Sunday, February 22, 2009

Just when I think i'm out...

Jeez, has is really been has it really been five months since my last post here? Time really flies when you're suffering from blogger burnout.

Following the culmination of the extremely LONG 2008 baseball season, which ended with the Red Sox suffering a devastating seven game ALCS defeat at the hand os the the upstart Devil Rays, who subsequently went on to lose one of the most craptacular World series in recent memory, my creative juices were flowing at an all time slow. Couple that with the gut-punch season-ending injury Tom Brady suffered in the first quarter of Game 1 of the 2008 NFL season, and it's easy to understand why my blogging battery was empty.

But if there's one thing that can always bring me out of the off-season doldrums, it's the Oscars.

That's right, the World series, the Super Bowl, the election of America's first African-American president and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression couldn't bring me to contribute one measly post in the past five months, but roll out the red carpet in front of the Kodak theater, and I'm all in.

Let's be clear, the reason I'm inclined to write right now is not because I'm a sappy sucker who gets all goo-goo eyed at the sight of pompous and pampered celebs patronizing the ticket buying public as well as each other by pretending to be more important than the president for one evening a year (who am I kidding, they think they're more important than the president EVERY other evening, too). No, the reason I reentered the blogosphere is because I can't stand the arrogance of the voting Academy, which every year ignores obvious candidates for the major awards and selects films and stars based soley on & promises, politics and posturing.

Now I realize this is not a new practice. Obvious winners have been getting snuubbed for decades, starting with Citizen Kane in 1941 and including dozens of movies, actors and actresses which were either nominated and didn't win, or more embarrasingly, never nominated at all.

Which brings me to the point of this piece (finally). Before Hollywood hands out the hardware for the 81st time tonight, I wanted to go on record with my five nominations for Best Picture, based on films I have seen and regardless of genre, box office gross or pedigree. Remember, these picks are based on the films I've seen, and any omissions I may be guilty of are not due to purposeful slight, but from lack of sight.
Unlike former indie Best picture darlings Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, Slumdog takes a woe-is-me plot (boy from the tough streets of Mumbai with a hardscrabble upbriniging) and turns it into the feel-good movie of the year. Viewers happily go along for the ride as Jamal (Dev Patel) braves every conceivable obstacle to be reunited with the love of his life, the radiantly beautiful Latika (Freida Pinto), including making it to the final round of India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Boyle's directing is superb, the cinematography, blending modern Mumbai with its dark, dirty roots, is mesmerizing, and the performances from the cast of unknowns will have you on the edge of your seat until the breathtaking final answer. Everything you could ask from a BP nominee and more, this slumdog is destined to rule the streets on Hollywood's biggest night.

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 13 noms, including Best Picture, Actor & Director
If ever there was an appropriate title for a film come Oscar time, this is it, for the case of Button going from Best Picture frontrunner to near-guaranteed also-ran is a curious one indeed.

Featuring an all-star cast (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, suppporting actress nominee Taraji P. Henson), an esteemed director (David Finchter, Seven, Zodiac) and a respected pedigree (a screenplay adapted by Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story), plus a huge marketing campaign, Button had all the makings of sure-fire Best Picture winner.

But a strange thing happened along the way to immortality for the big-budgeted ($150 mil) Button - it got trounced in the pre-Oscar parade of awards and suddenly found itself losing all of its momentum to the upstart Slumdog in the court of public perception. Sure the tale, about a man (Pitt) who ages in reverse, has all the elements of a BP fave - star power, schmaltz factor, boffo box office, lengthy run time - but suddenly all those factors meant nothing as the Slumdog espress kept gaining momentum.

Bottom line is Button is a fine movie, filled with awe-inspiring visual effects, terrific performances and tender moments, but it does not lift the spirits and  tug the heart like the Mumbai millionaire does. That has left Button destined to finish as a distant runner-up when the hardware is handed out.

-WALL-E 6 noms including Best Animated Feature and Original Screenplay
Here is where I start to differ from the stuffed shirts that make up the voting members of the Academy. If a film is good enough, emotional enough and well made enough to both inspire and entertain, why should it be penalized from being included in the Best Picture race simply because it is animated?

For the simple reason that the voters don't believe animated films are deserving of such high praise, evidently.

In the 81 year history of the Oscars, just one film has been deemed worthy enough of such a distinction, Disney's Beauty & the Beast in 1991. Not the Incredibles, not Finding Nemo, not Shrek, not even Bambi, has been able to sway the stodgy voters to see the light that animation can elicit the same emotions and reactions in viewers that live actions films do.

