Advancing from yesterday’s Play-In Games are…
Birdman
over 40 Year Old Virgin
and…
Super Troopers
over Catch Me If You Can
Movies
Movie Madness: Play-In Games
In College Basketball, they call this the First Round.
So now we’re looking for our Hampton and Dayton for the tournament.
And the winners will be rewarded with playing two of our #1 seeds, Die Hard and Star Wars.
[Update]: Voting has closed. Results are below.
(16) 40 Year Old Virgin
vs.
(16) Birdman
(16) Super Troopers
vs.
(16) Catch Me If You Can
Congrats, Birdman and Super Troopers!
You get Die Hard and Star Wars next.
The Round of 64 voting will begin at 8:00 AM CDT. You can also Tweet votes to @Mike_PiFF03 with #MovieMadness when it starts.
The 2015 Movie Madness Bracket
I understand not everybody is into basketball, or even sports for that matter. So for the past few years (with the help of some awesome people), I have released a TV Madness bracket for the masses to vote on. Dexter vs. The Wire, Friends vs. How I Met Your Mother, Breaking Bad vs. Mad Men, Game of Thrones vs. The Walking Dead…It was a good time.
This year we’re switching things up and moving from the small screen to the silver screen. Movies from several genres and eras…there’s certainly something for everyone. We’ve also added 2 Play-In Games to expand the field to 68, much like the NCAA Tournament. Voting for the Play-In Games will start HERE tomorrow (3/25) morning. The REAL THING will begin 3/26 and voting will be open till 11 PM CST each day.
Obviously everything is subjective with the seedings, but let’s take a closer look at each region for you to start making your picks!
The De Niro/Brando Region
This is a very Drama filled region, and not the kind you get in Mean Girls. Most of these films have ranked high in the typical “all-time” lists, and are likely the ones that “Shawshank” you when they are played on AMC…
(For future reference, being “Shawshanked” happens when you catch a film on TV and no matter the point you tune into, or what time it is, you have to finish the film.)
(1) The Godfather
Matchup To Watch:
(3) Pulp Fiction vs. (14) Fight Club
The Willis/Statham Region
Like Explosions? Gunfights? Epic oneliners?…What do you mean “No”? Get the hell out of here!
(1) Die Hard
Matchup To Watch:
(8) Top Gun vs. (9) The Matrix
The Belushi/Murray Region
This is the kind of “funny” Henry Hill was referring to when he pissed off Pesci in Goodfellas. Had to give John and Bill the region’s title considering they star in 4 of the above films.
(1) Animal House
Matchup To Watch:
(7) Anchorman vs. (1) The Big Lebowski
The Harrison Ford/Clooney Region
This region is a fun mix for fans of adventure, fantasy, and other miscellaneous awesomeness. Yes, I understand “Harrison Ford” is the only one to get his full name in a region…but when have you ever referred to him by just his first or last name? He also stars in the Top 2 seeds.
(1) Star Wars
Matchup to Watch:
(7) Toy Story vs. (10) The Lego movie
Check in tomorrow morning (3/25) as voting for the Play-In games will begin. Votes on Twitter directed to @Mike_PiFF03 with the hashtag #MovieMadness will also be counted. Feel free to fill out your own copy of the bracket and Tweet it to me to be shared.
Academy Awards Picks 2015
Awards season has flown by, hasn’t it? The Golden Globes and their weirdness feel like yesterday…
Wait, that was like a month ago? Wow. It has also felt like a quiet season too, in terms of big upsets and such…hold on a sec…
SIT DOWN, KANYE!
Back to the show…
Besides the actual awards being announced, I can’t wait to see what Neil Patrick Harris has up his sleeve. There are few hosts who are as much of a showman as NPH. Multiple Tony Award shows, the Emmys, and now the Oscars…? He’s just a Golden Globes away from his own Hosting EGOT. NPH be criticized and scrutinized like everybody ever to host it, but I expect nothing short of something Legen…wait for it…
If you need a reference of what to anticipate, check out one of my favorite award show opens of his.
The Picks…
Last year everything felt predictable. The Dallas Buyers Club boys, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, took Best Lead and Supporting honors EVERYWHERE. Cate Blanchett did the same, like most Woody Allen characters do. Then Lupita Nyong’o and 12 Years a Slave, while not necessarily consensus favorites, didn’t surprise anyone with their wins.
