House of Cards

House of Cards is a political docudrama-ish show that is loaded with familiar faces including Robin Wright (formerly Robin Penn-Wright, AKA married to Sean Penn), Kevin Spacey, Michael Kelley and Kate Mara. The story essentially follows Kevin Spacey's character, a veteran senator, who pulls great power plays to gain favor and whatever he wants. He plays everyone including a hot newswoman (Kate Mara) and is thoroughly enjoyable throughout. He nails a southern accent and is just truly engaging. The plot is greatly varied and there are enough interesting characters and developments to make you feel like our government is engaging. It's available on THE, getting more impressive every day, Netflix. It's just another reason to jump on board besides the numerous great shows and some very good movies displayed proudly for your streaming at all times. Pairing this with Orange is the New Black and I'm actually very interested in Netflix's own shows that compare with anything else on TV very favorably. I do want to see "Top of the Lake" on, I think, the Sundance Channel or IFC, I'm not sure which. That's been elusive so far and garnered some Emmy interest, despite having Peggy from Mad Men as a lead character... I really can't remember the last movie I saw in theaters, but I plan on seeing a few coming up since it's $5 movies and free popcorn at Marcus Point Cinema now through Oct. 31st. GIDDY UP.

Sportscentury: Throwback Day

I started recording Sportscentury as a HUGE fan since the series began. It honored the legends of our past and present. I started my quest by watching the specials on Chuck Bednarik and Charlton Fisk and I will construct my thoughts for you. Bendarik was the ultimate throwback in an era where throwbacks stlil existed. As a 34 & 35 year old man he played center and linebacker, a feat reserved for amazing high school athletes, not professionals. He made $17,000 playing both ways in an effort that lacks proper title. Calling him a 60 minute man is still insulting to him. He grew up tougher than the steel created in his hometown of Bethlehem, PA. He was terrifying for teammates and opponents alike. He hit a pinnacle by almost killing Frank Gifford in perhaps the most violent hit ever in any sport. His children mentioned they lived their entire lives without their father telling them to their faces that he loved them. The ultimate throwback to the spartan "300" days. He played linebacker and center and essentially willed an essentially average team to the 1960 championship over the excellent Packers team. There was a story where he fought with Chuck Noll during the game and let him know where'd he'd be after the game. He uppercutted Noll and sent his helmet flying in the air and when the Browns came out to fight and defend Noll "Concrete Chuck" just looked at them and said "Don't cross that line", and not a single Brown questioned it. He was the toughest man to ever play the game and it was refreshing to hear the tales about it. A real treat learning about this warrior and pillar of the game. His disgust for what the game became after his retirement was refreshing. He was the ultimate throwback and forever will be. He was a waist gunner in WWII where your life is measure in minutes and his reflection on how that made him the man he was was amazing. It cemented his resolve as a man of God, and a football player in ways that nobody can understand unless you were there with him in the great war. Fisk was similar. A New Hampshire kid who played a year in college before running his course through the Red Sox system. His amazing 24 year run as a catcher is simply unmatched by anyone else. His role in the '75 World Series where he is deified waving the ball fair was just a pit stop in an amazing career. He ran pitching staffs for so long the pitchers became younger than his children. His iron will and toughness is something all players should try to mimic forever. It was so refreshing to see someone play the game the right way. There was a section on him yelling at Deion Sanders for not running out a fly ball. There was just great pieces about his mutual disgust and respect for Thurman Munson and how news of Munson's death was one of the low points in his career & life. Fisk is greatly underappreciated in baseball and Boston, which is so rare. His feats are so amazing and unrecognized that it was almost painful. Look at his career and see if any catcher matches up. It's not even close. His longevity is unmatched by anyone in the modern era. Reggie White was also highlighted in an amazing way. Reggie White was a man of God first, and a football player second. His departure from Philadelphia to Green Bay was a great story about his fight to what God wanted, and what Reggie as a family man and football player wanted. He was amazing at Tennessee, the USFL, and later the NFL. He used the NFL to cater to his desire to use it as a ministry for God. He revolutionized God in the NFL, and the defensive line position. His swim move was second to nothing the league has ever seen. He had 21 sacks in 12 games, a feat that will probably never be equaled. Men would follow him anywhere, including the frozen tundra of Green Bay. He brought a Super Bowl and way of life to Green Bay that's still being followed. White's leadership and aura will never be equaled. White could have rested on his laurels and became whatever he wanted in WI, but his faith led him to a different path. He was VERY outspoken about his beliefs and it led many men to faith in the NFL, but later became a distraction. His ministry was a blessing and a curse. He disowned homosexuality because it cannot be compared to being African-American. His faith led him to ignorance, but you hope that isn't his legacy. His faith and effort was what should be remembered. His message was to bring people together, not create rifts in our social fabric. He helped everyone he could in ways that you just wish other athletes would follow. Reggie gave so much of himself it was painful to see his family talk about it. His money was thrown away and his charisma for God completely misused. His faith is an inspiration to everyone who believes in a God of any kind. His lasting impact is the prayer huddles seen on the field to this day, and the horrible pain shown in his teammates speaking of his passing. The tears flow instantly when talking about his passing at an age that was WAY too young. Andre Agassi- I am completely biased for Agassi. He was the original baseliner who won the first Wimbledon for his style in 1991 vs. the greatest serve and volley players of all-time in Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Goran Ivanosevic during the same run. Agassi broke in as a 16 year-old using pure talent and flair, and left as a 36 year-old of pure substance. Nobody in any sport had an equivalent transformation. His book is an amazing read. He is a philosopher and scholar despite never completing high school. He used his money and will to create his own AMAZING academy in Las Vegas to help underprivileged youth to create a better life for themselves. If all athletes took the route of Agassi in their communities, the world would be just an amazing place. It's really an inspiration to see where his life after tennis has taken him. He's wise beyond his years and a true warrior poet/scholar despite his lack of formal education. Agassi is remarkably one of a kind and simply an amazing person. His career achievements on the court, despite being amazing and essentially unmatched, pale to his work outside of tennis. His impact on Las Vegas is what's truly amazing. You can only hope others can take his lead in becoming such an amazing part of their communities. It's an amazing inspiration. The question of who is alive that I'd like to have dinner with is simply answered with "Andre Agassi". I am truly amazed by his ability to reflect and offer insight on life and making it better for yourself and others. Just a real inspiration. I love Sportscentury and its celebrations of great players past & present for not only their contributions to their sports, but to the rest of people's lives. Just an amazing and unmatched series. Sorry for the ramblings, I just love the work done to preserve the heroes of eras past.

