Camping deleted scenes

#1


#2

Fringe goes fourth

FOX renews Fringe for Season 4!

I received the best news ever late last week when it was announced that FOX had picked up Fringe for a fourth season. Everybody who reads this blog knows what a huge fan of the show I am, but you may not realize how close the show came to cancellation. I am absolutely stunned by this news. FOX has burned me before with shows like Arrested Development, so this was a nice change of pace. I'm glad to see that FOX is committed to this show and its small, but faithful followers. Now it's our turn to show FOX our appreciation by increasing Fringe's audience. If you're watching this show, thank you and tell your friends. If you're not watching this show, pick up the first couple of seasons on DVD somehow and get caught up - you won't be disappointed!

America...F*** Yeah!

Here's the second full trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger.

NMR: Get Low

At one time, some thought this film might be in the running for some nominations during awards season, however that never came to fruition. It's easy to see why there would be such speculation when you have A-list talent like Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek headlining your film. Each of them give solid performances, but none of them really stretch beyond their wheelhouse. So while they play their roles well, they're not giving us anything that we haven't seen before. The plot involves an old hermit (Duvall) who decides that he wants to throw a funeral for himself before he dies. He wants everyone to show up and tell stories about him. Of course, as the film goes on, we learn that there's more to this party than meets the eye. Secrets are revealed and everyone's perceptions on Duvall and themselves begin to change. I liked the film for it's folksy nature and good performances. However, it ultimately felt pointless. I didn't really see what I was supposed to have taken away from watching the film. It lacked a poignancy that would have given the film a better chance at getting those nominations. The audience for this film is limited and really I'd only recommend it if you're a big fan of the lead actors. Rating: ***

Harvest Festival Producer's Cut

Instead of posting deleted scenes for this past week's amazing episode of Parks and Recreation, here's a producer's cut of the episode that features over 4 extra minutes of awesomeness not seen in the original airing.

Matt-ers of the heart

A few weeks back I finally made it to the theater (slim pickings lately at the box office) and caught the long-delayed The Adjustment Bureau. The film is based off of a short story by Philip K. Dick, whose stories have also been turned into films such Minority Report and I, Robot. However, unlike many of the previous adaptations of his works, this film doesn't focus as much on the sci-fi and scares. Instead, this film is much more about love, destiny, and humanity.

Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a young politician running for New York Senator. While his political future has a lot of promise, he's also had some obstacles thrown in his way preventing him from achieving more sooner. David's bid for senate is thwarted due to a last-minute scandal, however the night isn't a complete disaster. While working on his concession speech in a bathroom, he meets Elise (played by Emily Blunt). It's an odd meeting, but the two instantly hit it off. This is such a critical scene for the film. Through this initial meeting, the audience has to buy into their chemistry otherwise the rest of the film, which centers around a secretive group trying to prevent them from being together, doesn't work.

Thankfully, for the film, the scene does work and the connection these two have is palpable. Both actors play their roles just right. Damon is the golden boy with just the right level of vulnerability to make him likable. And Blunt gives off a wonderful level of sexiness thanks to her balance of British civility and wild child allure. You want to see these two together and when they are, the film's energy increases ten-fold.

Of course, having them immediately get together wouldn't be much of a story. The obstacle to their love is a mysterious group of fedora clad men who seemingly have special abilities. They can freeze time, make things move with a flick of their hand and go through any door and be exactly where they want to be. One of these men (Anthony Mackie from The Hurt Locker) is assigned specifically to watch over David, but doesn't always get the job done. Mad Men's John Slattery is another member of this group who tells David that him and Elise being together is not part of the plan. The most interesting member of this adjustment bureau is Terence Stamp, who plays Thompson, an elder statesman of the group who's called in when things start to get out of hand. He adds a needed level of gravitas to both the group and the film. His scenes are fascinating as he displays a level of calm and composure, with an underlying level of menace as David and Elise continue to mess their supposed destiny.

This theme of destiny, depending on your philosophical beliefs, will likely have some feeling uneasy or incredulous as they watch the film's plot unfold. It's not the easiest sell, but I think if you can look past it, you'll be better off for it. The winning chemistry that Damon and Blunt have make you root for them and hope they wind up together regardless of if it's their destiny or not. Without divulging too much about the film's finish I will say that I was slightly disappointed. It attempts to offer up a happy ending without really giving us any answers. The fact that this isn't just a love story makes that frustrating. Why bother adding in this mysterious group to the mix if you're not going to unpack that mystery for the audience.

