The Life of An Experimental Filmmaker

The Endless Cycles of Man

2008-03-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

...as lived through Baseball Season.

In all of my 24 years of life, I've had the privilege of 24 seasons of Milwaukee Brewers baseball. And not one of them ended in a playoff berth. Sure, we've come close, what with all those years in the 80's when we were certainly good enough, but played in that godforsaken "traditional" playoff setup, where only two teams from each conference made the playoffs.

But this year will be different. No, that's no casual or even causal optimism. That's rock-solid fact. (Fact as it pertains to me) This year, we're deeper, faster, stronger, and many other adjectives that describe our physical superiority over the Chicago Cubs. This year we'll break through. I've not wanted many things in my life, except to see my three "teams" (Bucks, Packers, Brewers) win a championship. Well, we got 1 of those 3 out of the way, and the Bucks came damn close in 2001, but alas, Father Time is chipping away at me, and my teams haven't gotten much closer. If anything, the Bucks seem to be hell-bent on going the opposite direction.

But yes, this year will be different. This will finally be the year, when I'll have something meaningful to watch on television in September that isn't soon-to-be-canceled pilots (Homeboys in Outer Space, anyone?) or football. I know the Brewers will probably get swept out of the first round by some big spender, but it doesn't matter, because they'll have finally taken my playoff virginity.

This year will also bring another year of Neddy "Ballgame" Yost's managerial strategies. Having nothing to do in the off-season except watch the gentleman's sport that is NASCAR, Yost had some time to think. By thinking, I mean he decided to start batting the pitcher 8th and the cather 9th in the lineup. I'll let you decide whether or not that actually constituites thinking. The idea, in theory, is that Jason Kendall will act as a second leadoff hitter. Oh, Neddy Ballgame, what moron would bad Jason Kendall leadoff in the first place? Oh, wait, it actually happened in Pittsburgh. A team that hasn't exactly set the gold standard for quality baseball the past 15 years or so. In any case, it should be an interesting season, in which I drag many friends and comrades to the bleachers in order to discuss the finer points of the suicide squeeze, and which I remind Michael A. Ritmanich of his misguided scouting report of Bill E. Hall in 2002: "He's a bum! Get rid of him!"

Harry, pay attention!

2008-03-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

A couple of things I've been working on in my random time.

EXT. OUTDOORS. DAY.
HARRY IS LEADING A LOCAL NATURE GROUP ON A WALK IN THE WOODS AND LECTURING AND NARRATING ON VARIOUS NATURAL PHENOMENA.
HARRY:
Man was once a part of this. We used to be living in the bushes just like animals, eating twigs and berries. Our primordial instincts are still here, of course, but the absurdity of the modern human condition has dulled our ability to kill and forage for meat.
YOUNG BOY SCOUT:
What’s the best way to catch to animals?
HARRY:
Well, why do you want to catch them?
YOUNG BOY SCOUT:
So we can kill them!
ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE GROUP SEEM TO AGREE WITH THIS SENTIMENT.
HARRY:
No, no, why would you want to kill nature? Nature’s like the endless bounty that we’re all living off of.
MAN 1:
What, so if some crazy bear started attacking you in the woods, are you saying you wouldn’t want to kill the bear first so that you wouldn’t have to worry about him coming after you in the future?
HARRY:Why, did I offend him or something, why’s he coming after me?
MAN 1: Well, he’s hungry, he’s--
HARRY: And why does the bear have to be crazy? Why can’t he be like Yogi Bear or the Coca-Cola bears or something, just sitting around drinking coke and stealing food?
NONE OF THE PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE AN ANSWER TO THIS.
EXT. OUTDOORS. DAY.
HARRY IS IN THE WATCHTOWER WITH A PAIR OF BINOCULARS.
HARRY: It’s about, uh,
HE CHECKS HIS WATCH
5:43 P.M. right about now, and we’re waiting for a confirmation sighting of the very rare Great White Owl. Some of the local townspeople have reported a very large predatory bird attacking cats and small dogs.
CUT TO:
EXT. OUTDOORS. DAY.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LOCALS TALKING EXCITEDLY ABOUT THE OWL THAT THEY SAW.

The balance between Man and Nature has been somewhat blurred in recent years as man has become ever more invasive and technologically advanced. No longer are there reaches of the globe where animals may hide from Man, for he is, truly, everywhere.
Throughout my life, many people have asked me what exactly it is that attracts me to the Natural World of animals? To that query, I would respond that it is the simplistic nature of the Natural World. Eat, sleep, breed, kill, and so forth. Instintive lives, indeed. No confusion about picking a career, having to pay bills, and so forth.
To understand the unique relationship between human and animal, we have decided to invite local naturalist Josiah Milne. Mr. Milne has been an observer of nature and the like.

(I will work on more when I find the time.)

Tornados...

2008-01-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

...who likes 'em? They're loud, noisy, intrusive, and generally more destructive than an uninvited guest.

But tornadoes in January? Had one today. There's something wrong about it being about 15 degrees with 2o inches of snow one week. Then five days later, we're sitting in 55 degree weather and under siege from a wayward militia of tornadoes.

I can't help feeling that life is a lot like a tornado. Really, we're at the center of it, so we're more or less in the "eye" of it. I.(eye)e. we lack perspective about what's going on around us as everything is really spinning around and revolving around us. And what a destructive path we create, yeah?

I'm just rambling really, but I wanted to renew this blogging post, because now things are starting to gain steam in my life. Finally got a job, after coming off the bench at Best Buy for a few weeks, and got me some benefits. No one has explained what these 'benefits' really are, but I can only imagine they involve usage of the executive washroom and/or handjobs. But yeah, I've blown (another tornado reference, in case you missed the earlier paragraph as I write this in real-time) through another phase of life, and now I find myself face-to-face with the working world. What exactly will go down, I don't really know. I'm kind of in a weird place, really. Had a plan on what I wanted to do with my life, but when I found out it's, uh, a little hard to do the job I wanted to, I was stuck scrambling like so many quarterbacks in Tecmo Super Bowl before they were flattened into a pixellated mess.

It's a tough thing to wrap your mind around, when you consider that really, your entire childhood, high-school, and college years are behind you. When you're a kid, you sort of live in this little mindset of everything that you see/experience as a youngster is really what you form everything else that happens in your life around. You're in high school, and you think man, this is NOW, as if everything that you've ever done has led up to this point. You dreamed about high school, saw it in countless episodes of Full House and Saved by the Bell and couldn't wait for the 6 years of prom dances, and 8 years of Urkel. ('cos we all know that in TV people age just a little bit better, just look at Zach Morris and his 5 years of freshmen years)

Doesn't really work that way, I guess. But it's weird how what seemed to important at one point, what seemed to be the only thing that was of any significance, which was being in high school or middle school or college, now is just another notch on your lifespan, just like when you were in kindergarten or first grade, or at one of Polley's famous sleepovers.

