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Battle: LA

Battle: LA is a classic alien invasion movie. The aliens crash onto earth and begin their attack. Los Angeles becomes the last stronghold for the West Coast.  A group of marines are sent out on a rescue mission only to become the ones that needed to be rescued themselves.

This movie starts off painfully slow. The action does picks up, but not enough to feel satisfied. There are a few things about the movie that bugs me.  Besides the cliche plot, the film feels like it’s one of those shaky-cam movies, and almost every scene in the movie is either a close-up or a medium shot that makes it feel claustrophobic. I enjoy watching these alien invasion movies, but Battle: LA brings nothing new to the table. I think the movie should have focused a little more on the macroscopic view of the invasion rather than just solely on a small platoon of marines with personal issues.

Rating: ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

 

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UFC 127

After dropping two decision losses to current Lightweight champ, Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn rebounded back by KOing future hall of famer, Matt Hughes. It seems like Penn is back at welterweight again trying to make another run for the title.

Unfortunately for Penn, Jon Fitch is standing in his way. Fitch is a force to be reckoned with in the division. Fitch’s only loss in his 20+ fights is to current champ Georges St. Pierre. Penn looks to be the Prodigy everyone knows him as but that’s what everybody says before he steps into the cage so that doesn’t mean much anymore. The big question is can he put Fitch away like he did with Hughes? I doubt it.

Fitch will be too much for Penn. His wrestling, size, and strength will be too much for the under sized Hawaiian. Penn has decent striking and his hands are fast and deadly accurate. He will need to use his striking to setup grappling control and work to get top position. As good as Penn is at BJJ being under Fitch is a bad idea as he has strong top control and relentless ground and pound.

My picks:

Jon Fitch beats BJ Penn
Michael Bisping beats Jorge Rivera
George Sotiropoulos beats Dennis Siver
Chris Lytle beats Brian Ebersole
Ross Pearson beat Spencer Fisher
Chris Camozzi beats Kyle Noke

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Unknown

Liam Neeson is Martin Harris, a doctor and husband visiting Germany with his wife to delivery an important medical presentation, but he ends up in a car accident that leaves him in a coma for four days. After waking up he finds that his wife no longer recognizes him or know who he is, and that his entire identity has been replaced by another man.  With no ID or proof of who he is no one believes him.  Now Dr. Harris has to find a way to prove who he is and who has stolen his wife and identity.

This is an interesting thriller that has some very interesting plot twists and surprises.

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

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Just Go With It

Adam Sandler plays a successful plastic surgeon who hooks up with women by pretending to be a married man. But when Sandler believes he has met the girl of his dreams he enlists his assistance and her children to play as his ex-wife and kids to keep his lies going.

Aniston and Sandler have good chemistry on screen and this film is hilarious and is one of Sandler’s funnier movies in a while.

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

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UFC 126

Going to Las Vegas has become like a ritual around this time for the last few years. Superbowl and UFC weekend has fallen on or near my birthday UFC 126 is no different.  I am in Las Vegas to catch the weigh ins again. Unfortunately, I won’t be attending it, but I will be catching a closed-circuit viewing of the event instead.

This UFC event is one of the most stacked events in a long time. In addition to the headliners “Kid” Yamamoto, Miguel Torres, and Donald Cerrone making their UFC debut it will be exciting to see these lighter fighters show how dynamic their weight class has become.

Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort

It’s finally happening. This fight has been scrapped a few times in the past due to injuries from each fighter, but now both have healed up and ready to get it on. Vitor Belfort has come a long way with a roller coaster ride of a career with big wins and disappointing losses he has now in a position to solidify himself as one of the best fighters in the world. A win over Anderson Silva will rock the middleweight division. Belfort is known to have very fast hands, but he has always shown weakness in the mental aspect of the fight game. Troubled by personal issues of the past (he had a sister who was kidnapped and killed) was thought to be the cause of his poor performance. Belfort’s last loss has been in 2006, and his last win was an impressive KO over Rich Franklin which catapulted him to number one contender.

Anderson Silva has ruled the division longer than Belfort’s current winning streak. He has dominated almost all of his opponents and made his wins look easy. In this fight I don’t see Belfort being any more of a threat compared to his previous opponents. Silva’s striking is superb and his grappling is just as good as anyone in the division. I expect Silva to win dynamically. Belfort will try to be aggressive, but that will only make The Spider step up his game and win the fight fashionably.

