My Name is Earl: Given the bland nature of the prison storyline to start this season, I was happy to see that this ended up being a flashback episode which showed how all of the primary characters came together and it was a result of Frank, who was played by Michael Rappaport. Rappaport is an actor who I never cared for, nor found funny, so kudos to this show for giving him a role that changed my opinion of him. From what I've read, the Frank character will be around for a few episodes, as will Alyssa Milano, who will play Frank's former girlfriend. With an addition like that, there may be hope that this whole Earl is prison thing may finally begin to perk up.
30 Rock: Last week's episode featuring Jerry Seinfeld was just all right, so I was pleased to see that the show was back on its A game this week. All three of the storylines delivered numerous laughs: You had Jack once again battling it out with his nemesis Devin Banks (played wonderfully by Will Arnett), you had Kenneth trying his best to get Tracy to rekindle with his wife, and you had Jenna continue to deal with her weight issues. Highlights included Tracy's music video for "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah", Dr Spaceman helping Jenna with her weight, Devin putting Jack's heart to the test while Jack put Devin's gayness to the test, and Liz using her ham napkin (aka her unused wedding dress) to prop up her Blerg furniture. The lone disappointment this week was that we didn't get to see enough of the writing staff. But having a large cast full of funny people is far from a serious problem. They'll all get their chance to shine throughout the season.
The Office: The hour long episodes still feel excessive to me, but this week's episode was certainly an improvement over last week's uneven effort. Certainly the highlight this week came from Dwight's attempt and eventual success at outselling the new online service offered at Dunder Mifflin's new website. Part of the enjoyment was watching Dwight and new crony Andy be over-the-top in their obnoxiousness as Dwight battled the computer. But the other joy came from Jim and Pam's wonderful prank where they began IMing Dwight pretending to be the computer come alive.
We also had plenty of romance in the air as Andy did his damndest to woo Angela now that she's on the market again, while it appears the beginnings of a love connection were forming between Kelly and Darryl. More on that in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Michael is having all sorts of problems. Jan wouldn't come with him to the website's launch party in New York (I absolutely loved Michael asking Jan if she would mind if he took Carol instead). Then Michael learned he wasn't invited to the party in New York. This completely set off Michael and led to him kidnapping a pizza boy after he wouldn't honor his coupon. Michael really appears to be in a downward spiral since the beginning of the season and I'm worried to see where rock bottom might be for him.
Other highlights included Stanley's dancing to the website's music, Phyllis trying to use different tactics to stand up against Angela, the cold opening with everyone's attention diverted to the floating DVD screensaver, Kevin's concern over getting the right Angelo's pizza, and Jim and Pam's rooftop date.
Survivor A lackluster episode after a strong start to the season. Then again, maybe I'm just bitter for failing to score points in Fantasy Survivor from this week's episode. Some bad intel caused my downfall as the commercials misled me to think both tribes were both voting someone off and TV Guide showed a picture of Dave to make me think he would still be around next week, hence why I didn't put any points on him. Misleads aside, Zhan Hu really dropped the ball here by voting him off. Sure he was annoying as all hell, but he was also essential to their daily living, while Sherea provided absolutely nothing for that tribe. The challenges weren't very interesting, mainly because they weren't very competitive. BTW, what was up with that wacky animation during the immunity challenge? Unless they're trying to trick me again, next week the tribes will be reshuffled, which should hopefully provide a little more balance into what has been a rather lopsided competition thus far. One final thought...why does everyone keep trusting Todd. He sure seems sneaky to me, yet everyone keeps making alliances with him and giving him clues to the hidden immunity. And everyone that gives him information ends up getting voted out. If I was the rest of the castaways, I would be looking for ways to eliminate him sooner, rather than later.
CSI: This week's episode was one of those hauntingly disturbing episodes that this show seems to excel at. All sorts of creepy crimes were believed to or actually did occur including pedophilia, double homicide, and exorcisms. I thought Lost's Michael did a good job as the reverend/former sex offender. Although, it still wasn't clear to me at the end whether he had given up his former transgressions or not. I thought the way they determined the girl had been involved in the murders was a little too neat and tidy, not to mention circumstantial, but given how much they had to do to get to that point, the rushed finished was probably necessary. They could have had more time, but they opted instead to do a B story involving new CSIer Ronny Lake. Conveniently paired up with the soon-to-be-gone Sara, she appeared, character-wise, to be the complete opposite of Sara, which is more than likely intentional on the writers part. I'll wait a few episodes to pass judgment on her, but my initial thought is that she doesn't seem like she'll fit in too well with the rest of the regulars. Also, the beehive Grissom found will be returning in future episodes. From what I've read, it will be his pet project for the season. I guess he needs something to take his mind off Sara.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Oh Brother
I'll keep this short and sweet. I saw The Brothers Solomon yesterday and it was terrible. I was already skeptical about seeing it based on previews, but because it had a lot of comedic actors that I love, I decided to check it out. Sadly, all of that comedic talent is wasted in this picture. This is basically a stale rehash of all the other idiot comedies that came before it (i.e. Dumb and Dumber) The film's jokes and viewpoints on such issues as race, parenting, romance, and family relationships give us nothing new. There are also a couple of subplots that never properly get paid off over the course of the film. The whole thing was just a waste of my time. There was one funny scene, so I'll explain it here and that way you'll have as much enjoyment as I did with the film, minus the 90 minutes of torture.
As the two brothers (Will Arnett and Will Forte) prepare to become dads, one of the things they try to learn to do is change a diaper. Using a baby doll, the one brother keeps loading up the diaper with pleasant things so that the other brother can be trained into thinking it's pleasant opening up a diaper. Some of the diaper contents included a pile of quarters and chicken nuggets with honey mustard sauce. On the last attempt the brother finds popcorn, but amongst the popcorn is a dead bird. That was put in there to give the brother a harsh dose of reality. That was the only mildly amusing part of the film. If you didn't even laugh at that, then you know just how bad this film was. Grade: D
As the two brothers (Will Arnett and Will Forte) prepare to become dads, one of the things they try to learn to do is change a diaper. Using a baby doll, the one brother keeps loading up the diaper with pleasant things so that the other brother can be trained into thinking it's pleasant opening up a diaper. Some of the diaper contents included a pile of quarters and chicken nuggets with honey mustard sauce. On the last attempt the brother finds popcorn, but amongst the popcorn is a dead bird. That was put in there to give the brother a harsh dose of reality. That was the only mildly amusing part of the film. If you didn't even laugh at that, then you know just how bad this film was. Grade: D
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Charlie Wilson's War trailer
They finally released a trailer for one of the few films that intrigues me this holiday season. The film certainly has the pedigree and topical subject, but we'll have to wait a couple of months to see if it can deliver.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Al rodente
So with fall break upon us, I decided to head over to the budget theater and I saw Ratatouille. Naturally, whenever a new Pixar film comes out, comparisons are immediately made to the previous films. When I look back on them, I see each one as uniquely great and can do a word association with each of them.
Toy Story has novelty
A Bug's Life has bravery (mainly for trying to follow Toy Story)
Toy Story 2 has the complete package (humor and adventure)
Monster's Inc. has whimsy and imagination
Finding Nemo has heart
The Incredibles has kick-ass action
Cars has nostalgia
So what indelible mark does Ratatouille leave us? In a word, elegance. And depending on how attractive you find that quality in a film will pretty much determine whether you like this film or not. This is undeniably the most visually beautiful Pixar film yet. I was in amazement at some of the sequences created for this film. Everything from the Paris skyline, to the rapids-like water flowing through the sewer, to the fine details found in a five-star restaurant's kitchen shimmers on the screen in illustrious beauty.
However, for the most part, the film seems to be constructed as a bunch of visually beautiful sequences without much in the way of story holding them together. If only the story was as multi-dimensional as the visuals created for this picture. That isn't to say that there aren't many things going on. There are several plot points peppered throughout the film, but none of them are explored with any depth. This is mainly because the two main characters with which the plot points are related to are fairly one-dimensional themselves.
The story focuses on a rat named Remy (voice by Patton Oswalt) who somehow has great culinary skills trying to help a young cook, Linguini, succeed in a once-great French restaurant. Given their peculiar relationship, each of them have to endure conflicts which prevent them from happiness. However, because their characters aren't fully explored, their way of dealing with their problems make them come off as unlikeable instead of sympathetic.
Only one character has an opportunity to flourish and that is the intimidating food critic, Anton Ego. His character succeeds at being memorable through the great voice work of Peter O'Toole. O'Toole manages to rise about the flat storytelling and create a character that immediately draws you in.
Overall, the film really lacks in the humor department and does not create many iconic characters. I think a lot of the credit here goes to the less than star-studded voice cast hired for the film. Patton Oswalt and Janeane Garofalo are serviceable in their roles here, but do not provide that added spark that are found in so many of the previous main characters of Pixar films.
I will say that, flawed plot aside, its conclusion was able to win me back to a certain degree. It naturally provided a happily ever after finish, but did so in a way that wasn't as conventional and didn't insult the audience's intelligence.
If we were grading this film as if it was being served on Iron Chef America, it would score high on plating and low on taste. If you are one that prefers style over substance, you're likely to fall in love with this movie. I find it hard to believe though that too many people fall under that category. In retrospect, it's hard to figure who this film should be marketed towards. Kids are likely to find the film lacking in humor and general fun, while adults will find the concept of a rat as a gourmet chef to be too ridiculous. It appears that this film is all dressed up with no place to go. This film, just like fine dining, is nice on very rare occassions, but for the rest of the time, the familiarity of home cooking will suit me just fine. Grade: B-
Toy Story has novelty
A Bug's Life has bravery (mainly for trying to follow Toy Story)
Toy Story 2 has the complete package (humor and adventure)
Monster's Inc. has whimsy and imagination
Finding Nemo has heart
The Incredibles has kick-ass action
Cars has nostalgia
So what indelible mark does Ratatouille leave us? In a word, elegance. And depending on how attractive you find that quality in a film will pretty much determine whether you like this film or not. This is undeniably the most visually beautiful Pixar film yet. I was in amazement at some of the sequences created for this film. Everything from the Paris skyline, to the rapids-like water flowing through the sewer, to the fine details found in a five-star restaurant's kitchen shimmers on the screen in illustrious beauty.
However, for the most part, the film seems to be constructed as a bunch of visually beautiful sequences without much in the way of story holding them together. If only the story was as multi-dimensional as the visuals created for this picture. That isn't to say that there aren't many things going on. There are several plot points peppered throughout the film, but none of them are explored with any depth. This is mainly because the two main characters with which the plot points are related to are fairly one-dimensional themselves.
The story focuses on a rat named Remy (voice by Patton Oswalt) who somehow has great culinary skills trying to help a young cook, Linguini, succeed in a once-great French restaurant. Given their peculiar relationship, each of them have to endure conflicts which prevent them from happiness. However, because their characters aren't fully explored, their way of dealing with their problems make them come off as unlikeable instead of sympathetic.
Only one character has an opportunity to flourish and that is the intimidating food critic, Anton Ego. His character succeeds at being memorable through the great voice work of Peter O'Toole. O'Toole manages to rise about the flat storytelling and create a character that immediately draws you in.
Overall, the film really lacks in the humor department and does not create many iconic characters. I think a lot of the credit here goes to the less than star-studded voice cast hired for the film. Patton Oswalt and Janeane Garofalo are serviceable in their roles here, but do not provide that added spark that are found in so many of the previous main characters of Pixar films.
I will say that, flawed plot aside, its conclusion was able to win me back to a certain degree. It naturally provided a happily ever after finish, but did so in a way that wasn't as conventional and didn't insult the audience's intelligence.
If we were grading this film as if it was being served on Iron Chef America, it would score high on plating and low on taste. If you are one that prefers style over substance, you're likely to fall in love with this movie. I find it hard to believe though that too many people fall under that category. In retrospect, it's hard to figure who this film should be marketed towards. Kids are likely to find the film lacking in humor and general fun, while adults will find the concept of a rat as a gourmet chef to be too ridiculous. It appears that this film is all dressed up with no place to go. This film, just like fine dining, is nice on very rare occassions, but for the rest of the time, the familiarity of home cooking will suit me just fine. Grade: B-
TV Roundup
OK, sorry for the lack of posts lately. Blame it on a combination of being busy with school work, Indians playoffs games and the overwhelming amount of TV to talk about. I'd love to do daily posts on the previous nights television, but there is so much that I watch on Mon. and Thurs. that I often can't watch it all in one night. And when I do get around to watching everything, I have so much to say about each show that one post would probably take up the length of the screen. So I'm just going to have to make shorter comments on each show. Primarily they'll focus on remaining questions I have that we can speculate on for future episodes. We can just assume I enjoyed each episode and if I didn't, then I'll make a specific note of that.
Heroes: Let's start with the one that requires the most discussion. I love how HRG had bagged and tagged West in the past, but am not liking the fact that he's shown dead in Isaac's painting. Let's hope that's one future that doesn't come true. Do you think the Company could have somehow planted that because they know Mohinder is a mole? The practical reversal in character for Peter and Sylar is neat. Sylar can't do any of his powers (is he "sick"?) and Peter can't help show off all of his. Other questions about them: Where is Sylar? The island from Lost? What's up with Peter's tattoo morphing? I'm ready for Hiro to come back to the present, but I enjoyed having him find a way to communicate with Ando. I also find the Japanese princess cute and she has good chemistry with Hiro. Too bad it looks like Hiro will once again fail to get the girl. I'm sure that whatever the Company wants from Nikki can't be good, but at least it provides her with a reasonably interesting storyline. Poor Micah will seemingly never have a stable family life. Hope he enjoys Nawlins! The more they interact, the creepier I find the whole Mohinder/Parkman/Molly relationship to be. Once again, Maya and Alejandro did nothing interesting. Can Sylar just lop off their heads already?
How I Met Your Mother: I swear the writers of this show must be spying on my life. First, they had Ted come from Ohio and be an Indians fan. Then they had an episode involving Barney going on the Price is Right. Now this week we saw that Barney bought a replica WWF title belt which was to be given to the one of them who was able to have three way first. Not to mention Barney and Marshall playing tennis on the Wii. I'm afraid what aspect of me they'll showcase next. If somehow North Carolina State University somehow gets worked into an episode, then I'll really be scared.
Chuck: The show continues to be all sorts of fun and awesomeness. Highlights: Sarah and the attractive female villan in a kick-ass fight, Casey chucking a microwave at a henchmen's head, the return of the Nerd Herders, Captain Awesome teaching Chuck the lady's role of the tango, Chuck's Stanford colleague getting busted for his insider trading. No real questions to pose at this point, just enjoying the ride that this show is taking us on.
Journeyman: All sorts of questions to ask with this show. But they're still the same ones I had after the pilot. So instead, I'll pose this interesting theory: What if Livia is controlling when Dan flashes back in time? It seems convenient that when he leaves it is at a time that is harmful to his marriage. Unfortunately, if this show doesn't start doing better in the ratings, we may not get the answers to our questions.
Aliens in America: The show is at its strongest when it makes sharp commentary on what it means to be in high school. At its best, the show reminds me of the film Election, which is a very good thing. At times though, some of the stuff can be a bit hokey. We'll see which side wins out as the show evolves over the next few weeks. All of the stuff with Small Paul was great though. Who can't figure out that bringing a briefcase to school is grounds for immediate teasing. I also love how Jeffrey using tactics from Say Anything and Jerry Maguire worked on winning Claire back because those movies are "too old" for her to have seen them. It's a shame that's also a commentary that I'm getting old too.
