Digital Popcorn

Hi-diddly-oh! Stephen Haynes here, bizz-ack in the hizzy off the bizz-ye wizz-eek, to provide pre-game persiflage, in-game updates and conversation with ya’ll and stizz-uff.

Disclaimer: I wrote that sentence fully aware that Snoop Dogg pig latin got old (and silly) about a month after it became popular, which was six or seven years ago.

Anywho…

Don’t get it twisted and definitely don’t get it tangled. Don’t be fooled. They’re not that good. They’re overrated. I’m typing about the Bengals.

Those 0-5 Bengals that are -44 in point differential. They’re awful, but the fact that they played close games against the Giants and Cowboys has garnered them a modicum of respect. More respect than they – as a team, I mean, not as human beings. They’ve managed to stay off the police blotter for a while, so give ‘em props – deserve.

Because on paper (and on the field, I think), the Bengals, along with Kansas City, have the weakest roster. Sure, they’ve got a good quarterback and two elite receivers, but that’s almost negated by the fact that their offensive line is dreadful and they’ve got no running game. Know how OldSchoolFootballAnalystGuy – no need to name a name, they’re pretty homogeneous – always yaps on about how teams need to run the ball and “everything starts at the line of scrimmage”? Cincinnati is a great example of that.

The Bengals have statistically the worst offensive line in the league. They’re on pace to give up 45 sacks and their backs are averaging just 2.8 yards per carry. The league average, if you’re wondering, is 4.20. Just 7% of their runs have gone for 10 or more yards while 30% have been stuffed for a loss or no gain. Another way to put it: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has played in just one game, is their second leading rusher.

That offense, even with its weapons at wideout, is weak. It’s a 60-inch HDTV with a blown picture tube. One of those, “Yeah, but if…” situations where the “if” is kind of a big deal.

Chad Ocho Cinco (that sobriquet, by the way, stopped being funny last season) has caught just 48% of the passes thrown to him. The synergy between he and Carson Palmer hasn’t been there and that probably has more to do with the offensive line than Johnson’s attitude and hurt shoulder. While T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the short man, Palmer usually looks to Johnson in the deep and intermediate ranges, but the Bengals line hasn’t provided much time to get off those longer throws.

Cinci’s defense is bad, too. But it’s always been, so that gets lost in the shuffle. They’re not awful against the pass this year (opponents are averaging a good-but-not-great 86.0 QB rating), but part of the reason is because they haven’t been tested all the much in the air. They’ve been run on more than any team (38x per game) and are giving up 171 yards.

That teams have run it on them so many times and played conservatively is part of the reason why the Bengals have played some closer games than the score than their record and numbers and talent would indicate they should. The Cowboys, coming off that loss to the Redskins in which Marion Barber had just eight carries, made it an emphasis to run on Cincinatti. That resulted in 38 rushes and Tony Romo throwing just 23 times. And two of their other close games were against teams – the Ravens and Browns – that don’t exactly light it up.

Levi Brown, their best offensive lineman, is questionable (back), as is kicker Shayne Graham (groin). Oh, and Palmer is out. Fitzpatrick will get the start. Fitzpatrick threw three picks in his first start, the Bengals’ Week 4 loss to the Browns. He’s got a career 55.3 QB rating (five touchdowns, 11 interceptions) in seven games.

As EBola wrote, there’s no excuse.

Keys to the Game
Offense
- Come out gunslingin’. If you believe in momentum and carryover, then Brett Favre, coming off his six-6’s performance, might still be blowing the smoke off his fingers. More importantly, the Bengals secondary isn’t better – if even as good – as the Cardinals’. There probably won’t be six touchdowns, but the Jets should have success throwing. Cincinnati’s pass rush is… well, they’ve got three sacks on the year. And, except for Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph, their secondary lacks speed. And, except for Leon Hall, their secondary lacks playmakers. If the Jets are able to score early and quickly, it might demoralize the Bengals, who aren’t exactly a milk n’ cookies bunch. If the Jets get lulled into being super-conservative and wind up in a close, low-scoring game with them, that opens the door for an upset. Because having receivers like Who’sYourMama and Ocho Cinco is like a slugger with a .220 batting average. Lots of strikeouts and unproductive at-bats, but you know that at any moment, one bad pitch into his wheelhouse can change the game. One blown coverage. The Jets shouldn’t allow the Bengals to be within the equivalent of Grand-Slam range in the fourth quarter. Take chances early and let the talent disparity be the safety net. No feeling them out with jabs; come out with the uppercut.
- Take advantage of the right side of the Bengals defensive line. Teams are averaging 5.94 yards per carry going at defensive end Antwan Odom (30th in the league at the position). D’Brickashaw Ferguson should be able to win that matchup.

