The KrapShoot

"Shawshank Redemption" article by Robert C Skillman

noreply@blogger.com (Robert C Skillman) — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 10:30:00 +0000

Hope! “Remember hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Such a good quote and one of the many reasons why I love the movie Shawshank Redemption. So much so that it is The KrapShoot Top Ten Movies number one pick!!!!! People always seem surprised when I tell them that this is my all time favorite movie. “Why?” they ask in a tone of almost disapproval. I always respond the same way. No movie expresses the power of hope like Shawshank Redemption. Here's this man wrongfully accused and incarcerated. He has unimaginable horrors happen to him while in prison. He is used by those who are supposed to be the good guys, the warden specifically, to commit criminal acts. When he finally has a chance at being found innocent the warden hides the proof by killing the man who could prove it. Even then he doesn't lose hope. Hope drives him to his ultimate redemption. He escapes that prison by crawling through a sewer pipe. The great thing about this movie is that it shows no matter what this life throws at you or what crap you have to wade through you can make it through and be better for it. It's an awesome thought and even though I know the story is fictional I also know that people have endured even worse and still came out clean on the other side.

“I guess it come down to one simple choice: Get busy living, or get busy dying.” Another great quote to live by. That is what this life comes down to right? Am I going to really live today or is it just another day of dying? You've got to make that choice to do something more with your life then just living to die. It's not always easy, but I think the struggle of living is getting busy living.

The acting in this movie is amazing. Tim Robbins stars as Andy Dufresne, a man accused of killing his wife and the man she was cheating on him with. Andy is sentenced to prison for two life terms. Morgan Freeman starred as Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding, the man who knew how to get things in prison. Both actors knock it out of the park. Whenever I hear Morgan Freeman's voice on anything, this movie is what comes to mind. The writing is obviously amazing and has a really cool story to it. Steven King wrote a short story titled Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption. He sold his story to a screen writer, Frank Darabont, for one dollar. Frank then wrote the screenplay and sent it off to CastleRock Production Studio who turned it into the movie we know and love today.

As great of a movie as Shawshank is when it first came out it was a flop. No one wanted to sit through a two and a half hour prison drama that sounded religious. It wasn't until the next year, when the movie’s home video sale skyrocketed, that it became a success. The word of mouth got around fast and it soon became one of the greatest movies of all time. IMBD has it as their number one movie of all time. When I made my choice I had no idea it was IMBD’s number one pick as well, but it doesn't surprise me.

If you have never seen this movie I really don't know what to say. Your life is incomplete without this movie and that's just the truth of it. If you don't feel inspired during the scene where Andy puts on an opera record and locks himself in the warden’s office then puts the music on the speakers for all the inmates to hear, then what will inspire you? Andy is hope in this movie and here he is not just enjoying the spoils of his hope, he is sharing with all the inmates. Spreading it through a song not one of them has ever heard or can understand. It's awesome. When life has got you trapped you can still find a way back to the hope of something better.

Well that's it for now KrapShooters let us know if you give a Krap about Shawshank Redemption or anything else in the comments below or reach us at robertcskillman@gmail.com Thanks!

"NeedToBreathe: Live From The Woods" article by Robert C Skillman

noreply@blogger.com (Robert C Skillman) — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 10:00:00 +0000

I love music! It gets me going on a sluggish day. Calms me down when I'm feeling upset or angry. And gives me great enjoyment when playing guitar, singing, listening to it live and discovering new music. I love it when I find a song that hits home lyrically and musically, but I love it even more when I find a band that does that almost every time they write a song. NeedToBreathe manages this feat with every album they come out with. Now, I don't love every song of theirs, but for the most part nine songs out of ten are amazing. That being said, I do love every song on the band’s first ever released live album “Live From the Woods” which also happens to be The KrapShoot Top Ten Albums number one pick!!!!!!

