movies: Cloud Atlas is the new movie made by the Wachowskis, creators of the Matrix trilogy. It is a very bold story, much like The Matrix (I swear I will only mention those one more time at most.). It tells a story of life's connectivity, spanning untold centuries and six different stories. The story follows actors more than it does characters.
Cloud Atlas is six stories beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century on a ship, that begin(chronologically) out on the seas for slave trade or something to do with Darwin - it is at times hard to tell, and end in some unknown future (106 years after the fall). It also dabbles in times in between. The life on the the ship in 1849 is those of aristocrats invaded by a man posing as a doctor and a slave freed by the son of the family who runs the ship. The next is the story taking place near the turn of the century about a young man who goes to study with a composer in his later years who used to be considered one of the worlds greats looking to create the greatest song every composed. The next is in England in the middle of the century about a man who is a publisher who was committed to a home, by his brother unbeknownst to him, plotting his escape. Then we follow a woman in the 1970s uncovering corporate espionage. The final two are the most closely related in plot. Those are the story of Neo Seoul in 2144. A world where people are manufactured for work and unceremonially disposed of(killed when they are no longer useful), while a revolution is building against this ploy of the government. The other is the story after the fall where they people now live as savages and pray to the woman who was the focal point of that attempted overthrow in Neo Seoul, which leads us to believe that these two times are not too far apart although they could be.
With all of these stories going on at once, Cloud Atlas starts as something of a mess. The inter-cutting of stories and timelines is just confusing and poorly put together. It may have been necessary though. The book upon which it is based, by David Mitchell, it told one story at a time. This would have been almost impossible to convey as a narrative on film considering the scope of the story and the abstract message it looks to convey. Once the viewer gets oriented to each story, the film seems to find its way. Each particular story begins to flow better within itself as you see the pieces of each fall into place. The greater concept of the story also becomes visible as well. That concept is that life is always connected. Whether it be in terms of the life we are living in the moment and the way we connect to what is going on around us or that as time passes and life and death comes and goes those connections carry through time from one life into the next. That someone else will find in the connections in their lives that we have found in our own. And that those connections are always human. For it is certainly not the plots that bind this film together but the characters that throughout time find themselves and each other and are willing because of their interactions to be compelled to fight for what they believe in, whether it is survival from sickness on a shipping vessel or the composition of the greatest song ever written or the uncovering of corruption or freedom from captivity or the discovery of love and purpose or just the ability to keep on living when all hope seems lost.
The thing, as I stated before, that holds this movie together is the actors. What the actors bring to this movie is both remarkable and unique. Most of the actors in this movie are forced to play as many as six roles. In doing so we see stars such as Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, as well as somewhat less known actors like Jim Sturgess (most known Across The Universe and 21) and Jim Broadbent (most known for playing Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter movies) and Keith David (who has been in just about everything ever made, seriously look it up) show off the maximum amount of range in one movie by literally changing character from scene to scene. The change in their emotions, from hero to villain in accent, and most noticeably in makeup are just astounding. Without a cast of actors capable of doing so, the movie would have never worked. I couldn't help but also notice that these actors were, despite their ability to adapt, still noticeably themselves. That quality was also essential to the movie. Tom Hanks has never been doubted as a great actor, but if he were not recognizable as himself from scene to scene as himself then continuity and message of the movie would have been lost.
In the end I found the movie hard to put my finger on. The acting was impressive while the actors themselves were at times distracting. The movie was visually compelling while the structure of it was at times a total mess. I guess if I had to put my finger on it I would call Cloud Atlas so ambitious that it was impossible to get totally right. The message of life carrying on beyond mortality was very eloquently presented, but like in the Matrix (see I told you only one more time) did not at all emotionally resonate. And while the movie was character driven, the message overpowered the relationships that could have provided that emotion. I think if I had to lodge my biggest complaint it was that, when presented with six fully developed worlds with full developed characters, I found myself wanting two hour movies centered around a few individual settings rather than the hodgepodge that was presented to us. A messy movie no doubt, but certainly with enough to keep me happy. Now I just want those three individual movies instead of the Cloud Atlas sextet.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
the world series
sports: The World Series begins tonight between the San Fransisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers. It looks to be a classic battle between two teams, one filled with star power, and power - the Tigers' Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder, and one being a host of players willing to step up in big moments thanks to depth and consistency. What this series is also about is resiliency This is something I have talked about throughout the postseason. With underdog teams like the Athletics and Orioles, who spent their seasons constantly battling back from the brink of many defeats to get into the playoffs, and the Cardinals, after their run in last years playoffs (the multiple World Series game six comebacks) and the divisional series this year(being down 6-0 early and coming back to win 9-7 down 7-5 in the ninth inning of that game), being considered the best clutch team in baseball, capable of overcoming any deficit, this is a series between what may have been the two most resilient teams of the year.
The Tigers may have never been too far behind the White Sox, but were clearly the second best team in their division for most of the season. But they managed to get hot and win most of their games down the stretch (7-3 in the final ten games) while their division rivals, the White Sox couldn't do the same (going 4-8 in that same calendar time).
The Giants resiliency has been found during the playoffs. There is't much to say. They are 6-0 in elimination games, most recently outscoring the Cardinals (supposedly the best clutch team in baseball) 20-1 in the three elimination games of their season.
This series presents a very interesting match-up. Much like the Giants last series against the Cardinals, it is a series between the Giants, a team with remarkable depth both in their lineup (but no true stars or go-to power hitters) and in their pitching staff (this may be the best group of pitchers in baseball at holding a lead), against a team with great power in the middle of their lineup and a great ace heading their otherwise decent staff (I know the Tigers starters posted a sub-1.00 era against the Yankees, but the way those two teams looked during that series, you have to put as much of the on the Yankees hitters as the Tigers pitchers). The difference in this series is that the Tigers are like a bigger and badder version of the Cardinals. Instead of Holliday and Friese, you have Fielder and Cabrera. Instead of Kyle Losche, you have the best pitcher in baseball, Justin Verlander. The keys for the Giants will be to keep the Tigers role players off the bases and not allow to the brutal middle of the Detroit lineup to drive them in. The key for the Tigers will be to keep the Giants from spraying the ball around the field and building early leads that their fantastic bullpen are adept at holding.
The other key, and arguably the biggest of this series, is how the pitching rotations are set up. With a sweep and four days of rest the Tigers have Verlander ready to go for games one and five, while in game one the Giants will be sending out Berry Zito. Zito has rebounded in recent years to be a solid starter, maintaining that huge looping curve ball that is tough on hitters, but he still is not the ace he used to be, and facing the best ace in baseball could put the Giants behind the eight ball early. Verlander will also be available for game five. And knowing the Giants' propensity in these playoffs to dig a hole, if they get down 3-1, there maybe no coming back having to face him even once in an elimination game. On the other hand, with the pitching rotations being off set by the League Championship Series, in the other games the Giants with being running their best pitchers, Ryan Vogelsong (1.42 era through three post season games) and Matt Cain (the Giants' undisputed ace and star of a shutout performance from the pitching staff in game 7 against the Cardinals.), against the bottom of the Tigers rotation. And if the series would go long they would both be available for starts later in the series against the non-Verlander part of the Tigers rotation The only detraction to this will be that those games, three and four, will be in Detroit and Vogelsong and Cain have actually hit well during their plate appearances in the playoffs, knocking in crucial runs in all of their outings.
All in all it should be a great series. If I were going to Vegas I sure wouldn't want to have to pick a winner. My heart says its got to be the never say die Giants and all the fun that they showed two years ago when they won. My head is saying that Verlander and Cabrera just too tough. I honestly don't think I know who's going to win this one (Not that predictions have been great this post season). But I'll at least say this, if it is short series (five or less) the Tigers will take it. If it goes long (six or seven and the San Fransisco withstanding two Verlander outings) the Giants will win. It should be fun either way.
The Tigers may have never been too far behind the White Sox, but were clearly the second best team in their division for most of the season. But they managed to get hot and win most of their games down the stretch (7-3 in the final ten games) while their division rivals, the White Sox couldn't do the same (going 4-8 in that same calendar time).
The Giants resiliency has been found during the playoffs. There is't much to say. They are 6-0 in elimination games, most recently outscoring the Cardinals (supposedly the best clutch team in baseball) 20-1 in the three elimination games of their season.
This series presents a very interesting match-up. Much like the Giants last series against the Cardinals, it is a series between the Giants, a team with remarkable depth both in their lineup (but no true stars or go-to power hitters) and in their pitching staff (this may be the best group of pitchers in baseball at holding a lead), against a team with great power in the middle of their lineup and a great ace heading their otherwise decent staff (I know the Tigers starters posted a sub-1.00 era against the Yankees, but the way those two teams looked during that series, you have to put as much of the on the Yankees hitters as the Tigers pitchers). The difference in this series is that the Tigers are like a bigger and badder version of the Cardinals. Instead of Holliday and Friese, you have Fielder and Cabrera. Instead of Kyle Losche, you have the best pitcher in baseball, Justin Verlander. The keys for the Giants will be to keep the Tigers role players off the bases and not allow to the brutal middle of the Detroit lineup to drive them in. The key for the Tigers will be to keep the Giants from spraying the ball around the field and building early leads that their fantastic bullpen are adept at holding.
The other key, and arguably the biggest of this series, is how the pitching rotations are set up. With a sweep and four days of rest the Tigers have Verlander ready to go for games one and five, while in game one the Giants will be sending out Berry Zito. Zito has rebounded in recent years to be a solid starter, maintaining that huge looping curve ball that is tough on hitters, but he still is not the ace he used to be, and facing the best ace in baseball could put the Giants behind the eight ball early. Verlander will also be available for game five. And knowing the Giants' propensity in these playoffs to dig a hole, if they get down 3-1, there maybe no coming back having to face him even once in an elimination game. On the other hand, with the pitching rotations being off set by the League Championship Series, in the other games the Giants with being running their best pitchers, Ryan Vogelsong (1.42 era through three post season games) and Matt Cain (the Giants' undisputed ace and star of a shutout performance from the pitching staff in game 7 against the Cardinals.), against the bottom of the Tigers rotation. And if the series would go long they would both be available for starts later in the series against the non-Verlander part of the Tigers rotation The only detraction to this will be that those games, three and four, will be in Detroit and Vogelsong and Cain have actually hit well during their plate appearances in the playoffs, knocking in crucial runs in all of their outings.