Still, there is enough that the film does offer that makes this worthwhile. There is enough mystery/sci-fi elements to make guys want to stick around and women will really appreciate the love story. The commercials have been somewhat misleading as to the true nature of this film, so if you're trying to convince the opposite sex in joining you to see this, they have my word that they'll enjoy this. Often movies that have their release date pushed back multiple times are doomed to fail, so I'm glad to see that this film's destiny was to be good, regardless of when it finally got released. Grade: B

Pirated movie

Here's the latest trailer for the fourth outing of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

NMR: The Switch

This is one of those films that you watch and just shake your head in confusion. As you watch, you wonder why these fine actors would choose to align themselves with such crummy material. Both the film's leads (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston) and the supporting players (Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis) are likeable people both on and off screen and usually are a highlight in any film that they are in. So what are they doing slumming it in a film with a 'only in Hollywood' plot (Aniston's character wants to have a baby and Bateman secretly swaps her donor's seed with his own)? As I watched the plot unfold I just kept wishing they would eliminate the unlikable neuroses of these characters and just let them be happy together. Of course, the movie would be done in 30 seconds, but then again that probably would be preferable to what they offered up here. And it should also be made clear that despite the marketing, this isn't really a comedy. In fact, I just felt sad for most of the film. Watching characters know exactly what they want, but failing to communicate that to each other isn't my idea of hilarity. I was able to get through the film because the cast is so likable, but I wouldn't suggest you do the same. Opt for better films that also feature these actors. That's a switch that we can all support. Rating: ** 1/2

Super news

Here's a hodgepodge of news tidbits relating to upcoming superhero movies/tv shows. None of these merited their own post, so I'm just lumping them all here into one.

- Joseph Gordon Levitt has now been confirmed to have a role in The Dark Knight Rises.

- In what can never be a good sign, the crew for the Captain America movie will be doing reshoots in a couple of weeks.

- Actor C. Thomas Howell confirmed in a radio interview that the villain for next year's new Spiderman film will be Lizard.

- Director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) has announced that he will no longer be directing the new Wolverine film.

- Finally, here is your first look at Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman, which will be airing next fall on NBC:

NMR: Doc time

Here's a pair of recent documentaries I've caught through Netflix:

Waiting for Superman: Anyone who is a teacher or has children in public education really should see this. It attempts to investigate the problems with our failing schools and the approaches we can take to fix them. Some of the director's arguments are controversial - he is rather critical of teacher unions - but I rather he take that approach than just waffle and have no voice at all. I recognize that with the economy and foreign wars there are a lot of pressing issues that this country needs to face, but this is one that deserves more of our attention. The film certainly isn't perfect. Aside from the director's opinions, I didn't feel that the individual stories of certain children he included in the film really added anything. This is one time where I feel the logos should have dominated the film instead of pathos. Still, the film's topic is so important that I really hope that a lot of people watch this documentary so that more people can begin discussing this issue and hopefuly get it resolved to help save our children and their future. Rating: ****

Freakonomics: Based on the wildly popular nonfiction book, this film takes five ideas from the book and tries to illustrate them further. The ideas are seperated into segments, each directed by renowed documentary filmmaker. The quality of the segments are wildly uneven unfortunately. The one on cheating in sumo wrestling was deathly dull, while Morgan Spurlock's examination on the importance of the name given to a child is fun, but seemingly pointless. The most interesting things to come out of the film are really the core arguments that can be found in the book itself. Apparently, nonfiction books have no better success at begin adapted for the screen than novels do. For those that have read the book, this may be a mildly amusing extension of the authors' ideas. For those who haven't read the book, skip the film and just go to the library and rent this engaging read instead. Rating: ***

More Recreation time

NBC made my day earlier this week with news that they they have renewed Parks & Recreation for another season. Also, part of the announcement was season renewals for The Office and Community. You can read more about the pickup here.

In other P & R news, Amy Poehler has been going around recently pitching the idea that Bill Murray should play the oft-mentioned, never-seen Mayor Gunderson. To me, this is a truly inspired idea and I hope that they somehow make it happen. Here's more on how she's trying to woo Murray here:

Crowne jewel

Wow, a summer movie for grown-ups that doesn't feature aliens, explosions, or robots? Given our society, this is will sadly probably tank at the box office, but I'm am completely sold after seeing this first trailer for Larry Crowne, the new film starring, written, and directed by Tom Hanks. Having a major focus of the film be about college speech class makes the film all the more relatable to me.

