Apparently, I am not the only person who is transfixed by the jarringly comedic death of Brad Pitt. Today was introduced to this amazingly awesome video of Brad Pitt getting hit by cars on loop for three minutes.

It is awesome.

First and foremost, I did a feature story on the musical genre of dubstep for the Tampa Bay Times:

Step To This: In Tampa Bay clubs, dubstep continues growing in popularity

The day before, I did a guest blog at The Wrestling Blog comparing recent WWE pro wrestling storylines to Freddy Krueger plots.

CM Punk, Social Media, and WWE’s New Nightmare

Then, over at Bus Leagues Baseball, I wrote about a Clearwater Threshers vs Dunedin Blue Jays game I attended.

Game Recap: Clearwater vs Dunedin 8/18/2011

Not a bad week at all.

Of course, The Godfather is a great movie and not much needs to be said there. It was nice seeing it on the big screen as it came out several years before I was born. I could really observe some of the interesting lighting and shading effects in the scenes that I wouldn’t pay much attention to on my 29 inch TV, which made for a better experience.

But what I really found most interesting was certain elements of the dialogue, namely the addressing of Michael Corleone. Being named Michael myself, I pay attention to when people call me “Michael”, “Mike”, or even “Mikey”. Corleone is addressed as all three during the movie.

Some observations:

Corleone’s brother and friends predominantly call him “Mike” when addressing him but “Michael” when talking about him. This is similar to how the same type of people address me, although many also tend to call me “Mike” when talking about me. It is a casual peer thing, and I would feel uncomfortable if friends called me “Michael” and I don’t remember the last time my brother addressed me as such.

Corleone’s girlfriend/wife Kay addresses him as “Michael” almost 100% of the time. Normally, I don’t object to women calling me “Michael”. It doesn’t carry the authoritative tone of a man’s “Michael”, unless it is used in an state of anger or annoyance. Some female friends have even taken to calling me “Michael” all the time. At first it’s a little strange, but I get used to it. It becomes something unique to them. Some even mix it up in the same conversation. A Hooters waitress I am familiar with, for example, said “Hi, Mike” and “Bye, Mike”, but referred to me as “Michael” when she asked if I wanted another drink. When it comes to women, as long as they don’t call me “asshole”, I usually go with the flow.

Although women can address me as “Michael”, I usually ask boyfriends and male friends of my female friends to address me as “Mike”. I think there is a bit of an authoritative, dominant tone to a male calling me “Michael” that I don’t like, unless that person is in an actual position of power over me such as a boss or unfamiliar with me such as a doctor. For a casual male acquaintance (such as a friend’s boyfriend) to call me “Michael” after I correct them is a power show to me and I take that as an offense.

Likewise, in The Godfather, Michael Corleone’s sister’s husband Carlo addresses him as “Mike”, even as he is begging for his life in the final scenes. He never uses an authoritative tone with his sister’s brother.

Corleone is also addressed as “Mikey” by his brother Sonny several times. I have a few friends that call me “Mikey” and although it’s rare, I’m cool with it, as long as I am very familiar with that person. It’s the friendliest addressing and the one that requires the most familiarity and closeness.

Michael Corleone is addressed as “Michael” by his father 100% of the time. There is a hierarchical tone to this address. Don Corleone is not Michael’s friend. He is in a position of authority as his father. It is also a sign of respect that he is instilling in his son by addressing him solely by his given birth name. In my case, my parents call me both “Mike” and “Michael”. It’s usually pretty random, although my mother tends to call me by my full name when she is mad but I’m sure that is a typical mother trait for every name.

Anyway, just a quick post on something I noticed. If you are named Michael or if you know anyone named Michael, what are your observations and addressing patterns?

Via olde tyme e-migo Jay Busbee comes this gem of a video. I think this might be the coolest thing I have ever seen. Feast your eyes on “Blackstar Warrior”.

A Classic Quest

Throughout cinematic history, many great movies have been made about people’s quests for objects of deep meaning.  Such examples include Indiana Jones’s hunts for both the lost ark and the holy grail; Sam Spade and many others searching for the Maltese Falcon; and the duo of Rosa Klebb and Konsteen and their search for a Russian decoding device in the James Bond classic From Russia, with Love.  Sometimes the story goes beyond just the mere search.  That is the case in the 1985 masterpiece Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, starring Paul Reubens as Pee Wee Herman.

Pee Wee is the most “happening” guy in his neighborhood.  Along with a house full of gizmos and doo-dads and a dog named Speck, he has the most fantastic bicycle ever.  It is his pride and joy.  His love for his bike is evident when keeps it in a secure secret area and has custom-made upgrades made for it.

Unfortunately for Pee Wee, he also has a very jealous neighbor, Francis Buckston.  Francis is the son of Mr. Buckston, a very wealthy man who has told his son he can have anything he desires for his birthday.  Francis wants Pee Wee’s bike.

One day, after taking the necessary precautions and chaining his bicycle up, Pee Wee goes to the local bike shop to pick up an extra-loud horn.  When he returns, his bicycle is missing.  Pee Wee first accuses Francis of stealing the bike, but with no proof, he must look elsewhere.  And so begins his epic adventure.

