March Madness Round 4.2

Final two spots filled for the Final Four today. Higher seeds listed first.

Louisville/Michigan State - Louisville

Michigan State 64, Louisville 52. 0-1 for Elite 8. Michigan State certainly proved me wrong, whom I had going out in the second round to USC. An amazing effort against arguably the best all-around team all season long.

North Carolina/Oklahoma - North Carolina

North Carolina 72, Oklahoma 60. 1-1 for Elite 8. 1-3 Total. And the Tar Heels are my lone correct selection for the Final Four. Thank goodness for them. Blake Griffin is going to make one NBA team very happy, despite being triple teamed most trips down the floor he literally kept his team in the game.

Note: North Carolina is the lone Final Four team that I selected from the beginning to still be alive after Pitt's loss last night. I selected the Tar Heels to win it all - so with my luck this year I am probably thinking a Sooners victory, but I went with my original selection.

March Madness Round 4.1

The Elite Eight gets underway today and will put two teams in the illustrious Final Four. My picks of the games are listed below - the higher seed is listed first.

Pittsburgh/Villanova - Pittsburgh

Villanova 78, Pittsburgh 76. 0-1 for Round 4. This game will probably go down as a classic, due to Scottie Reynolds near buzzer beater to send Villanova to the Final Four. Pittsburgh finally played closer to their potential, but is still a better team than Villanova is - especially to lose to them twice.

Connecticut/Missouri - Missouri

Connecticut 82, Missouri 75. 0-2 for Round 4. Missouri was in the game the entire time, but just couldn't get themselves over the hump. Two Big East teams in the Final Four - with another possibly heading there tonight.

Notes: Despite Pittsburgh playing horribly so far, and losing to Villanova already this season, I feel this is a great game for them to wake up and show their true colors. I selected Purdue to win the Connecticut region, but with them going out and Missouri showing just how good they can be - I am going with the upset.

March Madness Round 3.2

Round 3's Second Day games. Higher seed listed first.

Louisville/Arizona - Louisville

Louisville 103, Arizona 64. Round 3 Day 2 1-0. Once and for all I believe we can put to rest that Arizona truly belonged in this tournament. What a shellacking Louisville put on them - which makes 4 Big East teams into the Elite 8.

Michigan State/Kansas - Kansas

Michigan State 67, Kansas 62. Round 3 Day 2 1-1. In probably the only good game of round three's second day, the Spartans clawed their way back to knock off the defending champion Jayhawks.

Oklahoma/Syracuse - Oklahoma

Oklahoma 84, Syracuse 71. Round 3 Day 2 2-1. Too much Blake Griffin, not enough 3-point makes for the Orange. Syracuse lived and died by its outside shooting, and were 0-10 in the first half of the contest. Too hard to climb back from. (Note: This was the lone part of the bracket that I was near perfect in with my original picks - my only loss was selecting Temple over Arizona State in the first round).

North Carolina/Gonzaga - North Carolina

North Carolina 98, Gonzaga 77. Round 3 Day 2 3-1. A game of runs definitely went in favor of the Tar Heels as a huge run sealed the deal for North Carolina (my winner is still alive).

March Madness Round 3.1

We have reached the second weekend of March Madness - and tonight begins Round 3.

Here are my selections for tonight's games, with the higher seed being listed first. Synopsis and results should be listed tomorrow.

Connecticut/Purdue - Purdue

Connecticut 72, Purdue 60. 0-1 for Round 3. Purdue had a shot in this game, but were limited in their 3-point shooting - against a team like Connecticut you have to continue to do what you do best. The Boilermakers just didn't have enough.

Pittsburgh/Xavier - Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh 60, Xavier 55. 1-1 in Round 3. A huge run to open the second half helped Pittsburgh get back into the game. For some reason the Panthers just do not like to blow out their opponents, but luckily they are clutch down the stretch.

Memphis/Missouri - Missouri

Missouri 102, Memphis 91. 2-1 in Round 3. Wow, an extremely lucky pick for me - I knew that Missouri was talented, but I had no idea that Memphis was being overrated. Memphis had no answer for Missouri's spread offense - and despite giving up 91 points, Missouri's defense was much better than Memphis'.

