Vic Sage

the story is like THE DONNER PARTY but without the cannibalism, right?

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS is particularly good in that respect.

straw man much? You don't discredit a demonstrable statistical truth by tarring it with absurd absolutes. Nobody but an idiot says a pitcher has "no bearing" on wins or a hitter on RBIs. What we've learned is that those, like many other, stats are more context-dependent than past observers of the game have been willing to admit to, and that there are other statistics that are better able to measure individual achievement in a team sport than are "wins" or "RBI".

actually, i did see IDENTITY, now that i recall. It was pretty good, and its exactly the kind of movie i'm talking about. although Amanda Peet didn't show her boobies, and she should have. They're very nice.

. How 'bout that one where Picard lives a whole lifetime as a flute player in the space of a few seconds? i love that episode. But yes, that's why i didn't want to get into TV, because SO many individual episodes of of many fantasy/sf/horror series use it as a concept for 1 or more episodes, that we'd just be talking about tv shows. And i want to hear about movies. as for TIME BANDITS, the "it was all just a dream" thing only happens near the end (if i recall correctly) and then gets immediately reversed when Kevin's parents get blown up by a chunk of evil in the oven. The fact is Kevin never doubted the reality of his adventure for 99% of it, and then the ending proves he was right, so i don't think it counts. BACK TO THE FUTURE? maybe i'm misremembering but isn't MJFox completely aware that he's time travelling? oh, and speaking of TWILIGHT ZONE (alot of their plots did this), there was AN OCCURENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE, which was shown as part of the series but was actually produced independently as a short film. it also reminds me of CARNIVAL OF SOULS, early 60s B&W horror movie about a woman in an accident who doesn't realize she's dead. i don't know anything about IDENTITY. What's the deal there?

i would think that time travel only counts if the protagonist is unaware that they've time travelled, so the world isn't what its supposed to be from their perspective. like maybe PLANET OF THE APES, for instance. If a guy goes back or forward in time on purpose, then his reality is exactly what he intends it to be. Same with Holodeck episodes. Though i wasn't talking about TV, per se (despite title of the thread), there's a difference between, say, TIME TUNNEL and LOST.

So i'm up late, watching TV, and DARK CITY comes on. I love DARK CITY. It's the Alex (THE CROW) Proyas SF movie with Rufus Sewell and Jennifer Connelly where reality is not what it appears, and Sewell gradually figures it out. and it got me to thinking about these "alternate reality" type films, where reality is either: * a dream or nightmare (organic or implanted); * a hallucination (mentally or pharmacologically induced); * a virtual reality (in a computer, video game, cyberspace); * a movie/play/tv show/fiction of some kind; or * a creation of aliens; and its the protagonist's journey to figure out what is real (or to free others from a false reality) that drives the plot. Much of the work of Phillip K. Dick was based on a protagonist's misunderstanding of his own reality. No surprise then that some of the better films of this type are based on his work, like TOTAL RECALL. other recent films that come to mind: - INCEPTION - MATRIX - TRUMAN SHOW - STRANGER THAN FICTION - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - SUCKER PUNCH - EXISTENZ - 12 MONKEYS - NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. and some older ones include: - SECONDS - WIZARD OF OZ - A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH (STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN) The films of David Cronenberg and those of Charlie Kaufman are almost entirely about the subject. what others?

i agree with him way more than i don't, but i find him nearly intolerable and not nearly as funny as he thinks he is.

i love that harmonica theme, and Harry Nilsson has one of the best voices, like, ever.

Ah, Ms. Met. Where have you gone, joe dimaggio... a nation turns its lonely eyes to you... oo oo oo.

he seems to be a double threat... he can't hit OR field. But he'll be our backup MI, edging out the superior Quintanilla because of roster issues. the more he plays, the more he'll suck. .220 / 3hr / 150 ABs, and 10 errors

McHugh may push him for the spot-starter/long-relief/12th-man role. Frankly, i'd prefer anybody to him.

he'll be the best starter in the rotation; 12-8 / 180ip/ 3.6 era

He's filler. 8-11, 4.8 era, goes back on the DL in August.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that once he's back up and healthy in late April, Double F pitches well enough in a setup role to get traded to Cincinnati in July. 1-2, 3.00, 49-15 in 44 IP i like that scenario.