Where did you go Joe DiMaggio?

2007-10-28T10:40:00.002-07:00

Apparently he's in the business of pre-empting my blog posts with headline titles for himself.

So I'm waiting for my stupid animation project to finish compiling the last oh, say, 1700 frames. So in the meantime, I thought I would re-activate this do-hickey blogging thingamjig.

Looking at my last post, the unabridled optimism that was the Brewers early season start has, as I'm sure my loyal readers know, evaporated into an unacceptable victory for the Chicago Cubs. As a result, armies are massing on the border and diplomatic hyperbole has been ramped up to level four.

So, long story short, sportswriting wasn't my bag. Which has left me with the enduring question of how best to utilize my talents (or lack of) in the quote, unquote, "real world" after I graduate in two months. To this question, I've given quite a bit of thought. From A (astronaut) to Z (zucchini, not quite the job security you'd like, what with the changes of being eaten constant, and the large amounts of time spent underground) I've taken the question on. Let's look at several job possibilities:

Position: Constable/Public Destroyer.
Pay: feeble, but public benefits such as graft and bribes are endless.
Benefits: Besides being able to wop anyone I want on the head with a nightstick? I get to wear a snazzy uniform and one of this little bowler hats. I could also wear my stab vest to formal occasions.
Drawbacks: Might actually have to work one day.

Position: Video Game Superhero.
Pay: Gi-normous. Look at that coke-pad that Mario's rolling around in. He's got all the linguini (drugs) and princesses (women) that anyone could want. Truly the American dream to be an overweight plumbing pop-culture icon with a flunky brother.
Benefits: Good health and life insurance (infinite lives and solid fireball protection plan) and not to mention all those coins and rupees lying around the video game universe.
Drawbacks: Must be able to lift 50-75 pounds.

Position: Arun D. Antonyraj, Musician, teacher, and political commentator.
Pay: Moderate, but emotionally fulfilling.
Benefits: Between the endless amounts of Macintosh software and paraphanelia lying around, to the ability to work with musical instruments constantly. Position of power and influence, as many young minds seem to fall under the tutelage of the many Arun Antonyraj's that populate our schools.
Drawbacks: Might collaspe under weight of delusions of grandeur.

So, those are the three main positions I'm considering right now. I have many job offers on my doorstep. I mean, can't a man walk down the street without being offered a job? Come on, now...

Where did you go Joe DiMaggio?

2007-10-28T10:40:00.001-07:00

Brewers 12, Mets 3

2007-05-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

My lord, is JJ Hardy on fire. I don't know which alien body-snatcher has taken over his body, but I like this new version of JJ Hardy just fine, thank you. It's almost gotten to the point where his numbers are just silly. No scouts looking at Hardy expect him to hit more than 15 homers in a season, yet already he's at 11, tied for first in the NL (with Prince Fielder, of course). His grand salami today couldnt' have come at a better time, as the Mets had chipped away at our 4-run lead and we had Matt Wise and his changeups on the mound. Between him and Prince, they've carried the team in the early run, although it was nice to see Bill Hall finally get some hits and get that anemic average up to .273.

Just imagine, if the Brewers can get Weeks and Hall going while Hardy and Fielder are still hot (they have to slow down sometime, don't they?) the nos. 1 through 4 in our order would be absolutely devastating. Then throw in another home-grown Brewer in Geoff Jenkins (who's having an underrated season so far), and you have one of those rare line-ups that's totally home-grown. Contrast that against some teams like the Mets or Yankees, and you can see firsthand how good of a job that the Brewers are doing in developing players. Still'd be nice to see Melvin add a bat or two to the lineup, Counsellino isn't getting the job done lately, although today they worked pretty well.

Anyways, the Cubs predictably lost (again) and so our lead's up to 8 games now. We're pretty mcuh guranteed of having at least some share of the NL Central lead until the end of this month!

Go Crew!

Sportswritin'

2007-05-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow (after I watch Pan's Labyrinth and the Fountain tonight), this blog will take the format of a sports blog about all things Milwaukee Brewers. Thanks to their 24-10 start, I'm feeling like the "touch" is coming back. By touch, I mean the 95 mile-per-hour fastball that is blogging.

Go Brew Crew!

Brewers Blow game to Reds.

2007-04-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Why would anyone in their right mind put Greg Aquino in that situation? Where was Matt Wise? The play-by-play stiffs on FSN, Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder, claimed that he wasn't available for the third day in a row, so why not just intentionally walk Brandon Phillips and then let Shouse pitch to Hatteberg?

Let me set the stage for you, in case you didn't see the game yesterday. Brewers up 5-4, and after Villaneuva had let two men on base with nobody out, Yost brings in Brian Shouse. He brilliantly, and I mean BRILLIANTLY, strikes out Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey (of the Jr. variety) with nasty pitches (Dunn to the point where he slammed down his equipment in the dugout and let out a nice, loud, "BULLSHIT!"). Anyway, it's two down, two on base, and for some reason, Yost decides to bring in Aquino to face Brewer-killer Brandon Phillips (as the play-by-play guys stated, batted .411 against us last year), this of course backfires to the point where Aquino let in 5 runs and couldn't hit the strike zone, literally walking a run home with the bases loaded. Absolutely awful, there should've been someone, ANYONE, warming up in the bullpen. I was screaming at the tv for the Brewers to get that bozo out of there. He hasn't been very good this year so far, and, outside of one outing where he struck out the side, he hasn't looked much different from Jose Cappellen thus far.

Let's look at the Brewers bullpen to see who else was available and could've gotten the job done:

Matt Wise-usually the 7th inning his job, but apparently he was "unavailable"
Derrick Turnbow-I'd hate to bring him in the 7th inning, because whenever he pitches for more than an inning is usually trouble, but if we get out of that 7th inning jam, they've got the bottom of the order coming up, and possibly we could bring the 8th to Cordero.
Francisco Cordero-Closer. I would save him for the 9th. I don't believe the crap that you bring your best guy in for the 7th inning, if so, then who faces the heart of the order in the 9th?
Elmer Dessens-I'd be tempted to suggest him, but after seeing him give up another two runs in the 8th inning, when we needed a hold, no way.
Brian Shouse-should've left him in.

Here's a suggestion that might seem out of left field, but why not bring in a starter who's in the middle of their five day resting period? Even if it's for only one or two outs, it's still basically the same pitch count as the bullpen session they normally throw? Imagine sticking Cappy in there or even Suppan. Give them 20-25 pitches, and you get out of the jam, stick Turnbow in the 8th, Cordero in the 9th, and bam, the Reds never recover first place.

Boys for sale!

2007-04-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

I've finally made a rudimentary DVD of a couple of my pieces from my Basic I and II courses, from before my portfolio review. The three pieces, "The Puritan", "Jacob: Age 12", and "Verse, Chorus. Verse" are all included. If anyone wants a DVD, mail me like, $3 for shipping costs and I'll mail you the DVD, otherwise, let me know and I'll try to put the films onto Pantherfile here for downloadable purposes.

