30 years?!?

It’s hard to believe that it has been thirty years since The Empire Strikes Back came out. Going to see it on opening night was one of the defining film-going moments of my childhood…and we didn’t even get in.

I was nine years old and we lived in Bolton, Massachusetts, a small suburban town without a movie theatre. Dad loaded up the whole family and we drove in to Boston to catch an evening show. There were certainly closer theatres we could have hit—Acton, Leominster, and Worcester were three of our usual go-tos at the time—but dad clearly knew that this was “An Event.” We parked in a big garage, walked to a busy downtown theatre…and got shut out about half a dozen spots before we were due to get our tickets. For some reason I don’t even remember being crushed about it, although I’m sure I was at the time. I’m not even positive when I finally did catch the movie, though I’m guessing it was on Saturday at one of those other theatres. But what I do remember is that Dad took me to Boston to see what ended up being one of the most important movies of my life.

My dad and I certainly have different movie-watching tastes. He is more discerning, and I’d guess that at this point he makes it out to a theatre maybe once a year. But he was a huge part of turning me into a movie fan as a kid, and I have vivid memories of many dad-related film experiences. We got a VCR very early on, and dad rented an additional one from the store on the same day that he came home with “Star Wars” and “Superman.” It was my first video piracy experience and nothing could have made me happier than having those two flicks at my disposal any time I wanted. This was shortly after our first video store rental experience: Dad came home with the classic (and recently reimagined) “Clash of the Titans.” My son A.J. is only three, and not quite ready for the full-on splash into big time action flicks yet, but I only hope that when the day comes he enjoys watching those kinds of movies with his dad as much as I did.

Summer of '10 - stuff I'm looking forward to

There's lots of great stuff on the way this summer. Here are a few things I'm psyched about.

May 7 - Iron Man 2. Okay, so May 7 isn't even really summer yet, but the release of this sequel is definitely the start of summer movie season and I'm beyond excited about this one. I loved Iron Man, and everything great about the first one looks like it has been ramped up for the sequel. I couldn't be more in. I plan on catching it in IMAX.

May 18 - Red Dead Redemption for PlayStation3. An open world, first person game set in the dying days of the Old West from the makers of Grand Theft Auto. I've checked out some videos of the game play and this one looks absolutely amazing. I don't have time to play video games as much as I used to--sad and shocking, I know--but I will find some time to give this one a good run. My hopes are high.

May 23 - The Lost finale. I have no idea how it is going to end, aside from knowing that they have to bridge the island and flash-sideways worlds together somehow. I do know that there is no way they can answer every last lingering question or tie up all the loose ends. It's impossible. But it will be really entertaining to see exactly what they do and how they do it.

June 18 - Toy Story 3. First theatrical movie experience for AJ? Could be. I think he might still be a little young, so I may hold off until '11 for Kung Fu Panda 2 or Cars 2. But this might work.

June 27 - Entourage season premiere on HBO. Last season was pretty sub par and it could be the beginning of the end, but I don't care. I'll watch this every week until it's done. If that makes me a little douchey by default, so be it.

Mid-July - Family trip to Cape Cod. This is definitely a highlight of the year. Last year we drove, and the trip up was surprisingly painless. The boy was phenomenal in the car, and also did well staying in hotels for the first time. But this time, just like with anything else we try to do now, the degree of difficulty will increase exponentially with two kids instead of one. Courtney is adorable, but she can also turn into a little demon at the drop of a hat. However, at the time we leave she'll be almost eight months old instead of the five-ish she is now, and those few months could make a huge difference. Or maybe I'm just deluding myself, and it will be two days of sheer hell. But I really hate air travel at this point, and anything else seems like a better option.

August - The Red Sox move into first place in the AL East. This one looks wildly optimistic right now, so what better time to make a bold prediction?

Random

The frequency (or lack thereof) with which I blog is pretty pathetic. So here are just some random thoughts so I can at least post something and try to get back into some sort of blogging schedule.

* I saw Kick-Ass and it was almost mind-blowingly entertaining. I'm trying to think of a movie I've seen over the last decade with a more rewarding third act and I'm coming up empty.

* The Red Sox are back to .500, thanks to stellar starting pitching the last two games: Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz combined to go 15 innings, allowing just eight hits and one run while striking out 15. I still feel good about the composition of this team, especially once we get healthy. The starting pitching is strong and deep, and the defense can't help but play better than they have. If we need another stick or a power bullpen arm, then we'll go get it at the deadline.

* The Celtics looked pretty strong in the first round demolition of the Miami Heat. Drawing the Cavaliers in the second round is a nightmare, but I at least think the Celts will make it interesting. The C's were actually stronger on the road than at home this year, so if they can steal game one in Cleveland then the series could be epic.

* I love The Office and I still watch it every week, but if next year is the final season of Steve Carell's deal then that is the perfect time to shut it down and say goodbye. The last two seasons just haven't been as funny as what came before it, and right now the show is consistently running fourth out of NBC's Thursday night comedy block for me. They had a great run, but I'd hate to see them hang around too long.

Random annoyances of the week

Three things that are bugging me more than they deserve

1. The wanton references to any chosen fan base as "(blank) Nation." Sure, I'm a little possessive about this one, because obviously Red Sox Nation is the most well known, and it also happens to be appropriate. Travel anywhere and you'll find Red Sox fans. I was at a castle in the French countryside in '86 and ran into a kid my age wearing a Sox hat, and I ended up talking to him for ten minutes, getting a full report on Roger Clemens' brilliant performance in the All-Star game just days before, which I had missed because I was in Europe. That is a "nation" of fans. Throwing "Steeler Nation" around just because they won the most recent Super Bowl is stupid and annoying, and it really needs to stop.

2. Cell phone one-ear headsets. I know that people like these, and if I talked on my phone a lot I probably would too. But these people just remind me of Lobot from The Empire Strikes Back.

