#13- Inception (2010)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

Who's This Was This On
- David "MVP" Einstein: #6
- Daniel Bennett: #7
- Adam Kaplan: #19
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 46

Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Godron-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy,
Dileep Rao, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine

The Plot

Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is an "extractor"- a thief who sneaks into people's minds to steal their inner most thoughts to extract information from them- mainly for corporate espionage. Saito (Watanabe) offers Cobb and his team a lot of money to break into Robert Fischer's (Murphy) dreams in order to add an idea (a.k.a. inception) so that Fischer will dissolve his company in order for Saito to have a monopoly over the energy industry. Inception is believed to be impossible so Cobb and his team are dealt with a tough task of finding a way to add an idea to Robert Fischer's mind. Though once the team begins their inception process things go incredibly wrong. The team must deal with extreme hardship while inside Robert Fischer's mind and must venture further inside his subconscious in order to complete their mission.

Why This Movie Is Great

***WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Why is this movie great? How much time do I have? Inception is fantastic because not only is a complex science fiction brain turner that forces you to watch the movie many, many times in order to understand it fully but it's a great action movie who's second half literally forced me to the edge of my seat when I saw it in the theaters.

At its very basic level, Inception is an action movie. While it's an exciting new twist on the heist movie, it is a heist movie nonetheless. But Inception is all about layers and about depth. If you scratch the surface and go a bit deeper the movie is a psychological story about Cobb and how he chooses to grieve after the death of his wife Mal (Cottilard). Cobb brings Ariadne (Page) into the mission as the architect because he can't create anymore. Now, every time he brings his own imagination into the dream world he sees Mal. Mal is always on his mind and she is so because he still has not let her death go. Mal's death was tragic and Cobb still blames himself for it. However, no matter how horrific a loved's one death may be, it is human nature to grieve and eventually get over it. However, Cobb has not gotten to that point yet and throughout the entire film he struggles to cope with the death of his wife.

As we go even further down the rabbit hole, Inception is about asking yourself what is reality and what is fantasy. The world you live in and what you perceive as real is a social construct and not necessarily objective fact. This was a concept Mal could not face. The film paints a picture that Mal has spent so much time in her fantasy that she can not cope with the realities of "the real world" and therefore kills herself. She believes killing herself will wake her up and get her out of this dream world. Cobb also struggles to differentiate what is real and what is not. One night, Ariadne catches Cobb in a deep, dark slumber. The team's chemist, Yusef (Rao), tells Ariadne that Cobb often spends many, long nights in a slumber and Ariadne catches Cobb dreaming about Mal and the life they lived together. Cobb still struggles to deal with reality which is why he still has not properly coped with Mal's death.

Tangentially, Inception is a metaphor for movie making. Saito, the man who funds the entire mission, is the film's financier. Cobb, who tells everyone what to do and how the show will run, is the director. Arthur (Gordon-Levitt), who does research and the guy sets places up to sleep, is the producer. Ariadne is the screenwriter because she creates the world that will be entered. Eames (Hardy) is the actor as shown by his morphing into different characters throughout the mission. Yusef represents the technical aspects of film making (key grips, lighting, sound guys, etc.). He makes everything needed so that the rest of the crew can successfully complete their mission. Lastly, we have Robert Fischer- who is the audience. Cobb takes Fischer on a wild and amazing adventure so he can have a better understanding of himself.

The biggest question that movie goers have upon first viewing of the movie is whether Cobb's totem top falls over at the very end and whether Cobb successfully got home to see his two children (after all, Cobb took on an incredibly dangerous mission of inception so that he can go home and see his kids- remember Cobb gets blames for Mal's death so he gets forced into exile otherwise he would be locked in jail). First of all, Nolan does not want you to know. The movie at its heart is about the process and not about the end result so Nolan refuses to tell you the end result. However, if you put the clues together, I believe the totem never falls and Cobb does not get to see his kids.

I mainly believe this because when we see the children at the end of the movie they are in the exact same position and look the exact same. This is a very dream-like state. Everything Nolan does is purposeful and volitional and Nolan would not coincidentally place Cobb's children is the EXACT SAME position wearing the exact same clothes.

However, I think the fact that Cobb gets to see his children's faces means that neither we (nor Cobb) really cares that the totem fell. Throughout the movie Cobb struggles to cope with the well-being of his family that the fact that we get to see his children's faces means Cobb is finally starting to move on.

In fact, I believe much of the film is a dream. I think all the scenes in the warehouse are reality but everything else is Cobb's dreams. Think about the plot of the movie rationally and not withing a science fiction movie construct. First, Cobb and Arthur work for a secret corporation and when they fail their mission at the beginning of the movie this secret corporation that we never see is out to get them. Next, Cobb travels all over the world to find his team in order to add an idea into a future CEO's mind. Lastly, Cobb does all this just so he can see his family. He gets off of the place and just like a Disney movie everything is happily ever after. All major plot points are just too dream-like to say they are part of the reality that just happens to fall within the boundaries that Christopher Nolan created for these characters.

I think the scene that is most obviously a dream (before the crew starts their inception mission with Robert Fischer) is the scene where Cobb recruits Eames. First of all, the scene starts off with Cobb and Eames smack dab in the middle of a restaurant in Africa talking to each other. As Cobb tells Ariadne when he first shows her about the dream state, you never know how the dreams start but they feel real once you're in them. The scene starts off randomly and in the middle of a conversation yet you do not know how they got there. Then Cobb gets chased by henchmen of this mysterious corporation. In order to escape them he must travel down alley ways. He loses the henchmen by going down an alley which gets narrower and narrower and he barely escapes in the nick of time. When he does escape Saito is magically and inexplicably waiting for Cobb to whisk him away to safety. All classic elements that it's a dream.

