Sports are like a very demanding best friend. There are times where you wish you could just quit them but they constantly remind you of the undeniable bond between the two of you.
When former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese stepped up to home plate at Busch Stadium this past weekend, it was his first at bat at Busch in nearly two and a half years.
As Frank Sinatra once said, the sweet can not be as sweet without the bitter. Freese embodies that tough love ideal to a tee.
Every Cardinals fan remembers October 27th 2011. It’s become part of the great history of this franchise. A fond memory that will turn the most cynical fan into a warm nostalgia covered glass case emotions.
Let’s kick it old school for a minute and relive it. Game 6. 2011 World Series. Bottom of the ninth. The Texas Rangers are up 9-7. The Cards aren’t going down without a fight. Like Rocky with two willing legs and fists, they stagger to their feet bloodied yet not beaten. Two on and two out. David Freese steps up to the plate against Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz. Are the Cards coming back? As Donnie Brasco once said, fuggeddaboutit! That’s general wisdom though. (more…)
The Intouchables reminds you how great movies can make you feel leaving the theater. This movie reminded me of my late grandmother, Henrietta Bulus. She loved French cinema films because they presented you with simple stories that taught you so many subtle truths about life and its quiet virtues. French cinema is the opposite of Hollywood blockbusters, and the timing of this film’s release perfectly coincides with the madness of the theater shaking sprints of the big budget superhero alien fighting action adventures that will fill the multiplexes this weekend. This is a simple movie with layers of poignant knowledge.
The Weinstein Company
The Intouchables carries the task of a sweet little vineyard, presenting the touching story of two men from completely different backgrounds that see their paths collide which produces the most unlikely of friendships. (more…)
Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan teaming up for the action adventure flick Wheelman may not be the Beatles getting back on a stage together but it’s pretty damn close.
Back in 2012 when Carnahan’s The Grey was released, Grillo was just beginning to surge into the mindsets of moviegoers. He had just wowed them with Warrior and would rock them with his small and pivotal role in End of Watch later that summer. Carnahan’s ode to dangerous men fighting wolves and themselves in the brutal cold resonated with me on several levels, and reminded me of how gifted of a filmmaker Carnahan was.
No matter how many movies I see, Carnahan’s Narc never leaves my head when I think of expertly well done cop films. Ray Liotta playing this desperate misguided and stricken detective trying to make one thing right no matter how much wrong it involved. Joe is one of those directors that won’t work just to work. He wants the film to be personal and unlike anything you’ve seen before. That’s why he left certain big level projects. It’s his way or it’s no way. I respect that in a land of performers who aspire for mediocrity if it promises them a paycheck.
Grillo is your natural drop of action authenticity and has enthralled a legion of fans for years. An actor with more flavors than people give him credit for(just shut up and watch DirecTV’s Kingdom) and his performance in The Grey often gets overlooked because of some giant called Liam Neeson and the wolves these men had to starve off. Grillo’s John Diaz wasn’t a good man, but he wanted to move closer to that way of life in his final moments. Here, Grillo goes toe to toe with Neeson.
So when I heard Grillo and Carnahan were getting together for Wheelman, an action flick written and directed by Jeremy Rush, I was pumped. With these two guys, it doesn’t matter what the material is. If they are laying their hands on it, the script must be juicy and the probability for asskicking success has to be high. They’ve waited five years to work together again and it could lead to more collaboration, via Joe’s twitter account.
Huge announcement coming kids. @FrankGrillo and I are taking over this fucking town.
Wheelman is about a getaway driver who gets betrayed by his crew and must do whatever it takes to save his wife and kid. Simplistic, to the point and ready to thrill. Grillo and Carnahan aren’t trying to share some space on the podium at the Oscars here. They want to entertain the shit out of you because that lasts longer than a shiny trophy. They have no delusions of grandeur saved with their films. Their work is the kind you keep hearing about and eventually check out only to be blown away. The film also represents Grillo’s first foray in producing.
Wheelman should debut sometime in 2016 and in the mean time, you can catch Grillo lacing up his gloves all over Hollywood this year. After knocking Captain America around in Civil War, he will reenter Kingdom’s Navy Street as Alvey Kulina, the maker of men and inner turmoil in the world of MMA. He will reprise his role of Sergeant Leo Barnes in July’s Purge: Election Year as well as starring in Beyond Skyline and Stephanie later this year. Carnahan wrote and directed a few episodes of State of Affairs in 2014-15 and is prepping Bad Boys 3 for launch here this summer.
