Alright, it's a little extreme, but I absolutely love Halloween. And I love it when two things I love come together: Halloween and film. At the beginning of October, I usually bump a bunch of Halloween-related flicks to the top of my Netflix Queue.
Not just scary movies, though. Watching only horror flicks for an entire month will probably start to make you either paranoid or psychotic. So, I mix it up with comedies, camp, and thrillers. Here are some recommendations to for the five weekends before Halloween, plus the 31st itself:
September 28-30. Ease your way in, with thrillers that are only slightly related to Halloween:
Alien
Psycho (1960)
Seven
Signs
October 5-7. Punch it up with some genuine horror-thrillers:
The Blair Witch Project
Bram Stoker's Dracula
The Devil's Backbone
Christine
Nosferatu
The Sixth Sense
October 12-14. Lighten up a bit, with some comedies:
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Shaun of the Dead
Teen Wolf
Young Frankenstein
October 19-21. Throw in some camp and classics, from the '50s through the '80s:
Bride of Frankenstein
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Night of the Living Dead
Village of the Damned
October 26-28. It's getting really close to Halloween now, so let's go for some robust horror:
The Exorcist
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Omen (1976)
Poltergeist
The Ring
Rosemary's Baby
The Shining
October 31. If you're looking to have something to have on in the background while trick-or-treaters are ringing your doorbell, I'd pick something family-friendly. On the other hand, if you might want to want a to watch a movie with adults, I'd up the ante.
For Children:
Hocus Pocus
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
For Adults:
Carrie
Halloween (No shit.)
Scream
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
You're Either With Us Or Against Us
Holy shit! So I just got done watching the second of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies, Magnum Force. Toward the end, the bad guys (a group of murderous vigilante cops) tell Harry, when he refuses to join their crusade to murder criminals without a trial, "You're either with us or against us."
Although I despise this administration, I'm not one to call President Bush the personification of expedient evil. But damn:
"Over time it's going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity. You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."
It begs the question, Does Bush actually ever pay attention to what he's saying?
Pretty good movie, by the way.
Although I despise this administration, I'm not one to call President Bush the personification of expedient evil. But damn:
"Over time it's going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity. You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."
It begs the question, Does Bush actually ever pay attention to what he's saying?
Pretty good movie, by the way.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Poker Guideline 1.5: "...BUT AGGRESSIVE"
My previous poker post was only half of the "Play Tight, But Aggressive" formula. Some situations I described might actually call for a raise, rather than a fold. But my goal was to emphasize that, far too often, too many people stay in hands they should bail on.
Moving on. Let's assume that you're not folding. Of course, staying in raises several possibilities: check, raise, or call. And if you raise, how much? But first, to lay the groundwork for "Aggressive," here's the flip side to my "Fold Early, Fold Often" maxim:
"RAISE EARLY, RAISE OFTEN (if you stay in)."
Let's again walk through the crucial decisions in Texas Hold'em.
POCKET CARDS: Raise, Raise, Raise
You're sitting there with your two pocket cards. Nobody's seen a flop yet, and now it's your turn to call, raise, or fold. What do you do? If you have a decent (or possibly decent) hand, you'll probably decide to stay in. And for most people, the thinking process ends there. They'll call the Big Blind. They'll say, "I only have two cards. What's the point of raising if you don't know what you have yet?"
Wrong. What these "callers" fail to understand is that everyone else is in the same boat. Everyone (except the few who are staring at a pair) at the table is thinking about their possible hands (Will this make a straight? A flush?). The strategic failure of the callers is that they don't use this fact to their advantage.
How? By raising. Calling should not be your default bet. I'm not saying you should never call. But you should have a deliberate purpose behind calling. On balance, however, it's better to raise. Here's why:
1. Force Tough Decisions: By raising early, before you've even seen the flop, you force others into making tough choices. If you raise, someone who would've called with only a marginal hand will, instead, likely fold. If the guy sitting to your left is facing a raise, suddenly his Queen-8 suited isn't looking so spectacular. Raising also will encourage the Big Blind player to get out, since odds are he was hoping for a free ride anyway. Getting other people out of the hand automatically increases your odds of winning the pot -- which is, ultimately, the point, isn't it?
