Month: October 2015

The Knick on Cinemax: “Ten Knots” for a ride home

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The-Knick-season-2Sometimes your worst enemy can be your next breakthrough. For Thackery, his poisonous descent into drug addiction left him in Cromartie Hospital at the end of Season 1 and Season 2’s opening frame finds the viewer resting on Thack’s current condition. Feeling good but in what way? He may be clean from cocaine but heroin is his new mistress to numb the pain of normal society. He isn’t getting any cleaner and that is the premise that drives the opening our of Steven Soderbergh’s second season of The Knick. What does clean mean if you are still addicted to a drug? Thack opened Season 1 on top of the world and in charge of the theater. Season 2 finds him fractured in both mental and physical capacities.

Here’s the catch. Thackery doesn’t want to leave the hospital any time soon. He tells the visiting Everett(Eric Johnson) that they treat them like mice but he likes the joint anyway. He spends his hours testing out new procedures on patients, fumbling around with paper until his next dose and feels like the environment suits him. This is where Clive Owen’s genius is realized. Bumping around as if gravity didn’t exist, the most brilliant and reckless doctor is a willing puppet. Gallinger has a remedy for that and it’s not speeding up Thack’s next serving of heroin. You see, Gallinger is a man who needs Thack in order to recover his spot at the Knick and in order to bring stability back to his life. After the death of his newborn baby in Season 1 and the deterioration of his wife afterwards, he needs Thack.

Elsewhere at The Knick, things have changed, for better or worse.

Dr. Edwards(Andre Holland) was left bloodied in a street fight at the end of Season 1 but now he is the interim chief of surgery and has steered the hospital in a great direction. He makes new discoveries every day and has welcome Dr. Chickering(Michael Angarano) back into the fold as an understudy/protege. Bertie has changed, having grown from innocent and ambitious learner into a chillier human being. Like a turtle restricting back into his shell, he denies a birthday gift from the still torn Nurse Lucy(Eve Hewson).

Edwards wants to make a move to become the permanent chief, but the board of directors have other plans. The scheming Barrow(Jeremy Bobb) wants to bring someone else in, preferably not “black”. While brilliant, Edwards knows that the color of his skin will restrict him from advancing in medicine. Being in 1901, African Americans didn’t even have an opportunity to reach anywhere inside a hospital except for scooping coal into the furnace in the basement. He’s a man in the wrong era with a unique set of skills. Due to his idiotic ordeals in the streets fighting, he also has a detached retina that may never properly heal. For now, he drops medicine into an eye that may keep him from making history. A doctor’s eyes are as important as his hands.

Cornelia(Juliet Rylance) is still trying to do good deeds, and when she brings food and supplies into Chinatown for the impoverished to consume, her carriage is overrun by wild hungry folks who don’t care about being fair. Decency lies a distant 2nd to natural selection.

The new Knick is coming along and Barrow is asking for top dollar architects, construction crews and supplies. He hasn’t turned over a new leaf and thinking about patients or his staff. Barrow still owes lots of money and while he wants to help his facility, he has to be playing an angle. He doesn’t like when a call from Dr. Hackett, the physician treating Thackery informs him that the doctor has disappeared suddenly from Cromartie.

Meanwhile, Thack wakes up on a boat and he is tied up. An outside shot shows the boat alone in a monstrous sea between waves. He has been kidnapped by Gallinger, and has no choice. The facility is way behind them and in order to get healthy and go home, he has to tie ten knots. Something that all sailors learn how to do in order to properly handle the sea. He has no choice. It’s either do this or sail forever. No drugs. Nothing. A pale white empty vessel of flesh, Thack goes to work. In doing this, Gallinger is bringing back the chief that the directors want and a tactic that will derail Edwards’ ultimate plan to take over. If he is going to get Thack clean, he must get the doctor back to level ground and get control back in his hands. Tying the knots will reestablish control.

One of the best parts of season 1 was the burgeoning friendship that developed between Sister Harriet(Cara Seymour) and Tom Cleary(Chris Sullivan). The bullied vulgar yet soft hearted ambulance rider for the Knick found an equal in Harriet and they performed abortions together on the side. When he got drunk, she did a job alone and walked into a trap. Now she is in jail and a saddened Cleary visits her in jail, telling her about his plan to try and get out free of the charges. It won’t be easy due to the ridicule that abortions carried but Cleary is going to figure something out. After all, he feels halfway responsible for her condition. In trying to raise money, he unsuccessfully promotes and trains a local wrestler. Somehow, Cleary will try to free his unlikely friend and ally.

“Get well or jump off.”-Gallinger

As he ties his knots, Thackery has a new goal. Cure addiction. A man who has seen the devil up close and can’t quit a drug has few options. He could remain addicted and do enough drugs until his brain is scrambled, his genius has dissolved and his life ends. Or he could try to cure himself and millions of others. After he ties the tenth knot, he sees a woman. The woman is someone Thack saw die on his table due to his addiction.