Duke/Villanova - Villanova

Villanova 77, Duke 54. 3-1 in Round 4. And Villanova makes it three Big East teams to make the Elite 8. For all the naysayers who thought the ACC was better than the Big East - you better look again. Anyway, the Wildcats completely dominated the Blue Devils. Duke's lack of a true ball handler really came back to haunt them in this game.

Note: I have also seen three movies over the weekend, but have not had time to put anything down yet - hopefully things will be less chaotic next week.

March Madness Round 2-2

Picks for Second Round, Day Two. Higher Seeds listed first.

Syracuse/Arizona State - Syracuse

Syracuse 78, Arizona State 67. 1-0 for Round 2 Day 2. Syracuse had too much on both the inside and the outside for Arizona State. The Sun Devils were superb this season from beyond the arc - but couldn't seem to find the range. Losing your star inside presence to fouls at the 10-minute mark of the second half also didn't help.

Xavier/Wisconsin - Xavier

Xavier 60, Wisconsin 49. 2-0 Round 2 Day 2. I didn't originally select Xavier to win this game on my bracket - as I had Florida State defeating Wisconsin in the first round, and also being able to move past Xavier - got that one wrong.

Kansas/Dayton - Kansas

Kansas 60, Dayton 43. 3-0 Round 2 Day 2. The defending champs appear to be hitting their stride - it also helps to have one of the few triple-doubles ever in the history of the NCAA Tournament to propel you into the round of 16.

Arizona/Cleveland State - Arizona

Arizona 71, Cleveland State 57. 4-0 Round 2 Day 2. I had this one selected another way as well, as I had Wake Forest beating Arizona in my original bracket. Arizona probably shouldn't even have made the tournament, but a nice draw in round one and Cleveland State's upset of Wake Forest has them moving on.

Pittsburgh/Oklahoma State - Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh 84, Oklahoma State 76. 5-0 Round 2 Day 2. I don't think Pittsburgh has played to its full capability yet in this tournament - so if they do they could be a major factor. Oklahoma State was unconscious from 3-point land in the first half, but only managed to be tied a 49 at halftime. The Panthers showed their true grit in the final moments - and Sam Young tallied 32 points.

Missouri/Marquette - Missouri

Missouri 83, Marquette 79. 6-0 Round 2 Day 2. I have to admit I got scared when I noticed Dominic James was cleared to play Marquette after being thought to be lost for the season - not from a playing standpoint, but for an emotional boost. But, huge foul shooting in the final moments helped Missouri sneak past Marquette.

Michigan State/USC - USC

Michigan State 74, USC 69. 6-1 Round 2 Day 2. I have not been very high on Michigan State all season long, and after seeing USC finally come together as a team I thought for sure they would get by the Spartans. But, a late missed layup knocked the Trojans out and completely messed up that side of my bracket.

Louisville/Siena - Louisville

Louisville 79, Siena 72. Round Two: 14-2. Siena was almost this year's Davidson, and how great it would have been. Siena is only 2 1/2 hours from me, so it would have been nice to see them make a run in the tournament. They played against the best very well, even holding a lead with seven minutes remaining. And - this would have messed up everyone's bracket in the Midwest - which would have put me back in the mix.

NOTE: In my original selections I had teams that had already lost moving on here as well, I make those in my notes as the games conclude.

March Madness Round 2-1

My selections for Round 2. Higher Seed listed first.

Villanova/UCLA - Villanova

Villanova 89, UCLA 69. 1-0 for Round 2. After getting a huge scare from American in the first round, Villanova has awoken for round two as it destroyed UCLA to move into the Sweet 16.

Memphis/Maryland - Memphis

Memphis 89, Maryland 70. 2-0 Round 2. Memphis came out on fire, unlike its previous game against Cal-State Northridge. Maryland tried to rally back, but the Tigers wouldn't flinch.

Connecticut/Texas A&M - Connecticut

Connecticut 92, Texas A&M 66. 3-0 Round 2. Texas A&M hit its first 10 shots in the first round, but had trouble connecting against the No. 1 seeded Huskies. Too much all-around talent for Connecticut for the Aggies to handle.

Washington/Purdue - Purdue

Purdue 76, Washington 74. 4-0 Round 2. Purdue had a handle on this game for most of the contest, but a rally from Washington left the game in peril. Luckily some good defense and free thrown shooting propelled the Boilermakers to the win.

