Jon The Blogcentric

Triple Movie Review: Trainwreck, Vacation and Me And Earl And The Dying Girl

20 September 2015Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Okay, I said I’d do double-movie reviews reflecting a common theme. I actually would like to try something different: a triple-movie review. All three are comedies from this summer. All had a pre-opening buzz to them and all had mixed results. I know summer’s long over but I don’t mind publishing this now as this is more of a movie ‘summary than a movie review.

Trainwreck

Okay. I’ll start with a film that had medium-sized buzz. The film featured a rising comedic talent named Amy Schumer who also wrote the script. The film was directed by Judd Apatow who has delivered some of the best comedies in the last 10 years like the 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Bridesmaids. Here he and Amy both deliver the best comedy of the summer.

Part of it was giving it a common situation of the offspring of negligent parents. One daughter, Kim, has things together and is making the effort to make a family. The other, Amy who is actually the prime source of the film’s humor, is a successful writer but lives irresponsibly and has a negative outlook on just about everything and everyone. Much like her father. That explains why she writes for a magazine an awful lot like Maxim. The humor comes when her attitude and habits are challenged with the situations she encounters and meets Mr. Right as the subject of her latest article.

A lot of it is Judd’s direction but a lot of it is Amy’s humor. Amy is a comedian who is not afraid to play idiotic women. Here Amy shows a character that has been devastated by a divorce in her childhood and never picked herself up. Her father said at the divorce “Monogamy’s not possible.” Here she lives it for herself and feels all the guys in her life have the same attitude. Even before she meets Dr. Aaron Connors, she gets a wake-up call from an athlete she has a one-night-stand with. She tells him banging every girl in the world is every guy’s dream but the athlete tells her “It’s not mine.” That was the first sign she needed changing but she was afraid to do it. It’s the encounter of Aaron that changes her but with difficulty as she still hangs on to her bad habits like drinking, toking up and fooling around.

It’s not just about the main situations in Amy Townsend’s path to love that make the story. There’s some unexpected humor too. There’s the feisty father in a nursing home. Then there’s his funeral where Amy starts the eulogy with “My father was an asshole,” but ends with “My father was the best father ever.” I’ve never seen a eulogy like that. There’s the addition of the homeless man Amy occasionally sees on the streets daily. The crude humor from the man blends in with the story well. There’s Amy’s relationship with her sister Kim’s step-family whom she doesn’t take to well, especially her socially awkward step-nephew Allister. There’s even the inclusion of pro-athletes in the movie that helps make the story that more fun. Hey, Amare Stoudemire isn’t the only one in there.

Amy is not the comedic performance to make the film. Colin Quinn adds his bit in as the irresponsible father whom Amy seems to model her own life with. He’s a father feisty to the end. Bill Hader was a good choice for playing the doctor and the love interest of Amy. However it was odd to see Bill play a character that was low-key in terms of comedy. I’ve seen him do more outlandish stuff in the past. I think he wanted to play it conservative here. Brie Larson was also good as Kim, the sister who has it together. Tilda Swinton was also good at playing the cold boss of Amy’s, Dianna. Makes you wonder who the brains behind all these men’s magazines are. Additional humor was added from Dave Attell as Noam, the homeless guy who Amy’s generous to.

Trainwreck is a rarity. A comedy that pulls the right kind of punches, delivers the right kind of shock without becoming too clumsy and sticks to its situation and characters. It also propels Amy Schumer to be a rising comedic talent for the future. My fav comedy of the summer. besides I like awkward romances.

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl sounds like an awkward title. Even shocking. But the story actually turns out to be good if you give it a chance. This film won a comedic film award this year’s Sundance Film Fest.

The story is centered around Greg Gaines, a high school senior in Pittsburgh on the verge of graduating and heading to college. However he’s frustrated about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Adding to the frustration is a mother who comes across as a ‘nagging machine,’ teachers who put pressure on him and the various cliques of students from the jocks to the drama dweebs to the loner freaks to his long time crush. Already that is one humorous element of the film. Senior year, the pressures to graduate and go to college, and the difficulty of fitting in with the other students. Funny how those of us long graduated can identify and laugh at the difficulties Greg is going through. Because we’ve all been there!

It’s not just about fitting in. It also included his friendship with Earl: a childhood friend whom Greg makes films with together. Humorous short films often relying on goofy and even crude humor.

The film’s humor isn’t just in things we can identify with but also in unusual situations. There’s Rachel, who learns she has leukemia. I’m sure all of us knew a kid in our high school days who had to fight cancer. However Greg is compelled to befriend her just to stop his mother from nagging. Over time we see the friendship grow from something Greg is forced to do into something real.

The film shows the positive aspects in the friendship between Greg and Rachel, Greg and Earl, and Greg, Earl and Rachel. Nevertheless the friendships do face a challenge as Rachel’s’ condition worsens and she decides to take herself off the medicine. That leads to a boiling point between the two that also leads to the end (albeit temporary) to the friendship of Greg and Earl as well as Greg being confronted by the fact his college acceptance had been declined because he spent too much time with Rachel.

I guess that’s what the film’s best attribute is. The film’s best quality is Greg’s situations resembling situations most of us all went through when we were 17 where we’d try to fit into school, try to decide what to do with our lives and try to make the best of situations. Even situations many of us don’t normally go through like befriending a cancer patient didn’t appear to deviate too much from our own lives.

It’s not to say it was all humorous. The scene where Rachel blurts out the hard truth about Greg befriending Rachel reminds us of how at 17 we would inhesitantly say brutal truths to people we either loved or hated out of our moods. Even the friction between Greg and Earl brings back ugly memories of us.

This was a very good comedy based off the book from Jesse Andrews with Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directing. They do a good job of creating a dark comedy of a high school scenario most of us can relate to with a twist. Befriending the terminally-ill Rachel was intended to be more humorous than tragic and I feel it hit a lot of right spots even when it didn’t compromise some of the more difficult elements. The friendship of Earl was also given good attention instead of having Earl be the ‘token black guy’ like in so many indie movies. Earl had a significant part in this movie.

The acting itself also made the movie. Thomas Mann did a very good job of playing a frustrated teenager who had a lot of growing up to do and achieved a lot of it in the span of a school year. Olivia Cooke did well as Rachel by making her look like a person trying to stay positive despite her terminal illness but imperfectly being the teenager she is. Ronald Cyler II is also good as the no-nonsense Earl who is a good friend but isn’t afraid to be brutally honest with Greg.

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl is a dark comedy full of ironies. It tries to make humor out of a tragedy in the middle of your typical teenage drama. It appears to have made the right moves.

Vacation

Even before Vacation hit theaters, even before I saw the trailer, I questioned whether this was a good idea. Seeing the trailer worsened my perception of the movie. However seeing it for myself convinced me this was the biggest waste of money I did this summer.

The film first seems like a good concept: Rusty Griswold, married with children now wants to take his own family to WalleyWorld. However it’s all downhill from here. The biggest faults come from writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. They take the Vacation movie formula and appear to have sabotage it with the lewdest, rudest, crudest humor you can come up with. There were many scenes I found hard to watch. Add to the mix unlikeable characters for Kevin Griswold as the foul-mouthed jerk of a younger son and James Griswold as the weenie of an older son and of course Rusty which I will get to later. Even Debbie Griswold was a turn-off with some of her stupidity.

Another big fault was the super-stocky character of Rusty Griswold delivered by Ed Helms. I’ve seen Ed do funnier stuff such as in the first Hangover when he did a more reserved character. I also saw him do a funny stock character as the idiotic kingpin in We’re The Millers. Here, his stocky character of Rusty Griswold was a complete miss. Just completely unfunny from the dialogue he’s given to the stocky delivery. He comes across looking idiotic. You’ll notice it at the beginning when he does his pilot job. You’ll get a bigger sense soon after when he talks to his sons about ‘boys having a vagina.’ Yes, sensing trouble that soon in the movie.

