Before yesterday's Cincinnati Bengals-New England Patriots game, I thought the Bengals could beat the Patriots. The Bengals do have the talent to defeat them. But if you're a Bengals fan, you know that they'll find a way to lose. And there were times in yesterday's game, when the Bengals showed you what I just said. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton throws an interception in the red zone. Running back Giovani Bernard fumbles the ball in the fourth quarter to give Patriots Hall of Famer quarterback Tom Brady a chance to tie the game.
But the major strength of the Bengals is their defense. And it all starts with the defensive line. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins set the tone by sacking Brady on the second play of the game. They pressured Brady all day long. He was never comfortable. The result? Brady did not throw a touchdown pass. That ended a streak of 52 games of touchdown passes. Kudos to other Bengals, the veteran Chris Crocker and defensive end Wallace Gilberry. The football gods also smiled on the Bengals. The clouds opened up and the rain poured down on the Patriots the last couple of minutes in the game. That gave the Patriots passing game problems as Brady had trouble throwing the wet football. His final pass was an interception by cornerback Adam Jones. Game over. Bengals stun the undefeated Patriots and gave them their first loss of the season. The score was Bengals 13, Patriots 6. Here's the story with video highlights.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Bill Maher boils Republican Party down to four types of people
Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher, Cong. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) made an observation on who populates the Republican Party. He said corporate shills, religious fanatics, and the freedom fiends are those that populate the Repbulcian party. Bill Maher had a similar list. Jesus freaks, gun nuts, generic obese suburbanites and the super rich. Video courtesy of Mediaite and HBO. I say the Republican Party consists of Gun nuts, far right fundamentalist Christians, the super rich and angry white men who support the previous three philosophically.
Republicans are the cause of the government shutdown; Jon Stewart blasts Fox News
I'll try to be as objective as possible. It's the Republicans that are responsible for the Federal government shutdown. You see, they won't agree to funding the government until the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare is de-funded or delayed. Period.
But those facts get in the way of Fox News' mission to support conservative Republicans. Thank goodness for The Daily Show and Jon Stewart. He blasts Fox News or what he likes to call "Bulls#t Mountain" for its biased coverage. Here's his funny and smart piece. There's also a guest appearance from Smokey the Bear.
But those facts get in the way of Fox News' mission to support conservative Republicans. Thank goodness for The Daily Show and Jon Stewart. He blasts Fox News or what he likes to call "Bulls#t Mountain" for its biased coverage. Here's his funny and smart piece. There's also a guest appearance from Smokey the Bear.
Reds make the right decision in firing Dusty Baker
Yesterday, the Cincinnati Reds fired manager Dusty Baker. Now, I'm not one of those guys who bash Dusty Baker. I think he's a good manager. He knows baseball. He's a fine teacher. He's a good man. According to CBSSports.com, Baker stood up for batting coach Brook Jacoby when Reds GM Walt Jocketty wanted to fire him. Allegedly, Baker said, "If you want to fire someone, fire me." And maybe that gave Jocketty cover to fire Baker. According to the story, It certainly didn't sound like Jocketty was happy with Baker at the end of this year.
But was it the right decision? Yes. The Reds didn't hit with runners in scoring position. So dumping Jacoby was correct. However, some of the Reds offensive woes belong to Dusty Baker. The Reds played like him. Laid back. In 2010, the Reds had a leader in third baseman Scott Rolen. But since then, there were no leaders in the clubhouse. If there's no leader in the clubhouse, then the manager must lead the team. After being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last three games of the season, I had no faith they would win a one game playoff. The team looked lifeless. Someone needed to fire them up. And without leaders, the spark must come from the manager. Dusty should have thrown some tables, do what the manager in the movie Bull Durham did. Throw the team in the showers, and read them the riot act.
Dusty Baker is a good manager. He deserves better. But he's not the right man for the Reds at this juncture. He would be great for a Reds team that had a leader like the 1999 Reds. I hope he and the Reds find a happier future.
But was it the right decision? Yes. The Reds didn't hit with runners in scoring position. So dumping Jacoby was correct. However, some of the Reds offensive woes belong to Dusty Baker. The Reds played like him. Laid back. In 2010, the Reds had a leader in third baseman Scott Rolen. But since then, there were no leaders in the clubhouse. If there's no leader in the clubhouse, then the manager must lead the team. After being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last three games of the season, I had no faith they would win a one game playoff. The team looked lifeless. Someone needed to fire them up. And without leaders, the spark must come from the manager. Dusty should have thrown some tables, do what the manager in the movie Bull Durham did. Throw the team in the showers, and read them the riot act.
