Skullduggary

 

Like most folks in their 30's, I played a lot of Nintendo back in the day. Besides Super Mario Brothers, probably the famous game from that era would be Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Is that the reason I finally got around to watching James Toback's documentary, Tyson? Of course it is.

I'll admit, I probably know as much about boxing now as I did then. Actually, I probably knew more then, as I did beat Tyson himself in the game. As a sports fan in general, I'm definitely aware of the great boxers and have seen them in action at some point. Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson, Sugar Ray, Apollo Creed, Mayweather, Da La Hoya, Clubber Lang, Holyfield. I've seen clips of them all, most notably Ali.

I've seen vintage clips of Tyson, but unfortunately those get lost behind things like public outbursts, threatening reporters, arrests, biting ears off in the ring, and that tattoo on the face. Clips of his loss to Buster Douglas in 1990 perhaps still overshadows the years before that, when an undefeated Tyson dominated opponents.

Before I say anything else about this documentary, let's talk about the boxing. Tyson wasn't just a power puncher, his speed and defensive skills were nothing less than unbelievable. When you go back and watch these old clips, the first thing you will notice is the blinding speed. It's incredible. While there have been amazing fighters throughout history, no other boxer has put so much fear into their opponents. When you watch the documentary, you'll see the looks on these fighters faces in the minutes leading up to the bouts. They're absolutely terrified. They've already resigned themselves to the fact that they'll lose, and now their legitimate fear is literally living to fight another day.

Understand though, this is not a documentary about boxing, it's about the mind of a madman. Tyson expresses regret, but never seeks absolution. Instead, you get a surprisingly moving insight into the anger, abuse, and sexual deviance. In fact, the words of Jedi Master Yodi never rang more true.

'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering'

I recently listened to an interview with infamous NFL star Bill Romanowski. Much like Tyson, Romanowski owned up to his destructive behavior and was finally being honest in putting his life into perspective. Both athletes contributed their anger to fear. A very deep, dark fear. I have a very similar story involving snakes.

If you're interested, you can stream the documentary via Netflix.

Brad's bad movie that's oh so good/ep. 4

Hmm, I think I'll stick on the Wesley Snipes wagon again this for this episode. This week's movie is a toss-up, so I'm going to make a double feature pick.

First up is 'Rising Sun', featuring Sir Sean Connery alongside the Sniper in this taut thriller, based off of Michael Crighton's book of the same name. You also get some Harvey Keitel and a bit of Tia Carrere.



After that, I suggest you take a gander at 'Money Train', a buddy film that reunites the Sniper with Woodrow Harrelson. This is also one of the first films to feature Jennifer (J-Lo) Lopez. Then there's the ultra creepy Robert Blake, scary.

These are the ABC's of me, baby - Rod Tidwell (Arizona Cardinals)

It was about a year ago that the Facebook tag you're it thing went around, you know, the 25 facts. For those who missed it, or those who just don't know me - don't worry, I've recycled it. 

1. I eat 4 bowls of cereal a day; everyday
2. I've been hit by a car.
3. I've blown a chicken wing out of my nose (sauce included).
4. I crashed a mini-bike into an above ground swimming pool - neither of which were mine.
5. '83 was a good year - Douglas Elementary Speed Skating Champion, and YMCA Free Throw Shooting Champion.
6. I've touched a sweaty Ric Flair.
7. I was a case study for Vanderbilt medical students.
8. I'm addicted to playing Mortal Kombat II and I'm a very sore loser.
9. I'm a pretty sore loser in general.
10. I often think about being on a big spaceship, in hypersleep, (like in the film Alien). I'd wake up ever 50-60 years to stretch, eat, and watch a movie.
11. I had a huge lifelong phobia of snakes. When I was 30, I snapped and killed twenty snakes in just a few months.
12. I'm very good at expressing canine anal glands.
13. I'm a distant relative of Pocahontas.
14. I've had 1 supernatural experience and 2 UFO sightings.
15. I'm the first Dobro major to graduate from Belmont University. Probably the first anywhere.
16. Hats do not fit straight on head because I was breech birth and the Doctor tried to reshape my head.
17. I've been with my wife since she was 17 years old.
18. I have a 13th rib.
19. My mom named me after a character on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless"
20. I sucked my thumb until I was 16. My mom says that this is the reason I don't have a promenient chin.
21. I spent 4 days at Guantanamo Bay.
22. I really like Enya.
23. I dunked a basketball ball once when I was in the 9th grade. (I was wearing Air Jordans)
24. My best is usually good enough, but I wish my best was a lot better.
25. (For Jairo) When I was in high school, I really think that I was possessed by the spirit Jim Morrison in a Winn Dixie parking lot.

The temple of his own narcissism.

I've been sitting with this clip for several weeks now, and I really love it more every time I hear it. It's so random, brutal, and just damn funny. I mean, I like the old 'Bandit', but this really is one of the greatest verbal beat downs ever. It's in the ballpark of Donald Trump's assault on Rosie O'Donnell, however, this one is unprovoked.

Who says there can be only one?

Longtime thespian, Roger Daltrey, best known for his reoccurring character 'Hugh Fitzcarn' in the critically acclaimed show Highlander The Series, took the world's biggest stage this past Sunday night by performing during the much hyped Super Bowl Half-Time show.


While his music talents have always taken a back seat to his acting, Daltrey showed the world Sunday, that he is by no means a one trick pony. Accompanied by a band called, 'The Who', Daltrey breezed through several show tunes, including a song about a guy who with a talent for playing Pinball. There is some speculation that the song 'Pinball Wizard' is a homage to his second cousin, Leo Daniels, who was a London legend in the 70's.



Daltrey would not confirm any more musical appearances, although, it's safe to say that more than a few labels have already shown interest. In other news, Daltrey said there is talk of another Highlander movie in the works. Since his character was killed off in the third season of the show, Daltrey was questioned about his role in the movie. He responded by saying 'Hey, it's Highlander, right mate? I was damn well in season 6, wasn't I?'

Back To The Strange...

Encore has recently been filling their programming with the Back To The Future trilogy. Now, rarely are they all shown back to back, just here and there.

So, the other day I watched part 3, the wild west one. Honestly, I'm still not happy that they ruined the original with 2 and 3 - okay, (tangent alert). Well, if it hadn't been for part 3, then we wouldn't have this amazing movie moment that I'm about to share with you.

I had forgotten that ZZ Top performed the theme song for this one, truthfully, I'd completely forgotten about ZZ Top ever existing. In an attempt remember the name of the tune, I thought,  I'll just check youtube. What happened next was truly a gift. I want say much, other then that I just thought the other day, man, those kids are creepy.



Oh, and here's the ZZ Top tune, Doubleback.

Brad's bad movie that's oh so good/ep. 3

Looking for mindless fun? This week, try a little movie called 'Drop Zone'.

Wesley Snipes, Gary Busey, Corin Nemec, and a brief appearance by Malcolm Jamal-Warner makes this a must see. Okay, so that's a bit overstated. Oh yeah, it does appear in Netflix streaming.