Random TV Thoughts.

- Every time I watch TSN hockey panels I have to take a couple of minutes pause to remember that it is not a comedy show. How else do you explain calling Mike Milbury and John Ferguson Jr. "Experts"? Having those two analyzing trades and contracts is just hilarious. Milbury is without question the worst GM of the last 30 years and Ferguson Jr. would likely be in that argument if he had five years more experience.

- With the writer's strike killing all new shows for the past couple of months I was desperate to watch anything that wasn't a rerun the other night so I watched the new show Quarterlife. Without the slightest bit of exaggeration Ms. Skeelo turned to each other 90 seconds into it and said "I hate this show". We forced ourselves to watch the full hour as punishment for tuning into it in the first place. It was the single worst hour of television I have watched in at least four years.

The show revolves around six twentysomethings who are so horrendously self absorbed and melodramatic I hope to God real people their age can't relate. The dialogue was so insipid and ridiculously introspective, in a pathetic "what I am doing here? what does it all mean?" kind of way, that I think the generation behind mine could be completely fucked (then again we are talking about a generation who think Jon Stewart is a credible source for nightly news). When I was 24 my friends and I may not have been completely sure what we wanted to do (hell I'm 32 and don't know what I want to be when I grow up) but we were driven enough to embrace what we were doing and did it well.

Here's a hint for TV producers everywhere. If you are going to develop a horrible show at least have an attractive cast to make up for it a bit. At least the rumour is that Quarterlife will be mercifully canceled before it's second episode.

The Sens Make a Coaching Change.

It's hard for me to think that John Paddock wasn't thrown under the bus by GM/new Head Coach Bryan Murray. The real problem for the Sens has been their goaltending, specifically moron Ray Emery. Whenever Paddock has disciplined Emery by sending him home for showing up late for practice or for fighting with teammates Murray didn't really show his support. How was Paddock supposed to motivate his players after that?

Unless Emery or Martin Gerber step up and play like number 1 goalies it really doesn't matter who is coaching this team because they won't get out of the second round.

NBA Trades.

I know I'm late doing this but this is the first chance I have had to put my thoughts together on all the big deals that took place at the deadline.

First off I think it's great the GM's decided to finally start making big moves again after years of not doing anything. And for that we can thank Mr. Kevin Garnett for bolting a terrible situation in Minnesota (here is a guy who left the one team he played for his whole career for the right reasons. Kevin McHale makes John Ferguson Jr. look like Louie Lam in New Jersey) and starting the domino effect.

On to the teams in contention:

- I don't like the Mavs picking up Jason Kidd at all. I'm not sure I would have traded him straight up for Devin Harris straight up right now. Sure Kidd is still a good point guard but he is at his best on the fast break and the Mavs don't run. On top of that his jump shot is completely gone and he never really had one to start with. And that means the Mavs don't match up with the Suns as well as they might have because Nash doesn't have to defend Kidd on the perimeter the way he would have Harris and won't be worn down because Kidd isn't quick.

Kidd can still play but he is the sixth best point guard in the west right now. Don't believe me? Would you take Kidd over Nash, Parker, Paul, Deron Williams or Baron Davis (you could thrown Iverson in their too if you consider him a point guard)? No you wouldn't. He should have gone to the Cavs.

- The Cavs picking up Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak doesn't really help them that much on paper. It does however, make LeBron very happy which will make them better. Don't get me wrong though, any time you can get rid of an underachieving guy like Larry Hughes and get talent in return you do it. The real problem here isn't the Cavs lack of a point guard because LeBron is essentially a point forward at the end of games (which is why his game reminds me more of Pippen than Jordan. More on that another day), but a problem of perimeter defense. I already thought the Cavs could beat the Pistons, and with the addition of Wallace they will beat the Pistons if they face them because Wallace hates his old team, but I wasn't sure they could beat the Celtics (who in turn can't beat the Pistons) and now I am less confident. West and Wally can shoot but they are not great defenders and their slow on the perimeter. That means Ray Allen shooting 3's and Paul Pierce hitting 16-18 footers could destroy the Cavs.

Then again LeBron is so damn good he may just carry them to the Finals again. It wouldn't surprise anybody.

- Everybody thinks the Lakers are the team to beat and I guess I can see why with Kobe being the best player in the league and also being the most competitive. He will be lights out in the playoffs. I just think his help is about a year away. I am really not ready to trust Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol in huge playoff situations. The west is too loaded to have Kobe carry them through himself.

- The Suns will be fine once they figure out that Shaq doesn't need to touch the ball every time down the court. He's already said that in timeouts too. He knows his role and by the playoffs the rest of the Suns will know his role too. That's why I say they are still the 2nd best team in the league.

