RealityChuck

The best time travel film* since 12 Monkeys and maybe best SF films since then. Nice handling of the time paradox issues and, for a change, a film that required some thought to appreciate. I put it on my Nebula Ballot, and will probably give it my vote if it comes up. *Safety Not Guaranteed is a close second.

Edgy MD wrote: And again, please complete by naming another Met. Oops. I'll go with the immortal Shaun Fitzmaurice

After retiring, he moved to London and started collecting art. His galleries are world famous.

The stepmother here is among Disney's best villains for her nasty passive-aggressive manipulation. "You're useless -- just teasing!"

I like the movie a lot. You have to understand where it's coming from -- it's all in a stylized dreamlike setting (note how often Anderson used the same shot of a character in the precise center of the screen looking right at you). The characters were quirky and I loved how it had it's own internal logic. It wasn't a comedy, in the sense that there was much there to make you laugh out loud. But it did make me smile a lot and the more I think about it, the more I like it. Extra half point for the use of Benjamin Britten's music (which was an interesting choice, given Britten's history*). *Britten was in love with my father and dedicated a song to him. Britten had a strong attraction to preteen boys, though he was strictly "imagine but don't touch."

It grew tiresome toward the middle, but then picked up and overall was a very good film. The twist on the zombies made it all work.

Excellent film; quirky without going overboard. I gave it a Nebula vote.

I wouldn't mind signing Chris Young. He pitched OK and seemed to be getting better by September as his arm healed. He'd be a good option as the fifth starter.

Jack Hamilton? Tony Conigliaro won't be happy.

It's well worth a shot. The Blue Jays are giving up a lot. They may not pan out, but you could also sign Dickey and discover he no longer has the magic (the speed of his knuckler was a major factor in his success, and he may end up throwing it more slowly as he ages, making more hittable). Nothing is certain in baseball. In this case, you fill the hole at catcher for next year and for years beyond, a pitcher who might be as effective as Dickey by the time he comes up, and save the money you would have had to have paid R.A. to search for an outfielder. I'm sorry to see him go and would love to see him as a Met, but this is a chance to build a winner without him instead of losing with him.

Edgy MD wrote: I think the notion that the Mets rush their prospects if overstated, and most of the evidence supporting it is left over from the Minaya/Bernazard era.Matt Harvey. Only twenty games in AAA.

Frayed Knot wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: D'Arnaud did injure his PCL last June, keeping him out until almost the end of the AAA season. Right, but also avoided surgery and only missed the remainder of the season because it was already closing in on end of the season. If he's not on the opening day roster through choice that's one thing, although he has had almost 800 PAs in the upper (AA + AAA) minors at this point. I thought the implication was that the injury would keep him out.I saw that they get to control him an extra year if they wait until June to bring him up. The Mets always rush prospects. It'd be better if they start out D'Artagnan in the minors and bring him up later.

His career path. Most articles I've seen indicate he's not quite ready to jump to the majors, since his year in AAA was cut short.

D'Arnaud is the big catch, but he won't catch for the Mets until at least midseason. Current rumors have Thole going to replace him; that leave the Mets with Mike Nickeas and whatever sub-.200 catcher still available as a free agent. Is Hobie Landrith still available? Because without a catcher, you're likely to have a lot of passed balls.

KxP Strikes vs pitcher. The percentage of strikes against a batter for each pitcher he faces.

Blonde Zooey. What was the point of that? At least they let her sing. But I wish the film had followed up on the cleverness of the North Pole scenes instead of going for the obvious.

Same ground, perhaps, but they did it well, and all Christmas movies cover the same ground, don't they? Elf started out excellently, but the second he left the North Pole, it turned to utter mediocre crap.

