Author Archives: theovershow

The NBA is in full flight and I thought it best to have a nice little update before my All Star break update. Here are my Power Rankings.

1. Miami Heat

Although they have struggled recently the Miami Heat top my rankings. They are deeper than they were last year and the speed with which they play at is downright frightening. However, their recent struggles have highlighted some problems. First, they struggle in a half court offense, especially down the stretch. Most teams have a designated “closer” (i.e. Kobe for the Lakers or Carmelo for the Knicks) and anything the offense does down the stretch runs through him. The Heat have not designated a closer. At times they go to LeBron and sometimes to Wade. The resulting effect is a lack of identity in late game situations, thus causing people to throw up ill advised shots – also, players don’t know what positions to take up on the floor. My guess is that the injury to Wade is causing all this mess and once he is healthy, he will take over late in the game and their troubles will disappear. By right now, it’s a bit worrying.

2. Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose keeps getting better and better. His perimeter game has improved this season and his court vision has also improved. I have been impressed with his toughness as well as he is battling a turf toe, yet he continues to play 40 minutes a night. He seems to be on the Kobe path in terms of playing through injuries and his toughness is winning the admiration of fans everywhere and his teammates. Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose have instilled a mental toughness in this team that has no rivals, other than maybe the Celtics. As great as the Bulls are I don’t think they have enough scorers to beat the Heat but let’s see how the season shapes up.

3. Oklahoma City

Durant and Westbrook are at each other throats again and we won’t know if this will be a serious problem until the playoffs where the spotlight is at its brightest. Quite simply, the Thunder are deep everywhere and this keeps them fresh throughout the game. My questions about this team center on their offense and coaching. They take way too many jump shots and my fear for them is they won’t be able to get enough easy baskets in crucial games. Also, I don’t trust their coach but their team is so talented that they should win in spite of him.

4. Philadelphia 76ers

I have been pleasantly surprised by the 76ers this season. They are winning games by an average of 15 points; highest in the league. Spencer Hawes is playing out of his mind but I expect him to cool off as the season progresses. With their great young nucleus, they have become one of the more exciting teams in the NBA.

5. Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe has been on fire recently and Bynum might be playing better than Howard right now. The Lakers used to be called Showtime but not they should be renamed Slowtime. They don’t get enough easy baskets in transition and outside of their big three, they have nobody. I don’t expect to be this high in the rankings come the All Star Break but for now they are playing well.

6. Portland Trailblazers

Led by LaMarcus Aldridge the Trailblazers have been one of the surprises of the season. Wesley Matthews is ballin’ and I consider him to be one of the better shooting guards in the NBA. Felton is doing a good job of getting everyone involved and I expect them to make some noise in the postseason.

7. Denver Nuggets

I can’t imagine how good this team will be when some of their players return from playing overseas. Resigning Aaron Affalo was a brilliant move and although I think they overpaid for Nene, he has been making a solid contribution this year. Gallinari looks good as well but I’m not sold on him. The Nuggets are my outside pick to make it to the NBA Finals.

8. Los Angeles Clippers

They haven’t had their back to back to back yet and depending how they do there will determine if they move up or down in my power rankings. Paul looks great and Griffin looks set to become a Hall of Famer when he draws the curtain on his career. Jordan needs to step it up though.

9. Indiana Pacers

Pacer fans will be upset I don’t have them higher but their lack of assists per game is the reason for their place in my standings. Too often their offense is stagnant and this lack of ball movement is troubling. They have a great core of young players and they are well coached but they will need to improve in this area if they are to take that next step as a team.

10.  Dallas Mavericks

They looked to terrible to start the season but solid wins at Boston and against OKC have got them in my top 10. It’s way too early to count them out of a title run in May but they are slow on the perimeter and Odom has yet to be a presence on the team- it should be noted that his play has improved as of late.

11.  San Antonio Spurs

Despite a better record than the Mavs they find themselves lower in my power rankings. I am concerned about Ginobili and Duncan’s retirement is right around the corner. Parker has been good lately and their ability to close out games is second to none.