There is great evidence that it's all a dream. As a viewer, we are told that what is real and what is a dream is based upon totems. However, the only totem that we actually see used is Cobb's top. However, Cobb says that the top was originally Mal's. Some people believe that everything was a dream world. First, when Mal kills herself, she is defying logic by being in the hotel room across from Cobb. This is evidence of a dream (Seriously, what person actual rents two hotel rooms, destroys one, then goes to the other in order to kill herself?) and therefore since the top is Mal's but Mal is mainly a dream, the totem is a MacGuffin to the audience and is not actually evidence of reality or fantasy. Others believe that this theory is just reading too much into the movie.

Either way, because I could spend 10+ paragraphs writing about Inception and because the debates will never end about the meaning of the film and because it's just so damn entertaining- Inception deserves a spot on Game Of Inches 25 Greatest Movies of the Past 25 Years list.

FUN FACT: The initials of the main character's names spell DREAMS (Dom, Robert, Eames, Arthur/Ariadne, Mal, Saito)

#14- The Rock (1996)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

This post was written by Cubsfan4evr1

Who's List Was This On
- The 'Bright' One: #4
- Cubsfan4evr: #9
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 40

Directed By: Michael Bay
Written By: David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, and Mark Rosner
Starring: Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, and Ed Harris

The Plot

The Rock is about a US Marine General Francis X. Hummel (Harris), taking over Alcatraz with 81 hostages, and threatens the San Francisco Bay area with a specific biological weapons that many are not trained on. General Hummel and his men are threatening to bomb San Francisco with deadly gas unless $100 million is paid in war reparations to the families of servicemen killed in covert operations. A chemical weapons specialist Stanley Goodspeed (Cage) and the only man to have ever escaped from Alcatraz, John Patrick Mason (Connery) are the only ones who can save the day.

Why This Movie Is Great

In 1996 one of the best action movies in the last 25 years came out, The Rock. That is the reason why Cubsfan4evr1 ranked The Rock number nine and The Bright One Ranked it number four on their list respectively. Both of them grew up watching this classic action movie of all time.

The Rock
stars a veteran cast of actors such as Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris. The acting is superb, in an addition to the suspense in this action thriller which has great writing. The storyline may not be the most believable, but it comes across that way due to the great acting. These types of crises may be happening every day in the U.S. Government and we just don’t know about it! Just kidding. Ed Harris plays a U.S. Marine general and his team takes over Alcatraz and hostages. He comes across as a passionate bad guy for his cause. The only ones who can stop them is Nicolas Cage’s character who plays a down to earth chemical weapons specialist who knows nothing about field combat. Yet he has to convince an ex-convict, Sean Connery, a former spy for the British government who was held captive by the US government to help him after being held captive by the US government. The character development of Nicolas Cage is well developed. He is just a dorky chemical weapons specialist, who has witty banter unknowingly to himself.

If you have been living under a rock since 1996, you need to see this movie to experience one of the best action movies of our generation!

Part Twelve: In Summation / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler In 2011?

Let this post be your guidepost to determine what statistics I use to determine who should go to the Pro Bowl as well as my actual selections

Tim Tebow

Part One: Does Tim Tebow Deserve To Be A Pro Bowler?

The Statistics That I Use As A Basis For My Selections

Part Two: Offense, NFC
Part Three: Offense, AFC
Part Four: Special Teams
Part Five: Defense, NFC
Part Six: Defense, AFC

The Actual Players I Believe Deserve To Go To The Pro Bowl

Part Seven: Offense, NFC
Part Eight: Offense, AFC
Part Nine: Special Teams
Part Ten: Defense, NFC
Part Eleven: Defense, AFC

Part Eleven: AFC Defensive Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler In 2011?

First of all, this list is based upon stats from Week One through Week Fifteen. Secondly, I am a firm believer in using statistics- especially advanced statistics such as DVOA, DYAR, and WPA. You can see the statistics to back up my selections here

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Starters: Andre Carter (NE), Elvis Dumervil (DEN)
Back Up: Jabaal Sheard (CLE)

Apologies to: No One

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Starters: Geno Atkins (CIN), Haloti Ngata (BAL)
Back Up: Vince Wilfork (NE)

Apologies to: Tommy Kelly (OAK), Richard Seymour (OAK), Philip Taylor (CLE)

LINEBACKERS

Starters: Terrell Suggs (BAL), Von Miller (DEN), D'Qwell Jackson (CLE)
Back Ups: Tamba Hali (KC), Daryl Smith (JAX)

Apologies to: No One

SAFETIES

Starters: Eric Weddle (SD), Keenan Lewis (PIT)
Back Up: Troy Polamalu (PIT)

Apologies to: Ed Reed (BAL), Reggie Nelson (CIN)

CORNERBACKS

Starters: Darrelle Revis (NYJ), Joe Haden (CLE)
Back Up: Jonathan Joseph (HOU)

Apologies to: Brandon Flowers (KC)

Part Ten: NFC Defensive Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler In 2011?

First of all, this list is based upon stats from Week One through Week Fifteen. Secondly, I am a firm believer in using statistics- especially advanced statistics such as DVOA, DYAR, and WPA. You can see the statistics to back up my selections here

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Starters: Jared Allen (MIN), Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG)
Back Up: Jason Babin (PHI)

Apologies to: Chris Clemons (SEA)

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Starters: Darnell Dockett (ARI), Justin Smith (SF)
Back Up: Cullen Jenkins (PHI)

Apologies to: Ray McDonald (SF), Ndamukong Suh (DET)

Linebackers

Starters: DeMarcus Ware (DAL), Patrick Willis (SF), Aldon Smith (SF)
Back Ups: Ryan Kerrigan (WAS), NaVorro Bowman (SF), London Fletcher (WAS)

Apologies to: Lance Briggs (CHI), Brian Urlacher (CHI)

SAFETIES

Starters: Kam Chancellor (SEA), Earl Thomas (SEA)
Back Up: Dashon Goldson (SF)

Apologies to: Roman Harper (NO), Quintin Mikell (PHI)

CORNERBACKS

Starters: Carlos Rodgers (SF), Charles Woodson (GB)
Back Up: Brandon Browner (SEA)

Apologies to: Charles Tillman (CHI)

Part Nine: Special Team Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler In 2011?

