Blog entries for tracckman

A poor showing and a disgrace to sports...

tracckman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:09:39 GMT

A friend of mine recently alerted me to a new blog post of his. To say the least, after reading it, I was shocked.

It's easiest if you watch the video in question first.

Now, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm not a big fan of the NBA. This video is one of the most despicable and pathetic acts of poor sportsmanship I've seen in a long time and only furthers my distaste for the league. Apologies to Andrew Bogut, you don't deserve that kind of treatment from your teammates.

If you notice the scoreboard, this event took place in the 2nd quarter, not the end of the game where it is conceivable that his team isn't lined up so they're prepared to play defense off the inbound pass. For those who aren't big basketball fans; in high school, college or professional, when a player makes a free throw, they are congratulated with a high-five from their teammates. Sure, it's just a free throw, but its a sign of respect. Watch any basketball game and you'll see this ritual carried out over and over again.

The fact that these professional athletes abandon their teammate, and he's left to self-congratulate himself is sad. These athletes are making millions of dollars and make more in one game than most Milwaukee citizens do in a year. While I understand the challenges of playing for a losing team, you're a professional athlete. Young kids look up to you, whether you want that responsibility or not, it comes with the territory. As a citizen of Milwaukee and a sports fan, this is embarrassing.

Watch the men's NCAA tournament games tonight. Tell me what you see, I guarantee it won't look anything like this.

I Am Legend (DVD Review)

tracckman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:13:20 GMT

Watching movies on DVD without having seeing them in the theater has its setbacks. I Am Legend was a huge hit in theaters and by not seeing it, avoiding spoilers for so long was difficult. As a fan of film criticism, I enjoy reading movie reviews, even for movies I haven't seen. So, going into watching this, I was already aware of the basic plot and story elements.

For those who haven't seen the film or don't know anything about it, I Am Legend is the third film adaptation of a 1954 story of the same name by Richard Matheson. The story is about Robert Neville, the last remaining human in New York following a massive man-made infectious outbreak (the Krippen Virus) that killed billions of people and turned the surviving millions into night wandering zombie-like creatures that eventually killed the few immune. Neville, a former virologist and army Colonel, is immune to the disease and spends everyday trying to find a cure through experimental vaccination tests, and every night hiding in his house which has been fortified like a modern day military base.

An empty and dilapidated New York City is hauntingly beautiful. It brings to mind Alan Weisman’s The World Without Us, a story about how nature would take the Earth back if humans did not exist. Director Francis Lawrence and Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie give us breathtaking views of a historic city falling apart and it seems nearly impossible that Weisman's book wasn't an influence.

The biggest strength of IML is it's character development. Echoing, isolationist characteristics and story arcs of Cast Away, Will Smith gives a wonderful performance as Robert Neville. We’re given even greater depth into Neville’s character through a series of flashbacks throughout the film that detail Neville’s current state of mind and loneliness.

It's hard to imagine how we would act in a similar situation, but as a dog owner I know that I would rely as much on my dog as Neville does on his, Sam. Sam, a German Shepherd, is immune to the airborne strain of the virus, but not the strain transmitted through a bite. Sam is as powerful of a character as Neville and through masterful storytelling and direction, the audience feels as attached to a dog as we do to the human lead. During the hunting scene we are offered our first glimpse of the infected, the terror that grips the audience not only from the fear on Neville’s face, but the fear you can feel in his heart of losing his only friend.

As a dog owner, the fear of losing your pet that you love is a scary thought. Lawrence does a wonderful job of building suspense around Sam and Neville’s equal need of each other and the terror that surrounds the chance of losing one another.

While Neville suspects that the infected have finally stopped showing any signs of human characteristics, he meets one infected that confuses him, showing signs of human cognition and planning. After a trap is sprung and Neville is injured, the dramatic tension quickly rises as swiftly as the sun sets. As Neville and Sam try to flee to their car, a few infected dogs wait at the fading edge of a sunbeam for their chance to strike.

(SPOILER- Skip until the end of the alert)
This scene begins the end of Neville’s remaining desire to live. While fighting the infected dogs for his life, Neville continues to see Sam locked in a vicious fight with another dog, resulting in multiple bites and wounds. In what is by far the most difficult scene to watch and emotionally difficult, Neville tries to make Sam comfortable while seeing if a vaccinated test can stave of the infection. While Sam lays in Neville’s arms dying and slowly becoming infected, tears stream down Neville’s face. Neville’s only choice to kill Sam the moment Sam has become fully infected.

This scene is amazingly well done. Smith’s performance of saving his own life, while trying to end Sam’s is heart breaking. As he end’s Sam’s life, you can see Neville’s last hopes leave his eyes in the tears streaming down his face.

(END OF SPOILERS)

From this point on, the movie shifts into a more action oriented theme, but does not totally abandon its prior success. I Am Legend can easily be seen as two films, the first a movie of isolation and how a lone human struggles to maintain his sanity, the second a more typical Hollywood action-thriller.

We are introduced to two new characters in the second half of the film, both of which are too little too late. Their symbolism is important, but their use in the movie could have been improved. The performances aren’t on the same level as Smith’s or even Sam’s and it’s difficult to feel any emotional attachment to them. Their symbolic presence of hope to Neville is important, as a glimpse of normality and his path to a cure and ultimately is his root to spiritual salvation.

Like the new characters the climax doesn’t stir the same tense feeling initially felt in the first half. As a whole, the movie is very enjoyable, but loses focus in the end. It would be easier to grade the film by its two thematic segments, the first half getting 5 stars, the second half getting 3 stars. Despite its thematic collapse at the end, I Am Legend offers far more enjoyable moments to outweigh its faults and is a movie worth seeing. (**** out of 5)

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

tracckman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:05:23 GMT

Vampire Weekend hit the scene in 2006, emerging from New York. Forming while at Columbia University, band members began their quick rise to notoriety. After signing to indie label XL Recordings, they recorded their self-titled album.

In 2007, VW grew through popular mention on blogs. Touring with The Shins at the end of 2007, led them into the new year when Vampire Weekend was released in January 2008. Since then, they've been indie darlings. Garnering attention from the likes of Bob Boilen (NPR's All Songs Considered) and most recently playing on Saturday Night Live.

Of course as they garnered a quick and large following, they received their share of indie-backlash; a typical cultural reaction to any popular band.

VW wears their influences on their sleeves, whether they intend to or not. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" brings memories of Paul Simon's Graceland from the opening drum beats, but that's not a bad thing. It also happens to be one of their most lyrically catchy and goofy songs on the album with lyrics like "Is your bed made?/ Is your sweater on?" or "Feels so unnatural/ Peter Gabriel too."

With Afro-drum beats and charming instrumentals, it's hard to feel anything but happy when listing to this album. Leader singer Ezra Koenig's pleasant vocals along with the calming melody of the album will surprise you throughout. You'll find yourself tapping your foot along to the beat and quickly singing along.

As we slowly transition into Spring, VW is a welcome musical change and seemingly fits the emotional and natural transition. (**** out of 5)