However the biggest thing that annoys me about Ed Helms’ performance is that he sabotages the role of Rusty. I’ve seen the other vacation movies and Rusty appeared to have a head on his shoulders. Even his stupidities in the other Vacation movies weren’t as different from the stupidities of other boys his age. Here, it gives the impression that Rusty went stupid overnight: even stupider than Clark ever was. There were even many times I left the theatre thinking this this may not have intended to be a movie of the Vacation series but an Ed Helms movie instead.

And since we’re on the topic of the Vacation series, the film gives the appearance near the end that it’s trying to have the ‘passing of the torch’ of the Vacation series from Clark to Rusty. Yes, that scene where Rusty is given Clark’s station wagon form the original 1983 National Lampoon’s Vacation while Russ and the fam stay at Clark and Ellen’s B&B in San Francisco with an appearance from Clark and Ellen themselves: Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. The whole movie from start to finish and Ed Helms’ irritating acting shows it’s unworthy of such a passing of the torch.’ It has no feel of the other Vacation movies and often feels like it’s going for the shock laughs and fails miserably.

I will admit there was a scene or two I found with a decent amount of humor like the four cops from the four states at ‘Four States Corner.’ However most of the time it feels like the humor is there to disgust us or make us sick rather than play into the movie. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen mean-spirited, punch-below-the-belt humor done well but that’s something the likes of the South Park duo or Seth MacFarlane know how to ace and all those involved with Vacation fail consistently.

Vacation appears like it’s trying to do a lot of things. Try to be the latest in the vacation series, try to propel Ed Helms’ stardom or try to ‘entertain’ us with shock humor. Whatever it tries to do, it fails in every which way.

In conclusion, Trainwreck was the surprise comedic delight of the summer, Me and Earl And The Dying Girl was the offbeat comedy of the summer and Vacation was the comedy fail of the summer. There you go for summer comedies.

Film Review: Slow West

15 August 201515 August 2015Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Slow West is of a bounty hunter, played by Michael Fassbender (right), helping a Scottish émigré, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (left), reunite with the woman he loves. — *Slow West* is of a bounty hunter, played by Michael Fassbender (right), helping a Scottish émigré, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (left), reunite with the woman he loves.

Slow West is not your typical western. It also comes off as a love story that’s more than meets the eye.

Jay Cavendish is a sixteen year-old Scottish boy in the frontiers of America. He recently arrived over there in pursuit of Rose Ross, his love from back home who also fled to America along with her father. The frontiers are deadly but Jay is determined to find her. Jay finds himself prey by strangers who were first trying to kill a Native American but is stopped by a bounty hunter named Silas Selleck.

Jay tells Silas his story of his pursuit and even pays him for protection. Silas cooperates at first but when he sees the wanted poster for Rose and her father, he decides to use it for his own pursuit for the bounty of $2,000 and use Jay to get it. During the time, Silas tells Jay about the importance of keeping his guard and why killing is necessary out there. It then becomes evident when a Swedish couple try to rob a store Jay and Silas are shopping at. The man and the owner are shot while Jay is up against the woman. He shoots her, his first murder. That wasn’t all. The couple had their children with them to which Jay and Silas give them food and clothes before leaving them behind.

In the flashback to before Jay and Rose came to America, we learn Jay was a boy of noble birth in Scotland and had a huge love for common girl Rose but deep down Rose thought of him more to be like a ‘little brother.’ One day an intense argument between Rose’s father and Jay’s uncle, the Lord Cavendish, led to the uncle being killed. That’s what led Rose and her father to flee to America with the bounty on their heads.

In a conversation, Jay finds Silas a brute because he doesn’t appear to care about love and seems to only care about ‘surviving.’ Jay leaves one night with his horse and goods but meets up with a writer named Werner who appears to befriend him only to rob him overnight. Silas is able to find Jay and the two return only to be confronted by the gang Silas used to belong to and its leader Payne who plans to beat Silas to catching Rose and her father. Payne even steals their weapons overnight. Unbeknown to Jay and Silas is that Payne and the gang have the orphaned children of the Swedish couple from the robbery.

SPOILER WARNING: The ending will be revealed in the below paragraph.

The two continue on unarmed until they enter a forest. They find themselves prey among a Native American tribe but are saved by the luck of them falling off horses. In the meantime, Payne and the gang pursue Rose and her father who are living in a desolate farm house protected. However the father is shot to death and Silas wants to pursue Payne and his gang alone tying Jay to a tree for his protection. Jay is able to free himself but finds himself in the battle where he is shot by Rose who doesn’t recognize him at first. After a gritty gun battle Silas kills Payne’s gang while a dying Jay is able to kill Payne while comforted by Rose. Silas is shocked to find Jay dead but later on becomes Rose’s love and adopts the orphaned Swedish children.

When you see the whole film, you could easily see it`s not your typical western. Yes, there is gunshooting going on. However the film focuses on motives of the shooting. It focuses on the people and why they`re committing these murders. It can be either for personal greed or vengeance or simply to help themselves and their loved ones survive. Another interesting thing the film focuses on is the wide variety of characters involved in this Wild West scenario. There were your typical villains but there were others like the immigrant couple robbing a store to feed themselves and their starving children. This was a reminder that even the first immigrants the US in the 1800`s had to fight to survive in the New World.

Mind you the shooting in the film isn’t meant to stir up the excitement you’d normally acquire while watching a Western. Instead it focuses on the gun battle’s intensity and gets the audience feel the heat of the friction instead of being dazzled away by the gunslinging. In each case, you’re left with an aftermath that’s ugly. Seeing the bodies on the ground is more disheartening to the viewer instead of satisfaction that the job is done. I guess that’s why the film is called Slow West, because the ruthlessness and friction of the Wild West here is slowed down and the intensity is felt instead of just seen.

The film also focuses on the theme of love during a time and place where it appears people have no heart of soul. Jay is so determined to get back to his love Rose even though her and her father have a bounty on them. It took Jay to convince a bounty hunter who was only interested in using Jay as bait for Rose and her father about what love is. Over time they see the fight to survive and the lack of scruples in the people that surround them during their trip. However it`s Jay that convinced Silas of the power of love even if Jay appeared to be too naïve and deluded for his own good. It`s a common theme in a lot of films that show love in what appears to be a moral wasteland. I’ve seen it before in City Of God where love and hope exist in one of the most brutal favelas of Brazil. Here in Slow West we see love in the lawlessness of the Wild West. Even if Jay`s heart `beat in the wrong places,` he changed the older bounty hunter Silas and his heart. You know it when he says at the end: “There’s more to life than survival. Jay Cavendish taught me that. I owe him my life.”

This is actually the first feature-length film directed and written British director John Maclean. He does a very impressive job by packing a lot of intensity into an 85-minute story. For those who don’t know, John is actually a former guitarist for the Beat Band and The Aliens before turning to film directing. Michael Fassbender does a great job of character acting in his supporting role and Kodi Smit-McPhee is also excellent as the young Jay in capturing both his acquiring of the necessary ruthless grit over time while still keeping his passion and innocence. Impressive supporting performances come from Ben Mendelsohn as Payne and Caren Pistorius as Rose. Even minor performances like the Swedish couple committing the robbery and the Congolese singers add to the story.

