Trot's Day Off: Silver Linings Playbook Review

The man is wearing a gray sweatsuit – the hoodie covered by a large black trash bag – while he runs. A young woman in a track suit appears, and tries to catch up to him. The man speeds up to avoid her. She catches up to him for an argument.

The man claims this is his jogging route, while the woman claims it's her neighborhood. The man runs off.

He runs, looks back, seeming to have lost her. “Damn,” he exasperates, slowing down. The woman then pulls back onto the road, running after him.

“Hey!” she says as she pulls up right behind him.

The man looks back, noticing her. “WHAT THE FUCK?!” he yells. “I'm married!”

Pat (Bradley Cooper) was released from a mental hospital not long before the jogging incident with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). 2012's Silver Linings Playbook follows Pat's re-immersion into society after he was placed in a Baltimore mental institution after brutally assaulting his now-estranged wife's paramour.

Silver Linings Playbook is a highly metaphorical film about a former mental patient that doesn't prove the protagonists mental problems. Cooper and Lawrence's portrayals of people with major issues are powerful – although not indicative of their insanity.

Pat spends the film trying to fulfill the concepts of “excelsior” and finding silver linings in everything. “If you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining,” he says. He really believes in the idea, the same way his father (Robert DeNiro) really believes in the luck of a handkerchief to win his weekly bets on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pat spends a good portion of the film literally and figuratively running away from his problems. When Tiffany catches up to him, he begins dancing with her, metaphorically and otherwise. After it becomes clear (to the audience) that his life before the mental institution is not coming back, dancing becomes a metaphor for how he is trying to manage his new life. In finding Tiffany, Pat's journey to find silver linings is reached.

The reason given for Pat's admittance to the mental hospital was that he was bipolar, and had anger problems, evidenced by the beating he put on his wife's lover. The film shows two examples meant to further prove his disorder; when “Ma Cherie Amour,” – the song that was playing when he found his wife cheating – is played at his therapists office, causing him to mess up a magazine rack; and when some ignorant fans abuse his Indian therapist at an Eagles game, Pat comes to his rescue. While Pat does react angrily, these events don't prove any bipolar behavior; anyone is these situations would respond the same way.

After a dancing competition (which Tiffany got Pat to participate in through the promise of helping him) Tiffany runs away. When Pat catches up to her, that is when everything comes together, and their love is realized. These two people overcome major life problems, although neither of them is crazy, as the film attempts to portray.  

Syracuse Orange v. UConn Huskies

This is for Gwen.

Last Wednesday, February 13, the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team traveled to Hartford to take on the Connecticut Huskies, in a should-win Big East match up. The game was to be the last the Orange would have against rival UConn as Big East opponents. With the Huskies in a transitional year, and the Orange poised for another big run in the NCAA tournament, plus the enormous size advantage Syracuse had, this should have been an easy win for the Orange. Not so much.

After going back and forth for much of the first half, the Huskies pulled away in the last minute of the first half, leaving the court with a five point lead. In the second half, the teams remained close, but Syracuse only had a lead twice. With just over 10 minutes left, it was all Huskies, who dominated down the stretch, even extending their lead to double digits a few times.

Syracuse did not play well. Their size should have given them an obvious advantage rebounding-wise, which the team has done admirably in throughout the season, but it was UConn who ended up out-rebounding the 'Cuse, 38-26. Syracuse got only 3-for-15 shooting from de facto captain Brandon Triche, and just six points from freshman starter Jerami Grant. However, it was not entirely Syracuse's fault that they lost. The Huskies' three-guard system did what it does best: destroy Jim Boeheim's famous 2-3 zone.

Omar Calhoun, Ryan Boatright and Shabazz Napier - the three guards- paced the Huskies with double digit points, each. Boatright led all scorers with 17, and added four assists and three steals. Napier scored 10 and added 7 assists, out-assisting the nation's leading set-up man (Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams) by SIX. Calhoun, a freshman, scored 15 points.

UConn's three guards were able to effectively penetrate the zone, and Syracuse's less-than-great performance led to the Orange's third loss in the Big East, and fourth loss on the season. Syracuse followed up the debilitating loss with a domination of Seton Hall on Saturday, winning 76-65.

The Orange take on Providence on Wednesday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

Trot's Day Off: Argo Review

In the past five years, Ben Affleck has gone from an acting afterthought to a bona fide directorial stud. His talent has grown with each film he has directed, and each film he's made has brought him more acclaim and respect. That trend continues with 2012's Argo, his best film so far.

