So I encountered my first MMA ever last night, catching it at one of the local bars. It was a unique experience to say the least. We unfortunately didn't arrive early enough and had to stand to watch the whole show. Now I know how those Johnny-come-latelys felt at Hooters when I used to go there to watch WWE PPVs. As for the actual show, the two middleweight fights that opened the show were decent, albeit for different reasons. The opener was a well balanced fight that saw both guys get in some decent shots and end in a split decision with the Japanese guy getting the nod. The other middleweight bout featured a vicious knockout punch by Henderson followed by a (unnecessary?) follow-up punch to prove a point. The welterweight title fight was a real snoozer with Georges St. Pierre doing a lot of grappling and basically biding time in order to retain his belt. The main event with Brock Lesnar was short and sweet with him earning a KO in the second round over Frank Mir, who was the only guy he had ever lost to before. Brock's postmatch antics have the UFC community all riled up, but I found them entertaining. Nice to see he hasn't forgotten everything he learned during his time with pro wrestling.
Overall, while I can see the appeal to some this just isn't my cup of tea. For me, there's just not enough payoff throughout the show to make it worthwhile. I also don't get how people can spend so much time looking to injure someone else only to then shake their hand afterwards. There's no appeal to me in trying to hurt someone for the sake of competition. But the biggest strike against MMA has nothing really to do with the sport and everything to do with its fans. Pro wrestling gets a lot of flack for its hillbilly fan base, but I think I prefer most of them to the testosterone-filled, Affliction shirt wearing meatheads and their put upon girlfriends that make up the audiences for these show. I'm glad I got to check this out, but I don't think I'll be watching anymore action from the Octagon anytime soon.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
This vacay looks only okay
Here's a trailer for Couples Retreat. This came out a couple weeks ago but I was hesitant to post it because nothing I saw jumped out at me as being particularly great, despite the wonderfully comedic cast. But since I've been light on content recently I opted to post it anyways in hopes maybe someone else can spot something here and show me that this has a chance of being great.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Monster rehash
As a critic, you would prefer films to either be amazingly great or amazingly terrible. In either scenario, you're guaranteed to have plenty to write about. It's the films that are simply ordinary or average that are difficult to write for. Such is the case with the latest film I saw at the budget theater, Monsters vs. Aliens.
On the surface this seems to be anything but an ordinary film. This is a big budget, 3D animated feature from Dreamworks. The film features plenty of colorful characters/creatures and boasts an impressive voice cast. Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Keifer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Stephen Colbert all lend their pipes to this film. Despite all that, this film failed to capture me in any way.
I could lay the blame on Pixar, who's animated films raise the bar so high that it would be unfair to compare them to any other cartoon. However, Dreamworks has shown at times, in films like Shrek and more recently, Kung Fu Panda, that it is capable of making films that are well done and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. So it is disappointing to see such a lack of effort here, when the potential was all there.
As I listed above, the film has a long list of talented actors providing the voices for these characters. Each of them have deliver some funny lines in the movie, but I never really believed any of them were their characters. I was aware at all times that it was actor talking, not the character I was watching. The best voice acting occurs when you buy into the character so much that you forget who's providing the voice. Part of the problem here is the distinct voices of the actors in this cast. The other problem is that we never spend enough time with any of the characters, except for maybe Witherspoon's Susan/Ginormica to really get to know them or appreciate them.
The movie also spends way too much time paying homage/satirizing other films and not enough time on their own story. There are a ton of film references here, which provide smiles, but not laughs. The film also tries to create a B-movie feel, but does not go through with it enough to truly do the genre justice. It's more of an acknowledgement of those films rather than representing those films.
The plot of this story revolves around the United States keep various monsters under wraps until an alien invasion forces them to unleash the monsters to help wage war. The odd thing however is that the aliens are only invading because they want the energy being harnessed by one of the monsters. The way this plot is constructed, it basically ignores the human race's perspective, which could have added something. And this battle between monsters vs. aliens does not have enough at stake because the monsters don't really have any reason to hate the aliens. I just wanted everything on a more epic scale and it wasn't there.
The last thing I'll mention is a growing concern I have for other animated features based on this film. Because it was offered in 3D, there are several scenes intended specifically for the technology that are not organic to the story, like a guy playing with a paddleball right in front of the camera. I did not see the film in 3D, so a scene like that looks really stupid. I hope future filmmakers find more subtle ways to incorporate the 3D technology or just abandon it altogether.
Monsters vs. Aliens does have quite a few laughs, thanks to its talented cast, but as a whole left a lot to be desired. They had good actors, creative characters, and an intriguing premise, yet the execution of it all left a lot to be desired. Kids who do not care as much about these nuances will no doubt love this. As for adults, the only enjoyment from this will come if you're passively watching it while also doing something else. If you go into it with high expectations like I did, you'll find them crashing back down to Earth very quickly. Grade: C+
On the surface this seems to be anything but an ordinary film. This is a big budget, 3D animated feature from Dreamworks. The film features plenty of colorful characters/creatures and boasts an impressive voice cast. Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Keifer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Stephen Colbert all lend their pipes to this film. Despite all that, this film failed to capture me in any way.
I could lay the blame on Pixar, who's animated films raise the bar so high that it would be unfair to compare them to any other cartoon. However, Dreamworks has shown at times, in films like Shrek and more recently, Kung Fu Panda, that it is capable of making films that are well done and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. So it is disappointing to see such a lack of effort here, when the potential was all there.
As I listed above, the film has a long list of talented actors providing the voices for these characters. Each of them have deliver some funny lines in the movie, but I never really believed any of them were their characters. I was aware at all times that it was actor talking, not the character I was watching. The best voice acting occurs when you buy into the character so much that you forget who's providing the voice. Part of the problem here is the distinct voices of the actors in this cast. The other problem is that we never spend enough time with any of the characters, except for maybe Witherspoon's Susan/Ginormica to really get to know them or appreciate them.
The movie also spends way too much time paying homage/satirizing other films and not enough time on their own story. There are a ton of film references here, which provide smiles, but not laughs. The film also tries to create a B-movie feel, but does not go through with it enough to truly do the genre justice. It's more of an acknowledgement of those films rather than representing those films.
The plot of this story revolves around the United States keep various monsters under wraps until an alien invasion forces them to unleash the monsters to help wage war. The odd thing however is that the aliens are only invading because they want the energy being harnessed by one of the monsters. The way this plot is constructed, it basically ignores the human race's perspective, which could have added something. And this battle between monsters vs. aliens does not have enough at stake because the monsters don't really have any reason to hate the aliens. I just wanted everything on a more epic scale and it wasn't there.
The last thing I'll mention is a growing concern I have for other animated features based on this film. Because it was offered in 3D, there are several scenes intended specifically for the technology that are not organic to the story, like a guy playing with a paddleball right in front of the camera. I did not see the film in 3D, so a scene like that looks really stupid. I hope future filmmakers find more subtle ways to incorporate the 3D technology or just abandon it altogether.
Monsters vs. Aliens does have quite a few laughs, thanks to its talented cast, but as a whole left a lot to be desired. They had good actors, creative characters, and an intriguing premise, yet the execution of it all left a lot to be desired. Kids who do not care as much about these nuances will no doubt love this. As for adults, the only enjoyment from this will come if you're passively watching it while also doing something else. If you go into it with high expectations like I did, you'll find them crashing back down to Earth very quickly. Grade: C+
Friday, July 3, 2009
NMR: Gangster's paradise
With Public Enemies being released this week, I figured I'd check out a couple of classic mobster movies...
Goodfellas: Much to the shock of some, I had never seen Martin Scorcese's 1990 gangster film before. Watching the film two things surprised me; 1) I liked it more than I thought I would as it's a tight story that's beautifully filmed and fully establishes it's characters. 2) Despite my enjoyment, I don't get the revere some people have for these characters. These are bad men and portrayed as nothing else. I get the idea of the anti-hero, but the actions of these guys do not seem like something I would want to emulate. Ridiculous hero worship aside for these character, this is a tremendous film and worth a look if you've never seen it before. Rating: ****
The Untouchables: I was really digging this film for about three quarters of the way. There are some tremendous performances, particularly by Sean Connery. Kevin Coster is also very good as Eliott Ness; portraying him as the boy scout who learns to find his edge in order to bring down Al Capone. Speaking of Capone, I was slightly disappointed that they did not give Robert De Niro more to do with this character. De Niro's flat performance is not as big of a deal as the drawn out, aimless conclusion. The film really struggles to find a way to finish. After the shootout that mirrors the scene from Battleship Potemkin, the film wanders around and just sort of peters out. Still, this is mostly a strong film and also warrants a viewing. Rating: ****
Goodfellas: Much to the shock of some, I had never seen Martin Scorcese's 1990 gangster film before. Watching the film two things surprised me; 1) I liked it more than I thought I would as it's a tight story that's beautifully filmed and fully establishes it's characters. 2) Despite my enjoyment, I don't get the revere some people have for these characters. These are bad men and portrayed as nothing else. I get the idea of the anti-hero, but the actions of these guys do not seem like something I would want to emulate. Ridiculous hero worship aside for these character, this is a tremendous film and worth a look if you've never seen it before. Rating: ****
The Untouchables: I was really digging this film for about three quarters of the way. There are some tremendous performances, particularly by Sean Connery. Kevin Coster is also very good as Eliott Ness; portraying him as the boy scout who learns to find his edge in order to bring down Al Capone. Speaking of Capone, I was slightly disappointed that they did not give Robert De Niro more to do with this character. De Niro's flat performance is not as big of a deal as the drawn out, aimless conclusion. The film really struggles to find a way to finish. After the shootout that mirrors the scene from Battleship Potemkin, the film wanders around and just sort of peters out. Still, this is mostly a strong film and also warrants a viewing. Rating: ****
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Trailer!
Well it's about damn time. The Informant! trailer is finally here. This was the only film left from my top 30 of '09 that I had not seen any footage from yet and it was in my top 5. This trailer now makes me all the more excited for this film. Still unclear on a release date because the latest I had heard was that it was due out in October, but this video says September. Hopefully we'll get confirmation in a few weeks. Until then, enjoy!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
NMR: Hoffman of science
Outbreak: This is the film that tried to cash in on the ebola scare back in 1995. It starts out promising with the discovery of a deadly virus spreading throughout a small town in the U.S. However, the film quickly devolves into a stupid action thriller with a dash of government conspiracy. The filmmakers seemingly didn't believe audiences would be interested in the science of this plot and abandoned it for chase scenes and explosions. It would be interesting to see another film like this now after the sucess of shows like CSI, which prove science can be equally as engaging as action. What saves this film is a strong cast that not only has Dustin Hoffman in the lead role, but also Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland in supporting roles. Rating: ***
Sphere: I've moved from John Grisham to Michael Crichton, but the result seems to be the same; crappy adaptations of fun, engaging novels. Another decent cast here with Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, and Liev Schrieber along for the ride with Hoffman. However, in this case, the cast can't save this film. They play supposedly brilliant scientists in various fields yet their actions don't support that. The audience figures things out way before the characters do. Then we get too many exposition scenes that unnecessarily overexplain everything. The special effects also could have saved this film, but look rather cheap. An all in all disappointment here. Rating: **
Sphere: I've moved from John Grisham to Michael Crichton, but the result seems to be the same; crappy adaptations of fun, engaging novels. Another decent cast here with Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, and Liev Schrieber along for the ride with Hoffman. However, in this case, the cast can't save this film. They play supposedly brilliant scientists in various fields yet their actions don't support that. The audience figures things out way before the characters do. Then we get too many exposition scenes that unnecessarily overexplain everything. The special effects also could have saved this film, but look rather cheap. An all in all disappointment here. Rating: **
Hasbro strikes again
First Transformers, then G.I. Joe, and now this? These toy movies have to be stopped!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
NMR: The Steve Martin Trio
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: A con artist comedy that's a lot of fun, even if you can easily predict how everything will play out. What really works here are the performances by Martin and Michael Caine as the competing scammers. They play their characters perfectly and yield as much humor as possible out of both of them. I wasn't crazy about Glenn Headly, who plays the women they're trying to con, but she doesn't detract from things greatly. Nothing fancy here, just good ol' fun and laughs. Rating: ***
The Spanish Prisoner: This is a little known drama from 1997. So little in fact, that I didn't even know much about it before watching it online through Netflix. Steve Martin plays another con artist here, but this is really an ensemble film that also includes Campbell Scott, Felicity Huffman, and Ricky Jay. I thought this was very well done with a lot of twists and turns in a similar vein (although not as great as The Usual Suspects). The only caveat I'll offer is that the film was written and directed by David Mamet, who has a very unique style that is not everybody's tastes. If you enjoy his type of dialogue, you should enjoy this. Rating: ****
Baby Mama: Steve Martin isn't the star here, but since he does have a supporting role, I figured I'd throw this review into the post as well. This is the moderately successful comedy from last year starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. There are some really funny moments in here, including many from Martin, who plays Fey's boss. However, the story is very pedestrian and I struggled to remain interested. I did like the romance that develops between Fey and Greg Kinnear, who I typically find too smarmy to be likeable. Had Fey written this film, like she did for Mean Girls, this would have been a lot better. Rating: ***
The Spanish Prisoner: This is a little known drama from 1997. So little in fact, that I didn't even know much about it before watching it online through Netflix. Steve Martin plays another con artist here, but this is really an ensemble film that also includes Campbell Scott, Felicity Huffman, and Ricky Jay. I thought this was very well done with a lot of twists and turns in a similar vein (although not as great as The Usual Suspects). The only caveat I'll offer is that the film was written and directed by David Mamet, who has a very unique style that is not everybody's tastes. If you enjoy his type of dialogue, you should enjoy this. Rating: ****
Baby Mama: Steve Martin isn't the star here, but since he does have a supporting role, I figured I'd throw this review into the post as well. This is the moderately successful comedy from last year starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. There are some really funny moments in here, including many from Martin, who plays Fey's boss. However, the story is very pedestrian and I struggled to remain interested. I did like the romance that develops between Fey and Greg Kinnear, who I typically find too smarmy to be likeable. Had Fey written this film, like she did for Mean Girls, this would have been a lot better. Rating: ***
Friday, June 26, 2009
A video to flip for
If only all soccer was as awesome as this video, I might actually consider watching this worthless, boring sport with some regularity.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Scrap metal
I'm either a sucker for big events or a glutton for punishment. I'm not sure which is correct but both apply given that I opted to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last night, despite not being overly crazy about the first one that came out back in 2007.
