RobertR

I'd think a Neo-Western has to be at least mid-20th century to count. I haven't seen Bad Day at Black Rock, but that's possibly an example. I'm not sure where Road to Perdition would fall. Probably not Top 10, although I'd include it in Top 10 Comic Book adaptations, but in the 15 to 25 range would be my guess. My sense is that if we're considering cultural impact and influence as criteria, it falls short of the classic 30s gangster films of Cagney along with Edward G. Robinson and Bogart, as well as Coppolla's and Scorsese's better known works. Thinking about Rom Com some more, anyone else think City Lights should count? Or Seven Chances? I do. Robert

But, 12 Angry Men doesn't actually take place in a courtroom but in a jury room!?! Naw, just kidding, good calls on those two. I was blanking on Inherit the Wind earlier and that's a likely contender. As is Judgement at Nuremberg. Robert

Movies that I forgot that are likely in the running Western - The Magnificent Seven, McCabe and Mrs. Miller Gangster - Miller's Crossing Epic - Gone With the Wind, Dr. Zhivago I'm blanking on many more Neo-Westerns although they have to be out there. Probably starring Robert Redford. Lone Star has some of the Western setting working for it, but I'd argue that it's something of an anti-western. Raising Arizona has some elements, but it's more a screwball comedy, IMO. Brokeback Mountain obviously has elements, although I don't count it. I suspect that Gandhi and The Last Emperor probably have enough American funding behind them to count. Whether they should is another question. The AFI site is showing Braveheart, but I think that's a red herring. In some ways, I regard Nashville as an epic, although I'm sure the AFI won't see it that way. I'd probably count Apocalypse Now though. Robert

Tom Haudricourt is supposedly too soft on the Brewers and Yost? I don't get that from him at all. And, I think it's especially notable that the Brewers have a winning record. Yeah, it could be better, but the Brewers aren't far out of line with expectations. And, I think the fact that Haudricourt really only takes occasional shots at Yost is understandable. Haudricourt's job relies on access, which is the problem all beat writers struggle with. How to keep access and yet not be an employee of the team. One of the things that stuck with me is that just before the first Taylor/Lopes campaign opened TH wrote a lengthy, lead article basically saying that Taylor and Lopes were blowing smoke about how good the team was going to be and to expect a bad team. He was completely right about that, although I can't imagine that the article was very popular with Brewers management. Yeah, he has weaknesses. His statistical analysis is weak. And that "blogger reports that Yost is fired" is completely on him. And he's been less than polite and informative in a few internet chats over the years. But his gamestory is usually right on, his weekend notes column is pretty solid although hardly revolutionary, and I always get the impression that he's interested in the game first and foremost, not say "when is Bruce Springsteen coming to town?". Robert

You forgot High Noon and Shane! Red River has a shot because it is Howard Hawks, and because Bogdanovich always talks up that movie. But I'd say that Shane has a much stronger chance than Winchester 73. Stagecoach and The Searchers are both obvious. But what about The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? If Josey Wales or Fort Apache make the list, then something has gone wrong at AFI. And the thing that ticks me off is that there is never a category for the neo-western. What is that? I'm talking about movies like Dirty Harry, Midnight Cowboy, Hud, Giant, and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. They are all Westerns, just set in a more modern era - hence the NEO-Western. But none of them are traditional westerns and they won't be considered... (Giant, though, has a shot at the Epic category.) Oh, and we can pretty much guarantee that Harry and Sally will be in the romantic comedy. And Bull Durham in the sports genre. Yeah, I forgot Shane and High Noon. I do think one Jimmy Stewart western is likely to make the list, although your guess is as good as mine for which one. Really, they ought to have a top 20 list for Westerns. I do agree with the concept of a Neo-Western. No Country For Old Men would qualify as well, I'd think. I also think that Giant probably will fit in the Epic category. I'm thinking Lawrence of Arabia, Ben Hur, and Titanic are locks for that one. I'm not too sure about When Harry Met Sally or Bull Durham though. A lot of people see When Harry Met Sally as somewhat of a riff on Annie Hall. I'm wondering if it's not highbrow enough for people that would vote for something like Manhattan or populist enough for the other end of the spectrum. Does Some Like It Hot qualify as a rom com? Or The Apartment? For Bull Durham, I see a lot of competition. I'll be surprised if anything other than Rocky or Raging Bull tops the list. I think Sea Biscuit, Hoosiers, and Field of Dreams are all likely. The Pride of the Yankees, The Bad News Bears, and The Natural are also likely to have constituencies, although I really hope The Natural gets left out. Is it ok to root for Slap Shot on a baseball board? Robert