All in all it should be a great series. If I were going to Vegas I sure wouldn't want to have to pick a winner. My heart says its got to be the never say die Giants and all the fun that they showed two years ago when they won. My head is saying that Verlander and Cabrera just too tough. I honestly don't think I know who's going to win this one (Not that predictions have been great this post season). But I'll at least say this, if it is short series (five or less) the Tigers will take it. If it goes long (six or seven and the San Fransisco withstanding two Verlander outings) the Giants will win. It should be fun either way.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
nationals, redskins, injuries, and one crazy weekend
sports: I started contemplating this article around this time last week. I decided to hold off on it until the weekend in pro sports played itself out, and I couldn't be more glad that I did. Last weekend saw one cities sports hopes fall and the rise in such an intense way centered around two different teams in two different sports. That city was Washington D.C. Never have I seen such drama centered around teams from different sports in one city that were seemingly so greatly impacted by the young centerpieces of those teams and the injuries they have suffered. Also seeing them handled by their respective organizations in such diametrically opposed results that were equally puzzling was fascinating.
On Friday night the Nationals played game five of the divisional series at home. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead early, that lead slowly faded. Then, down 7-5 in the ninth inning, the Cardinals made that lead disappear and ended up winning the game 9-7. It was a remarkable comeback by St. Louis. But the questions after the game surround the Nationals. They surround their benched ace Stephen Strasburg. It has been well documented now that the Nationals shelved their ace in early September after giving him an innings limit for the year to keep his arm healthy coming off of Tommy John surgery. They did this in order to ensure that Strasburg would be able to be their ace well into the future on the kind of quality team that Washington had this year. It was said best in a podcast on the Grantland Network that baseball is "iterate". Everything is cause and effect. This is not to say that the Nationals lost because they benched Strasburg, but to say that you can draw a cause and effect line from that decision to the end of their season. The decision is made back in April to put this innings count the young ace. He pitches healthily and brilliantly through the first nine months of the season leading the Nats to the best record in baseball only to be shelved. The team then has to reorder their starting rotation. Gio Gonzalez, who is one on of the leading Cy Young candidates in the National League is now moved up to the pressured filled scenario of being an ace instead of his cozy lived in home as the best number two starter in baseball. That pressure is put to the ultimate test in the playoffs where he loses the first game of the series and is off the hook for the second loss as he allowed the team to begin to squander their huge lead to a Cardinals team that has been as resilient as any in all of sports over the past two years(especially in the playoffs; ie: the 2011 World Series game six). One can argue over the wisdom of benching Strasburg to preserve him for the future, but two things are certain. One is that the Nationals organization did exactly what people thought they had done, which was to hurt their legitimate opportunity for greatness in the present for an opportunity at greatness in a very uncertain future where they hope to return to this moment many times with Strasburg as their ace - world championships are too hard to project. The other thing we know is that they mismanaged Strasburg. Research done for Baseball Prospectus has shown that innings counts have little effect on pitchers. What they need limited are pitch counts. Detrimental injuries to starting pitchers have greatly reduced over the past ten years as opposed to the previous ten due to pitch counts being implemented as a standard of managing. Typically, starting pitchers want to average no more than 110 pitches per game based on the research available. According to baseball-reference.com, Strasburg only threw more than 110 pitches in a game once. In that game he threw 112 . Limiting him was certainly the right idea, but based on the information available, the Nationals organization chose to limit him based on the wrong parameters
The other D.C. team in the headlines this weekend was the Redskins. After coming off of a loss in which Robert Griffin III was concussed against the Atlanta Falcons, the Skins were now facing the Minnesota Twins, who much to most peoples surprise seem to be much better than was thought. Despite the NFL's emphasis on head injuries and the unbelievably huge investment Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins made in Griffin (which you can read my feelings about here: http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/03/rgiii-and-skins.html), he was allowed to play without a single weeks rest. Griffin played brilliantly He passed for over 300 years. He had an eighty yard touchdown run that is being called the best play for the Redskins in the past twenty years. He never took more than a minor hit, let alone anyone coming near his head. And he won. Thanks to Griffin, by the end of the weekend, the city of Washington D.C. and its sports fans went from sorrow to elation. And in the process no one questioned the reckless nature of this team that won. Dan Snyder put this young man out there with no time off after being concussed and asked him to win a week six game in early October in his rookie season. He did this with seemingly no consideration for the player of which this was asked or of the franchise he was asking him to do this for. After giving up five draft picks in the first two rounds of upcoming drafts plus the swap of this past drafts first round picks with the Rams, giving his team a hard road to build around Griffin, he then asked this coveted player to go out and play in a game that won't be remembered with a head injury that is currently costing the NFL millions in lawsuits.
I don't think could have imagined a more unique weekend for a city in sports; where a cities sporting opportunities seemed to revolve around the injuries of young star players and the decisions on how to handle them by their owners. The amazing thing is how they were handled and their results. The Nationals erred on the side of caution, though in a misguided way, and were rewarded with heartbreaking loss. The Redskins, on the other hand, acted in a cavalier, if not reckless manor, and were rewarded with a win and performance from their young star that brought the downtrodden hearts of that baseball loss back to joy and hope for their cities sports.
One can only wonder how these decisions will effect the long term plans of these franchises. The Nationals are young enough and good enough to do good on the promise of having someone as great as Strasburg as their ace for years to come. The Redskins could continue to see Griffin break tackles for blazing touchdown runs and throw from the pocket with laser accuracy. But if both teams continue to act in the manner they have, we just may never see that moment.
On Friday night the Nationals played game five of the divisional series at home. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead early, that lead slowly faded. Then, down 7-5 in the ninth inning, the Cardinals made that lead disappear and ended up winning the game 9-7. It was a remarkable comeback by St. Louis. But the questions after the game surround the Nationals. They surround their benched ace Stephen Strasburg. It has been well documented now that the Nationals shelved their ace in early September after giving him an innings limit for the year to keep his arm healthy coming off of Tommy John surgery. They did this in order to ensure that Strasburg would be able to be their ace well into the future on the kind of quality team that Washington had this year. It was said best in a podcast on the Grantland Network that baseball is "iterate". Everything is cause and effect. This is not to say that the Nationals lost because they benched Strasburg, but to say that you can draw a cause and effect line from that decision to the end of their season. The decision is made back in April to put this innings count the young ace. He pitches healthily and brilliantly through the first nine months of the season leading the Nats to the best record in baseball only to be shelved. The team then has to reorder their starting rotation. Gio Gonzalez, who is one on of the leading Cy Young candidates in the National League is now moved up to the pressured filled scenario of being an ace instead of his cozy lived in home as the best number two starter in baseball. That pressure is put to the ultimate test in the playoffs where he loses the first game of the series and is off the hook for the second loss as he allowed the team to begin to squander their huge lead to a Cardinals team that has been as resilient as any in all of sports over the past two years(especially in the playoffs; ie: the 2011 World Series game six). One can argue over the wisdom of benching Strasburg to preserve him for the future, but two things are certain. One is that the Nationals organization did exactly what people thought they had done, which was to hurt their legitimate opportunity for greatness in the present for an opportunity at greatness in a very uncertain future where they hope to return to this moment many times with Strasburg as their ace - world championships are too hard to project. The other thing we know is that they mismanaged Strasburg. Research done for Baseball Prospectus has shown that innings counts have little effect on pitchers. What they need limited are pitch counts. Detrimental injuries to starting pitchers have greatly reduced over the past ten years as opposed to the previous ten due to pitch counts being implemented as a standard of managing. Typically, starting pitchers want to average no more than 110 pitches per game based on the research available. According to baseball-reference.com, Strasburg only threw more than 110 pitches in a game once. In that game he threw 112 . Limiting him was certainly the right idea, but based on the information available, the Nationals organization chose to limit him based on the wrong parameters
The other D.C. team in the headlines this weekend was the Redskins. After coming off of a loss in which Robert Griffin III was concussed against the Atlanta Falcons, the Skins were now facing the Minnesota Twins, who much to most peoples surprise seem to be much better than was thought. Despite the NFL's emphasis on head injuries and the unbelievably huge investment Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins made in Griffin (which you can read my feelings about here: http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/03/rgiii-and-skins.html), he was allowed to play without a single weeks rest. Griffin played brilliantly He passed for over 300 years. He had an eighty yard touchdown run that is being called the best play for the Redskins in the past twenty years. He never took more than a minor hit, let alone anyone coming near his head. And he won. Thanks to Griffin, by the end of the weekend, the city of Washington D.C. and its sports fans went from sorrow to elation. And in the process no one questioned the reckless nature of this team that won. Dan Snyder put this young man out there with no time off after being concussed and asked him to win a week six game in early October in his rookie season. He did this with seemingly no consideration for the player of which this was asked or of the franchise he was asking him to do this for. After giving up five draft picks in the first two rounds of upcoming drafts plus the swap of this past drafts first round picks with the Rams, giving his team a hard road to build around Griffin, he then asked this coveted player to go out and play in a game that won't be remembered with a head injury that is currently costing the NFL millions in lawsuits.
I don't think could have imagined a more unique weekend for a city in sports; where a cities sporting opportunities seemed to revolve around the injuries of young star players and the decisions on how to handle them by their owners. The amazing thing is how they were handled and their results. The Nationals erred on the side of caution, though in a misguided way, and were rewarded with heartbreaking loss. The Redskins, on the other hand, acted in a cavalier, if not reckless manor, and were rewarded with a win and performance from their young star that brought the downtrodden hearts of that baseball loss back to joy and hope for their cities sports.
One can only wonder how these decisions will effect the long term plans of these franchises. The Nationals are young enough and good enough to do good on the promise of having someone as great as Strasburg as their ace for years to come. The Redskins could continue to see Griffin break tackles for blazing touchdown runs and throw from the pocket with laser accuracy. But if both teams continue to act in the manner they have, we just may never see that moment.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
perks of being a wallflower
movies: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a movie based on the book by Stephen Chbosky. It is the story of high school freshman named Charlie trying to find his way in high school where he doesn't exactly fit. It begins with Charlie, played by Logan Lerman, entering high school for the first time while he narrates to the viewer how many days are left; days he is clearly not looking forward to. From that point the movie becomes the coming of age story of what we find out is very troubled young man.
