RBR: Carnage

Directed by Roman Polanski, this is an adaptation of the play God of Carnage. It centers around two pairs of parents who have come together to discuss a recent altercation that occured between their two sons. As their conversations escalate, more gets revealed about their relationships and who they are as individuals. Based on the trailer, this looked like it would share some of the uncomfortable, yet unpredictable fun that is often depicted in bottle episodes of sitcoms. Unfortunately, what worked in a 2 minute trailer becomes unbearable when expanded into a feature length film. Despite a great quartet of actors (Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christophe Waltz, and John C. Reilly) none of them come off looking great here. What might have served as compelling on the stage just comes off as annoying here as you wonder why these two couples continue to be with each other as their animosity for the other grows. As a viewer it becomes futile trying to side with anyone here as none of them are relatable or sympathetic. The only clarity the situation brings is that the incident between the two kids is a clear reflection on their upbringing or lack thereof. That's just a sad social commentary that I took no pleasure in witnessing. I feel bad being so negative toward a film that has a cast of actors whose work I typically enjoy, but this simply is not a good effort from anyone. Do yourself a favor and avoid the Carnage. Rating: **

I'm in a glass case of emotion!!

Great Odin's Raven...could it be? It appears an Anchorman sequel will finally happen. Here's Will Ferell as Ron Burgundy making the huge announcement on Conan Wednesday night.

RBR: Tower Heist

This movie earned some notoriety last fall first for initially being considered as the first movie to simultaneously be released in theaters and VOD (that plan never panned out) and then because its director, Brett Ratner got into trouble for making some inflammatory remarks. But none of that is what made me curious to check this film out. Rather I was interested in the heist plot itself and how well it would work with a cast that featured such funnymen as Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Matthew Broderick. The titular heist is a result of a Bernie Madoff-esque corporate criminal (played nicely by Alan Alda) scamming an entire building's staff out of their retirement fund, so the workers band together to rob him as revenge. I found myself enjoying the heist itself as it provided some twists that I didn't see coming, but found that the film was really lacking in the humor department. Considering this cast that is a big disappointment. Any group of actors could have been chosen to pull off the heist, but if you bring in these guys then there better be some sufficient laughs to go along with the action. The film also makes a pretty pathetic attempt at being relevant of our current tough financial times by making this to be a case of the 99% vs. the 1%. There could have been so much more done to make that aspect of the story stronger either through social commentary or biting satire. As a rental, you certainly could do worse. The story moves along at a decent pace and the heist plot is a reliably entertaining story. But if you go in with higher expectations, you'll be disappointed. Like he does with virtually every film he makes Brett Ratner proves once again what a subpar director he really is. And this time, not even his talented cast could help raise the material above his level of mediocrity. Rating: ** 1/2

Good Mood Feud

Check out what happens when management and employees clash in class warfare in this hilarious spoof of PBS' Downton Abbey.

RBR: The Muppets

This is one of the few films from 2011 that I would have actually preferred to see in the theaters instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD, but it just wasn't in the cards. With that said, the wait was worth it as this is a terrific film that people of any age can enjoy. Thanks to Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother) who spearheaded this revival our favorite felt friends have returned to the big screen in a film that feels fresh while staying true to what made Muppet movies so special in the first place. This one centers on Gary (Segal) and his adopted brother Walter, who is a Muppet himself, helping to bring Kermit and the gang back together so that they can save the old Muppet studio from being destroyed by an evil oil tycoon (played by Chris Cooper). Their plan involves throwing together a telethon to help raise money to save the theater. This is a simple, yet effective plot that also helps in allowing for several celebrity cameos (I won't ruin who all shows up, but it is a great cast of famous faces who clearly look like they're having a blast being a part of this movie). There are a few minor quibbles I had with the movie. Of course, the Muppet voices are not what we remember as other people gamely try to replicate the brilliant Jim Henson's work. I also felt there were a few times where songs were forced into the film instead of developing organically. Having said that, some of the songs included are terrific and will likely be stuck in your head for days. Overall, this film is just a pure joy to watch. Few films featuring human actors are able to yield the gamut of emotions I experienced while watching this one consisting mostly of puppets. If you were ever a fan of the Muppets, you won't be disappointed with this revival and if you are new to Kermit and co. then do yourself a favor and become a part of this rainbow connection. Rating: **** 1/2

Sensory D'oh-verload

Here's an odd little experiment...someone has created a video that features the first three minutes of 130 episodes of the The Simpsons. See how long it takes you to find your favorite episode.

