Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: movie, portraits, sara hughes, steve martin, the jerk
Sara Hughes pointed me to this page of movie family portraits. Singled out this one. That boy’s “got the rhythm!”
Navin R. Johnson and family
Filed under: hockey | Tags: bernier, burke, canucks, gillis, hockey, kesler, nonis, Sundin, vancouver
The Mats Sundin saga may well be coming to an end but the waiting game has left a bad taste for Vancouver hockey fans.
Although the fans seem to have come to the realization that Sundin is not the bad guy here. Sundin is simply a guy who plays the game at such an elite level that to fade away into mediocrity would be public humiliation. The ten million dollars Canucks GM Mike Gillis threw at Sundin seems to have little influence on Mats final decision and other than the odd comment from JP Barry (who would no doubt love to see his client sign for the most money) all has been quiet on the Sundin front. Realizing that if money were the issue or even a major issue Sundin would have most likely signed on July 1st Canucks GM Mike Gillis has limited his options by letting other UFA’s skate by. Not resigning recently rehabilitated Canucks vet Brendan Morrison as insurance could seemingly prove a costly decision unless of course Gillis has more foresight than the average fan.
It was clear that the Canucks GM had intentions to go after Sens forward Antoine Vermette and Red Wings speedster Valtteri Filppula but was unable to land either. It is hopeful that Gillis patient genius will make the lost possibilities of Jokinen, Cammalleri, Rolston, Jason Williams, Cory Stillman and others into an afterthought. Minus Sundin the crop of centers this summer was not fantastic and making such an exhilarating pitch at the gold star of the bunch is admirable from the view point of a Canucks fan, patience however seems not to be. Watching other teams, specifically the Edmonton Oilers, improve so much while the Canucks struggled to keep up has left the fans uneasy. With all of this being said, when you pull back from the noise and take a calculated look at this years Canucks I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
This is now a team capable of rolling 3 pretty sturdy lines.
A first line of Sedin – Sedin – Bernier is an improvement on last year if only for the muscle and right handed shot Bernier provides along with a more experienced set of twins. A second line of Demitra Wellwood and Pyatt may seem out of sorts on paper but if Wellwood ups his commitment to the game his point total should notably increase over his years in Toronto. The third line is possibly the most threatening on the team. Kesler came into his own the second half of last year and his speed and hockey sense have made him arguably the most dangerous player on the roster. Put him between the courageous and brilliant Alex Burrows and the speedy Mason Raymond and you may have the best third line in the entire NHL. A fourth line of Hordichuk, Johnson and Rypien is a line with speed, defensive smarts and toughness. Johnson may likely prove to be the Nucks best signing this offseason.
The same D core returns with a more experienced Alexander Edler and a healthy Kevin Bieksa. All in all, even as is the Canucks look like an improved team that have built smartly off of existing parts. As much of a smoke screen as the Sundin situation may be the Canucks are in a great position to improve on last year, especially with the foreseen expectation of one more key player before training camp. Though don’t expect him to be named Mats.
Filed under: Music | Tags: Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes, Media Club, Neil Young, Robin Pecknold, SXSW
THE OPENING ACT
It is not so rare that a person finds themselves in a bar watching a band. The crowd flocks to the stage as the first chord is struck and conversation dies down momentarily. It is obvious that only a lucky third of the people here actually know who is sitting in front of them. Forcing my way through to the edge of the stage I am reminded of the fortunate few who went to see Rick James and the Mynah Birds in Toronto and were greeted by a 20 year old Neil Young, recently free of the Squires and forming a sound that would help shape the best music of the next decade. That was 1965 but the unexpected realization of what I was seeing would have to be comparable. Within a few notes of “White Winter Hymnal” there is a hush drawn over the crowd.
Frontman Robin Pecknold sits on his stool jolted back as he emphatically carols every note through the long hall of the Media Club. Pecknold is a young Bob Welch, a more tailored David Crosby (Byrds Crosby more than “If I Could Only Remember My Name”) or a near perfect collaboration of Brian Wilson and Woody Guthrie. It is obvious to me now that the feeling of awe that has come over me was sent out amongst the crowd like a river as 21 year old Skye unleashed the mind-lodging riff that foreshadows the songs main verse.
