movies: Lincoln, the new movie directed by Steven Spielberg, is the story of how President Abraham Lincoln passed the thirteenth amendment based on the book Team Of Rivals. Given that I have not read the book, going into it, it was hard to imagine little more than a retelling of the end of the Civil War only more enjoyable given Spielberg's directing, Daniel Day-Lewis playing Lincoln, and Tommy Lee Jones's awesome wig, based in the trailers. It proved, however, to be much more enjoyable than I had expected. And maybe more importantly different than I had expected.
Lincoln is not simply a Civil War story. It tells specifically the story of Lincoln's obsession with the belief that passing the thirteenth amendment, which abolished slavery, was the the key to ending the war, and more importantly reuniting the North and South. With that, it brought a different look to a story we are all too familiar with. Instead of seeing Lincoln the speech maker standing over bloody battlefields, we see Lincoln the politician and the man. The man is arguably the most entertaining part of the movie as he weaves long-winded tales to emphasize points he is trying to make (that after a few too many that even the audience begins to groan, Lincoln himself gets called out on for doing to often). He is also presented as a rather uneducated and simple man, unable to make decisions objectively since he lacks the higher education of the advisers and adversaries around him.
The more important side of Lincoln to the film itself though is the politician. As he struggles to get the amendment passed, we see a world frighteningly similar to the one around us. The times 160 years ago are shown as no less corrupt or treacherous in the world of politics than they are today. Lincoln - needing to secure votes to pass the amendment through the House Of Representatives, which was by no means a slam dunk, hires a group of men to go in search of Representatives that are on the fence that he can sway to his side. These men are not swayed by speeches about morality and right and wrong. They are not swayed by justice. They are swayed by deals. And as we see positions offered to these potentially deal breaking voters as Lincoln's next term is about to start, we are faced with reality. The reality being that things just don't seem to change. As much as we chastise our current political officials for being handled by lobbyists at every turn and romanticize times gone by, we see in this movie that things have maybe not changed that much at all. Beyond even the buying of votes for the passing of the amendment we hear Lincoln talk about the manipulation of the law that allowed for the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lincoln cannot be talked about without also acknowledging its acting. There is almost an overabundance of great actors in this movie (I am not going to list them all, that would take 10000 words itself, just check it on IMDB if you want. Its seriously astonishing.). But there really are two that stand out. Tommy Lee Jones plays Thaddeus Stevens. He is a House Representative who has been pushing for total equality between races since before Lincoln was even in office. As it is with men of such radical passion, he is met with hatred and jokes while being able to do little for his own case since he can be goated into overly emotional arguments. Jones plays this fervor with pure ecstasy He is funny and exciting and in the end plays the difficulty of the times he is facing as well as anyone, not because he is succumbing to something he doesn't believe in, but because, as he is forced to accept this baby step to equality, he realizes that reigning in himself and his beliefs is the first step to getting what he wants. For his true hope of equality, as he finds, cannot be realized with the first step of ending slavery, which he believes is to small a step in to the world he envisions.
But, as I am sure is no surprise, the actor that deserves the most praise is Daniel Day-Lewis. Like how the version of Lincoln seen in this movie is new, his portrayal of him is also new. He portrays Lincoln not as the giant of a man imposing his will upon a country that we are used to seeing. Instead he is in all likelihood closer to what a man dealing with years of civil war would be. Day-Lewis's Lincoln is a tired man walking around hunched at the shoulders as if the weight he is feeling from his nation tearing apart were actually falling down around him. He is weary of his struggles, both in politics and in his family. He is trying to remain hopeful that the war will end, and that as he seeks its end the decisions he is making will be what brings that end, although there is a shadow of doubt in him at every turn. Despite these troubles and now doubts, however, he also shows that that same giant of a man with all his intimidation and charisma can still come out when there is no other way to accomplish his goals.
Daniel Day-Lewis may be the best living actor. There is isn't more than one movie
(Nine) in which he seems to portray otherworldly skill. He is an actors actor, taking on challenging rolls that force him to morph his physical appearance and voice. I am fairly certain that I would not recognize him if I saw him walking down the street despite the fact that I have seen almost all of his movies. But the care with which he treats the characters he plays is unmatched. And watching him play Lincoln it is on full display again. He plays the strength of a leader knowing he has no choice but to get what he needs combined with the fragility of a man worn down by war hitting all the beats as if he were a classical musician performing a grand opus.
The movie itself is also with very few comparisons As a look into the political underbelly of the Civil War, Lincoln is as much fascinating and thrilling as it is a frightening mirror. Rarely can one look into the events of the past and see their world reflected back at them in a way that is both resonant and true to its own time. I can't help but say that the only time I have seen that done so well was in the Mad Men episode The Grown Ups, watching people glued to their televisions as tragedy, then in the form of Kennedy's assassination, gripped the nation and the media ruled all. And in being that mirror, even beyond its all time great actor, Lincoln did credit to the man and the times it wanted to portray.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
update
update: I really don't want to post business. I'd rather just keep writing my posts. But here it goes, I am now on twitter. I am @robpoppost9. Follow me there as well.
tonight in the nba
sports: There were a couple of things that happened tonight in the NBA that needed to be considered seriously. I know its only about eight or nine games in to the season for most teams, so the notion of having meaningful games is kind of insane. A lot can change over the course of 82 games and people get injured and healthy and the course of a long season evens out to show who the best teams are (which is something that always happens. over time we get a more true sense of what is real.), but tonight we saw two games that may have given us a glimpse of what the season has to offer.
The first was the Lakers vs. Suns game in L.A. tonight. It has to be noted that the two big offensive games for the Lakers this season have been against two teams expected to be at or near the bottom of their conferences this year, the Pistons and the Suns. But with Mike D'Antoni taking over as head coach of the Lakers this past weekend, watching the Lakers put up 114 points (with D'Antoni at practice but not yet on the sideline) must have Steve Nash licking his lips to get back in their and run the offense he was leading during the prime of his career with better starters around him. Once again, I know its Phoenix, but with Nash in the system he has played most of his career and with Kobe and Howard and Gasol as an upgrade from Staudemire, Barbosa, and Diaw, one can only fantasize about that 114 turning into 140 and the fun that will be had over the rest of the season. And don't forget that D'Antoni's teams weren't that bad on defense. His Suns teams allowed more points than almost any team in the league per game, but were at or above average in defensive efficiancy (points allowed per 100 possessions) . And with Dwight Howard roaming the paint instead of Amare Staudemire, the four blocks we saw tonight could become common place.
