Top Ten of 2009

Now that I've finally managed to catch up with the last of the major releases from 2009, I'm finally ready to state my own unasked for preferences for the top ten movies of the past year.


#10. Treeless Mountain (Dir. So Yong Kim)

A heartbreaking story of two young girls forced to grow up on their own after their mother leaves to go search for their absent father. The two girls are so natural you find yourself weeping for them at every loss and cheering for every gain. An unheralded gem that hopefully will find an audience on DVD.



#9. Star Trek (Dir. J.J. Abrams)

This is what big, Hollywood movie making is all about. With the proper amount of respect given to its predecessors, J.J. Abrams turned out the summer's best event film. Great for fans and newbies alike, I'm ready for the sequel right now.



#8. The Young Victoria (Dir. Jean-Marc Vallée)

I admit I'm a sucker for British royalty pictures, but this one managed a nice balance between regal scenes and personal ones. Emily Blunt does a fine job showing Victoria's sometimes less than royal behavior since she's...well...young. Rupert Friend is now on my actors to watch list. A nice, slice of a history lesson that goes down easy.


#7. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Dir. Terry Gilliam)

Without studio interference, Gilliam is capable of producing moments of brilliance. Parnassus has many such moments. A beautiful, visual phantasmagoria of a film, one can just sit back and be entertained by all the wild ideas thrown at the screen. Tom Waits is a hoot to watch and while there is sadness at watching Heath Ledger in his final film, he finishes in style.



#6. Drag Me To Hell (Dir. Sam Raimi)

Thankfully, Sam Raimi decided to cleanse his palate and do what he does best--horror comedy. A gooey-oozy punch of a film that provides plenty of jumps and chuckles right up to its fantastic finish. If only all PG-13 "horror" films could be like this. I knew the film was good when I didn't hate Justin Long in it, but now I'm scared of gypsies.


#5 Fantastic Mr. Fox (Dir. Wes Anderson)

Wes Anderson is a director who runs hot and cold for me; luckily, this time he ran hot. Beautiful to look at and run through with a bizarre sense of humor, Mr. Fox was the best animated film this year. (UP was good, until the villain tried to shoot Ed Asner [which does take spunk].) Here's hoping for a Roald Dahl revival.



#4. The White Ribbon (Dir. Michael Haneke)

Exploring the roots of Fascism by examining the life in a small village pre-WWI, Haneke shows how resentment over a strict upbringing can boil over. By turns creepy and harrowing, the rot that can exist underneath a seemingly peaceful, bucolic existence is laid bare.


#3. Antichrist (Dir. Lars von Trier)

Ignore the people that say this is a boring psychodrama, all are wrong. Antichrist, after admittedly a slightly dull first hour, turns into a rollicking comedy. There is simply no other explanation for the set of events that comprise the final 45 minutes. It is so ridiculous, the only response is continued laughter.


#2. The Hurt Locker (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow)

Pow! A lean and taut action thriller set in Iraq, but more concerned with the human response to war in general and fear in particular. Every set piece works, Jeremy Renner delivers a powerful performance and pieces of it linger in the mind long afterwards. Quite possibly the Best Picture winner come Oscar time (unless people go for the nature hooey of Avatar).


#1 In the Loop (Dir. Armando Iannucci)

A treat for the ears, In the Loop is the best laughs-per-minute movie I've seen in a long time. Nominally about trying to prevent the start of a war, the movie really exists as an exercise in verbal linguistics as each actor delivers the sharpest and funniest dialogue of the year. The true heart of the film lies in all the various insults the characters throw at each other; it's hard to choose a best from among them all, but "Nazi Julie Andrews" stays with me.


And there you have it, my top ten of 2009. Now, how close did I come to you? Which ones do you agree with? Which ones did I miss out on? Which ones will you call me an idiot for for not putting in the list? Fire away.....

Recorded Live

Enjoy!

Birthday Shout Out

Silly me, I almost let the day get away from me without wishing a big Happy Birthday to Pulcheria, Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire, who would be a sprightly 1611 years old today! Rock on, lady.

Quick Question

Continuing on yesterday's post of impossible to find movies....is anyone familiar with HBO Short Takes? They were 5-15 minute short films shown between features during the 70's & 80's. I've been trying to locate the name of one for years, but have had no luck. If anyone remembers these, e-mail me and maybe you can be the lucky one to help me find this missing piece of my childhood.

