There are 3 universal constants in the galaxy, death, taxes and Rafael Nadal winning the French Open. Sunday, with his straight set demolition of David Ferrer, Rafa captures Paris for an amazing 8^thtime! He is now the only man to win a grand slam event eight times. His lifetime record at Roland Garros is 59-1. He has now won the French Open 4 straight times, twice!!!

I begin to run out of superlatives. Winning the most grueling major 8 times in 9 years? Seriously? Imagine Tiger Woods winning at The Masters eight times in nine years, that is what Rafa has accomplished in tennis.  Lets add to this that Nadal is coming off a 7 month layoff due to injury. Since his return his record is 43-2 with 7 titles and 2 runner ups. Oh, and he’s now won 22 straight matches. How to stop him? Try kryptonite.

Nadal’s major count is now at 12, he passes Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, trailing only Sampras at 14 and Federer at 17. For 30 years I’ve always felt that Borg was the greatest clay court player of all time, until this physical freak from Mayorca came along. Nadal not only owns the most French titles, but in the 3 other big clay court events, he has won Monte Carlo 8 times, Barcelona 8 times and Italy 7 times. The guy should play with a cape on!!!

Rafael Nadal wins the Italian Open for the 7^thtime, defeating Roger Federer 6-1 6-3. Rafa improves to 20-10 lifetime versus Roger, and in particular he has dominated the Swiss on clay 13-2.The lopsided nature of the score was a product of Nadal playing at a high level and Roger having a bad day at the office, spraying 32 unforced errors in 2 sets.

Since his return from a 7 month absence due to a knee injury, Nadal has been lights out. His comeback has been Adrian Peterson like. All he has done is play in 8 tournaments, reaching the final in all 8, and winning 6!!!!! His record thus far is 38-2. Not Bad.

The big question is, can he capture the French Open for the 8^thtime? I’m not so sure. I still think Novak Djokovic has the upper hand on him. Novak is really the only player currently with the game and confidence to defeat Rafa on red clay. Since Rafa’s comeback, they have only played once, in Monte Carlo, and Novak beat him in straight sets. Nadal had never lost on that court, so psychologically, Novak has the edge. I still don’t think, despite all his recent success, that Nadal is back to the level he was last year before the injury, when he beat Djokovic 3 consecutive times, including the French Open final.But will Novak slip up early, like he did in Madrid and Italy? The entire tennis world would love to see a Djokovic-Nadal final in Paris, lets hope it comes to fruition. See you on the courts...I’ll be the fat guy grunting...

Ironman movies are like pizza, even when the pizza is fair, it’s still good. Part 3 is better than its predecessor Ironman 2.  However it fails to recapture the magic of the initial installment. Part of the problem is the script, which has plot holes that you could sail an aircraft carrier thru.

First the good: Robert Downey Jr. is once again terrific! He elevates everything around him like a great player does in basketball. His Tony Stark is the best “true identity” portrayal of all these comic book adaptations. Thanks to Downey, there are some genuinely funny moments. The Iron Man series is essentially a screwball comedy trapped inside a super hero film. In addition the action sequences are top notch, although I don’t believe the 3-D was necessary.

Now, the issues:  SPOILER ALERT  As I have always written, the villain is critically important in all comic book films. It is in this area where my primary issue with Iron Man 3 resides. To reduce The Mandarin, who is the primary villain in the Iron Man universe, to a caricature is artistic heresy. The “Wizard Of Oz” reveal comes across so poorly that I found myself thinking, you’ve got to be kidding me ? You’re really going in this direction? I’m surprised that Marvel was okay with this. I also detest the “bait  and switch “ tactics of the promotion of this film. I’m all psyched to see Ben Kingsley’s take on The Mandarin, and what do I get? Guy Pearce breathing fire? Please.  And a question for the writer. If a guy can breathe  fire, why does he use that power only once in the entire film? Also, the power of the character {Aldrich Killian} creates is never explained. What are the parameters of his abilities? What is the real objective of Killian and The Mandarin? All these questions are never addressed. They are both very poorly defined villains, and the film suffers because of it.

