Octopus
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Posts posted by Octopus
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Oh dear lord! Yus!!!! Thanks for the tags @The Natural! I’ve been pretty in and out of things with work so I’m glad I saw the email notification.
For shirt sizes, they can run tight in comparison to US sizes. But I have no problem with the Four Pillars shirt. The Kawada jersey might be a tad tighter, but it’s not overly tight. I think it’s more of a form fit on me. Plus, I’m losing weight (trying to) so it’s motivation. Lol
Mecha Shotei is my favorite shirt company atm. I hope they do a Misawa and Taue Jersey.
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5 minutes ago, Wyld Samurai said:
One of the best moments of WCCW is when Jimmy Garvin loses a match and has to work for David on the Von Erich Ranch.
Haha, so great! Thanks.
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side note:
I loved reading Niko and Gordi talk about the 95 tag. That’s one of my favorites as well and I absolutely love the Kobashi crawling spot.
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Lol, shamefully I only know Kerry. That area is a big blind spot. Hit me up if you have some must watch David and Kevin matches. Willing and always excited to learn.
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Oh boy, I really am behind. Time to get liquored up and watch some wrestling. Apologies to my friends on here, didn’t mean to blow you all off. Work and Derpin.
The Fabulous Freebirds vs Von Erich’s and Iceman King Parsons:
recommended by the legendary @Smelly McUgly
Normally I’m a more a fan of matches with commentary, but with how unbelievably pumped this crowd is, I think this is better without it. Just laying on my couch I realize I’m wiggling my legs in excitement. All that happened is the good guys got all grabby and pushy and the Freebirds fled the ring. The crowd screaming, that’s all I need. I’m pumped up. Get ‘em, Iceman! Go on, get ‘em!
Michael Hayes’ strut selling is always a plus. As is anything Terry Gordy. I’ll be honest though, I’m ignorant on most of the Von Erich’s, so I’ll just say their trunk colors. Yellow Von Erich got his fight in early walking around Hayes, but the heart of the match came from him getting his beatings. After Red Von Erich won a Punch off with Gordy and Iceman Icemaned, it was up to Yellow to keep the momentum for his team, poor fella got picked apart.
Great camera work on the close hot tags. Gordy pulling back Yellow’s neck as Yellow’s fingers were inches away from Red’s. Freebirds run in and ref misses the tag. Ref misses a second tag. Freebirds jump in to cheat but the ref stops Red. Wrestling is great. I Iceman finally gets the tag and it becomes an all out brawl. The good guys will clearly win, but Buddy gets an illegal punch in (I assume illegal?) and Terry gets the pin. Wrestling is great.
Thanks Smelly! That was fun, I’ve seen very little Freebirds and I’m going to seek out more.
Minoru Suzuki vs Tomohiro Ishii:
Recommended by @El Gran Gordi
What happens when an irresistible force meets the legendary love child of Mr Sinister and Fujiwara? You get some good slaps and light crowd play. I was pretty excited to watch these two murder each other and I’m very happy I did. The early goings of the match played up Ishii’s brawling and Suzuki’s stretching. But throughout the match it was such a delight to see Minoru have such fun working the crowd and messing with the ref. Suzuki doesn’t need to be constantly peaking apart body parts, he can just stand there and smile and he’s an intimidating man.
Mid match has Suzuki working over Ishii’s leg. It became more apparent that it wasn’t fully as a method to force a submission, but to make Tomohiro unbalanced so Suzuki could easily work over his head. Ishii fights back and we get a second strike segment. Suzuki being the sick animal is enjoying it.
The endgame was very much the struggle to pull off the finisher. Ishii kept successfully using his weight to fight out of the Gotch Piledriver and Minoru would use sly veteran tactics to delay a sitting closeline. Ishii is eventually successful and then brainbusters Suzuki after a series of mean slaps to his face.
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rec time:
@AxB, ima give you this:
Stunning Steve Austin vs Dustin Rhodes.
This is technically last week, so no worries if you don’t have time for this and your one this week. My bad, bud. You’re a cool dude and sorry to drop the ball for ya.
@NikoBaltimore, you degenerate radical you. Gonna give you...
