Reaper reminder

I just wanted to make all of you aware that the underappreciated comedy action show, Reaper returns for its second season this week on the CW. Here's a little preview of the season #2...


And if you need a better refresher before the season begins, you can watch the season 1 finale here.

NMR: Cage-d heat

I caught a couple of Nicolas Cage movies on Netflix's instant viewing and I think they're a couple of examples why he's one of the most polarizing actors out there today.

Next: This 2007 sci-fi action flick revolves around the idea that Nic Cage has the ability to see 2 minutes into the future at any point and the gov't is trying to hunt him down to use his ability to stop Russians from using a nuclear bomb. The whole thing is completely preposterous and poorly acted. I could have maybe bought into the concept if it had been given any sort of decent explanation, but at barely 90 minutes, the film wastes the idea and uses it as a weak prop for a generic action movie. Not even the hotness of Jessica Biel could save this one. If only Nic Cage actually he had this ability, he could have seen how terrible this movie would be. Rating: **

Matchstick Men: A complete 180 here as Cage turns in a terrific performance, along with nearly everyone else in the film. The film centers around a con man (Cage) who has OCD and is trying to deal with meeting his 14-year old daughter for the first time. Somehow the movie is a character study of a neurotic individual, an emotional family drama, and a con movie and gives each of these aspects of the story enough time to make them significant. Ridley Scott (Gladiator) turns in one of his best directing efforts here. This is a movie that works on a lot of levels and provides something for a lot of different audiences. Ironically, not many people saw it. Do yourself a favor and see it now. Rating: **** (although if I could it would be 4 1/2 stars)

Break(dance)ing news!

Do they realize that the cameras are rolling? Apparently, there is NOTHING of significance to report in Cincinnati as that's the only way I can explain why this is happening. Unbelieveable.

NMR: 2 for 1

Here's the latest from my Netflix viewings...

In Bruges: A small film that came out around this time last year. It got a lot of rave reviews and even had an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, however I just couldn't get into it. It stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody in the Harry Potter films) as a couple of hitman who are trying to lay low in Bruges (hence the title). There were several times in the film where I could recognize what the director was trying to do, but I just wasn't buying it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood or maybe it's for a different audience, but for whatever reason I just didn't enjoy this. If you've seen it, feel free to tell me why this film is supposed to be good. Rating: **

The Hunting Party: An odd film that turned out to be pretty good. It stars Richard Gere and Terrence Howard as a couple of journalists who are in Bosnia looking for an infamous war criminal, The Fox. The beginning of the film there is a disclaimer that only the most ridiculous parts of the movie are real and then at the end of the movie they show you what in fact actually did happen. For most people, they may have trouble enjoying a film about the Bosnian conflict, but if you stick with it, it's a decent thriller that also has a fair amount of laughs. It's not the conventional type of film I would enjoy, but I liked it nonetheless. Rating: ***

More good news for the day

From EW.com:

Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) has been tapped to direct and produce a new adaptation of the game Clue, Variety reports. Like the previous 1985 movie and the classic Hasbro board game on which both films are based, Verbinski's project will be a murder mystery. It's the latest Hasbro property headed to the big screen, after Transformers and this summer's G.I. Joe.

I love the original Clue film, but also feel that a new version could be really great. They should once again film multiple endings that are shown at various theaters. I think having the people who are usually in Christopher Guest's films would be ideal for this cast. So, are you as excited as I am or is this news met with more apathy from you?

Getting the band back together

So last Friday was Conan's last show on Late Night and I've been kind of sad about it. Moving to the 11:30 slot, it seemed like Conan was selling out and would be abandoning a lot of the humor that we've come to love from him and go to a more broad, pandering style that we've come to loathe in Jay Leno.

Well today we got news that really made me happy. Andy Richter is coming back full time as Conan's sidekick (Read story here). I've really missed their banter and rapport these past few years so it'll be great seeing them back together again. So of Conan's best bits (If They Mated, In the Year 2000, On the Aisle, Staring Contests) haven't been the same without Andy involved. Hopefully this is a good sign that all is not lost once Conan takes over The Tonight Show in June.

EDIT: So reading the announcement a little bit more closely, it seems that Andy is being brought on to be the announcer. However, he will still be involved in some of the show's comedy bits. It's not quite the same thing, but still good news nonetheless.