I take these lists no more seriously than "here's some good rental suggestions / opportunity for discussion". And, here's some terrific clips and some superficial commentary. AFI is trying something different this year. Top 10 films from 10 different genres; Animation (which I don't even count as a genre), Romantic Comedy, Western, Sports, Mystery, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Gangster, Courtroom Drama, and Epic. So, lots of obvious films, but at least some variety. I expect Western to be the most obvious genre. The Searchers, Stagecoach, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Wild Bunch, Unforgiven, and Dances With Wolves are basically guaranteed to be in the list. The Searchers is a lock for #1. You can probably toss in Red River and Winchester '73 as well. It wouldn't surprise me if another Ford, probably Fort Apache, and The Outlaw Josie Wales wrap up the list. Science Fiction will include 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. It wouldn't surprise me if The Empire Strikes Back and The Matrix make appearances as well. Don't know about the final 4, although Forbidden Planet and The Thing From Another World would be my choices. Lord of the Rings is going to dominate the fantasy category. Probably followed by King Kong and The Wizard of Oz. Don't know beyond that. Romantic Comedy is going to include Annie Hall, It Happened One Night, and The Philadelphia Story. Probably Adam's Rib, Bringing Up Baby, and a Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie like Pillow Talk as well. I'd hope for a Lubitsch film like Ninotchka or The Shop Around the Corner but I'm bracing to gag at the choices of Pretty Woman and Sleepless in Seattle. Gangster will include The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, something from Cagney (White Heat?), and the original Scarface. Don't know beyond that since there's certainly a lot of choices. Courtroom Drama will include To Kill a Mockingbird, The Verdict, and Witness for the Prosecution. Probably Philadelphia and Anatomy of a Murder as well. I have some more thoughts but I'll save them for later. Robert

I think part of the issue with resigning or not Sheets is the "Who do you replace him with?" question. Suppan, Gallardo, and Parra are the only locks for the 2009 rotation. Heck, it's not like Bush, Capuano, and Vargas didn't cost the Brewers anything this year either. Arguably, if the Brewers get pushed up against a budget cap, they have more options for replacing their higher priced position players than their starting pitching with LaPorta, Gamel, Escobar, and Salome doing well in the upper levels of the minors. Given the scarcity of pitching and the in system replacement options, it certainly makes sense to explore extension options with Sheets. Yeah, he'll be expensive, but he's also likely to give a nice return on the investment as he is their most valuable pitcher. The question is "at what point is Sheets just too expensive for this to make no sense?" I'd say 5 fully guaranteed years is definitely too much. Three with an option might be optimal and probably the minimum that's acceptable from Sheets. I'd probably be fine with 4 years as I'd assume inflation and that the Brewers will develop/acquire some cheap pitching in that time frame (and if they don't they'll have much bigger problems). Robert Robert

Yeah, I don't get the anti-Suppan sentiment. I mean, yeah he's not great, but his ERA clocks in at around average, he's showing no signs of getting worse, he can pretty much be counted on for 200 IP, and the price of free agent starting pitching is expensive. It's not like the Brewers have 5 better starting pitchers than Suppan. Heck, I'll make the argument that his value probably clocks in at slightly above average due to all the innings he pitches. Durability is a very underrated commodity. Aren't we always complaining about the bullpen pitching too many innings? VORP might be a better stat to assess his value than ERA. Robert

I'm not a fan of Bush since he's basically settled in as a durable #5 starter. That's useful, but I'd certainly would be looking for an upgrade. That said, Weaver isn't an upgrade. He's probably a downgrade. If the Brewers want to do something about that spot in the rotation, going out of the organization is the answer. Not bringing in a washed up vet that's not even pitching that great at AAA. Robert

