NMR: Cedar Rapids

While more people probably saw Ed Helms in The Hangover Part II, his far better effort was in this small comedy. Helms stars as Tim Lippe, a sheltered insurance agent who has to travel outside of his hometown for the first time for a conference when his company's typical representative suddenly passes away. The film offers a few 'fish out of water' jokes, but it's primarily about the relationship he forms with a trio of other agents played nicely by John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and and Isiah Whitlock. As a bonus, the film also sprinkles in cameos from a number of talented and funny supporting actors like Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Root, Rob Corddry, Thomas Lennon, Mike O'Malley, and Kurtwood Smith. Helms' attempts to loosen up and shed his insecurities produce mostly funny content. However, I felt they made his character sink a bit too far into depravity in the middle, which hurt the film a bit. Still, this is a short, simple, enjoyable film about what happens when we venture beyond our safe bubble. Similar to the guys in The Hangover visiting Vegas or any teen comedy featuring characters heading off to college, being able to cut loose can be a lot of fun until things get out of hand. And it's your ability to return back to that bubble a better person rather than a destroyed one is what's most important. Rating: *** 1/2

Schur as Schur can be

All this week, the AV Club has ran a 4-part interview with Parks and Recreation executive producer Michael Schur. In it he comments on each episode from Season 3, as well as discusses the season as a whole and the general vision of for the show. Obviously if you're a fan of Parks and Rec. you should read this. But even if you're just a fan of television this is a fantastic read as it really gives you an inside look at the behind-the-scenes process of what goes into making great televison. Links to all four parts of the interview are posted below.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Konichiwa Kosuke

Indians get Fukudome from Cubs

The first, and hopefully not last, trade for the Cleveland Indians have been made. Here's my breakdown of the move:

Pros: Fukudome has had a really good on base percentage this year, the Cubs ate up most of Fukudome's contract so we saved some money on the move, we only gave up a couple of single A guys to get him

Cons: Thus far with the Cubs this season he hasn't really produced many runs which is something that the team needs, he's also a left-handed batter and we need some righties

Overall, a mixed bag but I'll reserve judgment. If this is the first of more moves to come, I'll consider it a shrewd move. If this is all we do, it will seem like a lateral move that once again reaffirms the incompetence of the front office.

The Ides have it

Before you know it, it'll be awards season again for the film industry, which means we're starting to see glimpses of some of the possible contenders. One film that appears like it could do very well is The Ides of March, directed by and starring George Clooney. Here's your first look at a trailer from it.

NMR: Unknown

Typically when I watch my film I do my best to suspend disbelief when things get a bit preposterous or unrealistic, but this film tested my limits. Unknown is apt title for this film because it is just filled with so many plot holes, leaving the audience clueless. The story centers around a man played by Liam Neeson, who while attending a conference in Berlin with his wife, (January Jones) gets into a car accident and is in a coma for four days. When he awakens and finds his wife she claims to not recognize him and says she married to someone else by that name(the fact that she wasn't by his bedside to begin with should clue you in to the fact that something is amiss). From there Neeson's character goes on a quest to find out the truth and once we get some answers, we're only left with more questions. The twist itself isn't so bad, they just did a really poor job of getting us to that point. It's as if they started with the finish and worked backwards. It's clear that this film attempts to cash in on the success that Neeson had with his other Euro-thriller, Taken. And he is good in this role. There's also some nice acting in small supporting roles from the likes of Frank Langella and Bruno Ganz (the man who played Hitler in Downfall). Trying to comprehend the story in this film will simply cause your brain to hurt, so don't even try. If you can zone out and simply appreciate the action and thrill you may enjoy this movie, but that's easier said than done. Rating: ***

Tribe Watch (Week 16)

Record: 51 - 48

Standing: Second in AL Central

The Tribe is at the worst spot they've been in all season right now. Not just in terms of the standings, where we currently sit a game an half behind Detroit, but just from a pure performance perspective. We continue to lose guys to injury and those who are playing cannot seem to get a hit to save their life. Currently we are riding a four game losing streak, all of which came against divisional opponents. It could have been worse, but we somehow managed to win both games in Monday's doubleheader. Losing against teams in your division is never good, but I especially hate it when we lose against those lowlifes from Chicago. I hate the White Sox so much and do not want to see them somehow win this division. For as bad as things have looked for the Tribe, this should be a very interesting week to watch because this is the final week of the trading deadline. It's becoming increasingly apparent that this team needs to make some kind of move. Hopefully they'll be smart about finding one or more players that can be brought in here and help this team produce without sacrificing too much in return. As far as opponents are concerned, we'll remain at home for the rest of the week, first against the Anaheim Angels and then another weekend series against a division opponent when we play the Kansas City Royals. By this time next week, we should a good sense of the state of this team and whether or not we can be hopeful that playoff baseball will be played in Cleveland this year. Pray for good news come next Sunday and as always, Go Tribe!

Inaction Jackson

As Fringe fans contemplate what happened to Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson), who literally disappeared at the end of last season, the show's producers decided to have a little fun with this and created this audition reel for Comic-Con attendees showcasing notable celebrities trying out for the role of Peter. Very funny stuff, especially for us nerds who know who each of these actors are.

Woe, the humanity

Try as I might, I just can't help myself from seeing these Transformers movies, despite being less than enamored with the previous entries. Blame the heat wave this time as I was merely trying to find respite and decided going to the theater was the best way to cool off.

Yes, the robots in disguise are back for a third time in Transformers: Dark of the Moon - an admittedly better effort than the awful second film, but one still plagued with problems. The story this time around ties in the real life events surrounding the first moon landing. Apparently, a ship carrying important Transformers technology had crashed on the moon and was discovered by the first American astronauts when they travelled to the dark side of the moon - a fact that had been kept a secret until now. Both Autobots and Decepticons want the technology and naturally, that eventually leads to another big battle between the two groups.

Of course, such an epic battle wouldn't be complete until there's a way to shoehorn Sam Witwicky (Shia Lebeouf) right into the middle of the action. This character may be one of the lest likable characters in the history of film. Some of it has to do with Lebeouf's grating 'acting'. But a lot of the blame falls on director Michael Bay and the film's writers. It was one thing to craft him as a whiny, petulant teen in the first film but the character has supposedly graduated from an Ivy League college and experience two robot wars and yet still behaves the same way. Despite his educational background he can't find a job (I guess that's Bay's way of trying to make the film relevant of our time) and whines about not being included in our country's usage of the Autobots. Why didn't this guy just join the army if he wanted to fight alongside his robot friends all the time? Yet, despite all of his very apparent flaws, he still manages to get hot, supermodel girlfriends. This time it's newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whitley, who easily replaces Megan Fox in the role of vapid hottie with no discernible acting skills.

Lebeouf's Witwicky is far from the only problem with the film - frankly every single human character in the film is bothersome. At best, they are one-dimensional (What were actors like Ken Jeong, Andrew Daly, and even, John Malkovich doing in this film) and at worst, they mug for the camera and take up way too much screen time that should have been devoted to the real conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons. There are large set pieces devoted to putting the human characters in peril and all I kept thinking was 'What are Optimus Prime, Megatron, and the rest of the key Transformers doing right now?' Had this been a film that had taken place on Cybertron, the Transformers' home planet and there were no human characters, this would have been infinitely a better film.

The scenes that do feature robot on robot carnage are admittedly very cool. Bay introduces some new ones that look great and do a lot of damage. He also eliminated any of the problematic one, like the racists twins or the one with 'robot balls'. I'm also glad I made the decision to see the film in 3D. It was clear that Michael Bay had the technology in mind when he created the film and the scenes that utilize the technology really pop off the screen. If more films could find a way to use 3D in this way, the technology wouldn't catch as much flack as it currently is.

I will give Michael Bay some credit in that he did seem to make a concentrated effort to fix some of the large issues that people had with the second film. The humor is kept to the minimum and isn't offensive this time. There also isn't as much exposition. They keep the storytelling fairly simple and just get straight to the action. I just wish they had allowed the action to be more centered around the robot. The one character that really gets short-changed here is Megatron, who not only loses screen time to the human characters, but also gets marginalized by his characters like Optimus Prime and newcomer, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy).

Those who are Transformers fans will likely have made peace already with Michael Bay's drawbacks as a director and will enjoy this improved effort. It's unlikely that those who have no care for this franchise will suddenly be lured in by this third film. I will say though that because the 3D is so well used here, that it is one of the few films that I would recommend seeing in the theater if you are going to see it. The characters will be one-dimensional no matter how you view it, so you might as well give your eyes a treat and let all the matter, debris and robot arms fly out at you to hopefully distract you from the poor acting that's on display. This is noisy entertainment, but sometimes it's fun to watch these robots hidden as cars pop out and start fighting one another. I just wish the humans weren't robots in disguise as well. Grade: C+

Lost footage

As Comic-con rolls on, fans of Lost were treated to a special surprise. Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse unveiled a "deleted" scene that supposedly was cut from the Season 1 finale. What begins as a tantalizing tease turns into a funny goof that shows how these guys are able to admit some of their errors as it relates to how the show was resolved.

