Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Peace Is The Answer

I am assuming my friends have made peace since the Battle of the Blog was a bust. I am hoping everything is okay and we can be the bosom buddies we always have been.
Bosom buddies...what is that supposed to mean? Are we breast friends? Oh well, I am glad we might be back to normal.

Battle Of The Blog

I have recently discovered there is about to be a war on my blog. Chad is going to respond to James' comment and I decided to open this entry up to the Battle of the Blog. I ask only for three things: keep the cussing to a minimum, the nudity to a maximum and only take clean shots.
I want my readers to enjoy what is about to go down, however you guys keep to the topic. Try not to stray to personal matters. Keep it to poker and all that encompasses. Say whatever you like but don't make me censor. I don't want to have to do that.
So without further ado, lets get it on...

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Please Help

Help is needed. As we all know, I love playing poker. I play in live games at least twice a week. I'm usually pretty good, but sometimes I go through slumps. Although there are probably more flaws with my game than I realize, one problem I know I have is I go on tilt and lose my composure. Tilt is when you let a bad beat or any other bad thing that happens at a poker game affect your game.
My tilt factor is phenomenal. I can go on tilt for five minutes and lose over half my stack of chips. In the last three card games I have played in, I was the chip leader until it came to heads up play with my cousin Clint, who then proceeded to pound on my beaten and broken self. He has killed me three times in a row. I'm not saying he shouldn't have. Clint is a good player who has improved greatly since reading some of the poker books. However, I do think in three games, I should have won at least one of those games. This is where my tilt problem comes into play.
What I would like is for you to help me figure out how to solve my anger management problem. What should I do to fix my tilt? I can't just sit at the table and not think about it. It drives me nuts when I am the chip leader and then ten minutes later, I have dumped half my chips to the other players. Then I get more mad because of what I've done in the last ten minutes and it never ends after that. What can I do?
Send me comments that will give me advice on how to improve my game. If your advice works, you will be compensated. I promise.

Monday, August 23, 2004

Top Ten Poker Players

I've completed a list of my favorite movies. I will now make a list of my other passion. Poker is not a game of luck. It takes a great amount of skill and obedience. A good poker player must know his opponent and can't take a bad beat personally. The following are, in my opinion, the best or my favorite poker players in the world.

10. Sam Farha:
Many will find this choice a little odd. Let me explain why I have chosen Farha as one of the top ten players. First of all, he is only number ten. He barely made the cut. I think he is a good player but their are a lot of other better players. Although, this is a list of my favorite players, not necessarily the greatest. Secondly, he is an aggressive player who likes to play a lot of hands. He should have won the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP), however luck played a factor and Chris Moneymaker stole the title away from Farha. Finally, he is the coolest looking player on Earth. He is a stylish dresser, he is so calm during interviews and he started the greatest trend with the hanging, unlit cigarette. Farha may not win a lot of tournaments but he looks so good playing in them.

9. Amarillo Slim:
Considered to be the greatest proposition bettor there is, he is also a heck of a card player. Amarillo Slim Preston won the 1972 WSOP and has won more money in Pot Limit Omaha and Hold'em games and No-Limit Hold'em. However, where Slim gets most credit is in his crazy and outlandish bets like taking on Bobby Riggs, Wimbeldon champ, in a ping pong game. Yet, Slim got to choose the paddles. He showed up with frying pans and beat the champion. Another peculiar, but profitable, bet was he could drive a golf ball over a mile. He won by hitting it over a frozen lake. My friends and I love making proposition bets and in honor of that, I decided to include Amarillo Slim in this list.

