Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Best Of 2010 - Television

I normally do not watch a lot of TV, but things changed a tad in 2010. TV is now a great medium to get some original ideas and I started watching a few more shows since I got a DVR (if you do not know what that is, look it up and get one... now). So here is a list of my favorite shows from 2010, if you have some time check them out.(not listed in any order)


Lost (ABC) - Probably one my favorite shows of all time, Lost ended what was a great all around series. A lot of people I know who watched the show complained about how the ending did not answer all the small questions while others like me just enjoyed the show and all that it gave to the viewers. I can't say the show was ever predictable and the ending held true to the entire series while the finale left me with much sadness to see one of my favorite shows come to and end, I miss the characters and the island with all its mysterious. Goodbye Lost, you shall be missed.



How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - HIMYM continues to please the viewer with good running gags and some great comedy. This season did get a little off target with giving us the down-low on who the mother may be. They introduced a new character (a possible future love interest or just a new part of the gang?) who is a friend to the group. Overall the show continues to deliver to the 25-25 year old crowd and if you are in that age range this show is for you and you should be watching it.


The League (FX) - Quite possibly the best show about a fantasy football league ever! Okay possibly the ONLY show about fantasy football ever. Sometimes I feel this show is made for me. The humor can be crude yet also very well crafted. The cast continues to bring its A game. I hope this show can continue to build and last a few more seasons, I think its one of the best comedies out there today.


The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - I was not a huge fan of the show before this year, previously I had only seen a handful of episodes but this season really got to me. I like the jokes and the dynamic of the show. The writers really know how nerds think and they do their research when it comes to mentioning something small that only a few fanboys would know. I think acting is very well done and I am glad a show like this actually exists, who would of thought a show about nerds and outcasts would be a hit!



The Event (NBC) - A show that had some potential, I started to watch it in my post Lost haze, hoping that the show would have some mystery and intrigue. The Event started off well enough but towards the end it started to lose its luster. WARNING SPOILERS-- The show is about an alien race that crash landed in Alaska in the 30's and they are now trying to get back home-- END SPOILERS. The show sort of gave away too much to early and while I still enjoyed the episodes I am not sure if I will want to watch it unless it is able to step up in terms of story. As of now the show is on hiatus (never a good sign) for 9 months.


Pawn Stars (History Channel) & Hollywood Treasure (Syfy) - I group these reality shows together because they are somewhat related. Pawn Stars is about a pawn store in Las Vegas and all the dealing they do on a day to day basis. They show is great because they go into the history of the things people bring in and often time they show things you may never see. The personality of the 4 main people who run the shop is also very funny and entertaining.

Hollywood Treasure is similar reality show in which a group works for an auction house. The show is about making connections and finding old pieces of Hollywood memorabilia that they can auction off for a nice profit. I enjoy seeing the people on the show find these old film relics (like the golden ticket from Willy Wonka, Gremlins from the movie, and much more cool stuff) that interest a movie nerd like myself.


Saturday Night Live (NBC) - I still watch SNL but only because of the DVR, if it was not for that I would most likely skip the show. I often skip the musical acts (when I have no interest) and the show has a ton of commercials that I have no interest in waiting through. The show has some good cast members and will always delve into politics or current event. Of course it is very hit or miss and often the best parts of the show are the digital shorts and the weekend updates. I do enjoy seeing Bill Hader and a few other who always seem to do a good job.



The Walking Dead (AMC) - The Walking Dead is a new show which was based off a comic of the same name. I really loved this show, they have some great stories and the acting was really top notch. Of course the premise of the story is that zombies have taken over and only a handful of humans remain. We follow Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) as he searches for his family. I am not surprised the show became the hit series that it did and I like many other cannot wait to see what they do next, they only had a 6 episode first season and it will be interesting to see the stories they come up with next.


Well those or some of the best shows I saw in 2010, I hope you enjoyed the list and please feel free to comment below.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Childhood Favorites: A Second Look

I have been focusing a lot on sports in the blog but want to change things up. I recently viewed some movies that I always held in high praise because they were special to me when I was a child. Having not seen some of these movies for many years I felt like I was seeing them with new eyes and had some new feelings on these movies.




Major League (1989):
This was always a favorite of mine because it was a sports comedy. On my recent viewing I felt it held up very well. I enjoyed the swearing a tad more when I was a kid because saying fuck was hilarious, and I feel that why it was still funny it wasn't as hilarious as previously remembered. I think I did enjoy more of the scenes with Bob Uecker as the Indians play by play man Harry Doyle.

Now having more insight into baseball, as I watch in more now then I did when I was a kid. I can see the players the movie was making fun of like high priced free agents past there prime (Corbin Bernsen) like Mike Lowell of the Boston Red Sox, young speedsters (Wesley Snipes) like Michael Born of the Houston Astros, pitchers past there prime that rely on junk/craft rather then speed (Chelcie Ross) like Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies, young pitchers who only rely on speed and can amass tons of strike outs (Charlie Sheen) like Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals, old catchers that have bum legs but are great team players (Tom Berenger) like Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox, and guys who can hit for power but not else (Dennis Haysbert) like Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox.



