Aaaaaaaaaaaaaandgoodafternooneverybody!
As suddenly as Brett Favre became a Jet, the Mike and the Mad Dog program broke up after nearly 20 years. A show that has been a part of my afternoons for a while, and then when I couldn't listen in the afternoons, has been a podcast that I've been downloading regularly. This show, one of the first duo sports talk shows in the country, set the model for what is now an industry. For the most part, it's better than any other show that has come since. There have been times that either Mike or Mad Dog have been a little much either alone or together, but they somehow made the discussion fun and interesting. Whatever comes next won't be nearly as good.
Check out Mad Dog's teary goodbye.
According to Mike, he'll never have another radio partner and will be at WFAN the rest of his career. Unfortunately, individually neither Mike nor Mad Dog will be as good as the team show. If I was 1050 ESPN radio, I'd see if I could lure Mad Dog into the afternoon - imagine, Mike vs Mad Dog!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Google Reader
Why has it taken me so long to adopt an RSS reader? I just started using Google Reader recently and I love it. It really saves me a lot of time while web browsing.
I think the main reason that I've been slow to adopt the RSS reader is that I only recently started reading a bunch of blog-style websites on a regular basis. In addition, a bunch of comics news websites, like Newsarama and CBR, weren't providing RSS feeds. But now, Google Reader makes things much easier, and there's no need to visit a million different websites, I can just open Reader and let it update for me. I'm not sure if Google Reader is the best RSS feed reader out there but since I use GMail, it seems like an easy one to pick up.
I think the main reason that I've been slow to adopt the RSS reader is that I only recently started reading a bunch of blog-style websites on a regular basis. In addition, a bunch of comics news websites, like Newsarama and CBR, weren't providing RSS feeds. But now, Google Reader makes things much easier, and there's no need to visit a million different websites, I can just open Reader and let it update for me. I'm not sure if Google Reader is the best RSS feed reader out there but since I use GMail, it seems like an easy one to pick up.
Brett Favre in New York
There have been many accomplished athletes who switch teams late in their careers, and many who have switched teams into New York City. But Brett Favre's arrival with the Jets has an even larger carnival-like atmosphere than I could have ever imagined.
Why is this happening? Certainly it's big news any time a team acquires a HOF-caliber player. But even most HOF-caliber acquisitions don't get press conferences at City Hall and "Broadway" signs. And it's been a week since his acquisition but ESPN is still doing daily training camp updates from Jets camp.
First, I think since the Brett Favre retirement saga was big news in the national media to begin with, the resolution has now led to increased focus on Favre. Second, since the Jets were such a surprise team from this trade, and in general the timing was surprising and last minute, there is a bigger reaction. Finally, although the Olympics are going on, there aren't many other stories in pro sports.
I'm not sure how successful this trade will make the Jets, but I am sure it has raised the expectations significantly for the team. That's not always a good thing. Lately, I've been noticing that NY sports fans (but especially Mets and Jets fans) seem to get really upset when the high expectations they have for their teams are not met. Chad Pennington was easily and frequently cheered and then booed. What will be his reception the first game he comes back as a Dolphin? Mets fans, in particular, are boo crazy and there is significant overlap from Mets to Jets.
The Jets season may start off bumpy. If there's ever a game Miami can steal, it will be week 1, with the Jets on the road, new QB and the general problems teams run into on week 1. Then the Jets go on to face the Pats and Chargers. Of course, Chad Pennington loved to feast on the Chargers (he beat them in their last 3 match-ups, including a 44-13 whipping while the Jets struggled and the Chargers were 6-1). Then Arizona, the team everyone always thinks will be better. So it could easily be a 2-2 or 1-3 start. Not so favorable. Fortunately the BYE week then comes up and the schedule is pretty good overall.
Another interesting comment I've heard - the Patriots have the easiest schedule in the league and the Jets one of the hardest. Well, sure that's true if you look by opponent's record. But their only opponents that differ are the Jets face the Bengals and Titans, whereas the Pats face the Steelers and Colts. So what accounts for the disparity? Easy - if you calculate the Jets' opponents records, you need to factor in the 16-0 Patriots twice. Whereas when you factor the Pats' opponents records, you put in the 4-12 Jets twice. But actually the schedule is only different in those two games. So yes, technically the Jets' schedule is harder because they play the Patriots, but the Patriots don't have to play against themselves.