Jack Nicholson: Quick Tribute

Apparently Jack Nicholson, not the golfer, but the actor, has retired from his lifetime career. My first experience was Jack as the Joker, a role he completely dominated like nobody before or after. I slowly started in on some of his earlier career as I got older like Easy Rider, The Shining, Chinatown, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and A Few Good Men. He put together his best work before I was even in school. He DID make an amazing return in the Departed that was an excellent exclamation point to his amazing career. He and Michael Caine are the only actors to have Oscar nods in every decade since 1960, quite an accomplishment for both gentlemen. He ends with 3 Oscars and 12 nominations. He resisted De Niro's recent binge to collect as many pay-days as possible, I feel Pacino is in that mode too, before your time is up. If you haven't taken a look at his earlier work, you're missing out on excellent stuff. He was similar to Bogart in his utter domination and machismo. He isn't playing sensitive, caring types, and it's fucking awesome. He's incredibly intense and filled with a great "Not give a fuck" attitude that is believable because you wouldn't mess with him. Do yourself a favor and grab some of these older films mentioned and get on board. Find out what you're missing. Hats off Jack. I sincerely hope that it isn't for memory loss, which is the early favorite. His persona is now relegated to Lakers games, but it's still very welcome just to see him and his amazingly expressive face and brow.

Tennis Talk

I've been watching some U.S. Open tennis and it's been pretty good. Tim Smyczek of Brookfield made it just as far as any other American male tennis player, the THIRD ROUND, which is disconcerting. http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen13/story/_/id/9625887/us-open-last-us-hope-tim-smyczek-comes-short is a shitty article about it highlighting the lack of knowledge in Smyczek, but reminding us that since 1881 there's always been an American man into the fourth round. He pushed Marcel Granollers from Spain to 5 sets before losing. He wins that match, he'd be HUGE news and have an even better pay day. The lack of quality U.S. players has been on the horizon for awhile though and the recent batch of tennis players fall well short, especially in having something between their ears to make them play the game at a high level. We've had a rough run of of luck too, but it's certainly been a bad few years. Andy Roddick gets shit on, but he has been by far the best thing we've had through the 00's besides my personal heroes the Bryan Brothers. They are a huge bright spot that gets buried by playing in the obscure world of men's doubles. They are playing in a pretty slow run for competition, but they have been kicking the shit out of everyone as 35 year olds. I thoroughly enjoy watching them play more than anyone else on the tour. I wonder if they've surpassed Anna Kournikova as my favorite players ever... Nope, they haven't. I really wanted to simply write a blog complaining about another major where Federer uses his post-match loss to lament about not playing his best tennis, BUT NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM ------- that I played that day. Same shit, different tournament. I want Robredo to say that he didn't play well, but it was good enough to win. That would be fucking awesome. It's the same shit Tiger Woods always lays out and for the last 15 years I always wondered why I hated both of these players, but for Woods the shameless whore banging was the watershed moment. Federer's hasn't been the same, but his arrogance has been the ongoing thorn for me, and in his twilight years he's never been more smug and shitty. On the flip side it's nice to see Robredo back playing excellent tennis. He's very graceful off both wings and fun to watch for me. James Blake said goodbye, and that was truly sad. He had an excellent autobiography I read detailing his life, but spending a lot of time on some incredibly unique struggles that he overcame, but I think clearly hindered his career and derailed it from perhaps a higher ceiling than #4 in the world. He had amazing physical tools, especially his foot speed. He packed a ton of power into his forehand, his backhand was often a struggle, but occasionally he'd just destroy a return down the line with it that was a thing of pure beauty. His match against Agassi in the U.S. Open semifinal was one of the best I've