All of the sequels are at least a notch below Raiders. I prefer Temple to Last Crusade. Last Crusade does have Sean Connery, but only the tank scene is a notable action set piece, there's not much atmosphere, returning competent characters are turned into comic relief, the girl is forgettable, and so is the main villain. Temple at least has atmosphere, a menacing villain, and it gets so much better if you think of it as a sequel to Gunga Din as well as an Indiana Jones adventure. Robert

1. Sheets was a Bando draftee. 2. Burnitz, Cirillo, and Vina were already under contract being locked up by Bando as part of his plan for Miller Park. The offensive base wasn't bad, although lacking at 1B, but the pitching staff was criminally bad. 3. Wright's peripherals were bad. There were plenty of warning signs before he was traded for that he wouldn't live up to the hype. 4. Grissom was bad for several years before Taylor came on board. Lots of people were clamoring for Grissom to be dumped at the first opportunity. Instead, Taylor and Lopes decided that he was one veteran that wouldn't be shopped because they needed speed at the top of the lineup. Grissom's production only went up, because he was used in a platoon instead of as an everyday player. 5. That Snider/Navarro trade may be as awful a return on a deal as I've ever witnessed. Navarro was done and Snider wasn't even good in the minors, not to mention injured all the time. Yeah, Valentin had his issues, but he'd still have ranked as a top 30 SS with any realistic evaluation. Still, to me the biggest problem with Taylor was that the talent he had in the system wasn't realistically evaluated. He made some good moves around the margins, but failed in the big picture. Particularly with the pitching staff which was awful when he came on board and awful after his trades. And never understanding the importance of OBP. The career OBP of everyone he brought in the first year was awful, they decided to give Grissom more ABs, and they traded away their best source of OBP in Cirillo. Bottom line, his moves with the team he inherited extended rather than shortened the process of rebuilding. Robert

Money had nothing to do with signing an incompetent like Davey Lopes. Maybe it was unavoidable, but the handling of Neugebauer alone is enough to question the competence of the organization. Not to mention burying Belliard AND Loretta, both who subsequently appeared in an All Star game, behind a nothing like Eric Young. How did that Jeff Cirillo trade work out? Or the Vina trade? Or the Burnitz deal? The problem was that Dean Taylor had no core philosophy. They tried to rebuild and contend simultaneously and fumbled both as they failed in their turnover of veterans, with the exception of Wickman, to get anything of long term impact, and completely misjudged the uselessness of Marquis Grissom. Oh yeah, and the organization completely ignored the importance of OBP while others were turning it to their advantage. Not to mention the constant obsession with speed at the leadoff spot while ignoring the gaping holes at other portions of the lineup. Perhaps it extended to Ownership at the time that didn't want to acknowledge that a complete rebuild was necessary from the start, but when you lose over 100 games 3 years into a new regime, and looking at years more of futility before the farm system turns around, you've completely misjudged the state of the franchise and what needed to be done from the beginning. That alone tells me he was the wrong hire in the first place. Robert

I've decided to blow all my high brow credibility. The last 2/3rds of Speed Racer are the most fun I've had at the movies all year. Really. And it's visually amazing on the big screen. Home video won't duplicate that experience. Robert

The advantage Boston had was simply compounded by poor roster management. A couple of years back, the Brewers called up Prince Fielder to DH in interleague games. This year they could have called up LaPorta, Gamel, Nelson, or Branyan and chose not to. Heck, the way Hall is "hitting" they probably should call up Branyan and have him platoon with Hall. Instead, their big move before the series was to call up Mike Defilice. Is the shine off Tony Gwynn Jr. yet with his .566 OPS? How about Gabe Kapler who's done very little in the last month after a hot start? Neither one of those hitting lines is really unexpected, either. The lack of the DH didn't cause the Brewers to commit four errors in a game. Nor did it cause them to give up 11 runs in a game. Nor did it cause them to have unrealistic expectations about some people on the roster. Robert

Oakland's pitching staff (and record) is one of the great stories of the season so far. It goes to show just how important pitching depth is. Then again, I think you can make a claim that Arizona is the class of the NL and perhaps MLB. And Haren is a big part of that too. If Arizona wins the NL, it will be hard to second guess it. Certainly, this isn't anywhere near as lop-sided as the Mulder trade turned out for Oakland. Is it fair to say that the Davis/Eveland trade is the concensus worst move of Melvin's era? And, frankly, it's not really surprising that it turned out that way, considering Melvin gave up the most valuable current player in the deal, Davis, and the player with the highest upside, Eveland. That's a formula for losing a lot of deals. Robert

