A Conversation Between Allen Iverson and Jim Mora

This made me laugh.

Wes Anderson's Hotel Chevalier

This is a free download at itunes. Basically it is a short film that is a prologue to Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited (which comes out later this year).

It stars Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. (On a side note...all Natalie Portman fans should watch this clip anyway).

Pretty cool marketing...and it is an interesting clip.

Cubbies are In!

I had an eventful of evening of watching over four hours of baseball last night. Ideal results happened with both games. The Cubs defeated the Reds 6-0...and the Padres defeated the Brewers 6-3. Thus the Cubs became the first NL team to clinch a spot by winning the NL Central. The Padres as of last night has clinched at least a tie for the Wild Card Spot...and are still one game out of the division.

Also for the Padres...Greg Maddux won his 14th game of the year and the 347th of his career. It wasn't his best outing (3 ER over 5 innings) but he battled...and the Padres won. Hats off to the bullpen...especially Clay Meredith for inducing a big double play in the sixth inning to get out of a based loaded jam.

This afternoon...Jenny and I are off to Cincinnati to watch the Cubs take on the Reds. The game has "basically" no significance but I'm still excited to go. It is very rare when Cubs fans can watch a regular season game knowing your team is already in. That's a good feeling. I'll definitely be scoreboard watching the Padres/Brewers game as a Padres win locks up their Wild Card bid.

Fun times.

Baseball is blowing my mind

I haven't posted much...been to busy keeping up with the NL baseball races. Hard to believe that their are three games left and no team has secured a spot yet. There are seven teams in the hunt for four spots. Unbelievable. And awesome...especially when one is pulling for two teams...in my case the Padres and Cubs.

It is going to go down to the wire.

Superman: Doomsday DVD

Just finished watching Superman: Doomsday. It is DC Comics latest foray into the world of straight-to-video feature animated films. It was pretty good. It is loosely based on the famous "Death of Superman", "Funeral for a Friend" & "Last Son of Krypton" storylines from the mid 1990's. I say loosely because really only the first third of the film is based on those story arcs. I would say overall the film works even though the final two acts bear little resemblance to the original source material. It's pretty good stuff...and definitely more intense than other DC cartoons. Little kids should not be watching this.

The animation is in the same vein of the Bruce Timm (he does serve as producer and co-writer here as well) DC universe but the movie exists on its own...it doesn't fit into the continuity of the rest of Bruce Timm's work (Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond & The Justice League). But I will say that like those other shows...Superman: Doomsday is on the same high quality level as those other cartoons. And I would also say that the production value--in terms of the animation and story are the best I've seen from Bruce Timm and his fellow filmmakers.

DC's next feature length animated film is one that I'm highly pumped for. Justice League: The New Frontier, one of my all time favorite mini-series, is getting the next treatment. Even cooler...the film is being drawn with respect to how Darwyn Cooke drew the original comic book mini-series. It's going to be cool. Here's an example of artistic sytle.

Split Decision on Shoot'em Up

We take a break from the current crop of new releases and take a look at a movie that was released a few weeks ago that managed to slip through the cracks. Shoot'em Up stars Clive Owen as a hitman(?) who during a wild shoot out delivers a baby. He incorporates the help of a harlot (Monica Bellucci) and the three of them seek refuge from an army of goons (led by Paul Giamatti) that are in hot pursuit of them.

Andy: I've got to be honest; the best thing about this movie this week is that it kept me from watching Good Luck Chuck. While that helped Shoot'em up some, the movie was unable to stand up on its own merits too well. The concept is pretty good, actually. You've got the gun-slinging action movie stripped down to its bare bones. As little time as possible is wasted on plot or background, we just need action. The film runs mercifully short (1 hour, 20 minutes), as a longer movie this crammed with gunfights would have been unbearable. As it is, Shoot'em Up is more than bearable, it's actually pretty entertaining. But I still felt something was missing, and apparently audiences felt the same, as they've been staying away from this one in droves.

Ryan: In some moviegoers eyes, there are going to be good reasons why Shoot'em Up fell through the cracks at the cineplexes. The movie is completely out-of-control. It's absurd and very ridiculous. But I really liked it. It's definitely not a movie for everybody. But as a stylized action set piece that doesn't take itself seriously, Shoot'em Up is a wild thrill ride of pure escapism. I can completely see that some moviegoers are not going to be into what this movie is but for those moviegoers looking for a testosterone-driven action flick, Shoot'em Up is that movie.

