Steel-ing a look

Here are the two version of the trailer for the new Superman film, Man of Steel that were released last week.

RBR: Project X

Like Chronicle this comes from the growing 'found footage' genre. While this film, about a trio of high school boys who throw a party that grows out of control, doesn't use as many cheats in order to have the narrative device work it still doesn't use it in a way to convince me it was the best approach to tell this story. Said story is pretty straightforward and familiar, but I do appreciate the amped up level of chaos that develops as result of this birthday celebration that was initially meant for a 'small group of people'. I did find though that there was far too many montages of kids partying to the latest radio hits for my liking. I can't complain about it too much though since you should expect style to win out over substance in a film like this. Ultimately I would have dismissed this as harmless entertainment were it not for one character. The best friend of the party host is so vile, unappealing, and lacking any redeeming characteristics that it became cringeworthy whenever he appeared on screen. It's as if he took all of the worst characteristics of Jonah Hill's character from Superbad and amped them up to the max. I wished for sufficient comeuppance for his character and it never suitably comes which was wholly disappointing. Young viewers will no doubt have a good time with this fantasy bash, but older viewers will likely struggle to find anything worthwhile here. Rating: ** 1/2

Deja view

Feel like every movie you see is exactly the same, well here's your proof...

Every 3D Movie is the Same - watch more funny videos

RBR: Wanderlust

The thought of a gang of old, out of shape nudists running is not going to appeal to a lot of people, which is probably why more people didn't see Wanderlust when it came out this past winter. That's a shame because amid the skin and flab lies a pretty funny movie. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play George and Linda, a Manhattan couple who flee the city after hitting financial hard times. They end up (after a disasterous visit with George's brother, played hilariously by Ken Marino) staying at a hippie commune called Elysium. There they encounter several odd characters who enjoy life without a care in the world. The cast includes a whole host of funny people including Alan Alda, Justin Theroux, Malin Ackerman, Kathryn Hahn, Joe Lo Truglio, and bunch of others who typically show up in director David Wain's films (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models). Virtually everyone in the cast produces at least one laugh out loud line and most usually have many. Where the film suffers a bit is in its story. There's very little resemebling a plot here. Marital strife and land deals are sorta addressed, but really that all takes a backseat and this is meant to be a showcase for these talented actors to let their freak flag fly and find the humor in it. Not all of the jokes work here, but the ones that did made me laugh very hard. If you appreciate the type of humor that Wain offers, you'll really enjoy this movie. Rating: ****

Bond countdown: You Only Live Twice (1967)

RBR: Jeff Who Lives at Home

In the opening moments of the film, Jeff (Jason Segal) tells the audience how much he loves the movie Signs and how amazing it is that it's filled with these seemingly random events that all come together with a purpose in the end. This is one of those 'sledgehammer of plot' moves that I can't stand. With such a scene, I now know I'll be sitting for the next hour and a half watching these characters do random things only for all of them to add up to something in the film's climax. And yet, I still couldn't help but enjoy this movie for the most part, primarily because of the winning performances by the film's leads. Jeff is a 30-something guy who still lives in his mom's basement and has no real goals or ambitions. Segal isn't really breaking new ground with this character, but he knows exactly how to play it to make us still like him. Ed Helms plays Jeff's brother and he's married Judy Greer. Their relationship problems drive the film's story and again their talents get you invested in how things will play out for them. Jeff's mom is played by Susan Sarandon. She has an odd subplot involving a secret admirer. Frankly if it had been anyone other than Sarandon in the role, I probably would have suggested that they eliminate that part of the film entirely, but it was nice to see her in a film like this. There's nothing new or fresh offered here, but because of the talents of these great actors, I found myself wanting to hang out with them and see what they were going to do next. I also was moved by the way they had everything come together in the end even if I hated the fact that they told me it would happen in the beginning. If you're looking for a smaller film and you like these actors, there are a lot worse films you could choose to watch instead. Rating: *** 1/2

Jack and thrill

Jack Reacher is a popular character in a series of books by author Lee Child. Upon hearing that the series was receiving a film adaptation, I decided to start reading the books. I've finished the first two and while I can't say it's my favorite series of books, they are good reads, particularly for the summertime. Reacher is a former military policeman who now just travels around the country and always seems to find himself in the thick of someone else's problems. The character has a lot in common with 24's Jack Bauer with his sense of patriotism and violent tendencies. For the film adaptation, Tom Cruise has actually been cast as Jack Reacher. This has angered a lot of fans of the franchise as they feel Cruise does not resemble Reacher in any way. While I would agree with their assessment, I won't care too much so long as the film is good. We'll have to wait until December though to make that determination. In the meantime, you can get your first glimpse as to what we can expect with the recently released trailer, which I'll post below.