"The only ending, really..."

2006-12-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

A year and a half later, I finally finished the Dark Tower series. What an ending! genius!

haha, the mannings are pricks.

2006-11-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

"God, I just want to shoot myself if my idiot teammates blow another game!!!!"

The Reviews have arrived!

2006-11-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

Dialysis by Analysis: The Film Review Spectrum. By Chaney.

This film review hobby of mine that I am undertaking is meant to discuss the formats of filmmaking, as well as the messages and methods behind the films that we all see and love.

It is meant to be a revolutionary in terms of its film theory and reviews. (I've been reading alot of Black Panthers literature lately, and my Socialist-meter is running sky-high at the moment)

It will not, however, indulge in pop culture, satire, or other counter-revolutionary forces.

The first piece that will be brought before discussion is the film, "Ice Age 2", by the 20th Century Fox filmmakers. Where this film draws interest in a revolutionary discussion of filmmaking is in its usage of characterization. Mainly, that the film posits the personalities that the filmmakers assume to be human values, onto the animals.

This is quite common, you say, and I agree. Where this discussion draws merit is in the way that the filmmakers make assumptions about OUR lives. The theory operates in the same manner as a geometric proof. Mainly that, the animals = us, not animals. If the viewer therefore gets past viewing the film as a Wooly Mammoth, Slough, and Saber Tooth tiger going through the plot motions, and instead views it from the angle of class, gender, and racial conciousness, the values that the filmmakers force on us are revealed.

Again, this is a common practice in most film theory. (see = marxist interpretations of films such as Titantic, where only the sexual energies of a proletarian Leonardo DiCaprio can sastify the bosoms of Kate Winslet, where the bourgeosie sexuality of Billy Zane falls far short. In the end, the proletariat proves itself worthy of honor, while the capitalist bourgeosie sneaks aboard a sinking raft, but anyway, enough James Cameron! And don't get me started on postmodernism.)

Pictures and screen shots will follow this post in greater defense of my points, and will illustrate the symbolic nature of many characterization points of this film. But first, let's view the main caveats of this theory, character by character.

One) Manny, the Wooly Mammoth, voiced by "Everybody Loves Raymond".
character values = white, middle class, skeptical capitalist, who has hang ups about the afterlife (extinction). Obviously supports the traditional male-female family set up, as he takes a mate in the female Ellie, during the course of the film, and the general baseness of his personality reflects the non-threatening political and emotional values that the filmmakers assume that many Americans have. He also has contentious, but, and I must emphasize this, SAFE arguments with his wife. They all really love each other in the end, you dig? The idea that Manny would have an argument that would cause him to lose control and do something crazy like, say, kill Ellie, is beyond the character here. That simply does not happen in white, suburban America. On the other hand, compare that to Diego, who, in the first movie, was attempting to kill babies and eat Sid. Ken Lay, anyone?
meanings = This is your prototypical American consumer. Obviously White. Obviously with safe, middle-class and moderate values. Manny never offers any other value or idea that is not of the general idea of "lets keep things under control, and traditional animal life (i.e. traditional American Life) is safe and we must keep the minorities (the predators, one can only assume they represent black people) out. This character is also designed to represent the alpha male in society. The savior, much in the same way firefighters and police officers are idealized in films such as World Trade Center, or other common propaganda. Manny functions as voice of sanity in this film, as surely the most rational members of society must certainly be the whites, and are most skeptical about hucksters (Fast Eddie, appropiately voiced by Jay Leno) and moochers on society (such as the vultures). The American values of hard work, sacrifice, and determination shine through this furry and extinct creature. Note the herd of Wooly Mammoth at the end. If that's not a marine military march, I don't know what the fuck is.

Two) Sid, the slough, voiced by John Leguizamo.
values = Sid is lazy, impetous, and oftentimes endangers the community around him. Clearly a minority, although, as we see in many John Leguizamo films, he is not entirely a threatening minority, more liek a safe, Jennifer Lopez-style minority, that has somewhat bought into American values in terms of language and beliefs. Sid does not do anything to rock the fabric of the animal society, much like the ways that the vultures, predators, or hucksters do. In fact, his skpeticism about Ellie attempting to break racial barriers (in trying to be a possum instead of mammoth) is more white than anything else in the film.
meanings = Again, Sid is clearly representative of minorities here. In which they generally contribute nothing to the overall success of the trek (Diego is the fierce defender, and Manny the brute strength and fierce, American willpower - note the geyser scene in the end. Total John Wayne bravado, whereas Sid is well, Sid) Sid is simply, there, and must be tolerated by the two contributors to society. Sid does nothing but antagonize the other two and does not offer any noble and endearing physical characteristics.

Three) Diego, the saber-tooth tiger, voiced by Dennis Leary.
values = skeptical, independent, and prone to violence in self-denfense, when justified. Diego can represent your typical rural American, fierce and ready to defend himself with the usage of brute force - Firearms. Or, in this case, claws.
meanings = this is your typical libertarian, conservative type. Diego is clearly independent of the group, but because of his own self-loathing and guilty conscience, patronizes the moderates and minorities that make up the world of "Ice Age 2". Diego also has that distinctly Republican achilles heel, in this case, water. Much like real Republicans, in the sense that they try to hide from the growing problems of society by hiding in an enclaved suburban or rural community, Diego hides from the growing problems of the geological meltdown. As the water (poverty) continues to grow and spread and seep into their sheltered valley community, Diego cringes from it, and even reacts violently to it at times. He also fails to adequetely defend society in the instances that he is relied upon to do so.

Four) Crash. The Squirrel.
values and meanings = drug users. The nut is the fix. And he (Sean William Scott) will stop at nothign to acquire it. Notice the spasms and hyperactivity. This squirrel clearly has either a serious case of withdrawal going, or is hitting the blow (notice all the white "snow" all around him. Hmmmmm?) hard. The fact that this squirrel has absolutely nothign to do with the plot just goes to show how much people in society really disregard drug users are useless. At least these filmmakers do.

Feel free to critique or offer your own takes on the above jive that I've posted. I'd be more than happy to hear it. I wish I could remember more of what I saw from this film, I watched it two days ago, and didn't get a chance to copy the screen shots.

Power to the people.

This blog on ESPN is genius. Says it better than I ever could.

2006-11-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN (AND RED)

NOV. 7, 2006 -- Introductory columns stink. It's like going to your college's freshman mixer with a "Hello, My Name Is..." tag and trying to pick out someone you think is cool to talk to.

"So, what's your major?"

"English."

"Oh, you like to read."

"I guess..."

It's beyond awkward.

But considering this is Issue I of Vol. I of Central Intelligence, we should probably get to know each other, even if briefly.

