Current Tunes: My grumbling stomach. When’s dinner?
So I’m not going to spend forever talking about the BCS game. All I have to say is the final score was 37-21. That’s a 16-point deficit. Check yesterday’s post if you don’t believe me when I said I called a 16-point victory for the Tide.
I’m not sure if everyone consciously keeps a list of films that they haven’t seen that they’re dying to finally view like I do. People should though. A few days ago, I finally knocked off the top film on this list of mine. It’s a film I’ve literally wanted to see for years but never got around to it. It might sound silly, but finally seeing this movie was just about equivalent to a major life goal, like buying your own house or something.
After watching it, then reading about so many of the things that went on surrounding the production, I have a special respect and appreciation for Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown.” I haven’t seen it as many times, and it doesn’t have quite the charm that “Casablanca” has, but I really think I have to rank “Chinatown” as good as that film is, and I almost always regard “Casablanca” as the greatest film ever made. I guess I might not ever give “Chinatown” the same label, and it’s for the worst reason: it’s just not as joyful and happy and feel-goody-goody as “Casablanca.” Anyway, enough comparison-talk.
Film is so much a product of the culture and nation from wherever it is made, like all art really. I think will film it gets a little more amplified because with film, the final result of your art is influenced so much by your perception of the world as a whole. That perception of the world is of course influenced by where you come from, how could it not be? The greatest strength of “Chinatown” is how unashamed it was to be dirty, gross, and uncomfortable. It doesn’t try to glorify the place it’s set in, it just shows it, and with a stunning amount of objectivity.
Another especially fascinating aspect of the film to me was Jack Nicholson. There’s already a mountain of commentary about Nicholson’s performance in this film, but I think my perspective is a bit unique, if I do say so myself. I’ve been a Nicholson fan for a long time. I cannot recall seeing a single movie of his that I didn’t enjoy, even if it was technically a bad film. I love his flashy, cocky, blitzkrieg approach to acting. How can you not? He’s absolutely electric.
But in “Chinatown,” I hardly noticed at all that it was Nicholson on screen. His performance is unlike anything else he’s done that I can recall because its so much quieter, so much more nuanced, so much more calculated. In films like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” or “The Shining” or even “Batman” and “The Departed” he’s moves and talks with such an anarchic fervor. That’s what’s made him both endure the years and endeared him into the hearts of film fans all over the globe. Not in “Chinatown” though, not at all. He totally made me believe that J.J. Gittes was a real, flesh-and-blood P.I. in Los Angeles. I would have gladly hired this guy to spy on my cheating wife; he’s so clever and composed, brave too.
I’m still soaking it all in. I’ve rarely encountered movies like this that take so much time to really understand my true feelings about what the film presented as a whole. I know that it’s good though; I know that it’s really, really good. I’m so confident of its brilliance because it easily falls into that most wondrous category of films: the ones where I wish with every fiber of my being that I could watch it over and over again as if it were the first time.
08 January 2010
07 January 2010
The Tradition Continues...
Current Tunes: Soundgarden – My Wave
Today’s the big day. Alabama vs. Texas for the whole can of beans. The BCS Championship. Today the big UA gets to write a whole new chapter and take home their 13th National Championship. It seems not so far a way a few years ago when we were having mediocre seasons and losing to Auburn 6 years in a row. That time is long behind us though, and tonight’s going to be the end of a long road.
Looking back further than that, I can remember very clearly being at my grandparents’ house in Tyler, Texas, on January 1st, 1993 when we last won the National Championship. I remember watching the game with my dad, in the dimly lit backroom of the house. I remember running around the house yelling and shouting multiple times throughout the night whenever Alabama made a big play.
I especially remember watching George Teague strip that ball straight out of Lamar Thomas’ hands to negate a touchdown. That’s probably one of my most fond football memories of any game, at any place, in any time. I suppose that’s not really saying a lot. After all, “The Strip” is one of the more amazing and famous moments in all of Alabama football history, and has a tremendous amount of emotional weight for Alabama fans everywhere.
That play I think was special to me because it was the first time I remember watching a play from a sports event and really going “Wow!” I’d watched lots and lots of players hit game-winning homeruns in baseball games, or last minute buzzer-beaters to win a big basketball game, but not a play like that where one guy just willed something not to happen on the field of play. I’ll remember it forever.