It is so rare that a person finds themselves in a bar listening to a band and feels a part of history. To romanticize one show in a dingy Vancouver club seems folly in type. It lacks the reactionary faces of the unassuming club-goers who clamoured outside after the set to congratulate the band as they loaded up their u-haul. This serves as prelude to an indie movement that is growing increasingly strong and the minor labels are bringing in the harvest. Asthmatic Kitty, SubPop, Frenchkiss, Arts and Crafts, here is where my future dollars lie.
The self titled Fleet Foxes disc that debuted before the arrival of incredible harmonist and current bass-player Christian Wargo finds itself eclipsed with a new richness and direction of Sun Giant. The full length Ragged Wood (which can be found online) is set for a mid June release through Sub Pop.
Filed under: Film
With the Oscars just 4 days a way I am throwing out my picks one category at a time. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There
- Saoirse Ronan for Atonement
- Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton
- Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
- Ruby Dee for American Gangster
Filed under: hockey
PACIFIC DIVISION
- San Jose Sharks – 108 pts
- Anaheim Ducks – 103 pts
- Dallas Stars – 96 pts
- Los Angeles Kings – 84 pts
- Phoenix Coyotes – 61 pts
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are one of the few teams that welcome back almost all of last years players. A core that includes so many talented youngsters its hard not to make comparisons to last years cup champions. The loss of Scott Hannan is a big hole that sophomore Matt Carle and Christian Erhoff seem capable of filling. On any other team Joe Pavelski would be touted as a big star on the rise but in San Jose he finds himself buried behind the talents of Thornton and Marleau. Look for this youngster to draw heavy media attention with a 55-65 point season. The losses of goaltender Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell may be addition by subtraction. Bell was a distraction with his off ice issues and Toskala kept former Calder winner Evgeni Nabokov from playing in many consecutive games.
The Sharks are my pick to win the Western Conference Championship in 2008.
POINT PROJECTION
Joe Thornton – 111
Patrick Marleau – 86
Jonathon Cheechoo -78
Milan Michalek – 76
Joe Pavelski – 58
Matt Carle – 51
Steve Bernier – 44
G : Nabokov – 39-18-4 and 4 Shutouts
ANAHEIM DUCKS
With so much parody in the NHL it is nearly impossible to repeat. The formula to do so would probably contain a young core of superstars much like an early 80′s Oiler squad. The loss of Penner is a deep blow to Burke’s Ducks that Brian did well to plug in his acquisition of former 90+ point getter Todd Bertuzzi. With the exception of Nicklas Lidstrom no defenceman brings more to the ice and locker room than potentially retired superstar Scott Niedermeyer. The loss of both Captain Scott and the Finish Flash are hard to come back from. Enter the new blood. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are two players on the brink of superstardom. Getzlaf is a born leader who surprised the hockey world as a solid two way player in the Ducks cup run. Corey Perry is a pure scorer with tons of finish. He is cocky and hates to lose creating a lot of tension on the ice. With Selanne gone Perry will benefit from a huge increase in ice time and the presence of both Getzlaf and McDonald. Look for the Ducks to be upended by the much improved San Jose Sharks.
POINT PROJECTION
Corey Perry – 81 pts
Ryan Getzlaf – 76 pts
Andy McDonald – 76 pts
Todd Bertuzzi – 70 pts
Chris Pronger – 68 pts
* Bobby Ryan – 41 pts
Mattheiu Schnieder – 38 pts
G – J.S. Giguere – 30-16-4 with 5 Shutouts.
DALLAS STARS
The Stars are old and seem close to an inward collapse that would see leaders like Modano, Zubov and Lehtinen unable to fend off the speed and skill of the new NHL. Marty Turco proved to everyone in last years playoffs that he is for real and is very much the cornerstone of this franchise. Youngsters Ribeiro, Jussi Jokinen, and captain Brendan Morrow will need to step their games up another level to lead this team beyond the opening round of the playoffs.