12.  Orlando Magic

The trade rumors are clearly getting to Howard. At times he isn’t locked in and he doesn’t look committed to what the Magic are doing. Nonetheless, an 80% Howard is better than most players in the NBA and they will probably end up with a top five seed in the East unless Howard is traded.

13.  Atlanta Hawks

The most frustrating team in the NBA. One game they look like a team that is going to make that leap forward and the next game they look like a team that will end up with the first pick. I never know what to make of the Hawks.

14.  New York Knicks

Iman Shumpert is hilarious. He’s a rookie point guard who refuses to pass the ball to his teammates. He makes selfish Kobe look like John Stockton. Obviously he will improve under DAntoni but right now the Knicks looks terrible. I had them winning the division and as of right now that looks like a terrible choice. Melo hobbled off at Memphis a few nights ago and his injury  will be closely monitored by Knicks fans. By the way, if Stoudemire wants to act like a superstar can he start playing like one as well?

15.  Boston Celtics

Many people have counted out the Celtics this season and those people are stupid, in my opinion. The Celtics are mentally tough and they will be a tough team to eliminate in the postseason. Rondo has been playing well despite his name being thrown around in possible trade rumors; that’s the mark of a professional.

16.  Utah Jazz

Not a great team but they are getting wins against teams of a similar caliber and that’s what kept them in playoff contention.

17.  Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving has been very impressive this season but the rest of the team is garbage. I really should place them lower but they are currently a playoff team so top 20 is solid. They will not be higher than this spot season.

18.  Minnesota

Barcelona, Spain has been producing quite a few NBA players and Ricky Rubio is the latest such player. Rubio has got the substance and the flash which makes Timberwolves fans very excited. I’ve been back and forth on Kevin Love and right now I think he is more of a stat stuffer than actual superstar. I might change positions on that but as of right now, I’m calling him a stat suffer.

19.  Golden State Warriors

They have one of the worst records in basketball but they don’t lack heart. Nate Robinson has been a good pickup and hopefully Dorrell Wright can continue his hot shooting from the Miami game. Kwame Brown’s injury hurts the Warriors but Curry’s ankle is the worse news. With Curry’s recurring ankle problems will the Warriors give him a $70 million contract in the fall. Food for thought.

20.  Memphis Grizzlies

There is absolutely no reason the Grizzlies should be this low. Even though they have played so poorly this far I should rank them higher but I am so irritated by their play I placed them here. Step it up Grizzlies!

21.  New Orleans Hornets

They have been poor so far but once Eric Gordon comes back they should be okay. They won’t make the playoffs but Gordon will give them a few more wins.

22.  Toronto Raptors

Jose Calderon is the most underrated point guard in the league. Bargnani is stepping it up this year but he still has not fulfilled the expectations people placed on him when he was drafted. Sad thing is, he never will.

23.  Milwaukee Bucks

What to make of Brandon Jennings? Some people think he can be a superstar. But no one ever thought the Bucks fans were sensible. He’s just a scorer. Just another Kevin Martin or Monta Ellis.

24.  Houston Rockets

They are a scrappy team that doesn’t give up but they lack the talent to rack up the wins. I’m surprised Luis Scola hasn’t played better and Kevin Martin is Kevin Martin.

25.  Detroit Pistons

The league should just get rid of this team. No one cares about Pistons basketball except Eminem.

26.  New Jersey Nets

Brook Lopez return will really help them but at this rate I can’t see Deron Williams resigning with the Nets.

27.  Phoenix Suns

It’s an aging team that plays no defense. They should be happy they have actually won a game this season. Suns management isn’t all that bad- they did sign Gortat who I wish the Lakers had signed. He’s solid.

28.  Charlotte Bobcats

Kemba Walker is cool but they are one of the worst run franchises in basketball. Michael Jordan has been a terrible influence on that franchise.

29.  Sacramento Kings

Why draft DeMarcus Cousins when you know he has attitude problems? That team is poorly run and the only thing that can save them is a change in ownership or at the very least, a change in locations. Can you say, Las Vegas Kings?

30.  Washington Wizards

They might not win 10 games this year (I’m exaggerating). John Wall is the only shining light on the team.