3. Americans that call soccer "football." Just stop it. Or move to a country that cares about soccer. Or better yet, just stop watching soccer.

The problem with Potter

On Friday evening Beth got her grandmother to come babysit AJ and we went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I love the books. I kind of like most of the movies. This one was made perfectly competently, but the ultimate problem is that trying to cram all of that rich, detailed writing into one two and a half hour flick always results in the same thing: the feeling that you've just had someone describe what it was like reading the Cliff Notes of that particular book. Prisoner of Akzaban seems to be universally viewed as the best of the movies thus far, and yet it's my least favorite. It might be great if you've never read the books, but I'll never know. Strangely, I think Chamber of Secrets is one of the best of the movies, and I'm almost positive it's my least enjoyable book of the series.

As for the recent offering, I've been writing a lot lately and that led me to watch it thinking about decisions that the writer made. There were some odd omissions and choices, to say the least. But really, it's a thankless task for the screenwriter. If he sticks to the material, the result invariably gets dubbed as "slavish to the source material," or some other nonsense. If the script veers too much in another direction, then it just infuriates the fans. There's no way to do it perfectly. Actually, there might be: film it as a cable series, with about a dozen episodes dedicated to each book. I think that could do the trick, and I really wonder if someone will attempt that some day.

Despite the fact that I think not one of the movies has hit it out of the park yet, they might have a shot of doing so with the upcoming, two part Deathly Hallows in 2010 and 2011. I'll be getting a baysitter then too.

The List - #19 completed

#19. Watch a Lord of the Rings marathon.

Admittedly, this is not a big, life-altering item from The List. But it sounded like a lot of fun, and as a movie fan it is definitely something I should do at least once. I didn't know when I would get around to this one, since I have found that the older A.J. gets, the tougher it is to sit down and watch a single flick uninterrupted, let alone an epic trilogy. And I certainly didn't think it would take place this past weekend. But that's exactly what happened.

My brother's wife and kids are on the Cape right now, so since he was home alone he came down to visit for the weekend. We grilled up some burgers and dogs for the 4th and settled in to watch the Red Sox. Except that didn't happen, as we were screwed yet again by the ridiculous FOX Saturday blackout rules, despite paying pretty big bucks for the Extra Innings package. Thus, without baseball, we had to do something else. Somehow the possibility of doing this came up, and before we could talk ourselves out of it I grabbed the extended edition DVDs and loaded them into the player. Total running time: 681 minutes. We started shortly after 2 PM. It also warrants mentioning that we started drinking immediately.

The first crisis came before we even began when we realized we were low on ice. I don't want to throw all the blame on the wife, but I don't know anyone else in the house that fixes 64 ounce cups of ice water. Anway, she later rectified the situation by running out to the store. Not only did she get ice, but she completely loaded us up with mixers, snacks, and even a cooler so we could keep everything within arm's reach. This was huge.

Early on during Fellowship I decided I had to update our progress somehow, so I made a Facebook post announcing that we were embarking on the trilogy, and then I followed that up with Twitter updates. This was a much bigger hit with some friends than I anticipated, as nearly immediately a couple of buddies chimed in, excited by what they thought was a great idea. They also insisted on running commentary via Twitter, and I was all too happy to oblige. Overall, the trilogy viewing was a lot of fun, although it was also more grueling than I imagined. I hit the wall about halfway through ROTK but I battled through to the end.

I don't know if doing this with all six Star Wars movies will be easier or harder, but I will definitely try that too at some point.

28 awesome things from 2008

There are always tons of "best of" lists right around New Year's Day. Here is one more. Instead of a Top 10, or a Top 100, or anything so rigid and structured, here are just 28 things from 2008 that were awesome. They are not comprehensive, and they are not in any order. But they are awesome.

• Season four of Lost, especially on Blu-Ray.
• The 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics.
• The Dark Knight, especially Heath Ledger's brilliant performance.
• Season three of Dexter.
• Metallica: Death Magnetic and LIVE at Alltel Arena.
• Dustin Pedroia: Sun Devil, Red Sock, and AL MVP.
• Iron Man.
• Tropic Thunder.
• The Robert Downey Jr. resurgence in general.
• Rock Band 2.
• My second straight Chatham Bluefish Diamond Mind baseball championship.
• Scream Queens on VH1.
• Terra Naomi's acoustic hair band covers.
• The fact that a new GNR album actually came out, and it's good.
• Friday Night Lights, and the fact that it is still on TV at all.
  
• Survivor and The Amazing Race still being fairly entertaining.
• Pretty much everything AJ McC does, including his hilarious exploding vocabulary.
• Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash. Try some with vodka and thank me later.
• ZaZa pizza in Little Rock. The huge high heat woodburning oven is the key.
• The fact that a new movie theatre (with an Imax screen) opened right down the street, even if I don't get to go there as often as I'd like.
• That a guy who kind of rocks won American Idol.
• The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly.
• Tina Fey, both on 30 Rock and SNL.
• Van Halen LIVE at Alltel Arena.
• Catching my first Red Sox game in way too long, with a rooftop table under the Budwesier sign.
• Two Vegas trips, an AZ fire up, and a Cape Cod vacation (with the Boston trip in the middle of it).
• Lots of cool shows on the Food Network. Seriously.
• WiiFit.

And eight things that were not so awesome:

• 18-1. Still pisses me off.
• The ASU football season. An entirely different kind of letdown.
• The Sox losing game 7 of the ALCS when they clearly could have been champs again if just a couple of guys stayed healthy.
• Watching shitty teams flounder in the 2008 NFL playoffs while the superior Patriots sit at home. Sickening.
• The economy, including our old house still being on the market.
• The disgusting New York Yankees offseason spending spree.
  
