College Football Week 11 Preview, Week 10 Results
- No podcast this week, but we do have the Week 11 Preview and the Week 10 results.
- Juan and Josh take the top spot again this week and now take a three game lead over Habe and D-Man. Tomas has a solid week and is now only two games behind Habe and D-Man. Oscar has an excellent week as well, but continues to stay in last place, but is only six games from first place. It’s all up in the air still…stay to tuned.
- No Denard Robinson against Minnesota in the battle for the Little Brown Jug? No problem. Devin Gardner steps up in a must win game for the Wolverines. It gives Michigan a slim chance for the Big Ten Championship, but if they win out and the Cornhuskers lose one, then the Wolverines are in. We tip our caps to Devin Gardner in a huge game. Northwestern is tough and a solid team. It looks to be Devin Gardner again this week. We will see if this comes to fruition.
- The Trojans battle against the Ducks, but the offense is just too much for the Trojans and the Ducks take it 62-51. The good news for the Trojans is they can still make it to the Conference Championship Game if they win out. The bad news is that they most likely will face those same Ducks again.
- Much like the Trojans, if the Bruins win out, then they go to the Conference Championship Game. UCLA looked excellent this week in a dominating win against the Arizona Wildcats. I say it every week…that USC / UCLA game at the end of the year is looking goooooooood.
- Ohio State continues its perfect season with another dominating victory. Will this team lose? Urban Meyer has done a great job.
NCAA FOOTBALL 2012 – WEEK 11 PREVIEW
- 24 Northwestern @ Michigan – All of us pick Michigan
- Arizona State @ 19 USC - All of us pick USC
All of us pick UCLA – 18 UCLA @ Washington State -
All of us pick Wisconsin - Wisconsin @ Indiana -
- 11 Oregon State @ 14 Stanford - All of us pick Stanford
- 15 Texas A&M @ 1 Alabama - All of us pick Alabama
- Penn State @ 16 Nebraska - All of us pick Nebraska
All of us pick Kansas State - 2 Kansas State @ TCU -
- 21 Mississippi State @ 7 LSU - All of us pick LSU
GAME OF THE WEEK
Tomas, Josh, Habe, Oscar – Air Force @ San Diego State - Juan, D-Man
*Ohio State Bye Week
RECORDS AFTER WEEK 10
Josh (77-23)
Juan (77-23)
D-Man (74-26)
Habe (74-26)
Tomas (72-28)
Oscar (71-29)
‘Flight’ Review
It has been 12 years since director Robert Zemeckis made a live-action film and that is evident in Flight, a harrowing drama about an alcoholic pilot who saves many lives after a plane malfunction. The talented filmmaker’s effort is a turbulent story with plenty of ups and downs but Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington is there to weather the storm and steer it back on course.
Washington plays William “Whip” Whitaker, a pilot who decides to start his day ridding a hangover with a line of cocaine before flying a commercial flight with 102 people on board. A malfunction causes the plane to go into a steep dive, forcing the talented pilot to roll the plane and glide it upside down before crashing right-side up in a field. The maneuver saved 96 lives, but a National Transportation Safety Board investigation reveals Whitaker was intoxicated during the flight, sending him into a downward spiral that forces him to confront his demons.
Flight is the typical Washington movie: solid directing and writing elevated by a memorable performance from the lead actor (see Training Day). John Gatins script tiptoes toward a dark path, but eventually finds the sunshine with a predictable third act that makes the film an AA public service announcement. Zemeckis delivers one of the most thrilling scenes of the year while the plane is in the air, but is unable to maintain that high when the it goes down. Inconsistencies with characters such as Nicole (Kelly Reilly), a heroin addict who befriends Whip, would hurt just about any lead protagonist. Denzel, however, is not just any other actor. His performance demands attention and blemishes any of the rust Zemeckis shows after his affair with motion capture movies. What makes Washington so compelling is the duality of a character that is its own antagonist. After years of playing the good guy, the Academy Award-winning actor now thrives on flawed characters, which will help him add more awards to his mantel by the end of the year.
Flight is an inconsistent character study saved by its only consistent force: Denzel Washington. The film is a welcome comeback effort for Zemeckis, as well as a reminder of Washington’s talent. While the film itself is predictable, it’s Washington’s unstable, capricious character that allows Flight to soar.