Did I miss anything? Sure I did. I won’t cover every bit of the 53 minute episodes. I’ll chat about the parts that made a dent and stuck in my mind days later. This isn’t a recap. It’s a weekly review and breakdown. Take it or leave it. Soderbergh has something special here. At least he hands the audience a scalpel.

The Knick isn’t a mesmerizing show but that is only because it has room to grow and story to tell. The cinematography, costume design, sets and feel color the show in gray doom. The writing and directing is cold and assured. The acting is perfectly rendered but it hasn’t touched greatness yet. It’s a compelling show that like its main character, still has a discovery to make.

I look forward to spending a few more hours in Soderbergh’s hypnotic world this winter.

Now Playing: What Movies NOT to watch

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As a film critic and natural lover of cinema, I see a lot of movies. In doing so, I can help others avoid some of the bad ones on the market and steer their hard working cash into the right theater. If they are at home, I can help them not waste their time, because sometimes that’s as bad as a movie burning a hole in your wallet. Here, I will present what to AVOID in theaters, on demand, on DVD or soon to be released. Take it or leave it.

Vacation(November 3rd on DVD)

Don’t waste your time on this film because it’s plain stupid and the laughs run out. Ed Helms is the Griswold patriarch trying to enliven his family by taking them to Wally World and the truth is I didn’t make it through this film. There comes a time where the light shining outside the theater is worth exploring more than the cinematic world you are sitting in. The old National Lampoon films were glorious and wickedly fresh. Instead of dishing Chevy Chase a cameo here, they should have sent seniors on a road trip. They were funny. This is not. Unless you adore Chris Hemsworth, who has a cameo, skip this one.

Selfless(November 10th on DVD, now playing On Demand)

Ryan Reynolds and Ben Kingsley swap bodies. No, this is not a drill but a real life movie idea that got green-lit because hundreds of people needed work. Kingsley is an old rich guy who is dying and wants to stick around so he takes the body of Reynolds and likes it a bit at first before predictable side effects enter. Suddenly, halfway through, an action film breaks out and the film tries to tie a bow on things at the end instead of being remotely edgy. Do yourself a favor and watch Reynolds’ other new flick, Mississippi Grind instead.

Tomorrowland(available On Demand and DVD)

George Clooney and the director of The Incredibles!!! What could go wrong? The reveal is a lot. The early hype on this fantasy space land, aliens, and superpowers starts off intriguing enough and has a few dazzling action sequences but in the end when the big reveal happens, it’s flat and bland. My wife fell asleep and I picked up my phone and checked college football scores and I don’t even like college football. Clooney and a young girl team up to escape to this magical place where dreams come true and there’s an ultimate meaning to it all and…well I just yawned. Moving on.

Paper Towns(available On Demand and on DVD)

The writer of The Fault in Our Stars, John Green, penned this tale about a shy kid who falls for the wild girl who suddenly runs away, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for loverboy to follow. Nat Wolff is a compelling 20 year old actor and Cara Delevingne is a edgy enough cohort with killer eyes, but the supporting ingredients lack real juice. The kid’s friends are a drag played by bad actors, belonging on a Nickelodeon series and not a feature film. The chase across the country isn’t exciting and the ultimate message about the end of innocence is as tired as a McDonalds commercial. Skip it and watch Fault instead.

Knock Knock(On Demand and In Theaters)

Eli Roth torturing Keanu Reeves didn’t sound cool or nice in the trailer and premise and the execution didn’t prove my initial theory wrong. This is a movie about a happy husband and father who is alone one rainy evening before a couple of mysterious pretty women show up at his door. When he lets them in, the audience knows bad things will happen. The ensuing torture sessions, intentional yet irritating humor and terrible performances plays like a bad joke from a respected horror mind in Roth. Reaves just got back on his horse playing John Wick and doesn’t help his cause here. He is bad and so is the rest of this trashy flick.

That’s it. If you need a movie to see in theaters, check out The Walk or The Martian. If you are staying at home, check out Fury Road or Pitch Perfect 2. Until next time, enjoy your next flick.

First base belongs to Stephen Piscotty

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KSDK
KSDK

Let’s just play along in a world where Jason Heyward signs with the St. Louis Cardinals and retains his spot in right field. All signs point to the two sides coming to an agreement sometime this winter. I wouldn’t bet your mortgage on it, but take a leap of faith with me anyway and let’s talk about first base in 2016. For my money, the position belongs to Stephen Piscotty, the Stanford whiz kid who came up and energized what existed of the Cards second half attack.

