The Best Movies of All of Time, vers. 2013

Wow.  So, when I first set out to do this blog three years ago, the plan was to write one post a  day.  That, of course was a bit much for someone with a full time job and a family.  I then decided to cut it down to a couple of posts per week.  Well, it's turned into couple of posts per year, but who's counting? 

My 30th birthday is coming up, so with a feeling of a sense of my own mortality, I decided today to rehash my annual "Best Movies Ever" list.  I think that I was feeling a little nostalgic this year, since a bunch of older classics either moved up or made the list for the first time (e.g. 'Return of the Jedi', 'The Silence of the Lambs', 'Butch Cassidy', 'The Godfather', etc.).  Also, the comedies were a bit less inspiring for me, with films like 'Superbad' and 'The Hangover' taking big plunges, and 'Dumb and Dumber', 'American Pie', and 'Borat' falling off the list completely.  2012 was also not a great year for new movies, in my opinion.  Only two films that I saw ('The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Wreck-it-Ralph') made the list, and the Top 4 remained unchanged.  

All-in-all, I really love movies, and I hope that you all appreciate my feelings on this list.  If I've left anything out that you feel should be included, I'd love to hear about it.  And if you think that my opinion just totally sucks when it comes to movies, then feel free to find your nearest cliff, stand four paces away from the edge, and walk five paces forward.  Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

(Movies that moved up are notated in GREEN, ones that moved down are in RED, previously unranked are in BLUE, and those that remained unchanged from the past year are in BLACK.)

1. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) [-]

2. Fight Club (1999) [-]

3. Inception (2010) [-]

4. The Dark Knight (2008) [-]

5. Pulp Fiction (1994) [UP 2]

6. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) [UP 3]

7. Inglourious Basterds (2009) [DOWN 1]

8. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) [-]

9. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) [UP 4]

10. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [-]

11. Se7en (1995) [-]

12. The Usual Suspects (1995) [-]

13. The Big Lebowski (1998) [UP 1]

14. Heat (1995) [UP 8]

15. Snatch (2000) [-]

16. The Fifth Element (1997) [UP 9]

17. Warrior (2011) [DOWN 12]

18. Jerry Maguire (1996) [DOWN 2]

19. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) [DOWN 1]

20. The Departed (2006) [UP 1]

21. V for Vendetta (2006) [UP 2]

22. The Lion King (1994) [DOWN 3]

23. 300 (2006) [UP 1]

24. The Matrix (1999) [DOWN 7]

25. Forrest Gump (1994) [DOWN 5]

26. American History X (1998) [-]

27. Saving Private Ryan (1998) [-]

28. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) [-]

29. The Incredibles (2004) [-]

30. Braveheart (1995) [UP 5]

31. L.A. Confidential (1997) [DOWN 1]

32. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) [-]

33. Reservoir Dogs (1992) [-]

34. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) [DOWN 3]

35. The Prestige (2006) [DOWN 1]

36. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) [-]

37. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) [-]

38. Wreck-It-Ralph (2012) [UNR]

39. The Princess Bride (1987) [UNR]

40. Gangs of New York (2002) [UP 9]

41. Mission: Impossible (1996) [DOWN 2]

42. Black Hawk Down (2001) [UP 8]

43. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) [DOWN 5]

44. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) [UP 19]

45. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) [UP 53]

46. Kung Fu Panda (2008) [DOWN 6]

47. Transformers (2007) [DOWN 6]

48. Jurassic Park (1993) [DOWN 6]

49. Iron Man (2008) [DOWN 5]

50. Top Gun (1986) [DOWN 7]

51. The Rock (1996) [DOWN 6]

52. Ocean's Eleven (2001) [DOWN 5]

53. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) [UP 5]

54. Leon: The Professional (1994) [UNR]

55. Collateral (2004) [DOWN 4]

56. Die Hard (1988) [UP 3]

57. Tropic Thunder (2008) [DOWN 9]

58. Batman Begins (2005) [DOWN 5]

59. Shrek (2001) [DOWN 3]

60. Aladdin (1992) [-]

61. Terminator (1984) [UP 7]

62. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) [UP 7]

63. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) [DOWN 11]

