Category: Film, Music, Art, Entertainment

  • Bukowski: cats

    Bukowski: cats

    It’s technically the offseason [sad tear], so unless you’re already craving mock drafts, theoretical trades, or god forbid, power rankings…time to switch gears.

    I like Bukowski, poetry and animals, and as it happens, Chinaski wrote a whole book on cats, one of which was named Butch!

    This is too much synchronicity to avoid, so I’m going to share some “Butch” poems this offseason. Enjoy.

    bad fix

    old Butch, they fixed him

    the girls don’t look like him much

    anymore.

    when Big Sam moved out

    of the back

    inherited big Butch,

    70 as cats go,

    old,

    fixed,

    but still as big and

    mean a cat as anybody

    ever remembered

    seeing.

    he’s damn near gnawed

    off my hand

    the hand that feeds him

    couple of

    times

    but I’ve forgiven him,

    he’s fixed

    and there’s something in

    him

    that doesn’t like

    it.

    at night

    hear him mauling and

    running other cats through

    the brush.

    Butch, he’s still a magnificent

    old cat,

    fighting

    even without it.

    what a bastard he must have been

    with it

    when he was 19 or 20

    walking slowly down

    his path

    and I look at him

    now

    still feel the courage

    and the strength

    in spite of man’s smallness

    in spite of man’s scientific

    skill

    old Butch

    retains

    endures

    peering at me with those

    evil yellow eyes

    out of that huge

    undefeated

    head.

  • Movie Monday: The Penguin

    Movie Monday: The Penguin

    Nothing is really moving and shaking in the Bears’ world besides some Caleb speculation and forever ‘Will Bears sign another DE/HB/LB…’ banter

    That’s ok. A quiet camp is typically a good camp. Just ask the Bengals.

    On that note, “The Penguin” isn’t technically a movie, but it’s one helluva show!

    I’m somewhat picky when it comes to shows. I guess I get easily bored, so only the really interesting ones [Deep Space Nine, GOT, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Always Sunny…]make me want to binge, and “The Penguin” was definitely binge-worthy.

    It’s technically in the “super-hero/villain” genre, but not really. I mean, if you ask me, it’s more realistic than all the John Wick flicks I watched last week.

    It’s gritty, superbly acted, action-packed, and psychologically captivating. In other words – it’s fun!

    It’s on HBO Go or Max, or whatever the hell they’re branding it now, though I’m sure you can find plenty of outlets to watch it unless you wanna kill time reading depth chart reports in July…

    Strongly recommend it.

  • Movie Monday: Final Destination Bloodlines & The Babadook

    Movie Monday: Final Destination Bloodlines & The Babadook

    Been thinking about this installation for a while, but usually SOME Bear story breaks over the weekend; however everything as of right now is ho-hum [which is better than Bengals’ or perennial Cowboy’s drama]

    From time to time, I may do a Movie Monday – informally review and recommend a movie I have recently watched or RE-watched

    I’m not an avid movie-goer, but I have watched far too many flicks. Besides, many of the best ones are based on books, plays and graphic novels, and those I have read aplenty

    So, without further ado…

    If you have nephews, nieces or grandchildren in their teens, it’s a bit hard to find good flicks to watch together. They’re either too graphic, or cheesy, or related to comics in some way, but “Final Destination Bloodlines” is just a good ole fashion thriller-action-light comedy flick you won’t have to overthink. I went into it assuming I was going to hate it, but immediately found myself a little unnerved as it touches on an audience’s phobias through cinematic mastery. I won’t get into the specifics, but many scenes vividly depict something we may have winced at some time or other; nevertheless, it doesn’t totally devolve into a gory snuff film like the “Saw” or “Hostel” franchises

    When the credits rolled, all I could say was – that was fun! I almost regretted not being able to watch this in 4DX [those tickets were sold out to my shock, but relief to my wallet] as it may have taken the tension to another level

    The final scenes of Tony Todd [aka “Candyman”] also made this movie surprisingly poignant

    RIP TONY TODD

    So if it’s still out in theaters, and you want some fun with teens or family who fancy mindless horror, I definitely recommend this

    [Spoiler alert. Just don’t schedule an MRI appointment in the near future like my dumbass!]

    This ever happen to you? Someone recommends a movie; you’ve never even heard of it,  assume it’s new, and they inform, “Oh no. it’s been out for 10 years.”
    Well, “The Babadook” was one [of many] of those flicks for me

    I’m a sucker for Horror and Psychological Thrillers, and this subtly blends both. The watcher really doesn’t know what to make of it as it seems more like an indie drama for
    a large part of the setup. We are left ‘waiting’ for the show to start, but it doesn’t quite where one expects. About the only thing a viewer can be sure of is that kid is annoying AF!

    Yet, as the mother begins unravelling, and the mysterious episodes become more frequent, a certain creepiness and uneasiness spreads – both qualities of a solid thriller

    click for spoiler By the end of it, your alliance switches from sympathy for the mom, to sympathy for the kid, when you begin to realize that The Babadook may be all in her head – That she indeed may be clinically insane: the guilt, trauma and unrelenting social choke of being a single mom raising a hyperactive [to say the least] son only disintegrates her sanity to the point where she essentially gives up on trying to defeat the ‘demon’ once-and-for-all like in so many other horror flicks where the priest emerges victorious
    The mother must meekly cede that The Babadook can’t be ignored much less exorcised or killed. She is somewhat doomed to forever feed it, literally or metaphorically with the help of the only one who stood by her through it all
    Her son
    Which is way more relatable to the millions battling psychological disorders and the loved ones somehow vainly trying to help

    In other words, if you’re looking for a somewhat more recent horror-thriller, go watch The Babadook – preferably in the dark – alone