Patriotism is a tricky thing.  Really, it’s a form of love, a love of country. But what’s the right way to express that love? Well, that’s where it gets tricky. Do you show your love of country through military or government service? Sure, lots of people do that, and they do it with gallantry and bravery. William Calley […]

There are two types of people in the world. Those who thought 1999’s The Blair Witch Project was a masterpiece of slow burn horror and those who thought it was about a group of idiots wandering pointlessly in the woods. I’m the former. My wife is the latter. It’s undeniable that The Blair Witch Project is one of the most […]

They called it a miracle, though it really wasn’t one. As we understand it, a miracle is an impossible occurrence, something that shouldn’t happen but does anyway, due to supernatural means. The events of January 15, 2009, played out the way they did not because of the will of the Almighty. Really, it was all […]

Not everyone should follow their dreams. I know, I’m an absolute creep for saying so. We live in a society that pushes self-actualization, and if you just believe in yourself and follow your bliss, everything will work out. But here’s the thing. If, in your personal Venn diagram, talent overlaps with passion, then by all […]

Poverty breeds desperation. I’ve never been poor. Sure, money has been tight, and there have been times where I’ve had to, shall we say, get creative with my finances. But I’ve always occupied the middle-class strata, even if I’ve occasionally drifted down near the bottom rung of that particular ladder. But being straight-up poor is different. That’s […]

The sky is massive in West Texas. It seems to go on forever, stretching out as far as the eye can see, and eventually meeting the dusty landscape in a far off horizon. When you’re under that sky, there’s a sense of insignificance, a feeling that you matter about as much as the scrub brush. […]

First, a warning: If you’re the parent of young children, and you consider packing them into the family truckster to see the new animated film Sausage Party, purely based on the fact that it’s animated…don’t. As a parent, your job is to check out any media your kids consume before they consume it. Animation is not strictly for […]

Once in a while, a movie changes everything. 2012’s The Avengers is one of those movies. During its theatrical run, it made over $1.5 billion dollars, and it became one of the highest-grossing movies in the history of cinema. It was the culmination of 5 other films, beginning with Iron Man in 2008, and due to mostly careful* planning […]

During a press conference in 2007, Matt Damon figured that he was all done playing amnesiac badass Jason Bourne. He said, “So all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is not there, so if there was to be another one then it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know, where […]

We need Star Trek right now. Badly. The America of Stardate 2016 is fractured. Paranoid. Raging. We’re locked into a presidential election that rejects hope and embraces fear. The vast majority of us plan to vote against a particular candidate instead of being inspired by one. Our country is beset by problems and, when we should be coming […]