2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC North

My preseason predictions:

1.Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
2.Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
3.Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
4.Cleveland Browns (4-12)

Final Standings:

1.Baltimore Ravens (10-6)

2.Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)

3.Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)

4.Cleveland Browns (5-11)

 

Baltimore Ravens: 2012 has been a strange year for the Baltimore Ravens. Early season they looked great blowing out the Bengals picking up in the season opener and a clutch victory over the Patriots. Recently, they had been playing very underwhelming football with three straight losses to the Charlie Batch-lead Steelers, Redskins, and Broncos before rallying in week 16 to blowout the Giants and break the negative direction they were headed in. This pretty sums up the 2012 season for the Ravens, You never know what your going to get with them. The offense, in particular, had some problems. Joe Flacco is one of the spottiest quarterbacks in the NFL. At times, he looks elite and seems like a guy that could lead them to a title. At other times, he looks like a flustered mess who shouldn't even be playing football on the professional level. Superstar running back Ray Rice looked good most of the year, but he even had a slightly off-year with his lowest overall yard total since he became the starter in 2009. The defense survived huge season-ending injuries to linebacker and emotional leader Ray Lewis and cornerback LeDarius Webb and manged to hang in there. This isn't the same dominant defense of just a few years ago, but the Ravens still have a pretty decent amount of talent and they can make stops when they need to. Baltimore wasn't quite as good this year was they were during their 2011 campaign that led them to the AFC Championship Game, but this is still a talented team who is amongst the best in the AFC.

Cincinnati Bengals: 2012 was almost a mirroring season to 2011 for the Bengals. They made a late surge and are once again headed to the playoffs. Second-year quarterback/wide receiver pair Andy Dalton and A.J Green continue to progress. Green was absolutely lights out all season and even with only two years under his belt, Green has already proven to be one of the most explosive, reliable, and just plain best wide receivers in the league. When an elite veteran talent like Brandon Marshall says he watches your game film to try and better himself, you know you are a special player. Dalton is showing a lot more confidence at quarterback and bested his impressive rookie season in almost ever stat category. As long as Dalton and Green continue to progress, The Bengals will be annual contenders. The Bengals also benefited from a solid year from new running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Green-Ellis proved to be than up to challenge at being the feature back in his first year with the Bengals. The X-factor for the Bengals was the play of their defense, especially in latter stages of the season. Geno Atkins was an absolute beast. I mean seriously what interior lineman gets 12.5 sacks in a season? That's unheard of. Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson were also effective pass rushers and Rey Malaluga and rookie Vontaze Burfict played very well at linebacker rounding out their dangerous front 7. The Bengals continue to get better and they should be a perennial playoff team if they keep up this level of play.

Cleveland Browns:Another year, another losing season for the Browns. This team just doesn't really have much going for it and they really did best they could with the roster they had. I completely agree with the firing of general manager Tom Heckert, but I think it's really unfair that head coach Pat Shurmer got fired. Shurmer gave it his all with a weak roster and he really is not accountable for their lack of success. As expected, Trent Richardson was pretty much the lone bright spot. Even with a slightly disappointing rookie season and failure to meet the lofty expectations set for him, the offense ran threw him and he is definitely a rising talent with the potential to be a future superstar. Josh Gordon has also given the Browns a legitimate top wideout and came out of nowhere to have a great rookie year. That was about there was all to cheer about in Cleveland this season. Brandon Weeden was passable at quarterback, but he never showcased any type of great talent and the fact that he is a 29-year old rookie means he is all but doomed for the rest of his career. The defense has a few skilled players, but is mostly below average. The Browns are pretty much a broken football team and they need to dump most of their roster if they want to have any type of success in the future.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 2012 was a year to forget for the Steelers. They had a ton of momentum in the middle of the year and looked poised to return to the playoffs yet again, then Ben Rothelisberger got injured against the Chiefs and it all went to hell. They only won once after that game and a bunch of stupid mistakes in close games cost them a playoff spot. Outside of a few stupid choices in the last few games, Rothelisberger had a solid year in 2012 and was one of the main reasons they were in the playoff picture. What killed them was the fact that everyone in the receiving corps besides tight end Heath Miller had a disappointing year. Mike Wallace was effective at times, but had a bunch of key drops and was a non-factor in the last month of the season. Wallace's performance at the end of the year definitely doesn't make a strong case for him being re-signed by the Steelers and they will probably let him hit test the free agency market before making him a big money offer (which he desperately wants.) Antonio Brown did miss some time with injury, but for the most part had a huge dropoff from his breakout 2011 season. Emmanuel Sanders was mediocre throughout the year after being a great third wideout last year. If the Steelers want to win, the receiving corps needs to step up. On the other side of the spectrum, the defense was absolutely outstanding. This team survived injuries to Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, James Harrison, and many others and finished as the best overall defense in the league (second against the run and first against the pass.) Finishing as the best defense in the league when you are that banged-up with that many key injuries to key players is nothing short of remarkable. The Steelers were without a doubt the biggest disappointment in the AFC and need to play much better offensively if they want to get back to the playoffs in the future.

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC East

 My Preseason Predictions:
1.New England Patriots (14-2)
2.New York Jets (10-6)
3.Buffalo Bills (8-8)
4.Miami Dolphins (4-12)

Final Standings
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.Miami Dolphins (7-9)
3.Buffalo Bills (6-10)
4.New York Jets (6-10)

Buffalo Bills: The Bills had another year to forget. At least this year they didn't suffer from the epic collapse that derailed their 2011 season. The bad news is that they didn't really have anything to collapse from. Their defense that was supposed to be dominant after signing defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in free agency and drafting coveted cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the first round has been wildly inconsistent. Williams got off to a horrible start, but started to come around in mid-October and finished the year with 10.5 sacks. Gilmore has been passable and shown flashes of top-level talent, but he definitely needs more time to grow. Meanwhile Anderson has been pretty much useless only playing in five games and registered only 1 sack. Adding to the inconsistency has been the play of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick started the year off pretty well, but some severe duds in middle of the season led to some super conservative playcalling in order to try to limit his turnovers which has made their offense pretty stagnant. Fitzpatrick has talent, he just needs the right coaching to work on his turnover problems. One of the few bright spots for the Bills this season has been the emergence of running back C.J Spiller. Spiller has been dominant all season and made up for the absence of Fred Jackson (who was injury-plagued all season.). Next season when Jackson returns and can stay healthy , The Spiller/Jackson tandem could be the most lethal two-back system in the league. Star wideout Stevie Johnson also managed have another good year despite Fitzpatrick's inconsistent play. The Bills are definitely a work in progress. They have some talent to work with, They just need to play a consistent level and a head coach that can inspire confidence in his players.