Joe Kubert is 81 years old. He still impresses the hell out of me with his comic art like his latest Tor. You don't even need the text to understand the story, which is more than I can say for a lot of "hot" current artists. Robert

I enjoy Evil Dead II as well, although I think as a film itself it's overpraised and can definitely understand it not being to everyone's taste. It is more of a D.I.Y. Independent film than much that has come after it. Especially the films that are showing up at Sundance now that get about $5 million from a studio arthouse division, star a couple of tv actors, and pimp the latest hits on the soundtrack. Yeah, I'm calling you out Garden State. As a true independent film and an influential one at that, I can understand Evil Dead II's reputation, but the cult of Raimi and Campbell is wearing off a bit for me with the years. Conversely, I do wish that more people would realize that just because a film is championed by critics, doesn't mean that it's a snoozefest. It may come as a surprise to some folks, but Citizen Kane has jokes in it. I can't see why anyone that likes police thrillers/procedurals or watches CSI regularly wouldn't get something out of M, Stray Dog, High and Low, or Touch of Evil. I don't know why any Star Wars fan wouldn't appreciate The Hidden Fortress. Or why Jackie Chan fans wouldn't appreciate the physical comedy of Buster Keaton. I can understand not wanting to deal with 8 1/2, Persona, Contempt, Rome Open City, Tokyo Story, Barry Lyndon, Umberto D, etc. on any given night, but there are plenty of acclaimed classics that function on the level of pure entertainment. Also a couple I've caught lately. The Bourne Ultimatum - A pretty exciting third installment of the series. Actually brings closure to some issues, while still delivering exciting thrills and hairs breath escapes. If you enjoyed the first two movies, I don't know why you wouldn't enjoy the third. Cloverfield - I think it works on a purely visceral level. And I'm old enough to remember when the camera never, or barely, moved during a special effects sequence and I was impressed with what was put on screen. Michael Bay may be the standard bearer for "military porn" but I think this ranks right up there. OTOH, I definitely could see why people might be put off by the moving camera though. it didn't bother me, particularly on the small screen. There's nothing to analyze in terms of dialogue, not unless your idea of great dialogue is someone yelling "Rob!" every other sentence. Apparently, giant monsters and the military are really sneaky, as they come up behind these character unnoticed quite often. And the characters really are poorly fleshed out beyond the cliche' level. I think it's worth seeing once, but can't see there being much replay value. Robert

I'd guess that the likeliest option would involve the Cubs playing the majority of their home games at U.S. Cellular with maybe a few weekend series in Milwaukee if there's a conflict. I can't see Chicago, and all the taverns there, or the State of Illinois wanting to lose 81 home games. Robert

Because I know a bunch of you will be seeing it this weekend. I saw it yesterday. I think it's an excellent example of how an inspired casting choice can elevate fairly stock material. The plot is about as straightforward as a superhero origin movie gets. In fact, you see the hero create his super armor not once but twice. The romantic subplot is pretty prefunctory and the villains pretty stock. The last major action setpiece is nothing really memorable either. There's also some blatantly obvious product placement that threw me out of the film on occasion. But, the whole thing is elevated through acting and a quirky, funny tone. Robert Downey Jr. is a totally inspired casting choice and is a pleasure to watch throughout the movie as he brings charm and line readings that feel totally of the moment throughout the film. He's as invaluable to the movie as Johnny Depp is to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Especially when he's berating his robot assistants. Even at the slowest point in the movie, he's totally watchable and interesting. Gwyneth Paltrow has good chemistry with Downey and does the best with what she has, but she really can only do so much with a fairly stock role. Jeff Bridges, despite some good scenes, is stymied a bit by a role that doesn't have much dimension to it and becomes less dimensional as the movie rolls along. The special effects are very well done and the film has a nice look to it, helped by the decision to add panoramic backdrops whenever possible. This isn't a shadowy, brooding film, but a colorful and open film emphasizing the fun aspects of being a superhero whenever possible. I don't think it's a deep film, at all, or says anything new about the genre, but it's a fun and professionally made movie that hits the marks it aims for. Robert

