Best Football Films

With football season under way in both the collegiate and professional leagues I figured it was high time I ran down my top 5 football movies. Some of my choices my surprise you, or they may not. That’s generally how a list goes.

5. LITTLE GIANTS

One time. 99 times out of a 100 this movie probably would’ve sucked. That left one time. The young ensemble is terrific from Devon Sawa (Junior), Shawna Waldron (Icebox), Sam Horrigan (Spike), Todd Bosley (Jake –pictured above) and all the way up to Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill playing dueling brothers.

Rick Moranis’ daughter Becky “Icebox” didn’t make the local pee wee football team (coached by his brother Ed O’Neill), as did a bunch of other misfit kids. So what does any good father do? He assembles his own rag tag football team to battle for supremacy in the town of Urbania, Ohio.

Is it predictable? Yes. Do Emmitt Smith and John Madden show up to provide a lesson to the kids? Yes. Is The Annexation of Puerto Rico the greatest play in the history of football? Yes. This movie stuck with me when I was a kid and I still enjoy it today.

4. HEAVEN CAN WAIT

This one sometimes gets lost in the fold on football films, and it shouldn’t. Warren Beatty plays a Rams quarterback who is unfairly taken to Heaven before it is actually his time to die. To repay that mistake he is put into the body of a recently murdered millionaire. To the rest of the world he looks like the millionaire, but we see him as the quarterback.

He then decides to finish the life he had by buying the team and becoming it’s quarterback. Jack Warden delivers a fantastic performance as the trainer and Julie Christie and Warren Beatty share undeniable chemistry (as was the case in real life).

The final act of the film is great as it delivers on multiple levels. I found myself emotionally invested in the characters and the sporting event as well.

3. RUDY

Few names echo through stadium halls like ‘Rudy’.I’m sure you could start a ‘Rudy’ chant anywhere and it would probably catch on.

‘Rudy’ is synonymous with the underdog and achieving that which was thought to be unattainable. Sean Astin is the emotional core of the film. We ache when he is broken down and nearly defeated and our hearts soar as he finally reaches his goal.

According to some, this is a guy-cry kind of film, and it is. Rudy is the guy everyone wants to do well and for all of the right reasons.

2. THE REPLACEMENTS

I almost put this one at number one. That’s how much I love this film. I view this as one of the most underrated comedies out there.

Keanu Reeves is playing a former Ohio St QB for the second time in his film career. (The 1st? ‘Point Break’) Only this time he’s actually playing football and not surfing with Swayze. As the title suggests they are replacement players, because the professionals are on strike. Gene Hackman is brought in to coach this newly assembled team of a police officer, a convict, a priest, a soccer player, a Sumo wrestler, a deaf man, a disgraced college QB, two body guards, and a grocery store worker (not named Kurt Warner). Throw in a little Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and you’ve got a great, entertaining film.

What strikes me about this film is that it’s not conventional. Some might say that it is, but it’s not. Gene Hackman lays it all out in the end with a voice over that perfectly fits the tone of the film. He isn’t sappy, he’s reflective and realistic which makes this more than just a comedy. Let’s make it clear that this is a comedy and it is funny. The football action here is great with John Madden and Pat Summerall providing entertaining commentary by playing themselves, but having a bit more fun.

Every time I find this on TV, whether it has commercials or not, I tune in and watch.

1. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

This is the best football film. Period.

It’s emotionally draining and uplifting. It’s dramatic, dynamic, engaging, exciting and the fact that it (for the most part) happened. Another great young ensemble featuring Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke, Lee Thompson Young, and Lee Jackson. Billy Bob Thornton delivers what is probably the best half time speech when he describes being ‘Perfect’ and it hits every single player in the locker room.

But the real find here is Tim McGraw. Yes, Mr. Faith Hill. He gives a very dramatic and nuanced performance as a former state champion/father of a current player. He is a man who lives and breathes high school football and puts the world’s expectations on his son’s shoulders because he wants him to be a champion. That’s hard to live up to.

This is a film that transcends sport. It’s just a great piece of filmmaking and storytelling.

