The Lost Cluttered Art of DJing

I never want to sound like the old man that firmly believes that all modern day music is noise, noise, noise. I never want to be that person that believes that my generation made the best music ever composed (Although let’s be honest, 90s rock was something special). That being said, the Digital Era of Music has indeed ruined one aspect of music that deserves more appreciation: the art of the DJ.

Check this: I was at Hollywood Studios and they had a DJ in front of the hat in honor of the busy season requiring for some guy to stand at center and deliver some tunes to keep the guests happy and forgetting that there’s over 35,000 in the park. He starts fiddling with the computer and then walks away and starts randomly talking to two guests in front of the stage! What literally happened was that he pressed “play” on his computer, and the job was done. No mixing, no scratching, no crossfading, no surprises. What hurts more is that is becoming acceptable behavior in the world of music.

And it’s not just Disney World having their hands on these “DJ”s. You can find them in Applebees, Buffalo Wild Wings, conventions, and I have even seen them in small clothing stories inside malls. The market has become cluttered with these just-push-play DJs that spend a portion of time setting up the music from the safety and comfort of home, and then unleash their 4-hour repetitive mixes to the masses and collect their paycheck. There’s no art involved.

Gone are the days where artists like Fatboy Slim and Funkmaster Flex were tough to come by. Even Paris Hilton receives paychecks for her DJ work nowadays. I hope this stings you more than it stings me. The market has become absolutely flooded with these people, and it brings the entire art down a few notches. Now, it’s tougher to appreciate not only DJs but also music producers with DJ mannerisms (like Deadmau5, David Guetta, Daft Punk, and Joe Hahn).

Similar to how the comic book industry’s absolute marathon of comic book films cluttered the market and made actually-great films like Iron Man, Spider-Man 2, and Scott Pilgrim get lost in the shuffle, the DJ world has been stuffed with has-beens, wanna-bes, and the lazy peeps that pump unnecessary noise to Wednesday night specials at Applebees. The digital era may have allowed for us music lovers to connect to music better, faster, easier, and more consistently than ever before, but unfortunately this also leads to easier editing equipment and tools to create those mixes that used to be a hassle back in the 80s and 90s.....





…and allows for Paris Hilton to make DJ Jazzy Jeff money.

*sigh*

...clearly I am in the wrong career...

Top Five: 6/10

Top Five is a film that should have been ballsier, should have had a stronger voice, and should have delivered a heavier punch. The fact is we have seen this concept before, with the weak Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and the mediocre Funny People. The entertainer-going-back-to-roots-rediscovery angle has been done a couple times within the past half-decade. So in order for Top Five to stand out, it needs sharper dialogue, more entertaining scenarios, more heart. And who better to do this then one of the best comics in the last 20 years? Yet despite the effort and the clearly talented cast, the movie never truly floats above mediocrity waters. Top Five does enough to slightly entertain, but you really wish that there could have been more.

Chris Rock's stand-up is undeniably one of the best in the history of the art form. He has the observational humor of Jerry Seinfeld mixed with the sharp delivery of Eddie Murphy. His cinematic career however lacks the bite that gives him the unique voice in comedy. When your best performance and best non-animated movie comes from a 20+ year old Wesley Snipes film (well...maybe CB4), there is a major issue. And although this movie isn't autobiographical, it definitely has some nods to Rock's actual career. This time Rock is channeling his inner Woody Allen by writing, directing, and starring in a New York flick.

In terms of acting, Chris Rock does not disappoint. His chemistry with the evocative and beautiful Rosario Dawson (sheer underrated talent) was the highlight of the film by far. They work off each other very well, which makes it all the more surprising that the rest of the cast had such limited material and didn't have their chance to truly mesh with Rock. Even Cedric the Entertainer and his amazing portrayal of a Houston freewheeler didn't contribute much. Chris Rock does indeed have the ability to run a movie, but boy did I wish more from Cedrick, J.B. Smoove, Sherri Shepherd, Gabrielle Union, among others.

All the small roles from talented people would be forgiven if the script had been stronger, and if the film had truly explored the harsh questions. Behind the microphone, Chris Rock is not afraid to take on touchy subjects. In Top Five, lots of concepts are lightly brought up but never explored. The reality star life angle, the difficult comedian life angle, the race angle, the returning-to-roots angle, and even the politics subject was slightly and very dimly brought up, but it never dwelled deeper. We could have had some serious post-viewing discussions on the whos, the whats, and the whys, but the film never ignited the fire.

Similar to About Last Night, another 2014 woulda, coulda, shoulda black ensemble film that didn't dip its feet into the discussion waters, Top Five explores a similar cinematic concept and stays afloat mainly because of lead character chemistry and a few cameos striking comedic gold. Unfortunately this movie lacks the bite of Chris Rock standup (despite the "R" rating giving you full permission to do so), instead meandering into similar territory that mixes Woody Allen with recent Judd Apatow. Dramatic but not dramatic enough, funny but not funny enough, provocative but not provocative enough, There are too many ingredients in the talent soup for the overall flavor to remain slightly lifeless.

I wanted more, anticipated more, and overall it just wasn't enough—despite this being Rock's best directorial and acting work.

The Grizzly Roar of the 2015 Chicago Cubs

Boys, the Cubs are back in town.





(The Cubs are back, the Cubs are back)





Actually providing upgrades to the stadium quickly turning into a stadium equivalent of Custer’s Last Stand? Check. Potentially stealing a Grade-A manager from a franchise that might not even exist in the next decade? Check. Overpaying massive amounts of money for a proven pitcher that is nonetheless over 30? Check check check.

The Chicago Cubs I used to know made bold and collective moves, and built strong competitive teams. The Sammy Sosa Peak Era of 1998-2004 gave us incredible talent (Grace, Sosa, Wood, Prior, Gonzalez, etc.), plenty of winning, and was marred by a manager that self-destructs come every September. Then we were met with Lou Pinella Cubs, which was a mix of phenomenal pitching and smallball play. But nowadays the Cubs had no identity, were just roaming around in National League Purgatory. While watching their rivals constantly make playoff appearances, the Cubs literally looked stuck while spending empty dollars of mediocre players while watching superior talent slip through their fingers.

Not anymore. It’s over. They signed Jon Lester for 156 ridiculous million, making sure that the man didn’t go back to Boston or found his way to San Francisco. Is it too much money? Of course it is, and Chicago knows this. But now Joe Maddon is running the show. Now there is a personality brewing in Wrigley Field. 2014 saw a surprising amount of hitting from the youngsters, so if they can deliver the pitching to preserve the leads we can definitely see an improvement from the organization. Throw in Maddon’s clever creative techniques for getting the job done, and who knows? There is a small window of opportunity and hope opening up and even though Lester won’t solve all the problems, his appearance will definitely trigger some good vibes.

The Cubs need experience, need proven winners to propel the youngsters into the promised land the North Side folks have not seen in over a century. Let me remind you, A CENTURY OF DISAPPOINTMENT. Do you know how many consecutive presidents have seen the Cubs not win the World Series? 18 presidents. The United States has seen 2 World Wars, 18 presidents, and 680 Disney movies since the last time the Chicago Cubs won the entire thing.

