New Reviews Coming Soon

I have seen Juno, Charlie Wilson's War, and Sweeney Todd in the last week (all three were solid) and will have reviews up in the next day or two. I also watched Mr. Brooks (flawed but not terrible) and Glengarry Glen Ross (dull) and will have quickie reviews of those two as well. Other than that, with UNC bball and Arsenal games coming at me fast and furious and the Steelers starting another improbable playoff run ala two years ago in a week (I wish), I'm pretty much in sports heaven right now.

Champions League Final 16

The draw for the final 16 of the Champions League was held today so I figured I'd do some power rankings and predictions. The power rankings are based on how strong I think each side is and does not take into account the difficulty of their draw. 1. Inter - With Ibrahimovic taking his game to the next level, Inter really has it all - they have so much depth at striker that they can loan a player as talented as Adriano out (to Sao Paulo) getting nothing in return. So far, they've lost 1 match all season in all competitions and done it without the contributions of Patrick Vieira or Marco Materazzi. With the depth of their squad, they have to be considered favorites. 2. Real Madrid - Real hasn't been quite as impressive as Inter so far this season but they've been on great form as well. They seem to have solved the problem they had with the 'Galacticos' by building a team instead of just a bunch of flashy stars. Don't get me wrong, they do have some offensive stars with guys like Robinho (playing like one of the best in the world currently), Raul, Sneijder, and Ruud van Nistelrooy. But they also have some fantastic role players, like powerhouse midfielder Mahamadou Diarra and Guti, not to mention a very solid defense anchored by Cannavaro, Ramos, and Casillas. They will no doubt be distracted by a tighter league race than it looks like Inter will have to deal with, but they certainly have the quality and the depth to go all the way in the Champions League as well. 3. Manchester United - After a bit of a struggle early in the year, Man U has been playing great recently. With Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs and Tevez they certainly have the offensive firepower while Scholes' return will give them a boost in the center of the midfield where Hargreaves and Anderson are now settled in. What is sometimes overlooked regarding Man U is how good their defense is - Rio, Vidic, Brown, and Evra is currently the best back 4 in the Premiership and one of the best in the world. 4. Barcelona - Barca has struggled a bit away from home and some early season struggles should've been expected from a team with so many new players. I expect them to start gelling some in the second half of the season and they should be a big threat in both La Liga and the Champions League. Messi, Eto'o, and Ronaldinho in attack, Yaya Toure, Xavi, and Iniesta holding down the midfield, and Puyol, Milito, Zambrotta, and Abidal in defense looks like a great first team. The crazy thing is I had to leave out Henry, Deco, Gudjohnsen, Marquez, and Thuram to make that first team. The pieces are there, though to me, the most important player is probably Yaya Toure, someone has to do all the ball-winning in the midfield to let those attacking players shine and Toure is really the only option. An injury to him would be devastating. 5. Arsenal - I have a feeling that Arsenal won't be making too deep a run in the Champions League this year, with Le Boss instead choosing to focus all of his team's attention on winning the Premiership. Not to say they will be fielding weakened sides or anything of the sort but I definitely think the Premier League is priority #1, even more so than any of the teams listed above. With that said, Arsenal can field a side which may not have as many huge stars as other top teams but that is a true team and can compete with anyone. Almunia, Clichy, Toure, Gallas, Sagna, Rosicky, Flamini, Cesc, Hleb, van Persie, and Adebayor (or Eboue instead of Rosicky or van Persie) is a side I am very confident in. 6. Chelsea - Chelsea, who might not be in the Premier League title race, will probably focus on winning that elusive Champions League crown more than any other big club. I would have them rated higher if it weren't for all the injuries - both Drogba and Terry out for extended time periods is a killer to them. But if those two are fully healthy by the quarters, they can certainly beat anyone. I'm just not confident that they'll be at the top of their games with Terry with a serious foot injury and Drogba with knee surgery followed by a month playing at the African Nations Cup. 7. Milan - terrible form in Serie A where they currently sit 11th but that's the same story as last year at this time and they went on to win the whole thing. But this team is certainly aging so it really will take a string of unbelievable performances from Kaka for them to make another run. He's done it before so there's always a chance... 8. Liverpool - similar situation to Chelsea where they might be out of the Premier League title race, though unlike Chelsea, as a club the Premiership is absolutely priority #s 1, 2, 3, and 4, so they might not have the same hunger since they have had so much success in the Champions League the past 3 years. With that said, you can't count Liverpool out in a knockout competition after how well they have done in these under Rafa Benitez. With Torres around (and Babel and Benayoun) and Macherano fully entrenched in the team, Liverpool are stronger this year than last so they could easily make a run and win the whole thing. I think these 8 clubs could all legitimately win the CL this season and there's a drop-off after them. 9. Roma - I could see them making a deep run but I can't really see them winning it all. De Rossi, Perrotta, and Pizarro are a good trio in midfield while they also have a pretty good defense. They have very good wing play with the likes of Mancini, Giuly, and Taddei. And of course Totti is always dangerous up top and Mirko Vucinic has been in great form. Good team but not sure I can see them going farther than the semis. 10. Lyon - After 6 straight French titles and never advancing past the quarters in the CL, the Champions League means everything to Lyon. There's still a lot of quality in the team, Juninho, Kallstrom, Govou, et al are established while Benzema, Ben Arfa, and Toulalan are outstanding young players. They could also receive a huge boost if Coupet and Cris return to full health. So it's still a strong side but it's hard not to wonder how good they could be if they could just hold onto all their players. In the past few years they've lost Essien and Malouda to Chelsea, Abidal to Barca, and Diarra to Real Madrid. It's hard to continually lose players of that quality to the clubs that you will be directly competing against in the CL. 11. Porto - I can't see them making a run like they did 4 years ago, but they do have a solid team, as they showed by winning Liverpool's qualifying group. I have particularly been impressed by Quaresma every time I have watched him. 12. Sevilla - so-so to poor form in La Liga but still managed to win Arsenal's qualifying group (granted this group was a joke and the only really impressive game from Sevilla was their 3-1 win over the Gunners). They definitely have some quality players - Kanoute and Fabiano is a great striking pair and Jesus Navas looks to be a great winger, and of course, Dani Alves. When they're playing well, they can play with anybody (as evidenced by that 3-1 win over a weakened Arsenal side and especially their 2-0 win over Real). Unfortunately, they haven't been on top of their game very often so far this year. 13. Schalke 04 - the only German side in the last 16, I can't see them going too far. Kuranyi is a good striker, I like Rafinha, and Pander (if healthy). Quarters is about as far as I could see them going. They should have a great home atmosphere. 14. Celtic - Should also have a great home field advantage but probably don't have enough quality to make any sort of run. 15. Fenerbache - don't know a whole lot about them, except that Turkish crowds are absolutely insane. I'll be rooting for them. 16. Olympiakos - and the last of the not as good sides that will have outstanding home atmospheres. They gave Real a couple of stiff tests and knocked a pretty good Werder Bremen side out so they certainly are not completely hopeless. Predictions Here's the draw and my picks: -Inter over Liverpool - toughest possible draw for Liverpool, Inter is just too good for them, though this will be a really interesting tie to watch. -Chelsea over Olympiakos - Chelsea lucks out with an easier draw when Drogba and Terry might not be at full strength. -Real over Roma - should be very tight but Real slips through. -Schalke over Porto - Schalke 'upsets' Porto and is the team everyone wants to draw in the quarters. -Arsenal over Milan - another great matchup, you really thought I'd pick against the Gunners? -Barca over Celtic - probably the biggest mismatch of this round, Barca will roll. -Sevilla over Fenerbache - Sevilla continues its good form in the CL in what will also be a tight matchup. -Man U over Lyon - I'd love to pick the upset but Man U is just too good a side, maybe if Lyon had Essien and Diarra controlling the midfield I could do it.

Away From Her - 7.5

Away From Her tells the story of a married couple torn apart when the wife (Julie Christie) moves into a rest home after being diagnosed with Alzheimers. It really is a well-done, heartbreaking story that brutally portrays the horrors of Alzheimers. Julie Christie shines and has been getting well-deserved hype but her male counterpart Gordon Pinsent also does his part carrying the film. There's a side story between Pinsent and the wife of another Alzheimer victim (played by Olympia Dukakis) that didn't necessarily work for me, but outside of that, I have very few complaints. Oscar Outlook Will probably be overlooked in all the major categories besides Best Actress, where it seems that Julie Christie is currently a front-runner. She's probably a lock for at least a nomination. Predictions Best Actress Win - Christie deservedly wins her 2nd Oscar for doing one of the Academy's favorite things - playing a character with a mental illness. A former star turning in a fantastic performance at an old(er) age also should greatly help her chances (think Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond).