• Heroes. Season one started great, and since then it's been pretty bad. And yet, I continue to watch.
• The complete tabloidization of the American media. Didn't CNN used to be a respected news outlet? Now they are People magazine with some news thrown in. Go ahead, check the website right now. What's on there? A video of Harrison Ford getting his chest waxed, apparently. And network news shows are just as bad. I cannot do it. I basically hate the news, now. I really do. Thankfully technology exists that lets me consume only what I want, for the most part. Okay. Rant over. I hope everyone has a great 2009.
  

Pop Culture Calendar

Fall is a great time of year for new pop culture stuff from every medium. Here's a Top 25 list of what I'm looking forward to:

(25. The Matt Cassel era in Foxboro. Okay, this doesn't really count but I wanted 25 items on the list. And I am genuinely excited about it in a weird way.)

24. The return of "good" reality shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Biggest Loser. Yes, I know the term might seem like an oxymoron, but the summer network TV schedule was downright depressing. America's Top Dog? People jumping on giant rubber balls? Japanese game shows? Really, this is the best we could do in the wake of the strike? I'm telling you, I really should be in network TV programming because I promise I could do better than this.

23. 30 Rock (season 2) on DVD. This show is brilliant. They catch some flak for the crazy number of guest stars, but it really works within the context of the show. Season two had some legendary moments that I'm really looking forward to watching again. Werewolf bar mitzvah, anyone?

22. Rough Weather, a novel by Robert B. Parker. His novels have been hit or miss lately, but I still pick up every Spenser book as soon as it comes out. This will be no exception.

21. Spore PC videogame. This comes from the makers of "The Sims" and could have been titled "SimEverything." You create your own life forms and guide them through various stages of evolution, from the birth of their existence through intergalactic space travel. Yeah, super geeky. Whatever, I'm in.

20. Chuck (season 1) on DVD. This is one of the most enjoyable shows on television. I was hooked right from the pilot and I cannot wait to watch the incredible first season again. The nearly no-name cast is one of the best on TV.

19. Entourage season 5 on HBO. I have an irrational love for this show, and it will be interesting to see the course it takes this year after lead character Vincent Chase suffered a box office bomb to wrap up season four.

18. Just After Sunset, a short story collection from Stephen King. This one is a must for me. Some of his past short stories are classics.

17. Fringe, on FOX. It's Sci-Fi, it's J.J. Abrams, and it's got Pacey from Dawson's Creek. That is not the order of things that makes me interested in this show but I'll be giving it a shot.

16. Lost season four on Blu-Ray (December). It looks absolutely gorgeous in Hi Def and some of last year's plot points practically demand a second viewing. The Constant? The (spoiler alert?) island-moving frozen donkey wheel? Jin going kablooie? Yeah, I need to see everything again.

15. Heroes season three on NBC. I like the fact that the producers outright admitted that they made some major mistakes last year. The writers' strike killed any momentum that they could have generated at the end of the year, so I think shutting it down and starting up this fall was the right call. Everything I've seen and read so far looks promising.

14. and 13. (tie) How I Met Your Mother, seasons three (DVD) and four (CBS). I was a latecomer to this show, which is kind of a problem...because it is absolutely AWESOME. Everything about it is great. The concept is as fresh as could be for a multi-cam sitcom. The cast is incredibly appealing. The writing is sharp and hilarious. I just love this show! Here's my only problem: I'm still catching up via DVD, so I'm a full season behind, and the new season starts over a month earlier than last season's DVD comes out. Who scheduled that?!? Terrible call. But I'll DVR it until I get caught up in October. It will be legen...wait for it...DARY!

12. 30 Rock season three on NBC. This show might be going down but they're going down swinging. Bring on more stunt guest star casting. Whatever it takes to keep it alive!


11. The Brass Verdict, a novel by Michael Connelly. I think he has supplanted Parker as my favorite crime fiction writer going today. Everything he writes is thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, and this new one looks like a crossover title involving his main guy, Harry Bosch, and recently introduced lawyer Mickey Haller. I'm in. If you have never read him and enjoy a good cop/P.I. yarn, just start at the beginning. You'll love them.

10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Blu-Ray. This was really clever, funny, and cute. I'm not sure how they are coming up with enough extras to fill up three regular DVDs but I can't wait to find out. Russell Brand was hilarious in this, unlike his trainwreck of a showing hosting the MTV awards on Sunday.

9. The Office season five on NBC. I adore this show. The Supersizing episodes last fall may not have been the best idea, but as a whole they had a great year. I cannot wait to see where and how things pick up this fall.

8. The Force Unleashed videogame on PS3. Kicking ass and using the full array of Force powers as Darth Vader's secret apprentice between episodes three and four? Hell yeah! The video clips look phenomenal. I apologize in advance for all the poor Wookiees I'm going to slaughter playing this game. I still love you, Wookiees. Nothing personal.


7. Iron Man on Blu-Ray. The Dark Knight might be a better film, but Iron Man was probably the most enjoyable movie of the summer. I can't to pop this one in again and watch it in glorious HD.

6. Chuck season two on NBC. I watched a six minute trailer of the upcoming season that they showed at ComiCon and...wow. It looks incredible. Kudos to NBC for giving this show the support it deserves.

5. Quantum of Solace, in theatres in November. Casino Royale rocked and the whole James Bond reboot idea was long overdue. I hear this one picks up ten minutes after the end of the last movie. Cool idea. I'm so there.

4. Downtown Owl, a novel by Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman has become my favorite writer. His pop culture books are instant classics, whether I completely agree with what he is saying or almost laugh out loud at some ridiculous positions he takes. This is his first novel and I'm in, sight unseen. I don't know what it's about, and I don't care. He might be the only author that I can say that about right now: that I will immediately buy whatever he writes without knowing a thing about it: fiction, non-fiction, whatever. He's that entertaining. Okay, the same goes for Bill Simmons, my long lost twin brother. But that's a blog for another day.