- The common complaint about the Spurs was that they didn't do much at the deadline to keep up with the Mavs and Spurs. Well that's because the Mavs and Spurs were trying to keep up with the Spurs. The Spurs will be healthy come playoff time and with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili they still have the best top three in the league. Picking up Kurt Thomas though was genius. He can battle Shaq down low 20 minutes a game but more importantly he can hit a 13 foot jumper, which means teams can't double down on Duncan as often. I still say they will win it again.

- The Jazz and Hornets didn't make big moves because they didn't really need too either. The Hornets are stacked and the Chris Paul/Tyson Chandler combo is scary. I just think they are a year or two away. The NBA seems to be a league where you need to lose before you are ready to win. The Jazz though are ready now. I honestly think they are the third best team in the west if not second ahead of the Suns. They having everything together and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they came out of the west.

- The Rockets are screwed without Yao and will miss the playoffs. There is now way Tracy McGrady can get them there himself. I know that happened after the deadline but it was worth noting.

The Rebuttal.

I thought it fair to post Jimmy Kimmel's revenge on Sarah Silverman. He went all out, this thing is pretty damn star studded and includes the greatest rock star of all-time, Huey Lewis.

Mats Sundin.

In typical Leaf fashion they completely screwed up the potential trade of Mats Sundin. A lot of people will claim that Mats screwed the team by not waiving his no-trade clause or somehow owes the Leafs something. What does he owe them? He busted his ass for this team for over 13 years, was often the only reason they were worth watching and loves the city of Toronto and being a Leaf. In return the Leafs surrounded him with a collection of crap like Jonas Hoglund and pissed away the prime of one of the 10 best players in the league without ever really trying to contend. I say the Leafs owe him a lot more than he owes them.

I also like the fact that Sundin said he doesn't want to be a rent a player. Personally I think that is something to be commended. I hate it when guys who spent their whole careers in one place leave to win a cheap title somewhere else (see Bourque, Raymond or Malone, Karl). I think guys like that should have an asterisk besides their name on the Cup.

So basically the Leafs have put the whole onus on Sundin, made him look bad publicly and turned a portion of the fan base against him. All the while never putting stiffs like McCabe, Tucker or Kubina in the same position even though those guys could have been traded for a bit of value(but hey, they traded Wade Belak for a fifth-rounder so that will help bring the Cup to Toronto). If I were Mats at this point I would finish the year and go sign with Montreal just to piss everyone off.

Oscar Predictions

I know I'm cutting it close but I wanted to get my predictions in. And the fact that I have seen all five Best Picture nominees probably does not help at all.

Best Picture

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

What Will Win: No Country For Old Men. It seems voters screw up this category 7 times out of 10 but this year they will get it right. No Country was absolutely the best movie of the year. It's not even close.

Don't Be Surprised: Atonement. It's got everything voters love but director Joe Wright did not get a nod which never bodes well for Best Picture.

There Will Be Blood was too polarizing, Juno vastly overrated, and Michael Clayton too under the radar.

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Mome
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno

Who Will Win: Julie Christie

Who Might Win: Marion Cotillard

Best Actor

George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones - In The Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Don't Be Surprised: Nobody. Day-Lewis was too phenomenal to lose. Any other year Clooney or Depp would have a real shot but they don't this year. That's how good Day-Lewis was.

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem - No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into The Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Who Will Win: Javier Bardem. He's almost as much of a lock as Day-Lewis.

Don't Be Surprised: Tom Wilkinson.

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Who Will Win: Saoirse Ronan. Blanchett won hers a couple eyars ago so I like the kid in an upset.

Don't Be Surprised: Cate Blanchett, though I would love to see Swinton take this one.

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy -Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno
JulianSchnabel - Le Scaphandre et le papillon

Who Will Win: The Coens. Finally.

Don't Be Surprised: Maybe Paul Thomas Anderson based on the performance he got from Day-Lewis but more specifically Paul Dano, which was also fantastic.

Best Original Screenplay

Diablo Cody - Juno
Nancy Oliver - Lars And The Real Girl
Tom Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco - Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages

Who Will Win: Tom Gilroy in a coin flip.

