Movie Spotlight: Guys and Dolls

Before we get started it's important to point out that Guys and Dolls is one big, floppy musical, but it starred Frank Sinatra so I had to check it out. If sudden attacks of song and dance aren't your thing then this is a flick you should definitely avoid. I found it to be highly entertaining, both the musical numbers and the non-musical bits of the movie. Admittedly a good deal of my enjoyment for Guys and Dolls is probably due to my general affinity for that particular era in time, the clothes, the slang, I find it all very fascinating. I've never been fond of Marlon Brando but he is tolerable in this movie, and even delivers a handful of very good scenes with co-star Jean Simmons. The price of admission for this pic is paid for by Frankie and his character Nathan Detroit. At the time Sinatra himself was pretty much the epitome of cool so playing a character who is supposed to reflect that really wasn't much of a stretch for him, but he is highly entertaining nonetheless. Bottom line is you will probably only enjoy this movie if either you like musicals, or you are a fan of Sinatra. I think for the time being I am done spotlighting Sinatra movies, and I'm feeling like branching out to other obscure film offerings to offer up small bits of insight on, so keep an eye on this spot in the future for movie spotlights that don't center around Frank Sinatra.
On a side note I'm currently listening to It's Blitz by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and it's a great album. I highly recommend it.

It's Official

Epic Fail

Epic Fail Pt. 2
Return of the Answer

Quiznos Keeps Me From Working

I've been absent from blogging for a couple weeks now due to various things like work and weddings getting in the way of my free time. However when I get the chance I have a couple substantial posts to make and some music and games to recommend. Until then watch this Quiznos commercial.

Game Spotlight: Resident Evil 5

Let us as intelligent people sidestep the dark cloud of racism accusations that haunt Capcom's latest Resident Evil entry and take a good hard look at the product's quality as a video game. RE5 has a case that could be made for it as the best in the longstanding series of games. This is the kind of polish on gameplay and presentation you get when an A-class developer puts the time and effort into an A-class property. The game doesn't reinvent the wheel it has borrowed from Resident Evil 4, but to me everything about the game is tighter than its PS2 predecessor. Yes I would like to be able to move while firing my fully upgradeable firearm, but that's more the panic I feel when surrounded by angry mutant zombies looking to disembowl me more than it is a broken or incomplete game mechanic. The game is still a difficult endeavor, reminding me in parts of Resident Evil 4's propensity for making me its bitch, but I have enjoyed the successes all the more for their difficulty. The game is a blast playing co-op, and this feature is the real hook for myself and the SpotCrew. Having a friend to watch your back makes the prospect of felling the hordes of zombies and monsters a much more amiable task. As we stand now we have bulldozed half of the game in the first day of playing, and I'm looking forward to ending my work day so that I can join in on the fun I'm sure the Crew is having now even as we speak. Those who have been listening to the SpotCast know my feelings on all the heat the game has received for its supposedly racist implications. I find the issue to be so ridiculous at this point that I no longer want to devote any brain functions to it, that's bio-electricity I could be using to focus on something more important like listening to T.I.'s "Paper Trail". Do I give Resident Evil 5 two thumbs up? An emphatic yes.

Continued Expansion

For the literally dozens of Zune owners out there the SpotCast is now readily available on the Zune marketplace. For all of those who have already checked us out and have used their time to listen to us run our mouths you have my warmest thanks, if we ever meet in person I will hug you.

I Watched the Watchmen

As a follow-up to the last post, and having now seen the Watchmen movie I can answer the question from my last blog post: Will Watchmen translate well to a film? In a word, yes the story does make the transition well, and the movie is a very faithful adaptation of the source material. Zack Snyder does as good a job as I think could've been done with the material to put it on the silver screen in a three hour chunk that keeps the viewer invested and interested. Yes there have been changes made to the story's conclusion, but personally I think the movie's version of the climax makes more sense than the comic's. Overall I'd say if you're a fan of the Watchmen book the movie will not disappoint you.

Also it's a little late this week, but the new SpotCast is going up today, it's rendering as I type this.

Will Watchmen Translate?