Miami Dolphins:The Dolphins had a far better season than I expected this year. They were never dominant, but they quietly had a pretty decent season. Their secondary needs some improvement, but other than that they had a top 10 run defense and have a consistently effective pass rush. Cameron Wake had another Pro Bowl season and proved once again he is the most underrated defensive player in the NFL. Offensively they didn't make a lot of noise, but were still able to move the ball. Reggie Bush finished just shy of a 1,000 yard season and Daniel Thomas has emerged as a solid third down back that can score in the red zone. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn't put huge numbers in his rookie year, but he didn't make a whole lot of mistakes and he's been serviceable all year. He's established a nice chemistry with Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano and he has some mobility that allows to him contribute with his feet from time to time in addition to his arm. Tannehill should continue to grow and he has the tools to be a solid, albeit not superstar quarterback in the league for a long time. Miami isn't flashy and there are only a few great players on the roster, but head coach Joe Phillbin has this team headed in the right direction.

New England Patriots: Not Surprising: The Patriots won the division easily and are once again in the hunt for a title. Surprising: The Patriots have more of an identity crisis than ever before. The Patriots certainly were dominant at times (their beatdowns against the Bills and Jets on the road and most impressively, their blowout victory against the AFC-leading Texans on Monday Night Football.) At other times, you didn't know if you were watching a team coached by Bill Belicheck with Tom Brady under center (their blunder-filled loss to the Cardinals in Week 2 and pathetic narrow victory over the Jaguars last week.) Even with the uncharacteristic poor play and coaching at times, The Patriots still had a great season. Their offense was overwhelmingly dominant as always. Rob Gronkowski was an unstoppable force before suffering a broken forearm against the Colts that sidelined for the rest of the regular season, Wes Welker started off a bit slow, but ended up anchoring the receiving corps as usual, and Aaron Hernandez has stepped up big time in Gronkowski's absence after return from an injury himself. Keep in mind that all this was happening while Tom Brady is having an underwhelming year (from Tom Brady's standpoint that is.) The surprise this year for the Patriots is the emergence of Stevan Ridley as a legitimate running back. The Patriots haven't been able to run the ball like this since Corey Dillon retired. He makes the Patriots more dangerous now that they can actually run the ball for the first time in years. The biggest improvement on this team though is clearly the defense. Their run defense has played pretty well all year and a lot of players have made a big impact. Rookie defensive end Chandler Jones has given them their first elite pass-rusher since Richard Seymour was traded to Oakland after the 2008 season. Making just as big of impact has been the position changes of Rob Ninkovich and Devin McCourty. Moving Ninkovich from outside linebacker to defensive end was a brilliant decision. Ninkovich explodes off the edge and has been far more effective as well become a big playmaker since moving to end. McCourty has actually found a bit of a groove since being moved from cornerback (where he was arguably the worst in the league) to safety. His speed is more important at safety than his extremely poor coverage skills which has payed dividends for his production and value to the team. Really the only downside to the Patriots this year is their secondary while improved a bit thanks to their mid-season trade for veteran cornerback Aqib Talib and the aformentioned McCourty move to safety can still be pretty easily beaten and the lack of involvement free agent pick-up wide receiver Brandon Lloyd has had in in the offense. With Tom Brady at quarterback you will always be contending for a championship and 2012 was no exception for the New England Patriots.

New York Jets: I don't know why I had so much confidence in this team. They had gotten over their internal problems that derailed their 2011 seasons, they were healthy, and Rex Ryan's confidence and poise coaching this team had me optimistic about their 2012 season. I was horribly wrong. Outside of dominant wins against the Bills in the season opener and the playoff-bound Colts in Week 6, The Jets were for the most part sloppy as all hell for the rest of the season. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. First off, They lost two of their best players, Santonio Holmes and Darrel Revis within the first five weeks of the season to year-ending injuries. Secondly, they completely failed to incorporate Tim Tebow into the offense. Tebow is clearly not a great quarterback, but he is an incredible athlete and could have been very dangerous in the wildcat if he had been properly utilized. Most importantly though, Mark Sanchez played absolutely awful. I was optimistic that Mark Sanchez would get back into his 2009/2010 form when then the Jets went to back-to-back AFC Championship Games, but that didn't even come close to happening. Sanchez did have the unfortunate task of dealing with a group of inexperienced and not particularly dynamic receivers once Santonio Holmes went down in Week 4, but that's still no excuse for how poorly he played. The Jets season was pretty much salvaged by their defense. They still had one of the best passing defenses in the league even without Darrel Revis, which I found to be very impressive. Antonio Cromartie is a shutdown corner and his play has been elevated all year to make for Revis's absence. Laron Landry has also proven to be a worthy pickup making the Jets secondary even better. Amidst their otherwise terrible offensive play, running back Shonn Greene has managed to have a pretty good season getting high volume due to their quarterback woes. Unfortunately for the Jets, the word is that Greene is going to leave in free agency leaving them with the decent, but still unproven Bilal Powell as their starting running back. The Jets are going to have to have a busy off-season if they want compete in the AFC again.

Movie Review: Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino has done it again. His latest project, Django Unchained, a spaghetti western set in slavery times is his finest work since Kill Bill Vol. 1 and the best film I've seen The Departed.

