Unnecessary Movie Review: Running Scared

I don't remember how this movie even ended up on my Netflix queue. All preliminary information would identify this as something I would not like to watch.

The reality of the situation was that I was pleasantly surprised by the not-that-terribleness of this movie. Paul Walker plays a gang member who is responsible for disposing of the gang's guns after shootings. He actually hides them in his basement. Unfortunately his son's friend witnesses this and uses one of the guns on his stepfather before running away. Walker has to track down the gun and fast before the police get it and connect it to his gang.

That's about it for the story. Rest assured that the story is just about the least essential thing to the movie. Everyone is playing a cardboard cutout of a character, which everyone involved does adequately enough. There are some side routes and minor twists before getting to the end but the reality is that most of these are only decent or worse off for the movie as a whole.

Cinematography is the heart of the film and it is shot amazingly well. Crane shots and slowed down rewinds to different angles of a single scene are common place, as well as shots from the bullet's point of view. The violence is a bit graphic in this film, something I am not a huge fan of in most films, so be prepared for that. The scene sets and lighting are stylized as well, and this reaches ridiculous proportions by the climax of the movie shot in an ultraviolet-lit hockey arena.

If the movie had a better story, some characterization, and anything other than the awful cheap ending that it has I would recommend it outright. As it is, this is a decent action movie that is all style over substance.

Straight up now tell me

Things are happening all the time which take priority. I would have made a note of them but they took priority.

The reality of the situation is that work has been very busy lately so I don't have as much time for internet recreation. Things are easing up now.

A few things to make note of:
- CHC this past weekend was frustrating and then good. We went 1-3 the first day losing to three teams that I could see us beating. Second day we went 3-0. I played my best game in game two of Sunday which we won 16-14. I got a handblock on game point and we then marched it in for the win. Cass got to watch me play on Sunday. That made it even better.

- Moon Dance is coming up. I'm excited.

- Wedding stuff is progressing. It's a slow process that frustrates us both for entirely different reasons.

- Our parents are meeting in a few weeks. That will be quite an update I'm sure.

I did want to construct an internet arrow for a couple of my posts on the baseball blog that I thought appealed to a wide audience instead of strictly baseball fans:

Baseball Movies wherein I rank the top five performances in films based on baseball.

All Rooting Interest Team wherein I name the players that I cheer for reasons other than their talent.

In a rad bit of derring-do my Ultimate team Salvage captured first place in the Cooler B Bracket this past weekend. I really had a lot of fun and I am finding myself enjoying playing with this team much more than I expected. That's not to say that I didn't expect to get along with most of the guys (I do) but that I expected to feel in the dumps after how tryouts went. I really only agreed to play with this team after finding out that I would get to play with Oba, Big Kat, Collins, and Nagel. We have the highest concentration of Buick of any team in Chicago.

I played well and have settled into a handler role on the team fairly well. I don't have to be the best player on the team which is a relief. I also find a lot of pressure taken off by not captaining and just playing while focusing on my game instead of everyone else's. I had a couple stupid drops but I also had a layout D and two sky Ds on hucks, which almost never happens seeing as how I am 5'6".

Winning is always fun and at Cooler you win a cheesecow for winning your bracket. That is literally a block of cheese in the shape of a cow. Victory tastes delicious.

The weekend was made so much better because Cass came with and cheered from the sideline. It's hard for me to focus on playing when every time I do something good on the field I hear "That's my fiancee!!" We stayed with Luke and Katie and were able to hang out a bit even thought they were busy doing home remodeling things. They seemed to really like the pirate ship and sea turtle that we got for them in Topsail.

Fire game this weekend for all non-whiners and crybabies.

Just me?

I can't be the only person who thinks this: anytime I see a direct-to-DVD movie advertised as "Unrated Edition" I think "Wow, they couldn't even get censors to watch this crap."

Cass and I are heading up to Milwaukee for the weekend for an ultimate tourney and to visit with Luke and Katie. We are planning on going to the Brewers game on Friday night too so I have to work on my smack talk.

Fuego Futbol

Cass and I have a bunch of (18) extra tickets to the Fire game for Sun Aug. 23 at 5pm. Tickets are only $10 and we have extra parking passes. First come first serve so make ya voice heard.

The toppest of the sail.

Cass and I had a great weekend in North Carolina with her family. We relaxed, got crushed by waves, found shark's teeth, finished several books, played games, drank, slept in, tossed disc and that about covers it. It was a much needed week off that recharged us both. Expect a picture blog soon from Cass as soon as all the pics are in. Until then though

This is seriously my favorite picture I have ever taken.

Consider the sand blasted.

Sandblast this past weekend was a ton of fun. Cass and I played well and enjoyed ourselves immensely. The Gladiators won the party but at the cost of winning on the second day. Totally worth it.

Oh crap softball...