Andy: It's definitely intended to be read as escapism and it doesn't really attempt to be anything other than an all out action thrill-fest. The problem is that was so comfortably in the mold of the action
film that it seemed like it was bordering on satire. It didn't ever quite make the jump to satire, and I think that writer / director Michael Davis was going more for a tribute to action movies than a satire. The problem is that several things were just kind of stupid. At one point early in the movie Clive Owen's character (who inexplicably is always eating carrots) actually sticks a half eaten carrot through a bad-guy's skull. He then quips, “Eat your vegetables” It's almost funny, but not quite funny enough to work.

Ryan: Much of Shoot'em Up's entertainment value lies with the two leads Clive Owen, who is a fine actor that I really like, gives another enjoyable performance. Obviously this isn't his best work or anything new to his catalog, but he always puts forth a noteworthy performance. Paul Giamatti, who is as solid as they come, takes on the part as the villain. Playing the heel is somewhat new to Giamatti's resume but nevertheless one can tell that he greatly relished this opportunity to play such a vicious character.

Andy: There is no question that this movie is sporting some A-list talent. Giamatti and Owen are two of the best and certainly most consistent actors in Hollywood. And in the absence of a detailed story,
talented actors can often create depth with their performances. That just didn't quite happen here, and I imagine that's what the filmmakers were banking on. Owen is stoic and humorless as the mysterious lead. He does it well, but this movie needed a little more. It's not a bad performance, but it did not prop the movie up any, either. And I'll say this about Giamatti; he looked like he was having a lot of fun being the bad guy.
Shoot'em Up took a nice shot at being a pure action flick, but things didn't quite click for me. Final grade: C.


Ryan: Granted Shoot'em Up by design is supposed to be a film that doesn't take itself seriously. But even with that expectation the movie has to work with the framework that it sets up for itself. More often than not the film works. Not every James Bond-esque one-liner is a winner but most are. The action scenes are absurd but no more absurd than what one would see in a regular action flick. Shoot'em Up is basically a big budget B-movie that straddles the line of satire and straight ahead in-your-face action. The movie achieves what it sets out to do so I give it a B+.

Milton Bradley Goes Crazy

In what will go down as one of the strangest injuries in the history of sports, Padres outfield, Milton Bradley, tore his ACL while being restrained by his manager, Bud Black while arguing with the first base umpire.

Click here for visual proof.

Here's a quick recap of the incident via yahoo sports:

Bradley was ejected from Sunday's game after an eighth-inning conversation with first-base umpire Mike Winters that had its origins to a fifth-inning at-bat.

Bradley was called out on strikes to end the fifth inning. Plate umpire Brian Runge told the Associated Press that Bradley "... flipped the bat right in front of me, about five to 10 feet in front of me."

Runge asked Bradley before his eighth-inning at-bat if Bradley had flipped his bat in the direction of Runge intentionally.

"He said, 'No,'" Runge said. "He said, 'Did he [Winters] tell you that I threw at you? He started to point at Mike. I said, 'No, no.' I even threw my hands up and told him to calm down."

Once Bradley arrived at first base, he engaged in what essentially appeared to be a tame conversation with Winters, who was standing behind him while play continued. That's when things got strange.

"I get a hit and I go to first base, and I asked him [Winters], 'Did you tell him I threw my bat at him?'," Bradley said. "He said, 'Yeah, you did.' I said, 'Are you kidding me? That's completely ridiculous. Why would you do that? Why were you even watching me? If I strike out, the inning's over, why are you even looking at me?'"

San Diego first base coach Bobby Meacham, who witnessed the entire incident, said that a fan in the seats down the first-base line yelled something from the stands directed toward Winters.

"Someone from the stands booed the umpire and Milton pointed to the guys in the stands. He didn't say anything, [he] didn't look at him. Then the umpire went off on Milton and called him a name," Meacham said. "If he had said that to me, I would have charged him."

For a Padres's fan...this stinks. The Padres are only a half game in front of the Phillies and 1.5 games in front of the Rockies (who just swept them) for the Wild Card spot. For a mediocre offensive team...one can't afford to lose your best and most consistent hitter...and yes that is sad when Milton Bradley is that player.

Bradley is a loose canon...but he had been on relative good behavior. Regardless of what the umpire called him (alledgedly--a "f___'n piece of sh_t") Bradley has to not act like a loose canon and be a professional about it. I just hope the Padres can keep it together.