Interesting to watch for: at what point will Brett Favre say "we" and "us" instead of "this team" and "these guys"? The latter phrases sound much more like an outsider looking in.
Why is this happening? Certainly it's big news any time a team acquires a HOF-caliber player. But even most HOF-caliber acquisitions don't get press conferences at City Hall and "Broadway" signs. And it's been a week since his acquisition but ESPN is still doing daily training camp updates from Jets camp.
First, I think since the Brett Favre retirement saga was big news in the national media to begin with, the resolution has now led to increased focus on Favre. Second, since the Jets were such a surprise team from this trade, and in general the timing was surprising and last minute, there is a bigger reaction. Finally, although the Olympics are going on, there aren't many other stories in pro sports.
I'm not sure how successful this trade will make the Jets, but I am sure it has raised the expectations significantly for the team. That's not always a good thing. Lately, I've been noticing that NY sports fans (but especially Mets and Jets fans) seem to get really upset when the high expectations they have for their teams are not met. Chad Pennington was easily and frequently cheered and then booed. What will be his reception the first game he comes back as a Dolphin? Mets fans, in particular, are boo crazy and there is significant overlap from Mets to Jets.
The Jets season may start off bumpy. If there's ever a game Miami can steal, it will be week 1, with the Jets on the road, new QB and the general problems teams run into on week 1. Then the Jets go on to face the Pats and Chargers. Of course, Chad Pennington loved to feast on the Chargers (he beat them in their last 3 match-ups, including a 44-13 whipping while the Jets struggled and the Chargers were 6-1). Then Arizona, the team everyone always thinks will be better. So it could easily be a 2-2 or 1-3 start. Not so favorable. Fortunately the BYE week then comes up and the schedule is pretty good overall.
Another interesting comment I've heard - the Patriots have the easiest schedule in the league and the Jets one of the hardest. Well, sure that's true if you look by opponent's record. But their only opponents that differ are the Jets face the Bengals and Titans, whereas the Pats face the Steelers and Colts. So what accounts for the disparity? Easy - if you calculate the Jets' opponents records, you need to factor in the 16-0 Patriots twice. Whereas when you factor the Pats' opponents records, you put in the 4-12 Jets twice. But actually the schedule is only different in those two games. So yes, technically the Jets' schedule is harder because they play the Patriots, but the Patriots don't have to play against themselves.
Interesting to watch for: at what point will Brett Favre say "we" and "us" instead of "this team" and "these guys"? The latter phrases sound much more like an outsider looking in.
Team Handball
I have been browsing the NBCOlympics.com website and stumbled upon women's team handball. What an interesting game. It's like some mix of basketball and soccer. But while the rules say they need to dribble while moving the ball, from what I can tell, there's not a whole lot of dribbling. Kind of interesting to be watching a game for the first time and trying to figure out how it works. I suspect this will wear off fairly quickly.
Kudos to NBC for their online Olympics coverage. I would have never seen this had it not been online and they have a ton of different events that you can watch live. That means curling fans can get excited when they have this sort of thing in the 2010 winter games.
Kudos to NBC for their online Olympics coverage. I would have never seen this had it not been online and they have a ton of different events that you can watch live. That means curling fans can get excited when they have this sort of thing in the 2010 winter games.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Favre is a Jet. Whatthahuh?
Let's hope this move is more like Joe Montana with the Chiefs and Wade Boggs with the Yankees than Patrick Ewing with the Sonics and Michael Jordan with the Wizards.
Poor Chad Pennington. He'll benefit from being in another place that has a good offensive line. The only reason he's leaving is that Brett Favre couldn't make up his mind about retirement.
Poor Chad Pennington. He'll benefit from being in another place that has a good offensive line. The only reason he's leaving is that Brett Favre couldn't make up his mind about retirement.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight was an awesome movie. I think part of what made it so enjoyable was that it didn't follow any sort of cliches that we expect from these types of movies. My audience at Union Square last Saturday afternoon was pretty amazing. There was almost no talking at all from the packed house, and when the movie started it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A huge contrast from my Iron Man experience in Times Square when the couple next to me was talking at normal speaking volume the entire film.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Heroes Webisodes
There's a new set of webisodes for the TV show Heroes that are introducing this postman with the power of a special scream. I just finished the second episode, and I'm pretty sure that it ended with the main character swearing! I guess there's no regulation on the web.