I just realized that Cass and I have our next four weekends booked solid and our softball season is therefore over. I am really saddened by this.

Why yes, I am aware that I look just like my father.

Cass and I had a great time in Door County. It's always fun when we go up there but it's never consistent. Some trips are packed with things to do while others seem to have endless hours of nothing planned. This one was just perfect in that we had time to relax but also kept busy.

Charlie made his first road trip to visit his friend Aggie, whom he hadn't seen since she came to stay with Cass for a couple weeks. Luke and Katie brought the yippers as well so it was a packed house. Charlie did great. He slept in the car and didn't whine, he got along well with the other dogs and was well behaved, and the highlight of the trip was taking a 3 mile hike through sometimes dense forest paths at the state park with him and Aggie.

We bumped into Jess and Gabe at a country market while we were up there. Such a small world.

What the what

So there's been this insane tent erected at Van Buren and Aberdeen that makes it look like a nobleman is coming to town. We all wondered what it was.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

Go there a peruse the sight a bit until your brain comprehends the information it is processing. And then try to keep your face from melting.

Cass: "This is the closest to live unicorns that we're gonna get."

Golden Boot

I just wanted to take the time to say we had an awesome soccer season. Thanks to those who played and those who came to watch and support. We got better all season and really just went out and had fun which is what soccer is all about.

I also want to say how proud Cass makes me almost all the time. She dominates on the field and led the team in scoring, including a wondergoal from I'm guessing about 25 meters out for a win. She gets MVP with I'm guessing no objection at all.

See most of you this Saturday. Brace yourselves cuz there's no gravity.

Top 5

Top five moments from Homer at the Bat:
5. "I still like him better than Steinbrenner."
4. Mr. Burns's original desired lineup included a player that has been dead for 130 years.
3. Lenny's imagination of Homer with a laser that incinerates his opponents.
2. "Lord Palmerston!" "Pitt the Elder!"
1. The closing credits song.

I am prepared to defend all of these.

Men plan. God laughs.

Our housewarming party is June 20th so plan on a great night of ribaldry and the GIJoe Commando Attack Game.

Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future.

We are in our new place now. Still organizing left to be done but it's feeling like home. We'll post pictures soon.

Lots of stuff has happened but I'm not up for the whole catchup post right now. Now that we're connected I'll just try to stay more on top of things.

We saw Up and both enjoyed it. I thought it had tremendous highs and lows. I'm not sure where it stacks up in the Pixar hierarchy just yet.

Ultimate zombie apartment

Fiancee and I found a place to live, which is fortunate because that is something we like doing. We are pretty excited as our new place has the following:

-in unit laundry
-diswasher
-space
-balcony

In looking for places I decided that I don't like fireplaces. A cabin is the only place they seem appropriate to me, certainly not immense hotel-like apartment buildings downtown.

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"I hate to say this but if you moved there it would mean the end of our friendship."

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I watched Zombie Strippers with Dave and Susan. Dave described it as the worst movie he has ever seen, and keep in mind Dave actively seeks out terrible things to watch. The movie tries really hard to be kitchy and self-aware but it is just awful. I was spared quite a bit since I was barely paying attention.

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"Wait. There's stripping in this movie?"

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Ultimate season is picking up which means more running which means more soreness. I am still excited to play hard again in good weather. Chicago winters are brutal. Also, it should be noted that the averages of covens are witch means.

The hand what will be slapping me.

That backhand is going to sting.

Notes: It's amethyst because Cass wanted color and both our birthdays are in February. I originally wanted a diamond between two amethysts (the inverse of this) but this came up in my searching and I liked it. The band is platinum because Cass is allergic to the planet.

Things we did this weekend while not getting engaged.

We started a Sunday night soccer team composed mostly of ultimate players. It's been a lot of fun even though we haven't found the back of the net yet. The important thing is that it is a fun group of people out enjoying themselves and each other.

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Apartment hunting is not fun. Not because we aren't finding things we like, although we ain't, but because it is exhausting and dumb. We have developed a set of criteria for a new place to meet so at least now we can focus.

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We went to Ed's birthday party at Buddy Guy's on Friday night and came to the conclusion that we both hate blues clubs. Blues music as a whole is something I would consider only ok and the venues are all dingy, excessively hot caves. We had a good time even though we didn't stay late partially because we ended up standing in puddles from the sweat pouring down my back.

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How I did it:
Cass was napping so I removed a shoelace from one of her running shoes by the front door. I put that in my pocket with the ring. Cass awoke but was very sleepy and in a daze. I felt I had already tricked her enough to get her to date me so the least I could do was wait until she was cognizant to ask her.

We put a pizza in the oven and while it cooked Cass woke up a bit. After we pulled it out Cass was in the kitchen getting things ready. I got Charlie in the living room and tied the ring around him using the shoelace. Then I got him to run into the kitchen by tossing a toy in that direction (for the uninitiated: Charlie is fairly simple).

