Favorite Movies of the Decade

Again, purely personal - here's my ranking of my 20 favorite movies of the last decade:

1. Serenity
2. Pan’s Labyrinth
3. The Lives of Others
4. Memento
5. Minority Report
6. Little Miss Sunshine
7. Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2
8. There Will Be Blood
9. United 93
10. Slumdog Millionaire
11. The Departed
12. The Hurt Locker
13. Avatar
14. Star Trek
15. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
16. Gone Baby Gone
17. No Country For Old Men
18. Cinderella Man
19. A History of Violence
2o. A Beautiful Mind

What's yours?

Here's the consensus of the critics:
http://features.metacritic.com/features/2009/the-best-movies-of-the-decade/

And my favorite 2 performances of the decade:
Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line and Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood.

2009 Movie Ranking

Here's my all encompassing, totally personal ranking of every new movie I saw this year:

The Hurt Locker
Avatar
Food Inc
Capitalism: A Love Story
Star Trek
Inglourious Basterds
The Hangover
Up in the Air
The Proposal
State of Play
The International
500 Days of Summer
I Love You Man
The Blind Side
It Might Get Loud
Julie & Julia
Taken
Whatever Works
Paranormal Activity
Terminator Salvation
Bruno
The Informant
Underworld – Rise of the Lycans
Knowing
The Answer Man
12 Rounds
Public Enemies
The Girlfriend Experience
Bride Wars
District 9

Best Actor: Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
Best Actress: Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia
Best Director: James Cameron

Cool Sites on this subject, that I'm not on:
http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2009/awardsandnominations.shtml

http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2009/toptens.shtml

At the Cinema - December 2009

Avatar – 10
The James Cameron winning streak is intact.
The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2, True Lies, Titanic, Avatar.
Not too many filmmakers with a string like that.

Avatar? It’s just incredible.
Four years in the making, this is a fantasy of the highest order. Using breakthrough technology, this is a breathtaking visual extravaganza.

Sam Worthington stars as Jake Sulley, a wheel chair bound ex-Marine who replaces his brother in the Avatar program on the outpost planet Pandora. The Avatar is the body that he will inhabit, a copy of the species populating the planet - one that can survive in the toxic atmosphere. The bad humans here are the corporations that are mining the planet. You can tell who they are because the leader wears a tie. Yes – bad news. This far in the future, men are still wearing ties. The corporations are using the military to clear a path to the mining of Pandora. You can tell who the military is because they have big biceps. Then there are the scientists, led by Sigourney Weaver. More bad news. There are still cigarettes two centuries from now, and for some reason Sigourney Weaver’s character smokes. I have no idea why Cameron felt it necessary to have one character on “the crutch.” But, she strolls around the massive project puffing away. It's a little jarring.

Make no mistake - it’s the visuals that are the story. Do yourself a favor. Don’t skimp. Get up off your wallet and see it in 3D. This is the future. Cameron has crafted the future of movies, and it unfolds right before your eyes. Using this fictional planet as his canvas, Cameron lets his imagination run wild and in the process proves he has more imagination in his little finger than most of the world. He and his immense team (the credits roll forever) pull out all the stops.

What keeps this from being a masterpiece in every way? Well, you could quibble with the story a little. It’s not without some issues. While you could read some deep racial assimilation meaning into the story, it is a little like every movie ever made in its boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. The last half hour is a little too GI Joe for me. The inevitable battle sequence is somewhat predictable. So, let’s just say the sparkle of this movie isn’t in the story telling – it’s in the visual feast that’s laid out before your eyes. My last complaint is really not about this movie, because you're never bored. It's about "epics" in general in that it now seems to be a given that you can’t do an “epic” in 2 hours – it must clock in as a bladder buster exceeding two and a half hours. So, I suggest reduced liquid intake.

It won’t do Titanic money, because teenage girls aren’t going to go 10 times to see the love story. But, if you want to see the creativity that will forever affect the future of movie making, go see this. It’s a Game Changer. Simply awesome.

Here’s my top 5 Game Changing Motion Pictures of all time prior to Avatar.

Birth of a Nation
Gone With The Wind
The Exorcist
Star Wars
Titanic



Up In The Air - 9
You’ll like this movie if
a. You like George Clooney
b. You liked previous Jason Reitman movies like Juno
c. You like a little romance

This is a wonderful little movie. I love “star is born” movies, and while George Clooney and Vera Farmiga are terrific, it’s Anna Kendrick who lights the screen up here as the emotional compass of this dramedy.

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a professional “work force reducer” who does the dirty work for corporate captains who are too spineless to do it themselves. That Clooney fleshes out his character with humanity is what will bring him some recognition come awards time. It’s his best performance so far as he continues to build his body of work.

When Bingham meets his road warrior soul mate in Farmiga’s character, their chemistry crackles. But, it is Kendrick who almost steals this movie. The sequence with the three of them is a beautifully crafted scene. I may be wrong, but I think we’ll be watching Anna Kendrick light up the screen for a long time. But, accolades to each for creating memorable characters that we like, believe, and care about. In addition, those who are getting fired are as real as you could imagine. That the movie captures these tough economic times so realistically is a tribute to all involved.

The early travel scenes are accurate and funny. That the movie runs out of romantic and narrative steam in the last 15 minutes is really not that disappointing. The resolution may surprise you, but unfortunately I knew where things were headed very early. That’s ok. It’s an entertaining movie.

Saints Report # 15 - December 27, 2009

Who Dat Nation
Take a Sedative

Things are never as good as they seem, nor as bad.

It would be easy for the perpetually negative Saints fans to start talking like Buddy D today, after a stunning 20 – 17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There’s no need.

The Saints are the same good football team they’ve been all year. The wheels haven’t come off. They’re just wobbling a little, and at a distressing time. In the NFL it’s a 4 month season, with a 5th month if you’ve survived the first 4. There's no way a team can be flawless for that long a time period, no matter what the record shows. There will be ups and downs. The Saints have clinched that they’ll be playing in January, and we should enjoy that. Let’s discuss:

First the bad news.
I said at the beginning of the year the key to the Saints having a great year was Pierre Thomas. The Saints, like every team, need to have some threat of a running game to keep the passing game going, and Pierre is the guy. When he went out with bruised ribs Sunday, I thought the Saints changed significantly. They couldn’t pound, and the Bucs spread the field with coverage. Teams are doing that to the Saints now. NFL defenses catch up with the offenses, always have. It’s the running game threat that the Saints need to open up the field.

Second, the Super Bowl is won by teams that are hot and healthy. The Saints are neither.
But, they have 3 weeks to get healthy. Let’s hang our hat on that for the time being.

The defense is so depleted with injuries, that they just can’t get off the field. Just watch the replay of the punt return that sliced the Saints yesterday and you’ll see a lot of names you don’t recognize getting up off the ground, like game day practice squad signees.

Bill Parcells says a great cornerback is an asset, but a good cornerback is a target. Right now Malcolm Jenkins is a target. The Bucs threw at him all day and he appears to suffer from being a) a rookie, and b) a step too slow to play corner. Now, it may take him a year or two to improve, or I suspect he’ll eventually play safety, but right now he’s not making anyone forget Jabari Greer.

The Saints run defense is awful. The Bucs proved yesterday that being down 17 zip is no reason to abandon your running game. I hope the Saints noticed that.

NFL games turn on a handful of plays. They all seemed to go the Saints way early in the year. The Saints early victories over the Falcons and Panthers I recall could have broken the other way, but for a few plays, not to mention the last month’s last-minute miracles, which came to an abrupt end in the last week. Yesterday, the Colston fumble, the punt return, and the missed field goal were 3 plays that wouldn’t have happened earlier in the year.

Sean Payton appears to have no faith in Kyle Eckles at fullback. Since Heath Evans went down with an injury, the Saints offense has not been the same, and the Saints use tight end David Thomas in the backfield an awful lot. With Shockey out, the Saints don’t have the Tight End down the field threat, with Thomas tied up blocking.

Without Lance Moore, Heath Evans, & Jeremy Shockey, the Saints are a 20 points per game offense, not 30.

Football is a game of power, and the Saints don’t have enough. No matter what their record is, they’ve gotten pushed around in about half their games this year, and the skill players have offset that – but it can’t continue forever. Their top priority in the offseason needs to be more power, especially on the defensive front.

Now, the good news.

If, and it’s a big if, Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey, Scott Shanle, and Jabari Greer return in time for the playoffs, the Saints should be as good as they were 2 months ago. Will that be good enough to go to, or win, a Super Bowl? We’ll see.

Drew Brees is still Drew Brees. He did all you could ask yesterday. The Saints just seemed a yard short all day. It’s amazing to be walking out of a stadium and have the quarterback throw so few incompletions, that you can recall them all. I’ve done that twice this year.

Robert Meachem continues his emergence. One more step yesterday and he would have scored the winning touchdown by turning a good play into a great one and winning another game almost single-handedly.

The Saints offense is still good, it’s just not as consistent as it used to be.
The Saints defense needs to get back to pressuring the QB, something they haven’t done for awhile.

So, Who Dat nation, take a deep breath and keep the faith. I’m not even saying they’ll win next week, and it would certainly be a shame to now lose home field advantage, which no one seems to want at this point. The great thing about this team is that they have a chance to be very good for the next 3 or 4 years. It doesn’t mean they’re going to go 64 – 0. The pundits will crucify us for the next week or two, and those lofty power rankings will plummet, but this is the same good football team they’ve been all year. They could’ve been great, even perfect if their luck had extended to the training table, but it didn’t and now comes the time of year when you have to grind through a few weeks of adversity.

So, the great news:
We’re in the tournament, and starting mid-January, it’s a brand new, very short season.
I still like our chances. Stand by. Take a sedative if you have to. The Saints will do that to you.

Saints Report # 14 - December 19, 2009

Even the Saints, in a season of magic, dug too deep a hole this time. This first loss of the season can be summed up easily – they hit our quarterback, and we didn’t hit theirs. So, Romo and the Cowboys dominated a Saturday night in the Superdome 24 - 17.

So, at 13 – 1, with injuries depleting the defense, some think the Saints are wearing down. My response is that it appears that the Saints have more depth than ever before. The question is, will it be enough?