Degeneration X vs The Radicalz
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Thanks @Leonidas! I’m strictly behind the scenes. I’ll occasionally have fun doing bits but my acting is terrible. I had a friend that did both behind and in front of camera and it wore him out. Directing is stressful enough, haha.
For this project I wrote, directed, and edited. The crew was pretty limited and shoots were spaced out. I would have a Camera Operator for maybe half of the shoots and the others when it was just myself and the actors I’d work camera.
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Sorry all. Off and on busy and all over the place. Planning on enjoying your match from last week at the end of this one @El Gran Gordi!
@Smelly McUgly, I’m gonna toss you this one. Let me know if you’ve already watched it and I’ll switch it:
Brodie Lee vs Claudio
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Hey film nerds amongst Wrestling nerds. Gonna ramble, copy/paste and combine FB posts for mine, and ramble some more:
Roughly five years ago I was as pacing around in a St Paul basement while waiting for my laundry. I’ve always thought best while moving. As a very kid I would run around the outside house and call it “Dreaming.” Different stories would pop into my head about silly things like wrestling, opening up a restaurant, or adventure. Eventually the dreaming left the circles around my house and became biking around the neighborhood. At a young age my dreaming began to transition from simple moments of action to imagining stories. Probably around 3rd grade I would take my toys and create narratives. My wrestling figures (and the occasional super hero or Gargoyle) would transform into actors of a play and I’d recreate the same made up stories but change it slightly to see how the story would be better. A corrupt Mayor who would receive his comeuppance when running for President. A quarterback returning after an injured season to go undefeated. A cannibal who-dunit comedy. There were a cavalcade of different stories I’d play out. Eventually I realized my storytelling was weird so I hid it. Imagining in private. Getting older as a young adult I’d go on long walks and just think. Life and stories. Falling in love with the art of cinema and how I’d want to do it. It became less about the stories and more the singular form that made the story. The Why’s and the How’s. The literal of what is being imagined and how to physically construct what is in my mind, like a statue or a building. Which would lead to even more Dreaming.
So five years ago I was dreaming again. Coming off of a failed attempt at releasing a short film and piecing together a totally different series of scripts entirely. Taking a break from that, I just let my brain imagine how it wanted to. Oddly enough, I thought of a woman carrying around a forever sleeping man. The story wasn’t there but the visuals were. Them at a dinner table with with his head resting backwards, her carrying him over her shoulder from task to task, sitting in a chair minding their own business while he is out cold with his body draped over the side. It was an interesting enough visual that was funny, weird, and serious all at once. Continuing my pacing I introduced a third character into the mix and added conflict to a second half. Her limping injured body now reacting with an awake individual. Maybe he falls asleep as well? Maybe he stays awake?
Over the next few weeks I’ve imagined the why’s and the order of events. Creating a series of outlines and different forms of the same story. All keeping this in my head. Having no money and no longer being in video school, this was all a dream and a process for sheer fun of creation. Hopping back and forth between scripts, the game was the same as when I was a kid, just imagine narratives. Over a year or two the story would change and roles would flip back and forth. The story developed from an interesting concept to an actual film with a soul I wanted to express. It also began more likely that I could actually shoot this. I was actually able to get my hands on gear and spread out shoots. Locations would be obtainable for “eventually” and then would not. Life stresses and self doubt would get in the way and the process would become longer. Equipment availability, life changes, and panic attacks. A lot of growth and self improvement was needed. Also, taking this time to study and improve on my craft was needed as well.
I addressed what I needed to and made steps towards self respect and stability. I also received help and love from Jasmyne(now my lovely wife), who completely turned my life around for the better. Still, there would be production hiccups. Crew members cancelling on shoots, snowstorms, and unexpected life events. Reorganizing what I needed to and learning from my mistakes, I feel I’ve improved as a filmmaker. Occasionally you need to fail a few times.
The story is odd and the way I wanted to tell it is different. Showing my vision mid rough cut, I could tell my trusted friends were struggling to see the final picture, but still having trust in my thought process. The construction of the film the way I want to create art by using text, erratic edits mixed with long shots, and silence. I trusted my vision and believed in my way of expressing this story.
