As a member of this esteemed group, I try to shun as many duties as possible. I do not know if it is right to say that it is your duty as a member to see a movie, but I can strongly recommend that a fellow member of this Group Cool (TM) sees a particular movie. At this time, that movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
I have now seen this movie, in its entirety twice. I would like to see it again. It is easy to blurt out things like, "It's not a typical Jim Carrey movie." But at this point in his career, I do not quite know what is typical for him. If you liked Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Human Nature, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, or simply the idea of a Charlie Kaufman penned movie, then you will most likely enjoy this movie and its mind trips and its naked humor and its poetic love story.
I am not a movie critic, although I aspire to play one on T.V. It is hard for me really be a movie critic. As a movie fan, I find myself getting lost in a movie, and I often forget to worry about the details. I feel slightly fake when I begin to rant on about the acting, writing, lighting, and other artistic qualities about a movie. I judge movies in simple tones. If a comedy makes me spit milk through my nose, then I like it. If I inexplicably get sand in my eye in the middle of a theater while watching a compelling drama, then I like it. If I am enthralled and interested by a suspense thriller until the end, then I like it. If I want to know how it ends because I feel like the characters have become a part of my soul, then I like it. If the summer blockbuster keeps me entertained and amazed, then I like it. If I'm a little freaked out for the next couple of days after a horror movie, then I like it.
Above all those, however, few movies tread. If a movie really makes me think, then I love it. And I mean think. Some movies make me rethink some of my preconceived notions about everything. Some movies make me think about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Some movies trick me into feeling real emotions about the characters on screen. When I leave the theater shaking my head saying, "wow" or, "oh wow," those movies are my favorites. Those movies I love. Did I love this movie. I think so. It touched me. I feel silly saying that, but I think that it may be true. I wanted to know so much more about them and their story. It made me think about love and what chemistry is and what kinds of decisions I should or could make. Should you see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? I think so. Is it your duty? I don't know. Sometimes duty seems like a dirty word to me.
Good Times
Well, this is what it's all about. All the excitement, all the fun. The NCAA tournament. In light of all that is going wrong in sports these days, it is easy to say, "Hey, here's something pure." Yes, the NCAA men's basketball tournament is special. Besides the Super Bowl, it is probably the sports event that brings more Americans together. Even people who don't follow sports are interested. It takes over an entire network for three weeks. It even pre-empts soap operas. This is BIG!
Unfortunately it is not as pure as we would like. Like any other sport there is controversy. Cheaters are everywhere, but we can't look away. Every year there is another men's basketball program in trouble: St. Bonaventure, Georgia, Missouri. Even past favorites have their tournament records tarnished retroactively. Those Fab Five teams at Michigan, don't mean as much after Chris Webber admitted to taking money from boosters back in high school. One of the biggest stories leading up to the tournament was the release of one of Jim Harrick, Jr.'s final exams. Sports can be so much fun.
This is not the only black mark on the tournament. The purity of college basketball, only gets really exciting when there is something more. Sure Cinderella stories are great. Yes, almost every game is a nail biter, but what keeps me on the edge of my seat every weekend, is my office pool. The beauty of filling out an entire bracket before hand, is that every game suddenly has the potential for becoming a deal breaker. If the right teams win, I could make $100 from $5. That's pretty good money. Not to mention the possibility of winning one of the on-line bracket challenges. (Although, usually after the first night I'm out of the running on those.)
What it all comes down to, is that sports in America are never pure. They are never as true as they seem. Someone is always looking to make an extra buck, and that means that someone is going to do the wrong thing. It certainly makes things exciting, though. If Chris Webber had never gotten all that money, we never would have seen that ill fated timeout call when they were out of timeouts. Aww, the memories.
Unfortunately it is not as pure as we would like. Like any other sport there is controversy. Cheaters are everywhere, but we can't look away. Every year there is another men's basketball program in trouble: St. Bonaventure, Georgia, Missouri. Even past favorites have their tournament records tarnished retroactively. Those Fab Five teams at Michigan, don't mean as much after Chris Webber admitted to taking money from boosters back in high school. One of the biggest stories leading up to the tournament was the release of one of Jim Harrick, Jr.'s final exams. Sports can be so much fun.