The Machinist

Over the weekend the Christian Bale lovefest continued when Jenny and I watched the hard hitting drama, The Machinist. The movie didn't do much when released a few years ago and only made some news with how emaciated Bale looks in the film, which he does.

It's a very good film. It has a little Hitchcock vibe going for it...not only with the macabre themes but also with its pacing and with its musical score. I really didn't know what to expect with the movie...but its a hard hitting movie and is a fascinating character study of the Bale character. His character undergoes an existential dilemna...which I won't give away...but will say that it is very satisfying in terms of fullfiling the film's narrative.

Not much of surprise here...but Bale gives another tremendous performance. He looks so sick in the movie but that is by design as his physical deterioration mirrors his emotional deterioration. It seems like Bale puts himself through the ringer with every performance but always delivers. He's the man.

National Public Radio

I know most Greensburg residents can pick up the Oxford NPR feed on the radio but it's not always consistent. Have no fear...tune to 98.9 on the FM dial to pick up a crystal clear feed of NPR...its the Bloomington feed.

"Walk All Over Me" trailer

I have a good feeling that this will be one of those movies that I'll be watching with the guys (although to be fair to Jenny... maybe not).

Here's a brief synopsis: A small town girl runs into big time trouble as she takes on her roommates identity as a dominatrix to pay the bills.

Click here for trailer.

The movie premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival...allegedly to some rave reviews.

Baseball Races Heat Up

I spent most of last night watching baseball. I watched Aaron Harang of the Reds shut down the Cubs and then I watched the Padres hold off the Pirates. In that game Maddux picked up career win #346...it wasn't a dominating performance (5 innings/ 3 runs) but a win is a win...and Padres remained one game behind the Diamonbacks and still have a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for the wild card. Maddux also walked a batter ending his streak of 59 2/3 innings without issuing a walk. But the win, Maddux's 13th of the season, did break Cy Young's record of winning at least 13 games in 19 consecutive seasons. Maddux now has 20 consecutive seasons of winning at least 13 games. Pretty cool.

As for the Cubs they are now tied with Milwaukee. In the NL East the Phillies are only a 1.5 games behind the Mets. Every division in the NL has a heated race as does the wild card. There are going to be two teams (from the six mentioned) who won't make the playoffs. It is definitely exciting...I don't remember a time (with the current playoff system in place) when every division (at least in the NL) is up for grabs.

It should be an exciting week and a half.

Wedding Photos

Andy and Elizabeth's wedding photos can be seen by clicking here...



But here's the best photo from the reception that won't be found on their website...






Face!

Mr. Woodcock film review

Although it was another slow weekend at the cineplexes, we take a look at the new comedy, Mr. Woodcock (PG-13). In the film, Seann William Scott stars as a self-help author who finds out that his mother (Susan Sarandon) is marrying his dictator-like ex-gym teacher (Billy Bob Thornton) from high school. Needless to say, Scott's character tries to break off the engagment.

Ryan: I went into this film with zero expectations. The movie has been on the shelf for awhile and this is the time of year when studio's tend to dump off some of their “stinkers.” There's no question that having no expectations made Mr. Woodcock a better film. Don't get me wrong, the movie is far from a comedic gem but for a dump-off comedy it's not too bad. There are some funny scenes and even a few laugh-out-loud moments. I can't say that I really recommend this movie but I will say that for a uninspiring comedy it does offer some escapism.

Andy: “A dump-off comedy” is a pretty big caveat to be spending the price of a movie ticket on, and the bottom line is, this is not a movie worth spending more than three dollars on. I was repeatedly struck by how weak the writing is. You know from the all the built in juvenile jokes that the title implies that this is not going to contain much “smart” humor, but it ended up containing surprisingly little humor at all. I felt like the times the movie was even trying to be funny were few and far between, and the times that it actually was funny I could count on my fingers. Ultimately, this is a sitcom plot stretched out to 97 minutes, and it just doesn't work very well.

Ryan: Billy Bob Thornton is a fine actor so it is somewhat surprising that he keeps rekindling a role that he's done before (and better). His performance in Mr. Woodcock is nothing more than a watered-down version of his Bad Santa role and to a lesser extent his role in Bad News Bears. Bottom line-- moviegoers have seen Thornton play this heartless and stern role before. I'll admit Thornton's good at it but it is nothing new. One would expect an actor as talented as Thornton to take on more roles that offer more of a challenge.