NMR: The Lincoln Lawyer

Watching this made me realized how much I had forgotten how enjoyable a straightforward legal thriller can be. The genre has somewhat disappeared from theaters in recent years, likely due to the glut of legal shows on television, but this movie shows that if done right there's no reason why more stories like this can't be made into other films. Based on a novel by Michael Connelly, it stars Matthew McConaughey (in one of his best acting performances in a long time) as a lawyer who does most of his work while being driven around in his Lincoln. He takes on a case defending a rich kid (Ryan Phillipe) who's being accused of beating up a woman. The case takes a number of twists and turns, putting McConaughey's character into quite a pickle. The film is rounded out with a number of excellent supporting actors including Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Bryan Cranston, Josh Lucas, and John Leguizamo. Director Brad Furman creates a great mood in the film that shows a gritty side of Los Angeles without making you feel dirty or depressed in the process. If the film has any faults, I would say that it probably has a twist too many as the film tries to wrap things up and it also shortchanges some characters, who likely were more developed and/or explained in the original book. Still this is a very solid thriller that is certainly worth a rental if you never got a chance to check it out when it was in theaters. Rating: **** 1/2

Amazing replace

With Comic-con this week, expect to see a lot of trailers/previews for stuff coming out next week. This time, it's our first look at Marvel's attempt to reboot the Spiderman franchise with Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) taking over as Peter Parker.

Prestige Potter

As the movie poster states - it ends here. After 10 years of enchanting audiences with their magic, Daniel Radcliff and co. say goodbye with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. The film offers up fans a satisfying conclusion to this decade long ride, though like most of the adaptations this one also does not quite hit perfection.

When we left things off, things looked bleak for The Boy Who Lived and his Hogwarts pals. They were losing friends left and right while Voldemort was continuing to grow stronger. This film picks up with Harry, Ron and and Hermione on the search for horcruxes (random objects which contain a piece of Voldemort's soul), while the rest of the school tries to stave off an attack from an army of Death Eaters. Unlike Part 1, this film is mostly all action leaving you little time to catch your breath as you go along for the ride.

There are a lot of terrific scenes here, particularly the action sequences where everyone has wands a-firing. An early scene involving dragons and a bank heist is also top notch. What I appreciate the most about this film, even more than many of the recent films, is the way they were able to bring this expansive cast together and give them each their moment. I suppose that is more of a credit to author J.K. Rowling who had enough foresight to work all of these characters into the end game, but to also give all of the key characters who we have loved throughout the series their moment of triumph. While characters will often frame it as such, this is not just about Harry. This is a group effort to defeat evil and I enjoyed watching each of them find a way to utilize their talents to help the cause.

Since this is the end, it's important I point out one of the series' lesser-praised stars. Once again Alan Rickman shines as Professor Severus Snape. While he's been a delight to watch in each of these films in the various ways he's found to torment Harry and his friends, here he gets his moment of redemption through a series of flashbacks chronicling his life and his actions behind the scenes. Rickman is terrific in these scenes and it goes a long way to explaining the internal struggle Snape had to deal with throughout this whole ordeal. By noting his work, this is not meant to take away from the efforts of everyone else in his cast, but I truly feel that in a different actor's hands the complexities of the Snape character that are so well developed in the books would not have come across on the screen.

As I noted above, for as much of a enjoyable success as this film is, it does not quite hit every note exactly right. In the past, my minor quibbles have mostly surrounding the omissions or changes that the writer/director made in relation to the book. This time, I really didn't see any glaring changes that upset me. Instead, my minor complaints are associated with the emotional impact with some scenes. Reading the book, Rowling did such an amazing job of evoking pathos, sometimes with just a few words. In recalling those scenes, I anticipated having those emotions heightened as I saw them visually represented on the screen. Unfortunately, that didn't always happen. Without spoiling the actual events, I'll just say that some scenes that I expected to be quick and impactful were drug out to far and ones that I felt needed more time were rushed. I was disappointed, but that is the burden of the book reader who chooses to also see the film.

One important aside that I want to mention - this is the first of the Potter films to be done in 3D. I saw it in 2D and enjoyed it just the same. It certainly was clear though which scenes were intended for 3D though. Whether or not that extra dimension is worth it will likely depend on your general views of the technology. It seems like the filmmakers did enough to justify the conversion, but if you typically don't see films in 3D, I don't see any reason why you would change here.

Overall, no matter how large of a Potter fan you are, you'll likely be satisfied by the concluding tale. It provides a stark contrast to the overly talky Part 1 and wraps up all of the loose ends (there's even an epilogue which shows what happens to certain characters several year later - a fact you already know if you read the book). This film has already made a bajillion dollars, so it doesn't need my stamp of approval, but I shall praise it nonethess. Most film franchises peter out by the third or fourth movie, so credit to everyone involved for keeping the quality of the films consistent throughout. Simply put, their success was movie magic. Grade: A-

Bat signal

So it took a few days, but finally here's the first teaser trailer for next summer's next Batman adventure, The Dark Knight Rises.

NMR: Hall Pass

If you recall I wrote up a post analyzing this film's trailer shortly before the film was released in theaters. In it, I noted that I felt there were some problems with the storytelling that made it difficult for me to buy into the plot. Despite this misgivings, I felt I deserved to give the film a fair shake in case the trailer wasn't giving me the full story. Sadly, my worries turned out to be true. This film hits one false note after another until it arrives at a climax that is so overbooked and unnecessary that I have begun to question whether or not the Farrelly brothers are capable of making another quality comedy again. The biggest problem is that I never bought these guys (played by Owen Wilson and Jason Sudekis) needing the 'hall pass' in the first place. So they talk a bit crass when they're alone or occassionally eyeball an attractive woman. The wives'(played by Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) suggestion that they need this time apart seems like a major overreaction. And yet when these guys do get the pass, the time is squandered - not just in terms of what they do, but also in the comedic value for the audience in what they do. There are a couple of chuckles, but most of the gross-out gags simply stress the gross aspect of them. None of the characters here are all that appealing - the men are emasculated, the women are hypocritical and anyone on the sidelines is largely shortchanged in terms of screen time. Including guys like Richard Jenkins and Stephen Merchant (from the British version of The Office) and then hardly doing anything with them is a crime. I can't say that I never laughed, but I definitely expected to laugh more and would have needed to do so in order to give this film a recommendation. Rating: ** 1/2

This is one sick trailer!

I would have preferred to have posted the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, which was shown in front of Harry Potter this past weekend, but there isn't a decent version of it yet online, so you'll have to wait. In the meantime, here's a trailer for a film I'm anticipating this year - the new virus thriller, Contagion, starring Matt Damon and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Tribe Watch (Week 15)

Record: 49-44

Standing: First in AL Central

Definitely a missed opportunity this past weekend. After starting the second half of the season strong by beating up on Baltimore in the first two games, we ended up only coming away with a series split as the Indians gagged on Saturday and fell apart on Sunday. With as terrible as Baltimore is, we should have taken at the very least 3 out of the 4 games from them. The inability to beat those teams hurts our chances of separating ourselves from the rest of our AL Central rivals. Speaking of which, we start this week in a 4 game set against the Twins in Minnesota. That begins today with a doubleheader. I'm already worried about those two games given that we have an unproven David Huff pitching Game 1 in his season debut and the always shaky Fausto Carmona coming of the DL to pitch in Game 2. Also problematic is our depleted roster. We have seemingly lost Grady again to a knee injury, which certainly doesn't help. We have yet to play well in Minnesota's new stadium and I'm concerned that will continue in this series. I certainly hope I'm wrong though. After Minnesota, we'll be coming back home to play the dreaded White Sox. With two big divisional series this week, we could see our place in the standings dramatically shift. Let's hope it's in a postive direction. If nothing else, it should give the team's front office a clear sense of how active they should be as the trade deadline nears. Just like the thermostat, it appears things for this team are about to heat up. And I'll be there to root them on all the way through it. Go Tribe!

Holmes Sweet Holmes

In case you can't wait to see this in the theater with the new Harry Potter film this weekend, here's the first trailer for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Lacking supervision

Look at me finally getting a movie review done in a (relatively) timely manner. Although I'm just as likely to get recognition for my efforts as the three protagonists in Horrible Bosses. Played by Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, and Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), these three guys are having major problems with the titular superiors. Bateman's boss, played by Kevin Spacey, is a lying, manipulative psychopath. Sudekis struggles with his offensive, cokehead of a boss (plays by a nearly unrecognizable Colin Farrell). And Jennifer Aniston is causing havoc in Day's life by overtly sexually harrassing him (Oh, to have his problems).

