Kluge Chronicles - 2/25/09

Let me holla at you all for a few minutes. This is the first but not the last of my rants. For all of you who know me, you will appreciate and understand where I’m coming from. For those of you who don’t know me, you may think I sound like an ass that wants to hear himself. So What!! And Blaze, No, this is not a Gobots version of your “Blaze is Burning”. The difference is you really are mad at the things you speak about. I simply did not understand the situation or over thought it. I get raging mad, bitch and rant but then I get better in a few minutes and forget about the situation.

This column is very therapeutic for me because it allows me to channel out all the negativity that built up inside be from the past week or month. I thought this blog would help me out but no one acknowledges my comments that I make except for Koko and Keith. I write some funny stuff but I guess it’s not good for the lot of you reading. And who is this Regger guy?? I know I never met you and I’ve asked Keith about you who’s mentioned you are a friend of his brother’s and you play on the team, but I’ve tried to reach out to you a couple of times and you ignore me. Dude, what’s the deal. You and Koko are the only ones on this site that are the smartest and know everything? I’m not asking you out on a date but I feel somewhat like I know you just from writing on this blog. Show a brotha some love.

For the rest of you, do I have to wait a whole week to find out if the Cobra Kai’s won or not? I have a life but I want to know the result. This gives me an 85% chance of guessing the right answer as of now. Can someone please post up the result ASAP? You know you all go home after Gators and get on the PC.

Anyways, life is too short to get all worked up, but I feel damn good to be able to write whatever I want. My therapist tells me I should do it more often. But that’s all for now. Keep it real fellas.

"You look at a guy who's being brave. He's afraid, or he wouldn't be brave. If he isn't afraid, he's stupid."
- Joe Torre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Harry Potter series of films is coming to a close over the next few years. Fans have watched Daniel Radcliffe grow up on screen as the “chosen one” through 6 feature films based on the novels by J.K. Rowling. In the latest movie installment to the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, audiences are in store for an intensity jolt as Harry is forced to mature faster than even a fictional character can be expected.

Harry is conflicted about going back to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft for another year after the death of his godfather Sirius Black, not to mention all of the expectations that have been thrown upon his shoulders. His decision is made for him when Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) tells Harry that he needs him to carry out a very special assignment. Also, Harry decides to take up potions class again since it is no longer being taught by Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), whom he does not get along with. During the first class, Harry realizes that his textbook has many helpful notes written in the margins by its previous owner, The Half-Blood Prince.

As soon as this film begins you can feel the extra weight it carries. The mood is darker, the scenes are more intense and there is an absence of innocence that was very tangible in the previous films. The story also feels grander than before as the evil Death Eaters have begun to tear apart the human world under the command of Lord Voldemort.

The central focus of the story is the evolution of the relationship between Dumbledore and Harry. The student/teacher affiliation matures into more of a friend/colleague alliance, as Dumbledore knows that the fate of the world rests with Harry’s ability to defeat Lord Voldemort. The dialogue is well written and even better executed by Radcliffe and Gambon. There is plenty of levity in this film, however it is reserved for scenes not featuring this duo.

Daniel Radcliffe does a masterful job of portraying the anger Harry has bottled up inside himself due to the death of Sirius Black. Harry does not rant and rave, but he carries the anger in his eyes and lack of patience. In order to show just how heavy the weight is on Harry’s shoulders to save the world from evil, there isn’t much room in the spotlight for his friends. It would have been nice to get more screen time for them as they are all very talented actors and interesting characters, but this film would have to be 4 hours long to do so.

Overall this film sets the stage nicely for the final chapter of the story, which will be split into two films. However it does make an undeniable folly concerning the title character. Throughout the past five films, Harry’s abilities have intensified. But in this film he not only hits a brick wall concerning his mastery as a wizard, he takes a step back. It seems like just about anyone can take Potter down, even foes that he held his own against in the previous film. Perhaps the objective was to show Harry’s lack of focus due to all of the angst he is feeling about the loss of his godfather and the trials that await him. That being said, it was still a gross oversight to not somewhat further his powers. Being weak and uncoordinated was fine in the first four films, but if he really is “the chosen one” the character needs to install some confidence in his abilities and start demanding respect from his enemies. With only one story left to tell, Potter’s magic is more reminiscent of Mickey than it is Merlin.