First of all, this list is based upon stats from Week One through Week Fifteen. Secondly, I am a firm believer in using statistics- especially advanced statistics such as DVOA, DYAR, and WPA. You can see the statistics to back up my selections here

NFC KICK RETURNER
Patrick Peterson (ARI)

AFC KICK RETURNER
Joe McKnight (NYJ)

NFC KICKER
Connor Barth (TB)

AFC KICKER
Mike Nugent (CIN)

NFC PUNTER
Andy Lee (SF)

AFC PUNTER
Brandon Fields (MIA)

Drew Brees Does Not Deserve The MVP: Why The New Orleans QB Is Not Having As Good Of A Season As You Might Think And Why Dan Marino Is Still The Best

And How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb

In Week 16 of the 2011 season, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees set the record for most passing yards in a single season- surpassing Dan Marino's record that he set in 1984. Through 15 games Brees has thrown for 5,087 yards. Through 16 games in 1984, Marino threw for 5,084.

But let's break this down further.

First, it's a lot easier to throw in today's football than it was 30 years ago. The NFL has changed drastically it's really to make it easier for wide receivers to get separation and it makes it harder for defensive backs (or any defensive player) to touch and cover their intended receiver. What Dan Marino did in 1984 is like what Babe Ruth did in 1927. Ruth hit 60 home runs when the rest of the league was hitting 12. Marino putting up the numbers he did at the time he did it in was that much more incredible.

Second, Drew Brees throws it a lot. I mean A LOT. Drew Brees currently leads the NFL in pass attempts with 622. He averages 1.2 more pass attempts per game than second place (Matthew Stafford- and the Lions have spent a lot of games down big by halftime/the 3rd quarter) and 3.067 more attempts per game than third place (Tom Brady). Brees' 2011 season currently ranks him 10th all time among passing attempts.

Having that many attempts hurts Brees tremendously. Through advanced statistics in all sports, we know now that it is not the absolute numbers you put up, but how you get to your total numbers that's most important. Leading the league in strike outs is not very impressive if you also happen to lead the league in innings pitched as well. What's more important is strikeouts per 9 innings as well as strike out to walk ratio. Keep this analogy in mind as we'll get to it later.

Drew Brees was able to set the single season passing record just because he threw it so damn much. Like K/9, the most important statistic for quarterbacks is not total passing yards but rather yards per attempt. Currently, Drew Brees ranks only SIXTH in YPA behind Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, Eli Manning, and Carson Palmer. Ranking outside the top five in a single season for YPA is not very impressive in the least. This statistic alone should take Brees out of MVP discussions.

However, we're going to go further. Like K/BB ratio for pitchers, quarterbacks have TD/INT ratio. Pitchers can get away with not striking a lot of guys out if they also do not walk very many guys (see: most Minnesota Twins pitchers since Johan Santana left). Likewise, it's possible to get away with walking very many guys if you have the ability to strike guys out with batters on base. In baseball, one of the worst things a pitcher can do is walk a batter. We know know that's it's all about on base percentage (and not batting average) for hitters. Likewise for football, one of the worst things a quarterback can do is turn the ball over. Turn overs have been proven to be one of the leading factors to determine which teams wins the ball game. Also, a QB can make up for his turnovers if he's able to score a lot of touchdowns.
Wow! This analogy is perfect *pats himself on the back*

Through 15 games, Drew Brees currently has 13 interceptions and 41 touchdowns. This is good for a 3.15 TD/INT ratio. Anything above 2:1 is impressive so Brees has a fantastic TD/INT ratio. However, Brees currently ranks 4th in this category in 2011 behind Aaron Rodgers (7.5), Tom Brady (3.27), Tony Romo (3.22), and Alex Smith (3.20).

But wait Adam, Brees currently on pace to set the single season mark for most completions? Shouldn't that count for something?

Yes, random naysayer I just made up, yes it does. That completion percentage is another amazing accomplishment. Right now Brees has a completion percentage of 71.2%. Who's in second place? Bress and his 2009 season when he completed 70.6% of his passes (as well as Ken Anderson in 1982 when he also completed 70.6% of his passes).

However, I would be more impressed with that completion percentage if 1) It wasn't painfully obvious the percentage was a result of Sean Payton's system and 2) if New Orleans did not have three out of the top 15 receivers in terms of yards after the catch. Two of which are running backs and the third one being a tight end.

New Orleans running back Darren Sproles currently leads the league in YAC with 649, running back Pierre Thomas is 12th with 443 and tight end Jimmy Graham is 15th with 407.

What this tells me is that Drew Brees gets a lot of completions coming from dink and dumps and easy passes over the middle. While I would rather have my quarterback completing passes than not completing passes, if I'm going to say a quarterback absolutely deserves to win the MVP, he needs to not derive so much of his value from being Chad Pennington-esque.

What's even more telling about Drew Brees and his MVP chances if that he ranks 3rd in terms of DVOA (a metric that measures how valuable a player is per play), 3rd in WPA/game, and 2nd in EPA/game (WPA and EPA are metrics that takes into account not only total yards and such but time in the game, down, and distance. Think about it- a 3 yard gain is more impressive on 4th and 2 late in the 4th quarter than on 1st and 10 early in the first. WPA and EPA takes things like that into consideration).

Despite all my Drew Brees bashing that I have just done, do not get it twisted and think that I hate Drew Brees. I do not. Brees' 2011 season has been stellar and amazing and I would love for Brees and his system to be on the team that I root for. Brees absolutely deserved his Pro Bowl berth and he should get all the kudos in the world for having a great season in 2011. What I am saying is that he does not deserve to be the MVP.

That honor belongs to (ugh, this pains me to say as a Bears fan): Aaron Rodgers. First of all, there has been only two seasons where a quarterback has had a TD/INT ratio of over 6:1- Tom Brady in 2010 (9:1) and Tom Brady in 2007 (6.25:1). As mentioned earlier, Aaron Rodgers has a TD/INT ratio of 7.5:1. ESPN and the shitty hype machine that it is should be making a much bigger deal of Aaron Rodger's TD/INT ratio than of Drew Brees' single season passing record.