Defense
- Mix up coverages and confuse Fitzpatrick. The former Harvard quarterback did wonderfully on the Wonderlic (off memory, he had a 47, which tied Brian Griese for highest score, and finished the test in record time), but he’s not so good at reading defenses and making decisions in the pocket. He’ll throw some balls into areas he shouldn’t. The Jets have to take advantage.
- Focus the coverage on Houshmandzadeh. He’s been thrown to 48 times (third most in the NFL, behind Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall) and is catching 65% of those. Johnson has been thrown to 19 fewer times and has less than half as many catches. While Johnson has had difficulty getting open and/or getting passes deep, Houshmandzadeh runs a lot of underneath routes and dominates the 10- to 15-yard range. He’s often the third-down target, too. The Jets defense will have to limit him to keep the Bengals from dinking & dunking and controlling the clock.

{Courtesy bhphotovideo.com)

What’s far out is knowing that I own a terrific pair of binoculars.
I’m going to throw a link right up here for you: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/488933-USA/Nikon_7253_7x35_Action_Binocular_Black_.html .

If, say, Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton were to scorch a tightly spun vessel up into the night and down quickly into right field for his fourth home run against only 3 outs (out of 10), it’s cool to see that action through a great set of glasses like those.
Now it's 10 home runs and still just 6 outs made!
He's the outright first-round leader now!

We've decided to merge our Digital Popcorn film blog into our staff-wide Urbanite blog, under the category 'Movies'.

So farewell, loyal reader; see you over at Urbanite!

As the Tribeca Film Festival ends its run on Sunday, we present our 'ideal viewing experience' for this weekend: Ten interesting films (plus a short) that seem worth the sacrifice.

Sacrifice? What sacrifice, you ask?

Well, advance tickets are pretty much sold out at this stage of the festival. So if you wanna catch anything at Tribeca before it closes, you're going to have to stand in line for 'rush' tickets.

Tribeca holds quite a few tickets back for each film; generally, they advise if you get there early--an hour early has worked for us in the past--you should be able to get in.

Especially for films earlier in the day, and films that sound unexciting to the average viewer.

But you're no average viewer, and neither are we--so below are the films that caught our eye.

Since Urbanite is a collective entity, we may even wind up seeing all of them this weekend--look for us with our amNY.com glow-in-the-dark pens.

* See Celebrity photos here; Tribeca videos and trailers are here

* List of Tribeca Film Festival competition winners is here, with full weekend schedule here

Continue reading "10 films to see on Tribeca Film Fest's final weekend" »

In honor of the long-awaited addition to the "Indiana Jones" series (the last one — "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was released in 1989!), it's worth taking a second look at the three films that led up to this point in Indie's life.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade" are available in a convenient DVD set, and feature all kinds of extras and fun tidbits. (Yes, I totally watched all three over the past two weeks.)

Fun trivia:
* Director Steven Spielberg, for example, added a gazillion more snakes than he originally planned to (and a bunch of hoses) in the Well of Souls scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

* In the same scene, Harrison Ford actually had a sheet of Plexiglass separating him from that nasty cobra that hissed in his face.

* Tom Selleck was originally offered the role of Indiana Jones, but turned it down to do "Magnum, P.I."

* "Temple of Doom" was Kate Capshaw's second film.

Production is keeping mum on details about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and the trailer (above) doesn't disclose much, either. But if it's any indication, the new film possesses the usual Indiana Jones elements: action, adventure and, well, cheesiness.

