Top 5 Movies of the First Half of '09

In honor of my friend the filmmaker, I present my first ever critical film list. Like most years, 2009 is starting off pretty slow; and I think the biggest disappointment has been some of these hugely over-hyped summer sequels (read: Angels and Demons, Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation - none of which surpassed its predecessors). But there are always a few diamonds in the rough:

5. The Soloist - As lauded as Robert Downey and Jamie Foxx are, I never really got it. Until now. An undoubtedly Oscar-worthy turn for Foxx, but will the Academy remember such a small film from so early in the year?
4. Earth - Some critics already slammed this as a rehash of The Discovery Channel's Planet Earth series. I didn't watch the series, but I can assure you that those critics have no appreciation for the magic of cinema. Any documentary that can make the chase between an arctic wolf and a young caribou riveting viewing is something special. Not least when you add to that a sweeping score, and stellar narration from the greatest voice of our generation, James Earl Jones.
3. State of Play - A good old-fashioned detective story wrapped in an American political thriller. How cynical have we become when the characters in our thrillers can barely make it through to the conclusion - if at all - and rarely of their own volition (read: The Game)? Leave it to the Brits to create a protagonist in Cal McAffery that we can root for, a person who uses his intellect and determination to find truth.
2. Taken - Liam Neeson can do anything. An hour and a half of sheer action enjoyment, you can never say Luc Besson wastes words. He uses only what he needs to push the slick, streamlined plot along. And you remain in a heart-pounding trance until the very last second.
1. I Love You, Man - Truly a product of our time, this film makes us come to terms with the relationship-side of every friendship. And not a moment too soon, in my opinion. Paul Rudd might be the best - and certainly most underappreciated - comic actor today, and Jason Segal turns a character that could easily have degenerated into Farrelly bros.-style stupidity, into a man of great sympathy. The Hangover has already started to overshadow it, but this one will stand the test of time.

Honorable mentions:
The International - A gorgeously shot thriller from a true artist, Tom Tykwer.
Up - As a friend pointed out, it's a totally uncredited tribute to Miyazaki, but the two leads make it Pixar-fun.

The O List, Part 6: More SBMSL

Sports
Today I give you more Stories from the Bottom of the Medal Standings List, the Middle East edition:

1. Rohullah NIKPAI (Afghanistan)

With little in the way of training facilities - let alone stability - in his home country, Nikpai surprised the Taekwondo world by snatching a bronze in the 58-kg weight division. He lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Guillermo Perez of Mexico, but defeated last year's world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain 4 points to 1 in the repechage to take a spot on the medal stand. His medal is the first in Afghanistan's Olympic history. And he is now undoubtedly a national hero.

2. Rashid RAMZI (Bahrain)
Moroccan-born Rashid Ramzi gave Bahrain its first ever Olympic medal, and it was gold. Ramzi just edged out Kenya's Asbel Kipruto Kiprop in the 1500m run with a last-minute burst of speed and a time of 3:32.94. He garnered his Bahrani citizenship in 2002 after a short stint in the Bahrain Defense Force, which caused a bit of a stir in the country of his birth. But he has not renounced his attachment to Morocco: "I am a Moroccan, I was born a Moroccan."

3. Shahar ZUBARI (Israel)
Zubari has found instant stardom at home in just the few days following his bronze-medal performance in the Men's Sailboard race (commonly known as Windsurfing) at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. He received phone calls from both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres, with Peres offering Zubari an open invitation to visit his home upon Shahar's return from China. "We in Israel almost mourned in a sea of desperation, and you took us out of there to a new dawn," commented a thrilled Peres, who attended the opening ceremonies, and hoped for more Israeli success in Beijing. This was Israel's first medal of this Olympics, and 7th overall. Israel has had previous success in the Sailboard competition, as well as in Judo and Canoeing.