And here for your amusement is a classic Conan/Andy bit, fittingly enough of them taking a 'drive' in LA:

Judd-ging the latest Apatow trailer

Judd Apatow's third directing effort comes out this summer and the first trailer has hit the net. I like the premise seen here, but this clearly seems to be a much more serious film than his previous efforts. I've got no problem with that as long as the quality is still there and I have a feeling it will be. Check it out for yourself.

NMR: Oscar greats

Since none of this year's Best Picture nominees have made it to the budget theater yet and I'm too poor to shell out the big bucks to see them, I decided to watch some older Oscar winners through Netflix instead. All films are available to watch instantly if you're interested in them.

All the President's Men: Just a great, great film and I'm embarassed that it's taken me so long to see it. This is the retelling of Woodward and Bernstein's investigation into the Watergate scandal. Fantastic acting from everyone involved and does a nice job of playing more like a detective story than some extended political statement. I really enjoyed seeing such a thorough look into the world of journalism and the quest people will take in order to get the story. Rating: *****

Network: Another great film directed by one of the most legendary directors, Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men). This look at a fictional TV network's exploitation of their lead anchorman, who's having a mental breakdown seems all too realistic today in our tabloid driven world. The movie is way ahead of it's time and fascinating to watch now from this perspective. I'm not crazy about the love story they included between Faye Dunaway and the news director; it just didn't feel organic to the story. Otherwise this is an excellent film. On a related note, Peter Finch was the first man to win an acting Oscar posthumously for his role as Howard Beale for this movie. Heath Ledger could become the second one to do so this Sunday. Rating: ****

The Counterfeiters: This won the Best Foreign Language film Oscar a couple of years ago. I've seen my fair share of Holocaust films and I was impressed with the originality of this one. Yes, it depicts the terrible conditions that Jewish people endured during this time, but the primary story is of a counterfeit artist who is captured and used by the Germans to create fake dollars and pounds in order to help fund their war effort. This forces him into a situation to either choose between helping the enemy or avoiding the same horrible treatment that his fellow prisoners are enduring. It is a riveting film, but it is subtitled, so if that isn't your thing, you may not enjoy this. Rating: ****

Oscar spoilers?!?

So there is this document floating around the Internet right now supposedly from AMPAS president Sid Ganis which lists all of the winners to this Sunday's Oscar ceremony. A lot of the purported winners seem like the likely choices, but there are a couple that raise some eyebrows. If you're curious, the link is below. Look at your own discretion.

Possible list of Oscar winners

Lecture Circuit (Pt. 2) deleted scenes

#2



#1

Insufficient funds

So I gave myself a treat tonight and saw a sneak preview of The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, which opens this Friday. Since this is an early review, let me say "spoilers ahead!"

I put this film on my top 30 to see this year based on the strength of its premise and trailer. Given it's plot about a corrupt bank, it also has the fortune(?) of coming out at a time when most people don't think too highly of economic establishments.

For the first three quarters of this movie, I was really digging it. It does a great job of building suspense by making this European bank, the IBBC, a nefarious organization. It appears that they won't let anything get in their way of global domination and they provide plenty of scenes to make the audience believe that. Not only do you worry for the main characters' safety but you also want to see this bank get taken down.

Trying to stop them is Lou Sallinger (Owen) who's been trying to build a case against the IBBC for years. Owen turns in another one of those glowering performances that he can only do, but in this case it works. Helping Sallinger out is Watts, who plays a New York FBI agent. Her role is actually kind of underwritten and seems frivolous at times. It seems a shame to waste some as talented as her in a thankless role like this.

As Sallinger gets closer and closer to exposing this organization, the tension builds. Unfortunately, the film climaxes too soon. The best moment of the film comes from an unbelieveable shootout scene done in the Guggenheim museum. This is pure unadulterated action that just keeps building in awesomeness. Having this bloody battle done with the backdrop of this pristine setting just makes for a really cool scene. I don't want to gush, but the scene is so great, it's almost worth the price of admission alone.

Like I said though, once that scene is over, the film limps to a finish. A major factor in this is that they wrote themselves into a corner. As Sallinger interrogates one of IBBC key players, he says that it's impossible to truly take the bank down. Their reach is so wide that there would be too many people invested in seeing the company thrive to let anyone expose it for what it's really doing. Now this statement in of itself is fine. The film had clearly established the strength of the bank throughout the film, so what he says is plausible. But if we're to buy into that, then there isn't a whole lot you can do to create a satisfying ending.