North Carolina/LSU - North Carolina

North Carolina 84, LSU 70. 5-0 Round 2. The Bengals gave the Tar Heels a huge scare as they held the lead midway through the second half, and never truly fell behind until late. Thank goodness for the return of Ty Lawson for North Carolina, or they could have been the first No. 1 seed out.

Oklahoma/Michigan - Oklahoma

Oklahoma 73, Michigan 63. 6-0 Round 2. The Wolverines were hanging with the Sooners for nearly the entire night, but too much Blake Griffin. Although, Oklahoma revealed a huge chink in its armor - free throw shooting.

Gonzaga/Western Kentucky - Gonzaga

Gonzaga 83, Western Kentucky 81. 7-0 Round 2. Another Cinderella goes down, but not without a fight. Western Kentucky battled Gonzaga until the very end - but it's the former Cinderella that moves on.

Duke/Texas - Texas

Duke 74, Texas 69. Round 2: 7-1. And the lone chink in my armor on Saturday was the Dukies. I thought a tougher Texas team would slide past them, but Duke proved to have a little more hustle in them than the Longhorns did - as they narrowly edged into the Sweet 16.

Watchmen

In between March Madness blogs I thought I should finally send a note in about Watchmen.

I am not able to get out to the movie theater very often, so this was a real treat for me.

I have never read the graphic novel, in fact I have never heard of this until the movie was announced - so I went in with an open mind.

My first thought was that it was beautifully shot. I mean it was one of the best looking movies I have ever seen - just gorgeous.

The movie itself, I felt took a little long to get into anything real important or exciting - but as this film is meant to tell a story and introduce an entire cast, I guess that is to be expected.

I enjoyed almost all of the characters - the only two I truly knew going in was Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman. I thought Morgan's character was in the film more than it actually was - and I was very surprised at how much of a prick he was. He played the part very well though.

Not too sure about Akerman's performance, but she looked good doing it. She fit into that outfit very well. I actually did, however, feel she was very good with her part as well.

The best character, however, is Rorschach hands down. Jackie Earle Haley was phenomenal in the role - weird to think that young Kelly Leake could be such an amazing vigilante.

The movie felt a little long, but only the beginning to me. Once the film picked up around the middle it was amazing.

Grade:

March Madness Day 2

Day Two Picks: Synopsis and Scores to Follow. Higher Seed listed first.

Syracuse/Stephen F. Austin - Syracuse

Syracuse 59, Stephen F. Austin 44. 1-0 for Day 2. No surprise here. The Orange were on a large role coming out of the Big East and this game as never in doubt.

Oklahoma State/Tennessee - Tennessee

Oklahoma State 77, Tennessee 75. 1-1 Day 2. A rough loss for the Vols who played very well, but came up just short. Oklahoma State, however, proved to be the only eight seed to move on during this tournament.

Marquette/Utah State - Marquette

Marquette 58, Utah State 57. 2-1 for Day 2. Marquette struggled down the stretch in the Big East, but I figured they had enough power to get through the first round. And the did - barely. Utah State was a strong team and gave Marquette all they could handle.

Kansas/North Dakota State - Kansas

Kansas 84, North Dakota State 74. 3-1 for Day 2. I very good showing for North Dakota State who just moved into Division I this season. They put a small scare into the defending champions, but in the end the Jayhawks pulled it out.

Arizona State/Temple - Temple

Arizona State 66, Temple 57. 3-2 for Day 2. I thought it would be another Christmas showing in the first round. I watched Dionte Christmas put on a show in the A-10 championship game, but he alone couldn't get the Owls past Arizona State.

Pittsburgh/East Tennessee State - Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh 72, East Tennessee State 62. 4-2 for Day 2. Horrible. That is all I can say for my Panthers' performance. A team that prides itself in taking care of the basketball had 13 turnovers in the first half, compared to just eight field goals. They snuck by upset minded East Tennessee State, and hopefully this scare wakes them up.

Missouri/Cornell - Missouri

Missouri 78, Cornell 59. 5-2 for Day 2. I am putting a lot of my eggs in Missouri's basket, so this was a good showing and held my faith with them.

