Frailty
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: Eminem's "Mosh"

last night i was just in the mood for a thriller, so i popped in Bill Paxton's directorial debut, "Frailty."

as thrillers go, it was excellent. it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time (despite some corny dialog). but the further it went, and the lasting impression i have from the film, the most disturbed i became.

i won't try to spoil to much of the movie for you (should you choose to see it), but essentially, the movie about a father who receives a vision from God (an angel, actually) who tells him he has been chosen to be one of God's hands in the war against the devil and that he will be responsible for destroying demons. the kicker is these demons will look just like humans. God will send this father a list of people's names who are actually demons, and it's this man's responsibility to destroy them (typically with an axe).

the movie takes its twists and turns, the entire time, asking the audience, is the father doing God's will, or is he just crazy? what bothered me is that they never answered the question. are we supposed to salute this man or are we to fear him? are all Christians really just lunatics? is faith something that demands the abandonment of all logic? are we supposed to do anything God tells us, even if it means the abuse of our children and the slayings of our neighbors and random strangers?

these are all questions the movie raised and never answered. i suppose what disturbs me the most is that it's the antagonist who displays these character traits. he's the only overtly religious person in the movie. everyone else has nothing to say on the subject.

why do Christians always have to come off as crazies in a Hollywood production? Christianity, when on screen, has either come off as completely unfounded, or completely Catholic (and sometimes both). and it's really frustrating sometimes, going into a movie and seeing that. being a fairly liberal Protestant, i'd like to see a little cinematic representation, if you don't mind.

Ripple's going to Nashville this weekend! we're taking That You May Believe up there for two performances. we haven't performed this since the week after Easter, so everyone's a little nervous. it should work out fine, but that doesn't stop people from stressing.

i'm off, have much to do and less time to do it in. have a good weekend!

Death to the Narrator!
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Thievery Corporation's "Lebanese Blond"

watched "The General" last night, which is the true story of Martin Cahill. such a sad story (is there a happy Irish story?). but watching the movie made me better understand why is he is still talked and whispered about in Dublin to this day. the man was a living legend.

i've re-read several of my last blogs and got depressed. i'm sorry. i've just been narrating events in my life. well no more. i'll tell you the fun and important stuff, but i'm simply not interesting enough for anyone to care about all that piddly stuff (like what song is playing on Winamp at this very moment).

maybe this blog will become something of a philosophical debate. maybe i'll rant about my frustrations of the American political system.

anyway. as Bob Dylan says, "the times, they're a-changin'."

ooh, the B-52's "Love Shack" just came on.

Love shack!
Love shack!
Baby, love shack!

The Blog of Gwen Stacy's
Mood:  loud
Now Playing: Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

found this really nifty blog site. someone is kind of doing this role-playing thing where they post a blog as if they're Gwen Stacy.

for those of you who aren't complete comic geeks (you're forgiven), Gwen Stacy was the first love of Peter Parker (aka The Ultimate, Amazing, Spectacular and Sometimes Adjectiveless Spider-Man).

it's a fun little site, i'll be visiting it.

In the Waking Hours . . .
Mood:  d'oh
Now Playing: Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life"
to answer the question about my Birks:

i've been wearing Birks since . . . 1993 when i stole my mom's pair. since then, i've gone through three or four different pairs. the ones i'm wearing now i got in 2001, after i got back from Ireland. i promptly destroyed them by wearing them to camp and going creek-walking in them, but had them fixed and now they're still holding together!

note to Birky-buyers: Birks and water don't mix. the soul just peels right off.

alas, no pictures from the party (the Shindig). but i did get a nifty t-shirt, so maybe i'll take a picture of that and post it!

there are some mornings when it takes the better part of two hours for me wake up. ever have those? when the alarm startles you and you walk around in a haze that you know Frou Frou would compose the music for, should this moment be in a movie?

that's this morning. i took me fifteen minutes for my feet to find the floor, with oldies blaring on the radio.

why is is that sometimes six hours of sleep is more than you need and other times it's hardly enough? yesterday wasn't any more straining than any other day of my life . . . i don't get it. just hook me up to the caffeine drip and every little thing is gonna be alright.

ugh . . . Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" just came on. am i not in the mood.

hold on.

ah. skipped the track and now we're onto Mike Post's theme for "S.W.A.T." life is good again. Buh-uh-duh! Buh-uh-duh! Buh-uh-duh! Buh-uh-duh! Buh-nuh-nuh!

when that little title bar aks what's playing, i'm never sure what to put, so i usually put what song is playing when this blog begins. because by the time i'm done, it's usually two or three songs later.

see? now we're onto Rick James' "She's a Brickhouse."

anyway. i digress.

have a good one.

