Vote Democratic or Your Kids Will Read Dumb, Stupid Comic Books!

NK-ED-pg-31-570x413

So, a piece of news is making the rounds today. Nancy King, a State Senator in Maryland, sent around a flyer to her constituents, seen above co-opted from Bleeding Cool, which seems to indicate that if she is not elected, teachers in Maryland will be laid off and the students will become booger-eating, comic book reading morons.

Of course, this has outraged a lot of people in the comic book community, notably Dean Trippe and Peter David. And it has irked me a bit, so I felt the need to comment.

I don't know why I'm so upset. This is just a boneheaded politician doing a boneheaded advertising campaign. Looking at pictures of Ms. King, I'm pretty sure the chances of her every reading a comic book are very remote. Just looking at the choice of reading material the kids have their hands on shows how out of touch they are. I'm sure the campaign took $5 out of petty cash to go buy a boatload of comic at the local comic shop only to find that $5 really won't get you much. That Superman comic cost $5 on its own (well, $4.99). The other two "comics" are a free preview issue for an upcoming X-Men arc dealing with vampires, so that didn't cost anything. The other "comic"? That's Marvel Previews, Marvel's catalog. It isn't even a comic. It is a list of all the comics Marvel is offering three months from now. And while it is priced at $1.25, many comic shops give it away for free. I mean, when it comes to King's purposes, it serves its purpose because it kinda looks like a comic book. But still. 

But the idea that comic books are only read by uneducated buffoons is a stereotype I thought we had grown out of. In the 50s, this image of an adult comic book fan was prevalent. However, over time, an image of a more intelligent, if socially awkward, comic reader has taken its place (see: The Big Bang Theory).

Regardless, critics have come to appreciate the literary content of comic books. Time named Watchmen, a comic book, as one of the 100 Greatest Novels of the last 100 years. Colleges offer graphic novels as part of their curriculum. I have been assigned Maus and Persepolis as part of my college readings. Some states even have initiatives where they use comic books to promote literacy. States like, say, King's home state of Maryland.

But a look at the interior of the flyer might indictate King had something different in mind:

Teachers-570x216

See? Maybe the point she was trying to make was that when the teachers are laid off, the kids will be left unattended in a school room! The real studious ones will be reading comics!

And is it just me, or are there a wide variety of ages in this classroom. Maybe one room schoolhouses never went out of style in Maryland! Yes, just like on Little House on the Prairie, kids from different grades side on one room to undergo some book learnin' after all their chorin' is done!

Anyway, as a Deomocrat myself, I, like Peter David, would be forced to vote Republican if Ms. King survived this primary round. I wonder if the comic fan vote is really all that important?

Rest in Peace, At The Movies

Siskel-Ebert-At-the-Movies

I can trace my love of movies to two things, my mom, who passed her love of film down to me with weekly excursions to the local cineplex, and also to Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert as they appeared on At the Movies.

I started watching the show when I was still a teenager, it must have been around the mid 1980s. I'll be the first to admit that At the Movies, even at that time, probably wasn't a show that catered to the teenage demographic. I mean, there were not that many students at my high school wearing Siskel and Ebert T-shirts.

But I was captivated. As a burgeoning film buff, I couldn't have a better example as to what loving movies was all about than these two.

When they both loved a film, I wanted to rush out and see it then and there. When they both hated it, I knew enough to stay away, but a part of me wanted to see it anyway to see if I hated it as much as they did.

But when they disagreed, you kind of got the feeling that one would launch the other off of the balcony. It would seem that there was a very good chance that a punch going to be thrown. Later, it was revealed that it all was an act, that the rancor was played up for the audiences at home. Well, you could have fooled me.

But no matter where they stood on the week's films, the show was always entertaining. These guys loved films and loved exposing great films to new audiences. I lived in a small town in Pennsylvania and foreign or indie films never really graced my local theaters. But Siskel and Ebert exposed me to these films and thankfully the local video stores were much better. I have seen many movies I would have never sought out otherwise.

_1269567996

In 1999, Gene Siskel passed away due to complications from surgery to remove a brain tumor. After a period of time of other critics getting a chance to sit across from Roger, Ebert was paired with Richard Roeper. It wasn't the same, but, then again, it never could be. But Ebert and Roeper created their own dynamic. It always seemed like it was more of a "master and student" kind of relationship than a meeting as equals. But they still had some spirited discussions and had a good chemistry.

Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002 and was struck with complications in 2006. He would never return to the show. Roeper was paired with a number of guest co-hosts for an extended period of time, but in 2008 Ebert and Roeper ended their association with the company that syndicated the program and a new direction was in store.

I kind of lost touch with the show a little while before this. I think it was a mix of a constantly shifting schedule, my life taking on outher priorities and maybe a little due to Ebert's abscenses. I wasn't a religious viewer of the program anymore, but I tried to catch it whenever I could.

Atthemovies_l

I caught some episodes of the new direction, the critically lambasted one with Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz. Yeah. All the criticism that goes around with this version is pretty much right. I was never a fan of Lyons. I always found him a bit unctous when he was a celebrity interviewer on E!, and here he seemed less like a film critic than a frat boy spouting off on something he didn't know all that much about.

Mankiewicz came off a little better, at least a little more knowledgeable. However, he didn't really have that much charisma and chemistry with Lyons. I get the feeling the matching of these two was some executive's grand idea of matching a hip young guy to get the younger demographic with an older seasoned guy who could keep the show's loyal fans. It didn't work.

Neither man was a critic (although Lyons was the son of one. But genetics really doesn't count). Neither man worked for a newspaper. Neither man seemed to have the passion for films that Ebert and Roeper did, let alone Ebert and Siskel did. If you are looking to point fingers over the demise of this show, point to whoever came up with this edition of the program.

Atthemovies02a

Last year, the double Bens were replaced by A.O. Scott of the New York Times and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune. This is when I started becoming a regular viewer again. It was this version of the show that seemed to best recapture the Siskel and Ebert glory days.

These guys were experienced critics. Both had acted as fill-ins during the period of time when Ebert was out. Both seemed that they at the very least liked films very much.

And the pair had chemistry with one another. They could get argumentative, but could also be on the same page. But either way, what they said and how they said it was interesting. Their opinions might not have always matched with mine, but they were always presented in an intelligent and witty fashion.

It seems that when it was announced in March that the show would be cancelled, a lot of people seem to mourn the Siskel and Ebert version. I also mourn the present one as well. If Disney kept this on a little longer, it still might have not caught on. But at least it ends on a good note.

This weekend will be the airing of the last episode of At the Movies. The day is long in coming, but apparently could not be averted. My DVR will be down one recording each week, and the world of serious film criticism will be losing another of its best examples. Rest in peace, At the Movies. I'll miss you.    

My Top Fantasy Football Tips.

Brady%20yahoo%20crop

It's around that time again. Time for Fantasy Football to start. I have been meaning to run a blog post like this for a few yearn, and finally have found the time.

These are some tips from my many years of playing fantasy football. I have been playing for, gosh, it must be close to 15 years now. Maybe more, maybe less.

Now, this post won't tell you what RB is the best one for you to pick up or when you should draft your starting QB. This is more general purpose post. I hope that you find this useful.

1. It is better to be lucky than good: Many people sweat too much over their drafts when a lot is left up to fate. In 2008, after he had his career year, Tom Brady was drafted in the top five of every draft I was in. He gets hurt in the first game and is out for the season. In 2007, Adrian Peterson was drafted as an afterthought in the later rounds. He won many an owner a championship.

So, just realize, that while you can research all you want, get angry with friends for steal a guy you wanted, don't go overboard. A lot of this game is not in your hands at all. Try to keep good karma so luck will be on your side.

 

2. What Fantasy Football Magazines Should You Buy?: There are certainly a lot out there that you can choose from. Everyone has something to offer. Lord knows I've read just about all of them. But my three picks would be Fantasy Football Index, Fantasy Football Pro  Forecast, and ESPN Fantasy Football magazine. FFI is a well rounded report on all the players, FFPF is great with statistics, and ESPN covers a wide number of players.

Of course, there many websites you can visit that would give you the same info for free, so you could just not buy any magazine at all. But I am a magazine guy, what can I say?

