Book review: The Lost Symbol

Believe it or not, I don't just sit in front of a TV or computer all day long. On occasion, I do still take a chance to read a good novel. I recently had the opportunity to read Dan Brown's latest, The Lost Symbol; another entry in the Robert Langdon series after Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Once again, Langdon is asked to solve ancient and intricate mysteries surrounding a mysterious organization, this time being the Masons.

Most of Brown's trademark writing style remains here, so if you enjoyed the previous novels you will probably enjoy this one. I can't rank this one as high as my favorite, Angels and Demons, however for a few reasons. I found the book a little slow to begin. There just a little too much standing around and talking without equal action going on. Once the plot does pick up and Langdon is on the run from the government, the action is great and it becomes a real page-turner. The book's climax is also somewhat of a letdown. After the bad guy is defeated, there's still another 50 pages of exposition that provides little pay off. Without saying too much, the big secret that's revealed is nothing as scandalous or interesting as what is proposed in The Da Vinci Code. Finally, while certainly steeped in history, I found the book's Washington DC setting lacking in the same appeal and intrique that the Vatican offered in A & D. So while this isn't Brown's best effort, it has enough to make it a decent pick-up during the summer if you're looking for somethingto read while laying out on the beach. Grade: B-

Fox on the run

From EW.com:

Sources close to the production of Transformers 3 confirm to EW that Megan Fox’s option for the film has not been renewed. Contrary to earlier reports, however, the decision is not a personal vendetta. The source tells EW that it was logical, considering the direction of the script, which sees leading man Shia LaBeouf developing a new love interest.

Well that solves half the problem. Now if they could just get rid of Shia and the rest of the humans, they might actually have a halfway decent film on their hands.

Fall schedule announcements (CW)

The CW just unveiled its brand new 2010-11 schedule, and here’s what you need to know now: 90210 is shifting to Monday (paired with Gossip Girl), One Tree Hill is moving to Tuesday (paired with Life Unexpected), Supernatural is relocating to Friday (reunited with former time-slot companion Smallville), and new action-drama-reboot Nikita has nabbed the plum post-Vampire Diaries slot on Thursday. The complete M-F schedule is below.

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210 (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ONE TREE HILL (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM LIFE UNEXPECTED (New Night)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
9:00-10:00 PM HELLCATS (New Series) Watch a clip!

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9:00-10:00 PM NIKITA (New Series) Watch a clip!

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL (New Night)

Lost answers found?!?

From TVGuide.com:

Turns out two and a half hours just wasn't enough screen time for Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse to tell the whole story they wanted to tell us. An ABC source confirms to me that after Sunday’s series finale, titled "The End," airs from 9 – 11:30 pm ET/PT, the season six DVD (as well as the complete series collection, out on DVD and Blu-ray August 24) will continue the saga with upwards of twenty minutes of additional storyline.

“It’s in production now,” confirms the source, who couldn’t yet confirm the actual running time of the new scenes. “Damon and Carlton wanted to offer fans answers to additional questions they couldn’t get to in the body of the final show.”

Lindelof and Cuse have also ordered up some spectacular packaging that should make the DVDs a must-purchase for show fans. And for those of you who have completely abandoned hope of any happily-ever-afters for these poor lost souls following the recent string of island casualties, Sonja Walger, whose lucky Penny turns up in the finale, offers us a ray of hope. When I asked her to tell me who gets the best ending, she said, “We all do and you’ll see why.”

Could there perhaps be light at the end of Jacob's tunnel of light?

Fall schedule announcements (CBS)

Looks like some big changes in store for the Eye Network...

CBS released its fall 2010 schedule in anticipation of its presentation to advertisers this afternoon in New York. CBS ordered four dramas (Hawaii 5-0, Defenders, Blue Bloods, and the Forest Whitaker starrer Criminal Minds 2, which is set for a midseason debut) and two comedies (Mike and Molly, $#*! My Dad Says) for fall and canceled Ghost Whisperer, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Cold Case, Miami Medical, Accidentally on Purpose, and Numb3rs.

CBS Corp Chairman Leslie Moonves told reporters Wednesday that he was “surprised that you were surprised” about the cancellation of shows like Whisperer and Old Christine. Ratings for the latter comedy, in fact, were trending downward, Moonves said, and “not headed in the right direction. It’s not the right place to be for the No. 1 network. This is about improving time periods.” Later, CBS’ head of scheduling Kelly Kahl quipped that it was all about the “network circle of life.”

The net execs said it felt like the right time to move to Survivor from Thursdays to Wednesdays given the show’s continued strength, and they reassured reporters that the promos for Sh#* My Dad Says won’t really employ the expletive; the voiceover will say “bleep” (yes, reporters were actually concerned about that). Moonves also said he was glad he didn’t have to sell advertisers on the notion of a “One and a Half Men” comedy since Charlie Sheen closed a new deal to stay with the hit show.


* — denotes new show

MONDAY
8 p.m . How I Met Your Mother
8:30 Rules of Engagement
9:00 Two and a Half Men
9:30 Mike and Molly *
10:00 Hawaii Five-0 *


TUESDAY
8 p.m. NCIS
9:00 NCIS LA
10:00 The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Survivor: Nicaragua
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 The Defenders *


THURSDAY
8 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
8:30 $#*! My Dad Says *
9:00 CSI
10:00 The Mentalist

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Medium
9:00 CSI: NY
10:00 Blue Bloods *


SATURDAY
8 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
9:00 Crimetime Saturday
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7 p.m 60 Minutes.
8:00 The Amazing Race
9:00 Undercover Boss
10:00 CSI: Miami

A Megamind is a terrible thing to waste

Here's the first full trailer for the new animated feature, Megamind. Let's hope the quality of the film matches the talent of the voice cast and this isn't a case of weak story being masked by big name actors.

Fall schedule announcements (ABC)

ABC released its fall 2010 schedule in anticipation of its presentation to advertisers this afternoon in New York. New series for the 2010-11 season are Better Together, Body of Proof, Detroit 1-8-7, Happy Endings, Mr. Sunshine, My Generation, No Ordinary Family, Off the Map, Secret Millionaire, and The Whole Truth. ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson told EW that V will be back midseason in the Dancing with the Stars Results Show slot, behind the network’s other high-concept show No Ordinary Family.

“It was a Sophie’s Choice,” McPherson said about his decision to renew V and cancel FlashForward. “In the end, FlashForward didn’t engage audiences like we hoped. For V, I get more anecdotal calls and emails than any other show on the schedule. A huge part of rebuilding the network is about taking chances. Some shows just don’t work out.”

MONDAY
8:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars
10:00 p.m. Castle

TUESDAY
8:00 p.m. No Ordinary Family
9:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars the Results Show
10:00 p.m. Detroit 1-8-7

WEDNESDAY
8:00 p.m. The Middle
8:30 p.m. Better Together
9:00 p.m. Modern Family
9:30 p.m. Cougar Town
10:00 p.m. The Whole Truth

THURSDAY
8:00 p.m. My Generation
9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 p.m. Private Practice

FRIDAY
8:00 p.m. Secret Millionaire
9:00 p.m. Body of Proof
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

Descriptions of the dramas:

Body of Proof Stars Dana Delany as a medical examiner, determined to solve the puzzle of who or what killed the victims of an accident that ended her career as a neurosurgeon.

