Each day seems to bring us some new information regarding Conan O'Brien's new gig this November on TBS. Here's a summation...
-It's been confirmed that Conan will be staying in LA. Currently, they're trying to procure a lot near the Lopez Tonight set. I can't say I'm happy about this, but it's probably the more pragmatic decision.
-According to music legend Al Kooper who knows many members of Conan's band, he claims that band leader Max Weinberg will not be coming back when Conan starts his new show. If he's to be believed, the rest of the band will remain in tact, it's just Max who's not returning. It would be sad to see Max go, but there are enough other funny guys in that band (ie La Bamba) that seeing Max go wouldn't be the end of the world. You can read Kooper's interview where he makes these claims here.
-Finally, if you haven't heard, Conan can finally break his silence starting tomorrow (May 1) and will do it formally on Sunday when he's interviewed on 60 Minutes. It's sure to be an interesting piece, so be sure to tune in if you're curious about what he has to say about NBC and Jay Leno.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Franchise futures
Some news about the fates of a couple future sequels (both stories coming from EW.com)
We'll begin with some good news...
and then some not so happy news...
We'll begin with some good news...
The Dark Knight sequel finally has a release date. Almost two years after the killer clown crime epic dominated the box office and spawned a million Halloween costumes, Warner Bros. has announced that the still-untitled Batman 3 will be released on July 20, 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (In other news, I’m going off the grid from July 19, 2012 through August 1, 2012.)
There’s not a whole lot of information about the movie, which is still in the very early planning stages. Director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer have always been focused on presenting a more realistic take on the Batman mythos, so we’re probably not going to see Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, or Clayface. Even though he’s a bit more outlandish, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Riddler, if only because his presence could pump up Batman’s mystery-solving detective side. But what do I know? None of my films have ever grossed over a billion dollars.
and then some not so happy news...
If you believe the tweets of GhostPanther, it is. According to the twitter feed of GhostPanther — which belongs to Adam McKay, Will Ferrell’s production partner and the co-writer/director of the original Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy — Paramount passed on the project, even after they tried lowering the budget. Said his tweet, “So bummed. Paramount basically passed on Anchorman 2. Even after we cut our budget down. We tried.”
McKay’s reps have no comment and we’ve called Paramount and have not yet received a response. A source close to the studio says Paramount didn’t officially pass, but rather wanted a lower budget than McKay and Farrell presented–a budget the duo felt was too low to make the film successfully. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more details.
UPDATE: McKay wrote a follow-up Tweet on his feed: “To all who asked: no we can’t do Anchorman 2 at another studio. Paramount owns it.”
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wahoo Wrap-Up (Week 3)
Record: 8-10, 3rd in AL Central
A thoroughly frustrating week that saw the Tribe start their road trip going 2-4. The main culprit was a lack of hitting. In almost every game, our starting pitching was strong and gave us plenty of opportunities to win. Sadly, time after time our bats were silent. I'm really hoping that our offense can come out of its funk because we might actually have a halfway decent team. The only starter who has struggled is Justin Masterson. If the starting pitching can keep up their performances, the weaknesses of our bullpen won't be exposed that often.
This week we'll finish up this lengthy road trip with a stop in Anaheim. They've had their struggles early on, but they also just gave the Yankees their first series loss of the season, so they may be starting to get their act together. We'll then return home on Friday to start another series with Minnesota. The Twins have looked strong so far this year, but hopefully some home cooking will be just what the doctor ordered for us and we can get on a roll. As always, Go Tribe (and oh yeah, go Cavs too).
A thoroughly frustrating week that saw the Tribe start their road trip going 2-4. The main culprit was a lack of hitting. In almost every game, our starting pitching was strong and gave us plenty of opportunities to win. Sadly, time after time our bats were silent. I'm really hoping that our offense can come out of its funk because we might actually have a halfway decent team. The only starter who has struggled is Justin Masterson. If the starting pitching can keep up their performances, the weaknesses of our bullpen won't be exposed that often.
This week we'll finish up this lengthy road trip with a stop in Anaheim. They've had their struggles early on, but they also just gave the Yankees their first series loss of the season, so they may be starting to get their act together. We'll then return home on Friday to start another series with Minnesota. The Twins have looked strong so far this year, but hopefully some home cooking will be just what the doctor ordered for us and we can get on a roll. As always, Go Tribe (and oh yeah, go Cavs too).
