TeleChimp | TV Journalism

I do not like most sports movies. They are too predictable. After a series of defeats, zany situations, general hilarity, and the realization that team spirit is in itself a victory rally good to triumph.

But I saw “Win Win” Sunday despite the title because I wanted to escape reality for a few hours, preferably amidst air-conditioning.

“Win Win” is amazing. I rank my top 25 sports movies of all-time at the end of this column, and “Win Win” comes in 11^th.

Like “The Hustler” and “Raging Bull,” “Win Win” is only marginally about sports.

Paul Giamatti, who looks like a sportswriter, is Mike Flaherty, a storefront New Jersey lawyer. The store isn’t doing well. So he cheats. He tells a judge he’ll serve as guardian for an old guy named Leo (Burt Young).

Leo’s brain is going but his savings account is healthy. Leo wants to stay in the house he has long owned. But Flaherty stashes him in an old folk’s home and cashes a $1,500 monthly guardian check.

Leo’s daughter is in rehab in Ohio, and her son, Kyle, escapes to New Jersey to move in with Leo. Kyle (Alex Shaffer) dyes his hair Ric Flair blond, has a black eye, and he smokes. Since the kid can’t stay in the retirement home, he ends up with Flaherty and his family.

Flaherty coaches the local high school wrestling team, which is even less successful than his law practice. Turns out Kyle is a former Ohio wrestling star, and he becomes a star for Flaherty.

The wrestling scenes are thrilling, which is a surprise since the grappling I watch tends to involve sequined robes and metal folding chairs.

“Win Win” is warm and moving and funny. The crowd at the Regal Ballantyne Village Stadium 5 occasionally cheered aloud. Instead of sitting in plush seats, we were on high school gymnasium bleachers.

Shaffer’s previous acting experience includes one high school play. In real life he’s a 119-pound New Jersey high school wrestling star. Kyle is a 119-pound New Jersey wrestling star. The longer the movie goes, the more human Kyle becomes.

Four notes about my movie rankings:

The Last time I did this, I left out “Hoosiers.” I forgot about it. I did a radio interview about the column with a station in Los Angeles and the hosts were incredulous that I omitted “Hoosiers” and extremely condescending. So I told them “Hoosiers” wasn’t good enough to make my list, even though “Happy Gilmore” did. I had a blast.

“Rudy” is not in my top 25 because I met Rudy when he spoke at the Charlotte Touchdown Club. You know what Rudy does for a living? He’s Rudy.

Our conversation went like this. RUDY: Hi, I’m Rudy. ME: What do you for a living these days, Rudy? RUDY: I’m Rudy. ME: Good, I’m Tom. But what do you do? RUDY: I’m Rudy. Get off the bench!

“Waterboy” is fun and can be interpreted at various levels. Adam Sandler challenge the viewer. His most important, is not easy.

The film that I have I left out.

Popularity: 2% [?]

This weekend will mark the first choice of 3D theater in Juneau. Alaska crude is to promote films in 3D here as part of a total conversion to digital film rolls – literally – a thing of the past.

Cinema glacier in the form of his debut. Digital projectors have replaced the old reel to roll. Brackets have been falsified to go on projectors, creating a depth where the filmmakers intended, that the depth of special glasses included films.

“It does what the red and blue glasses did,” said Shane Solomon-Gross, Glacier Cinemas’ lead manager.

His father and company general manager Kenny Solomon-Gross said that while Glacier’s replaced projectors are from 1983 and 1997, the digital ones going into downtown’s 20th Century Theatre will replace projectors that have been around since the 1940s.

Besides the projectors, the screens and sound systems have been replaced for the digital conversion. Shane said there are two silver screens that allow the right contrast and depth for 3-D. The others are white screens.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” opening Friday, will be the first movie shown here in 3D. There will also be the option to view it in 2D.

Kenny said he expects to have 2D options available for other 3D films as well. He said this, as well as which movies arrive in 3D, depends on the distributors.

Kenny and Shaun discussed several advantages the company will see in the digital conversion.

The company’s new digital projectors get the movies from hard drives instead of reels. The drives are plugged in and downloaded as opposed to having the reels spliced together before show times. The distributor then emails the digital unlock codes similarly to how they sent the codes to unlock the reels.

They said it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get a movie and digital trailer package together while it could take up to two hours with reels. The new hard drives are also considerably lighter and less cumbersome.

