Lance's Randomity

There Will Be Blood

2008-12-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

There Will Be Blood was one of my favorite films from last year. I think it stands as one of the great American films of all time, up there with Citizen Kane and The Grapes of Wrath. It deals with the same themes and on the same scope as those films and the performance of Daniel-Day Lewis is one of the best onscreen performances I've ever seen. It's iconic and the best work by director Paul Thomas Anderson who directed Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love. I've attached the theatrical trailer. Check it out on Blu-Ray DVD as this films deserves to be seen in the best quality HD available. Would you watch Dr. Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia on a tiny screen? As far as the R rating is concerned, again the MPAA really messed this one up. There isn't one word of profanity in the entire film. There is no nudity or sex. The only violence occurs at the conclusion of the film, and even it doesn't compare to the violence seen on CSI or Heroes. So go figure for yourself why this film received an R rating. It doesn't even deserve a PG-13. I would've given it a PG. I'll guarantee that you will find nothing offensive in this film. Now, I won't guarantee you'll like the movie, but at least you won't be offended by it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3THVbr4hlY

The Pitiful End of the American Auto Industry

2008-12-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

With the United States treasury being plundered by Wall Street, it was only a matter of time before the CEO's of the American automakers wanted to do the same. Once upon a time in this country, American built cars were the best in the world. Then came the 70's, with two major oil shortages and a sagging economy. Does anyone remember the Pinto? Or the Gremlin? These were America's answer to the new Japanese upstarts, Honda and Toyota, who were turning out little cars like the Civic that got 40 miles per gallon. Unfortunately, the American versions weren't as fuel efficient nor dependable. Since then, Ford, GM, and Chrysler have seen their market shares dwindle. Now that Honda and Toyota are selling more cars than the Big 3, the pinheads who manage these companies believe the American taxpayer should be obliged to bail them out. GM asks for $18 billion to keep the company alive, but will still have to let go of 20,000 employees. Can someone with a degree in economics explain to me the logic behind giving a company $18 billion of taxpayers' money? Instead of giving them money, should the government get into the auto business and just assume ownership of one of the Big 3? Invest some capital in developing cars that don't rely on fossil fuels, perhaps develop technology for better mass transit systems such as light rail? Or is that too radical of an idea? Should government have ownership of any company? We already have a huge interest in AIG, why not invest in ownership of something that manufactures something tangible. To all my friends and family out there, I know you have an opinion on this, I want to hear them. Please educate me.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

2008-11-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

This might be the film that inspired me to get into the film industry. Besides being one of the most iconic adventure films of all time, it's just great filmmaking in every aspect. The attached scene is, in my opinion, the best chase scene of all cinema. Great camera work, amazing cutting and stuntwork. Spielberg shows off all of his talent in this one. It's too bad that the latest installment has disappointed. I still haven't seen it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxnQcLsBHjM

The Southland Is Burning!

2008-11-16T23:14:00.000-08:00

What a couple of crazy weeks! We have a new President-elect, Proposition 8 passed, and now the Inland Empire is in flames. The picture on the left pretty much shows what the skies of Los Angeles have looked like. What's next? Oh yeah, we're way, way behind schedule at Lost which means I'm working every weekend which then means I see very little of my family. I hope we'll be able to catch up enough this upcoming week so that we won't have to work again next weekend. We'll see what this week brings us. I have to say I'm not surprised at the angry backlash at the passing of Prop. 8. Last Sunday was very tense in our Stake as our Stake President was nervous about potential disruptions of meetings because of demonstrators marching around the perimeter of the temple grounds. Our chapel is adjacent to the Los Angeles Temple so President Bragg assigned various High Council members and others to patrol the parking lot to make sure no one tried to cause trouble. I think prayers were answered because we haven't experienced any disruptions, although we still have to keep an eye out until the emotions of this vote simmer down a bit. It's an emotional issue no doubt and they have every right to protest. Now we just have to wait and see what happens with the various lawsuits against Prop. 8.