RBR: Puss in Boots

I doubt there's anyone out there who was actually clamoring to see the origin story of Puss in Boots, the supporting character from the Shrek franchise, and yet here it is. In this latest computer animated adventure from Dreamworks, we see how Puss became the suave swashbuckler that we've come to know him to be. Along the way, we also run into some new characters including Humpty Dumpty as Puss' childhood friend (voiced by Zack Galifianakis) and Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) who plays a romatic foil for Puss. Despite the complete lack of necessity for this film, I couldn't help but find myself still enjoying it. The film provides a number of solid laughs without relying on cheap pop culture jokes like the later Shrek films did. There were also a lot of smaller touches that the animators did here (facial expressions, body movements) that added some depth to the storytelling. I found myself compelled to see where the story would go and what would happened to the characters. I do wish they would have expanded the central plot of the film. At a short runtime of 90 minutes, there was too much time spent on flashbacks and other ancillary business that, while enjoyable, came off as filler. This certainly works well as a rental. I would have felt ripped off spending money to see this in the theater, but it felt right on the small screen. In fact, I could easily see them turning this into a Saturday morning cartoon franchise instead of continuing on and making more films. If you've been a fan of the Shrek films, but opted to skip this one when it was in theaters, go ahead and check it out now. Adults and kids alike will find something entertaining here. This film may not be purr-fect, but it's a solid piece of animated fun. Rating: ****

How the Mighty have risen

While everyone waits for The Avengers to come out in a little over a month, we don't have to wait as long for the new season of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I caught all of the first season of this excellent cartoon through Netflix, but the new episodes will be airing in April on Disney XD. If you haven't caught this show and you're a fan of the Marvel comic, they're still available to watch on Instant Viewing through Netflix. And if you have seen the first season, here's a trailer to get you excited for Season 2.

RBR: The Adventures of Tintin

This movie had an uphill climb from the very beginning. Despite begin directed by Steven Spielberg and having Peter Jackson along as a producer, this is the adapatation of a Belgian comic book series that very few people in America were familiar with, let alone fond enough of the material to want to see it brought onto the big screen. The story centers around a young journalist named Tintin, who along with his dog Snowy, frequently finds himself caught up in the middle of mystery and adventure. In this case, it revolves around the mystery of a ship named the Unicorn. I'd explain the plot further, but there's really not much more to say. The mystery isn't particularly engaging and the treasure they ultimately find is rather underwhelming. Perhaps, American audiences have been jaded by films like National Treasure and The DaVinci Code where part of the fun is the end game of finally locating something rare and special. That is sorely missing from this tale. Instead, Spielberg pads the thin story with endless action scenes that just wear the audience out. Yes, everything looks amazing in those scenes, but we're given no reason to care what's going on in them. Part of that problem lies in the fact that technology still has not advanced enough to make these stop motion human characters realistic enough. Their eyes are expressionless and each characters' face looks so rubbery that you would think they were all wearing a Mission: Impossible mask hiding their true identity. Many were surprised when this failed to get an Oscar nomination for best animated film, but in this case I belive the Academy got it right. For all the technical achievements that this film has, the human touch is nonexistant here. Tintin may continue to delight audiences overseas, but I have no interest in seeing another adventure from this young investigator. Rating: ** 1/2

Game of throw up

Now this is a movie I would wait in line to see at midnight.