Rodgers currently leads the NFL in: TD/INT ratio, passing touchdowns, passer rating, QBR, Yards Per Attempt, DVOA, and EPA. That also doesn't take into account his 257 rushing yards (4.3 YPC) and 3 rushing touchdowns. Rodgers is also 2nd in DYAR (total passing value) and WPA. To add to that, Rodgers has a sub par offensive line. According to Football Outsides, the Green Bay Packers have the 23rd ranked passing O-line (In contrast, the New Orleans Saints have the 3rd best). PLUS, Rodgers passes the eye test with flying colors. Every time I see Rodgers play it looks like every ball he throws should be completed. Every pass looks right on the money and I am baffled to as how Rodgers doesn't have a 100% completion percentage.

There should be no co-MVP in 2011 and Drew Brees should not get any first place votes for MVP. This award is Aaron Rodgers' award and HE should get every single first place vote. I don't care that the Packers lost a game. If you're gonna be that petty then I'll point out Drew Brees and the Saints lost to the St. Louis Rams. THE 2-13 RAMS! (as well as two others- including Aaron Rodger's Packers). You are a very good and talented QB Drew Brees but I'm sorry, 2011 is NOT your year.

#15- Superbad (2007)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

Who's List Was This On
- Adam Kaplan: #5
- The 'Bright' One: #14
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 33

Directed By: Greg Mottola
Written By: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, and Emma Stone

The Plot

During one day towards the end of their senior year, Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) must prepare for their last party to create one last epic night before they both go their separate ways before heading into college.

Why This Movie Is Great

***WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Underneath the Coen Brother porn jokes and all the raunchiness of Superbad is a beautiful story of two long time friends that are struggling to cope with their last days together before they go their separate ways once the summer ends.

While I personally think there are plenty of Judd Apatow vehicles that are MUCH funnier than Superbad (e.g. The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall) there is no BETTER movie than Superbad. Superbad is this generation's defining comedy. Whether you agree with it or not, no movie better has summarized a generation since Dazed and Confused.

We long to be young and care-free. We all have to grow up and evolve but we don't necessarily want to. This youthfulness and exuberance is the underlying motivations for both the Seth and Evan story line as well as the Fogell/McLovin (Mintz-Plasse), Officer Slater (Hader), and Officer Michaels (Rogen) story line.

First we'll talk about the B plot with the police officers and McLovin. Throughout the movie we're presented with this plot of two incompetent police officers who bring a high schooler to a bar and allow him to help apprehend potential suspects. However, as the story progresses and as we get the reveal from the officers when they meet McLovin' back at Jules' (Stone) house, all the officers want to do is show Fogell a good time. They know Fogell was using a fake I.D. the entire time and they know they're not supposed to take him to a bar to bust a drunk and disorderly person. But it's not about that. It's about just showing Fogell a great time. As the officers tell Fogell, they hated cops when they were Fogell's age and they just wanted to show the student that not all cops are bad. Superbad is about having that one epic night and Fogell absolutely achieved that with the help of his new friends.

Now the A story line between Seth and Evan. There's an underlying tension that's exists between the two characters throughout the entire movie. Evan will be attending Stanford in the fall and Seth will be forced to go to a state college. It's hard to say goodbye your best friend and it's even harder when you're as socially awkward like Seth and Evan are and when you haven't made many friends while in high school. This one last epic night will be one of the last times the friends will get to really get to hang out with each other and it truly is one of the last nights each of the boys will get to have a sexual experience while they're young. Seth jokes:
I don't want to talk a lot of shit OK. But [Jules is] gonna be at the party, and she's gonna be drunk, and she likes me at least a little, enough to get with me. At the very least I'll make out with her, two weeks hand job, month blow job, whatever whatever. And then, I make her my girlfriend. And I've got like two solid months of sex. By the time college rolls around I'll be like the Iron Chef of pounding vaj.
This quote is exactly what is at the core of Superbad. It's raunchy and gross but underneath it all is actually a sweet sentiment about youth and sexual yearning. To Seth, Jules is not a "notch on his belt" or someone whom he can brag to his friends about but a potential girlfriend or companion that he can spend his last remaining days before college with.

Seth and Evan struggle with the fact that not only are they sexually inexperienced but soon they not get to see each other every day. The movie slowly builds up these two problems the main characters have until it finally blows up in their face after Seth and Evan first escape from Officer Slater and Officer Michaels. It only seems fitting that they start to come to grips with their solution as they run away from the two officers the second time.

The parting shot where Seth rides down the escalator looking up at Evan on top is a beautiful shot. The boys have to part ways sooner rather than later and luckily they each have a beautiful woman on their side now. It was just a great way to end the movie to sum up all the problems the two main characters suffered through throughout the film.

Worst QB League Update- Week 16

1) The 'Bright' One

Total: 1,418
Last Week: 92

Washington: 10
Indianapolis: -7
Denver: 89
Philadelphia: 0

2) Adam Kaplan

Total: 1,250
Last Week: 67

Jacksonville: 25
Chicago: 10
Tampa Bay: 10
Baltimore: 22

3) Dan Bennett

Total: 1,178
Last Week: 80

Miami: 9
Oakland: 10
Kansas City: 4
NY Jets: 57

4) Cubsfan4evr1

Total: 1,101
Last Week: 80

St. Louis: 62
Minnesota: 1
Tennessee: 1
Buffalo: 16

5) Steven Anderson

Total: 1,077
Last Week: 85

Seattle: 11
San Francisco: 18
Cleveland: 27
Arizona: 29

#16- My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

Who's List Was This On
- Bryan Hernandez: #7
- Daniel Bennett: #15
- Adam Kaplan: #23
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 33

Directed By: Jonathan Lynn
Written By: Dale Launer
Starring: Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio, and Fred Gwynne

The Plot

Two friends from New York Bill (Macchio) and Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are on a road trip before school starts when they get arrested and are wrongfully accused of murder while driving through Alabama. Bill calls on his cousin Vincent Gambini (Pesci) who recently graduated from a lower-tiered law school and is woefully inexperienced in criminal litigation to help represent the boys. Vinny and his fiance Mona Lisa Vito (Tomei) drive down to Alabama to help get Bill and Stan acquitted. Hilarity ensues.