The Cubs are not playing games anymore. Jon Lester’s exaggerated mega contract is merely the latest example.



Beware Major League Baseball. The Cubs are back, the Cubs are back. *insert musical minute of Thin Lizzy*

The Penguins of Madagascar: 6/10

If you are going out of bounds, be fully out of bounds.

If you are going to create a wacky, out-of-control movie devoid of any slowdown moments or sentimental value---keep it that way.

This is what makes Emperor's New Groove such a phenomenal gem, and what made a movie like Shark Tale a jarring confusing drag. The Penguins of Madagascar falls somewhere in the middle, combining wacky ridiculous humor with a slight bit of heart that actually bogs the movie down a few notches. The additional cast of characters joining the penguins also actually brings it down a few notches. And lastly, the extended running time, which especially feels dragging for a movie that moves so fast, prevents this flick from truly excelling.

Nonetheless, just like in all the Madagascar movies, when the penguins are present and behaving zany, this is when the movie shines the brightest and flourishes the most. We had been begging for these characters to get their own movie; as their snarky creative schemes and no Fs attitude contradicted the pace and characterizations of the others involved---minus the lemurs which sadly have no place here. And although our wish came true, it still awkwardly left us yearning to see more from the original Madagascar cast.

If you are going to replace Alex and company, and replace the equally-ridiculous lemur crew (especially King Julien flawlessly voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen), you better have an awesome cast taking the wheel. Unfortunately, this is not the case as we have ho-hum secret agents that serve only as a compliment to a quick-and-easy plot involving an angry John Malkovich-voiced octopus wishing revenge on penguins around the world. Yea, the plot has a 90s children cartoon feel, and that is exactly what we got, even though being a little more straightforward could have severely benefited the entire thing.

In movies that operate in this frantic style, heart, animation, realism, and normal rules of storyframing should take a backseat. When a movie shoots and flies like a bullet, there cannot be anything holding it back. In my ultimate example, The Emperor's New Groove wentagainst the Disney grain and delivered arguably the most ChuckJones-ish movie since the Looney Tunes and obliterated every animatedrule in the book. The fourth wall was non-existent during those 90 minutes. With Penguins however, there were a few slowdown moments and although they can be vital to wholesome family fare like How to Train Your Dragon and Big Hero 6, it does hamper movies that just aim to please and become throwaway popcorn entertainment.

Luckily, there is still plenty of entertainment here, from the quick-paced one-liners to the creatively-done action sequences. I assure you, the potential was indeed here. And to top it off, plenty of penguin espionage keeping the tykes entertained. We just wish that there was more of it. For some odd reason the penguins continuously leave us asking for more, even after getting its own entire movie. It might be that the penguins work best in small doses. It could be that the Madagascar crew actually holds more quality weight than we anticipated. At the end of the day though, this movie becomes entertaining yet unmemorable. Funny yet not fully satisfying. A mission well-done, but very little reward.

King Julien and Mort really should have gone along for the ride.....

The Top 30 Films in the Official Walt Disney Animated Features Canon (The Top 10)

And after Part 1 and Part 2, I have the Top 10 right here, right now. Prepare to read and disagree. Let's finish this:









#10: Fox and the Hound
Last Time: #13

In this day and age, this one has grown on me. It is an underrated gem that was made during a tough time period in the Disney animation history and it was the final one to have the major touches of Disney’s Old Nine Men. And it was a wonderful swan song, as the heavy themes of prejudice and injustice prevails and it’s supported by beautiful animation, a heart wrenching story, and wonderful voice acting to tie it all together.

Fox and the Hound quietly started a trend in Disney animation that would eventually focus on deeper, heavier themes and would alter the usual Disney formula. There is no happy ending here, there isn’t a clear-cut story here. This is essentially Do the Right Thing minus the rioting and New York City setting. It is about becoming enemies with others without even knowing them, and not really even knowing why. And although Bambi, Lion King, and the modern gems Up and Toy Story 3 are more notorious for bringing the kids to tears, Fox and the Hound deserves just as much praise for elevating the emotions and hitting all the right notes---especially on that final act.




#9: Lady and the Tramp
Last Time: #12

One of the great cinematic love stories, Lady and the Tramp is one of those movies that has no outstanding strength, but is fully devoid of any weaknesses. The characters are memorable and likable, the film is beautifully drawn and animated with great detail (The rat scene being a wonderful example), the score is subtle and sweet, and of course there’s the infamous Bella Notte scene. It is probably the most famous kiss in the history of the medium.

Of course we have millions of talking animal movies, but this is the one that set the bar: the dogs have their own languages independent to that of the humans even though they share the same environment. This was the first movie to truly emphasize the fact that the animals have the same types of feelings and emotions as the humans roaming around with them. It sounds trivial and redundant, but do remember that Lady and the Tramp is nearly 60 years old. It is a quietly revolutionary animated work of art.




#8: Alice in Wonderland
Last Time: #11

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is nowhere near as accurate to the book as Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, it still has all the zany energy, dark British humor, and infinite layers of whimsical Dahl flavoring to make it the superior film by far. And this is exactly what Alice in Wonderland from Disney has done to every adaptation of the infamous book: become superior in every shape and form regardless of not being the most accurate one.

The trippy energy is extremely present. The animation is extremely bright and absolutely unpredictable. It remains one of the most unique-looking Disney films out there as stark incredible detail is contrasted by awkward clunky visuals. The entire movie feels like a roller coaster trip as we were treated from one insane moment to the next. Unlike most of your Disney princesses at the time, Alice doesn’t sit around, she is easily the most active leading lady until Ariel from Little Mermaid. It’s a very ballsy animated movie that left no stone unturned, and took dramatic creative risks. And although it didn’t pay off back then, it’s widely regarded as one of the best today.

P.S. This is much better than Burton's version by a long long long long shot.





#7: Sleeping Beauty
Last Time: #6

This is Fantasia with a plot and an incredible villain. The movie is mostly devoid of dialogue, instead focusing on beautifully spellbinding visuals combined with a musical score that was decades old at the time but redone perfectly by the Walt Disney crew. Yes, the Princess and the Prince don’t speak in the final 20 minutes of the movie, but that’s forgotten when you see the final action sequence climaxed by an epic showdown against Maleficent’s dragon transformation.

Sleeping Beauty was ambitious, was epic in scale, and required every bit of effort from the animation team, and I assure you it was a nasty hassle not only drawing that fire in the opening sequence, but creating an entirely brand new style of animation from scratch. In terms of animation achievement, Sleeping Beauty is quite possibly the best of them all in terms of what it accomplished in its time period. Now throw in memorable characters, beautiful music, a dastardly villain, and the Disney touch and you have yourself one of the best animated films of all-time.




#6: Cinderella
Last Time: #3

Sleeping Beauty elevated the animation game to the next level. Cinderella on the other hand essentially created a brand new genre in the history of film: the Cinderella story. The story about the person on the bottom of the barrel through hard work and good circumstances rising to the top and reaching levels that he/she couldn’t even imagine. Cinderella from Disney created this formula, and it works every single time; from a modern spin like Pretty Woman and Mean Girls to sports movies like Rocky and Bad News Bears.