Filed under: Movies‘World War Z’ Trailer Preview
Clips from the highly-anticipated World War Z have finally emerged thanks to Entertainment Tonight’s exclusive trailer preview. The zombie epic based on Max Brooks’ post-apocalyptic novel was originally slated to be released this December, but was recently pushed to June 21, 2013, because of issues with director Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Finding Neverland), the script, which went through several rewrites, and extensive reshoots. While it may feel like this zombie overload will wane soon, I am very much looking forward to the adaptation of the popular novel despite the suspect CGI in the teaser. The special effects on the zombies remind me of those in I Am Legend, which is disappointing considering the budget for the film is reportedly anywhere between $125-200 million.
World War Z, directed by Marc Forster and starring Brad Pitt, Eric West, Matthew Fox, David Morse, James Badge Dale and Mireille Enos, hits theaters June 21, 2013.
Filed under: MoviesMatthew Vaughn in Talks to Direct Star Wars?
After announcing the acquisition of Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars, Disney is looking to start production on Episode VII, which is expected to be released sometime in 2015. Collider is reporting Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass) is in the running to direct the much-anticipated sequel.
Various interviews with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Star Wars creator George Lucas following the $4.05 billion sale indicate that a deal had been in the works for quite some time. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who will be executive producer, mentioned in a press release to have already spoken to several writers to discuss ideas, and Lucas said he wrote story treatments for the Episodes VII-IX.
Collider speculates that because a deal and plan to make more movies had been in the works, Lucasfilm was also in the stages of hiring a director for its new film. Vaughn recently opted not to direct X-Men: Days of Future Past and left the directorial duties to Bryan Singer, which adds more validity to Collider’s story. The talented director also helped pen some of his films (including X-Men and Kick-Ass). Could he be one of the writers Kennedy spoke to regarding ideas for a story?
Not to be outdone, MarketSaw added more names to the rumor. The website, which reported new trilogy in 3D back in 2009, claims to have a source who mentions Disney plans new films with tones “more in line with the original trilogy,” which would require a big name talent. The site claims that Steven Spielberg, Neil Blomkamp (District 9), Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men), Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain), Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and Vaughn.
All of the directors mentioned are more than capable of directing a good Star Wars film, but if Lucasfilm hopes to recapture the tone of the original trilogy, I can’t imagine anyone better than Cuarón and Vaughn.
Filed under: MoviesCollege Football Week 10 Preview, Week 9 Results
- No podcast this week, but we do have the Week 10 Preview and the Week 9 results.
- Juan (7-3) and Josh (6-4) take the top spot this week and now take a two game lead over Habe (5-5). Habe has a tough week, but stays in second. D-Man (4-6) and Tomas (4-6) have the worst weeks of the year and fall to fourth and fifth respectfully. Oscar (6-4) is still in the cellar but is not out of it.
- Michigan and USC both have devastating loses. D-Man did feel that USC should watch out for Arizona’s high powered offense in a “trap game” looking ahead to Oregon, but couldn’t pull the trigger officially picking the upset. USC has little to no chance for a national title with the lose but still can control it’s own destiny to the Pac 12 Title Game. Michigan loses a heart breaker against Nebraska, both losing the game and losing Denard. Could the game have been different if Denard was in? We will never know. Now, Michigan will have to win out and hope Nebraska loses at least one game to hope for Big 10 Title Game. Either way, a terrible week for the Trojans and the Wolverines.
- UCLA pulls out a key victory with a last second field goal and now control there own destiny if they win out. The USC / UCLA Game at the end of the year is starting to look that much more important.
- Ohio State continues its perfect season with an impressive win over the Nittany Lions. Ohio State is clearly now the best team in the Big Ten.