Grand Canyon

2008-11-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

Another link to a trailer of one of my favorite movies. I had a difficult time finding an actual scene on You-Tube to link up, so the trailer will have to do. Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan who co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Return of the Jedi, Silverado, and The Big Chill to name a few, made this film about the lives of six different people in Los Angeles in the early 90's and how they intertwine. Think of this film as the serious side to the funny movie L.A. Story which also starred Steve Martin. This film has a phenomenal ensemble of Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, and Mary-Louise Parker. And if you're a current Law & Order fan, you might recognize a very young Jeremy Sisto playing the teenage son of Kevin Kline and McDonnell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PI8VXaQiWs

The Day Is Almost Here . . .

2008-11-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

At last! In just a few days, we will know who will be our next President. We will know if Proposition 8 passed or not. Even better, no more political ads flooding the airwaves. I just pray that I don't wake up on Wednesday morning to turn on the news to see that provisional ballots are being counted and that it's still too early to call. Just the thought of the mess of the 2000 elections makes me ill. I have to admit, I feel good about Obama's chances. The polls are in his favor and he even seems to be doing alright in McCain's home state of Arizona. I do have to say something that's been bothering me for awhile. Why does it seem that if you're a Democrat and you're LDS, that you have to keep it on the "down-low"? Why do I hear members of the Church express fear that Obama is someone to be afraid of, that he will allow Islamic extremists to overrun the country if he is elected. Why do I see "Joe the Plumber" endorse the idea that Obama is in favor of terminating the state of Israel? Where do these ideas come come from? Fox News? Rush Limbaugh? Sean Hannity? Sarah Palin? Does anything in Obama's behavior or actual political views resemble anything near these extreme right-wing water carriers are squaking about on their daily radio shows? In fact, I just received a mailer today for a "Yes On 8" that was distributed by a coalition of inner-city ministers who believe in standing up for traditional marriage. Guess who also believes in the same? Barack Obama. If you have the mailer at home you'll recognize the quote. Speaking to a group of Southern California ministers back in August, Obama said the following: "I'm not in favor of gay marriage . . .". On the same flier, there's an additional quote saying: "Now, for me as a Christian, it's also a sacred union. God's in the mix." Does that sound like someone who would be tolerant to Islamic fundamentalism? If someone out there can explain to me or document to me anything with real journalistic integrity that Obama is a secretly raging Islamic fundamentalist, please do. Please, nothing from Limbaugh or Hannity or William Kristol, I want something from a real unbiased source. Perhaps these pathetic notions of the country needing to be afraid of Obama come from a place within ourselves we don't want to have to face, racism. Are we afraid that if a black man is elected into the Oval Office, that he'll go Simon Legree on us white folk? Maybe I'm completely off base, but somehow I don't think I am. I just wanted to get that off my chest. It's the elephant in the room nobody want to talk about. Please flood me with your comments, rants, and pontifications as I know I surely have.

"That'll Be The Day . . .

2008-10-19T23:40:00.001-07:00

I love many of John Ford's films. I've already posted a clip from his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath, now I'm posting clip from another favorite Ford film, The Searchers. John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a bigoted Civil War vet searching for his niece that has been kidnapped by a band of "Comanches". As with most of Ford's westerns, this one was filmed in Monument Valley in Southern Utah. Also, Ethan Edwards coined the phrase "That'll Be The Day!" that would ultimately become a title to a huge Buddy Holly song. The linked scene establishes Ethan's prejudices toward Native Americans but it also highlights his desire to avenge the murder of his brother's family. As far as acting is concerned, this is Wayne's best film in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7ekm7dQsa4

A Better Stubblefield Blog

2008-10-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce Aimee's blog tonight to the blogosphere. I will post a link to her new blog on my site and please feel free to visit frequently as she will post pictures of the family regularly. It's called "The Hollywood Insider". Enjoy.

