the women got to invite a man of their choice.

Usually, female and male partners choose to wear the same or extremely similar clothes in order to match. At a Sadie Hawkins dance, couples are easily distinguishable because of their matching clothes.

Source(s):
Wikipedia

You'd think Christians had enough problems

2007-11-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Christians who actually follow Jesus (not those who believe in Bush, War on terror, then maybe Jesus) work so hard to live a life of example. We try to advise people on where to go when they are emotionally hurt, we try to love the sinner and not the sin, and we try to avoid judging other. Then I see something like this:

And I feel like "why do I even get up in the morning?" I don't know how anyone outside of christianity takes us serious. I weep for what Ryan has to put up with. I need a drink . . .

Heroes: Fight or Flight (spoilers)

2007-10-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I have been very critical of heroes ever since, for the last 10 episodes or so, Tim Kring let monkeys write his show. However, he must have come back from a long deserved vacation because this episode was the strongest one since "company man".

Finally we got to see a great nemesis in Parkman's dad. They spent a lot of time setting up how creepy he was, then played him up to be sympathetic, then WHAM, manipulation and deceit. How crazy is that ability? I wonder if he can manipulate what the person sees in the nightmare. Then to think Matt has the same ability. Wow. That scene was awesom, the editing was amazing and the CGI of burned up NY was really cool!

I still have enough complaints to fill a dump truck, but I will stick to the positive in this post. Heroes, you've earned it.

Southland Tales trailer

2007-10-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to see this movie. It looks so bazaar (or as Alex would say, stupid). Since Seth hasn't updated his blog in a while and both of us are pumped to see it, check out the trailer.

What would you think?

2007-10-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

What would you think if you saw your Senior pastor having a beer in a restaurant. I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I would probably have more respect for him if he did have a beer. (As W. C. Fields once said "I never trust a man who doesn't drink.") So, why don't they drink responsibily in public?

Many people, when I ask this question tell me that Pastors could NEVER drink in public because they hold a higher standard. Okay, fine, I can see that. However, who in church leadership is being the example of a moderate drinker? What, nobody in church drinks? Is the congregation left to decide how much is too much? Is drinking against the church rules? The bible doesn't say never drink ever, never, ever. So, Pastor so-n-so sending the right message? Never drink, just like I never drink?

What do you think?

Even though . . .

2007-10-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

. . .I loathe Matchbox Twenty, I have to admit I like their new song "Let's see how far they've come". It's catchy and the lyrics seem to be an anthem for how most soul searchers feel.

Cue making fun of me . . .now.

Built on sand

2007-10-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Jenny and I watched Facing the Giants on a couple months ago. I started posting a blog about this and she felt like it was too negative. Perhaps she was right. I still felt like there was something very wrong about this movie and still felt like I had something to say about it. Then my friend Dayton sent me this article from CCM patrol about how Christians can't see or deal with art(or in the article's case movies) unless it's a Thomas Kinkade's piece of crap painting.

I did some more digging around and found this posting about someone who was offended by the website for bagging on really bad Christian music.

Building Each Other Up
POSTED BY Stewart Lundy Wednesday September 26, 2007

A reader alerted us to this post, written by a forum administrator at CMCentral:

In regard to the CCM Patrol thing, no company is perfect. CCM Patrol isn’t perfect either. I totally disagree with CCM Patrol’s attitude toward everything. What benefit is it to say disparaging remarks about Christian bands/ministries/websites? There is no benefit in that. All it does is create division amongst believers and opens huge gaps for Satan to attack community and weaknesses.

There are problems with Contemporary Music Today. I agree. There are problems with the way it’s covered. I agree. But…by focusing on those problems and magnifying them, it doesn’t really promote God’s Kingdom.

Things you should know about me: I don’t appreciate disrespect. I don’t appreciate disunion or any attitudes/behaviors that contribute to disunion.

