SmackDown! 5/26/2005: For and Against

(This is what Butch is referring to. I've been doing this over at Stratusfaction since after Wrestlemania. And since I'm starved for content, well...)

FOR: Being five of six on my picks.

AGAINST: People complaining about the "anti-climactic" ending to the JD main. What has JBL always done when the chips are down? That's right... look for the easiest way out possible.

AGAINST: Carlito not jumping back and forth between chairs while interviewing himself.

FOR: "Your actions speak louder than your words."

FOR: The "Winner's Choice" concept.

FOR: Carlito making his intentions known right off the bat.

FOR: Rey's single-mindedness. He could be a top guy if he polishes off his promo delivery.

FOR: Melina, but you knew that.

FOR: This match. MNM seem to get a little better every time out

FOR: The Scooby Doo-style chase sequence.

AGAINST: Holly not seeing the rep get taken out.

FOR: Oh, Patrick DID see the chair shot.

FOR: Haas flipping out over another close call.

FOR: Cena, subdued, selling the effects of the I Quit match.

FOR: JBL selling it even more.

FOR: The mic work on both ends here.

AGAINST: JBL's constant begging to see the video.

FOR: Robinson sending Morgan to the back.

FOR: Carlito trying to go WITH him.

FOR: They seem to be shifting the focus from Morgan as stutterer to Morgan as powerhouse.

FOR: The return of the F-5.

AGAINST: Didn't Big Show taken a table bump just last month? It's getting old.

FOR: Angle shooting on hs ECW experience. (The Raven-Sandman crucifixion angle, If Memory Serves Me Right.)

FOR: "ECW can kiss my ass!"

AGAINST: Tazz not choking Angle out for those insults.

AGAINST: The Angle Invitational's become mostly a time-filler.

FOR: Going right into the battle royal.

FOR: Eddie taking out Rey pre-match. You know he heard what Rey said.

AGAINST: Eddie taking an early powder. If you're gonna do that, at least be hilariously heelish on commentary like Rock did two years ago when HE did this.

FOR: REY'S REVENGE~~!

AGAINST: Is Rey still in the match? Is Rey IN the match?

FOR: Thanks, Cole.

AGAINST: Why is the whole Cabinet still in?

FOR: Oh.

FOR: The rapid-fire eliminations here.

FOR: The replay of Angle's low blow -- I completely missed it the first time.

AGAINST: Rey is now 1-1 against Angle heads-up in battle royals.

FOR: Angle-Cena next week! Yay!

AGAINST: Wait, it's NOT Cena? Oh, no...

AGAINST: Even the fans know what's coming.

FOR: Well, at least that should end the angle. Maybe Tazz chokes him out NEXT week.

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Movies

4:15 p.m. matinee ticket (and a 4:30 start): $6.25
Two hot dogs and a bottled water: $11.00

The whole system has broken down.

What you've gotta remember about the history of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is that every version of it's a little bit different: the radio serial, the book, the BBC TV miniseries. And even the Predictable Love Story Angle Written In For American Audiences doesn't seem forced, mostly because Adams had been working on the screenplay version for years. Still, it's a believable (and most importantly, funny) adaptation that's even somewhat open-ended.

Sam Rockwell, well, rocks as Zaphod. He's a lot more of an egomaniac than he is in the book, I thought, but Rockwell nails his manic insanity. I totally didn't recognize Malkovich. I can no longer see anyone but Martin Freeman as Arthur (almost every scene where he meets someone for the first time is hilarious), and Mos Def's Ford is cool and detached while still giving you the impression that he's not from here, as he should be. Zooey Deschanel. Who knew? She's adorable in this as well as pretty good. She won't be rushing headlong into the top 10 of The Real Lista Caliente but I'll be rooting for her.

Thumbs up.