This year isn’t so easy, and that’s a good thing. 2014 (and early ’15) was an excellent year in film and made it fun going to the movie theater every week. Why the Academy went with just 8 nominees for Best Picture is beyond me, but every film in the running is very deserving…
So was Guardians of the Galaxy.
Anywho…
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
My Pick: Eddie Redmayne
It’s a loaded category. Benedict Cumberbatch was flawless in Imitation Game. Controversy over the man he depicted aside, Bradley Cooper rocked the “Punisher” logo he wore HARD. Steve Carell made everyone’s skin crawl (although I was more interested in Channing Tatum’s performance). And Michael Keaton carried the suspense of a bomb you were anticipating to explode…without the timer.
Eddie Redmayne’s performance as Stephen Hawking though was too special to deny. While I would love to see the award go to either Keaton or Cumberbatch, it’s Redmayne’s to lose at this point. His transformation into Hawking has won at nearly everything and fun fact…
The SAG winner in this category has won 100% of the time in the last decade.
(I do have to mention that I felt David Oyelowo was horribly robbed of a nomination in this category. Every bit as deserving as Cumberbatch, Keaton, Carell, and Redmayne…You can figure out who I left out.)
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
My Pick: Julianne Moore
I know…Nothing too controversial here. Moore has won in nearly every awards show that matters. Cotilard won the New York Film Critics Circle award…and good for her. Moore is as every bit of the accolades for her role in Still Alice, and it’s amazing that this will likely be her first win in 5 tries. But if there was a sleeper pick to make here, I would take Felicity Jones. You couldn’t ask for a better compliment performance to Eddie Redmayne’s than Jones.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
My Pick: J.K. Simmons
I feel bad for Edward Norton. He put out arguably his best performance of a great career in Birdman, but J.K. Simmons was just. too. good…
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Meryl Streep – Into The Woods
My Pick: Emma Stone
Yeah, I can’t play the favorite on this one. Patricia Arquette has been cleaning up at award shows all season and I really don’t understand it. Yes, she was moving…but she wasn’t a showstopper like Emma Stone was.
Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
My Pick: Birdman
I understand that this has turned into a 2 horse race between Boyhood and Birdman in terms of odds, but Birdman was clear and away the better film to me. I was more interested in how Boyhood was made than the actual product. Richard Linklater should, and probably will, win Best Director for presenting an entire childhood in 3 hours, but there wasn’t much of a story and the performances didn’t wow me more than the gimmick…
Birdman, on the other hand, is filled with performance after performance that grabs you by your collar, unpredictable, and has you at the end of your seat. Watching Boyhood, I just waited for Mason to finally grow up…but I loved the soundtrack.
That’s just me though…
Who are you picking to win tonight? Let me know and let’s talk about the show on Twitter @Mike_PiFF03.
National Pizza Day: Great Pizza Moments in Movies & TV
Did you grab a slice yet today? Why not? You didn’t know?
It’s National Pizza Day!
Now you may be asking, “who decided this?” IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO DECIDED THIS! IT’S PIZZA!
So let’s commemorate the occasion properly and take a look at moments in television and film that made us hungry enough to call for delivery.
Breaking Bad
Most fans can pinpoint it to Season 3 Episode 2, but how did that pepperoni pizza get up on that roof?
Walter?…Don’t you do it!…Dammit, Walter.
Home Alone
How many immature jerks, I mean kids, tried this themselves? I imagine it was a rough go for delivery guys nationwide during the 90s.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
We’ll forgive the Turtles for their choice of Dominos only because they live in a sewer. And because corporate sponsorship and all…
Wayne’s World
Speaking of corporate sponsorship…
Mad Men
Not really any physical pizza being involved, but clearly Peggy has what we all do on her mind…Hey! Get your head out of the gutter!
Back to the Future Part II
Not only did they try predicting the next time the Cubs would go to the World Series, but also the way we ate pizza. I’m okay with them being wrong about the latter.
The 2014 Academy Awards
While Ellen was breaking the internet with the world’s greatest selfie, she was also throwing the world’s greatest pizza party…C’mon. Brad Pitt was passing out plates.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
“Who ordered the double cheese and sausage?” Probably the best pizza moment in cinematic history.
