The Year in Movies: 2014

By Mark Pukalo

I have spent time and money in the first half of 2015 trying to find a hidden jewel among the movies from the previous year that I did not see in the theatre.

Although there were a few additions to my top 20 and many to the so-so red box category, 2014 was not a great year for movies. Like some other years, there were more great acting performances than great movies – none better than the pick for the best film. In my opinion, there were eight standout films -- for various reasons -- and one, well, Soared.

Here’s a look at the Year in Movies 2014:

Worst of the year: The Monuments Men – A great cure for Insomnia.

Almost worst of the year: The Signal, Jersey Boys, Cavalry

Most disappointing: Neighbors, Wish I Was Here, The Gambler

Did not see: Into the Woods, Big Eyes, Life Itself, Two Days, One Night and Noah among others

Enough value to make it worth a $1.50 rent when there is nothing else to watch: Fading Gigolo, Godzilla, 22 Jump Street, A Million Ways to Die in the West, A Most Wanted Man, When the Game Stands Tall, Fury, Nightcrawler, Foxcatcher (verrry creepy), White Bird in a Blizzard, Dear White People, A Most Violent Year, Taken3 (he has skills), Unbroken, Dumb & Dumber Too, Bad Words (might be a 2013 flick)

Most over-rated: The Theory of Everything

Honorable Mention: Edge of Tomorrow (decent sci-fi thriller), Lone Survivor (current war drama that makes you think), The Judge (Robert Duvall was solid; Downey, too), The Grand Budapest Hotel (humorous, but a bit over-rated). Let’s Be Cops (goofy comedy that didn’t annoy me), Cake (Jennifer Anniston as a woman dealing grief and pain), 50-to-1 (story about Mine That Bird’s upset win in the Derby), Elliott Smith: Heaven Adores You (Interesting documentary about a terrific musician who died way too soon), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Top 20

                                                   

20. Inherent Vice – Joaquin Phoenix plays a drugged out California PI in a mess of a comedy mystery movie that is so wild at times it makes you chuckle. Great cast. Josh Brolin is quite humorous as Big Foot, a weird cop.

19. Mockingjay – The third in the Hunger Games trilogy is basically a set up for the finale, but it has some interesting elements and the unbeatable Jen.

18. St. Vincent – Bill Murray is terrific in this mildly-entertaining film with a heart.

17. Ruddlerless – Interesting, imperfect movie that can really surprise you if you are not alert. Billy Crudup plays a father who loses a college-aged son. We’ll stop at that.

16. Kill the Messenger – Jeremy Renner plays Gary Webb, a flawed reporter who faces problems after his mostly accurate article about CIA improprieties in Nicaragua. It makes you mad and sad.

15. Gone Girl – Not sure I liked the ending all that much, but a strong murder mystery with an absolutely chilling performance by Rosamund Pike.

14. Interstellar – Matthew McConaughy plays an astronaut on the mission of a lifetime to save the earth, which turns a little too mystical at the end. It is too powerful a film not to be in the top 10, though.

13. American Sniper – I walked out thinking it was a good movie, regardless of the arguments both ways about Chris Kyle and the things left out in his story. These soldiers were in an impossible situation and the first priority they had was to protect each other. I won’t judge Kyle unless there’s concrete evidence against him. I honor his service.

12. Wild – Expected maybe a tad more depth to the film, but enjoyed Reese Witherspoon’s journey along the trail. She fully deserved an Oscar nomination.

11. Draft Day – Can everything happen this way? No. But it’s a fun ride with Kevin Costner playing the GM of an NFL team trying to turn their fortunes around in a unique way.

10. The Fault in Our Stars – Not sure I have yet wiped the final tear from my eyes after this one. It’s a touching film about a pair of amazing young people – played by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort -- fighting cancer in their own way.

9. Beyond the Lights – A really good, under-the-radar film about life in the music business. Gorgeous superstar singer Gugu Mbatha-Raw needs to be saved and boy scout Nate Parker makes an attempt.

8. Selma – Extremely well done historical look at Martin Luther King’s march to Montgomery, Alabama.

7. Divergent – An interesting, action-filled science fiction trilogy begins with the amazing Shailene Woodley as the hero and the great Ashley Judd as her mom.

6. Boyhood – A two-hour, 45-minute journey through the life of Mason – from childhood to college. You have to have three free hours with no distractions and stay with it to be rewarded. I have liked it even more the second and third time through.

5. Whiplash – J.K. Simmons kills it as the Bobby Knight of band leaders, pounding away at prize drum student Miles Teller to try and get the best from him.

4. The Imitation Game – Terrific performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley in a story about the under-appreciated mathematician Alan Turing, who helped crack the Nazi code and develop the first computers.

3. Begin Again – A washed-up music executive (Mark Ruffalo) finds a lost, but brilliant singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley) and makes music with her. Perhaps it wasn’t edgy enough for the Academy, but I loved it despite its imperfections.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy – Just a fun couple of hours with a unique group of “super heroes.” There is great music and enough smart, goofy moments to make you laugh. I AM GROOT!

