Fuck, Liam. I WAS GONNA DO AN OSCAR POST [matthew]

Alright...

So last night I finally saw the last movie I hadn't seen that is currently nominated for Best Picture. This year is good in that there is no mediocre epic film for the Academy to overrate (like Gladiator or Braveheart. Yeah. I just called Braveheart a mediocre epic. Eat me.), so I was pretty happy with my choices. Similar as to years past, I didn't think anything I saw was that incredible, and I will almost certainly not purchase any of the five films once released on DVD, but I was entertained and intrigued by each and overall, it was a good year. So here's my take on each...

Finding Neverland - Easily the most ehhh of this year's nominees. The story is quaint and charming, and Johnny Depp is strangely calm and reserved, which was both good and bad, I suppose. Yet nothing stood out, and I found the movie as a whole to be generally forgettable. When people died, I felt sad, and when life was unfair, I felt frustrated. But once the movie was over, I went home. One thing I will note is the children in the movie were amazing. Rarely do child actors ever come close to hitting the mark, but these kids were remarkable.


Million Dollar Baby - Don't get me wrong, I like Clint Eastwood a lot, and for some reason, it has always been a dream of mine to share a Tuesday-with-Morey-touching-death-bed-mentor relationship, but that's another blong entry... I didn't like it that much. It's sentimental definitely, and Hillary Swank's line about how she should leave the gym, get a deep-fryer, and move into the trailer was pitiful. But I just wasn't that moved. The Of Mice and Men ending was just that... the ending of Of Mice and Men. Oh fucking well. The look of the film was cool, and I liked the symbolic sideplot with the kid from Undeclared, but that's about it. Oh yeah, and great performance by Morgan Freeman. He can be hit-or-miss, but in this, he was dead on.

The Aviator - A root canal sounds less fun than spending 3 hours with Leonardo DeCaprio, but at least you know there will be novicaine at the dentist. But I was pleasantly surprised when this movie didn't suck. I dare say that Leo gives a darn good performance (damn modified to darn because of performance quality, not because of mormonized censorship)... Perhaps his best performance since What's Eating Gilbert Grape. During a Diocese Club conversation, I once said that I would trust seeing any movie that featured John C. Reilly in its cast, and this movie passes that test once again. I was interested in the action throughout, and it didn't feel three hours long. A solid film all together.

Sideways - I liked it. Wine gives an interesting angle to the obsessed geek formula, and I thought the woman who played Maya... hang on, lemme IMDB her... Virginia Madsen.... She was great. The scene where she and Paul Giamatti are on the back porch talking about how they got into wine.... That scene is worth the price of admission, I think. Overall though, I find it difficult to relate to Paul Giamatti. There is some gap between the two of us that I just can't seem to cross. I don't like Leonardo DeCaprio either, but I could relate to his character and I could understand his reactions... but Paul Giamatti just couldn't be the everyman that this film needed him to be. I know this opinion is clearly unpopular with the rest of the world. Please see the Braveheart reference above.

Ray - My choice for Best Picture. Jamie Foxx does such a great job that when he opens his eyes at the end, you wonder to yourself, "Where the fuck did Jamie Foxx come from?" It's beatifully shot, and wonderfully acted. Sharon Warren who plays Aretha Robinson, Charles' mom, plays her part extremely well, small though it is. One criterion that the Academy clearly doens't take into account is repeat-watchability... This is the only movie of the five that I could see myself watching and enjoying again. Sideways almost lives up to this, except for Paul Giamatti.

So that's my choice. No one is really talking about Ray, and there's no way in hell it will come close to winning. But it's my pick. I'll give some follow-up for my choices in other categories another time.

Later.

Oscar Time (<3 matt) [Liam]

This blog was originally composed from work about a week ago, and I was probably gonna wait to do more categories... but now matt's got his best picture writeups (see: "fuck liam" below) and I figured 'what the hell. brog oscar extravaganza'!!!!
Also, I would like to add that EBERT just picked the same actor and actress as my first picks, which makes him second in line since this has been filed in the "drafts" pile for a week :-P.
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Ok, I'm shooting from the hip on this one, but these are my picks for who I think DESERVES the Academy Award in the following Categories:

These are 100% SPOILER FREE. No surprises were harmed in the making of this blog.

