Advance Screening - Movie Review

The Other Boleyn Girl
I have to admit, my knowledge of European history is lacking. I spent most of my historical studies in high school and college focused on American history. I did take one European history class from Coach Henry, but in his defense it's difficult to teach history when you know nothing about history. With that in mind I will say that I'm not sure of the Hollywood vs. History argument in regards to The Other Boleyn Girl but it makes for a good story even if they took a significant amount of artistic license.

I was a little worried before walking into the theater since Hollywood has a bad habit of using period pieces as a crutch, placing too much time and money into fancy costumes and ornate set decoration. But after watching TOBG I have to say that I was pleased they chose to focus on the story of two sisters living in a world where pretty daughters could be dealt like playing cards to influence socio-economic status and policy.

Like Ibsen's A Dolls House before it, The Other Boleyn Girl gets a little preachy in spots with it's womens lib message but backs away from the cliff that would have relegated it to Lifetime Movie of the Week status. As family ambition pushes the boundaries of decency the story takes on an almost Shakespearian tone as every decision backfires and the world begins to spiral out of control.

Scarlett Johnanson is a nice fit as the sweet and pure Mary Boleyn who desires a simple life in the country and Eric Bana is underrated as an actor over all, but he didn't have much to work with as a weak minded Henry VIII. Natalie Portman's, Anne Boleyn falls a little short. First off I didn't feel she was as sinister and manipulative as required. It also wasn't quite believable that Henry would fall so hard and so quick. She simply wasn't the Helen of Troy I was expecting. Like Helen, Anne should have the face that launched a thousand ships and thrust countries into war over her beauty. I just wasn't convinced that Henry would spend that much time thinking with his penis and tear his country apart with vast and wide reaching political decisions all based on the whims of a young girl. Not to say it didn't happen.

Over all The Other Boleyn Girl is a good film just not a great romantic epic. But for those who enjoy history about kings and queens, a nice soap-opera like period piece, or just a good cat fight then it's entertaining and I think most will enjoy it. It opens today.

One On One - Buzz Preston

Enjoy this one on one interview Wes did with Buzz Preston, Tech's new Wide Receivers Coach.

Revenge is a dish best served piping hot...

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, well kinda.

Yea, the video below made me shoot Dr. Pepper through my nose from laughing so hard, I originally posted the Sarah Silverman breakup song on Jan 1st and no doubt you've seen it by now. I think it's been more popular than the Numa Numa Kid, but here is a refresher just incase you missed it.



Well below you will see as Jimmy gets his revenge. I also have to say it's nice to see celebrities not take themselves so seriously. The cameos by Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford are just classic.



Also, that the cameo by Josh Grobin ranks near the best of all time, somewhere beside Donny Osmond's appearance in Weird Al's White & Nerdy video. The epic take on Chamillionaire's Ridin' Dirty.

Best Picture Rundown

I thought since the Oscars are Sunday night and I've failed to write up reviews on four of the five best pictures nominees, I would bring you a quick rundown of each and my picks of who should win and who will win. Not that you care. It's the slow season for football news if you can't tell.


JUNO
I originally reviewed JUNO several weeks ago, you can read that original write up here. (JUNO REVIEW) Not much has changed in my overall opinion and it ranks as the sentimental favorite of the five nominees but has little to no chance of winning. The Academy enjoys nominating these quirky independent like films but usually regrets to award them anything significant. JUNO has two other nominations aside from Best Picture. Ellen Page gets a best actress nod, but like the film, she is only the sentimental favorite. It stands it's best chance of taking home a little naked gold man with it's screenplay. As I said before, JUNO is an excellent film and well worth your time, it's just not the best film of the year.

