Brave new world

Well after their first 'rotten' film ever with Cars 2, Pixar looks to rebound by offering a film that appears to be a bit more grown up and scary than what they typically do. As usual the animation looks amazing, but it remains to be seen whether this will get them back on the right track.

NMR: Bill of goods

This weekend I got into a Bill Murray mood and decided to check out three of his films that I had never seen before.

Stripes: In one of his first starring roles, Murray proves he's a star with his performance as cynical slacker John Winger. Overall, I didn't love the movie primarily because I just don't appreciate the 'me vs. the establishment' movies that came out during this time (Animal House is another example of it). However, the movie does have it's winning qualities. Murray and Harold Ramis work well off of each other (a winning combination that would be reprised in Ghostbusters) and I also like the scenes involving the two of them and their romantic interests (one of which was Sean Young). I also absolutely loved Elmer Bernstein's score and could listen to the Stripes march all day long. On the other hand, a lot of the supporting cast members like John Candy, John Larroquette, and Judge Reinhold are underutilized. Also, Warren Oates' Sgt. Hulka disappears halfway through the movie which causes the story to drag. Frankly, the whole third act that involves the platoon going to Europe is weak and disjointed. I would have rather had the climax be their graudation from basic training. Still, the movie has enough laughs that makes it worth seeing if you've never watched it before. Rating: ***

Kingpin: Bill Murray's presence in this Farrelly brothers film about a gifted bowler (Woody Harrelson) who's career goes down the toilet after he loses his hand, is really a saving grace. Sadly, he's only in the film for about 20-30 minutes. His greasy, jealous, con man character provides the bulk of the laughs. The film really sags in the middle with the scenes involving Harrelson, Randy Quaid (playing an Amish bowler) and Vanessa Angel. This is pretty much standard fare from the Farrelly brothers, so if you enjoy their humor, it's likely you'll appreciate this film. If only they would have found a way to get Murray in the film more, this could have been something special. Rating: ***

Quick Change: I saved the best one for last. This underrated film from the early 90s involves Murray working with Randy Quaid and Geena Davis as a trio of bank robbers. The robbery itself is easy - it's the getaway that proves difficult as they run into a number of different situations throughout New York City that are seemingly conspiring against them as they try to make their flight to Fiji. Murray is once again terrific bouncing back and forth between being cool, calm, and collected and getting frenzied over the idiots that surround him. One of the things that I liked the best about the film is that they didn't just resort to cheap cliches about the people of New York. There are some odd, but hilarious scenes like the Mexican jousting scene that have to be seen to be appreciated. Mixing Murray's humor with the heist genre is a winning combination for me. Definitely check this one out if you've never seen it before. Rating: ****

Tribe Watch (Week 13)

Record: 40 - 36

Standing: Second in AL Central

Well it's been another terrible week for the Tribe. They only managed 1 win against the Rockies and got swept this past weekend by the Giants. If there's a saving grace it's that most of the games we lost were one-run affairs, which means our pitching was solid (with the exception of Fausto Carmona) but our hitting continues to suffer. If the hitting doesn't turn around soon, we could be heading into a downward spiral that we won't be able to recover from. It certainly didn't help when Shin Soo-Choo went down this week with a broken thumb after getting hit by a pitch. He's likely going to be out at least 6 weeks. It also hurts playing these interleague games in National League parks because we're without a DH then. The Indians will look to try and climb back up into first place this week (they're only one game behind Detroit currently) as they continue their west coast swing in Arizona starting tonight. After that, we'll head back to Ohio, but it's to play the Reds in Cincinnati this weekend. We were able to sweep the Reds when they played in Cleveland, but I have a feeling they'll be a much tougher opponent this weekend. Even though things look bleak at the moment, we gotta stay firm in our belief that this team can win and compete with the best in baseball. Go Tribe!

Meat Ron Swanson

The awesome Parks and Recreation art keeps coming. This one comes from NBC itself - a photomosaic of Ron Swanson consisting of tiny pictures of meat.