The Hungover Games from Ashley Hinshaw

RBR: The Rum Diary

You would think that adapting gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's novel about an American journalist on a bender in Puerto Rico would make for a wild, thrilling film, but you would be wrong. This film, starring Johnny Depp as protagonist Paul Kemp aimlessly moves from one adventure to the next with no sense of direction or purpose. Along the way, we meet several unique characters including Kemp's editor (Richard Jenkins in a bad wig), a paranoid writer (Giovanni Ribisi), a slimy entrepreneur (the oily Aaron Eckhart) and his attractive girlfriend (Amber Heard). Kemp is down in Puerto Rico because that's the only place that will hire him to write. Of course, he still doesn't do much writing while down there as he's too busy boozing it up and causing trouble. I kept watching waiting for to understand the point of all this, but it never came. I was left feeling as if I inherited the hangover his character should have been suffering from. I understand Depp's affinity for Hunter S. Thompson (he played him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), but even he couldn't make this material worthwhile. I'm not sure who the audience for this film is, and its box office numbers were indicative of that. Just like alcohol, the cast and story of this film may initially make it appealing to you, but if you actually go about consuming it, you'll regret it in the morning. Rating: **

I'm on cloud 9

I picked up Mario Party 9 last weekend and wanted to share some quick thoughts about it. This latest installment features some big changes to the gameplay, some of which work, some of which don't. Here are the big changes:

-Players move around the board together in a vehicle. Each person takes a turn as 'Captain' of the car. The captain rolls the dice and can make other game-altering decisions like choosing which path to take or which minigame to play. - For each game board, there are two 'bosses' that the players must defeat. When battling bosses, you work collaboratively and individually as players receive stars based on their individual efforts. - There are no coins anymore. You just collect mini-stars throughout the game and whoever has the most mini-stars at the end is the winner. This means that there are no more shops to buy items at, which I always felt was a huge waste of time. - This version still is NOT online capable, which blows. However, they have developed the game so that you can choose to only play with human players, if you want. In other words, if you and two other friends are playing, you don't have to have a fourth character controlled by the computer, it can be just a three-man battle.

For the most part, I like the changes that this new version offers. Like the show Survivor it's important to introduce these new twists with each iteration so that it provides an even playing field each time so that the same people don't always win. In this version, I like that there's more strategy involved, however the minigames this time around seem to be more luck-based than skilled based, so that may be a turnoff to some. The graphics are infinitely better in this version than in 8, which was made into a Wii game at the last minute after it was originally made for the GameCube.

While this one certainly could have done a lot more, there has been enough of a break in the series to make this still feel fresh and fun. Given that hardly any new titles have come out for the Wii recently, this is likely the best choice out there for you to pick up. Go out and buy a copy, call over some friends (perhaps purchase a few beverages to up the stakes) and have another good time with Mario and co.

RBR: Young Adult

With Juno writer Diablo Cody became the lastest 'it' writer in Hollywood. But after Jennifer's Body flopped, Cody came back down to Earth. Now in her latest collaboration with director Jason Reitman, Cody has proven that she still has the ability to tell an effective story. This one focuses on an entitled, delusional young adult novelist named Mavis (Theron) who comes back to her small Minnesota hometown in an attempt to win back her high school boyfriend. Both the audience and the periphery charcters in the film cringe as we watch her foolishly try to woo her ex who is now married with a kid and shows no desire in infidelity. One of those sideline characters is Matt (played by Patton Oswalt), a former classmate of hers that she never gave the time of day to back when they were in high school. He becomes a partner-in-crime/confidant to her and gives a very good performance in doing so. There are moments in this film that I found riveting, especially in Theron's depiction of her character. However, I feel the film sags a bit in the middle as it becomes unclear where any of this is going or why she's still bothering to cling to this past life. We do get some clarity in the final act - a revelation comes out that is meant to be a surprise but is odd in its placement. It didn't seem realistic that this bit about Mavis' past would not have been mentioned by anybody in the film prior to that point. With that said, I'm glad it was included because it explains a lot about why Mavis behaves throughout the whole film and makes us empathize with her if not like her a bit more because of it. This is a good film, but probably a notch below Reitman's other efforts. Still if you enjoy the people involved with this film or are looking for a quiet drama to offset the noisy action films you typically watch, this one is worth a rental. Rating: *** 1/2

In cyberspace, no one can hear you scream

Every time I see or read something new about Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi film, Prometheus I get increasingly excited for it to come out. Case in point, the latest trailer for the film which hit the web yesterday. Check it out for yourself...