Rescue Dawn - 7.0

Warner Herzog's gritty Vietnam P.O.W. film benefits from some beautiful shots and very good performances from Christian Bale and Steve Zahn. Herzog does a good job of presenting a realistic portrayal of life beyond enemy lines and never falling into the trap of glamorizing any part of warfare. My only complaint was an overly (and unnecessarily) sappy final scene, but overall, this was a pretty good movie. Oscar Outlook Bale and Zahn's performances are worthy of nominations but there's just so much competition. Bale, in particular, is due for his first nomination and with this and 3:10 to Yuma both being so well-received this year, it would seem he has at least an outside shot of slipping in there for a Best Actor nomination for one or the other. Rescue Dawn could also easily receive a nomination for Best Cinematography. Predictions Not enough hype surrounding it and too many other good performances out there, so no acting nominations. And of course no nominations in any of the other major categories.

More Praise for Lupe

From a New York Times review: Lupe Fiasco could easily dumb it down. Instead he earns every bit of his self-righteousness.

Atonement - 9.0

I've waited a few days to review Atonement since I saw it, partly because I'm lazy but also to see if my enthusiasm for it has died down at all ... it hasn't. It's a pretty amazing movie that I briefly considered giving a perfect 10 before I made up a new reviewing rule that I can't give 10s to movies upon first viewing. Anyways, Atonement's set-up of a falsely accused young man being torn away from his love and sent off to World War II reminded me of a cross between The English Patient and Cold Mountain, it really did seem like Anthony Minghella belonged behind the camera for this one. But parallels to those two Minghella epics mostly ended there as Atonement went in different directions and did different things than either of those two (very good) films could have dreamed of. Atonement speaks to the power of jealousy and the imagination and is an extraordinarily powerful story. It starts off in a pretty straightforward fashion but when an argument between the two soon to be lovers Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy) is seen through a window by Cecilia's little sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) and then in the next scene the same 'argument' is shown from Cecilia and Robbie's points of view, you know this film is different. This particular scene is crucial as it gives the viewer a glimpse into how Briony could becomes confused by what she is seeing. As the movie progresses, imagined moments and real-life are seamlessly intertwined as the plot continues to effortlessly shift through time until finally concluding with one of the best endings to a movie in recent years. The story is so good, this was always going to be a good movie as long as nobody screwed up too much. But instead of just not messing it up, the main players in Atonement raised their games to the level of the material. The production is superb - the upper class '30s British family life and the World War II scenes feel equally authentic. The pacing is perfect and some of the shots are breathtaking. In particular, there is one 5 minute long shot (with not a single cut) of the British army's retreat in northern France that is worthy of a masterpiece. To top it all off, the acting in general is brilliant while Keira Knightley and James McAvoy both turn in virtuoso performances. I really can't think of a single thing this movie didn't do well. There are a lot of movies I'm looking forward to seeing before the end of the year (I'm Not There, Juno, There Will Be Blood, Charlie Wilson's War, among others) but I'll be shocked if anything knocks Atonement off its lofty perch as my #1 movie of 2007. Oscar Outlook This movie is certainly good enough, and has the hype, to be nominated in all the big categories. A Best Picture nomination seems to be a lock, as do Best Director and Adapted Screenplay (not to mention a bunch of other smaller categories like cinematography, costume design, art direction, etc). As for the acting categories, three actors seem to have a chance at nominations, Keira Knightley for Best Actress, James McAvoy for Best Actor, and Saoirse Ronan for Best Supporting Actress. Knightley looks like a good bet to get nominated and perhaps challenge for a win, while the other two's nominations look to be more up in the air. The Academy seems to like when child and teenage actors give adult performances, so this should help Ronan, as does the quality of the overall film. McAvoy's performance is certainly Oscar-worthy but he has stiff competition with Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) a lock for one spot, and Denzel Washington (American Gangster), George Clooney (Michael Clayton), and Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd) all looking like good bets for nominations as well. So assuming he can't knock off any of those 4, McAvoy will be left fighting every other good performance from this year for the last spot, obviously a tough situation to overcome. Predictions Best Picture win - period piece, epic nature, overall quality of the film scream Best Picture Best Direction nomination - Joe Wright, only 35 making his 2nd film, loses to one of his more experienced counterparts Best Actress nomination - Knightley will get nominated but won't win Best Supporting Actress nomination - same thing for Ronan Best Adapted Screenplay nomination - loses out to No Country for Old Men in this category Best Actor snub - the 4 established stars listed above all get nominations while the 5th comes out of left field, like Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson last year

Lupe

I liked this glowing Boston Globe review of The Cool. Also, here's EW's take (A-). I've now listened to the complete album about 4 or 5 times and I'm starting to pick out my favorite songs ("Hip Hop Saved My Life" and "Dumb It Down" currently top the list). I'm also now confident enough to say I like this album better than Lupe's outstanding debut Food and Liquor - though I still haven't found a single track quite as good as "Hurt Me Soul" on The Cool, which really isn't much of a criticism since "Hurt Me Soul" was always going to be pretty impossible to top. Bottom line, Lupe is incredible.

Danny Green

Here's a good article from SI about Danny Green dealing with his father's imprisonment.

George R.R. Martin

Here's a pretty good interview from Entertainment Weekly with good old GRR. There's some (not too encouraging) info about the next book, A Dance With Dragons, (surprise surprise he's still working on it) and the potential HBO series (a script has been submitted but not yet greenlit). It's a good read but also a bit depressing to think that the next book and the TV series are both a long ways off.

NYC

There's a picture of me and my mom in the bottom of the Empire State Building from this weekend in New York. It was my first time in NYC other than once when I was little and one day for a Yankee game a few years back. We spent all of our time in Manhattan and I had a great time. Among other things I saw the World Trade Center Memorial, which was really quite moving, the Christmas tree/lights at Rockefeller center, had lunch in Little Italy, saw a Knicks game at MSG, and saw Atonement right off of Times Square (which was excellent and won't be coming out in NC for a few weeks ... I'll have a review up tomorrow probably). Despite some bad weather, it was really just fun walking throughout the city. Overall, New York made a very favorable impression on me, it's definitely a place I'd like to come back to.

Rocky II - 7.0

Rocky II was slow at the beginning during Rocky's 'retirement' period and especially suffered during this section of the movie due to a complete lack of chemistry between Rocky and Adrian. I suppose it's partly intentional but in every scene Rocky and Adrian seemed like they had just randomly met each other a few minutes before. I will say that the story with Adrian and her coma and her telling Rocky she just wanted him to win when she woke up did set up Rocky's motivation during the training montage and fight scene very well. And this last 45 minutes to hour was awesome. Great montage, though all the kids running along with Rocky was pretty goofy, and the fight scene was one of the more exciting and suspenseful sports movie scenes I can remember, right up there with the fight in the original Rocky. So basically this movie didn't work at all as a drama but once it got into gear as a sports movie, it was extremely entertaining.