House: As much as I like the idea of House abusing these new intern candidates with his games, I am really missing the way things used to be. I think the absences of Cameron, Chase, and Foreman are starting to take their toll on House as well, as evidence by his trying to "nearly kill" himself. As bad as it is not having House's old crew around, this week didn't use Cuddy or Wilson enough either. Nobody seems like themselves these days, so let's hope we get some normalcy soon.
Reaper: Like Chuck, this show continues to rock. Watching Sam and co. dressing up in different combat gear each week as they do battle with the soul is a riot. The Devil also continues to produce numerous LOL moments each week with his appearances. The one thing that's bugging me though is that Andi is offering herself up on a plate for Sam and he's too oblivious/too scared to take advantage of it. So frustrating!! Hopefully with some more prodding from Sock and the Devil, he'll eventually grow a pair and get on that. BTW, how wonderfully odd is it that the Devil is actually a better parent than Sam's real parents are?
Heroes: Let's start with the one that requires the most discussion. I love how HRG had bagged and tagged West in the past, but am not liking the fact that he's shown dead in Isaac's painting. Let's hope that's one future that doesn't come true. Do you think the Company could have somehow planted that because they know Mohinder is a mole? The practical reversal in character for Peter and Sylar is neat. Sylar can't do any of his powers (is he "sick"?) and Peter can't help show off all of his. Other questions about them: Where is Sylar? The island from Lost? What's up with Peter's tattoo morphing? I'm ready for Hiro to come back to the present, but I enjoyed having him find a way to communicate with Ando. I also find the Japanese princess cute and she has good chemistry with Hiro. Too bad it looks like Hiro will once again fail to get the girl. I'm sure that whatever the Company wants from Nikki can't be good, but at least it provides her with a reasonably interesting storyline. Poor Micah will seemingly never have a stable family life. Hope he enjoys Nawlins! The more they interact, the creepier I find the whole Mohinder/Parkman/Molly relationship to be. Once again, Maya and Alejandro did nothing interesting. Can Sylar just lop off their heads already?
How I Met Your Mother: I swear the writers of this show must be spying on my life. First, they had Ted come from Ohio and be an Indians fan. Then they had an episode involving Barney going on the Price is Right. Now this week we saw that Barney bought a replica WWF title belt which was to be given to the one of them who was able to have three way first. Not to mention Barney and Marshall playing tennis on the Wii. I'm afraid what aspect of me they'll showcase next. If somehow North Carolina State University somehow gets worked into an episode, then I'll really be scared.
Chuck: The show continues to be all sorts of fun and awesomeness. Highlights: Sarah and the attractive female villan in a kick-ass fight, Casey chucking a microwave at a henchmen's head, the return of the Nerd Herders, Captain Awesome teaching Chuck the lady's role of the tango, Chuck's Stanford colleague getting busted for his insider trading. No real questions to pose at this point, just enjoying the ride that this show is taking us on.
Journeyman: All sorts of questions to ask with this show. But they're still the same ones I had after the pilot. So instead, I'll pose this interesting theory: What if Livia is controlling when Dan flashes back in time? It seems convenient that when he leaves it is at a time that is harmful to his marriage. Unfortunately, if this show doesn't start doing better in the ratings, we may not get the answers to our questions.
Aliens in America: The show is at its strongest when it makes sharp commentary on what it means to be in high school. At its best, the show reminds me of the film Election, which is a very good thing. At times though, some of the stuff can be a bit hokey. We'll see which side wins out as the show evolves over the next few weeks. All of the stuff with Small Paul was great though. Who can't figure out that bringing a briefcase to school is grounds for immediate teasing. I also love how Jeffrey using tactics from Say Anything and Jerry Maguire worked on winning Claire back because those movies are "too old" for her to have seen them. It's a shame that's also a commentary that I'm getting old too.
House: As much as I like the idea of House abusing these new intern candidates with his games, I am really missing the way things used to be. I think the absences of Cameron, Chase, and Foreman are starting to take their toll on House as well, as evidence by his trying to "nearly kill" himself. As bad as it is not having House's old crew around, this week didn't use Cuddy or Wilson enough either. Nobody seems like themselves these days, so let's hope we get some normalcy soon.
Reaper: Like Chuck, this show continues to rock. Watching Sam and co. dressing up in different combat gear each week as they do battle with the soul is a riot. The Devil also continues to produce numerous LOL moments each week with his appearances. The one thing that's bugging me though is that Andi is offering herself up on a plate for Sam and he's too oblivious/too scared to take advantage of it. So frustrating!! Hopefully with some more prodding from Sock and the Devil, he'll eventually grow a pair and get on that. BTW, how wonderfully odd is it that the Devil is actually a better parent than Sam's real parents are?
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Pinch me, I must be dreaming
It's hard to believe but things are actually looking up for Cleveland sports.
- The Indians finished the regular season today with a win over the Royals and ended up being tied for the best overall record in Major League Baseball with the Red Sox. Unfortunately, since they had a better record against us, they'll have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Now the Indians begin the playoffs against the hated Yankees on Thursday. I can't deny that I'm a little bit nervous about facing a team that we didn't win one game against in the regular season. However, we do have home field advantage and the pitching matchups should be in our favor. Let's hope we can continue the roll that we were on in Sept. all the way through the postseason.
- Then, low and behold, the Browns ended up winning again today. Even better, it was against the detestable Baltimore Ravens. I won't fool myself into thinking we're really that great. It seemed today to be more a case of the Ravens sucking than us outperforming them, but I'll still gladly take the win. At the beginning of the season, I would never have predicted we would be 2-2. Now if we can beat the Patriots next week, then maybe I'll start to become a believer in this team.
- Finally, the Cavs don't start playing again for another month, but I still got to see Lebron last night as he hosted SNL. For the most part, I thought he did a decent job; at least for an athlete host. There was some funny skits, but it helped that they had a summer of notable stories to mock last night (Michael Vick, Larry Craig, OJ, High School Musical, etc.). Plus, I was thrilled to see the return of the Ambiguously Gay Duo. It's nice to see Colbert and Carell take time out of their busy schedules to do fun stuff like this.
All in all, it's actually good to be a Cleveland sports fan these days. We can't say that often, so I'll cherish it for as long as I can.
- The Indians finished the regular season today with a win over the Royals and ended up being tied for the best overall record in Major League Baseball with the Red Sox. Unfortunately, since they had a better record against us, they'll have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Now the Indians begin the playoffs against the hated Yankees on Thursday. I can't deny that I'm a little bit nervous about facing a team that we didn't win one game against in the regular season. However, we do have home field advantage and the pitching matchups should be in our favor. Let's hope we can continue the roll that we were on in Sept. all the way through the postseason.
- Then, low and behold, the Browns ended up winning again today. Even better, it was against the detestable Baltimore Ravens. I won't fool myself into thinking we're really that great. It seemed today to be more a case of the Ravens sucking than us outperforming them, but I'll still gladly take the win. At the beginning of the season, I would never have predicted we would be 2-2. Now if we can beat the Patriots next week, then maybe I'll start to become a believer in this team.
- Finally, the Cavs don't start playing again for another month, but I still got to see Lebron last night as he hosted SNL. For the most part, I thought he did a decent job; at least for an athlete host. There was some funny skits, but it helped that they had a summer of notable stories to mock last night (Michael Vick, Larry Craig, OJ, High School Musical, etc.). Plus, I was thrilled to see the return of the Ambiguously Gay Duo. It's nice to see Colbert and Carell take time out of their busy schedules to do fun stuff like this.
All in all, it's actually good to be a Cleveland sports fan these days. We can't say that often, so I'll cherish it for as long as I can.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday/Wednesday night TV
With so little to watch on Wednesdays for me, I decided to just lump my thoughts for the past two days into one post.
House: I wouldn't always like it this way, but tonight's episode that was sans Chase, Cameron, and Foreman was a lot of fun. Without them around, we got a whole bunch House/Wilson banter, which was awesome. Their friendship is so remarkable in the way they tolerate each other, despite knowing how to push each other's buttons so perfectly. I loved Wilson kidnapping House's guitar and then House retaliating by kidnapping one of Wilson's patients. As for the medical mystery of the week, it wasn't anything particularly groundshaking (despite that being what brought the woman into the hospital in the first place. Ha!) until the big reveal at the end. Once again, the themes of the medical mystery perfectly connected with House himself is dealing with. And now the games begin as House will put 40 hopeful candidates through the ringer to try and find a new team. Should be fun to see how it all plays out.
Reaper: They intrigued me with the premise and hooked me with the actual initial episode. This show is great! Everyone is perfectly cast in their roles. Ray Wise as the devil is superb. You might as well give the guy an Emmy nomination right now. I can't wait to see his antics every week. The whole bounty hunter aspect of the show is really cool too and it should be very interesting to see what kind of powers/capabilities the escaped souls will have that Sam must capture each week. Sam's buddy, Sock, is hilarious and I'm glad to see Tyler Labine get some work after Invasion was preemptively canceled a couple of years ago. And Heroes loss is Reaper's gain, as Candice the shapeshifter is playing Andi, the girl Sam has a crush on. Her presence was the only negative of the show. Not because she was miscast (she's absolutely adorable and makes for a very "crushable" girl), but because she wasn't the original girl for the part. They filmed the pilot with a different girl, but then changed their mind. So when they added Missy Peregrym, instead of reshooting the pilot, they just reshot her scenes and spliced them in. The end result was Sam having different facial hair in different scenes of the show. Luckily that problem is isolated to this episode. Overall, this is a definite winner and I hope it really catches on with viewers.
Back to You: After being on the fence with this show last week, tonight's episode did nothing to help it's cause. There is a good show buried in here, but they're having difficulty digging it out. A lot of the lines/jokes are so obvious that I'm saying them before the actors are. And the station manager and reporter who got passed up for the anchor job do nothing for me. However, Fred Willard was just fantastic tonight. His stuff consistently had me laughing throughout the half hour. I just wish they would focus more on the newscasting aspect of the show, instead of the tired relationship/personal issues of the characters. I'll give it another week or two to turn around, but right now, this show is on notice.
House: I wouldn't always like it this way, but tonight's episode that was sans Chase, Cameron, and Foreman was a lot of fun. Without them around, we got a whole bunch House/Wilson banter, which was awesome. Their friendship is so remarkable in the way they tolerate each other, despite knowing how to push each other's buttons so perfectly. I loved Wilson kidnapping House's guitar and then House retaliating by kidnapping one of Wilson's patients. As for the medical mystery of the week, it wasn't anything particularly groundshaking (despite that being what brought the woman into the hospital in the first place. Ha!) until the big reveal at the end. Once again, the themes of the medical mystery perfectly connected with House himself is dealing with. And now the games begin as House will put 40 hopeful candidates through the ringer to try and find a new team. Should be fun to see how it all plays out.
Reaper: They intrigued me with the premise and hooked me with the actual initial episode. This show is great! Everyone is perfectly cast in their roles. Ray Wise as the devil is superb. You might as well give the guy an Emmy nomination right now. I can't wait to see his antics every week. The whole bounty hunter aspect of the show is really cool too and it should be very interesting to see what kind of powers/capabilities the escaped souls will have that Sam must capture each week. Sam's buddy, Sock, is hilarious and I'm glad to see Tyler Labine get some work after Invasion was preemptively canceled a couple of years ago. And Heroes loss is Reaper's gain, as Candice the shapeshifter is playing Andi, the girl Sam has a crush on. Her presence was the only negative of the show. Not because she was miscast (she's absolutely adorable and makes for a very "crushable" girl), but because she wasn't the original girl for the part. They filmed the pilot with a different girl, but then changed their mind. So when they added Missy Peregrym, instead of reshooting the pilot, they just reshot her scenes and spliced them in. The end result was Sam having different facial hair in different scenes of the show. Luckily that problem is isolated to this episode. Overall, this is a definite winner and I hope it really catches on with viewers.
Back to You: After being on the fence with this show last week, tonight's episode did nothing to help it's cause. There is a good show buried in here, but they're having difficulty digging it out. A lot of the lines/jokes are so obvious that I'm saying them before the actors are. And the station manager and reporter who got passed up for the anchor job do nothing for me. However, Fred Willard was just fantastic tonight. His stuff consistently had me laughing throughout the half hour. I just wish they would focus more on the newscasting aspect of the show, instead of the tired relationship/personal issues of the characters. I'll give it another week or two to turn around, but right now, this show is on notice.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday Premieres
I'm hoping that my TV thoughts won't typically be posted this late, but with Mon. and Tue. being my busy days, it's hard to tell. Anyways, here are my thoughts...
I gave my thoughts on Chuck and Journeyman already in my pilot preview, so I won't talk about them, but they will be included starting next week. Here's hoping that some of you got to see them as they are both high on my list.
How I Met Your Mother: With The Office a stable hit and 30 Rock winning the Emmy, it looks like I'll have to push harder for people to start watching this show. Their return was a welcome one and they came out firing with a hilarious premiere. The beginning and end of the show provided some great continuity moments from last season. As for the primary story, it was great to see how Ted was grieving over his breakup with Robin. His various beards and his friends witty remarks about them made for an awesome scene. I also loved everybody mocking the name of Robin's new boyfriend, Gael (Gail? Girl?) Mandy Moore was a good guest star and it was fun to see her play against type. And after all that, there was still a ton of hilarity over the fact that Ted drunkenly got a tramp stamp. I'm sure they'll make more references to that throughout this season. About the only negative is the fact that I wish Ted and Robin were still together. They just seem like such a good fit. If the producers are intent on having someone else be the "mother", they better do a hell of good job casting someone or else you're going to have a whole lot of pissed off fans.
Heroes: Mixed emotions about the premiere. On one hand, it was great to have (almost) the whole gang back. But everyone was seemingly so sad throughout the episode, it was tough to enjoy it. Hiro's image of his hero was ruined. Claire hates having to be unextraordinary. HRG is actually having to work at a paper factory. Nathan's life is in the toilet. And on, and on.
But with their sadness came the development for some interesting storylines. First, casting Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson!) as the acting head of the Company is just awesome. Plus, they gave him a sweet power (the Midas touch!!). Double awesome for the fact that HRG has Suresh trying to infiltrate the Company. There's nothing better than a motivated Noah Bennet, er, Butler. We also have a (new?) killer on our hands who seems intent on killing the older generation of Heroes (RIP Sulu, you will be missed). There certainly were clues that Nathan left the notes for Mr. Nakamura and Mrs. Petrelli, but they wouldn't be that obvious, would they? Speaking of Nathan, what exactly was going on when he saw the scarred figure in the mirror? And of course, we can never talk about Nathan without also talking about Peter, who finally showed up at the end of the hour. His appearance was a mixed bag in itself. Yay to the haircut and awesome new lightning bolt power, boo to the cliched amnesia angle. Let's hope he regains his memory quickly.
We also got a glimpse at some new Heroes. I was glad they provided a little extra backstory to Maya and Alejandro in this past week's online graphic novel, but it's still unclear what exactly her power is. Still, being able to cause that much destruction has got my interest peaked. Also, does her power only occur when she's seperated from her brother? Kind of like the Wonder Twins in reverse. Kensei didn't really do much of anything for me, but if he ends up having a power himself, it could be interesting. Still, I'd much prefer Hiro back in real time with his buddy Ando. Finally, we didn't get to see much with them, but I'm hoping they do something cool with the Irish mobsters who found Peter.
I can't believe I haven't even talked about Parkman or Molly yet. I'll have to talk more about them next time. I will say that their situation sounds like a bad episode of My Two Dads. Also, it seems unrealistic that Parkman would be where he is just four months later (divorced, adopted Molly, recovered from four shots to the chest, and made detective in New York?!?)
