Tribe Watch '13 (Final Report)

So the Indians season finally came to an end last night after they lost the 1-game Wild Card Playoff to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a tough loss to watch, but I'm overall still extremely proud of this team for their season and excited for what is to come. Last night was a reflection of what this team currently is - a decent team with a great manager that still has to address some issues before they can be a legitimate contender. As we turn to the offseason, there will be some good dilemmas to deal with. One will be determining if we can re-sign Ubaldo Jimenez, Scott Kazmir, or both. Both guys seemingly got better as the season went on but it seems unlikely that we'll be able to afford both, so the question becomes will be able to keep either here next year. We then will have to look at offering some extensions to players who we will want to lock up for the long term future, like Justin Masterson and Jason Kipnis. There are also some players that I would like to see gone from the team like Chris Perez and Asdrubal Cabrera. These guys do nothing to enhance our team, but hopefully that are seen to still have some talent so that we will be able to trade them. Lastly you have to wonder about Jason Giambi. While the stats do not indicate it, you could potentially argue he was an MVP on this team because of the contributions he made. I don't know whether he's ready to retire or still wants to play. I would like to see him remain with us in some capacity, however.

In general, this was an amazing season that was so entertaining from beginning to end. I love this core group of guys that we have and I truly believe we are moving in the right direction. Last night's loss stings, but that will fade soon enough. The good news is that we are now just four months away from pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training. No matter what the calendar says, I will always say Go Tribe!!

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 24)

Record: 81 - 68

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (5 games behind Detroit; 0.5 games out of the Wild Card)

Now things start to get real interesting. Believe or not, the Indians are in a very good position right now to make the postseason. It hasn't always looked that way, but the cards are aligned right now for them to continue playing baseball in October. Part of the reason is because of what we have been doing. While we only managed to win one out of the three against Kansas City, we swept the four game series against the Chicago White Sox and had our offense come to life in the process. The other reason why we are in a good position is because the teams ahead of us, namely the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays have been really struggling as of late. Those teams, as well as the other teams in the playoff hunt (the Orioles, Yankees, and Royals) will be dealing with much more difficult schedules in the final two weeks of the season. As long as the Indians win the games that they should win, we could be heading to the postseason. Our final true test begins tonight when we start a three game series in Kansas City against the Royals. While we are 3 games ahead of them, we can ill afford to get swept by them and put them right back into this. If we manage to at least take two of three, then we can help ensure that they are taken out of consideration. After the Royals we come home for our final homestand of the regular series and begin a four game set against the Houston Astros. Even though Houston has the worst record in the American League, they are not just going to lie down and let us win, so we will need to keep our edge and make sure we don't falter against weaker competition. While nothing will get settled this week, it is exciting to think about the fact that we could be in possession of one of the wild card spots by the end of next week. Given that this team is right in the thick of the playoff hunt, I hope the city of Cleveland finally comes out and begins to support this team to show them we appreciate their effort. It's a real exciting time to be an Indians fan and I'm going to love every moment of it. Go Tribe!

2013 Fall Movie Preview (October)

GRAVITY (October 4)
Plot: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone--tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Quick thoughts: It's hard to believe that this film's released was delayed by nearly a year. However, unlike so many movies who get delayed, this should still be a quality movie. The trailers showcase what looks to be an intense thriller that is also beautifully shot. A lot of people have been eagerly awaiting Cuaron's follow-up to Children of Men and I don't think they'll be disappointed.


RUNNER RUNNER (October 4)
Plot: Princeton grad student Richie (Justin Timberlake), believing he's been swindled, travels to Costa Rica to confront online gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). Richie is seduced by Block's promise of immense wealth, until he learns the disturbing truth about his benefactor. When the FBI tries to coerce Richie to help bring down Block, Richie faces his biggest gamble ever: attempting to outmaneuver the two forces closing in on him.

Quick thoughts: I highly doubt that this movie will help get Ben Affleck back-to-back Best Picture Oscars, but what it may lack in gravitas I am hoping it makes up for in just good old fashioned entertainment. Timberlake is a rising star who should be able to hold his own here. While the gambling story has been told before, it is one that I still find interesting when it is done well.


CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (October 11)
Plot: Columbia Pictures' action-thriller "Captain Phillips" stars two-time Oscar� winner Tom Hanks in the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. The film is directed by Oscar� nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray and based upon the book, "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea," by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca.

Quick thoughts: Director Paul Greengrass has shown he knows how to do action with his work on the Bourne movies and he has also shown skill at being able to depict real life events like he did in United 93. The fact that he has Tom Hanks in the titular role here only adds to my anticipation for the film. While I know the basic story, I've tried to avoid reading about a lot of the smaller details so as to enjoy this film that much more when it comes out.


JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA (October 25)
Plot: 86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companions, his 8-year-old Grandson Billy in "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa." This October, the signature Jackass character Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) and Billy (Jackson Nicholl) will take movie audiences along for the most insane hidden camera road trip ever captured on camera. Along the way, Irving will introduce the young and impressionable Billy to people, places and situations that give new meaning to the term childrearing. The duo will encounter male strippers, disgruntled child beauty pageant contestants (and their equally disgruntled mothers), funeral home mourners, biker bar patrons and a whole lot of unsuspecting citizens. Real people in unreal situations, making for one really messed up comedy.

Quick thoughts: I have to give Knoxville credit for finding a way to freshen up the Jackass. I have to admit laughing very hard at a lot of the scenes in the trailer for this film. This seems to be going for the Borat approach with a Jackass mentality, which likely means it will be a big hit, especially with younger audiences.


OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
A.C.O.D. (October 4)
12 Years a Slave (October 18)
The Fifth Estate (October 18)
The Counselor (October 25)

2012 Fall Movie Preview (October)

BUTTER (October 5)
Plot: A tale of competition at its most cut-throat, "Butter" surveys the raw ambition of Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner), the wife of Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell), Iowa's long-reigning champion butter carver. For 15 years, Laura has relished her high-profile role as the beautiful, loyal helpmate to her affable, artistically gifted husband. But when Bob is pressured to retire and allow someone else a chance at glory, an indignant Laura decides to enter the competition herself. She is first in line on sign-up day, only to see her odds of victory fall below 100% with the arrival of an unlikely yet formidable contender: 10-year-old Destiny (Yara Shahidi), the African-American foster child of local couple Julie and Ethan (Alicia Silverstone and Rob Corddry). And that's not all. Bob's would-be mistress, bad-girl stripper Brooke (Olivia Wilde) also declares her candidacy, as does his #1 fan, Carol-Ann (Kristen Schaal). Facing three opponents, mocked by her stepdaughter Kaitlen (Ashley Greene) and furious with her husband, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to win. And if that means resorting to sabotage - and recruiting her dim-witted former boyfriend Boyd (Hugh Jackman) as a co-conspirator - then so be it.

Quick thoughts: This film better turn out to be good after I've been talking it up for nearly a year. I like the cast and it is certainly one of the quirkier ideas for a film to come out recently. This will likely live and die by its political satire. In an election year, this is either going to be lovingly embraced or quickly rejected - like butter so often is in most people's diets.


TAKEN 2 (October 5)
Plot: Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent with a particular set of skills who stopped at nothing to save his daughter Kim from Albanian kidnappers. When the father of one of the kidnappers swears revenge and takes Bryan and his wife hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul, Bryan enlists Kim to help them escape, and uses the same advanced level of special forces tactics to get his family to safety and systematically take out the kidnappers one by one.

Quick thoughts: Though the first film had its flaws, there is no denying the sheer joy of seeing Liam Neeson unleash a violent assault on anyone who dares cross him. In this second outing, I can hope they will build upon the story created in the first and make an even better film. But even if they ends up being nothing more than another couple of hours of Neeson kicking ass, I'm thinking most people will be just find with that.


ARGO (October 12)
Plot: Based on true events, "Argo" chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis--the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA "exfiltration" specialist named Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.

