University of Massachusets Athletics
InsideCollegeHockey.com Q & A: UMass Goalie Dan Meyers
November 28, 2008 | Hockey
Nov. 28, 2008
UMass junior goalie Dan Meyers is 2-3-1 with a .925 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average this season, and he's also the Roger Ebert of Amherst. Meyers started up a blog on umassathletics.com that deals with his movie-watching hobby, which is updated every two weeks. Inside College Hockey caught up with Meyers this week to discuss his blog, his teammates' Hollywood status and how he would improve the movie industry.
Inside College Hockey: How did the blog come about?
Dan Meyers: It kind of just fell into my lap. I've always loved movies. Watching them is a big hobby of mine. One day, [UMass sports information director John] Sinnett was like, `You're a big movie nerd, right?' I'm like, `Well, I guess you can call me that.' He said, `Well, let's do a blog.' So, sure, why not? The main goal now is it's gotten to the point where I can show teammates' personalities and stuff in it and have fun with it.
INCH: How many movies do you own?
DM: A lot. I have a booklet with about 300 sleeves in it, so probably around there.
INCH: What's the last movie you bought?
DM: The last movie I bought was probably "Iron Man" or "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." One of those.
INCH: What's your favorite type of movie?
DM: I have mostly dramas. I think that's the best type of movie making. In a movie like that, you can incorporate humor and all that kind of stuff. You get the best of both worlds, in a sense, but keep a serious, underlying tone in the movie. And you have good acting, too.
INCH: What's your favorite movie of all time?
DM: That's a tough question. I could sit here for 40 minutes and give you my top 10, but I'd have movies dropping in and out of the list the more I think about it.
INCH: I'll narrow it down then. What's your favorite hockey movie?
DM: As cliché as it is, "Slap Shot."
INCH: OK, other than "Slap Shot," because everybody says "Slap Shot," is there another hockey movie that you would consider the best one out there?
DM: I think the best made hockey movie, in terms of realism and stuff, is probably "Miracle." It stayed true to the sport. You see "Mighty Ducks," and the goalies have the wrong-handed stick. It's goofy stuff, but I'd say "Miracle" is the most honest.
INCH: Are there any movies you watch before games to get you fired up?
DM: I watch "The Last Samurai" a lot. Anything with good acting and a big battle. Maybe throw a good speech in there from one of the actors. Something like that would get me going for game time.
INCH: You said Sinnett called you a movie nerd, and I read in one of your entries that your teammates call you that, too. Why is that?
DM: It's because I kind of speak another language. I speak the language of someone who spends way too much time watching movies and critiquing them. I can see from the outside it kind of looks a little ridiculous. But when it comes down to it, you know who they're asking when they have a question about something.
INCH: Is this something you want to make a career out of, or is it just a hobby?
DM: Right now, it's just a hobby. To be honest with you, I didn't expect it to get past the pages of the UMass Web site and a couple teammates seeing it and some fans. Could I make a career out of it? Absolutely. Do I think I could make any money out of it? Probably not. I'll stick to the more realistic route, keep at it with the academics and hockey. But if something opens up, why not?
INCH: Who is the most Hollywood-type person on your team?
DM: I'd say the best dressed is Alex Berry. He's always running in with his outfits and his GQ magazine.
INCH: If someone in the locker room were to have a three-hour documentary made about them, who would it be? Who needs a camera around them at all times?
DM: I could tell you who would like to have a camera around them all the time is Will Ortiz. He's just a very strong personality. It's the type of personality that can get under your skin, but you love and respect it and love having it around.
INCH: If Don Cahoon were to be portrayed by an actor in a movie about his life, who would it be?
DM: Oh, man. That's a tough one. I'm drawing a blank here. That's a good one. I can tell you [assistant coach] Red Gendron would be the manager from "Major League." Coach Q [Lenny Quesnelle] kind of looks like the new Bond guy [Daniel Craig]. [Cahoon] has some good public speaking skills, so I'm going to go with Toot playing Toot. I think he could do the role. Eds. Note: Read Meyers' blog to find out which actor would portray each player on the team
INCH: Who would play you in a movie?
DM: Joking, I said Christopher Walken.
INCH: Which character of his would be you?
DM: If you really watch Christopher Walken, he really doesn't change too much from role to role.
INCH: He's a cult figure in a way. What role of his has been your favorite. I'd have to go with "Wedding Crashers."
DM: That was good. His scene in "Pulp Fiction" is legendary. Everything he's in, he's got that Brooklyn accent, and he nails everything he's in.
INCH: Being from Boston, movies like "The Departed" and "The Boondock Saints" are really popular around here. You're from New Jersey, so are there any movies that really make you proud to be from Jersey?
DM: To be honest with you, any movie made about Jersey is usually exploiting the fact that Jersey is Jersey. There's no real proud-to-be-from-Jersey movies. All the Kevin Smith movies poke fun of Jersey, but they do it in a way where people from Jersey actually see it. We get a bad rap for the wrong reasons. Being right outside Philadelphia, I live about 10 minutes outside the city, any movie in Philly and based in Philly is a big deal.
INCH: What do you think of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"?
DM: My roommates watch it, but I don't really get too into it, to be quite honest with you. It's OK. I've watched a few episodes. I just have other shows I draw my attention to first.
INCH: If you could change anything about the movie industry, what would it be?
DM: It's extremely watered down. They make movies now where they'll hire an actor and not even have a script yet. Then they'll write the script for the actor. They say it's part of the business. It's gotten to be a conglomerate now. There's no heart in it anymore. It seems like there's no effort it in anymore. It's all just a watered-down business. It is what it is. Once a year, you'll get a good movie. It is watered down extremely bad.
INCH: What was the last movie you've watched?
DM: The last movie, I saw the new Bond ["Quantum of Solace"] last Tuesday.
INCH: I've heard mixed things. How was it?
DM: That's what I heard going into it, too. To be quite honest with you, I just love the direction it's going in. I love how it's more realistic. The fights are more brutal. [Daniel Craig] does a good job. The storyline is whatever, but you go to see a Bond movie for the action, the cool outfits, the cool cars and stuff. It delivered in all that stuff, so I walked out happy.
INCH: Is there an actor out there who, if he's in a movie, you're going to find yourself in the theater that first week?
DM: My favorite actor, I'd say, the majority of the time, I'll go see a Tom Hanks movie, a Denzel Washington movie in the theater. Anything directed by Steven Spielberg or David Fincher. I'll go see right away. Those guys, I don't know if it's them or their agents, but they just touch gold every time.