So…
Have another great pizza moment in mind? Comment here or Tweet @Mike_PiFF03. Now go get some pizza!
Seattle vs. New England: Everything BUT Football
I love Super Bowl week.
Media Day, All-Time great commercial countdowns, the constant NFL Films replaying of Super Bowls past, food…
It’s the best.
Once #DeflateGate finally blows over (if it ever does), we’ll see the game itself broken down in every way possible and multiple prop bet odds fluctuating up until Idina Menzel starts belting out our National Anthem. We’ll get trash talking from coast-to-coast and perhaps a gentleman’s bet between Ed Murray and Martin Walsh, the mayors of Seattle and Boston.
We DO however have an epic bet going between Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Captain America (Chris Evans)…
I would like to heat up the trash talk between the two regions by widening the scope and digging deeper into more than football. By comparing Seattle and New England (Boston) in categories such as music, TV, movies, other sports, beer, etc, we’ll be able to formulate a prediction for the Sunday’s outcome that’s as logical as an elephant choosing the winner…or a tiger.
That was awesome.
Anywho…
Music
In Seattle…
As part of Dave Grohl’s “Sonic Highways” docu-series following the cool concept of the Foo Fighters’ cross country recording journey for their latest album, Grohl and HBO focused on the Seattle music scene. While the central theme was how bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains almost literally blew up your FM frequencies, helping to create the alternative genre, grunge wasn’t the only calling card for Seattle.
During the post-war era (1945-1975), Seattle produced three of the industry’s all-time great black musicians. Ray Charles recorded his first single and made his television and radio debuts in Seattle. Quincy Jones played as an instrumentalist in Bumps Blackwell’s band. And before he went to England to start recording to eventually gain worldwide fame, Jimi Hendrix was rocking the clubs in Seattle on a nightly basis…In Hip-Hop, most of you know that Macklemore is from Seattle, but did you know Sir Mix A Lot was too? Seattle has also been the hub for current indie music acts, including Sunny Day Real Estate, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, The Head and the Heart, Fleet Foxes and (one of my favorites) Band of Horses.
In Boston…
I wanted to preface this in the beginning, but we find in a lot of these categories to be “Old School vs. New School” with New England representing a lot of the former. Of course we have to start with the “Bad Boys from Boston”, Aerosmith. Also fondly referred to as “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band”, they certainly score big points in this game. Add (the band) Boston, The Cars, and J. Geils Band to the list of bands yours dad (and I) really likes.
But wait, there’s more! While New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe rocked your oversized boom box, Donna Summer had the last dance. Raise your hand if you had a New Kids On The Block lunch box…Marky Mark might have. Add Powerman 5000, American Hi-Fi, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Guster, and The Dear Hunter and you get a pretty good feel for the Boston music scene.
Also Dropkick Murphys, Extreme and Pixies…Oh my!
Who Gets The Edge?
I found myself torn between the two, so I asked a couple of music experts and enthusiasts for their thoughts:
“Both great legacies. I couldn’t possibly pick one over the other, as four of my favorite bands of all time come from each city: Mission of Burma and Morphine (Boston/Cambridge) and Fastbacks and Mudhoney (Seattle). Also Tad makes up for the rise of Candlebox in Seattle, and the Cars make me want to forgive Boston for the existence of Extreme.” – Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune Music Critic
“Hard to not pick Boston just because I have so many musician friends there, but Seattle is formidable. I will call it a draw.” – Len Kasper, Chicago Cubs Television Broadcaster and musician.
See! Not that easy.
However, I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity and Seattle’s scene from the 90’s and recently is too good to deny. Plus, they don’t have a band like Extreme to worry about canceling out.
TV
Set in Seattle…
When we see Seattle depicted on television, what impressions do we get? Progressive, new age, rainy?
Twin Peaks, Weeds, Grey’s Anatomy, The Killing (aka The show that makes me genuinely afraid of Seattle.) And of course…
Frasier.
