Nerd alert!

Here's your first look at a documentary on the phenomenon known as Comic-Con, directed by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me).

WrestleFest Being Re-Released For iOS February 21st

WrestleFest Being Re-Released For iOS February 21st

I can't tell you how much money I pumped into this arcade machine when I was a kid. It's a shame they couldn't strike deals with everyone from the original game (I'm looking at your Warrior) but I like that they decided to include some more modern guys (Austin, Rock, Cena, Undertaker) to make up for it. As long as it's not ridiculously priced, I'll definitely be downloading this on Tuesday.

Dave Returns deleted scenes

RBR: Drive

When I first saw this film advertised last fall I had quickly dismissed it as nothing more than a Transporter ripoff. Then the reviews started coming in and we baffling strong. At that point, I was predisposed to hate the film and the way it was being overpraised. But being the open-minded guy that I like to think that I am, I still decided to give the film a try. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the critics were right about the cool vibe that the film has. Often a film like this ends up trying too hard and becomes unhip, but this one struck the right note at being trendy and stylish. The film has a great look and an excellent score. And while I still don't think he's as good of an actor as many claim he is, Ryan Gosling does give a terrific performance here. He plays a stunt driver who also occassionally works as a getaway driver for two bit thieves. The driving sequences in the film are really well done and show the art that actually goes in to effectively eluding those who are chasing you. I only wish that the film had kept its focus on the driving throughout the film. As the story progresses, it settles into a heist gone wrong plot that has an all-too familiar feel to it. Thankfully, there's Albert Brooks playing a movie producer/mob boss to elevate those scenes and make them tolerable. I'm still not convinced that the movie is as good as some critics claimed it to be, but I will admit that this is a much better film than I thought it would be. I think the film's tone, solid acting, and decent action scenes are enough to make this worthy of a rental. If you were like me and were turned off by the excessive fawning over this film, do yourself a favor and give it a consideration. Rating: ****

Bourne again

Here's your first look at The Bourne Legacy, the latest in the Bourne franchise that doesn't actually have Jason Bourne in it. Confused yet?

TV reviews (Midseason edition)

I figured I'd take a few moments and share some of my feelings on a pair of shows which have recently debuted.

Alcatraz: In the ongoing quest to fill the void left by Lost comes this new drama that is part police procedural and part sci-fi mystery. Back in 1963 over 300 of the prisoners encarcerated at Alcatraz, along with the guards on duty mysteriously vanished. Now in present day they have begun showing up seemingly the same age they were back in '63. A team has been assembled to recapture these guys consisting of a young cop (played by Sarah Jones), a comic book artist who's an expert on Alcatraz (Jorge Garcia aka Hurley from Lost) and a mysterious federal agent (Sam Neill) who was a guard not on duty at Alcatraz when everyone disappeared. Thus far, the show has managed establish a rhythm (each episode has featured one returning inmate/guard that the team is trying to locate) but has avoided becoming pure formula by throwing in some twists and mysteries to keep audiences guessing at the show's big questions. I really like the cast here. Neill as excellent playing the shades of grey agent, Jones is sexy but tough, and Garcia remains likeable while doing a good job of making this character different from Hurley. I've definitely become invested in discovering the show's central mysteries and unlike Person of Interest which I stopped watching after about 6 weeks, I don't see myself getting bored with the formulaic aspects of the show. Thus far, ratings have been solid. And with the announcement that FOX will not be renewing House after this season, it looks likely that this show will be sticking around. If you haven't given this show a look yet, trying finding its aired episodes online somewhere and get caught up. Thumbs up!

Touch: This had an early preview a few weeks ago. This is the latest show from creator Tim Kring(Heroes). It focuses on single father (Keifer Sutherland) struggling to raise his son who has never spoken one word since he was born. However, we see that the boy is very special and has a gift for finding connections between people through numbers. The story is similar to the film Knowing but with a much more positive and uplifting theme. I enjoyed the pilot episode but I do have some reservations as to whether or not the show can sustain itself as a series. I'm really glad to see Keifer Sutherland back on TV, although I do wish it was still as Jack Bauer. His character here does not possess Jack's skills of being a badass, but if they do share a similarity it's that both characters seemingly try to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and you easily empathize with both. There's a lot to like here, but the jury is still out as to whether this will work as episodic televison.

