Logging

Film:  Star Trek Into Darkness

It seems like people are loving this movie.  Maybe I wasn't in a great mood or something, but my overall reaction is just -- eh.  They keep the action going and I suppose it fulfills the obligation of entertainment, but I dunno, I feel like I'm going to forget this movie in a week.  I didn't feel an emotion throughout the entire movie.  Reminds me of The Avengers in that way.  And the movies they borrow from were so recognizable - there were scenes ripped straight Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Godfather 3, A Few Good Men - not to mention prior Star Treks.  Am I the only one who feels this is sort of lame and unoriginal?

I guess this is just what movies are today.  They're designed to be worshiped.  And so you either get these situations where it succeeds and everyone has to get on board and worship it together (and those who disagree are viewed suspiciously) or the film doesn't succeed and you get this unthinking hatred that can only occur with outsized expectations.  Strange days.

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones, S 3, Ep 8

I rather enjoyed this episode.  More streamlined, focusing on only a few storylines.  Quieter.  Funnier.  Particularly enjoyed the long wedding scenes where everyone is miserable.  An interesting analysis of the Cersai character in this discussion.

The show has tried to make Cersei a little more subtle and sympathetic than the books, but it's kept her fatal flaw: She can't see the difference between rivals and enemies, and can't recognize that it's as important to manage the former as it is to cow and crush the latter.

Very clear and interesting point.

Life Is Unfair

An analysis of who becomes good in the NBA and why situations matter.  All true.

Logging

TV:  Gravity Falls

One of the best cartoon, kid-programming shows I've seen in a long while.  Premise:  a brother and sister pair of twins move in with their goofy uncle who runs a tourist-trap mystery cabin in spooky Gravity Falls, Oregon.  The small, rural town has mysterious woods nearby and all sorts of creepy local legends.  They brother and sister get into adventures with supernatural and fantastical characters and no one ever believes them.

Part Scooby-Doo, part X-Files, with a wacky, rapid-fire sense of humor.  Surprisingly intelligent.  In particular, the bad-guys sort of make the show each episode because they are generally set up with colorful personalities and ulterior motives and are well flushed out.  I much prefer this to anything Pixar has ever done.

And...if anyone wonders what the hell Linda Cardellini has been doing, she voices one of the side characters.

Logging

Restaurant:  Pizzeria Mozza

The pizza is terrific, but a bit overpriced.  Everything else, in my opinion, is extraordinarily overpriced.  I actually am not really a fan of this restaurant, especially given all the acclaim.  There are preferable Italian joints in the neighborhood.  Osteria La Buca, Osteria Mama, and Franco are all just about the same quality and don't carry the pretension, the over-crowded-ness, or the price tag.  Superficially, the menu prices aren't terrible, but they charge you for little add-on stuff, the plates are small, and the bill ends up being rather costly in the end.  I've never been to the Osteria, but I imagine it's worse.

Call Me Crazy

This isn't exactly what I meant when I said Facebook was dehumanizing, but still...

10% OF FACEBOOK’S USERS ARE NOT HUMAN-INCLUDING MARK ZUCKERBERG’S DOG, BEAST, WHO HAS 1.5 MILLION FOLLOWERS: Dogs, cats, horses, toasters: You name it, it has a Facebook page. Facebook now has one billion users – but ten per cent of them are not human, according to new research.At least 100 million of Facebook’s ‘monthly active users’ are pets, brands and companies – and even Facebook founder Mark Zuckeberg’s dog Beast has a page. According to e-Marketer, an internet market research company, only 889.3 million of the one billion users are real people.

Should mean something.

Good Advice

How to plan your life, when you can't plan your life.

When I think back upon basically every job I've ever had, at some point, just a few years prior, I had no idea that that job existed.  At least, in the specifics...

The only thing that is predictable is school.  And perhaps that is one of the flaws of school in general - the predictability of it - because life does not follow predictable rhythms.  Many people complain about college and grad school inadequately preparing students for the "real world," but the issue might be more fundamental - school simpy can't prepare one for the real world.

Thoughts on Webseries

Went to El Cid last night to view webisodes.  Paid $8, watched a couple.  A thoughts on all this new stuff...the internet, webisodes, Amazon, Netflix, yada, yada...

On webseries - basically, these are an experimental area for comedy.  A companion to the stand-up circuit.  Dramas do not play well on micro budget, but comedies don't inherently suffer.  Downside of webseries is the same as the stand-up circuit, you gotta wade through a lot of crap to find the good stuff.

On Amazon and Netflix, etc making TV shows - I don't understand why people are excited about this development.  It's just tv.  It's different players getting involved with the tv landscape.  Can they make and select better shows that the networks and cable channels?  Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it.  Just judging by Amazon using this voting tactic to select shows and to make movies -- I can't think of a worse way to make original, interesting, lasting content.

Regarding House of Cards, I wasn't a fan of the show, but it was regarded well critically.  But Netflix paid through the nose to get a prestige show.  Big deal.  Anyone can overspend and hire A-list people.  We'll see if it lasts.

But...as a content creator it certainly is a better time than 8 years ago when the reality landscape seemed to be taking over TV.  Now TV is back and the web is turning itself more and more into TV.

Ouch

Armond White doesn't like Frances Ha.

Internet Destroyed the Middle Class

Fantastic interview.  Very true stuff.  Hat tip, Viner.

This all goes back to Napster.  This is what happens when you let college students decide how the world should be.  College students embraced Napster and stole all the music they wanted, justifying it with digital utopian fantasies like "information wants to be free."  Well, the music industry died.  Newspapers came next.  Movies are following.  And stupid, young people think, well, it's the corporations that die and the musicians, filmmakers, and journalists will live on.  Really?  That's just bullshit justification for taking music for free.  But the implications to society are much more.

We Can Play That Game As Well

VDH on why we shouldn't get involved with Syria.

Look, the US can very easily stand by on the side during Middle East instability or throw our weight around just a little bit here and there.  We can play the warring factions and tribal game.  We tried not to with Iraq because the game sucks and leaves everyone involved worse off for the most part.  But we tried it the other way - tried to bring civilized government and institutions to a country and it didn't take.  It cost us and everyone hated us for it to boot.  So yes, we can play this game like everyone else.  The people in the region suffer, not us.

Maybe I Will Join Facebook

An oldie, but a goodie.

Memphis

Love this Memphis team.  They would be the most interesting match up with Miami in the finals.  Tony Allen is a defensive savant.  Offensively, he is borderline retarded.  I think the guy sees the game differently from all the other players on the floor.  This is why he is such a disruption.  You see him jumping into strange positions on defense they totally throws the other team out of rhythm.  The problem with his game - on offense he does the same thing.  He throws passes his teammates aren't ready for.  He can't make layups.  He can't shoot.  Very fun player to watch.  How awesome would it be to watch him guard LaBron?  Or Wade?  I can see him just taking Wade completely out of the game.

Logging

Film:  Iron Man 3

Better than most of these kind of movies, but still one of these kind of movies.  If you like Robert Downey Jr, there is plenty of good stuff for him to do in the film.  The dialog scenes were the best parts.  The action is beyond retarded.  Can't stand this computer stuff that totally loses proportion with the physics of the actual world.  Nothing feels scary or tangible.  Ben Kingsley does a fun turn.

Amazing these Marvel movies -- they make so much money -- and I just find them utterly disposable.  They are the equivalent of bathroom reading material and they make billions of dollars.  Strange world we live in today.

