Today I watched a movie that I had seen some 18 years ago, but did not remember one single detail about it. Yes, as you can guess by the title, that movie was the 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle, although as it turns out that title isn't completely accurate because there were a couple of scenes in which people were sleeping. Directed by Nora Ephron, Sleepless in Seattle is a romantic comedy that stars Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, David Hyde-Pierce, Rosie O'Donnell, and has Jack Bauer working on the crew as the best boy grip. In Sleepless in Seattle, a widower named Samuel Baldwin (Hanks) has moved he and his son to Seattle after the death of his wife. On one Christmas Eve, his son Jonah (Ross Malinger) calls into a talk radio show to wish for his dad to find a new wife. Well, eventually Sam gets on the air and tells his whole story, which affects millions of women nationwide including a writer from Baltimore named Annie (Meg Ryan). Despite being engaged to Walter (Bill Pullman), Annie starts to pursue Samuel in belief that somehow they are destined to be with each other. Is she right? Well, I'm not telling you, go watch the movie :). Anyway, here are a few thoughts about this film, and there are going to be SPOILERS, so proceed with caution.
- Man are the kids in this film annoying or what. Jonah doesn't seem to be that bad at first, as he's concerned enough about his dad to call into a national radio show. That may be a little misguided, but at least his heart's in the right place. But as the movie goes along and Jonah doesn't quite get his way, he becomes an annoying jerk, which is pretty realistic considering he's eight, but it doesn't make it any less annoying. To make matters worse is Jonah's little friend Jessica, who seems to communicate by using only initials and is basically a rude little girl who acts as if she's too cool for school, so to speak.
- As for Annie, is it just me or is she a crazy stalker? For one, she has a perfectly fine relationship with her fiance Walter, but instead of just being happy, she decides to go on a wild goose chase after some guy she has heard on the radio one time. To do this, she finds the man on a search database (which was a bit harder to do back in 1993 than it is now, as all you have to do now is Google whoever you want to find), then once she finds him, she hires a private investigator to get more information and pictures of him. Heck, she even finds out the kid's name. After all of that, she decides to just jet out to Seattle (on company dime, no less) to chase down some ideal of the perfect romance, which is all well and good, but to me it seems just a bit over the top. Then she spends most of her trip spying on the poor guy and his son playing at the beach, peering around the corner of a building. I guess it's supposed to be charming, but imagine for a moment if the roles were reversed and it was the man doing all this to meet a woman. That would be quite creepy, wouldn't it? Then again, maybe I'm just not that romantic of a person, I don't know.
- You have to feel for Samuel in this film, as Hanks does an excellent job of conveying his character's grief over the loss of his wife and really makes you feel for him. But another person I felt sorry for was Annie's fiance Walter. For one, Walter seems to be allergic to everything under the sun, from strawberries to weeds to peanut butter and all sorts of other stuff. Because of this, Walter is portrayed as a rather boring guy in this movie, which for some reason is a bad thing in this movie, as the main lesson of the film seems to be that spontaneous moves that make no sense is the best way to go through life, but I digress. Anyway, Walter thinks he's found the woman of his dreams, but ever so surely, Annie starts to drift further and further apart from Walter, even though he's the exact same person she was so crazy about just a month ago. Worst of all, he can't eat strawberries, the poor guy.
- Have you seen the 1957 Cary Grant movie An Affair to Remember? Well, if you haven't, then make sure not to watch this film as they basically give away the entire plot during the film. Just a warning. Actually, I wasn't too upset about that, as the writers used the story of that film as a major plot point that sort of tied everything together, but I digress.
Overall, even though the storyline makes no sense and some of the characters are not very likeable, I can't really say that I dislike this movie too much. The acting was top-notch all around, even from Rosie O'Donnell who played Annie's friend/boss. In lesser hands, this movie may have came off a lot worse than it did, but both Hanks and Ryan are able to play their characters with enough conviction to pull it off. Also, even though you kind of figure out the ending 10 minutes in, the plot is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing as to just how everything starts to tie into place, so to speak. While Sleepless in Seattle may not be my cup of tea, and in my mind is more of a fantasy movie than Harry Potter, it was at least well executed for the most part. Overall, I'd give Sleepless in Seattle a 6.2 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about Sleepless in Seattle, or you have an idea for a future review, then I would like to hear about them, so either leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Canon Review List-A-Mania: The Top Eight Potato Chips and other Salty Snacks
Hey, the Super Bowl is only four weeks away, and with the Super Bowl comes Super Bowl parties that will be held all across this great nation and possibly other great nations as well. On Super Bowl Sunday, some millions of pounds of chips and other salty snacks will be consumed by hungry football fans and their friends, spouses, children, pets or that one person at every party who is only interested in watching the commercials. So, that got be thinking about potato chips, and after eating some, I decided to compile a list of the top eight potato chips and salty snacks in my opinion. So, without further adieu, here are The Canon Review's top eight potato chips and other salty snacks. Any of these would be quite welcome at my Super Bowl Party, that's for sure.
8. Tortilla Chips - Tortilla chips are usually associated with Mexican food, but a good tortilla chip can go with just about any type of sandwich, or makes a great snack on their own. Add a little salsa or some nacho cheese with some good tortilla chips, and you've got one heck of a good tasting snack. While Tostitos are the most well known type of tortilla chips, personally I don't have a brand preference for tortilla chips, as most of them that I've had pretty much taste the same, so it's all good.
7. Lay's Potato Chips - A classic potato chip for many years, Lay's potato chips have been a favorite of mine for many years due to it's fresh and flavorful taste. While companies like Tom's and Brim's make a similar chip that I have no problem eating with a sandwich, to me they fall just short of capturing the same flavor that Lay's has. Also, I must mention that of the many different flavors that Lay's have come out with over the years, my personal favorite would have to be the K.C. Masterpiece Lay's, as the chips combined a strong barbecue flavor with that classic Lay's taste.
6. Cheetos - These cheese-flavored cornmeal curls are packed full of cheesy goodness, although it does kind of suck that your fingers are all orange after eating those suckers. The original flavored Cheetos are the best in my book, although some of the other different flavors like Wild White Cheddar aren't too bad. Also, I'm not a big fan of those thick cheese puffs. Now, you might think they're similar because they have the same flavor and all, but I just can't eat those things, as it's not the same. Actually, I'm not even sure as to why I don't like those cheese puffs, but ever since I can remember, I stay away from those things like Grizzly Adams stays away from a razor.
5. Ruffles- The chips with ridges, Ruffles taste about the same as Lay's, I suppose. But there's something about the ridges that seems to make the chip more flavorful. It's also much thicker than Lay's and a little less greasier as well, so that's why it ranks ahead of Lay's. The original flavored Ruffles are the best in my book, although the barbecued flavored Ruffles aren't too bad either.
4. Baked Lay's- Yes, I did have Lay's on here earlier, but these are not the same as Lay's as they are baked, have hardly any grease on them and have a similar texture and taste to Pringles. I have found that Baked Lays are a great compliment to a sub sandwich, so every time I go to Subway or another sub shop I end up picking up a bag of Baked Lays to enjoy my sandwich with. Plus, Baked Lay's are low in fat, so that's always a positive.
3. Pringles- The chips that come in a can, Pringles have a unique taste, flavor, and shape that makes the chip so darn appealing to me. The can makes the chips stay fresher and keeps the flavor in longer, although it's damn hard to get a chip out of the can once you start running low. Pringles also come in many flavors, with the pizza and cheddar flavored Pringles being my personal favorites.
2. Chex Mix - Unlike the other items on this list, Chex Mix isn't really a 'chip' per se, which is why I had to include the other salty snacks phrase to the list. Actually, Chex Mix isn't all that salty, but nevertheless. Every piece of this snack mix, from the pretzels to the peanuts to the pieces of Chex, work in perfect harmony, making Chex Mix a top-notch snack that can be enjoyed on its own or with other foods like a sandwich. My personal favorite is the cheddar flavor Chex Mix, as I could eat that stuff as a meal of its own, and I actually have on several occasions. Yes, I could eat Chex Mix every day for the rest of the year and not get tired of it, but it's not quite number one on this list.
1. Doritos - Put it this way, if I was forced to have one type of chip for the rest of my life, then I would have to choose Nacho Cheese Flavored Doritos. Yes, Doritos come in other different flavors, some of which are better than others, but the right chip for me is the Nacho Cheese flavor. These tortilla chips are coated in nacho cheese flavor and just the right amount of spices, giving each chip a strong flavor that leaves me wanting more after every bite. Yes, all the other snacks are quite good, but they just fall short of the awesomeness that is Doritos.
Well, thanks for reading. If your favorite snack was omitted from this list, or you have a different opinion than mine on the snacks listed above, then I'd like to hear (so to speak) your thoughts on this matter. So feel free to leave a comment. Also, if you have an idea for a future topic for The Canon Review to cover, then send them my way either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
8. Tortilla Chips - Tortilla chips are usually associated with Mexican food, but a good tortilla chip can go with just about any type of sandwich, or makes a great snack on their own. Add a little salsa or some nacho cheese with some good tortilla chips, and you've got one heck of a good tasting snack. While Tostitos are the most well known type of tortilla chips, personally I don't have a brand preference for tortilla chips, as most of them that I've had pretty much taste the same, so it's all good.
7. Lay's Potato Chips - A classic potato chip for many years, Lay's potato chips have been a favorite of mine for many years due to it's fresh and flavorful taste. While companies like Tom's and Brim's make a similar chip that I have no problem eating with a sandwich, to me they fall just short of capturing the same flavor that Lay's has. Also, I must mention that of the many different flavors that Lay's have come out with over the years, my personal favorite would have to be the K.C. Masterpiece Lay's, as the chips combined a strong barbecue flavor with that classic Lay's taste.
6. Cheetos - These cheese-flavored cornmeal curls are packed full of cheesy goodness, although it does kind of suck that your fingers are all orange after eating those suckers. The original flavored Cheetos are the best in my book, although some of the other different flavors like Wild White Cheddar aren't too bad. Also, I'm not a big fan of those thick cheese puffs. Now, you might think they're similar because they have the same flavor and all, but I just can't eat those things, as it's not the same. Actually, I'm not even sure as to why I don't like those cheese puffs, but ever since I can remember, I stay away from those things like Grizzly Adams stays away from a razor.
5. Ruffles- The chips with ridges, Ruffles taste about the same as Lay's, I suppose. But there's something about the ridges that seems to make the chip more flavorful. It's also much thicker than Lay's and a little less greasier as well, so that's why it ranks ahead of Lay's. The original flavored Ruffles are the best in my book, although the barbecued flavored Ruffles aren't too bad either.
4. Baked Lay's- Yes, I did have Lay's on here earlier, but these are not the same as Lay's as they are baked, have hardly any grease on them and have a similar texture and taste to Pringles. I have found that Baked Lays are a great compliment to a sub sandwich, so every time I go to Subway or another sub shop I end up picking up a bag of Baked Lays to enjoy my sandwich with. Plus, Baked Lay's are low in fat, so that's always a positive.
3. Pringles- The chips that come in a can, Pringles have a unique taste, flavor, and shape that makes the chip so darn appealing to me. The can makes the chips stay fresher and keeps the flavor in longer, although it's damn hard to get a chip out of the can once you start running low. Pringles also come in many flavors, with the pizza and cheddar flavored Pringles being my personal favorites.
2. Chex Mix - Unlike the other items on this list, Chex Mix isn't really a 'chip' per se, which is why I had to include the other salty snacks phrase to the list. Actually, Chex Mix isn't all that salty, but nevertheless. Every piece of this snack mix, from the pretzels to the peanuts to the pieces of Chex, work in perfect harmony, making Chex Mix a top-notch snack that can be enjoyed on its own or with other foods like a sandwich. My personal favorite is the cheddar flavor Chex Mix, as I could eat that stuff as a meal of its own, and I actually have on several occasions. Yes, I could eat Chex Mix every day for the rest of the year and not get tired of it, but it's not quite number one on this list.
1. Doritos - Put it this way, if I was forced to have one type of chip for the rest of my life, then I would have to choose Nacho Cheese Flavored Doritos. Yes, Doritos come in other different flavors, some of which are better than others, but the right chip for me is the Nacho Cheese flavor. These tortilla chips are coated in nacho cheese flavor and just the right amount of spices, giving each chip a strong flavor that leaves me wanting more after every bite. Yes, all the other snacks are quite good, but they just fall short of the awesomeness that is Doritos.
Well, thanks for reading. If your favorite snack was omitted from this list, or you have a different opinion than mine on the snacks listed above, then I'd like to hear (so to speak) your thoughts on this matter. So feel free to leave a comment. Also, if you have an idea for a future topic for The Canon Review to cover, then send them my way either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The 2BWE Video Project: Pages 8-11
This is the the first part of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Project, in which I watch one video featuring each entry in said encyclopedia. For more about the guidelines of this project, look to the post below this one here. The first post will deal with pages 8-11, which has 15 entries spread across the four pages. So, let's get started, shall we.