I hope tonight is another night like that, a night that’ll emblazon itself as another eye-popping, shout-worthy moment in the history of Alabama football.
I’m especially happy for coach Nick Saban. The whole university had plenty of reason to be excited about bringing him into lead this team to the top of the nation. However I seriously doubt anyone expected he would have led us to the National Championship after just 3 years as coach. That’s the phenomenal part about it all to me. Saban came right in here and completely turned us around and put us back on the path to success. Everyone pitched a fit about the incredibly high amount of money the university offered him to coach, but from here it looks like that money is paying off well.
Tide’ll take it home by 16 tonight. Roll Tide Roll!
Today’s the big day. Alabama vs. Texas for the whole can of beans. The BCS Championship. Today the big UA gets to write a whole new chapter and take home their 13th National Championship. It seems not so far a way a few years ago when we were having mediocre seasons and losing to Auburn 6 years in a row. That time is long behind us though, and tonight’s going to be the end of a long road.
Looking back further than that, I can remember very clearly being at my grandparents’ house in Tyler, Texas, on January 1st, 1993 when we last won the National Championship. I remember watching the game with my dad, in the dimly lit backroom of the house. I remember running around the house yelling and shouting multiple times throughout the night whenever Alabama made a big play.
I especially remember watching George Teague strip that ball straight out of Lamar Thomas’ hands to negate a touchdown. That’s probably one of my most fond football memories of any game, at any place, in any time. I suppose that’s not really saying a lot. After all, “The Strip” is one of the more amazing and famous moments in all of Alabama football history, and has a tremendous amount of emotional weight for Alabama fans everywhere.
That play I think was special to me because it was the first time I remember watching a play from a sports event and really going “Wow!” I’d watched lots and lots of players hit game-winning homeruns in baseball games, or last minute buzzer-beaters to win a big basketball game, but not a play like that where one guy just willed something not to happen on the field of play. I’ll remember it forever.
I hope tonight is another night like that, a night that’ll emblazon itself as another eye-popping, shout-worthy moment in the history of Alabama football.
I’m especially happy for coach Nick Saban. The whole university had plenty of reason to be excited about bringing him into lead this team to the top of the nation. However I seriously doubt anyone expected he would have led us to the National Championship after just 3 years as coach. That’s the phenomenal part about it all to me. Saban came right in here and completely turned us around and put us back on the path to success. Everyone pitched a fit about the incredibly high amount of money the university offered him to coach, but from here it looks like that money is paying off well.
Tide’ll take it home by 16 tonight. Roll Tide Roll!
06 January 2010
Gilbert's Got a Gun...
Current Tunes: Isis - Hym
Today NBA commissioner David Stern indefinitely suspended Gilbert Arenas, the bright young star of the Washington Wizards, for bringing a handgun into the Washington locker room and purportedly pulling it on a teammate. Let me just say, way to go Mr. Stern.
I actually like Mr. Arenas, so this whole situation was pretty puzzling, and at the same time, aggravating for me. The idea of bringing a gun into the locker room of a professional basketball team just utterly stuns me. I spent the past couple of days trying to break down exactly what could possibly motivate this action, what kind of logic could have driven Mr. Arenas to behave like this and I’m short on concrete answers, but there are possibilities to explore.
Arenas has gone on the record saying he was taking the gun to the locker room to get it out of his house and away from his children. Hopefully anyone reading this can clearly see what a nonsense excuse that is. I would certainly postulate that Arenas perhaps wanted the guns nowhere near his children. That’s a noble motivation for sure. But let’s turn this scenario around a bit. Let’s imagine instead of making his money as a pro basketball player, instead he worked as a accountant at a major firm of some kind. Do you think that employer would take kindly to you bring a gun to the office, then threatening a coworker with it? I think not.
If you boil it down, there are only three purposes for a gun. The first is for sport shooting. I don’t think that’s what he hand in mind for the weapon when he brought it to the Verizon Center in Washington. The second purpose guns are usually associated with is hunting. Certainly that’s not what he took it to the locker room for either. The third and final purpose would be for protection or for offensive (read: murderous) intent. As in a combat situation. We’ve pretty clearly eliminated the other two purposes as not being likely reason for bringing the gun to the arena. And I can’t help but seriously doubt his motivation was protection, as major sports arenas these days are more secure than airports.
