The Jedi Council we first encounter in The Phantom Menace are introduced in Acts of War. We also meet Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who along with other Council members and Padawans, pay a visit to the Yinchorri, a violent species admitted to the Republic a mere 20 or so years before this story takes place. They’ve taken advantage of the Republic’s technology: ships, blasters, and especially cortosis ore, fashioning them into shields that can burn out a lightsaber. It’s a suicide mission not just to Yinchorr, but to two other nearby planets in search of the Yinchorri’s command base.
Meanwhile, an army of Yinchorri barge into the Jedi Temple to obliterate the Jedi. This is a nice foreshadowing of what happens in Revenge of the Sith, as Darth Sidious has a background role in the Yinchorri’s attacks, something Yoda senses but not clearly. Thus, readers are introduced not just to the Dark Lord, but to his apprentice, Darth Maul and best of all, to Vilmarh “Villie” Grarhk, a Devaronian who fancies himself a bounty hunter, but will take on any shady mission. Those who only read the novels or watch the movies won’t encounter him again unless they read the Republic comic series.
Mace Windu, coolest Jedi ever, leads the mission to Yinchorr, which isn’t the success he would have liked, but ends as he expected. Strangely, it’s Saesee Tiin who sports the purple lightsaber rather than Windu — weird, especially because this series was released after The Phantom Menace.
Aside from the mix-up in lightsaber colors, the artwork is phenomenal. What else is there to say?
Pop-Up (click to enlarge)
(click here to view the game pics)
It would’ve been totally cool if I caught it in my glove, but I didn’t. As one of my goalie friends said, my glove’s way too small — it’s junior-sized, really old, and still not broken in — not flexible with deep pockets like these new gloves, but not to worry! I’ve already ordered Brian’s Custom Sports’s new intermediate Dx2 glove and blocker in colors to match my leg pads! I just wish they’d get here sooner. The store couldn’t expedite the order because the company’s busy making all the pros’ gear before the season starts. Damn NHL goalies. Well, I’m a professional recreational ice hockey goalie, so what about me?! Anyway, what ended up happening is that I crossed my arms, thinking to hold the puck against my chest when it fell back down (see picture 25), but I missed because the puck stayed in the air longer than I thought it would. Weird, huh? At least I dropped down quickly enough to freeze it before one of the Squirrels tipped it in.
The Orange team played the Squirrels last year, and like us, they’re a green-level team. However, because we’re an exhibition team, anyone who plays against us can have any level player on their roster. We can too, but we don’t. Whenever we’ve played them, including this game, it’s been a super-experienced, high-level goalie who we’ve concluded must have played in college, not a rookie like me. I mean, even the advanced players on our PCC team couldn’t get the puck past her — WTF? At least most of their skaters were about the same level as our Orange team, and their team overall was our speed. A lot of our players also hadn’t played since the end of the Spring Mixer or even the end of last season. It was a good game.
Brian’s Goalie Summary
First Period: The first goal, as one of my teammates put it, was really cheap. I made the save — had the puck covered with my leg, but I should have lay my leg completely flat on the ice because the Squirrel pushed it in underneath my leg pad.
Fighting Squirrels 1, Tigers 0.
Second Period: Breakaway by #7, probably their best skater. I moved with her well, but obviously not well enough because she scored low on my stick side.
Fighting Squirrels 2, Tigers 0.
Third Period: Another breakaway by #7 who scored high on my glove side for their third goal.
Final Score: Fighting Squirrels 3, Tigers 0. (Note that Brian’s stats may not match those reflected on the scoreboard, but since it’s Brian’s summary, I always go by his stats. Besides, most of the time, the scorekeeper doesn’t keep track of the players’ shots on goal.)
Goalie Stats
For stats abbreviation key, see below.
Tsk, tsk, tsk . . . such a handsome villain! I’m sure by now it isn’t considered a spoiler to reveal that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the movie in which Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the ultimate Harry Potter bad guy, returns to a normal state. For him.
Though he’s completely bald and has serpentine nostrils as described in the book, his eyes are normal and he doesn’t wear robes like the Death Eaters (similar to Darth Vader’s, I might add). No way — the costume designer did a brilliant job with Voldemort’s outfit whether she designed it or procured it, I don’t know, but he’s sporting a black, custom-tailored designer-looking suit and shirt. Very Pradaesque. Anyway, this is Ralph Fiennes, we’re talking about, so how could he not be a handsome villain?
