Just Checking in......

I know.......I know.

Well, I just want to let my two readers out there know that I haven't fallen completely off the face of the planet. I apologize for the lack of posting.

I haven't had time to watch any movies and to be honest I haven't really had too much to post about.

I guess I can bore the reader with stories of customers complaining about late charges on their account. Also I can share my experiences of waiting in traffic after work.... as I head to rehearsal. But I'm guessing there's not too much interest out there for that.

Exciting.

Anyways.....I'm going to write about this more in a coming post but I'm in an original play that will make it's world premiere (I hope that sounds important) May 12th. The Ghost light District is comprised of some of my closest, dearest, and most talented friends. The play is called "Dot Gone" and it opens at the 24th street theater in Los Angeles. It runs for 4 weekends..... I believe. I'm going to write more about it as the day approaches.

As for tonight...I'm actually going to watch a play starring Al Pacino in a production of Salome. I'll definitely write a review of the production....If I'm able to get there on time. Which I'm actually worried about this second. I'm hoping that Pacino shines. I've been really disappointed in his movie roles lately. I would justify his poor performances by saying to myself that he's just in it for the money...so he could do theatre. Well I hope I'm right.

Hopefully I'll get to watch some movies this weekend to review....but I can't make any promises.

Anyways...I'll be back soon. Thanks for visiting.

"ROME" returns & end of "The SOPRANOS"

Dark Horizons is reporting that filming for the second season of the HBO series Rome is now underway.

I was a big fan of the show, and I'm glad.......actually.... relieved.... that it will return for a second season.

For a short while there were rumors that the show might not return.

Apparently after the first season they had completely taken down the sets, and most of the stars of the shows were already committed for the rest of the year. Then I heard that ratings weren't as spectacular as they were hoping, even though subscriptions had spiked for H.B.O when the show debuted.

I guess that was all just posturing.

Looking at the cast list it looks like everybody....who didn't die in the season finale, will be returning for the second season.

Man, I can't wait. That ending of last season left a lot of storylines unresolved. The period of time after the assassination of Julius Caesar is great material to work with obviously... considering Shakespeare wrote his classic play about those events.

That would be so cool if they could somehow incorporate Marc Antony's classic speech.

That would be a great beginning of the second season, wouldn't it?

What a great image seeing James Purefoy on the temple steps in front of a huge crowd saying "Friends, Romans, Countrymen...lend me your ears!!!!"

If I'm not mistaken I believe Gaius Octavian played by the young Max Pirkus eventually becomes the leader of Rome and a brutal Emperor at that.

So a lot of potential there....speaking of potential.....what about the ending of the Sopranos.



Man, I can't get over how friggin good this season is shaping up. I honestly can't wait for Sundays. Every episode this season has been amazing. What's even better is that I have NO IDEA how this show is going to end.

It's become a great conversation piece at work...trying to predict how the show is going to end.

At first I thought that the show was going to build up to the death of Tony Soprano.

The buzz was that the producers originally had a twelve episode arc to end the show. But then after writing the ending they requested that another 8 episodes be added to tie up lose ends completely.

My buddy Lons at Crushed by Inertia initially theorized that the original 12 episodes would build to Tony's death, and the remaining eight episodes would be the ensuing power grab between Tony's captains, family and the New York families.

That all changed with the first episode.

Having Tony close to death at the beginning of this season kind of throws that theory out the window, since this material was already covered in the first couple of episodes. At this point it would be redundant to go through Tony's death and seeing the Capo's pick up the scraps.

The current theory that we now have come up with is that the initial 12 episode arc is building towards Tony becoming the "Boss of Bosses" and the final eight episodes would deal with Tony solidifying his position....Michael Corleone style.

This would make sense if the producers were interested in bringing the show to the Big screen.

But ultimately....we have no clue what the hell is going to happen. And if one knows...PLEASE don't tell us.

I thought it would be cool to post our theories, so that when the last episode airs we could see how close our theories line up.

In any case.... man HBO is putting up good stuff.

I'm still not completely sold on Big Love.....yet.... but I'm counting the days to DEADWOOD.

Do you see dead people????

What the hell is that on my baby's face?

Yesterday we had Easter at my In-laws house.

Brayden's first Easter.

When I first took the picture above, I noticed that foggy look over his face on the preview window. I didn't think anything of it at first. I just thought that maybe my digital camera wasn't completely focused. But then when I downloaded the picture onto my computer I was really confused by what I saw. Especially when one compares the picture to this next shot I took literally two seconds later.



Hmmmm.

I guess there's two different scenarios.

One scenario is that I caught some kind of energy or spectral mist..... maybe even a ghost. To support that particular theory Erin's mother passed away several years ago,in the very room that this picture was taken, literally inches away from where this picture was taken. Being sentimental, it's rather heartwarming to think that Erin's mom is watching over our son.