The other game of note tonight was the game between the Knicks and Grizzlies. The Knicks were a surprise as the last undefeated team in the NBA, but the real story is Memphis. In the past six days Memphis has beaten the Miami Heat - a team most people have already anointed as repeat champions, and the Knicks - who may not end up being quite as good as their early record, but hey, 7-0 is what it is, oh and they also handed the Thunder a double digit loss in Oklahoma City. Memphis has done it by flying in the face of the current trend of NBA teams, thus exposing weaknesses. That trend is going small. Miami has no traditional bigs, starting Lebron at power forward and Chris Bosh at center and going with a small lineup that dots the perimeter with spot up shooters, and Dwayne Wade as a slasher. While New York doesn't have the plethora of shooters that Miami has, they have done the same this year by starting Carmello Anthony at power forward (granted Anthony seems to be doing well there, his offensive effeciancy is up early this season and he seems to be committed defensively). The Grizzlies, bucking the trend, have stuck with their rather enormous starting lineup, with both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph starting. In doing so they have been able to exploit smaller teams by pounding the ball inside and playing super physical defense against smaller opponents. Keep in mind, this is not just a match-up issue. Gasol and Randolph are two of the best big men in the league when healthy (Randolph, particularly, has missed games in recent years), Rudy Gay has been as consistent a small forward as there is in the league at both ends of the court, Mike Conley has turned into a very effective point guard, and Tony Allen is as good a defensive two guard as there is. The match-ups with Gasol and Randolph are going to be viewed as the reason teams have trouble with them. But make no mistake, this team can play. And as long as they can have someone, even if it is a different person every night, come off the bench and provide a spark, they can beat anybody, which they have proven over the past week. And with those two legit wins, a true contender may have been over looked. Maybe this is the Grizzlies team everyone expected last year.
The first was the Lakers vs. Suns game in L.A. tonight. It has to be noted that the two big offensive games for the Lakers this season have been against two teams expected to be at or near the bottom of their conferences this year, the Pistons and the Suns. But with Mike D'Antoni taking over as head coach of the Lakers this past weekend, watching the Lakers put up 114 points (with D'Antoni at practice but not yet on the sideline) must have Steve Nash licking his lips to get back in their and run the offense he was leading during the prime of his career with better starters around him. Once again, I know its Phoenix, but with Nash in the system he has played most of his career and with Kobe and Howard and Gasol as an upgrade from Staudemire, Barbosa, and Diaw, one can only fantasize about that 114 turning into 140 and the fun that will be had over the rest of the season. And don't forget that D'Antoni's teams weren't that bad on defense. His Suns teams allowed more points than almost any team in the league per game, but were at or above average in defensive efficiancy (points allowed per 100 possessions) . And with Dwight Howard roaming the paint instead of Amare Staudemire, the four blocks we saw tonight could become common place.
The other game of note tonight was the game between the Knicks and Grizzlies. The Knicks were a surprise as the last undefeated team in the NBA, but the real story is Memphis. In the past six days Memphis has beaten the Miami Heat - a team most people have already anointed as repeat champions, and the Knicks - who may not end up being quite as good as their early record, but hey, 7-0 is what it is, oh and they also handed the Thunder a double digit loss in Oklahoma City. Memphis has done it by flying in the face of the current trend of NBA teams, thus exposing weaknesses. That trend is going small. Miami has no traditional bigs, starting Lebron at power forward and Chris Bosh at center and going with a small lineup that dots the perimeter with spot up shooters, and Dwayne Wade as a slasher. While New York doesn't have the plethora of shooters that Miami has, they have done the same this year by starting Carmello Anthony at power forward (granted Anthony seems to be doing well there, his offensive effeciancy is up early this season and he seems to be committed defensively). The Grizzlies, bucking the trend, have stuck with their rather enormous starting lineup, with both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph starting. In doing so they have been able to exploit smaller teams by pounding the ball inside and playing super physical defense against smaller opponents. Keep in mind, this is not just a match-up issue. Gasol and Randolph are two of the best big men in the league when healthy (Randolph, particularly, has missed games in recent years), Rudy Gay has been as consistent a small forward as there is in the league at both ends of the court, Mike Conley has turned into a very effective point guard, and Tony Allen is as good a defensive two guard as there is. The match-ups with Gasol and Randolph are going to be viewed as the reason teams have trouble with them. But make no mistake, this team can play. And as long as they can have someone, even if it is a different person every night, come off the bench and provide a spark, they can beat anybody, which they have proven over the past week. And with those two legit wins, a true contender may have been over looked. Maybe this is the Grizzlies team everyone expected last year.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
crazy last weekend for a sports fan
sports: Along with having to wait to write my Skyfall post because I had a friend in from out of town (i Would take that weekend every weekend, really not complaining), I also was not writing anything else. But as the news came in I realized that there was enough sports news to fill a weeks worth of posts. Instead of trying to write what is already out dated long posts on every single thing that happened, it is time for a weekend recap. Here we go.
Pro Football: In a weekend in the NFL where I finally started to feel like I had everything under control in terms of looking at the match-ups and knowing what I was going to get, things went a little haywire. I know the Giants are the Giants and they do this every year and will be back come January to winning games, but oh my god did they look bad getting shellacked by the Bengals 31-13. It wasn't even the loss that was so bad but the fact that the one thing that has never been questioned with the Giants, Eli Manning, looked terrible for the third straight week. Then there was Atlanta losing its first game of the season. I feel like that was easy to see coming but no less noteworthy since it has been about four weeks since the Falcons have looked really great (their beat down of the sad sack Eagles notwithstanding) and the heater that the Saints are on. Seriously, they may be a playoff team now. Speaking of the Eagles, can we say hello to the sure to be shortlived Nick Foles era? With Michael Vick out with a "significant cuncussion" the changes we were all expecting in Philly may be coming sooner rather than later. Holy crap did the Houston defense look great in Chicago. And a quick shout out to the Chiefs for holding their first lead of the season in the first half of their game against the Steelers that they still were not able to pull out after Ben Roethlisberger left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury.