Don't Be Surprised: Diablo Cody. The fact that she's a former stripper will get her a lot of votes.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Sarah Polley - Away From Her
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - No Country For Old Men
Ronald Harwood - Le Scaphandre et le papillon
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

Who Will Win: The Coens

Don't Be Surprised: Christopher Hampton

Movie Review: There Will Be Blood

Director Paul Thomas Anderson came to fame 10 years ago with a pair of movies with great ensemble casts, many ongoing and intersecting story lines, and full of unconventional ideas (frogs falling from the sky anyone?) all brought together with huge emotional swings and finishes you remembered. Unfortunately the guy who directed Boogie Nights and Magnolia, and even Punch Drunk Love which allowed Adam Sandler to display his dramatic chops, is not quite the same guy who directed There Will Be Blood. He's moved from being the next Robert Altman to trying to be Orson Welles.

Not that There Will Be Blood isn't good, it's just a much more scaled down and tightly shot and told film than Anderson's previous efforts. Fortunately Anderson was able to get Daniel Day-Lewis to play the lead role of turn of the century Oilman Daniel Plainview, one of the 10 most evil, callous, hateful, mean, spiteful, driven and successful son's of bitches to ever grace the screen. All the hype you have heard about Day-Lewis's performance are bang on. This is the best performance of the past 10 years and he absolutely carries this movie and Anderson is smart enough to let him do it. He's supported by a great performance by Paul Dano who plays the split personality religious con man Eli/Paul Sunday who is every bit as deceptive and corrupt as Plainview and brings Plainview and his son H.W. to Northern California to drill in his family's oil rich land. Dano was a big surprise to me because although I thought he was great in last year's Little Miss Sunshine, I didn't think he could share the screen with Day-Lewis but he more than holds his own in there scenes together.

The tension and relationship between Plainview and Eli is what drives the plot of the movie that just moves far too slowly. But then again when there isn't a word said for the first 10 minutes of a movie you know the emotional climax may just never come. Numerous times the actions of Plainview lead you to assume something big is about to happen but the movie just keeps chugging along without clarifying or concluding certain events.

What the movie really amounts to is a 21st century Citizen Kane with the same familial issues and character traits driving Kane and Plainview. There a couple of scenes which show Plainview really just wants to have a relatively peaceful life when he can finally sell off his oil assets and he continuously speaks of just taking care of his family. However in the end he becomes an even more bitter, lonely and angry old man sitting in his massive mansion. He essentially does everything but whisper Rosebud.

With an ending that will frustrate as many people as it will please There Will Be Blood is the type of movie that will be more appreciated as the years go by. In fact 10 years from now most 1st year film students are going to be writing essays comparing and contrasting the motivations of Daniel Plainview and Charles Foster Kane. In the meantime sit back and enjoy a great character played by an actor who if he was more prolific would be considered among the best 10 of all time.

Rating 7.5/10

Movie Review: Atonement

The first thing you see or hear in Atonement is the sounds of someone working away at a typewriter, which tells you straight off that the movie is about the power of words and actions and more importantly the interpration of words and actions. There has been a lot of great things said about this movie and it is been a darling of award shows everywhere, including a number of Oscar nominations, and I can see why.

The story revolves around the relationship of upper-class sisters Briony (played remarkably well by Saoirse Ronan) and Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and the man they are both in love with Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the son of the lead hand in the Tallis family's employ. It is clear early on that 13 year old Briony has a far too active for her own good imagination and is prone to the dramatic. She witnesses Cecilia coming out of a fountain sopping wet in front of Robbie and she starts to assume the worst. She clearly hasn't seen the whole sequence which is shown in it's entirety shortly after.

The main thing director Joe Wright does very well is show sequences first from Briony's perspective to give you insight into how she must see them, then show you what has really happened so you can judge them from an adult persecptive. What Briony sees as something terrible and lude is really just Cecilia retrieving part of a broken vase from the fountain in front of Robbie.

As things progress Robbie writes a sexually suggestive letter to Cecilia that he stupidly gives Briony to give to her. After reading it Briony is clearly crushed she is not the object of Robbie's interest and is convinced Robbie is a sex fiend, a belief only furthered when she finds Cecilia pinned up against a stack of books in the library by Robbie. Shorty after she witnesses her slutty young cousin Lola appearing to be raped (which is open to interpretation because I viewed it as consentual sex, though that distinction is not central to the plot)by a family friend only she assumes Robbie and her testimony helps get him sent to prison for rape.

The movie then gets away from the beautiful cinematography of the English mansion and lakeside to dive into fours years after with Robbie, who chose to join the army instrad of remaining in prison, seperated from his unit in France and trying to get back to Cecilia who has since turned her back on her family and working as a nurse in London. There is a fantastic 5 minute scene here that shows Robbie and his two fellow lost soldiers walking along the shores of Dunkirk waiting to be evacuated which helps set the backdrop for what Cecilia and Robbie are up against. It's at this point of the movie that things should movie quickly but never do. Pivotal scenes with Briony, who at this point has recognized the consequences of her lies, working as a nurse after turning down Cambridge don't pack much of a punch. Her encounter with Robbie and Cecilia falls nearly completely flat and hurried.