Most sequels are often described as being just like the original only bigger. That remains true for this film, unfortunately for me, what's bigger are the problems that existed in the original film. Once again, the film stars Shia LeBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a young man who has a strong connection to the Autobots as they continue their war with the Decepticons. Why there needs to be a central human character involved in this war still isn't clear to me, even after two films. It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I don't care for Shia LeBeouf, but I'll admit he's far from the worst thing about this movie.
Shia looks better comparatively to many of the other human actors that make up the cast. Once again, too much time is spent with these ancillary characters that either don't add anything to the story or are downright annoying. The worst offenders are Sam's mother, who gets way too much screentime at the beginning of the film providing "humor" and Sam's college roommate, who is whiny and useless as he tags along with Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela (once again played by Megan Fox). Speaking of Megan Fox, I keep hearing how she's the next "it girl", but frankly I don't see it. She's attractive, but not THAT gorgeous and has zero talent when it comes to acting. Thankfully, she's only in this movie for T & A, which director Michael Bay uses to his fullest advantage.
The story here also has major problems, mainly because there really isn't any story. The same basic war is being fought and this time everyone is after a different object instead of the AllSpark from the first film. In a movie like this, I can forgive them for not having a strong story because they simply want to feature cool robot fights. However, the one thing that bugged me is that the events of the film did not flow very naturally. Characters continually disappear and then reappear only when it's convenient for them to show up. For instance, after the Fallen, the new bad guy in the film, announces his evil plan he's not seen from again until the very end of the movie. There's this long stretch of exposition scenes that needed to be broken up by showing the bad guys actually going through with their plan.
Now I just mentioned above how story is eschewed for displaying the Transformers fighting. This is the one thing they did improve on from the previous film. There are a ton of new robots featured and there is plenty of robot-on-robot carnage throughout this film. Now there were still parts where I felt it was difficult to differentiate which robot was winning. However, there were a few scenes that were just visually awesome. The forest scene featuring Optimus Prime battling a few Decipticons is particularly great. If only the film could have someone focused on that. Just get rid of the human element and let's watch these machines duke it out.
While they did add plenty of new robots to the mix this time, not all of them were great additions. Most notably, are "the twins"; a pair of jive-talking Autobots that are crass stereotypes. I mean, we're talking Jar Jar Binks territory here. With the way that Michael Bay depicts African American characters in his films, I'm beginning to wonder if he is somewhat of a racist. I hate making such an accusation, but some of the stereotypes seen in both human and non-human characters are crineworthy at times.
In addition, to eliminating these crass characterizations, Michael Bay would have also been better served trimming down this film altogether. At almost two and half hours, this is just too much. There were several scenes that I felt could have been cut. However, it was perhaps most obvious during the final climax which involves Sam and co. racing across the Egyptian desert trying to reach Optimus Prime and the army. This takes forever! I swear Frodo got to Mordor in faster time. And you know we're in trouble if I start giving Lord of the Rings compliments.
In some ways, I feel like this review isn't going to be particularly helpful to readers and is just an opportunity for me to rant. Let's face it, those that were inclined to see this already probably did so already or will soon, regardless of what I say. Those that didn't plan on seeing this will just look at this as confirmation that they were justified in skipping it.
I will say this, for as much as I've pointed out the film's flaws, I truly believe that if you enjoyed the first film there will be enough in here for you to enjoy this one just as much, if not more. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is what it is. Don't expect this to be a best picture contender (even with that news the other day that they plan on expanding the number of nominees from 5 to 10). This is a noisy, action thrill ride that will leave you buzzing, literally. I left the theater feeling like I had just spent the entire day at Cedar Point. Whether you view that as good or bad, at least we can all agree that very few films are capable of that. Grade: C
Most sequels are often described as being just like the original only bigger. That remains true for this film, unfortunately for me, what's bigger are the problems that existed in the original film. Once again, the film stars Shia LeBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a young man who has a strong connection to the Autobots as they continue their war with the Decepticons. Why there needs to be a central human character involved in this war still isn't clear to me, even after two films. It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I don't care for Shia LeBeouf, but I'll admit he's far from the worst thing about this movie.
Shia looks better comparatively to many of the other human actors that make up the cast. Once again, too much time is spent with these ancillary characters that either don't add anything to the story or are downright annoying. The worst offenders are Sam's mother, who gets way too much screentime at the beginning of the film providing "humor" and Sam's college roommate, who is whiny and useless as he tags along with Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela (once again played by Megan Fox). Speaking of Megan Fox, I keep hearing how she's the next "it girl", but frankly I don't see it. She's attractive, but not THAT gorgeous and has zero talent when it comes to acting. Thankfully, she's only in this movie for T & A, which director Michael Bay uses to his fullest advantage.
The story here also has major problems, mainly because there really isn't any story. The same basic war is being fought and this time everyone is after a different object instead of the AllSpark from the first film. In a movie like this, I can forgive them for not having a strong story because they simply want to feature cool robot fights. However, the one thing that bugged me is that the events of the film did not flow very naturally. Characters continually disappear and then reappear only when it's convenient for them to show up. For instance, after the Fallen, the new bad guy in the film, announces his evil plan he's not seen from again until the very end of the movie. There's this long stretch of exposition scenes that needed to be broken up by showing the bad guys actually going through with their plan.
Now I just mentioned above how story is eschewed for displaying the Transformers fighting. This is the one thing they did improve on from the previous film. There are a ton of new robots featured and there is plenty of robot-on-robot carnage throughout this film. Now there were still parts where I felt it was difficult to differentiate which robot was winning. However, there were a few scenes that were just visually awesome. The forest scene featuring Optimus Prime battling a few Decipticons is particularly great. If only the film could have someone focused on that. Just get rid of the human element and let's watch these machines duke it out.
While they did add plenty of new robots to the mix this time, not all of them were great additions. Most notably, are "the twins"; a pair of jive-talking Autobots that are crass stereotypes. I mean, we're talking Jar Jar Binks territory here. With the way that Michael Bay depicts African American characters in his films, I'm beginning to wonder if he is somewhat of a racist. I hate making such an accusation, but some of the stereotypes seen in both human and non-human characters are crineworthy at times.
In addition, to eliminating these crass characterizations, Michael Bay would have also been better served trimming down this film altogether. At almost two and half hours, this is just too much. There were several scenes that I felt could have been cut. However, it was perhaps most obvious during the final climax which involves Sam and co. racing across the Egyptian desert trying to reach Optimus Prime and the army. This takes forever! I swear Frodo got to Mordor in faster time. And you know we're in trouble if I start giving Lord of the Rings compliments.
In some ways, I feel like this review isn't going to be particularly helpful to readers and is just an opportunity for me to rant. Let's face it, those that were inclined to see this already probably did so already or will soon, regardless of what I say. Those that didn't plan on seeing this will just look at this as confirmation that they were justified in skipping it.
I will say this, for as much as I've pointed out the film's flaws, I truly believe that if you enjoyed the first film there will be enough in here for you to enjoy this one just as much, if not more. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is what it is. Don't expect this to be a best picture contender (even with that news the other day that they plan on expanding the number of nominees from 5 to 10). This is a noisy, action thrill ride that will leave you buzzing, literally. I left the theater feeling like I had just spent the entire day at Cedar Point. Whether you view that as good or bad, at least we can all agree that very few films are capable of that. Grade: C
What's in the box? What's in the box?
Here's a trailer for another thriller set to come out this fall, called The Box starring Cameron Diaz and Frank Langella.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Heroes loses its hero
Breaking news today that Bryan Fuller is once again leaving Heroes. I guess any chance for some turnaround in Season 4 is all but gone at this point. Here's the story from EW.com...
Just as Heroes was gaining some creative momentum comes word of another setback: Bryan Fuller has vacated his post as consulting producer.
The acclaimed Pushing Daisies auteur tells me that he left to focus on developing new projects for NBC, and not (as some have speculated) due to creative differences with series creator Tim Kring.
"I'm crafting two pilots right now and it's a lot of work," admits Fuller, who has an overall deal with NBC. "It was just too hard to [juggle] Heroes and my development; something had to give."
Better Ted than dead
Just as a reminder, ABC's lone decent sitcom, Better Off Ted returns with new episodes starting tomorrow night (June 23). The show was already picked up for a second season, but it would be nice if everyone out there would show it some support by watching these remaining episodes from Season 1 that have yet to air. To give you a taste of the show, here's a video from Veridian Dynamics, the ambiguous company that the main characters work at. Fake PSA's like the one seen here are typically run at the beginning of every episode.
Faith off
Another hot day, plus not being able to be with my dad on Father's Day meant I headed over to the budget theater to relax. This time it was for Nicholas Cage's latest, Knowing.
Knowing made it onto my top 30 for '09 list back in December, albeit with some caveats. The premise of this movie sounded interesting; a man comes across a list of numbers found in a time capsule that list the date and number of casualities for every single disaster that's occurred and some that have yet to happen. However, given Cage's track record of films I fully understood that the movie could easily be complete junk. Sadly, just as the tragedies predicted on that sheet came true, so did my worries for this film.
For the most part, the film works early on. I like the original premise, even if they have Cage figure out the meaning of the numbers too quickly. I also like the scenes involving Cage's efforts to stop the upcoming disasters. One scene involves a plane crash and the other involves a subway derailment. Both scenes are harrowing in their realism. Director Alex Proyas does not pull any punches in depicting the destruction of the actual events nor the frightening moments in the immediate aftermath. With the way these scenes were done, I was intriqued by where the film was headed.
Sadly, the film takes a massive detour, turning this unique premise into a preachy mess related to an impending apocalypse. We get the whole man of science/man of faith debate thrown into the film haphazardly. Anyone that has watched Lost, knows that this dichotomy can be done so much better. None of it seems authentic here, making the film's conclusion all the more hokey.
The film also spends a lot of time with the child characters. Issues relating to them being the "chosen ones" are not fully explained. Instead, Knowing presents them in the same unique/spooky/gifted/bedeviled/creepy way that we've seen in way too many films in recent years. Ever since Haley Joel Osment's performance in The Sixth Sense we've seen this glut of troubled/special children in thrillers. I am hereby calling for an end to this plot point. It's become hackneyed and tired and most kid actors can't pull it off effectively.
I really wanted to like this film, but as it went further and further away from the original premise I wondered why they were making these decisions. It was as if they didn't have any faith in their story and felt they needed to gin it up by making it some end of the world morality tale. It basically combines The Number 23 with The Day The Earth Stood Still, which is not a combination you want to have.
They say knowing is half the battle and in this case Knowing only won half the battle. The other half, which involves executing on the original premise is where this film was lost. Chalk this up as another terrible movie for Nic Cage. With his track record of batting .500, his next film will no dobut be fantastic. As for this one, unless you want to marvel as the visual beauty of horrible tragedies on your HDTV, there's no need to check out Knowing. Grade: C-
Knowing made it onto my top 30 for '09 list back in December, albeit with some caveats. The premise of this movie sounded interesting; a man comes across a list of numbers found in a time capsule that list the date and number of casualities for every single disaster that's occurred and some that have yet to happen. However, given Cage's track record of films I fully understood that the movie could easily be complete junk. Sadly, just as the tragedies predicted on that sheet came true, so did my worries for this film.