As Charlie meanders his way through the first few days of school in loneliness and quiet, we find out that despite the fact that he sits all alone in the lunch room and that he refuses to show his intelligence by answering obscure questions in his English class for extra credit, he appears to be more than just a loner. He possesses a drive and intelligence that makes good on his being alone as he reads his Lit assignments and even endears himself to his teach who pushes him by lending him books to read and write about in what is surely an extra credit arrangement but is presented as pure enjoyment for Charlie.
Then Charlie meets his new friends, stepbrother and sister Patrick and Sam. They view themselves as outcasts, this being a sentiment that Charlie can understand. As upperclassmen they take Charlie under their wings and introduce him to the world of high school outcast and show him a world in which he might belong. And that story of finding oneself is what the movie is about.
Through the course of Charlie's story we find out that he is not just a quiet young man not doing good on his potential, but someone possessing a truly damaging past. His past being one in which his aunt, who he was very close with died in a car accident that Charlie is carrying around a sense of respsonsiblity for that is so damaging he is prone to act out if not in a controlled situation. As Charlie loses himself in the Patrick and Sam's world he finds himself more and more out of control and finding it harder to control his uncontrollable emotions.
The story at its core is this coming of age of Charlie as he learns to manage his troubled past, but the story at its strongest is the moments between Sam, Charlie, and Patrick. Charlie and Patrick develop a wonderful friendship that is heartfelt and genuine as the two ebb and flow in and out of personal problems that force each other to deal with the highs and lows of each others lives. And the timing is always good with them not being mirrors of each other but opposites, thus making it harder to relate but showing that true friends can do so. The relationship of Sam and Charlie, though, is what really drives the story. As the story progresses, Sam and Charlie develop a friendship that turns into love. And that love for Charlie is his first and thus very powerful, and despite Sam's many past relationships maybe her first feeling of love as well. Watching those two dance around each other as they uncover each others checkered pasts while not knowing how to manage their feelings is the most exciting and emotional parts of the movie and ultimately what makes the movie enjoyable to watch.
The movie is not without flaws however. Chbosky, who also chose to write and direct the movie based on his book had trouble inter-cutting the flashbacks of Charlie's aunt's death in a way that really made sense until the end when Charlie himself explains what we were seeing. The beginning of the movie also suffered from some weird thing where the characters, particularly Sam, Charlie, and Patrick in their first meeting don't speak at all in a conversational way but rather in one lined affirmations of the romanticist notion of outcastdom that were made for movie trailers by having moments where Emma Watson stares right into the camera and says "Welcome to the island of misfit toys" or Charlie stares off into space in his first moment of happiness in the movie and proclaims "I feel infinite." Not even in the most dramatic of teen universes do kids talk like that.
But in the end the movie hits its beats delivers completely, mostly through the story of Charlie and Sam. Their relationship is so exciting to watch throughout the movie as these two find a real love between the two of them that never really gets actualized. Sam being damaged by past relationships is not willing to be with someone she really cares about and Charlie is just so afraid of everything; his past, his instability, being a freshman. And that notion, even if not in high school, is the one that is most easy to relate to. Looking into someone's eyes and knowing that you know them better than anyone but lacking the confidence to make the bold move and knowing that they are going to chase love in other places just to fill the void that could best be filled by you. But that's what happens sometimes. People don't always get the love they do deserve, they accept the love they think they deserve. And in the case of our two main characters, they ultimately get the latter. For Charlie that is a fleeting glimpse and for Sam that is the wrong one all the time, well besides that previously metioned fleeting glimpse.
As Charlie meanders his way through the first few days of school in loneliness and quiet, we find out that despite the fact that he sits all alone in the lunch room and that he refuses to show his intelligence by answering obscure questions in his English class for extra credit, he appears to be more than just a loner. He possesses a drive and intelligence that makes good on his being alone as he reads his Lit assignments and even endears himself to his teach who pushes him by lending him books to read and write about in what is surely an extra credit arrangement but is presented as pure enjoyment for Charlie.
Then Charlie meets his new friends, stepbrother and sister Patrick and Sam. They view themselves as outcasts, this being a sentiment that Charlie can understand. As upperclassmen they take Charlie under their wings and introduce him to the world of high school outcast and show him a world in which he might belong. And that story of finding oneself is what the movie is about.
Through the course of Charlie's story we find out that he is not just a quiet young man not doing good on his potential, but someone possessing a truly damaging past. His past being one in which his aunt, who he was very close with died in a car accident that Charlie is carrying around a sense of respsonsiblity for that is so damaging he is prone to act out if not in a controlled situation. As Charlie loses himself in the Patrick and Sam's world he finds himself more and more out of control and finding it harder to control his uncontrollable emotions.
The story at its core is this coming of age of Charlie as he learns to manage his troubled past, but the story at its strongest is the moments between Sam, Charlie, and Patrick. Charlie and Patrick develop a wonderful friendship that is heartfelt and genuine as the two ebb and flow in and out of personal problems that force each other to deal with the highs and lows of each others lives. And the timing is always good with them not being mirrors of each other but opposites, thus making it harder to relate but showing that true friends can do so. The relationship of Sam and Charlie, though, is what really drives the story. As the story progresses, Sam and Charlie develop a friendship that turns into love. And that love for Charlie is his first and thus very powerful, and despite Sam's many past relationships maybe her first feeling of love as well. Watching those two dance around each other as they uncover each others checkered pasts while not knowing how to manage their feelings is the most exciting and emotional parts of the movie and ultimately what makes the movie enjoyable to watch.
The movie is not without flaws however. Chbosky, who also chose to write and direct the movie based on his book had trouble inter-cutting the flashbacks of Charlie's aunt's death in a way that really made sense until the end when Charlie himself explains what we were seeing. The beginning of the movie also suffered from some weird thing where the characters, particularly Sam, Charlie, and Patrick in their first meeting don't speak at all in a conversational way but rather in one lined affirmations of the romanticist notion of outcastdom that were made for movie trailers by having moments where Emma Watson stares right into the camera and says "Welcome to the island of misfit toys" or Charlie stares off into space in his first moment of happiness in the movie and proclaims "I feel infinite." Not even in the most dramatic of teen universes do kids talk like that.
But in the end the movie hits its beats delivers completely, mostly through the story of Charlie and Sam. Their relationship is so exciting to watch throughout the movie as these two find a real love between the two of them that never really gets actualized. Sam being damaged by past relationships is not willing to be with someone she really cares about and Charlie is just so afraid of everything; his past, his instability, being a freshman. And that notion, even if not in high school, is the one that is most easy to relate to. Looking into someone's eyes and knowing that you know them better than anyone but lacking the confidence to make the bold move and knowing that they are going to chase love in other places just to fill the void that could best be filled by you. But that's what happens sometimes. People don't always get the love they do deserve, they accept the love they think they deserve. And in the case of our two main characters, they ultimately get the latter. For Charlie that is a fleeting glimpse and for Sam that is the wrong one all the time, well besides that previously metioned fleeting glimpse.
the league championship series
sports: I know I said I was going to preview all of the playoff series in Major League Baseball, but do to going to see Argo (my most recent post), pro football, and other movies that will discussed at a later date, not to mention I have a job, I was unable to get to the LCS's before they started. It turns out I am glad for that. Besides spouting some generic match-up info, much of which would have been discussed when looking at the rotations and rosters leading up to the Divisional Series, there may not have been much to say. But now there have been two games played in each series. So lets see where the teams stand.
In the American League seires between the Tigers and Yankees, the story has been nothing short of fascinating. The script has been totally filliped on both teams. The Tigers, thought of by most(including me) to be a three man team with bad defense and pitching beyond Verlander has been nothing short of the total opposite. While Verlander turned in an historic performance in game five of the Divisional Series, the entire rest of the starting rotation has been no less great, posting an ERA blow 1.00 . And their two offensive stars, have been great, with Miguel Cabrera driving in runs and Prince Fielder getting robbed in key situations (the Coco Crisp grab over the wall) but nonetheless hitting the ball well. The Yankees have even more so turned into the opposite of what we thought they would be. Their offense has been nothing short of horrible. Robinson Cano just set a record for consecutive at bats in the playoffs without a hit, and there are several other hitters in their lineup hitting under .130. Alex Rodriguez can't hit strkes, and Curtis Granderson is swinging at pitches that are no where near the strike zone. The only productive players for the Yankees this post season have been Ichiro and Jeter, two guys who are supposed to get on base and get knocked in by the guys who are all stuggling. And to make matters worse Jeter is now out for the remainder of the post-season with a broken ankle. The Yankees pitching staff on the other hand has been very solid, not allowing more than 5 runs in a single game this post season, and ace C.C. Sabathia has been the lights out long inning ace people hoped to see. But the Yankees are headed to Detriot down 2-0 and with a horror show of a pitching match-up for the crucial game three: Justin Verlander vs. Phil Hughes. Even if Verlander weren't coming off an all time great playoff performance (9IP, 4H, 1BB, 11K, 0ER) it would still be a lopsided match-up between an elite pitcher and one who is good but also gives up a lot of home runs, which the Tigers are more than capable of hitting. If the Yankees hitting doesn't turn around in a hurry, and against one of the best pitchers in baseball, the hole they have dug themselves may be to deep to climb out of, especially when missing their captain and all time great, Derek Jeter.
The NLCS provides a little more intrigue after two games. Heading back to St. Louis we have seen the best of what both teams have to offer. In game one the Cardinals pulled out to a big lead behind their ace, Kyle Losche, and the power in the middle of their lineup, particularly Freise and Beltran, beating up on the Giant's pitching. We also saw in that game the Giants' on big deficiancy. With no true power in the middle of the lineup they struggled to come all they way back having to base hit their way out of a big hole. In the second game we saw the opposite. We saw the base hitting of the Giants hammer Chris Carpenter out the game early as his pitch count rose while Ryan Vogelsong and the unbelievably deep Giants pitching staff (whose relievers also did a great job in game one after the six runs allowed by Madison Bumgarner) held the powerful Cardinals in check leading to a rather emphatic 7-1 beat down of the Cardinals. And that is what the series is going to come down to. The power and clutch hitting of the Cardinals against the deep pitching and wear you down base hitting offense of the Giants. Who brings their best every night will be what determines the series.