RBR: Hugo

Throughout this most recent movie awards season, I struggled to muster up the same excitement I typically have during that time of the year. On paper, this year's crop of award winners just did not appeal to me in the same way that most years' critical darlings do. Hugo, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a perfect example of that. This is the story of an orphaned boy living in a Paris train station in 1930. Before his father passed away, Hugo had been working with him on rebuilding a automaton. Now alone, he's made it his quest to put it back together and unlock its secrets. Along the way he befriends a young girl (Chloe Grace Moritz) and a toy shop owner (Ben Kingsley), who may have some connections to the boy's project. Some of the mystery behind this robot had been spoiled for me, so I ended up not being as invested as I may have been in seeing Hugo get the answers. Without spoiling too much, there is a connection between this robot and early filmmaking. In one of the few really great sequences in the film, we see a montage of how early films were made. In this sequence, you really gain a sense of the creativity and inventiveness those men had to be able to put together their films. While many films today seemed to be made so effortlessly thanks to computers and visual effects, those men used their intuitiveness to convey what they wanted to on the screen. Scorcese remains one of the few guys who still can accomplish that and his direction here proves that. I just wish the story itself had been more engaging. As technically sound as this movie is, I just don't see many people falling in love with it in the same way they have done with other classic children/family films. Ultimately, this movie didn't do enough to make me love it, but it certainly reaffirmed why I love movies in general. Rating: *** 1/2

Lucky deleted scenes

RBR: Jack & Jill

I have often found myself to be an Adam Sandler apologist when it comes to his films. While many of these get lambasted by critics for being crass, stupid, or just poorly made, I will still watch them and find some value in them. I certainly don't feel he makes masterpieces, but I can usually rely on them for providing me with a few solid laughs. But I found while watching his latest film, Jack and Jill that there are limits to the degree I will go to defend the "Sand-man". I watched this film in horror wondering how anyone could have thought this film was good and/or funny. Simply put, putting Adam Sandler in drag to play his twin sister was a bad idea no matter how you look at it. The character is loud, obnoxious, and fails to yield any sympathy no matter how much the film tries to portray her as a victim. Perhaps even more baffling than the idea that it would be funny to have Sandler play a woman is how this film managed to get a great actor like Al Pacino to not only be in the film, but to play a version of himself who is drawn to Jill because she reminds him of his New York roots. The rest of the cast (including Katie Holmes as Sandler's wife) is an underdeveloped group of characters merely there to stand on the side as observers and tell us how wacky and funny Jack and Jill are. They're not convincing and neither is the film. I simply couldn't wait for this one to be over. If I had to point out one positive aspect of the film, its that I was impressed with how seemless the scenes are involving two version of Sandler in the same shot. Often when TV shows or movies try to have scenes involving one actor play two roles, it comes off phony or cheesy looking, but the scenes in this film really made it look like there were two different people in the same shot. Still, this is no reason to give this movie a watch. A strong recommendation to avoid this one. Rating: *

Another Lego-around

Quick story...with the Wii hardly producing new titles these days in preparation for launching Wii U sometime later this year, I decided to purchase the Lego Batman game for Wii to help give me my video game fix. I bought cheap and was pleased with the purchase. While it doesn't provide the same challenges as most video games aimed at adults do, it has provided some solid entertainment for me. I'm nearly finished with the game now and lo and behold I come across news of a sequel to the game set to be released soon. If you've enjoyed these games, you can check out what's in store for this new installment below:

