The Knicks, curling, and an island

Knicks

Even though all the trades the Knicks made at the trade deadline were basically to clear cap space for the summer, the players the Knicks received looked very good last night. Of Course, the biggest name the Knicks got is Tracy McGrady, and last night he played well above expectations. With 26 points and 5 assists, T-Mac played better than anyone could have hoped and the atmosphere at the Garden was electric, with some fans saying it felt like a playoff game. In a contract year for T-Mac, he has to prove to the NBA that he can still play, and last night he got off to a great start. Maybe he even has a future with New York as supporting cast member to LeBron, Wade, or Bosh, or hopefully two of those players. The two other players who made their Knick debuts last night were also really fun to watch as Eddie House scored 24 points and Sergio Rodriguez flew around the court playing with a ton of energy. Unfortunately, the Knicks still lost because Kevin Durant is one of the top five players in the NBA, but it was entertaining to watch the Knicks play last night and there was actually some energy at MSG. I do not think the Knicks are going to make the playoffs (they're eight games out of a playoff spot) but at least they'll be fun to watch for the rest of the season.

Curling

After watching the Olympics for about a week, I have decided that I want to become a professional curler. The "sport" is slow, methodical, sometimes boring, but for some reason I love watching it. It's like bocce ball on ice, at the pace of a baseball game. The US curling teams, men and women, have played some very, very exciting games, that have all come down to the end. The intensity of the last end of a curling match, rivals that of the 9th inning in a baseball game or the 4th quarter in basketball. I can't figure out where people learn to curl, or how someone gets to be an olympic curler, but I really want to find out because it looks really fun. Vernon Davis, the tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, was at a men's curling game this week because apparently he has recently really got into curling, and if Vernon Davis likes a "sport" it has to be fun, right? If anyone reading this knows where someone can curl in the New York City area, please let me know.

Shutter Island

I saw Shutter Island, this weekend and I have to say it is not at all what I expected. The genius filmmaker Martin Scorsese has made a mind bending psychological thriller that takes twists and turns that, if you could see coming, you're as much a genius as Scorsese. It's so different than anything Scorsese has ever done as it mixeds about 800 genres into one crazy blend of pulp that feels like a cross between Lost, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and every Hitchcock movie ever made. The movie moves along at an eerie pace with a great score and very creepy camera work haunting us along the way, as a truly incredible cast gives truly incredible performances. From Leo, to Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, and more everyone is at the top of their game. Jackie Earle Haley's character says to Leo, "you're a rat in a maze." Actually the audience is a rat in a maze, as Scorsese pulls you along, almost teasing and taunting you, until the final, breathtaking payoff that sent chills throughout my body. The ending can be looked at in many different ways, and I want to watch it again to try to piece the puzzle together, knowing the end, but thinking about now, I realize that everything that seems odd throughout the movie, as the film gets weirder and weirder, was leading up to the shocking climax. Shutter Island is the first must see movie of 2010, and while it may give you a headache, you'll be happy to have one.