No picks since the series are underway. But there you go with analysis. Oh hell, Tigers vs. Giants. There you go.
In the American League seires between the Tigers and Yankees, the story has been nothing short of fascinating. The script has been totally filliped on both teams. The Tigers, thought of by most(including me) to be a three man team with bad defense and pitching beyond Verlander has been nothing short of the total opposite. While Verlander turned in an historic performance in game five of the Divisional Series, the entire rest of the starting rotation has been no less great, posting an ERA blow 1.00 . And their two offensive stars, have been great, with Miguel Cabrera driving in runs and Prince Fielder getting robbed in key situations (the Coco Crisp grab over the wall) but nonetheless hitting the ball well. The Yankees have even more so turned into the opposite of what we thought they would be. Their offense has been nothing short of horrible. Robinson Cano just set a record for consecutive at bats in the playoffs without a hit, and there are several other hitters in their lineup hitting under .130. Alex Rodriguez can't hit strkes, and Curtis Granderson is swinging at pitches that are no where near the strike zone. The only productive players for the Yankees this post season have been Ichiro and Jeter, two guys who are supposed to get on base and get knocked in by the guys who are all stuggling. And to make matters worse Jeter is now out for the remainder of the post-season with a broken ankle. The Yankees pitching staff on the other hand has been very solid, not allowing more than 5 runs in a single game this post season, and ace C.C. Sabathia has been the lights out long inning ace people hoped to see. But the Yankees are headed to Detriot down 2-0 and with a horror show of a pitching match-up for the crucial game three: Justin Verlander vs. Phil Hughes. Even if Verlander weren't coming off an all time great playoff performance (9IP, 4H, 1BB, 11K, 0ER) it would still be a lopsided match-up between an elite pitcher and one who is good but also gives up a lot of home runs, which the Tigers are more than capable of hitting. If the Yankees hitting doesn't turn around in a hurry, and against one of the best pitchers in baseball, the hole they have dug themselves may be to deep to climb out of, especially when missing their captain and all time great, Derek Jeter.
The NLCS provides a little more intrigue after two games. Heading back to St. Louis we have seen the best of what both teams have to offer. In game one the Cardinals pulled out to a big lead behind their ace, Kyle Losche, and the power in the middle of their lineup, particularly Freise and Beltran, beating up on the Giant's pitching. We also saw in that game the Giants' on big deficiancy. With no true power in the middle of the lineup they struggled to come all they way back having to base hit their way out of a big hole. In the second game we saw the opposite. We saw the base hitting of the Giants hammer Chris Carpenter out the game early as his pitch count rose while Ryan Vogelsong and the unbelievably deep Giants pitching staff (whose relievers also did a great job in game one after the six runs allowed by Madison Bumgarner) held the powerful Cardinals in check leading to a rather emphatic 7-1 beat down of the Cardinals. And that is what the series is going to come down to. The power and clutch hitting of the Cardinals against the deep pitching and wear you down base hitting offense of the Giants. Who brings their best every night will be what determines the series.
No picks since the series are underway. But there you go with analysis. Oh hell, Tigers vs. Giants. There you go.
Friday, October 12, 2012
argo
movies: Ben Affleck is easily becoming one of the most interesting people in Hollywood. It is just amazing to think that the guy who starred in Sum Of All Fears and Gili is now a critically acclaimed director. But he is. And this weekend he brings us the third movie he has directed, Argo. Argo is the true story of the extraction of six Americans hiding out at the home of the Canadian Embassader in Tehran Iran during the hostage situation that began in 1979 and ended in 1981.
The story is told from the point of view of CIA agent Tony Mendez, played by Affleck. Faced with the problem of trying to get these six people out of Iran he concocts the crazy idea to go into Iran posing as a fake movie crew creating a seemingly real movie and using the people he is trying to rescue as his crew scouting for locations for a science fiction film called Argo. From the moment the plan is hatched, it seems doomed to fail. The idea is crazy enough, but the powers that be in Washington D.C. are also not supporting Mendez. But he presses on, and pursues his mission to save these people, no matter how long the odds continue to get.
Along the way we get to meet some truly unforgettable characters played by nothing short of unforgettable actors. Mendez's boss Jack O'Donnell, played by Brian Cranston, is torn from the moment the movie begins to when it ends. He is unsure of when and how to support his agent, when to follow orders from above. Cranston brings the same intensity to this performance in some his most excited moments that he brings to Breaking Bad, only this time we seem him use that authority to fight for the lives of people rather than against it. John Goodman and Alan Arkin are comedy gold as the duo from Hollywood helping to bring this fake movie to its most real actualization without ever making it. They are both so delightfully jaded and tired of politics of Hollywood that everything they say comes out as much needed break from how tightly wound the rest of the story is (including the movies most memorable line "Ar-go fuck yourself"). Our hostages at the Embassador's house (sorry i'm not rattling off six names but just trust me they are all noteworthy) bring exactly what they need to to their situation. Not fear, because they believe they are safe in hiding, but rather a claustrophobic sense of boredom and stir-craziness after not being able to go even on to the back porch for some fresh air. Watching them just sit and wait every time the story cuts back to them gives a greater sense of time passing during their stay in this home, which were it not for their circumstance would be a dream home, than any time stamp in the corner. And then their are the two scene stealers, Kyle Chandler and Zeljko Ivanek, who between the two of them have a total of about 5 minutes of screen time as White House staff members sitting in on the CIA's plans. It seemed that every time they showed up it was just a reminder of how deep the talent pool in this movie really was, particularly as each got their chance to go toe to toe with Cranston in tense moments.
But really the credit has to be given to Affleck, not as an actor - though he was fantastic, but as a director. All of the performances mentioned were so great because of how well they functioned within his vision of how to tell this story. Everyone mentioned above, which by the way is basically every significant charcter in the movie, had an important role to play in the outcome of the plot. And they functioned exactly as they needed to further the story and build the tension that kept you on the edge of your seat till the very end. (side note: I don't know if I have ever seen a movie besides Apollo 13 that did such a good job of making me hang on the edge of my seat about an event in history I already knew the outcome of. Not only was I excited to see how the story got from beginning to end, but I actually doubted that our heroes would survive at all despite the fact that the history books already told me they did.) The other real trick of the movie that falls to Affleck is how concise it is. There is not a single shot in the movie that didn't have a purpose in being their - everything from the ability to give different looks and feels (cold steady cam in the CIA offices and hand shaky hand helds all over Tehran) to different settings to showing found footage in fullscreen to further make you feel like you were watching something from back in 1980, and their wasn't a single plot point that wasn't important and resolved by the end of the movie. Even the somewhat cheesy part at the end when Mendez comes back to his estranged family was validated by the text at the end of the movie stating that he in real life he did reunite with them. That could have been cheese meant for a feel good end but instead was given a real reason. And then for further hammering home of how tight a movie Affleck made, over the credits we get to see side by side pictures of either characters or scenes from the movie with their news photos or peoples passport photos right next to them. The likenesses are so striking it just makes you appreciate what you saw more.
In his three efforts as a director Ben Affleck has managed to all but completely erase his downward spiral from once promising actor to Gili. It truly is amazing. And in Argo we see his best effort yet, stepping out from the streets of Boston in his previous two films to tell a brilliant spy thriller. I don't know if it will earn him recognition from the academy or not, that may depend on other movies yet to be released. But even if that is not the case, he is making great movies that fill a very specific place in the movie industry: exciting movies geared towards adults. As surprising as Affleck's success is, the fact the he would have chosen that void to fill (left mostly by the passing of Tony Scott) seems almost unlikely, but he has done it.
The story is told from the point of view of CIA agent Tony Mendez, played by Affleck. Faced with the problem of trying to get these six people out of Iran he concocts the crazy idea to go into Iran posing as a fake movie crew creating a seemingly real movie and using the people he is trying to rescue as his crew scouting for locations for a science fiction film called Argo. From the moment the plan is hatched, it seems doomed to fail. The idea is crazy enough, but the powers that be in Washington D.C. are also not supporting Mendez. But he presses on, and pursues his mission to save these people, no matter how long the odds continue to get.
Along the way we get to meet some truly unforgettable characters played by nothing short of unforgettable actors. Mendez's boss Jack O'Donnell, played by Brian Cranston, is torn from the moment the movie begins to when it ends. He is unsure of when and how to support his agent, when to follow orders from above. Cranston brings the same intensity to this performance in some his most excited moments that he brings to Breaking Bad, only this time we seem him use that authority to fight for the lives of people rather than against it. John Goodman and Alan Arkin are comedy gold as the duo from Hollywood helping to bring this fake movie to its most real actualization without ever making it. They are both so delightfully jaded and tired of politics of Hollywood that everything they say comes out as much needed break from how tightly wound the rest of the story is (including the movies most memorable line "Ar-go fuck yourself"). Our hostages at the Embassador's house (sorry i'm not rattling off six names but just trust me they are all noteworthy) bring exactly what they need to to their situation. Not fear, because they believe they are safe in hiding, but rather a claustrophobic sense of boredom and stir-craziness after not being able to go even on to the back porch for some fresh air. Watching them just sit and wait every time the story cuts back to them gives a greater sense of time passing during their stay in this home, which were it not for their circumstance would be a dream home, than any time stamp in the corner. And then their are the two scene stealers, Kyle Chandler and Zeljko Ivanek, who between the two of them have a total of about 5 minutes of screen time as White House staff members sitting in on the CIA's plans. It seemed that every time they showed up it was just a reminder of how deep the talent pool in this movie really was, particularly as each got their chance to go toe to toe with Cranston in tense moments.