MICHAEL CLAYTON
Movies filled with fancy lawyering are nothing new, in fact they comprise some of our best films as far back as To Kill A Mockingbird. Michael Clayton is the same but different. Where most of those films are built on the idea of fighting the system, the government or the bloated multi-national corporation and in the end, finding justice inside the courtroom for the common man. Clayton IS the common man, but one buried deep inside the system and struggling with the constant moral imperative. Like Hamlet before him it's a decision to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take up arms against a sea of troubles and simply act on what he knows to be right, damning the consequences. Oddly enough, Michael Clayton is more about atonement, than Atonement itself. More on that later. Clooney's head down - eyes up acting style will eventually yield him an Oscar for best actor, but not this year. (He won best supporting actor in 2005 for Syriana.) Over all Clayton is an expertly directed and crafted film but will be the most deserving, least awarded film of the year, in fact I'm predicting a shut out of it's six nominations.


ATONEMENT
I have to admit, I'm still not certain how I feel about Atonement and I'm sure this quick review will revel my waffling. Was I disappointed because I had the expectation of something else? And that's not to say I was disappointed at all. Don't get me wrong, Atonement is a good film. It's well acted, nicely crafted and beautifully shot but I got the feeling while watching the credits roll that I was somewhat unfulfilled. Atonement is real, and that could be it's biggest achievement as well as it's largest downfall. For the most part real life, even the interesting stories, is a little flat, it's the nature of things. Which is the reason for the romance novel, the spy triller and the horror film. To heighten the senses. Atonement seems to make a point to shy away from the melodramatic longing that comes with most romantic stories, which I applaud it for, but at the same time without the audience feeling that aching it detaches the characters. I found myself indifferent. Of course there is the point of view that the story is not really that of two lovers torn apart by war, time and wrongful accusation. But it's more of what it's title implies, a story of indemnification. Over all I'm not sure if Atonment's meandering between what it felt it should be and what it felt it wanted to be is a positive or a negative. At the same time I say this, It's still a very good movie. Do I sound like a politician yet? Seven nominations and it stands the best chance of taking home the award for cinematography and original score.


NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
No Country will go down as the crowning achievement of the Cohen Brothers library. The makers of O Brother, Where Art Thou and Fargo better make room on the mantel, I have a feeling it's about to fill up with gold statues. No Country is a good film, but in so many ways I felt I was watching Fargo in the desert. From the stark landscape, and quirky characters to enhanced accents and hidden case full of money. In my opinion, Fargo was better. No Country features a handful of top notch performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, but it suffers from about 20min of unnecessary footage which drags down the pace of a film that is basically a game of chase. Sure old Eastwood westerns were purposely slow and maybe that was the point here, but it's pacing loses some of it's tension, and tension is what you want in a story where your getting chased by a hit man with a unique loyalty to a strange code of conduct. Based on the Pulitzer Prise winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men does a great job of throwing off narrative conventions and that's probably why it hasn't gotten a warm response from movie goers. As the film progresses it tightens it's hold and the result is an audience squirming with no since of closure. The Cohen Brothers do a superb job of merging humor, drama and violence, but the film could have easily spiraled off into road trip land if not for the grounding of the Tommy Lee Jones character, the Sheriff trying to stop the blood shed in a world gone horribly wrong. Expect No Country to bring home several Oscars including the big one, although There Will be Blood is the better picture by far.


THERE WILL BE BLOOD
A few times a generation movies appear that remind us that film is a true art form, I have a feeling that There Will Be Blood will in time make that list. More than any film I've seen this year, Blood is a complete cinematic masterwork. Uncompromising and I've heard it described as "magnificently strange" and "vintage, analog filmmaking." Rarely has a film been made that contains not one single, likable, redeeming character, but this is that film. Based on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil, There Will Be Blood is one of the few times I felt I was watching the pages of a novel come to life, the cinematography is remarkable. From the sweaty fluorescents of Boogie Nights to the gritty viscosity of Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson's directing has a certain palpable texture that I can feel on my tongue. It would be a shame if the Oscar for best directing didn't go in this direction. There Will Be Blood has eight nods but the one slam dunk is Daniel-Day Lewis for best actor, he simply outshines the competition. I wouldn't be surprised to see it pull in a few more. It is interesting however that Jonny Greenwood's score was not nominated when it's such an integral part of the picture. Upon further investigation I find out that since the score uses a certain percentage of previously written work it was declined and could only be given consideration after appeal by the studio. There Will Be Blood should win the best film of the year, but it won't.