The solution these guys come up with to deal with their problematic bosses is to murder them. Thanks to the help of Jamie Foxx (whose character name I can't even type here), they come up with a plan to off each other's boss, ala Throw Momma From the Train. This provides us with a number of stakeout/recon scenes that offer some awkward, yet funny moments.

It's a shame though that the film felt the need to rush us into this decision. The majority of the scenes meant to establish how horrible these guys' bosses can be seen in the film's trailers. While I didn't doubt that these guys were indeed terrible (Although again, how many people would complain about Aniston sexually harassing them, especially given how sexy she looked in this film). But there seemed to be a lot of untapped resources there in those scenes. Why not let these actors playing the bosses really let loose, especially since each of them seemed to be enjoying playing someone so nasty.

This remains a problem throughout the film. Everything stays one dimensional as we skip from one scene to the next as if there's some sort of plot checklist that needs to be accomplished with no regard to how deep we can explore the characters or their actions. By the time it reaches it's simplistic conclusion you keep expecting some additional wrinkle to be added, but it never comes. Before you know it, the credits are rolling, coupled with the blooper reel (always a trademark of a lazy comedy)

The actors are all good here. With maybe the exception of Charlie Day, who was a bit too loud and spastic here for my liking (and also, again, comes off a bit unsympathetic given his 'horrible' boss). I just wish each of them were given more. We get glimpses of their potential throughout the film. For instance, Bateman and Sudekis will start riffing on each other as they investigate one of their boss' houses, but just as things are starting to get good and funny we're already moving on to the next scene.

I wish the director Seth Gordon would have taken a page from someone like Judd Apatow and just let the camera keep rolling. And if he did and left a lot of stuff on the cutting room floor, then shame on him. If so, hopefully we can get a better 'extended' cut when it comes out on DVD. Otherwise, this will remain a solid comedy that failed to live up to its potential.

Perhaps I had too high of expectations coming in to the film. I'm sure there will be a lot of people that will really like this movie. I can certainly say that I laughed several times throughout it, but also felt like I should have been laughing more. Horrible Bosses is a film that seems to settle for middle management and never takes the opportunity to break through the glass ceiling. Grade: B-

Tribe Watch (All Star Break)

Record: 47-42

Standing: Second in AL Central

And so the Indians end up limping into the All-Star Break instead of finishing strong. Things had looked so promising earlier in the week though. We ended up taking two out of three from the Yankees and looked like we were finally coming out of our funk in the process. Unfortunately things peaked in the first game of the Toronto series when Travis Hafner hit that amazing walk-off grand slam to give us the win. It was all downhill after that, though, as we lost the last three to the Blue Jays and struggled to score in the process. As a result, Detroit managed to squeak back up into first place by a half game as well. As much as I would have liked to be in first place at the break, we're only a half game out and we've played two less games than the Tigers. What the Tribe needs to do is use this time wisely to rest up and come back out refocused so that they start playing like they did at the beginning of the year. As I mentioned in one of the other recent Tribe Watch posts, the month of July is a very easy schedule for the Indians. We need to take advantage of it, because things will get rough again come August. The first opportunity to rack up wins and give us some distance from Detroit comes on the road when we take on Baltimore in a four game series. The Orioles once again find themselves in the cellar of the AL East, so let's hope we can beat up on a lesser team. Until then, enjoy the All Star Game and Go Tribe!

NMR: How Do You Know

I guess I had one more film from 2010 to see after all. Then again, I didn't really think that this film had a chance to make it on my Top Ten list. Which is not to say that I didn't think there was a chance at one point. When you combine the skills and acclaim of director James L. Brooks with a fine cast that includes Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, and Jack Nicholson, it seems like you've got a real winner on your hands. So I was certainly surprised when the reviews were poor. Perhaps more surprising though was the weak response it received from audiences. On Netflix, the film has just barely over a 2 star rating. Given the generosity of Netflix viewers, that's pretty bad. But I had to see for myself if everyone was completely off base or not. While I would agree that it is not great, I think the biggest problem that most people had with the film is not really a flaw at all. The central story revolves around Witherspoon's character who at a crossroads both professionally and romantically. She's currently being wooed by two men and doesn't know who to be with. This type of plot is common in movies and can often be well received. The problem here is that the film doesn't make it clear which guy we should be rooting for. Both guys have flaws and those flaws are emphasized more than their strengths. Most of America is too stupid to appreciate this complex problem and wants to be told like sheep what the happy ending should be. So in that regard, I actually give the film credit and found the approach refreshing. With that said, the film does have problems. At his best James L. Brooks can develop characters that the audience can immediately become invested in and are engaged by (see As Good As It Gets). Here, with the exception of Reese's character, no one else is fully developed. Instead of creating rich characters, it felt like Brooks did nothing with Rudd and Wilson's characters and left it up to the actors to rely on their standby personas again (Wilson's laid-back and self-centered, while Rudd's a neurotic mess). The addition of a current events subplot involving Rudd and Nicholson (playing his father) and their potential financial scandal is boring and drags the film down. Despite the film's problems, I still like this cast a lot and enjoyed seeing them on screen together. I would not have recommended for anyone to see this in the theater, but I think watching it from the comfort of your home has softened the film's weaknesses and makes it possibly worth a recommendation if you're looking for a romantic film. Rating: ***

Dunder-Mifflin dealings

So it appears that The Office has its new hire. News broke this week that James Spader, who appeared in the season finale this past May, has agreed to join the show. But don't expect him to move into Michael Scott office, at least not for long. For more on the plans for Spader this season, here's the story from EW.com

It’s official: The employees of Dunder Mifflin are getting a new CEO and his name is Robert California.

James Spader’s ultra-confident and sexually charged character featured briefly in the NBC hit’s May finale is set to join the cast of the show’s upcoming eighth season, NBC confirmed.

“James will reprise his role as Robert California, this uber-salesman that has a power to convince and manipulate, like a high-class weirdo Jedi warrior,” said Paul Lieberstein, one of the series’ executive producers and a series regular. “He’ll have been hired over the summer as the new manager, but within hours, got himself promoted. Within days, he took over the company. James has an energy that is completely his own, and The Office has no tools for dealing with this guy. We’re thrilled he’s joining our cast.”

NBC is set to announce the hire, adding a new well-known actor to the ensemble series that saw the departure of its biggest star, Steve Carell, this season, and will also say goodbye to recurring performer Kathy Bates as well. Bates played the company’s CEO last season, though Spader’s character is expected to have a greater presence on the show.

And if you missed Spader's performance on the finale, here are some clips of him in action:

Tribe Watch (Week 14)

Record: 45-38

Standing: First in AL Central

I'm a day late because of the holiday, but I'm glad I held off considering our nice win today. But before we get to that, let's talk about the prior week, which saw us salvaging that rough 9 game interleague road trip by taking 2 out of 3 from both Arizona and Cincinnati. That allowed us to finish the trip 4-5 overall. Considering we lost Choo and could only get Hafner 1 at bat a game, I'd say that's pretty good. The end of interleague play also marked the actual halfway point of the season. While no season is one midway through, the fact that we are in first place at this time is still very impressive. We certainly cannot rest on our laurels, however. If we're to win this division and make a run in the playoffs, we're going to have to continue playing strong and get production out of all of our key players. With interleague play over with, we can turn our attention back to the American league. That began tonight with a win over the Yankees. We have two more games with them followed by a four game set against the Blue Jays. Getting that first win tonight against New York is huge and hopefully sets up for us winning the series. As for Toronto, their offense is decent but their pitching isn't. The fact that we're playing them at home bodes well for us. After the Blue Jays comes the All Star break. If we do well this week, it sets things up nicely for us as the rest of the July schedule isn't too difficult. If we can again create some distance between us and the rest of the division, it will help us tremendously as we towards the end of the season. Just like the temperature, the division race is heating up and I'm looking forward to seeing every minute of it, as I'm sure the rest of you are as well. And as we do, we'll all be cheering - Go Tribe!

Mission is a go

This was released a few days ago, but it's still earlier than I expected to see it come out. If you haven't watched it yet, here's the first trailer for Mission:Impossible Ghost Protocol set to come out this December.

Let's all go out to the movies (a lot)

So there's this new company who's trying to offer a service similar to Netflix, only it's where you could see unlimited movies at the theater. The cost is fairly steep ($50 a month), but I suppose if you really love going to the movies, you could make this work in your favor. I found it interesting and if you want to know more about it, here's the story on it from EW.com

If you’re anything like us, you’re going to spend the dog days of summer planted indoors, namely at an air conditioned movie theater, seeing everything under the unforgiving sun (Transformers: Dark of the Moon may blow your eardrums out, but at least you’ll be cooled off). While it’s certainly cheaper than buying a pool or sitting in front of your open refrigerator all day (turns out that really hikes up the electric bill), going to the movies a few times a week definitely adds up.

