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Review: Stracka.com - A Social Network for Golfers

February 28, 2008 ReviewMe, Reviews, Sports Add Comment

Stracka.com is a social network for golfers that allows golfers of any level to connect and discuss their game through the site.

Stracka.com: A Social Network for Golfers

Imagine going to your favorite golf course and having the advice of hundreds of other golfers who have played the course to help you plan your shots. That’s the idea behind Stracka.comA Social Network for Golfers.

In some ways, the site offers features similar to those on general social network sites like MySpace or Facebook. And its just as easy to use.

When you sign up, they provide you with a blog and the ability to upload photos of you in your favorite golf pants.

There are also forums on a variety of topics to discuss everything from perfecting your swing to tips on how to navigate the water hazards on a particular course.

The site not only allows you to make a profile listing to share your favorite courses and handicap, but it also provides dynamic golf course maps using Google Earth technology.

And you can take the custom course yardage maps with you by downloading them from the site. If you have a smartphone like the AT&T Tilt, that means you can download the maps to your cellphone and use them while your golfing, which will certainly change your game!

Find nearby courses on Stracka.com.

There are also thousands of user reviews for both public and private courses so golfers can find the next course they want to take on, whether it be around town or one to visit while on vacation.

With the course maps, advice from other golfers, and ability to connect with people that play the same courses you do, Stracka.com will likely provide the edge golfers need to improve their game.

Now if only someone would create a social network site for bowlers, I’d be all set. Especially since I usually end up with the same scores while playing both sports…

 

Liveblogging the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards

Its September, time for another awards show on MTV! Welcome to CityCynic.com’s Liveblogging of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards!

Britney Spears’ big COMEBACK PERFORMANCE, in five words: fat, lipsyncing, bad choreography, lackluster.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself:


Sarah Silverman, making fun of Paris and orifices, then Britney: “She has two of the cutest mistakes. They are just as cute as the hairless vagina they came out of.” Whoa, Sarah sure has a dirty mouth… and i love it, heh.

Alicia Keys: “What happens in Vegas… never happened.” Huh? Then she complimented Jennifer Hudson.

Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy at the Friends or Enemies party… cut to him talking at a party, with no audio.

Nicole (something) and Eve present Monster Single of the Year to Rihanna for Umbrella.

Rihanna looked hot in that tight pink dress. Apparently, MTV has been very supportive of her career since Day 1.

Kanye West at the Good Life party at the Palms.

Akon performs “Smack That” with a full horn section coming back from break. For some reason they bleeped out “sore” as in “smack that til you get sore” twice.

Bill Hader and Seth Rogen talk about how you (yes you!) can vote via text or Internet for Best New Artist.

“The new R&B Royalty” Robin Thicke and Jennifer Hudson present Quadruple Threat Award to Justin Timberlake.

Justin Timberlake thanks everyone at home for weatching MTV. He also challenged MTV “to play more videos!”

Cut to Fall Out Boy playing “Thanks for the Memories”. How does this group always look so together? THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, EVEN THOUGH THEY WEREN’T SO GREAT… Oh, sorry for singing along there. Awesome, they started destrouing everything, instruments, amps, and the set!

Kanye West and 50 Cent faceoff to present Earth-Shattering Collaboration in what can only be referred to as a professional wrestling staredown stunt (in this case, to sell more records). The award goes to Beyonce f/ Shakira for “Beautiful Liar”. Wow, Akon got shafted on both nominations — his collaboration with Eminem and Gwen Stefani.

Beyonce thanked Shakira, who couldn’t be there tonight, cause she’s in Canada for some reason.

Adam Levine from Maroon 5 is sitting in with the house band. Sounds pretty good with that horn section behind him.

Cut to Justin Timberlake and Timbaland a the Southern Hospitality party… complete with strippers and stripper poles. Now that’s a party. Actually, Justin is just clapping along this time and waving his hand in an R&B fashion. Oh, that was TI performing, okay.