2. Gather Intelligence: Raising early also serves as an intelligence-gathering operation. If someone calls your raise, then you know they have something good. And if someone raises your raise, well, then, give serious consideration to getting out now unless you're really confident in your hole cards. Yeah, you'll lose the amount you just bet, but you'll save a lot of dough that you would otherwise waste calling this guy's raise.
3. Avoid Bad Beats: In the "Turn and River" section of my previous post, I hinted that you can improve your chances of avoiding bad beats. Raising early is the key. If, in the example above, you only call, rather than raise, then the player with the Queen-8 suited is more likely to stay in, especially if he's the Big or Small Blind. Since he has both a straight draw and a flush draw at that point, (not to mention a Queen that could pair or triple up), this automatically reduces your odds of winning the pot. And if he makes a hand, then suddenly the two Jacks that you simply called with are outclassed.
The Bottom Line: Have courage. You may be reluctant to raise, because that means you're putting more of your chips at risk. But you're not thinking big-picture. Unless someone raises before you (a situation we'll get to in my next poker post), the cost of an individual raise is relatively small. But the payoff -- in terms of (1) getting people out of the hand, and (2) information -- is very high. And this, in turn, dramatically increases you odds of winning the pot.
THE FLOP: Raise-Reraise and the Slow Play
There are two raising strategies: Raise-reraise and the slow-play.
1. Aggressively Raise-Reraise: The lessons described above are even more important on the Flop. If you connect on the Flop, or have a legitimately strong draw, then don't call. Raise. Reraise.
The key benefit of raising here is to force out players on a draw who were planning to check or call. Get them out now, before they connect on the Turn or River. Of course, you'll probably need kick it up a bit, because most of the remaining players are feeling increasingly pot-committed at this point. Thus, you're going to have to make a larger raise to induce them to fold.
Obviously, if everyone folds, then you've won the pot. You might ask, "Yeah, but if I called instead of raised, then couldn't I have won more money from them on the Turn or River?" The answer is "Usually, no." If you're asking that question, then you're making the dangerous assumption that you currently have the best hand. Statistically, it's better to get people to fold now, rather than running the risk that they connect with a better hand later. A bird in the hand...
Finally, as with the first betting round, the intel-gathering value of raising is obvious. If someone calls your raise, or reraises, then odds are they Flopped something good. Unless you think they're full of shit, then you'd better have a really good hand before calling a reraise.
2. The Slow Play: When should you call (or check) on the flop, rather than raise? One reason is to keep 'em guessing, which I'll get to Guideline #3. But the primary reason to check/call is if you have the nuts. If you have the best possible hand on the flop, or very close to the best possible hand, then you should strongly consider "trapping" the other players by pretending, through your betting actions, that you have a weak hand.
For example, if you flopped an Ace-High Flush, now there are only three highly-improbable hands that can beat you: Full House, Four of a Kind, or Straight Flush. Take a look at the board now, and watch for those possibilities on the Turn or River. (We'll discuss watching the board in Guideline #2). But unless possibilities materializes on the board, you're sitting pretty with the Ace-High Flush.
Does it make sense to bet big in these nut circumstances? Probably not. Unlike the raise-reraise situation described above, if you have the nuts, you don't want to scare people out of the hand. You want them to do the betting. Let your opponents think they have the better hand. If you're lucky, then somebody might have straight, or a (lower) Flush. Or they may have tripled-up their pocket pairs. Either way, you're well ahead now. Let them become more pot-committed through the Flop and Turn, and then raise the stakes on the River -- as we'll get to shortly.
Note: You should slow-play only when you have a nearly-unbeatable hand, and even then, not every time. Never forget that you could catch a bad beat, and get caught in your own slow-play trap.
TURN & RIVER: Raising, Finishing the Slow Play, & Late Folds
At this point in the hand, you should be confident that you have a strong hand, and are playing either raise-reraise or slow-play. Let's look at both in turn.