‘The Matrix Reloaded’ – Revisited

The Matrix is one of the most influential films of all time. Sound like too much? I urge you to think of this: Before The Matrix, how many films had slow motion gun fights where you saw the bullets rip through the air and narrowly avoid hitting their intended target? Not too many I bet. Now? It seems like every action film does something like that. The invention of ‘Bullet Time’ changed action filmmaking, for better or for worse. I remember exactly where I was sitting, in what theatre (which has since been raised) and who I saw it with. It blew my teenage mind.

Flash forward to 2003. I remember patiently waiting for my first glimpse of the sequel The Matrix Reloaded because The Matrix had been/still is an important movie in my life. I geeked out after seeing teases of the sequences that would eventually unfold and eagerly awaited it’s release.

When it initially came out, I liked it. It wasn’t nearly as great as The Matrix, but how could it be? I still enjoyed it and bought the DVD on it’s first day of release. I hadn’t revisited it until recently when I sat down and watched The Matrix and then Reloaded. I still enjoyed Reloaded, but not as much but it wasn’t for the reasons I thought: CGI Neo, too talky, too philosophical. No, it was because of one single character.

Link.

Operator standing by.

The Matrix didn’t have a character for comedic relief. There was some comedy, but it was organic. Cypher’s line of “Why oh why didn’t I take the blue pill.” Or when Mouse was called a “Digital pimp hard at work”. Those lines felt needed and sounded real. What Link does, is called mugging.

Holy $hi!, computers!

Link is no Tank. He’s his brother-in-law. But that’s where the connection ends. Had the original actor, Marcus Chong, not been fired I am sure that this storyline would’ve been very different close to the same except without the whole brother-in-law part. Still, it’s what we were given.

I have no problem with Harold Perrineau. I’m a huge fan of LOST but here he is not very good. He is an unnecessary comedic relief. We don’t need lines like “Where’s my pus-hey!” or “He’s doing his Superman thing.” Speaking of the Man of Steel, if Link is Zion-born how does he know about Superman? I’ll assume that the people born there are familiar with Earth’s history and the pop culture landscape within the Matrix so I guess that answers that…

So this is where Walt was conceived, no wonder on the Island he was special

In The Matrix we were presented with breathtaking action and an intriguing storyline with characters that brought the pathos out more effectively when certain ones died. After Neo defeats Agent Smith in the subway terminal, teeters on the edge and finds his feet there is a collective sigh throughout the audience as we gather our breaths. In Reloaded, after Neo has caught Morpheus and the Key Maker from the truck collision we are given Link raising up his hands and then collapsing on his keyboard.

A moment of comedy that does not belong in this movie. Sure I chuckled, maybe even chortled but it took me out of the movie. I understand that it’s there because after such an intense moment comedy can alleviate that tension but it felt too much.

I am more fond of Tank and his story than I am of Link and his. I would be going too far if I called Link the Jar Jar Binks of The Matrix world but he is that annoying to me. The only purpose he serves is to link the crew to Zion and to link them to the Matrix. Ah, there’s where his name comes from. Link comes from a long line of sassy black characters who there to add a little humour for the audience which is sad because The Matrix established black characters who offered more than sass and comedy – they added meaning.

Reloaded is still a decent film and the action is still fun to watch, it’s just Link makes it more difficult to watch now that I’ve realised how annoying he is.

State License Plates Part 10: Virginia

When I think of Virginia I initially think of Jamestown and our nation’s founding. Then I think of Lucille McGillicuddy. Then I think of this image and how Virginia’s tourism department is trying to lure us into visiting their state by telling me that this place is ‘for lovers’.

Huh? I don’t really think of Virginia as a state for ‘lovers’. But I do love Katie Couric, an alum of University of Virginia. So there’s that…

A little underwhelming given then whole ‘lovers’ aspect I just discussed and my first impression is that it is very, very, very plain. But to me, that says ‘Virginia’. I don’t know a whole lot about this state other than it’s called the ‘Mother of Presidents’ because four of the first five presidents came from Virginia. It is also called ‘Old Dominion’ because King Charles II of England deemed the settlers of Virginia to be the ‘best of his distant children’. Thus, Virginia was raised to the position of dominion along with England, Scotland, Ireland, and France.