The most celebrated graphic novel of all time is having it's movie adaptation released in theaters today, and leading up to this day I've often wondered whether Watchmen is capable of translating to the silver screen. Movies, and especially comic book movies, are driven by special effects and intense action sequences. The entirety of the Watchmen series contains only one action scene, and instead focuses it's time on character development and interaction. How can the movie match up to the storytelling accomplished in the book? Now I'm the only person I know of that flat out did not like Watchmen. I appreciated it for what it was, a rarity in comic story-telling at the time of its release, but everything from the snail-like pacing, eminently unlikeable characters, and the dour resolution left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The resolution of the story is really where the Watchmen movie will sink or swim, moviegoers expect their big screen heroes to ride off in the sunset at the end of each picture, that moment doesn't exist in Watchmen. I continue to hear that director Zack Snyder and company have changed the ending for the movie, but will it be enough? I loved 300 and I think Zack Snyder is an amazing director, but so many others before him claimed Watchmen to be unfilmable. Is it capable of making the leap from book to movie? In any event I will be seeing the film later today, and it will no doubt be a topic of discussion for this week's SpotCast.

Boston Beware

Do you know what you've done Boston?

Movie Spotlight: From Here to Eternity

From Here to Eternity is probably best remembered (if remembered at all) for the iconic scene between Burke Lancaster and Deborah Kerr embracing on the beach in the surf. However the most memorable thing about this movie to me was the performance by Montgomery Clift as Private Prewitt. Really every performance in this picture is above average, but Clift's really sticks out. The man is intense, that's just the best way to describe it, and there is something disturbing about his character's path from remorseful fighter to vengeful killer. Of course I chose to watch this film because Frank Sinatra co-stars in it as Private Angelo Maggio and Frankie's acting in this picture is arguably the best of his career. The scene where he drunkenly rolls olives as dice (coincidentally that scene was his screen test and the dice roll was an ad-lib) is pure gold. Montgomery and Frank both won themselves Oscars for their portrayals, and the movie itself won eight overall, tying Gone With the Wind for the most wins at the time. I enjoyed the movie a good deal more than I expected I would going in and I definitely give it two thumbs up. SPOILER ALERT The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.

"Put your pants on you'll catch cold"

I didn't make that up, that's the actual line being delivered. Mid-battle too. Classic.

The Oscars

Yay the oscars were last night and boy were they an exciting event. Slumdog Millionaire took every other movie at the place, swept them under the rug, and then stomped them into submission winning eight out of the ten awards it was up for. Eight is a pretty hefty number, and while I havent actually seen the picture (its on my to-see list) Im gonna go ahead and assume it wasnt entirely deserving of them all. As for the show itself I think it was a bit more entertaining than previous years, and Jackman did a fine job as master of ceremonies. Waltz with Bashir walked away empty handed despite all the critical acclaim its received (it also is on the to-see list.) Lets see what else..., hmm...., oh yeah MICKEY ROURKE DAMN YOU ACADEMY. I havent seen Milk and I hear from credible sources the Sean Penn is amazing in it, but still the Rourke was amazing in The Wrestler. This weeks SpotCast is going to be an Oscars special so be sure and check that out (we are totally on iTunes.) For this post I decided to exclude apostophres. Why you ask? Because my last drink wasnt stiff enough.

Movie Spotlight: Ocean's Eleven (1960)

I finally sat down and watched the original Ocean's Eleven a week or so ago as part of my quest to see all of Frank Sinatra's movies. However even with my extreme Rat Pack bias I still did not think very highly of this movie. The Rat Pack themselves all do a fine job acting here, Dean and Frank especially, but the film is held back by it's plot and poor pacing. The movie is bookended by absurdly long sequences first introducing all the characters and then focused on Cesar Romero's character (yeah the Joker from the Adam West Batman show) hunting down the Ocean's gang. Maybe my opinion was soured having seen the modern remake first, and admittedly I have a hard time enjoying older films, but I expected more than the mess that I saw. Now I still got a kick out of the scenes featuring Frank and Dean, and Dean offers up a few songs throughout the pic that make it worth watching. If you are as a big fan of the Rat Pack as I am than I suggest watching this at some point, but don't expect it to be anything but a showcase for Frank, Dean, Sammy, and Peter hamming it up together. On a side note it's really interesting to see what the Las Vegas strip looked like back in the 60's compared to now. In the movie the strip is just a basic piece of highway, and the Sands casino is the size of an average Wal-mart. Fast forward to today and the strip is one giant acid trip and the Sands has been demolished, but not before being featured in another american movie classic: Con Air.

