Sunday Suggestions

Yes, it’s Monday, but when you get slapped in the face by a heavy dose of reality, you have to just roll with it.

SUMMARY

Quick summary: More squirrels have met their maker, my colleagues are beginning their first full week, fast food is good fodder for discussion and the Yankees suck.

I, like many, have been made a fool by love, and I am looking forward to football starting soon, although I know it is rigged.

SUGGESTIONS

Movies

P.’s. Pic Pick

North Dallas Forty (1979)

Before I extrapolate a bit on this week’s choice, I would like to dovetail off my giddy anticipation of football season. I am not coaching this season, and I did not have to attend camp. I’ll admit. I like camp, but I took the time to pursue other avenues including thinking about the best football movies. Not the best sports movies. Maybe, a poll for another week.

There are so many movies that center around the game, or, at least, have it as a backdrop. There are light, funny ones such as Wildcats, Necessary Roughness, The Replacements as well as some that are inspirational like Rudy and Remember the Titans. There are ones that are over-the-top (Varsity Blues, The Program) and some that are unwatchable (Johnny B. Goode). I know many like Any Given Sunday, but it has a sheen (no, not Charlie) on it that makes it strained and unrealistic.

Obviously, none of these made my top five, so here we go.

TOP 5

#5 – The Justin Herbert Award – All the Right Moves. Okay, so the football is a bit rough and Tom Cruise tackles with his head down, so the film cannot be taken as accurate. What I like is the overall story of morality, and second chances. I also like that most of the actors are close in age to the teenagers they are playing. I feel I have some affinity for this film as I met Paige Price (Reilly’s girlfriend) and had an enlightening conversation about what occurred behind the scenes. I also resembled Stefan (Tom Cruise) in high school, so I can relate.

#4 – The Josh Allen Award – The Longest Yard. No, not the trainwreck remake with Adam Sandler and all of the professional wrestlers. The original with Burt Reynolds and Eddie Albert. A story of redemption with some solid character development and a wonderful ending.

#3 – The Jalen Hurts Award – Friday Night Lights. “You want to win, put Boobie in. ” I read the book, but I did not watch the series. I find this movie heartwarming and compelling. Director Peter Berg does a great job of capturing the intensity and feel of football, and I like that many of the main actors are not juiced behemoths. Billy Bob Thornton is solid, and Derek Luke (as Boobie) and Lucas Black (as Mike Winchell) show the trials and tribulations inherent in high school football. I have never seen a high school game in Texas, but this movie gives me a nice approximation.

#2 – The Joe Burrow Award – Brian’s Song. How does a made for television movie make this list? It makes me cry every time. It is a story about friendship and loss, and the performances by James Caan (Brian Piccolo) and Billy Dee Williams (Gale Sayers) are top notch. The football sequences are mostly actual footage imbedded into the story, but this one has heart, and that matters.

#1 – The Patrick Mahomes Award – North Dallas Forty. It started this whole conversation. This is a movie I could watch over and over again, even if it did not involve football. Based on an expose by former Cowboys received Peter Gent, this is a scathing satire of professional football and America’s team. It is funny and raw, pulling few punches. It is a bit risque, but it is highly entertaining and you will be rooting for Phil Elliot (Nick Nolte) against the corporate machine.

Please send me your top choices.

P’s. PIck Pass – The Mist (2007)

Based on an list from Looper about movies with the most heart-wrenching endings, I had made it a point to watch The Mist. Based on a novella from Stephen King and directed by Frank Darabont who had slayed it with two other King works (Shawshank and Green Mile), I was quite excited.

The concept is that a mist envelops a small Maine town and there is something deadly in the mist. A motley group of residents and out-of-towners end up trapped in a supermarket to avoid that something deadly. The something deadly goes from tentacled creatures to giant mosquitos, to vulture looking things and then spiders. Huh?

There is a thin plot about fear driving dissension and a crack at military secret experiments, but neither of these add much to the gravitas. Ultimately, the characters do not have enough depth to garner sympathy and empathy, and although the ending is harrowing, the viewer sees it coming from a mile away. It is not cleverly hidden in the mist- a mediocre mist. C

MUSIC

P’s. Classic Cut

This Must Be the Place – Talking Heads (1983)

I just love this song. I did not discover it until recently, but it has an infectious, repeated groove that draws you in. The message and tempo are upbeat, and it is truly suited to David Byrne’s eclectic voice. Byrne is an artist, and he was always pushing the envelope musically and visually, but this song is just a catchy ditty. It reminds me of other traveling songs like Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root or Ramblin’Man by the Allman Brothers. It is quirky, but I love the overall sentiment. Home is not a place; it is where you feel the most comfortable, and this song sums it up well.
“Home, is where I want to be, but I guess I’m already there.

ACTIVITY

Color My World

I will be doubling up on my restaurant recommendations next Friday, and I am currently reading a book, but I have not finished. Therefore, my last recommendation for today is an activity. I am cool with Crossfit, Scrapbooking, and Axe Throwing, but I am an anxious person and what often quells my anxiety is Adult Coloring.

I am relatively sure that Adult coloring only concerns the types of pictures you are completing, but coloring takes focus, motor skills and time. The only issue is that I am color blind. In the future, I will tell you how that helped me actually win a childhood coloring contest, but for now, I will mention a nice alternative.

I have downloaded the application Happy Color, and I love it. I love the variety of pictures and categories, and I can color by number. Yes, I cannot distinguish between the five different reds, but I can discern numbers between 50-59.

I have become adept at leaving one color at the end, so it feels like a true sense of accomplishment. The only downside is that there are slivers that need to be colored but are tough to decipher. These normally require clues that you must obtain from watching ads. I get it; you want me to play Royal Match.

If you want to avoid the ads, you can purchase packs for a nominal fee and color without interruption.

Caveat: I do not recommend those sticker books where you have to put thousands of tiny stickers in the right place to make a picture of Madonna. My fingers are sausages and that requires the patience of Job.

Have a great start to the week,

Love and laughter,

P.