NMR: Just Go With It

I'm usually always up for an Adam Sandler movie, but this one misses the mark. Of course, one of its major flaws is its premise. Here Sandler has co-worker Jennifer Aniston pretend she's his soon to be ex-wife in order to win over a hot girl (Brooklyn Decker) he recently met. Why he wouldn't just want to date someone as hot as Aniston is beyond me. As the film tries to make the flimsy premise work, they pad the story with a lot of subplots that really go nowhere. The film isn't completely humorless, however. There are a handful of gags that worked, but most of them come near the beginning of the film and revolve around Sandler being a plastic surgeon. Once the film moves to Hawaii (in yet another situation where it appears Sandler chose a film in order to have a glorified vacation) it loses a lot of steam and limps to its inevitable conclusion. Despite a bunch of funny guys and hot women making up the majority of the cast, they simply couldn't do anything with this material. This is one Sandler film you can skip. Rating: **1/2

Tip of the Cap

Hopefully you haven't reached superhero fatigue yet, because we've still got one big one yet to come out. Here's the latest trailer for next month's Captain America movie.

NMR: The King's Speech

I debated for a long time whether or not to actually rent this. I was rather miffed that it won best picture given that I felt there were a number of far more deserving films of that honor. But I decided I would be the bigger man and see why this was supposed so much better than them. Ultimately, it may have been a self fulfilling prophecy, but this was exactly what I expected. This is a well made film that I found mostly forgettable. The acting is solid here as both Colin Firth as King George and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, the man who helped the king with his speech impediment do exceptional work and play off each other well. The subject matter is also fairly interesting as you could see the larger historical ramifications that overcoming this problem had on the king and his country. However, everything about this film reeks of desperation in trying to garner awards and nominations. This is Oscar baiting at its worst. And sadly it worked as the Oscars chose to shun films that were fresh, innovative, or current, in favor of another period piece that appeals only to an out-of-touch older generation. That is more of an indictment on the system than the film, however. This film is certainly not without blame though as it pushed every button and worked every angle in order to make sure the same old outcome would be produced. If the subject matter does interest you, I definitely would recommend you see this as it is very well done. However, it's likely that if you haven't seen it yet, you likely won't be persuaded by this review. Rating: ****

And with that, I don't believe I have any major films left from 2010 that I plan on seeing. So with that, I will officially take down my 2010 Top Ten movies list. I'm pretty pleased with the 10 that are on there and I feel it's one of the strongest lists I've had since beginning this blog. If 2011 hopes to have as strong of a list, the slate of quality films better be heavily backloaded.

I dream of this ice cream

If only this were real...I discovered this Photoshopped thing of beauty from a website called www.meatbeerbabes.com

Tribe Watch (Week 12)

Record: 39 - 31

Standing: First in AL Central

A much better week for the Indians, but they are certainly not in the clear yet. After salvaging one win against the Yankees, things continued to look pretty bleak against Detroit, although we did manage to earn one victory against them. It wasn't until this weekend series against the Pirates that the team finally started to perk up. We saw more clutch hitting in Friday and Saturday's games. Then today we saw the return of home field magic with a walk off win in the 11th. What should be interesting to watch for in the next few weeks is how, if at all, the offense changes. Earlier today the Indians fired their hitting coach and promoted the guy that was working on hitting in our minor league system. Perhaps with a different approach, the Tribe can find their swing again. They'll certainly need it as interleague play rolls on this week. We have another home series against Colorado, who helped us out this weekend by taking two of three from Detroit. Then we travel out west to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been playing better as of late. Interleague play can often be a make or break moment of the season for some teams. We're currently 6-0 against the National League, so let's hope we keep that up. As usual, I'll be rooting for them the entire way. Go Tribe!

Playing homage

Last week, J.J. Abrams secretive new film, Super 8, finally was released. As the trailers for the film were released many speculated on the brief images they saw. How did the train crash? What was being kept in the train? Why are the military now involved in the clean up of this accident? All of these questions get answers as the film unfolds, however, the journey is much more exciting than the actual answers.

As many of you have read and/or surmised this film is, at the core, about childhood friendships. The story revolves around a group of 12 year olds who have a penchant for making their own films and decide to create a zombie movie that they can submit to a film festival. It is while they're shooting said film that they witness the signature train crash.

