So it’s that time of year again when everything takes a back seat to the NHL playoffs. These are my first round predictions as I see them. This year I have very limited knowledge of the Western Conference because a lot of the teams who made it I never watch. Nonetheless I remain confident that my picks shall play out more or less as I see them. So here they are:

Eastern Conference

1) New York Rangers vs. 8) Ottawa Senators: New York  wins in 5.

2) Boston Bruins vs. 7) Washington Capitals: Boston wins in 6.

3) Florida Panthers vs. New Jersey Devils: New Jersey wins in 7.

4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Philadelphia wins in 7.

Western Conference

1) Vancouver Canucks vs. 8) Los Angeles Kings: Vancouver wins in 6.

2) St. Louis Blues vs. 7) San Jose Sharks: San Jose wins in 7.

3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. 6) Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago wins in 6.

4) Nashville Predators vs. 5) Detroit Red Wings: Detroit wins in 7.

I realize it’s been a very long time since I posted anything here, but I decided to start this up again because it’s here in my name and I know some people have been waiting to see some posts from me.

That said, I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes for the first time since I saw it in theatres and it was no less of an amazing movie watching it at home. I liked how the focus of the movie changed a couple times. It started with the focus on James Franco’s character and his attempts to develop a cure for alzheimer’s and the apes were sort of secondary characters. Once Caesar grew up, the focus shifted to him and he became the main character for the rest of the movie and everything that happened next related to him.

I also liked how this movie was enjoyable from a couple different perspectives. The science behind what Franco was trying to accomplish was sound and the viewer can understand his motivations because we would feel the same way in that situation. What I found most interesting was the society that the apes had created and the way in which Caesar worked his way to the top and became their leader. He was smarter than all of them and he knew it (at least until he dosed the other apes) and when he spoke the first time I was nothing short of amazed.

What I like the most was the ability of the movie to turn CG apes into real characters and develop them as such. Andy Serkis did an outstanding job as Caesar and on par with his performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There really aren’t enough good things to say about this movie and as a result it stands as one of my all time favourite movies and one of the best movies I have ever seen.

So a couple of weeks ago my family and I were in Montreal for three days. Unfortunately, not a single one of us speak French. It didn’t prove to be a problem though since most everyone working in the city was bilingual. It occurred to me here that the entire country should be bilingual and it would solve so many problems.

Everyone who is old enough can recall the referendum the province of Quebec held about whether or not it should separate from the rest of Canada. Quebec did not separate, but only by the slimmest of margins. Since then there has been constant talk of separation. I think the main problem here is a lack of communication because both sides literally don’t speak the same language. This presents an obvious problem and one that can be avoided in the future.

The solution is simple: make elementary and secondary schools teach both English and French nationwide. If both sides can properly communicate, they can voice their complaints and concerns and reach a consensus. It has been said to me that English is Canada’s official language and everyone should speak it. I say there is no reason why Canada can’t have two official languages that everyone can speak. I think it’s very hypocritical to say Quebec should learn English and the rest of Canada should not have to learn French. Sentiments like this are why neither side can agree on anything.

This is my solution and it is an entirely achievable goal, one we should all aspire to. It can be done and should be so that our great country won’t dissolve from the inside. There are more than enough exterior threats, we certainly don’t need an interior threat to be our undoing. 

So last week my family and I were in Montreal, Quebec for three days to see the sights and experience the city. Having been there I can say that it is a really nice city and I would have no problem living there, and here’s why:

The city is incredibly accessible by foot. In the three days we were there, we never once used the car to get anywhere. Granted we were in a hotel that was very close to old Montreal and when you are a tourist, that is the place you want to be. That said, however, there were designated bike lanes right alongside main streets as well as community bikes that you could rent from “stations”. There were bikes available for anyone to use (for a small price of course) and there were a lot of people using this service. Sidewalks were also wider allowing for a higher volume of foot traffic. These are two things that the city of Hamilton is severely lacking and must improve on.