The rare Disney movie with four antagonists (think about it, honestly), Hitchcock suspense, and a cat named after Satan, Cinderella is Disney magic at its peak, entertaining, full of great music and characters, and dozens of classic scenes that have made its way into the pop culture lexicon. Quietly this movie saved Disney animation with its box office success and revival of the Disney brand into the film industry. We may have Cinderella overkill nowadays, but its original impact in film back in the 1950s was nothing short of groundbreaking.




#5: The Jungle Book
Last Time: #5

Walt Disney’s Swan Song. This was the last film Disney personally put his suggestions and finishing touches on, and it is an absolute beast. The first animated film to actually get a few murmurs for a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, The Jungle Book has some of the best visuals and music in history. It was also shockingly hilarious, especially for an older Disney flick. And the recurring Disney formula of memorable characters, memorable music, and memorable moments is in full blast here; from the elephant march to the vultures’ Beatles serenade, to the chase sequence in King Louie’s palace, to the climactic showdown against a psychotic tiger.

The Sherman Brothers, Nine Old Men, Mr. Disney himself collaborated perfectly here, and for the last time unfortunately. And in this final film, they threw everything except the kitchen sink here: dozens of animals, a totally mixed bag of environments, popular actors lending their voices, and we nearly even had The Beatles in here for crying out loud! Jungle Book was in an extremely crowded cinematic year (1967: Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, etc.) but should have gotten Oscars for Sound, Music, and Song for sure. This movie is arguably perfect, a visual feast, and a great way to exit your career. Thanks for everything, Mr. Walt Disney.




#4: Aladdin
Last Time: #7

There is indeed a bit of bias bringing Aladdin all the way up here. But here me out: the music, the action, the supporting cast, the damsel in distress being quite strong on her own, the surprises, the humor, the evil villain that nearly kills our hero in THREE different instances! And lastly, the revolutionary performance from Robin Williams, which would transform voice acting into a pure art form, one that can enhance a movie when given enough room.

Aladdin wastes no time, with a few songs and a few action-packed moments within the first 10 minutes. And by the time it’s all over we see the Disney Renaissance in full play: Broadway music, Oscar-worthy performances, articulate attention to detail, sweeping visuals, the showstopping song, the romantic song, and the dosage of old-school Disney magic that had been missing from Disney’s death all the way up to 1989 with Little Mermaid. It was risky, it was fast-paced, it was intense, and climaxed with a final sequence that tested the younglings---after all, our hero was fighting an invincible enemy that can turn into a cobra. Aladdin may not be too deep on themes, but its an extremely entertaining movie that mixes blockbuster action with the Disney aura that hovers over your favorite childhood memories.

#3: The Emperor’s New Groove
Last Time: #4

Well, this had to happen. The Emperor’s New Groove is the equivalent of the blue collar workers fighting against the Big Boss. This movie is so anti-Disney its hilarious, it breaks so many rules that was associated with the Disney Renaissance and the Disney Formula that you may wonder if any of the writers and animators even kept their job when the film finally came out. What started out as a failed project became an insane animated comedy that gave us an unlikable main character, a likable duo of villains, another great John Goodman performance, plenty of sarcasm, destruction of the fourth wall, and a pace so fast that it never slows down to give us any musical numbers. The Emperor’s New Groove has so much subtle adult humor it pulls a Rocko’s Modern Life and sneaks by the censors before anybody notices anything.

After years of serious Disney productions we finally got the immature slacker flick that was perfect for those getting rather sick of the Broadway Disney that was starting to wear its welcome (Shrek would be the peak anti-Disney period with its box office surprise and even more surprising Oscar win). Everything about this movie worked and hit, and just delivered an experience unlike anything we had ever seen from Disney---before and since. The animation took a slight step backwards and allowed humor and clever writing to be front and center. Although it won’t be mentioned as part of the Disney Renaissance, it remains the best imitation of Chuck Jones we have seen in the last 20 years.

#2: Beauty and the Beast
Last Time: #2

The first animated film to truly actually deserve a Best Picture nomination, and could have even won it if it had not come out with the eerily perfect Silence of the Lambs. Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece, plain and simple. The heavy adult themes are everywhere, the music is top-notch perfect, the cast is excellent from voicing to execution, the art direction and editing was magnificent, and there isn’t a single wasted moment. Beauty and the Beast is one of the 50 greatest films of all-time, guaranteed. It gave us a lot of Disney at-the-time rarities: a princess with an actual humanized personality, character development coming from the prince, the handsome person actually being the villain, and lastly an aura of a sweeping epic that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz.

I was 4 when I first saw Beauty and the Beast in theaters, and I vividly remember the theater being enamored from the first second to the last. Sometimes a movie transcends being just popcorn entertainment and becomes something more, becomes a part of your life, becomes a part of your conscious. Beauty and the Beast is the benchmark for modern Disney films, and believe it or not from Aladdin to even Frozen, no Disney Renaissance I/II movie has matched the 1991 gem. It is beautiful even today, and will remain beautiful long after we are all gone.

#1: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Last Time: Also #1


The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh represents everything Disney in every conceivable aspect: from the way a Disney film looks to even the way the image of Disney is branded into our psyche. Winnie the Pooh is flawless, harmless, lighthearted entertainment that has an intense amount of childhood magic that is absolutely inescapable. The animation, the music, the light and airy way we are taken from scene to scene, and all the details spiraling out of the movie like a childhood book brought to life; Winnie the Pooh didn’t just create one of the most popular animated cast of characters of all-time, but would set the tone as to how the Disney parks would look and feel. If there is a movie that best resembles the sensation of entering and engaging yourself in the Magic Kingdom, this one would absolutely be it.

Three stories woven into one overarching tale about a boy and his friends in the years before he needs to grow up and enter the world of education, Winnie the Pooh is the perfect allegory for how you view the world and how you feel about it prior to entering the real world. Happiness peaks when you are a kid, as the little things in life like bubbles, balloons, toys fills your heart with glee—long before the essentials become required from you. And not a single movie can capture this short era of your life like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Even the nightmares here are cute and huggable.

This is Walt Disney Animation’s crowning achievement, hands-down. It’s perfect. It’s the perfect childhood movie. It’s the perfect family movie. And it’s the perfect movie to introduce your future kids into the unique and engaging world of Walt Disney. And I know most of you, all of you will disagree. But I personally don’t see another Disney animated movie occupying this spot.

Whiplash: 10/10

Being an artist, whether writing something, filming something, or playing something, requires a special edge. This special edge is a passion that not everyone can possess, and not everyone can maintain. This special edge can alienate you from the rest of society, can cast you as a black sheep, can drain all your willpower, but at the end of the day if you are good at your craft this is all that matters.

Whiplash is a grandiose work of cinematic bittersweet delight that explores that darkness of said passion and the drawbacks that comes with it. It is required viewing if you ever want to know what it feels like to be a tortured soul determined to be the best. There were only 12 people in the theater when I watched this: we all wound up clapping in the end.