With the average price of a movie ticket in San Francisco hovering around $10, an avid moviegoer could very well spend roughly $100 a month at their local multiplex (that’s not including assorted goods at the concession stand, which, let’s be honest, would be about $100, too.) In other words, Californians, you may have to start subletting your living room in order to keep going. Or just start charging your out-of-towner friends for your Full House tour.

Alas, there’s MoviePass, a new $50-per-month service — launching this weekend in, you guessed it, the San Francisco Bay Area — which will allow subscribers go to unlimited movies in theaters. As reported by Wired.com, people who get the “unlimited pass” with the service — which is more or less piggybacking off of the insanely successful Netflix formula — can see as many movies currently playing in theaters as their hearts desire for the month. However, if you want to see a movie in 3-D or in IMAX, you’ll be charged an extra $3. By using the app, you’ll simply find your movie’s showtime, check in to your local theater, and go straight to the ticket-taker.

But is it worth it for the ticket line-free experience? While you’re more or less breaking even if you see four movies a month, there’s bound to be a lull, even for the most avid moviegoer. However, Wired also reported that a more reasonable “limited pass” option, with four movies for $30 per month, is on the horizon.

That’s not all. As MoviePass co-founder Hamet Watt explained in a press release, the company will “enable our members to extend their connection to the movie they just saw by pre-ordering the DVD, digital download or other merchandise as soon as they walk out of the theater.” Studios and producers will also be able to “engage with avid movie buffs based on their film-attendance history” — so perhaps you’ll get an email from Jerry Bruckheimer after your 35th viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides? (Or perhaps not.)

Still, will everyone be willing to make the transition? For better or worse, we’ve all gotten pretty used to the movie theater line dilemma — automated ticket machines and the ability to print out your ticket at home have all but cut out that problem for many. And perhaps just as many of us aren’t “spur-of-the-moment” moviegoers, as MoviePass seems to be targeting. Better yet, it’s a safe bet a lot of people who do check out multiple flicks a month do the mythical movie-hopping, in which they simply sneak into another theater after paying for one movie. (We, of course, have only heard of this illicit ritual.)

Then again, we haven’t heard much from the Netflix naysayers as of late (just ask Blockbuster), so will MoviePass change the dynamic of movie-going for good, not only for theaters themselves, but online ticket outlets like Fandango and Moviefone? Is $50 too steep, or will it appeal directly to folks who want to get their monthly entertainment budget in order

Brave new world

Well after their first 'rotten' film ever with Cars 2, Pixar looks to rebound by offering a film that appears to be a bit more grown up and scary than what they typically do. As usual the animation looks amazing, but it remains to be seen whether this will get them back on the right track.

NMR: Bill of goods

This weekend I got into a Bill Murray mood and decided to check out three of his films that I had never seen before.

Stripes: In one of his first starring roles, Murray proves he's a star with his performance as cynical slacker John Winger. Overall, I didn't love the movie primarily because I just don't appreciate the 'me vs. the establishment' movies that came out during this time (Animal House is another example of it). However, the movie does have it's winning qualities. Murray and Harold Ramis work well off of each other (a winning combination that would be reprised in Ghostbusters) and I also like the scenes involving the two of them and their romantic interests (one of which was Sean Young). I also absolutely loved Elmer Bernstein's score and could listen to the Stripes march all day long. On the other hand, a lot of the supporting cast members like John Candy, John Larroquette, and Judge Reinhold are underutilized. Also, Warren Oates' Sgt. Hulka disappears halfway through the movie which causes the story to drag. Frankly, the whole third act that involves the platoon going to Europe is weak and disjointed. I would have rather had the climax be their graudation from basic training. Still, the movie has enough laughs that makes it worth seeing if you've never watched it before. Rating: ***

Kingpin: Bill Murray's presence in this Farrelly brothers film about a gifted bowler (Woody Harrelson) who's career goes down the toilet after he loses his hand, is really a saving grace. Sadly, he's only in the film for about 20-30 minutes. His greasy, jealous, con man character provides the bulk of the laughs. The film really sags in the middle with the scenes involving Harrelson, Randy Quaid (playing an Amish bowler) and Vanessa Angel. This is pretty much standard fare from the Farrelly brothers, so if you enjoy their humor, it's likely you'll appreciate this film. If only they would have found a way to get Murray in the film more, this could have been something special. Rating: ***

Quick Change: I saved the best one for last. This underrated film from the early 90s involves Murray working with Randy Quaid and Geena Davis as a trio of bank robbers. The robbery itself is easy - it's the getaway that proves difficult as they run into a number of different situations throughout New York City that are seemingly conspiring against them as they try to make their flight to Fiji. Murray is once again terrific bouncing back and forth between being cool, calm, and collected and getting frenzied over the idiots that surround him. One of the things that I liked the best about the film is that they didn't just resort to cheap cliches about the people of New York. There are some odd, but hilarious scenes like the Mexican jousting scene that have to be seen to be appreciated. Mixing Murray's humor with the heist genre is a winning combination for me. Definitely check this one out if you've never seen it before. Rating: ****

Tribe Watch (Week 13)

Record: 40 - 36

Standing: Second in AL Central

Well it's been another terrible week for the Tribe. They only managed 1 win against the Rockies and got swept this past weekend by the Giants. If there's a saving grace it's that most of the games we lost were one-run affairs, which means our pitching was solid (with the exception of Fausto Carmona) but our hitting continues to suffer. If the hitting doesn't turn around soon, we could be heading into a downward spiral that we won't be able to recover from. It certainly didn't help when Shin Soo-Choo went down this week with a broken thumb after getting hit by a pitch. He's likely going to be out at least 6 weeks. It also hurts playing these interleague games in National League parks because we're without a DH then. The Indians will look to try and climb back up into first place this week (they're only one game behind Detroit currently) as they continue their west coast swing in Arizona starting tonight. After that, we'll head back to Ohio, but it's to play the Reds in Cincinnati this weekend. We were able to sweep the Reds when they played in Cleveland, but I have a feeling they'll be a much tougher opponent this weekend. Even though things look bleak at the moment, we gotta stay firm in our belief that this team can win and compete with the best in baseball. Go Tribe!

Meat Ron Swanson

The awesome Parks and Recreation art keeps coming. This one comes from NBC itself - a photomosaic of Ron Swanson consisting of tiny pictures of meat.

NMR: Just Go With It

I'm usually always up for an Adam Sandler movie, but this one misses the mark. Of course, one of its major flaws is its premise. Here Sandler has co-worker Jennifer Aniston pretend she's his soon to be ex-wife in order to win over a hot girl (Brooklyn Decker) he recently met. Why he wouldn't just want to date someone as hot as Aniston is beyond me. As the film tries to make the flimsy premise work, they pad the story with a lot of subplots that really go nowhere. The film isn't completely humorless, however. There are a handful of gags that worked, but most of them come near the beginning of the film and revolve around Sandler being a plastic surgeon. Once the film moves to Hawaii (in yet another situation where it appears Sandler chose a film in order to have a glorified vacation) it loses a lot of steam and limps to its inevitable conclusion. Despite a bunch of funny guys and hot women making up the majority of the cast, they simply couldn't do anything with this material. This is one Sandler film you can skip. Rating: **1/2

Tip of the Cap

Hopefully you haven't reached superhero fatigue yet, because we've still got one big one yet to come out. Here's the latest trailer for next month's Captain America movie.

NMR: The King's Speech

I debated for a long time whether or not to actually rent this. I was rather miffed that it won best picture given that I felt there were a number of far more deserving films of that honor. But I decided I would be the bigger man and see why this was supposed so much better than them. Ultimately, it may have been a self fulfilling prophecy, but this was exactly what I expected. This is a well made film that I found mostly forgettable. The acting is solid here as both Colin Firth as King George and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, the man who helped the king with his speech impediment do exceptional work and play off each other well. The subject matter is also fairly interesting as you could see the larger historical ramifications that overcoming this problem had on the king and his country. However, everything about this film reeks of desperation in trying to garner awards and nominations. This is Oscar baiting at its worst. And sadly it worked as the Oscars chose to shun films that were fresh, innovative, or current, in favor of another period piece that appeals only to an out-of-touch older generation. That is more of an indictment on the system than the film, however. This film is certainly not without blame though as it pushed every button and worked every angle in order to make sure the same old outcome would be produced. If the subject matter does interest you, I definitely would recommend you see this as it is very well done. However, it's likely that if you haven't seen it yet, you likely won't be persuaded by this review. Rating: ****

And with that, I don't believe I have any major films left from 2010 that I plan on seeing. So with that, I will officially take down my 2010 Top Ten movies list. I'm pretty pleased with the 10 that are on there and I feel it's one of the strongest lists I've had since beginning this blog. If 2011 hopes to have as strong of a list, the slate of quality films better be heavily backloaded.