That’s as far as I’ll carry the speculation though; no point in going any further. I’m just so disgusted by what this guy did. Lots of commentators are pointing back to the Plaxico Burress incident and wondering why Arenas didn’t learn from that guy’s mistakes. I’m here to tell you he didn’t learn because he’s another bigheaded celebrity who thinks somehow having fame and fortune grants you membership into some imaginary club where the law does not apply to you.
I’ve heard there are accusations that he transported the gun across state lines in his car. That’s a major no-no. Even if that’s not the case, Arenas should still go to jail I think. What happens when some random janitor/maintenance worker/nutcase breaks into another NBA player’s locker, takes the gun, and then shoots up the place? That’s pretty far fetched, I’ll grant you. But far-fetched can still happen. You can’t shoot up a public sporting event if there aren’t any guns in the building. Which is why they’re not allowed in there. The stupidity of Arenas’ actions absolutely can’t go unpunished. If I had a kid, and I took him to an NBA game and I’d found out there had been anyone who’d brought a gun into that arena, from pro player to cameraman to everyday fan to corporate executive, I would be infuriated. The people of Washington D.C. should be.
Today NBA commissioner David Stern indefinitely suspended Gilbert Arenas, the bright young star of the Washington Wizards, for bringing a handgun into the Washington locker room and purportedly pulling it on a teammate. Let me just say, way to go Mr. Stern.
I actually like Mr. Arenas, so this whole situation was pretty puzzling, and at the same time, aggravating for me. The idea of bringing a gun into the locker room of a professional basketball team just utterly stuns me. I spent the past couple of days trying to break down exactly what could possibly motivate this action, what kind of logic could have driven Mr. Arenas to behave like this and I’m short on concrete answers, but there are possibilities to explore.
Arenas has gone on the record saying he was taking the gun to the locker room to get it out of his house and away from his children. Hopefully anyone reading this can clearly see what a nonsense excuse that is. I would certainly postulate that Arenas perhaps wanted the guns nowhere near his children. That’s a noble motivation for sure. But let’s turn this scenario around a bit. Let’s imagine instead of making his money as a pro basketball player, instead he worked as a accountant at a major firm of some kind. Do you think that employer would take kindly to you bring a gun to the office, then threatening a coworker with it? I think not.
If you boil it down, there are only three purposes for a gun. The first is for sport shooting. I don’t think that’s what he hand in mind for the weapon when he brought it to the Verizon Center in Washington. The second purpose guns are usually associated with is hunting. Certainly that’s not what he took it to the locker room for either. The third and final purpose would be for protection or for offensive (read: murderous) intent. As in a combat situation. We’ve pretty clearly eliminated the other two purposes as not being likely reason for bringing the gun to the arena. And I can’t help but seriously doubt his motivation was protection, as major sports arenas these days are more secure than airports.
That’s as far as I’ll carry the speculation though; no point in going any further. I’m just so disgusted by what this guy did. Lots of commentators are pointing back to the Plaxico Burress incident and wondering why Arenas didn’t learn from that guy’s mistakes. I’m here to tell you he didn’t learn because he’s another bigheaded celebrity who thinks somehow having fame and fortune grants you membership into some imaginary club where the law does not apply to you.
I’ve heard there are accusations that he transported the gun across state lines in his car. That’s a major no-no. Even if that’s not the case, Arenas should still go to jail I think. What happens when some random janitor/maintenance worker/nutcase breaks into another NBA player’s locker, takes the gun, and then shoots up the place? That’s pretty far fetched, I’ll grant you. But far-fetched can still happen. You can’t shoot up a public sporting event if there aren’t any guns in the building. Which is why they’re not allowed in there. The stupidity of Arenas’ actions absolutely can’t go unpunished. If I had a kid, and I took him to an NBA game and I’d found out there had been anyone who’d brought a gun into that arena, from pro player to cameraman to everyday fan to corporate executive, I would be infuriated. The people of Washington D.C. should be.
05 January 2010
'BSG' Has Taken Hold of Me / Winter Quarter '10 Begins
Current Tunes: The hum of desktop Macs in the computer lab
Sorry about missing the past two days folks. Just seemed like I couldn’t fit in time for a post. Sunday I spent all day in Birmingham with some good friends and didn’t get back home until very late, and Monday I got wrapped up in chores around the house and “Battlestar Galactica.”
