Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Posting the Rocky review has really made me think. Look deep down into my soul. First lets recap my Top 5 favourite movies of all time.
5. With Honors
4. A Princess Bride
3. The Fisher King
2. The Cutting Edge
1. Rocky
So a few years back I thought that a good way of looking into our psyche, is to figure out what your 5 favourite movies are. I guarantee there will be a thread that connects them all. That thread will tell us something about ourselves. Maybe something obvious. Maybe something hidden. So what do mine have in common. 2 of them have have Moira Kelly, 2 of them have are "chick Flicks", 2 of them have crazy homeless people. Close but not quite. Let's see, you got Joe Pesci, as a quitter who gave up on life, yet learns to appreciate life again and finds love in the form of a friend, and a Family. Not your typical family but a family of friends. 2nd, We have Wesley, a farmhand, who falls in love with the daughter of his employer. Soon after he's thought to be dead. but actually begins a life of crime. 3rd. Perry or Robin Williams if you will. He has the perfect life. a professor married to a beautiful woman., when tragedy strikes. He falls deep into an emotional abyss. So deep in fact, that he creates his own world. Also there's Jack. An Suicidal, alcoholic, who's supported by a woman he really doesn't deserve. Like Perry, Jack is trying to fight his demons. While Perry's demons are seen in the form of a fire breathing horse carrying the Red Knight, Jack's demons are not a manifestation. but in fact Perry himself. 4th The Cutting Edge, Doug had it all. at least 12 NHL teams wanted to have him on their roster. He was on his way up and out Of Mayhorn, Minnesota. then an injury to the eye forced him to retire from the sport. Then he became just another blue collar guy working construction . His luck would Change when Pamchenko came calling. then he had to deal with an whole different set of Problems. And finally Rocky, a leg breaker for some second rate loan shark. It's almost become comical to say now a days. but he's a bum. His life would turn around, but not before learning who he was.
So what does all that have in common. How about, they all have prominent characters who are Poor. Trying to eke out an existence, with loads of very real, and very frighting obstacles . Their struggles, much like my own are sometimes, physical, and sometimes they're all in my head. Wondering if we're just another bum from the neighbourhood. Wondering if the Red knight will ever let us give us some peace. You know I just realized. It's not just about them all being poor. It's about them having to deal with the rich. Doug goes from blue collar to training, and living with an Ice Princess. Wesley, of course falls for a women out of his league, who at least at first, loathes him just do to his lot in life. Simon Wilder ( Joe Pesci), has to deal with a Harvard student who was born with a silver spoon up his ass. Perry and Jack both were well off, but because of a simple twist of fate that would connect them both for the rest of their lives, had fallen on hard times. Perry of course has to deal with the stigma of homelessness. Jack knew he was poor, and became bitter. He seemed to hate everyone and everything. He'd have to learn to forgive himself, before he could begin to really form relationships of value. Rocky, well he was a Bum. Luckily everyone he knew were also bum's. It's the way Apollo treats him, even when there not in the same scene. Despite the fact that Apollo (as we would find out in Rocky III) was from very similar streets as Rocky, simply seen him as a bum, a nothing, he'd drop him in three. The rich do tend to look down on the poor a lot. As if they're some sort of sub species of humanity. I guess really that's the chip on my shoulder. I don't like being poor, I don't like being called a nothing, and I damn sure don't like being called a loser. Let's face it. this year I have been a loser. Sure I got hit by a car. That doesn't mean I have to stop living. That doesn't mean I have to gain 2/3's of the weight I shed last year back. Every single one of these character's overcame these Obstacles and in some cases, the obstacle was staring at them in the mirror. So no more feeling sorry for myself. No more eating Chips all the time so I can find comfort that isn't there. No more living for yesterday.
So being that today is October 6th 2011, and I currently weigh in at an astounding 300lbs. I make this Proclamation today, and it will be binding. Come January 1st 2012. I will weigh 270lbs. I think of the discipline I had last year. In December, when the majority of the people gain 10lbs. I set the goal to lose 10 lbs, and of course I did. Which put me at 270lbs. I want to be where I was a year ago. But I can't jog, I can't lift like I used to. The Idea of bicycling, scares me(I'm in therapy to correct that). So how will I do it? How do you put a giraffe inside of a fridge? You open the door and you put him in. The details aren't important. The results are.
See you In January.
Darryl
5. With Honors
4. A Princess Bride
3. The Fisher King
2. The Cutting Edge
1. Rocky
So a few years back I thought that a good way of looking into our psyche, is to figure out what your 5 favourite movies are. I guarantee there will be a thread that connects them all. That thread will tell us something about ourselves. Maybe something obvious. Maybe something hidden. So what do mine have in common. 2 of them have have Moira Kelly, 2 of them have are "chick Flicks", 2 of them have crazy homeless people. Close but not quite. Let's see, you got Joe Pesci, as a quitter who gave up on life, yet learns to appreciate life again and finds love in the form of a friend, and a Family. Not your typical family but a family of friends. 2nd, We have Wesley, a farmhand, who falls in love with the daughter of his employer. Soon after he's thought to be dead. but actually begins a life of crime. 3rd. Perry or Robin Williams if you will. He has the perfect life. a professor married to a beautiful woman., when tragedy strikes. He falls deep into an emotional abyss. So deep in fact, that he creates his own world. Also there's Jack. An Suicidal, alcoholic, who's supported by a woman he really doesn't deserve. Like Perry, Jack is trying to fight his demons. While Perry's demons are seen in the form of a fire breathing horse carrying the Red Knight, Jack's demons are not a manifestation. but in fact Perry himself. 4th The Cutting Edge, Doug had it all. at least 12 NHL teams wanted to have him on their roster. He was on his way up and out Of Mayhorn, Minnesota. then an injury to the eye forced him to retire from the sport. Then he became just another blue collar guy working construction . His luck would Change when Pamchenko came calling. then he had to deal with an whole different set of Problems. And finally Rocky, a leg breaker for some second rate loan shark. It's almost become comical to say now a days. but he's a bum. His life would turn around, but not before learning who he was.