Euro 2008

So Euro 2008 qualifying is over and the draw was made a few weeks ago. Here are the groups: Group A - Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey Group B - Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland Group C - Holland, Italy, Romania, France Group D - Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia Here's how I would rank the 16 teams (not taking into account the difficulty of their group): 1. Italy - defending World Cup champions have to be ranked #1, though with Totti's retirement, they'll really have to rely on Toni to be a top striker. Outlook - obviously an incredibly tough draw, and maybe as WC champions won't be as hungry as France (who will want more revenge - France already beat Italy once in qualifying) and Holland. I still expect they'll advance and possibly make a deep run, though once you're in the knockout rounds of a tournament with this many quality teams, it really is a toss-up. Easily could win it all or get knocked out in the quarters (if they do manage to make it out of their group). 2. France - if I give Italy credit as WC champs, I gotta give France credit as the beaten runners up (in PKs no less, in a game they outplayed the Italians I'll remind you). They struggled a bit in qualifying, losing to Scotland 1-0 twice, but they did beat Italy 3-1 at home and draw 0-0 away, both very good results. First major tournament in 10 years without Zidane will be interesting but they'll have several players at the ends of their primes who will no doubt be looking for one last major trophy like Henry, Vieira, Makelele, Thuram, and Gallas. These still very capable players should form the backbone of the team with younger guys providing support (and possibly outshining them) like Ribery, Malouda, and Abidal (all part of the last WC) and Nasri (the new Zidane at Marseille?), Benzema (tearing it up for Lyon), and Toulalan (also a key player for Lyon). I'm also hopeful that Domenech will be smart enough to bring a large Arsenal contingent to Euro 08 - Gallas is a no-brainer and Diarra is currently France's first choice right back. Strangely, Sagna is Arsenal's first choice right back ahead of Diarra but Diarra's backup for France. Either way, Sagna has been in the picture for France and has a decent shot to be part of the team. Flamini and Diaby have both been called-up for France recently as well, though I'd say with his recent form, Flamini has a much much better shot of making the team than Diaby. And if Domenech is smart, he'll consider Clichy, who hasn't received a French cap yet, but imo, is one of the best left backs in the world. Outlook - Also an extremely tough draw, but I still like their chances to provide a performance similar to the last WC - struggle in qualifying, pull it together at the tournament and make a good run, hopefully they'll go one step further than they did that time. 3. Spain - they are notorious underachievers at major tournaments but maybe this will be the time they put all their talent together (I feel like this has probably been said before...). They have a great striking pair in Torres and Villa and plenty of creative midfielders with Cesc, Iniesta, and Xavi, among others. I'm not as sure about their defense, but Casillas, Puyol, and Ramos should provide a solid backbone there. Outlook - a manageable 1st round draw, they should top their group. Unfortunately for them, in the quarters, they'll have to face the runner-up in the group of death, so either France, Italy, or Holland. Then if they get past that, the semis will most likely be whichever team won the group of death. I like their team, but it'll be tough (understatement) to make it through potentially France and Italy (in some order, or Holland if one of those teams slip up) to even make the final. 4. Germany - breezed through qualifying, but on paper, don't look as good as Italy, France, or Spain. Ballack can't get on the field at Chelsea and Schweinsteiger and Podolski aren't automatic starters at Bayern. Frings, Borowski, and Schneider have been struggling with injuries. They just don't seem to have as much firepower as the other top teams but they're still Germany, no matter who they put out there, they'll no doubt somehow end up making a run. It's like the complete opposite of Spain. Outlook - Shockingly, Germany received a very favorable draw. They won't have to face Italy, France, or Spain until the final and have probably the easiest group. Barring upsets, they will have to go through Portugal and Czech Republic to make the final, but that looks much more manageable than Spain's potential route. 5. Portugal - Figo, Rui Costa, et al are gone but Cristiano Ronaldo is currently one of the 2 or 3 best players in the world. He has some support with Deco, Maniche, Nuno Gomes, and Tiago still around and Nani and Quaresma as promising younger players. They should have a very solid defense with Carvalho and probably Pepe at the center of it and one of my favorites, Miguel at right back. Outlook - not as hard as the Italy, France, Holland group but still very tough draw with Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Turkey. I think this is the team most likely to challenge Germany on this side of the bracket for a spot in the finals against the whoever survives between France, Italy, Spain, and Holland. 6. Czech Republic - also qualified easily (including a 3-0 win over Germany). There's a lot of talent here, best keeper in the world in Cech, Rosicky, Galasek, Plasil, Rozehnal, and Ujfalusi. I'm not sure about the aging Koller, Baros combo up top, but if they perform, the Czechs look good. Outlook - tough group with Portugal, Switzerland, and Turkey, I could easily see them getting bounced in the group stage if they aren't on top of their game or making a run all the way to the final. 7. Holland - a pretty uninspiring qualifying campaign that included narrow 1 goal wins over Luxembourg, (twice), Albania (twice), and Slovenia, a draw against Bulgaria, and a loss to Belarus. They have a ton of attacking players at top clubs - Ruud, Robben, and Sneijder at Real, van Persie at Arsenal, Babel and Kuyt at Liverpool, and Seedorf at Milan (will be interesting to see if he'll be involved or not). van der Vaart is also having a great season at Hamburg, so on paper, they should have a great attack, but in qualifying they only scored more than 2 goals once, and this was obviously against much weaker competition than they will face in the actual tournament. I also think their defense can be exploited against top teams. It'll also be interesting to see which of the players from their U21 Euro championship squad make a difference in the real thing - Babel looks like a good bet and Rosyton Drenthe has gotten some playing time at Real so maybe he as well. Outlook - extremely tough draw, will do great to make it out of the group. If they do manage that, but finish 2nd, they'll probably be up against Spain. Making it to the quarters will be a good tournament. 8. Croatia - looked good in qualifying, especially in beating England at Wembley in a game they didn't need to win (after losing a few days earlier to Macedonia, go figure). They don't have any huge stars but instead solid players at basically every position. My guess is Eduardo and Kranjcar will be the key players, if they play well, they can compete with just about anyone. Outlook - pretty good draw, should advance out of their group and then face a tough, but not impossible, matchup with Portugal, Czech Republic, or Switzerland. Good bet to make it to, and lose in, the quarters. 9. Switzerland - they had a very good World Cup, could've easily been in the quarterfinals. Should have most of that team back in Euro 08, and will have a big advantage as hosts. Barnetta looks like the key to their attack but it will be more interesting to see how their defense holds up. It isn't hard to imagine the always shaky Senderos being taken advantage of by a speedy attacker. Outlook - unfortunately for the Swiss, they will be facing some of the quickest-paced attacks in the world in the first round in Portugal and Czech Republic. They have the talent to make it to the quarters, but it will be tough given their draw. 10. Sweden - Sweden is always there, not too threatening, never looks likely to make a run at winning it, but normally advances out of their group. They have one of the best strikers in the world in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, currently on top of his game at Inter. They also have a solid anchor for their defense in Villa's Olof Mellberg and solid guys like Kim Kallstrom in the midfield. It looks like a normal Swedish team, solid but not spectacular (outside of Ibra that is). Outlook - should fight for the 2nd spot in group D with Greece and then get knocked out by whoever comes out on top in Group C. 11. Greece - the defending champs looked like flukes when they didn't qualify for the World Cup but they were much more impressive in qualifying this time around, qualifying with room to spare. I still believe that their Euro 04 title was a fluke and hate them for ruining so many potentially amazing matchups by upsetting a 'better' team 1-0. In my eyes, they still have a lot to prove. Outlook - my guess is they finish 3rd in their group, behind Spain and Sweden 12. Romania - won Holland's group in qualifying - Mutu gives them a star in attack and Chivu an anchor for the defense. Outlook - would be a threat to make the quarters but not in this group. What a horrendous draw for them. 13. Turkey - qualified on the last day with a superb 2-1 away win over Norway. I thought their passing and movement looked great that day and think they could provide some problems for their opponents on the big stage. Outlook - tough draw, will do great if they could pick up a few points. I am looking forward to their games against Portugal and Czech Republic though, as they should be extremely open, entertaining matches. 14. Poland - qualified ahead of Portugal in their group, I might underrate them due to their lack of players playing for clubs in the better leagues in Europe. Outlook - doable draw, if they can get 3 points off Austria, and don't manage anything against Germany, it will come down to their game against Croatia. I think they'll lose but they're an underdog who actually has a chance to sneak into the quarters unlike a better team like Romania. 15. Russia - can thank England's choke job for even being here. They had a good start to qualifying and a great 2-1 home win over England, but losing to Israel, then struggling at Andorra in their last two games aren't the most inspiring results. They do have Guus Hiddink though, so that'll give them a fighting chance at least. Outlook - could conceivably take points in the games against Sweden and Greece. My guess is they end up with a draw and two losses. 16. Austria - didn't even come close to qualifying for the last World Cup, though they did have a nice 2-2 draw with England and no absolutely terrible results. Even with homefield advantage, they look like a much weaker side than the Switzerland and the other 14 teams who had to go through the very difficult qualifying process. Outlook - should have a chance for points against Croatia and especially Russia, hopefully they can pick up something from one of those games. There's obviously one notable absence from these 16 teams - England. I watched more of England's qualifying matches than any other team, including their 2-1 loss to Russia and 3-2 loss to Croatia (though the 0-0 home draw to Macedonia proved to be just as important). For most of the qualifying process, injuries to Owen and Rooney left them with not enough quality attackers. It's sad that England doesn't have any good strikers after these two (and Owen isn't that great to begin with) but what ended up letting them down in the end was their defense. Without Terry (huge loss), Ferdinand, or Ashely Cole against Croatia, they gave up early goals and then couldn't hold on for the draw after making a nice comeback. Not having a quality goalkeeper also came back to haunt them in this game, with Croatia's first goal being a huge Scott Carson error. England should be fine, for the next World Cup, the back 4 of Terry, Ferdinand, Cole, and Richards (an absolute beast) looks great. Gerrard and Rooney should provide the heart of the attack (please Capello, do not try to play Lampard and Gerrard together - Gerrard is 10x the all around player, just go with him and a holding midfielder like Carrick or Hargreaves) and hopefully for them some of the young wingers like Aaron Lennon, David Bentley and Ashley Young will be ready to start opposite Joe Cole (or instead of him who knows?), while another striker will emerge - Agbonhalor looks great or maybe Theo, who looks great until he has to make the final pass or shot. England was pretty unlucky not to qualify but have nobody to blame but themselves. If a striker or two and a keeper will emerge, they should be a threat in South Africa. And finally, here's my predictions for Euro 08: Group A - winners - Portugal, runner up - Czech Rep. Group B - winners - Germany, runner up - Croatia Group C - winners - France, runner up - Italy Group D - winners - Spain, runner up - Sweden Quarters - Portugal over Croatia, Germany over Czech Rep., France over Sweden, Spain over Italy Semis - Portugal over Germany, Spain over France Finals - Spain over Portugal So there you have it, Spain (finally) puts it all together, and on the back of one Cesc Fabregas, win a major tournament (Cesc takes down the Premiership, Champions League, and Euro in the same year ... what a player...)

