Scarlett Johansson stands about 5 foot 3 inches and weighs around 120 pounds soaking wet(pure guess) yet was able to muscle The Rock and other box office challengers this past weekend. Why? Scarlett playing a character with little memory and full brain power capacity is too hard for men and women to resist. The Rock trained for 6 months, got ugly, wore a fake beard and makeup but was unable to beat the little smoking hot lady at the box office. Hercules got his ass kicked by Scarlett’s Lucy and that’s why the movies are great and unpredictable. You never know who is going to come out on top but in the end, boobs and brains will always beat muscle. That is, unless, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett are both on the big screen in a movie like Avengers.

What else is there to talk about on a weekday? Let’s run down the list of stuff.  A collection of writing from Monday through Friday.

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Sometimes it’s nice to simply unleash a storm of material. Since I contribute commentary to 4 different websites, one must go somewhere and unplug. Instead of thinking where a particular story will go, a rant is required. While the work day lies ahead of us, here are some random thoughts about sports, film, TV and generally anything else that creeps in.Ladies and gentlemen, the bullet round commences!

• Don’t see the new Transformers film. Some ideas need to stay buried in a filmmaker’s head and I wish Michael Bay had decided to leave this franchise alone. Three overlong mind numbing stories that never amounted to shit was more than enough. When the first film came on FX last night, I merely smirked and switched the channel. The movie made 100 million stateside and 301 million worldwide, so expect part 5 sometime around 2016. It’s pathetic how much Bay has mishandled this franchise and twisted and churned the memorable cartoon series for more than it’s worth. Stop it. Transformers: Age of Extinction is in contention for the worst film of 2014 in my book.
• The Cardinals can’t possibly have a good record right now because that would be too relaxing for baseball fans. This is typical results for a team picked to win the pennant in spring training. The Cards were 49-32 after June in 2013 and sit at 44-39 right now. That’s not terrible, but its well deserved. This team is inconsistent and can’t hit. Right when it’s alright to play bad, the Cards will sweep the Nationals or defeat the Rockies on the road. Baseball constantly gives a fan false hope. I do expect this team to contend soon but wouldn’t be surprised at two things. I wouldn’t be shocked if they didn’t make the playoffs or if John Mozeliak made a huge blockbuster trade. In 2009, the team was lagging before the Matt Holliday trade bolstered the lineup. Expect that kind of move this summer. I can taste it.
• I will say this. I would trade Oscar Taveras(among others) for Giancarlo Stanton in a heartbeat. If the Marlins were stupid enough to do it, I would take it. Stanton is 24 years old and blasting HR’s at an electric pace. He is what we need. Oscar is an unknown quantity. Stanton is proven.
• The Blues won’t win shit until they acquire a proven goal scorer who can hit the net and sink the puck IN THE PLAYOFFS. Remember the playoffs where Alex Steen and others couldn’t hit wide open nets. This team has their goaltending set, but then decided to set 11.1 million dollars on fire when they signed Patrik Berglund. No deals yet. This team can’t stand pat this offseason. Doug Armstrong can’t keep telling himself the current roster will amount to more than a 1st or 2nd round playoff loser. Sad but true.
• The Rams finish 8-8 this season and I will be happy. More is better but all I want is improvement. If Bradford stays upright, I imagine the team will do better. Bradford was having a helluva season in 2013 before getting hurt. He has an improved offensive line, a quality young running back and older receivers. Here we go…or not.
• The Leftovers is very intriguing. 2 percent of the population goes missing suddenly and a small town is forced to recoup and figure out a way to move on. The creator of Lost grabbed this project and there is a lot of weird odd shit going in the trailer. Deers stalking humans. Babies going missing. Troubled town sheriff’s going insane. Cults rising up. People losing their minds. Lots of violence, suicide and sex. Reality, HBO style. I can dig it and will watch. Originality is present.
• Banshee on Cinemax is worth catching up on(20 episodes) because at the very least, it’s a guilty pleasure batch of entertainment. Lost dangerous sexy souls hanging out doing bad things in a small town. Cable shows and small towns always work well, right? I love this show but I guarantee you will at least like it. First two episodes are on Youtube.
• David Gray, The Black Keys and Coldplay all have new albums out and I bought The Black Keys first. There isn’t a single band making better music right now than this two man powered group from Ohio. The new album, Turn Blue, mixes in blues rock, standard rock n roll and a bit of Led Zeppelin psychedelic infusion. It takes a few listens but its money. You either like or hate Coldplay, but Gray makes new fans every day because singer/songwriters are a dying artform. Gray writes easy going tunes that can stick to your spine if you let them.
• Jason Kidd is a fucking moron and I will tell you why. He had a great roster, big city and an opportunity to do something special in Brooklyn. He was a player turned coach(faster than most and something he started last year) and he got greedy and now finds himself coaching the Milwaukee Bucks. He could be coaching in a graveyard and have more promise. He went from a great roster to a horrible one because he got mad Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher got better contracts this summer than he did. He wanted more control over the Nets and threatened to leave and the owners called his bluff. Kidd could have did something special in Brooklyn and blew it. I am not even an NBA fan and I can understand this story.
• I’ll write more about the Lebron Saga later but I will say this. I think this is a ploy to negotiate a new contract with Miami and hopefully engage the Heat owners to bring in new players. Dwayne Wade is getting too old to earn 20 million a season and is a part time player. Chris Bosh is overrated in my opinion. I can see the Heat engaging free agents to come play with Lebron because Miami was close to a third consecutive championship. In my opinion, I would love to see James be bold and go to The LA Clippers or Chicago Bulls and try to win in a large market or in Michael Jordan’s house. He could be wild and go back to Cleveland and help them rebuild around Wiggins. He could go to New York and propel the Knicks to their first title in ages. If he did that, Lebron would be a GOD and get a statue outside the Garden. My money is on him returning to Miami but I’d rather he go somewhere else. It’s boring in Miami. As a part time fan of the game, I love the drama Lebron brings. It makes it entertaining. I can’t watch the fucking games because they are boring and mind numbing but this offseason drama is good stuff.