8. Jennifer Harman:
My next claim will probably make a lot of people mad, but I'm going to say it anyway. You don't have too many great female poker players. There are exceptions to this claim, but on the whole they just don't have the same amount of interest or the endurance for it. Jennifer Harman is one of these exceptions. She has learned how to play from experience and she has taught many others how to play through playing a better game than her adversary. Harman is one of the money leaders among women at the WSOP. Like many poker players who make a lot of money but keep a lower profile, she is a cash game specialist and she can regularly be found playing in the biggest live-action game in the world at Bellagio in Las Vegas where she plays up to $3,000-$6,000. Her competitiveness gives her the drive to be one of the best and I predict she will be the first female ever to win the World Series Main Event.

7. Phil Ivey:
Finishing in the top four for three World Poker Tour (WPT) events started Phil Ivey's career off to a sensational start. He finished fourth at Foxwoods, second at Binion's World Poker Open and third at the Bellagio WPT Championship. Ivey, called the Tiger Woods of Poker (probably because he's the only black guy to be seen by anyone at a final table), doesn't think he has reached the pinnacle of his game...yet. He has a great way of reading his opponents and considers each move with the same amount of planning. It is always a shame to see Ivey knocked out because he is the rare young player who has respect for the game, unlike insolent hacks who involve themselves with groups like The Crew.

6. Johnny Chan:
Sometimes I wonder if Johnny Chan really does play poker. Outside of Rounders, a casual poker viewer wouldn't know who Johnny Chan was. He is never at a final table. However, he has recently been put on the Fox Sports Net Poker of Champions. Chan is tied for most WSOP bracelets with an outstanding nine. He achieved back-to-back wins at the WSOP Main Event in 1987 and 1988. I don't necessarily like Johnny Chan, but I can't deny him of a spot on the top ten poker players either.

5. T. J. Cloutier:
Cloutier is a long time player. He has the most tournament wins of every player in the game. He has won over fifty tournaments with a $500 or more buy-in. Cloutier has four WSOP bracelets for wins in 1987, 1994 and 1998. Tom McEvoy has teamed up with Cloutier to write four books. I own Championship No-Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em. Their other books include Championship Hold'em, Championship Omaha and Championship Tournament Practice Hands. Cloutier has stated, "I might not recognize your name, but if I've played with you before I will remember your face and how you play." This is what makes Cloutier the player he is. He has a great memory for how a person will play certain hands and he pays attention to everything that is happening at the table.

4. Phil Hellmuth Jr.:
I complain a lot about this guy, but I have to admit he is a phenomenal player. Hellmuth is called the Poker Brat because he is to poker what John Mcenroe is to tennis. Like Johnny Chan, he holds nine WSOP bracelets. Yet, he has created a scene at every single event he has entered. He is the youngest player to win the WSOP main event. He accomplished this feat at 24. Hellmuth creates drama to the sport. People love to see him blow up and throw a tantrum about some amateur who shouldn't have stayed in with top pair and great kicker. He is so interesting, ESPN has done two features on him during the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker. Hellmuth will continue to win and continue to lose. The question is will he do so like a gentleman or like Phil Hellmuth?

3. Daniel Negreanu:
This is the fastest growing poker pro in 2004. Viewers will remember him winning the U.S. Poker Open in 1999, and any poker enthusiast can see Negreanu is a tremendous player with great skill. He placed third at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament, second at the PartyPoker Million and has created quite a scene at the 2004 WSOP with his many final table appearances. Negreanu has moved up many places in my book and will stay at the top for a while if he keeps up his great playing.

2. Howard Lederer:
The Professor is actually my favorite, however he will be second on this list. This guy is methodical and meticulous. He combines high intellect with extreme competitiveness to produce one of the most revered games in the sport. Lederer won two World Poker Tour titles in 2003 and placed third at the WPT Battle of Champions. Lederer began as a chess master and made the successful switch to poker. What also makes Howard Lederer my favorite poker player is his gentlemanly demeanor. He never whines about how a guy played a hand or if he is outdrawn on the river. He gives respect to the game and I admire him for it.