Whiplash thrashes around like bebop jazz: initially inviting, then becomes loud, unexpected, twisted, daring, violent, and entertainingly tedious. On the surface it looks like a simple tale of an aspiring jazz drummer entering a tough course with a nasty instructor becomes something much more. It is about two people that seek perfection in their craft in an art form that can easily hide the blemishes. It is about two people trying to succeed in a type of music that is a far cry from what it used to be. The olden days are referenced aplenty, from style to music to the victim artists within the genre.

On the surface, it may look like a simple film to direct. But Whiplash contains a heavy and hyper dosage of extreme close-ups, long shots, fast alternating cuts, and just a dizzying cinematographic energy that is on par with the best action films. Damien Chazzelle not only writes the strong script that is far from predictable, but also gives the movie a strong flavoring of authenticity from the small details to the music that is ultimately performed in front of our very own eyes.

The acting deserves Oscar nominations all around. Although J.K. Simmons will receive almost all the (well-deserved) attention for a spellbinding and flawless performance as a profanity-laced and dangerous perfectionist teacher that becomes a tyrant once the class starts, Miles Teller also deserves just as much acclaim for bringing his extremely devoted yet sympathetic lead character to life. The jazz action is intense, the blood, sweat and tears are frighteningly real. The tension is heavy in an unlikely Hitchcockian sense, and by the time you get to the climactic scene you will simply be swept away by the musical, emotional, and psychological madness.

It is not an easy movie to stomach, it is a tough pill to swallow. But surviving the intense thrill dramatic ride of passion brings enough catharsis and snarky emotional payoff to have you hooked from beginning to finish. Whiplash is easily one of the best films of 2014 as it all comes together perfectly like a great jazz ensemble.

Being an artist is zealous torture, plain and simple. Whiplash perfectly personifies this fact of life.

And this type of torture is exactly why I am writing this review at 4 in the morning. And whether you understand this aspect of my life or not, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Interstellar: 5/10

Interstellar is like trying to consume a 10-inch slice of pizza in your mouth without chewing: we know the pizza is always good, and we know that the more pizza the better, but then after a point it becomes pure overkill. That is what Interstellar is: cinematic overkill that overstays its welcome, overstays its logic, and lingers around long enough for you to notice the rapidly-thinning plot. The technical aspects were indeed spectacular in every sense of the way, which arguably keeps the movie afloat for as long as it possibly can before the third act weighs everything down with its left field conclusion.

What really limits Interstellar more than anything else is the plot and the script. Movies that use a backdrop as vast and expansive as space needs a smaller story to keep the audience and the logic in check. This is what worked for Wall-E, Gravity, and to a lesser extent 2001: A Space Odyssey. With Interstellar however, too much is explained, and the audience is required to make massive leaps of faith that we may not be willing to make---especially after already going through two hours of it. The dialogue is slightly overblown and loses authenticity, and by the climax too much is being discussed and not enough is being shown.

The performances and the technical details keep the dialogue and story from disappointing us too much. Matthew McConaughey carries this film well as he becomes simply a man concerned about the future of his family in the midst of the grand space adventure that takes too many twists and turns that requires a second viewing to fully realize it all. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Caine did a swell job with the minimal material handed to them. They each added a sense of believability to a plot that was quite devoid of them as the movie went on.

The cinematography and special effects were top-notch, although they suffered a few setbacks if you compare them to 2013's Gravity. Interstellar hides its space scope with far too many closeups of the crew in the space station, when there was an entire universe to be explored. The other locales themselves were quite lacking in eyecandy and creativity, leading to us longing for more scenes of outer space.

Also hurting this film was that too much was happening at the same time, not in plot but in presentation. Sometimes the dialogue audio was battling the musical score and sound effects, resulting in a loud mass that made it tough to hear and comprehend the scene. In the case of Gravity and 2001, it was made sure the music was front and center, toning down just slightly when dialogue was needed to be said.

Christopher Nolan is a go-big-or-go-home type of director. Simplicity is not in his resume, he loves his stories and films complex, full of wonder, full of questions, and full of awe-inspiring scenes. However, simplicity is what is definitely lacking in Interstellar. If the film spent more time showing instead of telling, then we would have had a better visual feast ahead of us. A movie of this kind, with so much room to explore, needs to be more like Jurassic Park (simple, yet incredibly thrilling) and less like Contact (psychologically and philosophically inducing).

I truly wanted to enjoy this movie, considering the time, effort, and sheer labor put in to this cinematic space opera. But the entire affair was too bloated, too overdone, and just altogether didn't leave much to the imagination. Each of the pieces were good from the acting to the directing to the cinematography to the special effects. But altogether none of it really meshed, even with a running time of over 160 minutes.

In space, nobody can hear you. In the movie theater however, every yawn can indeed be heard, now matter how pretty it looked...

The Top 30 Films in the Official Walt Disney Animated Features Canon (Part 2)

This is a continuation from the list I had started a few days ago. Let's continue...





#20: Tarzan
Last Time: 15


Where is the love for this one? Great action, superb cast (Minus an annoying Rosie O’Donnell), Phil Collins, strong family themes, vibrant colors, and an ability to water-down the drama? Tarzan was the last great film from the Disney Renaissance before it was followed by a Wild Card and a series of flops and disappointments—and seriously Phil Collins and that spellbinding soundtrack. But seriously though, Rosie O’Donnell….why??




#19: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Last Time: 10


The original. The classic. The gem. We all know Snow White, but do we remember it truly? Snow White may have been the first, but it set the benchmark already sky high just like what Toy Story did to computer animation. From music to characters to gags to the archetype villain that was pretty much created here, Snow White may have created a formula that was improved upon many, many times---it did create the formula.

Walt Disney went for broke with this one. Amidst allegations that animated movies would ultimately destroy your eyes and that children would never be able to survive such a long period of time seeing animation, Snow White would become the biggest film in the short history of the cinema. It would become the blueprint for the next several decades of Disney animated films.




#18: Winnie the Pooh
Last Time: n/a


This movie is short. This movie is devoid of any drama, devoid of any villain, devoid of any conflict whatsoever. But this under-the-radar gem was full of heart, full of humor, and has more charm than ten animated movies put together. It boasted a nice laid-back soundtrack powered by Zooey Deschanel and a flawless voice cast. It’s arguably the perfect film for the young-younglings if you want to get them started on the world of Disney.

Yes, ranking this small, tiny flick above Hunchback, Tarzan, and Lion King seems rather strange. However, unlike the previous three films, there is no inconsistency here. From start to finish it set out on a simple goal to merely glide from the first minute to the last and there were no bumps along the way.





#17: Frozen
Last Time: n/a


Ah, the Let it Go Movie. Frozen became arguably the Little Mermaid for Millenials and the Twitter Generation. A powerful song highlights a great soundtrack that sounds straight out of Broadway, and combining that with flawless animation and two strong likable princesses----one of them has amazing powers. Honestly it’s the music that runs this movie and allows for Frozen to fly past a weaker third act to become quite the anti-Disney movie with its strong feminism and themes of individualism.

