Sully's World

Sullivan-Gooley Awards Announced!

2010-03-08T10:17:00.002-05:00

Sometimes one award will do...

Saving its only win for the end, The Hurt Locker upset heavily-nominated Inglourious Basterds and Avatar for Best Picture of 2009 at this year's Sullivan-Gooley Awards. While it may not be as technically brilliant as Avatar, (which took home 5 technical awards and Best Director), or insanely clever as Inglourious Bastards (chosen by you, the readers, as the Viewer's Choice Award for Best Picture of 2009), its tense premise and edge-of-your-seat execution proved worthy of the year's top honor.

The SG Awards, which only agreed on 6 Oscar winners this year, chose to share three of the most prestigous honors with the Academy. Along with picking The Hurt Locker for Best Picture, SG tipped the hat to Jeff Bridges as Best Actor, who delivered the performance of a lifetime in Crazy Heart, and Christof Waltz as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Jew-hunting Nazi in Inglourious Basterds.

Below is a recap of all nominees, with the winner in italics.

Top 10 Films of the Year
1. The Hurt Locker
2. The White Ribbon
3. Up
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Up in the Air
6. (500) Days of Summer
7. Avatar
8. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
9. A Single Man
10. Where the Wild Things Are

Actor
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Sam Rockwell - Moon

Actress
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Melanie Lauron - Inglourious Basterds
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carrie Mulligan - An Education
Gabriele Sabide - Precious
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Supporting Actor
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Jonathan Mackey - The Hurt Locker
Brad Pitt - Inglourious Basterds
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Christof Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Diane Kruger - Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man

Director
Katheryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon
Spike Jonze - Where the Wild Things Are
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Original Screenplay
(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up

Adapted Screenplay
Crazy Heart
District 9
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

Animated Feature
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up

Art Direction
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon

Cinematography
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man
The White Ribbon

Costume
Inglourious Basterds
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon

Film Editing
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds

Makeup
Avatar
District 9
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Star Trek
Zombieland

Score
Coraline
The Informant
Up
A Single Man
Where the Wild Things Are

Sound Mixing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Up
Star Trek

Sound Effects Editing
Avatar
District 9
Up

Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Best Foreign Film
A Prophet
The White Ribbon

Viewers Choice
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. The Hangover
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Up
5. Up in the Air

Top 10s of Cinema, 2009

2010-03-05T19:55:00.003-05:00

Top 10 Films:
#1: The Hurt Locker
#2: Up in the Air
#3: The White Ribbon
#4: (500) Days of Summer
#5: Inglourious Basterds
#6: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
#7: Up
#8: Avatar
#9: A Single Man
#10: Star Trek

Runners-Up: The Hangover, Where the Wild Things Are, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Knowing, and Crazy Heart

Top 10 Scenes:
#1: The First Ten Minutes, Up
#2: Opening Scene, Inglourious Basterds
#3: "You Make My Dreams Come True," by Hall & Oates, (500) Days of Summer
#4: Slideshow/End Credits, The Hangover
#5: Natalie Fires an Older Man in Detroit, Up in the Air
#6: The Last Battle, Avatar
#7: Rules to Live By, Zombieland
#8: Expectations vs. Reality, (500) Days of Summer
#9: Opening Scene/"Sabotage," Star Trek
#10: Sniper Staredown, The Hurt Locker

Top 10 Favorite Films:
#1: (500) Days of Summer
#2: Inglourious Basterds
#3: Zombieland
#4: The Hangover
#5: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
#6: Star Trek
#7: The Hurt Locker
#8: I Love You, Man
#9: Up in the Air
#10: Avatar (3D IMAX only)

Top Ten Performances:
#1: Christof Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
#2: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
#3: George Clooney, Up in the Air
#4: Colin Firth, A Single Man
#5: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
#6: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
#7: Sam Rockwell, Moon
#8: Adam Sandler, Funny People
#9: Anna Kendrick & Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
#10: Brad Pitt, Inglourious Basterds

(Note: at the time of this article, I have not seen Precious, An Education, or The Last Station)

Ten Biggest Surprises:
#1: Star Trek (cheesy trailer with no A-List star usually spells disaster, but instead proves to be my #10 Film of the Year)
#2: The Hangover (surprisingly very well-made, perfectly complemented with classic humor and the emergance of Zach Galifinakas, or however you spell it)
#3: District 9 (loses its zest on repeat viewings, but I'll never forget trying to guess what's going to happen next)
#4: A Single Man (thought it would aim for Milk's over-the-top homosexuality, but succeeded in telling a basic story on lost loved ones, and the process of grief) #5: Knowing (expecting corn-ball sci-fi, but Knowing's third act takes it to an entirely different level)
#6: World's Greatest Dad (a Robin Williams movie you never heard of ... but should have heard of. Now you've heard about it. Go watch it. Quite possibly the darkest comedy of the last decade)
#7: Zombieland (good cheesy, not bad cheesy. See G.I. Joe for bad cheesy)
#8: Law Abiding Citizen (expected big-time cheesy, and almost got it; however the surprising evolution of Gerard Butler's character keeps the suspense alive)
#9: Terminator Salvation (totally thought it was going to suck without the Governator, but turned out to be pretty decent)
#10: The Fantastic Mr. Fox (wasn't a fan of the trailer, but Wes Anderson has done it again)

Ten Biggest Disappointments:
#1: Watchmen (If you didn't read the book, you wouldn't know where to begin. Don't watch it, unless you like blue penis.)
#2: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (I expected bad, and it just got worse.)
#3: Invictus (Eastwood doesn't know who his main character is. If it starred Matt Damon and centered around the rugby team ... and Morgan Freeman came in with pin-point motivational speeches as Nelson Mandela, this would be a classic sports film; and Morgan Freeman would be giving Christof Waltz a run for his money as Best Supporting Actor. Instead, Freeman somehow got an Oscar nomination for Lead Actor in a role that was so underdeveloped that it was painful to watch. The film mirrors that performance, and shows that Eastwood would rather finish a film that's under budget than ... well ... finish a film.)
#4: Angels & Demons (Knew Ewan was bad from the beginning. Could you fix NOTHING from the Da Vinci Code?)
#5: The Informant (Total miss in marketing. Never advertise a semi-dramatic character study as a screwball comedy. Everyone will leave the theatre pissed.)
#6: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (AKA, X-Men: Mike's Last Stand)
#7: Funny People (Jared Apatow's Citizen Kane falls short due to his overambition and inability to edit out useless subplots. While the 40 minute segment with Leslie Mann and Eric Bana had its moments, it could have been completely removed from the plot and the film would have served the same purpose. See my review for other details.)
#8: Julie & Julia (Why wasn't it just called Julia?)
#9: A Serious Man (Study the book of Job and learn Yiddish before watching this)
#10: Public Enemies (with Michael Mann, Johnny Depp, and Marion Cotillard, I expected golden statues. It looks good, and it features good performances, and has all the ingredients of a classic. It's just missing the chemistry needed for a crime-centered love story to succeed. Beatty and Dunaway had it; and director Arthur Penn knew it. Depp and Cotillard could have had it, but Michael Mann focuses on making a technically brilliant film instead of a truly brilliant film.)

Why Have a College Football Tournament?

2010-03-05T19:05:00.003-05:00

submitted by Chris Miller

The conversation regarding a college football playoff has been heating up recently, and with the Obama Administration taking an interest, this is the first sign of life for those in favor of a tournament.

But why have a tournament?
What about the kids, who need to go to class?
What about the fans who will have to travel to more games?
Will the Universities be worried about losing money if bowls no longer exist?

All great questions. Let me provide the answers. And just think about my idea for a playoff. Does it excite you as much as cheeseburgers excite Terrance Cody?

Forget the "settle it on the field" argument that is so common. America has an obsession with tournaments. The annual college basketball tournament is an event that almost everyone has an interest in, mostly due to office pools and gambling. Rick Neuheisel even lost his job because of it (but he's in L.A. now, so advantage Neuheisel). The playoffs for each of the four major sports are always the most-watched and most exciting times of the season.

And think about this: two of the most-watched primetime reality shows this season, "The Bachelor" and "American Idol," are tournaments. (Look it up; they trumped the Olympics). One is a dating tournament, the other a singing tournament. Both of them have made substantial amounts of money (as evidenced by multiple seasons of success for each show), so there's certainly a guarantee that the tournament will be more than slightly profitable.

Can you only imagine a college football tournament?! Startin' to smell good, right?

Onto my playoff proposal ... all the questions listed at the beginning of the article are about to be answered.

Each of the six BCS conference winners will have automatic bids. There still must be SOME perk for playing in the six most profitable conferences in college football; and no matter how bad one conference might suck that year, they'll still get an automatic bid.

A committee similar to the college basketball selection committee will select ten at-large teams to comprise a 16-team bracket. The committee will also seed the teams 1-16. BCS conference winners will not necessarily get the top six spots. Example: 2009 Florida would get a higher seed than 2009 Cincinnati, although Florida didn't win its conference title. If you have to ask why, logic is not your strong suit. (See Sugar Bowl). Also, non-BSC schools may be ranked above BCS conference champions. TCU and Boise St. were arguably better than Georgia Tech last year, and should be reflected as such when seeding begins.

Here's where it gets fun (and where university presidents will be pro-playoff).

The top eight teams in the tournament will host a HOME PLAYOFF GAME for the first round. This means increased revenue to schools with strong regular season performances, and a chance for those same top-eight teams to stay in school that week. Two birds, baby.

Next, let's say for argument sake that there are five BCS bowl venues: Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Cotton (gotta love that new Cowboys' Stadium).

Two of these locations will be featured for the Elite 8. On quarterfinal weekend, each day will have a double-header. On day 1, Site A will host an afternoon game and Site B will host a primetime spot. On day 2, Site B will host the afternoon game while Site A gets the night game. That should yield enough time to clean up and re-paint each endzone with new team colors.

The Final Four will be held at BCS Sites C and D; and the Championship will be held at Site E.

So, let's look at a hypothetical based on last year's end-of-refular-season results.

BCS Conference Winners: Alabama (SEC), Texas (Big XII), Georgia Tech (ACC), Oregon (Pac-10), Ohio State (Big Ten), and Cincinnati (Big East).

Ten At-Large: Florida, TCU, Boise State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, LSU, Penn State, BYU, Miami, and West Virginia

I would seed them this way.

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Cincinnati
5. TCU
6. Oregon
7. Ohio State
8. Boise State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa
11. LSU
12. Penn State
13. Virginia Tech
14. BYU
15. Miami
16. West Virginia

Round 1 Games:

16 West Virginia @ 1 Alabama
15 Miami @ 2 Texas
14 BYU @ 3 Florida
13 Virginia Tech @ 4 Cincinnati
12 Penn State @ 5 TCU
11 LSU @ 6 Oregon
10 Iowa @ 7 Ohio State (The Big Ten needs a title game, anyway)
9 Georgia Tech @ 8 Boise State

Just look at those matchups. Sexy, isn't it.

Elite 8 Matchups:

Fiesta Bowl (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glenwood, AZ)
Saturday, 3:30pm: #1 Alabama vs. #9 Georgia Tech
Sunday, 7:00pm: #4 Cincinnati vs. #5 TCU

Cotton Bowl (Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX)
Saturday, 8:00pm: #2 Texas vs. #7 Ohio State
Sunday, 3:30pm: #3 Florida vs. #6 Oregon

Final 4 Matchups:

Sugar Bowl (Superdome, New Orleans, LA)
Saturday, 8:00pm: #2 Texas vs. #3 Florida

Orange Bowl (Orange Bowl, Miami, FL)
Sunday, 7:00pm: #1 Alabama vs. #5 TCU

Championship Game:

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
#1 Alabama vs. #3 Florida

What's not to like? The top eight schools, due to their hard work during the season, get the opportunity to increase their revenue and keep their students in school; BCS sites still get to host the biggest games, the little guys get to play their way into the seeding (and quickly filtered out if they're not legitimate); and other great bowl games like the Outback, Capital One, and Emerald bowls can still exist outside the playoff formula.

Are there any arguments against it?

Can we convince EA Sports to let this be an option next year?

Somewhere in rural Alabama, will Bubba look up from his fishing pole and thank Obama for the successful implementation of a playoff?

Just call me Terrance Cody with a lifetime supply of McDonalds, 'cause I'm excited.

Sullivan-Gooley Award Nominations Released!

2010-02-05T12:13:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday evening the SG Award nominations were released, allowing the public to forget momentarily the "WTF?!" Best Picture nominees named by the Academy.

Leading the way is Inglourious Basterds, which garnered 11 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and 4 nods for acting. Closely following the Basterds are Avatar and The Hurt Locker, each nominated for 9 awards.

Below is a list of all nominees - if anything looks left out, don't hesitate to comment or send an email my way! All nominees are listed alphabetically; winners will be announced on Oscar night.

Best Picture
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man
Up
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon

Actor
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Sam Rockwell - Moon

Actress
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Melanie Laurent - Inglourious Basterds
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sibide - Precious
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Supporting Actor
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker
Brad Pitt - Inglourious Basterds
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Diane Kruger - Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man

Director
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon
Spike Jonze - Where the Wild Things Are
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Original Screenplay
(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up

Adapted Screenplay
Crazy Heart
District 9
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

Animated Feature
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up

Art Direction
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon

Cinematography
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man
The White Ribbon

Costume Design
Inglourious Basterds
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon

Film Editing
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds

Makeup
District 9
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Star Trek

Score
Coraline
The Informant
A Single man
Up
Where the Wild Things Are

Sound
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up

Sound Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up

Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

8th Ave State of Mind - 4 days in NYC

2010-01-06T13:16:00.009-05:00

People come from miles and miles - foreign countries, even - to visit North Hills Mall in Raleigh, NC. There's a Starbucks, 14-screen movie theatre, Fox N' Hound grill and bar, and if you're feeling extravagant, Firebirds. On Thursday nights, the mall hosts concerts that are free to the public, and occasionally frost the courtyard so that spectators can ice-skate during the performance. Waves of tourists flock the premises, take pictures, and recount to their grandchildren the first time THEY experienced North Hills Mall. If you live in Raleigh, there's truly no better place to be in America than North Hills Mall.

So when my buddy said he was excited to show me around the small island of Manhattan this week, I was like, "Pssh, whatever... North Hills, baby... Represent..."

You've probably seen NYC to-do lists before, or programs that take you around the city to catch all the "hot spots" and tourist attractions that everyone sees in postcards. You've probably been told to book your trip well in advance so that you can catch as many of the sights as possible ... because only then will you know what it's like to experience New York. You've probably heard all the stereotypes about the subways, the people, and all the do's-and-don'ts that come along with a visit to the Big Apple.

I've actually gone on one of those trips where everything is planned out: tickets purchased, restaurants picked, reservations made. And believe it or not, it was a trip to New York City. My mother and I went for a few days over the summer before I started 8th grade. Sites seen: World Trade Center (circa 1998), Statue of Liberty, a trip up the Empire State Building, Yankee game, Wall Street, Central Park, the outside of Madison Square Garden, Times Square, and a few other places she'll remind me of after reading this article. With pictures to prove it.

This time around, I could have done the same thing: make the same trip, see the same sights, and insert an older version of myself in each of those pictures. I would have left completely satisfied, because that's what my theory on popular tourism is: finding the surface-level entertainment of any particular location and piece together a puzzle of what everyone tells you you should do. Simply take the same pictures that all of your friends have already taken, and include yourself this time around. Now that your face is in the same picture as your friends, you can jump into any conversation about a trip to that location. Places match up, and pictures prove it.

But what if you want something more?

A few months back, my mother and I took the necessary step that usually comes when a bird leaves the nest: re-live all moments spent as a little bird within that nest. We went through every photo album, discussed how old we were in each picture, shed many tears, shared many laughs, and solidified the bond of what "home" means to me. Looking back on our NYC trip, I noticed our pictures of the World Trade Center. (I say "pictures," because when we were standing at the base, the buildings were so tall that it took 2 pictures to capture the entire thing.) Then I got to thinking ... what makes a trip and memorable one? Is it what's in the background of each picture - the sights you see - or could it be the expression on the faces of those in the foreground? Is it the places you go to - the places that all of your friends have already seen - or is it the places that NONE of your friends have seen, the people you interact with that none of your friends will ever meet, and the memories you create with those who share that time with you that define a good trip? Personally, I loved my first trip to New York NOT because I saw the World Trade Center ... I loved my trip to New York because I saw something that we will tragically never see again, and saw it with someone I consider a personal hero.

If you collect baseball cards, you may know that there's a Honus Wagner card that's worth over $1 million. Was he the greatest player ever? Nope. Is the card made of gold or diamonds? No, just paper. What makes it so valuable? It's because there's only a limited amount of Honus Wagners out there, and a specific story that can be told by the owner of each card.

So what did I want to do during my trip to New York City in 2010? Simply put: I didn't want to re-live the old memories, because that would only water them down. Instead I wanted to create personal memories, ones that I will remember NOT because of a big building in the background, but because I shared that experience with a good friend, and can return with a story nobody else can tell. One that I can call my own.

Monday, January 4th.

Flying into La Guardia is scary as hell. During our descent, sounds of William Miller's article in Almost Famous start ringing in my head; "I'm flying high above Tupolo, Mississippi with America's hottest band; and we're all about to die." We keep getting lower and lower, and all I can see is a view of the Manhattan skyline. (I can make out all the buildings). And then a closer view of the Manhattan skyline. (I can make out all the windows). And then the East River. (I can see all the ripples in the water, and pray there isn't an ambitious flock of birds to get in our way). And then a closer view of the smaller buildings in Queens (not only can I make out all the windows, but the blur of people behind them. People are on the streets, hailing cabs. Can they give me a high-five?). And then, BAM! Flushing Meadows: home of the US Open. Center Court has approximately 20,000 seats, and from my seat in the plane, I feel like I'm on the top row looking down at an imaginary match between Federer and Nadal. Just passed Center Court is Citi Field, the new home of the Mets. A crash-landing in right field would be a hell of a way to go out, but somehow we avert it. And then there's more water. Crap, more water. We're getting really close to the water. I mean reeeeeally close to the water. How do people over the age of 65 survive a flight to NYC? Seriously. Finally we make it to the runway, and I regain consciousness as our pilot wishes us a pleasant stay.

The weather doesn't change throughout the trip: 25-35 degrees, sunny skies, and winds that pierce the soul. It's New York City. After 5 minutes of walking the streets, I have already stopped by a street vendor to get a toboggan. (No, it doesn't say "I <3> for tourists...) The wardrobe for the trip: 2 pairs of jeans, 3 plain t-shirts, boxers, 3 collared shirts, a gray pullover fleece, a red zipper-down fleece, black gloves, and my new gray toboggan. Oh, and at least 2 pairs of socks per day to keep the feet warm.

Sam and Krista's apartment should be envied by everyone who lives in Manhattan and doesn't make six figures. Near the intersection of 54th Street and 8th Avenue, it's about 1,200 square feet with 2 stories, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, and a private back porch ... pretty much 2 loft apartments stacked on top of each other that share a living room and kitchen. Sam and Krista are actors who wait tables to balance their finances between shows. Their roommates Jeremy and Cameron can be found on Broadway almost permanently. Jeremy currently plays in Rock of Ages, an 80's-themed musical that can best be compared to Moulin Rouge. Cameron is enjoying her first time off from a long run of productions. But since she already has something lined up in three weeks, she feels like school has just let out for the summer. Sam has the following 3 days blocked off - both from acting and waiting. The next 80 hours will be dedicated to making sure Sully has a great time; a move of true friendship that he doesn't have to make, but is greatly appreciated. Krista has even called off a couple nights to hang out with us.

The first day is spent feeling our way around the city. We eat lunch at one of the thousands of fantastic diners that span the island. Sam and Krista get sandwiches; I get breakfast. It's 12:30pm, but why not? It's served all day, and there's always a good feeling I get when eating bacon and eggs in the afternoon. Then we hit up the DVD store, a place where Sam can get movies that come out weeks (and sometimes months) before their scheduled release. (They're not bootlegged, either; they're the real deal.) We walk in and sure enough, I see The Hurt Locker and Moon (each scheduled DVD release: January 12th). He buys The Hurt Locker and we proceed to go to Rockefeller Center and NBC studios. Inside NBC, they have memorabilia from all major TV shows; so I take a picture of a Dundie Award and send it to one of the girls at work who shares my love for The Office.

Up next, the Plaza. Sure, all newbies to the city take a picture of themselves standing outside the front door of the Plaza, and maybe another in the lobby where Macaulay Culkin got lost 17 years ago. (Can you believe it's been 17 years since Home Alone 2, and 20 years since Home Alone?) But have any tourists had a hot chocolate at Demel, a small Viennese coffee shop below the hotel that caters its residents and guests? It's literally served on a silver platter, and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, and side glass of water. Easily the best hot chocolate I've ever had.

At night we catch The White Ribbon, a German film that swept Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay at last month's European Film Awards. (It even beat out Slumdog Millionaire, which wasn't released until 2009 in Europe.) As of this weekend, The White Ribbon is only showing in 3 theatres in the United States, and one of them is at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, only 8 blocks from Sam's apartment. You haven't heard of The White Ribbon yet, but you'll see it again. This year it's Germany's entry for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, as well as a Best Picture candidate at the Sullivan-Gooley Awards. Its writer/director Michael Haneke will also be in consideration at both award ceremonies.

After The White Ribbon we go to Barcelona, a small bar around the corner from the apartment. There they serve shots that are named after movies; and if you order a shot, they play the theme music of the movie and hand you a prop to wear while you take the shot. Now I'm not really a drinker, but wearing an Indiana Jones hat while listening to the theme of Raiders of the Lost Ark was a little too much to pass up. Joining us is Shelby, one of my best friends from college who has an internship at Columbia doing something in psychology. It's good to catch up, and even more of a blessing to introduce her to Sam and Krista. Once I mention that Shelby loves theatre, she becomes Sam and Krista's BFF. Before we go home, we make sure she's got a ticket to come with us tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, January 5th.

Bright and early, we meet Shelby at Columbus Circle and walk up to Broadway and 68th. Only 14 blocks from Sam's apartment, the AMC at Loews Lincoln Square boasts the biggest IMAX screen I've ever seen. It's time for Avatar, and what better place to see James Cameron's epic than a 4-story movie theatre that sports an IMAX screen the size of a skyscraper. I won't get into a full-blown Avatar review, but if you haven't seen it I highly recommend you do so, and at an IMAX theatre in 3D.

Avatar gets out and we're too exhausted to do anything else. Shelby heads home; Krista takes off for work; and Sam and I head back to the apartment to watch (500) Days of Summer and enter a 3-hour coma. Upon awakening, we hear that Sam's roommate Jeremy may be called up for a leading roll in Rock of Ages tonight. We head down to the theatre and enter a lottery for cheap last-minute tickets. Although there are 28 tickets available, they're all pretty good seats: lower level, partial view, orchestra level. 14 people are chosen for 2 tickets apiece. Unfortunately we were none of those 14 people; and standing on a NYC sidewalk for 45 minutes is not the most pleasant way to await rejection. Just as we turn around to leave, a girl walks up to the lady who drew the names and says she no longer needs her tickets. The lottery leader chooses another person, but that person already has tickets too. So she draws again ... "Mike Sullivan." Hell yea! Sam receives a text from Jeremy: "I'm Stacee Jaxx tonight." Hell yea!

Rock of Ages is epic. Copied from the play's website: "In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA's most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. It's Rock of Ages, an arena-rock love story told through mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more. Don't miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud, and partying on!"

If you ever get a chance to see a Broadway play, do me a favor. Sit on the 9th row; watch your buddy's roommate on stage as the main supporting role; sing along to your favorite 80s rock ballads with 500+ people; have a glass of champagne backstage in the dressing room; hit on the main supporting actress; walk across stage on your way out of the theatre (and take a picture of the empty auditorium); meet up with the cast for a post-show drink (a cast including American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis); let the cute supporting actress beat you at Wii Tennis at Sam's apartment (Lauren, if you're reading this, I demand a rematch); watch her give a personal shout-out while signing your Playbill Magazine; and... when it's all over, tell me that Broadway sucks. I dare you.

Wednesday, January 6th.

Movie day. Sam, Krista, Jeremy, and Cameron moved in last week; so while Jeremy and Cameron head over to Ikea (Krista's back at work), Sam and I await the cable guy to come hook everything up. Meanwhile, we watch The Hurt Locker and The Hangover, and book a double-feature in the West Village (that's south-west Manhattan to all you non-New Yorkers). The Hurt Locker is just as emotionally intense as the first time I saw it, and solidifies itself in my top 5 of 2009. As mentioned before, it comes out on DVD January 12th and is a sure-fire Best Picture nominee at the Oscars and Sullivan-Gooley Awards. The Hangover could rank in the Top 10 Comedies of the Decade (without much preparation, I have The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Wedding Crashers, Tropic Thunder, Anchorman, Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby, Borat, Bad Santa, Elf, Shaun of the Dead, Zoolander, Napoleon Dynamite, High Fidelity, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Old School, Super Troopers, Superbad, Funny People, The Hangover, I Love You, Man, Meet the Parents, and the Disney short For the Birds. That's 22 right there... not in order). If you have The Hangover on DVD, make sure to catch the outtakes of the small Asian guy who plays a gay mobster; it's 8 minutes of pants-wetting laughs.