As usual, as the 16 game season wears on, your weaknesses get exposed and exploited. Every team is like the Saints in that respect. No reason to panic. The team that wins the Super Bowl is usually the one that is hot and healthy. There’s still time for the Saints to get both.

Some things are now obvious:
1. The NFL still stands for “not for long” – teams are beginning to slow the Saints offense down for some stretches, particularly early in games.
2. On defense, teams have figured out our blitzes, and our linebackers aren’t the scariest blitzers in the world anyway.
3. You can’t have too many cornerbacks to get through the season.
4. There are some emerging offensive superstars that must be stopped and Miles Austin joins that list which includes DeSean Jackson, Chris Johnson, Joshua Cribbs, Percy Harvin. They scare me to death.
5. Middle of the Line Run Stuffers are critical – Sedric Ellis must get healthy
6. While Will Smith and Charles Grant are having good years, can you imagine if the Saints could beef up their pass rush with a DeMarcus Ware or Julius Peppers?
7. As a cornerback, Malcolm Jenkins looks like he’s going to be a great safety.
8. The Saints seem to pull a lot of hamstrings. Wonder if that’s a training issue?
9. No matter what you think, the Saints are never out of a game.

So, now 2 big games to close out this season and hopefully secure home field advantage. What to expect? Well based on the last few games I’d expect the games to be closer than we’d like, the opposing quarterbacks to have big games, and the Saints to have to come from behind. Then, comes the playoff run.

I’m recalling my pre-season prediction; The 14 – 2 Saints meeting the Chargers in the Super Bowl. I’d take that.

Saints Report #13 - December 13, 2009

When a team is having a great year, it seems there is a new hero in each game. This year’s Saints go beyond that. Yes, Jonathan Vilma has bailed them out two games in a row, but what stands out about this team is that there are so many players making contributions.

Sunday, Randall Gay, came out of nowhere on the play previous to Vilma’s 4th quarter interception to throw a Falcon reverse for a 12 yard loss, applying pressure that starting quarterback Chris Redmond couldn’t handle on the next play. Gay’s play up to that point was undistinguished, and Redmond had been unflappable.

This team reminds me of one of my favorite teams – the 1974 -75 Golden State Warriors. They pulled a monumental upset by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals. But, it was the way they did it that I’ve always remembered. They used their whole roster. All 12 players played, as I recall, and their only “star” was Rick Barry. Their intensity was incredible and they had a new hero every minute. The NBA was stunned that Coach Al Attles kept the pressure coming for the entire game, using everybody. I’ve never forgotten it.

The Saints remind me of that team. No dominant player, except for Drew Brees, they just keep coming at you in waves. This 26 – 23 victory over the hated Falcons was not in any way pretty, and as the Saints enter the home stretch, there is a lot of cause for concern, especially the way teams are moving the ball on the defense. But, as much as the defense has bent, they haven’t broken, allowing the offense to win the game with its relentless weaponry.

Now Dallas comes to the Dome in what has to be a nasty mood. In this most fortunate season the Saints get to play another big game in the friendly confines of a rocking Superdome. The Cowboys will probably move the ball, but can they stop the Saints’ offense? Can anyone? I sure hope not.

And I So Wanted to beat Phil Simms

It’s Thursday night on the road and I’m so bummed out. I’ve been playing Beat the Insiders all year on Showtime’s Inside the NFL web site.

I forgot about Thursday Night football and locking all my picks in before tonight’s game.

I was 131-61, ranking me 355th out of 51,786 players. I was behind Cris Collingsworth (135 – 57), but ahead of Phil Simms (122 – 70) and Warren Sapp (130 – 62).
I was pretty proud of that, but I’ll pull an 0 – 16 this week because I didn’t get my picks in by kickoff.

Ride over. Bah Humbug.

Oh, by the way - the name of my group of players - which I picked before the season?
The Undefeated Saints.
I'm just saying.

Saints Report #12, December 6, 2009

Just another ho-hum, boring, methodical, “we had ‘em all the way” game on this Magical Mystery Tour. I've got an invitation to make a reservation.

The Saints traveled to Washington, and in a reversal of their performance of last year, got outplayed for most of the game, but pulled out a victory. When things are going your way, strange things happen:
You punt the ball and it hits an opposing team member in the back and you recover the “fumble.”
You throw an interception and one of your receivers rips the ball away and runs in for a touchdown.
Your opponent misses a chip shot field goal that would have put the game away.
Your depleted and beaten up defense gets pushed all over the field – until overtime.
You give up tons of yardage, but your QB throws for 419.

The temptation is to feel sorry for the Redskins who clearly outplayed the Saints for 59 minutes. I don’t. How many times have the Saints lost games after dominating for 59 – too many to count. Steve Young and Joe Montana were specialists at snatching games from the Saints.

Good teams get the breaks and the calls. The Saints have a good team, a magical team, and one that can be good for a long time. The question is, how long can they be magical? These Saints never quit, never give up, never surrender. When the Saints pushed it to overtime yesterday before pulling off a 33-30 win you could sense the magic.

With 3 of the last 4 games of the regular season within the division we’ve already clinched, the stretch run will be bloody and bloody interesting. Buckle up, it’s a Magical Mystery Tour.

At the Cinema - November 2009

The Blind Side – 8

In the great tradition of expose movies like The Insider, The Blind Side is a revealing depiction of college football recruiting tactics – in this instance it is The University of Mississippi that comes under the microscope. As in many Southeastern Schools that are part of the illegal cartel known as the BCS, white alumni recruit and improve the eligibility of poor black athletes, then steer them to their own alma mater.

Okay, that was for my Ole Miss Friends.

You’ll like this movie if you like
a.) Sports Movies
b.) Sandra Bullock
c.) Sentiment

In actuality, The Blind Side is much more in the “Rudy” tradition – a sports movie with heart. This story of a Memphis couple who take in Michael Oher, now of the Baltimore Ravens, off the wintery streets of Memphis and adopt him features another outstanding performance by Sandra Bullock – her second of the year. She stars in this one as LeeAnne Touhy, the big-hearted matriarch. Talk of an Oscar nomination for this role is prevalent, but I still like her better in The Proposal, a movie she carried.

This is a good, solid movie. Go, have fun and enjoy the action.
Just don’t go to Ole Miss.

Saints Report # 11 - November 30, 2009

Random Thoughts from The Monday Night game:
National Stage
Tailgating at Noon
Statement Game
Almost finished my Ferdi
Brett Favre is the MVP
Section mad at me
Wow
Saints have weapons
McKenzie quick on the carpet
Brady uncomfortable
Malcolm Jenkins worthy
Wow
Brees perfect
Cedric not a running back
Crowd drunk
Why is a cop standing next to me?
Peyton Manning is MVP
Wow
NOPD Officer is huge
Colston or Welker?
When is Lance coming back?
Brett Favre is MVP
Where’s Reggie?
There goes Sharper
Unexpected blowout
Wonder if Phil Simms is watching
42 years to carefully construct this
Hitting on 8 cylinders
Section has forgiven me
Is there a weakness?
Our cornerbacks awesome
Does Payton ever stop attacking?
Their corners are lost
Defense superb
Guards best in the league
Brees kept clean
Patriots throw in towel
Meachem now worthy
Wow
Brett Favre is MVP
11 – 0 and by Wednesday we’ll be back under the radar
Next week we get only game in the elements all year
We owe the Redskins one
ESPN Monday Night shirts!
French Quarter wild
Fans getting cocky
Did I really just see that?

The Roast Beef PoBoy - An Evil Creation

Many have asked me, “Rick, why don’t you write more about food?”
To which I usually reply, “I’m too busy eating.”

But, in actuality, I had to figure out a way to write about it, when it finally came to me last night – A rating system for the ages!

You see, since high school, like many (I console myself with the word “many”) I’ve gained a little weight, if little could amount to, let’s say, another 25% or so of unneeded cells. I’m looked at as somewhat of an authority on food, because during my 30 pounds in New Orleans I learned the fine art of lunch conversation, which in New Orleans is defined as “where are we going for dinner?” Yes, I love good restaurants.
This weight gain is not my fault. I find no problem placing the blame for this 30 years of overindulgence and weight gain on the logical culprit – Obama.

So, now that we’ve established that I was powerless in my quest to get gravy running down my chin, let’s discuss. Just my opinion, but the single thing that defines New Orleans food is the po-boy, their version of the sub, hoagie, torpedo, blah, blah, blah. But, it’s the best sandwich in the world, largely because of the French bread which doesn’t seem to be duplicateable (if that's a word) outside the humid environs of NOLA. And for my money the best po-boy is the Roast beef, a sloppy concoction of slow roasted, gravy soaked, napkin sucking, cheap beef lifted and ladled on to that wonderful bread. Now, I’m also extremely fond of Shrimp po-boys, but I’ll leave that for another day.

I’ve realized that this single dastardly piece of evil, the roast beef poboy, has accounted for a good portion of the weight gain, I’m guessing about 12 pounds of it – so as a way of rating my favorite roast beef poboys I would rate them not by quality, but by their share of the gained proceeds, so here goes;

Pasquale’s (3 pounds) There’s only one Pasquale’s left that I know of, but somehow my car seems to veer off the interstate in Laurel, MS to pay homage to the one that started it all. It was the Hattiesburg location that started me down this destructive path. It was that unique butter-soaked bread that you couldn’t get anywhere else piled high with magical roast beef and gravy that made this a 10 napkin affair. Legendary.

Mother’s – New Orleans (3 pounds) Their debris on their Ferdi (ham and Roast beef – stretching the rules a little bit) make this the greatest sandwich in the world. Period.
If you can stand the clusterf*** that is the actual procuring of the sandwich in this restaurant, you must start your artery-clogging here.

Liuzza’s by the Track – New Orleans (1 pound) My current favorite. It’s a very subtle blend that’s just perfect. Wonderful

Parkway Bakery – New Orleans (1 pound) Traditional and exquisite.

Parasol’s – New Orleans (1 pound) The quintessential example of sloppiness.

Ray’s Pe Ge – Monroe, LA (1 pound) The best I’ve ever had North of I-10.

BB’s – Ocean Springs, MS (1 pound) The best on the coast. It took a half step back when its Biloxi bakery was a Katrina victim, but still worth the drive. From Arizona.

