I'm sure you've been keeping up with the return status of our beloved TV shows via the list on my blog here, but I wanted to give a little bit more info here on a couple of my favorite shows:
Lost:
Beyond the eight pre-strike episodes that they had completed, the producers plan to make 5 more episodes this season for a total of 13. Had the strike not occurred, we were supposed to have 16 episodes this season. But good news, we are not permanently losing three episodes. The producers will tack on three more episodes to a future season before the show ends. With the five additional episodes that they'll be doing for this season, the producers said that they plan on condensing the storylines that they had planned for their original 16 episode season. This means that the season should end with a proper cliffhanger and not just some random episode. Finally, the producers said that there probably will be a gap between the end of the 8 pre-strike episodes and the beginning of these additional five. These additional episodes will begin airing sometime in April and when that happens, Lost will be moving to 10pm on Thursday to make room for Grey's Anatomy. Normally, I'd groan over that news, but there's going to be other stuff airing at Thursdays at 9, so moving Lost out of that timeslot is fine by me.
The Office:
Speaking of shows airing on Thursdays at 9, The Office will be back with 6 more episodes this season. The first one will be titled "Dinner Party" and involves Michael and Jan inviting some of the other Dunder-Mifflin workers over for a dinner party. This episode was basically written before the strike, but since Steve Carell and some of the other actors refused to film their scenes while the strike was going on, it never got made. Sadly, a Christmas episode was also written before the strike, but the producers have said that they will not make this one as part of Season 4. That's such a shame since their Christmas episodes are always so good. As of right now, The Office is scheduled to return on April 10th. Let the anticipation commence!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
NMR: Rescue Dawn
Given how impressed I've been with everything I've seen with Christian Bale in it lately, it was a no-brainer that I would eventually get around to seeing this one. Released on only a small number of screens this past summer, Rescue Dawn tells the story of Dieter Dangler (Bale), a German-American fighter pilot who was shot down and imprisoned in Laos in 1966.
Aside from being a remarkable story, what made this film so impressive is that it plays more like an autobiography more than a film. What I mean by that is that doesn't try to add a bunch of symbolism or meaning behind any of the action. It just provides numerous glimpses into Dangler's attempts to survive and escape. For instance, at one point Dangler starts hallucinating and sees one of his fellow prisoners, who is dead. Instead of making a big deal about it, it's just briefly touched upon to give you a sense of Dangler's mental state at that point.
Of course, Bale gives a stellar performance, but credit also needs to be given to Steve Zahn who is also very good as another one of the prisoners. The film also has a couple of Lost connections as Dr. Marvin Candle has a brief appearance and newcomer Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) has a larger role as yet another prisoner. Aside from the acting, I should also mention that this film is gorgeous and probably would look especially good in HD.
In short, this was just an excellent film and you should note it made it on my top 10 for 2007. It's a shame this too got overlooked this awards season, but as Little Miss Sunshine proved, what I think of films doesn't always jive with what the Academy thinks. Netflix rating: *****
Aside from being a remarkable story, what made this film so impressive is that it plays more like an autobiography more than a film. What I mean by that is that doesn't try to add a bunch of symbolism or meaning behind any of the action. It just provides numerous glimpses into Dangler's attempts to survive and escape. For instance, at one point Dangler starts hallucinating and sees one of his fellow prisoners, who is dead. Instead of making a big deal about it, it's just briefly touched upon to give you a sense of Dangler's mental state at that point.
Of course, Bale gives a stellar performance, but credit also needs to be given to Steve Zahn who is also very good as another one of the prisoners. The film also has a couple of Lost connections as Dr. Marvin Candle has a brief appearance and newcomer Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) has a larger role as yet another prisoner. Aside from the acting, I should also mention that this film is gorgeous and probably would look especially good in HD.
In short, this was just an excellent film and you should note it made it on my top 10 for 2007. It's a shame this too got overlooked this awards season, but as Little Miss Sunshine proved, what I think of films doesn't always jive with what the Academy thinks. Netflix rating: *****
Strike OUT (of here)!!!
From TVGuide.com:
With this good news, I've changed the info on my favorite TV shows' list to show how many episodes we can expect to see from those shows still this season (i.e. before the end of May). In some cases, despite this strike ending, some shows will sadly not be returning until next Fall. Regardless of when they return, I think we can all agree that this announcement is very good news.
The boards for both branches of the Writers Guild of America on Sunday unanimously approved the tentative deal reached on a new contract. The boards are also taking the final decision on liftng the strike to membership in a vote on Tuesday.
In the meantime, showrunners will get going even sooner, heading back to work Monday to get crews set up and production facilities going again, as will writers who have producing duties on their shows. Ballots to ratify the three-year deal are also going out to members, and will be returned within a 10-12 day period.
Patric Verrone commented on the deal agreement, saying, "This is the best deal this guild has bargained for in 30 years."
Verrone also went on to praise the work of the three CEOs who stepped up in the decisive moments of negotiations, including News Corp. chief Peter Chernin, Disney head Robert Iger and CBS' top dog, Leslie Moonves. Until the business chiefs sat down at the bargaining table, Verrone said, "We spent about three months getting nowhere."
In light of the huge support among writers for the deals in members' meetings on both coasts Saturday, it's expected that they'll be in favor to end the strike in Tuesday's vote, and be able to return to work as early as Wednesday. For writers pushed out of contracts in force majeure situations, many will be hired back, but in a case-by-case scenario, in which the status of each show will affect the deals.