After a cheap-by-NYC-standards breakfast ($5 for a pancake, sausage biscuit, scrambled egg, and bacon strip ... $2.50 more for an orange juice), we head down to the Angelika to catch our double-feature: A Single Man (currently in 46 theatres nationwide) and Crazy Heart (12 theatres). The Angelika is a great, great movie theatre. Probably my favorite if you want the "New York" experience. After purchasing your $12.50 movie ticket at its street-corner box office, you enter the top-floor cafe. If you're not a fan of popcorn or Milk Duds, help yourself to a gourmet cup of coffee and jumbo peanut butter brownie and relax in a lobby filled with coffee tables and comfy couches. (I get the peanut butter brownie and a glass of whole milk to flush it down). Hidden in the back-left corner of the lobby is an escalator that takes you down to the theatre level. This floor contains 4 theatres and a traditional consession stand; and it rests directly on top of the subway. (Every ten minutes you're reminded that you're watching a film in NYC, as your feet start to shake from the trains wizzing below you).

A Single Man may be the surprise of the year. If I were to compare it to something, I would say it's kind of like a gay American Beauty set in the 1960s. Told by first-time director and fashion designer Tom Ford, A Single Man follows a day in the life of a 1960s college professor coming to grips with the death of his gay lover. While I wasn't exactly pumped to see this as Part 1 of a double-feature man-date with Sam, I couldn't think of a better place to live out the awkwardness of seeing A Single Man - directed by an openly-gay fashion designer with a homosexual protagonist - than the West Village of Soho.

Call it a testament to our love of cinema, but we both really enjoyed the film. The artistic touch of Tom Ford, as well as the painfully earnest performance of Colin Firth, carry the film into the upper echelon of 2009. Its saturated use of color, meticulous inclusion of motifs, and over-glossed appearance of each main character make A Single Man a very beautiful film to watch. I highly recommend it to those who don't get offended by watching guys kiss on screen.

As Sam states, "Crazy Heart is like a country song played out on the screen." Featuring a career-defining performance by Jeff Bridges and a surprising appearance by Colin Ferrell, Crazy Heart was a very satisfying character study of the affects of alcoholism and the consequences of not selling out. Think of it as a less-painful Wrestler. Or a less-painful Raging Bull. Or if you haven't seen The Wrestler or Raging Bull, a fictionalized version of Walk the Line if Johnny Cash had fallen deep into mediocrity. A Single Man was the better film, but Jeff Bridges gave the best performance. Either way, you can't see The Hurt Locker, A Single Man, and Crazy Heart without saying it was a good day.

That night we catch up with Kirtan Patel, an old fraternity brother who lives across the Hudson in Hoboken, NJ. He's in marketing for a food distributor and decided to come out with us for a bit despite the fact he had a major meeting with his boss and representatives from a subsidiary company in the morning. Major props for making the journey on a school night to catch up. We go through all the small-talk; I pick his brain about how the day-to-day routine of Corporate America differs from the good ol' days at UNC; and we meet a couple of Krista's friends-of-a-friend to discuss Psychology and argue that men are not as evil as snobby females claim us to be.

(Quick note to the guys reading this. If you happen to run into a cute Psychology major while sitting next to your buddy's girlfriend, this is your time to fight for men's rights. Ask the cute Psychology major to list 5 questions that help her separate good guys from the bad guys. If she is any good at applying her major, she has already thought of these and will give you a good answer. If she can't give you a good answer, she'll pull out the "all guys are full of crap and will say whatever they think a girl wants to hear" card. At this point, you have her. Either she begins asking you the 5 pre-prepared questions, fully-interested in gauging your response; or, you have the ultimate response to her feminist "guys are full of crap" response ... which is, "What if a good guy is sitting next to you at a bar, and his best friend's girlfriend is sitting right next to him, and she can vouch that he's a good guy; what would your questions be?" If she doesn't flash you a smile saying "I'm impressed," and if she doesn't start asking legit questions at this point, you'll know she's a retard, and no longer warrants further conversation. Also, you can leave with a feeling of accomplishment, for you have won an intellectual argument with a female, and should be proud.)

Thursday, January 7th.

Last day in the city. I wake up and start making my "Best-of-2009." In the three days I've spent in New York, I've seen six of my Top Ten and one film that falls between #11 and #20 of the year. On top of that, I walk upstairs to discover Cameron watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze. She's locked in, and within 30 seconds, so am I. TMNT2... epic.

After we all wake up and get motivated to start another day, Sam says there's a couple spots that I still need to see before I go.

The first is his favorite DVD shop. Whereas the first one is a good place to catch movies before they're released, this spot (called Kim's) has the best collection. It seems to have every film in the Criterion Collection, hundreds of Italian films, arguably thousands of French and Chinese films, and organizes its American collection by director - not title. This is very cool for someone who likes a very specific type of film. Being a huge Charlie Chaplin fan, it is amazing to see almost every Chaplin film chronicled in one location. (If you have seen High Fidelity, Rob Gordon's passion for records - and organization of these records - is closely rivaled by my love for film and the organization of DVDs. Needless to say, a Chaplin Collection is a lifelong goal of mine; and to see it 80 percent complete at 1 spot is truly a thing of beauty.)

The second is Kat's Delicatessan. Around the city, it's known for its $13 pastrami-on-rye sandwich. To movie lovers, it's where Sally Albright had a particularly memorable experience in When Harry Met Sally... Although we don't dive into the $13 delight, I do take a picture of a sign hanging over one of the tables saying, "This is where Harry met Sally."

The reason why we don't swim in Kat's Deli's pastrami sandwich is because of our next stop - Serendipity 3 - located on 60th Street in the Upper East Side. At 3pm there was a 30-minute wait. At 4:30 the wait was an hour. The reason for this wait? A $10 cup (the size of a bowl) of frozen hot chocolate. Mine is peanut-butter-flavored; and combined with a 1-pound slice of carrot cake, I can't finish it. Sam gets a hot slice of apple pie a-la mode, and by "a-la mode," I mean 3 scoops of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Some people take pictures of buildings; I take pictures of dessert.

After Serendipity, it's back to the apartment to pack and leave for the airport. I say my goodbyes and thank everyone for the first-class hospitality and a truly great time. They're a great group and it's a real honor to know them.

The trip to back to La Guardia provided the last piece of drama. Before I get into it, let me tell you how I made it to Sam's place from the airport on Monday. First, I walked out of the airport and toward the front of an endless line of cabs. I took a cab up to Astoria where Sam used to live. There I met up with him; took a train to Manhattan; and walked three blocks with my suitcase to his apartment. On the way back to the airport, he walks me up to the station and tells me to get on the N/W train toward Astoria; then get off at the Broadway exit and take a gypsie cab to the airport. This sounds very simple, right up to the point where I get on the R train and head 9 stops in the wrong direction. I take a look at the subway map and realize that I'm not too far from the airport, geographically. Only one problem; not many yellow cabs make their way out to Queens Mall. Over there is a major bus line that people use to commute from their place of living to the subway. On top of that, it's dark outside and not every black car that passes in front of me is a gypsie cab. I find that out the hard way, and get cussed at in multiple oriental languages before getting back on the subway until I reach a more convenient part of town. After a couple strike-outs, I finally find a gypsie cab to take me to the airport with just enough time to make it through security and board.

The flight home is not nearly as scary as the one coming up. Maybe because it's dark and I can't see the ripples in the water; or maybe all the those NYC lights look so darn beautiful on a clear winter night. Either way, it sure beats a trip to North Hills Mall.

Performances of the Decade: Supporting Roles

2010-01-01T23:23:00.016-05:00

10. Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep (tie)- Adaptation

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"MMMMMmmmmm" ... "mmmmmMMMMM" ... "MMMMMMMMMM" ... "That's f'ing amazing."

9. Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine

If you play a heroin-addicted grandfather who gets kicked out of an assisted living center - only to teach your seven-year-old granddaughter a striptease for the talent portion of a youth beauty pageant - how can you NOT make this Top Ten list?

8. Robert Downy Jr. - Tropic Thunder

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Very well may be the best comedic performance of the decade.

7. John C. Reilly - Chicago

"A human being's made of more than air

With all that bulk, you're bound to see him there.

Unless that human bein' next to you

Is unimpressive, undistinguished you-know-who."

He's not Mr. Cellophane here; in fact, he's quite the opposite. While every role in Chicago was a show-stopper; people weren't talking about the no-longer-pregnant Zeta-Jones, the awkwardly-sexy Zellweger, or the gerbil-loving Gere. No, they were talking about the guy who people may have recognized, but could never put a finger on. The "what's-his-name" guy who played a pit-crew chief in Days of Thunder, Dirk Diggler's porno sidekick in Boogie Nights, and George Clooney's drunken fisherman buddy in The Perfect Storm. It was the guy who appeared in 3 Best-picture-nominated films (Chicago, The Hours, and Gangs of New York) and a very another underrated flick (The Good Girl) in 2002 alone. It was the guy who stole the show by playing the guy nobody knows. To John C. Reilly.

6. Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

Speaking of someone who literally stole the show; Mark Wahlberg has less than 10 minutes of screen time in a 2 hr, 30 min movie, yet he's the one you're quoting after the credits roll. With sleeves rolled up and a smirk on his face, Sgt. Dignam is the no-nonsense smart-ass who invented trash-talking. He's the hot-shot you always want on yourside, even if his methods of persuasion are a bit unorthodox...

"Alright, our people are out there, but you'll never see 'em. They're like f'ing Indians."

"My theory on feds is they're like mushrooms: feed em sh't and keep 'em in the dark."

5. Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

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4. Casey Affleck - The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

It's almost painful to watch him - his awkwardness parallells the unbareable. Perhaps that is why his character is so emotionally burdened, so eager to be understood. You know your life sucks when you kill America's most wanted outlaw, and go down in history as a traitor and a coward...

3. Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

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If I told you she's really Australian, you'd call me a "freakin lie-ahh!" This woman is so Boston, it's not even funny. And that's good news, because Gone Baby Gone is not a funny movie. As a drug-dealing, insubordinate mother whose daugher is abducted during a cocain binge, Amy Ryan reminds us of all the people we're not looking to see in our home-town-visit over the holidays. You know who I'm talking about; the people who were so caught up in being part of the "cool crowd" in high school that they spend the rest of their life trying desperately to re-live the glory days while ironically defending the choice not to pursue the talents that made them cool in the first place (examples in movies: Napoleon Dynamite's Uncle Rico, Peter Sarsgaard's grave-digging pothead in Garden State, all of Eminem's friends in 8 Mile, and Steve Stifler). You can tell Amy Ryan's Helene McCready was the hot chick in high school who made a couple wrong decisions along the way, yet can't admit to anyone that her life is falling apart. Even when her daughter is abducted, she hesitates in coming clean; and even when her daugher is returned, she almost goes on a date without thinking of hiring a babysitter. What makes Ryan's portrayal of Helene McCready so convincing is her ability to let us sympethize for her. Although she's so inept at child-rearing, she wins the moral battle of the movie, which states every mother is entitled to raise her own child, no matter how screwed up she may be.

2. Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Pure crazy. Pure genius. Pure evil. Definitely not the man you'd ever want to see in person.

1. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

You've seen the movie, so I'll spoil you the analysis. Quite possibly the best supporting performance of all time.

Performances of the Decade: Actresses

2009-12-30T15:49:00.025-05:00

Top 10 Performances by a Lead Actress in the 2000s:

10. (Tie) Ellen Page - Juno;
Audrey Tautou - Amelie

Two social outcasts - one by choice, and the other by pregnancy - prove that films starring women don't always have to be chick flicks. Ellen Page won Best Actress at the 2008 Sullivan-Gooley Awards, and if you saw Juno, you'd easily see why. By taking Diablo Cody's script and running with it, Page nailed the quick-witted, take-no-prisoners Juno and stole the hearts of all my friends ... except mine. Mine was stolen by Audrey Tautou in 2000, when Amelie taught me how to be creative in romance. Her adventurous spirit always at constant battle with solitude, Amelie finds a prospective running mate to the test. I'll admit, I've pawned a few of her ideas as my own.

9. Kate Winslett - Revolutionary Road

Although I'll argue that DiCaprio carries this movie, all you have to see is the look on Winslett's face while standing beside a tree in the back yard to realize the outcome of this story. Revolutionary Road uses tragedy as a call to action: stop at nothing to fulfill your dreams; because once you settle, life will stop at nothing to keep you from obtaining them.

8. Joan Allen - The Contender

You may know her as the mom in Pleasantville or Pam Landy in the Jason Bourne Trilogy, but her turn as a senator destined to become the first female Vice President may very well be the most underrated performance by an actress this decade. The way she reacts to every challenge - every source of two-sided propaganda - is just like a boxer shucking and jiving to the jabs of an opponent. "The Contender" is an overt double-meaning.

7. Halle Berry - Monster's Ball

Playing a mother in love with a murderer; who loses that person to the electric chair; then falls in love with his executioner; and witnesses her son get run over by a car and die ... that's excrutiating. Having to sleep with Billy Bob Thorton on camera? That's either a death wish, an invitation for disease, or a one-way ticket to Oscar glory. She'd like to thank the Academy...

6. Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich

"They're called boobs, Ed."

5. Sissy Spacek - In the Bedroom

I wonder if she hired someone to kill one of her children so that she could prepare for this role. I'm not sure if she even has any kids, but with her turn as a grieving mother in In the Bedroom, she sure knows what it's like to lose one.

4. Ellen Burstyn - Requiem for a Dream

After getting lost in a very disturbing game show, exercising a diet consisting of 5 pills and a glass of water, fearing the refridgerator is out to eat her, and with her son stealing her TV to pawn for drug money, I'd be just as excited as Ellen Burstyn's Sara Goldfarb. "Be! Excited! Be, Be, Excited!"

3. Hillary Swank - Million Dollar Baby

I wanted to kill myself after watching Million Dollar Baby, but couldn't stop thinking about the performance given by Hillary Swank. The physical training, the psychology, and the depth required to play Maggie was a challenge only a few women could bring to the table, and Swank was a sheer knockout.

2. Helen Mirren - The Queen

She WAS the Queen. The end.

1. Charlize Theron - Monster
Anyone who thinks Charlize Theron is hot will simply not recognize her in Monster. For exhibit A, please see the picture to the left. I wouldn't touch that with a 40 foot pole. Ironically enough, Theron plays a role every guy would kill to see in their own mind: a hooker who kills her way to personal satisfaction. Instead, we get the person in the picture on the left. The joke's on us, boys. She's evil, and doesn't apologize for it. Theron may never deliver another good performance in her life, but she doesn't have to. Monster isn't a movie to see "just for kicks." It's a movie you study. It's a performance you admire. It's an actress embodying the role she was meant to play; even if it means risking everything that got her there.

Performances of the Decade: Actors

2009-12-29T12:03:00.026-05:00

Top 10 Leading Performances by an Actor in the 2000s:

10. George Clooney - Up in the Air

Although he kinda plays himself, many would argue that this was the role Clooney was born to play. It's a come-to-terms-with-one's-self-by-playing-yourself-on-film virtuoso performance, a-la Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.

9. Jamie Foxx - Ray

He WAS Ray Charles. The End.

8. Sean Penn - Milk

Sam Gooley says it best in describing Sean Penn. "Whenever I see a movie with Sean Penn, I never see Sean Penn's character; I see Sean Penn playing a character. I was never able to truly believe his characters - including his Oscar-winning performance in Mystic River - until I saw Milk. He totally embodied Harvey Milk, and his Oscar was well-deserved."

7. Bill Murray - Lost in Translation

Murray's most haunting, touching performance; he CAN play it serious.

6. Russell Crowe - Gladiator

Name a Hollywood actor who could have played this role with the conviction of Russell Crowe. That would be nobody.

5. Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind

Quite the follow-up to Gladiator and The Insider, Crowe proves his chameleon reputation. Despite his off-screen behavior, he becomes the most sought-after character actor in the world.

4. Tom Hanks - Cast Away

Name a Hollywood actor who could have played THIS role with the conviction of Tom Hanks. No one. Who else can carry a 60-minute second act on his back, and single-handedly create Oscar buzz for a volleyball? Other than me, that would be no one.

3. Daniel Day Lewis - Gangs of New York

Bill the Butcher; quite the symbol of anti-conformity. A racist, raspy-voiced, violent American patriot, Bill can stop a city with one blink of an eye (...he only has one eye). The bedside monologue about "fear" should be studying in acting classes for decades to come.

2. Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Name one Hollywood actor who could have played THIS role with the conviction of Mickey Rourke. Who else could have embodied Randy the Ram? That, again, would be no one. Welcome back, Mickey. We really didn't miss you, but you got us on this one.

1. Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood

He sounds eerily like John Huston in Chinatown. Painful memories of a failed gold-digging enterprise can be found in every gimpy step taken toward a gushing oil rig. His squinty eyes cut through the bull-crap of anyone standing his his way. His morals are in wealth and nothing else. Getting saved is just a price to pay for a pipeline. He'll steal your milkshake without you knowing it; and once he confesses his sins, kills the priest who hears them. Meet Daniel Plainview, the most ambitious, iconic, engulfing character of the 21st Century.

The Year of the Cartoon: A 2009 Year in Review

2009-12-27T19:34:00.018-05:00

Before we get started, here's a brief timeline of animation in cinema:

November 18, 1928: The world is introduced to Mickey Mouse as he stars in Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie."

December 21, 1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs debuts, becoming the first full-length animated motion picture released in the United States.

February 7, 1940: Pinocchio wishes upon a star, spawning endless influences on pop culture.

November 13, 1940: Fantasia sets animation to classical music and makes Mickey Mouse a household name.

August 13, 1942: Bambi's mom gets shot the day before my dad is born.

The 1950s: We meet classic characters like Cinderella, Alice (in Wonderland), Peter Pan, Hansel and Gretel, Lady and the Tramp, and a sleeping beauty. We're also invited into an adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm.

The 1960s: More classic characters, such as Cruella DeVil (101 Dalmatians), a young King Arthur (The Sword in the Stone), Fred Flintstone, The Grinch, Rudolph, Charlie Brown, and the Beatles (Yellow Submarine). We also saw the emergence of Japanese animation, with Magic Boy, Alakazam the Great, Sinbad the Sailor, and the mythological The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon.

The 1970s: The 70's pretty much sucked. R-rated and X-rated features brought drug-induced and pornographic influences that challenged the way audiences approached animated features. While many claim these films "expanded our minds" and "explored social commentary," these films aren't even appreciated in recent conversations I've had about the history of animation. If we're still uncomfortable talking about them 30 years later, I do believe these films have made a major impact; and I do not believe it's a good one. The only reason I choose to bring these film up at all is to highlight the "dark ages" of animation, which started in late '67 after The Jungle Book and - with few exceptions - lasted until 1986 when an onslaught of decent-to-good films put the spotlight back on cartoons (The Great Mouse Detective, Transformers, My Little Pony, and An American Tail).

Top 10 Animated Films of the 1980s:
10. Heavy Metal (1981)
9. Transformers the Movie (1986)
8. Akira (1989)
7. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
6. The Brave Little Toaster (1986)
5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
4. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
3. An American Tail (1986)
2. The Little Mermaid (1989)
1. The Land Before Time (1987)

February 20, 1992: Beauty and the Beast becomes the first animated film nominated for Best Picture. Even today, it remains the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture nomination.

1992: Aladdin becomes highest-grossing film of the year. This happens only 2 more times: 1995 (Toy Story) and 2004 (Shrek 2).

1993: Tim Burton becomes the first mainstream director to successfully take on animation. As only Tim Burton can, he redefines animation though the stop-motion holiday classic, A Nightmare Before Christmas.

6/14/1994: The Lion King earns $1,586,000 its opening weekend. Not bad for only playing in 2 theatres. Its $793,000 per-theatre average remains the highest per-screen average in film history.

9/29/1994: Nick Park's The Wrong Trousers opens in Germany and introduces the world to Wallace and Gromit and clay-mation.

October, 1994: Jeffrey Katzenberg, an executive recently forced out of Disney, co-founds DreamWorks SKG with Stephen Spielberg and David Geffen. While they do not achieve immediate success, DreamWorks later becomes the main rival of Pixar with the release of The Prince of Egypt (1998), Antz (1998), and the Shrek franchise (2001 - present).

11/22/1995: Toy Story debuts, opening a new door in animation. Classic animation has never recovered.

11/19/1999: Toy Story 2 becomes the first CGI sequel, and arguably the only animated sequel to live up to the original source material (I say "arguably" because I only know the 19,000 Land Before Time sequels... and they sucked.)

Top 10 Animated Films of the 1990s:
10. A Bug's Life (1998)
9. The Prince of Egypt (1998)
8. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999)
7. The Iron Giant (1999)
6. Antz (1998)
5. Aladdin (1992)
4. Toy Story 2 (1999)
3. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
2. Toy Story (1995)
1. The Lion King (1994)

6/23/2000: Chicken Run becomes the first wide-released clay-mation motion picture to gross $100 million.

3/15/2002: The release of Fox Animation Studios' Ice Age proves that Hollywood has now switched from traditional animation to CGI, and that three major distributors are in competition for computer-animated box office domination (Fox, Disney/Pixar, and DreamWorks). This fact is evident in 2004 when Walt Disney Animation abandons hand-drawn animation altogether in favor of CGI.

3/24/2002: Shrek wins the first Best Animated Feature Oscar, beating out Monster's Inc. and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and showing that DreamWorks Animation is here to stay.

2004: Shrek 2 becomes the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time. It will drop to#4 in 2008 thanks to The Dark Knight.

11/4/2005: Chicken Little debuts in 3D. Foreshadowing, anyone?

2008: WALL-E receives Best Picture buzz, but does not receive a nomination. Not to worry, because things are looking "Up" in 2009! (God that was corny)

Top 11 Animated Films of the 2000s:
11. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
10. WALL-E (2008)
9. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
8. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
7. Shrek (2001)
6. Ratatouille (2007)
5. Up (2009)
4. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
3. The Incredibles (2004)
2. Monster's Inc. (2001)
1. Finding Nemo (2003)

This brings us to 2009: The Year of the Cartoon.

First there's box office acclaim. Perhaps you already know why this is such a different year for the Animated Arts. With six animated features grossing over $100 million at the box-office this year (Up, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, A Christmas Carol, and G-Force), you've probably seen a few of them already. Three others (Princess and the Frog, Planet 51, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel) are knocking down the $100 million door, but haven't been out long enough to eclipse the mark. That's nine animated films grossing $100 million in the same calendar year.

Then there's critical acclaim. Now that the Academy has expanded the Best Picture category to 10 films, we will definitely see one animated Best Picture nominee (Up), a possible second (The Fantastic Mr. Fox), and the most heated race for Best Animated Feature since the category's inception in 2002. This year, 20 films have been submitted for Best Animated Feature, which are by far the most entries the Academy has seen. My bet for the 5 nominees: Up, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, Coraline, and Ponyo. Take another look at those nominees and you'll see five different types of animation represented: CGI, puppet stop/motion, hand-drawn animation, clay-mation (in 3D, no less), and anime. There has never been a year where such diversity has shaped the animated genre; and I expect the Academy to recognize it in February (if not, you'll definitely see something in the Sullivan-Gooley Awards).

The truth is, animated pictures have reached a new peak. With the increased quality of storylines, decreased production costs, the ability to transcend standard filmmaking techniques through animation, and given the "all-ages" appeal of cartoons, demand for animated pictures has done nothing but skyrocket in recent years. Also taking into effect the competition between three major distributors, there is a constant pressure to release profitable, quality films on a yearly basis.

Without animated films, this year would have been in a lot of trouble, both financially and critically. As time passes, we may look back at 2009 and discover a few classics hidden within the webs of mediocrity; but until that day, I'll be looking back at 2009 with little excitement. The only films with hope of a bright future are Avatar, The White Ribbon, Up, and (500) Days of Summer. These aren't necessarily my Top 5 Films of the Year; however, these films have the ingredients to make a lasting effect on how movies are made from here on out.

Avatar, which was so epic in scope, revolutionized visual effects the moment we started to get de-sensitized to them. Walking into the theatre, so many people (including myself) thought, "there's just no way this movie can be as visually breathtaking as the critics are saying. I mean, we've seen everything already. I saw Star Wars; I saw Jurassic Park; I saw The Matrix Trilogy; and I saw The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. There is absolutely nothing left that my eyes can feast on." Walking out of the theatre, so many people (including myself) thought, "I gotta see that again." And so many people DID see it again. Week 1: $77 million. Week 2: $75 million. Everyone freakin' saw it again! This is like Star Wars-meets-Titanic.

I know you've never heard of The White Ribbon. It hasn't come out yet - not even in New York until December 30th - but I got to see it in flawless condition from the convenience of a sure-to-be-illegal website. One critic said, "It feels like a classic, even as you watch it for the first time;" and they couldn't be more right. Everything just ... works. I don't know how else to explain it. The symbolism is so thick, that you almost want the characters to shut up so that they don't spoil the filmmaking of Michael Haneke. Every shot is so crisp, so precise, expressing so much, that visions of Citizen Kane keep popping up in my head. Is this film Citizen Kane? No. But you can its influence all over the screen. It's not about a person, it's about a small village; a small village that seems refined to its own world, its own ways, its own customs ... by choice. While at first, everyone seems truly concerned about the sudden accidents that occur around the city. When nobody steps forward to accept blame, we see paranoia slowly engulf the town and turn an elitist town into a set of elitist households. For the average viewer, this may be an excruciatingly boring movie. Nothing happens on the surface - there aren't any car chases, exotic sex scenes, courtroom meltdowns, or epic fights to carry on the story. All the tension is just below the surface, all bubbled up and ready to burst. Haneke says so much by showing us so little, but you doesn't have to look deep to realize that something truly tragic is about it happen in this town; and over the next 20 years, this town will see a new generation arise that will surely to go down in history.