64. X-Men (2000) [DOWN 7]

65. Aliens (1986) [DOWN 11]

66. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) [DOWN 4]

67. Batman (1989) [DOWN 3]

68. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) [UNR]

69. A Few Good Men (1992) [UP 2]

70. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) [UP 15]

71. Sherlock Holmes (2009) [UNR]

72. First Blood (1982) [DOWN 7]

73. The Kingdom (2007) [DOWN 7]

74. The Bourne Identity (2002) [DOWN 13]

75. The Last Samurai (2003) [DOWN 5]

76. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) [UP 7]

77. Full Metal Jacket (1987) [UNR]

78. The Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) [DOWN 6]

79. The Hunt for Red October (1990) [DOWN 5]

80. Good Will Hunting (1997) [DOWN 7]

81. Interview With a Vampire (1994) [UP1]

82. Shakespeare in Love (1998) [UP 4]

83. The Sixth Sense (1999) [DOWN 37]

84. Big Daddy (1999) [DOWN 8]

85. Superbad (2007) [DOWN 18]

86. The Hangover (2009) [DOWN 31]

87. Traffic (2000) [DOWN 12]

88. Apollo 13 (1995) [DOWN 8]

89. The Transformers: The Movie (1986) [DOWN 2]

90. Gladiator (2000) [UP 1]

91. Predator (1987) [UP 4]

92. Law Abiding Citizen (2009) [-]

93. Munich (2005) [-]

94. Master and Commander (2003) [-]

95. True Grit (1969) [UP 2]

96. The Godfather (1972) [UNR]

97. Schindler’s List (1993) [UNR]

98. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [UNR]

99. Ratatouille (2007) [UNR]

100. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) [UNR]

Honorable Mentions (with previous year’s rank where applicable)

Hook (1991)

Kill Bill: Vol II (2004) [previously #88]

King Kong (2005) [previously #89]

Beauty and the Beast (1991) [previously # 96]

Memento (2000) [previously #99]

We Were Soldiers (2002) [previously #90]

Enter the Dragon (1973) [previously #100]

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Ace Ventura (1994)

Dumb & Dumber (1994) [previously #78]

American Pie (1999) [previously #84]

American Beauty (1999)

Borat (2006) [previously #79]

The biggest increase for the year came from 'Wreck-it-Ralph', being previously unranked and coming in this year at #38, making it the best movie to come out in 2012 in my opinion.  The biggest drop came from 'The Sixth Sense', which fell 37 spots from #46 to #83.  So, there it is!  I hope that you enjoyed it, and stayed tunes for next year's version!

My New and Updated Top 100 Movies List!

For my first post of 2012, I wanted to write about something near and dear to my heart. The first thing I thought of was God, but I doubt anyone wants to hear me pander on about religion. Secondly, I thought of family, but how many times can I elaborate on how much I love my wife until readers are just bored to tears. Fitness is also a strong point for me, but probably not something that I'm brushed up on enough to speak intelligently on. So what better topic than my favorite past time and art form...Movies!

As you all may have noticed, a little over a year ago I posted "Matt Gooch's Top 100 Films of All Time". Well, 2011 has come and gone, and with it, a full year's worth of movies.

Now, I'll be honest, there were not a great deal of movies that came out this past year that are worthy of my Top 100 list, but there were a couple greats (anybody see 'Warrior'? Badass!). Also, a few films will have shifted up or down the list as they either gained or lost favor in my eyes, so I will notate each film's movement for the past year. So, here it is! Enjoy. (Movies that moved up

are notated in GREEN, ones that moved down are in RED, previously unranked are in BLUE, and those that remained unchanged from the past year are in BLACK.)