As the final logistical steps are taking place, as least most of Hollywood will start getting back into motion. — Anna Dimond
With this good news, I've changed the info on my favorite TV shows' list to show how many episodes we can expect to see from those shows still this season (i.e. before the end of May). In some cases, despite this strike ending, some shows will sadly not be returning until next Fall. Regardless of when they return, I think we can all agree that this announcement is very good news.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
NMR: Little Miss Sunshine
Despite the presence of Steve Carell here, I had some reservations about watching this film. But now with Netflix, I decided to give it a look and sadly my concerns were accurrate. The film is not without its moments. Carell and Alan Arkin both turn in solid performances (I would completely support Arkin's win for Best Supporting Actor if it were not for the fact that his role is so small in the film). There were also a couple of moments that produced laughs; although probably not as many as they were striving for.
The primary problem with the film is that it forces you to watch this dysfunctional family interact in very uncomfortable situations without seeing any significant growth in the characters. I don't buy the bonding that occurs in the film's final scenes. Despite that moment of togetherness, I still get the feeling that these individuals will maintain their negative qualities. Even worse is the fact that these characters aren't terribly original or interesting. Everyone seems to be created out of sitcom cliches (the pathetic father! the moody son!)
Finally, I found the pageant scenes to be confusing. On one hand it seemed to mock the whole young girl pageant scene. But then it had Olive (Abigail Breslin) act just as ridiculous as these other girls, yet the film seems to applaud this as if it's radically different than everyone else. Plus, the fact that no one outside of Olive's grandfather had seen her act before the pageant seemed really contrived.
Fitting of the title, there are small moments of sunshine found here, but overall the film was both too depressing and overly ridiculous for me to like it. Seeing it get a Best Picture nominee really makes me wonder how these films are being chose. Netflix rating: **
The primary problem with the film is that it forces you to watch this dysfunctional family interact in very uncomfortable situations without seeing any significant growth in the characters. I don't buy the bonding that occurs in the film's final scenes. Despite that moment of togetherness, I still get the feeling that these individuals will maintain their negative qualities. Even worse is the fact that these characters aren't terribly original or interesting. Everyone seems to be created out of sitcom cliches (the pathetic father! the moody son!)
Finally, I found the pageant scenes to be confusing. On one hand it seemed to mock the whole young girl pageant scene. But then it had Olive (Abigail Breslin) act just as ridiculous as these other girls, yet the film seems to applaud this as if it's radically different than everyone else. Plus, the fact that no one outside of Olive's grandfather had seen her act before the pageant seemed really contrived.
Fitting of the title, there are small moments of sunshine found here, but overall the film was both too depressing and overly ridiculous for me to like it. Seeing it get a Best Picture nominee really makes me wonder how these films are being chose. Netflix rating: **
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
New look
I'm working with blogs for a class project and I decided to give this page a makeover. I get bored easily with seeing the same website over and over again, so I try to freshen things up every now and then.
Just to have this post have some relevance, I'll announce here that I got the 120 stars with Luigi in Super Mario Galaxy. Doing that unlocked one last level for Mario and Luigi to do. Unfortunately, it's very simple level that used pretty much just to end the storyline. About the only difficult thing about it was finding where the level was. So I have now officially completed everything with the game. As sad as I am to not have anything more to do with it, I was also obsessed with finishing it, so I can't really complain. Now I just have to play the waiting game until another decent title comes out for the Wii.
Just to have this post have some relevance, I'll announce here that I got the 120 stars with Luigi in Super Mario Galaxy. Doing that unlocked one last level for Mario and Luigi to do. Unfortunately, it's very simple level that used pretty much just to end the storyline. About the only difficult thing about it was finding where the level was. So I have now officially completed everything with the game. As sad as I am to not have anything more to do with it, I was also obsessed with finishing it, so I can't really complain. Now I just have to play the waiting game until another decent title comes out for the Wii.
Monday, February 4, 2008
NMR: The Constant Gardener
I continue my Netflix "Tour of Africa", with this little known film from 2005. This is a film that got very little mention and probably would never have hit on my radar had Rachel Weisz not won an Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in this. Since I heard it was a political thriller, I decided to check it out and boy am I glad I did. Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle, a member of the British High Commission who is currently working in Africa. Weisz plays his wife, who is mysteriously murdered. The film then follows Quayle's quest to find out who killed his wife.
The movie rises above your typical political thriller through it's superb direction by Fernando Meirelles. He does some very creative work both visually and temporally with the story that make it unique and captivating. Weisz' work was definitely worthy of the award and Fiennes is outstanding as well. Watching the transformation of his character as he goes on this investigation is really something. And unlike Blood Diamond, the film never preaches, yet you are very aware of the plight of these Africans throughout the film. The movie is based on a John Le Carre novel. I've never read anything by him, but from what I understand, transfering his work to film is never easy, so I give the writers credit for making such a compelling film. This is not a film that you shut your brain off for, so if you're up for a thought-provoking, well-made film, I highly recommend this one. Netflix rating: *****
The movie rises above your typical political thriller through it's superb direction by Fernando Meirelles. He does some very creative work both visually and temporally with the story that make it unique and captivating. Weisz' work was definitely worthy of the award and Fiennes is outstanding as well. Watching the transformation of his character as he goes on this investigation is really something. And unlike Blood Diamond, the film never preaches, yet you are very aware of the plight of these Africans throughout the film. The movie is based on a John Le Carre novel. I've never read anything by him, but from what I understand, transfering his work to film is never easy, so I give the writers credit for making such a compelling film. This is not a film that you shut your brain off for, so if you're up for a thought-provoking, well-made film, I highly recommend this one. Netflix rating: *****
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Sting operation
With the weekend upon us, I decided to head over to the budget theater and check out Bee Movie. Aside from the Pixar films, I tend not to check out these animated films, since they're more aimed at kids. However, I have always been a fan of Jerry Seinfeld and his sitcom, so his presence here made things a bit more appealing.