For the most part, the film works early on. I like the original premise, even if they have Cage figure out the meaning of the numbers too quickly. I also like the scenes involving Cage's efforts to stop the upcoming disasters. One scene involves a plane crash and the other involves a subway derailment. Both scenes are harrowing in their realism. Director Alex Proyas does not pull any punches in depicting the destruction of the actual events nor the frightening moments in the immediate aftermath. With the way these scenes were done, I was intriqued by where the film was headed.
Sadly, the film takes a massive detour, turning this unique premise into a preachy mess related to an impending apocalypse. We get the whole man of science/man of faith debate thrown into the film haphazardly. Anyone that has watched Lost, knows that this dichotomy can be done so much better. None of it seems authentic here, making the film's conclusion all the more hokey.
The film also spends a lot of time with the child characters. Issues relating to them being the "chosen ones" are not fully explained. Instead, Knowing presents them in the same unique/spooky/gifted/bedeviled/creepy way that we've seen in way too many films in recent years. Ever since Haley Joel Osment's performance in The Sixth Sense we've seen this glut of troubled/special children in thrillers. I am hereby calling for an end to this plot point. It's become hackneyed and tired and most kid actors can't pull it off effectively.
I really wanted to like this film, but as it went further and further away from the original premise I wondered why they were making these decisions. It was as if they didn't have any faith in their story and felt they needed to gin it up by making it some end of the world morality tale. It basically combines The Number 23 with The Day The Earth Stood Still, which is not a combination you want to have.
They say knowing is half the battle and in this case Knowing only won half the battle. The other half, which involves executing on the original premise is where this film was lost. Chalk this up as another terrible movie for Nic Cage. With his track record of batting .500, his next film will no dobut be fantastic. As for this one, unless you want to marvel as the visual beauty of horrible tragedies on your HDTV, there's no need to check out Knowing. Grade: C-
Saturday, June 20, 2009
NMR: Grisham grabbag pt. 2
So I decided to finish off the films out there based on John Grisham novels. I'd write seperate reviews, but my thoughts are basically the same for both.
The Client and A Time to Kill: Both films boast some impressive casts that deliver fine performances. Without those high-profile actors, these movies would be absolute junk. Both of them go on for too long and beat a decent premise into the ground. They feature an endless amount of movie cliches that were tired 15 years ago when these films were first made. They work as decent ambient noise if you have them on the TV in the background, but as quality films they both fall just short. Rating: ***
The Client and A Time to Kill: Both films boast some impressive casts that deliver fine performances. Without those high-profile actors, these movies would be absolute junk. Both of them go on for too long and beat a decent premise into the ground. They feature an endless amount of movie cliches that were tired 15 years ago when these films were first made. They work as decent ambient noise if you have them on the TV in the background, but as quality films they both fall just short. Rating: ***
Friday, June 19, 2009
Donny Brook Theater?!?
Everyone that reads this probably knows that I've been a lifelong wrestling fan. So when I come across footage that I've never seen before, you know it's rare. But thanks to the WWE 24/7 channel, I had the honor/horror of seeing something that not only have I never seen before, but no one has. 'Donny Brook Theater' was a planned show in 1995 that would mix wrestling with sketch comedy. Yes, that's right, pro wrestlers performing in skits. For some reason, someone came to their senses and realized that this was a terrible idea before the show ever made it to air. One episode was taped however and has now been unearthed from the video vault. Please to enjoy...Donny Brook Theater!
Had a devil of a time
Yes, Reaper is long gone, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it. I stumbled across this interview with Bret Harrison and Tyler Labine (aka Sam and Sock) where they are very candid about how the show was treated and what could have happened had it continued for a third season. Check it out here.
It's the end of the world as we know it aka another day in the life of Roland Emmerich
Here's the first full trailer of the new apocalypse movie, 2012, coming out this November.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Beer and loathing in Las Vegas
It's been killing me not getting a chance to see any of the summer movies thus far, but that finally ended last night when I got a chance to see one of the few movies that is actually exceeding expectations this summer, The Hangover.
This is the new film from director Todd Phillips (Old School) about four guys who go to Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up the next day with the worst hangovers ever not remembering any of the destruction that they now see around them. Worst of all, the groom-to-be (played by Justin Bartha) is nowhere to be found. As is the case in most of Phillips' films, he has once again cast actors that may not be well known, but are perfect for the roles they're playing. Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (The Office) and stand-up Zack Galifinakis are all fantastic here.
For as much as this film is a comedy, it is just as equally a mystery movie. The audience is left in the dark along with these characters about just what exactly happened during their bender the previous night. At times this can be a little unnerving because of all the problems and damage that you see they've caused. You really begin to dread what exactly happened to them and by them. The movie does a very good job of slowly revealing everything and allows you to go through the roller coaster of emotions that these characters experience.
It would be a disservice to me to reveal any of those surprises, but I will say that each one is packed with laughs. Along the way, these guys run into a number of hilarious characters who help piece things together. Matt Walsh, Ken Jeong, and Mike Epps all show up throughout the movie and provide plenty of laughs. Heather Graham also shows up in one of her most tolerable roles ever, which is high praise on my part. Of course, best of all is the great cameo by Mike Tyson who is funny in the film beyond the scenes that you see in the trailers and commercials.
The real stars of the movie, however, are the three leads. Bradley Cooper gives his first performance that did not make me think of his psychotic character from Wedding Crashers. He showed me here that he's got what it takes to be leading man material. Ed Helms also does a nice job of breaking free of his Office persona and playing a realistic character. You really feel for the guy the way he's abused by his girlfriend (Rachel Harris), yet continues to try and defend her. And finally, I cannot say enough good things about Zack Galifinakis. His form of oddball humor shines in this movie and provides most of the film's best lines. I've been trying to sell people on his act for the past couple of years and I hope this film now gives him the exposure he deserves.
If the film has a flaw it's that it kind of peters out in the third act. The laughs aren't as frequent and everything gets resolved a bit too neatly considering all that has happened. However, the final scenes do feature a cameo from The Dan Band (they were the group that sang the crass version of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' at the wedding reception in Old School). It was great seeing another crude performance by them. Best of all the montage that runs during the credits is one of the best payoffs to a film in a long time. You must do yourself a favor and stay through the credits to watch it, it is truly hilarious.
While unsettling at times, the mystery that unfolds in The Hangover is a lot of fun to experience. As the gang learns more, you see how far things spiraled out of control. Even once you learn how everything plays out though, I feel like this movie will have a lot of replay value. Similar to Old School, I think most people will find themselves continuing to giggle uncontrollably while watching this late at night when it comes on cable in a few years. This is a fun ride and a great summer flick. I know I don't have a lot to go on, but I'll go out on a limb and say it'll be one of the best films of the summer. If you haven't already, go experience The Hangover. Grade: B+
This is the new film from director Todd Phillips (Old School) about four guys who go to Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up the next day with the worst hangovers ever not remembering any of the destruction that they now see around them. Worst of all, the groom-to-be (played by Justin Bartha) is nowhere to be found. As is the case in most of Phillips' films, he has once again cast actors that may not be well known, but are perfect for the roles they're playing. Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (The Office) and stand-up Zack Galifinakis are all fantastic here.
For as much as this film is a comedy, it is just as equally a mystery movie. The audience is left in the dark along with these characters about just what exactly happened during their bender the previous night. At times this can be a little unnerving because of all the problems and damage that you see they've caused. You really begin to dread what exactly happened to them and by them. The movie does a very good job of slowly revealing everything and allows you to go through the roller coaster of emotions that these characters experience.
It would be a disservice to me to reveal any of those surprises, but I will say that each one is packed with laughs. Along the way, these guys run into a number of hilarious characters who help piece things together. Matt Walsh, Ken Jeong, and Mike Epps all show up throughout the movie and provide plenty of laughs. Heather Graham also shows up in one of her most tolerable roles ever, which is high praise on my part. Of course, best of all is the great cameo by Mike Tyson who is funny in the film beyond the scenes that you see in the trailers and commercials.
The real stars of the movie, however, are the three leads. Bradley Cooper gives his first performance that did not make me think of his psychotic character from Wedding Crashers. He showed me here that he's got what it takes to be leading man material. Ed Helms also does a nice job of breaking free of his Office persona and playing a realistic character. You really feel for the guy the way he's abused by his girlfriend (Rachel Harris), yet continues to try and defend her. And finally, I cannot say enough good things about Zack Galifinakis. His form of oddball humor shines in this movie and provides most of the film's best lines. I've been trying to sell people on his act for the past couple of years and I hope this film now gives him the exposure he deserves.
If the film has a flaw it's that it kind of peters out in the third act. The laughs aren't as frequent and everything gets resolved a bit too neatly considering all that has happened. However, the final scenes do feature a cameo from The Dan Band (they were the group that sang the crass version of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' at the wedding reception in Old School). It was great seeing another crude performance by them. Best of all the montage that runs during the credits is one of the best payoffs to a film in a long time. You must do yourself a favor and stay through the credits to watch it, it is truly hilarious.
While unsettling at times, the mystery that unfolds in The Hangover is a lot of fun to experience. As the gang learns more, you see how far things spiraled out of control. Even once you learn how everything plays out though, I feel like this movie will have a lot of replay value. Similar to Old School, I think most people will find themselves continuing to giggle uncontrollably while watching this late at night when it comes on cable in a few years. This is a fun ride and a great summer flick. I know I don't have a lot to go on, but I'll go out on a limb and say it'll be one of the best films of the summer. If you haven't already, go experience The Hangover. Grade: B+
Friday, June 12, 2009
Golden Girls Gone Wild
Here's a fun clip from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon involving Fallon playing beer pong with Betty White. I'm still not sold on Fallon as a late night host, but this is just further proof of how awesome Betty White is!
Time to shake up some martinis
Quantum of Solace may stil be fresh in our minds (for better or worse), but there's already news about the next installment in the James Bond series. From EW.com comes the announcment of the writing team...
This seems like a good mix of quality and familiarity. Sounds like I'll be restarting the Bond countdown in no time.
Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) along with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the screenwriters behind the last two Bond films, Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, will be charged with crafting the script for the 23rd James Bond film. Daniel Craig is set to reprise his role as James Bond in what has become the longest-running franchise in movie-making history. Morgan is currently working on an HBO special called The Special Relationship and the Dreamworks film Hereafter and will focus on Bond after he completes those two projects. Purvis and Wade have collaborated on the last four Bond films and are currently working on the sequel to The Italian Job.
This seems like a good mix of quality and familiarity. Sounds like I'll be restarting the Bond countdown in no time.
Is that a chill in the air?
The trailers for the fall movies are already starting to come out. Here's one for Shutter Island, one of the movies I picked for my top 30 in '09. The film stars Leonardo Dicaprio and is directed by Martin Scorsese.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
NMR: Marley & Me
I haven't seen anything else recently that could be paired up with this, so I guess this will get the solo treatment.
After a ridiculously long wait to receive this, I'm almost wishing I had never even put it in my queue in the first place. This was insufferable to sit through. It was like being forced to watch someone else's home movies. Nothing that happens matters to anyone but the people that it's happening to. There is just endless montages of Marley destroying stuff that serve no purpose. I didn't need thirty reminders that this was a disobedient dog. And I'm sorry, but there is no way that dog would continue to be a menace for that log. Either those people would have gotten rid of it or they would have done something to better train him. Also not believeable was Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as regular people. They are way too pretty and Hollywood to play these people. For a look at the real John Grogan, visit here. The end result here is manufactured sentimentality. Various points from this couple's life are chosen to manipulate the audience's emotions without providing any cohesion behind them. By the end of the film, I couldn't care less about the obvious conclusion. There was only one bright spot in this movie; Alan Arkin as the newspaper editior. I found the newspaper stuff to be interesting and his character provided the only funny moments in the film. The rest is just junk. Rating: **
After a ridiculously long wait to receive this, I'm almost wishing I had never even put it in my queue in the first place. This was insufferable to sit through. It was like being forced to watch someone else's home movies. Nothing that happens matters to anyone but the people that it's happening to. There is just endless montages of Marley destroying stuff that serve no purpose. I didn't need thirty reminders that this was a disobedient dog. And I'm sorry, but there is no way that dog would continue to be a menace for that log. Either those people would have gotten rid of it or they would have done something to better train him. Also not believeable was Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as regular people. They are way too pretty and Hollywood to play these people. For a look at the real John Grogan, visit here. The end result here is manufactured sentimentality. Various points from this couple's life are chosen to manipulate the audience's emotions without providing any cohesion behind them. By the end of the film, I couldn't care less about the obvious conclusion. There was only one bright spot in this movie; Alan Arkin as the newspaper editior. I found the newspaper stuff to be interesting and his character provided the only funny moments in the film. The rest is just junk. Rating: **
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A high for fans of the Winslows
Check out this video of some nerds visiting the house that was seen in all the exterior shots on the 90's sitcom, Family Matters.
