What happened to M. Night Shyamalan?

Remember when you first watched The Sixth Sense and had your mind blown with the shocking twist? A few years later from M. Night Shyamalan was The Village. Another great movie with another great twist. Those were the days!

I’ve seen most of his theatrical releases and the guy is pretty amazing. He wouldn’t have the success he’s had if he weren’t great at his craft. He’s made a name for himself and will be considered a legend, probably having a cult following for decades to come. The problem for me that that I just watched Knock at the Cabin, which is M. Night’s latest film, and I think I’m finally giving up on him. What happened to those epic twists we’ve come to know, love, and expect? His movies went from surprising and full of curiosity to weird and boring. In fact, Knock and the Cabin put me to sleep twice. No twist. No surprise. By the end, I realized the movie just kind of ended without bang or sizzle.

At this point, I’m just asking for more Jordan Peele movies. With the types of movies these filmmakers create, I need twists and turns and surprises. Making a movie that’s psychological just for the sake of being psychological isn’t enough.

Have you seen Knock at the Cabin? Were you disappointed or did you like it? I hope Mr. Shyamalan can make movies with mind-bending twists like he’s done in the past. Movies that unforgettable but as it is now, he’s known for The Sixth Sense and not much after that.

-Out of the Wilderness

This isn’t a post about OceanGate, per se

Everyone is transfixed on the OceanGate submarine. I think it’s because the real life story is a lot like a mystery/thriller movie. There’s money, intrigue, adventure, a mysterious vanishing by the main characters. Certainly a documentary or two will be produced all about this missing submersible machine.

When I was in my teens I didn’t think much about death. In my 20s, the thought probably crossed my mind but I still felt invincible. I’d experience the loss of loved ones by then but death still seemed so far off. Like something you only hear about in stories or on the news. In my 30s and now 40s, I’m realizing just how close death is to all of us. It’s really just a breath (or lack thereof) away. The OceanGate story reminded me of another water experience when I was camping last year. There was a diver in a spring, he and some buddies swimming through underground tunnels and caves. His friends came up. He never did. That is, until they found his body. There we were, camping and enjoying the company of loved family members and this guy woke up not thinking it would be his last day.

It’s probably true that 99% of us don’t wake up thinking it’s going to be our last day. Death comes like a thief in the night, as it’s said. I hope the people aboard this tiny underwater exploration vehicle still have a chance of being found and rescued, but at the time of this post, they have less than a day’s worth of air (and that’s only according to manufacturer notes, etc). There’s no proof any of the people have any oxygen, or if they’re even still alive.

Another tragedy happened more recently with some folks that go to my parents’ church. They have a toddler and they were at a friend’s house where there was a pool. Everyone’s worst nightmare happened and the little boy ended up in the pool. The funeral was just a few days ago. I can’t help but think of the confusion and suffering he must’ve endured.

Same with the diver, same with the crew on the submarine. Death is just moments away but all were taken completely by surprise. It’s so unfortunate and sad! I can’t even imagine the panic felt in those moments when all that’s needed is a single breath of air… and it’s not coming. Of course, the people on the sub might have a chance to escape the undertow of death, we’ll know in the next few days. At this moment, if they’re still hanging on to life, they’ve certainly dealt with the fear of dying and everything that comes along with that.

Hug your loved ones. Take advantage of the things you can, and don’t take for granted each breath you’re granted today. Also, get off the phone. Social media can’t hug you! I’m trying to remind myself of this, too. I’m also reminded of one of my favorite lines from the movie Rescue Dawn…

“God, where are you when we need you most?”

-Out of the Wilderness

The Only Suit I Own is a Wetsuit – Sprint Triathlon Update

I have officially completed one sprint triathlon. I wrote about it here. I thought about using words like successfully, happily, speedily… but went with “officially” because of the way I started the race, I hardly want to remember it at all. That is, except to always remember how embarrassing my swim portion went. It was bad. Like, real bad.