Up is a sure-fire Best Picture nominee, and sits behind Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker as front-runners to win. If Disney has ever had a contender with a fighter's chance, this is the year. If it does win, this will truly be the Year of the Cartoon, and this article will go down as prophesy :)

(500) Days of Summer has been called Generation-Y's Annie Hall. Unfortunately, Oscar labels these films more appropriately, and nobody will remember (500) Days of Summer unless it's at least recognized with a Best Picture nomination. What will make for a lasting impact is its appreciation from a male audience. Dudes don't like romantic comedies; but dudes like (500) Days of Summer. Will dudes remember to rent this flick when they have a date, or will they try to impress their girl by going after "safeties" like When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle? (Don't rent The Notebook; that's gay). How dudes answer this question will determine the legacy of this movie. Dudes. Buy it now.

As mentioned before, these four films aren't necessarily in my Top 5, however stand chances at making their long-term mark. We'll just see how they evolve...

As for the best films of the year, I'll reward you for paying attention for this long. Here are my Top 20 Films of 2009 ... in alphabetical order:

(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
Coraline
District 9
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Funny People
The Hangover
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
I Love You, Man
Inglourious Basterds
Knowing
Star Trek
State of Play
Up
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon
World's Greatest Dad
Zombieland

There are still a couple films out there that have a shot at making the Top 20 (Crazy Heart, A Single Man, and Nine), so you'll get the opportunity to see the official draft next month.

To all my readers out there, thank you very much for tuning in. I hope you all have had a Merry Christmas, and I wish you a very happy new year.
-Sully

Top 10 Christmas Movies of All-Time

2009-12-19T19:08:00.005-05:00

Simply put: The Top 10 Christmas Movies of All-Time, with 1 (or 2) quotes and the best scene from each.

10. Die Hard

Best Scene: Watching Hans Gruber fall in slow-motion.

Best Quote: "Yippie kay-yay..."

9. Elf

Best Scene: Seeing Will Farrell in a Elf's desk

Best Quote 1: "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"

Best Quote 2: "Watch out for the yellow ones; they don't stop."

8. Love Actually

Best Scene: The airport chase

Best Quote 1: "Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free!" - Billy Mack

Best Quote 2: "Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around." - Prime Minister

7. A Christmas Story

Best Scene: "Fa-rah-rah-rah-rah. Rah-rah, rah, rah."

Best Quote: "Fa-rah-rah-rah-rah. Rah-rah, rah, rah."

6. Miracle on 34th Street

Best Scene: The verdict.

Best Quote: "Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see? It's not just Kris that's on trial, it's everything he stands for. It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles." - Doris Walker

5. Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer

Best Scene: Meeting the Abominable Snowman

Best Quote: The song, "Silver and gold..."

4. Home Alone

Best Scene: The (attempted) robbery.

Best Quote: "Keep the change, you filthy animal!"

3. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Best Scene: When the Grinch takes the presents.

Best Quote: "And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say
that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.
And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through,
and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches... plus two!"
-Narrator

2. It's a Wonderful Life

Best Scene: "A toast. To my big brother George: the richest man in town!"

Best Quote: "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" - Clarence

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Best scene: Every scene is a classic.

Best Quote 1: "If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! ... Where's the Tylenol?" - Clark Griswold

Best Quote 2: "Merry Christmas! ... Shitter was full!" - Cousin Eddie

Messing with Memory: The #3 and #6 Films of the 2000s

2009-12-17T16:33:00.008-05:00

If you haven't been to Sporcle, you need to check it out immediately. If you haven't heard of Sporcle, you're about to learn. First, it's a website consisting of every type of trivia imaginable. Its slogan "mentally stimulating diversions" can easily be renamed, "Learning instead of working," "How much stupid crap do I know," or "Why the freak do I NOT know that capital of Missouri?! I totally aced that quiz when I was six years old!"

Do any of you 20-somethings remember GeoSafari growing up? No? Maybe I'm just a nerd, but I played that thing all the time back in the day, and I constantly bothered my family with boatloads of useless geographic knowledge picked up from hour-long binges in front of the GeoSafari (Now I know why my mother called me Rain Man growing up. At first I thought it was a complement, but now that I think about it, I may be offended sometime in the next 15 minutes).

Sporcle is an online version of GeoSafari, and expands from geography to touch on hundreds of categories that are sure to distract even the most diligent worker on the planet. If you think you know your presidents, take the quiz. If you think you know Oscar winners, take the quiz. If you think you know every single element in the periodic table, take the quiz. If you think you know every 300-game winner in MLB history, there's a quiz for that too. I'm tellin' ya, they have a quiz for everything. They even have a quiz for the greatest songs of the 80's, 90's, and 00's. When you take each quiz, you're given the name of the song; and you have to list the artist who performed it. I was taking these quizzes at work the other day and came to 3 quick conclusions:

1. The capital of Missouri is Jefferson City.
2. The 80s and 90s rocked.
3. Starting in 2000, guitars were uninvented.

Seriously, can you name 5 bands who got their start in the 21st century and don't sound like castrated 10th graders? All I got are The Killers, Jet, Three Doors Down (who started in '96, but didn't make it big until 2000), John Mayer (who released Inside Wants Out - my favorite album - in '99), and Evanescence. Everyone else sounds like some version of Sum-41/Yellowcard/Fall Out Boy/Good Charlotte … or T-Pain. Even rap sucks now ... and that's the only thing on the radio today. The only highlights of the 00's have been the peak of Jay-Z, Eminem, and a couple start-ups like Ludacris, T.I., and The Game. Lil Wayne sounds like a poodle with asthma, and listening to anything done by an artist from Florida makes me want to revoke my birth certificate. All the best music of this decade came from artists who emerged in the 1990s (or '80s, for all you U2 and Red Hot Chili Peppers fans).

You can almost say the same thing about movies. Truly unique movies are so few-and-far between now; and when something DOES work, their production company launches multiple sequels that dumb down the original. (On a positive note, these sequels are responsible for several box office records, and have helped the industry stay afloat through a recession and writer's strike. 26 of the top 50 all-time highest-grossing domestic releases are sequels, and over 20 were released this decade.) Furthermore, many believe we're reached a point in cinema where everything has been invented already, and that it's impossible to figure out new ways to present a story on the big screen. To back up this philosophy, we've seen an onslaught of post-modern and apocalyptic works that combine all the same storytelling techniques and narrative we're used to seeing, but using them to predict a very bleak future on the human existence (I am Legend, No Country for Old Men, Children of Men, and WALL-E). While several of these films are very, very good, I still believe they represent echoes and homage of the 90s.

The Top 10 Films of the 2000s represent an evolution in filmmaking. Slumdog Millionaire re-defined fate and brought India to the limelight; Finding Nemo took animation to the sea; Good Night, and Good Luck told Edward R. Murrow's story just how Murrow would tell it; Minority Report took film noir to the future as a cautionary tale for the present; Gladiator gave us a classic story through an epic lens; and Almost Famous showed us actual music from a time when music made a difference (and a sick rendition of "Stairway to Heaven" as a special feature of the Untitled Director's Cut).

Memento (#6) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#3) show us the importance of remembering, even if we want desperately to forget. These are films so hard to describe that my only recommendation is to experience it for yourself.

If you're about 20 minutes into either Memento or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and you're thinking "wtf am I watching," that means Christopher Nolan and Charlie Kauffman have you right where they want you. Were you ever forced to become retarded in order to see Forrest Gump or I am Sam? No, but you were forced to sympathize for Forrest and Sam. Did you have to cut off your hands to see The Best Years of Our Lives? No, but you were forced to sympathize with Homer Parrish (and the true-life background of Harold Russell). Was The Piano a silent film made for you to experience life as a deaf person? No, but you were forced to sympathize with Holly Hunter's Ada McGrath, nonetheless.

If you see Memento - and I highly encourage you to do so - you will immediately experience what it's like to have short-term memory loss. I'm going to try and explain how the film is told; but to be honest, it's nearly impossible. As mentioned before, you have to experience it for yourself. Each scene is constructed as a glimpse in Leonard Shelby's life (played by Guy Pearce). All color scenes are told backwards, and all black-and-white scenes are told forward. The first scene in color is the last scene of the story - in which Leonard kills Teddy. The next scene (which is in black-and-white) is the first scene of the story - in which Leonard wakes up alone in a hotel room. From there, writer/director Christopher Nolan cross-cuts between color and black-and-white. The black-and-white scenes go forward; and the color scenes back up until eventually, the film ends with a surprise twist... get this... in the middle of the story. Will you care? Nope. By this time, you've quit trying to figure out what's going on and have now become Leonard Shelby - a detective lost in the life he creates for himself, yet refuses to take responsibility for. You may not understand Memento the first time around, but on a second viewing it'll make a LOT more sense. Also, if you buy the Director's Cut DVD, there is a hidden special features that allows you to see the film in chronological order, in which it becomes a different movie altogether.

Never before has a director used non-linear storytelling like Christopher Nolen. Sure, Quentin Tarantino has worked wonders with Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, but his technique is more stylized; whereas Nolan's is surgical. Every block of dialogue and every cut are set in place like bricks of a home, and the house called Memento will remain sturdy for a long time to come.

Just like Leonard Shelby would like to forget what he did to his wife, Clementine Krazinski is trying to get Joel Barrish erased of her mind altogether. Thanks to the best screenwriter EVER, Charlie Kauffman, that is possible in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. After Clementine (Kate Winslett) successfully removes every memory of her boyfriend altogether, we get to see the operation performed on Joel. Through this operation, Charlie Kauffman allows us to re-live all the memories Joel and Clementine created, only to have these memories erased moments later.

Much like Memento, Eternal Sunshine moves backwards while moving forward. The memory procedure starts with Joel's most recent memory of Clementine and makes its way back to the day the two met. Meanwhile, we see the people who are performing the procedure; and the subplots surrounding each of them. Each scene peels off a layer of complexity, while at the same time letting you into the hearts of Clementine and Joel. Winslett and Carey's chemistry works so well that by the time Joel's operation approaches completion, we're fighting just as hard as they are to prevent their relationship from dissipating. It's a love story unlike any other you have ever seen; and along the lines of something you will never see again.

While few films pushed the envelope this decade, Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind challenged the way movies are written, structured, and put together. So far, no other film has been put together as pure as Christopher Nolan’s Memento; and no film has been as satisfyingly bizarre as Charlie Kauffman’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

These movies can’t be described; rather, they must be experienced.

Back from Hiatus, and the #4 Film of the 2000s: Almost Famous Untitled Director's Cut

2009-12-16T22:46:00.004-05:00

Ok so I decided to take a couple months off. I'm not dead; nor was I sitting on my couch twiddling my thumbs and waiting for something interesting to fall on my lap. In fact, I've experienced just the opposite. Currently there's so many things to write about - so much going on in life right now that warrents a full-blown article - that I haven't had the time to sit down and piece together a complete work on anything.

Times are a changin', and what better time to revamp Sully's World than in the middle of Bowl Season, Oscar Season, and whatever everyone else does while I'm watching a good movie/ football game while opening Christmas presents?

October 15th was the last day I posted an article. Since then, I've seen 6 movies in theatres, 6 million more after Mike Sullivan met Red Box, 8 Florida football games, the beginning of college basketball, the end of the Sullivan-Gooley DVD draft (it went well - stay tuned for results), the World Series, Golden Globe nominees, countless end-of-year/end-of-decade Top 10s, and zero vacation days from my 9-5 job (Thanksgiving doesn't count, unless you'd like to count waking up before the normal wake-up time; driving 3 hours from Raleigh to Charlotte; stuffing 6 pounds of turkey down my throat; watching Miles Austin tear apart the Washington Redskins' secondary for 7 catches and 131 yds in the first half; realizing Miles Austin is on my fantasy team, only to find out I didn't start him; not taking this realization out on my family during Thanksgiving dinner; staying awake for the 3 hour drive home; and going to bed later than the normal bed-time, only to open the doors to the bank the next morning ... yes, I work at a bank, and my vacation begins January 3rd).

We're all busy, especially this time of the year. And with that said, let's set aside some time to recap the #4 Film of the 2000s: Almost Famous Untitled Director's Cut.

To be honest, there isn't much more to say than what Bill Simmons covers in the article that inspired this Top 10 in the first place. For your reading pleasure, his 2-part article:

Part 1
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090727

Part 2
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090728

If you read Part 1, you'll notice the inspiration for the Sullivan-Gooley DVD Draft, which we chose to pick in round-robin format. If you need a format to the rules, please see the link to Part 1 of Bill Simmons' article, or my article "DVD Draft Creating Buzz" (http://sullyz-world.blogspot.com/2009/10/dvd-draft-creating-buzz.html)

#1 Tom Hanks (Sully)
#2 Dustin Hoffman (Sam)
#3 Tom Cruise (Sam)
#4 Robert De Niro (Sully)
#5 Harrison Ford (Sully)
#6 Jimmy Stewart (Sam)
#7 Jack Nicholson (Sam)
#8 Morgan Freeman (Sully)
#9 Matt Damon (Sully)
#10 Paul Newman (Sam)
#11 Al Pacino (Sam)
#12 Gene Hackman (Sully)
#13 Charlie Chaplin (Sully)
#14 Peter Sellers (Sam)
#15 Humphrey Bogart (Sam)
#16 John C. Reilly (Sully)
#17 Brad Pitt (Sully)
#18 Henry Fonda (Sam)
#19 Kevin Spacey (Sully)
#20 Clint Eastwood (Sam)

Who barely missed the cut: Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (see Bill Simmons' argument for him in Part 1), Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando, Clint Howard, Jim Carey, Jeff Bridges, Edward Norton, and Jon Voight.

I highly encourage all readers to create their own draft. I swear, it liberates the soul. In the mean time, stay tuned for more articles coming up soon.

Poll Dancing, by Chris Miller

2009-10-14T19:36:00.003-04:00

What’s the best way to rank college football teams?

It has been assumed and accepted for some time now that the AP and USA Today Coaches’ polls are the gold standard for college football rankings. Regardless of your opinion on playoff vs. BCS, (I’m pro- playoff myself), each system no doubt requires some sort of rankings to determine the seeding. So which poll really is the best? Is there a best way to objectively rank something that is so subjective, as college football cannot ever be a round robin format? There are now alternative methods of ranking teams around the web, and I’ll take a look at a few of them.

Mumme Poll (http://mummepoll.3sib.com/index.php)

The brainchild of two different college football blogs, the Mumme Poll is named after Hal Mumme. Mumme is well known for multiple reasons: (a) former Kentucky Wildcats coach responsible for Tim Couch; (b) top of the coaching tree consisting of Mike Leach, Tony Franklin, Sonny Dykes, Chris Hatcher; (c) abusing his privilege to vote in the coaches’ poll by voting Hawaii #1 in the final coaches’ poll in 2007. Thus, the Mumme Poll.

How is it different from other polls? Glad you asked:

1. The first official ballots aren’t cast until after the games of week 6
2. Teams aren’t ranked in order, the pollsters merely select their top 12 teams and teams are ranked based on the number of times the team appears on ballots
3. A pollster suspected of bucking the system with outrageous rankings (Mumme) will be tossed from the voting

Is it reliable/ valid?

There is limited evidence so far, with 2008 being the inaugural poll. However, the final 2008 poll had Florida #1, so take that for what you will. After week 5 of the 2009 season, the top 5 in the Mumme Poll:

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. LSU
5. Virginia Tech

Which is very similar to the AP and coaches polls, except for Alabama at the top and Texas at #3. Based on the ballot style and the comparisons to current and past polls, the Mumme Poll looks to be reliable on a week to week basis and at the end of the season, without the tradition of the mainstream polls of keeping teams at its current ranking unless they lose.

Summary

Advantages
o Pollsters mostly fans, who watch many games each weekend
o Over 300 voters currently (statistically, a sufficient sample size for a good study is > 30)
o Each pollster votes on top 5, then next 7 (top 12 total), in no particular order
o Rankings based on presence in top 12 or not (binaryà less room for gray areas)
o Subjective rankings (can weed out smaller, undefeated teams)
o Fluid (#1 not stuck there until they lose)

Disadvantages
o Fans are biased
o Subjective rankings (may be influenced by program tradition and/ or media)

Who-beat (http://www.whobeat.net/)

Who-beat (est. 1995) is exactly what it sounds like: a rankings system based simply on who you have beaten and who those teams have beaten. It uses only wins to evaluate teams, so before the season, each team (even Syracuse) is ranked #1.

How it works:
1. Team A beats Team B and Team A earns 1 win
2. Team B beats 3 teams (3 more wins for Team A)
3. Those 3 teams beat a total of 15 teams (15 more wins for Team A)
4. Team A for that week has a total of 19 wins
5. #1 team in the rankings has the most total wins

Is it reliable/ valid?

Looking at the rankings before the 2007 bowl games, the rankings looked like this:
1. LSU (won national title 38-24)
2. Oklahoma (lost in blowout in bowl game)
3. Virginia Tech (lost bowl game)
4. Missouri (won in blowout in bowl game)
5. Southern Cal (won in blowout in bowl game)
6. West Virginia (won in blowout in bowl game)
7. Ohio State (lost national title 24-38)

Before the 2008 bowl games, who-beat rankings looked like this:
1. Florida (won national title 24-14)
2. Oklahoma (lost national title 14-24)
3. Texas (won bowl game)
4. Alabama (lost bowl game in blowout)
5. Pittsburgh (lost bowl game)
6. Southern Cal (won bowl game in blowout)
7. Utah (won bowl game in blowout)

After week 6 of the 2009 season:
1. Alabama
2. Virginia Tech
3. Iowa
4. Florida
5. LSU
6. Washington
7. Ohio State

What can we learn by this look at who-beat? It looks as though #1 in the who-beat rankings following the regular season will most likely win the national championship and should absolutely be in the game, but after #1 who knows. It does look like any team ranked higher than 5 in the final who-beat rankings does not deserve to be in the national title game (see Ohio State circa 2007). Based on the week 6 rankings of this year with 3-3 Washington in the top 6, it looks as though these rankings are unreliable on a week to week basis.

Interesting observations:
- Ohio State (11-1) finished #7 in the 2007 post regular season rankings despite one of the best numerical regular season records and had a poor showing in the national title game
- Oklahoma’s rankings may be enhanced by the Big 12 schedule and the conference title game
- USC’s rankings may be too low based on the Pac-10 schedule and lack of conference title game
- BCS “busters” Hawaii in 2007 and Utah in 2008 are ranked much lower in these rankings despite their undefeated regular seasons
- Maybe Texas deserved to play Florida in 2008, they did beat Oklahoma and only the Big 12 championship game rules kept Texas out of their conference championship, which may have given Texas the rankings boost to play Florida

Summary

Advantages
o Objective (eliminates bias)
o Doesn’t detract for losses
o Not affected by “style points” or blowouts
o Strongly favors strength of schedule (eliminates BCS “busters”)

Disadvantages
o Doesn’t detract for losses
o Strongly favors strength of schedule (may hurt BCS leagues with no conference title game)

Coaches/ AP poll (http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings)

For years, these have been the gold standard for ranking football teams, but should they be so? The AP poll is comprised of > 60 sportswriters from across the country with a preseason poll and weekly polls. Sportswriters are generally regarded as experts in the sports that they cover. But, if sportswriter A covers Team A and writes a daily column on Team A, does sportswriter A really know enough about teams B-Z to accurately rank them, or will the writer simply look at results and rank based on previous week and is he or she susceptible to “style point” rankings?
The Coaches’ poll is comprised of > 60 coaches from across the country with a preseason poll and weekly polls. Similar to sportswriter A, does Coach A really have time to research all the teams outside of his conference and accurately rank the teams without bias?

Are they reliable/ valid?

Before 2007 bowl games:

AP Poll
1. Ohio State (lost national title in blowout)
2. LSU (won national title in blowout)
3. Oklahoma (lost bowl game in blowout)
4. Georgia (won bowl game in blowout)
5. Virginia Tech (lost bowl game)
6. USC (won bowl game in blowout)
7. Missouri (won bowl game in blowout)

Coaches’ Poll
1. Ohio State (see above)
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma
4. Georgia
5. Virginia Tech
6. USC
7. Missouri

Before 2008 bowl games:

AP Poll
1. Florida (won national title)
2. Oklahoma (lost national title)
3. Texas (won bowl game)
4. Alabama (lost bowl game in blowout)
5. USC (won bowl game in blowout)
6. Penn State (lost bowl game in blowout)
7. Utah (won bowl game in blowout)

Coaches’ Poll
1. Oklahoma (see above)
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. USC
5. Alabama
6. Penn State
7. Utah

After week 6 of 2009:

AP Poll
1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Virginia Tech
5. Boise State
6. USC
7. Ohio State

Coaches’ Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Virginia Tech
5. USC
6. Boise State
7. Ohio State

The two groups seem to vote very very similarly (maybe the result of the same bias and same limited exposure to other teams?). The deserving national champion is usually in the top 2. Week to week rankings may not make complete sense, but through the course of the season, the “cream of the crop will rise to the top”, showing that these polls are very reliable when it comes down to the end of the season.

Summary

Advantages
o Respected for years
o Voters are professionals in the sport
o Reliable at the end of each year
o Detracts for losses
o Each has good number of voters, statistically

Disadvantages
o Static (#1 remains there until they lose)
o Detracts for losses (all losses are not created equal)
o Vulnerable to “style points” and blowouts
o First ballots are cast in the offseason based on assumptions from the previous year’s finish and # of players returning
o Coaches and sports writers tend to weight their teams and conferences higher and don’t get to see as many games as fans

Conclusion

Each ranking style has its unique strengths and it appears that the Mumme Poll may actually be the most accurate way to rank teams because many fans who watch multiple games a week vote, however there is limited evidence so far to support it. Who-beat looks to be GREAT when it comes to determining the actual national champion, but again there is limited evidence. The traditional polls have great evidence but are way too vulnerable to bias and may not be the best method. It appears as though a combination of all of these would provide the best rankings system ... which actually validates the BCS. Hmmm…

DVD Draft Creating Buzz

2009-10-14T11:29:00.006-04:00

Friends, Romans, Countrymen of Sully's World,

The Sullivan-Gooley DVD Draft is approaching, and the buzz is already heating up. Dozens of readers have already expressed great anticipation of the draft, and many list-makers have sent me their own Top 10 via email, Facebook, and late-night phone calls. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can read the "Previewing the Next Project" article posted a couple weeks ago or follow the rules and guidelines listed below.

(First, I must give credit where credit's due, I thank The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, for inspiring this draft. Many spin-off's are sure to follow (directors, producers, screenwriters, etc.), so I thank him for sparking the idea.)

The main purpose: choose an actor, and you receive his or her entire DVD collection. Who are your top 10, and why?

Disclaimers:
1. Cameos/appearances don't count. The actor must have at least a minor part in the film. Examples of what don't count: Alfred Hitchcock appearing in all of his films; Samuel L. Jackson after the credits in Iron Man; the guy who shows up as Annikan Skywalker at the end of the original Return of the Jedi.
2. While cameos/appearances don't count; minor roles DO count. There's a difference. Examples of minor roles that fit the bill: John C. Reilly in Gangs of New York; Matt Damon at the end of Finding Forrester; and Clive Owen as the assassin in The Bourne Supremacy.

Other than those disclaimers, it's fair game. You pick your 10, then be prepared to defend your answers. By taking in all roles of a movie career - not necessarily starring roles - this draft opens up the doors to so many actors who got the chance to play supporting roles in a ton of good movies; however not got the chance to carry a movie on their own. The best example of this: John Cazale. He was only in five films, so he probably won't make my list for an entire body of work; however, the five films he was in would make for a sick DVD collection (The Godfather, The Godfather Part 2, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, and Dog Day Afternoon). While he may not make my Top 10, he's a solid top-30 pick ... not bad for five films.

To give you a model of a solid Top Ten, look no further than Aaron Wallace. Aaron's movie knowledge is legit, and he currently writes DVD reviews while attending Law School at Wake Forest. Listed below is a message he sent me through Facebook. What I love about his top ten is that he doesn't hesitate to take risks. Not every person in his top 10 is a blockbuster; and while Aaron admits a present-day bias for having grown up in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, he also includes a few actors with 40-year track records who have made an impact on 5 decades. So far this is the best list I've seen that I can use as a preview to the Sullivan-Gooley DVD Draft. Stay tuned!

#1 Tom Cruise

He's up first because, if you read Mike's earlier post announcing this draft, you know he's in high demand. I need only two words to make my case for Cruise: Top Gun. But while his Gen-X roles made him a star, it's his more recent work that makes him such an important draft choice. In between jumping on Oprah's couch and brainwashing Katie Holmes, he's found time to make some of this decade's best films, from the latter (and better) two entries in the Mission: Impossible saga to his persona-redefining turn in Tropic Thunder. He's been in two of Cameron Crowe's best movies (Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky) and one of Spielberg's best (Minority Report), and even one of Spielberg's weaker films that I STILL want on my shelf (War of the Worlds).