Only From Russia with Love and Goldfinger are memorable in any way (or, rather, in any good way*). Russia is better, though Goldfinger is fun. The Daniel Craig Casino Royale wins for most boring Bond film; it made the David Niven version actually seem good. *There are memorably stupid moments in many, like the underwater battle in Thunderball, the spaceship eater in Moonraker and Yaphet Kotto's really bizarre performance in Live and Let Die

Edgy MD wrote: I'm getting that "Arthur Christmas" is a weak pun on "Father Christmas" --- Santa Claus's more popular British title. Tell me please that the film has a higher standard for jocularity than is indicated by this title.Definitely a very funny film. I had to pay close attention to avoid missing the jokes. And like most Aardman films*, the humor comes from the characterization, not from any single line. Here's the trailer: 7tk-WZSqIGQ *Chicken Run Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (and the Wallace and Gromit short subjects) Flushed Away Pirates! Band of Misfits!

For my money, the best Christmas movie since A Christmas Story. Great story, with plenty of humor and some real heart. Nice voice cast, too: Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy (who seems to appear in every film made in the UK these days -- and has yet to make a bad one), Imelda Staunton and Ramona Marquez (shown below). This was another hit for Aardman Animation, whose track record is at least as good as Pixar's as far as quality is concerned. Better because they never did anything as mediocre as Cars. 52RPLfJFFP8

MFS62 wrote: I don't care Who's on first or What's on second, as long as David Wright's on third. (Well, I do, but it doesn't flow.) LaterI don't know about that.

From the list: The Ten Commandments (1956) Doctor Zhivago (1965) The Exorcist (1973) Avatar (2009) The Jungle Book (1967) Love Story (1970) Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Airport (1970) The Robe (1953) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Towering Inferno (1974) The Passion of the Christ (2004) The Sixth Sense (1999) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Smokey and the Bandit (1977) Lawrence of Arabia (1962) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Twister (1996) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) Duel in the Sun (1946) House of Wax (1953) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

MFS62 wrote: Sandy probably didn't want to repeat the old "having two Bob Millers on the same roster" thingie. LaterOr the Bobby Jones issue. Though I'd love for the Mets to go for three.

Edgy DC wrote: Is there a fully realized John Sayles movie? Folks praise virtually everything he does, but there's usually a "but" in there (though not for Chuck, above).For Sayles, Lone Star, The Secret of Roan Innish, and Men With Guns (his best) fit the criteria. Silver City is his weakest. It's too political and strident, even for someone like me who disliked George W. Bush.

OK. Here are my comments on the ones I've seen: 48. Ed Wood (1994) -- nice film for anyone who loves movies, along with fine performances by Depp and Landau 47. Starship Troopers (1997) -- Stupid, stupid, stupid film. And, no, it's not satire. 44. Metropolitan (1990) -- Likable entertainment. Quirky without going overboard with it. 40. Trainspotting (1996) -- Harrowing drama. 37. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) -- nice adaptation. The Alec Baldwin part was added for the movie, and gets the most notice, but Jack Lemmon is terrific. 36. L.A. Confidential (1997) -- Nice noirish mystery, much like Chinatown. 33. The Matrix (1999) -- Second-rate remake of Dark City (shot on the same sets and using the same idea to lesser effect). The effects are great, but can't hide the fact that the movie is puerile and about as deep as a wading pool 28. Election (1999) -- OK film, but not a great one. 27. Short Cuts (1993) -- One of Atman's best. Few do interweaving stories better. 24. Crumb (1994) -- First-class bio. 21. Fargo (1995) -- would be second on my list. Good story, memorable characters. 20. Red (1994) -- most overrated film of the decade. The weakest of the trilogy -- and the other two were no great shakes, either. 16. The Big Lebowski (1998) -- decent, but not one of the Coens' best. Rambles too much 15. Groundhog Day (1993) -- Possibly the best romantic comedy of the decade. 13. Boogie Nights (1997) -- Good, but there were many better. 10. Being John Malkovich (1999) -- a great film. This would be my number three. 9. Rushmore (1998) -- Meh. At least it started giving Bill Murray some good roles. 7. Reservoir Dogs (1992) -- Excellent filmmaking. 6. Out Of Sight (1998) -- Most underrated film of the decade. A terrific story, great performances. 4. Dazed And Confused (1993) -- mildly interesting. 3. Toy Story 2 (1999) -- One of the best animated films, though The Iron Giant is #1 for the decade 2. Pulp Fiction (1994) -- Best film of the decade.