Why This Movie Is Great
Hey, Stan, you're in Ala-fuckin'-bama. You come from New York. You killed a good ol' boy. There is no way this is not going to trial!
-Vinny Gambini-

It should be no surprise that when three out of the six rankers are currently in law school and one ranker just recently graduated from law school that My Cousin Vinny would make the list of the 25 Greatest Movies of the Past 25 Years.

This movie is not only the funniest legal movie of all time, but one of the funniest movies period. Of course it goes without saying that it is my favorite and probably the best legal movie ever (or at least within the past 25 years. A Few Good Men gave it a run for its money but Tom Cruise's and everyone else's over-the-top, non-subtle acting took the movie out of the running- at least for me).

This movie has scenes that make for a great tool for any law related class. I've seen about half of the movie just from taking multiple classes from one particular law professor. My favorite scene in the movie is where Vinny Gambini is cross-examining the witness who was making grits for breakfast and claims to have seen the murder take place while he was making his breakfast. I love this scene and even though I've seen this scene at least 20 times (not a hyperbole) it still cracks me up. While I was in high school, the law club used that scene to help advertise members to join their crew. Not only is that scene wildly hilarious, but it's the perfect embodiment of why Vinny Gambini is a great character and a great trial lawyer.

Joe Pesci and the rest of the cast does a great acting job in this comedy classic. I don't care that it's a comedy and that Pesci doesn't do his classic Pesci kick, great acting is great acting no matter if you makes you laugh or not. And while we're on the subject, I believe Marisa Tomei deserved the Academy Award for her performance and I don't believe Jack Palance read the wrong name when he presented. Tomei was fantastic as Pesci's fiance. She played that New York no nonsense girl perfectly and was great in Vinny. Lastly, we have Herman Munster himself (Gwynne) as Judge Haller. While he mainly plays the straight man to Pesci he brings a certain, subtle je nais se qua to the role to help anchor the movie- a lot of which takes place in the courtroom.

What I also like about My Cousin Vinny are the little things don't seem to drive the plot until the movie is completed. Vinny and Mona Lisa sitting and eating breakfast or talking about automobiles doesn't seem so important until you realize how it comes up later and how it helps develop Vinny and Mona Lisa as characters. I'm just a sucker for those moments that occur in film.

I've seen this movie about 10 times already and each and every time it makes me laugh. I still crack up when the Prosecutor (Lane Smith) goes "Eye-*claps hands together*-Dentical". I'm a big fan of My Cousin Vinny and I was pleased to see my fellow law breathren are as well.

Part Eight: AFC Offensive Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowlers In 2011?

First of all, this list is based upon stats from Week One through Week Fifteen. Secondly, I am a firm believer in using statistics- especially advanced statistics such as DVOA, DYAR, and WPA. You can see the statistics to back up my selection here

QUARTERBACK
Starter: Tom Brady
Back Up #1: Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
Named Back Up #2 But Can't Play Due To Injury: Matt Schaub (HOU)
Subjective Back Up #2: Andy Dalton (CIN)
Objective Back Up #2: Philip Rivers (SD)

You can read about my struggles to rank the second back up and I explore the possibility of making the last back up Tim Tebow here

Apologies to: No One

RUNNING BACK
Starter: Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX)
Should Be Named But Can't Play Due To Injury: Fred Jackson (BUF), Darren McFadden (OAK)
Actual Back Ups: Arian Foster (HOU), Ray Rice (BAL)

Apologies to: Ben Tate (HOU), Ryan Matthews (SD)

WIDE RECEIVER
Starters: Wes Welker (NE), Mike Wallace (PIT)
Back Ups: A.J. Green (CIN), Vincent Jackson (SD)

Apologies to: Brandon Marshall (MIA), Dwayne Bowe (KC), Anquan Boldin (BAL)

TIGHT END
Starter: Rob Gronkowski (NE)
Back Up: Antonio Gates (SD)

Apologies to: Aaron Hernandez (NE)

Part Seven: NFC Offensive Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler in 2011?

First of all, this list is based upon stats from Week One through Week Fifteen. Secondly, I am a firm believer in using statistics- especially advanced statistics such as DVOA, DYAR, and WPA. You can see the statistics to back up my selection here

QUARTERBACK
Starter: Aaron Rodgers (GB)
Back Up #1: Drew Brees (NO)
Subjective Back Up #2: Jay Cutler (CHI)
Objective Back Up #2: Tony Romo (DAL)

Apologies to: Matt Ryan (ATL), Matthew Stafford (DET), and Eli Manning (NYG)

RUNNING BACK
Starter: LeSean McCoy (PHI)
Should Be Named But Can't Play Due To Injury: Matt Forte (CHI), DeMarco Murray (DAL), Adrian Peterson (MIN)
Actual Back Ups: Marshawn Lynch (SEA), Frank Gore (SF)

Apologies to: Michael Turner (ATL), Jonathan Stewart (CAR)

WIDE RECEIVER
Starters: Calvin Johnson (DET), Jordy Nelson (GB)
Back Ups: Victor Cruz (NYG), Laurent Robinson (DAL)

Apologies to: Steve Smith (CAR), Roddy White (ATL), Hakeem Nicks (NYG), Greg Jennings (GB), Marques Colston (NO)

TIGHT END
Starter: Jimmy Graham (NO)
Back Up: Tony Gonzalez (ATL)

Apologies to: Jason Witten (DAL), Jermichael Finley (GB)

(Redux) #22- For Love Of The Game

For Love Of The Game is GOI's own Cubsfan4evr1's favorite movie of all time. For that reason it deserved a spot on Game Of Inches's list of the25 Greatest Movies Of The Past 25 Years. When the final list for Game Of Inches was calculated, the movie ranked #22.