As I said earlier I can see why there a lot of great things being said about this movie. The direction, acting, specifically Ronan, cinematography and editing are fantastic. But I can't actually say Atonement is a good movie. And that's because it isn't. There are continuous buildups to pivotal moments that all fall flat. The relationship between Cecilia and Robbie is never given much background and comes together too quickly. Briony never shows any real conviction in her remorse while working as a nurse and the pacing is just too slow. But most disappointing is a quite literally jarring and abrupt change of pace and completely inappropriate ending that destroys any potential emotional payoff. Broken down into individual pieces those pieces are very good. Unfortunately the whole of those parts amounts to a 130 minute bore.

Rating 5/10

Internet Issues

My apologies for the sporadic posting the past week. My company is having major internet issues. Hopefully things will be ironed out this week.

Spring Training!

Is there a sweeter phrase in the english language than "Pitchers and catchers have reported to camp?"

More On the Shaq Trade.

- Sorry I have been absent the past few days. No excuses, I just didn't get around to it.

While I was away there was, and still is, a lot of debate about whether the Suns did the right thing getting Shaq, mainly because they figure he can't run. The main and only relevant thing I will point out is that Shaq does not have to run. All he needs to do is rebound and throw outlet passes, two things he is great at. The 80's Lakers were the greatest running team in NBA history and they had Kareem at center and Kareem made Shaq look like a speed demon.

The reason they got Shaq was for the half court game that they will need at key times in the playoffs. Shaq will get his touches and points in that scenario and won't complain if he doesn't because the one thing Shaq has always been is a great teammate. Not once did he berate Kobe on the court when they were together and he never ripped Dwayne Wade at any point either. He fits in perfectly with the Suns, will be a huge mentor for Stoudamire, and will be a great leader for them.

- My first reaction is to say who in their right mind would take John Rocker seriously? He is after all little more than a brian dead hillbilly but I would have said the same thing about Jose Canseco a few years ago and he turned out to be right, so it is worth paying attention to what Rocker is claiming.

- Did you catch any of the footage of Mr. Clemens Goes To Washington? How the hell is his appearing in front of Congress supposed to be unbiased if half the Congressman he met with were asking for his autograph? Those family photos were also a complete joke. Do you suppose Roger toured the Smithsonian and went to the Zoo with some Senators too?

- The Senators deal to acquire Stillman and Commodore was brilliant. Stillman is a proven playoff performer and hardnosed guy who gives the Sens some much needed second line scoring potential. And Commmodore gives them another physical guy on the blueline. Giving up Patrick Eaves was not a big deal because he will never be more than a thrid line guy and Joe Corvo is a pretty average defenseman.

I also have to give the Sens credit for finally giving up on the vastly overrated Wade Redden. I have never thought of Redden as more than a 4th defenseman on a good team and it is no coincidence that Ottawa had their playoff breakthrough last year when he was no longer on the top pairing. He has never showed the slightest tinge of being pissed off after bad losses and was always shaky when the play got really physical. He will be shown the door at the end of the year.

Sarah Silverman And Matt Damon.

I have a huge crush on Sarah Silverman because of her combo of looks and hilarity. She's one of the 5 or 6 women on earth who are actually funny.

I realize everyone has seen this by now but I still wanted to put it up.

Shaq Headed To The Suns.

- Wow. I really did not see Shaq going to Phoenix happening. But now that it looks like it's a go it's worth discussing in some detail.

First off Shaq is obviously not the player he was even two years ago but he doesn't have to be. He is going to be the third option on offense and is really there to pound guys on the inside and let Amare Stoudemire play power forward where he belongs. Shaq and Amare are going to make one hell of an intimidating combo. One potential issue is that they both like to play close to the basket but so did Shaq and Alonzo Mourning and that worked out fine.

I also think Shaq will start playing with fire again now that he has another shot at a title. More importantly he has a history of playing well against the Spurs, who despite their struggles are still the team the Suns need to prepare for in the playoffs.

So are the Suns closer to winning it all now knowing that Shawn Marion is going the other way to Miami? I say they are. I've never been a huge Marion fan because he is a me first guy (if he was miserable in Phoenix he is going to be miserable in Miami because Dwayne Wade will always be the number 1 guy there) and his offensive numbers are a product of the system the Suns play and playing with Steve Nash. Shaq will score about 18 a game for Phoenix and other guys like Diaw will pick up their scoring. I'm not ready to say they are the favorite but they are damn close.