Piscotty was one of the few Cards to contribute more than a solo home run in the postseason against the Chicago Cubs. He helped put Game 1 away, tried to pull his team back in Game 3, and started off Game 4 right with a two run home run. He was the Cards best hitter from August until the end, so that means you make room for him in 2016. Whether it is in the outfield or at first base, Piscotty will play.

When Heyward returns, he takes over right field. Randal Grichuk, who was challenging Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson for the rookie of the year award before an August elbow injury slowed him down, takes over center field. Matt Holliday enters the final deal of his seven year contract and will play in left field. An offseason of rest should do that 35 year old body good after an i  njury plagued 2015 campaign. Tommy Pham and Jon Jay will anchor the 4th and 5th outfielder spots, giving the starters rest and challenging for more time. Don’t sleep on Pham remaining a mere backup, but he starts 2016 that way if J Hey returns.

That leaves first base to Piscotty and for good reason. I am sorry, but the Matt Adams starter show at first is over and has been for a while. Since the midway point of 2014, Adams has lost his power stroke and become an ordinary hitter. He doesn’t even take the ball to left field anymore or hit for average. This trend was in high gear before he tore his quad in May. Adams was on a tear in the first half of 2014, but after the All Star break, he only slugged .358. In 2015, he slugged .377. Somewhere along the line, Adams lost his big gravy boom stick. When he was slugging, his weak showing against lefties was digestible, but once the power left he became a dry entity. The future is now, and that is Piscotty, who I like call “COTTY” because it’s less characters on Twitter and rolls off the tongue better.

Piscotty is too good to make wait. He hit .305 in 233 at bats and slugged .494 and contributed several big hits down the stretch and in the playoffs. If the Cards want to get better on offense, shoving three guys at a position and seeing who sticks isn’t the right move. If the Cards retain Brandon Moss(same type of hitter as Adams but more flexible in field), there’s no room for Adams. If the plan is to bring Heyward back, there is no room for Adams. He’s a worn out idea in St. Louis and with the decreasing slug and out of time position play, he could be a trade candidate this winter. With Piscotty’s emergence, Adams became expendable.

First base is an important spot to have nailed down heading into 2016 with a beefier more menacing division to deal with and Stephen Piscotty solidifies that position for the Cards moving forward.

Kingdom on Audience: “New Money” brought new problems

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Get ready for episode 2 of Kingdom’s second season by reading my week 1 recap.

NickJonas-KingdomWhat does a champion do once they are on top? Once a dream is fulfilled and a lifetime of denial is erased, what comes after? Direct TV’s Kingdom opened its second season up with Matt Lauria’s Ryan Wheeler set to defend his title belt on the same card as the comeback of Jay Kulina(Jonathan Tucker, a live wire as usual) continues his trek back. Neither fighter gets what they ask for that night.

When we see Frank Grillo’s Alvey Kulina, he is buying $5,500 worth of weaponry, a result of treating yourself to some testosterone engaging firepower after struggling to make ends meet for years. With Wheeler’s victory, Alvey’s spectrum as a trainer was broadened and given Navy Street more attention, an influx of new fighters, and more cash flow. Lisa(Kiele Sanchez) has an assistant, which is good because she is pregnant and trying to advance in her career as a promoter at the same time. That’s like fighting two ugly opponents in a phone booth. Everybody on the show is facing either an identity crisis, a struggle to see a long term goal or a clear cut way to be happy.

Take Nick Jonas’ Nate, the prodigal not so fortunate son. He is a closeted bisexual who wants to be a fighter but doesn’t want to fight as much as his dad wants him to. He was badly hurt because of an altercation his dad had with a couple thugs that derailed his once hot fighting career. Now he is picking up the pieces of that career while wondering if winning a 100 fights will ever make him feel happy enough to tell the world who he really is. Imagine being King Leonidas’ son and telling him you don’t want to be a Spartan warrior. That’s Nate’s situation and it’s tragic if you look close enough.
The former Kuluna matriarch, Christina, has exited the world of hooking for a career in fast food, a world full of double shifts, dirty hands, bitter chats over cigarettes in a freezer with your boss and a desire to hook again on the side. Here is a woman who lost it all and tried to get it back only to find out it isn’t that easy. You have to fight to secure happiness on Kingdom. This season will see her and Alvey finally press ink to those divorce papers, or will it?

Mac(played by the freckled dartboard and exuberant Cubs fans Mac Brandt) gets the first official fight action of the season, wrestling and grappling with a fellow low paid fighter in what looks like an abandoned car lot. With Jay as his trainer, Mac wins the fight but barely escapes with his dignity. One of the things I wanted to see in Season 2 was more screen time for Mac and I got it in the premiere. Whether it’s warning Jay against doing Jay things or being the resourceful meds runner for Navy Street, Mac is all over this hour and it’s a welcome sight.