Let's get the pleasantries out of the way so we can get to the column, shall we? First, my manifesto should give you a little insight as to who I am as a hoops fan:

Shooters are made, not born; Point guards are born, not made; All big men should be able to hit a 15-footer; Next to reversing the ball with crisp passing, dribble penetration is the second best way to find the open man; If you're that open man, you should be ready to shoot, dribble or pass when you get the ball; If you're 6-10 or taller, and you play 30 minutes per, there's no reason you shouldn't average at least seven boards per game; You should either give or receive one hard pick per game; The complaining about the new ball is stupid; Saying "scoring the ball" or "rebounding the ball" is unnecessary (What else are you going to score or rebound?); Defense can win games, offense can win games, but balance win championships; The best uniforms in NBA history are the Warriors' old "The City" unis; Every NBA game is good, but its that much better when each team scores 100 or more points; Oscar Robertson doesn't nearly get the credit he deserves for averaging a triple-double the first five years of his career; And, finally, you should have a basketball and shoes in the trunk of your car at all times ...

And that's just a start. You'll see more of them the season progresses. At the end of this column, I'll give everyone a chance to respond with their manifesto, but for now, my column, my manifesto, my Central Intelligence.

As for the column itself, well ... here's the last, and possibly most important thing you should know about me: I'm a Bucks fan.

Talk about awkward silences.

And I'll write this column from the perspective of a Bucks fan, a Midwesterner, a citizen raised in flyover country. (Hence, Central Intelligence as in the Central Division). The reason? Well, I have two:

One, there aren't too many of us around here where I live in the greater Big Apple area. It's either Knicks fans or transplanted Sixers fans. (Strangely enough, Nets fans would be the third party in a two party race around here.)

Two, the powers that be here at .com think you should know what it's like to be a Bucks fan.

So, what's it like?

Let me tell you, it started out well. Maybe too well.

The Bucks drafted Lew Alcindor (soon to be Kareem) in 1970. The very next season, only their third in the league, the Bucks won their first, and only, NBA title. Not only did the Bucks set a then-NBA record 20 consecutive wins, not only did they win 66 games, but Kareem and the Big O led Milwaukee to a sweep of the then-Baltimore Bullets in the Finals.

Three seasons! No expansion franchise in any of the major professional sports has ever attained glory as quickly, before or since.

And since then? Well, being a Bucks fan has been a tantalizing experience, to say the least. You bend your head to take a drink, and the water recedes. You extend for a grape to sate your hunger, and the wind blows the branch out of reach. We are a thirsty and hungry bunch, we Bucks fans.

For example:

-- One season after their title, the Bucks drafted Julius Erving with the No. 12 pick in the 1972 Draft. Could you imagine a team with Kareem, Oscar and Dr. J? I can. I still can. Alas, the good doctor chose to practice his medicine in the ABA. Maybe that's why fans at the Milwaukee Arena booed him when he won the All-Star Game MVP in 1977 as a Sixer. And maybe that's why the All-Star Game hasn't been back. If that's the case, on behalf of all Bucks fans, I apologize. We will never boo Dr. J again. Promise.

-- The Bucks had Game 7 of the 1974 Finals on their home floor ... and lost to the Celtics, by 15! My franchise hasn't been back to a Finals.

-- After the 1975 season, they traded Kareem to the ... ugh ... Lakers. And, guess what? Kareem is still the Bucks' all-time leading scorer.

-- Starting with a Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the 1978 Western Conference semis, the Bucks are 2-5 in Game 7s, including a one-point loss to the Sixers in the East semis in 1981 where the ball ended up in the hands, of all people, a journeyman named Robert Smith. When, with time running out in the game, he passed and didn't shoot, the Milwaukee Journal ran a headline that ran across the broadsheet: "Sixers 99, Bucks 98: Oh shoot, Robert!" How does a team with Bob Lanier, Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief have the ball in Robert Smith's hands?

-- The Bucks also lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. Also to the Sixers. Let's not get me started on that series.

-- The Bulls ... double ugh ... won their record 70th game at Bradley Center.

-- Oh, and April 2002, when the Bucks were in first place in the Central, but nose-dived out of the playoffs, capping my most horrifying fan experience ever.

That's not to say there haven't been great times as a Bucks fan. We've had plenty. The Bucks swept Larry Bird's Celtics in 1983. (Of course, as Bucks' luck would have it, they ran into the "Fo, Fi, Fo" Sixers, and bowed out 4-1 in the East Finals.) There were the seven consecutive division titles from 1980-1986. The run to the East Finals in 2001. I was even privileged enough to work for them in the early '90s.

But the '80s proved to be extra frustrating as those seven division titles didn't translate into one Finals experience. The Bucks could never get past the Celtics or Sixers. They never had the horses in the post to compete. Any you really need to wonder about my psyche when I say three of the franchise's top 10 memorable games are losses.

First, in 1982, the Bucks and the Spurs dueled for three OTs, but lost 171-166. The 337 combined points was a league record ... for 21 months, until the Pistons and Nuggets blew it out of the water with their 370-point 3OT thriller. See, the Bucks can't even keep their records for long.

And then there was Game 5 against the Pacers in the First Round of the East playoffs of 2000. The Bucks had a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter and Sam Cassell is killin', and I mean killin' anyone the Pacers put on him. But, alas, Sam has five fouls. As Sam pulls one of his classic step-in, step-back jumpers, Derrick McKey falls back. Whistle. Offensive foul.

Not four minutes later, with the shot clock winding down, Travis Best hits his only shot of the game, a three right in front of the Bucks' bench to give the Pacers a one-point lead, and ultimately, the win.

Then, there was Glenn Robinson's just-short shot in Game 5 against the Sixers in the 2001 East Finals.

So close. Tantalizing.

But that's the nature of us Bucks fans. We can see greatness in our team even if our team does not achieve it. Are we consigned to losing? No, not in the least.

And this year's edition -- with Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva and Michael Redd leading the way -- gives Bucks fans hope, if not for a Playoffs berth this season, but success in the very near future.

But then again, it's been the future for 35 years. Being a Bucks fan is not about being frustrated with the franchise, like Knicks fans. No, it's about rooting for a team that's been close, so close, but hasn't been able to close ... and imagining what that day will feel like when they finally do.

We hope that day comes sooner, rather than later.

Critic(ism)s

2006-10-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

So, I've finally decided.

Thursdays, or some other regular day of the week (whichever one I write the first review on) will become a regular film review for this blog. I'll start with "The Break up" as soon as I get around to writing it and posting it. Thus puttingm e on a proverbial time clock to get the newest DVD movies posted on here.

end communication.
(cue academy header)

1 minute, 45 seconds into the game...

2006-10-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Morcency fumbles YET again...

Will someone please put Ted Thompson in front of the proverbial NFL firing squad and end this disaster that's called his GM tenure?!?

Jesus, it's september of 2006 already? I've got one foot in the grave!

2006-09-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

I have been painfully AWOL from blogger. I apologize. Totally outside my control.