Those of you who know me are probably not surprised to read this. I can't help but love this band. They sing these songs from their hearts which in turn speaks to mine. They are known as a Christian rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. They are led by the Rinehart brothers, Bear(lead vocals, guitar, harmonica and piano) and Bo(Bear’s younger brother, back up vocals, lead guitar, banjo and mandolin). Seth Bolt(bass, mandolin, percussion, back up vocals) has been with the band from the beginning as well. The newest member is Josh Lovelace(Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals). Even though they have the Christian label on them they aren't like every other Christian band. They sing about real life, love and struggles. They are very open about the struggles they have been through as a band. Back in 2011 the band began to struggle up until 2013 and almost broke up because the brothers were fighting so much. Instead of breaking up they remade themselves realizing their faults and exposing them, changing them and telling their fans all about it. I am sure this was very difficult and humbling. I can't speak for every fan, but for me this made me like them even more because it humanized them to the point where I can relate to their struggles. Out of strife can come beauty and in NeedToBreathe’s case beauty came for sure. In 2014 Rivers In The Wasteland, the band’s fifth album, came out and was more from the heart than any of the previous four. One year later they recorded a live album in Nashville, Tennessee, at The Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel. What makes this album special to me is my wife and I were at this concert. Not the one in Tennessee, but the same tour. The same set of songs sung the same way with pretty much the same crowd reactions. The only thing better then listening to NeedToBreathe is listening to NeedToBreathe live. They really rock it out and put on a great show. It's really fun to watch Bear and Bo play together and you can tell they are having fun. Also seeing them live gave me hope that I'm not the only one who knew them. They practically sold out every venue they ever went to on this tour. People love it when people they look up to show that they aren't perfect either and this is what you can do when things get hard.

A lot of the bands that I listen to stem from NeedToBreathe. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Ben Rector, Welshly Arms, Colony House and even Mat Kearney. All these groups have toured with NeedToBreathe at one point or another. Not all of the groups that tour with them become one of my favorite bands, but I would say sixty percent of the time I become a fan of someone they tour with. If you haven't yet listened to this group you are missing out and I would recommended this album as a good starting point.

Well, that's it for now KrapShooters. Let us know if you give a Krap about “Needtobreathe: Live From The Woods” or anything else in the comments below or at robertcskillman@gmail.com Thanks!

1. State I'm In (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

2.Wanted Man (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

3.Drive All Night (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

4.Difference Maker (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

5.Multiplied (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

6.Oh, Carolina (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

7.Wasteland (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

Tracks of Disc 2

1.Keep Your Eyes Open (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

2.Wasteland (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

3.Something Beautiful (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

4.Girl Named Tennessee (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

5.Brother (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

6.The Heart (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

7.The Outsiders (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

8.More Heart, Less Attack (Live From The Woods) (NEEDTOBREATHE)

"The Godfather " article by Robert C Skillman

noreply@blogger.com (Robert C Skillman) — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 10:30:00 +0000

Number two on The KrapShoot Top Ten Movies is The Godfather: Part One and Part Two!!!! I know it's kind of cheating because it is two different movies, but in this case they are best watched together. If I had to pick I would, but I don't want to because here at The KrapShoot I make the rules so I don't have to choose. These two movies really speak for themselves. If you haven't seen either of them you need to stop reading this and go watch them. Skip number three though.

!!!!Warning!!!!!!

Whatever you do do not watch number three. I'm not a critical critic usually, but let me tell you Godfather Part Three is one of the biggest disappointments to have landed on the silver screen ever. Luckily the other two are so great that they are not tainted by this horrible flop!

The Godfather part one and two are so amazing I don't even know where to start. First of all the cast in these movies is amazing. Marlon Brando, James Caan , Al Pachino, Diane Keaton, Robert Duval and Robert Dinero. None of them were very big at the time except Marlon Brando, after this all of them went on to have huge careers. These movies made them into actors and people wanted them in their films after. I believe that Al Pachino put on the performance of his life, and possibly even Robert Dinero as well. Second, these are some of the most quoted movies of all time with quotes like:

"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse"

"It's not personal, it's business"

"Leave the gun, grab the cannoli"

"Going to the mattresses"

"My father taught me many things here-he taught me in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

"I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!"

These are just some of the quotes to name a few. Third, these movies set the bar that all mafia movies have been striving to reach ever since. They both have complex ideas and plots that are written very well. Not so complex though that you get lost and find yourself rooting for the bad guys and not even realizing it. That's when you realize the genius of the writing and directing.

Godfather in and of itself is a masterpiece. Brando put in an outstanding performance that has been mimicked and used ever since. A great story of betrayal and revenge. You watch as Michael goes from being a good kid to a vengeful leader of a mob family.

In this age of sequels and prequels and reboots you have to ask yourself are there any that are better than the original? Only a few sequels have ever lived up to their predecessors. Godfather Part Two is definitely one. The history in the flashbacks is rich and full of great imagery. Robert Dinero looks and acts like a young Brando perfectly. And Michael's story fits so well with his dad's past. It's very poetic.

