Ananas

So the Jays take 2 of 3 from the Orioles, which is a positive start to the big road trip. The biggest series of all starts tommorow of course, with the Jays going up against the current wild card holders in a chance to pick up as many as 3 games against the Angels, which is obviously no small matter. Ervin Santana vs. Gustavo Chacin; we've got to get it done in this one.

Lindros had better produce, because outside of the centers, Toronto's offence looks pretty weak this year. Jeff O'Neil and Darcy will make good wingers for Mats, but beyond those two I begin to worry. Domi's fine on the fourth line working with Stajan, but how's he going to fit should he be asked to step up his offense on the second line with Jason Allison and perhaps Kilger? It's going to be up to the centers quite a bit this year.

Hold on, Scott Downs with an ace performance today? I'd have never known he had it in him. Jays needed to take 3 of 4 from the Tigers and they did. Now it's time to take 2 of 3 from the O's if they're to stay in playoff contention. Tommorow is the start of a 13 game, 14 day road trip that could make or break the season.

I wonder where they'll use their one f-word.

Jays beat up on the Big Unit today. We're back with 2.5 of the Yanks, and put another game between us and the O's. Hopefully the Twins can pull of another win to put is within 6 of the division lead.

Wow, I think I've set a record for starting and stopping a book. I got 6-8 pages into "Cosette", the sequel to "Les Miserables", and put the book down out of boredom to go make tea. Then I came back and, out of curiosity, read the book description on the sleave. The ridiculous character inconsistencies made me take my bookmark out and leave the book on the table. This isn't the "Les Miz" sequel, it's some delluded moron's attempt to improve on the greatest work of fiction ever written. Avoid at all costs. P.S. The narrative also sucked.

PunchMuch keeps playing the video. I swear I've gouged my eyes out so many times it's lost all meaning.

Colm Wilkinson - Some Of My Best Friends Are Songs An new sound for Colm that showcases his ability to do smooth jazz-vocal work. His take on U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is awesome, as is his interpretations of songs by artists such as Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen and Yusuf Islam.

Yesterday I finished "Future Tense: The Coming World Order" by Gwynne Dyer. As far as I'm concerned it's probably the best impartial evaluation of the situation in Iraq, and it's conclusions are horrifying. People who want a refresher course in the split between Muslim Nationalists and Islamists, as well as an in depth look at the Neo-Conservatives and the Pax Americana project need to check this out.

Les Miserables - 4/10 Before tonight I could hardly imagine the day I would give anything with the name "Les Miserables" attached a failing grade. Even the very worst productions of the Cameron Mackintosh produced musical were still entirely captivating, and almost 150 years after its original publication, the novel ranks as one of my all time favorites. So how could a story that is so well written and provides such a clear picture be so poorly adapted? Well, for starters, the casting is not a great help. There is hardly a cast member who doesn't seem miscast in this film, apart from Uma Thurman's Fantine and perhaps Claire Danes' Cosette. Liam Neeson portrays the devil-becomes-angel Jean Valjean reasonably well, but the character is written with none of the grace and altruism of the original, and at times comes off as, for lack of a better term, a dick. Geoffrey Rush's Javert is not only an upright purveyor of law and order, he is portrayed as a sadistic villain who pursues Valjean without thought of leaving innocent victims in his wake. Anyone who has either read the novel or seen the play knows that both these portrayals are contrary to the ones Victor Hugo initially created, and without the grey area, there's really nothing interesting about this film. It doesn't help that director Bille August marginalizes the political overtones in the story, as well as the entire ABC group save Marius, and instead focuses on teen angst and puppy love, which we could just as easily see in one of the 900 Hilary Duff movies that come out every year. The Barricades get about 5 minutes of mention in a 140 minute movie, and, most shockingly of all, the story does not end with the ultimate redemption of Valjean in the eyes of Marius and Cosette, but rather immediately after Javert's death (which is, by the way, pretty lame). This would be akin to doing The Passion Of the Christ and cutting to the credits the instant Jesus dies. The viewer has to know what happens in the end, although when you consider how badly the filmmaker butchered the rest of the novel, it's probably good that he wasn't given a chance on the finale. Thumbs down; not recommended to even the most devout of Les Miz fans (especially not those fans).

Richard Linklater (aka the greatest director in the world) Slacker Dazed And Confused Before Sunrise Waking Life School of Rock Before Sunset The Bad News Bears Doug Liman Swingers Go The Bourne Identity Mr. And Mrs. Smith Add all Kevin Smith's films, and splatter the list with your own choosing of Spielberg films. Also I'm near certain that Terry Zwigoff and Sam Mendes will be on the list in ten years, when they have enough films for me to love. Maybe Zach Braff, but perhaps his one film, which is obviously based on his early adulthood, will be his most interesting story.