Also, Heroes was mentioned in the NY Times recently. The upcoming DVD release will include two unfinished episodes that were affected by the strike. I never saw the first DVD set but I believe there was some sort of bonus involving alternate ways that certain storylines would play out.
I really enjoyed the last season of Heroes overall, but for the life of me, I can't remember what exactly happened.
Also, Heroes was mentioned in the NY Times recently. The upcoming DVD release will include two unfinished episodes that were affected by the strike. I never saw the first DVD set but I believe there was some sort of bonus involving alternate ways that certain storylines would play out.
I really enjoyed the last season of Heroes overall, but for the life of me, I can't remember what exactly happened.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
A Joss Whedon Day...
A rare day off today, and the pile of comics I planned on reading includes Astonishing X-Men and the most recent story from Runaways. From Netflix, I've got Buffy, season 3 disc 4. All my entertainment plans revolve around ideas of Joss Whedon?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Metal Gear Solid 4... Thoughts After First Run
Overall: An excellent game, probably the best in the series. My finishing time was 26 hours. Apparently to get the best finishing time, you need to complete the game in 5 hours or less! Not happening any time in my future.
Pros: Beautiful graphics, great new gameplay elements such as the Mk II, Octocamo, decent boss fights.
Cons: Story hard to figure out for newcomers, Less gameplay towards the end of the game, cutscenes can get very long.
Pros: Beautiful graphics, great new gameplay elements such as the Mk II, Octocamo, decent boss fights.
Cons: Story hard to figure out for newcomers, Less gameplay towards the end of the game, cutscenes can get very long.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Movie Mania
I've been seeing a lot of movies lately. Here are some brief spoiler-free reviews and comments.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Not a bad movie, but not up to the level of the previous Indiana Jones films. Harrison Ford looked old. Possibly the best of the 10+ year sequels that I can think of (Star Wars Episode 1, Terminator 3, Rocky Balboa, Live Free or Die Hard, Clerks 2).
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanimo Bay - Not as charming as the first installment, but still with some amusing scenes. I've gone nearly 30 years watching major Hollywood theatricals, and seen a guy's junk in about 1 of those movies (Kevin Bacon - Wild Things). But suddenly in the last three months there's been male junk randomly in a bunch of films I've seen - Dewey Cox, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Sex and the City and this film. What's with the sudden spotlight "down there?"
Clerks 2 - This movie really shows how my tastes in films have changed. I think if I had seen this ten years ago, I would have loved it. But now it just comes off as somewhat immature. For some reason my interest in Kevin Smith has declined significantly over the last few years. This one has some of the same geek-oriented banter, but Randall, who I once really liked, now seems just sort of immature and self-loathing to a point where I can't stand it.
Semi-Pro - Have you seen Anchorman, Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights? Then you've seen this film. Will Ferrell plays the same sort of character he's been playing, and while it's a funny character, there's a sort of empty sense from this one. Kind of like I've seen this movie before.
National Treasure 2 - While watching this movie, I forgot that I had laughed out loud when I originally saw the trailer. There are a huge number of moments where I just rolled my eyes and groaned. It made me really appreciate the Indiana Jones franchise. Also, the film seems to pick up a lot of character threads from the first movie, which was a nice touch - if I had actually remembered who any of the characters were.
Lars and the Real Girl - I didn't expect to like this one, but it was a nice film with Ryan Gosling playing this isolated young man who buys a doll and treats her like a real person. Kind of strange, and a bit touching. Lacked something at the very end.
Rocky Balboa - Sort of like an update of the original Rocky for the 2000's and the 50+ crowd. They say that in sequels people want to see the original movie, but with new circumstances. This one - it's just like the original only he's old, and it's more like a collection of loose scenes. Also, I don't watch much boxing, but in the final fight there are a lot of punches thrown. In the boxing I've seen, it's mostly boring and just grappling. I prefer the Hollywood version.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Not a bad movie, but not up to the level of the previous Indiana Jones films. Harrison Ford looked old. Possibly the best of the 10+ year sequels that I can think of (Star Wars Episode 1, Terminator 3, Rocky Balboa, Live Free or Die Hard, Clerks 2).