Point Projection
Brendan Morrow – 71 pts
Mike Ribeiro – 68 pts
Jussi Jokinen – 64 pts
Mike Modano – 61 pts
Philippe Boucher – 50 pts
Sergei Zubov – 46 pts
Jere Lehtinen – 40 pts
G – Marty Turco – 34-22-8 with 4 Shutouts
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Of all the teams in the NHL the Kings are the most likely to turn it around. This team is on the brink of scary…very very scary. Young Jonathon Bernier pushed Dan Cloutier off the team by outplaying the former 30+ game winner in every situation. Bernier has an incredible amount of poise and confidence and with all the talk about Jonathan Toews and Niklas Backstrom it could more likely be Bernier and Habs rookie Carey Price that battle it out for the Calder trophy. On D budding superstar Jack Johnson looks to learn from Rob Blake and hopefully pair beside him. Along with that current and future superstar pairing the Kings will also dress Oleg Tverdovsky, Modry, Preissing, Visnovsky, Stuart, and rookie Thomas Hickey.
The Kings first line is arguably the most underrated in all of the NHL. Sophomore Anze Kopitar finds himself between sniper Alex Frolov and sniper Mike Cammelleri. All three players have come into their own and will toy with opposing defencemen. Michal Handzus and Ladislav Nagy could see high output seasons with a relief of pressure compared to previous seasons.
POINT PREDICTION
Mike Cammelleri – 96 pts
Anze Kopitar – 81 pts
Alex Frolov – 80 pts
Ladislav Nagy – 66 pts
Lubomir Visnovsky – 60 pts
Michal Handzus – 58 pts
G – Jonathon Bernier – 28-18-1 with 2 shutouts
PHOENIX COYOTES
Like a four year old swimming in a vat of coffee the Coyotes youth better be immune to fire or they will be severely stunted. Martin Hanzal and Peter Mueller lead the list of talented youngsters with lofty expectations pressed upon them. Radim Vrbata and Shane Doan will be the offensive leaders on this team and both should have career seasons; someone has to score. Ed Jovanovski can hopefully prove his worth after last seasons poor showing. Goaltending is a glaring hole with many faces in camp but none of them a proven starter. David Aebischer is the favorite to lead the way after a decent preseason.
POINT PREDICTION
Shane Doan – 68pts
Radim Vrbata – 64 pts
Mike York – 51 pts
Steve Reinprecht – 48 pts
*Peter Mueller – 44 pts
Ed Jovanovski – 42 pts
*Martin Hanzal – 38 pts
G – David Aebischer – 19 – 28 – 3 with no Shutouts
The Pacific Division will be a very important division this coming season. Are the Sharks the strongest team in the west? Will the Ducks repeat? Are the stars too old to compete with the current pace? Will the Kings surprise everyone and fight for their playoff lives? Will GM Don Maloney reinvent the broken Coyotes machine?
Filed under: Film
For the past few weeks I have been waking up every morning at 20 after 4 to walk down to the highschool I grew up in and write ideas for the film I am working on. There is a reason that pivotal film scenes are shot in the early morning light as the sun catches the flag or creates the sheen on Nic Cage’s sunglasses. It is as if someone has upped the saturation of the world that surrounds.
At 4:40 AM I feel like the main character in 28 days later walking the empty streets with only God and my thoughts. Every car engine or coffee swilling early riser startles me like a flesh eating zombie. The film takes place in a desolate town, much like Aldergrove at quarter to five in the morning. I walk around listening to Valley of the Giants and placing characters. Although I haven’t dropped into a bowl in about 8 years my path always takes me to the skate park just west of the school. The graffiti is fairly creative and the crows that gather around it bicker and chirp like the intense hooligans that usually grace the park after hours. None of the concrete had been poured when I was in school but there is something about the place that takes me back as well as any other landmark in the town. Maybe it is because of the huge mural spraypainted on the side of the soccer storage shed that used to read “Jason Simpson – RIP”. Or it could be that in my early highschool years I spent a lot of time skating. I still prefer a fishtail to a bandaid and I soon became a bigger fan of Kofi Hows (local music night) than I was of ASK (Aldergrove Skate Club).
