Tag Archives: Commentary

Booking Brock

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Tom Garrett

Last month, Brock Lesnar committed acts of violence rarely witnessed on contemporary WWE programming. Not only that, but he perpetrated those acts against then-WWE Champion and “face of the company” John Cena. This was exactly what should have happened. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Sports, Television | Tagged Brock Lesnar, Commentary, John Cena, Narrative Integrity, Night of Champions, Paul Heyman, Sports Entertainment, Television, WWE | Leave a comment

Some (Possibly Unpopular) Thoughts on Rice and Goodell

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Tom Garrett

A few thoughts on the Ray Rice situation, some of which may be redundant for anyone who’s been following the story, others of which may be uncomfortable for some: 1. Ray Rice should have been suspended for more than two … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Sports | Tagged Commentary, Domestic Violence, General Culture and News, NFL, Ray Rice, Roger Goodell, Sports | 3 Comments

Beast For Business – SummerSlam 2014

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Tom Garrett

In just a few days’ time, shrewd businessman and creative genius Vince McMahon’s troupe of fairly compensated independent contractors will put on their second-biggest show of the year. Originating from its now-annual home, L.A.’s Staples Center, SummerSlam features a complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Sports, Television | Tagged Bork Laser, Brock Lesnar, Commentary, Jack Swagger, John Cena, Lana, Paul Heyman, Pro Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Rusev, Sports, SummerSlam, Television, The Miz, WWE, Zeb Colter | 4 Comments

The Decline of the United States of America in One Chart

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Tom Garrett

The New York Times Chronicle sub-site is a wonderful utility that graphs the frequency of words and phrases over the publication’s history. Users can plug in whatever search terms they wish, and the engine instantly and amazingly checks over a century’s worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Pictures | Tagged Bullying, Commentary, General Culture and News, Hipsters, Humor, New York Times, Pictures | Leave a comment

RAW in Richmond

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Tom Garrett

Due to a last-minute offer of (excellent) tickets, I was able to catch Monday Night RAW in person at the Richmond Coliseum this week. Here, in no particular order, are some observations and live impressions that I’ll jot down before loading up the television … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged Commentary, Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Monday Night Raw, Pro Wrestling, Reviews, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Sports Entertainment, Sting, Television, The Miz, WWE | 2 Comments

Untimely Movie Review: A Streetcar Named Desire

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Tom Garrett

As the Warner Brothers 50 Film Collection moves into a new decade, the first movie from the 1950s is another story based on a play: Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (which I will refer to simply as Streetcar to signal my … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged A Streetcar Named Desire, Commentary, Elia Kazan, Kim Hunter, Marlon Brando, Movies, Reviews, Vivien Leigh, Warner Bros., Warner Brothers | 4 Comments

Fun with Offensive Trademarks

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Tom Garrett

For no particular reason whatsoever, I thought it might be worthwhile to take some time to poke around the USPTO database. I wanted to see what potentially “disparaging,” “immoral,” or “scandalous” trademarks and service marks are still live in 2014. Here’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Politics, Sports | Tagged Commentary, Free Speech, Intellectual Property, Offensiveness, Oneida, Politics, Racism?, Redskins, Sports, The First Amendment, Trademark, Washington Redskins | 11 Comments

Untimely Movie Review: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Tom Garrett

The last of the three Humphrey Bogart films in the Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, from 1948. This is an older, more grizzled Bogey, partially due to simple aging, and partially due to … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Commentary, Humphrey Bogart, John Huston, Movies, Reviews, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Tim Holt, Walter Huston, Warner Bros., Warner Brothers | 4 Comments

This is How You Heel

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Tom Garrett

Three weeks ago, I discussed the looming problem the WWE has in light of its use of heels with face-like qualities. Summarizing, the WWE has embraced the “smart” reaction to effective heels, essentially turning any heel who gets over into … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Sports, Television | Tagged Chris Jericho, Commentary, Dean Ambrose, Pro Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Sam Roberts, Sports, Television, The Miz, WWE | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Casablanca

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Tom Garrett

The last of the films in the Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection released before the end of World War II is 1942’s Casablanca. The Humphrey Bogart / Ingrid Bergman drama followed Mrs. Miniver in winning the Best Picture Oscar. Both movies are films about … Continue reading →