Trainspotting

#12 Trainspotting

Every time, it starts the same way.  You get the cold sweats, the chills, the feelings of guilt.  You heart sinks a little, and deep inside you is slight quivering anticipation.  Your mouth waters as you chastise yourself, saying things like, “I’ll never do this again,” and “this is the last time, I swear.”

It’s not true.

The truth is, you will do it again, and you’ll go through the same little dance each time, feeling more guilty than the last, but you just can’t help yourself.  Having made all the preparations, getting your gear set up, and settling in for your fix, you feel the lights lower around you and you open your mind to a wholly different world, the likes of which you shouldn’t understand, but somehow do…

Watching Drug movies can be like that.

Sometimes a movie comes along that glamourizes drugs and makes them seem to be some mystical magic that is just misunderstood.  They make you wonder what doing hard drugs might be like, and they make them seem just that bit more tempting.

Trainspotting is not one of those movies.  It shows the filthy, gruelling, and  disturbing side of drugs.  While every scene in the movie is a masterpiece of light and colour set to a rocking soundtrack, the harsh realities it reveals are, to say the least, unsettling.

We follow Renton, played by Ewan McGregor, as he narrates our way through the mid to late 1980’s in Scottland like some sort of 40’s detective story.  Based on a book by the same name, Trainspotting tells a tale of heroine abuse and it’s consequences, using an episodic style, and ultimately, ending on an optimistic, if not slightly self delusional, note.

The faint of heart should not, I repeat, should not watch this movie.  There’s swearing, nudity, hallucinatory scenes, extensive and graphic drug use, and a dead baby.  Then there’s the scene entitled “The Worst Toilet in Scottland.”  It takes place in the first 10 minutes of the movie, and serves as an excellent litmus test to see if you can handle the imagery you are going to see while watching this movie.

I cannot stress it enough; this movie is disturbing.  But then, so is life.

Groundhog Day

#11 Groundhog Day

If you only had one day to live, what would you do?

What if you had to live that same day over and over again for all time?

Bill Murray is an arrogant, self-centered weatherman begrudgingly on assignment in Punxatawny for the Groundhog Day ceremony.  Somehow, he gets stuck in a loop, reliving the same day, repeatedly.  At first, he uses the repetition for illicit gain, trying to take advantage of others, realizing that he’s falling for his boss along the way.  When things start to go wrong, and he loses focus, he settles into depression, to darkly hillarious effect.  It’s not until he learns to use his extra chances to better himself and improve the lives of those around him that he starts to discover the true beauty of a brand new day.  It’s not shakespeare, but it is a poignant look at life and what we make of it.

What would you do with a second chance?

Ned?!? Ned Ryerson?! Is that you?

The Joy of Painting Bob Ross

I watch my website stats pretty closely, and it occurs to me that my most popular post is a Mother’s Day post from a couple of years ago in which I posted a typical picture of Bob Ross sitting at his canvas.  This picture brings in about 80% of all the traffic to this blog.  Bob is apparently a quite popular fellow.  So in the interest of shamelessly fishing for more blog traffic, I’ve decided to have some fun with Bob and offer some variations on a theme.  I hope you enjoy.

The Original Bob Ross

Cartoon Bob Ross

So that was the true secret of Bob Ross's success!

Who loves ya, baby?! Bob Ross, that's who!

Little known fact: Bob Ross had a thing for historical Native American figures.

I'll never forget the time that Bob Ross shampooed with Rogaine.

Then there was the time Bob Ross listened to network exec suggestions.

I'll never forget the time Bob Ross wished me a happy birthday.

This is how I imagine Bob Ross looks to stoners.

What's a nonsense post about Bob Ross without a little "Rickroll" thrown in?

I hope you have enjoyed this Bob Ross tribute as much as I enjoyed making it.  Please, feel free to leave a comment and share your favorite Bob Ross memory.  I’d love to hear what Bob Ross meant to you.

Australia

#10 Australia

The first thing that strikes you about this movie is the unique visual style. While it has an interesting “feel,” occasionally the visual elements border on distracting, making the picture seem a little plastic. It’s not really something I can put my finger on, but there is definitely something slightly off where it needn’t be.

As for the story, it’s interesting to see WWII from an angle that isn’t often represented in American cinema. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman do a fine job as the romantic leads in this epic love story about an English woman who heads to Australia only to find herself challenged by impossible odds, taking on a corrupt cattle baron. The movie deals heavily with racial tensions in the outback, and serves as a reminder that civil rights struggles are more universal than anyone cares to admit.  The story is, admittedly, a little slow to start, and a little hesitant to finish, but it does manage to strike a few chords in the telling.  All in all, a pretty good watch.

It really feels like it could have been more successful as a two part mini-series rather than a full length motion picture.

The Lords of Dogtown

#9 The Lords of Dogtown

If you’ve never been moved to tears while watching a bunch of smart-aleck punks on skateboards tear up a swimming pool, chances are you haven’t seen The Lords of Dogtown. This movie, inspired by true events, tells of the meteoric rise of the sport of skateboarding as we now know it. It follows the adventures of a gang of kids in the early seventies known as the z-boys, and shows how they road the cusp of the skating revolution. Though on the surface it’s a skating movie, the movie really tells the story of a family. The late Heath Ledger is almost unrecognizable as a Jake Busey-esque surfshop owner turned reluctant skating mogul.

Fans of pro skating will be delighted by the numerous cameos of famous skaters, including some of the Z-boys themselves.