Prop 8 Ads

2008-10-14T00:36:00.000-07:00

With election day nearing, I've been seeing more and more Prop 8 ads on the air, both for and against. It looks like the side against Prop. 8 have more money as I see more of their ads during the more expensive prime time hours, whereas the pro Prop. 8 ads are much less frequent and seem to air in between infomercials during the late night. On top of that, the one ad I have seen promoting Prop. 8 is horrible. Is that the best we can do? I can think of some talented people in the media who support Prop. 8 who could do much better than the sorry excuse of a commercial that is airing now. Just my opinion.

Racism & Ignorance Rears Its Ugly Head

2008-10-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

I guess it was just a matter of time. I have to give props to John McCain for standing up to them, but some of his supporters are making all of his supporters look ignorant and racist. I fully believe this country is ready to elect an African-American, but when I see the ugliness that manifested itself last week at a couple of McCain-Palin rallies, I remembered that there are still many who still live in the Jim Crow south. Follow this link as an example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4Xi8JnfAHI

The Shawshank Redemption

2008-10-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

Another great scene from a movie filled with them. Morgan Freeman's performance in this film is perhaps my favorite acting performance from any film I've watched. There are no words to describe how good he is and this scene really shows him off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtwXlIwozog

Jackson & the Crib

2008-10-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

As Jackson sleeps leaning on my shoulder, refusing to sleep in his crib, I have to shout out to my family and friends out there in the blogosphere, how do Aimee and I get this little blondie to sleep in his crib? Any advice would be welcome!

Sarah Palin: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

2008-09-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street financial crisis has created a political stir in the presidential campaign. With John McCain committing for all intents and purposes political suicide by "suspending" his campaign so that he can place himself as the hero who saved America from certain economic doom, his running mate Sarah Palin is slowly convincing the electorate of her total ineptitude. For reasons that have now become very obvious, the McCain campaign has continually denied the media any kind of access to Palin. All one needs to do is watch Katie Couric's interview to discover why the McCain campaign doesn't want Palin attempting a Q & A with journalists. I don't know about anyone else, but does Palin's accent remind you of Marge Gunderson from the movie, Fargo? "You betcha!" "You darn tootin!" Here's the link to the scariest parts of the interview. ". . . a close eye on uh . . . the Russians because . . . uh . . . they're like right next door to our state." Are you kidding me? Be afraid, be very afraid!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk8moOxzlGQ

Here's lookin' at you kid. . .

2008-09-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

Here's another classic scene from Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Lots of good subtext going on in this bittersweet scene that went to to define both of these actors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa-dGYjSq5k

Angler

2008-09-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

I just got done watching an interview with Barton Gellman on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and I have to say, just when my opinion of Dick Cheney couldn't be lower, someone comes along and blows the whistle on yet another nefarious deed by this deplorable administration. Gellman is promoting his book Angler, which is Cheney's code name with the Secret Service. Gellman more or less confirmed my worst fears about Cheney's ruthlessness. Most notably, Cheney's role in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. His behind closed doors meetings with Republican lawmakers to convince them of the debunked link of Al-Queda and Sadam Hussein and Hussein's "advanced" development of weapons of mass destruction. After all these years, why can't any Democratic lawmakers muster up some courage and start sincere impeachment proceedings other than Dennis Kucinich? Some years ago I can remember listening to a popular morning show here in Los Angeles on KROQ joking about sending their least favorite people on a rocket ship to space, never to return to earth. Well, here's my list of people I would put on that rocket.
George W. Bush
Dick Cheney
Karl Rove
Donald Rumsfeld
Condeleza Rice
John Ashcroft
Alberto Gonzalez
Dana Perino
Rupert Murdock
Roger Ailes
Bill O'Reilly
Sean Hannity
Rush Limbaugh
Geraldo Rivera
G. Gordon Liddy
Osama bin Laden
Pat Robertson
and last but not least, Paris Hilton.