The second scenario is that Brayden was moving, and I caught the blur from his movement. To support this theory notice that Brayden's arm is positioned differently in the first picture. The odd thing is that if one zooms in on his neck area there is a blur by his neck too.

Who knows?

Well, in any case..... isn't my baby adorable? I mean really freakin cute. Don't ya think?

Sometimes I look at him and can't believe that we share the same DNA.

New Banner Header!!!!!!!!!

So just a little change.....for the better.... here at Ray's Lucky 13.

I have a cool new banner header.

My buddy Mysterio created the banner for me. If the reader knows me, they'll know my knowledge of computer's is pretty limited.To be honest I don't know jack shit without the copy and paste function using my little mouse. So it's really cool to be related to someone who actually knows what the hell they are doing.

The images are from some of my favorite movies. The banner features from left to right Brando from The Godfather, then Robert De niro and Jean Reno from Ronin which is written by my favorite playwright and screenwriter David Mamet (who used the pseudonym Richard Weisz ), and the last image is from Michael Mann's Heat.

So a lot of testosterone....I admit.... I may be over compensating.

In any event I think it's pretty cool.

The quote I have on the header is a little motto I try to live by.

For some reason the quote is incorrectly attributed to Oprah Winfrey. I don't know why....maybe she's gotten so big that she can just go around stealing quotes claiming she came up with it on her own and people automatically assume she did.

The truth is the quote is from Thomas Edison.

I don't know why it has poignant relevance for me.

Maybe because I like the IDEA that luck can be controlled, or maybe that all things kind of happen for a reason.

The hilarious thing is that I remember first reading the quote from my cheap plastic throw-away Chapman University bookstore bag after I had just spent an absurd amount of money on text books. I remember proudly thinking to myself....I might not be able to pay rent or eat food in a couple of months, but I actually learned something today.

I then became depressed because I realized that I didn't actually pay for the knowledge I attained.... it was something that was given to me....for free.

In any case my financial loss is the reader's gain which I now pass on to the reader here on my blog....unless one has heard it on Oprah already.

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain is the melodramatic love story of two gay cowboys in 1963 Wyoming. The story spans almost two decades as we follow the trials and hardships of the two protagonists in the story: the quiet and shy Ennis Del Mar, played by an impressive Heath Ledger, and his tortured lover Jack Twist played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Complicating matters is their "other" relationships with their wives played by Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway.

I guess, in a sense, the story is groundbreaking because it uses the Iconic American symbol of masculinity: The Cowboy, as a backdrop for the movie. But in all honesty there's nothing really special or unusual about the theme of the film.

It's basically An Affair to Remember...without the semi-happy ending.

It's really depressing that there is a significant portion of America who isn't ready for a movie like this, or that feels so threatened by it that they would protest it and go out of their way to attack the movie. From what I can gather, besides one mostly clothed sex scene the movie doesn't have anything we wouldn't see in an episode of Will & Grace.

For the life of me I can't see what all the fuss is about.

I seem to remember a movie called The Birdcage that featured characters that were a gay couple, with an actual gay actor in Nathan Lane. That film was embraced by America. It was a huge hit. There was also Wong Kar Wai's award winning Happy Together, or Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho. Off the top of my head I remember the comedies Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and To Wong Foo.. both box office hits, I don't remember any controversy surrounding those films.

I can go on all night listing movies featuring Gay Characters in the leads.

So what's the deal?

Obviously it has to do with the current political climate.

It's really ridiculous when one thinks about it. Actually I take that back, it's sad, infuriating, and pathetic when one really breaks it down. What the hell is happening in America?

But that's a whole other separate issue, I'm trying to make it a point not to get too political here at Ray's Lucky 13. If one is interested in politics might I recommend my buddy Lons blog at Crushed by Inertia. This blog, however, is about movies, television and my pathetic social life. So I'll step away from the politics, and get back to my thoughts on the film.

As an actual film....... I wasn't too impressed.

At least for me, I didn't feel the chemistry that the characters were supposed to have for each other. At first I thought it might be that I don't buy Heath and Jake as tortured gay men, but then I remembered....... it was Jake and Heath...... two pretty boys that I've actually had suspicions about until they had their high profile heterosexual relationships plastered all over the media. I can buy them as Gay men. (Although I would've preferred to see two really gay men playing the parts.) That's not the problem.

I realized that the screenplay just didn't set up the lust strong enough.

Especially in the beginning.

I needed to see more clues of attraction. There at least needed to be more drama or adversity to draw them together.

Maybe the point is that they both have excellent gay-dar.

But if the movie is about how difficult it is for people to be gay during this time, and in this place, then for me there needed to be more flirtation and longing to draw them together. It would have been more dramatic, and more entertaining to see them awkwardly feel each other out longer.