One On One - Jeff Monken

Enjoy this one on one interview Wes did with Jeff Monken, Tech's new Slot Backs/Special Teams Coordinator.

The revolution starts today

I think it’s time to start rioting in the streets.
I just finished our taxes and I found another reason to vote for Ron Paul or at least Mike Huckabee.

This year we’ll have to sit back and watch the Federal government steal extra money out of mine and Tiffany's paychecks, they steal plenty, but this year it's more. And that’s all it is, socialized stealing. We’ll "owe" for the first time ever....and we have zero withholding exemptions on our paychecks so we’ve always gotten a refund due to overpaying. Sure technically it’s giving the government an interest free loan but we were willing to do that to be on the safe side. Not this time, even with the zero withholding exemptions, the amount they took out throughout the year still wasn’t enough to cover the large amount the feds will steal. So now we have to write the government a large check.

Why?

Well, we made more money, so it’s punishment from the government for working our asses off and succeeding. How dare we, don't we know that only the government can make our lives better! So as a nice little slap on the hand and a condescending "No, No, No" from the Nanny State they are opening up our wallet and stealing an extra chunk of change that I'm sure will go to free health care for illegal immigrants.

Also to make matters worse we made a series of what under normal circumstances would be considered "good decisions" but end the end, screw you tax wise.

Strike One:
We decided to get married years ago which I’m sure you know the government punishes you for

Strike Two:
We decided that we currently can’t afford to have a child, which means no child care credits or deductions per child

Strike Three:
We decided that we currently can’t afford to buy a house, thus no mortgage deductions

But, if I choose not to get married, have 5 children I can’t afford and buy a house I can’t afford then it might be possible that I'll get the honor of paying little to no taxes at all.

Thomas, Ben, John and George would be ashamed of us.

"Truth is treason in the empire of lies."

rant completed

(Beware, I’m sure this post will be flagged by the Dept of Homeland Security. Thank you Patriot Act for looking out for my safety)



And speaking of revolution maybe watching this kid from Canada tear up Dance Dance Revolution will cheer me up.

SWEET!!!

If this doesn't make your toes tingle with excitement then you are a soulless shell of a human being.

One On One - Mike Seawak

Enjoy this one on one interview Wes did with Mike Seawak, Tech's new Co-Offensive Line Coach.

SAVE Friday Night Lights

It seems I'm going to have to post a blog at least once a year in hope of helping save a worthy television show. Lets be honest, the TV studios don't green light much worth watching but when they actually come up with a good idea they seem to effectively eat their young by doing everything in their power to kill it. One of my favorite shows, Jericho was axed last year when the geniuses at CBS thought it would be a great idea to place it up against American Idol leading up to the finale. Basically giving the show the proverbial death blow and destroying any hope of attracting new viewers. Luckily Jericho had already secured enough of a following that the outcry from the cancellation led to it raining pistachios in the offices of CBS execs. Devoted fans paid their own money to have bags and cans of nuts sent to CBS HQ. All total, 20 tons worth. They listened and Jericho will return to the airwaves this evening for a 7 episode run. After that, who knows.

Friday Night Lights has also fallen on hard times. The show currently ending it's second season was once again given the death time slot of Friday night. Lets follow this line of thinking shall we? We'll take a show that follows the life and times of a high school football team and move it to a time slot where it's built in fan base will not be home to watch, instead they will be watching, playing or cheering in real life. Sounds brilliant to me. What is it about government operations and large corporations that lead to the complete ceasing of higher brain function of those in charge. An absolute zero of cognitive activity. Do the synapses just stop firing when you reach the title of executive?

Well the move has destroyed the shows ratings, and NBC is considering pulling the plug. Last Friday could have been FNL's final episode unless the viewing public and fans of the show decide to take part and do something to help.

