Victory Lane's Long Lost Surname...

According to Stats LLC, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went 55,446 miles before winning Sunday's Michigan race. That mileage is more than 2 laps around our planet's equator. I didn't know when his drought was going to end, and didn't think he'd have two victories at a track that usually isn't his finest (he currently averages a 15.2 at the 2-mile oval) but he's been better since 2006 with only two finishes outside the top 20. (From 2001-2005, he averaged 21st compared to the 2006-2012 span, where he averages a 10th place.) His winless drought spanned for 143-races and four agonizing years, which is very hard to do in any profession. Initially, his car was very loose (over steering) and due to a left side tire adjustment prior to the race, the 88 crew was in a bind early on in the running. From that point on and restarting as far as 37th, the 88 was passing cars at will and any ill-effects from earlier quibbles were non-existent. His car was among the fastest for the race and was flawless in the closing stages of the rain-delayed event on that Sunday. He didn’t luck into this victory like he did in 2008, where he benefitted from a timely caution when he crossed the white flag with a crash on the front stretch. I thought this drought would've persisted long after Michigan and maybe he’d be good enough for a great finish, but not a victory. This is shaping up to being a great season, thus far for Dale and I’m overjoyed with this victory for a variety of reasons. Suffering through losses at Charlotte, Martinsville, Daytona and Pocono come to mind, recently, where he's in contention, albeit (and unnecessarily) no cigar. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has perhaps shocked himself that he has a top-10 average finish (7.4, at the moment heading to Sonoma, California), this season. The guy that I was accustomed to seeing win races at DEI (formerly Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, now Earnhardt-Ganassi) was in full form. As for the rest of this season, I don't know if I want to put him in the discussion of championship contender and if he can beat the best in NASCAR; but, this win shocked me as I'm sure it did for all Junior fans. With 20 races remaining in the season, more is certain to come and it’ll be interesting to see if Dale can back up this result for the remainder of the season with more wins, perhaps. I have my trepidations for the remainder, but racing is at least enjoyable again with an Earnhardt winning again....just don't take another 4 years, please.

Shame (Movie Review)

I can say flatly that Michael Fassbender gives a brave, honest portrayal in this dark, brutal, engaging film. In the movie "Shame", Mike portrays Brandon Sullivan, a sexually, hyperactive person who struggles with these urges of images of women. Deep down inside, he's a very insecure man that can't combat his increasingly difficult problem. He can't avoid his persistent problem at work, as tech personnel find gigabytes of smut on his hard drive, daily; though, the blame is put on his intern rather than himself. His workplace is hardly explained throughout the film and we never know what he does at his job. Also, for such an attractive guy, he has rarely given relationships a chance, due to his high dependency of "getting off"; so, when he goes on his date with one of his co-workers, his confidence is shaken and isn't into committment, which leaves his date to question his ideology of relationships as he's geniuely passive. His way of feeling better besides pornography is call girls to help him cope. The movie does a great job examining one man's struggle with his sexual prowess and those deep flaws he doesn't share with others. He eats, sleeps, and sees sex, in any cycle. He doesn't talk to his also troubled sister, played by Carey Mulligan and within that poisonous circle lies a deepening struggle between the two; especially, when it comes to Brandon's boss (James Badge Dale) that essentially destroys the modicum of whatever good there was from an otherwise tainted relationship. She tries to reconnect by calling him repeatedly, only for his estrained brother to never answer the phone. Brandon isn't comfortable with his sister because he claims that she's not dependable as well as being his "burden" throughout his life. However, the film doesn't discuss their childhood the viewer and it leaves that element vague with viewers; and, also a missed opportunity, too. Concerning Carey's role as Brandon's sister Sissy, I wish more of her story could've been further deconstructed since, she herself self-mutilated herself and has bad boyfriend issues, which we never see as an audience, only her deep longing for someone to have a mate. She sings as a job, but like Brandon, the problems are too much. The direction by Steve McQueen is superb and uses it to focus squarely on Fassbender's character. The one scene I enjoyed was him running on the sidewalks of New York to get away from his twitchy boss and his needy sister. It's in that very scene, he doesn't seem cluttered with his growing frustration, he can focus without ogling at women on the web; and, for once, we don't see him with his omnipresent scarf that he wears religiously. Plus, he doesn't have to hear his boss and sister fooling around. When it comes down to it, "Shame" is a character study of one person descent towards a dark place of porn and uncommitted to a fair relationship with women. The film is unafraid of being graphic; since, the film is rated NC-17; and, is filled with strong performances. It's worth a look, if you have an open mind and aren't grossed out by the film's salacious content. The film can be tedious because a lot of the film is subtle, despite its unhinged nature and, aside from being bare (excuse the pun), it can all get to be a bit repetitive with the main character routinely repeating the same things every day. It does tend to go on and on, occasionally. That aside, this is definitely worth a look, if you're into a film that isn't afraid to be what it is. I mean, the film is called "Shame", for Pete's sake.