NCAA FOOTBALL 2012 – WEEK 10 PREVIEW
All of us pick Michigan - Michigan @ Minnesota -
Tomas, Josh, Oscar, D-Man – 4 Oregon @ 17 USC - Habe, Juan
Tomas, Habe – 22 Arizona @ UCLA – Josh, Oscar, Juan, D-Man
- Illinois @ Ohio State - All of us pick Ohio State
Tomas, Oscar, Habe, D-Man – 16 Texas A&M @ 15 Mississippi State - Josh, Juan
Juan – 23 Texas @ 18 Texas Tech - Tomas, Josh, Oscar, Habe, D-Man
Tomas, Josh, Oscar, Habe, Juan – 20 Nebraska @ Michigan State - D-Man
- 24 Oklahoma State @ 2 Kansas State - All of us pick Kansas State
Oscar - Arizona State @ 11 Oregon State - Tomas, Josh, Habe, Juan, D-Man
GAME OF THE WEEK
All of us pick Alabama – 1 Alabama @ 5 LSU -
RECORDS AFTER WEEK 9
Josh (69-21)
Juan (69-21)
Habe (67-23)
D-Man (66-24)
Tomas (64-26)
Oscar (63-27)
BREAKING NEWS: Disney Buys Lucasfilm
Disney has agreed to acquire George Lucas’ Lucasfilm Ltd., which also includes the rights to the Star Wars franchise, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The transaction is worth an estimated $4.05 billion, and the company is already targeting a 2015 release for a seventh film. Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger released this statement:
“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas. This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”This news is sure to receive mixed reactions from fans of the films. On one hand, the rights are finally gone from creator George Lucas, who unfortunately gave us Episodes I-III. But on the other hand, they’re releasing more movies, which some don’t want. I am torn here. In the words of the great Ron Burgundy: “I AM IN A PICKLE!”
Filed under: MoviesOscar’s Top 15 Scary Movies
As manly as I appear (let me think it, people), I have a number of irrational fears. I can thank horror films for developing my coulrophobia, thalassophobia, ornithophobia (look them up) and fear of supernatural entities. Here’s a list of films that scared the hell out of me (and continue to do so).
Filed under: cover, MoviesCollege Football Week 9 Preview, Week 8 Results
- No podcast this week, but we do have the Week 9 Preview and the Week 8 results.
- Josh and Habe have excellent weeks going 10-0. Josh takes back sole possession of first place and Habe now has a three way to with D-Man (9-1) and Juan (8-2). Tomas (9-1) has great week and stays with three games of first, in fourth place. Oscar stays in last going (8-2), but is only six games back.
- Michigan finally takes care of the Spartans in a classic. Michigan wins its 900th game, ends the four game win streak by the Spartans, and Hoke continues his win streak at home to 12.
- USC abuses Colorado 50-6, while Matt Barkley puts himself back in the Heisman talk with excellent performance of 300 plus yards and a 95% completion percentage and Robert Woods scoring four touchdowns. Next week, should be interesting for Trojans, because Arizona could be trap again knowing that Oregon will be next. Arizona can put up points, so this could be a tough road test for the Trojans.
- UCLA is playing a very game Arizona State squad this weekend. Even though Arizona State was beaten pretty bad this week against Oregon, both UCLA and Arizona State are very desperate. This looks to be a make or break for both UCLA and Arizona State if either lose this game, they are done in the South Division.
- Ohio State struggled against Indiana and now barely pulls out one against the Boilermakers. Either way, the Buckeyes have found a way to win. They are battling for a perfect season and it looks very possible the rest of the way out, who seems to have a pretty good offense.
NCAA FOOTBALL 2012 – WEEK 9 PREVIEW
Tomas, Josh, Habe, D-Man, Juan – 22 Michigan @ Nebraska – Oscar
All of us pick USC – 9 USC @ Arizona -
Josh, Juan – UCLA @ Arizona State – Tomas, Oscar, Habe, D-Man
All of us pick Ohio State - Ohio State @ Penn State -
- Tennessee @ 13 South Carolina – All of us pick South Carolina
Tomas, Josh, Habe, D-Man – *2 Florida @ 10 Georgia - Oscar, Juan
- 14 Texas Tech @ 3 Kansas State - All of us pick Kansas State
Josh, Habe, Juan – Michigan State @ 25 Wisconsin - Tomas, Oscar, D-Man
- 11 Mississippi State @ 1 Alabama - All of us pick Alabama
GAME OF THE WEEK
- 5 Notre Dame @ 8 Oklahoma - All of us pick Oklahoma
*Neutral Site
RECORDS AFTER WEEK 8
Josh (63-17)
D-Man (62-18)
Habe (62-18)
Juan (62-18)
Tomas (60-20)
Oscar (57-23)
‘Iron Man 3′ Trailer is Here!
The first official trailer to Marvel’s Iron Man 3 has finally arrived via Apple iTunes movie trailers and yes…it is very sexy. Enjoy.
Official ‘Iron Man 3′ Poster Revealed
Marvel Studios continues its onslaught of early Iron Man 3 promotion. One day after giving fans a teaser of the first official trailer (which can be seen tomorrow), Marvel has now released the first poster to the highly-anticipated film. The first photo of Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin was also released courtesy of Entertainment Weekly (see below).