Rosario Dawson (with long hair!) introduces Chris Brown who performs from an elaborate set as the black Charlie Chaplain in a 5 cent dance machine. Pretty creative! Derby hats all around. Finally, a performance tonight with some decent choreography. Whoa, there are lighted “table” dancing platforms among the crowd where Chris Brown and the other dancers are dancing. Cool. Now Chris Brown is jumping over audience members. Heads up!

Its not over! Rihanna appears in a derby hat of her own, in front of an checkerboard optical illusion background. You can stand under her umbrella-ella-ella-hey. Ack! Now Chris Brown is moonwalking to Michael Jackson, who, thankfully, isn’t in attendance. Back to more table dancing with little kid dancers! P. Diddy approves.

Cut to Kanye West at the Good Life party. Why does everyne have giant white-framed sunglasses at that party? All I understood in that song was “Out in stores October 2″.

Bill Hader and Seth Rogen remind people to pick their favorite loser for Best New Artist… or something like that. The joke isn’t funny anymore and you can tell from Bill Hader’s face that he would have cut the sketch if he was on SNL right now.

“The Hills” Girls present Male Artist of the Year to Justin Timberlake. VMA #2! Oh look, Justin made it from his party to come on stage. Timbaland decides to re-represent the award to Justin. Whatever Chris Brown just did reminded Justin that he’s getting older. “Damn!” And then: “MTV, play more videos! We don’t want to see more of the Simpsons reality stuff. Play more videos!”

Cut to Foo Fighters at Hotel Party #3562. Who is that singing with them? Could it be 1/2 of Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo? I think so.

50 Cent is performing at the Good Life party. Justin and Timbaland join in on the song. “She wants it, she wants it, she wants it, so I gotta give it to her…” “Your hips, your thighs, they got me hypnotized.”

Shia LaBeouf has grown a moustache and leaks the official title of the new Indiana Jones movie he will star in. It will be called Indiana Jones: And the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He adds: “This is big news, people!” Most people in the crowd don’t think Harrison Ford is still alive, much less starring in a sequel. He presents Female Artist of the Year to Fergie, but she isn’t there tonight, so he calls for Ludicrous to come up, but he doesn’t want to.

Pamela Anderson pre-empts the announcer and then poorly babbles through several sexual innuendo jokes to introduce Kanye West… from the Good Life party. If he wasn’t singing, we’d think Kanye is taking us on a tour on Cribs or something. Wow, those helicopter shots into the party at the Palms are amazing! He sings: “I’m gonna get on MTV, momma!… I ain’t never seen Snakes on a Plane…”

You know, Justin Timberlake may have a point about MTV. Each commercial break is filled with commercials for new MTV reality shows… one about beauty pageant winners living together, another one starring Internet/MySpace star Tila Tequila trying to find a date. Geez! Enough already.

Cut to Fall Out Boy with Doug E. Fresh (I think) and Tiger(?) doing a cool remix of a FOB song.

Megan Fox introduces Timbaland in the nightclub Rain, also located somewhere in the hotel. Linkin Park performs “Bleed It Out”. Nice to see a rock performance tonight.

Kevin Connelly and Adrian Bernai (who is videotaping the audience) from Entourage present Best Group to Fall Out Boy, who is presented the VMA from a giant bunny rabbit. Pete holds up a Three-Peat sign. He mentions something about tuning in tonight to see who is wearing underwear and who’s a trainwreck.

Cut to the Foo Fighters party and look, its the System of a Down lead singer singing.

Cut to Rihanna singing “Shut Up and Drive” with Fall Out Boy. Too bad the crowd is totally not into it as she’s walking through the crowd.

Bill Hader and Seth Rogen are back (sigh) with previous loser Kid Rock. How bad has it been since he lost Best New Artist? Kid Rock: “Uh, I eat sh*t for breakfast.” Gee, that is bad.

Nelly is “a gambling mind”. Did he mention “lovely and talented. Did I mention lovely and talented”? Oh, he’s introducing Alicia Keys, wearing a strange headband. Oops, got distracted by a camera shadow across the frame. Hey, there’s P. Diddy again, enjoying himself. And some random guy trying not to be obvious while putting his digital camera practically into her face. What’s that behind the curtain? Its a whole band and a baby grand! Song medley mayhem ensues. Beyonce loves it and so did I.