I’m not saying this to come down on you, Waltrane. Not at all. I’m not saying you’re disrespecting me, either, just to clarify. I just took something that your post had mentioned and expanded on it because it included a reference to CCM Patrol.

Build each other up.

The sentiment is good, perhaps even divine… but while we’re speaking in terms of construction, we can’t avoid speaking in terms of foundations. Without getting too theologically adventurous, I think it is safe to say the Christ is the cornerstone. And most people would agree that building on sand is a bad idea.

And many things are built on sinking sand. Perhaps they’re political ideologies, musical agendas, or the The CCM Patrol itself. But whatever the case, Christ called us to build people up. He did not call us to build up errant ideas or cultural constructs.

If a brother is constructing a building on a quagmire, it is our duty to call him on his mistake.

Instruction’s goal is to destruct falsehoods and construct truths. You can’t do one without the other, and considering the absurd amount of popular “construction,” the The CCM Patrol is justified in its mission to destruct bad reviews and construct accurate reviews. There cannot be a good foundation without removing the bad foundation first.

A bad foundation deserves to be tested, and criticized. However much we may constitutionally sympathize with pluralism, liberalism, and postmodernism, indiscriminate tolerance is not possible for anyone who believes in an object qualitative hierarchy.

In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. (“In necessary things unity; in uncertain things freedom; in everything compassion.”)

I’m sorry, but there is a necessary disunion between quality and refuse. Read our positive reviews. I love good godly music a lot more than I hate bad pseudo-spiritual music. Compassion? Take what we say with a grain of salt. We may be music snobs, but we are music snobs with a noble goal. First and foremost, we at the The CCM Patrol want GOOD music! I would love to give nothing but positive reviews, but…

There is good music and there is bad music. Music created by Christians tends to be baptized by the church and the Christian press for simply being Christian. If the Christian music were capable of self-reflection, the The CCM Patrol would not need to be nearly as critical. In fact, I hope that this can happen someday—when the music Christians produce is introspective and thoughtful it won’t need to be patrolled by an outside force. The music industry needs checks and balances. If they refuse to make them internally, we’ll supply them externally.

This article prompted me to pull out my review of FACING THE GIANTS. I finally feel justified for thinking it's a GIANT piece of crap . . .ERRRR built on a quagmire.

My review of Facing the Giants

2007-10-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this movie, here's the short of it.
Christian football Coach, down on his luck, prays in the middle of trees and converts everyone in the town to believe in Jesus. Oh yeah, they wins the final game against the bad guys. I would not suggest watching this movie. Rent the Remember the Titans instead.

For anyone whose has seen this movie and really loved it, I have a question for you: Who was this movie marketed to? This was a "Christian" movie that made it into secular theaters and, in my not-so-humble-opinion, isolated non-believers and essentially gave them the finger. The movie used church language, had an unrealistic view of how quickly God decides to answer prayer (What? God's answer can't be NO?), and allows the viewers who don't put their kids in public school to imagine what the "real world" is like. Tell me, is the real world truly some kid telling another about Jesus, then that kid in turn gets everyone in class to come out to the football field and have bible studies?

Now, you could argue, "Hey Phil, are you trying to say that this could never happen?" No. In fact, it would be awesome if something like this did happen. But, I have never heard of something like this happening and if you could tell me a story about a similar situation you've had that even remotely relates to this idea, I will shut the *$#k up.

If you want your movie to be encouraging, write something everyone can relate to. And if you are going to make a movie that speaks a language that the secular world does not understand, don't put it out in theaters. Put it up in your church and invited believers to share in this most unrealistic occurrence of events. Just wait, soon there will be a movie that says no Christians have sex before marriage and, as they tell others this, every college student abstains from sex until they get married. Oh, and they have bible studies on the football field.

Is there even such a thing as "Christian" films? If it doesn't deal in real life the concept seems absurd.

Darwin was wrong, God made us.