The 1 Greatest (Olympic) Athlete in History

Sports

No one - at least in my lifetime - has made it look this easy. Michael Phelps will be going for his seventh gold medal of the Games tonight in the 100m Butterfly, and would tie Mark Spitz's record of the '72 Munich Games - should he win - with still one race to swim. He has already surpassed the great Jenny Thompson as the most decorated Olympic Swimmer ever (she won 12 medals over the course of four Olympics - his 14 medals have come out of just two.) And it is impossible to deny the class with which he has handled himself in Beijing; he is an extraordinary representative of both his country and the sport of swimming. So do yourself a favor, and watch history in the making tonight...GO MP!

The O List, Part 4: O Yeah! Olympic Superlatives

Cheers on day three to the US Men's Gymnastics team. They seemed more excited about their Bronze than even the Chinese team about their gold. And the Japanese team looked downright depressed about their silver.

Each Olympics is filled to the brim with great stories; here are just a few of the 'bests' and 'mosts' this year:

1. Oldest Athlete: HOKETSU Hiroshi Born - March 28, 1941; Age - 67.
Mr. Hoketsu returns to the Olympics for the first time since his debut 44 years ago at the 1964 Tokyo Games. He finished 40th there in the Equestrian Show Jumping event, but expects to do much better this time competing in Dressage on his mare, Whisper. "I didn't see why my age should be such a big thing. I wasn't selected for the Olympics because I'm 67," he said in an interview with Reuters. More power to him. I know I'll be cheering him on.

2. Youngest Athlete: Antoinette Joyce GUEDIA MOUAFO Born - October 21, 1995; Age - 12.
Miss Guedia Mouafo will be swimming for Cameroon in the 50m Freestyle event, as part of the long-standing Olympic tradition of building athletic programs in developing countries. Her entrance time of 36.00 seconds is a full 12 seconds slower than that of Aussie World Record holder Lisbeth Trickett (23.97), and she has next to no chance of making semis. But she is the only woman representing her country in the pool, and one of only two Cameroonian swimmers in Beijing.

3. Most Olympic Appearances: Ian MILLAR, 9
This would have been Mr. Millar's 10th Olympics, had it not been for Canada boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. His best finishes were fourth in both '84 and '88 in the team jumping equestrian event; and with a solid Canadian team behind him this year, he may finally capture that elusive Olympic medal.

4. Newest Sport: BMX
32 men and 16 women will compete for Olympic glory for the first time in Bicycle Motocross. Check out the venue:

(Laoshan BMX Venue)

5. First-time Countries: Montenegro, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands Montenegro, the newest country in the world, has fielded Olympic athletes in the past as a part of Serbia and Yugoslavia. Their first independent team includes a water polo squad expected to contend for a medal (first result - 10:10 draw with Hungary). To participate in the Olympics, a country must have at least five internationally recognized sporting federations. The small South Pacific island nations of Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands met this requirement for the first time over the last cycle, and will field 3 and 5 athletes respectively.

The O List, Part 3

Sports

"The greatest relay race in the history of the Olympics," this commentator called it. Jason Lezak led the US 4x100 free relay team to stunning victory over the favored French on day three. The 32 year-old Lezak - in the anchor position - came from behind to just out-touch France's 25 year-old Alain Bernard by eight hundredths of a second. His split of 46.06 seconds became the fastest in Olympic history, and shamed Bernard's comments of last Thursday: "The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for."

***

The widely-published medal counts never seem to go into too much detail; and there is no doubt you can learn so much about a country by the sports it succeeds in. So today I present the top 5 in the medal count to this point with that additional bit of information:

1. China - 14 (9 gold): 2 Archery, 3 Shooting, 2 Diving, 1 Swimming, 4 Weightlifting, 2 Judo

Fierce all-around competitors, obviously with some muscular strength and good aim.

2. United States - 12 (3 gold): 8 Swimming, 3 Fencing, 1 Shooting

A swimming powerhouse, with dominant female fencers.

3. South Korea - 8 (4 gold): 2 Archery, 2 Judo, 1 Shooting, 1 Fencing, 1 Swimming, 1 Weightlifting

All-around force part 2; Judo's a winner, just wait until Taekwondo starts.