Students from other wizarding schools coming to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament was also a nice touch — well, it was the main plot, after all. The second best scene (next to Voldemort’s rebirth) was Hermione’s (Emma Watson’s) entrance to the Yule Ball, though that could have been played up more, as Rowling did in the book, especially the way Ron (Rupert Grint) realizes at the last minute that she’s “a girl.”
Still, I’m getting a bit tired of the good guys, and I’m thinking that the Dark Mark on the Death Eaters’ left arms would make awesome tattoos!
“Don’t Go Down or You’ll be a Sponge” — The Ref (click to enlarge)
(click here to view the game pics)
I asked him what he meant, and he said that the ice was still wet, even after it was Zamboni’d. The problem was, it remained wet for the entire game! Later, even one of the Blue players told me that during the third period, she tapped the ice with her stick blade and it actually rippled! When I skated up on Monday, I knew I was coming down with a sinus infection, but this absolutely did not help. I was already on antibiotics and the doctor (not my regular PCP, who was on vacation) assured me that I’d feel better by the weekend, but I didn’t — and it was the weekend of the Puck Cancer Cup! I was sopping wet by the end of this game.
Anyway, we were short about two skaters this game and actually had to borrow a couple of people from the other team. One is jersey #35, and the other is wearing a blank but green jersey.
We had a lot of penalties this game; I have no idea what for, but they had nothing to do with me!
As usual, we put the pressure on in the third period so the final score was 4 - 3, not in our favor. I wonder why we wait until the last period to do that?
Brian’s Goalie Summary
First Period: There was a loose puck in front of the net, thanks to the the crummy ice conditions, and I was scored on via my glove side post. The second goal was from a rebound — I made the first save, but I don’t know where my defense was so Blue had a wide open shot. My only consolation is that an advanced Blue defense(wo)man, Kristen, made a slapshot from near the blue line right into my chest, and I stopped it — remembered to cross my arms and hold the puck to my chest.
First period score: Turtles 0, Blue 2.
Second Period: There was a turnover in front of the net; a Blue player shot it and scored low, stick side.
Second period score: Turtles 0, Blue 3.
Third Period: #37 - Cabby made a great shot while in a scrum in front of the net and scored high, stick side. I should have yelled, “Screen!” but on second thought, who would I have yelled it to? It seemed like everyone was in front of the net.
Because that plugin no longer exists/works, or whatever. I am using WP 2.1.3, I think. They upgrade so fast you can’t even keep track anymore. Does anyone else agree that they should make sure one version is completely bug-free before they work on a newer version? Or am I in the minority here? It isn’t that I don’t like change; I like change if I know it works!
Anyway, there’s been a ton of hockey going on lately. Aside from the summer league, I got some Tigers together to play in the Puck Cancer Cup. We played four games in that tournament, and I’m still trying to decide if I should post four separate posts or just one long one. I mean, there are other things going on in my life, such as the fact that my Internet is down!
For the past few days they kept saying it was a power outage. Now they’re sending a tech over tomorrow between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Brian’s been the one dealing with this entire fiasco, so he’ll stay home ’til the — I’m assuming — guy shows up and fixes the damn thing. We’ve actually been discussing getting a land line, and lately Comcast has been airing these “enlightenment” commercials about their digital land lines that help the Lovie & (insert his wife’s name here) Smith Foundation for who knows what? Well, I’m not exactly enlightened with their Internet service.
I had a bye week the previous week, which is why there’s no Week 6 post. On this particular week, I wasn’t scheduled to play until Thursday, but we were so short on skaters that I (foolishly?) volunteered to play. Many of you know that I was a winger long before I played in net, but without recent practice and coaching, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I just tried to get in the other team’s way!
My forward skates felt so wobbly, and I actually have bruises from falling or whatever! Skaters just aren’t protected as well as goalies are! I had even sworn several months back to never skate up ever again, ever since I got hurt at a women’s skate clinic. But we really needed skaters, so I figured, why not? Brian was happy that I’d be able to carry my own bag and that he wouldn’t have to keep stats! I still won’t skate up during the regular season, but I may consider it for something like spring or summer if we’re really desperate.
