FLIX!
Okay, saw it and gotta do it.
I never really got the whole Godzilla/Mothra thing. So my older daughter wanted to see this tonight, so hey, I don't get to see her that much, ....so I guess!
I have never seen a real Godzilla movie before. I mean think I saw the cheap Japanese stuff on the "Creature Feature" on late night TV in the early 70's, but I have never laid down cash to go see a Godzilla movie.
My son complained that you have to wait too long to see Godzilla. I disagree. I thought he was placed perfectly. First the story line had to secure the fact that Godzilla is really on our side and that laying total waste to San Francisco was because he was helping us!
Two Giant Moth Creatures are brought to life, because one of them was waiting for the other to mature in Yucca Mountain. One starts from Japan on it's journey to the west coast of the US. The other leaves Yucca Mountain and heads to San Francisco to begin a new race of giant Praying Mantis's with the guy heading in from Japan. And cool, the males can fly.
But see, Godzilla, for some reason, hates Moth creatures. So he is our Bud for going after these two giant destructive awful expectant parents. A lesser critic would suggest a Pro-choice agenda. But you won't get that from me.
I really liked this movie. If you went to a "Godzilla" to see a Godzilla movie you won't be disappointed. I thought the final sequences were superb. If I were a Godzilla Fan, I would be totally satisfied.
And isn't that the mark of any fan-based movie?
Grade: B-
Friday, May 30, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Million Dollar Arm
FLIX!
When considering what to see at the movies last night there were some interesting choices. We could opt for Spiderman 2 (in 3-D if we wanted), the new X-Men, among others. My wife let me choose and I chose "Million Dollar Arm."
Disney has a knack of doing the feel-good sports stories very well, ala "Tiger Town", "The Rookie", and "Miracle" and that's just the tip of the ice berg.
This movie centers around JB Bernstein played aptly by John Hamm of "Madmen" fame. Bernstein is a sports agent and he is falling on hard times. He needs a real good deal to keep he and his company (a partner Ash Vasudevan - played by Aasif Mandvi, and an assistant Theresa played by Allyn Rachel) afloat. His one great hope is waffling on him, and he is at his wits end. He is at home one night and he is watching TV switching between "Britain's Got Talent" and a cricket match on ESPN and inspiration hits. What if he sponsors a talent competition in India to find a Cricket pitcher, correction Bowler, that can throw fast enough for a major league baseball tryout? He could sign them, and maybe salvage his career.
They go to India and conditions are not much like America. I was reminded a lot of a trip I took to Haiti. But the tryouts are scheduled all over India, and Bernstein is hopeful, because if he discovers a major leaguer in India there are a billion built-in potential fans. Who wouldn't want to sell a billion caps or T-Shirts? He goes all around the country with his entourage and manages to come up with a nerdy little Indian who claims to know everything about baseball but knows nothing, Arnit Rohan (played by Pitobash) and wouldn't even be there as a translator except he agreed to work for free. Also with him is former sports scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin) who hates being there and sleeps through a lot of the tryouts, but he's "listening". And after all is said and done, in a talent contest show format, they actually managed to come up with two guys who can throw in the mid-80's range. Miles Per Hour for you non-baseball fans. But remember these guys have never picked up a baseball before.
Bernstein lives in a nice southern California residence that offers a little bungalow out back that he rents out to a medical student, Brenda, played by Lake Bell. When Bernstein's two prospects, with Arnit in tow, end up staying at his place, Brenda becomes a stabilizing influence that JB, under so much pressure, is unable to be able to do. Meanwhile, JB sends the two recruits to be coached by USC's pitching coach Tom House, played by Bill Paxton (who coincidently directed a Disney sports movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played").
This might be a good time to mention the actual recruits. They are/were Rinku Singh, played by Suraj Sharma, and Dinesh Patel, played by Madhur Mittai. Fine performances to be sure.
Without giving to much away, but let this be a spoiler alert, they don't do so well at one try-out, but after Brenda's insistence that JB just let it be fun they do much better at the second. At the end of the movie, they both get signed to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and JB is saved and all is well with the world, and my wife announced 'we will own this movie'. It was a great movie. Entertaining and uplifting with a lot of comedy mixed in.
