Cynics like to talk about TV as nothing more then a vehicle for selling a bunch of crap to a bunch of dopes. Similar statements have been made about the Movies in relation to the sale of outrageously priced junk food. While I have often agreed with the former, I refused to understand the latter because of the semi-extraordinary streak I have been on recently when only paying to see thoroughly enjoyable films in the theaters. Coupled with rentals of Season 1-4 of "The Wire", my TV/Film viewing has been nothing but momentous since the Spring of 2008.
That was until today, the coldest day of the year in so many ways. I spent the full price of a movie to see "The Day the World Stood Still" staring Keanu Reeves. Granted I went into the film with limited expectations. I enjoyed the original, but found its message of hope and peace in the face of human ignorance a bit bland. I mean hey, whats wrong with a little bit of Anarchy? Why So Serious? and so forth. But the Cold War overtones are replaced with indignation over the way humans treat the planet earth. I felt "The Day After Tomorrow" drilled that point home well enough. Reeves, who has always been ridiculed for his remarkably stiff delivery, seems to mock the audience in the film, straining to sound and look like a statue. The GORT special effects are wasted, and the climax is as unsatisfying as my last evening at Mohegan Sun. The "Humans are stupid and destructive" approach worked in Dr.Strangelove, here it just becomes tedious. And this comes from someone who whole-heartedly agrees with the premise.
What got me were the trailers. It was after the trailers I realized the brutal truth, that I was sucked into the theater to watch a film I knew would be poor and yet felt a glow of satisfaction because it was simply a vehicle to show me what to expect in the spring of 2009, which may be the best season in the history of action movies. The three trailers prior to the film consisted of an extended trailer for the rebooting of "Star Trek", an extended trailer for "Terminator Salvation", and the first trailer out for "Wolverine:Origins". It was a fanboys wet dream. Out of the 40 people in the massive theater, I was the only one not to clap or "release" during that five minutes. People were most impressed with the Wolverine clip, simply for the inclusion of the "Gambit" character from the X-Men comics. With these films, along with Watchmen, 2009 should be fun.
Now I am off to watch more of The Wire, because Baltimore is a far more cold and heinous place then anything seen in a Keanu Reeves movie...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday at the Garden...
One day, two teams, one arena....
Such tradition could only happen in New England. An early afternoon start for the Bruins was perfect for a rabid fanbase with a suprisingly hot team to cheer. After a freak goal against the run of play early in the first period, the New York Islanders wished they had still been eating leftovers. The second and third periods were all Bruins. 7 goals by 6 players paved the way for a demolition of epic holiday proportions. Last year such an onslaught was rarer then the occaisonal slim female Bruin fan. This year, the goals and the south end hoochies are out in force. Plus, you have not lived until you wait to take a piss with 75 other Bruin fans in one of the Garden's horrendously inadaquate restrooms on the balcony level. I concluded the Bruins part of the program by watching the B's drive their huge SUV's out of the players parking lot with a group of kids, their parents, and the aformentioned south end hoochies.
Intermission: 3 1/2 hours at The Fours, eating an overpriced "Larry Bird" and chatting it up with some overexurberant BU girls. One was "an education major". Needless to say, she hung of my every word of my ever growing "Tales of the Classroom Chronicles". The finance boys in the crowd could only talk about "the ups' and downs". I had the cranberry juice, and the natural diarectic jokes only subsided when I made it rain...Most bizarre moment-When I predicted out of the blue that Nebraska would miss the field goal, only to see them try an awful fake that ended in the freak UC touchdown. Ridonculous. I triumphantly left the bar to pick up my Cs tickets and wait in line.
I bought a new Celtics hat. Its fresh.
There actually isn't much to say about the game itself. The C's were dominent defensively, early dunks by Perk and KG blew the roof off the building, and Ray Allen's huge third quarter rendered a terrible evening by the Truth moot as the game was over for all intent and purposes by the start of the fourth. The constant calls for Scalabrine to shoot were ridiculous, until he popped out and drained a three, once again sending the crowd into a tizzy late in the fourth. In the end, the game ha a little bit of everything.