Best Actor:
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
First off, Don Cheadle is probably one of the best and most underappreciated actors out there, bar none. On Saturday I saw Hotel Rwanda with Ben, and it was an ass-flatteningly powerful movie. Cheadle fucking kills it in this movie... his performance is believable in a dignified and understated way that other actors of his caliber would likely need to go over the top to sell with the same effect (see: Sean Penn). Such is the consistency of his performance you will leave the theatre actually believing that he is his character throughout his believable and telling transformation from uninvolved businessman to wholeheartedly committed hero. For the full Don Cheadle experience, turn around and watch him sell a totally opposite detroit gangsta character in "Out of Sight" and you'll know what this guy can do in terms of range(Seriously, it's worth watching)... especially when you realize it's just him running the field with whatever parts hollywood throws him.
(And don't even get me started on hollywod and the holocaust vs. rwanda, that'll come after the decisions are handed down-- all I have right now are suspicions)
Second Choice:
Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)
Ok, so I don't like to jump on a bandwagon, but I know this is the likely pick for every Oscar handed out including Best Male Dramatic Lead. Eastwood is really at the top of his game here, and one could argue that he's really just plaing his same Eastwood-ass self in this movie but... hey, that's all the movie asks of him and he delivers it with depth and sensitivity. The Academy loves them some Clint, and with the current emphasis on back-pay in their decisions Ray and Baby are likely to clean up everything. Who am I kidding. "Good Enough" is the operative term here for this performance. No great injustice if he gets it, but not where the award belongs.

Best Actress
Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)
Ok I will admit I am running with insufficient data on this one, but from what I've seen Hillary Swank is going all the way again. I've told everyone jokingly that Hillary Swank and Sean Penn should be banned from competition in the Oscars, and after a couple more years I'm gonna really start believing it. WHAT A RINGER. She's just too good. It's not fair for everyone else. She could win playing a BOY for christ's sake. Like with my call for Cheadle this year I think the key word is consistency here... she sells the character subtly and convincingly the entire movie in a way that endears her to the audience without needing a single "big scene" to close the deal, not that there aren't plenty of incredibly powerful and gut-wrenching moments in Million Dollar Baby. Her open, emotional delivery lights up the screen and compliments perfectly the deadpan style of Clint Eastwood.
Second Choice
Catalina Sandino Moreno
There's a mix of innocence and experience that Moreno brings to her role in this movie that makes you feel like you're watching a documentary about a real person. While lacking in star power or the stunningly impressive acting chops of someone like Swank, she comes across sincerely and without any self-consciousness. There's a refreshing, "elegant simplicity" to her character of Maria that I can't imagine seeing come through in a major hollywood release. I don't think she has a snowball's chance in hell of actually landing the award, but it's an awesome performance anyway.

hello from work [Liam]

ok, haven't updated in a while... i just wanted to kick out a quick all-text work safe post (I am such a gfx ho) before i got back to being semi-productive. Coming soon in the works I have a national-geographic style set of pics documenting the marker art I’ve deposited in weird places in the office away from view. These anomalies have begun to vanish with a new department moving into our old turf downstairs, so I wanted to catalog what remaining stuff I have around. And also coverage of the first AND1 diocese nerf basketball exhibition starring B-ROD and L-BO. Enough promotion though… I’m getting ahead of myself.

Workin with brian is pretty dope. All morning we were un-boxing new computers and flat panel monitors, the latter requiring some basic assembly, and I was giving him all kinds of shit about lagging behind. Then I totally snuck up when he was talking to one of the grown-up guys in charge of the tech department and nailed him in the face with a rubber band from around a corner. He flinched like a motherfucker and totally broke off what he was saying, but he had to like play it off and keep talking. Shit was HILARIOUS. He was kinda pissed about that. He later ran over in the hallway and socked me in the arm with a vicious jump-fierce attack (Lee, Lester. “What I Learned From Watching Troy,” 2004). I’m definitely gonna have a bruise.
After that, as we’re walking to get lunch at the Cheese Steak Shop (half price sides and half off your second Italian Hoagie on Wednesdays) I realize that I have no cash. To make matters worse, Bank of America is mad far away, and Brian is still pretty pissed that I bucked a money shot into his cheek during a serious conversation with a coworker. We stop into Long’s Drugs and I’m about to buy something and get cash back, when I realize my ATM card is at home and I can’t get cashback with teh mastarcardz.

