Category: Personal

Just short of 50 years from now, due to the effects from a new form of narcotic taken by their mother while pregnant and some assistance from genetic engineers, a few children are born with the ability to tap into the common gestalt when so serious a tear as murder is going to occur and literally see the event in advance. Technology allows their minds to be tapped and tied into computer systems. Max von Sydow plays Burgess, the scientist who develops this combination into a new type of police force that can prevent murders from happening. The system has been under test for six years and has cleaned up all the murders in Washington, DC, and a referendum to approve national expansion is only days away.

That’s the background for Minority Report, the heavily hyped film starring Tom Cruise as the top Precrime cop and directed by Steven Spielberg. A good film though not quite up to the hype or fawning reviews. Like Blade Runner and Total Recall, this is another movie based on a Philip K. Dick short story; like those all that’s really kept is the basic premise, a slight tilt towards the dark side, and major character names.

Cruise is not bad, actually, given a much better script and character than he had last time out in Vanilla Sky. Hot new actor Colin Farrell is okay but his character is a little too obvious. von Sydow is beyond acting, he’s made so many movies over the years that he just is the character. Samantha Morton isn’t called on for more than very obvious facial emoting but does that well enough.

Spielberg puts huge visuals up on the screen, a ot of very cool stuff that appeals to the technogeek in me, but after awhile this distracts from the story and hurts the movie. Though I surely wouldn’t mind having one of the jet packs the cops fly around on. One of my companions complained mightily about the slightly grainy quality of the film, which I suppose was a choice affected by the director too.

Joshua has an interesting take on MR, Cruise, and Spielberg.

Not quite as good as, say, The Bourne Identity but worth seeing.

Artistfacts – about Bruce and Born to Run

Some strange business midway through the second half. USA has a free kick from about 30 yards and off to the right but before we can start Reyna and Neuville are pushing and jostling and Scottish referee Hugh Dallas stops play. The agitation continues, so Dallas waves Reyna over to the side of the box while he goes to consult with the sideline assistant. After much chatter, he walks back on and shows yellow to both players, the kick comes in but the Germans have had too much time to organize and catch their breath.

The cards start flying, Pope, Lewis, Mastroanni, Burhalter all getting one, and since all four had one already from the Mexico match, they would not be playing next time if we had won.

Cobi Jones and Ernie Stewart both come on as the final US substitutions for more offense while Germany uses theirs for more defense. Keeping 11 men behind the ball any time the US has posession, still we come close on a few plays. Tony Sanneh, who has had an outstanding tournament, gets his head on the ball twice, one time missing the left side of the net by inches, and those are the best scoring chances we get.

We couldn’t get on the board, Kahn with his defenders was simply too tough but Friedel was almost as good. He was supposed to share playing time with Kasey Keller but coach Bruce Arena could not ignore his fine play and so Keller, very unhappy, claiming he was lied to, never got on the field. Friedel is my Team MVP!

And so the American team goes home with heads held high. Reyna drove his mates further than ever before–I could see the respect from the Germans the entire second half and then in the aftermath, the way Rudy Voeller, a mean goalscorer himself before taking the national team reins, was making a point of talking with many American players. Next time out, when the Germans have home field advantage, we will be there and not just for respect–but with that home field advantage plus some superb young players like Klose on offense and Kehl at center defense they have to be favorites next time.

Nothing here or in the Brazil-England match, though, makes me rethink my previous call for this Finals: Germany will go through to the finals after defeating the winner of South Korea-Spain (probably South Korea on emotion and a rumored injury to Raul) but will not be able to handle the play of the Brazilians.

The US is controlling the ball pretty much the whole time so far in this half, a couple of good chances including one that was inches from the net.

Mathis, who scored twice against Germany in the March 27 game, comes on as a substitute for McBride in the 58th minute.

