Contentious C

Leg day was quad-focused-ish and went pretty well. 5x6 on squats with 195, which is the most I've done in over a year, more calves (actually sticking with training them for once), then 290 on the hack squat for 3x15 for some real pain. My knee isn't great with them, it's basically perma-fucked now, but it's a lot better than attempting leg presses. Then some leg curls until I tapped out. Push was pretty easy - 5x5x160 on bench with 8 reps on the last set, and that was maybe an RPE 8-9, so my bench is moving in the right direction again and feels less janky. I don't think I'm that much stronger with the movements (maybe a bit from all the upper pec focus) but I think my back has caught up so much that it's better at stabilizing. Lots of shoulder stuff (maybe too much for my also-fucked left shoulder that hasn't really stopped hurting for a month), some Smith machine military presses, which I'd much rather do than standing OHPs, and flys. Today was a little different, because I can feel the need for a deload coming on, so Pull wasn't as gonzo as it could have been. It would have normally been a T-bar row day, but I did some pull-ups first instead. Took enough weight off with the assisted that basically everything I felt was lats and grip, so there's probably something to working at that weight (about 130-140 of my own BW) since those are areas I'd like to improve. More Kroc rows with a 90-lb dumbbell, 3x11 (1 more rep than last time, which was 2 more reps than the time before that). Reverse grip curls, upright rows as long as they don't make my shoulder worse, a couple of sets of underhand lat pulldowns with the narrow MAG grips, and 4x10 on the reverse hyper deck (gonna have to bump that past 50 lbs soon). I *probably* should start deloading on Friday, but I think I'm going to be stupid and try for some near-term PRs the next 3 days, then start deloading next Tuesday.

I dunno, just about the coolest thing ever is the interview with Akira Hokuto after the Dreamslam match against Kandori. But I suppose you mean actual press conferences as opposed to one-on-one interviews, and that makes sense.

Well, good thing I didn't place that Celtics/Sixers ECF bet. I fucking hate the Sixers and want Boston to boatrace them in every single playoff series, but I would also prefer taking a team's best shot and beating them anyway like we did last year. Hope Embiid doesn't miss too much time, but having a Kuminga land on your damn leg can't be great, even when you're a giant yourself.

09 would be kind of kicking around but not productively with Harden & Curry as the aging guys. 14 should be great, but it's Embiid and Jokic in the same class and the dropoff after is heavy. 12 would still shred teams; Hell, if you put that lineup out there, it's more likely Dame has a ring by now. 20 has some killers but nobody with size, so they'd probably get bounced by either of the above teams. All that said, though, 16/17/18 would be running the league. 17 could be dynastically good.