Another thing I liked was the various public squares in the city. They were very nice to walk through and there were actually people using the space, particularly office workers on their lunch. So many of the public squares embody the very qualities that Gore Park aspires to have and did have at one time. 

A third thing I noticed (although only after it was pointed out to me when I returned by someone who had spent significantly more time in Quebec than me) is that everyone is a lot healthier. This is evidenced by the fact that everyone who lived there was thin. There were plenty of fast-food locations as expected, but a lot of the traditional restaurants had a lot of outdoor seating, which provides an incentive for people to go there instead of the nearest McDonald’s or Starbucks. It is worth noting here that we went to a restaurant called Le Steak Frites and it was one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. It was relatively inexpensive and you can bring your own bottle of wine to dinner with you. Well worth going to for sure.

All in all, I loved the city and found that it was actually designed for people to live there. It’s designed for people walk around and enjoy the city as opposed to driving through it. I would go back anytime.

P.S. There is something to be said for the language barrier that is very noticeable in Quebec, but there will be a future post about that topic in particular.

So it is official. Winnipeg is once again getting an NHL hockey team in town and the city and the country couldn’t be happier. Even the Prime Minister himself is completely behind this and is singing its praises. I personally feel like this is a good move for the league. The organization now has stability and Canada is always a good hockey market for any team since it is widely considered by everyone to be Canada’s “unofficial” national sport. Now it’s up to the fans to make this move worthwhile and show up for the games, something I imagine will happen.

This has been the talk of the hockey world (in Canada at least) and everyone is behind it. You’d be hard pressed not to find someone in Canada who hasn’t heard this yet or isn’t excited about it. One question remains though, what to call the team? I think they should just be called the Jets as they were 15 years ago. The jerseys fans already have wouldn’t become obsolete or relics of the past and everyone already recognizes that team name. Someone did suggest the team be called the Manitoba Polar Bears, which is so terrible in every way I am losing my dignity just bringing it up. If they do change the name of the team, I certainly hope it isn’t something that is blatantly Canadian which perpetuates a stereotype to the point where it’s an insult (you know like Score the hockey musical). The team will be a playoff contender so they need a name and logo that other teams and commentators aren’t going to laugh at when to enter the arena.

Recently Sean Avery said that he supports same-sex marriage and since then, there has been a media circus surrounding his opinions. Was he right in doing so, or should he have watched his mouth? Those are the questions and here is the answer.

He had every right to provide an opinion on the issue because he is free to do so. Athletes may be given a higher status in our society, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an opinion on what goes on in the society that gave them such a high status to begin with. We might like to believe that they remain neutral on every issue, but the fact of the matter is that they are every bit as affected by society at large as we (non-athletes) are.

One argument provided against being opinionated is that athletes are not only representing themselves, but they represent the organization that gives them a jersey to wear. While that is true, what we are talking about here is simply providing an opinion, which is not by any stretch the worst thing athletes have done in the past. The great thing about opinions is that people aren’t obliged to agree with them. And on that note, wouldn’t the league he is affiliated with want to show tolerance and compassion to it’s viewers and other players?

Our society tends to shy away from people expressing personal opinions in the open like this despite how “tolerant” our society is. We must accept that not everyone thinks the same way we do. People are allowed to be individuals and think for themselves. So in regards to Mr. Avery, I respect him for providing an opinion, not because I agree with them, but because he spoke up for what he believes. Individuality should be a reality, not an illusion.

So Osama Bin Laden has officially met his end and the world celebrates, a much needed one at that. After nearly ten years of searching for the most wanted man in the world, he was finally found in Pakistan. However, the man may be dead, but his ideals are definitely not, nor is there any shortage of people to take his place. This is far from over. The United States has made itself a target once again and it had better maintain its vigilance, lest they are befallen by another tragedy. I predict that there will be repercussions and we may never see it coming. Such is the nature of the world we live in.

The war against terrorism, much like the war on crime, will never end, as long as this much inequality exists in the world. If we are to stop this, we must end the path our world is on. There is enough to go around, its just that no one is willing to share the wealth. This must be changed or mankind will eventually succeed in making itself extinct.