Anyone?

Does anyone by any chance happen to own this on VHS and can rip a copy to DVD for me? This one's an instant classic.

Dispatch From the Front

Crap, now they're mutating. The first wave of attack squirrels will be harder to repel than I originally believed.

If it weren't for ITV

How did I watch this show throughout most of grammar school and not end up having nightmares?

You say Goodbye, I say Hello....

Merry Repost

Merry Christmas Y'all. Enjoy all the presents, food and guilt that comes with the holiday. I'm spending the day with the family and some friends, so if you're bored and have 16 minutes to spare, here's a repost of a short film I mentioned a while ago.

Treevenge
Uploaded by Shua_. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

Almost time

Yay! Tomorrow's Christmas. Don't forget why we celebrate it or God will pop a cap in you. That's how he rolls.

Returned!

I have returned from the sunny climes of California. All went about as reasonably well as could be expected. The memorial service was well done, including the ukulele player. A fitting tribute to Faye. My grandfather was very depressed for the first few days, but on our last day there, he perked up considerably. I guess the finality of the service allowed him to take the next step forward.

Now that I'm home, my sister is arriving with her brood in about 2 hours. Then it's Christmas, New Years and back to work. Nothing like having the next few weeks all planned out.

I flew out of sight.....

Time to pack up to leave for California for the memorial service tomorrow. It will be a sad weekend, though I won't mind the 73 degree temperature that is forecast for most of my stay. I'll be back home on the 21st, just in time to receive all the cards and presents everybody sent me, or not.

Dispatch from the Front

My God, they're getting brazen. Conducting training exercises out in the open in a public park. I fear they may be getting ready to mobilize before Christmas. The holidays this year may be colored gray and vicious.

Their plot begins

Surreptitiously photographed, here is proof of what I've been suspecting for years. National Underground Troops of Squirrels have finally gathered enough materials to begin their assault on the human race. I will try to keep abreast of further developments.

Review- The Lovely Bones

Continuing my attempts at bettering my review writing, here is the next one. Sadly, it's another misfire.

A plethora of seamless CGI effects and period details cannot save Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones from being a complete bore to sit through. Narrated by young, murdered Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) from the “in-between”, the film charts the after-effects of her murder while Susie…well, just kind of waits around for….something to happen.

The trouble here is the fetishistic attention to detail. Set in 1973, the film gets all the period trappings correct. The “in-between” that Susie inhabits is filled with constantly shifting landscapes and amazing visuals. All this detail attention leaves less time to tell a gripping story. The movie flips back and forth between Susie observing the grieving of her family, her murderer’s (a decently creepy Stanley Tucci) follow-up moves and her own adventures in this “in-between”, which, given the visuals, is a cross between What Dreams May Come and Disney’s Afterlifeland; yet none of it registers emotionally enough to capture an audience. Susie just walks around doing not much of anything. Given the fact that the audience is told who the killer is early on, it takes an inordinate amount of time for the family to catch up. This leaves a second act that just sits on the screen so people can check their watches. Even a decent chase through the killer’s house, as Stanley Tucci goes after Susie’s younger sister who was looking for clues, leads nowhere. The film just slowly peters out.

Saoirse Ronan does manage to pull out a good performance, investing her character with the proper amount of wonder and angst given her situation. After Atonement and this film, she is one to watch for the future. Mark Wahlberg, as Susie’s father, grieves well enough as first, but then turns into the crusader and interest drops. Susan Sarandon, as Susie’s grandmother, blows in looking like Jacqueline Susann, performs a comedy routine, then is given nothing else to do.

The book of The Lovely Bones is supposed to be a searing and emotional read (I have not read it). As pretty as the film’s visuals are to look at, poring over pages with your imagination would be a much better expenditure of time than sitting through these 122 minutes.

American Idiocy--I Triple Doggy Dare You! Edition

No doubt a future leader of our country.

Cold Metal and Tongue--Not a Good Match

I Want! I Want! I Want!

Seriously, somebody needs to buy this for me for Christmas.

http://foolishgadgets.com/200912/2010-bubble-calendar/

We're Not Successful

This is one of the more unsuccessful PSA's in my opinion. Those ragamuffins are so adorable, if I ever saw an open bottle with bluish pills peeking out, I'd gobble them up and wait for them to sing in my tummy.