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Harvey har har
Speaking of SNL, most of last night's episode was pretty terrible, but this one small sketch mocking comedian Steve Harvey's recent guest hosting duty on Who Wants to be a Millionaire really got me laughing. Perhaps it's because I'm one of the few that still watches the syndicated version, despite the fact that the show has become horrible this season. They've eliminated the phone-a-friend hotline, they've made a mockery of the Ask the Expert lifeline (they actually used Paula Poundstone one week) and they continue to choose some dumb contestants all in an effort to save money. So while this skit may not be the funniest thing out there, I wanted to promote as a means of expressing my frustration over how terrible WWTBAM has become.
NMR: Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush
It's been slim pickings lately on Netflix as most of the new releases that I have yet to see have a 'long wait' attached to them (Speaking of which, I swear I never had to wait long for Netflix movies when I lived in NC. C'mon people of Dayton, start returning your films faster!).
Anyways, this was a 2 hour special made last year from Ferrell's brief one man show on Broadway as the former Commander in Chief. While it's undeniable that of all the SNL cast members who attempted to do Bush, Ferrell's was by far the best, I still don't necessarily think it was his best character. Part of the reason is that Bush himself was such a character/buffoon that it's hard to top that with actual comedy. This particular show certain has its moments; I especially enjoyed him talking about a fictional time where he was trapped with his father and brothers in an abandoned mine and they all had to be saved by Barabara. The stuff that was non-political typically worked better because the political stuff has either been done better by other comedy shows or was too depressing in real-life to make it funny here. Overall, 2 hours was just a little too long of a stay for just this one character. Only see it if you're a really big Ferrell fan or if you just can't get enough Bush-bashing. Rating: ***
Anyways, this was a 2 hour special made last year from Ferrell's brief one man show on Broadway as the former Commander in Chief. While it's undeniable that of all the SNL cast members who attempted to do Bush, Ferrell's was by far the best, I still don't necessarily think it was his best character. Part of the reason is that Bush himself was such a character/buffoon that it's hard to top that with actual comedy. This particular show certain has its moments; I especially enjoyed him talking about a fictional time where he was trapped with his father and brothers in an abandoned mine and they all had to be saved by Barabara. The stuff that was non-political typically worked better because the political stuff has either been done better by other comedy shows or was too depressing in real-life to make it funny here. Overall, 2 hours was just a little too long of a stay for just this one character. Only see it if you're a really big Ferrell fan or if you just can't get enough Bush-bashing. Rating: ***
Saturday, April 24, 2010
NMR: Paranormal Activity
I finally got around to see the surprise horror hit of last fall and found myself liking it more than I had anticipated. First, I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. I also tend to dislike anything that gets overhyped (see Napoleon Dynamite), yet I was curious about the buzz surrounding this film. Similar to the other indie horror blockbuster, The Blair Witch Project, there's not a lot that goes on for most of the film. However, unlike that movie I found the dialogue and interaction between the main characters here to be more realistic and engaging. They do a nice job building your curiosity as to what is really going on in their seemingly haunted house. The film's conclusion provides a nice scare, but is also cheap from a storytelling perspective since it offers a horror cliche and seemingly opens up the possibility for a sequel. Interestingly enough, the film offers some alternate endings, both of which are stronger than the original finish. I truly think this is a film that could only be enjoyed in a dark room late at night. That atmosphere is needed to truly make this film frightening. So if you like a good scare and can see it in that scenario, I think you'll enjoy this one. Rating: ***
Perverts R Us
You have to wonder sometimes what goes through the mind of toy developers. To illustrate, check out this hilarious, yet thoroughly disgusting list of unintentionally perverted toys over at Cracked.
Sadly, our family actually owned one of these toys. A prize goes to anyone who can correctly identify which one we had.
Sadly, our family actually owned one of these toys. A prize goes to anyone who can correctly identify which one we had.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Double Oh Crap
Bad news for Bond fans...