On Kingdom, nobody is window dressing. Every character gets a fair shake. Some could argue that it’s powered by Grillo because he gets the most screen time, but the supporting cast is better than ever. Tucker puts so much energy and wildness into Jay that you never know what the character is going to do next. Jonas is a bottle of quiet rage as Nate, continuing the evolution of this well known singer into something more. A performer of many stages.

The MVP of the episode is Lauria. The amount of expression on Lauria’s face as Wheeler battles demons of many kinds is impressive. Some actors need pages of dialogue to get this much work in and transform a character from a cardboard cutout to something real and Matt Lauria gets it done with a few looks. I don’t know what he was doing before this, but Kingdom is his new home. There are so many ways the show can go with Wheeler.

What happens with the fights? Jay’s opponent drops out, and this is the second time he has lost his opponent in recent weeks. It’s hard for a former talent like Jay to climb back into the rings of contention or to rise out of the lower ranks of fights. Your reputation follows you around closer than your ring record. It doesn’t help when Jay sees his “injured” opponent at the fight.

Wheeler battles a fever among other things but wins his fight by a narrow split decision. The crowd lets him have it but he promises to be better next time, causing him to question his whole future. That is where the authenticity of Grillo strikes. He grabs his fighters head and simply tells him, “A win is a win and that’s all that matters.” Part of what makes Kingdom a great show is that these characters are realistic flawed and dirty people. They have stains on their lives but they stick together.

The end of the episode flips everything on its head when the promoter of the Wheeler fight informs Alvey that Ryan had cocaine in his system. In order to keep it hush hush, Kulina will have to walk Wheeler into the lions den for free for a few fights. Everything that Wheeler has fought to reacquire has now been fumbled, and the trust of his trainer is gone. An episode that started with good intentions has now met a numb ending.

The next nine episodes will see battles of all kinds and the ties that bind inside the Kulina family circle get stretched in different ways. What will happen to Nate in his fight that causes a post fight scrum? Will Alvey and Christina get divorced? Will Lisa marry Alvey? Will Jay recapture his career? Can Ryan stay above water? What kind of storm will the new partner coming into Alvey’s gym(the guy has scumbag written all over his shit eating grin) bring? What is Alvey getting arrested for? He does own some powerful weapons and that includes the two fists that are attached to his body? How about this new fighter? Will she bring more than just fights to Lisa’s resume or will she get mixed up in the Kulina madness?

Creator Byron Balasco expertly sets the pillars in the lives of these people to crumble at a slow pace, making the damage that much more exotic and full of turmoil. As we discussed in our preseason interview, what happens when you get to the top? What comes after success? More success or a slow collapse? Or more chaos? I figure all of the above but the next nine hours will be interesting.

If you aren’t watching this show, do so now. The first season is on Itunes and Direct TV has merged with UVerse to show the second season. The excuses you can present are shrinking by the day.

Kingdom isn’t just a show about fighters figuring it out in the ring. It’s a show about people who get punched for a living but find the hardest punches hitting them when they are outside the octagon. With the third season being fired up right behind Season 2, the layers in this show will start to take shape. Get in on the action now. You can even tape your hands if you’d like. Just bring a stiff drink to the couch.

“Mississippi Grind” is a cinematic royal flush

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Mississippi-Grind-1Special movies know their identity and goal. They may not aspire to win the Oscar gold or the top spot at the box office but instead just register long enough for the viewer to smile at the credits and feel like their time wasn’t wasted. Mississippi Grind, about a pair of Gamblers working multiple joints up and down the famous riverfront, is a special treat because it aims to please and features original characters.

You may think you know Ben Mendelsohn’s Gerry and Ryan Reynolds’ Curtis from previous cinematic stories, but the truth is they are two of a kind. A pair of jokers working the clubs until the queens demand they return home. Two imperfect souls who are very good at being “the guy from nowhere who can play poker” and not very good at being a regular person. Gerry is down on his luck and owes everybody in the Midwest when he runs into Curtis, a good luck charm in the flesh at a game. Gerry loses all his money but finds a partner in crime in the younger Curtis. They hit the road and work the Mississippi River and all the highs and lows it has to offer. St. Louis, New Orleans, Alabama and Little Rock shine a light on our anti-heroes and give the film a beautifully gritty backdrop to deal off for its sharp 108 minute running time.

Writing/Directing tandem Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck basically toss the audience in the backseat of this guy and let them watch Gerry and Curtis ride the wave that every gambling junkie knows well. Big wins followed by little losses and the impulse to keep playing and the desire to withstand the greed that lurks inside any human soul. It’s all about knowing when to get out and run away clean and Gerry doesn’t know that mark at all. Curtis is the smarter player but that doesn’t make him any more even keeled. Gambling is a drug and it’s treated more honestly here than in other gambling movies. The tale is unpredictable without being depressing.