Seinfeld voices Barry B. Benson, a bee who is not content with the drone lifestyle. He'd rather be with the "pollen jocks" (those bees who leave the hive and pollenate the flowers). The film's plot takes hold once Barry ventures out with them and makes the shocking discovery that humans are consuming the honey they work so hard to make. He learns this truth after befriending a woman named Vanessa (voiced by Renee Zellweger). Zellweger, I should add gives a fantastic performance here. Then again, any performance where we don't have to see that old catcher's mitt she calls a face will be considered fantastic by me.
Barry's meeting of Vanessa is where things take a turn for the surreal. It takes Vanessa all of about 30 seconds to get over the idea that a bee can talk and then proceeds to hang out with him as if they are the best of friends. Patrick Warburton voices Vanessa's boyfriend, who is incredulous over the fact that she's befriended a bee. He's portrayed in the film as a raving lunatic, but if you ask me, he comes off as the voice of reason.
If you can look past this bizarre plot development, what you have is a beautiful film that has some very funny moments. At this point, we really shouldn't be surprised by the precision and style that these animated films can display, but I still can't help but be amazed with the detail they can create in these movies. They are able to make vast cityscapes and the tiny hairs on a tennis ball look equally impressive. The animation here truly rivals anything seen in the Pixar films.
I mentioned that the film also has some funny moments, which is obviously should given that it's a cartoon and features Jerry Seinfeld. To me, the best stuff involved their humorous takes on the bee lifestyle. From the Willy Wonka-esque factory where the honey is made to Bee Larry King, they get the most mileage out all bee-related humor. The jokes made at the human's expense are more hit and miss. It's hard to say whether this is because Seinfeld is a little out of touch with humorous observations about humanity or whether I was still trying to wrap my head around this bizarro world where humans normally interact with insects.
There are several celebrity cameos strewn throughout the movie. Some are fun like Ray Liotta who plays himself and is a Paul Newman-like pitchman for a brand of honey. Others, like Matthew Broderick playing Barry's best friend are frustrating as I sat through the whole movie realizing that I recognized the voice but couldn't tell who it was. As fun as these celebrity cameos are, they can also be somewhat annoying. In this film more than any other recent animated film, I thought it was really noticeable that the voice actors had all done their parts seperately. As a result, it was difficult to gain a sense of connection between the characters.
There is a lot to enjoy here, but I have a feeling that there will be aspects that all audiences find annoying. For someone like me, I mentioned having a difficult time grasping with the odd bee-human interactions. I just felt like that needed to be developed more before jumping right in and making it seem normal. I wouldn't be surprised if other adults share this confusion. For kids, there is a lot of adult humor that is likely to fly right over their heads, which is probably why this film didn't have the success that most Pixar films do.
Bee Movie is equal parts bee-dazzling and bee-fuddling (and here I thought I could get through the whole review without any bee puns). In general, there is plenty enough here for an enjoyable film. If you are not resistant to the computer animated genre, you'll likely find the film appealing enough. It may not provide the solid laughs that were found on some of those classic episodes of Seinfeld, but it's an entertaining little diversion nontheless. Grade: B
Seinfeld voices Barry B. Benson, a bee who is not content with the drone lifestyle. He'd rather be with the "pollen jocks" (those bees who leave the hive and pollenate the flowers). The film's plot takes hold once Barry ventures out with them and makes the shocking discovery that humans are consuming the honey they work so hard to make. He learns this truth after befriending a woman named Vanessa (voiced by Renee Zellweger). Zellweger, I should add gives a fantastic performance here. Then again, any performance where we don't have to see that old catcher's mitt she calls a face will be considered fantastic by me.
Barry's meeting of Vanessa is where things take a turn for the surreal. It takes Vanessa all of about 30 seconds to get over the idea that a bee can talk and then proceeds to hang out with him as if they are the best of friends. Patrick Warburton voices Vanessa's boyfriend, who is incredulous over the fact that she's befriended a bee. He's portrayed in the film as a raving lunatic, but if you ask me, he comes off as the voice of reason.
If you can look past this bizarre plot development, what you have is a beautiful film that has some very funny moments. At this point, we really shouldn't be surprised by the precision and style that these animated films can display, but I still can't help but be amazed with the detail they can create in these movies. They are able to make vast cityscapes and the tiny hairs on a tennis ball look equally impressive. The animation here truly rivals anything seen in the Pixar films.
I mentioned that the film also has some funny moments, which is obviously should given that it's a cartoon and features Jerry Seinfeld. To me, the best stuff involved their humorous takes on the bee lifestyle. From the Willy Wonka-esque factory where the honey is made to Bee Larry King, they get the most mileage out all bee-related humor. The jokes made at the human's expense are more hit and miss. It's hard to say whether this is because Seinfeld is a little out of touch with humorous observations about humanity or whether I was still trying to wrap my head around this bizarro world where humans normally interact with insects.
There are several celebrity cameos strewn throughout the movie. Some are fun like Ray Liotta who plays himself and is a Paul Newman-like pitchman for a brand of honey. Others, like Matthew Broderick playing Barry's best friend are frustrating as I sat through the whole movie realizing that I recognized the voice but couldn't tell who it was. As fun as these celebrity cameos are, they can also be somewhat annoying. In this film more than any other recent animated film, I thought it was really noticeable that the voice actors had all done their parts seperately. As a result, it was difficult to gain a sense of connection between the characters.
There is a lot to enjoy here, but I have a feeling that there will be aspects that all audiences find annoying. For someone like me, I mentioned having a difficult time grasping with the odd bee-human interactions. I just felt like that needed to be developed more before jumping right in and making it seem normal. I wouldn't be surprised if other adults share this confusion. For kids, there is a lot of adult humor that is likely to fly right over their heads, which is probably why this film didn't have the success that most Pixar films do.