I would think this status would give the people o Virginia a big head. Clearly that hasn’t translated to today because I don’t know anyone who brags about being from Virginia. In fact, I don’t even know anyone from Virginia, I don’t think.

This plate has one thing going for it: the font for ‘Virginia’. I like the way the ‘A’ is thicker on the right side and how that effect generally carries over to the rest of the letters. It seems very ‘Old World’/‘Colonial’ to me, which fits with it’s history.

I like the dark blue almost black coloring of the plate numbers and letters. It stands out from the white background. But the white background is just…so…boring. Why not put a ship sailing across the ocean or landing on a beach in Virginia. That would’ve been a plate. Not this. This is a C-.

State License Plates Part 9: New Hampshire

Well. it’s been a while since I last posted. A long time actually, but now I am back and what a better way to come back than with this state plate. New Hampshire.

When I think of New Hampshire I think of…

Yeah, I have no idea what goes on in New Hampshire. I mean I’ve been there before for a wedding, which was lovely by the way, but other than that I don’t know much else. So, let’s get to the plate.

‘Live Free Or Die’. Damn that’s an awesome motto. I love it because it harkens back to the genesis of the United States of America and how our forefathers fought for freedom. Putting this on the plate lets me know that New Hampshire is a chill place.

I love the colour scheme of the green on green. It really gives a sense of what New Hampshire is like: lush and green. A deep forest green really makes the numbers pop against a somewhat faded background.

The background. Clearly this is the ‘Old Man of the Mountain’ – a famous rock formation which has since collapsed leaving very little of the original structure. It’s quite sad but New Hampshire-ites are a strong bunch and remember their history.

Since this is my first post after being away for so long I think I will keep this brief. A solid B+.

Oscar Picks

With only, literally, a few more hours until The Academy Awards I will post my picks for the major categories - along with what I would pick and a little blurb about my choice/reasoning behind it.


I'll start where all movies start - the page:


Best Original Screenplay - My pick is Midnight in Paris & it's what I think will win. I loved this film, loved it, loved it, loved it. 


Best Adapted Screenplay - I believe The Descendants will win here, based entirely on what it has won up to this point - which is basically everything. As for my pick...I'm partial to Moneyball because of my love of baseball.


Moving on to the acting categories:


Best Supporting Actress - My pick and who I think will win is Octavia Spencer for The Help. She's great and steals every scene she's in.


Best Supporting Actor - My pick would be Nick Nolte in Warrior but I feel strongly that Christopher Plummer will win for Beginners. Plummer, while great, didn't match the emotional range Nolte found in Warrior - a truly underrated film.


Best Actress - This one is tough. A part of me wants to say Streep, because that's where the sentiment is leaning, but I'm not going to do that. I believe Viola Davis will win for The Help. Now, my pick, I go for Rooney Mara for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but you really can't pick a loser in this bunch (even though I believe Williams in My Week With  Marilyn is the weakest - she does a great impression/acting her Ms. Monroe but that was it to me).


Best Actor - I believe Jean Dujardin for The Artist will win. My pick is Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which is also a role that is largely silent and relies more on expression, but when Oldman speaks as Smiley - you pay attention to every single word.


The final two awards of the night:


Best Director - Based on what he's won leading up to this night I believe the winner will be Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist. My pick lies in two camps: Hugo and Midnight in Paris. Scorcese does a beautiful job with Hugo as does Allen for Midnight in Paris, but I am forced to choose one and I choose Woody Allen.


Best Picture - The Artist will win here, even though my pick is Midnight in Paris. There seems to be no stopping The Artist train, unless The Help pulls a Crash from 2005 and comes out of nowhere.

Favourite Films of 2011

Well, it’s been a while but now that I have had time to go through most of the films from the past year I can finally say I have a definitive list of my favourite films from 2011.

There are a couple on here that I did not expect to like as much as I did and there are quite a few not on here that most people did like. My list is full of action, drama, romance, comedy, animation, animals, murderers, Paris, film lovers, supernatural events, baseball, cults, cancer, me crying and even tattoos.