Detroit 1-8-7 stars Michael Imperioli in this drama offering an insider’s glimpse of Detroit Police’s Homicide Unit.

My Generation A documentary-style dramedy about a disparate group of high schoolers from Greenbelt High School in Austin, Tex. preparing for graduation, then revisited 10 years later.

No Ordinary Family Michael Chiklis stars as the patriarch of a family that goes from ordinary to extraordinary.

Off the Map From executive producers Shonda Rhimes and creator Jenna Bans, this drama focuses a tiny town in the South American jungle which has one understaffed, under-stocked medical clinic.

The Whole Truth Rob Morrow stars in this legal drama that tells story from perspective of both the defense and prosecution.

Comedies:

Better Together A marriage comedy that stars JoAnna Garcia.

Happy Endings Elisha Cuthbert stars in this series about how a couple’s break-up will complicate all of their friends’ lives and make everyone question their choices.

Mr. Sunshine Matthew Perry stars as Ben Donovan, the self-involved manager of a second-rate San Diego sports arena who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday.

Alternative series


Secret Millionaire A one-hour alternative series that follows some of America’s wealthiest people for one week as they leave behind their lavish lifestyles, sprawling mansions and luxury jets, conceal their true identities, and go to live and volunteer in some of the most impoverished and dangerous communities in America.

Park your butt down and watch this!

So I've tried to make a few comments on here about how much the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation has improved this year. As it nears the end of its second season it has really hit its stride. I was dismayed to see that NBC has decided to save this show until midseason next year. However, if the rumors are true and they're doing this in order to move it into the 9:30 slot after The Office, I'm cool with that. Anyways, in order to help improve its ratings I'll use this site to promote it as much as I can. Today, you can give the show a chance by checking out this extra long producer's cut of last week's penultimate episode for season 2.

Heavy mettle

I apologize for not getting this review up last week in a more timely fashion. However, by waiting, I've actually had a chance to see it again, which has allowed me to gain more perspective on the film.

Iron Man 2 picks up fairly soon after the initial film, with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) relishing the fact that he's become a beloved superhero and sustained world peace. Meanwhile, a Russian named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) begins to develop his own suit in order to exact revenge on Stark because his their fathers used to work together until Stark's dad had Vanko's deported. The suit Vanko develops has electric whips attached making him into the villainous Whiplash. That would be a perfectly fine setup to a comic book movie, however, in this film that is just one of many stories going on.

In addition to Whiplash seeking revenge against Stark, there are plot points involving the government wanting Stark to hand over the Iron Man suit, a rival weapons manufacturer named Justin Hammer (played oily by Sam Rockwell) trying to develop his own weaponized suit, Nick Fury's further attempts to recruit Iron Man into S.H.I.E.L.D., and Stark worrying over the fact that the Iron Man suit is poisoning his blood and could kill him. Trying to sort out all of these issues was dizzying during my first viewing of it. It becomes a little bit more clear my second time out, however, it doesn't take away from the fact that none of these stories actually get the proper development that they deserve.

What is perhaps even more troubling is that despite all that is going on, most of it feels pretty frivolous. There is no real sense that the story or franchise has advanced much once the film is over. While it is certainly a fun ride throughout, I did wish that there had been a bit more gravity or significance to the events that unfolded.

What ultimately allows this film to overcome its bloated story and maintain its fun is the superb cast, led of course by the phenomenal Downey Jr. It's really a shame that for so long Downey was largely ignored and/or underappreciated by audiences. For the past few years, he has consistently delivered fantastic performances that make you not only believe the characters being portrayed, but also allow you to see how much fun Downey is having playing them. Once again, he completely embodies Tony Stark and all of the flaws that are associated with the character. Thankfully he doesn't have to worry about carrying the show here as he has a lot of great actors to play off of. Gwyneth Paltrow once again proves that she should remain a redhead in all of her roles. It softens her and makes her so much more likeable than she is in any of her other films. Rockwell and Rourke do well in their baddie roles and each have an opportunity to have great scenes with Downey along the way.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of other newcomers here. First, there is Scarlett Johanson, who works at Stark Industries, but may be involved in more than meets the eye. She may have been included for pure eye candy, especially in the scenes where she has to wear a catsuit, but when you look as good as her, you'll never hear my complain. Don Cheadle is also in this film, replacing Terrence Howard in the role of James 'Rhodey' Rhodes. The film does a nice job of slyly acknowledging the change. However, it ultimately was a lateral move. Cheadle didn't really add anything new to the character, but didn't detract from the film either.

Does the film belong on the same level of superhero sequels like The Dark Knight? Absolutely not. However, it works perfectly well as a big blockbuster summer movie. It has a lot of action (although the final conflict here, just as in the first Iron Man, deserved to be longer) and plenty of laughs as well. It's excellent escapist fare, even if it doesn't quite match up with the first film. Where Iron Man had the advantage of providing something new, this one merely gives us more of the same. At this point, it probably does no good making a recommendation for this film. I'm sure everyone has already made up their mind as to whether or not they will see it. However, for those that have already watched it, I can tell you that I definitely did enjoy it more on the second viewing. This is particularly true if you're a comic book fan as there are many Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the film that are geeky fun. All in all, Iron Man 2 may not be as sharp as the original, but it possesses all of the elements to be a successful franchise for years to come. Grade: B

Fall schedule announcements (FOX)

As will be the case all week, the schedule and all commentary are courtesy of EW.com

"Fox will add three new dramas and four new comedies to the schedule next season that is “designed to be aggressive, not just to maintain.” Talking with reporters today in anticipation of the network’s presentation to advertisers in New York, Entertainment President Kevin Reilly touted the network’s new “modern-day Dallas” in Lonestar that stars Jon Voight (24) and talked about the coup in scoring Keri Russell (Felicity) for the comedy Running Wilde that also stars Will Arnett. He also announced that Fox will air a special episode of Glee when the network airs the Super Bowl next year.

As usual, the conversation veered toward American Idol and its future without judge Simon Cowell. ”Auditions don’t begin until September, so we do have time,” explains Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice. ”There is no bigger question for the summer.”

By far, the network’s most ambitious project for next season is Terra Nova, a high-concept drama from the auspices of Steven Spielberg, ex-Fox Chairman Peter Chernin, agent-turned-producer Aaron Kaplan and scribe Brannon Braga (24). The prehistoric, time-traveling drama is in pre-production and has yet to be cast but Reilly says they’ve already hired the production designer from Avatar to work on the special effects (the show will feature dinosaurs). Because of the size of the production — it is expected to shoot in Hawaii — the show has yet to earn a time slot on the midseason schedule.

Finally, Fox did not say what it plans to do on Saturdays now that it has canceled The Wanda Sykes Show.