Andy: The level of talent this movie brings to the table is baffling. Billy Bob Thornton heads that group. Instead of showing his past Oscar-nominated form, Thornton is doing his deadpan tough-guy comedy routine. Only this time around his character is much less developed. Susan Sarandon, who has actually won and acting Oscar, can't be blamed for doing a fun comedy, but her character is so paper-thin that she is completely wasted. Seann William Scott does an okay job in the leading role, but he's really just doing a watered-down Ben Stiller rom-com performance. Those performances are sometimes annoying when Ben Stiller is doing them, so just imagine Seann William Scott trying it.

Ryan: The other lead in the film belongs to that of Seann William Scott--forever known as Stifler to most moviegoers. I'm not sure if he'll ever be able to truly escape the Stifler-persona but he's not a bad comedic actor. He doesn't have (or shown) much range but he's more than capable of holding his own in run-of-the-mill comedies. He has pretty good comedic timing and he does have a small degree of charisma that enhances his star status on the screen. As long as Scott can stay away from those cheesy direct-to-video American Pie sequels, which he has so far, he'll have a healthy career in Hollywood.

Andy: There is enough talent in this movie that it seems tolerable for long stretches, but it really doesn't have much going for it. The story is predictable and boring, the laughs come way to rarely, and there is surprisingly little attention paid to detail in the movie. I thought there was going to be a glimmer of hope when Melissa Sagemiller was introduced as a potential love interest, but her character promptly disappeared from the film for the next 45 minutes. Then we were left with Stifler and Thornton falling down over and over.

Mr. Woodcock has some decent moments, but is largely a disappointing film. Final grade: C.

Eight Day a Week

I almost forgot...over the weekend...we saw the Beatles tribute band, Eight Days a Week at the Greensburg Fall Festival.

I haven't been to the Fall Festival festivities on a Saturday night in a long time...but must say that Jenny, my mom and dad...all had a great time watching the band on Saturday night. It was a quite large crowd...even for a chilly night.

The show consisted of two parts...the band came out in matching suits and played for an hour of early Beatles hits (including a solid version of I Should Have Known Better).

For the second part...the band came out in Sgt. Pepper gear and played close to another hour of mid to late Beatles songs. In fact when they came back out they started off by playing the first three songs off of Sgt. Peppers. And I thought for a split second that they might do the entire album, which would have been a quite arduous task...but if pulled off...would have been awesome. Reality sunk in...and the band moved on to some other songs. I know I was getting ahead of myself...after all it would be quite difficult to pull that off with just four musicians.

Regardless, Eight Days a Week put forth a solid show that the people of Greensburg--especially me and my family-- really dug.

Jim Thome...HOF?

Jim Thome hit his 500th career homerun in dramatic fashion on Sunday evening. It was a walk-off blast...pretty exciting.

Now that Thome has hit the magic number (if it's still considered that) the question becomes...is Thome a hall of famer.

My intial reaction is no...which is not a good sign. For an educated baseball fan... whether a given player is a potential hall of famer... should be (normally) a quick response. In that regard, Thome has failed my first test.

Let's go to the numbers:

BA/OBP/SLG is .281/.408/.562
--that's solid...that's a OPS of 970....that's really solid. That's HOF solid. That's a higher OPS than Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Bagwell and Ken Griffey Jr. Other than Delgado those players are no doubters for the HOF. With an OPS that high for that long of a career...that shows that Thome has been consistently good for many number of years.

That's my biggest criteria...being a dominant player at your position for a number of years. He passes this test.

Now let's dive a little deeper...

He only made 5 all-star games. That's not overly solid. But--and I think this is why all-star appearances are sometimes overrated--his potential spot was taken by Mike Sweeney--who was like the Royals lone representative for a number of years. The fact that every team has to be represented hurts some players chances of making the team. One could make the case that Thome was hurt by this.

Never won an MVP award...this hurts...way more than the all-star appearances. In fact the highest he ever finished was 4th (2003). He's only finished in the top ten 4 times. This is very damaging. The numbers say he was dominant but the perception wasn't always there (which is what MVP voting says). I'm having a hard time getting around this...

As I'm typing this... baseball "guru" Steve Phillips is on Sportscenter giving his take. Basically saying the same things...very good player...good guy...no MVP's...not dominant...wouldn't get his vote (which he doesn't have--and that's good). He goes on to say...and I don't think this makes a lot of sense....that if Thome gets close to 600 home runs than he would be a HOF in his eyes.

