Your attention, please...

Curt Schilling has a blog.

That is all.

Just a quick one

At some point I might try to throw together a "best sports movies"-type post, but for now I just wanted to share this link, from ESPN.com's Andy Katz, who followed Kevin Durant around for Texas' thrilling double-overtime win over Texas A&M on Wednesday. It's a nice, quick look at how a true Big Man on Campus goes through his day. Enjoy.

Um, ouch

Let's see: During the Ice Dance, let's have a 105-pound girl lift her 170-pound partner like so...


And I'm sure it'll work, right? Nothing bad could...oh...uhhhh....

Oscar Noms/Early, baseless predictions

So, the Oscar nominations came out today. Somehow I wasn't even aware this was happening. Anyway, I haven't seen anywhere near the number of films I want to in order to make good predictions/votes for the winners. So, I'll post the nominations here (in case, somehow, THIS was the first place you came to find them), and perhaps soon I'll actually have some insight.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” (THINKFilm)
Peter O’Toole in “Venus” (Miramax, Filmfour and UK Council)
Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children” (New Line)
Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)
Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox)
Kate Winslet in “Little Children” (New Line)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)
Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Rinko Kikuchi in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)

Best animated feature film of the year
“Cars” (Buena Vista) John Lasseter
“Happy Feet” (Warner Bros.) George Miller
“Monster House” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Gil Kenan

Achievement in art direction
“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
“The Good Shepherd” (Universal)
Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall
Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau and Leslie E. Rollins
“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse)
Art Direction: Eugenio Caballero
Set Decoration: Pilar Revuelta
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
Art Direction: Rick Heinrichs
Set Decoration: Cheryl A. Carasik
“The Prestige” (Buena Vista)
Art Direction: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Julie Ochipinti

Achievement in cinematography
“The Black Dahlia” (Universal) Vilmos Zsigmond
“Children of Men” (Universal) Emmanuel Lubezki
“The Illusionist” (Yari Film Group) Dick Pope
“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Guillermo Navarro
“The Prestige” (Buena Vista) Wally Pfister

Achievement in costume design
“Curse of the Golden Flower” (Sony Pictures Classics) Yee Chung Man
“The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox) Patricia Field
“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Sharen Davis
“Marie Antoinette” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Milena Canonero
“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Consolata Boyle

Achievement in directing
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Alejandro González Iñárritu
“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese
“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood
“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Stephen Frears
“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal) Paul Greengrass

Best documentary feature
“Deliver Us from Evil” (Lionsgate)
A Disarming Films Production
Amy Berg and Frank Donner
“An Inconvenient Truth” (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions)
A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production
Davis Guggenheim
“Iraq in Fragments” (Typecast Releasing)
A Typecast Pictures/Daylight Factory Production
James Longley and John Sinno
“Jesus Camp” (Magnolia Pictures)
A Loki Films Production
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
“My Country, My Country” (Zeitgeist Films)
A Praxis Films Production
Laura Poitras and Jocelyn Glatzer

Best documentary short subject
“The Blood of Yingzhou District”
A Thomas Lennon Films Production
Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon
“Recycled Life”
An Iwerks/Glad Production
Leslie Iwerks and Mike Glad
“Rehearsing a Dream”
A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production
Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
“Two Hands”
A Crazy Boat Pictures Production
Nathaniel Kahn and Susan Rose Behr

Achievement in film editing
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise
“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
Steven Rosenblum
“Children of Men” (Universal)
Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
“The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
Thelma Schoonmaker
“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal)
Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson

Best foreign language film of the year
“After the Wedding” A Zentropa Entertainments 16 Production
Denmark
“Days of Glory (Indigènes)” A Tessalit Production
Algeria
“The Lives of Others” A Wiedemann & Berg Production
Germany
“Pan’s Labyrinth” A Tequila Gang/Esperanto Filmoj/Estudios Picasso Production
Mexico
“Water” A Hamilton-Mehta Production
Canada

Achievement in makeup
“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Click” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso
“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) David Marti and Montse Ribe

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Gustavo Santaolalla
“The Good German” (Warner Bros.) Thomas Newman
“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Philip Glass
“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Javier Navarrete
“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Alexandre Desplat

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth”
(Paramount Classics and Participant Productions)
Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
“Listen” from “Dreamgirls”
(DreamWorks and Paramount)
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler
Lyric by Anne Preven
“Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls”
(DreamWorks and Paramount)
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Siedah Garrett
“Our Town” from “Cars”
(Buena Vista)
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Patience” from “Dreamgirls”
(DreamWorks and Paramount)
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Willie Reale

Best motion picture of the year
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
An Anonymous Content/Zeta Film/Central Films Production
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin, Producers
“The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
A Warner Bros. Pictures Production
Nominees to be determined
“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)
A DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures Production
Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, Producers
“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
A Big Beach/Bona Fide Production
Nominees to be determined
“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
A Granada Production
Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, Producers