Standing in the parking lot of the Kinsmen center will always be the middle of my youth. My elementary school a hundred yards to the south, highschool 50 yards to the east and the community center where I worked every friday there was a concert immediately in front of me.
Although the movie I am writing is about a town just outside of Kelowna the characters spring from my own life and most of them walked the paths I find myself on this morning. The idea of wandering off in search of purpose like the main character is very much like me before university and a little bit since. For
me my purpose has become what I am doing now. Finally in control of all the right pieces and making ideas happen as events and dialogue. To find something so important in the town that carved me out, especially as I am being swept away to my new house and its nearing completion date (ownership is the seed of adulthood), is its own story.
I will be back to write and film something about Aldergrove one day. A place where nothing seems to happen but for some of us it is the place where everything seems to start and end.
Filed under: Film
Where do I even start with this one. The first film, Planet Terror, is about a virus that is found and processed as a biological weapon by the US govt. The virus leaks out and zombifies a small town outside of Austin Texas. It is up to go-go dancer Cherry and her ex lover El-Wray to lead a group of survivors to safety.
Rodriguez has an incredible insight into any genre he gets his hands on and in a relatively untouched brand like the underfunded and straight forward slasher films that used to grace the Grindhouse theaters he is in a league of his own. Rodriguez brilliance comes out in the character Cherry Baby played to perfection by Rose McGowan. Cherry is a gorgeous yet extremely flawed character. She seems carved to be the victim rather than the hero and in the opening scene of the film Rodriguez shows his writing depth as he paints her as a girl who has been the victim her whole life. Rodriguez uses the relationship between Cherry and El-Wray to turn that all around. The worse things become for Cherry the stronger she finds herself alongside the lover she left years ago. Planet Terror is an intricate movie with a simple premise but amazing character depth, interaction and dialogue.
Everywhere in this film Rodriguez has his stamp, from the writing, to the cinematography, to the editing, and even the music. Rodriguez is a director who has elevated his game in a genre without much room for critical analysis. The further you dig in this movie the more impressive Rodriguez becomes.
The second, and my favorite of the two, is Death Proof. Death Proof is a revenge thriller about a psychotic stunt man who hunts down young girls with his reinforced stunt car (at first a 72 Chevy Nova and then a 68 Dodge Charger -the same year and model as Steve McQueen’s car in Bullit). Unbeknownst to stunt man Mike McKay he has picked on the wrong girls. Professional stunt woman Zoe Bell (Kill Bill, Xena, Catwoman) plays herself and along with a professional stunt driver and a ’70 Dodge Challenger (Vanishing Point) the girls beat McKay at his own game.
Death Proof has been seen as the lesser of the two movies. Its pacing is slow and varied. Like most Tarantino films the dialogue is a tribute to the pop culture that surrounds and even defines the characters. Death Proof is a window into the lives of the female characters and allows the audience to seep in, and become attached enough that we feel for the girls when McKay attacks with his deadly vehicles. Death Proof is written much like most of Tarantino’s films, with a significant highlighting of characters and a dialogue aimed at creating a feel of “cool” throughout. For some reviewers, specifically Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, Tarantino’s style of filmmaking is seen as immature and is an example of how Tarantino hasn’t grown as a filmmaker. I think for Tarantino these should be taken as words of praise. Other directors who have undergone the same kind of treatment in their early years, John Ford, Clint Eastwood, and even Martin Scorcese.
You need to look at Tarantino like you would an architect. As you gaze at his buildings there will always be elements that are unmistakably his. As the visions of Tarantino leap from his mind to the page they pull the small things that make up Tarantino with them. This is not a sign of immaturity as much as it is a strong sense of vision from a writer/director who knows the end product as well as the frame by frame process.
The Grindhouse was the ultimate theater experience but the DVD looks to be amazing as well. The SXSW winning trailer “Hobo With A Shotgun” will be included and both Death Proof and Planet Terror will have an additional 20 plus minutes of footage.
Filed under: Video
I know most of you have seen this by now but they have finally put up a version of it on youtube that is not getting deleted by FunnyorDie.
Filed under: science
When it comes to science the path to acceptance is extremely slow. Ideas are destroyed by unrelenting scrutiny and are torn apart using the tools and formulas we currently understand. Real scientific breakthrough often lies under dust for decades until someone with imagination comes along and asks “what if?”.
