Hugo

This past weekend, a friend asked me if I'd like to go see a PG-rated movie. Having just seen the new Muppets movie (which I liked, actually), I was not particularly anxious to go see another movie deemed so "tame" by MPAA standards. However, being the amazing friend that I am (if I do say so myself), I alit from my cloud of condescension to go see "Hugo".

As we're sitting through previews beforehand, I'm told that the movie is directed by Martin Scorsese (and co-directed by Johnny Depp). So I readjust my expectations slightly, although still remaining nonplussed. Then, the movie starts.

From the outset, it is evident how Scorsese does such a great job of telling this incredible story, which is adapted from a short story originally written by Brian Selznick. It is fascinating to watch as the main character, Hugo Cabret, crawls, slides, and climbs around the walls of the Paris train station that doubles as his home.

I notice that, all in all, there is not much dialogue throughout the movie. Therefore, the non-verbal communication between characters is magnified. The orphan Hugo wades through a myriad of difficult emotions, and as is understandable, he conveys his emotions through body language and facial expressions more often than words. The old man (George Melies, played by Ben Kingsley), kind of steals the show theatrically as he runs the gamut of emotions throughout the movie.

The (real-life, apparently) character of George Melies is absolutely captivating. After Hugo and his friend (Melies' god-daughter) unearth the truth behind the shopkeeper's secret past (Spoiler Alert!), the next 15 minutes of the movie is a montage of Melies' actual turn-0f-the-century films, restored and brought to life in wonderful 3-D. The prominent film used in the movie, "A Trip to the Moon", can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE

The main component of the movie that made it so enjoyable was the 3-D. Props to the movie industry, as they've improved 3-D glasses so they are no longer cumbersome and annoying to wear. It just makes it easier to focus on what I came to see, instead of paying extra for a ticket just to fiddle with the glasses the whole time and miss key parts of the movie.

As with many of the newer 3-D movies coming out nowadays, "Hugo" made excellent use of the technology featured in this medium. Some movies, like "Toy Story 3", are made more enjoyable by the presence of the 3-D capabilities. However, the truly transcendent 3-D movies, like "Avatar", make the technology seem truly necessary for it to be enjoyed correctly. "Hugo" definitely asserted itself as a transcendent 3-D movie, and the usage was perfect: it propelled the story further, gave life to scenes which would have otherwise been difficult to visualize, and wasn't ever cheesy.

The emotional themes shown throughout "Hugo" made the movie worthwhile: Hugo's search for love and acceptance and purpose following the loss of his father (played by Jude Law, an added bonus); Melies' revitalization as a success, not forgotten although time has not been kind to his art; and the heartwarming forgiveness and mercy that the station patrolman (played by Sacha Baron Cohen, another surprise!) learns through his encounters with the station's florist.

Needless to say, I was amazed by the movie. The combination of the interesting plot, the character development (verbal and non), the historical aspect of George Melies' lifework, and the tasteful, vital use of 3-D technology made "Hugo" one of my favorite movies of the year. Go see it before it's reduced to a 2-dimensional screen!

Behold King Pigskin

In the United States today, sports are a focal point of our culture. Different sports can serve in different roles in our lives. Baseball, like a beloved family dog, is always there for you, never requiring your full attention. Football, like a new sports car, can't be overused so as to dull its sheen, but demands your full attention and works in a strict "weekends only" zone. Hockey (or heck, even soccer) like sushi, is for those with a sense of adventure and a curiosity to experience foreign cultures.

For a small part of December, each of the major four (five with soccer) American sports was active in some respect. The NHL and NFL (and soccer leagues around the globe) are in the middle of their regular seasons, the MLB is working through its winter meetings (featuring blockbuster signings of stars like Albert Pujols), and the NBA has been working its way back into the national stream of consciousness after being mired in a long players' union lockout. So the obvious question is: which sport is America's favorite?

Football - American football, of course - reigns supreme. And it's not even close. This past weekend's games are a testament to the amazing drama that surrounds the NFL, week in and week out. In the Houston television market, this is what a day as a football fan looks like, taking December 11th's schedule as an example:

Noon (CBS) - The Houston Texans (10-3), led by their undrafted rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, go into the Bengals' den and defeat Cincinnati (7-6), led by their own rookie quarterback Andy Dalton (a native Texan), on a last-second touchdown.

3:00 (F0x) - The AFC West-leading Denver Broncos (8-5), behind the leadership of their media-lightning-rod and consummate winner, quarterback Tim Tebow, outlast the Chicago Bears (7-6) in overtime in Denver. Thanks in part to the mile-high conditions, Broncos kicker Matt Prater hits two breathtaking, long field goals: a game-tying 59-yarder and the overtime 51-yarder.