Disclaimer: I apologize for the negative outlook.

So it’s playoff time in the NHL and naturally from now until June, this is all I’m going to be watching. And of course the Leafs did not get in, but it is most likely they would’ve been beaten in the first round anyways. This year, I shall be following Washington, and Montreal (despite my affiliation with the Leafs) and Vancouver by virtue of being the only two Canadian teams in the playoffs. I look forward to seeing many close games and some series upsets, plus there are multiple games on every night. This is the best time of the year to be a hockey fan, the second best time being the start of the season in October.

These are my first round picks this year. I don’t really have any analysis to accompany these picks, this is just how I think the first round will play out.

Washington defeats New York in 6 games. Vancouver defeats Chicago in 6 games.

Philadelphia defeats Buffalo in 5 games. San Jose defeats Los Angeles in 6 games.

Montreal defeats Boston in 7 games. Phoenix defeats Detroit in 7 games.

Pittsburgh defeats Tampa Bay in 6 games. Anaheim defeats Nashville in 6 games.

So yesterday I went and saw Wrestlemania XXVII at the theatre, but unfortunately Mother Nature decided not to cooperate. We got to see most of the first match and then the feed cut out and we missed the end of that match (as well as a very expensive car getting destroyed afterwards) and the following 3.5 matches before the satellite feed resumed. So I missed all of two matches I was looking forward to seeing and the start of the match I really wanted to see. Because the feed cut out for so long, all us patrons got a full refund and a free movie pass for future use. 

Anyways the first match of the evening was Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title. It seemed odd to me to start with this match, especially since I remember a time when the World Title was more important than the WWE Title. Edge of course won because the World Title deserves better than Del Rio could have provided. And that’s when the satellite feed cut out do to bad weather (obviously somewhere between here and Atlanta because the weather here wasn’t that bad). The next match we saw was the biggest match of the event (in my opinion), HHH vs. The Undertaker. This match had an awesome ending (as was expected), but ultimately The Undertaker won, making him undefeated at this event at 19-0. I loved this match because it was a throwback to an era when I was watching on a regular basis. The next match was the one Snooki was in with 5 other unfortunate competitors and she won the match with two impressively athletic moves. The final match of course was the main event for the WWE Title seeing the Miz vs. John Cena. I never thought I’d find myself cheering for the Miz, but as it would happen, this time I was in fact cheering for him. I was even alright with how the match ended, the Rock making the match no disqualification and then proceeding to cost Cena the victory by delivering a Rock Bottom, which was the result of weeks of them making fun of each other on the air and Cena one-upping the Rock the week before.

All in all I thought Wrestlemania was a pretty good event this year despite missing the middle of it. That said, I am happy I got to see the end of the match I was waiting for and that I got to see a $30 pay-per-view for free.

So I haven’t posted in a while and today I saw the movie SuckerPunch and it was so ridiculous that I feel I have to write about it. Going in I didn’t have extremely high expectations for it and, ultimately, I found that to be a good thing, lest I be very disappointed in it.

I will admit that the previews made it look like a pretty awesome movie and the more previews I saw the more I wanted to see it. It turns out that there was very little originality in the movie. The movie involves creating an alternate world solely in one’s mind (sound familiar?), which is part of what attracted me to the movie. The first major battle of the movie involved fighting zombie-Nazi soldiers where the main character shot down an airplane with a handgun (could happen right?). The second major battle involved them fighting orcs. That’s right, and there was no attempt to even make them look different than the orcs from the Lord of the Rings. The dragon the girls fought was very similar to the dragon in The Hobbit, and the entire battle itself made me think of the battle for Helm’s Deep. The girls then fought an army of robots trying to kill them, or terminate them if you will and they resembled the robots from iRobot.

My final point about this movie is that, although slow-motion is cool in a movie and Zack Snyder is known for it, I felt like it was entirely overused. The movie would have been about 30 minutes long if it wasn’t for the fact that half of the movie wasn’t in real time. I do give credit to the action scenes as they were entertaining to watch and the one liners were very funny, making the movie hard to take seriously despite a very serious storyline.