Spectrum memories

Well, I've heard from a few of you, and here is what you sent back.

From Mike Shaw (both attended Allentown College at the same time. He graduated the following year):

Went back to the Spectrum for the last time a couple of weeks ago to see my very first Bruce Springsteen concert. It was sort of a surreal experience, stepping foot in that building. All the banners were gone from the rafters - except for the Bruce Springsteen Sell-Out banner and, inexplicably, the Canadian flag.

For me, the Spectrum will always be the place that I saw my first hockey game, sat in a luxury box, saw my first concert, and actually got to play a game. In grade school, my basketball team (the team was bad, I was worse) got crushed by St. Joe's Prep (a perennial basketball great) on the floor of the Spectrum prior to a Sixers game. I got to meet Scottie Brooks (a little white dude who played for them), Mike Gminski (a big white dude, who was a bit of an asshole), but not Charles Barkley - who stayed in the locker room until we left the floor, to my extreme disappointment.

I was with you at that Phantoms game and a few others; and it was a truly great time and a memorable experience. I'll never forget the little kid behind us with the foul mouth! I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. (Jeff Bachman note: This kid had the worst mouth I've ever heard on a six year old. 12 years later and no one has still beat it.)

Whether it was hockey or basketball or a concert or even a circus, the Spectrum holds some great memories - and I will definitely miss it a great deal.

From Rob Roche: (high school classmate. Also, the person who introduced me to Pearl Jam)

To whom it may concern.

My friend asked for memories of the Spectrum to post on his blog. I thought I would share mine with him and the Ten Club. (Jeff note: this is the Pearl Jam fan club.) Please see below.

I had attended many events at the Spectrum, including Sixers’ games, Harlem Globetrotters’ games and numerous concerts. However one event holds a special place in my memory for various reasons. On April 28th, 2003, my brother Patrick and I attended Pearl Jam’s first concert at the Spectrum.

Although they had played larger venues like the Tweeter Center and intimate, Philly institutions such as JC Dobbs, Eddie Vedder expressed to the audience the band’s almost reverent feelings towards the hallowed Spectrum. Noting that the band is made up of huge basketball fans, Eddie commented a few times how special it was to be playing in the same arena where Dr. J. performed his magic on the Spectrum floor.

We enjoyed a typical Pearl Jam concert with rarities, B-sides, famed covers and hits both past and present. During that time period, Pearl Jam began to release bootlegs of all of their concerts to deter outsiders from making money at Pearl Jam’s expense, as well as providing the best possible quality to their fans. I spent most of the following day downloading the bootleg and most of that night listening to their greatness with the music in my ears and the visuals in my mind’s eye.

As a dedicated Ten Club member, I attended many more Pearl Jam concerts but never again with my brother. We lost him to kidney cancer in the spring of 2008 (Jeff note: Patrick passed April 13 at age 27.) It is a loss that I will never fully recover from but as Eddie has said, I am still Alive. I take solace now in the fact that I can relive the concert simply by turning on my iPod. I crank up the sound, close my eyes and know in my heart that my brother’s voice is soaring amongst that Philadelphia crowd. At the time, it was just another concert, but now it is a tangible tribute to a bond that two brothers shared.

Thanks to Pearl Jam, I will always have evidence of the time we shared and know that his voice will live on in more than just my own memories.

Rob Harman (friend and fellow go-kart/open wheel racing enthusiast):

My memorable Spectrum experience was my first time there, which also happened to be my first heavy metal concert. Megadeath (Peace Sells, but Who's Buying?) opened for Metallica (Master of Puppets). I will never be the same after that.

I'm gonna see my friend before it goes away

Halloween Night marks the end of an era in Philadelphia when the Spectrum turns out the lights one last time after the fourth and final show by Pearl Jam. It marks the end of a building that opened in 1967 and has played host to many a memorable event, be it sports or a concert.

I grew up about 90 minutes from the arena, but I attended a few events there as a teenager, the first of which was a Sixers game with my dad in the mid 1980's. The team was in a downward arc after its 1983 championship run, Dr. J was in the last season of his Hall of Fame career and doing the retirement tour thing. It wasn't a very memorable game (I don't remember who they played to be honest, all I remember is they won). I went to a few more games there before I went away to college, and before the arena became semi-obsolete as a result of the opening of the CoreStates Center (the original name of the Wachovia Center) acrosss the street.