And if ever there was a film to break through that technicolor barrier, WALL-E was it. Like Slumdog, WALL-E takes a simple premise - love and the things people, errr robots, will do for it - and turns it into a magical mystery tour full of harrowing moments, awesome visuals and good old fashioned fun.

Except that isn't good enough for inclusion into filmdom's hierarchy, according to the Academy, because those backward thinking buffoons believe anything that's drawn must be considered kiddie entertainment.

I say that's bullshit, and anyone who has seen WALL-E (and who hasn't) will probabaly agree with me. The time has come to get out of the dark ages and let these amazing animated achievements of cinematic beauty take their place among the Academy's elite. I mean any film that can make a cockroach lovable has to be considered great, right?

-The Dark Knight 8 noms including Best Cinematography & Supporting Actor 
The same setbacks and sterotypes that the Academy applies to the animated genre also fits the superhero/ action/blockbuster realm - these popcorn flicks are too simple, too silly and too...flashy to be considered for Best Picture nomination.

Except the latest installment in director Christopher Nolan's resurrected Batman franchise not only puts those antiquated theories to rest, it turns a whole genre on its ear by making superhero blockbusters not just fun, but respectable forms of entertainment.

Sure the film has its share of flaws, and it's filled with enough mayhem and explosions to make the Unabomber giddy, but so did the Godfather, no? But the fact is the film is the second-highest grossing picture of all time, has shattere demographic guidelines and transcended the traditional audience of fanboys and males aged 13-56 and features one of the most memorable villians in cinematic history, Heath Ledger's Joker. Shouldn't that mean the movie should be considered on of the year's best? In my opion the answer is an obvious 'yes'.

-Tropic Thunder 1 nom, Best Supporting Actor
Another snub due to genre, this hilarious inside Hollywood spoof from director/star Ben Stiller mangaed to turn a slew of genres on their ear while remaining well-acted, directed and intentioned.

Like horror, animation and action, comedies traditionally get no respect when it comes to Oscar time, as if funny movies can't be as great as dramas. But Stiller's film combines many elements - action, comedy, satire, drama - and turns them into one heck of an entertaining film.

While Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of extreme method actor Kirk Lazarus garnered the most attention and the film's sole nomination, the truth is that the whole movie contained enough excellent performances, sidesplitting moments and social skewering to al least earn Stiller a screenwriting nod. But perhaps the Hollywood upper crust does not think highly of the stabs Stiller takes at the types of people who make the decision to nominate such flicks.

Besides, any film that can get Tom Cruise to make fun of himself, and be hilarious at it, should receive special attention, shouldn't it?

No matter. We know how good these films are, and until the Academy decides to get in on the joke, it will forever be considered the butt of such snubs.

Happy viewing.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

NLF 2008 Week 2: Life After Brady

The day the music died in New England
Not sure if you heard about this, but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury eight minutes into the opening game last Sunday.

And at that moment, the 2008 NFL season unofficially ended for New England fans.

Now, some people (read: unmitigated homers and eternal "glass half full" optimists) are trying to put a positive spin on the devastating loss by implying that career backup Matt Cassel could come in and make like his mentor by "pulling a Brady", a.k.a doing what Brady did when he replaced injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and go on to league superstardom.

Me, I don't buy it for a second.

For one reason, Cassel hasn't started a football game since high school. He was permanently parked behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC, and then all-everything league poster boy Brady in New England for the last four years. That type of resume doesn't portend to years of success in this league.

For another, he isn't that good. He's somewhat mobile, somewhat accurate, and somewhat efficient. But nothing that he has done, in four years of preseason action and mop up duty, strikes you as seeing a player who has star potential. He looks very much like a career backup, which is what he has been his whole career.

For these reason I say the Pats season is over. Oh sure, they might win 10-12 games, thanks to a weak schedule and the pitiful parity that plagues the league nowadays, but so what. A first round playoff loss is not what Pats fans and players strive for, not with three Lombardi trophies already residing in Foxborough.

No matter what else happens, anything less than a fourth trophy is a failure for this team. And if New England couldn't win that last season with Tommy Boy, then I'm willing to go out on a limb and say they're not going to win it this season without him.

But you're welcome to go out and prove me wrong, Matt.
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As for the rest of the league, there were plenty of other injuries in Week 1 to depress other fan bases as well. Chargers DE Shawne Merriman finally smartened up and decided to have reconstructive surgery on his mangled knee, so his season is over; New Orleans lost potent offensive weapon WR Marques Colston for 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury; and Titans QB Vince Young injured more than his knee in a win over Jacksonville, as a bizarre scene unfolded in which the police were called to locate VY after his mom worried he might kill himself.