I've begun writing scripts again. That is always good. Will it lead to anything? Who the fuck cares. It's comparable tot he process of trying to get laid, it doens't matter whether you're successful or not, it only matters that you're out there, doing your chicken jigs and dancing to your emo music trying to score a touchdown. It's all in the process.

By the way, Minneapolis will be experiencing the joy that is myself during the weekend of Sept 26th (? whenever the hell the last weekend is) whilst Mwaller takes me to a couple of twins games. Anyone with a 16mm projector and the ability to sync sound can enjoy a free screening of "the Puritan", the 55 second orgasmo that is Harry Brammer's religious confusion.

From the Mind of Antonyraj.

2006-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

While bored, I wandered through a bunch of old emails that, for some reason or other, I kept for all these years. I stumbled across this gem dating November 4th, 2000, from one Arun D. Antonyraj, or "Blackjack" as I remember him calling himself during senior year. Or the "black irish", whichever mood he was in. Anyway, in the spirit of authenticity, I kept the numerous spelling errors intact. Enjoy!

"ok folks, chris was NOT with us tonight, chris has well problems. While
we were out having fun chris was gaying it up at the movie theater,
inspecting his friends vaginal problems, now on with the show...

Alright folks, I am writing this email to you with absolutely no force
from anyone. ok the truth is chris said he would give me gay if i didnt send one so
hence here I am, to protect myself. What follows is a real, 100% true story
of the events that happened betweent eh hours of 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM Central
Standard Time.

It all started with my usual trips to the cd store, once at teh
Exclusive Company, i bought some cd's, and picked up some free crap for chris'
birthday present. (Chris i hope you like Limp Biscuit!). Anyways we then
proceeded to walgreens, and the corner of bluemound and pilgrim the following scene
occurred:

(in right left turn lane, anotehr car pulls over next to us, in the
other lane)
(andy rolls down his window to give the maual left hand turn signal,
since his car is from France or something, where they dont believe in signals,
safety, or heterosexuality.

At this point andy fails to realize that this lady's window is open and his is down and so yells out: "Damn Handicapped People!"

then i yell "GoD Bless Alcohol, and so when are we getting stoned
tonight!" again strange looks from teh lady.
then as the lady inches forward andy screams, "HEy the lights not red
you moron!"

eventually the left turn was made, and the middle finger was given, as
we passed up the gimp woman. once in walgreens, we discussed things with
Nick Koller, where nick threatened to "Spike my ass", needless to say me and
andy ran like hell from the evil King Koller. Moving right along, we managed
to put a mechanical dog on his counter in hopes of scaring him, sadly, the
dog was no match for Koller, who merely threw him into the garbage. As we
exited we attempted to steal one shopping cart from said walgreens.
UNfortuenatly the cart was too bid, so we had to settle for a basket.

Later that night we returned to find said shoping cart on the car
antaenna of one King Koller (note we have no idea who, what, why, when or how this
cart got ther,e but believe me INvestigator Arun is on the case!). While in
the Elmbrook Liquor parking lot, a police officer pulls us over accusing us
of "drinking" as if we were Lueck or something, he was gonna ask us to do
some test, but the awesome powers of my middle finger scared him away. As we
left the parking lot, we saw the cart still atached to Kolers Truck.
So ended another eventful day in teh Life of Investigating Arun and his
trusty side kick The MIddle Finger (oh yeah andy was the driver,
alfred if
you will). Doint worry Nick im on the case im gonna get the files out
right
now to start on this ca...zzz.....
well as usual sleep, and doing nothing has once again provided the
correct
answer, the person who did this was none other than...

Well Goodnite!

Arun "I cant be held responsible for that im an Indian Cirizen Damn it"
Antonyraj

BRING ON THE MOTHERFUCKING EFFEGY!

2006-05-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

BURN STAN LEE AT THE STAKE!

X-3: The Last stand? More like X-3 Can't stand! Worst handling of a story EVER.

Cyclops dead? What the fuck? Wolverine as the white knight hero? Fucking bullshit, has Brett Ratner/Bryan Singer (whichever of the two did this one) even read the fucking comics?

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-05-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

I PASSED PORTFOLIO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"There is Simply no one who can replace Koller"

2006-05-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - He's the indispensable one for the Czech Republic, perhaps the key to the nation's success in the World Cup.

The Czech national team was hit by frequent injuries to key players throughout its World Cup qualifying campaign, but asked to name the one he missed most, coach Karel Bruckner would not hesitate: Koller.

"Koller is the biggest loss," Bruckner said.

The 6-foot-8 striker was instrumental in adopting the new attacking style the Czechs began to apply under Bruckner, who took over following the country's failure to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

Making his international debut against Belgium at a relatively late age of 26 in 1999, Koller became a reliable scorer for the national team until last Sept. 24, when he tore ligaments in his left knee and underwent surgery.

Koller was expected to be sidelined for eight months, giving Bruckner reason to worry whether Koller will be fit in time for the World Cup, with the Czechs opening June 12 against the United States.

"It was a very serious injury," said Bruckner, who consulted the striker about his recovery on a weekly basis.

To the coach's great relief, Koller made his comeback May 2 as a substitute in Dortmund's 2-1 win at Hannover — sooner than many though.

"I have no more problems with the knee," Koller told The Associated Press. "Now, the only problem for me is to return to form and be able to play at 100 percent. But I still have a month to work on it."

Koller spent four months in a German rehabilitation center, working eight to nine hours a day to be available for the World Cup.

"It paid off," Koller said. "The World Cup was driving force. ... Yes, I think I'll be available if there're no complications."

Also in Group E are Ghana and Italy at the June 9-July 9 tournament. But the opener with the Americans could be decisive. The top two teams from each group move on.

"I hope we'll advance from our group," Koller said. "Of course, it won't be easy as we face tough opponents. ... What we have to do is to stick to our play. Our aim is to advance and then we'll see in the playoffs."

Bruckner's concerns about Koller reflect the importance of a striker whose career paradoxically seemed almost over in 1994 when he was discarded by Sparta Prague as clumsy and ineffective.

Luckily for him, a $200,000 transfer to Lokeren gave him a second start and he took advantage. Following two strong seasons with the Belgian club, Koller joined Anderlecht for $2.8 million and scored 20 goals in his first season.

From Belgium he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2001. He's scored 57 goals for the German powerhouse and another 21 in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup.

Koller has become the Czech Republic's career leading scorer with 40 goals in 66 international games. In the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, he netted nine goals in just eight games, making him one of the most efficient forwards in Europe.

With his height and weight of more than 220 pounds, Koller can intimidate defenders, which has been a problem for Americans in past World Cups. Nicknamed "Dino" (dinosaur) for his physical dimensions, he is most dangerous in the air.

But the times he could score only on headers are long gone. Koller worked hard and learned to score with both feet and create havoc in the penalty area with clever ball skills. Having no problems shaking off the defense at decisive moments, he also proved dangerous by creating chances for others when he ties up one or two fullbacks.