Conclusions from the day:
The better the team, the more hot female support the team gets. It was my first Garden experience under these consitions. This sounds great on the surface, but coupled with the over the top intensity of the family friendly atmosphere promoted in both games, this drastically alters the experience. The result is a unqiue dicotomy for professional sports as MMA takes the mantle as the most unsanitized sporting experience for fans from boxing. 10 of the 12 people in my row were on dates. The garden is not the place to expect a roudy good time.
In this time of economic crisis, the NBA is pricing out the fans bigtime. I sat in the same section and row for both games. After taxes I paid 20 bucks more for the Cs game. The majority of the lower bowl was corporate, and my center balcony section was all yuppie dudes and their neuveau riche girlfriends. Now this doesn't nessesarily mean the environment was comparable to the Rent or the Civic Center for a UConn game, as there weren't many grandparents out for their weekly trip from the home. However, there was a reason that the crowd for the B's game was in line out of North Station 2 1/2 hours before the game and I was the first in line for the C's game 60 minutes before the tip.
Th separation between myself and the city of Boston is healthy. I would not be able to function if I lived there. As anestitized as the games were, both teams took their performances to the next level. The final three Bruins goals were as poetic as anything that ahas ever been written. David Krejcis goal was as supreme an individual effort as the NHL has seen all season and Kessel's goal showed this team may have what it takes. Big test tonight aginast the Red Wings...
The Intro's were not as good as last season.
One of the celtics ball boys hit 5 of 6 from beyond he arch before the game, and couldn't have been older then 12. I'm assuming he was directly relate to one of the players, becuase while short, he looked far more prepared for the league then say, any current member of the Duke mens team.
In the words of O'Shea Jackson, it was a good day....
Such tradition could only happen in New England. An early afternoon start for the Bruins was perfect for a rabid fanbase with a suprisingly hot team to cheer. After a freak goal against the run of play early in the first period, the New York Islanders wished they had still been eating leftovers. The second and third periods were all Bruins. 7 goals by 6 players paved the way for a demolition of epic holiday proportions. Last year such an onslaught was rarer then the occaisonal slim female Bruin fan. This year, the goals and the south end hoochies are out in force. Plus, you have not lived until you wait to take a piss with 75 other Bruin fans in one of the Garden's horrendously inadaquate restrooms on the balcony level. I concluded the Bruins part of the program by watching the B's drive their huge SUV's out of the players parking lot with a group of kids, their parents, and the aformentioned south end hoochies.
Intermission: 3 1/2 hours at The Fours, eating an overpriced "Larry Bird" and chatting it up with some overexurberant BU girls. One was "an education major". Needless to say, she hung of my every word of my ever growing "Tales of the Classroom Chronicles". The finance boys in the crowd could only talk about "the ups' and downs". I had the cranberry juice, and the natural diarectic jokes only subsided when I made it rain...Most bizarre moment-When I predicted out of the blue that Nebraska would miss the field goal, only to see them try an awful fake that ended in the freak UC touchdown. Ridonculous. I triumphantly left the bar to pick up my Cs tickets and wait in line.
I bought a new Celtics hat. Its fresh.
There actually isn't much to say about the game itself. The C's were dominent defensively, early dunks by Perk and KG blew the roof off the building, and Ray Allen's huge third quarter rendered a terrible evening by the Truth moot as the game was over for all intent and purposes by the start of the fourth. The constant calls for Scalabrine to shoot were ridiculous, until he popped out and drained a three, once again sending the crowd into a tizzy late in the fourth. In the end, the game ha a little bit of everything.
Conclusions from the day:
The better the team, the more hot female support the team gets. It was my first Garden experience under these consitions. This sounds great on the surface, but coupled with the over the top intensity of the family friendly atmosphere promoted in both games, this drastically alters the experience. The result is a unqiue dicotomy for professional sports as MMA takes the mantle as the most unsanitized sporting experience for fans from boxing. 10 of the 12 people in my row were on dates. The garden is not the place to expect a roudy good time.
In this time of economic crisis, the NBA is pricing out the fans bigtime. I sat in the same section and row for both games. After taxes I paid 20 bucks more for the Cs game. The majority of the lower bowl was corporate, and my center balcony section was all yuppie dudes and their neuveau riche girlfriends. Now this doesn't nessesarily mean the environment was comparable to the Rent or the Civic Center for a UConn game, as there weren't many grandparents out for their weekly trip from the home. However, there was a reason that the crowd for the B's game was in line out of North Station 2 1/2 hours before the game and I was the first in line for the C's game 60 minutes before the tip.