It is worth the price of admission, and these days, that says a lot. I will recommend it. I don't think anyone could go wrong putting down hard earned bucks to see this. Go for it. Be uplifted. And enjoy the wonderful real life photos shown at the end of the real life guys, one of whom gets to meet President Obama, and photos of the real life JB and how he eventually married Brenda and they have a family. But please if you love all this just read my grade and click out.
Grade: B.
Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel were indeed both signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The combined total signing bonus amounted to about $8000. They both ended up in the Pirates farm system. Dinesh pitched about 7 innings, and although 1-0 for the 2009 season, was released and he returned to India where he remains involved in baseball. Rinku is still in baseball bouncing between the Pirates farm system and leagues in Australia and the Dominican Republic...here there and everywhere. But neither ever made it to the Bigs.
I hope that JB was able to remain viable, but I doubt if it was off signing these two guys. And so there's that.
When considering what to see at the movies last night there were some interesting choices. We could opt for Spiderman 2 (in 3-D if we wanted), the new X-Men, among others. My wife let me choose and I chose "Million Dollar Arm."
Disney has a knack of doing the feel-good sports stories very well, ala "Tiger Town", "The Rookie", and "Miracle" and that's just the tip of the ice berg.
This movie centers around JB Bernstein played aptly by John Hamm of "Madmen" fame. Bernstein is a sports agent and he is falling on hard times. He needs a real good deal to keep he and his company (a partner Ash Vasudevan - played by Aasif Mandvi, and an assistant Theresa played by Allyn Rachel) afloat. His one great hope is waffling on him, and he is at his wits end. He is at home one night and he is watching TV switching between "Britain's Got Talent" and a cricket match on ESPN and inspiration hits. What if he sponsors a talent competition in India to find a Cricket pitcher, correction Bowler, that can throw fast enough for a major league baseball tryout? He could sign them, and maybe salvage his career.
They go to India and conditions are not much like America. I was reminded a lot of a trip I took to Haiti. But the tryouts are scheduled all over India, and Bernstein is hopeful, because if he discovers a major leaguer in India there are a billion built-in potential fans. Who wouldn't want to sell a billion caps or T-Shirts? He goes all around the country with his entourage and manages to come up with a nerdy little Indian who claims to know everything about baseball but knows nothing, Arnit Rohan (played by Pitobash) and wouldn't even be there as a translator except he agreed to work for free. Also with him is former sports scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin) who hates being there and sleeps through a lot of the tryouts, but he's "listening". And after all is said and done, in a talent contest show format, they actually managed to come up with two guys who can throw in the mid-80's range. Miles Per Hour for you non-baseball fans. But remember these guys have never picked up a baseball before.
Bernstein lives in a nice southern California residence that offers a little bungalow out back that he rents out to a medical student, Brenda, played by Lake Bell. When Bernstein's two prospects, with Arnit in tow, end up staying at his place, Brenda becomes a stabilizing influence that JB, under so much pressure, is unable to be able to do. Meanwhile, JB sends the two recruits to be coached by USC's pitching coach Tom House, played by Bill Paxton (who coincidently directed a Disney sports movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played").
This might be a good time to mention the actual recruits. They are/were Rinku Singh, played by Suraj Sharma, and Dinesh Patel, played by Madhur Mittai. Fine performances to be sure.
Without giving to much away, but let this be a spoiler alert, they don't do so well at one try-out, but after Brenda's insistence that JB just let it be fun they do much better at the second. At the end of the movie, they both get signed to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and JB is saved and all is well with the world, and my wife announced 'we will own this movie'. It was a great movie. Entertaining and uplifting with a lot of comedy mixed in.
It is worth the price of admission, and these days, that says a lot. I will recommend it. I don't think anyone could go wrong putting down hard earned bucks to see this. Go for it. Be uplifted. And enjoy the wonderful real life photos shown at the end of the real life guys, one of whom gets to meet President Obama, and photos of the real life JB and how he eventually married Brenda and they have a family. But please if you love all this just read my grade and click out.
Grade: B.
Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel were indeed both signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The combined total signing bonus amounted to about $8000. They both ended up in the Pirates farm system. Dinesh pitched about 7 innings, and although 1-0 for the 2009 season, was released and he returned to India where he remains involved in baseball. Rinku is still in baseball bouncing between the Pirates farm system and leagues in Australia and the Dominican Republic...here there and everywhere. But neither ever made it to the Bigs.
I hope that JB was able to remain viable, but I doubt if it was off signing these two guys. And so there's that.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Pittsburgh PA
STAGE TUNES!
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Consol Energy Arena
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
April 22, 2014
In my 12th visit to Rock and Roll Mecca, thanks to a caring and thoughtful wife and an upcoming birthday, we traveled to Pittsburgh PA. The Consol Energy Arena to be exact. Although 12 are all of the shows I can remember, this was the first for my wife, and it's always a lot of fun to go with a Bruce first-timer, and to watch the magic take over.
To be honest we were a bit far away for her to truly get the whole impact. All of the other times I've seen him I've always been fairly close, but as both Bruce and I age, it gets more and more difficult to be down front. When I last saw him in Detroit with my sister, I was standing on a hard surface - never sitting down - for a full 8 hours. I hobbled my way back to the car. So although for this show we were farther away, I appreciated having a chair that I could sit down in when I wanted to. And we were able to sit for most of the 3 hour show.
When Bruce and the E Streeters hit the stage, an electricity happens. I have experienced it many times. Not only in the times I've seen Bruce, but when I saw Sinatra. McCartney. The MC5. And to a slightly lesser degree Dylan and Waits. Something happens in the air. And in the case of Sinatra, the room just got a lot classier. In the case of Bruce, the biggest block party you'll ever attend just started.
I have seen the E Street Band in it's many incarnations. Yes, there was something about a simpler time with a healthy Danny and a vibrant Clarence that cannot be replaced, but still without missing a beat, Bruce did the right thing. Instead of simply trying to replace Danny and Clarence, which honestly couldn't really be done, he decided to re-tool the whole band. He brought in the horn section from the Seeger Sessions, and others from other moments in the E Street history. The E Street Band (recent inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), continue to rumble on as the machine they have become. A rock and roll zamboni. Solid. Heavy. Relentless is its path.
This Tuesday night in Pittsburgh exploded with a cover of the Clash's "Clampdown". An interesting beginning I thought. But I was waiting for more familiar material. I didn't have to wait long. The refrains of Clampdown were begging for a chance to die down but it was Bruce with the nearly signature "ONE-TWO-ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR! And the wonderful and familiar refrain from "Badlands" rang out. And from there it never let up. The Zamboni just kept on rolling. "Johnny 99", "Stand On it", and "Seven Nights To Rock." And on and on.
For me, it's not just the music. Or the fact that Bruce knocks himself out gig after gig, playing each song like it's the last time he ever gets to play a song. For me, he represents me and a hundred thousand guys like me. We wanted it. We all tried. But Bruce made it. He's doing it for all of us.
But yeah Bruce has now with age cleverly built "breaks' into his set. He virtually lets the audience sing entire verses of "Hungry Heart", and different choruses of "Badlands" and "The Promised Land". And now the shows last only around 3 hours. This one was 3 hours and 3 minutes. In the old days he was just getting warmed up. Four or Four and a half hour concerts were never unusual. But still, three hours does not disappoint. Not even close. This was a great and wonderful three hours.
He pleased the crowd with a wonderful "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", and an obligatory "Dancing in the Dark" wherein he invites lots of girls up on stage to dance while attempting selfie's with Bruce in the frame. In one case a rather butch looking woman even asked if she could play with the band and was given a guitar.
And there was the collection of signs from the audience wherein Bruce body-surfed back to the stage, delivered a soulful "Back in Your Arms." And the particularly fun rendition of "Mary's Place" whereby Bruce allowed a lot of audience members the chance to sing along with him. And the raucous guitar antics of Tom Morello on a rave-up version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad." More show than go, it was still a show stopper for sure.
And then he does a fun, raucous version of "Shout." Although by The Isley Brothers, it was made more famous by Otis Day and the Knights in the movie "Animal House." And he does it to perfection, having the audience join in where the audience should obviously join in. He tried to end the show there, and rightfully should have, but the audience wasn't ready to let him go just yet, so he finished out the set with a sullen, slow, "Dream, Baby, Dream." It was sort of the equivalent of "cool-down exercises" in the gym. The crowd was then satisfied. And the show was over.