1.   Birdman – Captain Obvious. Yes. An amazing performance by Michael Keaton as a former celebrity actor from a super hero series trying to find credibility on Broadway. As good as Keaton is, Ed Norton and the adorable Emma Stone cap the film with standout efforts in their roles.

Previous picks for Best of the Year

2013 -- Nebraska

2012 – Silver Linings Playbook

2011 – The Descendants

2010 – The Social Network

2009 – Inglourious Basterds

2008 – Frost/Nixon (The Wrestler, a close second)

2007 – Once

Best of Decade 2000-2009 – Almost Famous

Dancing With Fate, Again

There’s nothing worse in horse racing than betting on the favorite and watching him or her fade out of the picture, making you wonder why you didn't take a chance on that 10-1 shot that just cruised to victory.

Few dislike putting money on or picking the chalk than me. I always want to find a way to beat that 2-1 or lower runner, especially in a big race with a big field.

That is what makes the 140^th running of the Kentucky Derby so difficult, much like the 2008 race. On that day, Big Brown looked to be the class. You just didn’t want to believe the big colt was that good and he was breaking from the outside gate in a 20-horse race. But he roared home to pay a whopping $6.80 to win.

Is it 2008 again? California Chrome is the 5/2 morning-line favorite, coming off two powerful victories in the Hotel California by a combined 12 ½ lengths. If he gets a reasonable trip behind the speed, you can easily see him pulling away in the stretch under Victor Espinosa. Add to that, perhaps his most accomplished challenger Hoppertunity was scratched Thursday morning.

This is the first time in several years I don’t have a strong opinion. Part of that is because I hate eating chalk. Watching my pick take the lead at the top of the stretch in 2011 (Nehro) and 2013 (Normandy Invasion) before coming up short and my 2012 selection (Creative Cause) fail to fire despite being right there, I feel snake bitten. But one thing I won’t do is pick the favorite in this space.

So why not swing for the fences? And, yes, Dance With Fate.

Here’s a look at the progression to the top picks:

FIRST CUTS

Wildcat Red will probably be on the lead and stay there for a while, but with other speed horses like Chitu, General A Rod, Uncle Sigh, Harry’s Holiday and perhaps Vinceremos around him the pace will likely be too hot. I’ll toss them all. Commanding Curve may be the type of horse that plods home to complete a superfecta, but probably just isn’t good enough.

NEXT TO GO

Vicar’s in Trouble has shown versatility, so jockey Rosie Napravnik will have to be crafty to find the right trip from the rail gate. I just think she will have to use him a bit too much early. Danza is a bit scary after winning the Arkansas Derby with a late rush, but I’ll take a stand against him after only one breakout race and he is likely to be overbet. Track announcer Larry Colmus is probably salivating over the winning call for him though “Who’s the Boss!!...Danza!!” Tapiture seems to be regressing and does not have a top-level jockey while We Miss Artie is a battler, but just not fast enough.

OUTSIDE CHANCE

Medal Count should be running well at the end, but probably will start from too far back. I like the grittiness of Samraat, especially when battling for second in the Wood Memorial to earn me some exacta money, but he probably doesn’t have enough late punch to win. Intense Holiday only makes it this far because he has one of the best jockeys in the world on top of him in John Velasquez and could make a slow, but steady late run like Giacomo did. Ride on Curlin might be a factor with his versatility, but likely won’t beat them all.

THE TOP FOUR

I can definitely see a scenario where Wicked Strong bounds home with a late run, but a lot of things will have to go right for him. You have to think that veteran jockey Gary Stevens will put Candy Boy in position to see if he is good enough. Both have bad posts on the outside, but can get there.

California Chrome loses if Espinosa has to use him more than he wants to battle for position on the first turn or gets caught up trying to keep up with the speed in front of him. If he is a super horse, it won’t matter and a 19-horse field is irrelevant. If he is just a good one, he can be beat by a horse that’s finishing well. I might have chosen Hoppertunity if he was still there, but I’m going to take a chance at Dance With Fate. Fate beat Chrome in the Del Mar Futurity last September and seems to run his best on synthetics. But I believe Animal Kingdom came in with that type knock against him and rolled a couple years back.

It all comes back to 2008. I went with Adriano after being impressed by his strong finish on the Poly Track at Turfway in the Lane’s End and he never lifted a hoof, running 18^th in the Derby. Maybe I will be rewarded by going against the grain with Fate this time after he finished strong on the All Weather Track to win the Blue Grass Stakes a few weeks ago. What’s the fun in picking a 2-1 shot anyway?

12-5-20-18-19

LADIES DAY

The Kentucky Oaks has a similar scenario with a big favorite in Untapable, who breaks from the outside gate (13) Friday. In my opinion, there are more viable competitors to beat this horse though. I think Rosiland, My Miss Sophia and Fashion Plate have a chance, but will go with a longer shot in Ria Antonia. The horse has a serious turn of foot and, with the right trip, she can run them all down in the stretch.

2-4-13

- Mark Pukalo

Best of 2013 Movies: Going Old School

It was an average year for movies, but there were many tremendous performances.

Maybe it wasn’t as good as 2010, but it was better than 2011. The top six on my list probably aren’t as good as that group in 2012, but the depth is similar. What was unique about 2013 was there was a group of movies that were powerful and well worth seeing, but not memorable enough to make my top five like “12 Years a Slave,” which will probably win Best Picture.