Argo is a perfect blend of good writing, good directing, and superb acting. Chris Terrio's adapted screenplay blends humor into the serious nature of the story of an undercover rescue of six Americans, while Affleck plays the two-talent card, starring in his own film.

Argo forced Affleck out of his comfort zone—the Boston-area—where his first two films, Gone Baby Gone and The Town were set. Affleck thrived in roles set in his hometown (starting with Good Will Hunting), making it his go-to setting for his directorial efforts. Now, having matured as a director, Affleck has proven himself with a setting about as far away from Boston as one can get: Iran.

The direction of the film was well done: there were no unnecessary scenes, characters, or motives involved. A simple, to-the-bone approach to the story made every scene feel like real life, as if this film was the behind-the-scenes look into CIA operative Tony Mendez's caper into Ayatollah-controlled Iran, edited into a feature film, released 33 years after the event.

Terrio's writing created fluid conversations, making characters who seemed more like real people—with emotions and morals—than the haughty bureaucrats people expect government officials to be. The refrained salutation of “Argo fuck yourself” is perhaps the (movie) quote of the year. The precise, never-say-more-than-needed approach led to clean dialogue, with no fluff.

Much like fellow Best Picture nominee Django Unchained, Argo's acting presents an interesting dynamic; while the lead actor was very good, the supporting characters were better, overshadowing the lead's performance. Affleck's portrayal of Mendez was nothing short of heroic, and a form of heroism Affleck has not had opportunity to show in his previous films. John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, and Alan Arkin (my god, Alan Arkin) gave beyond-superb performances, leaving audiences with sincere appreciation for a Hollywood make-up artist, a CIA boss and a movie producer, three occupations that don’t always garner praise and admiration. Arkin deserves his second Best Supporting Actor award for his phenomenal portrayal of producer Lester Siegel at this month's Academy Awards. The six diplomats Mendez is sent in to rescue were splendidly morose and anxious throughout the film, epitomized by Clea Duvall and Rory Cochrane.

There is nothing to complain about with Argo; it's paced well, isn't too long, and even ends on a touching note—the reunion of Mendez with his estranged wife and child. Simply put, Argo was a fantastic film in all aspects, and is well-deserving of its Best Picture nomination.  

MISL: Syracuse Silver Knights vs. Baltimore Blast

I haven't been to a soccer match in quite a few years, and I had never attended an indoor soccer match - never mind a professional indoor soccer match - until February 1, 2013, when I saw the Syracuse Silver Knights take on the Baltimore Blast in Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) action.

I had no idea what to expect, other than knowing the basics: This would be soccer with walls and nets instead of sidelines, turf instead of grass, the field would be smaller, and the game would be much faster paced than regular soccer.

I was pleasantly surprised to attend what turned out to be the most fun I have had at a sporting event in recent memory. It was an odd atmosphere that included pop music blasting while the ball was in play and a constant flow of players onto and off of the pitch. Much like the hockey rink they played on top, players jumped over the walls of the benches to make their substitutions. Also like hockey, the penalties were not yellow or red cards, but minor and major penalties, which put the team down a player. Also unlike most soccer games, this was played in quarters and not halves.

The weirdest part of all of this was how it was scored; you score a goal: 2 points. It was unclear as to why they would make a goal worth 2, but that's the way it was.

The weirdness of the game setup eventually got pushed to the back of my mind once I got into the game. It was fast paced and the scoring opportunities were incredibly exciting and almost as regularly occurring as the substitutions. Kicking a soccer ball as hard as you can, and it bouncing off a plexiglas turned out to make for pretty exciting sporting entertainment. Bicycle kicks and headers were the norm in this coked-up version of the soccer I played as a kid.

Now, for the game itself: After coming off to an early 2-0 (1-0) lead, the Syracuse Silver Knights let in four unanswered goals to go down 8-2 in the first half. In the second half, the Knights came out hard, pushing the exhilarating pace up even further. Down 8-4 after three quarters, 18-year-old Antonio Manfut scored a beautiful goal to put the Knights down by just a goal. Kenardo Forbes, of Jamaica, followed it up two minutes later with the game-tier.

Regulation would end with the scores tied up, sending the game to sudden-death overtime. The Knights controlled almost all of overtime, with dozens of scoring chances and shots on goal, but it was a well-aimed shot from the "corner" by the Blast's Adauto Neto that decided it.

I knew next to nothing about the sport, the league, or the teams going into tonight's game, but I enjoyed the experience. I recommend anyone given a chance to see a MISL game to go; it's a lot of fun to watch, and easy to get in to.