A New Calling

2008-09-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was eventful as my parents, my sisters Jill and Jamie, and Jamie's husband Dave drove up from San Diego to be a part of my new calling in the Church. I was called to be in our Stake High Council and my Dad was able to ordain me a High Priest. Within the Church there's the stigma of being in the "dry council", where every third Sunday you have to endure talks from the Stake. I hope I can avoid that label and give talks that will keep the congregation awake. Regardless, I'm looking forward to serving with the bretheren in the Council and our Stake President. Many of you have been requesting that I post more pictures of the family on this blog and I try to as new pictures are shot and imported into my laptop. I'll be importing pictures from Aimee's trip to Utah soon. I'm glad to have them back after they were gone for two weeks. I don't like being alone in the house. Yes, I'll admit I enjoyed the quiet for the first couple of days, but then I started feeling lonely and starting to miss the noise of three kids in the house. I don't think I want to let Aimee and the kids leave me alone for that long again. A week I can handle, but two weeks is too long.

Running on Empty

2008-08-29T17:14:00.001-07:00

Once again, I'm posting a clip from another favorite movie, Running on Empty. The linked clip pretty much defines what the film is about. Again, the performances here are excellent. I've always admired Christine Lahti and thought she was underappreciated and she delivers the goods in this film. Also good in this scene is Steven Hill as Lahti's father. If you're a fan of Law and Order, you'll recognize Hill. Anyways, I know this clip is rather long, but I promise if you stick around to the end, you won't regret it. Watch the bottled up emotions rise to the surface as the scene is concluding. Hope you enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz6196-iU4U

Exceeding Expectations

2008-08-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

I finally got to see this summer's blockbuster film The Dark Knight. I was preparing myself to be let down and disappointed after all the hype and critical praise it's been receiving, but thankfully, that wasn't the case at all. In fact, this movie exceeded my expectations. Wow! That's the best way to describe The Dark Knight. Props have to go to writer/director Christopher Nolan. He has managed to not only re-invent the Batman franchise, he found a way to take the Bruce Wayne/Batman character to dark and emotional places that I never thought anyone could take a comic book movie. I guess if anyone could've pulled this off, it was Nolan. If you've seen his prior work, you'll know what I'm talking about. His first commercial film was a film called Memento which is a murder mystery told backwards where the main character has amnesia and is trying to figure out how to piece his life back together after the murder of his wife. A couple of years later he made Insomnia with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hillary Swank which is another murder mystery set in the long summer days of Alaska. Nolan's next film was his most popular, mainly because of the incredible twist at the end, The Prestige. Then the Batman franchise came a knockin' on his door and took the whole concept of the DC Comics hero and has fashioned two films that I believe make the Batman franchise more accessible to a wider audience than just the nerdy die-hard comic zealots and he still has managed to satisfy them. In Batman Begins we get to see how Bruce Wayne became what he is. In The Dark Knight we see how Wayne must come to grips with his power and how use his gifts ethically against a villain that is relentless. That brings us to the Joker played with a mix of sick humor and anger by the late Heath Ledger. This version of the Joker could give Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter a run for his money as the best screen villain of all time. Maybe there is some kind of added creepiness since Ledger wasn't able to witness the critical response he would receive for this performance. What makes this Joker scary is that he really has no agenda, financial or political. His goal is to create chaos through anarchy for the fun of it, nothing more. He forces Batman into making difficult decisions on how far he can go to stop him. All the performances are spot on. Christian Bale, the always reliable Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and new to the franchise are BYU grad Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhall. Credit has to be given to Australian editor Lee Smith who gives the picture a relentless pacing and rhythm and when it needs it, a deep breath before going into another slam-bang sequence. Longtime Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister shoots Gotham (using Chicago) as if it were a character. If you have a chance to see this on IMAX, do it, you won't regret it.

The Grapes of Wrath

2008-08-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned earlier, I'll use this blog to post links to my favorite movie scenes. This week is a scene from The Grapes of Wrath. I think the signature of a good scene is that you never tire of seeing it. You memorize the dialogue by heart, you know when the music will start, you know every beat of the scene. I love this scene because of the performances of Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell, it so simple yet intensely powerful. I highly recommend putting this film on your Netflix cue, you won't be disappointed.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wke1RBvcNQ

