Watching this garbage was like being dragged to hell!!

I honestly cannot believe the general public thought this movie was some great return to horror by the Raimi’s. Ever since I mistakenly watched this movie I’ve been asking myself, “Is this a great movie and I just didn’t get it? Is there something wrong with me for thinking it was horrible?.” There is so much wrong with this movie I barely know where to start. Oh wait, yes I do… Was this a comedy or horror? This was the quandary I found myself in after the first 25 minutes of this garbage. The over-the-top attempts of action and the laughably tacky gore made it even harder to distinguish what exactly the Raimi’s were trying to do with this one. The Raimi brothers obviously thought what worked in the 80’s with The Evil Dead trilogy, would be golden in 2009, they were dead wrong. Maybe the extreme cornyness (which I know is not a word, but you get my point) has something to do with the PG-13 rating. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that the plot was simply awful, or maybe even the unpleasantly noisy jumble of sounds that were used to make the audience feel what the character felt. Honestly the most noisy movie I’ve ever seen. There were more than a few unnecessary moments that should have been left out of the final cut, but then again I’m one of the only people alive who didn’t like this movie, so maybe theres just something wrong with me. Or something wrong with everyone else. You be the judge.

I loved “The Quick and the Dead,” thought “A Simple Plan” was great, and enjoyed the first two “Spider Man” films, but “Drage Me To Hell” is a swing -and-a-miss for me.

Released: May 2009
Runtime: 1hr 39mins
Rated: PG-13

Is Stallworth’s conviction enough, considering the cost?

Dante Stallworth

It seems that after driving drunk in Miami and killing an elderly man back in March of this year, Dante Stallworth will only serve 30 days in jail, along with 2 years house arrest (which can’t be all bad for a millionaire), 8 years probation, and the lifetime surrendering of his drivers license. Goodell has also suspended him indefinitely and without pay for the 2009 NFL season, but the terms of his sentence states that he will be able to play football during his home confinement period if reinstated by the commissioner. I understand that by pleading guilty to manslaughter charges, Stallworth is taking full responsibility for what he has done. However, this case is eerily similar to the Leonard Little case back in 1998. For those who don’t know about Little, he’s a defensive end of the St. Louis Rams and in 1998, after leaving a party drunk, he careened into a woman’s car an killed her. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 4 years probation, and 1000 hours of community service. Under commissioner Tagliabue, he was only suspended for 8 games during the 1998 season.

Micheal Vick

Now keep in mind that in the Stallworth and Little cases, two people lost their lives, while Michael Vick was made and example of for dogfighting. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in a federal prison, 4 years probation, and it’s still up in the air whether or not he will be reinstated into the league. Not to mention the price that he has paid financially, socially, and publicly. Yes, I do understand there were extenuating circumstances that went into the Vick conviction but I am talking about “hard time served” here. Stallworth and Little’s time served combined is still a fraction of what Vick served, and they killed people. In my opinion, people who drive drunk should be treated by our legal system like murders, rapists, and pedophiles. There is nothing more inconsiderate than getting behind he wheel of a car drunk. You are not only endangering your life but the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to cross your path. I’m not advocating for Michael Vick because dogfighting is a disgusting and semibarbaric form of entertainment. I like everyone else, thought he should have been punished for his indiscretion but when you compare these offenses, the punishments seem a bit questionable, don’t they? This is just my opinion, but I personally think Stallworth and Little were slapped on the wrist, considering the fact that two people are dead because of their bad judgement and blatant inconsideration.

Changeling

As an actor, I never thought to highly of Clint Eastwood. Maybe his characterizations were before my time but I just always saw him playing the exact same roles in all his movies. Either an ornery old man with a grudge against the world, or in his younger days, as an ornery young man with a grudge against the world. However, I give him all the credit in the world, as a director. ”Million Dollar Baby” and ”Mystic River” in my opinion were his two best films, until I saw “Changeling” that is.

The situation that unfolds within the first 25 minutes of this film will have you shaking your head in disbelief, and from there the plot thickens into a tale of corruption, deceit, murder, and extreme sorrow for another 2 hours. This film will break your heart, not so much due to the fact that it is a very well written and performed piece, but probably more so when you consider that the events portrayed actually happened, to real people, in real life. Christine Collins was a real woman desperately searching for her missing son while a vile and corrupt  police department tried to destroy her credibility when she challenged their wrong doings. Gordon Northcutt was a real psychopathic sadist who brutally murdered young children, and most importantly, Walter Collins was a real child.