Best animated short film
“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)
A Mikrofilm and National Film Board of Canada Production
Torill Kove
“Lifted” (Buena Vista)
A Pixar Animation Studios Production
Gary Rydstrom
“The Little Matchgirl” (Buena Vista)
A Walt Disney Pictures Production
Roger Allers and Don Hahn
“Maestro” (Szimplafilm)
A Kedd Production
Geza M. Toth
“No Time for Nuts” (20th Century Fox)
A Blue Sky Studios Production
Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier

Best live action short film
“Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)”
A Peliculas Pendelton and Tus Ojos Production
Javier Fesser and Luis Manso
“Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)” (Kimuak)
An Altube Filmeak Production
Borja Cobeaga
“Helmer & Son”
A Nordisk Film Production
Soren Pilmark and Kim Magnusson
“The Saviour” (Australian Film Television and Radio School)
An Australian Film Television and Radio School Production
Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn
“West Bank Story”
An Ari Sandel, Pascal Vaguelsy, Amy Kim, Ravi Malhotra and Ashley Jordan Production
Ari Sandel

Achievement in sound editing
“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista)
Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar
“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
Lon Bender
“Flags of Our Fathers” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by Paramount)
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)
Alan Robert Murray
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
Christopher Boyes and George Watters II

Achievement in sound mixing
“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista)
Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Camara
“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock
“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton
“Flags of Our Fathers” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by Paramount)
John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff

Achievement in visual effects
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall
“Poseidon” (Warner Bros.)
Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chaz Jarrett and John Frazier
“Superman Returns” (Warner Bros.)
Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum

Adapted screenplay
“Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (20th Century Fox)
Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer
Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd Phillips
“Children of Men” (Universal)
Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
“The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
Screenplay by William Monahan
“Little Children” (New Line)
Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)
Screenplay by Patrick Marber

Original screenplay
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Written by Guillermo Arriaga
“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)
Screenplay by Iris Yamashita
Story by Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
Written by Michael Arndt
“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse)
Written by Guillermo del Toro
“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
Written by Peter Morgan

Now, as I did last year, I'll try to get to as many of the major award candidates as possible before the awards, and I'll have some sort of prediction/opinion for these by the night of the awards. Here's the list of movies I have yet to see, grouped into categories with helpful acronyms for each category. I do this for YOU, people! For YOU!

The Only Reason I Haven't Seen It is Because I Work Five Nights a Week (TORIHSIBIWFNW)
Pursuit of Happyness
Last King of Scotland
Little Children
Happy Feet
Pan's Labyrinth
Children of Men
The Good German

I Know, I Know, I Should Have Seen It By Now, And I'll Try To See It By February (IKIKISHSIBNAITTSIBF)
Borat
Dreamgirls
An Inconvenient Truth
Letters from Iwo Jima
Flags of Our Fathers

I Haven't Seen It, And Don't Care Enough To See It Before Oscar Time (IHSIADCETSIBOT)
The Devil Wears Prada
Monster House
Curse of the Golden Flower
Apocalypto
Poseidon

It Is A Weird Or Foreign Film That The Backwoods People of Berkshire County Had No Interest In Seeing So It Was Never On My Radar (IIAWOFFTTBPBCHNIISSIWNOMR)
Venus
Volver
The Queen
Notes on a Scandal
Marie Antoinette
Deliver Us From Evil

The Only Reason I Know What This Is About Is Because I Have IMDB In My Favorites (TORIKWTIAIBIHIMDBIMF)
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country


For the record, I do not consider Documentary Shorts, Makeup, or Animated or Live Action Shorts to be major enough for me to bother with. Also, as mentioned above, not a lot of foreign films make it to the bastion of culture that is this county. So, Foreign Films are out too.

Hello again

Welcome back. Or welcome for the first time. Either way, really.

So I had planned on blogging soon anyway, but Jim went and mentioned my blog (and its utter lack of activity) on his, so once again I felt compelled to get back to this thing. Hopefully it'll stick.

On to the ramblings.

The NHL All-Star game would be interesting enough on its own, especially with Crosby and Ovechkin playing on a line together for the first time. Add to that the fact that the league is unveiling its new jersey template, though the linked photo only represents the sleeker cut of the jerseys. When the teams make the switch to the new sweater to start the 2007-08 season, most will retain their current look and design. That didn't stop someone from sending in a photoshopped suggestion to the Uni Watch column on ESPN.com's Page 2. Here is the "hypothetical mockup." WARNING: NOT SUITABLE FOR READERS WITH TASTE OR ANY SENSE OF WHAT A HOCKEY JERSEY SHOULD LOOK LIKE. I emailed Paul Lukas (the author of Uni Watch), and he assured me that it was a wholly reader-created image, and not something leaked from the league. In related news, Paul Lukas more than likely has already signed the pertinent paper work to take out an electronic restraining order against me. Alas.