The next James Bond sequel, tentatively titled Bond 23, has been put on hold due to MGM’s financial troubles, according to Variety. EON Productions heads Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced Monday that the next Daniel Craig 007 installment was facing a foe as nasty as Dr. No or Scaramanga: cash woes. “Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on Bond 23 indefinitely,” the pair said in a statement. “We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of Bond 23.” The project did not yet have a director attached, but a trio of writers had reportedly been working on a script and Craig had informed fans last fall that the film would start shooting late this year. MGM has been in the process of sorting out its future with its debt holders. MGM put itself up for sale in November. The studio’s only release this year, Hot Tub Time Machine, has grossed $42.4 million to date.(Source: EW.com)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Masking the problem
"How come no one's ever tried to be a superhero?" That's the question at the heart of a pair of recently released new entries into the burgeoning comic book genre. Both Kick Ass and Defendor feature main characters who attempt to do just that - donning elaborate costumes and ward of evil doers in their local cities. By featuring protagonists who attempt to be superheroes without possessing any particular superpowers, both films try to seperate themselves from previous comic book films by purporting that their stories are rooted in reality while the notions of people who are faster than a speeding bullet or can shoot spider webs out of their wrists are pure fantasy. Neither film completely accomplishes this, but Defendor comes closer to making a realistic film.
Defendor was set to get a theaterical release last February, but then it got changed and went straight to DVD last week. That is a shame, because it will probably now get lost in the shuffle and deserves a better audience. Woody Harrelson stars as the titular hero who's attempting to clean up his town by eliminating Captain Industry, a villain who may or may not actually exist. We learn through a nonlinear form of storytelling that Defendor is really Arthur Poppington, a man who's had a traumatic upbringing and may not be completely sane. In his quest to find Captain Industry, Defendor befriends a hooker, (played by Kat Dennings) who sees an opportunity to play with Arthur's mental instability.
There is some strong black humor sprinkled throughout the film. We see Defendor use some creative weapons against his enemies like marbles and jars of angry bees. The film also hits all of the right emotional beats. Even if you can see the tragic ending coming, it will still move you. That is in large part due to a strong performance by Harrelson, who continues to be underrated as an actor. For the most part, the film gives an accurate depiction of what would happen if a solitary man with aspirations of heroism attempted to go against real bad guys who have weapons and evil intentions. The films greatest flaw however is its narrative structure. Instead of delivering a straightforward story, it attempts to play tricks and manipulate the audience through flashbacks and other storytelling devices. In the hands of a more capable director, this had the potential to be a very effective film.
I'm not sure if the same could ever be true for Kick Ass. Here, the story, as told to us by Kick Ass aka 17 year old Dave Lizewski, tries to sell us that this is the real world and our hero is nothing like the one you see in the movies. Too bad the film then goes on to be exactly like those films without any sense of irony about it. The film seems to want to be a satire, yet ends up merely imitating all of its predecessors. Having not read the graphic novel source material, I can't really say whether this is the fault of the source material or director Matthew Vaughn's inability to have that message translate to the screen.
Despite supposedly being set in New York City, nothing feels authentic about the world that's created in this movie. There are problems with the villains who seem to be run-of-the-mill film bad guys. The depiction of the teenagers also feels false as I don't see most of them actually behaving in the manner that they do here. Worst of all those is how the heroes are depicted. Along with Kick Ass, we also see Red Mist (played by Superbad's McLovin), Big Daddy (played by Nicholas Cage, who provides the only decent moments in the film), and his 11-year old daughter, Hit Girl. Each of them has their moments of ass-kickery in the film, depicting some truly graphic violence. This becomes problematic as the film only focuses on the glory of the kill and none of the reprecussions that would actually be associated with being a superhero in a real world setting.