No matter I still think the ending of the movie is great, it holds up really well. I like that the Indians only get into the playoffs with the win and its not the World Series ( I believe that was touched on more in the disappointing sequel). I was happy to learn that many actual major league players watch this movie in the club house and appreciate it. I still think after all these years the movie is hilarious and makes me long to watch a baseball game.

Grade: A-




Back to the Future (1985):
With the 20th anniversary of the movie Back to the Future was getting a lot of press lately. I know Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd appeared together at an award show, Yahoo had a front page story about how Eric Stolz was originally cast and replaced by Fox and that they just released the trilogy on Blu-Ray, I guess all the talk made me want to go back and re-visit the original film.

It has been a few years since I last visited the world of Hill Valley and I must say besides some dated special effects (the fire between Doc and Marty's legs looks pretty bad) the movie is still as awesome as ever. The story once seemed confusing me to as a kid but now I totally get it and all the little jokes.



I was also noticing they say the word shit in the movie more then a few times and I was wondering how much I understood about terrorists shooting Doc Brown and how that seems pretty adult in nature. But besides those few things i just totally enjoyed watching Michael J. Fox at the top of his game back in 1985. Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson give great supporting parts as high schooler and adults. I don't really need to go on, this one is a classic for a reason.

Grade: A


The Goonies (1985) :
Seems like 1985 was a great year for long lasting movies. The Goonies, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science were among the movies released that year that I consider to be true modern classic movies. The Goonies is a movie that everyone I know that is 25-35 years old seems to love. I decided it had been a long time since my last viewing so it was high time to watch this one again.

Another movie that I could see easily getting a PG-13 rating today, you have some great humor and I think most people (including myself) love that Goonies doesn't take itself too serious. It really has a child's outlook and I believe that is the reason of it success. You feel like a Goonie when you watch the movie, you just enjoy the adventure just as much as it looks like Mikey, Mouth, Data, Chunk and the rest of the kids do.




Grade: A-

Monday, December 13, 2010

Power Poll - Week14

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

Monday, December 6, 2010

Power Poll - Week 13

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

Thursday, December 2, 2010

November Screening Log





A large dip in moving watching was made possible for many reasons, most of which included Thanksgiving holiday and going out of town for five days. I was happy I was able to get out to the movies more then a few times, including getting to see Harry Potter at a theater built in 1942.


14) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1/ Theater / B
13) Best Worst Movie/ DVD/ B+
12) Back to the Future/ DVD / A
11) Ken Burns: Baseball: The Tenth Inning/ DV-R / A-
10) Cobra/ Netflix Instant / B
9) Unstoppable/ Theater / B-
8) Lost Boys: The Thirst/ DVD/ C
7) Get Him to the Greek/ DVD/ B
6) I Am Sam/ Netflix Instant/ A-
5) Batman: Under the Red Hood/ Netflix Instant/ C
4) L.A. Story/ DVD/ A-
3) Major League/ DVD/ A-
2) Due Date/ Theater/ B-
1) I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell / DVD/ B-

Stand out movie of the month was a tie between Best Worst Movie, a great movie about how Troll 2 is such a bad movie that people love it and Cobra, a total 1980's film starring Sylvester Stallone as a one liner machine who happens to kick ass.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Power Poll - Week 12

1. (-) New England Patriots (9-2)- Patriots got to feast on Thanksgiving by playing the Lions. Still have some of the best throw back uniforms!

2. (3) Atlanta Falcons (9-2) - Beat the Packers to continue to show they are the best the NFC has to offer.

3. (2) New York Jets (9-2) - Stuffed the Bengals on Thanksgiving (how many more Thanksgiving related jokes can I write?)

4. (5) Baltimore Ravens (8-3) - Besides the Falcons they were the only team in the top 5 to play a good team (Buccaneers) and win.

5. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) - I am sure most people thought the game against the Bills would be a blowout, they were a sure handed catch(that was dropped) away from defeat.

6. (12) San Diego Chargers (6-5) - They move up a lot because they are showing they belong in the top and all this with Mike Tolbert at RB.

7. (10) Chicago Bears (8-3) - After next weeks game against Detroit they play the Patriots, @Vikings, Jets, and @Packers check in after that to see if they are for real.

8. (6) Green Bay Packers (7-4) - Stayed close with Atlanta on the road and they still could push Chicago for the division.

9. (8) New Orleans Saints (8-3) - They have seemingly righted the ship and could be a team that flies under the radar come playoff time.

10. (7) Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) - Lost pretty bad in Chicago, Vick threw his first interception of the season.

11. (9) Indianapolis Colts (6-5) - They do not look like the Colts of old but they also have lost so many important guys to injury.

12. (13) New York Giants (7-4) - They managed to make a second half comeback and stay in the hunt.

13. (14) Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) - Dwayne Bowe put Tecmo Bowl like stats over the Seahawks (13 catches, 170 yards, 3 Td's).

14. (11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) - They finally had a chance to beat a team over .500, and hung around with the Ravens until they lost 17-10.