Wheelman will be known as when Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan got back together and started their Hollywood domination plot. Get involved in this now.
You’ll spend a fair amount of time watching Criminal wondering how director Ariel Vromen was able to assemble such a star studded cast for a script that lacks polish, smarts, creativity or any true captivating quality. Who owed who money or a favor? How did this film get made with so many big names?
Summit Entertainment
Hey, there’s Kevin Costner, brooding and grunting loudly while beating up all sorts of people, good and bad. There’s Gary Oldman, playing a CIA honcho in London who needs to locate a computer wizard turned spy, played by Michael Pitt. Tommy Lee Jones is a scientist/doctor who can transplant DNA from one brain to another. Ryan Reynolds, fresh off Deadpool, drops in for a quick bite. Alice Eve and Gal Gadot class up the joint to the best of their ability without a role carrying any weight or worth. The only face that fits in is legendary C-movie martial arts star Scott Adkins.
Adkins should be in Costner’s role and the rest of the film’s cast should be filled with people you couldn’t name with a gun to your head. Instead, the stars all show up and try to shine up a movie that isn’t that smart or entertaining enough to salvage the 10 dollar ticket charge.
For a movie that is all about brainy matter and information, it’s endlessly stupid and incoherent. I can handle a good dose of action. Just own up to what it is you are doing and going for. Criminal acts serious, looks serious, and moves slow.
It’s a thrill in some scenes to see the ageless Costner take down bad guys and sprinkle some wit and much needed humor around his punches and kicks. If there was more of that and less grunting and screaming, this film could have worked. I’m not sure what the late screenwriter Douglas Cook was going for, but the end result doesn’t add up in any film addict’s skull.
For Reynolds, this is two movies that revolve around transplanting a mind to a different body. Last year, it was Ben Kingsley in Self-less and now it’s Criminal. Both film will be bombs and should be avoided.
You want to see Costner unplugged. Check out Mr. Brooks. You want to see Oldman chew scenery for a good reason. Check out The Professional. You want to see Jones play calm, old, and wise. Watch No Country For Old Men. There’s nothing to see here but a supreme waste of talent.
The trailer was intriguing but there’s a reason a preview is only 2 minutes long. Sometimes it’s a message in disguise saying, “This is more compelling than the two hour finished product.”
A renegade Costner can’t save a brain dead Criminal. Skip it.
My late grandmother, Meme, never let her age get in the way of living, because she knew as long as you had passion in your life, a young heart would never die. She would fit right in with the old rebels in this heartwarming story, where old bodies run away from the horrors of old age and find comfort in the grace of the production of musical harmony.
Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut with Quartet, a movie that warms the heart right up in the cold bone of winter with this spicy concoction of drama, comedy and musicianship. A celebration of the soul and a reminder that age is only a number with a measure of stock that depends on our own choices. This film is a delight to take part in and is goodwill ambassador for elderly people who feel like their youthful abilities have departed. (more…)
Back in the day before I picked up the media weapon and fired it like a lethal weapon to the vast corners of cyber space, I was a ranting maniac on the email circuit. Emails were sexy once. Hotmail to be exact. Yeah, that email service that looks about as cool as MySpace right now was my home to unleash 3,000 worded long winded and epic rants about sports, film, personal stories and also “Fuck You” lists. Whatever I wanted. Anytime. Mostly once a week. No editor. No website. Just a need to impose my will without thinking twice.
Since I made the jump over to gmail as much, but I still keep the hotmail email like an old rifle stored in the closet gathering dust. Like Batman walking over to his old batcave, I stumble over there from time to time and check out the drafts, saved emails and volleys between friend when they responded. PJ, Derek, Jimmy, and others. You know who you are, you inglorious bastards. Today, I was hanging out there and thought I’d dip back into the drafts and legendary sent packages and compose a greatest hits section. Volume 1 because I sent over 1,000 rants before I picked up the Dose of Buffa WordPress in July, 2011. So, without much further bullshitting, I present the first batch. Now would be the time to click out of this.