West Virginia/Dayton - Dayton

Dayton 68, West Virginia 60. 6-2 for Day 2. This was a gut pick for me. For some reason I felt the Flyers could get past West Virginia - despite how great West Virginia looked in the Big East tournament. And I was glad my gut was correct for once.

Louisville/Morehead State - Louisville

Louisville 74, Morehead State 54. 7-2 for Day 2. Louisville also received a scare as a number one seed, but not as big of one as Pittsburgh. The winner of the play-in-game, Morehead State, played very well in the first half and even held a few leads before the Cardinals pulled awau in the second half.

Utah/Arizona - Arizona

Arizona 84, Utah 71. 8-2 for Day 2. Arizona had no right even making this tournament, as St. Mary's, Creighton and Penn State had better resumes - but they did receive a favorable matchup in the first round so I felt they could get the upset.

Boston College/USC - USC

USC 72, Boston College 55. 9-2 for Day 2. This game scared me because I had USC going pretty far in the tournament. I thought they had finally matured and woken up in the Pac-10 tournament - but the Eagles held close for most of the contest.

Xavier/Portland State - Xavier

Xavier 77, Portland State 59. 10-2 for Day 2. Another pretty easy game for the higher seed. They got the lead early and never relinquished it.

Ohio State/Siena - Siena

Siena 74, Ohio State 72. 11-2 for Day 2. It took two overtimes and multiple comebacks but the Saints managed to pull off another upset in the first round - their second in as many years. This game was great to watch - and even better as I picked Siena.

Wake Forest/Cleveland State - Wake Forest

Cleveland State 84, Wake Forest 69. 11-3 for Day 2. If you thought Pittsburgh played horribly - no one laid a bigger egg than Wake Forest in the first round. I had the Demon Deacons making it all the way to the finals this year - so that side of my bracket is destroyed. Wake Forest was the lowest (No. 4) seed to lose in the first round.

Michigan State/Robert Morris - Michigan State

Michigan State 77, Robert Morris 62. 12-3 for Day 2. Robert Morris pulled North Dakota State or a Binghamton and got off to a good start against Michigan State. However, the Spartans proved to be too much and pulled away for a 15-point win in the end.

Florida State/Wisconsin - Florida State

Wisconsin 61, Florida State 59. Day Two: 12-4. First Round: 25-7. In another overtime contest the Badgers and Seminoles played a pheomenal contest that came down to a spinning layup and free throw to give Wisconsin the victory.

March Madness Begins

March Madness got underway today, so I thought I would toss out my selections for today's games.

I will update later with a brief synopsis and the winner. The higher seed is listed first.

LSU/Butler - Butler.

LSU 75, Butler 71. And I am 0-1 to start the tournament, a nice start. Butler was actually down a lot in this game, including falling behind 9-0 to start the game. They came back to take the lead on a few occasions, but couldn't hold that lead at all.

Memphis/Cal State-Northridge - Memphis

Memphis 81, Cal State-Northridge 70. I am back to .500 for the tournament, although this game had to have had many people scratching their heads and hyperventilating. Cal-State Northridge put up a heck of a fight against the No. 2 seeded Tigers from Memphis - which some believed to have been good enough for a No. 1 seed.

BYU/Texas A&M - Texas A&M

Texas A&M 79, BYU 66. 2-1 for the tournament. There wasn't much doubt in this one as Texas A&M hit their first 10 shots of the game and got out to an 18 point lead at one point. BYU did its best to post a comeback, but the damage had been done. It's the second consecutive year the Aggies have bounced BYU from the tournament.

Purdue/Northern Iowa - Purdue

Purdue 61, Norhtern Iowa 56. 3-1 for the tournament. This one had me scared as Purdue got out to a good sized lead in the first half, but Northern Iowa hung around the entire contest. I have the Boilermakers making a long run in this tournament, so a loss here could have hurt my bracket a lot.

North Carolina/Raford - North Carolina

North Carolina 101, Radford 58. 4-1 for the tournament. This one was never close. Despite the fact that the Tar Heels played the game without possibly its best all-around player in Ty Lawson.

California/Maryland - Maryland

Maryland 84, California 71. 5-1 for the tournament. A small upset as Maryland was a No. 10 seed to California's No. 7. Maryland held the lead for most of the game and never relinquished it despite a close contest near the middle of the second half.