Radosta’s – Metairie, LA (1 pound) Just a wonderful experience. You’ll proceed directly to a nap.

Johnny’s PoBoys – French Quarter (1 pound) Haven’t had this one enough, but there’s still time.

Parran’s – Metairie (1 pound) I recall this as a heavily garlic’d piece of paradise. It’s been too long.

Honorable Mention: Mandina’s in New Orleans, Liuzza’s (the other one) in New Orleans, Mr. Ed’s in Metairie, Domilese in New Orleans, Shortstop in New Orleans, Little Rays and Pirates Cove on the coast.

Let me know what your favorites are. I'll consider it my duty to investigate.

Saints Report # 10 - November 22, 2009

Letting 10 -0 sink in.

I’m sitting here waiting on the HBO season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I’m trying to curb my enthusiasm for the Saints. Be calm, 10 – 0, no big deal, just ask the Tennessee Titans. Long way to go. Division pretty much in hand. Another big game coming up. Curb it.

Here’s what’s cool about the Saints – just the way it’s all come together, good solid coaching, good play calling (remember Carl Smith) good drafting. But here’s what I really like – the patient player development. Today was Robert Meachem day. Let’s face it – sometimes players come in and make an immediate impact, like Marques Colston and Reggie Bush. Other times, they have to develop. The slow, methodical development of a first round pick like Meachem is the last thing that is expected. We see so many times when a team gives up on a first pick that doesn’t explode as a superstar (see the Detroit Lions’ fleet of wide receiver first round picks). Meachem even had to sit for a year. Whoever heard of that? Off the roster for a whole year, but the team didn’t give up, they just kept working with him until he got it, and now – wow!

From the beginning it was obvious Pierre Thomas was an NFL running back. The Saints have brought him along slowly, and now he’s a steady contributor. It wasn’t as obvious with Lance Moore, but his emergence last year was a testament to the tortoise method that they sometime employ.

All in all, no matter how this year ends up, this is the proper way to develop an NFL team. Finally. Good drafting, good development of unrecognized players, key free agent acquisitions, and yes good coaching.

So, when the Saints dismantled the Bucs today 38 – 7, and I’m thus trying to curb my enthusiasm, it is not so much the prospect of a Super Bowl that has me excited. It’s the fact that this team has a chance to be elite for the next several years. I got a kick out of the consternation over how the Saints won their last few games, that they weren’t up to par. Are you kidding me? We want W’s and only W’s. Don’t care how, don’t care what they look like. I never thought I’d see a Seinfeld reunion, and I’d never thought I’d see 10 – 0. I saw both today.

Saints Report # 9 - November 16th, 2009

Mark the date. The Saints clinched a winning record and the war of attrition has officially begun.

The Saints slogged their way to 9 – 0 Sunday with a hard fought victory over the Rams 28-23. It was a talent-over-preparation victory. It counts as a W, and no one will remember the cost, nor the poor clock management in the fourth quarter. This time it was Courtney Roby’s kick return to open the second half, and Reggie Bush’s electric running that saved the Saints. Defensive adjustments at halftime helped slow Steven Jackson, who had pretty much had his way in the first half, and the Saints used big plays to pull it out, rather than grind it out.

With two wonderful free agent pickups, Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer sitting this one out with injuries, Saints fans watched as Tracy Porter was carted off with a knee injury. That's three fourths of the defensive backfield! Compound that with the usually reliable Randall Gay doing a Jason David imitation giving us flashbacks to years of Payton past, and uneasy rests our record.

I said it before and I’ll say it again – the Super Bowl is played by teams that are hot and healthy. The Saints are not playing their best right now, but that worries me much less than their health. It’s the health of the defense which is paramount. The offense has depth – the defense doesn’t.

Next week, we visit Tampa, which doesn’t scare me, although anything can happen in the NFL. But anyone that watched the Manning/Brady Sunday Night Shootout knows that when Brady and an embarrassed Belichick come calling we’ll need all the healthy defensive bodies we can get.

The stretch run, and the war of attrition has begun.

Saints Report # 8 - November 9, 2009

Don’t Come a Knockin' when the Dome is Rockin’

How sweet it is.
To be 8 – 0 in America.

As the Saints fell behind 14 – 0 yesterday, there was no panic in the Louisiana Superdome. These Saints expect to win. These fans expect to win. They kept rockin’ even as Carolina had one opportunity after another to put the game out of reach. How long will this confidence last? I have no idea. With formidable home tests expected from Dallas and New England I don’t know if we’ll go undefeated, but the roll that we’re on right now is too much fun. This is the way it’s supposed to be.

Yes, the Saints showed some weaknesses yesterday. Carolina chewed up yardage with their running game and slowed the Saints attack as the Saints again turned the ball over too much. But in the end it was Drew Brees’ leadership after a shaky start that led the Saints to their first 8-0 start.

It’s cool watching Drew’s body language. Unlike some quarterbacks who slump around when things don’t go their way, Drew stands calmly on the sideline with his helmet still on, starring at the field. He can’t wait to go again, like a fighter who was been bloodied in one round, but knows there are many rounds to go. He doesn’t even want to sit on the stool.

One of the characteristics of a hot team is that they have a new hero each week. This week one hero was Anthony Hargrove. His personal struggles have been well documented, so while he seems to have turned his life around, he continues to progress on the field. With Sean Ellis out for awhile, he will be a key player for the next few weeks. He hadn’t recovered a fumble in 3 years, so when he recovered one late in the 4th quarter he enjoyed it so much, he grabbed another one and took it in for a score a few minutes later. It was the Saints 7th defensive touchdown of the year, which I’m told is more than Cleveland’s offense. Seven in Eight games! That’s an incredible streak that has to slow down, doesn’t it?

Another hero was Robert Meachum, who made several key grabs, including a long touchdown run after catch. With Marquis Colston having an off day, and Lance Moore on the mend, Meachum stepped up.

My personal favorite was Pierre Thomas who scored and refrained from doing the bogaloo. (See last week's blog)

So now, 4 road games in the next 5 weeks represent a new kind of challenge. Hopefully the Saints will not get caught looking ahead to a Monday Night shoot-out with the Patriots. But I sure am.

Saints Report #7 - November 2, 2009

Coach Payton,

Some congratulations are in order for:
First, starting out 7-0, matching the Saints best start ever.
Second, for surviving the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
Third, for extracting a pretty good performance out of Reggie Bush last night. He was the only running back that didn’t lay the ball on the ground, he scored his 16th touchdown as a pro (not bad for a bust), and did a great job picking up some blitzes. He also didn’t taunt. Good job – gotta hand it to him when he does good.
And fourth, for winning another game where one could argue the Saints were outplayed.

At your press conferences you talk about things you need to “clean up,” and let me start with some suggestions:
First, Pierre Thomas’ dancing. His touchdown was indeed a nifty run. However, it didn’t merit an entire dance video. As his celebration went on forever the referee, rightfully playing the role of a judge on “So you think you can dance,” flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct – excessive celebration and terrible simulation of the movie “This is It” which he must have seen the night before. Please explain to the team that if they are still playing in February they can dance the whole f****** Thriller video if they want, but until then we’ll do the dancing in the stands. Just be like Colston – hand the ball to the ref and go back to the bench to celebrate with your teammates. You may want to mention this to Lance Moore as well – he developed a little bit of Dance Fever last year. The reason I bring this up was that his outburst directly led to giving up enough field position that on the next possession he almost got Brees killed and the result was a touchdown for the Falcons. Not to mention the motivating effect it has on the opposition. When are you going to get this under control?

Second, the Saints got pushed around last night. It seemed that we lost enough line of scrimmage battles to remind us that football is a game of power, and we need more. Greer got mugged on the long touchdown pass, but he got overpowered and that’s not good. And let’s not even talk about what that power running back did to us.

Third, thank Jonathan Vilma. His deflection, in an otherwise lackluster performance, was a game changer.

Fourth, your team sucks at rugby. We lost 3 fumbles in the scrums last night. Not sure how you practice that, but you can bet teams are going to be poking and prodding like it’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy from here on out.

Fourth, please explain to the NFL that the booth challenges in the last 2 minutes of a half is a stupid rule. It ensures that almost every play is a 5 minute mini-drama and referees, who must be scared to death at this point to call anything, are soon going to be an afterthought. Totally unnecessary to change the rules that exist the rest of the half. The games last longer than an episode of The View already. Please stop.

Finally, please explain to the team that the season is only getting started. The last 2 games indicate trouble down the road, but that’s ok. There’s a long way to go. Getting excited at this point, especially about an undefeated season, is like talking about a no-hitter after the first inning. Keep building and improving – we’ll be fine.

At the Cinema - October 2009

Capitalism: A Love Story - 10 out of 10

You’ll like this movie if you:
a. like Michael Moore
b. were pissed off at the bailout, Tarp, etc.
c. suspect that money controls our government and would like to see how

Michael Moore only draws his fans, and that’s a shame, because in this movie he has few kind words for anyone in the political process, especially when it comes to the banking industry.

I’ve always thought the way he presents his material is hilarious and I think I once said he was the Woody Allen of documentaries. His previous movies were filled with some good belly laughs.

Those touches are here, but I have to report there’s very little funny in this movie. Even when you want to laugh, you can’t believe what you’re seeing. There’s real reporting here, and it’s pretty frightening. There are a few congressional heroes that agreed to go on camera, but by and large it looks like a complete turnover of Congress is in order.

Moore misses the boat a little bit with his conclusions on capitalism, but he sure makes you think.


Paranormal Activity – 7

You’ll like this movie if you:
a. like scary movies
b. prefer seeing them in a packed theater
c. are a teenager

Let me set the scene. I saw this in a theater with an old man sitting in the handicapped seats. Behind me were a lot of screaming teenaged girls with boyfriends who took some pleasure in escalating the scares. The old man would turn around and tell them to shut up. There was a lot of screaming. All in all, it was wildly entertaining.

So, much of the fun in this movie is in the audience reaction. Effective in its simplicity and the rather claustrophobic setting there are some very chilling moments here. Unlike the home movie Blair Witch Project, which it is most often compared to, this movie actually has an ending.
It is shot as a home movie, and the story of an on-going haunting is believable and gripping. Won’t be confused with great art, but it’s worth seeing if you like being shaken, not stirred.

