The Kings Speech – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like:
a. Great Acting
b. British dramas
c. History
The King’s Speech is the current darling of the awards circuit.
It is one of those British productions that feature great acting, terrific writing, incredible sets, historical detail, and wonderful direction. It is about as well done as you can do a movie.
So, why didn’t I like it more?
It never fired.
That’s a description you see in The Racing form for a horse that never engages in the race.
To me, as well done as the movie is, it just kind of sits there. I doubt that I could sit through it again. I love being transported to a different place and time, but this trip is like visiting Bellingrath Gardens. You know it’s beautiful, but you’d rather be home watching the game. Any Game.
I guess one of my problems with it is that it reveals how stupid the idea of a British Monarchy is. I know the British love their royalty, but why? Colin Firth, who is a lock, deservedly, to win every Best Actor award given this year, shows that his King Edward was so out of touch with the people, he makes U.S. politicians look totally engaged. Remember when George H. W. Bush didn’t know the price of milk. Believe me, that’s nothing. British royalty has probably never seen a milk carton. Milk is poured for them from the day they’re born from some crystal piece probably worth more than my house. I couldn’t help but wonder how a country puts up with leaders that are born to their role, rather than earn it. While we’re bitching about expensive trips our President takes, Prince Charles has 200 servants, and he’s not even King yet. He’s King in Waiting, for 60 pampered years now. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are. How and when Great Britain transitioned to a parliament, reducing the role of the monarchy – that’s a movie I’d like to see.
Everybody I know loves this movie, so don’t let me discourage you. It really is well done. It’s on a roll, picking up “Best Picture” steam approaching the Oscars. It looks like it’s going to overtake The Social Network, which has been the favorite since the day it came out.
So, here’s my prediction. The King’s Speech will win, then it will join such movies as Out of Africa, The English Patient, and The Last Emperor, never to be heard from again.
Red – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Bruce Willis
b. Old farts like Bruce Willis
c. Neat action
As far fetched as most action movies are, this one is better than I expected. The CIA decides to eliminate its retired assassins for reasons that don’t really matter, and fun and games begin. Filled with old pros, the movie moves along briskly and smartly and you’ll have fun, as long as you take it about as seriously as Bruce Willis takes it.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saints Report # 17 - January 8, 2011
If there is one thing Saints fans weren't accustomed to it was January fun.
Last year they got spoiled during the Saints' magical season
This year they had a mystical season and it came to an end abruptly when they traveled to Seattle and got trounced by what many thought was the worst NFL playoff team ever. The Seahawks 41 – 36 victory was a shocker to many, but not to those who watched this Saints team struggle all year to find last year’s formula.
Other than the fact that Reggie Bush failed to show up when the Saints needed him most, the offense held up its end of the bargain. Scoring 36 points when you’re essentially down to your eighth running back of the year and he just got off the bus should be enough to win. Drew Brees made a valiant effort, throwing a ridiculous 60 passes, completing 39 for 404 yards. Some strange play calls on short yardage short circuited the point production, but the bottom line is that when your quarterback sets a post season record for completions, you should win.
Which brings us to the defense. They didn’t make the trip.
Start with the play of the two safeties. Roman Harper had a horrible game. He was out of position most of the time. Darren Sharper was two steps slow the whole game and never provided the help that was needed. Retirement, and hopefully the Hall of Fame await Darren after an awesome career.
From the moment Malcolm Jenkins went out with a knee injury early in the Tampa loss in the last regular season game, the Saints tackling turned to mush. Marshawn Lynch’s classic 4th quarter run was symptomatic of the way the Saints played for the last eight quarters of the season. The defense had been stellar for the most part all year until it disappeared in January.
Covering people in the NFL is difficult for even the best defensive backs. But there was little coverage in evidence Saturday. Receivers were so wide open that they could have called for a fair catch on some of Matt Hasselback’s throws.
Is Malcolm Jenkins really that good?