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

2008-08-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day on 90210. It's always sad to say goodbye to people you enjoy working with when a project is over. Only this time, the project is far from over. I feel sorry for them as they have a grueling production schedule ahead of them. No one on in the 90210 editorial will have a weekend off for months. I hope the show is a hit to at least make all the hard work and long hours worth it. With two episodes airing back to back on September 2nd, it's been a struggle to keep up with production which has already started shooting the fourth episode. I don't know how they're going to do it. I know Aimee and I are relieved that I won't be sucked into that nightmare. Another season of Lost starts production on Monday, but since the first episode won't air until January or February, our schedule is a bit more relaxed. The start of a new season is coinciding with Aimee and the kids leaving for Utah on Tuesday. I'll have to find reasons to stay away from home as I hate being home alone. You always think you'll look forward to peace and quiet, but to me, that gets old very fast. I feel lonely when I'm home alone. I know Aimee would love to spend a couple of weeks by herself as she has always has the kids with her at all hours, even on her vacation. I know Ross and Eleanor have a lot of fun things planned for them so I hope everyone can stay healthy and enjoy their time in Utah.

Summer Vacation?

2008-08-08T23:46:00.001-07:00

This is the time of year when families across America are going on vacation. With my current work schedule, I won't be going on vacation with my family. Aimee and the kids will be going to Utah for two weeks at the end of this month. I'm sure Aimee will take plenty of pictures of which I'll post here, but I have to admit I feel bummed that I won't get to go with my family to Utah. I knew when I got into "the business" that work schedules are unpredictable and there's no way to know when you'll have downtime, so I can't complain. Still, I think I'll miss Rachel and Allie kicking the back of my seat asking, "How much longer till we get there?". For now, I'll just have to pretend I'm Matthew Fox running around the beaches of Hawaii as I watch dailies as a new season of Lost begins shooting in two weeks. Many of you have asked if I know anything about what will happen on the show this season. All I can say is that I know nothing. I'm sure Damon and Carlton have another great season in store for all the fans as the show slowly comes to a conclusion. I'm excited to go back. I have to give props to the fantastic and talented people I've been working with this summer on 90210. I'll miss them when I leave next week. I hope the new 90210 is a hit and will be around for years to come. Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs deserve a renewal, I hope the CW will be patient with it.

Desperate Measures

2008-08-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a presidential candidate views himself having no shot at winning, so he'll resort to appeal to the lowest common denominator with mud-slinging ads. I'm glad Jon Stewart is around to keep everyone honest.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=178207&title=dick-move-of-the-week-mccain

Favorite Movie Moments

2008-07-24T01:14:00.000-07:00

I figured that while I try to get Jackson back to sleep at the same time every night, I'd post a link to a favorite film moment every once in a while just for the heck of it. Since it has so many, I'll be posting a lot of funny stuff from "This Is Spinal Tap". This was the first "mockumentary" made by Rob Reiner in 1984 with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. I'll always remember the first time I saw this movie. It was at a midnight screening in Provo, Utah while I was a sophomore at BYU. I can remember laughing so hard that the next day, my stomach muscles were sore. I hope you enjoy these.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d54UU-fPIsY

Proposition 8

2008-07-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Went to Stake Priesthood meeting on Saturday night where we discussed the campaign that will intensify in the coming months regarding Proposition 8. I know it was a difficult subject to address for our Stake President as we have a number of elders within our stake who are gay. I was impressed with the position of love that he took while addressing this touchy subject. This is not in any way, a gay-bashing proposition. It simply wants to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Nothing more. This isn't meant to be a condemnation of anyone's lifestyle or to encourage discrimination of any kind. The coming months will be interesting as the debate over this subject will no doubt intensify. President Bragg emphasized on being sensitive and keeping all debate on the subject positive and refrain from passing judgement on those that disagree with the Church's stance. I hope that will be the case, but I'm not too confident that a few bad seeds on both sides of this issue will lob insults at each other and the media will turn this debate into a cartoonish clash between the "religious right" and the "hedonistic" liberals. Time will tell.

More Pictures of the kids

2008-07-10T15:24:00.001-07:00

I wanted to add a few more photos of the kids from the last couple of months.
Mr. DeMille, Allie is ready for her close-up.