I find that illogical...Thome is 37...does Phillips think that in the next couple of years that Thome is going to be more dominant...or win an MVP award. Unless your Barry Bonds...you don't get better after your 37th birthday (and that wasn't all natural). That logic just doesn't make sense to me. If Thome gets close to 600 home runs it's going to be by seasons that are sub-par to his best seasons. He's not going to get better...odds are he's going to get worse and worse year after year. He's past his prime...if Steve Phillips criteria is that a player has to be dominant than Thome is well past that. I guess I'm just being critical of Phillips's own criteria/argument for a potential hall of famer.

In essence...I'm really on the fence...but maybe like Frank Thomas...Thome's numbers look better when one (I think it's safe to assume) that he did everything on the up and up. He's never been linked to steroids. In this regard...his numbers do look better...they aren't inflated...and maybe that helps his case.

Ultimately if I had a vote...I would vote him in. It's not my most confident stance on a player's HOF potential but I can stand by it.

A Theory on The Fountain

The Fountain was a film...that at least in my eyes...was an artistic disappointment. By no means was it a complete failure but it didn't live up to my expectations (after all Darren Aronofsky is an accomplished director).

Via joblo.com I found this article explaining what the Fountain was all about. Click here to read. It was posted on rogerebert.com but the commentary is by a guy named Matt Withers.

I'll have to give him credit...his take makes a lot of sense in terms of what Aronofksy was trying to accomplish with the movie. I'm not saying that it has completely changed my feelings about the movie...moreover it does make me want to watch it again and see if my perceptions about the film have changed knowing what I know now.

Greg Oden...Out for Year

Sad news for all Portland Trail Blazer fans and fans of Greg Oden. The knee surgery scheduled for today...that wasn't supposed to be a big deal...is officially now...a big deal.

Click here to read the full story.

Oden is out until at least March but probably for the entire regular season. Portland has an unlucky history of drafting big men. Although Bill Walton won them a title his career in Portland was riddled with injuries. In then in the famous 1984 draft, Portland with the second pick...passed over Michael Jordan and drafted Sam Bowie. Unlike Walton's, Bowie's career really never got off the ground. They have an unlucky past.

I don't blame them for one minute in taking Oden. I know a lot of sports pundits are going to be saying that it was a mistake (there were some red flags with his physicals)...but that's nothing but revisionist history. He was the consensus number one pick. And don't forget...that unless one has a team with Jordan and Pippen...big men win titles in NBA. I think and do hope for Oden, the Blazers (and their fans) and the league that Oden's going to have a nice career...one that is just going to get started a year later.

Bruce Springsteen-The River

The greatest live performance that I've ever seen captured on video.

It just blows my mind that he just busts the song out as "hey I got a new song to sing."

The performance is from 1980.

New England Cheaters

I just absolutely love this story. I really dislike the Patriots so this story is just cracking me up. I love it.

For those not aware of the story here is a recap via Yahoo sports:

NFL security confiscated a video camera and tape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on Sunday when he was working on the New York Jets' sideline during New England's 38-14 victory. The league has confirmed that it is investigating whether the Patriots were taping the Jets' defensive coaches as they signaled to players on the field.

As a Colts fan it is only natural that I don't like the Patriots but to be honest even if I wasn't a Colts fan I probably wouldn't like them. I'm not going to get into all my reasons for disliking them (probably because most of the reasons are not fit to print--and might even be a little irrational). It is also safe to say that I don't even really respect the franchise even though they have been extremely successful. Something about that organization has always been fishy in my eyes. But then again maybe that's just something I told myself when they were regularly beating the Colts in the playoffs.

I think commissioner Roger Goodell is going to lay it on them...as he should. They cheated...they went way beyond the norm of even "acceptable" sports cheating. Contrary to what some media outlets have been arguing what the Patriots did is not in the same league as say stealing signs in baseball. One, it's not like some player or coach in the dugout has high-powered binoculars (or video equipment) looking into the opposing team's dugout. Sign stealing does occur but it happens with people on the field (or dugout)....not some random person hired by the club. Teams expect their signs to be stolen...why else do first and third base coaches go through all that hand movement. It is generic to say...but it is part of the game's tradition. Second baseball teams can police themselves. A suspected sign stealer or relayer has to come to bat...and when that happens a pitcher is either going to throw one high and tight or in the letters and that given player is going to think twice about doing it again. That give and take between teams is part of the game's fabric.