We knew going in the Saints would miss Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, but Brees compensated for them. No such luck on defense. The Saints didn’t blitz and didn’t appear to have the right game plan to slow down the Seahawks. Worse, they never seemed to adjust.
Is Courtney Roby really that good?
Did the Saints ever make it to the 20 with a kick return? Other than after the first kick went out of bounds, Brees never got much in the way of field position. News flash – Devery Henderson and Robert Meachum aren’t kick returners. They looked scared to death.
So, the Saints go down to an embarrassing defeat. Let the shopping begin.
There are many priorities going into the off-season, but here are just a few.
1. Pass Rush – The Saints rely on the blitz to pressure quarterbacks, and pressure from the front four would be nice for a change. Most teams have defensive ends with 12.5 sacks – ours have 4. A pass-rushing end would be huge.
2. Running Backs – Versatile Pierre Thomas will be a free agent. Chris Ivory hasn’t proven he can stay on the field. Reggie Bush will be released if he won’t renegotiate. The Saints desperately need, and have needed for years, a big bruising short yardage back like a Brandon Jacobs. It’s obvious that you can’t have enough running backs and the proposed 18 game schedule is only going to make things worse.
3. Outside Linebackers – The Saints missed Scott Fujita more than they ever would have dreamed. Speed needed desperately. The Saints couldn’t cover tight ends and backs (just like most teams). Could we order up a superstar outside linebacker please?
4. Defensive Backs – Just like running backs, you can’t have too many, not in the pass-happy NFL. Greer and Porter were victimized by big, physical receivers, so a little height in the secondary would be welcome.
The good news for the Saints is that they have one thing only about 10 teams have – a proven quarterback. They need to go all out to reload around him. The window of opportunity will close in a few years, and only one trip to the Super Bowl with a QB the caliber of Brees would be a shame.
So no wasted draft picks this year. (Sean Canfield?). Shore up the defense and special teams and make another run next year. The division is going to get even tougher, as Tampa Bay improves and Carolina picks a quarterback.
Saints fans want January to be fun again.
Last year they got spoiled during the Saints' magical season
This year they had a mystical season and it came to an end abruptly when they traveled to Seattle and got trounced by what many thought was the worst NFL playoff team ever. The Seahawks 41 – 36 victory was a shocker to many, but not to those who watched this Saints team struggle all year to find last year’s formula.
Other than the fact that Reggie Bush failed to show up when the Saints needed him most, the offense held up its end of the bargain. Scoring 36 points when you’re essentially down to your eighth running back of the year and he just got off the bus should be enough to win. Drew Brees made a valiant effort, throwing a ridiculous 60 passes, completing 39 for 404 yards. Some strange play calls on short yardage short circuited the point production, but the bottom line is that when your quarterback sets a post season record for completions, you should win.
Which brings us to the defense. They didn’t make the trip.
Start with the play of the two safeties. Roman Harper had a horrible game. He was out of position most of the time. Darren Sharper was two steps slow the whole game and never provided the help that was needed. Retirement, and hopefully the Hall of Fame await Darren after an awesome career.
From the moment Malcolm Jenkins went out with a knee injury early in the Tampa loss in the last regular season game, the Saints tackling turned to mush. Marshawn Lynch’s classic 4th quarter run was symptomatic of the way the Saints played for the last eight quarters of the season. The defense had been stellar for the most part all year until it disappeared in January.
Covering people in the NFL is difficult for even the best defensive backs. But there was little coverage in evidence Saturday. Receivers were so wide open that they could have called for a fair catch on some of Matt Hasselback’s throws.
Is Malcolm Jenkins really that good?
We knew going in the Saints would miss Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, but Brees compensated for them. No such luck on defense. The Saints didn’t blitz and didn’t appear to have the right game plan to slow down the Seahawks. Worse, they never seemed to adjust.
Is Courtney Roby really that good?
Did the Saints ever make it to the 20 with a kick return? Other than after the first kick went out of bounds, Brees never got much in the way of field position. News flash – Devery Henderson and Robert Meachum aren’t kick returners. They looked scared to death.