Some movies become blockbusters and burn out quickly, others just linger and remain in the American psyche for a long period of time. Some movies just hit the right note at the right time. Frozen would not have been as big a hit in 1994, or 2001, or 2004 even. But in 2014, with Disney in full swing, reputation improved from earlier, and with the equal rights movement exploding alongside Twitter, Instigram, and Tumblr, Frozen took the global culture by storm. Even if it won’t ever be considered Disney’s best, it can be arguably the most successful movie on this list.




#16: One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Last Time: 8


In the entire barometer of the Disney Animated spectrum, there are a few movies that has a very unique art style. It can make the movie (Sleeping Beauty---later in the list), it can break the movie (Home on the Range…ugh). 101 Dalmatians’ art style was very jazzy/deco 1920s and was one of the strongest parts of the movie---which miraculously managed to compose of millions of spots from dozens of Dalmatians without breaking the willpower of all the animations involved. In terms of achievement alone, 101 Dalmatians is just as powerful and groundbreaking as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Now, let’s throw in a psychotic villain, superb cast of humans AND animals, lots of memorable moments (remember the rubbing scene?), plenty of subtle tension, and a nice villain song to hold it all together and you have yourself a bonafide Disney classic.





#15: Mulan
Last Time: 16


Probably the strongest female heroine in the entire Disney line, Mulan is not just front and center, she is a strong character with strong will, strong values, and kicks plenty of butt—especially against an underrated Disney villain and Chinese tradition. The movie boasts a great soundtrack, well-directed and edited animated action sequences, and does a good job staying away from the typical Disney tropes. It was a unique story driven by great writing and great characters. Seriously, watch it again, its still a darn good film.

I love how Frozen convinced everyone to forget that we had a strong female heroine to look up to. I love how Shrek convinced everyone to forget that Eddie Murphy had a similar strong sidekick performance right here. And finally, before Let it Go, we had Reflection. Mulan would create some of the necessary steps to make the eventual global phenomenon Frozen---and yes, usually the original is superior.




#14: Big Hero 6
Last Time: n/a


Shockingly buzzing past most of your Disney classics in terms of quality, Big Hero 6 is a very powerful film in terms of emotion and caps it off with an abundance of action comedy that entertains and prevents you from hitting full depression. Becoming a wonderful origin story that has all the style and tone of your classic Marvel comics, Big Hero 6 is sure to become a successful franchise down the road. But thanks to Beymax, Hiro, and the rest of the fun cast, you won’t mind seeing them again in the near future. A very likable film, this is the film that cements Disney Animation as fully rejuvenated after the Eisner downfall in 2000.

Love or hate Disney, they have the perfect formula for crafting a successful animated film: heavy loss, very likable and relatable lead character, superb supporting cast and required great best friend, villain that tinkers the line between interesting and intimidating, and always leaving room for growth via sequel or television show. This formula may make the Disney films predictable, and Big Hero 6 is quite predictable---but knowing you are going to have a blast witnessing it is half the fun.




#13: Princess and the Frog
Last Time: 18


To go back to the winning formula and start the Disney Renaissance II however, you needed to go back to the past. So Disney reached out to the directors of Aladdin/Little Mermaid/NobodySawThis Treasure Planet to introduce the world to Disney’s first black princess. And thanks to high energy, an awesome villain, delightful cast, and nice focus on Cajun detail, Princess and the Frog is fun, feels fresh, feels truly genuine. And lastly it was the beginning of the unraveling of the usual Disney tropes that had been hovering above the brand for decades.

Similar to Martin Campbell whom saved the Bond franchise twice, there isn’t enough love for Ron Clements and John Musker. These two are responsible for three Disney Renaissance films, and the one that started the sequel Renaissance. They know how to pace, they know how to keep the audience riveted, and knows how to keep the Disney magic flowing regardless of the setting—while at the same time give each film its unique voice.




#12: The Little Mermaid
Last Time: 20


Snow White. Cinderella. The Jungle Book. Fox and the Hound. These films jump-started new eras in Disney animation---for better or for worse. The Little Mermaid is part of this list, because it started the Disney Renaissance while at the same time obliterated the Don Bluth rivalry once and for all. And of course in order to become a major success and start a movement, the movie has to actually be good. The Little Mermaid became the first Disney film that flowed and sounded like a Broadway musical. You weren’t watching a film, you were watching an entertainment extravaganza of music, humor, action, and romance. Beautiful varied music, illustrious animation, and a memorable cast of characters to boot.

Argue what you will about her intentions, Ariel became the first Disney princess to truly defy the norm and truly have a wholesome adventurous personality that girls and females in general can look up to. She wasn’t a damsel in distress most of the time, she was out there chasing her dream. But Little Mermaid also became the first Disney movie to give the Prince a good personality as well. Little Mermaid set a new bar, and even though it does get raised down the road in the 90s, this film pretty much saved the Disney company.




#11: Pinocchio
Last Time: 9

Snow White may have been the original that laid out the tracks, but Pinocchio would be the locomotive that would steer the company into quality and financial heights. Pinocchio is a gem from start to finish. Not a single lost moment, not a single dull moment, and also was quite the ballsy film for its time. The slightly religious Wish upon a Star, the sinful and scary Pleasure Island sequence, the overpowering Monstro the Whale sequence, and the beautiful ending made for a complete work of art.

Pinocchio was about a simple creation transforming into a full human full of values, full of mistakes, and full of love and redemption that would overcome his weaker moments on his quest for becoming real. It was a beautiful story about family, about growing up, and about sacrificing for one another. It was about appreciating the important people in your life, and it was a quest for happiness. Right now we are entering flawless territory, where the classics become masterpieces. Pinocchio is an animated masterpiece, without a doubt. Nearly top-notch perfect from animation to music to the aesthetics.


The top 10 is coming up. Be ready to complain.....

The Top 30 Films in the Official Walt Disney Animated Features Canon (Part 1)

With Big Hero 6 now out in theaters and earning goblets of money for the House of Mouse, and with the 25th anniversary of the animated film that jump-started the original Disney Renaissance (The Little Mermaid), I decided to revisit my ranking of the main Disney Animated Films canon. I have updated the list to include the new films and switched around a few movies to make it more accurate. Some of these animated gems have aged better than others, while others didn’t get as much respect as they should have earned the first time.

Instead of ranking alllll of them, I took the 30 that are my favorite, and have ranked them in the blogosphere for you all to read, enjoy, and potentially complain. I will split this into three chapters, just to increase the tension.




#30: Fantasia


Similar to what happened to 2014’s Boyhood, Fantasia is a great achievement that is marred by a production that could have been better. There definitely were some awesome sequences, and then there were some that should not have existed. Nonetheless there is a beautiful marriage of music and animation that will set the bar to how animated movies should look and sound for decades to come.




#29: Meet the Robinsons


Acting as the bridge between nearly-comatose Disney Animation and the Disney Renaissance II, Meet the Robinsons is a very charming and sweet tale about an orphan that meets a delightful family in the future. Without spoiling too much, time travel, multiple timelines, and random zany humor gets woven together to create an uneasy yet slightly engaging family experience. The third act nearly eradicates all the issues from the rest of the movie by providing a powerful climax. This one is a light gem that time has forgotten.