College Football: Alabama goes down! It appears that there will be a non-SEC champion this year with three remaining undefeated teams after the Tides loss to Texas A&M after a brilliant performance from "Johnny Football", Johnny Manziel. who handled to stifling 'Bama defense as well as anyone since Nick Saban rolled into town. The Tide do still have a shot a the title game with the three remaining undefeateds (Kansas State, Oregon, and Notre Dame) having tough games down the stretch. Kansas State still has to face Baylor, Texas, and probably Oklahoma for the second time in the Big 12 championship. Oregon still has Stanford, Oregon State, and a shootout rematch with USC in the Pac 12 championship Notre Dame has the easiest path with only USC as a difficult team to beat on their schedule. If the top three teams go down, the Tide can still get back to the National Championship, but regardless, their loss is huge. And even bigger may be the win by A&M in their first year in the SEC, proving they belong.
Racing: I am not going to claim to be a racing expert, but watching Jeff Gordon try to kill someone on the track followed by a bar room brawl on pit road has to be one of the craziest things I've seen in a while. If you don't believe me just watch the post-race rant by points leader and accused dirty driver Brad Kaslewski.
NCAA Basketball: With a slate of top ten match-ups wrapping up as I type this, I have no doubt that college basketball will be off and running with a bang. But dealing with the debacle of humidity condensation delaying and ruining the aircraft carrier games because they were held in the southeast this year (a place where humidity is about as common as breathing) instead of San Diego was a tough way to open the season.
NBA: The NBA had quite a weekend. The Grizzlies convincingly beat the Heat and now appear to be contenders if the display they put on is the team they really are. The Clippers are playing defense, also a contender proposition. But, of course, the scene stealing news was the Lakers firing of Mike Brown and hiring of Mike D'Antoni. Phil Jackson was in negotiations to come back as head coach when, out of the blue, the Lakers hired D'Antoni. It was a bizarre move that is filled with intrigue considering the conflicts coming from the Lakers and Jackson camps. The Lakers are claiming that Jackson made insane demands about not travelling and missing shootarounds and getting control of the front office. Jackson denies all of this of course. No one seems to be able to sort it all out though. Then there is the question of what kind of a fit the coach they have is. While it is hard to argue with Jackson's history, he is the greatest coach in NBA history. There is no doubt that Mike D'Antoni is a good coach. He also is good fit for this team. Being the architect of the "seven seconds or less offense" in Phoenix which featured Steve Nash running the point and Amare Staudemire running pick and rolls, this team seems like a great fit. He still has Nash, Dwight Howard is a clear upgrade from Staudemire, Gasol should be effective in pick and pop situations, and Kobe, in his short time in the Princeton offense, has shown he is great slashing for easy baskets. Now all the Lakers need is a couple of spot up shooters, their health to hold up, and their age not to show in the fastest offense ever and you may have something fun to watch that could work. Oh and the front office needs to stop making rash decisions every five games.
Of course a crazy fun weekend in sports had to come when I was shut down for the weekend and just having fun. But hey, that's always the way it works.
Pro Football: In a weekend in the NFL where I finally started to feel like I had everything under control in terms of looking at the match-ups and knowing what I was going to get, things went a little haywire. I know the Giants are the Giants and they do this every year and will be back come January to winning games, but oh my god did they look bad getting shellacked by the Bengals 31-13. It wasn't even the loss that was so bad but the fact that the one thing that has never been questioned with the Giants, Eli Manning, looked terrible for the third straight week. Then there was Atlanta losing its first game of the season. I feel like that was easy to see coming but no less noteworthy since it has been about four weeks since the Falcons have looked really great (their beat down of the sad sack Eagles notwithstanding) and the heater that the Saints are on. Seriously, they may be a playoff team now. Speaking of the Eagles, can we say hello to the sure to be shortlived Nick Foles era? With Michael Vick out with a "significant cuncussion" the changes we were all expecting in Philly may be coming sooner rather than later. Holy crap did the Houston defense look great in Chicago. And a quick shout out to the Chiefs for holding their first lead of the season in the first half of their game against the Steelers that they still were not able to pull out after Ben Roethlisberger left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury.
College Football: Alabama goes down! It appears that there will be a non-SEC champion this year with three remaining undefeated teams after the Tides loss to Texas A&M after a brilliant performance from "Johnny Football", Johnny Manziel. who handled to stifling 'Bama defense as well as anyone since Nick Saban rolled into town. The Tide do still have a shot a the title game with the three remaining undefeateds (Kansas State, Oregon, and Notre Dame) having tough games down the stretch. Kansas State still has to face Baylor, Texas, and probably Oklahoma for the second time in the Big 12 championship. Oregon still has Stanford, Oregon State, and a shootout rematch with USC in the Pac 12 championship Notre Dame has the easiest path with only USC as a difficult team to beat on their schedule. If the top three teams go down, the Tide can still get back to the National Championship, but regardless, their loss is huge. And even bigger may be the win by A&M in their first year in the SEC, proving they belong.
Racing: I am not going to claim to be a racing expert, but watching Jeff Gordon try to kill someone on the track followed by a bar room brawl on pit road has to be one of the craziest things I've seen in a while. If you don't believe me just watch the post-race rant by points leader and accused dirty driver Brad Kaslewski.
NCAA Basketball: With a slate of top ten match-ups wrapping up as I type this, I have no doubt that college basketball will be off and running with a bang. But dealing with the debacle of humidity condensation delaying and ruining the aircraft carrier games because they were held in the southeast this year (a place where humidity is about as common as breathing) instead of San Diego was a tough way to open the season.
NBA: The NBA had quite a weekend. The Grizzlies convincingly beat the Heat and now appear to be contenders if the display they put on is the team they really are. The Clippers are playing defense, also a contender proposition. But, of course, the scene stealing news was the Lakers firing of Mike Brown and hiring of Mike D'Antoni. Phil Jackson was in negotiations to come back as head coach when, out of the blue, the Lakers hired D'Antoni. It was a bizarre move that is filled with intrigue considering the conflicts coming from the Lakers and Jackson camps. The Lakers are claiming that Jackson made insane demands about not travelling and missing shootarounds and getting control of the front office. Jackson denies all of this of course. No one seems to be able to sort it all out though. Then there is the question of what kind of a fit the coach they have is. While it is hard to argue with Jackson's history, he is the greatest coach in NBA history. There is no doubt that Mike D'Antoni is a good coach. He also is good fit for this team. Being the architect of the "seven seconds or less offense" in Phoenix which featured Steve Nash running the point and Amare Staudemire running pick and rolls, this team seems like a great fit. He still has Nash, Dwight Howard is a clear upgrade from Staudemire, Gasol should be effective in pick and pop situations, and Kobe, in his short time in the Princeton offense, has shown he is great slashing for easy baskets. Now all the Lakers need is a couple of spot up shooters, their health to hold up, and their age not to show in the fastest offense ever and you may have something fun to watch that could work. Oh and the front office needs to stop making rash decisions every five games.