There is already a campaign underway to save the show, if you would like to help signing the petition below is a start. After that maybe we can send 20 tons of pork rinds to NBC.

Petition To Keep Friday Night Lights

SAVE Friday Night Lights Web Site

If not you can always go back to watching Flavor Of Love, which sadly just started it third season.

State of the Tech Nation

I bring you Dan Radakovich's State of the Tech Nation speech, a look at the achievements of the GTAA over the past year and many goals for the future. It's about 32 minutes long. Enjoy.

Part 1

Part 2

There Will Be Oscars

I'm going to do a complete rundown on the five films nominated for best picture soon. But until then I thought I'd bring you David Spade and his son HW.

I drink your milkshake. I drink it up.

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE


Also, did anyone catch the train wreck that was the Grammys last night? I could only stomach a few minutes. When they started to parade out the likes of Beyonce and Fergie to me as the top echelon of talent in the music industry it made my ears bleed with distaste. I do know they made the true talent (the Foo Fighters) play in the parking lot. At that point me and Tiffany watched Casablanca. The day hip-hop dies a painful, agonizing death will be a day too late.

New Unis?

This is a photo of the possible new uniform options for 2008.
Could one of these make it to the field this year?

I guess if you are going to change the head coach, most of the staff and the overall direction of the program it couldn't hurt to change the uniforms while your at it.

Word has it that the adoption of new unis is underway. Apparently the players have a lot of say and several different color combinations are under consideration, including:

White Jerseys - Old Gold Pants - Gold Helmets
Blue Jerseys - White Pants - Gold Helmets
Old Gold Jerseys - White Pants - White Helmets

That's right. Apparently the lighter gold of the Gailey administration is possibly out with the old gold used in the Throwback Thursday night game 2 years ago taking Tech back to more of a antique hue.

Obviously the combonations above could be mixed up in many different ways but I have to say as much as I'm behind a uniform change I have to admit I'm skeptical. I worry that we might go with the fancy new modern look (Miami, Louisville, etc.) or that we may botch the color match. Lets be honest Tech has never been able to standardize a color gold and I have no reason to believe that would change now.

It's difficult to tell much from the photo above, provided by meetthemachine.com, but I can say quickly you can't wear the gold helmet with the gold jersey at least not without making sure the gold on the helmet and the jersey match, currently they're not even close. I'm pretty pumped to see the blue as an option, especially since all I ever hear that our colors are white and gold only, probably the two most difficult colors in which to build any design, the blue is imperative to provide contrast. The blue jersey also raises another point, if we wear blue jerseys at home, what happens to the ignored concept of fans wearing "Gold on Gameday?" My suggestion? Nothing. Drop it, forget you ever asked the fans to wear gold to the games. It's time to face reality and realize the fans have chosen to ignore the idea, if we can't get alums to wear gold on homecoming its simply not going to happen. Sure, I hear the arguments that Auburn wears orange and the team wears blue, why can't we follow that lead. Sure we can, but we won't. The truth is most people, even hard core fans, don't own a yellow/gold/cheddar shirt. When they choose to go buy Tech apparel, they choose blue not gold and that choice is not made due to a lack of quality gold items. They choose blue because it's what people like to wear. The stores sale more blue than gold, thus they will continue to carry what sales. If we decide to switch to blue jerseys at home it might be time to accept the idea that fans like blue, and encourage them to wear blue to the games. Yes, I know many of you are currently throwing your Sam Adams at the computer screen upon reading my blasphemy but I for one get sick of seeing our stadium looking like a pot of Spanish rice on gameday.

My only issue with the jerseys in the photo is the piping, I hope that doesn't stay. Also it's difficult to see and I would like to get some clarification from those in the know. Are the sides different colors? It's appears that the sides of the blue contains a big white stripe from under the arm down to the hip. Same can be said for the white, seems to have a large gold stripe. Help me out guys, is it my eyes, or is something possibly hanging behind the jerseys giving this illusion?