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM House
9:00-10:00 PM Lonestar (new)

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Glee
9:00-9:30 PM Raising Hope (new)
9:30-10:00 PM Running Wilde (new)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Lie to Me
9:00-10:00 PM Hell’s Kitchen

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Bones
9:00-10:00 PM Fringe

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Human Target
9:00-10:00 PM The Good Guys

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM America’s Most Wanted

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

Fox midseason schedule


MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM House
9:00-10:00 PM Lonestar / Ride-Along (new)

TUESDAY
8:00-9:30 PM American Idol performance show
9:30-10:00 PM Running Wilde (new) / Mixed Signals (new; spring)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM Raising Hope
8:30-9:00 PM American Idol results show
9:00-10:00 PM Glee

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Bones
9:00-10:00 PM Fringe

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Human Target
9:00-10:00 PM Kitchen Nightmares

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM America’s Most Wanted

SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM The Simpsons (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM American Dad
8:00-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM Bob’s Burgers (new)
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM The Cleveland Show

Here are descriptions of the new shows:

Raising Hope A single-camera family comedy from Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl) about a family that receives an unexpected new member into their already flawed household. Stars Cloris Leachman and Martha Plimpton.

Running Wilde A romantic comedy starring Will Arnett as an immature playboy trying to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart, played by Keri Russell.

Lonestar From the creators of Party of Five, this Texas-based soap opera about big oil families stars Adrianne Palicki and Jon Voight.

Bob’s Burgers A new animated series about a man, his family and a burger joint.

Terra Nova A time-traveling drama back to prehistoric earth from executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga and David Fury (it has yet to be scheduled).

Ride-Along A Chicago-based cop drama starring Jason Clarke. It’s from Shawn Ryan (The Shield)."

Will 8 be great?

For those of you who haven't made it out to see Iron Man 2 yet (by the way, I have and I promise to get my review up asap) here's the trailer for J.J. Abrams' new project, Super 8. Even though, it looks similar to Cloverfield, it supposedly has nothing to do with it. Regardless, it looks like it'll probably be another thrill ride for all movies fans to enjoy.

Fall schedule announcements (NBC)

So this is the week when the networks unveil their fall schedules and we start things early with NBC's lineup. Here's the schedule, plus additional comments from EW.com:

Insiders are confirming that the following NBC schedule — which the trades got a hold of this AM — is legit. The highlights? 30 Rock moving to 8:30, Parks and Recreation being held to midseason, and the romantic anthology Love Bites landing the Thursday at 10 pm perch.

MONDAY
8-9 p.m: Chuck
9-10 p.m: The Event (new)
10-11 p.m.: Chase (new)

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m.: The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m.: Parenthood

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m.: Undercovers (new)
9-10 p.m.: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m.: Law & Order: Los Angeles (new)

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m.: Community
8:30-9 p.m.: 30 Rock
9-9:30 p.m.: The Office
9:30-10 p.m.: Outsourced (new)
10-11 p.m.: Love Bites (new)

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m.: Who Do You Think You Are?/School Pride (new)
9-10 p.m.: Dateline NBC
10-11 p.m.: Outlaw (new)

SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m.: Football Night in America
8:15-11:30 p.m.: NBC Sunday Night Football

SUNDAY (midseason)
7-8 p.m.: Dateline NBC
8-9 p.m. – Minute to Win It
9-11 p.m. – The Celebrity Apprentice

Held to midseason: Parks and Recreation, plus new comedies Friends With Benefits, The Paul Reiser Show, Perfect Couples, as well as new dramas The Cape and Harry’s Law.

Wahoo Wrap-Up (Week 6)

Record: 15-20, Third in the American League Central

Sorry I never got around to doing a weekly recap last week. Then again, the way the Tribe was playing then didn't exactly inspire me to write much (at least nothing positive). Thankfully, the news is much better this week as the Indians managed to take two out of three in each of their last two series and have won 5 out of their last 7 games. It certainly helped that we played the Royals and Orioles, two of the AL's worst teams. Still, the way we won those games was positive and hopefully it will help motivate the team to keep up their winning ways. One of the nice things that has developed is the offense from guys like Austin Kearns and Russell Branyan; a couple of guys who weren't expected to do much but have provided some pop in the offense as well as some senior leadership for the young guys. It's a shame guys like Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner aren't doing it, but as long as someone is, I'm happy.

This week things will get a little bit tougher. We wrap up the current road trip with a two game stint against the best team in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays. Then it is back home for series against the Royals and the Reds. We just beat up on the Royals so hopefully we can do it again at home. As for the Reds, we usually play our cross-state rival competitively, but their pitching has been very good this year, so our bats will really have to pick it up if we want to win against them. Right now, I'm just trying to stay positive about the team, which is the most we can hope for from anyone. And as always, Go Tribe!

The Chump deleted scenes

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TV's Grim Reaper begins to rear his ugly head

As season finales begin to air, it's once again time for fans to wait with bated breath to see what fate lies for their favorite shows. Well even though fall schedules won't be announced for another week or so, decisions on some shows have already been made.

The big announcement yesterday was that Heroes has been cancelled. This is bittersweet news for me. Like so many people, I fell in love with this show in its first year and then continued to be baffled with each successive year as it failed to reclaim that magic and turned into a overstuffed and convoluted mess. It was getting embarassing watch it try so hard and fail miserably. It's probably best that NBC just decided to be done with it. There are some rumors that they may give the show a 2-hour movie to wrap things up, but if I were NBC I would just opt to spend the money elsewhere.

Another show that felt the ax this week was Better Off Ted. This one actually hurts a little bit more since this show was still producing great TV. It just had the unfortunate situation of being on ABC - the network where good sitcoms go to die. If this had been on a different network, I feel it would have had a better opportunity to nurture and develop a fan base. Let's just hope the talented people from the cast are able to find other work quickly.

Lastly, some good news - Chuck has been renewed!! The little show that could has somehow survived and will get a fourth season. Right now, NBC has only ordered 13 episodes, but they did that last year and then ended up ordering more after being pleased with the quality of the episodes, so let's hope that happens once again this year. This show is so much fun and has a great cast. I'm glad to see they're having the opportunity to expand the show and allow the characters to grow instead of running around in circles, never answering questions. Since they creators now they could always be cancelled at the drop of the hat, they just go for broke to make sure they don't leave the audience hanging. I can't wait to see what's in store for Chuck and the Buy More gang next season.

For updates on the statuses of all of your favorite TV show, I would recommend going here. They'll give you the lowdown of who gets cut and who is granted salvation.

Wheee!

So news came out today that there are plans to make a movie based on the computer game Roller Coaster Tycoon. Now if this was being produced by WWE Films, I might claim copyright infringement since back in the day I actually created a WWE-themed amusement park on that game (complete with rides like the Rings of Saturn, The Worm, and the Rattlesnake). But since it isn't, I hope they turn the film into a thriller and have the tycoon character open up his park with his rides only half build like in the video below (Note: You will probably enjoy the video better on mute). Now that's a movie!

It's all part of the plan

We finally have a trailer for The Adjustment Bureau, a film I'm excited about that was originally set to open in July, but sadly has now been pushed back to September.