The comics I appreciated, the movie- not so much. “Tintin” is directed by Steven Spielberg and Spielberg’s stock in the movie world is on the decline- “War Horse” has a lot to do with that as well.

Visually the movie is spectacular. We saw it in 3-D and I thought the 3-D was well done. However, the convoluted storyline and relentless action sequences turned this film into a massive bore. Given that I am a huge Tintin fan, I am relatively well versed in the Tintin comics. Spielberg decided to combine two comics to make the movie. The problem is left out too many key moments from the comics to make the movie really tick. Understandably not everything in the comics can be shown in the movie yet there are certain things which must be captured. Spielberg focused too much on the action scenes and not enough the witty dialogue that pervades the Tintin comics.

Jamie Bell as Tintin was a good choice and I didn’t have any problems with him in that role. However, Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock was not the best choice in my view, but not a bad one either.  I always thought of Captain Haddock as angrier and I didn’t like the fact he didn’t drink as much as the comics allowed him to (stupid point but for some reason it bothers me).

The running time on the movie is 1hr and 47 minutes but it feels like a Lord of the Rings epic, except slower. There were times when I felt like leaving but the price of admission kept me seated. Maybe you guys would want to experience the visuals of this movie but I don’t think its worth it. I give this movie a 4/10.

It’s the holiday season (well, really it’s Christmas season but because of those bloody liberals we have to say the holiday season so as not to offend people- well piss off you wankers!) and nothing makes people happier than watching Home Alone 2. It’s the quintessential holiday (Christmas) movie and today I review it.

Macaulkay Culkin is the greatest child actor ever- above even the Olsen twins. In Home Alone 2 he occupies the rarefied air a Brando or a Day-Lewis would occupy. Culkin is powerful, vulnerable, intelligent and aloof- all at the same time. Matter of fact, the entire cast puts on an acting masterclass and the acting will be studied in schools across the planet.

The movie starts in the same way as the first with Kevin (Culkin) being separated from his parents and his mother doing the typical, “we forgot Kevin routine”. The difference between the first film and this one is location. Kevin is in New York and thanks to his dad’s credit card he gets to say at the Plaza Hotel. At the hotel he meets Dickensian like characters (the hotel staff) who never stop providing the laughs and in Central Park he meets a crazy lady (has the same sort of role the crazy old man did in the first movie) who teaches him about turtle doves.

Eventually the “Sticky Bandits” arrive and all hell breaks loose. I’m always amazed by Kevin’s vindictiveness, as this same malice is often accompanied by a beautiful, gentle nature. His nature was crystallized when he donated that money to the Children’s Hospital and then went back home to destroy those bandits. Rarely are characters in movies so full and effervescing with life and vitality. Kevin is complicated, dark yet humane, soulful yet savage and all of this is captured in two epic Home Alone movies.

If you want a good time this holiday season, put on Home Alone 2 and enjoy yourself. I need not give the movie a rating because it’s great and that’s all that matters (I’d give it a 10/10 if hard pressed to do so).

NBA Season Preview

The shortened NBA season means a key injury could see a team out of the playoffs. Not to mention younger teams will benefit as the sheer amount of games per week will take their toll on the older sides. Let’s break it down division by division.

Let’s start in the Eastern Conference.

Atlantic Division: Boston, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and Toronto.

In recent years the Boston Celtics have dominated this division and rightfully so. The Celtics are led by veterans such as Garnett but Rondo’s presence is the key to their success. But things change- teams age, your rivals improve with key acquisitions and you piss off your best player. The Celtics are slow and ponderous just like their Los Angeles rivals and worst of all they pissed off Rondo, their best player, by suggesting he could be trade bait for Chris Paul. Problem is, Paul defected to the Clippers and now the Celtics are stuck with a disgruntled star. But that’s not the worst part for the Celtics- the New York teams (including New Jersey in this because next year they will be the Brooklyn Nets) are. The Knicks have improved considerably with the acquisitions of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire and now with more games in a shorter time span, youth will likely prevail. If the Nets can pull off the Howard trade, the Nets will be equipped with Howard and Deron Williams, a tandem no one will want to reckon with.