Rank Title Year of Release Change in rank from previous year

1. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) [-]

2. Fight Club (1999) [-]

3. Inception (2010) [UP 2]

4. The Dark Knight (2008) [-]

5. Warrior (2011) [UNR]

6. Inglourious Basterds (2009) [UP 1]

7. Pulp Fiction (1994) [UP 5]

8. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) [UP 2]

9. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) [DOWN 3]

10. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [DOWN 2]

11. Se7en (1995) [DOWN 2]

12. The Usual Suspects (1995) [UP 5]

13. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) [UP 1]

14. The Big Lebowski (1998) [UP 18]

15. Snatch (2000) [UP 6]

16. Jerry Maguire (1996) [DOWN 13]

17. The Matrix (1999) [UP 1]

18. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) [DOWN 7]

19. The Lion King (1994) [DOWN 6]

20. Forrest Gump (1994) [-]

21. The Departed (2006) [UP 3]

22. Heat (1995) [UP 9]

23. V for Vendetta (2006) [UP 11]

24. 300 (2006) [UP 18]

25. The Fifth Element (1997) [UP 10]

26. American History X (1998) [DOWN 4]

27. Saving Private Ryan (1998) [DOWN 4]

28. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) [DOWN 12]

29. The Incredibles (2004) [DOWN 4]

30. L.A. Confidential (1997) [DOWN 4]

31. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) [UNR]

32. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) [DOWN 17]

33. Reservoir Dogs (1992) [DOWN 6]

34. The Prestige (2006) [DOWN 6]

35. Braveheart (1995) [DOWN 6]

36. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) [DOWN 6]

37. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) [DOWN 4]

38. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) [-]

39. Mission: Impossible (1996) [UP 8]

40. Kung Fu Panda (2008) [DOWN 4]

41. Transformers (2007) [DOWN 4]

42. Jurassic Park (1993) [DOWN 3]

43. Top Gun (1986) [UP 5]

44. Iron Man (2008) [DOWN 4]

45. The Rock (1996) [UP 18]

46. The Sixth Sense (1999) [DOWN 5]

47. Ocean's Eleven (2001) [DOWN 2]

48. Tropic Thunder (2008) [UP 28]

49. Gangs of New York (2002) [UP 15]

50. Black Hawk Down (2001) [UP 27]

51. Collateral (2004) [UP 32]

52. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) [UNR]

53. Batman Begins (2005) [UNR]

54. Aliens (1986) [DOWN 35]

55. The Hangover (2009) [DOWN 12]

56. Shrek (2001) [DOWN 12]

57. X-Men (2000) [DOWN 8]

58. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) [DOWN 8]

59. Die Hard (1988) [UP 3]

60. Aladdin (1992) [UP 14]

61. The Bourne Identity (2002) [DOWN 10]

62. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) [DOWN 9]

63. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) [DOWN 9]

64. Batman (1989) [DOWN 9]

65. First Blood (1982) [DOWN 9]

66. The Kingdom (2007) [UP 18]

67. Superbad (2007) [DOWN 10]

68. Terminator (1984) [DOWN 10]

69. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) [DOWN 1]

70. The Last Samurai (2003) [UP 3]

71. A Few Good Men (1992) [DOWN 12]

72. The Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) [UP 3]

73. Good Will Hunting (1997) [DOWN 13]

74. The Hunt for Red October (1990) [DOWN 3]

75. Traffic (2000) [DOWN 5]

76. Big Daddy (1999) [DOWN 15]

77. Hook (1991) [DOWN 5]

78. Dumb & Dumber (1994) [DOWN 9]

79. Borat (2006) [DOWN 12]

80. Apollo 13 (1995) [DOWN 28]

81. Ace Ventura (1994) [DOWN 3]

82. Interview With a Vampire (1994) [DOWN 3]

83. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) [UP 2]

84. American Pie (1999) [DOWN 4]

85. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) [DOWN 4]

86. Shakespeare in Love (1998) [DOWN 4]

87. The Transformers: The Movie (1986) [DOWN 1]

88. Kill Bill: Vol II (2004) [DOWN 1]

89. King Kong (2005) [DOWN 1]

90. We Were Soldiers (2002) [DOWN 1]

91. Gladiator (2000) [UP 1]

92. Law Abiding Citizen (2009) [UP 1]

93. Munich (2005) [UP 5]

94. Master and Commander (2003) [-]

95. Predator (1987) [UP 4]

96. Beauty and the Beast (1991) [DOWN 6]

97. True Grit (1969) [UNR]

98. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) [DOWN 1]

99. Memento (2000) [DOWN 4]

100. Enter the Dragon (1973) [UNR]

Knocked off of list from previous year

100. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

91. Dazed and Confused (1993)

96. Moulin Rouge (2001)

46. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

65. American Beauty (1999)

66. The Ring (2002)

So the film with the biggest jump up was Warrior, which was previously unranked and is now #5. And the movie that dropped off the most was Passion of the Christ, falling from #46 to being unranked. So that's it! Hopefully you enjoyed it, and I welcome anyone's feedback as to what movies you feel like should be on here.

