Coming together as a Community

I probably don't give Community enough love on this blog, but that's only because while it's very good, it's not as amazing as Parks and Recreation. But now that Community is struggling in the ratings and could be facing cancellation, I thought I'd do my part to get the word out more to help save this show. And what better way to do that than by showing this video that mashes up scenes from Community in the style of the Parks and Recreation opening credits. In a word, awesome!.

RBR: Our Idiot Brother

I don't know if there's been another film that has had as perfect of a cast as this one. It's just an embarrassment of riches when it comes to likable funny talent in this film. It's led, by Paul Rudd as the titular brother. But the film also has Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Steve Coogan, Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel, TJ Miller, and Katheryn Hahn in it as well. Each of whom are absolutely delightful here and make the film very entertaining. The problem though is that there isn't much of a story for these wonderful actors to work with. This is more like a collection of short vignettes involving Rudd interacting with the other characters strung together in a semi-cohesive manner. Each scene is enjoyable, but the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. I know it can be a cliche, but this really did feel more like the pilot to a television show rather than a feature film. There's nothing really gained here other than the notion that being simple and dim-witted can be all right sometimes. Call it the Forrest Gump lesson. If you enjoy thse actors, it's likely you'll find this to be an entertaining 90 minutes. If you don't (and why the hell don't you?) then there probably isn't enough here to keep you engaged. Rating: *** 1/2

How the Sith Stole Christmas

Check out this funny and clever video which mashes up The Grinch Who Stole Christmas with Star Wars.

RBR: 30 Minutes or Less

In 2009, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked director Ruben Fleischer's film, Zombieland. It had fun with a genre that I typically don't watch and produced a wholly entertaining film. So I was excited to see what he would do in this latest action comedy that once again featured Jesse Eisenberg. Unfortunately, this one lacks the laughs and creativity that made their previous outing so great. The premise involves two lunkheads (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) who concoct a scheme to strap a bomb to an unsuspecting pizza delivery driver (Eisenberg) in order to force him to steal $100,000 for them so they can pay a hitman to kill one of the goon's father. Once we get the setup out of the way, the film briskly move from one scene to the next in predictable fashion and doing nothing special with this involved premise. Eisenberg and his buddy (played by Aziz Ansari, who does the spastic best friend much better than Charlie Day did in Horrible Bosses) hatch a plan, steal the money and make the drop with very surprising ease, which is disappointing and unfunny. This film either needed to punch up the script with more laughs or cast it with actors more suited for the action genre. The one positive thing is that 30 Minutes or Less barely runs 83 minutes long so it doesn't overstay its welcome. With that said, I'd rather wait 83 minutes for lukewarm pizza than watch this film again. A major disappointment here, especially given the talent (Danny McBride excluded) involved with this film. Rating: **

Cane and able

Check out a pair of former football rivals, now senior citizens, get into a fist fight during a recent sports banquet.

Pawnee stars

A couple of exciting news stories related to Parks and Recreation came out today - one involving an upcoming guest star and the other about the return of a beloved favorite...

From TVGuide.com:

Kathryn Hahn is a free agent no longer. Less than two months after NBC axed her freshman comedy, Free Agents, Hahn has nabbed a recurring role on Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope's new political rival, TVLine reports. Originally written for a male, the original casting call described the character as charming, popular and "more than a bit dim." The worst part? The opponent is heir to the Sweetums fortune, which means Leslie's opponent for Pawnee City Council is beloved by the town. In addition to introducing Leslie's new rival, Parks and Recreation is also bringing back her cop ex-boyfriend, Dave, played by Louis C.K. The Louie star appeared in several episodes early in Season 2 before his character was transferred to San Diego. Hahn's first episode will air in early 2012, as will Louis C.K.'s return.

Winter watchings

As the snow falls and you're stuck inside, you'll probably be looking for something to watch TV. Well here are a couple of new options for you to choose from. One is an adaptation of the book/film The Firm from John Grisham that will air on NBC. The other is Alcatraz, a new thriller airing on FOX that stars Sam Neill and is produced by J.J. Abrams.

Q'd up and ready to go

As filming continues for Skyfall, the next James Bond film, news came out over the weekend that this newest entry into the 007 franchise will see the return of Q, the man who provides Bond with all of his awesome gadgets. This will be the first time since 2002's Die Another Day that the character will appear in a Bond film. The role will be played by British actor Ben Whishaw. For more information on Whishaw and the role, here's the story from Variety:

Brit thesp Ben Whishaw has been confirmed to play the role of M16 gadget master Q in upcoming James Bond pic "Skyfall." Whishaw, who was already announced as part of the cast of the pic alongside Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Javier Bardem, will follow in the footsteps of Desmond Llewelyn and John Cleese to play the role of the head of Branch Q, the fictional armory division of MI6.