With the opening of the new arena, the Spectrum only became used for Phantoms games and concerts for acts that either weren't big enough for the new arena or were going on when there was a scheduling conflict. I attended a few of those such shows and more of my share of Phantoms games.

I remember Phantoms game in particular against the cross state rival Hershey Bears that I went to in 1997 with some friends from college, and we saw one hell of a brawl at the end. Two players ahad to be put into their teams respective penalty box to be kept from hitting one another, andGene Hart, then the PA announcer for the Phantoms, had to finish reading the penalties given to the 11 players involved before getting to the end of game announcements. Neal Little, Phantoms goalie at the time, was the only player not penalized, as leaving his own goal would have got him a penalty and possibly, under the AHL rules at the time, a suspension.

My point is that the Spectrum may be about to die, but it holds a lot of memories for me, and for everyone else in the Philadelphia area. We all have the same sort of story I do, going to a (insert team here) game with their (insert significant life person here). Or it could be a Globetrotter game, Ice Capades or the Circus, but my point is this: the arena is part of us. For whatever reason, it holds a special place for us, just like the Vet does.

There are those that may say it is a dump, a hole, etc., etc. While that may be true, it's ours.

I'll enjoy being there Saturday night, not only because I get to see my favorite band for the fourth time. I also get to say goodbye to an old friend. Will I cry during the show? Don't know.
If anything, I'll end up shedding a few tears, because it's hard to say goodbye, especially to an old friend.

But, that's just me.

It's been a long time....

since I wrote anything, but you are all the benefactors of the evening's lack of sleep. That said, if the post gets a little punchyy, rambling, or something resembling any of those, you all have my apologies.

Since I have gotten to the movies a few times, I do have some stuff to share. That said, here goes.

A few weeks ago now, I was attend a free screening of a movie entitled Black Dynamite, thanks in part to the Tweeting of my friend Mike. We got into a free showing of the film in Philadelphia sponored in part by a couple of the local radio stations. That said, it should also be mentioned that Mike and I were VERY much in the minority in the theater, if you catch what I mean.

I had actually heard about this movie at the beginning of the year, due to it's wild reception at the Sundance Film Festival. Ok, that and a post about it on a movie website I read entitled "Possibly the Greatest Movie Ever." Call me crazy, but a headline like that will catch your attention most times, and this was no exception.

Was it the greatest movie ever? Yes, it was the best WORST movie I have ever seen. Let me explain. Co-written by its star Michael Jai White and director Scott Sanders, it is a parody of 70's Blaxploation films the two grew up watching. I never thought I would be able to say this about a film, but it goes from good to bad, and circles back around near the end of the film again. This movie succeeds where 2007's Grindhouse fails in that it's a movie that knows it isn't great, but, in the same breath, still doesn't take itself too seriously.

Should you see it? In the words of Black Dynamite "You got that right, you got that right."

A few days later, I saw Zombieland with a friend of mine and his sister. A comedy in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, it follows the adventures of four survivors of a zombie plague as they head for California. The movie's soundtrack, if nothing else, comes with well chosen music. The movie itself is smart inventive, and just the right length at just under 90 minutes. Throw in a well-placed, unexpected and downright hilarious celebrity cameo (sorry, that's really all I can tell you without giving too much away), and you have a funny movie that is well worth your time.

Well, that came out pretty well, and not the least bit punchy.

Maybe now I can get some sleep.

See, I'm not dead...

but my computer was.

First, let me apologize. I mean it has been a while, and you are my readership. I realize that it's been awhile (almost six weeks if we're being anal about it), but I want to offer an explanation.

For the first time in recent memory, I had a busy summer. Thankfully, summer ends Tuesday, and my life has finally wound down. As if working the job that allows me to pay the bills isn't enough, I had a summer chocked full of goodness, and personal obligations. Two weddings, and just a bunch of other stuff that escapes me. All I know was that I was grateful to catch a break when a free weekend day rolled out, or gasp, the completely empty weekend.