While there are other actors collecting a paycheck here, Mendelsohn and Reynolds own the road here. Mendelsohn, the ruffled feather of a character actor whose face you will know from films like Killing Them Softly and A Place Beyond The Pines, officially arrives in a leading role he has long deserved. With eyes carrying miles upon miles of sadness, the Aussie thespian makes you want to get to know him.

Reynolds easily gives his best performance to date and that’s saying something because he’s been good before. Here he settles into a role that fits all his abilities and pushes a few buttons audiences haven’t seen before. The fast talking comic maestro can fly back many roles on the seat of his charm but here he unveils a depth previously unreleased. You won’t be quick to trust Curtis and that’s because Reynolds snake eyes gaze keeps you guessing about where he truly comes from and his motives. It’s a real performance, similar to the one Fleck and Boden pulled from a yet unnoticed Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson.

Mississippi Grind does build to a huge final bet and while the climax is predictable, the resolution of the film is where is the cold center of a career gambler is revealed. The final few shots are just perfect. They leave you wanting more, having a will to spend a few more hours with these roughneck sinners who can’t quit the thrill.

It won’t win awards or be in theaters for long, but if you are needing a homemade batch of cinematic pleasure without the bells and whistles of a big budget showy flick, pay this movie’s tab and take it on for a stretch.

Did Cardinals burn a bridge with Lance Lynn?

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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The playoffs are a time where previous alliances are left behind and a new truce is set. Do whatever it takes to win the game is the idea. The St. Louis Cardinals chose to not go to Lance Lynn in the NLDS against the Cubs. The righty pitched one inning of action, taking over for Jaime Garcia and allowing a run.

He didn’t get the start in Game 2 even though Garcia was sick and he was passed over for John Lackey on three days rest in Game 4. Neither plan went well, as Garcia was shelled and Lackey gave up four runs in three innings. Neither plan had a good chance to working. This is where I want to crawl into the head of Lynn and wonder. Did the Cards burn a bridge with this guy in skipping over him?

Burning a bridge isn’t an over the top way to put it. They can be rebuilt over time but were the Cards justified in skipping Lynn against the Cubs. The North Siders had their way with Lynn but they also had their way with Michael Wacha, the game 3 starter who got shelled for four runs in four plus innings. If there was trepidation about Wacha’s abilities after a long season, why was Lynn shoved to the side?

If we are keeping score, Lynn was passed over by a…

*Mentally bruised lefty with a stomach virus

*Tired young arm.

*36 year old pitching on three days rest for the first in October in 10 years.

Does it all add up? If we go by a “what have you done lately” scenario, Lynn closed the 2015 season better than Wacha with three solid starts. In his last three starts, Lynn allowed a single earned run in 16 innings. Sure a little luck played a part in that final walk, but the stats back up the man here. Lynn had just as much merit for a postseason start as Wacha, a 2013 postseason hero who got lit up down the stretch(allowing 13 earned runs in his final 14 innings). Unlike Wacha, Lynn is a horse in this Cardinals rotation. Four straight years of 29 or more starts and 175+ innings. Shouldn’t that speak for something on the big stage?

Lynn is entering the second year of a three year, 21 million dollar deal. A final contract to buy up his arbitration before he truly cashes in. Where do John Mozeliak and Cards management stand on Lynn at the moment? Is he a trade piece? He has a team friendly contract and at 28 years of age, has plenty of ammo left. Like Matt Adams, I am getting the odd feeling that Lynn could be sitting on the trade market.

Personally, I wouldn’t want to see him go. He’s a bargain at seven million. For all the people who want the Cards to drop 160 million on David Price, don’t sleep on Lance. He’s a fine component to a rotation. Lynn gives you solid innings and kept his ERA and WHIP in check and was worth 3.4 wins above replacement to the Cards despite his struggles. Was he hurt down the stretch? Does he rely on his fastball too much? While both are logical questions, I think many under-appreciate Lynn’s value to the team.

For those who say he plummeted in 2015, they miss a few key stats. Lynn’s fielding independent pitching was an above average 3.44 and his ERA+(which factors the ballparks a pitcher throws in) was 131, way above average. Sure, he was my candidate to sit out if Carlos Martinez was healthy but for the people overvaluing Wacha’s 17 wins and placing him over Lynn for a postseason start, they are a bit off.

Lynn carries his emotions on his sleeve and won’t forget this dismissal. This isn’t like Shelby Miller getting shunned in 2013 after his first season. He didn’t have Lynn’s pedigree and durability. This is a whole new kind of beast. Something I want to see Lynn turn into a ferocious 2016 season in St. Louis. If he had a chip on his shoulder heading into the 2015 season, he has a stack resting there now.

