Skullduggary

 

Like most folks in their 30's, I played a lot of Nintendo back in the day. Besides Super Mario Brothers, probably the famous game from that era would be Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Is that the reason I finally got around to watching James Toback's documentary, Tyson? Of course it is.

I'll admit, I probably know as much about boxing now as I did then. Actually, I probably knew more then, as I did beat Tyson himself in the game. As a sports fan in general, I'm definitely aware of the great boxers and have seen them in action at some point. Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson, Sugar Ray, Apollo Creed, Mayweather, Da La Hoya, Clubber Lang, Holyfield. I've seen clips of them all, most notably Ali.

I've seen vintage clips of Tyson, but unfortunately those get lost behind things like public outbursts, threatening reporters, arrests, biting ears off in the ring, and that tattoo on the face. Clips of his loss to Buster Douglas in 1990 perhaps still overshadows the years before that, when an undefeated Tyson dominated opponents.

Before I say anything else about this documentary, let's talk about the boxing. Tyson wasn't just a power puncher, his speed and defensive skills were nothing less than unbelievable. When you go back and watch these old clips, the first thing you will notice is the blinding speed. It's incredible. While there have been amazing fighters throughout history, no other boxer has put so much fear into their opponents. When you watch the documentary, you'll see the looks on these fighters faces in the minutes leading up to the bouts. They're absolutely terrified. They've already resigned themselves to the fact that they'll lose, and now their legitimate fear is literally living to fight another day.

Understand though, this is not a documentary about boxing, it's about the mind of a madman. Tyson expresses regret, but never seeks absolution. Instead, you get a surprisingly moving insight into the anger, abuse, and sexual deviance. In fact, the words of Jedi Master Yodi never rang more true.

'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering'

I recently listened to an interview with infamous NFL star Bill Romanowski. Much like Tyson, Romanowski owned up to his destructive behavior and was finally being honest in putting his life into perspective. Both athletes contributed their anger to fear. A very deep, dark fear. I have a very similar story involving snakes.

If you're interested, you can stream the documentary via Netflix.

The Age Of The Instant (My favorite things from the last decade)

So, to preface - a few of things may have been invented in the 90's, but didn't become prevalent until this decade.

Here we go...

Digital Video Disk - I remember seeing you in a small little bin in the Best Buy toward the end of the last decade, but your players were $500 plus. Not to mention, only Blockbuster's in upscale neighborhoods bothered to stock a few of you. But baby, over the last ten years, you've brought the noise. So much in fact, that you're already on your way out, compliments of HDTV and Sony's Blu-Ray format.

For a while you were the man. Highest quality sound and video, more room for extras, interactive content, commentaries, and alternate ending. Plus, I could also store two of you for every one video cassette on the bookshelf. Perhaps best of all, I could now watch full TV seasons. Twas beautiful.








It used to be that One Hour Photo was the quickest way to enjoy your fun photos. Maybe you were on vacation, drunk, little Suzie's birthday, you know, whatever. 'Let's run them down to the pharmacy, I've got a few errands to run, anyway. We can just wait for them.'

Well, in the age of the instant, is there anything better than the digital camera? No more ruining the film, or being let down when the photo didn't take or turn out well… no more film, no more shoe boxes of pics. Nope, now you're only limited by the size of your hard drive. Hell, most of us have camera on our phones now.











Sticking with technology, Apple's imac and ibook G4 were definitely great ways to spend your time computing. With the base unit and swivel screen the virgin white imac worked as smooth and clean as it looked.












Also, the 14 inch ibook was a great, and in some ways superior choice to the more upscaled Powerbook. Comfortable design, nice size screen, yet still compact. The white casing helped keep it cooler then the Powerbooks, so you didn't have to worry about setting your jeans on fire.









Apple didn't stop here, in fact, perhaps their greatest contribution to technology came along in the form of the ipod, which eventually would bring about the iphone.













'All of your music in one place, one device. Can you play it in your car? Yep. At home through your stereo? Yep. And, look! This is called itunes and you can buy all of your media here and it works seamlessly with your ipod.'

As the CD heading toward the light, and record stores became graveyards, itunes gave us the feel and excitement of browsing a record store without ever leaving your house. While some thought itunes would devalue, or make the concept of an 'album' obsolete, the ability to buy singles made me feel like a kid buying 45's or cassingles. Oh yeah, key word is buy, not download for free. Way to go, Lord Jobs.

The talk of wizards such as Steve Jobs, brings me to the next stop on our list - Hogwarts. That's right, even though he made his debut before the year 2000, Harry Potter has been a big part of the last 10 years. Between the books and it's big screen counterparts, most of us have been 'bewitched' (ba dum dump), by the magical world created by JK Rowling.