For 38 minutes, the Americans were giving the German players as much as they could, with five shots against one, forcing the German keeper Kahn to make three quality saves. The marking was tight but fair, no cards shown. Then, quickly, off a direct kick from Christian Ziege, Michael Ballack led a rush into the American box, got the ball on his head, and knocked it just to the right of Brad Friedel and in for the 1-0 lead. Landon Donovan, playing forward alongside McBride in an unusual for USA 3-5-2 lineup, has had the chances for us but Kahn showed hy he is the world’s best.

Okay, no overtime, but my boys have no one to blame but themselves, they choked under the pressure of the extra man. The Brazilians showed all the technical skill they are famous for, stopping passes with chest or foot precisely in place, sliding passes through slender openings, running the other team off the ball. Posession football. Now Brazil rests up to meet the winner of Senegal-Turkey in Saitama, Japan, in five days.

Three hours to wait for USA-Germany

England’s play on the offensive end, when they’ve got the ball in the 18 yard range, is just crap.

Brazil are just eating up the clock, maybe five minutes left: think the old North Carolina/Dean Smith four corners offense.

And right away again, Ashley Cole goes out for Teddy Sheringham on the next stoppage.

Here’s the next English sub: Darius Vassell in for Owen, who may be suffering from a bad groin.

You’ve seen how the English dance, right? Think mosh pit. Compare that to the grace and control of samba.

In the 70th minute, Brazil makes their first substitution, removing the offense of Ronaldo for an extra defensive midfielder, Edilson. England had subbed in Kieran Dyer for Trevor Sinclair five minutes before.

You wouldn’t think England had the extra man the way the game has gone in the last 15 minutes. They’ve pushed too many long balls too far. Their shots are going high every time. Brazil is defending the corners or England is fouling before the ball comes in to end the opportunity. Time for another sub?

The game is stopped for a minute as Rivaldo recovers from a Sol Campbell finger in the eye. Rivlado is now tied with teammate Ronaldo and German sensation Klose for the tournament lead with five goals, by the way.

And Ronaldinho will miss the next game should his team win.

How can Sven Goran Erickson just sit on the England bench, calm, elbows on knees, chin in hands?

From the 58th minute, Brazil will be playing with 10 men. Ronaldinho put an elbow across the face of Danny Mills and kicked him as well. Brazilian players are milling around, arguing and it takes the bad boy over 90 seconds to start walking off the field. Is this the break England needs? And does this mean that, if Brazil keeps the lead, that one of their top players will be disqualified for the semifinals?

Brazil jumps out 2-0 in the 50th minute with a beautiful direct free kick by Ronaldinho from about 32 yards that just lofted in over the head of Seaman, who was caught just a couple of yeards too far off his line! Is Seaman’s back still hurting from that jump in the first half?

No! Rivaldo ties the match off a Ronaldinho run well into injury time. Seaman made a valiant attempt with a dive to his right but the ball was too well placed. Chalk this against Beckham, who had pushed way into the Brazilian half and couldn’t get back to help stop the counterattack. And perhaps the other England defenders who were weary and thinking it was time for the referee’s whistle.

Interesting to me: no cards, yellow or red, in the half and although there have been a reasonable number of fouls I haven’t seen any really rough play. No one acually did anything worthy of a card.

Remember, although teams scoring first in this tournament are 33W-8T-13L, that Brazil went down early against Turkey and still ended up with the win.

English keeper David Seaman makes a great jumping save to shut down a Brazilian offesnive push but he comes down over the top of Sol Campbell and has big trouble getting up. The England trainer comes up and works his lower back before play resumes; that was probably two+ minutes of extra time right there. England is now keeping six men back as a line to make sure they go in at the half with the lead.

But two minutes later, David Beckham is on the goround, holding his right foot, perhaps stubbing his toe defending aginst Ronaldo, not too serious though he has to be carried off for treatment. Beckham is quickly back on and right away takes a hard foul but gets right up. Just to show us his foot is fine, Beckham launches two kick blasts, one blocked and one over the top.

Liverpool bad boy Michael Owen, who did so well against Germany in January, puts the Englanders on the board first with a sweet one on one off his right foot in the 23rd minute!