Koi Pond deleted scenes

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NMR: Guess the connection

We'll make a little game out of this, see if you can find the common thread between these three films:

Pleasantville: I can't tell you how many times I've seen parts of this film, but this was my first opportunity to watch it all the way through. I felt that the movie is certainly flawed - it plays fast and loose with its rules and leaves a lot unexplained. However, the premise is really interesting and its filled with a lot of good performances from the likes of William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, and Reese Witherspoon. Thematically, the film is very rich and has actually given me a couple of ideas to use for possible future academic papers (that is if I ever get this dissertation finished). Rating: ***

The Negotiator: This could have been a standard cop thriller but the film rises above its material thanks to the scenes involving the two leads - Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. I liked the chess match that these two negotiators engage in as they try out-talk the other. It kind of makes me sad that Kevin Spacey doesn't do more mainstream films because he's so good, even when the material he's working with isn't. Rating: ****

Executive Decision: The movie is not without its stupid moments, logic gaps, and eye rolling stunts. Despite all that, I found myself fully engaged in this. They did just enough to consistently keep me entertained. They always kept the tension high and made the most out of its cramped setting. Kurt Russell is always a likeable actor and he's good here again. If you just shut your mind off, this is an entertaining thriller. Rating: ****

Johnny 5 is alive!!

From EW.com...

Paul Blart: Mall Cop director Steve Carr will direct the new remake of 1986’s Short Circuit, Variety reports. The remake written by Dan Milano (Robot Chicken) brings Johnny 5 up to date. A military built robot, Johnny 5 is hit by lightning and develops his own personality and then he meets a lonely boy and his family.

I guess we have the popularity of the Transformers movies to thank for this.

Is that a grandfather clock ticking now?

Check out the new video previewing the upcoming 8th season of 24.

Acta foolishness

Tribe tabs Acta to be new manager

I know I'm a little late to the party in talking about this move, but I couldn't let that stop me from expressing my utter disappointment over this move. When I first heard the list of candidates, Acta was at the bottom with only the Tribe's AAA manager ranking below him. Acta was unable to do anything with the Washington Nationals, so that doesn't instill a lot of faith in me that he'll do anything to motivate our similar bunch of rookies and no-names. What frustrates me even more about this move is the quickness in which they made it. From the start it seemed that they had determined that this was their guy without doing a proper search. Even if you have a guy in mind, at least give the city the courtesy of acting like you're looking through at all possible options before making your decision. I felt the same thing happened with the Mangini hiring for the Browns and look at how well that's turned out thus far. I still love my Tribe, I just wish this organization would reciprocate that love to me and the rest of the fans more often.

The Lover deleted scenes

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NMR: Land of the Lost

I honestly didn't feel like this looked any good when I had seen the trailers/commercials earlier this year, but I still decided to give it a rental. That ended up being a bad move as my instincts were right and this was pretty terrible. Just a hodge-podge of unfunny material and unengaging visual effects. This movie suffers from some major tonal problems. It can't tell if it wants to be a crass comedy or a family film. It can't tell if it wants it's visual effects to look cheesy as an homage to the original TV show or really impressive and eye-catching (Given the trend this year, I have no idea why they didn't offer this film in 3D). Will Ferrell is talented enough to milk a few laughs out of me, but most of the film falls flat. Compounding the problem is that I didn't care for Danny McBride or Anna Friel and since it's primarily the three of them for the entire movie, it made for an unpleasant experience. There is a quote in the film where Will Ferrell says they have traveled to a world where past, present and future meet. Well this is a film where unfunny, stupidity, and ugliness meet. Rating: **

Noooooooooooooo

From EW.com:

At an industry summit in NYC on Oct. 21, News Corp Deputy Chairman Chase Carey revealed that online video hub Hulu will begin charging users for content as soon as 2010, according to Broadcasting and Cable. Carey told reporters that a subscription system is likely, although some content will probably continue to be offered free of charge. “I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value,” he said.

I can't wait to see how fast the number of vistors to their site drops come next year. What an awful, awful idea.

Mafia deleted scenes

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NMR: Bart Got A Room

This one really surprised me. Released in theaters earlier this year, the plot seems pretty familiar - a boy's quest to find a date for prom. However, this one works because it opts to tell a more realistic and sweet story instead of settling for raunch and shock value like so many other bad teen comedies do. The film is filled with a number of recognizable actors like William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, and Alia Shawkat (Maeby from Arrested Development) who all provide an extra energy to the film. My only complaint is that the film's climax is a bit overwhelming. However, there are plenty of jokes, particularly at the expense of the small Jewish town in Florida where the film takes place in, to make this a pleasant surprise. You don't need to rush out and rent this, but if you're looking for a title, this is a little-known film that will nicely fit the bill. Rating: ****

Here's the Story...