1. Raise-Reraise (Mostly): On the Turn, you should continue to play very aggressively (unless you're slow-playing). If you believe that you have a good hand, and there's a good chance you have the best hand, it's still in your interest to raise big on the Turn.
You raised on your Pocket Cards. You raised even more on the Flop. Now (generally) you should raise at least as much on the Turn. You want to force out the fools who stayed in too long, and win more money from those who decide to soldier on to the River (assuming, hopefully, that you have the best hand in the showdown). Obviously, as the bets go up, so do the risks. You'll lose some, but statistically, you win long-term by raising on the Turn.
What about the River? Here, the calculation is different from the Flop and Turn. It's now so late in the hand that it's extremely hard to make a big enough bet to scare anyone out. So, here's my (rather obvious) formula for River play:
The stronger you believe your hand is, then the bigger your River bet should be. You need to take advantage of the fact that the other players will feel pot-committed and focus on their sunk costs. You may lose individual hands, but in the long run, if you're raising with strong hands, you'll come out ahead.
The weaker you believe your hand is, then the smaller your River bet should be. You may be worried that someone connected with a better hand. Since it's harder to force anyone out at this point, you should either call or, if you're first to act, make a more modest bet. This is a safer route that will allow you to avoid massive chip losses. Of course, don't bet so small that it induces the other players to raise you. After all, I'm assuming at this point that you've been playing right by playing tight: You may still have the best hand, and you don't want to be forced out by another player's bluff.
That's the most general of formulas, I realize. But at base, the only way you can get good at making the right call is a combination of experience and judgment. Have at it.
2. Finishing the Slow Play: Let's say you've been slow-playing, and further, that the Turn card confirms your belief that you have the nuts (or close to it). Should you continue to slow play on the Turn?
No. Typically, the flop is where you should start a slow-play. There are excellent reasons why you should not slow-play the Turn, and I strongly agree. Instead, you should take advantage of the fact that, after the Flop, most players now feel pot-committed, and more more likely to call your raise. If you continue to slow play the Turn, you're simply forgoing the opportunity to make some additional money.
Thus, at the Turn, you should raise -- but only a moderate amount. Don't raise too much, because you don't want to scare them away. Raise just enough to add money to the pot, while keeping the other players in through the River.
On the River, if you still have the strongest hand, then it's time to unleash Hell. You've trapped your opponents. If they stayed in this long, then they have what they believe to be a good hand and often feel pot-committed. In addition, there's a good chance that they'll think you're trying to bluff your way out -- especially if they're holding a reasonably good hand. Now's the time to maximize your winnings by raising. And reraising. Bring down the hammer on them.
To sum up the Slow Play: Call or check on the Flop. Raise a little on the Turn. Raise big-time on the River.
3. Late Folds: I mentioned in Guideline #1.0 that, in most circumstances, if you're folding on the turn or river, then you're folding too late. I'd like to discuss the exception.
Let's use the example from above. You're holding King-10 of Hearts, and the board Flopped Ace-8-3 of Hearts. You have an Ace-High Flush. Let's say that an opponent with pocket Aces stays in the hand. He thinks he's doing really well on the Flop, with Trip-Aces.
Then comes an improbable Turn card: 8 of clubs. Oops. If you're paying attention to the board (something we'll get to in Guideline #2), you should notice that the board has a pair of 8s. This should tell you that you're facing a Full House possibility. And indeed, in this example, the 8 of clubs is devastating for you. Your opponent now has a Full House, beating your Flush.
If your opponent raises big time on this Turn card, and you don't think he's bluffing to create the mere appearance of a Full House, then accept the bad beat and FOLD NOW. Of course, at the time it's impossible to know if you're right, so, as with all things, this will become clearer with experience.
The point is, if you truly think you're going to lose, then fold on the Turn (or River), my advice in my previous post notwithstanding.
Moving on. Let's assume that you're not folding. Of course, staying in raises several possibilities: check, raise, or call. And if you raise, how much? But first, to lay the groundwork for "Aggressive," here's the flip side to my "Fold Early, Fold Often" maxim:
"RAISE EARLY, RAISE OFTEN (if you stay in)."