If you've read the books, then you've seen the movies. If you've seen the movies, you may not have read the books. If not, then what the hell are you waiting for?

As the books grew longer and the plot thickened, the movies did there best to keep up. At this point, they assume most folks have read the books and get it. However, if you haven't, well - you've missed a lot of shit. A lot. Important characters and story lines have been completely omitted and major events have to altered to compensate.

JK Rowling's writing is brilliant. There's no wasted words and no meaningless details. Everything has purpose, and each book adds value and relevance to the others in the series.













Now, after you've finished reading all the Harry Potter books, let's talk about some television. I loved TV shows in the 80's, but I was just a kid. Although, there were some great shows back then. Now, the 90's… um, they didn't give us shit. Except for 'Friends'. Well, and 'Seinfeld' - can't forget that. However, the last decade could be considered a return to the 'golden age' of TV.

24, Alias, Lost, The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire are all great examples of the compelling and daring storytelling that came across the tube over the past ten years. Mad Men, Big Love, the list goes on.













But, wait. How do I go back and watch these shows? Are they in syndication? No, but have you heard of Netflix? If's definitely one of my favorite contributions of this decade. Keep the discs as long as you want, no late fees. Perfect for making your way through a series.












Okay, now some folks will definitely argue this next item on the list, but let's be honest - would this decade be the same without one, Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. Winner of three Super Bowls, impregnator of super models, and just better at life then everyone else. Rumor is that he was spawned from the loins of Zeus himself. Just be thankful that Tom doesn't want to have sex with your wife or daughter. It was be like trying to stop a asteroid with a wiffle ball.










The final item on my list has to be (drum roll), Sony's Playstation 3. I remember when the PS3 came out at for a small price of $600. I thought, damn - guess I'm SOL. But, a few years later the price came down and with the combination of HD DVD/Blu-Ray Player and gaming, it became a reasonable expense. However, it's more than just those things. What it is, is a complete media center capable of all sorts of bad assery.

System updates, firmware updates, the PS Store with movies, games, and shows for easy download. Not to mention add-ons. Also, it now supports Netflix streaming.

Oh yeah, and you can play DJ Hero.

You complete me...

Over the past few years, several great shows have made their mark on television. I'm not just talking premium cable, either. Even better, the DVD/Netflix combination has made it possible to bring these shows home. So, now you don't always have to watch in real time or syndication. Instead, you can watch a season a week and even an entire series in a month.

As Fall approaches and the days get shorter, here are some shows to keep you comfy and reality free in the evening. Even better, these are completed series, so resolution awaits you.

Alias -












Okay, so I was a long time hold out of this show. What little screen time I'd seen of Jennifer Garner, in particular '13 Going On 30', had left me wondering what all the hub bub was about.

It wasn't until I saw the JJ Abram's Mission Impossible 3, along with a recommendation from a friend, that I decided to give it a shot.

Take whatever reservations you may have and toss them aside. If you like the storytelling of Lost, then you'll definitely appreciate it's predecessor. Honestly, even though Lost has yet to run it's course, I believe that Alias is the better show. Suspenseful, action packed, dramatic, and at times humorous, you'll find it hard not to watch 3-4 episodes per night.

I implore you, give Jennifer a chance kick her way into your heart. The show will grab you in the opening scene, promise.

The Shield -












FX's breakthrough drama ended it's run last Fall, but I'm still haunted he series finale. It's like, someone ran my emotions through a juicer.

I've already blogged about this show in the past, so I'll keep it short. The last five minutes of the pilot episode sets the stage for the rest of the series. It sets the timer, and then winds down to the series finale where it all finally explodes.

Pulling for a bad guy has never been so much fun.



Battlestar Galactica -












The name alone isolates an audience. Then, for those who are old enough, there's the image Dirk Benedict and Lorne Greene fighting those clunky ass Cylons. Cheese whiz in space.

Well, fuck all that. Start with the mini-series and settle in to the one of the best shows ever written.

For more info, see the 'Trying to get regular' post.




The Wire -










Brilliant. I mean, I'd heard so many great things about this show, that I was determined to find fault. Sure, there are some things I didn't like about the story, but that was the story. You are an observer, and these characters aren't there for your entertainment.

It did take me awhile to get fully involved in the show. It was a slow burn, but once you're hooked, you'll be glad that you stuck around.


24 -












Well, technically this show has not ended, but most 24 fans will tell you that it's long been over. Personally, I think the end of season 4 should be the stopping point for newbies.

Let's face it though. How many times can you make the real time scenario work? How much shock and awe can you deliver before it becomes predictable or just ridiculous? The show is a victim of it's own success, and in turn has become a parody of itself.

However, the first 4 seasons maybe some of the best 96 hours in television history. After that, just walk away.