Page 8- 3 Minute Warning: Rob Van Dam and Kane vs 3 Minute Warning
This match took place on the February 10, 2003 edition of Raw. Unfortunately, Johnathan Coachman is on commentary. 3 Minute Warning comes out with their manager, Rico. You may think that it wouldn't make much sense to pair a hairdresser with a duo of Samoan street thugs, and you'd be right. Rosey comes out wearing a shirt that says '350' on it, which must not be his weight since he looks a good 50 pounds over that number. RVD and Jamal start off, and RVD gets a quick two count after a legsweep followed by a standing moonsault. Jamal whips RVD into the corner in charges, only to get a back elbow to the face. RVD leaps to the top, but Jamal shoves him off the turnbuckle and into the barrier on the outside. Rico does his part by rolling RVD back in, and Rosey is tagged in and gets a two count after a big splash. 3MW keep RVD grounded in their corner with brawling tactics and quick tags, and Jamal gets a two count after a superkick. In an unwise move, Jamal decides to go after Kane and knocks him off the apron. He then tries a double team move with Rosey, but RVD moves out of the way and rolls over to tag in the big man, Kane. Kane is, as Coachman put it "on fire", taking on both members of 3MW with ease. A flying clothesline takes down Rosey, and Kane goes to chokeslam Jamal, but Rosey breaks that up. Which turns out to be only a minor setback, as Kane clotheslines Jamal down and takes down Rosey with a big boot. RVD and Kane do a modified Rocket Launcher, which ends with Jamal taking a sidekick to the face, and then Jamal takes Rolling Thunder. Rosey breaks up the cover, but Kane quickly disposes of him. Jamal misses a charge to the corner, and staggers after a leaping side kick from RVD. That allows Kane to chokeslam the big man, and RVD puts on the finishing touches with a 5 Star Frog Splash while Kane holds off Rosey and Rico. Post match, RVD and Kane celebrate their victory with thumb pointing and pyrotechnics. Quick tag match that wasn't too bad, but nothing too remarkable. I'd give it a 1.75 out of 5.
P8- Abe Knuckleball Schwartz: Abe Knuckleball Schwartz Theme Music
To the shock of no one, there isn't much videos of the man with a baseball painted on his face, so this is the best I could do. It's not much of a theme either, as it sounds like a MIDI version of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'. I'll let you judge for yourself how good it is here:
P8- Adam Bomb: Adam Bomb and Johnny Polo WWF Debut vs Bert Centeno
This match is from the May 22, 1993 episode of WWF Superstars and is the debut of Mr. Bomb, who comes to the ring with Johnny Polo. Both Mr. Bomb and Mr. Polo would have many other monikers during their careers, as you might best know them from WCW as Wrath and Raven, respectively. Adam Bomb has some cool sounding theme music, and some really ugly yellow sunglasses on, while Centeno is from Puetro Rico and shockingly, does not have an entry in the WWE Encyclopedia. Bomb backs Centeno into a corner and wails away on him before he gets bored of that and sidewalk slams Centeno down. Bomb shows off his aerial skills with a dropkick, and then throws Centeno out of the ring. After some brawling on the outside, Bomb throws Centeno in, and then knocks him down again with a slingshot shoulderblock from the apron that the announcers found impressive. Bomb asks if we're ready to see the bomb, and whether Centeno was ready or not, he takes the power bomb and the loss. Not much to say about this one, but the match did make Adam Bomb look good in his debut, so it accomplished it's goal. I'd give it a 1.5 out of 5.
P8- Adorable Adrian Adonis - Snake Pit with Adorable Adrian Adonis and Jimmy Hart
I think this is from the December 7, 1986 episode of Wrestling Challenge, but I'm not 100 % sure. Jake Roberts starts by quoting a few lines from Prince's 'When Doves Cry'. Then we get a recap of last's week return of Adorable Adrian where he attacked Roddy Piper on Piper's Pit, which seems to make Roberts happy. Adonis and Jimmy Hart come out and present Roberts with some flowers, including one for Roberts' snake Damien. Adonis then accuses Piper of being jealous of him and his former interview segment, the Flower Shop, and threatens anybody that gets in his way as he calls himself the 'Judge Wapner' of wrestling. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing to be, but that's the analogy Adonis has chosen to use. Roberts wraps things up by saying "We (meaning him and Adonis, I suppose) were not born from the original sin, but we may well be the original sinners". I'm going to use that line at my next job interview or family gathering. I tell you, they don't have any characters like Roberts and Adonis anymore in wrestling, and that's not a good thing. I'd give the segment a 3.2 out of 5.
P9- Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch - Hulk Hogan and Antonio Inoki vs Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch
This match is from New Japan Pro Wrestling, and I think the date of this match is November 25, 1983, but I'm not exactly sure. Adonis and Murdoch would be WWF Tag Team Champions a few months after this match, which takes place against the top two guts in New Japan at the time. Adonis and Inoki start, and after some rope-running, Inoki catches Adonis with a drop toe hold before tagging in Hogan. Back elbow by Hogan, and Adonis bounces off the elbow and into the nearby ropes to get slammed by Hogan. Hogan with the big legdrop, but only gets a one count. Murdoch and Adonis use some underhanded tactics to gain the advantage, and Murdoch is tagged in. Arm wringer by Murdoch, but Hogan is strong enough to get in his corner and tag out to Inoki. Murdoch gets a side headlock, only to take a back suplex for his efforts. However, Murdoch is able to regain the advantage with some punches and kicks, and tags out to Adonis, and the two deliver a double elbow drop to Inoki. Adonis and Murdoch prove to be masters of tag team psychology by keeping Inoki in their corner with brawling tactics, quick tags, and chinlocks. Inoki tries to move himself to tag out to Hogan, but Adonis breaks it up by coming in and smashing Hogan with a fist, riling the Hulkster up and causing the ref to hold him back. Murdoch gets a two count after an atomic drop, and then he and Adonis double team Inoki as Adrian drops an elbow on his opponent while Murdoch holds him across his knee. Adonis puts Inoki in a backbreaker submission which ends when Murdoch is tagged in and drops the knee across Inoki's gut. A Murdoch elbow drop gets a two count, as does a swinging neckbreaker, and Murdoch tags out after a piledriver. Adonis then makes his first mistake of the match attempting to put Inoki in an abdominal stretch, but Inoki reverses it into one of his own, then uses the opening to tag in Hogan. Hogan whips Adonis off the ropes and catches him with a running knee lift that knocks Adonis back into the ropes with such force that he gets tied up in the ropes. After punching and biting Adonis, Adrian escapes with the help of Murdoch, only to take a suplex from Hogan for a two count. Hogan then grounds Adonis with a front headlock, which Adonis only escapes after an eye gouge. Adonis then hits an inverted Atomic Drop on Hogan before tagging out to Murdoch. Murdoch pounds away at Hogan's face before attempting a suplex, but it's blocked. After some brawling, Hogan whips Murdoch into a corner and charges, only to take an elbow from Murdoch that sounded as if a firecracker went off. A Murdoch elbow drop gets two, as does an Adonis elbow from the second rope after a tag. Hogan shakes the cobwebs off, whips Adonis into the ropes and attempts his patented Axe Bomber clothesline, but Adonis ducks and hits a clothesline of his own. Adonis misses a charge and Hogan tags to Inoki, who takes care of Adonis with a dropkick and an enziguri. Murdoch breaks the cover up, and oh here go hell come as all four men are now brawling in the ring. Then they go out of the ring, but Adonis is the only one able to beat the ref's count, so your winners by countout are Adonis and Murdoch. Pretty good match that makes me wonder what they could have done with a 18-20 minute instead of the ten they were given here, as it did feel somewhat rushed. Still, I'd give it a 2.7 out of 5.
P9- Ahmed Johnson: Ahmed Johnson Joins Nation Of Domination
This video is what it says it is, as Ahmed Johnson joins the Nation of Domination on the June 16, 1997 edition of Raw. Fortunately, Ahmed does not speak during this video. Instead he gives Undertaker the Pearl River Plunge after a match, goes to the entrance ramp, and gives the Nation salute along with the rest of his new cohorts. Jim Ross does not seem too happy on commentary, wondering why Ahmed wouldn't stand up to the Undertaker on his own instead of waiting until two other men beat him down. Well, that's just how it is in wrestling. Ahmed would be in the Nation for about a week before suffering another injury, then coming back from that injury to be kicked out of the Nation. So in hindsight, this really meant nothing, but it was shocking at the time since Ahmed and the Nation were at odds for nearly a year at this point. Oh well. I'll give this a 2.1 out of 5.
P9- Al Perez: Brad Armstrong vs Al Perez
In case you don't know, Al Perez was a wrestler who had his most success in the late 1980s with World Class and the NWA before moving on to a brief stint in the WWF. After that, Perez was allegedly supposed to be revealed as the mysterious Dark Scorpion in WCW, but refused to job to Sting and left the company. Anyway, I don't really know when this match is from except that it took place sometime in 1988. We are joined in progress as Perez (w/ Gary Hart) has Armstrong in an arm wringer, then backs him into a corner. Perez misses an elbow drop after snapmaring Armstrong down, and after the two get to their feet, Armstrong puts Perez in an arm wringer. Despite Perez's best efforts, Armstrong shows dogged determination and just refuses to let go of that arm. Finally, after a minute and a half, Perez backs Armstrong into the corner and catches him with a knee to the gut. He goes to whip Armstrong into another corner, but dang it if Brad doesn't grab a hold of that arm again. Both men get back up, and the two have a bit of a stare-off before a tie up. Perez tries to smash Armstrong in the corner, but is literally beaten to the punch, so Perez backs away in pain. Back up, Armstrong once again works on Perez's arm with a standing arm bar. Perez gets out of it with brawling tactics and sends Armstrong to the ropes, only to be knocked down with a shoulder block. Perez does get the upper hand after ducking a charging Armstrong, which sends Armstrong through the ropes and outside the ring. Armstrong takes a stun gun (Steve Austin's old finisher, not a taser) throat first on the guardrail, and Perez continues to beat on Armstrong on the outside of the ring while making sure to break the ref's count. Perez with a whirly-bird maneuver followed by a leaping knee drop, but Armstrong is able to kick out at the last second. Perez with a front chinlock, and Jim Ross states that he believes Perez is a future World Champion. Well, at the time I'm sure it made sense, but time makes fools of us all. Armstrong has a brief offensive flurry, but Perez cuts it off with a punch to the ribcage, and keeps control with a mixture of strikes and basic wrestling holds. After a minute or two of this, Armstrong finally gets on his feet and escapes, then slams Perez down to the mat. Armstrong with a running elbow drop, but Perez moves out of the way, and then hits a leaping knee drop for another two count. Perez throws Armstrong into the corner but misses a charge, so Armstrong goes to work on Perez. At this point, the video stops, and the poster didn't post the rest of this match, so I'm left to rate what I saw. From what I could tell, this wasn't too bad of a match, as both wrestlers were strong technical wrestlers who were able to put together some nifty sequences, even if all the arm work by Armstrong was soon forgotten. I'd give it a 2.4 out of 5.
P9- Al Snow: Al Snow Reveals "The Five Deadliest Maneuvers"
This video kind of sucks, as Bill Apter of 1wrestling.com asks Al Snow what in his opinion is the five deadliest maneuvers in wrestling. Snow manages to show his sense of humor by making lame-ass jokes about Bill Apter's privates and some jokes about Pat Patterson's sexual preferences. He lists the piledriver as the most dangerous maneuver in wrestling and once again makes a dumb sophomoric joke. Even though it was two minutes long, it's two minutes I'd rather have spent doing something else, so I'll give it a 0.15 out of 5.
P10- Albert: Too Cool and Rikishi vs. Val Venis, Test, and Albert (w/ Trish Stratus)
This match took place on June 5, 2000 episode of Raw, a week after Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) won the tag team titles. For some reason, the beginning of the match is chopped out, so after the entrances, the video goes straight to Rikishi wailing away on Val Venis. A Samoan Drop by Rikishi flattens Val, and then Rikishi catches Test and Albert with clotheslines. Rikishi sets up Val for the Stinkface, but Albert barges best and smashes Rikishi into the corner. Test comes in and sends Rikishi down with a big boot, and Trish's team works over Rikishi like a 400 pound Samoan punching bag while the ref restrains his teammates. After Rikishi reverses an Irish whip, Albert goes for a sunset flip, which proves to be a poor idea as Rikishi sits on his chest multiple times, knocking the breath out of the man they call Albert. Grandmaster Sexay is tagged in, and takes all three of his opponents down with dropkicks. In comes Scotty, and the two double team both Test and Albert. Sexay with a powerbomb on Venis, but Test breaks up the pinfall. However, Test gets bulldoged down by Scotty, setting him up for one of the most asinine moves in wrestling, the Worm. The fans seem to love it though, and after Scotty does his thing. Sexay hits the Hip Hop legdrop from the top rope and covers, but the ref is distracted with Rikishi and Val brawling on the outside. While the ref is away, Trish comes in and tries to hit Sexay with a boot, but that's blocked, and Sexay uses the boot to flatten Test. But the ref is still distracted, so Val sneaks in and hits Grandmaster with a title belt, which results in the pinfall and gives the victory to T & A and Val. Post match, Rikishi takes care of buisness while his teammates recover, and eventually Val is down in the corner in perfect position for the stinkface. Trish comes back in the ring to prevent this from happening, but after a series of unfortunate events it is Trish that ends taking the Stinkface, which is just as disgusting as it sounds. This match wasn't very good. I'll give it a 1.3 out of 5.