1. Midnight in Paris – When I saw this film, I loved it from the very first sound of dialogue. I had no idea what it was truly going to be about, but when everything unfolded, I loved every minute of it. The writing is crisp, terrific, and whimsical and Owen Wilson is hilarious, kind, and even romantic. This is my favourite film of 2011.

2. 50/50 – If ever there was a film that perfectly balanced comedy and drama, this is it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is vulnerable, funny, and Seth Rogen is great in a non-Seth Rogen roll. Sure the subject matter is a bit dark but the way comedy is woven into it, it feels natural and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry during at least one point during the film…and then laughed hysterically the next.

3. Warrior – Nick Nolte deserves his Oscar nomination, and if I had anything to say about it, he’d win too. I don’t like the whole MMA/UFC sporting world but this film, and it’s characters played by Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are fantastic and really make you want to stand up and cheer. It’s ‘Rocky’ for a new generation.

4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Rooney Mara is the film. Simple as that. David Fincher does a beautiful job framing and setting the mood of the film but this is Mara’s time to shine and she does so so beautifully. She is smart, defiant, fearful and sexy all at the same time.

5. Hugo – If you love film, then you love ‘Hugo’. An ode to filmmaking with a great use of 3D technology and an All-Star cast to boot.

6. Rango – The best animated film of the year. It’s quirky, it’s odd, it’s peculiar, it’s beautifully animated, it’s funny, it’s Johnny Depp, it’s talking lizards and mariachi birds, it’s ‘Rango’.

7. Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol – The best action/adventure film of the year. The set pieces are awesome, the chase sequences clever and it features the best stunt I’ve ever seen – Tom Cruise scaling the tallest building in the world. I was literally on the edge of my seat during that scene and I’m not joking. I got nervous as he stepped out into that Dubai air. Thrilling action and great direction from Brad Bird.

8. Win Win – I’ve been a fan of Tom McCarthy ever since I saw ‘The Station Agent’. Then came ‘The Visitor’ now ‘Win Win’. Paul Giamatti is usual great self and there is equal parts humour and drama and sports drama here that makes it a film for everyone.

9. We Bought A Zoo – This is a film I did not expect to see on my list. I just watched this and I loved it. I’m an animal lover and a Cameron Crowe fan and the combination just worked for me. The family drama, Thomas Hayden Church, ScarJo, tigers, all of it worked for me. Yes, I also cried during this one too.

10. The Change-Up – Hands down the funniest film I saw this year. I have no idea why people didn’t go see this film but I did not laugh harder at any film than I did during this one. And when it came time for a lesson to be learned the dramatic note was hit just right and it made me appreciate the film even more. Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman play each other perfectly and you can see the fun they are having playing each other and it translates to that audience.

11. Super 8 – It’s ‘E.T.’ meets ‘The Goonies’ and it takes the heart of both of those films – the kids – and uses it to its advantage by crafting a story with likable characters and an emotional core that pounds at your heart. Yes, I cried a bit here too.

12. Moneyball – A great baseball film with great performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

13. Martha Marcy May Marlene – I saw this film on Halloween and that backdrop made this film more creepy and eerie than it needed to be. Elizabeth Olsen is great and John Hawkes is menacing without even raising his voice.

14. X-Men: First Class – I’m a fan of the ‘X-Men’ movies and I was nervous about exploring its origins even when the original films are so recent. James McEvoy and Michael Fassbender play their parts perfectly as best friends soon-to-be-turned adversaries and the prospect of more ‘X-Men’ films with these two as Professor X and Magneto is promising.

15. (Tie) The Help & Scream 4 – ‘The Help’ is a good drama with some quite funny moments and great acting from Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. It’s a solid film that does it all right: acting, writing, and setting a tone. ‘Scream 4’ is just a damn good time and a nice return to Woodsboro for me, as the original is one of my favourite films. It has great, witty, writing and some clever kills and twists.