MIA thus far are Niki, DL, Micah, Syler, the Haitian, Claude the Invisible Man, Hana Gitleman, and Candice. Some look like they'll be back next week. Others we may not see for a long time or perhaps even, never again. Only time will tell. One thing's for sure, it's great to have our Heroes back!
I gave my thoughts on Chuck and Journeyman already in my pilot preview, so I won't talk about them, but they will be included starting next week. Here's hoping that some of you got to see them as they are both high on my list.
How I Met Your Mother: With The Office a stable hit and 30 Rock winning the Emmy, it looks like I'll have to push harder for people to start watching this show. Their return was a welcome one and they came out firing with a hilarious premiere. The beginning and end of the show provided some great continuity moments from last season. As for the primary story, it was great to see how Ted was grieving over his breakup with Robin. His various beards and his friends witty remarks about them made for an awesome scene. I also loved everybody mocking the name of Robin's new boyfriend, Gael (Gail? Girl?) Mandy Moore was a good guest star and it was fun to see her play against type. And after all that, there was still a ton of hilarity over the fact that Ted drunkenly got a tramp stamp. I'm sure they'll make more references to that throughout this season. About the only negative is the fact that I wish Ted and Robin were still together. They just seem like such a good fit. If the producers are intent on having someone else be the "mother", they better do a hell of good job casting someone or else you're going to have a whole lot of pissed off fans.
Heroes: Mixed emotions about the premiere. On one hand, it was great to have (almost) the whole gang back. But everyone was seemingly so sad throughout the episode, it was tough to enjoy it. Hiro's image of his hero was ruined. Claire hates having to be unextraordinary. HRG is actually having to work at a paper factory. Nathan's life is in the toilet. And on, and on.
But with their sadness came the development for some interesting storylines. First, casting Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson!) as the acting head of the Company is just awesome. Plus, they gave him a sweet power (the Midas touch!!). Double awesome for the fact that HRG has Suresh trying to infiltrate the Company. There's nothing better than a motivated Noah Bennet, er, Butler. We also have a (new?) killer on our hands who seems intent on killing the older generation of Heroes (RIP Sulu, you will be missed). There certainly were clues that Nathan left the notes for Mr. Nakamura and Mrs. Petrelli, but they wouldn't be that obvious, would they? Speaking of Nathan, what exactly was going on when he saw the scarred figure in the mirror? And of course, we can never talk about Nathan without also talking about Peter, who finally showed up at the end of the hour. His appearance was a mixed bag in itself. Yay to the haircut and awesome new lightning bolt power, boo to the cliched amnesia angle. Let's hope he regains his memory quickly.
We also got a glimpse at some new Heroes. I was glad they provided a little extra backstory to Maya and Alejandro in this past week's online graphic novel, but it's still unclear what exactly her power is. Still, being able to cause that much destruction has got my interest peaked. Also, does her power only occur when she's seperated from her brother? Kind of like the Wonder Twins in reverse. Kensei didn't really do much of anything for me, but if he ends up having a power himself, it could be interesting. Still, I'd much prefer Hiro back in real time with his buddy Ando. Finally, we didn't get to see much with them, but I'm hoping they do something cool with the Irish mobsters who found Peter.
I can't believe I haven't even talked about Parkman or Molly yet. I'll have to talk more about them next time. I will say that their situation sounds like a bad episode of My Two Dads. Also, it seems unrealistic that Parkman would be where he is just four months later (divorced, adopted Molly, recovered from four shots to the chest, and made detective in New York?!?)
MIA thus far are Niki, DL, Micah, Syler, the Haitian, Claude the Invisible Man, Hana Gitleman, and Candice. Some look like they'll be back next week. Others we may not see for a long time or perhaps even, never again. Only time will tell. One thing's for sure, it's great to have our Heroes back!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Animation Domination Sunday
Might as well talk about FOX's Sunday animated show since I took the time to watch them last night.
The Simpsons: The same problems that have plagued this show last year and the few years before that, apparently still exist. The show has its moments, but overall, the episodes just seem uninspired. Last night's highlights included a revised opening which showed Bart skateboarding around Springfield amongst the aftermath of the events of the movie. Also, Stephen Colbert was a great guest voice, especially since he wasn't playing himself. Frankly, I wish he would have been more involved in the episode. The idea of Homer using a life coach was interesting but underdeveloped. Sadly, there was too much of a focus on some extraneous plot points and the result was a disjointed story.
Family Guy: I don't watch Family Guy on a regular basis, but I made a special effort to check out their homage to Star Wars last night and I'm glad I did. From a visually standpoint, the show was amazing as they recreated certain scenes exactly from the movie. They also did a nice job of making some funny observations about the film's story and characters, which surprised me considering the fact that I thought every possible joke about Star Wars had already been made. I also thought they did a good job of pairing characters from their universe with the ones from the film (Gotta love Meg being the monster in the garbage chute). I think what made this episode of Family Guy so great is that they had a specific, focused story to work with. Lately, Family Guy has just been this hodge podge of random jokes with no story to support them. Here they were given the plot and all they had to do was create the jokes around it. The end result was a very effective and funny episode.
The Simpsons: The same problems that have plagued this show last year and the few years before that, apparently still exist. The show has its moments, but overall, the episodes just seem uninspired. Last night's highlights included a revised opening which showed Bart skateboarding around Springfield amongst the aftermath of the events of the movie. Also, Stephen Colbert was a great guest voice, especially since he wasn't playing himself. Frankly, I wish he would have been more involved in the episode. The idea of Homer using a life coach was interesting but underdeveloped. Sadly, there was too much of a focus on some extraneous plot points and the result was a disjointed story.
Family Guy: I don't watch Family Guy on a regular basis, but I made a special effort to check out their homage to Star Wars last night and I'm glad I did. From a visually standpoint, the show was amazing as they recreated certain scenes exactly from the movie. They also did a nice job of making some funny observations about the film's story and characters, which surprised me considering the fact that I thought every possible joke about Star Wars had already been made. I also thought they did a good job of pairing characters from their universe with the ones from the film (Gotta love Meg being the monster in the garbage chute). I think what made this episode of Family Guy so great is that they had a specific, focused story to work with. Lately, Family Guy has just been this hodge podge of random jokes with no story to support them. Here they were given the plot and all they had to do was create the jokes around it. The end result was a very effective and funny episode.
How sweet it is!
Not even the Browns blowing their game in the last seconds could ruin this day. The Indians are going to the playoffs and I couldn't be happier. The pictures say it all...
Friday, September 21, 2007
A little less Live Free and a little more Die Hard
Budget theater movie this week is the fourth installment in the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard. I can't believe it's taken me this long to see this one. And given the dreck I've seen the past few weeks, it looks like I should haven't waited so long.
This movie is just pure action and makes for a great popcorn flick. Sure most of the action sequences are utterly preposterous, but they are done in such a great, "hold your breath and brace yourself" style that you can help but enjoy yourself. And kudos to them for coming up with some new and inventive ways for creating massive carnage. You can't help yourself but sit there and marvel at all the destruction that is taking place on screen.
Of course, if this were any action film, this would be enough and we could move on. However, given that this is a sequel in a storied franchise (the first in twelve years, no less), the question is, does this film do the Die Hard name justice? Unfortunately, it's not a resounding yes. The film doesn't ruin the franchise's legacy, but it also doesn't feel like it completely fits within the franchise either.
I think there are two key aspects that were needed here: more swearing and some authority figure for McClain to butt heads with. The film is rated PG-13, which means McClain barely utters a curse word. Even his signature phrase is altered to remain clean. Given all that happens to him in this film, you would figure he would be cursing up a storm. Yet, he remains relatively civilized throughout it all. And another appealing aspect of the McClain character was that he didn't care about anyone and was going to do whatever he wanted. In the past, that typically meant disobeying his superiors in the police dept. or the gov't. In this film, nobody stands in his way to take down the villain.
Speaking of the villain(s), they aren't necessarily memorable, but they do an adequate job of causing mayhem. Maggie Q gets a chance to kick some ass and Timothy Oliphant does a nice job of expressing building frustration in his failing efforts to kill McClain. It's a shame though that our current world standing forces us to make Americans the villains in films instead of the typical foreign terrorist.
This is another frustrating aspect of the film; its desire to be so modern. At one point, someone tells McClain that he's a Timex watch living in a digital world. Well, you know what, as far as I can tell, a Timex watch can still tell time and John McClain can still defeat any terrorist. People are going to come to a Die Hard film to see kick-ass action, not hear a message about how our government has become our own worst enemy.
One last negative I'll mention is the editing, particularly the audio editing. There were a number of times where it looked like the words didn't match up with what the actor was saying. Or else, it sounded like they didn't enunciate what they were saying. I'm wondering if maybe this film had originally intended to have more coarse language, but then for whatever reason decided to cut it out so that they could get a lower rating and have more people see the film.
I feel like I'm overanalyzing this film, given that it's just mindless entertainment. And as mindless entertainment, it's great. When you just want to shut your brain off for a couple of hours and enjoy stuff blowing up, this is a good movie to watch. I know Bruce is getting up there in age, but I still would love to see another installment. There will always be terrorists out there that need to be stopped, and frankly, there's no better guy (save for maybe Jack Bauer) who I would want to take them down. Yippe-ki-yay motherfucker indeed! Grade: B+
This movie is just pure action and makes for a great popcorn flick. Sure most of the action sequences are utterly preposterous, but they are done in such a great, "hold your breath and brace yourself" style that you can help but enjoy yourself. And kudos to them for coming up with some new and inventive ways for creating massive carnage. You can't help yourself but sit there and marvel at all the destruction that is taking place on screen.
Of course, if this were any action film, this would be enough and we could move on. However, given that this is a sequel in a storied franchise (the first in twelve years, no less), the question is, does this film do the Die Hard name justice? Unfortunately, it's not a resounding yes. The film doesn't ruin the franchise's legacy, but it also doesn't feel like it completely fits within the franchise either.
I think there are two key aspects that were needed here: more swearing and some authority figure for McClain to butt heads with. The film is rated PG-13, which means McClain barely utters a curse word. Even his signature phrase is altered to remain clean. Given all that happens to him in this film, you would figure he would be cursing up a storm. Yet, he remains relatively civilized throughout it all. And another appealing aspect of the McClain character was that he didn't care about anyone and was going to do whatever he wanted. In the past, that typically meant disobeying his superiors in the police dept. or the gov't. In this film, nobody stands in his way to take down the villain.
Speaking of the villain(s), they aren't necessarily memorable, but they do an adequate job of causing mayhem. Maggie Q gets a chance to kick some ass and Timothy Oliphant does a nice job of expressing building frustration in his failing efforts to kill McClain. It's a shame though that our current world standing forces us to make Americans the villains in films instead of the typical foreign terrorist.
This is another frustrating aspect of the film; its desire to be so modern. At one point, someone tells McClain that he's a Timex watch living in a digital world. Well, you know what, as far as I can tell, a Timex watch can still tell time and John McClain can still defeat any terrorist. People are going to come to a Die Hard film to see kick-ass action, not hear a message about how our government has become our own worst enemy.
One last negative I'll mention is the editing, particularly the audio editing. There were a number of times where it looked like the words didn't match up with what the actor was saying. Or else, it sounded like they didn't enunciate what they were saying. I'm wondering if maybe this film had originally intended to have more coarse language, but then for whatever reason decided to cut it out so that they could get a lower rating and have more people see the film.
I feel like I'm overanalyzing this film, given that it's just mindless entertainment. And as mindless entertainment, it's great. When you just want to shut your brain off for a couple of hours and enjoy stuff blowing up, this is a good movie to watch. I know Bruce is getting up there in age, but I still would love to see another installment. There will always be terrorists out there that need to be stopped, and frankly, there's no better guy (save for maybe Jack Bauer) who I would want to take them down. Yippe-ki-yay motherfucker indeed! Grade: B+
Fall pilots to watch
Now that the new TV season is underway, I feel it's my duty to help all of you out there decide on which new shows to add onto your DVR/TiVo. Luckily, the networks, in an effort to create buzz about their shows, have put a lot of the pilots online for people to get a sneek peek at them. Here now are my thoughts on the ones I've been able to see. You'll note that none of the pilots are from ABC as I continue to boycott that network until they start putting on some shows that appeal to men (aka when Lost returns in February)
Must-See TV
Chuck (NBC, Mondays at 8): This is the only fall show, as of now, that I can say I will be watching on a regular basis. After watching the first episode, I can safely say that this show is crazy, but in a good way. It's almost like a virtual cartoon. The action is so over the top, but because the show doesn't take it seriously, you can have fun watching it, instead of rolling your eyes at it. The show does a nice job of delivering on both action and comedy. One of the producers described the show as a mix of The Bourne Ultimatum and The 40-Year Old Virgin. If that doesn't sound like the ideal show for me, I don't know what does. Check this out, you won't be disappointed. This is a great lead-in the Heroes on Monday nights.
Give Them a Try
Journeyman (NBC, Mondays at 10): This show probably has the strongest premise (Man mysteriously travels through time and ends up helping people in the process), but I need to see more of it before I render a verdict. For me, the show was a little too serious. Plus, given that pilots are typically all about exposition, this show was a little too vague on how he's time travelling and the reasons he's going to the places he lands in. Hopefully these minor problems will be rectified and this show can solidify NBC's Monday as the most awesome night in TV.
Reaper (CW, Tuesdays at 9): I can't believe I'm recommeding a show on the CW, but this one looks really appealing. I'm not going to give it a full recommendation because I actually haven't seen the complete pilot. However, based on the extended clips I have seen, this seems like it'll be a lot of fun. The premise is that a young man must recover lost souls for the devil after his parents sold his soul to Satan when he was born. The cast looks strong and the first episode was directed by Kevin Smith. This show has a lot of promise, so I hope it delivers.
Aliens in America (CW, Mondays at 8:30): Yet, another CW show? I must be going crazy. This one is about a dorky teenager who is an outcast at his high school. To help him, his parents sign up to have a foreign exchange student live with them and it turns out to be a Pakistani boy. Hilarity ensues. This could be really corny, but the humor is actually twisted and funny. They do a lot of cutaways ala Family Guy, which give the show some of its biggest laughs. Same basic rationale for why this doesn't get a recommendation from me as of yet as Reaper. Hopefully though, this will be another winner.
Back to You: (FOX, Wednesdays at 8:00): This one actually already began airing this past Wednesday. Watching the first episode, I wasn't completely impressed, but I think a lot has to do with the fact that so much of the episode was revealed in FOX's endless promos, so a lot of the laughs fell flat. The shows earns a reprieve based on the strength of the lead actors. Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton play to their strengths with these two characters. The rest of the cast, save for the fantastic Fred Willard, leave a lot to be desired. If the show focuses on the bickering between the two newscasters, it has a chance to be as good as shows like Murphy Brown or Newsradio.
Probably can skip
Bionic Woman (NBC, Wednesdays at 9:00): Easily the biggest disappointment of the new fall crop. The show was just plain boring. All of the primary characters were too vanilla for me to care about any of them. I understand the reason this concept was resurrected after the success of Heroes, but this one just did not execute properly. Now I have heard that a lot of changes were made to the pilot, so I'm not sure if I saw the original or the re-tooled one. Because of this, and since there isn't much else on Wednesdays for me, I may give it one more shot. However, I'm not giving this one much hope.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Mondays at 8:30): This one could have been decent. The basic idea here is that two friends who are geniuses have their world turned upside down when an attractive young woman moves in across the hall from them. While I like the premise, the show fails as a result of the two geniuses not being very likeable. The writers bludgeon you over the head with the fact that these guys are smart by having them mention some quantum physics theory everytime they speak. It got so annoying after a while. The cute girl character is also confusing as it's not clear why she bothers to give these guys the time of day. The show did have a handful of good laughs, but it's weak characters and the fact that it's on a crowded TV night for me makes me likely to skip future episodes.