As an aside, I'm a big fan of the Uni Watch column. Always full of some interesting things, though sometimes some seriously odd items. I'm sure I've written about it here before, but I wanted to repeat my sentiments. Through it, I also found out that the Columbus Blue Jackets are retiring their original logo (A C and B in red, white, and blue ribbon, with...oh hell, here.) for the newer third jersey logo. A big improvement, if you ask me, though it makes my authentic Greg Mauldin practice jersey that much more obsolete.

Alright. Now, two days after the game, I don't think anyone is going to need another thousand-word screed on the Patriots' loss (although I'll say this: Bill Simmons has come up with a pair of uncharacteristically good columns in the last week, so if you're GOING to read 1,000 words about the Patriots, his might be a good set to start with.) But I've talked to a few people about the game, the calls, the finish, etc. and I've come to a few conclusions. One, the Patriots lost that game. Not the referees. Not getting a first down on that drive late in the fourth was absolutely killer, and taking a too-many-men in the huddle penalty at that point is a sign of a team that shouldn't be going to the Super Bowl (and with the number of non-starters in there for this game, that's exactly what the Pats were). However, the three pass interference calls and one roughing the passer call in the game were the most atrocious calls/non-calls I've seen in a real long time, maybe ever, considering the circumstances. For those of you who bought into the idea that Ellis Hobbs committed pass interference because of a term you may have heard, "faceguarding," well, you're wrong. Hobbs, who at absolutely no point touched the receiver, is allowed to get in the way of the ball reaching the player without ever actually looking for it. Here is the official NFL word on Pass Interference, and for the life of me I can't even try to stretch any of those definitions to fit what Hobbs did.

That's all I'm going to say about that. [/Forrest Gump]

Finally, I'll leave you (for now) with this, my quote of the day. Remember how Gilbert Arenas, the king of "I get no respect," is making it his personal mission to exact revenge on anyone who had any hand in his being snubbed for Team USA's trip to the FIBA World Championships? (If not, here's the rub.) Well, one of those people is Mike D'Antoni, the Suns coach who was an assistant on the National Team. Arenas already went buck-wild on the Suns, and now he's eyeing the Wizards' game against Portland on Feb. 11 as his next stop on the Gilbert Arenas Vengeance Tour. Portland coach Nate McMillan was another assistant on Team USA, under Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski (spelled it all by myself!) When D'Antoni heard about all this, this was his response:

"I can’t wait to see what he does against Duke," D’Antoni said. "He’s
gonna KILL Duke."

Light and Heavy

OK, gonna start off with something easy.
Kirk Bohls of the Austin American Statesman published his first AP Top 25 List of the college football season, and in addition to revealing that the AP is going to put out its first poll a day earlier than expected, it's also a great show of reader perception. I like Bohls, but I think he's a leeeeeetle too much of a Longhorns homer to have the enviable position he has. However, the Bevo-lovin' readers who have commented on his first poll by and large hate the guy because he's so negative. The guy who wrote, "Ohio State and Texas are already ranked first and second in the coaches poll. Only once before have two top-five teams met in Austin — in 1970 when No. 1 Texas waxed No. 4 Arkansas 42-7" is too harsh on Texas for these folks. Interesting life, that of a sportswriter.


Now, onto more serious matters,
Jill Carroll is telling her story on the Christian Science Monitor's Web site. Maybe the most important story of the year, and if she can make it as compelling throughout as it's been so far, I think words like "Pulitzer" aren't out of the realm of possibility. Not, of course, that she's writing it for that. There's a new chapter every day (she's up to five as I write this), and I strongly suggest you read each and every one.

Snootch to the Nootch

Got a good one for ya. Kevin Smith has a blog, which isn't all that surprising. But the thing I really wanted to link is Smith's nine-part account of his life with Jason Mewes. What you know is that Mewes and Smith are also known as "Jay and Silent Bob." What you might know is that Mewes had a pretty serious drug problem in the 90s (and into the aughts). What you don't know (or at least I didn't) is just how Smith fought and fought and fought to keep Mewes alive and around. I'm only two chapters in as I write this, because they're pretty long, but it's a tremendous story, and Smith is a hell of a writer (obviously). Give it a look when you have a little time.

I have a new favorite LPGA golfer.

Meet Sophie Gustafson (Link is safe for work, don't worry)

That is all.

Infiltrating the Cathedral

I liked this story by the Globe's Stan Grossfeld about a couple of young kids sneaking into Fenway. What I don't get is how they managed to have him take a photograph while the kids snuck in, with no security guards noticing. Anyway, good stuff, though I'm betting that fence gets watched even more now.

Remember me?

Yeah, still here. I apparently post about as frequently as Jason Johnson checks third when Carl Crawford has reached the base (ba-dum). Anyway, hi there, welcome back, thanks for coming. I'm strongly considering writing this blog entry in the style of "Hitting to All Fields" by the Springfield Republican's illustrious and inestimable and infinitesimal Garry Brown.

The longest match in Wimbledon history isn't a great story or anything, just a little bit of trivia. But I chuckled at the first quote in the story. I'm pretty sure the same guy went after the chair ump, just totally undressed him, but that didn't get a mention. I'm now rooting for these guys to win the doubles title.