7:30 (NBC) - In the only night game on the NFL schedule, two NFC East rivals meet in Dallas as the New York Giants (7-6) square off against the division-leading Cowboys (7-6). The teams trade blows for the entire game, ultimately ending in Giants defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul blocking Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey's potentially game-tying field goal in the game's waning moments. With the win, the Giants move into a tie with the Cowboys atop the NFC East.

Three games, three last-second finishes. Even amid four other major sports going through some pretty big news weeks (the Pujols signing, the drama surrounding New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul as he seeks to be traded), the NFL captures all the headlines. How? The football that is being played on the field is simply...spectacular.

The Mile-High Messiah

Tim Tebow is a lightning rod. With his natural penchant for attracting critics and supporters alike, along with his leadership ability, it's a shame that Tebow can't be elected President in the future (he was born in Makati City, Philippines, to Baptist missionary parents). Outside of the sports media hotbeds of New York and Boston, very few players in any sport attract as much attention, positive or negative, as the Denver Broncos quarterback. The 1st round, 25th-overall 2010 NFL draft pick was viewed by some media personalities (like NBC's Tony Dungy) as being selected too low, and was viewed as drastically overrated by others (like ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.).

After leading his team to a win this Thursday night over the New York Jets, Tim Tebow is 4-1 as an NFL starter. Given his 34-6 record as the quarterback at the University of Florida, an SEC powerhouse that plays few "easy" games each year, this should seem somewhat logical. However, Tebow finds his skills doubted and his successes undermined seemingly every week both by the media and public opinion.

Broncos coach John Fox and Executive Vice President of Football Operations (and legendary Broncos quarterback) John Elway have inherited Tim Tebow. Neither man was on staff when Tebow was drafted, and both were being skewered weekly in the local media during the Broncos' 1-4 start to the 2011 season. Public opinion can become an unstoppable wave of momentum, and it seems like Fox's hand was forced into benching starter Kyle Orton going into week 7.

On October 11th, the Broncos named Tebow the starting quarterback for their game against the Miami Dolphins, and the public got its wish. However, six days later, the Broncos traded 2010-Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to the St. Louis Rams...for only a conditional 2012 draft pick.

In addition to stripping Tebow of his most talented and most reliable receiver, the Broncos front office had more thoughts concerning their newly-anointed "savior." Coach Fox took a buzzsaw to the playbook, removing complex pass plays, a staple to any NFL team, adding in numerous multiple-option running plays (usually only used in the collegiate or high school levels), and running a whopping 79% of their plays from the shotgun (as opposed to the "pro-style" formation of having a quarterback under center).

At first glance, this seems awfully nice of Fox: he's trying to put Tebow in the situations in which he excelled most as the Florida Gators' quarterback. However, put in a different light, it might seem that Fox is trying to bring Tebow's flaws to light. By "dumbing down" the playbook to Tebow's collegiate level, Fox is essentially pitting an amateur quarterback against professional defenses.

What do Fox and the Broncos front office stand to gain from showing Tebow as the rookie that he is? If public opinion falters in its support of Tebow, Fox and Elway could then have the freedom to put the team that they want on the field without backlash from their fans. I don't think that either Fox or Elway dislike Tebow as a person, nor do I think that either wants him to fail as a professional. However, the actions that have been taken by the Broncos as they relate to Tebow seem to be much like a father letting his son try something for the first time. He knows that the son isn't equipped to succeed, and that the son will return to the father humbled and hopefully eager to learn from the father's experience.

However, Tebow doesn't seem like the type to be obstinate in his talents. He seems humble and eager already, so why not treat him as such? Mr. Elway and Coach Fox, treat Tebow like an NFL quarterback. Feed him an NFL-style playbook, a little at a time. Force him to learn how to pass in a way that will allow him to succeed for years as your quarterback of the future. As all of America knows from his public "promise" following Florida's loss to the University of Mississippi in 2008, he is willing to play harder than anyone we've ever seen.

The Sing-Off Top 5

The Sing-Off starts off this week's episode with 5 groups remaining, and the week's theme is R&B. With that said, the opening number blended old school with new wave by starting with James Brown, then moving to the Jackson 5, and ultimately finishing with Beyonce's "Crazy in Love." In each episode, these opening songs are such a great part of the show, and this is one of my favorites of the season. Here are my thoughts on each group's performances of the night:

Dartmouth Aires - Ignition (Remix), Midnight Train to Georgia

They have such a great community feel to them, and with their five (or six?) leads that kept passing off the melody, it accomplished that goal of communal song. They've been really reliant on just one lead for the past couple weeks, so it was nice to prove that they're not a one-man show with this song. It was also just so much fun, these guys are the party starters and they made me smile from the first beat. Their old school song was a choral arrangement more than a fun Broadway thing like they usually do. They went back to their bread-and-butter lead, and it really seemed like a concert instead of a competition. These guys bring the crowd up on stage with them emotionally, and it's really a refreshing dynamic.