I wish I could have seen all of them, but here are my opinions on the year in movies for 2013.

Still hope to see: August Osage County, Saving Mr. Banks, Labor Day, The Book Thief, Inside Llewyn Davis, Out of the Furnace, The Fifth Estate, Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom. … Comments: I don’t believe Lone Survivor counts as a 2013 movie and the only one I really wish I had seen already was the Coen Brothers’ Llewyn Davis.

The worst of 2013: The Place Beyond the Pines, Man of Steel, Jobs, World War Z, Anchorman II, The Hangover III, Good Day to Diehard, Gatsby.

Barely missed the worst list (each had something that saved it): The Conjuring, Don Jon, Olympus Has Fallen, Prisoners, Spring Breakers, Side Effects, Elysium, Machete Kills, Blue Jasmine, Enough Said. … Comments: Spring Breakers had an interesting story, but the movie was so incredibly poorly made. When Jessica Alba dies early in Machete Kills you know you’re in trouble. The gorgeous Rooney Mara almost saves Side Effects’ predictable story.

Honorable mention: Safe Haven, Star Trek into Darkness, The Internship, Oblivion, Iron Man 3, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Purge. … Comments: The Purge is not a movie I usually like, but it was so chilling and crazy that I almost thought it was good. Wolf was so much over the top that it became a farce to me, but there were some entertaining moments.

20. The Butler – Forrest Whitaker and Cuba Gooding were outstanding, but as others have said -- this was more like a good TV movie.

19. White House Down – Sure, it was Diehard at the White House, but it was way better than the other similar movie – Olympus Has Fallen – and the plot was somewhat believable.

18. Fruitvale Station – The true story of Oscar Grant III was well done and makes you very sad and angry. I needed more depth to the story to place it higher on the list.

17. Captain Phillips – The movie was strong and interesting until Tom Hanks got off the ship. After that, it just really dragged and the ending was nothing special.

16. All is Lost – Robert Redford performs an amazing one-man show on a sailboat, with no dialogue. Still would have liked a little background. Has a memorable ending.

15. Closed Circuit – Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall are terrific actors who carried a movie that was a little less intense and different than it appeared to be in trailers.

14. Philomena – Dame Judi Dench goes on a journey to find her long-lost son in a movie that has an interesting ending, but is a little slow to get going.

13. 42 – Really thought this early-2013 movie about Jackie Robinson was well done and that Harrison Ford might warrant some award recognition, but maybe I over-rated it a bit on first viewing.

12. Catching Fire – Jennifer Lawrence is tremendous again in the second of the Hunger Games trilogy, which made me really excited to watch the next. Could have easily been a few spots higher.

11. 12 Years a Slave – An amazing achievement by director Steve McQueen, which could win him an Oscar. That would be fine with me. The film just didn’t make me say “wow” when I walked out. But the Duck Dynasty guy should be locked in a room to watch it over and over and over and over.

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10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – The film doesn’t have anywhere near the intrigue and power that many I ranked between 11-20 have, but I just enjoyed Ben Stiller’s journey and especially those big beers in Greenland.

 9. Short Term 12 – Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom) are young supervisors of a residential treatment center for youths who deal with problems in both their own lives and those of the kids. Could have been longer and answered more questions, but a unique story with a standout performance by Larson.

 8. Dallas Buyers Club – Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto provided virtuoso performances in a movie about the beginnings of the Aids epidemic.

 7. Gravity – Was unsure how Sandra Bullock would be in this role about survival on a space station after a disaster, but she nailed it as usual. I don’t care whether some of those things could have happened. It was a good watch.

 6. Rush – Ron Howard’s film about the Formula One racing rivalry between playboy James Hunt and intense Niki Lauda is incredibly compelling and entertaining.

 5. The Way, Way Back – I might be the only person that has this on their top 10 list for 2013, but I just loved this fun coming-of-age story near Cape Cod, where I vacationed many summers. Sam Rockwell should have been nominated for best supporting actor.

 4. Her – Some might call it creepy or weird, but this movie is about relationships, how we interact with each other and the exaggeration of what could happen in the future. I found it unique and fascinating. And, yes, I would date Scarlett Johansson’s voice.

 3. American Hustle – David O. Russell directed my pick for the best movie of 2012 and he puts together another pulsating movie, with tremendous acting, about political corruption and scam artists. Lawrence and Amy Adams are memorable.

 2. The Spectacular Now – Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley play absolutely rich characters in a unique story about a young man who goes on a journey of self-awareness after he spends most of high school living for the Now.

 1 – Nebraska – Alexander Payne, who directed my favorite film of 2011, weaves an amazing story about an aging veteran who is searching for something to live for in the final years of his life. His journey makes you laugh, think and cry a bit. That’s why it was the best movie of 2013 in my opinion.

                                                                   

Previous picks for Best of the Year

2012 – Silver Linings Playbook

2011 – The Descendants

2010 – The Social Network

2009 – Inglourious Basterds

2008 – Frost/Nixon (The Wrestler a close second)

2007 – Once

Best of Decade 2000-2009 – Almost Famous

OSCAR PICKS

Best picture – Well, you know my pick. But I think “12 years a Slave” will win.