Django Unchained is about as well-rounded and deep as they come in the world of cinema. It goes from emotionally heavy to disturbing to badass to hilarious at the drop of a hat. Tarantino brilliantly paces this near three-hour film so there is never a dull moment. It's crazy that Django Unchained is 165-minutes long yet feels far shorter and never outstays it's welcome. The premise is a simple one: A slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) is granted his freedom by German dentist turned bounty hunter Dr King. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) in order to track down his former owners the Brittle Brothers ( M.C Gainey, Cooper Huckabee, and Doc Duhame.) After finding and killing the Brittle Brothers, Schultz agrees to accompany Django to Mississippi save his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washingtion) from the clutches of her twisted owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DeCaprio). Tarantino's storytelling is nothing short of masterful.  The story isn't overly complex, but it's beyond effective. It's a revenge movie with a bit of love story behind a serious backdrop that exposes in detail the atrocities of slavery. Tarantino is exploring a serious topic in an engaging and often darkly humorous way (This is honestly the funniest movie he's ever done.) It may be loaded with blood, a quest for vengeance, and a lot of humor, but he never loses sight of the importance this film has. The topic of slavery is really overlooked and kind of sugarcoated in this country. Clearly this isn't a true story, but this film does a great job of showing how ugly slavery really was. It's really hard to watch to sometimes, but I'm glad that Tarantino went for authenticity and didn't gloss over how brutal the torment slaves went under was. Slavery wasn't a glamorous time for the United States and this film gives viewers an idea of just how awful it really it was.

Besides writing an excellent script and his distinct tight direction, Tarantino did a fantastic job casting and got top-notch performances from all of his actors. Jamie Foxx captures the rough and quiet nature of Django. He's not an in-your-face character and Foxx understands that with a subtle and gritty performance. I'm glad Foxx got the role over Tarantino's first choice Will Smith. Don't get wrong I really like Will Smith as an actor, I just can't see him in this role. Leonardo DeCaprio makes a great nemesis to Django as the charming, but demented plantation owner Calvin Candie. DeCaprio completely immerses himself in the role. This marks the first time he's played the villain in a film and I would like to see him play off-type more often, he nails it here. Samuel L.Jackson also does a great job as Calvin Candie's right hand Stephen, who is the only black man that Candie trusts and despite being black, fully believes in slavery. Jackson delivers a lot of amazing lines with his signature pissed-off tone and it's just plain awesome. He is easily the funniest character in the movie and this is hands-down his best performance since Pulp Fiction. However, I found that Christoph Waltz steals the show as Django's mentor, liberator, and friend Dr. King Schultz. Waltz gives Schultz an impeccable energy and his character is loaded with charisma and sharp dialogue. His performance might even better here than it was in his breakout and Oscar-winning role as Nazi general Hands Lunda in Inglorious Basterds. In just a few short years appearing in American films, Waltz has emerged as one of the best actors in Hollywood. As he continues to mightily impress, I can see more and more high-profile roles coming his way.

Django Unchained is a truly flawless film that is the epitome of the term masterpiece. Quentin Tarantino creates a thoroughly entertaining, unexpectedly hilarious, and just plain riveting film that captivates while also exposing the horrors of slavery to modern audiences. From the first frame to the incredibly satisfying ending, This film had the special quality of giving me chills throughout. As I mentioned earlier in the review, I haven't felt that way seeing a film since The Departed in 2006. I can't wait to see it again. It's nothing short of a perfect film and has already become one of my all-time favorites. Bravo Mr. Tarantino, You've shown once again why you are the best director in the game right now.

5/5 Stars

Movie Review: This is 40

In the summer of 2007, Judd Apatow unleashed one of the funniest movies of all time in Knocked Up. Five years later, he gives two of the side characters, married couple Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) their own film. While not quite as amusing as Knocked Up, This is 40 is still a hilarious and insightful comedy. I'm glad that Judd Apatow decided to further explore Pete and Debbie. Outside of Seth Rogen's characters friends, They were the best part of Knocked Up. Their charm and hilarity carries over to this movie. They fight clearly and they have some pressing problems within their lives, but they make it work and their isn't a moment where you dislike either of them. The likeability of their characters can be attributed to how likable Rudd and Man are as actors. They are always relatable and it's pretty much a guarantee that you know someone like them It also helps that they have a easy and very natural chemistry that is amongst the best in recent film history. The biggest similarity This is 40 has to Knocked Up is a great cast of supporting characters. Albert Brooks is his usual funny self as Pete's leech father while John Lithgow plays it straight as Debbie's estranged father who's finally starting to get to know her. Jason Segel, Chris O'Dowd, and Melissa McCarthy also get big laughs in their bit parts. Hell even Megan Fox has some good lines here! Apatow has a gift for casting extremely talented comedic actors and this is no exception. Apatow is also able to balance the dramatic elements better here than in the past. Funny People's dramatic sections seemed kind of strained at times, while here they are much more fluid and better developed. This is 40 never reaches the heights of Knocked Up (nor did I expect it too because those expectations would have been far too lofty), but it's still an extremely funny and honest film. Definitely a great addition to Judd Apatow's filmography and near the top-tier of films I've seen in 2012.

4/5 Stars 

2012 in Music: A Year in Review

2012 had a tough act to follow after the incredible year that 2011 was, but it was able to hold it's own. 2012 was an especially strong year for hip-hop. I actually can't think of the last time there was this many great hip-hop albums within a single year. Of course being the metalhead that I am, 2012 produced a good amount of great metal records as well, but unfortunately it didn't really hold a candle to 2011 for the most part. A lot of acts surprised me with the quality of their records (including Whitechapel, Killer Mike, Kendrick Lamar, and Sylosis) while others disappointed mightily (Meshuggah, Nile, Baroness, Devin Townsend, All That Remains, and did I mention Baroness?). One thing that I did find impressive about 2012 was only a mere 13 full-length and 2 EP's got below a 3-star rating from me. This shows that while 2012 might not have as many top-level albums as 2011, It did give it a run for it's money in terms of depth. Well with delaying any further, Here is my list of every LP and EP I listened to 2012 from worst to best complete with star ratings.   