NMR: DeNiro double feature
Backdraft: DeNiro has a relatively small role in this firefighting film starring Kurt Russell and William Baldwin. I actually would have liked his role increased as I found his arson investigator character to be interesting. I'm surprised no one has tried to spin off CSI with a show about arson investigators. And if one shows up next year, I'm going to sue! Anyways, this film isn't perfect; I didn't care for the film's climax where the arsonist is revealed. However, Ron Howard does an amazing jobs creating some of the most realistic film fires ever. This movie is nearly twenty years old and I haven't seen anything that comes close to what he did here. It's a decent enough summer action flick to keep you entertained if you've never seen it before. Rating: ****
The Score: DeNiro's role here is much larger as he plays an aging thief who wants to retire but first must do one last big job. And if this sounds awfully familiar to you, then you're not alone. Nothing about this movie is very original. This is pretty much a second rate script that seems a lot better thanks to its all star cast. Aside from DeNiro, the film stars Edward Norton and Marlon Brando; kind of a past, present, future deal there. Despite their good performances, I struggled to remain invested in the movie since I knew how everything was going to play out. If you've never seen a heist movie before, you'll probably love this. Fans of the genre, however, may get bored by the same old song and dance displayed here. Rating: ***
The Score: DeNiro's role here is much larger as he plays an aging thief who wants to retire but first must do one last big job. And if this sounds awfully familiar to you, then you're not alone. Nothing about this movie is very original. This is pretty much a second rate script that seems a lot better thanks to its all star cast. Aside from DeNiro, the film stars Edward Norton and Marlon Brando; kind of a past, present, future deal there. Despite their good performances, I struggled to remain invested in the movie since I knew how everything was going to play out. If you've never seen a heist movie before, you'll probably love this. Fans of the genre, however, may get bored by the same old song and dance displayed here. Rating: ***
First look - Rourke as Whiplash
The first image of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, one of the villains in the upcoming Iron Man 2 was released today. I can't say that I'm all that impressed, but with no context to the photo, it's really hard to judge. Perhaps comic book enthusiasts out there can have a better read on if this looks any good or not.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
NMR: Grisham grab bag
I've been on a John Grisham kick recently and decided to watch some of the films that have been adapted from his novels.
The Firm: We'll start with the best of the bunch. This is a tense thriller with a wonderful cast. It does suffer from the same problem that all Tom Cruise films suffer from; Cruise playing a jerk, even though he's the protagonist. Directed by the late Sydney Pollack, the movie provides plenty of twists and turns and really makes you wonder how everything is going to get resolved. The solution is a bit contrived, but it still worked for the most part. This is the epitome of popcorn fare. Rating: ****
The Pelican Brief: My excitement over the pairing of Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts was quickly dimished as this was a dull and convaluted film. There were just too many charaters to follow here. Not to mention that the information that could potentially take down the president isn't all that interesting. All of the chasing that goes on in this movie gets old real fast. The only reason to watch this is for Denzel and Julia, who manage to still shine despite the poor story. Rating: ***
The Chamber: A major disappointment here, especially considering the fact that Gene Hackman is starring in it. This film is not only poorly made, it's exploitative too. There seems to be no real purpose to the film other than to have characters spout off racist remarks. Chris O'Donnell doesn't have the gravitas to lead this film and Faye Dunaway looks completely lost on screen. If you want to see a good death row film watch The Green Mile or Dead Man Walking. Rating: **
The Firm: We'll start with the best of the bunch. This is a tense thriller with a wonderful cast. It does suffer from the same problem that all Tom Cruise films suffer from; Cruise playing a jerk, even though he's the protagonist. Directed by the late Sydney Pollack, the movie provides plenty of twists and turns and really makes you wonder how everything is going to get resolved. The solution is a bit contrived, but it still worked for the most part. This is the epitome of popcorn fare. Rating: ****
The Pelican Brief: My excitement over the pairing of Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts was quickly dimished as this was a dull and convaluted film. There were just too many charaters to follow here. Not to mention that the information that could potentially take down the president isn't all that interesting. All of the chasing that goes on in this movie gets old real fast. The only reason to watch this is for Denzel and Julia, who manage to still shine despite the poor story. Rating: ***
The Chamber: A major disappointment here, especially considering the fact that Gene Hackman is starring in it. This film is not only poorly made, it's exploitative too. There seems to be no real purpose to the film other than to have characters spout off racist remarks. Chris O'Donnell doesn't have the gravitas to lead this film and Faye Dunaway looks completely lost on screen. If you want to see a good death row film watch The Green Mile or Dead Man Walking. Rating: **
Friday, June 5, 2009
Zach attack
In light of his new film, The Hangover, opening in theaters today, I thought I would share with you some additional humor from Zach Galifinakis. Here's an installment of his fake interview show, Between Two Ferns where he interviews Mad Men star Jon Hamm. To watch more of these interviews, visit FunnyorDie.com
Holy Man-trimony
So it's been a pretty terrible week with nothing going right, so I decided to escape my problems and go see I Love You, Man at the budget theater and boy was this exactly what I needed. Over the past few years, there's been a resurgence of the R rated comedy thanks mostly to the Apatow gang. And while Judd had nothing to do with this particular film, this is one of the best comedic movies I've seen, right up there with The 40 Year Old Virgin. Those that know me, know that that is high praise.
This film sees Paul Rudd get his first true leading role as Peter Klaven, a recently engaged guy, who realizes he doesn't really have a best friend. Peter's quest for a best man involves one hilarious failure after another before meeting Sydney (Jason Segel), a shoot-from-the-hip dude, who frees Peter of his insecurities. These guys have worked before in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and once again exhibit great chemistry here.
But for as great as Rudd and Segal are, this movie is a comedic success even when they aren't on the screen. This film boasts an embarassment of riches when it comes to the comedic talent in this cast. You have SNL vets like Andy Samberg and Jane Curtain. You have guys from The State like Thomas Lennon and Joe Lo Truglio. As well as other familiar faces like J.K. Simmons, Jaime Pressley, Jon Faverau, and Lou Ferrigno adding their presence to the film. Everybody is hilarious here, yet they have a purpose to the story. These are not cameos for the sake of filling out a thin script. These actors are funny in their brief parts, while remaining organic to the storytelling.
I left out one key cast member because I wanted to single her out. Rashida Jones plays Paul Rudd fiancee in the film and is just phenomenal. Similar to Elizabeth Banks, she has emerged over the past couple of years as that rare breed of sweet, sexy, and funny. She anchors the film and makes you have a rooting interest in her relationship with Rudd. Unlike say Katherine Heigl, who was just a bitch with a pretty face and had no real comedic timing in Knocked Up. That might be a potshot at Heigl, but I don't care. Going back to Rashida Jones, though, I cannot say enough good things about her and I hope she continues to get movie roles (or at least more to do on Parks and Recreation).
The relationship between Rudd and Jones that centers this film makes I Love You, Man a unique movie. This is a rare 'romantic comedy' that I think is equally appealing to men and women. So many terrible romcoms get the distinction of 'chick flicks' because they're so saccharine and ridiculous that no self respecting man would ever want to see them. But we've also lately had films like Knocked Up, which are more slanted to the male perspective and the female characters come off looking bad in them. Here, the relationship is so realistic that both genders can appreciate what the characters go through. The comedy is also balanced so that one side isn't the brunt of all the jokes. Yes, some of the humor may be ridiculous at times, but in general the situations presented here are extremely relatable.
I tried to point out at least one flaw in my reviews, but I'm having trouble coming up with one here. If anything, I guess I maybe would have liked a bit more background on Sydney's character, but I don't feel it was essential. He just has some interesting quirks that could have been explored further. The story works as it is and delving further into his character would have just been some additional padding. Of course, I could complain about wanting to see more from all of the characters, but that would just be greedy on my part.
It's not clear yet when this is set to come out on DVD, but I cannot urge you enough to check it out if you haven't already. If you've got a special someone in your life, it's a great date movie. And if you're flying solo like me, the film has nonstop laughs to make it equally enjoyable. It may be cliched, but I'm not afraid to say it; I love this movie! Grade: A
This film sees Paul Rudd get his first true leading role as Peter Klaven, a recently engaged guy, who realizes he doesn't really have a best friend. Peter's quest for a best man involves one hilarious failure after another before meeting Sydney (Jason Segel), a shoot-from-the-hip dude, who frees Peter of his insecurities. These guys have worked before in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and once again exhibit great chemistry here.
But for as great as Rudd and Segal are, this movie is a comedic success even when they aren't on the screen. This film boasts an embarassment of riches when it comes to the comedic talent in this cast. You have SNL vets like Andy Samberg and Jane Curtain. You have guys from The State like Thomas Lennon and Joe Lo Truglio. As well as other familiar faces like J.K. Simmons, Jaime Pressley, Jon Faverau, and Lou Ferrigno adding their presence to the film. Everybody is hilarious here, yet they have a purpose to the story. These are not cameos for the sake of filling out a thin script. These actors are funny in their brief parts, while remaining organic to the storytelling.
I left out one key cast member because I wanted to single her out. Rashida Jones plays Paul Rudd fiancee in the film and is just phenomenal. Similar to Elizabeth Banks, she has emerged over the past couple of years as that rare breed of sweet, sexy, and funny. She anchors the film and makes you have a rooting interest in her relationship with Rudd. Unlike say Katherine Heigl, who was just a bitch with a pretty face and had no real comedic timing in Knocked Up. That might be a potshot at Heigl, but I don't care. Going back to Rashida Jones, though, I cannot say enough good things about her and I hope she continues to get movie roles (or at least more to do on Parks and Recreation).
The relationship between Rudd and Jones that centers this film makes I Love You, Man a unique movie. This is a rare 'romantic comedy' that I think is equally appealing to men and women. So many terrible romcoms get the distinction of 'chick flicks' because they're so saccharine and ridiculous that no self respecting man would ever want to see them. But we've also lately had films like Knocked Up, which are more slanted to the male perspective and the female characters come off looking bad in them. Here, the relationship is so realistic that both genders can appreciate what the characters go through. The comedy is also balanced so that one side isn't the brunt of all the jokes. Yes, some of the humor may be ridiculous at times, but in general the situations presented here are extremely relatable.
I tried to point out at least one flaw in my reviews, but I'm having trouble coming up with one here. If anything, I guess I maybe would have liked a bit more background on Sydney's character, but I don't feel it was essential. He just has some interesting quirks that could have been explored further. The story works as it is and delving further into his character would have just been some additional padding. Of course, I could complain about wanting to see more from all of the characters, but that would just be greedy on my part.
It's not clear yet when this is set to come out on DVD, but I cannot urge you enough to check it out if you haven't already. If you've got a special someone in your life, it's a great date movie. And if you're flying solo like me, the film has nonstop laughs to make it equally enjoyable. It may be cliched, but I'm not afraid to say it; I love this movie! Grade: A
Sunday, May 31, 2009
NMR: Hey, remember the 90s?
12 Monkeys: A strange film from Terry Gilliam, but what else is new? I thought the concept of the movie was neat, albeit a bit underdeveloped. Whenever you deal with time travel, you run the risk of severe scrutiny from the viewers. This film didn't even bother to fully explain how exactly people were capable of travelling through time. This is another movie where it seemed like the problem could have been solved a lot quicker than it was. Still, the inventive plot and good performances by Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt make this enjoyable enought. Rating: ***
Payback: I liked this a lot better than I thought I would. The film really should have been called 'payoff' because it delivers a lot of them nicely. Moments that seem random or unexplained early on are all dealt with by the end of the movie. Even though it's a pretty dark movie, it's able to pepper in some levity throughout. James Coburn is great as a bad guy, but I wish he would have shown up earlier in the film. If you see this airing on TV sometime, you may want to give it a view. Rating: ****
Payback: I liked this a lot better than I thought I would. The film really should have been called 'payoff' because it delivers a lot of them nicely. Moments that seem random or unexplained early on are all dealt with by the end of the movie. Even though it's a pretty dark movie, it's able to pepper in some levity throughout. James Coburn is great as a bad guy, but I wish he would have shown up earlier in the film. If you see this airing on TV sometime, you may want to give it a view. Rating: ****
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A drag to hell
So I was all set to write my own thoughts/review on Reaper after last night's finale until I stumbled upon this review by Alan Sepinwall of The Star Ledger. This review might as well have been written by me because this guy nails every problem I had with this episode and the season in large. I still love the core idea of this show and its stellar cast, but this whole season has been basically pointless. If there is any miracle chance of this show returning in some form, I hope it's given better care than it received this year. And if it doesn't, then we can always dream of what could have been.
Here's Sepinwall's review:
Here's Sepinwall's review:
When "Reaper" and "Chuck" debuted at the start of last season, the comparisons were as frequent as they were obvious. Many people (myself included) even preferred the "Reaper" pilot, thanks to Ray Wise, bigger laughs and what seemed to be a more assured sense of story and tone. But watching what's likely the final episode of "Reaper"(*) one month after what thankfully turned out not to be the final "Chuck," it's not hard to see how the two shows diverged creatively, and why there was such passionate outpouring from fans and media about the Save "Chuck" campaign, while the movement to save "Reaper," while there, has been a lot quieter.
