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posted by admin on Dec 25

Merry Christmas Everyone!

posted by Mike on Dec 19

I just rewatched Once and was ready to write a post dedicated to it’s greatness. The movie pulls at the heartstrings but never  tries to manipulate it just shows two people who love each other and the great music that brings them together and the world that brings them apart. Sorry, for that potential spoiler. But seeing as I’m a few beers in finding some appropriate writing music made me think of something else.

Every piece of art should be interpreted slightly tipsy before commented upon. Alcohol leaves one emotional open which is the perfect state for viewing artwork demanding of honesty with yourself which most great artwork demands. Now the approprate level of inebriation is key to this and certainly varies person to person but placing your emotional state beyond the normal jaded barely ajar allows a film, or other work of art, to works it’s way into your person. This should not be the only way you evaluate a film but it’s telling of how much a film impacts you on a personal level.  And Once just devastates me on a personal level. It’s one of the few perfect films I’ve ever seen.

The film is ideal for a sixth date. You need to be at a point where you both clearly like each other but there’s still the excitement of the unknown. I wish I was at that point in life because it’s such an emotional film to connect to someone through, fortunately I’m dating someone who hasn’t seen it but I know will love it and few things beat sharing something you love with someone you know will love it. Especially, if you love the person.

EDIT: Wow, just reread that. Good luck piecing it together.

posted by Mike on Dec 19

In the past thirty two minutes two rather unique and entertaining things happened to me.

First, my new roommate and I were at Best Buy picking up a kick ass TV for our new apartment. We walked up to the register and had the following exchange:

Me: Should I get it?

Roommate: No, I can get it.

Me: You sure, dude?

Roommate: Yeah, I got it.

The cashier found this a little weird since we were treating a $600 TV like a bar tab at Chili’s. Highly amusing.

#2: To celebrate the new aquisition I stopped and picked up a six-pack of Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately I arrived home to realize we have no bottle opener in our new apartment. After shredding my knuckles attempting to use keys to gain access to the magical liquid within the brilliant idea hit me to use actual tools! 30 seconds and a pair of plyers later and I’m enjoying beer with the Purest Ingredients and of the Finest Quality.

posted by Mike on Dec 18

Darren Aronofky’s new film, The Wrestler, is definitely his most accessible film and also might  be his best. The film followers 80’s wrestling star Randy “The Ram” as he struggles to recapture a dream he’s already achieved. In the late ’80’s “The Ram” headlined the world’s biggest wrestling matches but now he lives in a trailer (when his landlord hasn’t locked him out) and hauls boxes during the week to make ends meet.

Mickey Rourke’s portrayal of Randy has been duly praised. He and Sean Penn are clearly the front runner’s for the Best Actor Oscar and the film would suffer immeasurably without him but Arronofsky and writer Robert Siegel (former Editor in Chief of The Onion) avoid so many cliches it’s stunning. A lesser film would focus on what Randy’s lost or make the film a call to action for the abuses professional wrestlers endure (and the shocking number that die young) but this film investigates the different world’s people create for themselves and the difficulty of connecting with someone outside that world.

The film uses a stripper, Marisa Tomei, as a character foil for Randy. They both enter fantasy worlds and refuse to connect them to reality. Marisa by refusing to interact with customers outside of the club and Randy by throwing himself into wrestling and refusing to interact with the outside world. The film demands the viewer question the world they’ve created for themselves, investigate their own connection to the world and shows the hypocrisy in judging someone else’s decisions.

I like to read the film as an explanantion of the final scene. Everything is in service of these 15 minutes in time. Twenty minutes into the film you know how it’s going to end but you can’t stop watching because you want Randy to win so badly. He never complains, never whines just goes out every day and works hard to achieve his dream so that when the final scene comes you never question if he’s making the right decision because he’s making the only decision.

I cannot recommend this film enough. I felt like it was well directed but I was so caught up in the performances, writing and depth of character I barely noticed anything else. Which I suppose you could argue means it was very well directed. On a different note, this is the second straight Marisa Tomei movie where I’ve seen her naked. Somewhere George Costanza cries out in pain.

posted by Mike on Dec 17

Recently I tried Pizza Hut’s new “Panormous” pizza, billed as their biggest pizza ever, and was sorely disappointed.

The taste is on par with most any other Pizza Hut offering meaning it’s a grease covered mass of cheese and dough that tastes delicious initially but slowly spirals towards vomit inducing. As the pizza cools you can really taste the cheap, mass produced ingredients and the unhealthy amount of chemicals within, preserving them indefinitely. I found no part of the last two sentences disappointing. Probably because my heart pumps two decades worth of pure American fast food grease through my, likely clogged, veins.

The disappointing part to me was the inability of the marketing gimmick to live up to it’s billing. Pizza Huts biggest pizza ever? Combining the words Pan and Enormous? That should be a giant, awe-inspiring slab of heart disease, right? Unfortunately, they took the easy way out. The large, rectangular box is filled with an impressive amount of pizza but to accomplish this they cheat and simply make two average sized pizzas and place them side-by-side. They could have displayed a stunning achievement within that box, something to make you stop and reflect upon man’s place in the universe, something to chill your bones to live in a world where such a feat is possible but what they’ve done is common-place, pedestrian to the point of insult.

