Quick Review: Shutter Island

I've heard some comparisons of "Shutter Island" to other movies that have a big plot twist (for example, "The Crying Game" or, for a godawful example, "The Village"). So let me say right up front that I didn't quite see the plot twist of "Shutter Island" coming. I had an idea of how it would end but there was a little variation that surprised me. And don't worry, I won't spoil it for you. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo play U.S. marshals who are investigating the disappearance of a patient at a mental hospital located on an island off the Massachusetts coast. The head of the hospital (Ben Kingsley) is less than forthcoming about the goings-on at the facility, and then things get strange for DiCaprio's character. He starts seeing visions of his dead wife (Michelle Williams), killed in an arson fire, and has flashbacks to the day his army platoon arrives at a concentration camp at the end of World War II. It drags a bit at times, and the flashbacks to the concentration camp seemed a bit out-of-sync with the rest of the movie. Overall, though, it's an interesting psychological thriller. My grade: B.

P.S. And for those of us who are a bit shallow (including myself), there's a scene in which Leo and Mark are naked except for towels. In Mark's case it sort of looks like this...

My Week In Comics 2-17-10

I've been procrastinating on this again, but after buying 8 books today, the 4 I bought last week is nothing. So...

Supergirl 50: Since this is a 50th issue, they seem to feel the need to commemorate it. In this case, it's got some extra pages. The main story deals with a conclusion to the saga of what's wrong with Lana Lang, a turning point in Kara's relationship with Lana (and with Earth, possibly) and new developments in the Lucy Lane/Superwoman department. The extra tale was co-written by Helen Slater. The only reason this is important is that Helen Slater played Supergirl in the 1984 hot mess of a movie.

Green Lantern 51: While the main thrust of the story is Hal Jordan's re-merging with the Parallax entity in order to fight the Black Lantern Spectre, my favorite part of this particular issue involves Lex Luthor, now having an orange power ring, to the chagrin of Larfleeze, unwilling to share the power of the orange light of avarice. (And having already read Blackest Night #7, just out today, it gets better.)

Superman/Batman 69: It's the second part of a story that, on the cover only, is labeled an "Our Worlds At War" followup. It's not nearly as interesting as many of the previous story arcs in this book. Unfortunately, there are two more issues of this. I might actually skip them, a possibility I would have thought to be highly unlikely.

Simpsons Comics 163: The story and art was provided by Sergio Aragonés, famous for his work on Mad Magazine, among other things. Homer's typical work ethic leads to another near-meltdown at the nuclear plant, leading to lots of other things. Humorous, but I'm not really a fan of Simpsons characters being drawn in the Aragonés style.

Random TV Talk

I've been writing about "The Amazing Race" regularly because of the presence of ex-Phillies coach Steve Smith, but I don't want to do similar updates for every show I watch. However, there are a few things on my mind about some TV shows, so I thought I'd just do a little summary here, and perhaps do it on a regular basis.

Earlier tonight I watched the first live "American Idol" of the season, featuring the 12 female singers performing. As usual, I saw nothing that made me think I'd ever buy one of their records. It was pretty mediocre, at best. If anything, the judges (other than Simon) were too nice at times. I wasn't overly impressed with Ellen, and Kara and Randy were their usual dimwitted selves. There was weak singing, there were poor song choices, and the whole thing really seems like the same old, same old (except now there's no potential Paula loopiness). And that's bad since I only started watching regularly three years ago. I'm about 99.9 percent sure that once Simon leaves I won't bother to watch again, but I don't know if I can sit through this season any more. I'll watch the guys perform this week, but after that?

I continue to enjoy "RuPaul's Drag Race." The challenges are surprisingly clever -- this week the queens trying to become America's Next Drag Superstar had to impersonate a celebrity. And the "Untucked" companion show, featuring the behind-the-scenes cattiness, is juicy. My only quibble with this season is that I haven't really developed any favorites yet. It would help if I had someone to root for, the way I was rooting for Ongina last year. There's still time for someone to step up, though.

On the other hand, I may finally be getting over "Desperate Housewives." This week was yet another of those episodes that revolves around one person, in this case the stripper who moved in with Susan and Mike. There was a little story involving each of the housewives, and at the end she was out, in and out. As in, moved out of Susan and Mike's, moved in with Katherine, and came out as a lesbian to Katherine. And they seem to be hinting that Katherine might be...exploring her options in the dating pool. It felt sort of icky, to be honest. There are still some funny lines here and there, but for the first time I'm wondering if the late Mary Alice should just go into the light once and for all instead of sticking around to narrate her friends' foibles from the great beyond.