Cut to the walk away from Long’s toward’s lunch.
Brian: Dude, how come you’re filling that out now? I’ve never seen someone buy a greeting card and just write in it while walking.
Liam: Don’t worry about it. (Scribbling away)
Brian: Wait a minute…
(Liam hands a greeting card to Brian, envelope reads “Bri”)

[FRONT]
Winds Blow.
(Winnie the Pooh with a dandelion)

Leaves Fall.
(Winnie the Pooh with scarf and rake)


Seasons Change.
(Winnie the Pooh examining his shadow)

[INSIDE]


Our Friendship Remains.
thx for putting up with my shit spot me 4 lunch? <3 LBO


© Disney, Hallmark


roflcoper. I am SUCH a bastard. Anyway, back to work.
More updates later!

Analysis of Winning Hands [Lester]

These are winning hands from an online double table tournament. I will post losing hands where I did the right thing, or the wrong thing shortly. I am bears826.

Dealer: Hand #54220415
Dealer: donniedabbles posts the small blind of 80
Dealer: bears826 posts the big blind of 160
Dealer: You have been dealt [6c As]
Dealer: PatrickO calls 160
Dealer: hopper65 folds
Dealer: Hambone68 folds
Dealer: nutshot2 calls 160
Dealer: HughLug calls 160
Dealer: chenoaboy calls 160
Dealer: donniedabbles calls 80
Dealer: bears826 checks

This is excellent for me. I am let into the hand for free with 960 in the pot.

Dealer: The flop is [Ac 6d 8d]

Wonderful! Two pair.

Dealer: donniedabbles checks
Dealer: bears826 bets 600

I bet here because with so many players sitting behind me, an Ace on the board, a flush draw and a generally aggressive table, I feel like someone will raise behind me. I am inviting a bit of action with my 2/3 pot sized bet, though and have to be careful if a diamond comes on the turn in case I am flat called. In the event that one person does call me with a flush draw, they are getting 1.3:1 on their money with 2:1 odds of hitting excluding a bet on the turn. Therefore a call by a flush draw without other players in the pot is a bad move. This hand also has a bit of deception, as I am betting out from the big blind position with many players behind me. Because the diamonds are out, it could look like I am trying to bet out on a semi-bluff flush draw, making the Ace holders out there willing to take an all-in risk when they are drawing to 3 cards (to pair their kicker card). That is horrible odds for them, but they can’t be sure of that. Since we’re in the middle stages of a dual table online tournament, I don’t have time to be worried about a set of 6’s (especially since I have a six), a set of 8’s or A8. I need to accumulate chips or else I’m dead anyway.

Dealer: PatrickO folds
Dealer: nutshot2 folds
Dealer: HughLug raises to 1,200

At this point I’m willing to go all-in and Hugh should be too. I have him on either a flush draw or an Ace with a good kicker. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had me beat though.

Dealer: chenoaboy folds
Dealer: donniedabbles folds
Dealer: bears826 raises to 2,650, and is all in
Dealer: HughLug calls 1,450
Dealer: bears826 shows [6c As]
Dealer: HughLug shows [Qh Ah]
Dealer: The turn is [9h]
Dealer: The river is [Ks]
Dealer: bears826 shows two pair, Aces and Sixes
Dealer: HughLug shows a pair of Aces
Dealer: bears826 wins the pot (6,260) with two pair, Aces and Sixes

Huge pot that I won because Hugh didn’t protect AQ, although it’s hard to protect AQ with two callers in before you pre-flop and more sitting behind you. I plain got lucky with the flop. Flush draw threat + Ace + Me having two pair = relatively hard for Hugh not to go broke on AQ in this tournament structure.


