Sunday, October 26, 2008

Movie Review,Today's Hot Chick, and a cranked up Pennslyvania!






Where does the time go? I can't believe i;ve already let so many days slip by between posts.
So let's get to it. Today's movie - DOOMSDAY, directed by Neil Marshall and starring Bob Hoskins, Malcolm McDowell, and Rhina Mitra.

I like what I've seen by Neil Marshall. Dog Soldiers was his first flick, and the lead was the blond eguy from Rome. The friend of Titus PUllo. Anyway, that was about werewolves, a subject that's a particular interest of mine. A fun moive, and showed the potential of Marshall. I did not see his second effort, The Descent, but I've heard and read great things. Doomsday didn't disappoint. The movie is a mosh up of films like 28 days and it's sequel, The Road Warrior/Mad Max/Beyond Thunderdome, Escape From New York. The set up doesn't matter, just know that the chase scenes when people are being left to a fate worse than death (and we see that fate experienced by many people dying horrific deaths.), those chase scenes are incredibly harrowing. Just know that Bob Hoskins overacts, growling out tough guy lines littered with swears, Malcolm McDowell hams up some screen time as well, and Rhina Mitra plays one bad ass sexy bitch, an ass kicking honey along the lines of Carrie Ann Moss in the Matrix, (or more appropriately, Linda Hamilton in Termindator 2),

The movie was easily worth a fun watch, a violent, energetic, fast paced (the sound track is a lot of fun in and of itself) - as far as purchasing, i woiuld drop 5 to 7 bucks onit.

Today's hot chick, Rhona Mitra comes from the flick.

And finally, how about the state of Pennsylvania? You have a key battleground, one John McCain needs to have any hope of winning, (God help us all). Penn St. beat Ohio St. and remains undefeated. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing well, and lost a tough game to the NY Giants today. The Univ. of Pitt was humming along, until Rutgers kicked their butts Sat. (way to go, Northeast) Also, the Philadelphia Phillies lead the word series 2 games to 1, and are leading game 4 in the 7th, 6-2. The Eagles also won today, keeping pace with the rest of the NFC East teams, all winners.

I ramble.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A Movie Review and Today's Hot Chick




Todays movie is a true B-movie classic, a hybrid cult flick that has only recently become available on DVD. It was recommended to me by my friend Les, a huge movie fan (particularly horror) and an all around pop culture geek.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat - was released in nov. 1991. I hadn't even heard much about the film, vaguely recall reading a few bits and pieces about it once but forgot the name. Les mentioned it recently, and I checked out. Here's the set up, in brief. The town of Purgatory is populated by vampires, only the vamps are working real hard to refrain from hunting and draining humans. They follow Mordulac, a mysterious wealthy man who bought the town and invited all the vamps who wanted a new lifestyle to follow him. Things have improved for vamps, with the improvements in sunscreen, UV sunglasses, and skin protecting clothing, lip balm, and gloves. Basically, they can tolerate the sunlight. Better yet, Mordulac has worked with a human scientist to to create synthentic blood, allowing them to live quietly. To offer up much more than that would spoil the fun, so I won't.

What I will tell you is the film is a bizarre hybrid of comedy, horror, and layed over a classic western. Even better is the cast. David Carradine, M. Emmit Walsh, Deborah Foreman, Morgan Brittany (so hot!) and..... Bruce (the chin) Campbell. I couldn't recommend this film any more highly. If you like stuff such as Army of Darkness or Shaun of the Dead, I think you will get a real kick out of this film.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sarah Palin doesn't know what a Vice President (VP) does

Really? REALLY! Perhaps in her "mavericky" world view that's true. Or perhaps she has only followed Darth Cheney's VP antics, leading the Decider down the path to Iraq, Fascism, torture, Patriot ACTS, etc. Amazingly many people still worry about Obama. 14 days to a final rebuke of the neoconservative movement that has led this country to hell!