The characters are not well thought out. Tony Stark is a super genius, yet he gives out his home address to a national television audience? Then he’s surprised by a helicopter attack with all his state of the art security? Another question, If Stark can automatically control the Iron Man suites, then why does he ever get inside one and risk bodily harm? Not smart. Very little makes sense, one minute Tony thinks Pepper is dead, the next he’s wisecracking?

Despite all of the above, I still enjoyed Iron Man 3, it packs a solid punch, with witty dialogue and Downey Jr’s rapid fire delivery. But due to the unmemorable villain and a narrative that prioritizes effects over story, you’re still left a bit unsatisfied. The old saying in Hollywood goes, give the people what they want. I didn’t want a villain out of an Austin Powers movie.

The film chronicles how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. It’s a resplendent tale of a true American hero who persevered thru blind idiotic hatred. While not a great film, it’s an uplifting story of a gallant man with the backdrop of our national pastime. The film only spans 2 years, Robinson’s one year in the minors and his initial campaign with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This is a must see for kids and todays younger generation, who have little or no idea what Jackie went thru. You’ll learn why he is not only baseball royalty but a cultural icon, instrumental to the civil rights movement.

  From a cinematic standpoint it’s a competent old school bio-pic, that I think works better as a teaching tool than a pure drama. Chadwick Boseman does a nice job of capturing Robinson’s personality and essence, although not fully developed, you do feel that he is Jackie. Harrison Ford, nearly unrecognizable, is Dodgers GM Branch Rickey, and he nearly steals the movie. Rickey was the visionary who  refused to accept the eras pervasive racial hatred. Indeed there are several scenes laced with vile and contemptible racial slurs that are difficult to watch. A well done baseball film and more it’s a snapshot of a seminal moment in American history. Inspirational and entertaining.

From Kathryn Bigelow, who won Oscars for best picture and best director for “ The Hurt Locker”, comes Zero Dark Thirty, the compelling story of a determined CIA agents’ dogged 8 year pursuit of Osama bin Laden. Much like “Argo”, the film entwines elements of historical data and takes dramatic license. It is expertly crafted and relentlessly suspenseful despite the fact that we all know how the story ends.

Make no mistake however, this film is about the main character Maya, as much as it is the hunt of bin Laden. Jessica Chastain’s performance is extraordinary. If I had an Oscar vote, I would have given it to her, despite how good Jennifer Lawrence was in “Silver Linings Playbook”. Chastain carries the entire picture. How many actresses can do that beside Meryl Streep? Her Maya is an intelligent, ferociously resolute woman, who is obsessed with finding bin Laden. She lives for nothing else.

Bigelow also tackles the controversial issue of the morality of torture. I do not believe, like others, that the film glorifies it. She leaves it up to us to draw our own conclusions as to its effectiveness. That moral ambiguity is quite refreshing, considering the typical heavy handed leftist leanings of Hollywood. Zero Dark Thirty was nominated for 5 Oscars, including best picture and it’s a fascinating watch. I still “enjoyed” Argo more as entertainment, but Zero Dark Thirty is tension filled storytelling at its best, and one of the finest fact-based political thrillers since “All The Presidents Men”.      See you at the movies....

For Rafael Nadal to win the title on the hard courts of Indian Wells Sunday, after being sidelined for 7 months, is nothing short of remarkable.It was his first hard court tournament in a year, and he had to defeat Martin Del Potro, who had ambushed Rafael on a similar hard surface at the U.S. Open several years ago. Sunday Nadal looked very much like the champion who has amassed 11 majors by age 26. With the victory he wins his 22nd masters 1000 tourney, one more than the great Roger Federer. Since his amazing return from a leg injury that many feared to be career threatening, his record is 17-1, 13-0 vs. top ten opponents. He has played 4 events in his comeback, his results: final,title,title,and title. Not bad.
    Rafael will skip Miami and prepare for the European clay court season, where on the red dirt he has been nearly invincible. This swing culminates with the French Open, the years 2nd major. How about another Nadal-Djokovic final.Nadal didn't have to defeat Murray or Novak at Indian Wells, but their confrontations seem inevitable.But for now, Nadal seems like he he is all the way back. Great news for the sport of tennis. Vamos!!!!