EP's

7.Chelsea Grin-Evolve (1.5/5)

6.TesseracT-Persepective (2.5/5)

5.Hodgy Beats-Untitled EP (3.5/5)

4.T.R.A.M-Lingua Franca (3.5/5)

3.Brother Ali-The Bite-Marked Heart (3.5/5)

2.Down-Down IV Part I: The Purple EP (3.5/5)

1.Revocation-Tertrogenesis (4/5)

LP's

80.Baroness-Yellow & Green (1.5/5)

79.The Mars Volta-Noctourniquet (2/5)

78.Curren$y-The Stoned Immaculate (2/5)

77.Soundgarden-King Animal (2/5)

76.Trash Talk-119 (2.5/5)

75.Van Halen-A Different Kind of Truth (2.5/5)

74.Chiddy Bang-Breakfast (2.5/5)

73.All That Remains-A War You Cannot Win (2.5/5)

72.The Safety Fire-Grind the Ocean (2.5/5)

71.Schoolboy Q-Habits and Contradictions (2.5/5)

70.Devin Townsend Project-Epicloud (2.5/5)

69.Sleigh Bells-Reign of Terror (2.5/5)

68.Joey Bada$$-1999 (2.5/5)

67.Lacuna Coil-Dark Adrenaline (3/5)

66.Miss May I-At Heart (3/5)

65.Thy Art Is Murder-Hate (3/5)

64.Nile-At the Gate of Sethu (3/5)

63.Meshuggah-Koloss (3/5)

62.Napalm Death-Utilitarian (3/5)

61.OFWGKTA-OF Tape Vol.2 (3/5)

60.Psycroptic-The Inherited Repression (3.5/5)

59.Big K.R.I.T-Live From the Underground (3.5/5)

58.Texas in July-Texas in July (3.5/5)

57.Jack White-Blunderbuss (3.5/5)

56.The Ghost Inside-Get What You Give (3.5/5)

55.Pig Destroyer-Book Burner (3.5/5)

54.Monuments-Gnosis (3.5/5)

53.Eluveitie-Helvetios (3.5/5)

52.Aborted-Global Flatline (3.5/5)

51.Cancer Bats-Dead Set On Living (3.5/5)

50.Glass Cloud-The Royal Thousand (3.5/5)

49.Municipal Waste-The Fatal Feast....Waste in Space (3.5/5)

48.Cannibal Corpse-Torture (3.5/5)

47.War of Ages-Return to Life (3.5/5)

46.The Acacia Strain-Death is the Only Mortal (3.5/5)

45.JJ Doom-Key to the Kuffs (3.5/5)

44.The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-Danza IIII: The Alpha- The Omega (3.5/5)

43.Frank Ocean-Channel Orange (3.5/5)

42.Shadows Fall-Fire from the Sky (3.5/5)

41.Spawn of Possession-Incurso (3.5/5)

40.Aesop Rock-Skelethon (3.5/5)

39.Macklemore and Ryan Lewis-The Heist (3.5/5)

38.Big K.R.I.T- 4eva N A Day (3.5/5)

37.Cattle Decapitation-Monolith of Inhumanity (4/5)

36.Code Orange Kids-Love Is Love// Return to Dust (4/5)

35.El-P-Cancer 4 Cure (4/5)

34.Parkway Drive-Atlas (4/5)

33.Gaza-No Absolutes In Human Suffering (4/5)

32.Testament-Dark Roots of Earth (4/5)

31.Goatwhore-Blood for the Master (4/5)

30.Hour of Penance-Sedition (4/5)

29.Gojira-L'enfant Sauvage (4/5)

28.Job for a Cowboy-Demonocracy (4/5)

27.Black Breath-Sentenced to Life (4/5)

26.3 Inches of Blood-Long Live Heavy Metal (4/5)

25.Whitechapel-Whitechapel (4/5)

24.Overkill-The Electric Age (4/5)

23.The Sword-Apocrophyon (4/5)

22.Death Grips-No Love Deep Web (4/5)

21.The Contortionist-Intrinsic (4/5)

20.Brother Ali-Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color (4/5)

19.Deftones-Koi No Yokan (4/5)

18.The HAARP Machine-Disclosure (4/5)

17.Veil of Maya-Eclipse (4/5)

16.Killer Mike- R.A.P. Music (4/5)

15.Nas-Life Is Good (4/5)

14.God Forbid-Equilibrium (4/5)

13.Converge-All We Love We Leave Behind (4/5)

12.Dying Fetus-Reign Supreme (4/5)

11.Coheed and Cambria-The Afterman: Ascension (4/5)

10.As I Lay Dying-Awakened (4/5)

9.Kendrick Lamar-good kid, m.A.A.d city (4/5)

8.Periphery-II (4/5)

7.Every Time I Die-Ex Lives (4/5)

6.High on Fire-De Vermis Mysteriis (4.5/5)

5.Sylosis-Monolith (4.5/5)

4.Lamb of God-Resolution (4.5/5)

3.The Faceless-Autotheism (4.5/5)

2.Death Grips-The Money Store (4.5/5)

1.Between The Buried and Me-The Parallax II: Future Sequence (5/5)

Albums I plan on checking out in the future:

Gorod-A Perfect Absolution

The Smashing Pumpkins-Oceania

The Offspring-Days Go By

MellowHype-Numbers

Ensiferum-Unsung Heroes

Nerousis-Honor Found in Decay

The Agonist-Prisoners

Demon Hunter-True Defiance

Kreator-Phantom Antichrist

Fear Factory-The Industrialist 

Nachtmystium-Silencing Machine

7 Horns 7 Eyes-Throes of Absolution 

Xibalba-Hasta La Murete

Unleashed-Odalheim

Alleageon-Formshifter

Chimp Spanner-All Roads Lead Here

Trioscapes-Seperate Realites

Ne Oblisicaris-Portal of I

Becoming the Archetype-I Am

Bison-Lovelessness

 

Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Nine years after the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson is back at helm for The Hobbit trilogy. If An Unexpected Journey is any indicator, This franchise will be underwhelming and not even come close to the quality of the original trilogy.