15. (-) Miami Dolphins (6-5) - Ricky Williams rushed for 95 yards and Ronnie Brown had 85 yards as well in a 33-17 win over Oakland.

16. (-) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5) - Yes this team has the division lead over the Colts.

17. (20) Houston Texans (5-6) - Andre Johnson's fight got all the headlines, no one noticed they beat the Titans 20-0.

18. (24) St Louis Rams (5-6) - Yes this team has the NFC West division lead!

19. (-) Washington Redskins (5-6) - They had the game won and then the refs called back the kick off return due to penalty, 8-8 looks doable.

20. (17) Oakland Raiders (5-6) - The Raiders fall continues, they had 16 net rushing yards against the Dolphins.

21. (22) Cleveland Browns (4-7) - This team loves to win close games! Peyton Hillis continues to be the feel good story of the year (3 more Td's on Sunday), could the white running back be back?

22. (18) Tennessee Titans (5-6) - I must insist they try someone else besides Rusty Smith at Qb. Chris Johnson had 7 carries for 5 yards?!

23. (21) Seattle Seahawks (5-6) - They have lost 5 of their last 6, luckily they have the Panthers and Niners up next.

24. (25) Minnesota Vikings (4-7) - Just when people stopped talking about Mr. Favre he had to win and get his name going again.

25. (23) Dallas Cowboys (3-8) - They had a chance to tie it up but Kicker David Buehler proved to be a turkey and missed the kick.

26. (27) San Francisco 49ers (4-7) - Somehow this team is only 1 game back, but bad news in losing Frank Gore for what appears to be the rest of the season.

27. (28) Buffalo Bills (2-9) - I feel bad for Steve Johnson, he had the game winning catch in his hands and it just slipped through. At least the Bills play close in most games.

28. (26) Denver Broncos (3-8) - They recorded a 49ers practice but that doesn't help your team from having no defense.

29. (-) Detroit Lions (2-9) - Stafford, Johnson, Best, and Pettigrew should give this team hope going forward

30. (-) Arizona Cardinals (3-7) - They looked terrible losing bad on Monday night, almost made me feel bad for them.

31. (-) Cincinnati Bengals (2-9) - I wish I had good news, but remaining games are against: Saints, Steelers, Browns, Chargers, and Ravens.

32. (-) Carolina Panthers (1-10) - In my fantasy league I meant to pick up Panthers RB Mike Goodson and accidentally picked up WR David Gettis, I feel this explains the Panthers season.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Power Poll - Week 11

1. (1) New England Patriots (8-2)- Beating the Steelers and Colts back to back means your the best.

2. (3) New York Jets (8-2)- Santonio Holmes saves the Jets two weeks in a row!

3. (2) Atlanta Falcons (8-2)- Still staying strong as the class of NFC

4. (-) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)- Big blowout win after home loss vs New England

5. (-) Baltimore Ravens (7-3)- Beat the Panthers so they cannot move up this week.

6. (-) Green Bay Packers (7-3) - Packers handled the Vikings in Minnesota with much ease.

7. (8) Philadelphia Eagles (7-3)- This team is stacked with young talent on offense: Vick, McCoy, Desean Jackson, and Macklin should be good for many years.

8. (9) New Orleans Saints (7-3)- Creamed the Seahawks and seem to be back to there scoring ways.

9. (7) Indianapolis Colts (6-4)- Another tough loss for this team, but as long as they have Manning they have a shot.

10. (15) Chicago Bears (7-3)- Bears are sticking around and showing they belong in the playoff talk.

11. (13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)- Shut out the Niners in S.F. for the first time since 1977.

12. (16) San Diego Chargers (5-5)- Doing there usual second half surge and will soon be class of AFC West.

13. (11) New York Giants (6-4)- If only Eli knew how to slide properly...

14. (17) Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)- Interesting to see if they can keep this up and make a push for the playoffs.

15. (10) Miami Dolphins (5-5)- I still think this team is good but they have just been crushed by injures.

16. (18) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)- No miracle catch needed this week.

17. (14) Oakland Raiders (5-5)- I wonder what Big Ben said to Seymour?

18. (12) Tennessee Titans (5-5) - Who is Rusty Smith, and why was he playing quarterback for the Titans?

19. (22) Washington Redskins (5-5)- Another close win, another season heading towards 8-8!

20. (19) Houston Texans (4-6)- They have to be pissed after that close loss, do they have enough to make a push?

21. (-) Seattle Seahawks (5-5)- Hey at least your playing in the NFC West. 7-9 could win you the division.

22. (20) Cleveland Browns (3-7)- The good news is that this team seems like they can beat anyone. The bad news is that they can just as easily lose to anyone as well.

23. (27) Dallas Cowboys (3-7)- Cowboys move up because so many other teams just had to move down.

24. (-) St Louis Rams (4-6) - Rams still have hope in the NFC West.

25. (-) Minnesota Vikings (3-7)- I think this is Farve's last season.

26. (-) Denver Broncos (3-7)- Brandon Lloyd, really?

27. (23) San Francisco 49ers (3-7)- I hear rumors that they will be getting a new head coach next year, if only that was the only problem going on with this once proud organization.

