Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Premature Forgiveness

I don't comment on politics very often, because most people seem excessively attached to their opinion and resent you for yours if it differs. And I'd rather not contribute to the number of silly things that divide people. But I'll make an exception for Michael Vick (or "Mike," as the announcers call him). I can see the moral appeal of both extremes regarding Vick, yet I know one of these extremes is my own.

On the field, when he's playing his good game, he's a lot of fun to watch (last night, not so much). Despite my belief in and repeated personal need for second chances, I find it hard to believe that someone who would torture and kill animals for fun and profit can change after only a couple of years. If he'd spent a decade volunteering in animal shelters first, I might consider him reformed. Mr. President, he's not the one you want on the poster for the Second Chance Foundation. He's a great football player who's also a sadist and an idiot about what really matters. I believe it's possible he will change, like anyone changes after they've been caught. I don't think either he or we were helped by his return this soon. I'll continue to watch him play and marvel at his skill on his good days. I'll continue also to wish he were still in prison.

Monday, December 20, 2010

A Decade in Popular Films: The Best, According Only to Me

Surfing past a site that lists the top 100 U.S. box office draws for each of the last 10 years, I not only realized how many movies I have yet to see, but also decided to choose one film each year as my favorite. I haven't seen any of the top 100 for 2010 yet, and for several years I had a difficult time choosing, hence the "Honorable Mentions" at the bottom. There were also some indie and foreign films that might have appeared here if they'd been in the top 100 (I'm thinking especially of "Waitress" from 2007, "Secretary" from 2002, and "The Lives of Others" from 2006). Obviously I don't care for The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Harry Potter....

2000: Wonder Boys
2001: Amelie
2002: Barbershop
2003: Lost in Translation
2004: Napoleon Dynamite
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Stranger Than Fiction
2007: Juno
2008: Gran Torino
2009: (500) Days of Summer

Honorable Mention:

2001: The Royal Tennenbaums
2002: The Bourne Identity
2006: Little Miss Sunshine