2007-09-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ricky Gervais on the bible. It's 10 minutes but I thought it was worth posting. (Thanks Ryan Murphy!)

I walk the line

2007-09-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

For weeks now we have been trying to get Ryan to walk on his own. He will take a few steps here and there but then he would get scared and fall down.

However . . .

I started helping him put one foot in front of the other and all of the sudden, everything started to click. And as a result:

The Sorting Hat says . . .

2007-08-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

GRYFFINDOR!!!

Merry go Ryan

2007-08-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. Ryan is in South Carolina with Jenny and one of her best friends Malisa (who's holding Ryan on the ride). So. Much. Fun!

Fred Thompson's big secret

2007-07-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

I think he's going to run for president. No really, I think he is. Perhaps you don't have a TV or a radio or the newspaper so you haven't noticed he's been everywhere talking about hot button political issues and flat out lying . . .errrrrr . . ."proclaiming" that he hasn't decided to jump in the race.

Well this is going to come as a HUGE surprise but. . . he's going to make a run for it. The next person who's shocked Fred Thompson's jumps in the race will be the first. It's like finding out Lifetime is a network for women who crave the comfort of other women. No way, really?

Well, he's different. No really, he is. Look at how Thompson's different from the other candidates? He's:

-For the war on terror
-For the border fence
-For smaller government
-For supporting our troops
-For relating everything to Reagan

How is he not the clear choice? None of the other Republican candidates stand for these things. Oh wait, now that I think about it, THEY ALL STAND FOR THAT. Perhaps the GOP want the public to pick the candidate with the best tie, or someone who doesn't look like they are at death's doorstep (John McCain).

Fred's going to run. Better to spoil that surprise than the ending of Deathly Hollows. The question is, will he win?

Well, Bush was voted in right? Thompson probably has a real good chance.

The Rumors are true

2007-07-28T06:51:00.001-07:00

On Octorber 28 Criterion will release a brand spanking new transfer of Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven. For those who have never heard of this movie, here's a brief synopsis:

One-of-a-kind filmmaker-philosopher Terrence Malick has created some of the most visually arresting movies of the twentieth century, and his glorious period tragedy Days of Heaven, featuring Oscar-winning cinematography by Nestor Almendros, stands out among them. In 1910, a Chicago steel worker (Richard Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor and flees to the Texas panhandle with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and little sister (Linda Manz) to work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating at once a timeless American idyll and a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.

One of the other big draws not mentioned is this film was supposedly shot during magic hour (which is the period of the day when there is light but no sun) which gives it a really unique look.

I highly recommend you check this film out. Malick's only made four films in his career (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The thin red line, and The new world) All are worth seeing.

http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=409

Sweet looking player

2007-07-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Could this be Denon's forthcoming Blu-ray Disc player, or is it just a marketing/design mock-up? Almost certainly, it's the latter. But the Coroflot industrial design website has posted photos of a BD player (the DVD-HD8910) and a new 7.1 media center/receiver as well (the AVR-HD8910). The text indicates that the receiver comes equipped with a 2TB built-in hard drive (!) and a direct connection to the iTunes music store. And both are... well, darned funky looking. Here's a gander...

Meet Reverend D. Raymond Montgomery

2007-06-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Aaron Neville sings on Sesame Street

2007-06-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

Where do I get a blue suit like that?

Ryan's new uncle?

2007-06-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my brother Doug lives in Oregon and has a tough time visiting his nephew. While I wish Doug lived closer, he is creating quite a life for himself in Eugene. He has a job, a social life, and a pretty amazing girlfriend.

However, since Doug cannot physically play the role of uncle due to distance, he has graciously decided to pass on his birthright to his close friend Alex. Doug issued a statement saying, "Ryan needs an uncle and since I can't be in two places at once, I've asked Alex to head up the responsibility of Uncle. If at any point Vanessa and I decide to move to California, the birthright will be passed back to me."