Logging

Food:  Tsujita Artisan Noodle

If you like ramen, this place is a game changer.  They serve a style that is popular in Tokyo where you get noodles on the side and dip them in the ramen-sauce and eat.  The soup is very thick, like in-between broth and bolognese texture.  Heavy.  You dip and eat all the noodles, then they pour hot water in the leftover ramen soup and you drink it.  Served w/ japanese style bbq pork.  Man, delicious.  Only served at lunchtime.  Place is tiny and always packed.  The time to go is between 2pm-3pm on a weekday when the lunch rush is over.  The place closes at 3pm and then changes into a dinner restaurant.

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones S. 3 Ep 6

I sure hope they're building to something excellent this season because some of these scenes are pushing my patience.  They've really lost a center of the show this season by choosing to do a true ensemble.  There are so many story lines we are unable to become invested in:  Theon, Bran, Stannis, each of these bits are so minuscule and in the case of Theon, repetitive and boring, I can't see how they're going to payoff anytime soon.

Small Ball

Elizabeth Warren wants student loans to be at a lower rate.

Uh...who cares?  Haggling over interest rates isn't the issue with college cost.  Skyrocketing prices is the issue.  Lowering interest rates on student loans will only make push principal costs up in the long run and do nothing for students at large.  What a gigantic waste of time.  It's like focusing on dental problems when you have skin cancer.

Corporate Control of Things

You can't think of many successful movies not made by corporations anymore.  Tarantino is one of the only holdouts, but even he cannot escape the grasp of the money/power.

The Chinese simply recut his film and there's nothing anyone can or wants to do about it.  If you think this type of thing is going away, you're wrong.  The Chinese don't give a shit about artistic freedom or free speech or anything we take for granted.  Read one article about how China operates and you'll understand.  The Communists rule the country with a velvet glove.  They are nepotistic and utterly corrupt.  They'll stymie individual voices and steal intellectual property and resell it to line the pockets of the connected in the Party.  And we do business with them because of the money.  The people who run our country and the business world sell out the most basic and wonderful things about American culture for peanuts.  They sell it for second homes and a comfy retirement and cannibalize industries that they simply inherited and didn't even build.  Terrible.

Logging

Film:  The Great Gatsby

Didn't see it in 3-D although there were some obvious moments in the beginning designed for the 3-D experience that were simply awkward in 2-D.  Don't know what this means for the way movies are made and watched going forward.  I wished I saw those bits in 3-D, but doubt I would have enjoyed the film any more having seen it in 3-D.

Obviously an underwhelming movie.  The story just doesn't lend itself to a movie plot.  There is nothing to the story.  The only parts of the film with any energy are the spectacle set pieces in the beginning.

There isn't a tremendous amount to say about the film, but I want to talk about Leo.  He didn't work.  I don't know if it is the state of movie stars or what, but the charisma or the glamour or whatever you want to call it, simply wasn't there.  Maybe the contemporary audience just doesn't buy into movie stars anymore.  Maybe Leo has lost it a little bit.  But he doesn't become Gatsby.  He doesn't exude "that thing."

The movie star thing bums me out.  Did the business ruin movie stars?  Did the agents seek too much money and cause the studios to turn their back on the stars in favor of properties?  Did the studios stop developing stars because they lost leverage?  Did the audience stop caring about movie stars?  Whatever happened, it's bad for the movies.

NFL

On the brutality and corrupt corporate gloss.

Job Crisis Bigger Than We Think

Yes.

Crazy Stat

Listening to a podcast on the way over and learned in the 2nd half of the NBA season, Steph Curry shot 46% from three-point range.  That percentage is especially amazing considering the following:

1. He took nearly 9 three-pointers a game during that span.
2.  He set the record for made 3's, so this is a statistically significant percentage.
3.  He is known as a 3 point shooter and defenses try to stop his 3's.  This puts more value on his 3's than say, Bruce Bowen getting open looks and hitting from the corner because defenses were geared to stop Duncan.

So then I got thinking...what is the value of a 46% FG percentage from 3 land.  Math:

Over 100 shots:

46% from 2 point land = 92 total points
46% from 3 point land = 138 total points

To score 138 points over 100 shots shooting mostly 2-pointers would require a 69% FG percentage...a basically unheard of percentage for a jump shooter or guard...and can only be accomplished by guys who only dunk the ball or put back offensive rebounds, ie Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan.

Curry is making me - and the NBA - rethink what is offensive value and effectiveness.

If this guy played one-on-one with LaBron with 3-pointers, don't you think he wins?  He couldn't stop LaBron, but LaBron couldn't stop him either and he'd make more 3's.

Logging

Film:  Mud

Decent film, but nothing special.  Not a weeknight movie.  More of a weekend matinee to be watched when there is nothing else out there.  Another movie that made me feel depressed about movies through no fault of it's own.  On the one hand, it's a pretty good little movie and impressive for a young filmmaker.  On the other hand, the movie just isn't good enough to get really excited over.  And it's frustrating for me to think that only inspired movies should be paid attention to.  To me, average movies should be worth paying attention to.  In fact, they have to be, or we'll have no movies at all.  By definition, it is impossible to make only exceptional movies.

But craft-wise - writing wise - storytelling wise - the film drags big time.  Minor details don't make sense and only serve to put our main character in the situations our filmmakers wants him to be in, as opposed to an organic unfolding.  The theme is hammered over the head inelegantly many too many times.  And how many "I love you's" or "I love her/him's" should be allowed in a movie?  One?  Maybe two?  This movie had about 15.  Actually, just in saying writing that, makes me think even less of film.

Beasts of the Southern Wild was much more impressive.  I want to go back and re-watch George Washington at some point as well.

Enjoy

The era of catastrophic success.

A lot of basic assumptions about how-we-live-life are changing as a result of rapid technological changes.  These changes impact the workplace, but the workplace has in many ways become the centerpiece of American life and even the foundation upon which the family exists or continues to exist.  The workplace effects money and health insurance, which in turn effects housing, food, education, and all the stuff of life.

The only thing I suggest for people:  get flexible.  The job you have or the job you want will probably disappear as a viable way to earn a living.  Learns skills than are not easily replaced by machines, if you intend to work.

Not Just Research, But Any Noble Pursuit

Tenacity is almost everything.

Spurs

Steph Curry unleashes the best single performance of the playoffs on them.  Their heart and soul - Duncan - is sick and doesn't play in the 4th quarter and OT.  Ginobli plays lousy until making the one big shot at the end.  Parker is missing those little mid range jumpers he usually nails.  And they still manage to win.  They should be feeling good.

On the downside, the Warriors dominate for 3.5 quarters and made them look old and slow.  Don't know what's going to happen.

The Difference

Yikes.  The Warriors were clueless at the end of the game against San Antonio.  The Spurs, down 3 with 25 ticks left, go down the court and run some motion plays, generating movement and defensive switches and off ball picks and get a wide open 3 to tie the game.  The Warriors go down and run a point guard isolation play (for the 4th time in row) and unsurprisingly, get a terrible shot.  The last several possessions of the game, the Warriors did the same exact thing and only once was it successful. Now going to overtime.  Anyone who says the Spurs are boring doesn't know anything about basketball.

UPDATE:  One of the best fourth quarter-2OT games I've ever seen.

UPDATE 2:  Popovich on Ginobli "I went from trading him on the spot to wanting to cook him breakfast in the morning.  On the first shot, he said to me 'this is what I do.'  I don't know...I stopped coaching him a long time ago..."

Creepy

Al Gore is now Romney-rich.

I'd never begrudge anyone for making money -- even a lot of it.  But this fortune is a strange one, isn't it?  What did Al Gore make?  As far as I can tell, he simply became a spokesperson for environmentalism.

I can understand how Michael Jordan made money being a spokesman for shoes and tee-shirts, but since when did speaking out about saving the environment become a good business move?  What the hell is going on?

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones, S 3, Ep 6

Laugh out loud, funniest line of the entire show "too old," in reference to Cersei as a proposed match for gay Loras.

