No Endings For Old Men

Last weekend I had the good fortune to break-away from my burgeoning family responsibilities and check out the new Coen Brothers movie, No Country For Old Men.

I have been a fan of the Coen Brothers for years and have consistently stood in line for everything they do. Hell, I even saw The Ladykillers at the theatre and fully expected a personal letter for that one. When I saw that the Coen Brothers were getting involved in a modern-western-border-wars picture and it had a psycho hitman carrying a captive bolt pistol (yes, I had to look this up) - I actually pre-scheduled some time to check out the movie before the baby was born.

Ahem.

Now I was already a bit cautious as this movie had both really good reviews from the usually Hollywood shills and was only showing in the local 'art' theatre - usually a kiss of death for any movie that I am coming at from an 'thinking-action-genre' perspective. However, I was undaunted, as for the aforementioned cattlegun (i.e. captive bolt pistol, captive bolt stunner, hereafter referred to as a CBP) and a few trailer scenes of a weapon that looked very suspiciously like a silenced automatic shotgun.

The movie started off great - the characters were well developed and the eerie mood of the west Texas frontier meshed great with the faceless menace of the Mexican drug runners. The dialogue was crisp and witty and dotted with the regionalisms and sayings that are such a big part of western Texas culture.

I was rocking with the protagonist and held breathless at the unstoppable pursuit of the killer. There were threats of revenge - the protagonist referring to his Vietnam-trained combat skills and prowess with weaponry.

They moved closer to each other . . .

And then it just ended.

I can't remember the exact length of the film, but if it was two hours - the last ten minutes killed everything I had loved so much in the majority of the film.

I read a review after the fact with the Coen Brothers that had mentioned that a lot of folks would probably be pissed at the way the movie netted out. They mentioned a few significant events off-screen (read: you are left wondering what the hell happened) and that it was a movie made the way they wanted - rather than how the audience would probably like it.

Um, yeah.

The movie ended to a cacophony of groans from myself and fellow movie goers. One old man a few rows over even threatened that he would be staying in his seat until "he got an ending." I am sure that is how the book ended up, but come on . . .

My cousin summed it up best as we languidly exited the theatre - they must have just run out of money.

I sure hope that's the case. And I for one would have thrown in an extra theatre admission to see a right-proper ending to what was otherwise a great movie.

So Coen Brothers - WTF happened?

And by the way, you can't slap a silencer on a shotgun without having it blow-up in your face.

Update on Paintball this Saturday - Dripping Springs - We're On!

We are on for paintball this Saturday at Dripping Springs!

It seems like a later start time is better for all involved, so we'll plan on getting started out there around 11am. That'll give plenty of time for you slacks to wake-up, dress for combat, and meet us out at the place.

If you are planning on meeting up at Orion Farm, plan on being there around 10am to head up the road. Grab your ruck and some water and we'll be ready to go.

See everyone there!

More Bug Out Bag Goods - The Battle Bag

I was searching around for some info on different BOB options and came across this little gem. The actual article is from 2005, but the info is still very useful.

The author talks specifically about a 'battle bag' - that is a ready-packed bug out bag that is specifically designed for fighting.

A Battle Bag differs from a Bug Out Bag in that the Battle Bag also has to carry fighting supplies. What goes into your Battle Bag is dependent on your primary weapon, secondary weapon
(handgun), whether or not you have a vest to carry other gear (armored or otherwise) and whether or not you intend to wear a gun belt.

A few things I love about this article:

His survival system is based on a shotgun: Ok, so every survival/BOB/EOTW/WTSHTF writer out there knows that a shotgun is a bad idea for a survival scenario, but why? Not only is this the weapon of choice for Mad Max (ok, bad example), but chances are in a purely scrounge scenario the only types of cartridges you are guaranteed to find almost everywhere is .22LR and 12 gauge. There is also ample evidence that the weapon of choice for the frontiersmen were smoothbore shotguns. And if Hollywood has taught us anything - to really make sure you kill the hell out of that zombie - nothing can guarantee second mortality like a shotgun.

He advocates PPE beyond rubber gloves: Not only does the author mention making sure you have eye protection (remember how we can run through the cedar in a paintball mask and not worry about getting poked in the eye?) , he also talks about using a helmet. Think about it - if things are really that bad - there are probably going to be more sharp edges out there than usual.

He combines his LBE, belt, and BOB into one package: Rather than having to kit-out with one of those snazzy Eagle Deployment Bags (which are still cool, mind you), he has the idea to have his primary BOB wrapped with his LBE vest to make it easier to carry . . .

The way I have everything put together, the Battle Bag is full and sits upright. The vest wraps around and over it, with the Bag's handle sticking out the neck opening of the vest. The gun belt wraps around the top slotted through the vest arm openings and the Bag shoulder straps, effectively making them one unit to pick up. The helmet chinstrap is wrapped through some of the webbing on the vest and snapped shut. What I get is one unit that I can pick up by the handle on the Battle Bag as I'm going out the door. If I have the time to "suit up" before I leave, I pull off the gun belt to put it on quick. The helmet comes off the vest, the vest goes over my head, Velcro straps get pushed down, and I'm good to grab the bag and helmet and go out the door.

There is a great picture that shows how everything fits together.

Good stuff!

Paintball this weekend in Dripping Springs - Nov 10

We have a paintball game scheduled for this Saturday, November 10th in Dripping Springs. Because it's cooler weather (woo-hoo), we can get started a little later, so plan on being ready to go around 10am.

For those of you who were at the last game, we got the field set back up and had a great time playing in the tall grass. The dam was partially flooded, so it made for some good shenanigans for the Dam Game. Our own resident rock/country star Chris Kline came out with a double brace of grenades to add some color to that scenario.

If you are playing as a guest, please let me know ASAP, so we can figure out how to get some loaner kit to you. Plan on bringing out your ruck and plenty of water. The weather looks great and it should a good time to get out into the woods.

However, I may not be out this weekend. There is a rendezvous in La Vernia, TX (just down the road), so I may go for the day to compete in the blackpowder shoots.

Just let me know either way and we'll have some fun this weekend.