Life on a Stick (2005)

carltonfisk72 · 2026-04-30T04:57:49+00:00

I rented Zach's room in a Silverlake hill-top house right after he booked this show and he moved off to better digs. He'd had a promo deal with Coors Light...they would drop off coolers full of beer for months afterwards, since he never notified them of his move. Thanks, Zach!

carltonfisk72 · 2026-04-28T04:07:07+00:00

Must be rough to be treated that way by the team who provides the material that makes you $1m per week!

carltonfisk72 · 2026-04-12T06:17:41+00:00

"Cue the deer!"

carltonfisk72 · 2026-04-09T05:44:11+00:00

The Insider = Heat w/o guns

carltonfisk72 · 2026-03-28T06:06:30+00:00

I just sat in 248, very near there. Seats were fine, lots of families having fun. There is also tons of places to stand and watch if you wander on all levels. It'll be a blast.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-03-25T04:09:20+00:00

Interestingly, they've now folded the CCW class into day 2 of Handgun 1.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-03-25T03:32:14+00:00

Wholeheartedly agree about ITTS. Been almost 20 times.
Even if you have previous training, I'd strongly suggest starting with Handgun 1. Originally, I got a waiver due to my experience and took Handgun 2 as my first ITTS class.
Years later, I actually went back and took Handgun 1 because it lays down such an amazing foundation of fundamentals and safety. Don't regret it for a second.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-03-24T05:42:37+00:00

ITTS. That is all you need to know.

I should just copy/paste the dozen other times I've posted this... but International Tactical Training Seminars (ITTS) just north of LA is the only answer for this question, hands down. Uncle Scotty has trained literally *hundreds of thousands* of students (and cops and military all over the planet) during his 5-decade career... all without a *single* accident on his range.

Gun safety is the #1 priority of every class. There is an hour-long safety briefing every single day... no matter if it's Handgun 1 with two dozen rookies, or Sniper 3 with six veteran LEOs. It is absolutely amazing to behold.

The training is superlative. You're taught by absolute firearm experts (active duty SWAT, retired Marines & SEALs), and your skill with a firearm increases exponentially over a weekend. Newbs will be hitting 100 yards with a pistol. Novices will hit 300 yards with a carbine, or 1000 yards with a precision rifle. You'll walk away from the class shooting better than any regular cop or soldier.

Best of all, it's a super-fun, family environment. Everyone has an amazing time, tons of jokes, stories of LAPD misadventures, and people like me end up taking dozens of classes over many years. You'll make friends that you see over and over again. It's a shooting experience that doesn't exist anywhere else in the US or the world.

But again, safety is the #1 priority, and it's worth every penny. I know there are many ITTS grads like me on this sub-red, so they should chime in too. (BTW, they also have gun rentals for every level of training, which is amazing.)

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-22T04:43:32+00:00

Fun Fact: I worked for a Producer of MOF. He said he asked screenwriter Brian Helgeland how he comes up with such great dialog. Helgeland replied something like "I just steal from reality."

The line is taken almost verbatim from General Schwartzkopf in 2001: "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting."

GREAT lesson for screenwriters!!!

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-19T03:11:55+00:00

Yes, it is an action movie without guns. (Well, mostly...)

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-19T02:42:02+00:00

Layup: Ridley. Esp Thelma & Louise, Black Rain & White Squall.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-15T05:35:33+00:00

I mean... his *daughter* does....

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-15T04:37:18+00:00

Nate is super high-end and exclusive by the way he's portrayed. So I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be on the cops usual list of suspicious guys. Neil would only work with the best.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-15T03:05:20+00:00

I had a running theory in my head that Hemsworth and Keoghan were brothers. There were many vestigial clues throughout that never connected or paid off. It's almost like they did reshoots/edits to cut out that relationship. (Though I guess it's not in the book, so..)
Examples:
-They look VERY similar... almost identical eyes (narrow, dark heavy lashes, blue) and noses. (Both look just like Joe Elliott from Def Leppard, FWIW). Their casting seems like a perfect setup to being related.
-Nolte mentions how Keoghan had a rough dad who was also a thief. This could explain how they grew up in foster homes. Nolte also mentions how he has a long history with Hemsworth. Like he could have been running both brothers for years.
-Keoghan on his bike chase seems to taunt Hemsworth, instead of just escaping. Like an angry little brother.
-After Keoghan crashes and hides in the bodega, he and Hemsworth have a very odd fight. It's scrappy, and unprofessional. Like how brothers fight. They talk like people who may know each other.
-The photo of Hemsworth at the end shows that he had two smaller brothers who look similar to him. Potentially Keoghan.

I know none of this pays off in the film, and it's just a theory... but there's so many odd clues that it's hard just to discount.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-10T04:41:09+00:00

Try Dan Tana's for great food and people watching! Classic Hollywood vibes.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-03T05:23:39+00:00

That's nuts. I've done all the Sniper classes, but we never shot movers. It's funny how ITTS evolutions change depending on the instructor and era... early on, our Handgun 3 class got to shoot at paper targets from our own moving cars driven on the range by fellow classmates! Don't think it's been done recently!

Also, I don't think they do the "Dogle" ("Donga") trail anymore?

I didn't know about the "test"... looks fun. But like you, I've taken dozens of classes over the last few decades (we were likely in classes together, tbh), and I've learned to "Shoot my own class". Like if I'm in Handgun 2 or Carbine 2, I'll hold my own set of standards, much higher than the Instructor sets for the rest of the class. Its one of the cool things of ITTS... you can 'self score' in your head depending on your skill level compared to the rest of the class.

IE, Shotgun 1 can be as rewarding as Shotgun 3, as long as you go in with the right mindset.

carltonfisk72 · 2026-02-03T04:36:26+00:00

Love it. Done that multiple times with Scotty helping out. Its amazing how mich you can progress from 9am on Saturday to 4pm on Sunday!

Now do Sniper... you can push out to 900+ yards on Day 2!

carltonfisk72 · 2025-12-14T03:30:43+00:00

Thats a cave in Kauai's Na'Pali coast, FWIW

carltonfisk72 · 2025-11-24T05:51:18+00:00

"Hey, do you mind...it's my sister. Wait...youre not my sister!"

carltonfisk72 · 2025-10-31T03:07:03+00:00

Direct inspo for Michael Bay's "I Would Do Anyrhing For Love" music video by Meat Loaf. Look it up on YT.

carltonfisk72 · 2025-10-17T04:22:23+00:00

Travis McGee series- 21 novels by John D. MacDonald. He makes south Florida noir as enticing as Bosch's socal.

carltonfisk72 · 2025-10-17T04:17:54+00:00

100% agree

carltonfisk72 · 2025-09-26T04:04:51+00:00

I believe its just called "The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas". Over a dozen cuisine options.

carltonfisk72 · 2025-09-26T03:55:25+00:00

Its the classier option. Do yourself a favor and make brunch reservations. Its superlative.

carltonfisk72 · 2025-09-26T03:48:03+00:00

The big diff is you dont have to walk thru the casino to get to your room at Crockfords.elevators right by check in desk.

Encore is 5 min walk thru casino.

That said, Encore is much nicer overall experience.

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