Agreed

First interesting thing I've read regarding Jason Collins story.

Ministries of Truth

Howard Kurtz gets the 3rd degree about mis-reporting on the Jason Collins story.

I love how the guy gets raked over the coals publicly by making one mistake reporting about Collins fiance.  No one is forced into this type of public apology and humiliation if, for instance, they lie about the Benghazi terrorist attack or don't bother reading the healthcare legislation that becomes law.  But those aren't issues for the "thought-police."  I find it bothering all the language about Jason Collins coming out is regarding "educating" people on homosexuality.  No...this is about policing politically correctness and keeping track of whether you have the right thoughts on these issues.

Benghazi Was A Terrorist Attack

And they knew it from the beginning and kept it under wraps. 

Perhaps you think Bush lied to get us into war -- or at the very least -- was too casual about the damning evidence.  But there is a trend with our two most recent Democratic presidents -- both keep covering up the nature and danger of the Islamic Fundamentalist threat in order to prevent the American people from wanting to do anything about it.  Clinton's underestimating of Bin Laden emboldened him.

As for a filmmaker being in jail -- and there is no peep from the Hollywood community or filmmakers from around the world -- goes to show that none of these people believe in freedom of expression, they're all just members of exclusive clubs -- Hollywood or Cannes -- and could give a shit about the people outside of their circles.

Fascinating Article 

On status as an economic good.

Logging

Films:  Jerry Maguire and How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days

When you think the state of filmmaking is bad, all you need to do is rent some random old movies once in awhile and you realize the majority of films were always bad.  Whoa is Jerry Maguire lame.  An interesting film to watch considering what Tom Cruise has become.  The guy seems like an alien in this movie.  Like a cardboard cut out of a person.  And I'm a fan of Cruise, mind you.  The sheer volume of good movies the guy has made over the years is nothing to be scoffed at.  But Jerry Maguire - despite so many memorable bits - is so unbelievably sappy and saccharine - I almost can't believe it was once considered a big, prestigious film.

I couldn't get through more than 45 minutes of How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days.  And I was trying.  This wasn't me being an asshole turning off a movie.  This was me checking where we were in the movie 4 times before turning it off - minute 20, minute 25, minute 35, minute 40, minute 45 and I realized the thing was going to be 2 hours and I just knew I couldn't take it.

Inside the NBA

Is arguably the best show on TV.  Certainly the best talk show.  At first I didn't like Shaq, but he's grown on me and I think he's perfect.  But my suggestion for how they should structure the show:  Ernie, Barkley, and Kenny are the core and every two years they bring in a new guy to fill the 4th role.  At first, they had Webber.  Now Shaq.  I think when Kevin Garnett retires, he needs to be the other guy.  Can you imagine?  Garnett might literally attack Barkley one night after teasing him.

Last night, Barkley made the funniest comment to Shaq, he said, "I've seen you throw like five punches in your career and you never landed one."  They kept replaying Shaq trying to hit Brad Miller and Kenny was giving him grief saying Oakley was the one who hit him and he was trying to hit Miller and he missed him completely from like 1 foot away.  I couldn't stop laughing.

If Garnett doesn't retire, I suggest the following possibilities:

Alan Iverson
Bill Laimbeer
Tim Hardaway
Anthony Mason
Clive Drexler
Nick Van Exel
Dominique Wilkins
Gary Payton
Karl Malone

May the Contrarians Be Right

Study on the housing market crash.  Basic conclusion:  all popular perceptions are wrong.  At the very least, interesting.

The Miami-Heat-ization of America

Tonight I played in a soccer game in which our team got our asses kicked.  This has been happening more and more lately.  I've gotten my ass kicked in soccer more times in the past two years than my first 28 years playing combined.  Part of me thinks I'm getting old, but part me also knows the Miami-Heat-ization of America is to blame.  I'll explain.

The league is an intermediate men's 7 v 7 league.  My team is on the border of being intermediate and advanced and we've gone back and forth between leagues.  One of the teams dropped out, so the organizer recruited a replacement team which was basically an All-Star team from my 11 v. 11 league.  These guys are mostly D1 and D2 players and some of them are really, really good.  And this has been the trend in my soccer league lately:  the best teams often merge with each other or recruit guys back and forth.  All Star teams play in other leagues together against better competition and those guys come back and want to play together.   Meanwhile, our team is how I think men's teams should be -- a bunch of dudes who like each other and like to play sports together.  Most guys played in college, but not all.  Mostly D3.  We try to marginally improve ourselves, but we never kick dedicated guys off the team.

And now we can't compete.  Our league has no parity.  How can it?  One year, the third best team fell apart and half their guys went to play on the best team and the other half went to the second best team.  At the time, we were in the middle of the pack and now we have fallen way - almost hopelessly - behind.  I keep thinking our team is on the brink of falling apart.  And the strange thing is - we're actually not that bad for a men's league team.  Today was weird.  Picture those first two awesome teams now combining into an All Star team of only 7 guys.  That's who were were playing.  It would be as if the Golden State Warriors were about to play the Spurs in the playoffs except that the Spurs merged with OKC Thunder.  Does that sound competitive?  Does that sound fun?

What is happening?

A couple of things:  overemphasis on winning.  The magnet effect of better players coming together.  But more broadly speaking, it is the ascension of meritocratic values in place of the values by the old WASP establishment.  The old WASPS had problems -- they were elitist, sexist, racist -- if not explicitly, they at least presided over institutions which were.  But there were other values, too.  Being a gentleman had meaning, honor, pride, patriotism, charity, a sense of justice, etc.  It was not a mistake that the WASP establishment eventually opened the doors to women and minorities over time.  Granted, it didn't happen all at once, but it did happen and without much of a fight.  (the fight came mostly from reactionary forces).

The meritocracy has different values:  achievement, intelligence, speed, superiority, competitiveness (at least to get in, but not once you're in).  Some of these elements are great and make for exceptional people.  But there are downsides as well:  selfishness, arrogance, entitlement, political-correctness, a lack of compassion.  Basically, we've swapped FDR for Tracey Flick.

I'm personally skeptical of the superiority of the meritocracy.  It's been taken as a given since I was young this system was better and more fair.  But more fair for who?  Only the most talented and gifted in society.  The Luddites might in some ways turn out to be correct 400 years later -- that technology will enable the super-talented to render the masses useless.  There simply might not be any jobs for the majority - or a vast minority - to do in the future.  Further, the meritocratic elite tend to cluster into the best colleges and jobs and industries and then mate together, breeding child super-achievers.  All of these developments, superficially seem to be fair and awesome for the talented and the promise is that the talented will develop all these things that are better for society as a whole.  I am skeptical about this as well.  The WASP establishment created the Constitution, fought the Civil War, and made American the most powerful and richest country on earth.  The meritocracy created Facebook (the biggest pyramid scheme in history) and Google (an online yellow pages with email).  Granted, they haven't had as much time, but still.  I am not convinced the meritocratic elite make society better as a whole and suspect overvalues things that people in the meritocracy happen to be good at like Standardized Tests and following rules.

Anyhow, that was a strange long rant.

Detached vs. Engaged

Different types of (political) writers.

Yikes

Clippers just got worked in game 5 at home by Memphis.  Looking up and down the Clippers line up and they just don't have the horses against a strong team like Memphis.  They played with heart, but they lack the mix of strength and skill.  Their guys are all role players and not excellent at all parts of the game.  Also, strangely, they don't have guys who are good enough shooting the 3, which is where Memphis is vulnerable.