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

I've listened to Lupe's new album 1.5 times since downloading it last night and so far, so good. Good might actually be an understatement, more like so far, so great. Lupe is incredible.

Superbad - 8.0

Upon a second viewing of Superbad, my opinion has more or less remained the same. McLovin is definitely the funniest character, the interactions between Seth and Evan are hilarious, and the scenes with the cops are hit or miss. It loses a little bit from not seeing it in theaters (as do all comedies) but it still holds up well. I still haven't decided what I like more between this and Knocked Up however. Right now, I'm leaning towards Knocked Up but I really should watch it again. Either way, a big thanks to Judd Apatow for giving us a year with two legitimately good comedies - almost more than the last 5 years combined.

300 - 8.0

Upon a second viewing of 300 (in beautiful bluray), I'm knocking half a point off of my original rating. There are certainly some problems here, namely some cringe-worthy cheesy dialogue and heavy-handed freedom and democracy triumphing over tyranny moments. But overall the movie still undeniably works. It's fast-paced, action-packed, and has some well-choreographed, badass fight scenes. Like Sin City, there isn't much depth to it, but it is still extremely entertaining.

Bottle Rocket - 8.0

Wes Anderson's feature debut about a couple of bumbling wannabe 'thieves' (played by Owen and Luke Wilson) is quirky (how shocking for a Wes Anderson movie to be quirky...) but not overly so, and the characters grew on me so much that I actually ended up caring about what happened to them by the end of the movie. As such, I think it is now my favorite Wes Anderson movie. I would rank them as follows: 1. Bottle Rocket 2. The Royal Tenenbaums 3. Rushmore - need to see this one again, only saw it once and that was years ago 4. The Life Aquatic I'm not the biggest Wes Anderson fan but I have liked 3 of the 4 movies of his I've seen now (I thought Life Aquatic was terrible) so he's definitely growing on me. I'll probably wait for The Darjeeling Limited to come out on dvd though, so I guess I'm still not that big a fan.

Alpha Dog - 2.0

Only half watched this Justin Timberlake movie about a teenage boy who is kidnapped as collateral for a drug debt his brother owed some thugs - and from what I could tell, it sucked. Tons of bad dialogue and laughable acting screwed up a potentially decent story. Definitely pass on it if for some strange reason you ever have the urge to watch it.

Michael Bradley hat trick

Michael Bradley had a hat trick today in Heerenveen's 4-2 win over Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie. Bradley plays a more defensive role for the US so it's nice to see him showing potential as a goal scorer for his club (though out of all the European leagues, the Dutch league is probably the easiest to score in...but a hat trick is a hat trick, impressive either way). My guess is this is the first time an American has a had a hat trick in a league game in one of Europe's better leagues (Eredivisie would be in the 2nd tier probably in terms of quality). Pretty good and Bradley's still only 20...

Artificial Intelligence: A.I. - 5.0

Other than The Lost World, this is probably the least favorite Spielberg movie I've seen (and I've seen about 20 of them). The pacing was pretty bad and there seemed to be a lack of cohesion between the separate sections. It was also heavy-handed at times, a common complaint of Spielberg films but one I have rarely agreed with. Even with its faults, it was not a complete failure - the overall plot was interesting (though it was a bit drawn out), it was visually quite impressive, and Jude Law in particular gave a good performance. So I didn't hate it, but it's hard not to be disappointed when a film conceived by Stanley Kubrick and brought to life by Steven Spielberg is anything less than stellar.

Half Nelson - 5.0

I watched this one from Netflix as part of my attempt to finish off watching all the Oscar nominations from last year. Ryan Gosling certainly turned in a very good performance and the movie was well-done and all, it was just kind of boring. It was a small indie movie that felt half an hour too long. I should have some reviews of new movies up soon - I plan to see I'm Not There this week and Atonement at some point in the near future, and maybe Enchanted too, though right now I'm leaning towards avoiding the public embarrassment of seeing that one in theaters and waiting for it to come out on DVD. I also put La Vie En Rose and Away From Her at the top of my Netlfix queue because it looks like the lead actresses from each (Marion Cotillard and Julie Christie) currently look like frontrunners for Best Actress.

No Country for Old Men - 7.0

No Country for Old Men, the newest Coen brother production, is a throwback to their early filmmaking days, a suspense-filled thriller reminiscent of Blood Simple. It tells the story of a regular guy (Josh Brolin) who finds a bunch of money in a small Texas town (presided over by sheriff Tommy Lee Jones) and then is hunted by a maniacal killer (Javier Bardem) in search of said money. From cinematography to sound to editing, the film is impeccably put together with every single scene and every single shot serving its purpose. The dialogue is also outstanding - realistic, clever, and articulate at times, without being too verbose. And the acting is also superb, with the three leads all turning in fantastic performances. Tommy Lee Jones and Bardem seem to be receiving most of the accolades but Josh Brolin more than held his own in what really was the lead role in the film. Technically, this is close to a perfect movie. So those are the good things...all very important of course but in my opinion No Country suffered because it was almost too polished and well-put together. I admire and appreciate the skill of the Coen brothers but where's the heart? Tommy Lee Jones' character provides some, Josh Brolin's wife a little more, but it just didn't quite do it for me in this completely subjective, unquantifiable area. I guess the best way I could put it is like this: this movie did so well to build so much suspense but I still never found myself really caring what happened to the main characters, which I wouldn't say defeats the purpose of building suspense but perhaps at least dampens it. My other quasi-problem was the ending. Not to spoil too much but lets just say the ending doesn't provide a whole lot of closure. I normally am a fan of open-ended endings (like Pan's Labryinth for example, was the fantasy world real or just her imagination?) but Jeremy made a legitimate point regarding No Country. He argued that the way the Coens ended the movie was a cop-out because they had written themselves into a corner and couldn't think of a way to provide a satisfactory conclusion. I'm not sure I agree with this or not, right now I'm kind of torn. My guess is I probably won't have a strong opinion one way or another until I watch this movie again (and honestly, I could easily see this movie gaining a lot from a 2nd viewing, I'm afraid I may have missed some of the subtleties). Oscar Outlook No Country for Old Men with its rave reviews (96% on rottentomatoes) is obviously a huge Oscar contender. It looks like a good bet to at least get nominations for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Bardem. I personally think both Brolin (lead actor) and Tommy Lee Jones (supporting) gave Oscar-worthy performances and will be in the mix for nominations but there will be so much competition out there, it'll be tougher for them to find a spot than Bardem in the flashier role as the crazed killer. Basically, No Country looks like a good bet for nominations in several big categories but the tougher question is, does it have a chance to win any of these? For Best Picture, my thinking is that if both NCFOM and There Will Be Blood are nominated, they will split the vote of those looking for a technically brilliant, superbly acted independent drama and that some other 'bigger' movie will sweep through and take the prize (Atonement? The Kite Runner?). I think that NCFOM has a better shot at director, especially since the overall quality of the film could very well be seen as almost entirely a product of the influence of the Coens. It also has a great shot at supporting actor, it'll be interesting to see how the competition shakes out but it looks like Bardem is currently the front-runner. Adapted screenplay will be a really tough category, with a bunch of the other big overall contenders providing competition (There Will Be Blood, Atonement, The Kite Runner, and American Gangster could be the other four nominees) so it's really hard to say. But a movie like this is definitely more likely to get rewarded for screenplay than picture. Predictions Best Picture Nomination Best Director Win - I'm waffling on this one because I haven't seen many of the other big contenders but I'm thinking the Coens will be only the second ever pair (I think this is right) to share best director (this also happened with West Side Story). Best Supporting Actor Nomination for Bardem - could easily win but I'm guessing (and really it is just a guess) that he won't Best Adapted Screenplay Win - the Coens get two wins, I feel much more confident about this prediction than the directing one.