Invictus Review

As my first real attempt at movie reviewing outside of my class, here is my dissection of Clint Eastwood's new film Invictus.

Well-meaning but ultimately too heavy-handed, Clint Eastwood’s Invictus gets lost in the scrum. Nelson Mandela and the South African Springbok’s 1995 Rugby World Cup victory may be an inspiring story, but the constant need to show how inspiring it all was makes the film dramatically inert.

It all starts to falter when the movie presents Mandela’s (Morgan Freeman) vision of uniting white and black through the victory of the World Cup as the ultimate answer to South Africa’s woes. The thought that a sporting victory would somehow heal the wounds of the past few decades is laughable. Invictus though, treats Mandela and the idea with utmost seriousness. A bodyguard says of him: “He’s not a saint, he’s a man;” though that concept is certainly not conveyed as any hint that Mandela or his ideas might be less than perfect is not to be seen. Senses are gradually deadened as every scene turns into another opportunity for a speech about inspiration or the need to adapt to change. Mandela recruits Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), the captain of the Springbok’s, as the person to inspire the team to victory. Since the team starts off the movie as a joke, a little explanation as to how the Springboks turned it around should be warranted, but none is offered. I guess when you have star power like Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon on your side, great things just happen.

In an attempt to create tension, a sizable amount of screen time is devoted to Mandela’s security detail and their worries over a possible assassination attempt. After returning to these worries over and over, the final payoff involving a jumbo jet is so ludicrous, it plays as a parody of Black Sunday.

The true hero of the film turns out to be Eastwood’s D.P., Tom Stern, who manages to make the Rugby matches exciting to watch, especially since no attempt is made at explaining how Rugby works. Nor is there ever any dramatic obstacle to overcome; the movie’s theme runs roughshod over the Springbok’s opponents, so the outcome of every match is never in doubt.

Invictus is a Latin word that translates as “unconquerable”. The film, however, makes one want to wave the white flag, as two hours of being fed unbridled piety and inspiration feels like being beaned in the head by a rugby ball.

I've Done Stuff! The Class

Since a teaching job has not been forthcoming (the past three years), I've decided to attempt something different involving my other love, movies! To that end, I enrolled in a class offered by NYU's Continuing Education School. It's called "Becoming a Film Critic" and is taught by a critic from Time Out New York Magazine, Joshua Rothkopf.

It has been a really kicking experience. I've always fancied myself a decent writer to begin with (ever since I won a short play writing contest in 5th grade), and the class has helped me focus on how to write a more publishable review than I usually do. The teacher is very entertaining to listen to (and thankfully is also quite attractive), and gets right to the heart of how to go about trying to make a go of this as a career; so I feel as if I've come away with valuable information. It's not easy breaking into media, but the course and the feedback I've received gives me the confidence that I have a decent shot at doing so, even though it still might take quite a few attempts. Confidence has always been my issue, so it's pleasant to finish a class feeling it. I've still got 1 more session to go and have a final paper to write for it, but I'm not too worried. This might be the most enjoyable final paper I've had to write, definitely more fun than a 24 page English final.

After it's over and the holidays wrap up, it will be time to see if I can put what I've learned into practice. Maybe an article on filling out my ballot for the Independent Spirit Awards or something.....

Best of all, I hope to take another class taught by Josh over the summer in horror film (if it's offered, have to wait for the catalog). Spending summer watching my favorite genre? What's not to love?

So the past few posts hopefully explain my absence over the last month. It's been hectic, and December will remain hectic, but I have a bit more free time coming my way than in November, so I probably won't disappear again.

I've Done Stuff! The Deaths

Oof, I got hit with a double whammy just before Thanksgiving. I got home from driving the taxi early Monday morning to discover that something was eating all the available hard drive space on my...um...hard drive. I was up until 4AM trying to fix it but no luck. So off to bed.

8:30AM the phone rings. It's California. My grandfather's wife passed away a few hours earlier. This would be my Grammy Faye. Not technically my grandmother, but my grandfather was married to her for 24 years, so de facto, she was. This throws everyone for a loop. My grandfather has been essentially wheelchair bound with 24 hour care for the past few years. Grammy Faye saw to every aspect of the household, including his care. Everybody thought he would go before her. Unfortunately, she developed congestive heart failure over the summer, and while she had been doing ok, it appears that that shortly after November started, everything went downhill fast. Still though, she had 93 great years on the planet, and I am very happy I've had the time to get to know her. My twice yearly visits to Pasadena to spend time with her and my grandfather were always highlights.