CP3 is awesome, but he is undersized and not a lock down defender.
Crawford is a streaky scorer, but can't play defense
Bledsoe is an athletic and energy guy, who would kill a team like the Lakers, but isn't a good enough shooter and is undersized on the wing against Memphis
Barnes works hard, but can't score and is undersized to rebound against a big front line
DeAndre Jordan doesn't really know how to play basketball
Blake Griffin is a good player, but relies too much on athleticism to get points and can't do it against a strong front line defense.  He needs a Karl Malone type of knock down 15-18 footer.  He tries the shot, but he goes too far back and not straight up.  His form is bad.
Caron Butler is too slow on both ends of the floor
Chauncy is too slow and old on both ends of the floor
Lamar Oden seems a bit out of it.

The Clippers have too many guys who would be great 6th or 7th guys.  They don't have a 3, 4, and 5.  Crawford is a great 6 guy.  Bledsoe is a great 6 guy or a starter on a shitty team.  DeAndre Jordan should be a starter like Tyson Chandler, but he just isn't, and probably won't ever be.  Instead he'll be Javale McGee.  Barnes is a good 6 man, energy guy.  Butler would be a decent 6 or 7 guy.  Chauncy would be a good 6 guy, leader of a second unit at this point in his career.

Devil's Advocate

I know Jason Collin's coming out is a lovely story for the sports world to sit around and pat each other on the back for how open-minded we all are.  It's making me bored for a couple of reasons:

1.  Gay people come out all the time to their family and friends and have been doing so for a long time.  This takes the same amount of courage - if not more - than Jason Collins coming out to the sports world.  The reason I'm saying this is because what Jason Collins is doing is not especially brave, if you ask me.  In fact, it is exactly as brave as EVERY SINGLE GAY PERSON who has ever come out before.  I mean, it must be 10 times as hard to tell your dad you're gay when you know he won't approve of it, than coming out in 2013 to lauding and cheering from every goddamn sports announcer and athlete on twitter.

2.  What team does Jason Collins play for?  To be honest, I didn't even know he was still in the NBA.  Turns out he is 34 and now a free agent.  It strikes me this would be a much more meaningful story if the player was under contract and an important member of a good or decent team.  Not that anyone can control this issue, but I think it it makes the story significantly less important.  And cynically, I think it makes sense for a team to sign Collins as a marketing move and it makes Collins - an otherwise irrelevant athlete - relevant.  

3.  This doesn't really compare to Jackie Robinson because Robinson was a good and meaningful ballplayer and the vehement public opposition to Robinson being allowed into the game.

4.  Jason Collins stole the thunder from Manti Te'o.  Now that would be a story.  Highly touted linebacker coming out as gay at the beginning of his NFL career.  Would he be accepted?  Would he play?  Would he make it?  As it stands, I'm not sure Jason Collins really risked anything to come out.

5.  Let's be honest:  it was easier for Jason Collins to come out than a lot of other athletes.  The guy went to Harvard Westlake and Stanford.  He comes from an upper middle class environment that easily accepts homosexuality.  If the kid was from the deep South or an inner-city environment, this would be much more difficult.

I bring all this up not as an attack on Collins so much as the story itself and the way it's being talked about.  I think there is a problem in the way Americans take lessons from our own history.  We are taught about the bravery of opposing segregation and Civil Rights and the Greatest Generation fighting Nazis and all this.  In lauding these past acts, we embed a seed in the minds of all Americans of wanting to be involved with something important and world changing.  Thus, all the people who vocally support various gay rights like marriage and happily support people who "come out" like to see themselves as latter day descendants of those who supported Civil Rights and marched and risk their lives for others.  Of course, this is not true.  The cost to supporting Jason Collins is little to none.  It takes no bravery.  It takes no backbone, no sacrifice.  In fact, in many areas, you will be chastised for the opposite.

The perhaps more dangerous attitude is reflected in the admiration for the Greatest Generation.  Who thinks that didn't play a role in the Iraq invasion?  The majority of the country who supported the war thought we were liberating the Iraqis the way we liberated Europe and Asia in WW2.  And I count myself among them.  But Iraq was different.  Liberals compared it to Vietnam and Conservatives compared it to WW2.  Both were wrong -- deeply wrong -- and yet we have no other way of understanding the world.

Back to Soderbergh...this is why narrative matters.

Soderbergh

I like his state-of-cinema talk.  Of course, it makes me think he could use his Ocean's money and gather some of his wealthy friends and some of their friends with real money and pool to buy a studio that operates exactly as he imagines.  Or find someone to run a studio that way -- some bigtime movie lover.  Would this really be that hard?  United Artists did it once.

David Thomson has written about the studio model and I think he basically gets it correct -- someone needs to decide what movies will be financed and what will not.  Who is best to do that?  Other filmmakers?  Or business people?  He thinks if you tore down the whole studio system and redesigned it from scratch, it would probably look pretty similar to way it currently does.  That's not to get into specifics.  Obviously certain organizations have their own character and problems -- but that's the nature of human institutions.

Logging

Film:  Pain and Gain

What does it mean for a film to be bad but still enjoyable?  Does this mean a film gets some big things right and screws up the details?  Does it mean there is something "objective" about quality?  Or is filmgoing experience is inherently subjective and based on mood and company and all sorts of other factors?

Who knows.

But I'll start off by saying this:  Pain and Gain is a comedy made by a group of people with a lousy sense of humor.  Many things that are meant to be funny aren't even close and have the element of the annoying dude at the party telling joke after joke after joke hoping one will eventually land.

The storytelling is weak and repetitive to begin with and then goes on endlessly toward the end.  But something hit me about 1.5 hours into the movie -- when it starts to go totally off the rails -- I wasn't annoyed by the movie and was beginning to somewhat enjoy the feeling of holy-crap-this-has-no-idea-where-it's-going-element.  Do not construe this as praise for the artist.  It is not.  It is a subjective movie-going enjoyment that finds pleasure in small elements and watching what the actors and writers and director are trying to do...an outside the movie enjoyment.  But enjoyment still.  And enjoyment talking about the movie afterwards.  An appreciation of how Michael Bay uses the frame.  The guy fills it up, man.  And shit is always going on.  There's something to be said for this kind of filmmaking, probably what you would call "maximalist."

The film bears some similarities to Spring Breakers.  Normal people who turn to crime and get in over their heads.  An extreme depiction of the human body.  But I'll say this, I enjoyed Pain and Gain a whole lot more than Spring Breakers and am dubious about the claims of any more artistic merit to the latter.

Sticking To What You Know

Curt Shilling under criminal investigation for fleecing taxpayers to get his video game company going.

Somewhat related -- why is the state of Rhode Island in the business of giving a rich guy 75 mil for a video game company anyway?

This is making me rethink my opening a deli plan.

The Robots Are Coming

A podcast about how most routine jobs will be replaced by robots in the near future.  The implications are obvious since the majority - even many white collar - jobs are routine.  Not mentioned, but also true, the routine aspect of many jobs make is possible to train people for otherwise very difficult jobs.  People perform the routine tasks, making them valuable to employers, in exchange for training how to do the "real job."  If robots were to take over, how will anyone learn the more difficult jobs?  Will the burden of cost shift to them?  How will they pay for it?  This is a huge social problem.

One idea that came out of the discussion was redistribution.  Since robots will raise productivity, there will be more money made, but of course, it will be concentrated with the super-talented and those who are able to leverage their skills.  Labor is a form of redistribution in that the super-talented need to hire the less talented to work for them to make the products we all enjoy.  And there is another problem:  who will buy and use products if no one has any money?

Say in the future, when 20% unemployment is normal, maybe we will need to give people an "allowance."  This will serve as a basic social safety net and a way to give everyone something to spend.  I suppose in way, this is already welfare and we know the drawbacks of such a system.  Ah...who knows...