Let me take a brief moment from summarizing the film to commend J.J. and his crew on the train crash scene. The visuals and sound effects are truly fantastic and really make you feel like you too are in the center of all this mayhem. And an extra special compliment to them for being able to accomplish that without feeling the need to gussy it up with the increasingly unnecessary 3-D gimmick. The film is shot in 2D and looks just fine.

Anyways, in telling this story of these kids, Abrams borrows heavily on the themes and emotions that Steven Spielberg used so effectively in some of his earlier films like E.T. Spielberg, not surprisingly, was an executive producer on the film and his presence is clearly felt. Since he doesn't seem as interested in making these films himself these days, it's nice to see he's passing the torch onto a new generation of filmmakers. The bond between the kids (most of which are unknowns, with the exception of Elle Fanning, Dakota's little sister) is well developed and definitely one of the film's strengths. I liked both the passion and innocence they display as they work together on their movie and then later on as they investigate the weird events surrounding the train crash.

But as we move more into uncovering what really happened and what is lurking out in their town (a fictional suburb of Dayton, which was a nice bonus for me), the film, just like its train begins to derail a bit. It's not the reveal is disappointing, it's that it takes away from what was turning out to be a decent coming-of-age story. As the film becomes more action-oriented, it also loses sight of what it's supposed to be. At the point when the film is meant to reach its emotional climax, it falls flat and almost feels like an afterthought.

The more I reflect on the direction the film takes as it reaches its conclusion, the more it feels like Abrams was possibly making a different film altogether. In a sense, this movie feels as if this was Abrams' version of the film he would have made when he was 12. In that sense, he's attempting to further show his respect for the art of filmmaking and the way an artist can get wrapped up in his own story. If true, I can respect his decisions more. But it's also likely that I may be reading into things more than I should.

Regardless, those who love filmmaking will truly enjoy this film. For those who are more interested in mindless entertainment, this certainly has enough to keep you engaged, but it also may not head in the direction you expect. Almost everyone though will likely have a wave of nostalgia ride over them as you see elements of amazing films of the past incorporated here in an attempt to create a new classic. I'm not convinced it completely achieved that, but Super 8 is still pretty great nonetheless. Grade: B+

Show me the money

Here's the first trailer for the film that I think could be this year's The Social Network. It's about the life and career of baseball wunderkind GM Billy Beane and his method of obtaining a winning ball club without spending much.

NMR: No Strings Attached

This was better than I expected it to be thanks primarily to the breezy chemistry between Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Kutcher, by no means a master thespian, knows his limits and plays to his strengths here, while Portman seems to be having a lot of fun being in lighter fare after spending most of her time in more serious films recently. Their chemistry makes the predictable storyline palatable. What was disappointing here and what hurts the movie is the weak group of friends that they cast around the two leads. The majority of the them come off as weak leftovers from a Judd Apatow film. Their purpose in the film is to provide some laughs as they remark on the silly predicament that the leads are in, but they were unable to muster more than a smile out of me. The one exception is Kevin Kline who plays Kutcher's randy dad. He naturally gives it all and I wish there had been more scenes involving him. There have certainly been far worse romantic comedies that have been released recently, so if you're doing the whole date night thing this will probably suffice and have enough to make both parties happy. What will be interesting is how this compares to the other 'f*** buddies' movie coming out next month, Friends With Benefits starring Kutcher's friend Justin Timberlake and Portman's Black Swan co-star Mila Kunis. Rating: *** 1/2

Feeling froggy

I gotta say, I'm loving these Muppet parody trailers. Check out the latest one tackling Green Lantern.

Pawnee - First in friendship, fourth in obesity

Love Parks and Recreation? Well get ready for more goodness from our favorite town in Indiana. On October 4th, a 'guide' to Pawnee will be released written by Leslie Knope. If it's half as good as the Pawnee, Indiana website, then this will be amazing.

Here's more on the book from Variety:

“Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America,” a 240-page book from the point of view of Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation” lead character Leslie Knope, will be published Oct. 4 by NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group and Hyperion Publishing.