Occupy what?

I think we've all heard about The Occupy Wallstreet movement. It started sometime in September of this year, has gained some popularity and noteriety, and continues to press on today. I remember when I first saw these retards out and about. I was in downtown Colorado Springs with my family headed to a store to pick up some new running shoes and there they were, posted up on the street corner. There were probably about a dozen of them with signs out there, and a couple of guys wearing Guy Fawkes(V for Vendetta) masks. Yeah dick heads, real original. I didn't know who these people were or what they were protesting then...just figured they were some idiots disgruntled about this or that.

So the other day I just happened to see something in print about the Occupy Wallstreeters (I'm just saying OW from here on, because I'm tired of typing it out), and thought to myself, "Huh, these dumbasses are still around...who would have thought?" And then I started wondering what exactly it is that they are protesting. They obviously don't like Wall Street, as they supposedly want to "occupy" it...as if they would know what to do with if they did. It would simply turn into a giant fest of makeshift tents, body odor, and bong resin, with a couple idiots singing the wrong words to crappy songs on out-of-tune guitars. They also aren't big into the rich, I guess, and they probably want a lot of free stuff given to them so they don't have to work for it. These are just the ideas I've gathered myself by seeing their protests here and there.

But I wanted to dig deeper. I decided to do a little research to find out just what it is these douches want. I've got to tell you, it was painful.

I first came across an October 11th interview with Mark Bray, a spokesperson for OW, conducted by Hannah Kaviani. One of the first remarks from Bray that caught my eye was "Now, certainly what we want first and foremost is economic justice. We want a world where people have jobs, healthcare and so forth." Okay, I get that. Jobs are good. Healthcare is good. But what exactly does he mean by "economic justice"? He doesn't really elaborate on the point. So, we'll have to hold off on that one. Later on Hannah asks Bray about politicians joining the cause. "...some major politicians have actually come out to endorse it. One example is Nancy Pelosi, who is one of the most important Democrats in Congress, and she’s come out in support." Wow, Nancy Pelosi, huh? Now I know we're dealing with some real winners of society when they start garnering support from Nancy Pelosi, who we all know, is just the absolute pinnacle of justice and morality. I'd love to have her be in support of my cause! I'd cry it from the rooftops. I mean, it's not as though the country would be better served if her car ran head on into a train, right? Nancy Pelosi...give me a break.

So I decided this jabroni's article was getting me nowhere snd decided to try and find more productive fare. And lo and behold what did I come across but CNN.com! I found an October 15th article written by Sally Kohn on this very topic. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with ol' Sally, she is a political commentator for CNN.com and the Huffington Post among other things. That's putting it nicely. To be perfectly honest, she's about as far left as Joseph Stalin, and looks like the High Chief of the Bull Dyke clan.

Througout the article she repeatedly refers to the OW crowd as the "99%". Hmm, 99%...that's a lot. Well with the US popualtion currently around 309 million, that would mean that roughly 305 million people are all about this OW nonsense. I guess Sally's not too good with math. Pretty sure the actual number is probably in the ten thousands, but I couldn't find any real membership figures so that's really just an estimation. So, I'm not sure where Sally's getting her figures from, but I'd be under the assumption that the actual 99% of people in this nation either have no clue what OW is, or are completely indifferent.

One question she asked was "Will the "99%" persuade the "1%" to be more compassionate?" By this I assume she's referring to the top 1% earners in the country. Another example of a liberal ass clown drinking that yummy left-thinking Kool-Aid and not bothering to look up a thing like facts. Let's get down to the nitty gritty: The top 1% (that's anyone who nets more than $343,926 a year) pays over 36% of the taxes. If you want to include the top 10% ($112,124 or more), your up to over 70% of the taxes...psst, Sally, that's straight from the IRS. I know, research, weird.