- One of the Suns main challengers now has to also be the Lakers after they pulled off that ridiculousy one sided deal with Memphis for Pau Gasol (poor Kwame Brown is probably going to be out of the league for good after his contract expires with Memphis this year). I've also never been a huge Gasol guy because I'm always skeptical about guys who put up big numbers on lousy teams and can't make their team better. But with the Lakers he will be the third, or maybe even fourth option, behind Kobe, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom (who I like way more than I should considering he has never played to his potential). Gasol won't have the pressure of being the main guy and his style of play, he plays away from the basket and spends a lot of time on the elbow, makes him a perfect fit for the triangle offense.

The Lakers are probably the number 3 team in the West right now and the thought of a fired up Kobe playing against Shaq in the playoffs has to scare the shit out of Suns fans.

Karma's A Bitch Mr. Belichick.

Usually I would love to watch a team go 19-0 but I can honestly say I have never wanted a team to lose as much as I wanted the Patriots to lose yesterday. Not even the Habs or Yankees. All year the Pats ran up the score on people, trash talked, were all arrogance, and generally handled themselves with no class whatsoever. And all of that is a reflection of their coach Bill Belichick.

The Pats had a hell of a lot of luck since the Colts game mid-season and it ran out yesterday, which I honestly didn't think would happen. And I think karma had a hell of a lot more to do with it then luck. I said that the past few weeks the Pats looked vulnerable but at no point against Jacksonville or the Chargers did I ever think at any point they would lose those games. Yesterday was different and it was different right from the start. Their offensive line was completely overmatched and Randy Moss looked scared to death to finally be on the world's biggest stage. Stranger yet was how the hell Belichick got outcoached by Tom Couhglin.

What in the hell were the Pats thinking going for it on 4th and 13 instead of trying a 50 yard field goal? Why were they not that aggressive on offence the whole game? Who knows and who cares, I'm just glad they lost. And my enduring memory of the best Super Bowl I've ever seen will be that jerk Belichick leaving the sideline with 1 second left on the clock.

Karma caught up with the Pats for being the Pats and thanked the Giants for busting their ass in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Pats that most teams would have mailed in.

Other thoughts:

What does the Pats 16-0 regular season mean? It's nice but essentially meaningless. A few years ago the Seattle Mariners set an AL record for wins with 116 but didn't win the World Series. This falls into that same category.

Eli Manning to David Tyree has to be, if not the greatest play, then at least the greatest catch in the history of the NFL. Given the situation, the near sack and the way he pinned the ball to his helmet no other catch can match it. Unbelievable. I was watching with 5 friends and after jumping up and down after that catch we just sat there silent with "Did that play really just happen?" looks on our face.

The Pats have been knocked out by the Manning brothers in consecutive years. Eat that Belichick.

How stupid does the DB who let ball go through his hands on a should be certain INT to the play before Tyree's catch feel? Think Brady has killed him yet?

I hope the Giants play in Week 17 will convince teams to stop mailing in end of the season games.

Why the hell does Congress need to get involved in SpyGate? God knows the US has bigger issues right now than whether or not a football team filmed another teams signs.

Super Bowl Mini Preview

This is a mini preview because there is not a hell of a lot left to say. I find it hilarious that some people kepp talking about all the momentum the Giants have headng into this game. Sure they have one 10 in a row on the road but, excuse me, are the Patriots not 18-0? Wouldn't that qualify has having the momentum? And the pressure of going 19-0 being too much? Nope. The pressure was going 16-0. Now they are just another team trying to win the Super Bowl, they just happen to be 18-0 heading in.

Listen, I realize the Pats are not playing as well the past 8 weeks as they were the first half of the year but now matter how bad the play, and that includes Tom Brady's brutal 3 pick performance last week, they still keep winning. And don't forget the Giants won the NFC which is still a complete joke compared to the AFC.

Having said all that I do think the Giants have a chance. The Pats defense looks old (the two weeks rest gives them a huge break unfortunately) and the Giants defense will get to Brady. I think the main problem for the Giants though is that blitzing Brady means 1 on 1 coverage of Randy Moss and the Giants secondary is not good enough to handle him and that means big plays.

I can see a scenario where the Giants win this game but it is a scenario where 10 out of 10 things go right for them. The problem is if only 9 out of 10 go right they will still lose. I think they will keep it close but not win. The Pats have had two weeks to prepare and there is no way they will lose this close to making history by going 19-0. Take the Giants to cover but the Pats to win with Brady as the MVP whether he deserves it or not.

Pats 24 Giants 17