Whishaw is just 31 years old and his casting in the role will rep the first time in the history of the Bond franchise that Q will be younger than 007: Daniel Craig is some 12 years older than the thesp.

Whishaw's credits include Julie Taymor's "The Tempest," "Brideshead Revisited," "I'm Not There" and "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. To get in the thankful mood, here's a classic WWF clip showing what all of the wrestlers were thankful for. Good stuff!

One (Size)more year

Looks like Grady's Ladies can breathe easy now...

Even as other teams made him offers, Grady Sizemore knew there was only one that made sense for him.

He still belonged with the Indians.

"I wasn't ready to say goodbye and move on," he said.

On Wednesday, the Indians re-signed Sizemore to a one-year, incentive-based contract, bringing the oft-injured former All-Star outfielder back for another chance to become the electrifying player whose career has been derailed the past three seasons by injuries and surgeries.

Sizemore's journey into free agency didn't take him every far.

Although there were "good offers from good organizations," Sizemore decided to stay with the one that has patiently waited for him to get healthy.

"They know me better than anybody," Sizemore said.

The Indians, who last month declined a $9 million option for 2012 on Sizemore, will pay him a base salary of $5 million next season. The 29-year-old can make another $4 million based on plate appearances. The deal also includes an awards package that includes $500,000 if Sizemore is selected comeback player of the year.

The performance bonuses max out with fewer plate appearances than Sizemore had in any season from 2005-08.

Sizemore has undergone five surgeries, including a microfracture procedure on his left knee, the past two years and has only played in 210 games over the last three seasons because of injuries. But the Indians are confident that a healthy Sizemore can help them contend in the AL Central.

"We're obviously optimistic," said general manager Chris Antonetti. "We know that when he's been on the field, he's been a very productive player. We know it's not going to be for 155 or 160 games per year, but we feel optimistic Grady will get back to the point that he is a very good player for us."

Following the World Series, the Indians cut ties with Sizemore by declining the option for next season, making him a free agent for the first time. Antonetti flew to Arizona to personally meet with Sizemore and explain the team's reasons for letting him go. Antonetti said the team was not closing the door on Sizemore and the Indians would gladly re-sign him -- at the right price.

That gesture of loyalty, and the team's patience with Sizemore while he was hurt, meant a lot to him.

As other teams made offers, the Indians stayed in touch with Sizemore's representative and never wavered in their pursuit of one of the club's most popular players.

"The Indians were aggressive in wanting to keep Grady, and he has said all along he would keep an open mind toward returning," said agent Joe Urbon. "He appreciates the interest from other clubs, and he just felt that the best place to reassert himself as a great player is in Cleveland. He can stay in center field, which is important to him, and he has enjoyed his time there.

"Now, he can focus on his play without the distractions of new surroundings, and he will be a free agent again just after his 30th birthday."

Sizemore acknowledged he had some doubts as he ventured into free agency unsure of his future.

"I really didn't know what to expect," he said. "I was in the dark a little bit."

But as the process unfolded, it became clear to Sizemore -- and the Indians -- that they're relationship was not supposed to end. Sizemore said he's eager to put the past three years behind him and hopefully help the Indians win.

"It's been frustrating, " he said. "I've always loved being a part of this organization and I never pictured myself playing anywhere else."

Sizemore played in only 71 games after beginning last season on the disabled list. He made three trips to the DL and underwent right knee surgery on Oct. 3, just days after his season ended with a .224 batting average 10 homers, 32 RBIs and zero steals for the first time in his career.

Sizemore is continuing to rehab his injury and believes he'll be ready when spring training camp opens in February.

With Sizemore back, and assuming he can stay healthy, the Indians' starting outfielder appears to be settled with Sizemore in center, Michael Brantley in left and Shin-Soo Choo in right. The club still needs to add some depth and Antonetti promised the team will continue "trying to make our ballclub better."

Cleveland is looking for more offensive help, and it's likely the club's focus will be an upgrade at first base. Manager Manny Acta said incumbent first baseman Matt LaPorta will have to earn a roster spot this spring.

Sizemore joined the Indians in 2002, coming over as part of the six-player blockbuster trade that sent ace Bartolo Colon to Montreal. Sizemore's blend of speed and power were unlike any player in club history and he's the only Indians player with at least 100 homers, 200 doubles and 100 steals.