A Movie Within a Game (The "Metal Gear Solid 2" Retrospective)

     Hideo Kojima is a brave individual for exchanging series star Solid Snake (voiced by David Hayter) for neophyte Raiden. A risk so stunning, that it created a rift among the most devoted MGS fans, as a beloved favorite was placed in, essentially, a co-starring role. While Raiden demonstrates moments of petulance, I really don't have much ill-will towards him, only to say, his backstory is very melodramatic, and, at times, overwrought. I could deal with his VR training and his cursed childhood, but; it's the bouts of dialogue he and Rosemary (Raiden's girlfriend voiced by Lara Cody) exchanged that lack flair. It didn't hurt my overall impression of the already complicated story, but, it was forced in moments. He and Snake are negligible as far as controllability goes, only their animations are different. Snake runs like a football player, while his predecessor looks like a pouty ballet performer who lost a competition.

     The talented cast of voice-overs also helped the narrative, tremendously; because, even if the player had a difficult time understanding the history of the "La-Le-Lu-Le-Lo" or "The Wisemen's Committee" they kept things moving along without overcooked their lines. My favorite moment involves Revolver Ocelot (Patric Zimmerman) confronting Col. Sergei  Gurlukovich (Earl Boen) and Commander Jackson (Kevin M. Richardson) inside the hold of the tanker. It wasn't just the stirring music by Harry Gregson-Williams that moved that particular scene, but the camera work by Kojima to illustrate the parameters of the sequence. The lighting, the textures, the stakes of the entire scene set in that one place, which is punctuated with the destruction of the entire tanker, thanks, in part, to Ocelot successfully stealing (or, in his words, "taking back") Metal Gear Ray.

     There were many other scenes in the game that stood out and were epic in scale, like, the moment when Snake, Fortune, Solidus (MGS2's main antagonist and brother of Solid and Liquid Snake) and Raiden (the son of Solidus) finally learn of the purpose of The Big Shell, as told by Ocelot revealed to be the brains behind this “simulation.” The entire idea was to produce a re-orchestration of the Shadow Moses, that Solid Snake took on four years preventing a nuclear strike & destroying Metal Gear Rex in the process.The same goes for the virus that killed Liquid Snake in MGS1, FOXDIE, a retrovirus programmed to kill specific people via DNA, was used as a computer virus to mimic the program. This was also in turn Raiden's first official mission sanctioned under a fictional group disguised as FOXHOUND; the same group Snake took down in MGS1. Where does Raiden fit into this? The idea was to create a soldier that was the equivalent of Snake or to create the perfect simulation, like Shadow Moses. The exposition that I’m describing here doesn't do the game justice, because, it’s all so vastly complex.

     For its time, the game-play was astonishing. Stealth mechanics were improved and so was the AI in the game, too. For example, if you left a trail of footprints or blood, they would follow it to wherever it leads them; solo or back-up personnel. They're also equipped with walkie-talkies to notify guards if an area is clear or if an intruder has appeared. Finding a hiding place became more crucial than before and if you didn't, the game will be over, if you aren't careful. Aiming became more improved with the incorporation of targeting in first-person and the controls were even better than they were in the first game; sure, you had to use a couple of buttons to do certain things, though, it was nearly flawless, just like everything else with the entire production.

     The gameplay just makes it easy to forget that there was such narrative and composition to follow, because when you actually had the opportunity to play it. While long-time Kojima fans were upset for some differing views of where the franchise was heading back in 2001, they missed out on one of the best gaming experiences during the era of the Playstation 2.