P10- Aldo Montoya: Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw vs. Aldo Montoya
The Portuguese Man O' War, the incredible Aldo Montoya, takes on future WWE Champion Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw in a match from the May 13, 1996 edition of Monday Night Raw. Before all that, we get a clip of Terry Bradshaw talking about Armor All. Aldo has a more elaborate entrance than one would think he would get, complete with fireworks and all. Bradshaw comes out to the ring with Uncle Zebekeih. The match starts, and Aldo tries a hit-and-run approach by using a dropkick and staying away from the big man after getting a strike or two, but eventually he gets caught after a cross-body attempt and slammed to the mat. Bradshaw retains control until Montoya rebounds from an Irish Whip into the corner and clotheslines his opponent down. The tide turns, however, after Bradshaw powerbombs Montoya while Uncle Zeb is on commentary accusing the WWF's big stars of avoiding Bradshaw. Bradshaw with a big slam and a running senton (huh?), and then he celebrates with a Stan Hansen esque taunt. Bradshaw continues to dominate with a bearhug and a series of punches, a body slam, and an elbow drop. Finally, Montoya gets a break after ducking a clothesline and knocking Bradshaw off balance with two dropkicks, then going to the top and knocking down his opponent with a dropkick from there. Montoya's moment of glory doesn't last for long, as Bradshaw reverses an Irish whip and then plants him with a big boot before putting on the finishing touches with a big time clothesline. That gets the three count. Post-match, Montoya is 'branded' by Uncle Zeb, by which I mean he places a branding iron on his chest for half a second without leaving a mark. Eh, wasn't too bad, but not that good either. I'll give it a 1.65 out of 5.
P10- Alexis Smirnoff: AWA Bobby Bold Eagle, Pete Sanchez vs. Yuri Gordyenko, Alexis Smirnoff
This match is from an AWA on ESPN episode in 1986. From what I can tell, this match aired on December 31, 1986. Gordyenko and Smirnoff are both stereotypical Russians that have patterned their look after Ivan Koloff, while Bold Eagle is supposed to be a Native American but looks about as pale as I do. Smirnoff and Sanchez start out, with Smirnoff controlling Sanchez with an arm bar. Tag to Yuri, he does a couple of strikes and tags out to Smirnoff. Smirnoff continues to work on the arm before Sanchez is able to escape and at least get to his feet. However, that doesn't last long as a Smirnoff big boot knocks him back down. Tag to Yuri, he slams down Sanchez and stomps on him before tagging out again. Sanchez is able to use his veteran mind to get over and tag in Bold Eagle, who strikes Smirnoff a couple of times and whipping him into the corner, only to be caught with a big boot and selling that move by slowly falling on his knees, much to the displeasure of this crown. Eagle takes another big boot, and then takes a vertical suplex before Gordyenko is tagged in. The two Russian then double team Eagle by giving him a dual Stun Gun on the ropes, and Gordyenko gets the three count. Well, that was not good at all. Post match, the Russians are interviewed by Larry Nelson, with Gordyenko doing most of the talking. That makes little sense, as Gordyenko is, shall I say, not very good on the mic. Anyway, they promise to win the Tag Team Titles and take them home to mother Russia. This video, all in all, wasn't very good, and Bobby Bold Eagle is rather terrible as a wrestler. I'll give it a 0.69 out of 5.
P10- Alicia Fox: Melina vs. Alicia Fox
This match took place on the June 19, 2009 edition of Smackdown and features WWE Women's Champion Melina in a non-title match against Fox. It is announced, that Melina will defend her title against Michelle McCool in nine days, and McCool accompanies Fox to the ring. Tie-up to start, both women get out. Alicia tries a clothesline but Melina does a bridge and then kicks Alicia in the face from that position. Melina tries to keep the advantage with punches, but Alicia does a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker out of nowhere that gets a one count. Alicia then keeps Melina on the mat with a legscissors, and then turns that instead some sort of hybrid full-nelson camel clutch hold that I'd never seen before. Looks like a good hold for a finisher, although it would take multiple steps to apply. But I digress. Anyway, Melina gets up and ducks a clothesline, climbs on Fox's back and then does a sunset flip powerbomb to get the three count. Post match, Michelle McCool comes in and kicks Melina in the face. She then sets Melina up against a table and does a running knee into Melina's head. McCool grabs the mic and promises to become Women's Champion and bring the title home to Mother Russia. Well, maybe not that last part. Quick match that wasn't too bad, so I'd give it a 1.75 out of 5.
P11- The Alliance: Team WWF (The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, Rock, and Chris Jericho) vs. The Alliance (Shane McMahon, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kurt Angle, and Steve Austin)
This match took place at Survivor Series 2001, and fortunately for me, I already did a review of this match somewhere else, so while I will watch it, I will be lazy and just use a previous review right here because the match is rather long, so here it is:
This is a elimination tag battle to see who survives another day, the WWF or the Alliance, wrapping up a horribly botched angle where Kurt Angle represents two companies he never wrestled for. The video starts with another montage, illustrating a) that Rock and Jericho haven't been getting along, b) that Angle and Austin haven't been getting along, and c) that Vince McMahon claims that Stone Cold will swerve his team in the match. The video ends with all 10 superstars shown with a Puddle of Mudd song in the background, kind of killing the moment. All 10 men come out separately, which takes up a lot of time. Rock and Austin start trading punches, and the match is on. For the first ten minutes, everybody but Big Show and Shane get in. For some reason, it seems the Undertaker and Booker T spend the most time in. Nothing too significant of note, other than the Undertaker hitting two Old Schools and Shane Mcmahon breaks up about 8 pinfalls, pissing Jim Ross off in the process. The Big Show finally gets tagged in, and he's a HOUSE OF FIRE for a minute, knocking everyone down in his path like a wild tornado through a county fair. He goes to chokeslam Angle, but gets out, goes behind him, and hits the Olympic Slam on Show. Angle tags in Booker, who hits the ax kick with a spinarooni thrown in for good measure. RVD comes in, hits the frog splash, then tags in Shane, who hits a sub-Test level elbow drop on Show to get the three-count, making Show the first man eliminated. Poor guy was only in there for a minute, but whatever. Shane dances around like a jackass, only to turn around to find The Rock waiting for him. The Rock pounds him. Kane comes in, hits a chokeslam, tags out to Undertaker, who hits a nasty-looking tombstone. Then Jericho is tagged in to hit the lionsault and get the pin, evening the score. Angle comes in, gets the advantage, then tags in Booker, who gives Jericho three bodyslams in a row. Kane comes in after awhile, but gets doubled by Booker and RVD. Rvd hits a frog splash on Kane, but the count is broken up and suddenly, everybody's brawling on the outside, except for RVD and Kane. RVD goes back up to the top, kicks Kane in the face, and gets the three count, eliminating Kane. Undertaker comes in and starts dominating people, at one point clotheslining everybody on the other team down in each corner of the ring. He gives Angle the Last Ride, but Austin gets Taker with the Stunner for the three, giving the Alliance a 4-2 advantage. Rock and Booker square off, but Rock quickly gains the advantage. Rock rolls up Booker, and gets the three count. Now things are a bit even. RVD comes in and takes it right to The Rock. RVD goes to the top, but the Rock powerbombs him off for a two count. Jericho is tagged in, and he and RVD exchange some offense. At one point, I think RVD kicked Jericho straight in the mouth. RVD goes for a split-legged moonsault, but Jericho gets the knees up, I guess, and then hits THE STROKE?!? for a three count. I totally forgot that short period of time where they tried to get the Stroke over as a finisher for Jericho. Just as well they gave up on that. Now the sides are even, but Angle and Austin isolate Jericho with fine brawling action. Jericho fires back, however and goes for a clothesline. He and Austin meet head on and both men are down. Austin tags Angle, and Jericho gets the hot tag to the Rock. Rock catches Angle with a dragon-screw leg whip, puts the sharpshooter on, and Angle taps instantly, giving the WWF a 2-1 advantage. Uh-Oh. Austin knocks down the Rock, Jericho tags himself in. Austin nearly gets the three after reversing Jericho's flying bodypress attempt. Jericho tries for the Walls of Jericho, it's countered. Austin tries his own version, but again it is countered. Austin then awkwardly rolls Jericho up for the three count, leaving the match at 1-1. Jericho won't leave, but Rock gets in and spinebusters Austin down. But WAITAMINUTE, Jericho lays out The Rock with the Stroke. Jericho walks away smugly, but Rock kicks out at two. Jericho comes back to lay some more plunder on the Rock, but Undertaker comes out to put an end to that. Rock and Austin go outside to do some brawling. They come back in, and Austin puts a poor looking sharpshooter on The Rock. The Rock, unsurprisingly, gets to the rope. Rock counters with a poor looking sharpshooter of his own, but again, Austin gets to the rope. They both try to hit their finisher, but Rock finally lands a STUNNER on Austin. He nearly gets a three, but referee Earl Hebner is pulled out by everyone's favorite referee, Nick Patrick. Austin hits a Rock Bottom on Rock, but Patrick doesn't count fast enough yet again and The Rock kicks out. Austin punches Patrick, and Patrick sells a punch like only Nick Patrick can. Austin hits a stunner on Rock, but there be no referee. Kurt Angle comes out, hits Austin with Austin's own WWF Title, propelling him into The Rock, who hits the Rock Bottom from there. Hebner wakes up, and Rock gets the final pinfall, "saving" the WWF in the process. Vince McMahon comes out with his arms up in the air and throwing his jacket down in celebration. Match was pretty good and suspenseful, particularly when Austin and The Rock was in there, but man was it long, which in this situation makes sense, I suppose.
Well, I didn't give a numerical score to this match before, so I will now. Overall, I'd give it a 3.68 out of 10.
P11- The Allied Powers: Allied Powers vs. Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie
This match was taped on May 15, 1995 and later shown as part of the Coliseum Video title 'Wrestlefest 95'. Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith, the Allied Powers, are led to the ring by two guest flag bearers. The video cuts part of the beginning off, so it's joined in progress as Jarrett arm drags Smith and then struts around the ring, and then he does that same sequence again. Irish whip by Jarrett is reversed by Smith, who follows up with a pair of clotheslines. Delayed vertical suplex by Davey Boy, who then goes for the pinfall, but The Roadie breaks it up. He's tagged in and slows Davey Boy down with some brawling tactics, but Smith gets the advantage once again after a pair of headlock takedowns and tags in Luger. A double back elbow by the Powers gets a two count, and then Luger tries to go to work on the arm, but a knee to the gut stops his momentum. Roadie punches Luger a few times before entering the corner and tasting a back elbow from Luger, who follows up with a pair of arm drags and an armbar. Roadie gets back up, elbows Luger in the face, and tags out to Jarrett, who comes in and starts wailing away on Luger. Jarrett whips Luger into the ropes and tries to hit him with a back elbow, but Luger ducks and gives Jarrett a gorilla press slam instead. Luger puts Jarrett in the 'Rebel Rack', but the Roadie comes in and chop blocks Luger in the knee. Tag to Roadie, he gets a two count after a knee drop and then tags to Jarrett. Luger nearly gets a pinfall after a sunset flip, then he takes a Jarrett clothesline and goes down. After some stomps, Jarrett whips Luger in and ducks, only to take a DDT type maneuver (Luger just grabs him by the hair and falls back, sending Jarrett down to the mat). Both men get back up, then get back down again after a double clothesline. Roadie is tagged in, and now so is Davey Boy, who starts cleaning house on his opponent with a series of clotheslines, then does a double noggin knocker on Jarrett and Roadie. Vertical Suplex on the Roadie, but Jarrett breaks up the count. Luger takes care of Jarrett while Davey Boy scoops up Roadie and delivers the Running Power Slam. Cover, and Davey Boy gets the victory for his team. Well, I guess it wasn't that bad, so I'll give it a 2.15 out of 5.
P11- Alundra Blayze: Alundra Blayze vs. Luna Vachon
The women formerly known and later known as Madusa, Alundra Blayze defends her WWF Women's Championship against Luna Vachon in a match from the July 7, 1994 edition of WWF Superstars. Luna starts off strong by backing Blayze into the ropes and delivering a few knees to the gut, but loses the advantage after Alundra ducks a pair of clotheslines and then flattens Vachon with a dropkick. A Blayze Irish whip into the corner is reversed, but Blayze once again is too quick for Vachon, as she flips over the ropes and then dodges a charging Luna, sending Vachon flying to the outside. Luna collects herself, then trips up Blayze and slams her leg into the ring post. Back in the ring, Luna applies a Boston Crab. After struggling to escape for about a minute, Blayze somehow does a sunset flip from the Boston Crab and nearly gets a three count. Luna gets back up first, and slows Alundra down with some brawling tactics and a leglock. Vachon whips Alundra into the corner and charges, but Blayze is able to use her quickness advantage again to apply a sunset flip for a two count. But Luna is up again, and catapults Alundra throat first into the bottom rope, then follows up with a swinging neckbreaker. Luna goes to the ropes, and hits the Vader Bomb on her opponent, but since Luna doesn't have nearly the same girth as Vader, Alundra is able to kick out at two. After a bodyslam, Luna tries to finish things up with a top-rope maneuver, but misses the big splash. Alundra is up quickly and bulldogs Luna down to the mat. Luna misses a punch, which allows Blayze to get behind Luna and German suplex Vachon. Blayze bridges and holds on long enough to get the three count. Short match, but a solid effort all in all. I'd give it a 2.1 out of 5.
