Make Him and Offer He Can't Refuse

Hi. My name is Ryan. Up until last weekend, I had never watched The Godfather. There I said it! It felt good to get that off of my chest. I can’t believe it had taken me this long to watch this movie. It is as good of a movie as I have ever watched. I love it. What I remember thinking after it was done is, I can’t believe this came out in 1972!!! At this point, it is almost 40 years old and to this day it is fabulous! It reminded me of so many movies that are made today. I wish I could go back and watch it in context. See what else was coming out at the time, so that I could compare it. I am sure that would only add to my love!

The movie is about an aging crime boss that is head of an Italian Mob family in NYC. As you watch this film, you realize that it is much more about family than it is about crime. The movie dances around Michael’s relationship with his mob boss father. Family was everything to these people.

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton are all in this movie and all considerably younger than I am used to seeing them. It was cool to see this now that all of these talented actors are on the backside of their career.

Overall I loved this movie, I can see why AFI had it at #2 all time on their 2007 list. So far, I am halfway done with my movie task of Watching 10 Critically Acclaimed Films that I have yet to see. The Godfather has been BY FAR my favorite. I have a hard time believing any of the rest of these films. FYI the movies that I have left on my list are: 2005, 2002 and 1998 Best Picture winners: Crash, Chicago, and Shakespeare in Love AND Raging Bull (1980) and The Graduate (1967).

　

ryan

　

Here's Lookin' at You, Kid

Sorry this has been a few days coming but last week I watched Casablanca. I would hope that a movie like this wouldn’t need an introduction, but to list a few of its credentials it won 3 Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and was #2 on AFI’s Top 100 movies list.

The main character, Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, is faced with a decision to give up the woman he loves for the more virtuous cause of her husbands in his fight against Nazi-Germany. It was really just a War/Crime/Government/Love Triangle, that proved to be pretty good. The movie was released in 1942 and in 2010 I can say that I enjoyed it. In our day and age for something this simple to be this good is about the highest compliment I know to pay.

Stay Warm,

Ryan

Friday, Bloody Friday

I can cross another item off my list today. I gave blood for the time in a long, long time. Overall, I can’t say that the experience was all that enjoyable, but the ladies at Mississippi Regional Blood Center treated me very well. I’m just not all that into needles and blood and that sort of thing. Just not my cup of tea, but giving blood isn’t about MY enjoyment and that’s why I did it. So get on Google and find out when you can donate.

I couldn’t help but remember the last time I gave blood. I was a senior in high school and I didn’t really like needles any more then than I do now. It was the spring and on the baseball team. There are few things in life better than baseball, but early season baseball in Southern Illinois means a lot of rainy practices and on those days it was soft toss and sprints in the gym. I disliked needles but I REALLY disliked sprinting. So my good friends, Kyle Beck and Keith Welch decided to donate blood with me, because of the whole “no strenuous activity for 12 hrs after giving blood rule”. We got free cookies and t-shirt and out of indoor sprints….WHAT A DEAL!

On paper this seemed great, in actuality, not so much. I didn’t take advantage of the whole free cookie. I didn’t eat enough and nearly passed out on our flowers in the front yard of good ole MHS. But…we did get out of practice that day! Which if it were only me may not have been that bad, given the fact that I only 7 official at bats that year ( 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 1 glorious, off the wall double at Caterville J ), but Kyle was team captain and Conference MVP and Keith broke our schools batting average record in his senior year. Needless, to say coach wasn’t happy! BTW to give you some background on our coach…if Hulk Hogan and Mr. T had a love child…it was him. So we sat in the girls gym, in street clothes watching our teammates hit off of a pitching machine and the next day, when we were at full strength, they watched Kyle, Keith, and Myself RUN!

I am glad that I gave blood today because I had all but forgotten about that story. After a brief stint playing college baseball Kyle ending up in the St. Louis area and Keith is back at our Alma Mater coaching JV basketball and doing a great job I might add. I have said this already, I love stories.

Blessings,

Ryan