Let's again walk through the crucial decisions in Texas Hold'em.
POCKET CARDS: Raise, Raise, Raise
You're sitting there with your two pocket cards. Nobody's seen a flop yet, and now it's your turn to call, raise, or fold. What do you do? If you have a decent (or possibly decent) hand, you'll probably decide to stay in. And for most people, the thinking process ends there. They'll call the Big Blind. They'll say, "I only have two cards. What's the point of raising if you don't know what you have yet?"
Wrong. What these "callers" fail to understand is that everyone else is in the same boat. Everyone (except the few who are staring at a pair) at the table is thinking about their possible hands (Will this make a straight? A flush?). The strategic failure of the callers is that they don't use this fact to their advantage.
How? By raising. Calling should not be your default bet. I'm not saying you should never call. But you should have a deliberate purpose behind calling. On balance, however, it's better to raise. Here's why:
1. Force Tough Decisions: By raising early, before you've even seen the flop, you force others into making tough choices. If you raise, someone who would've called with only a marginal hand will, instead, likely fold. If the guy sitting to your left is facing a raise, suddenly his Queen-8 suited isn't looking so spectacular. Raising also will encourage the Big Blind player to get out, since odds are he was hoping for a free ride anyway. Getting other people out of the hand automatically increases your odds of winning the pot -- which is, ultimately, the point, isn't it?
2. Gather Intelligence: Raising early also serves as an intelligence-gathering operation. If someone calls your raise, then you know they have something good. And if someone raises your raise, well, then, give serious consideration to getting out now unless you're really confident in your hole cards. Yeah, you'll lose the amount you just bet, but you'll save a lot of dough that you would otherwise waste calling this guy's raise.
3. Avoid Bad Beats: In the "Turn and River" section of my previous post, I hinted that you can improve your chances of avoiding bad beats. Raising early is the key. If, in the example above, you only call, rather than raise, then the player with the Queen-8 suited is more likely to stay in, especially if he's the Big or Small Blind. Since he has both a straight draw and a flush draw at that point, (not to mention a Queen that could pair or triple up), this automatically reduces your odds of winning the pot. And if he makes a hand, then suddenly the two Jacks that you simply called with are outclassed.
The Bottom Line: Have courage. You may be reluctant to raise, because that means you're putting more of your chips at risk. But you're not thinking big-picture. Unless someone raises before you (a situation we'll get to in my next poker post), the cost of an individual raise is relatively small. But the payoff -- in terms of (1) getting people out of the hand, and (2) information -- is very high. And this, in turn, dramatically increases you odds of winning the pot.
THE FLOP: Raise-Reraise and the Slow Play
There are two raising strategies: Raise-reraise and the slow-play.
1. Aggressively Raise-Reraise: The lessons described above are even more important on the Flop. If you connect on the Flop, or have a legitimately strong draw, then don't call. Raise. Reraise.
The key benefit of raising here is to force out players on a draw who were planning to check or call. Get them out now, before they connect on the Turn or River. Of course, you'll probably need kick it up a bit, because most of the remaining players are feeling increasingly pot-committed at this point. Thus, you're going to have to make a larger raise to induce them to fold.
Obviously, if everyone folds, then you've won the pot. You might ask, "Yeah, but if I called instead of raised, then couldn't I have won more money from them on the Turn or River?" The answer is "Usually, no." If you're asking that question, then you're making the dangerous assumption that you currently have the best hand. Statistically, it's better to get people to fold now, rather than running the risk that they connect with a better hand later. A bird in the hand...
Finally, as with the first betting round, the intel-gathering value of raising is obvious. If someone calls your raise, or reraises, then odds are they Flopped something good. Unless you think they're full of shit, then you'd better have a really good hand before calling a reraise.
2. The Slow Play: When should you call (or check) on the flop, rather than raise? One reason is to keep 'em guessing, which I'll get to Guideline #3. But the primary reason to check/call is if you have the nuts. If you have the best possible hand on the flop, or very close to the best possible hand, then you should strongly consider "trapping" the other players by pretending, through your betting actions, that you have a weak hand.
