The Grey

Once more into the fray

Into the last good fight I’ll ever know

Live and die on this day

Live and die on this day

The Grey is the type of film that gives me hope for Hollywood and the film industry. There is a constant barrage of crappy movies that are superficial and meaningless. Even movies that have potential end up failing due to horrible writing, vapid plots, and even worse acting. Liam Neeson and The Grey are set apart from this crowd.

Neeson plays another one of those “tall and somber” characters in the midst of an extraordinary set of circumstances. While travelling home to Anchorage from the northern oil fields, a plane goes down in the Alaskan wilderness. Neeson tries to lead the survivors while they are being hunted by what can only be described as dire wolves.

That’s all that I’ll share about the plot, because I hate spoilers just as much as smith machines. The story may seem very basic, but there’s an underlying theme of emotional struggle that peaks through. However, this movie thrives on thrilling suspense. There are moments of such ball-busting intensity that made my palms sweaty while I leaned forward in my seat. Expect blood and death.

The plot isn’t void of characters, and it thrives on the interpersonal relationships of the survivors. Catastrophic events change people, bringing out the worst and best in men. That’s what this movie is all about; man’s ultimate struggle for survival. Whenever I watch or read these stories, I always wonder how I would function or react in similar scenarios. It’s impossible to know whether we will be sniveling fools or fighters until the death.

Great stories will leave you with something. I love that lasting feeling or impression you get when the credits start to roll. Sometimes it isn’t what you want, but you can always glean a lesson or a theme from it. The best stories drop their themed bomb right at the ending, and The Grey does this powerfully. I highly recommend this thrilling survival movie for both it’s entertainment and teaching quality. It’s one of the few movies out today that isn’t a pile of shit.

 

“I’m offended!”

There is never a more boring or pathetic group of people than those that get offended easily. Writing for a website that has daily postings means I need to entertain if I’m going to educated. I’ve tried to simply educate without the entertainment, and nobody gave a shit.

I’m not a perfect writer, but I know that good writing, in an editorial sense, requires the injection of opinion and personality to make it readable. Having a voice is important in all writing, and I obviously have a voice. I’ll eventually write topics or make quips that (lightly) harass a certain population, and I never seem to get over the fact that there is an overreaction.

You see, people overreacting is one of my biggest pet peeves. I’m ashamed when I rarely do it, and it bothers me when other people do it. The marathon post immediately had a response of people whining and bitching, which only proves the point of my post (especially when they repeatedly demand that I complete a marathon). People getting offended happens throughout life, but you’d think that this generation would be used to it since the internet is full of free ideas. Groups like religious people, homosexuals, women, and racial minorities are always quick to cry out when their feelings are hurt.

I have an older brother who is developmentally disabled AKA mentally handicapped AKA retarded. The last adjective right there is a derogatory term, but I don’t get my panties in a wad when someone says it. Or if someone makes a joke about actual retardation, I don’t get defensive and lash out. It’s because I’m not immature about it.

When people get offended, they don’t simply just voice their opinion (which hardly anyone gives a shit about), they also completely misinterpret the original point. I absolutely hate having to do this, but I feel like I have to put this tagline on anything I write: This doesn’t necessarily apply to every single person in this type of group, but it applies to a high enough percentage where I can say this and it be true more than the majority of the time. In other words, everything I say doesn’t always apply to the exact circumstances of every individual.

The fact that I have to break up my writing just to make that point is so god damn annoying. Months of that happening with the female posts led to this freak out (ironically an overreaction, but I think being subjected to illogical assumptions for months warrants this kind of behavior):

In light of the recent Ronnie Teasdale shit going on in CrossFit, I also want to point out that I’m not ever hurtful or bigoted towards these populations (because I’m not a hurtful or bigoted person). If I write a sentence about evolution, it doesn’t warrant panty wadding. If I make the point that women cry periodically in the gym, hearing the opinion of every woman who allegedly doesn’t cry isn’t necessary. But I’m not blatantly insulting these populations.

There’s a difference in being a dickhead and making a light joke or a common generalization about a population (like men, females, runners, yoga doers etc.). If I was actually being a dickhead, then I could understand the cries of outrage. But I’m not, and there are far worse things in the world than saying, “managing to run for 26 miles isn’t impressive”.

Character

I saw something that said, “Character is how you treat those that can do nothing for you.”

I completely disagree. If I see some piece of shit homeless guy on the side of the street, what’s the point? If I try and do something for him, he isn’t going to change. If he was going to change, then he wouldn’t be dirty, smelly, and itching himself. It may sound like an assholish thing to say, but how many people do you know that are hard working, completely bust their ass, and have an undying desire to be successful that are homeless, jobless, or a bum? Oh, that’s right, none.

Instead, the quote should say, “Character is how you treat those that you can do something for.”