The film has already won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic category and has above 90% on Rotten Tomatoes but the film has not been successful in winning a crowd. Not even $250,000. It`s not fair to say Sundance winners are declining at the box office, even though such films have shown a lack of buzz compared to 20 years ago or even 15 years ago. However this film was overshadowed by the Sundance hit comedy Me And Earl And The Dying Girl which ad no star power at all. It`s always hard to predict what will win with the crowds. Right now there’s no data on how much online viewing of the film has happened.

Slow West doesn’t have the fast-pace action one would expect from a Western. Instead its slowness and intensity are its best qualities which allows the audient to feel the grit of the situation and the feelings of its main characters. Qualities that make the story.

Movie Review: Love & Mercy

14 August 201514 August 2015Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Love & Mercy is about the music and troubles of Beach Boy Brian Wilson (played by Paul Dano set in the 60`s). — *Love & Mercy* is about the music and troubles of Beach Boy Brian Wilson (played by Paul Dano set in the 60`s).

Summertime may be the perfect time for Beach Boys music but the film Love & Mercy isn’t one to give you that summery feeling that comes with their music. Actually it’s a lot deeper.

The film alternates between two time periods: between the mid-60`s and 1987. In the 60`s, the Beach Boys, consisting of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love and high-school friend Al Jardine have hit the big time. Their California sound of girls, cars, beaches and surf have made them a phenomenon. However it`s not to say they face competition from the British Invasion, especially the Beatles.

However something`s not right despite their success. It becomes evident when Brian has a panic attack on an airplane. After the incident, he resigns from touring with the band and goes into seclusion into an attempt to make `the best album ever made.` During the time, he continues to make music but it becomes more his music rather than music of the Beach Boys. Often Brian hires other musicians and usually features the other Beach Boys only in vocals. This leads to a lot of disharmony among the band sensing this may be a vainglorious Brian Wilson solo project. Brian also does other unorthodox things like build a sandbox around his piano and experiment with LSD which even his own wife is comfortable with.

The end result is the album Pet Sounds which received a lot of critical praise but was a commercial failure despite two Top 10 hits. The lack of commercial success is especially rubbed in by his father Murry who acts as their manager and expects the band to succeed just like it was any other act he owned.` He even announces to Brian that the Beach Boys are fired and he manages a new band which he feels has better chart-topping potential. Even after The Beach Boys resume their top-selling ways with songs like Good Vibrations, that changes nothing especially since some of Brian`s other creations are rejected. Brian goes into seclusion after a mental breakdown to the point he alienates everyone including his wife and newborn daughter Carnie.

Flash forward to 1987. It was a chance meeting between Wilson (played by John Cusack) and Melinda (played by Elizabeth Banks) that changes for the better happened. — Flash forward to 1987. It was a chance meeting between Wilson (played by John Cusack) and Melinda (played by Elizabeth Banks) that changed his life.

In 1987, Brian is in a Cadillac store in California where he appears to be shopping for a new car. He stumbles across attractive saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter. However his psychiatrist Dr. Eugene Landy stops him. Brian is able to give Melinda his number. He goes on dates with her in which he was surprisingly honest to the point he even revealed his father`s abusiveness to him and his brothers. It`s obvious Brian is still as troubled mentally as he was back in the 60`s. The accidental death of brother Dennis three years earlier only added to his distress.

Over time, Landy demands more supervision of Brian. Melinda is already sending Landy becoming overbearing and even controlling when he tells Brian out loud to wait for food at a barbecue. Landy`s controlling nature becomes even harsher when Landy supervises his music and even demands that no visitors be with Brian. It becomes especially evident that he has a certain contempt towards Melinda. Melinda tries to get Brian to turn away on many occasions but Brian is too mentally weak to drop Landy. It comes down to Melinda threatening a legal suit to put an end to this and she gets what she needs. The ending tells us that Melinda is the best thing to ever happen to Brian.

The film is not just about Brian`s mental condition but also about the Beach Boys music at the time and even the time in music history when it was happening. Hard to believe the whole time the Beach Boys appeared as the epitome of surfing culture in the early 60`s, only Dennis surfed. They were an act packaged by their father Murry and it paid off into hit record after hit record. However Brian had other creative juices of his own and he felt he had to put it to record.

It showed the inspiration he transpired into the record studio but it also showed the conflict he had with other band members and the commercial pressures expected with every big name act. We often think of the mid-60`s as a time when rock bands did away with the typical `bubble gum` sounds that made them chart-toppers and started getting more creative and changed rock `n roll forever in all angles. True, but it didn`t make them immune to the commercial expectations they faced. Sure, there were albums like Sgt. Pepper that paid off commercially and changed music forever. However there were albums like Pet Sounds that were just as creative but flopped. It`s a gamble no matter how you put it. Even that scene where Murry tells Brian he fired the Beach Boys in favor of a new act, you could tell by the look on Brian`s face it appeared like a case of a father disowning his sons. It sure looked like it.

Without a doubt the mental illness ordeal of Brian Wilson is the focal point of the film. His ordeal is something most of us already know but only few knew the full details. The film gives the story of how it all started especially with Brian`s upbringing and what all happened at its start and most noticeable troubles during the 1960`s. The film also showed why it took so long for it to be resolved. You could easily see why a doctor like Eugene Hardy would make the situation worse than better. It makes you wonder why was Eugene so controlling to Brian? His star status? Landy`s own psychiatrist ego? Or Landy`s own problems?

It also made you wonder why was Brian afraid to leave Landy? Was it because he trusted him? Or was it because Landy appeared to him as the father figure he didn`t get from Murry? Even though the story is about Brian`s mental condition, it`s also a love story as it was Melinda whom Brian meets by chance that becomes the best thing for him. For his life and for his mental well-being. You`re left feeling that way at the end that love really does conquer all.

Director Bill Pohlad and scriptwriters Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner succeed in creating a film that`s both autobiographical and also about the music of the Beach Boys and the time when Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations were released and also about how persistent love solved a decades-long psychological issue. The story however could not shine without the phenomenal acting. Paul Dano was excellent as the younger Brian who was full of music but very troubled and couldn`t be helped. John Cusack was excellent as the older Brian who was still troubled and too afraid to break free from Landy. Also excellent was Elizabeth Banks as Melinda. She was excellent for portraying the one who knew nothing about psychology but knew how to solve Brian with love. Paul Giamatti was good as Eugene Landy but his performance was as typical as most of the other characters he`s done in past films.

Love & Mercy is a biographical film of a musician but it`s a lot more. It`s about the music of the time and a reminder that one who loves you enough to care can see through hard situations.

Double Movie Review: Mad Max- Fury Road and Jurassic World

13 August 201514 January 2016Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

Here I am back to my blogging habit. Yes, I have quite the backlog in terms of movie reviews. I have the energy to post now and I’m able to post a double review of two of the hottest movies of the summer: Jurassic World and Mad Max: Fury Road. Both were either sequels or part of a franchise. Both cost $150 million each to make. Both are different in terms of the audience they can win over and both have differing success results.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Yes, it’s been a long time since there’s been a Mad Max movie: 30 years to be exact. George Miller is back in directing this Mad Max movie, or picking up where he left off as one could assume. And believe me this movie was quite something else.

Right at the beginning you’re left wondering what kind of world this is. The world is a complete bizarre wasteland and the whole universe in existence is fighting each other and Max. Mind you even the bad guys are insane enough that Joe uses Max as a universal blood donor and has five wives for the sake of breeding purposes. Over time, some of the people become Max’s friend in order to save civilization from Joe.