Best actor – Bruce Dern (Nebraska). I think there’s a small chance he wins, but if not McConaughey is the pick. He was absolutely stunning in Buyers Club. Leonardo DiCaprio was great, but I just didn’t like the movie. Redford should have been nominated.

Best actress – I love Meryl Streep. But does she have to be nominated every year?!!! I’m rooting for Adams, but I think Cate Blanchett’s turn in a very average Woody Allen movie “Blue Jasmine” was pretty impressive.

Best supporting actor – Leto should win, but Barkhad Abdi was outstanding in “Captain Phillips.” Wish the Academy would be more open in its nominating process to give people like Rockwell (The Way, Way Back) and James Franco (Spring Breakers) a chance.

Best supporting actress – Jennifer Lawrence dominates the screen in “American Hustle” every time she is there and June Squibb is an absolute riot in “Nebraska.” Hope one of them win. Would like to see Rebecca Hall nominated one of these years. She was great in “The Town” and this year’s “Closed Circuit.”

Adapted Screen play – John Ridley for “12 Years a Slave.”

Original Screen play – Hopefully either Spike Jonze for “Her” or Bob Nelson for “Nebraska.”

The NHL Marathon Returns

Wealthy, greedy people do not have the ability to lock the doors and take the NHL away from us this season.

Hockey fans can enjoy an 82-game campaign -- with an intermission at the Olympics -- which will crown the true champion of a nine-month test. The team that navigates the ups and downs, makes the smartest personnel moves and peaks at the right time gets to drink from the Stanley Cup.

One thing that was positive about the 2012-13 season was the mostly wide-open postseason. Perhaps it was due to a 48-game slate before it, but the playoffs were a joy to watch. No matter whether you liked the teams or not, the Chicago-Boston final was well played and far more entertaining than the snooze fest of 2011-12 between Los Angeles and New Jersey.

My biggest hope for this season is that the players finally begin to grasp the idea that shots to the head and blind-sided hits can be avoided without taking away the physical nature of the game that we all love. The reason for a hit, a check, is to dislodge the puck and create space -- not injure players. Unfortunately, the Zac Rinaldos will still be around to cause unnecessary havoc. It would just be nice to see Brendan Shanahan’s mug much less this season.

Looking at my preseason picks last year, I did select Pittsburgh and Chicago to finish first in each conference. I also had New Jersey out of the playoffs. Unfortunately, I placed the Islanders and Maple Leafs 15^th and 14^th in the East -- respectively. Oops. With a clean slate, here’s a go at 2013-14.

METROPOLITAN

It’s difficult to pick against Pittsburgh in the regular season with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin healthy. The concern is whether Marc-Andre Fleury can find his game, because there is no viable backup on the roster right now. The rest of the division is impossible to predict with many variables.

The New York Rangers might play looser with John Tortorella gone, although they need Brad Richards and Rick Nash to have much better seasons and goalie Henrik Lundqvist to sign an extension. A healthy Brooks Laich and the good version of Mikhail Grabovski could help support Alex Ovechkin a little better in Washington, but the defense is still a bit thin after John Carlson, injury-prone Mike Green and Karl Alzner. The New York Islanders might take one step back after moving two steps forward. John Tavares leaped into the NHL’s elite last year and the Islanders should score. I’m not convinced they have the depth of talent on the other end of the ice to be substantially better than last year yet. Philadelphia should be able to score goals with the addition of Vincent Lecavalier and a healthy Scott Hartnell. If the defense and goaltending gets better, the Flyers could be a factor. That is a big IF. Columbus may be a stronger team this season and finish farther from a playoff spot in the tougher Eastern Conference. I can’t imagine Sergei Bobrovsky matching last season, so the Blue Jackets will have to be better offensively. Martin Brodeur’s last go-round will likely end similar to Mariano Rivera’s, but you can never count out New Jersey -- especially if some of their young players progress like defenseman Adam Larsson. Not quite sure where Carolina is going with its plan. This season, the Hurricanes will most likely spin into last place while they give up the most goals in the league.

Playoff teams – 1. Pittsburgh; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Washington; 4. New York Islanders

ATLANTIC

It hurts me to say that the Boston Bruins are the best team in the East on paper. Jarome Iginla replaces Nathan Horton and Loui Eriksson moves in for Tyler Seguin, which is probably a double upgrade. The one way the Bruins could fall is health, especially if goalie Tuukka Rask gets injured.

It will be tougher in the Eastern Conference on the ice for Detroit, but less travel will help. The key might be the development of young defensemen Brendan Smith, Jakub Kindl and Danny DeKeyser. The return of Jason Spezza from injury and the addition of Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur helps the Ottawa offense big time and the Senators were already good on the defensive side of the ice. Toronto was almost good enough to beat Boston in the playoffs last season and looks to make another step forward if it can keep the puck out of the net. Goalies James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier might not be the concern. It’s the Leafs’ inconsistent defense corps. Montreal will maintain its spot in the playoffs if it gets a better year from goalie Carey Price. However, if one team is going to fall off in this division it is likely to be the smallish Habs. If Tampa Bay can find a more consistent offensive-defensive mindset quickly, it can compete with the Islanders, Leafs and Canadiens for the final playoff spot. Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis will produce points and Victor Hedman is ready to be an all star on defense. Not sure Tim Thomas was the right way to go for Florida, but he might steal a win or two along the way to keep the Panthers competitive. The Panthers just need to stick with coach Kevin Dineen and this team will be fine down the road. Not really sure what the plan is in Buffalo either. The roster has plenty of holes and I don’t think anyone is going to give the Sabres what they want for Ryan Miller.