Stephen Curry 

Say you are an NBA team entering a playoff series.  You look over at the other bench and who are you afraid of?  Obviously LaBron James and Kevin Durant.  Even Russell Westbrook because of his athleticism.  But isn't Steph Curry right up there?  Aren't you thinking "oh shit, how are we gonna stop this guy if he gets hot?"  He could go for 20 in any given quarter.  But he can also pass and get his teammates involved.  He's the only player I've ever seen where a pull up three on a fast break makes sense.

Not A Bad Life

Guy retired at age 30.

I Like This Quote

“Every great idea is on the verge of being stupid.” Michel Gondry.  Hat tip, John August podcast.

Sadly, the corollary idea isn't true:  every stupid idea is not on the verge of being great.

This Changes Everything

Westbrook out of the playoffs.  The West just became wide open.  All the major teams have significant injury problems.  It probably makes the Heat overwhelming favorites -- but at least the West playoffs will be fun.

OKC - without Westbrook, they are majorly diminished.  Whoever they get in round 2 - Clips or Memphis is going to be a tough, seven game series, I bet.

San Antonio - Ginobli and Parker are banged up, but playing.  OKC was going to be a challenge physically, but now they might be the favorites.

Denver - too injured.  Gallo, Farid, Lawson.  A red-hot Warriors team.  They could get to the finals or get bumped in the first round.

Clippers - actually the Clips are in a good spot, except the fact they are playing Memphis - a team of men - who are a difficult out.  Same as Denver - could get bumped first round or make the finals.

Memphis - don't think they can make the finals without any outside shooting.  I love this team, though, they just need a few guys like San Antonio has.  Imagine if they somehow got a Ginobli.  They would be really, really good.  Love Gasol and Randolph's games.

Golden State - fun as all hell to watch.  Don't think they can make the finals -- to reliant on outside shooting and missing one of their top players now, Lee.  Could upset Denver, though.

Lakers - gone in 4 or 5.

Houston - even without Westbrook, I don't think they can win more than 1 game against OKC.  As good as Harden is, Durant washes him out and their other guys don't match OKC, I don't think.

Cousin Marriage

Is very normal in some parts of the world - especially the Middle East - and makes democracy tough.

I wish someone had brought this up in 2002.  One of the best arguments I've yet to hear against nation building in the Middle East.

A Very Bad Sign of the Times

If you've ever been to poor 3rd or 2nd world countries, there are often parallel economies:  one for rich tourists and one for natives.  Oftentimes, dollars and the local currency will be accepted for goods, and inevitably the dollar will be "more expensive" using a normal exchange rate.  This, of course, is a sign you are being ripped off and more generally, a burdensome, uncivilized way of doing business.

Thing is, America is like this too, but on a grander scale.

I'm reading a book about the NBA -- most season ticket holders are corporate accounts.  These are tax-deductible and thus inflate the cost because no one is paying full freight.  This drives the costs way up and the regular joe is stuck paying a much higher (post-tax) rate for his tickets.  Where else do we see this?  Everywhere.  Food?  Lunches?  Dinner, drinks?  All these fancy restaurants, many are paid by corporations.  Often, the corporations are individual people with enough juice or a job that needs a corporation -- either way -- they are paying with cheaper money.  Company cars.  Entertainment.  Travel.  Stock purchases.  All these things have parallel ways of being paid for -- making it cheaper for those with tax-advantaged set ups and more expensive for normal people who don't.

Separately, college education is also a parallel economic situation.  Different people are paying different rates.  Full freight is impossibly expensive for private schools now - upwards of 60,000 a year.  Who has that kind of money?  Very few.  So yes, there are many who aren't paying the full tuition based upon the decisions of the financial aid folks.  There job is similar to the vendors hawking goods to tourists and locals - splitting up the cost depending on what they buyer can pay.  Not a sign of economic health, I don't think.  Too much energy expended on both sides haggling and over-considering price and cost -- drives people to frustration and eventually quitting the market.

I Bet This Is Right

George W. Bush is smarter than you.

I'd be willing to bet GW Bush is smarter than 99.9% of the people who repeatedly called him dumb or stupid.  He got higher SAT scores than Al Gore -- not that SAT scores necessarily translate to intelligence -- but among the people who measure such things, they do.

Logging

Reading:  Point Blank screenplay

Fantastic.  My appreciation for this film grows with time.

Logging

Book:  Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson

I know he's supposed to be one of the greatest living American writers, but I honestly just don't see it.  The book of stories is spare, clear, well-written, but it never ropes me in or truly delivers an emotional punch.  Maybe I just a hacky reader.  But let me put it this way - I'm reading a non-fiction book right now - The Break of the Game - which is much more engaging and fascinating from a pure reading pleasure standpoint than these stories.  I feel like the non-fiction delivers a much more insightful look into living, basketball, and the American soul than the drug addled adventures of Jesus' Son.

UPDATE:  I guess I'm not the only one -- this guy hates -- really hates - Tree of Smoke.

Hannibal

They pulled an episode.  I want to figure out how to find it.  Internet.  I like this intro and the fact the showrunner looks like Corey Feldman's evil twin.

The A's

Dollar for dollar, the best organization in baseball.

Orwellian Language Watch

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being charged with using a "Weapon of Mass Destruction."  A pressure cooker is not a WMD.

Logging

Film:  The Winning Season

Movie came up in one of the podcasts.  Speaking of, here is a link to our discussion of Spring Breakers.

Back to the movie.  Good little indy flick.  Great group of actors.  Writing/story was a bit by-the-numbers, but on a Monday afternoon, who wants to fight windmills?  Not I.

Old Man Miller

Watching bits and pieces of the Warrior-Nuggets game, I got emotional watching Andre Miller play.  28 points.  Go-to guy getting a great shot at the end of the game to win it.  I can't root against either of these teams - they're just too likable.  I remember hearing a story about how Miller would often show up fat and out-of-shape at the beginning of each season because he would just eat McDonalds in the off-season.  But he would always play his way into shape and then show up big in the playoffs.  I miss that element of sports.  I'm tired of all these guys working out all summer, getting injections of alien substances into their bodies to turn themselves into super-humans.  All this "work."  We forget this is a game, too, and we watch because we want to see humans play.  Miller is a human in a game where we reward and celebrate robots (Kobe) -- and now LeBron and Durant are turning into robots as well.

Postmodern Prudes

The schizophrenic nature of popular morality today.

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones, S 3, Ep 4

Easily the best episode of the season.  Felt almost like a season finale.  Lots of big twists and turns.  Now the fun begins.

Logging

TV:  Hannibal, ep 3

My new (very) guilty pleasure.  Boy, was an insane show.  Total wacko trash.  Sick beyond sick.  Is it dark comedy?  I can't tell.  I actually get a little scared watching this show, which is a strange thing for an adult male to admit.  I suppose there was always humor in the Hannibal character.

What To Make of Boston

Strange days.  More than other recent episodes of violence, the attacks resemble the Dorner attack in Los Angeles.  They are the work of estranged, weird fellows who feel ostracised from society and who are obviously influenced by images from mass media, movies, and video games.  They really do play out like the 3rd act of an action film.  Sure, these brothers were Islamic, but bear none of the signs of radical Salafists or Wahhabists whose ideology fuels Al Queda to Hamas to all the groups in between around the world.  Maybe more will come to light later, but the localized character of the attack, the reports from people who knew them, all points towards some weird misfit men-gone-crazy narrative.

I remember a bunch of years ago there was a bank robbery in Los Angeles with two guys wearing armor shooting it out with cops.  Then were the theater attacks and of course, the Columbine shooting.  What are the nature of these things?  From the 70s to the 90s, the nightmare in our society were serial killers and cults -- Ted Bundy to the Zodiac Killer to Jeffery Dahmer to the Masons, to Branch Davidian, to Jonestown.  The 21st century has brought us the terrorists and spree killers.  I wonder if this is a reflection of society or just what the mass media reports.  Or perhaps the mass media influences what shape violence takes?