NMR: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

This will probably only be remembered as the last film that Heath Ledger did. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if it gets a few more people to check it out. Directed by Terry Gilliam, this is another trippy piece of eye candy that is equal parts engaging and frustrating. Gilliam's directing style is an accquired taste and when it works like in a film like The Fisher King, it's rewarding and when it doesn't it can turn into a noisy mess, like with The Brothers Grimm. Here he deals with some interesting themes involving religion, mortality, and temptation. When it sticks to its narrative, I really enjoyed the film. I particularly appreciated Tom Waits' work as the Devil. However, Gilliam can't help but attack the viewer with as many visuals as possible causing the film to frequently veer off course. One aspect that was seemless to the film was the use of substitute actors to fill in for the scenes Ledger had not completed before he passed away. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law all fill in at various time in the movie, but it's never awkward. It's tough to explain here, but trust me it works. In general, this is a mixed bag but definitely worth a look if you want to see Ledger's final (and once again great) performance or if you tend to enjoy Gilliam's work. Grade: B-

The Cover-Up deleted scenes

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Wahoo Wrap-Up (Week 4)

Record: 10-14, 3rd in AL Central

Maybe I should stop doing these posts on Sunday considering it seems the Tribe loses on this day each time. Then again, it's not like they're winning a lot on the other days either. The road trip finished on a bitter note as the Angels hit a walk-off bunt (yes, you read that right) to beat us in a game we should have won. We then only managed to get 1 out of 3 against the Twins to begin this homestand. The good news is that our offense seemed to perk up once we got back to Cleveland. Unfortunately the starting pitching wasn't as strong. Not to mention that the Twins are just a better team than us right now.

This week the homestand continues as we take on Toronto and Detroit. Toronto has strong together a couple of wins thanks to playing an injured Oakland team, but they are not what I would consider a formidable opponent. I would really like to see us take at least two of three from then. Then it's our old rivals, the Tigers. They have been red hot lately and played well against us at Comerica Park. If we want to have any chance of making a move in the AL Central, we're going to have to start defeating divisional opponents. Let's hope that begins this weekend. I'll be back with another recap next Sunday. Until then, let's go Tribe!

Reynolds wrapped

Check out the trailer for the film, Buried, set to come out in September and starring Ryan Reynolds. The premise is spooky enough, but it's hard to say yet if this will be cool or just come off cheesy. If done right, it could be a more effective Phone Booth. If not, it may be the most uncomfortable two hours you spend in a theater.

NMR: A couple of Critchton's

Courtesy of Netflix's instant view, here's a pair of reviews for two films based off of Michael Critchton novels.

Netflix: I remember loving the book and then ended up never seeing the movie because so many people said it was bad when it came out in 2003. Now a few years removed I thought I would give it a chance and it turns out those people were exactly right. This movie seemed to completely fail at grasping what made Critchton's books so great in the first place - the science. This film barely touches on the time travelling aspects and seems content to be a run-of-the-mill period action thriller. While annoying, I may have let it slide had the action and/or acting been any good, but neither were here. Paul Walker is his usually wooden self and the rest are just as boring, if not annoying in their performance. The movie is so dull it felt like time was standing still for me. The only bright spot was seeing David Thewlis, who is better known now as Prof. Lupin in the Harry Potter series. Rating: **

Rising Sun: This one started off promising enough in its exploration of the American/Japanese business culture within the context of a murder. However, it quickly becomes a standard cop thriller and then eventually devolves into a non-sensical mess. A major flaw here is that the film never makes the audience invested in finding out who the killer is. While I've never read the book, I have a feeling all of this made better sense there. This film seemed to have a lot of corporate influence on it as the elements of action and tension are ramped up, but cause the film's story to suffer greatly. It's always a treat to see Connery on the screen, but even he couldn't do enough to make this better than mediocre. Rating: ***

How about some hot Coco (news)?

Each day seems to bring us some new information regarding Conan O'Brien's new gig this November on TBS. Here's a summation...

-It's been confirmed that Conan will be staying in LA. Currently, they're trying to procure a lot near the Lopez Tonight set. I can't say I'm happy about this, but it's probably the more pragmatic decision.

-According to music legend Al Kooper who knows many members of Conan's band, he claims that band leader Max Weinberg will not be coming back when Conan starts his new show. If he's to be believed, the rest of the band will remain in tact, it's just Max who's not returning. It would be sad to see Max go, but there are enough other funny guys in that band (ie La Bamba) that seeing Max go wouldn't be the end of the world. You can read Kooper's interview where he makes these claims here.

-Finally, if you haven't heard, Conan can finally break his silence starting tomorrow (May 1) and will do it formally on Sunday when he's interviewed on 60 Minutes. It's sure to be an interesting piece, so be sure to tune in if you're curious about what he has to say about NBC and Jay Leno.

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Franchise futures

Some news about the fates of a couple future sequels (both stories coming from EW.com)

We'll begin with some good news...

The Dark Knight sequel finally has a release date. Almost two years after the killer clown crime epic dominated the box office and spawned a million Halloween costumes, Warner Bros. has announced that the still-untitled Batman 3 will be released on July 20, 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (In other news, I’m going off the grid from July 19, 2012 through August 1, 2012.)

There’s not a whole lot of information about the movie, which is still in the very early planning stages. Director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer have always been focused on presenting a more realistic take on the Batman mythos, so we’re probably not going to see Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, or Clayface. Even though he’s a bit more outlandish, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Riddler, if only because his presence could pump up Batman’s mystery-solving detective side. But what do I know? None of my films have ever grossed over a billion dollars.

and then some not so happy news...

If you believe the tweets of GhostPanther, it is. According to the twitter feed of GhostPanther — which belongs to Adam McKay, Will Ferrell’s production partner and the co-writer/director of the original Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy — Paramount passed on the project, even after they tried lowering the budget. Said his tweet, “So bummed. Paramount basically passed on Anchorman 2. Even after we cut our budget down. We tried.”

McKay’s reps have no comment and we’ve called Paramount and have not yet received a response. A source close to the studio says Paramount didn’t officially pass, but rather wanted a lower budget than McKay and Farrell presented–a budget the duo felt was too low to make the film successfully. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more details.

UPDATE: McKay wrote a follow-up Tweet on his feed: “To all who asked: no we can’t do Anchorman 2 at another studio. Paramount owns it.”

Flop-tastic

Sign this guy up for the WWE!

Wahoo Wrap-Up (Week 3)

Record: 8-10, 3rd in AL Central

A thoroughly frustrating week that saw the Tribe start their road trip going 2-4. The main culprit was a lack of hitting. In almost every game, our starting pitching was strong and gave us plenty of opportunities to win. Sadly, time after time our bats were silent. I'm really hoping that our offense can come out of its funk because we might actually have a halfway decent team. The only starter who has struggled is Justin Masterson. If the starting pitching can keep up their performances, the weaknesses of our bullpen won't be exposed that often.

This week we'll finish up this lengthy road trip with a stop in Anaheim. They've had their struggles early on, but they also just gave the Yankees their first series loss of the season, so they may be starting to get their act together. We'll then return home on Friday to start another series with Minnesota. The Twins have looked strong so far this year, but hopefully some home cooking will be just what the doctor ordered for us and we can get on a roll. As always, Go Tribe (and oh yeah, go Cavs too).

Harvey har har

Speaking of SNL, most of last night's episode was pretty terrible, but this one small sketch mocking comedian Steve Harvey's recent guest hosting duty on Who Wants to be a Millionaire really got me laughing. Perhaps it's because I'm one of the few that still watches the syndicated version, despite the fact that the show has become horrible this season. They've eliminated the phone-a-friend hotline, they've made a mockery of the Ask the Expert lifeline (they actually used Paula Poundstone one week) and they continue to choose some dumb contestants all in an effort to save money. So while this skit may not be the funniest thing out there, I wanted to promote as a means of expressing my frustration over how terrible WWTBAM has become.