Connecticut/Chatanooga - Connecticut

Connecticut 103, Chatanooga 47. 6-1 for the tournament. The most lop-sided first day game goes to the Huskies. Connecticut was without its coach for this game as he was stricken ill. So the Huskies unleashed a 'win one for the Gipper' type game against the poor Mocs.

Washington/Mississippi State - Mississippi State

Washington 71, Mississippi State 58. 6-2 for the tournament. This was one of my large upset picks. I felt Mississippi State was rolling after winning the SEC tournament while Washington fell early in the Pac-10 tournament. I guess the SEC truly is as down as it looks.

Texas/Minnesota - Texas

Texas 76, Minnesota 62. 7-2 for the tournament. This was another game I had to keep a close eye on as I have felt Texas could do some damage in the tournament, but was worried with a Minnesota team led by Tubby Smith, but the Longhorns prevailed.

Clemson/Michigan - Michigan

Michigan 62, Clemson 59. 8-2 for the tournament. Another 10 over a 7 which I was unaware I actually selected. I was back-and-forth on this game and in the end wasn't aware who I took. But, I am happy I went with the Wolverines who got their first tournament victory in 11 years.

Villanova/American - Villanova

Villanova 80, American 67. 9-2 for the tournament. Much like the Memphis game this one had to have many scratching their heads. A lot of people have Villanova going far in this tournament, and for American to not only play them well, but hold a 10-point lead at the half was phenomenal. In the end, the Wildcats just had too much depth and fire-power for the Eagles to hold on.

Gonzaga/Akron - Gonzaga

Gonzaga 77, Akron 64. 10-2 for the tournament. I was actually up in the air with this pick as I felt Akron could give Gonzaga a very good game - and they did. But, the Bulldogs proved their worth and their tournament experience in the end to hold of the Zips.

Duke/Binghamton - Duke

Duke 86, Binghamton 62. 11-2 for the tournament. Binghamton came out like gangbusters, but it was only a matter of time before the Dukies took control of the game. I am not a huge fan of this Blue Devils team, but no way Coach K goes out to Binghamton.

Oklahoma/Morgan State - Oklahoma

Oklahoma 82, Morgan State 54. 12-2 for the tournament. Too much Blake Griffen (28 points, 13 rebounds) for Morgan State to handle. The Sooners coast past the Bears.

UCLA/VCU - VCU

UCLA 65, VCU 64. 12-3 for the tournament. This was many people's glaring upset bid for the first round as VCU had knocked out Duke two years prior - and returned a very mature senior point guard in Eric Maynor. It almost came to fruition, but a Maynor jumper at the buzzer fell short and the Bruins live another day.

Illinois/Western Kentucky - Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky 76, Illinois 72. First day record: 13-3. This was another upset with the No. 12 seed knocking off the No. 5. Most people were seeing this as well, but were still thinking Illinois could pull it off - even with an important injured player. But, I felt Western Kentucky had enough to get by and they were just able to pull it off.

Second Day picks sometime afternoon.

Blog 200

Well, I had planned on unveiling a new looking site with this 200th blog - but I realized while trying that I totally suck at photoshop.

So, I have pulled a friend of mine in to do some photoshopping for me and I will unveil the new looking site once it is complete. Thus, why I have not had a blog up for a week.

Look for that in the coming weeks.

The Office

So, I have sort of stayed away from The Office ever since it came on the air. For some reason I was just never drawn in, and due to my insanely large number of shows I do watch (see previous posts) I never did get into it.

I had seen clips and whatnot of the show, but I never found it funny - at least what they were showing me. And so, I never watched it.

But, as many know I have gone back to school and I take one class per day during my lunch break at work - so I don't get to go out to eat for lunch anymore. But, I do bring a packed lunch and have some time to kill while I eat.

I had found this site that shows a handful of television shows past and present online for free, and I had watched all of the Scrubs seasons (repeatedly, plus I own them) and also watched The Big Bang Theory as well. So, I was sort of out of ideas and decided to give The Office a try.

I have to admit, I didn't really enjoy the first few episodes. But, I am now currently in the middle of season three and I am sort of addicted. I find the entire office hilarious in their own sort of way - especially Jim (John Krasinski) and Dwight (Rainn Wilson).