And let's get specific and look at a few of the top earners in the country (or as liberals like Sally Kohn and Barack Obama like to call them, Satan's minions). Bill and Melinda Gates, arguably the wealthiest couple in America, gave away $29 billion to charity between 2000 and 2007. That's billion with a 'b'. 9 zeros. And through their Foundation plan to give away over 95% of their wealth eventually...sounds pretty compassionate to me. Warren Buffet, the multi-billion dollar CEO that OW hounds constantly has donated over 78% of his wealth...nearly $50 billion dollars! And in 2008 pledged to match the donations of the Gateses. How many of those worthless degenerate protesters donates 78% of their earnings? Oh, that's right none. They want everything for free from the one percenters. I really don't understand why people are demonized for being successful in this country. Is it a crime to work hard for your dreams and to provide for yourself and your family? It seems to me that the 1% is pretty damn compassionate.

Sally goes on to state that "Polls show this movement's message against corporate greed not only has wider support than either political party in Washington but wider support than the tea party." Once again, no references. No actual facts or citings of when or where these polls took place, but apparently the entire WORLD is in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Next November, you will see the new OW party with a candidate running for president.

She later starts talking about their goals and I'm thinking, okay, here we go, I'm actually going to find out what these useless half-witted boners are all about. But after talking with them, she keeps saying their goals might be, or this could mean that they want so and so. And then it hits me, this bitch doesn't even know! She's sitting here praising them because it's the PC thing to do and it's what her brainless liberal bosses want her to talk about. Time to move on.

So two articles down and the only real gist I've gotten about these illiterate sacs of yeast infection is that they basically just want to breed a nation of laziness, where a select few work really hard to support the intellectually inferior and motivationally challenged.

I decided to give it one more shot. Sally Kohn gave me an idea when she referenced the Tea Party in her article. This time I searched for the differences between Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party and...DING DING DING, we have a winner! I got csindy.com, or the Colorado Springs Independent (good old Colorado Springs never lets me down). I found a November 3rd article by David Morris where the differences between the two movements are chronicled. Thank you, Jesus!

One of the first interesting points I came across about OW was that their demands effectively boil down to these: "Free us from the bondage of our debts and give us a basic ability to survive." Okay, so you choose to get yourself into debt, and because you have financial problems, the USG should just erase that debt for you because you are lazy, produce nothing of value, and provide no beneficial service to society. Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Morris cites a quote from Herman Cain (I know, not the most PC guy around, but he makes a point) where Cain recently stated, "Don't blame Wall Street. Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself." I don’t see how people don’t get this. I remember hearing stories of people turning down job offers because the money they would make would be less than they made on unemployment. Are you kidding me? Why is the money made on unemployment so high? How long can these worthless dredges to society stay on unemployment? Do they know where unemployment comes from? Sure, it’s a government program. The government pays the money. Oh, yes, and the government just has these stockpiles of money that they graciously hand out to the masses. Stockpiles that accumulate magically out of nowhere from pixie dust and monkey shit. I know this is going to blow your mind but pay close attention...the government has NO money. Did you get that? Any money that the government pays is from the people that pay taxes (We talked about them earlier. The OW folks wouldn't know anything about this paying taxes thing).

So I guess I never got a real straight answer about what OW stand for, but I guess that's because I'm sure most of these people don't know themselves. For whatever reason, they've fallen on hard times and needed someone to blame. Insert: the Social and Economic Elite. But honestly all it really comes down to is apathy and the desire to have others work for them while they do nothing.

Occupy Wallstreet demonizes big banks and the top earners of society, the people who show that the American Dream is a real and palpable thing. Simply put, if you hunker down, work hard, and put your mind to achieving a goal, you can accomplish anything. Apparently, if you are a well-earning, successful person in America these days, you are the enemy. America is the Land of Oppurtunity, where all men (and women) are created equal. That doesn’t mean that we remain equal all of our lives and it doesn’t mean that we earn equally either. There are people in our country who simply work harder than others and they deserve to make more money. Enough said. Bill Gates started out as a college dropout in a garage with some monitors, some keyboards, and a bunch of wires, thinking of how he could make a living out of bettering society. He did not make his first billion by sitting on a street with a sign, reeking of old cheese and bird feces, yelling that rich people should give him money and government should give him healthcare. He worked hard and reaped what he sowed. The Occupy Wallstreeters will reap what they sow eventually…which is nothing.