28. (31) Buffalo Bills (2-8)- Fitzpatrick to Steve Johnson combined for 137 yards and 3 TD's, take that T.O. and Ochocinco!

29.(28) Detroit Lions (2-8)- They used to lose close, now they are just losing bad.

30. (-) Arizona Cardinals (3-7)- They can't go down because sadly there are worse teams.

31. (29) Cincinnati Bengals (2-8)- I am wondering how long before Marvin Lewis is fired.

32. (-) Carolina Panthers (1-9)- Andrew Luck looked good this Saturday, so you have that going for you!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Power Poll - Week 10

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

(#) - Last week's rating or (--) if no change.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Power Poll - Week 9

1. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
3. New York Jets (6-2)
4. New England Patriots (6-2)
5. Atlanta Falcons (6-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
7. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
8. New Orleans Saints (6-3)
9. New York Giants (6-2)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
11. Tennessee Titans (5-3)
12. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
13. Miami Dolphins (4-4)
14. Oakland Raiders (5-4)
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3)
16. San Diego Chargers (4-5)
17. Houston Texans (4-4)
18. Chicago Bears (5-3)
19. Minnesota Vikings (3-5)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
21. Cleveland Browns (3-5)
22. St Louis Rams (4-4)
23. Washington Redskins (4-4)
24. Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
25. Detroit Lions (2-6)
26. Cincinnati Bengals (2-6)
27. Arizona Cardinals (3-5)
28 San Francisco 49ers (2-6)
29. Denver Broncos (2-6)
30. Buffalo Bills (0-8)
31. Dallas Cowboys (1-7)
32. Carolina Panthers (1-7)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Baseball - Final Power Poll

I am still on a baseball high, my Giants won it all and yes it feels as good as you would think. The first Championship in the history of the team since it moved from New York. I wanted to do a final baseball poll, ranking all the teams.

1. San Francisco Giants
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Texas Rangers
4. New York Yankees
5. Tampa Bay Rays
6. Atlanta Braves
7. Boston Red Sox
8. Minnesota Twins
9. Cincinnati Reds
10. St. Louis Cardinals
11. Chicago White Sox
12. Colorado Rockies
13. Toronto Blue Jays
14. San Diego Padres
15. Oakland A's
16. Detroit Tigers
17. Los Angeles Angels
18. Florida Marlins
19. Los Angeles Dodgers
20. New York Mets
21. Houston Astros
22. Milwaukee Brewers
23. Baltimore Orioles
24. Chicago Cubs
25. Cleveland Indians
26. Washington Nationals
27. Kansas City Royals
28. Arizona Diamondbacks
29. Seattle Mariners
30. Pittsburgh Pirates

your thoughts?

Thursday, November 4, 2010

October Screening Log


This month was largely dedacated to my October Goal of trying to see a horror movie every day for 31 days. To see how that finished you can check out the blog here.

27) Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film /Netflix Instant/ B-
26) The Fly /Netflix Instant/ A-
25) Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers / DVD/ C
24) Army Of Darkness / DVD/ B+
23) New Years Evil /Netflix Instant/ B
22) Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers /DVD/ D
21) It's Kind of a Funny Story /Theater/ B
20) The Hebrew Hammer /Netflix Instant/ C-
19) Maniac / DVD/ A-
18) The Human Centipede: First Sequence /DVD/ C-
17) Masters of Horror - Family /Netflix Instant/ C+
16) Creepshow /Netflix Instant/ B
15) Jack-Ass 3-D / Theater/ C+
14) Halloween 4 / DVD/ C+
13) Chopping Mall / DVD/ D+
12) Day of the Dead / DVD/ B
11) ThanksKilling / Netflix Instant/ D+
10) Death Proof / DVD/ C+
9) The Video Dead / Netflix Instant/ B-
8) Planet Terror / DVD/ B-
7) City of the Living Dead / Netflix Instant/ B
6) Frankenstein / Netflix Instant/ A
5) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan / DVD/ D
4) Dracula / Netflix Instant/ B
3) An American Werewolf In London / Netflix Instant/ B+
2) The Funhouse / DVD / C
1) The Social Network / Theater/ B+


Many stand out movies this month as I delved into some classic horror with Frankenstein and Dracula. Frankenstein stood out more because of the great acting and effects. I also really enjoyed The Fly (the 1986 version) and how they made it a more modern story with some great effects and gross out moments.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Power Poll - Week 8

1. New England Patriots (6-1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) - tie
4. New York Jets (5-2) - tie
6. Atlanta Falcons (5-2)
7. Green Bay Packers (5-3)
8. Miami Dolphins (4-3)
9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-3)
11. Tennessee Titans (5-3)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
13. New York Giants (5-2)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)
15 Houston Texans (4-3)
16. Oakland Raiders (4-4)
17. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
18. San Diego Chargers (3-5)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
20. Chicago Bears (4-3)
21. Washington Redskins (4-4)
22. Minnesota Vikings (2-5)
23. St Louis Rams (4-4)
24. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
25. Detroit Lions (2-5)
26. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5)
27. Cleveland Browns (2-5)
28 San Francisco 49ers (2-6)
29. Dallas Cowboys (1-6)
30. Denver Broncos (2-6)
31. Buffalo Bills (0-7)
32. Carolina Panthers (1-6)