Well, that's it for the first part of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Video Project, a.k.a. the BWE squared Video Project. If you have a better name, then do not hesitate to suggest it. Also, if you have any thoughts about the project thus far or any other posts, or you have an idea for future posts, then let me know about those thoughts and ideas either by leaving a comment on the blog or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
Page 8- 3 Minute Warning: Rob Van Dam and Kane vs 3 Minute Warning
This match took place on the February 10, 2003 edition of Raw. Unfortunately, Johnathan Coachman is on commentary. 3 Minute Warning comes out with their manager, Rico. You may think that it wouldn't make much sense to pair a hairdresser with a duo of Samoan street thugs, and you'd be right. Rosey comes out wearing a shirt that says '350' on it, which must not be his weight since he looks a good 50 pounds over that number. RVD and Jamal start off, and RVD gets a quick two count after a legsweep followed by a standing moonsault. Jamal whips RVD into the corner in charges, only to get a back elbow to the face. RVD leaps to the top, but Jamal shoves him off the turnbuckle and into the barrier on the outside. Rico does his part by rolling RVD back in, and Rosey is tagged in and gets a two count after a big splash. 3MW keep RVD grounded in their corner with brawling tactics and quick tags, and Jamal gets a two count after a superkick. In an unwise move, Jamal decides to go after Kane and knocks him off the apron. He then tries a double team move with Rosey, but RVD moves out of the way and rolls over to tag in the big man, Kane. Kane is, as Coachman put it "on fire", taking on both members of 3MW with ease. A flying clothesline takes down Rosey, and Kane goes to chokeslam Jamal, but Rosey breaks that up. Which turns out to be only a minor setback, as Kane clotheslines Jamal down and takes down Rosey with a big boot. RVD and Kane do a modified Rocket Launcher, which ends with Jamal taking a sidekick to the face, and then Jamal takes Rolling Thunder. Rosey breaks up the cover, but Kane quickly disposes of him. Jamal misses a charge to the corner, and staggers after a leaping side kick from RVD. That allows Kane to chokeslam the big man, and RVD puts on the finishing touches with a 5 Star Frog Splash while Kane holds off Rosey and Rico. Post match, RVD and Kane celebrate their victory with thumb pointing and pyrotechnics. Quick tag match that wasn't too bad, but nothing too remarkable. I'd give it a 1.75 out of 5.
P8- Abe Knuckleball Schwartz: Abe Knuckleball Schwartz Theme Music
To the shock of no one, there isn't much videos of the man with a baseball painted on his face, so this is the best I could do. It's not much of a theme either, as it sounds like a MIDI version of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'. I'll let you judge for yourself how good it is here:
P8- Adam Bomb: Adam Bomb and Johnny Polo WWF Debut vs Bert Centeno
This match is from the May 22, 1993 episode of WWF Superstars and is the debut of Mr. Bomb, who comes to the ring with Johnny Polo. Both Mr. Bomb and Mr. Polo would have many other monikers during their careers, as you might best know them from WCW as Wrath and Raven, respectively. Adam Bomb has some cool sounding theme music, and some really ugly yellow sunglasses on, while Centeno is from Puetro Rico and shockingly, does not have an entry in the WWE Encyclopedia. Bomb backs Centeno into a corner and wails away on him before he gets bored of that and sidewalk slams Centeno down. Bomb shows off his aerial skills with a dropkick, and then throws Centeno out of the ring. After some brawling on the outside, Bomb throws Centeno in, and then knocks him down again with a slingshot shoulderblock from the apron that the announcers found impressive. Bomb asks if we're ready to see the bomb, and whether Centeno was ready or not, he takes the power bomb and the loss. Not much to say about this one, but the match did make Adam Bomb look good in his debut, so it accomplished it's goal. I'd give it a 1.5 out of 5.
I think this is from the December 7, 1986 episode of Wrestling Challenge, but I'm not 100 % sure. Jake Roberts starts by quoting a few lines from Prince's 'When Doves Cry'. Then we get a recap of last's week return of Adorable Adrian where he attacked Roddy Piper on Piper's Pit, which seems to make Roberts happy. Adonis and Jimmy Hart come out and present Roberts with some flowers, including one for Roberts' snake Damien. Adonis then accuses Piper of being jealous of him and his former interview segment, the Flower Shop, and threatens anybody that gets in his way as he calls himself the 'Judge Wapner' of wrestling. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing to be, but that's the analogy Adonis has chosen to use. Roberts wraps things up by saying "We (meaning him and Adonis, I suppose) were not born from the original sin, but we may well be the original sinners". I'm going to use that line at my next job interview or family gathering. I tell you, they don't have any characters like Roberts and Adonis anymore in wrestling, and that's not a good thing. I'd give the segment a 3.2 out of 5.
P9- Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch - Hulk Hogan and Antonio Inoki vs Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch
This match is from New Japan Pro Wrestling, and I think the date of this match is November 25, 1983, but I'm not exactly sure. Adonis and Murdoch would be WWF Tag Team Champions a few months after this match, which takes place against the top two guts in New Japan at the time. Adonis and Inoki start, and after some rope-running, Inoki catches Adonis with a drop toe hold before tagging in Hogan. Back elbow by Hogan, and Adonis bounces off the elbow and into the nearby ropes to get slammed by Hogan. Hogan with the big legdrop, but only gets a one count. Murdoch and Adonis use some underhanded tactics to gain the advantage, and Murdoch is tagged in. Arm wringer by Murdoch, but Hogan is strong enough to get in his corner and tag out to Inoki. Murdoch gets a side headlock, only to take a back suplex for his efforts. However, Murdoch is able to regain the advantage with some punches and kicks, and tags out to Adonis, and the two deliver a double elbow drop to Inoki. Adonis and Murdoch prove to be masters of tag team psychology by keeping Inoki in their corner with brawling tactics, quick tags, and chinlocks. Inoki tries to move himself to tag out to Hogan, but Adonis breaks it up by coming in and smashing Hogan with a fist, riling the Hulkster up and causing the ref to hold him back. Murdoch gets a two count after an atomic drop, and then he and Adonis double team Inoki as Adrian drops an elbow on his opponent while Murdoch holds him across his knee. Adonis puts Inoki in a backbreaker submission which ends when Murdoch is tagged in and drops the knee across Inoki's gut. A Murdoch elbow drop gets a two count, as does a swinging neckbreaker, and Murdoch tags out after a piledriver. Adonis then makes his first mistake of the match attempting to put Inoki in an abdominal stretch, but Inoki reverses it into one of his own, then uses the opening to tag in Hogan. Hogan whips Adonis off the ropes and catches him with a running knee lift that knocks Adonis back into the ropes with such force that he gets tied up in the ropes. After punching and biting Adonis, Adrian escapes with the help of Murdoch, only to take a suplex from Hogan for a two count. Hogan then grounds Adonis with a front headlock, which Adonis only escapes after an eye gouge. Adonis then hits an inverted Atomic Drop on Hogan before tagging out to Murdoch. Murdoch pounds away at Hogan's face before attempting a suplex, but it's blocked. After some brawling, Hogan whips Murdoch into a corner and charges, only to take an elbow from Murdoch that sounded as if a firecracker went off. A Murdoch elbow drop gets two, as does an Adonis elbow from the second rope after a tag. Hogan shakes the cobwebs off, whips Adonis into the ropes and attempts his patented Axe Bomber clothesline, but Adonis ducks and hits a clothesline of his own. Adonis misses a charge and Hogan tags to Inoki, who takes care of Adonis with a dropkick and an enziguri. Murdoch breaks the cover up, and oh here go hell come as all four men are now brawling in the ring. Then they go out of the ring, but Adonis is the only one able to beat the ref's count, so your winners by countout are Adonis and Murdoch. Pretty good match that makes me wonder what they could have done with a 18-20 minute instead of the ten they were given here, as it did feel somewhat rushed. Still, I'd give it a 2.7 out of 5.
P9- Ahmed Johnson: Ahmed Johnson Joins Nation Of Domination
This video is what it says it is, as Ahmed Johnson joins the Nation of Domination on the June 16, 1997 edition of Raw. Fortunately, Ahmed does not speak during this video. Instead he gives Undertaker the Pearl River Plunge after a match, goes to the entrance ramp, and gives the Nation salute along with the rest of his new cohorts. Jim Ross does not seem too happy on commentary, wondering why Ahmed wouldn't stand up to the Undertaker on his own instead of waiting until two other men beat him down. Well, that's just how it is in wrestling. Ahmed would be in the Nation for about a week before suffering another injury, then coming back from that injury to be kicked out of the Nation. So in hindsight, this really meant nothing, but it was shocking at the time since Ahmed and the Nation were at odds for nearly a year at this point. Oh well. I'll give this a 2.1 out of 5.
P9- Al Perez: Brad Armstrong vs Al Perez
In case you don't know, Al Perez was a wrestler who had his most success in the late 1980s with World Class and the NWA before moving on to a brief stint in the WWF. After that, Perez was allegedly supposed to be revealed as the mysterious Dark Scorpion in WCW, but refused to job to Sting and left the company. Anyway, I don't really know when this match is from except that it took place sometime in 1988. We are joined in progress as Perez (w/ Gary Hart) has Armstrong in an arm wringer, then backs him into a corner. Perez misses an elbow drop after snapmaring Armstrong down, and after the two get to their feet, Armstrong puts Perez in an arm wringer. Despite Perez's best efforts, Armstrong shows dogged determination and just refuses to let go of that arm. Finally, after a minute and a half, Perez backs Armstrong into the corner and catches him with a knee to the gut. He goes to whip Armstrong into another corner, but dang it if Brad doesn't grab a hold of that arm again. Both men get back up, and the two have a bit of a stare-off before a tie up. Perez tries to smash Armstrong in the corner, but is literally beaten to the punch, so Perez backs away in pain. Back up, Armstrong once again works on Perez's arm with a standing arm bar. Perez gets out of it with brawling tactics and sends Armstrong to the ropes, only to be knocked down with a shoulder block. Perez does get the upper hand after ducking a charging Armstrong, which sends Armstrong through the ropes and outside the ring. Armstrong takes a stun gun (Steve Austin's old finisher, not a taser) throat first on the guardrail, and Perez continues to beat on Armstrong on the outside of the ring while making sure to break the ref's count. Perez with a whirly-bird maneuver followed by a leaping knee drop, but Armstrong is able to kick out at the last second. Perez with a front chinlock, and Jim Ross states that he believes Perez is a future World Champion. Well, at the time I'm sure it made sense, but time makes fools of us all. Armstrong has a brief offensive flurry, but Perez cuts it off with a punch to the ribcage, and keeps control with a mixture of strikes and basic wrestling holds. After a minute or two of this, Armstrong finally gets on his feet and escapes, then slams Perez down to the mat. Armstrong with a running elbow drop, but Perez moves out of the way, and then hits a leaping knee drop for another two count. Perez throws Armstrong into the corner but misses a charge, so Armstrong goes to work on Perez. At this point, the video stops, and the poster didn't post the rest of this match, so I'm left to rate what I saw. From what I could tell, this wasn't too bad of a match, as both wrestlers were strong technical wrestlers who were able to put together some nifty sequences, even if all the arm work by Armstrong was soon forgotten. I'd give it a 2.4 out of 5.
P9- Al Snow: Al Snow Reveals "The Five Deadliest Maneuvers"
This video kind of sucks, as Bill Apter of 1wrestling.com asks Al Snow what in his opinion is the five deadliest maneuvers in wrestling. Snow manages to show his sense of humor by making lame-ass jokes about Bill Apter's privates and some jokes about Pat Patterson's sexual preferences. He lists the piledriver as the most dangerous maneuver in wrestling and once again makes a dumb sophomoric joke. Even though it was two minutes long, it's two minutes I'd rather have spent doing something else, so I'll give it a 0.15 out of 5.
P10- Albert: Too Cool and Rikishi vs. Val Venis, Test, and Albert (w/ Trish Stratus)
This match took place on June 5, 2000 episode of Raw, a week after Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) won the tag team titles. For some reason, the beginning of the match is chopped out, so after the entrances, the video goes straight to Rikishi wailing away on Val Venis. A Samoan Drop by Rikishi flattens Val, and then Rikishi catches Test and Albert with clotheslines. Rikishi sets up Val for the Stinkface, but Albert barges best and smashes Rikishi into the corner. Test comes in and sends Rikishi down with a big boot, and Trish's team works over Rikishi like a 400 pound Samoan punching bag while the ref restrains his teammates. After Rikishi reverses an Irish whip, Albert goes for a sunset flip, which proves to be a poor idea as Rikishi sits on his chest multiple times, knocking the breath out of the man they call Albert. Grandmaster Sexay is tagged in, and takes all three of his opponents down with dropkicks. In comes Scotty, and the two double team both Test and Albert. Sexay with a powerbomb on Venis, but Test breaks up the pinfall. However, Test gets bulldoged down by Scotty, setting him up for one of the most asinine moves in wrestling, the Worm. The fans seem to love it though, and after Scotty does his thing. Sexay hits the Hip Hop legdrop from the top rope and covers, but the ref is distracted with Rikishi and Val brawling on the outside. While the ref is away, Trish comes in and tries to hit Sexay with a boot, but that's blocked, and Sexay uses the boot to flatten Test. But the ref is still distracted, so Val sneaks in and hits Grandmaster with a title belt, which results in the pinfall and gives the victory to T & A and Val. Post match, Rikishi takes care of buisness while his teammates recover, and eventually Val is down in the corner in perfect position for the stinkface. Trish comes back in the ring to prevent this from happening, but after a series of unfortunate events it is Trish that ends taking the Stinkface, which is just as disgusting as it sounds. This match wasn't very good. I'll give it a 1.3 out of 5.