NMR: Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush

It's been slim pickings lately on Netflix as most of the new releases that I have yet to see have a 'long wait' attached to them (Speaking of which, I swear I never had to wait long for Netflix movies when I lived in NC. C'mon people of Dayton, start returning your films faster!).

Anyways, this was a 2 hour special made last year from Ferrell's brief one man show on Broadway as the former Commander in Chief. While it's undeniable that of all the SNL cast members who attempted to do Bush, Ferrell's was by far the best, I still don't necessarily think it was his best character. Part of the reason is that Bush himself was such a character/buffoon that it's hard to top that with actual comedy. This particular show certain has its moments; I especially enjoyed him talking about a fictional time where he was trapped with his father and brothers in an abandoned mine and they all had to be saved by Barabara. The stuff that was non-political typically worked better because the political stuff has either been done better by other comedy shows or was too depressing in real-life to make it funny here. Overall, 2 hours was just a little too long of a stay for just this one character. Only see it if you're a really big Ferrell fan or if you just can't get enough Bush-bashing. Rating: ***

Secretary's Day deleted scenes

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NMR: Paranormal Activity

I finally got around to see the surprise horror hit of last fall and found myself liking it more than I had anticipated. First, I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. I also tend to dislike anything that gets overhyped (see Napoleon Dynamite), yet I was curious about the buzz surrounding this film. Similar to the other indie horror blockbuster, The Blair Witch Project, there's not a lot that goes on for most of the film. However, unlike that movie I found the dialogue and interaction between the main characters here to be more realistic and engaging. They do a nice job building your curiosity as to what is really going on in their seemingly haunted house. The film's conclusion provides a nice scare, but is also cheap from a storytelling perspective since it offers a horror cliche and seemingly opens up the possibility for a sequel. Interestingly enough, the film offers some alternate endings, both of which are stronger than the original finish. I truly think this is a film that could only be enjoyed in a dark room late at night. That atmosphere is needed to truly make this film frightening. So if you like a good scare and can see it in that scenario, I think you'll enjoy this one. Rating: ***

Perverts R Us

You have to wonder sometimes what goes through the mind of toy developers. To illustrate, check out this hilarious, yet thoroughly disgusting list of unintentionally perverted toys over at Cracked.

Sadly, our family actually owned one of these toys. A prize goes to anyone who can correctly identify which one we had.

Double Oh Crap

Bad news for Bond fans...

The next James Bond sequel, tentatively titled Bond 23, has been put on hold due to MGM’s financial troubles, according to Variety. EON Productions heads Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced Monday that the next Daniel Craig 007 installment was facing a foe as nasty as Dr. No or Scaramanga: cash woes. “Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on Bond 23 indefinitely,” the pair said in a statement. “We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of Bond 23.” The project did not yet have a director attached, but a trio of writers had reportedly been working on a script and Craig had informed fans last fall that the film would start shooting late this year. MGM has been in the process of sorting out its future with its debt holders. MGM put itself up for sale in November. The studio’s only release this year, Hot Tub Time Machine, has grossed $42.4 million to date.

(Source: EW.com)

Masking the problem

"How come no one's ever tried to be a superhero?" That's the question at the heart of a pair of recently released new entries into the burgeoning comic book genre. Both Kick Ass and Defendor feature main characters who attempt to do just that - donning elaborate costumes and ward of evil doers in their local cities. By featuring protagonists who attempt to be superheroes without possessing any particular superpowers, both films try to seperate themselves from previous comic book films by purporting that their stories are rooted in reality while the notions of people who are faster than a speeding bullet or can shoot spider webs out of their wrists are pure fantasy. Neither film completely accomplishes this, but Defendor comes closer to making a realistic film.

Defendor was set to get a theaterical release last February, but then it got changed and went straight to DVD last week. That is a shame, because it will probably now get lost in the shuffle and deserves a better audience. Woody Harrelson stars as the titular hero who's attempting to clean up his town by eliminating Captain Industry, a villain who may or may not actually exist. We learn through a nonlinear form of storytelling that Defendor is really Arthur Poppington, a man who's had a traumatic upbringing and may not be completely sane. In his quest to find Captain Industry, Defendor befriends a hooker, (played by Kat Dennings) who sees an opportunity to play with Arthur's mental instability.

There is some strong black humor sprinkled throughout the film. We see Defendor use some creative weapons against his enemies like marbles and jars of angry bees. The film also hits all of the right emotional beats. Even if you can see the tragic ending coming, it will still move you. That is in large part due to a strong performance by Harrelson, who continues to be underrated as an actor. For the most part, the film gives an accurate depiction of what would happen if a solitary man with aspirations of heroism attempted to go against real bad guys who have weapons and evil intentions. The films greatest flaw however is its narrative structure. Instead of delivering a straightforward story, it attempts to play tricks and manipulate the audience through flashbacks and other storytelling devices. In the hands of a more capable director, this had the potential to be a very effective film.

I'm not sure if the same could ever be true for Kick Ass. Here, the story, as told to us by Kick Ass aka 17 year old Dave Lizewski, tries to sell us that this is the real world and our hero is nothing like the one you see in the movies. Too bad the film then goes on to be exactly like those films without any sense of irony about it. The film seems to want to be a satire, yet ends up merely imitating all of its predecessors. Having not read the graphic novel source material, I can't really say whether this is the fault of the source material or director Matthew Vaughn's inability to have that message translate to the screen.

Despite supposedly being set in New York City, nothing feels authentic about the world that's created in this movie. There are problems with the villains who seem to be run-of-the-mill film bad guys. The depiction of the teenagers also feels false as I don't see most of them actually behaving in the manner that they do here. Worst of all those is how the heroes are depicted. Along with Kick Ass, we also see Red Mist (played by Superbad's McLovin), Big Daddy (played by Nicholas Cage, who provides the only decent moments in the film), and his 11-year old daughter, Hit Girl. Each of them has their moments of ass-kickery in the film, depicting some truly graphic violence. This becomes problematic as the film only focuses on the glory of the kill and none of the reprecussions that would actually be associated with being a superhero in a real world setting.

None of these characters ever question the morality of their actions. They also don't give any thought as to how this will change their preexisting relationships with the people in their lives. It's just a portrayal of blind vigilantism for the sake of feeding the blood-lustful audience a huge heaping of unadulterated violence. Let it be clear that I had no problem with the violence itself, it's that the violence is not given any sort of proper context to make it acceptable. Kick Ass doesn't portray the real world, it simply puts the audience into a hyperreal video game world where everything is acceptable, so long as you're the last person left standing. It's probably apt that the film begins with the title character speaking of his penchant for self gratification because this film is one big masturbatory fantasy. Defendor: B Kick Ass: C

Wahoo Wrap-Up (Week 2)

Record: 6-6, 3rd in the AL Central

I had fully intended to start this last Sunday, but that game ended so horribly for the Indians, that I couldn't stomach doing a post then. Things are certainly much brighter this week as we are on a 4-game winning streak and just capped off a sweep against the Chicago White Sox (Yesterday was particularly nice seeing both the Indians and the Cavs take out Chicago teams).