Already that’s a lot of craziness most fans of the original three Mad Max movies would find hard to fathom but watching the movie even gives it enough craziness for any movie viewer hard to fathom. Even the people all act like they’re all on something–crack, smack, speed–and it’s not just the bad guys. Just one insane place full of insane people. However what would have to make people adjust to this new version of the Max Max franchise would have to be good characters. First would have to be Furiosa. Right in the middle of the movie, you could see the pain in which she’s going through. It’s also a pain shared by the other four wives of Joe. Once these characters were made more human, it made for something for people to connect to the story. In addition is the connection of the character Nux. Nux was very unhuman but his human side was more noticeable later on and it gave cause for people to feel for him even as he sacrifices himself.

The character work couldn’t have been done firstly without Charlize Theron as Furiosa. It’s her performance that made people feel the pain of Furiosa. There’s even talk of Oscar buzz for Charlize this early. Nicholas Hoult’s performance help turn a beast of a character like Nux into a character with dimension and actually makes the audience feel for him. Tom Hardy did a good job as Max Rockatansky. I’m sure in this film he had the duty to try to fill Mel Gibson’s shoes. I don’t know if he did it but he did a good job as Max.

George Miller did a good job not just in directing the movie and co-writing the script with two additional writers. He also created the bizarre world in which Mad Max and his allies had to survive in and fight for their freedom. Also instrumental in creating this bizarre world are the set designers, costumers and the visual effects team. The music from Junkie XL also adds to the drama and the insanity of the movie.

Of the $150 million Mad Max: Fury Road cost to make and produce, it has so far made $152.6 million in North America and $368.6 million worldwide. Not huge spectacular numbers as far as summer movie fare goes but pleasant enough for a sequel– Mad Max The Wasteland— planned for either 2017 or 2018. It has even impressed critics that it received 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Who says all summer movies are money-grabbing junk?

Mad Max: Fury Road may not be exactly the type of movie most would expect, not even fans of the original Mad Max movies, but it exceeds the expectations of whatever you throw at it. I know for me it didn’t appear at all like what I normally expect from a sequel. And many of you already know what I feel about Hollywood sequels. I don’t even think this is even a sequel. Mad Max may just be a franchise instead of a chronological series. Nevertheless it’s way better than most common summer fare.

JURASSIC WORLD

Already you know a movie like Jurassic World will be a hit simply because of the title. This is the few times where judging a book by its cover is legit. Whether the movie is all that great remains to be seen.

The film doesn’t really carry on the tradition of the Jurassic Park book of Michael Crichton. Instead it’s a new story concocted by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and adapted to screen by Jaffa and Silver along with Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow who directs the movie. What happens is Jurassic Park is long defunked especially after the fatalities. The writers and directors create a story in a new park, Jurassic World. Jurassic World is a theme park that`s a whole island that includes exhibits that make it both a museum and like one of those safari parks one can drive through.

Clever work for a popcorn movie but over time, you feel the story is as simplistic as one would expect from a Hollywood story. A park worker is a woman out of love while looking after her about-to-be-divorced sister`s kids and dealing with the dinosaur trainee whom she finds charming but had a flop first date with. Sometimes it seems as though the characters seem too simplistic as well: Owen as the charming but stuffy trainer, Claire as the out-of-love-and-depressed type, Vic as the slacker security operations person, Grey as the cute kid with sad puppy dog eye and his bother Zach as the typical bored miserable teen who somehow gets cheered up by the dinosaurs.

Even the drama becomes a bit predictable over time. You sense there would have to be some sort of havoc at the World to get the story rolling. Sure enough, the escape of Indominus is what starts the drama. You have to admit it was a tad predictable. Even how the two boys become threatened in the ensuing drama is predictable too. I will admit the one unpredictable thing was when Indominus breaks into the park`s pterosaur aviary and has them all on the loose chasing all the other park visitors. I did not expect that nor did I expect the whole Jurassic World to look like a war zone at the end. I give that credit.

Overall, Jurassic World came across as a common popcorn movie where a lot of the excitement was either missing or anticipated right from the start. It`s a movie that appears undecided whether it wants to be charming or a thriller. I kind of blame it on the lack of Spilberg magic that came with the first Jurassic Park movie. I also kind of blame it on some of the character acting that appears so stocky like Bryce Dallas Howard playing another unlucky in love type, Vincent D`Onofrio playing an all-to-common slacker player and Ty Simpkins playing a typical cute kid with sad puppy dog eyes. The one good performance although in a typical popcorn movie character was from Chris Pratt. He was able to make his character of Owen Grady charming and even a bit charismatic. I also give credit to the set design team for creating this island where Jurassic World is situated on and credit to the visual effects team for delivering top notch visual effects and even delivering some thrills to the movie. Although I said the action was mostly predictable, it did deliver in some thrills.

Jurassic World wasn`t too much of a critical darling as it received 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Good but it could be better. However the big payoff came for Jurassic World at the box office as it broke a ton of records. It all started in breaking the opening weekend record and becoming only the second movie ever to have an opening weekend that grossed more than $200 million (the 2012 Avengers movie is the first ever) and it`s been growing ever since:

All-Time Opening Weekend: $208.8 million.
All-Time second weekend: $106.7 million
Fastest to $500 million (North America): 17 days
Worldwide Opening Weekend: $524.4 million
Fastest to $1 billion (Worldwide): 13 days

That`s just a sample of the records Jurassic World broke. I`m sure you`ll find more at Box Office Mojo. I don`t think it will break the all-time gross records especially as it finds itself out of the Top 10 in its ninth week. It may eclipse Titanic as the second-highest grossing movie in North America but it would still need at least $100 million more to contend to beat Avatar`s record.

Sure enough, there will be a Jurassic World sequel. It`s not clear if Trevorrow will return as director but he will write and produce it. Bizarre because if the Jurassic World wreaked that much havoc on that many visitors, you`d figure Jurassic World would mark the absolute end of any Jurassic theme parks. Hey, money talks especially in Tinseltown.

Jurassic World and Mad Max: Fury Road were two of the big movies of the summer of 2015. One didn`t do as well as expected while one was a record-breaker. One had a better story and better character than the other. Both gave a good statement of what the summer movie season of 2015 was like.

My Top 10 Movies Of 2014

12 August 201515 August 2015Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Hi. I know it’s been a long time for me to publish a blog. That’s a common trait of mine that if I do a lot of writing for one period of time, I tire out for a long time. That explains the lack of blogging. However I hope to get back to the process over the next while. I’m planning some more movie reviews and even a political topic or two.

Here, I’ll be posting my long-awaited Top 10 films list of the year. Here are the links to past years:

When it comes to reviewing movies, I’m not your typical ‘film snob.’ Most of the time I’m okay with the typical commercial Hollywood movies as long as it’s done well. I approach them with the attitude: “Okay I know it’s your job to sell big but give the audience their money’s worth.” I also have my own approach to the artsy film-fest fare type of films: “Okay I know you want to be creative and do your own inspired thing but don’t forget this will be shown in front of an audience. Don’t alienate them.”

That’s how I approach films. That’s also how I approach my Top 10 list. Bonus points are given to films that go beyond my expectations. With that in mind, here are my Top 10 films of 2014:

American Sniper
Boyhood
Selma
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wild
Whiplash
The Imitation Game
Birdman
The Theory of Everything
Gone Girl

Honorable Mention:

Still Alice
Ida
Foxcatcher
The LEGO Movie
Interstellar

2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup: My Prediction For The Final

3 July 2015Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

It took 50 matches to round the 24 contenders to the two finalists for the Women’s World Cup on Sunday. It was decided to be the United States and Japan, same as at the 2011 WWC. It was an interesting match where the game ended 1-1 in regulation and 2-2 after extra time. Penalty kicks gave Japan the win. Anyways Japan have a chance to repeat or the USA can get their revenge and their third Women’s World Cup in the process. However I will make my prediction here for who I feel will win the final.