Pee Wee’s love for his bike takes him on a cross-country journey, to such notable places as the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas and Warner Brothers Studios, Hollywood, California.  Along the way he makes friends with various people from different walks of life, from Mickey, the prison escapee found guilty of cutting the “Do Not Remove” labels off mattresses, to Simone, the truck stop waitress with dreams of visiting Paris.  Each of the new friends helps Pee Wee in their own way.

Pee Wee also benefits from his own quick thinking.  He always seems to escape dangerous situations by out-smarting his enemies.  One of the highlights of the movie occurs when the members of the Satan’s Helpers bike gang surround Pee Wee.  Pee Wee defuses the potentially ugly scene by raucously dancing to “Tequila”, much to the delight of the gang.

Pee Wee eventually makes his way to Warner Brothers Studio, where he must again use his quick wits.  Several movie sets are destroyed as Pee Wee attempts to elude the authorities in order to reclaim his prize possession.  Although the adventure never ends, the excitement and suspense peaks when Pee Wee rescues hundreds of animals from a burning pet store outside of the studio, only to be confronted by the cops one final time.  Is he to be deemed an outlaw or a hero?

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is more than a movie about a guy searching for his missing bicycle.  It is a story about dreams, and the quest to make those dreams a reality with the help of some great friends.  For this reason, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure will continue to be a timeless classic.

This video is, of course, all of the Ned Ryerson moments in the movie Groundhog’s Day. I have an interesting theory about Ned’s role in that movie. It is a theory no one agrees with me on, but I swear by it.

I think Groundhog’s Day is not a movie about love or finding the right person or anything pf those sappy moments Hollywood would have you believe. It is a movie about life insurance. As a matter of fact, the whole film is a commercial for why you need life insurance, and I wouldn’t doubt if it was funded by the life insurance lobby.

Remember, it is not until Phil Connors agrees to buy life insurance (in an unseen scene) that Phil can live his life again. Think about it. With that in mind, watch and enjoy.

Demon Possession Handbook

True Ghost Stories

Very Virtual Voodoo Doll

Bone Chilling Literature at Gothic.net

Route 666: The Evil Search Engine

The story of Victor Licata – An ax murderer from Tampa who was the basis of the federal crackdown on marijuana back in the 1930s

The Official Church of Satan

Latin American ghost stories and tales

Theistic Satanism and other writings

and finally,

Horror Movies that didn’t quite make it to the big screen

Enjoy your Halloween.

Although simple in concept, Schwartz’s Bad Batch brings out those dark fears that lurk in the shadows of every smoker. He exploits the one thing most potheads try not to think about, but deep down can’t ignore, especially if they don’t grow their own.

What if that bag of luscious herb contains more than just the sweet mary jane?

It’s every smoker’s nightmare and the best way to put the kobash on a very pleasant high. And speaking from experience, the characters in Bad Batch exhibit their paranoia perfectly.

Like any bad trip, Bad Batch starts innocently enough, with two friends driving to meet a new acquaintance, a Facebook friend who has promised a culinary delight guaranteed to bake those who partake (A friend with weed is a friend indeed!). Little do they know the dope was dealt by sketchy student practicing to be a rabbi. Needless to say, the kush was definitely not kosher.

After making their acquaintance, and polishing off the entire tray of brownies, the unsuspecting trio do what any group of smokers would do: mellow out and discuss the finer points of philosophy and love. But when their high lasts for over three hours, they start to suspect that something may be a little off.

Before they can postulate on their powerful pot however, a conflict occurs between the female character and the “smoother” of the male characters. After a swift knee to the nads, the male character leaves the house, leaving his friend and the nut-nailing kneer behind. That’s when things get really weird. That’s when they discover the cause of their bad batch.

Out of options and still really, really high, the female lead and the remaining male character wander the streets of their college town in search of their missing friend, all the while philosophizing and postulating on their predicament. Then, not only do they have car problems, but they are also told that their friend, he of the bashed-in balls, has tragically died.

Following a few more hours of mourning, grief, and of course paranoia, the remaining duo finds a phone, and attempts to formulate their way out of their disastrous night.

On a related note, I once had a similar experience. That’s why I don’t trust a strange dealer. Because you never know what you’re gonna get, especially when you buy from a rabbi.

Overall, I though Bad Batch was really good. It was an original contribution to the weed movie genre, and one that definitely accurately portrays the mind conditions of people who smoke something that they didn’t expect. If this is Abe Schwartz’s first feature, as the case said, I look forward to seeing more from him.

Before I conclude however, I do have one complaint. In the DVD version I purchased, the final minute of the movie skipped and the DVD eventually froze during the credits.

But that in no way takes away from the movie, which should definitely be watched at your next 4:20 party.

Let me know what you think. For someone who never made a movie and found this movie recorded on an VHS tape, I think it turned out quite good.

I’ll admit I have no idea who you are. I think you are an actress or something, although I am so far behind in my movies I’m still trying to find time to watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and A Beautiful Mind.

Anyway, I was at the barber shop today reading the August issue of GQ (Yes, I was reading GQ, just to show you what kind of guy I am.) and I saw a picture of you that caught my eye.

It seems we have something in common.

Just to let you know, I’m quite the catch. I can cook, as long as you don’t mind fish sticks and cheese and mac; clean, as long you don’t mind the house smelling like Febreeze; and I have many other redeeming qualities, like …

(Sorry, I’m kinda drawing a blank. But if you leave your name, number, and a brief message in the comments, I promise I will tell you 1,001 other great things about me.)