Right now, the team is looking better than I expected. The starting rotation, in particular, has performed above expectations to begin. I'm pleased with how things have gone, but I'm far from convinced that this is actually a good team. After all, if you break down things further, you can see that we are 5-1 against the White Sox and 1-5 against the other two teams we've faced. It's hard to say whether we're good or if the White Sox are just that much more worse than us.

There's an off day tomorrow and then we begin a big road trip that features our first visit to the new Target Field in Minnesota and then a stint out west where we'll face Oakland, who's off to a very good start this year, and the Angels, who are always tough to play at home.

With no seemingly dominant team in our division, a hot start is what this team will need if it has any chance of contending this year. Let's hope this will be a productive road trip and we can finish the month off strong. Until next week, let's go Tribe!

NMR: In too Depp

Recently, I reviewed a pair of George Clooney's films and this time I look at two of another big time actor's movies.

Sleepy Hollow: This films marks one of the many collaborations between Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton. In a sense, this films lives and dies by Burton. The most recent 200th episode of South Park had it right when they mocked Burton for his redundancy. If you've seen one Tim Burton film, you've seen them all. They all have the same look, mood, and score. However, while there was nothing fresh in that regard, I found the film still being able to winning me over for two reasons; first, I really liked this interpretation of the Sleepy Hollow legend, as they infused a sort of CSI element into it. The other strength of the film is its cast. Beyond Depp, there is a wonderful group of character actors here including Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Miranda Richardson, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDermid, and Christopher Walken (who oddly doesn't utter one word the entire movie). If you're a fan of Burton's work, this one is definitely worth a view, otherwise this probably isn't for you. Rating: ****

Secret Window: One would think combining the talents of Depp with a story based on a Stephen King novel would make this film an instant winner, but they would be wrong. The movie is about a writer (Depp), who visited at his cabin by a creepy Southerner (John Turturro) accusing him of plagiarizing his story. Tormented by this accuser, Depp's character struggles to uncover the truth and keep his life together. For me, the film takes too long getting to its resolution and the journey isn't all that engaging. I did appreciate the fact that the film opted for an unconventional ending, but by that point it wasn't enough. Depp is typically good here, but he's about the only reason you should bother checking this out. Rating: ***

Copping a plea to be funny

Will Ferrell has had a rough stretch of films recently, but the trailer for his latest comedy The Other Guys seems like it could right the ship. He's back with his longtime director Adam McCay (who directed films like Anchorman) and he's got a good supporting cast around him, alleviating him of having to carry the entire film himself. Check it out below...

Cable jumpers

I know I am a few days late on these stories, but I still wanted to add my two cents in on them:

Conan strikes deal with TBS
I can't say that I thought he would wind up here, but it's not necessarily a bad deal either. There are certainly a lot of positives to it: he only has to do shows 4 days a week, ratings expectations will be significantly lower, and he'll get a lot more money than he would have got on NBC. With regards to that last point though, it should be pointed out that part of the charm, at least in my opinion, with Conan's old show was that it had a low budget feel to it. It seemed to make him more creative instead of spending a lot of money to do less funny remote bits. Let's hope that Conan uses the money wisely to still produce an awesome show. The other key downsides are that his presence will, at least initially, not be as great on cable. Also, being on at 11 o'clock, he'll have to compete against The Daily Show, which has a lot of viewers in his core demographic. The one thing that I have yet to hear about this deal is where the show will be. Personally, I think staying out in LA would be a terrible idea, yet I have a feeling that is likely where it will be. NY seems like a better fit because Conan just seems to have more of an East Coast mentality and he would more likely get better guests. Overall, I wish him the best and I'll certainly be interested to see how it all goes down come this November.

WWE Smackdown moving to SyFy
I'm sure the WWE hates that this move takes them off network TV. However, given that they were currently floundering on the hard to find MyNetworkTV channel, this will probably actually boost their presence. I'm actually surprised SyFy agreed to this since every indication has been that they've been disappointed with the ratings for the ECW and NXT shows. Ideally, I would like for this move to be the first step towards ending the brand extension, but for whatever reason, I have a feeling that Vince feels there's still money in it. Ultimately this move probably won't matter one way or the other since the business is cyclical and people that are interested in tuning in will find the show no matter what channel it's located on.

Dinner is served

Well it's about time....finally the trailer for Dinner for Schmucks, one of my top 5 movies to see in 2010 has been released and it did not disappoint. This looks like it'll be a tour de force of comedy greatness. Check it out for yourself down below.

Mustache love

I just came across this new t-shirt referring to the Ron Swanson character from Parks and Recreation and just had to share it with you. Below is an image of the front of the t-shirt. If you're a fan of the show, you'll know immediately how much this reeks of awesomeness. I'm almost tempted to buy one for myself. If you're so inclined, you can get one for yourself here.



Also, if you have not yet seen the actual summer catalog that the show created in conjunction with the episode devoted to it, you have to check it out here. These things are what move shows from 'good' to 'classic'. You will double over in laughter reading some of the courses descriptions on here.

Don't cross(promotion) me!

In an asinine attempt to get people to watch Glee, FOX has announced that they are making most of their shows have musical-themed episodes next week. You can see more on the story here. What a tremendously awful idea. Do they really think we watch to see the cast of Fringe singing about human/lizard hybrids or alternate realities? Or how about Jack Bauer interrupting his interrogation session to break into a number on 24? I thought the V countdown clock that stayed up during the entire episode of Lost was moronic, but this takes the cake. Needless to say, this attempt by FOX won't earn my viewership for thier overrated show and I'll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't work on anyone else either.

Smell the testosterone

Here's a trio of new trailers, all fueled with man-sized action:

NMR: The Clooney bin

Reviews for a pair of 2009 films starring George Clooney coming at ya...

Up in the Air: A best picture nominee and deservedly so. Jason Reitman, who directed this, showed once again why he is one of the premiere young directors in Hollywood. I felt this had a great, timely storyline coupled with some great acting. The one thing that bugs me though is that while I can't find any flaws with it, I didn't necessarily fall in love with the movie while watching it. I wish I could understand what prevented this, but I'm at a loss. While the film is sad at times, it is not a completely depressing film, so don't let that deter anyone from checking this out. In fact, I wholeheartedly encourage others to check it out, maybe someone else can put their finger on what's missing here or at least tell me that nothing is wrong and convince me that this is a film classic. For now, I'll settle on a grade of B+, which allows it to barely get on to my Top Ten list of 2009.

The Men Who Stare At Goats: No mystery here, I definitely know I didn't like this one. That is a real shame too, because this one had so much promise. With a cast that included Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor, I felt this was a can't miss. They certainly proved me wrong. The story, about a group of allegedly real soliders who were trained to be Jedi-like warriors, is pretty absurd and needed a more skilled director to handle it. First time director, and frequent Clooney collaborator, Grant Heslov, fails to find the right mix of drama and humor here. The film is too silly to be taken seriously and not silly enough to be funny. When a film thinks having a character tell Ewan McGregor he can't be a Jedi is a great joke, you know you're in trouble. A major disappointment here and not worth the rental. Grade: C-

Thank you Shawn!