Third-Place Match: Germany vs. England

Of course I have to make a prediction for who I think will win the bronze medals. We have two teams that are broken-hearted and you can’t blame them. Germany was ranked #1 in the world and sure played like it during the tournament until they got to the semifinals. There the Americans came alive and had their best win over the Germans 2-0. Especially biting for Celia Sasic as she has been the WWC’s top scorer and miss a penalty during that game. The German team was hoping for this World Cup to be the one where they can make a comeback. Even though it’s a big improvement over their quarterfinal exit from four years ago, the loss still bites.

I don’t think I need to explain the frustration England is going through. This World Cup was to be the WWC where the Three Lionesses finally came of age and they did in their quarterfinal win against Canada. Cheers came from all over including the most lauded male players in England. In their semifinal against Japan, they appeared like they had the advantage as they did most of the attacking and shooting. Then just in injury time in the second half came the heartbreaking own-goal from Laura Bassett. That ended it for them as Japan would win 2-1 and become the finalist instead.

Head-to-head play undoubtedly favors Germany as England has never won against Germany in their seven previous matches. Their last duel together was a year ago and Germany won 3-0. However anything can happen and this game could go to whichever team is the least disheartened.

My Verdict:

As heartbroken I am for Bassett, I will have to say that Germany will take it 3-1. The Germans just have that much of an advantage.

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL: United States vs. Japan

Team Overview

The United States- What can I say? The Americans have been the best performers of the Cup so far. They may have drawn against Sweden but they’ve had convincing wins elsewhere. Their wins have mostly been conservative but they’ve known how to deliver each time. It was their 2-0 win against Germany however where the Americans were finally starting to show their brilliance.

It’s not to say they’re a 100% bet to win the World Cup. We shouldn’t forget the US lost to Japan at the last World Cup final on penalty kicks. Also the two tied 1-1 in their most recent duel last year. It’s all up to the Americans to deliver.

Japan- Until 2011, the furthest Japan ever got at a WWC was a single quarterfinal. 2011 changed everything as they became Women’s World Cup champions. Nadeshiko has continued their success since with an Olympic silver medal and a Women’s Asian Cup victory. Here they appear on fire as they’ve won every single match they’ve played in Canada.

However there’s one thing about Japan people have noticed. They’ve noticed that they’re not always all together. In fact some even noticed some errors in their game against England. A lot of people are saying Japan’s just lucky. They will have to perform solidly and strongly in the final if they want to repeat as Women’s World Cup holders. Also in terms of head-to-head stats, Japan has lost to the US more often than won.

My Verdict:

Okay this is going to be a tight one but I think the USA will win 2-1 in extra time. Actually it could be possible the US’s winning goal could be during injury time after 90 minutes or even in the last five minutes of regulation. Do you know how many game-winning goals have been scored here in Canada either after the 85th minute or in injury time?

And there you have it. My predictions for who will win the Women’s World Cup and the bronze medals. Now all I have to do is find a place to see the game. Can you believe tickets for the final were sold out months ago?

2015 Copa America Finals Prediction: 2015 Finales de la Copa América Predicción

2 July 2015Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Yes, before I can predict for the Women’s World Cup, I should predict for the finals of the Copa America. I’ll admit I haven’t seen any games of the Copa but it’s not easy as the WWC is the prime focus. Nevertheless I do plan to see the final live someplace. Anyways here are my predictions.

Third-Place Match: Peru vs. Paraguay

Of course there should be a prediction for the third-place match. It’s tempting to decide who will end up the bronze-medalists here. Peru has come alive like never before in recent years while Paraguay appears to have regained their prowess. Despite losing to Chile, Peru has been impressive. They may have lost to Brazil but they were able to bring Colombia to a tie. They actually deserve some respect for actually conceding less than what most people thought they would. Paraguay was especially impressive at the beginning of the Copa bringing Argentina to a 2-2 draw and even drawing against both Uruguay and Brazil 1-1. It’s tempting to declare Paraguay’s success at the Copa as flukey especially after their 6-1 loss to Argentina in the semifinals. Nevertheless it is impressive to see Paraguay rebound from finishing last in the World Cup qualifiers two years ago.

My Prediction:

I predict Peru will win the bronze medals with a 3-1 win over Paraguay. Like Paraguay, I feel Peru is starting to get its groove back and they’re doing it in impressive style.

FINAL FOR THE COPA: Chile vs. Argentina

Team Breakdown:

CHILE- It’s a surprise how a team with so much World Cup success has never been a Copa America winner. There are a lot of other CONMEBOL teams that have less of a World Cup legacy than Chile but have won the Copa in the past. Chile is going through one of their most impressive eras ever. Some say it may have to do with rebounding after a cheating incident in World Cup qualifying in 1993 that led to their disqualification. If that in fact led to Chile’s improvements, they’re definitely on the right track as they’ve qualified for three World Cups since.

As for the Copa America, this is their fifth time to the final and they’ve done it in very impressive fashion with straight wins over their opponents. Their only draw came in group play against Mexico 3-3. However going against Argentina is a challenge. They’ve played each other eighty-something times in the past with Chile only winning six times. Chile may have one of their best selections ever but it’s going to be a challenge against Argentina with so many top talents.

ARGENTINA- This makes Argentina the country that has hit the Top 2 at the Copa America the most times with 27. Once again, the Albiceleste are sensational. Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero have delivered in this tournament. If Argentina wins, they will tie Uruguay’s 15 wins as the country with the most Copa wins and they sure look poised to do it.

It’s not to say it’s a 100% guarantee. Argentina may have delivered a 6-1 win over Paraguay in the semifinals but team-by-team tells a whole different story. Argentina did draw against Paraguay 2-2 in group play and had a scoreless draw against Colombia in the quarterfinals where it took an intense penalty kick round to decide Argentina the winner. So Argentina does have a vulnerable side. This is something Chile could take advantage of where they could pull a surprise win.

My Verdict:

Sure, home turf advantage could give Chile a boost but I think this is where the boost ends. I think Argentina will take it 3-1.

And there you go. My prediction for who will win the Copa. One thing we should take note is whoever wins the Copa here will represent the CONMEBOL at the 2017 Confederations Cup. Will my prediction be right? Find out for yourself July 4th.

Sí, antes de que pueda predecir para la Copa Mundial de la Mujer, que debería prever para la final de la Copa América. Admito que no he visto ningún juego de la Copa, pero no es fácil ya que la WWC es el foco principal. Sin embargo yo no planeo ver el algún lugar vivo final. De todas formas aquí están mis predicciones.

Tercer Lugar Partido: Perú vs Paraguay

Por supuesto debe haber una predicción para el partido del tercer lugar. Es tentador para decidir quién va a terminar los medallistas de bronce-aquí. Perú ha cobrado vida como nunca antes en los últimos años, mientras que Paraguay parece haber recuperado su destreza. A pesar de perder a Chile, Perú ha sido impresionante. Es posible que hayan perdido a Brasil pero eran capaces de traer a Colombia un empate. Ellos realmente se merecen un poco de respeto para encajar en realidad menos de lo que la mayoría de la gente pensaba que lo harían. Paraguay fue especialmente impresionante en el comienzo de la Copa Argentina trayendo a un empate 2-2 e incluso dibujar tanto contra Uruguay y Brasil 1-1. Es tentador para declarar el éxito de Paraguay en la Copa como flukey sobre todo después de su derrota 6-1 ante Argentina en las semifinales. Sin embargo, es impresionante ver Paraguay rebote de terminar último en las eliminatorias de la Copa Mundial de hace dos años.

