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| Tom Brady and Chad Ochocino. Go Patriots! |
Random Thought #5: Which team is the best coming out of the NFL free agency?
Call me a homer, but I am picking the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. I could not pick one over the other though. The defending champions may not have gotten star free agents but their team from last year is intact (which is important). In a lockout-rushed season, it is important to have an intact team because teams got less time to practice together. Getting
overshadowed by New England, Philadelphia and other teams that made strong moves in free agency adds fuel to the Packers’ fire. We should also note that Green Bay had several injured starters before the playoffs last year, thus they are even stronger this year as they return. Lastly, Green Bay drafted quality players in this year’s draft.
As for the Patriots, they are incredibly stronger with the additions of Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. This has been mentioned in sports blogs before but I will say it anyway: Belichick knows how to make headcases cooperate in his team concept. Another good thing going for the Pats was the fact that they were supposed to be undermanned last year (when they traded away Randy Moss) but they became the Numero Uno team instead. With the young defensive crew returning, prepare for a better Patriots team.
What about the Eagles? They got Asomugha but you have to note that they are not a winning franchise (even historically). When asking which team you should pick between a squad with a championship tradition and one that continuously failed over the years, it is better to bet on the former (especially if there are ginormous expectations on the latter).
Favorite Athlete of the Month: Kiefer Ravena. This kid has mad hoops.
Random Thought #6: President Barack Obama gladly accepted the Green Bay Packers in the White House even if he roots for their rival team (Chicago Bears). If you were the president and you need to accept a visit from your most hated teams, how would you handle it?
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| Green Bay Packers with President Obama | Credit: ESPN |
I think I can handle it. I am still a passionate die-hard fan but I have learned how to appreciate excellence from opposition. However, that is the boring answer for this. Let’s put some twist. If I am going to accept the hated team, what if I put some conditions before I allow them to be welcomed for a visit? Here are my conditions if ever:
San Antonio Spurs – They should bring Becky Hammon (of the San Antonio Silverstars) and make her kiss me. Shawn Michaels (a San Antonio native) should also be there and he presents me a WWE championship belt (no backstabbing super kick though).
Indianapolis Colts – Have Peyton Manning do a commercial with me. I root against him but I have to admit that he is comedy gold off the field. With Peyton’s class act of taking less money, I am starting to reconsider why I have his Colts in this list.
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| Rex Ryan as "Fizbo" would be hilarious |
New York Jets – Rex Ryan should be wearing Fizbo the Clown suit. I know it would not make that much of a difference but it would be hilarious.
New York Yankees – If A-Rod dresses like Lady Gaga and performs “Poker Face.” At least, he would not have a hard time doing the second condition.
La Salle Green Archers – If they would learn how to face the Ateneo crowd when we sing our Alma Mater song after an Ateneo victory. In short, it won’t happen.
I would make a jerk president.
Favorite Sport of the Month: Baseball. If you thought that I would be Ateneo-centric, you are mistaken. UAAP Basketball is boring compared to Major League Baseball this month. You have the Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies and the Braves leading the pack. Then, you have serious competition from the defending champs (Giants), a perennial underdog (Brewers) and the team that has Verlander (Tigers).
Favorite Fantasy Sport of the Month: Fantasy Football. If you thought that I would pick basketball, you are wrong. C’mon! We do not even know if we are going to have an NBA season. As for NFL, they just came out of the lockout so the free agency spiced things up in Fantasy NFL.
Random Thought #7: How good was Captain America? [SPOILER ALERT]
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“Captain America: The First Avenger” had the major disadvantage of coming as the last movie in this blockbuster of a summer. I am not saying that this year’s summer movie lineup produced the best movies. However, it generated one of the strongest buzz. Just look at this lineup: Thor, Super 8, X-Men: First Class, Kung Fu Panda 2, Green Lantern, Fast Five, The Hangover Pt. 2, and Harry Potter 7B. I think I missed a big movie or two, but my point is, this was a summer loaded with blockbusters. A decade ago, it would take three summers to produce these many ‘must-watch-for-the-masses’ movies. It also did not help that “Captain America” came right after the last Harry Potter movie. It was like performing right after Simon Cowell gives his first standing ovation to Adam Lambert in “American Idol.”