American Gangster - 7.5

Ridley Scott's latest represents a return to form of sorts, his first really good film since Gladiator, in my opinion. While Blackhawk Down and Matchstick Men were both decent, The Kingdom and A Very Good Year were out and out flops, so it was nice to see such an accomplished filmmaker not disappoint this time around. American Gangster tells the story of Frank Lucas, a savvy 'businessman' who rises to the top of the New York City drug trade in the '70s. Denzel Washington gives an outstanding, Oscar-worthy performance as Lucas, while Russell Crowe is more than capable as his foil, the cop attempting to bring Lucas down. While the two do not interact at all until the last 20 minutes, it is their 'relationship' that is the driving force behind the movie. Scott and the screenwriters take care to not present the story in black and white, with charismatic good cops trying to be bring down the evil bad guys. In fact, they essentially do the reverse, emphasizing the good aspects of Lucas - he is a family man, extremely intelligent, humble, likable, and principled in his own way. On the other hand, Crowe is one of the few honest cops in the whole movie, but he also carries a holier than thou attitude, which is especially off-putting considering he is a womanizer who neglects his ex-wife and son. These well-developed characters, not to mention the outstanding actors portraying them, set up an intriguing dynamic in the film that confuses the viewer as to who they should be 'rooting' for. As such, Denzel's Lucas is one of the better anti-heroes I can remember. This movie also succeeds because of a flawless production that seems to authentically recreate its '70s NY setting (well at least for as far as I can tell). However, though it's quite a good movie, a few problems hold this film back from true greatness. For one, all that detail, layer upon layer, seems to take a little bit away from the main story. For example, Cuba Gooding's character, Nicky Barnes, seems to be haphazardly thrown into the story without a real purpose. Apparently, in real life, Barnes was one of Lucas' biggest rivals in the NY drug trade, but in the film, he seems to just be tossed in there - I actually had no idea he was a rival of Lucas after watching the movie, I thought he worked for him. The few scenes with Joe Louis feel the same way, like they were just put in there so Joe Louis would be in the movie. Partly because of this, the films other weakness, its pacing, suffers. The middle half of this movie was great, riveting stuff, but the exposition and the conclusion both dragged a bit. Even so, I'm really splitting hairs here. While American Gangster wasn't The Godfather or Goodfellas (what is?), like The Departed it's another great throwback gangster movie made by serious filmmakers and actors. Oscar Outlook Since Oscar season is now really heating up and pretty much every new movie I see for the next 4 or 5 months will be an awards contender, I'm going to starting giving my extremely speculative (and relatively uninformed) opinion on what the Oscar chances are for said film. I'll include predictions for nominations and wins that will no doubt make me look like an idiot a few months from now. American Gangster, with its strong opening weekend and warm reception looks like a very good bet for at least Best Picture and Best Actor nominations (for Denzel). If not for Daniel Day-Lewis' apparent powerhouse performance in There Will Be Blood, I would say Denzel was the current frontrunner in the Best Actor race. As it is, it looks like he (and everyone else) is going to be a big underdog against DDL. I will be shocked if this movie isn't nominated for Best Picture, but I'll also be pretty surprised if it wins. With The Departed winning last year, I'm guessing the Academy doesn't go with back to back gangster movies for the big prize. In my opinion, its best chance for a major award is Ridley Scott for director. He's never won an Oscar and could receive a lifetime achievement award of sorts this time around. It helps that he has several snubs that look really bad in hindsight on his resume, including not even getting a nomination for Alien or Blade Runner. It is rare for a director to win without his movie taking Best Picture but it would be fitting in this case since Steven Soderbergh won Best Director in 2000 when Ridley Scott's film Gladiator took Best Picture. One thing that I think will ultimately work against Scott in this area is that two of Scott's biggest competitors could be the Coen brothers (No Country for Old Men) and Sidney Lumet (Before the Devil Knows Your Dead). These, of course, are also revered directors who have also never won Best Director so those voters looking to give out a lifetime achievement award could end up splitting their vote. Ruby Dee is also getting hyped for a Best Supporting Actress nomination but she had such a minor role, I'm guessing she ends up getting left out. Russell Crowe could conceivably end up with a supporting nod also (though he could be considered a lead) but I'm guessing he won't. A screenplay nomination is likely (I think it'll be up for adapted though I'm not positive). Predictions Best Picture nomination Best Actor nomination for Denzel Best Director nomination for Scott (though I think he has a good chance, I don't think he'll win) Best Adapted Screenplay nomination