#28: The Lion King


Probably my pick that will cause the most controversy, I have one of Disney’s biggest smash hits on the lower end of the countdown. Hear me out, this movie is a bit slow, a bit uneven, and can never truly end as strong as it started. As a matter of fact if it weren’t for Timon and Pumbaa who knows if the tykes would have survived the second half and the ho-hum climax. The Lion King has superb animation and music, but suffers from being a bit overbearing. Nonetheless, it resonates with kids and adults nicely, and fits the Disney Renaissance themes of loss, fighting the odds, and overcoming your fears. There’s just better out there.




#27: The Hunchback of Notre Dame


If you want darkness, look no further. As a matter of fact, Disney had to toy around with the movie (adding funny gargoyles, muting the music of Hellfire) to prevent the used-to-be-box-office-poison PG rating. And honestly the scaling back is what prevented Hunchback from truly entering the required dark territory to become a dark animated masterpiece. From a commercial standpoint, made sense to lighten the mood a bit with a few nice musical numbers and kids humor. On the artistic standpoint, oh boy what it could have been….But it will earn lots of points for the superb animation, demonic villain, and musical soundtrack.




#26: Robin Hood


I had pointed this out in the previous list, but Robin Hood is marred by all the limited budget restrictions. Lots of recycled animation, lots of unused ideas, lots of unmet potential. In spite of this there is an underrated folk soundtrack and plenty of delightful characters to follow. Robin Hood loses points for inconsistent pace and tone, marred by a final sequence that gets dark out of nowhere.




#25: Wreck-It Ralph


Even though it’s a kid’s movie disguised as a gamer movie, Wreck-It Ralph became a surprise hit with its blend of creativity, great voice acting, strong main/supporting character relationship, and just an overall uniqueness that was definitely missing in most animated movies. And yes, extreme bias will plant this lower on the list because it was missing a deeper embedding into the gaming/gamer culture that could have made this another Scott Pilgrim vs. the World---great movie that ages perfectly well because it never took itself too seriously. Nonetheless, at least watch it for Sarah Silverman and John C. Reilly’s flawless performances.




#24: Hercules


A little underrated, a little understated, and was marred by heavy box office competition and the fact that boy’s movies just don’t get the same love as princess/female-driven movies in the Disney barometer. However, Hercules has a nice cast, one of the strongest heroines in Disney history, one of the best villains in ANY animated movie, and a Karate Kid swagger that turns a boring mythology into an entertaining movie.




#23: The Sword in the Stone



A good chance that most of you have not seen this one. Don’t worry, this applies to most of America. The Sword in the Stone is a quiet gem that combines rich animation with a lot of activity that keeps the film moving and prevents it from being predictable or boring. The climactic battle was unexpected, the ending breaks the fourth wall, and to be honest there isn’t a dull moment to be found. It lightly stays above water and never sinks.




#22: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad


Combine two very different but very entertaining stories together and what do you have? Another forgotten Disney gem that was released in the World War II days that blends two dastardly different tones and creates a sugar/spice combination that gives you a wholesome feeling by the end of the movie. Well-animated, plenty of whimsical (and slightly British) humor, and more evidence of the zaniness that sometimes comes from the usually-serious Walt Disney Studios.





#21: Dumbo

One of the more inspiring movies in history, Dumbo follows a baby elephant as he rises from a mere circus animal into a circus sensation in a quick, beautiful, cinematically poetic 64 minutes. Within that mere hour, we are met with one of the creepiest sequences in film history (Pink Elephants on Parade), a beautiful mother/child scene, and a heck of a cathartic climax that would inspire generations to come. The animation is beautiful, the story was very original at its time, and would catapult the company into a new realm of success.


The list will continue in a couple of days. See you then......

The Quality Drainage of the 76ers

Want to know what is preventing the NBA from rising out of the third/fourth place ranking in the American sports market?



The Philadelphia 76ers.

No, the Mavericks won 123 - 70. #76ers
— Did the 76ers Win? (@DidThe76ersWin) November 14, 2014

It may not seem like a big deal, especially when the NBA has bigger problems like bloated season, flopping, the LeBron lovemaking, the existence of a basketball team called the Pelicans, and the fact that the Seattle Supersonics still hasn’t returned. There are bigger things, and let’s not even get started on Adam Silver wanting to bank in on sports gambling (which will open up a Pandora’s Box that the league may never be able to control). But the 76ers are wrecking the NBA, honestly.

This awful Philly team is leading the wave of floppers, quitters, and might-as-well-be-non-existent teams that are just coasting through the season without conflict, without a plan, without an attempt to be in the playoffs. They are run by awful management that smokescreens the idea of getting good picks to cover up the fact that they are just in the league to collect the profits and nothing more. Losing by over 50 points to any team while being a professional team is inexcusable. Only the 86 Celtics, 96 Bulls, 96 Sonics (Sorry, needed to reference that former franchise again), 87 Lakers, and 92 Bulls should beat you by that much---nobody else.

There is no way that a collective group of players who dreamed, worked, sweated, bled, clawed, sacrificed, and viciously fought their way into the professional field would throw games. This isn’t the fault of the players, it’s the fault of the lottery system, and the decision to not attempt to put out the best product on the court by upper management. This style of survival in the NBA is bad for the coaches, bad for the players having their basketball lifespan get sacrificed unfairly, and bad for the league because every match they play is essentially a throwaway game---like the one against the Mavericks. There were people reading the newspaper in Dallas midway through the second quarter because the game was so stupidly out of reach.

Do you really want to go to your home court to watch the 76ers play? Of course you don’t. You would rather pay to see two teams put out full effort. This mindset is extremely damaging. Unlike the other leagues that sells hope (NFL and its extremely streamlined 16-game schedule), the NBA from the very beginning eliminates a slew of ballclubs from ever considering competing for a shot at the playoffs, let alone the title. There is this belief that there is no hope to catch fire mid/late season and sneak their way to the top like the Royals of 2014, the Ravens of 2013, and the *insert yearly catching fire NHL team*. Automatically, you see white flags being held up left and right, and the 76ers are your prime example.

Look what happened the night after the beatdown: they took the Rockets to the very end of the game. Granted this team isn’t going to win a championship, but they should be able to at least put up some sort of fight and stay relevant. I assure you the massive backlash contributed to the actual attempt to win a basketball game the night after. But with a world that communicates a lot better, faster, and with more research to choose from, you cannot throw a game and expect to get away with it.

Adam Silver needs to address this because pure suckage teams like the 76ers waters down the overall product. And yes, we have always had bad teams every single season, but before there was more bite in the junkyard dogs of the conference boondocks. Even the first-year Vancouver Grizzlies notoriously talked trash to MICHAEL JORDAN ON HIS PRIME one night. Do you currently see anyone in Philadelphia attempt to talk trash to a high-caliber team like the Warriors or Spurs? I severely doubt it.