For a Marvel fan, I have to admit that I was never a fan of Captain America. I was more interested in watching Spider-Man or the X-Men. I always considered Cap as one of the most popular superheroes but I preferred to side with Tony Stark. When they battled in “Civil War,” I rooted for the Pro-Registration. I always swapped Captain America for some superhero when playing “Marvel Ultimate Alliance.”
It also pissed me off that they claimed Captain America as “The First Avenger” whereas in fact, he was the last to join them (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp) in the old comics. If memory serves me right, they recruited Hulk first (although he was both a friend and a foe).
The movie even began with a sigh from me. I already knew what was going to happen because I watched the cartoon version of “The Avengers” two years ago. I knew that Captain America will be in an aircraft that will crash and he will be discovered in the present time.
But as Steve Rogers was heavily disadvantaged in the beginning, he stood a chance when I watched the movie. The filmmakers were successful in portraying Captain America as the underdog (someone from the Avengers should be the underdog). Even if I had the initial notion that Chris Evans is a cocky superhero (as he played the Human Torch in “Fantastic Four”), he was able to pull off a humble, bullied kid in the streets of Brooklyn. The first highlight of the movie was Steve Rogers’ quote about hating bullies. It does not have the catchy effect of “With great power comes great responsibility” but it was effective in making him likeable. With the way he relayed it, he came off as someone you would like to root for.
Not only was Chris Evans the highlight of the incredible acting the movie exhibited, he actually was reinforced by a strong cast. Tommy Lee Jones is Tommy Lee Jones. He has the charisma and he capitalized well on the witty moments. Hugo Weaving was also good. Of course, he is the signature villain. You just could not go wrong with him. But the show stealer for me would have to be Hayley Atwell.
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| The Hayley Atwell stare |
I do not know how biased I will come off here because I have a newfound crush on Hayley. However, I have to note that her acting was effective. The writing helped a lot because they made the most genuine and arguably the best superhero love story ever (yes, even better than Spider-man because it suffers from some cheesiness). The romance part of “Captain America” was so much appealing and apt – they do not rush relationships during those times. They capitalized on subtle reactions, flirtations and insecurities. All of these play a huge part when you start falling in love with someone. Writing played a part but Hayley made it better by saying less to mean it more. Her concerned look has become her signature move. I liked the subtlety in it and the way she expresses her emotions in her eyes or body language. Her signature move also complemented her strong-willed character. She does not show much emotion but by her body language, you can understand how moved, hurt or relieved her character is.
It also paved way for the crying scene in the end to be more heart-wrenching and dramatic.
Since I am on a habit of predicting stuff in this blog entry, I will make a bold statement that Hayley Atwell will be a rising star, probably in the likes of Kate Beckinsale. After all, she’s got the looks and the rack. (Hey, even Captain America gently stared at them!) It also helps that she is willing to do big projects like this movie. With stunning beauty and talent, I give Hayley Atwell five stars.
The strongest suit of “Captain America” aside from its stellar cast would be the way they turned some moments anti-cliché. The love story was a refreshing take. Another focal point of the storyline was how they focused on character development more than the usual action-filled scenes. Moviegoers complained how less action “Captain America” had, but while it was true, I have to say that it made the movie stronger. In just two hours, we watched the characters grow naturally. Steve Rogers learned how to handle his newfound power while remaining consistently humble. He gained confidence and leadership while retaining values. Bucky learned to be the sidekick. Colonel Chester Philips began to understand Steve Rogers as he proved how good of a soldier he is. Peggy started to soften as she became attracted to Steve Rogers.
Lack of action and priority on character development led to less Red Skull moments. Yes, Red Skull did not seem to become a threat because he was mostly being chased by Captain America. Red Skull was not even the one who killed Bucky – another nuance that I liked because soldiers get killed by unpopular people during wars in real life. But, it also showed that the movie does not have to rely on a threatening villain to be an effective superhero movie. The film was about Steve Rogers’ development into becoming the “First Avenger” (yeah, I still can’t accept it). The story led to the journey of Steve learning how to be a real hero by sacrificing for the greater good even if he had to forego the first time he has had a legitimate chance on getting a girlfriend. That does not happen if they picked a proud soldier to be Captain America.
If I am going to pick nits on the movie, here are its weaknesses:
1) How come Captain America was able to learn those combat skills quickly? He is often bullied but it did not mean he would be a good fighter. Athletic, yes. Skilled, no. It is like watching LeBron have an elite post-up game suddenly.