All of my teams are out of the World Cup, thanks to Italy's sudden awakening in the 354th minute. I guess I'm rooting for France now, since Thierry Henry is the best player on the planet whose name doesn't end in "inho." But I just can't bring myself to be real passionate about the Italian National Diving Team, or by the rather boring French. Maybe I should be rooting for Zidane to finish his career on top, but whaaaatever.

Watch out, here come those North Adams SteepleCats.

Seriously, Jason, not even a cursory glance? Not even a quick, I'm-really-checking-out-the-blonde-in-the-front-row peek over at one of the fastest men in the world who doesn't wear a skintight onesie? Crawford was already putting on his glove to go back in the field by the time you finished your slow, full leg kick. Growl.

Jose Canseco made his return to baseball. In the words of legendary broadcaster Harry Doyle, "I think I'll wet my pants."

Um, Celtics? Is that you? OK, who duct taped Danny Ainge and locked him in Red's broom closet?

Speaking of teams that play on Causeway Street and haven't had any direction since I was in diapers, I've never liked Zdeno Chara, but since it's easy to compare him to Hal Gill right now, WOW! we got ZDENO CHARA! YEE-HAW!

Marc Savard is still gonna be the biggest move of the offseason, you watch.

Add Pirates pitcher Tom Gorzelanny to the list of my all-time favorite sports names.

Has anyone caught these commercials for the ESPN Make-A-Wish deal? Where the kid who I think has had brain surgery (judging by the haircut) falls into a tearful embrace with whatever athlete he got to meet? Jesus, that totally derails me every time. If the show is even remotely like that, it's gonna be a must-see, and a "sitting alone with a box of tissues" kind of must-see at that.

(Get your minds out of the gutter, sickos.)

No, seriously, 19-1? NINETEEN TO ONE??? Does anyone have Brian Cashman's address? Guy could use a big case of Rolaids for the next few months.

So, I'm glad I didn't watch my recording of the Pops concert until a full day after July 4. Only one hour, not on ABC, and oh my god, ONE MINUTE OF 1812 OVERTURE, FOLLOWED BY DOCTOR FUCKING PHIL???????? WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!!!!

Some quick-hit movie reviews, since I honestly haven't been real impressed with anything I've seen lately.

Superman Returns (A-)
It was good. Great special effects, pretty decent storyline, and good performances from everyone (Spacey of course being a giant among Lilliputians here). But it was lacking something for me, and perhaps that's just my lack of interest in Superman. He's absolutely the least exciting super hero who doesn't have the word "Aqua" in his name. He's impervious to everything except a completely random substance that only Lex Luthor knows how to use, he's an utter bore both in and out of costume, and everyone around him is apparently fooled about his identity, thanks to a pompadour curl and eyewear? Come on. This one picked up where Superman 3 ended I believe, and since I don't exactly have that one on DVD, I didn't really understand what was going on for the first 20 minutes. But after that it became mostly enjoyable, and drew some comparisons to Batman Begins in its more raw, plausible treatment of its hero. Just not the best superhero movie of the last few years.

X-3: The Last Stand (B+)
This one had some fun elements, and a much darker storyline. I did enjoy Brett Ratner's complete disregard for human life, but I wonder if that's not too much of a departure from the mostly moral material of the first two movies. I had very little interest in this once Ratner signed on, after all of the tumult surrounding production and Ratner's rather limited resume (at least in terms of directing smart movies). But it was passable, a fairly good way to finish off a series that I thought lost some steam, perhaps due to its lack of a central character. Wolverine was obviously the main guy, but there's only so much you can do with a stoic, smarmy man who just heals really fast.

The Da Vinci Code (A-)
I tried really hard to go into this with low expectations, because a lot of the things I loved about the books were nearly impossible to translate to film. And it worked, because I really liked Howard's adaptation. I talked about the movie with one of my coworkers, and we agreed that it would be pretty tough to enjoy if you hadn't read the book, which is too bad. But there are a lot of moments that felt completely right to me that, had I not read the book, almost certainly would have seemed completely random and contrived. But it's worth a viewing, especially if you can catch it in theaters.

The Break-Up (A-)
I had absolutely no faith in this movie, and was proved quite wrong. I expected a goofy, wacky, slightly dark comedy that ended with Vaughn and Aniston getting back together like nothing had happened. But it's far more complicated than that, which is wonderful, since that's what most relationships (and break-ups) are. There aren't any easy answers, and there was one moment in particular that I loved, where Aniston brings a guy back to the apartment to see a piece of art he wants to buy from her, and Vaughn, who has laid out a candlelit dinner in an attempt to win her back, thinks it's a date. So he tells her to have the dinner with her date, and leaves with his dignity. But rather than stop him, and kiss him, and break down and tell him what's going on, she lets him talk, and walk out, shows the guy the art, and shows him out too. THAT'S how real life works.

