Some cities crush...

Since my dear colleague Egbert seems to be MIA, I'm going to step into his shoes and do some...movie reviews! (And the crowd goes apathetic.)

I listened to Doves 'some cities' album on the way to work this morning, which is fitting, since the lead single off said album was 'Black and white town'...which is fitting since the last two movies I saw were in black and white. ****

1) Citizen Kane

Yeah, I know. I should've seen this one 10 years ago. Shut up. I haven't seen gone with the wind, either...wanna fight? Right, then. It's good, but I don't get the overbearing "BEST MOVIE EVER OMG LOLZ!!!!!!!!111" hype about it. Nice acting job by Orson Welles, if a little over-the-top, and some cool uses of the camera, which I suppose were revolutionary back in the 1800's or whenever this came out. Also, the idea of a newsman running for office seems a tad unlikely. (Oh, hello Arthur Kent...didn't see you come in.) All in all, kept my attention for 2 hours, which is all I ask of a movie on TV anyway. Mike rating: 'sawight, I suppose.

Also, the Simpsons parody using Mr. Burns was miles better. "To friends he's Monty, but to you it's Mr. Burns! Buh-buh-buh-BURNS!"

(Now try and get that tune out of your head. I dare you.)

2) Good night and good luck

Oh, that George Clooney is so dreamy!

But seriously, this actually isn't a half bad movie. David Strathairn IS Edward R. Murrow. George Clooney IS Fred Friendly...I assume, having never seen nor heard Mr. Friendly, but Georgy boy got an oscar nomination, so he must've been good, right? RIGHT? The splicing of actual Joe McCarthy footage in with the movie is done expertly and actually makes you believe it was as it was, which is I suppose what you'd want with a movie based on actual events. I guess...

I could really have done without the stupid romantic subplot, though. Oh no, Robert Downey Jr is married to one of his co-workers! One of them might be fired! No! How could Jeff Daniels do this to him? Shock horror!

Oh well, any movie with Frank Langella in it is guaranteed to get my seal of approval. Mike rating: Langellerific!


******That's actually a complete and utter lie. I listened to Bob Dylan's Biograph album on the way in this morning. But try and think of a segue for that.

Post-lunch soup update

The mushroom soup in the cafeteria was too damn hot today. I think I burned the roof of my mouth.

This shall not stand.

A dynasty in the making

It's that time of year again where all across the land, gentlemen's thoughts turn to the greatest invention since internet porn....yeah, that's right: fantasy football. The multi-bazillion dollar industry where grown men get together and draft professional football players not based on their abilities to win football games, but rather on their abilities to get into the endzone. It begs the question why someone chose the slightly gay sounding title of fantasy football for it. My proposal is still we call it "Dan Marino football"...unfortunately it's yet to catch on with the masses. (Maybe if I change it to "Peyton Manning", people will get it.)

Anyhoo, I consolidated my formerly three leagues into focusing on 1 this year...not coincidentally the one I won the championship in last year. Me and nine of my friends got together and starting posting our draft picks on a message board over the space of two weeks last year, and the tradition continues this year. (We're all very important people, so trying to get us on the same continent at the same time, let alone the same room, is difficult at best.) My team, led by Santana Moss and the Carolina Panthers D, won it all, bitches. So, after the dust settled this year, here's my team.

Jim Kelly's Heroes

QB Peyton Manning
RB Steven Jackson
RB Chester Taylor
WR Marvin Harrison
WR Donald Driver
W/R Derrick Mason
TE Tony Gonzalez
K Jason Elam
D Washington
BN Drew Bledsoe
BN TJ Duckett
BN Mike Bell
BN Dominic Rhodes
BN Keenan McCardell
BN Terry Glenn

I feel entirely comfortable in saying I've begun the run to a Patriots-esque dynasty over the next several years. That's just a good damn team.

Progress will be reported on in this space over the next four months.

PS: You will note there isn't a single player from the AFC East this year. After the debacle of actually cheering after a Corey Dillon TD against my beloved Bills last year, the mistakes of the past shall not be repeated. The lack of Bills on the roster is down to....well, have you seen them play the last couple of years? Yeah...that's why.