It's what I would expect in a straight love story, so why wouldn't I expect to see the same in a gay love story? Just because the movie is supposedly groundbreaking it doesn't get a pass from me.

Also as a whole, the movie just seemed to lack some comedy. There's only so much melancholy moaning I can take before I need someone to crack a joke....fall on their ass...... or cut a fart....something to make me laugh.

Especially in the first hour, it just seemed to drag for me.

I just kept thinking man, it's depressing to be Gay.

I wouldn't want to be Gay either if this was what it's always like for them. Even when they are supposedly happy, Jake and Heath aren't really all that jazzed. Actually they seem to argue and fight each other..... alot.

I don't mean patty cake either, I mean beat the living shit out of each other till they bleed.

I kept thinking throughout the film all my Gay friends love being homosexual, they seem to always be having fun, I wonder what the hell they know that these characters don't.

By the second hour though, Anne Hathaway and her ridiculous wigs and period outfits arrived. That kept me entertained till the end of the film.

All kidding aside, there is some fine work in the film. Especially from Heath Ledger, he's touching and subtle and really carries the entire movie. The physical nuances and emotional baggage he carries throughout the film is impressive. Michelle Williams is good too, but the part is smaller than I expected. It's hard to see how she got a nomination from that role. Not that she isn't good, but the part is tiny. Maybe about 15 minutes of screen time.

Jake is Jake, he's pretty much what one sees in all his work....except he plays it gay.

Anne Hathaway.....man I can't remember laughing so much. One has to see this girl's different wigs to appreciate what I'm talking about.

The Cinematography is gorgeous. Lots of pretty pictures of mountains and forest to rival Dances with Wolves.

Ang Lee's direction is fine. He tells the story confidently.

But overall....I wasn't too impressed. I'll say that the movie deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. Maybe even win considering the supposed groundbreaking nature of the film. It was certainly better than Crash. But that's not saying much.

Personally.....this film wouldn't make MY top ten films of last year. I thought Munich, Match Point,The New World, Batman Begins, Broken Flowers, Me, You and Everyone you Know were on a whole different level from this film. I can even name more movies I liked better, but it's pathetic talking about last year's best films when it's already April. The movie just didn't have the same power for me that these other films have.

But hey that's just me.

Brokeback Mountain is available now on Dvd. As always, I'm sure less cynical people then me might get more out of it. I recommend checking it out for Heath Ledger's impressive performance and the pretty postcard pictures that looked great on my Widescreen.

Can you smell what the MALICK is cooking???!!!!

I just read this news article on Dark Horizons :

A Japanese cinema showing "The New World" will screen the Terrence Malick movie in 'Smellovision' to enhance the viewing experience reports Contact Music.

Seven smells will be emitted by machines placed under seats at the back of the theatre, depending on what kind of scene is playing during the Colin Farrell-led film at the time.

Love scenes will be accompanied by a floral scent, while a peppermint and rosemary smell will waft through the cinema during emotional sequences.

That's pretty hilarious!!! I'm not sure what to think of that actually. I know that there is a ride at California Adventure called "Flying over California" that utilizes that same technology, but I don't know if I'd want that same experience while watching a three hour movie.

To me that would just seem distracting.

I'm guessing that the theatre owner thought it would be a good match with this film, since the visuals are so spectacular. But I'm not sure that it will serve the film well.

I can picture the theatre now, they are watching a scene, a smell gets released, and then the whole theatre starts to notice, whispers turn into small chatter...... than giggles.....which eventually becomes a full on group laugh.

I'm wondering how they came up with the certain smells to attach to the film scenes. I don't know why they just didn't go all out and put out the aroma of Collin Farrell's cologne into the air during the love scenes.

What's with the floral scent? Why not appeal to our animal instincts and release the smell of perspiration and sex funk?

What's with peppermint and rosemary filling the air during an emotional scene?

I don't know about most people, but when I get emotional I don't smell peppermint and rosemary.

I'd actually be kind of scared if that happened.

The only time I smell peppermint and rosemary is when I'm brushing my teeth in the morning, and the only emotion I'm feeling is panic, cause I'm thinking I better hurry, or I'll be friggin late for work.

Anyways..... Bizarre story.

Hostel

I'm not a fan of the horror genre.

I don't mind blood, gore and special effects, it's just as a genre there's usually not a lot of good writing in these types of films. Lots of the audience enjoyment in watching horror films is to see characters acting stupid, naive, and making frustrating mistakes. These movies always seem to go out of their way to make the viewer feel ten times smarter than the characters they are watching. The truth is when I watch movies, in general, I like to be challenged, entertained, and inspired.

So....not a good match.

There has been exceptions like the movies Scream, Exorcist, and the Ring. But in general, frankly horror films bore me. I don't even bother watching them. I don't get entertained or scared by these movies at all because I can't suspend my disbelief while watching, and just let myself get taken in to the movie's world. I usually start thinking about what an actor is using as a sense memory when they're scared, or how silly they look trying to act scared when they are so obviously not in any real danger, just actors doing a silly horror movie.