No, seriously, DOCTOR PHUCKING PHIL???? We couldn't get ANYONE with any sort of New England ties? Really? We had to get Oprah's manservant and his wife, with her inability to read a teleprompter? Next time, just put it on PBS, and get Lockhart to do all the talking, so those of us who actually appreciate the Pops concert for what it is can enjoy it. Sheesh.

Where have you gone, A&E???

World Trade Center

Wow, looks like Stone might pull it off.

Here's the trailer.

Saw Mission:Impossible 3. Don't think I'll have the energy to review it. It just wasn't that good. I love JAbrams, but there's a reason he does well with TV. It's fun, it's loud, and then it's completely disappointing. If you're up for that, it's not completely unworthy of your eight or nine dollars. But don't get your hopes up.

Anyway...

This is how I feel now. Think I might be done with mainstream sports, and perhaps even newspapers. We'll see. Lots to think about.

The Office is a WONderful show. But tonight's episode, wow. Knocked me off my feet.

United 93

United93, originally uploaded by MertWindu.

United 93
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Produced by: Working Title/Universal/Canal
Rated: R
Time: 111 minutes

Grade: A

Forty minutes pass from the beginning of "United 93" until the first plane hits WTC 1. During that 40 minutes, we know what is going to happen, and so it is difficult not to be nervous. During this time, as is the case with a lot of the movie, there isn't much valuable dialogue. That's not a knock, and I'll explain why in a bit. Then, the plane hits, and waves of realization hit different characters. First, the FAA and air traffic controllers who have been trying to nail down the facts in possible hijackings start to see that their fears may not cover just how bad things actually are. Then, the military begins to kick into gear. Finally, the people on United flight 93, from the crew to the passengers to the terrorists themselves, start to find out in short bursts of information just what has happened in New York.

And during that 40 minutes, there really isn't a whole lot happening. There is a lot of time given to the procedures performed by the pilots and crew on the flight, and eventually we get around to the hijacking scenarios on a few flights in the Northeast corridor. However, even those revelations come through the lack of something - namely, contact and on-screen information from the flights in the air traffic control centers in Boston and New York. The action centers, though, on the National Air Traffic Control Systems Operations center Herndon, Va. where director Ben Sliney begins the day being congratulated (we aren't told why, don't worry about it), but soon finds that it's the worst day of his life. Sliney plays himself in the movie, and if there were a person to add to a "starring" list at the top of this review, he'd be the one. He is central to the plot until the final half-hour, and it is through him that we experience the early parts of the day.

Going into a plot synopsis seems useless here, since there is quite literally nobody old enough to read this blog who doesn't know the general plot points. And that is the ultmiate dilemma of the film. Sure, films have been made about actual events before, even recent ones. But there is quite simply no way to fudge the details with 9/11. We know almost everything there is to know about what happened, why, and the result. In the very small window of things we don't know are the last 91 minutes of the lives of Flight 91's crew and passengers. We have some good ideas, and can make some strong assumptions. But what we haven't done is to go all the way through what happened between the passengers and crew and the terrorists they fought against.

So that is what Greengrass does here. And he does it very well. Part of the reason for that, and I'm surprised this hasn't raised more eyebrows, is that he almost entirely avoids portraying the terrorists as villains. In fact, they begin the movie much as we do, with trepidation and fear about what's about to happen. They go on their own journey during the story, and while you don't necessarily relate or sympathize with them, it's not that difficult to see them as human. That's something that has never ever been done in any writings or other portrayals of the day's events.

And that gets to the reason this film is so good: It is not by any means a story of good vs. evil. Viewers will go into it thinking that way, and some will certainly come out of it thinking that way. But anyone who can really allow themselves to be immersed in the story will see that it's about will, courage, and fear. In the end, it is very much a tribute to the day, and especially the folks on the flight who decided that countless other lives were important enough to save. However, it does so without making either the heroes the central focus, or the villains any sort of caricatures. They are people, and it is their interactions that are ultimately depicted. It's not an action movie, and it's not so dramatic as to depict Todd Beamer as a Bruce Willis-type hero or any of the terrorists as moustache-twirling evildoers.

There are important juxtapositions made, and they are made well. For instance, the film begins with an Islamic prayer, and there are many of those at the end as well. However, the ones in the climactic scene collide with Christian prayers as well, and I found it very difficult to make any distinction in the emotions and motives. While they are still terrorists, and basically the enemy, the muslims in the movie are people as well, and they are asking for the power of God to be with them. Another bit of filmic comparison to watch for is the hesitation by the terrorists before they storm the cockpit, and the actions of the passengers before they fight back. That's an important corollary as well.

Greengrass did what most want to do (and what I'm hoping Oliver Stone can do with "World Trade Center"): memorialize 9/11 in a way that is stirring, entertaining, and still respectful. But he does it gracefully, without asking you to cry. That's important. The only scene where I felt any sort of tears arising was the one where the passengers call their loved ones. But even that is not treated as typical movie schlock. It has a documentary feel, and that helps us maintain a certain distance while still feeling intensely like a part of what's going on. Nobody needs to be reminded to cry for 9/11. But Greengrass goes through the events in such a way that has us thinking and feeling all at once. Ultimately, he causes us to look at a day we all shared in a somewhat different light. It doesn't feel like the political and cultural event that it has become. It feels the way it did during those early hours on an otherwise beautiful Tuesday in September: Like a series of moments that forever change our lives.