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanimo Bay - Not as charming as the first installment, but still with some amusing scenes. I've gone nearly 30 years watching major Hollywood theatricals, and seen a guy's junk in about 1 of those movies (Kevin Bacon - Wild Things). But suddenly in the last three months there's been male junk randomly in a bunch of films I've seen - Dewey Cox, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Sex and the City and this film. What's with the sudden spotlight "down there?"
Clerks 2 - This movie really shows how my tastes in films have changed. I think if I had seen this ten years ago, I would have loved it. But now it just comes off as somewhat immature. For some reason my interest in Kevin Smith has declined significantly over the last few years. This one has some of the same geek-oriented banter, but Randall, who I once really liked, now seems just sort of immature and self-loathing to a point where I can't stand it.
Semi-Pro - Have you seen Anchorman, Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights? Then you've seen this film. Will Ferrell plays the same sort of character he's been playing, and while it's a funny character, there's a sort of empty sense from this one. Kind of like I've seen this movie before.
National Treasure 2 - While watching this movie, I forgot that I had laughed out loud when I originally saw the trailer. There are a huge number of moments where I just rolled my eyes and groaned. It made me really appreciate the Indiana Jones franchise. Also, the film seems to pick up a lot of character threads from the first movie, which was a nice touch - if I had actually remembered who any of the characters were.
Lars and the Real Girl - I didn't expect to like this one, but it was a nice film with Ryan Gosling playing this isolated young man who buys a doll and treats her like a real person. Kind of strange, and a bit touching. Lacked something at the very end.
Rocky Balboa - Sort of like an update of the original Rocky for the 2000's and the 50+ crowd. They say that in sequels people want to see the original movie, but with new circumstances. This one - it's just like the original only he's old, and it's more like a collection of loose scenes. Also, I don't watch much boxing, but in the final fight there are a lot of punches thrown. In the boxing I've seen, it's mostly boring and just grappling. I prefer the Hollywood version.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Question of the Day
Topic: Message board flame wars
Which message board fanboy war is most entertaining? PS3 vs XBOX 360 or Marvel vs DC?
Which message board fanboy war is most entertaining? PS3 vs XBOX 360 or Marvel vs DC?
Week in Review
Brief week in review:
Sunday: Momofuku Ssam - A pretty good restaurant in the East Village. We got steamed buns (a classic Momofuku item), bread and goat's butter (not bad, but was it worth it?), beef tendon and green mango, spicy pork sausage and rice cake, lamb belly and hanger steak ssam. Overall a pretty inexpensive meal and fairly light Asian cuisine. We finished it off with a visit to the Dessert Truck on 8th and Unversity, where you can get some really high quality desserts for $5.
Monday: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Not bad. When a movie makes a sequel after 10+ years (see: Star Wars, Die Hard, Terminator), is it possible for it to ever retain the spirit of the original? Can a movie-goer, whose age has changed by 10+ years accurately compare the new movie to the originals? That's the big question, right?
Not a lot of big movies in the upcoming weeks. Sex and the City should do well next week, but can it be more than just a super-long episode? I wonder if people will be compelled to go to the theater for it. The next few weeks seem slow: June 6: Kung Fu Panda / Zohan, June 13: Happening / Hulk, June 20: Get Smart / Love Guru, June 27: Wanted, Wall-E. I look at this list and I see eight movies I'd be content with seeing on video. I'd like for Hulk to be great but I have very low expectations. For Wanted, my expectations are even lower. Of the comedies and animated fare, none really seem like they'll be that funny. Looks like the next time I'll really have to be in a movie theater is July 18 - Dark Knight.
Remember 1989? That year there was also a Batman and Indiana Jones movie in the same summer.
Tuesday: RIP Ninth Street Market. The beloved brunch location has closed! Totally unexpectedly, the owner was just tired and decided to shut it down. In the evening I went to an old favorite, New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe in Chinatown.
Tuesday and Wednesday: Jury Duty involves a lot of wasted time. There's a lot of waiting, a lot of hearing people try to give excuses as to why they shouldn't have to serve, and a lot of waiting. It was more enjoyable than I expected, but there was a lot of downtime. I sympathize for judges who have to listen to all the childish ways people try to weasel out of jury duty. One good thing about jury duty - the courthouse is right by Chinatown. That means $1 for five dumplings at Fried Dumpling, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and great noodles.