Story: 8.0
Acting: 7.5
Writing: 7.5
Captivation: 8.5
Replay Value: 7.0

Total = 7.7

Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The G.O.A.T. 5 - LP '09 Draft

Top 5 Most likely events to take place at the 2009 Lombardi's Party Draft.

1.

Koko will yell at someone and call them a fucknut.

2.

Juan will draft 12 players from the U.

3.

Goat will have the best draft, (as usual).

4.

Some schmuck is gonna take a QB in the first round.

5.

Double S asks to see Koko's computer to find out who ESPN says is the next best available even though Koko specifically told everyone that wasn't allowed.

(This will inevitably precede number 1 on this list)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blaze Is Burning 7/10/09

YES, BLAZE IS BURNING!!THIS STATE IS TURNING INTO A PRESSURE COOKER..LOTS OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE STUCK IN 90-100 DEGREE TEMPERATURES BATTLING FOR A JOB THAT REALLY IS NOT THERE. STIMULUS MONEY BEING SPENT AND UNREGULATED BY EVERYONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO IT...I THINK MC HAMMER HAS A ROLE IN THE ALLOCATION OF FUNDS...I SWEAR TO EVERY DEITY AND FALSE GOD THAT I WILL RIP OUT THE TURNING LIGHTS AND SIGNALS IN EVERYONE'S CAR WHO FEEL THAT THEY HAVE NO REASON TO USE THEM, THEN, TAKE THOSE RIPPED OUT PARTS AND STICK THEM UP THOSE ANNOYING RICE BURNER MUFFLER ATTACHMENTS......RED BUG LAKE PARK...STOP SENDING THE FIELD CREW HOME AT 3:30 IN THE AFTERNOON...YOU ARE MAKING THE FIELDS UNSAFE AND UNEVENTFUL EVERY OTHER WEEK....WILL MICHAEL JACKSON COVERAGE END THIS CENTURY, PROBABLY NOT...YOU KNOW THE WEATHER CHANNEL WHICH USUALLY PLAYS LIKE CLASSICAL MUSIC OR SOMETHING CALM.. I HEARD THE ACTUAL 'BEAT IT' IN THE BACKGROUND..EVERY CHANNEL GETTING INVOLVED IN SOME TYPE OF COVERAGE.....LOTS OF DEAD SOLDIERS GUYS....LETS TALK MICHAEL THOUGH..DAMN POWER COMPANIES...YOU DO EVERY THING THEY TELL YOU TO LOWER YOUR BILL AND THEY JUST GO AND RAISE YOUR RATES ANYWAY AND CLAIM IT'S FOR SOME NEW EFFICIENT PLANT IN THE FUTURE WHEN THE REALITY OF IT IS IF YOU LOWER YOUR BILL YOUR RATES GO UP FOR LACK OF USE AND THEY PASS ON THEIR LOSSES TO YOU..STUCK LIKE CHUCK..NO LEVERAGE EVER WITH THE UTILITY COMPANIES....I'M NOT A SMART GUY WHEN IT COMES TO THE OIL SITUATION IN THIS WORLD, BUT I LEARNED THAT CIVILIANS ARE CUTTING BACK ON THEIR USAGE, THE OIL IS NOT BEING USED AS MUCH...AND THEY KEEP RAISING THE PRICE TO US WHEN THE COST OF THE BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL IS GOING DOWN.HUH???BETTER BELIEVE THE POWER COMPANIES ARE IN CAHOOTS WITH THE OIL COMPANIES...IN CAHOOTS AGAINST US...GOTTA LOVE THE BANKS IN THIS COUNTRY..RAISING PEOPLES MORTGAGE RATES TO UN-PAYABLE AMOUNTS BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR WHEN NEW RATES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GOING DOWN IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIX THIS HOUSING DEBACLE THEY ALL STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE ( LET'S GIVE PEOPLE HOUSES WE KNOW THEY CANT AFFORD AND WHEN THEY DEFAULT, CONTRIBUTE TO THE STEADILY RISING HOMELESS RATES IN THIS COUNTRY) WHEN THE BIG BANKS MAKE MISTAKES THEY GET BAILOUT MONEY? THE PEOPLE THE BANKS SCREW GET NOTHING BUT DESPAIR AND HELPLESSNESS..PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN BUT NOT PROUD TO WATCH OUR CONSTITUTION BEING TAKEN FROM US, BILL OF RIGHTS SHRINKING AND NO GREAT VOICES TO BE HEARD EVER...WHERE DID ALL OUR GREAT SPEAKERS AND ACTIVISTS GO..TO WATCH THE PARADE OF AMERICA GO MARCHING BY...IF SILENCE IS GOLDEN, WE SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO OVERCOME THE LOWEST POINT IN OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY AND PULL US OUT OF THIS "RECESSION". JUST MAKE SURE THAT MC HAMMER DOES NOT "TOUCH THIS" MONEY!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Remakes of classic films can be tricky for Hollywood. In order for them to be successful, they have to maintain the essence of the original while bringing the plot and characters into the present society. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 shows a great effort of paying homage to the original 1974 version by casting Denzel Washington and John Travolta in the lead roles.