Also Frank what's up here?
"Holy s@#t that's a fuzzy sweater!"

Random Updates

Chris Brown is now a complete bastard

The Grammy performances felt a little pedestrian this year

The awards were okay, Raising Sand is a good album but it puts me to sleep whenever i try to listen to it

Even at this point in my life i still enjoy watching Naruto

I bought Persona 4 in December, I've sunk 57 hours of my life into it, and I still haven't beat it

Penny Arcade continues to be the funniest damn thing on the interweb

I have a bigger post brewing in my head about the Amare Stoudemire situation, I'll probably wait for the trade deadline to pass, see what happens, and then explode in tears when Steve Nash's championship window officially closes

No matter how hard i try, and even with the help of fellow SpotCaster Tom Collins, I can't beat even one level in the Resident Evil 5 demo

I saw Taken and I liked it

Don't listen to Usher's Here I Stand unless you're a hardcore Usher fan

The SpotCast is available on iTunes, so go get it, or wait until later today when this week's episode will be up

Once More With Feeling Kobe

MO LOOK OUT!!!

Man I really hate to see the Lakers win, especially at the expense of Lebron and the Kingdom of James. I still want to see these two teams in the NBA finals this year, although I think the Lakers have the mental edge now after taking out the Cavs on their home floor without Andrew Bynum. On a similar note the Magic losing Jameer Nelson for the season is gonna impact what would've been a really exciting Eastern conference playoff set, now it's just about Cleveland and Boston.

Give the Guy a Break

OH MY GOD WHAT IS HE DOING WHAT AN IDIOT MICHAEL PHELPS HAS BROUGHT THE DEVIL INTO OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOLS!!

I don't understand the media's need to demonize Phelps because of this photograph of him smoking marijuana. The guy has probably spent the majority of his life in a pool, training like a maniac so that he can continue to dominate the sport of swimming the way no one ever has before. He's young and he was cutting loose, it happens, it's not like he was holding a sign up to the camera (by the way who's the dick that took the picture and posted it on the net) that read "Hey kids it's Michael Phelps, smoke pot and you can be as badass as me." Look I get that as an athlete, and one with such massive national attention, he has a responsibility as a role model for kids, but this offense was not egregious enough to warrant the lambasting he has received at the hands of news outlets. Did he really need to be suspended? I've never been one of those people fervently arguing for the legalization of marijuana, but the fact that police in my town spend more time chasing around the guys with weed than hunting down the dozen or so meth labs in basements around here has always bothered me. Now the fact that Phelps has been branded a f***-up for one mistake will alwasy bother me.


Shameless Plug Time

Episode 2 of the SpotCast should be up later tonight so be sure to check that out as Tom Collins and I will definitely be discussing this story.

Tapping the Tween Crowd

The teeny-bopper crowd has struck yet again turning the film Twilight into a money-making powerhouse. I haven't seen the film so I can't judge it, for all I know it could be a masterful piece of cinema that would take my three sizes too small heart and enlarge it to the point of causing a massive coronary attack. Until I see it I'll continue to assume it's as horrible as I imagine. However bad it may be it is box office gold and movie studios will no doubt capitalize on it and pop out a few clones. I took three minutes earlier today to shamelessly toss my hat into the Twilight-clone ring by writing a 100-page treatment for "Rory O'Connor and Juliet," a Romeo and Juliet story of a forbidden love between a leprechaun and a human girl.

"Totally"

Of course I've taken steps to ensure the script is full of nods to today's teenagers so they feel like they can relate. There's the League of Leprechauns (the LOL,) their battle-trained pack of attack tigers (the LOLCatZ,) and Rory's sidekick is a CGI leprechaun Red Skelton (I think I may have missed the mark on that one.) Yes I'm sure the studios will be tripping over themselves to option this baby.

"I dinnae care about gold anymore Juliet, at the end of me rainbow is you"

Let's Go to Phoenix!

The NBA All-Star teams have their rosters ready and I am pretty pleased with the results.