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With the Blues and Blackhawks waging war today in The Windy City and the home stead dialed down to a quiet roar right now, allow me to fire out a bullet round full of versatile material. Expect everything and wear extra padding if you feel the need. I used to write these once a week, but since my writing is stretched all over the cyber net today I only bang them out once in a while. Here it goes.

• Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda was caught with pine tar on his neck and will miss 10 games, or 2 starts. Pineda is a great young pitcher but felt the need to waste his talents on corrupt material. What a dope. Players continue to look for angles to cheat in a sport that is doing all they can to clean the sport up. No sympathy.
• The Hawks may be up 3-2 in this series, but I don’t feel like the Blues are really hanging off the edge. This has been a very close series and each team has skin in the game. Chicago is the defending champs and St. Louis is doing all they can to topple the king. I expect a bloody rage fueled Game 6.
• I like the Henrik Lundqvist commercial with the Rhino racing towards him that explodes into a thousand pucks. He’s a solid goaltender and the spot works very well.
• The song that plays in the Honda Civic commercial is by a blues group called Vintage Trouble but unfortunately the song isn’t available yet. The band is pretty good.
• The first time I heard Pharrell’s “Happy” tune was at the Oscars and I loved it. Upon hearing it for the 98th time this past week, I feel like stabbing someone. The radio can be brutal overkill for music. Play something else!
• I can’t tell you how many goals the Blackhawks have scored this series by flicking the puck at the net from the right point. Yes, it’s 1-0 Hawks in the first period.
• Bryan Bickell needs to be knocked out. Leave Seabrook alone and knock out this deflection beast in front of Ryan Miller.
• I swear if I have to see another picture of a dog brutalized from a dog fight I may walk outside my house and challenge the first ugly person to a fist fight. Poor pit bulls being torn apart via fight meant make horrible men money in the gambling trade. Yes, every time this comes to mind I think of a certain QB because when he did this, it made a lot of people think it was cool to do. Michael Vick isn’t the only one but he inspired a lot of others to take it up. Fuck him and them sincerely.
• I am not a hunter and never will be. Sure, let’s sit in a ditch in the woods with a gun making weird sounds hunting deer when we can buy the meat at the store. Let’s arm the animals instead. If you are going to hunt, use a damn knife. Earn it. Don’t shoot from a distance. That’s coward shit.
• My friend PJ and I use an old technique called the Edgar Renteria effect and it just worked with The Blues and Oshie. We complain about a player for not contributing and then he scores or gets a hit. It can’t be overdone but when it is used right the damn strategy can’t be beat.
• Lucas Matthysse won his fight on Saturday night by knocking a guy out in the 5th round. It would be thrilling to match him up against The Russian Rocky Ruslan Provodnikov. Sometimes you have to just lower the hands and bang in the center of the ring. These two fighters don’t allow the sweet science to get in the way of a good old fashioned blood knuckle battle. Boxers train for weeks to get ready for 12 rounds of boxing and why waste that time dancing around the ring. If you have the chin for it, go for the bruise early and often. I hope this fight happens.

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A true round of random material. I come here often with one topic doses or one team prescriptions, I let it rip. Uncork the filter and let it all stream through. There are times when you have to just let it rip and forget about rules. I wouldn’t coin it driving with a blindfold on but letting your knees steer the wheel for a few streets would be appropriate. So let’s hit it. Wednesday stream of consciousness begins now.

• Jason Motte is known to the baseball world as a pretty good reliever. The kind that comes in and finishes things. Last year, he got hurt and went to work. While his right elbow healed from Tommy John surgery, Motte started a bold cancer awareness foundation, K Cancer. It grew into something huge and gave Motte and his family a chance to connect with many young victims. I think this is pretty cool and worth mentioning often. A baseball player taking the time away from the field to take part in a fight against a deadly beast. I own one of the K Cancer t-shirts and you should do. They are located right here and a portion of the proceeds go to the cancer foundation. Motte isn’t messing around. The reason I bring this back up today is that every team in Major League baseball will now carry the backwards K on their shirts and give each team’s fanbase a chance to get in on the act. Well done Motte. That’s called using your down time well.
• The duality of father and husband roles is a tricky plank to walk. On one hand, you think you are doing enough to keep your wife happy but at the same time you wonder if you are helping the kid as well. There are days where the balance is so bad you think about it all night. Did  I do enough for each? I bring this up because my wife and I can have some terrible fights that pit us against the wall of stress and anger. Those fights are a result of me trying to figure out the balance in my daily responsibilities. A man can’t be too hard on his son yet also has to remember the wife is there too. Being a good parent is hard enough.  Adding the good husband part to the equation is the true test.  This was kind of  hot air section. Moving on.
• Which QB should NFL teams draft this year? Take the guy who makes your team better. Avoid the flashy talent and examine the one who may be good on paper yet can’t adjust to the rigors of the more aggressive game. In my mind Blake Bortles could be better for The Texans than Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel because he can be put into any offense right now and function very well. The other two need some work.
• The St. Louis Rams have two picks in the first round. Head coach Jeff Fisher has never taken an offensive lineman in the first round. I doubt he will take a safety in the first round. Fisher likes to set his targets on wide receivers. I think there is a good chance the team uses one of the two picks on Sammy Watkins, a potential game changer for their offense. Sure, we said that last year with Tavon Austin but Watkins is a bigger body with more bruising ability. If he is there and rated high on your board, take him. Don’t worry about what mock drafts say or what others try to tell you. The Rams need to pick their guy. I trust Fisher and Les Snead. Jake Matthews, a lineman, doesn’t look too bad either and could really strengthen the line and provide some security. There are lots of options. I’ll evaluate afterwards.