Apparently the NFL front office sternly warned teams before the season about video tape spying (allegedly this isn't the first time that a team has done this--and yes it was the Patriots then too). I think the penalty is going to be harsh because clearly the Patriots have violated a league rule. I've heard everything from taking away draft picks to forfeiting the game to Belichik (aka Hoodie) being suspended for a game or too. I'm thinking a stiff fine and maybe a draft pick or too taken away.

3:10 to Yuma Review

I'm not sure why I haven't posted the movie reviews...but I'm starting right now.

Now we finally have a film that I want everybody to go out and watch.

In a predictably slow weekend at the box office, the western remake

3:10 to Yuma (R) was the number one movie. Christian Bale stars as Dan

Evans, a down on his luck rancher who agrees to escort well-known outlaw

Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. James

Mangold (Walk the Line) directs.

Ryan: There's no question about it. 3:10 to Yuma is one of the year's

best. The film is not only a strong western but a strong film. I'll

freely admit that I had high expectations for this film. In rare fashion a

movie met my critical expectations. 3:10 to Yuma captivates not only

with its action but with its melodrama. The film is rated R for violence

but nothing happens that is absurdly over the top. In essence the movie

has the feel of a classic western (after all it is a remake) but with

a tone that feels both contemporary and classic.

Andy: It's been a while since Hollywood has put out a high-quality,

successful western, and it looks like 3:10 to Yuma ends that streak.

The film hits on several of the classic western motifs. There are

scenic panoramas, gangs of outlaws, stagecoach heists, basic good vs. evil

confrontations, and of course, plenty of gun play. Mangold is able to

piece it all together brilliantly. Mood and atmosphere are always

important in movies like this, and this one truly feels like an authentic

western. Ultimately, however, all of that is just the canvas for two

great actors to work on.

Ryan: It shouldn't be surprising to moviegoers why this movie is such a

success. The movie showcases the two best actors of their generation.

Their films might not always be box office smashes but both Crowe and

Bale always give authentic performances. Crowe relishes his opportunity

to play the villain (sometimes anti-hero) and gives another noteworthy

performance to his legendary career. Bale, who still might be

Hollywood's best kept secret, continues to give it his all with every

performance he undertakes. Seeing these two interact in the film is reason enough

to recommend it.

Andy: The way the narrative of 3:10 to Yuma is put together, it is

mostly about the relationship of the two lead characters and how that

relationship develops. What's great for the audience is that we have two

of the best actors in the biz playing these two characters, so

watching them linger between hatred and pseudo-friendship is one of the best

treats I've seen in film so far this year. It should come as no

surprise that these two actors put forth such solid performances; they

almost always do, but it is still great fun watching it play out on screen.

Ryan: While 3:10 to Yuma is a superb film, there are a few minor issues

with it. Bale's character has a wooded prosthetic on one of his legs

yet it doesn't seem to slow him down at all during the film. While it is

somewhat challenging to overlook the issue it is ultimately not

something that greatly detracts from the movie. Secondly, the movie is very

dialog driven for a western, which might put-off some fans of the genre.

I, personally, didn't have an issue with it because some of those

scenes of heavy articulation are some of the best scenes in the film. Like

most great modern day films stars, Crowe and Bale can aptly handle both

action and drama. In my view the film does a commendable job of

weaving the film's action with the movie's exchanges.

Andy: Sound is a tool that Mangold uses effectively here, particularly

in the dialogue scenes Ryan is talking about. One scene in particular

is of Bale's character saying goodbye to his wife before taking the

prisoner on the trip that he knows may cost him his life. The whole

scene is whispered dialogue that, even in the theatre, you almost have to

strain to hear. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, it is one

of the more intense scenes in the movie. Bale is able to put a lot of

desperation in those whispers, and scenes like this give 3:10 to Yuma

a range that many westerns lack.

3:10 to Yuma is a truly well crafted western and is one of the best

movies of the year so far. Final grade: A-.

New trailer John Rambo!!!

More Rambo ridiculousness.

Ridiculously awesome that is...

Iron Man Trailer

Click here to see.

I've always liked Iron Man (for a Marvel character).

The trailer's pretty cool.

Maybe Marvel has their shit back together.

"He Doesn't Look a Thing Like Jesus..."