So if you still haven't seen these movies then again I say stop right now and go watch them then let us here at The KrapShoot know if you give a Krap about The Godfather parts one and two or anything else in the comments below or at robertcskillman@gmial.com Thanks!

"The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over" article by Robert C Skillman

noreply@blogger.com (Robert C Skillman) — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 10:00:00 +0000

Number two on The KrapShoot Top Ten Albums is The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over (live). Out of all the bands that I remember from my childhood: Bad Company, AC/DC and Elvis, the Eagles are my favorite. I have written a lot about the influence my father
has had on my music selections, but this pick I have my mother to thank for. It's not that my dad didn't like them, but my mom loved and still loves them today. I always wanted to be able to go to an Eagles concert with her. The news of Glen Fry's death was devastating to all music fans and especially Eagles fans. His death shot down that dream for me. We thought our chances were shot, but Don Henley is a work horse and even though Glen Fry is gone he's not going to let that stop them. Glen Fry's son, Deacon, and Vince Gill are filling in for Glen Fry. So hope is still alive to see the Eagles live one day. Now I just have to have the money to go see them.

Hell Freezes Over is a compilation of mostly live performance mixed with a few studio recorded songs. Before this album came out I loved the Eagles, but I never necessarily followed them because they weren't together anymore. I'm sure my mom's excitement fed into my excitement over their return. Fourteen years of being apart they all came back together and knocked it out of the park, or stadium, in this case. I think that breaking up was the best thing that could have happened to them. Their music was like a good wine, the longer they sang the better they got. They gained popularity over the years so much so that after coming together again for the first time since the break-up to do a music video with Travis Tritt for a cover of Take It Easy the reaction from fans was so great that it spurred them with the idea of coming back together. That's how Hell Freezes Over came to be. It wasn't easy though. Joe Walsh wasn't in a good place at the time and everybody was rusty, but just like riding a bike they jumped on and after a few pedals it was like they never broke up at all. They released four new tracks and a live version of Hotel California as singles off this album. My favorite has to be Love Will Keep Us Alive, but I also really love Get Over It. The other two new ones are Girl From Yesterday and Learn To Be Still then eleven live tracks. It's great and as a twelve year old whose music choices are solely based on his mom and dad I always liked the Eagles. But this felt like it was my Eagles now because it wasn't those guys from the 1970s anymore, it was those guys from that MTV special. If you've never listened to the Eagles, where have you been the last 40 years? Check out this album and let us here at The KrapShoot know what you give a Krap about in the comments below.

Get Over It

Love Will Keep Us Alive

The Girl From Yesterday

Learn To Be Still

Tequila Sunrise

Hotel California

Wasted Time

Pretty Maids All In A Row

I Can't Tell You Why

New York Minute

The Last Resort

Take It Easy

In The City

Life In The Fast Lane

Desperado

"Inception" article by Robert C Skillman

noreply@blogger.com (Robert C Skillman) — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 10:00:00 +0000

Number three on The KrapShoot Top Ten Movies is one of the many masterpieces by Christopher Nolan, Inception. Nolan is one of the most prolific directors of the 21st Century. Even though he has only made a total of ten movies they have a combined gross of over $4.4 billion. Due to his success with his Batman movies he pretty much has written his own ticket. He's one of the highest paid directors to date and for good reason because almost everything he touches turns to gold. Nolan wrote the script back in 2002 and presented it as a horror movie to a studio, but decided he needed more experience before making such a large scale movie. He went on to make such gems as Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. After these works Nolan felt that his idea of ten years, that he had now revised and written into a heist movie, was ready for the big screen. With a $160 million budget and Leonardo DiCaprio on board what could go wrong? The answer, absolutely nothing! Just the same as Christopher Nolan is great at his art so is DiCaprio. In my eyes he is one of the greatest actors of not only his generation, but of all time. He transforms into whatever part he plays just like an actor should, but what he is so great at is making you feel like there is no one else who could play that part. He is Howard Hugh's, or Jordan Belfort. Try and picture the Departed or even Titanic without Leo in it. You can't because he made those movies what they are. He won his Academy Award with his performance in The Revenant as Hugh Glass, although it’s not my favorite performance of his I can't imagine anyone else in that part. The same goes for his performance as Cobb in Inception. Of course it helps as an actor to be surrounded by other good actors and this movie was certainly not short on that. His supporting cast consisted of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe just to name a few. All putting in outstanding performances.