#2 Tom Hanks

Is there any DVD collection of 15 or more that doesn't have at least one Tom Hanks movie in it? There shouldn't be. In fact, you could have a collection of 15 DVDs, each of them starring Tom Hanks, and have a pretty strong roster. I'll name those 15 now: Splash, Big, A League of Their Own, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, That Thing You Do!, Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story 2, The Green Mile, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, The Polar Express, and Charlie Wilson's War. And that's just scratching the surface. Granted, I might think it's a little weird if the only movies you own all star Tom Hanks, but you'd earn mandatory respect nonetheless.

#3 Will Smith

I can't begin to appraise the worth of a Will Smith DVD collection without first noting that it would include all six seasons (once they're released) of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", which makes him a pretty essential draft pick in and of itself. We needn't turn to TV (or rap) to find Smith's real value, though. Men in Black, Independence Day, and Bad Boys are staples of any movie library, the titles that made him the King of the 1990s Action/Comedy. Those films' sequels (well, there's no ID4-2 yet) are pretty worthwhile too. And I don't care how bad it supposedly is, I love watching Wild, Wild West. Will Smith has got to be the only rapping comedy star whose biggest crowd pleasers are sci-fi flicks. I, Robot is probably the best contemporary "Frankenstein" film and while I Am Legend is kind of narratively muddled, you've got to have the Blu-ray disc if you've gone hi-def because the transfer is out of this world. One of my favorite Will Smith movies finds the young actor going for nothing but laughs in the oft-forgotten Made in America. I want to be sure I own that one so I can loan it out to others who'll be seeing it for the first time.

#4 Johnny Depp

Steven Spielberg is probably the greatest director to ever live, and Orson Welles or Billy Wilder might have been the best, but Tim Burton is my favorite. Naturally, then, I'll be needing Johnny Depp's complete filmography. Edward Scissorhands. Ed Wood. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. These unforgettably showcase the considerable talent of both men, and then there is arguably their mutual career best: Sweeney Todd. Unlike Burton, though, Depp hasn't been so relentlessly dark. His versatility shines through in his movie collection, from the quirky (Benny & Joon) to the charming (Chocolat) to the imaginative (Finding Neverland) to the badass (Jack Sparrow, savvy?). In addition to all these, drafting Johnny gets you a whole host of crazy little film ventures on the side for your diversifying pleasure.

#5 Humphrey Bogart

He played Rick in Casablanca. I don't feel the least bit compelled to justify this pick with anything else. Just for fun, though, I will. While most stars of the classic era have only one or two enduring films to their credit, at least a third of Bogart's work ranks among the indisputably greatest movies ever made. The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and The African Queen are but a few, and each among my favorites. Casablanca aside, though, I'd be most excited about bringing home his extensive film noir work, classics like The Big Sleep and In a Lonely Place included.

#6 Morgan Freeman

I think an all-day Morgan Freeman marathon would be some sort of inspiration overdose. Listening to that voice all day long, the one that makes you believe him even when he's the bad guy, would have me jacked up on enough purpose and good intentions to qualify me for a Nobel Peace Prize. His career is essentially comprised of variations on "the magic negro," but nobody plays the part like him. Driving Miss Daisy, Unforgiven, The Shawshank Redemption, Bruce Almighty, The Dark Knight... the man can drive you out of prison in a Batmobile he made from scratch, speaking with the voice of God along the way. What more could you ask for?

#7 Jack Nicholson

Heath Ledger gave one of the most celebrated performances of all time as The Joker and still the best that can be said is that Ledger's Joker is "different" from -- not better than -- Jack Nicholson's. No actor has intrigued me or freaked me out as consistently as Nicholson, in all-time greats like Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Witches of Eastwick, The Departed, and perhaps my favorite (but certainly not the best) Kubrick film, The Shining. I also give major props to Anger Management, in which Nicholson explores the funny side of crazy for a change.

#8 Dustin Hoffman

With Dustin Hoffman, you get at least two defining films from each of the last five decades. From the '60s: Midnight Cowboy and The Graduate. From the '70s: All the President's Men and Kramer vs. Kramer. From the '80s: Tootsie and Rain Man. From the '90s: Dick Tracy and Hook. From this decade: Finding Neverland and I Heart Huckabees (which may not be altogether definitive but it is nevertheless excellent). The greatest of these is, of course, The Graduate, a movie you are simply required to have in your collection -- so, case closed. Hoffman also gets you fun, if less prestigious, movies like Agatha and Sphere.

#9 Leonardo DiCaprio

Now before you roll your eyes, let me remind you that he graduated from his "teen heartthrob" stigma ten years ago -- and even when he was in the middle of it, he was acting with more skill than any other in his ilk (not to mention headlining the most successful movie of all time). From the "Leo" era, The Basketball Diaries, Romeo + Juliet, Marvin's Room, and The Man in the Iron Mask are all strong films in their own right. From grown-up DiCaprio, Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, The Departed, and Revolutionary Road have each been heralded with tremendous acclaim. And then, of course, there's Titanic. Added bonus: "Growing Pains".

#10 Ben Stiller - I really only needed to see four Ben Stiller movies to know that I'd want to draft him: Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Night at the Museum, and Tropic Thunder. He has so many others to supplement that hilarious line-up, though: Heavyweights, Mystery Men, There's Something About Mary, Starsky & Hutch, Keeping the Faith, and the list goes on. If it counts as more than a cameo, I get Happy Gilmore too, which makes me feel a lot better about choosing Stiller over Sandler.

NCAA Football: Who Still Matters

2009-10-04T18:07:00.004-04:00

Now that we're five weeks into the 2009 football season, it's time to start highlighting who can actually play football, who has been pretending to play football, and who is still living off their name as a traditional football team. Without further ado, here's the current coaches poll:

1. Florida (54)
2. Texas (1)
3. Alabama (5)
4. LSU
5. Virginia Tech
6. Boise State
7. USC
8. Cincinnati
9. Ohio State
10. TCU
11. Miami
12. Iowa
13. Oregon
14. Penn State
15. Oklahoma State
16. Kansas
17. Auburn
18. BYU
19. Oklahoma
20. Ole Miss
21. Nebraska
22. Georgia Tech
23. South Florida
24. Missouri
25. South Carolina

Others: Wisconsin, Houston, Georgia, Stanford, Utah, Michigan, Boston College, Notre Dame, Pitt, Arizona, West Virginia

By Conference:
6 - SEC: Florida (1), Alabama (3), LSU (4), Auburn (17), Ole Miss (20), South Carolina (25)
6 - Big 12: Texas (2), Oklahoma State (15), Kansas (16), Oklahoma (19), Nebraska (21), Missouri (24)
3 - ACC: Virginia Tech (5), Miami (11), Georgia Tech (22)
3 - Big Ten: Ohio State (9), Iowa (12), Penn St (14)
2 - Pac 10: USC (7), Oregon (13)
2 - Big East: Cincinnati (8), South Florida (23)
2 - Mountain West: TCU (10), BYU (18)
1 - WAC: Boise St (6)

Contenders - Florida, Texas, Alabama, USC

Florida - Next week's showdown in Baton Rouge will be Tim Tebow's chance to move up a few notches in College Football's All-Time Greatest list. You are fresh off a concussion, surrounded by 90,000 people who want to see you die on national television, and have done nothing over the last 2 weeks but watch re-runs of yourself getting leveled by a Kentucky defensive end. Your undefeated season, your rivalry bragging rights, and your legacy all hang in the balance. Pressure? What pressure?

Texas - Ok, so you haven't played anyone yet. The good news is: the only loss you've had in the last two years came on the last play against un-signed NFL WR Michael Crabtree; and you won the re-match (like that took much effort). You had last weekend off; you pretty much have this weekend off (Colorado); and face a showdown against not-completely-rehabilitated-yet Sam Bradford 2 weeks from now. While the Big 12 is supposed to be great, Texas sure has an easy run ahead of 'em.

Alabama - The only loss you've had in the last two years came against Florida in the SEC Championship game. You dominated a strong Virginia Tech squad on opening night; coasted for the last month; and now enter the meat of your SEC schedule. If you can survive at Ole Miss this weekend, you get to face LSU at home before an epic Iron Bowl matchup against Auburn on 11/27. The SEC West is rediculous.

USC - It seems like every year you have a WTF loss that motivates you to destroy the rest of the Pac 10. Two years ago it was Stanford; last year it was Oregon State; and this year you had Washington. Now you've hosted Washington State as a welcome-back scrimmage for the injured Matt Barkley; and pummelled over-rated Cal in what was supposed to be a close game. If you can survive back-to-back-to-back games against Notre Dame (haha), Oregon State (grudge game at home), and Oregon (mystery team of the year, next to Florida State).

Still Need to Prove It - Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Ohio St

Virginia Tech - I still have no idea what to make of them. Yea, they lost a close game to Alabama to start the season, buy yet it was still the first game of the season. Alabama could have been rusty; VT could have played one heck of a game; or they're a legitimate squad. They destroyed Miami (3-1 against 4 ranked opponents to start off the season), but the conditions were awful (it looked like a monsoon) and the Hurricanes didn't show up. Their other big win? Nebraska (3-1, whose victories came against Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette) by 1 point. Nebraska is ranked, but I'll discuss them in a moment.

Cincinnati - They went 11-2 last year, won the Big East, went to the Orange Bowl, returned their star QB, and still weren't in the preseason Top 25. In fact, no Big East team was ranked to begin the season, and the Bearcats owe their current #8 ranking to all the other teams ahead of them who decided to lose over the last 5 weeks. Cincinnati hasn't really played anybody, unless you think their opponents' 8-15 combined record is something to brag about. Their rise up the rankings has been linear - they've moved up 3-4 spots each week - and seem to be moving up by sheer default. They may never really face a true quality opponent after South Florida (who they get a bye week to prepare for), allowing them to cruise into a BCS Bowl without any serious challenges. Until they either destroy South Florida or win in January, they will not crack my top 10.

Ohio State - They're Ohio State. Win a bowl game and quit playing high-schools in the Midwest. Then I'll half-way take them seriously.

Underrated Contenders - Miami, Oregon, Auburn, and South Florida

Miami - Wow, what a start. You've already faced the bulk of your ACC schedule and upset Oklahoma. Your last 3 tests are all away games: Wake Forest (over-rated), UNC (horrible, but who knows. Miami always struggles with UNC), and South Florida. If the U can make it through the rest of the season with 1 loss, they will have a date with a weak Atlantic Division foe in the ACC Championship Game en route to the BCS National Championship Game. Also, if Florida loses between now and December, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford may very well welcome Jacory Harris as the 3rd straight sophomore QB to with the Heisman Trophy.

Oregon - Their only loss came in the first week against a top-5 Boise State team; they host USC at home in 3 weeks in the "Pac-10 championship game"; and have 2 minor road challenges (Washington and Stanford) from a trip to the Rose Bowl. Also, if they only lose one of those three games, we may be seeing Oregon enter the BCS as an at-large bid to take on Boise State or TCU. Roll that up and smoke it, LeGarrette Blount.

Auburn - Offense? Where did that come from? Is this the same Auburn who went 5-7 last year, with one of those victories being 3-2 over Mississippi State? After 5 games, they've already matched last year's win total; and are on pace to have a 3,000-yd passer, two 1,000-yd rushers, and 40 points per game. After scoring more points at Tennessee than Florida did against Tennessee at the Swamp, Auburn has entered the national spotlight. Unfortunatley, that's where the good news ends. The bad news: Auburn plays in the SEC West, which, as a 6-team division, is easily the toughest conference in college football. The end of Auburn's schedule would make Miami's first 4 games look like a cake walk. In 34 days, they play LSU (away), Ole Miss, Georgia (away), and Alabama.

South Florida - So how do you respond to losing your starting QB for the rest of the season? Easy, you let your backup throw for 200 yds/gm and rush for 80 yds/gm while traveling to Florida State and Syracuse and beating them both ... convincingly. On the 15th, they host Cincinnati in a sure-to-be battle of undefeateds for the fast-track to the Big East Championship. Unlike Cincinnati, South Florida has already proven themselves. While they have a more difficult road to the Orange Bowl (@Pitt, @Rutgers, @UConn ... plus Miami at home), I wouldn't count out South Florida yet.

Ranked Solely on Reputation - Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, The Big Ten

Oklahoma State - They looked really great against Georgia ... until we found out Georgia was horrible. They looked really bad against Houston ... until we found out Houston was horrible, too (UTEP put up 58 points on Houston last week. 2-and-3 UTEP. Ouch.).

Nebraksa - The only thing keeping Nebraska from an undefeated record is a university that actually plays football. Once Nebraska played a real-life football team, they couldn't handle the pressure; and they lost by 1 point.

Ole Miss - Syracuse, led by Duke point guard Greg Paulus, looked better than Ole Miss on 9/24. That's the night Ole Miss lost the most boring, torcherous game of the year (next to NC State/South Carolina on opening night). I mean that game was painful. After that, I dropped Ole Miss out of my Top 25 and put them just ahead of Syracuse (go to hell, Greg Paulus). Unless they beat Alabama this weekend, I wouldn't vote Ole Miss for dogcatcher.

The Big Ten - Listed below are the non-conference opponents for each Big Ten school. The majority of these games are played in-succession toward the beginning of the season; and, as you will soon tell, not many of these game pose much of a challenge to any school from a BCS conference. What does this mean? It means that most Big Ten schools have an extra month of scrimmages before starting conference play; and, with most of these schools going 4-0 out of conference, each Big Ten team only needs to win 2 conference games to become bowl eligible. Just think about it: what if you went 2-6 in your conference, but went to a bowl game? While I admit that many BCS conferences intentionally schedule weaker non-conference teams to play in the regular season, most of those BCS schools do so in order to provide a break from the harsh conditions and brutal competition from their inter-conference opponents. These schools also take the time out to schedule a QUALITY non-conference opponent for the very purpose of boosting their strength-of-schedule. While the Big Ten plays several schools from BCS Conferences (14 total), the vast majority of these opponents come from the bottom rungs of their corresponding conference. Example? Sure! Syracuse, led by Duke point guard Greg Paulus. Syracuse sucks so bad that they begged a Caucasian point guard to be their starting QB knowing full well that he hadn't touched a football in 4 years. What's funnier? Syracuse plays Minnesota, Penn State, and Northwestern (and beat Northwestern, LOL); and Syracuse will be Penn State and Northwestern's only opponent from a BCS Conference outside the Big Ten.

Moral of the (Big Ten) story: Schedule good teams; beat good teams (especially in January); and until that happens, stop complaining about how you're not getting respect.

Navy
USC
Toledo
New Mexico State

Northern Illinois
Fresno State
Wofford
Hawaii

Northern Iowa
Iowa State
Arizona
Arkansas State

Western Michigan
Notre Dame
Eastern Michigan
Delaware State

Akron
Syracuse
Temple
Eastern Illinois

Syracuse
Air Force
California
South Dakota State

Towson
Eastern Michigan
Syracuse
Miami (OH)

Montana State
Central Michigan
Notre Dame
Western Michigan

Toledo
Oregon
Northern Illinois
Notre Dame

Eastern Kentucky
Western Michigan
Akron
Virginia

Missouri
Illinois State
Cincinnati
Fresno State

Previewing the Next Project

2009-09-30T11:24:00.002-04:00

Listed here is a comment posted to my Facebook page from a fraternity brother and great friend, Manny. He poses a good question, and I would like to highlight the "Tom Cruise made like 6 straigh solid flicks" section because it provides a great segway to the next series to hit Sully's World.

Dude, I love that you put Minority Report in your top 10. I freaking love that movie. While I'm sure you think Spielberg makes the movie, you also have to remember this is when Tom Cruise was at the pinnacle of his career, further propelling this film's "mystique" at the time. Yet, if I were to select any film for Tom Cruise during this period (he made like 6 straight solid flicks), I HAVE to go with The Last Samurai. That movie reaches the level of mood that Minority Report has and is more badass. I'd even argue the acting (including Cruise) crushes Minority Report. It's just as rewatchable, has more interesting characters, is an awesome throwback genre crossover, and LOADED with practical effects. Only weakness in comparison is obviously Spielberg's complete command of the screen (that hug between Cruise and Morton comes to mind, which would literally be the most awkward hug ever, but looks so f*ing cool), yet Eddie Zwick is no slouch either and totally pulled that flick off to the max. Thoughts?

Manny knows his stuff, guys. The Last Samurai was a pretty awesome flick, and while it didn't quite make my Top 20 of the 2000s, he should know that I definitely mark it as one of the best films of 2003 (and 2003 was loaded with good flicks, too).

Manny and I can go back-and-forth for days about why I'd pick Minority Report and he would pick The Last Samurai; but I would like to mention that he referenced a "Tom Cruise era," and how Cruise came out with a bunch of can't-miss films in a 10-year span (if you look at his IMDb page from 1996-2005, you'll see a banner saying "Tom Cruise stars in a Billion Dollars"). Great obervation, Manny, which makes me think about my idol Bill Simmons at ESPN who got me started on this whole "Top 10 of the 2000s" in the first place. During Bill's article on the NBA offseason, he not only mentioned that Almost Famous was his pick for the greatest film of this decade, but also mentioned the following:

"If you were to have a DVD-collection draft with five buddies (and by the way, don't think I haven't done this) in which everyone picks six actors in snake fashion and you get every single movie they made on DVD, (Philip Seymour) Hoffman would be a sneaky late-first-round pick. Because you asked, my top 12 looks like this: Hanks, De Niro, Cruise, Stallone, Pacino, Douglas, Freeman, Damon, Hoffman, Costner, Hackman and Denzel. Late-round sleepers: Clancy Brown and Joe Pantoliano. Admit it, you want to make your own list."

Yes, yes I do. And the next series to hit Sully's World will be the DVD-collection draft between me and Sam Gooley. Tom Cruise is a sure-thing on my list, but other sleepers are sure to be included.

As always, I appreciate the feedback from all readers. I will attempt to reply to each comment via email, Facebook, a blog entry like this one, or, if you don't like what I write, a 3:30am phone call letting you know what I think of you. Just kidding ... kinda.

Where's #6?

2009-09-29T18:47:00.001-04:00

If you just read my article on the #5 Film of the 2000s and thought I lost count, don't you worry!

The #6 film will be included with the #3 film of the 2000s.

Stay tuned!

#5 Film of the 2000s: Gladiator

2009-09-25T14:49:00.001-04:00

"What we do in life, echoes an eternity."

Not sure about y'all, but every time I see this movie I want to fight someone. Just on principle.

There has never been a better demonstration of the term "fight for your freedom" than Gladiator. (Well ... maybe another film, but you'll see it later on in the Top 10 Films of the 2000s. That film was more of a "let's-all-fight-for-our-freedom" film, where as Gladiator was solely Maximus.) Also, what better tale of vengeance than Gladiator. The plot was known by everybody before it came out - it was so simple - yet it delivered the total punch. Hell, in case you spaced out over the first 90 minutes and forgot what you were watching, Maximus brings you right up to speed with a monologue that should fire up anyone who's got a pair.

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife; and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

Gloves are off; fists are clenched. Let's go. I dare my roommate to come home right now. The next person who walks through that door is going to get punched in the face. Sure, they'll be pissed ... but they'll understand.

This review is going to be short, simply because with Gladiator there isn't much to talk about. It's so black-and-white, so transparent, so true to the plot, and so epic. Everyone's perfectly cast; everyone fulfills their character; and everyone in the theatre knows what's going to happen next. There aren't any surprises, but we're not in the theatre to be surprised; we're here to know that we can follow a man like Maximus. We can conquer any obstacle if we fight in the name of our family, our countrymen, our honor, and our identity. If anyone tries to stand in the way of these things, the gloves come off; and you better be ready to brawal, or you better be prepared to die.

It calls you out as a man. It pushes me up against a wall, saying, "if you opt not to fight in the name of your family, your countrymen, your honor, or your identity, you haven't an excuse for what happens in your life. You live a life of quiet desperation, hypocracy, and will be forced to watch from the sidelines as others receive the glory that God gave you to claim.

...So what kind of man are you?"

Quick Shout-Out to Lane Kiffin

2009-09-21T19:13:00.004-04:00

Dearest Lane,

First I would like to congratulate you on not getting destroyed this weekend in the Swamp. Your ability to call run plays on every single 3rd-and-long make you the most respected woman coach in college football. The way your skirt was blowing in the wind had some of your players forgetting that UT had a cheerleading squad.

In all seriousness, all of us Gator fans enjoy a woman who doesn't always go for it. You kept it conservative, and we're glad you're saving yourself for the opportune moment. Although you took a loss this time around, your team is surely rested for that epic showdown against Ohio next week. It'll be a tough grind - as is the case whenever you play teams from the great state of Ohio - so I'm proud of you for not wasting all your team's talent and ability on a silly team like #1 Florida.

The Gators also thank you. You're so nurturing! By calling run plays deep into the 4th quarter, you allowed us to rest all of our players on offense who have the flu. Why didn't you actually make us some chicken soup?

I'm actually quite surprised you made your team work as hard as you did. I mean, they were sweating and everything! If you wanted to keep it close and run out the clock, why didn't you take a knee to start off the second half? It would have done you the same good; and it would have kept those bright white uniforms from getting all dirty. I hope some of the scholarship money left over from buying that recruit from Florida (you remember, the one Urban Meyer called without your permission? I thought cheating only happened when you did something physical, not call them after their mother goes to bed.) can be used to buy some extra Tide for those grass stains.

Maybe next year when UT gathers 105,000 people into a stadium, you'll decide to bring two testicals, 22 players, and a gameplan. In the mean time, how about you start asking the city of Knoxville and the state of Tennessee for a football team.

Any volunteers?

Love,
Sully

#7 Film of the 2000s: Minority Report (2002)

2009-09-13T20:25:00.009-04:00

Before we do anything, let's get one thing straight: Stephen Spielberg is the greatest director of all time. If you disagree with me, that's cool. This is still a free country (for the time being ... but that's a whole other topic right there), so everyone's entitled to be wrong with his or her own conflicting opinion. To over-summarize my argument, no other director has had a resume, style, consistency, and following that even comes close to Stephen Speilberg.
In fact, there's only one argument you could use against that summary that I would even listen to ... and that's the "Tupac is still better than Jay-Z" argument.

Begin Four Paragraph Tangent

Seriously. Look at Jay-Z's career. Of his 11 or 12 albums, most have received critical acclaim (Reasonable Doubt is ranked #248 in Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time; The Blueprint is ranked #464, and received a "Five-Mic" review from The Source; and Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1999); each has sold at least 1 million copies; and Jay-Z has been the CEO of two record companies. Not bad for a guy who's still in his 30s.

While listening to his latest album with my best friend, Jimmy Lindsey, we both came to the conclusion that Jay-Z has officially passed Biggie as the #2 rapper of all-time. This is hard to admit, because I never thought Jay's talent belonged in the same ballpark as BIG ... ever. While Jay-Z can just think of an idea and roll out a verse at the blink of an eye, Biggie did the same thing with "Juicy," which remains better than any song Jay-Z ever put out. What separates Jay from BIG is Jay's fortunate ability to fulfil the extent of his potential; whereas with Biggie, we can only wonder what could have been. Yes, BIG has 2 All-Time Top 10 rap albums (Ready to Die and Life After Death, and I believe Ready to Die is the greatest album ever), but those are the only albums he ever put out. Jay has my #10 (The Blueprint), #9 (Reasonable Doubt), and #4 (The Black Album) albums of all time.

(#1 Ready to Die; #2 Illmatic; #3 Chronic 2001; #4 The Black Album; #5 All Eyez On Me; #6 Doggystyle; #7 Life After Death; #8 Venni Vetti Vicci by JA Rule; #9 Reasonable Doubt; #10 The Blueprint ... I smell a future article...)

Jay has also said everything a rapper could possibly say in a career. 1.) He prophesized his taking-over of the industry (see Reasonable Doubt). 2.) He dominated the airwaves with radio-friendly songs (see Vol. 2), to become a multi-millionaire. 3.) He told everyone he made it, while simultaneously raising the bar (The Blueprint). 4.) Went out on top, while prophesizing a Jordan-esque return (see "Encore" on The Black Album) 5.) Then he came back; and backed it up (see his work with Linkin Park, Kingdom Come, and The Blueprint III).

So why is Jay-Z still not the greatest rapper of all-time? Why is he not bigger than Tupac? The answer - and this may sound corny - is that Tupac was more than just a man. Here's an analogy for Tupac: imagine if Michael Jordan's athleticism and pop-culture influence was combined with Muhammed Ali's mystique and social commentary, you would then have Tupac Shakur. Jay-Z, like Michael Jordan, has the perfect pro resume; but Tupac accomplished almost everything Jay-Z accomplished before he turned 26. Pac wasn't a businessman, so he couldn't be the CEO of a company; however, he was the spokesperson for an entire generation; and that extends far beyond the measuring stick that Jay-Z uses to scale his career.

End of Four-Paragraph Tangent

Stephen Spielberg, much like Jay-Z, has accumulated the perfect resume. His handful of classics, influence on pop culture, and ability to effortlessly create masterpieces without over-thinking the details make Spielberg the most accomplished director to stand behind a camera. (For those of you who actually read the four-paragraph tangent, re-read it, and replace "Jay-Z" with "Stephen Spielberg" and you'll get the point). To my knowledge, there hasn't been a Tupac-like figure in the film industry to take away Spielberg's crown as the greatest.