Well, I was the only sub! (You’ll see in some of the pics that I’m the only one sitting on the bench, while the other team had almost two full lines!) Thank God I’ve been working on my cardio skills, but towards the end of the third period, I thought I was going to die. I don’t know how our defense did it — they were on the ice for the entire game! Not only that, we tied 1 - 1! Go Turtles!
“How Barbie Got Her Groove Back” (click here to view the game reels — scroll down to about the middle of the page)
(click here to see all 9 game pics)
We remembered to bring the camera, but left the battery at home, so Brian took videos with his camera phone, which aren’t the best quality, and a few pictures with his phone, also. Normally pictures turn out well, but maybe he was too far away.
Anyhow, this was the second game in a week that I played since hurting my knee. It was versus the Purple team, whom I played against that Monday, except this time I wasn’t subbing for the Blue team but playing with my own team: the Turtles. I don’t know how I got my groove back; I think it happened in the third period of the last game, but as soon as I hit the ice this time around, I was totally on.
We were short a bunch of skaters and only had two subs, so my teammates told me to cover the puck as much as I could to give the team a break, a chance to switch players while getting ready for a face-off. The video shows me covering the puck, but playing it, then covering it again shortly afterwards and keeping my glove on it so the ref blew the whistle. The rest of the videos may only interest the people in them, if they’ve never seen themselves play. Not a whole lot happens, and there are two in which I let the puck in — but it’s good to know what sort of mistakes I’m making, or if the goals just weren’t my fault. Anyway, we won!!!!!
Brian’s Goalie Summary
First Period: A high shot, deflected in by the offense in midair, right in front of the net.
First period score: The Turtles 1, Purple 1.
Second Period: Scored on a wraparound behind the net by #10 - Deb B. on Purple (though they wear black jerseys and she wears a white helmet). See Video #11.
Second period score: The Turtles 1, Purple 2.
Third Period: A slapshot by #04 - Allison G. that hit the crossbar and may not have actually gone in, but was counted as a goal. This was the period during which we put the pressure on and they pulled their goalie, though I don’t think we scored on an empty net. I think they pulled her to try and tie up the game.
Unfortunately, this is the last, the ultimate Bourne movie that, at this point, anyway, Matt Damon plans to make. According to an interview with Rebecca Murray at About.com, Damon is quoted as basically saying that in this movie, Bourne finally figures out his identity, so what would they do in a fourth movie: “Actually, I was talking to a journalist yesterday who suggested that we could do [a] fourth one about Bourne losing his keys. And we could do for the entire movie, ‘Where are my keys?’ And that kind of illustrates how out of story we are at this point in terms of what was good about these first three films.”
In fact, Ultimatum is very loosely based on Ludlum’s third book because that one took place during the Cold War. The movie is more plot-based than the first two, although Greengrass does not skimp on the action. What I particularly liked is the intertextuality he uses by filling in the last scenes in Supremacy in the beginning of Ultimatum rather than using flashbacks. (I’m a sucker for intertextuality!) Definitely a must-see.
What I’d like to know is, if there was something going on between Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and David Webb prior to his training at Blackbriar, where he becomes Jason Bourne. Near the beginning of the movie Bourne is reading an article about himself that mentions Marie (Kreutz here, but credited as St. Jacques in the other movies?) dying, and I swear I saw a phrase that said, “he has a wife,” which didn’t seem to indicate Marie. Could it be Nicky?
Cheesy title, I know, but what the hell? Doug Liman, who directed Identity, is the executive producer for this one, and Paul Greengrass (interesting name) directed Supreme. I haven’t bothered to look up why the change in directorship, though, but clearly Greenglass knew what to do with the film.
On one of the DVD’s bonus features, Greenglass attempted to get things in one take, or at least not rehearse scenes before shooting them — the one he was referring to was when Bourne was running from one of the snipers (Karl Urban). Matt Damon said something to the effect that Greenglass encouraged the actors to do what they felt would make his/her scene real, sort of gave them license to “direct” their own acting. Obviously, it worked!
I still won’t skate up during the regular season, but I may consider it for something like spring or summer if we’re really desperate.
The Bourne Ultimatum
