Avengers Assemble!

Overview: Beginning with the first Iron man movie Marvel embarked upon the unprecedented concept of creating it's on movie universe. Each of the major characters in the Avengers also had a solo offering, slowly but surely building up to the Avengers.

 What you'll love

Hulk smash: Not only is the CGI pitch perfect  but so is the characterization of Bruce Banner. Hulk steals this movie with several laugh out loud scenes,

Loki: Every movie needs a foil and Tom Hiddleson provides one in the overly ambitious, conniving Loki. The bad guy in story should never know he is the bad guy and Loki provides the most compelling case for his viewpoint. Great acting.

Juggling act: It's not hyperbole to say that this is the most ambitious movie undertaking ever. Avengers not only meets expectations, it surpasses them, somehow managing to juggle all the characters, plots and internal dynamics.

Fanboy orgasm: At it's most basic level  Avengers is a little boy playing superhero with his toys. For the first time in my life a movie surpassed my imagination.

Conflict: It would have been very easy to have had the Avengers get along and become one big happy team, but they don't. These are very different men and the script makes them work for the unity they achieve. Oh yeah the fight scenes are really cool. Hulk vs Thor nuff said

What you won't

Long: At 143 minutes it's a long movie. You could justify it by saying that there's a a lot that they have to get in. However I think it's realistic to say they could have shaved ten minutes off of this sucker.

Story:  The plot revolves around a cube that provides an endless energy source and is a portal for aliens to come to the planet. Shakespeare it ain't.

Enemies: My only legit qualm with the movie is that Loki is the only villain. If Thor beat Loki in his movie why would he need help from the other Avengers to take him down in this one? They attempted to raise the stakes by having an alien invasion. But in the end they just proved to be cannon fodder and a spectacular showcase for Avenger fight scenes.


Bottom Line: Avengers is a must see. Everything you want in a summer blockbuster.

Grade  A

Daniel Synder can't help himself

To call this shocking is to conveniently forget everything we know about Daniel Snyder. Sure he's played the part of good owner as of late, he hired a "football guy" and has been very quiet but this move reeks of the kind of desperation and reaching that only Snyder can provide. Snyder saw a shiny toy and like a puppy he had to take a run at it no matter the cost.

This is not an indictment on the talents of RG3. Its possible that he will succeed in spite of a meddling owner and obstinate coach.(he is that good) His success will be made more difficult by franchise that gave away 3 first round picks and a second to move up four spots in the draft. The logic is baffling.

Snyder and company have fallen for the narrative that the only thing a team needs is a quarterback and after that everything will fall into place. Its a myth. Every quarterback especially young ones need weapons, or at the very least players that fit perfectly into their coaches scheme. The Skins best wide out is arguably a tight end or a guy in his mid 30's. But instead of rebuilding slowly through the draft, Snyder has decided to mortgage his entire future on RG3. Its not a bad bet, except now that he's bought the house he can't afford to put any furniture in it. Hell he can't afford the electricity bill.

As a huge RG3 fan I hope the kid does well. But the very first hurdle he will face will not come in the form of a 300 pound D end but in the form of his own organization.

Clinton enters the No Spin Zone

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Thank God for Piracy. The DKR trailer was leaked over the weekend so Warner Brothers decided to go ahead and make honest women of us and release the real deal.


Thoughts

• Bane looks Badass, and I love the idea that he's a terrorist.
• Like many I've had my doubts about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, but she is great in the trailer. Though most of it is her being Selina Kyle not Catwoman.
• From the trailer it looks as though the movie is going to be on a much larger scale than the previous two. One of the things that made the Nolanverse version of Batman so good is that its as close to real life as possible. I hope that's not lost. However I trust all things Nolan so enjoy.

A Football only look at Tim Tebow

“That part of it was very unique to me,” said Gase, who has been with two other NFL teams as an assistant. “I never heard of a college guy who would know so much about offenses outside of college.”

Summary: Tebow's Preparation is off the charts. When  he interviewed for the combine he knew most of the teams offenses. He also is the first one ton practice and  the last one to leave. His preparation is borderlkine obsessive texting is offensive coordinator in the wee hours of the morning.

“Everything has to do with his feet,” Gase said. “Before, his body was going in one direction and his arm was going in another direction. As we get him more balanced, his throws become smoother and more accurate.”

Many seem to think that Tebow's throwing motion is ok but he can improve other things like his footwork. This remains to be seen, I can't ever see him ever being a successful passer with that throwing motion.

No one knows what's going to happen with Tebow but whether he succeeds or fails won't be from a lack of effort.




http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=lc-carpenter_tim_tebow_alex_smith_draft_broncos_121411

Nolan Talks Dark Knight Rises

• Nolan claims that this will be his last Batman film
• The new poster has sparked speculation that Nolan may kill off Batman in Rises
• A trailer for DKR is being playing this weekend before Mission Impossible-Ghost protocol
• 45-50 minutes of the film was shot with Imax cameras
• He chose to emphasize the physicality of Bane in the film
• Bane will be portrayed as a terrorist in the film.

You can read the whole thing here.

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/12/12/dark-knight-rises-christopher-nolan-opens-up-about-bane-choice/

God's Quarterback

In the case of Mr. Tebow, what seems to fuel many of his fans—and to drive many
of his critics crazy—is not so much his evangelical faith itself but the
equanimity and generosity that his faith inspires in him. Can he really mean it
when he says that football isn't that important to him, that he caresmoreabout
transcendent things?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203413304577084770973155282.html?fb_ref=wsj_share_FB