For Belfort to win he will need to take the fight to the ground early and score points in the eye of the judges. Keeping Anderson on his back is the best chance for any fighter going against him. In the end the Champion will retain his belt unless Belfort can sneek in a flash KO with his quick hands but I don’t see that happening.

My Picks:

Anderson Silva beats Vitor Belfort
Forrest Griffin beats Rich Franklin
Jon Jones beats Ryan Bader
Jake Ellenberger beats Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Miguel Torres beats Antonio Banuelos
Chad Mendez beats Michihiro Omigawa
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto beats Demetrious Johnson
Paul Taylor beats Gabe Ruediger
Kenny Robertson beats Mike Pierce

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True Grit

The Coen brothers are known for making off-beat movies that are dialog driven, very similar to Kevin Smith movies. True Grit is a story about a young girl, whose father had been murdered, that hires a tough no-nonsense US Marshal named Rooster Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges, to hunt down the killer. In the process they team up with a Texas Ranger named LaBeouf (Damon) who is also looking to arrest the killer.

The action is far and few in between and some of the comedic dialog is mostly dry except for a few one-liners from Cogburn. Overall, this movie will be much in the same as the previous Coen brothers films. It’s not horrible and it’s not great, but it’ll somehow gain cult status from their fans.

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

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UFC 125

As of tomorrow night it’ll be Frankie Edgar’s 3rd title fight in 9 months and a title defense within 4 months. As a UFC Champion that’s a quick turnaround given that other Champs take 6 or more months in between defenses. After beating BJ Penn twice Edgar is still not getting any respect coming into this fight. Many of the bookies and analysts expect Maynard to take the belt from the New Jersey native. Seeing that Maynard did win against their last bout it’s not unreasonable to believe he will win again.  Both fighters have grown leaps and bounds since their last meeting. Maynard has greatly improved his stand-up and Edgar’s ever-evolving quick hands and feet have helped both fighters rise to the top of the division.

This fight will be their most important fight of their careers. A win for Edgar will truly mark him as the undisputed Champion of the lightweight division and will give him the respect he deserves. For Maynard, it’s obvious, he gets the title. But a loss for either will put them much deeper down the division since UFC / WEC merger will add a boat load of up-and-coming lightweight fighters to the roster.

In their last fight Marynard received the unanimous decision. Maynard utilized his wrestling to control the fight and to keep Edgar off his feet as much as possible. It was a poor game plan on Edgar’s part. Edgar seemed so focused on striking and didn’t use his wrestling to mix up his attack which I think costs him that fight, but that loss doesn’t mean Maynard is a more superior wrestler than Edgar. Edgar’s wrestling credentials are just as impressive as any one in the UFC.  If Edgar mixes up his boxing and wrestling like he did against his last bout with BJ Penn a repeat win for Maynard won’t be as likely. For the past few months I can see Maynard winning this fight again in similar fashion, but after watching their last fight a few times and Edgar’s fights against BJ Penn I now I have change my mind that Frankie Edgar will win in this rematch. The fight will be close and a controversial win won’t be that all surprising.

My Picks:

Jacob Volkmann beats Antonio McKee
Clay Guida beats Takanori Gomi
Dong Hyun Kim beats Nate Diaz
Josh Grispi beats Dustin Poirier
Jeremy Stephens beats Marcus Davis
Thiago Silva beats Brandon Vera
Brian Stann beats Chris Leben
Frankie Edgar beats Gray Maynard

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Tech Tip: Smartphone contacts and calendar syncing

One of the more daunting task of getting a new cellphone is having to transfer all your contact information from your old one to your new phone. The contact info can be stored and transfered  in several ways; on a SIM card (For GSM phones), or it can be stored on your provider’s server, or have it backed up on a computer. For those smartphone users out there, there is a much easier and more efficient way of transferring your contact information or even your calendar entries to your new phone. You’ll only need one thing; get a Google Gmail account.