ever seen. It was just a slugfest between two players hell bent on not giving up real estate on the baseline to each other. Blake kept the same coach he had since childhood, a move I can't agree with. It was admirable, but I think it kept him from reaching another level that you'd catch glimpses of. His struggles were the death of his father, followed by a near paralysis inducing collision while practicing on clay, AND shingles that paralyzed half of his face and made life generally miserable for him for a few years. He amazingly came back from all that, but really couldn't keep healthy, or consistent enough to stick around that upper echelon I felt like he belonged in. He'll be on TV commentating whenever he wants to moving forward. He played at Harvard for a year before going pro and he's VERY smart and an elegant speaker. I wish him the best as he rides into the sunset with a wife and daughter that he can't wait to spend more time with. Things to keep an eye on- 3 Spanish men in the quaterfinals with Granollers awaiting Djokovic in the round of 16. Very impressive run for them. Also I enjoyed Jack Sock for a very little bit, but he plays like a fucking idiot too often to be very good. Great tools, but he needs somebody to pound into his head how to use those tools to win matches. Athletic, good serve, solid off both wings but doesn't dictate the point with either. I watched him hit clean winners out of nowhere, and that is very exciting, but similar to Blake you just see a complete lack of how to set-up a point. Film on mid-late 90's Agassi should be mandatory for all up & comers to see how to just grind people into the ground. They obviously won't have the fitness of that Agassi, but something needs to give and soon because John Isner isn't the guy to carry our flag in the world of major tennis. The U.S. women performed pretty well, but I want to underline the fact that if Serena Williams was not around we'd look similarly as shitty on the women's side as the men's side. Sloane Stephens wears the crown of really talented, but does not know how to use those considerable talent to win matches. Agassi, when he was struggling to re-invent himself, played in challenger matches, which is essentially the minor leagues of tennis, to remind himself how to win. I'm not sure what the real answer is obviously, but I just want to see some promising moments that make me believe we will have a presence in the near future in international tennis.

Killer Elite

I seriously don't know why De Niro has decided to take every role his agent brings through the door. This film apparently was about a true story from the 80's where Britain was involved in a war in Oman that killed some of a rich oil "Shieks", though I'm not sure that's the proper word, sons in a less than honorable way. Statham plays a mercenary, shocking I know, who is hired to kill the men responsible for the Sheik's sons deaths. They first kidnap De Niro because Statham, really STRETCHING his acting chops, stopped being a mercenary after killing an El Salvadorian (apparently that's the correct terminology) man in front of his young son. De Niro is held captive and Statham gets to work killing people with a couple of random dudes that apparently are all better at killing people than the British SAS (Special forces) whom one of the fuck clowns with Statham said makes the Navy Seals look like some derogatory term that I forgot. Anyway Clive Owen is former SAS and charged with doing some dirt for the rich, older SAS members whom are now in a club and have power as bankers called the "Feather Touch" or something like that. I care too little to dig deeper and find out for sure. Owen tries to stop Statham and Co, they try to kill his former colleagues. I was a little pissed off because for a movie set in the 80's they probably shouldn't be driving 90's era cars, or having night vision goggles and tiny cameras that look like they run on fiber optic cable. I also can't fathom how they throw in a random woman that Statham is in love with and she loves him too apparently. It gets in the way and is ridiculous. Anyway there's some twists and turns, but overall it's pretty ridiculous and a little boring. Bottom Line: 5.2 out of 10. It's free on Netflix, but I'm sure you can do better. Surprisingly good cast, but just not workable material. Script and everything else seemed rushed and shitty. Munich was better is an easy way to think about it. Sad they drug De Niro & Clive Owen into this piece of shit.