AAA all year.

1-3, 4.5, in 35 IP/30 games He'll start the season with the team, but his control problems will get him sent down when Francisco comes back, or sometime later.

I think he'll be a solid LHed option, in the mix for a save here and there. I like him.

HOPE FOR THE BEST, EXPECT THE WORST (lyrics by Mel Brooks, from THE 12 CHAIRS) Hope for the best, expect the worst Some drink champagne, some die of thirst No way of knowing Which way it�s going Hope for the best, expect the worst! Hope for the best, expect the worst The world�s a stage, we�re unrehearsed Some reach the top, friends, while others drop, friends Hope for the best, expect the worst! I knew a man who saved a fortune that was splendid Then he died the day he�d planned to go and spend it Shouting �Live while you�re alive! No one will survive!� Life is sorrow - - here today and gone tomorrow Live while you�re alive, no one will survive - - there�s no guarantee Hope for the best, expect the worst You could be Tolstoy or Fannie Hurst You take your chances, there are no answers Hope for the best expect the worst! I knew a man who saved a fortune that was splendid Then he died the day he�d planned to go and spend it Shouting �Live while you�re alive! No one will survive!� Life is funny - - Spend your money! Spend your money! Live while you�re alive, no one will survive - - there�s no guarantee?? Hope for the best, expect the worst? The rich are blessed, the poor are cursed? That is a fact, friends, the deck is stacked, friends Hope for the best, expect the � - (even with a good beginning, it�s not certain that you�re winning, even with the best of chances, they can kick you in the pantses)? Look out for the - - watch out for the worst! Hey!

i like sidewinders, and he looks to be decent. plus he's already on the roster. I see success as a situational RHer.

i loved having Piazza on my team, but i never connected with him as a player. He always seemed like a jock jerk to me, sort of the hitter's version of Clemens. So the fact that he may come off as a race-baiting right-winger in his book, arrogant, sullen and paranoid, doesn't shock me or change my view very much. He's still the best catcher in the history of a franchise that has had some pretty good catchers over the years. And given the absence of a failed drug test or any evidence that he took illegal drugs, or even legal drugs that were banned when he took them, the fact that hypocritical sports writers kept him out of the HOF is frankly an obscene kind of McCarthyism. And if they do it again, i may have to kill one of them.. just to, you know, send a message.

metirish wrote: is that the chick from DOLLHOUSE?

metirish wrote: Maher is sporting the blue lately HEY LOOK! A JACKASS... standing next to a statue.

The lasting impression that this time capsule of a soundtrack leaves is the abundance of vocal energy and inventive harmonizing that proliferated in the late sixties, and how styles were changing from cool lounge and orchestral scoring to topical pop music placement to reflect the moment. The same is true of the film itself. It's a time capsule of the late `60s, and the decaying and decadent culture of the time. Actually rated X upon its initial release, the movie is so tame today it would probably get a PG13. And the psychedelic Warholian party scene seems positively silly now, but was very much cutting edge in its day. But to criticize it for its lack of plot is to kind of miss the point. British director John Schlesinger was working in a European mode that is not plot-driven, focusing instead on setting, character and themes, and those still hold up. Ultimately, its not a movie about a hustler coming to NYC from small town Texas and getting disillusioned, or about the dying homeless guy who takes him in... it's a movie about how lonely we all are, particularly in a crowded city, and how much we need each other. That these 2 lost souls find each other, and even save each other in a way, gives a sweet poignancy to an otherwise dark and tragic tale, and that's why its still worth watching.

I think if he pitches as well as Feliciano, Felciiano gets it. yeah, maybe, because of their comfort level with Pedro. But it might depend on their roster situation; if they have to dump a guy (possibly losing him) to make room for Pedro, I think they'd have to be both blown away by Pedro's value over Carson, and value a 2nd LH over a comparable RHer already on the roster. If they seem roughly equivalent, why would they risk losing players to make room for a non-roster invitee? I mean, i know they do it sometimes, but i'd prefer they didn't if the rostered players are comparable to the non-rosterees.