Amazing Race: Smith Still In There (Plus: I'm Famous)

I won't bother with the big SPOILER ALERT!!!!! warning here. If you haven't watched Sunday's "Amazing Race" by now, well, as Scott Rolen once said, "Sorry about your luck." Former Phillies coach Steve Smith and his daughter Allie, in 4th place starting this week's show, are still alive but have dropped to 7th place out of the 9 remaining teams. How this happened is hard to tell because they got virtually no screen time. I guess the EW.com writer is right about them being too boring.

She does have a good point in her latest recap, regarding Jet and Cord, the cowboys who currently hold the lead:

The one truly disturbing moment of the episode for me came when Jet and Cord were on the boat going to Isla Margarita. They were gabbing about how they didn't bring swimsuits and Cord says "I've been skinny dipping once or twice" at which point Jet scoots away from him as if his partner were a leper. I have lost all patience for this kind of jokey homophobia. What's wrong Jet? Would swimming with a naked guy make you gay? If you really think that or feel you need to make that "joke" you have bigger problems than a plastic bag on your cowboy hat. And Berty V-M, let's nix the homophobic jokes in editing, shall we?

Totally agree. It's possible that it was left in because of the gays in the race. Perhaps there's a bit of foreshadowing of a future conflict with the lesbian couple (currently in 3rd place) or the gay guy teamed with his straight brother (8th)? Meanwhile, last week's leaders, "Big Brother" couple Jordan and Jeff, are now in 6th place and the team that includes the ditsy former Miss Teen South Carolina are 4th.

By the way, since I hadn't seen anything in the local papers about Steve Smith being on the show, I decided to share my "scoop" with them. I emailed the TV critics and the local features/gossip columnists from both the Inquirer and Daily News. I got nice replies from all four writers. Both papers reported the story and one, the Inquirer's Michael Klein, was kind enough to mention me and my little old blog. I'm a rising star, baby! ;-)

Quick Review: From Paris With Love

Honestly, I was only hoping for some stupid, campy mindless fun from "From Paris With Love." Instead of craptacular, it was just crap. I seriously considered walking out of the theater less than halfway through, but decided to stick it out, in part to see if a prediction I made about a key character in the film would come true. It did. A low-level CIA operative looking to be promoted so he can get more important assignments (Jonathan Rhys Myers) is paired up with a head-shaved nutcase (John Travolta), shooting up various Paris locales in what is seemingly about busting a drug ring but then turns into a terrorist plot. From script to acting to anything else, I can't recommend anything about this film. My grade: D-minus.

USA Beats Canada: I Guess "Tarzan Boy" Works After All

In my previous post I made light of one of the choices on the pregame musical playlist of Patrick Kane from the USA Olympic Men's Hockey team (and the Chicago Blackhawks). "'Tarzan Boy'? Really?" I wrote. I find it hard to be inspired with lyrics like these:

Jungle life/We're living in the open
All alone/Like Tarzan Boy
Hide and seek/We play along while rushing
Cross the forest
Monkey business/On a sunny afternoon

But hey, that's just me. It seems to work for Patrick Kane. And the United States team came away tonight with a surprising 5-3 victory over Team Canada -- in Vancouver, making it essentially a road game for the USA -- in the final preliminary game of the Olympic hockey tournament. The USA hadn't beaten Canada in a game at the Olympics since 1960. That year, the USA went on to win a surprise gold medal at Squaw Valley. Twenty years later came the "Miracle on Ice" win over the powerful Soviet Union at Lake Placid that led to another gold.

It's now 50 and 30 years later, respectively, and although these Olympics aren't in the United States they are on the same continent, so perhaps Team USA is due, if not destined to win gold. The win over Canada certainly makes their path easier -- they get an extra day of rest before the quartefinals, while Canada will have to play Germany to get into the quarters, and then are likely to play Russia in the quarterfinal game. Thus, team USA will only have to face one of these two in order to win gold.

The Canadians outshot the Americans* 45-22 but USA goalie Ryan Miller was superb while Canada goalie Martin Brodeur was, well, not. Miller and the USA held on under relentless pressure after a Sidney Crosby goal got Canada within 4-3 with 3:09 left, until Ryan Kesler (at left) scored an empty-net goal with 45 seconds to go. (Ironically, Kesler plays for the Vancouver Canucks so he was a visiting player on his home ice, and Canucks fans have to be conflicted.) Watching those minutes between the Crosby and Kesler goals, I half-expected Canada to tie the game. It was that intense.