While phone calls were being traded between the coasts, I was talking to a computer expert who finally got my computer up and running. Just an incompatible program with Windows 7 that had to be uninstalled and reinstalled. Once the computer was up, I checked email to discover that the wife of my father's best friend (who I've known all my life), passed away early Sunday morning. This was more expected, as we had received word that she had been given only weeks to live. Again, you couldn't ask to know a nicer person.

So after word of 2 deaths in 5 hours, I'm sort of glad no other bad news has come down the pipeline. I'll be heading to California from the 16th-21st of this month for Grammy Faye's memorial service and to spend some time with my grandfather. I've put a moratorium on further deaths until after the holidays.

I've Done Stuff! The Job

Tutoring has been slow this year. Only 2 students that have lasted beyond a week. One showed up only periodically, and now is finished. The other cancelled the last few weeks due to being in a late term pregnancy and just had the child, so I doubt I'll see her for the next few weeks.

That leaves just one new student. A less than beloved school district I know decided that a student under its care needed a special education tutor since the teacher he's had for the past 5 years isn't certified. The child is profoundly mentally retarded. This is not the type of population I usually work with or really want to work with. I declined the job but was asked to attend an update meeting at the district since his regular teacher couldn't make it. This I agreed to. At the meeting, the district pulled a bait and switch. The meeting wasn't about any update, it was a meeting about conducting the NYS Alternate Assessment Test for the child. Since I was there on behalf of the student, I'm now the one who has to conduct this test. (The test assesses a student's ability to process information on their grade level when they are too cognitively deficient to take the regular NYS Assessment Tests.) My issue with this is that I was told the student must pass the test. I'm not allowed to hand in anything that implies that student cannot pass. However, the student does not have an eye-gaze (not blind, but he can't focus on anything), he does not have the ability to speak or understand written or oral language, nor does he have voluntary control of his movements, so no ability to write or point or gesture. His mental development is that of a one-month old baby. How do I assess this? Essentially, I was told that when he performes one of his involuntary twitches, I'm to say that he moved in response to my questioning and he understood me. How is that ethical? I'm still hoping I'm able to pass this off to someone else. I just feel very wary about putting my name to something like this.

Ok, long ranty paragraph over. I'll update this later this week after I make some calls.

I've Done Stuff! The Cold

So the past few weeks have been both busy and frustrating for me. It started with a cold I caught about a month ago that turned into a cough I'm still trying to get rid of. It's that type of cold where you just kind of sit and stare straight ahead with no ambition to do anything. Many a night I sat before a blank page for a new post and just had no thoughts running through my mind. Then I'd realize I was looking at the computer screen for 20 minutes and go eat some cookies. Copious amounts of Dayquil, Tylenol and doctor recommended xithmyergkfovklin also added to the empty feeling. Hopefully the cough is gone in another day or two, then I'll be back good to rights.

White Diamonds

So I caught the annual airing of this commercial today. How old is this thing? I feel like I've been seeing this ad since I was 3. And the lighting? My goodness, I know its been a few years since National Velvet, but Ms. Taylor couldn't have looked that bad when it was shot. I'm going to hedge a bet that this will still be airing 60 years from now. Anyone take me up on it?

C'est Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving all. I'll update on the past month I've had that has kept me abnormally busy, but in the meantime, enjoy this WKRP Thanksgiving classic.

최고 호쾌한 미친 회의 밤

Once Upon a Time, Craig, Josh, Enrico, Chris D. , Dave S. , Kari, Dave, Jere, Polt and myself......

A day was set for a Puntabulous meetup. Polt and Dave S. had been contacted secretly to appear as surprise guests. What wonders (and horrors) would await in the night?

The walk across town was uneventful, save for Polt yelling out "Signal!" every few minutes. At first, I thought he was in awe of traffic lights as his hometown sadly has not yet gained electricity; however, it was his message that a guy he found to be attractive was passing by. Given the number of times he spun around to point out various signals, it's clear that Polt has a future in Ballet.