Urban Method - Knock You Down, It's Your Thing

This song definitely was right in their wheelhouse, but the fact remains that I'm not a fan of their female voices. It was one of their best performances on the show, and the tall dude with the mohawk is their X-factor. For this song they put him on bass....because that's where the dam is leaking the most. But he's good enough to be their lead, so big ups to him for being versatile. Their second song was mostly a pass-it-off song of drum solos between the guys while the ladies screeched in the background. I feel like anything the judges are saying positively about their performance is pure sugar-coating at this point. They deserved to go home this week, just like each of the past 3 weeks. I wonder if they sound much better live?

Vocal Point - Every Little Step, Ain't Too Proud To Beg

Such a departure from their usual sound - but they pulled it off so well! The breakdown in the middle quite possibly was the best 30 seconds of the show to date, between a sick beatboxer, great, guilty-pleasure-dance moves, and then some remix effects on the last chorus. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Their classic R&B choice was a Temptations song, and they busted out their deep voice to lead this one. It wasn't quite tight as it neared the end of the song, and I felt like there were a few pitch issues, but it's near-impossible to not like these guys! Seeing them leave was difficult because they have such star power, but they haven't been as consistent as some of the other groups, so their departure is defensible.

Afro-Blue - We Belong Together, Best of My Love

Taking on Mariah Carey, their groove was flawless throughout the song. Their bass is so fluid and just plain solid, and the guys provide such a great foundation for the female vocals to use as a springboard. The lead was so good, and didn't try to emulate Mariah, which is impossible - but rather, she just did what she could, and it worked. Their old school song was one that I've never heard before, but it seemed to be right in their kitchen. With their lead Danielle, they've got someone who is strong enough to lead their ensemble of girls, but with a vocal tone that sits so well within what the male voices bring. These guys probably won't win it all, but that will be America's fault, and definitely nothing that they've done wrong.

Pentatonix - OMG, Let's Get It On

Having their incredible lead take on Usher is a great comparison, and their arrangement was just. so. good. They have the beat/bass drop out at the right moments, and when they do, they can just go with their super-tight trio. Then, without skipping a beat, the two guys can join back in and bring in a huge momentum boost to the group. It was such a good vocal, and these guys are so far ahead from everybody else that it's not even funny. Then, they take a Marvin Gaye song (a personal favorite) and put just the right amount of their own spin on it...and absolutely murder it. Such a great performance, and there were no tricks to it - just great singing. Also, with Kevin's sticking up for his religious beliefs, I just fall more in love with these guys as a group each week.

Going into the Final Four, here are my power rankings:

1. Pentatonix

2. Dartmouth Aires

3. Afro-Blue

4. Urban Method

Back to The Sing-Off

After quite a lay-off, I decided to blog about today's episode of The Sing-Off. Coming into this episode, I'd say that the power rankings look like this (taking into account the whole season to date):

1. Pentatonix

2. Dartmouth Aires

3. Afro-Blue

4. Vocal Point

5. Delilah

6. Urban Method

To be honest, I think the eliminations have gone pretty much as they should throughout the show. Now, any group except for Urban Method can win it and I don't think it would be an injustice. However, I still think that Pentatonix fits what the judges look for - they're a small, close-knit group with individualized roles for each person. Looking at the past winners (Nota and Committed), Pentatonix seems to fit the mold the most.

The Arcade Fire song to start the show was actually really cool, and I like how the numbers are getting down to the point where everyone can fit on stage without it looking like the kid's cattle race at the rodeo. Here are my thoughts on each group's two performances:

Pentatonix - Their rock song was "Born To Be Wild," and I loved some things about it. The big silence before they started the chorus was a great effect, and they just have the best bass/beatboxer in the whole show and their trio of singers fit well together. However, minus points for hilariously awful fashion. I was nervous about what song they would pick to do for country, since they're so techno/dubsteppy. A Sugarland song had the good high melody that Pentatonix needs for their trio of singers, and then whoa! Out of nowhere they bust out a reggae groove for one of the choruses, and then they come back to their perfect blend for the end. They're gonna win the whole thing.

