Cloverfield Review

I’ve been chomping at the bit to watch Cloverfield since its been in my Netflix queue, and after a slight delay, it arrived Saturday.  Carrie and I didn’t have a chance to even consider watching it until Sunday evening, when she reluctantly agreed to finally watch it with me.

For a monster-action flick, it was pretty good.  It starts off somewhat slow, but gets into the action quickly enough – it was funny, because just as Carrie turned to ask me when it was going to get “good”, an explosion on screen made both of us jump, and that was the start of the action, which rarely let up thereafter.

The pace was pretty good, and most of the suspenseful moments were well done.  The only problem I found with the movie was that it didn’t feel as “real” as it should have, given the concept of the film (for those not aware, the entire movie is from the point of view of a camcorder that is being carried around by a member of the group of characters).  There were simply one or two of those “people would not do that in real life” moments, and that sucked some air out of the Blair Witch-esque presentation.

All things considered, I enjoyed it, though I don’t think Carrie did as much.  There’s talk of a sequel, which I’m reluctantly willing to see, given the ending of this one.  You’ll know what I mean when you get there, but I’ll simply say that they missed an opportunity for an outstanding ending by announcing a sequel.

7/10

Wing Dynasty

The Detroit Red Wings finally collected what they knew was theirs all along – the 2008  Stanley Cup Championship.  In game 6 of what was at times both a predictable and surprising series, the Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 at Mellon Arena, completing what was an incredibly determined run toward the ultimate prize in sports – the Stanley Cup.

Looking back to 2002, there was a lot of talk about what does or does not make a  “dynasty” in hockey, and whether or not they met the criteria at the time.  Well, if there were any doubt then, there shouldn’t be anymore.

The Wings:

• have won 4 Stanley Cups in 11 years
• have reached the playoffs 17 seasons in a row – sports record
• have had 8 consecutive 100-point seasons – NHL record (tie)
• have been the best team in the regular season 4 of the last 6 seasons
• have won 11 Stanley Cups for 3rd overall (Montreal has 24, Toronto 13)
• Were an outstanding plus-25 in the 2008 Playoffs

Incredible.  And even more so when you consider they were able to continue their success after the imposition of an imposing salary cap system 3 years ago which shrunk their Yankee-like $80 million team in half.

They won despite their “weak” Swedish-centric team.  They won despite having a European captain.  They won despite being a “small” team that had too much “finesse”.  They won despite “lacking goaltending”.  They won by doing the simple things, and doing them with a striking attention to detail and perseverance.  They won by playing incredibly disciplined hockey.

But most of all, they won because they knew they could.

Not so Fast

Holy crap am I tired.  Its been a while since I’ve had to function at a high level on a mere 4 hours of sleep.  But it was worth it, even though the Wings lost a heartbreaker in triple overtime – 109 minutes and 57 seconds of some pretty entertaining hockey.

It started off horribly, with the Wings playing like an inexperienced bunch of rookies in the first period, which allowed the Penguins to grab a 2-goal lead.  The Wings were able to fight back and eventually take the lead in the third period, but the Penguins scored with just 33.4 seconds left in the game to force overtime.  That’s right – the Wings were a half-minute away from hoisting Lord Stanley.  The Cup had been polished.  The champagne was in the locker room.  All they had to do was weather the storm, and they couldn’t.

So, its off to Pittsburgh for game 6 in what will undoubtedly be a crazy atmosphere, as their fans now have a glimmer of hope.  Again.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno Teaser Goes Live

I’ve been talking about this movie for quite a while, and have been awaiting the trailer (or teaser, as it turns out) with much anticipation.  As Kevin Smith points out, its most definitely a teaser:

Don’t call it a trailer, ’cause it’s not a trailer; it’s a teaser. There ain’t a frame of footage in this puppy that’s in the actual flick, so feel free to watch it without fear of “spoilers”. This is just a little something to give you a bit of a feel for the flick.

You can watch the trailer at Quick Stop Entertainment.

Now That’s Playoff Hockey

As the Wings were in the final seconds of their loss to the Penguins last night, I found myself contemplating something.  Would I rather watch a Finals series in which the Wings won in a sweep, or a Finals series in which the Wings lost in an exciting and competitive 7-game contest?  I still don’t have an answer.