Jenny and I made it home late Sunday evening from a fun and eventful weekend in Columbus (and Newark), OH. We went up to visit Amber (Jenny's best friend from college) and Paul who live in Newark (which is just slightly east of Columbus). We spent the weekend with them and had a very fun time. Paul reintroduced me to Miller High Life Light, which I hadn't drank since college. It was all good. On Saturday we ate at a fancy Japanese restaurant. Needless to say we dominated some Sushi. One of the pieces of sushi that Jenny ate was a wrap and it looked like a ice cream cone of sushi. So that was pretty funny. We also drank some chilled sake which added positively to the meal.

Another element of the trip was attending the Killer's concert in Columbus at the Promo West Pavillion (now known as the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion). I've been to this venue twice (it is acutally a duel venue) but only to the inside venue (two Ryan Adams concerts). The inside place is a larger more modern take on something like the Vogue in Indy. It holds approx. 2,000 people. But the Killer's concert was outside. This outside venue lies behind the indoor part and is like a miature version of Deer Creek. It holds close to 4,000 people (but no seats like a Deer Creek). This place also as a large bar connected to the venues for both public and concert viewing crowds.

An interesting aspect of this venue is that While Castle must have a business interest in this place. Not only is the bar called House of Crave but they were serving White Castles (not in the bar...although it looked like they have before) at the outside venue. I know it was very un-Maddux like but I didn't eat any Whitle Castles. Two reasons for this...I was full from the sushi (like I said...I dominated it) but also because it was rainy very hard. I didn't want soggy White Castles.

Yes it did rain on us...the concert was rain or shine but considering the lack of rain-fall that has fallen this summer I didn't think for one minute that it would actually rain. Jenny and I got pretty drenched until we realized that we could access the bar area with our ticket stubs. So we hung out in the bar for over two hours waiting for the Killer's to take the stage. Apologies to Louis XIV, who opened for the Killers. We missed them.

About the show...

It rocked. It was one of the best shows that I've seen. They really put on a rocking performance. To me a great show is accomplished when the band sounds like one would expect while kicking it up a notch on the rock meter. Brandon Flowers is the quintessential lead singer of a rock band. He is very theatrical and just commands the crowd like a good lead singer should. He loves to fist pump while singing so I think it is funny to assume that the band just cranked out their latest album with rock anthems on it solely so Brandon could fist pump on stage. But even many of their songs from their first album have that larger than life sound that sounded great at a live show.

The show could have been a little longer...I think it lasted between 100-120 minutes. But their songs aren't long...they only have two albums...and let's face it...they aren't a jam band so no need to do something that they aren't. Plus I don't always like it when bands just jam incessantly.

Overall...we had a great weekend visiting friends and enjoying a kick-ass concert.

Vaden Arrested

I'm just guessing that the fight was over who was going to eat the last cheeseburger.

Former Hoosier Vaden arrested in Alabama

From Staff Reports, Indiana Daily Student
September 5, 2007

(CSTV U-WIRE) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Former IU men's basketball player Robert Vaden was arrested early Friday morning at a Birmingham, Ala., nightclub. Vaden was one of five University of Alabama-Birmingham players arrested after they began to argue and fight among themselves. Vaden posted $500 bond after being charged with disorderly conduct.

UAB coach and former Hoosier coach Mike Davis said in a statement that the matter will be handled, but did not specify any punishment for the players.

"We are aware of the situation and will handle the matter internally and appropriately," Davis said in the statement. "There were several other basketball players there who were trying to calm their teammates as well."

Vaden came to IU as a member of the 2004 recruiting class, which consisted of current IU players D.J. White, A.J. Ratliff and Adam Alhfeld, current standout IU football player James Hardy, who played one season with the basketball team before leaving to focus on football and transfer Lucas Steijn. Davis left IU at the end of the 2005-2006 season, Vaden followed his coach to UAB.

Vaden was a solid contributor during his two seasons in Bloomington, as he started every game in his career as a Hoosier. Vaden led the team in steals and assists while finishing second on the team in scoring (13.5 points per game) and rebounding (5.5 rebounds per game) during his sophomore campaign, his last as a Hoosier.

Are you ready for some football!

The Colts kick off their bid to repeat as Super Bowl champs tonight when they open up the NFL season against the New Orleans Saints.

I'm ready.