I heard an interesting thing on the radio yesterday.  They did studies on young children post-9/11 to see what they understood about the event.  They understood the United States had been attacked by terrorists, but thought 400 buildings around the country had been destroyed.  The reason:  endless circular news about the attacks.  Their young minds were unable to understand it was the same video being show from different angles repeated over and over.

Doppelgangers

Historical doppelgangers.

Hmmm

Abbas Kiarostami on not feeling it.

Logging

Reading:

My Heat Is An Idiot by Davy Rothbart

A collection of comedic essays, in the vein of David Sedaris.  Really loved the second essay about Valentine's day.  Guy is fun writer.  Stopped reading about 75% of the way, just got tired of the writing.  Sort of like how even if you like someone a lot, you can't hang out with them all the time.  Will probably go back at some point.

Journey to the End of the Night by Celine

French novelist writing about the experiences of a young Frenchman during WW1 and afterwards chasing love and trying to survive.  Reminds me of a French JD Salinger.  Read the first 100 pages or so, was liking it, but the novels spans a long time period and my attention was drawn away.  Maybe will go back to again.

All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

Never read the border trilogy, so might as well get it on.  Might read in conjunction with one of the following:  Jesus Son, The Savage Detectives, or The Breaks of the Game

Less Money?  No Problem

Indeed, this is one of the more unexpected and best parts about America today.  You don't actually need much money to live well.  The things that cost are:  housing, healthcare, and education.  One can actually live a pretty nice live separate from those considerations.  A very smart, practical person would rent, eat well and exercise to healthy in a preventative way, and self educate (or try otherwise to enhance whatever public school education is available).

Obviously, these things are easier for some than others.  If you suffer from a chronic disease, get in a terrible accident, or live in an area with bad public schools, it makes it harder.  But still, it's better to be poor in America today, than rich in many parts of the world or at any other time in history.  That's a good thing.

The Cult of Kobe

The sane people on sports radio are talking about how Dwight Howard and Steve Nash will play better without Kobe.  Very true.  Not only that, Gasol and Blake are playing better.  In and of itself, this does not mean the Lakers are better without Kobe, but the guy doesn't - and never did - make his teammates better.  This is why I don't believe Kobe is an all-time great.  The case for him being an all-time great rests on one item:  five rings.  There is supporting evidence: longevity, offensive statistics, defense capability, but all of these elements are pointless without the rings.

There is slippery logic going on within the cult of Kobe.  Five rings broken up over two different eras.  The Shaq era and the Gasol era.  No even talks anymore about the fact that Kobe was the second best player on the team during his first three rings.  What happens when Wade wins 2 or 3 rings with LaBron?  Does this escalate him into Kobe territory?  Why not?  Wade wins one ring as "the man" and then two or three more as the second best player?

Let's not forget:  Shaq wasn't just the man in the way Dirk is man on Dallas or Carmelo is the man in New York.  Shaq was the best player in the league.  Shaq scored 30 points a game with 12 rebounds and was completely unstoppable.  He clogged the lane on defense and the offense was run through him.  His only flaw was famously poor free throw shooting.  If the guy could shoot free throws and played at his high level a few more years (and maybe if Kobe wasn't such a weirdo), he would be in discussion for greatest players of all time.

In the Gasol era, let's remember two things:  1) Gasol and Bynum won game 7 against Boston in 2010 because Perkins was out.  Kobe shot 6 for 24.  2)  In 2008, the Lakers beat a weak-ass Orlando team.

Kobe gets too much credit for the five rings.  He wasn't the man for three of them and the two other victories were not particularly iconic or even the result of his spectacular play.

Further, the statistics prove Kobe isn't a particularly "clutch" player.  And there is certainly a big enough sample size given the enormous amount of shots he's taken.

Look, he's talented, he's competitive, I get that a lot of people like him.  But his teammates play better when he's not around and the media and his fan embellish his "greatness."  There is a cult of Kobe and many believe he is greater than he is.  Believe me, I've watched him play for a long time.

Logging

Film:  Upstream Color

Non-narrative filmmaking has never really been my thing.  During film school it piqued my interest a bit, but ultimately, I don't have much passion for it or anything to say about the form.

And I'd say this isn't really a narrative.  The way I think about it - Upstream Color is to narrative film as as poetry is to fiction.  Good cinematography.

It's Worse Than That

No one is crying about the Decline of Men.  I imagine if you brought this us to feminists, the overt or covert response would be "about time."

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Film:  Punch Drunk Love

In the end, I'm not much of a PTA fan.  When you're talking about auteurs, I think you could break them into two basic categories:  genre filmmakers and fetish filmmakers.  PTA is a fetish filmmaker.  He is guided by his own fetishes and sensibilities.  Nic Refn is a fetish filmmaker.  Tarantino is a fetish filmmaker.  David Lynch.  All work within genre - at times - but the genre is secondary.  The fetish is primary.  In a lot ways, these kind of filmmakers are take it or leave it for viewers and polarizing.  That is to say, if you share in the fetish and the world and the sensibility, then you tend to enjoy the films.  Others will not and are generally puzzled by the reception.  These types of films tend to elicit the most passionate reactions from viewers - both defenders and naysayers.  They are riskier in nature than genre filmmaking which relies on story telling and cinematic traditions.  But they are more likely to be unwatchable and embarrassing.

In any case, even among the big fetish filmmakers, PTA is not one I've totally ever connected with.  Same with Jim Jarmusch.  In fact, I tried watching PDL before and fell asleep and turned it off.  I also fell asleep this time watching it.  My ranking of his films:

1.  Hard Eight
1.  Boogie Nights

Too hard to say.  On the one hand, I love the ambition of Boogie Nights and when it's good, it's great.  But it's overly long and depressing and I just don't think about it as fondly as I do Hard Eight, which I view as this incredible first movie made by a 25 year old.

3.  There Will Be Blood
4.  Magnolia
5.  The Master
6.  Punch Drunk Love

All this said about PTA, of all the living filmmakers, I think he has the best chance to go out and make one of the greatest films of all time.  If the guy could get the right material and the right state of mind:  look out.  In this way, I sort of view him like Kobe Bryant.  I don't like the style of play, I don't like hero-ball, but yeah, the guy had an 81 point game.

And just to round things out -- examples of auteurs who make genre films would be Woody Allen, Michael Mann, David Lean, Walter Hill...these kind of filmmakers.

Logging

TV:  Hannibal

Surreal times we live in that there is a show on NBC about Will Graham and Hannibal Lector....  Watched the first couple episodes last night and found them strangely watchable although I have no idea how the show will sustain itself.  Are we meant to believe there is a serial killer at work every single week?

The premise of the show isn't bad: we focus on the time period before Manhunter/Red Dragon where Will Graham works with Hannibal before anyone knows he is this awful serial killer.  We know from the backstory of Manhunter, Hannibal almost kills Will, but that is about it.  It should be noted, Hannibal is a side character in the current show and thus far does not occupy much screen time.  You also gotta give Mads Mikkelsen a bit of credit -- he totally makes the role his own -- and doesn't even come close to the Cox or Hopkins way of playing it.

In the second episode there is a serial killer at work who is burying victims alive and using them as fertilizer to grow mushrooms on their corpes.  You heard that right.  This is completely absurd, but also, original.  I've yet to see that before.