RBR: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

Despite now seeing all three films in the Harold & Kumar franchise, I can't say that I've been the biggest fan of this series. The first one I found to be a novelty that had its moments of fun absurdity, but the second one I found to be a narrative mess that severly lacked in strong jokes. So it was with some trepidation that I watched this third entry that opted to not only tackle the holiday movie genre but also try to capitalize on the 3D craze sweeping films these days. While it may seem like a complete mismash of tone, these guys somehow make it work and create an enjoyable, albeit extremely raunchy, film. One of the themes the film attempts to establish in between gross-out gags is the difficult decision of making that transition from immature man-child into a full grown adult. While this is far from an original concept, it's perfectly suited for this duo as each is a portrayal of both sides of the argument. Harold (John Cho) shows us the successful but lacking in fun adult while Kal Penn's Kumar is the encapsulation of the irresponsible, yet always good time that the man-child represents. This time around their adventures revolve around trying to replace Harold's Christmas tree that accidentally gets burnt. As is always the case with these films, the jokes can be hit or miss. The ones that work are genuinely funny. I liked the addition of Thomas Lennon (Reno 911) as Harold's new straight-laced friend. He's always good for a few laughs. But as always, the film kicks things up a notch with the appearance of Neil Patrick Harris, aka NPH. The short time that he's on the screen is the best portion of the film and his presence creates a liveliness that the film needed. His interpretation of playing 'himself' is of course, legen...wait for it...dary. If you haven't seen it yet (and you're not someone who is easily offended) check this out during the holidays next year. Or if you're weird and like holiday movies all year round, then go ahead and give this a rental now. You'll be in store for 'high times' indeed. Rating: ****

Time stands still

From comingsoon.net:

In some unfortunate news for 24 fans, Deadline is reporting that the big-screen version of the real time television series won't be moving forward this year as originally planned.

Word of a 24 film began last year when star Kiefer Sutherland confirmed plans to bring Agent Jack Bauer back for a feature.

Recently, there was even news of a proposed start date in late April or early May. Plans now put the project on indefinite hold with shooting scheduled for 2013 at the earliest.

Written by Mark Bomback and Billy Ray, the 24 film is allegedly planned to continue directly from the series' finale, jumping forward in time by about six months. Like the show, the film will be set over a 24 hour period but (of course) will not actually play out in real time.

RBR: Dream House

This is another example of talented actors somehow getting bamboozled into staring in terrible, cheesy thrillers. Daniel Craig should know better after the disasterous The Invasion, but I guess he got desperate when Bond went on hiatus. And I also doubt that he regrets this film too much since he got married to his costar (Rachel Weisz) after working with her on the film. If you had seen the trailers for this film about a family man who comes to realize he's just moved his family into a new house where a family was previously murdered, then you may have thought that the film's twist was revealed. In the preview, it appears as if Craig's character was responsible for the murders and has since psychologically blocked the incident from his mind. On the plus side, there's more to the story than what the trailers reveal. On the negative side, the twists that do follow in the film are increasingly stupid and cause the film to crash and burn. Very little makes sense here and the actors aren't even given enough to try and salvage this thing. Both Weisz and Naomi Watts, playing a neighbor with some insight on what actually happened, are not given enough development. Instead, we get scene after scene of misdirection until the underwhelming truth gets revealed. The actors here deserve better. But the only way we can prevent them from making these duds if we avoid seeing them. This is certainly one you can avoid. Rating: * 1/2

School's back in session

After a bit of a hiatus, Community finally returns this Thursday for the rest of its 3rd season. Here's a trailer promoting the return:

RBR: In Time

In Time creates a very unique futuristic environment. In an undeterminate point in the future, the phrase 'time is money' becomes literal. When someone is born, they stop aging when they turn 25. The catch, however, is that you only have one year left to live unless you gain earn more time. Even though minutes have become the currency, class warfare still exists and perhaps is even worse than what we face today. Justin Timberlake, who plays Will Salas, becomes a central figure in the battle of haves and have nots when he is given a 100 years of time from someone who has decided who doesn't want to live anymore. Upon entering into the wealthy part of town, he meets Phillippe Weis, one of the richest men in the world and finds himself at odds with him after pairing up with Weis' rebellious daughter (played by Amanda Seyfried). As much as I liked the film's concept, I found myself constantly asking questions about the rules associated with such a society instead of focusing on the story. Unfortunately, the film opts to hammer home the class warfare metaphor instead of truly exploring this unique world its created. As for Timberlake, he may have a decent acting career, but his effort here suggest he still has a way to go before he can be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. I had high hopes for this film, but it fails to really work for any possible audience. Sci-fi fans will be disappointed that the film doesn't explore its premise enough, yet the film is a bit too complicated for it to be appeciated by a wider audience. There's no need to waste your time or money on this one. Rating: ** 1/2

I see someone seeing dead people

Here's the latest trailer for the stop-motion animated film, ParaNorman set to come out this August.