I don’t think the Cardinals burned a bridge to Lance Lynn with their playoff decision, but the cheddar springs loving arm won’t soon forget what occurred this postseason. If he is smart, he’ll wear it like a badge of honor as he hustles towards that big payday.

Hating the Cardinals doesn’t make you a better Blues fan

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In case you lived under a rock shelter of Imos pizza boxes, you may have noticed the St. Louis Cardinals got eliminated by their bitter rival, the Chicago Cubs, this week in the NLDS. It wasn’t pretty, came too soon and I still haven’t completely shook it off yet. Apparently, some St. Louis writers love that the Cards are done, most notably Paul Friswold, the Arts and Culture editor for the Riverfront Times. He wrote this piece about his disdain for the Cards and why he is glad they are out of the playoffs. There are better methods to stating your opinion than spewing profanity in a derogatory manner that comes off like a four year whining about his toys. Maybe I am old fashioned.

The writer talks about the lack of coverage that the Blues get in relation to the Cards and how it’s not fair. This isn’t an invalid point. The Cards do get a lot of coverage throughout the year but they also produce a lot of collaborative work with the Blues and Rams. It isn’t their fault that the television networks and newspapers feature more of their team than the hockey team.

If this article was an attack on the networks or newspapers, it may have more juice and substance. This isn’t something new around St. Louis or other cities. There is always a team fanbase that wishes their team got as much attention as the other team. The Cards are definitely the big brother in the Lou, and this writer makes it seem as if they created this madness. That is inaccurate. The Cards didn’t step out onto Clark Avenue and scream, “We are kings and that is that.” They are a great franchise who works with local teams to better the city.

This isn’t a fluff piece. It isn’t good journalism. It is a hate piece that is unnecessary and brings a bad shade of black to Blues fans. I cover the Blues for St. Louis Game Time(yes, a Cardinals writer can also cover the Blues!) and our editor had this to say about the piece. A fair and measured rebuttal. In it, Laura Astorian says plainly, “When you’re a fan of a team that plays second fiddle, be it in your city or in that professional league, openly whining about it makes you seem petulant.” There isn’t a better way to hit the nail on the head. If you don’t like the Cardinals, that is one thing. Taking to your paper to openly complain and whine about “coverage” doesn’t make you seem any stronger.

Don’t get me wrong. RFT is a solid paper with good writers and a fair assortment of topics and a sharp edge, but this piece seemed out of touch and out of mind. I’ve read them for years and they have posted better pieces than this. It sounded more like a childish rant than a well thought out piece of commentary and all I do is write commentary, so I know where blunt ends and petulant begins.

Once again, if you hate the Cardinals, that is fine. Sports is a weird emotional chaotic ride of extremes and it brings out original reactions in people every year.  If you hate them because they get more coverage than the Blues, that is not fine. Hating the Cardinals doesn’t make anyone a better Blues fan. It gives the rest of Blues fans a bad name. That is it. There are better way to express an opinion.

Hate the game, not the player. Write about the networks uneven coverage or the paper’s improper usage of ink. Don’t hate the team for establishing themselves as a powerhouse in the city.

What do you think of the article? What was your reaction?

“The Walk” is a bittersweet and breathtaking ride

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Two towers. One man. One wire.

On August 7th, 1974, a charismatic Frenchman named Philippe Petit saw his imagination and ambition collide with reality when he laid a wire between New York City’s World Trade Center Twin Towers and walked across it. He did it a few times. The crowd 110 stories below gathered by the thousands. The police who ran to the rough to arrest him stood in awe as he walked back and forth, bounced, laid down on the wire and spent more time defying the laws of gravity than millions of civilians would dare to do in their lifetimes. It was a spectacle and Director Robert Zemeckis and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt bring it to vivid life onscreen.

In the beginning of the film, Levitt is standing on top of the Statue of Liberty with the beaming Towers behind him as he tells the audience his amazing tale. The storytelling tool here is simple. Picture a circus performer or magician explaining to the audience his greatest trick in grand detail and you have this film. The movie treats the audience like a spectator passing through a museum and stopping to stare in awe at one of history’s greatest hits. A shy if curious viewer, you fall prey to this spectacle because it is unlike anything you’ve seen before.

JGL is fantastic here as the wild thrill seeking yet diligent “walker”. He’s come a long way from Third Rock from the Sun and the innocent loverboy in 10 Things I Hate About You. He is a kinetic force as Petit, transforming body, voice and soul to pay the right amount of tribute to the real fella. What many of us would think of as sure death, Petit merely called “the void”.

When Gordon-Levitt first wields his French accent on you, it may hint at first as too much or over the top but it grows on you on the film stretches from France to America with Petit and his friends planning “the coup”. Yeah, it wasn’t legal to walk between the towers, which weren’t even opened yet and nearing the end of construction as well as being stuck in controversy with the locals. After Petit’s stunt, the towers were beloved and looked upon as mythical statues in the city’s skyline.