*Yes, I'm fully aware that Canadians are technically also Americans, since we're all part of North America.

The thing is, while there's still a talent gap between Canada and the USA, it's not as wide as it used to be. So this isn't like those 1980 and 1960 teams (especially with the NHL players involved). What team USA did tonight was limit their mistakes and capitalize on those made by Canada. Do that, and get quality goaltending as Miller provided, and any game is winnable. So tonight's win is a surprise, but not too much of one.

So team USA wins and I've made my peace with "Tarzan Boy" as inspiration, but I have no idea what the deal is with this picture of Kesler:

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 2-21-10

Just a few minutes away from the USA-Canada Olympic hockey game. Consider this a warm-up playlist, although not quite the same as Team USA's Patrick Kane. ("Tarzan Boy"? Really? I love the song but I don't know that it would be on my list of songs to get me psyched for a big game.)

40 Years Back/Come - Röyksopp
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
Missing (CL McSpadden Unreleased Powerhouse Mix) - Everything But The Girl
Someday We'll Be Together - Diana Ross and the Supremes
Phone Sex (Do You Want Me Tonight?) - Sandra Bernhard
The Very Thought Of You - Lisa Stansfield
I Can't Decide - Scissor Sisters
Anytime - Brian McKnight
Strangelove - Depeche Mode
A Fool Is Born Everyday - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Brother, Brother - Carole King
The Lady's Got Potential - Antonio Banderas (Evita - Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Love Foolosophy - Jamiroquai

So There Was Some Tiger Woods Thing Today...

One of the benefits of not being employed is that, on days when one stays in bed listening to sports-talk radio until noon and then gets up to shower, dress and greet the afternoon, one manages to avoid certain unpleasantries. Those unpleasantries are known as Andy Reid Monday-after-the-game press conferences. Now, one doesn't avoid said press conferences entirely, but only hears the audio. (And by now you should have figured that when I use the term "one" I am referring to myself.)

I find it helps to not actually see them because when I hear Reid not answering questions or otherwise being disdainful of the media, I'm less angry when I only hear his remarks than when I see him making them.

The reason I bring up the Eagles' head coach is because today Tiger Woods decided to go public today in an even more controlled environment than the typical Reid briefing. Only certain members of the press were allowed to attend. He took no questions. He was joined in the room by his mother, some business associates, the PGA tour commissioner, and selected others -- although, to my surprise, his wife Elin was not present.

Since today was one of those radio-in-bed days I didn't actually see Tiger make the statement, but I heard it all. And what struck me from listening but not seeing it was that the entire time he read his statement, he sounded like he was reading it. The only time he sounded like he had any feelings was when he attacked the media -- explicitly, for following his family around; and implicitly, in his denial of reports that Elin attacked him on that Thanksgiving night when he crashed his SUV and then decided not to explain in full to the police what happened, starting the chain of events that led to his sluttiness and sordid infidelity becoming public knowledge.

And other than to be seen in public, I'm not sure of the point of this. If all he wanted to do was give a statement, he could have just posted it to his website, as he has twice before. He didn't say anything really new. He didn't announce his return to golf, as one might have thought (and the PGA desperately needs). Why go to the trouble of gathering the group of supporters around him, not to mention interrupting "The Price Is Right" and "The View"?

Granted, I wouldn't have expected a detailed account of every time he cheated on his wife. But the fact that he saved his emotions for the media speaks volumes. Instead of "I'm sorry" it came off more like "I'm sorry I got caught." Perhaps he's sincere in his apologies, or he's at least working towards that sincerity in his therapy, which is ongoing. But if he truly wants to get on with his life, and get the media off his back a little, he'll need to say a little more than he did today, and not just in a speech.

Quick Review: Valentine's Day

A movie about a holiday. I can't wait for everyone to get to see the movies "Presidents Day," "Flag Day," "Arbor Day," "National Masturbation Day," and...oh, wait, that last one may have to be rated NC-17...