Then, to make matters worse, the computer I write this blog on decided to take a complete and total dump last week. After to trip to the Geek Squad, I was rewarded for my patience (they took a week. Seriously, you need that long?) with a new 500 GB hard drive. Life is good indeed. With "Backspacer," the new album from Pearl Jam, or as my old friend Rob calls them "the soundtrack to my life," in the background, here is my latest post from the land of blogdom.

I actually did something I haven't been able to do since I was in college a while back---I saw two movies in the space of less than a week. I originally had planned to see District 9 with my friend Bill, but the theater didn't use the times listed on Fandango, so we ended up seeing Gamer instead. I was actually able to catch District 9 at the end of the week.

Gamer. Oh where to begin. It's not a horrible movie, believe me. It does exactly what it sets out to, which is be pure escapism for about 90 minutes, with Gerard Butler for the ladies (un)fortunate to be taken with their dates. The action is very video-gamey, which is good because most of the action takes place in what is supposed to be a real life video game. Also, the performance of "I've Got You Under My Skin" was very clever. Now, on to the other film.

District 9 is the most original film I've seen in a long time. Also, it's one of the first movies in a long time that I can't peg as being like something else. Director Neil Blomkamp has created something very original here, and should rightfully be lauded for it. He got the gig because the studio scrapped his attempt at making Halo a game in what Peter Jackson called in a recent article "pure and simple studio politics." Jackson, to his credit, saw something he like about the director and when Blomkamp pitched the idea for District 9, he jumped on it. Now, the two are laughing--all the way to their financial advisor. The movie is compelling, intriguing, and disturbing all at the same time. It's disturbing in the "humanity could actually be this cruel" sense of the word. Sharlto Copley is a star in the making after his turn as Wikus van de Merwe, a lowly corporate bureaucrat charged with moving aliens from their Johannesburg slum to newer, "better" slum outside of town.

There you have it. Gamer is a rental, and District 9 should be seen in the theaters. And since it is still in Top 5, it won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Sorry, I've been gone so long.

From the Minds Behind...

Mystery Science Theater 3000, comes Rifftrax. Think MST3K minus the figures in front of the screen.

Here's a sample.


http://www.rifftrax.com/ondemand/drugs-are

It's a Dirty Job, but Somebody's Got to Do It.

I know I haven't written in a few weeks, but I wanted to wait till I had something I felt strongly to write about it. That said, here goes.

I saw a movie Thursday night that I think you all need to see called The Hurt Locker. It is a brutal, thundering movie that follows three members of a US Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit on a duty hitch in Iraq during the Iraq War. This movie has been rave reviews from critics, paid and online alike (the movie currently has an almost unheard of 98% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.) After seeing the movie, I can say that I think those rave reviews are well-deserved, and will add my own over the course of this posting.

Marc Boal, whose story also provided the basis for another recent Iraq war film, In the Valley of Elah, contributes a script based on two sources: his experiences as an embedded reporter during the war with an EOD unit, and recently declassified Dept. of Defense documents concerning other of these units. Kathryn Bigelow, whom many people know for her work on Point Break and Strange Days, lends her action film credibility to this film in her role as the director, providing just the right amounts of tension buildup and release to keep the viewer engaged. For a movie about bombs, there is surprisingly little violence. What little violence there is in the film is handled is very tasteful, acting more as a character in the film than a background piece of it.

Jeremy Renner plays SSgt. William James, leader of the EOD team focused on in the movie, joined by Anthony Mackie as Sgt. Sanborn, and Brian Geraghty as Spec. Eldridge. Renner plays the role of James, who upon first impressions as equal parts cocky and ice water in the veins, which I'm sure is what make someone who does that job good at what they do. What I found striking about his portrayal was how well Renner showed the human side of a soldier, calling home to his family and also watching out for a young Iraqi youth who sells DVD's near Camp Victory. He also has great concern for his team, even if in the beginning of the film, both Sanborn and Eldridge feel that he will get them killed, going so far as discussing "accidentally" blowing him up during a disposal mission. Several better known actors make cameo appearances in the film as well, including Ralph Fiennes (who is almost unrecognizable), Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly, who plays James' wife. They appear in "blink and you'll miss it" roles, as if Bigelow is saying to Renner "I'm putting the movie on your back." Renner more than responds with an award-worthy performance, one that if he does not receive a Golden Globe and/or Oscar nomination, I will be greatly surprised and disappointed.