The synopsis:
Marvel Studios’ ‘Iron Man 3’ pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? Read on… Filed under: Movies‘Iron Man 3′ Trailer Teaser
It may not be much, but it is a Marvelous 17 seconds. The teaser to the Iron Man 3 trailer was released today to make fans of the “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” squeal with anticipation for the first official trailer of the seventh installment of Marvel’s cinematic universe. We get a glimpse of Tony Stark’s new armor, a snippet of the film’s villain and Pepper Potts playing a damsel in distress. Visit Apple’s Trailer site on Tuesday to get an extended look at one of 2013′s most anticipated films.
Iron Man 3, directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, flies to theaters May 3, 2013.
Filed under: Movies
‘Argo’ Review
Believe it or not, it has been 14 years since Ben Affleck shared the stage with Matt Damon to receive an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. The writer and actor went through a dark period that included Daredevil, Reindeer Games and Gigli, but Affleck has now found solace in the director’s chair. After Gone Baby Gone and The Town, the New England native decided to venture out of Boston, which turned out to be the best decision of his directing career. Affleck showcases his craft and reminds us of his acting skills in Argo, a tense political thriller that may just be his ticket to get back to hoisting the golden statuette.
Affleck guns his DeLorean to 88 and ends up in the 1979 hostage situation in Iran. Six Americans evade capture after Iranian revolutionaries overtake the U.S. embassy. Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor hides the six staff members in his home and the CIA explore numerous plans of exfiltrating them from Iran. The government opts to go with Tony Mendez’s (a great performance from Affleck) suggestion of creating a fake science fiction film and using a cover story that guises the escapees as Canadian filmmakers scouting areas for their movie. But the more time it takes to leave, the more complicated the plan gets as the revolutionaries slowly discover the identities of the missing staff members.
Argo has a quality that many films lack nowadays, which is “having it all.” It will have you on the edge of your seat one minute, and cracking up the next. Affleck delivers the best film of his career with great narrative, building up Chris Terrio’s script to perfection while cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto gives us the occasional breather to admire the beautiful setting of a country despite it being in turmoil. Affleck really gets the best out of…himself and the rest of the star-studded cast. Bryan Cranston carries his hot streak from the tube to the silver screen as a CIA supervisor and one of Mendez’s supporters of his “best bad idea.” John Goodman and Alan Arkin provide plenty of comic relief as the movie executives intent on making a “fake hit” if a “fake movie” is going to be made. Little do they know that the production of that phony sci/fi flick in 1979 would make one of the best films of 2012.
With an all-star cast and great pacing to build a nerve-wracking climax, Argo is sure to be an Oscar contender this year. Affleck is no longer an up-and-coming director, as he has clearly established himself as one of the industry’s best.
Filed under: MoviesCollege Football Week 8 Preview, Week 7 Results
- No podcast this week, but we do have the Week 8 Preview and the Week 7 results.
- Juan has the best performance for the week going 9-1 and now has moved ahead of Josh for first place. Josh and D-Man hold second place and are only one game back. Tomas struggled this week going 6-4 and drops from second to fourth. Habe moves from fourth to third. There is only a five game difference between first and last place. So there is still plenty of time for everyone
- Michigan looks very strong again against a very weak Illinois team. Now Michigan has Michigan State next. Can Michigan end this 4 game week streak by the Spartans?
- USC did not look very good offensively against Washington, but the defense has continued to take strides. USC will not be tested against Colorado this week, so expect atleast 40 points by the USC offense this weekend.
- UCLA beat Utah in a much needed win. It wasn’t pretty, but UCLA will take it. UCLA has a bye this week.
- Ohio State struggled against Indiana, who seems to have a pretty good offense. Meyer had a meeting with the defense during the week, so we will see how they look against Purdue. Purdue has been getting beaten pretty bad in the past few weeks, so it looks like Wisconsin may be the team who will be representing the Leaders division.