Anyhoo, "Valentine's Day" didn't annoy me like so many of these romantic comedies do. However, with such a large cast of big-name actors (Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Queen Latifah, Topher Grace, George Lopez, Kathy Bates) dividing up the screen time with so many storylines and romantic couplings, none of them had a chance to become especially interesting. And it's extremely predictable -- just about every plot twist and relationship change can be figured out immediately. At least they had the good sense to have Eric Dane go shirtless for a bit. (This photo isn't from this movie but you get the general idea.) Without spoiling his storyline, let's just say it depicts something that is often a topic for discussion at Outsports.com. Still, "Valentine's Day" had a few charming moments. Or maybe I'm just going soft...hmmm...that sounds like a plotline for "National Masturbation Day: The Movie." My grade: B-minus

Calling For Requests Again!

Shortly after I started this blog, I decided to beg ask for requests. What I said at the time was: "I will blog about any topic you suggest. Anything. No subject is off the table. Just post a comment with your suggested topic or question. I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy what I have to say about your topic. Certain information may not be divulged (I won't, for example, divulge my ATM card's PIN number -- not that you'd get much of anything from my account at any rate). You may not want to suggest I blog about the Phillies, as I do enough of that already. I promise I will absolutely write something, though. The only thing I'd like to know is where in the world you are, whether or not you're Carmen Sandiego."

Now, this didn't exactly result in a flood of replies. Actually, it resulted in one. Since it's been a while, and I think my readership may have slightly increased since then, I've decided to ask again. Same rules apply, especially the one about where you're from. Don't be like that one anonymous person from my previous attempt...although I suspect I may know who wrote it...

As an enticement, and because pitchers and catchers have reported to Clearwater for spring training, here's a clip (from TheFightins.com) of Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino shirtless and swimming, while on a team-sponsored cruise in January 2009:

My Week In Comics 2-10-10

Here's what I bought on Thursday -- one day delayed thanks to Snowverkill. Three books, two I really enjoyed.

Batman and Robin 8: Part two of a story called "Blackest Knight," not to be confused with "Blackest Night." No power rings here, but a resurrection is being attempted -- that of Bruce Wayne, via a Lazarus pit. It guest-stars Batwoman and ties into her fight against the Cult of Crime; it also has a tie-in to Bruce's fate in "Final Crisis." I wasn't sure I was buying this after reading issue 7, but I'm glad I did.

Adventure Comics 7: Now here's a "Blackest Night" tie-in. As in the BN: Wonder Woman miniseries, we have a once-dead hero converted into a Black Lantern by a black power ring, and we see said hero -- in this case, Superboy -- trying to find a way to regain control of his own body. It rings true to the character and his development (a two-page synopsis of Conner's history at the start of the book is a good reminder of how far he's come.

Action Comics 886: The tale of Nightwing and Flamebird continues, but much too much of the book is devoted to the history of the Kryptonian legends they're named after. I'm not sure how much of this particular storyline will feed into the coming War of the Supermen, and unless it does I sort of don't care.

La La La La La...Daria on DVD

It's just about three months away. May 11 is the official release date for Daria: The Complete Animated Series on DVD -- and the set will include the two TV-movies, "Is It Fall Yet?" and "Is It College Yet?"...




Makes a great gift! ;-)

I found this link on the Daria page on Wikipedia. It mentions that since the rights are so expensive, much of the music on the show will be replaced by cover versions or similar-sounding music. I'm not so happy about this. There are certain scenes where music is a key element. I hope it doesn't affect my enjoyment of each episode. I'd hate to have to settle for my old VHS tapes recorded from MTV.

SI Swimsuit Issue: Yikes!

I finally got to peruse the copy of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue that a postal carrier so helpfully left in my mailbox during last week's Snowverkill, and I just have to say...holy crap.

Besides all of the bikini-clad supermodels, many of the ads feature scantily-clad women, on one or two occasions paired with a man, which is shocking. The back cover (both inside and out) features the female Green M&M, and on the inside cover she's peeling off her green shell. There are four wives/girlfriends of international soccer stars in bodypainted swimsuits. How is THIS fashion? The only men seen in any of the photos are in a "Dancing With The Stars" spread featuring athletes, and the men are, of course, fully clothed.

Apparently, however, there must be some female demographic in the readership. There are three men's cologne inserts. (I hate those smelly things, by the way.) One features "Lost" star Josh Holloway (see image), one has a shirtless male model and one has a guy with his little daughter hanging on him from behind. There's also a four-page Perry Ellis ad featuring a male model.

As for articles: for each photo shoot location there's a one-page travelogue, there's a one-page interview of Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn (who is also in swimsuits in this issue), and there's a "humorous" article in which Bar Rafaeli answers questions taken from eHarmony.com and Chemistry.com and the writer analyzes her responses.