3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in theatres October 31. Kevin Smith. Seth Rogen. Elizabeth Banks. Justin Long. Amateurs making a porno spoofing Star Wars. Yes, I'll be seeing this one. Also, I guarantee that this is Smith's biggest box office success to date, and it won't even be close.

2. Rock Band 2 videogame for PS3. Rock Band was one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of videogames, and it is so fun it's ridiculous. From all accounts they've taken everything great and improved it for round two. This cannot come out soon enough for me.


1. DEATH MAGNETIC, a CD by Metallica, available Friday. I've heard a few snippets of several of the songs and it sounds far and away like the best stuff they have done since The Black Album. One review I read said it's like a missing album bridging that and "...And Justice For All." St. Anger was almost impossible to listen to, so my hopes are high for a rebound. So far it sounds amazing.

So that's what I'll be consuming this fall.

The Diablo Cody Backlash

Latest 'It' Talent Feeling Backlash

Boo hoo.

It's an odd situation. Screenwriters almost never get any recognition, so I should be fundamentally happy for her to begin with. And yet I'm not, for a couple of reasons.

#1. I haven't even seen "Juno" yet and I'm already kind of sick of it. It's wonderful that this little movie has made $125 million, but I'm already tired of the dialogue just from the snippets, clips, commercials, and promos that I've seen, and that's absurd. If I have to hear poor Rainn Wilson say "this is one diddle that can't be undid, home skillet," one more time I think I'm going to snap.

#2. It might be a fantastic screenplay. At least on some level, I'm pretty sure it is. And that's great, for the movie, for her, and for independent film in general. Did she deserve the Oscar? Maybe. Probably, even? Who knows. But the sheer amount of attention she's getting is absurd, and I just want to know if she'd be getting it all, or anything close to it, if A) she didn't look like she does B) she didn't have "former stripper" on her resume, and C) she hadn't changed her name to the ridiculous moniker Diablo Cody.

Maybe I should change my name. Lucifer Laramie, perhaps?

Anyway, I've already got Juno in the Netflix queue. But I'll be perfectly happy if I don't see her name again until the movie's credits roll.

2007 Lists

The end of the year seems to prompt everyone to write all sorts of different "best of" and "worst of" lists. I figured I'd do the same thing. However, for many of these, I prefer to use the term "my favorite," since that is really all anyone's list is. Who is to say a movie is "better" than another movie? Anyway...

MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2007

I need to preface this by saying that since the little addition to our family came along in March, my movie attendance rate has plummeted a staggering amount. I almost never get to the theatre anymore, which means that I have not seen most of the late-year awards bait flicks that will grace most other "best of" lists. Netflix is now my dear friend. So...

5. Ratatouille. It's smart, it's cute, it's fun, and, as all Pixar movies do, it looks phenomenal. I've only watched it once so far and my only quibble is that it feels about 10-15 minutes too long. However, it's already in the collection and I eagerly look forward to watching this with A.J. in the not-too-distant future.

4. Live Free or Die Hard. Maybe it's because I was able to keep my expectations low, but this flick totally delivered on every level. If you're going to see a Diehard movie in 2007, this is exactly what you're looking for. Sure, some of the action set pieces go ridiculously over the top in the third act (*cough* JET *cough*) but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. Thank you, John McClane.

3. Superbad. And this actually might be #1, but I need to see it a few more times and see how its rewatchability compares to the top choice on my list. But this is a hilarious movie. Absolutely genius. I'm just happy that we live in a world where a movie like this can make $100 million. There's not enough good I can say about Judd Apatow and the movies he is involved with right now. He is making the world a better, funnier, more enjoyable place.

2. The Bourne Ultimatum. This is potentially the only trilogy in which each subsequent movie is better than the last one. Despite not getting to see it in the theatre, my expectations were really high and it came through on all levels. The story is compelling, the direction and editing is flawless, and Matt Damon is just so great it's ridiculous. His Jason Bourne is truly one of the great characters of the new millennium. Bourne would kick Jack Bauer's ass before that CTU flunky had a chance to whip out his uber-PDA and text for help. Bourne would pummel James Bond, to answer a question that apparently was posed to Damon frequently on the press junket circuit. Hell, Bourne could even take Batman. I see him ripping off the Dark Knight's cowl and beating him senseless before he knew what hit him. This is a guy who kicks ass with a rolled-up magazine, for god's sake, and completely makes you buy it. Long live Jason Bourne.

1. Knocked Up. Apatow again, naturally. I love this movie. I love that Seth Rogen can be the leading man in a huge box office success. I love Apatow's entire stable of go-to guys, including Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. I love Katherine Heigl, although I love her a little bit less after her ridiculous negative comments about her experience on this blockbuster smash movie. I give this one the #1 slot because I think it will hold up and remain a movie that I revisit again and again.

NOT IN MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES:

300. Yeah, it looks cool. That's it. Tepid script, cardboard characters, and terrible acting-slash-horrible direction choices. Thoroughly underwhelming.

Ocean's 13. They're killing me with these sequels. It's not as atrocious as 12, thank god, but it comes nowhere near the perfection of the original. I had high hopes for this--Julia Roberts thankfully gone, Pacino as a baddie, a screenplay by the "Rounders" guys...and yet it falls painfully flat. Either this franchise is done, or 14 will have to be something incredible. I don't know which I want at this point.

Ghost Rider. AWFUL. Yes, I am complaining about the quality of a movie in which Nic Cage plays a comic book character who rides a motorcycle while his head bursts into a flaming skull. Somehow, they managed to cock this up enough to make it boring. This was a Netflix rental and I almost couldn't get through it. I think I watched an "extended" edition, and that only made matters worse. This was my worst movie watching experience of 2007.