At that point, they either have to create some deux ex machina that would seem phony or you have to create a more philosophical finish where you have to accept moral victories over actual ones. And while neither of those options seems appealing, what this film does is even worse. They try finding a happy medium between those two options. The end result is a befuddling and anti-climatic finish. As the movie ends, you're left with too many loose ends that you want answers to. The film tries to answer these in a cheesy newspaper montage as the credits roll, but by that point it's too late.

Overall, while the film seems somewhat relevant given what's currently going on with our financial institutions, you also get the sense that this movie has been sitting on the shelf for a while. In fact, doing a little reading on the film, it seems that the film did some reshoots in order to bolster up the action. If any of the Guggenheim stuff was added late in the process, I shudder to think what this movie was like before it.

One final thing I will say though is that this movie is beautifully shot. Scenes are shot across the globe and are beautifully done. If aesthetics is something you enjoy in the film, well then this one has got it going on.

In the end, I'm going to give this the mildest of recommendations. The film was able to build up enough goodwill that it's unsatisfying ending didn't completely ruin anything. It's not at Cast Away level, but you will be disappointed with the film's finish. Still if you're looking for something to see at the cineplex, this is a decent alternative to all of the romantic comedy dreck that's being shoveled out there right now. Grade: B-

Hitching up some trailers

A couple new trailers of interest.

First is Observe and Report, which will, unbelieveably, be our second mall cop movie of the year. The trailer is red band, so this one isn't aimed at the kids like Paul Blart was. I got more of an action vibe than a comedy vibe though from the trailer. While there were some decent parts, I'm not completely sold on this movie. By the way, I have a feeling I know who the mysterious streaker is in the movie and if I'm right, I'll be so disappointed that they made it so obvious.




The other trailer is the newest one for Angels and Demons. After being on the fence about this sequel given the mediocrity of The Da Vinci Code, I'm now fully on board after seeing this. All indications are that they fixed a lot of the complaints with the previous film. No long hair, more action, compelling story are all here. Let's hope I'm right and this isn't a case of a trailer leading me astray.

NMR: Big names, small films

Here's a couple of films that really flew under the radar in '08, yet both have pretty decent casts.

Transsiberian: Starring Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley, and Emily Mortimer this film begins with a Hitchcockian vibe. Harrelson and Mortimer played a married couple travelling on the Transiberian train from China to Russia. Along the way they meet another couple who may be hiding their true intentions for being on the trip. The first half of the film is intense and mysterious, but once you figure out where it's going the film gets pretty stupid. Characters making illogical decisions and a 'only in Hollywood' ending mar what was turning out to be a decent thriller. It's available to view instantly on Netflix, so you may want to check it out. Rating: ***

The Lucky Ones: I typically don't watch movies on the Iraq war, but this one seemed to be more of a road trip film than about the war. Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Pena are three soldiers on 30-day leaves who meet each other on their way back to the U.S. They each have different personal issues that they need to deal with and end up forming a bond along the way. It does a nice job of blending emotions as you watch these characters go on this journey. Rachel McAdams is absolutely adorable here and she was one of the main reasons why I rented it in the first place. I was not keen on how the film ends, but it's probably a more realistic ending. If you want something different and light, this is a decent choice. Rating: ****

Lecture Circuit (Pt. 1) deleted scenes

#2



#1

Know your role

I needed a break tonight, so I went over and caught Role Models at the budget theater before it leaves this weekend.

And as I sit here trying to type up a review, I'm struggling to come up with a lot to say. In this case, it's an example of 'perfectly acceptable filmmaking'. The film certainly wasn't bad. Yet, it also didn't rise above the material and become something special. It has a competent story and a number of laughs, but didn't leave a lasting impression on me. In other words, it's the perfect budget theater movie.

A large part of the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the film's trailer. It pretty much spells everything out for you in it. You're given the premise, an understanding of the main characters and a sense of how things will turn out. It ended up not leaving a lot of surprises for the actual film. It takes quite a while before you see something in the film that you feel is fresh or unrecognizable.

Contributing to the lack of surprise though is the film's characters. Now don't get me wrong, this film has a great cast and each of them deliver funny performances. But none of these characters truly get developed, nor do they go against the roles we've seen these actors play before. Wow it's Paul Rudd as the smarmy guy. Hey, it's Sean William Scott as the party animal. There's Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) as the geeky teen. It's as if the film was written based on who the actors were instead of creating the characters first and letting the actors work at making them coming to life. Even Elizabeth Banks, who we all know I love, isn't given much to do here besides being the adorable girlfriend.