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*Disclaimer-I used to rant!  I still do, but to a lesser extent and with a limit in mind.   Here is an entry from July 15th, 2011.  A week or so before Colby Rasmus was traded, before David Backes was captain and before our magical run.   It’s very long.  Epic.  I used to pump these out once every 2-3 weeks.  I wrote down a ton of topic notes and then hit the keyboard for 3 hours with coffee being sent through an IV into my veins.  An automatic machine gun that never ran out or jammed.   Old School rug burning and the way every writer starts out.  Swinging for the Fences.  Check it out and forgive me now.  By the way, it’s around 10,000 words long.  Pack a lunch….and a dinner. I would say enjoy but I can only hope you don’t walk away completely.

The Buffa Daily News of the Week

These are my favorite kind of Doses.  In the past year, I have tried to give more structure to this blog and not fire out random bullet rounds every time.  I scatter them around now and put together more direct one topic posts.

I am growing as a writer and while that is a scary concept to some I try to engage it as often as I can.  This morning, I come to you with both hands loaded and ready to fire out an old school random shot bullet round.  Unfiltered and blunt.

Here we go.  I am going to try and stop at 1,500 words but I make no promises.

• Look at those St. Louis Cardinals.   Within a month, John Mozelaik turned the defensive liability birds into a fine group of defenders.   He added speed to the lineup and a master class center fielder in Peter Bourjos.  He can track anything and doesn’t have a Jon Jay noodle arm.   Mark Ellis is your veteran better hitting Daniel Descalso.  He can play 2B and 3B and offer the veteran leadership out of the clubhouse as well as serve as a bench bat.  Mo added pop to shortstop by bringing in Jhonny Peralta, whose defensive abilities aren’t as bad as some suspect.   Sure, we lost Beltran, but we gained a hulk in Matt Adams playing more at first base with Allen Craig moving to right field until Oscar Taveras is officially ready.   We improved at 2 defensive positions and added firepower to another.  All before Thanksgiving.  Happy New Year Cardinals.  No spring training hot deals this time.
• While I like Shane Robinson more as a bench player than Jay, he is essentially the same type of player(less) than Bourjos.  Jay is a LH bat so he will stay.  If this is indeed the end, thanks Sugar Shane for being the scrappiest bitch on the lot.
• The St. Louis Blues are showing some real heart near the end of 2013.  Without their top scorer in Alex Steen and their big tough guy/4th line grinder Ryan Reaves as well as other parts, The Blues pulled off impressive wins over the Blackhawks and Stars this weekend.   Each game was up in the air and the Blues came back from a 3-1 deficit against Chicago and recovered from blowing a 2-0 lead in Dallas.  This is a big reason why I think we may not fuck this up come playoff time.  This team has serious resilience.
• I talked enough about the Rams yesterday but once again, 2014 looks exciting.  You’ve heard it before but don’t forget to notice the improvement.  14 wins in past 2 after 15 wins in the previous 5 seasons.    A fresh and healthy Sam Bradford, who has been on fire since Week 9 of the 2012 season.   A real deal running back in Zac Stacy.   Chris Givens and Brian Quick in their 3rd seasons.  Tavon Austin in his 2nd.  Alec Ogletree in his 2nd.  Jake Long and Roger Saffold are back.  Robert Quinn and Chris Long terrorizing opposing linemen, tight ends and quarterbacks.   Next year could be fun.
• The Wolf of Wall Street is very much worth your time.  It is a cinemac Quaalude and one wild experience.  And it’s true.  People are attacking the film for turning real life rise and fall stock broker Jordan Belfort(who made Gekko look like a patron Saint) into a not so horrible person for 3 hours.   HEY PEOPLE, it’s the fucking movies.  Get with it.  Stop thinking so much.   This is the same crowd who nitpicks other movies.  It’s a cinematic experience.  No one wanted to see a boring dreary stock broker flick.  We wanted Scorsese draped in dark humor and got it.  WHAMO!
• Don’t rent We’re The Millers on DVD.  Look up nude pictures of Jennifer Aniston instead.    Same pleasure.   That flick isn’t funny.
• Rent Elysium but don’t expect District 9.  Neil Blomkamp directed both films and creates more action adventure escapism here.  The Matt Damon as a bald badass science fiction flick isn’t first class filmmaking but involves some heavy duty action sequences and a decent ending.   I wasn’t floored by it but recommend it.
• Skip R.I.P.D. and keep in mind I didn’t even see it but the cover of the flick screams, “Bridges and Reynolds really want you to watch their turd of a film”.  It’s cinematic charity.   DON’T and say you didn’t.
• Rent Prisoners.  The film is on my top 10 list easy but beware.  This child kidnapping flick will drain you and stick with you for days.   Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal are phenomenal and deserve award recognition but the film is 2.5 hours and weary.   Great films take a loan out on your soul for a matter of days before returning you back to 100 percent.  Prisoners is one of those movies.  Spellbinding filmmaking.
