From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) comes the underdog movie of the year SouthPaw.

A champion boxer (Jake Gyllenhaal) Billy Hope loses everything after his life tragically unravels and falls apart. The once great champ is humbled as he tumbles from the pinnacle of his career into obscurity. Billy must fight back in order to save not only his career but his family.
As Billy loses everything he discovers, like many do who his real friends are. His manager (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) and friends leave him behind as soon as he has nothing to offer. Billy finally hits rock bottom when he loses his house, cars and everything in it including his daughter.

Seeking redemption he seeks out the trainer of the only fighter that had ever beat him. He finds Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker) is a rundown gym teaching inner city youth how to box.

From the orphanage in hell’s kitchen to a professional career fighting in Madison Square Garden is a distance of only a few blocks.

With Tick in Billy’s corner he begins the biggest fight of his career. He fights his own demons and past as he begins the journey back to redemption. Tick becomes Billy’s mentor and trainer, exposing his greatest weakness, his temper, and instructs him how to fight with his brain, rather than his usual method of “stopping punches with your face.”
The scenes in the movie are perfectly sculptured by Fugua as the grit and drama is felt with every punch. It has been awhile that a movie has the whole audience ducking and jiving as the fights proceed.

Read More

Memorial Day weekend is upon us. Time for parades and barbecues. Meanwhile let us not forget to say thank you.

As we celebrate the long weekend. Make plans for picnics, parades and food. It is not without our veterans that we have this luxury.
I personally come from a family of veterans. Both my grandfather’s served in the military as did my mother. Many that will read this have lost family members and friends in the many wars that have been served.
When we decide to show gratitude for these men and women of our armed forces. It goes beyond throwing a parade or flying our flag. Many of these men and women sacrificed their futures for us as well.

Statistically many of the homeless that you pass by on the street today on your way to the party or parade. They are veterans that fought to protect our country. Yet when they returned, they have been ignored. They deserve more, they deserve better, some need real help others just need a hand.

“We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.”
~ Red Poppies

Cities and towns consider them blight. Just yesterday I read an article about how a service center for them is a problem for the community. If the communities did what was needed many of these veterans would be celebrated rather than discarded. This Memorial Day as we tend to cemeteries

Read More

Men have daily struggles we face but don’t talk about. Many of us believe that we are in our battles alone. These challenges can be a mix bag. Challenges like money, self-esteem, pornography, anger, addictions. They may be called different things, yet in the end are just the devil incognito.

In today’s technology savvy world there seems to be an app for almost anything. One app that I have on my Samsung Galaxy that I would not want to go without is the MAN UP! God’s Way app.Man Up! God’s Way

The MAN UP app is guy centric. It is an app for real men. Men that want to be challenged. This is not an app for the weak-hearted. It is the one made for men that want to face life head on.

If you want to share your story with other men, the Man Up app is for you. Maybe you are struggling and need some real non sugar-coated advice, MAN UP! is for you. Perhaps your prayer life has weakened or your moral character gone astray. Download the Man Up app and join the community of broken men.

Read More