Saints Report #6 - October 25, 2009

Hey, let’s go check out Miami this weekend. We’ll look for Sylvester Stallone and Madonna, and we’ll check out South Beach. We can have some great Cuban food and dance on the tables at some of those hot clubs.

Sounds great doesn’t it. Hey, and just for fun, let’s spot the home team 21 points. What we’ll do is lull them Dolphins into thinking they’ve got us beat. We’ll turn the ball over a few times, we’ll fumble, we’ll throw a few picks, and we’ll play like we’re just out of sorts.
Then, just when they think they’ve got us, we’ll unleash. We’ll show ‘em what we’ve got. We’ll pull out all our weapons, storm from behind and stun them. Let’s go prove we can come from behind. Always playing with a big lead – that’s no fun.

And let’s do all this in some early Halloween costumes:
Jeremy, you’re going to go as The Trojan Horse
Reggie, you wear this cape – I want to see if you can fly.
Drew, you dress as Houdini
Darren, you’re Butch Cassidy, and Tracy, you go as The Sundance Kid
Jonathan, you go as The Hulk
Mike, come as Rumpelstiltskin, go ahead and sleep through the first half.

Whatayasay? It’ll be fun.

Then, with a little help from the Steelers we’ll head back to The Big Easy as the only unbeaten NFC team. We’ll get ready for some football - some prime-time Monday Night Football against the Falcons with a real chance to take a big lead in the division.

How’s that sound? Cool huh?

Saints Report #5 - October 18, 2009

The only thing missing was the junior mints.

Sitting in the dome watching Drew Brees and company pick apart the vaunted Giants with surgical precision inspired me to call Madonna and Weird Al Yankovich over for an afternoon of tea and crumpets and a little song re-writing. Go ahead and pull out The Immaculate Collection and sing along. You know you want to.


Like a Surgeon (to the the tune of Like a Virgin)

He made it through the injury
Somehow he breezed on through
Didn’t know how good he was
Until Sean found you

Never falls incomplete
When open, I’ll be black & blue
But Brees made Saints feel
Yeah, he made Saints feel
Shiny and new

Like a surgeon
Torched for the very first time
Like a surgeon
Dissecting defenses
Behind that line

Better give me all your blitzs, boy
Opponent’s fading fast
Momentum has set in
Don’t know how long they’ll last

Giants fine and they’re mine
Payton makes me strong, yeah he makes me bold
Carve their hearts right out
Yeah, go all out
‘til they’re shocked and cold

Like a surgeon hey
Carved for the very first time
Like a surgeon
Slicing defenses
Behind that line.

Oooh, oooh, oooh

Jets were fine and they’re mine
I’ll be a Saint ‘til the end of time
Oh touchdowns clawed out
Yeah, by air or by feet
You’ve got nowhere to hide

Like a surgeon
Carved for the very first time
Like a surgeon
Slicing secondaries
Behind that line.

Like a surgeon, cha ching
Like a surgeon
Slice through the defense
With Colston, and with Meachum, Shockey and Moore

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Who, dat
Can’t you see a Super Bowl
For the Very First time?



Next up - Miami in a trap game. There really are no breaks in the NFL, and with the Falcons breathing down our necks and headed here on a Monday night, the Saints can't let up.

Saints Report #4 - October 6, 2009

First, the food:
I love 3:00 pm home games. You get to eat 2 meals – lunch before and dinner afterwards. I had just seen “Parasol’s” on the food channel, (Divers, Diners, and Dives – cool show) .so figured it was time to revisit and see if the roast beef poboys were still superb. They were. Too bad this bar takes the “dive” a little too seriously. I have to say that the bathroom experience was one of the worst of my adult life. To call this bathroom legendarily inappropriate is still understating the case. When I asked one of the guys in the kitchen for a roll of toilet paper (sometimes you’ve just got to) he looked at me like I was stealing a child. But, this is still one of the must places to eat in New Orleans. If you like a seedy bar, you’ll never do better.

Along those same lines, also got to visit the legendary Willie Mae’s Scotch House in New Orleans last week. Excellent Fried Chicken – but not as good as Annie’s (Bay St. Louis) used to be. I’m not a Fried Chicken Nut, love that chicken from Popeye’s, but Annie’s was the best I ever had. Dinner in Slidell on the way home was less interesting, other than posing that eternal question – How do Mexican restaurants get the food out so fast? Are they afraid we’re going to eat more chips?

Now, for some cheese.

So, you ask, what about the Saints? At this point in the season, I have to admit, they’re even better than I thought they were going to be. It wasn’t a great all-around performance, but what we’re learning about this team is that they’ve got some virtues we’re not used to, starting with balance. On a given day the defense can beat you (this was that day,) the special teams play, mostly our new punter Thomas Morhstad, is superb, and Pierre Thomas is an NFL running back. If fact, it’s beginning to look like our weakest link is a certain #1 draft pick who continues to make costly mistakes, like laying the ball on the turf.

GM Micky Loomis has to get some credit. He filled the holes we had in the off-season, particularly in the defensive backfield. With his signing of Darren Sharper (so that’s what a safety looks like) he must feel like he bought a stock that immediately tripled in value. All Sharper has done is pickoff 3 passes and return 2 of them as long, and longer than anyone in Saints history has.. Nice way to start your tenure. Can we go ahead and put him up on the ring of honor? Jabari Greer has been excellent, Tracy Porter has built on the promise he showed last year, and even our outside linebackers, which I consider the weakest area of the team, are proving they can make an impact in the right scheme.

Our defense apparently didn't like all the press on the Jets defense. They proved they can make a rookie quarterback look like a rookie quarterback. The Jets took their 24-10 thumping like men and headed back to the Big Apple with a little appreciation of what’s going on down on da bayou. While Drew Brees was steady, he saw a lot tighter coverage than what he’s used to, and the defensive blue print on how teams are going to attack the Saints is emerging. Spread out your defense, try to stop the pass, and see if the Saints can run the ball.
(They can.)

I saw an ESPN feature calling the Saints the best team in the NFL through 4 weeks. Sean Payton is constantly telling his team, “Don’t eat the cheese,” meaning “don’t believe the hype.”

Me, I’m chomping on some gouda. After all these years, we’re entitled to enjoy it. This is only the 3rd 4-0 start in franchise history and trust me when I say this one isn’t flukey. It also doesn’t mean anything in the long run. The Super Bowl strategy of the past few years is to survive the season, and get hot around New Year’s day. The biggest significance of winning the first lap of the season is that it puts us in line for home field advantage in the playoffs, something that for this team would be a real advantage with this offense.

So, let’s enjoy the bye week. Relax, decompress, enjoy, savor, and even eat some cheese. We’re the fans – we’re allowed.

At the Cinema - September 2009

Inglourious Basterds 10 out of 10

You’ll like this movie if
a. you like Quentin Tarantino
b. you like Brad Pitt
c. you like gratuitous grossness that makes you look away at times.

Tarantino, always reserved, does no less than a little history rewrite in this audacious World War II opus. This crazy movie joins Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bills as Tarantino masterpieces. The 2 hour and 20 minutes fly by as Tarantino weaves his story.

Brad Pitt anchors the movie as Lt. Aldo Raine, the head of the legendary Basterds, a Jewish killing squad in Nazi-occupied France. But it is two star making performances that carry the day here. The one that is going to get the most recognition is Christoph Waltz as Col Lans Handa, the Jew Hunter who becomes through Waltz' craft one of the all-time great movie villains. But it is Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna Dreyfous whose intense desire for revenge carries the movie. They’re both scary good.

Make no mistake, this is every bit as gory as you’ve come to expect from Tarantino. It’s not for the faint of heart. So, don’t go if you’re easily offended. But, if you like your entertainment over the top, this is your cup of blood.

It Might Get Loud – 8

You’ll like this movie if:
a. you like rock and roll
b. you like the guitar
c. you like Led Zeppelin, U2, or The White Stripes

While not a great movie, this is an often fascinating portrait of 3 great guitarists and their creative process, their reverence for their musical roots, and their evolution as technicians. Documentary Director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) got together Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White and filmed them together and separately. It’s pretty cool stuff.

The film peaks as it’s ending with the three jamming on The Weight. It left me kind of wishing there been more of that. In fact three greats just sitting there playing some songs would have been a pretty fine movie by itself.

Julie and Julia – 8

You’ll like this movie if you like:
a. Meryl Streep
b. The joy of cooking
c. The joy of eating

Once again here’s a movie that surprised me. The lukewarm reviews of Nora Ephron’s latest had me a little reluctant, but this is a charming movie. It weaves the story of Julia learning French cooking and putting it into an American cookbook with a modern-day blogger (Amy Adams) cooking her way through the same cookbook.

I laughed, I cried, I got real hungry.

As always, Meryl Streep is phenomenal here. If you don’t remember Julia Child, who died in 2004, you can’t fully appreciate this performance. Meryl Streep is a true National Treasure. She tops my current list of Female National Treasures, which by the way goes something like this:

Meryl Streep
Barbara Streisand
Jodie Foster
Bonnie Raitt
Julia Roberts
Ellen Burstyn
Sheryl Crow
Julia Louis Dreyfous
Anne Hathaway
Tina Fey
Amy Adams
Natalie Maines
Sarah Silverman

The Informant! 7
You’ll like this movie if:
a. you like Matt Damon
b. you like Steven Soderbergh
c. you like corporate intrigue
I have to admit that Soderbergh’s critical acclaim puzzles me a little. My favorite movies by him are Erin Brokovich and Out of Sight. Those Oceans 11,12, and 13 movies were Hollywood earmarks – mindless pork for the masses. Here, Matt Damon shines in Soderbergh’s take on a corporate whistleblower story that probably has David Brinkley rolling over in his grave.

I had never heard of Archers Daniel Midland when it inexplicably began sponsoring This Week with David Brinkley back in the 90’s. Apparently, they had a lot of money to spend (and the movie tells why) so they began advertising, but advertising what? I remember being mystified then, and they went away as quickly as they had appeared.

Damon plays Mark Whitacre the biochemist whistleblower who suffered from a multitude of problems, all fully on display in The Informant! There are some amusing sequences, and more than a little irony as the story unfolds. Not the worst way to spend 2 hours.