None of these characters ever question the morality of their actions. They also don't give any thought as to how this will change their preexisting relationships with the people in their lives. It's just a portrayal of blind vigilantism for the sake of feeding the blood-lustful audience a huge heaping of unadulterated violence. Let it be clear that I had no problem with the violence itself, it's that the violence is not given any sort of proper context to make it acceptable. Kick Ass doesn't portray the real world, it simply puts the audience into a hyperreal video game world where everything is acceptable, so long as you're the last person left standing. It's probably apt that the film begins with the title character speaking of his penchant for self gratification because this film is one big masturbatory fantasy. Defendor: B Kick Ass: C
Defendor was set to get a theaterical release last February, but then it got changed and went straight to DVD last week. That is a shame, because it will probably now get lost in the shuffle and deserves a better audience. Woody Harrelson stars as the titular hero who's attempting to clean up his town by eliminating Captain Industry, a villain who may or may not actually exist. We learn through a nonlinear form of storytelling that Defendor is really Arthur Poppington, a man who's had a traumatic upbringing and may not be completely sane. In his quest to find Captain Industry, Defendor befriends a hooker, (played by Kat Dennings) who sees an opportunity to play with Arthur's mental instability.
There is some strong black humor sprinkled throughout the film. We see Defendor use some creative weapons against his enemies like marbles and jars of angry bees. The film also hits all of the right emotional beats. Even if you can see the tragic ending coming, it will still move you. That is in large part due to a strong performance by Harrelson, who continues to be underrated as an actor. For the most part, the film gives an accurate depiction of what would happen if a solitary man with aspirations of heroism attempted to go against real bad guys who have weapons and evil intentions. The films greatest flaw however is its narrative structure. Instead of delivering a straightforward story, it attempts to play tricks and manipulate the audience through flashbacks and other storytelling devices. In the hands of a more capable director, this had the potential to be a very effective film.
I'm not sure if the same could ever be true for Kick Ass. Here, the story, as told to us by Kick Ass aka 17 year old Dave Lizewski, tries to sell us that this is the real world and our hero is nothing like the one you see in the movies. Too bad the film then goes on to be exactly like those films without any sense of irony about it. The film seems to want to be a satire, yet ends up merely imitating all of its predecessors. Having not read the graphic novel source material, I can't really say whether this is the fault of the source material or director Matthew Vaughn's inability to have that message translate to the screen.
Despite supposedly being set in New York City, nothing feels authentic about the world that's created in this movie. There are problems with the villains who seem to be run-of-the-mill film bad guys. The depiction of the teenagers also feels false as I don't see most of them actually behaving in the manner that they do here. Worst of all those is how the heroes are depicted. Along with Kick Ass, we also see Red Mist (played by Superbad's McLovin), Big Daddy (played by Nicholas Cage, who provides the only decent moments in the film), and his 11-year old daughter, Hit Girl. Each of them has their moments of ass-kickery in the film, depicting some truly graphic violence. This becomes problematic as the film only focuses on the glory of the kill and none of the reprecussions that would actually be associated with being a superhero in a real world setting.
None of these characters ever question the morality of their actions. They also don't give any thought as to how this will change their preexisting relationships with the people in their lives. It's just a portrayal of blind vigilantism for the sake of feeding the blood-lustful audience a huge heaping of unadulterated violence. Let it be clear that I had no problem with the violence itself, it's that the violence is not given any sort of proper context to make it acceptable. Kick Ass doesn't portray the real world, it simply puts the audience into a hyperreal video game world where everything is acceptable, so long as you're the last person left standing. It's probably apt that the film begins with the title character speaking of his penchant for self gratification because this film is one big masturbatory fantasy. Defendor: B Kick Ass: C
Wahoo Wrap-Up (Week 2)
Record: 6-6, 3rd in the AL Central
I had fully intended to start this last Sunday, but that game ended so horribly for the Indians, that I couldn't stomach doing a post then. Things are certainly much brighter this week as we are on a 4-game winning streak and just capped off a sweep against the Chicago White Sox (Yesterday was particularly nice seeing both the Indians and the Cavs take out Chicago teams).
Right now, the team is looking better than I expected. The starting rotation, in particular, has performed above expectations to begin. I'm pleased with how things have gone, but I'm far from convinced that this is actually a good team. After all, if you break down things further, you can see that we are 5-1 against the White Sox and 1-5 against the other two teams we've faced. It's hard to say whether we're good or if the White Sox are just that much more worse than us.
There's an off day tomorrow and then we begin a big road trip that features our first visit to the new Target Field in Minnesota and then a stint out west where we'll face Oakland, who's off to a very good start this year, and the Angels, who are always tough to play at home.