P10- Aldo Montoya: Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw vs. Aldo Montoya
The Portuguese Man O' War, the incredible Aldo Montoya, takes on future WWE Champion Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw in a match from the May 13, 1996 edition of Monday Night Raw. Before all that, we get a clip of Terry Bradshaw talking about Armor All. Aldo has a more elaborate entrance than one would think he would get, complete with fireworks and all. Bradshaw comes out to the ring with Uncle Zebekeih. The match starts, and Aldo tries a hit-and-run approach by using a dropkick and staying away from the big man after getting a strike or two, but eventually he gets caught after a cross-body attempt and slammed to the mat. Bradshaw retains control until Montoya rebounds from an Irish Whip into the corner and clotheslines his opponent down. The tide turns, however, after Bradshaw powerbombs Montoya while Uncle Zeb is on commentary accusing the WWF's big stars of avoiding Bradshaw. Bradshaw with a big slam and a running senton (huh?), and then he celebrates with a Stan Hansen esque taunt. Bradshaw continues to dominate with a bearhug and a series of punches, a body slam, and an elbow drop. Finally, Montoya gets a break after ducking a clothesline and knocking Bradshaw off balance with two dropkicks, then going to the top and knocking down his opponent with a dropkick from there. Montoya's moment of glory doesn't last for long, as Bradshaw reverses an Irish whip and then plants him with a big boot before putting on the finishing touches with a big time clothesline. That gets the three count. Post-match, Montoya is 'branded' by Uncle Zeb, by which I mean he places a branding iron on his chest for half a second without leaving a mark. Eh, wasn't too bad, but not that good either. I'll give it a 1.65 out of 5.
P10- Alexis Smirnoff: AWA Bobby Bold Eagle, Pete Sanchez vs. Yuri Gordyenko, Alexis Smirnoff
This match is from an AWA on ESPN episode in 1986. From what I can tell, this match aired on December 31, 1986. Gordyenko and Smirnoff are both stereotypical Russians that have patterned their look after Ivan Koloff, while Bold Eagle is supposed to be a Native American but looks about as pale as I do. Smirnoff and Sanchez start out, with Smirnoff controlling Sanchez with an arm bar. Tag to Yuri, he does a couple of strikes and tags out to Smirnoff. Smirnoff continues to work on the arm before Sanchez is able to escape and at least get to his feet. However, that doesn't last long as a Smirnoff big boot knocks him back down. Tag to Yuri, he slams down Sanchez and stomps on him before tagging out again. Sanchez is able to use his veteran mind to get over and tag in Bold Eagle, who strikes Smirnoff a couple of times and whipping him into the corner, only to be caught with a big boot and selling that move by slowly falling on his knees, much to the displeasure of this crown. Eagle takes another big boot, and then takes a vertical suplex before Gordyenko is tagged in. The two Russian then double team Eagle by giving him a dual Stun Gun on the ropes, and Gordyenko gets the three count. Well, that was not good at all. Post match, the Russians are interviewed by Larry Nelson, with Gordyenko doing most of the talking. That makes little sense, as Gordyenko is, shall I say, not very good on the mic. Anyway, they promise to win the Tag Team Titles and take them home to mother Russia. This video, all in all, wasn't very good, and Bobby Bold Eagle is rather terrible as a wrestler. I'll give it a 0.69 out of 5.
P10- Alicia Fox: Melina vs. Alicia Fox
This match took place on the June 19, 2009 edition of Smackdown and features WWE Women's Champion Melina in a non-title match against Fox. It is announced, that Melina will defend her title against Michelle McCool in nine days, and McCool accompanies Fox to the ring. Tie-up to start, both women get out. Alicia tries a clothesline but Melina does a bridge and then kicks Alicia in the face from that position. Melina tries to keep the advantage with punches, but Alicia does a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker out of nowhere that gets a one count. Alicia then keeps Melina on the mat with a legscissors, and then turns that instead some sort of hybrid full-nelson camel clutch hold that I'd never seen before. Looks like a good hold for a finisher, although it would take multiple steps to apply. But I digress. Anyway, Melina gets up and ducks a clothesline, climbs on Fox's back and then does a sunset flip powerbomb to get the three count. Post match, Michelle McCool comes in and kicks Melina in the face. She then sets Melina up against a table and does a running knee into Melina's head. McCool grabs the mic and promises to become Women's Champion and bring the title home to Mother Russia. Well, maybe not that last part. Quick match that wasn't too bad, so I'd give it a 1.75 out of 5.
P11- The Alliance: Team WWF (The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, Rock, and Chris Jericho) vs. The Alliance (Shane McMahon, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kurt Angle, and Steve Austin)
This match took place at Survivor Series 2001, and fortunately for me, I already did a review of this match somewhere else, so while I will watch it, I will be lazy and just use a previous review right here because the match is rather long, so here it is:
This is a elimination tag battle to see who survives another day, the WWF or the Alliance, wrapping up a horribly botched angle where Kurt Angle represents two companies he never wrestled for. The video starts with another montage, illustrating a) that Rock and Jericho haven't been getting along, b) that Angle and Austin haven't been getting along, and c) that Vince McMahon claims that Stone Cold will swerve his team in the match. The video ends with all 10 superstars shown with a Puddle of Mudd song in the background, kind of killing the moment. All 10 men come out separately, which takes up a lot of time. Rock and Austin start trading punches, and the match is on. For the first ten minutes, everybody but Big Show and Shane get in. For some reason, it seems the Undertaker and Booker T spend the most time in. Nothing too significant of note, other than the Undertaker hitting two Old Schools and Shane Mcmahon breaks up about 8 pinfalls, pissing Jim Ross off in the process. The Big Show finally gets tagged in, and he's a HOUSE OF FIRE for a minute, knocking everyone down in his path like a wild tornado through a county fair. He goes to chokeslam Angle, but gets out, goes behind him, and hits the Olympic Slam on Show. Angle tags in Booker, who hits the ax kick with a spinarooni thrown in for good measure. RVD comes in, hits the frog splash, then tags in Shane, who hits a sub-Test level elbow drop on Show to get the three-count, making Show the first man eliminated. Poor guy was only in there for a minute, but whatever. Shane dances around like a jackass, only to turn around to find The Rock waiting for him. The Rock pounds him. Kane comes in, hits a chokeslam, tags out to Undertaker, who hits a nasty-looking tombstone. Then Jericho is tagged in to hit the lionsault and get the pin, evening the score. Angle comes in, gets the advantage, then tags in Booker, who gives Jericho three bodyslams in a row. Kane comes in after awhile, but gets doubled by Booker and RVD. Rvd hits a frog splash on Kane, but the count is broken up and suddenly, everybody's brawling on the outside, except for RVD and Kane. RVD goes back up to the top, kicks Kane in the face, and gets the three count, eliminating Kane. Undertaker comes in and starts dominating people, at one point clotheslining everybody on the other team down in each corner of the ring. He gives Angle the Last Ride, but Austin gets Taker with the Stunner for the three, giving the Alliance a 4-2 advantage. Rock and Booker square off, but Rock quickly gains the advantage. Rock rolls up Booker, and gets the three count. Now things are a bit even. RVD comes in and takes it right to The Rock. RVD goes to the top, but the Rock powerbombs him off for a two count. Jericho is tagged in, and he and RVD exchange some offense. At one point, I think RVD kicked Jericho straight in the mouth. RVD goes for a split-legged moonsault, but Jericho gets the knees up, I guess, and then hits THE STROKE?!? for a three count. I totally forgot that short period of time where they tried to get the Stroke over as a finisher for Jericho. Just as well they gave up on that. Now the sides are even, but Angle and Austin isolate Jericho with fine brawling action. Jericho fires back, however and goes for a clothesline. He and Austin meet head on and both men are down. Austin tags Angle, and Jericho gets the hot tag to the Rock. Rock catches Angle with a dragon-screw leg whip, puts the sharpshooter on, and Angle taps instantly, giving the WWF a 2-1 advantage. Uh-Oh. Austin knocks down the Rock, Jericho tags himself in. Austin nearly gets the three after reversing Jericho's flying bodypress attempt. Jericho tries for the Walls of Jericho, it's countered. Austin tries his own version, but again it is countered. Austin then awkwardly rolls Jericho up for the three count, leaving the match at 1-1. Jericho won't leave, but Rock gets in and spinebusters Austin down. But WAITAMINUTE, Jericho lays out The Rock with the Stroke. Jericho walks away smugly, but Rock kicks out at two. Jericho comes back to lay some more plunder on the Rock, but Undertaker comes out to put an end to that. Rock and Austin go outside to do some brawling. They come back in, and Austin puts a poor looking sharpshooter on The Rock. The Rock, unsurprisingly, gets to the rope. Rock counters with a poor looking sharpshooter of his own, but again, Austin gets to the rope. They both try to hit their finisher, but Rock finally lands a STUNNER on Austin. He nearly gets a three, but referee Earl Hebner is pulled out by everyone's favorite referee, Nick Patrick. Austin hits a Rock Bottom on Rock, but Patrick doesn't count fast enough yet again and The Rock kicks out. Austin punches Patrick, and Patrick sells a punch like only Nick Patrick can. Austin hits a stunner on Rock, but there be no referee. Kurt Angle comes out, hits Austin with Austin's own WWF Title, propelling him into The Rock, who hits the Rock Bottom from there. Hebner wakes up, and Rock gets the final pinfall, "saving" the WWF in the process. Vince McMahon comes out with his arms up in the air and throwing his jacket down in celebration. Match was pretty good and suspenseful, particularly when Austin and The Rock was in there, but man was it long, which in this situation makes sense, I suppose.
Well, I didn't give a numerical score to this match before, so I will now. Overall, I'd give it a 3.68 out of 10.
P11- The Allied Powers: Allied Powers vs. Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie
This match was taped on May 15, 1995 and later shown as part of the Coliseum Video title 'Wrestlefest 95'. Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith, the Allied Powers, are led to the ring by two guest flag bearers. The video cuts part of the beginning off, so it's joined in progress as Jarrett arm drags Smith and then struts around the ring, and then he does that same sequence again. Irish whip by Jarrett is reversed by Smith, who follows up with a pair of clotheslines. Delayed vertical suplex by Davey Boy, who then goes for the pinfall, but The Roadie breaks it up. He's tagged in and slows Davey Boy down with some brawling tactics, but Smith gets the advantage once again after a pair of headlock takedowns and tags in Luger. A double back elbow by the Powers gets a two count, and then Luger tries to go to work on the arm, but a knee to the gut stops his momentum. Roadie punches Luger a few times before entering the corner and tasting a back elbow from Luger, who follows up with a pair of arm drags and an armbar. Roadie gets back up, elbows Luger in the face, and tags out to Jarrett, who comes in and starts wailing away on Luger. Jarrett whips Luger into the ropes and tries to hit him with a back elbow, but Luger ducks and gives Jarrett a gorilla press slam instead. Luger puts Jarrett in the 'Rebel Rack', but the Roadie comes in and chop blocks Luger in the knee. Tag to Roadie, he gets a two count after a knee drop and then tags to Jarrett. Luger nearly gets a pinfall after a sunset flip, then he takes a Jarrett clothesline and goes down. After some stomps, Jarrett whips Luger in and ducks, only to take a DDT type maneuver (Luger just grabs him by the hair and falls back, sending Jarrett down to the mat). Both men get back up, then get back down again after a double clothesline. Roadie is tagged in, and now so is Davey Boy, who starts cleaning house on his opponent with a series of clotheslines, then does a double noggin knocker on Jarrett and Roadie. Vertical Suplex on the Roadie, but Jarrett breaks up the count. Luger takes care of Jarrett while Davey Boy scoops up Roadie and delivers the Running Power Slam. Cover, and Davey Boy gets the victory for his team. Well, I guess it wasn't that bad, so I'll give it a 2.15 out of 5.
P11- Alundra Blayze: Alundra Blayze vs. Luna Vachon
The women formerly known and later known as Madusa, Alundra Blayze defends her WWF Women's Championship against Luna Vachon in a match from the July 7, 1994 edition of WWF Superstars. Luna starts off strong by backing Blayze into the ropes and delivering a few knees to the gut, but loses the advantage after Alundra ducks a pair of clotheslines and then flattens Vachon with a dropkick. A Blayze Irish whip into the corner is reversed, but Blayze once again is too quick for Vachon, as she flips over the ropes and then dodges a charging Luna, sending Vachon flying to the outside. Luna collects herself, then trips up Blayze and slams her leg into the ring post. Back in the ring, Luna applies a Boston Crab. After struggling to escape for about a minute, Blayze somehow does a sunset flip from the Boston Crab and nearly gets a three count. Luna gets back up first, and slows Alundra down with some brawling tactics and a leglock. Vachon whips Alundra into the corner and charges, but Blayze is able to use her quickness advantage again to apply a sunset flip for a two count. But Luna is up again, and catapults Alundra throat first into the bottom rope, then follows up with a swinging neckbreaker. Luna goes to the ropes, and hits the Vader Bomb on her opponent, but since Luna doesn't have nearly the same girth as Vader, Alundra is able to kick out at two. After a bodyslam, Luna tries to finish things up with a top-rope maneuver, but misses the big splash. Alundra is up quickly and bulldogs Luna down to the mat. Luna misses a punch, which allows Blayze to get behind Luna and German suplex Vachon. Blayze bridges and holds on long enough to get the three count. Short match, but a solid effort all in all. I'd give it a 2.1 out of 5.