For example, if you flopped an Ace-High Flush, now there are only three highly-improbable hands that can beat you: Full House, Four of a Kind, or Straight Flush. Take a look at the board now, and watch for those possibilities on the Turn or River. (We'll discuss watching the board in Guideline #2). But unless possibilities materializes on the board, you're sitting pretty with the Ace-High Flush.
Does it make sense to bet big in these nut circumstances? Probably not. Unlike the raise-reraise situation described above, if you have the nuts, you don't want to scare people out of the hand. You want them to do the betting. Let your opponents think they have the better hand. If you're lucky, then somebody might have straight, or a (lower) Flush. Or they may have tripled-up their pocket pairs. Either way, you're well ahead now. Let them become more pot-committed through the Flop and Turn, and then raise the stakes on the River -- as we'll get to shortly.
Note: You should slow-play only when you have a nearly-unbeatable hand, and even then, not every time. Never forget that you could catch a bad beat, and get caught in your own slow-play trap.
TURN & RIVER: Raising, Finishing the Slow Play, & Late Folds
At this point in the hand, you should be confident that you have a strong hand, and are playing either raise-reraise or slow-play. Let's look at both in turn.
1. Raise-Reraise (Mostly): On the Turn, you should continue to play very aggressively (unless you're slow-playing). If you believe that you have a good hand, and there's a good chance you have the best hand, it's still in your interest to raise big on the Turn.
You raised on your Pocket Cards. You raised even more on the Flop. Now (generally) you should raise at least as much on the Turn. You want to force out the fools who stayed in too long, and win more money from those who decide to soldier on to the River (assuming, hopefully, that you have the best hand in the showdown). Obviously, as the bets go up, so do the risks. You'll lose some, but statistically, you win long-term by raising on the Turn.
What about the River? Here, the calculation is different from the Flop and Turn. It's now so late in the hand that it's extremely hard to make a big enough bet to scare anyone out. So, here's my (rather obvious) formula for River play:
The stronger you believe your hand is, then the bigger your River bet should be. You need to take advantage of the fact that the other players will feel pot-committed and focus on their sunk costs. You may lose individual hands, but in the long run, if you're raising with strong hands, you'll come out ahead.
The weaker you believe your hand is, then the smaller your River bet should be. You may be worried that someone connected with a better hand. Since it's harder to force anyone out at this point, you should either call or, if you're first to act, make a more modest bet. This is a safer route that will allow you to avoid massive chip losses. Of course, don't bet so small that it induces the other players to raise you. After all, I'm assuming at this point that you've been playing right by playing tight: You may still have the best hand, and you don't want to be forced out by another player's bluff.
That's the most general of formulas, I realize. But at base, the only way you can get good at making the right call is a combination of experience and judgment. Have at it.
2. Finishing the Slow Play: Let's say you've been slow-playing, and further, that the Turn card confirms your belief that you have the nuts (or close to it). Should you continue to slow play on the Turn?
No. Typically, the flop is where you should start a slow-play. There are excellent reasons why you should not slow-play the Turn, and I strongly agree. Instead, you should take advantage of the fact that, after the Flop, most players now feel pot-committed, and more more likely to call your raise. If you continue to slow play the Turn, you're simply forgoing the opportunity to make some additional money.
Thus, at the Turn, you should raise -- but only a moderate amount. Don't raise too much, because you don't want to scare them away. Raise just enough to add money to the pot, while keeping the other players in through the River.
On the River, if you still have the strongest hand, then it's time to unleash Hell. You've trapped your opponents. If they stayed in this long, then they have what they believe to be a good hand and often feel pot-committed. In addition, there's a good chance that they'll think you're trying to bluff your way out -- especially if they're holding a reasonably good hand. Now's the time to maximize your winnings by raising. And reraising. Bring down the hammer on them.
To sum up the Slow Play: Call or check on the Flop. Raise a little on the Turn. Raise big-time on the River.