Bee Movie is equal parts bee-dazzling and bee-fuddling (and here I thought I could get through the whole review without any bee puns). In general, there is plenty enough here for an enjoyable film. If you are not resistant to the computer animated genre, you'll likely find the film appealing enough. It may not provide the solid laughs that were found on some of those classic episodes of Seinfeld, but it's an entertaining little diversion nontheless. Grade: B
The joys of live TV
I saw this clip on The Soup and was in stitches afterwards. Please to enjoy this video of a local TV reporter's story on bird infestation...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Finally! Some TV to talk about
I know that this post is primarily for Lost's return, but I figure I'll mention the other new content that was on this week:
House: I have no idea what is going on with the braintrust at FOX. It's great that they saved a few episodes to air now, but why did they hold back this Christmas themed episode. Seeing that made the episode feel off in some ways, but on the other hand now that House has his new team finally picked this episode felt more normal than most of the episodes this season. The patient of the week had some pretty wild stuff going on including bleeding eyes, bones turning to stone and breast cancer behind her knee. But perhaps weirdest of all was her firm stance in always telling her daughter the truth. Of course, that put House on a mission to prove her wrong, which he manages to do. The secret Santa subplot provided us with some great House material. It also allowed for the new team to learn what he's really all about and it gave us our only House/Wilson moments, which are always great. Even though it's brief, I'm glad to have Dr. Crankypants back and will be interested to see what they do for their big post-Super Bowl episode.
Mythbusters: A pair of really cool myths dealt with last night. It's weird that the airplane on a conveyor belt (which was originally intended for the airplane myths show but got left off for some reason) generated so much debate from the online fans when this one was seemingly so easy to answer if you knew anything about physics. Still, seeing them do a large scale test of this was cool. Then you had the cockroachs surviving a nuclear blast myth. It's amazing (and very scary) that they were able to answer this one. But lo and behold, not only are cockroaches able to survive it, it appears several other bugs would as well. Let's hope we never have to see the day where this becomes a reality. Finally, the shaving cream prank one was pretty lame and was clearly added in just so they could ultimately destroy something. It wouldn't be Mythbusters if they didn't destroy some mode of transportation each episode.
Lost: And now the long awaited return!! And what an episode it was. I'm really liking the flash-forwards as they somehow manage to add more mystery to the show instead of giving us all of the answer. Who would have thought that Hurley would be chosen as the focus of the first episode. Doesn't Matthew Fox's contract state that he has to have the flashback/forward to begin and end each season? Back to Hurley though, I loved how we got so many callbacks in his story: the Camaro, Ana Lucia's ex-partner, the mental institution. All good stuff. I'm not sure what to make of what Hurley saw on the island considering it could be the island messing with him or it could just be his delusions. And even though he was only on for a small portion, Ben was just excellent tonight. He had a couple killer lines throughout the episode. Next week, the calvary finally arrives, but to do what? I sure can't wait to find out.
House: I have no idea what is going on with the braintrust at FOX. It's great that they saved a few episodes to air now, but why did they hold back this Christmas themed episode. Seeing that made the episode feel off in some ways, but on the other hand now that House has his new team finally picked this episode felt more normal than most of the episodes this season. The patient of the week had some pretty wild stuff going on including bleeding eyes, bones turning to stone and breast cancer behind her knee. But perhaps weirdest of all was her firm stance in always telling her daughter the truth. Of course, that put House on a mission to prove her wrong, which he manages to do. The secret Santa subplot provided us with some great House material. It also allowed for the new team to learn what he's really all about and it gave us our only House/Wilson moments, which are always great. Even though it's brief, I'm glad to have Dr. Crankypants back and will be interested to see what they do for their big post-Super Bowl episode.
Mythbusters: A pair of really cool myths dealt with last night. It's weird that the airplane on a conveyor belt (which was originally intended for the airplane myths show but got left off for some reason) generated so much debate from the online fans when this one was seemingly so easy to answer if you knew anything about physics. Still, seeing them do a large scale test of this was cool. Then you had the cockroachs surviving a nuclear blast myth. It's amazing (and very scary) that they were able to answer this one. But lo and behold, not only are cockroaches able to survive it, it appears several other bugs would as well. Let's hope we never have to see the day where this becomes a reality. Finally, the shaving cream prank one was pretty lame and was clearly added in just so they could ultimately destroy something. It wouldn't be Mythbusters if they didn't destroy some mode of transportation each episode.
Lost: And now the long awaited return!! And what an episode it was. I'm really liking the flash-forwards as they somehow manage to add more mystery to the show instead of giving us all of the answer. Who would have thought that Hurley would be chosen as the focus of the first episode. Doesn't Matthew Fox's contract state that he has to have the flashback/forward to begin and end each season? Back to Hurley though, I loved how we got so many callbacks in his story: the Camaro, Ana Lucia's ex-partner, the mental institution. All good stuff. I'm not sure what to make of what Hurley saw on the island considering it could be the island messing with him or it could just be his delusions. And even though he was only on for a small portion, Ben was just excellent tonight. He had a couple killer lines throughout the episode. Next week, the calvary finally arrives, but to do what? I sure can't wait to find out.
NMR: Blood Diamond
I had a few people tell me they really enjoyed this and it also received a handful of Oscar nominations, so this was a natural one for me to put on my queue. Overall I enjoyed it, but the critic in me still had some qualms about it.
First, the good; both Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou give stellar performances. Hounsou especially is just fantastic here and you really feel his character's pain throughout the film. I think I actually liked DiCaprio better in The Departed, but I understand why he got the nomination for this film. Jennifer Connelly is fine as the American reporter doing a story on conflict diamonds, but I also felt that the film would have been just as good, if not even better without her character.
