but all of them sum up to "Crap, he looks really OLD."
See more here and here.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
I AM... SPARTA! I mean, BEOWULF!
Took in Beowulf last night, which is pretty much only worth seeing if you're going on the IMAX 3D, otherwise, there's not enough to keep you interested, even a "digitally enhanced" Angelina Jolie. Speaking of which, there were way too many little kids to be watching a movie with so much nakedness (real and implied). I'm all for making literature exciting, but... I don't need to see butts. Don't even get me started about the painstaking detail that must be delivered to make Beowulf's butt look realistic and believable. What is the conversation that has to happen? "Hey, I need you to tape these golf balls onto your heiny so we can get some motion capture. Ok, now run away from me!"
Entertaining as it is, I would have liked it more if it played more to the "indestructible monster angle" and less of the court intrigue. The animation is still very good, to the point where you forget that it's animated, until you get to a movement where they really haven't quite got the rendering right, like whenever a character rides a horse.
Max and I were talking about what other old stories could be taken as fodder for future movies (related to but different from the "What 80s cartoons should they turn into movies next?" conversation), and this was the short list:
Entertaining as it is, I would have liked it more if it played more to the "indestructible monster angle" and less of the court intrigue. The animation is still very good, to the point where you forget that it's animated, until you get to a movement where they really haven't quite got the rendering right, like whenever a character rides a horse.
Max and I were talking about what other old stories could be taken as fodder for future movies (related to but different from the "What 80s cartoons should they turn into movies next?" conversation), and this was the short list:
- Jason and the Argonauts
- Perseus and Medusa (that being said, Clash of the Titans is in the works as a remake)
- Theseus and the Minotaur
- Hercules (although this could be crippled by the TV show and Disney cartoon)
- St. George killing the Dragon
- Custer's Last Stand (I'm sure this would be borderline offensive because of its historical inaccuracy and the lionizing of Custer, but they did make The Alamo)
- The Hobbit (obvious)
Monday, November 19, 2007
buying lemonade instead of making it
Sox trade SP Jon Garland to the Angels for SS Orlando Cabrera + $1.5mm
Um, I know that Garland is a little overrated because his shiny stats are the "intangible" ones that dumb sportswriters and media types drool over (stuff like wins and being "playoff-tested"), but I didn't think that GMs were this smart. Considering the sort of contracts that guys like Ted Lilly, Jeff Suppan, and Gil Meche signed last offseason (all guys who don't have the youth, health, and track record that Garland have), it's a little tough to swallow that there wasn't a better deal available for the oh-so-coveted Starting Pitching.
That's not to say that the OC is terrible, because he isn't. He's an upgrade to Uribe's historically bad hacktastic-ness, although that's not saying a lot. He'll play good defense, he won't strike out too much, and he'll steal bases and play that grinder brand of baseball that made Darin Erstad and the White Sox promotions staff so rich. And he's 33 years old. Garland is 28.
The good thing is that both of them are in the last years of their contract, which means the Sox would have had to sign Garland to a long-term contract in his big-money years, which nobody really wanted to do, even if he did kind of earn it. Is he the guy you want to spend $13mm per? On the other hand, the OC costs only a $9 mm commitment for this year only. Which is a great move for a team that's trying to win right now, but not so great for a team like the Sox that has a lot of holes. The Sox are still the 4th best team in the division after this move. At best, I think adding OC and subtracting Garland is break-even, maybe less if Uribe ends up playing a lot of second base this year. The verdict ultimately depends on Kenny spends all the savings. Here's a hint: no Torii Hunter, although the Sun-Times is saying otherwise.
I'm not overly excited about it, because I don't think either of these guys is money well-spent, but there aren't really any better players out there (the Sox are not creative enough to get Miguel Cabrera). I think whether we can get a decent leadoff guy and the performance of Floyd and Danks will have more to do with success than Hunter or Cabrera. Yah, just to remind everybody, WE STILL HAVE JOSE CONTRERAS. Kenny's sure hit gold with all of those re-signings from the 2005 championship team.
Jill: #7 - "Heartbeats" Jose Gonzales (2:45)
#8 - "Fake Empire" The National (3:27)
#9 - "Is There a Ghost" Band of Horses (3:02)
#10 - "Summer in the City" Regina Spektor (3:50)
(I didn't forget 3-6, I just hid them somewhere else.)
Vote in Stereogum's Gummy Awards, win the best 50 albums of the year. Woo!
Um, I know that Garland is a little overrated because his shiny stats are the "intangible" ones that dumb sportswriters and media types drool over (stuff like wins and being "playoff-tested"), but I didn't think that GMs were this smart. Considering the sort of contracts that guys like Ted Lilly, Jeff Suppan, and Gil Meche signed last offseason (all guys who don't have the youth, health, and track record that Garland have), it's a little tough to swallow that there wasn't a better deal available for the oh-so-coveted Starting Pitching.