Cut to the Good Life party with Kanye West and Common rapping.

More with Fall Out Boy and possibly Gym Class Heroes singing “Good Time Tonight”.

Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner present together. Jamie is “off the chain” and off the teleprompter and Jennifer has no idea what’s going on, but she’s having a lot of fun. Jamie reminds Diddy to “be respectful” by not talking while he’s presenting. They present Best New Artist to Gym Class Heroes, who doesn’t say anything buy downs a whole

Cut to Justin Timberlake and Timbaland with 50 Cent singing “In the Club” and strippers dancing all around.

Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caitlin Upton, “your favorite girl from the Internet” makes a surprise presentation and makes fun of herself. The joke went a little like this: “This show only airs one time because I personally believe that Nevada Las Vegans don’t have fun because some people out there don’t have meat. And I believe they should. Over here in this South America, we should help the Iran, the Pakistan, and everywhere, SUCH AS, TheWu Tang Clan, so we can better our future, SUCH AS…” LMAO!

And we’re back with Mary J. Blige introducing “the man who has changed all the rules”, “the most incredible producer of our time”, he apparently introduced us to a whole bunch of people including “50 Cents” (who is that? MC Half-a-Dollar? LOL.) Oh, its Dr. Dre, looking kinda old. Kanye, Diddy, and the audience give him a standing ovation.

Dre presents Video of the Year to Rihanna featuring Jay-Z for “Umbrella”. Whoa, another hot, pink dress.

Diddy was supposed to be up there with Kid Rock, but apparently Tommy Lee and Kid Rock actually got into a fight. Diddy says the party “is not gonna be over until he says its over.” Ack, he’s trying to take over the VMAs again! Diddy: “Stop the Rock and Roll violence!” Okay, enough Diddy, okay?

Cut to the Foo Fighters party with someone good performing, but I don’t know who because they can’t caption on the the run tonight.

Ack! Diddy is back, this time with Nelly and Ludacris and Lil Joc to introduce Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Furtado. Oh, and we’re all invited up to Diddy’s suite on the 23rd floor after the show.

Nelly Furtado is such a dynamic artist, isn’t she? I can never peg her into any particular genre. Nelly: “Do it like you do it to me. I’m buring up…” Here comes green laser-lit Timbaland with “The Way I Are” featuring Kim Burrell. And noe we’re getting Lovestoned with Justin Timberlake! Another classic Timberlake VMA performance. Do you see this Britney? Are you watching? This is the stuff you used to do! The performance continues back to Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, and Timberlake all saying “YEAH!”

And that’s the show.

 

REVIEW: Shoot ‘Em Up

Shoot ‘Em Up

IMDB

Year: 2007

Writer: Michael Davis

Director: Michael Davis

Length: 1 hr. 20 min.

Category: Action

Media: Film

Rating from MPAA: R

ID in Amazon.com: B00005JPVN

Cast:

  • Smith: Clive Owen
  • Hertz: Paul Giamatti
  • Rating: 2 out of 5

    Give Bugs Bunny a gun, add in the perverse physics as seen in The Matrix, and smash them together with gallons and gallons of blood and special effects and you have the ingredients for Shoot ‘Em Up.

    Shoot ‘Em Up tries to be as crazy and violent as many of Quentin Tarantino’s films (see Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill), but fails miserably as it chokes on its corny dialogue and forgets its own plot.

    Sure, the film manages to maintain the gore and cartoon-like shooting/killing scenarios that the trailers promised and even works in a somewhat intricate plot along the way that involves politics, gun control, and harvesting bone marrow from babies.

    Paul Giamatti’s acting was another plus in this film. His psychotic, yet intelligent villain works perfectly amongst the obscene violence of his henchmen’s bodies falling all around him. And his handle on comedic timing really helps move the movie along.

    Clive Owen’s character on the other hand, is merely a guy with very, very good aim, who doesn’t seem to care about anything in life except getting rid of all annoyances in his way — from guys with guns shooting at babies to old guys with ponytails.