If you already have one then you’re set. In your Gmail account you’ll need to have or add all your contact information. If you have only a few contacts you can manually enter them in, but if you’re like me with over 300 contacts I recommend exporting your contacts from your phone then import them into your Gmail account. One way of exporting your contacts is to sync your info with Microsoft Outlook or any email client that your phone supports. Then use that email client to export the contact info into a CSV file. From there, you can import that CSV file into your Gmail account.

Smartphones today such as the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Nokia have the ability to sync their contacts directly with Google. Some phones can even sync with other services such as Yahoo or Hotmail. Setting up Google Sync is easy as downloading an App or change some settings on your phone.

Having your contact info sync with services like Google is great because it’s free. And if you ever lose your phone or get a new one you can easily restore your info without needing to tether it to a computer.

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Tron: Legacy

This is the sequel to the highly anticipated cult classic of the 1982 movie Tron. The original was never really a big blockbuster movie, but it gained cult-status throughout the years.  Tron: Legacy picks up about 7 years after the first movie with Kevin Flynn’s mysterious disappearance, but it’s takes another 20 years for his son, Sam, played by Garrett Hedlund, to find him trapped in his own creation called “The Grid”.

This sequel, like his predecessor, has amazing effects for it’s time and the action sequences are spectacular.  The overall story is interesting but the execution of it felt a bit rushed even for a 2-hour plus movie. The lack of character development is what really hinders the story. I had more questions about characters of movie than it answered or showed.

If you’re looking to catch this movie I recommend seeing the original first as there are a few bits and pieces from the first film that makes an appearance in this sequel. Don’t be surprise if Tron: Legacy doesn’t blow your mind. Just enjoy the special effects and awesome soundtrack.

Rating: ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

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Maturity of MMA depends on the Maturity of its fans

Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport, but it is a sport that is still in its infancy. If MMA wants to become mainstream and be respected as a sport it’s up to the MMA fans themselves to respect the sport first.

Many of the MMA fans today are casual fans. These fans lack the basic knowledge and understanding of the sport. They buy the PPV events when Brock Lesnar, GSP, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell or some other high profile fighter is on the card. They are intrigued by the commercials and fanfare that spreads throughout the internet.  These are the same fans that ‘boo’ when the fight goes to the ground or when fighters jockey for clinch control. It’s all about understanding what MMA is all about. Not every fight needs to end in a devastating KO or a slick submission.

In boxing you see many commentators, analysts, and fans talk about the science of boxing. They talk about the boxer’s hand speed, ring control, and footwork. Fights that end in KOs are exciting, but it’s not what boxing is all about. In football, you hear about accuracy of a QB, speed of a player, and hands of a receiver. It’s the skill of a player or a record of a team that matters. Not whether or not there were bone crushing tackles or crazy triple reverse trick plays were in a game. Many life-long football fans loves the sport as a whole, and this passion for it is what makes football the most popular sport in the US.

MMA, like other sports, is about having the better strategy, skill, and out-pointing your opponent. Understanding why and how a fighter wins a fight should be just important to a fan as seeing exciting fights, but that’s not the case for today’s fans. Fans have unrealistic expectation of fights and fighters. Every fighter goes out to do their best and to win as convincingly as possible, but it doesn’t always happen. Why? Because there’s this thing called an opponent that is always constantly defending themselves. Fans fail to comprehend this. You can see in many of the popular forums where people talk trash about fighters. You see, “Fighter X sucks because he doesn’t finish fights” or “I don’t like Fighter Z because he just lays and prays” this goes to show those fans don’t understand “strategy” and the skill that is involved in MMA. They don’t love the sport. They love spectacle moments that doesn’t truly represent MMA. And that is not what you call “being a fan”.  Would you call a person a “hockey fan” if they only watch hockey games to see a brawl? Or call them a “NASCAR fan” if they only watch it for the spectacular crashes? I don’t think so. It’s unfortunate that majority of MMA fans have a misguided perception of MMA. It’s more unfortunate that it perpetuates to new fans which contributes to the sports slow inclination of maturity.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying MMA is doomed because of the ignorant fans. I believe it’s part of the growing pains of this fast growing sport. Just 10 years ago barely anyone knew what a 4 .oz glove looked like. Now, they sell those gloves at every sporting good store. I just hope the fans evolve with the sport, and one day in the future we can get away from the spectacle talk of the sport and get more into the art and science of it.