I dream of this ice cream

If only this were real...I discovered this Photoshopped thing of beauty from a website called www.meatbeerbabes.com

Tribe Watch (Week 12)

Record: 39 - 31

Standing: First in AL Central

A much better week for the Indians, but they are certainly not in the clear yet. After salvaging one win against the Yankees, things continued to look pretty bleak against Detroit, although we did manage to earn one victory against them. It wasn't until this weekend series against the Pirates that the team finally started to perk up. We saw more clutch hitting in Friday and Saturday's games. Then today we saw the return of home field magic with a walk off win in the 11th. What should be interesting to watch for in the next few weeks is how, if at all, the offense changes. Earlier today the Indians fired their hitting coach and promoted the guy that was working on hitting in our minor league system. Perhaps with a different approach, the Tribe can find their swing again. They'll certainly need it as interleague play rolls on this week. We have another home series against Colorado, who helped us out this weekend by taking two of three from Detroit. Then we travel out west to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been playing better as of late. Interleague play can often be a make or break moment of the season for some teams. We're currently 6-0 against the National League, so let's hope we keep that up. As usual, I'll be rooting for them the entire way. Go Tribe!

Playing homage

Last week, J.J. Abrams secretive new film, Super 8, finally was released. As the trailers for the film were released many speculated on the brief images they saw. How did the train crash? What was being kept in the train? Why are the military now involved in the clean up of this accident? All of these questions get answers as the film unfolds, however, the journey is much more exciting than the actual answers.

As many of you have read and/or surmised this film is, at the core, about childhood friendships. The story revolves around a group of 12 year olds who have a penchant for making their own films and decide to create a zombie movie that they can submit to a film festival. It is while they're shooting said film that they witness the signature train crash.

Let me take a brief moment from summarizing the film to commend J.J. and his crew on the train crash scene. The visuals and sound effects are truly fantastic and really make you feel like you too are in the center of all this mayhem. And an extra special compliment to them for being able to accomplish that without feeling the need to gussy it up with the increasingly unnecessary 3-D gimmick. The film is shot in 2D and looks just fine.

Anyways, in telling this story of these kids, Abrams borrows heavily on the themes and emotions that Steven Spielberg used so effectively in some of his earlier films like E.T. Spielberg, not surprisingly, was an executive producer on the film and his presence is clearly felt. Since he doesn't seem as interested in making these films himself these days, it's nice to see he's passing the torch onto a new generation of filmmakers. The bond between the kids (most of which are unknowns, with the exception of Elle Fanning, Dakota's little sister) is well developed and definitely one of the film's strengths. I liked both the passion and innocence they display as they work together on their movie and then later on as they investigate the weird events surrounding the train crash.

But as we move more into uncovering what really happened and what is lurking out in their town (a fictional suburb of Dayton, which was a nice bonus for me), the film, just like its train begins to derail a bit. It's not the reveal is disappointing, it's that it takes away from what was turning out to be a decent coming-of-age story. As the film becomes more action-oriented, it also loses sight of what it's supposed to be. At the point when the film is meant to reach its emotional climax, it falls flat and almost feels like an afterthought.

The more I reflect on the direction the film takes as it reaches its conclusion, the more it feels like Abrams was possibly making a different film altogether. In a sense, this movie feels as if this was Abrams' version of the film he would have made when he was 12. In that sense, he's attempting to further show his respect for the art of filmmaking and the way an artist can get wrapped up in his own story. If true, I can respect his decisions more. But it's also likely that I may be reading into things more than I should.

Regardless, those who love filmmaking will truly enjoy this film. For those who are more interested in mindless entertainment, this certainly has enough to keep you engaged, but it also may not head in the direction you expect. Almost everyone though will likely have a wave of nostalgia ride over them as you see elements of amazing films of the past incorporated here in an attempt to create a new classic. I'm not convinced it completely achieved that, but Super 8 is still pretty great nonetheless. Grade: B+

Show me the money

Here's the first trailer for the film that I think could be this year's The Social Network. It's about the life and career of baseball wunderkind GM Billy Beane and his method of obtaining a winning ball club without spending much.

NMR: No Strings Attached

This was better than I expected it to be thanks primarily to the breezy chemistry between Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Kutcher, by no means a master thespian, knows his limits and plays to his strengths here, while Portman seems to be having a lot of fun being in lighter fare after spending most of her time in more serious films recently. Their chemistry makes the predictable storyline palatable. What was disappointing here and what hurts the movie is the weak group of friends that they cast around the two leads. The majority of the them come off as weak leftovers from a Judd Apatow film. Their purpose in the film is to provide some laughs as they remark on the silly predicament that the leads are in, but they were unable to muster more than a smile out of me. The one exception is Kevin Kline who plays Kutcher's randy dad. He naturally gives it all and I wish there had been more scenes involving him. There have certainly been far worse romantic comedies that have been released recently, so if you're doing the whole date night thing this will probably suffice and have enough to make both parties happy. What will be interesting is how this compares to the other 'f*** buddies' movie coming out next month, Friends With Benefits starring Kutcher's friend Justin Timberlake and Portman's Black Swan co-star Mila Kunis. Rating: *** 1/2

Feeling froggy

I gotta say, I'm loving these Muppet parody trailers. Check out the latest one tackling Green Lantern.

Pawnee - First in friendship, fourth in obesity

Love Parks and Recreation? Well get ready for more goodness from our favorite town in Indiana. On October 4th, a 'guide' to Pawnee will be released written by Leslie Knope. If it's half as good as the Pawnee, Indiana website, then this will be amazing.

Here's more on the book from Variety:

“Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America,” a 240-page book from the point of view of Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation” lead character Leslie Knope, will be published Oct. 4 by NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group and Hyperion Publishing.

The book will focus on the fictional town’s history, expanding on and adding to events alluded to on the show, such as its long list of ridiculous town slogans and ongoing racoon infestation.

“The ever-expanding town of Pawnee has become its own character in our show, and we're thrilled that we got to accelerate that expansion in one giant, goofy 240-page comedy book,” said exec producer Mike Schur, who might have had a hand or three in writing the tome.

Added Poehler: "Mike Schur asked me to contribute to this book. I missed the deadline. I am regretting that now."

Tribe Watch (Week 11)

Record: 34 - 29

Standing: First in AL Central (by percentage points)

I'm not really in the mood to talk baseball right now after the Indians disasterous week. They only managed one win and that was a pathetic 1-0 victory against the Twins. Right now our offense is so anemic, it's not even funny. I wish I had answers, but if I did, then so would this team and they'd be able to fix things. We can only hope that this is a bad slump and that the team will be able to get out of it eventually. Otherwise, the hot start will merely be an aberration and we'll be looking at the bottom of the division once again. Our performance this week will be critical. After finishing up the series against the Yankees tonight, we head to Detroit for a three game series against the Tigers who are now tied with us for first place. The outcome of that series could dramatically shift the outlook of the division. After we finish with the Tigers, we'll return home to play against the Pirates, a team that while better, is still a beatable team. If we right the ship, this week could get us right back to where we were before this slump. I'll be rooting hard for that to happen and I hope the rest of you will as well. Go Tribe!

NMR: Jackass 3D and 3.5

This shouldn't even be labeled as a Netflix movie review since I saw neither of these through Netflix. Jackass 3D was available at the beginning of March and three months later, despite being at the top of my queue that entire time, it still hadn't arrived. So I just gave up and got it immediately through Redbox. Then Jackass 3.5 was already on television this past weekend, even though it's not even available yet through Netflix. Needless to say, Netflix isn't winning me over these days.

As for the movies, this is about what you would expect. Jackass 3D is one of the few films that I probably should have seen in 3D. These guys do a nice job of crafting a lot of their stunts around the technology and maximizing its usefulness. It's not to say that they can't be enjoyed on the small screen, but I think you definitely lose something - especially for stunts like recreating the Rocky punch, which involves dosing an unsuspecting with a cup of watch and then punching them in the face. Even if you can't watch it in 3D, there are still plenty of horrifying, hilarious, and somehow creative dares that the gangs has on display here. Stunts like beehive tetherball and taser obstacle course make you laugh, wince, and look on in awe all at the same time. It's impressive the way these guys can continue to find fresh ways of torturing their bodies.

In Jackass 3.5, you basically get the leftovers that they couldn't fit in the regular movie. There are still a handful of gems here. But this is also nice because it allows us to also gain a bit more insight into each of these guys and their collective friendship. I think what makes this franchise still so appealing, even after 10 years, is that oddly enough they still seem to enjoy inflicting pain on both themselves and each other. It proves the old adage that getting hit in the nuts is always hilarious. I don't know how much more abuse these guys can take, but as long as they are willing, I'll be there to watch. Rating: Jackass 3D - **** Jackass 3.5 *** 1/2

X-ceeding X-pectations

As I continue to play catch up, we come to last week's new release - X-Men: First Class. I'll admit I had quite a bit of skepticism going into this movie given the franchise's recent track record. After a sufficient introduction and a solid first sequel, the X-Men films fell off the rails once Brett Ratner took over directing duties on the third one. Then, they did little to ingratiate fans with a wholly unnecessary and uninspired Wolverine spinoff. To make matters worse, the promotion for this latest effort - a prequel/reboot of sorts - was rather underwhelming.