Two moments that helped me on my path for how I wanted to create this film was with two of my friends, Jason and Hisham. Showing Jason a more recent edit of a cut, he told me how he dived to his volume to turn it down after hitting play. Vividly remembering that it had loud erratic jazz music, despite it actually being a silent cut. The way I edited the film created a memory of sound. To reinforce that, Hisham who also acted in this project, stated “this movie felt loud to me even though it was silent.” I knew I was on a good path.
It is one thing to get the respect of your peers, it is another to succeed. Once I finished the edit I sent the short (just shy of 30 minutes) to festivals. I know this is a long shot. Longer shorts generally have less of a chance at screenings when a festival director can screen a series of shorter run times. Also, the film is silent and has an odd concept of an edit, so will likely get regularly passed on. But this is the piece I wanted to show and the part of myself I wanted to express. So the choices for festivals were lessened, but I found a few international ones that fit the arthouse vibe I felt comfortable with.
Calcutta International Cult Film Festival has selected my film, Ode to the Whale of Christ, for their festival. For the 45th season it won Best Silent Film and was honored by being called Outstanding Achievement in Film on Religion. This qualifies the film for the yearly Golden Fox award. Although I still have enough self doubt and personal shame to feel I won’t come away with a trophy, the nomination is an appreciated moment. So much more work ahead and more festivals I’m waiting on. Fingers crossed on those. But this was a big step I’ve been waiting on to cap off a crazy year.
Then, I got a review from Rome Prisma Film Awards. This gives a good feel for the film.Now to start out this year, we just heard back from the Prague Independent Indie Film Festival that the unmatched serenity of my beautifully radiant wife was recognized for Best Actress Debut for Q1 2021. She is the Hara to my Ozu. Also, I ended up winning Best Male Director. Pretty crazy and exciting, considering I looked the first day not realizing it was a multiple day announcement for the results. Like a goofball, I looked and just saw the other winners. Then scrolling down I saw the nominations/ honorable mentions, which I was nominated for Best Editing and Best Producer. I was happy with that, then being told after the fact that my wife and I actually did win something was surreal.
There is more hard work ahead on projects in development and continuing to ride out the next few festival seasons with this project. I’ll just have to make sure between working on my goals to take a moment to stop and Dream.
Here are a few trailers and links (I got the ok from Rippa that I can post these):
YouTube Page with 3 teaser trailers
So to close out this ramble post. This last year has been a tough and wild one. But to be able to end it finally finishing and releasing my film I’ve been obsessing over for quite some time now brings me a lot of joy. If you guys care to keep updated on the journey of hopefully getting into more festivals and competitions, then please like the FB page or check in with me here and I’ll post updates.
Thanks for reading.
Octopus (David Matthew Johnson)
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Ohhhhhh, I’m excited for them to clubber each other.
@El Gran Gordi, this deep fried calamari will give you a fun one.
Dusty, Putsky, Andre vs Afa, Sika, & Samula.
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That made me cry, @Burgundy LaRue. He was a father and a husband. Clearly a friend to many.
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Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat: AJPW 82
This was fun. I feel the first thing that should be commented on is how beautiful both these men’s hair was. Strikingly 80’s.
Steamboat had this contest on lock for the early going. Applying side headlocks to wear down Flair and with every long earned escape was able to Monkey Flip Ric back down. Even with these “rest holds” that people like to call them, you could still see the physical creativity of constantly ringing and pulling back on the head and bursts of athleticism of phenomenally high jumps by both men. When given the opportunity, Ric will Punch Or shoulder check Ricky’s gut, but Steamboat keeps his momentum.
We are lead to the second act which is the strike offs. Flair sells Steamboat’s chops by flipping backwards or on multiple occasions rolling over the ropes. The only word I could recognize from the commentators was “Pinball” and that describes it well. Ric’s able to get his chops in, but this is still Steamboat’s match.
It isn’t until the third act where we see Flair get his lead. After a bit of back and forth, Flair smashes Steamboat’s knee into the post. This gives Flair his opportunity to start throwing around and slamming Steamboat. It ultimately is short lived and Ricky is able to turn things back around with crossbodies. At one moment Rocky Johnson attempts a running body splash, but Flair gets his knees up. Back and forth. The ending is creative where Flair reverses a crossbody into a hooked pin for the win.