MY FIVE FAVORITE HOUR LONG SCRIPTED TV SHOWS OF 2007

5. Lost. Season three was a vast improvement over the maddening season two. I just re-watched season three again (thanks, Netflix) and I really enjoyed it the second time around...maybe even more than through the first run. I picked up little bits and pieces I may have missed and it also looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-Ray. The big twist in the season finale is brilliant and I really can't wait to see what they have in store for season four.

4. The Sopranos. I loved the ending. I also think that Tony survived. I think I'm in the minority on both counts.

3. Chuck. I raved about this show pretty early on and I'm sticking with that call, as it is easily my favorite new show. I love everything about it, actually. I really hope that the strike doesn't do anything to mess this up, as NBC really needs to keep this one around.

2. Dexter. I had my concerns about season two, but the show completely delivered, taking the story in unpredictable directions and making the lead character even more interesting in the process. If you have never watched the show, start with the season one DVD. I hear that CBS is going to run an edited version of season one and I just cannot see how this show has any chance to succeed under those circumstances, on network TV. Clearly the strike is making people desperate, but I see no good coming of this. Don't watch that version, and don't let anyone else do it either. Hold out for the real thing.

1. Studio 60 (RIP). It's still hard for me to come to grips with the fact that this got canned after one season. Look around at some of the stuff that's on right now. And I don't even mean the reality shows, although those are getting more ridiculous than ever, and we're seemingly just weeks away from seeing some of the stuff in "The Running Man" come true. Climbing for Dollars, anyone? But honestly, this show was just too good. It got better in the spring, and ended on a beautiful roll...and NBC still bagged it. Smart writing, an amazing cast, great acting, compelling characters, engrossing stories...I just don't get it. How did this "fail?" I'm pained.

MY FIVE FAVORITE SCRIPTED HALF HOUR TV SHOWS OF 2007

5. Curb Your Enthusiasm. All told, this was probably Curb's weakest season and it still ranks as one of the funniest shows on TV. Larry hosted a family of hurricane survivors (named the Black family, of course) and while I wasn't sure if this was a device that could last a whole season, it worked very well. The season finale was especially solid.

4. Entourage. Once again, not its best season. But still thoroughly entertaining. The premiere was shot like a behind-the-scenes documentary during the making of Medellin and I really thought that was a cool idea done well. However, there were way too many side plots about Ari's family. Nobody tuning in wants a B story about his kids' private school, sorry.

3. Californication. Wildly entertaining. Duchovny really goes for it and he is incredibly fun to watch. I have no idea what they have planned for a second season, but I'm just happy that there is going to be one.

2. The Office. In hindsight, starting off this fall with a series of super-sized episodes was a terrible choice. First, they could have done regular half hours and had more fresh shows ready with the strike looming. Secondly, and more importantly, the hour-longs were just bloated and not as funny. It's still a brilliant show, but a couple of missteps knock it down to #2.

1. 30 Rock. I didn't watch this from the start, but once I picked up season one on DVD I was absolutely hooked. Tina Fey is great and Alec Baldwin is ridiculously funny. This show is great and it keeps getting better.

MY FIVE FAVORITE UNSCRIPTED SHOWS OF 2007

5. Survivor
4. The Biggest Loser
3. Rock of Love With Bret Michaels (maybe the most ridiculous show on TV)
2. Dinner: Impossible
1. The Amazing Race
honorable mention, since it is a game show: Duel. Loved it.

MY FAVORITE POKER ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2007

I didn't really play a lot of serious poker in 2007, so I only have two even worth mentioning: I won a 90 man No Limit tournament on Full Tilt early in the year, and I made the final table and cashed in the only live tourney I played all year, at the Gold Strike in Tunica.

MY FIVE FAVORITE SPORTS MOMENTS OF 2007

5. The Chatham Bluefish win the SWBA. Okay, you probably missed this one, since the team and the league aren't actually real. So here's the story (geek alert): it is a computer simulation baseball league that I'm in using software called Diamond Mind, which is an incredibly realistic baseball sim program. I joined the league five years ago, taking over a mediocre team and rebuilding it entirely. This is a hardcore league, with tough rules for bad teams since every team gets to keep their entire roster from one year to the next. So for five years, I have been building this team through the draft, selecting rookies such as Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon. This year it all came to fruition, as my hand-crafted club stormed through the regular season with 110 wins, and then fought through three epic postseason series to claim the crown. It was awesome.

4. ASU football wins ten games under new coach Dennis Erickson. I really think he can take us to the next level, and this was a great first step.

3. The Boston Celtics become relevant again and roar out to the best start in the league.

2. The Red Sox win the World Series. Wow. How can this possibly only be number two?

1. The New England Patriots have the greatest season and the best football team OF ALL TIME. 16 down, three to go.

MY THREE FAVORITE ROAD TRIPS OF 2007

3. Arizona in September for ASU-CU. I was there for about 36 hours but I had a blast.

2. Las Vegas in October for Kev's surprise wedding. A great time with great friends.

1. The Whiffleball shoot in Chatham, May-June. One of the best months of my life.

That's probably enough lists. 2007 was quite a year.

Only two more days!

The Break-Up

We went to see The Break-Up on Friday night and really enjoyed it. I thought it looked like a movie that I would like, but then I started to worry because it got so many bad reviews...and now I wonder what those critics were expecting. It's Vince Vaughn doing his typical Vince Vaughn type of humor, so I guess if you don't like that, you probably won't like the flick. I do, and I liked it a lot.

Nice series for the Sox, taking two out of three in Detroit this weekend. I have no idea if the Tigers are for real or not, but they somehow have the best record in baseball right now. Sully must be psyched. Now on to the Bronx for four huge games with the Yanks. It feels like we've played them about once a week all season.