Bruckner acknowledged that if Koller is not available, the team would have to play a different style.

"But at the same time I have to say ... our system is functioning well with Koller, it is effective and yields results," Bruckner said. "There's simply nobody who could replace Koller."

2006-05-06T03:09:00.000-07:00

DONE!!!

It took over 70 hours and a fucking lot of money, but "The Puritan", starring Brammer has finally reached it's final cut.

As well as that, my basic video is done! two fucking all-nighters in two weeks, and I'm ahead of the game! (excuse my maniacial ravings, it's 5 am and I'm still at uwm typing this up on some crappy sun microsystems computer in the hallways of mitchell) hmmmm....microsystems (drools)

2006-04-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am so motherfucking bored right now. And it's not the good kind of "let's relax and enjoy a warm summer day" bored, it's the "sink into apathy" kind of bored. Really, to the point where I've sunk so lazy that I can't even get myself up to post properly, even though I have 45 minutes until I can start working on my project in the computer lab.

Just for the hell of it..

2006-03-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

I put up the dialogue script of the film I'm making with Brammer.

Brammer: Good news, friends, the Messiah has come! His love will save all of you
if you declare Jesus Christ your personal savior!
Character1: I'm sorry, no thank you, not interested!
Brammer: Fear not the love of Jesus! Said Thomas Watson: "Christ is the most
cheap physician, he takes no fee. He desires us to bring nothing to him but
broken hearts; and when he has cured us he desires us to bestow nothing on him
but our love."
Character2: Everything you're saying is contradicting yourself, first you say--
Brammer: No longer shall the fires of hell consume you, friend, cast Satan out
of your heart and look upon the sacrifice that the LORD Jesus Christ made for
you! Look at the--
Character1: That's enough, leave me alone...
Brammer: (angrier) The words of Jesus are resolute, they are in the pages of the
Bible, listen to them now, I warn you
Character2: I'll listen to what I please, thank you!
Brammer: Then let the fires of hell consume you, sinner! Look upon the love that
the LORD Jesus Christ has given me. Jesus loves me! Don't ever say that Jesus
doesn't loves me! Jesus loves me!

Updates

2006-03-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Not much to update about. They took down the Drax Family picture before I got a picture of it, so you'll have to solicit the artist yourself in order to see it.

Two films in production now. One in which Brammer plays a religious converter-type person. Currently 2 of 5 rolls have been shot, and sound is in production now.

Second project is a colloboration with Antonyraj. He's doing the soundtrack, and I am writing/directing the movie about a child who runs away, but is living destitutely (is that a word?) in Brookfield, surrounded by, obviously, all the signs of plenty and affluence.

End communication.

Coming Soon! (As soon as I can find a way to photograph it)

2006-03-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

An elegy of the Drax Family by Katie Hendricks.

I work at the school that the Drax's sister goes to, and on the walls of the main hallway is this picture she drew of the family. It's your standard art-room fare generally, except for her interpretation of Ryan. I can't explain it in words, you'll see once I get it posted on here.

OSCARS

2006-02-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

I'm aware that many of these films aren't even up for Oscars, and due to the fact that I have yet to see some of the major films that are out for Oscars this Sunday (Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good night...etc) I still thought I would put forth some of my favorite films and actors of the year.

BEST PICTURE:
You and Me & Everyone we know. I don't know why this film sticks out to me as much as it does in my selection here. Perhaps it was the offbeat characters hoping to fall in love in their various stages of life, or perhaps it was just the general philosophical weirdness that we see in certain parts of the film, but I was really taken in by Mirandy July's film. From the sexual confusion to the brimming innocence of a young child, the palatte of emotions and experiences of the characters that walk that fine line but never fall into the realm of disgusting or unbelieveable, was incredible, and it's a film like this that I hope to make one day.

BEST ACTOR:
Terence Howard, Hustle and Flow/and to a lesser extent, Crash. I was skeptical when first viewing this film, as I had just seen "Four Brothers", and had already had my fill of "gangster" or "urban" experiences for the day. However, this neither a movie about rap, nor is it about the posturing that we see only from our white suburban viewpoints about a genre of music. I felt that Howard, in stark contrast to his "savior" role in Crash, was a character here that we found just as easy to hate as it was to love and root for him. His painful portrayal of a man hoping to make his mark before the dangerous life of living in the ghetto finishes him off was outstanding, and during the film we honestly believe and root for him even as he does anything possible to make his dream happen.

BEST ACTRESS:
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica. I've always thought, at least before Desperate Housewives that Felicity Huffman was an incredible character actor. Able to fill supporting roles and even carry an episode or a part of a film by herself amazingly. (Anyone who's seen "sports night" or "magnolia" knows what I mean. I think she's finally due for some recognition here in Transamerica, which played at the Milwaukee Film Festival this past fall.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man. I know the movie was fairly run-of-the-mill oscar hodepodge (think "A Beautiful Mind or similar crap), but I've always felt that Giamatti has that pent-up "I'm pissed at the world and I'm going to be as pissy and moany as I can, yet still-loveable" feel to him. I felt the same way about his performance in "American Splendor". Maybe it's because I'm similarly a pretty tightly wound individual much like Mr. Giamatti's characters are, but I found his portrayal as Jim Braddock's trainer and manager to be the only redeeming factor of this film.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Amy Adams, Junebug. Her wonderfully overblown, ADD-style performance in this indie favorite did actually win her a nomination. But to me, what put her in serious (and ultimately, winning) contention for this category was the way that she played the sensitive, yet never discouraged optimist to Johnny's (Ben Mckenzie from the O.C) moody and jealous pessimest. When Johnny is passively abusive to her, we can see in her large green eyes the struggle and the pain that

BEST SONG:
Just for a fucking laugh, I'm going with "Wait until tomorrow" by the Stereophonics, from the "Crash" soundtrack. Just out of the pure absurdity of the selection of this track for the film. I can't think of a more white-bread band (at least in England) being picked for such a worldy and racially-themed film.

Ok, so I overwhelmingly DID pick films that were actually nominated. So sue me, fuckers.

Important Bulletin:

2006-02-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Waller, Unspar, Pat, Ritmanich, Brammer, and anyone else who is interested...sign up for fantasy baseball! League name is Prince Fielder is King under Yahoo Fantasy baseball. ID# 55596. The draft is March 18th, see me if you have any questions.

Baseball is around the (hot) corner!

2006-02-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

Finally, the Brewers (about 10 years late) have started to wake up and sign foreign talent in order to compete with those bloodsucking parasites the Yankees and Cardinals with the Pascul (rated the best Latin American prospect, who's a 16 year old Dominician pitcher, and signed for $700,000) and the Ozeki (30 year old Japanese outfielder who routinely led the Japanese leagues in stolen bases and batting averages and was the 1998 rookie of the year) signings.

Self-explanatory

2006-02-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Unspar!

So I stand corrected.