Saints Report #3 - September 27, 2009

The Saints are for real. With a stout defensive effort to go along with a miraculous halftime cure of Pierre Thomas’ knee injury the Saints pounded a good Buffalo Bill team into late submission.

After the Saints matriculated down the field on a routine first drive, the Bills defense turned up the heat on Drew Brees and forced the Saints to run. And run they did, first Lynell Hamilton, even Reggie Bush, and Pierre Thomas to two touchdowns and an amazing 126 yards after halftime.

Meanwhile, other than a fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown, the Bills did nothing on offense against the Saints retooled defense.

The Bills offensive strategy is puzzling. Let’s review: you have an injured running back, a young QB of modest talent, a new star receiver, and a center who confuses shoes with hands (Have you ever seen so many bad snaps?) Sounds like the perfect recipe for a no-huddle offense, doesn’t it? The Bills seem inexplicably committed to this Vietnam strategy and don’t seem to understand their personnel. But, their defense is a strong one, and the Saints pulled away in the 4th quarter – but don’t be fooled by the 27-7 score. It was closer than that – and the credit goes to the defense, which if it can keep playing like this should make me one hell of a prognosticator.

Now, here come the Jets to town, to be followed by an East Coast powerhouse parade of Patriots, Giants, Panthers, Falcons, and even the Cowboys. Expect the equally undefeated Jets to copy the Bills’ blueprint of stopping the pass first. Let’s hope our Pinball Wizard keeps the miracle cure.

Saints Report #2 - September 20, 2009

When you arrive in Philadelphia and you order that first genuine Philly cheese steak sandwich, you can’t believe that they ladle cheese whiz on it.

Yesterday, the Saints went to Philly and gave them a taste of Brees whiz.

Too corny? Well, these are heady times for Saints fans, so forgive us. For three years the Saints offense has shown spurts of brilliance, but rarely got the wins you’d expect. This year, not only are there a multitude of weapons on offense, there seems to be an emerging maturity. There’s just a certainty and a confidence to this offense. It's impressive.

Sunday Drew Brees and the offense got the special teams help that was lacking in week 1, as they pummeled the Eagles 48-22. The defense, while nowhere close to dominating, appears significantly improved over the porous past editions. Darren Sharper has proven to be the fastest dividend-paying free agent pickup ever, as he picked off his 3rd pass of the year, returning it 97 yards to cap the scoring.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to play the Eagles again. Donovan McNabb would’ve made a difference. But right now the Saints have the momentum.

Next week we shuffle off to Buffalo to get some wings and a win.
Corny. Get used to it.

Saints Report #1 - September 13, 2009

The report from Section 116 - We watched the game with soaking wet socks and shoes. The rain storm going into the dome insured that the victory (at least for the crowd) was in the building of this wonderful dome.

Within the climate controlled confines, the Saints put a W up, and in the end that’s what matters.
Drew Brees was humming that ball.
Mike Bell was running that ball.
Darren Sharper was hawking that ball.
The receivers were catching that ball.
Reggie Bush was bobbling that ball.

Drew Brees tied the Saint's team record with 6 touchdown passes, but let up on the throttle at the end, or he would have certainly chipped in another one to tie the NFL mark. For him, it was that easy.

The special teams had it a little tougher, giving up too many yards, dropping punts (Reggie), not blocking, etc. Not a good day – they’ll need to get better. Where was Rod Harper?

The defense showed some promise. Darren Sharper was the high point, playing the ball hawking safety – a role we haven’t seen in a long time, if ever.

Mike Bell had a great day running the football, except for a fumble that the Lions took all the way back. There’s one obvious question: When Pierre Thomas comes back, with 2 running backs that can hit the hole and get positive yardage, will Reggie Bush (who can’t hit the hole) get any more carries? Same old problems – as likely to lose 7 as he is to gain 7, and now too loose with the football – laying it down 3 times by my count in this game. Reggie needs to be a slot receiver – period. This magical offense doesn’t need him to be magical – just reliable.

Next up – a trip to Philly for a Cheesesteak.

Music Mission Impossible

Entertainment Weekly, covering the hoopla surrounding the 9/9/09 release of Beatles products, named the top 50 Beatle Songs of all time. Couldn't resist making my own list below. Well, someone had to do it!

Here's their list:

A Hard Days Night
A Day in The Life
Yesterday
Strawberry Fields Forever
Something
She Loves You
Let It Be
Tomorrow Never Knows
Norwegian Wood
Across the Universe
Eleanor Rigby
Penny Lane
Help
Hey Jude
In My Life
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Blackbird
Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight
Can't Buy Me Love
Revolution
If I Fell
We Can Work It Out
I'm Only Sleeping
I'm a Loser
Paperback Writer
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Rain
I Saw Her Standing There
I Want You (She's so Heavy)
All My Loving
I Am the Walrus
I Should Have Known Better
I've Got a Feeling
Nowhere Man
Dear Prudence
She Said She Said
You Won't See Me
Taxman
With a Little Help from My Friends
Day Tripper
I'm Down
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Come Together
Lovely Rita
Ticket to Ride
Helter Skelter
Here Comes the Sun
I'm So Tired
All You Need Is Lovef


Here's mine:

Yesterday
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
A Day in the Life
All My Loving
I Saw Her Standing There
Hey Jude
Eleanor Rigby
In My Life
Let It Be
Here Comes the Sun
Here There and Everywhere
Norwegian Wood
I've Just Seen A Face
Nowhere Man
Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight
We Can Work It Out
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Revolution
Strawberry Fields Forever
Something
She Loves You
I Should Have Known Better
Two of Us
Come Together
Ticket To Ride
Blackbird
She's Leaving Home
Good Day Sunshine
Because
A Hard Day's Night
I Will
Help
Across the Universe
Rocky Raccoon
Back in the USSR
Dear Prudence
Got to Get You Into My Life
When I'm 64
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Twist and Shout
Love Me Do
Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds
With a Little Help From My Friends
Martha My Dear
If I Fell
Can't Buy Me Love
All You Need Is Love
For You Blue
Julia
Anna

Saints Report # 20 February 2010

BOURBON STREET EXPLODES

Roman Harper recovered Ladainian Tomlinson’s fumble at the 5 yard line with 32 seconds to play to preserve the New Orleans Saints improbable first ever victory in the highest scoring Super Bowl ever Sunday night in Miami.

Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees led his team to a 42 – 38 victory, rallying his team from a 4th quarter 10 point deficit, culminating in a 32 yard scoring strike to Marquis Colston with 2:32 remaining. The Saints offense then had to stew on the sidelines as NFL MVP Phillip Rivers guided the San Diego Chargers to the doorstep of victory, only to have Tomlinson cough up his 2nd fumble of the game, this time on a jarring Jonathan Vilma tackle.

Coach Sean Payton of the victorious Saints, went back to his roots, completely abandoning the running game that had been so dominant in the Saints 14 -2 regular season, allowing Brees (42/60 482 yards) to gunsling it out with his former teammate Rivers (28/40 312 yards). Both teams scored at will, but it was ultimately Brees and his incredible corps of receivers (Colston 8 catches for 112 yards, Moore 9/101, Shockey 7/77, Meachum 4/32, Bush 6/62, Thomas 5/65, Henderson 3/33) that triumphed. Brees set records in every passing category, but neither team could pull away. When the Chargers took a 10 point lead with 11 minutes to go after returning a Bush fumble 88 yards, it looked like Bree’s heroics would go for naught. But he wasn’t finished.

The Saints, division winners who handily beat the Seahawks and Packers en route to Miami, had a much easier path than did the Chargers, who despite their wild card record of 9 – 7 beat the Jets, the Colts, and finally the Patriots, all in overtime. In the end it was the Saints relatively fresh offense that finally wore down the Chargers.

Thus ends the long drought of the New Orleans faithful, who saw more playoff victories this year than in the previous 40 years combined. Bourbon street was reported to be in near-riot condition.


So, that’s how it will end. How will it begin?

It will begin this week with a harder than expected victory over the Lions. Watch for the Lions to pull out all the stops (Remember Payton and Haslett in their first year – coaches don’t get conservative until their 2nd year.)

This year, the most important Saint is Pierre Thomas – If he can carry the load to the tune of 1000 to 1200 yards (despite the fact it looks like he’ll miss the first game), the running game will keep the defenses honest.

While I’m still not sold on the Saints outside linebackers (when are they going to give Dunbar a real shot?) it looks like the secondary is deeper and presumably Jason David is on a couch somewhere enjoying the millions he didn’t earn. If Gregg Williams can pressure the QB (particularly Matt Ryan and Jake Delhomme) the Saints will go a long way.

Watch for our home-viewing parties to begin on Sunday September 20th when the Saints travel to Philly. Ain't it great to be undefeated?

At The Cinema - August 2009

District 9 – 0 out of 10

Now comes the review that will apparently kill my credibility with an entire nation of moviegoers. But, I’m dumbfounded. I read the rave reviews and couldn’t wait. I should have. This was the worst movie I’ve spent money to see since The Black Dahlia.
Ted Williams, Drew Brees, Bill Mazeroski and all the other 9-wearers should even be insulted. Couldn’t it have been District 4?
I guess I just completely missed it. I don’t usually laugh out loud at a movie – but this one is so ridiculous in almost every way, that I just couldn’t help myself.

6 Reasons I couldn’t help laughing at the screen:
First, the movie is subtitled. When the aliens speak, you get subtitles. When they are talking, the main character seems to understand them only part of the time. So, who subtitled the movie? Think about it.
Second, same old aliens. Why is it that every alien on screen is a dressed up 2 eyed, 2 armed, 2 legged creature. These are just dressed up grosser than most. Just once wouldn’t you like to see a round ball alien with eyes all over, so it could see in all directions, rolling through the streets? Go back over all the movie aliens – why 2 eyes? Think about it.
Third, (spoiler alert) the main character gets some alien fuel splashed in his face and begins to become an alien. So if I pour gas on a turtle, it will become a man? Ridiculous. Think about it.
Fourth, I’ll take my allegory a little lighter please. The social references, apartheid, man’s inhumanity to man, is layered on so thick it’s laughable. I get it – we suck. I’ll think about it.
Fifth, the action is laughable. I’m serious, every time a body exploded I laughed. Out loud. I kept thinking, “so this is what it was like to experience Planet 9 from Outer Space in a theater.” Think about it.
Last, the “coming attractions” before the movie were horrible. Now, this may be quibbling, but when every preview is basically the same slasher movie, and the previews go on for 15 minutes, you realize you are being targeted as a lowest-common-denominator audience. The previews were actually insulting, and so repetitive they put me in doze-land. Think about it.