Th separation between myself and the city of Boston is healthy. I would not be able to function if I lived there. As anestitized as the games were, both teams took their performances to the next level. The final three Bruins goals were as poetic as anything that ahas ever been written. David Krejcis goal was as supreme an individual effort as the NHL has seen all season and Kessel's goal showed this team may have what it takes. Big test tonight aginast the Red Wings...
The Intro's were not as good as last season.
One of the celtics ball boys hit 5 of 6 from beyond he arch before the game, and couldn't have been older then 12. I'm assuming he was directly relate to one of the players, becuase while short, he looked far more prepared for the league then say, any current member of the Duke mens team.
In the words of O'Shea Jackson, it was a good day....
Sunday, November 16, 2008
On the Take.....
The New Bond film was better then "Casino Royale" despite having a far worse opening song, less hot chicks, and an implausible title/overall plot. The scene where Bond is taken into custody an takes out every agent in the elevator was bad ass.
The much anticipated Brock Lesner vs. Randy Couture bout for the UFC Heavyweight Title lived up to the hype, but after watching the end of the fight ten times, I am convinced it was fixed.
The much anticipated Brock Lesner vs. Randy Couture bout for the UFC Heavyweight Title lived up to the hype, but after watching the end of the fight ten times, I am convinced it was fixed.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Taking a turn for the better....
Can there be any coincedence that the same week my cat Mays Gilliam comes to live Middletown that America elects its first African Americn to the position of Presient?
Whats next? Now we can watch Martin...if we can still even afford cable....or DVD 's of the show Martin...or housing.
The C's vs Pistons on Sunday should be exciting. The addition of AI will make the Piston more exciting, but a further relience on the young guys may be a problem until McDyess returns. Actually according to the Globe it might be "If" he returns to the club.
Man U had been on a role until Wednesday's disappointing draw against Celtic in the UCL and a loss away to Arsenal this morning. Berbatov has been disappointing, while Christino Ronaldo has been slow to show the scoring touch that made him the world player of the year last year.
I was thinking alot this week about free will and hope. Sometimes, when things are seemingly always spiralling out of control at home and abroad it is nice to see simple acts of humanity that put that bad stuff into a more approporiate perspective. There are terrible things happening that need to stop, but for me this video made me feel proud that we have the capacity to connect more often to basic things that bring us together, instead of tearing us down.
Time to drive up to UConn, the men's soccer team is getting ready to romp all over Depaul in the Big East Quarterfinals.
Whats next? Now we can watch Martin...if we can still even afford cable....or DVD 's of the show Martin...or housing.
The C's vs Pistons on Sunday should be exciting. The addition of AI will make the Piston more exciting, but a further relience on the young guys may be a problem until McDyess returns. Actually according to the Globe it might be "If" he returns to the club.
Man U had been on a role until Wednesday's disappointing draw against Celtic in the UCL and a loss away to Arsenal this morning. Berbatov has been disappointing, while Christino Ronaldo has been slow to show the scoring touch that made him the world player of the year last year.
I was thinking alot this week about free will and hope. Sometimes, when things are seemingly always spiralling out of control at home and abroad it is nice to see simple acts of humanity that put that bad stuff into a more approporiate perspective. There are terrible things happening that need to stop, but for me this video made me feel proud that we have the capacity to connect more often to basic things that bring us together, instead of tearing us down.
Time to drive up to UConn, the men's soccer team is getting ready to romp all over Depaul in the Big East Quarterfinals.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
God Damn &**^%$$^^&@
Answer-The Boston Red Sox
Question-Which is the only team to hit three dingers in an inning and lose said post season game.
This October, the roll of Eddie Cicotte will be played by Josh Beckett. I mean wholly shit! I actually will not watch another Beckett start the rest of the post season. I'm Starting a "Play Wakefield" petition. His Payton Manning Face just made me puke on a kids Essay Test. Pathetic...
Question-Which is the only team to hit three dingers in an inning and lose said post season game.