Inside Man

inside_man, originally uploaded by MertWindu.

Inside Man
Directed by: Spike Lee
Produced by: Universal/Imagine/Forty Acres & A Mule
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
Rated: R
Time: 129 minutes
Grade: B-minus

Take another look at the running time. Now subtract about seven minutes from it. That’s the amount of time Spike spent on build up in this movie, and the remaining seven minutes is what he gave us for resolution. That is the main, and perhaps fatal, flaw in an otherwise entertaining film.

First of all, let’s just make a few things clear: It’s Spike, so it’s got a great feel, an interesting and different point of view from most mainstream films, and a message at the end. Spike wants us to think, sometimes more than he wants us to understand the plot. His motives are often more important to him than the execution, and this is a perfect example.

Washington plays Detective Keith Frazier, and while I love Denzel, Frazier could pretty much be Herman Boone, Lincoln Rhyme, Anthony Hubbard, John Hobbes, or any of several other characters Denzel has played. He does what he does very well, but he does it awfully similarly in every film. Still, it’s Denzel, and I’d much rather watch him just be him in another incarnation than most other actors of his style and type. Frazier is a cool, passionate, intelligent cop, who sees every angle while everyone else around him focuses on just the obvious. See what I mean? Anyway, he’s called in to a robbery at a big-time Wall Street bank, and away we go.

Owen is the bank robber, which you know if you’ve seen previews. He’s the head of a team of four, and the only one we really learn anything about. He begins the movie with a monologue delivered on video, from some tiny little room at an anonymous location. He tells us to pay strict attention to his words, because he chooses them carefully, and won’t repeat himself. Don’t worry, though, because a. he does repeat himself near the end of the film, and b. even if you do miss it, there’s nothing there that’s going to prove all that revelatory. He tells us that he has planned the perfect bank robbery, and while it’s not entirely clear at the time, he seems to be saying so after the fact. So we can be relatively certain that he lives, though the cell-like atmosphere of the room makes us wonder if he did it.

Foster plays the most aggravating character of all, and a perfect embodiment of the problems with the film. Madeline White is a professional problem solver, I guess. She somehow handles situations that can’t be handled by more conventional means. We’re introduced to her as she brokers a real estate transaction involving the nephew of someone important, and perhaps notorious. This is what she does. Is that enough definition for you? Good, because it’s all you’re going to get. Just as with the film as a whole, there are lots of little glimpses at reality with Madeline White, but no final declaration of her identity.

Owen’s robbery rapidly becomes a hostage situation. This does not seem like a problem at all for the robbers, and although it will nag at you at first, it should make a little more sense at the end. After several hours of hostage crisis drama, Frazier begins to realize that there’s more to the robbery than the obvious characteristics. In fact, as you’ve seen in most previews, he decides that it’s no longer a bank robbery at all. Remember that scene? Remember how it made you instantly want to see the movie to find out what it is??? Don’t get your hopes up. Spike decides not to really follow through on that thought. If you twist your mind a certain way after the conclusion of the film, you can maybe see it as something more than a robbery. A statement, perhaps. But a weakly-made one, and one that shouldn’t leave any moviegoer with half a brain stunned as the credits roll. Unless it’s just that wide-eyed look of someone who wonders if their theater got a bad print of the movie with the last 15 minutes cut off.

That’s not to say it should have been longer. More than two hours is just fine. But you’ll probably find yourself glancing at your watch, wondering just how in the hell there hasn’t been any sort of resolution an hour and 45 minutes into the thing. I like movies that challenge my ability to decipher a mystery. I don’t like movies that don’t actually have a solution to the puzzle.

Again, it’s Spike, and so it has a great sense of space and time. I particularly liked the use of an Indian song called “Chaiyya Chaiyya” at the beginning and end. It’s a real toe-tapper, a random but welcome nod to Bollywood. Spike does this sort of thing really, really well. He can dress up a weak plot with wonderful scenery, dialogue, and tension. Denzel deserves some of that too, because his slow boil is far more enjoyable than the kind of high-wire suspense we’re accustomed to with hostage pictures. There aren’t a lot of screaming scenes, no investigators getting tired of the hostage-takers B.S. and slamming the phone down, no bulletproof vest-less Christ poses in front of the bank doors. It’s a very cerebral version of the robbery/hostage plot, but it just doesn’t deliver.

Should Spike have tacked on a few more minutes? Absolutely not. It doesn’t feel like he ran out of time; it feels like he ran out of story. The motives and causes for the robbery just don’t measure up to the sheer weight of the execution.

Stuff a...cap in it?