Shindig!
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: Crazy Town's "Come My Lady"

shindig at Shawnessey's went well, though not as well as we had hoped. the rain kept most the people away, but we still had upwards of forty people show up (about eighty to a hundred were expected). for those of you who aren't Collegedalians, shindig is Shawnessey Cargile's (aka Jim Smithers) response to the secular parties of the area. it's a time to come together and not worry about people getting drunk. we grill up some burgers and hot dogs (all vegetarian, of course), sit around, talk and laugh. live music is provided by Foster, Shawnessey, and whatever local artists can be secured. last night it was (Jason) Foster, Shawnessey, and a couple of their friends. fun was had by all -- though i had to cut out early.

"you know what i like about you?" Foster asked me as we hung up a tarp.

"no, actually." i responded truthfully.

"you always wear those sandals," he said, pointing to my Birkenstocks.

Birks forever, baby. Birks forever.

the Chattanooga Theatre Center is holding a script writing contest. winner gets $1000 and the play will be produced next May. i'm gonna go through my computer and see what i can rustle up, polish over, and submit.

oops, time for lunch! tootles!

A Long Blog About Nothing (of Importance)
Mood:  flirty
Now Playing: The Isley Brothers' "Shout" (Music Matters Remix)
but at least i'm earnest, that's the important thing, right?

i took a personal day on Friday and it was exactly what the doctor called for (despite what those Dr Pepper commercials may lead you to believe). i enjoyed my personal three-day weekend. i recharged my batteries, wrote, watched movies, played video games, and had a little party at my place.

movies watched? "Wedding Crashers," "Red -vs- Blue: Season 3," "Million Dollar Baby," "Stander," "Wag the Dog," and "The Boys and Girl from County Clare."

QUICK REVIEWS OF ABOVE LISTED MOVIES:

Wedding Crashers is the most genuinely funny films in a very long time. yes, it's R-rated, so expect R-rated material, but there's no shock comedy, something recent R-rated comedies have relied a little too much on. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson fit like a glove and a perfect comedy team. they're money and i hope they know it.

Red -vs- Blue: Season 3 was highly enjoyable. not as good as Season 1 but better and more consistent and Season 2. what can i say? i have a soft spot for time travel comedy.

Million Dollar Baby is the most engaging film to come out of Hollywood since . . . um . . . i'm not sure what. everyone in the room was cheering, booing, crying, cursing. finally, a "Best Picture" winner that deserved it!

Stander is the true story of a cop that goes crooked in South Africa in the early 80's. well-put together film but never fully engaged me. it became background noise as i picked up my laptop and got some work done. but if you liked Tom Jane in The Punisher, come check out his acting chops!

Wag the Dog is the perfect movie for those who are politically cynical. 5/5 stars.

The Boys and Girl from County Clare is a delightful Irish film about music, family, and first love. this is the Ireland i remember: completely innocent people who swear like sailors.

and that's the movie review!

i finished reading CS Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, which is Book 1 of the Chronicles of Narnia. technically, it's not. it was written after all the others to help introduce Narnia and explain a few things (relationships and what-not), but it takes place before all the others. like The Hobbit. there's good argument for and against reading it first. i decided to read it first. i've read the Narnia books before (well, at least three of them) and i'm getting back into them to refresh my memory and imagination before the movie opens this December.

Shindig tonight!