Don’t believe they hype. There can be no god in this unjust universe.

posted by Mike on Dec 14

Stumbled upon this game from a few different end of the year “Best-of Indie Games” lists.

http://www.mazapan.se/games/BurnTheRope.php

It takes approximately 30-45 seconds to beat and then has a hilarious but spot on social critique of gamers for the closing credits. In essence: You beat the game, congratulations, you’ve accomplished nothing.

Maybe not the exact sentiment of the creator but they certainly look to question games on a more existential level which is something I can fully support.

posted by Mike on Dec 13

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3767580

How is this even news? When TO’s traded to a new team and then blows up two years later can’t we just ignore it? But more importantly  one thing has become abundantly clear: America needs to swarm together and demand TO and Britney Spears start dating immediatley. And, yes, MTV will have a two hour long special featuring a double-date with Romo/Simpson. ESPN will show highlights in the morning.

History says TO is done in Dallas. This won’t get better. All I ask is ESPN ignore everything about this until he’s traded to the Raiders in April where Jamarcus Russel will become a 2010 Pro-Bowler  followed by him falling of the face of the Earth when Al Davis eats TO’s heart for being a whiny, bi-polar bitch. I think this is a fairly reasonable request.

Also, can we go ahead and start rolling “Cowboys fire Wade Phillips” across the ESPN bottom line?

posted by Mike on Dec 10

I’m in the mood for some really good waffles.

I bought some Eggo’s the other day and while they are a quality waffle they suffer under the obvious disadvantages facing all frozen foods and like drinking too much light beer the palate demands the real deal.

I fondly remember several New England family brunches during my childhood where I gorged myself on fluffy, golden brown Belgian waffles. The kinds with craters that quadruple the waffles surface area and are capable of holding gallons of melted butter in their shadowy depths. That is what I am looking for and I have no idea where to find it.

I’m seriously considering buying my own waffle maker and attempting breakfast perfection. Probably have to wait a while on that since I have have more pressing needs at the moment like forks and plates but an interesting idea. Although, I’ve never had a transcendent homemade waffle. Sure, they’ve been tasty maybe even delicious but still mere shadows of a former experience. I feel this is largely due to people using generic batters that produce consistent but middling results. Professional level waffle chef would be quite the skill to posses.

Meanwhile, I am left to local establishments to sate my hunger. Currently, I am in Los Angeles (Venice to be exact) and would love any suggestions for my quest. If I find anything of quality they will assuredly be strongly praised.

posted by Mike on Dec 4

Alright, sorry, UNC destroyed Mich. St. I guess they’re pretty good.

More interesting. Things are shaping up for an early January match-up between UNC and Wake Forest where they’re both undefeated. I can’t wait b/c that means ESPN will find a way for Wake to be in the top 5 so they can promote the hell out of the game.

posted by Mike on Dec 3

I’m watching the Wake Forest - Indiana game and L.D. Williams high-flying antics made me start thinking about dunk contests and in particular the NBA Dunk Contest on All-Star weekend. They’ve been better recently but really all a dunk contest ends up being is watching some guy screw around on the court for 30 seconds, which, you know, all well and good but not always entertaining. But my idea is 100% entertaining.

NBA One-on-One Tournament on All-Star Weekend.

I’ll go into the main flaw with this idea but more importantly I would 100% watch this, no questions asked. Is this not every fans wet dream? Kobe vs. Lebron? Paul vs. Williams or Rose or Iverson? Duncan vs. KG? Holy shit the anticipation for this would be off the charts!

Now the fundamental problem is 2/3’s would dominate. They can handle the ball or post-up smaller guards and drain 3’s if guys play off them. Solution: Divisions. Big men play big men, PG’s play PG’s, swingmen play swingmen. You could even have the winner of each division match-up in a final round tournament for the fun of it.

The best part is how hard these guys would play. Normally, players screw around, well, even during the season but in 1-on-1 there’s no choice but to play hard. It would expose many weak defenders but mostly fans would demand guys always play this hard.

Maybe the players wouldn’t want to do this but the NBA would get insane ratings. ABC tomorrow night 9 PM, Kobe vs, Lebron. Are you really not tuning in to watch that? Is there anyway that doesn’t get better ratings then Lakers-Cavs? I am a genius.

Wake Forest just put in the walk-ons and considering they committed roughly 5000 turnovers is somewhat stunning. Kelvin Sampson broke into Indiana’s house, raped their wife and daughter and  burnt the house to the ground. I hope he’s coaching B-Team Middle School Girls Basketball in Iraq for the rest of his life. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is the closest it’s been in a while. I really think UNC is going to screw the ACC and lose to MSU and end the ACC’s undefeated streak.

Speaking of UNC, I’m tired of people praising Tyler Hansbrough for staying in college. He’s not an NBA player, he had to stay in college. It’s like someone deciding to finish business school instead of taking an assitant manager’s position at Arby’s. He’s a poor man’s Christian Laettner regardless of how hard he works. Deal with it.