Your 2010 World Series Champions, San Francisco Giants



Man a million thoughts and feeling are running through my head, my favorite baseball team the San Francisco Giants have won their first world series in 52 years. It feels amazing, every year I would watch the world series and at the end the team who won I would stare with jealously and envy. Now its our turn, we get to be the last team off the field. We are the last team in what is the toughest sport to win it all in. And this team, this franchise has forever been changed tonight. We are no longer the team that couldn't get it done in 1989 and 2002, we are now over that and have bragging rights. I look around the majors and there are many more teams which are better then the Giants, but no other team played with the heart and never give up attitude of this 2010 Giants team.

I love this game, I feel a bond with these guys. This team is a group of misfits, a cast off team that no one would think would win it all, at least with the offense. I mean this teams offense is made up of players no one else wanted. Juan Uribe, Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Edgar Renteria, Cody Ross, no one wanted these guys, but somehow they put it all together and managed to score when needed and support the amazing pitching staff with great defense. I could go on and on about the all home grown staff of Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Bumgarner...

WOW THE GIANTS DID IT!!!!

2010 World Series Champion, San Francisco Giants!!!


Here is a look back....

Beat the Padres on the last day of the season


Beat the Braves in many close games to take the NLDS



Beat the Phillies, the team with the best regular season record in baseball to win the pennant


And to win the world series over the Texas Rangers
Congrats guys, you earned it.

October Goal: Final Sequence

Here is the final tally:
1. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
2. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
3. The Funhouse
4. An American Werewolf in London
5. Dracula
6. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
7. Frankenstein
8. City of the Living Dead
9. Planet Terror
10. The Video Dead
11. Death Proof
12. ThanksKilling
13. Day of the Dead
14. Chopping Mall
15. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
16. Creepshow
17. Masters of Horror - Family
18. The Human Centipede (First Sequence
19. Maniac
20. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
21. New Years Evil
22. Army of Darkness
23. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

And the final movies being added:

24. The Fly (1986) -- A-
I remember some parts from this David Croneberg re-imaging, like the myth that there was a dick in a cup (from my viewing I think I saw said dick). I also had to wonder, in the 80's was it that easy to get two monkey's? I mean the main character Seth (Jeff Goldblum) not only has one monkey (in which he turns inside out, on accident) but has a spare monkey just in case. Ok, enough with all the monkey business (ha!) this was a great movie. I would say its half Sci-Fi and and half horror. Seth is a great inventor and finds a way to teleport using pods. When he tries in on himself a fly gets into the pod and their dna gets mashed together, slowly he starts turning into a human fly. The effects and make-up are just amazing. The slow transformation really looks disgusting, I give Jeff Goldblum props for what must have been hours upon hours in the make-up chair. I can see why this movie is so heralded, it was a great movie that remains interesting throughout.

25. Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006) -- B-
This is a documentary about how slasher films got famous and then fell off in the 1980's. You get some great insight from John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Rob Zombie, and many more. I felt it was a good end to my Halloween goal, because it showed me a bunch of movie that I didn't know about which will be added to future watching. If you have an interest in hearing about the slasher movies from the creators of those films this is a good watch.

So sadly, the goal fell short...I felt that why I didn't succeed I did a lot of good horror movie watching. The genre has many great films that added to my enjoyment of the month of horror. I also feel that the horror genre while fun, can get a tad too much if you try to watch only that genre. I guess I just couldn't take 7 days in a row of horror. Plus with the Giants in the playoffs my mind was more into that at times. Thanks to everyone who watched a horror movies with me, I hope everyone had a nice Halloween!

Until next year....

Thursday, October 28, 2010

October Goal: Fourth Sequence

Time to update the goal again! Here is a recap of what I have seen so far:

1. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
2. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
3. The Funhouse
4. An American Werewolf in London
5. Dracula
6. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
7. Frankenstein
8. City of the Living Dead
9. Planet Terror
10. The Video Dead
11. Death Proof
12. ThanksKilling
13. Day of the Dead
14. Chopping Mall
15. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
16. Creepshow
17. Masters of Horror - Family
18. The Human Centipede (First Sequence
19. Maniac

And being added to the list:

20. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) -- D
Being very familiar with Halloween 1-3, and seeing part 4, I wanted to delve more into the story. The lats time I saw part 5 I was 9 years old so this was all fresh for me. Part 4 had some good scares and kept a nice pace, part 5 fell way off from 4. The movie seemed like it was going for PG-13 rating for a while. The kills are lack luster and uncreative. The movie ends with a cliff-hanger though. Myers is imprisoned and someone breaks him out, for reasons we do not know until Part 6, some six years later!