1. Doyle Brunson:
The man who wrote Super Systems, considered to be the Bible of poker, has to be put as number one. You can't really deny Doyle "Dolly" Brunson the title of best poker player. He has nine WSOP titles (tied with Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth Jr.). Two of those titles are from the main events in 1976 and 1977. He was the first to win a million dollars in a tournament. He is the father of poker. One might argue Brunson hasn't made it to a final table in quite a while, however the guy has been playing and winning at poker for over forty years. He is a legend and will always be number one.

I would like to add one last thing. If I was older or I had been into poker at a younger age, I probably would have added Stu Unger to this list. The little I know about Unger I like. He sounds like he was an amazing player who just couldn't handle himself with his money and other bad habits. He holds the record for most World Series of Poker Main Event titles with three. Two of the titles were won back-to-back. I wish I could have seen Unger play today against the young players of the day.
Also, this list would change as players abilities change so don't hold me to this down the road.

Friday, August 20, 2004

Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

I watched Braveheart the other night and after viewing the stirring conclusion with Wallace screaming out "freedom," I was touched. I began to ponder whether we still produce men and women comparable to Wallace. Men used to fight for what they believed in. World War II exhibited teenagers lying about their age so they could fight. Martin Luther King Jr. fought to the death for blacks rights. Where are these men today?
Sure, you have your firefighters and police officers who are newfound heroes after 9/11 and soldiers who risked their lives in the sequel to the Gulf War, but what about those who buck the system to battle the individuals in charge for what they feel is right and virtuous.
Does the hero mentality still exist? Did it end with the Vietnam War? This was a turning point in American history. Not only was it the first war that men stopped volunteering for, but it was vastly rejected by the population. Men didn't want to go fight for something they didn't understand and this mindset has been passed down to their sons. These sons, guys like me, have openly said if the draft was reinstated we would make a run for Canada or Mexico. What a bunch of cowards we are.
Therefore, this leads me to ask again, "Where have all the heroes gone?" Is Michael Moore a hero of the times? Please don't get me wrong, I hate Michael Moore just like you do. Yet, I hate him for different reasons than most. I am upset about his political speech during the 2003 Academy Awards. The Oscars are not a political podium for one to give sermons about our country and its leaders. It is a prestigious awards show. Stick to film speeches. Thank those who got you where you are and get off stage before the music begins to play.
Now back to Moore possibly being a hero. He is a liar and fights dirty, however he is fighting for what he believes in. The target just happens to be our country's leader. You can't praise the man for hard hitting documentaries like Roger and Me and Bowling for Columbine and then ostracize him for Fahrenheit 9/11. I think his tactics are low and his purpose is not heroic, but he believes Bush has acted poorly in office and he has done something about it.
Moore is merely trying to sway the presidential vote in November with his propaganda, but I applaud him for it. No one else had thought to make feature films about presidential candidates until now.
So, is Michael Moore a hero? I doubt it. Yet, if Moore is not a hero, then who is? Who will have movies made about them years from now like William Wallace, King Arthur and Wyatt Earp, making the public aware of their contributions to history and society?
I hope the youth of America will get their act together and stop wasting their time with ridiculous "reality" shows like The Ashlee Simpson Show and The Bachelor and understand they only have one shot to be great and make a difference. Otherwise, life will pass them by and they will realize they missed the most important lesson in life. School isn't about memorizing facts and dates. It is about teaching you to use your brain and think for yourself instead of letting people like Michael Moore spoon feed you what you think you need to know. You have so much information at your fingertips and you are wasting it by looking at porn and MTV all day. Fight for what you believe in and become a hero.

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Everyone Loves Lists

I've decided to start making lists. People want to read lists even if they don't care about the topic. They enjoy agreeing and disagreeing with the list maker. My cousin Clint had a blog of lists, however I believe he was banned from listing by his controlling wife (just kidding).
So, this week's topic will be my top ten favorite movies. The following choices may not be the most amazing films, but they are my favorites and the ones I enjoy watching over and over.

