Ode to the pigskin.

From the first week of September, to the first week of February, Sunday will have a purpose. Grocery shopping and mowing the lawn will take a back seat to pregame shows, the national anthem and the roar of the crowd as a small leather ball is kicked from one end of a football field to another.

Beer and nachos, pizza and barbecue, Sunday will be about yelling for that screen play to net 6 points, dropped passes, and getting just a few more inches. It is about your #1 receiver burning the corner off the line and running down the field as your favorite quarterback puts the football right into his hands to win the game. It is about the two minutes and 98 yards your favorite team needs to beat the most hated team in football, the division rival. The offensive line opening up a hole in the defense, the running back with the vision to see a 2 foot hole, open just long enough for him to squeeze through and break open the game. Goal line defense and a nickel back with a receiver’s hands, icing the kicker, and a 50 yard field goal where all the fighting and the pushing and the bleeding over the last 60 minutes comes down to one man and his leg.

It is about a new beginning and every team is 20 games away from the Lombardi trophy.

It is football season.

(Go Pack.)


This week at your local multiplex (9/16/05):

Corpse Bride: (animation)
(Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Richard Grant)
Plot: From the creators of A Nightmare Before Christmas, comes another stop motion animation film. This one about a young man about to marry a woman but inadvertently becomes married to a dead woman.
Buzz: A Nightmare Before Christmas is a cult classic and the fans of the original have been dying for another Tim Burton stop motion animation film. I’ll be there.

Proof: (Drama)
(Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, Jake Gyllenhaal)
Plot: A woman is forced to face the fragility of life after the passing of her genius father, with the help of one of his students and her sister.
Buzz: The movie is getting alot of buzz due to it’s top tier stars but nothing is really coming out about it. If you are looking for a film that is sure to be a downer and is designed to make you think about your own frailties, this may be the movie for you this week.

Just Like Heaven: (romantic comedy)
(Mark Ruffalo, Reese Witherspoon, Donal Logue)
Plot: Mark Ruffalo sublets an apartment but soon realizes that he has a roommate, a ghost (Reese Witherspoon) that thinks she is alive and tries to get him out of the apartment. While trying to find out a way to get her to pass on to the other life, they fall in love, but soon realize they have a limited time together.
Buzz: I have to admit that this is a pretty original take on the whole romantic comedy genre. And don’t be afraid of the bizarre plotline. Judging from the trailer, it still has the same cues as every romantic comedy ever made. I have to admit I am a little intrigued with a romantic comedy starring both Mark Ruffalo and Donal Logue.

Cry Wolf: (Horror)
(Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jon Bon Jovi)
Plot: When a woman is murdered, a group of high school students decide to spread a rumor that a serial killer named “The Wolf” is on the loose and even go so far as to name his next victims. When the people on the list start dying, and some of the students are targeted, no one can tell the difference between the rumors and the truth.
Buzz: Yeah, that’s right, Jon Bon Jovi. As with most slasher flicks, you are kind of taking a chance when you walk in the theater. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about this one in particular, so if you are looking for a good scare this weekend, this is your only chance. Otherwise, it’ll be on dvd eventually.

Lord of War: (Thriller)
(Nicholas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Jeffrey Wright, Ian Holm)
Plot: Nicholas Cage plays an arms dealer who gets to the top of his profession, but suddenly has a crisis of conscience and wants to get out. His clients and enemies don’t see his crisis quite the same way and have a different idea of what retirement means.
Buzz: Cool trailer and there has been a lot of buzz floating around about this movie. I don’t know if the September release has to do with anything, but this movie looks pretty fun. Plus, it’s about time we get to see Bridget Moynahan larger than life.

New on DVD (9/13/05):

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy	The Last Time I Committed Suicide
Fever Pitch	It’s All About Love
Chicago (SE)	Coal Miner’s Daughter (SE)
Cheers (Season 6)	Frasier (Season 6)
Ben Hur (SE)	The Pretender (Season 2)
One Tree Hill (Season 1)	Taxi (Season 3)
Rumble Fish (SE)	The Brady Bunch (Season 3)
Palindromes	Escaflowne (SE)
Smallville (Season 4)	Everybody Loves Raymond (Season 4)
Today you Die	Las Vegas (Season 2)
Da Ali G Show (Season 2)

And, because I know you all are looking for that little bit of wisdom that only I can give, drop me a line at DPlace76@yahoo.com,  or check out my spur of the moment ramblings at
www.livejournal.com/users/bigdpmin.