• Rent Fast & Furious 6 if you want an exhilarating experience at the movies.   Turn off your realism levels and enjoy this smash mouth car flick and one of Paul Walker’s final rides. Enjoy The Rock and Diesel turning muscle heads into gods.  Enjoy Gina Carano and Michelle Rodriguez engage in the best girl fight of the past 10 years.  And stick around for the credits to see a tease of Fast 7 and here’s a hint.  It’s got one of my favorite action heroes going bad.
• Rent Drinking Buddies because it’s the most honest romantic comedy in years and features great work from a game cast in Olivia Wilde(more than a sexy face), Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston.   90 minutes and heartfelt.
• 24/7 on HBO is so good.  Hockey or boxing, it’s all good.  Don’t deny it.  Right now, it’s the NHL Winter Classic buildup between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.  The series that started as a boxing match only series is now doing hockey and forced Showtime into doing their own baseball series with The Franchise.  With Liev Schreiber narrating, this series takes you behind the scenes of players lives.
• Coincidentally, 24/7 Hockey is where I discovered my current music crush, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.   Three years ago, when the Caps were taking on the Penguins at Heinz Field, I heard BRMC perform “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” and “Weapon Of Choice” and was mesmerized by this bluesy style of rock.   I now own a ton of their tunes and add to the collection weekly.  Great band.  I will be writing a music spotlight on them for New Year’s Day.
• By the way, that could be one of my final pieces for at least a week.   Trying to do a cleanse(except for breaking news and occasional film-addict repost) of social media and overall writing for at least for a week.   Need to clear the head, read a book or two and focus on starting a new job hopefully.  So after I post about the BRMC on Wednesday,  I am probably stepping down for a week.  Closing the pharmacy for a mental reload.
• Stay at home dad work isn’t good, bad or ugly.  It’s tiring and satisfying in more ways than one.   While being out of work sucks, hanging with my little man has a ton of virtue.  Then there is just the overall routine of the day.   Cleaning, laundry, chaos, writing, applying for jobs and lots of coffee and working out.
• I have two films to see before I craft my top 10 movie list for 2013.  The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Her.
• Also, HBO Sports uses the absolute BEST music.  Diverse mix of tunes.  Check out their site for more selections.
• Banshee starts in 11 days.  I posted a spotlight on it on FA and will throw it up here Friday.  That does qualify as a REPOST.
• By the way, watch that show.  Like now.  10 hours.  One season.  GO!
• I am still part of the crowd that wants to see Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.  Sure, both promoters get in the way and each fighter has changed(Pac declined a little) but for fight fans this is still game.  Pac hasn’t lost a lot and has only changed.   He easily beat Brandon Rios and if he avenges Timothy Bradley in 2014, a Floyd fight makes sense.   You can disagree but these two fighter’s resumes look incomplete if they don’t clash.
• Miguel Cotto should leave Sergio Martinez alone and take that 10 million and go fight Canelo Alvarez in NYC.  Cotto is coming off a quick knockout, has a new trainer and looks fresh.   Sergio is game but I think Canelo is the better fight.
• More boxing notes.  Ruslan Provodnikov will kill Rios if that fight happens.  The Siberian Rocky is badass.   Think of Ivan Drago and Rocky Balboa put together and you have Ruslan Provodnikov.
• The job hunt isn’t bad until you get offered 10 dollar per hour jobs 40 minutes away from you home.  Then you start looking towards going back to certain places you didn’t want to return to.  That’s life.  As Frank Sinatra famously sang, when you are shot down in April and knocked down in May, you just got to change the tune.
• As I always do, I will root for Peyton Manning to get that 2nd ring this January.  He is my favorite player and a guy I think is 1 ring away from being the best QB of all time if not top 3.  If he wins, he’s there.   2 rings, 2 teams,  4 neck surgeries in between and a regular season resume that is electric.  Look at his work this year on one leg.  54 touchdown passes.  Suck it Brady.  Oh yeah, and Manning will do it clean.  No spygate.  Still, Peyton will have his work cut out for him.   NFL playoffs turn into a gladiator sport.  Go Broncos!
• Speaking of Denver, Ex-Bronco Tim Tebow is joining ESPN as an SEC analyst during the bowl games.  Good for him.  He has a lot to offer the sport as a voice alone and can keep his NFL dream alive while staying close to the game.  He is an easy guy to root for.
• What else?  Happy New Year!  Please don’t drink and drive.   Car insurance agencies are offering free tows and a ride home.  If you don’t have car insurance, some friend does.  Take it.  Don’t put your life at risk for a meaningless party because it’s a New Year.  It’s just another day.  Trust me.  Your own anniversary is your birthday.  Take it easy.  Have some fun.  Be safe.  You will need your upcoming doses to stay sane.

Thanks for reading and have a good day.

