Tag: review

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Delgado & Mets take out the Pirates with 1-2-3 shots in 8th

I had an opportunity to check out “Citi Field”, one of two new stadiums in New York, this weekend. Per the normal game day migration, we took the 7 train out to Shea (some fist pumping fans immortalize their love via plaques in front of the stadium suggesting it will always be Shea).

Like a Wal-mart, the entire front entrance management strategically placed greeters and ushers for the fans to find their way in to the new concrete playground. Once inside the park, it’s like you’re 12 again, going to the ball park for the first time: less concerned about where your seats are first, just looking around and taking it all in. As we’ve all heard, there’s much more dedication to corporate and VIP seating but with that comes exceptional food stands from tacos, to lobster rolls, sushi and a Shake Shack.

There’s definitely more viewable areas in the walk areas to catch the action. The stadium is built up, rather than out, so there’s really no bad seat, just a higher vantage point to watch the game. Our seats were up in the 500s first base side, close enough to touch the air traffic coming over from La Guardia. Both the Mets and the stadium food services have up’ed their game this year – me enjoying the steak tacos and micro brews behind the center field screen.

Added with the new Shea experience are much more fan participation actives, as every inning a camera crew with corporate shill in tow, create a game, give-away, trivia or contest (pizza box relay) for a free sample from the represented sponsor. The food sellers in the seats are few and far between, but the beer guy is everywhere, this time with Brooklyn lager along with the prerequisite American piss beer.

On the field the battle was intense as Pirates took the lead early and not until the 8th inning when the Met’s “erupted” with a Delgado HR and 2 additional runs, taking the game in fantastic baseball sportsmanship.

With not a bad seat in the house, and preferable to me at times, I might purchase the cheapest seats, and spend most of my time at the “beer garden” areas behind the outfield this summer. The full set is in the gallery pics I took are here but here are a few highlights:

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What’s more gay?

The homosexuality innuendo and underlining story of Ang Lee’s latest film Brokeback Mountain or Dave White’s (MSNBC contributor and predominately gay man) attempt to wrangle heterosexual viewers to the theater to watch it?

The straight dude’s guide to “Brokeback” {MSNBC} (my comments are in italics)

I may or may not watch this movie, but I won’t be sold on the flick by reasons such as:

1. Accept the fact that this is all your fault in the first place

OK I never saw ‘Jarhead’ and just the tag line “Welcome to the Suck” just about sums up what I think about the movie before even attempting to go see it.

2. Realize now that you have to shut up

I don’t see how this applies to me, just ask Tim, Scott, Nicole (HI), Yomi etc…

3. The good news – there’s less than one minute of making out

Not sure this is a selling point for hetero men. Despite being “no homophobe”, “proud of yourself” and ‘very, very, very, very straight.’ for some, seeing this is still as appealing as when Renton, in the movie Trainspotting, coming off a heroin binge, goes diving into the “dirtiest toilet in Scotland” for his suppositories. I’d rather David just say get over it – this is more reality than you see on MTV.

4. Remember that it’s a western

Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) is a western. BB is a love story set in Wyoming – get it straight!

5. They’re tortured and you get to feel sorry for them

The Jews were tortured and I should feel sorry for the Nazi’s? as in they’re the ones with the illusions in their head about what it means to be human.

6. Anne Hathaway, who plays AJ’s wife, gets topless. The End

OK got me, Anne is hot. But in a “Little House on the Prairie” kinda way so she can clean up well.

7. And finally, it’s just your turn

Yup, that kissing scene is about to start and its my turn to go get a refill on the popcorn… WTF are you talking about here? Its not the hetero-man’s fault for the number or type of “straight” vs “gay” films available for public viewing. I’d blame the mainstream movie industry for this, as the industry is ruled by money and focusing on pleasing American conservative values as their primary goal in making films that will garner the most profits from the general viewing audience.

The movie probably has all the proper Hollywood formulaic elements embedded in it to make it big: Hot lead characters, an emotionally powerful and forbidden love story, inner struggle about their secret lifestyle, questions and curiosity, animosity and hatred for the alternative lifestyle or love affair, and a lack of resolution that results in heartbreak felt by both the characters and the viewer.

The core audience for this will most likely be young women and more mature viewers in urban cities. The scenery might be breath-taking (shot in Canada), the music and direction right on par with Ang Lee’s other films, the acting well played and a controversial powerful story will make the film a contender for Oscars on some levels. however, I can’t see much of Wyoming wanting to buy into this story line (or much of the red states for that matter). I can just hear the parody songs coming out now “Momma don’t let your boys grow up to be Gay-cowboys”.

Unfortunately the media is billing this as “The gay-cowboy movie” which I think reduces the film to just another genre flick. I have heard from many friends that have seen the movie, they were both moved and enjoyed the film. To me, its another love story that I am not interested viewing and of my movie priority list I still have Syriana, Capote, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A History of Violence and Munich above this one. Aside from “Kiss” these films are intended to effect the minds of all viewers despite their emotional and sexual preferences, of which I think is Ang’s goal in making films.