(*) Yes, the rumor of the CW affiliates picking up the show to help fill their now-vacant Sunday lineup is still out there, but A)I know nothing about it that you don't, and B)It seems like such a Hail Mary, between the logistics of ordering it and the departures of Tyler Labine and "Reaper" creators Fazekas and Butters, that I'm going to assume, until there are confirmed reports of production beginning on new episodes, that it'll turn out like "Arrested Development" on Showtime or the "Deadwood" TV-movies.
The "Chuck" finale was a balls-to-the-wall, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink, other-hyphenated-cliche-about-giving-your-best-effort affair, something that built on everything that came before. It ended in a place that had me very eager to see the next season, while at the same time (though I doubt this was the creators' intention) had the same air of the "Terminator" finale, where what seems like a cliffhanger also feels like a satisfying stopping point if need be.
The "Reaper" finale, on the other hand? Well, it was funny in parts (the Devil making Sam dance like a monkey, Sock speaking in tongues after putting his tongue on a toad, Andi getting drunk, Steve complaining about life as a guardian angel), but it also felt as lazy and aimless as the show so often was, and the ending just has me frustrated that we likely won't get to see where things are going. (Even if the show comes back, the creators likely wouldn't be back with it.)
"Reaper," like Sam himself, has never seemed to have much of a plan, and while that feels thematically appropriate, it also gets frustrating to watch whenever the series does a mythology-driven episode like this one. As Fienberg points out in his own "Reaper" finale review, Sam's ability to play Quarters was never established earlier, and most of this season has felt like Fazekas, Butters and company were just treading water, not sure what to do after the unexpected renewal. Last year's finale already established that Steve was an angel again, and that Heaven had some kind of grand plan for Sam, and 13 episodes later, we're basically at the same point. Andi having sold her soul in the bargain does add a new element for a hypothetical third season, but that's only after wasting her as the wet blanket for most of this year. (And I sure would have liked to see Andi's first meeting with the Devil, as opposed to finding out about it afterwards.)
If "Reaper" somehow comes back, even in a cheaper form with a smaller cast and a new creative team, I imagine I'll still watch for a while, if only for Ray Wise and Rick Gonzalez. But the series could have been so much better than it was. Maybe if it had been, its future wouldn't be so uncertain right now.
What did everybody else think?
Infailmercials
In case you didn't realize, I love informercials. Sometimes it's because they have a clever product, but most often it's the cheesy production value. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that I absolutely love Pitchmen, the new show on Discovery Channel which features Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan on a quest for new products. After tonight's episode, I wanted to see if there was any further news on the product they featured (the lame exercise product, the Spin Gym). In my search, I stumbled across a blog devoted to informercials. The site features tons of videos of various informercial products and two of them caught my eye for how awful they were. Check out these gems...
TOGA, TOGA, TOGA
BINGO!
TOGA, TOGA, TOGA
BINGO!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
NMR: Good cop, bad cop
Frequency: This is another one of those movies where I felt like I had seen all of it before in pieces, so I wanted to finally watch it straight through. I was able to look past any inconsistencies with the time travel aspect of this film and appreciate it for the good job it does at creating an emotional bond between father and son. I'm sure there isn't one person out there who wouldn't want a chance to communicate with someone in the past with the hope of changing the future for the better. Good performances by Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell made this an enjoyable film. Rating: ****
Paul Blart: Mall Cop: This should have died a quick death at the box office, but for some reason turned into a rare hit January movie. Now having seen it, I can't figure out for the life of me why it was so successful. The film looks so effortless, and that isn't a compliment. The plot is a rehash and they opt for simple cliched jokes. Like we couldn't tell from nine seasons of The King of Queens that Kevin James is fat. Now I like Kevin James and think he is funny. I also think the concept of the mall cop is one worthy of exploring, but this film capitalized on neither of those things. The rest of the cast is woefully underdeveloped and wasted in this junk. For some reason though audiences love watching simpletons overcome even dumber criminals (see Home Alone). I can't wait for the inevitable sequel to see how they 'top' themselves. Rating: **
Paul Blart: Mall Cop: This should have died a quick death at the box office, but for some reason turned into a rare hit January movie. Now having seen it, I can't figure out for the life of me why it was so successful. The film looks so effortless, and that isn't a compliment. The plot is a rehash and they opt for simple cliched jokes. Like we couldn't tell from nine seasons of The King of Queens that Kevin James is fat. Now I like Kevin James and think he is funny. I also think the concept of the mall cop is one worthy of exploring, but this film capitalized on neither of those things. The rest of the cast is woefully underdeveloped and wasted in this junk. For some reason though audiences love watching simpletons overcome even dumber criminals (see Home Alone). I can't wait for the inevitable sequel to see how they 'top' themselves. Rating: **
As Tony Schivone would say, 'this is the greatest film in the history of movies!'
Check out this 'trailer' for Transforminators
Thursday, May 21, 2009
CW fall lineup
What's been cancelled: 13: Fear is Real, 4Real, Easy Money, Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, In Harm's Way, Priveleged, Reaper, Stylista, Valentine
New shows added: The Beautiful Life, Melrose Place, Parental Discretion Advised, The Vampire Diaries
Fall schedule:
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL
9:00-10:00 PM ONE TREE HILL
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210
9:00-10:00 PM MELROSE PLACE (New Series)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
9:00-10:00 PM THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (New Series)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE (New night)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (Encore Presentation)
With Reaper officially cancelled, I have no use for anything on the CW. I just put this up in case anyone else cared.
As always for info on the CW's new shows or any of the new shows announced for the networks this week, you can get all of the info at The Futon Critic.
New shows added: The Beautiful Life, Melrose Place, Parental Discretion Advised, The Vampire Diaries
Fall schedule:
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL
9:00-10:00 PM ONE TREE HILL
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210
9:00-10:00 PM MELROSE PLACE (New Series)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
9:00-10:00 PM THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (New Series)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE (New night)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (Encore Presentation)
With Reaper officially cancelled, I have no use for anything on the CW. I just put this up in case anyone else cared.
As always for info on the CW's new shows or any of the new shows announced for the networks this week, you can get all of the info at The Futon Critic.
The wrong con
I saw Duplicity last weekend, but with all the TV lineup news this week, I haven't had a chance to post my review for it until now.
This movie seemed to have all the ingredients in place. You had Tony Gilroy, hot off of Michael Clayton, writing and directing the film. You also had a superb cast led by Clive Owen and Julie Roberts in her first starring role since 2003. Rounding out the cast were a pair of solid supporting actors; Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giammati. When you factor in that this is also a con man movie, I thought they couldn't miss. Unfortunately, it turns out that the con is on the audience.
The primary problem involves the relationship between Owen and Roberts. They play retired CIA/MI6 agents, respectively, who are now working for a pair of competing pharmaceutical companies. They're trying to use the companies' rivalry against them in hopes of stealing millions of dollars from them. Through a series of flashbacks we learn how these two con artists met and developed a romantic relationship while working on their con. Being a pair of liars, however, they never trust each other. So in each of these flashbacks we get the same basic scene over and over again. One accuses the other of doing something, the other denies it before eventually coming clean that they were conning the other and then they make out.
This banter between the two leads is meants to be coy and funny but I found it to be redundant and annoying. It's abundantly clear that these two can't trust each other, so I don't understand the need to continually remind us of that. There is no real payoff to these clues either in terms of the reveal of the big con at the end. It seems like you should have a rooting interest in seeing the leads get away with their scam, but I found myself completely ambivalent to their plan.
More interesting is the rivalry between the companies that Wilkinson and Giammati work for. The scenes which involve the steps these men will take to not only succeed but make sure the other fails miserably is where the film scores. It's a nice insight into corporate espionage. Having Wilkinson and Giammati playing the heads of these companies only adds to the allure of these scenes.
While this may not have much to do with the plot, I must say that Julia Roberts still looks amazing here. She is as beautiful as she was when she began in acting and she remains as charming as ever. I know she is more drawn to motherhood these days, but I certainly hopes she continues acting in some capacity. Clive Owen is also fine here. It's nice to see a more relaxed, humorous personality from him as opposed to the dour look he usually has on his face in his film.
It ends up being the script that truly fails this talented cast. I liked the actors, I liked the scenery, I liked the concept, yet I found myself completely bored by the whole endeavour. I had no interest in seeing who would win out, even though it did surprise me how the film ended.
Maybe my high expectations ruined this film for me. After Tony Gilroy did such a great job reinventing the legal thriller with Michael Clayton, I was anticipating a fresh take from him on the con genre. Instead, we got circular dialogue and a plan that never became engaging. Duplicity should be arriving on DVD shortly and I would only recommend it if you're out of other options. With a less talented cast, this movie would be a complete dud. But thanks to their shining stars, this one may be tolerable as a rental. Grade: C+
This movie seemed to have all the ingredients in place. You had Tony Gilroy, hot off of Michael Clayton, writing and directing the film. You also had a superb cast led by Clive Owen and Julie Roberts in her first starring role since 2003. Rounding out the cast were a pair of solid supporting actors; Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giammati. When you factor in that this is also a con man movie, I thought they couldn't miss. Unfortunately, it turns out that the con is on the audience.
The primary problem involves the relationship between Owen and Roberts. They play retired CIA/MI6 agents, respectively, who are now working for a pair of competing pharmaceutical companies. They're trying to use the companies' rivalry against them in hopes of stealing millions of dollars from them. Through a series of flashbacks we learn how these two con artists met and developed a romantic relationship while working on their con. Being a pair of liars, however, they never trust each other. So in each of these flashbacks we get the same basic scene over and over again. One accuses the other of doing something, the other denies it before eventually coming clean that they were conning the other and then they make out.
This banter between the two leads is meants to be coy and funny but I found it to be redundant and annoying. It's abundantly clear that these two can't trust each other, so I don't understand the need to continually remind us of that. There is no real payoff to these clues either in terms of the reveal of the big con at the end. It seems like you should have a rooting interest in seeing the leads get away with their scam, but I found myself completely ambivalent to their plan.
More interesting is the rivalry between the companies that Wilkinson and Giammati work for. The scenes which involve the steps these men will take to not only succeed but make sure the other fails miserably is where the film scores. It's a nice insight into corporate espionage. Having Wilkinson and Giammati playing the heads of these companies only adds to the allure of these scenes.
While this may not have much to do with the plot, I must say that Julia Roberts still looks amazing here. She is as beautiful as she was when she began in acting and she remains as charming as ever. I know she is more drawn to motherhood these days, but I certainly hopes she continues acting in some capacity. Clive Owen is also fine here. It's nice to see a more relaxed, humorous personality from him as opposed to the dour look he usually has on his face in his film.
It ends up being the script that truly fails this talented cast. I liked the actors, I liked the scenery, I liked the concept, yet I found myself completely bored by the whole endeavour. I had no interest in seeing who would win out, even though it did surprise me how the film ended.
Maybe my high expectations ruined this film for me. After Tony Gilroy did such a great job reinventing the legal thriller with Michael Clayton, I was anticipating a fresh take from him on the con genre. Instead, we got circular dialogue and a plan that never became engaging. Duplicity should be arriving on DVD shortly and I would only recommend it if you're out of other options. With a less talented cast, this movie would be a complete dud. But thanks to their shining stars, this one may be tolerable as a rental. Grade: C+
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
CBS fall lineup
What's been cancelled: Eleventh Hour, The Ex List, Game Show in my Head, Harper's Island, The Unit, Without a Trace, Worst Week
New shows added: Accidentally on Purpose, Arranged Marriage, The Bridge, The Good Wife, Miami Trauma, NCIS: Los Angeles, There Goes the Neighborhood, Three Rivers, Undercover Boss
Fall schedule:
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (NT)
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (N)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (NT)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (N)
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (N)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (NT)
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS
SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS (N)
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE (NT)
Some interesting moves from the most stable of the major networks. Moving The Big Bang Theory to 9:30 is odd, but probably won't be a big deal. It seems like they would want to showcase The Mentalist on its own night, but Thursday at 10pm isn't bad. Taking Medium from NBC is interesting and should fit in nicely with the rest of their Friday lineup. I don't get the need for the NCIS spinoff, but clearly I'm in the minority on that one. Let's hope having the original and spinoff back to back isn't overkill.
New shows added: Accidentally on Purpose, Arranged Marriage, The Bridge, The Good Wife, Miami Trauma, NCIS: Los Angeles, There Goes the Neighborhood, Three Rivers, Undercover Boss
Fall schedule:
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (NT)
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (N)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (NT)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (N)
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (N)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (NT)
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS
SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS (N)
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE (NT)
Some interesting moves from the most stable of the major networks. Moving The Big Bang Theory to 9:30 is odd, but probably won't be a big deal. It seems like they would want to showcase The Mentalist on its own night, but Thursday at 10pm isn't bad. Taking Medium from NBC is interesting and should fit in nicely with the rest of their Friday lineup. I don't get the need for the NCIS spinoff, but clearly I'm in the minority on that one. Let's hope having the original and spinoff back to back isn't overkill.