Listen, I'm not against a person's right to protest. In fact I feel like the freedom of speech is one of our most important. I also agree that there are some very significant problems with our country and our government that need to be fixed. But instead of holding signs and camping out in parks, how about you actually get into politics and make the changes you want to see? If you make a valid point people will follow you and vote for your values.

Instead of Occupy Wall Street, how about occupy a desk, or occupy a job? Why not occupy some self respect, work for what you want, achieve your goals, and stop wasting everyone else's time?

Overstreched U.S. drone pilots face stress risk...seriously?

Okay, so I'm in the military so I understand that people get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from things that they see and experience while deployed overseas. I know people personally that have dealt with or are dealing with it now. But when a co-worker of mine told me that he saw on the news that U.S. Air Force "pilots" of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are experiencing PTSD, I was literally speachless. Naturally I had to research this for myself for it was completely unbelievable to me. (I will attempt to keep the swearing to a minimum during this rant, but this pisses me off, so bear with me).

What I found was a story in Reuters entitled with the same title that I used for this post (minus the seriously). Let's go over a little background on this subject for those of you who aren't really familiar with these things. UAVs are drone aircraft (meaning they don't have people in them) that we use to fly around and look at stuff and take pictures (in a nutshell). Sometimes they also have weapons on them. The so-called "pilots" of these vehicles are typically overweight Air Force nerds who sit in a dark room with a remote control and fly the drones where they need to go. Sometimes they don't even have to deploy overseas to do it. Okay, so they play an important role, I'll give them that much. However, I don't call the 8 year old that lives on my street a pilot because he has a remote control airplane...and he goes inside afterwards and slays people on online on Call of Duty. I wouldn't go as far as calling him a SPEC OPS soldier either, but I digress. The only difference between the eight year old and these UAV monkeys is about 28 years of age, 30 pounds of fat, and a wicked case of acne.

Newsflash Jumbo: you're not a pilot! A pilot is a dude with a pair of aviator sunglasses and a sweet mustache that can pull a 4g turn at 12,000 ft. while snorting coke and getting a bj, all on 2 1/2 hours of sleep. Not some sniveling little college dropout who's closest thing to female companionship falls somewhere between his mom that he still lives with and the underwear model in the JC Penney catalogue. So we'll call them UAV operators from here on.

The report noted that 17% of UAV operators experience "clinical distress" while 28% of soldiers returning from Iraq experience it. Are you kidding me?! So let me get this straight...per average, there are only 11% percent more combat soldiers (guys who storm into decrepit villages mowing down terrorists, winning hearts and minds of locals, who sometimes have to watch their buddies die in front of them and probably get shot themselves) who experience "clinical distress" than these tubs of shit that play with remote control planes for a living?! Your stress level should be ZERO you jack wagons!

"The bulk of what drone crews do is surveillance, monitoring suspects or compounds. But they also sometimes take out targets. That means pressing a button that can lead to someone's death half a world away, then ending your shift to meet family at, say, a child's soccer practice. The transition can be difficult for soldiers at places like Creech Air Force Base in Nevada." (Reuters)

That's a direct quote from the article. Hmm. Sounds pretty cut and dry to me. Let's see, on the one hand I've got this Army Ranger who, after being sprayed with his best friend's blood, shoot's a terrosist in the face from 3 feet away and watches his head explode. Yeah, I can see where stress might be associated with that. Then on the other hand, I've got Fat's McGee, sitting in his roll away chair in a nice air conditioned room choking down Cheezy Poofs and Twinkies. He pushes a button which fires a missile on some unsuspecting bad guys on the other side of the planet. He then turns off his little system, goes home, parks his fat ass in his Lazy Boy, and proceeds to watch his favorite reality TV shows and play World of Warcraft all night. Yeah, real stressful. Granted it's great work he's doing and I'm nothing if not greatful that he's doing it. But don't try and feed me this BS that you're stressed that you may have killed someone today. First of all, you didn't kill anyone. Your drone fired a missile that did. And if you want to get really technical, you got orders from some general who is overall responsible for your entire mission. Even if you feel responible because you pushed the button, you're literally thousands of miles away and watching it on a friggin video monitor. It's basically a video game for you. Do you get all teary eyed when the aliens die on Halo? I didn't think so.