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones, Season 3 ep 3

This season is easily the most complicated and confusing of all.  No longer is there a main character, but rather a series of independent stories.  I love it, because I gobble up the exposition and mythology and history, but I imagine it disorienting and confusing for many viewers.  The showrunners deserve patience, however, because they've done it in every season, made all the elements come together by the end.  Also, the reason Benioff and Weiss wanted to make the show in the first place is for the 3rd book/season, so I imagine it is all building to something.

TV:  Louie CK:  Oh My God

It must be a sign of something that I've fallen asleep on consecutive nights watching it.  There is wisdom in some of what Louie is saying, but the humor is oddly spaced out, and I find myself laughing quite a bit less than in the best comedy specials.  I can't tell if the bit about him having trouble putting on socks is funny or actually really lame.  I mean, the bit is about having trouble putting on socks.  Say it aloud:  putting on socks.  Is this funny or just stupid?  I went to an amateur comedy show the other week where a guy did 5 minutes of how much he liked A-1 Sauce and titties.  I can't stop thinking about it, not because it was good, but because it was so preposterous.  "I love A-1 sauce.  I put it on fries.  I put it on eggs.  I put it on steak.  I put it on hamburgers.  I put it on toast.  I love A-1 sauce."  This was the bit.  Then it goes "You know what I else I love?  Titties!  I love big titties, small titties, black titties, white titties, brown titties, all kind of titties."

I suppose I should finish the comedy special, but I hold that Louie's first two seasons of his show are the best expression of his POV.  Some comedians are best on stage:  Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy (although his movies are close), and Richard Pryor.  Some are best on TV:  Louie, Larry David, and Seinfeld are coming to mind.

Good Things/Bad Things

The Good:

1.  Siam Sunset.  Apparently, one of the few places you can get Thai breakfast in town.  They serve Thai jook - a rice porridge.  I love Chinese jook and so wanted to try it.  Place was packed with Thai folks on a Friday morning.  This place is awesome.  Also serves Hainan Chicken.  Will be going back a lot, I imagine.

2.  Trader Joe's frozen chicken tenders.  Cheap, easy to prepare, healthy, tasty..  Leave 'em in the freezer, defrost them before dinner, cook 'em up on the stove in a little garlic, salt pepper, add some water to boil-cook them for the last bit, maybe a bay leaf.  Simple main course.

3.  The smaller head on the Sonicare toothbrush.  I had an old version of this thing and didn't like it much.  Convinced by my dentist to get the new version and use the smaller head.  Much better.

The Bad:

1.  AT&T U-Verse.  Inconceivably, it's worse than Time Warner.  Louie CK has a decent bit about our contemporary impatience with technology -- and I sympathize -- up to a point.  In some ways all this new technology makes life less pleasant.  Yes, we have 100s of channels, but with AT&T U-verse the TV doesn't even turn on half the time and I need to restart the box, which is like restarting a computer every time you need to watch TV.  You call, talk to machines for 5 minutes, get a person, they schedule a service appointment, and then the guy doesn't show up.  Meanwhile, you've wasted half your day making arrangements to be there.  This has happened multiple times.

2.  101 entrance on Western Blvd.  Horrible design.  Impossible traffic.

Holy Shit!

This is the funniest baseball brawl move I've ever seen.  Hat tip, Simmons.

Hope For the Future

This gives me hope for the future:  teens growing tired of Facebook and Youtube.

Kobe Might Be Done

At 34 with a torn Achilles...sad to say...I'm not sure he returns.  I can't imagine Kobe adopting a different style of play like Ray Allen or Jason Kidd in his late career.  I can see him continuing to play like he always has with diminished skills and becoming a burden, but I can't see him adapting his game.  I could be wrong.  I certainly think he will try to return.  The Lakers are in a sticky spot with Kobe.  He's become a legend in the minds of his fans and you don't tell a legend to retire.  But for all those folks chanting MVP -- struggling for an 8 seed -- come on.  This is delusion.  LaBron could play with 4 high school players and ease into the playoffs.

What A Game

Warriors - Lakers tonight.  Awesome game.  Lakers need to win to make the playoffs.  Steph Curry goes for 32 in the first half and 45 for the night.  Kobe played great and then got injured.  Just an overall crazy game.  Lakers won by 2 points, Curry almost made a 75ft shot.

Logging

Film:  Easy Money

The Scandinavians are getting pretty damn good at making crime movies.  The last act of this film is a bit of a mess, but I was down with it for a long time.  Sort of what I wished Place Beyond Pines was going to be.  A lot more impressive than the next movie the same director made:  Safe House.

Narrative...Psht...

Been confronted with wanting to go to the movies lately and having reservations paying $25 (including popcorn and a drink) to see films unconcerned with story.  Critical culture and the culture of film schools pooh-pooh plot as one of the lowest of all concerns.  And perhaps, aesthetically speaking, they are noble in their pursuit and celebration of "pure cinema."  But it brings up the $25 question.

In the last month, I saw Place Beyond the Pines and Stoker.  Looking at the other options this weekend - Upstream Color and To The Wonder - and I'm guessing about the later, but sure about the former, plotting was of basically no concern to filmmakers.  Mood.  Attitude.  Style.  Imagery.  All these were of higher order priority.

So why pose as a narrative if one is so dismissive of plot?  Why not make an experimental film?  Why not make a short?  We all know the answer: money.  There is no economic model to fund shorts or experimental films, only narratives.  So what should be said of filmmakers who are concerned with the experimental, but sell their products as narrative?  Are they artists or hucksters?  What would say of a hamburger joint who sells us tofu burgers?  We call them crooks.

Stan Brakhage, Chris Marker, Godfrey Reggio all made their films, but didn't pose them as mass-audience narratives.  They didn't try to sell them as remakes (Stoker) or crime dramas (Place Beyond The Pines).

These filmmakers want it all ways.  They want artistic cred, financial remuneration, critical praise, and shiny awards.  They want a wife and a mistress.  I don't think this deserves praise.  And it certainly isn't worth $25 a pop.

Logging

Film:  The Place Beyond The Pines

My love affair with movies lasted less than 24 hours.  Whereas The Driver reinvigorated me, this movie made me think the movies are done-zo.  Seriously, it made me think our culture is no longer capable of producing movies - that somehow our mix of money-people, actors, directors, critics, distributors, all of them forgot or never knew in the first place what makes a film satisfying.  How is it that we can be getting worse at making movies?  I suppose the money is less and the experts leave and retire and leave the reigns to the amateurs and the untalented.  Is that what happens?

I wanted to see this film from the preview.  I thought it looked like a James Grey movie, maybe a "We Own the Night," a gritty crime drama.  I heard vaguely good reviews, but mostly a lot of silence, and I hoped to find a little gem in the rough.  Oy vey.  Couldn't be further.  The movie is foremost incompetent.  The storytelling is dull and takes forever to reveal nothing interesting.  The characters make zero sense.  I could list it out, but I'd be giving the movie too much credit.  Just amateur hour and grossly indulgent with the actors.  It's got a great cast - but this is acting run amok.  Give these actors crying bait and they're weeping all over the place, in any scene when it vaguely makes sense.  We have no idea why.  Just terrible storytelling.  The only thing worse was the action filmmaking.  What the f--- was going on in the motorcycle chases?  Were they filmed on iphones?

Gosling continues his nonsensical attempt at tough-guy posturing and has zero sense of humor.  This demonstrates low intelligence.  Jesus, it makes me miss Arnold Schwarzenegger as an actor.

Logging

Film:  The Driver

If you want to learn how to make a movie, I'd say watch The Driver.  It was a how-to manual, like a goddamn Ikea instruction packet.  Boy.  I really liked it.  Tarantino must of watched this a couple times before writing and prepping Reservoir Dogs.

The Tournament

I watched bits here and there, including some games live.   I ended up rooting for Wichita State, I like how they played.