Angela Jolie’s portrayal of Christine Collins will probably get her Oscar consideration next year and if not for the paramount success of “The Dark Knight,” I would probably predict this film to win the Acadamy Award for Best Picture. It is truly that good. Films like this one, by director’s like Eastwood, usually don’t bring in the hundred million dollar box office totals, but as history tells, they are always the films nominated for Oscars.

Released: October 2008

Runtime: 2hrs 20mins

Rated: R

What if Bolt actually tried?

From the start of these Olympics all the talk has been about Michael Phelps and the “amazing” feat he was trying to accomplish by winning eight gold medals in just one Olympics games. Well, Phelps did win all eight; and it is amazing; and I’m sure we’ll hear so much about that in the next few weeks that Phelps may start penetrating our dreams. So I’m going to talk about Usain Bolt and his equally amazing accomplishment, that may get barely 1/3 of the attention that Phelps gets.

Look closely at that picture above…..look at that margin of victory………and yes that is a 100m race. These are the fastest men in the world, and Bolt jogged and celebrated for the last 15 to 20 meters, all while setting what may perhaps be one of the most unbreakable individual records in the history of competitive sports. 9.69s; are you kidding me? Do you remember when Maurice Greene set the record at 9.79s in 1999? Track enthusiast were sure that was unbreakable. What about when Asafa Powell broke that record in 2007 by clocking 9.74s? Once again everyone was in aww. Well, when Bolt ran 9.72s earlier this year, in only his second 100m race, the red carpets were beginning to roll for him, but 9.69s…….are you kidding me! I’m trying to emphasize here how unbelievable this is. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t even run the whole race at full speed. Once he looked to his right and realized Asafa was nowhere to be found he slowed up and started celebrating. If this dude had ran that race like everyone else behind him, he could have easily ran about 9.58; unquestionably.

PLEASE LET THIS DUDE BE CLEAN!!!!!!!

In the wake of a number of doping scandals, this sport has loss a lot of support in the past few years, and this could be just the thing to give it some much needed resuscitation. It’s crazy how easy he made this look. A .20 seconds margin of victory in the 100m race is something that hasn’t been done since Jesse Owens in his prime. I just hope it has all to do with the fact that he is an uncommon 6′5″ sprinter with a huge stride. Being a Caribbean man myself, I’m glad to see Bold representing the Caribbean with this gold medal, but I would hate to find out that he was all juiced-up in the process. I personally don’t believe he is, but in today’s sports, you have to wonder. After what we’ve seen thus far it may be foolish to say this record will never be broken, but unless Bolt decides to actually run full speed for an entire race, I don’t know if anyone else will be able to top it.

Caylee Anthony; Missing Toddler Case.

This story is actually more developed now than the video above demonstrates, and if your not familiar with it, you should look it up on CNN.com. 

This story is very upsetting to me. I can’t find a crevice within myself deep enough to understand the mind set of Casey Anthony (mother of Caylee). How do you report your child missing an entire month after she goes missing. Then tell nothing but lies to the police and everyone else trying to find the little girl. It’s sickening the way this woman seems to have the least bit of interest in finding her child. It hurts my heart to say this, but I believe Casey knows exactly where her daughter is, and I pray for the contrary, but I don’t believe she is as safe as her mother wants us to believe. A concerned mother interested in finding her missing child would not do what this woman has been doing for the past few weeks. I really hope they find that little girl safe, but it doesn’t seem like her mother is the least bit concerned about where she is.

She complains that the media is twisting everything she is saying to make it seem as though she is responsible for her child’s disappearance, but it seems like she doesn’t realized that if she had told the truth in the beginning, or even starts telling the truth now, there would be nothing for the media to misconstrue. She is actually refusing tho cooperate with police. I for one am very aware of the short comings of American media, but I don’t think the media are to blame in this case; Casey Anthony is. People can formulate their own opinions based on the details that are being presented, and right now Casey Anthony is digging her own grave in the face of public or even private opinion. Like I said, if your not familiar with this story you should look it up, it’s devastating. Casey Anthony has created such a huge web of treachery that the process of trying to get one shred of truth out of her can overshadow the fact that there is an innocent little girl that’s unaccounted for. I really hope that at the end of all of this I will be proven wrong about Casey………. as she claims. As foolish as it is, I hope she really is lying to protect that little girl……..as she claims. Pray for Caylee, because she didn’t choose to be born to this woman.