Of course a crazy fun weekend in sports had to come when I was shut down for the weekend and just having fun. But hey, that's always the way it works.
Monday, November 12, 2012
skyfall
movies: While I have begun to get into the habit of posting on movies within one day of when I saw them, I think this time I am actually glad that this time I was not able to. I was able to go see Skyfall, the new James Bond movie, over the weekend. The word leading up to its release was that it was going to be the best bond movie ever. As a huge fan of the franchise and of the Sean Connery era, I was intrigued by these assertions. I honestly, no matter how good the movie could be, could not wrap my mind around the best Bond movie not being one Connery was in(I do enjoy movies from the other Bond actors, but to me he was just the best.). After having seen it, I have to concede that this may have been, at very least, among the best. But I think the thing that separates this particular Bond film from the rest is not its quality. It may be the most unique of all the the movies in the franchise.
Skyfall continued the story of the James Bond that has been inhabited by Daniel Craig. This is Bond before we met him in Dr. No so many years ago. In Casino Royale he wasn't even a 00 yet when the movie began. While something as simple as that set the time frame for Casino Royale, in Skyfall it was a little more vague. Most of the movie could have, like all of the old Bond movies, taken place any time. But as the pieces elegantly fell into place we begin to see the continued drive towards the Bond-verse we have known for fifty years.
The first of those pieces was James's beautiful sidekick that doesn't seem to quite have what it takes in the field. She is also clearly infatuated with our favorite secret agent and yet is never taken advantage of as Bond always recommends she get a desk job instead of working in the field right when it seems that something steamy could happen.
The second of those pieces is a high ranking Parlaiment official, named Gareth Mallory, who comes to the aid of MI-6 after an attack on their offices in London. With the espionage program under fire for being outdated and insignificant in the modern world, Mallory supports MI-6 in their time of crisis. This notion of the antiquated spy was something that was brilliantly handled throughout the movie. MI-6 was under attack from its own government for having out lived its usefulness and moving to a more technological approach to the spy game where computers would be the eyes on the ground and the military the muscle instead of a single man providing both capabilities. The villain Silva, played to perfection by Javier Bardem, managed to do most of his damage with obscenely sophisticated technology while James was armed with nothing but a gun and a radio. But most importantly in this notion of the obsolete spy was commentary on the Bond franchise itself. With interest dwindling over more recent films, talk of the financial trouble at MGM was threatening to kill the fanchise, and the simple notion that after fifty years it was time to let our favorite spy go, in such a great movie it was the writers way of saying directly to its audience and its detractors that if you just make good movies, just like putting the right man in the field, that there is no need to get rid of something that has worked so well for so long.
As we weave our way through this revelation we are met with another startling revelation. The main relationship in this movie is not that of James and his token Bond-girl, but that of he and M. Played by Judi Dench for the past three films, she has been allowed to build a relationship with Bond in a way that no character in the history of the franchise has as he grows from just another agent to the 007 we know from older movies. She acts his supporter, boss, mentor, and even at times friends as she helps him to become the super-spy we all know and love. With Silva (a former MI-6 agent) out to kill her, M looks to Bond for help. They go on the run, finding exile at a place that illuminates Bond's past in a way that is only comparable to the effect that the Vesper's death has on him in Casino Royale. The strength of their relationship, as they plot and scheme and banter while fighting for survival (M's fight being for her life and Bond's being for his life, the only life he has ever loved in his role in MI-6), then carries the movie to a remarkably emotional climax that forces us to realize that the Bond girl of this movie is not the typically seduced beauty from the casino in Macao, who by the way is hardly on screen more than five minutes, but that it is none other than M. It is their love and relationship and respect that is the companionship for James that drives the film.
There truly never has been a Bond movie quite like Skyfall. There was a woman James didn't sleep with (maybe a first). There were side characters to invest in, such as Mallory and Bond's old friend from their hideout in Scotland. There was a developed relationship that allowed for the franchise to step outside what it usually is thanks to serializing the movies that have starred Daniel Craig. Rather than being a jolly romp of violence and one off storytelling that leaves you entertained but not moved emotionally as James misogynistically degrades every woman he comes in contact with enroute to taking down typical and untextured villains we see him in a movie where the one thing that will keep him and his profession alive is his genuine love and respect of a woman, a woman who we have come to know within the context of his job and the taking down of those bad guys.
Whether or not Skyfall proves to be the best Bond movie ever is hard to say. It had one of the best villains plots, and songs. It had one of the worst traditional Bond girls, but its only non-traditional one. It was also the most moving film of the franchise by far (one could say that the fact that it carried any emotional weight was a first). It was certainly one of the best if not the best. But it was definitely its most unique. We will probably never see a Bond movie like it ever again. And what made it unique made it great.
Skyfall continued the story of the James Bond that has been inhabited by Daniel Craig. This is Bond before we met him in Dr. No so many years ago. In Casino Royale he wasn't even a 00 yet when the movie began. While something as simple as that set the time frame for Casino Royale, in Skyfall it was a little more vague. Most of the movie could have, like all of the old Bond movies, taken place any time. But as the pieces elegantly fell into place we begin to see the continued drive towards the Bond-verse we have known for fifty years.
The first of those pieces was James's beautiful sidekick that doesn't seem to quite have what it takes in the field. She is also clearly infatuated with our favorite secret agent and yet is never taken advantage of as Bond always recommends she get a desk job instead of working in the field right when it seems that something steamy could happen.