Dartmouth Aires - After last week's really awesome Queen medley, they did "We're Not Gonna Take It" and it was really great! I liked the back-and-forth between the two leads and the school choir bit right at the end. They used to have trouble deciding who would be their lead, but it seems that the black dude, Michael, has taken that role by storm. If I had a complaint, it seemed, like all of D'Aires' songs, to be really treble-y. Their country song was "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" and it was very different from what they usually do. However, it wasn't bad - it definitely had a line dance feel to it, and the singing wasn't opera-quality, but what can you expect from some boys from Hanover, New Hampshire?

Afro-Blue - The resident jazz group took on "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and their "rock" sound just wasn't very rock-y. I thought the national anthem in the middle was...kind of random, but it sounded good? It was interesting. THEN, they had to do a country song: basically, they were gonna be screwed going into this week. Lady Antebellum was probably one of the best song choices they could pick, and they brought their intelligent arrangement style to this, with their bass being really evident of that. However, I didn't think it was emotional enough to have the girls crying at the end of the song, so that kind of confused me watching them wipe tears away while they're being judged. Guess you just had to be there.

Delilah - An all-girl group has to sing a rock song? I guess if they're not going to do a Heart song, they might as well cover Steven Tyler. "Dream On" is one of my favorite Aerosmith songs, so maybe I'm just more critical of it. The lead girl had some real pitch problems on a couple high notes, but with her Steven Tyler impression, she showed she's definitely got some pipes. It didn't quite fit my expectations. For the country portion, they covered The Band Perry and got back to their strength of slow songs sung with lots of emotion. However, this also brought back more unnerving closeups of Miss Skinhead. Great lead by the other blonde girl - she did a whole heap of justice to the song. It was moving and very well-sung, at least to my ear. I'm so very, very surprised that they got kicked off, and while I think that they shouldn't have gone home this week, their time was coming soon.

Urban Method - The group with a rapper sings...Whitesnake? Whatever, they completely changed it up and made it "modern." If my snark isn't obvious enough, it seemed like a desperate move by a group that feels that their collective backs are against the wall. I didn't like it. Their country song was Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," and it's obvious at this point that they're relying on the main girl lead's strength to carry them whenever they can't have their rapper take center stage. However, I just really don't think that their girls are strong enough - I didn't like it. I absolutely disagree with their progression to next week.

Vocal Point - The Mormons sing "You Really Got Me" while wearing white, frilly shirts. Sure, just how I predicted it. It started slow, which I actually really liked, and these guys change keys so freaking well. Their lead is like the 5th or 6th out of their 9 to lead a song, and he was just as good as everyone else. Dang boi. Then, what country song would a group of tenors sing? Oh yeah, Rascal Flatts! "Life Is A Highway" was a little too fast for me, but I loved seeing these straitlaced guys wearing black cowboy hats and huge longhorn belt buckles. Again, they change keys as seamlessly as anyone in the whole game - the song was pretty good.

So the power rankings after this week are as follows:

1. Pentatonix

2. Dartmouth Aires

3. Vocal Point

4. Afro-Blue

15. Urban Method (I'm bitter.)

MLB: World Series Preview

With both Championship Series behind us, there remains only one step left on the quest to crown a 2011 baseball champion: the World Series. I went 1-for-2 in my predictions, and really only missed the NLCS prediction because the dang Milwaukee Brewers didn't realize they were supposed to force a 7th game. So really, not my fault - I'll call it a win. But now, thanks to the little team that could and an unrelenting rightfielder, the premiere teams in baseball are set to square away in a 7-game series.

The St. Louis Cardinals have ridden the wave of momentum, all the way from qualifying as the NL's Wild Card team on the final day of the regular season, through knocking off the World Series favorite Philadelphia Phillies, then besting their NL Central rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and now set to take on the Texas Rangers.

Those Rangers are an offensive juggernaut that has kind of gotten an easier ride to the Series: after first getting hit in the mouth by the AL Wild Card-winning Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS, they cameback to win 3 straight against a team that really seemed eager to get themselves out. After that series, they took on a top-heavy Detroit Tigers team who limped into the ALCS with injuries to some major offensive weapons and then were exposed by a pretty dominant Rangers bullpen. That, and rightfielder Nelson Cruz decided that he wanted to make history, hitting 6 home runs in 6 games and driving in 13 runs.

