Tuesday, December 18, 2012

NFL Power Rankings - Week 16

  1. Denver Broncos (11-3)
  2. Atlanta Falcons (12-2)
  3. San Francisco 49ers (9-3-1)
  4. New England Patriots (10-4)
  5. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
  6. Houston Texans (12-2)
  7. Seattle Seahawks (9-5)
  8. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
  9. Indianapolis Colts (9-5)
  10. Washington Redskins (8-6)
  11. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (8-6)
  13. New York Giants (8-6)
  14. Minnesota Vikings (8-6)
  15. Chicago Bears (8-6)
  16. Saint Louis Rams (6-7-1)
  17. New Orleans Saints (6-8)
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
  19. Miami Dolphins (6-8)
  20. San Diego Chargers (5-9)
  21. Cleveland Browns (5-9)
  22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8)
  23. Tennessee Titans (5-9)
  24. New York Jets (6-8)
  25. Arizona Cardinals (5-9)
  26. Detroit Lions (4-10)
  27. Carolina Panthers (5-9)
  28. Buffalo Bills (5-9)
  29. Philadelphia Eagles (4-10)
  30. Oakland Raiders (4-10)
  31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (2-12)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

My 15 Favorite Christmas Films

15. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
While certainly a re-tread of the first film, this is a feel-good Christmas movie with some funny moments. I grew up on this film, so I have to have it here.

14. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
This is not explicitly a Christmas film, but the best and most powerful scene is tied directly to Christmas. This is a great modern telling of the Frankenstein myth with beautiful imagery and a Christmas feel to it.

13. Gremlins (1984)
What's more Christmas than little monsters killing people and a monologue about someone's father dying in a chimney while dressed as Santa?

12. Die Hard (1988)
An action movie that happens to take place on Christmas. It's a one of the greatest action movies of all time and has a lot of off-beat Christmas humor. "Let it Snow" playing at the end of the film in the middle of Los Angeles is a great example.

11. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
It's come up before that I'm not a huge fan of this film, but it's considered by most to be one of the 2 great Christmas movies. It's a quality film, but doesn't get Christmasy until the end, but remains Christiany throughout. Jimmy Stewart was great in everything, but he's made better in my opinion.

10. The Year without Santa Claus (1974)
Classic Rankin Bass cartoon here, with Mickey Rooney and Dick Shawn among the voice talents. The highlight for me is certainly the Snow Miser song, as that is impossible to not get stuck in your head.

9. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Probably the best remembered of all the Rankin Bass cartoons, this is an absolute classic. Highlights include the Abominable Snow Monster (which scared the crap out of me as a kid), the Island of Misfit Toys (including the Charlie-in-the-Box), and Burl Ives as the snowman narrator/singer.

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Both a Halloween and Christmas film, this is surprisingly frightening and dark for kids. I mean Santa gets freaking kidnapped! But it's great for its imagery, its very underrated music, and in the end its themes.

7. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)
With Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney voicing characters, how could this not be great? This was always my favorite Rankin Bass cartoon as a kid, but I haven't seen it in forever.

6. Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988)
A great twist on the classic Dickens tale, in this TV short, Ebenezer Blackadder is a very nice guy who becomes miserable after seeing his ancestors and descendants. Great dry British humor by men such as Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Robbie Coltrane. Great stuff.

5. Christmas Vacation (1989)
What can I say about arguably the funniest Griswold family adventure? It's hilarious and there are so many classic moments.

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
My favorite TV short of all time, this is a great adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic story. Boris Karloff does a great job as the Grinch and the Narrator.

3. Home Alone (1990)
Almost every line of this movie sticks in my head well after it's said. It's hilarious and has a good message to it. In addition, it sums up my childhood better than almost any movie.

2. A Christmas Story (1983)
Is it worth having on a 24-hour run? Probably not, but it's hilarious and has a good old-fashioned innocence to it, which is entirely the point. It captures the magic of Christmas in the eyes of a child perfectly and will make you laugh throughout.

1. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
An absolute classic, this film is powerful, funny, and utterly charming. It's a classic tale that appeals both to kids and to adults. I never saw this until I was older, like fifteen or so, and I enjoy it more every time. There are great characters, performances, and interesting and clever satire in certain spots.