So, go see this if you want to. Reviewers and audiences seem to love it, so I could be wrong. Maybe it will go down as a classic. That seems to be the consensus. I’m short, so it’s not hard for things to go over my head. I’ll chalk this up in the “am I that out of touch?” column. I’d have rather spent my money on cookies.


500 Days of Summer – 8 out of 10.

This is a good movie. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should see it. You’ve lived it.
Hasn’t everybody?

You know the story. Boy gets girl. One of them thinks the other is the “one.” One little problem – the vote is tied 1 – 1. Heartbreak ensues.

This movie is a natural descendant of Annie Hall. I looked on line at the Metacritic scores (my favorite web site) and 3 of 15 reviews mentioned Annie Hall in the first sentence. But, I watched this movie thinking the same thing. Let me make this perfectly clear – I knew Annie Hall, and you’re no Annie Hall.

In other words, 500 Days of Summer isn’t quite that good, despite what the guy who was sitting behind me thought. Laughing that loud should be reserved for someone watching Congress. Nevertheless, while it’s not Annie Hall, what it is, is a multi-media presentation of the natural progression of that doomed relationship where one participant is more convinced than the other that “this is it.”

Joseph Gordon-Leavitt wonderfully plays the likeable guy who wrongfully believes he’s hit the love jackpot. The great Zooey Deschanel plays the girl – you know the one – the blood sucking tramp who rips your heart out, shreds it to little pieces, then boils it in a pot of heated spit, takes it out and stomps on it, while she screws with your head, makes you spend money you don’t have in a doomed-to-failure attempt to impress her or even make her happy or convince her you’ll do anything for her, while she’s seducing you like you’re the only one at the same time she’s plotting her escape in such a way that it will devastate you and make you not to ever want to see a woman again, except she teases you to keep you hanging by a fingernail while your last shred of dignity slips away and you wish she’d just go ahead and kill you by hanging you from your toes off the tallest building in town and beat you with a bat til you fall and split your head open so that your brains flow all over the sidewalk and she tromps through your blood with her new boyfriend, whom she used to make fun of, off to that commitment she said she’d never want to make, when what she meant was she would never make any commitment with you because she wanted to just be friends which was the farthest thing from your mind and the very thought of “just being friends” made you want to take a blow torch to her hair and toast her like a marshmallow until she came to her senses, and her hair grew back and she took you back.

You know, that girl.

So see this movie if you want to be entertained, or if you want to see some really inventive movie-making, or if you want to re-live that time the blood sucker told you “I think we need to take a break….”

You know, that girl

Speaking of having been at the first screening of Planet 9 From Outer Space, as I was in my first review, here are my Time Travel 10, the 10 Entertainment things I’d really like to travel back and see live:

The Beatles in Concert
Woodstock
Camelot on Broadway starring Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Robert Goulet.
Al Jolson
The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman
Billie Holiday
My Fair Lady on Broadway with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison
Louis Armstrong
Buddy Holly
Monterey Pop

What’s your time travel 10?

Do I Really Want to Discuss Health Care Reform?

Well, I’ve been sitting back and watching with amusement the chaos surrounding the health care reform issues – from the crazy town hall meetings, to the yapping on talk shows, to the Congress which looks more lost than ever, to tea-baggers, to the President who seems to be losing ground.

Let me start by admitting I’m fundamentally predisposed to be in favor of Universal Healthcare, because I just believe that if we’re going to be the greatest nation on earth, we need to take care of our citizens. I even thought so when Hillary Clinton first brought it up. Unfortunately, her pictures could have been labeled “polarizing figure” the way Brett Favre’s could today be labeled “wearing out his welcome.”

In retrospect, in the 90’s it would have been easy. We’d be down the road. It’s way more complicated today. In fact, it’s a virtual inferno, a minefield in a terribly divided America.

Let’s start with “How the hell would we pay for it?”

I received this not long ago in an email:

”The inheritance tax, Accounts Receivable Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL license Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog License Tax, Excise Taxes, Federal Income Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline At x (44.75 cents per gallon) Gross Receipts Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges, IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Taxes, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Personal Property Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service Charge Tax, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax, Sales Tax, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Taxes, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.”

That’s the exact email I received, and I thought “Man, that’s a lot of taxes.” The writer almost had me.

Except for one thing.

100 Years. Wait a minute, 100 years! That would be 1909. Who wants to go back and live in 1909 except for a Chicago Cubs fan?
And wait a minute – in 1909 were we really the most prosperous nation in the world? Could you consider anyone prosperous except for a few famous rich railroad, steel, or bank barons back then? And middle class? I thought the middle class (as a rather mysterious concept) started in the 1950’s.

So, let’s look at the difference between 1909 and 2009 and see what the taxes have bought us: Roads coast to coast, an interstate highway system that is phenomenal, bridges, schools, airports, army, navy, air force, marines, coast guard, parks, monuments, city and county buildings, police departments, fire departments, post offices, social services, prisons, welfare, medicare, medicaid, sewer systems, clean drinking water, regulatory agencies, the GI Bill, the Veterans Administration, Nuclear plants, Nuclear weapons, homeland security, FEMA, FCC, CIA, FBI, SBA, Foreign Embassies - I could go on and on.

Hell, in 1909 they were still getting water out of streams. (Check out the movie “There Will Be Blood.”) Sorry, I use a lot of movie references.

Today, new industries, often requiring government rules and regulations, are born every day. During the past 100 years we’ve fought 6 major wars against opponents who could not keep up with our technology – funded by taxes. We won the cold war by just threatening Star Wars. We’ve weathered a depression, and numerous recessions. Tax revenue has been there for the government to use to bail us out when we needed it, even though I realize “bailout” is a dirty word. Sometimes the collection falls behind the expenditures and that’s called a deficit – but we’re always able to borrow, because our tax base is there. It’s not pretty, and it’s not ideal, but so far we’ve made it work. I consider myself a fiscal conservative, so I hate the deficit. But, that ship has sailed.

The fuel to all this has undoubtedly been an economic engine unlike anything the world has ever seen. The incredible wealth that has been produced in this economic juggernaut and the monumental advances of the last 100 years will undoubtedly go down in the history books with a name of its own – maybe “The Economic Revolution.” Like the Industrial Revolution it has totally changed the way the world operates.

So, my question is, “why didn’t every nation do what America did?” Did they not have the mind power? The will power? The natural resources? The brains? The guts?
What set this nation apart?

Well, many factors. We all know what they are. But I can’t discount the role of this government. Let's give them a little credit - just a little. Remember most countries during this period were dictatorships. With one man at the helm, who could compete with our democracy and our capitalism? We sometimes forget what an incredible creation our 3 branch system of government is. I just toured the Library of Congress and I read again about the battles of the thinkers of the Continental Congress to devise a government that would work. We don’t appreciate it and its role in our lives. Many of us think of it as a nuisance – an intrusion. And sometimes it is.

Our government isn’t perfect and has made an incredible number of mistakes. It’s bloated and there is a lot of waste. There are boondoggles, bridges to nowhere, and earmarks that make any reasonable person sick – outside of the area receiving the largess.

And during this incredible period, two things have remained certain – death and taxes. I hate paying taxes as much as anybody. I would rather keep the money so I could spend it on the next technological breakthrough – like the 85” laser TV that is coming. Hell, I’m still paying taxes from a business that I closed 3 years ago. It hurts.

But, could it be the taxes that have made this country into what it is today? The government has never been shy about sticking their nose into our business and paving it, or telling us what the rules were to make things fair. You may not like seat belts, but we’ve come to accept them.

Maybe the fact that we are so prosperous, even in a downturn, and can afford taxes that make things even better (usually) is what continues to separate us from the rest of the world. Don’t believe me? – watch Slumdog Millionaire again, and realize what could have been. Then, when you go to the pump, and you pay those 44 cents extra per gallon, ask yourself if that interstate you just got off of is worth it. Let’s do the math. If you’re getting 22 miles to the gallon, you’re paying a whopping 2 cents per mile of road you drive for the privilege. Those bastards.

Which brings me to Health Care Reform.
Nope, don’t want to pay for it.
Can’t afford one more tax dollar – which we all know it will eventually come to.
Bad idea. Like it the way it is.

Right? That’s the way most of us, especially the ones with Health Insurance already feel.
I work hard – why should I have to pay for someone else’s Health care? (Even though I know I already do with higher premiums and charges to cover those who don’t pay.)

But, here’s our pesky government, thinking long term again. What could they be thinking?

Like it or not, the world is catching up to us. We don’t have wealth and prosperity and innovation all to ourselves anymore. Every government decision now has huge economic and competitive ramifications. Don’t want stem cell research? Fine – but understand that somewhere out there in another country it’s going on, and they will develop stuff that we will have to pay them for later. So, don’t complain when we have to buy it from Norway.
Think global warming is bunk and we don’t need to encourage energy innovation? Fine – but when we have to pay some Indonesian company for exciting new technology that they beat us to, don’t complain. Or should we all plan vacations to Japan and China to visit our money?

And so it goes. And like it or not, we’re way behind the rest of the modern world in how we handle health care. Does it work perfectly in England or Canada or any of the other countries that have it? Of course not. We’re supposedly ranked 37th in the quality of our health care. Not sure if I believe that. But, I do believe this: Those foreign economies are better off, because the cost is spread and efficiency, bargaining power, and lack of profit motivation hold the cost down.

Here, we’re content to let companies that can afford it absorb the high cost and pass it along to the consumer. But, that’s one of the reasons we don’t manufacture anything in America anymore. Think of all the industries that we’ve lost overseas. The disproportionate way we allocate health care costs is one contributing factor and is one reason business is draining away from our shores. Foreign labor is cheap. Blame it on those unions that built the middle class - blame it on anyone you want, but our labor is expensive and the world's isn't. When American auto companies have $2200 worth of health care cost built into each vehicle, they put themselves at a huge disadvantage to foreign competition that not only doesn’t have those costs, but has their home government assisting them in many other ways. Here – it’s hands off. We have established a certain set of business rules of the game. They're great. Now if we could just get the rest of the world to play by our rules.