Playoff teams – 1. Boston; 2. Detroit; 3. Ottawa; 4. Toronto

Eastern Conference – Boston over Pittsburgh…. Value play – Ottawa. I think Daniel Alfredsson picked the wrong team.

CENTRAL

The Chicago Blackhawks kept all the key parts together for another run. The only question is how much the inevitable hangover will affect them. The only concern is if Corey Crawford reverts to his 2011-12 form and there are injuries up front, where they are not as deep.

Coach Ken Hitchcock must find the answers with talented, yet enigmatic St. Louis. The defense is solid, but their young forwards like Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Magnus Paajarvi must make the next step. Not really thrilled with the other contending teams, so maybe Nashville will bounce back with the addition of youngsters Seth Jones and Filip Forsberg and veterans Matt Cullen, Viktor Stalberg, Matt Hendricks and Eric Nystrom. The Minnesota Wild barely made the playoffs last season and not sure they got much better in the offseason unless youngsters Charlie Coyle and Matt Dumba emerge. Ryan Suter definitely proved last season he is almost worth the money he was given. Someday, Winnipeg will be a playoff team again and may this season if it can stay healthy. The Jets will need impact from newcomers Devin Setoguchi and Michael Frolik up front and improved defense in front of capable goalie Ondrej Pavelec. Dallas may have as good a chance to finish third in this division as the previous three, especially if center Tyler Seguin reaches his potential. It doesn’t seem like Colorado has addressed their problems on defense and in goal (Ryan Miller?), but Nathan MacKinnon will be fun to watch and Steve Downie is back.

Playoff teams – 1. Chicago; 2. St. Louis; 3. Nashville

PACIFIC

Even thought the Los Angeles Kings are sometimes boring to watch, they have a lot of talent and one of the league’s best goalies in Jonathan Quick. A healthy Anze Kopitar certainly helps as well.

Teemu Selanne’s final ride should be a smooth one with Anaheim, which has improved its depth up front even after the loss of Bobby Ryan. The Ducks will need to enhance their defense corps down the road though. It’s probably the last rodeo for San Jose before the team gets broken up, so you expect either its best or an implosion. There’s too much talent for the Sharks to fall out of the playoffs in the weaker West with a solid top four up front in Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau. Tortorella will try to get Vancouver over the hump. Roberto Luongo will be fine with the NHL’s soap opera team, but not sure the Canucks can get past the first round with a GM who has no clue what he is doing most of the time. Mike Smith has a nice new contract in Phoenix and the Coyotes’ defense is too good not to get them back in the playoffs. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Keith Yandle rank near the top among the best one-two punches on defense in the NHL. Edmonton is another team that puzzles me. Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are terrific, but not sure where they are going overall (Steve McIntyre?). It will be fun to watch Karri Ramo play goal again in Calgary, but the Flames will likely be in the running for the first pick in the 2014 draft.

Playoff teams – 1. Los Angeles; 2. Anaheim; 3. San Jose; 4. Vancouver; 5. Phoenix.

Western Conference – Chicago over Anaheim…….Value play – San Jose

Finals – Chicago over Boston. This time, the Hawks score three goals in the final two minutes in Boston to create more agony for Bruins fans. That thought warms the heart.

A Different View on Vinny and the Draft

It was not a shock. When the Lightning announced that a compliance buyout would be used on captain Vincent Lecavalier Thursday, it just saddened me.

Yes, the contract was a bad one signed by a pair of horrible former owners. It would be great if the NHL allowed players to renegotiate once during a long-term contract and find a way to stay in a place they want to finish their career. It makes too much sense for the NHL, I guess.

This is not meant to bash anyone. I don’t claim to be an expert. It’s just an opinion and, honestly, it is not an emotional one. The things I disagree the most with that I've heard the last few days are the over-used phrases “It had to be done” and “It’s business.”

I don’t think it had to be done and, to me, when you talk about "business" that would lead me to believe that the Lightning are in trouble financially. That’s not the case. If the owner can commit to paying someone $32.7 million over 14 years for a player to go away, the business is fine.

There were other ways to create space for the next few seasons and keep an impact forward that other teams are salivating over to fill their hole at No. 1 or 2 center. He may get up to $5 million per after the bidding war.

One big reason they could keep Lecavalier’s $7.7 million hit (no, it’s not $10 million) is simply that the salary cap is not going to stay at $64 million forever. In fact, many estimate that it will be over $70 million as early as 2015-16, maybe even next season.

The Lightning could also clear $8.35 million of cap space the next two seasons if they bought out forward Ryan Malone and defenseman Eric Brewer. That would cost ownership about $24 million less than the Lecavalier buyout. Marty St. Louis’ deal ends after the 2014-15 season. Perhaps he retires or signs a cap-friendly, one-year deal for one more shot at a Cup at age 40. Vinny Prospal’s buyout money ($1.116 mil) is also off the books after two more years.