So, the Saints go down to an embarrassing defeat. Let the shopping begin.
There are many priorities going into the off-season, but here are just a few.
1. Pass Rush – The Saints rely on the blitz to pressure quarterbacks, and pressure from the front four would be nice for a change. Most teams have defensive ends with 12.5 sacks – ours have 4. A pass-rushing end would be huge.
2. Running Backs – Versatile Pierre Thomas will be a free agent. Chris Ivory hasn’t proven he can stay on the field. Reggie Bush will be released if he won’t renegotiate. The Saints desperately need, and have needed for years, a big bruising short yardage back like a Brandon Jacobs. It’s obvious that you can’t have enough running backs and the proposed 18 game schedule is only going to make things worse.
3. Outside Linebackers – The Saints missed Scott Fujita more than they ever would have dreamed. Speed needed desperately. The Saints couldn’t cover tight ends and backs (just like most teams). Could we order up a superstar outside linebacker please?
4. Defensive Backs – Just like running backs, you can’t have too many, not in the pass-happy NFL. Greer and Porter were victimized by big, physical receivers, so a little height in the secondary would be welcome.
The good news for the Saints is that they have one thing only about 10 teams have – a proven quarterback. They need to go all out to reload around him. The window of opportunity will close in a few years, and only one trip to the Super Bowl with a QB the caliber of Brees would be a shame.
So no wasted draft picks this year. (Sean Canfield?). Shore up the defense and special teams and make another run next year. The division is going to get even tougher, as Tampa Bay improves and Carolina picks a quarterback.
Saints fans want January to be fun again.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saints Report # 16 - January 2, 2011
They say that if you get in a fight hit the other guy in the nose with your first punch. If the nose is broken and bloodied, you’ll quickly find out if your opponent has a taste for further combat. Sunday the New Orleans Saints came into their game with the Tampa Bay Bucs already bloodied. When two of their young stars, Jimmy Graham and Malcolm Jenkins, went down with injuries, the Saints began to realize that with the playoffs ahead, discretion was the better part of valor, and they had no taste for unnecessary combat. They didn’t lie down, but they certainly began to take their foot off the gas, although make no mistake; they weren’t exactly hitting on eight cylinders.
The Bucs continued to show development. With a very young team, Josh Freeman is now the third fine quarterback in the NFC South. With Carolina poised to draft Andrew Luck of Stanford, if he goes into the draft, the NFC South could soon be the best QB conference in the NFL.
The Saints started off fast with an opening touchdown drive culminating in a short pass to Graham which turned out to be his last play of the game. Julius Jones let a fumble and momentum slip away deep in the red zone on a subsequent drive, then a Lance Moore slip on a pass route resulted in a Brees interception on another foray into the red zone. Not exactly the “finishing” that was so prevalent last year. They threw in the towel in the 4th quarter bringing down the curtain on the Superdome (probably) for 2010 with a lackluster 23-13 loss to Tampa Bay.
It was déjà vu all over again as the Saints game 16 performance was a near repeat of their game 15 performance of last year, when, after having spanked Tampa Bay decisively earlier in the year in Tampa, they stunk it up in the dome.
Here’s the good news for the Saints:
Reggie Bush began to show signs of life, rushing for 70 yards and catching passes for 55.
Adrian Arrington showed the promise that fans have been hearing about for years, catching everything thrown his way and filling in capably for Marques Colston.
Junior Galette, and Chase Daniel finally saw some action as well.
Here’s the bad news:
Bush got so many carries because Chris Ivory again failed to stay on the field, getting hurt early, joining Pierre Thomas on the sideline.
Jimmy Graham got hurt early, after a touchdown catch, joining Jeremy Shockley and David Thomas on the sidelines. Suddenly the Saints are short at tight end.
Malcolm Jenkins went down early with a knee injury, and he’s been a bright spot all year on defense.
A special team’s breakdown on a kick return was again of vital importance.