THANK YOU JESUS!

Here in Indiana we finally have our first real all-star (Jermaine The Drain O'Neal doesn't count) since Reggie. Danny Granger is the new hero of Conseco and his selection to the all-star team is well-deserved given the monster numbers he's been putting up all season.

Now if we could just start closing some games out...

That being said I think I'll run down the other all-star selections and toss out a few thoughts for each.

Eastern Conference

Allen Iverson- He got this on name power alone, he's bringing the Pistons down, Andre Igoudala or Mo Williams would've been a better choice.

Dwayne Wade- He's carried the Heat so far and is reminding everyone why he belongs in the same conversations with Kobe and Lebron.

Lebron James- MVP. period.

Kevin Garnett- He continues to be the trend setter for the defending champs, to bad some of that shine is wearing off thanks to his playground bully antics.

Dwight Howard- Is a beast, probable defensive player of the year, and top 5 candidate for mvp.

Chris Bosh- He's having a decent season statistically, unfortunately the Raptors just flat out suck. (that happens when Jermaine O'Neal takes up space on your roster)

Devin Harris- You think Mark Cuban is beating himself for letting Devin go in exchange for J. Kidd last year? He should be.

Rashard Lewis- Having a great season for the now-elite Orlando Magic, but I feel like Hedo Turkoglu deserved the spot more. He means more to the Magic than Lewis.

Jameer Nelson- Has taken his game to the next level and in my opinion is the main reason Orlando has ascended into the league's upper echelon.

Joe Johnson- He's been spotty this year but the Hawks are on a better pace than last year.

Paul Pierce- Self proclaimed best player in the world should be giving this spot to teammate Rajon Rondo.

Western Conference

Chris Paul- Hell yes. CP3 for the win.

Kobe Bean Bryant- Yes the Lakers are a great team, yes Kobe is an elite talent, that doesn't mean I have to like him.

Amare Stoudemire- The rim-smashing Amare is a distant memory now, he's never put it together defensively, and the revival of Old Man Shaq has Stoudemire on the outside looking in. Al Jefferson or Kevin Durant deserved this spot more.

Tim Duncan- TD is a constant, like death and taxes.

Yao Ming- Yao is one of the best centers in the game. Being popular in China doesn't hurt either when it comes to all-star voting. (Head shake for Chinese voters who almost voted Yi Jianlian over Kevin Garnett in the east.)

Shaquille O'Neal- IT'S ALIVE! Seriously though his presence destroyed the most entertaining team in recent memory.

Tony Parker- The best part about this is the TV cameras cutting to Eva Longoria in the crowd every ten seconds.

Dirk Nowitzki- His numbers this year are comparable to his mvp season, but the Mavericks are still slipping down the West's pecking order.

Pau Gasol- The Geico caveman stand-in is having a pretty good season, playing for the Lakers helps.

Brandon Roy- Another hell yes, the Blazers are on the rise and Roy is their best player.

Chauncey Billups- His arrival in Denver has re-energized a team that was faultering. He definitely deserves this spot more than teammate Carmelo Anthony.

David West- Round two for David who is a great player, but I can't help but feel like this spot belonged to Paul Millsap.

The Nominations Are In...

The Oscar nominations have been released by the academy and while I expected it I'm still a little disappointed that the Dark Knight wasn't nominated for best picture. I feel like it's status as a genre pic, and a comic book movie to boot is what held it back in the academy's eyes, and while I could just be overly critical of their decision it still saddens me. On a good note Mickey Rourke is up for best actor for his role in The Wrestler which is an excellent movie, if you haven't seen it yet I highly suggest you go right now. However regarding The Wrestler, Bruce Springsteen's amazing song The Wrestler written for the movie was completely shafted by the academy in the best original song category. Overall I give the oscars this year the thumbs down, how dare they not recognize The Boss.

Into the Breach

Today I have leapt headfirst into the foray of podcasting with my friend and fellow blogger Tom Collins author of Shotgun Renaissance. The podcast will hopefully be the first of many where Tom and I discuss at length movies, television, video games, professional wrestling, and anything else that tickles our fancy. If you are entertained at all by my blog it's safe to say this podcast will also entertain you. For now you can find the cast here only, but soon it may be more widely available, so take a listen and let me know what you think.