The second of those pieces is a high ranking Parlaiment official, named Gareth Mallory, who comes to the aid of MI-6 after an attack on their offices in London. With the espionage program under fire for being outdated and insignificant in the modern world, Mallory supports MI-6 in their time of crisis. This notion of the antiquated spy was something that was brilliantly handled throughout the movie. MI-6 was under attack from its own government for having out lived its usefulness and moving to a more technological approach to the spy game where computers would be the eyes on the ground and the military the muscle instead of a single man providing both capabilities. The villain Silva, played to perfection by Javier Bardem, managed to do most of his damage with obscenely sophisticated technology while James was armed with nothing but a gun and a radio. But most importantly in this notion of the obsolete spy was commentary on the Bond franchise itself. With interest dwindling over more recent films, talk of the financial trouble at MGM was threatening to kill the fanchise, and the simple notion that after fifty years it was time to let our favorite spy go, in such a great movie it was the writers way of saying directly to its audience and its detractors that if you just make good movies, just like putting the right man in the field, that there is no need to get rid of something that has worked so well for so long.
As we weave our way through this revelation we are met with another startling revelation. The main relationship in this movie is not that of James and his token Bond-girl, but that of he and M. Played by Judi Dench for the past three films, she has been allowed to build a relationship with Bond in a way that no character in the history of the franchise has as he grows from just another agent to the 007 we know from older movies. She acts his supporter, boss, mentor, and even at times friends as she helps him to become the super-spy we all know and love. With Silva (a former MI-6 agent) out to kill her, M looks to Bond for help. They go on the run, finding exile at a place that illuminates Bond's past in a way that is only comparable to the effect that the Vesper's death has on him in Casino Royale. The strength of their relationship, as they plot and scheme and banter while fighting for survival (M's fight being for her life and Bond's being for his life, the only life he has ever loved in his role in MI-6), then carries the movie to a remarkably emotional climax that forces us to realize that the Bond girl of this movie is not the typically seduced beauty from the casino in Macao, who by the way is hardly on screen more than five minutes, but that it is none other than M. It is their love and relationship and respect that is the companionship for James that drives the film.
There truly never has been a Bond movie quite like Skyfall. There was a woman James didn't sleep with (maybe a first). There were side characters to invest in, such as Mallory and Bond's old friend from their hideout in Scotland. There was a developed relationship that allowed for the franchise to step outside what it usually is thanks to serializing the movies that have starred Daniel Craig. Rather than being a jolly romp of violence and one off storytelling that leaves you entertained but not moved emotionally as James misogynistically degrades every woman he comes in contact with enroute to taking down typical and untextured villains we see him in a movie where the one thing that will keep him and his profession alive is his genuine love and respect of a woman, a woman who we have come to know within the context of his job and the taking down of those bad guys.
Whether or not Skyfall proves to be the best Bond movie ever is hard to say. It had one of the best villains plots, and songs. It had one of the worst traditional Bond girls, but its only non-traditional one. It was also the most moving film of the franchise by far (one could say that the fact that it carried any emotional weight was a first). It was certainly one of the best if not the best. But it was definitely its most unique. We will probably never see a Bond movie like it ever again. And what made it unique made it great.
Monday, November 5, 2012
denzel flies high
moives: Flight is the first live action movie by Robert Zemeckis since he directed Cast Away. And what a return it was. Zemeckis has spent the past twelve years since Cast Away making family friendly computer animated movies like Polar Express, intent on pushing the boundaries of the visual aspect of film making. With Flight he not only came back to live actors but to the world of adults.
Flight is the story of William "Whip" Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington. He is a pilot who is faced with an investigation after he lands a plane that breaks down mid flight that he manages to land more or less successfully, saving the lives of 96 of the 102 crew and passengers on board. He does so in a daring way that makes his case even more compelling. In order to level out the plane, which was in a nose dive, he inverts it to take away some of the downward force of the plane. I have no idea whether or not this is remotely plausible or makes sense physically, but man oh man was that something to see on the screen. Whitaker's story is complicated by the fact that he is an alcoholic As the pressure of the investigation into the state of his well being during the events leading up to the crash mounts we see that the story is not that of a plane crash but that of a man in the throes of a serious problem, and needing for the sake of his life even more so than the sake of justice for those who died in the crash to get help.
Flight is littered with great supporting actors. Bruce Greenwood plays Whitaker's union rep and old friend trying to help and advise him through the investigation. Don Cheadle plays his high powered attorney from Chicago torn between watching his client be both self destructive and be destructive to those around him and winning his case. John Goodman is the comic relief as Whip's old buddy and drug dealer who shows up to steal scenes and lend an immoral helping hand whenever it is needed (let us just stop and marvel at how great a year Goodman is having. First he is in Best Picture winner The Artist, then he plays the role of ultimate scene stealer in two of the years best movies: Flight and Argo). And probably the best of the supporting cast is Kelly Reilly. She plays Whitaker's fresh out of rehab girlfriend. Clearly sought by Whitaker out to be brought back to her vices after they meet in the hospital which she is at for rehab, she plays the role of a former addict beautifully This is not because of the addiction but because of the balancing act of her life. She cares about Whip and is worried for him and wants to help. She is afraid of who she once was and what being around him could do. And she wants to give in, not only because of her addiction but because of the man she cares about asking her to.
But all of those brilliant performances pale in comparison to Washington. He begins the movie basically as the coolest man alive. He wakes up in bed with a bottle of beer next to him and line of coke ready with a remarkably beautiful and naked woman in his hotel room that one can't help but think about in the context of what the previous night had been. He then takes that last swig and line and then goes off to pilot a plane in distress where he saves people by inverting the plane, a stunt that Cheadle's character says that when tried in simulation the pilots killed everyone else on the plane. As we watch Washington throughout the movie, his portrayal of his drinking problem his remarkable. His futile lies are frightening and evident to all of the characters around him and the audience. His total lack of self control is unsettling as he stumbles around and slurs romantic notions about his life as a pilot. But the most amazing thing is the way he handles the moments in the movie when he isn't drinking. As a result of his hero status for saving so many peoples lives and the ongoing investigation about the crash he is faced with tension and stress everywhere he goes. The elegance of Washington's performance as he navigates these situations is unmatched. The subtle movements, the tonguing of the inside of his lip, the tapping of his cane as stress mounts in situations is always evident. But they are not evident in the way we typically see them. They are not the ticks and twitches of a man fighting an urge. They are the ticks and twitches of a man just wanting to give in and knowing that he needs to escape into his demons. He is never fighting. He is always looking for a way to give in. Though the movie is ultimately the story of Whitaker's decent to rock bottom, Washington never gives us a moment where we don't feel like he is even in control. Rock bottom is his inevitability. He is probably already there, he just has always been able to get by and make good enough and lie to those who love him enough to never stand up to him.