But there's been a lot of buzz surrounding this particular film, it even has Quentin Tarantino's seal of approval, so I thought with my busy schedule I'd take in this quick flick.

The set up is pretty standard Horror genre stuff. Three young college students are out looking to get laid, and they happen to be in a strange, unfamiliar place. In this case it happens to be Eastern Europe.

Without spoiling the film I'll just say that things go bad for the trio.....deathly bad.

What I enjoyed about the movie is that it felt confident enough to set up an actual story, and flesh out the characters more than most horror films. Usually in these flicks, in the first 10 seconds of the movie a character dies....just for the fun of it. But this movie started off a lot like Eurotrip. There was these horny guys getting wasted, with lots of naked attractive ladies milling around. The movie takes the time to give us some affable protagonists that we can relate to, and we can actually sympathize with when the shit hits the fan. Most notably, Jay Hernandez from Friday Night Lights does a solid job of giving us a character who doesn't annoy us too much, is not stupid, and keeps things relatively realistic.

I've heard that some people wanted more action in the beginning, I've even heard people who've come into my job say that the beginning really dragged. Which is kind of ridiculous considering the film clocks in at a fast moving 95 minutes.

But I guess different strokes.....

In any case, when the violence does occur in the film there is plenty of it. Actually there is lots of blood, guts, and torture to go around for two movies. Under the direction of Eli Roth, who directed the very uneven, yet strangely likeable Cabin Fever, the violence comes fast, furious, and impressively original.

I once saw in a documentary about the Godfather films that Francis Ford Coppola hates violence, he hates watching it, and hates filming it. But he realizes the important dramatic purpose they play in films and stories, so when he does do violence, he doesn't hold back...at all, and he tries to do it in an interesting, and original way to make the event unique, disturbing and not gratuitous.

It's obvious Roth comes from that same school of thinking. Roth is obviously not shy about violence, but when it happens he wants to make it original, memorable and worth sharing. He even takes it to the next level and makes it morbidly fun to watch. There was several times in the film that I let out a mischievous laugh while watching a disturbing scene.

I'm....not....sure what that says about me ...but hey.

In any case, I recommend watching the movie. There is some fun action pieces, some interesting locales, fun characters, and a relatively believable, captivating set-up for horror and creepiness. I admit at the end, the movie gets a little silly when it REALLY plays up the violence to the point that it becomes a celebration of gore, but I admit I got taken in and enjoyed myself, although I never got scared or spooked at all by the film.

But I think it says a lot that I didn't get bored by the movie. People who are looking for a good horror movie, and aren't as cynical as myself are sure to love the flick.

The movie arrives on DVD April 18th.

Not enough hours in the day.......

Needless to say....I've been busy.

I'm currently in rehearsal for a play, which I'll be advertising in the coming weeks, so unfortunately, my recreation time has been non-existant. My recreation time isn't really impressive to begin with, just me being bored, lazy and hungry, so I don't really miss it too much. But one unfortunate casualty is that I've been unable to watch any movies. As soon as I find the time there is a substanial list of movies that I want to watch on Dvd. But for now I'm afraid there hasn't been any time to review those movies, much less watch them. I literally have barely two hours of down time after rehearsal, and I've been using the time browsing the internet.....for porn... er.. um, I mean news, and reading e-mails.

Not to mention that I've been sick. Sick as a dog actually. Which is kind of scary cause there is a newborn in the house, and I've been paranoid of being around the baby, out of fear that he'll catch my cold. Maybe overly paranoid....I've been sleeping in my den away from Erin, the baby....and Mamet dawg. (Sometimes I peek in the room and see the Brayden sleeping in Erin's arms, and Mamet sleeping at Erin's side and I just want to eat them all up.)

I was so sick on Sunday that I woke up from an afternoon nap in a cold sweat and the Wedding Date was on the widescreen t.v and I didn't have the energy to get up and find the remote to change the channel. I had to sit there and watch that gay-ass movie, at one point I felt like I was actually turning into a chick, I could feel my chest trying to transform into breasts.....needless to say I won't bother reviewing that movie here.

Then there was the freaking time change which threw my whole body clock off. I've been waking up an hour later than I like to, and I have to get a super strong caffeine fix just to feel normal. Which means I have to schedule an extra stop....before work. Which sucks even more when one has to deal with the crappy ass wet weather.

Now baseball season is starting, and I'm missing that. I'm MISSING Angels Baseball. It's all a mess....a friggin mess.

So life right now....is hectic. I apologize for the lack of posts. I'll try to posts something in the coming days just so people aren't wasting time coming to my blog. So my apologies again....and thank you for visiting.