I have always dreamed of a concept that would force the worst teams to have to fight to deserve their spot in the NBA by competing in a tournament against the D-League squads. And yes I know that 999 out of 1000 times we will see the awful NBA team walk out alive, but the scare alone would prevent pathetic teams from continuing its patheticness without punishment. It devalues the league having teams like the Philadelphia 76ers behave the way they are currently behaving. No team that used to have Wilt Chamberlin and Charles Barkley should behave like this----ever.

Until the NBA fixes this issue, it can never be a competitive league to the likes of the NFL (Which is the best at this, I shall admit), the MLB (Which saw 12 teams hit Wild Card Berth territory in September), and the NHL (Which seemingly shuffles its playoff teams every year). The 76ers are a cancer, and it needs to be controlled.

Big Hero 6: 8/10

There was an interesting cinematic juxtaposition that occurred on the weekend of November 6th, 2014.

Just as the silently sputtering and problematic Pixar announced yet another sequel, this time a pointless one to a masterpiece of a trilogy that ended perfectly, we see the Walt Disney Animation division deliver yet once again another surprisingly powerful and entertaining film. Continuing a quality streak that began with 2009's Princess and the Frog, Walt Disney Animation Studio has essentially created a second Renaissance that has delivered quality Oscar-winning films (Frozen) as well as a few surprises (Wreck-It Ralph). With Big Hero 6, we see a great animated film devoid of a love story or princesses that is full of humor, heart, action, and overall entertainment.

The Disney formula is alive and kicking in Big Hero 6, as we have the themes of heavy loss, the strong villain, the essential supporting cast that steals the show, and of course minimal surprises that doesn't deviate the movie too far from its main course of entertaining the kids and adults alike. And although the Disney formula prevents Big Hero 6 from reaching the necessary shock in your better comics and comic book inspired movies like The Incredibles, it's still a fun flick that becomes a nice departure from your recent influx of animated and superhero sequels.

Part of the requirements of making the ultimate comic book film includes a unique look and feel that distances itself from other works—whether it's the toxic dark Gotham City or mythological-laden Asgard. One of the best aspects of Big Hero 6 is how deep and engaging the world of San Francisokyo is, as the visual range of the city is just as expansive as the environments of recent Disney movies like Frozen, Tangled, and even Wreck-It Ralph. This gives the added visual flair to the chases and action sequences sprinkled throughout the two hours.

Just as spellbindingly good as the animation was, it was the powerful and quick-moving script that propels Big Hero 6 to the next quality level. Although it is based off of a Marvel comic, the adaptation is extremely loose, extremely watered-down, and toned down to appeal to a wider audience---while at the same time giving it a necessary dosage of likability that was absent in the original comic. The trio writing team crafted a screenplay that acts like an origin story but paces like a complete film. There just isn't enough time to give the correct amount of attention to the delightful supporting cast of characters (and its crafty anime-influenced villain) but luckily our well-rounded hero (aptly named Hiro) and his robotic pal have strong personalities, and a strong friendship to propel the movie forward. Beymax has layers of depth that the trailers and commercials could never convey.

Although the tropes and current financial strategies of the Disney company (and suddenly Pixar) prevents Big Hero 6 from truly reaching the stars (Because we all know what happens to successful Disney animated movies), we are still treated to a well-directed wholesome blend of comedy, drama, and action swirled around a cool comic book setting wrapped in a Disney bow. From beginning to end this film will entertain, will move you, will make you laugh, and will make you cry. Even if it's a few feet from reaching 1999-2009 sans-Cars Pixar level (then again, this epic run may not happen again from any film studio), Disney Animation is doing a fantastic job fully recovering from Eisner's attempted murder of the animation studio.

After spending years following in Pixar's footsteps, it looks like the Walt Disney Animation Studio has just about caught up.

Nightcrawler: 8/10

David Fincher would be absolutely proud.



Nightcrawler is a melancholy subtle thriller that laces fantastic acting with a strong script with plenty to say and wrapped together by tight editing, incredible cinematography, and a moody James Newton Howard (who has been exceptionally busy lately) score that has a very unexpected Ross/Reznor feel. Dan Gilroy's directorial debut is arguably among the best since Shyamalan's Sixth Sense---another impressive debut with the similar under-the-bubble suspenseful psychological horror that keeps you on edge until the final minutes.

How the writer behind Reel Steel and Two for the Money managed to imitate Fincher I'll never know, but it sure does help to have some Oscar-worthy acting at front and center. Jake Gylenhaal as Louis Bloom is easily the strongest aspect of the film, as his character is like a bone-crushing car accident: brutal, uneasy to look at, but you still can't look away. This is Gylenhaal's movie easily, as his cold eyes, anti-social demeanor, and psychotic way of life makes his character one of the best you'll see in cinema nowadays.

Similar to how End of Watch (Also…Jake Gylenhaal) took a known lifestyle and then displayed the grim dark side of it, Nightcrawler chronicles the late-night lives of people that record and deliver the late-night news—while simultaneously showing the ugly underbelly mannerisms behind what you see on television. Dan Gilroy's script pulls no punches as he not only writes an interesting character in an interesting premise, but also interweaves some clever and biting commentary about the pursuit of success and the murky morality during the rise to the top.

But the movie never appears preachy because it still has a good story to tell, and consistently prevents you from figuring out how far, how deep, and how wicked it goes. Nightcrawler has a slow yet steady pace as it morphs from a glimpse of a lifestyle to a scenario that stems from it. The ascetics enhance the mood as the cinematography transforms Los Angeles into an eerie environment with heinousness creeping out of the dark corners everywhere. What is more surprising than Gilroy's superb directing debut is Howard's score which deviates far from his normal blockbuster orchestral feel and gives us a low-volume high-intensity score that undermines and bubbles under the silent terror of the hunt for grisly footage.

What honestly kills some of Nightcrawler's momentum in the Oscar run and attempt to be the best film of the year is ironically David Fincher and Gone Girl. Gone Girl not only came out first, but also has the biting commentary that oozes out of its script, superb directing, and a phenomenal musical score that ties together a story that has few heroes, and even fewer chances of the audience figuring out its next direction. Gilroy makes a grand entrance, too bad it had to follow up the master of the broody underground cinema scene—similar to how the wonderful David Bowie had to unfortunately follow (and never have a chance to surpass) Queen's legendary performance in Live Aid 1985.

However it is cruel to bring up another movie when the one currently being discussed is still a great work of cinema. Gylenhaal, Gilroy, and Howard are Oscar-worthy as their skills blend together to create one of the best films of the year, and a hell of a thriller overall. Even if the ending underwhelms and dissatisfies a little, there is no denying that Nightcrawler will leave an impression on you from the character of Louis to the slick writing and camera-work that perfectly unites him and the midnight environment slums from which he comes from.

Nightcrawler is dark, dark chocolate: satisfying, fulfilling, and with that nice bitter aftertaste.

The Sinking Ship of the Tampa Bay Rays

There is a very good chance that the Tampa Bay Rays are going to cease to exist in the next decade.



David Price gets traded (To this day I claim it was a dumb, dumb, dumb trade). Andrew Freedman is gone to the Los Angeles Dodgers (expect them to make major changes within the organization). But the biggest of all is the departure of longtime manager Joe Maddon.