“Tropic Thunder”; not as offensive as “The Ringer”

I saw on CNN yesterday that people are boycotting this film. Apparently the fact that the word “retarded” is used repeatedly is offending a lot of people, which I can completely understand; but the truth is, the context in which the word was used in this film does not compare to what was done in The Ringer. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t even come close to being as offensive to the mentally handicapped as The Ringer.

For those of you who’ve never seen The Ringer, it’s about a guy (Johnny Knoxville); down on his luck; who pretends to be “retarded” so he can rig the special Olympics……enough said. That film did nothing but use the behavior of the mentally disabled as a source of comedy. Shamefull………funny………but shamefull!!!!!

Tropic Thunder is a very entertaining movie, depending on your humor. Robert Downey Jr by far gives the most memorable performance, due to his melodramatic but hilarious portrayal of a black man. Jack Black’s character is not very different than the majority of his other roles. I’ve always enjoyed Ben Stiller movies (with the exception of Zoolander), despite the fact that there’s much similarity in the way he portrays the characters in all of his leading roles. A few characters have dialogue that is over exaggerated to give the illusion of being funny, Tom Cruises’ cameo in particular. Some creative cinematography cloaks a lot of crass action scenes but the film still manages to be the best Ben Stiller has done as a director. Otherwise, I don’t think this film is intended to be taken seriously as anything other than eccentric comedy. So if you enjoy over-the-top and pervasive comedy films, then you will enjoy Tropic Thunder.

Released: Aug 2008

Run time: 1hr 47mins

Rated: R

Not worried about Rodgers in Green Bay.

At the end of the Brett Favre drama that took complete media control of this off-season; many sports fans and critics alike, were considering Aaron Rodgers to be the biggest victim of it all. I really don’t see it that way. In my opinion, there has been no casualties in all this; everyone got what they wanted. Favreis playing (without having to compete for the starting spot), Green Bay is able to move forward with their new franchise QB, Rodgers is finally the top man in Green Bay, and the fans can’t be victims until we see what Rodgers can do week after week.

Now I’m not trivializing the fact that he has extremely big shoes to fill, but his role for the past three years should put him in position for success . Rodgers should know the Green Bay offense in his sleep by now, not to mention the fact that he has been mentored by Favre for the last three years. Now managing the offense, reading defenses, pocket presence, QB to WR chemistry, and a host of other details can only come with in-game experience; which he has a shortage of. Nevertheless, Green Bay drafted him with their first pick in the 2005 draft (24th overall, second QB selected behind #1 overall Alex Smith) for a reason. Rodgers has the potential to be a top tier QB in this league with time.

I heard on ESPN today that he’s getting a little frustrated by the comments that some of the fans have been making (some foul mouth kids in particular) lately. I’ve even heard ESPN analysts  say things like “his biggest task may be getting the Green Bay fans behind him,” which I also think is ridiculous. Rodgers biggest task is going to be running the Green Bay offense and winning football games. Sports fans are simple creatures by nature (and I say this as an avid sports fan myself) who are predisposed to front running. If he wins games, Green Bay fans will bum rush his band wagon. All he should be focus on his his game. Personally I won’t even mind if he struggles a bit in his first few games; that’s to be expected of a first time starter (unless their name is Roethlisberger or Brady), but ultimately I think he will have a decent season this year. They have one of the toughest schedules this year but I believe he can win anywhere from 8 to 11 games. With 8 gamese being acceptable for a first time starter but a failure to the Green bay fan still faithful to Favre. 10 or 11 games would be a stretch depending on his development, while less than 8 games would be a failure by even my standards; and I’m giving him a larger margin of error than most. More than likely the Vikings will top them in the division though. Basically, I think people need to give this dude a break until about week 5.

Good move by the Rockets in attempting to aquire Artest!

This deal won’t be finalized until sometime later this week or early next, but I like what the Rockets are trying to do here. After seeing them win 22 straight games last year; the last ……… without Yao; it’s obvious that this team is not very far away from championship contention. I’m sure there’s plenty of people out there who still think that Ron Artest is a ticking time bomb who is going to come into Houston and find some way to be disruptive; but I’m not one of them.