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Fahrenheit 9/11 the images and ideas..

So Thursday I went down the street to see Fahrenheit 9/11 for the first time. So for those of you that haven’t see this or even heard of it… it’s a documentary film directed by Michael Moore laid out to offer the audience evidence of corruption in the W administration and family dealings as well as to portray Bush’s true “character”. As I’ve been following politics I already had made my opinions on his hallow character and atrocious administration. As a movie, I actually didn’t think that Fahrenheit was that focused on it’s objective but rather clumsily put together by scratching the surface on many aspects of the Bush’s profiteering and shadiness.

I do think everyone should take a view at this film and then go back and explore the points that were brought up to make their own decisions even to ask themselves “Is this really the leadership we want for our country? Is this really what you want to continue to promote for the next 4 years or is it time to set a better standard for this world?”

One of the most disturbing images in this film was not graphic, not violent, and not indecent. I felt sick, that a man of any stature could sit idol as he is told our country is under attack. The movie showed the actual press footage (that seemingly was vacant from corporate and public media) of the Pres. sitting in an elementary school while the 9/11 attacks were under way. He was informed of the attacks and then what did he do? … he sat there… blank… confused… helpless and then started to read a childrens book…. sat there… at the Florida’s Booker Elementary School, reading “My Pet Goat” for 7 F’n minutes while 3000+ people were dieing, falling out of buildings, getting crushed by steel… dieing because an intelligence agency built by his father, and held up by his administration ignored forewarning signs of these type of growing threats… In-fuking-credible…

Ok well maybe that too is just my biased opinion but even if I was told in the middle of my day that 4 co-workers working for me got in a car accident, I would be concerned, and hold my day to see if they were all right… but ya know that’s just me I guess. However, I hold my leaders to a MUCH higher standard and expect people in decision-making offices to quickly react to situations that call for them to act on the behalf of the people that put them there. Again maybe that’s just my opinion.

Once side note to this.. I see that “The Administration” is now trying to pawn off 3 year old intelligence as new and that “Hey everyone! this report from an “insurgent” says the WTC is going to be hit by a plane!!! Go to Orange Alert! Give me a break after a 9/11 committee has deemed our intelligence a disgrace to it’s competence (in not so few words) we are now to believe anything they throw at us?

Download the 9-11 report here.
Quote from BBC Press on the “old new” news of AQ threats:

Meanwhile officials in Pakistan denied suggesting that information gathered following the arrest of an al-Qaeda suspect contained plans for fresh attacks in the US or Britain as had been reported.

This leads into my next excellent point with MM’s movie where he touches on the seemingly random changes in our multi-colored Terror Alert System. This DHS system is used to keep the American public in a yo-yo state of panic and rest, distracting us from daily life and constantly trying to keep up perception that our intelligence agency is working hard to alert the public of new threats (Like Boobie Trapped Beer Coolers! on 4th of July – this really hits the GP where it hurts, the NASCAR fan – as some pointed out) I hope this public insensitive practice fades quicker than the “woop-woop” car alarm crazy of the 90’s and they just get back to protecting the peace with out the false alarms and scare tactics. (Can you see the correlation?)

Sooner or later were all going to ignore the wolfs cries. Working in the security arena for over 3 years now I know by experience, security is best for the public when it’s not obtrusive but constantly being monitored. We all know we need to be watching out in this day and age but I have enough to worry about with murders, criminals, psychotics running the streets I walk on everyday, can’t the great watch dogs take care of this…oops I guess not – I guess we have to pay our hard earned taxes to protect ourselves! Ahh I’m starting to get the general idea…and off track of this review. MM brings up this point but really didn?t do enough to drive it home with examples, dates and incidences. I think this could have been explored a little better.

Last point I think every American should be aware of is really how in depth the Bush family is with corporate oil, it’s relationships with the Saudi’s, the Bin Laden?s and all aspects of the no-bid contracts our government is handing out to friends and contributors of the current Administration. It’s amazing how rich politics can make you and your friends…if you just know the right people and create the right environment – or non environment in the case of some rulings. There are a lot of incidences and circumstance here in the arguments but enough to bias an opinion. Again there could have been more, but for me it?s compelling enough to know all the connections the Bushes have had with rich oil families and who?s now benefiting from this war on terror (it?s not just the Afghanis or Iraqis as our media depicts it)

I say go see the movie, send it to your parents before the election and let them make their own conclusions of what they see. Don’t let MM’s or Corporate Media for that matter swing your political favor – the information is out there, you just have to care to find it. And please get involved, it IS a matter of your freedom but you don’t have to get spoon feed the propaganda everyone is pushing – make your own decisions for what you want in your country and act on them – but don’t complain when this situation is suddenly not appealing and you’ve done nothing to voice/act on your opinion.

People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both
~ Benjamin Franklin