Division Winner: New York Knicks- a new day begins in the division.

Central Division: Indiana, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee

Chicago is the class of this division but Indiana really came on at the end of last year. Indiana acquired David West this season and with West and Granger the Pacers could be on to something. Nonetheless, Chicago has got Rose and the best coach in the league, Tom Thibodeau (obviously Popovich is a contender but trust me, Thibodeau is the truth). I also liked the addition of Rip Hamilton (the Bulls added him) as he will give them some nice veteran experience off the bench.

Division Winner: Chicago- truly one of the most exciting, disciplined teams in the NBA and if they can acquire a scoring 2-guard they will be unstoppable.

Southeast Division: Charlotte, Washington, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando

With the Miami Heat and the ongoing saga involving Dwight Howard, the Southeast Division is on everyone’s mind.  The Heat have to win a championship now, otherwise I can see teams like the Bulls and Thunder winning one and going on to start a dynasty. Orlando’s prospects for the season hinge on Howard. If he’s there, their definitely one of the top seeds in the East but if he’s not, all bets are off. Atlanta has a good squad but for some reason they can never put it together and I don’t see why that will change this year- maybe lockout will help them.

Division Winner: Miami- too much talent to blow it.

Let’s move to the Western Conference, the glamour conference.

Northwest Division: Portland, Utah, Denver, Oklahoma City and Minnesota

First off, I am so sorry to see Brandon Roy retire. He was a standup guy and injuries just killed him. Hopefully he’ll find a second career in broadcasting or something. This division Oklahoma City’s to lose and I don’t expect much of a challenge from any of the other teams. With their youth, skill and energy, the Thunder should be challenging for a title this year.

Division Winners: Oklahoma City- what don’t they have? Oh yeah, a passing point guard. C’mon Russell, pass the ball.

Southwest Division: San Antonio, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, and Dallas

The defending champion Mavericks are old and they got even older with the acquisitions of Lamar Odom and Vince Carter. The loss of Tyson Chandler could be a bigger blow than most people realize. Memphis put on a great show last season and all signs point to them having a successful season. San Antonio, just like Lakers, and Boston, are old and tired. I want to pick Memphis for the division seeing as how they’re young and hungry but going against the defending champions would be silly, right?

Division Winners: Dallas but Memphis will keep it close.

Pacific Division: Phoenix, Golden State, Sacramento, LA Clippers, LA Lakers

I can’t believe the Clippers are the most talked about team in this division right now. The only reason people have spoken about the Warriors is to deride them for the signing of Kwame Brown- could be the worst basketball player in history- and the failure to land a big name player. Despite the great weather in the Bay Area, basketball players are not keen on a move to the Bay. The Warriors have a nice young nucleus of talent but they need a superstar to transform the perceptions of the organization and to help recruit other superstars to the Warriors. I know trading Stephen Curry is not ideal but if he can get them a top 10 superstar, maybe they should pull the trigger. The Clippers got really good, really fast. Paul is great but he is injury prone and every Laker fan will be hoping he suffers a career threatening injury or at the very least, he sucks in the two years he’s there and then moves to the Lakers. The Clippers have a better team than the Lakers but you still expect the Lakers to win the division because well, it’s the Clippers. The Lakers are in the midst of a decline and unless they can get some young superstar talent, the next five years are going to suck. Howard seems reluctant to follow in Shaq’s footsteps and join the Lakers which means he will likely join the Nets. If he does, Deron Williams will not be a free agent and that leaves the Lakers will no options. Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and Eric Gordon will be free agents but they will be restricted free agents, which means it’s highly unlikely they will move to LakerLand.  The Lakers are in trouble, make no mistake about it.

Division Winners: LA Lakers- this might be the last time for a while the Lakers win it and even now it’s not a certainty.

Now it’s time for Championship picks. I got Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder in the final. I want to pick the Thunder but unfortunately I can’t see anyone but the Heat winning.