2) (I may be wrong here) It was mentioned that the serum increases both your strengths and weaknesses. Shouldn’t Steve Rogers have a super asthma then?
3) It baffles me that Captain America was never detected in a dark area where he walks wearing a big, shiny shield at his back. But hey, at least it showed that he had shaky stealth skills (but then, he is supposed to be smart, right?).
Other than which, I am extremely pleased on the movie. I may still be overreacting after a week from watching it but I have to say that it is the best movie of the year thus far.
Rating: Hayley Atwell.
Favorite Movie of the Month: "Captain America: The First Avenger." Duh.
Random Thought #8: Hayley Atwell was a stunner in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Part of it was her old fashioned look. It seems that she looks astoundingly better with old fashioned looks (although she still looks exceedingly attractive in real life). If you were to name a Top Eight of the best celebrities that look better if they were in the 1940s to 1960s, who would they be? (Note: their old fashioned looks should be better than their present faces)
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| Raise your hand if you think that Hayley's military outfit is hot |
Retro Chick # 8: Cara Buono (Dr. Faye Miller of “Mad Men”). This list will mostly be composed of “Mad Men” actresses not only because the show features the 1960s. It is because the TV series is really loaded with hot chicks! Faye Miller was the blonde stunner from Season 4. Yes, she has some mature features but if you are going to compare Cara Buono’s Faye Miller to her present time looks, the 1960s look wins hands down. Faye Miller has the elegance and sophistication. I think the curls also improve her facial features. I noticed her easily in “Mad Men” while I have watched “Let Me In” and I have not even noticed she was there.
Retro Chick # 7: Abigail Spencer (Miss Farrell of “Mad Men”) I could not believe it when I learned that she was the same actress who played the guest character Blah-Blah in “How I Met Your Mother.” She was annoying in there as opposed to her alluring image in “Mad Men,” but she was really forgettable as a present-day character. But as for her teacher character in “Mad Men?” BAM! The curls and the 1960s effect play well to her favor. It was even mentioned in the BS Report by a guest that she was the most beautiful woman. Simmons even joked that Don Draper left her steaming in his car. All I can say is, true that!
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| Who knew that Betty "The Ice Queen" can smile? |
Retro Chick # 6: January Jones (Betty Francis of “Mad Men”). Don Draper’s ex-wife is the second most beautiful character in “Mad Men.” I think January is hot regardless of what generation her characters are. But if you can remember how hot she was as Emma Frost this year, Don Draper must have been kicking himself for losing Betty.
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| Carey Mulligan in "An Education" |
Retro Chick # 5: Carey Mulligan (Jenny of “An Education”). She plays a jailbait character on this movie, but the actress is the same age (even older) than me. She was so cute and perfect with those 1960s bangs that it disappoints me that she is sporting short blonde hair these days.
Retro Chick # 4: Katy Perry. She does not need to have a specific movie/TV show to sport an old school fashion. She already has that pin-up girl look and I think that it is the most successful style she can pull off. I think I do not need to expound on this further.
Retro Chick #3: Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines of “Back to the Future”). We need a classic pick and Lea is a timeless icon on this. I will never forget getting attracted at her sexy figure (the car scene) back when I was a kid. It was like seeing Princess Leia in a two-piece suit. Lorraine captured the star struck look that gals had during The Beatles’ time (I know the movie was before The Beatles became popular but at least the generation was not far behind). Damn, this list makes me want to own a time machine.
Retro Chick #2: Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter of “Captain America: The First Avenger”). Is she too high in this list? Only time will tell. But as of now, Peggy Carter seems to be an underrated beauty that needs to be appreciated. She has some features of Kate Beckinsale but above it all, she rocks the 1940s look. How many women can appear sexy on a well-covered military suit? Heck, I think her military suit is even her sexiest outfit. Peggy brings a certain class, elegance and innocence that no other girl in this list has. Furthermore, her voluptuous figure represents the old times better than the previous six ladies mentioned. Ladies were not as conscious on being extremely thin those days.
If Hayley joins “Mad Men,” that would be a dream come true for me.
Retro Chick #1: Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris of “Mad Men”). Need I say more?
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| Of course, Christina Hendricks is still the hottest Retro Chick |
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