Well, that's it for the first part of the Big Bad WWE Encyclopedia Video Project, a.k.a. the BWE squared Video Project. If you have a better name, then do not hesitate to suggest it. Also, if you have any thoughts about the project thus far or any other posts, or you have an idea for future posts, then let me know about those thoughts and ideas either by leaving a comment on the blog or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A New Project for The Canon Review
So for Christmas I got the WWE Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to World Wrestling Entertainment. It's actually quite a good book, filled with profiles and full color pictures of just about every superstar in WWE history up until about 2008 or so. Yes, it's missing a few wrestlers like Luther Reigns, Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon, but overall, it's a very detailed and informative look into WWE history. If I had to review it, I'd give it an 8.7 out of 10. However, that's not really the point of this post. The point is that I will be undertaking a new project in which I watch at least one video of every entry in this book. That includes wrestlers, tag teams, pay-per-views, whatever. To accomplish this, I have set a few guidelines for me to follow.
- I will be using Google Video to search for videos, and the video I watch will correspond with the page number that the subject's profile can be found on in the encylopedia. For example, Ahmed Johnson appears on page 9, so I will type in Ahmed Johnson and go down to the ninth video.
- In some cases, the subject will not have enough videos to match up with the page number. For example, Xanta Claus is on page 361. Well, Xanta Claus does not have 361 videos on the web. In this case, I would subtract the number of videos listed from the original page number. Let's say Xanta Claus has 228 videos (he doesn't, just using a random number here). Well, I would subtract that from 361, getting 133. Which means I would watch the 133rd video on the list.
- If I happen to type in a term and the corresponding video has nothing to do with the wrestler, I will then divide the number in half and continue to do so until I can watch a relevant video of the subject. That way, I won't end up watching a stupid v-log about Jeff Hardy just because the maker of the video typed in a bunch of names in order to get more hits.
- I will not limit myself to just WWF videos, but I will try to watch just wrestling videos. In the case of say, a Dan Severn, I might watch one of his UFC matches, but I will not be watching John Cena in a scene from the Marine or something like that. Also, if the video I get is just an interview, well, that's the video I will watch.
Well, that's that. I won't be doing this every day, maybe two or three times a week at most, with each post featuring around 15 videos or so. Hopefully, I'll be done with this by the end of the year, and have my first post on this project sometime tomorrow. Also, there will continue to be other posts on The Canon Review, like movie reviews and all the other stuff that has made this site the most popular site named thecanonreview.blogspot.com in the world. If you have any questions, then feel free to ask them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. You can also, as always, suggest a future review for the site by using the same methods of communication as described above. Now, here's Ken Patera dropping some knowledge on all you folks.
- I will be using Google Video to search for videos, and the video I watch will correspond with the page number that the subject's profile can be found on in the encylopedia. For example, Ahmed Johnson appears on page 9, so I will type in Ahmed Johnson and go down to the ninth video.
- In some cases, the subject will not have enough videos to match up with the page number. For example, Xanta Claus is on page 361. Well, Xanta Claus does not have 361 videos on the web. In this case, I would subtract the number of videos listed from the original page number. Let's say Xanta Claus has 228 videos (he doesn't, just using a random number here). Well, I would subtract that from 361, getting 133. Which means I would watch the 133rd video on the list.
- If I happen to type in a term and the corresponding video has nothing to do with the wrestler, I will then divide the number in half and continue to do so until I can watch a relevant video of the subject. That way, I won't end up watching a stupid v-log about Jeff Hardy just because the maker of the video typed in a bunch of names in order to get more hits.
- I will not limit myself to just WWF videos, but I will try to watch just wrestling videos. In the case of say, a Dan Severn, I might watch one of his UFC matches, but I will not be watching John Cena in a scene from the Marine or something like that. Also, if the video I get is just an interview, well, that's the video I will watch.
Well, that's that. I won't be doing this every day, maybe two or three times a week at most, with each post featuring around 15 videos or so. Hopefully, I'll be done with this by the end of the year, and have my first post on this project sometime tomorrow. Also, there will continue to be other posts on The Canon Review, like movie reviews and all the other stuff that has made this site the most popular site named thecanonreview.blogspot.com in the world. If you have any questions, then feel free to ask them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. You can also, as always, suggest a future review for the site by using the same methods of communication as described above. Now, here's Ken Patera dropping some knowledge on all you folks.
Canon Movie Review: A League of Their Own
Earlier today, I watched the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, which is a fictional account of the 1940's women's baseball league, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Well, that's a mouthful. Anyway, the movie was directed by Penny Marshall and stars Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Jon Lovitz, and Bill Pullman. The plot of A League of Their Own centers around catcher Dottie Hinson (Davis) and her sister Kit Keller (Lori Petty), who play for the Rockford Peaches, even though Dottie would of rather stayed in Oregon waiting for her husband to come home from the war. Dottie becomes the league's breakout star, a catcher that can hit with power and pull off spectacular plays in the field. However, her younger sister Kit bristles at being in Dottie's shadow, and their relationship is strained to the point where a trade is made just to keep Dottie in the league. A few notes about this movie, and there are probably SPOILERS, so read carefully. Or not, it's up to you.
- One of the things that A League of Their Own does right is the casting, as Marshall and the casting directors made sure to fit their actors in the right roles. For example, Jon Lovitz is a wise-cracking scout, basically playing himself the whole. Rosie O'Donnell is a loud-mouthed New Yorker, and Bill Pullman has very little to do, among other examples.
- Most of the humor in A League of Their Own comes from Tom Hanks's characater, manager Jimmy Dugan. Dugan, a former star in the majors, is now a staggering drunk who is down to his last chance at not becoming a complete screwup. Hanks had some great scenes in this film, from the scene where he wakes up after the bus driver quit in the middle of the team's trip, to the scene where he meets his team for the first time, and urinates for a solid two minutes, to the inscription he writes on the kid's baseball along with his autograph. Of course, Hanks also said the line the movie's famous for "There's no crying in baseball", which is also a good scene in which Hanks excels.
- To the credit of the actors in the film, most of the women in the film at least act like they can play some baseball. Well, I had a hard time believing that Madonna could leg out a triple, but there were no glaring issues with the quality of play in the film, so to speak, which is more than I can say for some other movies (like Bull Durham, where Tim Robbins played a fireball throwing pitcher even though he threw like someone that had only taken up baseball three days ago, but I digress).
- Like I said before, the story of A League of Their Own revolves largely around Dottie and her sister Kit. While Dottie has a few character flaws, such as a touch of arrogance and seeing herself as a bit above the game, she mostly comes across as a good person with a strong will. Kit, on the other hand, acts like a spoiled brat for most of the film, always complaining about Dottie's success and blaming her own failures on Dottie even when she has nothing to do with them. The fact that Kit is such an immature brat makes the ending seem like a giant letdown, although at the very least, Kit does redeem herself somewhat.
- Maybe it's just because I am biased towards the performer, but I couldn't stand Rosie O'Donnell's character Doris Murphy at all. Murphy seemed just like O'Donnell in that she was a loud mouth from Long Island who just would not keep quiet. I mean, she would not shut up through the entire movie, always getting her two cents in at the conclusion of nearly every scene. I suppose that O'Donnell didn't do too badly in the film, and that it's my own personal bias that has lowered my opinion of her performance, but nevertheless, she had the most annoying character in the movie, even moreso then that little kid.
Overall, A League of Their Own is a charming portrayal of life in the AAGPBL, even though it's not entirely accurate (for one, pitchers in the real AAGPBL threw underhanded, unlike the overhand style employed by the pitchers in this movie). Despite from minor flaws, A League of Their Own is a pretty good movie that should entertain both sports fans and movie lovers alike. Sure, some people might have a hangup about watching a movie about women playing baseball, but if they look past that, then they would find that this is one of the best baseball movies ever. Overall, I'd give A League of Their Own a 7.752 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this or other posts, or ideas for future posts, than let us know them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com. Also, come back to The Canon Review later this afternoon for an announcement about a new project that I will be doing that may very well cause me to lose my insanity. So, until next time, avoid the clap.
- One of the things that A League of Their Own does right is the casting, as Marshall and the casting directors made sure to fit their actors in the right roles. For example, Jon Lovitz is a wise-cracking scout, basically playing himself the whole. Rosie O'Donnell is a loud-mouthed New Yorker, and Bill Pullman has very little to do, among other examples.
- Most of the humor in A League of Their Own comes from Tom Hanks's characater, manager Jimmy Dugan. Dugan, a former star in the majors, is now a staggering drunk who is down to his last chance at not becoming a complete screwup. Hanks had some great scenes in this film, from the scene where he wakes up after the bus driver quit in the middle of the team's trip, to the scene where he meets his team for the first time, and urinates for a solid two minutes, to the inscription he writes on the kid's baseball along with his autograph. Of course, Hanks also said the line the movie's famous for "There's no crying in baseball", which is also a good scene in which Hanks excels.
- To the credit of the actors in the film, most of the women in the film at least act like they can play some baseball. Well, I had a hard time believing that Madonna could leg out a triple, but there were no glaring issues with the quality of play in the film, so to speak, which is more than I can say for some other movies (like Bull Durham, where Tim Robbins played a fireball throwing pitcher even though he threw like someone that had only taken up baseball three days ago, but I digress).
- Like I said before, the story of A League of Their Own revolves largely around Dottie and her sister Kit. While Dottie has a few character flaws, such as a touch of arrogance and seeing herself as a bit above the game, she mostly comes across as a good person with a strong will. Kit, on the other hand, acts like a spoiled brat for most of the film, always complaining about Dottie's success and blaming her own failures on Dottie even when she has nothing to do with them. The fact that Kit is such an immature brat makes the ending seem like a giant letdown, although at the very least, Kit does redeem herself somewhat.
- Maybe it's just because I am biased towards the performer, but I couldn't stand Rosie O'Donnell's character Doris Murphy at all. Murphy seemed just like O'Donnell in that she was a loud mouth from Long Island who just would not keep quiet. I mean, she would not shut up through the entire movie, always getting her two cents in at the conclusion of nearly every scene. I suppose that O'Donnell didn't do too badly in the film, and that it's my own personal bias that has lowered my opinion of her performance, but nevertheless, she had the most annoying character in the movie, even moreso then that little kid.
Overall, A League of Their Own is a charming portrayal of life in the AAGPBL, even though it's not entirely accurate (for one, pitchers in the real AAGPBL threw underhanded, unlike the overhand style employed by the pitchers in this movie). Despite from minor flaws, A League of Their Own is a pretty good movie that should entertain both sports fans and movie lovers alike. Sure, some people might have a hangup about watching a movie about women playing baseball, but if they look past that, then they would find that this is one of the best baseball movies ever. Overall, I'd give A League of Their Own a 7.752 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this or other posts, or ideas for future posts, than let us know them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com. Also, come back to The Canon Review later this afternoon for an announcement about a new project that I will be doing that may very well cause me to lose my insanity. So, until next time, avoid the clap.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Your 2010 Canon Review Pro Football Preview End of Season Review
2010 was quite possibly the wildest and wackiest season the NFL has ever had. Well, except for the 1987 season where teams put out replacement players due to the strike, but that's another story. This season had all sorts of unexpected occurrences, from the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, to a team with a losing record, the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks, winning their division and becoming the first losing team to ever make the postseason. This season saw the redemption of Michael Vick, the reestablishment of Tom Brady as the NFL's best quarterback, and saw Donovan McNabb get traded to the Redskins, sign a multi-million dollar contract extension the same night his team gets crushed by his former team, the Eagles, and eventually sees coach Mike Shanahan bench McNabb for the immortal Rex Grossman. Also, 2010 was (hopefully) the final season of Brett Favre, who proved two things, that even he can't play at a high level forever, and that it's not a good idea to send pictures of your junk to female team employees. We also saw the saga of Randy Moss, who in a matter of weeks managed to complain about his current team (the Patriots) not offering him a contract extension, get traded to the Vikings, come back to play the Patriots and then praise the Patriots organization during his entire post-game press conference, complain about the team's catering to such an extent that the Vikings cut him, and sign with the Titans where he does absolutely nothing (6 catches for 80 yards).. Those events are only the tip of the iceberg in a crazy season that will probably be followed by the craziest offeseaon in recent memory, as the owners and players union try to work out a new collective bargaining agreement which has been greatly complicated due to commissioner Roger Goodell's insistence to extend the regular season to 18 games, among other factors, and if an agreement is not reached, well we could be without pro football next year. But that's next year, instead it's time for me to take a look back at my picks at the beginning of this season and see just how good, or bad, I was able to prognosticate the 2010 NFL season. If you want, you can take a look at my original picks here, and my midseason review here.