3. Late Folds: I mentioned in Guideline #1.0 that, in most circumstances, if you're folding on the turn or river, then you're folding too late. I'd like to discuss the exception.
Let's use the example from above. You're holding King-10 of Hearts, and the board Flopped Ace-8-3 of Hearts. You have an Ace-High Flush. Let's say that an opponent with pocket Aces stays in the hand. He thinks he's doing really well on the Flop, with Trip-Aces.
Then comes an improbable Turn card: 8 of clubs. Oops. If you're paying attention to the board (something we'll get to in Guideline #2), you should notice that the board has a pair of 8s. This should tell you that you're facing a Full House possibility. And indeed, in this example, the 8 of clubs is devastating for you. Your opponent now has a Full House, beating your Flush.
If your opponent raises big time on this Turn card, and you don't think he's bluffing to create the mere appearance of a Full House, then accept the bad beat and FOLD NOW. Of course, at the time it's impossible to know if you're right, so, as with all things, this will become clearer with experience.
The point is, if you truly think you're going to lose, then fold on the Turn (or River), my advice in my previous post notwithstanding.
Friday, September 7, 2007
A Film That Will Live in Infamy
*****
I hereby nominate Pearl Harbor as the Worst Film of All Time. It has a lot of competition, I know. But hear me out. I’m sure there are objectively worse films. But doesn't it makes sense to judge a film not solely relative to other movies, but also against what that film could, and should, have been? Imagine, for a moment, what this movie have been in the hands of a more capable cast and director.
Let's face it: this three-hour waste of time should be renamed Weird Love Triangle in 1941. As Bill Maher might put it: New Rule: If you decide to title a movie after a historical event, then you have a special obligation not only to do the film well, but also to actually focus on that event. If the filmmakers decided to name a movie Pearl Harbor, it should actually be about Pearl Harbor, simply because now it is “The” film about the event
The rest of Pearl Harbor focused on an inane love story in a pathetic attempt to make the audience identify with the characters. I suppose one could level the same criticism at Titanic, but at least that film actually focused on the sinking ship, and interwove the love story in a somewhat sensible way with the sinking of the doomed vessel. But with Pearl Harbor, it’s as though the central historical event bore no relationship to the rest of the film. I guess that's the point, isn't it? The special effects trump character yet again.
To be honest, long before the end, I was hoping that all three of the main characters would die -- and thereby spare me the continually agonizing reminder that I wasted $9 to watch what amounted to the celluloid equivalent of excrement.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Wine and Pizza and Olives, Oh My
Last week I tried the Au Bon Climat 2005 Pinot Noir, and I have to admit that I loved it. Yet, Wine Spectator rated it only 83 points. While WS's rating are usually dead-on, this is the perfect example of how, when it comes to wine, personal taste trumps all.
After pouring, it smelled deliciously fruity, which was revealed upon tasting as a mix of raspberry and mild black pepper flavors. The finish was particularly satisfying, and all in all, I'd push the rating up to WS's "very good" range, say, an 86.
The bottle went down particularly well with a pepperoni and black olive pizza. OK, so I drink wine with pizza. Chill out. They tell me that the '05 Pinot is ready to drink, and is peaking sometime in the next year or so, so give me a break. I have to drink it with something.
So, if you have a bottle of this, give it a whirl, and hopefully, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I find myself wishing that I purchased more than just two bottles.
After pouring, it smelled deliciously fruity, which was revealed upon tasting as a mix of raspberry and mild black pepper flavors. The finish was particularly satisfying, and all in all, I'd push the rating up to WS's "very good" range, say, an 86.
The bottle went down particularly well with a pepperoni and black olive pizza. OK, so I drink wine with pizza. Chill out. They tell me that the '05 Pinot is ready to drink, and is peaking sometime in the next year or so, so give me a break. I have to drink it with something.
So, if you have a bottle of this, give it a whirl, and hopefully, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I find myself wishing that I purchased more than just two bottles.
McCain Heart Bush
McCain has so wedded himself to Bush that now he makes Bush-like jokes that belittle the questioner. Nice guy.
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