End the end it seems that the uniform controversy will never end, regardless of what is selected. There are only a few things I hope for, first that we have matching colors, second that we stay with a traditional uniform and third that the players like what they wear.

More to come as it becomes available and if you haven't noticed it truly is the off season.

2008 Tech Football Schedule

The 2008 football schedule has finally been released and except for a few things it looks like it should be a fun year.

2008 Schedule
Aug. 28 JACKSONVILLE STATE (Thursday)
Sept. 6 at Boston College
Sept. 13 at Virginia Tech
Sept. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 27 Open
Oct. 4 DUKE (Family Weekend)
Oct. 11 GARDNER-WEBB
Oct. 18 at Clemson
Oct. 25 VIRGINIA (Homecoming)
Nov. 1 FLORIDA STATE
Nov. 8 at North Carolina
Nov. 15 Open
Nov. 20 MIAMI (Thursday)
Nov. 29 at Georgia

A few thoughts.
I like having SEC games on the schedule and Miss State is a team on the rise. The Thursday night game against Miami towards the end of the season is an exciting match up and I'm happy to see FSU back on the schedule.

It's unfortunate to see us playing two Division II teams, Jacksonville State and Gardner-Webb. You may know that the Gardner-Webb game is the replacement for Army which dropped us but even if we win them both, only one of the wins would count towards bowl eligibility.

Also it's a little odd to see two Thursday night games, they are a love / hate for me as they completely mess with tailgating, so lets hope the season opener will be televised on ESPN.

Here is the LINK to the complete story regarding the 2008 schedule from RamblinWreck.com

Also check out THE WORD FROM WES as our own Mr. Durham breaks down his thoughts on the schedule.


Future Schedules?

Interested in planning road trips now? Here are the preliminary schedules all the way out to 2022, assuming the earth doesn't spin off it's axis and plummet into the sun or if Hillary is elected.

2009
Home: Jacksonville State, Georgia, Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Virginia, Duke, Miami

2010
Home: South Carolina State, Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Away:
Georgia, Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech

2011
Home: Western Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Virginia, Duke, Miami

2012
Home: Middle Tennessee State, Boston College, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Away: Georgia, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech

2013
Home: Elon, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Alabama, Boston College, Virginia, Duke, Miami

2014
Home: Wofford, Alabama, Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Away: Tulane, Georgia, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech

2015
Home: Tulane, Georgia, Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Syracuse, Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, Miami

Other Non-Conference Games beyond 2015
2016 Syracuse Home
2017 Auburn Home
2018 Auburn Away
2018 Tulane Home
2019 Tulane Away
2021 South Carolina Away
2022 South Carolina Home

Class of 2008 - HIGHLIGHTS

Wanna see what the new members of the Ramblin' Wreck can do? Well until spring practice the best we can provide is what they have done in the past. Check out the video of highlights from many of their high school careers.

What caught my eye? Tevin Washington is lightening in a bottle, this kid is fast.

Ladies & Gentlemen - The GT Football 2008 Recruiting Class

Welcome all...

Rashaad Reid - DB
St Augustine HS, FL

Phil Smith - OL
Tampa Jesuit, FL

Antonio Wilson - DE
Columbia HS, GA

Embry Peeples - RB
Dr Phillips HS
Orlando, FL

Jaybo Shaw - QB
Flowery Branch HS, GA

Daniel McKayhan - WR
King HS
Lithonia, GA

Nick McRae - OL
Dublin HS, GA

Kamaron Riley - CB
Hawkinsville HS, GA

Steven Sylvester - LB
Union Grove HS
McDonough, GA

Malcolm Munroe - LB
Coral Reef HS
Miami, FL

Marcus Wright - SB
Ronald Reagan HS
San Antonio, TX

Cooper Taylor - DB
Marist HS
Atlanta, GA

Tevin Washington - QB
Wetumpka HS, AL

Richard Watson - RB
Florida A&M HS
Tallahassee, FL

Omoregie Uzzi - OL
Chamblee HS, GA

Jon Lockhart - DB
Blountstown HS, FL

Brandon Leslie - DB
Edison HS
Fresno, CA

B.J. Machen - LB
Hilliard Darby HS
Hilliard, OH

Quentin Sims - WR
Colerain HS
Cincinnati, OH

T.J. Barnes - DL
Enterprise HS, AL

Scott over at the GT Sports Blog put together a nice run down of each new Yellow Jacket, so I refer you to his post HERE