Eddie Murphy return to films in an adult comedy, well, at least he attempts to return to comedy. Ben Stiller plays the lead with supporting performances from Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Murphy and Alan Aida. The movie is directed by Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour films. Rush Hour succeeds in finding a perfect comedy duo whereas “Tower Heist”, fails.

Stiller is the emotional anchor of the film while the wild and wacky supporting performances come from Murphy and Broderick among others. Although the actors provide some zest in the film, it’s poorly written and they suffer because of it.

Stiller plays a hotel manager of a very upscale New York hotel. The most famous and wealthiest of the current residents is Aida. He is some type of stockbroker who is charged with defrauding his investors and one of the people who invested in Aida is Stiller. Stiller took all of the retirement money of his workers and invested with Aida. Due to his federal charge, the money is gone and Stiller is on a quest to find where all of that money is hidden. Naturally he creates a gang to help him uncover the mystery. From here the movie ventures forward and there aren’t many laughs on this journey.

I went into the movie with relatively high expectations seeing as how I enjoyed the Rush Hour movies and Murphy returning to adult comedy was sure to be a welcome sight. The previews for the movie are misleading; Murphy is not in it as often I thought he would be. Even when Murphy appears, he hardly graces the occasion. There is no strong point in the film; there is no standout performance.  There are a few laughs but none worth going to the theater for. Is it worth watching on HBO? Hmmm… maybe.  This is a decent movie featuring good actors, or at least, they were once good. I give the movie a 5.5/10.

Let me start off by saying one thing- the movie is not bad because of Hunter S. Thompson (2B says so). The fact is the book should never have become a movie in the first place. Some things are better as books and not as movies; the Rum Diary is such a case.

Let’s start with the positives, as there are very few. There was one line I liked by Johnny Depp. He responds to the question, “How much do you drink?”, with “Upper end of social”. And that’s it for Depp’s performance. Giovanni Rabisi plays a drunkard and although my friends liked him in the movie it was only because everyone else sucked and he happened to be the best of a bad bunch. The only redeeming feature of the movie was Amber Heard. She is gorgeous and her beauty alone is enough to give this movie more than one star.

The movie is poor in many respects. Nothing is ever accomplished and there is none of the frenetic comedy that made “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” a decent movie. Every movie, even the shitty ones, has some sort of climax but this one doesn’t; it just kind of moves along at an unintentional slow pace. By this I mean, “There Will Be Blood” is a slow movie, but it’s a deliberate choice. Here, the movie is slow, not because the director wanted that, it’s just because the movie has nothing to say. I’m not sure if are supposed to be moved by the events or we are supposed to laugh or what. I have no idea what this movie was trying to accomplish.

I feel inclined to write a lot about the movie because the Overshow paid for my admission yet, there is nothing to say. I could mention how the movie theater had a drunkard who wouldn’t stop talking and the screen itself was partially torn but what good does that do you. I would steer clear of this movie unless you are short on porn, then Heard’s performance will come (I used this word for a reason) in handy (I used this word for a reason too).

I give this movie a 3.5/10. Heard pulled this movie from the shitters.

This Bus Driver short directed by BK stars Jer as the Bus Driver with supporting performances from Kir Mainy, Jonny 2B, BK, Nick D and Addy. Jonny 2B plays a homeless man who becomes distraught after realizing he forgot some of his cans at the bus stop where he was picked up. Kir Mainy plays a Russian Spy while Nick D gives a powerful performance as a sleeping passenger. Addy is concerned over his health as duty calls and the Bus Driver will not allow him to use the bathroom.

Since Jer is the star of the show it’s only fair he gets his own paragraph (that could be the reason I started a new paragraph or I could be trying to make the review seem longer; all depends on how view things). Jer’s plays an angry and frustrated bus driver. His anger and frustration stems from his impotence. Lately he has been having trouble reconnecting with his wife due to her affair with the bank teller. He knows the affair was motivated by his lack of social status as a bus driver. His wife always wanted him to get into high finance but instead he settled for a lowly life as a bus driver and he is now paying the price. Hector, the bank teller, offered the Bus Driver’s wife a glamorous life- well at least one more glamorous than her current situation. She jumped at the chance and Jer was left reeling after hearing the news. Naturally he wanted to make things work with her yet his shame from the affair has caused him to suffer a serious case of erectile dysfunction. This coupled with the annoying passengers has caused him to lash out. Still trying to mend fences with his wife, his passengers now bear the brunt of his frustrations. None of the passengers dare confront him because he has magical powers; his wife doesn’t believe so. The acting aside, the directing and overall presentation is quite slick.