I guess my one primary complaint about the film is it's lack of flow. This film wants to be an all-out action film and a political film with a message. While wanting to be both is commendable, Blood Diamond has a difficult time balancing the two. At times, the action comes to a complete halt so we can have a scene where the characters preach the film's message. By trying to balance the two, the sermonizing becomes all the more apparent. It also makes you feel as if you've missed some scenes because one doesn't flow to the next in a logical manner. This is truly a shame too because the action scenes are really amazing in the film. And the message that it's trying to get across is an important one and one that we do not hear a lot about in either film or the news. If only the two aspects could have been blended together better, this would have been an amazing film instead of just a really good film. This movie is good enough to warrant a solid recommendation, but it's also one that I'm not likely to rewatch. Netflix rating: ****
First, the good; both Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou give stellar performances. Hounsou especially is just fantastic here and you really feel his character's pain throughout the film. I think I actually liked DiCaprio better in The Departed, but I understand why he got the nomination for this film. Jennifer Connelly is fine as the American reporter doing a story on conflict diamonds, but I also felt that the film would have been just as good, if not even better without her character.
I guess my one primary complaint about the film is it's lack of flow. This film wants to be an all-out action film and a political film with a message. While wanting to be both is commendable, Blood Diamond has a difficult time balancing the two. At times, the action comes to a complete halt so we can have a scene where the characters preach the film's message. By trying to balance the two, the sermonizing becomes all the more apparent. It also makes you feel as if you've missed some scenes because one doesn't flow to the next in a logical manner. This is truly a shame too because the action scenes are really amazing in the film. And the message that it's trying to get across is an important one and one that we do not hear a lot about in either film or the news. If only the two aspects could have been blended together better, this would have been an amazing film instead of just a really good film. This movie is good enough to warrant a solid recommendation, but it's also one that I'm not likely to rewatch. Netflix rating: ****
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Are you ready to get Lost again?
I just finished rewatching season 3 of Lost and am now super psyched for its return. In preparation for tomorrow's season premiere, here's the final mobisode that was just released. Most of these scenes have been pure filler without revealing anything new. However, the one posted here is very interesting and just adds to the mystery behind life and death and the role it plays on this island. Check it out and enjoy the beginning of Season 4!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Royal Rumble statistics
With the big event this Sunday, I figured I would get everyone in the mood with this awesome video produced by the WWE chronicling all the various statistics that this match has produced in its 20 year anniversary.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Needs a fix
After much anticipation, I finally got a chance to see American Gangster this week at the budget theater. Perhaps I built the film up too much in my mind, however, because I came away feeling slightly disappointed.
It should be said upfront that Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe give excellent performances. Denzel, playing notorious Harlem gangster Frank Lucas, proves once again that he can play good guy or bad guy equally well. And while not his best performance (he was better in his other film from 2007, 3:10 to Yuma) Russell Crowe does a fine job playing "boy scout" cop, Richie Roberts.
And while each give good performances, their stars truly shine in the moments where they share scenes. Unfortunately there are very few of them here. Now I had known going in that these two had didn't have much screen time together, but I didn't realize how little it actually would be. Perhaps it was just more noticeable because the scenes involving them seperatly were at times slow and uninteresting.
The film spends way too much time chronicling their individual lives. I understand the need to provide backstory, but it took too long to even get to the point where Roberts starts to investigate Lucas. And while Lucas rise in the drug and mafia communities is remarkable, the film displays it in a way that we've seen countless times before in other mob films.
I think a lot of the blame here falls on director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steve Zallian's shoulders. Zallian's script fails to provide enough consistent action or tension to help the film moving and Scott does not provide enough directional style to make the biographical aspects of the film captivating.
As slow as the first portion of the film is, it really sparkles by the time Lucas and Roberts actually intersect. I absolutely love the scene where Roberts meets Lucas outside of the church as 'Amazing Grace' is played. I know the film has been heavily criticized for the liberties it took with Lucas' actual life story. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that that church scene is an example of that, but it doesn't matter because scenes like that show the potential of what this film could have truly been.
The last section of the film deals with Lucas' court case and the subsequent deal he made in helping take down a number of corrupt cops and drug dealers. All of that is really excellent and was disappointed when the credits began to roll a short time later. To me, the focus should have been on this aspect of Lucas' life. Watching the corrupt turn on the corrupt and seeing what possesses someone to suddenly rat out his associates is more interesting than watching someone be a real life Tony Montana.
I would be remiss if I didn't point out two additional superb acting performances in the film. Josh Brolin (who can also be currently seen in Best Picture nominee, No Country for Old Men) does a really good job as a corrupt New York cop who just exudes the essence of an asshole. Also, Ruby Dee is wonderful as Lucas' mother. Clearly, others agree as she was nominated for an Oscar for this role. It was shocking to see, though, how little screentime she has. However, she's so great in every scene that she's in that I still think the nomination is deserved.
It is just a shame to see all of this acting talent go to waste as a result of poor direction. Until the final half hour there are only glimmers of excellence. With each moment, you keep hoping that it will sustain; but alas, they remain only fleeting. I think the acting performance are strong enough and the basic story interesting enough to warrant a recommendation. And while it takes a long time to get there, the payoff in the end is solid. I guess my warning would be that if you do see it, make sure you're in the right mood to do so. Like the Blue Magic cocaine that Frank Lucas deals in the film, the film will give you some highs, but they are only fleeting. Grade: B
It should be said upfront that Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe give excellent performances. Denzel, playing notorious Harlem gangster Frank Lucas, proves once again that he can play good guy or bad guy equally well. And while not his best performance (he was better in his other film from 2007, 3:10 to Yuma) Russell Crowe does a fine job playing "boy scout" cop, Richie Roberts.
