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.

Sleepers- Underrated

I read Sleepers on the recommendation of my friend in middle school, Dan Shelton. It's the autobiographical tale of Lorenzo Carcaterra, and it's painful and amazing (Side note: His book A Safe Place is of similar quality). I don't want to reveal a lot of the plot but it's a tale of best friends from a neighborhood in New York who get into some serious trouble and get thrown in juvenile hall. Most of the story stems from their horrific abuses at the facility and the lasting effects on the four, and their road to rectification and redemption. The movie is very good with some very good acting from a lot of well known actors including: Minnie Driver, Jason Patric, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Brad Renfro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Billy Crudup, and Ron Eldard. You'll recognize a lot of people in the film even if you don't know the actors by name, like Eldard who played Colt, Boyd Crowder's right-hand in Justified this season. All I can say is that the less you know about the story, the better it will be for you. Carcaterra's tales are just brutal in ways that you hope and pray it isn't true autobiographical detail he's rehashing. Bottom Line: 8.9 out of 10. Having read the book I've always been an enormous fan. The cast is amazing and the story is excellent. If you haven't seen this movie it is unquestionably worth a rental. It's far from a comedy or date movie, but it's rock solid & excellent. Reading the book is also highly recommended.

The '99ers

I watched the Nine for Nine, or whatever ESPN's tribute to Title IX is called. It was a celebration of the 1999 Women's USA world cup team. Mia Hamm being the star, but you see Julie Fowdy, Brandi Chastain, Michelle Akers, & Brianna Scurry and recognize them still. It was a HUGE moment and I watched that last game from near the end of regulation throughout the shootout and was captivated. They were a phenomenon and I still love the Nike commercial where Fowdy comes out of the dentist office and says she got two fillings and Mia Hamm springs up and deadpans "Then I will have two fillings." and everyone joins suit simply saying at the end "We will face the world together". It brought me back to a few special teams that I was on in 2001 & 2003 when we won state in tennis. Both experiences were very unique from each other. One I was a sophomore playing #3 doubles and it was my first time on a varsity team period. By 2003 I was a senior playing #1 doubles and the vocal/emotional leader of the team. Experiencing winning always brings a team closer and winning a championship really binds you together. The struggles and hard work pays off, which is so rare in sports. Everyone feels the vindication and it really brings everyone together. If you don't win, I don't think it's possible to have the same feeling of togetherness. If that team loses the shootout to N. Korea things would have been completely different I feel. Losing is destructive by nature and no matter what there's hard feelings in losing. Failing to win automatically breaks things apart. Feelings of blame, etc naturally follow losses and it sabotages the togetherness. It's unspoken, but normally crippling to unity. It sounds obvious, but without the championship there's no way to have the same feelings of joy/accomplishment & unity I feel. It was just a nostalgic journey for me that made me think of those rare instances where you win at the end of the season. There's no "what-ifs" or questions. I remember watching the pain after my brother's teams in basketball took back-to-back loses in the state championship game. The team was very close, but I can imagine things being totally different if they won either of those years. I'm babbling, but I think I enjoyed the documentary seeing their home videos thinking of the bus/van rides & similar moments on a much smaller scale. It was nostalgic and almost heartwarming in a way. Sorry to waste everyone's time on this one. More movies to follow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I'll dive into some Breaking Bad talk or some talk of the old favorites coming back this fall.

Ray Donovan

Liev Schrieber has always been rock solid and significantly underrated in my opinion. He's awesome in a side job as HBO Sports' main narrator. The guy just seems tough as shit, but also excels in comedy. I'm a fan. Anywhoo he's in a new series on Showtime called Ray Donovan where he plays a big-shot lawyer's "cleaner". He fixes strange problems. He's believable in the role to the point it's a little scary. You don't doubt he's beaten the shit out of someone with a wooden bat before. He is married with two kids and living in Beverly Hills, or something very similar. He's from Boston and him and his wife carry a hint of that fucking awesome Southy accent. He has some weird shit going on with his father, played by Jon Voight. He put his own father away 20 years ago on a murder conviction. It's deeper as Ray has always hated his father for cheating on his mother and contributing to his sister's suicide, but you don't know much about either. His dad's released and an FBI agent keeps tabs on him and tries to get him to flip. All the while Ray juggles family life with his crazy job AND this weird shit with his dad swirling in the background. You never know if Voight truly wants a real relationship with his grandkids, or if he's just pissing Ray off in various ways. The acting is phenomenal and besides a creepy YOUNG teenage relationship that honestly makes me uncomfortable to watch, it's been excellent. I seriously hope I didn't already write about this, but it wouldn't surprise me. Bottom Line: 9.0 out of 10. I've been a big fan of this one and sincerely think you should start watching this shit ASAP. Schreiber is going to get some well-deserved praise for this one and hopefully more starring roles in some big movies.

That's My Boy- AKA The Piece of Shit from Samburg & Sandler

I DVR'd this lump of shit hoping for some form of cheap laughs. There are so few to be found it's just pathetic. They try cheap shock tactics and stupid shit constantly. I found myself attempting to read various ESPN articles and online stuff rather than attempt to focus on the shit on the TV. There aren't highlights to speak of. Nothing really stands out as decent. The parting shot at the end to get shock laughs is just painful and stupid beyond belief. Really I'm thinking the "highlight" is the cameos of Robb Van Winkle, AKA Vanilla Ice. That honestly is probably the only thing that made me not angry while watching this. Sandler is the worst of the shit. He's just awful as a dipshit, drunk, fuckface. His accent is fucking awful. His character is so painfully stupid and un-entertaining you want him to be murdered by everyone else. Bottom Line: 2.2 out of 10. It's hard to imagine a worse major motion picture to watch for an hour & a half. Don't ever watch this, ever.

Two Guns (Sorry Chutch)

I checked out Two Guns based on the fact it had Denzel and Mahk Wahlbahg in it. It was just SOOOO pithy and ridiculous with the dialogue between Mahky-Mahk and Denzel. Wahlberg is just unbearably stupid and annoying for the most part. It does flirt with some decent action scenes and has some interesting plot moments, but it really isn't the crazy, fast-paced action film it promised to be. It sadly is in love with the exchanges of Wahlberg and Denzel and it's barely stomachable. The plot is that two agents, one undercover for the DEA and the other for the Navy somehow find each other completely separate from the fact they are undercover. If that's not implausible enough nobody at their respective departments know what the fuck is going on either. In any case they visit a Mexican drug lord trying to swap passports for cocaine, this fails, they then decide to get back at him by robbing the bank he stores his money at. It twists and turns all over the place and you try to keep tabs on the double-crosses and various characters, but you end up not caring and just wishing death upon everyone. Bottom Line: 5.4 out of 10. Really struggles to be entertaining, funny, or action-packed. Just barely serviceable and certainly not worth paying any amount of money for. Even the great Denzel couldn't salvage this lump of shit.