What signifies Spielberg is his ability to release multiple classics every decade. Most directors never get the opportunity to tell one classic, let alone two beasts every 10 years. From Jaws to Close Encounters, Raiders to E.T., or Jurassic Park and Schindler to Private Ryan, you can always count on the Dreamworks founder to find a dream and make it work on the big screen.

Entering the 21st Century, Spielberg has put out 2 films that will go down as classics; however, it won't be the flash and epic nature of the films I've listed above that will make these 2 films classics. They're both cop movies, both released in 2002, and both are told as cat-and-mouse throw-backs to the 1940s. What's nuts is that they don't look anything like each other. The first is Catch Me If You Can, featuring the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. and all the shinanigans he caused as a teenager in the '60s. While you won't be seeing it in the Top 20 of the 2000s, you will be seeing it on TV every Christmas, just before Love Actually or It's a Wonderful Life. It features a convincing performance by Leonardo DiCaprio; a touching turn from Christopher Walken; and Tom Hanks armed with the best knock-knock joke ever. I also rank it just behind The Shawshank Redemption as the #2 Guy Movie that Every Girl Likes.

The second film is Minority Report - a fascinating parable on human nature, destiny, and how you would react if you knew your own future. For sake of time, space, and your own reading sanity, I'll go over three quick facts that I love about Minority Report; and if you have any additional questions, I'll post your question and my answer for all to see.

1. The Technicalities. Minority Report was nominated for 1 Academy Award: Sound Effects Editing. That may be the most pointless category of all Oscars, and I almost wish the Academy went all-out to completely forget the movie altogether. Instead, I'll take it as an insult that such a well-crafted film didn't receive critical acclaim for its cinematography, art direction, and visual effects.

...or maybe they simply didn't notice? Now that I look back at each film nominated for cinematography, art direction, and visual effects, each features over-the-top performances of each category. Road to Perdition and Far From Heaven looked like motion-paintings, not motion-pictures (cinematography); Gangs of New York literally re-built NYC, and Lord of the Rings-Two Towers literally re-built all of Middle Earth (art direction); and Spider Man and Attack of the Clones consisted of characters doing corny poses in front of green screens (visual effects). With all of these showy effects, the audience loses its grip on the actual storyline; therefore, in my opinion, weakening the film. Minority Report - while using a plethora of effects - stays so loyal to the storyline that we may not even notice the efforts involved to make each scene possible. We just enjoy it.

The realistic future of Washington D.C. is set up with understated cinematography, art direction, and visual effects. His long-time cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Schindler, Private Ryan, and the non-Spielberg film Diving Bell and the Butterfly to name a few) takes out the majority of the color in each shot: creating a hazy, gray world that's filled with smog and lacking excitement. With pre-cogs preventing every murder, the world is transparent; and Spielberg embodies this transparency using glass-walled sets througout the picture. Pre-Crime Headquarters, for example, doesn't seem to have an opaque substance in the building. All walls are made of glass; and computers show images on a clear screen that can be viewed throughout the building. On the surface, this company has nothing to hide. Even the weapons the police use are understated. Minority Report's triumph comes through its use of CGI to accentuate (not show off) the intensity of each scene. Example: I never thought to myself, "Wow, what kind of technology did they use to come up with those spiders that trace the building?!" Instead, I was thinking, "Holy crap, what are those spiders going to do when they find Tom Cruise?!" This is a lot different than my feelings when watching the first Spider Man ("Dang, that looks fake as hell. Yea, it looks cool and all. But that's fake as hell.")

2. The Story Itself. Spirituality, fate, prophecy, action, suspense, noir, drama, and sci-fi: Minority Report has it all. While I won't dive in to the details of each thing that makes Minority Report a complete film, I will go back to how it fits the three criteria in choosing this list: Quality, Lasting Effect on the Memory, and Rewatchability.

It's quality rests within it's visual flair and it's unique way of storytelling. There's rarely a wasted shot in the 2 hours and 20 minutes of running time (except the "Rocketeer" chase scene; I'll admit that was pretty corny and probably shouldn't have been included in the final cut); and each shot has it's own unique symbolism. Credit the trust between Spielberg and Kaminski for allowing this to manifest. The use of eyes (close-ups, eye-scanners for advertisements, black-market eyeball dealers, etc.) creates such a powerful motif that complements the "what-if-you-could-see-your-future?" premise. Nearly every scene focuses on some attribute pertaining to the eyes, thus giving us a cornerstone to talk about all the themes permeating the film (spirituality, fate, prophecy ... all the ones listed in the paragraph above can be tied back to the motif of "eyes" or vision).

Rewatchability is a big duh. Minority Report has all the popcorn entertainment you can ask for in an action film; and with all the visual motifs permeating the film, it will keep detail-oriented critics like myself consumed for 20+ viewings.

3. Lasting Effect on the Memory. This film will only get better as it continues to predict the future. Could we predict in 1968 that a computer (which, at that time, was the size of a building) built with artificial intelligence would create a world of its own, go crazy, and maybe start killing people? We can definitely forsee it now, and that's the main reason the American Film Institute ranked 2001: A Space Odyssey the #15 film of all-time (up from #22 in 1998). Could we predict in 1998 that a reality television company would adopt a human being and put his entire life on television, thus raising him in a completely ficticious world? Shoot, we didn't even know was reality television WAS in 1998. In fact, the only show that ever fit the description of reality TV was Real World on MTV (this was the Real World when they actually had to get jobs, work together to make a living, and not base their entire television career on how many people each person can sleep with and/or fight). Now, in 2009, if a reality TV company decided to adopt a human being and create his life on television, would it even MAKE the news? Probably not. So tell me this: how prophetic was The Truman Show?

What makes Minority Report such an effective futuristic movie is that its hypothesis of our future isn't without reason. With Facebook's marketing team placing ads on your website that are catered to the information you put on your profile, along with ever-developing webcam technology, would it be hard to envision a contraption that scans your eye, identifies you, and includes your name in their advertisement? Personally, I don't think so. Do me a favor and watch the scene when Tom Cruise walks through a tunnel; and all of the billboards start calling out his name. All those companies have to do is invest in an eye-scanner thingy and BOOM: target marketing. In the real world, how long do you think it will take to invent something like this? My guess: not very long, especially if a company decides that an invention like that would provide a spike in revenue.

On the Special Features DVD, Spielberg describes how they went about creating the technology of the future. In a nutshell, folks from Dreamworks went to work with grad students from MIT, Cal Tech, and a bunch of think-tank universities; and they brainstormed methods of police weaponry in the not-so-distant future. Two clever tricks I noticed in Minority Report: the only gun we see apears in the very end; and all weapons the cops use are non-lethal. For sake of argument, let's say our Second Amedment rights are tossed out the window and we can no longer carry guns. How will we defend ourselves; or, better yet, how will cops be able to subdue criminals? These answers were provided by those MIT and Cal Tech kids, and were included in the film. They have "sonic boom" guns (that Tom Cruise uses at car manufacturing plant) that knocks you unconscious; "sick sticks" that cause you to throw up the moment they touch you (no more tasers, I guess); and jet packs that get you from place to place. Yes, all these weapons seem expensive ... and way too expensive for your basic police department. However; for sake of the futuristic world of Minority Report - where there aren't any murders, and the crime rate has dropped by epic proportions - there probaby aren't that many cops out there to pay, thus freeing up money to pay for all the new toys.

The point I'm trying to create is this: while Minority Report hasn't received the critical accolates it deserves, neither did 2001 or The Truman Show when they first came out. Sure, they were well-received; but so was The 40 Year Old Virgin. Classics become classics because of their influence. Their ability to predict the future - whether it be the future of the real world (like in 2001 or The Truman Show) or whether it be the future of filmmaking (like Citizen Kane or Star Wars) - is what make classics, classics. I believe Minority Report will become a classic; so let's wait and see.

150 Days of American Bliss, by Tyler Norris

2009-09-13T19:55:00.004-04:00

Since my knowledge of football circulates primarily around the NCAA, I'll let my good buddy Tyler Norris break down the start of the 2009-2010 NFL season. For those of you who think this site is just about college football, let me throw out a simple quote from Howard Dean:

Byahhh!

(His on-point title also makes for a good follow up to the (500) Days of Summer review. I even thought of the unbearably corny title "After 500 Days of Summer comes 150 Days of American Bliss;" but as you will soon see, Tyler can actually write, whereas I can only ramble and come up with stupid titles.)

So now let's get to the goods...

150 Days of American Bliss
Tyler Norris

Today starts the greatest 5 months of the year. Yes, the 2009-2010 NFL season has commenced. And yes, that is 5 MONTHS of professional football. For those of you who think that that is too much, you must be a Yankee's fan or simply, Un-American. Super Bowl XLIV (or 43 for our non-Roman friends) is exactly 150 days away, which means that the NFL season is almost into the second week of February and that the Super-Duper-Extra-Special-Early-Bird Rate on hotels in South Florida is in effect.

American sports today has all become about the future. It ranges from betting on who will win the World Series to NFL Draft hype (where players will be effective in 3-5 years) or my personal favorite those tricky little March Madness brackets. The NFL is no different, we have football predictions or as we say in the industry, 'Pick 'Em's. This constitutes going through and picking each and every game each and every week. The winner of course being the person who correctly picks the most games out of the year (or usually who remembers to keep up with it each week).

The start of the NFL season is an exciting time for most sports fans. It is the start of spending over 8 hours in a bar in one day and not considered to “have a problem.” No, it is dozens of people wearing the jerseys of teams they love and worship. This is the greatest time in sports for most of the fans in this country, from the ASTRONOMICAL number of people who play Fantasy Football (I have 4 teams this year) to people who make amusing T-shirts to celebrate opening day... (i.e. “My Other Shirt is a Puffy Jacket, or “Back-up QB Hall of Fame”) for the Titans vs. Steelers. Which all brings me back around to my point – the beginning of the season and my predictions.

There are some obvious predictions such as that the Patriots and Chargers will make the playoffs and subsequently the Lions and Browns will not. But this is all part of the system, the system that no one agrees on and people over analyze and over think, I am one of those people. Still, there are some things that cannot be avoided in considering the outcome of how good teams will be this year. For starters, Strength of Schedule (SOS) is one of the greatest factors in sports today, this is how Tom Brady threw for 76 yards and the Patriots still go 11-5. After that it is simply a mix of weighing home field advantage, program coaching stability, skill position talent, and simply who is a better team (the Saints will most likely beat the 0-16 Lions).

But as the leaves start to think about falling, Rudy starts to do sprints in the Notre Dame Stadium concourse, and Christmas decorations start to fill the shelves, the pigskin is picked up by some of the greatest athletes in the world not named Phelps or Bolt. Coincidently, has there ever been a better name for an athlete than Bolt? I think not, I'm talking to you Chad Ochocinco! So me and my fellow fans clad in respective jerseys, pints of beer in our hands will cheer once more for our teams remembering that everyone is even in Week 1. And if not, we put our sights in the future, after all, the 2010 NFL Draft starts in 224 days.

Final Bullets:

-This is the 50th Anniversary of the AFL, look for the throwback uniforms from the original 8 franchises. This all coincides with the UFL opening its inaugural season in a few weeks, lets see if this future Triple A league can survive or be absorbed.

-The Detroit Lions have a current losing streak of 17 games, the NFL record is the 1976-77 Steve Spurrier-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26 games). The Lions do not play a sub-.550 team until week 8; which, if things go according to plan (or not according to plan, if you're actually a Lions fan), their streak could reach 25 games without much problem. Will this team make history with a failure of epic proportions? Wait and see.

-You can follow along and play against me in ESPN's Pigskin Pick 'Em. Just search for “Sully's World” group in the public leagues and sign up.

-Opening Day Pick : Steelers over the Titans covering the spread to win by a touchdown.

Other picks and yearly predictions to follow soon...

(500) Days of Summer - Review

2009-08-31T13:47:00.002-04:00

This is a call-Sam-Gooley-after-it's-over (CSGAIO) movie, and by CSGAIO, I mean it's really stinkin' good. Like classic romantic comedy good. And if you want to know why - well, read along with me...

First off, (500) Days of Summer is a fresh new take on romantic comedies. By experimenting with new ways of filmmaking and storytelling, (500) Days doesn't fit the cookie-cutter image of your run-of-the-mill, "starring Kate Hudson" romantic comedy. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. It starts with the cast. Does anyone remember Joseph Gordon Lovett as anyone except the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun? Even when I saw 10 Things I Hate About You, I thought, "Dude, that's the kid from 3rd Rock, ain't it?" And Zooey Deschanel, does anyone remember her as anyone othern than William Miller's sister in Almost Famous, or as an elf lover in ... well ... Elf? Because these actors aren't superstars, I believe the audience will watch the movie without any pre-conceived notions of how they're supposed to act; thus putting more faith in the story itself and the characters within it.

(If anyone even thinks about Failure to Launch during any part of this review, I will somehow find out; and I will laugh at you. Has anyone seen that episode of Family Guy when Peter talks about sitting through that movie? If not, watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BtFScDdki0 Classic. It's all I think about whenever anyone mentions that God-awful movie.)

2. It "Tarantino's" the plot. Much like the the work of Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantino, (500) Days jumps around in time so that we don't get bored with the same plotlines of every relationship movie ever. Tom and Summer go through all the same challenges couples go through -- that part doesn't (and really can't, if you think about it) change -- but by putting a number on each day, we look forward to which part comes next.

3. It utilizes old tools in new, innovative ways.

3a. Keen Narration. Our narrator sounds like a guy who does voiceovers for National Geographic specials. "There are two types of people in this world. There are men; and there are women," he says. While he sounds boring, the narrator only comes in at key points in the story (as opposed to parts in other films where narration is told in first person, and only summarizes the weaker parts of the storyline), and provides in-your-face commentary on how to react to what's going on. For example, we're quickly reminded that (500) Days of Summer isn't a love story; rather, it's a story about love. After we find out that Summer is not a season, but a character in the film, we should know that the relationship has a timeline.
3b. Split Screens. Quite possibly my favorite scene (other than the one I'm about to mention) is when we see that Tom's expectations of an upcoming event are greatly different than the reality that unfolds. Instead of playing his expectations, followed by the reality - director Marc Webb opts to use a split screen to give a side-by-side comparison of "Expectations" (left side of screen) versus "Reality" (right side of screen). It's a sad scene, but nonetheless brilliantly constructed.
3c. Soundtrack. My favorite scene is the musical number. Seriously, how can you not love a spontaneous dance sequence filmed to Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True?" What better way to describe a feeling than that! Also, (500) Days does for Regina Spektor's heartwrenching voice what When Harry Met Sally did for Harry Connick Jr.'s laid-back jazz. I could go on for hours about this soundtrack, but only if a really desperate reader of this blog puts in a request.

What also makes it a near-classic is the chemistry between the characters, combined with the situations they are confronted with. As our narrator so eloquantly points out, Tom Hanson is a hopeless romantic who believes he will know the moment he finds "the one;" and Summer is the girl who doesn't share in his belief. How it all plays out is something for you to find out when you see it. (I mean, I can't explain it all for you. I gotta leave something for you to take with you to the theatre. Go see it. Seriously.)Yea, it's still a story of boy-meets-girl; and yea, it tells all the up's and down's of a modern-day relationship. What makes (500) Days of Summer one of the summer's greatest movies is the story itself, how how it's told unlike any other romantic comedy. And if you appreciate that, you will not leave disappointed.

The only reason why I deem this film to be a near-classic, and not a total classic, is because time plays a roll in the quality of romantic comedies. If you don't believe me, take Say Anything. It was a classic! ...when it came out. Who couldn't deny John Cusak pouring his heart out through the voice of Peter Gabriel. Seriously. I still can't wait to do that for a girl - it's pure ballsy. Now that it's been 20 years, people turn to When Harry Met Sally as the classic from the late 80's, and many times forget to mention Say Anything until someone (like me, who still loves it) brings it up. Another example: Love, Actually. We're quickly seeing this film dip into romantic comedy mediocrity, and why? Because there isn't a tag line that makes it stand the test of time. That sucks, because this film is awesome. Let's hope the Christmas motif allows it to at least be a turn-to during the holiday season.

(500) Days of Summer will be a film I remember forever. It got me. Now will it be remembered by everyone else - thus making it a classic? Only time will tell.

Grade: A

Evaluating the BCS Era - Chris Miller's Take

2009-08-25T19:24:00.004-04:00

For those of you starting to get sick of me taking 2 weeks to count down the Top Ten Films of the 2000s, here's a little something to get you thinking about next week.

What's coming next week, you ask?

GREAT question!

After the release of the #1 Film of the 2000s, we will be ringing in the new college football season by counting down the Top 10 Teams of the BCS Era.

Why did you just say, "we," Mike?

ANOTHER. GREAT. Question!

For those of you tired of Mike Sullivan rambling about movies all the time, I'll be having a few point-counterpoint evaluations with two of my best friends from high school who can carry their weight with college football knowledge: Chris Miller and Tyler Norris.

As mentioned in my article previewing the Best of the 2000s, Chris and I always catch up every August to preview the upcoming season; talk about how the SEC should break apart from the NCAA to start the Division 1-Alpha class; and predict which Big Ten team we get to toy with in January. He's a Georgia fan and alum; and I'm a Tar Heel whose heart rests in Florida. While we may not be the best of friends around Halloween (about the time of the Florida/Georgia game in Jacksonville, aka the World's Largest Cocktail Party), we're pretty tight for the other 11 weeks and bowl season. I'll be the first to admit that he knows more about college football than anyone else I know; and his opinion far out-weighs the fact that he pulls for Georgia.

Case-in-point, when I told him I was about to count down the Top Ten Teams of the BCS Era, he had his Top 10 sent to me the following morning, complete with director's-cut-worthy commentary for each pick. (If you think "director's-cut-worthy" is a complement, you are absolutely right.) Listed below is his word-for-word analysis of his Top Ten Individual Teams of the BCS Era, and your official preview to our next segment on Sully's World:

1. Miami Hurricanes (2001)

Incredible depth that the Detroit Lions would drool over. Starting NFL running backs on the BENCH for this team. Just obliterated people. #1 no doubt.

(Those NFL starting running backs - Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, and Frank Gore - went to 4 Pro Bowls between them. Miami Hurricanes: 21 ... Detroit Lions: 17)

2. Texas Longhorns (2005)

This might actually be the best TEAM on the list, vs. the amazing collection of talent that Butch Davis put together in South Beach. Vince Young, regardless of his meltdown in Nashville, just could not be stopped in college; and this defense did just enough to stop the All-World Offense of the 2005 USC Trojans.

3. USC Trojans (2004)

The improved version of the 2003 team that split the title. Tons of NFL players on offense and a great defense (that the 2005 squad lacked) helped these Trojans make Bob Stoops and Oklahoma wish they never took the field.

(38 points in 20 minutes ... all in the first half.)

4. Florida State Seminoles (1999)

An offensive machine as usual with the Mark Richt Seminole offense of the 1990s. Throw in an undefeated season with wins over Miami, #3 Florida, and Michael Vick's Hokies, and the fact that this was the first wire-to-wire #1 in NCAA history, and you'll get a feel for how good this team really was.

(Peter Warrick, I hate you. These comments in parentheses are Mike, by the way.)

5. Florida Gators (2008)

The first non-undefeated team on the list could easily compete with the top teams. After an early season loss to an under-rated Ole Miss team, Tim Tebow personally saw to it that his team wouldn't lose again. With an offense with more weapons than Plaxico Burress at a night club, Coach Urban Meyer utilized his scheme to make this team very tough to stop. Stay tuned for the 2009 version.

(woo!)

6. Auburn Tigers (2004)

Think about it now, if an SEC team goes through the season undefeated and wins the SEC Championship, they have to go to the BCS Championship Game, right? Well, not so fast... Just as Oklahoma pulled off an "Ohio State vs. the SEC" performance in the title game, Auburn's four first-round draft picks did their usual work as Cadillac, Ronnie Brown, and friends did work to finish off the undefeated season in New Orleans.

7. LSU Tigers (2003)

Saban's only championship so far, this defense suffocated teams. Just ask "Heisman winner" Jason White. Justin Vincent and the running game was unstoppable and the other NFL talent on offense made this a great, great football team.

8. USC Trojans (2005)

An undefeated regular season with an other-worldly offense led ESPN to pit this team against the other great teams of all eras to decide if this was the greatest team ever. Then something happened. They played in the Rose Bowl. Against non-Pac 10 team who actually had something called a defense. Whose offense scored more points. Which means they won. Oops.

9. Tennessee Volunteers (1998)

The year after Archie's son graduates (without beating Florida, cough, cough), Coach Fulmer produces an undefeated season. A great stable of NFL running backs (Travis Henry, Travis Stephens, and Jamal Lewis), Peerless Price, and Al Wilson, and with a defense that shut down the younger-version-of-the-Seminoles-of-above with relative ease, this UT team captured the first BCS Championship.

10. Miami Hurricanes (2002)

Only Larry Coker could find a way to lose with this team. A VERY questionable pass interference call in the title game allowed Ohio State to stay alive and eventually "win" in overtime. This Hurricanes team had very similar talent to the 2001 version, and was nearly as dominant. It would've been scary to see what Butch Davis could have done with this team.

So what's missing? If you're thinking Boise St. or Utah, I intentionally left them off. Why? Less scholarships, less talent, less competition on a 12 game schedule. Sure they had great years, but Air Bud was a nice movie. Just doesn't measure up. And think about this: with Boise State and Utah's wins, is there any chance that the teams they beat were disappointed to be playing Boise State and Utah in those particular bowl games? Is it also possible that the underdogs played for respect while the big boys showed up expecting to win?

(I'd put the 2002 Ohio State team in that category: Less talent, less competition on a 12 game schedule, less points than pretty much every opponent they faced in January ever since... this team played a very cocky - and probably hungover - Miami team, whose coach was quickly proving himself to be the downfall of a dynasty. I would also say THE Ohio State University had less scholarships, but I think they recruited a couple pinstripe-wearing exchange students to play for them in the Championship Game, especially for that interference call. I want my 3rd OT, darnit!)

Agree with Chris' rational? Not like it? Feel free to post a comment or tell me how you feel. If you're a Big Ten fan, I BEG you to argue why your team should make this list. More on NCAA Football next week!

#8 Film of the 2000s: Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

2009-08-19T18:10:00.012-04:00

Just before getting off the phone with partner-in-crime movie critic Sam Gooley, I wanted to create a pull for him to read this write-up for Good Night, and Good Luck. When he asked me about the #8 Film of the 2000s, I told him, "it's a movie we both love and admire, yet it is a movie that none of our friends have seen or even heard of." He immdediately told me to shut up, hang up, and write this piece so he could find out as soon as possible what it was. Honestly, I thought it would be obvious; however, I realized 2 things:

1. We've seen a lot of good movies that none of our friends have never heard of, and

2. My "teaser trailer" for this article proved to be a success.

For those of you -- which will probably be most of you -- who have never seen Good Night, and Good Luck, let me provide a basic overview before delving into my criticism and reasoning behind the film's excellence.

What's not to like?

First, its stellar cast includes George Clooney (who wrote and directed the film), Robert Downey Jr., Frank Langella (the guy who played President Nixon in Frost/Nixon), and Jeff Daniels (best known as Harry from Dumb & Dumber). It also stars David Strathairn, who you may know as Meryl Streep's husband in The River Wild, the guy who oversees the women's baseball league in A League of their Own, or 50's pimp and Fleur-de-Lis owner Pierce Patchett in LA Confidential. If you enjoy good films with big stars, you'll get no shortage of them here.

Second, it's a history lesson covering one of the biggest moments in journalism history. It takes place during the Red Scare when Senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing everyone of being a Communist. While a small handful of writers spoke out against McCarthy's witchhunt, no broadcast journalist had the courage to stand up against him until CBS anchor Edward R. Murrow dedicated an entire episode of his nightly news program "See it Now" to McCarthy's outlandish behavior. Good Night, and Good Luck covers the preparation, airing, and impact of that episode.

Third, it's critically acclaimed. On top of winning the SG Award for Best Picture of 2005, Good Night, and Good Luck was nominated for 6 Academy Awards - including Best Picture, Best Actor (Strathairn), and Best Director (Clooney) - and received a positive review from 94% of critics across the country (Rotten Tomatoes).

So why have you not seen it?

Why does a film with all these big stars ... a film that covers a major topic in US History ... and a film that receives accolades from critics across the country ... why does a film like Good Night, and Good Luck go unnoticed by the almost everyone?

The answer - and bare with me as I explain this - is that Good Night, and Good Luck is a symbol in of itself. The film works as an essay; and its thesis claims that nothing of true importance or objectivity can be found in the world of television anymore. The American viewer no longer cares about "just-the-facts" reporting; rather, the American viewer wants to be entertained by corporations who create news - not report it - in order to earn higher ratings and charge more for advertising.

Take the following quote from Murrow in 1958, and tell me if you can relate any of it to what you currently see on television:

We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable, and complacent ... Unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
- Edward R. Murrow, 1958

Do those words seem like a prophecy to anyone other than me? How could Murrow successfully predict the television paradox of the 21st century? How could he have known that the same programs we turn to for mindless entertainment and uselessness be at the same time the programs we rely on to provide an honest interpretation of the realities of the world, its politics, and current events? Unfortunately, I cannot answer these questions with any sense of certainty or confidence; rather, a mere speculation that Murrow himself would call libel and editorializing.