Mattias Ohlund’s contract ends after the 2015-16 season and Steven Stamkos will be ready for his 8-year, $80 million deal.

No doubt, the Lightning are hoping they can strike gold with some of the young players they have developed and will need money to sign them as time goes on. But, again, the cap is going to go up and any good GM has to make choices. Like other teams, some will move on and some won’t. The goal is to find guys like Dominic Moore, Sean Bergenheim, Tom Pyatt and Nate Thompson who outperform their contracts. That creates space.

There are ways to keep Lecavalier around for the final five, six or seven years. You hope he can be productive for seven more seasons, but if he retires after five you can bite the bullet for a few years. Don’t forget, you’re not paying him those seasons he is retired. You just have to deal with the penalty cap number and I don't think you should worry about something a half decade away. The cap is likely to be around $80 million by then and there can’t be a lockout.

Ultimately, the compliance buyout doesn’t earn them $7.7 million of space. They have to replace his skill and playmaking ability. He was the team’s best player in the first 15 games or so last season until a Sami Salo slap shot hit him in the foot and I’m not the only person to say that. Young players like Alex Killorn and Richard Panik seemed to work well with him. They may also ultimately have to pay another top-four defenseman good money.

It’s just my opinion. But I think it was a better option to just leave a Tampa icon in the lineup among the group of players you build around led by Stamkos, Victor Hedman and the third pick in the 2013 draft.

We’ll see what happens going forward. But I will miss Vinny, who is one of the classiest athletes I have ever been around in my 28 years of covering sports.

Mark’s Mock

I don’t remember a big buzz leading up to the 2003 NHL Draft. Ten years later, it’s recognized as the best group of players to ever enter the league.

This year’s crop of teenagers has been compared to that class, which produced such dynamite second-round picks as Shea Weber, Patrice Bergeron and Jimmy Howard. A decade from now we will see how deep this draft really is, but there’s no doubt the evaluation will start with five so called “can’t-miss” players at the top.

Nathan MacKinnon, Seth Jones, Jonathan Drouin, Aleksander Barkov and Valeri Nichushkin are recognized by most experts as elite prospects. Put them in any order. It’s not out of the question one slips to sixth, seventh or eighth because of needs, but all of them could be in the NHL next season.

Once you get past the first seven or eight players, anything can happen. Projections are all over the place. Goalie Zachary Fucale is the big wildcard. But after soaking up all the knowledge I can without interviewing players or watching tons of tape, here’s another mock draft. Why not? It’s fun. I expect there to be several trades, but here’s a guess if it stays the same:

Colorado – Seth Jones D Portland. My take is the Avalanche want to see if Florida will give them something to be able to take MacKinnon at No.1. I could totally be wrong. But you notice Joe Sakic is saying “if the draft were today” we will take a forward. A defenseman like Jones doesn’t come along very often though and the Avs could use one badly.

Florida – Nathan MacKinnon C Halifax. The Panthers let out a sigh of relief and grab MacKinnon to form a solid 1-2 punch at centre with Jonathan Huberdeau. If MacKinnon is gone, they just take Jones and smile.

Tampa Bay – Jonathan Drouin LW, Halifax. Nichushkin would be a good pick. So would Barkov for that matter. It’s just hard to pass on a player with Drouin’s skill and he just seems to be scratching the surface. The Lightning can add more size through trades.

Nashville – Aleksander Barkov C, Finland. The Predators need offense and they have to be better down the middle. Enter Barkov, who was one of the best players in the Finnish Elite League at 17.

Carolina – Valeri Nichushkin LW, Russia. The Hurricanes will find a spot in the top six for the powerful forward in 2013-14 and hope he can produce right away playing with a Staal brother.

Calgary – Sean Monahan C, Ottawa. The Flames start a busy first round by choosing a solid pivot who could be productive as a No. 1 or 2 down the road.

Edmonton – Darnell Nurse D, Sault St. Marie. The Oilers need to keep building up their defense and this physical force fits the bill perfectly.

Buffalo -- Elias Lindholm C, Sweden. The Sabres play it safe with a solid, two-way center who looks to be the type of player you win with.

New Jersey – Hunter Shinkaruk C/LW, Medicine Hat. My guess is the Devils will attempt to move down five spots or less and add an extra pick then choose Fucale as their goalie of the future. Maybe they just take him here. If not, they take a good offensive player.

Dallas – Bo Horvat C, London. The Stars could go any number of ways, which may cause them to move down a bit. But they go with the better all-around player after considering offensive forwards Max Domi and Anthony Mantha.

Philadelphia – Nikita Zadorov D, London. Could go with several different types of defensemen here, or maybe even Fucale, but perhaps the Russian monster fits.

Phoenix – Anthony Mantha LW, Val d’Or. The Coyotes need offense bad and here’s a 50-goal scorer from the Quebec League that may have more upside than Domi.

Winnipeg -- Max Domi C London. Tie’s son is a pretty darn good offensive player who can fit into the top nine for the Jets at some point.