I'm fine with all this, but they should really remove the word "Sports" from the title. There's not a drop of sports in this thing.

And, again, where is the all-male swimsuit issue?

Amazing Race: Good Start For Ex-Phils Coach

As I previously reported -- apparently exclusively, since as of this writing neither the Inquirer nor Daily News has mentioned this in their papers or at philly.com -- former Phillies third-base coach Steve Smith and his daughter Allison are contestants on the new season of "The Amazing Race" on CBS. The series debuted on Sunday night, and since I'm writing about it I can use this phrase for the first time on this blog...

SPOILER ALERT!!

THAT'S RIGHT -- DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED YET!!

THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING, DAMMIT!!!!

There. Wasn't that fun? At any rate, the racers were off to Chile, where at one point they had to grab some paint, brushes and a ladder and run to the house whose outside matched their color to paint an unfinished wall. Some of the teams had trouble finding their house. Among them was Steve and Allie, who at one point went inside a building and began painting, to the confusion of some local workers. It was edited out of the broadcast, but the Smiths eventually completed their task well enough that they finished in 4th place when they arrived at the first pit stop.

Alas, in the EW.com TV Watch recap for the show, the writer has already declared that Steve and Allie are one of the teams she's "already feeling bored with." Phillies fans had a different feeling when first experiencing the work of Steve Smith (see my previous blog).

I have to decide whether or not to continue watching the series. It's on at 8 pm, the same time as "The Simpsons," which means I'd have to DVR one of them and hope for no delays due to sporting events running late -- especially since I have "Family Guy" and "Desperate Housewives" at 9. But it could be entertaining. Among the participants are a lesbian couple, a gay man with his straight brother, former "Big Brother" contestants Jeff and Jordan (she won on that show, apparently) and the former Miss Teen South Carolina who brought us this magic moment:

Quick Reviews (Oscar Edition): An Education, Precious

Of the 10 Oscar Best Picture nominees, I've now seen eight of them. Both are very good, but only one of them cracked my personal top 10 for 2009.

In "An Education," Jenny, a mature 16-year-old British schoolgirl (Carey Mulligan, deserving of her Best Actress nomination), is diligently on a path to attend Oxford when she has a chance meeting with an older man (Peter Sarsgaard). He is charmed, she is smitten, and some subtle manipulation of her parents allows them to begin seeing more of each other. She is intrigued by his life and his friends. She begins to see this man and his swanky, adult lifestyle, as preferable to the immature schoolmate who fancies her, and to her future at Oxford. How everything plays out held my interest, but how it ends was just a little too pat, keeping it from my top 10. My grade: B-plus.

As for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," the story of Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is harrowing. Sexually abused by her father and impregnated by him twice (one baby with Down syndrome, a second baby on the way), physically and emotionally abused by her mother Mary (Mo'Nique), with whom she lives in Harlem (the story takes place in 1987), obese and illiterate, there would seem to be no hope for this girl. She's suspended from school when her second pregnancy is discovered, but the principal manages to get her into an alternative school. Precious begins to gain a support system in her new teacher (Paula Patton), a social worker (Mariah Carey -- completely de-glammed and nearly unrecognizable) and a nurse she meets at the hospital where she's given birth to her second child (Lenny Kravitz). It amazed me that by the end of the movie, although the future of Precious and her children is far from certain, it still felt uplifting. Something that amazed me even more is that, as much as Mary is an absolute monster, I felt sorry for her a little. The movie also made me angry, thinking about the kids who are in terrible situations in real life but don't get help the way Precious does. My grade: A.

My Week In Comics 2-3-10

Thanks to Snowverkill I didn't go out to get my comics today. So let's reminisce about...

...okay, wait. If I had tried, I could have gone and gotten them. I was up early enough. By 11:30, before the second half of the storm hit, I could have left the house, taken the route 66 bus, transferred to the El and gotten to the one store I know was open (because I got an email saying so). I was worried that the buses would stop running and leave me stranded. The 66 was still going after many other routes were shut down, and didn't stop until the entire bus system stopped running -- at 5 pm. The El was running throughout. So while I would've gotten hit with snow, I could have gotten my books. So it wasn't just thanks to Snowverkill but also to my own failure to think things through.

Now where was I? Oh yeah, we were about to reminisce about last week's haul...

