Sunday, September 30, 2007

Let's all go to the moooo-vies...

Here is my Chicago International Film Festival schedule, if anyone is interested in some titles and would like to meet up. I'm too lazy to give you links; check the site for summaries.

*=River East, all others at Landmark.

10/05 Shorts 2 (anim), 7 pm
10/06 Signal, 10:30
10/07 Shorts 1 noon, Stuck 10:30
10/08 *Becoming John Ford 5:00 [Jersey turnpike not included. -ed.]
10/09 *Chicago 10, 7:00 [Peter Cetera not included. -ed.]
10/15 Shorts 4, 6:45, Shorts 3 9:30
10/16 Control 6:30, Weirdsville 9:30
Your Official Baseball Postseason Bandwagon Team is...

The Philadelphia Phillies!

Reasons include, but are not limited to:

1. Chance of Rosenberg coming out here for a Cubs/Phils NLCS.

2. With Kyle Lohse and JC Romero, the team continues its trend of picking up Twins' castoffs begun in 1993 when David "Infinity" West appeared on the roster. At least he got an out for you guys...

3. Should Boston advance in the AL, JD Drew's at-bats will be all the more interesting.

4. A title for the losingest team in MLB will tweak Cubs fans for a fourth straight year.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Ever since the North Stars moved, I've been a man without a country when it comes to the NHL. Too old for the Wild; I remember the Norris Division too well to back the Hawks (but don't mind the Leafs, surprisingly enough). Inasmuch as I pay attention at all, it's to college players I remember, or people who served me well in fantasy teams.

One position I do hold is that each Original Six team should be competitive enough to at least make the playoffs. It isn't as embarrassing to miss the postseason as it was in the 20-team league, but still...it takes some doing. So I, like everyone in Chicago not named Wirtz, took the news of his passing as a cause for optimism. I look forward to a rejuvenated, competitive Blackhawks squad -- one that's actually worthy of hating. Because it just hasn't been fun.

Monday, September 17, 2007

hey, free flash drive in EW

Don't throw out your very wee USB drive in the 9/21 Entertainment Weekly. I chucked what was on it right away though...a preview of The Big Bang Theory, which was about as bad as I figured it'd be. About three good laughs. It'll probably be a monster hit, wrecking my LaPlaca entry.

More TV

interesting Salon point/counterpoint piece pitting The Sopranos vs. The Wire as the Best Series Ever. I don't know that either is, but between those two, I'd pick The Wire without hesitation. In fact, I'd say The Sopranos is at best the third-greatest HBO series. And this is having never seen Conchords or Six Feet Under, and hating on Sex & the City.
Movie Log 2007:80-82

Superbad - I really wanted them to knock this out of the park. I can live with a ground-rule double. I read one review calling it a remake of Eyes Wide Shut, in that a couple's relationship is tested during an increasingly surreal walk through town, culminating in a wild party with alcohol acting as the masks. I'm not sure how McLovin' fits in there...

My Favorite Wife - Cary Grant/Irene Dunne screwball comedy. Also featuring Randolph Scott, and made while Grant & Scott were housemates.

Body - What Kirsti said. Take Body Heat, replace the sex with KISSING(!), and add musical numbers. I'm always amused at the details Bollywood doesn't need to steal from originals, yet does: here we have the wind chimes, white dresses, the same method of covering up the crime, and the wacky friend (updated to karaoke from Ted Danson's tapdancing D.A.). Oh, and an impassioned break-in, only instead of throwing something through the glass door, he...sorta...jiggles the door until the latch opens. Or something. I'm pretty sure that doesn't work like that. I'll try it next time I'm at Bipasha Basu's place.


So now we've seen Bollywood ripoffs of:
Body Heat
Sense & Sensibility (I don't know if that really counts, since adapting a public-domain work is fair game)
On the Waterfront
While You Were Sleeping
Pretty Woman
...and a crazy hybrid of E.T. and Forrest Gump
For a quick 10 points...

What actor castmember was suspiciously absent from the Roots Saloot (clip reel and cast appearance) at last nights Emmys?

Sunday, September 9, 2007

blanket statement
Because the position of not caring is inherently neutral, there will be no football schadenfreude at this location. As I see it, your misguided belief that football is interesting is punishment enough.

Feel free to pile on about the Twins, though. Sweet Jesus, WTF was going on Friday night? But hey, Matthew LeCroy just got the callup. There's the bat we were looking for. Never mind the inevitable loss of Torii Hunter...It's gonna be so FREAKING RAD next year when Liriano's healthy and he can join Santana in losing all manner of 1-0 games.
While it's only because Mike built the page in order of entries received, I'm currently D.F. Last on his Alison LaPlaca leaderboard. Which amuses me to no end, because I have no expectations for this year. As I've alluded to many times, we're a broadcast-only household, but right now we aren't even that -- I unplugged the antenna when I was trying to fix something a few weeks ago, set it back up incorrectly and haven't bothered to correct it.

So here are my picks, based on as little hard information as possible.

10-Scrubs (NBC) - As far as I can tell this was the only series entering its final season (as confirmed by the network).

9-Cavemen (ABC) --by all accounts, the pilot is an absolute disaster. But remember, The Office's first effort was a nigh-unwatchable parroting of the BBC series.

8-Journeyman (NBC) I think I picked this largely on Maureen Ryan's dislike of the pilot. That could bite me in the ass, as last year she hated Heroes and praised Studio Sucksty to high heaven. It's got Kevin McKidd, anywhay, whom I like. But also Reed Diamond, who helped ruin Homicide.

7-ER (NBC) - does anyone still watch this? Rumors are they're lining up alumni for guest appearances in a final season.


6-Carpoolers (ABC)
- I might not have picked this had I noticed that former Kid in the Hall Bruce McCulloch was a creator. On the other hand, the only Kid worth a damn since the breakup was Dave Foley, and he had no hand in News/Radio's writing.

5-The Big Bang Theory (CBS) It might not actually set TV back 25 years, but the formula was used back then (NBC's We've Got it Made) and the results were suboptimal (lasted a season on the network).

4-Viva Laughlin (CBS) Hm. Mädchen Amick singing should be interesting.


3-Girlfriends (CW)
Stories that this 8th season will be the last are several pages in on a Google search. I think I saw earlier stories predicting its demise. We'll see. Picking a CW sitcom is always tricky, because they have nothing to lose.


2/1-According to Jim (ABC)
and Jericho (ABC) -- I don't see the last-minute pickups adding up to much. Of course, there's always the possibility the Acc. to Jim episodes will go straight to syndication, denying me points.