The lone down side of the show, which is odd to say, is Steve Carell's Michael Scott. I just don't find him all that funny and most of the time his jokes are offensive - basically I find him hard to watch, but like a train wreck.

I don't think I will start DVRing the show, but I will continue to keep up with it via the website. Like I said there aren't too many good comedies on television nowadays, so it's nice to find another that I can turn to for a good laugh.

The House Bunny

Shelley Darlingson (Anna Faris) was an orphan who developed late and ended up becoming a Playboy Bunny.

She spent most of her days living in the Playboy Mansion, throwing parties and doing yoga on the front lawn. After her 27th birthday she gets an odd letter from Hef, asking her to leave the mansion and so starts The House Bunny.

Having no real background in anything except posing and looking hot, Shelley stumbles upon a sorority house and finds that she may just have the qualifications to be a house mother. All of the major sororities already had house mothers, so Shelley took over at probably the worst sorority on campus - you know the one with the nerd and reject girls.

Of course, the sorority is also having a problem - as in if they don't get at least 30 pledges for the upcoming year they would lose their house. So, Shelley to the rescue right.

This movie played out a lot like a mix of Sydney White and She's All That to me

It reminded me of She's All That because of the so called major transformation of the women in the household - going from nerdy, funny looking and basically a joke; to some of the hottest most wanted girls on campus.

The Sydney White comparison is actually pretty darn close to the plot of the film. In the movie, Sydney is forced out of her house and has to live at the reject household with seven guys. Now, she doesn't actually make them cool or better looking - but she makes them fit in with the rest of the school - and helps topple the Greek life that is running the school.

Due to the comparison to the above movie, I have to lower my grade, but I did enjoy the film. Plus, most of the women in the film are pretty easy on the eyes.

Like most films of these type - there is an overall meaning to everything that is happening in the film - and everyone learns a valuable lesson. Which was actually pretty easy to figure out from the beginning - but it was fun to see it being played out.

Grade:

Quick Shots

I have had absolutely nothing to do at work this week after finally wrapping up a huge project the week before.

Luckily for me, I was able to watch a movie per day - except on Thursday as I actually had something to do - so instead of a large post of my thoughts for each movie, I thought I would give a smaller post which I am calling "Quick Shots"

Monday: Ghost Rider.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Donal Logue, Wes Bentley and Sam Elliott.

Brief Synopsis: Johnny Blaze (Cage) in order to save his father, sells his soul to the devil. The devil makes Blaze his bounty hunter, which must be repaid when he calls upon him. Blackheart (Bentley) is the devil's son and tries to take over both hell and Earth - that is unless Blaze can stop him.

Opinion: I actually enjoyed this film, despite all the negativity I had heard about it. The backstory and plot were pretty enjoyable - although I would have to give the fight scenes and the overall look of the Ghost Rider a major thumbs down. Everything else that happened in the film, however, was very enjoyable and easy to watch.

Grade:

Tuesday: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Starring: Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd and Doug Jones.

Brief Synopsis: Susan Storm (Alba) and Reed Richards (Gruffudd) are getting married - if they can. An unknown phenomenon known as the Silver Surfer (Jones) is reaking havoc on the planet - and it is up to the Fantastic Four to save the day.

Opinion: Another film that I enjoyed despite what I have heard. Unlike most superhero films nowadays, Fantastic Four is obviously campy and doesn't take itself too seriously. However, it seems as though the filmmakers tried to shove everything into a 90 minute film, when it should have been a little longer. The Silver Surfer wasn't used nearly as much as it should have been - a reminder of Venom in Spiderman 3.

Grade:

Wednesday: 16 Blocks.

Starring: Bruce Willis, Mos Def and David Morse.

Brief Synopsis: Jack Mosley (Willis) is a cop who is pretty much past his prime and down on his luck. He gets an assignment to transport Eddie Bunker (Def) to the court house in order to testify. Mosley, however, doesn't realize who Bunker is testifying against - and getting to the court house becomes a lot tougher than he realizes.

Opinion: Not a bad film. I got pretty annoyed with the sound of Mos Def's voice, though. His character never shut up - and the whiny voice he choice for him got me very annoyed. Willis' character was easy to get behind, however. And the action scenes were pretty entertaining.

