RobertR

I think I'd rather have just non-tendered Estrada than take Mota in return. Seth McClung throws hard (and poorly) too, and he doesn't cost $3 million. Robert

Bringing it up to date. Poltergeist Part of my Halloween weekend. It's still interesting on a number of levels. Bringing the haunted house story out of the old gothic houses and into contemporary suburbia is a noteworthy achievement. And it's a film with a lot to say about the contemporary suburban family. Add on to the fact that it's the rare horror movie that manages to scare without actually killing anybody and it still stands out as unique. That said, the third act feels tacked on to me so that they could have a big special effects laden climax. And the explanation doesn't really add anything to me either, as it doesn't explain why this family is targeted. Still, holds up fairly well. Knocked Up It's funny, has a story, is well acted, and is generally intelligent. It's a good movie. That said, I have enough quibbles and criticisms that I don't think it's a great comedy by any stretch. Most of the subplots and supporting character turns don't lead anywhere and just peter out/are forgotten/have no payoff. I don't think Katherine Heigl, despite good work, has a particularly interesting character arc either. A more balanced focus would have led to a better movie, IMO. I purchased Ratatouille although I haven't rewatched the movie yet. I do think it's one of the best movies of the year though. "Lifted" is a very good short film which played in the theater with the feature. Also, "Our Friend the Rat" is a terrific short subject, explaining the history of rats, and mixing many styles of animation. It's a real gem. Not much else for extras though. Robert

Ryan Braun may have benefitted by that mechanism in the last regular season game. The fact that it's applied in very limited circumstances strikes me as a good thing. Especially for starting up a program like this. I expect we'll be hearing the phrase "Replay Rule Double" at some point. Robert

Not that I disagree with much of this, but he didn't kill off Oy during the vehicular mishap recreation. I'm only half joking when I suggest that Oy is the most fleshed out, emotionally invested character in the series. I'm actually fine with King's conclusion to Roland's quest. Makes sense to me. The fate of Susannah made me genuinely angry though. That was a cop out and a half. Robert

Halloween weekend. THE MUMMY The 1930s Universal version. I've seen it before, but some thoughts. It's a slow movie, even if it's only about 80 minutes long, but it fits the title character and it has plenty of atmosphere. Karloff's makeup is great and his performance is quite good too. For those who haven't seen it, the conception of the Mummy owns more to Dracula than it does to the clumping, bandaged monster who forms the popular conception in popular culture. In fact, the Mummy plays more than a bit like a cash in on the popular Dracula of the period, only I'd say that the Mummy is the better movie, less stage bound, a better female lead, better sets (at least once you leave Transylvania in the earlier movie), better humor, and a motivation for the monster, he wants to revive his dead love, that adds an extra dimension of sympathy and romanticism. BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA may owe as much to THE MUMMY as it does to Bram Stoker's book. DAWN OF THE DEAD Romero's 1978 original. Although dated, it's still a film that stands up to time. And helped define a subgenre. Fun, gory, scary, and rife with social commentary. Robert

A couple of movies I've been hoping to catch for awhile. The Fountain Aronofsky's long delayed film about searching for eternal life and accepting death. Told as a series of three stories, one set in the past with a conquistador searching for the Tree of Life/fountain of youth, one set in the present about a cancer scientist obsessively searching for a cure for his dying wife, and one set in the far future with a futuristic astronaut journeying with the Tree of Life to a far nebula. It's very, very earnest. Perhaps too earnest for its own good as it underlines that it has serious thoughts about serious issues and it's going to treat them seriously. That said, it's well acted by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (and Ellen Burstyn in a small role), it's beautiful to look at, and it's quite heartfelt. The ending is more than a bit esoteric, but I think on a whole the film is quite good, albeit it won't be to everybody's taste. Zodiac Maybe the best American film for the year to date. It pulls off a nice seque from a film about the hunt for a killer, to a film about obsession, paranoia, the search for truth, and dealing with uncertainty. It's thrilling, dark, atmospheric, intelligent, and well acted. Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Jake Gyllenhal are all quite good as they lead their own investigations into the real life case and get sucked into the mystery. Mostly, not for the better. I understand that there's a longer director's cut coming out, but I don't see much reason to wait for it. You get a complete story with as much closure as you're going to get, the story is structured very well, and every scene is relevant and has a purpose. Really, I think this is David Fincher's best movie. Unlike some of his other movies, I get the sense that Fincher knows precisely what he wants to say and how he wants to say it in Zodiac. It's focussed. Also, seen recently at the movies. My Kid Could Paint That, Lars and the Real Girl, and Sleuth. I can recommend the former two without much hesitation. I have full fledged reviews over at Al's Ramblings. The new version of Sleuth is a movie that's less than the sum of its parts, Harold Pinter, Michael Caine, Jude Law, and Kenneth Branagh, and pitched for the back row of the theater. The third act really doesn't work. It's not without points of interest and the running time of 85 minutes is a good choice, but it's more of a movie for starting a conversation than one to actually sit down and enjoy. Robert