Alex has stepped up and excitedly accepted his new responsibility as uncle.

Prime Directive

2007-06-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

AUTOBOTS!!!

TRANSFORM . . .

AND ROLL OUT!!

DAYS OF HEAVEN Criterion bound?

2007-06-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

It would seem so according to Criterion's newsletter. Days of Heaven is Terrence Malick's second film and is famous for being shot during magic hour. Here's the clue:

What is Criterion? Check it out.

www.criterion.com

Lost: Through the Looking Glass

2007-05-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

As Locke would say, "I was wrong".

Going to take some time to form theories of what is to come (which more than likely will be wrong). Two things I'll mention now.

1) Is Jack's dad alive? Jenny thinks no, and I'm not so sure. I'm feeling an alternative timeline going on.

2) Tom (or Mr. Friendly) and the other guy have a conversation before they reveal Jin, Bernard, and Sayid are alive. It sounded like they were taking orders but not from Ben.

Have to wait 8 more months to unfold this story. Grr. . .

That Guy

2007-05-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this to let you all know that my husband has officially become "That Guy." (See picture) He's even reading some Tiger Beat magazine for Lost fans?!? Maybe he needs to get out more. sigh. -Jenny

Lost: Threshold of the Looking Glass

2007-05-20T15:46:00.001-07:00

If Monday and Tuesday were people I would assassinate them so I could watch the last episode of the season "Through the Looking Glass".

For those that have not watched Lost or have not caught up yet, it's probably time to tune out (assuming your still reading this post)

I wanted to make some predictions before the episode airs and see if I may be close to being right.

Here I go.

1) Locke will rise.

No way, really? The real question is who will find him? My guess is Ben's daughter. Since she gave him the gun and Ben returned with it I think she will redeem herself. Plus, she sent off her boyfriend to warn the 815ers, what else does she have to do?

2) The return of Michael and Walt

I don't believe Ben would let them go outright. He is way too controlling. Which makes me think that Walt and Michael are prisoners on the Looking Glass station. Ben said it was flooded (according to Juliet) so my guess is Michael and Walt were recaptured and held there. This would give relevance to Charlie again.

3) Sayid will die.

I know they've been saying Charlie's going to die, but really, you think the season finale will play out what they've been teasing for 8 episodes? Doesn't seem like Lost to me. Charlie will live, make no mistake. Perhaps the 815ers will think he's dead, but the person I think will die is Sayid.

This whole season has lead up to a war with the others. Sayid, being in the republican guard, has purpose and position in a situation. I think his story will end, dying for the 815ers. He's the only character on the show whose story is pretty close to being redeemed. It's far fetched, but I'm going to stick with it.

4) We will meet Alvar Hanso.

My guess is that the fourth season will focus on the Hanso Foundation, the launching of the Dharma Initiative, and what they were experimenting on.

Come Wednesday, we'll see.

Hungry like a wolf

2007-05-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

I saw this first of Seth's blog and I laughed myself stupid. I take no credit for this find but enjoy.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

2007-04-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

So, who wants to take us to the Christmas Formal?

Pirates 3 running time

2007-04-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Seth sent me an email that said "Pirates of the Carribean: at world's end" will be 30 minutes longer than "Dead Man's Chest".

Well, it may be longer in time, but nothing will feel longer than Dead Man's Chest. So, in honor of this most glorious news, here is my review of P2. Enjoy.

*This email may contain adult language, reader's
discretion advised*

Please bare with me as what I'm about to write is just
my opinion. I still love everyone even if they don't
share the same overall sentiment.

That being said . . .

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was by far
the stupidest movie I've seen this year. REALLY
Stupid. Where do I even begin? Well for starters it
was like 10 hours too long in desperate need of an
editor (I think at one point Kevin Costner leaned over
to me and said it was too long). It had a ridiculous
amount of anticlimactic fight scenes, back to back to
back to back, so choreographed that the dancers from
Chicago could have done it. Also, the story was
weaker than a watered down diet caffeine free Pepsi.
And those are the good things about it. . .