It’s impossible to not think about 9/11 while you watch this film. Any time the Towers come on screen, a feeling of sadness and nostalgia will strike you but Zemeckis had this in mind. He wants you to yearn for the day when these Towers dominated the skyline and inspired people like Petit to dream big.

The visual effects are outstanding and sure to command awards attention. The moment Gordon-Levitt steps out onto the wire with both feet, the uneasiness in your stomach will creep up and grab your throat. The filmmakers complete the trick of making you think that you are right there with Petit as he is achieving his goal. It’s a front seat to the greatest daredevil act of all time.

The end of the movie involves a subtle touch to the demise of the Towers without blowing away the good feeling the film provides. Petit(who trained Gordon-Levitt for the film) commented on Twitter that it was a great sensitive ending and you have to see it to understand the effect. Without being overly dramatic, Zemeckis and co-writer Christopher Browne tip the hat to the memory of the majestic buildings and the role they played in this man’s life.

The Walk is a bittersweet yet breathtaking ride that feels just right as the winter season of Oscar heavyweights commences before moviegoers eyes. The jazzy score, underlying humor and child like gaze of the camera allows the film to sweep over the viewer and guides you through a moment in history that seems too good to be true. With a strong performance from his renegade leading man, Robert Zemeckis has created some special for audiences to partake in. A serious adventure film with a cool sprinkle of history.

Gennady Golovkin will make you love boxing again

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Ask any casual boxing fan on the street and they will tell you the sport is losing steam. It’s getting boring, doesn’t have the allure it used to, or lacks stars. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are getting old and Andre Ward doesn’t seem to be too interested in fighting. The heavyweight division is dead. Canelo Alvavez is an exciting talent but needs to beat Miguel Cotto to regain world dominance again. For my money, Gennady Golovkin is going to bring boxing back and he will do it one knockout at a time. This weekend, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Golovkin will face his stiffest test in Montreal’s David Lemieux, a fellow power puncher with knockout power. A pair of middlweights clashing like a pair of trains on a lit up track.

For all the people who don’t like seeing two boxers step into a ring and dance around each other while throwing harmless jabs and complacent hooks, meet this Russian tank. He’s got hammers for fists and he likes action packed fights. He likes action packed fights so much that he will resist knocking his opponent out so he can give the fans a better fight. A longer bout. How about that? GGG, as fans and analysts call him, will take a few punches to enliven the audience. He will take a shot, smile at the opponent as if the love tap wasn’t hard enough and then unleash a few thunderous shots of his own.

The best boxers have the ability to cut off the ring. Make the square shrink and seem like a tight phone booth instead of an open ring. The best boxers cut it off and then attack with a vengeance when their prey is stuck in the trap. That’s what Golovkin does in his fights. He stalks his prey around the ring and gets them into a corner, where he attacks the head and the body. He has knocked opponents out before with a single body shot to their kidneys or a dynamic combination to their head. He’s the train that rips across the tracks that fighters don’t see coming. If Floyd put you to sleep with his slow boiling ring routine, Gennady is going to pull you out of your seat when he goes to work. On the Road to Golovkin-Lemieux on HBO this past week, GGG put it bluntly. “You have dance. Or you fight. I prefer action.” So do we.

The most appreciative fan of the sweet science will admit that a power puncher is fun to watch. The glory days of Mike Tyson knocking people out before they knew where they were at is sexy and something that was missing before Golovkin showed up pitying the fools who got into a ring and locked horns with him. Golovkin has the highest knockout percentage at 90.9 in middleweight championship history and that includes over 300 fights, both professional and amateur. He has 30 knockouts in 33 professional wins with no losses. He has never been knocked down, showing the ability to have a jawline comprised more of porcelain than glass. He isn’t a flash in the pan yet a real deal that will be realized completely when he sends Lemieux to the canvas Saturday night in the Big Apple.

With no disrespect to the Montreal native, I don’t think Lemieux knows what he is getting into with GGG. It’s like expecting a few inches of snow and getting slammed by an avalanche. Lemieux can say that Golovkin hasn’t tasted the kind of shots he can deliver, but that coin can be flipped the other way. He hasn’t tasted Gennady’s power and that’s the dangerous part. Did I mention that Gennady Golovkin has knocked out 20 straight opponents since he joined up with Abel Sanchez in 2010.

Here’s an example. Marco Antonio Rubio beat Lemieux four years ago. Golovkin knocked Rubio out in the second round a year ago. After the fight, Golovkin called out Cotto to no avail. He knocked out Martin Murray in the 10th round and Willie Moore Jr. in the sixth round after a third knockdown forced Moore to shake his head to the referee, who stopped the fight. Golovkin has destroyed the same opponents who either gave Lemieux a tough time or beat him.