This October, the roll of Eddie Cicotte will be played by Josh Beckett. I mean wholly shit! I actually will not watch another Beckett start the rest of the post season. I'm Starting a "Play Wakefield" petition. His Payton Manning Face just made me puke on a kids Essay Test. Pathetic...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...
The fine people of Minnesota have unleashed some of the most ridiculous shit ever on the general public. I just don't understand how people can be so ignorant....and I work with high school students.
The Top Five Jams on The Dude's IPOD This Week.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIvzwjVFvqk
2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zo4JdTfDw0
3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzqhJ_LTeaI&feature=related
4.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlEy3og5sms
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_WQnzmV6WI
An extra diddy...I'll say it again, the Red Sox have to start this tradition in America.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7xvegPH_Lw
I skipped the first Red Sox-Rays game for Pre-season Celtics Basketball. More Analysis of the C's to come. For now, lets just say Bill Walker is for real.
The Top Five Jams on The Dude's IPOD This Week.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIvzwjVFvqk
2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zo4JdTfDw0
3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzqhJ_LTeaI&feature=related
4.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlEy3og5sms
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_WQnzmV6WI
An extra diddy...I'll say it again, the Red Sox have to start this tradition in America.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7xvegPH_Lw
I skipped the first Red Sox-Rays game for Pre-season Celtics Basketball. More Analysis of the C's to come. For now, lets just say Bill Walker is for real.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
I can see Iran from my house...and its economy sucks!
In these challenging times it is good to know that the old standby's, like a dismantling of the Chicago Cubs in the playoffs and the industructability of the Subaru Impreza, are still illuminating our world and covering us all like a warm blanket.
For those pinning for Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" to be made into a movie, look no further then Bill Maher's "Religulous". Of coarse Maher comes across as hypocritical as he fervently attacks faith with such dogmatic vitrol, but his angle is dead on and use of humor for the first 3/4 of the film is like the Daily Show on steroids.
Somebody tell Jay Marriotti that Soriano can't be the new "October A-Rod" because A-Rod retains his position as the October A-Rod.
Alot of people have told me that this Pats team reminds them alot of the 2001 Patriots because the team has lots of holes and will play close games. I still think they are one more injury away from the Hugh Millen led 1991 Pats team.
JT O'Sullivan is better then Matt Cassell. In fact, he may be the 4th greatest QB in the history of the red and gold.
Bravo to TBS for putting Donny O' and Harald Reynolds together for the play by play of the Ray-White Sox. Good stuff. Between the TBS post season coverage and the TNT NBA coverage, the remnents of the Turner sports empire continue to be a bastian of glory in the wasteland that is professional sports coverage in America.
After a over a decade of sitting on the fence on the matter, I can now say with clarity that I am in fact down with O.P.P. .....The VHI Hip Hop Songs countdown was the clincher for me....
Randy Edsall abandoning the power running game 8 minutes into the first half versus UNC was as awful a tactical decision as a UConn coach has made since...well....Ray Reid didn't select Bobby Rhine to take the PK vs. Seton Hall in 98' NCAA Tourney.
Somebody has to answer me this; what is worse, being a Mets fan or a Cubs fan? I think it is closer then most people think.
The intensity of the WNBA finals has infultrated my classroom. Imagine my shock when two students debated the impact of expansion on the womens league. One said it depleated the talent pool. True, the San Antonio Silver Stars are a resent expansion team, but its inclusion is refreshing, like the TB Rays.
Speaking of the Rays, I retain my position that if the team loses a playoff series it should be relocated immediately. I'm partial to Hartford (New England's Rising Star!!), but I also think Las Vegas, New York, Nashville, or simple contraction are possibilites.
Me two months ago, "The addition of Patrick O'Bryant will make the C's a more dominent defensive team."
Me now, " The addition of Sam Cassell will cancel out the addition of Patrick O'Bryant in making the C's a more dominent defensive team."
The power running game...making offensive coordinators look brilliant since 1910!
Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush should go on tour, or better yet, run a telethon to bailout Nascar. Unfortunately, the extra 140 Billion dollars in pork that was added to the bill to bailout the financial sector only included $100,000 that will go to Nascar for public relations work. I know that BC and GHWB could do more to help out the only sport that contributes to the destruction of the O-Zone layer. What would Dale Earnhardt do?