Check out the brand new trailer for Toy Story 3, due out next summer:

Forward thinking

News came out today that ABC new drama, FlashForward was just picked up for a full season. You can read all about it here.

While I'm talking about the show, I might as well give my reactions to it since I just finally watched the first three episodes over the weekend. In general, I think the show has a lot of promise. I would have preferred had we got storylines/flashforwards from people around the country instead of focusing solely on LA, but I get why they did that. There seems to be some logic gaps with the storytelling and some of the characters storylines aren't interesting me (I'm mainly referring to the sponsor and his dead/alive daughter). However, with time those issues may resolve themselves. I'm definitely invested in seeing where they are going with this, so I'm glad it's gotten picked up for the whole season.

Now for a couple off the wild crazy speculations on my end:
- The father of the boy who's in the hospital will be a bad guy
- John Cho's character will be the one who impregnates the female FBI agent

Niagra deleted scenes

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NMR: Year One

I was really hoping this movie was going to be better. It had great writers and a director, plus funny leads and a unique premise. Sadly though, the whole thing never comes together. Instead of a cohesive film, this ends up being more of a collection of historical skits with the two leads, Jack Black and Michael Cera, as the only consistency running through them. The movie has moments of genius, like the scene involving Abraham (played by Hank Azaria) trying to sacrifice his son, Isaac (played by McLovin). It just seemed like the movie was tinkered with too much and the end result wasn't pretty. I'm not saying you won't laugh at all, because there are some inspired moments, but in general, this was a disappointment of prehistoric proportions. Rating: **

A Millionaire lifeline cast aside

From CNN.com comes word this week that the daily syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is planning on eliminating the Phone-A-Friend lifeline sometime in the near future. This seems like a terrible idea consider how synonymous that lifeline has been to the show. 'Can I phone a friend' became a popular catchphrase after the debut of the show. It's unclear also why they are getting rid of it. Some say it's a financial decision, but frankly I never thought that many contestant actually got that much help from this lifeline, like the guy in the video below.

Most Worthless Millionaire Phone-A-Friend Ever @ Yahoo! Video

NBC may up Chuck earlier

Some great news for Chuck fans from EW.com:

It’s good news (for me), bad news (for NBC): Since its numbers are down and its new and returning shows are mainly DOA (Southland was axed before new episodes even aired!), Chuck’s third season might get to premiere sooner than the March date that’s been bandied about thus far.

“How much sooner” you ask?

As early as late October, my moles tell me. And while it remains unclear whether the little show that could (and has and shall again) would return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch, NBC insiders who’ve seen the first four episodes are calling this season the best yet.

But wait, there’s more. If Chuck does come back sooner rather than later, the chances of NBC ordering additional episodes beyond the 13 it initially commissioned increases dramatically. And they increase further if it performs solidly… which for NBC, at this point, means my cat, Mister Scooch, sits down to watch with me. (Seriously, anything above a 2 rating in the 18-49 demo should do the trick.

The Doctor is in

Here's the trailer for Terry Gilliam's latest, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Of course, this film is notable because this is the movie Heath Ledger was working on when he suddenly died last year. Since the film wasn't done, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell were brought in to also play Ledger's role. It's a fantasy film, so they could work around the fact that those three guys don't look exactly like Ledger. So what do you think...is the Ledger factor enough for you to go check this out or does it seem a little too mind-trippy for most of you?

NMR: The Brothers Bloom

I've seen my fair share of con man movies, so I was pleased to see that The Brothers Bloom made a familiar genre seem fresh. This is in large part to some really terrific performances from this ecclectic cast. Rachel Weisz, in particular, brings an amazing energy to every scene she's in, playing a wealthy, but lonely woman, who confesses to "collecting hobbies". It is her involvement with the titular con men (played by Mark Ruffalo and Adrian Brody) that allows this film to break free of the conventions of this genre. Rinko Kikuchi and Robbie Coltrane also have a lot of fun with their supporting characters. Director Rian Johnson also tries to infuse a lot of style into this film, using light and touch to convey some of the film's themes. While I appreciated the effort, sometimes it felt like substance was being sacrificed for style. Overall though, this is a fun little film that I highly recommend to everyone. Rating: ****

The Promotion deleted scenes

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NMR: Observe and Report

Wow, I knew the reviews had been bad for this one, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would actually hate it as well. This is bleak, unfunny, and pointless. Seth Rogen's mall cop character is creepy and delusional, yet still somehow portrayed in a positive light by the time the film reaches its unsatisfying conclusion. Not even the inclusion of such funny people as Anna Faris, Patton Oswalt, or Aziz Ansari can save this dog. I don't know what's been going on, but I have not found Seth Rogen funny in the least in the last few projects he has done. And now that he's lost this weight, he's seem to have gained an ego, making him completely unappealing. I'm going off track now. The bottom line here is avoid this movie at any cost. It's seems unfathomable, but Paul Blart was a far superior mall cop movie. Rating: *