This is not the only black mark on the tournament. The purity of college basketball, only gets really exciting when there is something more. Sure Cinderella stories are great. Yes, almost every game is a nail biter, but what keeps me on the edge of my seat every weekend, is my office pool. The beauty of filling out an entire bracket before hand, is that every game suddenly has the potential for becoming a deal breaker. If the right teams win, I could make $100 from $5. That's pretty good money. Not to mention the possibility of winning one of the on-line bracket challenges. (Although, usually after the first night I'm out of the running on those.)
What it all comes down to, is that sports in America are never pure. They are never as true as they seem. Someone is always looking to make an extra buck, and that means that someone is going to do the wrong thing. It certainly makes things exciting, though. If Chris Webber had never gotten all that money, we never would have seen that ill fated timeout call when they were out of timeouts. Aww, the memories.
Steroids and Hockey
We're always looking for trouble when these two subject come up. Sports is a unique arena. The current steroid controversy in baseball has overshadowed many other noteworthy stories this spring. This should come as no surprise, though. Baseball players for years have been trying to get ahead of the competition by cheating.
Since baseball became a professional sport, people have used corked bats, cut balls, sharpened spikes, barred minorities from playing, and used performance enhancing drugs to get ahead. This latest surge of controversy is nothing if not late. This should have come up years ago.
Furthermore, the players, at this point, have no right to criticize the current rules implemented for steroid testing. Yes, they are pointless. No suspensions until the third positive test, and no serious penalties until the fifth positive test is a joke. The players dug their own grave. It was the Major League Baseball Players Association that pushed for the inadequate penalties in the first place. If the players had wanted more stringent testing procedures and penalties, they should have relayed that to their union representative.
Oh, yeah, and Barry, quit trying to deny it.
Now my second topic is the recent cheap shot taken by a NHL player. Todd Bertuzzi did a dumb thing. Hockey and baseball players for a long time have been playing the game of trying to be players and referees. This will not work. Yes, Steve Moore did give a Markus Naslund a cheap shot earlier in the season, but that should have never lead to him getting a broken neck.
The NHL needs to put a stop to these kind of shenanigans. Hockey is considered, by many, to not be one of the four big sports that it tries to be. Yes fighting is a part of the game that seems to get fans the most excited, but there has to be a better way. International Hockey does not allow fighting, and it manages to keep us intrigued every four years. Situations will happen like in the last Olympics when a cheap shot was given merely because they knew that there were no enforcers to clean up the mess.
In an 84 game season, things can be remedied without the use of an enforcer. Players can be thrown out of games, fined, and suspended. Too many times, hockey games become brawls and not games. These people are fine athletes. They should be able to play a game without having to worry about ending up with a concussion and a broken neck because someone holds a grudge.
Since baseball became a professional sport, people have used corked bats, cut balls, sharpened spikes, barred minorities from playing, and used performance enhancing drugs to get ahead. This latest surge of controversy is nothing if not late. This should have come up years ago.
Furthermore, the players, at this point, have no right to criticize the current rules implemented for steroid testing. Yes, they are pointless. No suspensions until the third positive test, and no serious penalties until the fifth positive test is a joke. The players dug their own grave. It was the Major League Baseball Players Association that pushed for the inadequate penalties in the first place. If the players had wanted more stringent testing procedures and penalties, they should have relayed that to their union representative.
Oh, yeah, and Barry, quit trying to deny it.
Now my second topic is the recent cheap shot taken by a NHL player. Todd Bertuzzi did a dumb thing. Hockey and baseball players for a long time have been playing the game of trying to be players and referees. This will not work. Yes, Steve Moore did give a Markus Naslund a cheap shot earlier in the season, but that should have never lead to him getting a broken neck.
The NHL needs to put a stop to these kind of shenanigans. Hockey is considered, by many, to not be one of the four big sports that it tries to be. Yes fighting is a part of the game that seems to get fans the most excited, but there has to be a better way. International Hockey does not allow fighting, and it manages to keep us intrigued every four years. Situations will happen like in the last Olympics when a cheap shot was given merely because they knew that there were no enforcers to clean up the mess.
In an 84 game season, things can be remedied without the use of an enforcer. Players can be thrown out of games, fined, and suspended. Too many times, hockey games become brawls and not games. These people are fine athletes. They should be able to play a game without having to worry about ending up with a concussion and a broken neck because someone holds a grudge.
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