The book will focus on the fictional town’s history, expanding on and adding to events alluded to on the show, such as its long list of ridiculous town slogans and ongoing racoon infestation.

“The ever-expanding town of Pawnee has become its own character in our show, and we're thrilled that we got to accelerate that expansion in one giant, goofy 240-page comedy book,” said exec producer Mike Schur, who might have had a hand or three in writing the tome.

Added Poehler: "Mike Schur asked me to contribute to this book. I missed the deadline. I am regretting that now."

Tribe Watch (Week 11)

Record: 34 - 29

Standing: First in AL Central (by percentage points)

I'm not really in the mood to talk baseball right now after the Indians disasterous week. They only managed one win and that was a pathetic 1-0 victory against the Twins. Right now our offense is so anemic, it's not even funny. I wish I had answers, but if I did, then so would this team and they'd be able to fix things. We can only hope that this is a bad slump and that the team will be able to get out of it eventually. Otherwise, the hot start will merely be an aberration and we'll be looking at the bottom of the division once again. Our performance this week will be critical. After finishing up the series against the Yankees tonight, we head to Detroit for a three game series against the Tigers who are now tied with us for first place. The outcome of that series could dramatically shift the outlook of the division. After we finish with the Tigers, we'll return home to play against the Pirates, a team that while better, is still a beatable team. If we right the ship, this week could get us right back to where we were before this slump. I'll be rooting hard for that to happen and I hope the rest of you will as well. Go Tribe!

NMR: Jackass 3D and 3.5

This shouldn't even be labeled as a Netflix movie review since I saw neither of these through Netflix. Jackass 3D was available at the beginning of March and three months later, despite being at the top of my queue that entire time, it still hadn't arrived. So I just gave up and got it immediately through Redbox. Then Jackass 3.5 was already on television this past weekend, even though it's not even available yet through Netflix. Needless to say, Netflix isn't winning me over these days.

As for the movies, this is about what you would expect. Jackass 3D is one of the few films that I probably should have seen in 3D. These guys do a nice job of crafting a lot of their stunts around the technology and maximizing its usefulness. It's not to say that they can't be enjoyed on the small screen, but I think you definitely lose something - especially for stunts like recreating the Rocky punch, which involves dosing an unsuspecting with a cup of watch and then punching them in the face. Even if you can't watch it in 3D, there are still plenty of horrifying, hilarious, and somehow creative dares that the gangs has on display here. Stunts like beehive tetherball and taser obstacle course make you laugh, wince, and look on in awe all at the same time. It's impressive the way these guys can continue to find fresh ways of torturing their bodies.

In Jackass 3.5, you basically get the leftovers that they couldn't fit in the regular movie. There are still a handful of gems here. But this is also nice because it allows us to also gain a bit more insight into each of these guys and their collective friendship. I think what makes this franchise still so appealing, even after 10 years, is that oddly enough they still seem to enjoy inflicting pain on both themselves and each other. It proves the old adage that getting hit in the nuts is always hilarious. I don't know how much more abuse these guys can take, but as long as they are willing, I'll be there to watch. Rating: Jackass 3D - **** Jackass 3.5 *** 1/2

X-ceeding X-pectations

As I continue to play catch up, we come to last week's new release - X-Men: First Class. I'll admit I had quite a bit of skepticism going into this movie given the franchise's recent track record. After a sufficient introduction and a solid first sequel, the X-Men films fell off the rails once Brett Ratner took over directing duties on the third one. Then, they did little to ingratiate fans with a wholly unnecessary and uninspired Wolverine spinoff. To make matters worse, the promotion for this latest effort - a prequel/reboot of sorts - was rather underwhelming.

Set in 1960s, First Class looks at the early lives of the franchise's two most central figures, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto. The two begin on very disparate paths. Xavier thrives in academia thanks to his mind reading mutation while Erik is on a path of destruction trying to locate the man responsible for his killing mother while their family was held in a concentration camp. Of course, their paths do cross when they come across a mutual enemy - the mysterious Sebastian Shaw. Shaw is played by Kevin Bacon and has a much larger role than the previews of this film would suggest. Seeing Bacon not only in a high profile film but hamming it up as the primary villain was a wonderful surprise, one of many that the film features.

