Movie Review: "Law Abiding Citizen"

Our daughter Danielle came to us over the weekend asking us, pleading actually, to watch the movie "Law Abiding Citizen."  She actually saw this movie in school, otherwise I am not sure she would have know about it.  Either way, she had been talking about it for some time; with it coming to a head this past weekend.  With the rainy nature of our weekend, watching a movie together as a family on a Sunday, was a great suggestion.

With the three of us (Lauren was not interested) comfortably arranged in the living room, we pressed play.  One thing to note before we began the movie:  Danielle was truly excited we were watching a movie that she suggested; not only because it was her choice, but mainly because it was a type of movie she may not have wanted to watch to begin with.

Very simply the movie is about a man and his attempt to speak out about the warped approach the people in our  justice system seek to "justice" or to "do their job."  The main character, Clyde Shelton's home is entered by two men who stab and beat him, and kill his wife and child.  Actually his wife is raped in front of his eyes; he is unable to help her out.

When it is time to administer justice, the prosecuting attorney seeks to  make sure the two people who have been apprehended serve some type of justice.  But Mr. Shelton is disappointed and actually disgusted when he is asked to accept a pre-trial deal to ensure the criminals face some type of justice. So Mr. Shelton deliberately plans our his response to this injustice system.  And not only is it his actions, but also his deeds that captivate you.  I found myself asking, "what is his goal?" and "what will he be doing next?" throughout the movie.  I could not see his end goal.

When I watch movies, I try not to predict all of the events coming up; my goal is to enjoy it and allow things to unfold.  So as the ending came, I was totally surprised.  It had to end the way it did.

Anyway, it is a movie I would watch again and would recommend--only to those who can stand some gore and violence.  Thanks Danielle for a good suggestion.

My Summer of Baseball Begins--and this is how we stand

As I start my summer vacation for 2012, here are the baseball standings as of the morning of June 6^th.  

Beginning in the NL East, the Phillies trail the Washington Nationals by 5 games with a 28-29 record.  The NL East has been a close contest this year, with all five teams residing above .500 for a stretch of time. 

AL EAST:  Tampa and Baltimore are tied at 31-24; Yankees ½ game back

AL Central:  Chicago White Sox are ½ games in front of Cleveland

AL West:  Texas has a 4.5 game lead over LA Angels

NL Central:  Cincinnati has a 2 game lead over Pittsburgh

NL West:  Dodgers have a 4 game lead over Giants. 

As we analyze the season so far, we can feel a sense of dread coming over the current Phillies team because of the injuries.  But if we can say that this team is only 5 games out of first place while missing Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. While having Cliff Lee not register a win as we enter June.  While Joe Blanton has suffered through few so-so starts. With not having the bullpen players pitch like they have in the past.  This team is right there.   

Game # 1 2012--Halladay Pitches, Phillies Win

The Philadelphia Phillies began the season the way they ended last season: participating in a 1-0 game with Roy Halladay on the mound. But there are differences between the games:
a.) This time they were on the right side of the win column
b.) They played the Pittsburgh Pirates
c.) This game did not determine if they would advance to the next round of playoffs.
d.) Ryan Howard did not end up hurt on the field.

What this game did do is let us know a few things (ok some we knew): Carlos Ruiz is a quiet star of this team. Halladay can rebound from a two hit first inning and shut a major league team down. Jonathon Papelbon can close out a game. The Phillies have a very good defense. This was proven on two very good plays: One by Jimmy Rollins to turn a 6-4-3 double play in the first inning on Andrew McCutcheon and Placido Polanco's play on McCutcheon to end game, with a nice stretch by Ty Wigginton.

As we knew going in with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley out, the Phillies will need to scrape runs together. And this is what they did. Ty Wigginton got the only offense the Phillies would need when he singled in the 7th. John Mayberry then got an opposite field double, which allowed Wigginton to get to second. Carlos Ruiz hit a ball to right field, about medium depth, and Wigginton came across to score after the throw from Jose Tabata, went a little high and to the right of Pirates catcher Rod Barajas.

One other thing I learned: Erik Bedard is a good pitcher. He and Halladay came ready to pitch and the results were very similar for much of the game. While Halladay did not allow any more hits following the two in the first inning, Bedard kept the Phillies bats silent with a great curve ball that had a wicked break.

Game one is in the books, the Phillies are in first place. Personally, I was able to watch the entire game..but delayed. Nonetheless I enjoyed the time just watching two pitchers perform their craft extremely well.

Game two is on Saturday, after the Friday day off. cliff Lee will pitch his first game of the season.

With the offensive challenges the Phillies face, he will need to come as close as possible to replicating the method employed by Halladay if the Phils are going to win.