Quick thoughts: Argo is very high on my list of most anticipated films this fall. Affleck has shown a real talent behind the camera in his previous efforts, so I'm expecting more of the same here. It doesn't hurt the film's story, which is based on true events, is something I find very compelling. Hollywood and politics don't always make the best pair, but I think it will work out real well here.


PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (October 19)
Plot: The continuing exploits of suburban houses being haunted by a disturbing ghostly presence.

Quick thoughts: Who would have thought I would ever be this excited for the fourth film in a horror franchise and yet here we are. The cleverness of the third film coupled with the new details in the series' mythology have whetted my appetite to see what they have in store for us next. Anyone who has been a fan of this franchise will no doubt be eager for even more answers the film's central wiccan family.


OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
Here Comes the Boom (October 12)
Seven Psychopaths (October 12)
Killing Them Softly (October 19)
Cloud Atlas (October 26)

Fall Movie Preview (October)

THE IDES OF MARCH (October 7)
Plot: "The Ides of March" takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency.

Quick thoughts: I'm not sure if there is a film this fall that has a better pedigree than this one. I would expect this to be a major player come awards season. This is one of the films I'm most looking forward to seeing. And if you're concerned about the film being too political, from what I hear, it's more about morality and self evaluation than it is about promoting one party over the other.


THE BIG YEAR (October 14)
Plot: Based on Mark Obmascik's 1998 book "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession," the film is about three men who try to outdo each other in a bird-watching competition to spot the rarest birds in North America. The rivalry is an allegory for the challenges each faces in his own life.

Quick thoughts: Just the notion of a movie about bird-watching startting Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson has me already laughing, so I can only imagine what the final product will be like. If that trio wasn't strong enough you also have people like Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, and Kevin Pollack mixed in the fray to amp the funny quotient even more. The only thing that concerns me is that we haven't seen a trailer yet for the film. Without that, I can't know for sure whether this will be comedy gold or simply a movie for the birds.


MARGIN CALL (October 21)
Plot: Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, "Margin Call" is a thriller entangling the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When entry-level analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster. Expanding the parameters of genre, "Margin Call" is a riveting examination of the human components of a subject too often relegated to partisan issues of black and white.

Quick thoughts: I mentioned in the September preview yesterday when discussing Contagion that audiences may not be too keen to watch a movie about a deadly virus. That may go double for this film which focuses on the 2008 financial meltdown. While I can sympathize with not wanting to pay to relive that, I can't ignore the terrific cast of actor they have compiled for this film, who each seem to be giving stellar performances based on the trailer. That alone is enough to pique my interest.


PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (October 21)
Plot: The third film is being envisioned as an origin story set in the 1980s that will follow a new family.

Quick thoughts: The first film I didn't care for, although some of that could have had to do with the fact that it was overhyped and I saw it on a weekday morning. I decided to keep an open mind and watched the second one. I thought it was better, but still not overly scary. At this point though, they've got me interested in the story they've established with these characters so I'm hoping that this origin story provides us with some answers as to why these things are happening. This will likely be the best bet for anyone looking for some scares come Halloween time.


IN TIME (October 28)
Plot: "In Time" presents a world where time has become the ultimate currency. You stop aging at 25, but there's a catch: you're genetically-engineered to live only one more year, unless you can buy your way out of it. The rich "earn" decades at a time (remaining at age 25), becoming essentially immortal, while the rest beg, borrow or steal enough hours to make it through the day. When a man from the wrong side of the tracks is falsely accused of murder, he is forced to go on the run with a beautiful hostage. Living minute to minute, the duo's love becomes a powerful tool in their war against the system.

Quick thoughts: The premise of the film immediately hooked me and it's the type of high concept film that I wish Hollywood would do more of. I was disappointed that the trailer seemingly gave away the entire film. Let's hope that just like with Dream House, there's more than meets the eye. The success of this film will likely determine whether or not Justin Timberlake actually has a future as a leading man in Hollywood.

OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
Real Steel (October 7)
The Rum Diary (October 28)