You guys need to realize something. We live in the greatest country in the world and because of this people everywhere hate our guts and want to do us harm...that and because we support Israel. By operating an unmanned drone and blowing these assholes to pieces from afar, you're not only keeping Americans safe, but you're helping out some REAL pilot so that he doesn't have to actually put himself in harms way. You are patriots and I salute you, but man up and don't tell me that you're stressed. You've got the world's easiest job. Live with it and love it.

A Thought on Movies...

Well, I can't even remember the last time I did this thing, and I suppose it's been equal parts busyness, laziness, and indifference. But, fortunately enough, all great things in life will find a way to prevail. Enjoy.

So the wife and I got to talking about movies, and she asked me what my Top 3 films were. I told her, and then she bumped up the question to my Top 10. It took me a little longer, but I came up with it. When I started to walk away, she told me to hold up, and wanted to know my Top 20 (yeah, I know this is ridiculous, but we're a couple of nerds and we love each other). So I got to thinking...it's been about forever and a year since I blogged, and what better topic to resurrect this thing on than Movies. So I decided to completely out-do all of her lists and post my personal Top 100 films of all time. Now this is totally my own personal preference, so there may be movies that some of you don't like, and others that you may think flat out suck, but frankly, I don't really care. If you want to let me know one that you feel belongs, by all means, or just write your own (albeit not as good) list. But I digress. So, without further ado, "The Matt Gooch Top 100 Films of All Time"!

1. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
2. Fight Club (1999)
3. Jerry Maguire (1996)
4. The Dark Knight (2008)
5. Inception (2010)
6. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
7. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
8. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
9. Se7en (1995)
10. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
11. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
12. Pulp Fiction (1994)
13. The Lion King (1994)
14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
15. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17. The Usual Suspects (1995)
18. The Matrix (1999)
19. Aliens (1986)
20. Forrest Gump (1994)
21. Snatch (2000)
22. American History X (1998)
23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
24. The Departed (2006)
25. The Incredibles (2004)
26. L.A. Confidential (1997)
27. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
28. The Prestige (2006)
29. Braveheart (1995)
30. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
31. Heat (1995)
32. The Big Lebowski (1998)
33. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
34. V for Vendetta (2006)
35. The Fifth Element (1997)
36. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
37. Transformers (2007)
38. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
39. Jurassic Park (1993)
40. Iron Man (2008)
41. The Sixth Sense (1999)
42. 300 (2006)
43. The Hangover (2009)
44. Shrek (2001)
45. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
46. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
47. Mission: Impossible (1996)
48. Top Gun (1986)
49. X-Men (2000)
50. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
51. The Bourne Identity (2002)
52. Apollo 13 (1995)
53. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
54. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
55. Batman (1989)
56. First Blood (1982)
57. Superbad (2007)
58. Terminator (1984)
59. A Few Good Men (1992)
60. Good Will Hunting (1997)
61. Big Daddy (1999)
62. Die Hard (1988)
63. The Rock (1996)
64. Gangs of New York (2002)
65. American Beauty (1999)
66. The Ring (2002)
67. Borat (2006)
68. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
69. Dumb & Dumber (1994)
70. Traffic (2000)
71. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
72. Hook (1991)
73. The Last Samurai (2003)
74. Aladdin (1992)
75. The Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
76. Tropic Thunder (2008)
77. Black Hawk Down (2001)
78. Ace Ventura (1994)
79. Interview With a Vampire (1994)
80. American Pie (1999)
81. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
82. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
83. Collateral (2004)
84. The Kingdom (2007)
85. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
86. The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
87. Kill Bill: Vol II (2004)
88. King Kong (2005)
89. We Were Soldiers (2002)
90. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
91. Dazed and Confused (1993)
92. Gladiator (2000)
93. Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
94. Master abd Commander (2003)
95. Memento (2000)
96. Moulin Rouge (2001)
97. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
98. Munich (2005)
99. Predator (1987)
100. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Voila.

A Thought on Whether or Not Extraterrestrial Life exists...