Grade:

Friday: Blindness.

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Alice Braga, Yusuke Iseya and Danny Glover.

Brief Synopsis: A man (Iseya) becomes blind out of nowere, and somehow the blindess begins to spread through the people that he meets - including his eye doctor (Ruffalo). In order to stop the spread, everyone is brought to an old insane asylum, including the eye doctor's wife (Moore) who never lost her sight. While there, they are treated poorly with little food and no medical attention - and some of them become very "Lord of the Flies"-like.

Opinion: I have to say this movie disturbed me, but it was very well done. I am a little confused, however, as the cause of the blindness was never revealed - and why was Moore's character immune to it? The film was disturbing, and gave you that question 'What would happen if everyone had to defend for themselves? Would there be anarchy or would everyone remain civil?'

Grade:

Cancellations/Renewals

It's that time of year again, when television networks begin to pick and choose as to which shows are drawing a large enough audience to keep and which ones are about to get axed.

I follow a great number of television programs, probably too many, but with the conclusion of this season many of the programs that I watch will be going the way of the dodo.

Already, ER and Scrubs are ending their runs at the conclusion of the season. ER has been on for a staggering 15 seasons - and although there has been rumors that another network may pick it up for a 16th season, I think it's pretty safe to say that this will be its last. Scrubs was rescued from a dismal farewell on NBC last year to give its parting shot on ABC for its eighth and final season. Another show that had rumors of being renewed if it developed more of a following on ABC - but I am guessing that with the departures of Zach Braff, Bill Lawrence and Judy Reyes that the show will end after the season. And Lost only has one more season remaining after this one.

A new show that I had gotten into was Life on Mars starring Jason O'Mara, Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli. It was an interesting show that was fixed in the year 1973, but ABC canceled the show this week. Luckily, we may be given a proper send off as the shows producers were given enough of a heads up.

The new Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles have been bordering on horrible ratings - and due to the cost of production could also hit the scrap heap.

It's not all bad news, however, as Survivor, The Big Bang Theory and Heroes have all been renewed - Survivor and The Big Bang Theory for two new seasons.

As of now that is all that I have found to be announced from the shows that I watch. I am excited for yet another Survivor and I am happy they are giving Heroes another chance - it seems to be picking up again in its third season, hopefully season four will be even better. I am very happy to see The Big Bang Theory return as it is one of only a few comedy shows that regularly have me laughing - and I am already losing one in Scrubs.

Pineapple Express

Have you ever witness a murder? Have you ever witness a murder on weed, man?

Pineapple Express is a pretty hilarious journey of a pair of stoners, one of which happens to witness a murder which sends the pair on this journey.

Seth Rogen stars as Dale Denton, a process server who likes to smoke a little weed and is also dating an 18-year old high school student, Angie (Amber Heard).

Denton has started buying his weed from Saul Silver (James Franco), a guy who lives alone and appears to be just a bit lonely. Anyway, Silver sells Denton a new crop of weed called Pineapple Express, which is very rare - so rare in fact that he is literally the only dealer selling it.

As Denton is staking out his next person to serve, Ted Jones (Gary Cole), he witnesses Jones and a female cop (Rosie Perez) murder someone. He immediately freaks out, tosses his joint out the window, and high tails it to Silver's apartment.

Bad news is, Jones is the supplier that Silver gets his weed from - so he recognizes the Pinepple Express and know immediately who to go after.

The remainder of the film is Silver and Denton trying horribly to escape from a pair of Jones' hitman, Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan) and Matheson (Craig Robinson).

This all finishes with an all-out war between Jones' crew, the Asians and Silver, Denton and Red (Danny McBride).

This film is another Apatow produced movie, which was written by Rogen himself. Rogen actually wrote the part of Saul Silver for himself, but felt that Franco would do a much better job - and it was a great call because Franco nailed this part.

I wouldn't rank this film too high on the Apatow movie scale - it is most likely behind 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But, this was a pretty enjoyable film as well.

I felt that Franco literally made the movie - as well as the small parts played by Corrigan and Robinson. The movie had some great laugh out loud moments - and also a pretty cool battle scene at the conclusion.

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