With no seemingly dominant team in our division, a hot start is what this team will need if it has any chance of contending this year. Let's hope this will be a productive road trip and we can finish the month off strong. Until next week, let's go Tribe!
I had fully intended to start this last Sunday, but that game ended so horribly for the Indians, that I couldn't stomach doing a post then. Things are certainly much brighter this week as we are on a 4-game winning streak and just capped off a sweep against the Chicago White Sox (Yesterday was particularly nice seeing both the Indians and the Cavs take out Chicago teams).
Right now, the team is looking better than I expected. The starting rotation, in particular, has performed above expectations to begin. I'm pleased with how things have gone, but I'm far from convinced that this is actually a good team. After all, if you break down things further, you can see that we are 5-1 against the White Sox and 1-5 against the other two teams we've faced. It's hard to say whether we're good or if the White Sox are just that much more worse than us.
There's an off day tomorrow and then we begin a big road trip that features our first visit to the new Target Field in Minnesota and then a stint out west where we'll face Oakland, who's off to a very good start this year, and the Angels, who are always tough to play at home.
With no seemingly dominant team in our division, a hot start is what this team will need if it has any chance of contending this year. Let's hope this will be a productive road trip and we can finish the month off strong. Until next week, let's go Tribe!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
NMR: In too Depp
Recently, I reviewed a pair of George Clooney's films and this time I look at two of another big time actor's movies.
Sleepy Hollow: This films marks one of the many collaborations between Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton. In a sense, this films lives and dies by Burton. The most recent 200th episode of South Park had it right when they mocked Burton for his redundancy. If you've seen one Tim Burton film, you've seen them all. They all have the same look, mood, and score. However, while there was nothing fresh in that regard, I found the film still being able to winning me over for two reasons; first, I really liked this interpretation of the Sleepy Hollow legend, as they infused a sort of CSI element into it. The other strength of the film is its cast. Beyond Depp, there is a wonderful group of character actors here including Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Miranda Richardson, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDermid, and Christopher Walken (who oddly doesn't utter one word the entire movie). If you're a fan of Burton's work, this one is definitely worth a view, otherwise this probably isn't for you. Rating: ****
Secret Window: One would think combining the talents of Depp with a story based on a Stephen King novel would make this film an instant winner, but they would be wrong. The movie is about a writer (Depp), who visited at his cabin by a creepy Southerner (John Turturro) accusing him of plagiarizing his story. Tormented by this accuser, Depp's character struggles to uncover the truth and keep his life together. For me, the film takes too long getting to its resolution and the journey isn't all that engaging. I did appreciate the fact that the film opted for an unconventional ending, but by that point it wasn't enough. Depp is typically good here, but he's about the only reason you should bother checking this out. Rating: ***
Sleepy Hollow: This films marks one of the many collaborations between Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton. In a sense, this films lives and dies by Burton. The most recent 200th episode of South Park had it right when they mocked Burton for his redundancy. If you've seen one Tim Burton film, you've seen them all. They all have the same look, mood, and score. However, while there was nothing fresh in that regard, I found the film still being able to winning me over for two reasons; first, I really liked this interpretation of the Sleepy Hollow legend, as they infused a sort of CSI element into it. The other strength of the film is its cast. Beyond Depp, there is a wonderful group of character actors here including Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Miranda Richardson, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDermid, and Christopher Walken (who oddly doesn't utter one word the entire movie). If you're a fan of Burton's work, this one is definitely worth a view, otherwise this probably isn't for you. Rating: ****
Secret Window: One would think combining the talents of Depp with a story based on a Stephen King novel would make this film an instant winner, but they would be wrong. The movie is about a writer (Depp), who visited at his cabin by a creepy Southerner (John Turturro) accusing him of plagiarizing his story. Tormented by this accuser, Depp's character struggles to uncover the truth and keep his life together. For me, the film takes too long getting to its resolution and the journey isn't all that engaging. I did appreciate the fact that the film opted for an unconventional ending, but by that point it wasn't enough. Depp is typically good here, but he's about the only reason you should bother checking this out. Rating: ***
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Copping a plea to be funny
Will Ferrell has had a rough stretch of films recently, but the trailer for his latest comedy The Other Guys seems like it could right the ship. He's back with his longtime director Adam McCay (who directed films like Anchorman) and he's got a good supporting cast around him, alleviating him of having to carry the entire film himself. Check it out below...