And while each give good performances, their stars truly shine in the moments where they share scenes. Unfortunately there are very few of them here. Now I had known going in that these two had didn't have much screen time together, but I didn't realize how little it actually would be. Perhaps it was just more noticeable because the scenes involving them seperatly were at times slow and uninteresting.
The film spends way too much time chronicling their individual lives. I understand the need to provide backstory, but it took too long to even get to the point where Roberts starts to investigate Lucas. And while Lucas rise in the drug and mafia communities is remarkable, the film displays it in a way that we've seen countless times before in other mob films.
I think a lot of the blame here falls on director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steve Zallian's shoulders. Zallian's script fails to provide enough consistent action or tension to help the film moving and Scott does not provide enough directional style to make the biographical aspects of the film captivating.
As slow as the first portion of the film is, it really sparkles by the time Lucas and Roberts actually intersect. I absolutely love the scene where Roberts meets Lucas outside of the church as 'Amazing Grace' is played. I know the film has been heavily criticized for the liberties it took with Lucas' actual life story. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that that church scene is an example of that, but it doesn't matter because scenes like that show the potential of what this film could have truly been.
The last section of the film deals with Lucas' court case and the subsequent deal he made in helping take down a number of corrupt cops and drug dealers. All of that is really excellent and was disappointed when the credits began to roll a short time later. To me, the focus should have been on this aspect of Lucas' life. Watching the corrupt turn on the corrupt and seeing what possesses someone to suddenly rat out his associates is more interesting than watching someone be a real life Tony Montana.
I would be remiss if I didn't point out two additional superb acting performances in the film. Josh Brolin (who can also be currently seen in Best Picture nominee, No Country for Old Men) does a really good job as a corrupt New York cop who just exudes the essence of an asshole. Also, Ruby Dee is wonderful as Lucas' mother. Clearly, others agree as she was nominated for an Oscar for this role. It was shocking to see, though, how little screentime she has. However, she's so great in every scene that she's in that I still think the nomination is deserved.
It is just a shame to see all of this acting talent go to waste as a result of poor direction. Until the final half hour there are only glimmers of excellence. With each moment, you keep hoping that it will sustain; but alas, they remain only fleeting. I think the acting performance are strong enough and the basic story interesting enough to warrant a recommendation. And while it takes a long time to get there, the payoff in the end is solid. I guess my warning would be that if you do see it, make sure you're in the right mood to do so. Like the Blue Magic cocaine that Frank Lucas deals in the film, the film will give you some highs, but they are only fleeting. Grade: B
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Bond 22 gets a real title!
And it is...
The title doesn't necessarily roll off your tongue as well as some of the previous ones, but I'm extremely intrigued nonetheless. Below is a few more plot points revealed at today's news conference:
The new film sees 007 (Daniel Craig) out for revenge on a mission that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America. Bond girl Camille, played by Ukrainian-born Olga Kurylenko, leads the secret agent to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), member of a mysterious organization and a ruthless businessman, seeking to control huge natural resources.
The plot follows on directly from Casino Royale, as Bond aims to uncover the truth about Vesper, the beauty who betrayed him, and discovers that she had been blackmailed.
"James Bond is after revenge, and Camille is after revenge and they have slightly different goals, but in the end they are going to have to collaborate," Kurylenko said.
At a press conference at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, reporters were shown a minute of footage from the new film, including Bond swinging on a rope after an explosion at an art gallery in Siena, Italy.
Another scene showed him meeting M, played by Dame Judi Dench, outside in the snow.
Kurylenko says she will play a very different Bond girl. She has yet to film any scenes, but is working hard preparing for her role.
"I'm doing weapons training and body flight training for aerial scenes and stunt work for fighting," she said. "My days are so long, and it's very physical. She's a fighter. This girl is going to kick ass. She's on her own mission and she's driven by revenge."
Actress Gemma Arterton plays an MI6 agent in the film and has already shot her love scenes with 007. She said, "I felt like a giggly girl, and I felt so young and inexperienced - but I kissed James Bond!"
The 21-year-old said her Bond role is "not so frolicksome" and her character "fresh and young, not sultry and a femme fatale".
The title doesn't necessarily roll off your tongue as well as some of the previous ones, but I'm extremely intrigued nonetheless. Below is a few more plot points revealed at today's news conference:
The new film sees 007 (Daniel Craig) out for revenge on a mission that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America. Bond girl Camille, played by Ukrainian-born Olga Kurylenko, leads the secret agent to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), member of a mysterious organization and a ruthless businessman, seeking to control huge natural resources.
The plot follows on directly from Casino Royale, as Bond aims to uncover the truth about Vesper, the beauty who betrayed him, and discovers that she had been blackmailed.
"James Bond is after revenge, and Camille is after revenge and they have slightly different goals, but in the end they are going to have to collaborate," Kurylenko said.
At a press conference at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, reporters were shown a minute of footage from the new film, including Bond swinging on a rope after an explosion at an art gallery in Siena, Italy.
Another scene showed him meeting M, played by Dame Judi Dench, outside in the snow.
Kurylenko says she will play a very different Bond girl. She has yet to film any scenes, but is working hard preparing for her role.
"I'm doing weapons training and body flight training for aerial scenes and stunt work for fighting," she said. "My days are so long, and it's very physical. She's a fighter. This girl is going to kick ass. She's on her own mission and she's driven by revenge."
Actress Gemma Arterton plays an MI6 agent in the film and has already shot her love scenes with 007. She said, "I felt like a giggly girl, and I felt so young and inexperienced - but I kissed James Bond!"
The 21-year-old said her Bond role is "not so frolicksome" and her character "fresh and young, not sultry and a femme fatale".
Monday, January 21, 2008
Yippee for the Hippies
The latest installment of the Amazing Race came to an end last night with another pair of hippies winning it all (although this time it was a pair of dating hippies and not two male friends). Just like BJ and Tyler, TK and Rachel were a carefree duo who were fun to watch throughout the race and easily likeable.