Dealer: Hand #54223036
Dealer: bears826 posts the small blind of 100
Dealer: PatrickO posts the big blind of 200
Dealer: You have been dealt [Ad As]
Dealer: Hambone68 folds
Dealer: nutshot2 folds
Dealer: HughLug raises to 400
Dealer: chenoaboy folds
Dealer: donniedabbles folds
Dealer: bears826 raises to 1,400

Hugh doesn’t have too many more chips and his raise signifies strength. He wouldn’t be trying to bluff or make a move here with the short stack. If he wanted to bluff, he’d have to have gone all in with force. Since I know he is strong enough to play, I can reraise all in and get his call. With his cards in this stage, I would have pushed all in anyway, not waiting for my reraise. Running into Aces is more forgiveable than letting someone else run over you. By raising all-in Hugh has two ways to win-- everyone folding or him winning a hand. Letting me push on him or allowing the blinds to enter cheaply takes away one way for him to win the pot. He could flat call with this hand, but at this stage he needs to start making moves and can't afford to play a waiting game.

Dealer: PatrickO folds
Dealer: HughLug calls 740, and is all in
Dealer: bears826 shows [Ad As]
Dealer: HughLug shows [4h 4d]
Dealer: Uncalled bet of 260 returned to bears826
Dealer: The flop is [2s Ac 8h]
Dealer: The turn is [5h]
Dealer: The river is [Kd]
Dealer: bears826 shows three of a kind, Aces
Dealer: HughLug shows a pair of Fours
Dealer: bears826 wins the pot (2,480) with three of a kind, Aces
Dealer: HughLug stands up

Dealer: Hand #54224177
Dealer: donniedabbles posts the small blind of 100
Dealer: bears826 posts the big blind of 200
Dealer: You have been dealt [8h 8c]
Dealer: PatrickO raises to 600
Dealer: Hambone68 folds
Dealer: nutshot2 folds
Dealer: chenoaboy folds
Dealer: donniedabbles calls 500
Dealer: bears826 calls 400

I am getting 400:1800 or 1:4.5 on this call and I will be in middle position. I need to be getting at least 22% on my money to make the call here based on straight pot odds—I probably have that. There are also great implied odds if I hit a set (people will be likely to pay me off) and minimized negative implied odds because I will fold if I do not hit a set if there are high cards on the flop.

Dealer: The flop is [7c Ah 8d]
Dealer: donniedabbles checks
Dealer: bears826 checks

The flop came rainbow (no flush draws) with a 7-8 connector. The only hand that beats me right now is AA. It’s within the realm of possibilities that PatrickO has AA, but I’m willing to lose middle set to top set in this fast tournament structure (can I really be afraid of that one hand anyway?). An open-ended straight is another hand that I might feel some heat with, but that’s not likely either given the pre-flop action (5,6? 6,9? 9,10?). I assume I’m comfortably in the lead and can slowplay the flop. Plus, PatrickO was the original raiser. There is a great chance he has an Ace and will make the standard lead bet, which I can either smooth call or reraise.

Dealer: PatrickO checks
Dealer: The turn is [7s]

I make my boat here. I pray that someone has a seven because unless they hit quads or is slowplaying AA masterfully (or stupidly), I’m getting all of their chips. This also completely eliminates the threat of a straight beating me on the river, which shouldn’t worry me too much to begin with, but gives me a little more confidence. I’m locked into the best hand unless someone is slowplaying my slowplay (not likely).

Dealer: donniedabbles bets 600
Dealer: bears826 calls 600

This call should set off warning signs to donnie.

Dealer: PatrickO folds

PatrickO does not have Aces.

Dealer: The river is [9d]
Dealer: donniedabbles checks
Dealer: bears826 bets 700

I’m convinced that donnie was taking a stab at the pot on the turn, possibly with something like A-x out of position. I need to bet an amount that gives him the right price to call with even a marginal hand. I also need to keep in mind that he only has 1350 chips left. He probably won’t be willing to go all in, or commit himself with a marginal call. Betting half of his stack seems reasonable, in retrospect, maybe only 1/3. It’s not much in comparison to the size of the pot.

Dealer: donniedabbles calls 700
Dealer: bears826 shows a full house, Eights full of Sevens
Dealer: donniedabbles mucks
Dealer: bears826 wins the pot (4,400) with a full house, Eights full of Sevens

Stay tuned for losing hands...

Romance and Roses [Ben]

My buddy Rylan needed a CD cover for a mix he put together for his mom's Valentine's party. This is my quick and dirty illustrator effort... around 20-30 minutes. Title of the CD is 'Romance and Roses'. Wish I had more time to mess with stuff like this.