RBR: Safe House

Familiarity breeds contempt as the old saying goes. In Safe House, there's a lot of familiarity to the story. While I would not go as far as saying that I have contempt for the film, I am disappointed, they couldn't do more here or at least create a more intelligent script. The story centers around Tobin Frost (played by Denzel Washington), a former CIA agent who is now believed to be a traitor to the United States. After remaining off the grid for nearly a decade, he shows up at a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa where a wet behind the ears agent (Ryan Reynolds) is tasked with keeping him alive while everyone else seems to want him dead. Once again, I fail to see the appeal of Reynolds as an actor. Though this is far from his worst performance, he still comes off as unconvincing in this role as a novice agent. On the other hand, Washington manages to rise above the mediocre material and deliver antoher compelling performance. I would have liked for there to have been more engaging dialogue between Washington and Reynolds' characters, but the film opts to pad its run time with several chase sequences and gun fights instead. I also felt that there was information pertaining to several characters' motivations that should have been revealed sooner. I get trying to build some suspense, but in this case it prevented me from becoming more interested in the outcome of the people in the film. Safe House is a perfectly serviceable action thriller, but it had the potential to be so much more. Washington is the only real stand out here, so if you're a fan of his, I'd definitely recommend you check it out. Rating: *** 1/2

Bond countdown: Thunderball (1965)

I'm hoping these will begin getting posted with more regularity again. Here's my take on Thunderball from 1965.

Tribe Watch (All Star Break)

Record: 44-41

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (3 games back)

The Indians appeared to be finishing up the first half of the season strong only for things to go awry on the last day. First the good news...the Indians managed to take two out of three from the Angels and then were poised to win the series against Tampa Bay until they coughed up a big lead on Sunday and ended up having to settle for a split. Still, the last three series of this first half featured the Indians playing some of their best baseball. We'll need to continue playing like that if we want to remain in the race for the AL Central title. Speaking of which, despite our improved effort we were unable to make up any ground in the standings as those damn White Sox had been nearly unbeatable for the past couple of weeks. Let's hope to God that they suffer a setback in the second half of the season. But they certainly won't be our only concern because don't look now, but the Tigers are only a half game behind us and 3.5 games back of first place. At this point, it definitely looks like a three team race, but who will take it is anybody's guess.

Looking ahead, there will certainly be some interesting storylines that will play out. One will be what, if any moves, will this team make before the trade deadline. Given our standing, we are certainly in a place to be buyers, but will our cheap owner actually cough up any money to get someone that can significantly help this team down the stretch. Another question is what we can expect from two wild cards who are currently missing in action - Grady Sizermore and the man formerly known as Fausto Carmona. Both could return this season but it remains unclear how much they can really help us if they do return. Lastly, will be if we can get consistent play from our current players. We've seen everyone on this team produce, but so far it's been spotty. We need to find a way to have everyone clicking at the same time and if we do, I like our chances. It should definitely be a fun second half and I'm excited to see it play out. Things get underway this Friday when the Indians head out onto the road and play a weekend series in Toronto. Enjoy the All Star break and Go Tribe!

Wham, bam, thank you ma'am

Apparently at the big fireworks show in San Diego, they shot their entire wad prematurely. Check it out below:

Trouble bruin

Seth McFarland is nothing if not a multitasker. Most know him for being the creative force behind three of FOX's wildly popular Sunday animated shows (Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show). He's also been known to dabble in music, releasing an album recently of him crooning like Sinatra. In his latest effort, Ted, he's the writer and director, as well as provides the voice of the titular talking teddy bear. With his first foray into film, McFarland proves he's can successfully bring his brand of comedy to the big screen.