Dusty Baker is a good manager. He deserves better. But he's not the right man for the Reds at this juncture. He would be great for a Reds team that had a leader like the 1999 Reds. I hope he and the Reds find a happier future.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Gravity 3D Review
The film Gravity starts with a shot of earth. It's a big blue planet that fills the darkness of space. We hear radio chatter. And slowly from the right comes the space shuttle Explorer. This gentle, poetic scene lasts much longer than many scenes in modern films which would favor fast cutting. Such a scene would drive directors like Michael Bay or J.J. Abrams crazy for its slowness. But that's the beauty of Gravity. Director Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) is unafraid of letting a fascinating visual speak rather than worry about the audience getting bored. And the great thing about this movie is that Cuarón uses many such shots.
Gravity starts with the space shuttle Explorer attached to the Hubble telescope. Astronauts Matt Kowalski, (George Clooney) who has a penchant for retelling stories about his love life and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) are repairing the telescope. The Russians destroy one of their satellites and the debris starts to destroy other satellites thereby sending more debris into space. Some of this debris destroys the Explorer. Astronauts Kowalski and Stone are stranded. Their only way to survive is to make their way to the International Space Station which has been evacuated due to accident. The hope is that one of the Soyuz ships is still there.
The movie's screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón is well written with good character development. The movie has many taut, exciting moments. But much of this film works because of Cuarón's direction. As stated before, he's not worried that the audience will get bored and use camera gymnastics to keep the interest. There are many long, epic scenes without fast cutting. I love it the way the camera follows the floating astronauts. Cuaron also creates disorientation when characters are hurled into space due to the lack of gravity. Cuarón's eye for action set pieces is also logical so you know what is happening without dialogue. And kudos to the special effects team. You really feel as if Gravity was filmed in space. I also appreciate the small nods to other science fiction movies such as Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Also welcome are the gentle metaphors to the family of man.
As for Sandra Bullock, this might be her finest work. She demonstrates fear without hysteria. There's sadness, despair, love, bravery and hope in her performance.
The movie does have some flaws. Much of the live action was shot in 2D. The CGI shots look to be shot native. So it's a hybrid. I agree with film critic Roger Ebert. You cannot make a 2D movie look like 3D. Without the 3D camera rig, you can't capture the light, shadow, angles, nooks and crannies. It's a pop up book. And you can tell in the live action scenes. The CGI works but frankly it's not special enough for me to recommend. Floating 3D pens don't mesh with 2D live action. You pay a premium for 3D. There are some neat shots with depth showing astronauts among the stars but that's about it. Go ahead and see this movie in 2D.
And without giving the plot away, the last twenty minutes will ask you to suspend disbelief. I mean you're going to have say to yourself as you watch the ending of this movie that there's luck, miracles or God. But maybe that's the point.
Gravity is a visually stunning and exciting science fiction movie. The grade is A.
Teaser trailer.
Gravity starts with the space shuttle Explorer attached to the Hubble telescope. Astronauts Matt Kowalski, (George Clooney) who has a penchant for retelling stories about his love life and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) are repairing the telescope. The Russians destroy one of their satellites and the debris starts to destroy other satellites thereby sending more debris into space. Some of this debris destroys the Explorer. Astronauts Kowalski and Stone are stranded. Their only way to survive is to make their way to the International Space Station which has been evacuated due to accident. The hope is that one of the Soyuz ships is still there.
The movie's screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón is well written with good character development. The movie has many taut, exciting moments. But much of this film works because of Cuarón's direction. As stated before, he's not worried that the audience will get bored and use camera gymnastics to keep the interest. There are many long, epic scenes without fast cutting. I love it the way the camera follows the floating astronauts. Cuaron also creates disorientation when characters are hurled into space due to the lack of gravity. Cuarón's eye for action set pieces is also logical so you know what is happening without dialogue. And kudos to the special effects team. You really feel as if Gravity was filmed in space. I also appreciate the small nods to other science fiction movies such as Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Also welcome are the gentle metaphors to the family of man.
As for Sandra Bullock, this might be her finest work. She demonstrates fear without hysteria. There's sadness, despair, love, bravery and hope in her performance.