In an effort to stop Shaw, Charles and Erik round up a number of other indiduals with mutant powers. This is done through a nice montage that showcases a lot of characters and how the two of them weren't always successful at convincing some to join their cause. This is just one place where you'll find some effective cameos in this movie. Once they've amassed a group, the film does a good job of spending time with these characters and making us appreciate them, even if they weren't mutants who most people would recognize prior to this film. I really liked the fact that through both castings and choice of characters, there really isn't a dud in the group. Unlike with past X-Men films where some of the characters were either annoying or pointless, I liked all of the choices made here. And perhaps more importantly, I would enjoy seeing another film featuring them as well.

By giving the film the backdrop of the 1960s, First Class adds some credibility by infusing its story with real life events. Who knew that the Cuban Missile Crisis was merely an extension of the festering war humans were developing against mutants? All joking aside, I liked that they blended this story with real events. It gave the film some added authenticity and eliminated some of the silliness that can naturally come when telling a story about a guy who can make tornados with his hands fighting someone who can fire red laser discs from his hands.

Now that's not to say that the film doesn't have its silly moments. I felt the first 20 minutes or so of the film was too goofy in its attempt to first illustrate the different characters' powers. However, once the film shifts into its central story those moments are less frequent. On the other hand, some more silliness could have been exhibited by Emma Frost (played by January Jones). Clearly the weak link in the cast, Jones' wooden portrayal of the character hurts each scene that she's in. Both of these gripes though are minor issues that do not severely affect the film in a negative way.

I recognize that there is probably a lot of people out there who may have mutant fatigue given the number of recent poor X-Men films, but I would strongly suggest you give this one a chance. There is strong acting from the leads coupled with a very engaging story. In a summer where most films have felt like retreads that fail to offer up fresh ideas, this latest X-Men movie is in a 'class' by itself. Grade: B+

Surprise party

While everyone was (deservedly so) buzzing about Nintendo's announcement of their new Wii U console yesterday, I was stunned to also read that they announced that they are releasing a new Mario Party this year on the Wii. This is the first Mario Party in four years!! It's also the first one that was made specifically for the Wii (Mario Party 8 was originally intended for the Gamecube and converted at the last moment to the Wii). No release date has been set yet, but I'm already eagerly counting down the days. You can get a first look at what you can expect from the game in the trailer below.

Another round of shots

As I try to wrap up another school year, I've fallen a bit behind on my movie reviews, but I'll try to rectify that situation right now. Like so many others, I too saw The Hangover Part II a couple of weekends ago when it first was released. Since then the film has received some polarizing responses from critics and fans alike. The biggest complaint most have is that this film is simply a retread of the first film.

Well let's get it out of the way, this film is exactly like the first one. This time around it is Stu (Ed Helms) who is getting married and has decided to do so in Thailand. Though he wanted a simple, innocuous bachelor party Stu, along with Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zack Galifianakis) wake up the next morning after a night of debauchery not remembering a thing that happened. What follows there after is the same course as the first film with the Wolfpack trying to piece together clues in order to figure what they did and how things went so terribly wrong.

Now I will admit that I was not as enamored as a lot of people were with the first film. While I definitely enjoyed it, I also felt it lacked something that would allow it to join the list of greatest comedies of all time. This time around I didn't have that same feeling. That is not to say I think that this is a better film. I just think that the obvious comfort level that the cast now has with each other and the material enabled a lot of the rough edges that I thought the first film had to disappear.

The one major drawback to this film was the choice of location. While Bangkok is a natural choice to set a film like this is, it doesn't have the same welcoming feel as Vegas did. Everything is darker and more dangerous there and you just feel dirty watching everything that happens. I think the situations the Wolfpack found themselves in during the first film are more relatable to a larger audience.