I personally started compiling the list and writing posts immediately after I finished my 5th semester law school finals. For Love Of The Game was ranked fairly low on the list and unfortunately for Cubsfan he had to turn in to me his movie review of the film in the middle of December- during the busiest month of his job. Sadly, he did not have time to turn in his review to me by the time the post was scheduled to be released and because I wanted to keep the list moving, I created a post for For Love Of The Game without Cubsfan's review.

But now Cubfan has completed his movie review! I added his review on to the original For Love Of The Game post.

Please read Cubsfan's full review here

#17- Casino Royale (2006)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

This post was written by guest writer Bryan Hernandez

Who's List This Was On:
- Bryan Hernandez: #9
- The 'Bright' One: #10
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 33




Directed By: Martin Campbell
Written By: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench,Mads Mikkelsen, and Jeffrey Wright
Based Upon: The book Casino Royale by Jason Fleming

The Plot

Daniel Craig portrays the classic character James Bond in a re-boot of the series. Casino Royale is an origin story of how James Bond becomes JAMES BOND and 007. Bond uncovers a terrorist plot created by Le Chiffre (Mikkelsen) and Bond must play in an international high stakes Texas Hold 'Em tournament started by Le Chiffre in order to get a better grasp on the terrorists plans.

Why This Movie Is Great

Hollywood seems to be all about the gritty re-boot these days. While this trend could be a breeding ground for some top-notch crap, film audiences can thank it for several fine motion pictures. Casino Royale is a perfect example.

For those of you know don’t know myself, I am a certified James Bond fanatic. In what has been called “an ostentatious display of wealth,” I own every single movie in an extensive box set, a custom tailored Goldfinger-esque white tux jacket, several real bowties, and both Omega watches worn by 007. Mr. Bond and his creator Ian Fleming can do practically no wrong in my eyes. That being said, Die Another Day is an abomination of a film. Bond villains, plots, and settings have always been far fetched, but Die Another Day approached another level. After 1995’s Goldeneye, the series went into free fall, releasing three films of decreasing quality, culminating in the disaster of Die Another Day. Casino Royale represents the coup de grâce that the series needed (and that fans like me had been craving). Casino injected some much needed realism and relevance into one of the greatest franchises of all time.

Sure Casino Royale capitalizes on some of Hollywood’s favorite money making techniques for creating a sure-fire and high-grossing modern action movie. The shaky “JitterCam” cinematography and highly choreographed fight scenes are straight out of the Bourne movies. What sets Casino apart from both other modern action movies as well as the rest of the franchise is new Bond actor Daniel Craig’s portrayal of the timeless 007 character.

Long time Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli took a big chance casting Craig as James Bond; the media outcry over the casting of a blonde James Bond almost sunk the film before filming. In true Bond fashion, however, the gamble paid off in spades. Casino Royale is actually the first Bond story to be written by Fleming, and Craig is tasked with taking the Bond character from his earlier, rough and raw days. The film opens before Bond even obtains his ubiquitous “Double 0” status. Audiences used to the polished, suave, and sophisticated Bonds of Connery, Brosnan, et.al. did not recognize this agent. It is up to Craig to convincingly create a course and blunt Bond and then evolve his creation into the debonair agent audiences know and love.

Casino takes the audience on that journey, with Craig perfectly balancing the “blunt instrument” Bond with the slick and sophisticated one. The story is engaging, with appropriate pauses that not only entertain, but also seamlessly advance the plot of this specific Bond adventure while simultaneously establishing the background of the entire Bond franchise. The perfect example is Bond’s first on-screen card game, in which he slyly wins his wealthy opponent’s Aston Martin DB5... thus establishing Bond’s gambling prowess and obtaining pertinent mission information (plot-specific) as well as the origin of Bond’s famous Aston and his infamous luck (franchise-specific).

All of the necessary elements of the classic Bond film are present, from the action, the cars, the girls, the guns, and the quick one-liners delivered with a smirk. What puts this film over the top is the new, darker edge Craig brings to the Bond character... one that evolves in the second installment of the re-booted Bond, Quantum of Solace and, hopefully continues in the latest installment Skyfall, due out in fall of 2012.

Whether you’re new to the James Bond franchise or a seasoned veteran of 007’s exploits, Casino Royale is not just a great James Bond film, it is a great film in general. Period.

#18- Jurassic Park (1993)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

Who's List Was This On
- David "MVP" Eckstein: # 16
- Bryan Hernandez: #15
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 31

Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Written By: Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum
Based Upon: The book Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

The Plot

Billionaire John Hammond (John Attenborough) creates a theme park entitled Jurassic Park that has actual, living dinosaurs in it due to advances in modern science. Hammond invites two scientists (Neill and Dern), a mathematician (Goldblum), his grandchildren and a few others before the park becomes open to the public. However, while at the park, things go terribly wrong and the dinosaurs break free and wreck havoc.

Why This Movie Is Great

Jurassic Park is the quintessential blockbuster. It has everything. Great special effects, things getting blown up, and dinosaurs.

The special effects, especially when it came to creating the dinosaurs, is just incredible. Every little boy goes through a paleontology phase when they are just obsessed with dinosaurs. Mine happen to coincide with the release of Jurassic Park (I just turned six when the movie was released). To see your dreams and fantasies on the silver screen was just amazing. The film is extremely over-the-top and just excellent in every single way.

Overall, this movie is just an epic masterpiece. Everything is just larger than life. It's movies like Jurassic Park that are the reason we go to the movies.

#19- Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

Who's List Was This On
- Adam Kaplan: # 15
- Bryan Hernandez: t-#16
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 31

Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Written By: Robert Rodat
Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Matt Damon

The Plot

In war torn and Nazi-controlled Europe during WWII, Capt. John Miller (Hanks) and his unit must find Private James Francis Ryan in order to bring him back safely to his mother in the United States.