Yikes!

2008-07-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

They must have been coming home from a Jerry Springer taping.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/07/dnt.family.off.plane.kiro

The Perfect Summer Job

2008-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate this week to land a summer job assisting on the pilot for the new 90210 series that will air this fall on the CW Network. I'll start on Monday (6/30) and it goes until the middle of August just before I return for a 5th season of Lost. I have to take this time to vent about about the lowly state of affairs for my San Diego Padres. This team is unwatchable. How many times can you get two men on base with less than two outs and not be able to knock a guy in? I guess this has been a long time coming because the close games they've lost this season were games they won the last three seasons. I think this team is in for a few long seasons as I think their whole draft philosophy is fundamentally flawed. Yeah, we've got Chase Headley playing well, but is there really anybody else in the farm system that another team is coveting? Do we have the next Justin Upton? At best, scouts say Headley will be a solid major-leaguer, not an all-star player. John Moores has spent $400 million of San Diegan's tax dollars to build Petco Park, yet he refuses to pay above slot in the amateur draft like the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees do, to build up the farm system with "the best available" players. Instead this franchise opts for low ceiling players because they're easier to sign. This might save the franchise money, but it will guarantee a weak farm system. The Padres' farm system consistently ranks in the lower third of all teams because of bad luck and or poor draft choices. Let's take a look at the draft choices this team has made since 2000 and see who has made an impact, if any. In 2000, they drafted a left-handed pitcher named Mark Phillips. I believe he was out of baseball by 2003. The second round was better with Xavier Nady, now starting for the Pittsburgh Pirates. 2001 was a complete waste with the selection of Jake Gautreau. The 4th round was better with the selection of Josh Barfield, who had one good season before his career hit the skids with the Cleveland Indians. 2002 was better with Khalil Greene, although six years later, still can't hit a breaking ball. 2003 was a potential steal with Tim Stauffer. Most agreed he was a solid pick, but after confessing he was hurt he agreed to sign at a much lower amount. After a few promising major league starts in 2004, he still hasn't regained his college form. 2004 brings us the most embarrassing bomb yet. Getting the first selection of the first round, the Padres thought they would make a bold statement by drafting local boy Matt Bush over Stephen Drew and Rickie Weeks. While Drew and Weeks haven't played to their potential yet, I doubt Bush will ever play one day in the majors. The jury is still out on the 2005 pick as Cesar Carillo has had arm problems. If he can come back as strong as he was at Long Beach State, he could be special, but there's a lot of ifs there. Chase Headley was drafted in the 4th round that year. 2006 might just have the most potential as Matt Antonelli was the 1st rounder with Chad Huffman in the 3rd and Cedric Hunter in the 5th. All of these guys will be with the Padres within the next few years. 2007 was a "safe" pick with left-handed pitcher Nicholas Schmidt. Most scouts describe him as a "control artist". Basically a diplomatic way of saying: "fringe stuff". Can you say Brian Lawrence, Part 2? For 2008, let's just say that opposing teams' scouts were howling with the selection of Allan Dykstra, a first basemen with no other positional ability. Being just a few months younger than Adrian Gonzalez, one wonders what the front office is thinking. Is there a place for him? Go figure. I've always advocated Moore's position of not paying huge salaries to over the hill free agents, but his timidity at paying top dollar for the best available talent in the amateur draft seem hypocritical. With the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks fielding far more athletic (and home grown) talent I fear we're at the beginning of another stretch of losing seasons. I hope I'm wrong.