And then I went and did this. North - Well, this isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It's just awfully close. Casual racism, tepid dialogue, stereotypes a-plenty, and desperately trying to tap into the Home Alone/Matilda/cute-kid-of-the-month bullshit of the 90s, much to the chagrin of anyone who's bothered to sit through this. I suppose we're lucky, really; this could have sunk Elijah Wood badly enough that he ended up concerned with an entirely different sort of crack. The only highlight to speak of is Richard Belzer's section, which is funny in spite of its context entirely because of Belzer. Somehow surprising that Reiner directed one of the best kid's movies of the times and one of the worst. Personally, I find myself laughing at the possibility of an alternate ending, where North stays with the Nelsons and, in 2002/2003, becomes massively rich when he and ScarJo popularize step-sibling incest porn a good 10-15 years before anyone else. Little Giants - Yeah, I watched this mostly because some of you put this on your All-Time Best lists and that seemed...ah, baffling is the kindest word that comes to mind. And it's a Matthew McCurley double feature with the execrable North as the last movie I watched! Quirks like that always get me. I wonder how people adjust to this sort of happenstance: 15 minutes of fame before you're 15, and then you have to jump out in the big bad world as just some guy and hey, weren't you in that thing I saw once? Anyway, the comparisons to North are, I find, appropriate, because there's a lot about even this beloved movie that's pretty wrong-headed. It's got just as much stereotyping, loads of "the joke is how fucked-up this kid looks, so please laugh", an occasional bit of casual racism and sexism, and it's not like the acting really hits home (aside from Ed O'Neill). So why does this work while North is fucking awful? Well, for starters, staying in one place helps; there's just as broad a cast here, maybe more so, except it isn't so laser-focused on any one person to leave out development for the others. Second, it's just better writing. "Spike is going to rip my face off and wear it for Halloween" is an all-timer, and everyone can probably find a joke in here that they identify with. Kinda helps that the premise explains itself, too, instead of relying on Bruce Willis to explain everything to death. And even though Rick Moranis was the old hand for kid-friendly movies, it's O'Neill who stirs the drink; he's got the most punchable face he ever had, perhaps in his entire career portraying characters who didn't get punched in the face enough, and yet when he has to support his niece, he's on World's Best Uncle behavior and they have a nice couple of scenes together. The endings between the two films are equally predictable, equally saccharine, equally boring and rote, but one makes you give a crap - to the point that I was frankly shocked by the sportsmanship shown at the end - and the other makes you want it to vanish into the memory hole. Little Giants still isn't *good*, per se, but it shows it isn't that difficult to achieve some level of competence and watchability when you show rather than tell and give even your most cartoonish antagonists a real heart. Real Women Have Curves - Forget the backwards-in-time comparisons to Lady Bird, which I didn't think was that great to begin with. In some respects, perhaps because it was an HBO movie, this feels and especially looks more like Clockwatchers to me: oddly muted, only hinting at a vibrancy that must exist somewhere else for someone else to make us yearn so badly for it. I was also reminded of the look of the limited bit of Charles Burnett's work I've seen (albeit far less insane and troubling story-wise). But this mostly hinges on its performances (not surprising from something adapted from the stage). I can't quite decide if Lupe Ontiveros was brilliant or flimsy: her character so richly deserved a Zangief Piledriver into a rock quarry, but as much as that terrible attitude was the point, there is such a thing as too much "go-away" heat. The blink-and-you-miss-it bit of rage and sass-swapping at the burger joint sets the tone, and the rest of the film sits somewhere among awkwardness, outrage, and relief for a nice little ride. The French Lieutenant's Woman - Is it just me, or did young Jeremy Irons rather resemble Henry Cavill, if Cavill had scoliosis? This is famous for a bunch of unusual reasons, but the structure of the film is maybe still the most notable of those. However, the pacing is probably the worst part of this, particularly since it doesn't spend enough time developing the modern-era segment of the story. But by the end, the switches back and forth are quick enough to mimic the fraying nature of their relationship. For most of the film, the juxtaposition of time periods works, because the romanticism of the Victorian world could be parodied and contrasted against the real damage Mike and Anna could do to each other's lives. As a result, though, I don't know that the ending - the 'now' ending - works for me, since it's too wistful and pointlessly romantic, like there's some place and time where they would work things out, perhaps on another movie set someday. Instead of avoidance, it might have fit the mood better to have the ending embedded in the film ending: pull away from that scene and hear "cut". Start where the whole movie began in a sense, backing out to the director/crew calling the scene finished, and as they wrap, Mike and Anna just ignore one another, ripping off costuming and walking away. The "talk" Mike wanted already happened, and now we just see the sad, brutal outcome. Still, though, the performances make this work, even if it is a little strange to see Meryl Streep in a scene with Penelope Wilton (you know who she is) where Wilton is the one who gives us more to ponder. Possession - Well. I watched this. Yikes. This makes Marriage Story seem like everyone was shot up on horse tranquilizers, and it makes the symbolism of The Babadook look like it was written in crayon (and not a good color like cerulean or periwinkle; instead, one of those new box names that are for weenies). You could definitely criticize this for being a multiple-category nominee for Most Actor instead of Best Actor (particularly Heinrich, who's just generally not good), but GODDAMN if Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani weren't spectacularly out of their minds for this. Normally I'm a fan of subtlety, but sometimes you just need to rip the goddamn motherfucking Band-Aid off and see what's *possible* instead of merely the same old idea of what's *good*, and this film has that in abundance: goopy, oily, tentacly abundance. Then again, it's also a little inscrutable - not so much in terms of the plot or its meaning, as those are pretty clear - but more its inception. Was Zulawski really making a big, sweeping, bold statement about relationships, or is this born out of sad male insecurity? It's hard to say for certain. Maybe in the hands of less capable actors, the latter interpretation would win out, but instead, it's just...well, certainly not balanced, but somehow unbalanced in as fair a manner as possible. And besides, as many others have said, I, too, would lose my grasp on reality if it meant I could be married to Isabelle Adjani.

Goddamnit. Better beat Hair Boy, Mister Irrelevant.

Your Detroit Lyin to Themselves if They Thought Those Were Good Fourth Down Decisions

Well, that's a Pro Bowler. Also, gotta dig the local pizza place commercials featuring Zay Flowers.

Well, I don't know if Purdy is the answer for SF but I can't fault his balls after that run.

And that second one.

Will be interesting as Hell if the first game of the year is also the last game of the year. Same result, please. Go Lions.

At least I can go back to my movie now. And, fuck the Ravens.

KC getting enough calls they should change their name to the Crew Chiefs.

Yup, there's the Lamar I know. Fuck the Ravens.

2:1 pass/run ratio against the best pass and worst run defense left. This seems wise.

Turnovers. Ravens were due for one of these WTF games.

Chiefs are going to hate themselves when they realize they should have challenged Kelce's spot instead of going for 4th.

Fuck him up with his green pea-ness, one hopes.

And two 62-point games in losses on the same nights. Yeesh.

Also winner for Least Self-Aware Podcast?

That Venn diagram is a fucking circle. Burn it all down.

Yeah, he did Southpaw quite a while ago and was pretty big in that. Lots of chicken and rice all around!

I'm thinking of a certain old sketch involving HHH where Vince demanded Hunter come to the ring in very particular terms. Turns out he could have just stood there by himself, for the thousandth time. Like we needed any more examples. Too bad there isn't actually a Hell for him to visit someday.

When I saw you were the last post, I fully expected an update on how you delivered your hamburger helper baby this morning. This will do instead.

At least he could scream right back at the POS owner.