_____

Dan Buffa is the co-creator, administrator and writer for the movie website, film-addict.com. He also writes for the local blog United Cardinal Bloggers in addition to Arch City Sports and also writes for his personal blog, http://www.doseofbuffa.com.   He is a STL born and raised writer with a need to inform and the ability to pound out 1,000-1,500 word pieces with ease.  When he isn’t writing or drinking coffee, he is spending time with his wife and son in South City.  Follow him at @buffa82 on Twitter and reach him for thoughts, comments and general feedback at buffa82@gmail.com.

Live from KC, I am breaking out one of my favorite blog tactics.   Random fire stream of consciousness….here we go.

• Being out in the country has it’s ups and downs but every once in a while is just what you need.   Out here in DeSoto, Kansas, there are times where I need to post a Film-Addict piece and I feel like screaming at meaningless air, but I remind myself that this is a time to relax and forget about internet service and cell phone bars.
• Every day I look at my kid and think, “what the hell did I do to deserve such a prodigy?”  He is like me in more ways than one but also shows plenty of personality spice from his mother.   For instance, the pouty face comes from the wife.   His ability to beg.   Her too.  And the greatest thing of all.  Stopping at nothing in order to get what you want.  Vinny is a true breed of crazy and that is from the wife and I.   He is the kind of kid who gets second looks from strangers, legit smiles, friendly waves and a big chuckle when they hear his ITALIAN name.  Vincent Buffa!
• The righteousness officers have came out in full force on the Jhonny Peralta trade with the Cardinals.   All of a sudden, any player who makes a mistake and uses PED’s doesn’t deserve a second chance or a good contract once he proves he can hit without the roids.   Peralta made a mistake in the spring of 2012 and was penalized for it.  He served his 50 games in the 2013 season and came back stronger than ever at the end of the season to help drive his team to the playoffs.   Peralta deserves as much of a chance as anybody to make a comeback.   Any Brewers fan who forgives Ryan Braun or Yankees fan who feels the need to call Andy Pettite a hall of famer can attest to the fact of second chances.   Any Braun fan will try to throw a connection between their player and Peralta, but let me clarify something.  Ryan lied when confronted about his usage and in the process ruined a man’s life(the tester who made the error with the urine sample).   Braun is a liar and a cheater.  Peralta admitted his mistake and did his time.  What’s wrong with a man coming back and earning a second chance with his ability?  Cards GM John Mozelaik wouldn’t have brought this guy into the fold for four years if he didn’t sit down with the man and look dead into his eye and make certain his misgivings were finished.  Mo and his team did their homework.  And by the way, when Peralta was on the PED’s, his production went down.   Off the enhancers, his numbers spiked this past fall.  So give up the fight moral chest beaters.  Peralta earned the right to get a big contract and his partnership with the Cards is based in logic and need and not cheat or greed.   Find a different tree to climb.
• The Blues are more impressive this season than they have been in previous seasons.    This team is winning on the road and taking command on home ice.   David Backes is scoring goals regularly.  Jay Bouwmeester has turned into the latest genius signing of GM Doug Armstrong.   The goaltending tandem was thrown a wrench when Jaro Halak endured a beatdown in Washington, but the Slovak has bounced back and turned in three fine performances since then, including an absolute war in Boston Garden that saw our Note outlast the Stanley Cup Champion Bruins in a shootout.  Monday night was most impressive.   On home ice in their last game before the Thanksgiving break, The Blues shut out the Minnesota Wild 3-0.   They dominated the game and never let it get close to shaky.  After a Wild goal was taken back early, utility specialist Vlady Sobotka sank his 5th goal of the season and the Blues were off.   This Hitchcock built team thrives on taking away teams energy in the neutral zone and using an aggressive forecheck to control the puck in the offensive zone.   A strong defense of Bou, Jackman, Polak, Pietro and Shatty grounds the team while goal scorers like Alex Steen and playmakers like T.J. Oshie set the tables.   Veterans in Brendan Morrow and Derek Roy are doing their part but the best thing about the Blues is there isn’t a lone star on this squad.  Everybody contributes.  Every game.  Ken Hitchcock wants no passengers on this Stanley Cup train and in a conference with so many strong teams, The Blues will have to maintain this course.  For some reason I like their chances more this time around than previous seasons.   Call it game to game observation or homer syndrome.   I know what I am seeing.  Hold onto your pants as I say this.  This is a Blues team I can see contending for a Stanley Cup title.  Digest that with your turkey and gravy this week.
• Frank Grillo is an actor you should investigate instead of basically recognize his face.   A genuinely gifted character actor known for roles in The Grey, Warrior, End of Watch, Disconnect and this week, Homefront, Grillo is true grit personified.  I will be writing about him this week along with spotlights on Woody Harrelson and the Cinemax returning series Banshee.  Look for those here and on Film-Addict.
• The Cards aren’t done yet but they could be.   This is rare for any team but this year John Mozelaik didn’t mess around or wait on teams to dictate the pace.  Again, I praise Mozelaik for acting swiftly and getting the parts he needed for this well oiled baseball machine.   The last thing I would look for is Mo finding a bat who can play third base and second base.  Someone like Michael Young.  He can sit back now and pick from the best crops now that desperation is out of the picture.   Smart GM’s work at their own speeds.  This was the case with the Cardinals top suit here.
• I have seen a lot of fine films the past few weeks.   Dallas Buyers Club, with two powerhouse performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.  Homefront promises a fine slice of Jason Statham action ass kicking pie.   Delivery Man is decent Vince Vaughn comedy with just enough nuance.  My personal pick for the crowd is Philomena, a heartfelt comedy starring two British pros in Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.   A true story about a former journalist helping an older woman get in touch with her long lost son touches the heart but never forgets to include a wicked sense of humor.   Dench is marvelous as usual but the actor  to watch and appreciate here is Coogan, who co-wrote and produced as well.  Playing an atheist who is helping a woman who believes in GOD even though nuns took away her child, Coogan isn’t just spilling one liners here.  He is playing an angry mad man and someone who encounters a dose of fresh grace when he helps this woman.   The film is perfect for the holidays.
• Need a comedian to watch that will make you laugh your ass off and keep it clean so you can bring the DVD to your family holiday get together?   Rent or buy Jim Breuer’s latest standup show, And Laughter for All.    Dealing with the middle age metal head loving father/husband miseries known to many people, Breuer sprinkles in impersonations and stories about faking a bomb threat and taking his kids to a crazy safari.   It’s all money in the bag if you ask me.  Check it out.
• When it comes to music lately, I am looking up bands with a great song and seeing what else they have to offer.   Here is a list of bands with a song you undoubtedly have heard and one I have discovered that isn’t played and deserves the airwaves.