RBR: The Big Year

If you heard there was a movie coming out about bird watching, you'd probably think "boring". But if I told you that same movie featured Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson, you may begin to change your tune. I know I sure did. Which is why I decided to check out The Big Year It turns out though that even with those three tremendously talented, funny people this movie still turned out to be a bore. I was astounded that a film that featured not only those three stars, but a whole host of other funny people including Kevin Pollack, Rashida Jones, Joel McHale, Jim Parsons, Angelica Huston, Steven Weber, Dianne Wiest, Rosamund Pike, Brian Dennehy, Anthony Anderson, and John Cleese failed to yield even a chuckle out of me. The movie plays the subject matter straight and practically holds the 'sport' in reverence. I've got no problem with that in theory, but if that's the plan, there's no sense in having this cast do that kind of movie. As we watch the three leads cavort around the U.S. in an attempt to spot as many bird species as possible, we're suppose to see them make personal growth. Personally, I did not find any of their story arcs all that compelling and I felt using the birdwatching as some sort of metaphor for what they were going through at home to be strained. However, since the film feels so compelled to use it as an analogy for the characters' troubles, let me also use it to sum up my feelings for this dull movie - watching The Big Year is like spending all day looking in the sky for a rare falcon and all you ever spot is pigeons. Rating: ** 1/2

Campaign Shake-Up deleted scenes

Time to get Flyered up

Since we've finally moved into the month of March, now is as good of a time as any to start talking some college hoops, specifically my UD Flyers. This year it seems UD stands for ups and downs. For every great win that Dayton has had, they've matched it with an equally confounding loss. As a result, the team finds itself firmly on that tenuous bubble waiting to see whether or not they'll get an invitation to the big dance. They did not do themselves any favors earlier this week losing by 11 at Richmond. However, they recovered nicely by soundly beating George Washington today by 16 (a game I was proudly in attendance for). Now that the regular season has finished, the Flyers will have to use the A-10 tournament to help improve their resume in preparation for the NCAA tournament. We've been seeded 6th and will face George Washington again this Tuesday. Given our performance against them today, I would hope that should be an easy win for the Flyers. If we advance, we would play Xavier in the next round. The Muskateers are not as strong this year as they've been in the past, but when it comes to playing your blood rival, records mean nothing. Beating them would certainly increase our chances of going to the big dance as it would not only give us another win, but also prevent Xavier, another bubble team, from going any further. It's going to be a big week for the Flyer Nation and I hope our fans, as always, soundly support this team along the way. I know I will. We are..UD!

A thing to Marvel

I'm in nerd-vana over here checking out this latest trailer for The Avengers. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, do so now below.

RBR: What's Your Number

I really like Anna Faris and think she's talented, which makes it so frustrating to see her get attached to one crummy movie after the next. If only she could have a Bridesmaides-esque in which she could truly shine. What's Your Number is yet another familiar rom-com that makes the viewers go through one emotional hoop after another until it finally reaches its obvious conclusion. This time is centers around Ally, (Faris) who puts way too much stock in a magazine article which makes the claim that women who sleep with more than 20 men never find one to marry. Nearing the number herself, Ally begins revisiting past lovers in hopes of finding her perfect match. Credit the casting department for bringing on some funny guys like Joel McHale, Andy Samberg, and Thomas Lennon as some of her beaus, but their comedic talents are wasted here. Oddly enough, a lot of their best scenes were seen in the advertising for the film, yet not included in the film itself. Helping her in her quest is her lothario neighbor Colin (Chris Evans). Evans offers zero on-screen charisma despite the fact that the film attempts to present him as the perfect guy for her. The film offers a few chuckles but is largely a disappointment given the number of funny people here in this movie. Let's just hope for Anna Faris' sake that it will take less than 20 terrible films before she finds the one that will make her a star. Rating: **

Watchmen

Neighborhood Watch once again pairs up Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. Here's the teaser trailer for their new comedy, which also stars Jonah Hill, set to come out this summer.