Sopranos season finale tonight. There have been some weird episodes but overall I have really enjoyed the current season. The whole "Johnnycakes" plotline was pretty out there, but they wrapped it up well. I'm very curious to see how they leave things tonight. Apparently HBO is saying that this isn't technically a season finale, but that this season continues with the final eight episodes in January. Whatever. To me, that just sounds like a license to have no closure whatsoever tonight, and that's fine.

I had an MRI on my knee this week to see how it is doing, because it's been really sore lately. Doc says that the ACL is healing nicely but that I have some issues with the cartilage underneath the kneecap. And if that sounds uncomfortable, well...it is. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and wants me to go back for some additional physical therapy. Wheeeeee! What fun...

Oscar picks

I usually try to see several of the big Oscar contenders before the awards but this year I just really didn't want to. I haven't seen many of them, in fact, so instead, here are my own choices for who would win if I was the sole voter in the academy (obviously this only includes movies that I've seen, so...sorry, Brokeback, Capote, etc.)

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Best Supporting Actor: Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel McAdams, Wedding Crashers
Best Original Screenplay: Steve Carell & Judd Apatow, The 40 Year Old Virgin
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steve Kloves, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Best Director: George Lucas, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Best Picture: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

And other categories that could be awards, but aren't:

Best faithful adaptation of a comic book or graphic novel: Sin City
Best performance under so much makeup you can't even tell who it is: Mickey Rouke, Sin City
Best ending to a movie because it happened in real life: Fever Pitch
Best comedic ensemble: The 40 Year Old Virgin
Best reinvigoration of a seemingly dead franchise: Batman Begins
The Caddyshack 2/Rocky 5 Memorial Award for Worst Sequel: Be Cool
Weirdest performance: Johnny Depp, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Best DVD rental with no expectations that turned out to be pretty good: Red Eye
Worst DVD rental that could have been great but wasn't: Two for the Money
Biggest letdown: Serenity (just because it wasn't as good as the great TV show)
Best...umm..."performance" in very tight or skimpy costumes: Jessica Alba, Sin City, Fantasic Four, Into the Blue.

Post Christmas

We had a great time celebrating Christmas twice. Our visit to Germantown felt very quick, heightened by the fact that we decided to return home on Friday night rather than Saturday morning, but that ended up being a good call on our part. We had finished all of the festivities at the McCandless house and everyone there was exhausted so Beth and I got on the road around midnight. It was great to be able to sleep in our own beds and wake up at home on Christmas Eve as opposed to getting on the road that morning.

I've seen two good movies recently...Walk the Line and Munich. I really enjoyed the Johnny Cash movie despite the fact that I'm certainly not a diehard fan of his music. One of the most amazing things about the film for me was that Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon both did all of their own singing and did a fantastic job. This certainly helps keep you in the story of the film, as opposed to taking you out of it thinking "that's not really him." Good movie, well paced, with great performances. Witherspoon was really impressive.

We caught Munich yesterday and it was about what I expected. In fact, I'm not even sure exactly what I think of it yet, but that's probably the intended nature of the film. One thing Spielberg does consistently well is establish a clear, visual tone for his films and this one is no exception. I'm not a huge student of early 70s movies but this one flat-out looks like one. Eric Bana is very good in the lead role, and I was also intrigued by Daniel Craig, an actor that I've heard of but never seen before. I believe that he has been tabbed to be the next James Bond and it is an interesting, unconventional choice. The string of Pierce Brosnan Bond movies were completely underwhelming for me--I haven't even seen all of them and the ones that I did catch blandly run together in my mind. And this is coming from a huge Bond fan, so I hope that picking Craig means that the producers plan to reinvigorate the series. Craig kind of has a young Steve McQueen air to him. Give him the license to kill and get it started!

ASU won their bowl game last night and unfortunately we were subjected to the ever-inane Brent Musberger in the booth. He clearly did no preparation at all because he had no idea what he was talking about the entire time, and the only thread he was able to latch onto was the fact that just being there was a huge accomplishment for Rutgers because they have never won a bowl game before, essentially completely ignoring the rather compelling angle of ASU's freshman quarterback Rudy Carpenter throwing for over 400 yards and leading an offense that nearly tallied 700 yards of total offense in the victory. No, all that Brent and his cohort Gary Danielson could do was go on and on, slurping Rutgers for their huge moral victory. I understand that the Insight Bowl is a janky third-tier game but feel free to pay attention to the game as it develops if you're being paid to sit in the booth.

I'm saving some poker and Red Sox thoughts for later blogs but I've got some stuff to say about both.

Goblet of Fire

We caught Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on opening night and it was really good--right now I think it's my favorite one of the movies thus far. It was my favorite book in the series so my expectations were high, but I also knew that they would have to trim a ton of material, but they did a good job with it. Several scenes were exactly like I pictured them, which is great. I won't give anything away in case people haven't seen it yet, but if you dig the books or the movies, check it out and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I cashed in another tournament on Friday evening and although I didn't win much it felt like quite an accomplishment. Early on, I had AQ and raised it up and got a caller, only to see the flop come A-Q-J. Needless to say, he hadK-10 and I lost a bundle. I didn't have any kind of a read on him at that point so I couldn't lay down top two but I was a little surprised that he'd see a pre-flop raise that big with just K-10 off-suit...but really, nothing should surprise me in the world of on-line poker anymore. So that loss dropped me below 300 chips (started with 1500) and I battled all the way back, doubling up a couple of times when I needed to, and I ended up cashing in 25th place out of 211 players. I was very satisfied with my effort and being able to stay focused with such a short stack early on. But I need to break through and win one of these suckers. The last tourney I actually won (aside from SNGs) was the Full Tilt freeroll that sent me to Vegas. I've cashed and made final tables since then, but in these rinky-dink $5 and $10 tournaments I play there's no decent money to be made unless you're in the top 3-4. Unfortunately my final table appearances have seen me going out earlier. I think it could be that I'm too concerned with making the money, as opposed to flat-out playing to win during the early stages, and that's something that I plan to address in the future. I also want to re-read both of Dan Harrington's books, just to brush up.