The Lumineers-

Song You Know-“Ho Hey”

Song You Need to know-“Charlie Boy”

Mumford and Sons-Off their latest album, Babel

Song You Know-“I Will Wait”

Song You Need To Know-“Not With Haste”

The Heavy-

Song You Know-“How Do You Like Me Now”

Song You Need To Know-“Stuck”

Kings of Leon-off their latest album, Mechanical Bull

Song You Know-“Wait For Me”

Song You Need to Know-“Comeback Story”

The Black Keys-

Song You Know-“Howlin For You”

Song You Need To Know-“Sinister Kid”

I have no need to provide descriptions.  You will find out why when you find them on Youtube.   I will do future editions of this in Bullet Rounds and Music Spotlights.

• Every time I happen to leave town, I end up firing weapons.  This time, I got to fire with my father in law, Ed.   He is basically a cool version of Lee Marvin.  We went to an outdoor range, which is my preferred setting to fire a weapon.   Indoor ranges are foggy and too shoved together to feel safe firing deadly weapons. Today I shot a 9mm Beretta and a Ruger along with a six shoot pistol.   There are few instant reliefs than firing a gun at a safe range.   Power, authority, coolness, needed skill and greatness all in one dose.
• Suddenly, a live police chase right here in KC is breaking out.  As I write this, police are chasing a man through a rural neighborhood in Kansas City.  As we speak, he is trapped in a house and the police are closing in.   True story.
• The Rams have made a turnaround and it started with a loss.   Yes, that’s right.  When the Rams welcomed the powerhouse NFC rival Seattle Seahawks into the Edward Jones Dome on October 28th.   They battled the current NFC best team to a 15-9 finish but had the ball near the goal line with seconds to go and with a chance to win the game.   This was Kellen Clemons first game as a starter.   This was the game where Robert Quinn and Chris Long helped the defense break out.  Now, at the time the Rams were 3-4 and not looking horrible and just lost Sam Bradford.  The Rams nearly beat the Seahawks and while they lost another close game to the Titans a week later, they have followed with their two best showings of the season against Indianapolis and Chicago.   They wrecked havoc on Andrew Luck and the playoff bound Colts 38-8 and after a bye week beat up the Jay Cutler-less Bears 42-21.  What triggered this turnaround?  An established reliance on the running game, which found footing where Zac Stacy was inserted into the starting role on October 6th against Jacksonville.  That is where the seed was planted.  Jeff Fisher and Brian Schottenheimer deciding to use this turnaround in the season to reset the emphasis on smashmouth football.  Clemens doesn’t feel the pressure to win games by himself and Tavon Austin has gotten unleashed lately.  Jared Cook is catching passes again.  Robert Quinn is turning into a young Reggie White on defense and suddenly the Rams are getting ahead in games and dictating the pace.   What lies ahead?  Matchups with The 49ers, Cards and Seahawks on the road with home matches against Tampa Bay and New Orleans.   Sure, there may be 1 win in there in foresight but this team has proved anything is possible.   Winning without their starting QB is a huge step forward for a franchise that couldn’t win with 5 different QB’s and 3 different head coaches and 6 different offensive coordinators.  The Rams could finish with 6 wins but take into account their losses and it’s a miraculous feat.  Rams football is truly exciting again and it doesn’t revolve or Bradford or Steven Jackson alone.

I end with this.   Remember Grillo, the actor I told you to follow but probably have already forgot.   Well, get his name in your head.   Today, I made contact with him on Twitter and will write an in depth Q & A session that I will post on my site here and Film-Addict.  This is why I soldier on with Film-Addict even though a profit hasn’t been made and isn’t in sight.  Getting the chance to interact with actors and filmmakers who make the magic happen.   That drives me every day.

That’s all I got.  Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading this.

-Dan L. Buffa

@buffa82 on Twitter

Reach me at buffa82@gmail.com 

Don’t take these words personal.  It’s just one man’s opinion.   The stream of consciousness begins now.  Anyone who prefers perfect structure in their blog reading may want to jump ship right now.  Bringing it via the bullet point.