I never thought I would be as big as a football fan as I am. I still like the sports of baseball and basketball better but I really like professional football (and the Colts). I'll concede that I didn't always like football but two things propelled my fondness of the sport--fantasy sports and Sunday gathering on 127 S. Vine. The fantasy sports speak for itself. I'm a fantasy dork. The key really lies with the routine football watching that occurred when Andy (and then Mike) and I lived on S. Vine. It was never really planned at first...but Sunday's just became "hey let's just watch the Colts day." It blossomed after that...ultimately culminating in last year's Super Bowl win. It was just the perfect apex of those weeks of hanging out and having a good time. I had a feeling that would be the last game at 127 S. Vine and it was a perfect way to end it.

Now with friends more spread out...we now have a rotating schedule that I'm looking forward too. I'm also looking forward for the Colts to have another outstanding year.

As Hank says (via Chris Farley)...The Saints and Colts are coming over tonight.

Go Horse!

Ultraviolet Not So Hot

I absolutely loved Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium so last night I decided to watch his follow up, Ultraviolet with Milla Jovovich. It is a similar movie in terms of being a futuristic sci-fi tale with lots of action (including gun-fu martial arts--apparently something Wimmer himself came up with).

While Equilibrium is awesome, Ultraviolet is not. Even for a futuristic sci-fi flick the premise and story in Ultraviolet is just out of control. Even worse...was that the film looks like it was thrown together by a group of junior high kids. There is absolutely no coherent flow to the movie. The scenes are edited together in a fashion that makes no sense...just not in terms of the narrative but in terms basic movie-making 101. There are several transitions between scenes that defy logic. And there are just many head-scratching moments that one normally doesn't have when watching a Hollywood feature film.

Furthermore, the special effects in the film add to the 0ut-of-controlness because they are so absurd in nature. Beside not looking real...most of the CGI scenes are just there to look cool...and they don't.

I'll concede that Jovovich makes for a sexy action female star but damn...it would be nice for her to flex her muscle in some decent movies. (Although to be fair...I haven't seen the Resident Evil movies.)

I'm not sure what director/writer Kurt Wimmer has up his sleeve for his next project but I hope he gets it together.

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere (Videoclip)

Here's the new video for Springsteen's Radio Nowhere.

And yes, Bruce and Little Stevie do their thing at the mic.

Greg Maddux ... 400 Wins?

MLB.com has a short article theorizing that Maddux has an outside chance of winning 400 games (only Walther Johnson and Cy Young have passed this mark)...I'm not making this up. One can read the article by clicking here.

I agree with the article that he would need to pitch at least 5 more years...and if he averaged 10-12 wins a season than he would reach the mark. But that would require him pitching until the age of 47. That's possible but I don't know how likely that would be.

I think a more realistic goal would be passing Warren Spahn. Spahn won 363 games. That is the the most for a pitcher that has pitched in the modern era (Post-WWII). So if Maddux were to pass that number it would still be very impressive (and more achievable).

Nonetheless...to even be talking about a pitcher with a chance to win 400 games is unfathomable in this day of age of 5-man rotations, pitch counts and jacked-up hitters. It truly is unbelievable.

Padres Wallop Diamondbacks

In Greg Maddux's career, he had only one win against the Diamonbacks. Now he has two. Maddux pitched yet another quality start (6.1 innings/2 ER) as the Padres defeated the Diamondbacks on Sunday evening 10-2. It was a dominating performance by the Padres as they hit five homeruns. Even Maddux helped in the scoring department with a double and run scored. It was career win #344. Maddux also extended his streak without issuing a walk to 48 1/3 innings.

The game puts the Padres alone at top of the division...although there are two more games in the series. Nonetheless it is always good to take the first game of a series.

Photos courtesy of (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Songs to download

Pitchfork had a positive (so that is saying something) write-up about Schooner, the band that rocked Andy and Elizabeth's reception. Click here to read. They reviewed their latest single, Carrboro. It can be downloaded from itunes.

If you go to itunes I have a new more suggestions.

--If you like the Killers's song Ready My Mind (if you don't...than you should) than check out the Read My Mind EP. Of note is the acoustically driven remix "Like Rebel Diamonds Mix." It's pretty solid.

I guess if you like techno music than you might be inclined to like the mix entitled, "Pet Shop Boys Stars are Blazing Mix." It's not my cup of tea but Jenny does like it. It does have more of the Killers's sound from their first album.

--Springsteen's latest, "Radio Nowhere" is still a free download. The song is growing on me. I like it.

--Paul McCartney also has a free download, "Nod Your Head." from his latest album ....Hey it was free.