Cable jumpers
I know I am a few days late on these stories, but I still wanted to add my two cents in on them:
Conan strikes deal with TBS
I can't say that I thought he would wind up here, but it's not necessarily a bad deal either. There are certainly a lot of positives to it: he only has to do shows 4 days a week, ratings expectations will be significantly lower, and he'll get a lot more money than he would have got on NBC. With regards to that last point though, it should be pointed out that part of the charm, at least in my opinion, with Conan's old show was that it had a low budget feel to it. It seemed to make him more creative instead of spending a lot of money to do less funny remote bits. Let's hope that Conan uses the money wisely to still produce an awesome show. The other key downsides are that his presence will, at least initially, not be as great on cable. Also, being on at 11 o'clock, he'll have to compete against The Daily Show, which has a lot of viewers in his core demographic. The one thing that I have yet to hear about this deal is where the show will be. Personally, I think staying out in LA would be a terrible idea, yet I have a feeling that is likely where it will be. NY seems like a better fit because Conan just seems to have more of an East Coast mentality and he would more likely get better guests. Overall, I wish him the best and I'll certainly be interested to see how it all goes down come this November.
WWE Smackdown moving to SyFy
I'm sure the WWE hates that this move takes them off network TV. However, given that they were currently floundering on the hard to find MyNetworkTV channel, this will probably actually boost their presence. I'm actually surprised SyFy agreed to this since every indication has been that they've been disappointed with the ratings for the ECW and NXT shows. Ideally, I would like for this move to be the first step towards ending the brand extension, but for whatever reason, I have a feeling that Vince feels there's still money in it. Ultimately this move probably won't matter one way or the other since the business is cyclical and people that are interested in tuning in will find the show no matter what channel it's located on.
Conan strikes deal with TBS
I can't say that I thought he would wind up here, but it's not necessarily a bad deal either. There are certainly a lot of positives to it: he only has to do shows 4 days a week, ratings expectations will be significantly lower, and he'll get a lot more money than he would have got on NBC. With regards to that last point though, it should be pointed out that part of the charm, at least in my opinion, with Conan's old show was that it had a low budget feel to it. It seemed to make him more creative instead of spending a lot of money to do less funny remote bits. Let's hope that Conan uses the money wisely to still produce an awesome show. The other key downsides are that his presence will, at least initially, not be as great on cable. Also, being on at 11 o'clock, he'll have to compete against The Daily Show, which has a lot of viewers in his core demographic. The one thing that I have yet to hear about this deal is where the show will be. Personally, I think staying out in LA would be a terrible idea, yet I have a feeling that is likely where it will be. NY seems like a better fit because Conan just seems to have more of an East Coast mentality and he would more likely get better guests. Overall, I wish him the best and I'll certainly be interested to see how it all goes down come this November.
WWE Smackdown moving to SyFy
I'm sure the WWE hates that this move takes them off network TV. However, given that they were currently floundering on the hard to find MyNetworkTV channel, this will probably actually boost their presence. I'm actually surprised SyFy agreed to this since every indication has been that they've been disappointed with the ratings for the ECW and NXT shows. Ideally, I would like for this move to be the first step towards ending the brand extension, but for whatever reason, I have a feeling that Vince feels there's still money in it. Ultimately this move probably won't matter one way or the other since the business is cyclical and people that are interested in tuning in will find the show no matter what channel it's located on.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Dinner is served
Well it's about time....finally the trailer for Dinner for Schmucks, one of my top 5 movies to see in 2010 has been released and it did not disappoint. This looks like it'll be a tour de force of comedy greatness. Check it out for yourself down below.
Mustache love
I just came across this new t-shirt referring to the Ron Swanson character from Parks and Recreation and just had to share it with you. Below is an image of the front of the t-shirt. If you're a fan of the show, you'll know immediately how much this reeks of awesomeness. I'm almost tempted to buy one for myself. If you're so inclined, you can get one for yourself here.
Also, if you have not yet seen the actual summer catalog that the show created in conjunction with the episode devoted to it, you have to check it out here. These things are what move shows from 'good' to 'classic'. You will double over in laughter reading some of the courses descriptions on here.