Operation Ann deleted scenes

RBR: Margin Call

Some may argue that its too soon to do a movie about the 2008 financial meltdown, but when I saw the previews for this film, I thought that this would be a real winner. It boasts an impressive cast featuring the likes of Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci. But despite the topical nature of the film and its stellar actors, this film fell flat for me. The film which takes place within about a 24 hour period centers around a fictious financial company who comes to realize that their economic infrastructure is about to collapse. To convey this the film is basically comprised of mini dialogues where characters fret about the ramifications of this while nervously staring at figures on a computer screen. Most of the cast do their best with their performances, but the dialogue is either stilted or convulted with financial jargon. There just was no energy behind what anyone said. For a moment in history that has created such an emotional reactions from everyone involved and affected, this film fails to capture that. As a result, you don't know how to feel about what you're seeing. The film doesn't really make you feel sad, or angry, or anything for that matter. I sat there passively waiting for someone to produce a rise out of me. While the film is not without some merit, I can't exactly recommend it. The few who would have an interest in seeing this subject be turned into a film will likely be bored by this dry adaptation of those events. I'm just thankful I waited until this was on Redbox and only paid a dollar to see it instead of paying money to see it in theaters or on VOD. Now that would have been a real financial crisis! Rating: ** 1/2

Garfield and friends

Check out the latest trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield as our friendly neighborhood Spiderman.

Revenge is Swede

As the world mourns the end of the Harry Potter film franchise, the start of a new movie franchise based on a popular series of books begins. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the first installment of the Millennium trilogy by Steig Larsson. While these films will never meet the financial success of the Potter films, if for no other reason than its decidely adult subject matter, it can already boast something that none of the Potter films can, a Best Picture nomination.

The film is directed by David Fincher (The Social Network) who continues his impressive string of films. After delving into the cerebral world of Mark Zuckerberg, Fincher is back to familiar territory of gore and murder. He once again finds away of depicting the darker side of our human nature in a compelling manner. He manages to suck you in by focusing on protagonists who are just as, if not more so, scarred than the killers they are tracking. In this case, the film centers around two such protagonists; Mikael Blomkvist (played by Daniel Craig) and Lisbeth Salander (played by Rooney Mara).

Blomkvist is a discredited journalist who's been asked to investigate a 40 year old mystery involving the disappearance of Henrik Vanger's niece. The job offers him an easy way to escape the media scrutiny he's under after being convicted of libel. Salander eventually comes on as his research assistant. However, we spend significant time prior to their partnership learning of the hardships she's endured in her life that have manifested into her severe social disfunctions. Their relationship is unconventional to say the least but proves to be highly effective in getting to the bottom of this mystery.

This central mystery is the strongest part of the film. Through the course of Blomkvist's investigation we meet several members of the Vanger family, each with their own set of secrets. The fact that these family members hardly talk to each other provides makes them all suspicious and enables the audience to continue guessing as to what really happened. While the film does the best it can at keeping all of these characters straight and properly explaining their history, you can also see where this would likely be even more engaging in the book.

The one thing, however, that bugged me about the film was how oddly superfluous the Lisbeth character seems to the story. A good portion of the film's beginning is spent on her before she even becomes connected with the Vanger case. While it can be argued that this was done to establish her character, a lot of that could have been surmised simply by her outward appearance. It's clear from the piercings and titular tattoo that this is not a conventional girl and she's likely led a rough life. Why we needed to see, in such graphic detail I might add, some of these hardships was unclear. Furthermore, while she proves to be quite helpful in solving the mystery, it's likely that Blomkvist would have been able to solve it himself had she not been there. None of this would bother me as much if it wasn't for the fact that everything else suggests she is supposed to be the central character. Perhaps her centrality to the story is stronger within the context of Larsson's three books, but in this film her presence came off more exploitative that necessary.