The only piece of Renner's performance that did not sit well with me occurred near the end of the film, after he finds a dead boy turned into a bomb (insurgents have packed his stomach with explosives, which Renner discovers and deals with in the most wrenching moment in the film). He reacts by going "cowboy," trying to avenge the boy, and continues his quest while investigating a tank bombing. If I say much more than this, I defeat the purpose of you watching the film for yourself.

As I've previously stated, I think Renner's performance should be honored during award season, but he is not the only one. Boal's script and the Bigelow's direction should be honored as well. If Bigelow were to be honored with an Oscar nod for Best Director, she would become only the fourth so honored (The other three are: Lina Wertmuller in 1976 for Seven Beauties, Jane Campion in 1993 for The Piano, and Sofia Coppola in 2003 for Lost in Translation). My reason for thinking she should be nominated is simple--she lets the movie direct itself. It's as if she went to the set and decided "I am just coming along for the ride, I'll let the film speak for itself." That is the best type of director.

Boal and Bigelow have put forth a film that I think will better help the American public understand the mindset of a soldier, and they have done so through the use of one of the more forgotten groups of them by using the EOD squad. By showing what this group deals with in the course of a day, I feel as though, while not being in their shoes daily, we can better understand the life of a a soldier by walking with them over the course of the two hours of the film.

Unfortunately, this film is cursed by the same fate some brilliant movies are left with, meaning no one ever gets to see them till they come to DVD. To be honest, I would have never heard of the film unless I had heard Boal and Bigelow interviewed on a local morning radio show. The fact that this movie is in a limited, but growing wider, release does not help. I almost missed the film, seeing it at the last show of the last night of it's run in my corner of Delaware.

Should you see it? It is the best movie I have seen in at least five years. Those of you who know the amount of movies I watch realize how strong of a statement this is. PLEASE find this movie and see it in the theaters in your area, or if you can't do that, add it to your Netflix queue immediately.

Did Devastator Really Need Testicles?: My Review of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

As we all know, Michael Bay has taken his last movie, 2007's Transformers and more or less decided "I can make it awesomer! More explosions! More robots! More Megan Fox! It will be the most awesome movie ever!" Sadly, I am pretty sure this is the way Michael Bay sounds.

So, did he make it awesomer? Yes. And. No.

What is awesome about this movie is that most of the original cast is back, Megan Fox included. An added bonus is one Isabel Lucas, the blond chasing Sam in the beginning of the film. Without completely spoiling things, I can't really say much more.

A more "bad ass" Optimus is a welcome addition. I guess the darker Dark Knight of last summer inspired the team of Orci and Krutzman (normally they write for this little show called Lost, maybe you've heard of it) to write a more Optimal Prime.

More Megan Fox, running in slow motion. Don't think of me as a pig, I'm just a guy.

All the jokes I make about Michael Bay aside, I was glad they brought him back to direct the second movie. I think when you keep using the same director over and over in a series, you make it consistent, if nothing else. The scattershot Bond offerings of the mid 80's show what kind of bad movies you can make when you keep changing directors.

What did I not like about the movie?

Can someone explain to me why Devastator need to have a pair of what looked like testicles hanging down from the robogenital region. And another thing, while he was at it, couldn't he have...

sucked up those two annoying robot twins? Really, they were a bit annoying, and didn't really add much value to the movie You know they are unpopular when the writers of the movie won't even claim them as their idea.

Also, why did Sam and Mikaela need a plucky sidekick? I think they were doing just fine on their own.

This is I think something only I would notice. Last time I checked the old Bethlehem Steel plant found along the waterfront of that Lehigh Valley city is not Shanghai. Then again, I grew up in the area, so I would notice. My little geographic criticism aside, kudos to the production team for using a vacant factory as a location for a movie. The Steel plant is also where the scene where Megatron threatens to cut Sam open to get the info he needs was filmed at the plant as well.

All in all, for it's major robotic fault, this was not a half bad movie. Take out the two stupid robots, and I actually think it was almost as good as the first.

See this movie, AND waste the $10.50, but not if you're taking a date.