Sports

• The Cards haven’t scored a run in 18 innings of play and nearly 4 days.  Think of all the stuff you have done since the Cards last scored on Tuesday night.   Mind boggling. Let that one settle into your cerebellum.  After winning 5 of 6 from the Braves and Reds, the bats have gone silent and our pitching has been bruised.  Adam Wainwright sent fans into a saber-metrics investigation with his 9 earned runs allowed performance and Shelby Miller had a lot of issues with Garrett Jones last night in Pittsburgh.   Jones had been struggling this month before collecting 4 RBI against our young gun.   Francisco Liriano is making the Pirates look like lottery winners with his 3 shutdown performances against the Cards and overall record.  When he pitches, it looks like a golf ball is being thrown towards the plate.  There are times in the season where the ball resembles a beach sized water toy.   Against Liriano, the Cards bats are powerless.  It’s a good thing we faced the familiar A.J. Burnett tonight and a rookie on Sunday.   It’s hard to accept two brutal losses in a row but remember the important part.  Against every Pirates starter other than Liriano, the Cards have done well in their last three Bucs matchups.  There is hope.  In baseball, bad things come in pairs.
• A fresh question is asking which Lance Lynn will show up today.   The troubled young mentally disturbed hurler hasn’t been that solid in his past 3 starts and needs to settle the score tonight.   If baserunners reach and an umpire doesn’t tie a bow around every pitch Lynn throws, a problem may surface.  How will Lynn handle it?  His biggest demon is himself on a mound in hot temperatures.  One thing people haven’t pointed out often enough is the effect of the temperature on Lynn’s pitching.  Sure he has lost weight this season but stats show that the big man doesn’t fare well in the heat of the summer.  Hot temperatures make certain athletes lose their edge a little, and the sophisticated practices of pitchers make them a prime candidate for mental instability.   How does Lynn finish the season?  It’s about time he takes command of his role on this team before it evaporates.  Don’t get too lost in his win total because it’s misleading.  Take away the 6.2 runs per start of support and his record would be a lot different.
• Hottest Cardinal hitter?  NOT PETE KOZMA.   I won’t take shots at poor Pete.  He is the most picked on Cardinal since Tino Martinez flunked out at first base and popped up to third base more than any free agent acquisition ever.   Pete is being put into the lineup and doing his best.  He is a .215 hitter and won’t improve unless the minor league guy with the voodoo beads from Bull Durham pays him a visit.  What are the other options?  Ryan Jackson should be here this next week.   He has barely gotten an ounce of opportunity so he needs to see some time at short because he offers the same quality of defense and his bat can’t do any worse than Pete’s.   There’s the wild card in Greg Garcia, who has risen through the ranks of the Cards minor league system, can play shortstop and is hitting well at the moment.  If you are a playoff bound team, a manager can’t put Kozma into this lineup.  Daniel Descalso’s defense isn’t good enough and his bat is streaky so a new body is needed.  Put a new band aide at shortstop.
• Where would the Cardinals be without Matt Carpenter, Edward Mujica, and Allen Craig’s newfound production this season?  No offense to the true MVP in Yadi, but without those three redefining unlikely results, the Cards are in 3rd place easily right now.  This is the Obvious But Still Credible Statement section.
• Changing sports, Tim Tebow was released today by the New England Patriots.   Look, I am a Tebow supporter(minus the god worship) but at this point, he may consider changing positions if he wants to play in the NFL for a living.  Sure, he could catch on somewhere else and hold a clipboard in the hope that a starting QB’s knee would be trampled and his backup would get hit by a bus, but the realistic chances for the former Gator Wonder Boy is to consider tight end or fullback.  Why not?  Give it a shot.  I will never forget what he did in Denver.  He took a 1-4 Broncos team and took them to the playoffs and made 4 miraculous comebacks.   He made 3 precise and beautiful throws to upend the Super Bowl probable Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs.  Then, the Colts released Peyton Manning, John Elway got a stiffy, pulled in Manning, and Tebow was tossed to the curb.  The Jets, one of the team’s Tebow came back and beat in the 2011 season, traded for him.   Rex Ryan refused to play the guy even when Mark Sanchez forgot which jersey he was throwing to and got hurt.  Instead of entertaining your fanbase with an exciting player, Rex stuck with someone else and Tebow spent a whole season on the sidelines.   Ask me what should have been done and I will say once the Jets knew they were out of the playoffs, it was time to pack the house, rip up the playbook and hand the ball to Tebow.   Why not?  Anyway, The Patriots brought in Tebow this summer but he didn’t play well at all and got released today.   If he doesn’t want to switch positions, then Tim may want to understand that his dream of leading another team in this league could be over.  He isn’t getting any younger and when the Jacksonville Jaguars coach overruled the ownership(who spotted dollar signs in hometown kid Tebow) and refused to sign Tebow, things looked dim for the guy.  If he doesn’t want to switch, please become a coach and not a commentator.   Tebow is an inspirational story who never said a bad word about a coach or other player when he was refused the opportunity.   He is a winner with an emotional maniac intensity on the sideline.  Young players will look up to this guy and may run through a wall for him.  Sooner or later, if he wants to keep his pride and not switch positions, Tebow will be forced with a choice.  I hope he decides to become a coach.   I haven’t played football since high school and I would strap on pads right now and do drills under his command.   Sports is a business and a tough reality but there’s always opportunity if you are smart.  Tebow Rant over.
• The Rams have a legit shot to win 8 games this year.   Decently soft schedule and an improved younger roster of talented skilled players.   If we can find a way to run the ball, Sam Bradford has a healthy array of WR targets to hit.   The defense is back and strong.  The coaching is only more knowledgeable of their staff and players.   I don’t think the Rams make the playoffs but I do think we reach 8 wins for the first time 2006.
• Teemu Selanne is coming back to the NHL to his most expected location.   The Anaheim Ducks.   This was a given for any NHL fan.  Selanne likes the Ducks organization and its near his California base and is a team he hasn’t left in quite some time.   I’ve had a faint wish that Selanne would suddenly chose to come to St. Louis because he is exactly what the Blues need.  A feared experienced outsider who can SCORE.   Selanne can still light the lamp 25-30 times and give you a presence that benefits other players.  He has a shot at 700 goals with his comeback(25 needed) and it’s hard not to root for him.  He is one of the last action hero goal scorers in hockey who can still be efficient.  He refuses to get hurt and is one of the coolest cats off the ice.  A wicked accent to boot.  My heart longs for Teemu but he will spend one more season as a DUCK.
• With all the injuries the NFL has seen this preseason, the Rams made it out okay.  Roger Saffold went down but there are bookies in Vegas who had bets and odds on that already happening.   A lot of NFL teams lost impact wide receivers, offensive lineman and tackles.   The Jets may have lost Sanchez but that is just a week or two early.  The preseason and 2 a day practice zones of July and August provides a lot of opportunity for dark days in training camp.    Luckily, the Rams made it out unscathed.