On its face Inception is a heist movie. Cobb and company aren't stealing gold or riches though, they are stealing and implanting an idea for Ken Watanabe’s character, Saito, into Cillian Murphy’s character, Robert Fishner. An idea that will save and make him a lot of money. How? Through dreams. The military has developed a way to infiltrate people's dreams and Cobb has basically stolen this technology and is using it for personal gain. Cobb is banned from the USA with threat of imprisonment upon return because of being falsely blamed for his wife's murder, which means he can't see his children. Saito offers him a way back if he can complete this job. The driving force of the movie becomes Cobb’s story of love for his wife and how she died and still haunts him.

Now I have mentioned it before in another article but its worth mentioning again that the music in this music is great and Han Zimmer is a Genius!!!!!

!!!!!!Spoiler alert!!!!! Don't read any further if you haven't seen this movie.

At the end of the movie Cobb finally returns home after having possibly completed his task for Saito. We are told that every person should have a token that they take with them into the dream state that only he/she knows. This way that person can tell the difference between reality or dream if they ever get confused. Cobb has a Top that he spins. He knows that he's in reality if it stops spinning. As he walks into his house he spins the top then he doesn't wait for it to stop, instead he goes to his children who come running to him. Nolan leaves us all hanging closing in on the top still spinning and closing out the scene without it stopping. So the question is, is Cobb in reality or a dream? I say it doesn't matter. By walking away from the top Cobb is signifying that he just doesn't care anymore. Reality or dream he just wants this to be where he is. He accepts it as reality whether it is or not.

Well that's it for now KrapShooters let us know if you give a Krap about Inception or anything else in the comments below or reach us at robertcskillman@gmail.com Thanks!

"Jars Of Clay: Who We Are Instead" article by Robert C Skillman

noreply@blogger.com (Robert C Skillman) — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 09:30:00 +0000

Number three on the KrapShoot Top Ten Albums is Jars of Clay:Who We Are Instead.

Jars of Clay came into the Christian music scene in 1993 with a sound all their own. You can't describe them with just one label. Alternative rock, folk rock acoustic, rock and R&B all describe their sound at one point or another in their now 24 year career as a band. The band consists of Dan Haseltine on main vocals and some percussion, Charlie Lowell on keys and back up vocals, Stephen Mason on lead guitar and back up vocals and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitar and back up vocals. They came together at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois, and their name is derived from scripture, 2 Corinthians 4:7. The band has released eleven albums to date, that does not include all of the EPs.

Jars is one of my favorite bands of all time. Their self titled and first album Jars Of Clay was one of the first CD purchases I ever made. I can't even begin to count how many times I have listened to “Flood” or “Love Song For A Savior”. I'm sure it’s in the thousands though. Their style really inspired me to start my own song writing. Not all their songs, but some had this really catchy coffee house, poet type feel. Although I was never able to achieve the kind of poetics in my own writing I always strived to. In high school I loved poetry. The thought of finding treasures in writing that maybe no one else saw was like a challenge to me. I wanted to be able to do this in my own writing. Jars of Clay was doing it in music and lyrics.

I can't say I have enjoyed all of Jars’ work though. Obviously, their first album was great. The second album “Much Afraid”, in my opinion, had a few good songs, but wasn't great. Their third album “If I Left The Zoo” was better than the second, not as good as the first, but close. I can remember when I got this album on a school trip. I listened to it on my disc-man the whole trip. By the time we got home I had the whole thing memorized. Their fourth album “The Eleventh Hour” was a lot like their second. It had a few good songs, but didn't peek my interests very much. “Who We Are Instead”, their fifth album, has become my favorite album of theirs over the years, and my third favorite of all time. Maybe it’s a time in my life that I like to look back on that really highlights it for me more than anything. There were a group of us that loved this CD and we were all always listening to it. We were close friends who have since drifted apart, but whenever I listen to this album it reminds me of that time we all shared. A couple of the songs really hit home then, and still do today. I think a really good album can stand the test of time and in my opinion this one does. Jars went on to make another six albums to date: “Redemption Songs”(really good), “Good Monster”(their song Oh My God is amazing), “Christmas Songs”, “The Long Fall Back To Earth”, “The Shelter”(really good) and “Inland”(which I think returned to their more poetic writing style). None have really affected me quite like “Who We Are Instead”, though. Check it out and let us here at the KrapShoot know if you give a Krap about it or anything else in the comments below or at robertcskillman@gmail.com Thanks!

Who We Are Instead

1. Sunny Days