But really the credit has to be given to Affleck, not as an actor - though he was fantastic, but as a director. All of the performances mentioned were so great because of how well they functioned within his vision of how to tell this story. Everyone mentioned above, which by the way is basically every significant charcter in the movie, had an important role to play in the outcome of the plot. And they functioned exactly as they needed to further the story and build the tension that kept you on the edge of your seat till the very end. (side note: I don't know if I have ever seen a movie besides Apollo 13 that did such a good job of making me hang on the edge of my seat about an event in history I already knew the outcome of. Not only was I excited to see how the story got from beginning to end, but I actually doubted that our heroes would survive at all despite the fact that the history books already told me they did.) The other real trick of the movie that falls to Affleck is how concise it is. There is not a single shot in the movie that didn't have a purpose in being their - everything from the ability to give different looks and feels (cold steady cam in the CIA offices and hand shaky hand helds all over Tehran) to different settings to showing found footage in fullscreen to further make you feel like you were watching something from back in 1980, and their wasn't a single plot point that wasn't important and resolved by the end of the movie. Even the somewhat cheesy part at the end when Mendez comes back to his estranged family was validated by the text at the end of the movie stating that he in real life he did reunite with them. That could have been cheese meant for a feel good end but instead was given a real reason. And then for further hammering home of how tight a movie Affleck made, over the credits we get to see side by side pictures of either characters or scenes from the movie with their news photos or peoples passport photos right next to them. The likenesses are so striking it just makes you appreciate what you saw more.
In his three efforts as a director Ben Affleck has managed to all but completely erase his downward spiral from once promising actor to Gili. It truly is amazing. And in Argo we see his best effort yet, stepping out from the streets of Boston in his previous two films to tell a brilliant spy thriller. I don't know if it will earn him recognition from the academy or not, that may depend on other movies yet to be released. But even if that is not the case, he is making great movies that fill a very specific place in the movie industry: exciting movies geared towards adults. As surprising as Affleck's success is, the fact the he would have chosen that void to fill (left mostly by the passing of Tony Scott) seems almost unlikely, but he has done it.
nashville
tv: ABC premiered it's new show Nashville last night. It is a show based around a country music star Rayna James, played by Connie Britton, who has been the queen of the genre for twenty odd years. As the show picks up we find her struggling to keep up with the times as a young star is taking music by storm. This star is Juliet Barnes, a Taylor Swift-like crossover sensation. As Juliet's star continues to rise and the new version of the music industry, that seeming to be one of internet sales based less around records and radio hits than what goes viral on youtube, Rayna is forced to into a difficult decision. With her record and ticket sales spiraling, she is asked to open for Juliet on her coming tour. This idea is met with total distaste by Rayna who even says, "she wouldn't even cut it as my backup singer."
The other side of the story deals with Rayna's family. Her father, played by Powers Boothe, is a seemingly corrupt philanthropist (though he would tell you otherwise), who is looking to put Rayna's husband in the Nashville mayoral running based on his sympathy from his tough losses during the recession. Rayna is opposed to this idea, believing that being under the thumb of her father would be like owing a favor to Michael Corleone.
While these plots, set to the back drop of country music produced by T Bone Burnett, who wrote the music for Crazy Heart, may be exciting, it is not where the shows strength seems to lie. The shows strength lies in its being the best of what network television has to offer. It is not the hyper-specific vision of a showrunner like Matt Wiener or Vince Gilligan. It is simply a ton of tawdry drama. It is fun and sexy and full of twists and turns in a world that we feel like we all can understand simply because it is about something we all know: music. People's loyalties are split. Peoples love lives are complicated. And of course, their is the potential for everyone to either hate or love each other at the drop of a hat.
On top of that the show is centered around stars. While Connie Britton may not ever be an Oscar wining actress, she is certainly made for television. She has a lived in quality that makes her purely charismatic on week to week basis. Combine that with the cowboy in Powers Boothe and the enjoyability of Hayden Penettiere and you have a smash hit on your hands.
The show is fun and cool and may even at some point have the chance to border on interesting. But the truth is that there is nothing better than seeing Mrs. Coach (for all you Friday Night Lights fans) every week on our televisions in our homes.
Sometimes network drama (more drama with air quotes than drama like Sopranos or Mad Men) can be good. And Nashville shows that. It is not always about the artful high concept storytelling of shows that are often revered. Sometimes it is all about just making something fun to watch. I feel like if I tried to write this about this show like have something like Breaking Bad I would almost ruin it by trying to be so damn serious. Instead I just want to admit that sometimes the drama and the soap opera can be fun. And in this case it can be good too. And I can't say it enough: Connie Britton, Mrs. Taylor, God bless her.
The other side of the story deals with Rayna's family. Her father, played by Powers Boothe, is a seemingly corrupt philanthropist (though he would tell you otherwise), who is looking to put Rayna's husband in the Nashville mayoral running based on his sympathy from his tough losses during the recession. Rayna is opposed to this idea, believing that being under the thumb of her father would be like owing a favor to Michael Corleone.
While these plots, set to the back drop of country music produced by T Bone Burnett, who wrote the music for Crazy Heart, may be exciting, it is not where the shows strength seems to lie. The shows strength lies in its being the best of what network television has to offer. It is not the hyper-specific vision of a showrunner like Matt Wiener or Vince Gilligan. It is simply a ton of tawdry drama. It is fun and sexy and full of twists and turns in a world that we feel like we all can understand simply because it is about something we all know: music. People's loyalties are split. Peoples love lives are complicated. And of course, their is the potential for everyone to either hate or love each other at the drop of a hat.
On top of that the show is centered around stars. While Connie Britton may not ever be an Oscar wining actress, she is certainly made for television. She has a lived in quality that makes her purely charismatic on week to week basis. Combine that with the cowboy in Powers Boothe and the enjoyability of Hayden Penettiere and you have a smash hit on your hands.
The show is fun and cool and may even at some point have the chance to border on interesting. But the truth is that there is nothing better than seeing Mrs. Coach (for all you Friday Night Lights fans) every week on our televisions in our homes.
Sometimes network drama (more drama with air quotes than drama like Sopranos or Mad Men) can be good. And Nashville shows that. It is not always about the artful high concept storytelling of shows that are often revered. Sometimes it is all about just making something fun to watch. I feel like if I tried to write this about this show like have something like Breaking Bad I would almost ruin it by trying to be so damn serious. Instead I just want to admit that sometimes the drama and the soap opera can be fun. And in this case it can be good too. And I can't say it enough: Connie Britton, Mrs. Taylor, God bless her.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
sundays divisional series
sports: There are two divisional series starting in the MLB playoffs today. Both of them include the winners of Thursday's wild card play in games. The afternoon game is the top seeded Washington Nationals against the St. Louis Cardinals. This match-up, like it seems most of the match-ups in this opening round, including the other series that starts later today, is about a young team on the rise facing a team of vast experience. The Nationals are one of the leagues youngest teams, having risen very quickly up the ranks of baseballs best thanks to draft picks acquired through years of futility. While the story of the Nationals pitching staff has been the benching of ace Stephen Strasburg in order to preserve his arm, even without him they have a formidable staff featuring Cy Young hopeful Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman, who along with the aforementioned Strasburg, are among the best young pitchers in all of baseball. The third spot in the rotation is held by Edwin Jackson, a consistent veteran with plenty of big game experience who will not only be relied on to deliver big pitches but also to keep this very young staff's emotions under control. The Nationals lineup may be considered their weak spot, but Adam Laroche, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Zimmerman provide a solid group of players that will trouble any pitching staff. And if Bryce Harper can come out his second half woes, his offensive spark will only help the Nationals make a push deep into the playoffs. The Cardinals will be the first team to allow us to see what the effects of the play in game will be. I talked about the St. Louis pitchers and batters before their wild card team, so lets talk match-ups. The Cards will be forced to use their playoff experience and clutch hitting to get to the young aces from Washington, which will make for some very compelling games. The biggest question for St. Louis though will absolutely be with their pitching. They ran their ace Kyle Lohse out in the wild card game, which now means that they will be relying on pitchers one spot behind in the rotation. While I can't help but keep coming back to experience, it is hard to deny the fact that all of the Cardinal's pitchers will be outmatched by their counterparts. This is a series where I believe talent will overcome. Nats in four.
The later game one is the one between the Yankees and Orioles. This series will in all likelihood come down to one very specific thing for the Yankees and one very specific thing for Baltimore. For the Yankees it will be all about compensation. C.C. Sabathia has not been the ace he typically has been in the past, and the rest of their pitching staff is filled with inconsistant starters like Phil Hughes and the ageless Andy Petite. Combine this with not having Mariano Rivera in the closing playoff games for the first time in seventeen years there is a lack of certainty that may come back to haunt the Yankees. The compensation will have to come from their offense. For quite sometime now the Yankees have had the most potent lineup in all of baseball. The power numbers are Mark Texiera and Curtis Granderson, along with the captain, Derek Jeter's seemingly unending ability to spray hits all over the field will have to be what the Yankees rely on to win in the playoffs this year without their sure thing pitchers. For the Orioles the series will come down to the same things that their entire season has come down to. They need to continue to close out close games. They need continue to get production out of lineup that is, in its lack of star power, the total antithesis of the Yankees. And most importantly, the Orioles need to continue to play with the same level of confidence they have all year that has created this sense that they are the team who has "the mojo" this year. And with a pitching staff built not around an ace but total consistancy, Baltimore might not run into the same problems as the Cardinals. Not to mention they are face a staff that is not nearly as great as the Nationals. While things always point to a Yankees win in the playoffs, it won't happen this time. The Birds continue to ride their momentum into the ALCS, making believers out of everybody in the process.
The later game one is the one between the Yankees and Orioles. This series will in all likelihood come down to one very specific thing for the Yankees and one very specific thing for Baltimore. For the Yankees it will be all about compensation. C.C. Sabathia has not been the ace he typically has been in the past, and the rest of their pitching staff is filled with inconsistant starters like Phil Hughes and the ageless Andy Petite. Combine this with not having Mariano Rivera in the closing playoff games for the first time in seventeen years there is a lack of certainty that may come back to haunt the Yankees. The compensation will have to come from their offense. For quite sometime now the Yankees have had the most potent lineup in all of baseball. The power numbers are Mark Texiera and Curtis Granderson, along with the captain, Derek Jeter's seemingly unending ability to spray hits all over the field will have to be what the Yankees rely on to win in the playoffs this year without their sure thing pitchers. For the Orioles the series will come down to the same things that their entire season has come down to. They need to continue to close out close games. They need continue to get production out of lineup that is, in its lack of star power, the total antithesis of the Yankees. And most importantly, the Orioles need to continue to play with the same level of confidence they have all year that has created this sense that they are the team who has "the mojo" this year. And with a pitching staff built not around an ace but total consistancy, Baltimore might not run into the same problems as the Cardinals. Not to mention they are face a staff that is not nearly as great as the Nationals. While things always point to a Yankees win in the playoffs, it won't happen this time. The Birds continue to ride their momentum into the ALCS, making believers out of everybody in the process.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
divisional series
sports: I am writing this as the first game of the divisional series between the Tigers and Athletics is under way. Despite that fact I am not watching the game until I finish this post so as not to be swayed by anything in the early innings. So here we go with the divisional series of the playoffs.