My biggest overall beef:  I thought the referring was terrible.  They called way too many fouls, except on Louisville, who for some reason, was allowed to rape guys.  Seemed like there was a major drop off in ref quality, but maybe I haven't watched college basketball enough.

Something To Follow

Two big networks are considering going off-air and becoming cable channels.  This event probably sounds more significant than it would be in practice.  Most of the things I watch are probably cable anyway.  Then again, it might be the nail-in-the-coffin for the way I grew up watching TV.  I still think content is king, but my biggest worry is everything becomes a niche and our culture loses anything to define ourselves by.

Don't Become A Literature PhD

A long slate article about how going for a literature PhD will make you an emotional train wreck.  Have you noticed this trend?  Every article tell people what not to do - don't follow my footsteps.  Don't do this profession.  The life is horrible, etc, etc.  We can't all not do stuff - so what's the math?  Should we all sell insurance?

I think it's admirable to follow your passion and go for the gold.  Why not?  You only live once.  I think the caveat people need to take, however, is to be honest with themselves with whether they are capable of achieving it and whether they are on track to.  And if your dreams don't pan out - no big deal - move on to something else and then you tried and learned along the way it wasn't in the cards for you.  What plagues younger folks, unnecessarily, is this idea of failure being all-consuming.  From the article:

By the time you finish—if you even do—your academic self will be the culmination of your entire self, and thus you will believe, incomprehensibly, that not having a tenure-track job makes you worthless. You will believe this so strongly that when you do not land a job, it will destroy you, and nobody outside of academia will understand why. (Bright side: You will no longer have any friends outside academia.)

These are not the thoughts of a mature, well balanced person.  Successful businessmen try and fail with ideas all the time.  They spend years building businesses for them to fail.  So what?  They start anew.  If you love books and wanted to be a PhD, I'm sure there are plenty of high school English jobs out there.  Sure, you're overqualified.  So what?  Teaching young people to be passionate about something - I don't see how that is such a waste of a life.  Shit, work at a library.  Open a bookstore.  Write book reviews.  I don't know - it strikes me there is plenty of jobs one could do with a literature PhD.  Get a job at a coffee shop and run a book club.  I don't know.  Is this so horrible?  Teaching your friends and community members more about your field of expertise.  Do it as a hobby.

All of this is why I believe you should try things you enjoy or at least find tolerable.  Or maybe you just want to earn money and have health insurance and coach your kids baseball teams -- and that's admirable too.  We put too much on "what do you do for a living" when we are young as if it matters.  Ask old people how much they think about work.  I doubt very much.

Unintended Consequences?

Some small businesses will opt to pay healthcare penalty because they can't afford to pay for insurance for all employees.

I expect there will be a lot of this.

Worrisome

Amazon plays by different rules than everyone else.  At the moment, Wall Street doesn't care about profit, but just sales volume.  This is like a bizarro monopoly, when a single company has a gigantic market advantage, but does not strive for profit.  It's like a government utility.  I wonder what will happen - I like the service Amazon provides - but I wonder if I would like it if they started charging full freight.

What Happened to Peak Oil?

And the ozone layer?  And acid rain? 

I Love This Signing

Niners grab Asomugha for pennies.

It'll help to have an awesome front seven.  And 31 ain't that old.  Asomugh looks like one of those lean guys that can play for awhile - I think he'll be a good fit.

Sounds Like A Terrific Guy

Ryan Lochte wants to be the next Kim Kardashian.

No Name Actor Leaves "Girls"

The life of a character actor is tough and one doesn't generally abruptly leave an HBO show (and paycheck).  I like the article's description of the show:

In case you are not familiar with “Girls,” it is a series about a group of self-indulgent, spoiled twenty-somethings living in New York City who neither know how to act like adults nor engage in socially or sexually normal behavior. It also features Dunham and/ or another character naked in nearly episode.

I also like this:

“[Chris] is grateful for the experience of collaborating with Lena, Judd [Apatow], and the entire ‘Girls’ cast and crew, but right now he’s working on numerous other projects and has decided not to return to the show,” his rep confirmed to Page Six.

I would not be surprised to never see him again.

Did You Get the Memo?

"Thirty is not the new twenty, and pretending otherwise is a mistake."

Doh!

Movies

Listened to David Mamet on the Treatment.  Other than Red Belt, I'm generally more interested in what Mamet says about his work than the work itself these days.  He makes an interesting claim:  movies are dead, but old movies live.

I wonder whether in my lifetime the theater going experience will cease and movies will essentially become relics, theaters supported by public money and showing just old classics.  It seemed unthinkable just 15 years ago and to some extent, still unthinkable today, but rate at which certain entertainment type of things change is pretty unprecedented.

Then again, this realization only makes my desire to make movies more urgent to get one in before they disappear altogether, like a soldier fighting in the Pacific Theater in the last days of WW2.

Americans Not Saving Enough

According to the Economist.  But why would we, given savers are punished by tiny interest rates and debtors are bailed out by the government left and right?

Obama's Basketball Schtick

It really bugs me.  Here is a story about him teasing Rondo about his shot.  Obama has no right to tease Rondo, who is better at basketball than Obama is at anything.  Far better.  Except, I suppose, getting elected, if you count that as a skill.

The stories I read about Obama playing with all this ex-pro and D1 players truly bug me.  The guy played like JV basketball and thinks because he's President, he can ball it up with all these amazing guys on a regular basis.  Either they play with training wheels or Obama doesn't get to do shit during the game.  This bugs me as a sportsman and a competitor.  It insults their skills.  Why would you want to play picked up basketball with guys 10 times better than you?  It's a show off move and unsporty.  I really don't like it.

Early Marriage

McArdle recommends early marriage.

It's hard enough to find the right person. Demanding that you find the right person in the exact five year window that has been socially prescribed for marrying is putting too much pressure on yourself. It risks pushing you into a window where you won't be able to have kids (if you want them) or where you'll be too tired to cope. Which is fine if you've accumulated full-time-nanny money by the age of 40, but I regret to inform you youngsters that most of you won't.

The older you get, the more your dating pool shrinks. You also run into the Problem of Grandma's Lamp: the more settled you get, the harder it is to adjust to a potentially excellent mate who doesn't quite fit into the life you've made. Obviously, these barriers are not insurmountable, since lots of people get married in their late thirties. But it's easier if you've got an open mind: if you're ready to get married whenever the right person presents themself.

There are cities - New York and LA - certainly - where the dating pool doesn't really start to shrink until the mid-30s.  But lets also not forget - someone benefits from a shrinking dating pool.  I know of an older guy who proudly boasts he could only snag his wife because she was getting desperate to settle.  Had they been younger, she would have seen other options available and probably not have gone for him.  They seem happy.

Logging

Film:  The Cincinnati Kid

"You're good, kid.  But so long as I'm around, you're second best.  Might as well get used to it."

One hell of a movie.  One of the best gambling movies I've seen.  Definitely influenced the Color of Money.

Marin

LA Times does a report about Marin County and affordable housing.

I'm of mixed mind about these sort of things.  I don't live up there now, but know it is very difficult for regular people to buy houses in Marin because of the cost.  On the other hand, the area is beautiful, has top notch public schools, and is generally a fantastic place to live.  People in Marin are concerned if they build more developments, they'll ruin some of the natural beauty and of course introduce more people.  Why should any county be under obligation to build more housing in order for more people to move there?

Logging

TV:  Game of Thrones, Season 3, Ep 1

A review from Grantland.

Am I the only one rooting for Stannis to take the Iron Throne?

I enjoyed the episode, but there is so much going on, I don't feel like we get to spend enough time with any of the characters.  We didn't even see Arya or what happened to Theon or the Kingslayer and the monstrous woman taking him to Kings Landing.