Four assumed terrorists hijack a New York City subway train, along with its civilian passengers. Ryder (John Travolta) heads the criminal group and demands $10 million in exchange for the hostages’ lives. Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), a demoted subway dispatcher, is the first person to notice irregularities with the train’s behavior. Ryder takes a special liking to Garber and will negotiate with him alone.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is nothing if not fast paced. In a way, this movie is much like a NYC subway ride. The story jerks the audience around in a quick manner taking sharp turns and all the while keeping you in the dark. The main power source to this ride is the very entertaining scenes between Washington’s Garber and Travolta’s Ryder. Travolta once again dons the role of the sociopath walking the very narrow line between psychotic and genius, something at which he may be the very best. Ryder is an example of an over-the-top character that works perfectly in his story. Some of his behaviors that may be viewed as unrealistic are probably from people that do not have a lot of New York experience. Ryder represents the darker and repressed side of New York, but maintains an uncomfortable quirkiness that confuses the audience to decide whether they should be appalled or simply laugh. On the other end of the spectrum, Garber is brought to life by that very familiar Denzel poise. He stays calm under extreme circumstances, installs confidence in anything he does, and always seems like he has the situation under control. Washington does a good job of pulling back that unshakable poise as he is portraying a civil servant thrown into a very extreme situation. Although, that restraint does not last very long as Garber probably adapts a little too quickly and much more competently than someone in his position should.

Director Tony Scott (Crimson Tide, True Romance) did not forget about the supporting characters even though Travolta and Washington are the real meat and potatoes of the film. In a lot of ways, the supporting characters in this movie have more depth than many other films with a hostage type scenario. The audience actually gets to know a little about some of the hostages’ backgrounds. Even though it’s only a teardrop of information, it’s enough to engage the audience and make a connection to the characters so they are not just expendable bargaining chips for Ryder. Another noticeable upgrade to the hostage plot is James Gandolfini as the not-so-bumbling mayor of New York. Usually the mayor is clichéd in these types of films as the egotistical politician who only cares about his career and is usually clueless about the gravity of the situation. At first glance that’s exactly what you get from Galdolfini’s character, but the film ends up revealing a much more competent public official than movie goers are used to seeing. And to round it out, John Turturro plays NYC hostage negotiator Camonetti. Turturro is a great actor and way too good for some of the films he’s been in lately, he somewhat returns to form in this film as the low-key, righteous defender of New York. Unfortunately there was just not enough screen time for the audience to get a proper amount of background on Camonetti. His scenes are engaging, but they always ended a little flat.

Besides the very fine actors in this film, the omnipresent star of the movie is the city itself. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 shows NYC in a light that not many movies or television programs choose to portray, that being an accurate one. Scott is able to show the harshness of New York without turning it into “Hell on Earth,” but anyone who’s yet to make the trip will be sure to get a heaping spoonful of grit in their popcorn. Not to say this film doesn’t have any inaccuracies, actually it has a ton. However, they are mostly reserved for lifetime New Yorkers who know the subway system as well as the dispatchers themselves. Most people that have been to the city will appreciate the overall tone of the film, although after seeing it some future visitors might opt out of the 6-train for a cab ride.

Story: 7.5
Acting: 8.5
Writing: 7.5
Captivation: 7.5
Replay Value: 7.0

Total = 7.6

Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------