I might as well start with the series that has already started. The Athletics and Tigers. In this series I am going with the analysis of the Tigers I went with in my inital baseball post, only with a twist. The Tigers were by far and away the second best team in their own division right until the end of the season when they got hot and Miguel Cabrera put the team on his back and got them to the playoffs while winning the triple crown. But they were exactly the team we were expecting otherwise. A team with three absolutely great players, in Cabrera, Verlander, and Fielder, and not a whole lot else. They have a poor defense and the rest of their lineup and pitching rotation are average at best. The Athletics on the other hand have a lineup that has consitency throughout, with the speedy and effective Coco Crisp leading off, Stephen Drew - who has always been a rock solid player going back to his days in Arizona, Yoenis Cespedes - who would probably be the AL rookie or the year were it not for Mike Trout, and the surprise of the year in Josh Reddick - who has turned into the rock in the middle of the Oakland lineup after being nothing more than a platoon outfielder in Boston. The Athletics also have a much more well rounded pitching staff. While they lack a superstar, like Verlander, who will probably cost the A's the first game, the rest of Oakland's pitching staff is far more well rounded than the Tigers. During the playoff era, series have often come down to who is the hottest team as opposed to the best. Both teams are hot coming into the playoffs and have played in pressured filled situation. Thus I would have to pick the more well rounded team, Oakland, to take this series.
In the second game of the first night of the divisional series, the Cincinatti Reds face the San Fransisco Giants. This game offers probably the most anticipated pitching match of the entire playoffs when Cy Young hopefuls, Johnny Cueto and Matt Cain, face off in the first game. As with the stellar match-up of this first game, this series may be the hardest to predict. The Reds have, arguably, the best team in baseball on paper. With Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Bronson Arroyo anchoring what might be the most well rounded staff that also includes super-flamerthrower Aroldis Chapman as their closer, it will be hard to get a single hit off these guys. And then their lineup with MVP candidate and former winner Joey Votto, as well as power hitters Jay Bruce and Ryan Ludwick, the Reds should have no problem scoring runs against anybody. Plus they have to of the best defenders in baseball in third baseman Scott Rolen and second baseman Brandon Phillips. Then there are the Giants. They might pose the only pitching staff in baseball that is top to bottom as formidable as the Reds, particularly with their starting pitching. Their depth and experience in their starting rotation is just kind of startling. Matt Cain has been a top five pitcher all season. Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong are two pitchers who are going to give you consistantly solid outings. Tim Lincecom, who looked like he wouldn't even make it through the year as a big league pitcher (with no wins and an era over eight in the first two months), has had a late season resurrgance as he has adjusted to the drop in velocity that contributed to his terrible start. And Barry Zito, who has always been an up and down pitcher since switching sides of the bay in 2007, is still capable of a big game if he is called upon. And they didn't even miss a beat when all-star closer Brian Wilson went down for the year back in the first week of the season. The Giants lineup is not filled with the kind of power that the Reds posses with Votto, Bruce, and Ludwick. But their lineup is filled with guys who are just always on base. No one is going to blown away by the likes of Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pegan, Aubrey Huff, and Hunter Pence; but when you watch them, you realize that they are seemingly always on base and advancing runners. They may not have the power of their opposition, but they are almost always as effective.
This maybe be the hardest series of the playoffs to get right. And for me, a fan of this incarnation of the Giants, it feels like a head vs. heart pick. Everything points to the Reds being the superior team, but I just believe in Posey and his rag tag team that seems to have supplanted the '04 Red Sox as the "idiots" of baseball. A pitching classic of all time throughout the five games, a style that favors the Giants. And thus they pull it out in the final game on the strength of their ace, Matt Cain. See you tomorrow for the other two games.
I might as well start with the series that has already started. The Athletics and Tigers. In this series I am going with the analysis of the Tigers I went with in my inital baseball post, only with a twist. The Tigers were by far and away the second best team in their own division right until the end of the season when they got hot and Miguel Cabrera put the team on his back and got them to the playoffs while winning the triple crown. But they were exactly the team we were expecting otherwise. A team with three absolutely great players, in Cabrera, Verlander, and Fielder, and not a whole lot else. They have a poor defense and the rest of their lineup and pitching rotation are average at best. The Athletics on the other hand have a lineup that has consitency throughout, with the speedy and effective Coco Crisp leading off, Stephen Drew - who has always been a rock solid player going back to his days in Arizona, Yoenis Cespedes - who would probably be the AL rookie or the year were it not for Mike Trout, and the surprise of the year in Josh Reddick - who has turned into the rock in the middle of the Oakland lineup after being nothing more than a platoon outfielder in Boston. The Athletics also have a much more well rounded pitching staff. While they lack a superstar, like Verlander, who will probably cost the A's the first game, the rest of Oakland's pitching staff is far more well rounded than the Tigers. During the playoff era, series have often come down to who is the hottest team as opposed to the best. Both teams are hot coming into the playoffs and have played in pressured filled situation. Thus I would have to pick the more well rounded team, Oakland, to take this series.
In the second game of the first night of the divisional series, the Cincinatti Reds face the San Fransisco Giants. This game offers probably the most anticipated pitching match of the entire playoffs when Cy Young hopefuls, Johnny Cueto and Matt Cain, face off in the first game. As with the stellar match-up of this first game, this series may be the hardest to predict. The Reds have, arguably, the best team in baseball on paper. With Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Bronson Arroyo anchoring what might be the most well rounded staff that also includes super-flamerthrower Aroldis Chapman as their closer, it will be hard to get a single hit off these guys. And then their lineup with MVP candidate and former winner Joey Votto, as well as power hitters Jay Bruce and Ryan Ludwick, the Reds should have no problem scoring runs against anybody. Plus they have to of the best defenders in baseball in third baseman Scott Rolen and second baseman Brandon Phillips. Then there are the Giants. They might pose the only pitching staff in baseball that is top to bottom as formidable as the Reds, particularly with their starting pitching. Their depth and experience in their starting rotation is just kind of startling. Matt Cain has been a top five pitcher all season. Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong are two pitchers who are going to give you consistantly solid outings. Tim Lincecom, who looked like he wouldn't even make it through the year as a big league pitcher (with no wins and an era over eight in the first two months), has had a late season resurrgance as he has adjusted to the drop in velocity that contributed to his terrible start. And Barry Zito, who has always been an up and down pitcher since switching sides of the bay in 2007, is still capable of a big game if he is called upon. And they didn't even miss a beat when all-star closer Brian Wilson went down for the year back in the first week of the season. The Giants lineup is not filled with the kind of power that the Reds posses with Votto, Bruce, and Ludwick. But their lineup is filled with guys who are just always on base. No one is going to blown away by the likes of Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pegan, Aubrey Huff, and Hunter Pence; but when you watch them, you realize that they are seemingly always on base and advancing runners. They may not have the power of their opposition, but they are almost always as effective.
This maybe be the hardest series of the playoffs to get right. And for me, a fan of this incarnation of the Giants, it feels like a head vs. heart pick. Everything points to the Reds being the superior team, but I just believe in Posey and his rag tag team that seems to have supplanted the '04 Red Sox as the "idiots" of baseball. A pitching classic of all time throughout the five games, a style that favors the Giants. And thus they pull it out in the final game on the strength of their ace, Matt Cain. See you tomorrow for the other two games.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
heading into the major league playoffs
sports: I must start of this post with a bit of self-admonishing. I really would have loved to write an end of the season baseball post, particularly giving reference to the picks I made at the beginning of the summer. Especially given the fact that despite a few major injuries I did pretty well (http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/04/mlb-2012-preview.html). But given the fact that I was very neglectful of baseball during the summer, and now am almost overwhelmed by the fact that the new television schedule, fall movie releases, and my day job are taking up almost all of my time (not to mention I'd like to have a social life on of these weeks), to try and sum up all of what a summer of baseball entails in just a handful of paragraphs seems impossible. I guess I should say shame on me for being a bad fan over the summer. But at least I am ready to talk playoffs.
But before I do, I must briefly mention a few true highlights of the regular season, some of which may be mentioned as I look ahead to the playoff match-ups. First and foremost the history making Triple Crown of Miguel Cabrera must be looked at in awe. This is a guy, who has for years now been arguably the best hitter in baseball, but has consistently taken a back seat to Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. But after reaching this Holy Grail for baseball players, and being the first to do it since 1967, Cabrera has absolutely eclipsed his piers, and given us a year that will be remembered for all time. Mike Trout, Cabrera's main competition for AL MVP, has had an equally impressive year from a more advanced standpoint. Trout's all around numbers, from his power to run production, both driving them in and generating them himself on the base paths, his speed, and his golden glove in the outfield have produced one of the most remarkable seasons in Major League history. And to think he did it while he was only twenty, which means that his best years should be ahead of him. The other highlights are going to mentioned as teams in the playoffs.
One of those highlights, being arguably the biggest surprise of the season, is the Baltimore Orioles They will play the Texas Rangers, who despite leading the AL West nearly wire to wire, lost the lead in their division on the final day of the season to the Oakland A's, another huge and pleasant surprise, in the Wild Card play in game. This match-up is one of a fairly classic one. Texas is filled with tons of high profile fire power both in their pitching rotation and their lineup on a team that has become a perennial powerhouse. The Orioles on the other hand, are the surprise upstart of the year, and maybe one of the biggest surprises in recent memory. With a team full of players that even now at seasons end\ are not stars, with little to speak of in terms of stand out statistical years , on a tiny budget. But they seem to have that magic that is hard to lock down in statistics, having won Major League bests in one run and extra inning games and finishing the year, despite their record, with the lowest run differential amongst all teams over .500. It is an incredibly tough game to call. The new play in game raises so many questions about how a team will be managed to be prepared to move forward, not to mention that this really is a head/heart match-up. But I am going with Texas. Despite Baltimore's remarkable run, their youth and inexperience, combined with the firepower of the Rangers lineup and experience and home field advantage, the Orioles will just fall a bit short.