21. New Years Evil (1980) -- B
This is another movie I only was able to see because of my subscription to netflix. New Years Evil was not well known to me by any means but I saw a blog by my brother about the movie and was meaning to watch it so I gave it a watch. Overall I thought the movie was entertaining, nothing ground breaking here but it has some bright spots. I like that you actually get to see things and follow the killer in the act. The movie does have some comical moments, ah the life of a killer can be a hard one! This worth a watch if you like slasher movies, but good luck finding it unless you have a netflix membership.

22. Army of Darkness (1992) -- B+
This was my favorite movie for a long while in late 90's, I really enjoy the movie still to this day but I have noticed that it had lost some of its charm on me. I still think Bruce Campbell gives some of the best comedic line deliveries ever and I wish he could have become the star he should have been after this movie. It is more of a comedy set in a horror movie than an actual scary movie. If you like to have some fun laughs with your gore this is the movie for you! Still a great cult classic.

23. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) -- C
Finishing off the Loomis series of Halloween is Part 6 (which somehow was left off of the name). I am sure people who saw part 5 either forgot or no longer cared about the cliff hanger that ended part 5. Well, they would most likely have been disappointed. We now learn that Jamie Lloyd is older and pregnant, so the movie shifts between Myers finding her baby and a new storyline that tries to explain why Myers kills. I got confused about the introduction of a new family of Strode's, and especially why one of the daughter's kid could be the next Myers. I guess it has something to do with that there is a much longer cut of the film. I saw at least twice that the movie just stops and then things seem out of place when they start up again (after Kara jumps out the window) and when Loomis goes to take care of Myers. Now that he has become a famous comedic actor it was odd seeing Paul Rudd in this film and also sad to see Donald Pleasence so old.

So I have fallen behind as you'll notice, Its time to get going!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Power Poll - Week 7

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1)

2. New England Patriots (5-1)
3. New York Jets (5-1)

4. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

5. Indianapolis Colts (4-2)
6. Tennessee Titans (5-2)

7. Atlanta Falcons (5-2)

8. Miami Dolphins (3-3)

9. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)

10. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)

11. New York Giants (5-2)

12. Houston Texans (4-2)

13. Green Bay Packers (4-3)

14. New Orleans Saints (4-3)

15 Seattle Seahawks (4-2)

16. Washington Redskins (4-3)

17. Chicago Bears (4-3)

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)

19. Minnesota Vikings (2-4)

20. Arizona Cardinals (3-3)

21. Oakland Raiders (3-4)

22. San Diego Chargers (2-5)

23. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)

24. St Louis Rams (3-4)

25. Cleveland Browns (2-5)
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)
27. Denver Broncos (2-5)

28 Dallas Cowboys (1-5)

29. Detroit Lions (1-5)

30. Carolina Panthers (1-5)

31. Buffalo Bills (0-6)

32. San Francisco 49ers (1-6)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

October Goal: Third Sequence

Time to update the goal again! Here is a recap of what I have seen so far:

1. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
2. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
3. The Funhouse
4. An American Werewolf in London
5. Dracula
6. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
7. Frankenstein
8. City of the Living Dead
9. Planet Terror
10. The Video Dead
11. Death Proof
12. ThanksKilling
13. Day of the Dead

And now to what I have seen since last Thursday, as you can tell I am still a tad behind, it was a tough week to watch horror movies for some reason.

14. Chopping Mall (1986) -- D+
The poster for this movie is really cool, and it does have one or two pretty cool kills. Otherwise I felt this movie to be a huge let down. I was expecting really cool robots and instead they looked like that Nintendo robot.


15. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) -- C+
This was Myers return since part 2. I remember I saw these movies as a kid (I was 8 when I first saw them) but I wanted to revisit parts 4-6. I thought the movie had it's moments and having the daughter of Jamie Lee Curtis' character was a nice (and convenient) way to keep the story in family. I will say the way Myers gets his mask is comical, it just happens to be in a store selling Halloween goods, but then again later in the movie about 6 kids play pranks wearing the masks as well. I like the ending, good homage to the first film.

16. Creepshow (1982) -- B
For some reason I have scene the second Creepshow and for some reason I can remember it really well. But I had never seen the original in its full glory, until now. Creepshow comes off as a great throwback to the old EC comics. The stories are not gory or even all that scary, but they have some good suspense. I bet they played great for teenagers in 1982.



17. Masters of Horror - Family (2006) -- C+
I wanted to see more of John Landis horror movies, so I checked this out on netflix. It comes from a TV show called Masters of Horror. I am not to familiar with the show, but the movie must have been on cable. George Wendt (NORM!) of Cheers fame stars as Harold. I thought the story was amusing, sort of like a Tales from the Crypt episode. The ending of this threw me for a curveball, and overall its enjoyable and worth the hour that it runs.

18. The Human Centipede (First Sequence)(2009) -- C-
Having heard all the hype about this movie I had to check it out. And it was pretty much a movie that is centered around one idea. Now that idea is pretty fucked up, but the rest of the movie is sort of boring. I will give props to the main star Dieter Laser as Dr. Heiter. He really stands out but given the limited material he has to work with he doesn't reach the potential he could have had as a legend of horror. Overall I was expecting this movie to be full of gross out moments, but it really is quite tame.