Lawrence Maroney reminds me alot of Frank Gore, that is if Gore only got on the field for the last 5 weeks of the season.
Put me on the list of people who think that the film "W" will help John McCain. Nothing brings concervatives together like Hollywood, except for maybe free meth or closeted gay sex with other conservatives. Oliver Stone is such a pompus ass that he thrives on profitting from the horrors of the Bush Administration. I can't see what lampooning the guy who has been lampooned for the last 8 years does for anybody anymore. Partcularly from the guy who directed "Alexander".
Matt Cassell's Red Zone performance is jitterier then a saturated fat addict at taco bell. Mmmm..Taco Bell......
"I gotta say, today was a good day..."-O'Shea Jackson
For those pinning for Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" to be made into a movie, look no further then Bill Maher's "Religulous". Of coarse Maher comes across as hypocritical as he fervently attacks faith with such dogmatic vitrol, but his angle is dead on and use of humor for the first 3/4 of the film is like the Daily Show on steroids.
Somebody tell Jay Marriotti that Soriano can't be the new "October A-Rod" because A-Rod retains his position as the October A-Rod.
Alot of people have told me that this Pats team reminds them alot of the 2001 Patriots because the team has lots of holes and will play close games. I still think they are one more injury away from the Hugh Millen led 1991 Pats team.
JT O'Sullivan is better then Matt Cassell. In fact, he may be the 4th greatest QB in the history of the red and gold.
Bravo to TBS for putting Donny O' and Harald Reynolds together for the play by play of the Ray-White Sox. Good stuff. Between the TBS post season coverage and the TNT NBA coverage, the remnents of the Turner sports empire continue to be a bastian of glory in the wasteland that is professional sports coverage in America.
After a over a decade of sitting on the fence on the matter, I can now say with clarity that I am in fact down with O.P.P. .....The VHI Hip Hop Songs countdown was the clincher for me....
Randy Edsall abandoning the power running game 8 minutes into the first half versus UNC was as awful a tactical decision as a UConn coach has made since...well....Ray Reid didn't select Bobby Rhine to take the PK vs. Seton Hall in 98' NCAA Tourney.
Somebody has to answer me this; what is worse, being a Mets fan or a Cubs fan? I think it is closer then most people think.
The intensity of the WNBA finals has infultrated my classroom. Imagine my shock when two students debated the impact of expansion on the womens league. One said it depleated the talent pool. True, the San Antonio Silver Stars are a resent expansion team, but its inclusion is refreshing, like the TB Rays.
Speaking of the Rays, I retain my position that if the team loses a playoff series it should be relocated immediately. I'm partial to Hartford (New England's Rising Star!!), but I also think Las Vegas, New York, Nashville, or simple contraction are possibilites.
Me two months ago, "The addition of Patrick O'Bryant will make the C's a more dominent defensive team."
Me now, " The addition of Sam Cassell will cancel out the addition of Patrick O'Bryant in making the C's a more dominent defensive team."
The power running game...making offensive coordinators look brilliant since 1910!
Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush should go on tour, or better yet, run a telethon to bailout Nascar. Unfortunately, the extra 140 Billion dollars in pork that was added to the bill to bailout the financial sector only included $100,000 that will go to Nascar for public relations work. I know that BC and GHWB could do more to help out the only sport that contributes to the destruction of the O-Zone layer. What would Dale Earnhardt do?
Lawrence Maroney reminds me alot of Frank Gore, that is if Gore only got on the field for the last 5 weeks of the season.
Put me on the list of people who think that the film "W" will help John McCain. Nothing brings concervatives together like Hollywood, except for maybe free meth or closeted gay sex with other conservatives. Oliver Stone is such a pompus ass that he thrives on profitting from the horrors of the Bush Administration. I can't see what lampooning the guy who has been lampooned for the last 8 years does for anybody anymore. Partcularly from the guy who directed "Alexander".
Matt Cassell's Red Zone performance is jitterier then a saturated fat addict at taco bell. Mmmm..Taco Bell......
"I gotta say, today was a good day..."-O'Shea Jackson
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