Free poker money

A while back, a poker message board that I frequent had a post about a site called powerplayer.com that was literally giving people $25 just to sign up on their site. Lots of poker sites give out sign up bonuses and whatnot, but this was flat-out free cash with no deposit required so I used the code to try it out, if only because it sounded too good to be true. It wasn't. The $25 was immediately deposited in my account. The code is now defunct, otherwise I'd post it here so anyone could give it a try.

I hadn't played much on that site, mainly because I don't really like their graphics or their software. It is a skin (a duplicate site that looks exactly the same but has a different name) of Poker Room, which I had tried before because my friend Vince used to play there occasionally. Anyway...I was bored on Friday night and logged onto the site as a $5 MTT (multi table tournament) was about to begin, so I signed up. I ended up finishing in 12th place out of 250 starters. It was a rebuy tournament with an add-on but I didn't do either one and I cleared almost $20 of profit. I got knocked out with pocket queens on a pretty short stack so I can't really complain about the final spot. Tonight I logged back on there again and came in 2nd place in a $5 sit and go tournament (a single table tournament that starts when ten people sign up). Not too bad--all of this for free! My plan is to run the account up to a couple hundred bucks, try to clear an additional $75 bonus that they give you for free if you play enough, and then move the money into my Neteller account.

We saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today and it was really good. I loved the book as a child but I've never seen the original movie all the way through, so I can't compare there, but it did seem very faithful to the novel while still incorporating some modern touches. Johnny Depp was great, as always. I can't think of an actor working today that commits more to a role than he does (e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), and he's always great fun to watch. The cast of kids they got was phenomenal as well.

On the other side of the spectrum, I recently rented Napoleon Dynamite. I held off on seeing it for so long because I just didn't think I would like it. I was right. When it finally ended, I was mentally labeling it one of the worst movies I've ever seen. However, a couple of things are making me reconsider this position. First, I've found that I'll occasionally think back to a scene or a moment that is weirdly funny. And secondly, and probably more importantly, my brother thinks that I should give it a chance. If anything, I thought that he might hate it more than me, but on the contrary; he suggests that under the right conditions--his exact preference was "watching it with Kinsman after a few beers"--that I might find it funny. This is probably true, so maybe I'll put this theory to the test some day. Until then, I'll just have to work on my nunchuck skills.

Rental movie reviews

I've watched a handful of rental movies lately. Here they are:

Hitch: They tried to advertise this as if it's not a traditional romantic comedy, which is exactly what it is, albeit one that is watchable due to Will Smith. He gives a charasmatic performance and it's really hard not to like him. Kevin James was decent too, as was Eva Mendes, but the script was absolutely paint by numbers. Grade: B-

In Good Company: Another mediocre movie made watchable by a great cast. Topher Grace is really good and Dennis Quaid is great too. I'm not really sure how they got Scarlett Johansen for this, as she's basically wasted. And the ending of the movie is completely flat with not nearly enough resolution for either of the two young leads. All in all, pretty disappointing. Grade: C+

Coach Carter: Overlong and predictable, but made somewhat entertaining by the always-brilliant Samuel L. Jackson. It's a theme that's been done a million times before (and done better): the hard-ass coach who comes in to fix up the messy situation, but only if he can do it HIS WAY. Of course, the punkish players are resistant, but then buy into it. Yeah..."Hoosiers" called, and they want their story back. But I'd watch Sam Jackson read the phone book, so...Grade: B-

Team America: World Police: Okay, I had really high hopes for this one. After all, the theme song alone is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. But the movie just wasn't that great. it had its moments, and if you're looking for hot marionette sex then this is the film for you. But comedy-wise, it certainly didn't reach the peaks of "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut." Grade: B-

Ocean's 12: I had to save this review for last. It warrants mentioning that the Ocean's 11 remake is one of my favorite films ever. In fact, I think it is literally perfect. It's funny, cool, and clever. That being said, I got a really bad vibe about Ocean's 12 just from the ad campaign. It just didn't look good and somehow, despite loving the first one, I waited until video for this one. And when I do that, unfortunately, I usually turn out to be right. This is one of the most disappointing sequels in the history of film. There's bad, there's really bad, and then there's the likes of Caddyshack 2, Rocky 5, and now, sadly, Ocean's 12. It was just dreadful. No humor, no spark, and a muddled, unengaging story including a "plot twist" so ludicrious an ill-conceived that you have to wonder what has happened to the writers and producers who came up with it and allowed it to be filmed. Just horrible. Grade: D-

Great weekend

We had a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday weekend in Memphis. Beth got out of work a little bit early on Friday and she had taken the dogs over to her parents' house during her lunch break so we were able to pack up quickly and get on the road. The only snag at all came when we stopped to fill up just outside of town and it ended up taking almost half an hour. The "pay at the pump" machines weren't working so every gas-buying customer had to go inside and pre-pay, thus clogging everything up.

Friday night in Germantown was very low key. We had some pasta and then watched one of the documentaries from the Seinfeld DVDs. Kevin arrived on Saturday and we spent the day just hanging out and catching up. He's got a great new job in Washington, DC, so we heard a little bit about that as well as the Little League team he's coaching. I've known Kev since he was in the 4th grade and it's great to see him finally catch a couple of breaks and to be doing something so rewarding. He also flies back to Boston once a month to continue his former job as a tour guide at Fenway Park. Nice gig!