Why This Movie Is Great
How do you find decency in the hell of warfare?
-Steven Spielberg-

In my mind, there is no greater war movie than Saving Private Ryan. No disrespect to Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Black Hawk Down or any other war movie you can think of Saving Private Ryan is the best war film of all time. Every war film talks about the horrors of war and how terrible it is and how lives are ruined and the duality of man and all that jazz, but no movie pulls it off better than Saving Private Ryan. It is the best shot war movie ever, visually stunning, and character driven, yet still manages to keep you entertained throughout the entire time. That's part of the problem I had with movies like Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket- they are great, fantastic movies made by some of the best filmmakers of all time, but holy crap do they get boring. I respect the artistic vision of the movie, but at the same time, it is still a movie and I still need to take three hours out of my day to sit through it.

First of all, there can be no mention of Saving Private Ryan without talking about its opening scene when the Americans invaded on D-Day. It might be the best opening shot in the history of cinema. You actually felt like you were in battle and fighting along with the soldiers. It was gruesome, it was bloody, and that's exactly what war was like. While much (deserved) credit goes to Spielberg for that opening war battle, I think many people forget how amazing the climax of Ryan was. Every war scene was just incredible. Every scene was just incredible and Spielberg along with his director of photography Janusz Kaminski just did an incredible job with the film.

However, much of the movie does not consist of battle scenes. They are scenes between Capt. Miller and his unit and it's the great acting by Hanks and his crew that really carry this movie. Plus, any movie that can make you say, "Wow, Vin Diesel is not a half bad actor" should really tell you something.

Ultimately, the movie and its characters struggle with the question, "How valuable is a life?" Eight men sacrifice their lives just so just one can live. Why should one man have to die just so another one can survive? It's a great question and one ethics and morality professors still can't answer. That being said, Spielberg does a fantastic job when trying to find to in the 1998 classic Saving Private Ryan.

Saturday Night Live Mocks Tim Tebow

Part Six: Stats Of AFC Defensive Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler In 2011?

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Sacks
1) Andre Carter (NE)
2) Mark Anderson (NE)
2) Elvis Dumervil (DEN)
4) Jabaal Sheard (CLE)
4) Dwight Freeney (IND)

WPA
1) Andre Carter (NE)
2) Jabaal Sheard (CLE)
3) Elvis Dumervil (DEN)
4) Robert Mathis (IND)
5) Michael Johnson (CIN)

EPA
1) Andre Carter (NE)
2) Jabaal Sheard (CLE)
3) Jeremy Mincey (JAX)
4) J.J. Watt (HOU)
5) Robert Mathis (IND)

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Sacks
1) Geno Atkins (CIN)
2) Tommy Kelley (OAK)
3) Richard Seymour (OAK)
3) Marcell Dareus (BUF)
3) Karl Klug (TEN)

WPA
1) Geno Atkins (CIN)
2) Haloti Ngata (BAL)
3) Vince Wilfork (NE)
4) Philip Taylor (CLE)
5) Antonio Garay (SD)

EPA
1) Geno Atkins (CIN)
2) Haloti Ngata (BAL)
3) Vince Wilfork (NE)
4) Sione Pouha (NYJ)
5) Philip Taylor (CLE)

LINEBACKERS

Sacks
1) Terrell Suggs (BAL)
1) Von Miller (DEN)
3) Tamba Hali (KC)
4) Connor Barwin (HOU)
4) Antwan Barnes (SD)

Tackles
1) D'Qwell Jackson (CLE)
2) Derrick Johnson (KC)
3) Karlos Dansby (MIA)
4) Nick Barnett (BUF)
5) Brian Cushing (HOU)

Tackles For Loss
1) Von Miller (DEN)
2) Terrell Suggs (BAL)
3) Kamerion Wimbley (OAK)
4) Cam Wake (MIA)
5) James Harrison (PIT)
5) D'Qwell Jackson (CLE)
5) Tamba Hali (KC)
5) Connor Barwin (HOU)

WPA
1) Terrell Suggs (BAL)
2) D'Qwell Jackson (CLE)
3) Von Miller (DEN)
4) Daryl Smith (JAX)
5) Nick Barnett (BUF)

EPA
1) Terrell Suggs (BAL)
2) D'Qwell Jackson (CLE)
3) Paul Posluszny (JAX)
4) Daryl Smith (JAX)
5) Pat Angerer (IND)

SAFETIES

Interceptions
1) Eric Weddle (7) (SD)
2) George Wilson (4) (BUF)
3) 6 tied with (3)

WPA
1) Keenan Lewis (PIT)
2) Eric Weddle (SD)
3) Troy Polamalu (PIT)
4) Reggie Nelson (CIN)
5) Michael Huff (OAK)

EPA
1) Keenan Lewis (PIT)
2) Troy Polamalu (PIT)
3) Eric Weddle (SD)
4) Reggie Nelson (CIN)
5) George Wilson (BUF)

CORNERBACKS

Interceptions
1) Kyle Arrington (NE)
2) Darrelle Revis (NYJ)
2) Jonathan Joseph (HOU)
2) Vontae Davis (MIA)
2) Brandon Flowers (KC)
2) Lardarius Webb (BAL)

DVOA Against Opponents #1 Wide Receiver
1) New York Jets
2) Kansas City Chiefs
3) Jacksonville Jaguars
4) Baltimore Ravens
5) Pittsburgh Steelers

DVOA Against Opponents #2 Wide Receiver
1) New York Jets
2) Houston Texans
3) Tennessee Titans
4) Pittsburgh Steelers
4) Baltimore Ravens

WPA
1) Darrelle Revis (NYJ)
2) Nate Clemens (CIN)
3) Andre Goodman (DEN)
4) Williams Gay (PIT)
5) Joe Haden (CLE)

EPA
1) Christain Finnegan (TEN)
2) Lardarius Webb (BAL)
3) Jason McCourty (TEN)
4) Darrelle Revis (NYJ)
5) Kyle Arrington (NE)

Part Five: Stats Of NFC Defensive Players / Who Deserves To Be A Pro Bowler In 2011?