My thoughts going into the World Series are as follows: the Cardinals have made it this far without having very good production from their starting pitching or reliable weapons on offense. The key for them to come away with the 2011 World Series trophy lies in the hands of ace pitcher Chris Carpenter, stud first baseman Albert Pujols, and NLCS MVP and overall surprise third baseman David Freese. For the Texas Rangers, their lineup has lived up to every expectation: speed and high average at the top of the lineup with Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus, and then an assortment of power hitters scrambled between Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton, and playoffs-breakout Adrian Beltre. Their starting pitching hasn't been amazing (kind of a major plotline for all teams throughout this year's playoffs), but the bullpen has been great between Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando, and closer Neftali Feliz. The key for this team will continue to be the offense, which can pull the team to a win even if the pitching may not show up in a big way. However, big performances by #1 starter CJ Wilson or some of the other arms in the rotation will do a lot in bringing the city of Dallas its second major sports championship of the year, and the first World Series championship to the Texas Rangers organization.

My Prediction: Party in Dallas! Rangers in 6.

Super Megatron

Calvin Johnson has been out of his mind as a wide receiver for the 5-0 Detroit Lions this year. Nicknamed "Megatron" due to his machine-like performance and consistency, Johnson has been a major reason the Lions are heading into week 6 as one of only two undefeated teams in the NFL. Megatron has been on a record-setting pace to start the year: through 5 games, he has 9 touchdown passes, easily on pace to break Randy Moss's 2007 record of 23 TD grabs. The thought occured to me to statistically compare Johnson's stellar 2011 start to some of the all-time great receiving seasons, as well as comparing his year to that of his peers in the game today.

Here are the statistical numbers of Jerry Rice's 5 best scoring years, Randy Moss's 4 best, Cris Carter's and Terrell Owens' best, as well as some dominant Larry Fitzgerald seasons and Wes Welker's scorching start to this season. (YAC = yards after catch, and YAC wasn't computed as a stat until 1994)

Player	Rec/Game	Yds/gm	TD/gm	YAC/gm
86 Rice	5.375	98.125	0.9375
87 Rice	5.416666667	89.83333333	1.833333333
89 Rice	5.125	92.6875	1.0625
91 Rice	5	75.375	0.875
93 Rice	6.125	93.9375	0.9375
95 Carter	7.625	85.6875	1.0625	27.45
98 Moss	4.3125	82.0625	1.0625	15.5625
00 Moss	4.8125	89.8125	0.9375	18.9375
01 Owens	5.8125	88.25	1	32.55
03 Moss	6.9375	102	1.0625	27.4375
07 Moss	6.125	93.3125	1.4375	18.3125
08 Fitzgerald	6	89.4375	0.75	28.8
09 Fitzgerald	6.0625	68.25	0.8125	18.1875
11 Megatron	5.8	90.2	1.8	16.6
11 Welker	9	148	1	57.6

Now what does this all mean? First, Wes Welker is #1 in every per-game stat shown above, and rightfully so. He's had an amazing year-to-date, and this could be a record-setting year for him as well. However, one of his stats points to a potential setback in Welker's season of greatness: his YAC/game is a whopping 57.6. This leads me to believe that Welker has been relatively lucky in breaking tackles and finding seams downfield after catching the ball, and I would expect that number to drop significantly toward the rest of the pack as the season progresses. So let's all realize that Wes Welker is having a great year, and then move on. Because this blogpost isn't about him.

Now, Megatron has only played in 5 of the Lions' 16 scheduled games this season, so the record books are far from his. But what I'm looking for is: how repeatable are these numbers for the rest of the season? Compared to the rest of the pack (of Hall of Fame NFL receivers...he's in good company), Johnson is right in the middle of the group in terms of receptions and yards per game. As for receiving touchdowns, Calvin trails only 1987 Jerry Rice in TDs/game, and in terms of YAC/game, Johnson is second-to-last.

My take on that set of numbers: Johnson's receptions and yards are consistent with other great receiving years, so they seem to be repeatable for the duration of the season. It would be amazing and unlikely for Megatron to continue hauling in TDs at the rate he is currently at, but there is room for improvement in the disparity of YAC Johnson is currently gaining per game. In addition to this, Detroit's lack of a punishing goal-line running back to finish off drives means that quarterback Matthew Stafford will be looking to Megatron more and more as the season progresses.

Allow me this one last giddy outpouring over these statistics: in 1987, Jerry Rice caught 22 touchdown passes and had 1078 receiving yards...in 12 games played. That season, he had only 65 receptions, which means that ONE out of every THREE passes he caught from Joe Montana that year went for a score. Many people have said this before, but analysis like this proves what the Naked-Eye Test has hypothesized: Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver of all time, and in my estimation the greatest football player who ever lived.

Seeing Johnson replicate what Rice did for most of his career, aka own opposing defensive backs, is truly something special. As a Detroit bandwagon jumper and a Calvin Johnson fantasy owner, I am a tiny bit biased in rooting for Megatron to continue his machine-like domination of opponents through the rest of this season. But hey, as a football fan, it's just a lot of fun to see history being made.