Excellent News

I went in for my MRI on Saturday, it went quite well. No panic attacks. Tuesday, I went to my Neurologist to hear the results. *Drumroll* I have no new lesions in my brain. However, there is a small lesion in my spine between T1 and T2, but it’s tiny. According to my doctor, my disease is progressing, but at a snail’s pace. I am stronger than I was at my last appointment, even my foot-drop has eased up. I will be staying on Tysabri for now, but may be switching to a newer, stronger medication before the end of the year. My apologies for not posting often, I will try to post at least 3 times a week from now on. More film reviews to come(see a previous post), more rambling, and my birthday is in 10 days. Not sure how I feel about turning 26, but time marches on. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Patton, Cinema Gold

image“I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country.
Men, all this stuff you’ve heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooters, the fastest runners, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That’s why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.
Now, an army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday Evening Post don’t know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating.
Now, we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. You know, by God I, I actually pity those poor bastards we’re going up against, by God, I do. We’re not just going to shoot the bastards; we’re going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We’re going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel.
Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you’ll chicken out under fire. Don’t worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty.
The Nazis are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend’s face, you’ll know what to do.
Now there’s another thing I want you to remember: I don’t want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We’re not holding anything. Let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly and we’re not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy. We’re going to hold onto him by the nose and we’re going to kick him in the ass. We’re going to kick the hell out of him all the time and we’re going to go through him like crap through a goose.
Now, there’s one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home. And you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you: “What did you do in the great World War II?” You won’t have to say, “Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.”
Alright, now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel. Oh… I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.
That’s all.”

The first time I saw Patton, I was thirteen,  I didn’t watch much of it, but I knew I’d love it. I didn’t get another chance to see it until I was sixteen in Mr. Brunetti’s history class, I loved every minute of it. The opening monologue drew me in, George C. Scott’s performance held my attention, and the history made me fall in love with what I consider to be one of the greatest films of all time. The cast is top notch, and it’s certainly not boring. General George S. Patton is portrayed with perfect clarity and humanity. Patton, from me, gets 10/10.

“Perhaps I stabbed our Savior
In His sacred helpless side.
Yet I’ve called His name in blessing
When in after times I died.

Through the travail of the ages
Midst the pomp and toil of war
Have I fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon this star.

I have sinned and I have suffered
Played the hero and the knave
Fought for belly, shame or country
And for each have found a grave.

So as through a glass and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names – but always me.

So forever in the future
Shall I battle as of yore,
Dying to be born a fighter
But to die again once more.” -Gen. George S. Patton

It’s Tysabri Day

imageTysabri is the medication I’m on for Multiple Sclerosis. An infusion every 4 weeks. After being on it for 6 months, my side effects are not severe, but not fun at all. I’m tired all the time, I have stomach and bladder pain. Overall, it’s helping me have more good days than bad. And my wonderful girlfriend is always with me for support. I can only hope and pray that it will put me in remission. Have an excellent day, everyone. -Spencer

Let it Go

I’d just like to say that it is PERFECTLY acceptable for a grown man to sing Let It Go alone in his room, or walking around a casino with his girlfriend, or whilst taking a dump… It’s a bloody good song! Don’t judge me! … I think this counts as my review of Frozen? We’ll go with that. Frozen is good. 7/10.

Top 25 Favorite Films

  • The Fifth Element
  • Patton
  • The Illusionist
  • V for Vendetta
  • Princess Mononoke
  • Pacific Rim
  • Lion King
  • The Prestige
  • Doctor Strangelove
  • Star Wars Episode VI
  • The King’s Speech
  • Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
  • Papillon
  • Curious Case of Benjiman Button
  • Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Battle Royale
  • The Godfather
  • Inglorious Basterds
  • Pulp Fiction
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • Star Wars Episode V
  • Jurassic Park
  • Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
  • Dune

Honorable mentions include: The Great Escape, Taxi Driver, The Princess Bride, Goldfinger, The Aviator, and Enemy at the Gates.

Batman vs. Superman… WHY?!

image              After watching Batman vs. Superman, I can say…  I liked it… ONLY because it was Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in the same film(which is constantly slapping you in the face until the credits roll). I actually liked Batfleck, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Gal Gadot does an excellent job as Wonder Woman. SPOILERS AHEAD. However, it was a horrible movie. You have no idea that’s Wonder Woman unless you know the comics, or read IMDb, Batman kills a bunch of people and is a psycho, Doomsday was definitely the wrong way to go, the scene where Batman and Superman become best buds is Razzie-worthy(they become friends because of their mothers’ names), Luthor was like a C level Joker, the dialogue was horrid, the one-liners were cringe-worthy, Darkseid is not the villain I’d choose for Justice League, Superman’s death was EXTREMELY predictable, and David S. Goyer and Zack Snyder definitely hates fans. Was it too much to ask for a GOOD Batman vs. Superman film?! It was… A mess. I give it 3/10. However, I encourage everyone to go see it and form your own opinion.

The Fifth Element, a Review

imageFor the first in my review series, I decided to review my personal favorite film, The Fifth Element. Overall it’s a very fun film, not devoid of humor, action, or Gary Oldman putting on a southern accent. When it begins, we meet an archaeologist in an ancient temple, researching hieroglyphs telling about a cataclysm that occurs every 5,000 years. The cataclysm is always halted by 4 stones representing the 4 elements(water, earth, fire, and air) and a fifth element, a supreme being, “perfect in every way”. A race known as the Mondoshawan, the protectors of the universe, arrive to retrieve the stones from Earth, promising to return in 300 years when the cataclysm returns to destroy all life throughout the universe.

300 years later, we meet the main cast: Bruce Willis as Corbin Dallas, Milla Jovovich as Leelo, Ian Holm as Preist Vito Cornelius, Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod, and, of course, Gary Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg. Very quickly, you learn the antagonist of the movie is  evil, the literal embodiment of evil, in the form of a planet.

Priest Vito Cornelius: “Imagine for a moment that this thing is not anything that can be identified because it prefers not to be. Wherever there is life, it brings death, because it is evil, absolute evil.”

Zorg is in the employ of this evil entity, and is attempting to get ahold of the 4 stones, taking them from the Mondoshawan. He doesn’t succeed, and eventually ends up getting blown up on a space cruise ship.

As the film goes along, Corbin falls in love with Leelo, and gets annoyed by Ruby Rhod, attends an opera, retrieves the stones from the innards of the opera singer, fights some aliens, and ultimately he and Leelo save the universe with the power of love.

Probably not the best overview, but if I were to delve into the entire movie, it would take forever. Short and sweet is how I write reviews. Overall, I give The Fifth Element 10/10. Stay tuned for my reviews of Batman vs. Superman, Patton, Deadpool, and Star Wars Episode I-VII.

A Wanderer’s Struggle

Over the past several years, I’ve moved around a lot, finally settling in Texas. Each move was difficult, and physically taxing. Since 2011 I’ve been struggling with Multiple Sclerosis. I’ve never really been in remission, symptoms every day, making me unable to work. But, I am getting stronger. However, MS certainly hasn’t taken my nerdiness and sense of humor from me. I decided to start a blog to share my love of film. Many reviews to come. “No matter the danger, no matter the dread challenge that awaits me… I must go forth.” -Stephen Strange