Godfather-The Video Game for X-Box

Now I don't' usually review Video Games. I actually don't even really play them that often. My buddy Mysterio is the hardcore Video Gamer, he keeps me up to date with the latest going's on in the gamer world. But I do own an X-Box. So I do pick up the top of the line sports video games, and occasional event game to play for a couple of days till it becomes too difficult for a novice like me.

But when I heard that there was a Godfather Video game coming out.....forgive me for saying this....It was an offer that I couldn't refuse.

First off, the game features the voice talents of Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Abe Vigoda. The game advertises that Marlon Brando also lends his voice to the game. But I've heard, which may not be true, that much of the material he recorded before his death was unusable, and they had to hire another actor. But when I listen to the game, damn if it doesn't sound just like Brando. Of course lots of his vocal work in the game are direct quotes from the movie. Maybe they just directly ripped the vocals from the movie.

Which brings me to one of the coolest features of the game. Believe it or not one gets to actually interact in many of the film's classic scenes. Adding even more to the cool factor is that one can design the character they play in the game to look like one's self. So when a player is standing next to mob boss Peter Clemenza, it looks like one is sharing a scene with the actor. Also when a classic scene happens, like the murder of Luca Brasi, the character that one plays in the game is right in the middle of the action, watching from a window outside the bar. At one point in the game the player gets to ride with Fredo as they guard the Ambulance after Don Corelone has been shot, and at another point help guard the Don with Michael at the Hospital, or be the guy that whacks Paulie the driver, with Clemenza telling the player to leave the gun....and take the Cannoli.

Super Cool.

Not to mention hearing the voices of Robert Duvall, Brando and James Caan playing the parts again. I don't know what other people might think, but I'm blown away by the idea that these A-List Actors are lending their voices to a VIDEO GAME. Man, games have come a long way when Academy Award winning actors are doing voices in a game.

The actual design and play in the game is very similar to the lucrative Grand Theft Auto video games. The player is given missions, they accomplish the missions by hijacking cars and driving through the city. But the game also has a fun feature where we extort small business owners, by beating them up, causing havoc in their place of business or threatening them with violence. It's a fun little feature that appeals to people's dark video game side. If that's not enough, there's plenty of weapons, bribes and violent acts the player is capable of and they are doing it in a huge 1940's period New York city that is run by the 5 mafia families.

Like I said earlier, I'm not an expert in video games. I'm sure some people might find problems with the game. But as far as fun, this game gets my highest praise. Not only do we get to relive classic scenes from the film, which also happens to be my all-time favorite movie. But the game play and missions are a blast, not to mention the impressive production and period design of the game.

EA has done an excellent job with the game. Obviously they are the kings of the Video Sports game. It's nice to see that they put the same amount of passion and work into their other games. Thankfully they've paid respect to the classic film by creating an excellent game. Although I've heard that Coppola himself was disappointed with the violent nature of the game.

Ultimately though, it doesn't diminish the legacy of the original film. So there's no harm having the game out there for people to play. In fact the game is super fun, and actually has me wanting to sit down, and watch the movies all over again.

It's so fun, that I find myself day dreaming about playing the game at work, or when I'm in line at the grocery store, pumping gas, or even when I'm online writing reviews.

So forgive me for cutting this review short. I hear Don Corleone calling me, apparently the day has come, and there's a favor he wants to ask of me.

Pride and Prejudice

Judging from my Domino review, one can probably guess that I'm not a big Keira Knightley fan.

It's nothing personal, I think at times she can be very affable and attractive in a non sexual way. I also don't think she's a horrible actress. I feel she's a lot like many of today's young Hollywood actors. I feel that she just doesn't have enough life experience yet to really share a truly memorable moving performance.

Which makes sense that her most impressive performance to date happens to be in a period costume drama, where emotions and reactions are measured and muted.

Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's classic tale of 5 sisters who, with the aid of their eccentric parents, are concerned with finding their soul mates in the classic writer's charming style.

The movie is typical of her work. To be completely honest, as far as story, if one has seen Emma, or Sense and Sensibility, or Mansfield Park , the formula is pretty much the same. What this movie has going for it though is charming memorable supporting performances by the entire cast especially a subtle Donald Sutherland and Rosamund Pike, a vibrant and flighty Jena Malone and an eccentric Brenda Blethyn.

But ultimate credit has to go to Joe Wright's direction, and Deborah Moggach's fine adaptation. Wright directs the piece with a solid hand. Although we know the inevitable ending of Happily ever after, Wright does an excellent job of creating suspense, romance, and comedy without the film slipping into hardcore chick flick. Which one would probably expect from a movie like this, instead we get an enjoyable ride.

As far as Knightley, she does a solid job with an excellent role. Although I wouldn't say she was using the entire dynamics of the emotional scale. As my friend, Lons likes to point out, it seems like she has two expressions throughout the movie. Her friendship mode when she's interacting with female characters and her family, and her period romantic mode, when she's dealing with her love interest in the film.