I'm not the least bit surprised by the Paul Kariya rumours. He's a perfect fit in T.O., and with his cooled off performance in recent years he's not going to cost nearly so much. Plus he's Canadian. That's always a good thing. I like the Thornton, Selanne and Allison rumours, although I'm guessing we'll get max 1-2 of those guys. Ferguson had plenty of leeway to buy people out which he didn't, and now we're paying for it. If this team bombs, that's it for Ferguson. At least we were a spending team when Pat Quinn did double duty.

Is it just me, or is not comedies that are king, but rather good movies? If the studio heads are looking for a reason the box office is in an unbelievably disappointing fiscal year, they need only to actually watch some of the films they've released this year. So far the good movies have done well, while horrible movies have bombed. I have so much more faith in moviegoers this year than 2004, the year Troy, Van Helsing and Meet the Fockers were all smash hits.

I was camping this weekend and read "America: A Citizens Guide to Democracy Inaction" by John Stewart, which I have mixed feelings towards. On one hand, the book is both reasonably informative to the American polisci newcomer and funny in spots. On the other hand, there's little that I took from it, having spent the past 6 months studying the American political system and the beauracracy, so the humour was all I could really take from it. It's a fun little book that is unlikely to educate many, but is certain to entertain fans of the Daily Show's humour. Don't go out of your way for it, but if it's available, I'd give it a shot.

Man, Scott Downs had better put in 7-8 innings today, because after 28 innings in 2 games, the Jays bullpen is going to be decimated. The only guy who didn't see action yesterday was Brandon League, and even a fully rested League isn't someone I want to bring in.

Har har. Tell me, do 5 playoff appearances in the past 10 years qualify as "happier times" for the Canadiens?

Star Wars: Episode III: The Revenge of The Sith - 8/10 Those who would suggest that this is the best Star Wars film of the prequel trilogy are absolutely correct. Those who would suggest that this is the best of the Star Wars films since Empire Strikes Back might just be right. Even those who say this is the best film in the Star Wars series are not wrong by far, because Revenge Of the Sith makes up for every one of the prequel trilogy's lackings. Moving away from the glossy (some would say sterile) environment of the first two Episodes, this final saga in the billion dollar franchise is a dark, brooding adventure that creates complex characters and asks interesting moral questions. Hearing that statement one who hasn't seen the film yet would likely assume I had accidentally seen another movie but it's true; "Revenge of the Sith" is a really interesing, intelligent film. Sure the unbelievable visuals are there, but Lucas has toned down the flashy "Jar Jar Binks-esque" hijinks in order to tell a story that is perhaps more intriguing than any he's ever told before. The cast seems to have much more leeway with their characters this time around, and Hayden Christiansen stands out for the first time in his career. The Star Wars prequel is one which fans of the series knew the ending well in advance, but for the first time since Return of the Jedi, I can honestly say I was interested in the process of how we got to the end. Thumbs up.

Crash - 8.5/10 Crash is the first big screen directorial effort for Paul Haggis in over 10 years, and is a remarkable step forward for someone who only interupted a successful television career a few years ago to give the big screen another try. It tells several interweaving stories of strife, crime and devestation in Los Angeles, and make no mistake about it; this film is wrought with racial tension. The opening scene of the film, which includes a racial slur laden argument between Hispanic and Asian women after a car crash (I assume the film gets its title from this inciting incident), is only a small sign of things to come, as issues delt with include corrupt (and racist to boot) police officers, post 9/11 xenophobia and racial stereotypes. On one side of the coin we have Terrence Howard's Cameron, a successful film director who, along with his wife Christine (Thandie Newton), live amongst the predominantly white Hollywood community. On the other had we have Ryan Phillipe's Officer Hanson, who is shocked to see when his parter Seargent Ryan takes liberties while searching Christine during a routine stop. These are only two of several stories told in Crash, but the ultimate message is that everyone is on the surface disconnected, but the way the stories are presented subtly outline the connections that lie beneath. I honestly can't think of a better presentation of racial conflict in a modern film. Thumbs up.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - 6/10 Although it's a disappointing adaptation of the Douglas Adams novel that was so consistently witty, there are brief moments of brilliance in the early moments, and the visuals towards the end are absolutely breathtaking. Bill Nighy and Alan Rickman contribute greatly to the film in their small roles, but the rest of the cast, save Martin Freeman, seem a little uninspired. This is especially true for Mos Def, who, when compared to his more recent performances in films like The Woodsman and Something the Lord Made, seems out of his element. Of course the original material, even when poorly adapted, holds up reasonably well and makes this a very worthy viewing for fans of the novel, although I don't think there is too much to be both understood and enjoyed by non-fans. A marginal thumbs up.

The Wedding Crashers - 8/10 Like I really need to explain why. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are the funniest comedic actors working today. Alot of this is schtick humour, but because Vaughn and Wilson (along with a supporting cast that includes Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell) are delivering it, it works in spades. This is what Anchorman could have been if it were R-rated. Thumbs way up.