Other than that it was a quite Week 1.

Some surprises included the Cowboys dismantling the supposed playoff-contending Browns; ditto the Broncos destroying the hapless (again) Raiders; the Panthers snuck a last second victory out from under the Chargers; and Brett Favre led the Jets to a win over a game Miami team in his debut with Gang Green.

All of this makes for a wide open season (what else is new), and of course there are some key games to keep an eye on this week. Here are some to watch in my special "farewell to football in Foxborough" edition of the Top 5, complete with my predictions:

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Sunday, September 07, 2008

NFL 2008 Kickoff

So I see the last time I posted here was in mid-July. Whoa. Guess I let this one get away from me.

But as the 2008 NFL season is about to get underway I thought I'd better get back to blogging and give my thoughts on what might transpire this year.

Without further ado, here are my five stories to watch for this season and five game to watch this week. No betting info here. It's been long enough since I posted, why alienate the few readers I have left with my piss-poor picks.

Top 5 Stories of the Year:

1.) How will the Pats rebound from 2007?
Since the Patriots failed to complete their perfect season and culminate their undefeated run with another world title, the chant "18-1" has replaced the old familiar Red Sox "1918" refrain as the mocking cry for Boston haters.

Hard to argue with them, too, because coming so close to perfection only to come up short (thanks to a one-in-a-million, miraculous, lucky catch) hurt us pretty badly. But this is a new season, and the Pats have a clean slate and a whole host of issues to overcome in order to make it back to the Bowl.

For starters, Tom Brady missed the entire preseason with a foot injury, so no one is sure how healthy he is and how he will get out of the gate in the opener against Kansas City. he says he's fine, but there's gotta be some rust since he hasn't thrown a meaningful pass since February.

Also the defense has been severely altered in the off season. Stud DB Assante Samuel took the money and ran to Philly, aging LB Junior Seau was not brought back, and a unit that was already pretty old got a year older. Throw in a couple of ugly arrests, the lingering spectre of Spygate, and the hangover effect of falling short in an otherwise stellar season, and all eyes are going to be on New England, especially in the beginning of the year.

2.) Brett the Jet
As you may have heard, Brett Favre went from the Green Bay Packers, where he played in every game since 1992, to the New York J-E-T-S in a ballyhooed unretirement that made headlines throughout the summer.

Now that he has swapped his cheeseheads for the Cosmo crowd, how will the self described redneck adjust to life in the big city, with a new team, new scheme, new coaches, and most important of all, new ugly unis?

I saw somewhere that he has gotten more and more comfortable in the Big Apple as time has passed, but to me that's like saying a wild animal got used to his life in the zoo. They may have adjusted to their new surroundings, but that doesn't mean they are liking it.

Favre will be under the microscope all season, as detractors will be looking to pounce on every misstep and sign of despair and fire off a "he should've stayed retired" story. But don't be surprised if Brett the Jet takes that chip on his shoulder and turns in a playoff berth. Oh, and expect a lot of interceptions, too.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

MLB Mid Season Report and other misc. items

I know, I know, because of my many other endeavors, I've been shirking my duties here at the place it all started for me, TBB.

Shame on me for neglecting my roots.

But with the All Star break upon us I've got a little break in the blogging action, so I wanted to take this time to catch up on things here on my original site.

First of all I want to report that my new nephew, Luke Franklin Starke, who turns three months old today, has turned out to be a very healthy and happy baby boy, despite the fact that he lives in New York.

But as you can tell from this photo, he is clearly being raised the right way:


Good job, Sis (and Nana)!

The second item I need to address is the fact that my talented brother-in-law, Paul Starke, was rewarded for producing such a terrific son by receiving an Emmy for the show he produces/writes for, The Tyra Banks Show.

At the Daytime Emmy Awards last month, the Tyra show was named Best Talk Show-Informative, and Paul was right up on stage when Tyra accepted the statue. Click the link to see a video of the moment (Paul is directly to the left of Tyra, right at the bottom of her hair extensions).

Kudos and congrats to my sister and her hubby for the awesome additions to their lives, and just want you guys to know how proud I am of you both.

Okay, now that the sappy family sentimentality is out of the way, it's time to get back to business. And since my business lately has been baseball, that's what I'm gonna cover now.

If you remember back when I was posting original content here I did a 2008 baseball preview piece. In it I predicted all the division and playoff winners, as well as the major award winners in each league.

Well, like any good blogger worth his salt, I'm back to recap my picks, ready to rip myself for all my silly mistakes and break my arm patting myself on the back for all my correct calls.

So if you're interested, keep reading. if not, please be sure to check out my stuff on the other sites.

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