The movie does have some flaws. Much of the live action was shot in 2D. The CGI shots look to be shot native. So it's a hybrid. I agree with film critic Roger Ebert. You cannot make a 2D movie look like 3D. Without the 3D camera rig, you can't capture the light, shadow, angles, nooks and crannies. It's a pop up book. And you can tell in the live action scenes. The CGI works but frankly it's not special enough for me to recommend. Floating 3D pens don't mesh with 2D live action. You pay a premium for 3D. There are some neat shots with depth showing astronauts among the stars but that's about it. Go ahead and see this movie in 2D.
And without giving the plot away, the last twenty minutes will ask you to suspend disbelief. I mean you're going to have say to yourself as you watch the ending of this movie that there's luck, miracles or God. But maybe that's the point.
Gravity is a visually stunning and exciting science fiction movie. The grade is A.
Teaser trailer.
Stephen Colbert mocks Bill O' Reilly
Fox News' Bill O' Reilly claims that the Holy Spirit told him to write the book, "Killing Jesus." This is great comic fodder for Stephen Colbert who uses his special brand of sarcasm to rip O'Reilly a new one. Hilarious stuff.
The Colbert Report
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Grand Theft Auto V: "Minor Turbulence" Gold medal tips
Getting the Gold medal for the Grand Theft Auto V mission "Minot Turbulence" is not that hard. What's hard is getting to that point where you have to complete the requirements. This post will cover the mission and if you fly the plane correctly, you should be able to get the Gold Medal on the first try.
First, prepare for this mission. I suggest you buy or find some armor for Trevor who's going to do the mission. Then make sure his pistol has enough ammo. Yes, we're going to use the pistol to take out enemies. I'll tell you why later in this post.
Okay. Let's get to the section of the mission where you have to fly a biplane crop duster and follow a huge cargo jet. This is the hardest thing about the mission. Why? Because flying planes in Grand Theft Auto games suck. They've always been hard to control. I don't know what rocket scientist at Rockstar thought let's put planes back in after San Andreas. And don't get me started on trying to land a plane in any Grand Theft Auto game.
Now you have to fly low so the radar from the military base doesn't detect you. If you fly too high for too long, the base scrambles jets and that's the end of your mission because they light you up with air to air missiles. Anyway follow the jet and stay low. Watch out for trees. Running into a tall tree is like hitting a mountain with a plane. Eventually your partner Ron tells you can climb and meet the jet.
The point is that you're going to fly you plane into back of the cargo jet. Sounds ridiculous and unrealistic? Yes it is. Once you get close, the jet lowers its rear door and a soldier starts firing a machine gun at you. But it gets worse. As much as this is a totally unrealistic way to get on board the jet, they add a dose of realism to make life hell for you. The jet's engines cause turbulence when you approach, causing you to frequently lose control as you try to crash your plane into the rear door of the jet.
Here's some tips. As you approach the open door on the back of the jet, stay low. Try to line your plane up. Aim low. Try to fly your plane into the opened door which is lower part of the black opening. Look at the video below from Grand Theft Auto Series Videos at about the nine minute thirty mark. Also as you're approaching the jet, don't jerk or move the joystick in large movements. Small, gentle movements.
If correctly done, a cutscene takes over. The plane crashes into the cargo hold. And you're in cover. There are two requirements for the Gold Medal. Let's go over each one.
1. Accuracy. You must finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 80 percent. There are armed guards on this plane. This is why I use the pistol. It takes about three shots to shots to kill a guard. If you use five bullets to kill an enemy your accuracy suffers since you're shooting at a dead body. Using an assault rifle is nice but you can fire too many bullets. The pistol is not automatic so you make your shots count. Use auto aim. And stay in cover. Pop out and put rounds into live enemies.
When the above cutscene ends, you're in cover behind a crate. There's one guard in front of you, one in front of a jeep and another with a shotgun moving on your position. Okay, use auto aim and put a round in each. One bullet knocks them down but doesn't kill them. Keep shooting a round into them until these three guys are dead. Use your HUD to tell you if they're dead. Watch out for the shotgun guard. He'll kill you quickly if you let him get too close.
Stay in cover. The jeep to your right, rolls off the plane leaving a kill zone. Now wait for the other guards to charge. I knock them down with one shot. Then let them get up. I shoot them again until they're dead. Eventually you've taken out all of the guards in the cargo hold.