19. Maniac (1980) -- A-
Joe Spinell gives a haunting performance as Frank Zito in the disturbing Maniac. I was given the movie as a gift from a friend and just got around to watching it. I was really impressed with the movie. The way director William Lustg keeps the suspense going for a long time (Bathroom scene goes on for days, right when you think all is ok....) and does of a great portrayal of what I assume a real life psychopath would act like. Also look for a head splitting cameo from Tom Savini! Good atmosphere and suspense (along with some gore) make this an instant classic.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Power Poll - Week 6

1. New England Patriots (4-1)
2. New York Jets (5-1)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
5. Indianapolis Colts (4-2)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
7. New Orleans Saints (4-2)
8. Atlanta Falcons (4-2)
9. Miami Dolphins (3-2)
10. Tennessee Titans (4-2)
11. Chicago Bears (4-2)
12. Houston Texans (4-2)
13. Green Bay Packers (3-3)
14. New York Giants (4-2)
15. Kansas City Chiefs (3-2)
16. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
17. Minnesota Vikings (2-3)
18. Washington Redskins (3-3)
19. San Diego Chargers (2-4)
20. St Louis Rams (3-3)
21. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
23. Denver Broncos (2-4)
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
25. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
26. Detroit Lions (1-5)
27. Dallas Cowboys (1-4)
28 San Francisco 49ers (1-5)
29. Oakland Raiders (2-4)
30. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
31. Buffalo Bills (0-5)
32. Carolina Panthers (0-5)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

October Goal: Second Sequence

It is October 14th, very much the midpoint until the end of Halloween. My goal of 31 movies is still going strong. Here is the updated movies seen, and the previously seen ones as well.

1. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
2. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
3. The Funhouse
4. An American Werewolf in London
5. Dracula
6. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

And here are the movies being added to the list:

7. Frankenstein (1931) -- A
Already having watched Dracula and being somewhat disappointed, I turned to another classic monster movie, this time Frankenstein. I was pretty much taken in from the first scene. This is just a masterpiece of its time. The sets are amazing, and the acting is perfect. When I think of what a classic monster movie is, this is it.

8. City of the Living Dead (1980) -- B
I wasn't too sure what to expect seeing this one, having not heard much about the movie at all. Its an Italian movie directed by Lucio Fulci who also did more many more horror movies. The movie has great atmosphere and some great gross out sequences. I liked the ending and how they vanquish the priest, a steak to the groan is always an instant kill!

9. Planet Terror (2007) -- B-

I decided to re-visit the Grindhouse movies, but this time split apart and with the extra footage. Planet Terror comes off as a good little zombie movie. Nothing new here (and that was the point) but director Robert Rodriguez pays great homage to the zombie movies of old. I didn't see anything in this new cut that made me feel like the movie was a better flick this time.

10. The Video Dead (1987) -- B

If you want to see this movie, its either find an old VHS copy or get netflix and watch it on the instant watch feature. I thought it was cool that netflix was able to have this movie even available to watch. So I thought it was a perfect time to check it out. I believe the idea of the movie has been thought up by every kid who has ever seen a horror movie. The premise is that a TV somehow only shows a zombie movie and those zombies are allowed to go from the TV to the real world. The acting is pretty bad, no one famous at all in the movie but that's not the real point here. The ideas behind the movie are well done. You think this person will live because he is a main charter? You are in for a surprise. I enjoyed that the zombies would act normal if you didn't show them fear, something that sort of pays of for our main heroine. To see what happens, you should check out this cult classic.


11. Death Proof (2007) -- C+
This was hard to give the movie the grade because Quinten Tarantino is one of my all time favorite movie makers. I was also revisiting this movie. The first time I felt the movie was slow and had way too much talking for talking sake. It was also the second half of the double bill with Planet Terror, which was a much more exciting movie. I thought maybe breaking up the movies and watching this special edition would push this movie over and give it that extra kick I missed out on the first time. And well, the movie starts out promising. I think I really enjoyed the first set of girls, they seemed to have a lot more appeal and mystery surrounding them. The first acts culminates in a head on collision for the ages. The second set of girls seem to just talk like anyone else would, which I just couldn't get into. I love the Tarantino dialogue, I would say Inglorious Basterds had a lot of long dialogue but I felt that was building up to something or had conflict. The girls in the second half of the movie added characterization but I just found myself saying, why am I listening to this? And yes again ,there is an amazing 18 minute car chase but Kurt Russell has almost no screen time before the car chase. Anyway that's some reasons why this movie just didn't do it for me. It seems like it could have been cut in some places and been a more successful movie.

12. ThanksKilling (2009) -- D+
Now here is a movie that know what it is. A movie about a a turkey that comes alive every 505 years and kills kids in crazy ways. The turkey actually talks, and yes it is as hilarious as it sounds. This turkey also offers sex for a ride and rapes the town slut, uttering "You just got stuffed!" afterwords. Movies like this are a fun when in the right mood. It made me long for a Thanksgiving movie (a great grind house trailer by Eli Roth).



