ELIZABETHTOWN: OR why Cameron Crowe and Nick Hornby seem to better understand me than i'm ever able to express to others

I saw Cameron Crowe's newest flick Elizabethtown yesterday with my girlfriend Steph. It was a toss-up between that or the new Cameron Diaz one In Her Shoes...well guess which one was my preference...Luckily, I got the reccomendation from good ole Steve, and with that we tipped the scales in favour of the former Cameron, not the latter. I'm quite glad we did.

Quick points of the movie without ruining it: Orlando Bloom (yes he's in it, and no he isn't annoying in it) plays Drew, who loosely narrates the flick and also is the main character.
He has just lost his job after the shoe he spent 8 YEARS...designing has been recalled from stores, costing his multinational corporation 972 million (or as Alec Baldwin hilariously put it..."its so much money you can round it to a Billion"). Needless to say Drew is devastated, and heads home to do himself in, but just as he's about to, the phone rings and after finally answering it, its his sister, whom he asks to call back later, but she won't b/c she is calling to tell him that their father has died suddenly visiting his family in Kentucky (Elizabethtown of the title).

So right away I can majorly identify with Drew as a character, and felt what he felt at that moment. It was from this moment on that I was almost totally captivated by the story. Flying to Kentucky he meets Kirsten Dunsts' character who is quite something. we then meet the first of many family members, Drew's cousin, who totally reminds me of someone i know i just can't put my finger on it (although he does vaguely resemble Trevor Linden). who was in a band that seems to have been a borderline Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band.
The family scenes about the southern us clans who come together are dead on with what the scene was like in ST Louis when my father's father died, all kinds of folks i didn't know all over the place with so much food and laughter and life.

I'll skip over the majority of the details cause i think i am best suited to discussing this movie with (A) people who've already seen it and (B) people who know me well.

The music, as with any CC film is AWESOMe, soundtrack supervised by his wife Nancy Wilson of Heart. Features a lot of Americana/midwest/country-tinged music that much of which descended from the Gram Parsons influence (which i truly love).
music also takes a deep role in the film as kirsten dunst's character makes a number of cds for DRew to take with him and play on his drive home to Oregon from Kentucky, with carefully drawn out instructions along the way and music that fits the drive.
This was totally up my alley, and made me totally agree with her line that everyone needs to take one roadtrip with nothing but music and companionship.
I also on a more deeply personal level was amazed how Crowe hit the nail on the head with the comment that u should embrace the deep melancholia associated with the death of drew's father.

it struck quite a chord with me and its moments like this that music and film really really really speak to me more than any other time (and if u know me you know how much of my life is spent with music/films).

I'll leave off with one final comment...the Freebird scene will forever have a place in my favourite film moments.

the Nick Hornby I'll have to leave to another entry but he hits those levels too in his writing, and the transfer of some (NOT ALL) of his books to films.

Life sure is something isn't it.

The Bittersweet Symphony of St. Louis Sports fandomonium...

We sit upon the brink of the very last game ever to be played at Busch Stadium, and it strikes me as quite troubling that it will be with a loss to the Houston fucking Assholes...
The storied franchise that is the St. Louis Cardinals is the most successful franchise in the history of the National League. 9 World Championships, the most recent of which I myself was actually in attendance (albeit as a 2 year old). The last noteworthy moment other than this loss, would be the fact that the Red Sox won their first World Series since the Babe Ruth incident on the very hallowed ground of Busch Stadium, and other than at Fenway or Yankee Stadium (which yes I realise is Impossible, but nonetheless would be quite a fitting setting) a much better spot than some corporately named bohemoth monstrosity with no heart.
And yes, before some genius like Steve points out that Busch is actually owned by Anheiser-Busch breweries, I DO realise it, and its named after the family NOT the cheap watered down American Beer.
and I digress...

On Monday night I was poised to write a scathing blog entry about the ineptitude of St Louisians in professional sport, but then I was privy to one of the top 5 greatest sporting moments in my life...
For all the times I've agreed with the Clichéd Yogi Berraism 'It ain't over til its over', in fact it HAS been over, but I've not been willing to agree until that very last out in the 9th is recorded, believing somehow that thinking positively and avoiding reality will help my beloved Redbirds to pull out a miraculous comeback, yet every time being dashed and crestfallen (wow good word...crestfallen...I like it.)
Well this time I was in the midst of cursing Stephen Jackson and yelling at the Rams for collapsing on National TV. SIDEBAR - Honestly...The Colts only gave up 29 points over 5 games prior to this, and then we come out with all guns blazing and drop 17 points on their over-rated D's ass...and then proceed to watch Marc Bulger's MENTALLY RETARTED attempt to tackle a 290lb Defensive Tackle for NO REASON! thereby putting himself out of commission for at least the next 2 weeks...fucking Rams...but I digress, this will be a longer and more ranting review after the next drubbing.

BACK TO BUSCH
So flipping over to the ballgame after the MNF just overwhelmed me, I see that yes, it is the Top of the 9th, Houston is up 4-2, and we, the CArds have 2 outs and poindexter David Eckstein up to bat...well I know at least one of you knows the rest but let me have my moment ;)
Eckstein manages to scrounge up a hit, followed by Jim Edmonds showing me a newfound patience that I don't seem to recall him having at the plate during the Series last year...but drawing himself a 2-outs walk...bringing to the plate the greatest ballplayer in the league right now IMO, who has power like a motherf...er. Did I actually dare think it? no...
but lo-and-behold...