The karaoke place was reached. Eventually all filtered in. The surprise was sprung and surprise was attained. The night began.

At first, things started off slow as David was confused by the microphone:



Hmmm....Polt thought to himself. Time to take advantage of the situation.....:



First, a photo with Enrico was taken. The two then disappeared outside and were gone for 7m33s:



Upon their return, a photo with Josh. The two then disappeared outside and were gone for 12m53s:



Upon their return, a photo with Jere. The two then disappeared outside and were gone for 7m21s:



Upon their return, a photo with Craig. The two then disappeared outside for infinity. Shortly, a woman ran past screaming: "My eyes! My eyes!" Connected?:



Upon their return, a photo with me. However, as you can tell by the photo, I had recently watched a blank VHS tape and received a call telling me "Seven Days...", so Polt was hesitant to go outside. No matter, the singing began!



Dave took the microphone first and wowed us with his rendition of the instrumental theme to "Peanuts":



Kari was up next with his take on a Bubbi Morthens classic: Kannski Varð Bylting Vorið:



Next up was Josh singing some forgettable pop song released in the last 5 minutes. At least his voice is mellifluous:



Craig took his turn with his take on the theme song to "Small Wonder":



Poor Enrico just realized that Mariah Carey will not be nominated for "Precious". Polt comforts him while Dave S. mocks from afar:



The "Lady Marmalade" number!. Everyone did a fine job until Jere took the microphone, channeled his inner Young Jeezy and busted forth with a rap that had the power to reignite the West Coast/East Coast feud. If in danger, he can always move to Kalamazoo to live with Tupac and Biggie (also Elvis and James Dean.):



Sadly, my awesome spoken-word poetry version of "9 to 5" was not to be. Time had run out. We moved outside for a group shot:



Then it was off to dinner. (Well, at least for Jere.):







After dinner at the restaurant, we headed downtown to go to....another restaurant. On the subway down, I had the opportunity to listen in to Enrico and Josh's conversation. Paraphrase follows:



"So I'm totez going to buy a churchez, and gutz it and make it a house. Then I can adoptez 3 kids."
"3? Like Britney's 3? It's number 1!"
"Defferz, so I can adoptez a little white girl, a little black gurl and a little asain gyrl."
"OMG, it's a rainbow of colors!"
"Totez! It's like I'm adopting a bag of skittlez."
"What would happen if Pink chokez on skittlez?"
"Noez! I would so cry, then die then get dragged to hell."
"Totez dragged to hell."

And who would drag them to hell? Kari!:



Proving what that crazy guy on the street told me. "Icelandiandians are evil."

Back to Enrico and Josh, I can only imagine them as friends during my growing up era of the 80's:



"So I'm totally going to buy a church, then gut it apart and make the most gnarly house out of it. Then I'm going to adopt 99 kids."
"99? Like Nena's 99? That's number 1!"
"Awesome! So I'm going to adopt from every country I can think of."
"Tubular! It's like you're adopting a pack of Dynamints."
"What would happen if Martika choked on a Dynamint?"
"Barf me out! I would totally cry, then die, then go Back to the Future."
"Totally Back to the Future"


We reached the second restaurant of the evening: Room Service. Their attempt at different came in the idea that 1 chair at every table should have an entire actual door acting as the back of the chair. I was the lucky one to sit at the special seat, and it was extremely comfortable for a monk. Meanwhile, once we got to the restaurant, Polt took a picture of himself. He then disappeared by himself outside for 2m12s:



A few last rounds of drinks were consumed. Craig was engrossed by a discussion on the semantics of---HOLY CRAP! His hand is huge! That thing could swat a mouse to death:



Josh took advantage of a break in conversation to practice his version of "Blue Steel":



Sadly, Jere is oblivious to the creeping hand from the mirror dimension in the background headed to snatch his soul:



Eventually though, all good things must come to an end. Hugs were shared, as were taxis, apartment floors and hotel beds. The evening concluded and we all made our way home while telling the person next to us what we really thought about the others who were now out of earshot.

What did I take from the evening?

Well....

Irish people dress funny (and look homicidal):



Kari was birthed from a 1980's European perfume commercial:



Polt's smile never stops, mostly from all the (CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED) he engages in.