So there you have it, some fearless picks for the new fall shows. Feel free to voice your own opinions on these or any of the other new shows you happen to see in the next week.
Must-See TV
Chuck (NBC, Mondays at 8): This is the only fall show, as of now, that I can say I will be watching on a regular basis. After watching the first episode, I can safely say that this show is crazy, but in a good way. It's almost like a virtual cartoon. The action is so over the top, but because the show doesn't take it seriously, you can have fun watching it, instead of rolling your eyes at it. The show does a nice job of delivering on both action and comedy. One of the producers described the show as a mix of The Bourne Ultimatum and The 40-Year Old Virgin. If that doesn't sound like the ideal show for me, I don't know what does. Check this out, you won't be disappointed. This is a great lead-in the Heroes on Monday nights.
Give Them a Try
Journeyman (NBC, Mondays at 10): This show probably has the strongest premise (Man mysteriously travels through time and ends up helping people in the process), but I need to see more of it before I render a verdict. For me, the show was a little too serious. Plus, given that pilots are typically all about exposition, this show was a little too vague on how he's time travelling and the reasons he's going to the places he lands in. Hopefully these minor problems will be rectified and this show can solidify NBC's Monday as the most awesome night in TV.
Reaper (CW, Tuesdays at 9): I can't believe I'm recommeding a show on the CW, but this one looks really appealing. I'm not going to give it a full recommendation because I actually haven't seen the complete pilot. However, based on the extended clips I have seen, this seems like it'll be a lot of fun. The premise is that a young man must recover lost souls for the devil after his parents sold his soul to Satan when he was born. The cast looks strong and the first episode was directed by Kevin Smith. This show has a lot of promise, so I hope it delivers.
Aliens in America (CW, Mondays at 8:30): Yet, another CW show? I must be going crazy. This one is about a dorky teenager who is an outcast at his high school. To help him, his parents sign up to have a foreign exchange student live with them and it turns out to be a Pakistani boy. Hilarity ensues. This could be really corny, but the humor is actually twisted and funny. They do a lot of cutaways ala Family Guy, which give the show some of its biggest laughs. Same basic rationale for why this doesn't get a recommendation from me as of yet as Reaper. Hopefully though, this will be another winner.
Back to You: (FOX, Wednesdays at 8:00): This one actually already began airing this past Wednesday. Watching the first episode, I wasn't completely impressed, but I think a lot has to do with the fact that so much of the episode was revealed in FOX's endless promos, so a lot of the laughs fell flat. The shows earns a reprieve based on the strength of the lead actors. Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton play to their strengths with these two characters. The rest of the cast, save for the fantastic Fred Willard, leave a lot to be desired. If the show focuses on the bickering between the two newscasters, it has a chance to be as good as shows like Murphy Brown or Newsradio.
Probably can skip
Bionic Woman (NBC, Wednesdays at 9:00): Easily the biggest disappointment of the new fall crop. The show was just plain boring. All of the primary characters were too vanilla for me to care about any of them. I understand the reason this concept was resurrected after the success of Heroes, but this one just did not execute properly. Now I have heard that a lot of changes were made to the pilot, so I'm not sure if I saw the original or the re-tooled one. Because of this, and since there isn't much else on Wednesdays for me, I may give it one more shot. However, I'm not giving this one much hope.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Mondays at 8:30): This one could have been decent. The basic idea here is that two friends who are geniuses have their world turned upside down when an attractive young woman moves in across the hall from them. While I like the premise, the show fails as a result of the two geniuses not being very likeable. The writers bludgeon you over the head with the fact that these guys are smart by having them mention some quantum physics theory everytime they speak. It got so annoying after a while. The cute girl character is also confusing as it's not clear why she bothers to give these guys the time of day. The show did have a handful of good laughs, but it's weak characters and the fact that it's on a crowded TV night for me makes me likely to skip future episodes.
So there you have it, some fearless picks for the new fall shows. Feel free to voice your own opinions on these or any of the other new shows you happen to see in the next week.
Thursday Night TV
Boy does it feel good to be blogging about new television again. As much fun as I had this summer, there was still a part of me missing without my favorite shows. Tonight marked the official kickoff to the new season for me as Survivor returned with a new crop of castaways.
Based on tonight's episode, I have a feeling that the locale will be more appealing than the contestants this season. Everything about the environment and how the show connected with its culture was very cool. The opening ceremonial stuff was kept low-key and reverent, although some didn't appreciate it as much as others.
As for the castaways, there's no one I immediately gravitated toward. Even worse, there were quite a few that really annoyed me. Interestingly, most of the people who gave me bad vibes in the introductory online videos before the season began ended up being the ones who I didn't care for in this episode either: Ashley (didn't care for her as a WWE diva, still don't like her), Dave (the "former model" who thinks way too highly of himself and pulled an asshole move by lying to Ashley that her being ill wouldn't cause people to vote for her), Denise (aka She-mullet), and Courtney (who was copping a 'tude the entire episode because people weren't acting like they do in her beloved New York City).
Sadly, I put points on these four and it turned out to be Chicken who got voted off, in a move that threw me for a loop. It's not that Chicken didn't have his flaws; his complete 180 from leader to being a non-commital wussbag was annoying. But not voicing an opinion seems like a lesser offense than pathetically lying around all day (Ashley) or barking out orders like a commandant (Feih-gee). In general, I think this tribe is going to be losing quite a bit, which is a shame since I much prefer when the Tribes are evenly matched.
I think the biggest surprise of the night though was James, the grave digger. The token black guy has historically been lazy, yet charismatic. James is the complete opposite of that as he is a quiet beast. If he can work on his social game, he has a chance to dominate this game in the likes of Tom or Yul.
In general, it's just good to have Survivor back. It may not be watercooler TV any more, but it's equivalent to comfort food. No matter how many times you've had, you always welcome another serving.
Based on tonight's episode, I have a feeling that the locale will be more appealing than the contestants this season. Everything about the environment and how the show connected with its culture was very cool. The opening ceremonial stuff was kept low-key and reverent, although some didn't appreciate it as much as others.
As for the castaways, there's no one I immediately gravitated toward. Even worse, there were quite a few that really annoyed me. Interestingly, most of the people who gave me bad vibes in the introductory online videos before the season began ended up being the ones who I didn't care for in this episode either: Ashley (didn't care for her as a WWE diva, still don't like her), Dave (the "former model" who thinks way too highly of himself and pulled an asshole move by lying to Ashley that her being ill wouldn't cause people to vote for her), Denise (aka She-mullet), and Courtney (who was copping a 'tude the entire episode because people weren't acting like they do in her beloved New York City).
Sadly, I put points on these four and it turned out to be Chicken who got voted off, in a move that threw me for a loop. It's not that Chicken didn't have his flaws; his complete 180 from leader to being a non-commital wussbag was annoying. But not voicing an opinion seems like a lesser offense than pathetically lying around all day (Ashley) or barking out orders like a commandant (Feih-gee). In general, I think this tribe is going to be losing quite a bit, which is a shame since I much prefer when the Tribes are evenly matched.
I think the biggest surprise of the night though was James, the grave digger. The token black guy has historically been lazy, yet charismatic. James is the complete opposite of that as he is a quiet beast. If he can work on his social game, he has a chance to dominate this game in the likes of Tom or Yul.
In general, it's just good to have Survivor back. It may not be watercooler TV any more, but it's equivalent to comfort food. No matter how many times you've had, you always welcome another serving.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Comings and goings
First some sad news, as I learned today that Brett Somers passed away over the weekend. As you may know, Brett was one of the signature panelists on one of my favorite game shows, Match Game. It's sad to realize that both her and Charles Nelson Reilly died within a few months of each other. Their banter was one of the primary reasons that the show was so popular for so long. Here's just one of the many instances of their fantastic banter:
Onto more exciting news, it was announced today that actor Jim Broadbent has been cast to play Professor Slughorn in the next Harry Potter film. You may not recognize him by name, but it is likely that you've seen him before in a film or on TV. In thinking who would make a good Slughorn, I had not considered him, but after hearing this announcement, I think he'll make for an excellent choice. Here are a couple of picture of Broadbent from other films looking Slughorn-esque:
Onto more exciting news, it was announced today that actor Jim Broadbent has been cast to play Professor Slughorn in the next Harry Potter film. You may not recognize him by name, but it is likely that you've seen him before in a film or on TV. In thinking who would make a good Slughorn, I had not considered him, but after hearing this announcement, I think he'll make for an excellent choice. Here are a couple of picture of Broadbent from other films looking Slughorn-esque:
Monday, September 17, 2007
As Trump would say, that win was yooog!
After a flat loss to the Royals yesterday (which was easily ignored in favor of that crazy Browns/Bengals shootout), the Tribe came up big today against 2nd place Detroit. We're down 5-2 in the 8th and somehow come out with a 6-5 in 11 innings. Unbelieveable. The magic is definitely back at the Jake! That win now puts up back up to a 5 1/2 game lead on the Tigers and our magic number sits at 7. If all goes well that number could be down to 3 by the time the Tigers leave town on Wednesday. I haven't gotten a prescription yet, but I do believe I have pennant fever!
The Emmys
You'll forgive me if I don't have a clever or funny name for this post, but last night's show was so uninspiring that I can't even muster up the creative juices to write anything better.
Once again, the awards show that is meant to celebrate television's excellence was a mixed bag of confusing and frustrating results. There were the nauseating results for overhyped shows (Sopranos wins Best Drama, insert random whore from Grey's Anatomy here for Best Supporting Actress is a drama, Jeremy Piven for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy). Then you had the completely random winners (James Spader as Best Actor in a Drama? Ricky Gervais for Best Actor in a comedy??) Even the pleasant surprises were frustrating as they still seemed underserving. I mean, I'm glad 30 Rock was recognized as Best Comedy, but was it really better than The Office? And if so, why didn't Alec Baldwin or Tina Fey win for Best Actor/Actress in a comedy?
Then as for the show itself, it was a typical bloated affair. Seacrest was his usual smug, pandering self. The Sopranos tribute seemed unnecessary and ill-conceived. There were too many awards, particularly anything in the miniseries categories.
There were a few bright spots, not surprisingly involving members from The Office. Rainn Wilson competing against Kanye West in a kareoke contest was cute. Office cast members giving their "real thoughts" on Steve Carell was short and effective. And best of all we got a Daily Show reunion when Steve joined Jon Steward and Stephen Colbert on stage to accept Ricky Gervais' Emmy since he wasn't there.
All in all, I think it's becoming apparent that awards shows, even ones steeped in history like the Emmys, are becoming outdated and inconsequential.
Once again, the awards show that is meant to celebrate television's excellence was a mixed bag of confusing and frustrating results. There were the nauseating results for overhyped shows (Sopranos wins Best Drama, insert random whore from Grey's Anatomy here for Best Supporting Actress is a drama, Jeremy Piven for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy). Then you had the completely random winners (James Spader as Best Actor in a Drama? Ricky Gervais for Best Actor in a comedy??) Even the pleasant surprises were frustrating as they still seemed underserving. I mean, I'm glad 30 Rock was recognized as Best Comedy, but was it really better than The Office? And if so, why didn't Alec Baldwin or Tina Fey win for Best Actor/Actress in a comedy?
Then as for the show itself, it was a typical bloated affair. Seacrest was his usual smug, pandering self. The Sopranos tribute seemed unnecessary and ill-conceived. There were too many awards, particularly anything in the miniseries categories.
There were a few bright spots, not surprisingly involving members from The Office. Rainn Wilson competing against Kanye West in a kareoke contest was cute. Office cast members giving their "real thoughts" on Steve Carell was short and effective. And best of all we got a Daily Show reunion when Steve joined Jon Steward and Stephen Colbert on stage to accept Ricky Gervais' Emmy since he wasn't there.
All in all, I think it's becoming apparent that awards shows, even ones steeped in history like the Emmys, are becoming outdated and inconsequential.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Fun House!!!
So in my late night boredom, I started surfing around YouTube and stumbled on a blast from the past; the 80s game show, Fun House. I remember loving this show and watching it along with the Super Mario Brothers Show every afternoon after school. While many may argue that Double Dare was better, I didn't have cable so this was the only one I got to see. I've included two videos below which show the essence of the show. The first one shows the regular game play which is a mix of messy stunts and trivia questions. The second shows the bonus round where the kids got to go into the fun house.
After watching these videos, you can see the show is equal parts awesome and totally game. I mean, as a kid, who wanted to be a contestant on this show and go through the fun house? Now as a cynical adult there's plenty for me to mock as well: the creepy announcer "Tiny", JD Roth's mullet, special guest star Danny Pintauro!, etc. Still, I thank God every day for YouTube so that I can wax nostalgia with clips like these.
After watching these videos, you can see the show is equal parts awesome and totally game. I mean, as a kid, who wanted to be a contestant on this show and go through the fun house? Now as a cynical adult there's plenty for me to mock as well: the creepy announcer "Tiny", JD Roth's mullet, special guest star Danny Pintauro!, etc. Still, I thank God every day for YouTube so that I can wax nostalgia with clips like these.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Anything but Wedded bliss
So with the Indians having a (much needed) night off tonight, I decided to head over to the budget theater. In hindsight, I was probably better off staying at home and staring into space, because I just saw the atrocious License to Wed. Now normally a movie like this would have been one I would have skipped altogher, but I'm such an Office mark, that I wanted to see John Krasinski in a movie, plus having to look at Mandy Moore for 90 minutes aint so bad either. What I underestimated, unfortunately, was the obnoxiousness of Robin Williams.
Williams, who plays a priest helping Krasinski and Moore determine whether they're ready to get married or not, is just one aspect of the "ick" factor that is found throughout the film. There's also the young boy who plays Williams' assistant. Not to mention Moore's family members who are all so oftputting that they seem to be from a different film altogether.
But most troubling of all is all the tests that Williams puts the engaged couple go through. It's apparent that these tasks are designed to break the couple down before building them up again and help them realize that they are made for each other. But instead of being helpful to the couple or funny to the audience, they end up being uncomfortable, obtrusive and sometimes just downright bizarre. Worst of all, the film doesn't give you any indication upfront that this couple needs counseling. They seem pretty normal and would be able to handle any of the problems that come with marriage already. At worst, they just haven't learned how to properly communicate with each other yet.
And maybe it's the communication scholar in me that has such a problem with this film. I'm sitting there thinking to myself, "Just talk to one another and all this will be over". To a degree, that's the point of the film, but it gets its message across in such a terrible way. The fact that by the end of the film they get married (oops, spoiler alert) and actually thank Rev. Frank for what he's done is just repulsive. It should not have taken his tactless actions to get them to realize they need to open up more with one another.
The only saving grace is the fleeting cameos by some of the other cast members from The Office. Unfortunately, their time is cut short so that we had plenty of time for Robin to do some of his unfunny voices and ad-libs. I was sitting there shaking my head half the time asking myself "Who finds this funny?". Sadly, I didn't have to look far as there were a handful of chucklehead girls sitting behind me who apparently didn't see any of the bits in the trailer, nor Robin's act over the past twenty years.