So, a vintner in Portugal is joining the recent trend of doing away with corks to top its wine bottles and instead going with a twist cap. This is apparently causing some serious hand-wringing in Portugal, which has a huge cork industry. I probably wouldn't have bothered linking, but it's kind of interesting and apparently the Portuguese cork, y'know, empire is using Jose Mourinho, manager of my Chelsea Football Club, to advertise for the continued use of corks. OK, I don't think I'm enough of a winey (yet) to write the word cork so many times in one paragraph. Anyway.

Sorry I haven't been updating much. I work in a four-person department, and our sports editor just took ill a few weeks ago. So a four-man crew that was already pretty much doing the work of five is now down to three. There hasn't been a lot of free time in my life, and most of that has been spent sleeping or decompressing. Anyway, I wrote an Inside Man review, so I'll post that above (which means that by the time you read this, you've already seen that. Making this sentence, and the one before it, useless. Good stuff.) Anyway, I'll try to swing by here every once in a while, but don't expect much until, like, June. Yikes.

Hello again...

Hi there. Long time no blah blah blah. Just saw "V for Vendetta." Got plenty to say about it, but it might have to wait until I see it again and can process some of the things in it. I'll say now that I thought it was amazing.

For now, just wanted to clear a few things out. Ebert's review of V is pretty confusing. Other than the three stars he gave it, I really have no idea what he thinks of the movie. All I can gather is that he didn't like the result of the climactic scene for wholly personal reasons, and that he doesn't like the fact that V wears a mask, because as he says, "if something talks, its lips should move."

Uh, OK Roger.

Anyway, that was kind of disappointing, because no matter what he thinks of it, I always get something out of Ebert's reviews. He looks at movies a lot like I do, and reviews them not for the quality of what they depict, but the quality of how and why they are depicted. I believe he made the point about "Armageddon" that I truly agree with, which is that it was a good movie because it accomplished what it was supposed to. Moving on...

I had this story in my favorites for about three months, and finally got around to reading the whole thing the other day. It follows a casualty assistance officer in the Marines, whos job it is to notify and then assist a family whose loved one died in service overseas. It's very touching, very eye-opening, and far too powerful for anyone to read who has gone through this, or who has a loved one overseas. If you don't fit either of those categories, I wholeheartedly recommend that you read it. It will not affect your feelings on war, or at least that's not its intent, nor is that my intent in posting it. It's about humanity. Enjoy.

A day befitting a legend

Saturday was a very cool day. At halftime of the UMass-Dayton basketball game, the court at the Mullins Center was dedicated to Jack Leaman, the former UMass coach who built the program into a Division I contender, and helped the Minutemen "go bigtime" long before John Calipari and Marcus Camby came to town. Leaman is, as many have said, the face of UMass basketball. The night he died, I met up with a few friends, and we spent the whole dinner telling stories and remembering the funny and wonderful moments from our time with Jack. It's a night I'll never forget, which might sound too reverential for a man's death, but if you knew Jack, it makes sense. I have written twice about Jack since his passing. I'm posting them here, not to promote myself, but so that I can hopefully explain how important the guy was, to me and to anyone who ever cared about the Maroon and White.

here's my story from Sunday's Eagle, just a quick feature on the dedication, etc.

And, here's my column from the Collegian written shortly after Jack's death. Sorry for the alignment, looks like the ol' MDC is still working out some kinks on the new website design.

If you'd like to read writers with a little more talent and cachet than me, check out Marty Dobrow in the Globe (thanks for burying that story on the website, Globe), Ron Chimelis in the Republican, and of course Matt in the Gazette, who I know will have something for Monday's paper, and I'll try to remember to link him when I get to it.

You'll notice in all of the stories that Calipari made it to the ceremony, which was a surprise since his Memphis Tigers had a game that night. But a welcome surprise, of course. IT's very interesting, Cal creates a buzz around him when he shows up in Amherst. As someone who followed the Minutemen pretty closely from 1993-1996, it was cool to listen to the guy talk, to get to know him that little bit. Anyway, the day was very nice, and I'm glad my alma mater finally made Leaman's legacy a visual part of the experience at the arena.

Also, if you're interested in learning more about Leaman, Cal, and UMass basketball, please check out Dobrow's excellent book, "Going Bigtime: The Spectacular Rise of UMass Basketball." I finally got around to starting it, and it's been great so far. Marty's also a pretty cool cat, so there's that, too.

Taking a break

Heading off to Loon Mountain for a few days, so no Olympians of the Day (or anything else, for that matter) until Tuesday night. Fortunately, the entire U.S. team, with the exception of Joey Cheek and Pete Fenson's curling rink, has given me no reason to feel like I'll be missing out. Oy.

And yes, I realize Shani Davis won a gold medal. And I also realize the historical significance of what he did (first African-American to win in an individual event). But because he acted like a complete assclown afterward, he's disqualified. Sorry Shani, there's a reason they didn't put your name on the back of your uniform.

Best of the Best

Sorry I skipped a day, but let's be honest, Wednesday was a really nondescreipt day for the Olympics. When the biggest story is a tied hockey game, yeah, maybe I feel OK taking a one-day hiatus.