— Korin

'Baghdad High' is one of those films you know will be good as soon as you hear the concept: Two journalists gave four Baghdad teens video cameras to capture their senior year of high school.

But like most of the packed house Tuesday night at the Tribeca Film Festival, I had no idea the finished documentary--gleaned from more than 300 hours of footage--would be great.

After the film, the Q&A (everybody stayed), and four rounds of applause, I felt like calling and emailing and texting everyone in my life, telling them to Go See This Film! (Or, Wait For it To Air on HBO Later This Year!)

Hayder, Anmar, Ali, Mohammad... if fame were based on merit, these four extraordinary teens would become as well-known as Brandon, Dylan, Kelly and Donna.

They catch themselves and each other, up close and personal, rapping (badly) to Tupac, singing (hilariously) to Britney, stressing about exams, playing soccer, celebrating holidays.

Plus the mandatory teen preening and male bravado (Anmar at one point flexes for the camera, and with a grin says, "Look at my body--extraordinary, the champion.") Mixed with telling displays of how much they care for each other (like a shot of them all lying in the warm sun, piled on top of each other).

But there's also gunfire, driving through checkpoints, a bombing, electricity rationing, hiding in the dark, worries for a girlfriend, relatives forced to move in because of safety concerns.... They "feel like you're in prison," Hayder says at his lowest point.

Continue reading "'Baghdad High' breakout hit of Tribeca Film Festival" »

New Yorkers are standing in long lines--or playing the 'don't you know who I am?!' card--as the Tribeca Film Festival gets underway with its usual mix of dazzling small films and interesting major productions.

And the normal geographic confusion--this year it seems most of the 120 feature films from 31 different countries are actually screening in the East Village.

* See an interview with Bart Got a Room director Brian Hecker (and yes, see William Macy's Jewfro)

* Click here for fellow film fanatic Emily Ngo's interview with acclaimed director Robert Drew about his recut documentary, 'A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy'--and the comparisons with Barack Obama.

* Click here for trailers for many of the films.

And my early favorites thru Tribeca's first weekend--from Muslim women playing soccer to fighting with chicken, crab and halibut--are after the jump.

Continue reading "Tribeca Film Festival: Must-see movies" »

Jonah Hill and Jason Segel in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was supposed to be too crude to love, but it defied expectations. I hate the other stuff from Judd Apatow's clique ("40-year old Virgin," "Knocked Up"), but I loved this.

Yes, there is raunchiness. Nude scenes. Plenty of dry humping. And cursing galore. But there is unexpected depth to the characters and the plot. Even the bitchy Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell, turns out to be someone you can sympathize with. The British comic who plays Sarah's new boyfriend, Aldous Snow, is Russell Brand. He's an absolute scene stealer with deadpan lines like, "Well, I wanted to listen to your CD, but then I decided to just go on living my life."

The movie audience couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't blame them.
— Emily

James McAvoy = hot

As if there weren't enough reasons to be totally hot for James McAvoy (he charmed as a fawn in "Narnia," he showed his uber-romantic side in "Atonement," he was simply amazing in "King of Scotland").

McAvoy plays an assassin alongside Angelina Jolie in action thriller "Wanted," set to hit theaters this June. He worked out for the role. Clearly. And we thank him for it. The plot reminds me a bit of the first "Matrix." Also, the chemistry between he and Jolie is ripe, judging by the trailer.

Someone tell me how McAvoy can play every archetype of man possible.
— Emily

Get a better feel for what films you want to see and check out around 50 trailers from the Tribeca Film Festival, which starts a week from today on April 23.

Click here to see the trailers.

You can get tickets here on their website.

Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images

(Left to right: Matthew McConaughey at the UK premiere of "Fool's Gold"; George Hamilton)

Note to Matthew: When you're more tan than George Hamilton, there's a problem.

— Korin

Claire Forlani, arguably best known for her role as the devil's love interest in 1998's "Meet Joe Black," hit the red carpet today for the UK premiere of "Flashbacks of a Fool."