USA 1, South Africa 0

Here are some player ratings from today's underwhelming friendly. Since most of our players were pretty bad, I'm also going to include what I think/hope their long-term projection for involvement with the national team is (ie will they around for the World Cup in 2010). Starters: Tim Howard - 7.0 - made one good save, had nothing else to do. Projection - Clearly our #1. Steve Cherundolo - 7.5 - man of the match, solid defensively and got forward to score a nice goal (surprisingly strong finish from a fullback). It was telling that South Africa's winger on Cherundolo's side, Delron Buckley (a very capable player who gets regular playing time with Borussia Dortmund) had pretty much no impact on the game whatsoever. Projection - obviously locked in as our starting right back going forward. Carlos Bocanegra - 7.0 - looked good, it was telling that the defense looked exponentially shakier in the 2nd half after Boca and Cherundolo had been subbed out. I stand by my theory that Boca is good against the weaker teams but mainly due to lack of speed will struggle against the best teams (more evidence of this when he gave away a PK against Liverpool a few weeks ago, though Fulham did hold Liverpool scoreless for 80 minutes at Anfield, so maybe it isn't the greatest example). Projection - right now he is our defensive anchor and clearly has a spot in the starting lineup for any match that means anything. Oguchi Onyewu - 6.0 - he was fine, pretty much same old - big, intimidating presence in the middle of the defense but overly physical at times. Projection - I like him and think he steps up when challenged by a good center forward but it'll be interesting to see if he maintains his starting spot throughout qualifying and heading up to the next World Cup. If Cory Gibbs ever gets healthy, he could challenge for it, but other than that, I don't think there are too many legit threats on the horizon. Heath Pearce - 4.0 - I thought he played well against Brazil but was thoroughly underwhelmed today. He was so so defensively (though Pienaar coming down his wing is a pretty tough matchup) and gave away possession by just booting the ball forward countless times. Can see how he lost his spot for Hansa Rostock, who I think are actually converting him to a winger right now. Projection - him being made a winger by his club is not good nows for his future since left back is probably our most wide open starting position whereas we've got enough depth on the wings to send arguably our best one up top to play forward (Dempsey). My guess is he'll be in and out of the lineup throughout qualifying but at best will be a backup by the time the World Cup rolls around. Benny Feilhaber - 4.0 - also a pretty pedestrian performance from Benny. Looked out of sync and didn't really do anything of note. Projection - I do not like him playing on the wing, he is not dynamic at all. I thought he was at his best during the Gold Cup playing in the center of the midfield and breaking down the opposing defense with his passing. He's a good passer and a good enough ball-winner, he belongs in the middle imo, though we do have a glut of central midfielders right now, especially with Michael Bradley's seemingly guaranteed place in the lineup. Not getting much playing time for Derby County, one of the worst Premiership sides ever, is not a good sign for Feilhaber's future. I still think he'll be in the picture for WC10 but he doesn't look like a sure thing to be in the first 11 any longer. DaMarcus Beasley - 3.0 - lower grade for him than either Pearce or Feilhaber because I expect more. He was pretty garbage though he did do some decent defensive work. He actually could've easily had a goal but he didn't finish the one chance he had on the long through ball (sent by Dempsey I believe) and Adu never looked up when he hit it horribly wide instead of squaring it to Beasley for the easy goal. Projection - obviously a starter. Maurice Edu - 7.0 - after a shaky start he played quite well tonight. He was an aggressive ball-winner in the midfield and while his distribution was shaky at times, it wasn't hopeless either. He also made a very nice play to set up the goal, carrying the ball forward well before hitting a perfectly placed (and just as importantly, timed) through ball to Cherundolo. Projection - for the immediate future, I would still certainly place him behind Mastroeni as the starting holding midfielder. But Mastro is 31 and Edu is 21, so I think there's a legitimate chance that Edu could be one of our starting central midfielders by 2010. He's not quite the defensive, ball-winning dynamo that Mastro is but looks to have more potential offensively (it should also be noted that with a Bradley/Edu partnership in the midfield, it isn't as set who is the attacking midfielder and who is the defensive one as it is with say Mastro and Donovan). While this might be wishful thinking, Edu looks like he has a chance to develop into a true all-purpose midfielder in the mold of Patrick Vieira or Michael Essien. If he's ever half as good as either of those guys, I'll be thrilled. Michael Bradley - 3.0 - it seems I change my opinion of Bradley every time I watch him play. I thought he was excellent in the last few games but today I thought he was pretty horrible. In particular, he showed absolutely no creativity when he had possession of the ball - I would guess he didn't even look upfield at least half the time he received the ball, instead opting to either play it square or backwards (with the next player inevitably, hopelessly, launching it long). This was even worse because South Africa wasn't exactly applying tons of pressure in the midfield so several times, he had time and room to turn and try to make a more positive play. The thing is, I'm not sure if this is Bradley or simply the way he is told to play by daddy. I've never actually seen a Heerenveen game but right now they're sitting at 4th in the Dutch league and Bradley has scored 5 goals in 13 matches, so it seems he gets forward while playing for his club. Of all the US players, Bradley is the one who confuses me most. Projection - not taking into consideration that his dad is the coach, even if he's been somewhat inconsistent, Bradley has shown a lot playing for the US this year, and he's still only 20. Like Edu, he seems to have the tools to develop into an all-purpose midfielder. A few months ago it looked like it'd be a tandem of Bradley and Feilhaber going forward but now it looks like Bradley and Edu could be the future. It's exciting because if they keep playing together, develop chemistry over the next 3 years while they also develop as players (in particular offensively), they could be a really good pair by 2010. I would still like to see more Ricardo Clark (I don't follow MLS at all but I did see he received a 9 game suspension for a violent foul, which is discouraging, but from what I've seen of him with the national team, he could have a future) and with Bradley, Edu, Feilhaber, and Clark (ages 20, 21, 22, and 24), if they all continue to develop, we should be set at this position for the foreseeable future. Freddy Adu - 5.0 - I won't be too harsh on Adu since the service into him sucked ass for the most part. He had a couple nice touches and runs but was too selfish when he was through on goal (and simply made a poor attempt at a finish) and as Jeremy pointed out to me earlier today was basically the opposite of Bradley. Whereas Bradley was always playing the ball backwards, Adu was too aggressive, always looking to make the killer pass and in the process needlessly gave away possession (mostly with through balls to the goalie) several times. While this is far from the optimal way to play the game, there is something to be said for this over Bradley's approach. I mean, if Adu plays 10 hopeful balls forward and 9 roll right to the keeper but just 1 of them sets up a goal, he's done well. Unfortunately, none of his balls even set up a chance on goal today. Projection - he seems to finally (I say finally partly in jest because the dude is still only 18) be growing as a player and fulfilling some of his potential. He has done well at Benfica recently, scoring several goals in their league cup (where they rest first team players and let the younger guys play) and even breaking into the first team as an often used late sub (coming on in champions league matches and scoring a late winner in a league game). It really seems like, after a few years of stagnation, Adu is growing into a potential star, and if his growth continues, he has a great shot to be heavily involved in the WC qualifying and in South Africa '10. What I'm curious is where he'll end up playing. Forward, winger, or central midfield/withdrawn forward are the three options I see. I would say withdrawn forward but Landon has that position locked down for the US, so it'll be interesting to see where Adu ends up. Clint Dempsey - 5.5 - did next to nothing as a 'striker' (though he did almost score a true goal scorer's goal when he snuck in and got a touch on Mokoena's header back to his keeper) but looked good when dropped back into the midfield and gained possession (like when he sent a great through ball to Adu). Not Clint's best day but he wasn't horrible either. Projection - obviously will be involved in one way or another but the question is at what position? He's definitely best in the midfield but we need forwards right now. Hopefully, we can find a real solution to our striker problem because playing Dempsey as a forward not only gives us a relatively ineffective striker but also deprives us of our most dangerous midfielder (outside of Donovan I guess). Subs: Jon Spector - 6.0 - of the subs, he looked the best defensively. Did give away possession on occasion but who didn't in the 2nd half? Our best 'possession' was probably stringing together 3 consecutive passes before 'passing' it long to South Africa's keeper. Projection - he's young (21) and gets some playing time at a competitive club (West Ham). The thing is, he's stuck behind Cherundolo at right back, so if he becomes a regular over the next 3 years, it'll have to be at another position. He is versatile so he would be a valuable bench player on a World Cup roster (I think he could play in the center of the defense and even played as a defensive midfielder his last game for West Ham) but I doubt he'll be a starter unless he gets a serious look at left back. Brad Guzan - 6.0 - I paid exponentially more attention to him when the announcers mentioned Arsenal had scouts watching him (I guess they want someone else around besides Almunia and Fabianski with Lehmann possibly leaving). While he didn't have a whole lot to do, he looked solid back there and was noticeably vocal, which is a good trait in a keeper. Huge minus in my eyes - he was annoying the fuck out of me with his time wasting (for christ's sake, it's a goddamn friendly!!! just punt the ball and get on with the game). How shocking that he plays for the Mexican MLS team (Chivas USA). Projection - looks to have a good chance at our #2 keeper spot. Keller should be out of the picture by 2010, so now it looks like it's between Guzan and Hahnemann, and I must say Hahnemann has never impressed me a whole lot. Dan Califf - 2.0 - he was pretty dreadful, probably the worst player in what was a godawful 2nd half performance. Projection - hopefully we won't ever have to rely on him in an important game. Jonathan Bornstein - no rating - only played the last 5 minutes so no rating. Projection - figures to have the inside track at left back after solid performances over the summer unless something has changed that I'm not aware of (poor play in MLS? Like I said, I don't follow it). Sacha Kljestan - 2.0 - he was pretty damn bad too, several bad touches, no positive influence that I recall. Projection - don't know enough about him to say. He is only 22 so that's a positive. Jozy Altidore - no rating - no rating because he had like 1 touch on the ball. He did win several headers (though he didn't really direct them well and there was really no one up top to direct them to even if he was more precise) and made one good run that was overlooked by Edu I believe. Projection - rumors that Real Madrid are interested in him as a long-term replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy. It would be pretty awesome if they did bring him in in January, especially if he got even a little bit of playing time (substitute appearance here, Copa Del Rey start there). If RVN taught him some of his goal-poaching tricks, it'd be all the better. I hope from here on out, unless it's because he's heavily involved in club duty (whether it be at Real or some other European club that grabs him in the winter transfer window), he's involved in every friendly just to incorporate him into the national team picture. I don't want to get too optimistic but he could be the answer to our striker problem. Other players who I figure could be important leading up to the next World Cup: Landon Donovan - wish he'd move to Europe but whatever, he's still our best player. Danny Szetela - another promising youngster who made his first appearance for Racing this past week in the Copa Del Rey. Eddie Johnson - will be interesting to see if he ends up moving to Europe in the next month. Supposedly, there's a good chance he will. I still haven't given up on him as a potential starting forward. Cory Gibbs - I've always really liked him. Mobile, good speed, but he hasn't played in forever. If he returns to what he was before injury, he at the worst, is great depth behind Bocanegra and Onyewu, and could possibly challenge for a starting spot. But at this point, that seems like a long shot. Marvell Wynne - I have absolutely no idea how he did for Toronto FC in the MLS this past season (other than that he got a lot of playing time) but I've had my eye on him since he looked great in the U17 world cup 4 or 5 years ago. Maybe the answer at left back? I really need to watch more MLS... Bobby Convey - I've always been a big fan... if he gets healthy, he should challenge for a starting wing spot and if nothing else, he'll be a great sub to use if we need more offense. While there are other old standbys who could have a role to play like Twellman, Ching, Ralston, Conrad, and (god I hope not) Josh Woolf, I'm not nearly as excited about any of them as the guys above. Anyways, while the performance today was poor, the future for the US looks bright. Howard, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Onyewu, Dempsey, Donovan, and Beasley all are solid players in their prime while guys like Bradley, Edu, Johnson, Feilhaber, and Convey are young and should keep improving. What's really exciting are the Adus, Altidores, Wynees, and Szetelas, who haven't done anything yet for the national team but could have a big impact over the next 3 years. We should have absolutely no trouble qualifying (though if this group of players was in Europe, South America, or Africa, that would be another story entirely) and if given a non-impossible draw (like last World Cup), we should at least make the 2nd round. I also think we could easily better our performance from South Korea '02, though probably not our quarterfinal result (people forget now, but a lot of things fell our way in that cup, getting a weak host nation as our seed, Portugal overlooking us 1st game, losing to Poland but still advancing, drawing Mexico instead of Italy in the 2nd round). We're moving in the right direction, if Altidore and Adu can provide that attacking cutting edge we've never had, we could reach a new level... On a side note, unfortunately, Mexico's prospects are looking better than ever as well. They have numerous players in the Champions League right now (though they are concentrated at only a few clubs, PSV, Stuttgart, and Barcelona) and have a potential superstar striking combo with Giovanni dos Santos (only 18 and getting playing time this year at Barcelona) and Carlos Vela (also 18, playing on loan at Osasuna right now but probably on his way back to Arsenal at some point). We've been dominating them in recent years but it looks like we'll have to really step up to continue it.