That's not to say that the OC is terrible, because he isn't. He's an upgrade to Uribe's historically bad hacktastic-ness, although that's not saying a lot. He'll play good defense, he won't strike out too much, and he'll steal bases and play that grinder brand of baseball that made Darin Erstad and the White Sox promotions staff so rich. And he's 33 years old. Garland is 28.
The good thing is that both of them are in the last years of their contract, which means the Sox would have had to sign Garland to a long-term contract in his big-money years, which nobody really wanted to do, even if he did kind of earn it. Is he the guy you want to spend $13mm per? On the other hand, the OC costs only a $9 mm commitment for this year only. Which is a great move for a team that's trying to win right now, but not so great for a team like the Sox that has a lot of holes. The Sox are still the 4th best team in the division after this move. At best, I think adding OC and subtracting Garland is break-even, maybe less if Uribe ends up playing a lot of second base this year. The verdict ultimately depends on Kenny spends all the savings. Here's a hint: no Torii Hunter, although the Sun-Times is saying otherwise.I'm not overly excited about it, because I don't think either of these guys is money well-spent, but there aren't really any better players out there (the Sox are not creative enough to get Miguel Cabrera). I think whether we can get a decent leadoff guy and the performance of Floyd and Danks will have more to do with success than Hunter or Cabrera. Yah, just to remind everybody, WE STILL HAVE JOSE CONTRERAS. Kenny's sure hit gold with all of those re-signings from the 2005 championship team.
Jill: #7 - "Heartbeats" Jose Gonzales (2:45)
#8 - "Fake Empire" The National (3:27)
#9 - "Is There a Ghost" Band of Horses (3:02)
#10 - "Summer in the City" Regina Spektor (3:50)
(I didn't forget 3-6, I just hid them somewhere else.)
Vote in Stereogum's Gummy Awards, win the best 50 albums of the year. Woo!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
happy birthday jill
If anyone can give me a better understanding of the last 20 minutes of No Country for Old Men, I'd be very appreciative. Avoids a lot of cliche traps to provide some uniquely chilling moments. The very highest praise that a movie can earn is that it still has people thinking days after seeing it, and that's the case here. Something about morality, the inevitability of death, numbness, and ... a whole lot of something else. Hmm. I might have to go see it again.
Jill, #1 is "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" by Bloc Party (4:49).
#2 is "The Heinrich Maneuver" by Interpol (3:28).
Jill, #1 is "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" by Bloc Party (4:49).
#2 is "The Heinrich Maneuver" by Interpol (3:28).
Monday, November 05, 2007
american gangstars
My favorite NFL highlight over the weekend:
Took in the much ballyhooed American Gangster on Saturday. I was hoping for something awesome along the lines of Heat, another cops and robbers story with two high voltage names sparring in the plotline until the final showdown. Both have much respect for Denzel and Russell Crowe for their ability to be captivating even if the rest of the movie stinks (i.e. Deja Vu).
I still think it's worth seeing, but there was something that stopped AG short of great, to just merely good. I read some review that said the filmmakers seemed a little too in love with the bad guy, played by Denzel. It's one thing to be intrigued by the heart of darkness in the villain, but I think my sense of justice wants somebody that evil to get some sort of comeuppance by the end, otherwise it feels like the evil is too glamorized.
But, I didn't like Heat, either, until after multiple viewings. AG is still worth watching, if you're into it. I think I might have enjoyed Gone Baby Gone or The Darjeeling Limited, more.
Top 5 Denzel movies I like better than AG:
Top 5 Russell Crowe movies I like more than AG:
Took in the much ballyhooed American Gangster on Saturday. I was hoping for something awesome along the lines of Heat, another cops and robbers story with two high voltage names sparring in the plotline until the final showdown. Both have much respect for Denzel and Russell Crowe for their ability to be captivating even if the rest of the movie stinks (i.e. Deja Vu).
I still think it's worth seeing, but there was something that stopped AG short of great, to just merely good. I read some review that said the filmmakers seemed a little too in love with the bad guy, played by Denzel. It's one thing to be intrigued by the heart of darkness in the villain, but I think my sense of justice wants somebody that evil to get some sort of comeuppance by the end, otherwise it feels like the evil is too glamorized.
But, I didn't like Heat, either, until after multiple viewings. AG is still worth watching, if you're into it. I think I might have enjoyed Gone Baby Gone or The Darjeeling Limited, more.
Top 5 Denzel movies I like better than AG:
- Inside Man
- Training Day
- Crimson Tide
- Malcolm X
- Remember the Titans
Top 5 Russell Crowe movies I like more than AG:
- L.A. Confidential
- 3:10 to Yuma
- Master and Commander
- Gladiator
- A Beautiful Mind
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