Matthew Mcfadyen does an excellent job playing the honorable yet shy Mr. Darcy. I have to confess though, while watching his performance I often thought of Colin Firth playing the part to perfection in a previous adaptation.

The look of the film is also impressive. I'm still smarting from choosing this movie for best costume design in our Oscar pool at work. It lost to Memoirs of a Geisha, which I haven't seen yet. The production design and Art direction is also excellent.

Overall, I did find the movie enjoyable, and would definitely recommend the film. I think people who aren't fans of this type of material would be surprised by how much they enjoyed the film.

I think it's an upgrade over other adaptation's of Jane Austen's work. It's the kind of movie a guy can watch with their girlfriend and not feel like a total sell out to their manhood.

It's on DVD now.

Sorry...Just a little bit busy........

As one can see I haven't been posting a lot lately.

I apologize to my readers out there. Actually my two readers....what's up guys. But I've been slightly busy....introducing my new born son to the world.

Yup....Brayden Danielson Manukay was born March 10th at 3:00 A.M. in the morning at U.C.L.A. Hospital.

Now I've been hesitant writing about the whole experience on the blog. When one considers, it's sort of weird putting out personal experiences out on the web for all to see. But as I mentioned earlier, I only have about approximately two regular readers on the site. So I shouldn't be so paranoid. I also thought it would be a good way to document the event for posterity, not to mention I could have friends, and family link to the page.

The little guy was 9 days early. I guess he had enough of the whole womb experience, and decided to check out the real world.

The day started off pretty uneventful. I was about to write my Pride and Prejudice review at 10:30 at night while watching Videodrome when I heard Erin call me from the bathroom. She informed me that she was about to go to bed when she felt a gush of pressure that startled her....and my dog for that matter, while she was in bed. Erin rushed to the bathroom, and suspected her water broke. But instead of the flood of water we expected, she described the event as more of a...... trickle.

Now we had heard about false labor, and how first time mothers often are mistaken when they feel they are in labor. So we felt this might be the case. We started looking over magazines and books trying to match symptoms. We decided we should call my mom over...since she was a nurse, not to mention a two time mother. After considering a few other options we decided the best thing to do was call the doctor. The doctor's at U.C.L.A. said that they couldn't tell completely from over the phone, that they would have to give her a full examination to determine exactly what had happened.

So we calmly got our stuff together. Erin was fairly confident she was in labor. But for some reason I didn't feel that this was it. I guess from seeing all the different movies about this event I was expecting a lot more screaming and pain....not to mention more water. In the movies it always seems like there's water everywhere on the floor, on clothes.... it almost looks like they came out of a shower....or at least pissed on themselves. Erin described a trickle. So I didn't want to get too excited.

When we got to the hospital, we spent about 10 minutes in the waiting room. Apparently if she was in labor, there was no rush. Erin was cool as a cucumber, which again made me believe this was probably a false alarm. I didn't even bother to take her overnight bag out of the car.

They led us up to the labor and delivery examination room. Erin was in a wheelchair. They asked to describe what the symptoms were. We told them and they decided to take a look at Erin. At this point Erin's pain level has raised significantly. I start to think.....maybe I should've brought in that overnight bag from the car.

They prop her up....still no definitive word. They say they want to do an ultrasound to see how much water is left inside her. They get the machine going. The doctor immediately says that there doesn't seem to be a lot of water left. At this point I'm thinking....I definitely should have brought that overnight bag in. Then I hear words I'll never forget, the doctor remarks "Oh Honey.......he's backwards....the baby is breach. He wants to come out butt first, we're going to have to take him C-Section." She looks at me and says "You'll be holding your baby in about an hour." I think to myself I wish they had a Star Trek transporter to beam me to my car so I can get that damn overnight bag. She then reassures us that it's for the best to do a C-section, just to be sure and safe for the baby.

Erin had been joking throughout the pregnancy that she had wanted a C-section. So I squeeze Erin's hand and joke..."Well, you got your wish." I tell her that I was going to the car.....to get that damn bag. I inform my mom, who is in the waiting room about the situation. On my long walk back to the car, I call Erin's father, and I call our friend Jago to tell them about the situation. They both say they are on their way down. I then send out a mass text message to my friends.

When I get back from the car with the bag the nurse hands me O.R. Scrubs to put on. It hits me that this thing is going to happen pretty damn fast. I try to put on the scrubs over the clothes, but the gear isn't big enough. So I take my jeans off. Erin has an I.V. and all sorts of tubes and monitors attached to her.

Then we waited......and waited. Apparently they needed to get some blood tests back before they start....and for some reason it's taking awhile. Before we know it two hours pass. Erin's brother and Father have arrived, so have Jago. Which is good because the batteries in my digital camera have died, and Jago has a fully charged camera. Erin in the meantime is in intense pain. I feel horrible...and guilty for putting her through this....and yet excited to meet the little guy.