On Saturday night, Golovkin is going to officially coin himself as the pound for pound champion in boxing. He isn’t the next best thing. He is the thing right now in boxing that shouldn’t be missed. If you can’t buy the fight this weekend, go somewhere and watch it. Don’t wait for the replay. It’s better than any action movie in theaters and worth watching. The greatest boxers appeal to hardcore fans, casual fans and people who don’t even like the sport. When you watch Golovkin work, it’s hard to keep your eyes off him. He’s truly something else and he’s quickly taking over the sport.

The Martian: Powered by Matt Damon and a sense of humor

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The-Martian-2015The premise of The Martian is Matt Damon trying to survive on Mars but in reality, Mars couldn’t survive without Damon. He breathes fresh air into the survival genre and adds a new ingredient and it’s called humor and the signature placing of it in this movie.

Together with director Ridley Scott, Damon helps enliven Andy Weir’s groundbreaking novel about an astronaut stranded on the one planet you don’t want to get lost on. A place where nothing grows, lives or wants to exist. 50 million miles away, Damon’s Mark Watney has to somehow survive for years before a rescue mission can even be prepped. Like Castaway, the viewer will immediately put themselves in Watney’s shoes. Being one of the best botanists on the planet and Macgyver when it comes to figuring out thermodynamics, electronics and physics, can Watney survive? The movie isn’t unpredictable yet keeps you on your toes.

The greatest tool Scott and Damon swing here is using Weir’s wonderful slices of comedy and fish out of water theatrics to keep the proceedings light. There are parts of the novel that were left out due to the book being extremely detailed and thick, so I don’t blame the filmmakers for cutting corners here and there. No one wants to see a 20 minute exposition where Watney explains how he turned his own feces into usable soil to grow food and how he hooked this thing to that thing. It’s science, big budgets, big actors, directors and you gotta move! A three and a half hour film about a guy surviving on Mars isn’t going to work. This two hour and 22 minute cut is kinetic, quick on its feet and doesn’t slow down. Out of all the things left out, the humor and strangeness of Watney’s situation isn’t forgotten. It’s one of the best parts of the movie.

The goods also exist in seeing Watney figuring things out on the move and running into constant trouble. This is a geek experiment that even someone who hated chemistry and physics in high school found enthralling. Watney takes the viewer on all kinds of rides and you won’t forget it because it’s Matt Damon doing it.

For this role, Scott needed a special breed of actor. One who can engage and captivate at the same time and keep an audience hooked during one long expanded science experiment. Damon is perfect for the job because he wears the role like a spacesuit he has been fitted for. Nothing rings false or doesn’t seem right because of the actor. From the moment we see Damon wake up alone on Mars after the mission goes bad, we are connected to his every move. It’s his show and he dominates. This isn’t the kind of part someone else could have slipped into and tried to be good. This is full throttle transformation. Damon goes through a physical change as well and doesn’t skip a beat. He never forgets to keep things light and but shows the ability to instantly switch to a powerful moment.

The film hinges on Damon and his ability to transcend pages to the screen. He’s a marvel here, carrying the film on his shoulders and functioning as a balancing stick between wide eyed action and unexpected humor. This isn’t the first time people have went looking for Damon(Saving Private Ryan and Interstellar) but this is the first time the mission has actually involved some comedy and not just a pack of tissues. If it got too heavy, The Martian loses half its value.

The supporting cast is an elite group. All the roles fit the players like a glove. Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Kristen Wiig especially fit their parts to a tee. Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Pena and Donald Glover are also great. No one overplays the roles or underplays the script. Everyone is right where they need to be.

The soundtrack is full of fun hippy disco music(that will be explained in the movie). The running time feels like 45 minutes less due to the superb editing. Harry Gregson-Williams’ score doesn’t overpower or seem distant. It adjusts to the action at hand and is seamless. The technical achievements are superb, with the space action sequences packing a punch and the desolate pieces on Mars(aka Jordan) streaming well without being distracting.

Is this an Oscar caliber film? Yes. It fits the criteria of taking a best selling novel and bringing it to vivid life. Instead of being gloom bin like Gravity, this film combines different genres and is a feel good ride. The Martian is an original piece of work, bringing a fresh coat of paint to a genre that people have forgotten about or didn’t think could find coherence away from Earth. Damon is Oscar worthy because a good portion of the film is him talking to a webcam and dealing with the hardships of a chaotic planet. And no, he doesn’t have a volleyball or Tom Hanks to talk to. It’s all Damon and it’s a special kind of performance.

The Martian is a special kind of film. Powerful, funny and easy to connect with and be engaged by. A geeky feel good thrill ride that will leave you talking about it afterwards. It may force you to see it again. It is the first film in 2015 that truly made me leave the theater thinking, “Wow, I could watch that again right now.”