Milestone Forever 1 (of 2): I mentioned, in discussing the Teen Titans issue from last week, that the Milestone universe was merged into the DC universe continuity. This book is a two-parter that in part is supposed to be a wrap on storylines that were going on in the various Milestone series. Except there's no real beginning that explains what storylines are being wrapped up, and of the two series I was buying before the Milestone books ended, I can't remember where they left off anyway. That didn't entirely keep me from enjoying this but it didn't help either.

Superman: World of New Krypton 12 (of 12): This miniseries is over, and the mystery of who was behind the conspiracy leading to the attacks on General Zod and the Kryptonian council members is solved. Looking back, it probably could have been done more quickly. After all, the entire saga of New Krypton and its relationship with Earth is far from over. The end of this book is the beginning of the "Last Stand of New Krypton" arc and its own miniseries, and then into War of the Supermen -- which is going to last, according to DC Comics, a whole hour and forty minutes!

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman 3 (of 3): The conclusion of this miniseries features Diana as the newest Star Sapphire, another appearance by Black Lantern Maxwell Lord and another fight with Mera, who is now a Red Lantern and, thus, consumed by rage. Diana's use of her lasso and her new violet power ring leads to a revelation about Mera's past that, I'm assuming, will be explored in depth in the future. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what that revelation is, exactly.

Red Robin 9: I hadn't bought the last few issues of this series but jumped back on because Tim is back in Gotham and in a much better state of mind. He defeats a Bat-villian, has a chat with his best friend (the one with a Super-dog), learns of a new threat from Ra's al Ghul and meets the new Batgirl (in whose series this arc crosses over). For now I think I'm back on the bandwagon.

Snowverkill and Swimsuits

You may have heard that here in Philadelphia and other parts of the I-95 corridor, we're having a little weather today.

Following December's Snowpocalypse (23.2 inches officially at National Park, NJ -- substituting for Philadelphia International Airport) and this past weekend's Snowmageddon (28.5 inches), the current mess that started last night needed a name. My friend Mark mentioned that it was being referred to as Snoverkill. I added the "w" and made it my goal to see Snowverkill as a trending topic on Twitter. Sure enough, it happened today, at least nationally; I haven't seen it on the Philadelphia list of trending topics, although we do have #ushouldntbeatallstar and #shooturself...

My front steps and a path along the sidewalk in front of my house have been shoveled three times -- my neighbor did it early this morning sometime; I did it a second time around 11 am while there was a lull and just a short coating was on the ground, and a third time around 5:30. In between my two shovelings, over 7 inches of snow fell, and it's still coming down. Less than two minutes after I shoveled the ground was covered again. At 6:45 I measured outside my door -- another two inches already! That would make at least 15 inches in my neighborhood, although it could have been more since early this morning there was a period where the snow mixed with/changed to sleet and rain, which tamps down the snow. (We're under a blizzard warning but the winds haven't been quite as strong as anticipated here, so it may not be officially called a blizzard yet.)

Quick Reviews (non-Oscar edition): Legion, When In Rome

I'm finally getting around to discussing the movies I've seen in the last 10 days. I've checked two more of the Oscar Best Picture nominees off my list, but first, a swift dispatch of two new releases.

"Legion" poses the question, "What would God do if he became angry with mankind?" In this movie, he sends his angels to destroy the world. But first, he wants an archangel to kill the unborn child of a young woman in the middle of nowhere. Said archangel (Paul Bettany) decides to defy God, comes to Earth, cuts off his wings and seeks to protect the pregnant girl. All kinds of violence ensues, with only a couple of over-the-top moments countering the remaining crap. Among the things that make no sense: why do the angels have to possess humans in order to fight? And if God is all-powerful, why wouldn't he just flood the Earth again, or do something even more permanent? Why rely on this convoluted plan involving angels to begin with? My grade: D.

And I was pretty much right about "When In Rome." A woman (Kristen Bell) who's given up on true love attends her sister's wedding in Rome. Instead of throwing a coin into a fountain and wishing for love, she takes some out. She returns to New York and is followed by the people who tossed the coins in, now magically and ardently in love with her. Conveniently, they're all straight white males, including one who may actually be into her without the magic involved (Josh "Mr. Fergie" Duhamel, pictured -- pretty but bland). Wouldn't it have been fun if she had plucked out a coin that belonged to a woman? Come to think of it, no. My grade: D-plus.

Super Bowl!

My night watching the Super Bowl had a few surprises in it. First, instead of staying home (and since no one I know threw, or invited me to, a Super Bowl party) I went to the Bike Stop to watch the Super Bowl tonight. This in itself was a surprise because I find myself increasingly disliking crowded bars, even if I'm not there by myself (my friend Kurt was there as well). I was close to leaving early on, which would have meant missing a good chunk of the game while I made the trip home. I managed to stick it out, though.