Columbus -- Rasmus Ristolainen D, Finland. You can never have enough steady defenseman and the Blue Jackets have two more picks in the first round to grab some forwards.

NY Islanders – Valentin Zykov RW, Baie-Comeau. Hard-working Russian with good size who can score adds to the depth of the forward corps.

Buffalo – Ryan Pulock D, Brandon. The Sabres go with a forward their first selection, so they add an offensive defenseman with good size.

Ottawa – Alexander Wennberg C, Sweden. The Senators are looking for offense and this guy has good speed and creativity. Ottawa has had good luck with Swedes as well.

Detroit -- Curtis Lazar C, Edmonton. He fits the Red Wings mold with his character and an all-around game. He could go as early as nine or 10.

Columbus – Kerby Rychel  LW, Windsor. The Blue Jackets think about Fucale and another defenseman, but turn to a power forward who can score and has NHL pedigree.

San Jose – Samuel Morin D, Rimouski. Sharks grab a player who could go much higher if a particular team loves his upside. He is 6-7 and has good mobility.

Toronto – Ryan Hartman RW, Plymouth. An agitating-type player with a consistent game. He played well in helping the United States win the World Junior Championship.

Calgary – Zachary Fucale G, Halifax. If the Devils, Flyers, Sabres and the Islanders don’t grab the Memorial Cup winning netminder, GM Jay Feaster looks to the heavens and gets to the podium quick to take this winner.

Washington – Frederick Gauthier C Rimouski. The Capitals could use a player like Gauthier, who has good size and the ability to fill a third-line center role.

Vancouver – Josh Morrissey D, Prince Albert. The Canucks need a lot of things, but a puck-moving defenseman who can play on the power play in the future is one of them.

Montreal – Adam Erne LW, Quebec. The Canadiens can use more speed and size and this Connecticut-born player may provide it in a few years.

Anaheim – Madison Bowey D, Kelowna. There are several different types of defensemen on the board and the Ducks go for perhaps the best athlete of the bunch.

Columbus – Andre Burakowsky LW, Sweden. The Blue Jackets are in the position to take a chance here with their third pick and grab a potential top-six forward who did not play much this season for various reasons.

Calgary – Shea Theodore D, Seattle. The Flames take an offensive defenseman who needs to get better in his own end to complete a productive first round.

Dallas – Ian McCoshen D Waterloo. A shutdown, workhorse defenseman who can provide more room for the Stars’ skilled players.

Chicago – Jacob De La Rose C Sweden. The Stanley Cup champs could take more of a project here, but a safe, solid pick like this works as well.

Building the Bridge to a Better - 2012 Movies

It’s been a struggle to put a blog together for the last few months.

I would not call it writer’s block. Not sure what to blame. There have just been several thoughts bouncing around in my head about issues and when I sat down to form an opinion piece it was difficult to make it fresh, clear and simple.

So I’m going to make it easier on myself and build a bridge to better blogs next week about the NHL Draft and the rest of the summer. I’m emptying the notebook. Here’s a bunch of thoughts on the Lightning, other sports and the best 2012 movies:

·      I was very disappointed in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s season. In my opinion, the roster was good enough to make them at least an eighth seed in the playoffs. Ultimately, the Bolts have still yet to find a way to control their goals-against average. Goaltending is just one of many issues. It’s more about the way they played. That gambling mentality with the puck, the inability to clear the zone simply, poor decision-making in key areas on the ice, the lack of enough puck possession caused by turnovers and losing too many board battles all contributed to their downfall. Some key players just did not get it done, or were inconsistent, and perhaps that forced coach Guy Boucher to over react at times and make it worse.

·       I believe Boucher will be a really good NHL hockey coach down the road. Honestly, I think he might have been a good choice for Colorado. He did some tremendous things here and he should learn from the experience. I’m certainly not in the locker room and the coaches’ room, so nobody knows what went on. My only concern was what I saw in the defensive zone coverage at times (no, not talking about the overblown 1-3-1!). Opponents were left wide open way too often. Was it more his plan or players making mistakes and losing battles? Who knows for sure? There were times that perhaps Boucher seemed to make the game a little too complicated. But again, it would not surprise me in the least to see him grab the Stanley Cup and hoist it over his head some day.

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·       New coach Jon Cooper’s challenge will be to develop an aggressive style of play that uses the team’s abundance of creativity and skill while limiting the – often unforced – turnovers that plagued the team. The teams that I watched in the playoffs did not resemble the Lightning very much. Some of them weren’t very good offensively, but they went North-South and didn’t give up the puck at their own blue line or in the neutral zone easily.

·       This might be a more important offseason for Bolts GM Steve Yzerman than his first with the team. The organizational depth is so much better now and he has some solid young assets he could trade to fill key needs. Yzerman must retool or tweak the defense and the forward corps and stay under the cap. A top-four defenseman (is Keith Yandle available?) and a strong-skating power forward for the top nine would help. He will have to make some decisions on Ryan Malone, Eric Brewer and Benoit Pouliot. To me, I don’t understand the talk about buying out Vincent Lecavalier. It doesn’t make sense financially or on the ice. He was one of the team’s best players last season when he didn’t have the foot injury.