But I digress. The bottom line here is that even if the film was funnier, it still would be just a cheap knockoff of better films that have come before it. This film takes elements of Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, and Anger Management and does each of them worse. I'd like to provide you with something positive about this film, but I'm at a loss here. To paraphrase John Krasinski's better character, Jim from The Office, "Who has two thumbs and hates this movie? This guy!" Grade: D+
Williams, who plays a priest helping Krasinski and Moore determine whether they're ready to get married or not, is just one aspect of the "ick" factor that is found throughout the film. There's also the young boy who plays Williams' assistant. Not to mention Moore's family members who are all so oftputting that they seem to be from a different film altogether.
But most troubling of all is all the tests that Williams puts the engaged couple go through. It's apparent that these tasks are designed to break the couple down before building them up again and help them realize that they are made for each other. But instead of being helpful to the couple or funny to the audience, they end up being uncomfortable, obtrusive and sometimes just downright bizarre. Worst of all, the film doesn't give you any indication upfront that this couple needs counseling. They seem pretty normal and would be able to handle any of the problems that come with marriage already. At worst, they just haven't learned how to properly communicate with each other yet.
And maybe it's the communication scholar in me that has such a problem with this film. I'm sitting there thinking to myself, "Just talk to one another and all this will be over". To a degree, that's the point of the film, but it gets its message across in such a terrible way. The fact that by the end of the film they get married (oops, spoiler alert) and actually thank Rev. Frank for what he's done is just repulsive. It should not have taken his tactless actions to get them to realize they need to open up more with one another.
The only saving grace is the fleeting cameos by some of the other cast members from The Office. Unfortunately, their time is cut short so that we had plenty of time for Robin to do some of his unfunny voices and ad-libs. I was sitting there shaking my head half the time asking myself "Who finds this funny?". Sadly, I didn't have to look far as there were a handful of chucklehead girls sitting behind me who apparently didn't see any of the bits in the trailer, nor Robin's act over the past twenty years.
But I digress. The bottom line here is that even if the film was funnier, it still would be just a cheap knockoff of better films that have come before it. This film takes elements of Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, and Anger Management and does each of them worse. I'd like to provide you with something positive about this film, but I'm at a loss here. To paraphrase John Krasinski's better character, Jim from The Office, "Who has two thumbs and hates this movie? This guy!" Grade: D+
Monday, September 10, 2007
Cleveland sports highs and lows
As the title indicates, there were some positives and negatives seen by my beloved Cleveland sports franchises yesterday. Let's get the negative out of the way...the Browns are terrible. I mean, really bad. I don't know how you can spin any positives out of that embarassing loss to the (yuck) Steelers. Of course now you've got a bunch of boneheads who are clamoring for Brady Quinn to begin starting for us. If we have any hope of this kid being a star then they cannot start him for a while. He is going to get murdered out there with the line that we have right now. And this line is supposed to be better than last year's. Ha!
Onto more positive things, I was very pleased to see the Tribe split a 4 game series with the very formidible Angels. Considering that the pitching matchups didn't favor us in this series, getting 2 wins was huge. And we almost took 3 out of 4, but lost a tough one in extra innings. Also against us was one of the worst umpiring crews I've seen in quite some time. Let's hope that quartet isn't assigned in the playoffs. Overall, this team continues its roll toward the playoffs. And while it isn't a given yet (Magic number 14) it's looking more and more likely now. Tonight, they begin a series with Chicago and if all goes well that should be a sweep. October here we come!!
Onto more positive things, I was very pleased to see the Tribe split a 4 game series with the very formidible Angels. Considering that the pitching matchups didn't favor us in this series, getting 2 wins was huge. And we almost took 3 out of 4, but lost a tough one in extra innings. Also against us was one of the worst umpiring crews I've seen in quite some time. Let's hope that quartet isn't assigned in the playoffs. Overall, this team continues its roll toward the playoffs. And while it isn't a given yet (Magic number 14) it's looking more and more likely now. Tonight, they begin a series with Chicago and if all goes well that should be a sweep. October here we come!!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Almighty is just all righty
Well, if last Friday was a Stephen King kind of day, then yesterday was a Steve Carell kind of day. Early on I bought season 3 of The Office on DVD from Circuit City (which was a big headache. The few bucks I saved getting it there was not worth the hassle I went through in trying to buy it there) Then I checked out Evan Almighty at the budget theater; the only film this summer which truly had the label flopped attached to it.
On one hand, I can understand why it did not do well as it just wasn't very good, but on the other hand, the film seemed to try to have broad appeal which should have made it successful. I mean if Wild Hogs can make $168 million in the U.S., then this should have easily made $200 mil.
I'd relate the plot to you, but let me save myself some effort here and just have you watch the trailer. It gives you everything. There was nothing in the film that I hadn't already figured out based on the trailer.
In addition to the lack of surprises, the film uses the old sledgehammer of plot to dictate the story right from the get-go (Evan puts work in front of family, Evan hates animals, Evan drives a Hummer, etc.) As the film rolls along, the cliches, just like the animals boarding the ark, come 2x2. I could not believe they actually used the tired "I'm taking the kids with me to stay at my mother's" to indicate the height of the marital strife between Evan and his wife. I will say that the film does succeed in getting you to pray...unfortunately it's to pray that the film will produce something creative or different before reaching its obvious climax.
The only thing divine with the film is the casting. Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, John Goodman, and Jonah Hill each have a couple of lines that are chuckle-worthy. It's too bad that these talented folks aren't given better material to work with. They all deserve better than what they had here. And it's probably the pedigree of the cast that makes this film so disappointing.
With no name actors, this would have made for a decent made-for-TV movie. But when you have such talented comics involved on a film that is linked to a previously popular comedy, the end result here comes off looking real bad. We were looking for something divine and got something mortal instead.
I didn't hate this movie, but I won't recommend it to anyone either. The film is so obvious and formulaic that you've probably already seen it, it just went by a different title. If you're looking for a laugh and enjoy Steve Carell, do yourself a favor and just watch The Office instead. I know that's what I'm going to do. Grade: C
On one hand, I can understand why it did not do well as it just wasn't very good, but on the other hand, the film seemed to try to have broad appeal which should have made it successful. I mean if Wild Hogs can make $168 million in the U.S., then this should have easily made $200 mil.
I'd relate the plot to you, but let me save myself some effort here and just have you watch the trailer. It gives you everything. There was nothing in the film that I hadn't already figured out based on the trailer.
In addition to the lack of surprises, the film uses the old sledgehammer of plot to dictate the story right from the get-go (Evan puts work in front of family, Evan hates animals, Evan drives a Hummer, etc.) As the film rolls along, the cliches, just like the animals boarding the ark, come 2x2. I could not believe they actually used the tired "I'm taking the kids with me to stay at my mother's" to indicate the height of the marital strife between Evan and his wife. I will say that the film does succeed in getting you to pray...unfortunately it's to pray that the film will produce something creative or different before reaching its obvious climax.
The only thing divine with the film is the casting. Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, John Goodman, and Jonah Hill each have a couple of lines that are chuckle-worthy. It's too bad that these talented folks aren't given better material to work with. They all deserve better than what they had here. And it's probably the pedigree of the cast that makes this film so disappointing.
With no name actors, this would have made for a decent made-for-TV movie. But when you have such talented comics involved on a film that is linked to a previously popular comedy, the end result here comes off looking real bad. We were looking for something divine and got something mortal instead.
I didn't hate this movie, but I won't recommend it to anyone either. The film is so obvious and formulaic that you've probably already seen it, it just went by a different title. If you're looking for a laugh and enjoy Steve Carell, do yourself a favor and just watch The Office instead. I know that's what I'm going to do. Grade: C
Friday, August 31, 2007
By the numbers
I guess it's a Stephen King kind of day. After posting the trailer for The Mist on here earlier today, I ended up seeing 1408, another film adapted from a King short story, at the budget theater this afternoon. I'm typically not a scary movie type of guy, but the trailer for this one had done an effective job in selling the story. Plus, I'll usually go see anything that Samuel L. Jackson is in.
The premise is sound enough; John Cusack plays an author who writes about famous haunted locations, despite being a skeptic that there is any such thing as paranormal activity. That skepticism is then put to the test when he spends a night in the mysterious room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York. Despite a strong story and decent actors, the film left me a fairly empty afterwards.
They appeared to have done the bare minimum with what they had here. Both the execution of the action and the performance of the actors leaves a lot to be desired. Throughout the film there are a number of moments that leave you intrigued to see how they'll play out, but they never ended up getting fully played out. Likewise, I thought we would learn more about the primary characters but they are kept at a superficial level. Sam Jackson as the hotel manager is a particularly confusing character. The final scene that we see him in leaves you to wonder what role he truly had in all that happened in the film.
There are a few decent scares in it, but the film in general isn't thrilling enough. The whole idea is that Cusack's character is a skeptic who has his beliefs turned upside down while staying in the room. Yet he stays grounded enough, which prevents the viewer from becoming concerned with his well being. Why should we be scared of what's happening when he acts more annoyed than scared about what's happening.
The one thing that I will give them credit for is their fake-out ending. It appears that the film is going to end with a horribly cliched ending that we've seen countless times, but then swerves you and keeps going. Having said that, the way Cusack ultimately frees himself from the room is an idea I came up with about 10 minutes in after he first went into the room.
I won't say that this was a bad film, because really there's nothing actively wrong with it. It just came off as disappointing, given what I had hoped it would be. I haven't read King's short story, so I would be interested to know if a lot was cut from it for the film or if it's a pretty true adapatation.
I would say that your best bet would be to rent this when it comes out on DVD, if you are still interested in seeing it. However, the better plan would probably be to just watch the trailer again and let your imagination fill in the rest of the blanks. Chances are you can create a more imaginative and interesting story than the one that unfolded on the screen. Grade: C+
The premise is sound enough; John Cusack plays an author who writes about famous haunted locations, despite being a skeptic that there is any such thing as paranormal activity. That skepticism is then put to the test when he spends a night in the mysterious room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York. Despite a strong story and decent actors, the film left me a fairly empty afterwards.
They appeared to have done the bare minimum with what they had here. Both the execution of the action and the performance of the actors leaves a lot to be desired. Throughout the film there are a number of moments that leave you intrigued to see how they'll play out, but they never ended up getting fully played out. Likewise, I thought we would learn more about the primary characters but they are kept at a superficial level. Sam Jackson as the hotel manager is a particularly confusing character. The final scene that we see him in leaves you to wonder what role he truly had in all that happened in the film.
There are a few decent scares in it, but the film in general isn't thrilling enough. The whole idea is that Cusack's character is a skeptic who has his beliefs turned upside down while staying in the room. Yet he stays grounded enough, which prevents the viewer from becoming concerned with his well being. Why should we be scared of what's happening when he acts more annoyed than scared about what's happening.
The one thing that I will give them credit for is their fake-out ending. It appears that the film is going to end with a horribly cliched ending that we've seen countless times, but then swerves you and keeps going. Having said that, the way Cusack ultimately frees himself from the room is an idea I came up with about 10 minutes in after he first went into the room.
I won't say that this was a bad film, because really there's nothing actively wrong with it. It just came off as disappointing, given what I had hoped it would be. I haven't read King's short story, so I would be interested to know if a lot was cut from it for the film or if it's a pretty true adapatation.
I would say that your best bet would be to rent this when it comes out on DVD, if you are still interested in seeing it. However, the better plan would probably be to just watch the trailer again and let your imagination fill in the rest of the blanks. Chances are you can create a more imaginative and interesting story than the one that unfolded on the screen. Grade: C+
Play Misty for me
OK, I've had to make a change to my fall preview and put Stephen King's The Mist in my top ten after seeing the first trailer for the film. Just like with previous King films, this one is also directed by Frank Darabont and it looks really good. Check it out for yourself:
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Summer's over! Time to get back to work!
I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement over this. Sept. 27 cannot come quick enough.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Fall TV scooplets
Just a little bit of new info that might wet your whistle.
Heroes has created a 5-part faux documentary on Takezo Kensai which you can view over at this site. Only part 1 is up right now, but the rest will be coming out in the days and weeks to come. Fun fact: the documentary's narrator is John Rhys-Davies. Too bad in this he's talking about Takezo's sword and not somebody's AXE.
The title for The Office's season premiere has been revealed: Fun Run
Finally, Jeff Fahey (probably best known for The Lawnmower Man has been added to the cast of Lost. No word yet on who he will play.
Heroes has created a 5-part faux documentary on Takezo Kensai which you can view over at this site. Only part 1 is up right now, but the rest will be coming out in the days and weeks to come. Fun fact: the documentary's narrator is John Rhys-Davies. Too bad in this he's talking about Takezo's sword and not somebody's AXE.
The title for The Office's season premiere has been revealed: Fun Run
Finally, Jeff Fahey (probably best known for The Lawnmower Man has been added to the cast of Lost. No word yet on who he will play.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Fall film preview
Well with no movies of interest coming out into theaters this weekend, I suppose now is as good of time as any to preview the films I'm looking forward to in the next few months. I've finally gotten a chance to read EW's Fall Movie Preview issue and I've found ten films that at least sound intriguing on paper. The crop certainly isn't as good as summertime, but I think there are some decent ones here. Here now, in order of my interest level are my most anticipated films for fall.