That’s turning out to be quite a compelling show. I just started the first season. Like most things, I feel a significant amount of my enjoyment of “BSG” has come from the fact that I knew absolutely zilch about the show going into it. Well, I knew there were these things called Cylons. And I knew they could look like people, but they could also look like overgrown trashcans with sunglasses right out of the 80s. Other than that, I had no idea about this show. I’m enjoying it immensely. I would dare say its some of the best, most hardcore sci-fi TV I’ve seen in quite sometime.
s
“BSG” reminds me of “Lost in Space.” And by “Lost in Space” I don’t mean the campy old 60s show, but I mean the show “Lost,” but in space. A less cheesy way of putting it would be to say “BSG” is a serious examination of moral complexities and dilemmas that emerge when real, true, in-your-face survival is the only game left to play.
I’ll freely admit though, what’s really gripping me about the show is just the premise, not really the characters. There are one or two characters I’m becoming attached to, but I don’t think they’re the ones you’re supposed to be sympathetic to. I’m talking about Number Six and Gaius. Gaius I like because TV shows have plenty of sane people and plenty of insane people too, but rare is the show that can have a character who rests somewhere in the in-between. Number Six is awesome because I’m terrified of her, and that just means the actress playing that part is doing an wonderful job.
On different note, class started back this week and I’m again granted unlimited access to the school building. December was really tough, not having the school to escape to. It’s so wonderful here. If I still live in Atlanta for the next few years, and I have no reason to think I won’t, I fully intend to come here to the school weekly just to do whatever. To work, to talk to people, enjoy this incredible environment. Even now sitting here it’s so quiet. That’s just the absolute best. I don’t particularly have to, but I think I’ll come back again tomorrow. Visiting the school daily to get work done is a habit I could truly grow to enjoy.
But for now, this is my last quarter here at SCAD as a student. What a journey this has been. I want to be done (oh, how I want to be done!), but I don't want to leave either. These two years have been so valuable to me.
Bah! I'm already getting too sentimental and this quarter just started yesterday. There's a time and a place for that sort of nonsense, and this isn't it.
Sorry about missing the past two days folks. Just seemed like I couldn’t fit in time for a post. Sunday I spent all day in Birmingham with some good friends and didn’t get back home until very late, and Monday I got wrapped up in chores around the house and “Battlestar Galactica.”
That’s turning out to be quite a compelling show. I just started the first season. Like most things, I feel a significant amount of my enjoyment of “BSG” has come from the fact that I knew absolutely zilch about the show going into it. Well, I knew there were these things called Cylons. And I knew they could look like people, but they could also look like overgrown trashcans with sunglasses right out of the 80s. Other than that, I had no idea about this show. I’m enjoying it immensely. I would dare say its some of the best, most hardcore sci-fi TV I’ve seen in quite sometime.
s
“BSG” reminds me of “Lost in Space.” And by “Lost in Space” I don’t mean the campy old 60s show, but I mean the show “Lost,” but in space. A less cheesy way of putting it would be to say “BSG” is a serious examination of moral complexities and dilemmas that emerge when real, true, in-your-face survival is the only game left to play.
I’ll freely admit though, what’s really gripping me about the show is just the premise, not really the characters. There are one or two characters I’m becoming attached to, but I don’t think they’re the ones you’re supposed to be sympathetic to. I’m talking about Number Six and Gaius. Gaius I like because TV shows have plenty of sane people and plenty of insane people too, but rare is the show that can have a character who rests somewhere in the in-between. Number Six is awesome because I’m terrified of her, and that just means the actress playing that part is doing an wonderful job.
On different note, class started back this week and I’m again granted unlimited access to the school building. December was really tough, not having the school to escape to. It’s so wonderful here. If I still live in Atlanta for the next few years, and I have no reason to think I won’t, I fully intend to come here to the school weekly just to do whatever. To work, to talk to people, enjoy this incredible environment. Even now sitting here it’s so quiet. That’s just the absolute best. I don’t particularly have to, but I think I’ll come back again tomorrow. Visiting the school daily to get work done is a habit I could truly grow to enjoy.
But for now, this is my last quarter here at SCAD as a student. What a journey this has been. I want to be done (oh, how I want to be done!), but I don't want to leave either. These two years have been so valuable to me.
Bah! I'm already getting too sentimental and this quarter just started yesterday. There's a time and a place for that sort of nonsense, and this isn't it.
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