Set in Boston…
There’s a handful of the typical (but still good) “Boston” themed shows. Boston Legal, Boston Public, Boston Commons (yeah, I said it.)…Wahlburg is basically a synonym for “Boston” so Wahlburgers is included. Fringe, Leverage, and Rizzoli & Isles too. Ally McBeal is your “Grey’s” equivalent. And then there’s the real Boston heavyweight…
Cheers.
Who Gets The Edge?
At the end of the day, its Frasier vs. Cheers isn’t it? And there wouldn’t be a Frasier without Cheers. So Boston gets the win here.
Movies
In Seattle…
Yes Chick-Flick lovers, Sleepless in Seattle is a classic. But it’s not Seattle’s only claim to fame in the genre. 10 Things I Hate About You, Love Happens, An Officer and a Gentleman, the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey film, and Say Anything…are all worthy of getting a spin this Valentine’s Day.
Some of my favorites include This Is Spinal Tap, War Games and 50/50. Add thrillers like Fear, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and The Ring. And of course we can’t forget Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Saving Silverman, and Harry and the Hendersons.
In Boston…
There’s a fun spectrum of films that come to mind when you think of films based in Boston.
Gritty action movies: The Equalizer, Boondock Saints, The Town…
Sports movies: Fever Pitch, Celtic Pride, and I’ll allow Field of Dreams.
Comedies: Legally Blonde and Ted
Oscar nominated dramas: Good Will Hunting, Mystic River, The Fighter, and The Departed.
Who Has The Edge?
As much as I love 50/50 and War Games, Seattle can’t compete with the heavy hitters that were filmed in Boston. How do you like them apples?
Food
In Seattle…
Visuals are helpful. Warning: you may get hungry.
In Boston…
Ditto.
The Edge?
I don’t think you can go wrong getting seafood in either town, but my tastebuds lean toward Boston for the pizza and sweets.
Landmarks/Sights
In Seattle…
The Space Needle
Pike Place Fish Market
The Puget Sound
Safeco Field
…and the Freemont Troll. It’s under a bridge. And scary/adorable.
In Boston…
The Massachusetts State House
The Hatch Memorial Shell
The Freedom Trail
Fenway Park
…where everybody knows your name.
The Edge?
Close call, but how about that view in Seattle? Fenway Park will always have a place in my baseball heart but the Bridge Troll is kind of a deal breaker.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Starbucks vs. Facebook – Seattle: Both addicting and everywhere, but I don’t have to worry about baby pictures, candy crush invites or internet trolls at any of the 5 Starbucks in a 3 mile radius of my house.
Sports Other Than Football – Boston: Love Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, but how many championships does the city have outside of the football stadium?
Beer – Boston: The Seattle craft beer scene is definitely a thing. Black Raven, Elysian, Georgetown and Naked City are all notable breweries…but the Boston Beer Co. is America’s original.
The Score:
Seattle – 3
New England – 5
Sorry, Star-Lord.
Let us know what you think and other ways your favorite city is better than the other by Tweeting @Mike_PiFF03.
Golden Globes Picks 2015
The Golden Globes are fun.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will describe it best (again) on Sunday: The annual chance for movie actors and TV actors to get made fun of, get drunk, and probably touch each other. Hard to tell who is which anymore just by looking at the categories. Steve Carell nominated for Motion Picture Drama awards, Clive Owen and Viola Davis nominated for Television awards…The only wall left standing is the one defending the Seven Kingdoms in Game of Thrones. (I know.)
While the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wasn’t too far off in their Movie nominations, Television is still a head scratcher. I could rant for hours on how badly Mad Men, Homeland, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family were snubbed, but that’s not why you called…
Like I said, the Golden Globes are fun. Award shows in general are fun and so is making picks. So without further ado…
00
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
– Julianne Moore, Still Alice
– Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
– Reese Witherspoon, Gone Girl
– Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
– Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Winner: Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is being touted as the runaway favorite, and rightfully so. 0 for 6 at the Golden Globes, 0/4 at the Oscars, ‘Still Alice’ is her Steve Young moment..Felicity Jones will be my sleeper pick though. She’s incredibly charming and moving in ‘The Theory of Everything’.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
– Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
– Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
– Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
– David Oyelowo, Selma
– Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Winner: David Oyelowo
Unbelievably loaded category, yet it still feels like a 3-man race between Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, and David Oyelowo. I give Redmayne points for his transformation, but I give the award to Oyelowo for overall performance. Steve Carell and Jake Gyllenhaal get huge kudos as well for making my skin crawl.
Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy
– Julianne Moore, Maps of the Stars
– Amy Adams, Big Eyes
– Emily Blunt, Into The Woods
– Helen Mirren, The Hundred Foot Journey
– Quevenzhane Wallis, Annie
Winner: Emily Blunt
This category is very “meh” to me, but Emily Blunt stands out the most. Somehow she was able to appear natural in a musical…and that’s no easy task.
Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy
– Michael Keaton, Birdman
– Bill Murray, St. Vincent
– Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
– Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
– Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes
Winner: Michael Keaton
Bill Murray in ‘St. Vincent’ defines this category but Michael Keaton, well…I’ll just leave this here.
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
– Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
– Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
– Keira Knightly, The Imitation Game
– Emma Stone, Birdman
– Meryl Streep, Into The Woods
Winner: Emma Stone
Emma Stone. Emma Stone! EMMA STONE!…If I say her name 3 times she appears, right? The range she showed in ‘Birdman’ is exactly why I’ll be picking her throughout awards season.
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
– Robert Duvall, The Judge
– Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
– Edward Norton, Birdman
– Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
– J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Winner: J.K. Simmons
I truly believe ‘Birdman’ was Edward Norton’s greatest performance. Any other year he would be a lock, but J.K. Simmons IS ‘Whiplash’. He terrifies you like you’re in his college jazz ensemble.
Best Picture – Drama
– Boyhood
– Foxcatcher
– The Imitation Game
– Selma
– The Theory of Everything
Winner: Selma
This category is missing Birdman, but that’s okay. This was a great year in film and Selma was remarkably able to stand out. The acting by the entire cast was phenominal and the filming was was perfect to invoke its message.
Best Picture – Musical/Comedy
– Birdman
– The Grand Budapest Hotel
– Into The Woods
– Pride
– St. Vincent
Winner: Birdman
‘Birdman’ is the best film of the year. I’ll explain why come Oscars week. Sorry to the rest of the field. Good job, good effort.
Best TV Series – Drama
– The Affair
– Downton Abbey
– Game of Thrones
– The Good Wife
– House of Cards
Winner: House of Cards
I’ve been very vocal about how badly the Golden Globes messed up with their TV nominations. Homeland, Mad Men, and Sherlock not getting the respect they deserve baffles me. With that said, Netflix should be thanking them because ‘House of Cards’ is the best among those nominated.
Best Actress in a TV Series – Drama
– Claire Danes, Homeland
– Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder
– Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
– Ruth Wilson, The Affair
– Robin Wright, House of Cards
Winner: Claire Danes
Claire Danes should win as consolation for the disrespect shown to Homeland. It wasn’t just a bounce back season for the show, but also for her character. Robin Wright is also very deserving.
Best Actor in a TV Series – Drama
– Clive Owen, The Knick
– Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
– Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
– James Spader, The Blacklist
– Dominic West, The Affair
Winner: Dominic West
Someone call Sherlock because someone stole Benedict Cumberbatch’s nomination here…Dominic West should win because he is the only reason to watch ‘The Affair’, but personally I’m pulling for Liev Schreiber.
Best TV Series – Musical/Comedy
– Girls
– Jane The Virgin
– Orange is the New Black
– Silicon Valley
– Transparent
Winner: Silicon Valley
OITNB gets some help moving to a comedy category that is missing ‘Modern Family’, but ‘Silicon Valley’ is the better show. But seriously, no Modern Family? Have they seen Modern Family?
Best Actress in a TV Series – Musical/Comedy
– Lena Dunham, Girls
– Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
– Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
– Taylor Schilling, OITNB
Winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I love Gina Rodriguez, but I learned to stop picking against JLD a long time ago.
Best Actor in a TV Series – Musical/Comedy
– Louis C.K., Louie
– Don Cheadle, House of Lies
– Ricky Gervais, Derek
– William H. Macy, Shameless
– Jeffery Tambor, Transparent
Winner: Ricky Gervais
Go on Netflix. Watch Derek. Then you’ll know.
For the rest of the categories I care about, my picks will be covered by 2 words…
True Detective
michaelpiff 