1. American Gangster: Based on a true story, Denzel Washington plays a black crime boss and Russell Crowe plays the cop trying to take him down. Thrown in Ridley Scott as the director and you got yourself a recipe for success. (Nov. 2)
2. I Am Legend: Will Smith plays the last man alive on Earth. Or does he?? Looks like it could be a cool post-apocalyptic thriller. (Dec. 14)
3. National Treasure: Book of Secrets: Sure this isn't going to contend for any Oscars, but the first one was a fun ride and it looks like more of the same here. Plus, adding Ed Harris and Helen Mirren to your cast certainly can't hurt. (Dec. 21)
4. Fred Claus: Vince Vaughn plays the slacker brother of Santa Claus (played by Paul Giamatti). If this comedy is in the vein of Wedding Crashers, it could be great. However, the trailer has me a bit worried that it'll be more like Elf rather than Bad Santa. Kevin Spacey as the villain looks like it could be fun too. (Nov. 9)
5. Rendition: This politically-charged thriller (a common theme this fall) boasts an impressive cast including Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, and Peter Saarsgard. This will either be a big Oscar contender or suffer from a "too many cooks spoil the soup" problem. (Oct. 19)
6. Shoot 'Em Up: The title pretty much says it all. Clive Owen plays a mysterious loner trying to protect a baby while Paul Giamatti tries to kill him. Looks like a lot of action with some humor peppered in. Has the chance to be a very fun film. (Sept. 3)
7. The Heartbreak Kid: Ben Stiller teams up with the Farrelly brothers once more, hoping to recapture some of that There's Something About Mary. The trailer looks funny enough, but I wonder if after the "Summer of Apatow" if the Farrellys have become passe? (Oct. 5)
8. 3:10 to Yuma: I typically don't dig Westerns, but this one boasts a cool cast headed by Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. It's September release date makes me think it's not as good as it appears, but the trailer makes it look decent. Who knows, maybe this is the film that reinvents the genre. (Sept. 3)
9. Charlie Wilson's War: As time passes, this may move higher up on my list, but with no trailer, I'm currently reserving judgment on it. This is another politically-based film which examines a U.S. congressman's role in ending the Cold War and helping us start our war with Afghans and the Middle East. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts star. It also has Mike Nichols directing and Aaron Sorkin as the writer. It's good to see Sorkin go back to his bread and butter (politics) after his embarassing failure with Studio 60. (Dec. 25)
10. Michael Clayton: The trailer for this film doesn't make the plot completely clear. But it has George Clooney playing a lawyer, who suddenly has to grow a conscience when everything in a big case starts to go awry. Another this is another thriller, but tis the season for them. This film also marks the directing debut for Tony Gilroy, who wrote the last two Bourne films. (Oct. 12)
Honorable mentions: The Brothers Solomon (Sept. 3), The Brave One (Sept. 14), The Kingdom (Sept. 28), The Comebacks (Oct. 26), Lions For Lambs (Nov. 9), Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Nov. 16), Stephen King's The Mist (Nov. 21), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Dec. 21)
1. American Gangster: Based on a true story, Denzel Washington plays a black crime boss and Russell Crowe plays the cop trying to take him down. Thrown in Ridley Scott as the director and you got yourself a recipe for success. (Nov. 2)
2. I Am Legend: Will Smith plays the last man alive on Earth. Or does he?? Looks like it could be a cool post-apocalyptic thriller. (Dec. 14)
3. National Treasure: Book of Secrets: Sure this isn't going to contend for any Oscars, but the first one was a fun ride and it looks like more of the same here. Plus, adding Ed Harris and Helen Mirren to your cast certainly can't hurt. (Dec. 21)
4. Fred Claus: Vince Vaughn plays the slacker brother of Santa Claus (played by Paul Giamatti). If this comedy is in the vein of Wedding Crashers, it could be great. However, the trailer has me a bit worried that it'll be more like Elf rather than Bad Santa. Kevin Spacey as the villain looks like it could be fun too. (Nov. 9)
5. Rendition: This politically-charged thriller (a common theme this fall) boasts an impressive cast including Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, and Peter Saarsgard. This will either be a big Oscar contender or suffer from a "too many cooks spoil the soup" problem. (Oct. 19)
6. Shoot 'Em Up: The title pretty much says it all. Clive Owen plays a mysterious loner trying to protect a baby while Paul Giamatti tries to kill him. Looks like a lot of action with some humor peppered in. Has the chance to be a very fun film. (Sept. 3)
7. The Heartbreak Kid: Ben Stiller teams up with the Farrelly brothers once more, hoping to recapture some of that There's Something About Mary. The trailer looks funny enough, but I wonder if after the "Summer of Apatow" if the Farrellys have become passe? (Oct. 5)
8. 3:10 to Yuma: I typically don't dig Westerns, but this one boasts a cool cast headed by Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. It's September release date makes me think it's not as good as it appears, but the trailer makes it look decent. Who knows, maybe this is the film that reinvents the genre. (Sept. 3)
9. Charlie Wilson's War: As time passes, this may move higher up on my list, but with no trailer, I'm currently reserving judgment on it. This is another politically-based film which examines a U.S. congressman's role in ending the Cold War and helping us start our war with Afghans and the Middle East. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts star. It also has Mike Nichols directing and Aaron Sorkin as the writer. It's good to see Sorkin go back to his bread and butter (politics) after his embarassing failure with Studio 60. (Dec. 25)
10. Michael Clayton: The trailer for this film doesn't make the plot completely clear. But it has George Clooney playing a lawyer, who suddenly has to grow a conscience when everything in a big case starts to go awry. Another this is another thriller, but tis the season for them. This film also marks the directing debut for Tony Gilroy, who wrote the last two Bourne films. (Oct. 12)
Honorable mentions: The Brothers Solomon (Sept. 3), The Brave One (Sept. 14), The Kingdom (Sept. 28), The Comebacks (Oct. 26), Lions For Lambs (Nov. 9), Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Nov. 16), Stephen King's The Mist (Nov. 21), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Dec. 21)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
First day of school
I don't know what it is, but the first day of school is always an exciting one for me. I guess it's a good thing I'm going into education for a career. Seeing campus buzzing again is always fun. And I always get a kick out of seeing clueless freshmen with their campus map looking completely loss. This year's first day for me was a relatively quiet one as all I had was to teach one class this morning. Time will tell what type of group these students are, but hopefully they'll be a lively bunch. Given that the class is at 9am though, makes that less likely.
The rest of my week is pretty lax. All of the classes I'm taking are on Mon. or Tue. so I won't have to worry about them until next week. I'm sure within a month from now I'll be bitching about the amount of work I have, but for now, it's great to be back at school!
The rest of my week is pretty lax. All of the classes I'm taking are on Mon. or Tue. so I won't have to worry about them until next week. I'm sure within a month from now I'll be bitching about the amount of work I have, but for now, it's great to be back at school!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Ocean breaks even with Thirteen
With school starting back up tomorrow, I figured I would sneak one more film in, since I'm not sure how much time I'll have to go to the theaters after this. Luckily, the budget theater was showing Ocean's Thirteen; the last of the three-quels I've seen this summer.
After the Ocean's gang ruined all of the goodwill they established in Eleven with the abysmal follow-up Ocean's Twelve, I had some trepidation about how this one would be. Fortunately, they got their groove back here and returned to their roots. What is interesting though is that while the film was good, I felt nothing leaving the theater. I was thinking to myself what I would write about because there was nothing glaringly bad about the film, yet nothing significantly great about it either. I enjoyed myself watching it, but I'll also probably forget most of it by tomorrow.
As I mentioned above, this one feels more like the original film and I feel a lot of that has to do with the gang returning to Vegas. There's just something about these characters and that setting that makes for a good fit. Cavorting through all of Europe in the second film came off as boring and uninspired. It also helps that they have a fresh new target to spring their trap on in the form of Al Pacino. Playing Wally Bank, Pacino hams it up just enough to make the character a fun villain.
While all of the characters that make up Ocean's gang are great, the one who truly shines in this film is Matt Damon. While many of the guys have been shoehorned into their specific role, Damon's Linus has evolved over the course of the three films. He has some genuinely funny lines throughout the course of the film and also appears to be the only one who's trying. That's not necessarily a knock on the other actors, but guys like Pitt and Clooney just seem to be there to have fun instead of giving their best effort. Damon, on the other hand, never phones it in and is becoming one of my favorite current actors.
Lucky for me, Damon gets a lot of screentime in this film, including a number of scenes with the other newcomer to the franchise, Ellen Barkin, who plays Pacino's assistant. She is fantastic here and brings an energy to the film that Catherine Zeta Jones wishes she could have done in the second film. I haven't seen a lot of other stuff that she's been in, but she was perfect in this role. It also helps that she was also damn sexy in that "cougar" sort of way.
I should also mention that there are a handful of cameos from guys like Eddie Izzard, Super Dave Osborne, and Julian Sands who add some additional flavor to the film. These roles could have been done by anyone, but using some relatively well-known actors provided some additional importance to the roles.
There are only two real negatives I had with the film. The first is Soderbergh's stylistic direction of the film. While I will always respect a director for trying to take an unconventional approach in presenting the film's events, I felt that at times it was unnecessary and annoying. The other problematic area of the film is that Ocean's plan to screw Wally Bank is really complex, and I mean really complex. There are several things that need to be accomplished for the plan to be a success. And they are all dealt with at the same time by going back and forth between each of them. At times it was tough to keep up with where they were at and what still needed to be done. I'm sure on successive viewings it won't seem as complicated, but on this initial viewing, I felt like I needed a checklist in front of my to keep everything straight. While I mention these negatives because I picked up on them while watching the film, they really weren't severe enough to detract from my enjoyment of the film.
I have a feeling this will probably be the last in this series. Not because the film really provides a sense of closure on the characters, but because I think the primary actors are ready to move on to other projects. But if they do decide to do another one, let's hope they just ignore Twelve ever existed and make them more like this one. This one does a nice job of redeeming the franchise and making the audience remember why we liked this ragtag bunch of con artists and thieves in the first place. Now that it is at the budget theaters and soon on DVD, I can say with confidence that it is a safe bet you'll get your money's worth out of seeing this. Grade: B+
After the Ocean's gang ruined all of the goodwill they established in Eleven with the abysmal follow-up Ocean's Twelve, I had some trepidation about how this one would be. Fortunately, they got their groove back here and returned to their roots. What is interesting though is that while the film was good, I felt nothing leaving the theater. I was thinking to myself what I would write about because there was nothing glaringly bad about the film, yet nothing significantly great about it either. I enjoyed myself watching it, but I'll also probably forget most of it by tomorrow.
As I mentioned above, this one feels more like the original film and I feel a lot of that has to do with the gang returning to Vegas. There's just something about these characters and that setting that makes for a good fit. Cavorting through all of Europe in the second film came off as boring and uninspired. It also helps that they have a fresh new target to spring their trap on in the form of Al Pacino. Playing Wally Bank, Pacino hams it up just enough to make the character a fun villain.
While all of the characters that make up Ocean's gang are great, the one who truly shines in this film is Matt Damon. While many of the guys have been shoehorned into their specific role, Damon's Linus has evolved over the course of the three films. He has some genuinely funny lines throughout the course of the film and also appears to be the only one who's trying. That's not necessarily a knock on the other actors, but guys like Pitt and Clooney just seem to be there to have fun instead of giving their best effort. Damon, on the other hand, never phones it in and is becoming one of my favorite current actors.
Lucky for me, Damon gets a lot of screentime in this film, including a number of scenes with the other newcomer to the franchise, Ellen Barkin, who plays Pacino's assistant. She is fantastic here and brings an energy to the film that Catherine Zeta Jones wishes she could have done in the second film. I haven't seen a lot of other stuff that she's been in, but she was perfect in this role. It also helps that she was also damn sexy in that "cougar" sort of way.
I should also mention that there are a handful of cameos from guys like Eddie Izzard, Super Dave Osborne, and Julian Sands who add some additional flavor to the film. These roles could have been done by anyone, but using some relatively well-known actors provided some additional importance to the roles.
There are only two real negatives I had with the film. The first is Soderbergh's stylistic direction of the film. While I will always respect a director for trying to take an unconventional approach in presenting the film's events, I felt that at times it was unnecessary and annoying. The other problematic area of the film is that Ocean's plan to screw Wally Bank is really complex, and I mean really complex. There are several things that need to be accomplished for the plan to be a success. And they are all dealt with at the same time by going back and forth between each of them. At times it was tough to keep up with where they were at and what still needed to be done. I'm sure on successive viewings it won't seem as complicated, but on this initial viewing, I felt like I needed a checklist in front of my to keep everything straight. While I mention these negatives because I picked up on them while watching the film, they really weren't severe enough to detract from my enjoyment of the film.
I have a feeling this will probably be the last in this series. Not because the film really provides a sense of closure on the characters, but because I think the primary actors are ready to move on to other projects. But if they do decide to do another one, let's hope they just ignore Twelve ever existed and make them more like this one. This one does a nice job of redeeming the franchise and making the audience remember why we liked this ragtag bunch of con artists and thieves in the first place. Now that it is at the budget theaters and soon on DVD, I can say with confidence that it is a safe bet you'll get your money's worth out of seeing this. Grade: B+
Monday, August 20, 2007
Lots of Fall TV news
We'll kick things off with the announcement (finally) of the cast for the new season of Survivor. Notables include a professional poker player, a grave digger, and a WWE diva (seriously). I could type out the dossiers of the 16 new players here, but instead, I'll just direct you to this TV Guide site, which not only gives the players' names, ages and jobs, but also Jeff Probst's take on each of them as well.
*UPDATED* CBS has put the castaways up on the official Survivor homepage. You can learn more about the newest contestants here.
Secondly, a bit of Heroes news. Hooray! They just announced that Kristen Bell will be coming on midseason for a multi-episode arc. For those not familiar with Ms. Bell, she played the title chracter on the critically-loved, ratings-challenged show, Veronica Mars. This is an interesting bit of casting, because it seemed that every show in town had been trying to add her onto their show (including Lost, who tried and failed). So for Heroes to get her seems like quite a coup. For more on who Kristen will be playing on the show, click here, but WARNING, the article includes some spoilers for the upcoming season.
Speaking of Lost, they've been doing some casting of their own. Even though the show won't return until February, they announced the hiring of Ken Leung. I'm not too familiar with the guy (the only thing on IMDB that I recognized him from was he played the mutant with the spikes coming out of him in X:Men - The Last Stand), but it's always good to get any kind of Lost scoop. You can read more about his character here, but again WARNING, there are spoilers found in the article.
Finally, for those interested, I added a countdown clock to indicate the start of the new fall TV season. The clock can be found on the left side of this blog, right before the list of my favorite TV shows. Only 30 days to go!
*UPDATED* CBS has put the castaways up on the official Survivor homepage. You can learn more about the newest contestants here.
Secondly, a bit of Heroes news. Hooray! They just announced that Kristen Bell will be coming on midseason for a multi-episode arc. For those not familiar with Ms. Bell, she played the title chracter on the critically-loved, ratings-challenged show, Veronica Mars. This is an interesting bit of casting, because it seemed that every show in town had been trying to add her onto their show (including Lost, who tried and failed). So for Heroes to get her seems like quite a coup. For more on who Kristen will be playing on the show, click here, but WARNING, the article includes some spoilers for the upcoming season.
Speaking of Lost, they've been doing some casting of their own. Even though the show won't return until February, they announced the hiring of Ken Leung. I'm not too familiar with the guy (the only thing on IMDB that I recognized him from was he played the mutant with the spikes coming out of him in X:Men - The Last Stand), but it's always good to get any kind of Lost scoop. You can read more about his character here, but again WARNING, there are spoilers found in the article.
Finally, for those interested, I added a countdown clock to indicate the start of the new fall TV season. The clock can be found on the left side of this blog, right before the list of my favorite TV shows. Only 30 days to go!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Would it be uncreative to say Superbad was Supergood?
So my movie-filled vacation came to an end yesterday, appropriately enough, by seeing the last big film of the summer, Superbad. The film proves once again that anything Judd Apatow touches turns to gold. This is an extremely funny film that puts most high school teen sex comedies to shame.
What has always been so refreshing about Apatow comedies is that they present scenes that seem so relatable to you, even if you have never even remotely experienced the events you see up on the screen. The characters and stories created in these comedies never are those Hollywood fabrications of what reality is supposed to be. Instead, they are cut straight from the ordinary world, only way more funny.
Clearly, the best character of the film is Fogel aka McLovin. His adventures with the cops (played by Seth Rogen and SNL's Bill Hader) produce an endless line of laughs. The kid is clearly a nerd, but his antics are so charming that you can see why people would want to hang out with him.
Also great is Michael Cera as Evan. I was apt to like him given my undying love for Arrested Development, but he was great, even if I was unfamiliar with him. He spouts off one-liners that are so innocuous, yet absolutely hilarious. It's like he always verbalizes his stream of consciousness and frames his inner monologue in a way that always is funny.
My only displeasure of the film comes from the Seth (Jonah Hill) character. I'm still not sure if it was his character or him as an actor that I don't care for, because I thought he was one of the weaker characters in Knocked Up as well. His Tourette's style of delivery can be too much at times and makes the character appear more like a jerk than just being funny. The way he treats his best friend Evan, as well as Jules, the girl he's lusting after, is done in a way that makes you wonder why anyone would want to be around him. He has funny moments, but I typically found myself more enjoying the scenes that didn't involve him.
One interesting feature about this film is the way it plays with time. The film is currently set in modern day, yet it also tries to evoke a feeling of previous decades. For instance, most of the film's music is from the 70s. This effect could have been annoying or confusing, but I think it works to produce a sense of timelessness to the idea of high school boys wanting to get laid.
As I mentioned before, I had some problems with the Seth character. I also found the film kind of spun its wheels in the middle and I found myself wondering why it was taking so long for them to get to penultimate party that marked the climax of the film. However, these complaints can be somewhat nullified given that ultimately this is a damn funny film and that should be the most important criteria when evaluating this film.