Welcome to Lob City

Do you feel that? That’s the winds of change. A new era is born in Los Angeles professional basketball. With the addition of Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, and Chris Paul the Clippers, yes those Clippers, are now the talk of tinsel town.

Lob City is a metropolis where DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin touch the sky and throw the ball down with thunderous claps that leave the audience breathless. I’m thinking of taking up residence in Lob City. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about the Clippers this much since 2006 and before that, I can’t recall a time when I spent much time talking about them at all. Thanks to some key additions this offseason the Clippers have sent a message to their cross-hallway rivals. A message that I feel is worthy of an image. Granted, the original image I borrowed this idea from did not pan out for it’s previous owner, but I feel confident in creating this image and standing behind it 100%.

State License Plates Part 8: South Carolina

Honest to God, I knew very little about South Carolina before I started writing this piece. I know that their Gamecocks won back-to-back College World Series titles in 2010 & 2011 and that they have a crescent moon hanging over them every single night. Beyond that, I am clueless as to what they have to offer us as a state. May 23, 1788 is when they became a state but they were also the first the secede from the Union and was the founding state of the Confederate States of America. I might suggest a do-over for those guys, hindsight being 20/20 and all.

It’s known as ‘The Palmetto State’ which is a direct reference to their state tree the palmetto. It’s motto is ‘Prepared in Mind and Resources’, but I don’t know what resources they have but I guess it’s best to be prepared (as the Boy Scouts say). OK, enough with the boring stuff let’s take a look at that plate.

I initially liked the resemblance of the state flag on the plate and upon further viewing, I still like it. The colours are supposed to resemble a sunrise but it doesn’t really resemble that at all. I would’ve preferred them using their state colour, indigo, throughout the plate and maybe just directly related the plate to the flag. Indigo background, with a white crescent moon, palmetto and font. That would make it more resemble Michigan’s old plate but the indigo would make the blue deeper and darker and, I think, would’ve made the white lettering pop a bit more. Alas, this is what we have.

I like that it’s different from the other plates we’ve seen. The blending of the colours looks much better than the New Jersey plate. Mainly because the colours compliment each other and seem more natural as if it were an actual sunrise. I really like the palmetto tree in the middle as it naturally draws your eye right to the centre of the plate and then up and the moon and then you see ‘South Carolina’. Seems mystical with the crescent moon there and the sunrise gives it a sleepy/relaxing feel. Having never been to South Carolina I would assume that it’s a nice place to live and visit.

Aha! Then there’s the website I should go to: Travel2SC.com. But, like Pennsylvania before it, why are they telling people who own cars and RVs in South Carolina to go to that website? Do they assume that South Carolinians get around in their cars and travel often enough that people from other states will see them traveling down the road and think ‘Hey let’s go to South Carolina!’ I might think ‘Hey!, Why’re people from South Carolina everywhere else but South Carolina? Must not be the place to live…’ That’s a bit of a stretch but I am sure that there are some people out there that will think that way.

Overall, I like that the plate is different and the numbers and tree and moon really stand out. I just wish the ‘South Carolina’ was the as dark as the numbers. With that being the only drawback I give this plate a B+.

5 Things I hope to see & hear less of in 2012

2011 has ended. Now that it’s 2012 here are 5 things I hope to see & hear less of in 2012. They are, for lack of a better reason, things that just really pissed me off this year because they were constantly in my face and ears on account of they were considered popular. In 2012, I hope they go away.

1. Adele – Back in March of 2011 I was driving up to the Bay Area and I was listening to BBC Radio 1 and I heard Adele for the first time. I’ll admit, I liked her voice and her overall sound and then I dismissed her. That was until her album ‘21’ started blowing up Stateside and her voice was just about all I had heard. I began hearing ‘Rolling in the Deep’ on the Top 40 stations, then the easy listening ones, at baseball games, and finally on the local rock stations(?!). I’m sorry, what? I missed the part where Adele was considered rock. Now with ‘Someone Like You’ I’ve heard at least a snippet of it every single day as I tune my radio dial. I hate that song. The overexposure has caused me to hate Adele as well and it’s not because of anything she has done, it’s all on the radio/media’s part. I blame them completely. Now, there are a few Adele songs that I like, ‘Chasing Pavements’ being one of them, but you never hear that on the radio. Will Adele be less of a factor in 2012? Early on, no, but as the year progresses I’m sure the gushing love for her will wane and people will move on to the next big thing in pop music. God help us.