I'd suggest utilizing one of the wii tracker websites, a bit of patience, and the ability to get up before stores open on Sunday morning. Getting up and checking the big box advertisements in the Sunday paper early is a good strategy as well. It took me a while to find one, but it just takes some perserverance. I'd hate to try to find one during the Christmas rush though. You'll probably want to get an extra Wiimote and nunchuck controller too. Wii's are well suited to multiplayer participation. Robert

Where's the blue font? You've just made some German children cry. Albeit, most American beers do that. Robert

AROD will start at 3B and Braun will move to LF. Wait, that's a dream, not a prediction. I suspect that most of the turnover is going to occur in the bullpen. The Brewers will make a run at Cordero and they'll try to shore up the 7th and 8th inning roles. I suspect that Turnbow is going to get a "change of scenery" trade, Tampa might be a good place for him, and Gwynn is going to be shopped, San Diego, Florida, and Texas being the most likely destinations, in an effort to shore up that area. The Brewers may also enquire after a Dioner Navarro type, but I doubt they'll be able to pull off anything. I also expect that the Brewers are seriously going to pursue a corner outfielder to replace Jenkins. Probably someone in their last year of arbitration/contract. Or maybe they'll see how silly the Dodgers can be with apparently the veterans scapegoating the younger players. Robert

I don't know how enamored Texas is of him, but Joaquin Benoit is someone I'd target in the offseason. Looking at his age and peripherals, I think he's going to be a very good closer soon. Robert

Was that an actual quote? If so, wow, that's really calling out an opposing manager. Robert

In many ways I'd agree that the Braun LF, Hall 3B, Hart CF alignment would be optimal. That said, I'd be pretty worried that someone might get the idea of inserting "prototypical centerfielder" Tony Gwynn into the lineup on a regular basis. I'm all for avoiding that temptation. Robert

I'm not too concerned about LF and C. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Damian Miller return at a discount. And Gross and a righthanded platoon partner, there's really not much that separates any of them, probably can handle leftfield with little falloff. Pick the right platoon partner and the OBP there may increase. The bullpen OTOH needs a lot of work. Closers are generally overrated, but not when a game or two can make the difference between the post-season or staying home. I expect that Melvin will likely be looking to trade some starting pitching to fill in some holes. You can pencil in Sheets, Suppan, and Gallardo into the starting rotation next year already, but between Parra, Villanueva, Bush, Vargas, and Capuano you have some surplus to work with. Zach Jackson might draw some interest too. (Matt Gamel's name might come up considering his defensive struggles, as well.) Starting pitching is always one of the most valuable assets to have. And the most tradable. It really wouldn't surprise me if the Brewers are still interested in Otsuka if they determine he's healthy. And I suspect Chad Cordero will at least be dangled. The Brewers were apparently interested in Gagne at the trade deadline and they might consider him during free agency as well. Robert

FWIW, Tulowitzki is ahead of Braun in WPA. I'm not convinced one way or the other about the value of WPA, but it's something to consider. Robert

Of course the elephant in the room is that Tulowitzki plays in Colorado and has an awful road split. Not to mention he's barely ahead of Braun in RBIs and has just a handful more runs. Can we also mention that Tulowitzki also leads Ryan Braun in outs? Tulowitzki is having a good rookie year though. And if you factor in defense, he's probably closer to Braun than is thought off hand. He and Pence should finish in the top 3. Robert

A few classics that I viewed recently. Sabotage 1936 Hitchcock film based on Joseph Conrad's Secret Agent. It's an early Hitchcock thriller with all the signs of his greatness to come, although I think it's a cut below its contemporaries The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. There's a timebomb scene on public transportation that must of had everyone on the edges of their seats in 1936 that's still timely in the wake of the London subway bombings. Our Hospitality A silent comedy starring Buster Keaton. It centers around a Hatfield/McCoy style feud and Keaton plays a young man that returns to his family home, falls for the girl of the feuding family, and has to dodge the assassination attempts of her relatives. There's a terrific comedy sequence focusing on the first type of trains, and probably using gags that couldn't fit into The General, and a jaw dropping final rescue stunt. It's as good a stunt as I've seen in any movie. Steamboat Bill Jr. Another Buster Keaton silent comedy. It follows much of the same formula as Our Hospitality, rival families, fish out of water, falls for the girl from the other family, etc. There's less of an emphasis on stunts in this one, mostly some pratfalls, and more of an emphasis on comedy acting, particularly a sequence where Keaton tries on multiple hats. That is until the end where a big storm strikes the town and buildings literally start collapsing around Keaton. Or flying away. It's a wonder he wasn't killed with some of these stunts. Seriously, it's the perfect antidote for too much CGI. Robert