The moment arrives,and Erin is wheeled into the operating room. The team tells me to wait outside so they can get set up. I wait in a chair outside the room. Outside I hear voices, at one point I even hear Erin laugh. I figure the pain relief has kicked in. Then I see an agitated man come out of the room who angrily goes to the nurses station. Shortly after I see five different woman walk by and into the pre-op room, they do they're scrubbing. I put it together that these were the doctors getting ready. The person who is agitated is the head man in charge of Erin's pain relief and he's upset that the doctor's are taking their time. I say a quick prayer to myself that everything goes smoothly. I pace and try to look into the room whenever the door cracks open. After another 30 minutes they call me in.

As I walk in I see 4 doctors around Erin. Erin is laying down on her back, and there is a sheet propped up like a wall so Erin can't see below her chin. I peek over at Erin's belly. I see an opening as big as my fist, and blood everywhere. I sit next to Erin's face a little stunned. She smiles at me, her arms stretched out like she's laying on a cross. I grab her hand. She asks me. " Have they started?" I calmly state "Yeah". I giggle to myself and I marvel at modern medicine.

The person in charge of the pain relief is standing with us on our side of the little barrier. The three of us joke around about the event. Erin encourages me to watch. I decline. I laugh at Erin who is trying to watch the operation from the reflection on the window. I tell her not to, but she's curious. She says she loves that kind of stuff. I think to myself this is pretty easy. No stress, no drama, no pain so far.

The doctor than asks us, "if we know what the sex is?" We say it's supposed to be a boy. Erin is scared and asks "Why.....is it a girl?" The Doctor pauses then says...."We don't know yet. We were just wondering." Nice. Then I hear the doctors laugh. I stand up...I hear a doctor say...."there he is, (they all giggle) his little butt." I decide to watch. The four doctors all seem to be pushing down on her stomach. Sort of looks kind of crude and not very scientific.Then it happens I see the baby squirt out. Literally. There's no noises, no crying. But I see the baby moving. "It's a boy. " the doctor says. I notice the baby is pale. I joke to Erin, "He looks like a white baby.....Damn he has lots of hair." Erin is beginning to get misty eyed. She asks me if the baby is alright. I assure her to the best of my knowledge the baby seems fine. But obviously....I'm not a doctor. (Not even an Anthony Edwards type, never played a doctor in a play.)They cut the cord, and bring him to a separate area where three nurses surround the child trying to clear his breathing path and lungs.

I walk over to the area. The baby....at least to me looks perfect....I'm stunned,I honestly don't think I'll ever see anything in my life more beautiful. Erin asks me how the baby looks. I remark that he looks perfect. He's a handsome baby. The pain relief doctor jokes that I'm being so modest. Erin then repeatedly asks me "Is it beautiful? Is the baby beautiful?" I say he is, while kissing her forehead. Erin is crying in joy. While I beam in excitement.

The next hour is a blur I go back and forth between the baby and Erin. I remember to take pictures. I also watch as the three nurses massage the baby. Tapping on his back, and sticking suction devices into his nose, while giving him oxygen. The nurses and doctor assure me that it's normal. That during a normal birth, the fluid in his lungs are squeezed out in the birth canal. Erin in the meantime, hasn't seen the baby. I also notice that they haved pulled out Erin's uterus, and that it's laying on her stomach as they stitch her up. Pretty cool.......and remarkable because Erin is completley unaware. I take pictures of the baby then show the pictures to Erin in the camera's preview window. Erin is ecstatic.

After a short while, after leaving the room and sharing some of the pictures with the people in the waiting room. I return and actually get to hold the baby, and show Erin the child with her own eyes. Erin kisses the head. The baby is calm and quiet. Hardly a peep as he looks around the room taking everyone in.

I help the nurse measure Brayden. The baby is 6 pounds 2 ounces. 19 inches long. I also get to cut down the cord.

Finally, they finish stitching up Erin, and she gets to hold Brayden. The doctor tells Erin everything looks great. Erin later tells me one of the nurses remarked to her that they've never heard a couple laugh so much during a C-Section. Just when I think I've seen the most beautiful thing. I see the two of them together, and I realize that THIS moment is actually the most beautiful moment I will ever experience.

That's it.....that's the day my baby was born.

History of Violence

Arriving on DVD Tuesday is one of the best movies of last year.

Among the many impressive things about the film is that it's able to cram so much into less than two hours. It's based on a Graphic Novel, but credit has to go to Josh Olsen and director David Cronenberg for crafting such a well made movie.

The movie works on many different levels. It's a suspense thriller, it's a meditation on Violence, it's about chance, reform, regret and it's also a examination about family politics and identity.