UNC-Davidson

Jeremy's post about the UNC-Davidson game inspired me to write out some thoughts from yesterday's UNC game in Charlotte. While we certainly didn't play great, Davidson is definitely a quality team (probably 2nd or 3rd best out of conference team we'll play this year behind Louisville and maybe UK or Ohio St) and we essentially played the 1st half with no contribution from our 2nd best player (Tywon) and the 2nd half with no contribution from our best player (Tyler). Those 2 will certainly play way better than they did last night almost every game (I'd be willing to bet this will be one of Ty's 2 or 3 worst games of the season, if not his worst) and that'll make a big difference. I also expect more from Deon, though not nearly as much as some others. Lasting things to worry about from this game imo: 1. getting the ball into the post - we couldn't do it consistently against a solid team and when we did, both Tyler and Deon were terrible passing out of the double team. One thing I noticed last year and again last night is that QT is by far our best player at feeding the post and Danny is unbelievably bad at it. 2. interior/help defense - Brandan was not a great defender but he was a shotblocker, something we do not have right now. Tyler and Deon are completely worthless in this area (Tyler in particular doesn't even challenge shots because he's worried about getting into foul trouble), so when our perimeter defenders got beat, it was an easy layup more often than not. Hopefully Danny and Stepheson can help with this throughout the year and that Deon is better at it than he looked last night (he did lead that under-19 USA team in blocks over the summer...the performance that it seems has led to much of the hype surrounding him as a capable replacement for Brandan). Surprisingly Encouraging things: 1. Danny at the 4 - if Deon doesn't live up to the hype, we'll see a lot of this throughout the year. Assuming we're not playing a team with 2 legit post scorers (and I can't imagine we'll play a whole lot of teams that have these), Danny is a serviceable rebounder/defender as a 4 (and an upgrade as a help defender over Deon) and adds a lot by giving us another 3 point shooter (think Jawad/Marvin playing the 4 in '05) and a great free throw shooter at the end of games. He's going to be very important this year. 2. Wayne, Wayne, Wayne - best game he's ever played. Made big shots at the end, scored in a lot of different ways. His game reminds me of Joe Forte, good enough 3 point shooter, great pull-up game and willing to go all the way to the basket. People forgot how good Forte was, but if Wayne can be as good this year as Forte was his freshmen year (soph year, Forte averaged like 22 ppg), we have a great shot at the championship. 3. QT/Bobby - QT was solid as the backup point and Bobby looked healthy and confident playing the 2 (he did a good job defending Curry, as did Marcus) and also looked better at the point than he did last year. Playing Bobby at the 2 is an extremely smart move by Roy imo and sets up a great rotation with set roles for everyone (huge contrast from last year). Ty, Wayne, Marcus, Deon, Tyler starting...QT is the backup point, Bobby is the backup 2/3rd point, Danny will jump around between 3 and 4, Alex is the 3rd true big man. 4. We won a legitimately close game that could have gone either way in the final 2 minutes. We lost these more than we won them last season... I actually went to the game in Charlotte and it was a good time. The Bobcats arena is very nice and the atmosphere was quite good with very impressive support for Davidson in about half the lower level for their 'home game' and the rest being UNC fans. Though we didn't play especially well, I was thrilled to get out of there with a win. I'll be very interested to see how Davidson does against Duke, State, and UCLA to see just how quality a win this was.

Marathon Pictures

Marathon pics here.

Marathon

So Jeremy and I did the Outer Banks marathon today, with my Dad, Alexa, and Jon all doing a half. I ended up finishing the full in 3:53. 3:45 would've been nice but whatever, at about mile 20 I stopped caring about my time and just wanted to finish. At this point, I'm just really happy it's over with...

iPhone

So I got an iPhone for my birthday - so far, so good. It's pretty incredible - the network is slow when there's no wifi but it's still usable... and that's pretty much my comprehensive list of 'complaints' at this point. The best thing is, I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of cool features I haven't figured out how to use yet.

Obama

So Jeremy's post about the Obama rally more or less covers my feelings on it. While Obama is certainly inexperienced and probably naive, he is an inspiring candidate who seems to have real moral convictions. Also, I think his inexperience could easily be offset by him surrounding himself with intelligent advisors (ala Bill Clinton), who unlike the current incumbent in the oval office, will be willing to listen to both sides of an argument and not see everything as black and white. While I do agree with Jeremy that it would be nice to hear more specific policy suggestions, at this point, I would not a view a vote for Obama as voting against the other guy (like I do my vote for John Kerry), instead I would actually be excited to support a presidential candidate. And for the record, the same holds true in my eyes for John Edwards, who I think I might actually prefer a little bit to Obama. But either one (or especially an Obama/Edwards ticket or vice versa) would be a huge step in the right direction for America.

Transformers - 6.0

Transformers is pretty typical of the Michael Bay, summer blockbuster, watch everything blow-up genre - it was shockingly directed by who else but the one and only Michael Bay. While much of it is pretty standard fare, including bad acting, nonsensical plot transitions, and terrible dialogue, I did find Transformers more entertaining than many of the other blockbusters that were released this summer like Spiderman 3, Die Hard 4, and Pirates 3 because it didn't have that same been there, done that feel to it. In fact, I was extremely impressed by the special effects in Transformers (and this was watching it on DVD not in the theater mind you) as the actual transformers rarely seemed clunky or out of place while interacting with humans. I was pretty skeptical that a transformer movie could work on this level, so well done special effect mavens. Bottom line, in what was an extremely weak summer season, Transformers was probably the most entertaining action blockbuster out there besides the new Bourne and Harry Potter movies - not the highest of praise but when it comes to Michael Bay, better than a lot of the other crap put out there status actually places it in a pretty lofty place in his filmography. note - sorry for all the Michael Bay hate, he is what he is and really isn't all that bad. It's just that I read a suggestion that he could do a better job making this new war film called The Few than Michael Mann, which obviously is one of the more ludicrous things every written (or said) - I mean what's next, demanding that Spielberg turn over the reigns of the new Indiana Jones movie to Brett Ratner? Anyways, that's what put me in an even more anti-Michael Bay mood than usual.

Americans Support Military Action Against Iran

Or at least 52% do according to a new poll. Man a lot of people in this country are fucking paranoid idiots aren't they?? A good quote from JFK to show how far we've fallen: "I look forward to a great future for America, a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose. . . . And I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well." That whole balance between military strength and moral restraint doesn't really seem to exist anymore.