Monday, December 10, 2012

NFL Power Rankings - Week 15

  1. New England Patriots (10-3)
  2. Houston Texans (11-2)
  3. Denver Broncos (10-3)
  4. Green Bay Packers (9-4)
  5. Atlanta Falcons (11-2)
  6. San Francisco 49ers (9-3-1)
  7. Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
  8. New York Giants (8-5)
  9. Indianapolis Colts (9-4)
  10. Chicago Bears (8-5)
  11. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
  12. Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
  13. Washington Redskins (7-6)
  14. Minnesota Vikings (7-6)
  15. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
  16. Saint Louis Rams (6-6-1)
  17. Dallas Cowboys (7-6)
  18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
  19. New Orleans Saints (5-8)
  20. Cleveland Browns (5-8)
  21. Detroit Lions (4-9)
  22. San Diego Chargers (5-8)
  23. New York Jets (6-7)
  24. Buffalo Bills (5-8)
  25. Miami Dolphins (5-8)
  26. Carolina Panthers (4-9)
  27. Tennessee Titans (4-9)
  28. Philadelphia Eagles (4-9)
  29. Oakland Raiders (3-10)
  30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11)
  31. Arizona Cardinals (4-9)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (2-11)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

What the hell did I just watch? - An Anna Karenina review

Okay. Anna Karenina wasn't a downright awful film. I'd say it was forgettable if it wasn't so downright offensive. Normally I wouldn't even care except that there were so many questionable decisions going into the making of this film that I just had to say something. I was really looking forward to this film and it ended up letting me down in a huge, unforgivable way.

Adapted from the Leo Tolstoy novel in events only (certainly not tone), this was yet another Joe Wright-Keira Knightley collaboration. For the most part those have worked out quite well. I've only seen Atonement of their films together but it was quite good and I can say without much doubt in my mind that Keira Knightley is one of the best young actresses out there.

So what happened?

Whatever happened cannot be blamed on Knightley. She did an outstanding job, likely earning her second Oscar nomination. I felt bad for her in this film, as she was clearly trying her hardest, but ultimately her efforts were ruined by strange direction and a questionable screenplay.

Oh, did I forget to mention that the screenplay was written by Tom Stoppard, one of the more celebrated playwrights of the latter half of the twentieth century? Again I ask: what happened?

The film goes for this strange style that was interesting but ultimately pointless. The entire film is like it's on a stage, particularly in the beginning. In other words, Joe Wright saw Olivier's Henry V shortly before making this film. I have no problem with noticing influence by another filmmaker, but if you're not doing much original, then what's the point?

The style is obnoxious, allowing the first fifteen minutes to feel more like an extended trailer than a film. In this sense it reminded me of the opening of Romeo + Juliet, as I could just not allow myself to get into the movie.

In addition to this, the camera is constantly doing this 360 degree turns at a dizzying rate. It's safe to say I felt nausea more often than I felt emotion from this movie.

So again with the bizarre postmodern theatrical style. I would like to say a bit about Tolstoy here. Known for his realism, Tolstoy was more or less slandered by this style of filmmaking. The master of realism is now represented by this strange fantasy world where sets are obviously sets and snow is painted onto things.

Now I'm not denying that this style can work (Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) but it seems extremely unwise to do it to a Tolstoy novel. Tolstoy is known for writing merely events, and allowing the reader to find out what is important and just how important, but here we're told things are important due to the elaborate, overproduced mess.

Now about the screenplay I have more than a few complaints as well. First off, the film plays far too often for jokes and never any good ones.  I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when I saw that there was a fart joke in a Tolstoy adaptation. Most of the time, however, the jokes are awkward pauses. Because it's funny when everyone is speaking eloquently like they do in British-accented Russia and then there's an awkward pause. That's the extent of this film's humor. Tom Stoppard, writer of maybe the funniest play in the twentieth century, resorts to this kind of humor.

Also the film did a poor job of introducing characters. I'm not sure if this is the writer's fault or the director's but all I know is I'm watching a fifteen minute scene with some red-headed guy who I don't think I caught the name of until the second half of the movie. Maybe this was an attempt at imitating Tolstoy's style, but the viewer needs to at least know what the hell is happening.

Lastly I'll talk about the performances. There were some good ones, so I have the fewest complaints in this area. Knightley was great in this, and Jude Law, playing her husband, was also quite good. He actually looked Russian, too, unlike most of the other characters. And I enjoyed Matthew Macfayden doing his Kevin Kline impression, too, playing Keira Knightley's sister. However, Aaron Johnson did a pathetic job. He's confirmed himself as one of my least favorite dramatic actors following what I thought was a pitiful performance in Kick-Ass. Here he's beyond bland, delivering each line like he's just here to cash in a paycheck and maybe make out with Keira Knightley. As the main plot instigator, I was expecting a kind of passion or intensity, but no. The audience simply is told Keira Knightley and Aaron Johnson are in love because there's no chemistry or emotional connection. They simply find each other attractive. Now Johnson is a good looking guy and I don't feel bad saying that, but the script was begging for him to do something interesting. This film took the line "You can't ask why about love" way too seriously. Why do they love each other? Because they like the way they look. In their many scenes together, we don't get one glimpse into either characters.