3. Should You Go RB/RB with Your First Two Picks? Check Your Scoring System.: The accepted rule is that you should pick two running backs with your first two picks. This would work if you can find two guaranteed starters in the two rounds that you could like. But Running Back By Committee has slowly become the rule and not the exception, and there are a whole lot more valuable RB's out there. But if QB's and WR's get the same amount per Touchdowns as RB's do, it would make sense to pick one of them up. A second tier QB usually passes for 20-30 TD's a year, a first tier even more. The second tier RB scores 7-10. In my opinion, it makes sense to take the points.

4. You Can Draft With Your Heart, But Sparingly: I recently was in a draft where a Cowboys fan drafted Tony Romo in the first round. I wanted to send him a fruit basket to thank him.

Yes, be a fan, but be realistic. Romo might be the best Cowboy, but he's not worth going #6 overall. He would have totally been their in later rounds.

But , hey, if you are a Bengals fan and want to draft Carson Palmer as your backup QB, go right ahead. But go with your head first instead of your heart.

5. Be Prepare, Be Ready, Be Considerate: The league I'm in every year doesn't really follow with an enforce time limit with draft picks. So every year, usually during the later rounds, there's always one owner who furiously flips through his draft magazine looking for a backup RB, holding up the whole draft in the processes.

Thing is, he should have known what he would be going for with that pick when he made his last one. Or, at the very least, narrowed it down to three positions he would need to fill. He should have been picking about three players for each position he had his eye on (or 9 if he was dead set on one position) and do a mental ranking of which of the 9 he would pick first.

Because it really irks me that I have to wait because some guy is less prepared than I am. You have a year between drafts. You have plenty of time to construct draft rankings for every player in the league, either formally or informally. You should never be caught by that much surprise when a player you wanted is taken prior to your pick.

 

Film: Inception

Inception

I have an unhealthy admiration for Christopher Nolan. I have been a fan of his since Memento, somehow missed Insomnia (and still haven't seen it) but love the Batman films he did. And I love the Prestige too. I have yet seen him do any wrong.

I also love the fact that he has written he has written the thinking man's summer blockbuster. His films usually come out during the time of year when "mindless fun" rules, yet still his smart films seems to bring people in.

To call Inception a complex movie, would be quite the understatement. The film demands that you pay attention. Its twists and turns have twists and turns. But everything you need to know is there on screen.

The plot involves a crew led by Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). who involves in a special kind of industrial espionage--they steal secrets from people's minds. The crew is about to attempt the impossible. They are going to implant an idea into someone's head. This is incredibly difficult and incredibly dangerous. But dark dealings from Cobb's past jeopardize not only the job, but the lives of the whole crew.

The window dressing is that this film is a caper movie, and it works well in this aspect. The crime goes down in a way that matches up with the best of Steven Soderburgh's Ocean films, only times three. It is on the edge or your seat exciting.

But the film is really about loss of loved ones and how we shape reality to deal with it. It is one of those films where you might thing the action points are the main driving points of the plot, but actually it's the quieter, flashback moments.

There is a lot of talk about the ending and how people are confused by it, but the steps leading up to that ending are all in the film. Not to spoil anything, but anytime you think you caught a continuity error or a plot element doesn't make sense, don't simply assume it was a mistake. They are merely clues.

Inception is simply brilliant. It is so well coordinated that it is a sterling example of the best that film has to offer. I imagine we'll be seeing more of this around Oscar time.

So, I want to buy a SDCC Plastic Man figure on MattyCollector.com.

...and everything seemed to be working out. My daughter goes down for her nap right before the sale was supposed to start, I am seated in front of computer 10 minutes before 12 p.m., just waiting for the site to allow me to purchase the item. About 4 minutes of 12, I refresh my screen and get this:

Matty-Stitched-01

It's a hold screen. The site is down because of too much traffic. This screen is a constantly rerunning 5 second countdown. It went off for one second, I clicked "add item to cart", and this screen came back again. I love it when companies do this. It's like they have no clue what to expect and get caught unawares. Of course, they SHOULD have known and made sure their servers could handle the influx. 

So, will I ever get my Plastic Man figure? Will I get it before my daughter wakes up? Will there be a sternly worded letter written to Mattel? I think the answers will be: probably not, probably not, and definitely.