AFC East (* - Wild Card)
Predictions: Current Record:
1. New England Patriots 1. New England Patriots (14-2)
2. Miami Dolphins* 2. New York Jets* (11-5)
3. New York Jets 3. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
4. Buffalo Bills 4. Buffalo Bills (4-12)
Although I was correct about New England, I'd be lying if I said I expected the Patriots to dominate to the extent that they have this season. QB Tom Brady has the Patriots offense firing on all cylinders, and unheralded players such as RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and TE Rob Gronkowski have developed into dangerous offensive players. After finishing the season on an eight game winning streak, the Patriots are the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl. I was wrong about the Jets, as the team that I thought was overrated proved me wrong and won 11 games to earn a spot in the playoffs. A Super Bowl appearance seems unlikely for New York, but Rex Ryan and his boys are hungry, and will be looking to snack on their playoff foes. The Dolphins has a solid defense, but their offense wasn't so good, as they scored the third fewest points in the NFL this year. At midseason, some people, including me, were afraid that the Bills would go the entire season without a win. But those fears were unfounded, as the Bills went 4-4 in the second half, and were a dropped pass away from beating the playoff bound Steelers. Maybe next year will be the year that the Bills get out of the cellar in back into playoff contention. After all, if the Raiders, Chiefs, and Bucs can drastically improve, then why not the Bills.
AFC North
1. Baltimore Ravens 1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers* 2. Baltimore Ravens* (12-4)
3. Cincinnati Bengals 3. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
4. Cleveland Browns 4. Cincinnati Bengals (4-12)
Well, I had the top two teams making the playoffs, but just in the wrong order. The Steelers, despite missing QB Ben Roethlisberger for the first four games of the season, cruised to a 12-4 record and a first round bye, thanks in large part due to their top ranked defense and running game. Meanwhile, the Ravens also went 12-4 behind their third ranked defense, but could have gone 15-1 had they been able to close out games against Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New England. To be fair, those teams had the three best records in the NFL, so the Ravens have at least proven they can hang with anybody in the league. Here's hoping for a third matchup between the Ravens and Steelers in the playoffs. I didn't think too highly of the Bengals at the beginning of the season, but I didn't think they would sink from 11 wins to 4 this year. It might be time to make massive changes in Cincinnati this offseason. The Browns were what we thought they were, although to their credit, they are only one of two teams to beat the Patriots this year. That wasn't enough to save coach Eric Mangini's job, but at least the Browns showed some glimmers of hope this season.
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts 1. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
2. Tennessee Titans 2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 3. Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4. Houston Texans 4. Houston Texans (6-10)
2. Tennessee Titans 2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 3. Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4. Houston Texans 4. Houston Texans (6-10)
The Colts may have been banged up this year, but QB Peyton Manning and his crew survived enough injuries to put up a ten win season and win another division title. Of course, it helped that the other three teams had issues of their own. The Jaguars went 8-8 after a three game losing streak at the end of the season. In week 15, the Jaguars could have clinched the division with a win against the Colts, but fell, and then injuries to players such as RB Maurice Jones-Drew did the Jags in in the next two games. The Titans started the season 5-2 and had signed Randy Moss to gear up for the stretch run. After that, the Titans won one game as QB Vince Young and coach Jeff Fisher had a falling out, and the team collapsed along with the Young-Fisher relationship. The Texans had the league's leading rusher in Arian Foster, but once again found new and exciting ways to lose close games. In spite of this and other problems, the Texans are bringing back head coach Gary Kubiak. Well, it's not something I would do, but maybe the sixth year is the charm for Kubiak, assuming that there is any football next season.
AFC West:
1. San Diego Chargers 1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
2. Denver Broncos 2. San Diego Chargers (9-7)
3. Oakland Raiders 3. Oakland Raiders (8-8)
4. Kansas City Chiefs 4. Denver Broncos (4-12)
2. Denver Broncos 2. San Diego Chargers (9-7)
3. Oakland Raiders 3. Oakland Raiders (8-8)
4. Kansas City Chiefs 4. Denver Broncos (4-12)
Well, I was quite wrong about the Kansas City Chiefs, who won most of the games they were supposed to win to win the division. Well, it wasn't quite that simple, as RB Jamaal Charles, WR Dwayne Bowe, and OLB Tamba Hali put together great seasons for Kansas City on their way to the division crown. The Chargers had the second highest scoring team, a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the league, and still find themselves out of the playoffs, thanks in large part to some horrendous play on special teams and key players missing time due to injuries and holdouts, like TE Antonio Gates and WR Vincent Jackson. I did have the Raiders third, although to be honest I thought they would be 6-10 instead of 8-8. Somehow, the Raiders went 6-0 against AFC West opponents and became the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in their division and miss the playoffs. The Broncos weren't so good this year, and so coach Josh McDaniels was shown the door before the end of the year. But kudos to WR Brandon Lloyd, who came back from obscurity to lead the NFL in receiving yards this year with 1,448.
NFC East:
1. Dallas Cowboys 1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
2. New York Giants 2. New York Giants (10-6)
3. Washington Redskins 3. Washington Redskins (6-10)
4. Philadelphia Eagles 4. Dallas Cowboys (6-10)
2. New York Giants 2. New York Giants (10-6)
3. Washington Redskins 3. Washington Redskins (6-10)
4. Philadelphia Eagles 4. Dallas Cowboys (6-10)
The Cowboys let everybody down in the first half of the season, but did show signs of life with a 5-3 finish under interim coach Jason Garrett. Nevertheless, 2010 was a disappointment for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. 2010 was also disappointing for the Giants, particularly their 4th quarter collapse against the Eagles and their 45-17 shellacking by Green Bay late in the season. As it turns out, I had the Giants pretty much exactly where they finished, but the Giants had a team talented enough to do much more. The Eagles found their quarterback, although it wasn't Kevin Kolb, but Michael Vick, who put together his best season and became the player everybody hoped he would after being drafted number one in 2001. As for the Redskins, it seems to happen every year, but once again their big name acquisition, in this case QB Donovan McNabb, disappoints and is unable to make the Redskins a winning team again. After over a decade of big name players underachieving in Washington, you would think that Daniel Snyder and company would try something else, but I'm sure they'll go out and get Steve Smith or somebody like that next year and repeat the cycle all over again.
NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers 1. Chicago Bears (11-5)
2. Minnesota Vikings* 2. Green Bay Packers* (10-6)
3. Chicago Bears 3. Detroit Lions (6-10)
4. Detroit Lions 4. Minnesota Vikings (6-10)
2. Minnesota Vikings* 2. Green Bay Packers* (10-6)
3. Chicago Bears 3. Detroit Lions (6-10)
4. Detroit Lions 4. Minnesota Vikings (6-10)
At the beginning of the season, I felt that the Bears were too risky of a team to pick for the playoffs, as I figured that they would struggle on offense and finish 8-8 or something similar. Instead, the Bears won some close games, QB Jay Cutler and company improved enough on offense and now the Bears are the number two seed in the division. At least my choice for NFC Champions, the Packers, bailed me out and made the playoffs after wins against the Giants and the Bears in the season's final two weeks. However, despite their 10-6 record, only the Patriots had a bigger point differential then the Packers, who scored 148 more points then they allowed, so they could be a darkhorse in the postseason. The 2010 Minnesota Vikings season was so wacky and chaotic that there will probably be multiple books written about it. Their quarterback was involved in a sex scandal, they cut an All-Pro wide receiver three weeks after trading for him, they fired their coach after multiple reports leaked out about how little his team respected him, the roof on their stadium collapsed, and to top it all off, they won the NFL's first Tuesday game in 64 years behind a third-string quarterback. Other than that, it was business as usual for the Vikings, who at least got another strong season out of RB Adrian Peterson. The Lions were 6-10, losing six games by five points or less, and finishing the season with a four game winning streak that will probably make them the chic sleeper pick in the next football season, whenever that will be. Seriously, if QB Matthew Stafford stays healthy and the Lions get a consistent running game, then the Lions might see postseason play for the first time this century.
NFC South:
1. Atlanta Falcons 1. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
2. New Orleans Saints* 2. New Orleans Saints* (11-5)
3. Carolina Panthers 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4. Carolina Panthers (2-14)
2. New Orleans Saints* 2. New Orleans Saints* (11-5)
3. Carolina Panthers 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4. Carolina Panthers (2-14)
Hey, I was right about the top two teams in this division, as the Falcons were able to stay healthy this season and win 13 games behind a mistake-free offense powered by QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael Turner, and WR Roddy White. The Saints weren't quite as dominant as they were in 2009, but were still one of the best teams in the league, and QB Drew Brees, despite his higher interception total, is able to lead his team to victory in even the toughest circumstances, as we saw last Monday night in Atlanta. Tampa Bay won one game against a winning team this year (Sunday against the Saints) but nevertheless, it was quite a comeback season for the Bucs, who found their quarterback of the future in Josh Freeman (25 TDs, 6 INTs). The Panthers had the worst offense in the NFL, as their two 1,000 yard running backs from 2009, DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart, missed time due to injuries. Not to mention the issues Carolina had at quarterback, which were so bad that the Panthers were not able to use their best offensive player, WR Steve Smith, effectively. The Panthers were so inept that no offensive player scored more than three touchdowns. Predictably, the Panthers decided to fire their entire coaching staff, and will probably get rid of a lot of players as well.
NFC West:
1. Arizona Cardinals 1. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
2. San Francisco 49ers 2. St. Louis Rams (7-9)
3. St. Louis Rams 3. San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
4. Seattle Seahawks 4. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
2. San Francisco 49ers 2. St. Louis Rams (7-9)
3. St. Louis Rams 3. San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
4. Seattle Seahawks 4. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
The worst division in the history of football, bar none. The Seahawks, to their credit, exceeded expectations by winning seven games and the division, which isn't too bad considering that most people felt they would be the worst team in football in 2010. The 49ers were a popular pick to win the division this year, but poor quarterback play and disputes with coach Mike Singletary did them in, and ultimately led to Singletary being fired last week. I felt that despite the loss of Kurt Warner, the Cardinals would be fine with QB Derek Anderson leading the way. Whoops. The Rams were the favorites to win the division as of Sunday Night behind a strong rookie season from QB Sam Bradford. But the Rams couldn't win against Seattle last night. If it makes them feel any better, at least the Rams made me look bad by finishing second instead of third, although not quite as bad as the Cardinals made me look.
AFC Championship Game: Ravens over Colts
NFC Championship Game: Packers over Falcons
Super Bowl: Ravens over Packers
Well, My NFC Championship Game pick can't happen, as the Packers will have to play the Falcons in round two if they survive against the Eagles this week. I am surprised that all four of my 'final four' picks made the playoffs, so that's something. Since the Ravens and Packers are still alive, I'm going to keep my picks and go down with the ship, even if the Patriots and Steelers are probably better choices in the AFC, and the Falcons, Saints, and Eagles are better candidates to win the Super Bowl out of the NFC. Then again, the Ravens nearly beat the Patriots and have beaten the Steelers, while the Packers nearly beat the Falcons and beat the Eagles, so it wouldn't be too surprising if Baltimore and Green Bay were to make it through to postseason into the Super Bowl.
NFL MVP:
Preseason Picks:
1. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (312 completions in 475 attempts, 3,922 yards, 28 TD passes, 11 interceptions, 101.2 QB Rating)
2. QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (450-649, 4700, 33-17, 91.9)
3. QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots (324-492, 3900, 36-4)
Dark Horse: QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (357-571, 3705, 28-9, 91.0)
Midseason Favorites:
1. Manning
2. Brady
3. QB Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (357-541, 4710, 30-13, 101.8)
4. OLB Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers (13.5 Sacks, 1 INT, 1 TD)
At the end of the season, Brady is the obvious choice for MVP, as he led the league in touchdown passes, quarterback rating, and set a record for most consecutive passes without an interception (335) while leading the Patriots to a league best 14-2 record. With all due respect to Manning, Rodgers, and Eagles QB Michael Vick (233-372, 3018, 21-6, 100.2, 676 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs), it's really not even close. Ryan and Rivers also had solid seasons, but each player is a notch below Brady and Vick as well.
NFL Most Outstanding Offensive Player:
Preseason Picks:
1. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings (283 attempts, 1298 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 36 catches)
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans (316, 1364, 11, 44 catches)
Dark Horse: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals (90 catches, 1137 yards, 6 TDs)
Dark Horse: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals (90 catches, 1137 yards, 6 TDs)
Midseason Favorites:
1. Rivers
2. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans (327, 1616, 16, 66 catches)
3. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons (115, 1389, 11)
4. Peterson
Peterson was good once again this year, but his team's poor performance doesn't help him any here. Same for Johnson, while Fitzgerald had no chance at this award due mainly to the poor play of his quarterbacks. Once again, despite strong seasons from Foster, White, Vick, and Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles (230, 1467, 5, 45 catches), this is basically Brady's award here as well, as no other player in the NFL had a better season on offense than Tom Brady.
NFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player:
Preseason Favorites:
1. DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dallas Cowboys (15.5 sacks, 2 fumble recovery, 1 TD)
2.Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers (7 INTs, 49 tackles, 1 TD)
3. Patrick Willis, ILB, San Francisco 49ers (101 tackles, 6 sack)
Dark Horse: Darrelle Revis, CB, New York Jets (2 fumble recoveries)
Midseason Favorites:
1. Matthews
2. Haloti Ngata, DT, Baltimore Ravens (5.5 sacks, 47 tackles)
3. Tamba Hali, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs (14.5 sacks)
4. Aqib Talib, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6 Ints, 1TDs)
Ware led the NFL in sacks, but normally players on losing teams don't win the Defensive POY award unless they are clearly dominant over the field. Matthews somewhat slumped in the second half (3 sacks in the final eight games), while Willis played well, but like Ware, played for a losing team. Revis was nowhere near the impact player he was in 2009. In my estimation, there are five main contenders for the award, Matthews, Ngata, Hali, Polamalu, and the Ravens S Ed Reed (8 INT in 10 games). Each player is probably deserving of the award, but if it were up to me, I'd give it to Polamalu, as his return from an injury filled 2009 season made all the difference for the Steelers. Without Polamalu, the Steelers defense is not nearly as good as it is with him, and in my opinion, no other player on defense has a bigger impact on his team's performance than Troy Polamalu. But, we'll see who wins the award at the end of the day.