I find it impossible to fault Reed Johnson for not giving up on the play. Yeah, the results stink but the Brewers will just have to find a way to cope. With Braun, Hart, and Fielder on the team and the Brewers getting a chance to restock the system with multiple picks in the draft, LaPorta is a trade option come the deadline. I'd think Billy Beane would listen if the Brewers came enquiring about Rich Harden. Burnett or Halladay may also be available. If they're not in contention at the deadline, they probably wouldn't have been in contention anyways with Gallardo. Anyone got an idea of the timetable for recovery? Could Gallardo feasibly be available for October? Robert

SIGNS really doesn't have a "twist" ending. At least not how I define a twist. I do agree that he's been too busy trying to recreate the ending of THE SIXTH SENSE. He has strengths working with actors and creating atmosphere and his more deliberate pacing and editing stands out in an industry that seems to want to imitate Michael Bay endlessly. And I appreciate that he wants to write original screenplays. I'd like to see him maybe adapt a few stories for a change. He'd be well suited to remaking the Quatermass series, for example. Robert

I must have missed it when Gwynn and Kapler showed that they could hit for average over the course of a full season. When was that? It's not so much that I'm enamored with Gross or don't think the Brewers got fair value back. I'm just puzzled that people are that confident in Gwynn and Kapler. One was out of baseball last year and the other struggled mightily when pitchers adjusted to him. Seriously, right now I think the Brewers have a pretty thin and limited bench, even before considering the overabundance of pitchers on the roster. Counsell may very well turn out to be the best hitter on the bench going forward. Robert

Been too long. The Simpsons Movie Pretty much as good of a movie that could be hoped for at this point. If it's not the absolute brilliance of the earlier years, it at least hits enough notes and is epic enough for a movie. A History of Violence It's been much too long before I got to this. Well acted, well shot, and avoiding really pat answers about our relationship with violence. William Hurt is also a lot of fun in a brief role. The third act is a little over the top, but it leads into a solid ending. Grizzly Man A fascinating documentary. Timothy Treadwell obviously was under some illusions about his relationship with bears, but perhaps we shouldn't take Werner Herzog's narration too much to heart. Herzog is notoriously pessimistic at times. I think the movie is also about the allure of being a minor celebrity and motion picture maker and that's brought out without beating us over the head with it. And there's some remarkable nature footage here. M Revisited an old favorite. It's remarkable how relevant this 1931 film still is. It puts forth the argument that a pedophile child murderer is entitled to be treated as a human being, however sick, with rights to due process. All the while commenting on the rise of the Nazis, experimenting with sound, being amazingly atmospheric, being a seminal influence on the serial killer genre, getting an amazing performance from Peter Lorre, and just being a thrilling entertainment. I, Claudius I spent several weeks revisiting this miniseries from beginning to end. Remarkable for its time and still remarkable. It picks up where Rome left off and although it can't compete at all with the production values of the HBO series, it has much to recommend it and is definitely better written. It follows the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius and is filled with lust, betrayal, intrigue, plotting, and murder. It starts off somewhat arch in tone, and never quite sheds it, but it helps contrast and soften the events which often verge on horror as so many innocent people fall victim along the way. Brian Blessed, as Augustus, has a remarkable death scene which is as well done as any I can remember. Patrick Stewart, as Sejanus, is a terrific villain. John Hurt is a truly creepy Caligula. And Derek Jacoby is the glue that holds the whole thing together. Also included in the box set is a documentary on the failed 1930s production with Charles Laughton which shows Laughton as Claudius in what looked like a remarkable performance. Robert

I'm thinking that we're probably looking at Dillon vs. Nelson vs. Branyan for that last spot on the bench. I'd lean towards a lefty, probably Nelson, for umpteen reasons stated above. Offensively, I'm not sure what Dillon gives you that Kapler doesn't. Robert

While I'm not enamored with Gwynn offensively, I think there was room for both Gwynn and Gross on the team. I'm not sure going forward that we couldn't get everything we can expect from Kapler offensively from Dillon, with more position flexibility to boot. Robert