Monday, October 20, 2008

15 Days Until the Election



Well, I remember a few years ago, when John Kerry ran a terrible campaign against The Decider, George W. Bush, in 2004. Despite the many mistakes already made by the Bush administration, after stealing the presidential election in 2000, ignoring the threats to our nation eventually resulting in the tragedy of 9/11 of 2001, and the unnecessary war in Iraq (well, really an invasion of a sovereign nation who had not attacked the U.S.), after this and so much more, JOhn Kerry lost. However, as a member of another nation, red Sox nation, I had the joy of their come from behind 3 games to 0 against the evil empire of the NY yankees. I told people then that I would have traded the joy of that championship in return for an end of the Bush regime. No such luck. Now, in 2008 it seems quite possible that after possibly the worst 2 term president in American History (and I blame every one you douche bags who voted for Dubya, your ignorance helped lead to the mess this country is now in)

This time, it's time for change. As Barack Obama says, Change is coming. I would have voted for either Hilary or Barack, and now that he is closing in, with good ole Joe Biden with him, I am very happy. I am also happy for Colin Powell, an honorable man who I have always felt some sympathy for. I believed he was unable to separate Colin Powell the honorable man from Colin Powell the dutiful military man, and this led him to carry the water for the neo-conservative movement, standing up before congress and the AMerican people and telling us all that Iraq absolutley had WMD's, when we all knew they didn't then, they don't now. Was Colin lying, or deceived? We'll never know, and I really wanted him to resign in anger, effectively telling the country that Bush had fooled him once, (shame on him) but Colin wouldn't be fooled again!

Redemption, for Mr. Powell? Or just an opportunity taken to help fix what he helped to break?

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Crap - 3 Outs Away

Bay, Kotsay, and Tek... Omg

Update: 11:51

Congratulations to the TampaBay Rays. They beat the Red Sox. No whining, no bitching. Winning 3-1 is a tough, hard nosed win. Lester pitched well. "Garza pitched better. No arguing. The truth is the Sox will be still be good next year. Varitek is a big decision. But the fact is , With Beckett, Dice-K, Lester for next year, with Papelbon and Okajima. Keep Bay, Ortiz, Pedroia, Youk, LOwell returns, healthy... Either Cora or Jed Lowrie, Drew, Ellsbury, (hopefully rebounds), .... Shit

Beast

Blogging During the Red Sox Game - Game 7 2008 ALCS

It offered good voodoo last night, so let's check in with the heroes from Boston - 1-0 already, with a Dustin Pedroia HM in the first inning. 1 out, 1 run lead, Ortiz up at the plate, and Jon Lester looking to bounce back in the bottom half of the inning after a weak previous start. Considering Lester has battled cancer, returned to baseball, started a 4th and clinching game of a WS (last year in Colorado), pitched a no-hitter, and has been bigger, stronger, and even better this year... I feel pretty good.

Papi walks, 1 on, 1 out, Youk up -

Update - 9:41

So the Rays have tied it in the bottom of the 4th inning, an rbi double against Lester. Game tied 1-1, top of 5th, Garz strikes out Cora to end the inning. Garza vs. Lester shaping up, two young starters battling for a spot in the World Series.

Update - 9:55

Shit. Rays up now 2-1, bottom 5th. Lester in trouble, 2 on, nobody out, already gave up a run. This is big, clamp down, get out of this jam, ride that momentum into the 6th.

1 Down. 2 more to go.

OK, out of the inning. Damage controlled, game 2-1 Rays starting the 6th.

Tonights Big Game, Movie Review, and Today's Hot Chick






Well here we go again. The Boston Red Sox faces up to another must win game. An elimination game. How have they done in these types of games? Glad you asked. No more shouts of 1918 for these guys. Instead, they currently sit at 9-0 in ALCS gotta win games.

From ESPN

Officially, the Red Sox and the Rays are tied 3-3. Unofficially, though, it seems as if Boston will enter Game 7 with a four-run lead. Only six previous teams have rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS to win the series, and Boston is responsible for half those rallies (1986, 2004 and 2007). With a strong performance from Lester, the Red Sox could make it 4-for-4.

So here we go again, and I, along with the rest of the Red Sox Nation, wait. 31 minutes to first pitch.

Movie Review - The Driver
Written and Directed by Walter Hill
Starring Ryan O'Neal, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruce Dern

Now many of you might think you aren't familiar with Walter Hill, but I bet you are very aware of his work, you just haven't associated the man with the work. Here are just a few of the cool things Walter Hill has been involved with, either as writer (w) Producer (p) or director (d).

Warriors (all time cult classic) - southern comfort, 48 Hours (Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte) , Red Heat (Remember, arnie and Jim Belushi, ) Trespass and Last Man Standing (a super fun western with Bruce Willis, basically a new telling of the classic Django (by Kurosawa), Fistful of Dollars/For a few Dollars More (Sergio Leone). He was also involved with Deadwood, and he directed Geronimo, Wild Bill, and The Long Riders.