Mi predicción:

Predigo Perú va a ganar las medallas de bronce con una victoria por 3-1 sobre Paraguay. Al igual que Paraguay, siento Perú está comenzando a conseguir su ranura espalda y lo están haciendo en el estilo impresionante.

FINAL DE LA COPA: Chile vs Argentina

Desglose del equipo:

CHILE- Es una sorpresa cómo un equipo con éxito tanto la Copa Mundial nunca ha sido un ganador de la Copa América. Hay una gran cantidad de otros equipos de la CONMEBOL que tienen menos de un legado de la Copa Mundial de Chile, pero han ganado la Copa en el pasado. Chile está pasando por uno de sus más impresionantes épocas de la historia. Algunos dicen que puede tener que ver con el rebote después de un incidente de engaño en las eliminatorias mundialistas en 1993 que dio lugar a su descalificación. Si eso, de hecho, llevó a mejoras de Chile, son definitivamente en el camino correcto ya que han calificado para tres Copas del Mundo desde entonces.

En cuanto a la Copa América, esta es su quinta vez en la final y lo han hecho en muy impresionante la manera con victorias consecutivas sobre sus opositores. Su único empate llegó en el juego en grupo frente a México 3-3. Sin embargo va en contra de la Argentina es un desafío. Han jugado unos a otros tiempos de ochenta y tantos en el pasado con Chile solamente ganar seis veces. Chile puede tener una de sus mejores selecciones nunca, pero que va a ser un desafío contra la Argentina con tantos talentos superiores.

ARGENTINA- Esto hace Argentina el país que ha golpeado el Top 2 en la Copa América la mayoría de veces con 27. Una vez más, la Albiceleste son sensacionales. Lionel Messi, Ángel Di María, Gonzalo Higuaín y Sergio Agüero han entregado en este torneo. Si Argentina gana, van a atar 15 victorias de Uruguay como el país con más victorias de Copa y seguro que parecen a punto de hacerlo.

No es para decir que es una garantía del 100%. Argentina pudo haber entregado una victoria por 6-1 sobre Paraguay en las semifinales pero el equipo por equipo cuenta una historia completamente diferente. Argentina tuvo un empate ante Paraguay 2-2 en el juego de grupo y tuvimos un empate sin goles ante Colombia en los cuartos de final, donde se tardó alrededor de una intensa penal para decidir el ganador Argentina. Así que Argentina sí tiene un lado vulnerable. Esto es algo que Chile podría beneficiarse de donde podrían sacar una victoria sorpresa.

Mi veredicto:

Claro, hogar ventaja césped podría dar un impulso Chile, pero creo que aquí es donde termina el impulso. Creo Argentina tardará 3-1.

Y ahí lo tienes. Mi predicción para quién va a ganar la Copa. Una cosa que debemos tener en cuenta es el que gana la Copa aquí representará la CONMEBOL en la Copa Confederaciones 2017. ¿Mi predicción estar en lo cierto? Descúbrelo por ti mismo 4 de julio.

2015 FIFA WWC: My Semifinal Predictions

29 June 201529 June 2015Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Okay, it’s getting closer to crown the winner. First the group play, then the Round of 16 and then the quarterfinals. Now we have four survivors. Three of which have already won the Women’s World Cup at least once. The other having their best WWC ever. It’s time to hold the semifinals to decide the two finalists and the two for the third-place match. Here are my thoughts on who should take the semis:

SEMIFINAL #1 – GERMANY vs. USA

Head-To-Head Stuff:

I really doubt FIFA.com has all the stats together on this. For the record, FIFA.com states Germany and the U.S. have met only three times before with the US winning twice. The US has scored a total of 8 goals in those matches with Germany scoring 7. Another website has stats from 11 years back and shows Germany has actually lost to the US three times in the seven times they’ve played each other in that time. The US’ only loss was on penalties. The US’s last actual loss to Germany was 3-0 at the 2003 World Cup semifinals.

Breakdown:

The quarterfinal of Germany vs. France was something. Two teams raked both first and third in the world respectably playing a quarterfinal where it took penalty kicks to decide it. Now comes the semifinal and it’s also going to be something. The teams ranked both first and second in the world playing for a trip to the final. Adding to the drama is that both teams are the only ones to win two Women’s World Cups. So how do they stack?

In terms of play, Germany has been the stellar one in terms of scoring but it took France in the quarterfinals to send the message about Germany’s vulnerability. They may be #1 but they’re not invincible. The United States have been consistent en route to keeping their solid record of making the Top 4 of every WWC intact. They haven’t been scoring as big as Germany but they’re not making any losses happen and have only conceded a single goal. However playing to a 1-0 win against China in their quarterfinal may question their ability to challenge Germany in the semis.

MY VERDICT:

This is a toughie. It’s even possible this game could end up being a 0-0 draw after extra time in which Germany would win on penalty kicks. I believe it could be as tight as Germany’s match against France on Friday. However I predict Germany will win 1-0 in extra time. Sure the Americans have the better history against them but Germany is the team that’s been playing with power.

SEMIFINAL #1 – JAPAN vs. ENGLAND

Head-To-Head Stuff:

Once again FIFA.com doesn’t provide too many reliable stats. They just mention Japan and England playing head-to-head twice with a 2-2 draw (2007 World Cup) and a 2-0 win for England (2011 World Cup). Actually another website helped me track down a game the two played in 2013 where they drew 1-1.

Breakdown:

The Nadeshiko, as the Japanese women are commonly called, are defending champions and they are playing like the champions they’re reputed to be. They’ve had nothing but straight wins. Even if they are conservative in size, they’re showing themselves to be a team strong, ready and full of talent from Homare Sawa, their most capped player on the team, to 22 year-old Mana Iwabuchi who scored the winning goal against Australia. However the play here in Canada has showed that teams are capable of rivaling them. Australia gave an excellent challenge as did ‘lesser’ teams like Cameroon and the Netherlands. I know they haven’t really shown any vulnerability here in Canada but they will have to deliver more against England if they want to make it to the finals.

As a Canadian, I’m not too happy about England beating us in the quarterfinals. However this is a breakthrough for the Three Lionesses as this is England’s first-ever trip to the WWC semifinals. Having their own Premier League sure helps. I’ve often said that the women can teach the men a thing or two about winning. Sure, they’ve never lost to Japan but Japan has a record of strong play and a field with more talent and experience. England is still growing at their own pace. It’s a lot of growth but I don’t think it’s enough to make the World Cup winners. In fact their loss to France in group play is an example of how vulnerable England can get.

MY VERDICT:

I feel Japan will take it 2-1 in extra time.

And there you go. My predictions for the semifinals. Stay tuned to see who two teams will be playing for the Cup on Sunday.

2015 Copa America Semifinal Predictions/ Predicciones de semifinales de la Copa América 2015

28 June 201525 January 2016Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

The Copa America has contested their group play and their quarterfinals. As I say, it can be anyone’s game. Some things went as predicted while some didn’t. Who would’ve expected Neymar would deliver an outburst on Colombian player Pablo Armero that would give him a red card and a four-game suspension?

Anyways the semifinalists have been decided. Here’s my rundown of the four semifinalists and my prediction for the winners.

SEMIFINAL #1 – Chile vs. Peru:

What can I say? Chile has proven themselves strong in their home country. They’ve scored well and they’ve defended well. Their quarterfinal win over defending champs Uruguay proves this team’s strength even as they play their own. It’s obvious the team wants to win its first Copa ever right at home.

However the team did suffer a bit of a setback. For those who don’t know, star striker Arturo Vidal drove drunk on Tuesday the 16th and crashed his car. His injuries ended up being minor as he has played in Copa matches since but he has not scored a goal since the incident. Even despite the incident, Chile has won both games since. So even though Vidal is one of two players at the Copa to score three goals, team Chile is not just Vidal.