Flight was by all accounts a good movie. It had a trademark Zemeckis visual moment that I have both never seen before and will never forget. It had a great, fun cast. It had a soundtrack filled with such great classic rock it was cheesy and predictable from scene to scene. It even had some great morality at the end as its main character found a reason to try and right all his wrongs. But the thing that really did make the movie great was Denzel. Not only was his performance so great for the reasons stated above, but because he was exactly what he has been for the past 25 years: a movie star. He owns the screen with his authority and presence in a way that only about five other actors can(Hanks, Cruise, Pitt, Clooney, OK he is one of five). He blows all of the other great actors out of all of their scenes and makes them seem almost weak and small in his commanding presence. And he was blowing great actors like Cheadle and Greenwood off the stage, not an easy feat. Flight may sneak into my top fifteen films of the year, but Denzel may be number one when it is all said and done in February.
Flight is the story of William "Whip" Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington. He is a pilot who is faced with an investigation after he lands a plane that breaks down mid flight that he manages to land more or less successfully, saving the lives of 96 of the 102 crew and passengers on board. He does so in a daring way that makes his case even more compelling. In order to level out the plane, which was in a nose dive, he inverts it to take away some of the downward force of the plane. I have no idea whether or not this is remotely plausible or makes sense physically, but man oh man was that something to see on the screen. Whitaker's story is complicated by the fact that he is an alcoholic As the pressure of the investigation into the state of his well being during the events leading up to the crash mounts we see that the story is not that of a plane crash but that of a man in the throes of a serious problem, and needing for the sake of his life even more so than the sake of justice for those who died in the crash to get help.
Flight is littered with great supporting actors. Bruce Greenwood plays Whitaker's union rep and old friend trying to help and advise him through the investigation. Don Cheadle plays his high powered attorney from Chicago torn between watching his client be both self destructive and be destructive to those around him and winning his case. John Goodman is the comic relief as Whip's old buddy and drug dealer who shows up to steal scenes and lend an immoral helping hand whenever it is needed (let us just stop and marvel at how great a year Goodman is having. First he is in Best Picture winner The Artist, then he plays the role of ultimate scene stealer in two of the years best movies: Flight and Argo). And probably the best of the supporting cast is Kelly Reilly. She plays Whitaker's fresh out of rehab girlfriend. Clearly sought by Whitaker out to be brought back to her vices after they meet in the hospital which she is at for rehab, she plays the role of a former addict beautifully This is not because of the addiction but because of the balancing act of her life. She cares about Whip and is worried for him and wants to help. She is afraid of who she once was and what being around him could do. And she wants to give in, not only because of her addiction but because of the man she cares about asking her to.
But all of those brilliant performances pale in comparison to Washington. He begins the movie basically as the coolest man alive. He wakes up in bed with a bottle of beer next to him and line of coke ready with a remarkably beautiful and naked woman in his hotel room that one can't help but think about in the context of what the previous night had been. He then takes that last swig and line and then goes off to pilot a plane in distress where he saves people by inverting the plane, a stunt that Cheadle's character says that when tried in simulation the pilots killed everyone else on the plane. As we watch Washington throughout the movie, his portrayal of his drinking problem his remarkable. His futile lies are frightening and evident to all of the characters around him and the audience. His total lack of self control is unsettling as he stumbles around and slurs romantic notions about his life as a pilot. But the most amazing thing is the way he handles the moments in the movie when he isn't drinking. As a result of his hero status for saving so many peoples lives and the ongoing investigation about the crash he is faced with tension and stress everywhere he goes. The elegance of Washington's performance as he navigates these situations is unmatched. The subtle movements, the tonguing of the inside of his lip, the tapping of his cane as stress mounts in situations is always evident. But they are not evident in the way we typically see them. They are not the ticks and twitches of a man fighting an urge. They are the ticks and twitches of a man just wanting to give in and knowing that he needs to escape into his demons. He is never fighting. He is always looking for a way to give in. Though the movie is ultimately the story of Whitaker's decent to rock bottom, Washington never gives us a moment where we don't feel like he is even in control. Rock bottom is his inevitability. He is probably already there, he just has always been able to get by and make good enough and lie to those who love him enough to never stand up to him.
Flight was by all accounts a good movie. It had a trademark Zemeckis visual moment that I have both never seen before and will never forget. It had a great, fun cast. It had a soundtrack filled with such great classic rock it was cheesy and predictable from scene to scene. It even had some great morality at the end as its main character found a reason to try and right all his wrongs. But the thing that really did make the movie great was Denzel. Not only was his performance so great for the reasons stated above, but because he was exactly what he has been for the past 25 years: a movie star. He owns the screen with his authority and presence in a way that only about five other actors can(Hanks, Cruise, Pitt, Clooney, OK he is one of five). He blows all of the other great actors out of all of their scenes and makes them seem almost weak and small in his commanding presence. And he was blowing great actors like Cheadle and Greenwood off the stage, not an easy feat. Flight may sneak into my top fifteen films of the year, but Denzel may be number one when it is all said and done in February.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Association is back
sports: The NBA is officially under way as of two days ago. The Miami Heat are looking to defend the championship against a field led by many of the teams that were the top contenders last year. Most of the teams that were top contenders last year, including the defending champs, are coming back with significant alterations to their rosters and thus potentially to the style in which they play.
As the Heat begin their title defense, they are showing that the look of their team will strongly resemble what we saw from them in the NBA finals last spring. Lebron James will be starting at power forward this season and playing out of the post unless the team finds themselves in transition situations where James can handle the ball. Dwayne Wade will be the teams slasher. Chris Bosh will primarily play out of the weak post and flash for mid-range jumpers. The other roles will be filled by shooters. Along with Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller coming back from last years team, the Heat have also added Rashard Lewis and former Celtic Ray Allen. With this look, like in last years Finals, the plan will be to run the offense through James in the post and let him distribute to shooters or a slashing Wade if the double team comes. If it doesn't then he will be allowed to go to work and score one on one. While this offensive game plan dominated against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, the question has to be how this will work during a full eighty-two game season, especially with James playing full times against players who are more physically comparable to the himself rather than the guards and small forwards the has been matched up against in the past.