2. The Foo Fighters & Red Hot Chili Peppers – This one is more of a ‘I hope to hear less of these guys forever’ because let’s face it the amount of radio play these two bands get is ridiculous. Now that they each have a new album out I feel more inclined to listen to anything other than these bands when their songs play.

A. Let’s start with the Foo. I do enjoy a good Foo Fighters song, ‘Monkey Wrench’ and ‘Everlong’ immediately come to mind but there was a period when they churned out an album every 2-3 years but it felt like they never left. They would release a single then that would get played out and then another and then another and then another and then before you know it they have another album out with another single and another and the cycle kept repeating and it came to a point where I just said ENOUGH! ALL OF IT SOUNDS THE SAME!! How do these guys keep winning Grammy’s when their sound has not evolved? I’m annoyed as all get out and to top it all off they just released another album and, what feels like, three singles all at once in ‘Walk’, ‘Rope’, and ‘These Days’. Ugh, go away already. Less is more. I appreciate the break you took between your last album in 2007 until now but c’mon, I’m sick of it.

B. RHCP. My freshman year in college I lived down the hall from a guy who would play his bass along with the Chili Peppers and at first I didn’t mind, but then I found out that all he played along with and listened to was the Chili Peppers. Couple that with the release of their double-album ‘Stadium Arcadium’ (ugh) and you have the perfect storm for me to begin to loathe the Chili Peppers for life. Like the Foo Fighters, they have a new album out and also like them I hate the songs they play on the radio. ‘Rain Dance Maggie’ is a perfect example of this mainly because it’s a gibberish title, which is what they are about, but I that song is just plain awful. I’m sick of the Chili Peppers and their jumble of words to make rhymes about California. I get it you’re from Los Angeles, congratulations, just let me enjoy ‘Californication’ and ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ and leave me be. I don’t want new Chili Peppers and the constant play of their new crap has lessened my liking of their classics because I’m tired of their sound. By the way, I used to like the Chili Peppers. Used to.

3. Food Trucks – It’s convenient (if you can find it)! It’s fast (sometimes)! It’s gourmet (but causes heartburn)! It’s fusion (because no one else puts Mexican & German food together for a reason)! It’s a damn food truck. These things popped up everywhere over the last year with menus ranging from macaroni & cheese to lobster and sometimes both. Food trucks need to go away. I don’t want to stand in a line in the rain or in the hot sun waiting for a sweaty guy or girl to make me a bleu cheese and bacon slider when I could be sitting down in a restaurant with air conditioning and having a sweaty guy or girl make the exact same thing. That, and I don’t want to have to drive somewhere different every time to get food I like. Contribute to the local economy, buy some real estate and open up shop. Until then, stay off my streets.

4. Angry Birds – ‘WTF is an Angry Bird?’ is a question I asked my friend one day and he showed me a game – not on his phone (because he doesn’t have the game) but a video clip of it. Damn, that shit is annoying. I can see how it’s addicting but I am tired of seeing those Angry Birds everywhere. From Pistachio ads to iPhone/iPod ads to t-shirts and plush toys I cannot escape them. Hopefully 2012 brings a different kind of bird flu.

5. Pop-House Music Fusion – I’m a fan of House music and I tend to like some Pop songs but lately, and especially in 2011, there was an influx of pop stars collaborating with DJ’s to create songs with catchy beats and house influences that instantly become hits because they are easily accessible. Whether it’s Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) ‘We Found Love’ or Flo Rida’s ‘Good Feeling’ it’s all over the place and tainting the water supply that is good House music. If you want to listen to good House music try Vitalic or Junior Jack. The stuff they play on the radio is easily digestible and instantly forgettable. Here’s to hoping 2012 fades out this Pop-House trend.

Will these disappear or lessen in prominence 2012? Probably not. But a guy can hope can’t he?