10. Goldfinger:
This is the quintessential Bond film. It's the one every other Bond movie is measured up against. It began what is known as the Bond formula. It blends plot, women, cars, gadgets, locations, and over the top action sequences seamlessly. The bond girls are unforgettable. The Aston Martin DB5 makes its first appearance. Oddjob is the first henchman to have an interesting method of killing, which would be copied by others like Jaws and Xenia Onatopp. Goldfinger was the third film in the franchise but it was the first true Bond film.

9. Casino:
This film is great because not only is it a Martin Scorcese film but it's also a Las Vegas movie. Las Vegas is my kind of town, so any movie set in the city limits of Vegas is dear to my heart. Casino shows the seedy side of Vegas. Robert DeNiro is a casino manager for the mafia and Joe Pesci plays DeNiro's friend who comes out to Sin City to help keep things in line. Scorsese shows how they had everything they could ever want and the events that led to the demise of paradise and how Vegas has become what it is today in its family based shows and themed casinos. Accompanied by the perfect soundtrack, this film is definetly a top ten film.

8. My Fair Lady:
"Wouldn't it be loverly?" It was. If the costumes, songs, and premise of this film wasn't enough for you, Audrey Hepburn should be. Her adorable face and irrestible charm lights up this film. Rex Harrison is all but forgotten in every scene alongside her. My Fair Lady was originally a musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, however when Warner Bros. brought it to film they wisely chose to replace Julie Andrews with Hepburn. Songs like The Rain in Spain and I Could Have Danced All Night stay with the viewer for days afterwards. This is by far the best musical I have ever seen.

7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:
If I said this was my favorite western it would be somewhat of a lie. Even though Butch and Sundance were cowboys in the West, this film is far from the standard western movie. Half of the film is set in Bolivia, which is a long ways away from Cowboy and Indian territory. Butch and Sundance, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, were bank robbers who ran the Hole in the Wall Gang. This film combines true facts, pleasing fiction and buddy humor to create an acceptable believability of the Old West coming to an end and what the rough and tough lawbreaking men of that time period had to do to survive the transformation throughout society.

6. King Kong:
King Kong (1933) is what basic is all about. It is a stop motion film like the Gumby cartoons and that creepy Rudolph movie. This film launched the career for Kong and he has been reincarnated several times, sometimes as a misunderstood creature who is placed in an uninhabitable landscape and sometimes as a fierce creature who must be stopped with WOMD. My favorite adaptation is the 1933 version with Fay Wray because it is simple and illustrates the creativity Hollywood had to use before computers. However, I am excited for the upcoming version by LOTR director Peter Jackson, who has cast Jack Black.

5. Rounders:
This movie may not have started the poker explosion that has occured today, but it didn't hurt. Rounders is considered by any guy under the age of 25 to be the greatest poker movie ever. However, you have to remember they also have never seen another poker movie except Maverick. The reason I like this movie is obviously because of its poker, but also because of Edward Norton, Matt Damon, John Turturro and John Malkovich. These four men are some of the greatest actors in Hollywood and I consider Edward Norton the greatest actor of my generation. I also think Matt Damon also has his best moment of acting in any of his movies. The instant he hears Worm's voice in the bar with the State Troopers, you can see in his eyes his utter disgust with his friend, but he doesn't show it anywhere else on his face. Poker enthusiasts should definetly see this movie, it is kind of a rite of passage (besides, you can learn the basics of poker from it so we don't have to teach you during a game).

4. Citizen Kane:
Considered by film critics to be the greatest film of all time, it is ranked this not because of its interesting plot or fast paced action, but because of its influence on modern filmmaking. Orson Welles, the director, screenwriter and star, was in his early 20s when he made this film with his Mercury Theatre. His techniques had never been done before and are now standard in film today. Citizen Kane is Welles' fictional tale based off of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst did everything he could to stop this movie from being released, however Welles won and got his movie made his way. To film geeks, it is the most important film to ever be made, but I can also admit to a normal movie goer it can be pretty boring.