The film is about a boy named John Bennett, who after struggling to make real friends, wishes that his stuffed teddy bear could come to life. Lo and behold, his wish comes true and the two become best friends all the way into adulthood (Mark Wahlberg plays the adult John). The pair become quite the duo of raunch and debauchery as they drink, smoke weed, and curse up a storm (and curse at a storm even, given their fear of thunder). All of this comes at the dismay of John's longtime girlfriend (played by Mila Kunis), who would like to see him settle into adulthood.

With a film like this, you come for the premise and stay for the jokes. In the case of this film, the humor is a mixed bag. What was remarkable though was that as I sat in a crowded theater, there were really no jokes that fall flat. McFarland's humor is a scattershot attack on everything, which resulted in every joke earning laughs, but not from everyone in the crowd. I for one really enjoyed a running gag about Tom Skeritt, that few other people seemed to appreciate, yet there were other jokes that earned big laughs from other viewers while I saw the punchline coming a mile away. I can't guarantee you'll laugh at everything here, but you're bound to find at least a few jokes that tickle your funny bone.

Of course this wouldn't be a Seth McFarland production if he didn't bring along a number of the people who have worked with him on his tv shows. Alex Borstein, Patrick Warburton, Patrick Stewart, and a whole host of others (plus Kunis) all contribute to the hilarity in some form or another. In addition, there are several other familiar faces new to the McFarland universe including Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi, plus some other surprise cameos that I won't spoil here.

But for as much as I laughed, there are still some weaknesses. For one, as much as I like Wahlberg and Kunis individually I didn't find them to have particularly strong chemistry and they just didn't have an overall good fit. More importantly, the film struggles from a narrative perspective. The central theme of growing up and choosing love over friendship doesn't feel particularly fresh and has been done better by other films. You also have the ADD nature to McFarland's storytelling that is problematic in his TV shows as well. Thrown into this film are subplots involving Kunis' lecherous boss (McHale) and a stranger (Ribisi) obsessed with having Ted be a toy for his son. Each of these serve as a distraction rather than an enhancement for the central plot. Lastly, while I respect McFarland for wanting to have this truly be his film, I did not think much of his work as a director. The film has somewhat of a cheap look to it and it could have come off so much better in more capable hands.

In the end though, most people are not coming for cinematography and in-depth plot development, so the film's weakness are not likely to keep people away from seeing this film. What you get here is basically an extra long episode of Family Guy with no restraints as to what can be said or shown. For most, and that includes myself, that's certainly enough. If the previews don't make it clear enough, this film definitely earns all of its R-rated, so leave your morals at the door when you watch this movie. McFarland lets the fur fly here and the result is a bear-y funny movie. Grade: B

Tribe Watch (Week 12)

Record: 40-38

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (1.5 games back)

I was almost ready to write this team off for this season after they got swept by the Yankees earlier this week. All facets of our game looked bad, but in particular the offense was non-existent. However, as if often the case in baseball, things turn quickly. The Indians managed to recover by taking 3 out of 4 against the Orioles and had solid hitting in each of the four games. On the roster front, it was another good news/bad news situation. On the positive side, it appears Travis Hafner will rejoin the team on Monday, which could provide a boost to the offense. However, during the Baltimore series young third baseman, Lonnie Chisenhall was hit by a pitch that broke a bone in his arm. After having surgery the report is that he'll be out 10-12 weeks, which pretty much means he won't return this season. Though the Indians are still in second place, they could put themselves in a good position heading into the All Star Break if they manage to play well this week. They return home to play a couple of tough opponents. First up will be the Anaheim Angels. We were fortunate enough to play well against them earlier this season when they were struggling. It'll be interesting to see how we fare against them now that they have had a resurgence. We'll then finish off the first half of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. They have been bitten by the injury bug all season long, yet have still managed to play well so we can't let our guard down against them. And of course, the trade deadline is still looming, so it should be interesting to see what, if any, changes are made to the roster in the coming days. All of it makes for some exciting baseball that should be fun to watch. Go Tribe!