Also, if you have not yet seen the actual summer catalog that the show created in conjunction with the episode devoted to it, you have to check it out here. These things are what move shows from 'good' to 'classic'. You will double over in laughter reading some of the courses descriptions on here.
Don't cross(promotion) me!
In an asinine attempt to get people to watch Glee, FOX has announced that they are making most of their shows have musical-themed episodes next week. You can see more on the story here. What a tremendously awful idea. Do they really think we watch to see the cast of Fringe singing about human/lizard hybrids or alternate realities? Or how about Jack Bauer interrupting his interrogation session to break into a number on 24? I thought the V countdown clock that stayed up during the entire episode of Lost was moronic, but this takes the cake. Needless to say, this attempt by FOX won't earn my viewership for thier overrated show and I'll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't work on anyone else either.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
NMR: The Clooney bin
Reviews for a pair of 2009 films starring George Clooney coming at ya...
Up in the Air: A best picture nominee and deservedly so. Jason Reitman, who directed this, showed once again why he is one of the premiere young directors in Hollywood. I felt this had a great, timely storyline coupled with some great acting. The one thing that bugs me though is that while I can't find any flaws with it, I didn't necessarily fall in love with the movie while watching it. I wish I could understand what prevented this, but I'm at a loss. While the film is sad at times, it is not a completely depressing film, so don't let that deter anyone from checking this out. In fact, I wholeheartedly encourage others to check it out, maybe someone else can put their finger on what's missing here or at least tell me that nothing is wrong and convince me that this is a film classic. For now, I'll settle on a grade of B+, which allows it to barely get on to my Top Ten list of 2009.
The Men Who Stare At Goats: No mystery here, I definitely know I didn't like this one. That is a real shame too, because this one had so much promise. With a cast that included Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor, I felt this was a can't miss. They certainly proved me wrong. The story, about a group of allegedly real soliders who were trained to be Jedi-like warriors, is pretty absurd and needed a more skilled director to handle it. First time director, and frequent Clooney collaborator, Grant Heslov, fails to find the right mix of drama and humor here. The film is too silly to be taken seriously and not silly enough to be funny. When a film thinks having a character tell Ewan McGregor he can't be a Jedi is a great joke, you know you're in trouble. A major disappointment here and not worth the rental. Grade: C-
Up in the Air: A best picture nominee and deservedly so. Jason Reitman, who directed this, showed once again why he is one of the premiere young directors in Hollywood. I felt this had a great, timely storyline coupled with some great acting. The one thing that bugs me though is that while I can't find any flaws with it, I didn't necessarily fall in love with the movie while watching it. I wish I could understand what prevented this, but I'm at a loss. While the film is sad at times, it is not a completely depressing film, so don't let that deter anyone from checking this out. In fact, I wholeheartedly encourage others to check it out, maybe someone else can put their finger on what's missing here or at least tell me that nothing is wrong and convince me that this is a film classic. For now, I'll settle on a grade of B+, which allows it to barely get on to my Top Ten list of 2009.
The Men Who Stare At Goats: No mystery here, I definitely know I didn't like this one. That is a real shame too, because this one had so much promise. With a cast that included Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor, I felt this was a can't miss. They certainly proved me wrong. The story, about a group of allegedly real soliders who were trained to be Jedi-like warriors, is pretty absurd and needed a more skilled director to handle it. First time director, and frequent Clooney collaborator, Grant Heslov, fails to find the right mix of drama and humor here. The film is too silly to be taken seriously and not silly enough to be funny. When a film thinks having a character tell Ewan McGregor he can't be a Jedi is a great joke, you know you're in trouble. A major disappointment here and not worth the rental. Grade: C-
Thank you Shawn!
Here's a video recap of Shawn Michaels' farewell speech this past week from Monday Night RAW after losing to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. I certainly don't want to see the Heartbreak Kid go, yet I hope he, unlike so many other aging wrestlers, is true to his word and sticks to this retirement. If this was the end of Shawn's in-ring career, he can be proud to go out on a high note. He's had a tremendous career and kept me a wrestling fan for a long time thanks to his consistently great matches. Thanks for all the memories Shawn!
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