Now advance. Watch out for rolling jeeps. The sequence is the jeep to your left rolls off. Then the jeep to the right, leaving a jeep behind it. You're going to use that jeep to get the next requirement.
Now climb to the cockpit. There's the pilot with a gun. Don't hesitate. Shoot him. It knocks him down. As he gets up, fire another shot. Keep putting one bullet into him until he's dead.
2. Four Wheel Flier. Okay, you've killed the pilot and take over the plane. However as you make your way across Los Santos, you're attacked by jets. Nothing to do here but bail out. After getting hit with air to air missiles, your now in the cargo hold with a parachute.
Get into the jeep or SUV or Mesa. Drive it off the plane. Then jump out of the SUV. Sometime later deploy parachute. Land safely. Gold Medal earned.
Yeah, this guy is really good. Really good.
First, prepare for this mission. I suggest you buy or find some armor for Trevor who's going to do the mission. Then make sure his pistol has enough ammo. Yes, we're going to use the pistol to take out enemies. I'll tell you why later in this post.
Okay. Let's get to the section of the mission where you have to fly a biplane crop duster and follow a huge cargo jet. This is the hardest thing about the mission. Why? Because flying planes in Grand Theft Auto games suck. They've always been hard to control. I don't know what rocket scientist at Rockstar thought let's put planes back in after San Andreas. And don't get me started on trying to land a plane in any Grand Theft Auto game.
Now you have to fly low so the radar from the military base doesn't detect you. If you fly too high for too long, the base scrambles jets and that's the end of your mission because they light you up with air to air missiles. Anyway follow the jet and stay low. Watch out for trees. Running into a tall tree is like hitting a mountain with a plane. Eventually your partner Ron tells you can climb and meet the jet.
The point is that you're going to fly you plane into back of the cargo jet. Sounds ridiculous and unrealistic? Yes it is. Once you get close, the jet lowers its rear door and a soldier starts firing a machine gun at you. But it gets worse. As much as this is a totally unrealistic way to get on board the jet, they add a dose of realism to make life hell for you. The jet's engines cause turbulence when you approach, causing you to frequently lose control as you try to crash your plane into the rear door of the jet.
Here's some tips. As you approach the open door on the back of the jet, stay low. Try to line your plane up. Aim low. Try to fly your plane into the opened door which is lower part of the black opening. Look at the video below from Grand Theft Auto Series Videos at about the nine minute thirty mark. Also as you're approaching the jet, don't jerk or move the joystick in large movements. Small, gentle movements.
If correctly done, a cutscene takes over. The plane crashes into the cargo hold. And you're in cover. There are two requirements for the Gold Medal. Let's go over each one.
1. Accuracy. You must finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 80 percent. There are armed guards on this plane. This is why I use the pistol. It takes about three shots to shots to kill a guard. If you use five bullets to kill an enemy your accuracy suffers since you're shooting at a dead body. Using an assault rifle is nice but you can fire too many bullets. The pistol is not automatic so you make your shots count. Use auto aim. And stay in cover. Pop out and put rounds into live enemies.
When the above cutscene ends, you're in cover behind a crate. There's one guard in front of you, one in front of a jeep and another with a shotgun moving on your position. Okay, use auto aim and put a round in each. One bullet knocks them down but doesn't kill them. Keep shooting a round into them until these three guys are dead. Use your HUD to tell you if they're dead. Watch out for the shotgun guard. He'll kill you quickly if you let him get too close.
Stay in cover. The jeep to your right, rolls off the plane leaving a kill zone. Now wait for the other guards to charge. I knock them down with one shot. Then let them get up. I shoot them again until they're dead. Eventually you've taken out all of the guards in the cargo hold.
Now advance. Watch out for rolling jeeps. The sequence is the jeep to your left rolls off. Then the jeep to the right, leaving a jeep behind it. You're going to use that jeep to get the next requirement.
Now climb to the cockpit. There's the pilot with a gun. Don't hesitate. Shoot him. It knocks him down. As he gets up, fire another shot. Keep putting one bullet into him until he's dead.
2. Four Wheel Flier. Okay, you've killed the pilot and take over the plane. However as you make your way across Los Santos, you're attacked by jets. Nothing to do here but bail out. After getting hit with air to air missiles, your now in the cargo hold with a parachute.
Get into the jeep or SUV or Mesa. Drive it off the plane. Then jump out of the SUV. Sometime later deploy parachute. Land safely. Gold Medal earned.
Yeah, this guy is really good. Really good.
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