While a decent amount of people seemed to enjoy this movie, I simply cannot recommend it.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

NFL Power Rankings

  1. Houston Texans (11-1)
  2. New England Patriots (9-3)
  3. Atlanta Falcons (11-1)
  4. Baltimore Ravens (9-3)
  5. Denver Broncos (9-3
  6. Green Bay Packers (8-4)
  7. Chicago Bears (8-4)
  8. San Francisco 49ers (8-3-1)
  9. Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)
  11. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
  12. New York Giants (7-5)
  13. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
  14. Washington Redskins (6-6)
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
  16. New Orleans Saints (5-7)
  17. Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
  18. Saint Louis Rams (5-6-1)
  19. Dallas Cowboys (6-6)
  20. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
  21. Detroit Lions (4-8)
  22. Buffalo Bills (5-7)
  23. San Diego Chargers (4-8)
  24. Cleveland Browns (4-8)
  25. Tennessee Titans (4-8)
  26. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
  27. Oakland Raiders (3-9)
  28. New York Jets (5-7)
  29. Arizona Cardinals (4-8)
  30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
  31. Philadelphia Eagles (3-9)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (2-10)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Bowl Predictions

GoDaddy.com Bowl
Kent State 28
Arkansas State 14

BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsbugh 24
Ole Miss 14

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl
Mississippi State 31
Northwestern 23

Heart of Dallas Bowl
Oklahoma State 35
Purdue 14

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Tulsa 24
Iowa State 13

Hyundai Sun Bowl
USC 34
Georgia Tech 27

Franklin American Music City Bowl
NC State 21
Vanderbilt 20

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
TCU 23
Michigan State 16

Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon State 20
Texas 7

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force 28
Rice 23

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
West Virginia 42
Syracuse 21

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Navy 24
Arizona State 21

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Ohio 20
UL-Monroe 9

Russell Athletic Bowl
Rutgers 27
Virginia Tech 10

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Texas Tech 31
Minnesota 24

Belk Bowl
Cincinnati 30
Duke 10

Military Bowl
Bowling Green 27
San Jose State 14

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
UCLA 24
Baylor 17

Little Caesars Bowl
Central Michigan 28
Western Kentucky 25

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
Boise State 24
Washington 20

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Fresno State 35
SMU 24

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg
Central Florida 24
Ball State 14

San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
San Diego State 17
BYU 10

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
ECU 23
Louisiana Lafayette 21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Toledo 21
Utah State 20

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Arizona 28
Nevada 19

Outback Bowl
Michigan 21
South Carolina 14

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Clemson 31
LSU 17

Capital One Bowl
Georgia 24
Nebraska 20

AT&T Cotton Bowl
Texas A&M 31
Oklahoma 21

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio
Stanford 31
Wisconsin  21

Discover Orange Bowl
Floirda State 28
Northern Illinois 27

All-State Sugar Bowl
Florida 21
Louisville 10

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Oregon 35
Kansas State 27

Discover BCS National Championship
Notre Dame 20
Alabama 13

Conference Records:
Big East: 4-1
MWC: 4-1
MAC: 5-2
PAC-12: 4-2
Independent: 2-1
Conference USA: 3-2
Big 12: 4-4
ACC: 3-3
SEC: 4-5
Big Ten: 1-6
WAC: 0-2
Sun Belt: 0-4

College Football Awards



Heisman Trophy:
1.      Collin Klein, Kansas State
2.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
3.      Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
4.      Braxton Miller, Ohio State
5.      Kenjon Barner, Oregon
Maxwell Award:
1.      Collin Klein, Kansas State
2.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
3.      Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Walter Camp Award:
1.      Collin Klein, Kansas State
2.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
3.      Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Home Depot Coach of the Year Award:
1.      Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
2.      Urban Meyer, Ohio State
3.      David Shaw, Stanford
Doak Walker Award:
1.      Kenjon Barner, Oregon
2.      Ka’Deem Carey, Arizona
3.      Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
Davey O’Brien Award:
1.      Collin Klein, Kansas State
2.      Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
3.      Braxton Miller, Ohio State
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award:
1.      Collin Klein, Kansas State
2.      Geno Smith, West Virginia
3.      Matt Barkley, USC
Fred Biletnikoff Award:
1.      Marqise Lee, USC
2.      Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
3.      Terrance Williams, Baylor
John Mackey Award:
1.      Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
2.      Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
3.      Joseph Fauria, UCLA
Outland Trophy:
1.      Barrett Jones, Alabama
2.      Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina
3.      Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
Vince Lombardi Award:
1.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2.      Barrett Jones, Alabama
3.      Jarvis Jones, Georgia
Rimington Trophy:
1.      Barrett Jones, Alabama
2.      Sam Schwartzstein, Stanford
3.      Jay Finch, Georgia Tech
Chuck Bednarik Award:
1.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2.      Jarvis Jones, Georgia
3.      Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
Bronko Nagurski Award:
1.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2.      Jarvis Jones, Georgia
3.      Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
Dick Butkus Award:
1.      Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2.      Jarvis Jones, Georgia
3.      Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
Jim Thorpe Award
1.      Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
2.      Dee Milliner, Alabama
3.      Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
Lou Groza Award:
1.      Cairo Santos, Tulane
2.      Dustin Hopkins, Florida State
3.      Brendan Gibbons, Michigan
Ray Guy Award:
1.      Ryan Allen – Louisiana Tech
2.      Scott Kovanda – Ball State
3.      Kyle Christy – Florida