A couple of pictures of the family

2008-06-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Jackson in his carseat at Allie's graduation Allie shows off her pre-school diploma

The Happening

2008-06-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Went to see M. Night Shyamalan's new flick last night, The Happening. While by no means a very good movie, it did have a few moments of that tingling, unsettling atmosphere that Shyamalan established in his best work in films such as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs. Perhaps what's most disappointing in this film is the lack of narrative momentum or climax. Without giving too much away, the film starts in Central Park in New York City where suddenly all activity has come to a stop. Then one by one, people start killing themselves. One area the Fox marketing team has punched up in the promotional campaign is that this is Shyamalan's first R-rated film. The film gets its R-rating in the first 10 minutes as we see a woman stab herself in the neck with a hair pin, and then we get a disturbing reminder of images from 9/11 when we see construction workers hurl themselves from the top of a high rise construction site. I've always admired Shyamalan's early work because of his restraint from such things, but in this film, the blood and gore flow. As the news spreads about the mayhem in New York, everyone assumes its some kind of biological terrorist attack and the paranoia level increases. We cut to Philadelphia (where all of Shyamalan's films are shot) to high school science teacher Elliot Moore played by Mark Wahlberg. On Elliot's chalkboard is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that says: When the bees disappear, mankind will die within four years. This serves more or less as a clue as to why these "attacks" are occurring. When Philadelphia learns what is happening in New York, Elliot and wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel) along with best friend, Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez) get on a train to Harrisburg. With everyone on the train glued to their wireless devices watching the unfolding events (where one person with his I-phone shows other passengers video of a man being torn apart by lions at the Philadelphia Zoo) the train abruptly stops at a rural Pennsylvania town because the conductors have "lost contact with everybody". Stranded without a car, Elliot and Alma take Jess while Julian hitches a ride with another group to find his wife in New Jersey who he fears the worst has happened. Elliot eventually meets up with a man willing to help them who claims all of what's happening is because of the plants. He believes the plants are releasing a toxin as a reaction of survival. It's all about natural selection. Alma believes he's crazy and doesn't want anything to do with him, but Elliot is intrigued enough to stick around. Soon, they're on the road only to be stopped again by the discovery of dead bodies on the highway and people hanging from trees. Elliot the scientist begins to theorize in his head how the "virus" works. Stay in rural areas, and stay in small groups of people. Because the virus attacks in New York and Philadelphia started in parks, Elliot believes large groups of people are bigger targets. Of course that theory goes to the wind (literally) when a neighboring group of people start shooting themselves. That's it! They've got to outrun the wind! If they can stay ahead of the wind, they'll avoid the virus. Being that we're in rural Pennsylvania, Elliot and Alma run into every oddball in the countryside. Two teens that have tagged along with Elliot are violently gunned down by unseen people boarded up in safe house and then they meet an older woman (Betty Buckley) at another house who hasn't had contact with the outside world in years. All of these encounters lead up to the real reason why Elliot and Alma seem immune to the virus. That part I won't give away, but I will say that it's a resolution that's rather cheesy and flimsy. It's this flimsy resolution that really takes the air out of the tension and makes the film less satisfying than it should have been. Unlike his past films where Shyamalan always has his patented trick ending up his sleeve, there are none here, which is a good thing considering how I didn't think it deserved a trick ending. There's no doubt that Shyamalan is a good craftsman. Working with longtime collaborator cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, Shyamalan really knows where to put the camera and how to frame shots to create tension. It's his script and dialogue that are less adept. Even in his lesser films (The Village) Shyamalan gets good performances, but here, most the cast especially Deschanel seem out of place. There's no real emotional connectivity to any of these characters because their performances are stiltled. This was a real missed opportunity because the talent involved would've made an unforgettable thriller, instead we get left with a lackluster work of mediocrity.
Cast:
Elliot Moore-Mark Wahlberg
Alma-Zooey Deschanel
Julian-John Leguizamo
Jess-Ashlyn Sanchez
Mrs. Jones-Betty Buckley
Frank Collison-Nursery Owner
Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Music by James Newton Howard
Edited by Conrad Buff
Director of Photography-Tak Fujimoto
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rated R for violent and disturbing images

Welcome to the randomity of Lance!!!

2008-05-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

Friends and family insist that this blogging thing is just as good if not better than writing in a journal, so I'm going to give it a go. I'll probably keep it pretty simple. Like the title says, it'll be a collection of random thoughts. It will probably lean heavily towards film, music, baseball, and politics as those are my favorite subjects to vent about. I look forward to getting feedback from any of you in the blogosphere.