Tom Stall is a seemingly mild mannered man who has a typical American family living in America's Heartland. But when a violent conflict occurs at his place of business. Tom is forced to react violently to save his employers and patrons. After he endures a brief brush with fame, a mysterious man (Ed Harris) arrives in town accusing Tom of being someone else. He claims that Tom is not who he claims to be, but in fact a man with a violent and questionable past.

The film boasts fine performances from it's stellar cast. Maria Bello, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and William Hurt all stand out with grounded exceptional work.

The film is directed by David Cronenberg and he, himself claims that it's his most commercial film to date. But if one is familiar with his work, what is commercial for him, may seem like Avant Garde for others.

There are lots of quirky Cronenberg touches in the film. The violent acts are shocking, unique and brutal. Images in the film seem to linger on the bloody aftermath slightly longer than most films. One moment sharing a second of blood squirting the next a close-up of a shattered nose. These extra images gives us that extra uncomfortable feeling of shock and disgust. The same can be said with the explicit sex scenes. Just when one feels the film will fade out, it shares with us that extra moment of shocking sexuality one usually wouldn't see in a standard Hollywood film. One almost gets the sense that it's a way for Cronenberg to put his stamp on the film, in case we've forgotten who's directed the film. But in reality the whole film has a strange surreal eerie feeling to it. The interactions of the townsfolk are almost too friendly. The supposed teenage son, seems slightly too old. The evil characters all have a quirky appearance and style that makes them stand out. Even the lead character is an unreliable protagonist. One second we feel for the character, the next we question his motives.

I guess less observant people can say the film is commercial. The overall subject matter is standard mystery/ suspense stuff. But what Cronenberg adds to the events are moments of humanity, and subtlety that elevate the film to something special.

Besides the aforementioned quirky traits, weaved into the film are moments of reflection and interaction that cut deeper than most films. Lots of it is done with looks, and atmosphere that can't be fully articulated in a review.

It's a fine accomplishment, and it's not surprising that the film was recognized by many critics as one of the top ten films of the year, as well as receiving Academy Award nominations for Screenplay and supporting actor.

Make sure to check out this riveting film.

The Unit- T.V. Show

I must be dreaming. If I am..... don't fucken wake me up.

I don't know if people out there are aware of what's going on CBS during Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. But God has answered my prayers.

There's this show called The Unit. It stars Dennis Haysbert, Robert Patrick, and Scott Foley. It's an action/drama that deals with an Elite U.S. anti-terrorist special forces team. What's unique about the show is that it tells two stories. It shows the workings, and missions of an Elite military team AND it shows the struggles and challenges of the wives and family they leave behind while they are on these missions.

I'm guessing that doesn't sound too impressive.

Did I mention it was created and is written by........ DAVID MAMET ?!!!

Yup, that's right. Pulitzer Prize winning David Mamet of Spartan, Ronin, Untouchables, Verdict and Glengarry Glen Ross Fame.

Fuck Yeah.

The show is not really groundbreaking in any way, but I love Mamet's dialogue. LOVE IT!!! It's crazy, that potentially, I'll get to watch Mamet weekly.....WEEKLY!!!

That's insane.

I'm always first in line for all of his movies so one can imagine how exciting this is for me. I'm just hoping that it catches on. I'm not sure how mainstream America is going to perceive his style of writing. I'm sure fans of his work will be disappointed that there is no explicit language in the show. But it still works. Granted my opinion is not the most objective. But I'm surprised how well the tough guy dialogue translates WITHOUT the cursing, and explicit language. He still manages to make the language intimidating, and colorful.

The show also has a lot of other Mamet touches. There's a lot of talking on phones, short clipped, measured speech. Stylized action choreography. Some of the female characters are cold, not exactly reliable....or faithful to their man.

It's Mamet through and through. I was smiling throughout the entire first episode, giddy with happiness at what I was watching.

I now have a NEW favorite television show.

I'm just hoping the show does well enough to have a DVD released. Never know though, nowadays networks give up on shows so quickly. I could deal with the show getting cancelled, if they released a DVD. It's such a special event. I just wish people knew how special it really was, to have one of our most gifted American playwrights and award winning screenwriter's doing a weekly network television show. I realize it's a lot to ask the uneducated public to embrace a stylized show like this. I know they much rather watch Skating with Celebrities or some other silly shit like that. I know it's a tough sell for audiences. If people aren't familiar with his style, it could be confusing hearing the pauses, and open ended questions, and parenthetical sentences. I'm not taking anything for granted though, as long as it airs, I'll watch, while I record every single episode, and I'll encourage everyone I know to watch.

I guess it's not a complete dream come true, the real ideal situation would be a Mamet t.v. show on H.B.O., but this is still pretty fucken great.

Weekly Mamet!!!!!

Wow, will wonders never cease???!!!!