TalkingFilmTalkingSports

The purpose of this blog is to discuss and analyze some of my favourite films and the latest NBA/NFL news. I’m not here to critique from my couch, shout hot takes back and forth with no substance, or have meaningless debates on ‘Legacy’ and ‘GOAT talks’ based on arbitrary reasoning. Instead, I’m here to discuss, admire, ask questions, gain new perspectives, and meet others who enjoy doing the same.

My Journey into film and sports:

I’ve been watching NBA basketball since the 2014-15 season during the rise of the Warriors dynasty. During my 11 seasons as a viewer, there have been countless moments where I wish I had a platform to discuss my thoughts (the Cavaliers finals comeback, Durant to the Warriors, Kawhi’s game 7 shot, the recent Luka to the Lakers outta nowhere trade, and my personal favourite, Durant goes superhuman versus the Bucks in game 5 and 7). Yes, I am a Brooklyn Nets fan. I have no prior affiliation to the team or the borough of Brooklyn, or even to the state of New York/New Jersey, but watching a young D’Angelo Russell in the 2018-19 season Shammgod his way to a mid-range jumpshot or run the high pick and roll with Jarrett Allen was spectacular. It was like the first time I watched a David Fincher film. I kept asking myself questions like “Wait people can do this?” and “This is way more entertaining than what everyone else is doing, why not just all do this!?” That scrappy underdog Nets team that led a 28-point comeback against the Kings in Sacramento and fought like mad against the villainous Embiid/Simmons/Butler/Harris 76ers in the first round of the playoffs made me go from liking basketball to loving it.

Most toddlers like to spend their time crawling where they shouldn’t and gnawing their gums on letter blocks, but when I was a toddler I was quite content doing nothing but watching Toy Story 1 and 2 on repeat. All day, every day. That started a decade-long love affair with films that eventually tapered off in the early 2010s. In my teens, I seldom spent time watching films and going to the movie theatre as I was swept up, along with most of the Western world, in the peak of American television programming. Whether it was because I was watching new dramas like The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, or Supernatural or rewatching my favourite sitcoms like The Office, Modern Family, or How I Met Your Mother, I just never found the time to get into movies. That all changed however, in college, when on my 21st birthday I poured myself an old-fashioned (perhaps fancying myself as the newest Rat Pack member) and sat back with my family to watch Milos Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I was instantly hooked by not only the 1970s New Hollywood era but also by the most captivating man in the history of film, Mr. Jack Nicholson. In the few years since then, I’ve seen just one show, True Detective season 1, (along with every Seinfeld episode about a dozen times), and over 300 films – a complete 180 of my old TV/movie viewing habits. Some of the films I’ll discuss will be highly regarded and critically acclaimed (The Silence of the Lambs, The Godfather, Chinatown), some will be disliked by lots but adored by me (American Pie, Road Trip, Monster House), and others will be disliked by me but adored by lots(Knives Out, Halloween, The Big Lebowski – or as I like to call it, The Big Leblowski).

I am not Roger Ebert, nor am I Francis Ford Coppola, Zach Lowe, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I didn’t go to film school or play college basketball. I am just a mere everyday consumer of the greatest art form and the greatest sports leagues in the world. Therefore my opinions should not be held in high regard – or really in any regard. I just love to discuss film and hoops with anyone who’ll listen. As I said earlier, I’m not here to tear down artists and athletes, but rather to talk about them in a lighthearted manner, ask thought provoking questions, and hopefully grow a community that enjoys doing the same.