13. Day of the Dead (1885) -- B

Having seen Night and Dawn of the Dead, I wanted to finish off the series with Day of the Dead. The movie starts off from what was hinted at in Dawn of the Dead. A small group of survivors in an underground military base. The movie really delves into how to deal with the zombies. A mad scientist feels they can be trained, and he works one on one with a zombie he calls Bub. The leader of the base is huge asshole named Captain Rhodes who of course disagrees with everything the other people want. I was surprised how in depth the movie goes how the people should deal with the zombies, But of course at the end you get the classic Romero style kills when the zombies are some how allowed into the base. Just some amazing special effects by Tom Savini here. This is a nice follow up to Dawn of the Dead.


Now I just have to keep up the goal!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Power Poll - Week 5

1. Baltimore Ravens (4-1) (-) - Beat an average Broncos team, you got to beat those average teams to remain on top.


2. New York Jets (4-1) (-) - They played a pretty good Vikings team and handled them at home, I think they could be the class of the AFC, but the one loss was to the Ravens.


3. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) (-) - On a bye week, but they just gained a lot by getting Big Ben back at qb.


4. Atlanta Falcons (4-1) (-) - They could be the class of the NFC, but so could the Cardinals at this point...


5. Indianapolis Colts (3-2) (8) - There D showed up at home and they handled a tight game, Manning threw no touchdowns for the first time it seems like forever.


6. New England Patriots (3-1) (-) - On a bye week, they end up losing Randy Moss because he didn't like Brady's hair.


7. Chicago Bears (4-1) (11) - They showed that they can win without even throwing the ball. Todd Collins was 6/16 for 32 yards! Mike Martz is still a genius.


8. New Orleans Saints (3-2) (5) - They suffered a huge set back in losing to a Cardinals team who was giving a first time start to QB Max Hall.


9. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) (13) - They seemed to have hit an injury bug but still managed to handle the 49ers on the road. They get Vick back next week, he will be playing Atlanta.


10. Green Bay Packers (3-2) (7) - They also got a ton of injuries, two tight ends, their best line backer (Matthews), and to add insult to injury Aaron Rodgers got a concussion on his last play!


11. Tennessee Titans (3-2) (19) - They showed that they could hang around with the talented Dallas Cowboys, this team could be a surprise contender.


12. Miami Dolphins (2-2) (-) - They were on a bye week.


13. Houston Texans (3-2) (10) - I think only getting 11 carriers for 25 yards from stand out RB Arian Foster doomed them. But to get beat 34-10 at home is no good.


14. Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) (15) - They hung around on the road with a good Colts team, I think they will gain a lot of confidence even though it was a loss.


15. Washington Redskins (3-2) (23) - This team seems to keep every game close. They have already had two overtime games, winning this past week against the Packers.


16. Minnesota Vikings (1-3) (16) - Randy Moss was suppose to help them more! I still feel they have a chance to turn this around, but that needs to happen sooner then later.


17. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2) (20) - This team seems like they can just as easily beat the Colts one week and then let the Bills score 26, oh wait! They did!


18. New York Giants (3-2) (25) - They have a ton of talent on both sides, and getting two wins in a row against the Bears and Texans easily moves them up.


19. San Diego Chargers (2-3) (14) - This team seems to kick themselves down, something new always goes wrong for the Chargers. I won't count them out but they need to step up.


20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) (-) - I apologize to the Buccaneer organization, I felt they were one of the worst teams and have already have one more win then I thought they would have.


21. Dallas Cowboys (1-3) (9) - Playing at home after a bye week should have been enough for this talented squad to win. I don't really get whey they are doing so bad.


22. Denver Broncos (2-3) (17) - Broncos at least have that awesome Orton to Lloyd combo. Seriously, this is not a joke.


23. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) (27) - Yes they are 3-2, and yes I moved them up but I still think this team is all smoke and mirrors. Maybe they will prove me wrong.


24. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) (18) - At least T.O. is getting his catches!


25. Oakland Raiders (2-3) (29) - The Raiders played a good game and blocked two punts which lead to a dramatic win over their hated rivals the Chargers.


26. Seattle Seahawks (2-2) (24) - On a bye week, they signed Marshawn Lynch and he could give them a boost.


27. Detroit Lions (1-4) (28) - This team is actually much better then I think they have been given credit

for. They blew out the Rams 44-6. Shaun Hill keeps teams in games, I sure wish he was on my team...


28 . St. Louis Rams (2-3) (22) - Rams suffered that crushing loss when they were coming off a great win, at least they know while they lose Sam Bradford is learning.


29. Cleveland Browns (1-4) (26) - Wallace and Delhomme both got banged up in a loss to the Falcons. They know Peyton Hillis is a white running back, right?


30. San Francisco 49ers (0-5) (-) - They have hung around with some good teams, but it's sad to say the season is pretty much over.


31. Buffalo Bills (0-5) (32) - Ryan Fitzpatrick has been doing well, 7 tds to only 2 interceptions in 3 games so far.


32. Carolina Panthers (0-5) (31) - This is a sad day for the Panthers, who usually field good teams. They are trying to break in rookie Qb Jimmy Clausen but it's been a very tough road.