Netflix is best for foreign films, little independents, non-big name classics, and the like. Recent movies that spring to mind that might be off the radar a bit: Brick (You have to be willing to roll with the central conceit though, a 1940s style PI movie and dialogue filtered through 21st century high school students.) The Lives of Others (Probably fits somewhat in the spy thriller genre. It was overshadowed by Pan's Labyrinth, but it's a terrific film in its own right.) Bloody Sunday Black Book is out on September 25th. You probably could do a Resistance trilogy of Rome Open City, Army of Shadows (finally came to America last year), and Black Book. Robert

It's just another example of how the non-sensical Save rule distorts the game. There's no reason to not have your best reliever in the game to record the most critical out, other than the fact that he might not be able to record a save. Even with that, Aquino? That's almost as bad as using Mench against a righty. Robert

I'm not one to vent often, but I can't fathom letting Mench bat against a rightie in that situation. I can't really say what I think about that decision without violating forum rules. It's enough to think that firing Yost on the spot might be the right choice. And I'm really sick and tired of Mench. Denpster struggled with his control all inning and yet Mench grounds out weakly on the first pitch he sees. Way to show plate discipline. That walkless streak of his was a joke and that was one of the poorest ABs I've ever seen. He's one Brewer I'll be happy to see leave at the end of the season. I think he's going to be in for a rude awakening due to the lack of offers he's going to receive. Robert

Considering Lofton is 40 already, I think we can probably rule out the "plays 5 more years" question. I have no problem stating that Lofton had a better career than some of the guys in the Hall. Heck, even some recent guys too. I'd take Lofton over Tony Perez for instance. But it's probably going to be an uphill battle. Raines may have a tough time getting in and I can definitely make a stronger case for Raines. Especially when you start adjusting for era. And who knows the politics that may rise up. Due to a steroid backlash, maybe all around speedy players will gather more votes. I doubt it, but you never know. My sense is that either Lofton needs to have another special season or two, he needs to do something dramatic in the post-season, or there has to be a shift in voting patterns. But he's close enough that this is a reasonable conversation. Robert

Supposedly, the A's are shopping around Esteban Loaiza. If I was in charge, I'd be interested. Robert

There's certainly a case to be made. It would help Lofton a lot if Tim Raines gets a lot of support. They're fairly comparable, although Raines played in an era tougher on offenses. Lofton's problem is that there's not a single number that screams automatic entry, just a collection of all around excellence for his position. It would help his case, just like it helps Biggio, if he can stick around a few more years and increase his counting stats. 650 SBs and 2,750 hits would strengthen his case a lot. Robert

Hey, who predicted that 300, which isn't even one of Frank Miller's best known works, would make over $200 million in the US and over $450 million worldwide? Looking over the top 15 grossers of the year, I think it's fair to call 300 and Wild Hogs the only real surprises, and 300 is the much bigger hit of the two. Robert

It's not the first time that Sayles has worked on a genre horror film. Alligator springs to mind. And I think he worked on Mimic as well. Robert

I watched Dreamgirls over the weekend. It's something of a tale of two halves. The first half of the movie, with its focus on Jennifer Hudson, is terrific. It's truly a great performance, especially since Hudson can act while she's singing. The first half is also bouyed up by a great Eddie Murphy performance. The second half of the movie is rather ordinary once it switches its focus to Beyonce. She's pretty to look at, but she's a passive, inscrutable void on the screen. She's competent, but with seemingly no inner life. Jamie Foxx holds both halves together as he rises to power and is corrupted by success, but there's noone to really play off of in the second half. The songs are terrific and it does a fine job of creating a backdrop of social change with the times. The film has a real gleam to it during the musical numbers, although Bill Condon overdoes some of his choreography. We don't need to see the big moment of each number shot from two or more angles in practically every number. Sometimes less cutting is more. Also, I know it's probably not on everybody's radar, but The Lives of Others is out on DVD tomorrow. It is one of the best movies of this year. Robert