Midweek funnies
My apologies if I've ever posted this before. I love game show bloopers and this is a hilarious montage of goofs from Password. The best are the ones who gives their 'clues' with such conviction.
NBC fall lineup
What's been cancelled: America's Toughest Jobs, Chopping Block, Crusoe, Deal or no Deal, ER, Howie Do It, Kath and Kim, Kings, Knight Rider, Life, Lipstick Jungle, Medium, Momma's Boys, My Name is Earl, My Own Worst Enemy, Superstars of Dance
New shows added: 100 Questions, Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, Community, Day One, The Jay Leno Show, The Marriage Ref, Mercy, Parenthood, The Sing Off, Trauma, Who Do You Think You Are?
Fall Schedule:
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Heroes"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – "The Biggest Loser" (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – "PARENTHOOD"
9-10 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. – "SNL WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY" (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. – "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. – "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. – "COMMUNITY" (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after multi-episode run "30 Rock" returns)
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. – "Southland"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. – "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:20-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"
The best news isn't reflected in this schedule - Chuck got renewed! It'll return midseason for 13 episodes. 30 Rock also return in the winter. I still don't get how this network is struggling. They have plenty of shows I watch and they also have the best crop of new shows that I've seen thus far. Best of the bunch is the sitcom Community, starring The Soup's Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Having Leno every night at 10 is a big gamble, but if it helps the other shows earn better ratings, I'm all for it.
New shows added: 100 Questions, Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, Community, Day One, The Jay Leno Show, The Marriage Ref, Mercy, Parenthood, The Sing Off, Trauma, Who Do You Think You Are?
Fall Schedule:
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Heroes"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – "The Biggest Loser" (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – "PARENTHOOD"
9-10 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. – "SNL WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY" (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. – "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. – "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. – "COMMUNITY" (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after multi-episode run "30 Rock" returns)
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. – "Southland"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. – "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:20-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"
The best news isn't reflected in this schedule - Chuck got renewed! It'll return midseason for 13 episodes. 30 Rock also return in the winter. I still don't get how this network is struggling. They have plenty of shows I watch and they also have the best crop of new shows that I've seen thus far. Best of the bunch is the sitcom Community, starring The Soup's Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Having Leno every night at 10 is a big gamble, but if it helps the other shows earn better ratings, I'm all for it.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Season finale report card pt. 2
The only show still not done yet is Reaper, which won't finish up until next week. Since that's likely the series finale also, I'll do a short report for it then that will also serve as a eulogy for the show.
Survivor: About as decent of an outcome as you could have hoped for this season. Everybody loved JT and he played hard throughout, so I have no problem with him winning. I was hoping for a bit more fireworks during the jury questions, but I'm sure it was tough considering it was virtually all Timbira people asking two Jalapao people the questions and they couldn't really be bitter since it was their own stupidity that eliminated them from the game. Overall the season was a mixed bag, but would have been lousy without Coach. Love him or hate him, he certainly made things entertaining. As for the tease for next season, Samoa seems fine as a location, but I was disappointed there wasn't more said about any sort of twist or novel concept for the season. Grade: B+
CSI: Not much of a finale here. This could have easily been a midseason episode. Every finale doesn't have to big and/or shocking, but it would have been nice had this show done a little bit more, especially considering the drop in ratings the show has seen ever since the departure of Grissom. I really like Laurence Fishburne, but they haven't done much to make the shows interesting since he came on. Hopefully they can rectify that next season and also decide where they want the 'lab rats' to be. One week people like Wendy and Hodges are in the lab, the next their out in the field. Make up your mind already. Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the dreadfully dull Riley. Grade: C+
My Name is Earl: It's no surprise this show got the ax by NBC. It had been gradually losing its charm with each season. This finale revolved around the paternity of Joy's kids, which isn't anything that the audience really cared to know. I loved seeing Norm Macdonald return as Little Chubby, but even his quasi-Burt Reynolds impression couldn't salvage this mess. Earl and Randy just became too one-dimensional. I hope Jaime Pressley and Eddie Steeples can find other work though as they continued to be the only interesting characters on the show. Grade: C
Parks and Recreation: This show seems to have so much potential that was not being realized in these first six episodes. I like most of the cast members, but aside from Amy Pohler, none of them have gotten to do much comedically yet. I particularly want to see Rashida Jones get to do more next season as she is really talented. I still have a lot of hope for this show though because the six episodes of the Office's first season weren't amazing either. The finale did have its moments like Leslie and Mark's partying at the pit and Chris Pratt rattling off the various names his band has had over the years. Just like the park Leslie hopes to build, let's hope the creators of this show see their plan come to fruition and produce another quality sitcom. Grade: B-
The Office: There weren't as many fireworks as I would have expected in this one. It appears that they're going to try and do a slow burn with Michael and Holly, which is probably smart since they can't guarantee to have Amy Ryan full time. As cute as the pregnancy reveal was, I was slightly disappointed. Being a traditionalist, I would have preferred they got married before having the baby. I liked how they planted the seeds for a Dwight/Angela reunion, but thought it was weird that they introduced that creepy new friend of Dwight's. There wasn't anyone else (Mose?) that could have served the same purpose that we had seen before. Overall, a fairly funny episode but they've certainly had better finales. Grade: B+
30 Rock: This show continues to frustrate me as it often is more funny than the Office but does a terrible job trying to create decent storylines. If it's not careful it's going to turn into Family Guy where each episode is a collection of funny pop culture references strung together by a flimsy plot. I hope they seriously cut back on the celebrity guest appearances next season. Their 'We are the world' spoof to encourage organ donation was funny, but I would rather see more focus on Tracy, Jenna, and the writing staff. Although I'll never complain when Dr. Spaceman (Chris Parnell) stops by. Grade: B
Animation Domination: The post is already getting too long for me to do seperate reviews for each, so let me lump them all here. The Simpsons continues to vary between very funny episodes with no story and well crafted stories that have hardly any humor. Their finale on border patrol did a nice story but wasn't overly funny. Still, the show has been better this season than the past few. Family Guy's founding of Quahog story wasn't particularly engaging. None of the gags felt new, although I still always laugh whenever they somehow depict Joe losing his legs. Finally, I was disappointed American Dad couldn't end on a stronger note. The guy's night out storyline was just disturbing. Also, I'm not sure if Steve was in the episode at all and he's my favorite character. Overall though, this show has probably been the most consistent in terms of quality each week. The Simpsons: B- Family Guy: C American Dad: B
How I Met Your Mother: Well, it wasn't much advancement, but at least we got somewhere with figuring out who the mother is. I'm not sure if most people agree, but I loved the fact that Ted took the professor job. His life continues to mirror mine more and more closely. It's scary. I'm still not sold on Barney and Robin, but it definitely seems like they're heading in that direction. Overall, the season was kind of hampered by both female leads getting pregnant. Once they return next season, hopefully the core dynamic will be back as well. And hopefully they'll revisit some of their best moments like Robin Sparkles and the slap bet. Grade: B
24: Man, what an emotional finish to a season that saw this show return to form. They did a nice job of tying up the immediate threat while also providing us with a number of loose ends to look forward to next season. You know the show is going well when even the presence of Kim Bauer doesn't ruin things. Much of the credit belongs to the fresh faces this season. Jon Voigt was great as one of the show's primary villains. And the addition of the Renee Walker character has been stellar. She works so well with Jack, it feels like she's been around since Season 1. Speaking of Jack, he did an awesome job this season portraying a gamut of emotions. This is already a beloved character and he continued to bring the awesome. I cannot wait for this to return next January. Grade: A-
Survivor: About as decent of an outcome as you could have hoped for this season. Everybody loved JT and he played hard throughout, so I have no problem with him winning. I was hoping for a bit more fireworks during the jury questions, but I'm sure it was tough considering it was virtually all Timbira people asking two Jalapao people the questions and they couldn't really be bitter since it was their own stupidity that eliminated them from the game. Overall the season was a mixed bag, but would have been lousy without Coach. Love him or hate him, he certainly made things entertaining. As for the tease for next season, Samoa seems fine as a location, but I was disappointed there wasn't more said about any sort of twist or novel concept for the season. Grade: B+
CSI: Not much of a finale here. This could have easily been a midseason episode. Every finale doesn't have to big and/or shocking, but it would have been nice had this show done a little bit more, especially considering the drop in ratings the show has seen ever since the departure of Grissom. I really like Laurence Fishburne, but they haven't done much to make the shows interesting since he came on. Hopefully they can rectify that next season and also decide where they want the 'lab rats' to be. One week people like Wendy and Hodges are in the lab, the next their out in the field. Make up your mind already. Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the dreadfully dull Riley. Grade: C+
My Name is Earl: It's no surprise this show got the ax by NBC. It had been gradually losing its charm with each season. This finale revolved around the paternity of Joy's kids, which isn't anything that the audience really cared to know. I loved seeing Norm Macdonald return as Little Chubby, but even his quasi-Burt Reynolds impression couldn't salvage this mess. Earl and Randy just became too one-dimensional. I hope Jaime Pressley and Eddie Steeples can find other work though as they continued to be the only interesting characters on the show. Grade: C
Parks and Recreation: This show seems to have so much potential that was not being realized in these first six episodes. I like most of the cast members, but aside from Amy Pohler, none of them have gotten to do much comedically yet. I particularly want to see Rashida Jones get to do more next season as she is really talented. I still have a lot of hope for this show though because the six episodes of the Office's first season weren't amazing either. The finale did have its moments like Leslie and Mark's partying at the pit and Chris Pratt rattling off the various names his band has had over the years. Just like the park Leslie hopes to build, let's hope the creators of this show see their plan come to fruition and produce another quality sitcom. Grade: B-
The Office: There weren't as many fireworks as I would have expected in this one. It appears that they're going to try and do a slow burn with Michael and Holly, which is probably smart since they can't guarantee to have Amy Ryan full time. As cute as the pregnancy reveal was, I was slightly disappointed. Being a traditionalist, I would have preferred they got married before having the baby. I liked how they planted the seeds for a Dwight/Angela reunion, but thought it was weird that they introduced that creepy new friend of Dwight's. There wasn't anyone else (Mose?) that could have served the same purpose that we had seen before. Overall, a fairly funny episode but they've certainly had better finales. Grade: B+
30 Rock: This show continues to frustrate me as it often is more funny than the Office but does a terrible job trying to create decent storylines. If it's not careful it's going to turn into Family Guy where each episode is a collection of funny pop culture references strung together by a flimsy plot. I hope they seriously cut back on the celebrity guest appearances next season. Their 'We are the world' spoof to encourage organ donation was funny, but I would rather see more focus on Tracy, Jenna, and the writing staff. Although I'll never complain when Dr. Spaceman (Chris Parnell) stops by. Grade: B
Animation Domination: The post is already getting too long for me to do seperate reviews for each, so let me lump them all here. The Simpsons continues to vary between very funny episodes with no story and well crafted stories that have hardly any humor. Their finale on border patrol did a nice story but wasn't overly funny. Still, the show has been better this season than the past few. Family Guy's founding of Quahog story wasn't particularly engaging. None of the gags felt new, although I still always laugh whenever they somehow depict Joe losing his legs. Finally, I was disappointed American Dad couldn't end on a stronger note. The guy's night out storyline was just disturbing. Also, I'm not sure if Steve was in the episode at all and he's my favorite character. Overall though, this show has probably been the most consistent in terms of quality each week. The Simpsons: B- Family Guy: C American Dad: B
How I Met Your Mother: Well, it wasn't much advancement, but at least we got somewhere with figuring out who the mother is. I'm not sure if most people agree, but I loved the fact that Ted took the professor job. His life continues to mirror mine more and more closely. It's scary. I'm still not sold on Barney and Robin, but it definitely seems like they're heading in that direction. Overall, the season was kind of hampered by both female leads getting pregnant. Once they return next season, hopefully the core dynamic will be back as well. And hopefully they'll revisit some of their best moments like Robin Sparkles and the slap bet. Grade: B
24: Man, what an emotional finish to a season that saw this show return to form. They did a nice job of tying up the immediate threat while also providing us with a number of loose ends to look forward to next season. You know the show is going well when even the presence of Kim Bauer doesn't ruin things. Much of the credit belongs to the fresh faces this season. Jon Voigt was great as one of the show's primary villains. And the addition of the Renee Walker character has been stellar. She works so well with Jack, it feels like she's been around since Season 1. Speaking of Jack, he did an awesome job this season portraying a gamut of emotions. This is already a beloved character and he continued to bring the awesome. I cannot wait for this to return next January. Grade: A-
ABC Fall Schedule
What's been cancelled: According to Jim, Boston Legal, Cupid, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Homeland Security USA, In the Motherhood, Life on Mars, Opportunity Knocks, Pushing Daises, Samantha Who, The Unusuals
New shows added: Copper, Cougar Town, The Deep End, Eastwick, Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Hank, Happy Town, The Middle, Modern Family, The Shark Tank, V
Fall lineup:
MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. "Castle"
TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Shark Tank"
9:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "The Forgotten"
WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Hank"
8:30 p.m. "The Middle"
9:00 p.m. "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. "Cougar Town"
10:00 p.m. "Eastwick"
THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Flash Forward"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Private Practice"
FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Supernanny"
9:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
10:00 p.m. "20/20"
SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"
SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10:00 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"
Some shows like Better Off Ted, Scrubs (you're reading that right, it returns for a 9th season), and Lost won't return until midseason. I don't really care for much on ABC, so I don't have much to say about this lineup. Although a whole new slate on Wednesday is risky. And moving Ugly Betty to Fridays is surprising. I don't watch the show, but if I were a fan I'd be angry/worried about that move.