Thursday: One heck of a comics week - three books by Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Batman, Final Crisis), two by Geoff Johns (Action and Green Lantern), the finale of Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and a few other gems like the first Starman omnibus.
Rest of the Week: I'm making my way through Buffy on Hulu, currently 8 episodes into the second season. After I'm done with this season it'll be off to Netflix. The Yankees won one Wed, after some dreadful losses Mon and Tues to Baltimore. I'd like to see the team play with a little more consistency. Still trying for that Momofuku Ko reservation and still not working out. There's always tomorrow morning at 10am!
Sunday: Momofuku Ssam - A pretty good restaurant in the East Village. We got steamed buns (a classic Momofuku item), bread and goat's butter (not bad, but was it worth it?), beef tendon and green mango, spicy pork sausage and rice cake, lamb belly and hanger steak ssam. Overall a pretty inexpensive meal and fairly light Asian cuisine. We finished it off with a visit to the Dessert Truck on 8th and Unversity, where you can get some really high quality desserts for $5.
Monday: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Not bad. When a movie makes a sequel after 10+ years (see: Star Wars, Die Hard, Terminator), is it possible for it to ever retain the spirit of the original? Can a movie-goer, whose age has changed by 10+ years accurately compare the new movie to the originals? That's the big question, right?
Not a lot of big movies in the upcoming weeks. Sex and the City should do well next week, but can it be more than just a super-long episode? I wonder if people will be compelled to go to the theater for it. The next few weeks seem slow: June 6: Kung Fu Panda / Zohan, June 13: Happening / Hulk, June 20: Get Smart / Love Guru, June 27: Wanted, Wall-E. I look at this list and I see eight movies I'd be content with seeing on video. I'd like for Hulk to be great but I have very low expectations. For Wanted, my expectations are even lower. Of the comedies and animated fare, none really seem like they'll be that funny. Looks like the next time I'll really have to be in a movie theater is July 18 - Dark Knight.
Remember 1989? That year there was also a Batman and Indiana Jones movie in the same summer.
Tuesday: RIP Ninth Street Market. The beloved brunch location has closed! Totally unexpectedly, the owner was just tired and decided to shut it down. In the evening I went to an old favorite, New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe in Chinatown.
Tuesday and Wednesday: Jury Duty involves a lot of wasted time. There's a lot of waiting, a lot of hearing people try to give excuses as to why they shouldn't have to serve, and a lot of waiting. It was more enjoyable than I expected, but there was a lot of downtime. I sympathize for judges who have to listen to all the childish ways people try to weasel out of jury duty. One good thing about jury duty - the courthouse is right by Chinatown. That means $1 for five dumplings at Fried Dumpling, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and great noodles.
Thursday: One heck of a comics week - three books by Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Batman, Final Crisis), two by Geoff Johns (Action and Green Lantern), the finale of Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and a few other gems like the first Starman omnibus.
Rest of the Week: I'm making my way through Buffy on Hulu, currently 8 episodes into the second season. After I'm done with this season it'll be off to Netflix. The Yankees won one Wed, after some dreadful losses Mon and Tues to Baltimore. I'd like to see the team play with a little more consistency. Still trying for that Momofuku Ko reservation and still not working out. There's always tomorrow morning at 10am!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Patriots "Spygate"
I thought this whole Spygate thing with the Patriots was resolved. Now we're hearing that the NFL has made a deal with former Patriots "cameraman" Matt Walsh, and that depending on what he says, there may be further penalty. Well, let's just get to the bottom of this and then move on! Enough dragging of the feet, and let's just get all the answers. As much as I would love for the NFL to find out that the Patriots were doing all sorts of illegal stuff and severely punish them for it, I suspect the case is more along the lines of them doing some sort of borderline wrong stuff and it probably had little effect on anything. So let's just get it over with. Maybe if we can find out what they did before the Draft this weekend, they can be penalized appropriately.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Can You Smell What Barack Is Cooking?
I know candidates pander all the time to voters, but can you believe what happened the other night on WWE Raw? The three remaining Presidential candidates all were invited to give statements, and they all contained horrible horrible puns.
HORRIBLE. Can you smell what Barack is cooking? Hill-Rod? McCainiacs? Really??
