it ain't over till.... an hour after it starts

Well, I saw it.

And the verdict is a thumbs up.

For the real Rocky fans who have seen each of the movies numerous times, its a closing chapter for the series. It brings back plenty of old characters and old story lines quite nicely and brings in some great new dialogue about the mental make-up of an athlete in the real world and being a man and a father. The only problem I had with the movie is that it was way too short. None of the new story lines got very well developed and the next thing you know you have a 5 min training sequence and a 10 min fight and the movie is over. It was almost like an extended preview of the real movie. Maybe there will be an extended version DVD with a directors cut or something, is all I can hope for. It left me anticipating watching some of the original movies to get more of my Rocky fix. Probably the underlying motive of the movie in the first place.

The sports guy didn't give it a very good rating, but I think its because he was reading too much into the background of sylvester stallone's real life. I don't understand when people bring the real lives of the actors into the movies and let them ruin them for you. Remember, its all a big show, its not real. Why can't people just pretend that they don't know that Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Angelina Jolie, Joh Travolta, Mel Gibson, etc aren't whackos. A lot of people also let it effect their enjoyment of their older movies as well. Its acting people, use your damn imaginations for a minute or two. They get paid a lot of money because they are good at it, so just put your real life in your pocket for two hours and enjoy story time, they'll still be crazy when the movie is over.

And......Rocky still does the best boxing action shots. There's not many boxing movies I can think of besides raging bull and cinderella man and million dollar baby; but Rocky has the best shots of the boxing action. I think its because its no frills. You feel like you are watching an actual fight, not some garbage "wow, I feel like I am in the ring" shots that move to fast to catch anything but a feeling like "what am I seeing?/I feel nauseus". Rocky makes you feel like you are watching Rocky, not the living in the actual character of Rocky. Remember directors: a movies job is to "show" a story, not some impossible attempt at virtual reality. There is no justice you can do an actual fight by trying to put a camera in the ring and see through the boxers eyes, just show the action for christmas sake.

Speaking of christmas, the only christmas song I can really feel in the mood for is the Linuses song for "Christmas Time is Here" from Peanuts. Simple pianos and soft singing. Puts me right in the mood without making me feel nauseus.

Isn't it funny, that Christmas decorating and celebrating start as early as humanly possible, but as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Christmas day its like the holiday never even happened? No more christmas music or store decorations. You would think that a holiday that people can't wait to start would be a holiday that people wouldn't want to end.

This Post Written While listening to: Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti

I got a yule log for you

Its that time of year again, and its always the same. Lots of people summing up the courage to go out there and face the "music" (ha, pun). This year I have decided to send out some christmas cards which isn't something I usually do, but I feel obligated to now. I won't go too deep into it, but basically its come to point now where if I died, I don't think anyone would care due to my lack of respect for others. It's also been over a year now since I started writing this blog. Its feels justs like yesterday which is a sad sign that I am losing track of how long I have been pathetic.

I never understand decorating the house for the holidays. It's like people don't have enough to worry aobut that they need to spend one of the precious 52 weekends we have a year to deck their house out. However, if thats your thing, go for it, I say. What I really don't get is the people who throw the lights on the outside trees all haphazzardly, or like one string of lights around the door. It looks like crap, and it draws attention to the fact that it looks like crap cause its electrictrified crap. Do it right or don't do it at all I say. Plus, what's with the colors these days? The christmas colors are red, green, or white. I'll allow blue for the Anti-Jesus peeps out there, but thats it. No purples or yellows or pinks or goldenrods or fuscias or whatever. Get with the program; its not rainbow day, it's jesus day, and according to most of the boy touching priests out there; Jesus is Anti-Rainbow, or whatever I guess. There is actually a site dedicated to bad lighting jobs, http://www.uglychristmaslights.com/.

How do manatees get so fat if all they eat is seaweed?

I've thought a lot about it, and the only cool job that doesn't exist yet is where you can get paid to sleep. Not like a sleep experiment, cause that doesn't last, I'm talking about a sleeping career. You can get paid to eat, have sex, play video games, shop, listen to music, watch TV, etc etc etc, but I can't think of any job in which you can get paid to catch Z's. If you know of one, let me know.

Rocky Balboa comes out in theatres today, and critics have been saying its pretty good. They also said that about the Yankees playoffs performance this year. I'm still going to see it tonight, but I hope they didn't jinx it.

I spend a lot of time in New York City. I love it, you get to see so many people for everything that you do. I feel rather comfortable there, but one thing I noticed is that in no where else in the world can you feel so hopelessly mediocre. You are never going to be the richest, or the best looking, or the craziest, or the strongest, or the poorest, or the dirtiest, or whatever there. Its a place where everyone is the same. It actually makes you feel hopeless and accepted all at the same time. Thats why New Yorkers are so loud brash and arrogant, anything to make a noise and do something other than just "be".

You've seen it, but I still love it

This post written while listening to: Jack Johnson "In Between Dreams"