At Michigan they spray paint a rock on campus before big games. Let's say you wander into Ann Arbor and they spray paint The Rock. What happens?
"In the most loving way possible, I stick the can straight up their asses and say, 'You're welcome.'"
— The Rock in Sports Illustrated on Campus 09.30.03

It would be irresponsible of the only remaining wrestling fan I know not to say a few words about The Rundown (working title: Helldorado), in theatres today.

The Rundown

Early on in the movie, Beck (The Rock) tells Travis (Seann William Scott) that he doesn't use guns. My immediate reaction was "great, this is going to be a Charlie's Angels type deal," but as the movie progresses, the issue of how Beck doesn't like to use guns and how you don't want to be around him when he has a gun keeps coming up. Simple movie logic says that Beck will inevitably have to use a gun, and he does. During the climax of the movie, director Peter Berg (Very Bad Things) spends about two minutes selling Beck's conflicted feelings toward using a gun with dramatic music and quick cutting of urgent shots. This build-up sequence really primes the audience to see Beck go crazy with a gun and fuck shit up. When he finally picks up a (shot)gun, however, he shoots like three people and a bus and walks away. That's it. So crazy… The anti-gun issue is not addressed in the movie again.

I've seen the movie twice and I'm still not sure what is so unspeakable about Beck with a gun and why the movie spends the time it does teasing viewers.

I'm sick of hearing people say that The Rundown marks the arrival of The Rock as an action star. What was he before he made this movie then? I refer you to the Rock-HHH ladder match at Summerslam 98, I refer you to Rock-HHH Iron Man at Judgment Day 2000, Rock-Austin, Wrestlemania X7, Rock-Hogan, Mania X8, and all his promos in between. It's possible to be a "fake" action star without Hollywood magic, you know.

The School of Rock

I haven't felt so good walking out of a theatre in a long time. It may be a cheesy family movie, but it, well, rocks.