According to IMDB.com, Claire's been keeping herself busy with a slew of forgettable movies (some made for TV!) and a role on "CSI:NY." Who knew?

— Korin

The man knows how to leverage his assets!

Danny DeVito, who appeared to be drunk on "The View" two years ago after a limoncello bender, plugs Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello liqueur in Las Vegas yesterday.

— Korin

Sturgess takes Vegas for millions in "21."

A recent Newsweek article has presented a fair question in regard to the gambling hit "21," in which an MIT big shot finances his education by counting cards/cheating at the blackjack table.

But why, why, oh why, would casinos be rushing to embrace and host the premiere of a movie that portrays them getting scammed?

"This movie is great for Vegas. It perpetuates the myth that blackjack is beatable," an MIT dude told Newsweek. Counting cards to up your gambling chances is much harder than actor Jim Sturgess makes it look, apparently.

— Emily

The "Tropic Thunder" trailer has arrived! And it looks funny as heck.

The Ben Stiller-starring flick follows a group of actors who are dropped in a jungle to film a war movie. Through a series of unfortunate events, they find themselves in danger, but think it's all part of the plot. Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. also star in the film.

The movie's scheduled for an August release.

— Korin

"Valkyrie," Tom Cruise's pet project about a German assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler, has had its release date pushed back yet again.

For the record, this is the third date that has been listed for the drama's theatrical release. The movie has been plagued with rumors about the need for reshoots to fix Cruise's (allegedly) poor acting skills.

Originally, the film was scheduled to hit theaters this Fourth of July weekend. Odds are, studio heads figured there's not a huge demand for a Hitler assassination story in the midst of all the summer blockbusters, because they pushed the flick back to Oct. 3. The studio's official reason for the move? A big aerial scene still needed to be shot.

Now, ladies and gents, the movie will be released on Feb. 19, 2009! For real! Mark those calendars! Just do it in pencil. Cause, you know, it could change again.

Check out the movie's trailer, above. And, um, don't pay attention to the "Summer 2008" ending note.

— Korin

(Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson)

Holy tennis fan!

Owen Wilson turned up yet again at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fl., Sunday to watch a men's singles match. The actor and buddy Woody Harrelson also took in a game the day before.

Wilson, who's filming the dog-centric flick "Marley and Me" with Jennifer Aniston in the Sunshine State, has been a regular fixture at the tournament.

Sounds like his shooting schedule is really, uh, ruff.

— Korin

Heads up, ladies: Brad Pitt will appear on Wednesday's "Idol Gives Back."

And, yes, audience members nearly went into cardiac arrest over the Sexiest Man Alive when the show was taped on Sunday.

Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey and other also take part in the show, but, really — does anyone care when Brad Pitt's around?

— Korin

The world lost a great actor on Saturday.

Charlton Heston’s inimitable voice, manner and epic acting talents are on my mind as I think about his passing at age 83.

In his best roles, as Moses in “The Ten Commandments” or George Taylor in “Planet of the Apes,” he was a commanding and menacing alpha male, barking orders through clenched teeth, with a gleam in his eye. Even in terrible 1970s disaster movies, he was a reliably entertaining movie star.

Maybe his politics deviated wildly from my own. But that would never color my appreciation of his movies.

My cousin and I always loved to do impressions of Heston intoning memorable lines from “Commandments” such as, “Blood makes for poor mortar,” or, “The city is made of bricks. The strong make many, the starving make few, the dead make none. So much for accusations.”

We’ll miss you, Charlton.
— Max

Just one more reason for movie studios to put together a phenomenal ad campaign: The Golden Trailer Awards.

Huh?

Often pushed to the bottom of the awards season barrel, the Golden Trailers celebrate the film industry's best, um, trailers. Categories include Best Action, Best Documentary, Best Drama and Best Horror, among others. ("300," last year's Best Action winner is above.)

Get ready! The ninth annual ceremony will take place on May 8 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. Odds are, if you want to go, no one's going to care enough to stop you.

Check out last season's winners here.

— Korin