For more information on ABC's new shows, please visit The Futon Critic
New shows added: Copper, Cougar Town, The Deep End, Eastwick, Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Hank, Happy Town, The Middle, Modern Family, The Shark Tank, V
Fall lineup:
MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. "Castle"
TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Shark Tank"
9:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "The Forgotten"
WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Hank"
8:30 p.m. "The Middle"
9:00 p.m. "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. "Cougar Town"
10:00 p.m. "Eastwick"
THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Flash Forward"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Private Practice"
FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Supernanny"
9:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
10:00 p.m. "20/20"
SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"
SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10:00 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"
Some shows like Better Off Ted, Scrubs (you're reading that right, it returns for a 9th season), and Lost won't return until midseason. I don't really care for much on ABC, so I don't have much to say about this lineup. Although a whole new slate on Wednesday is risky. And moving Ugly Betty to Fridays is surprising. I don't watch the show, but if I were a fan I'd be angry/worried about that move.
For more information on ABC's new shows, please visit The Futon Critic
NMR: What a croc!
I've got two more Netflix reviews that I'm combining with the weakest of connections; even though these films are wildly different, they both have scenes with killer alligators.
Eraser: One of Ah-nuld's attempts to keep himself relevant as the 90s were coming to an end. This one is just riddled with action movie cliches. I was spouting lines before the actors had a chance to save them. There are a few cool action sequences though, especially for the time, and the rail gun was neat. Perhaps the most preposterous thing in the movie is one of the final climatic scenes which involves 20+ guys shooting at Arnold, yet no one is able to hit him. Give me a break. I wish this movie was erased from my mind. The movie is 13 years old now, I'm allowed to make that pun again. Rating: **
Adapatation: The best way to describe this bizarre film is to say that if you saw and liked Being John Malkovich, you'll enjoy this film as well. This is a very meta-film about the process of screenwriting that used real people in a fictional story. This film can be equally engaging and frustrating. It produces a lot of interesting ideas, but you really have to stay focused to keep up with the story. I need to give special praise to Chris Cooper, who is just tremendous in this film and totally deserved the Oscar he won for this role. If you make the effort to watch this film, you'll be rewarded with a completely unique film experience. Rating: ****
Eraser: One of Ah-nuld's attempts to keep himself relevant as the 90s were coming to an end. This one is just riddled with action movie cliches. I was spouting lines before the actors had a chance to save them. There are a few cool action sequences though, especially for the time, and the rail gun was neat. Perhaps the most preposterous thing in the movie is one of the final climatic scenes which involves 20+ guys shooting at Arnold, yet no one is able to hit him. Give me a break. I wish this movie was erased from my mind. The movie is 13 years old now, I'm allowed to make that pun again. Rating: **
Adapatation: The best way to describe this bizarre film is to say that if you saw and liked Being John Malkovich, you'll enjoy this film as well. This is a very meta-film about the process of screenwriting that used real people in a fictional story. This film can be equally engaging and frustrating. It produces a lot of interesting ideas, but you really have to stay focused to keep up with the story. I need to give special praise to Chris Cooper, who is just tremendous in this film and totally deserved the Oscar he won for this role. If you make the effort to watch this film, you'll be rewarded with a completely unique film experience. Rating: ****
Ya dig Holmes
It's not out until Christmas, but here's the first trailer for Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams.
Monday, May 18, 2009
FOX fall schedule
What's Been Cancelled: Do Not Disturb, Hole in the Wall, Osbournes Reloaded, Prison Break, Secret Millionaire, Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
New shows added: Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Human Target, Past Life, Someone's Gotta Go, Sons of Tuscon
Fall lineup:
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME
TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM 'TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Some FOX shows won't return until mid-season like 24 and American Idol, so if you don't see it on the lineup, don't worry. The biggest move here is Fringe to Thursdays at 9. Great, like I needed another show on during that time. I think FOX sees CSI as vulnerable now without Grissom and hopes Fringe can pull away some of their viewers. That strategy might work, because that's probably what I will do.
For more info on the new shows debuting, visit The Futon Critic
New shows added: Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Human Target, Past Life, Someone's Gotta Go, Sons of Tuscon
Fall lineup:
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME
TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM 'TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Some FOX shows won't return until mid-season like 24 and American Idol, so if you don't see it on the lineup, don't worry. The biggest move here is Fringe to Thursdays at 9. Great, like I needed another show on during that time. I think FOX sees CSI as vulnerable now without Grissom and hopes Fringe can pull away some of their viewers. That strategy might work, because that's probably what I will do.
For more info on the new shows debuting, visit The Futon Critic
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Suck it Trebek!
Last night's SNL season finale with Will Ferrell was great, especially the return of Celebrity Jeopardy. I was in tears watching this skit. I haven't laughed this hard at a SNL skit since, well, probably since Will was a regular cast member.
NMR: War is hellarious
Got a couple of films from the bizarre genre of war comedies...
Hot Shots: Part Deux: I saw the original on Netflix a few weeks ago, so I figured I'd catch the sequel as well. Some of the humor holds up very well in this one. It was also nice to see the two main leads return and also mock this idea. A lot of the Gulf War humor though feels extremely dated. Still, for a parody sequel this is one of the better efforts out there. Rating: ***
Dr. Strangelove: I know, I know. I should have seen this classic a long time ago, so sue me. This is one of those teflon films that is immune to criticism. Some people don't get why this is funny and I can understand that. I'll admit that there were some things that I didn't get. I also think that some of the material in this film is dated. However, there are moments of sheer brillance in this film, particularly any of the war room scenes. I'm also a fan of any film that makes use of 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home' in its score. Peter Sellers gets the most adulation for his three character performance in this film, but personally, I thought George C. Scott was fantastic in his role. If you're the one person amongst your friends who hasn't seen this film, watch it because it's a great film for prompting discussion and analysis. Rating: ****
Hot Shots: Part Deux: I saw the original on Netflix a few weeks ago, so I figured I'd catch the sequel as well. Some of the humor holds up very well in this one. It was also nice to see the two main leads return and also mock this idea. A lot of the Gulf War humor though feels extremely dated. Still, for a parody sequel this is one of the better efforts out there. Rating: ***
Dr. Strangelove: I know, I know. I should have seen this classic a long time ago, so sue me. This is one of those teflon films that is immune to criticism. Some people don't get why this is funny and I can understand that. I'll admit that there were some things that I didn't get. I also think that some of the material in this film is dated. However, there are moments of sheer brillance in this film, particularly any of the war room scenes. I'm also a fan of any film that makes use of 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home' in its score. Peter Sellers gets the most adulation for his three character performance in this film, but personally, I thought George C. Scott was fantastic in his role. If you're the one person amongst your friends who hasn't seen this film, watch it because it's a great film for prompting discussion and analysis. Rating: ****
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Season finale report card Pt. 1
I haven't done a whole lot of discussion on my thoughts on TV shows lately, so to make up for that, I'll give my thoughts on how each of my favorite shows have ended...
Chuck: The show really came into it's own this season and delivered a great finale. Bringing in Chevy Chase and Scott Bakula into the mix was a nice touch. As for the end moment where we learn that Chuck has a more powerful Intersect in his head, I'm mixed. If they play it right, it could be really cool. If they don't, all they'll be doing is adding unnecessary drama to the show. I really hope this show returns, because they had a wonderful option to tie up everything and end it leaving the fans satisfied. But they opted for a cliffhanger ending, which means it better return or else there will be a lot of angry Nerd Herders. Grade: A-
Heroes: Wow, what to say about this show. How the mighty have fallen. This show just can't seem to regain the momentum they had from season 1. While the show improved in the second half of this season, it's still terribly flawed. And despite their efforts to address fans' complaints, the finale seemed so much like a retread. Once again, Nathan is apparently dead, but they found a way to keep the character around. I'm so ready to be rid of so many characters from this show. Let's hope some new blood (and not Claire's deus ex machina blood) can be infused into this show and help it become watchable again. Grade: C+
The Big Bang Theory: The finale played like a greatest hits album in a way as we got to see a lot of great gags return: Shelon's knocking, Howard's mother, etc. This show has quickly moved up to one of my must see comedies and I look forward to seeing some more antics from these guys at the North Pole next season before they return. I also love Penny, but din't have any real urgency to see her together with Leonard, so that aspect of the storyline didn't do much for me. Aside from that, this was great. Grade: A-
House: The bait and switch that they pulled certainly didn't endear me to this show anymore. Yes, I felt sorry for House now that he's been sent to the loony bin, but I never thought the point of the show was to make me empathize with him. This is a show that has tried to do too much, when it wasn't necessary. We didn't need a new team for House, we didn't need forced relationships, we didn't need psychoanalysis of House. Just give us strange medical mysteries and witty one-liners and I'm content. Yes, the formula may get tiring for some, but the formula works for a reason. For the most part, this finale did not. Grade: B-
Better Off Ted: Not much of a season finale since the season only consisted of about 6 episodes, but I still wanted to mention it. Currently the show is on the bubble, but I felt this show continued to grow with each episode and deserves a second season. If they keep expanding the cast like they started to in the final episode, it has a chance to be quirky and fun. Grade: B
Fringe: Man, this episode blew me away! If you're not watching this show, you should. They did everything right here. They wrapped up some storylines with the gruesome death of David Jones. And they also opened up a whole new can of worms with this alternate universe storyline. Not only did we find out Peter is really dead, but then we get that awesome shot of Olivia standing inside the World Trade Center building. Very cool stuff! This has been the most satisfying finale thus far. Grade: A
Lost: Last night's finale left me equally enticed and frustrated. You mean to tell me they couldn't give us one small scene to let us know what happened to the castaways once the bomb went off? Come on. The Jacob stuff was really interesting, but it once again opens up a whole new set of questions. I just keep worrying with only one season left of this show how they can possibly answer everything we want to know. There were a lot of cool small moments last night like Rose and Bernard, Ben at his most vulnerable to date, and our first look at the whole statue. Still it's going to be tough to truly evaluate this episode until we see it in the context of next season for now. One way or another I think we've said goodbye to time travel, which I'm happy about. Even I was starting to get nose bleeds from it. Grade: B+
The Amazing Race: In reality, the better episode was the one before the finale where a team's pee break cost them a chance to be in the final three and compete for the million dollars. That was truly stunning. This final episode did have a come from behind finish, which is always impressive; it's just a shame I didn't like the winning team more. Tammy seemed nice enough, but I couldn't stand Victory. He showed no growth whatsoever throughout the race and maintained a superiority complex over his sister. On top of that, both of them are Harvard law grads, so they probably weren't hurting for money. A lackluster finish to what had been one of the better races in recent years. Grade: B-
More to come in part 2 including NBC's Must-See TV comedies, Animation Domination, How I Met Your Mother, 24, CSI, and Survivor.