Paul Johnson = Jack Bauer

As we wait for the letters of intent from 18 year old kids trying to make a decision, and we know how teenagers can be. Lets take a look at a little diddy that Navy produced in the name of school spirit. It seems the only way the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers can hope to compete on the playing field is to take the Midshipmen out from the top down. Meaning a planned assassination of Coach Paul Johnson.

Luckily, PJ has mad skills

Super Tuesday runs into Super Wednesday (aka National Signing Day)

Well, Super Tuesday has come and gone. McCain did well, Huckabee did better than expected and Romney tanked. Ron Paul came in where I expected. While the seems the Republicans will continue to battle it out for awhile in a 3 way race, the Democrats went in neck and neck and it appears they will remain that way for sometime.

But you can rest easy in the fact that while we still may not know who will be the nominees for each party we will know today who will be the nominees to help take Georgia Tech football into the future. Today is national signing day and I'll have a full run down when things wrap up. Here's hoping for a few positive surprises.

Romney visits Tech

Photo Credit: Joey Ivansco / AJC

I had to work so I didn't get a chance to catch Romney's visit to Ga Tech today but I would be interested to hear the opinions of those in attendance. According to the AJC Romney spoke to a crowd of about 500 saying the following,

"Georgia is going to have a big role in this," Romney said. "I keep hearing from my friends here that Georgia is going to come my way."

If you were there to catch his speech, let me know what your thoughts are.

LINK

Mike Huckabee = Fair Tax

Just a few more hours and those of us here in Georgia and many other states get a chance to vote in our primaries. Still haven't decided who you'd like to vote for? Well I'm sure you can tell by now that I'm supporting Ron Paul, but I understand if you're not. People want change and I know that Paul's changes are more than some can handle. Paul won't get the nomination so if you've made the choice to vote for him understand that it's not a vote for a win, it's a vote for the continuation of a movement.

If you would like to look else where then there are 5 more choices. Hillary and Obama on the Democrat side. McCain, Romney and Huckabee on the Republican side. I'm not passionate about any of them but I do like one specific issue that Mike Huckabee is fully behind and that is the FairTax. If I disagreed with him on everything else then his backing of the FairTax might be enough to sway my vote.

Just some food for thought and you can't deny that he sure can answer a question.

www.FairTax.org

www.MikeHuckabee.com

Born Free Die Free

Only a few days remain until Super Tuesday and there is actually one debate left if you are interested in watching. Sat night at 6pm MTV will have a debate where the questions will be asked by the masses via YouTube. Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Obama and Hillary will all be on hand. Now let me say that I hate MTV with a passion, not only are they responsible for the destruction of rock and roll but they spend all their time now subjecting us to such creative television programming as Real World vs Road Rules Challenge. Chances are this debate will end up as an Obama love fest, but Ron Paul has a ton of support from the younger generation. The generation that is sick of seeing their future being sold to China for windfall corporate profits and cheap consumer goods. The generation that understands that a single Tylenol at the doctors office shouldn't cost more than a bottle at the store. The generation sick of the "forced saving" of their paycheck by the largest government scam ever perpetrated on the American public, Social Security. The generation that would like to read the billboards on Buford Hwy without being forced to carry a Spanish translation dictionary in their hip pocket. With that support, I expect to see some interesting questions and answers. Especially considering the huge ideological contrast between the two sides. Ron Paul wants the government out of your life, Hillary thinks the government should decide how much butter I'm allowed on my baked potato. (potatoe)

I promise I'll get back to football very, very soon.