I recommend this to any fan of either performers. I always seem to enjoy Flair in Japan. The psychology of this match was that Steamboat was stronger and faster but Flair was a smart fighter. Dirty in that he used the corner to even things up, but that wasn’t enough to equalize Steamboat. It wasn’t until Steamboat kept going to the same well that Flair was able to turn things around. Whether it was the repeated headlocks in the early game or the body splashes/cross body offense so soon after each other in the end game that Flair would turn it around. I believe that’s the ancient story of the Mongoose vs the Cobra. The Mongoose will strike and claw quickly and repeatedly. Trying to tire and knock out its opponent. Where the Cobra is wise and will bob it’s head until the right moment to strike its venom. Power vs Wisdom.
Buddy Rose vs Adrian Adonis: 2 out of 3 falls
Buddy Rose just has to exist and I can’t keep my eyes off of him. Swinging his robe to be a prick. How he backs out of the ring to escape confrontation. How his body folds when he gets punched. Everything he does is perfect to me. His whole essence is asshole will get his comeuppance, but you gotta tune in next week. Such great pro wrestling. The more I see of him and his matches or antics the more I want to include him in my personal all time favorites.
I won’t do a play by play for this one. I just really enjoyed it and need to devour more of this rivalry and more Buddy in general. The double stomps to the midsection and following it up with a stomach claw. A CLAW TO THE STOMACH. Adonis sold it like it was the worst pain in his life and Rose was wildly swinging his head and yelling.
Ends in a DQ of course it does. I actually like that. I now want to see a higher stipulation and for Adonis to kill Rose.
Thanks to @Six String Orchestra And @Curt McGirt. @El Gran Gordi, because of last time’s typo mixup I changed out one wrestlers name for another again. See if you can find it!
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This is hitting me. Just tragic and completely unexpected.
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Hey squad! Been running around a bit. Hoping to get all caught up tonight with @Curt McGirt‘s match and this week’s match, if not tomorrow.
@Six String Orchestra, ima hit you up with a unique match up.
Abdullah the Butcher vs Nobuhiko Takada
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7 hours ago, El Gran Gordi said:
Octopus, my dude, THIS is (Crusher) Jerry Blackwell:
I'm pretty sure the masked goofball is called Jerry Bakewell (and also, I think, William Gaylord and/or Stingray Stevenson).
I’m laughing at myself so hard right now. I was in the zone typing.
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Jerry Blackwell vs Timothy Thatcher
This was the classic tale of endearing goofball vs serious technician. You have the plaid masked with mustache come out first and get everyone laughing. The crowd was already having a good time, they seemed lively. The best part of Blackwell’s speech was it wasn’t just jokes, but actually hyping up Thatcher as being a legitimate badass. If you were unfamiliar with him, you got the gist of both characters before the match.
The heart of the match is that Thatcher is a vastly superior fighter and while Blackwell did have the weight advantage that he used a few times in headlocks, was ultimately overmatched, but still an endearing silly man. Blackwell’s silliness got to Timothy and he started to appear more aggressive. Through this anger, Thatcher was no longer the calculating grappler and was now the emotional hard striker. This gave Blackwell an opportunity to fight back. It was still Thatcher’s advantage, but now Blackwell has a chance.
I enjoy these Round style matches. It creates a dynamic for a different psychology of storytelling. Almost like chapters of a book. This match was very laid out for each round having a defining theme leading to character development. Blackwell going from goofball to fighting back with a chance and Thatcher going from smooth wrestler to livid animal.
Thanks @AxB! I’m gonna hit you up soon for more recs on this company/ style. I had a great time watching this.
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Hey @Curt McGirt. Posting my gaps and then bellow I’ll post your match.
Gap blurb! Off the top of my head, a small list of the many things I know little about.
- 80’s Southernish territories
- I need to see more Buddy Rose, I feel
- UK past and present
- Osaka Pro could be fun
- NJPW or AJPW since the pandemic started
- Neat death matches
But honestly, just recommend me something you really enjoy that you think I might dig.