Another reason why you haven't seen this movie? Well, it's a movie about journalism. No movie about journalism has really taken over at the box office. If you check out boxofficemojo.com, you'll see Bruce Almighty and Marley and Me as the only News/Broadcasting films to top $100 million. Good Night and Good Luck earned $31 million, and ranks behind Fletch Lives as the 15th highest grossing film under the News/Broadcasting umbrella. Just to name a few other #15's: the #15 Christmas film (This Christmas) earned $49 million; the #15 Comic Book adaptation (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) earned $180 million; and the #15 Slacker/Stoner film (yes, there's a category called Slacker/Stoner, and #15 is Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) earned $38 million.

A third reason you haven't seen Good Night and Good Luck, is due to its lack of popcorn entertainment. Such films lack promotability from their respective marketing companies. Because the thesis of Good Night, and Good Luck highlights the true values of "just-the-facts" reporting, the film itself is a short, concise, "just-the-facts" piece that lasts 89 minutes. You won't hear a sweeping score by John Williams; you won't hear a theme song by Randy Newman; you won't see any needless subplots that provide thorough backdrops of every character; and you surely won't see action scenes with slow-motion crashes or stunts. Nope, this film is edited down to the very core of its storyline ... which, in my opinion, is exactly why it is so effective. It isn't a drama, or even a docu-drama for that matter. It's a period piece and an essay; and it never strays from its thesis.

(This is the point of the article where the average viewer would say, "Dang, Mike. It seems like this movie will be pretty boring. Where's all the excitement?" To which I would reply, "Actually, I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie. Without any useless flashbacks, musical numbers, or slow-motion sequences, Good Night, and Good Luck gets straight to the goods and never allows you to take a break. You probably haven't seen a movie like that before, have you?" The average viewer would answer, "Not really," and I would say, "You should." )

Why you should see Good Night, and Good Luck

1. As mentioned before, it is a symbol in of itself. Two other films you will see later in my Top Ten will fit within this category as well -- they exemplify the very point they're trying to prove. (A hint to those who are actually reading this article, and who actually want to know what lies ahead: they're both about memories, how we create them, and how we choose to remember or forget them). Good Night, and Good Luck is portrayed as true, fact-based journalism, and its plot portrays true, fact-based journalism in action. It's about 1950's television, and very much looks like 1950's television: 1.) it's filmed in black-and-white; 2.) Cinematographer Robert Elswit frames David Strathairn in several scenes just as the television camera frames Murrow while he's on the air. (Several of the camera angles pay direct homage to 1950's ads in Life magazine.); and 3.) the pace of the film is very controlled - quick, necessary, and unemotional. It's unrelenting, matter-of-fact, and doesn't apologize for its presentation or it's delivery.

2. It uses history to provide commentary on what television has become. For those of you who may not be aware of broadcast television: Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC are for-profit corporations. Their bottom line depends on the ratings they receive and the ad space they sell - not necessarily the quality of journalism permeating their newsrooms. Do I think there's a problem with news corporations putting out stories in order to make a profit? Absolutely not. Do I think there's a problem with viewers interpreting these news stories as truth, and not bothering to ask why these stories were published in the first place? Absolutely.

With that said, imagine the stories published in the fall of 1953, when McCarthyism reached its peak. News stations were either spreading the fear that Communists were infiltrating our country and government (a fear which gave power to Senator McCarthy); or opting not to confront the famous false-accuser from Wisconsin, (which in turn gave leverage to Senator McCarthy). Either way, Senator McCarthy's rise to power was quick, emotional, and entirely unquestioned; and what fueled it? The constant publication of what America didn't want to happen. Unfortunately, American journalists weren't reporting on what was actually happening.

When Murrow decides to run the story against Senator McCarthy in Good Night, and Good Luck, he faces two immediate set-backs: His show loses its sponsors, and his producers strongly caution him against editorializing the facts. Can you imagine, in today's society, Coke or Pepsi refusing to run an ad on Fox News because Bill O'Reilly bashes democrats on his show? Absolutely not! Half the reason so many people watch his show in the first place is to watch him go off on a left-wing guest speaker. It's true! Along the same lines, do you honestly think Democrats would boycott Coke or Pepsi for running a commercial during an episode of The O'Reilly Factor? Wouldn't that be something.

What makes Good Night, and Good Luck special is the value it places on non-biased reporting. The characters don't make money, but at the same time won't hesitate to reach into their pockets to make sure both sides of a story are covered. While the rest of the country is afraid of being called a Communist, a few men chose to stand up against a tyrant who gains power by spreading fear and accusing all opponents of supporting the enemy.

Writer/director George Clooney's thesis, as so eloquently described by Murrow in the final lines, wants us to believe that men of this unflinching character still exist in the world today. Unfortunately, it will take a man of Murrow's stature and character to stand out from the crowd and reinstill the spirit of informative, educational journalism in our society. Otherwise, television will become "merely wires and lights in a box."

3. It's perfectly made. I mean perfect. There is never a wasted scene, a wasted shot, or a wasted line. Every second of dialogue, music, or silence justifies its inclusion within the film. While only 89 minutes long, Good Night, and Good Luck is so dense with information that I discover new mannerisms, asides, and symbolisms with each viewing. On top of that, each shot is so crisp, so symbolic, it's as if we're witnessing history unfold before our eyes in a smoky, black-and-white world we now know as the 1950s.

(Three hidden treasures I found after multiple viewings:

1. The importance Jazz singer Diana Reeves' character. The first time I saw Good Night, and Good Luck, I thought she was merely a character for CBS who simultaneously provided the score. Somewhere between my second and tenth viewing, I started paying attention to her lyrics and freaked out over how much they reflected the mood of the film. Do you remember the guy who sings the theme from There's Something About Mary, and appears randomly throughout the film to serenade us about what's going on in Ted's mind? That's Diana Reeves, but in this film she doesn't sing to us directly; rather, she plays a recording artist at CBS whose studio work is combined with the action of the characters, thus providing us with a rather insightful score. For example, Reeves sings over the opening credits, and introduces our audience to the ever-growing popularity of television with the song, "TV is the Thing This Year." Also, just after Murrow delivers the "Dear Brutus" speech, Ms. Reeves sings a song that sums up what I believe to be Senator McCarthy's reaction. It's called "I've Got My Eyes on You," and the lyrics are as follows:

I've got my eyes on you, so best beware where you roam..
I've got my eyes on you, so don't stray too far from home.
I've set my spies on you
I'm checking all you do, from A to Z.
So darling, just be wise and keep your eyes on me.

The next time we see Senator McCarthy on screen, he has sent out his spies against Murrow; he attacks Murrow's past; and accuses Murrow of running a smear campaign against him. It's almost as if Diana Reeves knew it was about to happen...

2. Murrow's facial expressions in the Liberace interview. God, that was funny.

3. The shot where Murrow is sitting at the typewriter writing his piece on Senator McCarthy. After saying, "It's Shakespeare," the camera pans out to show Murrow sitting alone in an office amongst several empty typewriters; and the only sounds we hear are the clicks of his typing. Why do I think this shot is cool? It's because Murrow is the only jornalist willing to take a stand; his voice is the only one speaking out; and he is the only one making noise in a sea of silence. His typewriter makes noise, while the other typewriters are not only unoccupied, but deserted.)

I couldn't see Good Night, and Good Luck one time. The rewatchability factor scores a 10 based solely on the fact that it is impossible to absorb the total picture of this film after only one viewing. I remember the first time I saw the film. I called Sam immediately after the credits ended (we always call each other immediately after we watch a great movie -- it's an unwritten rule). His first words: "Yea, it was perfect, wasn't it? I thought so, too. Now you gotta see it again to understand why it's perfect." Now that I think about it, that may be the most simple review/recommendation I ever heard about Good Night, and Good Luck. While it's such a quick, matter-of-fact film, Good Night, and Good Luck has yet to receive a quick, matter-of-fact review; or at least I haven't found one yet.

It's tough to describe perfection. It's pretty much impossible. You can spend hours upon hours of piecing facts together, only to come up with the same two-word conclusion: it's perfect. I dare you to call Citizen Kane, "a basic movie about a kid who loses it all in the process of becoming wealthy." It would be an insult to the film itself. If you were to call Good Night, and Good Luck "a basic movie about Murrow vs. McCarthy," it would be a similar insult.

For all you readers who have never seen Good Night, and Good Luck, I ask you to see it. Perhaps it'll inspire you to become one of the great people George Clooney believes still exist in America.

For all you readers who have already seen it, I suggest you see it again. I've written over 2,000 words attempting to justify Good Night, and Good Luck's perfection, but all I really needed is Sam's ten-word summary: "It's perfect; see it again to find why it's perfect."

#9 Film of the 2000s: Finding Nemo

2009-08-17T19:24:00.008-04:00

Quick question to all the readers about to criticize me for putting a Disney cartoon ahead of five Best Picture winners (Slumdog Millionaire, The Departed, Chicago, Million Dollar Baby and No Country for Old Men) and two classic guy-movies (The Dark Knight and Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2):

What are the Top 10 Greatest Animated Films of All Time?

Do you have them? Have you thought long and hard? I'll give you some time if you want to think about it. Go ahead...

Ok, ready?

Now do me another favor. Go ahead and tell me which of your Top 10 Animated Films were NOT Disney movies.

How many? One? Maybe? And it was Shrek?

Or, if you like anime, do you think Spirited Away matches up with the rest? C'mon.

My Top Ten:

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This is what started it all. As the first full-length animated picture, Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs created an empire from a lost princess, a Prince Charming, and seven little friends that have never been happier going to work all the live-long day. Everyone you know can sing along; everyone you know has compared themselves to one of the dwarfs; and everyone has either grown up wanting to be rescued or wanting to recscue a princess.

2. Pinocchio. Yea, I wish upon a star. I wish upon one every night I star-gaze. My conscience is also my guide. Why shouldn't it be? It's common sense to let your own personal Jiminy Cricket (and not those around you) guide the decisions you make. Common sense, however, doesn't seem so common in the world I love in. Because of that, I feel more people may need to take Pinocchio more seriously.

3. The Lion King. This epic tale of redemption and fulfillment of destiny was the last gasp for non-computer-animated features. It was also Disney's crowning achievement before ...

4. Toy Story issued in a new era of animated filmmaking. If you think Toy Story was a simple story of toys who come to life when their owner is gone, try this analogy on for size:

Woody = all hand-drawn animated pictures ... everything we've known until now.
Buzz = the new wave of animation. He's flashy, advanced, and represents all that kids want. He's an astronaut, the new wave that explores new galaxies and takes us to inifinity and beyond.
Andy = all children. Woody and Buzz will compete for the attention and respect of Andy, who is growing wiser and more mature by the minute.

For ten years after Toy Story's release, America's young audience experienced a new wave that seems here to stay. After seeing Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Monster's Inc, hand-drawn films like Mulan and Tarzan lose their quality and crispness. While neither Mulan nor Tarzan lack a strong storyline (both can be linked to the coming-of-age plot of The Lion King without much difficulty... if the oven ain't broke, don't fix it... also, Woody's character in Toy Story didn't lack depth either), the flash of something new and exciting can easily steal the interest of children across the country (much like how Buzz's gadgets - not personality - steal the interest of Andy).

So take THAT analogy and go think about it for a while ...

...While I get to #5: Finding Nemo, aka the #9 film of the decade.

(If you want to know #6-#10, you won't get a detailed analysis. #6. Fantasia. #7. Beauty and the Beast. #8. The Land Before Time. #9. The Sword in the Stone. #10. Sleeping Beauty. Cinderella's for sissies.)

What makes Finding Nemo a classic Disney movie? Well, let's go over a classic-Disney-movie checklist, and check off the qualities that Nemo fits.

Question 1: Does it star a youth who has lost a parent? See: Snow White (both parents), Bambi (mom), Dumbo (parents), Pinocchio (mom), and Simba (dad).

Answer: Yes. What I always forget is the tragedy of Finding Nemo's opening scene. After Marlin's wife and all of his children are eaten by a barracuda, he becomes the over-protective father to the only child he has left. Such tragedy sets the tone for all Disney classics.

Question 2: Does this young character experience a growth period with strange characters in order to discover himself or herself? See: Snow White's dwarfs, Simba's Timon and Pumba, and Belle's clock, tea cups, and candlestick.

Answer: Yes, two times. While Marlin embarks on a rescue mission involving a blue fish with short-term memory loss, three fish-a-holic sharks, and a stoner turtle, Nemo finds himself doing a stint in a dentist's aquarioum. The inhabitants include a french-accented cleaning machine, a blow-fish with a temper problem, and a mysterious escape artist named Gill,voiced by Willem Dafoe. After his hilarious initiation atop Mount Wanna-hock-a-loogie, Nemo gains acceptance and respect for the first time in his life. Only then does he acquire the confidence needed to help Gill plan their daring escape.

Question 3: After the growth period, does this character face the ultimate challenge? See: Pinocchio goes inside a whale to recue Geppetto; Arthur slays the dragon; and Simba challenges Scar.

Yes, two times. Nemo not only risks his life clogging the water filter, he fakes his own death in order to get flushed down a drain. Then, when he finally reunites with Marlin, Nemo chooses to risk his life yet again in order to save a squad of fish about to be captured by a boat in Sydney's harbor. Marlin, on the other hand, must let Nemo motivate these fish to save themselves. Now that he's learned how to let go, Marlin must allow Nemo to risk his own life in order to save others.

Question 4: Does the film have morals that appeal to adults too? See: Bambi (Don't kill deer); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty (all men have a beauty to rescue); and Robin Hood (help those who can't help themselves).

Answer: Yes. Let your children grow up. Let them make mistakes. After laying a proper foundation, let them become who they were meant to be.

Question 5: Does it have great animation? See: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the first animated feature film), Fantasia (still trippy to this day), and Toy Story (first CGI feature film).

Answer: Take a look at Nemo's field trip to the drop-off. There's a 15-second introduction to Australia's Great Barrier Reef that'll leave your eyes and mouth gaping open. Thanks to its keen attention to detail (and endless studying of marine life), Finding Nemo nails the swimming behavior of each of its characters. You can also see every scale on a fish's skin, every tastebud of a whale's tongue, and every feather on a pelican's head.

Finding Nemo is a classic film, all the way. It also happens to be animated. It takes CGI to a whole new level, and has a story deep enough to be compared to the great hand-drawn classics of Disney past. It has humor appealing to kids and parents alike, and has drama that'll bring a tear to anyone's eye. Emotionally gripping, visually breathtaking, and socially conscious, Finding Nemo is a Top Ten Film of the 2000s.

#10 Film of the 2000s: Slumdog Millionaire

2009-08-11T14:04:00.009-04:00

To prepare for this write-up, I decided to watch Slumdog Millionaire for the eighth time. Yup, eighth time. I've kept track. I saw it three times in theatres, twice the day I bought it, twice more so I could introduce people to it, and again last night.

It simply doesn't get old! In fact, the main reason Slumdog Millionaire makes my Top 10 of the 2000s is because each of the Top 10 are boredom-proof. The rewatchability factor scores a perfect 10. I can't say that for numbers 11-20.

(I have to be in the "thinker/analyze-every-shot" mood to see No Country; I saw Gangs of NY last weekend and am getting more disappointed with each viewing; Children of Men is over-the-top intense, and you can't watch it with just anybody; Million Dollar Baby is flat-out depressing, and ranks in the "view once every five years" category with Requiem for a Dream, Pi, The Passion of the Christ, The Bicycle Thief, and Schindler's List; There Will be Blood runs a bit long and also requires the "thinker/analyze-every-shot" mood, along with the need to be ready to analyze Day Lewis' performance; Kill Bill Vol. 2 ages after several viewings, although Vol. 1's popcorn entertainment has high rewatchability; Chicago's a musical; I only need to be introduced to the LOTR characters once, and Fellowship lacks the epic qualities of Two Towers and Return of the King; The Dark Knight lost a lot of suspense after the first viewing, but remains awesome; and The Departed loses my attention after the first 17 minutes. If you want to see a re-cap of #20-11, check out http://sullyz-world.blogspot.com/2009/08/best-of-2000s-movies-part-1.html)

Remember the three criteria for this list: quality of film, lasting effect on the memory, and rewatchability.

1. Quality. This sort of goes without saying, but I don't like crappy movies. They're crappy. Each of the Top 10 Films challenges the reality we live in; each film presents ideas in ways other films haven't dared to touch on; each film uses history to either provide social commentary on the present or predict the future; and each film has a distinct aura that separates it from anything else you've ever seen. In a nutshell ... they're good.

2. Lasting effect on the memory. I'm not sure if I spelled "effect" right, but all of the Top 10 have "left a lasting impression" (effected or affected, whichever works) on me, both as a critic as well as a person. I have all of their movie stubs; I can remember exactly where I saw these movies; and, most importantly, I can remember exactly how I felt while watching these movies, and the emotions I took home with me after these movies were over. This is a foundational belief - a cornerstone - for my love of movies. Whenever someone asks me why I love movies, I will immediately tell them that movies have shaped my life. They're a means of escape from the world I currently live in; a reminder of a world I used to live in; and encouragement for me to create the world of my future. Combined with "quality," a lasting impression is what helps me filter out the "classics" from the herd of "well-made" movies.

3. Rewatchability. I have watched Independence Day 12,042 times. No, I haven't kept up with that. Only Rain Man can keep up with that. Is Independence Day the greatest film ever? That all depends. Ask the 11-year-old version of myself about the greatest film ever, and he'd tell you all about Independence Day. You would ask why; and he would say, "because it's freakin' awesome! And I can watch it over and over again!" Ask me now what the greatest film is, and I'll tell you all about Casablanca. Again you would ask why; and I would say, "because it's perfectly crafted, perfectly executed, it's freakin' awesome, and I can watch it over and over again." Citizen Kane is scientifically crafted, scientifically executed, and has an awesomeness that develops over several viewings; but its satisfaction comes strictly from a standpoint of logic, not emotion. (To use a horrible analogy: Citizen Kane makes logical sense just like drinking perfectly-filtered water makes logical sense. It's pure, so you can't deny it.) Unfortunately, Citizen Kane is definitely NOT something you put in the DVD player for kicks on a Friday night. Casablanca, on the other hand, satisfies the logical senses of "well-crafted filmmaking," as well as satisfies the emotions of "relating to characters on a personal level," "reacting to plot twists with physical and audible gestures," and "feeling real pissed at Ilsa for leaving Rick, but proud of Rick for having so much respect for a Laslow, that he would forfeit the love of his life because Laslow is the love of hers." (Men cry in this movie because of the respect for Rick, not the heartbreak Rick suffers. I don't see any guy crying when Rick's alone at the train station; but I know we have a tear coming every time we see Rick telling her to board the plane.)

Anyways ... emotional satisfaction.

When you can see a movie over-and-over again - a quality movie - and receive the same emotional satisfaction with each viewing, you have a film that ranks high on the "rewatchability" meter. Combine that with the "lasting effect" and "quality" factors, then you have a Top Ten Film of the 2000s ... like Slumdog Millionaire.

So back to what I was saying ... I saw this film again last night - for the 8th time - and I will see each Top Ten Film again between now and the time you see their write-up on this blog. Although I was sitting in my living room last night, I felt like I was transported to the Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham, NC, which is where I first saw Slumdog Millionaire in theatres. I remember the goosebumps on my arm when the words "D: It is written" popped up on the screen to start the movie; I remember the chest-thumping drums of "O Saya" that introduce us to the chaotic life of a slumdog in Bombay (later re-named Mumbai, but we'll get to that in a minute); and I remember how the dutch-angle cinematography had me turning my head like a puppy awaiting a biscuit from his owner.

Slumdog's story runs deep - there are several plot lines you can choose to analyze, depending on how you want to approach the film. This may be why I keep wanting to see it more; I can see it through several different critical eyes. For the sake of time and length, I'll just comment on 5:

1. It's a love story. That's the obvious. Jamal will stop at nothing to win the heart of his true love, even if he keeps loosing sight of her for years at a time. His unrelenting persistence finally unites them when they're eighteen years old; but only then does he realize that his journey is just beginning. His beauty must be rescued; and the dragons Jamal must conquer are older, wiser, more powerful, and much more dangerous than he. Does he cower? No way -- he faces them without a hint of fear. He can only fail if he gives up his pursuit; and because it's impossible for Jamal to give up, it's impossible for him to fail.

2. It's a Cain and Abel story. While Jamal has been an independent spirit since birth, his older brother Salim wants nothing more than to be accepted by someone. Without a father in his life, Salim has an avalanche of built-up anger that floods the lives of all who surround him. Because no one else shares in Salim's frustration, Salim vows to bring others down to his level. This is in part why he turns to crime so quickly; and this is also why his jealousy forces him to sabotage Jamal on multiple occasions. Is Salim a good kid at heart? Absolutely. He saves Jamal's life when they escape the child-labor camp, and consoles Jamal after Jamal first loses Laticka that very night. He even gives Laticka his keys and phone in a scene leading up to the film's climax. Salim truly cares about people, but his story becomes tragedy through his inability to escape his weakness of jealousy. He's the reason Jamal loses Laticka twice - it was Salim's choice. It was Salim who let go of her hand on the train leaving the labor camp; it was Salim who held a gun to his brother's head and forced him out of the hotel room; and it was Salim who forced Laticka into the back of a Mercedes outside the train station. It's not until his last breath does Salim account for his wrongdoings and achieve peace ... "God is great."

It's like the true story of two brothers: one was interviewed on death row; the other was interviewed at his mansion. When they asked what drove him to be a criminal, the brother on death row said, "my father was an alcoholic." When asked they asked the millionaire brother what drove him to become successful, he responded, "my father was an alcoholic." I think that story was shown on Montell or something, but you get the picture: some people respond to challenges differently than others. Jamal and Salim didn't have a father, and that may have been the reason one becomes a millionaire and the other serves a death sentence.

3. It's a story of India. In 1996, the city of Bombay became known as Mumbai. With this transition came a change in economy, government, and culture. Jamal and Salim leave the tin-shack slums of Bombay to ride trains and become entrepreneurs at the Taj Mahal - they come back to a city filled with hotels, highrises, and capitalism. When they left Bombay, a classroom had 1 book, 1 teacher, 15 desks, and 30 kids of various ages packed into a classroom that couldn't hold a washer and dryer. Jamal and Salim's mother did laundry along with 15 other women in a pond. A movie theatre consisted of 10 people watching a small projection screen set up against the wall of a living room. When they return to Mumbai, their old slum is now a highrise skyscraper under construction. Jamal works at a massive telecommunications office building that provides technical support to England. Cable TV is huge, and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" is, well, just like it was in the U.S. when it first came out. This is a far cry from the Bombay of 10 years before. It's a story of evolution...

4. It's a story about wisdom. You can find this explanation in my article highlighting Slumdog as the Best Film of 2008, found here: http://sullyz-world.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-10-films-of-2008.html

5. It's a story of destiny. How is it that the questions of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" fall directly in line to the life story of Jamal Malick ... the night Jamal Malick is a contestant on the show? Speaking of that, how is it that Jamal Malick gets to be a contestant on a show broadcast to 50 million viewers? How is it that a backstabbing brother sacrifices his life for a couple he spent 10 years trying to destroy? How can you explain something like that, other than "God is great," "It's our destiny," and "It is written."

Stay tuned for #9, coming later this week...

To check out Part 1: Counting Down #20-11, check out http://sullyz-world.blogspot.com/2009/08/best-of-2000s-movies-part-1.html

G.I. Joe Plot Outline

2009-08-08T23:17:00.002-04:00

8:47 - Lights dim, previews ended. It's all downhill from here. Is that a baby crying? It is! A baby is crying in the movie theatre! Which gets me wondering, what's the better story line:

1. A baby already crying in anticipation of a horrible movie, or
2. Someone sneaking a freakin' baby into a movie theatre! ... to see G.I. Joe!

(Out of the 15 or so previews, Shutter Island looks promising. Leonardo stars as a U.S. marshall who gets trapped on an island-based insane asylum in this Scorsese thriller. I'm starting to get anxious for the fall movie line-up - in most part because we all know G.I. Joe is about to suck.)

10:48 - Credits roll, time to go home. Officially convinced a machine is wearing a Dennis Quaid costume.

Best of the 2000s: Movies (Part 1)

2009-08-06T19:03:00.019-04:00

One of my favorite sports writers , or at least the only one I quote all the time, is Bill Simmons. Known as The Sports Guy, Simmons headlines a series of podcasts for ESPN.com, which also posts a link to his blog on their front page. I'm addicted to this guy's writing - his dry sense of humor, constant great-film analogies, and abundant tangents always leave me anxious for the next 10,000+ word article.

During a recent piece re-capping the NBA offseason, Simmons applied 50 quotes from one of the best movies of this decade, Almost Famous, to cover the NBA's summer. On a tangent, he's polling his audience on the best movie of the past decade. His argument for the best movie is Almost Famous - especially the "Untitled" bootleg version found in the special edition DVD. While I disagree, I totally respect the pick. If you read his article, his rational justifies it to land somewhere in your top 20. (Don't worry, I'll post a link at the bottom)

Intrigued by his idea, I'm following his footsteps. If you don't know me yet, you'll soon discover that most of my entries are lists representing the Top 10 of whatever I can think of. If you've seen the film or read the book High Fidelity, you'll quickly compare me to the main character, Rob Gordon. Just picture your basic good-guy who never lives up to his potential, lives in a big city, owns a beat-down record store, and hangs out with the same 2 people because he's too lazy to meet new friends. That's my plan-B if I ever fail to live up to my potential ... except instead of a record store, I'll have a Blockbuster, DVD Warehouse, or something involving movies.