What is most interesting however, is that when I blogged about this season of TAR after the first episode, I specifically pointed out the two family teams; one comprised of a father/daughter and the other a grandfather/grandson. At that time, I mentioned how I thought both teams made for good TV, but was worried they would be eliminated quickly just like most of the other teams that are composed of family members. Well, lo and behold, those two teams were the other teams still in it on this final episode. It was remarkable to see the older members on these teams tough it out to the end and in the case of the father/daughter team, see their relationship evolve and improve over the course of the race. It's a shame neither of them ended up winning, but for them to make it as far as they did is a true testament to how good of players they were (although having no strong male duo this season also helped their chances).
Ron and Christina (the father/daughter) actually had a very good chance of winning this. They led through most of the leg, until the final road block. This challenge was utterly confusing to comprehend for the viewer at home (something about picking out certain items that the racers encountered throughout the race) and it proved to be just as difficult for Christina. They probably had about a half hour lead on the other two teams, yet Rachel was able to figure out the puzzle first and from there the hippies had it made in the shade as they cruised to the finish line well ahead of the other teams.
Overall, this was an enjoyable season. There were a lot of interesting teams that were fun to watch. And the one loathesome team (Nate and Jen, who rivaled Jonathan/Victoria and Freddy/Kendra for most vile dating couple ever on TAR) got their proper comeuppance by being eliminated on the leg right before the finale. No word yet on when the next season will be, but if the strike continues, there's no doubt it will happen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, it's a good thing Lost and Survivor are right around the corner to give me at least something new to watch over the next few months.
What is most interesting however, is that when I blogged about this season of TAR after the first episode, I specifically pointed out the two family teams; one comprised of a father/daughter and the other a grandfather/grandson. At that time, I mentioned how I thought both teams made for good TV, but was worried they would be eliminated quickly just like most of the other teams that are composed of family members. Well, lo and behold, those two teams were the other teams still in it on this final episode. It was remarkable to see the older members on these teams tough it out to the end and in the case of the father/daughter team, see their relationship evolve and improve over the course of the race. It's a shame neither of them ended up winning, but for them to make it as far as they did is a true testament to how good of players they were (although having no strong male duo this season also helped their chances).
Ron and Christina (the father/daughter) actually had a very good chance of winning this. They led through most of the leg, until the final road block. This challenge was utterly confusing to comprehend for the viewer at home (something about picking out certain items that the racers encountered throughout the race) and it proved to be just as difficult for Christina. They probably had about a half hour lead on the other two teams, yet Rachel was able to figure out the puzzle first and from there the hippies had it made in the shade as they cruised to the finish line well ahead of the other teams.
Overall, this was an enjoyable season. There were a lot of interesting teams that were fun to watch. And the one loathesome team (Nate and Jen, who rivaled Jonathan/Victoria and Freddy/Kendra for most vile dating couple ever on TAR) got their proper comeuppance by being eliminated on the leg right before the finale. No word yet on when the next season will be, but if the strike continues, there's no doubt it will happen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, it's a good thing Lost and Survivor are right around the corner to give me at least something new to watch over the next few months.
NMR: The Kingdom
Here was another late summer/early fall entry that got shipped onto DVD before I had a chance to check it out on the big screen. This was one of the many victims of the war film fatigue seen in '07, and sadly this one probably deserved better.
For 3/4ths of the film, this is a strong effort and a somewhat unique look at the complicated relationship between the United States and the Middle East. A terrorist attack takes place in Saudi Arabi and a group of FBI detectives have to deal with a lot of political and bureaucratic red tape while trying to investigate the crime. If it had stuck with that, I would have really enjoyed this film. There's a scene about half way through where the FBI officers (played by Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman) are forced to stay in a gymnasium instead of going out to the crime scene. I would have loved to see more from that and how these proud gov't officials cannot properly do their job.
However, the film kind of goes in the crapper near the end as the reigns are taken off the FBI and it turns into your standard action flick. I've got not problem with seeing good action with plenty of guns and explosions, but it just felt unnecessary here given how the film started out. The end of the film is a complete waste as it tries to provide this jingoistic feel-good moment, while also trying to establish the moral ambiguity of the actions we've just witnessed. The whole film ends up being a case of the director wanting to have his cake and eat it too.
There is likely to be something for everybody here. Some will like the film's political intrigue, while others appreciate the action. But it is unlikely that any viewer will be completely satisfied with the whole product. Since the part that appealed to me took up the majority of the film and because it has strong performances from the primary players, I'll be kind and give this a fairly generous rating. Netflix rating: ****
For 3/4ths of the film, this is a strong effort and a somewhat unique look at the complicated relationship between the United States and the Middle East. A terrorist attack takes place in Saudi Arabi and a group of FBI detectives have to deal with a lot of political and bureaucratic red tape while trying to investigate the crime. If it had stuck with that, I would have really enjoyed this film. There's a scene about half way through where the FBI officers (played by Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman) are forced to stay in a gymnasium instead of going out to the crime scene. I would have loved to see more from that and how these proud gov't officials cannot properly do their job.
However, the film kind of goes in the crapper near the end as the reigns are taken off the FBI and it turns into your standard action flick. I've got not problem with seeing good action with plenty of guns and explosions, but it just felt unnecessary here given how the film started out. The end of the film is a complete waste as it tries to provide this jingoistic feel-good moment, while also trying to establish the moral ambiguity of the actions we've just witnessed. The whole film ends up being a case of the director wanting to have his cake and eat it too.