There are moments of sheer comedic genius found throughout this film. Like when Evan compares Seth's sex life to Orson Welles' film career. It such an intelligent observation (one that sadly will go over the heads of most of the film's target audience) and yet hilariously appropriate. It's moments like that that make this film stand out from other teen sex comedies.
Even though, I moving further and further away from my high school days, this film doesn't make me feel like I'm out of touch with the current high school generation. Anyone watching this film can understand what these characters are going through and think back to an instance in their lives that somewhat resembles what happens here. If you're looking for two hours of consistent laughing, this film will fit the bill nicely. Superbad's comedic excellence makes me Superexcited to see what comes next from Apatow and the gang. Grade: B+
What has always been so refreshing about Apatow comedies is that they present scenes that seem so relatable to you, even if you have never even remotely experienced the events you see up on the screen. The characters and stories created in these comedies never are those Hollywood fabrications of what reality is supposed to be. Instead, they are cut straight from the ordinary world, only way more funny.
Clearly, the best character of the film is Fogel aka McLovin. His adventures with the cops (played by Seth Rogen and SNL's Bill Hader) produce an endless line of laughs. The kid is clearly a nerd, but his antics are so charming that you can see why people would want to hang out with him.
Also great is Michael Cera as Evan. I was apt to like him given my undying love for Arrested Development, but he was great, even if I was unfamiliar with him. He spouts off one-liners that are so innocuous, yet absolutely hilarious. It's like he always verbalizes his stream of consciousness and frames his inner monologue in a way that always is funny.
My only displeasure of the film comes from the Seth (Jonah Hill) character. I'm still not sure if it was his character or him as an actor that I don't care for, because I thought he was one of the weaker characters in Knocked Up as well. His Tourette's style of delivery can be too much at times and makes the character appear more like a jerk than just being funny. The way he treats his best friend Evan, as well as Jules, the girl he's lusting after, is done in a way that makes you wonder why anyone would want to be around him. He has funny moments, but I typically found myself more enjoying the scenes that didn't involve him.
One interesting feature about this film is the way it plays with time. The film is currently set in modern day, yet it also tries to evoke a feeling of previous decades. For instance, most of the film's music is from the 70s. This effect could have been annoying or confusing, but I think it works to produce a sense of timelessness to the idea of high school boys wanting to get laid.
As I mentioned before, I had some problems with the Seth character. I also found the film kind of spun its wheels in the middle and I found myself wondering why it was taking so long for them to get to penultimate party that marked the climax of the film. However, these complaints can be somewhat nullified given that ultimately this is a damn funny film and that should be the most important criteria when evaluating this film.
There are moments of sheer comedic genius found throughout this film. Like when Evan compares Seth's sex life to Orson Welles' film career. It such an intelligent observation (one that sadly will go over the heads of most of the film's target audience) and yet hilariously appropriate. It's moments like that that make this film stand out from other teen sex comedies.
Even though, I moving further and further away from my high school days, this film doesn't make me feel like I'm out of touch with the current high school generation. Anyone watching this film can understand what these characters are going through and think back to an instance in their lives that somewhat resembles what happens here. If you're looking for two hours of consistent laughing, this film will fit the bill nicely. Superbad's comedic excellence makes me Superexcited to see what comes next from Apatow and the gang. Grade: B+
New Dark Knight photos
No need to say much here, I'll let the photos speak for themselves. All I can say is that these make me continue to want to see this film right away.
There are some other photos. If you want to check them out, go here.
There are some other photos. If you want to check them out, go here.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Well, he just lost a sale
So I happened upon The Colbert Report last night and my ears perked up when Stephen talked about his guest, Andrew Keen. Apparently, Mr. Keen has written a book about how the Internet is killing our culture. Given the PhD program that I'm in and my interest on technology's impact on culture, I was very interested in what he had to say. Sadly, as soon as he opened his mouth, I lost all interest in what he had to say. This guy came off as the biggest self-involved, elitist prick. Colbert didn't even need to play a character in order to reveal what an ass this guy was. Needless to say, I won't be purchasing this book. To see what I mean, check out the video of the interview below.
If you notice, this is not a YouTube video, but rather one from Comedy Central's website. In case you haven't heard, Comedy Central's parent company, Viacom, is currently suing YouTube. So it's unlikely you'll see any Viacom content on their site for a while. Or if you do, it'll be yanked off there before you know it. Which is a shame, because as you see, the quality of an embedded Comedy Central video pales in comparison to the ones from YouTube.
As an interesting side note, it was just reported the other day that YouTube has requested Jon Stewart and Colbert to give depositions in this case. Here's the article on that. I'll certainly be keeping my eye on the developments of this lawsuit and post any interesting new updates.
If you notice, this is not a YouTube video, but rather one from Comedy Central's website. In case you haven't heard, Comedy Central's parent company, Viacom, is currently suing YouTube. So it's unlikely you'll see any Viacom content on their site for a while. Or if you do, it'll be yanked off there before you know it. Which is a shame, because as you see, the quality of an embedded Comedy Central video pales in comparison to the ones from YouTube.
As an interesting side note, it was just reported the other day that YouTube has requested Jon Stewart and Colbert to give depositions in this case. Here's the article on that. I'll certainly be keeping my eye on the developments of this lawsuit and post any interesting new updates.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A not so fabulous time
The week of movies continues as today's flick was I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. I've typically found Sandler's films funny and I'll always be on the record for saying that The King of Queens was one of the most underrated sitcoms of all time. Unfortunately their talents are put to waste in this very uneven comedy.
The film is not without its laughs, but that was to be expected given the two leads and the usual crew found in Sandler's movies (Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, Nick Swardson). However, Chuck and Larry's primary problem is in it's story. The premise is sound enough, but the filmmakers had no idea what to do with it. It appears that they want to get across of message of tolerance, but they can't help but do anti-gay jokes themselves. It's like they want to have their fudge and pack it too (Too crass?).
From the start, you can pretty much see how everything is going to turn out. 1. Chuck and Larry pretend to be gay. 2. Hilarity ensues with said fake relationship. 3. Side characters are introduce who belive fake relationship is real. 4. Fake relationship is exposed and those duped are offended. 5. Liars are quickly forgiven and learn their lesson. I'm sorry if that spoils the film for anyone, but if it did, you obviously have never seen a movie before in your life.
While the film's story doesn't reinvent the wheel, the problems go beyond its predictability. Here are some of the bigger ones: 1) The ancillary characters who gay bash Chuck and Larry in order for the tolerance theme to be developed do it in such overt and eye-rolling ways that you can't sympathize with main characters. What the gay bashers say isn't hurtful, it's laughable. 2)The film takes way too long in getting to climax where Chuck and Larry stand trial for a fraudulent partnership. They do such a lousy job pretending they're in a real relationship, yet it takes forever for anyone to figure it out. 3) The conduct of Chuck and Larry's lawyer, played by Jessica Biel, is completely unprofessional and unrealistic. There is no way that a lawyer would socialize that much with a client.
Now while the character is unrealistic, the addition of Jessica Biel to the film is quiet welcome. Especially when there are scenes requiring her to be in her underwear or a sexy catwoman costume. However, I must say that those scenes are only enough to negate the scenes involving a naked Ving Rhames (who needs to see that?) and not enough to make the film must-see.
The only character that works in the film is Kevin James as Larry. The backstory involving his dead wife and his failure to move on is touching. Seeing him struggle as a single dad, desperate to have his kids receive the appropriate benefits in case he dies as well makes you want to see him pull off this charade, no matter how ridiculous it is. It's just a shame that that heartwarming aspect of the film is buried under the crass and juvenile antics of the other characters.
In better hands, this story might have worked. But there was no chance of that happening by the guys who created Billy Madison. Even hardcore Sandler fans will have tough time really enjoying this one I believe. There's no need to still catch this in the theaters and only if you're desperate should you rent this when it comes out on DVD. Grade: C
The film is not without its laughs, but that was to be expected given the two leads and the usual crew found in Sandler's movies (Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, Nick Swardson). However, Chuck and Larry's primary problem is in it's story. The premise is sound enough, but the filmmakers had no idea what to do with it. It appears that they want to get across of message of tolerance, but they can't help but do anti-gay jokes themselves. It's like they want to have their fudge and pack it too (Too crass?).
From the start, you can pretty much see how everything is going to turn out. 1. Chuck and Larry pretend to be gay. 2. Hilarity ensues with said fake relationship. 3. Side characters are introduce who belive fake relationship is real. 4. Fake relationship is exposed and those duped are offended. 5. Liars are quickly forgiven and learn their lesson. I'm sorry if that spoils the film for anyone, but if it did, you obviously have never seen a movie before in your life.
While the film's story doesn't reinvent the wheel, the problems go beyond its predictability. Here are some of the bigger ones: 1) The ancillary characters who gay bash Chuck and Larry in order for the tolerance theme to be developed do it in such overt and eye-rolling ways that you can't sympathize with main characters. What the gay bashers say isn't hurtful, it's laughable. 2)The film takes way too long in getting to climax where Chuck and Larry stand trial for a fraudulent partnership. They do such a lousy job pretending they're in a real relationship, yet it takes forever for anyone to figure it out. 3) The conduct of Chuck and Larry's lawyer, played by Jessica Biel, is completely unprofessional and unrealistic. There is no way that a lawyer would socialize that much with a client.
Now while the character is unrealistic, the addition of Jessica Biel to the film is quiet welcome. Especially when there are scenes requiring her to be in her underwear or a sexy catwoman costume. However, I must say that those scenes are only enough to negate the scenes involving a naked Ving Rhames (who needs to see that?) and not enough to make the film must-see.
The only character that works in the film is Kevin James as Larry. The backstory involving his dead wife and his failure to move on is touching. Seeing him struggle as a single dad, desperate to have his kids receive the appropriate benefits in case he dies as well makes you want to see him pull off this charade, no matter how ridiculous it is. It's just a shame that that heartwarming aspect of the film is buried under the crass and juvenile antics of the other characters.
In better hands, this story might have worked. But there was no chance of that happening by the guys who created Billy Madison. Even hardcore Sandler fans will have tough time really enjoying this one I believe. There's no need to still catch this in the theaters and only if you're desperate should you rent this when it comes out on DVD. Grade: C
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Indians punch me in the gut again
In an all-too-disturbing trend, the Indians' offensive futility continues as they lose the first game of a crucial two-game series against the Tigers. Things seemed like they were going to turnaround with Grady's first inning home run, but that would be all the offense we would see tonight. Once again, a wonderful pitching performance gets wasted by our lack of hitting.
There's no doubt that a lot of the blame is placed on the players, who just aren't hitting. But when the team is in a slump like this and needs some kind of spark, I place a lot of fault on Eric Wedge, who's decision making continues to befuddle me. This guy is so robotic and by-the-books that he can't realize the error of his ways. Cabrera should have pinch hit for Peralta to advance Gomez over to third in the 9th and then there should have been no way that Borowski comes in in a non-save situation. These moves seem so obvious, yet Wedge continues to blow it.
I'm so angry right now with this team. I was lucky enough to score tickets for tomorrow night's game, so they better not disappoint me. Watching this on TV is bad enough, I don't know how I'll be able to handle it seeing it in person.
There's no doubt that a lot of the blame is placed on the players, who just aren't hitting. But when the team is in a slump like this and needs some kind of spark, I place a lot of fault on Eric Wedge, who's decision making continues to befuddle me. This guy is so robotic and by-the-books that he can't realize the error of his ways. Cabrera should have pinch hit for Peralta to advance Gomez over to third in the 9th and then there should have been no way that Borowski comes in in a non-save situation. These moves seem so obvious, yet Wedge continues to blow it.
I'm so angry right now with this team. I was lucky enough to score tickets for tomorrow night's game, so they better not disappoint me. Watching this on TV is bad enough, I don't know how I'll be able to handle it seeing it in person.
Helpful OOTRR links
This post only applies to those of you who are readers of my OOld Tyme Rasslin Revue column on Online Onslaught. For whatever reason, two of the columns I did were never properly archived on the site. Since so many readers always email me about where to find them, I decided to link them here for all of you to enjoy them.
1999 King of the Ring OOTRR
1999 Fully Loaded OOTRR
Happy reading!
1999 King of the Ring OOTRR
1999 Fully Loaded OOTRR
Happy reading!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Bourne to kick ass and learn his name
Usually my reviews are rather lengthy because I've got plenty to nitpick or outright complain about the films I see. This is not one of those reviews. In my week of catching up on all the big summer films, I got to see The Bourne Ultimatum last night and it was just terrific.
Unlike many of the three-quels that have come out this summer, this one just seems like a natural progression of the previous film. Most of these sequels struggle to create new stories while still including all of the elements that made the original films great. With Bourne, there has been this ongoing storyline of "Who is Jason Bourne?", and the filmmakers should be commended for giving a few pieces of the puzzle with each film.
This one basically gives us all the remaining answers, but also leaves itself open for more films in this franchise. Matt Damon has said he's done with Bourne, but as they say, never say never. And I'm torn on that thought. On one hand, they have completed a trilogy that is just perfect as is and you would hate to see it ruined with another film; but I just enjoy this character and his interactions with the CIA so much that I would love to see another film. Thankfully, I have confidence after seeing the work put into these past couple of films that the crew will only do another one if they feel it can be of the same level as the ones they've done so far.
Some people will not care for director Paul Greengrass' style, which uses the handheld camera to give it a more realistic look. Some can't stand the shaky camerawork because it's difficult to grasp what's really going on. While I wouldn't enjoy seeing every film done this way, it works perfectly for this series. The action is so frenetic that by filming it this way just adds to that feeling.
Kudos to this franchise also for continuing to add top notch actors to their fine cast. In addition to Damon, Joan Allen and Julia Stiles are back from the previous films. Both understand their roles and play them appropriately. Then, this time they also added David Straithern and Albert Finney who were excellent as people who had various levels of involvement in Bourne's past.
Finally, I'll just add that the action sequence are top notch and some of the best you will see in any action film. The scene where Bourne is trying to help a journalist escape the CIA's clutches is just this wonderfully tense moment that is perfect for this franchise. Then there's the chase and eventually fistfight in Morocco which is another stellar action sequence.
In case you can't tell, I just loved the film. If you've seen the other films, you definitely want to see this one. And if you haven't, go rent those and get caught up on one of the best action franchises in some time. You won't be sorry! Grade: A
Unlike many of the three-quels that have come out this summer, this one just seems like a natural progression of the previous film. Most of these sequels struggle to create new stories while still including all of the elements that made the original films great. With Bourne, there has been this ongoing storyline of "Who is Jason Bourne?", and the filmmakers should be commended for giving a few pieces of the puzzle with each film.
This one basically gives us all the remaining answers, but also leaves itself open for more films in this franchise. Matt Damon has said he's done with Bourne, but as they say, never say never. And I'm torn on that thought. On one hand, they have completed a trilogy that is just perfect as is and you would hate to see it ruined with another film; but I just enjoy this character and his interactions with the CIA so much that I would love to see another film. Thankfully, I have confidence after seeing the work put into these past couple of films that the crew will only do another one if they feel it can be of the same level as the ones they've done so far.
Some people will not care for director Paul Greengrass' style, which uses the handheld camera to give it a more realistic look. Some can't stand the shaky camerawork because it's difficult to grasp what's really going on. While I wouldn't enjoy seeing every film done this way, it works perfectly for this series. The action is so frenetic that by filming it this way just adds to that feeling.
Kudos to this franchise also for continuing to add top notch actors to their fine cast. In addition to Damon, Joan Allen and Julia Stiles are back from the previous films. Both understand their roles and play them appropriately. Then, this time they also added David Straithern and Albert Finney who were excellent as people who had various levels of involvement in Bourne's past.