While I struggle with that, I in no means want this to come off as a negative review. The acting and directing are great and the story is engrossing. Despite a run time of over two and half hours, the film does not "dragon". It briskly moves along as you try to figure out the clues along with the characters. I also like how they managed to keep the film isolated enough where you're satisfied if the other two books never get adapted, but left enough to make you curious to see where future films could go if they do get made. Though this is not my favorite Fincher film, nor his best, this is still an excellent movie and one I recommend. He's one of the few directors out there today who can consistently create a movie that will be tattooed into your mind long after you've finished watching it. Grade: B+

Casey at the bat

Looks like the Indians finally have their first baseman...

The Indians have officially added first baseman Casey Kotchman to their ever-changing roster.

Cleveland finalized its $3 million, one-year deal with Kotchman on Friday, a day after reaching the agreement.

Kotchman, who batted a career-high .306 last season for Tampa Bay, likely will be Cleveland's starting first basemen. The left-handed hitter also is an exceptional fielder, which will help Cleveland's sinker-balling pitching staff.

The Indians set their sights on Kotchman after they were unable to sign Carlos Pena and Derrek Lee. Kotchman, 28, has a career .998 fielding percentage, the highest for a first basemen with at least 700 games.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti has spent the offseason re-shaping the team. He has added six players from outside the organization to the 40-man roster.

RBR: Warrior

When this film came out last fall, I initially dismissed it as something that I would not have any interest in. However, after it received surprisingly strong reviews and earned Nick Nolte an Oscar nomination, I decided to be open-minded and give it a try. The story surrounds two estranged brothers (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton) who have had different upbringings but have fighting in their blood. When a major MMA tournament is announced both brothers sign up for it hoping for some sort of redemption. Emotions boil over as we arrive at the inevitable conclusion of them facing each other in the finals. Like Real Steel the story doesn't offer the viewer anything too new. However, the acting is solid here, especially Nolte who is worthy of his nomination. The film was also made by people familiar with the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as the fights are expertly filmed and come off as authentic. Perhaps its unfair to compare, but given how close this film came out to the similar and better, The Fighter it's hard not looking at this as a lesser film. Still, if this is a genre you enjoy or if you are a fan of MMA fighting, I feel you'll find this to be an enjoyable film. Rating: *** 1/2

Simply Red

I imagine we'll get a lot more trailers for bigger movies during the Super Bowl, but in the meantime, here's one for a smaller film that manages to boasts an impressive cast. This looks be one of the few films in the supernatural genre that I could see myself checking out.

RBR: Paranormal Activity 3

This franchise seems to be defying the law of diminishing returns by improving with each entry. What started out as a gimmick has cleverly developed into a franchise that doles out just enough of the backstory each time to make us want to come back for more. In this third outing, we head into the wayback machine of the 1980s to see Katie and Kristi, the girls featured in the first two films, as kids. To maintain the 'found footage' nature of these films, the girls' upbringing is documented by their mother's new boyfriend, who is a wedding videographer. When creepy things start happening around the house, he attempts to document it all with his camera. While the previous two films set up their scares in predictable fashion, this one is clever in not only offering some legitimate scares but dishing them out at unexpected moments. This often comes from the one camera that has been set up on an oscillating fan. It nicely builds the audience's anxiety as it slowly swivels from one side to the other. The other aspect of this one that I appreciated was the characters acted in a realistic manner. Unlike the second film where everyone came off like a moron, the characters here exhibited a reasonable mix of fright and curiousity. While I'm not sure how much longer they can reasonably do the 'found footage' thing, there's certainly more story to tell about this family and the demon that continues to haunt their lives. And for once, I actually look forward to seeing where this series goes from here. Given that the fourth movie has already been announced for this October, it appears we won't have to wait long to find out what happens next. Rating: ****