Cars Review (The Movie, Not The Vehicles)

I don't know why I doubted Pixar.

You doubted too, I'm sure, when you saw the teaser trailer for "Cars." You saw the rusty tow truck saying "Dadgum!" just like I did. You thought that Pixar finally made a mistake. I did too. I don't blame you. It was the worst teaser trailer ever, possibly.

How does Cars stack up? It is very, very good. It ranks right up there with the other movies they've done, toe to toe.

Does it recycle the plot of other movies? Yes.

Does it feature racing, which for many people (like me) is not interesting? Yes.

Is it the best family film so far this year? Yes.

What makes it such a good film? The characters. Pixar always has great characters. It's such a basic thing, but they never seem to make a bad move. The rusty tow truck (His name is Mater, by the way) is actually funny. Paul Newman's crusty old Doc Hudson is well acted and very fleshed-out character. All this stuff that you don't think would work actually DOES work, and works well.

Now for the flaws. Is this a ground-breaking film? No. Have you seen a lot of this stuff before? Yeah. You have.

Will you enjoy this film? Undoubtedly. Go see it.

My review: 9.4/10

Another Football Preview - This Time It's Personal

It's time for another NFL preview, during these, the quiet summer months before the first snaps. I hate this time of year, really I do. People grasp for news straws, and every single news item becomes a Big Deal. Take, for instance, this gem from CNN.com:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/06/17/chargers.hardwick.ap/index.html

Wow! A center signs a six-year deal!

Now, I love the offensive line, don't get me wrong. I know they're important. But a contract for a center isn't a big story. This is on the front page of SI's NFL news. That's sad.

On to the previews:

Every has Dallas as the trendy Super Bowl pick. Certainly they're stronger with Terrell Owens. Certainly, it's a stronger team all around, with key additions and maturing players. We're still overlooking two key parts:

1) Drew Bledsoe
2) Julius Jones

Bledsoe fades as the season progresses. He's been doing it for a few years now. Jones is by far their best running back, and he's always banged up.

This reminds me of last year's Arizona Cardinals. They added Kurt Warner and everyone freaked out. Playoff predictions ran rampant from everyone, including myself. We forgot certain key information, such as 1) Kurt Warner isn't very good, 2) the Cardinal O-line isn't very good. My point? Sometimes we forget that even though parts are added, there's still other, slower, less mobile parts in the team.

So, my trendy pick? Carolina in the NFC. Why? Because of depth and experience. Carolina is a scrappy team, much like the old (like, three year old) New England teams. They've faced adversity together. And, let's face it, if the Panthers would have had another wideout last year, they would have beaten the Seahawks. I don't like the Seahawks.

What about the AFC? Yes, what about them? They're still the stronger conference, definitely, but the gap is narrowing. Think about this: Last year, how many strong teams were there in the AFC? I mean, Pittsburgh was a sixth seed. This was a deep conference. Now, this year, in the NFC, there's a few more strong teams, like Dallas and Seattle and Carolina and and Chicago and Philadelphia and San Francisco. (I just threw that last one in there to see if you were paying attention.)

However, the AFC still has solid teams. New England isn't the same team it was in years past, but they find a way to win most of the time. They can't be counted out totally, though logic dictates that they're not going to make it.

Kansas City is improved, and a full season of Larry Johnson will be fun to watch, but here's the thing about LJ: He stinks at blitz pickup. He's not disciplined enough. THAT'S why Vermeil didn't like him, and I don't blame him. Look for the passing game to sag, and everyone will blame it on Trent Green. You and I both know the real reason, though.

This year, though, I like Pittsburgh again. Cincinatti's defense is still too spongy to make a huge difference, and Carson Palmer is still a question mark after his Kimo-therapy. If Ben Roethlisberger can rebound from his motorcycle accident (he's an idiot, by the way), and the defense is the same old Pittsburgh defense, look for good things from the Steel City.

So, my picks? Carolina and Pittsburgh to meet in the Super Bowl. Who wins? Why, we all do. (This is my copout answer to avoid making a pick.)

I miss football.

JUDAS

So, I have made an important, life-altering decision. Not really.

I'm going to trade my Playstation 2 for a Nintendo DS.

Now, before some of you start pointing at me and laughing, let me tell you why. First, my PS2 hasn't been getting any use now that my computer is back up and running. I'm having such a great time with Morrowind, Evil Genius, Rise of Nations, and Knights of the Old Republic that I really can't be bothered to play all the great games I have for my PS2 as well.

Second, a lot of the games that I have can be played on a PS1, which can be easily found for $20. I am notoriously cheap.

In conjunction with the previous point, by getting rid of my PS2 NOW, I am able to make more money and get more value in a trade. Then, when the PS2 drops in price, I can get it again. It's a simple buy low/sell high thing.

Plus, and this cannot be overstated, I'm really jazzed about the current DS lineup, especially New Super Mario Bros. I have waited for Nintendo to just make another Mario game for the past, oh, I don't know, 15 years. Now that they have, I'm beside myself. Having played it, it has me begging for more. I'm really intrigued by the wireless multiplayer for games like Animal Crossing and Mario Kart (even though I suck at Mario Kart). Age Of Empires II is turn-based, which makes me giddy with glee. Kirby: Canvas Curse is a new Kirby game, and I'm an absolute sucker for Kirby games (pun not intended).

So, Godspeed, PS2. We shall meet again, I promise.