Kobe Makes Me Laugh, But Still Makes Me Sad

Hilarious, I'm really looking forward to the possibility of a Kobe v. Lebron finals. You know, so Lebron can put a beating to him.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I am hopeful for the future of this country. A change in the white house has been a long time coming, not just in person but in policy and attitude. Can we as a people change the direction our country was headed in for so long? I think you know the answer to that.

Ways to Waste Time: Bug Fight!

While the new year is still fresh, the cold winter is taking some of the shine off the gleaming calendar time. If the weather has got you down maybe it's time you picked up a new hobby, something engaging and entertaining, something like training insects to be your personal gladiators. Is there something inherently cruel in throwing two bugs into a cage and watching them fight? I imagine there is, that's why you stick with insects which are obviously spawn of the devil himself. Scorpions, wasps, centipedes, these are examples of insects who would readily kill you, your children, your friends, your dog, steal your house, steal your wife, steal your clicky-top pens, what I'm trying to say is they can't be trusted. So as usual Japan is way ahead of us on the bug fight front, as well as anything to do with technology. Observe. If that gets you down remember someday the bugs will evolve to this point.

The Nazi Bag

Have you ever been stuck trying to fabricate a credible antagonist for your novel/movie/videogame? If creating villainy seems to be just out of your creative reach allow me to present you with a solution to this problem. I give you the Nazi Bag. It seems like almost anytime a bad guy is needed movie producers and game developers will readily cast the Nazis as the force that must be defeated by the powers of good. Now I understand why it's easy to do, because the Nazis are the most obvious example of evil in our time. The Nazis were the real life villain, devoid of redeeming qualities, everyone will root for the good guy going up against them. The Bag has only been reached into if the movie/game/book is not World War II-centric, and a Nazi or Nazis are the antagonist. Over time I plan on compiling a list of Bag users to post here.

"probably looks something like this"

As Ridiculous As Hating Immigration

If you're a typical Midwestern American than chances are that you've cursed an illegal Mexican immigrant or two. Mexicans are immigrating into the United States at a frightening rate and Americans are not happy. So here's my plan: we all immigrate to Canada. The U.S. is already half Hispanic now, we might as well let them have the rest of it. We can all just march across the northern border right into the fertile lands of Canada. Before long Canada will become the U.S., the U.S. will become Mexico, and Mexico will become a barren lifeless desert. Devoid of all the Mexican farmers who now reside in the United States of Amexica to aerate the soil and bring life to the land, Central America will slowly erode away into the ocean, finally separating North and South America. Deprived of their favorite party destination Cancun, American spring breaker's frenzied energy will turn into uncontrollable rage that will be unleashed on the Amexican border. The Amexican country will be destroyed by a combination of drug and alcohol overdoses, and sexually transmitted diseases. Then Americans will be able to rightfully regain their lands, and have Canada's to boot.

The New World Order

Ways to Waste Time: The Podunkton Edition

This week's time muncher is pointed towards all the internet community lovers, all you myspacers and facebookers. Hop on over to podunkton.com to take part in an up and coming community along some of the same lines as the aforementioned websites. Podunkton offers users the chance to create a cartoon avatar to represent themselves and a nifty forum currency system that allows for the purchase of various accessories for the avatars to wear. Included in the website package are a number of flash games and cartoons chock full of laughs for your enjoyment. I have a feeling this site is gonna be big, so get in now so when the site blows up and all your friends join up you can look down on them for not being as cool as you are.

"the cheesed out grinning avatar of podunkton creator Jordan Miller aka Cycon"

The Olyphant Drinking Game

The next time you want to get good and Nick Nolte-drunk just try this Timothy Olyphant drinking game on for size. Pick out a movie that features one Timothy Olyphant. Every time Mr. Olyphant shoots the crazy eyes take a shot. He's a master of tossing out a look that says I'm going to violate you, and then possibly feast on your remains, it's really quite the performance. It doesn't matter what role he is playing, you're gonna get the look from him. Trust me you will be blitzed before you realize what's going on. Try not to look directly into his eyes though, it might scare you.

"Please stop undressing/stabbing me with your eyes"