The Boston Celtics are probably the biggest threat to the Heat in the Eastern Conference. They are the second most talented team in the conference as well as having a wealth of experience to bring into big games. The Celtics return stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. These three form a strong nucleus with the two veterans and Rondo, who should assume alpha dog status on this team and possibly put himself in the running for MVP. The Celtics should also be bolstered on defense with the return from injury of Avery Bradley, who when healthy last year proved to be one of the best one on one guard defenders in the league (look up his shutdown performance against Dwayne Wade towards the end of the regular season last year.) Also coming back from health issues is Jeff Green. Green had high expectations coming over from Oklahoma City in the Kendrick Perkins trade before being sidelined with heart issues. Green may never be a star but he certainly can be a fine complementary piece to Boston's big three as a scorer and rebounder. Probably the biggest addition to the Celtics roster is Jason Terry. Terry was brought in as a free agent from Dallas to replace Ray Allen. Terry could prove to even be an upgrade from Allen. Terry will be OK with coming off the bench, a thing Allen was unhappy about after the emergence of Avery Bradley. Terry is also better with the ball in his hands. Terry has experience running a second unit from his time in Dallas and is more than capable of creating his own shot. And as far as crunch time goes, Terry was an integral part of the Dallas fourth quarter offense and should prove to be in Boston as well. His more than adequate range and ability to play with the ball in his hands combined with his total fearlessness (the words for him are "irrational confidence") should be a fine replacement for Allen. The biggest question for the Celtics, given the age of the stars as well as concerns about Green, is health. If the core of this team can be on the court together they have a chance to beat anybody.
Their are two other main contenders in the east. The Indiana Pacers showed last year that they are capable of challenging the best teams in their conference. They seem to have some things working against them though. They traded their starting point guard, Darren Collison, who while not an all star, fit well into what that team did. Like many teams this year losing key players, that could create a getting to know you process that can slow Indiana down. The Pacers also still lack a go to player that can take over at key moments late in games. Probably the biggest problem is that Indiana won't surprise anyone this year, and any athlete will tell you that life is harder when you have a target on your back.
The other team could be the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls will be face with a similar task as last year of having to survive until the return of superstar point guard Derrick Rose. While the Bulls were 18-9 without Rose last year, things should not be so easy this year. The Bulls failed to re-sign key bench players from last year: Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, Amir Asik, and C.J. Watson. These players, especially Watson who started in Rose's absence, were key contributors on last years deepest team. Without them the Bulls will be looking much more to tread water rather than win while awaiting Rose's return. Then they have to hope that after a torn ACL Rose will still be the same. If he is though, even as a middling playoff team they could threaten anyone they play.
Out west things look about as different as they do atop the east. The defending west champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are returning with a major change to their team. Just two days before the start of the season they traded sixth man of the year James Harden to the Rockets for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb. While Martin has been a fine scorer throughout his career, averaging about 18 points per game, and the rookie Lamb is a good outside shooter, shooting 37% from three in college, there is a big gap that the two of them won't be able to fill. Harden was the leader of the second unit, being able to create and run the offense with the ball in his hands. Martin and Lamb will be better off the ball and in pick and roll situations. The Thunder are hoping that the return of backup point guard Eric Maynor, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, will be able to run the second unit offense in place of Harden while Lamb and Martin roam without the ball and make up the scoring void of Harden. The Thunder should be one of the best teams in the entire league again regardless of losing Harden given that they still have Durant and Westbrook who might be two of the best twelve players in the league. Also, if the Thunder can adjust their style of play to accommodate the two new players, which could be a good thing to learn for the Thunder since their biggest flaw in the finals (besides going big) was their ineffectiveness in half court sets and having two off the ball scorers will force that to improve, this could even prove to be a very nice trade for them.
The most drastically different team, maybe in the NBA, is the Los Angeles Lakers. In the off season they acquired superstars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to compliment Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol while in the process losing all-star center Andrew Bynum. The Lakers will also be sporting a new offense in order to allow these players to work together. The Princeton offense, as it is called, emphasizes pick and rolls and off the ball movement to free up shooters and maximize touches in the post. This sounds great for all involved in theory. The thought of Howard and Nash running the pick and roll should make any basketball fan salivate. Also, the thought of Gasol passing out of the post to a slashing Bryant is a recipe for excitement, showing more than the stagnant version of Bryant we saw last year when he would hold the ball too much along with the passing skills of Gasol, who might be the best passing big in the league. Their are problems with this notion though. Bryant has not had to play off the ball since his first couple of years when he was still very young and playing along side Shaq at a time when he was the at his most dominant. The other problem is that Nash has spent his entire career in the ultra fast paced offenses of Don Nelson in Dallas and Mike D'Antoni (and his replacements/assistants) in Phoenix. This is the first time he will run an offense built around playing in a half court set. Needless to say it will be all about adjusting in L.A. But as this team learns how to play together, the talent and experience of these stars should allow them to gel and be a power come playoff time. The one thing that will need to be addressed as the season moves forward is that the Lakers lack depth. But if they can pick up a good shooter and ball handler during the season, which shouldn't be too hard, those holes can be filled.
The San Antonio Spurs are the only team that comes back looking like the same team we saw last year. They return thirteen players including their stalwarts: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. The young players that shone last year also now have that much more experience under their belts and will be expected to take on larger roles. This should not only help the Spurs in terms of player improvement, but as the season wears on coach Greg Popovich will be able to trust the team even more to players such as Danny Green and Kawaii Leonard while resting his aging stars. Much like the Celtics, health will be the biggest issue for this team. And also like the Celtics, if the Spurs have their stars on the floor, they are a championship caliber team.
I can't remember a season where so many top level teams came back for a season looking so different. The trades and free agent pickups, as well as adjustments in styles of play, will certainly make the season as interesting to watch closely as any in recent memory. But as the Heat begin their title defense, those adjustments and new fits will affect their ability to defend the title as much as it will affect other teams ability to take it from them.
As the Heat begin their title defense, they are showing that the look of their team will strongly resemble what we saw from them in the NBA finals last spring. Lebron James will be starting at power forward this season and playing out of the post unless the team finds themselves in transition situations where James can handle the ball. Dwayne Wade will be the teams slasher. Chris Bosh will primarily play out of the weak post and flash for mid-range jumpers. The other roles will be filled by shooters. Along with Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller coming back from last years team, the Heat have also added Rashard Lewis and former Celtic Ray Allen. With this look, like in last years Finals, the plan will be to run the offense through James in the post and let him distribute to shooters or a slashing Wade if the double team comes. If it doesn't then he will be allowed to go to work and score one on one. While this offensive game plan dominated against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, the question has to be how this will work during a full eighty-two game season, especially with James playing full times against players who are more physically comparable to the himself rather than the guards and small forwards the has been matched up against in the past.