As for Peru, they have been going beyond pre-Copa expectations. They weren’t too spectacular during group play but were consistent enough to qualify for the quarterfinals. There Peru really gave a show as they beat Bolivia 3-1 thanks to a hat trick from Paolo Guerrero. This already sends a message that Peru is ready to deliver excitement of their own.

My Final Verdict:

Okay, Chile have been consistent and showy. Peru have been conservative but consistent and only started showing fire recently. I will have to predict Chile to win 2-1. I could be wrong as Guerrero could pull another stunner. Nevertheless I’ll stick to my prediction.

SEMIFINAL #1 – Argentina vs. Paraguay:

Argentina have been playing consistently if not invincibly as they have the reputation for. The 2-2 draw against Paraguay is a reminder that anything can happen between the CONMEBOL countries. They, more than any other confederation’s countries, know each other inside out and all are capable of winning against each other. That reminder also came into play in the quarterfinals when they went scoreless against Colombia into penalty kicks. Once again, Argentina were victorious as they’re second only to Germany in terms of penalty kick prowess. So the Copa has shown Argentina’s strengths as well as their weaknesses too.

Paraguay is another example of how any of the CONMEBOL countries can come out among the top. Brazil was hoping for a comeback in this tournament but Paraguay had comeback ambitions of their own, especially after finishing last in the World Cup qualifiers. In their quarterfinal, they were able to take advantage of a Brazil with Neymar suspended, tied the game 1-1 and won on penalties. Sure, Paraguay has really picked themselves up lately but they still face a stiff challenge from an Argentina that still has Messi, Di Maria and Higuain.

My Final Verdict:

I will have to say Argentina will win 3-1. I don’t see Paraguay too serious of a challenge of a team full of greats.

And there you go. My predictions for the Copa America semifinals. The next Copa prediction you’ll hear from me will be the final.

La Copa América han impugnado su juego de grupo y sus cuartos de final. Como digo, puede ser el juego de nadie. Algunas cosas salieron como se predijo, mientras que otros no. ¿Quién hubiera esperado Neymar entregaría un arrebato de jugador colombiano Pablo Armero que le daría una tarjeta roja y una suspensión de cuatro partidos?De todas formas los semifinalistas se han decidido. Aquí está mi resumen de los cuatro semifinalistas y mi predicción para los ganadores.

SEMIFINAL # 1 – Chile vs Perú:

¿Qué puedo decir? Chile ha demostrado ser fuertes en su país de origen. Han anotado bien y que han defendido bien. Su victoria en cuartos de final sobre campeones defensores Uruguay demuestra la fortaleza de este equipo, incluso mientras juegan su propia cuenta. Es obvio que el equipo quiere ganar su primera Copa siempre como en casa.

Sin embargo, el equipo ha hecho sufrir un poco de un revés. Para los que no saben, delantero estrella Arturo Vidal conducía ebrio el martes 16 y se estrelló con su coche. Sus lesiones terminaron siendo de menor importancia ya que ha jugado en la Copa partidos desde entonces, pero él no ha marcado un gol desde el incidente. Incluso a pesar del incidente, Chile ha ganado los dos partidos desde entonces. Así que a pesar de que Vidal es uno de los dos jugadores en la Copa de anotar tres goles, el equipo de Chile no es sólo Vidal.

En cuanto a Perú, que han ido más allá de las expectativas pre-Copa. No eran demasiado espectacular durante el juego de grupo, pero eran lo suficientemente consistentes como para calificar para los cuartos de final. Hay Perú realmente dio un espectáculo al vencer a Bolivia por 3-1 gracias a un ‘hat trick’ de Paolo Guerrero. Esto ya envía un mensaje de que el Perú está listo para entregar el entusiasmo de los suyos.

Mi veredicto final:

De acuerdo, Chile ha sido consistente y llamativo. Perú ha sido conservador pero consistente y sólo comenzado a mostrar fuego recientemente. Voy a tener que predecir Chile para ganar 2-1. Podría estar equivocado como Guerrero podría tirar de otra maravilla. Sin embargo, me quedo con mi predicción.

SEMIFINAL # 1 – Argentina vs Paraguay:

Argentina ha estado jugando constantemente si no invencible, ya que tienen la reputación de. El empate 2-2 contra Paraguay es un recordatorio de que cualquier cosa puede suceder entre los países de la CONMEBOL. Ellos, más que los países de cualquier otra confederación, se conocen entre sí dentro hacia fuera y todos son capaces de ganar uno contra el otro. Ese recordatorio también entró en juego en los cuartos de final cuando se fueron sin goles ante Colombia en tiros penales. Una vez más, Argentina salieron victoriosos, ya que son sólo superado por Alemania en términos de destreza tiro penal. Así que la Copa ha mostrado fortalezas de la Argentina, así como sus debilidades también.

Paraguay es otro ejemplo de cómo cualquiera de los países de la CONMEBOL puede salir entre los primeros. Brasil esperaba una reaparición en este torneo, pero Paraguay tenía ambiciones remontada de los suyos, sobre todo después de terminar último en las eliminatorias de la Copa Mundial. En su cuarto de final, fueron capaces de tomar ventaja de un Brasil con Neymar suspendido, empató el partido 1-1 y ganó en los penaltis. Claro, Paraguay realmente se ha recuperado la ventaja de últimamente, pero que todavía se enfrentan a un duro desafío de una Argentina que todavía tiene a Messi, Di María e Higuaín.

Mi veredicto final:

Voy a tener que decir que Argentina va a ganar 3-1. No veo Paraguay demasiado serio de un desafío de un equipo lleno de grandes.

Y ahí lo tienes. Mis predicciones para las semifinales de la Copa América. La predicción de la siguiente Copa oirás de mí será la final.

My World Cup Experience: Game Day

26 June 2015Jon The Blogcentric4 Comments

Normally you’d expect me to make quarterfinal predictions today. I made my quarterfinal predictions same time as my Round of 16 predictions. Actually I made a recent edit on my quarterfinal predictions since I got two wrong. Check the edits here. In the meantime I’ll tell you all about my experience seeing a Women’s World Cup game. It was Sunday, June 21st–Father’s Day in North America– and I was to see the Canada vs. Switzerland game live at BC Place.

This day was three weeks in the waiting for me. I bought the ticket during the Trophy Tour with the hopes that Canada would be the team to play. It seemed right. The berth was to go to the team that finished atop Group A and Canada looked like it had excellent chances. However I know there are no guarantees in sport. When I bought the ticket, I had the attitude that if Canada doesn’t play this, I’d still see it as this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I paid very close attention to how Canada was playing here. Yes, I was nervous after the draws but Canada did top their group and did become the team I wanted to see.

It was also a chore to see who Canada’s rival was. I knew it would be the third-place team from either Groups C, D or E. Wikipedia explained the match allotment for the third-place teams. Over time it was decided it would be Switzerland. I was confident Canada would win this. I heard two different sides of things as far as stats go. One was from Wikipedia; Canada has played Switzerland five times and won four. Another was from FIFA.com; Canada never played Switzerland before. What’s up with that?

I got off at the Stadium Skytrain station 45 minutes before the start of the game. Just as I was walking up Beatty St. to the stadium, you could tell the crowds were getting bigger. The streets had banners of the WWC. BC Place had decorated their walls with the WWC images. By the time I arrived at the main entrance at Gate A, there was already a load of people trying to get in. Of course there were a lot of Canadian flags and people with their faces all painted. The most I wore that day was a Canada shirt that said ‘Strong And Free.’ Yeah, I kept my fanfare conservative.