Set in 1960s, First Class looks at the early lives of the franchise's two most central figures, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto. The two begin on very disparate paths. Xavier thrives in academia thanks to his mind reading mutation while Erik is on a path of destruction trying to locate the man responsible for his killing mother while their family was held in a concentration camp. Of course, their paths do cross when they come across a mutual enemy - the mysterious Sebastian Shaw. Shaw is played by Kevin Bacon and has a much larger role than the previews of this film would suggest. Seeing Bacon not only in a high profile film but hamming it up as the primary villain was a wonderful surprise, one of many that the film features.

In an effort to stop Shaw, Charles and Erik round up a number of other indiduals with mutant powers. This is done through a nice montage that showcases a lot of characters and how the two of them weren't always successful at convincing some to join their cause. This is just one place where you'll find some effective cameos in this movie. Once they've amassed a group, the film does a good job of spending time with these characters and making us appreciate them, even if they weren't mutants who most people would recognize prior to this film. I really liked the fact that through both castings and choice of characters, there really isn't a dud in the group. Unlike with past X-Men films where some of the characters were either annoying or pointless, I liked all of the choices made here. And perhaps more importantly, I would enjoy seeing another film featuring them as well.

By giving the film the backdrop of the 1960s, First Class adds some credibility by infusing its story with real life events. Who knew that the Cuban Missile Crisis was merely an extension of the festering war humans were developing against mutants? All joking aside, I liked that they blended this story with real events. It gave the film some added authenticity and eliminated some of the silliness that can naturally come when telling a story about a guy who can make tornados with his hands fighting someone who can fire red laser discs from his hands.

Now that's not to say that the film doesn't have its silly moments. I felt the first 20 minutes or so of the film was too goofy in its attempt to first illustrate the different characters' powers. However, once the film shifts into its central story those moments are less frequent. On the other hand, some more silliness could have been exhibited by Emma Frost (played by January Jones). Clearly the weak link in the cast, Jones' wooden portrayal of the character hurts each scene that she's in. Both of these gripes though are minor issues that do not severely affect the film in a negative way.

I recognize that there is probably a lot of people out there who may have mutant fatigue given the number of recent poor X-Men films, but I would strongly suggest you give this one a chance. There is strong acting from the leads coupled with a very engaging story. In a summer where most films have felt like retreads that fail to offer up fresh ideas, this latest X-Men movie is in a 'class' by itself. Grade: B+

Surprise party

While everyone was (deservedly so) buzzing about Nintendo's announcement of their new Wii U console yesterday, I was stunned to also read that they announced that they are releasing a new Mario Party this year on the Wii. This is the first Mario Party in four years!! It's also the first one that was made specifically for the Wii (Mario Party 8 was originally intended for the Gamecube and converted at the last moment to the Wii). No release date has been set yet, but I'm already eagerly counting down the days. You can get a first look at what you can expect from the game in the trailer below.

Another round of shots

As I try to wrap up another school year, I've fallen a bit behind on my movie reviews, but I'll try to rectify that situation right now. Like so many others, I too saw The Hangover Part II a couple of weekends ago when it first was released. Since then the film has received some polarizing responses from critics and fans alike. The biggest complaint most have is that this film is simply a retread of the first film.

Well let's get it out of the way, this film is exactly like the first one. This time around it is Stu (Ed Helms) who is getting married and has decided to do so in Thailand. Though he wanted a simple, innocuous bachelor party Stu, along with Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zack Galifianakis) wake up the next morning after a night of debauchery not remembering a thing that happened. What follows there after is the same course as the first film with the Wolfpack trying to piece together clues in order to figure what they did and how things went so terribly wrong.

Now I will admit that I was not as enamored as a lot of people were with the first film. While I definitely enjoyed it, I also felt it lacked something that would allow it to join the list of greatest comedies of all time. This time around I didn't have that same feeling. That is not to say I think that this is a better film. I just think that the obvious comfort level that the cast now has with each other and the material enabled a lot of the rough edges that I thought the first film had to disappear.

The one major drawback to this film was the choice of location. While Bangkok is a natural choice to set a film like this is, it doesn't have the same welcoming feel as Vegas did. Everything is darker and more dangerous there and you just feel dirty watching everything that happens. I think the situations the Wolfpack found themselves in during the first film are more relatable to a larger audience.

So is this a bad film because it's a retread of the original movie. Many will say yes, but I disagree. This is one instance where I think a lot of people need to get off of their high horse and just enjoy these guys have yet another bad day. We're not talking about watering down a classic piece of cinema. This is a raunchy comedy filled with nudity, violence, and foul language. It shouldn't matter what package it comes in. If you enjoy the delivery of it, you should be happy. It's likely that the film was in a no win situation. If they had completely changed up the formula, you would have others saying they miss what they enjoyed from the first movie. In this case, there was no reason to rock the boat. I would say their only crime was having this come out so soon after the first one. There was not enough of a waiting period to allow their first adventure to be forgotten.

Ultimately, The Hangover Part II has just as many laughs, but fewer surprises. It's likely that if you haven't seen it by now, you might as well just wait to video. The few surprises that the film has have either been spoiled to you already or they're simply not good enough for you to spend the $10+ to see them in the theater. Like the first one, this too can be more appreciated on the smaller screen where you can catch some of the more subtle jokes and take a closer look at the pictures of the guys' wild night during the closing credits (or in some cases, shield your eyes). It's apropos to look at this sequel like you would a second shot of alcohol. For some, just one shot is good enough and they can ride that buzz throughout the rest of the night. For others, you can't help but take another shot. And while it may be smooth going down, you may also regret it a day later. Still others can't get enough with each one just as enjoyable as the previous one. With a high tolerance, it's likely you'll enjoy The Hangover Part II. Grade: B

Wii whoa!

Check out the new Wii controller, part of the new Wii console called Wii U that was announced today at the E3 conference. I am very impressed! Nintendo already has my money for this thing.

Tribe Watch (Week 10)

Record: 33-24

Standing: First in AL Central

We are officially in a major slump right now. While the Tribe managed to get 2 out 3 in Toronto, we got swept in the four game series against Texas. Not only did we get swept at home, but we were shutout in the last two games. There really was nothing redeemable to take away from those last four games. Right now no one is hitting well, so even when the pitching is decent, it's still not enough to give us a win. While some of the batters who aren't hitting well are likely to come around, there are some big concerns with guys like Choo and Santana, who have not hit well all season and were expected to be big producers in the middle of the lineup. I'm not sure what the answer to our problems is, but we better figure it out soon because suddenly Detroit has been winning and our once sizable lead in the division has all but evaporated. We'll get an opportunity to right the ship starting tomorrow as we begin a three game set against Minnesota. That will be an important series for a number of reasons. First, it's a divisional opponent, so you always want to do well against them. Also, Minnesota is having a terrible year, so we can't waste an opportunity to take advantage of a lesser team. Finally, after the series with Minnesota we head to New York this weekend to take on the Yankees. If we're unable to do well against the Twins, we could head into a real tailspin, which would be terrible after getting off to such a great start. I know no one wants to see that, so I hope you'll all join me in continuing to root this team on. Go Tribe!

Book review: Hell's Corner

Now that summer has arrived (I say that despite the fact that I still have yet another week before the school year is over for me) it's time to catch some rays and curl up with a good book. The first one I chose was a novel by David Baldacci that continues the adventures of the Camel Club. I believe I reviewed one of the Camel Club novels last summer, but if you're unfamiliar, the group is a ragtag bunch of guys, led by 'Oliver Stone' a former sniper for the U.S. government, who often find themselves wrapped up in conspiracies and political espionage. I was not particularly fond of the previous entry in this series called Divine Justice. That book I felt was too obvious in its plotting. I was able to call every twist and villain before they were actually revealed. It also took the characters away from Washington D.C., which I didn't care for either. Thankfully, most of those problems are eliminated in Hell's Corner. The plot is stuffed with plenty of misdirection to keep the reader guessing. This time around as the gang try to investigate a mysterious bombing that occurred in a park near the White House. As I read it, I felt like it could have easily been a season-long storyline for 24, which in my opinion is a good thing. I will say that the conclusion did suffer at times from a lack of plausibility and leaves some questions unanswered. I'm willing to dismiss those problems though as I found myself quickly turning the pages as it came to its conclusion. Certainly I wouldn't recommend you reading this book without reading the prior ones in the series, but if you're looking for something to read, I definitely encourage to start at the beginning and give this series a try. Grade: B+

Going ape

I can't say that I've ever been a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise, but damn if this movie doesn't look entertaining, with a solid cast and some impressive visual effects.