Cass didn't notice him until I asked her what Charlie had on him. At first she thought I was just playing a trick on him. I asked her if she could tell what was on him. She didn't really answer as she was trying to figure it out and get the thing untied. She began to understand but was asking unfinished questions like "Is it...Is it for my...Did you..." She turned around and sat on the ground. At this point I was already on one knee. She ended up lower than me so I had to kind of sink down into a seated with one knee up position.

I asked the question and she said yes, although she was kind of sleepy still and in a bit of a state of shock. We had Cass wine and dinner while she started coming out of it and everything started becoming clear for her. She was red and adorable.

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And now for texts we got back from people after our announcement. Not all will be posted as we got so many. Thank you to all of you. Your support and joy mean so much.

Keep in mind that the text I sent out read "Cass just got a ring."

OMG! does this mean what i think it means!?
-Becky (Although we got some variation of this from several Damitz was the first to reply at all.) (I thought it was funny that people were confused and asked things like "so are you engaged" as if I would just randomly text them to let them know that Cass got a present.)

WHAT
-Susan

Oh jesus! did the beard give it 2 her?
-Rollins

From you?
-both Andre and Denny (who, it should be noted, have never met)

What????????!!!!!! You asked? She said yes?
-Sonal (punctuation preserved)

Congrats! If its an onion don't eat it
-Gelsthorpe (I am changing your ringtone to a rimshot Tom)

Does this mean you're BOTH off the market?
-Marincic

A wedding ring?? You guys are the most adorable couple ever, seriously. congratulations :)
-Vicky

color me not surprised. congratulations, mang!
-Chuck

Congrats and I call dibs on the "drunk guy" slot at the wedding
-Hagerman

Congrats! So exciting! How'd you do it? I want to hear about it!
-Kristen Turner

Billy Bob Thornton, self-described music historian, considers himself to be equal with Tom Petty.

The above is an interview conducted on CBC by Jian Ghomeshi with Billy Bob Thornton and his band. I'm not listing the band name here. In it Billy Bob acts completely distant and glib before becoming prickish and confrontational with the host. The reason for this is that Ghomeshi's introduction included mentions of Thornton's Hollywood career and Thornton wanted no mention of that. Apparently Thornton believes that his musical career should speak for itself.

What did BBT expect the host to do? Introduce him like any member of the band and have his audience wondering if it was that Billy Bob Thornton?

During the beginning of the interview BBT is just distant and nonresponsive. Instead of immediately bringing up a minor issue he avoids questions and talks about a monster magazine he read when he was a kid. It is important to note that all of the interviewer's questions were about music and the band and never focused on Billy Bob's other career.

It's when BBT actually decides to confront the issue that he genuinely looks like a d-bag. Some choice quotes from BBT follow (with commentary!!)

Would you say that to Tom Petty?
BBT just likened himself to Tom Petty. A few things: first, BBT is nowhere near as talented as Tom Petty in any capacity. Second, Tom Petty should be pissed right now. And third, if Tom Petty started acting it would be appropriate to say he has always been passionate about film (if that were true). The reason it's relavent would be because he is a great musician who is being interviewed in the context of his acting career. Like how BBT is a crappy actor being interviewed about his band.

Ghomeshi then points out that in the introduction he was just giving context for who BBT is and the band's trajectory.

Well there's plenty of context for that.
I can't imagine what that would be since Ghomeshi also mentioned the band's activity in the last year (three albums) and their current tour. Ghomeshi then rightfully brings up the fact that this is a relatively new band (two years) that is getting to tour with/open for Willie Nelson and that the reason the band is getting that opportunity is because BBT is famous. BBT never addresses this completly valid point, because it is accurate and contrary to his delusional beliefs about his own talent, except to say:

We aren't a new band. I've made 8 albums.
I checked and BBT is counting the ones he made with the band. BBT's five solo albums date all the way back to 2001. His film career took off in 1996 after the release of Sling Blade yet he doesn't realize that the opportunity to make these albums probably had something to do with his acting career.

You were also instructed to not mention anything about how this is my "first love." You wouldn't say that to Tom Petty. My first love was a chick named Lisa Cone.
This is idiotic. I'm sure no one thought Ghomeshi was implying that BBT ever wanted to screw music. They then call a truce and Ghomeshi asks about musical influences on the band's record. BBT manages to answer like a prick who doesn't know the definition of the word truce.

It's a mixture of the British Invasion and Hillbilly music, something that I know more about than a band that's say 20 years old. But you wouldn't say that to uh...I grew up as pretty much a music historian so...
This is a classic coward dodge: referring to a phantom expertise with no ability to legitimize it. He wanted to say Tom Petty again too. I don't know if he realized how ridiculous it was or just got lost in a different train of thought. Ghomeshi then asks if there are any bands that are doing what they are doing.

