Author: D. Buffa

A regular guy who feels a journalistic hunger to tell the news. I blog because its wired into my brain to write what I think in print. I offer an opinion. A solo tour here. Take regular stories and offer my spin on them. Sports, film, television, music, fatherhood, culture, food, and so on. Commentary on everything. A St. Louis native and Little Rock resident who wants to write just to keep the hands fresh and ready.

Brick Mansions: Paul Walker misfire

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Film addicts, it’s important to walk into Brick Mansions with the right mindset. It can’t be stressed enough that this movie is a glorified version of cinematic frozen pizza. As a critic, my job was to also separate the film from the bittersweet paradox that came with the tag of Paul Walker’s last completed film. The minute I saw the twinkle in Walker’s blue eyes and the youthful vulnerability in his performance in this brainless action exercise, there was a small moment of nostalgia.

Warner Brothers/Relativity Media

Seeing him drive a sports car furiously around a parking lot was plain eerie.  The action star died tragically in a car accident in November and seeing his confident energy on screen kicking, punching and sprinting for justice, it’s rather difficult at first to separate real life and cinema. With his death coming 2 fast 2 furious only months ago, the effort was on to properly critique his last film.

The movie starts, and David Belle starts jumping through windows and off buildings, and right away the IQ level of Brick Mansions is revealed. 1980’s throwaway action candy.  Take it for what it is, and the film can be enjoyed at a modest level. Take it for anything more, and disappointment will settle in. (more…)

Wildcard: Diet Statham

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(older movie reviews with a new coat of paint)

Here’s one way that tells you the movie that just consumed 90 minutes of your life was a bad idea. When you can’t seem to come up with a coherent way to explain the plot to someone. The latest Jason Statham vehicle is bland, pointless and goes nowhere in its brisk running time. He plays a tough guy “fixer” who helps people in a variety of ways. He could help a man land a beautiful woman by letting the man knock him out. He could help a brutally beaten friend get revenge on a gangster. You name it and Statham’s Nicky will do it. I wish I could have asked for a better movie with such talent involved.

Say what you want about the British action star, but Statham is a fun man to watch. He is truly something unique and is a reliable guy when it comes to producing a good old fashioned dose of kickass therapy. Here, he is joined by a fine cast including Jason Alexander, Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis along with a few worthy B-list stars and the script is from William Goldman, who wrote the book the film is based on as well. That novel was called “Heat” and the name switch just makes the film look more laughable. (more…)

Blues talk: Adjust or go home Hitch

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After blowing a 3-1 lead in Game 6 and thus losing a grip on a 3-1 series lead, the St. Louis Blues find themselves playing for the season tonight at Scottrade Center.

In my latest solo podcast, I break down the reasons the Blues coughed it up.

*Why it’s very wrong Patrick Kane played 22 minutes in Game 6 and Vladimir Tarasenko played 17 minutes.

*Why can’t Ken Hitchcock make adjustments like Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville?

*If Blues choke, will the offseason feature some surprise departures and deals?

Also, what the fuck happened to Kevin Shattenkirk’s defense in the second period?

All and more right here.

A few tweets to set the mood up for the podcast:

That’s all folks. Enjoy the listen and send me thoughts to my Twitter page. GUARANTEED response. Book it.

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“Fitzgerald’s Christmas”: Ed Burns’ best in years

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No one does heartfelt family dramas like Edward Burns.  His stories bleed into real life. Watching his movies, one feels like a distant cousin or relative of the 44 year old writer/director/producer/actor who serves up his finest creation since She’s The One.   A heartfelt ode to family commitment and loyalty through the brush fire of a painful past.

Burns is the family patriarch Gerry, who finds out that his long gone father(the invaluable Lauter) suddenly wants to come back for Christmas. His mother, Rosie(the wonderful Gillette) wants no part of him and is sticking to her guns.  Watching Burns and Gillette quarrel over issues and discuss matters of the heart, you get the feeling they are related in real life.   (more…)

Talking Cards-Cubs with Kevin Mattingly

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What if you were a St. Louis Cardinals fan growing up in Illinois in a Cubs household? Guest Kevin Mattingly, a trusted and fierce Twitter follower of mine, joined the DOB Pod to discuss rough childhoods supporting the Cards, who he roots for today, and whether he wants the Blues or Hawks to prevail on Monday in Game 7.

Kevin and I also discussed:

*Aledmys Diaz’s breakout season

*Jeremy Hazelbaker’s need to play

*Matt Adams potential castoff

Here’s a couple tweets of Kev’s to get a taste of his delivery:

And this:

Follow Kevin right here.

Click for the podcast here.

Have a good Sunday folks and go Cards and Blues.

I love having new guests, known and unknown on my podcast. If you are interested, email me with a proposal-buffa82@gmail.com

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Parker: Diet Jason Statham

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(older movie reviews with a fresh coat of paint)

Let me break down this troubling film as best as a critic with bias towards its star can. Jason Statham was born to be an action star.  Let me get that straight.    The man elicits coolness and command like few men of action in cinema today.   He isn’t a monstrous beast like The Rock or calculatingly grumpy like Jeremy Renner, but he gets the job done and is utterly convincing.

Walking out of Parker, Statham’s latest action junkie lovefest session, I was disappointed because the film he was in dragged down the usual delight of this action hero’s work.  Playing a modern Robin Hood thief who gets betrayed and left for dead only to rise and exact revenge, Statham is in his comfort zone while adding a little extra as usual, but the plot, supporting cast and length of the film do him no justice. (more…)

Snitch: Dialed down Dwayne Johnson

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(older movie reviews with a fresh coat of paint)

Let’s get something straight.  Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock isn’t going to win any awards in his lifetime for acting.   He is an action star with a taste for kids comedies.  He isn’t a good actor and never was engineered to be one.  When people get that ideal confused is where they will under appreciate a fine thriller like this movie.   When I think of the Rock, I think of a big tall intimidating figure of justice.  In Snitch, though, he uncovers a different shade of his action hero persona.   He doesn’t bash a fist through Vin Diesel’s face or toss bad guys around like rag dolls.   Here, he is a regular guy getting way in over his head to help his son avoid long term prison time.