In the National League, the play in match-up will be the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. Typically I would pick the Cardinals to win this game, being the defending World Series champs that, despite losing Pujols last off season still has a ton of players from last years team with clutch experience, not to mention a big gamer in Chris Carpenter(who because injuries kept him out most of the season is not starting this game.). But I just think in this game circumstance will overcome. With Atlanta playing at home, with a far superior all around pitching staff, which will come in to play if the game is tight as the two National League managers work their bullpens, and a crowd hoping for more opportunities to see Chipper Jones keep playing, the Braves should overcome the defending champs. As a side note, I want to say that despite the outcome it has been a joy watching Chipper Jones, one of the best switch hitters of all time, play for the same team for nineteen years. His article, which he wrote, in Sports Illustrated only reaffirmed the fact that next year baseball will not be better off without him.
After these two play in games, the divisional series begin the push towards the World Series. Then we will see the divisional winners take the field. In the American League these are the Detroit Tigers, who took their division in the final week from the surprise White Sox, the Yankees, and the Athletics. Looking up and down these teams there are lots of flaws and upsides that lead to doubts and questinos, and no matter how the wild card game breaks, I suspect that the American League representative will come from that wild card game since we will have one of the best, in the Rangers, or "that team", in the Orioles, coming out of that game.
In the National League, the division winners waiting in the wings after the play in game are the Nationals, Giants, and Reds. In opposition to their American League counterparts, these division winners really do seem to be the class of their League. And whoever comes out of the wild card game will have their hands full.
I know I said that I was neglectful during the regular season. And that is the very reason I am not going further than the play in game with my predictions. As the playoffs unfold, the match-ups and recaps with come for every series. I am still not sure I am in favor of the play in game (http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/03/he-163rd-and-164th-game.html), but it sure has created a ton of intrigue and excitement as we push towards October baseball. Don't be surprised if these two games come down to managerial decisions rather than actual talent on the field as the four mangers decide which pitchers to start, how to use and save their bullpens, and how aggressive to be with lineup changes knowing that a win is going to only force more difficult decisions rather than put them in a better place.
But before I do, I must briefly mention a few true highlights of the regular season, some of which may be mentioned as I look ahead to the playoff match-ups. First and foremost the history making Triple Crown of Miguel Cabrera must be looked at in awe. This is a guy, who has for years now been arguably the best hitter in baseball, but has consistently taken a back seat to Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. But after reaching this Holy Grail for baseball players, and being the first to do it since 1967, Cabrera has absolutely eclipsed his piers, and given us a year that will be remembered for all time. Mike Trout, Cabrera's main competition for AL MVP, has had an equally impressive year from a more advanced standpoint. Trout's all around numbers, from his power to run production, both driving them in and generating them himself on the base paths, his speed, and his golden glove in the outfield have produced one of the most remarkable seasons in Major League history. And to think he did it while he was only twenty, which means that his best years should be ahead of him. The other highlights are going to mentioned as teams in the playoffs.
One of those highlights, being arguably the biggest surprise of the season, is the Baltimore Orioles They will play the Texas Rangers, who despite leading the AL West nearly wire to wire, lost the lead in their division on the final day of the season to the Oakland A's, another huge and pleasant surprise, in the Wild Card play in game. This match-up is one of a fairly classic one. Texas is filled with tons of high profile fire power both in their pitching rotation and their lineup on a team that has become a perennial powerhouse. The Orioles on the other hand, are the surprise upstart of the year, and maybe one of the biggest surprises in recent memory. With a team full of players that even now at seasons end\ are not stars, with little to speak of in terms of stand out statistical years , on a tiny budget. But they seem to have that magic that is hard to lock down in statistics, having won Major League bests in one run and extra inning games and finishing the year, despite their record, with the lowest run differential amongst all teams over .500. It is an incredibly tough game to call. The new play in game raises so many questions about how a team will be managed to be prepared to move forward, not to mention that this really is a head/heart match-up. But I am going with Texas. Despite Baltimore's remarkable run, their youth and inexperience, combined with the firepower of the Rangers lineup and experience and home field advantage, the Orioles will just fall a bit short.
In the National League, the play in match-up will be the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. Typically I would pick the Cardinals to win this game, being the defending World Series champs that, despite losing Pujols last off season still has a ton of players from last years team with clutch experience, not to mention a big gamer in Chris Carpenter(who because injuries kept him out most of the season is not starting this game.). But I just think in this game circumstance will overcome. With Atlanta playing at home, with a far superior all around pitching staff, which will come in to play if the game is tight as the two National League managers work their bullpens, and a crowd hoping for more opportunities to see Chipper Jones keep playing, the Braves should overcome the defending champs. As a side note, I want to say that despite the outcome it has been a joy watching Chipper Jones, one of the best switch hitters of all time, play for the same team for nineteen years. His article, which he wrote, in Sports Illustrated only reaffirmed the fact that next year baseball will not be better off without him.
After these two play in games, the divisional series begin the push towards the World Series. Then we will see the divisional winners take the field. In the American League these are the Detroit Tigers, who took their division in the final week from the surprise White Sox, the Yankees, and the Athletics. Looking up and down these teams there are lots of flaws and upsides that lead to doubts and questinos, and no matter how the wild card game breaks, I suspect that the American League representative will come from that wild card game since we will have one of the best, in the Rangers, or "that team", in the Orioles, coming out of that game.
In the National League, the division winners waiting in the wings after the play in game are the Nationals, Giants, and Reds. In opposition to their American League counterparts, these division winners really do seem to be the class of their League. And whoever comes out of the wild card game will have their hands full.
I know I said that I was neglectful during the regular season. And that is the very reason I am not going further than the play in game with my predictions. As the playoffs unfold, the match-ups and recaps with come for every series. I am still not sure I am in favor of the play in game (http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/03/he-163rd-and-164th-game.html), but it sure has created a ton of intrigue and excitement as we push towards October baseball. Don't be surprised if these two games come down to managerial decisions rather than actual talent on the field as the four mangers decide which pitchers to start, how to use and save their bullpens, and how aggressive to be with lineup changes knowing that a win is going to only force more difficult decisions rather than put them in a better place.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
homeland season 2
tv: Homeland really had the perfect set up for the start of it's new season. It was hailed as the best new show on television by a long shot after its first season last fall by fans and critics alike, and the week before it began it's second season it did the unthinkable at the Emmys; taking down Mad Men in the Best Drama category, in which it had never lost, and seeing Damian Lewis win the Best Actor In A Drama award, which Bryan Cranston had never lost during Breaking Bad's run, along with an almost sure thing win for the brilliant Claire Daines. Things could not have lined up better for the premiere of the sophomore season of Showtimes terrorism thriller about a POW turned and returned from Iraq.
The season premiere began, as most season premieres do, with a somewhat slow reintroduction to the world. We comeback to find Brody firmly established as a new Congressman and being encouraged by the Vice President to throw his hat in the ring to be the future VP in the next election. This is followed by a meeting with a member of the D.C. press who brings him a message from Abu Nazir, the Bin Laden style terrorist for whom Brody is working. Due to Israel bombing various nuclear sights in Iran, Brody is supposed to get the list of future targets from the safe of the ultimate man in the grey area and head of the CIA, David Estes's safe.
As that plot is unfolding we find Carrie Mathison, after her electroshock treatment that was supposed to help her deal with the total loss of control of her bipolar disorder, living seemingly happily with her sister and father. She is gardening and teaching classes locally for Arab people to learn English. Then the phone rings. It is Saul, her mentor and father figure from the CIA. Now working in Beirut he has found someone who seems to have vital information about a coming attack on America. This informant however, used to be an asset of Carrie's and refuses to deal with anyone besides her. Despite her misgivings about how humiliated she feels about her being pushed out of the CIA midst her breakdown, Carrie agrees to help. And after a few briefings on her new identity, Carrie heads to Beirut to help Saul get the Intel he needs.
It is really only after all of this (which does take about two thirds of the episode, about the same amount of time it took to read all of that), that Homeland really starts to feel like it is back. Instead of seeing a more predictable and criminal version of Brody, he comes home to family turmoil centered around the fact that his being Muslim is dangerously close to public knowledge. As his wife hears this in truth for the first time and lashes out at him by basically screaming "I love our new life and lifestyle with you in politics! Don't fuck it up by scaring people with a faith that the public fears!"(maybe be the most stunning part of the entire episode was when Brody yelled "Don't let that touch the floor!" while in a domestic dispute in which his wife the Koran to the floor. The sheer honesty of that moment as his wife is talking about honesty in their relationship and he can't hold back his faith is unsettling as much for their marriage as because of what we the viewer knows his Muslim tradition means for his character), his daughter, Dana, stands by his side. Having known his secret already(the Muslim secret not the terrorist secret), she looks upon her father as the man to disprove those who believe that Muslim = Terrorism and while trying to learn about this new side to her father. Little does she know, her father is the exact proof of the rule she is trying to disprove. These conflicts, while domestic and not political, are where we see the Brody we have come to enjoy watching: conflicted, ambiguous and playing all sides of his schemes and emotions at once thus making the viewer unsure which one he really is at any given moment.
Carrie's story gets the same kick start when she arrives in Beirut and begins her re-entry into the world of spy games. She instantly seems at home as she loses tails and slows down an assailant with a move that would have put any man down. And in watching her back in the field we see her become at home in the world in which she truly belongs, culminating in the smile after her escape of a threat that was worth of the episodes title.
By the end of the episode, the two main characters were both at home in their most complex moments. Brody struggling to not only play both sides, but to be both sides, as we see him love his cause, his faith, and his family. Then we see Carrie finally the way we became enlightened about her at the end of last season. We saw that her brilliance as an agent and her fractured self are all part of the same brain where both genius and madness do exist and that they drive each other. Carrie probably would not be as talented a spy were it not for her disability, but her disability is also accentuated by the stress of being in the field. And as these two fantastically complicated people stuck in this violently high stress world continue to make their way through it, the real joy will be watching how the come back to one another. With Carrie tracking down leads and assets in Beirut and Brody scheming from his office in D.C., it seems inevitable that they will once again collide and unlock all of the fun and excitement Homeland can provide. They will be adversaries yet again, and they will have to deal with the chemistry born out of their support group meet-cute that made for some of the best entertainment on TV last year.