So, health care is a long term business issue that’s vital to the continued progress of our economy, and our dominant position. I’m sure I haven’t adequately explained it, but this is a worldwide competitive issue. I’m not naïve enough to believe any of the cost-saving hype that the proponents are touting. I also don’t even believe that taxes won’t go up. They will. They can pretend they won’t but I never buy the government’s fuzzy math. That’s why my first hurdle was accepting that some day I’d pay. We’ll address the funding way too late, just as we’re going to wait until the last minute before we address medicare (even though the solution is obvious – no one wants to say it.) But, we have to look beyond the noses on our face. The future is going to be way more competitive for America in the world economy. If you did not like the government bailing out GM, you’ll like them bailing out hundreds of companies even less. We can’t wait to catch up – we must act now.

So, go back over those taxes at the beginning and think of the services that come along with each of them. Hate taxes all you want, but admit that maybe, just maybe, it’s another reason why America is the greatest nation the world has ever seen. We created wealth, and we didn’t hoard it – we took part of it (by taxing) and built some incredible things, and we reap the benefits every day.

Government run health care is scary – and we can put scary labels (socialism, etc) on it. Revamping health care is going to get ugly. Then it will get uglier. Many mistakes lie ahead, and we’ll screw it up beyond belief. But somewhere down the road, probably long after I’m gone, it will payoff and we’ll have leveled the playing field. This is just the business part of it. Going beyond the business part of it, we will have also proven that we care about all our citizens, because you know the deal – all men are created equal.

So, I don’t look at it as a Race issue, like many are saying. I don’t look at is a deficit spending issue, as many are saying. I don’t look at it as the beginning of socialism as many are saying.

I look at it as a “Business of America” issue, and we need calm heads to predict the next 100 years of competition in the global economy and figure out what we have to do to keep America on top. If this is something that we have to do, then I can live with it. I’ll probably have to wait a year or two longer for that TV upgrade.

If we don’t get started sooner rather than later, we’ll pay by losing.
Don’t know about you, but I like to win.

Sometimes the Good Die Young

It was a heavy heart day. The world lost Kelly Pates last night. We lost him way too soon.

Kelly, his wife Jean, and son Andrew performed together in the Jackson area for many years and the last time I saw Kelly I told him I had just seen Crosby Stills and Nash, and I thought the Pates were doing CSN music better than CSN is these days. I told Kelly if there was any justice in the world, The Pates would be famous. It didn’t happen in Kelly’s lifetime. But Kelly’s talent is just part of the story. It was his genuine love for his music, fans, and performing that made him special. When you watched Kelly work the crowd between sets and saw the love flow both ways, you knew you were in the presence of something very special.

I recently told someone that there ought to be a roving music TV show going from city to city highlighting great local bands. It was The Pates first and foremost that made me think of that.

I have many memories of my 5 years in the restaurant business in Jackson, but my very best memories were the nights that The Pates played. It was by far, my favorite time in that business. They played at my 50th birthday party. When we needed a big crowd, we knew The Pates would pack them in. To think I’ll never hear them sing “Can’t Find My Way Home” the way The Pates performed it is very sad, but to think of this family having to deal with this is devastating.

Our thoughts are with the Pates family tonight as they try to cope. It can’t be easy. Kelly was a very special man. Gone way too young.

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090813/NEWS/90813015/-1/Nletter03/Jackson-singer/songwriter-Pates--55--dead?source=nletter-news

I Got 25 Words To Go Now

Was never quite able to do the 25 Random Facts about me that Facebookers often ask for, but I came up with 25 Words I Like:

1. Care. About Family, Friends, and strangers, even when they don’t care about you. Sometimes, it’s a one way street and that’s ok.
2. Employ. Each of your senses and enjoy them. Compose your own soundtrack.
3. Recognize. The difference between Belief and Knowledge. They each have a place, but don’t confuse them.
4. Choice. It’s everything. Choose to feel good about yourself. Choose how you react to things. Choose to achieve and be proud of your accomplishments.
5. Greatness. You’ve got it. You just have to find it and unbridle your enthusiasm.
6. Question. The logic whenever possible. Mr. Spock was just as important as Dr. Spock.
7. Understand. The culture we live in is just one of many worldwide. Respect them all. - that could be you.
8. Think. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Use your brain. Think for yourself. Decide for yourself. Don’t be a robot. Don’t just drink someone’s kool-aid.
9. Resist. A mind is a terrible thing to baste. Watch the chemicals. Dare to feel great unenhanced, uninfluenced, and unencumbered.
10. Education. It’s usually the answer, no matter what the problem.
11. Maturity. Birthdays are an unfortunate requirement of gaining perspective.
12. Reward. Pay is unfortunately often in inverse proportion to contribution to society. The reward is in the doing.
13. Strive. Never settle for less than you deserve, in anything.
14. Legacy. You probably will be remembered mostly for your passion, much less for your clothes, hair, and looks.
15. Memory. Unpredictable -There really is no accounting for what people, especially kids, remember.
16. Absorb. Don’t be afraid to do nothing but take it all in
17. Give. Don’t let your gift giving be dictated by just holidays and invitations.
18. Receive. Don’t be afraid to appreciate without reciprocating.
19. Control. Your activity and your attitude. It’s about all we can control. Don’t worry about what you can’t control.
20. Celebrate. Whatever and whenever you fell like it. Cut loose.
21. Unanimity. When everyone is absolutely sure – Beware, danger ahead. Stand as a contrarian to rile the passion and stimulate discussion.
22. Enjoy. Do what you enjoy even if everyone thinks you’re crazy.
23. Vision. See the USA, see the world, see the wonder, see the future.
24. Energy. Diminishes with age and is most wasted on prejudice, anger, and hatred.
25. Share. If at all possible, share your life with the love of your life – that’s the ultimate.

At the Cinema - July 09

The Hurt Locker – 10 out of 10
Can you hold your breath for 2 hours?
You’ll feel like that’s what you’ve been doing when the credits finally roll on The Hurt Locker. Now this is movie-making! Real characters – ones you care about and ones that you watch evolve during the course of the movie. Real Action – not CGI. Real Emotion that you can feel as the characters cope with each other.

Where do I begin? Let’s start with Kathryn Bigelow, the director. She and her partners financed this on their own. The Army famously didn’t cooperate in the filming (too busy with Transformers I guess.) I’ll admit I’ve always liked her movies, and Point Break is one of my guilty pleasures. I love the fact that the action in her movies is real and visible – not blurry.

Let’s talk about Jeremy Renner in a star making performance as Staff Sgt William James, a bomb-defuser in Iraq. I hope the word of mouth grows throughout the year so Bigelow and Renner aren’t forgotten when the awards presentations begin.

The movie revolves around a crew of three who specialize in defusing road side bombs. I honestly don’t want to tell you much more except that the movie crackles with the kind of real tension most movies only dream of. When it comes to your town – go see it. More than just a great war movie, it’s a study in how war is a drug for some.

I’m by no means a war-movie fanatic, but this is the best war movie since Saving Private Ryan. I always look at the D-day scene in Ryan as one of the greatest 20 minutes in movie history and I’ve always thought that the 2 bookends of heart-tugging that Spielberg framed this movie with greatly distracted from its greatness. I thought he should have not let people in the theatre after the movie started, like Hitchcock did with Psycho, and assaulted us with the beach scene right from the beginning. Think how stunning it would have been! Just my 2 cents.


Whatever Works – 8
The latest Woody Allen movie is going to be purely a matter of taste. If you like Woody’s humorous take on the relationship arc, and you like Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) you’ll probably like this. The fact that three of the four main characters are from Mississippi and are fairly realistic is a plus.
But, what elevated this movie for me is Evan Rachel Wood who is stunning as the Mississippi runaway who lands in New York and in crotchety Larry’s lap. I first noticed her in “Across the Universe” where her singing stood out, liked her in “The Wrestler” but here she lifts her game to a new level. She’s wonderful here and she’s the number one reason to see this movie. This is a pass at the greatness of “Annie Hall” and while it doesn’t get there, let’s just say Evan Rachell Wood reaches Mira Sorvino status.


Bruno -7
I went to this expecting a vile piece of excrement and I was only partially disappointed.
I had heard that this was the official end of civilization and that there would never be another NC-17 rating if this movie didn’t get it.
Sorry to disappoint you. Maybe I’ve hardened along with my arteries but I just didn’t think it was that racy. Way out there yes, but maybe I’m just used to what passes for movie humor these days, and I’m just not easily shocked anymore.
Tasteless and often hilarious, I only had to look away once or twice, and I was only grossed out once or twice. The movie never comes together into anything great, but I don’t think it was meant to do anything but entertain the target audience. If that’s you, go see it.

The Answer Man – 6
Mildly Interesting, and very gentle love story that didn’t really demonstrate a compelling reason for being made other than as a vehicle for Jeff Daniels.

Public Enemies – 5
Here is proof positive that a movie can be glitzy, well written, well acted, well directed, historically accurate, and still be totally bland and boring. Sometimes you just sit there, and you never buy in. You aren’t engaged. The movie just sits on the screen, going through the motions and so are you, trying to stay awake through all the gunfire.
I’m thinking this movie will go away rather quickly, and rightfully so.

Now, I’ll admit I’m not that crazy about mob/mafia/gangster movies, so I’m not the best one to judge, but one of my favorite old movies is shown in this one. John Dillinger went to see Manhattan Melodrama the night he was gunned down coming out of a Chicago Theatre, and they show several pieces of it here. I couldn’t help but wish as I watched Public Enemies that I was watching Manhattan Melodrama instead. So, rent it instead of this one – great old movie.

The McCartney Curse

I love the guy, but it's beginning to look like Paul McCartney isn't the greatest person to sing with if you're worried about your longevity. Am I the only one who has noticed?

Linda McCartney
John Lennon
George Harrison
Billy Preston
Michael Jackson

Who am I missing?

I'm not trying to be cruel here, but if I'm Stevie Wonder, I'm going on high alert.

Remember the "Paul is dead" rumor? Doesn't that seem a little ironic at this point?
I'm just saying....

This is like the "Gone with the Wind" curse. Did you know that almost everyone who was in that movie has died now? Makes you think, doesn't it?

