It's 1:04 p.m. Sunday, November 4, 2007, which means we are only three hours away from the biggest regular season game the NFL has ever seen. I am ecstatic just to be a part of it, let alone a big fan of the favored team. My beloved Patriots are rolling over their competition, yet are also the victims of double standards the last few weeks, in an attempt by the media to create controversy and make a good guy-bad guy matchup out of this game. With all the firepower the Pats have on offense, I doubt the Indianapolis Colts will be able to stop them entirely. They won't get blown out, but I can see the Patriots winning by almost 2 touchdowns. My predicted score all week has been Patriots 44, Colts 31, so I'm going to stick with that.
I digress a little more...I was able to catch the 1 p.m. showing of Ridley Scott's American Gangster yesterday amidst the group of college students who entered the downpour-protected Regal Cinema with the same idea I had. This film had me engaged for the entirety of its 150 minute-plus running time, and it is mostly because of excellent performances by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Denzel has always had a persona all his own, and when he's on his A-game, that persona can take over an entire movie. If not for a great turn as a physically and mentally battered NYPD narc by Crowe, Denzel would make this movie all his own. His performance as Frank Lucas oozes of confidence, as well as frightfulness. The way Lucas, a real-life figure on which the film is based, did business was ingenious when compared to other illegal enterprises. The most interesting aspect of the film was the contrasts between the two main characters. Richie Roberts is played by Crowe and, although he plays an honorable police officer (so honorable that he turned in almost $1 million in unmarked bills to his department, much to the surprise of, well, everyone there), is caught up in a tumultuous relationship with his estranged wife, with whom he becomes entangled in a messy divorce case stemming from several cases of adultery and neglect from Roberts. Lucas, on the other hand, honors his heritage and his family more than anything in the world, and, despite his sketchy business practice, keeps them intact. This film is a clever cat-and-mouse game with the investigators and Lucas' drug trafficking empire, beautifully shot by Scott as usual and a good script by Steven Zaillian. I expect gold for someone in the future from this film. ****/*****That's all for today, with me watching the game at Justin's house we might be able to get some jam time in. Tomorrow, I'll talk more about some work I'm doing on collaborating with Mike T. on a guitar/piano piece. Until next time!