    The special effects in this film were generally impressive and original, except for the terrible CGI used on the baby — like mapping the actual baby’s face to make it look like it was in Smith’s backpack as he ran by shooting people and making the baby smile when it should have been scared to death.

    And don’t even get me started about the skydiving scene. That was flagrantly bad. Clive Owen should have taken the role of 007 when it was offered to him, where at least jumping out of a plane would have looked realistic.

    Now, this isn’t the film that people go to see for a well-crafted cinematic dose of reality. Quite the contrary, of course. Its just that Kill Bill’s character’s seemed committed to killing each other and even Bugs Bunny cartoons were funny without forced dialogue. Shoot ‘Em Up seemed to miss the best parts of what it borrowed from.

    REMEMBER: Guns don’t kill people. But they sure help. That tagline for the movie pretty much summarizes the 80 minutes of mayhem.

    Add a star if you’re brain-dead or otherwise incapacitated. Otherwise skip this one and go see 3:10 to Yuma or something.

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    Lifehouse / Goo Goo Dolls @ Jones Beach

    Lifehouse / Goo Goo Dolls @ Jones Beach

    Event type: Concert

    Date: 2007-07-21

    Rating: 3 out of 5

    Let’s just start off by acknowledging just how beautiful Jones Beach Amphitheater can be on a warm, clear summer night. We’re talking perfect weather and even a family of swans swimming up to the orchestra seats between sets. Now that’s beautiful.

    That being said, tonight’s concert felt like three separate parts that each probably would have worked well if they were part of different tours.

    Colbie Caillat opened with a brief set while most people were arriving. In the time it took to buy a an overpriced Lifehouse hoodie or a Goo Goo Dolls t-shirt with a red cross on it, she and her band were done playing. And no one really knew who she was or what she had just sung about.

    Lifehouse played a brilliant and inspiring set that really set the mood for the evening. They got the crowd involved from the beginning and played all their hit songs.

    Watching them play brought back memories of why I liked the band in the first place. They were enthusiastic and genuinely into the music they were playing, which the crowd relished. “Hanging on a Moment” was especially good.

    The Goo Goo Dolls, however, were a different story. They seemed a little disjointed and it took a while for lead singer Johnny Rzeznik to even address the audience, although when he did he brought the crowd right back into things.

    “Name,” “Slide,” and other big hits got everyone on their feet and dancing around, but pretty much everything in between provided a chance to sit down and ponder why the other songs all sounded pretty similar. Its never a good sign when during a set you have ample time to wonder what the girl in the section next to you sitting in a wheelchair with her leg in a cast did to hurt her leg, okay?

    As the momentum and excitment shifted from Lifehouse’s inspiring performance to the uneven and piecemeal Goo Goo Dolls set, I started getting a bit listless and ended up leaving before the encore, hearing “Broadway” on my way out to beat the traffic and totally missing “Iris.”

  • Newsday review by Mac Randall
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    Review: The Hitcher

    The Hitcher

    IMDB

    Year: 2007

    Length: 1:30

    Media: Film

    Rating from MPAA: R (Restricted)

    ID in Amazon.com: B00005JPKF

    Cast:

  • John Ryder: Sean Bean
  • Grace Andrews: Sophia Bush
  • Jim Halsey: Zachary Knighton
  • Lieutenant Esteridge: Neal McDonough
  • Rating: 4 out of 5

    The Hitcher was the first horror movie I went to see in theaters in close to 6 years and I wasn’t disappointed.

    Not having seen the 1986 original or it’s 2003 sequel that this is a remake of, I can’t speak to how it was different. But as a movie by itself, it managed to avoid many of the unbelievably stupid actions most characters in horror movies take that get them in trouble… or killed.

    The twists and turns kept coming in this film and the pacing seemed to keep everyone in the theater (including me) on the edge of their seats. While you obviously knew that basically every person the collegiate couple of Grace Andrews and Jim Halsey (played by Sophia Bush and Zachary Knighton) came in contact with wasn’t going to have a good day, even the way they died seemed creative and helped move the plot along.