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Chessman vs Pagano
From the recent Triplemania. I haven’t had a chance to watch yet but I’m hearing fun things.
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@AxB, my dude. You’re write up was great. Crappy week turned alright but still busy week pushed my review back. Aiming at watching your match tomorrow after work.
I’ll pick something out for my friend @Curt McGirtthen as well.
Thanks guys. Excited to get some more wrestling in.
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Thanks @AxB! I’m excited to check that out.
I was having a hard time deciding what to throw at you. I had a few in mind but I feel this is the the one.
Shinjiro Otani vs Daisuke Sekimoto from last year.
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Buddy Rose vs Roddy Piper: Lumberjack Match
I’ve been craving diving into more Buddy Rose recently, so this was a real treat. But not only for him, it was a pleasant reminder of how much I love Piper. I’ve always had a soft spot for him. When I was younger I was a WWF kid, but I’d still mark out for the annoying guy in the kilt on the other show. Then when I got into the Internet wrestling world, Piper footage from the 80’s and early 90’s endeared me into calling him one of my favorites. So instead of looking at this match as something I’ll do a full on write up for, I just sit back and enjoyed and pondered moments and things I’ve found interesting.
I love the casual outfit of the ref. Really works with the aesthetic of the Portland territory.
The lumberjack gimmick added to the match. The commentator (Who was wonderful) talking about the movement on the outside. The picture was painted so well, that the camera could stay on the main focus of the wrestlers and we’d still feel the tension of the outside. Ed Wiskowski being the X factor, and the other lumberjacks walking near him in an attempt to equalize him. Also, the toss ins were excellent. Roddy getting his hair grabbed on the first roll in and then bounced back and forth to Buddy’s stomping. Rose being held in the air, legs higher than his head, and chucked in.
I love how Buddy and Piper’s bodies move. Especially together. Roddy’s exciting running in place before a big strike. The way Buddy will almost over-sell with a giant jump, but it’s far from “over” in that it fits perfectly. Maybe my favorite whip to the turnbuckle as Rose runs with Roddy’s head in his hand and the way Piper smashes his back to the corner. They fit so well together. There was another toss to the corner where Piper whips Rose and Rose goes head first and pauses against the turnbuckle as he slowly falls. Just beautiful work. Piper’s punches were also picture perfect. There were three specifically that landed that I’m still thinking about. Buddy reacted phenomenally.
The ending worked for me. Everybody leaves happy and you still have room for more down the line. I do think it’s worth noting that it’s pretty safe to say the ref saw all of the interferences from both sides. But, it is what it is. Maybe the territory was more relaxed with that?
Piper is a wonderful heel. But it was heartwarming seeing his big smile as the crowd erupted for him.
Maybe I should go through the entire Piper v Rose feud to embrace the entire context of the story. I enjoyed this very much. Thank you, @NikoBaltimore
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The new Rico Nasty album slaps!
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Natural is cool and I don’t see a problems with his posts. In fact, he’s probably the kindest person I’ve met on here.
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You guys got me wondering: What was the greatest period of booking for any lucha company? And why?
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Gap blurb! Off the top of my head, a small list of the many things I know little about.
- 80’s Southernish territories
- I need to see more Buddy Rose, I feel
- UK past and present
- Osaka Pro could be fun
- NJPW or AJPW since the pandemic started
- Neat death matches
But honestly, just recommend me something you really enjoy that you think I might dig.
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@NikoBaltimore! It’s fitting that we got each other again, as we did for the first week the last go around. I gave you a modern lucha then, so I’ll do that again:
Soberano jr vs Titan from the 87th Anniversario.
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Woof.
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16 hours ago, NikoBaltimore said:
Thanks, dude. I'm cool with reviewing but compared to others wasn't too happy with some of the ones I picked. I'll need to see how things shake out but if possible I'll give it a go.
Went back to check some of the ones you picked and your first two were a Mid South Dog Collar Match I’ve never seen and Drew Gulak vs Daniel Bryan which was phenomenal. Nah, your picks were great!
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The Really Swell News Thread
in LAND OF CONFUSION
Posted
I’M GONNA BE A DAD!!!