The injury list grew substantially and the Saints don’t have a bye weak to get healthy.
Jabari Greer continues to struggle, as he got out-jumped for both of the Bucs’ touchdown passes.
The Juicy Fruit Genius still operates with a few illusions:
1) No respect for running backs. He thinks he can take a back and just throw him in any time. Julius Jones fumbled on his first carry as the Saints were closing in on a touchdown, and it’s asking an awful lot for a back’s first hit to come at the goal line.
2) That the Saints can throw it constantly, and win any game by flinging it all over the lot. Brees set an NFL record with 448 completions in a season. The question is, why? Why was it necessary?
The Saints finish at 11 – 5, two games worse than last year.
Playoff outlook? The Saints will get their depth tested when they travel to Seattle next Saturday. The Saints have more injuries than at any time in the last few years. By record this shouldn’t be much of a contest, but Saints fans know better. Quest field is a tough place to play, it’s a short week, and nobody expects much from the Seahawks. The Saints have never won a road playoff game. It’s survival week. They’re in the final 12 teams, and have a chance to move to the final 8. It’s quite an achievement, but there’s no way they can be as confident as they were at this time last year.
The Bucs continued to show development. With a very young team, Josh Freeman is now the third fine quarterback in the NFC South. With Carolina poised to draft Andrew Luck of Stanford, if he goes into the draft, the NFC South could soon be the best QB conference in the NFL.
The Saints started off fast with an opening touchdown drive culminating in a short pass to Graham which turned out to be his last play of the game. Julius Jones let a fumble and momentum slip away deep in the red zone on a subsequent drive, then a Lance Moore slip on a pass route resulted in a Brees interception on another foray into the red zone. Not exactly the “finishing” that was so prevalent last year. They threw in the towel in the 4th quarter bringing down the curtain on the Superdome (probably) for 2010 with a lackluster 23-13 loss to Tampa Bay.
It was déjà vu all over again as the Saints game 16 performance was a near repeat of their game 15 performance of last year, when, after having spanked Tampa Bay decisively earlier in the year in Tampa, they stunk it up in the dome.
Here’s the good news for the Saints:
Reggie Bush began to show signs of life, rushing for 70 yards and catching passes for 55.
Adrian Arrington showed the promise that fans have been hearing about for years, catching everything thrown his way and filling in capably for Marques Colston.
Junior Galette, and Chase Daniel finally saw some action as well.
Here’s the bad news:
Bush got so many carries because Chris Ivory again failed to stay on the field, getting hurt early, joining Pierre Thomas on the sideline.
Jimmy Graham got hurt early, after a touchdown catch, joining Jeremy Shockley and David Thomas on the sidelines. Suddenly the Saints are short at tight end.
Malcolm Jenkins went down early with a knee injury, and he’s been a bright spot all year on defense.
A special team’s breakdown on a kick return was again of vital importance.
The injury list grew substantially and the Saints don’t have a bye weak to get healthy.
Jabari Greer continues to struggle, as he got out-jumped for both of the Bucs’ touchdown passes.
The Juicy Fruit Genius still operates with a few illusions:
1) No respect for running backs. He thinks he can take a back and just throw him in any time. Julius Jones fumbled on his first carry as the Saints were closing in on a touchdown, and it’s asking an awful lot for a back’s first hit to come at the goal line.
2) That the Saints can throw it constantly, and win any game by flinging it all over the lot. Brees set an NFL record with 448 completions in a season. The question is, why? Why was it necessary?
The Saints finish at 11 – 5, two games worse than last year.
Playoff outlook? The Saints will get their depth tested when they travel to Seattle next Saturday. The Saints have more injuries than at any time in the last few years. By record this shouldn’t be much of a contest, but Saints fans know better. Quest field is a tough place to play, it’s a short week, and nobody expects much from the Seahawks. The Saints have never won a road playoff game. It’s survival week. They’re in the final 12 teams, and have a chance to move to the final 8. It’s quite an achievement, but there’s no way they can be as confident as they were at this time last year.
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