The Hobbit's really only has one problem, but it's a substantial one: It's a god damn snorefest. During it's 169-minute runtime, next to nothing happens. I mean seriously if there wasn't any action, I would've fallen asleep in the theater (Hell I might even have drifted off once or twice unbeknownst to me .) It seems that ever since the second half of Return of the King Peter Jackson has loaded his films with filler. This film never reaches the level of filler or overall boredom of his 2005 King Kong remake, but it does suffer from the same lack of excitement problem. Most of the first hour of this film is made up of the group of dwarves that Bilbo accompanies on the titular journey and Gandalf eating a meal at Bilbo's house. I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous, but that is not an exaggeration. After what seems like the longest dinner scene in movie history, It doesn't really get much more exciting. The film is essentially Bilbo and Gandalf assisting the aforementioned dwarves reclaim their home after it's taken from a dragon named Smoag. Along the way they run into trolls (which makes for one of the film's many pitiful attempts at humor), get hunted by orcs, Bilbo has an encounter with Gollum, and they set up the next film with the cheesy and somehow very popular "Villain that was presumed dead waking up> Roll credits." That pretty much sums up the movie so you don't even need to read the Wikipedia summary. This somehow chews up almost three hours of screen time (although it feels like an eternity). Although I've never read the book, Jackson shows with this bloated film that it's stupid to push out a 310-page book into a trilogy. There is probably a little under an hour of legitimate content here amongst the time-wasting pointless conversations and previously mentioned marathon potluck supper.

What almost single-handily saves this film from being a complete waste of time is the action scenes. These sequences are really the only time flashes of the original trilogy shine through. Hopefully there is more of a focus on the orc, troll, dragon, etc battles in the next two instead of the mindless, plodding, empty storytelling that plagues most of this film. I also have to praise the casting. Martin Freeman is perfectly cast as Bilbo and Ian McKellan is a great presence just as he was in the originals as Gandalf. The visuals are also impressive, but were kind of bogged by down the high-frame rate 3D format that I saw it in. The technology is pretty damn impressive, but at the same time it makes it look too realistic and I didn't like slo-mo effect it gave the film. It made some of the effects look like pure shit as well, which is kind of a shame because most of the effects are great.

The Hobbit isn't a terrible film, It's just an incredibly boring one. Peter Jackson really needs to cut down on the length and just get to the damn story and not stuff to the gills with pointless shit. I'm not writing off the franchise just yet and I'll see the other two, but An Unexpected Journey is an overlong and average film with some great action scenes.

2.5/5 Stars      

Impact of NFL Rookies

I wrote an essay for a final about the impact of rookies on the NFL season. I had lot of fun writing this and I'm really proud of the finished product. Even though it's very long, I decided to post it here and share with the readers of my blog. If you take the time read this, I really appreciate and I hope you enjoy it.

Every April, The NFL Draft is held in New York City. Over 200 young men from each draft class enter the league as rookies ready to make an impact on the professional level. Clearly some succeed and some don't. Some draft classes are going to be average and not really change the balance of power, while others are ripe with talent that change pretenders into instant contenders. The rookie class of 2012 is already proving just how talented they are early in their careers and the impact and talent levels the top rookies are possessing is nothing short of staggering.

When it comes to the game of football, no one makes a bigger impact on the game than the quarterback. The top two draft picks this year, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III have already made a huge splash in their first season in the league. Both men have turned around their teams much faster than anyone anticipated. Luck has lead the Colts back from their abysmal 2-14 record last season and proven to be a more than worthy replacement for future Hall of Famer and fellow former number one overall draft pick Peyton Manning, who was released by the Colts prior to the 2012 season after 14 seasons with the team after a serious neck injury held him out for the entire 2011 season (Manning is now the quarterback for the Denver Broncos). Luck has already made more of an immediate impact than Manning. Just this past Sunday, Luck became the first quarterback to be drafted number one overall to win eight games in his rookie season. Luck's stats this year have cemented him as an instant star. Going into Week 14 of the Regular season, He's fourth in the league in passing yards, ahead of superstars such as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Despite throwing 16 interceptions (including eight in the past five games), Luck has thrown 17 touchdowns and added an additional five rushing touchdowns. Luck has wowed the NFL with his stellar play and has put the extremely young Colts team in the playoff hunt far sooner than anyone expected. Robert Griffin III (also known as RG3) has also exhibited elite skills and had great success in his debut year in the NFL. Unlike Luck who was lauded to be the best quarterback prospect to enter the NFL in years, there was some skepticism amongst scouts about Griffin's game translating to the NFL. No one doubted his athleticism, but some scouts were worried he wouldn't be able to adapt to the bigger, stronger, faster defenses in the NFL because of the short pass heavy offense he ran in college at Baylor. Griffin has already completely silenced his critics with his incredible arm, poise, intelligence, and rushing ability. Going into Week 14, Griffin is tied for fifth in the league for completion percentage (67%), ahead of established greats including Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Tom Brady. Griffin has thrown 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions and proven to be incredibly dangerous in the running game as well with 714 yards and six touchdowns. The Redskins are currently 6-6 and are currently on a three-game win streak catapulted by the return of Griffin's favorite wide receiver, Pierre Garcon, who missed six games with a lingering foot injury. Garcon's presence has been a vital key to Griffin's success this year. The Redskins are 5-1 when Garcon has played and just 1-5 when he has been out. Griffin has finally brought a long-suffering Redskins the franchise quarterback they have lacked for much of the past two decades.