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Preseason Picks:
1. Ryan Matthews, RB, San Diego Chargers (158 carries, 678 yards, 7 touchdowns)
2. Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions (171, 555, 4, 58 catches, 487 yards)
3. Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams (354-590, 3512, 18-15, 76.5 rating)
Dark Horse: Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys (45 catches, 561 yards, 6 TDs, 2 punt return TDs)
Midseason Favorites:
1. Bradford
2. Bryant
3. Mike Williams, WR, (65 catches, 964 yards, 11 TDs)
4. Maurkice Pouncey, C, Steelers
Williams might have a strong case for the award, and Pouncey is the only offensive rookie to make the Pro Bowl, but Bradford had quite a rookie season for the Rams, setting a rookie record for most completions in the seasons and making the Rams passing game succeed despite losing his top two receivers to injury early in the year. Matthews and Best had their moments, while Bryant proved to be a top-notch playmaker before suffering an injury of his own, but Bradford is the clear favorite here.
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Preseason Picks:
1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions (10 sacks, 48 tackles)
2. Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs (4 INTs, 72 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 TD)
3. Rolando McClain, ILB, Oakland Raiders (59 tackles, 0.5 sack, 1 INT)
Dark Horse: Derrick Morgan, DE, Tennessee Titans (1.5 sacks)
Midseason Favorites:
1. Suh
2. Berry
3. Earl Thomas, S, Seattle Seahawks (5 INTs, 60 tackles)
4. Koa Misi, OLB, Miami Dolphins (4.5 sacks, 29 tackles)
This is another award that will not be a close vote, as Suh was everything the Lions hoped for and then some, giving the team a disruptive force in the middle of the line, and you could make the case that he is the best defensive tackle in the NFL right now (I'd say Ngata is the only one better than Suh, but still). Patriots CB Devin McCourty (7 INT), like Suh, will be going to the Pro Bowl, while both Thomas and Berry proved to be playmakers from the safety position for their respective teams. But I would be shocked beyond belief if Suh did not win this award.
Coach Most Likely to be Fired:
1. John Fox, Panthers
2. Lovie Smith, Bears
3. Jack Del Rio, Jaguars
Dark Horse: Andy Reid, Eagles
Of the four listed here, only one, John Fox, ended up being fired. Smith and Reid led their teams to division championships, so I'm pretty sure that they're safe, while it looks like the Jaguars will bring Jack Del Rio back for another season. As of this writing, there are six teams (Dallas, Minnesota, Denver, San Francisco, Carolina, and Cleveland) that fired their coaches, but there are whispers that Oakland's Tom Cable, Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, and Tennessee's Jeff Fisher might also be on the chopping block.
Well, thanks for reading this rather long post, and if you have any comments about this or previous posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Canon Movie Review: A Player to be Named Later
Today's review comes from a suggestion from reader Ben W. Recently, Ben W. had seen the 2005 documentary A Player to be Named Later, and felt that this movie would be something worth viewing and reviewing. So I decided, sure, what the hey, and watched the documentary myself. Directed by Bart Stephens and produced by Maternity Films, A Player to be Named Later follows the 2001 season of the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians. The story of A Player to be Named Later is centered around four players, outfielder Brad Tyler, outfielder Micah Franklin, infielder Marco Scutaro, and pitcher Kyle Peterson. Each player is at a different stage of their career, but they all share the same goal in common, to get the call to the big leagues. The film also features a variety of other characters, from Brewers' director of minor league personnel Greg Riddoch to the Indianapolis Indians' number one fan, Miss Jackie. A few notes about the film:
- The only one of the four players featured in the movie to have a successful career in the majors is Scutaro, who is currently on the Boston Red Sox. At the time, Scutaro was a 25 year-old middle infield prospect who was not yet on the forty man roster, and was still struggling to make the big leagues. Both Scutaro and his wife are interviewed in the film, and while Scutaro is focused on nothing other than making the big leagues, and remote control cars, his wife still seems to be coming to terms with the drastic changes that have taken place in her life, as both of them are originally from Venezuela and have only been in America for a few years. One of the more interesting things said in the movie is that Scutaro's wife wishes that her kids wouldn't grow up to be ballplayers, as life in the minor leagues can be hard on both the player and their family. I wonder if she thinks differently now that Scutaro has a multi million dollar contract and would seem to be set for life.
- One of, if not the most interesting aspects of this movie is now just the story of the players, but also the story of their wives. Particularly the life of Brad and Kimberly Tyler, who at this point had an infant daughter and were in the process of getting a house built when early on in the season, Brad got cut by the Brewers organization. To continue his career and make ends meet, Brad goes to Mexico to play for a team called the Oaxaca Guerreros. While in Mexico, Brad and Kimberly live in a one bedroom apartment with no oven and very little amenities. Yet Brad remains hopeful, and Kimberly is never wavering in her undying support of Brad's dreams. Fortunately for Brad, a team in America does sign him to a contract later on in the season, although he gets sent to double-A and because of that, has to miss his daughter's one year birthday party. Tyler never made it to big leagues, as he was 32 at the time of this film and only played one more year of baseball afterwards. Looking at his numbers, I don't see why he didn't get a shot, to be honest, as Tyler was a left-handed hitting outfielder with good speed (175 career steals), decent power (141 homeruns) and excelled at getting on base (a career .371 OBP). Originally a second baseman, Brad Tyler struggled some with the glove at second, according to his minor league stats, but he was skilled enough to at least earn a look in the majors at one point in his career. But, as is the case with so many others, Tyler just never got the call.
- Of the four players featured, Micah Franklin is the one that seems to be the most realistic about his chances of being called up by the Brewers. A veteran of the minor leagues who had a cup of coffee with the Cardinals and spent two years in Japan, Franklin spends the majority of the movie in a bit of a funk, as he has come to the realization that age 29, the best case scenario for him is a spot on the bench for the Brewers. To his credit, Franklin takes everything in stride, even as he gets off to a slow start and finds himself on the Indianapolis bench more often than he would like. Towards the end of the season, Franklin finds his stroke, and at one point hits an incredible six home runs in seven at-bats. The year was also memorable for Franklin because his second daughter was born during the season, and the producers are able to be with Franklin and his family as they bring his daughter back home from the hospital.
- Of the four players featured, the one with seemingly the brightest future would have been Peterson, a first round pick by the Brewers in 1997 who had pitched some in the bigs in 1999 before shoulder surgery. Even though the surgery has changed the way Peterson throws, the Brewers still though highly of him and after a strong start, called him up for a brief stint in the majors. However, after being sent down (to make room for the immortal Lou Collier), Peterson goes into a tailspin, struggling to get hitters out and to make matters worse, his shoulder is starting to hurt again. As the season progresses, things just get worse for Peterson, as he's put on the DL and eventually dropped from the Brewers' 40-man roster. As the film goes on, you start to feel bad for Peterson, a bright guy who later would graduate from Stanford University, as his once promising future becomes more and more of a question mark. Unfortunately, 2001 proved to be Peterson's final season in baseball, as he later had to have a second operation on his shoulder and never came back from it.
- The film's emotional peak comes at the end of the season, a disappointing one for the Indianapolis Indians, as the Brewers expand their rosters and add more players from the minors. A player who surely would merit a callup is Scuturo, who won the team's MVP award and whom everybody in the organization thinks is a future big leaguer for sure. Remarkably, Scutaro does not get the call, and you can see his frustration come through as all he can do is quietly ask the manager 'what more can I do?' I can't see why he wasn't called up either, my only guess is that the Brewers just hadn't seen enough of James Mouton and Angel Echevarria. Then again, the 2001 Brewers won't be remembered for their shrewd personnel decisions, and letting Scutaro go the next year is just one of the many mistakes made during this time period.
Overall, A Player to be Named Later is a rather interesting look at life on the outside of the major leagues, where players must ride the bus and aren't paid nearly as much as in the bigs. My only real complaint is that we really didn't get a whole lot of interaction between the players and their teammates, as most of the movie is just shot interview style with the subject while game clips are mixed in. It would have been interesting to see more of the interactions between a player and the manager or coach, or how the locker room is before and after a game. But nevertheless, A Player to be Named Later is a documentary worthy of viewing for any baseball fan. Overall, I'd give it a 7.45 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this or other posts, or ideas for future posts, than let us know them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
- The only one of the four players featured in the movie to have a successful career in the majors is Scutaro, who is currently on the Boston Red Sox. At the time, Scutaro was a 25 year-old middle infield prospect who was not yet on the forty man roster, and was still struggling to make the big leagues. Both Scutaro and his wife are interviewed in the film, and while Scutaro is focused on nothing other than making the big leagues, and remote control cars, his wife still seems to be coming to terms with the drastic changes that have taken place in her life, as both of them are originally from Venezuela and have only been in America for a few years. One of the more interesting things said in the movie is that Scutaro's wife wishes that her kids wouldn't grow up to be ballplayers, as life in the minor leagues can be hard on both the player and their family. I wonder if she thinks differently now that Scutaro has a multi million dollar contract and would seem to be set for life.
- One of, if not the most interesting aspects of this movie is now just the story of the players, but also the story of their wives. Particularly the life of Brad and Kimberly Tyler, who at this point had an infant daughter and were in the process of getting a house built when early on in the season, Brad got cut by the Brewers organization. To continue his career and make ends meet, Brad goes to Mexico to play for a team called the Oaxaca Guerreros. While in Mexico, Brad and Kimberly live in a one bedroom apartment with no oven and very little amenities. Yet Brad remains hopeful, and Kimberly is never wavering in her undying support of Brad's dreams. Fortunately for Brad, a team in America does sign him to a contract later on in the season, although he gets sent to double-A and because of that, has to miss his daughter's one year birthday party. Tyler never made it to big leagues, as he was 32 at the time of this film and only played one more year of baseball afterwards. Looking at his numbers, I don't see why he didn't get a shot, to be honest, as Tyler was a left-handed hitting outfielder with good speed (175 career steals), decent power (141 homeruns) and excelled at getting on base (a career .371 OBP). Originally a second baseman, Brad Tyler struggled some with the glove at second, according to his minor league stats, but he was skilled enough to at least earn a look in the majors at one point in his career. But, as is the case with so many others, Tyler just never got the call.
- Of the four players featured, Micah Franklin is the one that seems to be the most realistic about his chances of being called up by the Brewers. A veteran of the minor leagues who had a cup of coffee with the Cardinals and spent two years in Japan, Franklin spends the majority of the movie in a bit of a funk, as he has come to the realization that age 29, the best case scenario for him is a spot on the bench for the Brewers. To his credit, Franklin takes everything in stride, even as he gets off to a slow start and finds himself on the Indianapolis bench more often than he would like. Towards the end of the season, Franklin finds his stroke, and at one point hits an incredible six home runs in seven at-bats. The year was also memorable for Franklin because his second daughter was born during the season, and the producers are able to be with Franklin and his family as they bring his daughter back home from the hospital.
- Of the four players featured, the one with seemingly the brightest future would have been Peterson, a first round pick by the Brewers in 1997 who had pitched some in the bigs in 1999 before shoulder surgery. Even though the surgery has changed the way Peterson throws, the Brewers still though highly of him and after a strong start, called him up for a brief stint in the majors. However, after being sent down (to make room for the immortal Lou Collier), Peterson goes into a tailspin, struggling to get hitters out and to make matters worse, his shoulder is starting to hurt again. As the season progresses, things just get worse for Peterson, as he's put on the DL and eventually dropped from the Brewers' 40-man roster. As the film goes on, you start to feel bad for Peterson, a bright guy who later would graduate from Stanford University, as his once promising future becomes more and more of a question mark. Unfortunately, 2001 proved to be Peterson's final season in baseball, as he later had to have a second operation on his shoulder and never came back from it.
- The film's emotional peak comes at the end of the season, a disappointing one for the Indianapolis Indians, as the Brewers expand their rosters and add more players from the minors. A player who surely would merit a callup is Scuturo, who won the team's MVP award and whom everybody in the organization thinks is a future big leaguer for sure. Remarkably, Scutaro does not get the call, and you can see his frustration come through as all he can do is quietly ask the manager 'what more can I do?' I can't see why he wasn't called up either, my only guess is that the Brewers just hadn't seen enough of James Mouton and Angel Echevarria. Then again, the 2001 Brewers won't be remembered for their shrewd personnel decisions, and letting Scutaro go the next year is just one of the many mistakes made during this time period.
Overall, A Player to be Named Later is a rather interesting look at life on the outside of the major leagues, where players must ride the bus and aren't paid nearly as much as in the bigs. My only real complaint is that we really didn't get a whole lot of interaction between the players and their teammates, as most of the movie is just shot interview style with the subject while game clips are mixed in. It would have been interesting to see more of the interactions between a player and the manager or coach, or how the locker room is before and after a game. But nevertheless, A Player to be Named Later is a documentary worthy of viewing for any baseball fan. Overall, I'd give it a 7.45 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this or other posts, or ideas for future posts, than let us know them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
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