There is no reason that movie needed to be split in
two. Everything, I mean everything they set up in the
beginning could have been resolved. I know it seems
crazy, but instead of having, oh I don't know, 100
minutes of your film tied up in fighting, maybe you
could move forward in . . .what's the word. . .oh yeah
STORY. But oh no. No NO NO! Instead, they injected
fighting. And the fighting made the film drag. In
fact, the film dragged so much that at one point Jenny
said to me, "You know the movie's bad when I don't
care if anyone lives or dies."

To be fair, there were a few funny moments in the
beginning that gave the film some real promise. That
didn't last long however.

So, what do I really think? I think you should
totally go see it. It made me furiously angry, but,
who knows, you may think it's great.

After all, what people like in their movie experience
is totally subjective
. . .unless, of course, the movie's shit.

Phil

On a positive note

2007-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Someone who shall remain nameless (rhymes with SchmEllie) has brought to my attention most of my posts can tend to read negative. I have no idea where she would get that but it did encourage me to post something positive.

Here is a video that Jenny cut and put music to. Check it out.

Who sets the bar for music these days?

2007-01-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

I have been driving tractor this week and been listening to a lot of radio. We have a station in town that plays a lot of top 40 pop rock (95.3) and decided I would listen to it for a while to see if there was anything new that's any good.

Where do I begin?

The Killers - When you were young.
I admit that I loved the killers first CD hot fuss. I was really curious to see if there next CD was going to be as good. I seriously almost laughed out loud when I heard this new song. What key is he singing in anyway? I can't believe nobody in production picked up on this and tried to fix it. Or maybe they did. Either way, Brandon Flowers can't sing his way out of a paper bag. Someone actually told me that his singing is the new style. So singing in 12 different keys is the new style? Rob Thomas must be pumped.

The Fray - How to save a life
Dishwalla called, they want there songs back. Seriously, Matchbox 20 thinks you guys suck. You save a life by giving up music. There is already a band out there that has piano and guitar and good music, they're called Coldplay. We don't need cheap imitations. Also, what's with that guys voice? Or voices, really, since he tries to do so many vocal styles in all his melodies that he's trying to be a male Whitney Houston.

Fall Out Boy - This ain't a scene (it's an arms race)
I will pay anyone $20 bucks if they could understand every lyric in the chorus the first time they heard it. There's no way. I've heard this song 6 times now and I seriously have no idea what they say. Same with Sugar (we're going down) and Dance, Dance. There tunes are catchy no doubt, but can you really sing along with grunts and mumbles?

Snow Patrol - Any song
Snow patrol sucks. No seriously, they are boring and they suck. I'm trying to figure out why so many people like them. A friend of mine who shall remain . . .Dayton Dodge, convinced me to buy Final Straw because he said it was so good. However, it sounded like they stole songs from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack and made them boring. They seem to me like top 40 filler. Do any of your friends have a snow patrol sticker on their car? Exactly.

I think I will just stick to XM.

(FYI, you can now post comments if you wish. You can disagree with any of the things I've said. If you do though, your wrong.)

My review of Lady in the Water

2007-01-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have heard good and I have heard bad about this movie. More bad than good to be honest. From the really bad reviews I've gotten (Alex and Eddie) I already had my bar set really really low. So, I watched it.

It's always good to start with the compliments first so here I go.

This film, in my opinion is lit really well. I was really impressed by the mood Chris Doyle set. I really enjoyed watching that aspect. His use of reds were particularly a favorite. (As a side note, I found it interesting that he's member of the Hong Kong society of cinematographers. Perhaps Tak Fujimoto was unavailable . . . or uninterested)

I also really enjoyed the music. James Newton Howard is a great composer in my opinion and did a good job with the "lullaby" themes.