There are skeptics who doubt Sizemore will ever play at the level he once did. He's not worried about anything other than getting ready to play.

"I want to prove to everyone that I can stay healthy and I can perform," he said. "I want to have a healthy year and get back to playing like I know I can."

Smallest Park deleted scenes

A Bluth model home?

After announcing a few weeks ago that Arrested Development was planning to return with new episodes, along with a feature film, news came out the other day that those new episodes will be shown exclusively on Netflix. With all the details, here's an article from comingsoon.net:

In a landmark deal, all new episodes of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series "Arrested Development" will be coming exclusively to Netflix for its U.S. members to watch instantly, beginning in 2013.

For the first time in their histories, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Imagine Television will produce original first-run entertainment content for the world's leading internet subscription service, bringing back the acclaimed series to production on all new episodes five years after its cancellation.

One of Time Magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME," the tale of the formerly wealthy, deeply eccentric Bluth clan aired for three seasons, 2003-2006, on Fox and was honored with the Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy Series after its first season on the air.

"Arrested Development is one of the finest American comedies in TV history and its return through Netflix is a perfect example of how we are working closely with studios and networks to provide consumers with entertainment they love," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer.

"It's also a perfect example of how broad and successful our relationship has become with Fox as we work together with their film, television, international and digital divisions on several exciting initiatives," he added.

"Netflix's bold entrance into original programming presents an exciting new opportunity for our two companies" commented Peter Levinsohn, Fox Filmed Entertainment's President of New Media & Digital Distribution. "Bringing a classic show back to production on new episodes exclusively for Netflix customers is a game changer, and illustrates the incredible potential the new digital landscape affords great content providers like Twentieth Century Fox Television and Imagine."

Commented 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman, "We build brands at this studio which are so distinctive that audiences still clamor for them years after they go off the air. 'Arrested Development' is a great example of that it has stood the test of time. This innovative deal with Netflix represents a new business model that is extremely exciting and opens the door for a wide range of new collaborations."

"We also pride ourselves on breaking the rules at this studio, and after bringing back two canceled series 'Family Guy' and 'Futurama' to enormous success, we are bullish on the prospects for this brilliant series. We can't wait to get back to work with Mitch, Ron and Brian on bringing the Bluths back to America's living rooms," they added.

Said Imagine Entertainment co-founders Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, "Of all the projects we've been involved with over the years, we probably get more questions about Mitch Hurtwitz's brilliant 'Arrested Development' than any other everyone, ourselves included, seems to feel like the Bluths left the party a bit too soon. Bringing a series back from cancellation almost never happens, but then, 'Arrested' always was about as unconventional as they get, so it seems totally appropriate that this show that broke the mold is smashing it to pieces once again."

Added Howard, "After a long hiatus, I'm dying to finally get back to the narrator's microphone...'It's Arrested...Development.'"

The Emmy-winning comedy had its final broadcast on February 10, 2006 and concerned Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) and his eccentric family comprised of his son George Michael (Michael Cera), his father George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), his mother Lucille (Jessica Walter), his brothers George Oscar Bluth II (Will Arnett), Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) and sister Lindsay Funke (Portia de Rossi), and Lindsay's husband Tobias (David Cross) and their daughter Maeby (Alia Shawkat).

"Arrested Development" is a production of Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television. Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Mitch Hurwitz are executive producers.

The Treaty deleted scenes

RBR: Green Lantern

A lot of the media is celebrating 'Green Week' this week, so it's only apprpos that I review Green Lantern. This is the last of the comic book movies from this summer that I wanted to see and was also easily the worst. This suffers from several of the characteristics common in bad comic book movies. First and foremost is the percentage of time spent on exposition. There is scene after scene involving narration or a monologue trying to cover the dense, yet uninteresting backstory to the group of superheroes known as the Green Lantern Corps. When we finally do get to the action, none of it is compelling, especially given the ease with which our hero, Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds) disposes of the threats even though we're told that it is a force that the rest of the Corps cannot defeat collectively. Given that director Martin Campbell did such a terrific job of reintroducing the James Bond character in Casino Royale, I certainly expected more here. However, this is a very poorly lit film that fails to make us care about any of the characters. The cast is comprised of a number of likable actors, but they are either not given enough time (Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett) or not given decent material to work with (Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Peter Skarsgaard). The film's ending leaves open the possibility for a sequel, but there was nothing here that enticed me to see another entry in this series. I'm not even sure Green Lantern's ring could produce a script that could turn this series into something entertaining. Rating: ** 1/2

Preview parade

In my absence, there's been a handful of trailers for films that have the potential to be decent. So rather than give them their own separate posts, I'll just throw them into one lump here.