I watched a movie recently that really got me thinking on this subject. The was "The Fourth Kind" and was supposedly based on true events that occured in Nome, Alaska around the year 2000. It chronicled a psychologist's work with people who were apparently experiencing abductions and showed actual footage of some the interviews and events that the film was centered around. Now, this debate has been going on for decades, possibly centuries, with one side wholeheartedly against the idea, and thinking it's absurd, while the other fervently believes that there is intelligent life out there that readily visits our planet. Films, television programs, and books have all been released over the years with someone's interpretation of alien life, what they look like, and how they act.

The argument that most people use when trying to substantiate the existance of extraterrestrial life the evidence from past generations. They point to such structures as the Great Pyramids, Machu Pichu, Stonehenge, and the Nazca Lines in Peru, stating that it would have been physically impossible for primitive cultures to have created such large and elaborate structures. Also, ancient pictures and writings show images that could be interpreted as people interacting with and receiving things from aliens. Added to this is the fact that over the past years, over million people have either supposedly witnessed a UFO sighting, or have claimed to have been a part of some kind of alien interaction/abduction.

On the flip side of the coin, there are those who find the idea of other intelligent life in the universe ludicrous and absurd. Their biggest argument stems from the lack of evidence of those claiming that aliens do indeed exist. They equate a person's belief in alien lifeform's to a child's belief in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, stating it's more that people want there to be aliens and are fascinated by the possibility of them among us rather than actually having proof or having seen them.

My thought on the subject is that there is life elsewhere in the universe, but that aliens have never visited our planet. The are approximately one hundred thousand million stars in our galaxy alone...and there are millions upon millions of galaxies. Now, I'm no genius (gifted, yes, but not quite a genius), but that seems like a lot. And even if only a small percentage of those stars have solar systems of their own, I think it is a bit naive and possibly self-centered to think that we are the only life form existing in all of that! However, there just isn't enough evidence to convince me that any other life form has visited our planet from another. It just seems to me that with all of the technology we have available to us that there would be something a little more concrete to show us for sure that we actually have had 'visitors'. I mean, there are literally thousands of man-made satellites orbiting the earth. Wouldn't it be safe to assume that one of these would have seen something? It also just seems to me that all of the 'UFO sightings' and 'abductions' always occur in remote locations and are reported on by people of questionable mental stability and dental hygiene. There's also the mathematical aspect of it. If the technology ever became available for us to travel at the speed of light, it would take four years to reach the next closest star, and 50 years to reach the closest Earth-like planet. Now there is always the possibility that there is some advanced life form out there that can move from point A to point B instantaneously and can trick all of our technology so we have no record of them. But in that case, why would they come here? What could possibly be so interesting about us? There are of course two possiblities, both of which stem from a Sci-Fi movie of some kind: (1)We are some sort zoo to them, or (2) Their planet is dying and they want ours. Either way, whatever, I'll simply end with the phrase that I always use to answer if people ask me if I believe in aliens...I don't care. If they're out there or not, chances are it isn't going to affect me in the slightest.

A Thought on Low-Rider Pick-Up Trucks...

Well, if you noticed the title, you can probably guess what I saw while driving to work today. Are you kidding me? It took me a moment to take it in and let my brain register, but yes, that's what it was. Now, all low-riders are stupid. They serve no purpose, and for all of you that have or want one, allow me to let you in on a little secret: They don't look cool. Cars, okay, I get it. They're already lower to the ground, and for some reason, you had an aneurysm or something and want it lower. Whatever. Even smaller pickups (i.e. S-10s, Frontiers, etc.), I can kind of almost see in a sick, twisted, half-retarded way. But not this guy. He had a Dodge Ram, man-sized truck almost scraping off the pavement. Come on dude. Seriously? This is what you want to spend your hard earned money on? I'll be completely honest, I was so dumbfounded at the lunacy of this inbred mongoloid's decision-making process, that only one word crossed my mind as he passed me going the other way: Idiot. So take comfort, guy, that 90% of the English speaking population that sees you thinks you're a moron. Congratulations. Your parents must be proud.

So a little piece of advice for all of you out there: If you really feel the need to be that much closer to the ground, do the rest of us a favor and buy a street luge. That way the people who drive trucks the way they're supposed to be driven can crush you into the asphalt if need be.