Clinton:
Hi, I’m Hillary Clinton. But tonight, in honor of the WWE, you can call me Hill-Rod.
This election is starting to feel a lot like “King of the Ring.” The only difference? The last man standing may just be a woman.
The truth is, this election is so important. The next president will face a stack full of difficult challenges right from the opening bell… to fix the economy, bring our troops home from Iraq, and make college more affordable. You need a president who will go to the mat for you. And that’s exactly what I’ll do.
I’ve been knocked down, but I’ve always gotten back up. And I know how to take a hit for the American people. And if things get a little tough, I may even have to deliver the “people’s elbow.”
Because this country is worth fighting for.
Now, I promise to stick to the political arena. So don't worry Randy Orton you're safe… for now.
When it comes to standing up for the American people though, I am ready to rumble.
Obama:
Hey WWE fans - I hope you're all enjoying the program tonight. You know, this is a historic time for America. It's not just that the reign of Randy Orton may soon be coming to an end. It's that at this moment, in this election, we have a chance to finally end business-as-usual in Washington. For a long time now, we've had a politics where our leaders go after each other like they're competing to become King of the Ring instead of coming together to provide universal health care, fix our economy, and solve our other problems. That's what I'm running for President to change. So to the special interests who've been setting the agenda in Washington for too long - and to all the forces of division and distraction that have stopped us from making progress for the American people - I've got one question: Do you smell what Barack is cooking?
McCain:
"Looks like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama want to celebrate their differences in the ring," McCain says. "Well, that's fine with me, but let me tell you: If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man. Come November, it'll be game over. And whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on you?"
HORRIBLE. Can you smell what Barack is cooking? Hill-Rod? McCainiacs? Really??
Clinton:
Hi, I’m Hillary Clinton. But tonight, in honor of the WWE, you can call me Hill-Rod.
This election is starting to feel a lot like “King of the Ring.” The only difference? The last man standing may just be a woman.
The truth is, this election is so important. The next president will face a stack full of difficult challenges right from the opening bell… to fix the economy, bring our troops home from Iraq, and make college more affordable. You need a president who will go to the mat for you. And that’s exactly what I’ll do.
I’ve been knocked down, but I’ve always gotten back up. And I know how to take a hit for the American people. And if things get a little tough, I may even have to deliver the “people’s elbow.”
Because this country is worth fighting for.
Now, I promise to stick to the political arena. So don't worry Randy Orton you're safe… for now.
When it comes to standing up for the American people though, I am ready to rumble.
Obama:
Hey WWE fans - I hope you're all enjoying the program tonight. You know, this is a historic time for America. It's not just that the reign of Randy Orton may soon be coming to an end. It's that at this moment, in this election, we have a chance to finally end business-as-usual in Washington. For a long time now, we've had a politics where our leaders go after each other like they're competing to become King of the Ring instead of coming together to provide universal health care, fix our economy, and solve our other problems. That's what I'm running for President to change. So to the special interests who've been setting the agenda in Washington for too long - and to all the forces of division and distraction that have stopped us from making progress for the American people - I've got one question: Do you smell what Barack is cooking?
McCain:
"Looks like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama want to celebrate their differences in the ring," McCain says. "Well, that's fine with me, but let me tell you: If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man. Come November, it'll be game over. And whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on you?"
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Two quick movie reviews
Justice League: The New Frontier
"This isn't Ultimate Avengers"
It's worth checking out this direct-to-video animated feature based on the graphic novel, "DC The New Frontier." The voice acting is pretty decent, and the animation style departs from the house style that Warner Bros had been using for a while. This story tops the previously released "Death of Superman" feature and makes me think that they could do some fun adaptations of stories like Dark Knight Returns or Batman: Year One if they so desired. It's not as deep as the book, but the feature is quite good. One thing that confuses me - why are animated features constantly 70 minutes long? This movie is definitely targeted towards older audiences, so it's not lack of attention span. Is it budget? Does it really cost that much more to put in 10-20 more minutes of story and animation?