All good things must come to an end though. (Spoiler alert)

When I started this movie, I decided to suspend all my disbelief. I know to some degree we all suspend some sort of disbelief when watching movies but for Lady I purposely suspended it all. I thought to myself, "I don't care how unrealistic it is, how bad the writing, how bad the acting is, I'm just going to buy into it". I figured if I did that I would be able to really enjoy it.

And I was. I was really enjoying it.

Then something happened to the likes of which I never experienced before.

There was a scene in the movie where a little boy interprets the fate of every character from . . .cereal boxes. The final key to solving everything came from cereal boxes. Tony the tiger, magically delicious, and dig'em saved our heroes. I felt like I had been hit by something to wake me out of a semi-interesting dream. It went all downhill from there.

Like falling dominoes, thus went the movie. There were plot holes bigger than Texas, Bela Legosi things M. Night is a terrible actor, the story was so contrived it made Armageddon look like a Terrence Malick film.

I know M. Night did this for his kids. It's pretty amazing to think he gave up a deal at Disney to make the film. I think this would better serve as a bedtime story book, and not a feature film. M. Night, stop making ridiculously pompous movies. You've already cashed in all your credibility the Sixth Sense brought you. Time to make another good movie. If you forget what that is, just give up.

Our pastor is a living Michael Scott

2007-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Our church service today focused on a ministry called Reflections. Reflections is a supportive bible study for women who have had an abortion. The service started out with this amazing video interviewing women in the ministry, telling there stories of how the abortion impacted their life and how healing through the love of Jesus has changed their life. Trust me, the video was really, really good.

Of course not to be outdone, our Pastor then gets up to undo all the impact this video had on our congregation.

He leads off with "the official position of the church is abortion is a sin. The official position of God is abortion is a sin". I seriously couldn't believe he started with that. He sort of made up for it by saying "the good news is that Jesus forgives and still loves you". Which I totally believe but by then the train was slowly coming off the track. Our pastor could have gone up and dismissed everyone because the video was so clear in it's message. However, our pastor Michael Scott would not leave well enough alone. He decided it was best to tag a song at the end of his sermon just to bring it all home. The song was so terrible. It was a contemporary christian top 40 song that happened to have words in it that reflected the pastor's semi-good message. It felt like watching the goodness of Shawshank Redemption and then as the credits roll you play Michael Bolton's "Said I loved you but I lied".

I told my friend that our pastor is like Michael Scott, and our congregation is like Jan Levinson Gould. They've know it's wrong, but feel, at some point, they need to give into their urges.

Directed by. . .

2007-01-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Alex Monroe. One of my closest friends is on the verge of becoming a commercial director. He as just launched his website with some of the commercials he's shot for his show reel. Check it out an give me some feedback on the reel and the website itself. Thanks.

www.alexandermonroe.com

The good shepherd

2007-01-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't really decide if it was "good" or not. I saw this film on new years day and it clocked in at around 10 hours or so. Man did this film feel long. The pace was so calculated, which I understand. However, it took sooooo long to pay off the thing they set up right in the beginning that by hour 9, I just didn't care. Ultimately, I really wanted to like this film. It was lit by Bob Richardson, Damon was awesome, Birth of CIA intriguing concept. It just need to be cut tighter, or it needed an hour cut off. If that were the case, it would have been fantastic for me. I would also like to note that Michael Gambon was the best thing about this movie.

What is cross processing?

2007-01-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Think Tony Scott's MAN ON FIRE or DOMINO. The film is shot, then it's developed in the wrong processor to create these wild colors and tones. It's a very risky process because there is a chance the film could be ruined. All this to say, I felt like it was a good name for this weblog. For those who know me, I look at the world through different lenses. Most of the time I put my foot in my mouth in attempt to think or observe outside the box. I like putting myself out there to see if the "same ol, same ol" can be seen in a different way. So, hopefully you will enjoy my observations, rants, and things that make me laugh.