NMR: Little Fockers

I talked last week about how unnecessary of a film the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film felt, but that goes double for this third entry in the Fockers franchise. It was clear watching this that the people behind these films have nothing left to say. This movie, if you can even really call it that, is a hodgepodge of random ideas, none of which are particularly fresh. Part of the disjointed feel that this film has is due to the cast. While they can be credited for bringing back all of the primary cast members from the previous films, it was clear that not everyone was available at the same time. As a result, the movie goes from one scene to the next with whoever was available leaving no internal consistency to the story. Given that the film is called Little Fockers, you would think the primary focus would be on the new kids, but they are more of a sideshow here. Instead, we revisit played out storylines like Jack's (Robert DeNiro) intimacy problems and Kevin's (Owen Wilson) inability to get over Pam. If the film had been a simple retread, it would have been unfortunate but understandable. But this movie also tries to shoehorn new characters like Jessica Alba's Andi, who may be one of the most unrealistic characters in a film in a long time. No one in real life behaves the way she does in this film. What had been so appealing about the first film was the way it rooted its comedy in uncomfortable realism. The laughs here, of which there are few, are anything but realistic. I really wanted this to be good, but there's just nothing here to warrant a recommendation. Rating: ** 1/2

Tribe Watch (Week 9)

Record: 31-19

Standing: First in AL Central

This has certainly been the roughest week thus far in the season for the Tribe. Managing only one win against both Boston and Tampa was less than encouraging considering either one of those teams could be playoff contenders. Right now the offense seems to be in a funk. With the exception of Asdrubal Cabrera, no one seems to be hitting with any consistency at the moment. It's good that Grady has returned to the lineup, but thus far he's struggled like everyone else to get on base. The good news amongst our recent struggles is that virtually everyone else in our division continues to play just as poorly, if not worse. Looking ahead to this week, the Indians continue their road trip by heading up to the Great White North to take on the Toronto Blue Jays for three games. Then it's back home for a four game set against the Texas Rangers. Both teams have good offenses, so even if our pitching is good, we can't rely solely on it. Let's get those bats going and I'll be there every step of the way to see what happened. Go Tribe!

Gal(ifianakis) pal

Just in time for The Hangover Part II, Zack is back with another installment of Between Two Ferns with special guest Will Ferrell.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell

Caribbean cruise control

Like many others, I opted to set sail once again with Captain Jack Sparrow last weekend for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the popular franchise. For me and this series of films, it's been a long, strange journey. When the first film came out, I initially scoffed at the idea of a pirate film. That is, until I actually saw it and was instantly won over by the film's fun nature and Johnny Depp's engaging performance as Captain Jack. With the second and third films, my anticipation led to fatigue as I saw Disney become greedy and over-ambitious as they tried to stretch a confounding narrative over the course of two films.

That leads us to this new film that I came into with some trepidation. On one hand, this was an opportunity, ala Ocean's 13, to be a make-good for the previous ill-received two films. However, this entry was being made without two of the previous films' primary leads. Neither Keira Knightly nor Orlando Bloom are seen or even mentioned in this outing. The end result here is a middling affair that isn't as bad as it could have been, nor does it offer much hope that this franchise has much left in the way of sealegs.

This time out, Capt. Jack is on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth. He's not alone though. The English, led by Barbosa (once again played by Geoffrey Rush) and the Spanish are searching for it. And so is Blackbeard (played by Ian McShane) and his daughter (Penelope Cruz), who also happens to be a former loved of Sparrow's. With so many parties involved its inevitable that there will be plenty of swashbuckling and swordfights between them, and sometime amongst them, along the way. If it all feels like familiar territory, you're not wrong. The film is set up in such a way that you sit patiently waiting until they all arrive at the fountain since you know that nothing of significance will occur until then. In fact the film does sag in the middle as it takes longer than you would like for them to actually arrive at the desired location.

While the action offers nothing new, I did appreciate the addition of Penelope Cruz. While she doesn't really have to try to exude sexiness, she still gives it her all here and the scenes that she shares with Depp offer up the film's few special moments. The same can't be said for the rest of the characters. I like Rush's Barbosa, but he doesn't bring anything new this time to his portrayal of Barbosa. As usual, his character continues to play all sides preventing anyone from knowing his true intentions. As for McShane, he's disappointing as Blackbeard. He never seems to find the right level of menace to make him an engaging villain. Worse of all though is a ham-handed subplot involving a hunky missionary and a mermaid. Their sole purpose in the film appears to help fill the void left by Bloom and Knightly's absence, but they add nothing to the movie. You could excise their entire subplot and have the film be just as entertaining.

Of course, all of these characters take a backseat throughout the film to Jack Sparrow, which probably isn't a good thing. With Depp's original performance of the character, the appeal came from the fact that the character was such a wildcard. Full of energy, with just the right amount of crazy. As the character became more of the central figure of this franchise, that mystique has been stripped. I'd imagine a similar problem would occur if they had made a Star Wars film that featured Han Solo, but didn't have Luke and Leia. By now, we know exactly how Capt. Jack will handle each situation. Depp still appears to be having fun playing the character, but I'm not sure the same can be said for the audience watching it.

Though the franchise may appear a bit weathered, a post-credits scene would lead you to believe that they're leaving the door open for the possibility of another entry. My suggestion would be to stop now before this franchise sinks to the depths of Davy Jones' locker. With the way things stand now, they don't go out on a high note, but they don't completely embarass themselves either. On Stranger Tides can be fun at times, but on the whole feels redundant and unnecessary. You'll have wished that the franchise had found the fountain of youth, because their routine is getting old fast. Grade: B-

Puppet master

I'm sure most of you have seen this already, but if not, check out how a trailer can go from awful to awesome in a matter of seconds.

NMR: Tangled

Even though this isn't in my wheelhouse of films I typically watch, I'm, in general, a sucker for animated films, so I gave it a look. This modern telling of Rapunzel comes from Disney and their fingerprints are all over it. You have cute animal sidekicks. You have a princess. You have a female villain. You have big musical numbers. It's all there, yet its still missing some of its magic. For some reason, the Disney formula, which worked for so many years dating back to Snow White lost something once they transitioned to computer animation. None of it feels fresh anymore. Other studios like Pixar have surpassed them at being able to tell compelling stories with engaging characters. In many ways, Tangled feels like a used car that has a fresh coat of paint on it. My comments may seem a bit harsh and I certainly don't want them to sound that way. In many ways I was entertained by the film. The musical numbers are solid and there are a few decent characters. I just wish Disney could have been a bit more innovative. Younger children who have not seen a lot of the original Disney animated features will likely love this, but older audiences are better off just sticking with the originals. Rating: *** 1/2

Ghost Crichton

News on a new Michael Crichton novel coming out this fall, despite passing away back in 2008. From Dayton Daily News:

A new, posthumous story of science gone wrong is coming in November from the late Michael Crichton, with help by Richard Preston.

Crichton, author of such blockbusters as "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" died in 2008 and had written one-third of "Micro," a thriller about a biotech company in Hawaii and the graduate students who end up stranded and endangered in a rain forest. Preston, known for his best-selling nonfiction work about the Ebola virus, "The Hot Zone," used Crichton's outline, reference materials and notes to finish the book.

Publisher HarperCollins announced Sunday that "Micro" would be "a high concept thriller in the vein of 'Jurassic Park.'" In a statement released by HarperCollins, Preston said he was immediately captivated by Crichton's manuscript.

"Michael was writing at the top of his game, with a grand sense of adventure, into an eerie world that seems almost beyond imagining," Preston said. "For me, it was an irresistible challenge to finish the novel, and I was driven by a desire to honor the work and imagination of one of our time's most visionary and creative authors."

"Michael was exhilarated by his concept for this novel," Crichton's agent, Lynn Nesbit, said in a statement. "He felt he was breaking new ground by introducing his readers to a fascinating, almost unimaginable landscape with real scientific underpinnings."

Crichton is one of many authors whose publishing output has continued after his death. David Foster Wallace's "The Pale King," a novel assembled from notes the author left behind after his suicide in 2008, came out last month. The "Wheel of Time" fantasy series by Robert Jordan, who died in 2007, is being completed by Brandon Sanderson. Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes," a novel he had finished before his death, was released in 2009.