Finally, I'll just add that the action sequence are top notch and some of the best you will see in any action film. The scene where Bourne is trying to help a journalist escape the CIA's clutches is just this wonderfully tense moment that is perfect for this franchise. Then there's the chase and eventually fistfight in Morocco which is another stellar action sequence.
In case you can't tell, I just loved the film. If you've seen the other films, you definitely want to see this one. And if you haven't, go rent those and get caught up on one of the best action franchises in some time. You won't be sorry! Grade: A
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Time to whet your appetite
Desperate for any sort of news on the upcoming season of Heroes, I did some searching on YouTube and discovered this leaked clip from NBC's upcoming fall primetime preview show. Here's your first look at Season 2:
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Another magical outing
I'm writing this kinda late, so it may be short, but I hate doing my movie reviews too long after I see the movie. I feel my best analysis comes when the film is still fresh in my head. And in case you couldn't tell by the title, tonight I got to finally see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
In summation, I thought it was fantastic. Given that this was my least favorite book in the series, I had some trepidation, but I really enjoyed it. I think it's too early for me to compare it with the other films. Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite movie, but this was one was highly enjoyable. I think part of my enjoyment was just seeing all of the characters once again. Seeing each of these films almost feels like a family reunion now in an odd way. The casting for these films has just been fantastic. There has never been an actor who I felt was miscast for a role. Credit goes both to the casting director and to J.K. herself for creating such well-defined characters.
And as great as it was to see such favorites again, I really loved the new additions in this film. The young woman who played Luna Lovegood nailed the flighty, free-spirited nature of the character that makes her so odd to the other students and so likeable to the audience. Then, you have Imelda Staunton who was picture perfect as that bitch Delores Umbridge. She got all of her mannerisms perfectly and did a wonderful job of really making the audience despise her, despite the fact that we only see an abridged version of her heinous actions in comparison to what she does in the book. Finally, while in small roles, I enjoyed the performances of the actresses who played Tonks and Bellatrix Lestrange.
As for complaints of the film, they are minor. The only noticeable thing was that I was not keen at times at the visual liberties the director took with the film. His decision to expidite certain plot points through montage was a bit irritating. He also visually changed things from the previous films. For instance, the depiction of Sirius in the fireplace is different than the way it was done in Goblet of Fire. I know consistency is difficult when each film has a different director, but those small things shouldn't have required alteration.
I could complain about the fact that the film leaves out a lot of stuff from the book, but there are two reasons why I won't: 1) I've come to expect that from the Potter films and 2)Most of the stuff gutted from this book was rather inconsequential to begin with. However, like I said, I would have liked for the director to give more time to the plot points he did include. For instance, I thought Sirius' death in the film lacked the gravity that the scene had not only in the book but on the series as a whole. He does make up for that by doing a nice job on the following scene involving Dumbledore and Voldemort's duel.
At the end of the day, this winds up being another fine addition to the series. This review will probably be pretty useless though as non-Potter fans aren't likely to see it and Potter fans have already checked it out (some more than once). I will definitely be seeing this again when it comes to the budget theater and then of course, buying the DVD. Hopefully by then, I'll be able to better assess where this one fits amongst the films of this fantastic series. Grade: A-
In summation, I thought it was fantastic. Given that this was my least favorite book in the series, I had some trepidation, but I really enjoyed it. I think it's too early for me to compare it with the other films. Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite movie, but this was one was highly enjoyable. I think part of my enjoyment was just seeing all of the characters once again. Seeing each of these films almost feels like a family reunion now in an odd way. The casting for these films has just been fantastic. There has never been an actor who I felt was miscast for a role. Credit goes both to the casting director and to J.K. herself for creating such well-defined characters.
And as great as it was to see such favorites again, I really loved the new additions in this film. The young woman who played Luna Lovegood nailed the flighty, free-spirited nature of the character that makes her so odd to the other students and so likeable to the audience. Then, you have Imelda Staunton who was picture perfect as that bitch Delores Umbridge. She got all of her mannerisms perfectly and did a wonderful job of really making the audience despise her, despite the fact that we only see an abridged version of her heinous actions in comparison to what she does in the book. Finally, while in small roles, I enjoyed the performances of the actresses who played Tonks and Bellatrix Lestrange.
As for complaints of the film, they are minor. The only noticeable thing was that I was not keen at times at the visual liberties the director took with the film. His decision to expidite certain plot points through montage was a bit irritating. He also visually changed things from the previous films. For instance, the depiction of Sirius in the fireplace is different than the way it was done in Goblet of Fire. I know consistency is difficult when each film has a different director, but those small things shouldn't have required alteration.
I could complain about the fact that the film leaves out a lot of stuff from the book, but there are two reasons why I won't: 1) I've come to expect that from the Potter films and 2)Most of the stuff gutted from this book was rather inconsequential to begin with. However, like I said, I would have liked for the director to give more time to the plot points he did include. For instance, I thought Sirius' death in the film lacked the gravity that the scene had not only in the book but on the series as a whole. He does make up for that by doing a nice job on the following scene involving Dumbledore and Voldemort's duel.
At the end of the day, this winds up being another fine addition to the series. This review will probably be pretty useless though as non-Potter fans aren't likely to see it and Potter fans have already checked it out (some more than once). I will definitely be seeing this again when it comes to the budget theater and then of course, buying the DVD. Hopefully by then, I'll be able to better assess where this one fits amongst the films of this fantastic series. Grade: A-
Friday, August 10, 2007
Be Kind Rewind
I just caught this trailer online and found it to be very funny. It's got an interesting premise and I'll be curious to check it out when it's released. Unfortunately, it's unclear when it's coming out. It looks like it will probably be either late this year or next year. Anyways, this is from the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so if you enjoyed that, you may like this as well. My only concern is that all the funny aspects are being shown in this trailer. But if it is, then at least you can see it now. Please to enjoy...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
The Simpsons on the big screen = A D'oh brainer
Being back up in Cleveland, I'm getting a chance to see some movies that are still in the first run theaters with family and friends. Today it was The Simpsons Movie. I've had an interesting relationship with the longest running animated show in history. When it first debuted, my parents forbid us from watching it, believing it was too racy for us. Then when I got older and began to watch it, I absolutely fell in love with it. There was a couple of years where I was all about everything Simpsons. Recently though, I've grown somewhat bored with the show. While it still has it moments, it's been difficult for them to seem fresh for the past few seasons. For this reason, I was cautiously optimistic about their jump to the big screen.
Now having seen it, I'm not sure how to feel. On one hand, the movie was more consistently funny than the show has been lately. By bringing in some of their old writers, they collectively were able to deliver a solid effort. However, there was nothing truly special about the film. Like many have said, it truly does play like a 90 minute version of the show.
The story is a solid one where they tackle timely issues of the environment and immigration. While only 90 minutes, the film does a good job of giving each of the primary four family members a storyline that was able to be developed and become integrated into the overall plot. Albert Brooks' role as the head of the EPA is very funny and a welcome addition. There are also a couple of decent cameos that I won't spoil for you here. On the disappointing side, though, a lot of of the beloved side characters don't get a lot of screen time. Burns and Skinner, in particular are pretty MIA.
I was also surprised by the adult actions seen by some of the characters. We get full frontal nudity from Bart, Homer giving the double bird, Otto smoking from a bong and Marge using God's name in vain. While they don't offend me, I do have two problems with it. Yes, the film is rated PG-13, but you know little kids will watch this film and they really shouldn't see that. Secondly, part of the show's appeal has been its ability to convey adult actions and jokes without actually doing them. It just seems lazy to have those things in there now.
That's also been a problem I've had with the show in general lately. Computer technology has allowed the show to illustrate things that previously weren't feasible. By expanding their universe, the Simpsons seem less intimate. You don't feel the same connection with them as you once did.
I feel like this review has been too negative, which I don't mean it to be. It's just easier to remember the bad things, than the positive ones. Overall, this is an enjoyable movie and anyone who has ever seen the show should do themselves a favor and go see this movie. Hopefully it's success will push the creators to consider ending the show and instead just producing solid efforts like this for the theaters every couple of years. Grade: B
Now having seen it, I'm not sure how to feel. On one hand, the movie was more consistently funny than the show has been lately. By bringing in some of their old writers, they collectively were able to deliver a solid effort. However, there was nothing truly special about the film. Like many have said, it truly does play like a 90 minute version of the show.
The story is a solid one where they tackle timely issues of the environment and immigration. While only 90 minutes, the film does a good job of giving each of the primary four family members a storyline that was able to be developed and become integrated into the overall plot. Albert Brooks' role as the head of the EPA is very funny and a welcome addition. There are also a couple of decent cameos that I won't spoil for you here. On the disappointing side, though, a lot of of the beloved side characters don't get a lot of screen time. Burns and Skinner, in particular are pretty MIA.
I was also surprised by the adult actions seen by some of the characters. We get full frontal nudity from Bart, Homer giving the double bird, Otto smoking from a bong and Marge using God's name in vain. While they don't offend me, I do have two problems with it. Yes, the film is rated PG-13, but you know little kids will watch this film and they really shouldn't see that. Secondly, part of the show's appeal has been its ability to convey adult actions and jokes without actually doing them. It just seems lazy to have those things in there now.
That's also been a problem I've had with the show in general lately. Computer technology has allowed the show to illustrate things that previously weren't feasible. By expanding their universe, the Simpsons seem less intimate. You don't feel the same connection with them as you once did.
I feel like this review has been too negative, which I don't mean it to be. It's just easier to remember the bad things, than the positive ones. Overall, this is an enjoyable movie and anyone who has ever seen the show should do themselves a favor and go see this movie. Hopefully it's success will push the creators to consider ending the show and instead just producing solid efforts like this for the theaters every couple of years. Grade: B
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
The monster that is "Dear Sister"
This past weekend I caught a SNL rerun that had an absolutely hilarious Digital Short. Of course, everyone is now familiar with "Lazy Sunday" and "Dick in a Box", but this one was absolutely hilarious. Titled "Dear Sister", it's a parody of a death scene from the show The O.C. where a character gets shot and then this ridiculously schmaltzy song starts playing. Here's the SNL short:
But here's the thing...I thought this was something that I found funny, yet no one else would appreciate. Then I go on YouTube to watch it again and find out that there are a TON of parody version of this short. For example, here's a favorite of mine from Heroes:
If you find this as funny as I do, you can watch a bunch of them here or you can just do your own YouTube search.
But here's the thing...I thought this was something that I found funny, yet no one else would appreciate. Then I go on YouTube to watch it again and find out that there are a TON of parody version of this short. For example, here's a favorite of mine from Heroes:
If you find this as funny as I do, you can watch a bunch of them here or you can just do your own YouTube search.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Once upon a time, they ran out of fairy tale puns
So yesterday, with no computer and my AC broken, I needed to get out of my apartment and do something. I decided to go check out Shrek the Third at the budget theater. Sadly, the most positive thing I can say is that I was cooled off for 90 minutes.
I'm not sure what happened here. While I wasn't the biggest fan of this franchise, I had enjoyed each of the first two films. The first one did a nice job of presenting an alternative take on classic fairy tale characters, while also creating some nice parodies of current pop culture concepts. The second film then took those qualities and amped them up to the next degree.
In this third film, it appeared that everyone involved was just looking to make a quick buck. All of the charm and humor found in the previous films were nonexistent this time around. And I wasn't alone in feeling this way. I sat with an audience of children who barely laughed either, except at some of the egregious physical comedy.
The premise for the film sounds decent on paper, but isn't really executed properly. Shrek looks for a new king for Far, Far Away while Charming tries to take over the throne himself. All of the plot points, however, are underdeveloped leaving the audience emotionally unattached as to the outcome of all this. We never really see what's so horrible about Far, Far Away with Charming in charge. We never learn why Arthur is such an outcast and thus don't care whether he becomes king or not. We don't get a good sense of why Shrek fears being king or a father when it seems that everyone around him has no problem with him taking on these roles.
All of the side characters are back once again, but bring nothing fresh to them. Gingy, in particular, who was such a delight in the first film, comes off especially grating here. The film also introduces a slew of new characters, but none of them get enough time to develop any sort of personality.
The only moments where the film shows any energy is in their use of familiar songs. The funeral scene involving "Live and Let Die" and the battle scene which involved a Zepplin song are the best parts. But then I felt like I only enjoyed them because I recognized the songs, not because it was particularly creative on the director's part.
Clearly this film made oodles of money, but this film is nowhere near the caliber of the previous two. Because of its financial success, I'm sure we'll be seeing more from these characters in some capacity. But if it was up to me, I think it's time that we say "The End" to Shrek and co. Grade: C
I'm not sure what happened here. While I wasn't the biggest fan of this franchise, I had enjoyed each of the first two films. The first one did a nice job of presenting an alternative take on classic fairy tale characters, while also creating some nice parodies of current pop culture concepts. The second film then took those qualities and amped them up to the next degree.
In this third film, it appeared that everyone involved was just looking to make a quick buck. All of the charm and humor found in the previous films were nonexistent this time around. And I wasn't alone in feeling this way. I sat with an audience of children who barely laughed either, except at some of the egregious physical comedy.
The premise for the film sounds decent on paper, but isn't really executed properly. Shrek looks for a new king for Far, Far Away while Charming tries to take over the throne himself. All of the plot points, however, are underdeveloped leaving the audience emotionally unattached as to the outcome of all this. We never really see what's so horrible about Far, Far Away with Charming in charge. We never learn why Arthur is such an outcast and thus don't care whether he becomes king or not. We don't get a good sense of why Shrek fears being king or a father when it seems that everyone around him has no problem with him taking on these roles.
All of the side characters are back once again, but bring nothing fresh to them. Gingy, in particular, who was such a delight in the first film, comes off especially grating here. The film also introduces a slew of new characters, but none of them get enough time to develop any sort of personality.
The only moments where the film shows any energy is in their use of familiar songs. The funeral scene involving "Live and Let Die" and the battle scene which involved a Zepplin song are the best parts. But then I felt like I only enjoyed them because I recognized the songs, not because it was particularly creative on the director's part.
Clearly this film made oodles of money, but this film is nowhere near the caliber of the previous two. Because of its financial success, I'm sure we'll be seeing more from these characters in some capacity. But if it was up to me, I think it's time that we say "The End" to Shrek and co. Grade: C
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Trade deadline depression
So the MLB trading deadline came and went without the Indians making a peep. Well, they did get Lofton; but as nice as it is to have Kenny back, we did not need another outfielder. We had other areas of concern that just got ignored. Once again it appears that frugality and mismanagement will prevent us from having a real chance at a championship.
Clearly, the big winners today were the Red Sox and the Braves; two teams who were already pretty good, yet recognized their weaknesses and got deals done to improve themselves.
Then, as if the Tribe's inactivity wasn't depressing enough, the team's offensive futility continues, as they lose tonight to the lowly Rangers; a team that seemingly traded 3/4ths of their roster today. The only bright spot is that the Tigers are going through similar woes, which has kept us close to first. This team needs to wake up and get their act together so that they can make a move and return to the playoffs.
Clearly, the big winners today were the Red Sox and the Braves; two teams who were already pretty good, yet recognized their weaknesses and got deals done to improve themselves.
Then, as if the Tribe's inactivity wasn't depressing enough, the team's offensive futility continues, as they lose tonight to the lowly Rangers; a team that seemingly traded 3/4ths of their roster today. The only bright spot is that the Tigers are going through similar woes, which has kept us close to first. This team needs to wake up and get their act together so that they can make a move and return to the playoffs.
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