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III haven't been the only rookie quarterbacks to set the league ablaze this season, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has also made a major impression with his stellar play this season. Unlike Luck and Griffin, Wilson was a third-round draft pick who was not the starter going into training camp. Wilson was able to win the job over veteran quarterback Matt Flynn during the preseason. Flynn was brought in as a free agent and was supposed to be the Seahawks starter for the foreseeable future, but Wilson's strong play made quite the impression and head coach Pete Carroll gave him the starting job. Wilson has made the most of his opportunity as the starting quarterback. Through Week 14, he is leading all rookies with 19 touchdowns and has yet to lose a game on his home field of Qwest Field in Seattle. His play has taken a bit of the offensive pressure off their elite running back Marshawn Lynch and given their offense a more balanced attack. Their more balanced offense that runs through Wilson is a major reason the Seahawks are 7-5 (it could be debated they should be 6-6 because of their controversial win over the Packers in Week 3 at the hand of a blown call by the replacement referees.) and contending for a playoff spot. Though he hasn't been getting the attention that Luck and Griffin have received, Russell Wilson has been just as vital to his team's success.

Quarterback is far from the only offensive position where rookies have been an impact. Rookie running backs have made a huge impact as well. The running back class has been lead by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Doug Martin and the Washington Redskins' Alfred Morris. These men are ironically tied for third in the league in rushing yards with 1,106. Their success is about the only thing these two dynamic rookie backs have in common. Martin was a late first-round pick (31st overall) who was the expected starter going into the season. He is a relatively small, but strong back with a knack for making big plays. His small stature and powerful running style has earned him the nickname of “The Muscle Hamster.” Martin even came close to setting an NFL single-game rushing record with his 250 yard, four touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9. Morris, on the other hand, was a late sixth-round draft pick out of small college Florida Atlantic who really emerged out of nowhere. He was expected to be the third or fourth-string back this season, but after the release of veteran Tim Hightower, an injury to last year's starter Roy Helu, and the poor performance of second-year back Evan Royster in the preseason, Morris was given a chance to start and he thrived immediately. Morris has emerged as a powerful running back who burns defenses in small chunks. He won't break out for huge runs most of the time, but he has hurt defenses with relatively consistent five-to seven yard gains on every carry. His play along with fellow standout rookie Robert Griffin III has made the Redskins instant playoff contenders after years at the bottom of the league. Martin and Morris might have different running styles, but they have shared similar success and already cemented themselves as two of the top running backs in the league while bringing back their previously hurting teams back to relevance .

Despite not being as successful as Martin or Morris and having a slightly disappointing season, Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson has also showed a good amount of success thus far in the NFL. The expectations were unreal for him coming out of college and being touted by scouts as the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson (who is arguably the best active NFL running back) ensured he was not going live up to those massive expectations out of the gate. That being said, Richardson has performed well rushing for 827 yards through Week 14, and has been one of the few bright spots on a lowly 4-8 Browns team. He is currently on pace to become the first Cleveland running to back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Jamal Lewis in 2008. Richardson has shown quite a bit of the potential that earned him so much hype coming into this season and as he continues to grow, he could very well end up being the top back he was made out to be when he was drafted.

Though offensive players have made the biggest impact amongst rookies this season, rookie defensive players haven't exactly been slouches. The defensive standouts this year had the daunting task of following the 2011 draft class which produced such defensive heavyweights as Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, Houston Texans defensive end J.J Watt, San Fransisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith, and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson. While not quite as talented as last year's insanely gifted class, this year has seen solid production for rookie defenders. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly has been the standout for this year. He is currently fourth in the league with 114 tackles and has played a key role in improving Carolina's defense from last in the league in 2011 to 14th in 2012. Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin, New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones, and Houston Texans linebacker Whitney Marcelius have all made ample contributions as well. All three of them are great pass rushers that are amongst the top 50 in the league in sacks. Irvin was seen by many as the most questionable pick in the first round of the draft, but has silenced his critics by getting seven sacks so far this season and giving the already great Seahawks defense another weapon to terrorize opposing quarterbacks with. Jones has bolstered the previously awful Patriots defensive line giving them their first legitimate pass rusher since Richard Seymour was traded after the 2008 season. Jones has six sacks so far this year (he has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, but is set to return for this week's game against the Houston Texans) and looks primed to be a force for the Patriots for years to come. Marcelius has been overshadowed in Houston by the absolutely incredible season defensive end J.J Watt has had, but Marcelius has contributed his fair share to the Texans as well. He has five sacks this season and has helped the Texans defense continue to be one of the best in the league even after the season-ending injury to star linebacker Brian Cushing and the departure of two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro defensive end Mario Williams to the Buffalo Bills in the offseason.

This season has proved to be one of the best for rookies in my lifetime. I can't remember the last time there were this many rookies that shook up the league and made an instant impact. The talent of guys like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Doug Martin, Alfred Morris, and Russell Wilson is just astonishing. These guys are already looking like future hall of-famers and they have just started playing. Saying these guys have bright careers ahead of them would be a gross understatement. These are the type of guys you build a franchise around and win championships with. The 2012 draft class has exposed some of the most exciting and exceptional players the NFL has seen in a long time and I can't wait to see what type of legacy these guys build up over the next decade or so.

Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph

 

Video games have always been a huge part of my life. I've been playing them ever since I was 5 and I don't think there will ever be a time in my life where I stop playing them. So naturally with my enjoyment of video games, I was excited to check out Wreck-It Ralph which is centered around video games. Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with Wreck-It Ralph. It is definitely an affectionate and well-animated throwback to old-school gaming which I appreciated, but besides that I really didn't find much to like here. It's not particularly funny at all and it relies heavily on tired fart jokes which is very uncharacteristic of Disney's animated films. Clearly I'm not expecting ever kids film to have razor-sharp wit and absolutely hilarious jokes, but about 90% of the humor in this film misses the mark. The emotional elements to the story are also really overdone and cheesy. It is occasionally touching and sweet, but a lot of time it's melodramatic to a ridiculous extent and takes away from the few moments that actually make an emotional connection. The biggest failure of Wreck-It Ralph though is it's inability to create characters that I actually cared about. Ralph (voiced by John C.Reilly) is just about the only character that I had any kind of attachment to, but that only lasted for the first half-hour when it's focused on his origins as a villain (and his desire to stop being the bad guy) before he meets the incredibly obnoxious Vaneople Von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) and gets thrown to the way side. I normally like Silverman, but her presence here was obnoxious and I couldn't stand when Von Schweetz was on screen. If they hadn't included Von Schweetz and the whole subplot with her game Sugar Rush and just focused strictly on Ralph, I probably would've liked it a lot better. Wreck-It Ralph really is just a wasted opportunity. It had potential to be a fun nostalgic trip back to 8-bit gaming, but it's lack of strong characters, laughs, and a solid script really squander any of the fun that could've been had and what we're left with is just average .

2.5/5 Stars

Movie Review: Silver Linings Playbook

Every and once a while a movie will come along and genuinely move you and make you feel like a winner upon leaving the theater, Silver Linings Playbook is one of those films.

From start to finish, Silver Linings Playbook is absolutely brilliant. I figured this would be a strong film, but I didn't except it to come out and completely floor me. Writer/director David O. Russell (The Fighter, I Heart Huckabees) is able to write one of the most heartfelt, funny, honest and just plain best scripts in recent memory. Russell manages to expertly balance comedy and drama while creating characters that seem like they are real people in real situations. Writing genuine, realistic characters is one of the most difficult things to do in Hollywood, but Russell make it look effortless here. He also manages the story very well and his attention to detail is impeccable. There's a lot going on the whole movie, but nothing is underdeveloped or feels rushed or crammed in with no purpose or explanation. As good as the writing is, the power of Silver Linings Playbook is driven home by the acting. The whole cast is just pitch-perfect and they pretty much all deserve Oscar nominations, if not Oscar wins. Bradley Cooper absolutely nails his role as the main character Pat, who is severely bipolar and has been put in a mental facility after attacking the man who he caught having an affair with his wife. Cooper, who I believe is the single most underrated modern actor, gives such life, likability and emotional depth to this character. Pat is an incredibly flawed character, but you are rooting for him to conquer his issues at every turn no matter how ugly it gets. Cooper's performance is the best I've seen all year and I really want him to see win an Oscar for this role. Jennifer Lawrence also shines as the other lead Tiffany, who is also mentally unstable after the death of her husband and establishes a powerful bond with Pat. Lawrence beat out actresses that are ten year her senior and for good reason, She has acting chops and maturity that are far beyond her years. She puts everything she has into every performance and with this performance further solidifies herself not only as one of the best young actresses in Hollywood, but one of the best overall working actresses. It was also great to see Robert De Niro back in top form. His work as Pat's OCD, Philladelphia Eagles-obsessed father is his best work in at least a decade. Seeing vintage De Niro come out after a long absence made this already amazing film that much better. Silver Linings Playbook is a touching, hilarious, emotionally strong, engaging, and most importantly, authentic film that is a contender for the best film that I've seen in 2012 thus far. Please go see this movie, It's brilliant and I can't remember the last time I left a movie theater feeling this good.

4.5/5 Stars 

50 Best NFL Player Names

It's been a while since I made a list post, So I figured I would remedy that situation by bringing you fine people the dumbest idea for a list I've had to date. This is a list of what I believe are the 50 best names of active NFL players. One note before I post the list, I excluded players who go by ridiculous nicknames (ex. Pacman Jones, Bear Pascoe). With further ado, Here are my picks for the 50 best names of NFL players.

50.Paul Posluszny (Jacksonville Jaguars)

49.Mohammad Sanu (Cincinnati Bengals)

48.Ben Hartsock (Carolina Panthers)

47.Guy Whimper (Jacksonville Jaguars)

46.Dan Orlovsky (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

45.Darnell Dockett (Arizona Cardinals)

44.Juqua Parker (Cleveland Browns)

43.Ras-l Dowling (New England Patriots)

42.Olindo Mare (Chicago Bears)

41.Ryan Succop (Kansas City Chiefs)

40.Sione Puha (New York Jets)

39.Jeremy Trueblood (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

38.Haloti Ngata (Baltimore Ravens)

37.Tarvaris Jackson (Buffalo Bills)

36.Cortland Finnegan (St.Louis Rams)

35.Winston Justice (Indianapolis Colts)

34.Dexter McCluster (Kansas City Chiefs)

33.Atari Bigby (San Diego Chargers)

32.Kevin Ogletree (Dallas Cowboys)

31.Davone Bess (Miami Dolphins)

30.Benjarvus Green-Ellis (Cincinnati Bengals)

29.Brock Osweiler (Denver Broncos)

28.Stephen Hauschka (Seattle Seahawks)

27.Leonard Hankerson (Washington Redskins)

26.Shaun Suisham (Pittsburgh Steelers)

25.Golden Tate (Seattle Seahawks)

24.Jarmarca Sanford (Minnesota Vikings)

23.Mathais Kiwanuka (New York Giants)

22.Billy Bajema (Baltimore Ravens)

21.Plaxico Burress (Pittsburgh Steelers)

20.Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos)

19.Zoltan Mesko (New England Patriots)

18.Montario Hardesty (Cleveland Browns)

17.Brady Poppinga (Dallas Cowboys)

16.Michael Hoomanawnui (New England Patriots)

15.Richie Incognito (Miami Dolphins)

14.Roscoe Parrish (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

13.LaRod Stephens-Howling (Arizona Cardinals)

12.Dane Sanzenbacher (Chicago Bears)

11.Jaquizz Rodgers (Atlanta Falcons)

10.J.R Sweazy (Seattle Seahawks)

9.Devin Aromashodu (Minnesota Vikings)

8.Yerimah Bell (New York Jets)

7.Leodis McKelvin (Buffalo Bills)

6.John Kuhn (Green Bay Packers)

5.Shaun Draughn (Kansas City Chiefs)

4.Kai Forbath (Washington Redskins)

3.Sherrick McMannis (Chicago Bears)

2.Frank Zombo (Green Bay Packers)

1.D'Brickshaw Ferguson (New York Jets)

Album Review: The HAARP Machine-Disclosure

British act The HAARP Machine has gained a lot of buzz amongst the metal community simply by signing with the upstart (and often both heavily praised and criticized) record label Sumerian Records. Their long-awaited and also long-delayed debut album, Disclosure, shows that Sumerian has added another quality up-and-coming band to their ranks.