    All of the main characters’ actions seemed fairly believable given the situation presented in the film, even if you knew the couple was making one wrong decision after another. Neal McDonough presented a no-nonsense, yet ultimately caring state trooper in Lieutenant Esteridge, who was one of the only policemen to actually do any investigating. And Sean Bean played John Ryder, the maniacal hitchhiker that was able to disguise himself as a calm, trustworthy guy, complete with a fake wedding ring to make his victims feel secure with a terrifying presence… and great aim.

    The really only flimsy character in the entire film was the gas station attendant who was presented as being so over-the-top lame, that it was immediately unrealistic. Sure, someone working in such a deserted area might come off creepy and could possibly own donkeys, but there’s no way he would have said any of the dialogue that came out of the character’s mouth. Not to mention that the filmmakers had to give him a lazy eye that was supposedly caused by him being kicked in the face by one of the aforementioned donkeys. Give us a break.

    The movie pretty much ended how you would expect a horror movie to end. And the ending was pretty satisfying, despite being over-dramatic.

    One other thing worth noting is the deliberate foreshadowing at the beginning of the film, which involved a noticeably CGI jack rabbit getting run over, a less-noticeably CGI dragonfly meeting the couple’s windshield with a splat, and a heads-up penny Zachary Knighton’s character finds on the ground. None of it was really necessary to the plot, but at least the rabbit roadkill elicited some laughter from the crowd and broke some of the tension at the beginning of the movie.

    The Hitcher could have been a little better, but definitely could have been much, much worse.

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    Review: Dashboard Confessional @ MSG

    Dashboard Confessional @ MSG

    Event type: Concert

    Date: 2006-12-08

    Rating: 3 out of 5

    What do you call a live concert event where the band plays all your favorite songs and is full of energy, but is over after an hour and 15 minutes?

    I call it 3/5 stars in this review, but I probably should just call it what it is: a rip-off.

    Sure, Dashboard Confessional was taping a for-broadcast concert event at Madison Square Garden on 12/8/06, which seemingly brought some better special effects to the show, but does that also have to mean the concert is so short that the train ride to get there was longer?

    Don’t get me wrong — Chris Carrabba and the band played an excellent set and I was really into it for every song — but what a waste of MSG for a concert.

    Maybe concerts should come with an approximate runtime from now on. Anything less could be considered false advertising.

    If you’ve ever seen, say, Dave Matthews Band, No Doubt, The Rolling Stones, or Panic! At the Disco in concert (which I have), then you know what a real concert is all about. Its about the joy of music, artists communicating with fans, and providing attendees with something more than what they can get from listening to a CD album.

    What Dashboard Confessional provided was just disrespectful to fans.

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    Review: Flags of Our Fathers

    Flags of Our Fathers

    IMDB

    Year: 2006

    Writer: Paul Haggis

    Director: Clint Eastwood

    Category: War

    Media: Film

    Rating from : R (Restricted)

    ID in Amazon.com: B00005JPB4

    Rating: 4 out of 5

    Just like with Mystic River, Clint Eastwood is at it again, directing excellent movies, both topically and visually.

    Flags of Our Fathers goes beyond a typical war movie. It is based on the real-life story of a famous photo that helped galvanize support for a war the public was growing weary of and one that made the surviving soldiers depicted in it national heroes.

    It is told in a flashback/memoir type narrative surrounding the real story behind the famous Iwo Jima photo of six soldiers raising the flag in battle. As with many historical events, what actually happened and what is portrayed as having happened are two totally different things.

    And that’s what this movie describes, complete with black-and-white grainy visual effects during the battle scenes and gruesome closeups of war casualties. It details the horrors of war that the public never sees, hidden way behind the news headlines.

    The acting in this film was excellent, especially that of Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Neal McDonough, and a convincing supporting role by Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue) as General “Howlin’ Mad” Smith.

