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Oh Yeah!

Tim Tebow's Legacy

At 1-4 the Denver Broncos were all but finished in the AFC West last season. Kyle Orton looked equally as clueless as every member of the Broncos coaching staff. The fans became restless and relentless. Their voices were heard. Tim Tebow; the man who embodies everything that is right with the world leap-frogged Brady Quinn and was given a chance. It seemed more like the staff gave him a chance to fail just to show the fans how wrong they were about him but Tim didn't fail. He threw the Denver Broncos on his strapping shoulders and carried them to their first playoff win since Jake Plummer and company beat the New England Patriots in 2005. He made the franchise relevant again. He made people care, not only sports fans, but culture worldwide. Tim's name was turned into an adjective and verb almost overnight.

Tim Tebow made this world believe that no matter what people say about you, you can still go out and show them that they are wrong. Sports analysts around the country simply sat back, baffled by his weekly comebacks. They didn't know what to say because there was nothing to say. It was a spectacle that we have never seen before and probably will never see again. He made the underdog a fighter again. he put Denver on the map… again.

You don't need to compare him to John Elway or comment on his statistical performance because lets face it, he's quite awful when you look at it. But watch the footage; he found ways to win. He took the ball from under center and rumbled through anybody that got in his way. He didn't slide or run out of bounds, he lowered his shoulder and made you pay a price for even thinking about getting in his way. Tim is a competitor and he made the Denver Broncos organization believe that they could do something with a little bit of effort. As he packs his bags for his next stop, he leaves Denver with some of the greatest football memories that they will ever have. 30 years from now men sitting in Denver area bars won't be talking about Kyle Orton or Jake Plummer, they might not even be talking about John Elway anymore; they'll be asking each other "Remember 2011? Wasn't Tebow something?"

The Walking Dead Mid-season Finale

Every once in a while, a piece of cinema or television comes along that hits that emotional string inside every one of us. It could be from two completely different movies; the closing scene of Saving Private Ryan, or Toy Story 3 for example. A successful film is able to hit this string buried deep inside of our soul, and when it's hit, it hurts.

Rick Grimes did that with his gun last night on the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead.

Last night, we were treated to one of the best hours of cinema in the last 5 years, and yes, it was on cable television.

"Guys, the barn's full of walkers". 6 words was all it took for Glenn to light the fuse that would inevitably lead us to the best fireworks display that television has seen in years. Granted, the 20 minutes or so after that were just transport to the more interesting bit, but they all served a purpose. To develop these characters more, as if this season hasn't done enough of that already. Shane and Rick are really starting to become deep characters in this show, we are starting to see what side this world brings out of them. They may have been partners and best friends before the world turned, but once the world changed so did they, they became two opposite people. This constant thirst for character development can only mean one thing. People are going to start to die, and its going to get violent.

I digress

Some would say that Shane melted down last night, I disagree. Shane made a decision last night, he wants to lead these people, and he wants to keep them safe. He isn't going to discuss killing the walkers in the barn, he is going to kill the walkers in the barn, and he's going to give a gun to every son of a bitch that agrees that in this world there is no safe haven unless you fight to make it so. He may have a brash way of making a point (shooting a walker repeatedly while Herschel holds onto it with a Steve Irwin stick) but he makes it nonetheless. He walks to the barn door with a pick axe and chops those locks off with deliberate force. And he stands back and lets hell rain down on every mother, father, sister, brother, son and yes even daughter that walks out of that barn, and as the dust settled, Shane and the rest of the group looked up to see Sophia walk out into the world on the opposite side. And instead of Shane walking up and putting one more exclamation point on his tirade, it's our quiet leader, with Sophia's mother crying for her daughter in the background, who makes the biggest statement of all. We are willing to fight for our own safety, even if that means doing what is hard, killing one of our own.

If Shane would have pulled that trigger it would have meant nothing. Rick proved himself with that bullet, he said to Herschel that these things aren't people anymore and we're not afraid to put down the ones we love when they are no longer the ones we loved. He then said to his group that after all of the searching and all of the persuading, I can still make decisions that need to be made. Maybe not as rough and off the cuff as Shane, but when it matters, I can pull that trigger.

This is where the writers showed their brilliance. Sophia wasn't valuable, she meant nothing to the group, her character was the least relevant in the whole show, she acted simply as a MacGuffin. A thumpin' good one at that. She made us sink our teeth into this story and wait and wait, hoping for a positive outcome. Her running off was the best thing that ever happened to The Walking Dead, she drove this entire story without being on screen for more than 5 minutes and she will continue to drive the story for the rest of the season. She influenced every decision made by the group. She helped make us fall in love with Darryl, and start to hate Shane. Hell, she got Glenn laid and Maggie in trouble. She killed Otis, she got Carl shot, and she broke Herschel as a man. If it wasn't for Sophia; little, insignificant, Sophia, the group would not be at that farm, and they might all be dead. Sophia became the best thing that ever happened to The Walking Dead and she didn't do a damn thing. That my friends is brilliant screenwriting.

Cheers to the writing staff for their show of brilliant emotional writing, they knew where to punch and they hit their mark. Right in the gut.

Cheers to the second half of the season, I'll see you all there!

-Tod

Batman #2

So if there is one thing that encompasses all that The Bat-Man is (besides Christopher Nolan's ongoing masterpiece cinematic trilogy) it is Scott Snyder's run at the helm of DC's Batman. #1 Established Batman as the clever detective that he really is, but it also established the city of Gotham as a dark, deviant character. #2 hit shelves on the 19th of October and is better than the first installment. I am a huge fan of movies that start at the end and then go back to the start and trace the steps up until that climactic moment. #2 starts with what looks like the impeding death of Bruce Wayne, then goes back to the time prior to explain the story and make you think hard. The end of the book will make you revel in the awesome-ness that is Batman. I love how DC has embraced Gotham in the "New 52" with All Star Western and Batman. They have breathed new life into the city. I've always loved the degeneration of the city and to give it a predominant role in their books is so awesome.

Batman #2 is amazing, the art is amazing, and the story is amazing. You have NO reason to NOT go pick it up.

Animal Man

Of all of DC's relaunched "New 52" Animal Man is by far the best. It's about Buddy Baker who is able to channel the power and ability of any animal at any time. He can channel the lightfootedness of a bee to creep slowly, or the bark of a dog to intimidate, basically he is awesome. The story is extremely catchy, its hard to wait for the next months issue. Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) is the perfect author and Foreman's art is the perfect amount of disturbing. My favorite frame from this series so far is during our hero, Buddy Baker's nightmare; his son is running towards him as his guts are pouring out of his stomache.. its gnarly, unsettling, and completely awesome. #2 came out last week and its completely great. Pick it up and get into this amazing story.

The Best Western in a Long Time

If you don't read comics, you should, if you do, you should read this one. All Star Western #1 is one of DC's final installment in their new 52 this last month, and let me just say... its 100% badass. I've heard it compared to what would happen if "Clint Eastwood hunts down Jack the Ripper". It is so awesome. Jonah Hex ends up in Gotham set in the 1800's and searches to find a guy who is brutally murdering prostitutes. It's super rad to read about the early roots of Gotham and see who Arkham mental institution was named after and get a glimpse at the twisted upper class society of Gotham. Needless to say, it is beyond awesome! Read it.