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Sacks
1) Jared Allen (MIN)
1) Jason Babin (PHI)
3) Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG)
4) Chris Long (STL)
5) Chris Clemons (SEA)

WPA
1) Jared Allen (MIN)
2) Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG)
3) Calais Campbell (ARI)
4) Chris Clemons (SEA)
5) Cliff Avril (DET)

EPA
1) Jared Allen (MIN)
2) Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG)
3) Jason Babin (PHI)
4) Julius Peppers (CHI)
5) Chris Clemons (SEA)

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Sacks
1) Justin Smith (SF)
1) Henry Melton (CHI)
1) Cullen Jenkins (GB)
1) Ray McDonald (SF)
5) Amobi Okoye (CHI)

WPA
1) Darnell Dockett (ARI)
2) Justin Smith (SF)
3) Cullen Jenkins (PHI)
4) Ndamukong Suh (DET)
5) Ray McDonald (SF)
5) Jay Ratliff (DAL)

EPA
1) Darnell Dockett (ARI)
2) Justin Smith (SF)
3) Barry Cofield (WAS)
4) Cullen Jenkins (PHI)
5) Ray McDonald (SF)

LINEBACKERS

Sacks
1) DeMarcus Ware (DAL)
2) Aldon Smith (SF)
3) Brian Orakpo (WAS)
3) Ryan Kerrigan (WAS)
5) Ahmad Brooks (SF)

Total Tackles
1) NaVorro Bowman (SF)
2) James Laurinaitis (STL)
3) London Fletcher (WAS)
4) James Anderson (CAR)
5) Lance Briggs (CHI)

Tackles For Loss
1) DeMarcus Ware (DAL)
2) Sean Weatherspoon (ATL)
3) Daryl Washington (ARI)
4) Aldon Smith (SF)
4) Ahmad Brooks (SF)
4) NaVorro Bowman (SF)

WPA
1) Sean Lee (DAL)
2) DeAndre Levy (DET)
3) Michael Boley (NYG)
4) James Laurinairtis (STL)
4) Ryan Kerrigan (WAS)

EPA
1) Stephen Tulloch (DET)
2) Lance Briggs (CHI)
3) London Fletcher (WAS)
4) Ryan Kerrigan (WAS)
5) Brian Urlacher (CHI)

SAFETIES

Interceptions
1) Dashon Goldson (6) (SF)
2) Kam Chancellor (4) (SEA)
2) Thomas DeCoud (4) (ATL)
2) Charlie Peprah (4) (GB)
2) Kurt Coleman (4) (PHI)

WPA
1) Kam Chancellor (SEA)
2) Earl Thomas (SEA)
3) Dashon Goldson (SF)
4) Roman Harper (NO)
5) Quintin Mikell (STL)

EPA
1) Kam Chancellor (SEA)
2) Earl Thomas (SEA)
3) Roman Harper (NO)
4) Quintin Mikell (PHI)
5) Donte Whitner (SF)

CORNERBACKS

Interceptions
1) Charles Woodson (7) (GB)
2) Carlos Rogers (6) (SF)
2) Brandon Browner (6) (SEA)
4) Corey Webster (5) (NYG)
5) 5 tied with (4)

DVOA Against Opposing #1 Wide Outs
1) Detroit Lions
2) Seattle Seahawks
3) Chicago Bears
4) Philadelphia Eagles
5) San Francisco 49ers

DVOA Against Opposing #2 Wide Outs
1) Seattle Seahawks
2) San Francisco 49ers
3) Detroit Lions
4) Washington Redskins
5) Chicago Bears

WPA
1) Carlos Rogers (SF)
2) Brandon Browner (SEA)
3) Charles Woodson (GB)
4) Trumon Williams (GB)
5) Aquib Talib (TB)

EPA
1) Charles Woodson (GB)
2) Brandon Browner (SEA)
3) Carlos Rogers (SF)
4) Charles Tillman (CHI)
5) Eric Wright (DET)

#20- Mullholland Drive (2001)

Click here for Commenting Rules and how GOI's final list came together

This post was written by David "MVP" Eckstein

Who's List This Was On:
- David "MVP" Eckstein: #1
TOTAL VOTES RECEIVED: 25

Directed By: David Lynch
Written By: David Lynch
Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, and Ann Miller

The Plot

In this neo-noir, surrealist thriller, a dark-haired woman (Harring) narrowly escapes an attempted murder on her life that results in an amnesia-inducing car wreck. The woman befriends a naive, aspiring actress (Watts) and the two embark to uncover the mysterious woman's sordid past and identity. This non-linear thriller about jealously and guilt is a deep and layered erotic puzzle riddled with subconscious imagery, 1950's idealism, and bizarre physiological proxy. This is David Lynch's magnum opus- the culmination of scattered and promising and non-commercial brilliance since Blue Velvet. In short, what his 1997 film Lost Highway aspired to be.

Why This Movie Is Great

This is THE best movie of the past 25 years because of its deep complexities. Mullholland Drive is a film you can watch 100 times and notice 100 new things. I uncover a new piece to Lynch's cryptic puzzle every time I watch the movie. Mullholland Drive is like a very real surrealist art painting that you can stare at for hours and interpret in 1,000 different ways. The first few times you watch this film, you will inevitably ask yourself, "What the fuck!?" however the DVD's inserts clues guide you to some coherent comprehension about the dark side of mankind: the power of greed and despair of jealousy. This is regret is its rawest form. I do not want to reveal much more because uncovering the mystery of what is really going on is the fun of watching the movie over and over again. This film is an intense classic that never gets tiring to watch.

FUN FACT: Naomi Watts' first lesbian scene is universally hailed as one of the five most erotic moment in cinema history. She is absolutely gorgeous and her character has an electric naivety that makes her the perfect girl next door. On the other hand, her second lesbian scene will make you feel dirty and in need of a shower. Lynch beautifully works in the duality of man and women in this film.