At the Cinema - June 2009

Food Inc. – 10 out of 10. When was the last time you watched most of a movie with your mouth hanging wide open? No special effects here to marvel over – just a documentary which stuns you with indelible images of where food now comes from in America and how we got to this point. Forget “Drag Me to Hell” – this is a horror movie!
Unless you are way more well-informed than I am, you will be stunned.
There is no shortage of villains in this documentation:

• McDonalds. Since they are the number one consumer of meat, cheese, eggs, and many other food products, it has been their demand for bland consistency of product that has driven how food production has changed.
• Tyson Foods. Now the largest producer of food in the world you will be horrified at the conditions under which the animals are kept until their slaughter
• Monsanto. Their patent on soybean seeds and how they enforce it has to be seen to be believed.
• Corn. It is now our dominant crop and thus its use is prevalent in an amazing array of products, chief among them high fructose corn syrup. Because the government’s farm subsidies lower the price, you’ll see the impact world wide. Farmers around the world can’t keep up because this protectionism doesn’t make for a level playing field. (Kind of the reverse of the American auto industry.) Note - I use the word "farmers" loosely. The movie makes the case that farmer of yesterday is the conglomerate of today.
• Me. My eating habits are atrocious and while I love great cuisine, I also love fast food. I’m just one of millions of enablers of this sordid system of food production. I just read David Kessler’s “The End of Overeating” and it is a suitable warm up to this movie experience. I have a lot of work to do to change my eating habits, starting with rehab of the taste buds. At least now I know what I’m eating and where it came from. Can I change? Can we change?

The Hangover – 9. Rough, Raucous, ribald, racy, and ultimately riotous, this is the latest movie to push the taste envelope. It’s hysterical if a little uneven at times. If you like wild humor this is the movie for you.

The Proposal – 9. Didn’t expect nearly what this movie delivered. This is one of those movies that has been previewed for so long at theatres that not only do you think you’ve seen the whole movie but you know exactly where it’s going and how it’s going to get there. Well, that would be a bad conclusion to reach. The movie catches you totally off guard, not with its inevitability, but how it gets there and the depths of the characters. It is a wonderful romantic comedy with a terrific cast. Watching old comedy veterans like Betty White, Mary Steenburgen, and Craig T. Nelson is a pleasure; and Ryan Reynolds continues to build his resume.

But make no mistake - this is Sandra Bullock’s movie. She never misses a note. While I get the criticism that the couple may not have great chemistry – she’s a one-woman chemistry and anyone can totally understand the feelings about her throughout the movie. It’s a shame comedic acting is given so little respect, because to dismiss the acting in this movie as easy would be doing it a grave disservice. As the story unfolds you’re sucked in. And you’re enjoying it. Judging by the mature audience packing the theatre, the word of mouth is building and Sandra’s got a well-deserved hit on her hands.

Never Can Say Goodbye

Sometimes I wonder if music is really important. Why does it punctuate so much of our lives? Why do so many of our memories have a soundtrack? Does it really mean anything? I know I sure enjoy it, but is it really relevant?

Millions are mourning the death of Michael Jackson because his music and videos meant something to them. The news took me back to the “Thriller” days and how that album was the backdrop for the early eighties. I admit I was pleasantly surprised by the appreciation part of the response to his death.

Michael, like so many others before him, morphed from artist to celebrity to caricature – that silly road we construct in our culture. If they occurred, I could not forgive his transgressions against children, but I can certainly forgive his eccentricities. It was obvious that he was never as comfortable off stage as he was on. It seemed that he never grew up and never wanted to. He was a child and was childlike, and yet his childhood was stolen from him. It’s a shame that so many that make us happy with their artistry never seem to themselves find happiness.

Here’s to his incredible creativity, spectacular music, innovative dancing, landmark videos, and revolutionary concerts.

Purely personal as always, here are my favorite 15 Michael Jackson songs, including some with the Jackson 5.

Billie Jean
Smooth Criminal
Beat It
Rock with You
Blame It On the Boogie
Thriller
Man in the Mirror
Don’t Stop til you Get Enough
Off the Wall
Working Day and Night
Got to Be There
I’ll Be There
I Want You Back
Never Can Say Goodbye
PYT (Pretty Young Thing)

Love Song for Today

Sung to the tune of "Bend Me, Shape Me" by the American Breed


You have all the info I need,
And google you know it
(Know it, know it, know it)
You can make this blogger a link,
A spam or a poet(Poet, poet, poet)
I'll give you all that I own
You got me clicking in line
Out in the cold
Face me some mind

Text me, tweet me
Anyway you want me
Long as you web me
It's all right

Post me, tech me
Anyway you engage me
You got the twitter
To turn on the light

Myspace tells me I'm wrong
To want you so badly
(Badly, badly, badly)
But there's feedback driving me on
I follow it gladly
(Gladly, gladly, gladly)

So let them hack
I don't care
'Cause I got nothing to hide
All that I want is you by my side

Bing me, hype me
Anyway you want me
Long as you love me
It's all right

Phish me, skype me
Anyway you want me
You got the powerpoint
To turn on the light

Yeah, beep me, feed me
Anyway you get me
Long as you flag me
It's all right

Brand me, Tube me
Anyway you wii me
You got the channel
To turn on the light


To see the 60's version check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CVJFQkPkCg

At the Cinema - May 2009

Star Trek - 9
Can’t remember the last time I went to see a movie twice in a theater run. Maybe The Sixth Sense. I’ve really got to like a movie to pay twice, much less buy the DVD.

I actually enjoyed Star Trek that much - that and the fact that I’ve always been a Trekkie. Not a convention-attending, costume-wearing one mind-you, or one that has seen every episode of the subsequent series incarnations that mainly enriched Gene Roddenberry’s estate; but a Trekkie who just loved the story of Kirk, Spock and their crew exploring strange new worlds.

In this story of essentially how the crew of the Starship Enterprise came together Director JJ Abrams pulls off homage to the original Star Trek while at the same time giving appropriate thrills to all audiences. The movie is injected with a rollicking humor that helps move the action along.

To me, Star Trek has always represented the most plausible and possible future. As a franchise its movies have not been the financial juggernaut that the Star Wars series has been, but the arc has been similar in that the artistic peak was early. Star Wars was this incredible make-believe fantasy world. We always felt that because Starfleet and Jim Kirk originated on earth, Star Trek somehow was a real possibility. This movie reflects that. The characters don’t reflect the probable cultural diversity of the 23rd century – still a little stuck in 1965 – but that’s quibbling. The characters have always been rich and distinct and interesting, and this gives their story that well-worn depth we crave.

The script is a good one. It brilliantly pays tribute to the best of Star Trek history. but is not hampered by it. First, there’s Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. Easily the best of the Star Trek movies, I’ve always considered it a classic – a life lesson movie. In addition by showing the eventual transfer of the Enterprise command from Christopher Pike to James Kirk, it also tips it’s cap to “The Menagerie” the classic 2 part episode, that along with “City on the Edge of Forever,” (also slyly referenced here) were the pinnacles of the TV series.

The storytelling team does a masterful job of re-imagining the beginnings of Kirk’s command. But, that would have been wasted if the casting hadn’t been spot-on. …Chris Pine as Jim Kirk is perfect. He may not know it yet, but the course of his life has been set and he could very easily be playing James Tiberius Kirk for the rest of his life, toward the end of the movie, he even begins to assume the cadence and bravado of William Shatner. He will not win any acting awards, but he’s deserving. Likewise Zachary Quinto, apparently coached by Leonard Nimoy, is wonderful as Spock. They somehow manage to capture the same chemistry as Shatner and Nimoy, and the movie’s emotional weight emerges as their rivalry turns to mutual respect. It’s exciting to watch.

The rest of the cast is just as good. All of the rest of the well-known characters are on board, and they’re not just tokens. They’re treated with respect and each play important roles in the story.

So, why not a 10? Well, I have 2 minor quibbles with the movie. Like most action movies theirs is what I call “blurry action,” where you can’t see exactly what’s going on. Most of these are during fight sequences, when Kirk is getting clobbered. I can’t remember when a major character in a movie has been beaten up so much (without losing a tooth), but we just don’t see it very well.

My other quibble is with the appearance of Leonard Nimoy. While it seems necessary for the story, it just felt a little contrived for me. His appearance seemed to slow things down, and his last scene where he meets himself, is just a little over the top.

Nevertheless, this is going to be a blockbuster of the highest order. It won’t approach The Titanic for repeat viewings, because the Geek patrol is not going to be as large as the young romantics, but I would say there will be a long wait for the Blu Ray.

State of Play – 9. There’s just something about journalism that lends itself to the big screen. I was sucked in by this story of a government cover-up. It revolves around a “Blackwater” type security firm that’s doing bad things to preserve its dominant position. Russell Crowe is outstanding as always, and Ben Affleck holds up his end of the bargain. Some nice twists and turns, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Terminator Salvation – 7. Don’t be misled by the fact that this is the fourth Terminator movie. This is essentially a war movie. It’s a gritty depiction of the fictional “Judgement Day” aftermath, which apparently occurs despite John Connor’s efforts through 3 previous movies and a TV series. It would be daunting to see an American city like Los Angeles in ruin, if we hadn’t seen it in about 40 movies already.

This is not a great movie, but it is a worthy next step in the Terminator story. I’m a big fan of this storyline as well, but unlike Star Wars and Star Trek, there’s a problem on the horizon. The not-to-distant future that began the story is now not distant at all as time is rolling along and the time for Judgement Day and other fictional events is sliding on by on our real calendar. Soon, it will be a fictional interpretation of the past.

Some day they’ll be wheeling me into Terminator 9 – The Rebuilding effort.
That will be the same month that I expect to see:

Star Trek – We’re Almost to the TV Series
Die Hard 7 – Die Hardest Yet
Indiana Jones and the Mausoleum of Doom
Rocky 14 – Wheelchair Wrestling
Harry Potter and the Crutches of Posterity
Superman 10 – Where did Lois go?
James Bond – Has Anyone Seen My Glasses?
Batman – Rescuing Social Security
The Lord of The Rings – The Three Nursing Homes
The Matrix – Even We’re Confused
SpiderMan 8 – Paralysis by Dialysis

Can’t Wait