Mister Faded Glory | www.misterfadedglory.com

Well, we’re officially already into the dog days of 2005, the let-down of post-holiday festivities, the armpit of the year – whatever you pick to call it. I find myself a little sluggish and anemic with each day, awake and sleepy at strange hours and somewhat zombie-like as I attempt to live through the mildest of all winters.

With that cheerful segue, here’s what’s bandying about my head today. (What a shock! No energy AND a simple, ridiculous post with random bits. How frizzigging clever.)

Coltfizzle
So, despite an encouraging season, the Horsies didn’t get it done. The loss is not solely on Peyton, not on the defense, and it’s not like they won’t have the same success or better next season. Still, it stings, particularly because of the karma-like shift in the game best described here when coach Tony Dungy didn’t try and advance the ball on fourth-and-one with the best offense of the millennium.
And, also, it stings in part because one of my favorite writers continues to sink further into self-congratulatory arrogance as his teams improve. Yeah, right, Bill. The Patriots get NO respect. No titles, no wins, no featured games, no columns, no endorsements, no nothing.

Seriously people, if your baseball team finally won the title and your football team was the best NFL team I’ve ever seen, winning a title in the same year, would you have to play an inciteful no-respect card? I didn’t think so.

In Good Company.
Very slick, very pleasant movie, that accurately depicts the bullshit that is corporate life — as well as the suck-up go-getters that resemble its populace. I was impressed with Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace, and I thought the movie was genuinely witty and poignant. The ending may have been a little clean and slick, but the movie had some soul to go with its heart, and even more brains to go with the above. I recommend it. Not all movies have to deal with the fucked-uppedness of human nature for me to like them …

…however, this one does the trick.
Closer
Saw this Saturday night, and knew it was about four semi-hateful people, but I really liked where the movie attempted to go, the conflict within Jude Law’s character that it barely resolved, and the questions it acknowledged – yet didn’t necessarily answer.
The movie tends to circle through the audience’s empathy for certain characters. The minute you felt like you could align yourself with one of the human characters – they disappointed or stunned you. Like I said, circular with the character development and the plotline. (By the way, if you’re into symbolism, circles continue to reappear as prominent settings throughout the movie. You’re not into that? Well, then never mind.) Anyway, the movie doesn’t necessarily prove that sex rules all relationships, and people are destined to hurt others – but it doesn’t rule that out either. Acknowledges the dark side of human nature, and is an intriguing picture for doing so.

Thought I had more going on, but that’s it for now.