The Perfect Celluloid Wife

Fatal Attraction has been on TNT this past week and I just admire Anne Archer's portrayal as Mrs. Gallagher. I can't explain it, but she plays the most believable role of a wife. She was also the perfect Mrs. Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.

Handyman's Gone

Deivi Cruz was traded to the Nationals for a minor leauge pitcher. I'll sure miss him. He was an effective utility man and no doubt his big smile and demeanor was a wonderful presence in the dugout. He was initially pegged as having defensive limitations but I can't really remember in the last couple of months that he's shown that...perhaps in the beginning when some balls came past him, but he's shown that he's no slacker.

The Nats will be lucky to have him. He's a great utility man and warm presence in the dugout.

Good luck, man, 'hope it works out for 'ya.

Ghost Dog

It's a slow Saturday morning for me and I decided to watch my DVD copy of Ghost Dog. This movie by Jim Jarmusch is like fine wine. Each time I watch it I either discover or rediscover a great detail in his filmaking.

1. Henry Silva - that face is as cold as dry ice! loved his "red cloud", "poetry of war", and "I've been waiting for you" scenes.
2. Several scenes where the gangsters watch cartoons...from Felix the Cat to Itchy & Scratchy...I really wonder if that's true in real life (hey, it just could be!)
3. The French-speaking ice cream guy
4. Vargo's daughter
5. Slick techniques -- tape on glass, spraying metal weakening chemical on chain
6. Forest Whitaker can fire a gun
7. Victor Argo - great character actor -- was also in King of New York...also dies from gunshot wound (for some reason he reminds me of the late JT Walsh)

Meet the Fockers

I saw Meet the Fockers yesterday at my friend's house and was really enjoyed it. I haven't seen Meet the Parents in its entirety but I think I get the story. The true heroes of this movie in my opinion are Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand.

All in Love is Fair

AMC is running a weeklong stretch of James Bond films and I was watching Moonraker last night. I really enjoyed watching all the moments with Jaws. From the comic meeting between Jaws and the sweedish girl to the last moments in the film where they stay together as the moonbase fell apart (sipping champagne, of course). It was funny, but also heartwarming. I think it had the same effect of Terminator 2 when little John Connor and Sarah Connor grew fond of the terminator, and it was very evident in the last scene (when he had to ask Sarah to help him "self-terminate").

Slicing like a Scythe

Noah Lowry's latest addition to his armaments: a wide curveball, was featured last night as the Giants beat the Phils....THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

Beating the Sophomore Jinx

Noah Lowry continues to play beautifully on the mound and I am really happy for him. He broke into the majors with that devastatingly deceptive changeup. But the major league is unforgiving and major league hitters don't make it to the bigtime without the ability to make adjustments. And indeed they adjusted to Noah and in the beginning of this year it seemed as though they had all figured out how to beat that changeup.....just wait for it.

That was the turning point. Like what Al Pacino's character explained in The Devil's Advocate. People react differently to pressure. Some fold. But some focus, and Noah has shown everybody that he is indeed in the zone. Mixing his breaking ball with well located fastballs has done the trick, and last night he just kept playing 'till a blister caught up with him.

This reminds me of when my brother and I went to spring training this year and, on the shuttle bus from the airport, we overheard a group of old chaps who were talking about nothing but Noah Lowry. They loved the kid. So, everytime Noah does well, my brother and I just laugh and remember those old folks, who are probably happy, clapping, and proud somewhere.

The Price has been Right!....for some time...

Every morning when my alarm goes off I turn on the TV while I slowly "boot-up" from bed. It's usually channel 2 news but sometimes I do stray a bit and this morning I was on A&E, where they were featuring a biography of Bob Barker. I admire the longevity he's had with The Price is Right, the endearing love for his lost wife, and his absoultely fabulous stint in Happy Gilmore :) (where he beat-up Adam Sandler...that was fun to watch!).

I realized that The Price is Right has been a big part of my growing-up years. Along with Sesame Street and a lot of other classic TV shows, Bob had indeed been a crowd favorite (if I ever referred to my brain as an audience).

Sometimes Prayers are Answered

Sometimes prayers are indeed answered. For so long I have prayed for Fiona Apple's Extraordionary Machine album to get released and today the announcement has finally come out that it will be released in October.

I am one truly happy camper :).

I'm so sorry Woody....

Kirk Rueter was designated for assignment today. I am so sad to hear about this....I really like Woody and I really wanted to see him retire as a Giant. He was bitter about how this all came about and I can only invent the situation as to why it took 40 days to finally release him: it was just too hard to let go.

I don't care what the stat-wizards say about him, and other players for that matter. When people say this player has 'heart', there is no stat that can record that. And Woody had a lot of heart. It is the unquantifiable trait that makes a player a great teamate, a resilient spirit, and decent character. Woody showed to us that it doesn't take a power arm to be successful. Just play smart and you will be able to get the job done. When you hear a veteran say "this kid has heart", you're looking at the untangible. I know long after their careers are done, Woody, Marquis Grissom, and JT Snow will always be in this category.

Hide and Seek

This is my first Dakota Fanning movie and I have to say she is brilliant. She can do so much with the expressions in her face. I think this girl has promise and I'd be very disappointed if she doesn't get her first oscar in then next couple of years.

Get a Grip!

Sad news from the Chronicle: Marquis Grissom designated for assignment. My first memory of Grip was when he was still with the Dodgers. During the Giants' batting practice he came up to Barry Bonds and just casually asked if he could teach him something. Bonds taught him a thing or two (neither of em would reveal it, of course), and if memory serves me right, Grip was 2 for 4 or something that day at the plate.