And two nights later it began all over again. Somewhere.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Consol Energy Arena
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
April 22, 2014
In my 12th visit to Rock and Roll Mecca, thanks to a caring and thoughtful wife and an upcoming birthday, we traveled to Pittsburgh PA. The Consol Energy Arena to be exact. Although 12 are all of the shows I can remember, this was the first for my wife, and it's always a lot of fun to go with a Bruce first-timer, and to watch the magic take over.
To be honest we were a bit far away for her to truly get the whole impact. All of the other times I've seen him I've always been fairly close, but as both Bruce and I age, it gets more and more difficult to be down front. When I last saw him in Detroit with my sister, I was standing on a hard surface - never sitting down - for a full 8 hours. I hobbled my way back to the car. So although for this show we were farther away, I appreciated having a chair that I could sit down in when I wanted to. And we were able to sit for most of the 3 hour show.
When Bruce and the E Streeters hit the stage, an electricity happens. I have experienced it many times. Not only in the times I've seen Bruce, but when I saw Sinatra. McCartney. The MC5. And to a slightly lesser degree Dylan and Waits. Something happens in the air. And in the case of Sinatra, the room just got a lot classier. In the case of Bruce, the biggest block party you'll ever attend just started.
I have seen the E Street Band in it's many incarnations. Yes, there was something about a simpler time with a healthy Danny and a vibrant Clarence that cannot be replaced, but still without missing a beat, Bruce did the right thing. Instead of simply trying to replace Danny and Clarence, which honestly couldn't really be done, he decided to re-tool the whole band. He brought in the horn section from the Seeger Sessions, and others from other moments in the E Street history. The E Street Band (recent inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), continue to rumble on as the machine they have become. A rock and roll zamboni. Solid. Heavy. Relentless is its path.
This Tuesday night in Pittsburgh exploded with a cover of the Clash's "Clampdown". An interesting beginning I thought. But I was waiting for more familiar material. I didn't have to wait long. The refrains of Clampdown were begging for a chance to die down but it was Bruce with the nearly signature "ONE-TWO-ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR! And the wonderful and familiar refrain from "Badlands" rang out. And from there it never let up. The Zamboni just kept on rolling. "Johnny 99", "Stand On it", and "Seven Nights To Rock." And on and on.
For me, it's not just the music. Or the fact that Bruce knocks himself out gig after gig, playing each song like it's the last time he ever gets to play a song. For me, he represents me and a hundred thousand guys like me. We wanted it. We all tried. But Bruce made it. He's doing it for all of us.
But yeah Bruce has now with age cleverly built "breaks' into his set. He virtually lets the audience sing entire verses of "Hungry Heart", and different choruses of "Badlands" and "The Promised Land". And now the shows last only around 3 hours. This one was 3 hours and 3 minutes. In the old days he was just getting warmed up. Four or Four and a half hour concerts were never unusual. But still, three hours does not disappoint. Not even close. This was a great and wonderful three hours.
He pleased the crowd with a wonderful "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", and an obligatory "Dancing in the Dark" wherein he invites lots of girls up on stage to dance while attempting selfie's with Bruce in the frame. In one case a rather butch looking woman even asked if she could play with the band and was given a guitar.
And there was the collection of signs from the audience wherein Bruce body-surfed back to the stage, delivered a soulful "Back in Your Arms." And the particularly fun rendition of "Mary's Place" whereby Bruce allowed a lot of audience members the chance to sing along with him. And the raucous guitar antics of Tom Morello on a rave-up version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad." More show than go, it was still a show stopper for sure.
And then he does a fun, raucous version of "Shout." Although by The Isley Brothers, it was made more famous by Otis Day and the Knights in the movie "Animal House." And he does it to perfection, having the audience join in where the audience should obviously join in. He tried to end the show there, and rightfully should have, but the audience wasn't ready to let him go just yet, so he finished out the set with a sullen, slow, "Dream, Baby, Dream." It was sort of the equivalent of "cool-down exercises" in the gym. The crowd was then satisfied. And the show was over.
And two nights later it began all over again. Somewhere.
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