Here's a video recap of Shawn Michaels' farewell speech this past week from Monday Night RAW after losing to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. I certainly don't want to see the Heartbreak Kid go, yet I hope he, unlike so many other aging wrestlers, is true to his word and sticks to this retirement. If this was the end of Shawn's in-ring career, he can be proud to go out on a high note. He's had a tremendous career and kept me a wrestling fan for a long time thanks to his consistently great matches. Thanks for all the memories Shawn!

Flying high

I had to make a quick post to give my support to the Flyers as the compete for the NIT championship tomorrow night. Now I realize that many basketball teams would rather lose in the first round of the main tournament than win the NIT, but I still think this is a big deal. What makes this even bigger is the fact that they are taking on those scumbags from UNC. Oh how sweet it would be for me to see my alma mater take down the team I despise the most. I'll definitely be watching the game and I hope all of the Flyer Faithful will be as well. I also hope I can get some support from my NC State brethern as well. They are always up for an opportunity to root against the Tar Heels. So everybody cheer on UD and let's bring home the championship!

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Wrestlemania XXVI predictions

So it's time once again for the biggest show of the year, the granddaddy of 'em all, Wrestlemania and this year I'm pretty darn excited. Not just because I'll actually get to watch it with a group of people this year, but because for the first time in quite a while, the WWE had done a really good job in building up most of the matches, giving the show that big-time feeling that it needs. Here's hoping the rest of you are just as excited and if not, perhaps my preview of tonight's show will convince you.

Career vs. Streak: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
Let it be known that I'll be rooting all the way for Shawn to win this one. I've long been a proponent for keeping the streak alive, but this year is different. I don't want Shawn to retire and let's face it, streaks are meant to be broken. The reality though is that in wrestling a retirement can be reversed, the streak cannot. For that reason, I feel the Dead Man will somehow pull out the victory.

WWE Championship Match: Batista (champ) vs. John Cena
This has actually been a well built feud. You know it's good when I want to see a John Cena match. Part of the strength of this feud is that they've actually made Cena look vulnerable, making you question the outcome. Wrestlemania is all about good prevailing over evil, though so I see Cena winning the title. The only difference this time is that I won't mind seeing him get the win.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Jericho (champ) vs. Edge
This too has a nice story surrounding it, dating back to last summer. If given time, this could be one hell of an awesome match. I do have some concerns about how healthy Edge is coming off that injury, but if he's ready to go, this one could be an instant classic. Frankly, I like both of these guys so I'll be happy either way. I'll pick Jericho to find a sneaky way to survive, but I won't be surprised by either man winning.

No Holds Barred Match: Bret "the Hitman" Hart vs. Vince McMahon
If you're any kind of wrestling fan, you know the story here. This will not be a mat classic, but certainly could be a fun garbage brawl. I'll pick Bret here as logic dictates the only way that this match should end is by having Vince tap like a little girl while in the Sharpshooter. However, it seems like that moment would be more awesome if it took place in Canada. I don't know how long Bret is committed to doing this though, so I'll say his happy moment comes here.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
From my perspective, this match has 9 midcarders and Christian. For that reason, he seems like the only logical choice here to get the win. Of course, the purpose of the match is really not about who wins, but how many highspots can they cram into this thing. And with guys like Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and Kofi Kingston involved, I'm sure those spots will not be in short supply.

Triple H vs. Sheamus
It feels strange seeing HHH in such a low-profile match at the big show. But it's also kind of nice to see him take a back seat for once. I'm not entirely convinced in the drawing power of Sheamus, but he's HHH's buddy in real life, so I'm sure Trips will do everything in his power to make him look strong. For that reason, I'll call Sheamus with the upset victory here.

Triple Threat Match: Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase vs. Cody Rhodes
The only real dud on the card. In a match that I'm dubbing the "Megadouches Explode", I really don't care who wins or loses. I've given up faith in them being able to properly build up Dibiase or Rhodes as legitimate threats. For some reason, fans seem to be trying to make Orton a face again, which will likely be a disaster. I'll say Orton gets the win, but really who cares?

Unified Tag Team Championship Match: ShowMiz vs. John Morrison and R-Truth
This is the only match that feels like it's more of a TV type match than a Wrestlemania match. Still, I'm glad they found a way to get these guys on the show. Miz has really developed his persona and wrestling skills and having him team with Show only improves his profile. There's still more to do with that team, while Morrison and R-Truth have only begun teaming for this match. For that reason, I see a fairly easy win coming for ShowMiz.

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
The stip here is that if Rey loses, he has to join Punk's Straight Edge Society. Punk's got one of the best characters going right now and I would hate to see his momentum stalled with a loss here. It could be a lot of fun seeing Rey forced into this group against his will. If Rey wins, that kind of ends this story and does no one any good. For the sake of good storytelling, I'm picking Punk to get the victory.

10-Diva Tag Team Match
Certainly a bathroom break match, but on this loaded card, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll pick the face team to win here, not just because it's Wrestlemania but because I find most of the heel divas to be pretty loathsome and worthless. As long as they don't blow too many spots, this will be fine.

And there you have it, a 10 match show along with a lot of the extracurriculars that are associated with Mania (i.e. celebrities, Hall of Famers, etc.) I'm really excited to see how the show will look in Arizona too. All indications are that the stadium's roof will be open, which should create an awesome atmosphere. I hope everyone enjoys the show and reverts back to that 10 year old mark that we all have inside of us.

The clock expires for 24

Looks like I've got to do yet another TV eulogy this week. News came down yesterday that this would be the final season of 24.

I certainly have mixed feelings on this. Running for eight seasons, the show had a good run. The past few seasons have seen some highs and lows, so to think that the show could continue at the level of quality that we came to expect from the first few seasons is a bit of stretch. Certainly, the structure of the show prevented it from naturally evolving. As cool as the real time gimmick was, it was also a burden that forced the show to become repetitive over time.

Now the question turns to how the show will end. They still have the remainder of this season, plus at least one feature film in the works. I think I and most fans will want to see a happy ending for Jack Bauer. To put him through all the hell that they have these seasons, it would be cruel to kill him off, no matter how more realistic that ending would be. I look forward to seeing it play out and I'm thankful for the entertainment Keifer and the rest of those wacky CTU agents and/or moles have provided me over the past years.

Trailers: heroes vs. villains

Check out the latest pair of trailers to hit the net:

In Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Michael Cera meets the girl of his dreams, only to find out that he must battle her 7 ex-boyfriends who are all out to kill him. While it doesn't appear Michael Cera is doing anything new in the character department, at least this time he gets to display hyper-kinetic fighting skills while playing it.



I've already shown teasers for Despicable Me, but now we finally get the feature trailer. Don't confuse this with the similar MegaMind, which I also recently featured here on the blog. In that one, Will Ferrell plays the villain who tries to do good, here it is Steve Carrell

The balcony is closed

Surprising news today as it was announced that At the Movies, the film criticism show originally started by Siskel and Ebert, will be cancelled. The show had gone through some rough times in recent years. After Roger Ebert left the show due to his medical problems, his current co-host Richard Roeper tried to keep the show alive with a rotating set of guest hosts. Then the show's producers made the suicidal decision to make the show appealing to a younger crowd by hiring Ben Mankewitz and Ben Lyons, who had no business being anywhere near that show. His reviews consisted of a bunch of cliches that you could have easily found simply reading my movie reviews. I thought the show had finally rebounded this past fall when it went back to its roots and brought in legitimate critics, A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, who were bringing back intellect and class to the program. However, ratings apparently never rebounded and now the show comes to an end after being on the air since 1980.