The Driver can be best described in a way that I am stealing from a reader review on IMDB " an existential car- chase movie. Yet that doesn't come close to a full description. This is another example of cool 70's filmmaking. The movie was released in 78, and the characters are so super cool, so ultra minimalist, they have only titles "The Driver", The Alibi, The Cop, . Ryan O'Neal was very cool as Cowboy (aka The Driver) and I finally get why during that time era he was considered cool, (hey, he was hitting Farrah, when Farrah was the bomb).

Bruce Dern as The Cop is great, and today's hot chick is the gorgeous Isabelle Adjani - yummy. She plays the Alibi.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Blogging During the Red Sox Game









Because it's just too damn stressful to watch the Sox game without something distracting me, I will check in with blog thoughts, during the game.

First thought, my local cable station TBS had some kind of technical problem and I missed the first inning, with the game finally clicking in just after Upton's HR for TB. Not a good omen. But that was followed by a double play ball by Beckett to end the first inning.

Move Review: In Bruges - This movie had received a lot of great word of mouth, from both critics and people I personally spoke to. I have to say, my wife and I didn't agree.

YOUK blasts a HR off James Shields - bang, game tied!

So how's that for a short review? Basically, I felt that the film (In Bruges) sort or meandered, with Brendon Gleeson the only watchable part of the film. However, a very strong 3rd act, and the addition of an outstanding performance by Ralph Fiennes salvaged the flick, making it a good watch, but no more.

Hey, Rutgers won it's homecoming game against Connecticut 12-10. RU moves to 2-5, with at least the faint hope of a winning season (have to run the table) or at least a strong second half and a .500 record, while seasoning some the younger players.

The Captain, Jason Varitek, gets his first hit of the ALCS, a Homer that puts the Sox up 3-2. This on the heels of the HR Beckett gave up at the end of the 5th. So now, top of 6th, Sox up 1. Win tonight, start Lester tomorrow.... staying alive.

UPDATE

Big Papi gets an RBI, REd sox go up 4-2. This onthe heels of an error 1 batter earlier by Jason Bartlett, allowing Boston to continue to move forward in the inning. Could it be

UPDATE: 11 41

Moving towards the 4 hr mark, the Sox head into the 9th inning up 4-2. Beckett grits out 5 innings, 2 runs, Hideki Okajimi puts together 2 shut out innings, (he's shaping up as huge for this series so far), and then the kid, Justin Masterson, hits a batter, but wriggles out with no runs. BTW, Boston has left 12 men on base, so if they win, they are lucky tonight, because they should have more runs.

beast

Monday, October 06, 2008

You think you know people






Sort of a disappointing post today. I recently was saddened, frustrated, and ultimately disappointed to learn that 2 gentleman I consider to be great friends have succumbed to the mindless slander and mudslinging that has been thrown Barack Obama's way. Now let me be clear, I am not an "Obamaniac", I don't think he's the "Messiah", hell, I'm not even a follower. I am a guy who tries to pay attention, wade through the garbage, and see what each of these candidates has to offer our country. (These are both terms used by one of my lifelong best friends, who also referenced Barack Obama as supporting infanticide (no, it's not true. Go to Factcheck.org to check out any nonsense spouted by either campaign)

The worst was by good friend J. (first initial only) He's a very smart man, a nice guy, and someone who I would have never, ever considered to be someone who falls prey to the slander. Sadly, he and I had a number of emails go back and forth and the rhetoric coming from his was unbelievable. Obama ran with the Weathermen (right, when he was 8 yrs. old he was helping to plant bombs, ) He spoke of a fear of Obama, not trusting him, ... and this doozy -

Sort of like the guy Obama wants to sit down with with no conditions. You know, the guy who says the Holocaust never happened. Personally, I am pretty sure it happened because my buddy's Mom has the numbers tattooed on her arm. I've met other survivors, and just find it hard to believe they all concocted this story and went through the process of tattooing numbers on their bodies as a hoax. But, of course, Obama supports a man who believes that.
Sure, I trust him. /sarcasm "


Really, how does one argue with that level of untruth - there is really just sadness for me, becasue this is not true, on any level (if it is, please connect with the facts, I would be happy to correct myself. Diplomatic relations with one's enemies is what this country needs more of, not the Cowboy diplomacy we've gotten for the last 8 years . In case someone wasn't paying attention, that hasn't worked out so well. - BTW, that pic of the pin is a real pin, obviously anti-Obama, in Texas.

Oh, the market continues to crash, but John McCain wants to turn the page on that, and talk about Obama and... the Weathermen, and Jeremiah Wright.

This country needs change, and The Maverick and the Milf ain't it.

Sav