NCAA FOOTBALL 2012 – WEEK 8 PREVIEW
- Michigan State @ Michigan - All of us pick Michigan
- Colorado @ 10 USC - All of us pick USC
- Purdue @ Ohio State - All of us pick Ohio State
All of us pick LSU – 6 LSU @ 18 Texas A&M -
Tomas, Josh, Oscar, Habe, D-Man – Nebraska @ Northwestern - Juan
All of us pick Stanford – 20 Stanford @ California -
All of us pick Texas Tech – 17 Texas Tech @ 23 TCU -
Josh, Habe – 4 Kansas State @ 13 West Virginia - Tomas, Oscar, Juan, D-Man
- Baylor @ 25 Texas - All of us pick Texas
GAME OF THE WEEK
Oscar - 7 South Carolina @ 2 Florida - Tomas, Josh, Habe, D-Man
UCLA bye week
RECORDS AFTER WEEK 7
Juan (54-16)
D-Man (53-17)
Josh (53-17)
Habe (52-18)
Tomas (51-19)
Oscar (49-21)
‘Dredd’ Review
After the debacle that was 1995’s Judge Dredd, who in their right mind would want to revisit the character and give the judge another film? DNA Films made the gamble on developing a worthy adaptation of Britain’s most iconic comic character, and it sure as hell paid off. Dredd is a grandiloquent film with plenty of pulpy, high-flown gratuitous violence to please the action-headed, but has plenty of irony and dark humor to make it a guilty pleasure for the intellectuals.
The story of Dredd is set in a dystopian, irradiated wasteland in the U.S. known as the Cursed Earth. In the east coast known as Mega-City One, Judges have the authority to be judge, jury and executioners at the scene of the crime. Chief Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is assigned to evaluate rookie Judge Anderson (Oivia Thirlby), a powerful psychic who struggled on Judge exams. Both officers respond to the report of a drug den in the Peach Trees, a tower block controlled by a drug lord known as Ma-ma. The Judges apprehend one of the criminals for questioning, but Ma-Ma seizes the security controls and seals the building. And what ensues is nothing but self-mocking, bloody mayhem.
Urban plays the faceless, over-the-top antihero to perfection with the wry, deadpan delivery that made Clint Eastwood so great in the Western genre. It’s only fitting that his character is covered by a helmet throughout the entire film because Dredd is void of just about any emotion. Despite the dearth of character development, it’s satisfying to see the hero stick to his guns (literally) and keep his badass card intact. Thirlby is solid as a rookie judge, and provides the compassion and sentiment that Dredd sorely lacks. I would also like to commend Urban for a good-looking chin, which is just about all you can see of the hero.
Pete Travis also deserves recognition for putting Urban’s nicely-chiseled chin in a gritty, gorgeous environment. The director really creates a brood and unnerving setting that resembles 28 Days Later. The “Slo-Mo” shots showing the perspective a drug-induced junkie is breathtakingly stunning (and pretty damn bloody).
Dredd is not only antihero, but also the anti-movie of the year. It’s bloody twisted humor and stellar action is sure to gain the same cult following that Urban has.
Filed under: Movies‘End of Watch’ Review
The modern action cop drama has a seat right next to horror and westerns in Hollywood’s shelf of everlasting genres lacking originality. Films about the men in blue protecting the mean streets is a tried and tired story that fails possess the smarts of The French Connection or the honest will of Serpico, but screenwriter David Ayer may have cracked the formula to a successful modern cop story. The writer/director, who penned Training Day, delivers the best film of his career with End of Watch, a memorable and gut-wrenching story of two LAPD cops in South Central.
The “found footage” filming technique is as big a fad as 3D at the moment, but few have stood the test of time. End of Watch may very well be one of those critics look back on and say it is one that was done right. It is not only a difficult film to watch, but it’s tough to take in because of Ayer’s devotion to his characters. Jake Gyllenhaal is his usual talented self as officer Brian Taylor and Michael Peña gives the best performance of his career as officer Mike Zavala. The two hotshot cops patrol a gang infested South Central with success and stumble upon several cases connected to a Mexican drug cartel. While the action is graphic and suspenseful, the best moments of the film are away from the streets and in the police car. The dialogue is fresh, funny and honest, creating a meaningful, brotherly relationship between Gyllenhaal and Peña’s characters. When the intrepid police officers respond to a dangerous call, your heart does not beat rapidly because of the situation. You genuinely feel the fear that Taylor and Zavala hide throughout the film, and that’s a credit to Ayer’s writing. The story is far from award-worthy, but the build-up of the characters and climax certainly is worth recognizing.
End of Watch is fresh, welcome entry to an already long list of cop dramas thanks to electric performances from Gyllenhaal and Peña and a good script from Ayers. Rarely does a film evoke emotion while providing laughs and delivering plenty of action, making End of Watch a surprise hit this year.
Filed under: Movies