Personally, even in the face of the Internet and sites like Rotten Tomatoes, I still feel there is room on television for a show of movie reviews. I think two aspects are key in what the show would need to include: 1)two or more individuals who have really great chemistry together that allows them to argue with each other while still exhibiting friendship/camraderie and 2)a show that allows them to actually analyze and investigate what makes a film so great or terrible; sometime more than a two line blurb that somehow boils down the essence of a film. For anyone considering starting a new film review show, I suggest following a model similar to ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. There is a perfect example of how to successfully do a show where you can have argument without it resorting to callous name calling, yet still provides well-rounded analysis of all the topics in sports. Create a show like that, only centered around movies and you should have something that people would be interested in watching.

For more on the cancellation of At the Movies, I suggest you check out Roger Ebert's blog entry, where he basically provides a eulogy for the show and gives his take on the current state of film criticism in today's society.

NMR: Island castoffs

Here's a pair of films I caught last weekend that have connections to another film I recently saw, Shutter Island.

Mystic River: This one had been floating around in my queue for a while and I finally decided to call it up to the big leagues and give it a watch. Like Shutter Island, Mystic River is a film adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel. And once again, the Boston, or should I say Baaaahston, influence is heavily felt. At times, the film's story is engrossing. But it's also a frustrating film experience, not just for the uncomfortable story elements, but because it's one of these films that prepares you for one ending so much that you know that won't be the ending and instead something worse will happen in the conclusion. I liked both Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon's performances in this film, yet its Sean Penn's overt emoting that ends up meriting him the Oscar for some reason. Perhaps most noteworthy for me is that this film marks the first time I've disliked a Laura Linney performance. She's always so spectacular, but here she has a small role and is unlikeable in the small time she's on the screen. You would certainly have to be in the right mood to see this film, but if you find yourself in that situation, you'll probably enjoy the performances and the film. Rating: ***

Cape Fear: I also sought this out since it was another film being directed by Martin Scorsese. Made in 1991, this stars Robert De Niro as Max Cady, a recently paroled rapist who's out to make his defense lawyer's (played by Nick Nolte) life a living hell since he failed to get him an innocent verdict years ago. There are some terrific scenes throughout most of the picture as you watch De Niro's character be so clever in getting under Nolte's skin without doing anything illegal. On the flip side though, I wondered at times how Nolte's character could be so dense and not realize he was playing right into Cady's game. The climax of the film is a bit too long and overwrought, but overall this is a solid thriller and worth a view if you've never seen it before. Rating: ****

New Leads deleted scenes

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NMR: District 9

I actually rented this film back in January but just recently realized I never did a review for it on here. This is typically a film I would have skipped, but when it generated such high praise and even Oscar talk (ultimately resulting in a Best Picture nomination), I figured I would give it a try. I can definitely see why it earned the adulations that it did. It is very creative in its storytelling, while also making some poignant remarks about how we treat other human beings. However, some of its creativity began to wear thin on me as the film progresses. It changes narrative styles throughout; sometimes it is shot in a faux-documentary style, other times a straight action thriller. I also wished they would have had a stronger finish. The way the film ended left everything a little too conveniently wide open for a sequel, whereas I would have preferred they concluded on a powerful image that would stick with you well past watching the film. I think on the sheer ingenuity of the film's storyline, it's worth checking out. However, I'm unlikely to watch it again anytime soon. Grade: B

Mind-blowing or mega-disaster?

Here's the teaser trailer for Dreamworks' latest computer animated feature, Megamind, that boasts quite the all star cast.

Real recognizing real

I finally got a chance to see a movie in the theater again last weekend and with slim pickings for me, I opted for Martin Scorcese's Shutter Island. I've had my eye on this movie for a while, since it was originally supposed to be released last October. My suspicion is that the studio felt the combination of Scorcese and Leonardo DiCaprio gave this film a legitimate shot at contending for some Oscars. However, once they saw the film they felt it would get ignored and opted to push it back to save everyone involved from embarassment.

That reasoning makes it sound like this is a bad film, which it's not. It does, however, have the tough burden of being a Martin Scorcese film. When you're called the greatest living director, your films tend to be viewed from a skewed perspective. While this is a decent film, it pales in comparison to some of Marty's past work.

The fact that it is merely a popcorn film rather than a cinematic masterpiece is a bit surprising considering the source material. Shutter Island is based on a novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. Lehane's previous books that were turned into films, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, each earned high praise, even though they were directed by a couple of guys more noted for their acting than their direction. So for Scorcese to not to turn this into a gem is a disappointment.

Instead of dwelling on Scorcese, however, let's focus on what happens in this film. The premise here is Leonardo Dicaprio is a Boston marshall who has just teamed up with a cop played by Mark Ruffalo to investigate the disappearance of female mental patient from a psych ward located on the titular island. Given the security of the facility and where she was last seen, her escape seems highly improbable. The mystery quickly shifts away from this missing female and more onto what exactly is going on at this mental hospital.

Those watching will be quick to determine that not everything they are seeing is real. So like most, I begun to try and figure out what the twist/resolution to this story would be. Without giving it away, I guessed what it was fairly correctly at an early point in the film. This proved to be a frustrating experience as I then had to sit through several dialougue-heavy scenes that never really amount to anything, regardless of if you've solved the twist or not. It's a shame too that these scenes feel like such a waste though, considering they typically featured quality acting from the like of Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, as well as DiCaprio and Ruffalo.

Interspersed throughout the film are also scenes involving Dicaprio's character having dreams/hallucinations/flashbacks to his life as a solidier in World War II and with his now deceased wife. Those with his wife (played by Michelle Williams) are hauntingly beautiful, yet the war sequences come off too crass and gruesome. I would have rather that aspect of the story be eliminated altogether because they really have no major significance on the outcome of the story. While these scenes are a mixed bag, I will credit Scorcese for the mood he creates in all the scenes taking place at the psych ward. The general spooky nature of this facility combined with the severe storm that hits the area during the film create a wonderful atmosphere.

Going back to the film's twist, though, whether or not you figure it out, you're likely to still be thinking about it long after the film is over. There is an ambiguity to the resolution of the story that makes you question what you just witnessed. You'll likely enjoy discussing with anyone else who has seen the film the implications of the final scenes. Often, an ambiguous ending can leave me, and many others feeling frustrated. However, this film's conclusion offers a different kind of conclusion. Its ambiguity doesn't lie in what will happened, but rather with what happened leading to this point. I'm sorry if that's not clear, but explaining it any further would ruin the film for those that haven't seen it yet.

Shutter Island can be a frustrating film at times. There are a lot of dead spots along the way, some of which never get satisfying payoffs. However, if you stick with it, the film's conclusion will offer you plenty to mull over. Based on the strength of the finish and the fine acting performances, I say there's enough here to recommend it. I enjoyed it enough, but it's nothing I'm crazy about (get it? crazy...psych ward, anybody?) Grade: B-