    It was shockingly relevant to see the incidents of racism against Adam Beach’s Native American soldier character throughout the film, especially after being proclaimed one of the “Heroes of Iwo Jima.” And the agressive (and downright desparate) push behind the war bonds drive brought home the necessity of public support during a time of war.

    Clint Eastwood’s direction was ever evident, from the gritty nature of the film to certain aesthetic effects, like the bright red blood as soldiers are being killed and the haunting flashbacks to the battle. His storytelling consists of a very real-life form, which suited this war film perfectly.

    Transforming a true story into a film is a very tricky process, but Eastwood and the talent in this film make it seem easy and very believable. (Add a star if you’re a WWII buff.)

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    Rolling Stones: A Bigger Bang Tour at Giants Stadium

    Rolling Stones: A Bigger Bang Tour

    Event type: Concert

    Date: 2006-09-27

    Rating: 5 out of 5

    I went to Giants Stadium for the first time with my father to see the Rolling Stones live for the first time.

    We were both simply blown away.

    By the music, yes, but also by the showmanship, the production values, and the sheer magnitude of celebrating a band’s seemingly never-ending career with 70,000 other enthusiastic fans! Oh, and let’s not forget the fireworks and pyrotechnics.

    And the moving stage. A review can’t forget to mention the stage! Halfway through the show, stagehands pushed the drumset forward and the Stones hopped on as the entire center part of the stage proceeded 100 yards down a runway through the crowd. The moving stage was surrounded by flashing lights and everyone just started going crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it.

    Keith Richards’ two songs were very entertaining. Who knew he could sing? And he’s quite a character as well. And by that I mean he’s an actual character, like a larger than life Mickey Mouse or something. Not that Mick Jagger isn’t. Keith just doesn’t seem to have to put as much effort into it.

    My father was even dancing along throughout the concert. When he wasn’t watching through his binoculars, of course. I’ve never seen him do much more than tap his hands on his lap at a concert. After the show, he turned to me and said, “Best concert ever!”

    Even being seated in row 29 (of 31), two rows from the top of the enormous Giants Stadium couldn’t bring us down. Between the 4-foot tall viewscreen and the fireworks and flames going off a hundred feet away — this was a concert like no other. And I’ve been to hundreds of concerts. I guess decades and decades of touring allows a band and crew to perfect the concertgoing experience.

    Kanye West was an excellent opener, despite the obnoxious guy sitting behind me calling him a “scrubby rapper.” Obviously, he wasn’t able to perceive the significance of a rap artist opening for a well-known rock band, as Kanye pointed out between songs.

    He opened with a few newer songs and then worked strictly towards convincing the masses who had never heard of him that genre-hopping isn’t such a crazy thing. “Gold Digger” really got people out of their seats, especially with the background string section and singers.

    Set List:
    1. It’s Only Rock’n Roll
    2. Live With Me
    3. Monkey Man
    4. Sway
    5. Far Away Eyes
    6. Streets Of Love
    7. Just My Imagination
    8. Midnight Rambler
    9. Tumbling Dice
    — Introductions
    10. You Got The Silver (Keith)
    11. Little T&A (Keith)
    12. Under My Thumb (to B-stage)
    13. Rough Justice
    14. Start Me Up
    15. Honky Tonk Women (to main stage)
    16. Sympathy For The Devil
    17. Jumping Jack Flash
    18. Satisfaction
    19. Brown Sugar (encore)

  • Rolling Stone reviews the Rolling Stones concert
  • It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll reviews by fans
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    Review: Lady in the Water

    Lady in the Water

    IMDB

    Year: 2006

    Writer: M. Night Shyamalan

    Director: M. Night Shyamalan

    Category: Drama

    Media: Film

    Rating from MPAA: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

    ID in Amazon.com: B00005JOY4

    Rating: 3 out of 5

    Another interesting M. Night Shyamalan film. This one, like his past films, has a suspenseful build-up throughout the film with a fair share of twists and turns along the way. Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard’s acting was exceptional and greatly added to the film.

    Too bad all the carefully created build-up was for naught. The ending of the film was exactly what the film promised — too bad it just wasn’t that good.

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