The HAARP Machine is a mainly progressive metal band with hints of technical death metal, jazz fusion, and Middle-Eastern influences. The progressive and death metal aspects of their sound compliment each other very nicely. The heavier death metal elements to their sound, while rarely the main focus of their sound, are well-executed and make them standout from a lot of the other new wave progressive metal acts. What struck me the most about The HAARP Machine though was the guitarwork and vocals. Guitarist Al'Mumin completely shreds to say the least. You can hear a lot of influence from his Middle-Eastern background as well as contemporary progressive rock and metal acts in his playing, which is awesome. He has influences from all across the board musically and it shows in his dynamic style of playing. Besides guitar, He also plays sitar, which gives The HAARP Machine a really distinct sound and a lot more room to experiment with instrumentation. Al'Mumin has already established himself as one of the great modern metal guitarists with his unique style of playing and amazing technical abilities. Adding to the diversity in their sound is vocalist Michael Semsky. Semsky's clean vocals are very powerful and would fit in perfectly with any traditional progressive rock act while his screams are full of extreme metal intensity. It's rare that you see a vocalist with that type of drastic contrast, but Semsky absolutely nails both melodic singing and death growls.

The best moments of Disclosure are when all of The HAARP Machine's influences converge. Album opener "Esoteric Agenda" shows just that. It opens with a sitar before shifting into a progressive metal anthem with a couple bursts of screaming. The album keeps plugging right along with "Lower the Populace" which leans more towards their tech-death side and is arguably the heaviest thing on this followed by the single "Pleidian  Keys" which again is The HAARP Machine at their finest throwing curveballs and crafting well-written and exciting progressive metal. The album takes a little bit of a lull in the middle with some solid, but overall not spectacular tracks before closing strong with "Extension to One" and the epic closer "Machine Over" which features the best solo of the whole record from Al'Mumin, jarring shifts from beautiful, atmospheric prog to punishing tech death and a great hook that will be beaten into your head immediately.

Disclosure is an impressive debut for these young Brits also known as The HAARP Machine. These guys are super talented, expertly balanced the progressive and death metal sides of their sounds without sacrificing the power of either side of their sound, and most importantly, have created an album full of ambition and great songwriting. Really the only issue Disclosure has is that it's too damn short with only eight tracks and clocking in at just under 35 minutes. I have a feeling with Sumerian backing them and the right exposure on tour, The HAARP Machine is going to be the next big thing in progressive metal. Disclosure is a hell of a way for The HAARP Machine to make a first impression and very well could be the best debut album of 2012.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Machine Over
2.Lower the Populace
3.Pleiadian Keys 

Update

I'm in the midst of my finals so I unfortunately haven't had the time to post anything. I'm going to try and post something next week, but I promise I will make up for my absence of posts starting on the 14th when I'm done with school for the semester. I have reviews for Silver Linings Playbook and some album reviews in the works right now as well as year-end lists and if all things go according to plan, reviews for Django Unchained, This is 40, and The Hobbit when they are released. Thanks for reading and I look forward to coming back to writing and reviewing with a vengeance.

Chris Maitland 

December in Film

December brings a close to a great year of films. It also brings a slate of very intriguing movies to end the year on. Here are my thoughts on the crop of December releases.

Films I want to see:
6.The Guilt Trip (12/19)-This movie looks like a good old-fashioned, fun,  road trip comedy. The trailer is amusing, Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand seem like are a great comedy pairing, and writer Dan Fogelman wrote last year's surprisingly very funny Crazy, Stupid, Love. Should be an enjoyable comedy that is perfect for the holiday season.

5.The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12/14)- I am no where near as excited as I should be for The Hobbit, but since I loved the first Lord of the Rings movies, I will absolutely still see this.

4.Jack Reacher (12/21)-Tom Cruise is back in ass-kicking mode, which is always a good thing. This is a cool-looking thriller with an interesting premise and a proven writer/director in Christopher McQuarrie. Sounds like a winner to me.

3.Zero Dark Thirty (12/19 limited)-Katheryn Bigelow follows up The Hurt Locker with a film about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Naturally with Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal teamed again on a military thriller, There is a lot of potential for another brilliant movie to be made. The outstanding early reception has pretty much confirmed my hunch to be true.

2.This is 40 (12/21)-Judd Apatow is one of my favorite directors of all-time and another chapter of the Paul Rudd/Leslie Mann characters from Knocked Up. Besides Rudd, Mann, and Jason Segel returning, The cast adds a lot of talent including John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, Chris O'Dowd, and Mellisa McCarthy. This is one of my anticipated movies of the year and if It's even half as good as Knocked Up, I will be happy.

1.Django Unchained (12/25)-This is not only my most anticipated of the month, It's my most anticipated of the whole year. Saying I'm excited for this movie would be a gross understatement. Quentin Tarantino is my favorite director of all-time, the plot/trailer are amazing, and the cast is full of amazing actors including Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo Decaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, and Jonah Hill. I'll be stunned if this isn't one of the best movies of the year.

Films I'm not sure about:
Parental Guidance (12/25)-It seems harmless enough and it's good to see Billy Crystal back on the big screen, but it doesn't really look like anything special.

Films I have zero interest in:
Playing for Keeps (12/7)-Despite a pretty talented cast, This about as stale and generic-looking as romantic comedies come.

Les Miserables (12/25)-Here comes my musical bias again, Musicals are my kryptonite