I stopped for dinner first, because I thought the bar wouldn't be putting out food until halftime. I was wrong. There was food almost as soon as the game began, including some huge buffalo wings -- large enough that they were very messy to eat with one hand (and the other holding the plate) while standing up.

Since I only got there just a minute or two before the game started I didn't see the national anthem. Because it was crowded enough that there was lots of noise and the volume of the TVs wasn't overly high, I couldn't make out most of what was being said. This means I can't really critique the broadcasters or the commercials. I was able to make out a decent amount of the halftime show by the Who. It bored me. It seemed to lack energy. I was surprised that they didn't have people on the field right near the stage acting excited and pretending to be at a real concert. To my surprise, I kinda missed them a little.

Going by visuals only, many of the commercials looked stupid. However, I need to see and hear the one featuring Betty White and Abe Vigoda to judge that one. Just seeing Betty White makes it possible that it was funny. There were two surprises regarding the ads. One was the Coke ad starring the Simpsons (I hadn't heard a thing about it beforehand). The other technically doesn't count as a Super Bowl commercial: the CBS promo for the Late Show with David Letterman, starring Dave, Oprah Winfrey and...Jay Leno! After Dave and Jay sniped back and forth during their monologues during the Conan O'Brien saga, seeing Leno was stunning! I'd love to know how this came about. I got an email from the Late Show with a link to watch it online. I have to say I almost like Jay Leno again just because he was there.

As for the game itself, Super Bowl XLIV was a major surprise. The New Orleans Saints not only won, 31-17 over the Indianapolis Colts, but they did it in style. They came out slowly, gaining little yardage in the first quarter while the Colts moved down the field rather easily. But the Saints only trailed 10-0 and from the second quarter on they played a superb game. I have to give credit to the Saints defense, who mostly held Peyton Manning and the Colts in check after the first quarter. Meanwhile, Drew Brees put together enough offense, throwing for 2 touchdown passes and putting together drives leading to three field goals.

Also give credit to Saints coach Sean Payton. With the Saints trailing 10-3 and having 4th-and-goal at the Colts' 1 with under 2 minutes left in the first half, instead of going for a field goal New Orleans went for the touchdown -- and Pierre Thomas was stacked up short of the goal. At the time I thought it was the wrong decision, but the Colts went three-and-out and had to punt, giving Brees great field position and enough time to get the ball into range for another field goal to end the half.

Then the Saints opened the second half with a shocking onside kick, and recovered the ball. That was the real turning point. Brees marched the Saints 55 yards, finishing with a 16-yard catch-and-run by Thomas to give New Orleans a 13-10 lead; the Colts struck back on the next possession to regain the lead, but from then on they couldn't score again. Garrett Hartley's third field goal got the Saints within 17-16. The Colts' Matt Stover missed a 51-yard attempt, and the Saints responded with a 59-yard drive resulting in a 2-yard TD pass from Brees to Jeremy Shockey. A two-point conversion (initially called an incompletion but reversed by a replay challenge) gave the Saints a 24-17 lead. Indianapolis' next drive ended in the only turnover by either team the entire game: a Peyton Manning pass intercepted by Tracy Porter and returned 74 yards for the clinching score.

Most observers (myself included) expected the Colts to win, and just about everyone expected a real shootout. But while both teams moved well at times (the Saints ended up with 332 net yards' offense to the Colts' 432), there were few long gains on offense -- only three or four that exceeded 20 yards. It was more of a ball-control game, and the Colts' offense, usually so efficient, was stymied tonight.

While I thought the Colts would win, I was hoping the Saints would win (as much as an Eagles fan can root for another team, that is) because one of their players, linebacker Scott Fujita, has been outspoken in favor of equal rights for gays, including marriage. So I'm happy for him, and to some extent for the city of New Orleans, still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Oscar Best Picture Nominees

The nominees for this year's Academy Awards were announced this week. In recent years I've tried to see all of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars are given out, because I don't want to say a movie did or did not deserve its nomination or victory if I haven't seen it. Usually there are one or two I haven't seen. This year, with there being 10 Best Picture nominees instead of 5, the ratio holds: there are four I haven't seen yet. Of the others, only two made my own personal top 10: "Up in the Air," which got an A from me, and "Up" (A-minus). In order of grade, the others I've seen are "District 9" (B-plus), "Inglourious Basterds," "The Blind Side" (both B) and "Avatar" (C-plus). So I need to see "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Precious" and "A Serious Man."