Movies-The Latest Crumbs from my site, film-addict.com

• What to see this weekend?  Closed Circuit.  A sly, tightly paced, and well acted British thriller that focuses on government surveillance.  The movie is smart enough to know that this is a real problem and put on a fine exhibit here in this deadly courtroom story.   Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall star but Jim Broadbent has the juiciest scenes.
• What not to see this weekend?  Getaway.   Alana Hammonds, a critic for my site and a soul I trust, called the movie a horrible experience.   She urges movie goers to leave this one in the “maybe” department.   A throwaway action film with little intrigue.  Her review is better than my setup.  I promise you.  It’s on the site.
• Do you know the character actor, Adam Scott?  By face you do.  By name, you have no clue.  Read more about him in our character actor spotlight.
• DVD pick of the week.  MUD, the latest bullet in Matthew McConaughey’s comeback train.   A beautiful film about two kids and their connection with a mysterious wanted man on an island.
• Trailer of the Week.  McConaughey again in a true story about Ron Woodroff, a man who contracted the AIDS virus in 1986 and started an underground medicine supply since the hospital only gave him 30 days to live.   This trailer will get to you and may net M.M. an Oscar award.
• DO NOT RENT G.I. JOE: RETALIATION.  This action vehicle with the Rock is plain stupid and a waste of your brain cells.  Have a few beers instead.  Experience will be better.

Music-5 songs to listen to if you want something different.

• Alabama Shakes-“You Ain’t Alone”(their entire album, Boys and Girls, is worth checking out)
• The National-“Hard To Find”
• Of Monsters and Men-“Dirty Paws”
• Phosphorescent-“Song For Zula”
• The Civil Wars-“Disarm”

TV-A Few Notes on Shows I watch and A Couple Comments on Ones I don’t

• The biggest problem with television shows is catching up to the ones you passed up back in the day.  I remember pounding through 3 seasons of Game of Thrones, 4 seasons of Sopranos, and 3 seasons of Entourage to catch up.  I also watched 3 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy.   I find myself getting tempted by quality sources to watch Breaking Bad and my resistance is waning.  It’s an AMC show and I really like Bryan Cranston.  It’s just I have to watch around 56 hours of it to catch up.  It’s ending in 2 months so I may just wait.  Still, this is what happens when you pass up on a cool little show about an aging cancer carrying science teacher who starts his own meth lab.
• I also want to give Strikeback(Cinemax) and Hell on Wheels(AMC) a chance.  That’s a combined 40 more hours.  Who has the time to do this other than drug addicts?
• I am a certified Banshee(Cinemax) fanatic.  I literally can’t get enough of this show and recommend it to anyone curious or needing a different kind of series.  Season 2 just wrapped and premieres in January.
• Ray Donovan gets better and better every week.  Shocking, violent and full of heart.   The acting on this show is top notch.  Watch now.  8 hours in.
• Low Winter Sun on AMC(follows Breaking Bad) is worth a look if anything for the fine talents of Film-Addict Character Actor Spotlight feature Mark Strong.  The British actor is all grim heart and brutal stone as a cop covering up a crime he committed out of pure revenge.  It’s not perfect and very slow but this show will only get more tense.
• Dexter is suffering a from a bad final season.  There I said it.  I won’t spoil much here but I want more from these peeps.  It’s playing like a show that has 2 or 3 seasons to go instead of batting down the hatch and closing up lines of communication.   The heroic killer is always juggling four different things and looking over his shoulder.  I’m starting to think either he will die, his son will perish or the Miami metro department will be blown up and Dexter will accidentally help make it happen.   This show needs rocket fuel in its final weeks.

That’s it.  I’ll keep it slick and cool like that.   No random finishing crap that only takes away from the blunt package.   Sports, movies, music and television.  I am out of bullets.  Come back hungry next time because I will be coming guns hot.

Thanks for stopping by,

Dan Buffa

Hello readers,