When he came to the Giants, I was elated and over time he has been a great guy to have around in the clubhouse. I think I admire him because he's a hard worker and a little bit old-fashioned (no gloves, piegeon-stance at the plate). He's also a good family man and has a farm back in Atlanta. He drives the tractors during the off-season.

On his last day, he kept everybody calm, assuring them that he was just fine. He's been in the game way too long to be upset. He's had a great run and irregardless of whether or not he ever plays again, he has made his mark.

Thanks, Grip.

Over The Top

Combing through the Sunday papers, I see that they have released Over The Top on DVD. I remember this old Stallone movie and I was pretty fond of it when it first came out. I think I still have a VHS copy.

Watching the struggles between a father and son, the son's spoiled attitude and his father's attempts to show him the realities of the real world, and pain of the final match, struck a nerve in me that I could relate to in many ways. Sometimes that's what a movie does to you. It can be a cheesy, half-assed movie, but all it takes is perhaps a few key scenes, a personal connection, and you can very well be in your own world. It is something only you can see.

Two Pals in Dire Straits

I was saddened to read about JT Snow this morning. The article had a little blurb that indicated he might be traded, despite his desire to stay in San Francisco and retire a Giant. I really like JT and admire his defense at 1st base. I have to say its him and Kirk Reuter that I like most in that team and I really would like to see them both retire as Giants. I know its a business and I can only hope that Brian Sabean can find the flexibility to keep them both for at least one more year, which is I think enough time for them to retire on their own terms.

JT already hinted that he wanted to stay at least one more year and I don't see it a problem for him backing up Lance Niekro. I think Lance would really benefit from having JT as a mentor. It also works to have both a left-handed and right-handed batter at 1st base, so I see this is as possible. I'm really worried about Woody (Kirk). His desire is to continue to pitch in the rotation. I think it might be a stretch for Brian to allow him another year in the rotation (but I would be very thankful if he went that way) and I thought he would have been ok with the shift to the bullpen. But I guess in the baseball world, or at least in the pitcher's fraternity, a starter moving to the bullpen is a bad thing and that probably is eating at Kirk. I'd like to think that he probably just wants to retire a starter.

I would want nothing more than to see these guys retire as Giants. And perhaps, return to help the team in the future......JT could be a bench coach....Woody could replace Mark Gardner in the pen someday.

Run Lola Run!

The Giants lost to the Cubs in the 9th inning 3-2......

I just had to switch the channel to get distracted....and lo and behold I find Run Lola Run on IFC. It makes me smile to see this movie again simply because I saw it a long time ago when Franka Potente was still an unknown in the US (before she appeared in The Bourne Identity). The german film is Tarantino-like in that is fast and injects as much information as creatively possible (here Twyker uses flash photographs in rapid succession). Franka's scream in the bank is probably my favorite scene.

Yes, It's Bleeding Now.

I think it was a quarter to tweleve Sunday night. I had recorded a DirecTV Freeview event of Garbage's live act to promote their new album. The album came initially cold for me (see July8 blog entry), but I wanted to watch this event. I still loved Garbage, the band. All Shirley had to to do was sing the title track. By the end of the song I knew I was bleeding inside.

The transfusion is complete.

click.

Something to do with Death

Bronson, Morricone, Robards....Amen. I haven't been able to watch a lot of old movies and I'm sure glad I ran into this one. Once Upon a Time in the West is a gem. If you buy the DVD, watch the featurettes and you will have even more appreciation for this film.

Bits to Consider:

• Close-up shot of Bronson's face during the final showdown between him and Fonda
• Morricone's score: one piece for each key character; and brought together as the film reaches the end
• Fonda's turn this time as a villain (watch the featurette and listen to his interview!)
• Jason Robards as Cheyenne (nuff said).

The Good Girl

On Saturday night, I was at a friend's house and The Good Girl was on. Jennifer Aniston played the role well and if there was anything to keep anyone else from saying so, it maybe because of the stigma that she carries being Rachel from Friends. But she has had some good turns. I liked her portrayal in Office Space...though that probably was not much of a stretch compared to The Good Girl.

Its that blank face...or distraught face...that she can do so well. If anything, that's what fit really well in her scenes.

SOAD: Mezmerize

It started off really great!.....but then I got numb and stopped listening. It's really hard when you have measure anything against Toxicity.

PJ Harvey, Merci!

After discovering that Showtime Next was broadcastin PJ Harvey's concert in a festival in France, I made it an effort to record it. There are no commercially available recordings of PJ, and all of the ones I have are bootlegs...and my recording this wouldn't make any exception, of course...only that it is professionally recorded so it will absolutely have good Hi-Fi sound. Sad to say, Showtime Next wasn't available on the DirecTV lineup (my hookup at home), so I checked Comcast and luckily it had all the Showtime channels. So, I asked my dad if he could add Showtime to his subscription and I would just pay him for the cost of adding a premium channel lineup (I covered two months worth as a way of saying thanks, and giving him and mom more time to enjoy the movies).

The first and nearest showing was Monday, July 18th at 2am. I came to my parent's place and a stakeout going in front of the TV. Dad offered to record it for me but I said I wanted to watch it while recording.

The concert was awesome and I felt like it was 2004 again and I was at the Great American Music Hall watching the performance. The fun tidbit in this recording is that midway through Down by the Water, PJ couldn't contain herself and laughed, but continued to sing anyway. After the song ended, she had to say something about it and uttered "....I just learning something, never look at Rob Ellis when singing this song...." It was fun to watch and I'm glad they didn't cut it out of the recording.