So what does all that have in common. How about, they all have prominent characters who are Poor. Trying to eke out an existence, with loads of very real, and very frighting obstacles . Their struggles, much like my own are sometimes, physical, and sometimes they're all in my head. Wondering if we're just another bum from the neighbourhood. Wondering if the Red knight will ever let us give us some peace. You know I just realized. It's not just about them all being poor. It's about them having to deal with the rich. Doug goes from blue collar to training, and living with an Ice Princess. Wesley, of course falls for a women out of his league, who at least at first, loathes him just do to his lot in life. Simon Wilder ( Joe Pesci), has to deal with a Harvard student who was born with a silver spoon up his ass. Perry and Jack both were well off, but because of a simple twist of fate that would connect them both for the rest of their lives, had fallen on hard times. Perry of course has to deal with the stigma of homelessness. Jack knew he was poor, and became bitter. He seemed to hate everyone and everything. He'd have to learn to forgive himself, before he could begin to really form relationships of value. Rocky, well he was a Bum. Luckily everyone he knew were also bum's. It's the way Apollo treats him, even when there not in the same scene. Despite the fact that Apollo (as we would find out in Rocky III) was from very similar streets as Rocky, simply seen him as a bum, a nothing, he'd drop him in three. The rich do tend to look down on the poor a lot. As if they're some sort of sub species of humanity. I guess really that's the chip on my shoulder. I don't like being poor, I don't like being called a nothing, and I damn sure don't like being called a loser. Let's face it. this year I have been a loser. Sure I got hit by a car. That doesn't mean I have to stop living. That doesn't mean I have to gain 2/3's of the weight I shed last year back. Every single one of these character's overcame these Obstacles and in some cases, the obstacle was staring at them in the mirror. So no more feeling sorry for myself. No more eating Chips all the time so I can find comfort that isn't there. No more living for yesterday.
So being that today is October 6th 2011, and I currently weigh in at an astounding 300lbs. I make this Proclamation today, and it will be binding. Come January 1st 2012. I will weigh 270lbs. I think of the discipline I had last year. In December, when the majority of the people gain 10lbs. I set the goal to lose 10 lbs, and of course I did. Which put me at 270lbs. I want to be where I was a year ago. But I can't jog, I can't lift like I used to. The Idea of bicycling, scares me(I'm in therapy to correct that). So how will I do it? How do you put a giraffe inside of a fridge? You open the door and you put him in. The details aren't important. The results are.
See you In January.
Darryl
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
And now for No. 1. Rocky. What to say about Rocky that hasn’t already been said. Sly sees the Chuck Wepner- Mohammed Ali Fight. Thinks this is probably the pinnacle of this guys professional life. He writes the script, goes to an acting audition. Doesn’t get the part, but talks to the producers saying he’s a writer and presents them with the script. A lot of other struggles and tribulations, and Rocky is released. Nominated for 10 academy awards. And took home 3, including John Avildsen for director and of course best picture.
Years later there are countless articles and video’s available on YouTube (not the least of which is “Rocky jumped a park Bench” Cinemassacre.com) So what can I say that’s different from the rest. I guess It’s my own journey. I’ve lived in the poor neighbourhood all my life. The other side of the tracks. Anyone who knows Hamilton would probably agree. I’ve felt my entire life like I’m constantly running up those stairs. Never quite reaching the top. True my training hasn’t always been there. And truth be told, I’ve never actually had the chance to ‘Go for it”. But last year I got fed up with all of that. I quit smoking, started eating right, and was being trained by a lunatic. I went from 320lbs down to 265lbs. I was on my way to a kettle bell competition. I saw this as my shot at Apollo. Then I got hit by a car. And like Superman, I flew thru the air, and landed 30 ft. away. Imagine going from one day you can clean and jerk a 30lb Kettle bell 144 times in each hand in just under 30mins, to feeling the same burn lifting 4lbs dumb bells.
I’ve walked, even jogged a few times. It’s the only working out that my Physiotherapist , and Doctor allow me to do. So I look to Rocky. I jog with the music from all the movies. I always was the million in one shot, and now I might just be 2 million and one shot. But I keep going down that road. There might never be an end to this road, but I’m determined to reach for it. Time to go for it, I’m gonna fly now.
Despite all the inspirational stuff that can be found in Rocky. Here's a quick Recap. I'd say Spoiler alert but come on How have you not seen rocky.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)