I have often thought BK has a real talent for filmmaking. I remember a while ago watching some short film he did about vampires or zombies or something- it was done while he was at Boston University- that was very compelling. It’s a shame that never turned into a full length feature film; it sure had promise. This short film is done very well. The music fits nicely, and the narration is funny, cause well, it’s BK speaking in a rather folksy dialect- Morgan Freeman would have done better in the narration role. Check out the movie if you haven’t already seen it. Have fun kiddies.

Tony La Russa’s Cardinals have won the World Series for the second time in five years with a game seven victory over the Texas Rangers. The Oakland A’s were well represented in the World Series as both coaches spent time with the Athletics. Unfortunately for A’s fans the Oakland A’s team wasn’t in the World Series and probably will never return to the “Fall Classic”.

I was cheering for the Rangers as Ron Washington was a longtime 3rd base coach in Oakland and is a revered figure at the organization. It would have been epic had he won but the Rangers never recovered from their game six collapse. La Russa isn’t a bad guy although he was arrested for a DUI a few years back and his daughter called Ron Washington a crackhead; thus, I really wanted the Rangers to win.

There were two occasions in game six when the Rangers were just one strike from winning the whole thing. Each time the Cardinals got a run and extended the game only to pull it out in the 11th. I haven’t seen many great baseball games but this was one of the greats; alongside the 2001 World Series game seven where the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees. After that monumental collapse you just couldn’t see the Rangers pulling it out in game seven. Credit to the Cardinals but hopefully Washington will get one.

Paranormal Cocktivity is back again to annoy us and I was dragged to the theater to see it. The movie stars some actors and it is directed by a director. I won’t go to the lengths to give you their names because they didn’t put any effort into making this movie. Everything that is cliché about the horror genre manifests itself in this movie.

It seems that audiences have taken to the Paranormal Activity series because of the reality of it all; the filming is of a person just trying to document their lives and the house is very typical and so on and so forth. But I don’t find this movie to be grounded in reality at all. First of all, who has this many cameras to document their lives? Other than Jonny 2B, no one should have such technology just lying around. And, it’s not believable to be filming while running down the stairs in a panic because you live in a haunted house. Second of all, why is the house decorated so shittily? The woman of the house needs to step it up. Clearly, they cannot be having financial problems because her husband owns more cameras than George Lucas, so, why not refrain from buying cameras and spend some money on paint and lighting fixtures? These are the questions that should have been answered but instead the filmmakers thought it would be more compelling to answer the questions about the haunted house- which, mind you, they really never answered. In fact, you leave with more questions than you entered the film.

Sure, the movie has a few moments, but mostly it’s just SO fucking cliché, it’s annoying. One of my fellow reviewers summed it up perfectly when he said,” You know that annoying roommate (or younger brother, or friend) who used to jump out from behind a corner and yell “Boo!” And you’d say, “That’s not funny!” And then, five minutes later, he’d do it again?
If he were a movie, he’d be “Paranormal Activity 3.”

Will there be a number four? Hell yeah. The makers of this movie have people by the scruff of their neck and they will not let go until the milk every dime out of you. I know people are going to go see this movie regardless of how I, or any one of my esteemed colleagues reviews this. But please save yourself. We as human beings need to value ourselves more and say, “No Hollywood! I’m not going to let you force this bullshit down my throat. I want you to produce good movies, not this Paranormal Activity bullshit.” Go to movies and watch something that values real acting and not cheap thrills but a more cunning storyline. Go see “Take Shelter” if you want a creepy Halloween movie experience or go see “Drive” or “Moneyball” if you want to see a good movie. Please, please, pretty please, don’t support this drivel. I give it a 1/10. Fuck off Paranormal Cocktivity.