The season premiere began, as most season premieres do, with a somewhat slow reintroduction to the world. We comeback to find Brody firmly established as a new Congressman and being encouraged by the Vice President to throw his hat in the ring to be the future VP in the next election. This is followed by a meeting with a member of the D.C. press who brings him a message from Abu Nazir, the Bin Laden style terrorist for whom Brody is working. Due to Israel bombing various nuclear sights in Iran, Brody is supposed to get the list of future targets from the safe of the ultimate man in the grey area and head of the CIA, David Estes's safe.
As that plot is unfolding we find Carrie Mathison, after her electroshock treatment that was supposed to help her deal with the total loss of control of her bipolar disorder, living seemingly happily with her sister and father. She is gardening and teaching classes locally for Arab people to learn English. Then the phone rings. It is Saul, her mentor and father figure from the CIA. Now working in Beirut he has found someone who seems to have vital information about a coming attack on America. This informant however, used to be an asset of Carrie's and refuses to deal with anyone besides her. Despite her misgivings about how humiliated she feels about her being pushed out of the CIA midst her breakdown, Carrie agrees to help. And after a few briefings on her new identity, Carrie heads to Beirut to help Saul get the Intel he needs.
It is really only after all of this (which does take about two thirds of the episode, about the same amount of time it took to read all of that), that Homeland really starts to feel like it is back. Instead of seeing a more predictable and criminal version of Brody, he comes home to family turmoil centered around the fact that his being Muslim is dangerously close to public knowledge. As his wife hears this in truth for the first time and lashes out at him by basically screaming "I love our new life and lifestyle with you in politics! Don't fuck it up by scaring people with a faith that the public fears!"(maybe be the most stunning part of the entire episode was when Brody yelled "Don't let that touch the floor!" while in a domestic dispute in which his wife the Koran to the floor. The sheer honesty of that moment as his wife is talking about honesty in their relationship and he can't hold back his faith is unsettling as much for their marriage as because of what we the viewer knows his Muslim tradition means for his character), his daughter, Dana, stands by his side. Having known his secret already(the Muslim secret not the terrorist secret), she looks upon her father as the man to disprove those who believe that Muslim = Terrorism and while trying to learn about this new side to her father. Little does she know, her father is the exact proof of the rule she is trying to disprove. These conflicts, while domestic and not political, are where we see the Brody we have come to enjoy watching: conflicted, ambiguous and playing all sides of his schemes and emotions at once thus making the viewer unsure which one he really is at any given moment.
Carrie's story gets the same kick start when she arrives in Beirut and begins her re-entry into the world of spy games. She instantly seems at home as she loses tails and slows down an assailant with a move that would have put any man down. And in watching her back in the field we see her become at home in the world in which she truly belongs, culminating in the smile after her escape of a threat that was worth of the episodes title.
By the end of the episode, the two main characters were both at home in their most complex moments. Brody struggling to not only play both sides, but to be both sides, as we see him love his cause, his faith, and his family. Then we see Carrie finally the way we became enlightened about her at the end of last season. We saw that her brilliance as an agent and her fractured self are all part of the same brain where both genius and madness do exist and that they drive each other. Carrie probably would not be as talented a spy were it not for her disability, but her disability is also accentuated by the stress of being in the field. And as these two fantastically complicated people stuck in this violently high stress world continue to make their way through it, the real joy will be watching how the come back to one another. With Carrie tracking down leads and assets in Beirut and Brody scheming from his office in D.C., it seems inevitable that they will once again collide and unlock all of the fun and excitement Homeland can provide. They will be adversaries yet again, and they will have to deal with the chemistry born out of their support group meet-cute that made for some of the best entertainment on TV last year.
dexter season 7
tv: The seventh season of Dexter picks up right where the sixth left off. Despite its awesome tease in the opening moments of Dexter running in the wake of his sister Deborah finding out his secret, which we later find out is just another hunt, we resume in the church, with Dexter standing over Travis's body with his sister finally seeing his true self. That true self being Dexter with a victim on his table. It is Dexter's most true self because it is where he feels most himself and in control of himself. Killing and preaching his code to those he kills with his pristine plastic wrapped table as his alter of truth. It is also his most true self because as the show has progressed, and the writers have enhanced the monologues that come before the kills, we see Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter, at his best and most comfortable, allowing the dark passenger his character often talks about to take hold and show the most base instinct of the character he plays. His sister who witnesses this event and truth, runs more on a pure emotion most often shown through an eloquent use of profanity that occasionally covers up the fact the she is nothing but a brilliant dogged detective, and loving sister.
The seventh season seems to put these two at odds. We see in this first episode Deb trying to make sense of what Dexter has done, putting together the pieces as only a true detective can when faced with someone with whom they are so closely related, by doing it methodically and based on the facts she has. As Deb puts the pieces together, Dexter continues to weave his lie hoping that it will deter his sister from pursuing the truth about him. This is where the other hand off from season six is. In season season six Dexter was a little more sloppy. We saw him kill in a more passionate way, both with Trinities son in his trip to Nebraska and when he confronted the killer of Brother Sam, played by Mos Def. The newest season begins with Dexter's sloppiness taking hold in the form of arrogance, as he believes that he can not only lie to his sister (about why he killed Travis), but then show her his ability to lie when they are at the crime scene and he covers up what he has done by telling a lie to the rest of Miami Metro about how Travis died.
Little did he know, Deborah would not be dissuaded by the manipulation of her persuasive brother in regards to her questions. Over the course of the episode the two are elegantly put at odds against each other. One as the dogged cop their father once was. The other as the monster whose impulse was harnessed by the code of that same father. And in the end it was not that code, but the arrogance born from the success of following that code, that juxtaposed the doggedness as Dexter continued to reassure himself that his sister would let things go and things would be OK despite the question of whether or not he believed it as he looked in on his son with eyes on the verge of tears saying that everything would turn out alright. (I must confess that I am used to shows where a profession such as "everything will be OK" means exactly the opposite, i.e. http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/09/breaking-bad-finale.html)
As the season, and the series progress, the story of what happens will be about these two opposing forces. With Miami Metro's most recent hire, and most talented detective, Mike, now dead, it is up to Deb to decide whether or not she brings to light what her brother that lives with a dark passenger has done. And it seems that the show is going to do that by drawing on the past to threaten all that Dexter has done; already calling on images of the Ice Truck Killer, as Deb remembers the table covered in plastic wrap, and LaGuerta finding the blood slide that Masuka attributes to Dokes, the Bay Harbor Butcher.
As all of these things are brought back to light, a show that I have always thought looked more like a villain of the year show that would only press forward into the future rather than effectively using its past, is now showing that it has a broader vision in mind that will draw on meticulous continuity and storytelling. Things from the past will be brought to light as all of our characters are thrust forward into a dark ending that revolves around this brother and sister who, despite what they now know about each other, love each other very much. The pressure will come down on Dexter(and maybe even more on Deb) as he tries to keep his secret and he will continue to dodge the truth. He will ultimately have to become, through his lies to Deb about his killing of Travis and his continued attampt to perpetuate that lie to everyone else in the world, something he has already become, the thing that he states in this very episode; the constant traveler that has to make last minute adjustments.
The seventh season seems to put these two at odds. We see in this first episode Deb trying to make sense of what Dexter has done, putting together the pieces as only a true detective can when faced with someone with whom they are so closely related, by doing it methodically and based on the facts she has. As Deb puts the pieces together, Dexter continues to weave his lie hoping that it will deter his sister from pursuing the truth about him. This is where the other hand off from season six is. In season season six Dexter was a little more sloppy. We saw him kill in a more passionate way, both with Trinities son in his trip to Nebraska and when he confronted the killer of Brother Sam, played by Mos Def. The newest season begins with Dexter's sloppiness taking hold in the form of arrogance, as he believes that he can not only lie to his sister (about why he killed Travis), but then show her his ability to lie when they are at the crime scene and he covers up what he has done by telling a lie to the rest of Miami Metro about how Travis died.
Little did he know, Deborah would not be dissuaded by the manipulation of her persuasive brother in regards to her questions. Over the course of the episode the two are elegantly put at odds against each other. One as the dogged cop their father once was. The other as the monster whose impulse was harnessed by the code of that same father. And in the end it was not that code, but the arrogance born from the success of following that code, that juxtaposed the doggedness as Dexter continued to reassure himself that his sister would let things go and things would be OK despite the question of whether or not he believed it as he looked in on his son with eyes on the verge of tears saying that everything would turn out alright. (I must confess that I am used to shows where a profession such as "everything will be OK" means exactly the opposite, i.e. http://robpoppost.blogspot.com/2012/09/breaking-bad-finale.html)
As the season, and the series progress, the story of what happens will be about these two opposing forces. With Miami Metro's most recent hire, and most talented detective, Mike, now dead, it is up to Deb to decide whether or not she brings to light what her brother that lives with a dark passenger has done. And it seems that the show is going to do that by drawing on the past to threaten all that Dexter has done; already calling on images of the Ice Truck Killer, as Deb remembers the table covered in plastic wrap, and LaGuerta finding the blood slide that Masuka attributes to Dokes, the Bay Harbor Butcher.
As all of these things are brought back to light, a show that I have always thought looked more like a villain of the year show that would only press forward into the future rather than effectively using its past, is now showing that it has a broader vision in mind that will draw on meticulous continuity and storytelling. Things from the past will be brought to light as all of our characters are thrust forward into a dark ending that revolves around this brother and sister who, despite what they now know about each other, love each other very much. The pressure will come down on Dexter(and maybe even more on Deb) as he tries to keep his secret and he will continue to dodge the truth. He will ultimately have to become, through his lies to Deb about his killing of Travis and his continued attampt to perpetuate that lie to everyone else in the world, something he has already become, the thing that he states in this very episode; the constant traveler that has to make last minute adjustments.
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