Running the pictures will be easier, too. Kenny said when all the digital setups are working; they can be set up from a single office. Kenny and Shane agreed this will give the managers, who often serve as projectionists, more time to devote to customer service.

“Not one job was lost,” Shane added of the digital conversion.

They said show quality was another advantage, explaining that the film on reels would always go down in quality with each showing, regardless of care. Programs from hard drives don’t face that obstacle.

“We expect the quality of the feature will always be the same,” Kenny said.

“I want our shows to be in line with the directors’ intent,” said his son. He added, “If you show perfect quality, the customer won’t feel cheated.”

He said the other reason for bringing the digital format here was make movies more of an event in the community. He said Gross Alaska has always been committed to Southeast Alaska, thus justifying the “substantial investment” in the conversion.

Kenny said another reason for the conversion is the industry’s move toward digital.

“It was a factor because I feel film won’t be around past 2013, he said. “Essentially, the days of projectors are over.”

“Customers ask for 3D and they want it,” said Kenny.

3D movies will cost an additional $3, including glasses. Kenny said 3D prices are universally higher than 2D, as set by the distribution companies. He said Gross Alaska’s ticket prices are still below the national average.

“We’re very competitive in our prices,” Kenny said. “This is a nice, inexpensive form of entertainment.”

Gross Alaska is holding an open house for digital and 3D demonstrations Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at Glacier Cinemas. The demonstrations start at 11 a.m. The first 150 people there will get free 3D glasses. Food and door prizes wait, too.

Glacier Cinemas will be closed on Thursday for a private event. 20th Century Theater in downtown will still be open that day.

Popularity: 2% [?]

HBO has successfully launched HBO GO, a mobile streaming service for current subscribers which is now available to U.S subscribers.    Using HBO GO mobile streaming service users of compatible PC’s, IOS devices and Android devices are able to stream the HBO content over 3G or WiFi connections.

Here is the report how HBO describes this service:

HBO GO is a mobile streaming service which is offered through participating television providers that gives you unlimited access to HBO on your computer and mobile devices. With HBO GO, you can watch your favorite HBO Original Series, blockbuster movies, sports, comedies and documentaries – whenever and wherever you want.

What about the new shows on HBO GO?

Yes, new HBO Original Series and blockbuster movies will be available on HBO GO, as well as hundreds of titles – from sports and documentaries to award-winning HBO original programming.

Do I need to subscribe to HBO to watch shows on HBO GO?

Yes, to watch shows on HBO GO you need an HBO subscription through a participating television provider.

Does HBO GO cost anything?

No, HBO GO is free as part of your HBO subscription and is available through participating television providers.

Is HBO GO available internationally?

No, HBO GO is only accessible in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Can I purchase HBO GO shows on a pay-per-view basis?

No, HBO GO does not offer pay-per-view. However, as part of your HBO GO subscription, you have access to hundreds of titles to watch every month.

What is required to sign up for HBO GO?

To sign up for HBO GO, you will need an HBO subscription through a participating television provider and the username and password from your television provider account. If you are using a computer to access HBO GO, you will need a high-speed Internet connection.

On which devices is HBO GO available?

HBO GO is available on a computer with a high-speed Internet connection and on the iPad, iPhone and Android smartphones. To access HBO GO you need an HBO subscription through a participating television provider.

What are the computer system requirements to access HBO GO from my computer?

HBO GO requires the following minimum system requirements: 1) An Adobe Flash Player with version 10.0 or higher. 2) An Internet connection of 3.0Mbps or greater (for HD content). 3) For Windows: An Intel Pentium 4 3GHz processor (or equivalent) with 512MB RAM/128MB of VRAM. 4) For a Mac: An Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM/128MB of VRAM. To check if you have the most recent version of Adobe Flash Player, go to www.adobe.com.

According to the HBO GO website, the following providers will be there: AT&T, Charter, Xfinity (Comcast), Cox, DirecTV, Dish Network, SuddenLink and Verizon.

You can set watch lists for your shows and new episodes will automatically appear.  Again from the HBO GO website:

How does the Watchlist work?

The Watchlist allows the subscriber to create a personalized list of favorite shows available on HBO GO. The listed items in your Watchlist will remain the same irrespective of the fact that log in to the HBO GO from a different computer or mobile device. Shows will remain in your Watchlist until you remove or delete them, or they expire.

Well I am a big time HBO fan and HBO GO is just the perfect thing for people like me. It looks like a decent way to check out our favs.  Just extend your subscriptions now..!

Popularity: 4% [?]