·       This will be one of the most interesting drafts in recent memory on June 30 in Newark, N.J. Only the NSA knows what the boards of the teams with the top five picks say outside their rooms. Colorado threw a curveball the other day by saying it would not pick defenseman Seth Jones. I think the Avs might be playing games, but Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin are incredible players. For the last month, you figured the Lightning would be choosing between Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Sasha Barkov at No. 3. Who knows now? Here’s the thing for the Bolts. Nichushkin’s size, speed and power might be exactly what the Lightning needs, but Drouin is an amazing talent who is hard to pass on. Not an easy choice. If Jones is there, it would only make it harder.

·       The first NHL draft was 50 years ago on June 5. This will be the 51st. Every draft on a year ending in a three has been memorable. Garry Monahan was the first pick in 1963 by Montreal in the four-round draft. Denis Potvin went first in 1973 and several future players and executives/coaches were chosen including John Davidson, Bob Gainey, Dave Lewis, Cap Raeder and Colin Campbell along with Tom Pyatt’s father Nelson. Brian Lawton went No. 1 to Minnesota and Sylvain Turgeon to Hartford at No. 2 in 1983. Oops. The Islanders scooped up Pat LaFontaine, the Red Wings chose Yzerman and Tom Barrasso went to Buffalo. John MacLean and Russ Courtnall, two 1,000-game players, went next. Brian Burke traded up to No. 2 to grab Chris Pronger for the Whalers after Ottawa took underwhelming Alexandre Daigle first. The Lightning picked Chris Gratton third and Paul Kariya went fourth to Anaheim. Many think the 2003 draft might have been the best of all time with such standouts as Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber, David Backes, Corey Crawford and Jimmy Howard going after pick No. 44 in the second round after a first round filled with talent. Unfortunately, the Lightning picked Mike Egener at 34 and Matt Smaby at 41 that year. The 2013 draft has five elite prospects and good depth.

·      It still irks me when I see how hard Gary Bettman is working to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz. He will say it’s different because there was an owner in place and the state government went along with it in Connecticut, but the Commish spent little time trying to figure out ways to keep the only major sports franchise the state will ever have around. Hartford was like any other small market. When the team won, the place was hopping. When they weren’t, the 10,000 diehards were there. State officials thought they could get the New England Patriots, so they discarded the Whalers. If Bettman had dragged it out longer and made them realize Bob Kraft would never move the team to Hartford, perhaps the Whalers would still be in Hartford. But he bailed.

·      I wasn’t going to watch much of this NHL final because of my dislike for the Boston Bruins organization, but it’s been difficult to look away. The first four games have been so much more exciting than last year’s snoozer of a series between the Kings and Devils. But please, not another Cup for the Bruins. I’m counting on you “Steady” Joel Quenneville.

·       Hey David Stern. The WWE wants its referees back now that the NBA finals are over.

·       After further review, I am on board with the Darrelle Revis move for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Perhaps Tampa can change the name of Davis Island to Revis Island? The concern I have with the Buccaneers is still depth.

·       Can’t see the Tampa Bay Rays going anywhere again this season. Getting the right return for David Price in a trade is the key to their future, along with a new stadium. You wonder if they wasted a chance to deal B.J. Upton for something last season, but maybe they weren’t offered anything significant.

·       My analysis of 2012 movies is done. Finally. It took me a while to see almost every highly-rated movie I could and watch the top films a second and third time. Overall, it was not a great year for movies. The worst – Prometheus, Rock of Ages, Cosmopolis, Killer Joe, Taken 2, Killing Them Softly, Cloud Atlas, Les Miserables and This is 40; Top Honorable mention – The Master, Ted, Bernie, Trouble with the Curve, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Act of Valor; Top 25 -- 25. Goon; 24. Not Fade Away; 23. The Avengers; 22. End of Watch; 21. Arbitrage; 20. Seven Psychopaths; 19. The Sessions; 18. Bourne Legacy; 17. Parental Guidance; 16. Perks of Being a Wallflower; 15. Ruby Sparks; 14. Promised Land; 13. Looper; 12. Searching for Sugarman; 11. Premium Rush; Note -- Not everyone would like Perks and Ruby, but something in the uniqueness of both made them work for me and Sugarman should probably be higher. Great documentary…….. 10. Dark Knight Rises – Anne Hathaway should have won an Oscar for this supporting role instead of the other; 9. The Hunger Games – Jennifer Lawrence was superior in this as well; 8. Moonrise Kingdom – goofy, quirky little comedy; 7. Skyfall – Best Bond in a while. Bardem is a great villain; 6. Django Unchained -- Incredibly rich scenes and characters, but editing was needed to make it better; 5. Flight – liked it more the third and fourth times I watched it. Great performance by Denzel Washington; 4. Lincoln – The changes in some of the history for no reason annoyed me, but still a powerful film; 3. Zero Dark Thirty – Jessica Chastain was brilliant. Kept switching it between third and second; 2. Argo – Alan Arkin and John Goodman’s performances helped a lot along with the pulsating ending; 1 – Silver Linings Playbook – Liked it the first time, and then realized how truly good it was the second and third viewings. It passed the Jim Valvano test with As in all categories. It made you laugh, it made you think and it made you cry. That’s why it was the best of the year.

-    Mark Pukalo