Ghost Rider
"As bad as expected"
Supernatural and horror movies generally aren't up my alley. Since Ghost Rider is based on a comic book, I figured I would give it a try. Mark Steven Johnson, of Daredevil fame, wrote and directed this one. I remember the Ghost Rider comic, and thinking he looked cool, but didn't have much interest beyond that. In the case of this movie, the effects look great, but that's about all there is to the movie. The concept is not well executed. There's strange logic: why does the devil have a Ghost Rider who has the power to make evil-doers suffer? Why can't Ghost Rider go out in the sunlight? You can see attempts to make this a sort of Jekyll and Hyde or vampire type movie, but it just doesn't work. Add to it a weak script full of cliche shots and humor, and bad performances from Eva Mendes and Nicholas Cage, and it's a mediocre film at best. As a side note, I have begun to find Nicholas Cage really annoying. Not sure why.
"This isn't Ultimate Avengers"
It's worth checking out this direct-to-video animated feature based on the graphic novel, "DC The New Frontier." The voice acting is pretty decent, and the animation style departs from the house style that Warner Bros had been using for a while. This story tops the previously released "Death of Superman" feature and makes me think that they could do some fun adaptations of stories like Dark Knight Returns or Batman: Year One if they so desired. It's not as deep as the book, but the feature is quite good. One thing that confuses me - why are animated features constantly 70 minutes long? This movie is definitely targeted towards older audiences, so it's not lack of attention span. Is it budget? Does it really cost that much more to put in 10-20 more minutes of story and animation?
Ghost Rider
"As bad as expected"
Supernatural and horror movies generally aren't up my alley. Since Ghost Rider is based on a comic book, I figured I would give it a try. Mark Steven Johnson, of Daredevil fame, wrote and directed this one. I remember the Ghost Rider comic, and thinking he looked cool, but didn't have much interest beyond that. In the case of this movie, the effects look great, but that's about all there is to the movie. The concept is not well executed. There's strange logic: why does the devil have a Ghost Rider who has the power to make evil-doers suffer? Why can't Ghost Rider go out in the sunlight? You can see attempts to make this a sort of Jekyll and Hyde or vampire type movie, but it just doesn't work. Add to it a weak script full of cliche shots and humor, and bad performances from Eva Mendes and Nicholas Cage, and it's a mediocre film at best. As a side note, I have begun to find Nicholas Cage really annoying. Not sure why.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Knicks Need to Fire Isiah
Donnie Walsh steps in as the new President of the Knicks, and he has to fire Isiah Thomas. Even if Isiah Thomas was an amazing coach, there is such a negative attitude surrounding his tenure that it is time to wipe the slate clean. It would be the right move from a public relations standpoint, even if it's not the right move from a basketball standpoint (although given the rumblings from players about Thomas, it's probably the correct decision in terms of basketball too). If they're worried about spending all the money on the remainder of Thomas' contract, they should just bring in a cheap, first-time coach who wants to break in and let him do what he can to try and get this young team to play their best each night. That would go over well with fans, even if they stunk. This situation will take years to get out from, but maybe there's someone in place now who actually has a reasonable strategy. Dolan's made two right moves in this Walsh hiring - he got rid of Thomas, and he did so before the draft.
Rules changes
Looks like it's time to start telling CB's to just push receivers out of bounds the moment they touch a ball.
The NFL has passed "A recommendation to eliminate force-out decisions on pass completions near the sidelines. Now, officials will only have to decide whether a receiver landed inbounds or not. The intended result is more consistency."
The NFL has passed "A recommendation to eliminate force-out decisions on pass completions near the sidelines. Now, officials will only have to decide whether a receiver landed inbounds or not. The intended result is more consistency."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Real Life "Blades of Glory"
After reading this article about the US top two figure skaters, I couldn't help but think of the recent film, "Blades of Glory." Two top US male figure skaters who don't like each other, one a tough, manly, guy, the other a wispy, lighter than air fellow. Now all we need is to have them pair up for couples!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer Mini Review
I don't know why having Netflix draws me to rent movies that I know are crap, but it does. My morbid curiosity drew me to renting Fantastic Four 2, despite the fact that I thought Fantastic Four was pretty horrible. The movie did not disappoint. It's similar to the first movie - bad story, poor acting, but great production value. In general, these films have great effects, but not much else. There are many ridiculous things I could point out about this film, but I will limit it to just one: the Fantasti-car is a Dodge!
That one made laugh out loud. Seriously, the Fantasti-car is a Dodge!
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