Despite the long lineups there, I tried making my way to Gate F as my ticket said ‘Enter Gate F.’ I made it past the lineups at Gate H and Gate G but saw any access to Gate F blocked off. Fortunately I saw someone in the lineup of Gate G who said they also had the same instruction as mine did. I took Gate G instead. Security wasn’t too much of an issue. They did have to check bags. It was a typical routine stadium check. It’s not like the Olympics where entering the event is like going through an airport.

Once inside BC Place, I wanted to do some looking around and see what they had up for the World Cup. Not too much except they did have WWC images in the walls and they had the WWC take over the stadium confectioneries charging their own prices which were way higher than during any Lions game. This was the first time I had to spend over $5 on a pretzel. I didn’t even have to spend that much during the Olympics. There were even WWC souvenir vendors. It was mostly T-shirts and scarves. I was hoping there would be something like glassware or spoons to give my parents as gifts. I wanted to look around, see the shops, see the fanfare. I even wanted to spot a few Swiss in the crowd. I was fortunate to do so.

The crowd was packed full of Canada fans. — The crowd was packed full of Canadian fans.

I made my way to my seat in good time: 25 minutes before kickoff. At first the stadium didn’t look all that filled but it would build over time. Both the Canadian and Swiss teams were training on the field. Then they had to make way as someone was driving a sprayer over the field to spray water. I thought that was odd. Spraying water on artificial turf? Actually I think they did that so that players wouldn’t sustain the dreaded injuries feared before the start of the WWC.

Then the game began. The FIFA flags came out, the flags of Canada and Switzerland came out, the FIFA Anthem played and then the ref and the teams came out. As tradition at all FIFA games, the national anthems of both countries were played. The Canadian crowd was respectful during the playing of the Swiss national anthem but of course they erupted into singing to ‘Oh Canada.’

Yes, there were some Swiss fans there too.

Then it was game time. Interesting how you’re trying to watch a game and take a lot of pictures at the same time. I was seated near a net. During the first half, it was Canada’s to save and Switzerland’s to challenge. During that time, I was able to watch some good defensive skills from Canada but I was also watching in fear. Any miss could lead to a goal from Switzerland. Over at the other end, it was Canada’s domain to score and it was hard to watch from where I was sitting. Often I had to look up to the jumbotrons to see what was happening. One thing I did remember seeing from that far away was Christine Sinclair getting a yellow card. The ref’s yellow card was enough to notice from 80 metres away. One thing to note is that I heard a lot of people saying that there was a lot of terrible reffing in this game. It was interesting trying to take pictures. I didn’t have my mode set on Sport so I ended up shooting a lot of pictures that were blurrier than they should be. I did get some good action shots.

The game always had me nerwous whenever the Swiss (in white) were on the attack. — The game always had me nervous whenever the Swiss (in white) were on the attack.

At the end of the first half, the game was scoreless. Canada and Switzerland did attack and did challenge at times. I decided to remain in my seat. There were some players out to train. The sprayer came out again. And Shueme came out to greet the crowds and get pictures from fans.

Then the second half started. Things switched around this time. The net I was near was now Canada’s to score and Switzerland’s to defend. However it was only a matter of seven minutes when I was able to witness the goal from Josee Belanger. The crowd erupted! Actually it was hard to see with everyone standing up to cheer. Even I did. The crazy thing is that right after I sat down, I accidentally put my hand on top of the covered beer of the person next to me, causing a puncture and some spilled beer. She didn’t complain. She even gave me some popcorn to munch on. As for the goal, it was hard to see the actual goal so I had to rely on video replay to see it performed. Belanger delivered when it mattered. Belanger was also the most active Canadian striker that night delivering five of Canada’s seven shots. That goal gave the crowd enough positive energy to start a wave!

Yes, this is how I saw Belanger's goal. — Yes, this is how I saw Belanger’s goal.

One thing about the game is that I was able to see some crazy injuries from where I was. I saw on where Christine Sinclair was lying on the ground. Fortunately she was able to get up. However Melissa Tancredi was less fortunate. She was lying on the ground in pain and yes, she got up but she was limping around and a substitution was needed. Actually both teams went all out and used all three of their substitutions.

Canada (in red) hasn't been scoring an awful lot of goals but their defence has delivered each and every time. — Canada (in red) hasn’t been scoring an awful lot of goals but their defence has delivered each and every time.

Seeing the Swiss action at the other end would make me nervous as I would want Canada to win as would most of the 53,000 others in attendance. Each time the Swiss team posed a challenge, Canada delivered. My biggest memory from that was right into stoppage time, a Swiss player attempted a goal but goalkeeper Erin McLeod caught it and refused to let go, even as she was lying on the ground. It was like she was saying: “No, Canada is going to win this!”

Then the final whistle blew. Canada won! Their first win of a WWC knockout game since 2003 and it made Canada the only other host nation of a WWC besides the US to win a knockout game. The whole stadium was cheering. The whole team gathered to celebrate. Coach Herdman of course was happy. Goalkeeper Erin McLeod was declared the Woman Of The Match. Then the whole Canadian team took their victory lap. This was a great day for Canadians to be happy.

Canada wins! They'll be staying in Vancouver for their quarterfinal. — Canada wins! They’ll be staying in Vancouver for their quarterfinal.

I have to say that watching a football game live is different than watching it on television. It’s exciting to see the action close at you but when it’s far away, it’s hard to tell what’s happening and you have to rely on watching the jumbotron to know what exactly is happening. There were many times I wanted to get some pictures of Coach Herdman and his reactions but my zoom lens wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t even good enough when the action made its way to the other end of the stadium. I’m just glad Canada’s goal happened when I was close by.

The interesting thing I noticed about the crowd during the whole game is that you didn’t see the typical lunatic fringe type of crowd you’d normally see during soccer games in Europe or South America. Makes you wonder what the difference was. Was it because it was a woman’s game? Or because it was held in Canada? Sure there were people cheering loudly, the whole stadium was cheering for Canada and there were the occasional musicians in the crowd but there wasn’t that loud boisterous fanfare you’d normally hear at men’s World Cup games. I even watched the final of the U-20 World Cup that was contested in New Zealand and even there you heard the loud boisterous cheering you’d come to expect from a soccer match.

The Canadian team took their victory lap around BC Place.

Nevertheless it was still a good event. The cheering may not have been loud or full of musicians but it was very supportive and passionate enough. That’s especially what I like best about this Women’s World Cup. Every men’s World Cup, Canadians always cheer for another country; most likely the one of their ethnic background. Canada has only qualified for the men’s World Cup in 1986. I don’t think there’s anything bad about what we do but it got on my nerves when I saw tweets and videos from Americans cheering for the USA. They’re not cheering for the country of their ancestry. They’re cheering for the USA! Knowing that cheesed me off. Here we can finally cheer for Canada!

Now when I bought the ticket back three weeks ago, I bought it as my best chance to see Canada play. I did not buy a ticket for the quarterfinal her in Vancouver which the winner of the match I saw would play in. I have to say I don’t mind. Sure, it would have been nice to have a ticket to see Canada play England in tomorrow’s game but I still have the satisfaction knowing I saw Canada play at the World Cup. Even better satisfaction that I saw Canada win. If they win tomorrow, great. I won’t be jealous of those who do have tickets. I had my time on Sunday and tomorrow will be their time.

So that was it. My very first World Cup game of any kind.You can forget about me having a ticket for the final. They all sold out long ago. Nevertheless it was a good experience and I’m glad I had the chance. That’s one item to cross off of my life’s ‘To Do List’ and hopefully chase a ticket or two for the men’s World Cup in the future.