The Boston Celtics are probably the biggest threat to the Heat in the Eastern Conference. They are the second most talented team in the conference as well as having a wealth of experience to bring into big games. The Celtics return stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. These three form a strong nucleus with the two veterans and Rondo, who should assume alpha dog status on this team and possibly put himself in the running for MVP. The Celtics should also be bolstered on defense with the return from injury of Avery Bradley, who when healthy last year proved to be one of the best one on one guard defenders in the league (look up his shutdown performance against Dwayne Wade towards the end of the regular season last year.) Also coming back from health issues is Jeff Green. Green had high expectations coming over from Oklahoma City in the Kendrick Perkins trade before being sidelined with heart issues. Green may never be a star but he certainly can be a fine complementary piece to Boston's big three as a scorer and rebounder. Probably the biggest addition to the Celtics roster is Jason Terry. Terry was brought in as a free agent from Dallas to replace Ray Allen. Terry could prove to even be an upgrade from Allen. Terry will be OK with coming off the bench, a thing Allen was unhappy about after the emergence of Avery Bradley. Terry is also better with the ball in his hands. Terry has experience running a second unit from his time in Dallas and is more than capable of creating his own shot. And as far as crunch time goes, Terry was an integral part of the Dallas fourth quarter offense and should prove to be in Boston as well. His more than adequate range and ability to play with the ball in his hands combined with his total fearlessness (the words for him are "irrational confidence") should be a fine replacement for Allen. The biggest question for the Celtics, given the age of the stars as well as concerns about Green, is health. If the core of this team can be on the court together they have a chance to beat anybody.
Their are two other main contenders in the east. The Indiana Pacers showed last year that they are capable of challenging the best teams in their conference. They seem to have some things working against them though. They traded their starting point guard, Darren Collison, who while not an all star, fit well into what that team did. Like many teams this year losing key players, that could create a getting to know you process that can slow Indiana down. The Pacers also still lack a go to player that can take over at key moments late in games. Probably the biggest problem is that Indiana won't surprise anyone this year, and any athlete will tell you that life is harder when you have a target on your back.
The other team could be the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls will be face with a similar task as last year of having to survive until the return of superstar point guard Derrick Rose. While the Bulls were 18-9 without Rose last year, things should not be so easy this year. The Bulls failed to re-sign key bench players from last year: Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, Amir Asik, and C.J. Watson. These players, especially Watson who started in Rose's absence, were key contributors on last years deepest team. Without them the Bulls will be looking much more to tread water rather than win while awaiting Rose's return. Then they have to hope that after a torn ACL Rose will still be the same. If he is though, even as a middling playoff team they could threaten anyone they play.
Out west things look about as different as they do atop the east. The defending west champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are returning with a major change to their team. Just two days before the start of the season they traded sixth man of the year James Harden to the Rockets for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb. While Martin has been a fine scorer throughout his career, averaging about 18 points per game, and the rookie Lamb is a good outside shooter, shooting 37% from three in college, there is a big gap that the two of them won't be able to fill. Harden was the leader of the second unit, being able to create and run the offense with the ball in his hands. Martin and Lamb will be better off the ball and in pick and roll situations. The Thunder are hoping that the return of backup point guard Eric Maynor, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, will be able to run the second unit offense in place of Harden while Lamb and Martin roam without the ball and make up the scoring void of Harden. The Thunder should be one of the best teams in the entire league again regardless of losing Harden given that they still have Durant and Westbrook who might be two of the best twelve players in the league. Also, if the Thunder can adjust their style of play to accommodate the two new players, which could be a good thing to learn for the Thunder since their biggest flaw in the finals (besides going big) was their ineffectiveness in half court sets and having two off the ball scorers will force that to improve, this could even prove to be a very nice trade for them.
The most drastically different team, maybe in the NBA, is the Los Angeles Lakers. In the off season they acquired superstars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to compliment Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol while in the process losing all-star center Andrew Bynum. The Lakers will also be sporting a new offense in order to allow these players to work together. The Princeton offense, as it is called, emphasizes pick and rolls and off the ball movement to free up shooters and maximize touches in the post. This sounds great for all involved in theory. The thought of Howard and Nash running the pick and roll should make any basketball fan salivate. Also, the thought of Gasol passing out of the post to a slashing Bryant is a recipe for excitement, showing more than the stagnant version of Bryant we saw last year when he would hold the ball too much along with the passing skills of Gasol, who might be the best passing big in the league. Their are problems with this notion though. Bryant has not had to play off the ball since his first couple of years when he was still very young and playing along side Shaq at a time when he was the at his most dominant. The other problem is that Nash has spent his entire career in the ultra fast paced offenses of Don Nelson in Dallas and Mike D'Antoni (and his replacements/assistants) in Phoenix. This is the first time he will run an offense built around playing in a half court set. Needless to say it will be all about adjusting in L.A. But as this team learns how to play together, the talent and experience of these stars should allow them to gel and be a power come playoff time. The one thing that will need to be addressed as the season moves forward is that the Lakers lack depth. But if they can pick up a good shooter and ball handler during the season, which shouldn't be too hard, those holes can be filled.
The San Antonio Spurs are the only team that comes back looking like the same team we saw last year. They return thirteen players including their stalwarts: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. The young players that shone last year also now have that much more experience under their belts and will be expected to take on larger roles. This should not only help the Spurs in terms of player improvement, but as the season wears on coach Greg Popovich will be able to trust the team even more to players such as Danny Green and Kawaii Leonard while resting his aging stars. Much like the Celtics, health will be the biggest issue for this team. And also like the Celtics, if the Spurs have their stars on the floor, they are a championship caliber team.
I can't remember a season where so many top level teams came back for a season looking so different. The trades and free agent pickups, as well as adjustments in styles of play, will certainly make the season as interesting to watch closely as any in recent memory. But as the Heat begin their title defense, those adjustments and new fits will affect their ability to defend the title as much as it will affect other teams ability to take it from them.
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