Why I'd Vote for John Edwards

Here's the end of one of the best speeches I've ever read by a contemporary US politician: I stand here today the son of Wallace and Bobbie Edwards. The father of Wade, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack -- and I know, as well as you, that we must not be the first generation that fails to live up to our moral challenge and keep the promise of America. That would be an abomination. There is a dream that is America. It is what makes us American. And I will not stand by while that dream is at risk. I am not perfect -- far from it -- but I do understand that this is not a political issue -- it is the moral test of our generation. Our nation's founders knew that this moment would come -- that at some point the power of greed and its influence over officials in our government might strain and threaten the very America they hoped would last as an ideal in the minds of all people, and as a beacon of hope for all time. That is why they made the people sovereign. And this is why it is your responsibility to redeem the promise of America for our children and their future. It will not be easy -- sacrifice will be required of us -- but it was never easy for our ancestors, and their sacrifices were far greater than any that will fall on our shoulders. Yet, the responsibility is ours. We, you and I, are the guardians of what America is and what it will be. The choice is ours. Down one path, we trade corporate Democrats for corporate Republicans; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty; and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine. It is the easier path. It is the path of the status quo. But, it is a path that perpetuates a corrupt system that has not only failed to deliver the change the American people demand, but has divided America into two -- one America for the very greedy, and one America for everybody else. And it is that divided America -- the direct result of this corrupt system -- which may very well lead to the suicide Lincoln warned us of -- the poison that continues to seep into our system while none notice. Or we can choose a different path. The path that generations of Americans command us to take. And be the guardians that kept the faith. I run for president for my father who worked in a mill his entire life and never got to go to college the way I did. I run for president for all those who worked in that mill with my father. I run for president for all those who lost their jobs when that mill was shut down. I run for president for all the women who have come up to Elizabeth and me and told us the like Elizabeth they had breast cancer -- but unlike Elizabeth they did not have health care. I run for president for twenty generations of Americans who made sure that their children had a better life than they did. As Americans we are blessed -- for our ancestors are not dead, they occupy the corridors of our conscience. And, as long we keep the faith -- they live. And so too the America of idealism and hope that was their gift to us. I carry the promise of America in my heart, where my parents placed it. Like them, like you, I believe in people, hard work, and the sacred obligation of each generation to the next. This is our time now. It falls to us to redeem our democracy, reclaim our government and relight the promise of America for our children. Let us blaze a new path together, grounded in the values from which America was forged, still reaching toward the greatness of our ideals. We can do it. We can cast aside the bankrupt ways of Washington and replace them with the timeless values of the American people. We can liberate our government from the shackles of corporate money that bind it to corporate will, and restore the voices of our people to its halls. This is the cause of my life. This is the cause of our time. Join me. Together, we cannot fail. We will keep faith with those who have gone before us, strong and proud in the knowledge that we too rose up to guard the promise of America in our day, and that, because we did, America's best days still lie ahead. Of course, Edwards isn't going to receive the nomination and I do believe that Hilary is both an improvement over Bush and a better choice than any of the mainstream republican candidates. Even so, maybe she'll grow on me (I mean even John Kerry grew on me and I thought at the time and still believe now that Edwards would've not only made a better president but also a better candidate than Kerry did) but right now I can't help but be disappointed that she's likely to be the nominee when I would prefer any of Obama, Edwards, or Al Gore exponentially more and any of those 3 would likely win against whoever the Republicans throw out there. The funny thing to me is those who call Hilary too liberal, a socialist, whatever. In my opinion, she's not nearly liberal enough. She's nowhere near a socialist, she's a fucking corporate candidate (trying not to use the term whore) who will be a political pragmatist and make no real changes, too worried about her reelection hopes to step out of line to where ever her true beliefs have disappeared to. In short, she's too much of a politician. When she does become president, I do believe she can help fix some of the mess Bush has created and in that way be part of a short term solution; but long term, she and her special interest money are just as big a part of the problem as Bush, Rove, Giuliani, or any of the other republicans us liberals love to hate. Too bad the American people are so dumb that things like how much Edwards' haircut costs or how big his house is are more important to most than his actually ideas. But we are the people who elect presidents based on how likable they are instead of how well-suited they are for the responsibilities they will have and the challenges they will face, the people who elected fucking George W. Bush twice, so it's hard to be surprised any more. At this point, it's hard not to think we deserve what we get.

Jeremy lookalike

This dude (Andy Comeau), who is one of the new fellows in the new season of House, bears a striking resemblance to Jeremy (even more so from the side and back....of the head, haven't had a good waist down shot yet unfortunately). The first time I saw him (no full facial shot mind you) I was actually torn for about 5 minutes wondering if Jeremy had some secret life as a crappy TV actor in Hollywood that he wasn't telling us about, even rewinding, pausing, and slow-moing on the DVR. Anyways judge for yourselves: On another note, the Jeremy lookalike has been just about the most interesting aspect of the new season of what used to be a pretty entertaining show.

Thierry Henry

Watching some old Arsenal highlights I came across some ridiculous goals from Henry (2 of which I'd seen before, 1 that I hadn't). Enjoy: backheel vs. Charlton turn and lob vs. Man U solo run vs. Liverpool And though it isn't Henry, I'll leave you with a must-see goal from his Barca teammate Leo Messi from last season vs. Getafe (he was all of 19 years old at the time) where he beats 5 defenders and the keeper on a 60+ yard run.

The New Invincibles? Arsenal 7 Slavia Praha 0

No ratings for this game cause I didn't see it live (Barcelona 0 Rangers 0 was the game on ESPN2, a decently entertaining match, though a goal or 2, or even an attack or 2 from Rangers' side, would've been nice) but I did see the highlights and all I can say is wow. Cesc 2 goals, Walcott 2 goals, Hleb 1 (and forced an own goal), Bendtner 1. The first goal from Cesc is nice, the next 2 are sort of trashy, but the 4 in the 2nd half are all essentially perfect goals - no dead ball set pieces, all from the run of play, combination of quick passing, intelligent movement, great skill on the ball, and superb finishing. This game reminded me of Man U's 7-1 demolition of Roma in the CL Quarterfinals last year where they just scored great goal after great goal - Man U's was of course a much more important game against a better team, but that's the only recent parallel I can think of... As usual Cesc (age 20) was at the center of most everything - but just as important to Arsenal now is the unbelievably underrated Alexander Hleb. Man he's an incredible player, I can't think of many who are playing better than he is currently. Maybe he doesn't get as much hype because he's never going to play in important international matches for Belarus but if he keeps it up at this level, more people will have to notice his play. God it pisses me off that freaking Belarus can produce a genius footballer like Hleb (or Togo a top class striker like Adebayor, or Mali players like Freddy Kanoute, Mahamadou Diarra, and Momo Sissoko, or goddamn Ivory Coast with stars at damn near every position with Drogba, Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Kalou, Kone, Keita, Eboue all getting regular playing time for teams in the Champions League) and the best the US can do club-wise in Europe is DaMarcus Beasley starting about half the games for Rangers. Where are our star players? Maybe 5 years down the road, Adu will be at Arsenal, Altidore at Man U, and Szetela at Real, but I can't believe we haven't had a single player break through at a truly elite club yet. I mean Mexico now has a freaking 17 year old who gets regular playing time at Barcelona (Giovani...not to mention Rafa Marquez who regularly features for Barca as well) and we own them. All I want is a few American star players, is that too much to ask? Ok that rant took me a little off topic, back to Hleb - he is one of the most technically gifted players I've ever seen (does he ever have a bad touch on the ball?), has great vision and unselfishness, runs off the ball constantly, and is even finishing this season (check out Arsenal goal #4 today). But Hleb and Cesc's excellence have come to be expected, the big story from this match is Theo Walcott, who was composed enough to make the most of a mistake for goal #3, had a brilliant finish on goal #5, and a perfect (and unselfish) one-touch layoff into the path of Cesc to set up goal #6 (the best of the bunch imo, though Eboue's backheel for goal #7 is freaking ridiculous). Walcott has looked good coming off the bench lately (set up the 2nd against Bolton on Saturday) but this is by far his best game yet. Hopefully it's a breakout and a sign of things to come, cause the Gunners will need it with van Persie out for a month and Liverpool and Man U coming up. If Arsenal still hasn't lost in 2 weeks, we might be looking at some new Invincibles (probably impossible but imagining this Henry-less Arsenal side starting the season so well that the Invincibles can be mentioned is incredible as it is).

Gone Baby Gone - 8.5

I was ready to crown Michael Clayton as my new favorite movie of the year (a distinction which will likely change hands several times over the next few months) until I saw Ben Affleck's directing debut Gone Baby Gone a few days later. Reminiscent of Mystic River (which it should be since the source material is by the same author), this film tells the story of a young P.I. (portrayed with a who the hell knew he could act so well performance by Casey Affleck) investigating the kidnapping of a young girl in his Boston neighborhood. Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris also come through with fine supporting turns, as does The Wire's Amy Ryan, playing the girl's drug-addicted whore of a mother. My man Omar even shows up, sadly only for a solitary scene, and even worse as a cop, not as a bad ass loner who robs drug dealers. Even so, one of my general guidelines is that anything with Omar in it is better than it would have been if Omar wasn't in it. The same holds true for Daniel Day-Lewis, Mr. Eko/Adebisi, and films directed by Michael Mann. Back to the movie - as the true story behind the kidnapping unfolds, every twist and turn worked for me before Casey Affleck's character was finally put in a truly morally ambiguous situation. Once Gone Baby Gone ended, I was left with the first movie in a while that really had me putting myself in the shoes of a main character and considering what I would do in their situation...and not coming up with an easy answer. Ben Affleck hasn't acted in a good movie in years, if this movie is any indication, maybe he's found his new calling behind the camera. I for one will be looking forward to his next attempt at directing much more than his next (inevitably disastrous) starring role.