Joe Maddon isn’t just a manager, he was the heart and soul of the Rays. 754-705 with the team, and an astounding 446-365 record this decade. He started the winning culture of a franchise that had seen pretty much none of it in the first decade of existence. Not even the mighty Lou Pinella was able to shake things up back in the early 2000s---even though we can attribute this partially to the abysmal budget, extremely tough division, and questionable upper management moves. Joe Maddon literally turned the fortunes of this baseball club around in a direction the baseball world had never seen. To go from 10 straight losing seasons to going to the World Series and suddenly being relevant against the Red Sox and Yankees was unimaginable, unexpected, and a euphoria to a league that had seen the big budget squads have all the fun. The Rays even with this disappointing season have one of the 5 best records since the 2008 season when the dropped the Devil from its name.

Maddon is creative, patient (which is a diehard requirement being in the Rays organization), easygoing, accepting, and just the perfect guy to run rookies, has-beens, wanna-bes, and under-the-radar players looking for just a little bit of baseball skills TLC. He is a man that knows that the cluster of players will change every single year and he must find a way to keep the attitude, keep the culture, and keep the sanity intact as the revolving door of prospects and low-budget players kept rolling.

His best ability is draining as much talent and value as he can off of the players that show up in the Tampa doorstep once everyone else abandons them. The Devil Rays/Rays used to be the final stop for veterans before Maddon, as we saw Tino Martinez, Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, Greg Vaughn, Vinny Castilla, and Jose Canseco make their way here before their careers had finished. Now, we saw the likes of Fernando Rodney, Kyle Farnsworth, Troy Percival, Sam Fuld, and Ben Zobrist arrive and suddenly thrive when wearing the colors of the Rays.

And to continue talking about the subtle and nearly underrated genius of Joe Maddon, look at the impact of Rays players when they went elsewhere. Carl Crawford became a valuable asset in the Dodgers organization. Rafael Soriano and Fernando Rodney became successful closers after exiting Tampa. Johnny Gomes became a champ with the Red Sox in 2013 by becoming an extremely valuable secret weapon. Wade Davis and James Shields helped transform the Kansas City Royals into American League champions. Sam Fuld went from near Cubs burnout into yearly valuable asset as he improved the Twins and the Athletics with his defensive skills and never-say-die style of play. Players improve when entering the Rays circle, and Maddon and company are major components as to why. Maddon even revolutionized certain techniques, like the crazy outfield/infield shifts, new heavier emphasis on set-up men, and even the rise of importance of the unsung utility men can be attributed to Maddon.

And could any manager other than Joe Maddon propel that extremely improbable 2011 Rays team to the playoffs? I think not...............


Even though any team can nab good rookies here and there, it takes good managers to allow them to grow and mold into superstars. A lesser manager can damage a player, like when Tommy Lasorda overused Fernando Valenzuela back in the 80s, or when Dusty Baker ruined the arms of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Under Joe Maddon, nobody gets overused, nobody gets overworked, and people hardly get put in a tough spot. Joe Maddon has the utmost faith in all his players and staff, which might actually be his only downfall----as Derek Shelton had his rough patches in terms of improving the offense. Even though the offensive efficacy was consistently amongst the best in the major leagues, when the Rays slumped they definitely slumped. If there is anything I can fault Joe Maddon with, is that he sometimes has too much faith in his players: Jose Molina being the favorite example.

The fact is, we have gotten a bit spoiled with the success of the Rays. Say what you will about the Moneyball techniques of the Athletics, the As still spend an average of $20 million more than the Rays each year—and do keep their players much, much longer. The Rays are always at the bottom of the spending rankings. And the other intangibles of baseball don’t help either: Tampa itself is a smaller market, the stadium situation is abysmal, the attendance is beyond awful, and the threats of relocation consistently glare upon the franchise. San Antonio, Montreal, Portland, Mexico City, Charlotte, and even to a far lesser extent Brooklyn are licking their chops, waiting for MLB to finally lose patience of the Tampa Bay ordeal. And yet somehow in spite of all this, Joe Maddon keeps the Rays relevant, keeps them in the conversation, and keeps them in the loop-------even with an average of less than 20,000 a game in an area with over 4 million, and also certified as one of the top areas for the coveted 18-40 age range in the nation.

And now, I am going to be quite frank here: The Rays are sinking. They pissed off Maddon secretly when they traded David Price for essentially nothing. They could have kept him for the rest of the year and attempted a nice run—especially considering that 3 of the 4 top AL teams got plagued with injuries and/or suckiness (Tigers, Orioles, Athletics especially) towards the end of the season. But instead of gunning for it, management trades him away and remains satisfied with a mediocre season because they were able to cut costs. And quite frankly that may have been the beginning of the end of the Joe Maddon era. Similar to when Lou Pinella criticized the front office for the similar technique of never aiming for immediate success, Maddon clearly was running out of patience with the revolving door style of team maintenance.

So what now? Joe Maddon was the strange case of being the face of the franchise, simply because he was our go-to person for when we needed good news, we needed reassurance, and we needed someone to calm the waters and remind us that everything was going to be okay. He was the face of the low-budget, indie, out-of-the-box image of the Rays, and with him gone I can guarantee you that even with familiar faces in the infield and in the pitcher’s slot the entire dynamic has been visibly shaken to its core.

This might be the nail on the coffin, unless St. Petersburg, Tampa, Orlando, Lakeland, and all the political heads in between the I-4 zone come up with a way to build a new stadium, build a new future, find new fans, and figure out a way to prevent the Rays from moving away from Florida. Bud Selig has been extremely patient (to a point of being comatose) but who knows if our upcoming commissioner will have the same willingness to wait. Baseball is inches behind the NFL in terms of revenue and with the upcoming television contracts prepared to set the profits on fire, it might be down the road when MLB will actually be making more money than any other American sports league. They are honestly a few rule changes, a couple relocations, and a few Spanish teams away from accomplishing that. Seriously, a Puerto Rican, Mexican, and/or Dominican team would flip the script on their earnings. So there are no more excuses about the low payroll, no more excuses as to why in a league with more parity than ever are there even more budget cuts. 90+ million people visit Florida a year, with 53+ million in Central Florida alone. No excuses.

Joe Maddon has been just as pissed about the stadium situation as the average Rays fan, especially one that lives in Central Florida and farther away from the insanity of visiting the stadium in the ONLY bad part of Tampa Bay (raises hand). Him leaving might be the ultimate “YOU BETTER FIX THIS SITH RIGHT NOW” card as he hasn’t even announced another team, hasn’t even ruled out the Rays in 2015. He still might come back. But as of now, he sees the poor situation the Rays management has put him, his players, and his few remaining loyal fans in, and it was time for some drastic action. Joe Maddon’s drastic action was just walking away from the rising flames.

The ball is in the court of the Rays organization. We have lost the best pitcher, manager, AND president in the history of the organization. If nothing is done to stop the bleeding, we will definitely see our wonderful players of Tampa Bay wearing different colors.......












Red….White….Blue colors….