Back amongst the living

As I believe I have noted on here, I recently had some computer problems. About a month a half ago I bought a new laptop and wouldn't you know it, it turned out to be a lemon. In short, every time I tried to shut down the computer, it would just restart. The only way I could fully shut the thing down was if I did a hard shut down. Several calls to the help center did nothing and I had to ship the computer off in order to get it fixed. Whatever the issue was required ordering a part from overseas, which was taking FOREVER. They told me the part wasn't expected to arrive until November 23rd!!! At that point I demanded they just ship me a new computer. Suddenly the part magically arrived and they sent me back my original computer, now seemingly fixed. I'm not crazy about the idea that this is basically a refurbished computer that I paid full price for, but at this point I'm just happy to have something. So I apologize for the sporadic updates as of late. I'll try to get posting with more regularity again soon.

Andy and April's Road Trip

In lieu of the weekly deleted scenes from Parks and Recreation, I decided to post this set of 4 webisodes that Parks and Recreation made in conjunction with last week's episode involving Andy trying to complete his bucket list because he, thanks to the Reasonabilists, thought the world was going to end. Enjoy!

RBR: Cars 2

The general consensus is that Cars 2 gave Pixar its first clunker. For many that came as a surprise, but I frankly saw this coming a mile away. The first Cars film was my least favorite in the Pixar catalog. I found that one to be slow and uninteresting. I certainly would not use those words to describe this second entry however. Tonally, this film is the complete opposite. There's plenty of loud action and even more noise coming from Larry the Cable Guy's Mater, who takes center stage in this film. Why Pixar chose to center the film around him is baffling. What's even more disturbing is their attempt to make us feel sympathetic towards this uneducated, obnoxious character. Mater's storyline is an unnecessarily complicated spy plot that finds him accidentally getting involved with other spies who are investigated a plot against alternative fuel. Meanwhile Lightning McQueen is involved in a World Grand Prix, but the outcome of that race is completely inconsequential. While the people at Pixar are usually so good at crafting engaging stories, this one feels very repetitive. It's just an endless sequence of unfunny Mater humor, chase scene, race scene, repeat. Watching this I almost felt like this was intended to be a script for a sequel to The Incredibles and then at the last minute they decided that Cars was a more profitable franchise, so they shoehorned this story onto their world. And yet, for all of the film's problems, I still can't ignore that the film looks absolutely gorgeous. The backgrounds of several different European cities and the animation in each of the driving sequences looks great. It's just a shame that the story couldn't match the visuals this time around. While this is not a great Pixar film, it's still better than most of the animated films offered by any of the other studios. Still it's disheartening to see that Pixar isn't perfect and that they are capable of making a bad film every once in a while. It's ironic that a film about metal and machines is the one that showed us that Pixar is human. Rating: ***

Triumph-ant return

For the first time since coming to TBS, Conan O'Brien's old pal Triumph the Insult Comic Dog stopped by and once again brought the funny. This time it involved talking with people from the Occupy Wall St. movement. Any time you can get that dog around delusional, socially awkward individuals it is comedy gold. You can watch the segment in its entirety below. On a side note, all last week Conan took his show to New York and the contrast in his show was vast. I'm not a big fan of New York City in general, but the people who live there are so much better at being audience members and totally get Conan's comedy. There was an energy to the shows that has been largely absent ever since Conan went to LA. I know he says he'll stay in LA so that his kids don't have to move, but I wish he would reconsider because NYC gives Coco the mojo that he needs.

The name is...

That's right, the new James Bond film (due out next November) finally has an official name - Skyfall. That, along with a whole host of other announcements came this morning at a press conference in London. Below is the press release following the conference detailing all the important news that came out, courtesy of comingsoon.net. To say I'm excited would be a gross understatement. Let the countdown begin...

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today presented the cast of the 23rd James Bond adventure, entitled SKYFALL. The film, from Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes and stars Daniel Craig, who returns for his third film as James Bond 007. The screenplay is written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. SKYFALL, which goes into production on Monday, November 7th, will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th 2012 and in North America on November 9th 2012.

Joining Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Director Sam Mendes were members of the cast of SKYFALL, including: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe. The filmmakers also announced Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw.

In SKYFALL, Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

"We're so delighted to have Sam Mendes direct SKYFALL and be working once again with Daniel Craig. We've a great script, an extraordinary cast and an incredibly talented creative team for this latest James Bond adventure," said Wilson and Broccoli.

The Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, a nine-time Oscar® nominee who previously shot the films Jarhead and Revolutionary Road for Mendes. The Production Designer is Oscar® winner Dennis Gassner, who previously designed Quantum of Solace and collaborated with Mendes on the films Road to Perdition and Jarhead. The Editor is Stuart Baird, A.C.E., whose many credits include Casino Royale. Jany Temime, whose many credits include the Harry Potter series, In Bruges, and Children of Men, is the Costume Designer. Action specialist Alexander Witt is the 2nd Unit Director. Gary Powell is Stunt Co-ordinator, Chris Corbould is SFX Supervisor and Steve Begg is Visual Effects Supervisor, all of whom have worked on previous Bond films.

Following Protocol

Here's the latest trailer for next month's new Mission: Impossible film...

RBR: Women behaving badly

I've been having some computer problems lately so I haven't been able to update this as frequently as I would like, so you get a two-fer here. Thankfully the two films have some commonality. Bridesmaids: Despite all the heaping praise and success that this film earned earlier this year, I was skeptical of its quality. A part of it was that the trailers did not win me over as much as other recent comedies I've enjoyed. But the bigger issue was with the film's star, Kristin Wiig, who in a matter of time has gone from brilliant commedienne to grating personality on Saturday Night Live. While initially fresh, Wiig has become overused and one-dimensional on the sketch show and I was worried that would transition over into this film. Still I tried to keep an open mind and while I was not completely won over by the film, I'll say that it turned out better than I expected. There are several genuine laughs in the film, however, I felt that in an attempt to yield more laughs they dumped on Wiig's character too much almost to the point of making her unsympathetic. The film, given its story, is also way too long and needed some better editing. The one nice surprise for me was Melissa McCarthy's performance. The surprise doesn't come from the character being that funny, but rather that they were able to keep the character in check and make her human. While the trailers made it appear as if she was just some crass, scatological cartoon character, we see that despite her appearance she's more human than half the characters in the film. I'll give it a mild recommendation, just don't believe the hype that this is somehow on par with films like The Hangover or Anchorman. Rating: *** 1/2

Bad Teacher: If I thought Wiig's character came off unsympathetic in Bridesmaids, it goes double for Cameron Diaz's character in this comedy. She's about the least interesting thing about this film. Similar to the problem I have with Community, I found myself immediately more interested in the supporting cast that make up the rest of the staff at the school. The film does a great job of bringing in funny people like Jason Segel, John Michael Higgins, Phyllis Smith, Dave 'Gruber' Allen as fellow teachers. And there's a whole host of other comedians who pop in and out yielding a quick laugh before the film turns back to Diaz to suck the life right back out of the film. She even manages to make the generally entertaining Justin Timberlake come off as boring here. I wanted to like the film more, but it just never found anything to do with its central premise focusing on this crude, apathetic instructor. The kids in the film end up being nothing more than props. Their attempt at trying to humanize Diaz's character by pitting her against Lucy Punch, a perky, overachieving instructor doesn't work and only ends up putting both of them in the wrong. This is not a terrible film just one that fails to live up to any of its potential. Rating: ** 1/2

Meet 'N' Greet deleted scenes

The Lowe-down on the latest Indians moves

So it didn't take long for the Indians to start making waves in the off-season. Yesterday, two big announcements were made. First, the Tribe traded a low level minor leaguer for Atlanta Braves starter, Derek Lowe. Lowe has had some great success in his career, but did not have a very good 2011. This is clearly not meant to be a trade to dramatically improve the team. Lowe will likely be the fifth starter at best. And while the starting rotation wasn't one of the Tribe's weakest components, it's nice to see them make an attempt to shore it up. Now let's hope they can pick up some bats to go along with those arms. For more on the story, you can read about it here:

Tribe acquires veteran Lowe from Braves


In other roster moves, the Indians picked up the option on Fausto Carmona's contract, but did not on Grady Sizemore's making him a free agent. From my perspective the decision on both of these could have gone either way. A few years ago, letting either one of these guys go would have been unthinkable. But both of them have been plagued by injuries and have failed to live up to their potential. It'll be tough to see Grady go, but given his state he's become a liability. I'll be very curious who decides to take a chance on him and whether he'll rebound in a new location. As for Carmona, his ability to at times still shine is probably what saved him. He has somehow got to find a way to pitch well on a consistent basis though. If he can, then it'll prove wise for the Indians to have kept him around. For more on this story, you can read about it here:

Indians decline on Sizemore, keep Carmona