4. Italy - 8 (3 gold): 2 Cycling, 3 Fencing, 1 Judo, 1 Shooting, 1 Archery

One disappointment from swimmer Federica Pellegrini may be redeemed; strong cyclists and fencers can make up those medals for now.

5. Russia - 6 (0 gold): 3 Shooting, 2 Diving, 1 Weightlifting

Seemingly always a step behind the Chinese divers; but their talented shooters have padded their count, until that first gold just around the corner.

The O List, Part 2

Sports
Beijing may be playing host city, but it will not be the only major city to see Olympic competition this summer. A quick list of the other cities that have been given the great honor of hosting an event:
(click on a tag and zoom in to see arial view of each venue)

View Larger Map

1. Olympic Sailing Center at Qingdao (pop. 7.6 million) all sailing events
2. Hong Kong (pop. 7 million) all equestrian events
Sha Tin Racecourse (Jumping & Dressage)
Beas River Country Club (Cross-Country)
3. Olympic Center Stadium at Tianjin (pop. 11.5 million) soccer
4. Shanghai Stadium (pop. 18.4 million) soccer
5. Olympic Stadium at Shenyang (pop. 7.2 million) soccer
6. Olympic Sports Center Stadium at Qinhuangdao (pop. 2.8 million) soccer

Big congratulations on day two go out to: MP, for winning his first of many golds in the 400 IM; the men's Basketball team, for facing down their first challenge from the host team (101-70); and the men's Volleyball team for eking out their first victory against a tough Venezuelan squad, even after yesterday's tragedy.

The High List Presents: The O List, Part 1

Sports
The first full day of Olympic competition from Beijing was one of incredible triumph (Zagunis, Jacobson & Ward sweeping Women's Sabre event in fencing) and tragedy (the murder of Volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law) for the US Olympic team. But I thought I'd switch things up from the typical Olympic coverage to highlight three medalists from countries not vying for tops in the medal count. I call this piece Stories from the Bottom of the Medal Standings List (SBMSL):

1. Rishod Sobirov (Uzbekistan)
Rishod won bronze in Judo's smallest weight class, 60 kg. He defeated his first opponent, Algerian Omar Rebahi by ippon, the highest possible score in Judo. After a second victory, he lost to the eventual gold-medalist, South Korea's Choi Min-Ho, in the quarterfinals. He then fought his way through the Bronze Medal bracket - known as "repechage" - ultimately defeating Frenchman Dimitri Dragin to take a spot on the medal stand. His medal is the 13th in Uzbekistan's short Olympic history, his country's second in Judo. All of Uzbekistan's Summer Olympic medals have come in three combative arts, the others having been won in Wrestling and Boxing.

2. Chen Wei-Ling ("Chinese Taipei"/Taiwan)
Wei-Ling took a bronze in the 48kg weight-class of weightlifting, the smallest for that sport. She managed 84 kg in the snatch - the one where the lifter pulls the weight over her head in one swift motion - and 112 kg in the clean and jerk, or the two-motion lift. Her clean and jerk actually beat that of the silver medalist, Turkey's Sibel Ozkan, but wasn't quite enough to make up the deficit she faced from her snatch. This is the 16th medal for "Chinese Taipei," and their fourth weightlifting medal. The Taiwanese have also found success in recent times in Archery, Taekwondo, and Table Tennis, and in 1992, their baseball team took the silver medal.

3. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
A familiar name to the cycling scene, Fabian had never before participated in an Olympic road racing event, but snatched a bronze in the 245 km (152 mi) Men's Road Race. He is a time trial (race against the clock) specialist at the Tour de France, and has won a couple of stages over the past few years. Swtizerland is no stranger to the medal stand, having participated in the Olympics since their modern inception in 1896. They have hosted the Winter Olympics twice - in 1928 and 1948 - both times at St. Moritz. Switzerland is also host to the headquarters of the Olympic Movement in Lausanne.