BAD MOODS SUCK(8/22/2011). The only thing worse than a bad mood is spreading it around so others can get a piece of it. My idea is, if you are in a shitty mood and don’t feel like dealing with the outside world, find your personal cave, go there, and leave everyone alone. People really fuck up when they try to tough it out and hang while pissed off. Bad things don’t happen, friendships aren’t damaged, but a sting is left in place. Another lesson when I was young from the old man. My dad told me this precisely about 99 times, “If you are in a bad mood, go bang your head on a brick wall many times until you hurt, which will take away the mental pain for the time being. Also, you will be the only one feeling this pain.” He never followed his own advice. I try to enforce it today. If you are pissed off, go home. Laughter isn’t the fucking medicine. (more…)
Moviegoers deserve more films like Jake Gyllenhaal’s latest, Demolition. A movie made for the sake of good storytelling and not just to make a buck.
Unlike Batman v. Superman (which cost $275 million to make), Demolition probably cost less than $30 million to produce. This movie was made for the soul and asks a lot of uncomfortable, yet brutal questions. It is familiar looking, yet different when you start to turn the pages during its 100 minute running time.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director Jean-Marc Vallee doesn’t mess around when he picks up a camera these days. He directed Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, where both actors walked home with Oscars. He directed Reese Witherspoon in Wild, where she scored a Best Actress nomination and career renewal. Gyllenhaal’s career didn’t need saving, but he is a marvel here as Davis Mitchell, a man who changes in ways you wouldn’t imagine after his wife dies in a car accident. (more…)
Margin Call was a painfully disturbing film that hung around inside your head for days. The cast was uniformly excellent, especially Stanley Tucci, who only had 3 scenes but nailed each one.
Lionsgate Entertainment
His rant about the number of years he saved in people’s lives by building a large bridge was legendary and must of flattened the crew on set that day. Spacey, Irons, Bettany, Quinto and Baker are all very good. This film doesn’t pick a side on the financial crisis. It just paints the walls with the blood shed that day mentally and physically. This script and direction plays like a David Mamet play, Glengarry Glen Ross 2 for example. Powerful piece of movie magic that expertly combines star power and gritty storytelling.
There was no one party to blame that day, so why point a finger. Irons chief of the firm coming in and telling Spacey’s soldier on the front line, “This has been happening since the beginning of civilization. We overextend ourselves, regroup and keep on spending. Its the way of the land.” I am definitely watching this again and a third time just to soak in the magic. This is a film that reminds you how important original ideas are in Hollywood. Fuck 3D and a remake. Give me a story with blood hanging from the page. (more…)
Once again, I was lucky enough to score a 30 minute Blog Talk Radio date with a fellow St. Louis Cardinals fan. Kristi Lynn joined the pod. A St. Louis local and diehard sports fan, Kristi talked about the highs and lows of sports discussion on twitter as well as a peek at the hometown baseball team’s early season troubles.
Need a taste of what she brings to the table. Check out these sample tweets.
“Going back to 1996 the Cardinals have had 3, yes 3, losing seasons (97, 99, 07). In 20 years that’s not too shabby.”
“Our sports teams win when I’m in attendance in April and May…Just saying Cards. I could help you out.”
“We’ve still yet to have the exact same lineup so far this season. Is that correct, my stats guys?”
“My headphone volume is now eardrum shattering loud and I can still hear those fucking kids.”
She’s blunt and I love her. People like Kristi are why you should join social media.
Until you take that step, click here for the podcast we recorded Sunday night.
Seeking a Friend For the End of the World is a movie about love in the most unlikely place. A story for old school romantics who need a little hope given back to them is the idea here. I am not spoiling anything to tell you at the heart of Lorene Scafaria’s tale lay a fearless romance. The good thing is, this is the anti-romantic comedy. There are no happy endings predicted in the first 10 minutes at the end of this train ride.
Alfa Films
What is found here instead is a useful insight into time wasted in a life, the power of forgiveness, the brightness of the world and the healing power of love. Dodge is a man who finds out the world is ending right at the same moment his wife leaves him. He has been left by many women, things, opportunities and has sacrificed Dodge needs something and finds it in Penny, a fellow soul worth saving yet needing a sense of connection. (more…)
A renegade 
Dose of Buffa 