Are we living through such an era of marginalized exploration? Absolutely. When millions of dollars of funding are involved and a life’s work is put into question science enters an arena of vicious politics. An imaginative, yet simplistic view of the universe is currently under the boot of the scientific arena but, where most concepts fail the Electric Universe Theory is pushing through.
The Electric Universe Model is simply this: Electricity plays a much larger role in the cosmos than is understood using the current gravitational model where electricity is thought to have little to no effect on the cosmos.
Electric Universe theorists claim that by repositioning the importance of electricity in space we can solve many of the major holes in the current gravitational model. Including the need for “dark matter”, an unobserved phenomenon theorized to explain observed and unexplained gravitational anomolies.
Recently Electric Universe theorists caught the attention of the scientific community when they used the Electric model to predict the result of NASA’s Deep Impact striking the comet Tempel 1 with an 820 pound copper shell. The chain of events predicted by the Electric Universe scientists were noticeable more accurate than the expectations of NASA.
For visible proof of the Electric Universe Model, ELM scientists point to comets. Comets are currently understood to be made up of ice. As the comet flies the ice vaporizes creating the glowing tail we can see from earth. ELM scientists claim that comets are negatively charged asteroid rocks that glow from electric discharge when they pass through postively charged solar winds. July the 4th 2005 ELM scientists gained a major victory in credibility as their predictions based of the model were proven correct.
Today, virtually all financial and experimental resources in cosmology are devoted to big bang studies. Funding comes from only a few sources, and all the peer-review committees that control them are dominated by supporters of the big bang. As a result, the dominance of the big bang within the field has become self-sustaining, irrespective of the scientific validity of the theory.*
*From an Open Letter To The Scientific Community; Published in New Scientist, May 22, 2004
Signed by 218 scientists, engineers and institutions as well as 187 independent researchers.
For more info on the Electric Universe Model visit www.thunderbolts.info
The most merciful thing in the world … is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents… The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but someday the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality… That we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.� - H. P. Lovecraft
Filed under: Film
The story of the Zodiac leaves you wondering as soon as it ends. Was this a meticulous planner who evaded police for years with his brilliance and foresight, or was this a foolish petafile who followed a few simple rules and managed to get away because of luck and confusion?
A journalist, a cartoonist, and a homicide detective find themselves at the whim of the Zodiac. A decade of searching erodes a marriage, destroys a career, and finally causes an award winning writer to give up on himself. Excessive paperwork, lost communication between four jurisdictions, one mistaken police APB, and an overlooked phone-call clutter the case of the Zodiac. The least likely of all the characters hangs on in hopes that his book will finally bring the killer to justice and maybe even some closure for cartoonist Robert Graysmith. This movie is about obsession and who better to bring it to the screen than David Fincher, a director who has not only perfected haunting portraits of obsession (Se7en, Fight Club, The Game) but was a small boy living in San Fransisco in 1968 when the Zodiac threatened to shoot up school buses if the newspapers didn’t print his coded messages.
The story of the Zodiac is one that plagued San Fransisco for 14 years and Fincher carries this psychological masterpiece on long enough that you empathize with the characters as the lack of resolution begins to wear on you. The violence of the Zodiac is deeply unnerving and unlike anything you would see on CSI or your typical action movie. You are given the characters just long enough to connect with them until the Zodiac shows up and causes you to flinch with every bullet shot and every stab of his knife. This movie is not for the easily upset. You will be bothered by the Zodiac, Fincher poses the character masterfully and you will hate him especially as the illusion of the Zodiacs genius begins to unravel.
The mystery of the Zodiac and the lives it destroys will mercilessly capture your imagination, imploring you to find the holes and put the clues together. Was the Zodiac an evil genius or a fortunate fool? Dont expect the twists and turns to be the “wow” factor, the realistic portrayals of the characters, their dedication and the method of both the Zodiac and his pursuers are the focus of Finchers unforgettable classic. Fincher will pull at your heart and mind while still leaving you lost in mystery.
4.5/5