Back surgery for Sizemore

From SI.com:

Grady Sizemore will start the season in a familiar spot - on the disabled list.

The oft-injured Cleveland Indians outfielder is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks with a back injury, the latest medical setback for a three-time All-Star who once appeared to have a sensational career ahead of him.

The team said Sizemore underwent a "minimally invasive" lower back procedure Thursday in Miami. He required a micro discectomy that was performed by Dr. Barth Green of the University of Miami School of Medicine.

"Grady's obviously frustrated," general manager Chris Antonetti said in comments posted on MLB.com. "He wants more than anything to be out on the field contributing and helping the team win. This is a setback in his timetable for doing that, but I think he understands that, if he sees this process through and doesn't have setbacks along the way, he can still contribute for the majority of the season."

Sizemore, who re-signed with the Indians in the offseason, will return to spring training in Arizona "in the coming days" to further his rehabilitation, the club said.

"It will be an extensive rehab process," Antonetti said. "But we still are hopeful we will get him back for the bulk of the season."

Sizemore was limited to 71 games last year, hitting .224 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and 34 runs scored. Hoping to bounce back with a healthy season, he was injured while fielding ground balls early in spring training.

Before that, Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff said Sizemore had been doing well in his rehab from knee surgery and appeared on track to possibly begin the season on time.

"I feel bad for him," manager Manny Acta said. "Obviously, it seems like he can't catch a break over the last couple of years."

Cleveland re-signed Sizemore as a free agent in November after choosing not to exercise a $9 million option on him. But the Indians, perhaps out of some loyalty to Sizemore, decided to bring him back with a one-year, $5 million contract loaded with incentives that could have earned him an additional $4 million.

Sizemore has undergone five operations the past two years and played in only 210 games the last three seasons because of injuries. His full-speed-ahead style may have caught up with the 29-year-old, who once played in 382 consecutive games and endeared himself to Cleveland fans with hustle that could turn a double into a triple or save an extra-base hit with a crash into the outfield wall to make a catch.

Sizemore also started 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 without a stolen base for the first time in his career.

With Sizemore sidelined, the Indians will likely move Michael Brantley from left field to center. Shelley Duncan, Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Spilborghs and Felix Pie are among the team's options in left.

"There's going to be plenty of at-bats to have out there," Acta said. "You might not have seen it as a big deal during the offseason, but now it looks pretty big when you have a full bag of guys like that who have been in the big leagues the last few years and have experience."

The Indians, ravaged by injuries last season, have 12 other outfielders in camp. Cleveland opened last season 30-15 and played well in long stretches without Sizemore so there's reason to believe it can compete again.

"Our scouts will continue to be out there evaluating other camps," Antonetti said. "We're always looking for ways to improve the roster, but we feel good about some of the guys that we already have in camp, and we're looking forward to seeing some of them compete.

"But, part of our responsibility is to make sure we understand who the alternatives are and if we have an opportunity to acquire them, and improve our roster, we'll certainly look to do that."

Bernie made off

Director Richard Linklater (School of Rock, Dazed and Confused) teams up once again with Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey in Bernie, a dark comedy that's actually based on a true story. Here's your first look at the trailer.

RBR: Killer Elite

Early on this movie feels like every other action film out there as we meet Danny (Jason Statham), a special ops agent who's decided that he's had enough of that life and calls it quits, only to be brought back for...everyone say it with me...one last mission. He's tasked with killing three assassins in a revenge plot. The lack of originality can be somewhat forgiven due to this being based on a true story. The scenes involving Danny's efforts to take down these killers are the best and allow this film to be watchable. This is not just pure brutality; there is some creativity to the way that he not only has to eliminate these guys but also get a taped confession of their crimes as well. Clive Owen shows up midway through as a roadblock to Danny's mission. This is a true battle of tough guys, although Owen's cheesy mustache weakens his machismo to a degree. Robert DeNiro also has a supporting role in here as Danny's partner. Even in a small role, DeNiro gives a strong performance and really elevates the film. Ultimately, I felt the film's ending was a big too drawn out with one too many finishes. For action fans, this is not the flashiest film, but should certainly provide enough bang for your buck to make it worth a rental. Rating: ***