Since then, I’ve changed my breathing routine and just recently decided it was time for a wetsuit. I’ll be totally honest, though, the one I bought wasn’t name brand or the expensive kind dedicated triathletes wear. I guess I’m taking baby steps (or doggy paddles?) to being a better triathlete. You can check out the suit I’ll be using (here) in my next sprint triathlon, which is happening in less than a couple of weeks. Crazy how fast time flies when I’m trying to train!

Do you have a certain brand of wetsuit that you like? How about bicycles? I still don’t know the difference in a “tri” bike and a “street” bike but for now I’ll still be using my amazing touring bike. Ol’ Betsy has another one in her, I just know it!

-Out of the Wilderness

Adidas Flops, Coors Light Roars in New Commercials

There are a couple of new commercials on TV you might have seen already. They’re both related to football, or fútbol, depending on how technical we’re going to be today. They also both star Patrick Mahomes, NFL Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Adidas makes an attempt to hype up the Women’s FIFA World Cup, which starts in late July of this year. They show a few athletes (Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence of the NFL, and some random basketball players) contemplating who the best football player of all time is. Suprise, it’s a trick question because the answer Adidas is looking for is… the US Women’s soccer team! Get it… football, fútbol? So clever, Adidas.

The commercial did little to convince me of the answer Adidas wanted me to arrive at, for two reasons. One, they spent 20 seconds showing football players and basketball players. Then the final few seconds showing just images of women on the US team. Actually, it reminds me a lot of these Buick commercials, which totally and ironically failed to uplift women. Two, they used images of the women’s soccer team! If you’re going to say these women are the best soccer players of all time, how about showing us clips of their outstanding abilities? A goal scored here, a huge defensivee stop there. The roar of the crowd, a slow motion celebration with cameras flashing! As it is now, I’m lost in my thoughts wondering who IS the actual best football player of all time… Brady, Marino, Sanders, White, Taylor, Payton? The list goes on and on but the commercial did nothing to keep soccer on my mind.

Coors Light gets around their prohibition on having NFL players endorse their bubbly beverage by using a big bear. What a difference a letter can make! From beer to bear, now Mahomes can appear alongside Coors Light while all of its fun benefits are on display. Of course, you wouldn’t want to be this close to a bear EVER, so don’t go trying this at Mahomes.

This is how clever commercials should look. While Adidas flops like an over dramatic soccer player, Coors Light roars with a win using humor, a non-scary looking bear, and all of it is simply endearing and funny. It’s not surprising that Adidas would try pitting the sexes against each other, even if it was a playful attempt. They’re a little confused as to who women and men are, anyway, as revealed in a Pride month promo

What do you think about these two commercials? Do you like one more than the other, as I clearly do? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Chewy’s Funny Talking Pet Commercials

Ruh roh, Raggy! We have a few great commercials from Chewy in the last couple of months. Two feature a dog and one stars a cat, Mr. Marbles… who gets a sweet inheritance in someone’s last will and testament. I’m more of a dog guy myself but the cat commercial is my favorite. Check them out below and comment on which you like best…

“Favorite Child” is a yellow Labrador Retriever, Bailey, who’s clearly loved more than her smart brother and athletic sister. But Bailey is out there living life and overcoming her haters (ticks and fleas) daily.

How do you pronounce the word “vase”? Just two homies hanging at the crib talking about random stuff like best friends do in this ad from Chewy called “Best Friend.” The way I say it rhymes with face, but I’ve never been accused of being too fancy.

And meow we get to my favorite commercial. Mr. Marbles has this quiet confidence that earned him the trust and respect of whoever just died. The person’s will states that all of Mr. Marbles needs will be met thanks to Chewy’s auto-ship feature, and he also will inherit the summer beach house. Oh, this old thing? Probably has a valuable vase or two in it, too. 😉

I prefer these commercials over the Chewy ads showing two dogs standing by the window talking about the peanut butter box. I sincerely tried to laugh at those, but just couldn’t. Something about the accent and the script just didn’t do it for me. But if they come up with an ad starring an Australian Shepherd with their awesome down-under accents, I bet I’d love that one. Which is your favorite from these new commercials?

-Out of the Wilderness