I honestly don’t think Artest is the same man he was when he ignited that brawl in Detroit back in 2004. He’s had three productive and problem free seasons since then. I believe this man realizes that he has no strikes left, and any infraction from this point on, could result in him inevitably being black-balled in the NBA. If nothing else motivates him to behave it should be the fact that he has millions to lose, and we all know how professional athletes feel about their money. Otherwise, I’m not worried about his behavior. Fact of the matter is, he’s a very good basketball player. Last season he averaged better than 20 pts, 5 boards, and 3 helpers, with the Kings. He and Kevin Martin were the two most consistent players on that roster for the last two seasons, and he thrived in a leadership role while he was there. I know towards the end of last season he and coach Maurice Cheeks were having difficulty getting along, and for that reason this is a good move for him.

The western conference will be just as good next season, and the improvement the Rockets will experience because of the addition of Artest will be a big reason for that. If McGrady and Yao can play a full season together without injury, and Artest is added to the mix, this team could easily become the second best team in the west; behind the Lakers (with Bynum). Yes, I do believe they will become better than Phoenix, Utah, New Orleans, and as much as it hurts to say it…..San Antonio. Artest has proven to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and his scoring ability will take pressure off Battier; who’s just as good defensively but not as good offensively. Artest and Battier on the same team could be a nightmare for the likes of Kobe, Lebron, Carmello, Wade, and the other premier perimeter scorers of the league. I hope Houston makes this trade, this will just add to the excitement that next season will bring.

“The Road” (Book Review)

Try to imagine for a moment, waking up to a world that is no longer safe to exist in. A world where your chances of surviving a full 24 hours is less likely than being gutted, cooked, and feasted on by starving cannibals. A world where all humanity has either perished, or transformed into a desperately dark entity forced into making survival the ultimate priority. Well; that world is the backdrop of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winner masterpiece. I thought McCarthy was a magician of creating emotionally gripping fiction after reading “All the Pretty Horses,” and this novel vindicated that thought. McCarthy’s unique style of story telling definitely throws him into any discussion involving the literary powerhouses of fiction.

The Road is a somber tale of a father and son fighting to survive in a post apocalyptic-like situation. With limited food supply and the constant threat of being cannibalized, or falling victim to the wrath of mother nature; they navigate an ash covered country in hopes of making it to the coast where they hope relief is available. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to pull readers so deep into his fiction that identical emotions are shared by reader and character, in the face of tragic and devastating life experiences. Heart wrenching scenes are a staple of the McCarthy story and this novel has an excess of them. You will read this novel in anticipation of the-end-game from beginning to end. If you are not familiar with Cormac McCarthy’s work this novel will make you an instant fanatic. After No Country for Old Men took home the Oscar for Best Picture in 2008, we have the film representation of this novel to look forward to in the fall, and I have no doubt that this novel will make an equally magnificent film. Read this book!

Brad Pitt as Jesse James………A must see!

In this highly underrated film; the classic western tragedy of the American outlaw Jesse James, is resurrected through some of the finest attributes of modern day film making. I was absolutely stunned to see a Brad Pitt film, in this stage of his career, receive so little publicity, and subsequently do so bad in the box office. From what I understand it opened up in less than 10 theaters in the US and grossed less than $4M worldwide. Which is unbelievable because this is one of the best films of 2007; consisting of extremely strong performances and extraordinary cinematography. 

The plot highlights the peculiar and somewhat baffling relationship between Jesse James (Pitt) and Robert Ford ( Casey Affleck). Being one of the most talented actors of this generation, Pitt probes his bag of tricks and delivers  a psychologically dysfunctional, and emotionally unstable portrayal of Jesse James. While Casey Affleck gives a much deserved Oscar nominated performance through his characterization of Robert Ford. I was very surprised to see Casey Affleck flourish in a role that required more than average acting skill. I’ve only see one or two other Jesse James films and this is easily the best Robert Ford portrayal. Due to the set up of the story, I would even go as far as suggesting that Ford is the main character of this film, while Jesse James is a secondary;although Affleck was nominated for Best Actor in A Supporting Role.

This film may not be packed full of the gun fighting and horse chasing of the classic holywood western, but  its emotional appeal allows it to be a very entertaining nevertheless. By emotional appeal, I’m referring to the films ability to invoke a sense of sympathy towards violent and coarse men, who would just be written off as murdering, thieving, violent criminals by the rational human being. If you are a movie buff who can appreciate a good long film, lacking explosions, blood and guts, but rich in content and strong is substance, then you should definitely give this film a try. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Released: Sept 2007

Runtime: 2hrs 40mins

Rated: R