Josh and Enrico have developed their own language to be studied by future anthropologists:



Chris D. and Dave S. can wear anything and make it look good:



Dave will punch those who are not B-52's fans:



Jere will never get a break from law school work:



This night could only have happened in NYC!:

Thank You Ellen

Question

What is it about the Canadian Penny? I understand that Canada is right next to the U.S. and is on relatively good terms with us, however, their penny is technically foreign currency. Still, nearly every store I go to is more than willing to either take a Canadian Penny from me or give one back in change, as if it's interchangeable with our Lincoln Penny. I've never found any other currency that will work this way. Our neighbor to the South, Mexico, doesn't have coinage that works it's way into the cash registers. I don't see Euro cents or other European coinage ever appear in cash registers, but I come across more Canadian Pennies that I can keep track of. What bizarre hold does this foreign coin have on the retail workers of America that is can be used so easily? Color me confused (which I believe is a shade of fuchsia).

NYFF Schedule

So I've set up my schedule for the NYFF this year. Between my weekend job and an impending visit by a cousin from out west, I've had to curtail the number of films I see from roughly 20 down to 7 this year. Oh well. If anyone (by some magic chance) happens to be at the films or in the vicinity of Lincoln Center, say hi!

Friday, September 25: Wild Grass 6pm

Saturday, September 26: The Wizard of Oz 11am

Saturday, September 26: Eccentricities of a Blond Haired Girl 5:30pm

Saturday, September 26: Vincere 8:30pm

Monday, September 28: Police, Adjective 9:15pm

Thursday, October 1: Lebanon 9:30pm

Friday, October 2: Antichrist 9:00pm

Farewell, Mary

Jeez, this song still can bring a tear to my eye.

Well, that blew.

So my trip down to the city for the Kathy Griffin signing turned into an unmitigated disaster. After checking the Barnes and Noble website to make sure the event was on, I made my way down to Manhattan.

First stop was Lincoln Center to pick up my tickets for the New York Film Festival. I paid last Monday (8/31) and was told the tickets would be at the box office waiting for me. They weren't. Nobody had brought any of the tickets down for pickup. In the only nice thing that was to happen that evening, Rob, the point man for the tickets, personally came down with just my set to hand them to me and chat for a few seconds. That was incredibly nice of him, I was half expecting to be told just to come back another day.

I then hopped on the subway and made the 30 minute trek down to Warren Street and the B&N. Upon arriving, we were told the following. 1. We HAD to purchase a copy of the book prior to attending the event. 2. If we wanted a book signed, we had to have a colored wristband in order to stand in line. Well, neither of those stipulations were mentioned on the website. It turned out that people had been buying books and lining up since 6:00AM. There were nearly 1000 people in line, and the chances of a signature were almost nil. Undaunted, I hopped on line to get the book. With only 4 people left in front of me, the store announced that they had run out of copies of the book, but I could buy an audio copy if I wished. No thanks, I'll wait until I'm blind for audio books.

Ok, I figured I'd still stand by the crowd and watch the event, just not be able to get anything signed. Sigh. The line for the event snaked in and out of nearly every aisle of the store. Then it turned out that the event was being held in a small corner, one that was unviewable unless you were directly in front of it, which the people aced out of books could not get to. So I stood there and listened to Kathy talk for only 6 minutes before sitting down to sign.

Dejected, I made my way back uptown and went to the Barnes and Noble on 67th Street and bought a copy of the book there. I got home and went to look through it only to discover that a printing error covered a number of the pages in large ink blotches, rendering the book worthless. I'll need to exchange it.

So basically, I blew $50 on a trip to the city to listen to Kathy Griffin speak for 6 minutes without being able to see her. Not a pleasant evening.

I'm There!

Finally! I hear about an event before it actually happens. I've lost count of the number of concerts or book signings from people/groups I like because I didn't find out about it until after it took place.

So Kathy Griffin will be signing her new autobiography at the Barnes & Noble on Warren Street somewhere in NYC (must be in lower Manhattan, I've never heard of it)next Tuesday the 8th. This I can make. Who wants to come?

Oh man

WTF? The tennis has barely started and Tipsy's already out? I need to find better players to follow. Jeez, Wawrinka's out too. Hopefully Safin or Roddick can make a serious go at it this year. I'm attending Thursday night, fingers crossed for somebody good to watch.