There is likely to be something for everybody here. Some will like the film's political intrigue, while others appreciate the action. But it is unlikely that any viewer will be completely satisfied with the whole product. Since the part that appealed to me took up the majority of the film and because it has strong performances from the primary players, I'll be kind and give this a fairly generous rating. Netflix rating: ****
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Down goes Bowser, down goes Bowser
I finally got the 120th star today to finish Super Mario Galaxy. I had actually defeated Bowser a few weeks ago, but still needed to get some additional stars to completely beat the game. Defeating Bowser was a piece of cake in comparison to some of these last few stars. Most of the ones I had difficulty with involved getting 100 purple coins at the various levels. When it was just a glorified Easter egg hunt, I had no problem with them, but when it involved getting them in a specific amount of time or ones that involved complicated sequences of jumps, I struggled with them. But after some persistence I finally conquered the game and it's a huge sigh of relief. I don't completely beat many games, so this is a big deal for me.
Although, I say I've completely beaten it, but in reality I haven't. Turns out when you get all 120 stars, it unlocks Luigi and you can now play all of the levels as him to get another 120 stars. I'll do that eventually, but I don't feel the same urgency as I did with Mario. Overall, this was a really fun game and I highly request anyone who has/gets a Wii to definitely play this game.
Although, I say I've completely beaten it, but in reality I haven't. Turns out when you get all 120 stars, it unlocks Luigi and you can now play all of the levels as him to get another 120 stars. I'll do that eventually, but I don't feel the same urgency as I did with Mario. Overall, this was a really fun game and I highly request anyone who has/gets a Wii to definitely play this game.
NMR: The Ten
This was criminally overlooked by many due to its small release last August. If you're unfamiliar with the premise, it is a film comprised of ten comedic short stories each related to one of the ten commandments. Paul Rudd plays a character who has a story of his own that serves as a bridge between the ten stories.
The film's greatest flaw is its inconsistency. Some of the stories are absolutely brilliant and hilarious (like the one about coveting thy neighbor's goods which involves two neighbors competing with each other to see who can own the most CAT scan machines), others sound good on paper but don't play out as well as they do (like the one about thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife that involves a prison inmate yearning for another inmate's bitch), and some just aren't funny at all (like the one for keeping holy the sabbath day that involves a bunch of guys skipping church so that they can hang out together and be naked).
What makes The Ten a lot of fun is the rich cast full of comedic talent that show up throughout the film. Some of the people include Paul Rudd, Winona Rider, Liev Schreiber, Oliver Platt, Famke Jannsen, Jessica Alba, and several cast members from Reno 911.
If you're a religious person, you'll probably feel dirty for enjoying it. And if you're not a religious person, you won't feel guilty, but you may not appreciate the humor as much. While not a perfect film, there is enough humor to be found to make this a good rental. Netflix rating: ****
The film's greatest flaw is its inconsistency. Some of the stories are absolutely brilliant and hilarious (like the one about coveting thy neighbor's goods which involves two neighbors competing with each other to see who can own the most CAT scan machines), others sound good on paper but don't play out as well as they do (like the one about thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife that involves a prison inmate yearning for another inmate's bitch), and some just aren't funny at all (like the one for keeping holy the sabbath day that involves a bunch of guys skipping church so that they can hang out together and be naked).
What makes The Ten a lot of fun is the rich cast full of comedic talent that show up throughout the film. Some of the people include Paul Rudd, Winona Rider, Liev Schreiber, Oliver Platt, Famke Jannsen, Jessica Alba, and several cast members from Reno 911.
If you're a religious person, you'll probably feel dirty for enjoying it. And if you're not a religious person, you won't feel guilty, but you may not appreciate the humor as much. While not a perfect film, there is enough humor to be found to make this a good rental. Netflix rating: ****
Random hilarity
Ahhh, this takes me back to some of the great stories my high school history teacher would tell us....ummmm...I mean, drinking is bad; nobody should ever do it.
Friday, January 18, 2008
NMR: Hot Rod
This one left the budget theaters too quickly in the fall before I could catch it and now that I have seen it on DVD, I can see why it didn't last too long. The premise definitely had potential; young guy (played by SNL's Andy Samberg) has aspirations of being a daredevil, but is terrible at it. Unfortunately, they opted to go with the "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" mentality with its comedy. There are certainly some amusing aspects of the film, but the crap far outweighs the gold.
The plot involved Samberg's character going for one grand stunt in order to raise enough money to pay for an operation his stepfather needs. The setup is pretty familiar and I couldn't tell if they wanted that to be a legitimate plot or if they were trying to parody other "inspirational" film. It doesn't really matter since the film fails to do either scenario justice. There were also too many WTF scenes where the film diverts into these tangents that are just bizarre and unfunny. It seemed as if they were trying to go something along the lines of the street fight scene in Anchorman, but it just didn't work here.
Samberg may have potential to be a big movie star, but all this film did was reiterate that he belongs in sketch comedy for the time being. The film plays like a hodgepodge collection of SNL skits and has about the same success rate when it comes to funny material. It wasn't the worst film I saw from 2007, but I don't intend on watching it again. Netflix rating: **
The plot involved Samberg's character going for one grand stunt in order to raise enough money to pay for an operation his stepfather needs. The setup is pretty familiar and I couldn't tell if they wanted that to be a legitimate plot or if they were trying to parody other "inspirational" film. It doesn't really matter since the film fails to do either scenario justice. There were also too many WTF scenes where the film diverts into these tangents that are just bizarre and unfunny. It seemed as if they were trying to go something along the lines of the street fight scene in Anchorman, but it just didn't work here.
Samberg may have potential to be a big movie star, but all this film did was reiterate that he belongs in sketch comedy for the time being. The film plays like a hodgepodge collection of SNL skits and has about the same success rate when it comes to funny material. It wasn't the worst film I saw from 2007, but I don't intend on watching it again. Netflix rating: **
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)