3. From Russia With Love:
The film before Goldfinger, From Russia With Love is a true spy movie. Its utilization of fewer gadgets lets Bond use his wits rather than an Omega watch with built-in laser. Bond is targeted by SPECTRE to deliver a Lektor decoding machine and then be killed along with Tatiana Romanova, played by the stunning Daniela Bianchi. There are twists and turns throughout the film which begins during the first Bond pre-title sequence where our hero is hunted down by a homicidal asassin named Donald "Red" Grant. I enjoy this film more than the common Bond formula movie because From Russia With Love is more authentic than any other Bond film.

2. Casablanca:
"Play it again Sam." This is one of the most famous movie quotes of all time and it's not even said in the movie. Rick Blaine is the proprietor of a club in Casablanca. It is a haven for people who wish to acquire exit visas to America. Enter Blaine's lost love Ilsa. The two had a short love affair in Paris at the time of the occupation by Germany. Now, years later, they meet again and must choose between love and country. The chemistry between the hard, brash idealist and the pure, soft spoken love is electric. Bogie is at his finest as a man who was burned by love and Ingrid Bergman plays the torn and conflicted female perfectly. One can see how Casablanca has become the greatest love movie as time goes by.

1. The Godfather:
From the first glimpse of the title being held up by a puppeteer to the final scene of Diane Keaton having the door closed on her to hide a meeting between the other family, you are shown how important family, tradition and honor can be. Marlon Brando is the Godfather. I am fascinated by the mafia. It is one of my favorite topics. They believe in respect and values. They have a code that should not be broken. Francis Ford Coppola deserves every ounce of recognition he is shown for the Corleone trilogy alone (even though Godfather III sucks). As a complete set, it is one of the top three trilogies. On a side note, Godfather II is the only sequel to make the AFI's top 100 films. The Godfather fascinates me and everytime I watch it, I want to start it over and watch it again.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Are Movies A Form Of Art?

This question is like asking, "Is fishing a sport?" Is the guy casting his line constantly and searching for the perfect spot to catch Big Bertha Bass for ESPN8 (the Ocho), or are two guys rowing out into the middle of the pond, opening a beer every six minutes and chugging until they're almost too drunk to row back to their wives who are irate because they didn't paint the shed like they promised they would?
Is Citizen Kane or American Beauty art? Yes. What about Alien vs. Predator or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Absolutely not! The latter films are inane and only comparable to such drivel like a third graders scribbling or Ross' sound effect laden keyboard "music." It is nothing more than entertainment and amusement.
So this brings us to the former films, movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List and 2001: A Space Odyssey. These films have artistic vision. The directors used all of their abilities in filmmaking to put together a story with visual spectacle, meaningful dialogue and substance. They brought together cinematographers, actors, composers, editors and many others to try and compose a work of art.
Some of you may agree with this opinion while others might think I have no clue what art is. I will admit, I don't understand artsy fartsy people. Some weirdo copying a Cambell's Soup can onto a canvas shouldn't be categorized with Picasso (although I don't see what the big deal about Picasso is either). I can't comprehend how people can call this kind of thing fine art. They are just odd beings who think they have some higher understanding of life because they see the world through abstract expressionism and eat unusual meals like rumaki.
This has all come up because I got in an argument with my mom the other day about George Lucas updating his movies. I said they are works of art that should not be meddled with. She said I was just complaining on principle. I asked her if it would be okay to update the Mona Lisa to be wearing a tank top and capris and have a laptop plugged in the wall. Tell me if I was wrong to feel this way.
I would like to know what you think. Can film be art or is it all just a distraction that is generic and mass produced by Hollywood to make the most money? Should we the audience be more intune to our sense of taste and class by not supporting such crap like Catwoman or anything involving Keanu Reeves? Please comment so I can get a better understanding of the normal movie goer's psyche.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Oh The Lies We Weave