About the only person who really rises above the material is the always reliable Jane Lynch. Playing the director of Sturdy Wings (the Big Brothers-esque organization that the main characters have to volunteer at), Lynch has a lot of fun playing this no-nonsense character. Her character delivers all of these great lines that sound tough and intimidating but truly don't fit within the context of the conversation. Having Rudd and Scott play straight men to these lines just add to their humor.

While director David Wain (The Ten) may not have the clout that Judd Apatow has in Hollywood, he does still manage to corral a great group of supporting players to play bit parts in the film. Most of them are people you may not know by name, but will easily recognize. And each of them are successful at wringing out a few laughs from their characters.

Of course the plot here, while unrealistic, is pretty formulaic. I didn't have a major problem with it though because it never felt heavy-handed. The idea of boys becoming men isn't revolutionary, but the ideas used to support this story work and seem fresh. I think everyone will think twice about laughing at those who are fans of Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy related games. Watching these guys 'battle' in the film probably will make a lot of people want to unleash their inner 'Braveheart'.

If the story is lacking anywhere it's in the set up. We really don't get a good sense of why any of these characters are the way that they are. For a comedy, I suppose backstory isn't essential, but it would have been nice. Providing a foundation for who these characters are may have made us care about them a bit more instead of passive watching them and laughing at the funny things they say.

I would definitely recommend this as a rental. If you enjoy these actors, this is another fine entry in their growing list of work. It has plenty of laughs and won't tax your mind. Just don't expect anything special from this movie. It's a role model of the ordinary. Grade: B

Some quick TV thoughts

Heroes - I was pleasantly surprised to see that the new chapter didn't suck. Small praise, but the show really lowered the bar for themseleves with the narrative nightmare they created in the first half of this season. Yes, the rounding up of people with powers isn't new, but at least they've given themselves a more focused storyline that has proven to work in the past. Now all they've got to do is kill off one of the original characters (and make it last!) in order to give this show some significance again. Until they do, they'll just be spinning their wheels into obliviion.

24 - I've really enjoyed this season. They've made some changes to adapt to our changing real world and they've seemed to work without feeling forced. I like the rogue CTU squad, but I worry about Tony's true intentions. Anything involving the new female president is a major snoozefest, but for the most part it's been kept to a minimum. The new female FBI agent has been a great addition and aint too bad looking either. I can't wait for the eventual Chloe vs. Janis showdown. And of course, Jack is still Jack, which is always a good thing.

CSI - Just want to comment on how sad, yet wondefully done Grissom's exit episode was. Yes, I know he'll probably be back in some capicity down the line, but it's still sad to see him go. However, I've really like the addition of Laurence Fishburne. In just a few episodes he provides the show with more gravitas than CSI Miami could ever have with David Caruso. Seeing these episodes now though it seems like losing Warrick and Sara has had a more negative effect on the show. There just aren't as many different pairings with the staff, which makes things boring. They need to go ahead and promote lab rat Wendy already. And speaking of the lab rats, I can't believe I actually enjoy Hodges now. The writers have done a nice job of making his appearances something that adds to the show rather than detracts.

Lost - Like the broken record in the opening episode, my head continues to be spinning trying to unpack everything that's being unloaded on us thus far this season. And in case you're unsure, I mean that as a compliment. Time travel can always be a tricky thing, but I think it's paid off thus far on this show and I think it's going to continue to provide us with a number of shockers (like Widmore being an Other!) and answers (now we know why Richard wanted young Locke to pick the compass). I love how Faraday has become such a main player this season. Frankly, I want every episode to remain on the island. Aside from Ben and Desmond, I'm not all that interested in anyone off the island right now. Still though, this has been a killer season so far and I can't wait each week for a new episode.

One other tidbit that I don't want to have to make a whole new post for...it was announced today that the CW is bringing Reaper back earlier than originally planned. The season 2 premiere will now air Tuesday March 3 at 8pm. Let the hell-raising being!

Stress Relief deleted scenes

#2



#1

Grand re-opening

So, surprise surprise I couldn't stay away. Actually after discussing things with my dissertation chair, I realized that it would just be impossible to finish this thing by the end of February, even if I was locked in front of my computer the entire time. I'm now shooting for a summer graduation, which is completely reasonable. That means that while I'll still be extremely busy for the next few months, I have the luxury of posting things on here when I get the chance. So come on back and tell your friends!