On Sunday afternoon I caught Revenge of the Sith for the third time because Casey hadn't seen it yet. I think he really enjoyed it. And I loved it (again) because this theatre had a digital projector--the first time I've been able to see one in action, and it was great. Incredibly crisp picture, no reel breaks...just awesome. Every theatre should switch. Any, my brother was very psyched to see the flick. He even popped in the Episode II DVD beforehand to get warmed up. On Sunday night we intoduced Kev to The OC by showing him a few of the classic episodes from the season one DVD. That really cracked me up because he just doesn't seem like the type who would enjoy that show at all but he did. But then again, Casey doesn't either but he has gotten completely hooked as well, calling it the TV equivalent of bad crack. He's got a point. Kev and I stayed up until about 2:30 AM, just talking and catching up (and having a couple of shots of Cuervo that Kev served up in plastic mini Sox batting helmets). We capped the night off with a little bit of the Larry Bird: A Basketball Legend DVD, which was a perfect way to end the night.

We headed home at about noon on Monday and then went to the Hillis house for barbecued ribs for dinner. They were excellent--definitely one of Jim Bob's specialties. Then we even managed to get a little more unpacking done at home. My friend John Kinsman, an actor living in L.A., is back in Boston right now to move some stuff out and he'll be stopping here sometime this weekend so we need to get the guest room all set. And Beth leaves on Friday for a wedding in Connecticut. Throw in physical therapy for me today and Thursday and it will actually be a pretty busy week around here.

Here's a picture of me with my brother, my niece, and Kevin

Starting physical therapy

The doctor's appointment went well today. He said that everything looks good and he wants me to start physical therapy right away. My first session will be on Thursday afternoon and then I'll come back three times a week for a month. I let him know that I need to be on a plane the first week of July (Vegas, baby!) and he said it should not be a problem to get the range of motion on my knee up to at least 90 degrees by then. Now, it's at about 50 degrees or so pretty comfortably. I feel great about starting the PT and getting the knee really better but I do feel bad for my poor father-in-law who is going to get stuck taking me every time. But he's completely fine with it.

Anyway, that's it. Here's some other random information--my life is so boring right now that I have to actively think about stuff to put in here. Feel free to add your own answers in the comments if you like:

Last movie attended: Revenge of the Sith
Last CD purchased: Revenge of the Sith soundtrack (which is awesome, by the way)
Last DVD purchased: Seinfeld season four...maybe their best season ever
Last book read: The Closers, by Michael Connelly. Reading it right now.
Last pizza toppings: sausage, mushroom, and meatballs...and when I say meatballs, I mean actual meatballs...good stuff!

Revenge of the Sith

I wanted to run right home after seeing Revenge of the Sith on opening night and post my thoughts, but instead I decided to give it some time to sink in...as well as catch it again on Saturday. I'm a Star Wars geek through and through, and this one would stand as the defining film of the prequel trilogy. I enjoyed Episode I, although in hindsight I do think it's a little flawed. I loved Episode II (much more than most people). But Episode III is the crucial one, that film that needs to wrap up the prequels and tie everything together. I'm happy to report that it completely delivers. I loved it. It's perfect. I'm actually baffled by the handful of bad reviews that I've seen, and I've come to the conclusion that these people simply don't get it. Star Wars has never been for the critics, but I still cannot comprehend how anyone, on any level, can fail to see how this film absolutely delivers. (spoilers ahead) The movie begins with an awesome continuous tracking shot of Obi-Wan and Anakin flying their fighters headlong into a heated space battle that's the best one ever seen in a Star Wars film. The shot itself is great--notice how long until there's actually a cut--and the scene is epic. It also begins the brilliant performance of Hayden Christensen, who is great throughout this movie. He got a bad rap in Episode II, delivering what I felt was one of the most misunderstood performances I've ever seen. He perfectly captured the cocky arrogance of a young man who's not quite comfortable in his own skin yet, a guy with so much power and so many things going on without the experience to handle them well. He was great in Episode II and he's even better here. The Jedi duo quickly arrives aboard the droid ship of General Grievous, the fantastic new villain for this film. I got a glimpse of Grievous in action during the "Clone Wars" series on the Cartoon Network but that didn't do him justice...he's awesome. From the voice to the unique walk to the bizarre hacking cough, he is yet another brilliant George Lucas creation. Grievous is downright scary and great fun to watch. The confronatation between Anakin and Count Dooku is perfect, as it begins to set the much darker tone for this film. Ian McDiarmid really shines as Palpatine in this movie, slowly but gradually letting the true, evil nature of his character seep out. Watching him implore Anakin to kill Dooku, then seeing young Skywalker do just that (by lopping off Dooku's head with two lightsabers, no less) is chilling. I often wondered exactly how and when Lucas would have Anakin turn to the Dark Side, and he does it a little earlier in the film than I expected, and it absolutely works. That turning point is a great scene--I'm sitting there, actively rooting for Anakin not to turn, knowing full well that he does. And by doing this fairly early on, it raises the stakes and builds tension before the inevitable climactic battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan. For years, Star Wars fans have heard the rumors about the lightsaber battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan on some lava-spewing volcanic planet and the scene surpasses anything I could have imagined. The fight itself is great, but the emotional aspect of the confrontation is perfect. Natalie Portman is great in the moments building up to the fight, and Christensen and Ewan McGregor are both brilliant. The ultimate reveal of Darth Vader in his costume is another moment that fans have waited for and Lucas nails this one. Honestly, I could analyze just about every scene of this film, but that really doesn't do it justice. I give it a 99 out of 100, with it losing one point only because I wanted to see more of the Wookiees kicking ass on Kashyyyk and more than just a cameo from Chewbacca. But that's just nit-picking. This is the best Star Wars movie yet, prequel or original. It's everything I hoped it would be and more. It answers every question, ties up all the loose ends, and serves as the perfect bridge for the prequels to the originals. I can't wait to see it again. I also can't believe that it's over.