Chuck: The show really came into it's own this season and delivered a great finale. Bringing in Chevy Chase and Scott Bakula into the mix was a nice touch. As for the end moment where we learn that Chuck has a more powerful Intersect in his head, I'm mixed. If they play it right, it could be really cool. If they don't, all they'll be doing is adding unnecessary drama to the show. I really hope this show returns, because they had a wonderful option to tie up everything and end it leaving the fans satisfied. But they opted for a cliffhanger ending, which means it better return or else there will be a lot of angry Nerd Herders. Grade: A-
Heroes: Wow, what to say about this show. How the mighty have fallen. This show just can't seem to regain the momentum they had from season 1. While the show improved in the second half of this season, it's still terribly flawed. And despite their efforts to address fans' complaints, the finale seemed so much like a retread. Once again, Nathan is apparently dead, but they found a way to keep the character around. I'm so ready to be rid of so many characters from this show. Let's hope some new blood (and not Claire's deus ex machina blood) can be infused into this show and help it become watchable again. Grade: C+
The Big Bang Theory: The finale played like a greatest hits album in a way as we got to see a lot of great gags return: Shelon's knocking, Howard's mother, etc. This show has quickly moved up to one of my must see comedies and I look forward to seeing some more antics from these guys at the North Pole next season before they return. I also love Penny, but din't have any real urgency to see her together with Leonard, so that aspect of the storyline didn't do much for me. Aside from that, this was great. Grade: A-
House: The bait and switch that they pulled certainly didn't endear me to this show anymore. Yes, I felt sorry for House now that he's been sent to the loony bin, but I never thought the point of the show was to make me empathize with him. This is a show that has tried to do too much, when it wasn't necessary. We didn't need a new team for House, we didn't need forced relationships, we didn't need psychoanalysis of House. Just give us strange medical mysteries and witty one-liners and I'm content. Yes, the formula may get tiring for some, but the formula works for a reason. For the most part, this finale did not. Grade: B-
Better Off Ted: Not much of a season finale since the season only consisted of about 6 episodes, but I still wanted to mention it. Currently the show is on the bubble, but I felt this show continued to grow with each episode and deserves a second season. If they keep expanding the cast like they started to in the final episode, it has a chance to be quirky and fun. Grade: B
Fringe: Man, this episode blew me away! If you're not watching this show, you should. They did everything right here. They wrapped up some storylines with the gruesome death of David Jones. And they also opened up a whole new can of worms with this alternate universe storyline. Not only did we find out Peter is really dead, but then we get that awesome shot of Olivia standing inside the World Trade Center building. Very cool stuff! This has been the most satisfying finale thus far. Grade: A
Lost: Last night's finale left me equally enticed and frustrated. You mean to tell me they couldn't give us one small scene to let us know what happened to the castaways once the bomb went off? Come on. The Jacob stuff was really interesting, but it once again opens up a whole new set of questions. I just keep worrying with only one season left of this show how they can possibly answer everything we want to know. There were a lot of cool small moments last night like Rose and Bernard, Ben at his most vulnerable to date, and our first look at the whole statue. Still it's going to be tough to truly evaluate this episode until we see it in the context of next season for now. One way or another I think we've said goodbye to time travel, which I'm happy about. Even I was starting to get nose bleeds from it. Grade: B+
The Amazing Race: In reality, the better episode was the one before the finale where a team's pee break cost them a chance to be in the final three and compete for the million dollars. That was truly stunning. This final episode did have a come from behind finish, which is always impressive; it's just a shame I didn't like the winning team more. Tammy seemed nice enough, but I couldn't stand Victory. He showed no growth whatsoever throughout the race and maintained a superiority complex over his sister. On top of that, both of them are Harvard law grads, so they probably weren't hurting for money. A lackluster finish to what had been one of the better races in recent years. Grade: B-
More to come in part 2 including NBC's Must-See TV comedies, Animation Domination, How I Met Your Mother, 24, CSI, and Survivor.
One for The Road
Here's the first trailer for one of the films I put on my top 30 list. The Road is based on a Cormac McCarthy novel (same guy who wrote No Country for Old Men). The Road is set to come out Oct. 16.
Is Sin-dication the answer?
Some news today about the possibility of Reaper seeing a third season from the Hollywood Reporter:
Given all that's been said, I still think the show is dead in the water. That's a real shame too because there has been no signs of urgency throughout this season to tie up everything and give us a satisfactory conclusion to a show that started out with a clever idea unlike most other shows on TV. What will happen to this show? Only God, or perhaps the Devil, knows for sure.
Thought "Reaper" was dead?
Well, think again. Like some of the undead creatures on it, the quirky CW dramedy with a rabid fan base is refusing to die.
Sources said show producer ABC Studios is in talks with CW affiliate stations about continuing "Reaper" as a syndicated series for Sunday night.
The law-rated "Reaper" has been pretty much canceled at the CW. But most stations are said to love the series starring Brett Harrison as the Devil's bounty hunter.
So when the network recently decided to give Sunday night back to its affiliates, they started preliminary conversations with ABC Studios about possibly continuing the show with original episodes.
Sources said that ABC Studios also is exploring a possible afterlife for the cult series on cable.
Both scenarios are considered a longshot.
First, there is the economics issue as a syndicated series is generally produced on a lower budget than a network series.
Secondly, "Reaper" creators/executive producers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters have moved on, recently inking an overall deal with 20th TV.
And then there's Tyler Labine, the actor who plays Herrison's sidekick. He is set to star in the newly picked up Fox comedy series "Sons of Tucson." There are conflicting takes on whether Labine would be contractually obligated to "Reaper" if it changes formats from a network to a syndicated show.
But even if he is still tied to "Reaper," Labine headlines a new series, and if he is brought back to his old show against his will, that would be unfortunate for him and a big blow to "Tucson."
Since its midseason return for a second season, "Reaper" has averaged about a 1.0 rating in 18-49, ranking as the network's lowest-rated drama.
But with the network's current programming on Sundays consisting of "Jericho" returns and MGM library movies, averaging below a 0.5 in recent weeks, "Reaper" could potentially improve the slot.
Given all that's been said, I still think the show is dead in the water. That's a real shame too because there has been no signs of urgency throughout this season to tie up everything and give us a satisfactory conclusion to a show that started out with a clever idea unlike most other shows on TV. What will happen to this show? Only God, or perhaps the Devil, knows for sure.
NMR: Hackman double feature
For some reason, I've been on a Gene Hackman kick lately. He is just a tremendous actor and brings a great amount of energy to the screen whenever he's on it. It's a shame he's retired now. It's an even greater shame that his last film will be Welcome to Mooseport.
Enemy of the State: This is one of those films where I've seen bits and pieces of it numerous times, but never actually sat down and watched all the way through until now. This is a tense thriller that seems outdated because of the technology, but still remains relevant in terms of its themes. You really began to see Will Smith morph into a legitimate leading man in this film. Hackman comes in a little too late for my liking into the story, but the few scenes he does have are great. The film also features a lot of well known people who were nobodys when this movie was made. A good popcorn movie that makes you think too. Rating: ****
Heist: The film really doesn't bring anything new to the Heist genre with the exception of writer/director David Mamet's unique dialogue, which I can take or leave. However, despite the lack of freshness to the story, the actors do such a good job with their roles, that you can't help but get into the story. Aside from Hackman who is once again great, there are fine performances from Delroy Lindo, Ricky Jay, Danny Devito, and Sam Rockwell. This is probably one heist film that most people haven't seen yet, so if you enjoy the genre, give it a look. Rating: ****
Enemy of the State: This is one of those films where I've seen bits and pieces of it numerous times, but never actually sat down and watched all the way through until now. This is a tense thriller that seems outdated because of the technology, but still remains relevant in terms of its themes. You really began to see Will Smith morph into a legitimate leading man in this film. Hackman comes in a little too late for my liking into the story, but the few scenes he does have are great. The film also features a lot of well known people who were nobodys when this movie was made. A good popcorn movie that makes you think too. Rating: ****
Heist: The film really doesn't bring anything new to the Heist genre with the exception of writer/director David Mamet's unique dialogue, which I can take or leave. However, despite the lack of freshness to the story, the actors do such a good job with their roles, that you can't help but get into the story. Aside from Hackman who is once again great, there are fine performances from Delroy Lindo, Ricky Jay, Danny Devito, and Sam Rockwell. This is probably one heist film that most people haven't seen yet, so if you enjoy the genre, give it a look. Rating: ****
Friday, May 8, 2009
NMR: Virtuosity
I'm out of newer movies for the moment, so it's back to older ones that slipped through the cracks. This time it's the 1995 computer thriller, Virtuosity, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in one of his first roles in an American film. I remember when the film came out that I thought the trailer made this film look really cool. However, because it was rated R, I never got a chance to see it. Now, nearly 15 years later the film definitely has an outdated feel to it. While nanotechnology is still being developed, the idea of a virtual reality serial killer becoming a real person seems ludicrous now. Crowe has a lot of fun as the maniacal Sid 6.7, but Denzel actually turns in an understated performance. The movie actually has a pretty familiar story that's shined up with the technological spin. A fun diversion but nothing really special here. Might have recommended this back in '95, but no need now. Rating: ***
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Wrath of Trekkies
Looks like not everyone is enamored with the new Star Trek film. ;)
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The sweet political science
After months of waiting, I finally got to see the one Oscar film I had the most interest in; Frost/Nixon. And after weeks of watching underwhelming Oscar films, I've now seen one that was worthy of the praise and acclaim it received.
Based on the play by the same name, Frost/Nixon examines the multi-part interview British TV personality David Frost had with Richard Nixon after his resignation. Unlike Doubt, which felt like a slightly more elaborate version of the stage performance, this film takes a play and gives it a true cinematic film. While the story may be narrow in scope, director Ron Howard does a great job of fully fleshing out the characters and everything around them as they prepare for this interview.
Helping the cause is having the original stage actors, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella reprise their roles as Frost and Nixon respectively in the film version. Both men are just tremendous at capturing who these men were. Langella doesn't necessarily look exactly like Nixon, but is able to still embody this complex man in his performance. While not as flashy, Sheen's take on Frost is equally worthy of praise. He provides us with a look into the nuances of Frost, which reveal a more complex person than you may assume. By now, both of these actors are very familiar with these people they portray and it shows.
Not surprisingly, I liked this film more for what it revealed to us about the media rather than its political statement. Both staunch republicans and democrats will be interested to see how the most controversial president of recent time is portrayed, but that wasn't of great importance to me. I wasn't alive during that time, so I don't have a real vested interest in that. However, seeing the way both men prepared for this interview was extremely fascinating to me. These men don't just prep for this interview in order to get their agenda across; they specifically examine each other in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the other.
There's one specific mention by a character in the film where he likened the interview to a boxing match. This is apropos because there are several other allusions to this throughout the film, which I just thought were excellent. It truly becomes a fight between these two and in order to win they can't just go out there firing punches. It becomes a cat and mouse game to see who can corner the other in order to make that knockout blow. Even though you may know the outcome, the film does a tremendous job of making you become invested in seeing how it all plays out.
One recommendation I would make however is that you should see this movie before watching the actual interview. While the script does an amazing job of boiling down everything that they covered into this two hour movie, this is not a true reenactment. The film naturally makes certain parts more dramatic than they appear to be in the actual interview. If you watch the interview first, you may have a more difficult time appreciating the film. Do watch the interview afterwards though if you can because it is rather remarkable how this interview went down.
As much as I love this film, I can understand why it didn't win best picture. The film is very much a snapshot of one particular point in American history. This story is not grand in nature, which is something that the Academy tends to reward. I'm ok with that though because I wouldn't have wanted this film to attempt to be any broader than what it was. Sure, I would have loved for there to be an additional hour of material, there's certainly enough there to do it. But that may have been overkill. So as it is, this is just a tremendous film that has great acting and an interesting subject matter. It's tough to write reviews for good films because you feel like you're just repeating yourself over and over again. So simply put, go check out this movie, you won't be disappointed. Grade: A
Based on the play by the same name, Frost/Nixon examines the multi-part interview British TV personality David Frost had with Richard Nixon after his resignation. Unlike Doubt, which felt like a slightly more elaborate version of the stage performance, this film takes a play and gives it a true cinematic film. While the story may be narrow in scope, director Ron Howard does a great job of fully fleshing out the characters and everything around them as they prepare for this interview.
Helping the cause is having the original stage actors, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella reprise their roles as Frost and Nixon respectively in the film version. Both men are just tremendous at capturing who these men were. Langella doesn't necessarily look exactly like Nixon, but is able to still embody this complex man in his performance. While not as flashy, Sheen's take on Frost is equally worthy of praise. He provides us with a look into the nuances of Frost, which reveal a more complex person than you may assume. By now, both of these actors are very familiar with these people they portray and it shows.
Not surprisingly, I liked this film more for what it revealed to us about the media rather than its political statement. Both staunch republicans and democrats will be interested to see how the most controversial president of recent time is portrayed, but that wasn't of great importance to me. I wasn't alive during that time, so I don't have a real vested interest in that. However, seeing the way both men prepared for this interview was extremely fascinating to me. These men don't just prep for this interview in order to get their agenda across; they specifically examine each other in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the other.
There's one specific mention by a character in the film where he likened the interview to a boxing match. This is apropos because there are several other allusions to this throughout the film, which I just thought were excellent. It truly becomes a fight between these two and in order to win they can't just go out there firing punches. It becomes a cat and mouse game to see who can corner the other in order to make that knockout blow. Even though you may know the outcome, the film does a tremendous job of making you become invested in seeing how it all plays out.
One recommendation I would make however is that you should see this movie before watching the actual interview. While the script does an amazing job of boiling down everything that they covered into this two hour movie, this is not a true reenactment. The film naturally makes certain parts more dramatic than they appear to be in the actual interview. If you watch the interview first, you may have a more difficult time appreciating the film. Do watch the interview afterwards though if you can because it is rather remarkable how this interview went down.
As much as I love this film, I can understand why it didn't win best picture. The film is very much a snapshot of one particular point in American history. This story is not grand in nature, which is something that the Academy tends to reward. I'm ok with that though because I wouldn't have wanted this film to attempt to be any broader than what it was. Sure, I would have loved for there to be an additional hour of material, there's certainly enough there to do it. But that may have been overkill. So as it is, this is just a tremendous film that has great acting and an interesting subject matter. It's tough to write reviews for good films because you feel like you're just repeating yourself over and over again. So simply put, go check out this movie, you won't be disappointed. Grade: A
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)