Just guessing here, but the increase from 5 to 10 nominees definitely allowed both "District 9" and "The Blind Side" to be nominated, and possibly helped "A Serious Man," "Up," "Inglourious Basterds" and "An Education." I think the rest were slam-dunks to be nominated. I don't understand all the "Avatar" love. Visually, technically brilliant but the story is so lackluster! And the record-setting box office is inflated by the more expensive 3D and IMAX showings. The multiplex nearest me isn't even showing the 2D version any more -- that's a ripoff! Of the movies in my top 10, I really would have liked "(500) Days of Summer" to have gotten a nomination instead of "Avatar." I think it subverted the whole romantic-comedy genre so well.

My Week In Comics 1-27-10

How the hell am I supposed to write about the 12 books I ended up buying? I have enough trouble when it's three or four. Ah, well. A little about each one will have to suffice.


The Atom and Hawkman 46: Another one-issue-only "Blackest Night" revival, but actually quite important to the main story.

Green Lantern 50: Also, obviously, "Blackest Night"-related. The only problem is that what happens at the end of the book is revealed on its cover.

Supergirl 49: Finishes off the Silver Banshee story from last month, and someone important apparently dies. Ooooh.

Superman 696: Picks up where Action Comics #885 left off two weeks ago. With the final issue of Superman: World of New Krypton out tomorrow, we'll be that much closer to the War of the Supermen!

World's Finest 4 (of 4): The miniseries featuring the first team-up of Superman and Dick Grayson-as-Batman is done, but it turns out there's a connection between this story and General Lane's plans for New Krypton.

Superman: Secret Origin 4 (of 6): It occurs to me that the title is misleading. There's really nothing "secret" about this. It's still just another revamp of how Superman became Superman and began his heroic career in Metropolis. Some parts I like, some I don't. This book tells the story of his first battle with the Parasite, and the way the book depicts Parasite's method of gaining strength begs the question: "Is it possible to give Superman a hickey?"

Batman and Robin 7: Dick Grayson has surprising plans for Bruce Wayne's lifeless body. Which is odd, considering how only Tim Drake has believed it possible to bring Bruce back. The way I see this particular story arc ending (considering DC Comics' already announced plans for "The Return of Bruce Wayne"), I'm not sure I'll pick up the next two issues.

Detective Comics 861: In the start of a 3-part arc, Batwoman is after a twisted criminal that was once sought by Batman (the original, not the current), with the past story told in flashbacks.

Gotham City Sirens 8: Much different tone than in the previous 7 issues. There's a different writer on this issue; not sure if it's a permanent change or not. If it is, I may not be buying this book much longer.

Teen Titans 79: Anyone who used to read the Milestone comics line knows that the characters of the Milestone Universe have been merged into the DC Universe and that Static is now a member of the Teen Titans. Thus, this story, in which Static returns to his hometown of Dakota after a long absence.

Victorian Undead 3 (of 6): The "Sherlock Holmes vs. zombies" story continues. Very much still enjoying this.

Futurama Comics 47: This was kinda fun, but I've run out of words, so...

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 2-2-10

Full disclosure: due to a technical glitch (i.e. I was playing around and closed the iTunes window) this isn't 13 songs played in one stretch. It's 4 songs and then 9 more. If this bothers you, I'll glady refund whatever amount you paid me to read this blog.

You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk) - 8th Day
I Believe In Love (Jonathan Peter's Edit) - Paula Cole
Snow (instrumental) - Gustava Santaolalla
I Like The Way - Bodyrockers
My Arms Keep Missing You - Rick Astley
Let Somebody Know - Diana Ross
I Got The Vibration (Lelewel Freak Radio Mix Edit) - Black Box
This Love Affair - Rufus Wainwright
Dance With A Stranger - Taylor Dayne
Neverending Story (12" mix) - Limahl
Soul Surfing - Fatboy Slim
Diamond Dogs - Beck
Don't Close The Door - Geggy Tah

Only Pennsylvanians Will Understand This

To be precise, only Pennsylvanians and people in adjoining states who regularly watch any of Pennsylvania's commercial television stations will understand this.

I want to know, in this age of budget cutbacks, why do we need two groundhogs on the payroll? Why can't this groundhog take on the additional duties of predicting whether or not we'll have six more weeks of winter? It's a one-day gig. He can fit it in!