Being 24 years old, the 2000s have been my friends' coming-of-age decade. We can now drive; we've voted (most of us, twice); and we've graduated from high school and college; and most of us have started the career path or actively pursue graduate degrees.

For two of my friends, we've filled in the gaps of these major events by talking about the same thing for the last 10 years.

For Sam Gooley, it's movies. In March, 1999, we were so pissed that Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture of 1998 at the Oscars, we decided to start our own awards ceremony ... even if nobody else cared or even knew about it. Every year since, on Oscar Night, we have the Sullivan-Gooley Awards to honor the TRUE best pictures, best performances, and technical achievements of the previous year. It's been 10 years of SG Awards (Sports Guy, I hope you're reading this), and we've only just begun. Sam's in NYC - I'm in Raleigh, NC; but we catch up on movies every week and meet up every year for the annual SG Awards.

For Chris Miller, it's college football. While we haven't started our own version of College Gameday yet (we like the original too much), we start making our personal Top-25's every week starting about now, and already can't wait to see which SEC powerhouse will pounce on a Big Ten joke in January. Every August we cristen the season with a long chat about Florida (my team since birth), Georgia (his alma mater), and how awful the Big Ten is at everything. He's in Charleston, SC - I'm still in Raleigh; but our conversation picks up without a beat every August.

Throughout August, I've written a series of articles dedicated to Sam, Chris, and the 2000s. Up first comes the Top 20 Films from 2000 - 2009, thanks to a thought sparked while reading an article on the NBA offseason by Bill Simmons. We'll begin with 20-11, and will feature a separate article for each of the Top 10. Following the films, we'll count down NCAA football traditions in the BCS era. So if you don't like me rambling about movies, just wait a couple weeks and we'll chat football.

Criteria for the Top 20:

1. Quality of film

2. Lasting effect on the memory - remembering not just seeing the movie, but the feelings you felt while watching it. We've all seen movies that were great, yet we forgot them the next day. Those movies will not make this cut.

3. Rewatchability - whether you can discover new things with each viewing, sheer entertainment value, or putting it on when you're in the mood to watch something great.

#20: No Country For Old Men (2007)

If you're anything like me, your first thought after watching No Country for Old Men was, "WTF?" I know I liked it - it was technically flawless, captured the tension perfectly with pin-point editing and cinematography, and had a character who would give Hannibal Lectar nightmares - but I still had no idea what just happened over the course of two hours.

So I saw it again; still I thought "WTF'" but I had much more respect. I now knew that Ed Tom Bell (classic redneck name, by the way) was the main character, although he didn't appear until a half hour into the movie. I also knew that it was a character study - not by the characters, but on the idea of evil. Having already known what to expect in terms of suspense in plot, I could study the endless symbolisms recurring throughout the film ...so many symbolisms...

...that I saw it again. And loved it. I've never had to see a film three times to finally discover that I loved it. It's not your fairy-tale, happy-go-lucky movie. It's evil. It's a warning of what can happen if you don't adapt to a change in times. Do you remember that killer in your nightmares that seems to be moving at the same pace; yet you can never escape him, no matter how fast you run? That's what No Country For Old Men is about ... that ever-present pace of "what's coming if you don't move on."

Moving on...

#19. Gangs of New York (2002)

This film makes the list for 3 scenes:

1.) The first 10 minutes. Everything from the score (the high-pitch flute, followed by Peter Gabriel's "Signal to Noise"), art direction, flowing cinematography, and classic showdown between Priest Vallon and Bill the Butcher.

2.) When the Irish arrive, there's one shot that shows the men receiving their Union uniforms, boarding new boats, and being brought home in "wooden suits" that line the harbor. This scene is haunting, especially with Scorsese using an Irish lullaby as the score.

3.) Bill the Butcher's monologue - sitting bedside to Amsterdam, draped in the American flag - about Fear.

#18. Children of Men (2006)

Imagine what it was like when Jesus was born. Baby boys were being slaughtered across the largest empire in the world, and ordered to do so by their king. The world was in turmoil - consumed in evil; and Mary and Joseph had to risk their lives in a daring escape to have their child.

Such is the backdrop of Children of Men - a modern-day Christmas story told through the eyes of visionary director Alfonso Cuaron. It's violent, graphic, and so realistic that non-believers may miss the moral of the story: through our darkest hour comes the our brightest hope for the future. Although most of the film focuses on our darkest hour, it's in the last 10 minutes - when a crying baby brings soldiers to their knees - do tears of joy flood they eyes of all who see it.

#17. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

What quickly turns from "one of the greatest sports films ever" to "let's make a statement on euthanasia," Million Dollar Baby's controversial twist is saved by the storytelling of director, writer, actor, and composer (yup, he even wrote the music, too) Clint Eastwood. For the first 90 minutes, Eastwood had me fooled: I thought it was a movie about boxing. Instead, it's a movie about pulling the plug - pulling the plug on a life of regret; pulling the plug on a life filled with loss; pulling the plug on the inability to forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made throughout your lifetime. Million Dollar Baby is about letting go, even when it goes against everything you stand for.

#16. There Will be Blood (2007)

Nearly 18 minutes into the film, we are greeted by our protagonist, Daniel Plainview. "Ladies and gentleman," he begins. Thus, we are introduced to one of the most ambitious characters portrayed on screen. Much like No Country for Old Men was a study on the idea of evil, There Will Be Blood is a study on the idea of power, and the sacrifices two men make in order to acquire it.

The first is Mr. Plainview, portrayed by Daniel Day Lewis in one of the most haunting performances in cinematic history. Plainview doesn't hesitate to adopt a fatherless boy for the sole purpose of convincing prospects he's a family man; pretend to get "saved" at a Christian worship service so he could drill a pipeline through a church-member's property; or kill a man who pretends to be a long-lost brother.

The other is Eli Sunday, a young pastor who runs the town Mr. Plainview wishes to take over. Sunday - while gentle and pious on the surface - unravels throughout the course of the film, compromising his own faith in exchange for monetary reward and control of his parishioners.

At the end of the film there will, in fact, be blood; and while the image at first may disturb and bother many, the viewers will feel regret neither for the killer nor the victim.

#15. Kill Bill (Vol. I & II) (2003-2004)

Volume One makes the statement while Volume Two fills in all the cracks. While each could stand on its own, Vol. I & II work together like Metcalf's Law to prove Kill Bill is more than the sum of its parts. It's a classic tale of revenge, style and homage to classic martial arts as only Quentin Tarantino can tell it.

#14. Chicago (2002)

I hate musicals. No matter how good I feel, I will never spontaneously break out into song and dance. I'm a logical person, and I know people just don't do that. You'll never see me singing in the rain; you'll never see me tell a story about the West Side that involves choreographed fighting; and you will NEVER see me skid-a-ma-ring-kee-dink anything.

But Chicago is different. The only musical number that takes place in real time - and not in the mind of the characters - is the opening sequence of "All That Jazz." Most of the others are interpreted through the eyes and imagination of Roxy Hart, the wannabe performer who makes her name by killing the man she's sleeping with. "Cell Block Tango," "They Both Reached for the Gun," and "Tap Dance" are Roxy's disillusioned interpretations of the situations she finds herself in. Director Gary Marshall drawns a clear line between Roxy's rendtions and the reality she inhabits; this separation gives audience members who aren't big fans of musicals (myself included) the opportunity to actually enjoy a musical.

Chicago is not like any other musical in that it's realistic. Are some of its plot lines a bit over the top? Absolutely, but so is Chicago. Pay close attention to John C. Reilly (Amos Hart, aka Mr. Cellophane) as he steals almost every scene he's in. Reilly was in 4 movies in 2002, and 3 were nominated for Best Picture (Chicago, The Hours, and Gangs of New York. The other was The Good Girl, an fantastic dark comedy starring Jennifer Anniston and Jake Gyllenhaal), making him one of the most underrated actors of the decade.

#13. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Arguably the most complete film of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring introduces the world to Frodo, Sam, and the clan who depart to save Middle Earth and destroy the "one ring to rule them all." Through not as epic in scope as The Two Towers or The Return of the King, The Fellowship of the Ring spends most its time allowing us to meet the characters. Since so many play an intricate role in Frodo's journey, we must be able to relate to them when their time comes to contribute.

With so much riding on the future of the franchise (at the time of its release, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the most expensive project ever, at $300 million), The Fellowship of the Ring not only catapulted the trilogy into the limelight, but set the tone for the greatest journey in film history.

#12. The Dark Knight (2008)

"Heath Ledger is going to play the Joker? The same guy who played Casanova - who starred in the biggest gay romance ever; THIS is the guy they chose to take over the villain played so perfectly by Jack Nicholson? Dang, this movie is going to suck."

Those were my words. Those were a lot of people's words when they found out who signed on to play the Joker. The good news: director Christopher Nolan knows precisely what to include in each of his works. And just take a look at his brief, but strong resume: Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight.

This man knows how to create a dark character, and his work couldn't have been better exemplified than Heath Ledger's rendition of the Joker. Not only did Ledger pick up an Oscar and Sullivan-Gooley Award, his performance will go down as one of the most memorable, and one of the most haunting. Nolan also proved himself capable of handling an ensemble production and larger scale than Batman Begins. Several compared The Dark Knight to another sequel that took the original to another level: The Godfather, Part II. While it may not receive the accolades of The Godfather, The Dark Knight will surely be placed next to the Corleone family as an unforgettable masterpiece.

#11. The Departed (2006)

We're 17 minutes into The Departed when the Dropkick Murphy's come crashing in with "I'm Shipping Off to Boston." Such is the Boston Police Department: not as much a police force you're willing to serve for; rather, a police force you're shipped off to ... like going to after-school detention.

17 minutes in, and I feel like I've seen an entire film. The first sequence is an addrenaline rush brought about in swift strokes by Martin Scorsese. We're quickly brought up to speed with all of our characters:

Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is recruited as a boy to work for crime lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Colin graduates the police academy along with Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), and gets promoted through the ranks so fast that he's already a private detective before Costigan leaves his post-graduation interview with Chief Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Detective Dignam (Mark Wahlberg). Instead of becoming a true-blue cop, Costigan (DiCaprio) gets sent undercover in order to infiltrate Costello's (Nicholson's) regime.

Such begins the best cat-and-mouse game I've ever seen. Damon's a criminal posing as a cop; DiCaptrio's a cop posing as a criminal. Damon's assignment is to catch the rat in the police force (himself); and DiCapio's assigned to look out for the cop in Nicholson's crew (himself). Both realize the stress involved in playing both sides, and soon discover that nobody's on your side if you're on nobody's side.

There isn't a weak performance in the film (except Vera Cormiga, whose role could have been played by anyone), with stellar supporting turns led by Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and Ray Winstone (Mr. French). While the fate of most of these characters lies within the film's title, it's how they meet their fate that makes The Departed the #11 film of the 2000s.

Stay tuned for #10, posting real soon.

For more information on Bill Simmons, check out his blog at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index

For more information on Sam Gooley, check out his blog at http://gooleysmovies.blogspot.com/

Funny People - Apatow's Free Pass

2009-08-01T14:34:00.003-04:00

"Fielder's choice" is a common baseball term in which the defense says, "instead of throwing out the batter who hit this weak ground ball, we're going to throw out the guy running home instead. We don't care if the batter reaches first base; we just don't want that other guy to make it home."

For statistics purposes, the batter gets credited with neither a hit nor an out. Because his plate appearance counts as an at-bat, his batting average drops although he successfully reached first base.

Now before you start wondering why on earth Mike is talking about baseball during a review of a comedy that has nothing to do with baseball, I want to beat the following analogy into the ground:

Judd Apatow -- director of the nothing-is-wrong-with-it-except-the-feeling-I-had-when-I-woke-up-and-left-the-theatre (NIWWIETFIHWIWUALTT) film, Funny People -- will serve as the batter who successfully reaches first base.

Mike Sullivan -- the un-noticed and way-too-obsessed-with-hyphens movie critic -- will serve as the defensive player who fields the ground ball and throws out the runner at home.

Adam Sandler -- star of the NIWWIETFIHWIWUALTT film by Judd Apatow -- will serve as the base-runner who had to settle with a triple after hitting a bomb off the top of the center field wall. He almost hit a home run, but will unfortunately be thrown out due to the selfishness of the batter who tried to swing for the fences instead of trying to advance the runner on third.

Everyone confused? Perfect. Let's start the movie review.

So far, Judd Apatow is batting 2-for-2 with 2 home runs.

His first appearance, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, was a comic gem that surprised everyone who thought it was going to be a shallow, gross-out comedy with no point other than a few cheap laughs for a $10 ticket. Instead it warmed our hearts, allowed the performances to steal the show, and introduced the world to a different type of humor.

His second time in the director's chair, Knocked Up, made a star of Seth Rogan; proved Katherine Heigl could carry something other than a supporting role in a TV show or movie starring Johnny Knoxville (that's right ... The Ringer); and let us all know Judd Apatow is just beginning.

Now it's his third time to the plate and his confidence is soaring. He's returned Rogan, Leslie Mann, and Jonah Hill, and picked up a who's-who of classic comedians for cameo appearances.
On top of that, he has signed box-office giant Adam Sandler to star in an epic tale of a dying comedian trying to salvage a life of loneliness due to greed, selfishness, and ego. Instead of saying, "I think it would be fun to run a newspaper," imagine Charles Foster Kane saying, "I think it would be fun to do stand up;" then you would have the foundation of Sandler's character, George Simmons. (And if you don't know who Charles Foster Kane is ... well ... I don't know you.)

With total control of the film - from writing, directing, and having final cut: meaning he's got the last say in what's released to theatres - Apatow aims to make "Funny People" an epic piece on the life of stand-up comedy.

Unfortunately ... this film doesn't have the feel of an epic. It's still a comedy; and comedies aren't supposed to be 2 hours, 30 minutes long. To quote good buddy of mine and fellow movie geek Sam Gooley (his review can be found at http://gooleysmovies.blogspot.com/2009/08/funny-people-review.html), "Funny People" flatlines in the last hour because Apatow attempts to cram too many personal ideas into a 2-hour film. Because "Funny People" is his baby; and he's trying to put on the screen a topic so personal to him, Apatow couldn't part with many of the scenes that should have been kept for the "extended director's cut" feature of the DVD.

Is this movie bad? Absolutely not! In fact, I don't think there's a weak performance or scene in the movie. I just think there are too many scenes to do the movie any good.

The first hour is amazing; Sandler and Rogan team up for a mentor/up-and-comer bro-mance that touches on dark humor, gross-out comedy, uncomfortable Ben-Stiller-in-Meet-The-Parents humor, stand-up storytelling ... I pretty much laughed in every way possible during the first hour.

Then comes the plot-twist that everyone saw in the preview, so I won't spoil it when I say that George Simmons (Sandler's character) is getting better. As Sam Gooley would say, "We've already started the sequel an hour through the first movie! Why don't we just finish the first movie first?"

Right when George gets back from the doctor's office: this is the point where you can get popcorn, visit the bathroom, make a phone call, take a nap, or just space out for 20 minutes. Just make sure to wake up when you see Eric Bana talking about Cameron Diaz or Aussie-rules futbol. Then go back to sleep for another 10-15 minutes. Tell the people you came with, "come get me/wake me up/ snap your fingers whenever they get back to the Sandler/Rogan bro-mance."

Now that I think about it, there's an entire 45 minute subplot that could have been summarized in one scene between George and his ex-girlfriend on his outside balcony. But I digress...

Let's conclude with the random baseball analogy that began this already-too-long review.

Why is Sandler the runner that gets thrown out at home?

Answer: his performance is just short of perfection. This is a semi-autobiographical take on his life, and he digs deep to deliver his whole bag of tricks. He shows us every aspect of his humor that has made us fall in love with him over the last 20 years (that's right, he starred in "Going Overboard" in 1989 and started SNL in 1990), and a charisma that'll last for many films to come. All the humor that made Sandler famous is now dated; and Sandler doesn't hesitate to make fun of his own work. He's also aware that the torch will be passed to a new era of comedy, which is embodied by Rogan, and under the leadership of Apatow himself. Sandler's performance is a lock for a Best Actor (Comedy) Golden Globe Nomination, and will go down as his most personal work to date ... not because of his humor, rather because of his new-found maturity. Unfortunately, he won't get an Oscar nomination, but will get thrown out at home...

Why is Apatow the batter who makes it to first?

... Apatow swings for the fences, and fails to connect. Remember in "The Aviator" when Howard Hughes took forever to complete "Hells Angels," and the film turned out to be a disappointment because of his over-obsession with making everything perfect? Remember when Hughes' editors said they had 270 hours of footage that needed to be cut down to 127 minutes? This is how I approach Apatow's direction of "Funny People." Although the first hour is complete, the film's main weakness comes from over-applied ambition that fails to deliver. In essence, Apatow swings for the fences, breaks his bat, and casts a dribbler down the third base line to the fielder...

Why am I the fielder?

... who lets him go to first. Apatow's film is a success, but it isn't. It's a failure, but it isn't. It's not a hit; but it's not an out. It'll hurt Apatow's average, but it won't hurt his previous home runs. I'm just the fielder ... and the ball was hit to me ... and how I view this film is my choice.

Pick Your Five!

2009-06-02T21:48:00.002-04:00

Long before parents used it to spy on their kids' lives via online; way before 8th graders switched to it from AIM; and certainly before it's advertising team sent me a "Doug" cartoon advertisement in response to my posting of a Halloween costume (I went as Quail Man; my best friend Jimmy was Skeeter; and we rocked Franklin Street in Chapel Hill); Facebook was introduced to UNC-Chapel Hill.

Being that UNC was one of the first universities to catch on, I can almost say I've been around since the beginning. When my friends an I first joined, we were quasi-obsessed -- we tagged a photo here-and-there and occasionally wrote on each other's wall -- but would never have guessed "The Facebook" (yes, "The." Do you remember?) would have exploded like it has. Over the past four years I've seen "The Facebook" turn from a virtual yearbook into a worldwide phenomenon; a wave that's subscribed over 200 million users and turned Mark Zuckerberg into the fastest self-made billionaire in United States history.

When it first spread to high schools, we felt cheated. Now that all of us college people had something to connect with, we got that dreaded email saying "your little brother has requested to be your friend. The same little brother that wears the same clothes YOU wore in high school - the kid who will never take 'ignore' for an answer - would like to be your friend." I've actually never had any younger siblings, but had a lot of friends who weren't too fond of theirs ... so I can sorta relate.

Do you remember how superior your felt the first time you came back from college and went to a high school party? Or when you were the first to get that job out of college when all your buddies were still making out with a toilet in a frat house bathroom? Do you remember how cool it felt to finally be that guy who's out there living his life, and who everyone wants to know what he's up to now?

Yea, what if they already know ... because they're your Facebook friend. They already know that college is really 13th grade, your first job isn't paying crap, and that kissing a toilet seat is actually not as bad as kissing the rump of a boss. How would you feel if something like that happened to you? Cheated? Yea, we thought so too. That's why a lot of guys my age (23-24) have turned turned away from Facebook.

That is, until now.

Now it's freakin' everywhere. You can chat online instead of logging in to AIM and trying to figure out your friend's screen name. You can re-connect with people you haven't seen in 15 years, and stalk them if they accept your friend request out of pity and don't actually want to recap the last 15 years (I wasn't that cool growing up, I'll admit it. Much cooler now though!). You can join groups, poke people (what the hell is that, anyway? Poking. Is it a sexual thing? A gay thing? Or just something that's REALLY annoying that they've decided to keep since the beginning of Facebook. I swear it's like the Jar-Jar Binks of social networking.) take quizzes, and look at peronalized advertisements targeted to the information you list on your profile.

And then there are the "Pick Your Five" games. These things will be the death of me. I've been late to work, late getting to sleep, and apathetic to pretty much everyhing else. All because of these "Pick Your Five" lists. Do I look at my friends' pick-5 lists? Not really. Maybe to see if they've made a list I haven't already filled out, or if it's a topic about movies and they've said "The Notebook" is the best movie ever. To be honest, if you fill these things out, I'd make a bet that hardly any of your friends care what your 5 actually are. They will, however, want to take your 5 and make it their own top 5.

One of the best scenes in cinematic history comes in High Fidelity when Rob lists his Top 5 Track 1's and Barry calls him a pansy for giving "safe" answers.

(Safe (n.) - a cliche answer to a question that should really set you apart from anyone else. A "safe" answer would be a movie critic citing one of the following in their Top 5 Films Ever Made: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, or The Godfather 1 or 2. If you ask a girl her Top 5 Favorite Films Ever Made, a "safe" answer would be one of the following 5 options: I Don't Know (an answer that could easily take up all of the Top 5), The Notebook, Love Actually, When Harry Met Sally, or Sleepless in Seattle (If they're still a teenager, you can substitute 2009 MTV Best Movie Award winner Twilight for When Harry Met Sally)

"Safe" answers given in film:

Adaptation: When Meryl Streep answers the question "What person - dead or alive - would you want to have dinner with?" by saying "Mother Theresa ... or Jesus"

High Fidelity: Rob's Top 5 Track 1's. You must see the movie to see what they are, but in the mean time, let's end the longest tangent ever!)

Why do people give "safe" answers? Because they're either too afraid of what other people will think; or they truly don't want to think for themselves, so they revert to cliches to satisfy the person asking the question. But what if a person got to choose their own category? What if they had all the time to formulate their own 5 ... and without any worry of being late for work, losing sleep, or anything else going on in the world? Now EVERYONE can be a critic! EVERYONE can participate! Will anyone read these Pick-Five's? Absolutely not. But that doesn't matter. Freedom of speech is back, darnit! Even if we don't care what you're saying!

The 10th Annual Sullivan Gooley Awards!

2009-02-22T22:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome friends, the time has finally arrived!

After 9 years of disagreement with the Academy's picks, Sam and I have chosen to launch the Sullivan-Gooley Awards the one year we are on the same side as the Academy.

Without further ado, here are our winners:

Visual Effects - The Curious Case Benjamin Button

How on earth did they turn Brad Pitt into a "lawn gnome," as Will Smith so accurately described it?

Sound Effects Editing - The Dark Knight

Inserting unrelated sounds to create a more realistic film-going experience... How else would you describe the sound of a Batmobile?

Sound Mixing - Slumdog Millionaire

Combining the clanks of children sprinting on tin rooftops, the yelling/cheering of their voices, and the adreneline-boosting percussion of A.R. Rahman's "O Saya," the opening sequence alone should merit the Sound Mixing award.

Song - "The Wrestler," by Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler

The Boss gives us the Cliff's Notes to The Wrestler with this aptly titled parable about self-pity. This is by far the most shocking omission to this year's Oscars.

Score - Slumdog Millionaire

Part of how we get lost in Danny Boyle's masterpiece are the emotions triggered through A.R. Rachman's mesmerizing score. A perfect companion to the adventurous plot, direction, and editing, Slumdog Millionaire's music guides our emotions in near-direct correlation to the feelings of Jamal; this is a feat not easily accomplished considering the roller-coaster of emotions we experience in this 10+ year epic.

Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

See Visual Effects, then have the Lawn Gnome age backwards 70 years.

Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire

See "Score," but visually...

Costume Design - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It looks the most like what people wore from the 1920s until now. Not to say the other nominees were fake, but this represents the votes of 2 straight guys in the 21st century.

Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire

Anthony Dod Mantle points the camera in better directions than the rest. Dutch angles abound, it's amazing how much emotion, action, and passion can be injected into one frame - over and over and over again.

Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The evolution of the Benjamin Button's household is but one example of how Danny Boyle utilizes production design to trace the decades of the title character's lifetime.

Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire

Classic storytelling. Period.

Original Screenplay - Milk

The story of Harvey Milk is controversial, vast, and touching. Never has the psyche of the gay community been so confidently broadcasted across this country.

Director - Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

His touch can be felt in every frame, yet executed in such a way that we lose ourselves in what the story - not the director - wants us to see next. Danny Boyle is the liason to Slumdog Millionaire's classic premise, yet it could never be classic without Danny Boyle's guidance.

Supporting Actress - Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Not to put an asterisk on Tomei's recognition, I still must admit that I never got the chance to see Vicky Christina Barcelona. Penelope Cruz was Sam's #1 pick for Best Supporting Actress, yet we had to both see the film to agree on a winner. Tomei's performance, however distant to Rourke's passion, reminds me of Eva Marie Saint's on-screen relationship with Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. While a stripper, she's innocent and desperately seeking a life outside her own; even if it's a life with an ex-contender-turned-bum.

Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Speaking of Brando, we haven't seen a man totally absorbed in a character as Ledger in The Dark Knight. We also haven't seen a character so totally evil. Ledger's death leaves an even bigger aura surrounding the timeless character of the Joker.

Actress - Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Although she didn't deliver the most powerful performance in the movie, Kate Winslet's turn as a wife losing confidence in her husband's dream will haunt moviegoers for years ... if they ever went to the movie in the first place. To us, her performance was summed up in a look - a gaze given next to an oak tree in the twighlight of a marriage. Not to mention, her husband directed this performance. Also, on a side note, Sam and I hated The Reader.

Actor - Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Penn may have won the Oscar, but Rourke won immortality. Ten years from now, you may remember the Sean Penn finally took home the golden boy, but Rourke will be remembered.

Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

Knowledge: The ability to regurgitate facts. (This is how most of us were able to pass multiple choice tests in college without ever learning anything.)

Intelligence: The ability to interpret facts for an intended purpose. (It's not knowing; it's understanding.)

Wisdom: The application of intelligence. (Lessons learned only from living life; the discovery of knowledge though experience.)

How has God proven his existance in your life? Chance occurances? Gut feelings? Miracles?Although no life is pre-determined, each of us have a destiny. What's cool is this: God gave us the power to choose how we achieve it. Our eternity will be measured by the decisions we make during this short stint on Earth; and it's when you act on total faith and dedication does your destiny reveal itself.

In the case of Jamal Malik, he's on a journey to find her.

Slumdog Millionaire questions the acquisition of knowledge; emphasizes the power of love; and lets us know that God can put it all into action. Jamal can only answer the questions he's given based on the wisdom he brings to the table. It just so happens that his life's experiences are in direct link to the questions he's given on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Why?

Because that's the only way he can find her. He didn't ask to be on the show; he had to be. He didn't ask to win all that money; he had to answer the questions so that the nation would tune in and she could watch. He didn't ask to stay in touch with Salim; he had to find him to get his phone number. He didn't have to chase Latika; but he chose to fulfill his destiny.

Questions about how we came to these conclusions? Feel free to post a comment and we will both respond.

The 2009 Sullivan-Gooley Award Nominees Posted!

2009-01-31T21:03:00.003-05:00

Hi Friends-
In case you're not familiar with myself or great friend Sam Gooley, we've hosted our own awards show since 1999 honoring the films we believe should have won Best Picture.

Every year on Oscar night, we reveal the winners.

Since Shakespeare in Love somehow beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture of 1998, we decided something had to change. As we reveal previous winners over the weeks leading up to Oscar night, you can check out our entire list of nominess for the 2009 Sullivan-Gooley Awards for all films released in the 2008 calendar year.

All nominees are alphabetical.

Best Picture
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler

Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn -Milk
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Actress
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Lina Leandersson - Let the Right One In
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslett - Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robery Downy Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Director
Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolen - The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant - Milk

Original Screenplay
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Tropic Thunder
Wall-E

Adapted Screenplay
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Art Direction
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Revolutionary Road

Cinematography
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire

Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Tropic Thunder

Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Song
Down to Earth - Wall-E
The Wrestler - The Wrestler

Sound
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E

Sound Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E

Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Nomination Leaders:
13 - The Dark Knight
11 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10 - Slumdog Millionaire
8 - Revolutionary Road
6 - Frost/Nixon
6 - Milk
6 - Doubt

Top 10 Films of 2008

2009-01-24T16:46:00.000-05:00

Hollywood has struggled over the past couple years. Although we saw a couple modern classics last year with the apocalyptic There Will be Blood and No Country for Old Men, 2007 and 2008 haven't brought the depth of quality we saw at the start of the new millennium.

With that said, 2oo8 wasn't a total disappointment. We've seen a revolution in the adaptation of comic books to film, Bollywood-turned-Hollywood, Pixar-turned-political, a Gay Epic, and one of the highest-performing documenaries ever.

Honorable Mentions:

Milk. Sean Penn rocks out with his ... nevermind. Whether we're desensitized to watching men have sex on screen, more accepting of the gay community, or simply enthralled with the true story of how a homosexual was elected to public office, Milk is Gus Van Sant's career-defining directorial achievement and the performance of Penn's life.

Iron Man. I've figured out how Robert Downy Jr. can say out of prison: keep him working. On top of his hilarious, Oscar-nominated performance in Tropic Thunder, and his work with Jamie Foxx in the upcoming release of The Soloist, Downy brings his wild-side personality to embody playboy billionaire Tony Stark in Iron Man. More to be said of comic-book movies later...

Fireproof. This may be the spark that launches Christian films into the limelight. Just a few short months ago, Fireproof - the story of a husband's commitment to wife, in good times or bad - etched its name as one of the top 10 highest grossing films of the week. With marriage now seen as a glorified relationship and not a commitment; with a divorce rate that's never been higher; Fireproof is a movie to all who've made a commitment to their spouse that anything is possible through Christ.

10. Gran Torino

"I got the best woman who was ever on this planet to marry me, and that was the best thing that ever happened to me. But you, you're letting Click-Clack, Ding-Dong, and Charlie Chan walk out with Miss Yum-Yum!"

No matter how old he gets, Clint Eastwood will always be a badass. Even if he plays an ignorant Korea veteran getting over the loss of his wife, he'll never back down from a fight.

Gran Torino is a western set in working class Detroit. It's a territorial struggle filled with the consequences of choosing your associations, and the how you choose to stand up for your allies. It's also touching, in an Eastwood sort of way. Despite his overarching racism, Walt will knows when to stand up for what's best, and the sacrifice it takes to preserve it.

9. Man on Wire

I'm afraid of heights. Just seeing images of the World Trade Center's construction had me on the edge of my seat; let alone watching Philippe Petit lie down on a wire 1,350 feet above death.

Just as intriguing is the formulation of the "artistic crime of the century." He knows he'll be caught; he knows what's at stake; but no one can stop a man determined to fulfil his dream.

8. Tropic Thunder

"You know Tom Hanks, 'Forrest Gump.' Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and won a ping-pong competition. That ain't retarded."

I must have quoted Robert Downy Jr. a thousand times. He and Tom Cruise. I still can't believe that was Tom Cruise. Scientologist, couch-jumping, crazy-man Tom Cruise. Asking an agent to leave his client for dead in the woods of Vietnam in exchange for a G-5 and lots and lots of money. Downy gives the performance, but Cruise steals the show. Why? Because he's a big-d!ck playa.

By far the funniest film of 2008, Tropic Thunder will give movie fans a better ab workout than a late-night infomercial. My recommendation: crack open a Booty Sweat, unwrap a Bust-a-Nut, and enjoy 2 hours of non-stop laughs.

7. Wall-E

Let me get this straight; man is lazy. If we don't clean up our act, all plants will die and we are damned to a life of space travel on a never-ending cruise.

I think William Shatner just wet himself.

Diet coke in our right hand, remote control in our right, flat-screen television in front of our propped-up feet; you don't need a futuristic CGI robot movie to let us know how mankind is now - not in the future.

Not a better time to include serious political undertones in a Disney/Pixar movie than an election year. In fact, now that I've addressed the major global warming issues that permeate Wall-E, I want to say that these issues are the only things keeping Disney/Pixar from celebrating it's best release ever.

Imagine this classic love story told without an agenda. Imagine a movie that depicted God as the catalyst to saving our world; not whether or not we can get a plant to germinate.

Or maybe that's the point. Maybe - since this is the first Disney film never to mention any of God's laws of prosperity - mankind has passed the point of being able to save its own planet.

Imagine the "theory" of evolution being taught as law. Imagine our children watching movies based on a godless society. Imagine how that'll affect their foundational behavior.

But like I said: we don't need a futuristic CGI robot movie to let us know how mankind is now - not in the future.

Wall-E is Pixar's best film, minus the issues that ruined it for me.

6. Frost/Nixon

Like we've never seen the liberal media attack a conservative president before...

The guy wasn't even President anymore - why the attack?

Here's why: a man must stand up and take responsibility for the mistakes he's made over the course of his life, including a Presidential term. You must overcome the shortcomings, not shrink from them.

Frost/Nixon exemplifies that very principle.

Headlined by powerhouse performances by Oscar-nominated Frank Langella and should-be-nominated Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon demands from its actors what a heavyweight bout demands from its boxers. The film is set up exactly like that - a back-and-forth showdown between master rhetorists - and doesn't disappoint. If only Michael Mann could have directed it, I would have gone nuts.

5. The Wrestler

Talk about a tragic hero; Mickey Rourke is just that. And then there's the character he plays... Instead of a washed-up 80's movie star, he's a washed-up 80's wrestler. And boy, does he play the part.

Remember Napoleon Dynamite's uncle? The 40 year old ex-high school football star who can't escape the regret of not winning the state title? That's The Wrestler.

If Mickey Rourke and director Darren Aronofsky didn't pave the way in making this film, I guarantee The Wrestler would end up like the story of Napoleon Dynamite's uncle - a little funny, but totally stupid. Instead, Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime; and by the end of the film, the audience will have taken a journey filled with cheers, disappointments, and tragedy. Surely not to be missed, The Wrestler is one of the best pictures of the year.

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It's hard enough to tell the story of a man's life in less than 3 hours, especially a life as curious as Benjamin Button's.

An epic Christmas-time fantasy, this parable on love and loss reminds us that our lives are defined by the memories we create, the dreams we pursue, and the ones we choose to love along the way.

All true Christmas movies should motivate their audience to go out with a purpose and make the most of their lives. Benjamin Button's biography reminded me of how my time on earth is but a blip on the radar of eternity, and that each moment should be savored and never thrown to waste.

Also, it'll keep you wondering how they made Brad Pitt look like a 3'6" 80 year old child...

3. Revolutionary Road

There couldn't be a more important movie released this year. I just pray that enough people see it, and those people interpret the story correctly.

Although it takes place in 1950s Suburbia, Revolutionary Road is a perfect reflection of today's society, and the impact a failed dream can have on a marriage. DiCaprio and Winslett shine as a tarnished couple growing apart as each choose separate detours from their destiny. Kate and Leo are to marriage what Mickey Rourke is to wrestling. Each excel when giving it all they got and staying focused on living an extraordinary life. However, once they make the decision to go forward, simple temptations and distractions snowball into an avalanche of tragic mistakes.

This story should be the catalyst for every viewer to take a stand against compromise and mediocrity. "A man only gets a couple chances in life; if he doesn't grab them by the balls, before long he's sitting around wondering how he got to be second rate." If you don't believe me, take a look around your office or cube and take inventory of the amount of dreamers around you. Then read the mission statement at http://www.golivethedream.com/ and see if you don't get pissed off in a good way.

The biggest critique I've heard of this film was that nothing actually happens; that it's a constant downward spiral that'll leave audiences disappointed and heartbroken.

My message to all those critics: you are just like the Wheelers.

2. The Dark Knight

You can kiss corny comic movies goodbye in The Godfather Part II, Batman style.

Simple, yet deep. Entertaining, yet haunting. Observant, yet tragic. The Dark Knight packs the full punch.

It's simple in that it polarizes everything.

It's Good vs. Evil. The Good is tarnished and the Evil is pure. There is no humanity in Heath Ledger's Joker, yet there is some lacking in Bruce Wayne.

It's one side or the other. In one boat: criminals; the other boat: innocent civilians. In one location: your city's last hope; the other location: the love of your life. On one side of the coin: life; the other side of the coin: death. Only one thing's for certain: it's your choice.

The Joker's ambition isn't based on his own morals; instead it's the breaking point of an individual's sanity. His simple 50-50 tests have extraordinary consequences, which turns up the pressure on making the "right" decision. The real "joke" is that there is no right decision - only to not play the game.

I could go on for hours comparing Ledger's performance to the greatest of screen history, commending Christopher Nolan's vision of injecting realism into comic books adaptations, and figuring out the facial similarities between Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal (it's the cheek bones); but I'll stop here by saying that this is the best blockbuster popcorn flick I have ever seen.

1. Slumdog Millionaire

Knowledge: The ability to regurgitate facts. (This is how most of us were able to pass multiple choice tests in college without ever learning anything.)

Intelligence: The ability to interpret facts for an intended purpose. (It's not knowing; it's understanding.)

Wisdom: The application of intelligence. (Lessons learned only from living life; the discovery of knowledge though experience.)

How has God proven his existance in your life? Chance occurances? Gut feelings? Miracles?

Although no life is pre-determined, each of us have a destiny. What's cool is this: God gave us the power to choose how we achieve it. Our eternity will be measured by the decisions we make during this short stint on Earth; and it's when you act on total faith and dedication does your destiny reveal itself.

In the case of Jamal Malik, he's on a journey to find her.

Slumdog Millionaire questions the acquisition of knowledge; emphasizes the power of love; and lets us know that God can put it all into action.

Jamal can only answer the questions he's given based on the wisdom he brings to the table. It just so happens that his life's experiences are in direct link to the questions he's given on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Why?

Because that's the only way he can find her. He didn't ask to be on the show; he had to be. He didn't ask to win all that money; he had to answer the questions so that the nation would tune in and she could watch. He didn't ask to stay in touch with Salim; he had to find him to get his phone number.

He didn't have to chase Latika; but he chose to fulfill his destiny.

A Revolutionary Reminder

2009-01-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

"A man only gets a couple chances in life. If he doesn't grab them by the balls, before long he's sitting around wondering how he got to be second rate."

Such are the words so confidently delivered to Frank Wheeler, who has just been offered The Big Promotion over a martini lunch with his senior vice president. Frank already knows a man gets a couple opportunities to define his life, which is why he is leaving.

Leaving his job; leaving his cozy house on Revolutionary Road; leaving the "hopeless emptiness" of 1950's suburban life.

Now it is 2009. Today we inaugurate a president considered by many the catalyst of change, hope, and inspiration to a nation of millions buried behind under their fear of what others might think.

Why have so many people turned to this man for change? The answer is simple. It's because we have not taken ownership of our life.

Instead of chasing our dream, lassoing the moon, and fulfilling the promises we made to our wives, we settle on a life that pays the bills, affords the children, and blends in with the rest of the neighborhood.

We play it safe. We turn to others to put the food on the table. We change the definition of "Revolutionary" from "an American Patriot" to "a suburban street sign."

We lose our dream.

What better a time to adapt Richard Yates' 1961 novel, Revolutionary Road. As the novel covers the emergence of Corporate America through 1950's consumerism, you don't have to stretch far to say that the Wheelers face a lot of the same problems Corporate Americans face in the 21st century.

As our country fades from the Land of Opportunity to the Land of Guarantee, its citizens exchange a life of greatness for a life of convenience. After years of convenience, several of us will soon realize that we haven't lived the life God called us to lead. We have instead been unable to perform at a higher standard; love with more passion; and live a life at a higher level. We are numb; we are everyone in Frank Wheeler's life.

As Frank tries to inject genuine feeling into his every day life, he opens up to a vulnerable secretary over lunch. "Growing up, I hated everything my father did with his life - ignoring my mom, working overtime at Knox, and not paying me two bits of attention. Today I'm 30 years old and am also a Knox man. After everything I hated, I end up following in his footsteps."

Frank's life is about to change. An opportunity has entered his life. A dream has been awoken. Thanks to the encouragement of his beautiful wife April, Frank decides to leave it all behind and start anew with his family in Paris. Traveler's cheques ready; trip booked; co-workers and neighbors alerted; in 3 months, the Wheelers start a new life.

In 3 months...

It's amazing how much someone gets tested the moment they make a major decision - the bigger the rose, the greater the thorn.

Revolutionary Road traces the struggles Frank and April face in their fight to take ownership of their life. At first, their desire to leave Connecticut attracts the admiration of Frank's cubicle buddies, their realtor, and couple next door. Soon Frank is barraged with questions from his coworkers about what it feels like to be free; April is introduced to the "handicapped" son of their realtor; and both Frank and April become best friends to neighbors Shep and Milly Campbell.

Once a pigeon at work, Frank now sits across a lunch table sipping martinis with a senior vice president begging Frank to take a promotion. As one man sees the promotion as an opportunity, another man sees it as a transition to a different cage.

It's not until the Wheelers face another challenge does Frank even consider the promotion. Unfortunately I don't spoil movies I like, so you'll have to see it to find out what challenge they face.

What I can spoil are many things. First, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers the performance of his career. Frank Wheeler is a weak man with great intentions, but lacks the guidance and encouragement to stay true to his convictions. DiCaprio's childlike charisma fits perfectly into Frank Wheeler's inconsistant ambition; but what separates this performance is the emotional depth and maturity displayed in what can only be described as heavyweight bouts with April Wheeler, portrayed superbly by Kate Winslett.

The Titanic duo takes us on a two-hour emotional thrill ride that'll have you exhausted by film's end. DiCaprio and Winslett face off in romance, motivational pick-me-ups, and tragic confrontations.

Breakfasts will never be the same...

Although Winslett took home the Golden Globe for her performance and will enter February as the favorite to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards, it's DiCaprio who carries the film from the roadside fight to the swingset stare.

Like all Sam Mendes films, Revolutionary Road could just as easily appear on stage as it does on film. With the same flair that made American Beauty a modern classic, each shot is carefully crafted to achieve a maximum effect. From the production design, costumes, and trademark cinematography, Revolutionary Road will burn images in your mind long after you leave the theatre.

Characters are inserted like props to maintain the plot's continuity. Pay close attention to Michael Shannon's performance of the "insane" John Givings, whose brutal observations of the Wheeler family serve as a voice of truth and sanity.

"Hopeless emptiness - what a unique choice of words," says Givings, quoting April. "We can all say that this lifestyle is empty; but it takes courage to call it hopeless."

I hope the audience realizes Givings isn't just speaking to the Wheelers - he's speaking to us.

His critiques of the Wheelers over the course of their relationship serve as shock treatment to the numb observer in the third row. His last burst of anger in the Wheelers' dining room is their last chance to make something of themselves. If they've decided to act against their dream, and refuse to take the advice of an honest man screaming for them to change, they can no longer help themselves.

They have settled. They are numb. They have become hopeless. They are just like everyone else.

Revolutionary Road is our reminder to take responsibility for our life, and what life can turn into if we miss our opportunity. It's not a threat; it's an open invitation.

Today we have innaugurated a man to be our President, not our provider. As we strive forward to re-define America, we must first re-define how each one of us make it great. I guarantee it's not because of a job that pays the bills, affords the children, and gains approval of a next door neighbor.

It's in our ability to dream.

"Where can you find the seeds of greatness in this country?" asks pastor Joel Osteen. "You can find most of them buried in cemetaries in every town across the United States."

Why Big Ten Football Sucks

2008-12-26T23:51:00.000-05:00

If you're my friend and root for a Big Ten school, you need to listen.

Your team - judging by the fact that your entire conference is overrated - probably sucks at football.

Here's why the Big Ten is horrible, and why you - a fan of Big Ten football - need to listen.

Your conference is a dormant conference. It is draped in tradition; once uncovered, there's no more fear of you.

Imagine if Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera wore a Cubs uniform for a day. How scared are you now? There's a classic line from the movie, Catch Me If You Can, where Christopher Walken turns to his son, Leonardo DiCaprio, and says, "You know why the Yankees always win? Because their opponents can't take their eyes off those damn pinstripes."

What if the rest of the country realized that all the best football players don't come from Ohio, and that THE Ohio State University (They call it "THE" Ohio State University because there's no room for another college in a state whose birth certificate is an acceptance letter to attend THE state univeristy. Unless you play basketball; then you move to Cincinnati.) wouldn't reach a bowl if they played in the Southeastern Conference or Big XII South.

Here's a history lesson. 90% of football talent is born south of the Mason/Dixon line; and here's proof. Since the Civil Rights Movement (I'll round it to 1960, when Minnesota won the national championship) the majority of talent has stayed south of the Mason/Dixon line. The Big Ten has won 7 national championships in that time. The state of Florida has 9 since 1983. With the ever-growing acceptance of black athletes across the south, teams in southern conferences have proven that a speedy teams can run around and catch up to the big and powerful.

Note to those who play the race card: Positions associated with speed (running backs, receivers, safeties, and running quarterbacks) are largely filled with black players from southern states. Miami, Florida, and Florida State (9 titles in 25 years) have a higher proportion of black football players that occupy those positions. If you don't like the idea, you can put me in at free safety and see if I can catch anyone.

College football has evolved. No longer can you win a national championship behind the efforts of a straight-forward running game backed by a "tough" defense. We just saw Florida beat Alabama on that very premise. We also saw Florida, LSU and USC's defense destroy THE Ohio State University's conventional playcalling in an avalanche of mismatched talent the past couple years.

This year, tradition makes its last stand. THE Ohio State University (10-2, 5-2 against bowl teams) was chosen for the Fiesta Bowl over undefeated and higher-ranked Boise State (5-0 against bowl teams, including current #15 Oregon). Now they get Texas.

A couple days later, Penn State gets USC in the Battle of Unappreciated One-Loss Teams. We'll see how much they deserve a title shot after the Rose Bowl.

Finally, let's talk strength of schedule. OUT OF CONFERENCE strength of schedule.

How does the Big Ten send 7 schools to a bowl game? Here's an easy answer: they play NOBODY. I can understand padding your schedule with one or two gimme games, however the Big Ten seems to play every high school across the midwest.

The Big Ten's record against other BCS schools during the regular season: 5-5. Those 5 wins came against Oregon State (8-4), Syracuse twice (3-9), Duke (4-8), and Iowa State (2-10). The Big Ten played 44 non-conference games. Only 23% of their non conference games were against other BCS teams.
Pac 10: 5-6 in 30 non-conference games, 37%
Big XII: 7-8 in 48 non-conference games, 31%
ACC: 13-8 in 48 non-conference games, 44%
Big East: 7-7 in 41 non-conference games, 34%
SEC: 6-9 in 48 non-conference games, 31%

So sum up: The Big Ten needs to change with the times instead of relying on tradition to get them into the big game. If they don't, you better get used to your favorite team getting beat to a pulp every January.

Benjamin Button & T.I.

2008-12-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

You never know what's comin' for you.

-Daisy, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

You're gonna be a shining star

With fancy clothes and fancy cars

And then you see you're gonna go far

Cause everyone knows just who you are.

...So live your life

No telling where it'll take ya...

-Rihanna, "Life Your Life"

How do you celebrate Christmas?

For me, it's a constant state of euphoria. After wishing my Lord and Savior a Happy Birthday and thanking Him for blessing me with the gift of eternal salvation, I head downstairs to open gifts, hand out presents, and thank my family for everything they chose to give me this holiday season.

Then it's movie time. This year it was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and God am I thankful for this movie.

Here's one word to describe the last two years in Hollywood: apocalyptic. No Country for Old Men demonstrated how your best may never be enough; There Will Be Blood showed us that God was a superstition; and Wall-E taught kids to think the last hope for the evolution of mankind is the fertilization of a plant (and that a robot, not man, can solve the problem).

Here's what's come out this Christmas Season:

Seven Pounds - When you kill someone, don't make the most of what you have left. Instead, kill yourself; but make sure your organs get passed off to "good" people. After I Am Legend, I feel that Will Smith's dip into Scientology may have changed his outlook on the bright side of things.

Revolutionary Road - Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett realizing their life is pointless, and taking it out on each other. (I haven't seen the film yet; however, that's what I took from the trailer.)

The Reader - Kate Winslett accused of killing Jews while sleeping with a boy during the Holocaust.

Doubt - Phillip Seymore Hoffman (priest) screaming at Meryl Streep (nun). Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis cry. Hooray Catholicism!

No wonder so many people kill themselves over the holidays! The economy already sucks; whatever money people have made, they've spent it on relatives they don't even like; and every "critically acclaimed" movie they see makes them feel like crap! It's like reading The Grapes of Wrath on your birthday - you're just asking for trouble.

Then there's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Is this the most uplifting film of all time? Nope. Does Benjamin Button conquer the world and meet every successful American over the past 85 years like Forrest Gump? Nope, although Forrest and Benjamin have received a lot of comparisons recently. Is Benjamin an iconic character that all parents should model their children after? Nope.

So why this Curious Case?

Because this movie brings the right kind of tear to your eye. This movie reminds us that our lives are defined by the memories we create, the dreams we pursue, and the ones we choose to love along the way. This movie is what Christmas is all about; and thank God for it.

It maybe 3 hours long, but it didn't seem like a burden. Instead of checking my watch to see how much longer the movie lasts, I decided to lose myself in the story of Benjamin and Daisy.

It's a love story - no doubt about it. Benjamin and Daisy's struggle to overcome the obstacles of aging is a work of tragic originality.

It's also a marvel in special effects. For the first half hour my family and I kept asking ourselves how they transformed Brad Pitt into a 3'6" 80-year-old man. The last half hour, my family and I kept asking ourselves how they transformed Brad Pitt into the Brad Pitt of Thelma & Louise.

Finally, it's a movie that inspires. In Gladiator, Maximus states to his army, "What we do in life echoes an eternity." All true Christmas movies should motivate their audience to go out with a purpose and make the most of their lives. Benjamin Button's biography reminded me of how my time on earth is but a blip on the radar of eternity, and that each moment should be savored and never thrown to waste.

So what does T.I. have to do with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?

I must have listened to "Live Your Life" about 1,000 times over the past month. In case you haven't heard it, the second verse is laced with all the nuggets you need to make it in whatever endeavor you choose to pursue.

While most of rap focuses on selling your soul for the dollar bill; "Live Your Life" tells you to work hard for your dream; ignore the critics that oppose you; overcome the obstacles that trip you; and live your life to the fullest, for all the right reasons.

Benjamin Button opens the doors to what can happen if you live your life with childlike enthusiasm, a desire to explore, and a curiosity at what life can bring next.

Merry Christmas!

Why I'm Blogging

2008-12-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I'd like to welcome you to Sully's World - the day-to-day thought process of me, Mike Sullivan.

Aimed to assist, inspire, or simply distract, Sully's World will be used to open the floor for others to cite their beliefs on all aspects of life. On a regular basis, I plan to address issues with regard to entertainment, politics, faith, and relationships; then open the floor for discussion from anyone who wishes to voice an opinion on the matter.

God's given everyone a voice and an opinion; here you may express whatever you like.

Welcome,

Mike