But the Penguins are trying to make this a series, and did so in rather convincing fashion last night.  It was some of the most entertaining hockey I’ve seen in quite some time, with tons of huge hits, incredibly fast-paced offensive attacks and a lot of charged emotion.  And given that the Wings were so incredibly close to sending the game into overtime, I was as satisfied with that loss as I could be of any.

Awesome stuff. 

Detroit Domination

After two startlingly decisive victories for the Red Wings, its clear that Pittsburgh’s youth is more considerable a stumbling block than many had anticipated – including me.  For all the hype surrounding this series, its been quite a disappointment thus far, with Detroit outscoring Pittsburgh 7-0 after two games.

Let’s be clear – this series is far from over.  While all the talk now centers around how dominant the Wings have been and how unlikely it is that the Penguins can mount a comeback, you can bet that with a Pittsburgh victory in game 3, the entire tone of the series coverage will change.

But, really, these Wings are simply far too talented, experienced and determined to lose this series.  The Wings need 2 victories out of the remaining 5 games, while the Penguins need 4.  Beating the Wings 4 times is a tall enough order, but doing so in 5 games and during the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is almost asking the impossible.

Filed in the “be careful what you wish for” category, I am sort of hoping that Detroit doesn’t sweep this series, as I’d love to see them lose one – but only one – game in Pittsburgh, so they can win the cup on home ice.  But then again, I just want them to win the damn thing. 

Go Wings!

Finally: Wings Advance

The Detroit Red Wings have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2002.  And while I’m crazy excited, I’m also a tiny bit ashamed.  I started to lose faith in them in recent days, as they let a 3-0 stranglehold on the Dallas Stars dwindle down to a 3-2 series lead.  In fact, I even stated yesterday at work that the Wings were “done”, though this comment was largely an exaggeration, and intended to stave off having to talk about hockey with anyone.  I work with far too many alarmists for hockey talk to be enjoyable when the going gets rough.  And no, I’m not an alarmist – when I was concerned that they were finished, I was fairly calm.

So, the Wings will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 8:00 PM in game 1 of the Stanley  Cup Finals in what will be quite an entertaining series.  The Wings are a very well-rounded team with excellent puck possession skills and a stingy, disciplined defense, while the Penguins are a fast, young team with incredible scoring depth.  If everything else were a wash, the Wings would have the advantage in terms of experience, though that may or may not be a factor.

Let’s go Wings!

Mario Kart Wii

So, I’ve been playing some Mario Kart Wii lately, and while its as fun as ever, its also as frustrating as ever.  Anyone who’s played this game knows full well the frustration of leading a race in the final lap, only to be attacked by numerous items and end up in 8th place.  Well, now that there are 12 racers, the only difference is that now you end up in 12th.

I whizzed through the 50 and 100cc classes without any problem, but it took me 4 or 5 tries to place in the Star Cup in the 150cc class.  And it never fails – you can kick a lot of ass for almost the entire race, and still end up easily in the back half of the pack.  Its frustrating, yet fun enough that I keep coming back.

Once I complete all the 150cc cups, I’ll then jump online and see exactly how much I suck as compared to everyone else in the World.

As Ozzie Goes, So Go the Wings

The 2008 Conference Finals are set to begin tonight, with the two teams from the West – Detroit hosting Dallas.  The Eastern Conference gets under way tomorrow night, with Pittsburgh hosting Philadelphia.

The Detroit Red Wings have the edge in this series, but they’re going to need goaltender Chris Osgood to lead the way.  The Dallas Stars has a very well-rounded offense that can cause serious damage, more so than the other teams the Wings have faced in their playoff run.  And while Ozzie has been great so far, his best hockey needs to be ahead of him if the Wings hope to win this one.

Its pretty interesting, especially for me, because I’ve been an avid Wings fan since around ‘85 or ‘86, and I’ve been witness to Osgood’s evolution from the beginning.  The goalie he is now – or rather, the player he is now – is quite different from that of a decade ago, when he helped the Wings to their second of two consecutive championships.  He’s more relaxed, at ease and reliable.  He’s more mature, which is one of the most important characteristics for success in the Playoffs.

This series should be superbly entertaining, certainly more than was the Colorado series.  Go Wings!

New NIN Album Free

NIN’s newest album, The Slip, is available for download free and clear, in a variety of formats.

If it weren’t free, there’s no way I’d buy it, seeing as how I’ve not heard anything from it, and was never a huge fan to begin with.  But considering this is free, I’m already downloading.