CRACK!!

The loudest sound I'd heard in baseball since Mark McGwire's 62nd Homer...and Albert Pujols CRUSHED...absolutely DESTROYED the pitch and almost drove it thru the wall in the upper decks...and yes, a 3 run homer puts them up by a run...
In addition, it shuts those annoying Texans up faster than you can say 'Roger Clemens is a bum'.
the rest of the game was a blur, because that shot took ALL the wind out of the sails of that team, and I had actually dared to think that it would help us to make a great comeback...but....

HOLY SHIT.

hold on a second I'll be back....

nevermind.
have u ever misread the sports ticker online? I just did and almost thought they'd done it again...

k-rap. no such luck. like i was saying/writing.
no comeback.
just the last chapter coming to a close for Busch Stadium...
the wrecking ball comes soon...and I really don't like that. I was at Busch last May(2004) and that was my last visit with the greatest baseball atmosphere I've ever tasted.
honestly they don't NEED a new stadium, especially when its going right next to the old one. its a travesty, I think because this stadium has more memories for me than any.

Goodnight sweet busch...ye are the last of your kind, like 3 rivers and veterans before you...you too now bow to the future.

I've run out of juice after the finalisation of the Cards' season...
I can't wax poetic or upset on the Rams right now, I"m too spent...

I'll be back for more when I have the intestinal fortitude.

bye Busch.

At the request of Mr. Johns

I'm back,

and the only reason I was ever gone was sheer laziness.
I just didn't feel like writing anything, I've been sorta coasting in lethargy for a while (in all honesty since about June, but I digress).

Why do I watch football when my team of choice (the Rams) seems capable of beating anyone on any given day, but decides instead to just play like a bunch of guys with little or no care in the world other than trying to score as many points as possible whilst having absolutely no defence whatsoever save leonard little and adam archuletta. Even the great Aeneas Williams seems to be gone, I assume retired...and fuck I'd even go for a washed up Jason Seahorn at this point.
I trace the demise of the Rams from greatest show on turf to greatest cause of my ulcers as the point at which Lovie Smith became the head coach of the Chicago BEars. One can say it hasn't gone well for either party since.
However Lovie has some good D there, and lord knows he can get them into shape. He just needed a little more martz to him, but with Kyle Orton, theres no way in hell. I also blame the loss of London Fletcher to the Bills as a key structural piece gone. and as much as I have heard about Stephen Jackson learning a lot and getting so much better, he can't hold a candle to Marshall. Kudos to Marshall for sticking around to be mentor to this dud of a stud. I fear were marshall not around we'd have far fewer first downs on the ground. the only growth i've seen on this team is that where I was worried about our receiving corps after losing the GREAT and underrated Ricky Proehl, we did develop and further use: Shaun MacDonald, Kevin Curtis, and Dane Looker. those boys kick ass. and lets not forget our real men, HOlt and old man river I.B. who last week missed only his 2nd game in like forever.
I will attribute his not being around last week more on the mental level as a blow, b/c KC def picked up the slack, it was more Jackson sucking, the STUPID STUPID decision to toss the ball to shaun macdonald on the reverse in the red zone which we coughed up and dashed our only hopes to shite.
on the other hand, one could say that the Giants are a force,,,ok no I can't say that with a straight face. Prior to today Jeremy Shockey was their big weapon, and the only other teams with a Powerhouse TE (KC, SD, ATL, BAL) all have top notch RBs to compliment them. In fact, it was just this evening whilst playing Madden 2005 on the PC that I noticed what a genius idea it is to have a great RB/TE combo, b/c u can utterly PULVERIZE opponents into the ground physically. my combo for the fantasy drafted rams is: Todd Heap/Shaun Alexander. not bad at all. and when u throw in Randy Moss as my #1 wideout, things aren't too shabby.

Ironically it seems that my Madden drafted version of the Rams is much like the REAL rams...stacked on O, but piss poor on D. However I attribute my Defensive problems to underperformance and a few awfully timed blitzes. I can stop the run like a motherfucker, but I always give up 1-3 HUGE passing td plays a game.
I find this unacceptable given my secondary starters are: ed reed, mike brown, will allen, phillip buchannon and andre dyson. my front 4's superstar seems to be ebeneezer ekuban who didn't even register a TACKLE until week 7....however I do posses Ray Lewis in the middle, who seems to have elevated my OLBs to a whole new level of good which i surely did not imagine.

my kicker is a bag of shit but when u score as much as i do he only needs to to PATs. go figure my punter is the kickoff specialist and he's been an MVP.

my last game was quite something, it was Kurt Warner as my opponent leading the Bucs against Marc Bulger and the Rams...and well it was a hoot.

ok theres an entry that steve might or might not enjoy, its not really a rant, but more a bitch session and an advertisment intended to get you to go buy madden johns...its the best time waster EVER.

cheers all. and happy turkeyweekend.