2006-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Huh, Apparently Mike and Harry were right, and that season 2 of Deadwood was already over and season 3 is starting soon. Score!

War of the Worlds

2006-01-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I finally saw the movie for the first time a few days ago (after Wipert pestered me to see it about 6 months ago), and for the most part I was pretty impressed with the cinematography. The scenes of people being zapped into nothingness was gripping to say the least, and it's about as good a Spielberg movie as he's made in the past 10 years (*hack* A.I! *cough) I still can't get over the scene of people going crazy and ransacking the van, stuff like that. The pyschological impact of the apocolyspe.

But still, the one thing that annoys me the most about films that most people probably never notice is the goddamn errors in the logic of the film, or the science of the film.

Example number 1: When the aliens first start raining down near Ferrier's house, we see the EMP, and they go on about how the EMP is supposed to fry all electrical applicances from within a certain area. Fine, well enough. But why, after the EMP fries everything, including phone lines and car electronics, does that one asshole with the video camera have one that works? Certainly it would've been fried by the EMP? Unless he has some special wood-burning video camera that they used to make back in the 70's. Go figure.

Example number 2: When the cars are all shorted by the EMP, Tom Cruise brazenly advises his friend (the guy who runs the garage, Cruise later steals his car and the guy gets fried as a result) that all he has to do is "CHANGE THE SOLENOID!" Whatever the hell the solenoid is, it must be something magical and amazing, because it's immune to an EMP blast. Certainly, the EMP would just fry all of the solenoids, whether they were being used in cars or not, to the point where replacing one solenoid with another wouldnt' make a difference, they all would've been fried anyway. Maybe I just need a more specific explanation of how an EMP blast would affect all solenoids ina ll cars, except the ones being used?

Example number 3: We see Tom Cruises' house and city destroyed to rubble, and then, as the machines follow him out into the country, spend ALL this time and effort to destroy and turn farmland into rubble and this giant red wasteland. Ok, fair enough. But then when Cruise comes back into Boston, 90% OF THE FUCKING CITY IS STILL UNTOUCHED! Why would the aliens spend all this time destroying every city in the world (as they claim in the film, specifically "Europe got the worst of it"), and then to spend precious alien(man)power to raze and loot the countryside, yet would just conviently ignore one of the major cities in the United States for the sake of plot resolution?! What the fuck?

Example number 4: (ties in with number 3) When Tom Cruise was in the aforementioned countryside, and we see the military stepping up its assault on the machines so that the refugees could get to saftey, Ray's son Robbie chooses to "fight" the machines, and claims that he needs an emotional experience of being "let go". Whatever. In any case, we're to believe that he's going to go off and die for his country and blah blah blah. So ok, he's dead. But no, at the end of the film, in a miracle of divine intervention, he's alive. He only managed to survive all those GIANT fireballs, machines laying waste to everything, and going about capturing every person they could find. But I guess all of that didn't matter, because he got out ok, and then manages to get back to Boston before Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. WTF?

You gotta lotta 'plaining to do, Senor Spielbergo.

A hell of a way to make your fortune...

2006-01-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Jesus, where the hell has "Deadwood" been my whole life? I pretty much watched the entire first season in about 3 days, and I'm catching up with the new episodes. HBO, you've done it again!

Getting into specifics, while I may be a fan of your general "western" (see Clint Eastwood or other Hollywood films) fare, the biggest issue I have with them is the GLARING lack of any semblence of historical realism. And thus, Deadwood shines. The language, clothing, and even look of the (I guess it's fictional) town in the Black Hills of South Dakota is spot on. I also love the fact that they coincide the events of 1876 South Dakota with real events such as the annexation of the Lawrence Territory as well as the treaties with the Sioux Indians. It just brings out the history nerd in me, I suppose.

I also think the characters are extremely captivating and three-dimensional, and the writers aren't afraid to kill off a major character in order to facilitate a plot twist or whatever. Notice Wild Bill Hickock, a major character in the first 5 or so episodes, getting his head blown off. Or the murder of the rich Yankee Brom Garret in order to acquire his gold claim. Genius.

Now if only I could find out when the hell that show is regularly on HBO...

ramblings and whatnots.

2006-01-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

Been a long time since I last posted...

So I got a job as an assistant manager at Hollywood Video, should be pretty sweet with all the free video game/movie rentals. I finally get to boss people around, too. Apparently Tim, the manager, was impressed with my knowledge of films, so at least my precious film degree is earning me something. I also found out that Pat Klein, of Wisconsin Hills/Pilgrim Park/Cuckoo Land fame was one hell of a thief, having made off with $900 worth of stolen DVDS before he was fired over the summer.

New Years passed, thankfully there wasn't some melodramatic party with lots of bullshit resolutions. You can save them for the greeting cards. Was nice to see lots of friends, though.

Got my grades back. I earned an A for "bastard", so I can now look forward to the pleasure of Basic II with Scott next semester. (Best TA ever)

I also have another film to add to the vault of "forgotten, but genius films": 2000's "Fortune Hunters", http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172464/
starring Alison Loman, Golden Girl's Estelle Getty, Milwaukee's own Mark Metcalf, and the one, the ONLY superstar COREY FELDMAN. With a breakthrough performance as a sleazy BMW salesman trying to steal the winning lottery ticket from an accountant's family, one has to wonder if his later success on VH1 reality shows owes a bit of debt to this film.

2005-12-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

Just a note to my loyal readers (mainly Unspar) that, contrary to rumors floating around the internet that I died in a plane crash, I am indeed alive, and have not quit the blog world.

Random stuff...

2005-12-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

You are Alain! Quiet and introverted, you prefer
thinking to talking. Even though you aren't
that social, you have a kind heart, and will
help those in need. You often see things from a
unique perspective, but people seem to ignore
your feelings. Learn to speak up, and show that
you take pride in what you do!

The Dark Tower Character Test
brought to you by Quizilla

stuff that will only interest me...

2005-12-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Somebody just got Bogut-ized to the score of 7-3 in fantasy basketball...

Team	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO	PF	Score
Bogut-ilicious	.450	.782	45	663	223	132	48	31	90	125	7
I Like Cookies	.427	.739	29	474	231	117	42	20	69	92	3

More football stuff...

2005-12-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

Leipzig, Germany -- Well, it could have been worse. But it certainly was bad enough.

After all, the United States could have been placed with Brazil, the Netherlands and Ghana in the ultimate "Group of Death" for this World Cup.

In reality, the Americans wound up with Italy, Czech Republic and Ghana.
And that reality bites.

Friday night's draw will make getting out of the first round in one piece not impossible, but definitely more difficult for a team that historically has experienced major problems winning in Europe.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena put on his best face and smile in the post-draw meet-the-press conference in the mixed zone.

"I almost thought we were going to get the opening game or we were going to be the last team picked," he said. "You know, I have no problems with it. It is what it is."
He added: "We have our hands full."