It's Good to Be Alive (and a Bon Jovi Fan)!
Mood:  vegas lucky
Now Playing: Bon Jovi's "Right Side of Wrong"
today is excellent. super. awesome. spectacular. amazing. astonishing. exciting. great. groovy. uncanny. splendiferous.

i was perusing the web and decided to visit the website of a little band called BON JOVI. and what was there waiting for me? why, the announcement that September 20th is going to be a very good day. why? because Bon Jovi is releasing a new album! their last completely new album was back in 2002, so it's about dang time! since 2002, i will admit, they've kept me satisfied and salivating over such album releases as "This Left Feels Right" and "1,000,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong," but TLFR was a greatest hits album (with a twist) and 1BJFCBW was a four-disc set of previously unreleased and hard-to-find material.

BRING IT ON!!

ooh, i hope they tour with this one (as i'm sure they will). last time they came through Atlanta, Kelly (my darling fiance') got us tickets for Valentine's day (okay, they were for me, but she seemed to enjoy it too). that was for the "Bounce" tour.

in closing, here's a little glimpse at what is to come:

(woo-hoo! blog #37! sorry, ViewAskew injoke)

The Girl I'm Gonna Marry
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Robbie Williams' "Strong"
found this picture and knew i had to share it with the world. this is the girl i'm gonna marry.

(eighteen years ago)

geez, i'm not that creepy.

A Girl Interrupted a Requiem for a Trainspotting Prozac Nation
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: REM's "Everybody Hurts"

i watched "Prozac Nation" last night, but that's hardly worth mentioning. i know it was based on a best-selling book, but the movie . . . i'm not sure how to describe it. i never cared for the characters and i think there's a couple of casting decisions were made on name status alone, not actual acting ability or believability (Jessica Lange playing a woman who gave birth to a college-aged Christina Ricci when she was a teenager, for example). the script needed another draft or two before it could get to the level of tragedy i think it was trying to ascertain. if you're looking for an effective, affecting movie about someone and their drug addiction, go watch "Trainspotting," which is excellent and has nothing to do with actually spotting trains. or, if you feel like you have energy to spare and don't mind having the life drained out of you by the most heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, nightmare-inducing film ever produced, go cuddle up to "Requiem for a Dream" with a big bowl of popcorn. or if it's about a girl battling her inner demons and depression, go watch "Girl, Interrupted."

and that above paragraph is what scares me the most about trying to break into the film industry. every time you think you have a decent idea, there's at least three or four other films that have already done it and done it better. it's that fear that me to be better with every script that i write.

A Typical Morning for T Scott Fogg
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Colin Hay's "Waiting For My Real Life to Begin"

every night before i go to bed, i set my alarm. since i don't have an alarm clock, i use an old cell phone. depending on how courageous i'm feeling, i set it for 6:50 or 7:00 AM. this week i'm feeling courageous.

i stumble into the shower and pray that the water wakes me up. sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. depends on how long it takes for the hot water to kick in.

by 7:15 i'm almost completely dressed (or just in my boxers) and i'm in the kitchen deciding whether or i should eat breakfast. if i eat breakfast, i can't stand to eat in silence, so i'll put something on. i don't have cable, so it's usually an episode of The Simpsons, but sometimes it's a movie. a couple of weeks ago, i was working my way through "The Pink Panther" movies and i'd take them in in 15-minute installments. this morning i opted out of breakfast as i realized the milk i've been drinking is eight days past its expiration date.

i get dressed, grab the ol' laptop, and head off to work. on days i don't eat breakfast, i make a pit stop at BP, a gas station i pass every morning. Krispy Kreme delivers doughnuts there and i'll pick two up (original glazed and raspberry filled).

at work by 8am. if i'm carrying doughnuts, i make a quick stop in the kitchen, where Rachel Davis (our on-staff massage therapist) has a fresh pot of coffee brewing. i like my coffee black and sip it as i ascend the tower to my office, where i sit back, check my e-mail, and devour my doughnuts as i caffeinate myself -- as i pray i won't have to talk to anyone before 10am, as the coffee takes its dear sweet time to kick in.

though today, i have to admit, it's only 8:33 and i'm feelin' as fine and frisky as Thumper twitterpated.

Kelly came over last night and i let her listen to the music i'm picking out for the wedding. to my relief and excitement, she really liked it all -- including the string quartet version of Bon Jovi's "Always."

oh yes. the Jove will be represented at our wedding.