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the gentle giant known as Mr. Johnson.   In fact, he doesn’t throw a single punch the entire film.  There you go, action fans, run away.   Snitch works instead as an intelligent brick laying thriller with a decent dose of drama.    Here we have a trucking company owner, John Andrews(Johnson), living the good life.  He has remarried after a failed marriage(which yielded the troubled son), lives in a big house and has a daughter.  He is riding high and worrying about moving around equity in his business.  Then he gets a call about his son being arrested on drug charges.  Serious drug charges. (more…)

Dead Man Down doesn’t match the hype

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(older movie reviews with a fresh coast of paint)

Dead Man Down asks us to take a ride with two tormented souls on their journey to revenge.   In the end, the run isn’t worth the sweat any moviegoer will produce after finishing this film.  The story is a decent setup and gives high hopes for an entertaining thriller.  Victor(Farrell) and Beatrice(Rapace) are neighbors who discover that they share a common trait and goal.   Someone has wronged them in the past and they find a little courage in each other to set things right.  Throw in a little blackmail, some romance, a dead family with a scarred face and you have this twisted uneven poorly paced action thriller.  Farrell and Rapace are wasted in woodenly written roles that create zero sparks between them and Terrence Howard relies on his old overplayed tricks in playing a bad man meeting his fate.

Dead Man Down can’t decide if it want to be a straight up action thriller or something more, and it takes forever figuring that out.   In the process, my patience was fried.  Director Niels Oplev, who helmed the original Girl With A Dragon Tattoo with Rapace, seems lost here in this clichéd American thriller.  There are elements of an action film, thriller, romance ingrained in this film but neither ingredient tastes good when the dish hits your table in the nearly 2 hour running time.  (more…)

Being a good parent means not forgetting about yourself

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I remember the first moment Vinny was born and the message that went through my head. “It’s all about him now.” And also, forget about sleep for a month but I digress..

When your kid comes into the world, you are no longer the star of your own show. The screenplay shifts and pivots on a twist. A young 6 pound kid takes center stage and the rest is bullshit. Filler. Fluff. Crap. Nowhere near important. And it’s okay.

When Vinny was born on September 2011, the Cards were in the middle of one of their greatest runs in the history of their franchise. 10.5 games out on August 25th before streaking towards a playoff berth and eventually the World Series. They overtook Beast Mode in Milwaukee, Ron Washington and Nolan Ryan’s ego, and the relentless Texas Rangers. In the middle of that, Vinny made his entrance. It was a perfect collision of responsibility and passion.

I didn’t write for KSDK or any other website back then. I wrote blogs right here once a week. Rambling and ranting that only a handful of people noticed. A hundred Twitter follows and a Facebook page without color. None of that shit mattered, right? Well, it’s not that simple.

Here’s the flip side of the “kid is the star of the show” ideal. If you don’t care of yourself, what the fuck kind of parent will you be? If one isn’t happy, he or she can’t please others or make a great life for someone. He’s isolated in dread and agony. What fun is that?

The biggest lie or hollow promotion a parent will ever tell is “I don’t matter. It’s all about them.” Wrong. You need to matter and need to convey something or hold a certain level of passion. If you do not do this, what can you offer a kid? When Vinny looks at me, he wants to be like me. He wants my approval. Always. Constant. Every day. Every kid wants their parent to see them and love them. They do this by watching you and seeing you smile. Then, they know how it will feel when you smile at them. What if a parent doesn’t smile enough? Something is wrong.

It is all about the kids but if you don’t take care of yourself, you will be in a world of pain for a long time and your kids won’t benefit from it. The only thing that changes in your life when you have a kid is sleep, time management and your food bill. What you get is a chance to relaunch through this kid. They are supposed to give you energy and give you new meaning. I want to write as much as I can, run as much as I can. smile as often as I can and make Vinny’s life a constant event.

You aren’t ignoring your daughter or son if you take time for yourself. It’s required.

When I was growing up, I’d watch my dad work, play and basically move through life. You may not know it when you are 5 years old or 10 years old but you are taking notes on parenthood. My dad was a loving parent and attentive but he took time for himself. He’d sit out back and smoke a cigar late at night or play some music and sit still for a while. I understood that and tried to remember to do so.

That is why when the wife and kid go to bed, I have my own time. I write, go to the gym, listen to music, watch some TV or have a drink. I take time for myself. Every parent should. If not, you are doing more harm than good.

You aren’t abandoning your child or doing parenthood wrong if you take a few hours for yourself.

Thanks for reading,

DLB

DB Beard

Man vs. Woman: Talking Cards baseball

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Once again, I took to the DOB airwaves late at night to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals with a fierce woman. The lovely Maria from Washington D.C. who happens to adore Tommy Pham joined me for some pointed and rather blunt perspective on the Cards.

The Talking Points:

*What did we learn from the first series with the Cubs

*Can the Cardinals keep hitting for power?

*Should Cards fans be worried about Adam Wainwright?

*What is up with Kolten Wong?

*Can Aledmys Diaz last or will he hit a wall?

*Does Pham factor into the effectiveness of this team when he returns?

Listen right here. 

You can follow Maria on Twitter here.

Here’s a taste of what she can offer on a daily basis:

Thanks for staying all the way if you did.

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