As optimistic as he sounded, the reality is that the U.S. is in arguably the most difficult, if not the toughest group of the eight for the 32-team field. More experienced, more worldly and much wiser this time around, the U.S. still faces a stiff challenge.

Let's take a look at the Americans' opponents:
* The top-seeded Italians, who incidentally, grabbed the last group top seed by a point over the U.S., are ranked 12th in the world. Unless you have been hiding in a cave for the past three decades, you already know that they are a tough nut to crack in the back, thanks to a traditionally hard-nosed defense and talented and nimble goalkeepers.
* The Czech Republic, a newcomer on the international scene after the breakup of Czechoslovakia, is ranked second in the world. The Czechs were one of the surprise sides at Euro 2004. Crafty midfielder Pavel Nedved came out of retirement to boost the Czechs to a pair of 1-0 playoff wins over Norway. Arena voted Nedved one of his top three players in the FIFA world player of the year a few years ago.
* Ghana, World Cup newbies, just might be the best African team in the tournament. Does the name Michael Essien ring a bell? It should. He plays midfield for Chelsea in the English Premiership and became the highest transfer in African history this past August (a cool $41.5 million).

Arena reminded reporters that the U.S. had defeated favored Portugal, 3-2, in its World Cup opener three years ago.

"We opened up with one of the top teams in the world in 2002," he said.
Yes, the U.S. did stun Portugal, taking a three-goal advantage and holding on for a 3-2 triumph in its first game in 2002 in Korea, and then held the hosts to a 1-1 draw before falling to Poland, 3-1, in its final opening-round encounter. The U.S. rebounded with a 2-0 second-round win over Mexico before it was eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals, 1-0.

But that was on the other side of the world, the first World Cup played out of Europe and the Americas, where the playing field became a little more level between the haves and the have-nots (just ask surprise-team Korea, which had never won a World Cup match before that tournament. Yet, it finished fourth).

The U.S., on the other hand, has been abysmal through the years in Europe, in the World Cup, friendlies or other encounters or tournaments.

In World Cup competition in Europe, the U.S. is an imperfect 0-7, scoring but four times and surrendering 19 goals (in contrast, the Americans are a competitive 6-7-5 in the Americas or Orient.

The Americans' overall record across the Atlantic is not much better. They're 11-33-6.

But Arena did not see playing in Europe as a home-field disadvantage.

"I don't think in Europe it is an issue," he said earlier this week. "Except for Germany.
"It's still neutral, regardless. It's not like a full stadium."
Of fans cheering against you.

Cast No Shadow...especially towards Mwaller, who does not appreciate the beauty of World Cup Soccer

2005-12-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

So I went out and got tickets for Oasis' "Grand North American Tour 2006", this tour, of course consists of everything North America has to offer: Milwaukee and Nashville. No where else. In any case, Oasis has to be at the very least entertaining in it's debacle, and at the very best, an orgasmic explosion of Brit Pop.

Makes me think back to the good ol' days of my English obsession with you-know-who.

Speaking of the Isles, they announced the FIFA World Cup 2006 draw today. US has Ghana (Pete: "They're quick, that's about it"), Czech Republic ("We've been annexed into this group to please the Germans"), and Italy (Uncle Gary: "that's-a spicy meatball of-a group!")

Everyone's complaining that the draw is hard, but I'm pretty confident the 9th-ranked Yankees can make it out of the first round and into the next draw. Italy's really the only decent team.

Also, Mwaller seems to have a lack of appreciation towards the genius of World Cup Soccer, although he's never watched it with Pat and Wipert, so that might be why. (hint, hint)

Films that time forgot.

2005-12-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Let's hope this frequent blogging when I'm bored at school and should be writing papers on the "devotional nature of cinema" doesn't go too far...

The other day I was browsing around the old cable-box, looking for sustenence that only networks such as TBS, TNT, or USA network could provide. I came across this movie, a film so convincing and powerful in its argument of the international conspiracy of super-spies that America never again looked at video game consoles as simply entertaining methods of spending a Sunday afternoon. No, no, after this film, Americans were tearing apart every system and game in order to find the hidden codes that the American government was hiding from spies...in children's video games.

These archival photos should help the reader understand the hysteria of looting that was facing America in 1984:

So what caused all of this fear and rioting in 1984 and that also was able to hold my attention for more than five minutes? Three words:

CLOAK. AND. DAGGER.

Yes, that's the right. That loveable can-do movie with lots of Oscar-upside starring Henry Thomas from E.T. as an imaginative boy who makes up super-spies to help him battle villians from a video game which may or may not be real.

And guess what? The non-existent super-spy is actually his father! Only it's the metaphorical representation of what his father is supposed to be! Oh, the hard-hitting relevance!

Definetly a must-see for any fans of bad 80's movies. (clearly the golden era, led by numerous Chuck-Norris attempts and the Patrick Swayze legend, "Red Dawn")

Nothing beats a chubby, bearded, video-gaming playing William Forsythe, too.

life in a bubble.

2005-12-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

I've come to the realization that I likely won't be a rich man one day.

At the moment looking for internships in Hollywood and NYC in film work. I hate the micro-processed garbage that we continually get on a regular basis from the Left coast, but it's where the money is. I've also got this history degree lying around and gathering dust, so maybe I'll teach for awhile to earn some money.

This week, I completed another film, entitled "Bastard", starring my cousin, Jake Cleary. Seemed to go over well in the class, the instructor really seemed to like the images I chose. What the whole film revolves around is the child (Jake) hears his parents having sex in the adjoining room, upon seeing (and hearing them), the child leaves the room, only to reveal a hearing aid that he is wearing. In frustration, he tears it off. It's about the dysfunction of experience and memory, as well as the operational manner of our senses; our desire to see/hear/feel certain things that we have the option to see/hear/feel. And why the decision we make on this matter defines our whole existence.

It's amazing how much I've grown as a filmmaker this semester. In comparing the two films I did last spring: "The Equesterian Ego of Matt Wilson" and my "Tailgating" documentary, I can see the growth in not only my editing, but in the very way I framed the images. Seeming to lose the lack of seriousness in the films also helped too, I've become more more inclined to do work that is going to be taken more seriously, well at least by the UWM-film people. Looking at a film I did a film earlier this semester, in which I handpainted clear leader in different shapes (a la Stan Brakhage) and organized the shapes, animation and movement into a verse/chorus/verse structure, it's the kind of idea I probably couldn't have even fathomed last spring.

So where's the old career going? Who the hell knows, but that's the fun part of it.

So this is the blog, eh?

2005-12-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

This blog will not be a slave to formalism.

Partially spurred on Mwaller's insults re: my masculinity, as well as a desire to engage in discussion of filmmaking and other mediums, I decided to start this blog as a means of formulating thoughts and opinions surrounding films and my life, for anyone who wishes to read it. Feel free to comment on it as you wish.

Also, I had to get the hell out of livejournal. It's too full of drama queens these days.