NMR: Stand-up fellas

Louis C.K.: Hilarious - I became familiar with Louis when he had that multi-episode arc last season on Parks and Recreation and then really began to appreciate his comedy when I watched his FX series, appropriately titled Louie, last summer. It's a very crass and curmudgeon-y style of humor, but his observations are sharp and funny. I particularly like how much he mocks the lazy, yet self-entitled culture that is sweeping our country today. His riff on how everything's amazing, yet nobody's happy is a routine I've praised on here before. But for as much as he ridicules others, he spends just as much time ragging on his own pathetic life. All of it is very funny stuff and this special is a must see for anyone who appreciates his humor. About the only downside is that Louis doesn't stray from his source material too much and with a runtime of an hour and twenty minutes approximately, it's a bit too much of the same thing. Edit it down to an hour and this is an amazing showcase. Still worth a rental if you're in need of a laugh. Rating: **** 1/2

Daniel Tosh: Happy Thoughts - I actually caught this on Comedy Central, but it's now available on DVD, so including it here works. Tosh, of course, has gained noteriety from his show Tosh.O on Comedy Central where he plays web videos and mocks the idiots in them. On that show, Tosh can be very funny, but given what's happening in the videos he's showing, it's sort of shooting fish in a barrel. His standup is a bit of a different story. Tosh is a likeable guy and has good timing, but I've found that a lot of the topics he typically covers in his routine are not areas that really speak to me. He has some good jokes, but he'll go off on tangents that also bore me. I guess this is my roundabout way of saying that just because you enjoy his weekly show doesn't mean you'll appreciate this. Given how subjective comedy is, it's hard for me to tell you whether or not you'll see this, everyone has their own tastes. For me, there was enough laughs to get me through the special, but I certainly had hoped for more. Rating: ***

Indianapolis deleted scenes

#1


#2


#3

Make it happen Cap'n

Looks like the health-stapo is out to take away another one of our beloved food mascots, but let's hope the Cap'n puts up a strong fight. Here's more details on the story from Time.com:

A flurry of reports (including our own) had noted the beloved Captain was retiring. But the Cap'n himself announced, on a newly-created Twitter account, that "I'm hearing the rumors. I would never retire. I love being a captain too much!"

As part of an initiative campaigning for healthier children's meals, it had appeared that PepsiCo. – the parent company of Quaker – had been quietly lowering the sails of the iconic breakfast cereal since 2007. Daily Finance reports that PepsiCo. “vowed to reduce added sugar per serving by 25% and saturated fat by 15% in its products over the next 10 years,” and efforts to reduce child obesity could have been the reason behind the popular breakfast item's coming end. The cereal's official website skirts around the issue of actual nutritional value, offering only, "Cap'n Crunch is a great-tasting cereal which supplies grains, an excellent source of seven essential vitamins, is low in fat, cholesterol-free, has 0 grams of trans fat, and contains 1 gram of fiber."

(More on TIME.com: Healthy and Holy? Nuns Dig Into McDonald's Over Childhood Obesity)

Cap'n Crunch was created in 1963 by flavorist Pamela Low, who created the ubiquitous yellow puffs from a brown sugar and butter concoction that her grandmother served over rice. Several successful variants were rolled out over the years, including Peanut Butter Crunch, Choco Crunch, and NewsFeed's personal favorite, the elusive and wild Crunch Berry.

Cap'n Horatio Magellan Crunch, though you may not be the healthiest cereal on the block, you're certainly a part of a balanced breakfast in our hearts. (via Daily Finance)

Lenten sacrifices

My favorite late-night hosts got into the 'holiday' spirit by offering up their takes on how we should remember Ash Wednesday.

First, Stephen Colbert explains what he plans on giving up for Lent.


Then, Conan, thanks to the aid of Pee Wee Herman, explains to use the origin story of Ash Wednesday.

NMR: The Next Three Days

Despite the star power of Russell Crowe, this film came and went from theaters last fall with little fanfare. Blame it on a rather dull and uninteresting film that couldn't be bailed out by decent acting. Written and directed by Paul Haggis, this movie took out all the interesting elements of a prison break movie. By having the plotting done by someone from the outside, none of the creativity or intelligence that comes with creating such a plan is displayed. Another major flaw is having the story jump three years after Crowe's wife (played by Elizabeth Banks) is arrested. The jump seemed to be a cop out because had we gone through watching her trial, we would have seen how flimsy of a case there was against her, which would have killed the story's credibility. It also doesn't help matters that Banks and Crowe are a mismatch and thus there's no motivation on the audience's part to really see them reconnect. The film picks up in the final act with some decent tension, but by that point it had pretty much frittered away any goodwill. As more of the best picture nominees start coming out for rental, there will be certainly bettter options than this if you're looking for a good film to watch on a Saturday night. You can skip this one unless you want to feel like you've been watching a movie for three days. Rating: **