So is this a bad film because it's a retread of the original movie. Many will say yes, but I disagree. This is one instance where I think a lot of people need to get off of their high horse and just enjoy these guys have yet another bad day. We're not talking about watering down a classic piece of cinema. This is a raunchy comedy filled with nudity, violence, and foul language. It shouldn't matter what package it comes in. If you enjoy the delivery of it, you should be happy. It's likely that the film was in a no win situation. If they had completely changed up the formula, you would have others saying they miss what they enjoyed from the first movie. In this case, there was no reason to rock the boat. I would say their only crime was having this come out so soon after the first one. There was not enough of a waiting period to allow their first adventure to be forgotten.

Ultimately, The Hangover Part II has just as many laughs, but fewer surprises. It's likely that if you haven't seen it by now, you might as well just wait to video. The few surprises that the film has have either been spoiled to you already or they're simply not good enough for you to spend the $10+ to see them in the theater. Like the first one, this too can be more appreciated on the smaller screen where you can catch some of the more subtle jokes and take a closer look at the pictures of the guys' wild night during the closing credits (or in some cases, shield your eyes). It's apropos to look at this sequel like you would a second shot of alcohol. For some, just one shot is good enough and they can ride that buzz throughout the rest of the night. For others, you can't help but take another shot. And while it may be smooth going down, you may also regret it a day later. Still others can't get enough with each one just as enjoyable as the previous one. With a high tolerance, it's likely you'll enjoy The Hangover Part II. Grade: B

Wii whoa!

Check out the new Wii controller, part of the new Wii console called Wii U that was announced today at the E3 conference. I am very impressed! Nintendo already has my money for this thing.

Tribe Watch (Week 10)

Record: 33-24

Standing: First in AL Central

We are officially in a major slump right now. While the Tribe managed to get 2 out 3 in Toronto, we got swept in the four game series against Texas. Not only did we get swept at home, but we were shutout in the last two games. There really was nothing redeemable to take away from those last four games. Right now no one is hitting well, so even when the pitching is decent, it's still not enough to give us a win. While some of the batters who aren't hitting well are likely to come around, there are some big concerns with guys like Choo and Santana, who have not hit well all season and were expected to be big producers in the middle of the lineup. I'm not sure what the answer to our problems is, but we better figure it out soon because suddenly Detroit has been winning and our once sizable lead in the division has all but evaporated. We'll get an opportunity to right the ship starting tomorrow as we begin a three game set against Minnesota. That will be an important series for a number of reasons. First, it's a divisional opponent, so you always want to do well against them. Also, Minnesota is having a terrible year, so we can't waste an opportunity to take advantage of a lesser team. Finally, after the series with Minnesota we head to New York this weekend to take on the Yankees. If we're unable to do well against the Twins, we could head into a real tailspin, which would be terrible after getting off to such a great start. I know no one wants to see that, so I hope you'll all join me in continuing to root this team on. Go Tribe!

Book review: Hell's Corner

Now that summer has arrived (I say that despite the fact that I still have yet another week before the school year is over for me) it's time to catch some rays and curl up with a good book. The first one I chose was a novel by David Baldacci that continues the adventures of the Camel Club. I believe I reviewed one of the Camel Club novels last summer, but if you're unfamiliar, the group is a ragtag bunch of guys, led by 'Oliver Stone' a former sniper for the U.S. government, who often find themselves wrapped up in conspiracies and political espionage. I was not particularly fond of the previous entry in this series called Divine Justice. That book I felt was too obvious in its plotting. I was able to call every twist and villain before they were actually revealed. It also took the characters away from Washington D.C., which I didn't care for either. Thankfully, most of those problems are eliminated in Hell's Corner. The plot is stuffed with plenty of misdirection to keep the reader guessing. This time around as the gang try to investigate a mysterious bombing that occurred in a park near the White House. As I read it, I felt like it could have easily been a season-long storyline for 24, which in my opinion is a good thing. I will say that the conclusion did suffer at times from a lack of plausibility and leaves some questions unanswered. I'm willing to dismiss those problems though as I found myself quickly turning the pages as it came to its conclusion. Certainly I wouldn't recommend you reading this book without reading the prior ones in the series, but if you're looking for something to read, I definitely encourage to start at the beginning and give this series a try. Grade: B+

Going ape

I can't say that I've ever been a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise, but damn if this movie doesn't look entertaining, with a solid cast and some impressive visual effects.