Not lately. Not in the last 30 years.
I haven't heard the record, but I am sure that this isn't true. Every band sounds different but the idea that there are no similar bands in the last 30 years would seem doubtful at any point, but the rest of the interview almost ensures that this statement is purely ego driven. BBT then takes a shot at Canadians saying that audiences in Canada are reserved and calls them:

...mashed potatoes with no gravy.
BBT has obviously never been to a hockey game. Canadian music fans, regardless of how they react in concert, are supporting the bands they see including BBT's. He chooses to lash out at them instead of being grateful.

I never like BBT as an actor/director/writer. He always seemed like a jerk and I'm glad to be proven right. He completely derailed this interview and it became about him instead of the band anyway. The band members were silent during the confrontation and I'm sure felt awkward for most of it. BBT's prickishness however means I am not supporting his career at all which is why I am not even mentioning the band's name here.

Big ups on Ghomeshi for his professionalism and also his demeanor in refusing to back down when BBT confronted him. Big ups on the Canadian fans who reportedly booed the hell out of BBT at the show. Too bad they didn't get the chance to keep doing it since the band pulled out of the remaining shows in Canada because of the flu.

No physical confrontation content

Two tournaments with Buick have come and went without me mentioning them and that is a shame. This is a team that I love playing with for all the right reasons: fun, competitive teammates. Every guy on the team is enjoying themselves and playing hard and I couldn't wish for anything more on an ultimate field. I've been working hard to keep up with them seeing as I'm the grandpa on the team. I feel good and have been trying my hardest to be the smartest player and make the best decisions. I think this is what my position on the field should always be.

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"Buick came here to [curse word] [different curse word] up!"

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Cass and I visited Keith in Madison last weekend and had a great time. New Glarus is still sold there and thank the heavens for that because it made ordering everywhere easy. We did Madison things like had brats and walked down State St. In general though we spent our time hanging with Keith and Jules and it was well worth the trip. Keith is done with school this May. Cass is fuh-reaking out.

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"If you want the real Madison experience you have to go in here and try a veggie burger."

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Cass and I were deadly ill last week. Dave has been sick for some time. Cass doesn't believe that we have the same illness as Dave. None of this matters since unless Armaggedon is here Susan should still be sick and none of us have the right to complain.

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"What were you doing when you were supposed to be getting an immune system?"

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Our collective illness peaked on Tuesday night, unfortunate since that has been our trivia night for some time. We venture up to Cans in Wicker to meet with Callie, Dave, Jen and Jenny as well as waitress Melissa and triviamaster Dan. It's a blast and we are generally competitive. We have yet to finish first while I have been there although we came in second the past two times I was there. I also came to find out that trivia Dan runs the trivia at the Logan Grill as well. Small world Krislin (that is totally not going to get over).

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"How about "The Triviamaster is an [curse word]" as a teamname?"

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J moved to town and I haven't seen him yet. My beard is anxious to nuzzle him.

State and Maine

The week before we left I realized that my iPod was not going to work. It had been acting funny lately but still functioned provided that I didn't dare use my Nike+. This irritated me as it would be nice to have on the plane and I wouldn't have a chance to take it in to the Apple store so they can do whatever they do then charge me $80. Fortunately Cass gave me "Baseball by the Numbers" for V-Day so between that and the DS she got me Cass was doing a fine job to ensure I would never have to talk to her.

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"How's the nerd Bible?"

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Seafood was the order of the weekend seeing as how it's one of like four things people know about Maine (blueberries, snow, and okay I lied three things). Over the course of the weekend we had lobster, crab, haddock, and shrimp. Everything we had was good although we came to the conclusion that crab tastes better than lobster. I still regret not letting Cass have one of my shrimp. It should be noted that in Maine lobster is available at McDonalds. It's called a McLobster.

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"The award for laziest product naming goes to..."

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Jay teaches at Colby College in Maine. We took a tour and it's a nice campus although strangely empty. I know it was a weekend but I've seen ghost towns in Wyoming that were more crowded. That was a joke of course since everyone knows ghosts hate Wyoming.

The school mascot is the Mules. Yeah, awesome.

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"Why are you picking on me?"

"Because I have to go home with her and she scares me."

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I had fun skiing. Cass did not. It was too icy for her tastes and since the run we chose to go on was 3 miles long (literally) she had no choice but to tough it out. She did and I am proud of her.

The hill would be gorgeous if not for the ice. On the way up they said "It's not great and we only have 96 runs open today."

I'm obligated to mention that I fell and hit a tree (technically).

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"He's known as the fun one. I have no idea why."

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Thanks for a great weekend, Valerie and Jay. And thanks to the Palmer Hall residents for watching Charlie. I'm sure he had a great time.