Tribe Watch (Week 8)

Record: 29-15

Standing: First in AL Central

This was certainly a week that featured a lot of highs and low. On the high side, we swept both the Royals and Reds. The Royals series featured a lot of offense, but doing that against the Royals has been commonplace for a while now. Sweeping the Reds was huge because they are a playoff contender too. The first two games were close ones that showed the Indians 'never-say-die' attitude. Today's game was an awesome blowout that put a great exclamation point on this series. As for the lows, we looked absolutely awful losing both games of the two-game series against Chicago. Normally I wouldn't get too worked up over losing two games, but I absolutely loathe the White Sox and hate whenever we lose to them. But for now, they've at the bottom of the division, so I'll try not to worry about them too much. The other low came from the mounting injuries the team has suffered. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and rookie pitcher Alex White all went on the DL. Thus far they haven't been too critical since the offense has remained hot and Mitch Talbot is expected to come off the DL to replace White. All in all, I'd say this was a positive week. We're now at the quarter point of the season and things continue to look good. We have no signs of this being a fluke or hot start and we also hold the biggest lead within our division (up on Detroit by 7.5 games currently). Let's hope that continues to hold. But things won't get any easier this week as the resurgent Boston Red Sox come into town tomorrow for a three game series and then we head down to the ugliest stadium in the major leagues, Tropicana Field, to play the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays. As usual, I'll be watching and I hope all of you will too. Go Tribe!

Bane of our existence

Courtesy of a new viral campaign which began on TheDarkKnightRises.com, here is the exclusive first look at Tom Hardy (Inception) as Bane in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, which is set to be released next summer. I'm already more excited about that film than I am about anything coming out this summer.

RIP Macho Man

I don't write a whole lot about wrestling on here, but this was too big of a story to ignore. Earlier today, it was announced that Randy "Macho Man" Savage had passed away from an apparent heart attack while he was driving with his wife. He was only 57. This news comes as a shock to so many wrestling fans who idolized him for so many years. Without question, he was one of the best. He had a tremendous mix of both charisma and atheletic ability. Anyone who was or is a wrestling fan can immediately tell you their favorite match of his, but you'll likely get a different answer from each person you ask. He had memorable feuds with all the greats from Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, Ricky Steamboat, Jake "the Snake" Roberts and numerous others. He made it look so effortless to get you sucked into his matches, whether it was through his manic pre-match promos or the way he displayed his vicious side or show his vulnerability by selling his opponents attack. I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Macho Man when I was 12. It was the first pro wrestler I had ever met in person and he seemed larger than life. Truly a moment I'll never forget. I really wish that the he and the WWE had been able to get past their differences, whatever they were, in order for him to have been inducted in their Hall of Fame while he was still with us. Now, though, he'll likely automatically be in next year's class. It's a shame it had to take this happening for him to get that recognition. But while the WWE may have been petty, fans certainly have not. You'll likely see an outpouring of positive sentiments and fond memories being shared over the next few days and they come to the realization that yet another great pro wrestler has left us. I'll do the same here as I've embedded one of my favorite moments of his - the reunion with Miss Elizabeth (sadly, also deceased) from Wrestlemania VII. The way things played out there didn't just create a great moment in wrestling history, it created a great moment in television history. The emotion surrounding their on-screen reconciliation was something you could have found in any great TV drama. As we mourn the loss of this great star, feel free to share your own memories. Randy, you will be missed. Ooohhh Yeahhh!

Meta cheese

I'm sure you're sick of the TV talk for a while, so let's get back into some good ol' movie reviews. A few weeks ago, I caught Scream 4, the latest in the popular horror movie franchise. When the first Scream came out in 1997 it generated a lot of interest because it attempted to say something about the horror genre and turn some of the genre's conventions on its ear. As the franchise went on, the films became even more meta as we saw them do a film in a film that depicted the events of the first film.

However, it's now been 10 years since the last Scream and a lot of has happened in the horror genre in that time. We've seen the prominance of the torture porn genre with franchises like Saw and Hostel. More recently, there's been the trend of the documentary style filmmaking for horror films, seen in movies like Paranormal Activity. Yet, Scream 4 arrives as if the franchise has been in a bubble of sorts. The characters have aged and the technology has been updated, but it's efforts on making commentary on the horror genre seem a bit antiquated. Writer Kevin Williamson seems more intent on mocking teen culture rather than horror films.

In Scream 4, Sydney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell) returns to her hometown of Woodsboro to do a book signing for her autobiography and wouldn't you know it, Ghostface decides to show up at the same time murdering people around town. Of course, Sydney is once again joined by the other surviving cast members of the previous films, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, as Gail Weathers and local cop Dewey, respectively. But along with our trio is a whole host of fresh young blood including Emma Roberts, who plays Sydney's cousin Jill and Hayden Panitierre as her friend. The amount of screen time the young actors get is problematic though. Fans of the franchise will want more of a focus on the core trio, but the studio clearly felt the need to include these teens in order to appeal to a wider, newer audience.

I think what bothered me most wasn't the screen time that they received, especially since most of them are just there to be fodder for Ghostface. Rather it was the film's decision to devote so much of the story and commentary on the teen lifestyle as a way to justify their prescence that frustrated me. Without giving too much away, this problem is connected with who they chose to be the film's killer. For me, one of the greatest appeals of this franchise is that it's been as much about being a whodunnit as it has been about the killings. And this time around, the choice for the killer was a letdown. I felt the choice should have been based on one of two things. Either let the killer have not only a strong connection to Sydney, but a deep reason to hate her or they should have chosen a character who's motives would have been more strongly connected with a larger social commentary. There's a point early in the film where someone mentions tough economic times. It would have been completely plausible to have the killer be someone who in their twisted mind was attempting to boost Woodsboro's economy because the Ghostface killings always generate a larger interest in the town.

So when the killer is revealed and it's a letdown, the rest of the film doesn't look as good either. Most of the action leading up to the reveal is redunant from any of the chase scenes we saw in the first three films. If you're going to pull this franchise out of the mothballs then you better have a good reason to do so. Sadly, I didn't see that here. Yes, there are definitely some funny moments and clever lines sprinkled throughout. The opening sequence in particular is the height of meta commentary with several fake-out moments. However, for as funny and clever as the dialogue is at times, none of it felt needed or enlightening. And instead of feeling timeless, this just felt like an unnecessary rehash.

I'm giving Scream 4 a mild recommendation because the quality of the film isn't that different than any of the other previous entries. If you enjoyed the first three films, you're likely going to appreciate another go round involving these familiar characters. I just wish they had made an effort to freshen things up a bit more. This feels in many ways like it could have come out in 2001, not 2011. With the violence and scares being amped up with today's modern horror films, this franchise is going to have to scream a little bit louder in order to get some recognition. Grade: B-

Fall TV Schedules (CW)

And we wrap up the week with the announcement of the CW's fall schedule.

MONDAY
8 pm Gossip Girl (New Time)
9 pm Hart of Dixie (New Series)

TUESDAY
8 pm 90210 (New Night)
9 pm Ringer (New Series)

WEDNESDAY
8 pm H8R (New Series)
9 pm America’s Next Top Model

THURSDAY
8 pm The Vampire Diaries
9 pm The Secret Circle (New Series)

FRIDAY
8 pm Nikita (New Night)
9 pm Supernatural

Blah. From my perspective, nothing to see here. Same teen-skewing junk that they put out every year.

New CBS shows

There aren't many, but here are the videos previewing CBS new fall shows.

Fall TV Schedules (CBS)

Next up on the fall schedule announcement is CBS (All new shows are denoted in all CAPS).

MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM How I Met Your Mother
8:30-9:00 PM 2 BROKE GIRLS
9:00-9:30 PM Two and a Half Men
9:30-10:00 PM Mike & Molly
10:00-11:00 PM Hawaii Five-0

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00-11:00 PM UNFORGETTABLE

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Survivor: South Pacific
9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

THURSDAY
8:00-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9:00 PM HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN
9:00-10:00 PM PERSON OF INTEREST
10:00-11:00 PM The Mentalist

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM A GIFTED MAN
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: NY
10:00-11:00 PM Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM Rules of Engagement
8:30-9:00 PM Comedytime 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 The Good Wife
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: Miami

Leave it to CBS to finally bring some intrigue to these fall TV announcements. Once again, they've gone and made some major changes to the timeslots of their existing hit shows. The original CSI gets bumped to Wednesdays at 10. Given its waning ratings, the move isn't totally surprising, but it still has to hurt for those involved with that show. For CBS to make that move, they must have felt like they had something solid to replace it with. On the surface it appears they do. A new show called Person of Interest that stars Michael Emerson (Ben from Lost) as an eccentric billionaire who helps solve crimes with Jim Caveziel. Color me intrigued. The other moves CBS made don't have a great impact on me, but are still noteworthy. Breakout hit The Good Wife moves from Tuesdays to Sundays. And then CBS attempts to air new programming on Saturdays by having Rules of Engagement air there. When you're #1, you're able to make these riskier moves. This isn't the first time they've done these experiments, but unlike their counterparts, everyone move they make seems to be the right one. I have no doubt the same will hold true again this year.