The first few Olympians of the Day were rewarded for overcoming adversity, or for being the embodiment of the athletic spirit by putting in their best effort despite having no chance at victory. Today's OotD is a little different. Evgeny Plushenko is, without any doubt or debate, the best male figure skater in the world. He proved it last night, with a performance in the men's free skate that pretty much just blew away the rest of the competition. Put it this way: 11 points separated the silver medalist and fourth-place. Twenty-seven points separated Plushenko's gold from the silver of Switzerland's Stephane Lambiel. Quite simply, Plushenko reminded us that the Olympics, in addition to being a fun diversion from the normal, everyday nature of sports, it's also a gathering of the finest athletes in the world. People who, like Plushenko last night, are just better at one thing than most of us will ever be at anything.

Besides, he skated to the theme from "The Godfather." I mean, that should have been the end of it right there. I really applaud the rest of the competitors for not just quitting there. When a Russian is doing anything with mob music in the background, you're probably lucky to wake up the next morning without any animal heads in your bed.

By the way, no, I'm not happy with having two figure skating Olympians of the Day in such a short amount of time, but I don't think there's any arguing either choice. And trust me, unless Tanith Belbin loses a leg in the middle of her routine and still wins the gold medal, there WILL BE NO OLYMPIANS OF THE DAY FROM ICE DANCING. (And no, that doesn't mean I won't consider posting pictures of Tanith Belbin.)

Honorable mention: Evan Lysacek, who skated with flu symptoms and pulled off a very good routine; and American Seth Wescott, who made a little history by being the first-ever winner of men's snowboardcross, the only extreme-sport olympic event that really feels like it belongs in the games; and finally Australian Michelle Steele, who placed 13th in the women's skeleton competition less than 18 months after the Australian skeleton team was created. Kinda cool.

Also, I just wanted to direct everyone to the NBC Olympics site. My boy Petey is doing the yeoman's work over there, getting shit posted on a regular basis and keeping the front page fresh for the rest of us Olympi-philes. So go give him a few more hits, will ya?

And keep checking out Dan Steinberg's blog from Turin. There's a particularly surreal story from fellow Postie Mike Wise in there tonight (might not be the first thing you see by the time you get to it.)

And, oh hell, why not. Y'all deserve it. Here's what to watch for today/tonight.

• The big event in terms of an American story comes in the women's combined skiing final, where Lindsey Kildow tries to bounce back from a horrific crash just a few days ago. She's got a legitimate shot to medal here, even after the accident. That'll be on NBC in primetime (8-11 p.m.)
• I'm making you all watch curling. The U.S. women have their backs against the wall, and have to win their next four matches just to have a chance at the medal round. The first of those four matches will be shown live today at 8 a.m. on USA. Thank god I have DVR. Also, CNBC will have the U.S. Men against Switzerland at 5 p.m. Pete Fenson's the man, watch and you'll see why.
  
• At 11:05, USA will have the U.S. women's hockey team in a semifinal game against Sweden. A win likely puts the Americans up against the Canadians in the final. Also, it increases the likelihood of you getting to read a neat story about U.S. goaltender Chanda Gunn.
  

Little miracles

Today's Olympians of the Day are losers. Big, BIG losers. I'm talking about losses so bad, you question the idea of them being involved in the Olympics. I'm talking about a hockey team that lost its first two games by a combined score of 27-0 (let's not even talk about the shot total, other than to say that their opponents had nearly 100, and they had fewer than 10.) You might not have heard too much about just exactly what the above-pictured woman did, because, well, it wasn't an American or Canadian, and the feat didn't really change much.

Except it changed everything. That is Sabina Florian, a forward on the Italian women's hockey team. She's celebrating the biggest goal in the history of Italian women's Olympic hockey. That's because, as of this writing, it's the only goal in the history of Italian women's Olympic hockey, which stretches all the way back to the beginning of the 2006 Turin Olympics. A dedicated but wholly overmatched team of women, for a few minutes during yesterday's game, held a 1-0 lead over Russia, one of the better teams in the tournament. Mike Berardino of the San Jose Mercury-News wrote about what Florian and her teammates had to do to get their hands on the most valuable - and only - piece of their team's history: the puck Florian put past Russian goaltender Irina Gashennikova eight minutes and 20 seconds into the game.

Russia went on to win the game 5-1. The Italian women will not pull off a miracle of Lake Placid proportions. They will not win a game all tournament, more than likely. They are true amateurs, no North Americans with Italian heritage. They are, perhaps, the biggest winners of the day. The Italian Women's Hockey Team, your Olympians of the Day for Valentine's Day, February 14th.

Honorable Mention: Ted "Ligety Split" Ligety. Way to go, Ted. Turns out you have to actually SKI WELL TO EARN ANY REAL CREDIT. Hear that, Bode? Also, Chanda Gunn, who held the fort while the US Women fought back from a second-period deficit and overwhelmed Finland. I'll have plenty more on her one of these days, believe me.