I have finally found the information I need to bring George Lucas to his knees. While searching the Internet and reading movie news, I found an article about colorizing DVDs of old films and television shows. Sony is releasing The Three Stooges on DVD today with a feature to either watch episodes in black and white or color. There was a section in the article about the colorization of films by Ted Turner in the 1980s and this is part of the article:

Star Wars creator George Lucas, who testified with Steven Spielberg before Congress in the 1980s against colorization and other forms of alteration, said the process yanks such slapstick performers as the Stooges out of the black-and-white universe they belong in.
"Would color distract from their comedy and make it not as funny anymore?" Lucas said. "Maybe just the fact that they're in black and white makes it funny, because their humor is dated. But by putting it in black and white, it puts it in a context where you can appreciate it for what it was.
"But you try to make it in full living color and try to compare it to a Jim Carrey movie, then it's hard for young people to understand. Because you're then thinking you're comparing apples to apples, when you're not. You're comparing apples to oranges. I'm saying it's not fair to the artist."

What happened to this ideal? Why has he changed his outlook on altering original masters? Should someone remind him of his testimony before Congress and America about altering films? Maybe they should, and maybe that someone should be me. This is the proof I needed to get the first edition of Star Wars on DVD.

Thursday, August 05, 2004

My Third Rant

It had to happen some time. I wasn't going to be able to hold it in forever. George Lucas has finally pissed me off for the last time. Lucas has pushed me to the decision to e-mail Fox Home Theater and find out why we can't get a version of the Star Wars films that are exactly the same as when they came out in theaters in the 70s and 80s.
Is it too much to ask for the original versions? I don't think so. Does George own the rights to the merchandising of his films? This is the only answer I can come up with. Why not release the originals? He could make even more money from all the geeks and movie idiots (like myself) on multiple purchases.
What set this rant off was I heard some disparaging news from a frequently viewed website about the DVD trilogy of Episode IV-VI coming out on September 21. The following is an excerpt from the site:
But even more exciting (or depressing) information that came out of the convention were the copies of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD Collection (due September 21st, as if you weren't aware) that were making their way around the convention to those in the know, with connections, or sticky fingers. So for those fearing (or hoping) that Lucas would again make extensive changes to the classic first three movies in the saga, you will get your wish. Everything from less readily apparent changes - sound effects to the color of a lightsaber - to more substantive additions, including Ian McDiarmid (the evil Emperor) replacing Clive Revill in The Empire Strikes Back, to Anakin Hayden Christensen's face (badly) added to the body of Sebastian Shaw at the end of Return of the Jedi, or a chorus of cheering Gungians (or whatever those Jar Jar things are called) also tacked on to the finale of Jedi, will be found in the new DVDs. Sigh...but find out for yourself when the set reaches a galaxy near you this fall.
I just don't understand. Why is he ruining one of the greatest trilogies in celluloid history? He's already butchered the two newest films with such mistakes as Jar Jar Binks, Hayden Christensen and overuse of the green screen. Can this guy not go outside and scout a location? At least Peter Jackson used real fields of New Zealand in the Lord of the Rings films.
A director should not be able to change his films permanently. Once it has been shown on the big screen, there should always be an available copy of that particular version. A director could change it for a special DVD release, but the original should also have its own disc. Am I wrong to think this way?
Mark August 5 as the day Matt Cook decided to say, "Damn the man." I am going to take Lucas down and get what I want. If Michael Moore can destroy a president, I can destroy a dork. I don't care if he is Chairman of the Board of Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC, Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC., Lucas Licensing Ltd. and Lucas Learning Ltd. He also owns Skywalker Ranch. The guy is a flannel wearing, grey bearded loser who hasn't changed his look since 1975. I will fight the system and win. I'll call Johnny Cochran. I'll call Erin Brockovich. I'll call whoever can get the job done.
I must stop the evil mongrel from destroying other great films like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Willow. Please join me in the good fight against the dark side.