JasonPafundi.com

Inception is a movie fans 'dream'

 Christopher Nolan, director of Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige and The Dark Knight, has become a must-see director, on the same level as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.  Anytime he makes a movie, you must see it, and his latest film, Inception, is no exception.

 Starring Leonardo DiCaprio (my No. 2 behind Denzel), Inception is a movie about an agency who’s job it is to infiltrate a human’s dreams for the purpose of stealing information.  

 Going in, I had the impression that the movie would be hard to follow (based on the trailers), and it was.  Anybody who sees this movies mustn’t drink anything beforehand, because if you leave to go to the bathroom, you’ll be lost when you get back.  And that isn’t a bad thing.  I want a movie that constantly keeps my attention, and this one certainly did that.

Steinbrenner an owner every fan should want

 There are people out there who'll say that New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who died this morning of a massive heart attack, was bad for baseball.  I say that he is the kind of owner every sports fan and athlete wishes to have.

 When Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973, the team was in the middle of a period of futility, but with shrewd decisions and deep pockets, the Yankees returned to glory, winning the World Series in 1977 and 1978.

 Steinbrenner's teams would win five more World Series championships and 11 American League titles in his 38 years as owner.  

 His willingness to spend whatever it took to win is a business model that helped make the Yankees the second most valuable sports franchise in the world.

LeBron takes the easy way out

  After being among the millions watching ESPN last night and their "The Decision" special (how embarrassing, I know), I have come to the conclusion that LeBron, for as talented as he is, will never be considered an all-time great.

 Sure, he may win numerous titles in Miami, but by deciding to play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and the Heat, he basically admitted that he needs help.  And he needs help in the form of one other superstar (No. 3 in the NBA behind Kobe and LBJ himself) and another all-star.  That, to me, is sad.

New York City 2010- It's a wrap

Yesterday I returned from my 10-day New York City vacation.  I’ve been to the Big Apple upwards of 35 times, but this was one of the best vacations yet.  From sports to celebrities, this trip had a little bit of everything.

I arrived in the Big Apple on Tuesday, June 22 after a 23-hour ride up the East Coast on Amtrak --note to self, never again.  My friend Stephanie, who lives in a great apartment on 53rd St. And 9th Avenue, was gracious enough to invite me to stay at her place while she was in Florida.  It worked out great.  When I got to the apartment on Tuesday, though, her cousin’s friend was apparently still there, and I was concerned because I needed to shower and sleep in a real bed.  It was taken care of and he slept on the couch that night and was gone before I woke up the following morning.

"Knight and Day" knot good

  I was looking forward to this movie due in part to some positive reviews by critics regarding the performance of Tom Cruise.  Suffice it to say, Cruise is the only good thing about this picture.

 The movie is about Cruise's Roy Miller, some kind of government secret agent -- for what agency, we don't really know -- and he is either on the run from the people he works for because they are corrupt, or he has gone rogue and he is on the run because he's being chased.  If we were ever told which one he was, I must have missed it.

"Grown Ups" is your average buddy comedy

  If you ever said to yourself "what would it be like to watch Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider and Kevin James hang out together", wonder no more.

Grown Ups is a just a movie about childhood friends hanging out as adults.  If you expect anything more than that, you'll be letdown, but if you go in expecting some funny jokes, a bunch of physical gags, and some cameos by other Sandler favorites, you'll have a great time.

 The movie's "plot" centers around the group attending the funeral of their childhood basketball coach.  It's the first time they've all been together in something like 30 years, and it's funny to watch as they all make fun of each other, just as we imagine they would in real life.

Mayer, Chappelle highlight Thursday at Comedy Cellar

When I made reservations for the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village on Thursday night, I knew the headliner was Dave Attell, star of Insomniac on Comedy Central.  What actually happened that night could not have been any better.

 As we were waiting outside the club to check in and get our number for the queue, a black Escalade pulled up and out stepped John Mayer.  I'm a big fan, so as you can see, I asked him for a picture, which he couldn't have been more friendly about, then he shooked my hand, took pictures with a few more people, and went inside this little pub above the Comedy Cellar.

 Because of a seating snafu, we were placed in the front row, steps from the stage.  The comedy host for the night, Ardie Fuqua, was hilarious in his introductory bit, and he was making fun of a number of people in the crowd.  After the first three comics, including Rich Vos from Last Comic Standing, Artie announced a special guest comic: John Mayer.

Riding the Rails

Part I
  My journey started with a bus ride from Amtrak’s station in Tampa, through a stop in Lakeland, and then we finally arrived in Orlando.  It was a madhouse because a southbound train pulled in right as we were getting off the bus, so there were people getting off the train who needed their baggage, and their were people getting off the bus who needed to get their baggage on the northbound train.  Needless to say, it was poorly organized.

Off to the Big Apple

  Today begins my official "summer vacation" as I head to New York City for what is my 40th separate trip to the capital of the world.

  Since most of you that know me know that I don't like to fly, and since it's the summer and I love trains, I'm taking a leisurely 22-hour ride on Amtrak, leaving this afternoon at around 1 pm and arriving at Penn Station in Manhattan tomorrow at around noon (pending delays).

  I have a lot planned for the time I'll be in NYC (probably around 12 days), including a Mets and a Yankees game, a Broadway show, the Late Show with David Letterman, and more.

  Check back on the site for daily reports.  Hope you enjoy what I have to say!

Kobe's great, but he's no Michael

  It's just about the time where the comparisons of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan reach an absolute fever pitch.  After all, Kobe just won his fifth NBA title last night, putting him just one behind His Airness.

  Championships 1-3 for Kobe were won thanks more to Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most dominant players in NBA history.  Michael never had a dominant center, let alone another great, top-5 player alongside him.

  Sure, Michael had Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, but having a dominant, dominant center is much different than having a Top-100 small forward.  Shaq commanded a double team, something Scottie Pippen has never seen before, allowing Kobe to get much more open looks than Michael.